4.12 through in,my won Is ami steps. 1 For if (he Demiurgus orderly disposes, !mt t!ie junior Gods are oliedient to his mandates, the former by merely commanding is the cause of generated natures, hut the latter being excited by the Demiurgus, receive from thence the boundary of the whole of their fabrication. Ami if indeed, he abides in himself, Imt they are mined about him, it is evident that lie is eternally the cause of things which subsist in time, but that they, being tilled from him, energize arrording to the whole of time. And if he perfectly establishes himself in his own accustomed manner, but they proceeding from him, unfold into light this united and iucH'nhlc disposition of himself, they derive from him secondary measures of fabrication.
M oreover, he is said to have a paternal dignity, but they are denominated his children, as expressing his prolific power, and bis single goodness. And he indeed, is celebrated as delivering from Ins exalted abode the principles of fabrication; but they are celebrated as n ceiv ing the immortal principle contributing to the orderly distribution of mortals. He is said to have the fountain of the vivification of perpetual natures ; but they are the causes of the subsistence of mortal-formed animals. And he indeed, extends himself as a paradigm to the many Gods; but they are said to imitate the demiurgic intellect. lie is said to produce the whole world, and the plenitudes of it ; but they are said to borrow parts from the fabrications of their father, in order to the completion of their proper works. And he indeed, employs all incorporeal powers; but they also employ such as art.* corporeal. He gives subsistence to indissoluble bonds; but they to such as are dissoluble. And be indeed, is said to insert a union more ancient than the natures which it unites; but they are said to introduce an adventitious union, and which is of an origin posterior to this, to the l>eings that consist of many contrary natures. And he is said to produce all things impartilily , hut they with division, minutely distributing the subsistence of mortal natures into snijdl and invisible nails. From these tilings therefore, the separation of the two fabrications may be assumed; but the union and contact of them may be surveyed from the words liefore us. For here a contact is effected of the second with the first fabrication ; of apparent with unapparent, and of divided with monadic production.
Hence it is necessary that the lowest part of the first and unapparent fabrication, should coalesce with the summit of the second. For thus also the heavens axe conjoined with generation [or the sublunary region,] the lowest of the celestial b< dies exhibiting the principle of mutation ; but the summit of the essence of nooK v.]
* For mi ftaOtvr, it if orcnttn (o read iu fiaOpw.
TIM XUS OF PLATO.
p. 433
s,ul)lunary nature's, lieing moved in conjunction with the heavens. lienee too, here also the rational soul is conjoined with the mortal form of life; viz. the lowest and most partial of the productions of the father with the highest of the natures generated by the junior Gods. For they indeed, as being certain fathers produce lives ; hut as fabricators, bodies. And they imitate indeed Vulcan by the fabrication of bodies, but Juno by vivification. Hut through both these they imitate the whole Demiurges. For lie is maker and father; but they fashion bodies bv borrowing parts from wholes. For everywhere parts derive their composition from wholes. When, however, the wholes are incorporeal, they remain undiminished by the subsistence of the parts; hut when they are corporeal, the parts that are generated from them diminish the w holes. Hence an ablation always taking place, but tiie parts always remaining, the wholes perish. And thus generation will no longer exist, and the works of the first fabrication will all vanish through the second, w hich it is not law ful to assert. That nothing of this kind therefore may take place in the universe, the composite parts are again dissolved, in order to till up their w holes. And the generation of one thing is the corruption of aiiotle r; but the corruption of one thing is the generation of anollur; in order that generation ami corruption may always remain. For if generation existed at a certain time only, it would at a certain time stop, in conseipience of consisting of finite things, and these being consumed. Hut these perishing, corruption also would stop, all things being destroyed. Ilence u it is necessary that one of these should exist, the other also will exist. I>ery thing therefore which is generated from the second fabrication, is a composite and dissoluble, and deriving its composition from time, will also in time lie again dissolved. The junior (bids therefore, are very properly said to borrow puts, which are again to he restored to their wholes. Hut they borrow them from the universe.’ For that which they borrow is lire, earth, water, ami air; and they again restore them to the universe. 1 The father then-fore wishes the wholes to remain which he general* d and arranged. And thus much concerning all the fabrication of the junior Gods.
I^t us however, direct our attention to each of the words of Fima-us. ihe word receiving therefore, indicates how the junior Gods receive the immortal soul descending in its first vehicle : for lie calls the whole “ the immortal principle." It also indicates, that every where, our concerns are providentially attended to by the Gods, above indeed, by the father, hut lieneath, by liis chddren, if it be
* For ■warpet, it is necessary to read warroi.
* Here also for vor^i, it » necessary to read taei.
Vol. II. 3 I
Tim. Mat.
p. 431
PROCLUS ON THE
[book V.
requisite to speak in a divided manner. For our soul, at one time lives according to the characteristic of Jupiter, and at another according to that of Bacchus; but in its arrangement [on the earth,] it lives Titannically.' The
• This is admirably explained bv Olvmpiodorus, in his Ms. commentary on that part of the I'hado where Plato speaks of the prohibition of suicide iu the aroppi/ra ; “The argument," savs he, ** which Plato etnplo\s in this place against suicide is derived from the Orpine mv thology, in which four kingdoms arc celebrated : the tint of //cji.ri.vvhorn S iturnassau!ted,cutlini: oil the genitals of Ins father. But afh r Saturn, Jupiter sin c ceded to tin government of the world, having hurled his father into Tartarus. And after Jupiter, Baeclius ro-e to light, who, according to report, was, through the stratagems of Juno, torn in pieces by the Titans, by whom lie was surrounded, and who afttrwards tasted his flesh hut Jupiter, enraged at the deed, hurled his thunder at the gmllv otb-iiders, and consumed them to ashes, lienee a ecilam mailer being formed fieuii the vapour of tlie smoke ascend* ing from their burning bodies, out ot lias mankind were produced. It is unlawful therefore to destroy ourselves, not as the words of Plato stem to import, because we are iu bodv, as m a prison, secured by a guard , (for tins is ev idrnt, and Plato would not have called such an assertion arcane but briause our bodv is Diolivsiaeal, or tin proper!v ol Bacchus for we area part of tins tint!, since we are composed fiotn the vapours of the Titans who taste I Ins flesh. Socrates, therefore, fearful of disclosing the ar cane part of tins narration, adds nothing more of the fable but that we are placed as in a certain prison, secured hj a gujrd : but tlie interpreters relate the fable openly." Km tart ro pvlltt r en^npijpa rotovroy. Ilupa ry ()p<f.tt rreeaptt puffiXriui scipcihiVirm, Il >wr>i pry, ij ruu Ovpusoii. ijr o Kposov cu?e£aeu, ttrtpvy ru uibuta r uu iruip"t. M rru b I] r*.v K.jkmic, u /1 u • ■InffiXf uet e luraraprnpuiffm roe rrartpa. Ei-ci roe Act iitbt^arc o Aioi vaot, or ^nfft cor’ rn,>< iAijc riji Hpriv ron irepi tturou Tirarot Bia/Kirrni-, cm ryr vaoewr uvroii atruy tvteOm. Km roeroos cpytnOrtt o /.‘ut rttpuviuet, cai rn rijt cn(laXij« rior arptiy ruy urafoUriruir ue*wr, iXrp yooptiiji yttfoO n< “ovi orOfHarooi. On itt ovr ffayayeic ijpaf tavruut, ov^ on cn ^ cn Xryrir ij tturi t r rn i hapy repry ry aupurt' rorro yap
^ijXor cffTi, cm ooc ar rooro awipprjroy t\ryt, aXX’ on oo in <;uya-,or tjpat (aerori tut roo euuarct ij^wr Aico offtacoo orror ptpot yap uvrov reply, «iy* »c rijv mOuXrji rui rirmur euytnptOn ytveuptt uy rvar eaptuy rotrrov. () pry oyy ffio»/*onj» <pyy ru wroppijruy 'no u, roo ptOuu tubrr ,\uir rfxiTriOijffi roo 01 lr riri <f>fxnpa repry. Oi h f'i)yr|rai ror ptSuy irpoff-ithaffir rJoOn. After tills lie beautifully observes, “Tliat these four governniruts obscurely signify tlie different gradations of virtues, according to which our soul contains the symbols of all the virtues, both theoretical and catliartical, political and ethical, l or it cither energizes according to the theoretic sutues, the puiadigin of which is the government of Acmrif, that we ni.iv begin from on high; and on this account heaven receives its denomination xapa roo ra arm oppi, from bchol ling the things ubuvc:—or it lives eatharlicallv, the exemplar of which is the Saturnian kingdom; and on this account Saturn is denominated, from being a pure intellect, through a survey ot him-ilf; and lienee In is said to ilevour hisowiiolT-pring,signifvingthe conversion of Ininse'f to himself<or it energizes according to the political virtues, the svmbol of which it the government of Jupiter; and hence Jupiter is the ltriniiirgus, so called from operating about secondary natures:—or the soul energizes according to both the rthual and physical virtues, the symbol of which is the kingdom of Bacchus ; and on this account he is f.ihled to be torn in picci » by the Titans, because the virtues do not follow but are sejiarated from <atli other." Ain-rroirm (lege murrovrui ft rout Ka^fpoei fiaOpovt run aptruv tad at ij rjptrtpa 4 ,v X’l aup/3o\a tyuuaa waovy ruy aptrt/y, rwv rt OfwprjTitmr, tat tuOaprttuy, tat roXtrtttuy, tat tfOttuy. II yap tara rat Ortipijntat tyrpytt vr mpahtypa tj roy aupayov fiaat\ita, tya atap^aptOa, ho tat eupatet ttpjjrai rrapa rev ru are cpft .
BOOK ▼.]
TIM/EUS OF FLATO.
p. 433
word principle however, does not simply manifest, that which is first in the composition of man. hut that which is the leader and ruler of secondary natures, l or this is that \\ Inch is according to nature, and for this purpose it was produced by the Cxtds. As therefore, the Drmiiirgus constituted the soul of the universe to rule o\er the hotly of it, so likewise, the many Demiurgi established our soul as the principle in the mortal animal. If however, we do not rule ov« r the mortal nature, the power which gave this arrangement to our soul is not the cause of this, hut the indolence of that whit h is arranged. Hut the word immortal comprehends every nature which the l)t miurgus constituted, both that which is in the vehicle, and the rational soul itself, which was perfectly produced by the father, who disseminated the whole of it, and from whom it originated. Again, however, I ima-us show s, that the junior Cods are the vivilic causes and fabricators of lhe mortal animal, but that they are each of these, in conjunction with motion, in order that their fabrications may be mortal.
Moreover, the w ords, " in imitation of their artificer," are appropriate. For the junior (toils fabricate bodies, imitating tbe demiurgic characteristic of the father. And as be constituted the universe a whole from the wholes of the elements, so likew ise they fashion partial bodies from partial bodies, in order that together with the imitation, diminution may be preserved, and that they may remain Demiurgi, but the Demiurgi of a partial fabrication. The expression also, they harrowed, manifests, that the parts in us are more the properly of wholes, and of things above us, than tin y are our property. Hut if this be the ease why should men grieve when they die? And why is dissolution lr-adful ? But how is it possible it should not be good, if the universe receives wbat is its own? For it is easy to perceive, that tbe parts in us h< long in a greater degree to tbe universe than to us. For tbe places of all these are in wholes, and not in us. Hilt “ the conglutination of the 1 tceivcd parts together ," evinces that the union in mortal natures is of posterior origin, and adventitious. For in the universe the whole precedes the parts, and the one, multitude. But in us, many things, and which are naturally sepa-