And if the boundaries come into
being and cease to be, from what do they come into being? A similar
account may also be given of the 'now' in time; for this also cannot
be in process of coming into being or of ceasing to be, but yet
seems to be always different, which shows that it is not a
substance. And evidently the same is true of points and lines and
planes; for the same argument applies, since they are all alike either
limits or divisions.
6
In general one might raise the question why after all, besides
perceptible things and the intermediates, we have to look for
another class of things, i.e. the Forms which we posit. If it is for
this reason, because the objects of mathematics, while they differ
from the things in this world in some other respect, differ not at all
in that there are many of the same kind, so that their first
principles cannot be limited in number (just as the elements of all
the language in this sensible world are not limited in number, but
in kind, unless one takes the elements of this individual syllable
or of this individual articulate sound-whose elements will be
limited even in number; so is it also in the case of the
intermediates; for there also the members of the same kind are
infinite in number), so that if there are not-besides perceptible
and mathematical objects-others such as some maintain the Forms to be,
there will be no substance which is one in number, but only in kind,
nor will the first principles of things be determinate in number,
but only in kind:-if then this must be so, the Forms also must
therefore be held to exist.
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