* See my translation of Plotinus, On the Descent of the Soul.
* For ycvtficv here, read
4 The original to tbu place is oOararor uer o*hmw it err a ; but it ought evidently to be eipungcd.
p. 440
PHOCLUS ON TIIF
[book V.
ami rational. Why therefore, are partial souls when they descend into generation, filled with such great material perturbation and so many evils ? It is through the projwnsity arising from their fyee vv iII ; through their vehement familiarity \v itti body ; through their sympathy with the image of soul, which is called animation; through their tot tl mutation from the mti lligihle to the sensible w orld, and from a quiet energy to one entirely conversant with motion; and through a disordered condition of being innately produced from the composition of dissimilar natures,
\iz. oi tbe immortal, and tbe mortal, ol the iutelleetnal, and that which is deprived of intellect, of the impartible, and that wbieb is endued with interval. Pur all these become the < msr to the soul, of this mightv tumult and labour in the realms of generation; since we are disturbed bv the abundant mutations, and sv mpatliies w Im h lake phu e about tbe essence that is m continual motion. Por we pursue a perpetually flv ing mockery. And the soul, bv verging [to a material hie,] kindles indeed, a light in tbe body, but becomes herself situated in darkness; and by giving lie to the body, ilestrovs both herself, and her own intellet t [in as gr« at a degree as these are capable ol receiving destruction]. Por thus tbe mortal nature participates ol int* lie* t, but the intellectual part of death, and the whole, as Plato observes in the Paws, becomes a prodigy, composed of the mortal, and the immortal, ol the int* lie* Inal, and that whic h is deprived •if intellect, l or this physical law [which binds the sold to t!ic body,] is the ill at b of t lie immoi tal I lie, but v iv ifics the mm I a I body. Plato therefore, delivers m the Phadrus, the « kims of di scent arising from the soul, viz. ohlivmu, the defluxioil of the wings, and sin h things as are consequent to these. ltul here he di In* rs to us the causes derived from the Cbids l or these are the\ w ho < unjoin the soul to the lindv. Hut la* does not add .it present, the iiiamier 1 in whii h the soul aposfati/es [from the orb of light], and through what forms of life, she proceeds [into the realms of generation]. And in the Republic he delivers- the causes arising both from the soul herself ami the («o*!s. Por there the prophet ami the Pates, the themon, and tin* h*t% the paradigms and the elections of lives, are assumed. Tin s* particulars therefore, must In- explored in lho-e dialogues.
What however is here asserted, must be considered, \sz. w hat the river, the binding, and the vast are; lbr this rner is said to be vast : and also what it is for souls, neither to vanquish, nor be vanquished. The river therefore signifies, not the human body alone, but the whole of generation, with which wv are « xlernally surrounded, through its rapid, impetuous, and unstable flux. Thus also, in the Republic, Plato calls, the whole gi-iiesiurgic nature, the river of la the; in vvluih are contained, as Empedocles says. Oblivion, and the meadow of At*-; the [
I For ei'T*i htrr, it ■> nitoisrj lo read owmt nook v.]
1 IM/Kl S or PLATO.
(tl voracity of matter, ami tin- lighl-haliiig world, as the(iodssay ; ami the winding streams, under which many are ilrawn down, as the [Chaldean] Oracles asst rt. lint tin' hniutuL, signifies, a co-impeded lit*', and a lifo which lias arrived at the extremity. For then, being hound, it is prevented from procei ding, and In mg no longt r aide to pmei * d, it becomes situated at the end ot its motion, lint the soul, l>\ eomiimnicaliug its powers to the hody, obtains the end of its descent. Again, the vast indicates the multiplied, and in every res poet divisible flux of generation. lint the neither iiim/nishing, nor buna; ran/jui.s/tcd, signify, that each of the i ssi ores that come together, pr« si rvi s its nvv n nature. For the congress of tin soul and liodv is not efieeted by a mutual corruption, as in things that are mingled. For the both is not transferred to the essence of tin* soul, nor the soul to tlie peculiarity of the body ; since in this case, neither would assimilate the ether to itself. lienee neither is the soul vanquished by the Irody ; for it does not Income inanimate, nor does it vanquish the body, for it does not make it incorporeal. In another respect however, the soul subdues the body, as connectedly containing it; but is subdued by it, as being inqiedfd by it in its intellection. Plato however, rather denies than allirms each of these, in order that we niav conceive the peculiarity of each in the communion, and the tinmino-led union of them in the mixture.
“ But they carry and arc carried with violence, so that the whole animal is moved indeed, yet in a disorderly manner. For it proceeds casually and irrationally, having all the six motions. Hence it is moved backward and t'orward, and again, to the right hand and the left, upward and downward, and wanders every where, according to the six differences of place.”
That the genesiurgic river, according to the wlmle of it disturbs the soul, hut is especially ample in youth, in consequence of the influx and etllux being copious, has I think become evident through what has been said. Since however, the hodv l>« ing heavy, terrestrial, and cadent, is corrected by the soul, and the soul, which has an intellectual nature, is rendered destitute of intellect, through its communion with the body, hence he says, that souls carry and are carnal inth violence ; the ciolenee indicating the foreign and renovated nature of the vivlocation of the mortal 1 animal; but the carrying and being earned, the action of the body and soul on each other. For the soul carries the hody, inspiring it with the power
3 K
Tim. JPlat.
* For ro Grrjroy lirrr, it is neerssary to read row rov.
VOL. II.
44*2
IMIOCLUS ON THE
[book V, of motion; but is carried by it through sympathy, to a genesiurgic nature. Hence he very properly says, that the whole animal is moved. For the body is moved through the soul, and the soul losing its own life, lues the life of the composite [of body and soul]. The whole animal therefore is moved. And after another manner also you may say that Plato asserts the uhvle is moved, in order to distinguish it from the ntiivt-rso, For this, as we have before olisi rved, is not moved according to the whole of itself, hut only lit its parts Since liowrn r the stars are moved w ith an advancing motion [or in unlccedenliaj, each is moved according to the whole, and not according to the parts only ; yet they are moved in an orderly maimer, ami not as vve are: for they follow the universe. Hut Plato adds, disorderly ; indicating by this, that the motion is material, and all-variously anomalous, and that it .#egins from the subordinate nature, the order being inverted. It is necessary however, in the same manner as in divine natures that the motion should originate from the more exet llent nature. 'I he expression likewise casually, signifies the rash and unstable nature of the motion; and the word proctetls, indicates the departure of souls from themselves; all which particulars are posterior to divine animals, in whom intellect is the cause* of energy, and each proceeds and at the seme time abides. The word irrationally follows also in a becoming manner. For where order fails there 1 lie irrational secretly enters. For reason is the cause cf order and measure, and of the participation of good.
Moreover, the multitude of motions Incomes apparent in these, anti the number ol all tin* motions of the mortal aniin d. For as bodies have three dimensions, anti are mingled from contraries, contrariety In mg a tlnad,' and assuming the triad, produces this number of motions. For it is necessary that there should he only a triple interval, or dimension, In-cause interval is reason lor a productive principle], proceeding from the impaitible into matt r, and investing it with vturphe. Ami the imparlihle indeed is muiiidie ; hut progression is dyadic; and morphe triadic. For that which has proceeded, returning, or being * i.averted to its principle, lias hound and morphe. lint it is necessary that there should he contrariety in the motions, according to position. For the extremities of every right line are opposed to each other. Hence of tin three dimensions, the opposition according to the extremities will be the upward and downward, the right hand ami the left, lnforc anti behind. The complication therefore of contrariety, with the triad of dimensions, products the six motions; anti tins number is adapted to the animated hotly. For according to the Pythagoreans, the monad
1 I lie word airwi is omitted here in 1 lie original, but evidently ought to be inserted.
* For hut here, read bar
HOOK V.]
TI.MXCS OF FLAK).
p. 443
is analogous to a point; the duad, to a line; the triad, to a superficies; the tetrad, to a body; the pentad, to a body endued with a certain rpiahtv ;' and the hexad, to an animated body. This number of motions therefore, is appropriately attributed to mortal animals, whose generation proceeds from the even 1 numln-r, and a formless nature. It is not proper however, to wonder, that animals should have so many motions, but inanimate natures only one motion; as that a clod of earth should only have a motion downward, but fl ime, a contrary motion. For we shall find by inspection, that frequently the extremes are more simple than the media, hui the media more various than the extremes. 1 Thus for instance, we see, that nature and matter are more simple than body, and the irrational life and intellect, than the rational soul. Hut intellect indeed, is more simple, according to that which is more, ami irrationality according to that which is less, excellent. It lives however, without deliberate choice, and conformably to nature. If therefore, in motions, we see that divine animals and inanimate bodies have a more simple motion, but the media abundantly wander, and are nmltiformlv borne alone;, what occasion is there to wonder 7 For the simplicity indeed of divine motion, is more excellent than the variety in mortal natures ■ but the simplicity of inanimate lx'in^s is less excellent ; just as divine bodies are essentially' simple, according to that w hich is better than composite natures, but the inanimate parts of the dements are more simple than concrete masses, according to that which is less excellent,* as not having the proper life of living lieings.
/ ' ^ C
“ For though the inundating and effluxivc waves, which afford nutrition to the animal, pour along with impetuous abundance, yet a still greater tumult and perturbation is produced, through the passions arising from external impulsions ; either when the body' is disturbed by the sudden incursion of external fire, or by the solid mass of earth, or is agitated by the whirling blasts of the air. For from ail these, through the medium of the body, various motions are hurried along, and fall with molestation on the soul/'
’ Instead ««f in tins place, it is requisite lo read, trrrm^riy.
1 For aypioK litre, it is necessary lo read aprtnv.
1 The original is defective here, for there is nothing more than ra fe fjrtra weir , 0 0 m . This deficiency however, ruay be supplied by reading, conformably lo the above translation, ra hr ptwa weir, U rrpn rwr arpwr.
* The word x , ‘P or * 11 wanting here in the original.
p. 444
PHOC1XS ON THE
[book V,