In short therefore, the essence of the soul, hein*; a whole and consisting of parts, is harmonized nmnher. Hut its life is rectilinear, and is uniform and In¬ formed And ils intellect i> dianoetic and doxa-tic. For tliere are in it Im- intr, life, and inti Heel. Oi rather prior to the gnostic, perceiv iii” that the vital pow ers are m themselves at one and the same tune tian-itive, and self-motive, we must say, that the ri"lit hue aiiuinlirates the transitive, hut the circle, the self-motive nature of these powers. For they are moved from themselves to themselves. 11 t no Timaus delivering to ns in what is here said, the \ ital motion hy its»-lf alone, assumes the rectilinear, and the circular motion, hut in what follows unfolds the gnostic motions of the eiri h-s ; the soul now In ruining sell-motive, in coiiseipienee of the whole of it inov in*; itself. It therefore, we now admit that tin: ri*_;ht lines are lives, and these essential; oil which account aUo, the I)eiiiiui”us made the composition ot the soul itsi li to he rei tiinn ir, as p<isM-ssiii<r hie hy its v» rv exist¬ ence ;—if wc admit this, tin n we mti -t s,»y, that the « in le manifests \\ hat the ipia litv is of tin* form of this life, viz. that it is self-moved, he^inniu^ from, and returning to its* It; and that it is not hk« (lie lit« of irrational natures, tending to externals as it were in a liidit line, as in ver lit 1114 aide to t oiivi i^e to itself, and as having an appetit* dir* ( tt d to otln r things placed externally to itsell 1 or the st If motive nature is moved truin itsell to itsell, sees itself, ami is present with itself, lienee also, such a form of life as this is circular. lor in a circle, the same tiling is the end and the hc^iuniii^, in the same manner as 111 that which is converted to, he”ms from, and ends in itself". I’lie ri^lit line therefore and tin* circle of tin-soul, are without interval; the former heim; I lie linage of life fsimplvl, hut the latter of life couverlive to itsell, and not absolutely of all life. I dr hoth these may he surveyed in souls; the ri^lil line indeed, according to the transi¬ tions of appetites; hut the circle a< coniine to a circumduction from the satin things to the same. And this Socrates knowing, says in the Fhadrus, that souls are carried round lira circle, revolving under iulrllieihh-s as ohjecLs of desire, lieine at different times happily afh i ted hy diflerent things, and n turning' from the same objects to the same. \\ hy therefore, should we any longer fear those skilful IVripateties, who ask us, what kind of line l*!ato here assumes f Is it
IiO O K 111.]
TI.M.TXS or PL \T< >
physical line? lint this would lip absurd : for this is the rnd of bodies. Is it tlioii a mathematical line? Hut tliis is not splt-moiivr, and is not essence. Plato how¬ ever says,' that the soul is an essence, and is spparatr from bodies. We say therefore, that they in vain make tin sr inquiries. For long before this, we have not erased asserting that this line is essential. And prior to us Xenoeratrs calls a line of this kind indivisible. I 1 nr it would be ridiculous in anv one to think, that there is an indivisible magnitude. It is evident however, that Xenoerates thought it requisite to rail the essential reason of a line an indivisible* line. Rut Plato, for the sale of concealment, employed mathematical names, as veils of the truth of things, in the same manner as thcnligis/.s employed fables, and the Pythagoreans symbols. For it is possible in images to survey paradigms, and through the former to pass to tin latter. Against sueh men however, as these Peripatetics, who are contentious, no arguments are sufficient. Rut let us return to the words of Plato, and direi t our attention to each of them.
Since therefore, the soul is one, is divided according to its parts, and is both one and many, Plato denominates it tins, as l>< inir one, but all, as b< ing multitude, an i\ composition, as both ; whirl) also show> that the csseitee of it differs both from things dis< ri le, and things continuous, For these are without communion 1 with each otlu r. Rut the soul i* one, and at the same Iim<• multitude, and is discrete, and continued. Since Imwevi r tin- psyehical reasons are Informed ; for the soul is of an ambiguous nature, and has two faces, conformabli/ to its para¬
digm, so that it in teller tually perceives the impartible essence through the circh of tin same, but contains ami connects the partible essence, through the circle of the different ; — lienee Plato rails it double. Rut because it has the same reasons or ratios, above and beneath, and not as some fancy, the duple ratios here, but the triple there, on this account, lie delivers it to us divided according to length. For this div ision alone, pvt serves every when- the same ratios. Rut the scission itself exhibits demiurgic si etion, which is appropriate to the l)i miurgiis. For the dead is seated by him, and is refulgent w ith intellectual sections, as some one of the (iods savs. 4 Moreover, the won Is “ middle to middle" indicate perhaps, that the division and contact of things intangible, are adapted to the psychical middle : for thev subsist in a middle way. For in intellect also there is division, ltccau.se there is difference, but it subsists primarily, and as it were occultly, and indivisible. In sensible* likewise there is division, but according to an ultimate distribution in-
* for fynenv lirrc, I rr.nl ipij/jir.
* Tlir word tiTVftov oiiulted in tlic original.
* For nm >jra here, it is ncccssarv lo read asoirovijra:
* Tim is asserted in ouc of the Cbahlcau oracles.
I'koclds on the
BOOK lll.j
to parts. Hence also the union in these is obscure am! evanescent. Ilut in the soul both have a iniilille subsistence, in away adapted to it. And if indeed Plato had spoken concerning intellect and soul, he would have said, that the Dt-miurgus ap¬ plied the first to the middle, and if about body and soul, that he applied the middle to the last. But since he teaches us concerning the psychical duad, he say > that the Deniiurgus applied middle to middle. I 'el liajis loo, lit* says tins, be« a Use t lie con¬ tact of the soul is properly of a middle nature. 1'or the last part of the dianoetie. and the summit of the doxa-fie power, form the media of all the ps\ < bit al com¬ position. But tlu m 1 are conjoined to t leb oilier, and conformably to tin >e, one union is produced ot lbe>e two lives. lor in evt ry order t»l beings, the bases of first are united to the summits of >ei olid try n itiui '. The figure X however, pro¬ duced hv this applic atioii, lias a uit at allinity to the universe, and also to tin* soul. And a* I , orf>hi/n/ rclati s a character of this Lind, viz. X, surrounded by a arch,' is tilth the Ift/fitians a symbol of' tin mundane soul. I’m per'haps it signifies, through the riirlit lines indeed, tin* hilnriucd promes-mm of tin* sold, but through tin* cir¬ cle it-. mu I* »i in life, and regression according to an iutt-lh i tual « iri'le ^ e must not however conceive, that Plato thought a div me essence eolibl be iliseov'♦■red through these tiling'. I or tin* truth ot real beings • iniiot, as some lain y. be known from characters, positions, and vocal emissions. But these are alter all¬ ot her man ii« r symbols ot div iin* nalon - l or as a a i tain motwu, so tiheu ise a 11 riant figure and colour, are symbols of this laud, as the initiators into mysteries say. I or ditlerent characters and also diHeivnl signatures arc adapted to dithrent (mils; just as the present character is adapti d to tin soul. For the complication of the right biu*s indicates tlu* union «• I i hiloinu d lib* l or a ri"ht bin* itsi !t nUn,
a symbol ot a life which (lows from on lii"li. In mdt r however, that we may not, omitting the tilings l!n*iiisi Ives, be loo busily employed about tin* theory ot the character, Plato adds “ as it were,' indicating that tills is assumed as a veil, and fur the sake of concealment, thus endeavouring to invest with figure the mi- tigured nature of the sutil.
“ Afterwards lie bent them into a circle, connecting them botli with themselves, and with each other, in such a manner that their extremities might be combined in one, directly opposite to the point ol their mutual intersection. ’
That what is said hv Plato manifests through right lines the progression ot
* lustinJ of m/.Xoi m lias plate, il is requisite to read i;Oj
nook III.]
TIM AX'S or PLATO
I IfI
the soul, ami its providential attention to alter-motive natures, is I think evident tromvvh.it has heen already observed. And I also think it is proper to deliver the inlleetion into a eirrie analogous to these tilings. For since regressions an* in omit i in lit v with progressions, recalling fto the principle] things which have proceeded from it, lienee Plato says, that the light lines were Is nt into circles. Ami since also, the vital nature of the soul is intellectual, and npncataslutir, and evolves inti Iligihli- multitude, hence it is restored to the .same tiling again. Iie- eaiise likewise, it moves alter-nintive natures, the soul being converted to, and moving it sell’. a*» uding to all these particulars, circulation pertains to it. For the progression of it e> in continuity with its regression ; since it is not imperfect. And the motion of alter-inotive natures is suspended tmin the self-uiotive life. As the one of these also, is not siibv* rte*d, hut perfected by the other, after the sanu in.inner the composition ot .he right lilies is nut destroyed through the in¬ flection into < irclcs. hut the former remaining, the circles are generated. For all things subsist at on* e in the soul, so that as the continuous is simultaneous with til*' discrete, thus also me circular with tin* rectilinear. For it is necessary that the right and the circular should remain, just as the impartible and the partible sul>- sU( i _”ih<T in tin* s*itil. For the Demiiirgus makes eternally, so that the things vvhieii ;nv generated l»y him, an* entirely perpetual. Hence the right and the circular line are simultaneous in the soul, whatever each of them may he.
What therefore are tin* twofold circles, and how arc they in the highest degree adapt* <1 to the soul l If tin n the essence of the soul proceeding from intellect, was such as to l><‘ * ntirelv diilcrcnt from tin* intell* dual pccnli irity, the circular form would not he adapted to it. But since it is intellectual according to par¬ ticipation, and ail evolved and Informed int* llecl, oil account of its intellectual nature, it is a circle unligured, without magnitude, and self-motive ; hut on ac¬ count of its dyadic 1 nature, it is a twofold circle. For its progression also, in the same maun* r as its regression, is twofold, and its reason is twofold ; so that its int*-ll< dual participation is twofold according to its lives. .Since however, these hv« s are conjoined according to their fust progression, hut in proceeding are divided from each other, hut after the progression are again converted to their principles, hence they are again conjoined according to the peculiarity its*-|f of regr* ssion ; the first adaptation of the lines manifesting permanency ; hut their separation from eaeli other by division, their progression ; and their inflection/ their regression again to the same thing. For tin* more divine life which subsists
1 for (inttihkov Ii*t*\ il i* olmoutly nrrcnary to r*a*t ivufu>ov.
* \flrr rt)»tt nw' oAAijXwr t^iww in the original, the word* rqy wpvcfer, r»j« tt garanaftyrm arc c»i- dcntlv wauling.
IMtOCLUS ON T11E
[BOOK Ilf*