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

For he did not produce the parts prior to the whole, and afterwards generate the whole from these, but vice versa. The essence therefore of the soul is at one and the salt*® time a whole, and lias parts, and is one and multitude. And such is the division of the soul which Tiuucus assumes.

The mode, however, of unfolding it, should accord with the essence ( ,f the soul being liberated from visible, lint elevating itself to essential and immaterial har¬ mony, and transferring from images to paradigms. For the symphony which flows into die ears, and which consists in sounds and pulsations, is very different from that which is vital and intellectual. IVo one, therefore, should stop at the mathematical theory, but should e\< ite himself to a mode * of survey adapted to the essence of the soul ; nor should he think that we ought to direct our attention to interval, or the differences of motions. For these are assumed n mutely, and are by no means adapted to the proposed subjects of investigation. But he should survey the assertions by themselves, and consider how they afford an indication of the psychical middle, and look to the demiurgic providence as their end. In the first place therefore, if you are willing thus to survey, since wholeness is triple, one l*eing prior 1 to parts, another consisting of parts, and another lieing in each of the parts, as we have frequently elsewhere demonstrated ;—this being the case, Plato has already delivered the wholeness of the soul which is prior to parts. For

1 For mroi' lierc, read rpowov.

* Instead of wpet rwr ptpm* in this place, it is accessary to read rpo r w ,

p. 76

PKOCLUS ON THE

[DOOK. lit.

For

1 For mroi' lierc, read rpowov.

* Instead of wpet rwr ptpm* in this place, it is accessary to read rpo r w ,

p. 76

PKOCLUS ON THE

[DOOK. lit.

he made it to he oih? whole prior* to all division into parts, and which as we have said, remains what it is, without In-in- consumed in the production of the parts. For to Ik 1 willin- to dissolve that which is well harmonized is the province of an e\d nature. But the dissolution is ell', clod l.y c onsuming the whole into the parts. In what is now delivered however, he constitutes it a whole from parts, consum¬ ing the whole mixture into the division of its essence, and through the harmony oHI.e parts, remlei.n- it a whole de novo, and . aium- it to he complete from all appropriate parts. Hut lie shortly after teaches us the whoh u. - which is in each of the parts, div ulin- the w hole smil into certain circles, and in oat h of the cm les ins. rtin- .,|| I!,,- irasons, wlm h lie had air. ady mad. manifest to us m what he had 1*. fore said. For lie had said, that in . a. I. of the parts there are three [i. e. same, dill, rent, and essence| in the same manner as in the whole. h\« ry part then lore, as well as the whole, is in a certain n sp. et a triadic whole. lienee it is necessary that the soul should have three wholenesses, because it animates the universe, which is a whole of wholes, each of which is a whole aecordinto the wholeness which is in apart. So that the soul animating the universe in a twofold respect, hotli as it is a whole, and is consisting ot total parts, it requires two wind, in -M S, and tran-e. ml- the tiling that are animated, havm- snmi thinexternal in them, so as circularly to cover the universe, as Tiuia-us says, as with „ veil, Jlv the wholeness, therefore, which is prior to parts, the soul entirely runs above the universe, hut by the r. maiiiin- two connects the universe and the parts it contains, these also In in- vvholi s.

In the next place, it must he observed, that I’lato proceedin'.; from the be-mnjnjr to the end, preserves the monadic and at the same time dyadic nature ol the soul. For he reduces the hyparxis of it to essence, same, and dillereiit, and distributes the number of it aernidm- to a twofold division, h. -liniiii- from mu oart. into duple and tuple numbers. He also surveys the media or middles, in one of them comprehends the other two, 1 and acoordiri- to each ot these unfolds twofold se-ipiialt. r and sesi|iiitertian ratio-, and a^ain cut- these into sesijuioc laves and Icimuias. In what follows lihev ise, he divides the one leli”th into two, and the one li-ure of the soul into two periods. \ml, in short, lie nowhere omits the monadic and at the same time dyadic, and this with the trr. ..test

' Amt lur iri * a»*H pf/HOfM/v here, also, read rrpo k. \.

In what follows lihev ise, he divides the one leli”th into two, and the one li-ure of the soul into two periods. \ml, in short, lie nowhere omits the monadic and at the same time dyadic, and this with the trr. ..test

' Amt lur iri * a»*H pf/HOfM/v here, also, read rrpo k. \.

1 i. e. I» the •■e.inielrie luiilille I.r |o.>j><>rlion, n lm ii n.ui|m lr. uds arnliinHical and harinoiiual |>l..p>>r(:o(i I 11 to an\ three iliimhers ill arilhun lieal |»r..|.orli*ni, a fourth uuaili. r is a.ldul, so a> i.. |ir.i<luie i;e..u.etiii.il |ir..|nirli.ui, then this 11n41url11.11 will i«.iu|ireheud hulh that whiili is arithuiftKnl, ami lh.il which Is hurilionieal Thus ll tu the terms 1 . 2 . J a luurlli Urm is added »il. <>, M> ilul U Iiiav he 1 ; 2 : : 3 : <>, llicn 1 , 2 and 3 aie ui arillmu lital, and 3 and 0 111 harmonic, proportion.

DOOK III.]

TIMEX'S OF PLATO.

p. 77

propriety. For the monadic alone pertains to intellect, on which account also intellect is impartible. lint the dyadic pertains to hodv, whence in the genera¬ tion of the corporeal-formed nature, Plato hejjan from the dnad, fire and earth. «md arr.m^i d tvvo oilier genera ol element's b< tween these. 1 he soul, however, oein; a medium Is-tween intellect and body, is a monad and at the same time a duad. Hut tIn* cause' ot this is, that in a certain respect it equally participates of bound and infinity ; just as ml. Meet indeed, is allied to bound, but body rather pertains to infinity, on account of its subject matter, and divisibility ad infinitum, ^viid if after tins manner, some n fer the impartible and the partible to tbe monad •iiid i ml i finite duad, t hey ‘•jirak con to nimbi v to tilings tin-in selves * but if as making the soul to Im> number, in no respect difieriii" from monadic nuinliers, they are '* r ) bir Iroin asserting that wlm h happens to tin* essence of the soul. The soul, then-fine, is ;i monad and at the same lime a duad, adumbrating hy the monadic, intelleetu.il bound, but by the dyadic, infinity; or by tin* former, Inan^ the linage, indeed, ol the impartible, but by the latter bi ini; the paradigm of partible natures.

In addition to these things also, it is requisite to survev, lion a two-fold work, of the D* miiiriius is here delivered. I o*r he divides the soul into jiarts, hannolii/es the di\ided parts, and renders them concordant with each other. But in <... < 11 hit th. so things, he em r.ri/es at one and the same tune Dionysiaeallv [i. e. Barehical \ ] and Apollouiacally. I or to divide, and produce vv holes into parts, and to preside o\er tlie distribution <>| lorms, is Dionysiaral; but to perfift all things harmoniealIy, is Apolloni.tral. As the Deiniur^us, therefore, comprt bends in hiiiLsell the cause ot both these (>ods f hr both divides and harmonizes the soul. Lor the hebdomad is a number common to botli those divinities, since theolotjists also say that Bacchus was div ulrd into seven parts :