The Commentaries on the Timaeus of Plato — trans. Thomas Taylor

It would also be a thing of a foreign nature, would be destitute of the life which is in the world, and would be cut off from it, by the intervening vacuum.

If, likewise, some one should doubt concerning the psychical vehicles, how theyp. 436 are not passively affected by these elements, since they do not vanquish them in the same manner as divine bodies, it must be said that they would suffer from them, if they consisted of things similar to the elements. But now being composed of other things, they remain according to hypostasis ' indissoluble. Αἱ the same time, however, they are not entirely impassive ; but material bodies being agglutinated to them, they are hindered from their natural motion, and are moved in an inordinate manner; neither being able to be moved circularly, on account of the connexion with them of the material bodies, nor to proceed ina right line, on account of their own nature. Hence also Plato calls the periods of our souls, disorderly and confused ; not only on account of the psychical motions, but hkewise on account of the motions of our vehicles, in consequence of such ἃ conglutination taking place from these sublunary bodies. Tf therefore the universe is perpetual, and always subsists according to nature, it will be requisite that there should be nothing external toit. Por this being perfectly foreign trom it, and fall- Ing on it externally, would become the cause of its corruption, You may also say conversely, that the words, “ar order that the universe may be perpetual,” are the conclusion; but thatthe middle term and the cause of the conclusion Is this, that there ts nothing external to the universe. For because there is nothing external to the universe, nothing can introduce corruption to it, as something foreign; so that itis perpetual. To the universe therefore this is the cause of perpetuity ; but to the parts init, not this, but other things are the cause of incorruptibility ; such for instance as, the being constituted by the one Demiurgus. For he is simply the cause of immortality to all things; so that the universe is ina greater degree incorruptible. For it is incorruptible on account of the Demiurgus, and because there is nothing external to it. Thus, likewise, it is possible to convert the other parts of the text, as, that because there is nothing external to the universe, the universe ts ouly-begotten ; that the only-begotten may be threefold, viz. on account of the paradigm, on account of all matter being comprehended im it, and on account of the Demiurgus being one. And, also, that the universe is a/l-perfect, hecause It is comprehensive of all things. Each of these assertions therefore is evident. But with respect to the things which are the converse of these, such as that, if the universe is only-begotten it has nothing external to it, this is immediately true of the universe alone; and the demonstrations will be as follow: The universe Is only-begotten ; but if itis onty-begotten, it will have nothing external

For uxcOcow here, it seems necessary toread vrooraay.

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to itself, from which another thing of the like kind may be generated. The universe is indissoluble; but if indissoluble nothing foreign to the natures of which it consists, will be external to it. The universe is all-perfect. For the all-perfect is that which is not defective in any thing. Hence Aristotle also says, that the universe alone is perfect; but all things in it are imperfect, as being parts of the universe. These therefore, that I may speak summarily, are the particulars which are discussed by Plato.

If, however, you are willing, we will recur to the words themselves. Through the words therefore, “by a dianoetic or reasoning process,” he evolves the intellectual perception in the Demiurgus, calling it dianoia; since he apprchends it dianoetically and not through simple projection. For a various evolution of cause, ts the work of dianoia ; but a uniform apprehension, and the comprehension of all things inone intellectual perception, are the employment of intellect. Pjato therefore, making himself the promulgator of the causes antecedently comprehended in the Demiurgus, refers his own discursive energy to the uniform intellectual perception of the fabricator of the world. ‘Thus also the oracles call the partible intellection of the Demiurgus, dianoia. For they say, “I soul being hot and animating all things dwell after the paternal dianoias.” But the words, ‘ a whole animal in the hichest degree perfect from perfect parts,” assimilate the world to the intellectual wholeness, and the intelligible allness. For parts sabsist with a reference to whole, and are not perfect from themselves ; but they have indeed the perfection of parts, yet are simply destitute of perfection. "The universe, however, is properly awhole. Jor a whole totally ts one thing ; a part totally is another ; a whole partially is another ; and a part partially ranks in the third place. And the unrerse, indeed, is a whole totally, as being a whole of wholes. But each of the spheres is a part totally, according to the second Jorm of wholeness. And partial animals, are wholes partially. For the third wholeness is in these, but with a partial peculiarity. And the parts of these are parts partially ; for they are parts alone.

Moreover the words “as nothing would be left from which any other such nature might be produced,” is an explanation of the cause through which the world is one ; but it is an explanation ofthe material cause. For if there was any thing of this kind external to the world, another world greater or less might be generated from it. For the Demiurgus would not leave it unadorned; because he wishes

’ In the original ro ray apa παντελες, but apa is evitlently superfluous, For that the universe is all-perfect, is now about to be proved,

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For the Demiurgus would not leave it unadorned; because he wishes

’ In the original ro ray apa παντελες, but apa is evitlently superfluous, For that the universe is all-perfect, is now about to be proved,p. 4838 all things to be good, and nothing to be bad, But if the world is one, nothing of such a nature as the things from which it is generated, is left external to it. Perhaps, too, Plato adds this, on account of the celestial bodies, and in short, on account of monadic natures. For the celestial bodies are monadic, no other things being left external tothem from which such like bodies could be generated. For each of them consists of those things, which im magnitude, power, and multitude, are constitutive of them alone, but of no other thing.’ //ence also they are called monadic, because they alone consist of these things alone. Nor is any one of the simple bodies (1. ον of the four elements], such τὰ ἈΠ respects as the clement? of each of these [eelestial bodies}, From = the elevated conceptions therefore of Plato, it follows, that then alone a thing is corrupted by the natures that surround it, When it Consists of the same things as those by which itis surrounded ; so that there are as many diflerenees of fire, and of each of the elements, as there are monadie natures from whieh) the universe consists 3 and: the Dc miurgcus coustttuted asimany ideas of simple bodies, as of the composite natures, whieh he in tended to produce, Hence, all of them give completion to oue certain thing, and nothing else is generated from: them,

Bat the words, πω" obuovious to old age, nor disease, Wave ἃ manifest Cause. For disease arises from the want of symmetry inthe things that enter into the body, some of the parts nus being augmented by others, and dissoleing the analogy with the remaining parts of which we consist, through which a superabundance and deficiency of the humours are secretly introduced, and old age accedes, nature becoming imbecile, as Plato says further on, through contending against many things that externally attack it, and enduring a numerous succession of labours. For the concoction and management of the food, purgation, and all such things as are the works of nature, are not without labour. And trom this you may assume, that the Deminrgus who renders the world free from old age and disease, possesses the fountain of the Pwonian series. Por it’ is necessary that the truly existing cause, and which is alone the cause of health, should subsist prior to the generated cause, or the cause of health which the world contains. For, in short, if the cause of symmetry is the health of the cloments, it is necessary that this should exist in the most beautiful manner in the universe, in which there is mn the most

* Tustead of ἀλλ᾽ οὐδε ovSevos here, it is requisite to read αλλὸν δὲ οἱδενος,