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

lienee, von ni.iv assume, that it is (lie stars, and not tin* spin n-s in w hit It the stars ail v a nee and li et th , that sutler "in h tilings .is, these, anil whit h ale iiiovi d upward and downward, antecedently containin'.; e t rderly paia lrjuiis, the al!-\arioiis distil-

• i ills j, vv 1II 1-s|>l.i 1 Hi d li\ I.until » Inis He M\ ill 111-, |> 1 1 ai lulliiw ': " >iiuv eveiv put •<! lln* In. mil', niul 111 iv 'Il’ii nl 1 to /othae, iniv 11 K—I1.1I uni loll lihi-wi-e, every lime ji i ordiii. 1*1 vvlneli I lie vt or lit is linn eil, am) iim I hill*; 1 oiil.iimtl in I lie w holes ol I In iiiiioisi-, leuni pmv rh ill 1 ending Irnm I lie situ, some of w lm li .ire emu pi 11 .lied volli I lie sc limits ll.iinv I' 1 tmt olln rs ti nisi eil I 1 0111- luivlure, tin ■ v 1nl10l11.il iniiile nl signth*. ilmll indicates 11 ,1 —, l*y ;i"eillilg lli.it I tie Mill u ilit ei'il.eil according In I lie signs ol lln /« ili.u , ami lh.it i v 1 \ hour hi changis Ins I inn. \l I lie same lime how - ml, it imlu.ills Ills 111111111 1 .■ 1 1 le, 'l.ilile, lm ir-tailnig, ami al mu e-eidh i led lorni.miu.ilioii ol yniil In the vvliule Wnfhl. tint suite the n i ipieiils ol I In lluput lllih* "ill “I tile < ini Bit- V arinusly aliei leil towards li, .uni teeeivi- niiillilorni power. Ironi tin miii, .11 cording In llieir pti uliar liiiilinli-, — In in 1 the svinholu.il 1 loeli me e. iiiees through I he mull In le ol the "ills that I lie ( mil i> one, a ml e vlidnls Ills one powtr, tlimii.'li iniiltlloiiti pour 1 s. limit' .il.n il -j\>, that lie is nlie and I lie same, hut that llit \ui"l- 1 nilts nl his lorin, and his 1 niili"iiralli>ii', must lie ;n! iiiit li-il lo 1 vet 111 I he recipients. * hi this account, it asserts, ihat In is di-ingcd evirv hour, according to tin sign of the /odiat , 111 eoii'Oipitiuc ot these being variously changed about the (joil, acturtliug lo the many modes lay which they receive him.

f.<>k M.; tim i.i:s cu i* la ic> j-21

<1< rlv motions ol tin- Niililiiiuiry region. \ i/. the motions there tii.tl at* upward ami downward, la I Hid and In-Inn*. I’nr a*- Plain says in tin* Laws, those mu against divinity. nlm dan* In aMTilM- w audi riii^ r in tin celestial (iods, in consc ipnnee of nnt know mg tin ir order, tin ir harmonious dance, and tin* «|■ al>ilitv nf their inotinn. I'nr in* <|ti diililv is alone apparent in them, ihrouuh tin* lalinn and enutrarv circulation nt tin ir evolving circle *>. whether oil account nl i pic y< les, and eccen¬ trics, nr from other causes. I’nr all tin In pntheses liavo not tin* saiin* 1 probability, lint snnu* nt fin ‘in indeed, an* remote I'rnin tin* simplicity* nf divine natures, and other- an* as it wnv mechanical contrivances, devised by llm inndi*rns, tn ar- ount for tin umtinn nf tin* eeh »tial mbs. \nd it seems 11 Kit I *1 ito in tin* Republic,

\nd it seems 11 Kit I *1 ito in tin* Republic,

I»y making tin* whirls concentric, and in these tin* snrn circles, and mentioning "these alone, and imt epirvrh's. ascribes tn tin* stars themselves inequahilitv, and tins pns«.i-'»Miii* > arrangement and nrdt i I'm* this im <|ii:iliililv returns In its pristine stain, in nrdi-i lv pm inds nf linn’, in consequence of tin* planets In in:; nn*dia between t lilies that an* moved with a umtinn perfectly equable, and llmsr that are moved anomalously in every respeel. I'nr tln-v an* allotted a motion which is cquahlv anomalous, <»r aunmahfiislv eijiiahh*.

I inn* tin n Inn*, i- imfnldi d into li”lit. and makes its progn ssimi into the uni¬ verse, thrmigh all th* celestial orbs, and not only through the plain ts, hut likewise through the li\< d star*. (Main however, espreially mak< s nn ntmn of the plain Is, ill the gem ration nl time, heeaiiso tin v di/h r from the ii\i d stars in tin \ari< l\ nf tln ir period-. and Irom-uiilmtarY natures, m their motions lieing alwav > invaria¬ bly the same; thi* former nt w hieh, tin* distinetinn of maiiv temporal measures muni tests, and In latter, the perpetual prc« rv at inn of the same periods, and a pi - catastases. | nr it i- necessary to survey the same tilings, the mnltilude of mea¬ sures always r« maiuiug. I In se therefore, have all orderly arrangement, alter tin* one measure n| the \\ hole period. \nd the one monad indeed itself of linn*, is t jierteel and culm mini her. But from this, and in each circulation, there is an apprnpri ite nn as me, Saturnian, or .loi ian. or Lunar, iei < i\in g its peculiarity from the soul, and motive deity, which is m eac h ol the spheres. For one iitimher pertains to th** sun, aiiniher to a horse, and another to a plant. But tin mundane mmiher is common to all ot tln*m. On this account also we say, that th- re is the same lime every where, i or the world has one life, in tin* same manner as it has oar nature*, and one intellect. If however it has one Tan;, it will also have "in* 3c„>. But it this he tin* case, it will likewise Iiave one temporal measure. And «as each ol the parts m it lives according to total nature, so likewise, il is

* F*»r utrai, read cut®.

p. 222

PROCIA S ON T!IR

[book IV.

If however it has one Tan;, it will also have "in* 3c„>. But it this he tin* case, it will likewise Iiave one temporal measure. And «as each ol the parts m it lives according to total nature, so likewise, il is

* F*»r utrai, read cut®.

p. 222

PROCIA S ON T!IR

[book IV.

measured according to total time. And this is the common measure of all tilings, lint after this monad tin ro is a triad, tin -.unnuut of wliirli is tin* measure of tin* first circulation ; l»ut tint middle, of all tin* circle ol tin- di/li rent. I'or of all the planets, as of one animal, there is one lile, ( ie<> *•>) one period, and one upucatastatir time. And the thnd, or the i.rircmiti/, i> the measure ol the eircul slum whieh takes place in generation. For on ,u count ol (Ins, the mutations of the • h iiimi's the tralisumtalious ol moti-able natures, and regeneration, are again allotted an 1 1 vposlasis. AI lei this triad how e\ er, tune proceeds, acco id mg to other and other iiumln-r.s, measuring wholes, and distinguishing all things hy appropriate measures. 1 fiese things tin rcl'ore, we shall ag tin i on it I* r.

It ought not limn act to he unnoticed, th.it Plain ha\iug giteii subsistence to wlioh s, and not \< t nicntiom d partial annuals, < oiislituti s the planets, hut after¬ wards the fixed .stars, lit the generation ol partial animats. For w hat are called the planets, are it>siiitni'uiur.x, or gnti rum's n| the world, and are allotted a total powi r. \nd as the iuerralii sp| l( o has a nuinhi i ot si irry animals, so likewise each of tin planets is tin leaih i ol a multitude ot .mmials, oi ot ceitaili other things of this kind Hence also limn thi> the doubt may he sotted, how tin one sphere |of the fixed slats) coinpi' bends a multitude ol stars; hut with respect to the many spheres ot the pi on ts, i nh convoltcs one star. For •• must he said that tin re i. c. in tin I’m d stars] the spin n is a monad, hi mg one, comprehending m ilsi It an appropuate multitude, and is siillieieut to the eompiela tisiou of the multitude, this la mg tin fust multitude, lhit m tin planets, that whu ll is the leader is twofold, the oin* being the sphel’i , (in w liicll the plain I is carried] lint the other,* u h < »l tin 1 cosmucralors, being a monad co-arrangetl with mult it in It-. Fur subordinate n iturt s ret pure a greater number of leaders, ami the multitude in each is imisible, on account ot the subordination. And in the sublunary region, there is a still greater number of orders, which are the leaders ot the genera in each ot the eleiut ills, as we may learn from the 1 heoguny which has been transmitted to us. Ia t these things therefore, he admitted as « \ ith lit.