soul itself. And it is necessary that tin; leading to principles should he through media. Perhaps too, he selected the latter, because he was not willing to con¬ nect the soul w ith body, according to time ; nor again, when separate, ami ex¬ isting: by itself to conjoin it to the world, lint to deliver the communion of soul with body prior to tin* veneration ol soul, contributes to this, lair the genera- tiou of the soul is sufficient to c\iueo, that the corporeal bulk also of the world h unhegotten [according to time]. For if he ascribes generation to unbegotten natures, yet in thoe there will be another mode of generation. lint if prior* to the apparent generation, he brings into the same condition both body and soul, such a generation will be unbegotten, and the animation will be perpetual ; iu ither soul being generated in time, nor body differing in time from soul. And thus much concerning the principal parts of tin* order in what is said.
lilt respect however, to the middle position of soul, ditferent interpreters ex¬ plain it differently. For some say that the middle is the centre of the earth; others, that the nmon is the middle, as the isthmus of generated and divine natures ; others, that it is the sun, as lining established in the plan; of a heart; others, that it is the inrrratic sphere; others, that it is the equinoctial, as hounding tin* breadth of the world; and others, that it is the zmliack. And some indeed, place in the centre the ruling power of the universe; others, in the moon; others, in the sun ; others, in the equinoctial ; and others, in the zodiark. Jhil to the first of these, the power ot the n litre hears witness, tins 1 >* ing connective of < v« i v tin idatimi; to the second, the motion of the moon, which hi a various manner changes generation; to the third, the vivifu: heat of the sun; to the fourth, the facility of the motion of the equinoctial circle; and to the fifth, the rircul ition of the st.irs about the zodiaf k. Against all these however. Porphyry and Iamliliehus write. Illuming them for understanding the middle locally, and with interval, and inclosing in a certain part the soul of the whole world, which is every w here present similarly, and which rules over, and leads all tilings by its motions. Of these divine men likewise, Porphyry indeed, assuming this to be the soul of the universe, interprets* l/ic middle accord¬ ing to the psychical essence : for this is the middle of intelligible* and sensible*. In thus speaking however, lie will not appear to say any thing, as pertaining to the words of Plato. But if we should assume that the universe derives its com¬ pletion from intellect, soul and body, and is an animal possessing soul and intel¬ lect, in tins system wc shall find that soul is the middle. Plato therefore, having before said this, will appear to say nothing else now, than that the soul of the world is arranged so as to extend its energies through the universe, being allotted
1 For rpa i r»ji faHCjHvrn ytytotvt hero, read irpo Trjt, *. X.
PROCLUS ON TII li
[book hi.
tlie middle order in it. For again secondary natures participate of those prior' to them; just as hotly which is the last of things, participates of soul which ranks m the inithlle, ami soul participates of intellect, which is prior to it. But tin* philo¬ sopher Iambiichus thinks that by soul, we should understand that soul which is exempt, siijK-rmundane, and 1|1 m rated, and which has dominion mer all tilings. For accorduiir to him, Plato dues not speak ot the mundane soul, hut ol taat which is imparticipahle, and is arranged as a monad above all mundane souls. For this is the first soul, and the middle is in this, as being similarly present to all tilings, in consequence of not belonging to any body, nor subsisting; in anv way in habitude, hut similarly animating, and being equally separated from all mun¬ dane natures. For it is not less separated from some, and more from others; since it is wi;limit habitude , but is similarly separated from all; though all things are not separated from it after the same manner. For in the participants of it, then* are the more and the less.
Our preceptor however, interprets the middle in a way more accommodated to the words of Plato. For since the soul of the universe has indeed that which is supermundane, and exempt from the universe, according to which it is con¬ joined to intellect, which Plato in the Pluedrus, and Orpheus in w hat he says about Jlippa, denominate the head of the soul; and since it has a ho another multitude of powers, proceedin’' from this monad, divided about the world, and appropriately present to all the parts of the universe, in one way indeed about the middle, in another about the » arlli, in another about the sun, and in another about each of the spheres; this being the ease, lie says that the present words indicate all these, so that soul animates the middle in oneway, hut the whole bulk in another, and leaves something else prior to these powers, exempt from the universe. In onler however, that we may not negligently attend to what is said by Plato, hut may exhibit the variety of the psychical powers, thus much must be said, tb it soul mucli prior to body, is a vital world, and is both one and number. And through tin* one indeed, if is superior to ev< ry habitude of form ; but through multitude, it governs the different parts of the universe. For by its guardian powers, it contains the unti e; since the whole sphcie is gm trued Jiom thence, and con¬ verges to it. Besides , every thing turbulent m the u <n Id, is colLcted about the middle, and requires a divine gum d, capable of it) r inging, and di taming it m its proper boun¬ daries. Hence also, theoh gists terminate the progressions of the highest duds, in that place; and the Pythagoreans call the middle the tower of Jupiter, and the guard-house of
1 Instead of yap avrr,i, ra rvv rpoi uirui iu tliin place, it is necessary lo lead /ueny«
yap ai< ra burrrpa r*y wpo avrwe.
TIM/1XS OF PLATO.
Jupiter. But by its stable, and at the same time vivifying powers, if contains the sphere of the earth. By its perfective, and generative powers, the sphere of renter. By its coih vective, and motive pnutrs. the air. By its umlefiU dpowers, fire. And by its intellec¬ tual pearers, all Inarm. Of these also, it contains in one wav the lunar sphere, in another, the solar sphere, and in another, the sphere of the fixed stars. For the souls of each of these govern in conjunction with the whole soul of the universe, their appropriate portions of the world.
Such therefore, I win;*; the mode of animation, Plato, as he is accustomed to do, beginning from the last of things according to conversion, first animates the mid¬ dle, afterwards the universe, and in the third place, leaves something of soul external to the universe. For as lie constituted body prior to soul, and parts prior to wholes, so likewise he delivers the animation of the world, beginning from the last of things. For according to a progression from on high he said, that the Deiniurgus placed intellect in soul, and soul in body; but teaching us in what is now said, animation according to conversion, he first animates the middle, and afterwards the universe. For the river of vil ification proceeds as far as to the centre; as the Oracles also say, when speaking of the middle of the five centres, which extends from on high entirely to the opposite part. “And another tilth middle fiery centre, where a life-bearing tire descends us fur as to the material rivers." Plato therefore, beginning from those things in w Inch ani¬ mation ends, recurs to the whole piodui tiou ot file, and prior to this surveys the exempt power of the soul. Hence we must not place the ruling part of the soul in the centre; for thin part is exempt from the universe ; but a certain power of it, which is the guardian of the whole [mundane] order. For nothing else in the, universe, is so capable of entirely subverting wholes as the ci ntre, and the power of the centre, about which there is an harmonic dance of the universe [if they are in a defective condition] Hence too Plato, divinely as it appears to me, does not place the soul in the middle of the universe, but soul. For these dirt'ei from each Other, because the former establishes the whole of soul in the centre, but the latter places a power of it in tin* middle, and a ditferent power in different paits of the world. Plato therefore says, “ placing soul m the middle;" which is he same thing ns giving the participation of soul to the middle, and extending its total powers to the universe; the Demiurges left external to the universe, a power of the soul more divine than all the others, established in itself, and exemptly con¬ taining and connecting the whole world. And what occasion is there to be prolix in investigating the meaning of Plato, since the philosopher himself shortly after, when discussing the animation itself of the world, says, “ but soul unfolding herself to the extremity of the universe, from the middle, circularly covered it as with a veil.
IMtOCLUS ON THE
[hook in.
herself being convolved in herself. 9 This however does not at nil difler from the words before us. For to extend every nay from the middle, is the same tiling as to be un¬ folded from the middle to the extremity of the universe. But there soul herself from herself, illuminates the centre of the universe, and the whole sphere of it, by her jwwers; and here the Delnitirgus is the cause of animation, and introduces the bonl into the universe. For the same Illinois effected by both, demiurgically indeed, and intellectually, by the cause, hut self-motnclv, by soul. Now how¬ ever, the philosopher dcli\crs the honil derived from fabrication alone. For w« particularly refer wholes, and such things as are good, to a diyine cause, but partial natures, and things which are not <piod, we think umvorthv of di\ine pro¬ duction, and suspend them from other more proximate causes; though the-so also, as has been frequently observed, subsist through dixinity.
As there is therefore a communion of a di\me, and likewise of a partial sou! with bodies, that communion -a hieh subsists according to a beneficent will, and dais not depart from intelligible progressions, is divine; but that z. hich subsists di cording to a dejiuxion of the uugs of thi soul, or uuduciti/, or flight, is u it limit (l ml, though in this also, there if a complication with self-mot ice energy, and the trill of providence. Nevertheless, the* communion with body which is according to divinity, is mani¬ fest through the jire.-eiico ot divinity ; but that which is from soul, is apparent through the representation ot aberration wliieli it exhibits. Ibnee, sinee the animation of the world is two-told, prim-t iling from tin- 1 )i iniurgiis-, and from feclf-motion, IMalohtre very properl\ gi\cs the preli n-mr to that cause which subsists according to divinity, as Ik mg wholly most adapted to wholes.’ Fur the words “ placing, he c.t Undid, and he lovered as with it veil" lire the names of demi¬ urgic works. For the first of these sanities the It rinination of the soul, the «econd, the psychical middle which proceeds through all things, and the third, exempt transcendency. For to cover as with a Veil, indicates that the soul compre¬ hends the world eteiy way, unites it through In rsclf, leads it to one life, and docs not leave any thing external to its appropriate proxidence, nor destitute of its nature.
“ And causing circle to revolve in a circle, lie established heaven [or the universe] one, single, solitary nature."
The philosopher Porphyry well interprets the meaning of circle revolving in a circle, l'Or it is possible, says he, for that which is not a circle to 1 h* moved in a circle, as a stone when whirled round ; and also for a circle not to be mo\cd in
* l’or rou uWoii here, it i* necessary to read run o W.