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

Hut • 1 "* "°id which he here uses, manifests the conglobod, and the connectedly contained. 1 'or it does not signify, as Aristotle supposed it did, that which is moved, For I'lato, m a particular manner preserves the Earth im¬ moveable; and m the I'ha-do adds the cause, through which it is immoveably established. “ lor he says that a thing which is equally inclined , when placed in the middle of a certain simitar nature, cannot tend more or less to one part than another, hut subsisting vn all sides similarly affected, will remain Jree Ji <on all inclination .” 'i he ( i rei ian use of words also testifies, that to iXXo/x *vrg signilii s TO cuv'xy'.utv^v, that which is collected or congregated, ami not that which is tinn ed. J 'or it calls bonds iXXaootjg Titmvus likewise himself in what follows says, “ that the ha,rs a huh arc rooted and conglomerated in the head, within the shirt, are conglobed (.xxeir- Sai From these things therefore, it is evident hovv he applies the word ixx«r5eu in what he now says, to the Earth. lint it as some say, the assertion hat “ Vesta alone abides in the dwelling oj the (• ods, 1 is spoken of this earth, I'lato will l>e very tar from giving motion to the Earth. If however we do not admit that the Vesta there mentioned is the Earth, yet it must Ik; granted, that there is a guardian power in the Earth of the nature of \ esta. For as vve say, that in the Heavens, the poles* lire connectedly contained hy Vesta, thus also among the elements, t'.aUi save £««i wavrci, ami nut tian* »«w» : fur Proclus observe*, that he could noth ave em¬ ployed the latter inode of expression, without pronunciation through a soft breathing.

Sir what is said bv Simplicius concerning this word in I he notes to mv translation of Aristotle's treatise On the Heavens, p. 236.

' This n asserted in the Phardrus of I'lato.

For »o\Xoi>» here, it is obvioiisly necessary to read wo\uut.

p. 288

PROCLUS ON THE

[BOOk IV.

Sir what is said bv Simplicius concerning this word in I he notes to mv translation of Aristotle's treatise On the Heavens, p. 236.

' This n asserted in the Phardrus of I'lato.

For »o\Xoi>» here, it is obvioiisly necessary to read wo\uut.

p. 288

PROCLUS ON THE

[BOOk IV.

the Earth And as* the supermundane Vesta, is to the great leaded of the twelve Gods, so in mundane natures is the Earth to the Heavens, li likewise, we direct our attention to the Pythagoric Tinnvns, we shall in a still greater degree refuse to admit, that the Earth is moved. For he says “ that the Earth is established in the middle.” And how is it reasonable, that understanding i?.Xo utvry as signify¬ ing dXo'jurvr^, we should make the Earth to revolve, as conformable to the doctrine of Plato? Let Heraclides Politicos therefore, who was an auditor of 1 * * 4 Plato, lx* of this opinion ; for he ascribed a circular motion to the Earth ; but let it be ad¬ mitted that Plato established it immoveable. For if he had made the perfect vear to consist not only of the eight periods [of the stars] but had enumerated the earth as the ninth, giving to it .in apocatastasis with tin 1 others, and making one apocatastasis from all of them with that ol the circle of the same [then we might apprehend that the Earth is movtd according to Plato. 1 ] Alter this manner therefore, we should interpret the pule and the axis, and the Earth which is con¬ tained about these.

It is necessary hovvever from these assertions to betake ourselves to the nature of the Earth, and survey the poll's as powers that give stability to the universe, exciting indeed the whole bulk of it to intelligible love, and impaitibly connect¬ ing that which is paitible, and unitedly and without interval that whic h is extend¬ ed hv interval Hence also, Plato in the ltepuhlic, makes the spindle ot E »< esis of adamant, indicating, ns wc have said, their indexible and untamed power. And we must consider the axis, as that one divinity which collects the centres of the universe, which is connective of the whole world, and motive ot the divine circulations; as that also about which wholes dance and an* convolved, and as sustaining all Heaven, being on this account denominated Atlas, as possessing an immutable and unwearied energy. The word r:ra;oMv also, or extended, used here by Plato, indicates that this one power is Tilannie, guarding the cir¬ culation of w holes. lint if, as the divine Ianihliclius says, we umlertand by the pole extended through the universe, the Heavens, neither thus shall we wander from the conception of Plato. For as PI it.. says in the Cratylus, those who are skilled in astronomy call the Heavens the pole, as harmoniously revolving. Ac¬ cording to tins conception therefore, you may cull Heaven the pole extended

1 In 1 lie original, ui is onultccb

* l or ov II Vurwt c> hire, read rev riAurwi-or.

For as PI it.. says in the Cratylus, those who are skilled in astronomy call the Heavens the pole, as harmoniously revolving. Ac¬ cording to tins conception therefore, you may cull Heaven the pole extended

1 In 1 lie original, ui is onultccb

* l or ov II Vurwt c> hire, read rev riAurwi-or.

i The words wiihin the brackets are omitted in the origiual, hut ought evident)? to be inverted. Hence it is necessary to supply in this place the words, rere vnoXaiioifttv tutioQat ttjv yijK men IlAarw>a.

4 For ewi rijK qviti /Jtrinai in tins place, I rcad.cririji >iji Qvoiv ptTitmi.

SOOK IV.]

TIM.EUS OF PLATO.

p. 209

through flu? universe, as being iiiriirvatrd through the whole of itself in conserpirnce of being without an angle. For after this manner the superfi ies of a cirele is extended. About this however Earth is conglobed, not lorallv, hut through a desire of hemming assimilated to it converging to the middle, in order that as Heaven is moved ahout the centre, so she by tending to the centre, may liecome .similar to that which is essentially spherical, being herself as much as pos¬ sible conglohed. Hence she is compressed ahout Heaven in such a way as to Ik 1 wholly extended ahout [i. e. towards] it.

According to each of these conceptions therefore, Plato d< livers the cati-e through which Earth is contained in the middle. For the axis is a power con¬ nective of Earth ; and Earth is on all sides compressed hy the circulation of Hea\i n, and is collected together into the centre of the universe. Earth therefore being such, Tima-us afterwards clearly shows what utility she affords to the universe; for he calls her the guardian and artificer of day and night. And indeed, that she is the maker of night, is evident. For she produces a conical shadow ; and her magnitude and figure are the causes of the dimension and qualitv of the figure of this shadow. Ihit after what manner is she likew ise the fabricator of day? Or does she not produce this day which is conjoined with night ? For about her the risings and settings of the Sun are surveyed. And that Plato assumes tin*- day whic h is convolved with night, is evident from lus arrang¬ ing tin* former under the latter; as also prioi to this when he says, night there¬ fore and day were thus generated. Earth therefore, is the fabricator of both these, producing both in conjunction with the Sun ; the Sun indeed, lieing in a greater degree the cause of dav, hut the earth of night.