Tart In r still, truly -existing time compreheads all measures uniformly, accordin'; to which also the periods hoth of souls and bodies are accomplished, and the one measure of the whole apocataslasis. Tor tin re is a period of that which is divinely generated, which a perfect number eumpn hemls, as .Socrates says in the Repub¬ lic. Rat secondary time distinguishes and guards the measures in souls and corporeal natures. Tor it distributes measures adapted to each of these. And by this indeed, it divides the umcal power of the first time, but guards the measure pertaining to each soul, and each corporeal nature. Conformably to this likewise it makes apocatastases. Tor there is one measure of the solar period, another of the lunar, and another of the period of the meteors. Tor in th« ’se also, there is a certain circle, adumbrating the celestial circle. Of dill* rent animals likewise, there is a different period. Tor of these there are periods, and measures of life, as also the da-mouiacal Aristotle says. Such therefore aie the conclusions which may he now assumed from these things, concerning the dilSi-r* lire of these times.
it appears likewise, that Tiato does not in vain say, “ in order (hat lime might be gnu ruled, hut fur the purpose of manifesting, that invisible time was antece¬ dent, being a whole, and one, and an inti Ue< tuul number, prior to the time which is p uImpaled, and vvhn h proceeds according to number. Tverv thing then fore, which is generated, is prior to its generation, invisibly established in its cause. Hence generation signifies a progression into participants, according to which time untidils into light diflereut forms, 1 primarily and scrnndarilv. It likewise signifies that time proceeds 1 mm more total to more partial natures, as far as to the last of things, as tor instance, animals and plants. To us however, the whole of time becomes known from partial but orderly measures. Tor the whole is dillicull to lie known, and that which is disordi rly cannot In come the measure of other things. Rut since, as we have said, the period of the plain ts, and particularly the solar circle, contributes to the generation of secondary tune, or rather, to the comprehension of the many measures contained in it, through which I icing differ¬ ent, as for instance months and years, we are accustomed to measure the whole of time,—hence, Plato says, that the sun and moon, and the live planets, were first generated by the Deiniurgus, though each of the fixed stars likewise, being
1 For ttfrj here, it u necessary to read td*r.
PllOCI.l S ON Till
[nook lv.
spherical, performs its period about it*. o\\ u centre, accordin'.; to a certain temporal measure. To Us however, 1 1 it-so measures an* not known, as those of tin; planets ale, arronlint; to uhieli thev make their periods about tin* /oiliar. For in tlio ti \cil •'t.ir>, «i do mil know tin- periods ol tin in about tin* ir proper re litres, l’lato ilien ton , >|M-aks concernin'.; the plain t-, and says they w« re generated, m order that tbex liliulit eo-o|ierate III the piodiietiull ol \i**lble time; Uldoldill'4; a dillerelit nn aMire of dilli n lit timin'-, the >1111 In inn alluded ,1 primordial and ruling dignity, and particularly aceiirdilii; to the "t uelatioli ol time. llem'i*, be is called lime ot time In llicolo-i't-, as imfnldiii:; into Ii" 1 11 tin- lust time ; and tin* period of tin- mm-oiis is accoinpli-'bi d accordin'.; to biin. lint the moon lias tin* second older, a> pro\imati !y nn»\in*_f, in< rcasiii"', and duniiiisbiu^, *•'< r\ tiling in lifiicra- lioii, l*\ licr powers. 1 It nee, as the miii is said to change lus foriie e\ 1 ry bour, and in c;ii li m^h ol tin /odiat so die moon < bailees ber I01111 every day ; so lli.it as tbc tin (ilo^ist sa\s, >ln- midi 1401 s as many t liaii^i s in a month as tin- miii hi 1 n tr. Hut tin- other plaints bv their various umtioiis, tonneet in a regular series, tin tliv ei sity ol geiu ration I 01 dilleivut 1 lh i is lot low inn 11 tin* aporatas- t.i'is ot dilli n lit plain ts, whit li aeeordmu to dillen lit lm .I'lin s, lining tin ir own li\ 1 -s to » pi mnl.
'son e howt ver, the plain ts revolve with ulie t onimiied, • ipiable, and uneeasin^' motion,but tin* order «U tin m, and tin 1 ipi ibihtv and saniein ss ot 11 it n motions, an* t item, on aeeonnt ot tin ir apparently advancing, ret eilin^, and breuniiiu; sta- lionarv, 1*11 this account, I Mato sa\ s, tin y have tin* appi 1 kill on ot planets. lienee, von ni.iv assume, that it is (lie stars, and not tin* spin n-s in w hit It the stars ail v a nee and li et th , that sutler "in h tilings .is, these, anil whit h ale iiiovi d upward and downward, antecedently containin'.; e t rderly paia lrjuiis, the al!-\arioiis distil-
f.<>k M.; tim i.i:s cu i* la ic> j-21
<1< rlv motions ol tin- Niililiiiuiry region. \ i/. the motions there tii.tl at* upward ami downward, la I Hid and In-Inn*. I’nr a*- Plain says in tin* Laws, those mu against divinity. nlm dan* In aMTilM- w audi riii^ r in tin celestial (iods, in consc ipnnee of nnt know mg tin ir order, tin ir harmonious dance, and tin* «|■ al>ilitv nf their ino- tinn. I'nr in* <|ti diililv is alone apparent in them, ihrouuh tin* lalinn and enutrarv circulation nt tin ir evolving circle *>. whether oil account nl i pic y< les, and eccen¬ trics, nr from other causes. I’nr all tin In pntheses liavo not tin* saiin* 1 probability, lint snnu* nt fin ‘in indeed, an* remote I'rnin tin* simplicity* nf divine natures, and other- an* as it wnv mechanical contrivances, devised by llm inndi*rns, tn ar- ount for tin umtinn nf tin* eeh »tial mbs. \nd it seems 11 Kit I *1 ito in tin* Republic,
I»y making tin* whirls concentric, and in these tin* snrn circles, and mentioning "these alone, and imt epirvrh's. ascribes tn tin* stars themselves inequahilitv, and tins pns«.i-'»Miii* > arrangement and nrdt i I'm* this im <|ii:iliililv returns In its pristine stain, in nrdi-i lv pm inds nf linn’, in consequence of tin* planets In in:; nn*dia between t lilies that an* moved with a umtinn perfectly equable, and llmsr that are moved anomalously in every respeel. I'nr tln-v an* allotted a motion which is cquahlv anomalous, <»r aunmahfiislv eijiiahh*.
I inn* tin n Inn*, i- imfnldi d into li”lit. and makes its progn ssimi into the uni¬ verse, thrmigh all th* celestial orbs, and not only through the plain ts, hut likewise through the li\< d star*. (Main however, espreially mak< s nn ntmn of the plain Is, ill the gem ration nl time, heeaiiso tin v di/h r from the ii\i d stars in tin \ari< l\ nf tln ir period-. and Irom-uiilmtarY natures, m their motions lieing alwav > invaria¬ bly the same; thi* former nt w hieh, tin* distinetinn of maiiv temporal measures muni tests, and In latter, the perpetual prc« rv at inn of the same periods, and a pi - catastases. | nr it i- necessary to survey the same tilings, the mnltilude of mea¬ sures always r« maiuiug. I In se therefore, have all orderly arrangement, alter tin* one measure n| the \\ hole period. \nd the one monad indeed itself of linn*, is t jierteel and culm mini her. But from this, and in each circulation, there is an apprnpri ite nn as me, Saturnian, or .loi ian. or Lunar, iei < i\in g its peculiarity from the soul, and motive deity, which is m eac h ol the spheres. For one iitimher pertains to th** sun, aiiniher to a horse, and another to a plant. But tin mundane mmiher is common to all ot tln*m. On this account also we say, that th- re is the same lime every where, i or the world has one life, in tin* same manner as it has oar nature*, and one intellect. If however it has one Tan;, it will also have "in* 3c„>. But it this he tin* case, it will likewise Iiave one temporal measure. And «as each ol the parts m it lives according to total nature, so likewise, il is
* F*»r utrai, read cut®.
Procia S on T!Ir
[book IV.
measured according to total time. And this is the common measure of all tilings, lint after this monad tin ro is a triad, tin -.unnuut of wliirli is tin* measure of tin* first circulation ; l»ut tint middle, of all tin* circle ol tin- di/li rent. I'or of all the planets, as of one animal, there is one lile, ( ie<> *•>) one period, and one upucatasta- tir time. And the thnd, or the i.rircmiti/, i> the measure ol the eircul slum whieh takes place in generation. For on ,u count ol (Ins, the mutations of the • h iiimi's the tralisumtalious ol moti-able natures, and regeneration, are again allotted an 1 1 vposlasis. AI lei this triad how e\ er, tune proceeds, acco id mg to other and other iiumln-r.s, measuring wholes, and distinguishing all things hy appropriate measures. 1 fiese things tin rcl'ore, we shall ag tin i on it I* r.
It ought not limn act to he unnoticed, th.it Plain ha\iug giteii subsistence to wlioh s, and not \< t nicntiom d partial annuals, < oiislituti s the planets, hut after¬ wards the fixed .stars, lit the generation ol partial animats. For w hat are called the planets, are it>siiitni'uiur.x, or gnti rum's n| the world, and are allotted a total powi r. \nd as the iuerralii sp| l( o has a nuinhi i ot si irry animals, so likewise each of tin planets is tin leaih i ol a multitude ot .mmials, oi ot ceitaili other things of this kind Hence also limn thi> the doubt may he sotted, how tin one sphere |of the fixed slats) coinpi' bends a multitude ol stars; hut with respect to the many spheres ot the pi on ts, i nh convoltcs one star. For •• must he said that tin re i. c. in tin I’m d stars] the spin n is a monad, hi mg one, comprehending m ilsi It an appropuate multitude, and is siillieieut to the eompiela tisiou of the multitude, this la mg tin fust multitude, lhit m tin planets, that whu ll is the leader is twofold, the oin* being the sphel’i , (in w liicll the plain I is carried] lint the other,* u h < »l tin 1 cosmucralors, being a monad co-arrangetl with mult it in It-. Fur subordinate n iturt s ret pure a greater number of leaders, ami the multitude in each is imisible, on account ot the subordination. And in the sublunary region, there is a still greater number of orders, which are the leaders ot the genera in each ot the eleiut ills, as we may learn from the 1 heo- guny which has been transmitted to us. Ia t these things therefore, he admitted as « \ ith lit.
lint thus much deseno. to be considered in what is said about the gem ration of tune, that if turn is posterior to soul, how is soul uuui d according to time * anil if it is prior to soul, how is it said to he generated 1 For I 'Into has said that soul is the best of generated natures. Hut if time is co-ordinate w ith soul, how is if tli.it l it inil\ IS lint co-ordinate with, hut prior fn, intellect ? Ami it must be said
* Tin* sphere it a leader, a eo-arranged monad, and a ukulcutn; but ratb of the cosuiucrator» is a leader, and a luou.id, but is not a wiioli iiess.
Kook Iv .1
TIM i:us OF PLATO.