Page:Works of Plato his first fifty-five dialogues (Taylor 1804) (Vol 2 of 5) (IA Vol2worksofplato00plat).pdf/439

 INTRODUCTION TO THE TIM^EUS.

429

prior to daemons, the government of ſome receiving its perfedtion under that of others.

As for inftance with refpedt to our queen the Moon, that the con¬

tains the goddefs Hecate and Diana ; and with refpedt to our fovereign the Sun, and the Gods which he contains, theologifts celebrate Bacchus as fubfifting there, The Sun’s affeflor, who with watchful eye Infpe&s the facred pole:

They alfo celebrate Jupiter as feated there, Ofiris, and a folar Pan, as likewife other divinities, of which the books of theologifts and theurgifts are full; from all which it is evident how true it is that each of the planets is the leader of many Gods, which fill up its proper circulation V’—'On

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Now, from this extraordinary paflage, we may perceive at one view why the Sun in the Orphic hymns is called Jupiter, why Apollo is called Pan, and Bacchus the fun ; why the Moon feems to be the fame with Rhea, Ceres, Proferpine, Juno, Venus, &c. and, in fhort, why any one divinity is celebrated with the names and epithets of fo many of the reft.

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this fublime theory it follows that every fphere contains a Jupiter, Neptune, Vulcan, Vefta, Minerva, Mars, Ceres,

Juno, Diana, Mercury, Venus,

Apollo, and in fhort every deity, each fphere at the fame time conferring on thefe Gods the peculiar chara&eriftic of its nature ; lo that, for inftance, 1 Procl. in Tim. p. 279.

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