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Since corruption, in each case, is a change of the things that are corrupted into their opposites, let us see whether the saying holds good that the death of fire is the birth of air. Diels-Kranz, Frag. der Vorsok. 5, i, p. 168, Heraclitus, frag. 76 (frag. 25, ed. Bywater, p. 11). Cf. Mor. 392 c-d. Fire, indeed, perishes like a living creature,Cf. Mor. 281 f, 702 e-f; 703 b. being either extinguished by main force or dying out of itself. Now if it is extinguished, that makes the change of fire into air more conspicuous. Smoke, in fact, is a form of air, as is reek and exhalation, which, to quote Pindar,Isth. iv. 112. Stabs at the air with unctuous smoke. Nevertheless, even when fire goes out for lack of nourishment, one may see, as for instance in the case of lamps, the apex of the flame passing off into murky, dusky air. Moreover, the vapour ascending from our bodies when, after a bath or sweat, cold water is poured on them, sufficiently illustrates the change of heat, as it perishes, into the air; and this implies that it is the natural opposite of fire. From this the Stoics drew the conclusion that air was primordially dark and cold.
