Select Works of Plotinus — trans. Thomas Taylor

pon these his martyrs. For now, in¬ stead of the festivals of Jupiter and Bacchus, are celebrated those of Peter and Paul, Thomas and Sergius, and other holy martyrs." Antoninus, the philosopher, also, according to Eunapius, predicted the very same thing, viz. that after his de¬ cease, the magnificent temple of Serapis in Egypt, together with the rest, should be demolished, and the temples of the Gods be turned into sepulchres, και τα ιερά τάφους γενησεσβαί* And in the fourth and last place, the intelligent reader who compares this prediction with what is said about the philoso¬ phic stranger by Synesius in the foregoing extract will imme¬ diately see, that the former wonderfully accords with the latter.

p. 558

sacred narration, which it is not holy to divulge, even in the form of a fable.3’

Typhos, however, through his tyranny, was at length dethroned, and Osiris recalled from exile ; and Synesius towards the end of this treatise ob¬ serves, “ that the blessed body which revolves in a circle, is the cause of the events in the sublunary world. For both are parts of the universe, and they have a certain relation to each other. If, therefore, the cause of generation 1 in the things which surround us, originates in the natures which are above us, it follows that the seeds of things which happen here descend from thence. And if some one should add, since astronomy imparts credibility to this, that there are apocatastatic 1 periods of the stars and spheres, some of which are simple but others compounded, such a one will partly accord with the Egyptians, and partly with the Grecians, and wall be perfectly wise from both,

1 Instead of ei δη yeveffis ev rois π ept ημάς, αίτια yeveaews €v rots νπερ ημάς, it is necessary to read conformably to the above translation, ei δη yeveueojs ev rois περί ημάς, curia γίνε· ται} k. λ.

% i. e. Restitutions to a pristine form or condition.

p. 559

conjoining intellect to science. A man of this kind, therefore, will not deny that in consequence of the same motions returning, effects also will re¬ turn together with their causes ; and that lives on the earth, generations, educations, dispositions and fortunes, will be the same with those that formerly existed. We must not wonder, therefore, if we behold a very ancient history verified in life, and should see things which flourished before our times, accord with what is unfolded in this narration ; and besides this, perceive that the forms which are inserted in matter, are consentaneous to the arcana of a fable.”

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urished before our times, accord with what is unfolded in this narration ; and besides this, perceive that the forms which are inserted in matter, are consentaneous to the arcana of a fable.”

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ADDITIONAL NOTES.

Page l. Intellectual "Prudence . The following account of the virtues is extracted from the Notes to my Translation of the Phasdo of Plato : The first of the vir¬ tues are the physical, which are common to brutes, being mingled with the temperaments, and for the most part contrary to each other; or rather pertaining to the animal. Or it may be said that they are illuminations from reason, when not impeded by a certain bad temperament : or that they are the restilt of energies in a former life. Of these Plato speaks in the Politicus and the Laws. The ethi¬ cal virtues, which are above these, are ingenerated by custom and a certain right opinion, and are the virtues of children when well educated. These virtues also are to be found in some brute animals. They likewise transcend the temperaments, and on this account are not contrary to each other. These virtues Plato delivers in the Laws. They pertain however at the same time both to reason and the irrational nature. In the third rank above these Plot . 2 Np. 562 are the political virtues, which pertain to reason alone ; for they are scientific. But they are the virtues of reason adorning the irrational part as its instrument ; through prudence adorning the gnostic, through fortitude the iras¬ cible, and through temperance the epithymetic power, (or the power which is the source of desire ;) but adorning all the parts of the irrational nature through justice. And of these virtues Plato speaks much in the Republic. These virtues too follow each other. Above these are the cathartic virtues, which pertain to reason alone, with¬ drawing from other things to itself, throwing aside the instruments of sense as vain, repressing also the energies through these instruments, and liberating the soul from the bonds of generation. Plato particularly unfolds these virtues in the Phaedo. Prior to these however are the theoretic virtues, which pertain to the soul, introducing itself to natures superior to itself, not only gnostically, as some one maybe induced to think from the name, but also orectically : for it hastens to become, as it were, intellect instead of soul ; and intellect possesses both desire and knowledge.

, introducing itself to natures superior to itself, not only gnostically, as some one maybe induced to think from the name, but also orectically : for it hastens to become, as it were, intellect instead of soul ; and intellect possesses both desire and knowledge. These virtues are the converse of the po^- litical : for as the latter energize about things subordinate according to reason, so the former about things more excellent according to intellect. These virtues Plato delivers in the Theaetetus.

According to Plotinus, there is also another gradationp. 563 of the virtues besides these, viz. the paradigmatic. For, as our eye, when it is first illuminated by the solar light, is different from that which illuminates, as being illuminated, but afterwards is in a certain respect united and conjoined with it, and becomes as it were solar- form ; so also our soul at first indeed is illuminated by intellect, and energizes according to the theoretic virtues, but afterwards becomes, as it were, that which is illuminated, and ener¬ gizes uniformly according to the paradigmatic virtues. And it is the business indeed of philosophy to make us in¬ tellect ; but of theurgy to unite us to intelligibles, so that we may energize paradigmatically. And as when pos¬ sessing the physical virtues, wre know mundane bodies (for the subjects to virtues of this kind are bodies) ; so from possessing the ethical virtues, we know the fate of the universe, because fate is conversant with irrational lives. For the rational soul is not under fate ; and the ethical virtues are irrational, because they pertain to the irrational part. According to the political virtues we know mundane affairs, and according to the cathartic super¬ mundane ; but as possessing the theoretic we know intel¬ lectual, and from the paradigmatic intelligible natures. Temperance also pertains to the ethical virtues ; justice to the political, on account of compacts; fortitude to the cathartic, through not verging to matter ; and prudence to the theoretic. Observe too, that Plato in the Phaedo calls the physical virtues servile, because they may subsistp. 564 in servile so^ls ; but be calls the ethical <τκίογ^αφι«ί adum * brations, because their possessors only know that the energies of such virtues are right, but do not know why they are so. it is well observed too here, by Olympiodo» rus, that Plato calls the cathartic and theoretic virtues, those which are in reality true virtues. He also separates them in another way, viz. that the political are nottelestic, h e.