of herself liecomes the nurse of our w hole composition. On this account it ap¬ pears to me that Plato calls her our nurse, indicatin'; hy this her intellectual nu¬ tritive energy. For if she is. our nurse, hut we are truly souls and intellects, according to these c^pi-i i.dly, she " ill he the perlector ot our essi nee, mov mg and exciting our intellectual part. l>ut Iw-mg a divine animal and comprehending in hersi It many partial animals, she is said hy I'lato to he eonglolicd about the pole w liicli is extended through the universe; because she is contained and com¬ pressed about its axis. For the axis also is the pole. Vml the pole is thus now denominated, because the universe revolves about it. llecause however the pole [projierly so railedj is impartible, hut the axis is a pole with interval, just as if someone should say that a line is a flowing point, -on this account, the pole is said hy I'lato to he extended through the universe,' as entirely pervadin '- through the centre of the Farlh.
Hut • 1 "* "°id which he here uses, manifests the conglobod, and the
connectedly contained. 1 'or it does not signify, as Aristotle supposed it did, that which is moved, For I'lato, m a particular manner preserves the Earth im¬ moveable; and m the I'ha-do adds the cause, through which it is immoveably established. “ lor he says that a thing which is equally inclined , when placed in the middle of a certain simitar nature, cannot tend more or less to one part than another, hut subsisting vn all sides similarly affected, will remain Jree Ji <on all inclination .” 'i he ( i rei ian use of words also testifies, that to iXXo/x *vrg signilii s TO cuv'xy'.utv^v, that which is collected or congregated, ami not that which is tinn ed. J 'or it calls bonds iXXaootjg Titmvus likewise himself in what follows says, “ that the ha,rs a huh arc rooted and conglomerated in the head, within the shirt, are conglobed (.xxeir- Sai From these things therefore, it is evident hovv he applies the word ixx«r5eu in what he now says, to the Earth. lint it as some say, the assertion hat “ Vesta alone abides in the dwelling oj the (• ods, 1 is spoken of this earth, I'lato will l>e very tar from giving motion to the Earth. If however we do not admit that the Vesta there mentioned is the Earth, yet it must Ik; granted, that there is a guardian power in the Earth of the nature of \ esta. For as vve say, that in the Heavens, the poles* lire connectedly contained hy Vesta, thus also among the elements,
t'.aUi save £««i wavrci, ami nut tian* »«w» : fur Proclus observe*, that he could noth ave em¬ ployed the latter inode of expression, without pronunciation through a soft breathing.
Sir what is said bv Simplicius concerning this word in I he notes to mv translation of Aristotle's treatise On the Heavens, p. 236.
' This n asserted in the Phardrus of I'lato.
For »o\Xoi>» here, it is obvioiisly necessary to read wo\uut.
[BOOk IV.
the Earth And as* the supermundane Vesta, is to the great leaded of the twelve Gods, so in mundane natures is the Earth to the Heavens, li likewise, we direct our attention to the Pythagoric Tinnvns, we shall in a still greater degree refuse to admit, that the Earth is moved. For he says “ that the Earth is established in the middle.” And how is it reasonable, that understanding i?.Xo utvry as signify¬ ing dXo'jurvr^, we should make the Earth to revolve, as conformable to the doctrine of Plato? Let Heraclides Politicos therefore, who was an auditor of 1 * * 4 Plato, lx* of this opinion ; for he ascribed a circular motion to the Earth ; but let it be ad¬ mitted that Plato established it immoveable. For if he had made the perfect vear to consist not only of the eight periods [of the stars] but had enumerated the earth as the ninth, giving to it .in apocatastasis with tin 1 others, and making one apocatastasis from all of them with that ol the circle of the same [then we might apprehend that the Earth is movtd according to Plato. 1 ] Alter this manner therefore, we should interpret the pule and the axis, and the Earth which is con¬ tained about these.
It is necessary hovvever from these assertions to betake ourselves to the nature of the Earth, and survey the poll's as powers that give stability to the universe, exciting indeed the whole bulk of it to intelligible love, and impaitibly connect¬ ing that which is paitible, and unitedly and without interval that whic h is extend¬ ed hv interval Hence also, Plato in the ltepuhlic, makes the spindle ot E »< e- sis of adamant, indicating, ns wc have said, their indexible and untamed power. And we must consider the axis, as that one divinity which collects the centres of the universe, which is connective of the whole world, and motive ot the divine circulations; as that also about which wholes dance and an* convolved, and as sustaining all Heaven, being on this account denominated Atlas, as possessing an immutable and unwearied energy. The word r:ra;oMv also, or extended, used here by Plato, indicates that this one power is Tilannie, guarding the cir¬ culation of w holes. lint if, as the divine Ianihliclius says, we umlertand by the pole extended through the universe, the Heavens, neither thus shall we wander from the conception of Plato. For as PI it.. says in the Cratylus, those who are skilled in astronomy call the Heavens the pole, as harmoniously revolving. Ac¬ cording to tins conception therefore, you may cull Heaven the pole extended
1 In 1 lie original, ui is onultccb
* l or ov II Vurwt c> hire, read rev riAurwi-or.
i The words wiihin the brackets are omitted in the origiual, hut ought evident)? to be inverted. Hence it is necessary to supply in this place the words, rere vnoXaiioifttv tutioQat ttjv yijK men IlAa- rw>a.
4 For ewi rijK qviti /Jtrinai in tins place, I rcad.cririji >iji Qvoiv ptTitmi.
Sook Iv.]
through flu? universe, as being iiiriirvatrd through the whole of itself in conse- rpirnce of being without an angle. For after this manner the superfi ies of a cirele is extended. About this however Earth is conglobed, not lorallv, hut through a desire of hemming assimilated to it converging to the middle, in order that as Heaven is moved ahout the centre, so she by tending to the centre, may lie- come .similar to that which is essentially spherical, being herself as much as pos¬ sible conglohed. Hence she is compressed ahout Heaven in such a way as to Ik 1 wholly extended ahout [i. e. towards] it.
According to each of these conceptions therefore, Plato d< livers the cati-e through which Earth is contained in the middle. For the axis is a power con¬ nective of Earth ; and Earth is on all sides compressed hy the circulation of Hea\i n, and is collected together into the centre of the universe. Earth therefore being such, Tima-us afterwards clearly shows what utility she affords to the universe; for he calls her the guardian and artificer of day and night. And indeed, that she is the maker of night, is evident. For she produces a conical shadow ; and her magnitude and figure are the causes of the dimension and qualitv of the figure of this shadow. Ihit after what manner is she likew ise the fabricator of day? Or does she not produce this day which is conjoined with night ? For about her the risings and settings of the Sun are surveyed. And that Plato assumes tin*- day whic h is convolved with night, is evident from lus arrang¬ ing tin* former under the latter; as also prioi to this when he says, night there¬ fore and day were thus generated. Earth therefore, is the fabricator of both these, producing both in conjunction with the Sun ; the Sun indeed, lieing in a greater degree the cause of dav, hut the earth of night.
Being however, the fabricator, she is also the guardian of them, preserving their boundaries and contrariety with reference to each other, and a'so their augmenta¬ tions and diminutions, according to a certain analogy, llencc, some denominate her Isis, as equalizing the ineipialitv, and bringing to an analogy the increase and decrease of both day and night. But others looking to her prolific power call her Ceres, as Plotinus, who denominates the intellect of the Earth, ^ csta, hut the soul ot it, Ceres. We however sav, that the lir^t causes of these divinities are intellectual, ruling ‘ and lilierated ; hut that from these causes illuminations and powers extend to the Earth. Hence there is a terrestrial Ceres and \ esta,
ami a terrestrial Isis, in the same manner as there is a terrestrial Jupiter, and a terrestrial Hermes; these terrene deities being arranged ahout the one divinity ot the earth; just as a multitude of celestial Cods proceeds ahout the one divinity of the heavens. For there are progressions and terminations ot all the celestial
1 For fai/iontai lit re, it i* necessary to rod ijyf/iorirai.
Yol. II. 2 O
Tim. Plat,
[book IV.
(iods into Karth; and all tilings are in her terrestrially, which are contained in the heavens celestially. For the intellectual Karth receives the paternal powers of Heaven, and contains all things alter a "eii« lative tnanner. Thus therctore, we sav that there is a terrestrial Hacchus, and a terrestrial Apollo, who is the source of prophetic * waters in many parts of the earth, and of openings w hich predict future events. Hut the Puotiian* and judic ial powers which procet d into it, render other places of it of a purifying or ineiliciuat nature. All the other powers of Karth however, it is impossible to enumerate, l or divine powers are indeed inexplicable. Hut the orders of angels and d emons tli.it follow these powers are still more numerous, ami are circularly allotted the whole earth, and dance round its one divinity, its one inti licet, and one soul.
It remains in tin: next place, that we should survey how I.arth is said to he the most ancient, and the tirst of the (iods within the heavens. for this will he taken literally by those who are accustomed to look only to its material, "toss, and dark hulk Hut we indeed, uranl them that there is somethin" ot such a kind m the hulk of the Karth as they say there is ; hut we think it proper that they should likewise look to the other minds of the Karth thion-h which it sur¬ passes the prero"ntives ol the other « lenient>, viz its stability, its "cm rative power, its concord with the heavens, and its position in the centre of the universe. I or the centre has "real power in the universe, as heiii" connective of every circulation. Hence also, the Pvth;i"oreans call the centre the tower ot Jupiter, in conseipuru e of containing m itself a deimurmc " iiard. We shall likewise remind our opponents of the Platonic hypotheses concerning the earth, mentioned by Socrates in the Pint do, w here he sav s that the pi aee of our abode is hollow and dark, and hound by the sea ; hut that there is another true earth, cniitamiii" the receptacles of the (iods, and pos- sessin" a beaut v rrsemblin" that of the hea v ens. \\ e oil" lit not l lu ref ore to wonder, if now the Karth is said to lie the most ancient and the first of the ( iods vv itlun the heavens, since she possesses so "Teat an altitude, and such a surpassing beauty, and as Socrates afterwards says was fashioned by the I)eiuiur"us resemhliu" a sphere covered with twelve skins, just as the heaven accord ill}; to 1 ima-iis was painted bv the l)emiur"iis similar to a dodeealiedroii. We must likewise under¬ stand that tin* I)cmmr"us "av e to Karth ah mi* union" the elements, to have all the elements separate!v, causin" her to he wholly a world, variegated anala"oiis to the heavens. For she contains a liver ol lire, of air, and of vvati r, and of another earth, which has the same relation to her, which she has to the universe, as
1 Ilu>n«u is erroneously punted m the original for pa it tea.
’ For uiunu, it is evidently necessary to read in this place »uiw»<o«.
it on it n.]
TIM XUS or PLATO.
Socrates says in tin* Pha-do. lint if this l>c the rase, she very much transcends the other elements as imitating the heavens, and possessing every thing in herself terrestrially, which is celestially' contained in the heavens.