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

* 'I tns is the heroic genus of souls, vtlmli distends into mortality, partly for the benevolent purpose of leading back to the intelligible world, the fourth aod last genus of souls, and partly in compliance with the law of Fate, which obliges souls of this third class to descend at stated period* uito the rralms of generation.

* For c/ifMitpo/if>'as bere, read

Tint. riot. Vol. II. 3 C

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PROCLl'S ON THE

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to their habitude to the mortal nature, through which they are deprived of purity and incorruptibility according to life.

“ But having constituted the universe, he divided souls equal in num¬ ber to the stars, and distributed each into each/’

II. 3 C

VOL. II.

PROCLl'S ON THE

p. 380

[book t.

to their habitude to the mortal nature, through which they are deprived of purity and incorruptibility according to life.

“ But having constituted the universe, he divided souls equal in num¬ ber to the stars, and distributed each into each/’

Every order of souls is suspended from these two fountains, the demiurgic, and the vmlic. And the first, the middle, and the last parts of this order, pro¬ ceed from these, and are defined through these Gods. Since however, in this order, some souls are more total, but others more partial, and some do not depart from their proper principles, but others proceed as far as to matter, and some are leaders, but others have the relation of followers, the Demiurgus placed the former o\er the latter, subjected the more parti d to the more total, distributed the multitude of souls according to genera, under their presiding Gods, and subjected according to herds, different souls to the govt rnment of diflerent leaders. And now indeed, having constituted divine .souls, he makes partial souls the attendants of them ; and shortly after, lie also arranges tin t vehicles when he produces them, under the divine circulations, and parts under wholes. For as soul is to soul, so is vehicle to vehicle, and hoth to both, according to geometrical com¬ position. But of this hereafter. For now, not having yet made tin in to he mun¬ dane, lie distributes them about the starry (bids. For the word stars manifests the souls of the starry bodies. lie divides therefore, the multitude of souls, eipial in number to divine souls, and distributes each into each star, having, says Plato, constituted the universe*. Plato however, does not say that he made one mixture, as he did in the soul of the universe, causing it to Ik.* one from three wholes, essence, same, ami tlitlerent, and dividing souls from this by ablation. For he does not immediately from the mixture introduce the distribution of those souls about divine souls, passing by the division into numbers and harmonic ratios, and the doctrine of the vehicle, but lie comprehends at once all tilings, vi/, the mixture, the section into parts, and the possession of figure, m the words, having constituted the universe; trom which likewise, all partial souls were distributed and adorned. But lie constituted the multitude of all these souls. For the gene¬ ration of each may lx* said to ’le a constitution; | list as he asserted of the soul of the universe, through its completion from many tilings. For he then said, “ .Since oil the constitution of the soul was effected cnnjurmably to the intuition of its composing artificer . Having constituted therefore, all the multitude of souls, lie divided

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p. 387

them equal in number to the stars, separating the former from each other, accenting to the peculiarities of the latter.

Having constituted therefore, all the multitude of souls, lie divided

BOOK \ ,]

TIM/FUS OF PLATO.

p. 387

them equal in number to the stars, separating the former from each other, accenting to the peculiarities of the latter.

W ill you then-lore say that he distributed them equal in number, so that one pailial stml is ai ranged under one of (he stars, and that there are as many souls in quantity, as there are starry < iods ? For this may appear to l»e evident by his add ing, that each soul was distributed into each star. But how shall we say that this is a Platonic dogma, since Plato shortly after says, that the Deiniurgus disseminated some souls into tin* earth, others into the sun, and others into the moon? For from these words, he leaves a multitude of souls in each star. May we not say therefore, that the equal in number must not be surveyed mnnadicallv, but according to analogy ? For in numbers, the dread is analogous to the monad, thirty to the triad, fifty to the pentad, and in short, all the numbers after the derail, to all within it, and the second are equal in number to the first. Nor is the jH-ntad on this account equal in quantity to fifty, or the triad to thirty ; but they have the equal according to analogy alone. For what the triad is in monads, that thirty is in dreads. Perhaps therefore, the equal in number is thus to he assumed in partial souls. For since in each of divine souls, there is a certain appropriate number, which it antecedently and miically comprehends, this number when expanded, defines the multitude of partial souls which are arranged under it. And the number indeed of the souls which are primarily suspended from it is less, hut the power is greater; hut of those that are secon¬ darily suspended from if, the power is less, hut the number is greater. Each however, proceeds analogous to it. For thus in numbers, the tetrad in tens, and in hundreds, and in thousands, is analogous to the first tetrad. These things therefore, may he said, in answer to the present inquiry.