The peculiarities of the celestial Gods separately discussed.— Why the one sphere of the fixed stars cotuprcheuds a multitude of stars, but each of the planetary spheres convolves only one star. —And that in each of the planetary spheres, there is a number of satellites, analogous to the choir of the fixed stars, subsisting with proper circulations of their own.
The nature of the Moon, Mercury, Venus, and the Sun unfolded.
Extract from the Oration of the Emperor Julian to the Sovereign Sun.
Extract from the MS. Scholia of Proclus on the Cratylus of Plato concerning Apollo, in which the principal powers of the God are unfolded.
The nature of ihc Muses unfolded from the above MS. Scholia.
The nature of Mars, Jupiter, and Saturn, unfolded. The manner in which ea«-h of the seven plane- tary divinities becomes an animal, and in suspended from a more divine soul ; and what kind of perfection it affords to the universe.
That all the celestial Gods nre beneficent, and after a similar manner the causes of good.— And that the participation of them, and the mixture of material with immaterial influences, become the causes of tbe abundant difference in secondary natures.
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CONTMNTS. lllT
Tlie nature of Minerva unfolded from the Commentaries of Proclus on the Timaeu*. — The spear and shield with which this Goddess, in the statues of her, ia represented aa armed,
The nature of the great mundane divinity, the earth, unfolded from Proclus on the Timams of Plato.
The manner in which the earth is said to bo the most ancient, and the first of the Gods within the s, explained.
On the essence of the sublunary deities.-What Plato says of them in the Timwis unfolded.
Where the sublunary Gods are to be arranged.— And the meaning of the subsequent words of Plato developed.
The nature of the sublunary Gods more fully unfolded.— On the dscmoniacal order.— And that about each of the fabricators of generation, there ia a co-ordinate angelical, demoniacal, sod beroical multitude, which retains die appellation of its producing monad.
What Pythagoras says in the Sacred Ditcours*. — What the Orphic traditions are concerning Phanes, Night, Heaven, Saturn, Jupiter, and Bacchus — That Plato begins the Theogony of the sublunary Gods from Heaven and Earth, and not from Phanes and Night.— And whv he does so.
CHAPTER XXVIH.
On die two principles Heaven and Earth. — What each of them is ; and particularly concerning the power of Heaven.
The wb«le theory of Earth unfolded— And also the theory of Ocean and Tethys That the causes
i are in the intellectual Gods, and likewise in the sensible i
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Uxvi CONTENTS.
The theory of Phorcjs, Saturn, and Rhea, unfolded.
CHAPTER XXXf.
The nature of the sublunary Jupiter aud Juno unfolded. — And why Plato comprehends in this ennead, viz- Heaven aud Earth, Ocean aud Tetfays, Phorcys, Saturn, Rhea, Jupiter, and Juno, the Gods who are the fabricators of generation.
Why Plato denominates the sublunary deities, " such as become apparent when they please."— General observations respecting the Gods that govern generation.
CHAPTER XX XI 1 1.
On the summit, or monad of all the mundane Gods, Bacchus.— And on the mundane soul which is the immediate participant of the Bacchic iutellect.
How the mundane Gods arc characterized in the Parmenides of Plalo.
A developement of what Plato says m the Pha*driu, about Boreas and Orkhya, the Centaurs, Chimaras, Gorgons, Pegasuses, Typbons, Acbelous, and die Nymulis.
The meaning of Plato unfolded, in what lie says about Pan, Tartarus, Prometheus, the Syrens.
A developement of Plato's theological conceptions respecting Nature, Fate, aod Fortune.
CHAPTER XXXVIH.
What Time, Day and Night, Month and Year are, so far as tbey are deities, according to the theology of Plato.
A discmsion of the order of divioe souls, who are deified by always participating of the Gods.
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Comtihti. Iwvs
CHAPTER XL.
A derelopement of the Rata re of Love, from the MS. Commentary of Proclus on the FurX Alcj-
CHAPTER XLI.
of the same subject.
CHAPTER XLII.
The nature of demon* more fully disclosed.— An extract from the MS. Commentary of Prod us on the First Alcibiades, on this subject.
CHAPTER XL1H.
On the daemons who are allotted the superintendence of mankind.
CHAPTER XUV.
On the daemon of Socrates.— The peculiarily^of this daemon ; and that it belonged to the Apolio- niacal series.
CHAPTER XLV.
Important information concerning daemons from the MS. Scholia of Prod us on the Cralylus of Plato. — And also from the MS. Commentary of Olympiodorus on the Pluedo of Plato.
CHAPTER XLVI.
The nature of those human souls that are of an heroic characteristic unfolded. —What Plato says of these souls in the Cratylus.— His meaning elucidated from the MS. Scholia of Proclua on that dialogue.
CHAPTER XLVII.
How the triple genera that are the perpetual attendants of the Gods, are indicated in the Parma* nidea of Plato.
CHAPTER XLVIH.
An elucidation from Proclus of what Plato says in the Tinwus, in celebration of the divinity of die World, ao far as the whole of it is a God.
CHAPTER XLIX. A further elucidation from Proclus of the same subject
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lliriii COMIIKTI.
CHAPTER L.
Tfae atoning of the words of Plato, " And casing circle to revolve in a circle, he established heaven (i. e. the world) one, only, solitary nature," unfolded from Proclus.
CHAPTER hi.
Whit Plato says in the Timreus about the name of the World,— with the elucidations of Proclus.
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hui*
An explanation of certain terms which are unusual, or have a meaning dif- ferent from their common acceptation, and which there was a necessity of introducing in the translation of this work.
Composite, fft/vtrrsc. 1 have used the word composite iiutcad of compounded, became the Utter rather denotes the mingling than the contiguous union of one thing with another, which the former, through its derivation from the Latin word compositui, solely denotes.
Demihrcus op wholes, &]/M«»fys; raw t*jm. The artificer of the universe is thus denomi- nated, because be produces the universe so far as it is a whole, and likewise all the wholes it con- tains, by his own immediate energy ; other subordinate powers co-operating with him iu the pro- duction of parts. Hence he produces the universe totally and at once.
Dksire, twtfo/ua. Is an irrational appetite solely directed to external objecU, and to the gratification arising from the possession of them.
Diaxoia, hemm, from whence dionottic,\* the discursive energy of reason; (Swfofcxi) too Xsyw tvipyn*) or according to its most accurate signification, it is that power of the soul which reasons scientifically, deriving the principles of iu reasoning from intellect, or the power which sees truth intuitively.
Do x a stic, formed from !*£«, opinio*, is the last of the gnostic powers of the rational soul ; and knows thai a thing is, but is ignorant of the cause of it, or why it is. The knowledge of the fan, or a-Ay a thing is, being the province of dianoia.
CJn est, £«ef. This word, iu its more ample signification in the Greek, tleuolrs a »t ranger, but properly implies one »lip receives another, or is himself received at an entertainment. In the dia- logue of Plato therefore, (and consequently in this work of Pioclus when he cites the dialogues in which this word occurs) wherever one of the speakers is introduced as a £•»»$, I have translated this word gutit, as being more conformable to the genius of Plato's dialogues, which may be justly called rich mental banquets, and consequently the speakers in them may be considered as so many guests. Hence in thcTimaus, the persons of that dialogue are expressly spoken of as guests from having been feasted with discourse.
Hvpabxis, vwaebi. The first principle, or foundation as it were, of the esseuce of a thing. Hence, also, it is the summit of essence.
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Impahticipadle, «p»J#xTOf. Oi>e tiling i* said to be imparticipable with respect to another, to which it i« superior, when it is not consubsistent with it.
Intellectual projection. The immediate energy of intellect is thus denorniniled, because it is an intuitive perception, or an immediate darting forth, as it were, to its proper object, the intelligible.
Monad, ftora,-, in divine natures is that which contains distinct, but at the same time pro- foundly-united multitude, and which produces a multitude exquisitely allied to itself. But in lite ncnsible universe, the first monad is (he world itself, which comprehends in itself all the multitude of which it is the cause (in conjunction with the cause of all). The second monad is the iuerratic sphere. In the third place, the spheres of the pluncts succeed, each of w hicb is also a monad, com- prehending an appropriate multitude. And in the fourth and last place are the spheres of the elements, which are in a similar manner monads. All these mounds likewise are denominated •^onrrtf, wholenesses, and have a perpetual subsistence.
Permanency, rratrif. The proper word for rest, in Greek, is qpifiia. And Simplicity justly observes, that not every a-rowij is ljftfuo, but that only which is after motion, 'litis word is employed by Plato in the Sophista, to express one of the five genera of being, viz. essence, perma- nency, (orairi;), motion, sameness, and difference ; in which place it evidently does not signify rest.
PriANTAfcT, or Imagination, ^amairia, is, /a4;pivri»i| voijvi;, i. e. a Jigured intelligence, because all the perceptions of this power are intcard, and not external, like those of sense, and are accom- panied with figure.
Psychical, ^ux*xef, i. c. pertaining to soul, in the same manner as fuvmec, physical, is some- thing pertaining to nature.
Reason, Aoy»r. This word in Platonic writers signifies either that inward discursive energy called reasoning ; or a certain productive and seminal principle ; or that which is indicative and definitive of a tiling. Hence Knyot or reasons in the soul, are, gnoslically producing principles.
Unical, man;, that whkh is characterized by unity.
Uniform twxiJijj. This word when it occurs in Proclus, and other Platonic writers, signifies that which has the form of the one, and not as ii> Johnson, that which keeps its tcnour, or is similar
to itself.
PROCLUS,
THE PLATONIC SUCCESSOR,
On
Cije Cfjeolosp of $lato.
o PERICLES, to me the dearest of friends, I am of opinion that the whole philosophy of Plato was at first unfolded into light through the beneficent will of superior natures, exhibiting the intellect concealed in them, and the truth subsisting together with beings, to souls conversant with generation (so far as it is lawful for thein to participate of such supernatural and mighty good); and again, that afterwards having received its perfection, returning as it were into itself, and becoming unapparent to many who professed to philosophize, and who earnestly desired to engage in the investigation of true being, it again advanced into light. But I particularly think that the mystic doctrine respecting divine, concerns, which is purely established on a sacred foundation, and which perpetually subsists with the gods themselves, became thence apparent to such as are Proc. Vol. I. A
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capable of enjoying it for a time, through one man,' whom I should not err in calling the primary leader and hierophant of those true mysteries, into which souls separated from terrestrial places are initiated, and of those entire and stable visions, which those participate who genuinely embrace a happy and blessed life. But this philosophy shone forth at first from him so venerably and arcanely, as if established in sacred temples, and within their adyta, and being unknown to many who have entered into these holy places, in certain orderly periods of time, proceeded as much as was possible for it into light, through certain true priests, and who embraced a life corresponding to the tradition of such mystic concerns. It appears likewise to me, that the whole place became splendid, and that illuminations of divine spectacles every where presented themselves to the view.
These interpreters of the epopteia (or mystic speculations) of Plato, who have unfolded to us all-sacred narrations of divine concerns, and who were allotted a nature similar to their leader, I should determine to be the Egyptian Plotinus, and those who received the theory from him, I mean Amelius and Porphyry, together with those in the third place who were produced like virile statues from these, viz.: Jamblichus and Theodoras, and any others, who after these, following this divine choir, have energized about the doctrines of Plato with a divinely-inspired mind. From these, he* who, after the gods, has been our leader to every thing beautiful and good, receiving in an undented manner the most genuine and pure light of truth in the bosom of his soul, made us a partaker of all the rest of Plato's philosophy, communicated to us that arcane information which he had received from those more ancient than himself, and caused us, in conjunction with him, to be divinely agitated about the mystic truth of divine concerns.