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

For I think that thesmos possi sses something more than law, so far as deity also is more excellent than intellect. For we say that law is the distribution of intel¬ lect, 1 ml thesmos, divine order, and a uniform boundary. And thus much as to tin se particulars.

Proceeding however, to the words of the text, in the first place we shall demonstrate that Plato comprehends all the laws of Fate through the decad ; because the decad also is connate with the demiurgic cause. For such goods as the Deminrgus imparts to the world, end in this number, all~of them being ten. For the decad is mundane, as the Pytlmgori-: hymn says ; which calls it tin* uni¬ versal recipient, ancient anti venerable, placing bound about ad things, and which is denominated the immutable and unwearied decad. All the a I nm*-mentioned laws of Fate therefore pertaining to souls are ten. For it is necessary that souls

* Instead of aiwxor litre, it is iRecis.iry lo read, nm/iaicr.

p. 420

PHOCLUS ON THE

[book V.

should be disseminated ;that there should l»e one common descent to nil of them in each jieriod ; that the soul descending in the lirst 'generation, should descend into a pious animal; that the soul descending in*o the human nature, should first pass into the se< d of man ; that the soul which is in hotly, should produce partible and material lives ; that the soul which vampiishes the material life, should he just, hut the soul which is vanquished by it, unjust; that the just soul should return to its kindred star; that the offending soul, should again descend in the second genera¬ tion, into tlw nature of woman ; that the soul which was in the second generation, should ill the third descent, pass into the nature of a brute; ami in the last place, the tenth is the demiurgic law, which is the one saviour of the soul, being the life which elevates it to the period of the same and the similar, and causes the circle nl its waiidering in generation, to cease. All the above-mentioned laws there¬ fore, are comprehended iu the (head, because the Pythagoreans consider the dc'cad as adapted to the 1 leiuiurgus, and to Fate. And these laws are dissemi¬ nated in souls, in order that they may lead themselves; since the (Hods wish to ml over self-motive natures, as self-motive ; and likewise in order, that they may be to themselves the causes ut the evils which may afterwards brfal them, and not the Demiurgiis. For unless they antecedently comprehended the laws of Fate, if indeed, they were always superior to Fate, they would not descend into genera¬ tion ; but it they are sometimes to be under its dominion, how could they be accused of deviations from rectitude, whi-ii they had not previously learned the punishment ordained for such deviations ? In order therefore, that the Demiurgus might not lie accused as the author id the guilt of souls, he established in their essences the laws of Fate.

In order therefore, that the Demiurgus might not lie accused as the author id the guilt of souls, he established in their essences the laws of Fate.

lienee, the nature of evils must not be referred to divinity : for it is here said, that the maker ol the whole world, is not the cause of them. And not only is this asserted of tin* Demiurgiis in this place, but in the Republic also, the pro¬ phet who proclaims the decree of Laehesis says, “ that the electing soul is the cause [of the l ml u hu h tuaj/ brfal it] hut (iud is blameless.’' So that div inity is neither the antecedent cause, nor at all the cause, of evils, hut is blameless. For as it was said prior to this, divinity was willing that depravity should, as much as possible, have no existence. Fvil therefore, must not be referred to a divine nature, nor must it be said, that it is without a principle. For if it is without a principle, it will be unadorned and indefinite, and will injure the whole fabrication of things. For what will lx? able to adorn it, if it has no piim iple in beings? Aor must a principle be given to it, but this total. For nothing that ranks as a whole, is receptive of evil. But all w holes perpetually preserve the same nature, undeliled, and free from evil, lienee, it is evident that evil subsists from a partial piinciple.

nook '.J

TIM. EL'S OF PLATO.

p. 421

And after wliat manner does it subsist from this ? Shall we say, according to a prccedaneous hypostasis ? By no means. For things which thus subsist are bounded, and ha\c an end, and are according to nature to their generator. Evil therefore, is implanted in souls according to parypostasis, or a deviation from sub¬ sistence, eitherthrough a privation of symmetry, or through commixture, or in some other way. And Plato knowing this says. “ in order that the Demiurgus might not he the cause of the future depravity of each." For the term future, manifests the hypostasis of depravity to be adventitious, foreign, and externally implanted. But what is the legislative promulgation ? For evils have prior to this been discussed.

May we not say, that it signifies the one comprehension in the Demiurgus of all the laws of Fate ? For thesmos is comprehensive of all laws. And the thesmos indeed in Adrastia comprehends the Saturnian and Jovian laws, and also the laws of Fate ; but the thci/ios in the Demiurgus, both comprehends, and gives subsistence to, mundane natures. The promulgation however with the addition 1 [of the words, “ all these things to souls,"} signifies that the dominion of this thesmos is extended with all things, and that its providential inspection pervades to the last of things.

“ He disseminated sonic of them into the earth, others into the moon,and i £* — others into the other instruments ol time.

“ He disseminated sonic of them into the earth, others into the moon,and i £* — others into the other instruments ol time.

It must not be supposed that this semination of souls was effected casually For where in things which subsist jierpetnally with invariable sameness is it pos¬ sible that the indefinite should intervene? Nor must it he thought to he a mere distribution of the generator. For the things which are disseminated, are neither altermotive, nor such as act without deliberate choice. But this semination is supernally accomplished, comformahly to the demiurgic intellect, and with which the will of souls themselves concurs. For each of them both know s and chooses its proper order, and establishes its vehicle in appropriate parts of the universe ; each not being tin* same with the Gods about whom it is disseminated, as some say it is; thus making a part to he the same as the whole. For if this* were admit¬ ted, the arrangement of leaders anil followers would be confounded, and the order of nndelded souls, and of those that are not such, would he subverted. N or does each of these souls connect itself with foreign parts, one with these, but another with those parts of the universe. For essential similitude precedes a semination of this kind. For what may some one assign a* the cau^e ol this di¬ vision? Is it that partial ought to lie without co-arrangement with total souls.

l Instead of wpoOtotvt here, it is necessary to read

42*2

IMIOCIXS ON THE

[book V.

and that their vehicles ought to l>o separated from total circulations? This, how¬ ever, is impossible, for parts everywhere fuliow wholes. Is it, therefore, l>ec:*use souls (Idler from each other? And how, in short, do they dill'er from each other, since they subsist m immaterial forms? Snail we say then, that they differ from each other, but were not distinguished conformably to the precedaneous measures ot divine souls’ And how in this case, is ascent and |>erfcclion inserted 1 in them through divine souls’ We must say therefore, that this semination is entirely 1 defined, conformably to a divine and perfect intellect. And thus much as to this particular.