Глава XL. О природе

Nature is the beginning of movement and rest of every thing. Thus the earth moves, in the sense of the production of plants; is at rest, in the sense of moving from place to place, for it does not move from one place to another. So, the beginning and cause of motion and rest, which is characteristic of things to move and rest, is inherent in essence, or by nature, and not by chance, - it is called nature, since it is so created and so exists. Nature is nothing other than substance; for from substance a thing has such ability, i.e. the faculty of movement and rest, and substance is the cause of a certain movement and rest. [Greek name for nature] φύσις comes from πεφυκέναι - to be born. You might be interested in: