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

“ 'I’hcse things however, through oblivion, are not tightly translated hv us to an eternal essence. For vve say that it ui', and will be, though in real i tv, to tins the term it is, alone pertains.

In the first place, it de se rves to he* remarked, that Plato again considers the eternal as the same with tlm intelligible essence; in order that we may more clearly be i»ersuaded, that when he asseited the world was generated the statue kook it.]

TIM,LI S OF PLATO

p. 209

In the first place, it de se rves to he* remarked, that Plato again considers the eternal as the same with tlm intelligible essence; in order that we may more clearly be i»ersuaded, that when he asseited the world was generated the statue kook it.]

TIM,LI S OF PLATO

p. 209

of lli** eternal Gods, lu* mmnl by the eternal, tin- intelligible Gods. In the in \i place, it must he observed, that in cnn-eipirnce of perceiving llial men conceive and assort nolliin^ '.iiic about tin*"*.* particulars, lie liimself recur* to Inn* conn ptions «»t’ tin* thin"*, at tin* same time purifying tin* use of words, tlimiiub which the teacher ' necessarily produces recollection in tin* minds of tin* well-dFposcd. W hat is now said tliercfore, in conseipieiire of the mildness 1 of IMato’s maimers, docs not seem to accuse severely the assertion* of mankind. For the expression not rightly, since it is common both to the accuser and the accused, is not accus¬ tomed to brine: with it trreat disgrace. The words of the text howi\er, have a sharp* and percus*i\e power. For with respect to those things which the ])» mini bus imparti'd to tin* last of In inas, in conseipience of their incapacity of receiving a more \enerable comprehension, if men endeavour to adapt these to tlie essences which abide in eternity, they enira^e in a certain "i^anlic war, de¬ faming the will and power * of the Deiiiiur^us, and in realitv, hastening to hurl rocks and oaks against the heavens. Why then fore, are not the was and the trillin' , adapted to ilitelli”ih|es ? lb-cause the fiiea»urc of intelligible.* is firm and immoveable, and < nu*i * the tilings vvhii h are mea»ured by it to be i \i mpt liom all mutation, lint why does the it is, in reality alone pertain to tin ill ? Ilecause that whieh they are, they always are, not losing, nor ren-ivin” anv ihintr, neither according to i »ein*e, nor acrordintr to life, imr aeeordin^ to intelligence, nor much more icconlm- to union. Shall r re say therefore , that < f tin sc thru, tin teas the is, and the ill hr, the t i/t ern s da not pertain to intelligihle.s, Inti the wieldU alone ‘ Or is this In/ no naans the ease ? F»r nut /nr does the is, which is co-an tinged with the was, and the rail he, pertain t» intelligibles; hut that whole is ere mpt from all these, has tm representation a hat ever <J time, and is defined according to the eternal measure * itself, must he attributed to the Gods, and to intclligiblcx. Jar as with re sped to the always, one was eternal, but the other temporal, so HUwisc, the is, is twofold, the one being eultipte.il to truly existing bungs, but the other to mundane things. When there - fort , he says, that to this /// reality, the term, it is, alone pertains, by transferring the word alone, we shall Juul what t.s said to be more scientific. For it w ill then be, to this, (he alone is pertains; viz. the is, which is by itself exempt from a co-arreingcment with tin species of time.

For it w ill then be, to this, (he alone is pertains; viz. the is, which is by itself exempt from a co-arreingcment with tin species of time.

l'i>r .VuuifiXuni- I ere, il if ncrcfjarv to re .id ielnnenKor.

1 Imti ol i>l rTiij<.mi> in tins jilarr, n-.ul cticucko'.

’ I or iV' /i'i i» lien-, ri .id <V>y"i.ii.

U ;ij>|n.Trs tome lh.il llie word l fion/in is w.miiug licrc m the original,

Tim, Plat. \ ol. II. 2 1)

p. 210

PROCLUS ON TUP

[BOOK IV.

Hmv came men therefore, to err in »o gr‘*at a cl egret* in this respect, anti to attribute to tin* intelligible Coils tilings wliicli tlo not at all jR*rtain to them 1 The whole cause indeed, is the oblivion of divine natures, on account of the ilcfhixion of our wings, our lapse, and our communion with mortal bodies, lit nee Plato also says, “ that these things through oblivion, ate not rightly trunsflrrcd h\j us to an < ternalvssun c." Tin urgists however, are not thus afh < tetl; for it is not lawful for them to be so. Hut they celebrate time iUelt as a CJod, and as we h ut said, thev denominate one time zonic, but another azonie, which measures the pi riod of the third of the ethereal worlds. They likew ise celebrate a certain arch angelic time, in tin middle of the ethereal worlds ; and another ruling time, whii h presides over the first of those worlds. And alter all these, tin y speak of another font d time, wlm h is the leader of the etnpy it an world, and conducts, and d< lines its period, proceeding from the fontal Coddess I Khea] In rsi It, w ho genci s all life, and all motion. For she produces Initial time, and causes it to preside over all moveable natures, and to measure the periods of all things, as far as to the last of beings. 1’or these also are measured according to periods. In things likewise, which are perfectly corruptible, 1 Plato teaches us, that every thing which lives is generated Irom that whu h is dead, and every thing which is d< id from that which is living; and that there is a period of all things, and an apm alastasis of generated natures, and not alone ol such as are incorruptible. For the inilividual which was generated from non being according to a certain pt rioil, ih parts into non hi mg [again], since motion Irom the same to the same, is a |MTiod