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

p. 129

tothe body. Nor ts this mode of theory philosophic, but full of Barbarie arrogance." Nor are husbandmen to be referred to Ceres: for the Gods are exempt from the proximate causes of nature. Reprehending, therefore, these assertions, he considers the priests as analogous through similitude to all such secondary essences and powers, as honour and worship the causes prior to themselves, But the shepherds, as analogous to all those mundane powers, that are allotted the government of the life which verges to body, and of the most irrational powers, and who distribute these in an orderly manner. The hunters he places as analogous to those universal powers who adorn secondary natures through the investigation of [real] being. But the husbandmen, as corresponding to the powers that yive efficacy to the seeds that descend from the heavens to the earth. And the soldiers, to the powers that subvert every thing atheistical, and corroborate that which is divine. After this manner, therefore, the divine Tamblichus [interprets what is said by the priest.) But it is common to both these philosophers, that they divide the fabricative genus into the pastoral, the venatic, and the agricultural ; but they do not produce the four genera from one. Forno one, who rightly considers the affair, can place either the pastoral or the venatic under the fabricative genus. Will it not therefore be better to interpret the passage conformably to our preceptor, by admitting that the sacerdotal and military tribes form one duad, but the fabricative and agricultural another, and the pastoral and venatic a third | duad; and assuming an order of this kind, to investigate the paradigms of them. For the sacerdotal genus subsists in the anagogic Gods, the military in’ the guardian, and the fabricative in the Gods who separate all the forms, and the productive principles of mundane natures, But the agricultural genus subsists in those Gods that supernally excite nature, and disseminate souls about generation. For Plato, likewise, denominates the lapse of the soul into generation, a dissemination, But to sow is most adapted to husbandmen, as is, also, to collect productions of nature. The pastoral genus subsists in the Gods that govern distinctly all the forms of life that revolve in generation. For Plato, in the Politicus, delivers to us certain divine shepherda. And the venatic subsists in the divinities that give an orderly distribution to all: material spirits. For it is usual with theologists to call these Gods hunters. All these genera likewise pertain to the middle fabrication, viz. the convertive genus, the guardian, that which ad-

"It is somewhat singular, that Porphyry, who called the Christian religion Bapjapor τολμημα, @ barbarously bold wickedness, should have adopted this theory, Tim. Plat. Vou. I. R

p. 130

the convertive genus, the guardian, that which ad-

"It is somewhat singular, that Porphyry, who called the Christian religion Bapjapor τολμημα, @ barbarously bold wickedness, should have adopted this theory, Tim. Plat. Vou. I. Rp. 130 ministers the psychical allotments, that which governs the genesiurgic forms of life, every thing which fabricates and gives form to material natures, and that which arranges the last order of spirits. ‘That, however, which pays attention to wisdom, and that which is contemplative, must be considered as different from all these genera, and which the Egyptian also celebrates above all the rest, making mention in the first place, as being a priest, of the sacerdotal genus. All the wenera, therefore, are seven, and the monad is exempt from the hexad. And the monad, indeed, is analogous to the one intelleet which connects all the fabrication of generated natures ς but the hexad is analogous to the more partial orders ‘under this intellect, viz. to the anagegic, guardian, formalizing, and vivifying orders, and also to those that are the leaders of the herds ofa tame fife, and to those that rule over the brutal nature, which orders in the universe likewise are separated from the fined stars. Moreover, he says, that these orders may be scen among men, in the firstplace, among the Athenians, but ins the second: place, amon the Saitans, according to the division of genera, each accomplishing its proper work ina detinite manner. For he manifests this by saying, separate from others, in order that we may understand the unmingled purity of the genera, proceeding supernally through dimimution, as far as to the last of things.

“The artificers, also, exercised their arts insuch a manner, that each was engaged in hisown employment without mingling with that of other artists. The same method was likewise adopted by shepherds, hunters, and husbandmen.”

The whole of this tetractys has, indeed, the third order, according to a section of the genera into: three, but is now enumerated by Plato as the second; in order that through this, whats said may imitate the universe, inowhich the last is the middle, comprehended on all sides by more divine natures. Por that which is most material and gross, is enclosed by fabrication in the middle. Por thus alone’ can it be preserved, being adorned and guarded according to the whole of itself by all the comprehending natures [in the universe). But again, it is here added, that the fabricative art was not mingled with the other arts, mor ina simile lar manner any one of the others with the rest, but that each remained by itself, and inits own purity. Por this not only produces accuracy and rectitude in

* For podes here, itis necessary to read porws.

AE EERIE ESE OE

nook 1] TIM.TEUS OF PLATO. “ΠΡ

Por this not only produces accuracy and rectitude in

* For podes here, itis necessary to read porws.

AE EERIE ESE OE

nook 1] TIM.TEUS OF PLATO. “ΠΡ appropriate works, but likewise efleets the sympathy of the citizens. For all will thus be in want of all, in consequence of cach not exercising many arts. For the builder will be in want of the husbandman, the husbandman_ of the shepherd, the shepherd of the hunter, and the lmnter of the builder; and thus each being in want of the rest, will not be unmingled with them; hence, there is sameness in conjunction with difference, and separation accompanied with union.

“The warlike genus too, you will find was separated from all the other genera, and was ordered by law to engage in nothing but what pertained to war.”

Every where indeed, but especially in the warlike genus, the unmingled and the separate are appropriate. For they have an alliance to the highest order, which cuts offevery thing material, and obliterates that which is disorderly and confused, Very properly therefore does this genus pay attention to the concerns of war. For on account of this, the city remains free from external and injurious incursions ; and this invests it with a guard from itself, imitating the guardian order. For as a guardian. deity is present with the first, so likewise with the middle of the demiurgi. This, therefore, may be assumed from theology. But by Jaw in the universe, we must understand the divine institutions proceeding from the one demiurgie intellection, For prior to mundane natures is the demiurgic law, whichis seated by Jupiter, and distributes together with him in an orderly manner all the providential inspection which exists in the universe.

“© A similar armour too, such as that of shields and darts was employed by each. These we first used in Asia ; the Goddess in those places, as likewise happened to you, first pointing them out to our use.”

The narration extends the energy of Minerva supernally from paradigms, as far as to the last genera. For there are things connascent with this energy, participating of undefiled powers, more total and more partial, and which arrange the mundane genera from the middle fabrication. Analogously also to this, they comprehend and are comprehended, are vanquished by the Minerval energies, and remain perpetually undefiled with invariable sameness through it, in the uniyerse. It is requisite, therefore, to know these things in common about all thesep. 192 particulars. We must however show what the armour, the shields, and the spears, are, and how these are antecedently comprehended in the Goddess. Porphyry, indeed, calling the body the shield, assumes anger for the spear. But these pertain to souls falling into generation and to material things, and are not the instruments of immutable safety, but ofa venesiurgic life, corrupting the purity of intellect, and destroying the life which subsists according to