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

And thus much as to these particulars.

This however, is to he in\castigated from the beginning, why the soul descends into bodies ? * Anel the answer is, because it wishes to imitate the providential energy ot the: Clods, and on this account, dismissing contemplation, descends into generation. For since divine perfection is twofold, the one being intellectual, but the other providential, and the one subsisting in permanency, but the other in motion ; the soul adumbrates, the stable,’ mtc Ueetual, and unalterable? energy of the Gods, through contemplation, hut their providential anel motive energv, through a gi nesiurgic life*. Anel as the* intelligence of the soul is partial, so like¬ wise is its providential energy; hut being partial, it is conversant with a partial body. Farther still, its descent contributes to the perfection of the world. For it is necessary, that there should not only he* immortal and intellectual animals, such as are with the Gods, nor alone mortal and irrational animals, such as are the last of the fabrication of things, but likewise, such as subsist be-tween these, viz. which are by no me ans immortal indeed, 4 but arc able to participate of reason anel intellect. There arc however, many' such animals as these, in many parts of the world. For man is not the only rational mortal animal; but there are many other such like genera, some of which are of a more ela*moniacal nature, hut others are more proximate to our essence. The descent likewise of a partial soul, contri¬ butes to the composition of all animals that are at one and the same time mortal

* For rfp« airrov here, it is Dccniary to read rtpi avrwr. These Dialogue* of Aristotle are unfortu¬ nately lost.

* See my translation of Plotinus, On the Descent of the Soul.

* For ycvtficv here, read

4 The original to tbu place is oOararor uer o*hmw it err a ; but it ought evidently to be eipungcd.

p. 440

PHOCLUS ON TIIF

[book V.

ami rational. Why therefore, are partial souls when they descend into generation, filled with such great material perturbation and so many evils ? It is through the projwnsity arising from their fyee vv iII ; through their vehement familiarity \v itti body ; through their sympathy with the image of soul, which is called animation; through their tot tl mutation from the mti lligihle to the sensible w orld, and from a quiet energy to one entirely conversant with motion; and through a disordered condition of being innately produced from the composition of dissimilar natures,

\iz. oi tbe immortal, and tbe mortal, ol the iutelleetnal, and that which is deprived of intellect, of the impartible, and that wbieb is endued with in¬ terval. Pur all these become the < msr to the soul, of this mightv tumult and labour in the realms of generation; since we are disturbed bv the abundant muta¬ tions, and sv mpatliies w Im h lake phu e about tbe essence that is m continual mo¬ tion. Por we pursue a perpetually flv ing mockery. And the soul, bv verging [to a material hie,] kindles indeed, a light in tbe body, but becomes herself situated in darkness; and by giving lie to the body, ilestrovs both herself, and her own intellet t [in as gr« at a degree as these are capable ol receiving destruction]. Por thus tbe mortal nature participates ol int* lie* t, but the intellectual part of death, and the whole, as Plato observes in the Paws, becomes a prodigy, compos¬ ed of the mortal, and the immortal, ol the int* lie* Inal, and that whic h is deprived •if intellect, l or this physical law [which binds the sold to t!ic body,] is the ill at b of t lie immoi tal I lie, but v iv ifics the mm I a I body. Plato therefore, delivers m the Phadrus, the « kims of di scent arising from the soul, viz. ohlivmu, the defluxioil of the wings, and sin h things as are consequent to these. ltul here he di In* rs to us the causes derived from the Cbids l or these are the\ w ho < unjoin the soul to the lindv. Hut la* does not add .it present, the iiiamier 1 in whii h the soul aposfati/es [from the orb of light], and through what forms of life, she proceeds [into the realms of generation]. And in the Republic he delivers- the causes arising both from the soul herself ami the («o*!s. Por there the prophet ami the Pates, the themon, and tin* h*t% the paradigms and the elections of lives, are assumed. Tin s* particulars therefore, must In- explored in lho-e dialogues.

What however is here asserted, must be considered, \sz. w hat the river, the binding, and the vast are; lbr this rner is said to be vast : and also what it is for souls, neither to vanquish, nor be vanquished. The river therefore signifies, not the human body alone, but the whole of generation, with which wv are « xlernally surrounded, through its rapid, impetuous, and unstable flux. Thus also, in the Republic, Plato calls, the whole gi-iiesiurgic nature, the river of la the; in vvluih are contained, as Empedocles says. Oblivion, and the meadow of At*-; the [

I For ei'T*i htrr, it ■> nitoisrj lo read owmt nook v.]

1 IM/Kl S or PLATO.

(tl

Thus also, in the Republic, Plato calls, the whole gi-iiesiurgic nature, the river of la the; in vvluih are contained, as Empedocles says. Oblivion, and the meadow of At*-; the [

I For ei'T*i htrr, it ■> nitoisrj lo read owmt nook v.]

1 IM/Kl S or PLATO.

(tl voracity of matter, ami tin- lighl-haliiig world, as the(iodssay ; ami the winding streams, under which many are ilrawn down, as the [Chaldean] Oracles asst rt. lint tin' hniutuL, signifies, a co-impeded lit*', and a lifo which lias arrived at the extremity. For then, being hound, it is prevented from procei ding, and In mg no longt r aide to pmei * d, it becomes situated at the end ot its motion, lint the soul, l>\ eomiimnicaliug its powers to the hody, obtains the end of its descent. Again, the vast indicates the multiplied, and in every res poet divisible flux of generation. lint the neither iiim/nishing, nor buna; ran/jui.s/tcd, signify, that each of the i ssi ores that come together, pr« si rvi s its nvv n nature. For the congress of tin soul and liodv is not efieeted by a mutual corruption, as in things that are mingled. For the both is not transferred to the essence of tin* soul, nor the soul to tlie peculiarity of the body ; since in this case, neither would assimilate the ether to itself. lienee neither is the soul vanquished by the Irody ; for it does not Income inanimate, nor does it vanquish the body, for it does not make it incorporeal. In another respect however, the soul subdues the body, as connectedly containing it; but is subdued by it, as being inqiedfd by it in its intellection. Plato however, rather denies than allirms each of these, in order that we niav conceive the peculiarity of each in the communion, and the tinmino-led union of them in the mixture.

“ But they carry and arc carried with violence, so that the whole animal is moved indeed, yet in a disorderly manner. For it proceeds casually and irrationally, having all the six motions. Hence it is moved backward and t'orward, and again, to the right hand and the left, upward and downward, and wanders every where, according to the six differences of place.”

That the genesiurgic river, according to the wlmle of it disturbs the soul, hut is especially ample in youth, in consequence of the influx and etllux being copious, has I think become evident through what has been said. Since however, the hodv l>« ing heavy, terrestrial, and cadent, is corrected by the soul, and the soul, which has an intellectual nature, is rendered destitute of intellect, through its communion with the body, hence he says, that souls carry and are carnal inth violence ; the ciolenee indicating the foreign and renovated nature of the vivlocation of the mortal 1 animal; but the carrying and being earned, the action of the body and soul on each other. For the soul carries the hody, inspiring it with the power

3 K

Tim. JPlat.

* For ro Grrjroy lirrr, it is neerssary to read row rov.

VOL. II.

44*2