The Common Principles of Natural Philosophy

our path is from common things to specific things, and from roots to
F. 85 b 2. branches, and from foundations | to the rest, and from sources to streams;
therefore, I wish to observe this order, beginning first from the two
roots of all natural philosophy, which are the Efficient Causeoriginal: "Causa efficiens"; the force or agent that brings something into being.
and Matteroriginal: "Materia"; the underlying "stuff" that receives a form or change., which I briefly identify at the beginning, so that I may finally | 5

4 b 1. pursue what is necessary more extensively.

Chapter 4. Concerning the universal explanation of the agent and matter.

Two things, therefore, are required for natural production, namely, the
efficient [cause] and the matter upon which it works. For the agent, which 10

is the efficient cause, transforms matter, just as fire transforms wood
and heats it and produces fire in the wood—namely, flame
and charcoal; and the sun and stars similarly act upon all things and
work, and thus it is with every substance because every substance
is active. And [so are] the eight accidentsoriginal: "accidencia"; properties or qualities that can change without altering the essential nature of the thing, such as its color or temperature., namely Heat, Cold, Moisture, 15

Dryness, Light, Color, Taste, and Smell. Regarding Sound, there is doubt,
but later it will be certain. That which, therefore, can transform
another and make it similar to itself—as heat makes things hot, and light makes
things bright, and so with the others—is called the agent and efficient [cause]. But that which
receives the action of the agent within itself is called matter; and therefore the same 20

thing can be matter and efficient cause in respect to different things, as fire
acts upon wood and makes it hot, and water extinguishes fire. In this
way, however, "matter" is understood in common speech. But matter is understood differently
as that which, along with form, constitutes a compositeoriginal: "compositum"; a thing made up of both matter and form, like a physical object or a living being.. For in all 25

species of substance, there are matter and form; for just as
a tablet and a painting make a certain artificial composite, so
in natural things there is some subject, like the tablet, and another
informing it, like the painting—as in man, for the sake of example, the soul 28

is the form and the body is the matter. For two things make a third: one
is the foundation and of lower value, like matter; the other is noble, like 30

form, and thus matter is distinct in its essence from form, out
of which all substances are nevertheless made. For matter is a
substancce that differs in its essence from every substantial [form]...

---

The original text includes a critical apparatus (scholarly notes at the bottom) detailing variations between manuscripts "D" and "F." These include minor spelling differences (rivulos/rivolos) and instances where manuscript F omits the list of active accidents. It also notes that some versions use "nobler" (nobilius) instead of "noble" (nobile) to describe the form.