,,ocellus ,,lucanus ,,on ,,the ,,nature ,,of ,,the ,,universe2 c4 c4 c4 ,,ocellus ,,lucanus ,,on ,,the ,,nature ,,of ,,the ,,universe4 ,,taurus1 ,,the ,,platonic ,,philosopher1 ,,on ,,the ,,eternity ,,of ,,the ,,world4 ,,julius ,,firmicus ,,maternus ,,of ,,the ,,thema ,,mundi2 ,,in ,,which ,,the ,,positions ,,of ,,the ,,stars ,,at ,,the ,,commencement ,,of ,,the ,,several ,,mundane ,,periods ,,is ,,given4 ,,select ,,theorems ,,on ,,the ,,perpetuity ,,of ,,time1 ,,by ,,proclus4 ,,translated ,,from ,,the ,,originals ,,by ,,thomas ,,taylor4 4 i4 e4 ,the knowledge of divine and the most honourable things1 is the principle and cause and rule of human felicity4--,,archytas4 ,,london3 ,,printed ,,for ,,the ,,translator2 ,,and ,,sold ,,by ,,john ,,bohn1 ,,henrietta-,,street2 ,,henry ,,bohn1 ,,york-,,street2 ,,and ,,thomas ,,rodd1 ,,great ,,newport-,,street4 ,,mdcccxxxi4 ,,printed ,,by ,,richard ,,taylor1 ,,red ,,lion ,,court1 ,,fleet ,,street4 ,,introduction4 ,the ,tracts contained in this small volume will1 ,i trust1 be perused with considerable interest by every ,english reader who is a lover of ancient lore2 and whatever innovations may have been made in the philosophical theories of the ancients by the accumulated experiments of the moderns1 yet the scientific deductions of the former will1 ,i am persuaded1 ultimately predominate over the futile and ever-varying conclusions of the latter4 ,for science1 truly so called1 is1 as ,aristotle accurately defines it to be1 the knowledge of things eternal1 and which have a necessary existence4 ,hence it has for its basis universals1 and not particulars2 since the former are definite1 immutable1 and real2 but the latter are indefinite1 are so incessantly changing1 that they are not for a moment the same1 and are so destitute of reality1 that1 in the language of the great ,plotinus1 they may be said to be 8shadows falling upon shadow#a1 like images in water1 or in a mirror1 or a dream40 ,with respect to ,ocellus ,lucanus1 the author of the first of these ,tracts1 though it is unknown at what precise period he lived1 yet as ,archytas1 in his epistle to ,plato 7apud ,diog4 ,laert4 viii4 #hj471 says 8that he conversed with the descendants of ,ocellus1 and received from them the treatises of this philosopher ,on ,laws1 ,on ,government1 ,piety1 and the ,generation of the ,universe#b10 8we cannot be a great way off the truth10 as my worthy and very intelligent friend ,mr4 ,j4 ,j4 ,welsh1 in a letter to me1 observes1 8if we say that he lived about the time ,pythagoras first opened his school in ,italy1 ,b4,c4 #ejj2 which would give him for contemporaries in the political world1 ,phalaris1 ,pisistratus1 ,crsus1 ,polycrates1 and ,tarquin the ,proud2 and in the philosophical world1 the seven sages of ,greece1 ,heraclitus of ,ephesus1 ,democritus of ,abdera1 c4 c40 ,all that is extant of his works is the treatise ,on the ,universe#c1 and a ,fragment preserved by ,stobus of his treatise ,on ,laws4 ,and in such estimation was the former of these works held by ,plato and ,aristotle1 that the latter1 as ,syrianus observes 7in ,aristot4 ,metaphys471 8has nearly taken the whole of his two books on ,generation and ,corruption from this work20 and that the former anxiously desired to see it1 is evident from his ,epistle to ,archytas1 of which the following is a translation3 8,plato to ,archytas the ,tarentine1 prosperity4 8,it is wonderful with what pleasure we received the ,commentaries which came from you1 and how very much we were delighted with the genius of their author4 ,to us1 indeed1 he appeared to be a man worthy of his ancient progenitors4 ,for these men are said to have been ten thousand#d in number2 and1 according to report1 were the best of all those ,trojans that migrated under ,laomedon4 8,with respect to the ,commentaries by me about which you write1 they are not yet finished4 ,however1 such as they are1 ,i have sent them to you4 ,as to guardianship1 we both accord in our sentiments1 so that in this particular there is no need of exhortation40 8,in the ,preface to the ,marquis d',argens' ,french translation of this ,tract1 he says3 #8,i have often thought that it would be much more advantageous to read what some of the ,greek authors have said of the philosophy of the ancients1 in order to obtain a knowledge of it1 than to consult modern writers1 who1 though they may perhaps write well1 are in general too prolix#e4' 8,in #agfb the ,marquis d',argens published ,ocellus ,lucanus1 and afterwards ,timus ,locrus1 both writers1 who according to ,chalmers' ,biography had been neglected by universal consent4 ,to show1 however1 the glaring absurdity and outrageous injustice of what ,chalmers says of this ,tract of ,ocellus1 it is necessary to observe1 that independently of the approbation of this work by those two great luminaries of philosophy1 ,plato and ,aristotle1 an enumeration of the various editions of it will be sufficient4 ,ocellus was first printed in ,greek at ,paris #aeci1 and afterwards with a ,latin version by ,chretien #aeda2 by ,bosch #aeed and #aeef2 by ,nogarola1 ,ven4 #aeei2 by ,commelin #aeif2 at ,heidelberg #aeih2 ,bologna1 #afdf1 and revised by ,vizanius #affa2 and lastly1 by ,gale1 ,cambridge1 #afga4 ,here are ten editions1 the last of which is only #di years prior to the year #agjj2 so that the universal consent had not yet been given to neglect this work4 ,let us see when it could have taken place afterwards4 ,d',argens' translation appeared in #agfb4 ,a new ,french translation by the ,abb ,batteux was printed in #agfh2 and he made it without knowing of the other4 ,d',argens' version was reprinted in #agid2 and an amended ,greek and ,latin text by ,rudolph was printed at ,leipsic in #ahja2 so that there are in all fourteen known editions1 of which ,gale's is the best4 ,this book has certainly been read in ,greek1 ,latin1 and ,french1 and it most certainly will be read in ,english1 if any competent translator will favour us with a good version4 8,in addition to the testimonies of ,plato and ,aristotle in favour of this work1 ,philo1 the platonizing ,jew1 says3 #8,some are of opinion1 that it was not ,aristotle1 but certain ,pythagoreans1 who first maintained the eternity of the world2 but ,i have seen a treatise of ,ocellus1 in which he says1 the world was not generated1 and is imperishable1 and indeed he proves it by most exquisite reasoning4 ,censorinus also1 ,de ,die natali1 cap4 ii4 says1 #8that the opinion that the human race is perpetual1 has for its authors ,pythagoras the ,samian1 ,ocellus ,lucanus1 and ,archytas of ,tarentum4' ,he is likewise mentioned by ,jamblichus in his ,life of ,pythagoras2 by ,syrianus in ,aristot4 ,metaphys42 by ,proclus in his ,commentary on the ,timus of ,plato1 who1 as we have shown in the ,notes on ,ocellus1 demonstrates that he was wrong in ascribing two powers only instead of three to each of the elements2 and in the last place1 this ,tract is cited by ,stobus in ,ecl4 ,phys4 lib4 i4 c4 #bd3 all which testimonies clearly prove that ,chalmers is a man who cannot say with ,socrates 7in ,plat4 ,gorg47 that he has bid farewell to the honours of the multitude1 and has his eye solely directed to truth#f40 ,to the treatise of ,ocellus ,i have subjoined a translation of a ,fragment of ,taurus1 a ,platonic philosopher1 ,on the ,eternity of the ,world#g2 and also a translation of the ,mundi ,thema1 or ,geniture of the ,world1 from the celebrated astrological work of ,julius ,firmicus ,maternus1 because it not only admits with ,ocellus the perpetuity of the universe1 but unfolds the position of the stars at the commencement of each of the periods comprehended in the greater mundane apocatastasis1 which consists of #cjj1jjj years2 the first period after a deluge and conflagration1 being1 as it were1 a reproduction of the world4 ,i have likewise annexed a translation of select theorems from the #bnd ,book of ,proclus on ,motion1 in which the perpetuity of time1 and of the bodies which are naturally moved with a circular motion1 is incontrovertibly proved1 and is demonstrated by what ,plato calls 8geometrical necessities0 7 74 ,in the last place1 ,i have added copious ,notes to these treatises1 in order that nothing might be wanting to render the meaning of them perspicuous to the unprejudiced and intelligent reader4 ,,footnotes3 #a viz4 falling on matter1 or the general receptacle of all sensible forms4 ,see my ,translation of the admirable treatise of ,plotinus 8,on the ,impassivity of ,incorporeal ,natures40 #b 1 1 4 #c ,it is rightly observed by ,fabricius1 8that this work of ,ocellus was originally written in the ,doric dialect1 but was afterwards translated by some grammarian into the common dialect1 in order that it might be more easily understood by the reader40--,vid4 ,biblioth4 ,grc4 tom4 i4 p4 #eaj4 #d ,in all the editions of ,plato1 1 conformably to the above translation2 but from ,diogenes ,laertius1 who1 in his ,life of ,archytas1 gives this epistle of ,plato1 it appears that the true reading is 1 i4 e4 ,myrenees1 so called from ,myra1 a city of ,lycia in ,asia ,minor1 7see ,pliny1 v4 #bg4 ,strabo xiv4 #fff47 ,this #abth epistle of ,plato1 though ascribed by ,thrasyllus and ,diogenes ,laertius to ,plato1 yet is marked in the ,greek manuscripts of it as spurious4 #e ,of the ,philosophy of ,pythagoras1 ,plato and ,aristotle1 very few of the moderns have any accurate knowledge1 and therefore on this subject they may be prolix1 but they cannot write well4 ,see this largely and incontrovertibly proved in the ,third and ,fourth ,books of my ,dissertation on the ,philosophy of ,aristotle4 #f ,for nearly the whole of what is contained in the above three paragraphs1 ,i am indebted to my excellent friend ,mr4 ,j4 ,b4 ,inglis1 who has also read ,ocellus with great attention1 and made ,notes upon it2 another proof that the work is not neglected4 #g ,this ,taurus flourished under ,marcus ,antoninus1 and the original of the above-mentioned ,fragment is only to be found in the treatise of ,philoponus against ,proclus1 8,on the ,eternity of the ,world40 ,,ocellus ,,lucanus ,,on ,,the ,,universe4 ,,chap4 ,i4 ,ocellus ,lucanus has written what follows concerning the ,nature of the ,universe2 having learnt some things through clear arguments from ,nature herself1 but others from opinion1 in conjunction with reason#h1 it being his intention in this work to derive what is probable from intellectual perception4 ,it appears1 therefore1 to me1 that the ,universe is indestructible and unbegotten1 since it always was1 and always will be2 for if it had a temporal beginning1 it would not have always existed3 thus1 therefore1 the universe is unbegotten and indestructible2 for if some one should opine that it was once generated1 he would not be able to find anything into which it can be corrupted and dissolved1 since that from which it was generated would be the first part of the universe2 and again1 that into which it would be dissolved would be the last part of it4 ,but if the universe was generated1 it was generated together with all things2 and if it should be corrupted1 it would be corrupted together with all things4 ,this1 however1 is impossible#i4 ,the universe1 therefore1 is without a beginning1 and without an end2 nor is it possible that it can have any other mode of subsistence4 ,to which may be added1 that everything which has received a beginning of generation1 and which ought also to participate of dissolution1 receives two mutations2 one of which1 indeed1 proceeds from the less to the greater1 and from the worse to the better2 and that from which it begins to change is denominated generation1 but that at which it at length arrives1 is called acme4 ,the other mutation1 however1 proceeds from the greater to the less1 and from the better to the worse3 but the termination of this mutation is denominated corruption and dissolution4 ,if1 therefore1 the whole and the universe were generated1 and are corruptible1 they must1 when generated1 have been changed from the less to the greater1 and from the worse to the better2 but when corrupted1 they must be changed from the greater to the less1 and from the better to the worse4 ,hence1 if the world was generated1 it would receive increase1 and would arrive at its acme2 and again1 it would afterwards receive decrease and an end4 ,for every nature which has a progression1 possesses three boundaries and two intervals4 ,the three boundaries1 therefore1 are generation1 acme1 and end2 but the intervals are1 the progression from generation to acme1 and from acme to the end4 ,the whole1 however1 and the universe1 affords1 as from itself1 no indication of a thing of this kind2 for neither do we perceive it rising into existence1 or becoming to be1 nor changing to the better and the greater1 nor becoming at a certain time worse or less2 but it always continues to subsist in the same and a similar manner1 and is itself perpetually equal and similar to itself4 ,of the truth of this1 the orders of things1 their symmetry1 figurations1 positions1 intervals1 powers1 swiftness and slowness with respect to each other2 and1 besides these1 their numbers and temporal periods1 are clear signs and indications4 ,for all such things as these receive mutation and diminution1 conformably to the course of a generated nature3 for things that are greater and better acquire acme through power1 but those that are less and worse are corrupted through imbecility of nature4 ,i denominate1 however1 the whole and the universe1 the whole world2 for1 in consequence of being adorned with all things1 it has obtained this appellation2 since it is from itself a consummate and perfect system of the nature of all things2 for there is nothing external to the universe1 since whatever exists is contained in the universe1 and the universe subsists together with this1 comprehending in itself all things1 some as parts1 but others as supervenient4 ,those things1 therefore1 which are comprehended in the world1 have a congruity with the world2 but the world has no concinnity with anything else1 but is itself co-harmonized with itself4 ,for all other things have not a consummate or self-perfect subsistence1 but require congruity with things external to themselves4 ,thus animals require a conjunction with air for the purpose of respiration1 but sight with light1 in order to see2 and the other senses with something else1 in order to perceive their peculiar sensible object4 ,a conjunction with the earth also is necessary to the germination of plants4 ,the sun and moon1 the planets1 and the fixed stars1 have likewise a coalescence with the world1 as being parts of its common arrangement4 ,the world1 however1 has not a conjunction with anything else than itself4 ,further still#aj1 what has been said will be easily known to be true from the following considerations4 ,fire1 which imparts heat to another thing1 is itself from itself hot2 and honey1 which is sweet to the taste1 is itself from itself sweet4 ,the principles likewise of demonstrations1 which are indicative of things unapparent1 are themselves from themselves manifest and known4 ,thus1 also1 that which becomes to other things the cause of self-perfection1 is itself from itself perfect2 and that which becomes to other things the cause of preservation and permanency1 is itself from itself preserved and permanent4 ,that1 likewise1 which becomes to other things the cause of concinnity1 is itself from itself co-harmonized2 but the world is to other things the cause of their existence1 preservation1 and self-perfection4 ,the world1 therefore1 is from itself perpetual and self-perfect1 has an everlasting duration1 and on this very account becomes the cause of the permanency of the whole of things4 ,in short1 if the universe should be dissolved1 it would either be dissolved into that which has an existence1 or into nonentity4 ,but it is impossible that it should be dissolved into that which exists1 for there will not be a corruption of the universe if it should be dissolved into that which has a being2 for being is either the universe1 or a certain part of the universe4 ,nor can it be dissolved into nonentity1 since it is impossible for being either to be produced from non-beings1 or to be dissolved into nonentity4 ,the universe1 therefore1 is incorruptible1 and can never be destroyed4 ,if1 nevertheless1 some one should think that it may be corrupted1 it must either be corrupted from something external to1 or contained in the universe1 but it cannot be corrupted by anything external to it2 for there is not anything external to the universe1 since all other things are comprehended in the universe1 and the world is the whole and the all4 ,nor can it be corrupted by the things which it contains1 for in this case it will be requisite that these should be greater and more powerful than the universe4 ,this1 however1 is not true#aa1 for all things are led and governed by the universe1 and conformably to this are preserved and co-adapted1 and possess life and soul4 ,but if the universe can neither be corrupted by anything external to it1 nor by anything contained within it1 the world must therefore be incorruptible and indestructible2 for we consider the world to be the same with the universe#ab4 ,further still1 the whole of nature surveyed through the whole of itself1 will be found to derive continuity from the first and most honourable of bodies1 attenuating this continuity proportionally1 introducing it to everything mortal1 and receiving the progression of its peculiar subsistence2 for the first and most honourable bodies in the universe1 revolve according to the same1 and after a similar manner4 ,the progression1 however1 of the whole of nature1 is not successive and continued1 nor yet local1 but subsists according to mutation4 ,fire1 indeed1 when it is congregated into one thing1 generates air1 but air generates water1 and water earth4 ,from earth1 also1 there is the same circuit of mutation1 as far as to fire1 from whence it began to be changed4 ,but fruits1 and most plants that derive their origin from a root1 receive the beginning of their generation from seeds4 ,when1 however1 they bear fruit and arrive at maturity1 again they are resolved into seed1 nature producing a complete circulation from the same to the same4 ,but men and other animals1 in a subordinate degree1 change the universal boundary of nature2 for in these there is no periodical return to the first age1 nor is there an antiperistasis of mutation into each other1 as there is in fire and air1 water and earth2 but the mutations of their ages being accomplished in a four-fold circle#ac1 they are dissolved1 and again return to existence2 these1 therefore1 are the signs and indications that the universe1 which comprehends all things1 will always endure and be preserved1 but that its parts1 and such things in it as are supervenient1 are corrupted and dissolved4 ,further still1 it is credible that the universe is without a beginning1 and without an end1 from its figure1 from motion1 from time1 and its essence2 and1 therefore1 it may be concluded that the world is unbegotten and incorruptible3 for the form of its figure is circular2 but a circle is on all sides similar and equal1 and is therefore without a beginning1 and without an end4 ,the motion also of the universe is circular1 but this motion is stable and without transition4 ,time1 likewise1 in which motion exists is infinite1 for this neither had a beginning1 nor will have an end of its circulation4 ,the essence1 too1 of the universe1 is without egression into any other place1 and is immutable1 because it is not naturally adapted to be changed1 either from the worse to the better1 or from the better to the worse4 ,from all these arguments1 therefore1 it is obviously credible1 that the world is unbegotten and incorruptible4 ,and thus much concerning the whole and the universe4 ,,chap4 ,,ii4 ,since1 however1 in the universe1 one thing is generation1 but another the cause of generation2 and generation indeed takes place where there is a mutation and an egression from things which rank as subjects2 but the cause of generation then subsists where the subject matter remains the same3 this being the case1 it is evident that the cause of generation possesses both an effective and motive power1 but that the recipient of generation is adapted to passivity1 and to be moved4 ,but the ,fates themselves distinguish and separate the impassive part of the world from that which is perpetually moved or mutuable#ad4 ,for the course of the moon is the isthmus of immortality and generation4 ,the region1 indeed1 above the moon1 and also that which the moon occupies1 contain the genus of the gods2 but the place beneath the moon is the abode of strife and nature2 for in this place there is a mutation of things that are generated1 and a regeneration of things which have perished4 ,in that part of the world1 however1 in which nature and generation predominate1 it is necessary that the three following things#ae should be present4 ,in the first place1 the body which yields to the touch1 and which is the subject of all generated natures4 ,but this will be an universal recipient1 and a signature of generation itself1 having the same relation to the things that are generated from it1 as water to taste1 silence to sound#af1 darkness to light1 and the matter of artificial forms to the forms themselves4 ,for water is tasteless and devoid of quality1 yet is capable of receiving the sweet and the bitter1 the sharp and the salt4 ,air1 also1 which is formless with respect to sound1 is the recipient of words and melody4 ,and darkness1 which is without colour1 and without form1 becomes the recipient of splendour1 and of the yellow colour and the white2 but whiteness pertains to the statuary's art2 and to the art which fashions figures from wax4 ,matter1 however1 has a relation in a different manner to the statuary's art2 for in matter all things prior to generation are in capacity1 but they exist in perfection when they are generated and receive their proper nature4 ,hence matter or a universal recipient is necessary to the existence of generation4 ,the second thing which is necessary1 is the existence of contrarieties1 in order that mutations and changes in quality may be effected1 matter for this purpose receiving passive qualities1 and an aptitude to the participation of forms4 ,contrariety is also necessary1 in order that powers1 which are naturally mutually repugnant1 may not finally vanquish1 or be vanquished by1 each other4 ,but these powers are the hot and the cold1 the dry and the moist4 ,essences rank in the third place2 and these are fire and water1 air and earth1 of which the hot and the cold1 the dry and the moist1 are powers4 ,but essences differ from powers2 for essences are locally corrupted by each other1 but powers are neither corrupted nor generated1 for the reasons or forms of them are incorporeal4 ,of these four powers1 however1 the hot and the cold subsist as causes and things of an effective nature1 but the dry and the moist rank as matter and things that are passive#ag2 but matter is the first recipient of all things1 for it is that which is in common spread under all things4 ,hence1 the body1 which is the object of sense in capacity1 and ranks as a principle1 is the first thing2 but contrarieties1 such as heat and cold1 moisture and dryness1 form the second thing2 and fire and water1 earth and air1 have an arrangement in the third place4 ,for these change into each other2 but things of a contrary nature are without change4 ,but the differences of bodies are two3 for some of them indeed are primary1 but others originate from these3 for the hot and the cold1 the moist and the dry1 rank as primary differences2 but the heavy and the light1 the dense and the rare1 have the relation of things which are produced from the primary differences4 ,all of them1 however1 are in number sixteen1 viz4 the hot and the cold1 the moist and the dry1 the heavy and the light1 the rare and the dense1 the smooth and the rough1 the hard and the soft1 the thin and the thick1 the acute and the obtuse4 ,but of all these1 the touch has a knowledge1 and forms a judgement2 hence1 also1 the first body in which these differences exist in capacity1 may be sensibly apprehended by the touch4 ,the hot and the dry1 therefore1 the rare and the sharp1 are the powers of fire2 but those of water are1 the cold and the moist1 the dense and the obtuse2 those of air are1 the soft1 the smooth1 the light1 and the attenuated2 and those of earth are1 the hard and the rough1 the heavy and the thick4 ,of these four bodies1 however1 fire and earth are the transcendencies and summits or extremities of contraries4 ,fire1 therefore1 is the transcendency of heat1 in the same manner as ice is of cold3 hence1 if ice is a concretion of moisture and frigidity1 fire will be the fervour of dryness and heat4 ,on which account1 nothing is generated from ice1 nor from fire#ah4 ,fire and earth1 therefore1 are the extremities of the elements1 but water and air are the media1 for they have a mixed corporeal nature4 ,nor is it possible that there could be only one of the extremes1 but it is necessary that there should be a contrary to it4 ,nor could there be two only1 for it is necessary that there should be a medium1 since media are opposite to the extremes4 ,fire1 therefore1 is hot and dry1 but air is hot and moist2 water is moist and cold1 but earth is cold and dry4 ,hence1 heat is common to air and fire2 cold is common to water and earth2 dryness to earth and fire2 and moisture to water and air4 ,but with respect to the peculiarities of each1 heat is the peculiarity of fire1 dryness of earth1 moisture of air1 and frigidity of water4 ,the essences1 therefore1 of these remain permanent1 through the possession of common properties2 but they change through such as are peculiar1 when one contrary vanquishes another4 ,hence1 when the moisture in air vanquishes the dryness in fire1 but the frigidity in water1 the heat in air1 and the dryness in earth1 the moisture in water1 and vice vers1 when the moisture in water vanquishes the dryness in earth1 the heat in air1 the coldness in water1 and the dryness in fire1 the moisture in air1 then the mutations and generations of the elements from each other into each other are effected4 ,the body1 however1 which is the subject and recipient of mutations1 is a universal receptacle1 and is in capacity the first tangible substance4 ,but the mutations of the elements are effected1 either from a change of earth into fire1 or from fire into air1 or from air into water1 or from water into earth4 ,mutation is also effected in the third place1 when that which is contrary in each element is corrupted1 but that which is of a kindred nature1 and connascent1 is preserved4 ,generation1 therefore1 is effected1 when one contrariety is corrupted4 ,for fire1 indeed1 is hot and dry1 but air is hot and moist1 and heat is common to both2 but the peculiarity of fire is dryness1 and of air moisture4 ,hence1 when the moisture in air vanquishes the dryness in fire1 then fire is changed into air4 ,again1 since water is moist and cold1 but air is moist and hot1 moisture is common to both4 ,the peculiarity however of water is coldness1 but of air heat4 ,when1 therefore1 the coldness in water vanquishes the heat in air1 the mutation from air into water is effected4 ,further still1 earth is cold and dry1 but water is cold and moist1 and coldness is common to both2 but the peculiarity of earth is dryness1 and of water moisture4 ,when1 therefore1 the dryness in earth vanquishes the moisture in water1 a mutation takes place from water into earth4 ,the mutation1 however1 from earth1 in an ascending progression1 is performed in a contrary way2 but an alternate mutation is effected when one whole vanquishes another1 and two contrary powers are corrupted1 nothing at the same time being common to them4 ,for since fire is hot and dry1 but water is cold and moist2 when the moisture in water vanquishes the dryness in fire1 and the coldness in water the heat in fire1 then a mutation is effected from fire into water4 ,again1 earth is cold and dry1 but air is hot and moist4 ,when1 therefore1 the coldness in earth vanquishes the heat in air1 and the dryness in earth1 the moisture in air1 then a mutation from air into earth is effected4 ,but when the moisture of air corrupts the heat of fire1 from both of them fire will be generated2 for the heat of air and the dryness of fire will still remain4 ,and fire is hot and dry4 ,when1 however1 the coldness of earth is corrupted1 and the moisture of water1 from both of them earth will be generated4 ,for the dryness of earth1 indeed1 will be left1 and the coldness of water4 ,and earth is cold and dry4 ,but when the heat of air1 and the heat of fire are corrupted1 no element will be generated2 for the contraries in both these will remain1 viz4 the moisture of air and the dryness of fire4 ,moisture1 however1 is contrary to dryness4 ,and again1 when the coldness of earth1 and in a similar manner of water1 are corrupted1 neither thus will there be any generation2 for the dryness of earth and the moisture of water will remain4 ,but dryness is contrary to moisture4 ,and thus1 we have briefly discussed the generation of the first bodies1 and have shown how and from what subjects it is effected4 ,since1 however1 the world is indestructible and unbegotten1 and neither received a beginning of generation1 nor will ever have an end1 it is necessary that the nature which produces generation in another thing1 and also that which generates in itself1 should be present with each other4 ,and that1 indeed1 which produces generation in another thing1 is the whole of the region above the moon2 but the more proximate cause is the sun1 who1 by his accessions and recessions1 continually changes the air1 so as to cause it to be at one time cold1 and at another hot2 the consequence of which is1 that the earth is changed1 and everything which the earth contains4 ,the obliquity of the zodiac1 also1 is well posited with respect to the motion of the sun1 for it likewise is the cause of generation4 ,and universally this is accomplished by the proper order of the universe2 so that one thing in it is that which makes1 but another that which is passive4 ,hence1 that which generates in another thing1 exists above the moon2 but that which generates in itself1 has a subsistence beneath the moon2 and that which consists of both these1 viz4 of an ever-running divine body1 and of an ever-mutable generated nature1 is the world4 ,,chap4 ,,iii4 ,the origin1 however1 of the generation of man was not derived from the earth1 nor that of other animals1 nor of plants2 but the proper order of the world being perpetual1 it is also necessary that the natures which exist in it1 and are aptly arranged1 should1 together with it1 have a never-failing subsistence4 ,for the world primarily always existing1 it is necessary that its parts should be co-existent with it3 but ,i mean by its parts1 the heavens1 the earth1 and that which subsists between these2 which is placed on high1 and is denominated aerial2 for the world does not exist without1 but together with1 and from these4 ,the parts of the world1 however1 being consubsistent1 it is also necessary that the natures1 comprehended in these parts1 should be co-existent with them2 with the heavens1 indeed1 the sun and moon1 the fixed stars1 and the planets2 but with the earth1 animals and plants1 gold and silver2 with the place on high1 and the aerial region1 pneumatic substances and wind1 a mutation to that which is more hot1 and a mutation to that which is more cold2 for it is the property of the heavens to subsist in conjunction with the natures which it comprehends2 of the earth to support the plants and animals which originate from it2 and of the place on high1 and the aerial region1 to be consubsistent with all the natures that are generated in it4 ,since1 therefore1 in each division of the world1 a certain genus of animals is arranged1 which surpasses the rest contained in that division2 in the heavens1 indeed1 the genus of the gods1 but in the earth men1 and in the region on high demons2--this being the case1 it is necessary that the race of men should be perpetual1 since reason truly induces us to believe1 that not only the great parts of the world are consubsistent with the world1 but also the natures comprehended in these parts4 ,violent corruptions1 however1 and mutations1 take place in the parts of the earth2 at one time1 indeed1 the sea overflowing into another part of the earth2 but at another1 the earth itself becoming dilated and divulsed1 through wind or water latently entering into it4 ,but an entire corruption of the arrangement of the whole earth never did happen1 nor ever will4 ,hence the assertion1 that the ,grecian history derived its beginning from the ,argive ,inachus1 must not be admitted as if it commenced from a certain first principle1 but that it originated from some mutation which happened in ,greece2 for ,greece has frequently been1 and will again be1 barbarous1 not only from the migration of foreigners into it1 but from nature herself1 which1 though she does not become greater or less1 yet is always younger1 and with reference to us1 receives a beginning4 ,and thus much has been sufficiently said by me respecting the whole and the universe2 and further still1 concerning the generation and corruption of the natures which are generated in it1 and the manner in which they subsist1 and will for ever subsist2 one part of the universe consisting of a nature which is perpetually moved1 but another part of a nature which is always passive2 and the former of these always governing1 but the latter being always governed4 ,,chap4 ,,iv4 ,concerning the generation of men1 however1 from each other1 after what manner1 and from what particulars1 it may be most properly effected1 law1 and temperance and piety at the same time co-operating1 will be1 ,i think1 as follows4 ,in the first place1 indeed1 this must be admitted1--that we should not be connected with women for the sake of pleasure1 but for the sake of begetting children4 ,for those powers and instruments1 and appetites1 which are subservient to copulation1 were imparted to men by ,divinity1 not for the sake of voluptuousness1 but for the sake of the perpetual duration of the human race4 ,for since it was impossible that man1 who is born mortal1 should participate of a divine life1 if the immortality of his genus was corrupted2 ,divinity gave completion to this immortality through individuals1 and made this generation of mankind to be unceasing and continued4 ,this1 therefore1 is one of the first things which it is necessary to survey1--that copulation should not be undertaken for the sake of voluptuous delight4 ,in the next place1 the co-ordination itself of man should be considered with reference to the whole1 viz4 that he is a part of a house and a city1 and 7which is the greatest thing of all7 that each of the progeny of the human species ought to give completion to the world#ai1 if it does not intend to be a deserter either of the domestic1 or political1 or divine ,vestal hearth4 ,for those who are not entirely connected with each other for the sake of begetting children1 injure the most honourable system of convention4 ,but if persons of this description procreate with libidinous insolence and intemperance1 their offspring will be miserable and flagitious1 and will be execrated by gods and demons1 and by men1 and families1 and cities4 ,those1 therefore1 who deliberately consider these things1 ought not1 in a way similar to irrational animals1 to engage in venereal connections1 but should think copulation to be a necessary good4 ,for it is the opinion of worthy men1 that it is necessary and beautiful1 not only to fill houses with large families1 and also the greater part of the earth#bj1 7for man is the most mild and the best of all animals17 but1 as a thing of the greatest consequence1 to cause them to abound with the most excellent men4 ,for on this account men inhabit cities governed by the best laws1 rightly manage their domestic affairs1 and if they are able impart to their friends such political employments as are conformable to the polities in which they live1 since they not only provide for the multitude at large1 but especially for worthy men4 ,hence1 many err1 who enter into the connubial state without regarding the magnitude of the power of fortune1 or public utility1 but direct their attention to wealth1 or dignity of birth4 ,for in consequence of this1 instead of uniting with females who are young and in the flower of their age1 they become connected with extremely old women2 and instead of having wives with a disposition according with1 and most similar to their own1 they marry those who are of an illustrious family1 or are extremely rich4 ,on this account1 they procure for themselves discord instead of concord2 and instead of unanimity1 dissention2 contending with each other for the mastery4 ,for the wife who surpasses her husband in wealth1 in birth1 and in friends1 is desirous of ruling over him1 contrary to the law of nature4 ,but the husband justly resisting this desire of superiority in his wife1 and wishing not to be the second1 but the first in domestic sway1 is unable1 in the management of his family1 to take the lead4 ,this being the case1 it happens that not only families1 but cities1 become miserable4 ,for families are parts of cities1 but the composition of the whole and the universe derives its subsistence from parts#ba4 ,it is reasonable1 therefore1 to admit1 that such as are the parts1 such likewise will be the whole and the all which consists of things of this kind4 ,and as in fabrics of a primary nature the first structures co-operate greatly to the good or bad completion of the whole work2 as1 for instance1 the manner in which the foundation is laid in building a house1 the structure of the keel in building a ship1 and in musical modulation the extension and remission of the voice2 so the concordant condition of families greatly contributes to the well or ill establishment of a polity4 ,those1 therefore1 who direct their attention to the propagation of the human species1 ought to guard against everything which is dissimilar and imperfect2 for neither plants nor animals1 when imperfect1 are prolific1 but to their fructification a certain portion of time is necessary1 in order that when the bodies are strong and perfect1 they may produce seeds and fruits4 ,hence1 it is necessary that boys1 and girls also while they are virgins1 should be trained up in exercises and proper endurance1 and that they should be nourished with that kind of food1 which is adapted to a laborious1 temperate1 and patient life4 ,moreover1 there are many things in human life of such a kind1 that it is better for the knowledge of them to be deferred for a certain time4 ,hence1 it is requisite that a boy should be so tutored1 as not to seek after venereal pleasures before he is twenty years of age1 and then should rarely engage in them4 ,this1 however1 will take place1 if he conceives that a good habit of body1 and continence1 are beautiful and honourable4 ,it is likewise requisite that such legal institutes as the following should be taught in ,grecian cities1 viz4 that connection with a mother1 or a daughter1 or a sister1 should not be permitted either in temples1 or in a public place2 for it is beautiful and advantageous that numerous impediments to this energy should be employed4 ,and universally1 it is requisite that all preternatural generations should be prevented1 and those which are attended with wanton insolence4 ,but such as are conformable to nature should be admitted1 and which are effected with temperance1 for the purpose of producing a temperate and legitimate offspring4 ,again1 it is necessary that those who intend to beget children1 should providentially attend to the welfare of their future offspring4 ,a temperate and salutary diet1 therefore1 is the first and greatest thing which should be attended to by him who wishes to beget children2 so that he should neither be filled with unseasonable food1 nor become intoxicated1 nor subject himself to any other perturbation1 from which the habits of the body may become worse4 ,but1 above all things1 it is requisite to be careful that the mind1 in the act of copulation1 should be in a tranquil state3 for1 from depraved1 discordant1 and turbulent habits1 bad seed is produced4 ,it is requisite1 therefore1 to endeavour1 with all possible earnestness and attention1 that children may be born elegant and graceful1 and that when born1 they should be well educated4 ,for neither is it just that those who rear horses1 or birds1 or dogs1 should1 with the utmost diligence1 endeavour that the breed may be such as is proper1 and from such things as are proper1 and when it is proper#bb2 and likewise consider how they ought to be disposed when they copulate with each other1 in order that the offspring may not be a casual production2--but that men should pay no attention to their progeny1 but should beget them casually2 and when begotten1 should neglect both their nutriment and their education3 for these being disregarded1 the causes of all vice and depravity are produced1 since those that are thus born will resemble cattle1 and will be ignoble and vile4 ,,footnotes3 #h ,see ,additional ,notes1 a4 #i ,the universe could not be generated together with all things1 for the principle of it must be unbegotten2 since everything that is generated1 is generated from a cause2 and if this cause was also generated1 there must be a progression of causes ad infinitum1 unless the unbegotten is admitted to be the principle of the universe4 ,neither1 therefore1 can the universe be corrupted together with all things2 for the principle of it being unbegotten is also incorruptible2 that only being corruptible1 which was once generated4 #aj ,critolaus1 the ,peripatetic1 employs nearly the same arguments as those contained in this paragraph1 in proof of the perpetuity of the world1 as is evident from the following passage1 preserved by ,philo1 in his ,treatise 1 8,on the ,incorruptibility of the ,world03 1 1 4 1 1 4 1 4 4 i4 e4 8,that which is the cause to itself of good health1 is without disease4 ,but1 also1 that which is the cause to itself of a vigilant energy1 is sleepless4 ,but if this be the case1 that also which is the cause to itself of existence1 is perpetual4 ,the world1 however1 is the cause to itself of existence1 since it is the cause of existence to all other things4 ,the world1 therefore1 is perpetual40 ,everything divine1 according to the philosophy of ,pythagoras and ,plato1 being a self-perfect essence1 begins its own energy from itself1 and is therefore primarily the cause to itself of that which it imparts to others4 ,hence1 since the world1 being a divine and self-subsistent essence1 imparts to itself existence1 it must be without non-existence1 and therefore must be perpetual4 #aa i4 e4 ,it is not true that the universe can contain anything greater and more powerful than itself4 #ab ,philo ,judus1 in his before-mentioned ,treatise 1 has adopted the arguments of ,ocellus in this paragraph1 but not with the conciseness of his original4 #ac ,this four-fold mutation of ages in the human race1 consists of the infant1 the lad1 the man1 and the old man1 as is well observed by ,theo of ,smyrna4 ,see my ,theoretic ,arithmetic1 p4 #ahi4 #ad ,in the original1 1 which is obviously erroneous4 ,nogarola1 in his note on this passage1 says1 8,melius arbitror si legatur 1 1 ut sit sensus1 semper patibilem1 et semper mobilem partem distinguunt ac separant40 ,but though he is right in reading for 1 he is wrong in substituting for 2 for ,ocellus is here speaking of the distinction between the celestial and sublunary region1 the former of which is impassive1 because not subject to generation and corruption1 but the latter being subject to both these is perpetually mutable4 #ae ,aristotle1 in his treatise on ,generation and ,corruption1 has borrowed what ,ocellus here says about the three things necessary to generation4 ,see my translation of that work4 #af ,in the original1 1 instead of which it is necessary to read 1 conformably to the above translation4 ,see the ,notes to my translation of the ,first ,book of ,aristotle's ,physics1 p4 #gc1 c41 in which the reader will find a treasury of information from ,simplicius concerning matter4 ,but as matter is devoid of all quality1 and is a privation of all form1 the necessity of the above emendation is immediately obvious4 #ag ,thus also ,aristotle1 in his ,treatise on ,generation and ,corruption1 1 1 1 1 i4 e4 8,with respect to heat and cold1 dryness and moisture1 the two former of these are said to be effective1 but the two latter passive powers40 #ah ,the substance of nearly the whole of what ,ocellus here says1 and also of the two following paragraphs1 is given by ,aristotle1 in his ,treatise on ,generation and ,corruption4 #ai ,in the original1 1 1 1 1 4 4 4 ,here1 for 1 1 4 4 41 it is requisite to read1 conformably to the above translation1 1 1 4 4 4 ,nogarola1 in his version1 from not perceiving the necessity of this emendation1 has made ,ocellus say that man is the greatest part of the universe2 for his translation is as follows3 8,mox eandem hominis constitutionem ad universam referendam1 quippe qui non solum doms et civitatis1 verum etiam mundi maxima habetur pars10 c4 #bj ,this observation applies only to well regulated cities1 but in ,london and other large cities1 where the population is not restricted to a definite number1 this abundant propagation of the species is1 to the greater part of the community1 attended with extreme misery and want4 ,plato and ,aristotle1 who rank among the wisest men that ever lived1 were decidedly of opinion1 that the population of a city should be limited4 ,hence1 the former of these philosophers says1 8that in a city where the inhabitants do not know each other1 there is no light1 but profound darkness20 and the latter1 8that as #aj1jjj inhabitants are too few for a city1 so #ajj1jjj are too many40 #ba ,for whole1 according to the philosophy of ,pythagoras and ,plato1 has a triple subsistence2 since it is either prior to parts1 or consists of parts1 or exists in each of the parts of a thing4 ,but a whole1 prior to parts1 contains in itself parts causally4 ,the universe is a whole of wholes1 the wholes which it comprehends in itself 7viz4 the inerratic sphere1 and the spheres of the planets and elements7 being its parts4 ,and in the whole which is in each part of a thing1 every part according to participation becomes a whole1 i4 e4 a partial whole4 #bb ,in the original1 1 1 1 a mode of diction which frequently occurs in ,aristotle1 and from him in ,platonic writers4 ,,ocellus ,,lucanus ,,on ,,laws4 ,a ,,fragment ,,preserved ,,by ,,stob,,us1 ,,eclog4 ,,phys4 ,,lib4 ,i4 ,,cap4 #af4 ,life1 connectedly--contains in itself bodies2 but of this1 soul is the cause4 ,harmony comprehends1 connectedly1 the world2 but of this1 ,god is the cause4 ,concord binds together families and cities2 and of this1 law is the cause4 ,hence1 there is a certain cause and nature which perpetually adapts the parts of the world to each other1 and never suffers them to be disorderly and without connection4 ,cities1 however1 and families1 continue only for a short time2 the progeny of which1 and the mortal nature of the matter of which they consist1 contain in themselves the cause of dissolution2 for they derive their subsistence from a mutable and perpetually passive nature4 ,for the destruction#bc of things which are generated1 is the salvation of the matter from which they are generated4 ,that nature1 however1 which is perpetually moved#bd governs1 but that which is always passive#be is governed2 and the one is in capacity prior1 but the other posterior4 ,the one also is divine1 and possesses reason and intellect1 but the other is generated1 and is irrational and mutable4 ,,footnotes3 #bc ,in the original1 2 but the true reading is doubtless 1 and ,vizzanus has in his version interitus4 ,what is here said by ,ocellus is in perfect conformity with the following beautiful lines of our admirable philosophic poet1 ,pope1 in his ,essay on ,man3 8,all forms that perish other forms supply2 ,by turns they catch the vital breath and die2 ,like bubbles on the sea of matter born1 ,they rise1 they break1 and to that sea return40 #bd i4 e4 ,the celestial region4 #be i4 e4 ,the sublunary region4 ,,additional ,,notes4 a ,page #a4--8;,but others from opinion in conjunction with reason20--which in the original is1 1 4 ,but ,ocellus is not accurate in what he here asserts1 as is evident from what ,plato says in his ,timus4 ,for the divine philosopher having1 in the former part of this dialogue1 proposed to consider 8what that is which is always being1 but is without generation1 and what that is which is generated or consists in becoming to be1 but is never really being10 adds3 8,the former of these1 indeed1 is comprehended by intelligence in conjunction with reason1 since it always subsists with invariable sameness2 but the latter is perceived by opinion in conjunction with irrational sense1 since it is generated and corrupted1 and never truly is40 1 1 1 1 ' ' 1 1 1 4 ,plato1 as is evident from what is said in the ,introduction to this work1 had seen this tract of ,ocellus1 and corrects him in what he here says1 as he also did the opinions of other philosophers anterior to1 or contemporary with him4 ,for if ,ocellus had spoken accurately1 he should have said1 8that he had learnt some things through clear arguments from nature herself1 but others from opinion in conjunction with irrational sense40 ,for1 as ,proclus admirably demonstrates in his ,commentary on the above passage from the ,timus of ,plato1 truly existing being is only to be apprehended by us through illuminations from an intellect superior to the human1 in conjunction with the energy of the summit of our reasoning power2 for such is the accurate meaning of in this place4 ,but opinion is a knowledge of sensibles conformable to reason1 yet without being able to assign the cause of what it knows2 and sense is an irrational knowledge of the objects to which it is passive1 and the instrument of sense is passion only4 ,see the first volume of my translation of the ,commentaries of ,proclus on the ,timus of ,plato1 p4 #bjb1 c4 ,ocellus adds1 8that it is his intention in this treatise ,on the ,universe to derive what is probable from intellectual perception40 ,for in physiological discussions we must be satisfied with probability and an approximation to the truth4 ,hence1 ,proclus1 in his ,commentary on that part of the ,timus in which ,plato says1 8,what essence is to generation1 that truth is to faith10 admirably observes as follows3 8,the faith of which ,plato now speaks is rational1 but is mingled with irrational knowledge1 as it employs sense and conjecture2 hence1 it is filled with much of the unstable4 ,for receiving from sense or conjecture the 1 or that a thing is1 it thus explains causes4 ,but these kinds of knowledge have much of the confused and unstable4 ,hence1 ,socrates1 in the ,phdo1 reprehends sense in many respects1 because we neither hear nor see anything accurately4 8,how1 therefore1 can the knowledge which originates from sense possess the accurate and the irreprehensible8 ,for the powers which use science alone1 comprehend the whole of the thing known with accuracy2 but those that energise with sense1 are deceived1 and deviate from accuracy1 on account of sense1 and because the object of knowledge is unstable4 ,for1 with respect to that which is material1 what can any one say of it8 since it is always changing and flowing1 and is not naturally adapted to abide for a moment4 ,but that which is celestial1 in consequence of being remote from us1 is not easily known1 nor can it be apprehended by science1 but we must be satisfied in the theory of it with an approximation to the truth1 and with probability instead of certainty4 ,for everything which is in place requires the being situated there1 in order to a perfect knowledge of its nature4 ,the intelligible1 however1 is not a thing of this kind1 since it is not apprehended by us in place2 for1 wherever any one establishes his reasoning energy1 there1 truth being everywhere present1 he comes into contact with it4 ,but if it is possible to assert anything firm and stable about that which is celestial1 this also is possible1 so far as it participates of being1 and so far as it can be apprehended by intelligence4 ,for1 if anything necessary can be collected concerning it1 it is alone through geometrical demonstrations which are universal4 ,but so far as it is sensible1 it is difficult to be apprehended1 and difficult to be surveyed40--,see the first volume of my translation of ,proclus on the ,timus of ,plato1 p4 #bia4 ,in p4 #bic1 he also observes1 8that perfectly accurate arguments1 and such as are truly scientific1 are not to be expected in physical discussions1 but such as are assimilated to them4 ,it is besides this requisite to know1 that as the world is mingled from physical powers1 and an intellectual and divine essence2 for 8physical works1 as the ,chaldean ,oracle says1 co-subsist with the intellectual light of the father20 thus1 also1 the discussion of the world makes a commixture of faith and truth4 ,for things which are assumed from sense participate largely of conjectural discussion2 but things which commence from intelligibles1 possess that which is irreprehensible1 and cannot be confuted40 ,and1 lastly1 in p4 #bif1 he adds1 8that the want of accuracy in the theory of the images of being1 arises from our imbecility2 for1 to the knowledge of them we require imagination1 sense1 and many other organs4 ,but the ,gods contractedly contain these in their unity and divine intellection2 for1 in sublunary natures1 we are satisfied in apprehending that which1 for the most part1 takes place on account of the instability of their subject matter4 ,but again1 in celestial natures1 we are filled with much of the conjectural1 through employing sense and material instruments4 ,on this account we must be satisfied with proximity in the apprehension1 of them1 since we dwell remotely at the bottom1 as it is said1 of the universe4 ,this also is evident from those that are conversant with them1 who collect the same things respecting them from different hypotheses2 some things1 indeed1 through eccentrics1 others through epicycles1 and others through evolvents1 in all these preserving the phnomena40 ,shuttleworth1 in his ,astronomy1 has demonstrated that the celestial phnomena may be solved by the hypotheses of ,ptolemy and ,tycho ,brahe1 equally as well as by those of ,copernicus4 ,but astronomers of the present day1 from not being skilled in the logic of ,aristotle1 are not aware that true conclusions may be deduced from false premises2 and hence1 because their theory solves the phnomena1 they immediately conclude that it is true4 ,aristotle1 in his ,posterior ,analytics1 has incontrovertibly shown1 that the things from which demonstrative science consists1 must be necessarily true1 the causes of1 more known than1 and prior to the conclusion4 ,but where the premises of a syllogism are false1 the conclusion is not scientifically1 i4 e4 necessarily1 true4 ,thus in the syllogism1 ,every stone is an animal2 every man is a stone2 therefore every man is an animal1--the conclusion is true1 but not scientific4 ,note to p4 #ad4--,ocellus is wrong in ascribing two powers only to each of the elements1 instead of three1 as is clearly shown by ,proclus1 in the following extract from his admirable ,commentary on the ,timus of ,plato4 8,there are some physiologists 7says he7 who ascribe one power to each of the elements2 to fire indeed heat1 to air frigidity1 to water moisture1 and to earth dryness2 in so doing1 entirely wandering from the truth4 ,in the first place1 because they subvert the world and order4 ,for it is impossible for things to be co-adapted to each other1 when they possess the most contrary powers1 unless they have something in common4 ,in the next place1 they make the most contrary natures allied to each other1 viz4 the hot to the cold1 and the moist to the dry#bf4 ,it is necessary1 however1 to make things which are hostile more remote than things which are less foreign4 ,for such is the nature of contraries4 ,in the third place1 therefore1 the first two powers will have no sympathy whatever with the rest1 but will be divulsed#bg from each other4 ,for it is impossible to say what is common to humidity and frigidity4 ,and in addition to all these things1 as the elements are solids1 they will not be conjoined to each other by any medium4 ,it has however been shown that it is not possible for solids to be conjoined through one medium4 ,nor can they be conjoined without a medium4 ,for this is alone the province of things that are perfectly without interval4 8,but some others1 as ,ocellus1 who was the precursor of ,timus1 attribute two powers to each of the elements2 to fire indeed heat and dryness2 to air1 heat and moisture2 to water1 moisture and coldness2 and to earth1 coldness and dryness4 ,and these things are written by this man in his treatise ,on ,nature4 ,in what1 therefore1 do these err who thus speak8 ,in the first place1 indeed1 wishing to discover the common powers in the elements1 in order that they may preserve the co-arrangement of them with each other1 they no more assign communion than separation to them1 but equally honour their hostility and their harmony4 ,what kind of world1 therefore1 will subsist from these2 what order will there be of things which are without arrangement and most foreign1 and of things which are most allied and co-arranged8 ,for things which in an equal degree are hostile and peaceful1 will in an equal mode dissolve and constitute communion4 ,but this communion being similarly dissolved1 and similarly implanted1 the universe will no more exist than not exist4 ,in the second place1 they do not assign the greatest contrariety to the extremes1 but to things most remote from the extremes2 though we everywhere see1 that of homogeneous natures1 those which are most distant have the nature of contraries1 and not those which are less distant4 ,how likewise did nature arrange them1 since they are most remote in their situation from each other8 ,was it not by perceiving their contrariety1 and that the third was more allied than the last to the first8 ,how1 also1 did she arrange the motions of them1 since fire is most light and tends upward1 but earth is most heavy and tends downward8 ,but whence were the motions of them which are most contrary derived1 if not from nature8 ,if1 therefore1 nature distributed to them most contrary motions1 it is evident that they are themselves most contrary4 ,for as the motions of simple beings are simple1 and those things are simple of which the motions are simple1 thus also those things are most contrary of which the motions are most contrary4 ,and this may occasion some one to wonder at ,aristotle1 who1 in what he says about motion1 places earth as most contrary to fire2 but in what he says about powers1 he makes the most remote of similar natures to be more friendly than those that are proximate1 when they are moved with most contrary motions4 ,for1 as the elements have contrary places in their positions1 as they have contrary motions in lations1 as they have contrary powers1 gravity and levity1 through which motions subsist in their forms1 thus also they have contrary passive qualities4 ,aristotle himself likewise manifests that earth is contrary to fire4 ,for wishing to show that it is necessary there should be more bodies than one1 he says3 8,moreover1 if earth exists1 it is also necessary that fire should exist4 ,for in things1 one of the contraries of which naturally is1 the other likewise has a natural subsistence40 ,so that neither was he able after any other manner to show that there are more elements than one1 than by asserting that fire is contrary to earth4 8,further still1 as the elements are solids1 how can they be bound together through one medium8 ,for this is impossible in solids1 as we have before observed4 ,hence those who assert these things1 neither speak mathematically nor physically1 but unavoidably err in both these respects4 ,for physical are derived from mathematical entities4 ,timus therefore alone1 or any other who rightly follows him1 neither attributes one or two powers alone to the elements1 but triple powers2 to fire indeed tenuity of parts1 acuteness1 and facility of motion2 to air1 tenuity of parts1 obtuseness1 and facility of motion2 to water1 grossness of parts1 obtuseness1 and facility of motion2 and to earth1 grossness of parts1 obtuseness1 and difficulty of motion4 ,but this is in order that each of the elements may have two powers1 each#bh of which is common to the element placed next to it1 and one power which is different1 in the same manner as it was demonstrated in mathematical numbers and figures2 this different power being assumed from one of the extremes2 and also in order that earth1 according to all the powers1 may subsist oppositely to fire2 and that the extremes may have two media1 and the continued quantities two2 the latter having solids for the media1 but the former1 common powers4 ,for let fire indeed be attenuated in its parts1 acute1 and easily moved4 ,for it has an attenuated essence1 and is acute1 as having a figure of this kind i4 e4 a pyramidal figure1 and on this account is incisive and fugitive#bi1 and permeates through all the other elements4 ,it is also moved with facility#cj1 as being most near to the celestial bodies1 and existing in them4 ,for the celestial fire itself is moved with celerity1 as is likewise sublunary fire1 which is perpetually moved in conjunction with it1 and according to one circle1 and one impulse4 ,since1 therefore1 earth is contrary to fire1 it has contrary powers1 viz4 grossness1 obtuseness1 and difficulty of motion1 all which we see are present with it4 ,but these being thus hostile1 and being solids1 are also similar solids4 ,for their sides and their powers are analogous4 ,for as the gross is to the attenuated1 so is the obtuse to the acute1 and that which is moved with difficulty1 to that which is moved with facility4 ,but those are similar solids of which the sides that constitute the bodies are analogous4 ,for the sides are the powers of which bodies consist4 ,hence1 as fire and earth are similar bodies1 and similar solids1 two analogous media fall between them2 and each of the media will have two sides of the extremes situated next to it1 and the remaining side from the other extreme4 ,hence1 since fire has for its three physical sides the triple powers1 tenuity1 acuteness1 and facility of motion1 by taking away the middle power1 acuteness1 and introducing instead of it obtuseness1 we shall produce air1 which has two sides of fire1 but one of earth1 or two powers of fire1 but one of earth2 as it is fit that what is near should rather communicate with it1 than what is separated in the third rank from it4 8,again1 since earth has three physical powers1 contrary to the powers of fire1 viz4 grossness of parts1 obtuseness1 and difficulty of motion2 by taking away difficulty of motion1 and introducing facility of motion1 we shall produce water1 which consists of gross parts1 is obtuse1 and is easily moved2 and which has indeed two sides or powers common with earth1 but receives one from fire4 ,and thus these media will be spontaneously conjoined with each other2 communicating indeed in twofold powers1 but differing in similitude by one power2 and the extremes will be bound together by two media4 ,each element also will thus be in a greater degree conjoined to1 than separated from1 the element which is near to it2 and one world will be perfectly effected through all of them1 and one harmonious order1 through the predominance of analogy4 ,thus also1 of the two cubes #h and #bg1 the medium #ab being placed next to #h1 will have two sides of this1 but one side of #bg4 ,for #ab is produced by #b #b #c4 ,but it is vice vers with #ah4 ,for this is produced by #c #c #b4 ,and the side of #bg is #c1 in the same manner as #b is the side of #h4 ,the physical dogmas1 therefore1 of ,plato1 about the elements of the universe1 accord with mathematical speculations40 ,in the ,introduction to my ,translation of the ,timus of ,plato1 ,i have added the following numbers1 for the purpose of representing this beautiful distribution of the elements1 by ,proclus1 arithmetically4 ,let the number #fj represent fire1 and #dhj earth2 and the media between these1 viz4 #abj and #bdj1 will correspond to air and water4 ,for1 as #fj 3 #abj 33 #bdj 3 #dhj4 ,but #fj #c #e #d1 #abj #c #aj #d1 #bdj #f #aj #d1 and #dhj #f #aj #h4 ,so that these numbers will correspond to the properties of the elements as follows3 ,fire4 ,air4 #c #e #d #c #aj #d 33 ,subtle1 acute1 moveable4 ,subtle1 blunt1 moveable4 ,water4 ,earth4 #f #aj #d 3 #f #aj #h4 ,dense1 blunt1 moveable4 ,dense1 blunt1 immoveable4 8,hence10 ,proclus adds1 8these things being thus determined1 let us physically adapt them to the words of ,plato4 ,we call a physical plane or superficies1 therefore1 that which has two powers only1 but a physical solid that which has three powers4 ,and we say1 that if we fashion bodies from two powers1 one medium would conjoin the elements to each other4 ,but since1 as we assert1 bodies possess triple powers1 they are bound together by two media4 ,for there are two common powers of the adjacent media1 and one power which is different4 ,and the extremes themselves1 if they consisted of two powers1 would be conjoined through one medium4 ,for let fire1 if you will1 be alone attenuated and easily moved2 but earth1 on the contrary1 have alone grossness of parts and immobility4 ,one medium1 therefore1 will be sufficient for these4 ,for grossness of parts and facility of motion1 and tenuity of parts and difficulty of motion1 are all that is requisite to the colligation of both4 ,since1 however1 each of the elements is triple1 the extremes require two media1 and the things themselves that are adjacent are bound together through two powers4 ,for solids1 and these are things that have triple contrary powers1 are never co-adapted by one medium40 ,,footnotes3 #bf ,for here1 read 1 and for 1 read 1 4 4 4 #bg ,for in this place1 ,i read 4 #bh ,for here1 it is obviously necessary to read 4 #bi ,for in this place1 read 4 #cj ,instead of here1 it is necessary to read 4 ,,fragments ,,of ,,taurus1 ,a ,,platonic ,,philosopher1 ,,on ,,the ,,eternity ,,of ,,the ,,world4 ,,extracted ,,from ,,philoponus ,,against ,,proclus4 ,taurus1 in his ,commentaries on the ,timus of ,plato1 says3 8,in the investigation1 whether according to ,plato the world is unbegotten1 philosophers differ in their opinions4 ,for ,aristotle asserts that ,timus says the world was generated#ca4 ,and ,theophrastus also1 in his treatise ,on ,physical ,opinions1 says that1 according to ,plato1 the world was generated1 and therefore writes in opposition to him4 ,at the same time1 however1 he asserts that ,timus perhaps supposed the world to be generated1 for the sake of perspicuity4 ,certain other persons also infer1 that1 according to ,plato1 the world was generated4 ,but1 again1 others contend that ,plato believed the world to be unbegotten4 ,since1 however1 those who assert that the world was generated1 cite many other words of ,plato1 and likewise the passage in which ,plato#cb says1 #8the world was generated1 for it is visible and tangible2' this being the case1 it is requisite to direct our attention to the different ways in which a thing is said to be generated1 and thus we shall know that ,plato asserts the world to be generated1 not according to the signification in which we affirm this of things which derive their subsistence from a certain temporal beginning4 ,for this it is which deceives the multitude1 when they conceive the word generated to imply a temporal origin4 ,a thing1 therefore1 is said to be generated1 which never indeed had a beginning in time1 but yet is in the same genus with generated natures4 ,thus we call a thing visible1 which is not seen1 nor has been seen1 nor will be seen1 but yet is in the same genus with things of a visible nature4 ,and this will take place with a body which may exist about the centre of the earth4 ,that also is said to be generated1 which1 in mental conception1 subsists as a composite1 though it never has been a composite4 ,thus1 in music1 the middle chord is said to be composed of the lowest and highest chord4 ,for though it is not thus composed1 yet there is perceived in it the power of the one with reference to the other4 ,the like also takes place in flowers and animals4 ,in the world1 therefore1 composition and mixture are perceived2 according to which1 we are able to withdraw and separate qualities from it1 and resolve it into a first subject4 ,the world also is said to be generated1 because it always subsists in becoming to be1 like ,proteus changing into all-various forms2 hence1 with respect to the world1 the earth1 and the natures1 as far as to the moon1 are continually changed into each other4 ,but the natures above the moon are as to their subject nearly the same1 sustaining only a small mutation4 ,they change1 however1 according to figure2 just as a dancer being one and the same according to subject1 is changed into various forms by a certain gesture and motion of the hands4 ,the celestial bodies1 therefore1 are thus changed1 and different habitudes of them take place1 between the motions of the planets with reference to the fixed stars1 and of the fixed stars with respect to the planets4 8,the world1 likewise1 may be said to be generated1 because it derives its existence from something different from itself1 viz4 from ,god1 by whom it is adorned4 ,thus1 also1 with those who directly admit that the world is perpetual1 the moon possesses a generated light from the sun1 though there never was a time when the former was not illuminated by the latter4 ,if1 therefore1 some one asserts that the world is generated according to ,plato1 conformably to these significations of the word1 what he says may be admitted4 ,but so far as the term #8generated' signifies a certain time1 and that the world1 formerly not existing1 was afterwards generated1 this signification1 when applied to the world1 must by no means be granted4 ,plato himself1 indeed1 indicates how what he asserts is to be understood1 when he says1 #8,it must be investigated1 whether the universe always was1 having no principle whatever of generation1 or whether it was generated1 commencing its generation from a certain cause4' ,for the words1 #8no principle whatever1' and #8from a certain cause1' manifest he does not intend that a temporal principle should be assumed2 but that what he says1 is to be understood in the same way1 as when we say that the history of the ,ephori commenced in the descendants of ,hercules4 ,others say1 that the world had a beginning from the ,demiurgus4 ,for the ,demiurgus is a principle1 and so likewise is the paradigm of the universe1 and matter4 ,but matter cannot be properly said to be a principle4 ,again1 ,plato does not say that the world is a body1 but that it has a body2 indicating by this1 that so far as it possesses a corporeal nature1 the very being of which consists in becoming to be1 it may be said to be generated40 ,again1 ,taurus1 in the same ,commentaries on the ,timus1 having cited the following passage from that dialogue1 viz4 8,we who are about to speak concerning the universe1 whether it is generated1 or without generation10 observes3 8,plato says this1 though the world is unbegotten4 ,and the poet1 #8,though in their race posterior found1' ,plato1 however1 for the sake of discipline1 speaks of the world which is unbegotten1 as if it was generated40 ,shortly after this1 ,taurus says1 8,what1 therefore1 are the causes through which the world being unbegotten1 is supposed to be generated80 ,both these inquiries#cc1 indeed1 deserve to be philosophically investigated4 ,for one of them excites to piety1 but the other is assumed for the sake of elucidation4 ,for ,plato1 knowing that the multitude apprehend that alone to be a cause which has a precedency in time1 and not conceiving it to be possible for anything otherwise to be a cause1 and also inferring1 that1 from this opinion1 they might be led to disbelieve in the existence of ,providence2 wishing likewise to inculcate this dogma1 that the world is governed by ,providence1 he tacitly manifests it to those who are abundantly able to understand that the world is unbegotten according to time2 but to those who are not able to understand this1 he indicates that it is generated4 ,he is also anxious that they may believe this1 in order that at the same time they may be persuaded in the existence of ,providence4 ,but the second cause which induced ,plato thus to write1 is this1--that assertions are then more clear1 when we meet with them as with things which actually take place4 ,thus geometricians compose diagrams as if they were generated1 though they are not composites4 ,and ,euclid defines a circle1 as being more simple1 to be a plane figure1 comprehended under one line1 to which all lines falling from one point within the figure are equal to each other4 ,but wishing to explain a sphere1 he defines it1 as if it was among the number of things generated1 to be formed by the revolution of a semicircle about the diameter1 until it returns to the same point from which it began to be moved4 ,if1 however1 he had intended to explain the sphere which already existed1 he would have defined it to be a solid figure1 comprehended under one superficies1 to which all right lines falling from one point within the figure1 are equal to each other4 ,but it was usual with ,plato1 for the sake of discipline1 to unfold things which are without generation#cd1 as if they were generated4 ,thus1 in the ,republic1 he introduces the city as being made1 in order that in the formation of it1 the generation of justice might become more manifest4 ,when1 however1 ,theophrastus says1 that perhaps ,plato speaks of the world as generated for the sake of elucidation1 just as we consider geometrical diagrams to be generated1 perhaps generation does not subsist similarly in diagrams4 ,aristotle also asserts the same thing2 for he says1 that in diagrams it is not proper in the beginning to suppose contraries1 but this is to be admitted in the generation of the world2 just as if some one should suppose motion and rest1 order and disorder4 ,neither1 therefore1 do all things require invariable paradigms2 but the examples show that it is not more obvious to assert that the world is generated1 than that it is unbegotten4 ,but how is it possible to suppose contraries in diagrams8 ,for can it be supposed that a triangle is at one and the same time stationary and moved8 ,hence1 the world is1 according to itself1 unbegotten4 ,nor should any one fatigue himself in endeavouring to prove from the ,atlanticus and ,politicus of ,plato1 that the world is generated4 ,for we have shown after what manner the world is unbegotten1 and how it is said by ,plato to be generated4 ,so far1 therefore1 as it is supposed to be generated1 it will be incorruptible through the will of ,god2 but so far as it is unbegotten1 it will be incorruptible from its own nature4 ,and this ,plato knew4 ,for everything else that is unbegotten1 is incorruptible40 ,,footnotes3 #ca ,timus1 in the ,dialogue which bears his name1 is represented by ,plato as saying this2 for1 speaking of the world1 he says 1 it was generated4 #cb ,see my ,translation of the ,commentaries of ,proclus on the ,timus1 vol4 i4 from p4 #bcg to p4 #bea4 ,and also the ,commentary of the same incomparable man on the words of ,plato1 in the same ,dialogue1 8,but we say that whatever is generated1 is necessarily generated by a certain cause40--,vol4 i4 of my ,translation1 p4 #bdi1 c4 #cc viz4 ,whether the world is unbegotten1 or generated4 #cd ,the sentence in the original is3 1 4 ,but immediately after 1 it is obviously necessary to add 4 ,mahotius also1 who published a ,latin translation of this work of ,philoponus1 has1 8,mos est autem ,platoni1 doctrin gratia1 qu ortu carent1 perinde atque ea1 qu oriuntur1 explicare40 ,,mundi ,,thema1 ,,or ,,the ,,geniture ,,of ,,the ,,world4 ,,translated ,,from ,,the ,,third ,,book ,,of ,,the ,,mathesis ,,of ,,julius ,,firmicus ,,maternus4 8,o ,lollianus1 the glory and ornament of our country1 it is requisite to know1 in the first place1 that the ,god1 who is the fabricator of man1 produced his form1 his condition1 and his whole essence1 in the image and similitude of the world1 nature pointing out the way#ce4 ,for he composed the body of man1 as well as of the world1 from the mixture of the four elements1 viz4 of fire1 water1 air1 and earth1 in order that the conjunction of all these1 when they were mingled in due proportion1 might adorn an animal in the form of a divine imitation4 ,and thus the ,demiurgus exhibited man by the artifice of a divine fabrication1 in such a way1 that in a small body he might bestow the power and essence of all the elements1 nature1 for this purpose1 bringing them together2 and also1 so that from the divine spirit1 which descended from a celestial intellect1 to the support of the mortal body1 he might prepare an abode for man1 which1 though fragile1 might be similar to the world4 ,on this account1 the five stars#cf1 and also the sun and moon1 sustain man by a fiery and eternal agitation1 as if he were a minor world#cg2 so that the animal which was made in imitation of the world might be governed by an essence similarly divine4 ,hence those divine men ,petosiris and ,necepsob1 who deserve all possible admiration1 and whose wisdom approached to the very penetralia of ,deity1 scientifically delivered to us the geniture of the world1 that they might demonstrate and show that man was fashioned conformably to the nature and similitude of the world1 and that he is under the dominion of the same principles by which the world itself is governed and contained1 and is perennially supported by the companions of perpetuity#ch4 8,according to sculapius1 therefore1 and ,anubius#ci1 to whom especially the divinity ,mercury committed the secrets of the astrological science1 the geniture of the world is as follows3 ,they constituted the ,sun in the #aeth part of ,leo1 the ,moon in the #aeth part of ,cancer1 ,saturn in the #aeth part of ,capricorn1 ,jupiter in the #aeth part of ,sagittary1 ,mars in the #aeth part of ,scorpio1 ,venus in the #aeth part of ,libra1 ,mercury in the #aeth part of ,virgo1 and the ,horoscope in the #aeth part of ,cancer4 ,conformably to this geniture1 therefore1 to these conditions of the stars1 and the testimonies which they adduce in confirmation of this geniture1 they are of opinion that the destinies of men1 also1 are disposed in accordance with the above arrangement1 as may be learnt from that book of sculapius which is called 1 7i4 e4 ,ten ,thousand1 or an innumerable multitude of ,genitures17 in order that nothing in the several genitures of men may be found to be discordant with the above-mentioned geniture of the world4 8,we may see1 therefore1 how far or after what manner a star accommodates the testimony of its radiation to the luminaries4 ,for the luminaries are the ,sun and ,moon4 ,but ,saturn first conjoins himself with the ,moon3 for he follows the condition of the ,moon4 ,he does this1 however1 because1 being constituted in a feminine#dj sign1 he diametrically receives the rays of the ,moon1 which is also constituted in a feminine sign4 ,but when the same ,saturn1 in that geniture1 makes a transition to the sign ,aquarius1 he again conjoins himself to the ,sun by a similar radiation1 and is again disposed in the same condition as that of the ,sun4 ,for being constituted in a masculine sign1 he associates himself by an equal testimony of radiation1 since he diametrically looks towards the ,sun1 with a radiation similar to that with which he regards the ,moon4 ,after this manner also ,jupiter is constituted in ,sagittary1 and through a trigon affording a testimony to the ,sun1 first conjoins himself to his condition1 and on this account being constituted in a masculine sign1 and associating with the ,sun1 who is constituted in a sign of the same kind1 first follows the power of it2 but when he has made a transition to ,pisces1 he again conjoins himself in a like condition to the ,moon4 ,for he1 in a similar manner1 being posited through a trigon in a feminine sign1 looks towards the ,moon1 who is constituted in a sign of the same kind1 with an equal radiation of condition4 8,in like manner also the planet ,mars1 being constituted in ,scorpio1 because he is in a feminine sign1 through a trigon1 affords a testimony to the ,moon2 but when he comes to ,aries1 he affords a testimony to the ,sun1 and making a transition1 being placed in a masculine sign1 he conjoins himself by a trigonic radiation with the ,sun4 ,this mode1 however1 is changeable2 for ,mars being constituted in ,libra1 which is a masculine sign1 yet he affords a testimony to the ,moon through a square aspect2 but when he has made a transition to ,taurus1 being constituted in a feminine sign1 and looking towards the ,sun by a square radiation1 he again affords a testimony to it4 ,these divine men1 however1 were of opinion that the planet ,mercury is common in the above-mentioned geniture1 this star affording no testimony either to the ,sun or ,moon by a square1 or a trigon1 or a diameter2 nor does it conjoin itself by radiation either with the ,sun or ,moon4 ,but if ,mercury is a morning star1 he is delighted by day with the ,sun1 but if an evening star1 by night with the ,moon4 ,all that we have here said1 these men were of opinion ought to be observed in the genitures of men#da1 and thought that they could not discover the destiny of man1 except those radiations were collected by a sagacious investigation4 ,lest1 however1 the fabulous device#db of these men should deceive you1 and lest some one should think that this geniture of the world was contrived by these most wise men1 without a cause1 it is requisite that we should explain all things particularly1 in order that the great sagacity displayed in this device1 may1 by the most diligent expositions1 be intimated to all men4 8,the world had not a certain day of its origin1 nor was there any time in which the world was formed by the counsel of a divine intellect1 and providential ,deity2 nor has the eager desire of human fragility been able to extend itself so far as to conceive or explain the origin of the world1 especially since the greater apocatastasis of it1 which is effected by a conflagration or a deluge#dc1 consists of #cjj1jjj yearsc4 ,for the mundane apocatastasis is accustomed to be accomplished by these two events2 since a deluge follows a conflagration1 because substances which are burnt can no otherwise be renovated and restored to their pristine appearance and form1 than by the admixtions and the concrete dust of the ashes1 which are a collection of generative seeds becoming prolific4 ,divine men1 therefore1 following the example of mathematicians in the genitures of men1 have prudently devised this1 as if it were the geniture of the world4 ,hence ,i deem it expedient to explain the contrivance of that divine composition1 in order that the admirable reason of the conjectural scheme may be unfolded according to the rules of art4 8,these divine men1 therefore1 wished so to constitute the ,moon in the geniture of the world1 that it might conjoin itself with ,saturn1 and might deliver the dominion of periodical revolutions4 ,nor was this improperly devised4 ,for because the first origin of the worldd i4 e4 the beginning of the first mundane period was uncultivated and rude1 and savage through rustic association1 and also because barbarous men1 having entered on the first vestiges of light1 and which were unknown to them1 were destitute of reason1 in consequence of having abandoned humanity#dd1 these divine men were of opinion1 that this rustic and barbarous time was ,saturnian1 that1 in imitation of this star1 the beginning of life might be characterized by barbaric and inhuman ferocity4 ,after ,saturn1 ,jupiter received periodical power4 ,for to this planet the ,moon was conjoined in the second place1 in order that pristine and squalid rusticity being deserted1 and the ferocity of rude association being laid aside1 human life might be cultivated through the purification of the manners4 ,in the third place1 the ,moon conjoining herself with ,mars1 delivered to him the power of periodical revolution2 so that mortality having entered into the right path of life1 and inhumanity being subdued by a certain moderation1 all the ornaments of arts and fabrications might originate from this conjunction4 ,after ,mars1 ,venus received predominating power1 in order that1 human disciplines gradually increasing1 prudence and wisdom might adorn mankind4 ,hence they were of opinion that this time1 in which the manners of men were cultivated by learning1 and naturally formed to rectitude by the several disciplines1 was under the dominion of ,venus2 so that being protected by the majesty of this joyful and salutary divinity1 they might govern their erroneous actions by the ruling power of ,providence4 ,but these divine men conceived the last period to be under the dominion of ,mercury1 to whom the ,moon in the last place conjoins herself4 ,what can be found more subtle than this arrangement8 ,for mankind being purified from rude and savage pursuits1 arts also having been invented1 and disciplines disposed in an orderly manner1 the human race sharpened its inventive power4 ,and because the noble genius in man could not preserve uniformly one course of life1 the improbity of evil increased from various institutes1 and confused manners and the crimes of a life of wickedness prevailed3 hence the human race in this period both invented and delivered to others more enormous machinations4 ,on this account these wise men thought that this last period should be assigned to ,mercurye1 so that1 in imitation of that star1 the human race might give birth to inventions replete with evil#de4 8,that nothing1 however1 may be omitted by us requisite to the elucidation of this subject1 all things are to be explained1 which prove that man was formed in the imitation and similitude of the world#df4 ,and that the mundane apocatastasis is effected through a conflagration and a deluge1 we also have asserted1 and is confirmed by all men4 ,the substance likewise of the human body1 the course of life having received its completion1 is1 after a similar manner1 dissolved4 ,for as often as1 through the natural ardour of heat1 the human body is too much relaxed1 it evaporates in consequence of the inundations of humours2 and thus it always suffers a decoction from a fiery ardour1 or is dissolved by excessive desudation4 ,nor do the wisest interpreters of the medical art assert1 that the substance of the human race is dissolved by a natural termination in any other way1 than by either moisture dissolving fire1 or again heat predominating1 fire being inwardly and deeply extinguished1 is left without moisture4 ,thus the artificer1 ,nature1 constituted man in an all-various imitation of the world1 so that whatever dissolves1 or forms the essence of the world1 this also should be the cause of the formation and dissolution of man40 ,,footnotes3 #ce ,nature may be said to point out the way1 because its forerunning energy is employed by ,divinity in the formation of bodies4 ,by the fabricator1 in the above sentence1 ,firmicus means ,jupiter1 who is called the ,demiurgus by ,plato1 in the ,timus4 #cf i4 e4 ,saturn1 ,jupiter1 ,mars1 ,venus1 ,mercury4 #cg ---- ,quid mirum noscere mundum ,si possent homines1 quibus est et mundus in ipsis2 ,exemplumque ,dei quisque est in imagine parva8 ,,manilius4 #ch ,by the companions of perpetuity1 ,firmicus means the stars1 whose nature1 and motions1 and influences are perpetual4 ,hence1 in the ,orphic ,hymn to the ,stars1 they are invoked as ---- 1 8,th' eternal fathers of whate'er exists40 #ci ,of the astrological sculapius1 ,i have not been able to obtain any information2 and of ,anubius nothing more is to be learnt than that he was a most ancient poet1 and wrote an elegy de ,horoscopo4 ,vid4 ,salmas4 de ,annis ,climactericis1 pp4 #hg1 #fjb1 c4 #dj ,the feminine signs are1 ,taurus1 ,cancer1 ,virgo1 ,scorpio1 ,capricornus1 and ,pisces2 but the masculine signs are1 ,aries1 ,gemini1 ,leo1 ,libra1 ,sagittarius1 and ,aquarius4 #da ,it may not be altogether foreign to the purpose to adduce in this place1 what is said by ,hermes in his ,treatise de ,revolut4 ,nativit4 lib4 i4 p4 #bae4 ,a ,latin translation only is extant of this work1 and it is uncertain whether the author of it was the celebrated ,hermes ,trismegistus1 or a ,hermes of more modern times4 ,this author says1 that 8the dominion of the planets over the ages of man is as follows3 ,the ,moon governs the first age1 which consists of four years4 ,mercury governs the second1 which consists of ten years4 ,venus the third1 and this extends to eight years4 ,the ,sun the fourth1 and this age consists of nineteen years4 ,mars the fifth1 and this consists of fifteen years4 ,jupiter1 the sixth1 consists of twelve years3 and ,saturn governs the seventh age1 and this extends to the remaining years of human life40 ,proclus1 also1 in his admirable ,commentary on the ,first ,alcibiades of ,plato1 observes1 that the different ages of our life on the earth1 correspond to the order of the universe4 8,for our first age 7says he7 partakes in an eminent degree of the ,lunar energies1 as we then live according to a nutritive and physical power4 ,but our second age participates of ,mercurial prerogatives1 because we then apply ourselves to letters1 music1 and wrestling4 ,the third age is governed by ,venus1 because then we begin to produce seed1 and the generative powers of nature are put in motion4 ,the fourth age is ,solar1 for then our youth is in its vigour and full perfection1 subsisting as a medium between generation and decay2 for such is the order which vigour is allotted4 ,but the fifth age is governed by ,mars1 in which we principally aspire after power and superiority over others4 ,the sixth age is governed by ,jupiter1 for in this we give ourselves up to prudence1 and pursue an active and political life4 ,and the seventh age is ,saturnian1 in which it is natural to separate ourselves from generation1 and transfer ourselves to an incorporeal life4 ,and thus much we have discussed1 in order to procure belief that letters1 and the whole education of youth1 are suspended from the ,mercurial series40 #db ,firmicus calls the geniture of the world a fabulous device1 because it supposes the mundane periods to have had a temporal beginning1 though they are in reality eternal4 ,for in a fable1 the inward is different from the outward meaning4 #dc ,in the greater apocatastasis of the world1 which is effected by a deluge or a conflagration1 the continent becomes sea1 and the sea continent3 8,this1 however10 says ,olympiodorus1 7in his ,scholia on the first book of ,aristotle's ,treatise on ,meteors17 8happens in consequence of what is called the great winter1 and the great summer4 ,but the great winter is when all the planets become situated in a wintry sign1 viz4 either in ,aquarius or in ,pisces4 ,and the great summer is when all of them are situated in a summer sign1 viz4 either in ,leo or in ,cancer4 ,for as the ,sun alone1 when he is in ,leo1 causes summer1 but when he is in ,capricorn winter1 and thus the year is formed1 which is so denominated1 because the ,sun tends to one and the same point 771 for his restitution is from the same to the same1--in like manner there is an arrangement of all the planets effected in long periods of time1 which produces the great year4 ,for if all the planets becoming vertical1 heat in the same manner as the sun1 but departing from this vertical position refrigerate1 it is not unreasonable to suppose1 that when they become vertical1 they produce a great summer1 but when they have departed from this position1 a great winter4 ,in the great winter1 therefore1 the continent becomes sea1 but in the great summer the contrary happens1 in consequence of the burning heat1 and there being great dryness where there was moisture40 ,at the end too of this first book of ,aristotle on ,meteors1 ,olympiodorus observes1 8that when the great winter happens1 a part of the earth being deluged1 a change then takes place to a more dry condition1 till the great summer succeeds1 which however does not cause the corruption of all the earth4 ,for neither was the deluge of ,deucalion mundane1 since this happened principally in ,greece40 ,see the volume of my ,aristotle containing this ,treatise on ,meteors1 p4 #dgh1 c4 ,firmicus1 therefore1 is mistaken in asserting that a deluge follows a conflagration2 since the contrary is true4 ,for it is obviously necessary that places which have been inundated should afterwards become dry1 or they would no longer be habitable4 #dd ,in the original1 8posit humanitatis ratio deserebat20 but for posit humanitatis1 it appears to me to be requisite to read1 conformably to the above translation1 posit humanitate4 #de ,is not what is here said about the last period verified in the present age8 #df ,man1 says ,proclus1 is a microcosm1 and all such things subsist in him partially1 as the world contains divinely and totally4 ,for there is an intellect in us which is in energy1 and a rational soul proceeding from the same father1 and the same vivific goddess1 as the soul of the universe2 also an ethereal vehicle analogous to the heavens1 and a terrestrial body derived from the four elements1 and with which likewise it is co-ordinate4 ,see my ,translation of ,proclus on the ,timus1 vol4 i1 p4 #d4 ,,additional ,,notes4 b ,page #ej4--,petosiris and ,necepso were two of the most ancient writers of ,egyptian astrology1 which1 in many respects1 differs from that of the ,chaldeans4 ,the former of these celebrated men is greatly applauded by ,manetho1 who1 in his ,apotelesmatica1 professes to be his follower1 and calls him 4 ,petosiris1 however1 was much prior to ,manetho1 as is evident from ,athenus1 iii4 p4 #aad1 who says he is mentioned by ,aristophanes4 ,he is also noticed by ,ptolemy 7in ,tetrabiblo7 under the appellation #8of an ancient writer' 7 or 74 ,according to ,suidas1 he wrote1 among other things which are unfortunately lost1 ' 1 ,concerning the ,mysteries of the ,egyptians1 the loss of which work must be deeply regretted by every lover of ancient lore4 ,he is also mentioned by ,juvenal1 vi4 #ehj4 8,aptior hora cibo nisi quam dederit ,petosiris40 ,and in a ,greek epigram 7in ,anthol4 lib4 ii4 cap4 #f47 on a certain person who had predicted his death from the stars1 and1 in order that the prediction might not be falsified1 hung himself1 it is said3 1 c4 i4 e4 8,lest ,petosiris should incur disgrace1 ,himself he strangled from a lofty place40 ,thus1 too1 it is related of ,cardan1 the celebrated physician and astrologer1 that having predicted the year and day of his death1 when the time drew near1 he suffered himself to perish through hunger1 to preserve his reputation4 ,my worthy and most intelligent friend ,mr4 ,j4 ,j4 ,welsh has furnished me with the following additional information concerning the death of ,cardan1 and other astrologers3 8,respecting ,cardan's abstaining from food1 in order to verify his prediction1 ,thuanus says3 #8,cum tribus diebus minus septuagesimum quintum annum implevisset1 eodem quo prdixerat anno et die1 videlicet ,,xi4 ,kalend4 ,octobris defecit1 ob id1 ne falleret1 mortem su inedi accelerasse creditus4' lib4 lxii4 p4 #aee4 ,the same historian also relates1 that ,cardan brought astrology into repute by the success he had in calculating nativities4 #8,judiciaria quam vocant fidem apud multos adstruxit1 dum certiora per eam quam ex arte possint plerumque promere4' ,id4 ib4 ,cardan was not the only astrologer who foretold the time of his own death2 for ,martin ,hortensius1 ,professor of ,mathematics in ,amsterdam1 not only predicted the time of his own death1 but that of two young men who were with him1 and the result proved the truth of his prophecy4 ,the fact is admitted by ,descartes1 while he ridicules the science and underrates the abilities of ,hortensius4 ,see the #ceth of his ,letters to ,father ,mersenne1 in the second volume of that collection4 8,when ,ann of ,austria1 the wife of ,louis ,,xiii41 was delivered of the ,dauphin1 afterwards ,louis ,,xiv41 a famous ,german astrologer was in attendance to draw his nativity1 but refused to say more than these three words1 which give a true character of ,louis the ,fourteenth's reign2 ,diu1 dur1 feliciter4 ,see ,limier's ,hist4 du ,rgne de ,louis ,,xiv4 8,i omitted to mention above1 a curious circumstance related of ,cardan in ,lavrey's ,hist4 of ,england1 vol4 i4 p4 #gaa1 viz4 that having cured the ,archbishop of ,st4 ,andrew's of a disorder which had baffled the most skilful physicians1 he took his leave of the ,primate in these words3 #8,i have been able to cure you of your sickness1 but cannot change your destiny1 nor prevent you from being hanged4' ,eighteen years after1 this ,prelate was hung by order of the ,commissioners appointed by ,mary ,queen ,regent of ,scotland4 8,by the way1 ,i am much surprised that ,cardan's autobiography has never been translated2 for it is1 without a single exception1 the most extraordinary book of the kind ever published40 ,we are informed by ,fabricius1 that ,marsham1 in ,canone ,chron4 p4 #dgg1 has eruditely collected many things pertaining to ,petosiris1 and ,necepso king of ,egypt1 from the most ancient writers on judicial astrology4 ,we likewise learn from ,fabricius1 that ,necepso1 to whom ,petosiris wrote1 as being coeval with him1 is believed to have flourished about the year #hjj of the ,attic ra1 i4 e4 about the beginning of the ,olympiads4 ,he is praised by ,pliny1 by ,galen1 ix4 p4 #b4 ,de ,facultat4 ,simplicium ,medicament41 and from him by ,aetius4 c ,page #ef4--,proclus in ,tim4 lib4 iv4 p4 #bgg1 informs us1 that the ,chaldeans had observations of the stars1 which embraced whole mundane periods4 ,what ,proclus likewise asserts of the ,chaldeans is confirmed by ,cicero in his first book on ,divination1 who says that they had records of the stars for the space of #cgj1jjj years2 and by ,diodorus ,siculus1 ,bibl4 lib4 xi4 p4 #aac1 who says1 that their observations comprehended the space of #dgc1jjj years4 ,plato1 in the ,timus1 speaking of this greater apocatastasis1 says3 8,at the same time1 however1 it is no less possible to conceive1 that the perfect number of time will then accomplish a perfect year1 when the celerities of all the eight periods being terminated with reference to each other1 shall have a summit1 as they are measured by the circle1 of that which subsists according to the same and the similar i4 e4 according to the sphere of the fixed stars40 ,on this passage1 ,proclus1 in his ,commentary1 observes as follows3 8,the whole mundane time measures the one life of the universe1 according to which all the celerities are terminated of the celestial and sublunary circles4 ,for in these also there are periods1 which have for the summit of their apocatastasis the lation of the circle of the same i4 e4 of the sphere of the fixed stars4 ,for they are referred to this as to their principle1 because it is the most simple of all1 since the apocatastases are surveyed with reference to the points of it4 ,thus1 for instance1 all of them make their apocatastasis about the equinoctial point#dg1 or about the summer tropic2 or though the joint apocatastasis should not be considered to be according to the same point1 but with reference to the same1 when1 for instance1 rising or culminating1 yet all of them will have with reference to it a figure of such a kind4 ,for now the present order is entirely a certain apocatastasis of all the heavenly bodies1 yet the configuration is not seen about the same1 but with reference to the same point4 ,once1 however1 it was about the same1 and according to one certain point1 at which if it should again take place1 the whole of time will have an end4 ,one certain apocatastasis likewise seems to have been mentioned2 hence it is said that ,cancer is the horoscope of the world1 and this year is called ,cynic1 or pertaining to the ,dog1 because1 among the constellations1 the splendid star of the ,dog rises together with ,cancer4 ,if therefore the planets should again meet in the same point of ,cancer1 this concurrence will be one period of the universe4 ,if1 however1 the apocatastasis takes places in ,cancer about the equinoctial point1 that also which is from the summer tropic will be directed towards the summer tropic1 and the number of the one will be equal to the number of the other1 and the time of the one to the time of the other4 ,for each of them is one period1 and is defined by quantity1 on account of the order of the bodies that are moved4 ,in addition1 however1 to what has been said1 it must be observed1 that this perfect number differs from that mentioned in the ,republic1 which comprehends the period of every divinely generated nature#dh1 since it is more partial1 and is apocatastatic of the eight periods alone4 ,for the other perfect number comprehends the peculiar motions of the fixed stars1 and1 in short1 of all the divine genera that are moved in the heavens1 whether visibly or invisibly1 and also of the celestial genera posterior to the ,gods1 and of the longer or shorter periods of sublunary natures1 together with the periods of fertility and sterility4 ,hence1 likewise1 it is the lord of the period of the human race40 8,the year 7says ,macrobius7 which is called mundane1 is truly revolving1 because it is effected by a full convolution of the universe1 and is evolved in the most extended periods of time1 the reason of which is as follows3 ,all the planets and the stars which are seen fixed in the heavens1 the peculiar motion of the latter of which though the human sight has never been able to perceive or apprehend1 are yet moved1 and1 besides the revolution of the heavens by which they are always drawn along1 have an advancing motion of their own4 ,this motion1 however1 is completed in such a length of time1 that the life of man is not sufficiently extended to discover1 by continual observation1 their mutation to the place in which they were first seen4 ,the end1 therefore1 of the mundane year is1 when all the planets and all the fixed stars have returned from a certain place to the same place1 so that no star in the heavens may be situated in a place different from that in which it was before1 since all the other stars1 when moved from that place to which they return1 give a termination to their year2 so that the luminaries i4 e4 the sun and moon also1 together with the five wandering stars1 may be in the same places and parts in which they were situated when the mundane year began4 ,this1 however1 according to the decision of physiologists1 will take place at the expiration of #ae1jjj years2 hence1 as the lunar year is a month1 and the solar year consists of twelve months1 and the years of the other planets are those which we have before mentioned1 so the mundane year consists of #ae1jjj of such years as we now compute4 ,this year1 therefore1 is called the truly revolving year1 which is not measured by the retrogression of the sun1 i4 e4 of one planet1 but is terminated by the return of all the planets to the same place1 under the same description of the whole heavens2 from whence also it is called mundane1 because the world is properly called heaven4 ,hence1 as we not only denominate the progression of the sun from the kalends of ,january to the same kalends1 the solar year1 but also its progression from the day after the kalends to the same day1 and its return from any day of any month to the same day1 a year2 thus1 also1 the beginning of this mundane year may be fixed by any one at any time he pleases4 ,thus1 for instance1 ,cicero now1 from an eclipse of the sun1 which happened at the time of the death of ,romulus1 supposes the beginning of the mundane year to commence4 ,and though frequently afterwards an eclipse of the sun may have happened1 yet a repeated eclipse of this luminary is not said to give completion to the mundane year2 but then this completion takes place when the sun1 during its eclipse1 will be in the same places and parts1 and likewise all the planets and fixed stars1 in which they were at the time of the death of ,romulus4 ,hence1 as physiologists assert1 #ae1jjj years after the death of ,romulus the sun will again be so eclipsed1 that it will be in the same sign1 and in the same part of the heavens1 as it was at that time2 all the stars likewise returning to the same place40--,macrob4 in ,somn4 ,scip4 lib4 ii4 ,hence1 as the greater mundane apocatastasis consists of #cjj1jjj years1 and #ae1jjj years make a mundane year1 the greater apocatastasis will consist of #bj1jjj mundane years4 ,this greater apocatastasis is also alluded to by ,synesius in his treatise ,on ,providence1 and likewise in the ,asclepian ,dialogue ascribed to ,hermes ,trismegistus4 ,the extract from ,synesius1 who informs us that his treatise is an ,egyptian narration relative to ,osiris and ,typhos1 is as follows3 8,some time after this1 ,typhos obtained the kingdom by fraud and force1 and ,osiris was banished3 but during the evils arising from the tyrannical government of ,typhos1 some ,god manifestly appeared to a certain philosopher who was a stranger in ,egypt1 and who had received great benefits from ,osiris1 and ordered him to endure the present calamities1 because they were months only1 and not years1 in which the ,fates had destined that the ,egyptian sceptres should raise the nails of the wild beasts#di1 and depress the heads of the sacred birds#ej4 ,but this is an arcane symbol4 ,and the philosophic stranger above mentioned knew that a representation of this was engraved in obelisks and in the sacred recesses of the temples4 ,the divinity also unfolded to him the meaning of the sacred sculpture1 and gave him a sign of the time in which it would be verified4 ,for when those1 said he1 who are now in power1 shall endeavour to make an innovation in our religion1 then in a short time after expect that the ,,giants 7meaning by these1 men of another nation7 shall be entirely expelled1 being agitated by their own avenging furies4 ,if1 however1 some remains of the sedition should still exist1 and the whole should not be at once extinguished1 but ,typhos should still remain in the seat of government1 nevertheless do not despair of the ,gods4 ,the following also is another symbol for you4 ,when we shall purify the air which surrounds the earth1 and which is defiled with the breath of the impious1 with fire and water1 then the punishment of the rest will also follow1 and then immediately expect a better order of things1 ,typhos being removed4 ,for we expel such-like prodigies by the devastation of fire and thunder4 ,in consequence of this1 the stranger considered that to be a felicitous circumstance1 which had before appeared to him to be dreadful1 and no longer bore with molestation a necessary continuance in life1 through which he would be an eye-witness of the advent of the ,gods2 for it exceeded the power of human sagacity to conjecture1 that so powerful a multitude as were then collected together in arms1 and who even in time of peace were by law obliged to be armed1 should be vanquished without any opposition4 ,he considered with himself1 therefore1 how these things could be accomplished1 for they appeared to surpass the power of reason4 ,but after no great length of time1 a certain depraved fragment of religion1 and an adulteration of divine worship1 like that of money1 as it were1 prevailed1 which the ancient law exterminated from cities1 shutting the doors against impiety1 and expelling it to a great distance from the walls4 ,typhos1 however1 did not himself introduce this impiety1 for he feared the ,egyptian multitude1 but for this purpose called in the assistance of the ,barbarians1 and erected a temple in the city1 having previously subverted the laws of his country4 ,when these things1 therefore1 came to pass1 the stranger began to think that this was the event which divinity had predicted4 #8,and perhaps1' said he1 #8,i shall be a spectator of what will follow4' ,he likewise then learnt some particulars about ,osiris1 which would shortly happen1 and others which would take place at some greater distance of time1 viz4 when the boy ,horus would choose1 as his associate in battle1 a wolf instead of a lion4 ,but who the wolf is1 is a sacred narration1 which it is not holy to divulge1 even in the form of a fable40 ,typhos1 however1 through his tyranny1 was at length dethroned1 and ,osiris recalled from exile2 and ,synesius1 towards the end of this treatise1 observes1 8that the blessed body which revolves in a circle is the cause of the events in the sublunary world4 ,for both are parts of the universe1 and they have a certain relation to each other4 ,if1 therefore1 the cause of generation#ea in the things which surround us originates in the natures which are above us1 it follows that the seeds of things which happen here descend from thence4 ,and if some one should add1 since astronomy imparts credibility to this1 that there are apocatastatic#eb periods of the stars and spheres1 some of which are simple1 but others compounded2 such a one will partly accord with the ,egyptians1 and partly with the ,grecians1 and will be perfectly wise from both1 conjoining intellect to science4 ,a man of this kind therefore will not deny1 that1 in consequence of the same motions returning1 effects also will return1 together with their causes2 and that lives on the earth1 generations1 educations1 dispositions1 and fortunes1 will be the same with those that formerly existed4 ,we must not wonder1 therefore1 if we behold a very ancient history verified in life1 and should see things which flourished before our times accord with what is unfolded in this narration2 and1 besides this1 perceive that the forms which are inserted in matter are consentaneous to the arcana of a fable40 ,the following is the extract from the ,asclepian ,dialogue1 a ,latin translation only of which is extant1 and is generally believed by the learned to have been made by ,apuleius3-- 8,an ignoras1 ,o ,asclepi1 quod gyptus imago sit cli1 aut1 quod est verius1 translatio et descensio omnium qu gubernantur atque exercentur in clo8 ,et1 si dicendum est1 verius terra nostra totius mundi est templum3 et tamen quoniam prscire cuncta prudentes decet1 istud vos ignorare fas non est1 futurum tempus est1 quum appareat gyptios incassum pia mente divinitatem et sedula religione servasse1 et omnis eorum sancta veneratio in irritum casura frustrabitur4 ,e terris enim ad clum est recursura divinitas4 ,linquatur gyptus1 terraque1 qu fuit divinitatis sedes1 religione viduata1 ,numinum prsentia destituetur4 ,alienigenis enim regionem istam terramque complentibus1 non solum neglectus religionum1 sed 7quod est durius7 quasi de legibus1 a religione1 pietate1 cultuque divino statuetur prscripta pna1 prohibitio4 ,tunc terra ista sanctissima1 sedes delubrorum et templorum1 sepulchrorum erit mortuorumque plenissima4 ,o gypte1 gypte1 religionum sol supererunt fabul1 eque incredibiles posteris suis2 solaque supererunt verba lapidibus incisa1 tua pia facta narrantibus2 et inhabitabit gyptum ,scythos aut ,indus aut aliquis talis4 ,divinitas enim repetet clum1 deserti homines toti morientur1 atque ita gyptus ,deo et homine viduata deseretur4 ,te ver appello sanctissimum flumen1 tibique futura prdico3 torrenti sanguine plenus ad ripas usque erumpes1 undque divin non solum polluentur sanguine1 sed tot rumpentur1 et vivis multo major erit numerus sepultorum2 superstes ver qui erit1 lingua sola cognoscetur gyptius1 actibus ver videbitur alienus4 ,quid fles1 ,o ,asclepi8 ,et his amplius1 multoque deterius ipsa gyptus suadebitur1 imbueturque pejoribus malis1 qu sancta quondam et divinitatis amantissima deorum in terras religionis su merito1 sola seductio lege reductio sanctitatis et pietatis magistra1 erit maxim crudelitatis exemplum4 ,et tunc tdio hominum non admirandus videbitur mundus1 neque adorandus4 ,hoc totum bonum1 quo melius nec est1 nec fuit1 nec erit1 quod videri possit1 periclitabitur4 ,eritque grave hominibus1 ac per hoc contemnetur1 nec diligetur totus hic mundus1 ,dei opus immutabile1 gloriosa constructio1 bonum multiformi imaginum varietate compositum1 machina voluntatis ,dei in suo opere sine invidia suffragantis omnium in unum1 qu venerari1 laudari1 amari denique videntibus possunt1 multiformis adunata congestio4 ,nam et tenebr prponentur lumini1 et mors vita utiloir judicabitur4 ,nemo suspiciet clum4 ,religiosus pro insano1 irreligiosus putabitur prudens1 furiosus fortis1 pro bono habebitur pessimus4 ,anima enim et omnia circum eam quibus aut immortalis nata est1 aut immortalitatem se consecuturam esse prsumit1 secundum quod vobis exposui1 non solum risus1 sed etiam putabitur vanitas4 ,sed mihi credite etiam periculum capitate constituetur in eum1 qui se mentis religioni dederit4 ,nova constituentur jura1 lex nova2 nihil sanctum1 nihil religiosum1 nec clo1 nec clestibus dignum audietur1 aut mente credetur4 ,fiet ,deorum ab hominibus dolenda secessio2 soli nocentes angeli remanebant1 qui humanitati commixti ad omnia audaci mala miseros manu injecta compellent in bella1 in rapinas1 in fraudes1 et in omnia qu sunt animarum natur contraria4 ,tunc non terra constabit1 nec navigabitur mare1 nec clum astrorum cursibus1 nec siderum cursus constabit in clo4 ,omnis vox divina necessaria taciturnitate mutescet1 fructus terr corrumpentur1 nec fcunda erit tellus1 et ar ipse msto torpore languescet4 ,hc et talis senectus veniet mundi1 irreligio1 inordinatio1 irrationabilitas bonorum omnium4 ,cm hc cuncta contigerint1 ,o ,asclepi1 tunc ille dominus et pater1 ,deus primipotens1 et unus gubernator mundi1 intuens in mores factaque voluntaria voluntate sua1 qu est ,dei benignitas1 vitiis resistens1 et corruptel omnium errorem revocans1 malignitatem omnem vel alluvione diluens1 vel igne consumens1 vel morbis pestilentiisque per diversa loca dispersis finiens1 ad antiquam faciem mundum revocabit1 ut et mundus ipse adorandus videatur et mirandus1 et tanti operis effector et restitutor ,deus ab omnibus qui tunc erunt frequentibus laudum prconiis benedictionibusque celebretur4 ,hc enim mundi genitura cunctarum reformatio rerum bonarum1 et natur ipsius sanctissima et religiosissima restitutio1 peracto temporis cursu1 qu est et fuit sine initio sempiterna4 ,voluntas enim ,dei caret initio1 qu eadem est1 et ubique est sempiterna40 i4 e4 8,are you ignorant1 ,o ,asclepius1 that ,egypt is the image of heaven1 or1 which is more true1 a translation and descent of everything which is governed and exercised in heaven8 ,and1 if it may be said1 our land is truly the temple of the whole world4 ,nevertheless1 because it becomes wise men to foreknow all things1 it is not lawful that you should be ignorant that the time will come when it may seem that the ,egyptians have in vain1 with a pious mind and sedulous religion1 paid attention to divinity1 and all their holy veneration shall become void and of no effect4 ,for divinity shall return back from earth to heaven4 ,egypt shall be forsaken1 and the land which was the seat of divinity shall be destitute of religion1 and deprived of the presence of the ,gods4 ,for when strangers shall possess and fill this region and land1 there shall not only be a neglect of religion1 but 7which is more miserable7 there shall be laws enacted against religion1 piety1 and divine worship2 they shall be prohibited1 and punishments shall be inflicted on their votaries4 ,then this most holy land1 the seat of places consecrated to divinity1 and of temples1 shall be full of sepulchres and dead bodies4 ,o ,egypt1 ,egypt1 fables alone shall remain of thy religion1 and these such as will be incredible to posterity2 and words alone shall be left engraved in stones1 narrating thy pious deeds4 ,the ,scythian also1 or ,indian1 or some other similar nation1 shall inhabit ,egypt4 ,for divinity shall return to heaven1 all its inhabitants shall die1 and thus ,egypt1 bereft both of ,god and man1 shall be deserted4 ,i call on thee1 ,o most holy river1 and predict to thee future events4 ,thou shalt burst forth with a torrent of blood1 full even to thy banks1 and thy divine waters shall not only be polluted with blood1 but the land shall be inundated with it1 and the number of the dead shall exceed that of the living4 ,he1 likewise1 who survives1 shall only1 by his language1 be known to be an ,egyptian1 but by his deeds he will appear to be a stranger4 ,why do you weep1 ,o ,asclepius8 ,egypt shall experience more ample and much worse evils than these1 though she was once holy1 and the greatest lover of the ,gods on the earth1 by the desert of her religion4 ,and she who was alone the reductor of sanctity and the mistress of piety will be an example of the greatest cruelty4 ,then also1 through the weariness of men1 the world will not appear to be an admirable and adorable thing4 ,this whole good1 a better than which1 as an object of perception1 there neither is1 nor was1 nor will be1 will be in danger1 and will be grievous to men4 ,hence this whole world will be despised1 and will not be beloved1 though it is the immutable work of ,god1 a glorious fabric1 a good compounded with a multiform variety of images1 a machine of the will of ,god1 who1 in his work1 gave his suffrage without envy1 that all things should be one4 ,it is also a multiform collected heap1 capable of being venerated1 praised and loved by those that behold it4 ,for darkness shall be preferred to light1 and death shall be judged to be more useful than life4 ,no one shall look up to heaven4 ,the religious man shall be accounted insane1 the irreligious shall be thought wise1 the furious brave1 and the worst of men shall be considered a good man4 ,for the soul1 and all things about it1 by which it is either naturally immortal1 or conceives that it shall attain to immortality1 conformably to what ,i have explained to you1 shall not only be the subject of laughter1 but shall be considered as vanity4 ,believe me1 likewise1 that a capital punishment shall be appointed for him who applies himself to the religion of intellect4 ,new statutes and new laws shall be established1 and nothing religious1 or which is worthy of heaven or celestial concerns1 shall be heard1 or believed by the mind4 ,there will be a lamentable departure of the ,gods from men#ec2 noxious angels#ed will alone remain1 who1 being mingled with human nature1 will violently impel the miserable men of that time to war1 to rapine1 to fraud1 and to every thing contrary to the nature of the soul4 ,then the earth shall be in a preternatural state2 the sea shall not be sailed in1 nor shall the heavens accord with the course of the stars1 nor the course of the stars continue in the heavens4 ,every divine voice shall be dumb by a necessary silence1 the fruits of the earth shall be corrupted1 nor shall the earth be prolific1 and the air itself shall languish with a sorrowful torpor4 ,these events and such an old age of the world as this shall take place1 such irreligion1 inordination1 and unreasonableness of all good4 ,when all these things shall happen1 ,o ,asclepius1 then that lord and father1 the ,god who is first in power1 and the one governor of the world1 looking into the manners and voluntary deeds of men1 and by his will1 which is the benignity of ,god1 resisting vices1 and recalling the error arising from the corruption of all things2 washing away likewise all malignity by a deluge1 or consuming it by fire1 or bringing it to an end by disease and pestilence dispersed in different places1 will recall the world to its ancient form1 in order that the world itself may appear to be an adorable and admirable production1 and ,god1 the fabricator and restorer of so great a work1 may be celebrated1 by all that shall then exist1 with frequent solemn praises and benedictions4 ,for this geniture#ee of the world is the reformation of all good things1 and the most holy and religious restitution of the nature of it1 the course of time being accomplished#ef2 since time is perpetual1 and always was without a beginning4 ,for the will of ,god is without beginning1 is always the same1 and is everywhere eternal40 ,of this very remarkable extract1 it is necessary to observe1 in the first place1 that it was principally made by me from the edition of the ,asclepian ,dialogue by ,ficinus1 as he appears to have had a more correct manuscript in his possession than any that have been consulted by more modern editors4 ,of this the learned and at the same time philosophic reader will be immediately convinced1 by comparing this extract with the same part of that dialogue in the most modern editions of it4 ,in the second place1 that this dialogue is of genuine antiquity and no forgery1 is1 ,i think1 unquestionably evident from neither ,lactantius nor ,augustin having any doubt of its authenticity1 though it was their interest to have proved it to be spurious if they could1 because it predicts1 7which is the third thing especially deserving of remark17 that the memorials of the martyrs should succeed in the place of the temples of the ,gods4 ,hence ,augustin concludes this to be a prophecy or prediction made instinctu fallacis spirits1--by the instinct or suggestion of a deceitful spirit4 ,but that this prediction was accomplished1 is evident1 as ,dr4 ,cudworth observes in his ,true ,intellectual ,system of the ,universe1 p4 #cbi1 from the following passages of ,theodoret1 which ,i shall quote as translated by the ,doctor4 8,now the martyrs have utterly abolished and blotted out of the minds of men the memory of those who were formerly called ,gods40 ,and again1 8,our ,lord hath now brought his dead 7i4 e4 his martyrs7 into the room and place 7i4 e4 into the temples7 of the ,gods2 whom he hath sent away empty1 and bestowed their honour upon these his martyrs4 ,for now1 instead of the festivals of ,jupiter and ,bacchus1 are celebrated those of ,peter and ,paul1 ,thomas and ,sergius1 and other holy martyrs40 ,antoninus the philosopher also1 according to ,eunapius1 predicted the very same thing1 viz4 that after his decease the magnificent temple of ,serapis in ,egypt1 together with the rest1 should be demolished1 and the temples of the ,gods be turned into sepulchres1 4 ,and in the fourth and last place1 the intelligent reader who compares this prediction with what is said about the philosophic stranger by ,synesius1 in the foregoing extract1 will immediately see that the former wonderfully accords with the latter4 d ,page #eg4--,this first period of the world1 which was uncultivated and rude1 and1 according to ,firmicus1 was under the dominion of ,saturn1 is mentioned by ,plato at the beginning of his third book ,on ,laws4 ,for there having observed that time is infinite1 he says1 8that myriads upon myriads of cities have existed in this time1 and that1 in consequence of the same temporal infinity1 as many have been destroyed40 ,he also says1 8that they will everywhere have been governed according to every kind of polity2 and at one time pass from the less to the greater1 and at another from the greater to the less1 and have become worse from the better1 and better from the worse40 ,he adds1 8that the cause of this mutation1 viz4 the many destructions of the human race1 is through deluges1 diseases1 and numerous other things1 in which a very small part of mankind was left44440 ,after this he observes1 8that those who escaped the destruction which was caused by a deluge1 were nearly mountain shepherds1 a few dormant sparks of the human race1 preserved on the summits of mountains4 ,that such as these must necessarily have been ignorant of other arts1 and of those artifices1 in cities1 of men towards each other1 with a view to prerogative and contention1 and other base ends40 ,he also supposes 8that the cities which were situated in plains1 and those bordering on the sea1 entirely perished at that time4 ,that hence1 all instruments were destroyed1 together with every invention pertaining to art1 political discipline1 or anything else characterized by wisdom40 ,he adds1 8,we must therefore assert1 that when that devastation by a deluge took place1 human affairs were in a state of infinite and dreadful solitude2 that a prodigious part of the earth was unprolific2 and other animals having perished1 some herds of oxen1 and a few goats1 which were rarely found1 supplied those men with food that escaped the devastation40 ,see what the divine philosopher further observes on this interesting subject1 in my ,translation of this book of his ,laws4 ,the reader1 however1 must be careful not to confound this ,saturnian period with the golden age1 which also was under ,saturn4 ,for the latter1 says ,damascius 7apud ,phot471 consisted of a race of men proximate to the gods1 and is most magnificently celebrated by poets who were seated on the tripos of the ,muse4 ,but by the golden age1 as ,proclus on ,hesiod beautifully observes1 8an intellectual life is implied4 ,for such a life is pure1 impassive1 and free from sorrow2 and of this impassivity and purity gold is an image1 because it is never subject to rust or putrefaction4 ,such a life1 too1 is very properly said to be under ,saturn1 because ,saturn is an intellectual god40--,see more concerning this ,divinity in the ,additional ,notes at the end of the #eth vol4 of my ,plato1 p4 #fge1 c4 e ,page #ei4--,plato1 in the eighth book of his ,republic1 speaking of the dissolution of the city which he has constituted1 observes as follows3 8,not only with respect to terrestrial plants1 but likewise in terrestrial animals1 a fertility and sterility of soul as well as of body takes place1 when the revolutions of the heavenly bodies complete the periphery of their respective orbits2 which are shorter to the shorter lived1 and contrarywise to such as are the contrary40 ,the necessity for such a mutation taking place is this 7as ,i have observed in the ,introduction to my ,translation of ,aristotle's ,history of ,animals71--that all the parts of the universe are unable to participate the providence of divinity in a similar manner1 but some of its parts enjoy this perpetually1 and others only for a time2 some in a primary1 and others in a secondary degree4 ,for the universe1 being a perfect whole1 must have a first1 a middle1 and a last part4 ,but its first part1 as having the most excellent subsistence1 must always exist according to nature2 and its last part must sometimes subsist according to1 and sometimes contrary to1 nature4 ,hence the celestial bodies1 which are the first parts of the universe1 perpetually subsist according to nature1 both the whole spheres and the multitude co-ordinate to these wholes#eg2 and the only alteration which they experience is a mutation of figure1 and variation of light at different periods2 but in the sublunary region1 while the spheres of the elements remain1 on account of their subsistence as wholes1 always according to nature1 the parts of these wholes have sometimes a natural1 and sometimes an unnatural subsistence2 for thus alone can the circle of generation unfold all the variety which it contains4 ,the different periods in which these mutations happen are called by ,plato1 with great propriety1 periods of fertility and sterility2 for in these periods a fertility or sterility of men1 irrational animals1 and plants takes place2 so that in fertile periods mankind will be both more numerous1 and upon the whole superior in mental and bodily endowments1 to the men of a barren period4 ,and a similar reasoning must be extended to animals and plants4 ,the so much celebrated heroic age was the result of one of these fertile periods1 in which men transcending the herd of mankind both in practical and intellectual virtue abounded on the earth4 ,and a barren period may be considered as having commenced somewhat prior to the ,augustan age1 the destruction of all the great ancient cities1 with all their rites1 philosophy1 c4 being the natural consequence of such a period4 ,it appears to me that this period commenced in the time of ,sylla1 and ,i found this opinion on the following passage in ,plutarch's ,life of that great commander3-- 1 1 1 1 4 1 4 ' 1 1 1 4 i4 e4 8,but the greatest of all the signs prior to the civil wars was the following3 ,on a cloudless and clear day1 the sound of a trumpet was heard1 so acute and mournful as to astonish and terrify by its loudness all that heard it4 ,the ,tuscan wise men and soothsayers1 therefore1 declared that this prodigy signified the mutation into and commencement of another age4 ,for according to them there are eight ages1 differing from each other in lives and manners1 each of which is limited by divinity to a certain time of duration1 and the number of years of which this time consists is bounded by the period of the great year4 ,hence1 when one age is finished1 and another is about to commence1 a certain wonderful sign will present itself1 either from the earth or the heavens40 ,the mournfulness of this sound of the trumpet was evidently an indication that a barren period was about to commence4--,for an account of the great year1 see the note to page #dgh of the treatise on ,meteors4 ,the following extracts from a work entitled 8,sketches chiefly relating to the ,history1 ,religion1 c4 of the ,hindoos1 concerning the ,mundane ,periods10 appear to me to be highly interesting1 and to form a most important addition to what has been before said about the revolutions which take place in the universe4 8,they reckon the duration of the world by four ,yougs1 corresponding in their nature with the ,golden1 ,silver1 ,brazen1 and ,iron ages of the ancients4 ,years4 ,the first1 or the ,sutty ,youg1 is said to have lasted #c1bjj1jjj ,the ,tirtah ,youg1 or second age #b1djj1jjj ,the ,dwapaar ,youg1 or third age #a1fjj1jjj ,and they say the ,kaly ,youg1 or present age1 will last #djj1jjj40 p4 #bbb4 8,the beginning of the ,kaly ,youg1 or present age1 is reckoned from #b hours1 #bg minutes1 and #cj seconds of the morning of the #afth of ,february #cajb years before the ,christian era2 but the time for which their astronomical tables are constructed1 is #b days1 #c hours1 #cb minutes1 and #cj seconds after that on the #ahth of ,february1 about six in the morning4 ,they say there was then a conjunction of the planets1 and their tables show that conjunction4 ,monsieur ,bailly observes#eh1 that by calculation it appears1 that ,jupiter and ,mercury were then in the same degree of the ecliptic2 that ,mars was distant about #h degrees1 and ,saturn #ag2 and it results from thence1 that at the time of the date given by the ,brahmans to the commencement of the ,kaly ,youg1 they saw those four planets successively disengage themselves from the rays of the sun2 first ,saturn1 then ,mars1 then ,jupiter1 and then ,mercury4 ,these four planets1 therefore1 showed themselves in conjunction2 and though ,venus could not have appeared1 yet1 as they only speak in general terms1 it was natural enough to say there was then a conjunction of the planets4 ,the account given by the ,brahmans is confirmed by the testimony of our ,european tables1 which prove it to be the result of a true observation4 ,monsieur ,bailly is of opinion1 that their astronomical time is dated from an eclipse of the moon1 which appears then to have happened1 and that the conjunction of the planets is only mentioned by the way40--pp4 #bbd1 #bbe4 ,the conjunction of the planets mentioned in the above extract1 is admirably elucidated by ,olympiodorus in his ,,ms4 ,scholia on the ,gorgias of ,plato1 as follows3 8,there are seven spheres1 that of the moon1 that of the sun1 and those of the other planets2 but the inerratic is the eighth sphere4 ,the lunar sphere1 therefore1 makes a complete revolution more swiftly1 for it is accomplished in thirty days4 ,that of the sun is more slow1 for it is accomplished in a year4 ,that of ,jupiter is still slower1 for it is effected in twelve years4 ,and much more that of ,saturn1 for it is completed in thirty years4 ,the stars1 therefore1 are not conjoined with each other in their revolutions1 except rarely4 ,thus1 for instance1 the sphere of ,saturn and the sphere of ,jupiter are conjoined with each other in their revolutions in sixty years4 ,for if the sphere of ,jupiter comes from the same to the same in twelve years1 but that of ,saturn in thirty years1 it is evident that when ,jupiter has made five1 ,saturn will have made two revolutions2 for twice thirty is sixty1 and so likewise is twelve times five2 so that their revolutions will be conjoined in sixty years4 ,souls1 therefore1 are punished for such-like periods4 ,but the seven planetary spheres conjoin their revolutions with the inerratic sphere1 through many myriads of years2 and this is the period which ,plato calls 1 for ever40--,see the ,introduction to the volume of my ,aristotle1 which contains a translation of ,aristotle's treatise on the ,soul1 c4 c4 ,,footnotes3 #dg ,for here1 it is obviously necessary to read 4 ,it must also be observed that there are two equinoctial points or signs1 and these are ,aries and ,libra4 #dh ,see my explanation of this perfect1 which is also called the geometric number1 in p4 #aej of my ,theoretic ,arithmetic4 #di i4 e4 material dmons1 or 1 the wild beasts of the earth1 as they are called in the ,chaldean oracles4 #ej i4 e4 the whole choir of beneficent natures superior to man4 ,but by the depression of the heads of the sacred birds1 the inaptitude of persons and places to receive divine influence is denoted4 #ea ,instead of 1 1 it is necessary to read1 conformably to the above translation1 1 1 4 4 4 #eb i4 e4 restitutions to a pristine form or condition4 #ec ,proclus1 finding that this was partially the case in his time1 says prophetically1 in the ,introduction to his ,commentary on the ,parmenides of ,plato1 ' 1 1 1 1 1 4 i4 e4 8,with respect to this form of philosophy viz4 of the philosophy of ,plato1 ,i should say that it came to men for the benefit of terrestrial souls2 that it might be instead of statues1 instead of temples1 instead of the whole of sacred institutions1 and the leader of salvation both to the men that now are1 and to those that shall exist hereafter40 #ed i4 e4 evil dmons4 #ee ,by the geniture of the world1 the greater apocatastasis is signified1 as is evident from the preceding extract from ,julius ,firmicus4 #ef i4 e4 a mundane period being finished4 #eg ,see the ,introduction to my ,translation of the ,timus of ,plato4 #eh ,trait de l',astronomie ,indienne et ,orientale1 par ,monsieur ,bailly1 published in #aghg4 ,,select ,,theorems ,,in ,,proof ,,of ,,the ,,perpetuity ,,of ,,time1 ,,and ,,of ,,that ,,which ,,is ,,naturally ,,moved ,,with ,a ,,circular ,,motion4 ,,extracted ,,from ,,the ,,second ,,book ,,of ,,proclus ,,on ,,motion4 ,,hypotheses4 ,every natural body is moveable according to place4 ,every local motion is either in a circle1 or in a right line1 or mixed from these4 ,every natural body is moved according to one of these motions4 ,every natural body is either simple or compounded4 ,every simple motion is the motion of a simple#ei body4 ,every simple body is moved with one motion according to nature4 ,,definitions4 ,that is heavy which is moved towards the middle4 ,that is light which is moved from the middle4 ,that is said to be moved in a circle which is continually borne from the same to the same4 ,contrary motions are from contraries to contraries4 ,one motion is contrary to one4 ,time is the number of the motion of the celestial bodies4 ,the motion is one which is without difference according to species1 and belongs to one subject1 and is produced in a continued time4 ,,theorem #a4 ,things which are naturally moved in a circle are simple4 ,demonstration4--,let ,,ab be that which is naturally moved in a circle4 ,i say that ,,ab is simple3 for1 since the motion in a circle is a simple motion2 but every simple motion is the motion of a simple body2 hence ,,ab is a simple body4 ,things1 therefore1 which are naturally moved in a circle are simple4 ,,theorem #b4 ,things naturally moved in a circle1 are neither the same with those moved in a right line1 nor with those which are composed from things moved in a right line4 ,demonstration4--,let ,,ab be that which is naturally moved in a circle4 ,i say that it is not the same with those things which are moved in a right line4 ,for1 if it is the same with any one of these1 it must either be naturally moved upwards or downwards4 ,but every simple body is moved with one simple motion according to nature4 ,hence1 that which is naturally moved in a circle1 is not the same with anything moved in a right line4 ,but neither is it the same with anything compounded4 ,for it has been shown that everything which naturally moves in a circle is simple2 but that which consists from things moved in a right line is a composite4 ,,ab therefore1 which is naturally moved in a circle1 is neither the same with things moved in a right line1 nor with those composed from these4 ,,theorem #c4 ,things which are naturally moved in a circle1 neither participate of gravity nor levity4 ,demonstration4--,for if ,,ab is either heavy or light1 it is either naturally moved to the middle1 or from the middle3 for1 from the definitions1 that is heavy which is moved to the middle1 and that is light which is moved from the middle4 ,but that which is moved either from or to the middle1 is the same with some one of the things moved in a right line4 ,,ab1 therefore1 is the same with something moved in a right line1 though naturally moved in a circle1 which is impossible4 ,,theorem #d4 ,nothing is contrary to a circular motion4 ,demonstration4--,for if this be possible1 let the motion from ,a to ,b be a circular motion1 and let the motion contrary to this be either some one of the motions in a right line1 or some one of those in a circle4 ,if1 then1 the motion upwards is contrary to that in a circle1 the motion downwards and that in a circle will be one4 ,but if the motion downwards is contrary to that in a circle1 the motion upwards and that in a circle will be the same with each other2 for one motion is contrary to one into opposite places4 ,but if the motion from ,a is contrary to the motion from ,b1 there will be infinite spaces between two contraries2 for between the points ,a1 ,b infinite circumferences may be described4 ,but let ,,ab be a semicircle1 and let the motion from ,a to ,b be contrary to the motion from ,b to ,a4 ,if1 therefore1 that which moves in the semicircle from ,a to ,b stops at ,b1 it is by no means a motion in a circle3 for a circular motion is continually from the same to the same point4 ,but1 if it does not stop at ,b1 but continually moves in the other semicircle1 ,a is not contrary to ,b4 ,and if this be the case1 neither is the motion from ,a to ,b contrary to the motion from ,b to ,a3 for contrary motions are from contraries to contraries4 ,but let ,,abcd be a circle1 and let the motion from ,a to ,c be contrary to the motion from ,c to ,a4 ,if therefore that which is moved from ,a passes through all the places similarly1 and there is one motion from ,a to ,d1 ,c is not contrary to ,a4 ,but if these are not contrary1 neither are the motions from them contrary4 ,and in a similar manner with respect to that which is moved from ,c1 if it is moved with one motion to ,b1 ,a is not contrary to ,c1 so that neither will the motions from these be contrary4 ,,theorem #e4 ,things which are naturally moved in a circle1 neither receive generation nor corruption4 ,demonstration4--,for let ,,ab be that which is naturally moved in a circle1 ,i say that ,,ab is without generation and corruption3 for if it is generable and corruptible1 it is generated from a contrary1 and is corrupted into a contrary4 ,but that which is moved in a circle has not any contrary4 ,it is therefore without generation and corruption4 ,but that there is nothing contrary to things naturally moving in a circle1 is evident from what has been previously demonstrated3 for the motions of things contrary according to nature are contrary4 ,but1 as we have demonstrated1 there is nothing contrary to the motion in a circle4 ,neither1 therefore1 has that which is moved in a circle any contrary4 ,,theorem #f4 ,the powers of bodies terminated according to magnitude are not infinite4 ,demonstration4--,for1 if possible1 let ,b be the infinite power of the finite body ,a2 and let the half of ,a be taken1 which let be ,c1 and let the power of this be ,d4 ,but it is necessary that the power ,d should be less than the power ,b3 for a part has a power less than that of the whole4 ,let the ratio1 therefore1 of ,c to ,a be taken1 and ,d will measure ,b4 ,the power ,b therefore is finite1 and it is as ,c to ,a1 so ,d to ,b2 and alternately as ,c to ,d1 so ,a to ,b4 ,but the power ,d is the power of the magnitude ,c1 and therefore ,b will be the power of the magnitude ,a4 ,the magnitude ,a1 therefore1 has a finite power ,b2 but it was infinite1 which is impossible3 for1 that a power of the same species should be both finite and infinite in the same thing1 is impossible4 ,,theorem #g4 ,simple bodies are terminated according to species4 ,demonstration4--,for let the magnitude ,a be a simple body4 ,since1 therefore1 a simple body is moved with a simple motion1 ,a will be moved with a simple motion4 ,and if it is moved in a circle1 it will have one nature and one form4 ,but if it is moved according to any one of the motions in a right line1 if it is moved from the middle only1 it will be fire1 but if only to the middle1 earth4 ,but1 if it is light with respect to one thing1 and heavy with respect to another1 it will be some one of the middle elements4 ,the species therefore of simple bodies are terminated4 ,,theorem #h4 ,time is continued and perpetual4 ,demonstration4--,for1 if it is neither continued nor eternal1 it will have a certain beginning4 ,let1 therefore1 ,a ,b be time1 and let its beginning be ,a4 ,but if ,a is time1 it is divisible1 and we shall not yet have the beginning of time1 but there will be another beginning of the beginning4 ,but1 if ,a is a moment or the now1 it will be indivisible1 and the boundary of another time3 for the now is not only a beginning1 but an end4 ,there will therefore be time before ,a4 ,again3 if ,b is the boundary of time1 if ,b is time1 it may be divided to infinity1 and into the many boundaries which it contains4 ,but if ,b is the now1 the same will also be a beginning3 for the now is not only a boundary1 but a beginning#fj4 ,,theorem #i4 ,a motion which is naturally circular is perpetual4 ,demonstration4--,let the circular motion be that of the circle ,a ,b1 ,i say that it is perpetual3 for1 since time is perpetual1 it is also necessary that motion should be perpetual4 ,and since time is continued1 7for there is the same now in the past and present time17 it is necessary that there should be some one continued motion3 for time is the number of motion4 ,however1 all other motions are not perpetual3 for they are generated from contraries into contraries4 ,a circular motion1 therefore1 is alone perpetual3 for to this1 as we have demonstrated1 nothing is contrary4 ,but that all the motions which subsist between contraries1 are bounded1 and are not perpetual1 we thus demonstrate4 ,let ,a ,b be a motion between the two contraries ,a and ,b4 ,the motion1 therefore1 of ,a ,b is bounded by ,a and ,b1 and is not infinite4 ,but the motion from ,a is not continued with that from ,b4 ,but1 when that which is moved returns1 it will stand still in ,b3 for1 if the motion from ,a is one continued motion1 and also that from ,b1 that which is moved from ,b will be moved into the same4 ,it will therefore be moved in vain1 being now in ,a4 ,but nature does nothing in vain3 and hence1 there is not one motion4 ,the motions1 therefore1 between contraries are not perpetual4 ,nor is it possible for a thing to be moved to infinity in a right line3 for contraries are the boundaries4 ,nor when it returns will it make one motion4 ,,theorem #aj4 ,that which moves a perpetual motion is perpetual4 ,demonstration4--,for let ,a be that which moves a perpetual motion4 ,i say that ,a also is perpetual3 for1 if it is not1 it will not then move when it is not4 ,but this not moving1 neither does the motion subsist1 which it moved before4 ,it is however supposed to be perpetual4 ,but1 nothing else moving1 that will be immoveable which is perpetually moved4 ,and if anything else moves when ,a is no more1 the motion is not continual2 which is impossible4 ,hence1 that which moves a perpetual motion is itself perpetual4 ,,theorem #aa4 ,that which is immoveable is the leader of things moving and moved4 ,demonstration4--,for let ,a be moved by ,b1 and ,b by ,c1 ,i say that this will some time or other stop1 and that not everything which moves will be itself moved3 for1 if possible1 let this take place4 ,motions1 therefore1 are either in a circle1 or ad infinitum4 ,but1 if things moving and moved are infinite1 there will be infinite multitude and magnitude3 for everything which is moved is divisible1 and moves from contact4 ,hence1 that which consists from things moving and moved infinite in multitude1 will be infinite in magnitude4 ,but it is impossible that any body1 whether composite or simple1 can be infinite4 ,but if motions are in a circle1 some one of things moved at a certain time1 will be the cause of perpetual motion1 if all things move and are moved by each other in a circle4 ,this1 however1 is impossible3 for that which moves a perpetual motion is perpetual4 ,neither1 therefore1 is the motion of things moved1 in a circle1 nor ad infinitum4 ,there is1 therefore1 that which moves immoveably1 and which is perpetual4 ,but from hence it is evident1 that all things are not moved2 for there is also something which is immoveable4 ,nor are all things at rest2 for there are also things which are moved4 ,nor are some things always at rest1 but others always moved2 for there are also things which are sometimes at rest1 and sometimes moved1 such as are things which are moved from contraries into contraries4 ,nor are all things sometimes at rest1 and sometimes moved2 for there is that which is perpetually moved1 and also that which is perpetually immoveable4 ,,theorem #ab4 ,everything which is moved1 is moved by something4 ,demonstration4--,let ,a be that which is moved1 ,i say that ,a is moved by something3 for it is either moved according or contrary to nature4 ,if1 therefore1 it is moved according to nature1 that which moves is nature2 but1 if contrary to nature1 that which employs violence moves2 for every motion contrary to nature is violent4 ,,theorem #ac4 ,that which first moves a circular motion is impartible1 or without parts4 ,demonstration4--,for let ,a be that which moves the first motion3 for it is necessary that there should be something of this kind1 because everything which is moved is moved by something4 ,but ,a1 if it is that which first moves1 will be immoveable3 for that which is immoveable is the leader of all things which are moved4 ,and1 since it moves a perpetual motion1 it will possess an infinite power of moving2 for finite powers have also finite energies3 for energy proceeds from power4 ,so that if its energy is infinite1 its power also will be infinite4 ,hence1 that which first moves a circular motion1 must necessarily either be body1 or incorporeal4 ,but if body1 it is either finite or infinite4 ,there is not however an infinite body4 ,and if it is a finite body1 it will not possess an infinite power4 ,but the powers of things bounded according to magnitude are finite1 as has been demonstrated4 ,hence1 that which first moves a circular motion1 is not a body4 ,it is therefore incorporeal1 and possesses infinite power4 ,,footnotes3 #ei ,simple bodies1 according to ,aristotle1 are those which naturally possess an inherent principle of motion4 ,for animals and plants possess a principle of motion2 but in these it proceeds from soul and not from nature4 #fj ,hence the world is perpetual2 for it is consubsistent with time4 ,,the ,,end4 ,,printed ,,by ,,richard ,,taylor1 ,,red ,,lion ,,court1 ,,fleet ,,street4