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

p. 200

PROCLUS ON Til F.

[boom IV.

they Biibsiat in some oilier way. For hy proceed..- in an orderly manner throng, tliese s|*eculations, we filial! discover the divinely-inspired conception of Plato. It is necessary therefore, a-ain to recur to the before-mentioned demonstrations, in which we said, that the first, united, and most simple intelligible essence of the Gods, proceeding s.qiernally from the unity of unities, but according to a certain mode, ineffable, and incomprehensible by all things; one thin- * is first, occult, and paternal; another is second, 1 and is the one power of wholes, and an uncireuu.soiibcd measure; and a third Hun-' proceeds into ener-y, and all-various powers, and is at once both paternal and effective. 'Hie first of these also, is a monad, because it is the summit of all the int.-lli-ible breadth, and the fountain and cai. ,e of divine numbers, lint the second is a duad : for it abides and pro¬ ceeds. as in the intelligible -.-m.-a, and has the cl■«#■ complicated with ban-. I l.at however, which is now investigated [is the third], and is the te trad, which receives all the oeenlt cause of the monad, and unfolds into li-l.t m its* If.,is m.proe.vd.npower. For such thin-s as are in the monad, primarily, m.ieally, and with an nnp.oceedi.i-suhsistence, these the tetrad exhibits distrihutedlv, and now se¬ parated accord...- to mnnher, and a production into sec ondary natures. Since however, the third has indeed an order adapted to. hut also entirely participates of the causes prior to itself, it is not only a t.tracl, hut as a monad it is -.eater than this, and is allotted a paternal transc endency ; and as a eluad, it is effective and prolific. So far the re fore, as it is call* d animal itself, it is the monad of the nature? of all animals, vital, intellectual, and corporeal But so far as it is com¬ prehensive at once of the male and female, it is a duad. I or these are appmprtate lv in all the orde rs of animals, in one way in the (ioels, in anothe r in d.cinons, mid in another in mortals. And it is necessary that the* first unities of these, should have a primordial subsistence, m the- one comprehension of animal itself. But so far as it constitutes from this duad, the four ide as of animals in itself, it is a te trad. For conformably to these ideas, the fourfold fabrication proceeds, and the first effective cause of wholes, is a tetrad. Plato therefore, teachin- this tetradic povv.-r of the paradi-m, savs that the most uuical ide as of mundane na¬ tures are four, and are comprehended in one idea animal itself. For the re, animal itse lf is one idea ; hut the- male and the female are a duad.

If you are willing also, you will have -ene-ra and specie s, in the division of Plato. For he calls the two ideas, the intellectual, and the air-wanderin-, -eiier.t,

• i. e. '1 lie one being itself, the summit of the intelligible- order.

If you are willing also, you will have -ene-ra and specie s, in the division of Plato. For he calls the two ideas, the intellectual, and the air-wanderin-, -eiier.t,

• i. e. '1 lie one being itself, the summit of the intelligible- order.

1 i. e. Intelligible life, ill velneli eternity subsists.

* i c. Animal itself, or intelligible intellect, the end of the intelligible order.

HOOK IV.]

TlMvKUS Ol- i’LATU.

-Itil

Imt the remaining two, species, as being subordinate to tin* former two. But animal itself is also a tetrad. And as far as to this, intelligible forms extend. After this however, ideas proceed according to different numbers. For tliere is an appropriate number of them in each order; and the less numl»er, is comprehen¬ sive of more total i<b as ; but the more multitudinous number, of such as are more partial. For diviner natures are more contracted in quantity, but have a tran¬ scendent power. The forms also of secondary natures are more multiplied than those that are prior to them ; intellectuals than intelligihles, supermundane than intellectual natures, and mundane than supermundane natures. Mundane forms therefore, are those which ha\e proceeded to an ultimate distribution ; just as intelligible forms receive the highest union. For all progression diminishes power, but increases multitude. Hence, ifTiin rus had discussed a certain in¬ tellectual order, he would have mentioned another number, such as the hebdornadic or decadic. But since he is speaking of the intelligible cause of ideas, w hich comprehends all intelligible animals, he says that the first ideas are four. For the tetrad is there, w hich proceeds from the intelligible monad, and fills the demiurgic decad. For as the 1’ythngoric hymn says, “ Divine number proceeds from the occult profundities of the undecaying monad, till it arrives at the divine tetrad, which produced the mother of all things, the universal recipient, ancient, and venerable, placing a boundary about all things, immutahle, and unwearied, [ami which both the immortal finds, and earth-born m< n, denominate the sacred decad.1 1 And tbo hymn indeed, calls the uniform and occult cause of the one being, the undentying monad, and the m cult ],rnj iui<tiln.\ of the wound; Imt the evolution into light of intelligible multitude, which the duad, the medium between the monad ami the tetrad, unfolds, the dnine it trad. And the world itself, which receives tho images of all the divine numb< r*, supcrnally imparted to it, it deno¬ minates Mr eVrut/. For the above words may be thus understood, by directing our attention to the fabrication ol" the world. And thus much concerning the tetrad itself.

And the world itself, which receives tho images of all the divine numb< r*, supcrnally imparted to it, it deno¬ minates Mr eVrut/. For the above words may be thus understood, by directing our attention to the fabrication ol" the world. And thus much concerning the tetrad itself.

In the next place, let us show what the four ideas are, and to w hat kind of tilings they give suh.xisteure. lair some of the interpreters differ from others in their opinion on this subject; some indeed asserting, that the progression of these ideas, is mto Gods, and the mortal genera, especially directing their atten¬ tion to the [literal meaning of the] words of Flato; but others looking to things, say that the progression is mto the Gods, and the genera superior to us ; Ivecause

’ Tlie v'ords within the brackets, arc supplied from the Commentary of Syria d ns on Aristotle Metaphysics. The original is, AOararoi rt 0cm, sac yrjyertttt ai0pwrti.

i!G2

PHOCLUS ON THK

[book IV these genera subsist prior to mortals, and it is necessary that the Petmurgii3 should not product* mortal, iinniedialely from divine natures. Others main, conjoining hot!, these opinions, and following what is written in the Fpiuoinis, assert that Gods subsist in the heavens, theuions m the air, demigods in water, and men, and other mortals, in earth. Such however being the ilillerence ot opinion among the interpreters, we admire indeed, the lovers ot things, but shall endeavour to follow our leader [Svnanus]. We sav therefore, that the celestial genus ul (.oils, is comprehensive ot all the celestial genera, whether they are divine, or align ie, or da-moniacal. The air-wandering genus comprehends all the natures that are arranged in thi* air, whether thev he Gods that are allotted the air, or daemons that follow these, or mortal animals that live in the air. The aquatic is comprehensive of all the genera that are allotted the water, and of all that are nourished in water. And the pedestrmus comprehends all the genera that preside over the parts of the earth, and all the animals that are constituted and generated in the earth. For the D. niiiirgus is entirely th** cause of all mundane natures, and Un¬ common lather of all of them; generating indeed, divine, and du-iiiomaeal natures, by and through himself alone ; but delivering mortal natures to the junior Gods, as the \ are able to generate these by a proximate energy. And t n pa¬ radigm is not the cause of some, and not of other animals, but it possesses the most total causes of all animals. For again, it it was the causi »f the divitn and diemonical genera, but bv no means, ot the mortal genera, m tais Usi, mortals not being generated, the universe would be imperfect, as not containing all the genera of animals. For it is similar to its paradigm, and all-pcifect, through imitating the tour ideas ot animal lKell.