The Theology of Plato, in six books — trans. Thomas Taylor

6th of the Ides of February, and died in the one hundred and twenty-fourth year after the reign of the emperor Julian, on the seventeenth day of the Attic Munichion, or the April of the Romans, Nicagoran the junior, being at that time the Athenian archon. His father Patriciua, and his mother Marcella, were both of them of the Lyc'tan nation, and were no le*s illustrious for their virtue than their birth. As soon as he was bom, his parents brought him to their native country Xantbus, which was sacred to Apollo. And this, says Martinis, happened to him by a certain divine allotment. " For, he adds, I think it was necessary that he who was to be the leader of alt sciences, should be nourished and educated under the presiding deity of the Muses." The person of Proclus was uncommonly beautiful ; and he not only possessed all tbe moral and intellectual virtues in the highest perfection, but the veatigies of them also, which are denominated the physical virtues, were clearly seen, says Marinus, in his last and shelly vestment the body. Hence he possessed a remarkable acuteness of sensation, and particularly in the most honourable of the senses, sight and hearing, which, as Plato says, were imparted by the Gods to men for the purpose of philosophising, and for the well being of the animal life, in the second place, he possessed so great a strength of body, that it was neither injured by cold, nor any endurance of labours, though these were extreme, both by night and day. In the third place, he was, as we have before observed, very beautiful. " For not only, says Marinus, did his body possess great symmetry, but a living light as it were beaming from his soul was efflorescent in his body, and shone forth with au admirable- splendor, which it is impossible to di-scribe." Marinus adds, " Indeed he was so beautiful, that no painter could accurately exhibit his resemblauce ; and all the pictures of him which were circulated, though very beautiful, were very inferior to the beauty of the original." And in the fourth place, he possessed health in such perfection, that he was not ill above twice or thrice in the course of so long a life as seventy-five years.

Such then were the corporeal prerogatives which Proclus possessed, and which may be called the forerunners of the forms of perfect virtue.

h in such perfection, that he was not ill above twice or thrice in the course of so long a life as seventy-five years.

Such then were the corporeal prerogatives which Proclus possessed, and which may be called the forerunners of the forms of perfect virtue. But he possessed in a wonderful manner what Plato calls the elements of a philosophic genius.' For he had an excellent memory, learned with facility, was magnificent and graceful, and the friend and ally of truth, justice, fortitude, and tern,

■ See the sixth bouk of the Republic of Plato.

INTRODUCTION.

pemnce. Having for a short space of time applied himself in Lycia to grammar, he weal to Alexandria in Egypt, and was there instructed in rhetoric by Leonas who derived his lineage from lsauru*, and in grammar by Orion, whose ancestors discharged the sacerdotal office among the Egyptians, and who composed elaborate treatises on that art. A certain good fortune however, says iMarinun, brought him back to the place of his nativity. For on his return his tutelar Goddess exhorted him to philosophy, and to visit the Athenian schools. Having therefore, first returned to Alexandria and bade farewell to rhetoric, and the other arts which he had formerly studied, he gave himself up to the discourses of the philosophers then resident at Alexandria. Here, he became an auditor of Olyrnpiodorus,1 the most illustrious of philosophers, for the sake of imbibing the doctrine of Aristotle ; and was instructed in the mathematical disciplines by Hero, a religious man, and eminently skilful in teaching those sciences. Prod us however, not being satisfied with the Alexandrian schools, went to Athens, " with a certain splendid procession, says Martnus, of all eloquence and elegance, and attended by the Gods that preside over philosophy, and by beneficent daemons. For that the succession of philosophy, might be preserved legitimate and genuine, the Gods led him to the city over which its inspective guardian presides." Hence Proclua was called x«r' htf way of eminence, the Platonic Succetsor. At Athens therefore, Proclus fortunately met with the first of philosophers, Syrianus,* the son of Philoxenus, who not only much assisted him in his studies, but made him his domestic as to other concerns, and the companion of his philosophic life, having found him such an auditor and successor as he had. a long time sought for, and one who was capable of receiving a multitude of disciplines and divine dogmas.

but made him his domestic as to other concerns, and the companion of his philosophic life, having found him such an auditor and successor as he had. a long time sought for, and one who was capable of receiving a multitude of disciplines and divine dogmas.

In less than two whole years therefore, Proclus read with Syrianus all the «orks of Aristotle, vii. his logic, ethics, politics, physics, and theological science. And being sufficiently instructed in these as in certain proteleia, or things preparatory to initiation, and lesser mysteries, Syrianus led him to the mystic discipline of Plato, in an orderly progression, and not according to the Chaldean oracle with a transcendent foot. He likewise enabled Proclus to survey in conjunction with him, says Marinus, truly divine mysteries, with the eyes of his soul free from material daikness, and with undefiled intellectual vision. But Proclus employing sleepless exercise and attention, both

' This Olympiodorus is not the fame with I he philosopher of that nunc whose leurnrd commentaries on certain dialogues of Plato are extant in manuscript ; as in these, not only Proclus, but Darnascius who flourished after Proclus is celebrated.

* This truly great man appears to luu o been ihe first who thoroughly penetrated the profundity contained in the writings of the moie ancient philosophers, contemporary with and prior to Plato, and to have demonstrated the admirable agreement of their doctrines with each other. Unfortunately but few of bis works are

INTRODUCTION.

by night and by tiny, arid avnoptically and judiciously committing to writing what be beard from Syria ii in, made so great a progress in a little time, that by then he wu twenty-eight year* of age, he had composed a multitude of work* and among the rest hit commentarie are truly elegant and full of science. But from men a discipline as this, his adorned ; and a.s he advanced in science he ;

Marinus after this, shows how Proclus possessed all the virtues in the greatest possible perfection; and how be proceeded from the exercise of the political virtues, which are produced by reason adorning the irrational part as its instrument, to the cathartic virtues which pertain to reason alone, withdrawing from other things to itself, throwing aside the instruments of sense as vain, repressing also the energies through these instruments, and liberating the soul from the bonds of generation.