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

They

1 l’or ;ifrn/ifyr-n lirrr, read )nrt\n*~n.

1 C)c o niuiUi-ii Ik rc in tlie «>ri"in;»l

1 Instead of ui ignwi in 11ns |ilace, it is olmoudy necessary to read yti-cffrwi.

* For roi* ttifHcvpymmt here, read rij»fr// 440 vpy««i/».

ii)*»

lMIOCLUS ON rm:

[book IV.

likewise add, that it intellectually perceives the whole number of all the natures that are moved in the world, according to which it convolves and restores to their pristine state all moving substances, by swifter or slower periods. And besides this they assert that it is infinite in power, l'or to circulate again and again, [without emQ is the pro¬ vince nj injinite power. Together with these things likewise, they say that it is oj a spiral form, as measuring according to one power, both things that arc moved in a right hue, and those that are nun id in a circle; just as a spiral hue uniformly [or according to one form j comprehends the right ami the circular line.

W e must not therefore, accede to tin opinion of those, \» lio consider time as Miltxistin^ in lilt re t ‘oneeptious, or who make it to lie a certain accident. .Nor must wt* assent to those win* art* more reneraltle than these, anti who approaching la in r to tin* p«*riilaril\ of the things tlu-m-i lu-s, >av that time is 41-111*1 ated from tin total soul t nt r*4i/iii*4 transit nt l\, <n from it 1 in 141/1114 t:olh*t tnel\ anti w it hoi. t transition, and lUt iMimu I*} tinii*, tin* t t h-stial circulations anil tin* periods of other stud*' ;—nt*t 1 veil to these must wt* a»« nt. llniii4h tInan- not ut\ nmott from tin truth. l'or in tin* first plai t I'lato, with whom wt- all desire to at t ortl alioul tliviiif concerns, sav> ol tin 1 leiniui^iis, that In* constituted time, tin world I>fiii4 now arraii4< tl l*oth affording to soul, and affording to hotly, and tlitl not produce it within tin* stud, as lie did tin* harnimiu* ratios ; nor dot s In* ripieseiit doinitr lashioniii4 tinn* in tin* soul, 111 tin satin* ttiauin r .is hr '.n - that In fabri¬ cated tin* forport al formed naturt* within it ; Imt having spokfii t out*« 1111114 tin* fs^fiiff, haruiotn, powt*r, motions, and tin* all-rarioiis hiiowhd4i* ot tin* so ul afti r all tln-st*, in order to 4m peilei lion hoth to soul ami hotly. In* 41*in-rated tin* tssfiift* of time, as 4uardih4, tin a*~ 11111114, ami a-'imii. 111114 all tin >f to tln-ir para¬ digmatic principles. l or what atl\aut.141* would mundain* natures derm* from possi-ssinjr * d I t h 1114s In-a ill ill ill v, if tln*\ did Hot pi 1 p< l nail \ remain f <h from imitating after a certain manner, the idea o| the pai.itl 14111, hut not as nnieh as possihle e\ oil iii4 tin* whole ol it, ami purlihly reft *111114: unpaitihli* inlillitlion ? On tin si act mints then lore, the philosoplu 1 places on r the prti^ression til time, a demiur4ie, anti not a psychical eaiisr.

On tin si act mints then lore, the philosoplu 1 places on r the prti^ression til time, a demiur4ie, anti not a psychical eaiisr.

In the next place, looking It* thin*4s theuisi Ires, \ou may say that it soul 41*111*- rateil time, it would not so participate <*| it, as to In* perfected l*v it. l-'t.r that tin* soul is perfected In lime, anti measured according It* Us energies, is nt*t immamft-st ; sint e erei \ tiling wliieli dors not rccche eolh*eti\t*lv, now, ajnl at once, the whole t«f energy, retpiin-s time, in null 1 to its pn li rtimi and apoealastasis, through w hieli evert tliiii4 eolh ets tin* appn.priate 401*1!, w hieh it is ine:tpahle of rtfeirin4 iinpartihly, and without time. lienee, as wt* have In tori* ohsericd, eternity and time, are the liu-asiires of tin* permanency anti perfection nook iv ]

TIM/EUS OF PLATO.

11*3 of beings; the former being the one and unmultiplied comprehension of the intel¬ ligible unities, hut tin: latter being the boundary and demiurgic measure of the perpetuity, or of !lit* more or less permanency of the things which proceeil from intelligihles. If, therefore, the soul, after the same manner as intellect and the Gods, apprehended every object of its knowledge by one projecting energy, and by an eiieriry always the same, understanding intransitively, it might, perhaps, have generated time, but it would not have Im* en in want of time to its perfection. But since it understands, or perceives intellectually, with transition, and apneatislalically, and one soul requires the whole of time, but another a certain part* of it, in order to the possession of intellectual anil genesiurgic lives; and if, in short, no cause is in want of its offspring to the |M*rfection of its* U ; if this lie the case, soul would thus Im* both jierfoet and imjierfeet, prior to constituting that which is secondary to itself. It would Im* perfect indeed, in order that it might generate; since nothing imperfect is generative of anoth**r tiling. And it would also be imjM*rfect, Incause it would never participate of that which c.iih-s it to Ik* perfect. And it is altogether absurd to say, that causes are in want ol the things which proceed front them. let this, therefore, be considered by you as the greatest argument, that tun* is not the progeny of soul, but that it is first partici¬ pated by soul.

And it is altogether absurd to say, that causes are in want ol the things which proceed front them. let this, therefore, be considered by you as the greatest argument, that tun* is not the progeny of soul, but that it is first partici¬ pated by soul.

Alter this, however, it is requisite to understand, that inanimate natures also participate of time, and that they do not then alone participate of it when they rise into existence, m the same maimer as they do, of form and habit; but even vvliiui they appear to Im* deprived of all life, they tlu 11 participate of time, and not in such a way as they are said to live, because they are cn-arraiigrd with wholes, and are ro-passive with the universe. lair they peculiarly and essentially partici¬ pate of a certain time, and this so far as they are inanimate, and are always m a perishing condition till their perfect corruption. I'or time is every w here present. And the architect indeed, is able to say for bow buitr a time a wall will endure, and the weaver can tell tlu extent of tin* duration of a shirt, or m short of a gar¬ ment. 1 In a similar iiianiu r aUo, every artist can say wliat will lx* the duration of bis own work; tlioii^b In* cannot speak so definitely as concerning the pro¬ ductions of nature. But the prophet speaks about tlu* duration of all*things, as being able to survey tin* temporal interval distributed to tilings from the universe. In addition to these things also, since the psychical and corporeal mutations, motions and rests, and in short all such mundane natures, as are opposed to

* For fivfur* litre, rra*i finpinv.

1 For mrdi|r«i here, it o imtnan to read toOijroi.

2 B

Tim. l*lat.

Vol. 11.

1‘KOCLUS ON Till-:

[OOOK IV.

11*4 each other, arc measured hy time, it is necessary that time should lie exempt from all these. For that which Ih-iii^ one anil the same, is participated hy many tilings, and these dissimilars, and always pre-suhsists hy itself, must he in an exempt manner participated hy them. And "till more hem:' in all things, it is every where impartihle, so that it is everv where one Ihiii^, impartihle according to minder, and jx i uhar to no one ol the tilings which are said to subsist accord¬ ing to it ; w Inch Aristotle also peri ci\ mi; lie show s that in partihle ' natures, there is somethin;; incorporeal and impartible, which is every where the same ; assum¬ ing * tills to l>e tin null' or an instant.