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

1 he text ol Plato, n -peeling tf e tn-t dr-Ccnt e I ll e soul Irom the intelligible w. rid lalo ilu- realms cl "t-- reralloii, on uhieh me extract is a coininrul, is as I liow -

4i Tills is the law ol Adrasiea, that winterer soul at¬ tending on divinity, has bllield something e l real tv, •hall lie free liom d image till aunlher period lakes place and that ll She is a wars al.le lo atroiupll-h this, the -halite perpetually lue fr. in the turn ions of evil. Hut when through an impotent v of accutivpll-hing this, she has i ot peiceive I reahly, and Irom tome fortuitous occurrem e and be ng li led uuh ob¬ livion, ami de j rav ly, -he hecontt s In at v aid ilrowsv, breaks her wing-, and falls again oil the earth, then ■ tut law prevents berm l.trlusl generation, Irom btlng implaiiteil in some brutal nali.re, hut commands the toiil, winch has -ee n the ni si, to llile rill the Li elv <f a j hilu-opher, or ol one desirous ol beamy , of a musician, or ol one devoted to love, but it orders thr soul whose perceptions rank in the second class, to descend into a legitimate king, or of a man studious of empire and war but il di.tnbu'f s a soul of the thud order, into a certain political character, or the tule-r of a family, or the matter ol a trad* And again,

II divlrilmli v a soul c the fourth rank, into one engag¬ ed in gymnastic exerci-e, or m procuring rrinrdit i>, and lakii g tan ol the Lody. lint » uU of the tilth unit r, it di t il utes tutu a p'uplu tic, or ci-rlaui li leslic lile. In the -ixtli, It makes a distribution lulu a poe¬ tic or initialive Lie. lu ll t sevmlli, inter a hu-bandman, or an ait licer. In Ilu- eighth, into a s j lust, or logul.ir eT.ar.o ter. And in the ninth, into a iwaiuuc lie lint in all ihi Se, he wbo passes hit lllejil-llv, will allerw arils < Liam a better C.ilnlltloll ol being ; but be who a is iinjii- I\, will * ass into a wor-t -tale of exisln ee. I ol no soul wili return to its pri-tine cmieliiioii nil the rxpira’ioii ol leu llioii-end j. Jr*; srice it w I in l iei i o r tl e use id its uinjs helore tins pcr J , < xi epl it is the Soul ol one who lias philosophise d suiti ri ly,i i togetlu r w iIt plulosi phy has been a lover edyotilh. I lit-e indeed, ill the ll .ini period nl a thou¬ sand y r ir-. If liny have time chosen this iin.de uf lilt in -uei i-si ,i, ami , jo thus restored their wings to the ir i,alar.I vigour, -hill in the three ihoiisaiu lit v« * r , leturn to tl eir prisluic abode."

I ic "schoiia ol llcrincas on lb x passage, arc xi follow ;

If liny have time chosen this iin.de uf lilt in -uei i-si ,i, ami , jo thus restored their wings to the ir i,alar.I vigour, -hill in the three ihoiisaiu lit v« * r , leturn to tl eir prisluic abode."

I ic "schoiia ol llcrincas on lb x passage, arc xi follow ;

“Wintrier Soul, .-ays Plata, lolluwing its proper God, is -Lie in pi n t in -oim Hung ol inn llig I h will remain wiihe utu my i.miug me whole of that period, I f w II in ( I ill into ecin laln.li 1 ,r to ! dl into ge- I e r itinu, is io I c injuitd And you limy n» hi w ac- Iiiia’ily hen . In I e- -aim lii.mui r a- b. l. ic, lie cxlu- Lil s lo it- the ihlli n net bi t w ei u elie mi*, aid human S' ul- I oi h> d i s i ol mi n !\ vn, if ii A, « urn 1 Jrealite J h u', if it Am urn to rt/iing ( In al.le], i. e if it I as si i n wi.ji i- paflially and iiidlvifloallv leal If •he n I le, in ih. beguiling ol II r pe nod, il ha- seru Muntlhitig id ieal I cm , it wul ii 111.11H turn gold till am ll cr peri d. I or the sae led law ol .Aih asie.t ante ee hauls eoinpiehrmls ilu pr.-gri -si.il.- ol a I the (rods, and . 1 all m ul-, ai d leuj alls that v-l.|i ll IS ad ipteil lu e ae Ii I lent r, as ihi tea aid nl has lug Sei ll souie'Jliltg c l re dm m u c be ginning ol il.e | erii.il, il u ill, during t it u In- a ol [hat | erii.il, ii main on h gh, ami re volve

III tl-lijiu.i llilll with li e (roll-. lor II- adaptation to the pine il will su- tain il ; Just as he re, uii.r I lungs Ive lor e.nr -. I ir | eiu.i), oihe is h r two, and i thers oi ly Ii r a day, lluough hi ing adapted lu a lertalu posilioll e f the -tars Certain el.etitons also be Iheir -list.tilling a I, keep Souls tmlu tailing into „e ni ratii ll, just as we see I eic. b. dies that are well b. ru, ihougti ihi v shnulil a I adly iiourisbi d, vet at the -ante tune, reinatii he thy, Ihruuj 1, their natural conditimi Ire ill the beginning; ai (I though they endeavour to per lutes eertaiii ihhUd anion-, yet are [ rtveulcd by certain good da mulls In m acioiuph-lung them. Alter the - line u.aime r therefore, the soul that I as once I rhthi Something ol inti Ihgildes, IS a-sistcel and -uppmle d hy g .id il.hinons and l.eme-, »o as not lo tall into ge¬ neral ion in that |eiii.tl. but when the si-ul hemg uii- ..Ide lo foil, w the Guos, Hu lunger pern ivcx -i.incthilig id rralny, Plato enumerates many c him s id its la| -e into generation. The lust Cali-e llien lorr, which he a-signs ol tins is, its inability ol follow in • the [pi i\ elua j attendants ol the Gods. 1 he second is, its bung unable lo perceive something of intelUgiblri. Ite third is, a fortuitous occurrence, and this is probably

1 here is an omissi-n her* in tbe original, of e«e wr.fy »*x\

ADDITIONAL NOTTS.

p. 477

1 he second is, its bung unable lo perceive something of intelUgiblri. Ite third is, a fortuitous occurrence, and this is probably

1 here is an omissi-n her* in tbe original, of e«e wr.fy »*x\

ADDITIONAL NOTTS.

p. 477

the r.c rum-nce i.f rntiin malefic da mens. Tor tie <lt |> irting fn m the God*, meets with evil d.i (non*, who ri kindle it* desires of a**oc at mg with generalion. lleiicr a similar tiling t ik** |d ire, a* when Mime i nc tullowil -prrrrpt r. v "cratrx (or instance,or M-mc< thir w rl hv tear ln r; h>r thru he heron es modest and wort by, an I j> irlirij at' s «t a rrrtain good. lint it lie ah ind>>tis hi* |>rerr|.tnr, he inert* with intenr|'erate and tinpuderu men, whuexrue him to di irrs contrary In mo¬ desty and worth l he Intirlli cause, I' the rnlirc ohiivion ol intelligible*, and the power i f the soul w hirli is c.'lrctivr cl ijifb rcuce, and of a lilc comer* int w itli generation. I >.t from the-e t amr*, thr soul hr rri ines heavy, is fdliil with the p >tion of i Ii'ivi >n, and fettered with the hi nils r f g< million, and tlrpirls In m and beromrs entirely h rgithil of mtilhgihlr*. I >r this is the il-pras ily of the *011!, wl khranscs the dr fluxion 01 her wings, and I <r de*renl to earth.

Il l when Plain *\ys, “the «■’»/ falls ega in on the earth,'' by earth, he may mean, all peneralu n; he may *1-0 intend to signify this earth properly So calh d ; and hr may also mean this human t« dv, min which tin »■ 11! enters, through its most abundant | artiripatt»n of enth The law of Adristr.e therrt re h r nit' tins to the soul in her first falling from the intelligible into grncr itioii, that 'lie shall not rntr r into the l» ily ol a finite, hut into that ot a man l or l’litocill* the first generation, the d'-srenl »•!'the *»ml into the realm* of genriati n, ai d I er giving eoiii| lrtn n to this aniinai Ir ime, alter her vision < t t ie inti IhgibV.