The Theology of Plato, in six books — trans. Thomas Taylor
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"fX*! »»fimmrm ^v>'», »• Ivwit "w *> *f*m m s/mitunt «fX'r "f* ,l,f**ft ■»«•» fittir, live *' "C T*r lmt*f <x9atpn, mv ovxjti rift»oT<paf »x«fAn'nai pi mm TV rnmfinrtt, Ovti J*f niMfiirm /a* xm^JSaTwpuf, ntu *** V9i^fi*tmrm r»; 9fmc *fxa( T'M •vfwr nrnmnn;. Ov ynf tmmnr rqXuirjTH *ii<\\jun riiistu rn{
•qurt(*{ mn[, m; n*mAnt*i tj «fi» twt tpmn *(X""i •* «■• wrif*Tsw |u* fafavrs Vf aftrrs, ««• *t
Jvmtw •«t<M(TT»f . K». wmnffAn nyaitn n «)»»•«, hi ayiwnn, «o. «j«T»t-)w, ui m^uira, w ipjfun »v*» nmlnnf i.Jo.. £iJ5a.»t, mi i^t>n ■wriSnw^n «{uw urn., it vur I* wrfif-K, n pvtn iXn. nuixw WfTi/w. Siniplic. in Epiet. Enchir. p. 307. Lond. 1670. 8vo.
1 Of the first principle, says Damâscius (in M. S. «f» "fx4") the Egyptians said nothing, but celebrated it a* a darkness beyond all intellectual conception, a thrice unknown darkness, »^nt«/x" mim—n; nan; v*f «•#«
SM|m>, gn*rtv «y»o»9r>f, T»t{ ravrt**i4SfA«^ifT':.
Proc. Vol. 1. e
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INTRODUCTION.
place, fince we pones* every thing from the Gods, ami it U but just to offer the first fruits of gifts to the givers ; hence, of our possession* we offer the first fruitit through consecrated gifts ; of our bodies through ornaments ; and of our life through sacrifices. Besides, without sacrifices, prayers are words only ; but accompanied with sacrifices they become animated words ; the words indeed corroborating life, but life animating the words. Add too, that the felicity of every thing is its proper perfection ; but the proper perfection of every thing consists in a conjunction widi its cause. And on this account we pray that we may be conjoined with the Gods. Sbce therefore life primarily subsists in the Gods, and there is also a certain human life, but the latter desires to be united to the former, a medrum is required ; for natures much distant from each other cannot be conjoined without a medium. And it is necessary that the medium should be similar to the connecteri natures. Life therefore must necessarily be the medium of life ; and hence men of the present day that are happy, and all the ancirnts, have sacrificed animals. And this indeed not rashly, but in a manner accommodated to every God, with many other ceremonies respecting the cultivation of divinity.'"
In the next place, the elegant Maximum Tyrius admirably observes concerning the worship of statues ' as follows : " It appears to me that as external discourse has no need, in order to its composition, of certain Phoenician, or Ionian, or Attic, or Assyrian, or Egyptian characters, but human imbecility admirably observes concerning the worship of statues ' as follows : " It appears to me that as external discourse has no need, in order to its composition, of certain Phoenician, or Ionian, or Attic, or Assyrian, or Egyptian characters, but human imbecility devised these marls, in which inserting its dulness, it recovers from them its memory ; in like manner a divine nature has no need of statues or altars ; but human nature being very imbecile, aud as uiucb distant from divinity as earth from heaven, devised these symbols, in which it inserted the names and the renown of the Gods. Those, therefore, whose memory is robust, and who are able, by directly extending their soul to heaven, to meet with divinity, have, perhaps,* uo need of statues. This race is, however, rare among men, and in a whole nation you will not find one who recollects divinity, and who is not in want of this kind of assistance, which resembles that devised by writing masters for hoys, who give them obscure marks as copies ; by m riling over
• See chap. 15 and 16, of my translation of this excellent work.
* See Vol. t of my translation of his Dissertations, Disserlat. 38, the title of which i«, " Whether statues should be d«dicatcd to the Gods."
» The philosopher hidoru* was a man of this description, as we are informed by Damnum? in the extracts front his life preserved by Photius. For he says of him i ™ .*•>*,, ,i, „• ,vtw( Tlw>.
TW?i»T»Kf trrmt ; tjvn Jiipw aTr^yTf Mat Tot***" tat r*f ti »X>.ff * aytatrn; t/tt • ifttf j xai rtm rturt $a^i„, tvaetr u mufw inf.- i.»n» imlsmm, mi m**< y> nit, \. e. " He was not willing to adore statues, hut approached to the God. themselves, w ho aie inwardly concealed not in adyta, but in the occult itscllj whatever it may be of altperfect ignorance. Uow therefore 10 them being such did he approach ? Through vehement love, this also being occult. And what else indeed, could conduct him to them than a love which is also unknown f What my meaning i§ those who have experienced this love know ; but it is impossible to reveal it by words «"1 >* no less difficult to understand what it is."
Di
INTRODUCTION.
«hicb, their hand being guided by that of the matter, they become, through memory, accustomed to the art. It appear* to me therefore, that legislator* devised these statues for men, as if fur a certain kind of boys, as tokens of the honour which should be paid to divinity, und a certain duction as it were and path to rcaiiuiscctice.
mory, accustomed to the art. It appear* to me therefore, that legislator* devised these statues for men, as if fur a certain kind of boys, as tokens of the honour which should be paid to divinity, und a certain duction as it were and path to rcaiiuiscctice.
He then observes, " Unit with respect to the Barbarian*, all of them in like manner admit the subsistence of divinity, but different nations among these adopt different symbols." After which lie adds, " O many and all-various statue* ! of which some are fashioned by art, and other* are embraced through indigcoce : some arc honoured through utility, ami others are venerated through the astonishment which they excite ; some arc considered as divine tlirough their magnitude, and others are celebrated for their beauty ! There is not indeed any nice of men, neither Barbarian nor Grecian, neither maritime nor continental, neither living a iwstonil life, nor dwelling in cities, which can endure t<> be without some symbols of the hononr of the Gods. How, therefore, dial! any one discuss the question whether it is proper that statues of the Gods should be fabricated or not ? For if we were to give laws to other men recently sprung from the earth, aud dwelling beyond our boundaries and our air, or who were fashioned by a certain Prometheus, ignorant of life, and law, and reason, it might perhaps demand consideration, whether this race should be permitted to adore tlicse spontaneous statues alone, which are not fashioned from ivory or gold, aud which are neither
" Of statues however, there is neither one law, nor one mode, nor one art, nor one matter. For the Greeks think it Jit to honour the Gods from things the most beautiful in the earth, from a pure matter, the human form, and accurate art : and their opinion is not irrational who fashion statues in the human resemblance. For if the human soul is most near and most similar to divinity, it is not reasonable to suppose that divinity would invest that which is most similar to himself with a most deformed body, but rather with one which would be an easy vehicle to immortal souls, light, and adapted to motion. for this alone, of all the bodies on the earth, raises its summit on high, is magnificent, superb, and full of symmetry, neither astonishing through its magnitude, nor terrible through its strength, nor moved with difficulty through its weight, nor slippery through its smoothness, nor repercussivc through its hardness, nor groveling through its coldness, nor precipitate through its beat, nor inclined to swim through its laxity, nor feeding
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