Fetching
One moment.
Fetching
One moment.
1he had been unable to stretch out his hands ; he came to use them as freely as men living by manual labour. Plotinus took a great liking to Rogatianus and frequently praised him very highly, holding him up as a model to those aiming at the philosophical life. Then there was Serapion, an Alexandrian, who began life as a professional orator and later took to the study of philosophy, but was never able to conquer the vices of avarice and usury. I myself. Porphyry of Tyre, was one of Plotinus’ very closest friends, and it was to me he entrusted the task of revising his writings. 8. Such revision was necessary : Plotinus could not bear to go back on his work even for one re-reading ; and indeed the condition of his sight would scarcely allow it : his handwriting was slovenly ; he mis- joined his words ; he cared nothing about spelling ; his one concern was for the idea : in these habits, to our general surprise, he remained unchanged to the very end. He used to work out his design mentally from first to last : when he came to set down his ideas ; he wrote out at one jet all he had stored in mind as though he were copying from a book. Interrupted, perhaps, by someone entering on business, he never lost hold of his plan ; he was able to meet all the demands of the con- versation and still keep his own train of thought clearly before him ; when he was free again, he never looked over what he had previously written — his sight, it has been mentioned, did not allow of such re- reading— but he linked on what was to follow as if no distraction had occurred. 10 PLOTINUS Thus he was able to live at once within himself and for others ; he never relaxed from his interior attention unless in sleep ; and even his sleep was kept light by an abstemiousness that often prevented him taking as much as a piece of bread, and by this unbroken concentration upon his own highest nature. 9- Several women were greatly attached to him, amongst them Gemina, in whose house he lived, and her daughter, called Gemina, too, after the mother, and Amphiclea, the wife of Ariston, son of lamblichus ; all three devoted themselves assiduously to philosophy. Not a few men and women of position, on the approach of death, had left their boys and girls, with all their property, in his care, feeling that with Plotinus for guardian the children would be in holy hands. His house therefore was filled with lads and lasses, amongst them Polemon, in whose education he took such interest as often to hear the boy recite verses of his own composition.
2are, feeling that with Plotinus for guardian the children would be in holy hands. His house therefore was filled with lads and lasses, amongst them Polemon, in whose education he took such interest as often to hear the boy recite verses of his own composition. He always found time for those that came to submit returns of the childrens’ property, and he looked closely to the accuracy of the accounts : “ Until the young people take to philosophy,” he used to say, ” their fortunes and revenues must be kept intact for them.” And yet all this labour and thought over the worldly interests of so many people never interrupted, during waking hours, his intention towards the Supreme. He was gentle, and always at the call of those having the slightest acquaintance with him. After spending twenty-six entire years in Rome, acting, too, as arbiter in many differences, he had never made an enemy of any citizen. 10. Among those making profession of Philosophy at Rome was one Olympius, an Alexandrian, who had been for a little while a pupil of Ammonius. This man’s jealous envy showed itself in continual insolence, and PORPHYRY II finally he grew so bitter that he even ventured sorcery, seeking to crush Plotinus by star-spells. But he found his experiments recoiUng upon himself, and he confessed to his associates that Plotinus possessed “ a mighty soul, so powerful as to be able to hurl every assault back upon those that sought his ruin.” Plotinus had felt the operation and declared that at that moment Olympius’ “ limbs were convulsed and his body shrivelling like a money-bag pulled tight.” Olympius, per- ceiving on several attempts that he was endangering himself rather than Plotinus, desisted. In fact Plotinus possessed by birth something more than is accorded to other men. An Egyptian priest who had arrived in Rome and, through some friend, had been presented to the philosopher, became desirous of displaying his powers to him, and he offered to evoke a visible manifestation of Plotinus’ presiding spirit. Plotinus readily consented and the evocation was made in the Temple of Isis, the only place, they say, which the Egyptian could find pure in Rome. At the summons a Divinity appeared, not a being of the spirit- ranks, and the Egyptian exclaimed : “You are singularly graced ; the guiding-spirit within you is none of the lower degree but a God.” It was not possible, however, to interrogate or even to contemplate this God any further, for the priest’s assistant, who had been holding the birds to prevent them flying away, strangled them, whether through jealousy or in terror.
3the lower degree but a God.” It was not possible, however, to interrogate or even to contemplate this God any further, for the priest’s assistant, who had been holding the birds to prevent them flying away, strangled them, whether through jealousy or in terror. Thus Plotinus had for indwelling spirit a Being of the more divine degree, and he kept his own divine spirit unceasingly intent upon that inner presence. It was this preoccupation that led him to write his treatise upon Our Tutelary Spirit, an essay in the explanation of the differences among spirit-guides. Amelius was scrupulous in observing the day of the New-Moon and other holy-days, and once asked Plotinus to join in some such celebration : Plotinus refused : “ It is for those Beings to come to me, not for me to go to them.” What was in his mind in so lofty an utterance we could not explain to ourselves and we dared not ask him. 12 PLOTINUS II. He had a remarkable penetration into character. Once a valuable necklace was stolen from Chione, who was living m honourable widowhood with her children in the same house as Plotinus : the servants were called before him : he scrutinised them all, then indicated one ; “ This man is the thief.” The man was whipped but for some time persisted in denial : finally, however, he confessed, and restored the necklace. Plotinus foretold also the future of each of the children in the household : for instance, when questioned as to Polemon’s character and destiny he said : “ He will be amorous and short-lived ” ; and so it proved. I myself at one period had formed the intention of ending my hfe ; Plotinus discerned my purpose ; he came unexpectedly to my house where I had secluded myself, told me that my decision sprang not from reason but from mere melancholy and advised me to leave Rome. I obeyed and left for Sicily, which I chose because I heard that one Probus, a man of scholarly repute, was living there not far from Lilybaeum. Thus I was induced to abandon my first intention but was prevented from being with Plotinus between that time and his death. 12. The Emperor Galienus and his wife Salonina greatly honoured and venerated Plotinus, who thought to turn their friendly feeling to some good purpose. In Campania there had once stood, according to tradition, a City of Philosophers, a ruin now ; Plotinus asked the Emperor to rebuild this city and to make over the surrounding district to the new- founded state ; the population was to live under Plato’s laws ; the city was to be called Platonopolis ; and Plotinus undertook to settle down there with his
The source text as printed, transcribed diplomatically. Where the source language uses a non-Latin script that reaches us only through a Victorian romanisation, this layer is labelled transliteration, because that is what we hold.
1he had been unable to stretch out his hands ; he came to use them as freely as men living by manual labour. Plotinus took a great liking to Rogatianus and frequently praised him very highly, holding him up as a model to those aiming at the philosophical life. Then there was Serapion, an Alexandrian, who began life as a professional orator and later took to the study of philosophy, but was never able to conquer the vices of avarice and usury. I myself. Porphyry of Tyre, was one of Plotinus’ very closest friends, and it was to me he entrusted the task of revising his writings. 8. Such revision was necessary : Plotinus could not bear to go back on his work even for one re-reading ; and indeed the condition of his sight would scarcely allow it : his handwriting was slovenly ; he mis- joined his words ; he cared nothing about spelling ; his one concern was for the idea : in these habits, to our general surprise, he remained unchanged to the very end. He used to work out his design mentally from first to last : when he came to set down his ideas ; he wrote out at one jet all he had stored in mind as though he were copying from a book. Interrupted, perhaps, by someone entering on business, he never lost hold of his plan ; he was able to meet all the demands of the con- versation and still keep his own train of thought clearly before him ; when he was free again, he never looked over what he had previously written — his sight, it has been mentioned, did not allow of such re- reading— but he linked on what was to follow as if no distraction had occurred. 10 PLOTINUS Thus he was able to live at once within himself and for others ; he never relaxed from his interior attention unless in sleep ; and even his sleep was kept light by an abstemiousness that often prevented him taking as much as a piece of bread, and by this unbroken concentration upon his own highest nature. 9- Several women were greatly attached to him, amongst them Gemina, in whose house he lived, and her daughter, called Gemina, too, after the mother, and Amphiclea, the wife of Ariston, son of lamblichus ; all three devoted themselves assiduously to philosophy. Not a few men and women of position, on the approach of death, had left their boys and girls, with all their property, in his care, feeling that with Plotinus for guardian the children would be in holy hands. His house therefore was filled with lads and lasses, amongst them Polemon, in whose education he took such interest as often to hear the boy recite verses of his own composition.
2are, feeling that with Plotinus for guardian the children would be in holy hands. His house therefore was filled with lads and lasses, amongst them Polemon, in whose education he took such interest as often to hear the boy recite verses of his own composition. He always found time for those that came to submit returns of the childrens’ property, and he looked closely to the accuracy of the accounts : “ Until the young people take to philosophy,” he used to say, ” their fortunes and revenues must be kept intact for them.” And yet all this labour and thought over the worldly interests of so many people never interrupted, during waking hours, his intention towards the Supreme. He was gentle, and always at the call of those having the slightest acquaintance with him. After spending twenty-six entire years in Rome, acting, too, as arbiter in many differences, he had never made an enemy of any citizen. 10. Among those making profession of Philosophy at Rome was one Olympius, an Alexandrian, who had been for a little while a pupil of Ammonius. This man’s jealous envy showed itself in continual insolence, and PORPHYRY II finally he grew so bitter that he even ventured sorcery, seeking to crush Plotinus by star-spells. But he found his experiments recoiUng upon himself, and he confessed to his associates that Plotinus possessed “ a mighty soul, so powerful as to be able to hurl every assault back upon those that sought his ruin.” Plotinus had felt the operation and declared that at that moment Olympius’ “ limbs were convulsed and his body shrivelling like a money-bag pulled tight.” Olympius, per- ceiving on several attempts that he was endangering himself rather than Plotinus, desisted. In fact Plotinus possessed by birth something more than is accorded to other men. An Egyptian priest who had arrived in Rome and, through some friend, had been presented to the philosopher, became desirous of displaying his powers to him, and he offered to evoke a visible manifestation of Plotinus’ presiding spirit. Plotinus readily consented and the evocation was made in the Temple of Isis, the only place, they say, which the Egyptian could find pure in Rome. At the summons a Divinity appeared, not a being of the spirit- ranks, and the Egyptian exclaimed : “You are singularly graced ; the guiding-spirit within you is none of the lower degree but a God.” It was not possible, however, to interrogate or even to contemplate this God any further, for the priest’s assistant, who had been holding the birds to prevent them flying away, strangled them, whether through jealousy or in terror.
3the lower degree but a God.” It was not possible, however, to interrogate or even to contemplate this God any further, for the priest’s assistant, who had been holding the birds to prevent them flying away, strangled them, whether through jealousy or in terror. Thus Plotinus had for indwelling spirit a Being of the more divine degree, and he kept his own divine spirit unceasingly intent upon that inner presence. It was this preoccupation that led him to write his treatise upon Our Tutelary Spirit, an essay in the explanation of the differences among spirit-guides. Amelius was scrupulous in observing the day of the New-Moon and other holy-days, and once asked Plotinus to join in some such celebration : Plotinus refused : “ It is for those Beings to come to me, not for me to go to them.” What was in his mind in so lofty an utterance we could not explain to ourselves and we dared not ask him. 12 PLOTINUS II. He had a remarkable penetration into character. Once a valuable necklace was stolen from Chione, who was living m honourable widowhood with her children in the same house as Plotinus : the servants were called before him : he scrutinised them all, then indicated one ; “ This man is the thief.” The man was whipped but for some time persisted in denial : finally, however, he confessed, and restored the necklace. Plotinus foretold also the future of each of the children in the household : for instance, when questioned as to Polemon’s character and destiny he said : “ He will be amorous and short-lived ” ; and so it proved. I myself at one period had formed the intention of ending my hfe ; Plotinus discerned my purpose ; he came unexpectedly to my house where I had secluded myself, told me that my decision sprang not from reason but from mere melancholy and advised me to leave Rome. I obeyed and left for Sicily, which I chose because I heard that one Probus, a man of scholarly repute, was living there not far from Lilybaeum. Thus I was induced to abandon my first intention but was prevented from being with Plotinus between that time and his death. 12. The Emperor Galienus and his wife Salonina greatly honoured and venerated Plotinus, who thought to turn their friendly feeling to some good purpose. In Campania there had once stood, according to tradition, a City of Philosophers, a ruin now ; Plotinus asked the Emperor to rebuild this city and to make over the surrounding district to the new- founded state ; the population was to live under Plato’s laws ; the city was to be called Platonopolis ; and Plotinus undertook to settle down there with his
The source text as printed, transcribed diplomatically. Where the source language uses a non-Latin script that reaches us only through a Victorian romanisation, this layer is labelled transliteration, because that is what we hold.
No commentary for this page.