We see every body gradually wasting away, and observe how all things, in one way or another, dissolve with the passage of time, concealing their decay from our eyes. Yet the universe as a whole clearly remains intact.

For the elements that separate from each body diminish it as they depart, while they increase the size of that into which they pass. They cause the former to grow old and the latter, by contrast, to flourish, and this process never ceases.

Thus the universe is continually renewed, and mortal creatures live by receiving elements from one another. Some species grow and flourish, while others decay and perish. In a short space of time, successive generations of living beings replace one another, passing on the torch of life.