he presides over a kingdom different from that of his father. And while his father connectedly contains the middle centres of the intelligible and intellectual Gods, he is the leader of the intellectual orders and supplies all intellectual life, first indeed, to the Gods, but secondarily to the natures more excellent than ours, and in the last place to partial souk, when they are able to be extended to the Saturnian place of survey. For this universe, and all the mundane Gods, always possess this two- fold life, and imitate the Saturnian intelligence indeed through unapparent and intellectual energy, but the demiurgic intellect of Jupiter, through a providential attention to secondary natures, and in short, through the visible fabrication. But partial souls at one time energize intellectually, and consecrate themselves to Saturn, but at another time after a Jovian manner, and pay a providential attention to secondary natures, without restraint. When however they revolve analogous to those" deities [Saturn and Jupiter] they intellectually perceive intelligibles, and dispose sensibles in an orderly manner, and live both these lives, in the same manner as the Gods and the more excellent genera. For their periods are twofold ; one being intellectual, but the other providential. Their paradigms also are twofold ; the Saturnian intellect being the paradigm of the one, but the Jovian intellect of the other. For the mighty Jupiter himself has a twofold energy, containing indeed intelligibles in intellect, but adorning sensibles by demiurgic production.
Since however the circulations are twofold, not only in wholes, but also in partial souls, the Elean guest says that in the Saturnian period, the generation of these souls is not from each other, as in men which are the objects of sensible inspection, nor as the first man with us is alone earth-begotten, so in partial souls one first soul is the offspring of man, but all of them are earth-begotten. For they are elevated from ultimate and terrestrial bodies, and embrace an unapparent,* relinquishing a sen- sible life. He also says that neither do they verge to old age, and change from being younger to becoming older ; but on the contrary, they are
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rendered more vigorous, proceed intellectually in a way contrary to generation, and as it were, divest themselves of the variety of life with which in descending they became invested. Hence likewise all the symbols which are adapted to youth are present with these souls, when they pass into this condition, such as a privation of hair, and a smooth- ness of the cheek instead of hoariness and beards. For they lay aside every thing which adheres to them from generation. But being situated there with Saturn, and living the life which is there, he says that there are abundance of fruits from trees, and many other [vegetable] sub- stances, which the earth spontaneously produces. Being likewise naked, and without coverlets, they are for the most part fed in the open air ; for they have a temperament of the seasons which is always the same. But they make use of soft beds, grass in abundance being produced for them from the earth. Souls therefore derive these and such like goods from this mighty God, in the Saturnian period. For they are thence filled indeed with vivific goods, and gather intellectual fruits from wholes ; but do not procure for themselves perfection and blessedness, from partial energies. For doxastic nutriment indeed has divisible and material conceptions ; but intellectual nutriment has pure, impartible, and native conceptions, which the spontaneous obscurely signifies.
The production from the earth also signifies the prolific intellect of the Gods, which imparts to souls by illumination perfection and self- sufficiency. For on account of the exuberant abundance of good, they are able to impart an influx of it, according to the measure of felicity adapted to them. Hence, they are neither covered with garments, as when they proceeded into generation, nor have they superabundant additions of life, but they are purified themselves by themselves from all composition and variety, and extending their intellect to total good, they participate of it from the intellectual father, being guarded by the intellectual Gods, and receiving from them the measures of a happy life. They likewise pass through the whole of their existence with facility, lead a sleepless and pure life, being established in the generative powers of intelligibles ; and being filled with intellectual goods, and nourished with immaterial and divine fonns, they are said to live a life under Saturn,
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CHAP. VIII. OF. PLATO.
Because, therefore, this God is the leader of all intellectual life, and every intellect as well that which is im participate, as that which is participate proceeds from this cause, hence it lielongs to this mightj God to feed in a distributed manner, and to nourish souls. For because indeed he is intelligible in intellectuals, he nourishes souls, and souls are called the nurselings of Saturn. But because he does not fill them with first, and unical intelligibles, but with those that are multiplied by his own cause of separation, he is said to feed them distributedly, and as it were in a divided manner. And do you not see how through these things, this God appears to be coordinate to the first triad of the intelligible and intellectual Gods ? For as Socrates, in the Phaedrus, say*, that souls are nourished in the supercelestial place, and in the intelligible meadow, so the Elean guest asserts that the souls that are fed under Saturn, are filled with intelligible goods. And it is not at all wonderful if souls are perfected by both these; intellectually indeed, under the kingdom of Saturn ; but intelligibly under the order of the first intel- lectual Gods. For this God himself is nourished by that order. And on this account he is allotted a leading and primary transcendency in intellectuals, because they are filled • from that order (^through him] with occult and unapparent powers. And he is that among the intellectual fathers, which the order of the first intellectual Gods is in the intelligible and at the same time intellectual orders. Hence the intelligible every where becomes nutriment to ascending souls, but the connexion with it is effected through the second and third Gods.
As therefore, the demiurgic order elevates souls to the Saturnian place of survey, thus also the Saturnian order elevates them to the subcelestial '
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arch. For having made many and blessed discursive energies in the- kingdom of Saturn, they are again extended from hence to the per- fective, and from thence to the celestial triad, from which contemplating the supercelestial place, they arc now ineffably conjoined with the supreme goods of intelligibles. And after this manner the sectfnd orders always connect souls with the orders prior to them. Hence also, the theurgic art imitating the unapparent periods of souls, arranges initiations in the mysteries of the second Gods, prior to the more sublime mysteries. And through these, it causes us to pass to the intelligible place of survey. These things, therefore, Plato indicates concerning the Saturn ian life, and the polity of souls under Saturn, not in the Polkicus only, but also in the discourses of the Athenian guest. For in the fourth book of the Laws he celebrates the life under Saturn, obscurely signifying the undented nature, the facility, plenitude, and self-sufficiency of that energy, through fabulous fictions.
If, however, it be requisite from these things, and from all the mystic discipline concerning this God, to consider and discuss the orders which he constitutes in wholes, in the first place, we must direct our attention to the three kings mentioned in the Goigias, who distributing the kingdom of Saturn were produced by him, as being allotted in a divided manner a uniform and impartible* dominion, and over whom he places .the divine law, which is the cause of distribution according to intellect, both to the Gods themselves, and to all the natures posterior to the Gods. In the second place, we must consider th« rulers and kings
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chap. ix.
mentioned in the Laws, who are said to preside over the different allotments of souls, and who are not men, but daemons of a more divine and excellent genus, who distribute to souls the measures of good, cut off their generation-producing lives, restrain their disorderly lation, retain them in the intelligible, and comprehend them in the kingdom of Saturn. In the third place, therefore, we must direct our attention to the daemon Gods, who preside over the parts of the world, and the herds [of souls] that are in it, as the Elean guest says in the Pnjiticus, and who at oue time come into contact with the objects of their government, and distribute to them intellectual, and all unapparent goods, but at another time withdraw themselves from the physical life of the world, recur to their own place of survey, and imitate the exempt transcendency of the demiurgus and father of the universe.
But after these things, wc must survey the twofold circulations of the mundane Gods, viz. the Saturnian and the Jovian ; for these Gods always have each of these, as the fable says in the Politicus. For it is evident that the mutation of the stars and the sun takes place in each of the revolutions. This period, therefore, being twofold, it is obvious to every one that the periods are full of Saturnian goods, and participate of the Saturnian series. And not only the mundane Gods, but likewise ail the more excellent genera that follow the Gods, energize according to both these energies, and revolve according to the twofold circulations, through which souls also sometimes participate of an intellectual life, and proceed in this path, exchanging for sense intellect as the leader of their motion and circulation. Saturn, therefore, extends his kingdom superually from the first Gods, as far as to partial souls, perfects all things, and fills them with intellectual goods, distributing to different natures different measures of good. For on account of this, law also subsists with him, as Socrates says in the Gorgias : " This law therefore was in the time of Saturn, and always was, and now is, among the Gods." For law is the distribution of intellect ; but this God is the* first, most pure, and incorruptible intellect.
If, however, this God is the primary leader of all division, and is the origin of intellectual separation, it is necessary on this account, that law
should be with him, which distinguishes the orders of beings, divides the intellectual genera, and separates all forms according to a well- ordered progression ; but imparts to all things by illumination the measure of hyparxis, connecting the order which is in them, preserving the boundaries of divine distribution immutable, and possessing the same dignity in the kingdom of Saturn, and in intellectuals, as Adrastia in the- supercelestial place, and in the intelligible, and at the same time,, intellectual orders. For from each of them an immutable guard, and the progression of order to all things are generated. But they differ from each other, because law indeed divides the one into multitude, defines the measures of intellectual subsistence, and distributes to every thing an appropriate good, producing the different measures of beings from the one [Saturnian] intellect. But Adrastia abiding in the intelligible,, guards all things uniformly, and preserves total order in a firm unde> viating manner, exempt from all division. Law, therefore, is a certain' G od which divides divine forms, and definitely imparts to every thing that which is adapted to it according to the plenitude proceeding from one uniform cause ; and it is also co-existent with the Saturnian order, in which the separations of beings, tmd the all-perfect progression of forms first subsist. Hence the deinurrgus likewise looking to this conducts all things according to law, and constitutes mundane provi- dence an image of the union of the father ; but fate and the fatal laws, an image of the division according to law. Souls, therefore, live according to law ; in the Jovian period indeed being governed con- formably to the laws of Fate; but in the Saturnian period living according to divine law they are subservient to the multitude [of divine forms] and are extended to the one cause of all ; and ascending to the intelligible place of survey, they are subjected to the sacred law of Adrastia. For this law extends from on high as far as to the last of things, and defines to souls the measures of whole periods, as Socrates says in the Pbsedrus. Who therefore this greatest God is, and what the goods are of which he is the cause to souls, and prior to these, to Gods and daemons, the loaders of souls, let it, from these things be manifest.