of it to the junior Gods, nnd evinces them to he the lords of all the mortal nature. He also receiving every tiling visible which was moved in a disorderly manner, and which had a prior existence from another cause, brought it into order from disorder. Thus therefore, he delivers tin* ends of the production of the universe to other powers, viz. to tin* junior Gods. Hence, in consequence of receiving and delivering, he is a medium betwe* n the intelligible God, who sub¬ sists according to annual itself, and the many Deiniurgi. N\ hat then, does he not ih liver to the mundane f Jods the g< in ration of that in us, \\ hich is homony¬ mous to the immortals, if they also are certain fathers of the immortals themselves, as we may learn from the Thcogony 1 < )r is he not represented by I’lato thus speaking, in order that we may know, that the one Deiniurgiis is the cause of all things, since lie produced the first of immortals, and those beings that are homo¬ nymous to the immortals } Fur if he had committed the generation of the latter to the junior Gods, he might appear to be the [immediate] cause of the « elestials alone, producing sublunary natures from these, but souls from all these. He has however contrived, through the production of the extremes, to exhibit the •generation of all the natures that are immortal, whatsoever they may be, from the one Deiniurgiis. '1'liis also he afterwards shows when he says, that the Demiur- gus is tin father of immortals, but that he committed toother Gods the generation of mortals. And thus much concerning the whole design ot these w ords.
From these things however, we are imp* lied to speak fieely against those I'lato- nis(s, who assi rt that our soul is of equal dignity with tin* (Jods, ami is of the same essence w ith div ine souls ; and also against those who sav that it becomes ini* licet itself, tin' intelligible its* If, and the une its* If, leaving e\» ry soul behind it, and being established according to union. For Plain is v« iy far from asserting a thing of this kind concerning it, sine* he calls it hoinouv iiiously immortal with div ii,e souls. .Nor does it, according to him, sustain this from generation, but is allotted this order from the Deiniurgiis, and is called divine, but is not simply divine. lor tin divine pertains to mid* tiled souls, ami which are always intellective; and the immortal, to those souls that are established remote hum mortal natures. Itut that which fills into gem-ration, has an essence of this kind, and is capable ot being mingled with mortal natures; is neither simply div in**, nor immortal. \ud again, you see other media and an order of other things. For .some beings are primarily immortal; others, are immortal indeed, but second¬ arily ; others are Iiomonyinously immortal; and others are mortal. For the nature o! I* -mgs extends as far as to these ; and beyond these, is that which in no respect whatever is. It must neither therefore lie said,that our soul is simply div ine, nor that it is simply immortal, though it is frequently demonstrated to be immortal. Hut it neither has immortality primarily, nor the immortality which has a secondary sub-
TIMvT'US OF PLATO.
shtencc, yet exists genuinely, but it has that w hich is mingled w ith the mortal nature; to which some directing their attention, have apprehended that it is mortal. More¬ over, neither must we admit that it is the same with forms separate from matter, or with irrational lives. For it is allotted, as Plato here *-ays, a ruling nature by the fa¬ ther by w horn it was generated. Hence it is natural to it to have dominion over tin* irrational life. It likewise follows Justice and the Gods, as being converted to, tilled from, and attending on them. Every such form of life therefore, as the rational, derives it*- subsistence from tin* one fabrication. For it is necessary that it should be produced by intellect, and by total intellect. For there are these three things, that which is of the same order, but is total; that w hich is of a more excellent order, but is partial ; ami that which is of a more excellent order, and is total For tin* fourth is not attended with any ambiguity with respect to gem-rating; since it does not 1 differ from the thing generated. For this is partial, and the one is of the same ord« r with the other. It is impossible however, that the nature which is arranged in the more excellent order, but is partial, should have the same domi¬ nion over the generation of things as wholes. For it is entirely necessary that what is truly a cause, should predominate. And that which is total indeed, but exi-ts of the same order, has not the true power of generating, as bring of one series [with the tiling generated]. Hence, that alone is the most principle cause, which is a whole in the more excellent order; inconsequence of surpassing its progeny m both respects. The Demiurgiis therefore produces and fabricates other things in conjunction with this. And on this account, the [partial] soul proceeds indeed, primarily from the Demiurgiis, secondarily from the total soul of the universe, and proximately from a partial intellect. Hut by a partial intel¬ lect, I mean that intellect winch is in the* order of intelligihles, what a partial soul is, in the series of souls. This intellect therefore, makes the soul to he partial; hut the total soul makes it to lie rational. And the Demiurgiis makes it to Is* both. Hence lie is primarily cause. Oil this account we here say, that the De- mmrgus presides over the generation of the soul Ilut in the Pliilelms, Plato gives to the partial soul an essence, from the total soul. For as the lire which is in us, is from the mundane fire, and the earth, water,.and air, which are in 11 s, are from the wholes [of these elements], thus also he says, that the partial soul which is there mentioned, is generated from the soul of the universe. And thus much concerning tins particular.
Plato likewise, very properly co-arranges Justice with the mundane Gods.
1 Instead of ro y eft id tins place, it is nrrtisan to read ov yap.
304 PROCLUS ON THE [book ▼.
l’or Justice in, os Orpheus says, the companion of Jupiter; since, according to him.
Laborious Justice follow * Jove. ■ —
And the Athenian guest also asserts, that Justice always follows Jupiter. But Justice is co-estahlished with the mundane Gods, and governs in conjunction with them, the universe according to d< sert. For from the middle of the solar sphere, it entirely extends its providential inspection, and disseminates the distribution of good.
What however, are we to understand by the semination? Is it that which many of the I'latonists so much speak of, the distribution of souls about the stars? For Plato says, that the Deiniurgus disseminated some of them into the earth, others into the sun, and others into the moon. And we admit that there is a two-fold semination, one about the tbids, but the other about generation, which is delivered in the Politicos. .Now, however, Plato refers the cause of the essence of souls to the Deiniurgus. 1 or it is necessary, that they should first be generated, and thus afterwards, that dilli-ient souls should be distributed about ditlereiit leaders. It is belli r therefore, according to the decision of our preceptor, to understand by this semination, generation; since it pertains to father to disse¬ minate, and to generate reasons m productive powers], l’or soul is a reason of reasons, and proceeds from the la'her who is the Deiniurgus of wholes. For this indei d, is the fiist semination Hie second is that w Inch is about the junior < bids. And the third, is about the realms of generation. And of the fust indeed, divine souls participate ; but ol the second, ihernons. For the orders of these, an; dis¬ tributed about the Gods. But the third alone pertains to the souls that are dis¬ tributed about generation. Very properly also does the Deiniurgus sav that he will deliver the In ginning, or that he will begin the production of the rational soul ; because other causes also, generate it in conjunction with the Deiniurgus;
1 mean tor instance, such causes as the vivifie. lie likewise very properly says tills, because* he gi-nerates the vi hide ol tin* soul, and all the life contained in it, which the junior Gods weave together with the mortal form of life. Hence it appears to me that the immortal is assumed lit both the rational soul and its vehicle], this being common, and not the rational; and that it is indicated that tins proceeds from the one fabrication, by the words, “ anti so Jar as among these, it isjil there should be that which is honiuni/nious to the immortals .” For every vehicle together with its appropriate life, and the rational soul from which it is suspended, is essentially jierpctual. Both therefore, are generated by the Deiniurgus, accord-
book ▼.]
TINL1-US OF PLATO.
ing to a similitude of the stars, the souls, and the vehicles of which the I)emi- ,,r S» s produces. 1I<‘.disseminates the soul therefore, generating as the father of reasons; but producing the vehicle, he delivers th c beginning. Tor this is now the beginning of the mortal-formed life.
“ It is your ' business to accomplish the rest, and to weave together tiie immortal m and mortal nature.”
W hat this immortal, and also what this mortal nature is, is unfolded by the in¬ terpreters of Plato. And some indeed, h aving the rational soul alone immortal, destroy all the irrational life, and the pneumatic ve hide of the soul, giving a sub¬ sistence to both these, through the tendency of the soul to generation, lint they alone preserve intellect immortal, as alone remaining, and being assimilated to the finds, and not sufle ring corruption. Such is the explanation of the more an¬ cient interpri ters, who follow the words of Plato, and deride through what cause he destroys the irrational part, which they call the* mortal nature, I mean the Attieuscs and Albinusrs, and such like. Hut others more* moderate and mild than these, sac'll as Porphyry and his followers, refuse indeed to admit this cor¬ ruption, as it is called, which dissipates the vehicle and the irrational soul; hut they say that these arc renovated and analysed after a certain manner into the sphere- from w liich they were allotted their composition. They add, that these are mixtures derived from the celestial spheres, and collected by the soul as she de-cends ; so that these exist, and yet do not exist. For they have no indi¬ viduality, nor does the* pec uliarity of them remain. And the authors of these assertions appear to follow the [( haldean] Oracles, which in speaking of the* de¬ scent o| flu* soul say, that it collects as it descends, a portion of c ther, of the sun and the moon, and such things as are contained in the air. Against these how¬ ever, the* words of Plato must be* adduced, m which he evidently does not destroy the* whole ot the irrational nature. And again, in the third place, there are others, who taking away all corruption from the* irrational nature*, do not sunply give an hypostasis to it, from divine bodies, lc*st being generated from move*ahle e*auses, it should be* essentially mutable, but from the Gods themselves who govern the world, and produce all things eternally.
.^uch therefore, and so many being the opinions on this subject, there is an explanation of it, which immediately preserves the mortal nature, and accords
' la the text of Proclu*, tiptu is erroneously printed for v/mu.
* Here also for Oarary, read afarary.
[BOOK V .