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

But Juno is the intellectual part of such a soul, because the natures on the earth are governed by the produc-

BOOK V.j

TIM.r.US or FLAK)

:V29 live principles proceeding from the air. And lit*' other nnrulirr is the psychical distributed into particulars.

We however consequently 1 to what has been before asserted say, that art onl¬ ine to Plato there are many orders of Jupiter. For one is the I)< iniurgus, as it i* written in the Cratylus; another, is the first of the'Saturnian triad, as it is asserted in the < inrgias ; another is the liberated, as it is delivered in tin* Phu-dnis ; and another is the celestial, whether in the inerratie sphere, or among the planets. M oreover, as the first Jupiter produced into the\i>ihle fabrication the power of bis father, which was concealed in the nnapparent, being eve ited* to this by bis mother Hliea ; after the same manner the Jupiter deliverer! here, who is the fahrirator of generation, causes the nnapparent divisions and separations of forms made by Saturn to her onto apparent; but Ithea calls them forth into motion and generation; and Pliorcys inserts them in matter, produces sensible natures, and adorns the visible essence, in order that there may not only l>e divisions of pro¬ ductive principles in natures and in souls and in intoller Inal essences prior to these, but likewise in sensihles. l'or this is the pteu/inrifi/ of fihriintinn. Aqd if it be requisite to speak what appears to me to be the truth, Saturn indeed pro¬ duces intellectual sections, but Illiea sur b as are psychical, and Finneys such as are physical. For all spermatic productive principles are under nature. Hut Jupiter adorning sensible anil visible sections, goes a specific distinction to such beings in the sublunary region a> are totally vital, and causes them to be moved. Airier* however, tin se sensible forms whieli are generated and perfected, are multiformlv evolved, bring moved and changed according to all-various evolutions, on this account the queen Juno is conjoined with Jupiter, giving perfection to this motion of visible natures, anil to tin* evolution of forms. I Imre fables re¬ present her as at one time sending mania to certain persons, hut ordering others to undergo severe labours, in order that through intellect Iwing present with all things, anil partial souls energizing r)iv iiu-1 v both theoretically and practically,every progression and all the general inn of the sublunary region may obtain complete perfection.

Such therefore being the nature of this rluarl, there are al>o other demiurgic powers w hich triply divide the apparent world of generation ; one of these being allotted the government of air; anolherthat of water ; and another that of earth, conformably to demiurgic allotments. Hence they are said to be the brothers of

* Tlie words ij/mt K twr/invi ire omitted in ihe original.

1 For it is nere$-.ar\ to read r v inci»ijfin«

1 For it is nere$-.ar\ to read r v inci»ijfin«

1 For b^ioj here, it is nesrssary to read r/jfxnij.

7’lWJ. Plat. You II. 2 I

p. 330

PUOCLIJS ON THE

\BOOK %.

these, because they also preside over the visible fabrication. And further still, there are others the progeny of these ; which is t'.ie last progression of the div inities mentioned in this place by Plato. Hence, they are delivered anonymously ; Plato by this indicating the diminution of it as far as to the last division, l’or as in the finds that are above the world, the partible proceeds from the total fabrica¬ tion, and theserii s of kings terminates in this ; after the same manner also atnnrm the sublunary f lods, the progeny of .fupiter procei d from the Jov iaii order ; unions which progeny likewise, is the choir of partible fabrication. For the before-men¬ tioned Demiurgi producing seiisibles totally, it n necessary that those deities should have a subsistence who distribute ilitli-rent powers and peculiarities to dif¬ fer! lit natures, and divide the sublunary generation into multitude. Hence Plato alone denominates them vtlu rs, and dot s not i uiploy the expressions ,u/< // ov, and all, because they associate with .ill various diversity. 1 u what lias been said tbere¬ ft re by Plato, we ha\e the whole analogous kingdoms. Heaven and Karth haying the liist arrangement, but afterwards the sublunary kingdoms, the celestial, the Saturnian, and tin Dionysiaeal Put between these two kingdoms, the order of Ocean is first assumed, us defining and distinguishing all the progressions from the fathers, as causes, and as itsrll abiding and at the same time proceeding, ana¬ logously to the mtt llectual by postases of them. M hat occasion tin refore, is there, to proceed any fartln r, since all the governments are. here delivered, and rai h is conjoined with its proper multitude. I or Heaven terminates, Karth corroborates, and Ocean moves all generation. Hut Tethys establishes every thing in its proper motion ; inteller trial essences m inlr llectu d, miiblle essences in psyi bieal, and such asarecorpore.il in phx sieal, motion; ()eeau at the same time collectively moving' all things. Saturnabmeiliv irb s intellectually ; Kin a v iv ilit s ; Pborevs disiributi s spermalie proilurtive principles; .lupiti r pel feels tilings apparent from siir b as are unap¬ parent ; and .lunoevolvr s according totlie all-vanoiis imitations of v isilile natures. And (bus through ibis r line.til all the sublunary world derives its completion, and is fitly arranged; divinely indeed from the Clods, lint angelically, as we sav, from angels, and d.emomaeally Irom ila-moiis ; tin f toils indeed subsisting about bodies, souls,and intellects; but angels exhibiting their providence about souls and bodies ; and d.emons being distributed about the fabrication of nature, and the providential care of bodies. Hut again, the number of the eiuu ad is adapted to generation. For it proceeds from the monad as far as to the extremities without retrogression; which is the peculiarity of generation Fur reasons (i. e. productive principles) fall into matter, and are unable to convert themselves to the principles of their

For it proceeds from the monad as far as to the extremities without retrogression; which is the peculiarity of generation Fur reasons (i. e. productive principles) fall into matter, and are unable to convert themselves to the principles of their lii^Hdtl of rev wfcfuiov Tu»ru kinjviTwr aOpo w& in tins place, it is ob\ iously necessary to rta I to ¥ uvfaKi/it Taira mcmui uOp cwi.

BOOK V.J

TIM XL'S OF PLATO.

X31

existence. Moreover, the dund Loin" triadic, for three dyadic orders were assumed, 1 manifests the complication here of tin* perfect and tlio imperfect, ami of lionnd with infinity. For all celestial natures are definite, and as Aristotle says, are always m the end. But timers in veneration proceed* from the imperfect to the perfect, and ree. ive tin* same lionudary indefinitely. Besides this, ihe tetrad ari¬ sing trom th** veneration of these divinities is adapted to the orders of the fabrica¬ tors ot the sublunary region; in order that they may contain multitude unitedly, and the partible impartibly; and also to the natures that e\i«t in veneration. For the sublunary elements are four; tin* seasons according to which veneration is evolved arc tour; and the centres are four. And in short, there is an abundant dominion of tin* tetrad in veneration.