Since, then, even if a thing exists for ever, out of that of which it consists it would necessarily also, if it had come into being, have come into being, and since everything comes to be what it comes to be out of that which is it potentially (for it could not have come to be out of that which had not this capacity, nor could it consist of such elements), and since the potential can be either actual or not,-this being so, however everlasting number or anything else that has matter is, it must be capable of not existing, just as that which is any number of years old is as capable of not existing as that which is a day old;
izan ere, horrela balitz, materia izango lukete, osagaiez osaturiko guztia konposatua baita. Horrela, baldin eta zerbait-hau betierekoa zein sortua izanik-bere osagaietatik sortua izatea nahitaezkoa bada, eta dena potentzian hori bera den horretatik sortzen bada (ez bailitzateke ez sortuko, ez izango, potentzia hori ez balego), eta 20) potentzian dena egintzaratzea edo ez egintzaratzea litekeena bada, orduan zenbakia, edo materiadun edozer, nahiz eta betidanik existitu, ez existitzea litekeena da, egun bateko bizialdia edo urte askotako bizialdia dutenak bezala.