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

In the next 1! 1 e, it niu-l he- oh C'ved, lliat the nine 1 ves whir 1 1 aie liere deliverr I, dill r hem tho-e mi n tione ! in the [lOlli bu> k of the] Republic. 1 >r the i ves whirl) are In re rh I xerrd are lime, hut those in the Hr| til l c, are infinite. 1 1 e lain 1 also, ue allliMed conhirm ildx 10 the cleiti m* ol ll e s. ill. hut tiic !oiuicr ate distril uti d, af t nrdiiig In tlie rew ird 11 id iioitoiir niriitid hv t lie xiv.uii of inti h tides \ d in thr I li¬ ter tinier I, the trinsit oil ol the mill, i- lr> in i 11 an into 1 brute, and frum a brute into a man , hut in ll c former, the transition Is only into mao, and this into tr.c mah, and n it 11.in the b .11 ill 1 at hkrwo-r, wlnrh is tin gri ite-l t iiing 1 I all, is 11 , s, (hit heie, t lie *ouI tir l proeee h lr> in the intelligible lot • gi ni r.,- ti III , lull in the III I i hi r. It | roi ri d* tiom "lie hie lu another. And 111 *h it, 1 * a cura'e'y surviving, you m ill mid mans i there n i s hi tween ll r foriiu r rid the I itirr Ini*. I ) thrr t II, tl is al-o 1101*1 he iiieutmur 1 hv t|s as m i ess »rv, * h it here ll- e *pt Cie* or lorm* theinsr lies ot live*, ar<- • miltieratcd, h t not rutin ly Tiic fortune- "I tl 1 in. a 1 1 xternal < n oiii-t uiri s, sm h lor in t im e is a 1111 tirv,<r royal life; 1101 entirely a hlie whu a 1, i-iur.cr- 1 it with arm*, and employs a lortiinr ol a p iriit 11! ir Wind.

It remains tl e-> lore l > he iuvestigi'r ;|, whrthcr the whole extent I 1 hie |S to be divided 1..to the e nine lives, or w hello r 1 rertain > thcr ilix 1 mil r«u!is these, is Irlt, wliall will mike tor ii“, ten or 111 relive* t or it ■* po"ihh t> do ole the same linn.;, according to .111!, lent ronri piiori-, into a greater 1 r less mmiln r of p irt*. fiiil- 111 the I'hih bn*, thr il.v.sixii i* iilti three, hut in the ltrpul hr, into five, lives. It inn: l l>e d nionttrated by u* howe.er, tint now the wiiole till lit 1 I life may he distributed into thr*c nine live*, these four things therefjrc, bring surveyed about man, vit. reotnn, on^tr, drsirr, aril nufxn, the soul descending into generation, lives either according to reason alone.

reotnn, on^tr, drsirr, aril nufxn, the soul descending into generation, lives either according to reason alone.

yieldin’ in nothing to the passions, nor sufltr.rg any thing Iruni them, and in tins case, she produce* the fr*t life which 1* tl e philosophic. Or *hc live, accordmg to angi r, reason at the -amc time having dominion, ami she produces the second life, which is royal and inili' iry. (Ir she lues aemnling to desire, a 1111 rea¬ son pn*«e -mg tlie* npiri ill e soul, and *l.e make* thf third hie, w hu ll lspohiir.il, al.ll 4ho p trains to the at ijiiiMtioll ol wi allh. for this 1 te 1* run I' Vrd in pruuiiuig nurs'.iry food tor the animal and the city Or a, mi, tin *oul is con.er«aiit wnti nature, reason still presiding, aod she produces the gymnastic and midi' in d lite. for this idc, is runxcrtcd to nature ami lmdii *, j rovidentiallv utei dm; to, ai d procur¬ ing rnnedies lor them. Sinri ihcrclorc, we hue procc d'd, as tar as to the end of the prugrr**iun ot life jrn r ling to lijiint, tlie tit■ ll hit remain-, **l.i< h is th* lilc-'ie, m I whirli docs not |hj"'Si a pecul .11 power I 1 r tin- life is convene I to the G d*, anti in rn thins* r.fiord* a 1 eiiam as-i-tano to the In is that pre c*le it Hut 1 ’ia'o l-somCs I ere the propheii- aod li hanc life, not the cut uisia-tic; for this i- p!iil >s -pine in the eiireuie, and scientific, and he whole it it is inspired by divinity; but he assumes tin- artihnd an I medici¬ nal life, winch through soldi e-and prayer-, afford* a 1 crlain aid to the human rai e And ll.ese indeed, ate the fue Ii* e-, wlnr h arc t tier ltd o c-rding to ri h hi lea* in, and are i-sntil a’c 1 to the 1 ncr.ic- w |u> h subsi*l about itiv iniiy. l or e u h ol the God* abidr*. proro d-, and rd'irii* to the ( MM pie ol III- pfogu soon. Here ll er* I nr, the -■» 1 eilln r abides m ie -"ii, and products t f r philo-* phic lit . ; or si e pr c*cd* a* tar a* to iiatinc and prodnrr- the nthei time lives; or s! • is cutivirtcd t i the Gmls, anil product s the hflh life.

t tl 1 he n m lining f. or hv » h< »nrr, wl i< h are imi-

I alive, ind the mi 1 > * < ! tin < t a' nc prior to them, two ol them, v 1 1 the sixth and the si xer.t >,truly irn:t ite

• is cutivirtcd t i the Gmls, anil product s the hflh life.

t tl 1 he n m lining f. or hv » h< »nrr, wl i< h are imi-

I alive, ind the mi 1 > * < ! tin < t a' nc prior to them, two ol them, v 1 1 the sixth and the si xer.t >,truly irn:t ite

II "*e th d piece Ie tl eni, the one tin ugh w. rds, but tl r > tin r ill ungh deeds. S , th it the reui.iiinng (our, arc 1 ni t line ol the | nor live* ; I ut two ot tnem imi¬ tate truly, an I the oiner two dissimilarly. 1 lie sixth ami seventh live* al-o, w 1 irli ire truly tin tative, tltlTcr in tin-,1 nt thr one mutates through winds, the pbilo- *■ | In r, lie ku g, and the n 'naming eh.1r.11 ter*, and it, *d -ciplinesiiieii; hut the «rventh miilatc-through if ed-. fur *nrh i* the artificer And the eighth ar.d ninth ih'*imd.irly imitate; the on. agun through « rd-, but tin - other through deed*. U it in the poeiW, Cnlisidi r every iimtalive char.o n r included, to which al-o tic painter belongs; tlic-e character*, as I'lato ‘ ns in the Itepiiblie, bring the third frmn the truth, lor the a'emiurpie c haractrr, he is to he assumed who Ie ids a thing troiu nen-bcing to i-ssence, such as the carpcnti r, ttie potter, and the s.ior-m.iker. Among these hkews e, the huibundrnan is included, *0 far ax he p iv * attrnti n to nature, in order that l.cr germination* may he healthy and most rcredent. I it m uitirii how ever, and/u'put.r character*, dilfer in this, that th* soph; si is a teaci er ot the laws and xir’ue; but the popular character exercises rhetoric among the vulgar. Hut we mii'l not now assume the distorted sophistic*] and tyrannical lives, hut tlioie that use these powers to a good purpose, the former by deception, but tb* latter bv force, for it is possible to us* Unse both well and ill, as Plato alto lQlert. Aod thus much con¬ cerning th* nine bee*.

p. 478

ADDITIONAL NOTES.

It now remain*, that «■ should collect by human •rrentiftc reasoning, what the nature is of the iutc-lligil les, by tl.e contemplation of which tin soul <!< -cinds inti* the first, »rcnird, and lollowing lues t in* s, nl therefore, wtucll l.as surveyed tin l.rjulllid, tin.- w «■, and the germ), 'line tht-'e hr griming truiir the hr-t pi tu- Clplrs, proceed as lar is in the I im ot li.inys, ih -it »h into the hisi lilt . II.me al-o it is rca-unilte to sup¬ pose, tha! iht ooi w hit ti lias stirvcvtd u|stl..iu it sc, r, will Choose the p I isi.pl i, ip. , l.nt tli a Hu s> u 1 wlilt h has > live w .1 the hianlll.il it .1 11 , willilu.usi a lift: w In )i |s stiiiliuns ul rlrgiiiir; _i | this ria’u itlvides into the uitisii al amt am.iloiy l.li . 1 1 rn 1-