EXPLANATION, WITH GOD, OF THE TEN CATEGORIES, FROM THE VOICE OF DAVID, THE MOST PIOUS PHILOSOPHER (†).

Beginning the Aristotelian discourses, let us immediately upon the threshold perform what is dear to Aristotle and wrap the brevity he loved in a most concise summary. For brevity is a summary, and it was dear to Aristotle, who was a Pythagorean in truth and translated the silence of Pythagoras into the neighboring i.e., stylistic conciseness. We enclose his philosophy in ten chapters. First, among the ten, is why Aristotle's philosophy was so named: Peripatetic. But since this is particular and unphilosophical—for the philosopher is a lover of the universal and should seek the universal—we ask by what persons and for what causes the sects in philosophy were named. Second, what is the division of the Aristotelian writings, which are many, even numbering a thousand, as Ptolemy Philadelphus says, having made a list of them as to their life and arrangement. Third, from where one must begin the Aristotelian writings. Fourth, what is their end. And since, where there is a beginning and an end, there is also something in between, fifth, one must seek what is the middle path. Sixth, what the hearer must be in life and knowledge. Seventh, what the interpreter must be; let him not escape scrutiny due to the dignity of the interpreter, but let him render an account of what sort he is. Eighth, the style of his expression. Ninth, why he practiced obscurity; for he is not like this by nature, as his letters, which are clear, demonstrate, and the Topics and the Meteors, which are quite clear. Tenth, how many and what things one must presuppose before all of Aristotle's books. Since Proclus says these things must be presupposed when beginning the Aristotelian treatises during the collective reading—and a Proclean treatise he added to this—let us also set forth the cause through a certain division.

The division proceeds thus, containing the whole. Aristotle's philosophy is both named and subsists. Since it is named, we seek why the sects in philosophy were so named, and why Aristotle's philosophy was called Peripatetic. Since it subsists, it either subsists in itself by the law of art or science, or towards us as teachable. Since it subsists in itself, does it proceed from the perfect to the imperfect and more particular, or from the imperfect to the perfect? And we seek what is the beginning, what the end, and what the middle path. And thus it is in itself. But if it is towards us, we seek who is the hearer and who is the interpreter. Since we mentioned the division of treatises, and in the treatises there is both wording and thought, for the wording we ask what the style of expression is and why he practiced obscurity; and for the thought, how many and what chapters one must presuppose regarding Aristotle's treatises. This is what the present theory holds.

The first chapter of those encompassing Aristotle's philosophy was to inquire in what ways and by whom the sects in philosophy were named. And one must know there are seven ways. For they are named from the sect-leader, as Platonists and Aristotelians; or from the birthplace of the sect-leader, as Cyrenaics from Aristippus the Cyrenaic. But since we cannot accurately follow what is said unless we first know what a sect is, let us speak of it first. A sect is an opinion of excellent original: "ἀσείων", likely a corruption for "ἀξίων" or "σπουδαίων"; translated here as "excellent/worthy" men who agree with themselves but disagree with others. He well said "of men" and not "of a man"; for the opinion of one man does not make a sect. A thesis then occurs, as that of Heraclitus that all things move, or of Parmenides that the One is immovable, or of Antisthenes that it is not possible to contradict. For a thesis is the paradoxical belief of one of those known in philosophy. And he also well added "of excellent men," so that they may be noteworthy and learned. For if they are frivolous and common, they create neither art nor science. "Who agree with themselves but disagree with others"; for if they agree with themselves and with others, they do not create a sect but the opposite of a sect, that is, a common notion. For agreement within disagreement characterizes a sect, and not among random people but among excellent and noteworthy ones. So much for the sect. One must know that the sects in philosophy are named in seven ways. Either from the sect-leader, as Platonists and Aristotelians, or from the birthplace of the sect-leader, as Cyrenaics for Aristippus, or Eretrians for Menedemus in Eretria, or Megarians for Terpsion and Euclides of Megara—whence also the Megarian philosophy—or Elians for Phaedo and from Elis. This is from the birthplace of the sect-leader. Or from the place in which they held their discussions, such as Stoics from the Painted Porch poikilē stoa variegated/painted porch in Attica, in which Zeno the Cittiean instructed—not the Eleatic, who is the Parmenidean, the "double-tongued," of whom it is said (Diogenes Laertius 9.25): "A great stranger of the double-tongued Zeno, not weak." He was called double-tongued not because he was dialectical like the Cittiean, and dismantled and constructed the same things, but because he was dialectical in his life, saying one thing and thinking another. For when asked once by the tyrant who the ones most plotting against his tyranny were, he pointed to his bodyguards; the tyrant, having been persuaded and having killed them, was destroyed himself. For he thought it a good thing to lie for the sake of the tyrant's removal. And to his own teacher, Parmenides, when he was saying the One is an idea, he constructs from its activity that beings are many, composing forty arguments that the One is, thinking it a good thing to fight for his own teacher. And once again, when supporting the same teacher who said the One is immovable, he constructs through five arguments that the One is immovable. Unable to contradict these, Antisthenes the Cynic rose and walked away, thinking the proof through deeds was stronger than any contradiction through words. Thus, this is from the place of meeting. Or from the judgment among the philosophers, as the Skeptics ephektikoi those who suspend judgment; for they, believing in akatalepsia incomprehensibility, suspended their answers to the propositions. Their sect was also called "tripod," since it had triple...

(†) Vatican Codices 1018 and 1023.