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

The orectic power likewise, in the ethereal vehicle will produce many orectic powers in the pneuma-

1 t'orhuni litre, it it nocr*sary to read ttafvvru.

* Instead of rwi it aXoytai yap ui tins place, it is necessary to read h avaXoytai yap.

p. 368

PROCLUS ON THE

[book v»

tic vehicle, which will possess something separate from the testaceous body, and capable of l>eing disciplined. And these will produce in this outward body, ulti¬ mate and material orectie powers. Since however, parts energize in conjunction with wholes, the Clods hy a much greater priority, the causes of these secondarily operative powers and the powers of souls, produce together with them things analogous to themselves. Ilence also they inspire and corroborate that which tliev produce. And that Plato indeed, gives here to the soul a certain vehicle, is evident. 1 or shortly afb r, lie repri sents the soul ascending as into a vehicle, and thus makes it to be mundane, and a t ili/en ot the woild.

It is likewise necessary to understand, that he gives a subsistence to the irra¬ tional soul, prior to this outward body. 1 or it this be not admitted, one of two things must follow, either that prodiieing the irratiun d soul in that vehicle, he does not establish it in another vehicle, or that he constitutes it in this outward hodv alone.' But if the latter lie the case, this soul may very properly he called mor¬ tal; ami we shall no longer lie aide to preserve what Js said of it elsewhere, I mean, the elections of lives, and the punishments in Hailes, in which there is entirely the irrational nature. And it we say that this soul is in the [Ythen-ai] vehi¬ cle, it will be necessarily immortal, and the assertion wInch immortalizes it will predominate, and it will be no longer true, that the* one 1 h-mitiigus is the cause of immortals, hut the inanv Ih iuiuigi, of mortal natures. By showing then-lore, as we have said, th.it the junior (bids product- the irrational soul prior t > this out¬ ward liodv, and that another pueiimatn vehicle, Mich as Aristotle also admitted, evists together, and is i u introduced w ith our immortal vehicle, but is at the same tune mortal, all that proilm i s our doubts on this subject w ill be dissolved. These tilings liovvi-ver, will, as we proceed, become more apparent. But whence tinjunior < bids commeiii i- then lain u alimi, w hat media tin \ possess, and vv hat ends thev employ, the philosopher through these things sulheieiitly teaches.

“ Ida Inn ate and generate animals, cause them In increase by giving them nutriment, and receive them back again, when dissolved by cor¬ ruption.”

The generation of the irrational life, of which the vehicle of the soul compre¬ hends the summits, is therefore the beginning of the fabrication. But since the complete production and generation of animals, proceeds together with this, lienee the Dciniurgu* orders the junior Hods to elaborate and generate animals, wt-av-

3f*9 ing together the mortal with the immortal nature. And this he says indefinitely, and not all animals ; because Plato further on, calls plants also animals, ami shows that it is requisite thus to denominate them. Through the immortal soul therefore, the junior Gods produce animals, viz. such as not only possess the last form of life, the cpi thyme tic, and are on this account called animals, hut likewise every mortal animal. If however, the Demiurgus calls on the junior Gods not only to fabricate man, weaving together the mortal with the immortal nature, hut likewise animals, they evidently fabricate all other animals. HenceTimieus very properly, towards the end ol this dialogue, represents other animals as gene¬ rated, through the transformation of the human soul into them, and this conformably to the demiurgic mandate, the junior Gods alone producing plants, without the assistance of this soul. Tor in these, there is not a ra¬ tional soul. And localise this soul is the principle of motion, it is necessary that it should be the principle of the first motion to animals. But the first motion to these, is that which is according to place, as Aristotle also has shown. So that ev< ry animal whii h is moved according to pi ice, has a sell-motive soul pre¬ sent w it h it. < )n this account, a plant rooted in the earth, has not this soul ; so that the junior Gods very properly generate and elaborate other animals except plants, by weaving together the mortal with the immortal nature. But they afford other animals nutriment, by contriving the generation of plants, through which men and other animals are nourished. For nothing hinders certain animals from being nourished by such things as afford nutriment to men, and also by other things, to which tle*ir nature is allied, in the same maimer as the nature ot the animals, by which we are nourished, is allied to n*. Through this elaboration therefore, the junior Gods give completion to the production of the one Demiur¬ ges, For he imparts the beginning [or summit! only, but they elaborate, and through generation constitute the whole animal. And through elaboration indeed, they imitate the demiurgic power, hut through generation, the paternal' power, i hrough elaboration al-o, they produce the mortal-formed parts of rational animals; hut through generation, irrational animals, so far as they are irrational. I*or tney constitute the whole of such like animals. But if they receive the immortal nature which the Demiurgus produces, and which lie orders them to weave with the mortal nature, and thus to fabricate animals, it is evident that according to the demiurgic will, every soul has an immortal prior to the mortal life; and that the junior Gods elaborate the latter, but the one Demiurgus the former. And if indeed, the Demiurgus constituted both irrational and rational

3 A

Tim. Plat.

p. 370

I’KOCLL'S ON TMi:

[book V.

And if indeed, the Demiurgus constituted both irrational and rational

3 A

Tim. Plat.

p. 370

I’KOCLL'S ON TMi:

[book V.

souls, nothing would hinder that which is immortal in them from In-in" irrational; but fince here, he alone generates ralmnal souls, to whom also he speaks, inserting in than the lau s of Fate, it is evident that event animal uhich is properly an animal , by participating of local motion, has necessarily a rational and immortal soul, l’lato therefore, when he transfers the soul into irrational habitations, does not assent to those who say that these are human souls, according to the irrational animal la-longing to men, hut that they are truly the souls ot irrational animals. For it is not onlv e\ident that he asserts this through these arguments, hut likewise from what he say s of other animals, in the generation ot mortal natures, ui. that the generation of all of them is ellected through the human soul, from which transferrin" 1 it into diflermt animals, he fashions the ideas of bodies, according to the transition ot this, and according to the form ot life, through the exertion of w huh, it receives a habitude to these animals. 1 he father therefore, orders the junior Cods to elaborate and generate all animals, by wea\ing together the mortal with the immortal nature. And we hate shown that the immortal nature is twofold, \i/. the soul and its vehicle, and in a similar manner, that the mortal nature is twofold, and that the one is analogous to the other, \i/.. mortal to im¬ mortal nnturt s.