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

These two likewise, as wc have before observed, are in each of the elements aerially, or aipiatically, or terrestrially. For Heaven is in Earth, and Earth in Heaven. 1 And here indeed. Heaven subsists terrestrially, but there Earth

' In tin; original, is erroneously printed for amXnyuv.

* This is a very ancient F.”s}>ti.m doctrine. \ml hence kirilur in liis <Edipus F^ypti.icus says that he read I he following «onls engraved in a stone mar Memphis: Curium tin sum, rorlum drornim, quod tursum id vmnr diorsum, h/tc rape rt hrnbrri*,i r. Iltnrcn ii nhorc, and llrarrn ii brninth. I.rrry thin" whirh itnhnrr /.» aim hrnrnth. t ndmtnnd thn,tmd ij on trill hr blru'fil. ('unformablv to 1 ln-s alio the celebrated Sm.inigdine Taide, which is of such "real authoritv with the Ah ln miNis, and which whe¬ ther originallv written nr not hv Hermes Trismrgi'tin, is doubtless of great anli«|liilv, savs that all that is lieneatll resembles all th.it is above. Hut the table itself is as follows; Veruni sine incmlacio, rerliim et vrris.iuuim : ipiotl est iuferiiis, e*t sunt i<l <pi<ul est «uprrius, <t <piod r.st sii|h mis, est Sicut id (juod i st inti rius, ad prrpelr.iniluiii niiraeiiluui imiiis rei. I t sicut n s unmes lucrum ah uno media- I nine minis, sic mimes res n.il.c ah hae re adoptalioiic. I’alir ejus est *ol, mater «jus Inna. I’ortavit illud ventus in ventre suo. Nulrix rjus tirra, p.Ilcr omuis tclcsnn tolius inumli est iuc. \irtusejus Integra esl, si versa IiutiI in terrain. Si parahis terrain ah igne, subtile a spisso suavitcr cum niagno mgcnio. Ascendil a terra medium, ileruimpie desceiulit in terrain, et rccipil vim superioruin el inl’e rio¬ rum. Sir halirlus glnriaui tolius niumii, irten fugiel a tc oiunis nhscuritas. Ilxc est totms forliludmis fortiludo fori is, ijuia viucet mniiem rein suhlilem, omniaipic solida peiictraliit. Sic iniindu -creates est. ilinr erunt adoptatimirs mirahih-s, quartim modus Inc est. Ilaipic voeatus sum Ih rn.es Trmnegistus liHbcns Ires parti s philosopliia-totius mumli. Ciinijili turn est cpiod dixi dc operc solas." i. f “ It true without a he, certain, and must true, that what is beneath is like that winch is above, and what is above i» like that which is beneath, for the |Nirposc of accomplishing the miracle of one thing. Aud as alt things were from one through the mediation of one, so all tlimgs were generated from this tbuig

p. 316

PROCI.US ON THE

[hook V.

celestially. For Orpheus calli the moon celestial earth.* Nor is it proper to wonder that this should Ik* the ease.* For we may survey the same things every¬ where according to the anah)^ous in intelliuihles, in int ■lleetuals, in the suj>ermiindane tinier, in the heavens, ami in generation, conformably to the proper order of each.

\\ itli respect however, to < at h of these divinities, some of the interpreters of Plato understand !»v Karth, this solid hulk which is the oluect <*t seiisihle iuspection; others, as that w hit h lias an arrangement aitahmnns to matter.anil is siipposetl to exist prior to generated natures; others, as intclli^ihlr matter; others, as the power of mt< Heel ; others, as life; others, as an meorpotval form inseparable from earth; others conetire it to he soul; anti others intelleet. In a similar manner with respeet to llealeii, some suppose it to he tin* \i*|l»lc heuvelis; otlu is, tilt' motion ahout the midtlle t»f the universe; others, power aptly prurrrihiiif in runjunction witli motion ; others, that whieli possesses intelleet; others, a pure and separate intellei t ; otlu I s, the li iture of eirt illation ; otlu is, soul ; ailtl others, inti Ilect. I know likewise, that the divint* Iaiiihliehiis understands liy Farth, every tiling stable ami linn, accord in;; to the r»i nee ol the mum! me (mils, anti which accortlinu, to inir^v and a perpetual circulation, comprehends more excellent powers anti total lives. Hut by Himvcii, lie understands tin* total and perfect energy proeeedtmr from the Tleiniiirjjus, whieli is toll ol appropriate power, and subsists about the Deimuruus, as lieim; the hoillidary ot itselt and ot wholes. I know likewise th it the admirable Theodoras estahlisht s both t ht st* powers m tin? first life w hu h subsists act online to hahituile. I or m tin* lilt- according to habi¬ tude of tin soul ot the world, through which deseeiitliiii; into itself, it a^ain etuis 111 the foiital soul, with tlitlereiiee, three first habitudes, are immediately to ht* bv adoption [j, i*. bv par lieipalion]. 1 lie miii is ■ t -> lather, amt 1 lie iiioon its mix tier. '1 tie niml carried ■ I in iti liellv The cjllli ii ili nur-e. Tim ■% tin- f.illi* r uf all the perfection til I lie whole world. Ils power is « nt ire when it is t mini Ini into earth. ^ ou limit separate tin earth from the tire, the suhtd from the liiuk sweetl\ with "reat genius. It ascends Ir.nn e.uth to heaven, and again dcifcnds to the earth, and receives the power ot things superior and interior. I Inis sou will lr.ur the gloiv ot llie whole world, and thus all obscurity will Hie from you. llm is the strong fortitude of all fortitude, because it vaiuiuishis every suhtile tiling, and penetrates all solid substances. Thus llie world was fabricated, lienee admirable adoptions will lake place, ot wliwb this i> tin mode. I «m therefore call¬ ed Hermes Trisiiirglslus, pos-osing three parts of the philosophy of tin whole world. That which I ha\e said concerning ttie work ol the sun is complete

* Instead of cm yuu ntganne iai rrjr rrr.Xiji i/i npofnjyntH inrt r, tilt sense rerjuireswe shout 1 read

,ai ynp 01)11111111 yr/t nje n\iji iji, ». X.

1 The two ... following tines tu tins place in the original, are in so mutilated a state as to

X.

1 The two ... following tines tu tins place in the original, are in so mutilated a state as to be |K'rfeclly unintelligible.

Ilf ink V.]

TIM US or PLATO.

p. 317

surveyed, together with the vvhoh ness And tin* first of those indeed, consists of the wholeness which is on i ;i< n side, has tin* wholeness prior to parts, and termi¬ nates in the whole tont.d soul. Hut the second preser\es tin* whole font d soul, vet ditides itself into parts, and has the whnh ness whieli roushts of parts. And the third distributes the tont.d soul, lint presortes itself a whole. In the first likewise ot tins** three, Faith and Heaven are contained. For tin* material nature w hieli is in the first, is cnlh d Fartli, matter being thus denominated lit the ancient tlienlngisls. Hut lleaien is an intellect of this kind, as separating the last from tin* first in hahitude, and as constituting this visible lit aven through its own hahitude. Inns therefore, the haliitnih* likt'wist* of the soul to tin* Inidy preserves the hotly. Knowing tlu-se things however, I think it is retpiisile to adhere, as Iiv a firm rahle, t*» the doctrine of our preceptor [Svriamis], For through this, we shall avoid eonlusetl and erroneous opinions, and shall conjoin onrsi lies to the most purt* eoneeplions tif I imlihcluis.

In tht* first pi ire I In‘ret ore, we should reeoileet that Plato is now speaking of the suhliinaiy finds, that all of them art* en ry where, and that they proceed according to the analogy of tin* intelligible and intelleetual kings. And in the second place we must say, tl.it as the first Hcnvin is the lioimdarv of ami con¬ nectedly contains the intellectual (lods, containing the measure which proceeds from the "w</,‘ and the intelligible (Iot|s, into tin* intelhi'lual orders, a fit r the same manner the Heaven which is now mentioned by Plato, is the hound.irv and container ot the Cioils that are the lahrieatoi's ol veneration, comprehending in one 1 m iniif 1 the demiurgic measure, and also that which proceeds from the celes¬ tial ( ea 1 s to those tliv imtifs that art* allottetl the realms of veneration, ami con¬ necting them with the celestial government of the (iotls. la»r as the Dcmiurgtis is to the hi«hI itself. so i* tht* one divinity of this Heaven, to the intelleetual Hea¬ ven. Hence as there, measure and hound proceed from the guod through Ileavi-n to all the iulellectnal (toils, so likewise here a hound arrives to the Hods the fabricators of veneration, and to the more excellent genera, [viz. to angels, tkcninns and heroes] from the Deinnirgus, and the summit of the mundane (lods; viz. through the connectedly-containing medium of this Heaven.* For the everywhere proceeding Heaven is allotted this order; in one procession of things indeed, unitedly and occultly; hut in another manifestly and separately. I'or m one order it introduces bound to souls ; in another to the works of nature,