Tahafut_al-Tahafut-transl-Engl-van-den-Bergh

bodies in a certain way, namely, through their influence and
their action upon them, and which stand midway in dignity;
they undergo an influence from the intellects and exert an
influence upon the bodies.
Now the number of bodies is ten. There are nine
heavens, and the tenth body is the matter which fills the
concavity of the sphere of the moon. The nine heavens are
animated; they possess bodies and souls, and they have an
order in existence which we shall mention here. From the
existence of the First Principle there emanates the first
intellect-an existent which subsists by itself, immaterial, not
impressed on body, conscious of its principle and which we
philosophers call First Intellect, but which (for we do not
quibble about words) may be called angel, or intellect, or
what you will. From its existence there derive three things,
an intellect, the soul, and the body of the farthest sphere, i.e.
the ninth heaven. Then from the second intellect there derive
a third intellect and the soul and the body of the sphere of
the fixed stars, then from the third intellect there derive a
fourth intellect and the soul and the body of the sphere of
Saturn, then from the fourth intellect there derive a fifth
intellect and the soul and the body of the sphere of Jupiter,
and so on till one arrives at the intellect from which there
derive the intellect, the soul and the body of the sphere of
the moon, and this last intellect is that which is called the
active intellect. Then there follows that which fills the sphere
of the moon, namely, the matter which receives generation
and corruption from the active intellect and from the natures
of the spheres. Then through the action of the movements of
the spheres and the stars the matters are mixed in different
mixtures from which the minerals, vegetables, and animals
arise. It is not necessary that from each intellect another
intellect should derive endlessly, for these intellects are of a
different kind, and what is valid for the one is not valid for the
other. It follows from this that the intellects after the First
Principle are ten in number and that there are nine spheres,
and the sum of these noble principles after the First Principle
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