It however, we are right in these assertions, these divinitios have every where an analogous subsistence ; and he who wishes to survey the progressions of them into the heavens, or the sublunary region, should look to the first and principal causes of th< ir kingdoms. For from thence, and according to tin m, their genera¬ tion is derived. It is requisite therefore, that we uNo should look to these. Some therefore say that I'lato omits to investigate the (»ods who are analogous to the two kings in the heavens, I mean Phams and Niglif, For it is necessary to pi ice them m a superior order, anil not among tin* mundane (iods; la-cause prior to the world, they are the leaders of the intellectual (iods, being eternally established in the adytum, as Orpheus savs of Flumes, who In/ the iron / aiUftum signifies their iccull and immanifest order. Whether therefore we refer tiie circulation of same and diflerent [mentioned by Plato in this dialogue] to the analogy of these, as male and female, or paternal and generative, we shall not wander from the truth. Or whether we refer the sun and moon, as opposed to each other among the planets, to the same analogy, we shall not err. [ For the sun indeed through his light preserves a similitude to Plumes, but the moon to Night. Jupiter, or the I)e- Tniurgus, in the intellectual, is analogous to Plumes in the intelligible order. And the vivilie crater Juno is analogous to Night, who produces all life in conjunction with Plumes from uuapparent causes ; just as Juno is parturient with, and emits into light, all the soul contained in the world. 1 ] For it is better to conceive both these as prior to the world, and to arrange the Deiniurgus himself as analogous to Phanes; since he is said to be assimilated to him according to the production of wholes; but to arrange the power conjoined with Jupiter, (i. e. Juno) and which is generative of wholes, analogous to Night, who produces all things invisi-
1 1 lie greater part of wh.it is here contained within the brackets is mi so mutilated a state in 1 lie nrigioai. as to he illegible. The sense however, i have endeavoured as much as possible to restore in (be translation.
Tim. Plat.
Vol. II.
Proclus on Thk
[(OOt T.
bly from the father Plianes. After these however, we must consider t!ie remaining as analogous to the intellectual kingdoms
It likewise, it should he asked why Plato dors not mention tin* kingdoms of Plianes and Night, to whom we have said Jupib r and Juno are analogous f It may Iw* readily answered, that the tradition ot Orpheus contains these ; on which account Plato celebrates the kingdom ol Heaven and Lai th as the first, the Oreck* being more accustomed to this than to the Orphic traditions; as lie himself says in the Cralylus, where lie partu iil.ii 1 y mentions th< theogony ot Ilesiod, and n-curs as far as to this kingdom, according to that poet. lli-ginning therefore, from this thcogouv as more known, and assuming ll. aien and Earth as the first kingdoms above tin- world, lie produces the visible Heaven and Earth aualo-’ous to those in the inta ili a tied order, and ceh lirates the latter as the most am lent of the (joils within the loriucr. I rom these also, he begins the theogonv ot the sublunary (bids. 'I’liese things however, if div inify ph ases, will be manliest from what follows. At pr«s t m shall only add, that it is lupiisite to siirvev all these names divinely or d emoniacally, ami according to the allotments of these divi¬ nities in the tour elements. 1'or this eiiiicud is m el In r ami water, hi earth and in air, all-v a non sly, according to the divine, and also according to the da inoniacal peculiarity. And again, these liana s are to be surveved arjuaticallv and a< riallv, and likewise in the earth terrestrially, in order that all these powers max he every¬ where, according to an all various mode of subsistence. For there are manv modes ot providence divine and (hemoiiiaeal, and many allotments according to the divisioii ot the elements ; lest all things not 1 Ireiug everywhere, the number of the same and the similar should he destroyed. Vnd thus much concerning these partunlais. Put let us now return to the text ot Pluto, and explore its meaning to the utmost ot our ability.
“That Ocean and Tethys were the progeny of Heaven and Earth.”
As this whole world is ample and various, as adumbrating the intellectual order of forms, it contains these two extremities in itself. Earth and Heaven ; the latter having the relation of a father, hut the former of a mother. On this account Plato calls Earth the most ancient of the (bids within the heavens, in order that conformably to this he might say, that Earth is the mother of all that Heaven is the father ; at the same time « vim ,ug that partial causes are not only subordinate to their progeny, as Poverty* [in the li ui.piet of Plato] to Love, hut are likewise
* Mi) is omit it ,1 in tin original,
* For irpcn ia lure, it is uci'i-sury to read Ilotu.
T1M.EUS OF PLATO.
superior to them, as alone receiving the ofl-prin£ proceeding front the fathers. These two extremities therefore, must 1 m? conceived in the world, Heaven as the father, and Earth as the mother of her common progeny, l'or all the rest termi¬ nate in these, some "iv in^ completion to the celestial number, hut others to the w holeness of Earth. After the same manner likew ise, in each of the eleim nts of the world, these two principles. Heaven and Earth, must In* admitted, subsistin'; aerially indeed in air, but a«juatically in water, and terrestrially in earth ; and ac¬ cording to all the above-mentioned modes; in order that each niav be a perfect world, adorned and distributed from analogous' principles. For if man is said to be a microcosm, is it not necessary that each of the elements bv a much greater priority should contain m itself appropriately all that the world contains totally? Hence, it appears tome that Plato immediately after, speaking about Heaven and Earth, delivers the theory of these Hods, beuinuin^ from those two divinities; for the other divinities proceed analogous to Heaven and Earth. These two divini ties however, are totally the causes of all the Hods that are now produced. Arid these divinities that an? the progeny ot Heaven and Earth, are analogous to the whole of each. These two likewise, as wc have before observed, are in each of the elements aerially, or aipiatically, or terrestrially. For Heaven is in Earth, and Earth in Heaven. 1 And here indeed. Heaven subsists terrestrially, but there Earth
' In tin; original, is erroneously printed for amXnyuv.
* This is a very ancient F.”s}>ti.m doctrine. \ml hence kirilur in liis <Edipus F^ypti.icus says that he read I he following «onls engraved in a stone mar Memphis: Curium tin sum, rorlum drornim, quod tursum id vmnr diorsum, h/tc rape rt hrnbrri*,i r. Iltnrcn ii nhorc, and llrarrn ii brninth. I.rrry thin" whirh itnhnrr /.» aim hrnrnth. t ndmtnnd thn,tmd ij on trill hr blru'fil. ('unformablv to 1 ln-s alio the celebrated Sm.inigdine Taide, which is of such "real authoritv with the Ah ln miNis, and which whe¬ ther originallv written nr not hv Hermes Trismrgi'tin, is doubtless of great anli«|liilv, savs that all that is lieneatll resembles all th.it is above. Hut the table itself is as follows; Veruni sine incmlacio, rerliim et vrris.iuuim : ipiotl est iuferiiis, e*t sunt i<l <pi<ul est «uprrius, <t <piod r.st sii|h mis, est Sicut id (juod i st inti rius, ad prrpelr.iniluiii niiraeiiluui imiiis rei. I t sicut n s unmes lucrum ah uno media- I nine minis, sic mimes res n.il.c ah hae re adoptalioiic. I’alir ejus est *ol, mater «jus Inna. I’ortavit illud ventus in ventre suo. Nulrix rjus tirra, p.Ilcr omuis tclcsnn tolius inumli est iuc. \irtusejus Integra esl, si versa IiutiI in terrain. Si parahis terrain ah igne, subtile a spisso suavitcr cum niagno m- gcnio. Ascendil a terra medium, ileruimpie desceiulit in terrain, et rccipil vim superioruin el inl’e rio¬ rum. Sir halirlus glnriaui tolius niumii, irten fugiel a tc oiunis nhscuritas. Ilxc est totms forliludmis fortiludo fori is, ijuia viucet mniiem rein suhlilem, omniaipic solida peiictraliit. Sic iniindu -creates est. ilinr erunt adoptatimirs mirahih-s, quartim modus Inc est. Ilaipic voeatus sum Ih rn.es Trmnegistus liHbcns Ires parti s philosopliia-totius mumli. Ciinijili turn est cpiod dixi dc operc solas." i. f “ It true without a he, certain, and must true, that what is beneath is like that winch is above, and what is above i» like that which is beneath, for the |Nirposc of accomplishing the miracle of one thing. Aud as alt things were from one through the mediation of one, so all tlimgs were generated from this tbuig
Proci.Us on the
[hook V.
celestially. For Orpheus calli the moon celestial earth.* Nor is it proper to wonder that this should Ik* the ease.* For we may survey the same things every¬ where according to the anah)^ous in intelliuihles, in int ■lleetuals, in the suj>er- miindane tinier, in the heavens, ami in generation, conformably to the proper order of each.
\\ itli respect however, to < at h of these divinities, some of the interpreters of Plato understand !»v Karth, this solid hulk which is the oluect <*t seiisihle iuspec- tion; others, as that w hit h lias an arrangement aitahmnns to matter.anil is siipposetl to exist prior to generated natures; others, as intclli^ihlr matter; others, as the power of mt< Heel ; others, as life; others, as an meorpotval form inseparable from earth; others conetire it to he soul; anti others intelleet. In a similar manner with respeet to llealeii, some suppose it to he tin* \i*|l»lc heuvelis; otlu is, tilt' motion ahout the midtlle t»f the universe; others, power aptly prurrrihiiif in run- junction witli motion ; others, that whieli possesses intelleet; others, a pure and separate intellei t ; otlu I s, the li iture of eirt illation ; otlu is, soul ; ailtl others, inti I- lect. I know likewise, that the divint* Iaiiihliehiis understands liy Farth, every tiling stable ami linn, accord in;; to the r»i nee ol the mum! me (mils, anti which accortlinu, to inir^v and a perpetual circulation, comprehends more excellent powers anti total lives. Hut by Himvcii, lie understands tin* total and perfect energy proeeedtmr from the Tleiniiirjjus, whieli is toll ol appropriate power, and subsists about the Deimuruus, as lieim; the hoillidary ot itselt and ot wholes. I know likewise th it the admirable Theodoras estahlisht s both t ht st* powers m tin? first life w hu h subsists act online to hahituile. I or m tin* lilt- according to habi¬ tude of tin soul ot the world, through which deseeiitliiii; into itself, it a^ain etuis 111 the foiital soul, with tlitlereiiee, three first habitudes, are immediately to ht*
bv adoption [j, i*. bv par lieipalion]. 1 lie miii is ■ t -> lather, amt 1 lie iiioon its mix tier. '1 tie niml carried ■ I in iti liellv The cjllli ii ili nur-e. Tim ■% tin- f.illi* r uf all the perfection til I lie whole world. Ils power is « nt ire when it is t mini Ini into earth. ^ ou limit separate tin earth from the tire, the suhtd from the liiuk sweetl\ with "reat genius. It ascends Ir.nn e.uth to heaven, and again dcifcnds to the earth, and receives the power ot things superior and interior. I Inis sou will lr.ur the gloiv ot llie whole world, and thus all obscurity will Hie from you. llm is the strong fortitude of all fortitude, because it vaiuiuishis every suhtile tiling, and penetrates all solid substances. Thus llie world was fabricated, lienee admirable adoptions will lake place, ot wliwb this i> tin mode. I «m therefore call¬ ed Hermes Trisiiirglslus, pos-osing three parts of the philosophy of tin whole world. That which I ha\e said concerning ttie work ol the sun is complete
* Instead of cm yuu ntganne iai rrjr rrr.Xiji i/i npofnjyntH inrt r, tilt sense rerjuireswe shout 1 read
,ai ynp 01)11111111 yr/t nje n\iji iji, ». X.
1 The two ... following tines tu tins place in the original, are in so mutilated a state as to
be |K'rfeclly unintelligible.
Ilf ink V.]
TIM US or PLATO.