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1Plotinus 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 associates. He would have had his way without more ado but that opposition at court, prompted by jealousy, spite, or some such paltry motive, put an end to the plan. PORPHYRY 13 13- At the Conferences he showed the most remarkable power of going to the heart of a subject, whether in exposition or in explanation, and his phrasing was apt ; but he made mistakes in certain words ; for example, he said “ anamnemisketai ” for “ anamimnesketai ” — just such errors as he committed in his writing. When he was speaking his intellect visibly illuminated his face : always of winning presence, he became at these times still more engaging : a slight moisture gathered on his forehead ; he radiated benignity. He was always as ready to entertain objections as he was powerful in meeting them. At one time I myself kept interrogating him during three days as to how the soul is associated with the body, and he con- tinued explaining ; a man called Thomasius entered in the midst of our discussions ; the visitor was more interested in the general drift of the system than in particular points, and said he wished to hear Plotinus expounding some theory as he would in a set treatise, but that he could not endure Porphyry’s questions and answers : Plotinus asked, “ But if we cannot first solve the difficulties Porphyry raises what could go into the treatise ? ” 14- In style Plotinus is concise, dense with thought, terse, more lavish of ideas than of words, most often expressing himself with a fervid inspiration. He followed his own path rather than that of tradition, but in his writings both the Stoic and Peripatetic doctrines are sunk ; Aristotle’s Metaphysic, especially, is condensed in them, all but entire. He had a thorough theoretical knowledge of Geometry, Mechanics, Optics and Music, though it was not in his temperament to go practically into these subjects. At the Conferences he used to have treatises by various authors read aloud — among the Platonists it might be Severus or Cronius, Numenius, Caius or Atticus ; and — among the Peripatetics Aspasius, Alexander, Adrastus or some such writer, at the call of the moment. But it was far from his way to follow any of these authors blindly ; he took 14 PLOTINUS a personal, original view, applying Ammonius’ method to the investiga- tion of every problem.
2pasius, Alexander, Adrastus or some such writer, at the call of the moment. But it was far from his way to follow any of these authors blindly ; he took 14 PLOTINUS a personal, original view, applying Ammonius’ method to the investiga- tion of every problem. He was quick to absorb ; a few words sufficed him to make clear the significance of some profound theory and so to pass on. After hearing Longinus' work On Causes, and his Philarchaios , he remarked : “ Longinus is a man of letters, but in no sense a philosopher." One day Origen came to the conference-room ; Plotinus blushed deeply and was on the point of bringing his lecture to an end ; when Origen begged him to continue, he said : “ The zest dies down when the speaker feels that his hearers have nothing to learn from him." 15- Once on Plato’s feast I read a poem, “ The Sacred Marriage " ; my piece abounded in mystic doctrine conveyed in veiled words and was couched in terms of enthusiasm ; someone exclaimed : “ Porphyry has gone mad " ; Plotinus said to me so that all might hear : “You have shown yourself at once poet, philosopher and hierophant.” The orator Diophanes one day read a justification of the Alcibiades of Plato’s Banquet and maintained that the pupil, for the sake of advance- ment in virtue, should submit to the teacher without reserve, even to the extent of carnal commerce : Plotinus started up several times to leave the room but forced himself to remain ; on the breaking up of the company he directed me to write a refutation. Diophanes refused to lend me his address and I had to depend on my recollection of his argu- ment ; but my refutation, delivered before the same audience, delighted Plotinus so much that during the very reading he repeatedly quoted : “ So strike and be a light to men." When Eubulus, the Platonic Successor, wrote from Athens, sending treatises on some questions in Platonism, Plotinus had the writings put into my hands with instructions to examine them and report to him upon them. He paid some attention to the principles of Astronomy, though he did not study the subject very deeply on the mathematical side. He went more searchingly into Horoscopy ; when once he was convinced PORPHYRY 15 that its results were not to be trusted he had no hesitation in attacking the system frequently both at the Conferences and in his writings. 16.
3deeply on the mathematical side. He went more searchingly into Horoscopy ; when once he was convinced PORPHYRY 15 that its results were not to be trusted he had no hesitation in attacking the system frequently both at the Conferences and in his writings. 16. Many Christians of this period — amongst them sectaries who had abandoned the old philosophy, men of the schools of Adelphius and Aquilinus — had possessed themselves of works by Alexander of Lydia, by Philocomus, by Demostratus and by Lydus, and exhibited also Revelations bearing the names of Zoroaster, Zostrianus, Nikotheus, Allogenes, Mesus and others of that order. Thus they fooled many, themselves fooled first ; Plato, according to them, had failed to penetrate into the depth of Intellectual Being. Plotinus frequently attacked their position at the Conferences and finally wrote the treatise which I have headed Against the Gnostics : he left to us of the circle the task of examining what he himself passed over. Amelius proceeded as far as a fortieth treatise in refutation of the book of Zostrianus : I myself have shown on many counts that the Zoroastrian volume is spurious and modem, concocted by the sectaries in order to pretend that the doctrines they had embraced were those of the ancient sage. 17- Some of the Greeks began to accuse Plotinus of appropriating the ideas of Numenius. Amelius being informed of this charge by the Stoic and Platonist Trupho, challenged it in a treatise which he entitled The Difference between the Doctrines of Plotinus and Numenius. He dedicated the work to me, under the name of Basileus (or King). This really is my name ; it is equivalent to Porphyry (Purple-robed) and translates the name I bear in my own tongue ; for I am called Malchos, like my father, and “ Malchos ” would give “ Basileus ” in Greek. Longinus, in dedicat- ing his work On Impulse to Cleodamus and myself, addressed us as “ Cleodamus and Malchus,” just as Numenius translated the Latin “ Maximus " into its Greek equivalent “ Megalos." i6 PLOTINUS Here follows Amelius’ letter ; Amelius to Basileus, with all good wishes. You have been, in your own phrase, pestered by the persistent asser- tion that our friend's doctrine is to be traced to Numenius of Apamea. Now, if it were merely for those illustrious personages who spread this charge, you may be very sure I would never utter a word in reply.
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.
1Plotinus 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 associates. He would have had his way without more ado but that opposition at court, prompted by jealousy, spite, or some such paltry motive, put an end to the plan. PORPHYRY 13 13- At the Conferences he showed the most remarkable power of going to the heart of a subject, whether in exposition or in explanation, and his phrasing was apt ; but he made mistakes in certain words ; for example, he said “ anamnemisketai ” for “ anamimnesketai ” — just such errors as he committed in his writing. When he was speaking his intellect visibly illuminated his face : always of winning presence, he became at these times still more engaging : a slight moisture gathered on his forehead ; he radiated benignity. He was always as ready to entertain objections as he was powerful in meeting them. At one time I myself kept interrogating him during three days as to how the soul is associated with the body, and he con- tinued explaining ; a man called Thomasius entered in the midst of our discussions ; the visitor was more interested in the general drift of the system than in particular points, and said he wished to hear Plotinus expounding some theory as he would in a set treatise, but that he could not endure Porphyry’s questions and answers : Plotinus asked, “ But if we cannot first solve the difficulties Porphyry raises what could go into the treatise ? ” 14- In style Plotinus is concise, dense with thought, terse, more lavish of ideas than of words, most often expressing himself with a fervid inspiration. He followed his own path rather than that of tradition, but in his writings both the Stoic and Peripatetic doctrines are sunk ; Aristotle’s Metaphysic, especially, is condensed in them, all but entire. He had a thorough theoretical knowledge of Geometry, Mechanics, Optics and Music, though it was not in his temperament to go practically into these subjects. At the Conferences he used to have treatises by various authors read aloud — among the Platonists it might be Severus or Cronius, Numenius, Caius or Atticus ; and — among the Peripatetics Aspasius, Alexander, Adrastus or some such writer, at the call of the moment. But it was far from his way to follow any of these authors blindly ; he took 14 PLOTINUS a personal, original view, applying Ammonius’ method to the investiga- tion of every problem.
2pasius, Alexander, Adrastus or some such writer, at the call of the moment. But it was far from his way to follow any of these authors blindly ; he took 14 PLOTINUS a personal, original view, applying Ammonius’ method to the investiga- tion of every problem. He was quick to absorb ; a few words sufficed him to make clear the significance of some profound theory and so to pass on. After hearing Longinus' work On Causes, and his Philarchaios , he remarked : “ Longinus is a man of letters, but in no sense a philosopher." One day Origen came to the conference-room ; Plotinus blushed deeply and was on the point of bringing his lecture to an end ; when Origen begged him to continue, he said : “ The zest dies down when the speaker feels that his hearers have nothing to learn from him." 15- Once on Plato’s feast I read a poem, “ The Sacred Marriage " ; my piece abounded in mystic doctrine conveyed in veiled words and was couched in terms of enthusiasm ; someone exclaimed : “ Porphyry has gone mad " ; Plotinus said to me so that all might hear : “You have shown yourself at once poet, philosopher and hierophant.” The orator Diophanes one day read a justification of the Alcibiades of Plato’s Banquet and maintained that the pupil, for the sake of advance- ment in virtue, should submit to the teacher without reserve, even to the extent of carnal commerce : Plotinus started up several times to leave the room but forced himself to remain ; on the breaking up of the company he directed me to write a refutation. Diophanes refused to lend me his address and I had to depend on my recollection of his argu- ment ; but my refutation, delivered before the same audience, delighted Plotinus so much that during the very reading he repeatedly quoted : “ So strike and be a light to men." When Eubulus, the Platonic Successor, wrote from Athens, sending treatises on some questions in Platonism, Plotinus had the writings put into my hands with instructions to examine them and report to him upon them. He paid some attention to the principles of Astronomy, though he did not study the subject very deeply on the mathematical side. He went more searchingly into Horoscopy ; when once he was convinced PORPHYRY 15 that its results were not to be trusted he had no hesitation in attacking the system frequently both at the Conferences and in his writings. 16.
3deeply on the mathematical side. He went more searchingly into Horoscopy ; when once he was convinced PORPHYRY 15 that its results were not to be trusted he had no hesitation in attacking the system frequently both at the Conferences and in his writings. 16. Many Christians of this period — amongst them sectaries who had abandoned the old philosophy, men of the schools of Adelphius and Aquilinus — had possessed themselves of works by Alexander of Lydia, by Philocomus, by Demostratus and by Lydus, and exhibited also Revelations bearing the names of Zoroaster, Zostrianus, Nikotheus, Allogenes, Mesus and others of that order. Thus they fooled many, themselves fooled first ; Plato, according to them, had failed to penetrate into the depth of Intellectual Being. Plotinus frequently attacked their position at the Conferences and finally wrote the treatise which I have headed Against the Gnostics : he left to us of the circle the task of examining what he himself passed over. Amelius proceeded as far as a fortieth treatise in refutation of the book of Zostrianus : I myself have shown on many counts that the Zoroastrian volume is spurious and modem, concocted by the sectaries in order to pretend that the doctrines they had embraced were those of the ancient sage. 17- Some of the Greeks began to accuse Plotinus of appropriating the ideas of Numenius. Amelius being informed of this charge by the Stoic and Platonist Trupho, challenged it in a treatise which he entitled The Difference between the Doctrines of Plotinus and Numenius. He dedicated the work to me, under the name of Basileus (or King). This really is my name ; it is equivalent to Porphyry (Purple-robed) and translates the name I bear in my own tongue ; for I am called Malchos, like my father, and “ Malchos ” would give “ Basileus ” in Greek. Longinus, in dedicat- ing his work On Impulse to Cleodamus and myself, addressed us as “ Cleodamus and Malchus,” just as Numenius translated the Latin “ Maximus " into its Greek equivalent “ Megalos." i6 PLOTINUS Here follows Amelius’ letter ; Amelius to Basileus, with all good wishes. You have been, in your own phrase, pestered by the persistent asser- tion that our friend's doctrine is to be traced to Numenius of Apamea. Now, if it were merely for those illustrious personages who spread this charge, you may be very sure I would never utter a word in reply.
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.
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