place, because they subvert the world and order, For it is impossible for things to be co-adapted to each other, when they possess the most contrary powers, unless they have something incommon. In the next place, they make the most contrary natures allied to each other, viz. the hot to the cold, and the moist to the dry.’ It is necessary however, to make things which are hostile more remote than things which are less foreign. For such is the nature of contraries. In the third place, therefore, the first two powers will have no sympathy whatever with the rest; but will be divulsed? from each other. For it is impossible to say What is common to humidity and frigidity. And in addition to all these things, aa the elements are solids, they will not be conjoined to each other by any medium. It has however been shown that it is not possible for solids to be conjoined through one medium. Nor can they be conjoined without a medium. For this is alone the province of things that are perfectly without interval.
But some others, as Ocellus, who was the precursor of Timwus, attribute two powers to each of the elements, to fire indeed heat and dryness, to air, heat and moisture, to water, moisture and coldness, and to earth, coldness and dryness, And these things are written by this man in his treatise On Nature. In what. therefore, do these err who thus speak ? In the first place, indeed, wishing to dis- cover the common powers in the elements, in order that tiey may preserve the co-arrangement of them with each other, they no more assign communion than separation to them, but equally honour their hostility and their harmony. What kind of world therefore, will subsist from these, what order will there be of things which are without arrangement and most foreign, and of things which are most allied and co-arranged? For things which in an equal degree are hostile and peaceful, will in an equal mode dissolve and constitute communion. But this communion being similarly dissolved, and similarly implanted, the universe will no more exist than not exist. In the second place, they do not assign the greatest contrariety to the extremes, but to things most remote from the extremes ; though we every where see, that of homogencous natures those which are most distant have the nature of contraries, and not those which are less distant. How likewise did nature arrange them, since they are most remote in their situation from each other? Was it not by perceiving their contrariety, and that the third was more allied than the last to the first? How also did she arrange the motions
δ For ro evayrwrara here, read ra evayrwwrara, and for ry θερμὸν re ψυχρῳ, το Oeppor, x. XA. * For arnprnyeva in this place, I read διηρημενα.
Tim. Plat. Vou, I. 3G
418 PROCLUS ON THE Peeve,
of them, since fire is most light and tends upward, but earth is most heavy and tends downward? But whence were the motions ofthem which are most contrary derived, if not from nature! If therefore, nature distributed to them most contrary motions, it is evident that they are themselves most contrary. For 45. the motions of simple beings are simple, and those things are simple of which the motions are simple, thus also those things are most contrary of which the motions are most contrary. And this may occasion some one to wonder at Aristotle, who in what he says about motion, places earth as most contrary to fire; butin what he says about powers, he makes the most remote of similar natures to be more friendly than those that are proximate, when they are moved with most contrary motions, Por as the clements have contrary places in- their positions, as they have contrary motions in dations, as they have contrary powers, eravity and levity, through which motions subsist in their forms, thus also they have contrary passive qualities. Aristotle Iimself likewise manitests that earth is contrary to fire. For wishing to show that itus necessary there should) be more bodies than one, he says: ‘ Moreover, af earth exists, itis also necessary that fire should exist. For in things, one of the contraries of which naturally is, the other likewise has a natural subsistence.” So that neither was he able afler any other manner to show that there are more clements than one, than by asserting that fire is contrary to earth,
Farther still, as the elements are solids, how can they be bound together through one medium? For this is impossible im solids, as we have before observed. Hence those who assert these things, neither speak mathematically nor physically, but unavoidably errin both these respects. For physical are derived from mathe- matical entities. Jundus therefore alone, or any other who rightly follows hin, neither attribules one nor two powers alone, to the elements, but triple powers ; fo fire indeed, tcnuity of parts, acuteness and facility of motion ; to air, lenuity of parts, obtuseness, and facility of motion ; to water, grossness of parts, obtuseness, and facility of motion ; and to earth, grossucss of parts, obtusencss, and difficulty of motion, But this is in order that each of the elements may have two powers, cach’ of which is common to the clement placed next to it, and one power which is different, in the same manner as it was demonstrated in mathematical numbers and figures 5 this different power being assumed from one of the extremes 3; and also in’ order that earth according to all the powers, may subsist oppositely to fire; and that
For; cay here, it is obviously necessary to read exurepar,
Book 1411. Tima&Us of Plato. 419
the extremes may have two media, and the continued quantities two; the latter having solids for the media, but the forme., common powers. For let fire indeed be attenuated in its parts, acute, and easily moved. For it has an attenu- ated essence, and is acute, as having a figure of this hind ji. οὐ a pyramidal figure], and on this account.is incisive and fugitive,’ and permeates through all the other elements. It is also moved with facility? as being most near to the celestial hodies, and existing in them. For the celestial fire itself is moved with celerity, as is likewise sublunary fire, which is perpetually moved in conjunction with it, and according to one circle, and one impulse. Since therefore, earth is contrary to fire, it has contrary powers, viz. grossness, obtuseness, and difficulty of motion, all which we see are present with it. But these being thus hostile, and being solids, are also similar solids. For their sides and their powers are analogous. For as the gross is to the attenuated, so is the obtuse to the acute, and that which is moved with difficulty, to that which is moved with facility. But those are similar solids of which the sides that constitute the bodies are analogous. Tor the sides are the powers of which bodies consist. ence, as fire and earth are similar bodies, and similar solids, two analogous media fall between them; and each of the media will have two sides of the extreme situated next to it, and the remaining side from the other extreme. ITence, since fire has for its three physical sides the triple powers, tenuity, acuteness, and facility of motion, by taking away the middle power, acuteness, and introducing instead of it obtuse- ness, we shall produce air, which has two sides of fire, but one of earth, or two powers of fire, but one of earth; as itis fit that what is near should rather com- municate with it, than what is separated in the third rank from it.
Again, since earth has three physical powers, contrary to the powers of fire, viz. grossuess of parts, obtuseness, and difficulty of motion; by taking away diffeully of motion, and introducing facility of motion, we shall produce water, which consists of gross parts, is obtuse, and is easily moved; and which has indeed, two sides or powers common with earth, but receives one from fire. And thus these media will be spontaneously conjoined with each other; com- inunicating indeed in twofold powers, but diflering in similitude by one power ; and the extremes will be bound togetiier by two media. Each element also will thus be in a greater degree conjoined to, than separated from the element which is
* For vearioy in this place, read νπαικτικον τ"
* Instead of axernros here, it is necessary to read evaeynror.
420 PROCLUS ON THE [ποοκ 111.
near to it; and one world will be perfectly effected through all of them, and one harmonious order, through the predominance of analogy. Thus also, of the two cubes 8 and 27, the medium 12 being placed next to 8, will have two sides of this, but one side of 37. For 12 is produced by 2 Χ 2 Χ 8. But itis vice versa with 18 For this is produced by 3 X 3 X 2. And the side of 27 is 3, in the same manner as 2 is the side of 8. The physical dogmas therefore of Plato about the elements of the universe, accord with mathematical specalations,
Hence these things being thus determined, let us physically adapt them to the words of Plato. We calla [physical] plane or superticies therefore, that which has two powers only, but a [physical] solid that which has three powers. And we say, that if we fashion bodies from two powers, one medium would conjoin the elements to each other. But since, as we assert, bodies possess triple pow- ers, they are bound together by two media. For there are two common powers of the adjacent media, and one power which is different. And the extremes themselves, if they consisted of two powers, would be conjoined through one medium. For let tire, if you will, be alone attenuated and easily moved; but earth on the contrary, have alone grossness of parts aud immobility, One me- dium therefore, will be sufficient for these. For grossness of parts and facility of notion, and tenuity of parts, and difliculty of motion, are all that ts requisite to the colligation of both. Since however, each of the elements is triple, the extremes require two media, and the things themselves that are adjacent, are bound toges ther throngh two powers. For solids, and these are things that have triple con-
trary powers, are never co-adapted by one medium,
“Thus therefore, the divinity placing water and air in the middle of fire and earth, and rendering them as much as possible analogous to each other, so that what fire is to air, that air might be to water, and what air is to water, that water might be to earth, he bound together and constituted the heaven, visible and tangible.”
Some of the Platonists, being impelled. by the assertions of Aristotle, extend through the whole world one passive matter, not at all different from that of the heavens, and in consequence of embracing certain barbaric opinions, give to the world a fifth body, end refer the doctrine concerning it to Plato, For Aristotle, following these opinions, introduced a filth element. And this ina certain re- spect he obscurely signifies, adducing the observations of the Barbarians as a
Book 111. Tim.Eus of Plato. 421
testimony of the perpetuity and sameness of the motion of ether. But others assert, that the heavens are of a diflerent essence, as having a different form of life, a more simple motion, and a more perpetual nature ; but that Plato is now speaking about the sublunary elements, and adorns these by analogies. These menindeed, speak rightly, both with respect to things, and the opinion of Plato, in asserting that the nature of the heavens is different from mutable, and in short, material things; but at the same time ' they neglect the Platonic words, in which the philosopher says, that “ ¢he Demiurgus bound together and constituted the hea- ven [or the universe} through the analogy of the four elements ;”? and again, in another place, “ that he eluborated the idea of the stars, for the most part from fire.”