To this ds.» we mav add, that the Demiurgus produced these two elements the first, earth and lire; hut the others for the sake of these, m order that they might hare the ratio of bonds with respect to them. And that the four elements are both in the heavens, and in the sublunary region; but in the former indeed, according to a fiery characteristic, since lire there predominates, as Plato says, but in the latter according to a terrestrial peculiarity. For the profundity of air, and the hulk of water are spread round the earth, and possess much of an earthly property, on which account they are in their own nature dark. In the heavens therefore, there is a predominance of lire, but in the sublunary region of earth. Since however, generation is connasccntly conjoined with the heavens, the end of the latter is earth [i. e. is the moon], so far as earth is in the heavens, but the beginning of generation is lire, considered as subsisting in gi iteration. For it is usual to call the moon Earth, as having the same ratio to the Sun, which Fourth has to tire. “ lint [the DeiniurgiisJ says Orpheus fabricated another infinite earth, which the immortals call Selene , but terrestrials Menc." And it is usual to deno¬ minate the summit of generation lire, which Aristotle also does, when he rails ether tire. In another place however, he does not think it proper to call ether lire, hut liiTV-formed, as we have freipieiitly observed. Hence, the end o( the heavens is not entirely destitute of mutation, m consequence of its propinquity to generation; hut the beginning of generation is moved in a circle, imitating the heave ns.
Farther still, this likewise must he considered, that we ought not to judge of the dignity of things from places, but from powers and essence, as we have else¬ where demonstrated. By w hat peculiarities therefore, are we to form a judgment of transcendencies ? Bv w hat others than those which the divine orders exhibit l For transcendency truly so called is with the <»ods. From the divine orders therefore, we must assume the monadic, the stable, the n/l-perjtcl, the prolific, the connective, the ftcr/cctivc, the even/uay ci tended, the rivi/ic, the adorning, the assimilative, and the comprehending power. For these are the |>eculiarities of all the divine orders. According to all these however, Earth Surpasses the other elements, so that she may justly be called the most ancient, and the first oi the Gods.
Again, a twofold nature of things may In? surveyed, the one indeed, according to progression, which always makes things that have a secondary arrangement subordinate to those that arc prior to them; but the other according to conversion.
PROCLUS ON Till-:
[UOOK IV,
which conjoins extremes to primary natures through similitude, and produces one circle of the whole generation. Since also the world is spherical, but a figure of this hind is the peculiarity of things that subsist according to conversion, Earth likewise must Ik* conjoined in it to the heavens, through one circle, and one siuu litude. For thus also the centre is most similar to the poll s. For the heavens indeed, entirely comprehend wholes, being moved about tin* pules; but the earth is allotted permanency in the centre. 1 or it is appropriate to generation that the imimm-able should be more ancient than that which is moved Hence, accord¬ ing to all these < oiiceplioiis it may be said, that 1 n th, .is « o ordm ite w ith I b a\ell, is the most aucii nt ol the (bids within the lienu ns. I'm* slie is within tin in, as being on all sides compii In mb d b\ tin m. I or ns (In Hemiiilgns lasliimn d (ho whole of a corporeal nature within tin* soul ol the world, thus also lie fabricated Earth within the Iiimu iis, as « ompressi <1 and eoulaiiied h\ tin in, and m conjunc¬ tion with them fabricating wholes.
.She has however, so far as sin- is thi /// %/ of tin (bids, an indication of trans¬ cendency according to essence; but so tar as sin* is tin must am nut, she exhibits to (Hit \ lew tin* dignity wlnt !i she is allotted, l or how is it possible not to admit that she is allotted a gre.it portion in tin world and is very honour-able, in whom tln rc are the towel* ol Jupiter, and the progression of Saturn * For not only Tartarus, which is the t xlrcinity of the earth, is on all sides comprehended by Saturn, ami the Saturnian power, but also w halcvt r else may lie concern'd subor¬ dinate to this. l or limner sa\s that this is < miner tedlv emit.iilit d through the siih tartan an (iods. Aot that he arranges (bids hevond I artarus, as the words indicate; lint ill it Tartarus itself is on all sides comprehended by them.
Farther still, we tuav survey tin* analogy wlmli Earth has to the intellectual Earth. For as the latter eoiupn la nds and gi\» •* subsist! nee to perfei live, guar¬ dian, and ritauuitr orders ol (bids, of w liicli tlie (>rphic tbeologists an* lull, so lihew ise tin* former possesses \ arimis powers. And as a mu indeed, she imitatt s the |H*rfective order, according to which the Athenians also are accustomed to call In i xoui.0 r^ovoj*, or tin nuiiris/nr uj limith , and tea, or scattering gifts, as
prodm mg and nourishing plants and animals. But as a guard sin* imitates the. guardian, and as conglobt d about the pole which is i.ituulid (xtrotuivrj through tlie universe, the l it an me order. Since however, the intellectual Earth, prior to other divinities generated Aigle and the Hesperian Erithya, thus also our Earth is the fabricator of day and night. And tin* analogy of the latti r to the former is evident. 1 And thus much « oncerniiig these particulars.
* Fur Aigie siguifies splendor, which ii analogous tu day, ami HtsjKius is the evtuiug.
Hook 1v/|
TIM TX'S Of PLATO.
If also you are willing after another manner to understand that she is the first and most anrient of the (»ods, as vinu her suhsistenre from tlie first and most anrient causes, this reason also will he attended with probability, since first causes proceed hv tin ir enemies to the utmost extent of things : and besides this, the last of things frequently present; the analogy of such as are first, as possess¬ ing their order from them alone. lienee, *tcry way the assertion of Plato is true, whether you are willing to look to tin* bulk of Karth, or to the powers which she contains. But it is requisite to think, that the word machinata/, bears w itness to the threat intellectual power, employed m the fabrication of the Karth. For we shall find, that as neither the Sun by itsell, is able to make night and day, nor the Karth alone; (for the privation of light is one tiling, and night another) the production of both, through the Sun and the Karth, is the work of demiurgic machination. I’or the order of the earth in the middle, the dance of the sun, ami the circulation o| the sphere of the fixed stars about it, produce about tin* Karth, nights and days. Farther still, the position of the Karth in the rentri, makes the mutation of nights and days to be analogous, winch would not Im the case, if some one depriving the Karth of its situation in the middle, should establish it elsewhere. These things therefore, and many more than these, may lie collected through the word machination.
“Tint with respect to the measured motions of these divinities, their coneiirsions with each other, the revolutions and advancing motions of their circles, how they arc situated with relation to each other, in their conjunctions and oppositions, on account of which they obumbratc cac'h other, and at what times, and in what manner they become con¬ cealed, and again emerging to our view, cause terror, and exhibit tokens ot future events, to such as are able to discover their signification,—of all ihis to attempt an explanation, without inspecting the imitations ot these divinities, would be a vain labour."
[“But of this enough, and let what has been said be the end of our discourse, concerning the visible and generated Gods.’ 1 ]
The thing now' proposed by Plato, i> not to introduce a theory derived from astronomy, nor the arguments which are badly employed by some concerning
* The words within the brackets are onatlcd in the text of Proclus, but ought to be inserted in it.
[book IV
hypotheses, and astrological observations, in which they do not speak conform¬ ably to Plato; because the philosopher at present avoids the discussion of these particulars. Fora "real work stilt remains to be accomplished, and it is not projM-r to dwell on these* things. For astronomy is one tiling, and physiology another, as Aristotle also determines in the second book of his Physics. To which may be added, that much leisure is requisite, first to survey these things in images, and thus afterwards to assign the reasons of them. For, as he savs, to speak about them, without surveying their imitations, is a vain labour. For it is necessary to behold these divine bodies with the abacus, * the armillary sphere,* the paradigm, 1 ami tin* astrolabe, 4 and thus In take ourselves to th<* theory of wholes. Observation likewise is necessary, which instruments afford to those who are conversant with these things. Furthest* reasons therefore, the philoso¬ pher avoids the discussion of tin se particulars.
W hat he now says however, must be considered in a twofold respect, mathema¬ tically and philosophically ; for it pertains both to the corporeal, and psychical motions of the stars. And it you arc willing, let is in tin* first place, niuthcmati- I callv and then philosophic ally consider the measured motions or dances of these di- I vine I todies. By these tin refore, we must undci'stand their order! v and harmonious circulations; fm tin* sake* of which Plato inserted the discussion of the Farth. l or In* does not say that the I'.arth bein^ coti^lobed dances, hut that the stars dance about tin* earth. 1*or they dance hrinij moved with one concordant motion about tin* same tiling. But by their i imcursiuus we must understand their co-arrangements according to b n-lli. when they diflir according to breadth or depth, I mean their joint risings and settings. And “ the reeohitions and advancing motions of their circles," signify tin ir dim t and ri tro-raile motions. For in their j direct motions, they proceed to their apoi atasiases ; but m their retrograde mo¬ tions, they circulate aiming themselves. But lie now calls tin* splu-res circles, according to which the stars are moved, and not tin* epicycles. For lie no where makes mention o( these, as neither does lie nn-nlion the eccentrics of the circles. For it would be ridiculous to make certain little orbs, moved m each sphere with a motion contrary to it, or to admit that they are parts of a sphere comprehend-
A mathematical table, in which the .annuls described lines and figures.
In llie original, m rijt tpieurr/r <r^mpu», i. e. in a sphere surrounded with ring's, which therefore is evideut y what the modern» call the ai mil/ari/ sphere.
l y the paiadigm, I suppose l’nn lus means an astronomical globe, or as it is now called, the celestial globe.
1 he astrolabe is a m.ilhcma tical instrument, representing nearly the whole of the celestial doctrine in a plane, w hence also it is tailed a planisphere.
book IV.]
mg indeed tin* centre, hut not mnvnl almnt it. For this would subvert the com¬ mon axiom of physics, that every simple motion is either about the mobile of the universe, or trom the middle, or to the mobile, lint this h\ pothesis of eccentrics, either divides the spheres into arches, moved in contrary directions, and destrovs the continuity of each, or introduces circles to the celestial bodies, of a nature different from them, and connects motions from things dissimil ir, and without sym¬ pathy with each other, through the dissimilitude of their compositions.