Page:Works of Plato his first fifty-five dialogues (Taylor 1804) (Vol 2 of 5) (IA Vol2worksofplato00plat).pdf/447

 INTRODUCTION TO THE TIMJEUS.

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is the ſame with the one, a unifying energy muft be the prerogative of his nature ; and as he is likewife perfectly fupereflential, if the world were his immediate progeny, it muft be as much as poffible fupereflential and pro¬ foundly one : but as this is not the cafe, it is neceflary that it fhould be formed by intelled and moved by foul.

So that it derives the unity and

goodnefs of its nature from the flrft caufe, the orderly difpofition and diftindion of its parts from Jupiter its artificer, and its perpetual motion from foul ; the whole at the fame time proceeding from the firft caufe through proper mediums.

Nor is it more difficult to conceive matter after this man¬

ner inverted with form and diftributed into order, than to conceive a potter making clay with his own hands, giving it a fhape when made, through the affiftance of a wheel, and, when fafhioned, adorning it through another inftrument with figures ; at the fame time being careful to remember, that in this latter inftance different inftruments are required through the imbe¬ cility of the artificer, but that in the former various mediums are neceflary from the tranfcendency of power which fubfifts in the original caufe.

And

from all this it is eafy to infer, that matter was not prior to the world by any interval of time, but only in the order of compofition ; priority here im¬ plying nothing more than that which muft be confidered as firft in the conftrudion of the world.

Nor was it hurled about in a difordered ftate prior

to order; but this only fignifies its confufed and tumultuous nature, when confidered in itfelf, diverted of the fupervening irradiations of form. With refped to the four elements, I add, in addition to what has been faid before, that their powers are beautifully difpofed by Proclus as follows, viz: Fire.

Subtle, acute, movable. Water.

Denfe, blunt, movable.

Air.

Subtle, blunt, movable. Earth.

Denfe, blunt, immovable.

In which difpofition you may perceive how admirably the two extremes fire and earth are connedted, though indeed it is the peculiar excellence of the Platonic philofophy to find out in every thing becoming mediums through that part of the dialectic art called divifion; and it is owing to this that the philofophy