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

The divine number therefore, has its proper boundary and end, and is perfect. ]bit it is al>o necessary that the mortal nature should exist, and have an appro¬ priate limit; and this triply, aerially, aipiatically and terrestrially. For celestial¬ ly, is impossible, Is cause the summit and the first genus of every order is undetiled and perpetual, in consequence of l*e:ng assimilated to the cause w hich is prior to it. As therefore, the first of iutelh duals is intelligible, ami l!u first of angels is a Cml, thus also the first of seiisibles is perpetual and divine. Butin generation the mortal is connected with the divin* nature. Ilenct Plato deno¬ minates the mortal genera tin ronuuuU r, being as it vv« re tin* refuse ot the fabrica¬ tion of the Cods, and dregs •rent-rated fiom the Cods themselves. But how are these said to he not guitruUd? Is it as Hot being v et generated ? l or beeause there is order in the things wlmb give completion to the universi*, and the Deimurgus has ih finitely made su« li of tin m as are secondary in order, to differ from those that are prior to them, on this account he says, that tin former are not vet generated, the I ittcr pre-existing. Perhaps too, afti i anotln-r manner, tin V may be said to l*e not g era rated , so far as tin y are produced by the demiurgic monad, and by an imuioveabh: and eternal eflective i nergy ? but that they are mortal, so far astln-v arc produced by tin: junior Coils. These however, participate of a certain perpetmtv ; Iw-caiise they are incorruptible indeed, according to form or sjiecies, but are individually corruptible. lor in these, form is distinct from the individual, and tin* whole form is not contained in them, as it is in divine animals, and which are alone perpetual; in consequence of their inability to receive the whole progression of their paradigms. The perpetuity therefore, of mortal natures is derived from the one fabrication, through winch the form is immutable and one, and is the same in many participants. But the mutability arising from the partible motion of the causes, changes the nature of the things produced. It is necessary however, that the mortal nature should exist, m order that the world mav be perfect, not divisihly indeed, oil account of the intelligible cause of it, but that it may at the same time, be all-v ariously impressed with

* ( ouforniably lo thi», Claudian in ho poem, Lit fl.ip(u Proserpina:, sa\s of Proserpine, ScnMi atftsbc Dcas, tMpnJtclu wyiie labor em lJt t>i rit.

BOOK V.]

TIM/EL'S OF PLATO.

p. 367

BOOK V.]

TIM/EL'S OF PLATO.

p. 367

forms. For such things as the one cause of all winged natures comprehends, these the sensible nature is allotted partihly, and the monad which is there, generates the number that is here. Hut if these things be admitted, the D< miurgus (intellectually perceiving each of the mortal natures, so far as each is unlM*gotten, or without generation, liecause be comprehends that which is mortal in an unbegotten manner,) not only possesses the four ideas [contained in animal itself,] hut the sub-divisions also of these, into the unliegotten causes of immortal and of mortal natures. Intelligible animal therefore, is one thing, ami the intellectual animal in the Demiurgus another; the latter employing more partial animals, which are more numerous, but less in power, than intelligible animal.

Since however, there are many perfections of the world, for it is perfect, and a whole of wholes, is perfect also from receiving time, and is perfect from compre¬ hending all animals,—hi lice Plato indicating what the form of this perfection is, adds, “ that it mail he sii//iciciilli/ perfect For it thus will In* all jierfect, through containing in itself all animals, embosoming all intelligible and intellectual powers, and receiving the distributed images of all-united paradigms. Why therefore, some one may say, if it i- necessary that the world should contain within itself all animals, and likewise mortal natures, through an assimilation to its paradigm,—- why, if this be the case, does not the Demiurgus himself constitute these? Plato therefore, immediately subjoins the cause of this, by adding, “ but these partici¬ pating of life through me nil! become canal to the Gods. ' Hv which words be directly confirms what has been liefure observed, that every thing which is pro¬ duced by an immoveable cause, is unliegotten and immutable; but that a thing which is produced by an immoveable cause, through a cause that is moved as the medium, is partly unbegotten and partly mutable. For it receives from the immoveable cause unity, hut from the moveable cause multitude; and from the former indeed existence, and form ; but from the latter iiidividunlity, and the being generated, or becoming to be; through which it is preserved according to form, but perishes according to the individual. Since therefore, some one may say, the Demiurgus himself constitutes rational souls, according to which they become equalised to the Gods, how docs Plato shortly after call these souK homonymous to divine souls, according to the immortal ? Must it not there¬ fore lie said that the word tt/ualiscd , is added with great caution; the

Must it not there¬ fore lie said that the word tt/ualiscd , is added with great caution; the

Demiurgus not saying that they will be entirely equal to the Gods, but that they will be similar to them } For that which is equalised, passes into a similitude to the equal. Hut the equal is a symbol of the mundane Gods, as we ma\ learn from the Parmenides. 7'o which we may add, that the rational form of life when it is purified, and becomes perfect, is divine ; so that some persons do not refuse to call

p. 858

PROCLUS ON TIIF.

[nook v.

it a (Jot], through a divine nature Iveing exerted in it, according to which also it i* conjoined with the truly-existing Gods. And thus much concerning this parti¬ cular.