The Commentaries on the Timaeus of Plato — trans. Thomas Taylor
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I* or th.it which is
first is pn sent with all things, and it is necessary that all things should p irti* ipate
1 lion .at ufori i v f uv irpo tovtuv i/ yi’X'O hi this place, «t is necessary to real ■* -< ou w P u,ro> '
rvr u» Tur il)\oi.
hook in.]
TI M/EUS OF PLATO.
p. 19
of the principle of all, or not participating of it should entirely perish. For essence and hv parxis are imparted to all things from the first principle. But soul is not present with all things, nor is it necessary that all things should participate of soul. But of bodies, some are inanimate, and others are animated. It is likewise necessary that the tirst of all things should he one. For it it were multitude, it would have that which causes things to l>e one, prior to itself. For there will not Ik* a dispersed multitude. But soul is a multitude. The first of tilings also is beyond all essence; since every essence has multitude in conjunction with itself; for there are in it 1 cl ill* rence and saineni ^s, life, anil eternal energy. But soul is an essence. Every where too, the first genus is free from evil; hut the genus of [partial] souls is at a certain time naturally adapted to become evil. And this in short inav In* demonstrated through many arguments. The design however ot Plato is, through the above-mentioned cause, to unfold to us the psychical c-s< nee, to show how it subsists, and to teach us from what elements it is composed, and according to what reasons. For as with respect to our body it is easy to know, that it contains the face and the hands, the thighs and the feet, and all such other parts as are obvious to every one; but to know how it is com¬ posed from the inward parts, from what particulars, and according to what ratio, rerpiires medical and anatomical information ;—after the same manner w ith respect to the soul, it is not difficult to show what it is according to its total powers, hut to unfold the very essence of it, as far as to the elements of which it consists, and to survey the all-various reasons in it, w ill he the work of the most accurate theory concerning it. And this indeed, Plato endeavours to do, anatomizing as it were the psychical essence, and d< mutating the whole of it to those who are aide to follow him. As we have said therefore, we may thus reply to the first of the inquiries, l or that Plato very properly says, that the essence of the soul is generated, we may learn, by considering that he called the corporeal-formed nature generated, liceaireit is always becoming to he, and receives an infinite power of existing. For the soul also is a thing of this kind, and is not aide to receive at once the whole infinity of ta-ing. This is evident from its living in a discursive manner, and producing different reasons at di lie rent times, not having ' the whole of nil infinite life at once present. By always therefore evolving its own life, it is evident that it has an essence always generated, or becoming to I e, and always advancing to the infinite, hut not being infinite. Hence it always receives a life which is essential, and entirely natural to it. For that which is jierfective of a thing is to that thing entirely according to nature. Moreover, if it
Hence it always receives a life which is essential, and entirely natural to it. For that which is jierfective of a thing is to that thing entirely according to nature. Moreover, if it
* i. f. In the first essence.
p. 20
PROCLUS ON THE
[book lit.
18 self-motive, [as Timtrus asserts, then we must admit, that it imparts to itself at once, the whole of the essential life which it possesses in itself, and thus it will lie uiiliejrotten and at the same time]' generated ; being indeed, through the essence and life which it always possesses, ever-living, and ever-existent, but in conse¬ quence of alw ays receiving these, alw ays becoming to Is* essence and life. For it exists in a twofold respect, from itsilf, and from the natures prior to itself. And through itself indeed, always existing ; hut through the natures prior to itself aluays becoming to be. Or rather through the latter having both, viz. to be that which it is, and to be generated, but through itself to be that which it is on,y. For it alone pos¬ sesses from the natures prior to itself the perpetual reception of something ; Aris¬ totle also rightly asserting that nothing is the cause of itself, the well being ot which is according to time, and has not ail eternal subsistence, 1 lest the cause which ourrht to be prior to the thing caused, should be eonsubsisteiit with that which is generated. He nee time and eternity subsist about the soul ; eternity indeed, so far as the soul is unhegotten; but time so far as it is generated. On this account the soul is in a certain respect eternal, as indestructible, but is not simply eternal, as Plato also says in the laws, lbit the second tiling proposed to be done, was to divide the whole generation of the soul in an appropriate manner. \ his how¬ ever, w e shall afterw ards accomplish, again assuming the principle from the things themselves.
In every nature therefore, there are essence, [tower [and energy. And essence indeed,]' is that according to which an existence as lire, or to be fin*, is present with tire. Hut power is mu thing, and » nergv another. For one thing dries, but another beats, and other things produce a change in a different wav. It is neces¬ sary therefore, that in the soul also one thing should he essence, another power, and another energy. And it is. requisite that he who wishes to apprehend and survey the whole of the soul, should speak about all these. Ot the gt iteration of the soul therefore, then* will in the first place he three heads; the first, concerning its essence; the second concerning its power; and the third concerning its energy. For this will he a jw-rfect disquisition of the things proposed for consideration.
* from itit* version of Lcoiiivus Tlmiiwus, it up|K*ars that the words within the brackets are wauling in the printed original, and I ha\e accordingly inserted them from his version.
1 In t lie original, cyOwt too ttxoyrvt, uti wiry tone tuvry amoy, o Kara yoy tv r\(t, n\V oi-s. uivvivi, which I eoini us '1 lionr.vus erroneously translates as follows: Quaiuohrem uptime Arislotrlts loquitur, ipiamlo ilicit, nullani rein sihi ipsi causam < sse, neque Uni|>oraleuj, neque seiupilernant. Fur an rtrrnul nature is sclf-subsisteut.
* from itit* version of Lcoiiivus Tlmiiwus, it up|K*ars that the words within the brackets are wauling in the printed original, and I ha\e accordingly inserted them from his version.
1 In t lie original, cyOwt too ttxoyrvt, uti wiry tone tuvry amoy, o Kara yoy tv
* The words wilhiu the brackets are wanting in the original, but both the sense and the version of Tliomaus require they should he inserted. Hence after to it tvyafiu, it is necessary to add, to it tytpyua *a4 i) fit* uvota.
ROOK III.]
TINLIXS OF PLATO.
p. 21
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