With respect to the following translation, 1 have only to observe, that [have endeavoured to the utmost of my ability to unite in it faithfulness with perspicuity, and to preserve the manner as well as the matter of the original, Independent of the difliculties snseparable from such an undertaking, and which arise from the abstruseness of the subjects that are discussed in this work, the original abounds with errors, not of a trifling, but of the most important nature; errors, which so materially affect the sense, that no one can read these Commentaries, unless he corrects them, and yet no one can correct the greater part of them, unless he is well acquainted with the philosophy of Plato. Of this the reader may be con- vinced by perusing the notes which accompany this translation, in which he will find upwards of eleven hundred necessary emendations. I call them necessary, because they are not the offspring of conjecture, but such as the sense indubitably demands, Of translations too, of this work, I could not avail myself; for ofthe whole of it there are none; and a Latin translation of a part of the 3d book. by Nicholwus Leonicus Thomeus," is the only aid that has been afforded me in this arduous undertaking, From this translation I have been able, as the learned reader will perceive, to give many important emendations of the printed original, and not unfrequently to add to it, not only particular words, but entire sentences that were wanting.
And now 1 shall conclude with observing, that though like most others who have laboured greatly for the good, not merely of their country, but of all man- kind, I have only met with ingratitude from the public for those labours ; and that though on this account Iam not much indebted, yet I sincerely wish well to my native Jand, and to every individual in it. That 1 have neither been influ- enced by the expectation of sordid emolument, nor of the honours of the multi- tude, in the prosecution of these labours, must be evident from the nature of them, to the most careiess observer. The most perfect conviction indeed, that a greater. good than the philosophy of Plato and Aristotle was never imparted by divinity
* This translation forms the last part of the Opuscula of Thomzus, printed at Venice in the year 1525 ; which work is so scarce, that Fabricius in his account of the Life and Writings of Proclus, (Biblioth. Grec. Tom, 8.) says, he never sav it.
* According to Plato in the 7th Book of his Republic, “that which springs up spontaneously, should not be forward to pay any one for its nurture.”
vill INTRODUCTION.
to man, and the consequent persuasion, that 1 could not confer a more real bene- ‘fiton the present age and posterity than by a dissemination of it in my native tongue, as they induced me to engage in such a difficult undertaking, have also been attended with the purest delight, froma conviction that 1 was acting rightly, and therefore ina way pleasing to divinity. Hence in accomplishing this Hercu- lean task, I have been satisfied with exploring myself, and imparting to others, the treasures of ancient wisdom ; and with endeavouring to deserve the favourable regard of that ineffable principle, whose approbation is not only the highest honour that either mortals or immortals can obtain, but the most durable and substan-
tial gain.
NAMES OF THE PHILOSOPHERS QUOTED BY PROCLUS IN THESE COMMENTARIES.
Aprastus APHRUDISIENSIS, one of the genuine Peripatetics, according to Simplicius On the Categories of Aristotle.
AGLAOPHEMUS, one who initiated Pythagoras in the mysteries of Orpheus.
Αὐδιν 5, a Platonic philosopher, who flourished about the time of Galen.
ALEXANDER APHRODISIENSIS, ἃ Peripatetic philosopher, who flourished under the Empero™ Severus.
Ametivs, a Platonic philosopher, and a disciple of Plotinus.
AmMonius Saccas, the preceptor of Plotinus.
ANAXAGORAS, the Clazomenian, flourished about the 70th Olympiad.
ANTONINUS, a disciple of Ammonius Saccas.
ArIsToTLF, the disciple of Plato, was born in the first year of the 99th Olympiad.
Aristot1s, the Rhodian.
Atticus, a Platonic philosopher, who flourished under Marcus Antoninus.
Curysiprus, a celebrated Stoic philosopher, died in the 145rd Olympiad.
Crantor SoOtensis, the first interpreter of Plato, also a fellow disciple with Nenocrates of Plato, and an auditor of Polemo.
Democritvs, the celebrated philosopher of Abdera, flourished about the 80th Olympiad.
Empenoc.es, the celebrated Pythagorean philosopher, was an auditor when a young man of Pythagoras.
Ericurvs, was born in the 109th Olympiad.
Evpemus, the Rhodian, a disciple of Aristotle, and to whom Aristotle inscribed his Eudemian Ethics.
EurymMacnves, the Epicurean,
Ga en, the physician, who was also a Platonist. Ele wrote 200 Volumes, most of which were burnt in the temple of Peace, and flourished under the Emperor Adr-an.
HarpvocratTion, the Platonist, an Argive, and the familiar of Augustus Cesar.
Hrraciipes Ponticus, a disciple of Plato and Speusippus.
Heracuitvus Ernesivs, surnamed the obscure, flourished about the 70th. Olympiad.
Hermes TrismMeGistus.
Juan, the Theurgist, who flourished under Marcus Antoninus.
IamBticnus, a Platonic philosopher, surnamed the ditine, flourished under the Emperor Con- stantine.
Tim. Plat. Vou. i. h
she eR PRE I ας στον
ain nite aaa Accs ts
AN EXPLANATION OF CERTAIN TERMS USED BY PROCLUS IN THIS WORK.
το ανχγωγιχον. Tur Anacocic. That which elevates the soul from sensibles to intelligibles.
αλλοιωσις:. ALLIATION. Change in quality.
axoxaractasi;. APOCATASTASIS. Lestitution to a pristine form, or condition of being.
τὸ γενεσιουργικον. Tne Grnesiurcic. ‘That which is effective of generation.
ο δαιμόνιος Δριστοτέλης. THe Damoniacat AristotLe. This philosophez was thus de- nominated by the ancients, from his transcendent physiological knowledge; nature being proximately governed by demons, or those powers that subsist between Gods and men.
γένεσις. GENERATION. A flowing condition of being, or a subsistence in becoming to be. Hence, ro yryverdas signifies am extension in subsistence, or a tendency to being.
δημιουργὸς τῶν ode. THe Desmiturcus or Wuores. The maker of the universe is thus denominated, because he produces the universe, so far as itis a whole, and likewise all the wholes it contains, by his uwn immediate energy, other subordinate powers co-operating with him in the production of parts. Llence be produces the universe totally and at once.
διανοια. Ditanosa. ‘Vhe discursive energy of reason; or it is that power which reasons scienti- ficall, deriving the principles of its reasoning from inteliect.
Sofa. Opinion. Is the last of the gnostic powers of the rational soul; and knows that a thing is, but is ignorant of the cause of it, or why it is. For the knowledge of the és, or why a thing 1s, belongs to διάνοια,
τὸ ἐπιθυμητικὸν μέρος τῆ; ψυχης. ‘Tue Epituymetic Part oF THE Sout, or that part of the soul which is the principle of all-various desires. But desire is well defined, by the Pythago- reans, to be a certain tendency, impulse, and appetite of the soul, in order to be filled with something, or to enjoy something present, or to be disposed according to some seusitive energy. They add, that there is also a desire of the contraries to these, and this 1s a desire of the evacua- tion and absence, and of having no sensible perception of certain things.
εἰκονιχως. IcCoNICALLY. Δ thing is said to subsist iconically, when it subsists after the manner. of an image.
εἰδολιχως. Ipouicauty. Adumbratively.
εἐνδιαστικω;. ENTHEASTICALLY. In adivinely-inspired manner.
ἐνιαιω;. Unicanry. In away conformable to the nature of (he one.
ro ἐτερηχιγήτον. THE ALTER-MOTIVR. ‘That which is moved by another thing, and not by. itself,
ὄυμος. ANGER. An appetite of the soul directed to the avengement of incidental molestations..
doy. Reasons. Productive principles or powers; aud they also signify forms.
μορῷη. Morerne. Pertains to the colour, figure, and magnitude of superficies..
ΧΗ πολυδυναμος. MULTIPOTENT. Possessing much power, vorpa επιβολη. INTELLECTUAL Prosecrion. The immediate energy of intellect is thus denominated, because it is an intujtive perception, or an immediate darting forth, as it were, to
its proper object, the intelligible. νους. Interteer. In the human soul is the summit of dianoia, and is that power by the hght
proceeding from which, we perceive the truth of axioms. But in divine natures itis a self--
subsistent, impartible, eternal essence, perceiving all things at once.
chorrs, Wuobrness. A whole which has a perpetual subsistence, and which comprehends in itself all the multitude of which it 15 the cause.
πλήρωμα. PLENITUDE, OR Compreteness. Is a whole which gives completion to the universe. :
τὸ vonroy, % wees, ᾿ ψυχικὸν αἀλατο;. THE [yTrLLIGIBLE, oR INTELLECTUAL, OR Psycuicar Breaptu; i.e. the extent of the progression of the istelligible, of intellect and of soul, and of each of these according to its own order, and not according to a progression into an in- ferior order.
τὸ cuvgercy. Tur Composite. L have used the word composite instead of compounded, because the latter rather denotes the mingling, than the contiguous union of one thing with another, which the former through its derivation from the Latin word compositus, solely denotes.
τελεστικη τέχνη. ΤῊΣ Trvestic Ant. Is the art pertaiming to mystic operations.
φιλυπολεμικός. Puitorotemic. An epithet of Minerva, signifying that she 1s a dover of war ; just as she is also called philosophic, as being a lover of wisdom,
νπαρξις- ΠΥΡΑΆΧΙΒ. The first principle, or :.undation, a3 it were, of the essence of a thing.
Hence also, it is the summit of essence.
Proclus
THE TIM/EUS OF PLATO.
BOOK I.
THAT the desizn of the Platonic Timeus embraces the whole of physiology, and that it pertains to the theory of the universe, discussing this trom the be- ginning to the end, appears to me to be clearly evident to. those who are not entirely illiterate, For this very treatise of the Pythagoric Timawus Concerning Nature, is written after the Pythagoric manner; and Plato being thence impelled, applied himself to write the Timwus, according to Sillographus." On this account we have pretixed the treatise of Timaus to these Commentaries, in order that we may know what the Timeus of Plato says that is the same with what is asserted in the treatise of Tinzeus (the Loecrian], what it adds, and in what it dissents. And that we may investizate not in a careless manner the cause of this disagree- ment. All this dialogue, likewise, through the whole of itself, has physiology tor its scope, surveying the same things in images and in’ paradigms, in wholes and in parts. For it is filled with all the most beautifal boundaries * of physiology, assuming things simple for the sake of such as are composite, parts for the sake of wholes, and images for the sake of paradigms, leaving none of the principal causes of nature uninvestigated.
* Viz. Timon, who was so called from writing scurrilous comic poems. * J. ε. Final intentions.
Tim. Plat. Vou. 1. ' A
2 PROCLUS ON TITF [BOOK 1.