Time，then，andtheheavencameintobeingatthesameinstantin
orderthat，havingbeencreatedtogether，ifevertherewastobea
dissolutionofthem，theymightbedissolvedtogether。Itwasframed
afterthepatternoftheeternalnature，thatitmightresemblethis
asfaraswaspossible；forthepatternexistsfrometernity，and
thecreatedheavenhasbeen，andis，andwillbe，inalltime。Such
wasthemindandthoughtofGodinthecreationoftime。Thesunand
moonandfiveotherstars，whicharecalledtheplanets，were
createdbyhiminordertodistinguishandpreservethenumbersof
time；andwhenhehadmade—theirseveralbodies，heplacedtheminthe
orbitsinwhichthecircleoftheotherwasrevolving—inseven
orbitssevenstars。First，therewasthemoonintheorbitnearestthe
earth，andnextthesun，inthesecondorbitabovetheearth；then
camethemorningstarandthestarsacredtoHermes，movingin
orbitswhichhaveanequalswiftnesswiththesun，butinan
oppositedirection；andthisisthereasonwhythesunandHermes
andLuciferovertakeandareovertakenbyeachother。Toenumeratethe
placeswhichheassignedtotheotherstars，andtogiveallthe
reasonswhyheassignedthem，althoughasecondarymatter，would
givemoretroublethantheprimary。Thesethingsatsomefuture
time，whenweareatleisure，mayhavetheconsiderationwhichthey
deserve，butnotatpresent。
Now，whenallthestarswhichwerenecessarytothecreationoftime
hadattainedamotionsuitabletothem，—andhadbecomeliving
creatureshavingbodiesfastenedbyvitalchains，andlearnttheir
appointedtask，movinginthemotionofthediverse，whichis
diagonal，andpassesthroughandisgovernedbythemotionofthe
same，theyrevolved，someinalargerandsomeinalesserorbit—those
whichhadthelesserorbitrevolvingfaster，andthosewhichhadthe
largermoreslowly。Nowbyreasonofthemotionofthesame，those
whichrevolvedfastestappearedtobeovertakenbythosewhichmoved
sloweralthoughtheyreallyovertookthem；forthemotionofthe
samemadethemallturninaspiral，and，becausesomewentoneway
andsomeanother，thatwhichrecededmostslowlyfromthesphereof
thesame，whichwastheswiftest，appearedtofollowitmostnearly。
Thattheremightbesomevisiblemeasureoftheirrelativeswiftness
andslownessastheyproceededintheireightcourses，Godlighteda
fire，whichwenowcallthesun，inthesecondfromtheearthofthese
orbits，thatitmightgivelighttothewholeofheaven，andthat
theanimals，asmanyasnatureintended，mightparticipatein
number，learningarithmeticfromtherevolutionofthesameandthe
like。Thusthen，andforthisreasonthenightandthedaywere
created，beingtheperiodoftheonemostintelligentrevolution。
Andthemonthisaccomplishedwhenthemoonhascompletedherorbit
andovertakenthesun，andtheyearwhenthesunhascompletedhisown
orbit。Mankind，withhardlyanexception，havenotremarkedthe
periodsoftheotherstars，andtheyhavenonameforthem，anddonot
measurethemagainstoneanotherbythehelpofnumber，andhencethey
canscarcelybesaidtoknowthattheirwanderings，beinginfinite
innumberandadmirablefortheirvariety，makeuptime。Andyetthere
isnodifficultyinseeingthattheperfectnumberoftimefulfilsthe
perfectyearwhenalltheeightrevolutions，havingtheirrelative
degreesofswiftness，areaccomplishedtogetherandattaintheir
completionatthesametime，measuredbytherotationofthesame
andequallymoving。Afterthismanner，andforthesereasons，came
intobeingsuchofthestarsasintheirheavenlyprogressreceived
reversalsofmotion，totheendthatthecreatedheavenmight
imitatetheeternalnature，andbeaslikeaspossibletothe
perfectandintelligibleanimal。
Thusfaranduntilthebirthoftimethecreateduniversewasmade
inthelikenessoftheoriginal，butinasmuchasallanimalswere
notyetcomprehendedtherein，itwasstillunlike。Whatremained，
thecreatorthenproceededtofashionafterthenatureofthepattern。
Nowasintheidealanimalthemindperceivesideasorspeciesofa
certainnatureandnumber，hethoughtthatthiscreatedanimalought
tohavespeciesofalikenatureandnumber。Therearefoursuch；
oneofthemistheheavenlyraceofthegods；another，theraceof
birdswhosewayisintheair；thethird，thewateryspecies；and
thefourth，thepedestrianandlandcreatures。Oftheheavenlyand
divine，hecreatedthegreaterpartoutoffire，thattheymightbe
thebrightestofallthingsandfairesttobehold，andhefashioned
themafterthelikenessoftheuniverseinthefigureofacircle，and
madethemfollowtheintelligentmotionofthesupreme，distributing
themoverthewholecircumferenceofheaven，whichwastobeatrue
cosmosorgloriousworldspangledwiththemallover。Andhegaveto
eachofthemtwomovements：thefirst，amovementonthesamespot
afterthesamemanner，wherebytheyevercontinuetothink
consistentlythesamethoughtsaboutthesamethings；thesecond，a
forwardmovement，inwhichtheyarecontrolledbytherevolutionof
thesameandthelike；butbytheotherfivemotionstheywere
unaffected，inorderthateachofthemmightattainthehighest
perfection。Andforthisreasonthefixedstarswerecreated，tobe
divineandeternalanimals，ever—abidingandrevolvingafterthe
samemannerandonthesamespot；andtheotherstarswhichreverse
theirmotionandaresubjecttodeviationsofthiskind，were
createdinthemanneralreadydescribed。Theearth，whichisour
nurse，clingingaroundthepolewhichisextendedthroughthe
universe，heframedtobetheguardianandartificerofnightandday，
firstandeldestofgodsthatareintheinteriorofheaven。Vain
wouldbetheattempttotellallthefiguresofthemcirclingasin
dance，andtheirjuxtapositions，andthereturnofthemintheir
revolutionsuponthemselves，andtheirapproximations，andtosay
whichofthesedeitiesintheirconjunctionsmeet，andwhichofthem
areinopposition，andinwhatordertheygetbehindandbeforeone
another，andwhentheyareseverallyeclipsedtooursightandagain
reappear，sendingterrorsandintimationsofthefuturetothosewho
cannotcalculatetheirmovements—toattempttotellofallthis
withoutavisiblerepresentationoftheheavenlysystemwouldbe
labourinvain。Enoughonthishead；andnowletwhatwehavesaid
aboutthenatureofthecreatedandvisiblegodshaveanend。
Toknowortelltheoriginoftheotherdivinitiesisbeyondus，and
wemustacceptthetraditionsofthemenofoldtimewhoaffirm
themselvestobetheoffspringofthegods—thatiswhattheysay—and
theymustsurelyhaveknowntheirownancestors。Howcanwedoubt
thewordofthechildrenofthegods？Althoughtheygivenoprobable
orcertainproofs，still，astheydeclarethattheyarespeakingof
whattookplaceintheirownfamily，wemustconformtocustomand
believethem。Inthismanner，then，accordingtothem，thegenealogy
ofthesegodsistobereceivedandsetforth。
OceanusandTethyswerethechildrenofEarthandHeaven，andfrom
thesesprangPhorcysandCronosandRhea，andallthatgeneration；and
fromCronosandRheasprangZeusandHere，andallthosewhoare
saidtobetheirbrethren，andotherswhowerethechildrenofthese。
Now，whenallofthem，boththosewhovisiblyappearintheir
revolutionsaswellasthoseothergodswhoareofamoreretiring
nature，hadcomeintobeing，thecreatoroftheuniverseaddressed
theminthesewords："Gods，childrenofgods，whoaremyworks，andof
whomIamtheartificerandfather，mycreationsareindissoluble，
ifsoIwill。Allthatisboundmaybeundone，butonlyanevil
beingwouldwishtoundothatwhichisharmoniousandhappy。
Wherefore，sinceyearebutcreatures，yearenotaltogether
immortalandindissoluble，butyeshallcertainlynotbedissolved，
norbeliabletothefateofdeath，havinginmywillagreaterand
mightierbondthanthosewithwhichyewereboundatthetimeof
yourbirth。Andnowlistentomyinstructions：—Threetribesof
mortalbeingsremaintobecreated—withoutthemtheuniversewillbe
incomplete，foritwillnotcontaineverykindofanimalwhichit
oughttocontain，ifitistobeperfect。Ontheotherhand，ifthey
werecreatedbymeandreceivedlifeatmyhands，theywouldbeon
anequalitywiththegods。Inorderthenthattheymaybemortal，
andthatthisuniversemaybetrulyuniversal，doye，accordingto
yournatures，betakeyourselvestotheformationofanimals，imitating
thepowerwhichwasshownbymeincreatingyou。Thepartofthem
worthyofthenameimmortal，whichiscalleddivineandistheguiding
principleofthosewhoarewillingtofollowjusticeandyou—ofthat
divinepartIwillmyselfsowtheseed，andhavingmadeabeginning，I
willhandtheworkovertoyou。Anddoyetheninterweavethemortal
withtheimmortal，andmakeandbegetlivingcreatures，andgive
themfood，andmakethemtogrow，andreceivethemagainindeath。"
Thushespake，andoncemoreintothecupinwhichhehadpreviously
mingledthesouloftheuniversehepouredtheremainsofthe
elements，andmingledtheminmuchthesamemanner；theywerenot，
however，pureasbefore，butdilutedtothesecondandthirddegree。
Andhavingmadeithedividedthewholemixtureintosoulsequalin
numbertothestars，andassignedeachsoultoastar；andhaving
thereplacedthemasinachariot，heshowedthemthenatureofthe
universe，anddeclaredtothemthelawsofdestiny，accordingtowhich
theirfirstbirthwouldbeoneandthesameforall，—nooneshould
sufferadisadvantageathishands；theyweretobesowninthe
instrumentsoftimeseverallyadaptedtothem，andtocomeforththe
mostreligiousofanimals；andashumannaturewasoftwokinds，the
superiorracewouldhereafterbecalledman。Now，whentheyshouldbe
implantedinbodiesbynecessity，andbealwaysgainingorlosingsome
partoftheirbodilysubstance，theninthefirstplaceitwouldbe
necessarythattheyshouldallhaveinthemoneandthesamefaculty
ofsensation，arisingoutofirresistibleimpressions；inthesecond
place，theymusthavelove，inwhichpleasureandpainmingle；also
fearandanger，andthefeelingswhichareakinoroppositetothem；
iftheyconqueredthesetheywouldliverighteously，andifthey
wereconqueredbythem，unrighteously。Hewholivedwellduringhis
appointedtimewastoreturnanddwellinhisnativestar，andthere
hewouldhaveablessedandcongenialexistence。Butifhefailedin
attainingthis，atthesecondbirthhewouldpassintoawoman，and
if，wheninthatstateofbeing，hedidnotdesistfromevil，hewould
continuallybechangedintosomebrutewhoresembledhimintheevil
naturewhichhehadacquired，andwouldnotceasefromhistoilsand
transformationsuntilhefollowedtherevolutionofthesameandthe
likewithinhim，andovercamebythehelpofreasontheturbulent
andirrationalmoboflateraccretions，madeupoffireandairand
waterandearth，andreturnedtotheformofhisfirstandbetter
state。Havinggivenalltheselawstohiscreatures，thathemight
beguiltlessoffutureevilinanyofthem，thecreatorsowedsome
ofthemintheearth，andsomeinthemoon，andsomeintheother
instrumentsoftime；andwhenhehadsownthemhecommittedtothe
youngergodsthefashioningoftheirmortalbodies，anddesiredthem
tofurnishwhatwasstilllackingtothehumansoul，andhavingmade
allthesuitableadditions，toruleoverthem，andtopilotthemortal
animalinthebestandwisestmannerwhichtheycould，andavert
fromhimallbutself—inflictedevils。
Whenthecreatorhadmadealltheseordinancesheremainedinhis
ownaccustomednature，andhischildrenheardandwereobedientto
theirfather’sword，andreceivingfromhimtheimmortalprinciple
ofamortalcreature，inimitationoftheirowncreatorthey
borrowedportionsoffire，andearth，andwater，andairfromthe
world，whichwerehereaftertoberestored—thesetheytookand
weldedthemtogether，notwiththeindissolublechainsbywhichthey
werethemselvesbound，butwithlittlepegstoosmalltobevisible，
makingupoutofallthefourelementseachseparatebody，and
fasteningthecoursesoftheimmortalsoulinabodywhichwasina
stateofperpetualinfluxandefflux。Nowthesecourses，detainedas
inavastriver，neitherovercamenorwereovercome；butwerehurrying
andhurriedtoandfro，sothatthewholeanimalwasmovedand
progressed，irregularlyhoweverandirrationallyandanyhow，inall
thesixdirectionsofmotion，wanderingbackwardsandforwards，and
rightandleft，andupanddown，andinallthesixdirections。For
greataswastheadvancingandretiringfloodwhichprovided
nourishment，theaffectionsproducedbyexternalcontactcaused
stillgreatertumult—whenthebodyofanyonemetandcameinto
collisionwithsomeexternalfire，orwiththesolidearthorthe
glidingwaters，orwascaughtinthetempestborneontheair，andthe
motionsproducedbyanyoftheseimpulseswerecarriedthroughthe
bodytothesoul。Allsuchmotionshaveconsequentlyreceivedthe
generalnameof"sensations，"whichtheystillretain。Andtheydidin
factatthattimecreateaverygreatandmightymovement；uniting
withtheeverflowingstreaminstirringupandviolentlyshaking
thecoursesofthesoul，theycompletelystoppedtherevolutionofthe
samebytheiropposingcurrent，andhindereditfrompredominatingand
advancing；andtheysodisturbedthenatureoftheotherordiverse，
thatthethreedoubleintervals[i。e。between1，2，4，8]，andthe
threetripleintervals[i。e。between1，3，9，27]，togetherwiththe
meantermsandconnectinglinkswhichareexpressedbytheratiosof3
：2，and4：3，andof9：8—these，althoughtheycannotbewholly
undoneexceptbyhimwhounitedthem，weretwistedbytheminall
sortsofways，andthecircleswerebrokenanddisorderedinevery
possiblemanner，sothatwhentheymovedtheyweretumblingtopieces，
andmovedirrationally，atonetimeinareversedirection，andthen
againobliquely，andthenupsidedown，asyoumightimagineaperson
whoisupsidedownandhashisheadleaninguponthegroundandhis
feetupagainstsomethingintheair；andwhenheisinsucha
position，bothheandthespectatorfancythattherightofeither
ishisleft，andleftright。If，whenpowerfullyexperiencingthese
andsimilareffects，therevolutionsofthesoulcomeincontact
withsomeexternalthing，eitheroftheclassofthesameorofthe
other，theyspeakofthesameoroftheotherinamannerthevery
oppositeofthetruth；andtheybecomefalseandfoolish，andthereis
nocourseorrevolutioninthemwhichhasaguidingordirecting
power；andifagainanysensationsenterinviolentlyfromwithoutand
dragafterthemthewholevesselofthesoul，thenthecoursesof
thesoul，thoughtheyseemtoconquer，arereallyconquered。
Andbyreasonofalltheseaffections，thesoul，whenencasedina
mortalbody，now，asinthebeginning，isatfirstwithout
intelligence；butwhenthefloodofgrowthandnutrimentabates，and
thecoursesofthesoul，calmingdown，gotheirownwayandbecome
steadierastimegoeson，thentheseveralcirclesreturntotheir
naturalform，andtheirrevolutionsarecorrected，andtheycallthe
sameandtheotherbytheirrightnames，andmakethepossessorof
themtobecomearationalbeing。Andifthesecombineinhimwith
anytruenurtureoreducation，heattainsthefulnessandhealthof
theperfectman，andescapestheworstdiseaseofall；butifhe
neglectseducationhewalkslametotheendofhislife，andreturns
imperfectandgoodfornothingtotheworldbelow。This，however，isa
laterstage；atpresentwemusttreatmoreexactlythesubject
beforeus，whichinvolvesapreliminaryenquiryintothegenerationof
thebodyanditsmembers，andastohowthesoulwascreated—for
whatreasonandbywhatprovidenceofthegods；andholdingfastto
probability，wemustpursueourway。
First，then，thegods，imitatingthesphericalshapeofthe
universe，enclosedthetwodivinecoursesinasphericalbody，that，
namely，whichwenowtermthehead，beingthemostdivinepartofus
andthelordofallthatisinus：tothisthegods，whentheyput
togetherthebody，gavealltheothermemberstobeservants，
consideringthatitpartookofeverysortofmotion。Inorderthen
thatitmightnottumbleaboutamongthehighanddeepplacesofthe
earth，butmightbeabletogetovertheoneandoutoftheother，
theyprovidedthebodytobeitsvehicleandmeansoflocomotion；
whichconsequentlyhadlengthandwasfurnishedwithfourlimbs
extendedandflexible；theseGodcontrivedtobeinstrumentsof
locomotionwithwhichitmighttakeholdandfindsupport，andsobe
abletopassthroughallplaces，carryingonhighthedwelling—place
ofthemostsacredanddivinepartofus。Suchwastheoriginof
legsandhands，whichforthisreasonwereattachedtoeveryman；
andthegods，deemingthefrontpartofmantobemorehonourable
andmorefittocommandthanthehinderpart，madeustomovemostly
inaforwarddirection。Whereforemanmustneedshavehisfrontpart
unlikeanddistinguishedfromtherestofhisbody。
Andsointhevesselofthehead，theyfirstofallputafacein
whichtheyinsertedorganstoministerinallthingstotheprovidence
ofthesoul，andtheyappointedthispart，whichhasauthority，to
bebynaturethepartwhichisinfront。Andoftheorgansthey
firstcontrivedtheeyestogivelight，andtheprincipleaccordingto
whichtheywereinsertedwasasfollows：Somuchoffireaswould
notburn，butgaveagentlelight，theyformedintoasubstanceakin
tothelightofevery—daylife；andthepurefirewhichiswithinus
andrelatedtheretotheymadetoflowthroughtheeyesinastream
smoothanddense，compressingthewholeeye，andespeciallythecentre
part，sothatitkeptouteverythingofacoarsernature，and
allowedtopassonlythispureelement。Whenthelightofday
surroundsthestreamofvision，thenlikefallsuponlike，andthey
coalesce，andonebodyisformedbynaturalaffinityinthelineof
vision，whereverthelightthatfallsfromwithinmeetswithan
externalobject。Andthewholestreamofvision，beingsimilarly
affectedinvirtueofsimilarity，diffusesthemotionsofwhatit
touchesorwhattouchesitoverthewholebody，untiltheyreachthe
soul，causingthatperceptionwhichwecallsight。Butwhennight
comesonandtheexternalandkindredfiredeparts，thenthestreamof
visioniscutoff；forgoingforthtoanunlikeelementitis
changedandextinguished，beingnolongerofonenaturewiththe
surroundingatmospherewhichisnowdeprivedoffire：andsotheeye
nolongersees，andwefeeldisposedtosleep。Forwhentheeyelids，
whichthegodsinventedforthepreservationofsight，areclosed，
theykeepintheinternalfire；andthepowerofthefirediffusesand
equalisestheinwardmotions；whentheyareequalised，thereis
rest，andwhentherestisprofound，sleepcomesoverusscarce
disturbedbydreams；butwherethegreatermotionsstillremain，of
whatevernatureandinwhateverlocality，theyengender
correspondingvisionsindreams，whicharerememberedbyuswhenwe
areawakeandintheexternalworld。Andnowthereisnolongerany
difficultyinunderstandingthecreationofimagesinmirrorsand
allsmoothandbrightsurfaces。Forfromthecommunionoftheinternal
andexternalfires，andagainfromtheunionofthemandtheir
numeroustransformationswhentheymeetinthemirror，allthese
appearancesofnecessityarise，whenthefirefromtheface
coalesceswiththefirefromtheeyeonthebrightandsmoothsurface。
Andrightappearsleftandleftright，becausethevisualrayscome
intocontactwiththeraysemittedbytheobjectinamanner
contrarytotheusualmodeofmeeting；buttherightappearsright，
andtheleftleft，whenthepositionofoneofthetwoconcurring
lightsisreversed；andthishappenswhenthemirrorisconcaveand
itssmoothsurfacerepelstherightstreamofvisiontotheleftside，
andthelefttotheright。Orifthemirrorbeturnedvertically，then
theconcavitymakesthecountenanceappeartobeallupsidedown，
andthelowerraysaredrivenupwardsandtheupperdownwards。
Allthesearetobereckonedamongthesecondandco—operative
causeswhichGod，carryingintoexecutiontheideaofthebestas
faraspossible，usesashisministers。Theyarethoughtbymostmen
nottobethesecond，buttheprimecausesofallthings，becausethey
freezeandheat，andcontractanddilate，andthelike。Buttheyare
notso，fortheyareincapableofreasonorintellect；theonly
beingwhichcanproperlyhavemindistheinvisiblesoul，whereasfire
andwater，andearthandair，areallofthemvisiblebodies。The
loverofintellectandknowledgeoughttoexplorecausesof
intelligentnaturefirstofall，and，secondly，ofthosethingswhich，
beingmovedbyothers，arecompelledtomoveothers。Andthisis
whatwetoomustdo。Bothkindsofcausesshouldbeacknowledgedby
us，butadistinctionshouldbemadebetweenthosewhichareendowed
withmindandaretheworkersofthingsfairandgood，andthosewhich
aredeprivedofintelligenceandalwaysproducechanceeffectswithout
orderordesign。Ofthesecondorco—operativecausesofsight，
whichhelptogivetotheeyesthepowerwhichtheynowpossess，
enoughhasbeensaid。Iwillthereforenowproceedtospeakofthe
higheruseandpurposeforwhichGodhasgiventhemtous。Thesight
inmyopinionisthesourceofthegreatestbenefittous，forhad
weneverseenthestars，andthesun，andtheheaven，noneofthe
wordswhichwehavespokenabouttheuniversewouldeverhavebeen
uttered。Butnowthesightofdayandnight，andthemonthsandthe
revolutionsoftheyears，havecreatednumber，andhavegivenusa
conceptionoftime，andthepowerofenquiringaboutthenatureofthe
universe；andfromthissourcewehavederivedphilosophy，than
whichnogreatergoodeverwasorwillbegivenbythegodsto
mortalman。Thisisthegreatestboonofsight：andofthelesser
benefitswhyshouldIspeak？eventheordinarymanifheweredeprived
ofthemwouldbewailhisloss，butinvain。Thusmuchletmesay
however：Godinventedandgaveussighttotheendthatwemight
beholdthecoursesofintelligenceintheheaven，andapplythemto
thecoursesofourownintelligencewhichareakintothem，the
unperturbedtotheperturbed；andthatwe，learningthemandpartaking
ofthenaturaltruthofreason，mightimitatetheabsolutely
unerringcoursesofGodandregulateourownvagaries。Thesamemaybe
affirmedofspeechandhearing：theyhavebeengivenbythegodsto
thesameendandforalikereason。Forthisistheprincipalendof
speech，wheretoitmostcontributes。Moreover，somuchofmusicas
isadaptedtothesoundofthevoiceandtothesenseofhearingis
grantedtousforthesakeofharmony；andharmony，whichhas
motionsakintotherevolutionsofoursouls，isnotregardedbythe
intelligentvotaryoftheMusesasgivenbythemwithaviewto
irrationalpleasure，whichisdeemedtobethepurposeofitinour
day，butasmeanttocorrectanydiscordwhichmayhavearisenin
thecoursesofthesoul，andtobeourallyinbringingherinto
harmonyandagreementwithherself；andrhythmtoowasgivenbythem
forthesamereason，onaccountoftheirregularandgracelessways
whichprevailamongmankindgenerally，andtohelpusagainstthem。
Thusfarinwhatwehavebeensaying，withsmallexception，the
worksofintelligencehavebeensetforth；andnowwemustplaceby
thesideoftheminourdiscoursethethingswhichcomeintobeing
throughnecessity—forthecreationismixed，beingmadeupof
necessityandmind。Mind，therulingpower，persuadednecessityto
bringthegreaterpartofcreatedthingstoperfection，andthusand
afterthismannerinthebeginning，whentheinfluenceofreasongot
thebetterofnecessity，theuniversewascreated。Butifaperson
willtrulytellofthewayinwhichtheworkwasaccomplished，hemust
includetheotherinfluenceofthevariablecauseaswell。
Wherefore，wemustreturnagainandfindanothersuitablebeginning，
asabouttheformermatters，soalsoaboutthese。Towhichendwemust
considerthenatureoffire，andwater，andair，andearth，suchas
theywerepriortothecreationoftheheaven，andwhatwas
happeningtotheminthispreviousstate；fornoonehasasyet
explainedthemanneroftheirgeneration，butwespeakoffireandthe
restofthem，whatevertheymean，asthoughmenknewtheirnatures，
andwemaintainthemtobethefirstprinciplesandlettersor
elementsofthewhole，whentheycannotreasonablybecomparedbya
manofanysenseeventosyllablesorfirstcompounds。Andletme
saythusmuch：Iwillnotnowspeakofthefirstprincipleor
principlesofallthings，orbywhatevernametheyaretobecalled，
forthisreason—becauseitisdifficulttosetforthmyopinion
accordingtothemethodofdiscussionwhichweareatpresent
employing。Donotimagine，anymorethanIcanbringmyselfto
imagine，thatIshouldberightinundertakingsogreatand
difficultatask。RememberingwhatIsaidatfirstabout
probability，Iwilldomybesttogiveasprobableanexplanationas
anyother—orrather，moreprobable；andIwillfirstgobacktothe
beginningandtrytospeakofeachthingandofall。Oncemore，
then，atthecommencementofmydiscourse，IcalluponGod，andbeg
himtobeoursaviouroutofastrangeandunwontedenquiry，andto
bringustothehavenofprobability。Sonowletusbeginagain。
Thisnewbeginningofourdiscussionoftheuniverserequiresa
fullerdivisionthantheformer；forthenwemadetwoclasses，nowa
thirdmustberevealed。Thetwosufficedfortheformerdiscussion：
one，whichweassumed，wasapatternintelligibleandalwaysthesame；
andthesecondwasonlytheimitationofthepattern，generatedand
visible。Thereisalsoathirdkindwhichwedidnotdistinguishat
thetime，conceivingthatthetwowouldbeenough。Butnowthe
argumentseemstorequirethatweshouldsetforthinwordsanother
kind，whichisdifficultofexplanationanddimlyseen。Whatnature
arewetoattributetothisnewkindofbeing？Wereply，thatitis
thereceptacle，andinamannerthenurse，ofallgeneration。Ihave
spokenthetruth；butImustexpressmyselfinclearerlanguage，and
thiswillbeanarduoustaskformanyreasons，andinparticular
becauseImustfirstraisequestionsconcerningfireandtheother
elements，anddeterminewhateachofthemis；fortosay，withany
probabilityorcertitude，whichofthemshouldbecalledwater
ratherthanfire，andwhichshouldbecalledanyofthemratherthan
allorsomeoneofthem，isadifficultmatter。How，then，shallwe
settlethispoint，andwhatquestionsabouttheelementsmaybefairly
raised？
Inthefirstplace，weseethatwhatwejustnowcalledwater，by
condensation，Isuppose，becomesstoneandearth；andthissame
element，whenmeltedanddispersed，passesintovapourandair。Air，
again，wheninflamed，becomesfire；andagainfire，whencondensedand
extinguished，passesoncemoreintotheformofair；andoncemore，
air，whencollectedandcondensed，producescloudandmist；andfrom
these，whenstillmorecompressed，comesflowingwater，andfromwater
comesearthandstonesoncemore；andthusgenerationappearstobe
transmittedfromonetotheotherinacircle。Thus，then，asthe
severalelementsneverpresentthemselvesinthesameform，howcan
anyonehavetheassurancetoassertpositivelythatanyofthem，
whateveritmaybe，isonethingratherthananother？Noonecan。
Butmuchthesafestplanistospeakofthemasfollows：—Anything
whichweseetobecontinuallychanging，as，forexample，fire，we
mustnotcall"this"or"that，"butrathersaythatitis"ofsucha
nature"；norletusspeakofwateras"this"；butalwaysas"such"；
normustweimplythatthereisanystabilityinanyofthosethings
whichweindicatebytheuseofthewords"this"and"that，"supposing
ourselvestosignifysomethingthereby；fortheyaretoovolatileto
bedetainedinanysuchexpressionsas"this，"or"that，"or"relative
tothis，"oranyothermodeofspeakingwhichrepresentsthemas
permanent。Weoughtnottoapply"this"toanyofthem，butratherthe
word"such"；whichexpressesthesimilarprinciplecirculatingineach
andallofthem；forexample，thatshouldbecalled"fire"whichisof
suchanaturealways，andsoofeverythingthathasgeneration。That
inwhichtheelementsseverallygrowup，andappear，anddecay，is
alonetobecalledbythename"this"or"that"；butthatwhichis
ofacertainnature，hotorwhite，oranythingwhichadmitsof
oppositeequalities，andallthingsthatarecompoundedofthem，ought
nottobesodenominated。Letmemakeanotherattempttoexplainmy
meaningmoreclearly。Supposeapersontomakeallkindsoffiguresof
goldandtobealwaystransmutingoneformintoallthe
rest—somebodypointstooneofthemandaskswhatitis。Byfarthe
safestandtruestansweris，Thatisgold；andnottocallthe
triangleoranyotherfigureswhichareformedinthegold"these，"as
thoughtheyhadexistence，sincetheyareinprocessofchangewhile
heismakingtheassertion；butifthequestionerbewillingtotake
thesafeandindefiniteexpression，"such，"weshouldbesatisfied。
Andthesameargumentappliestotheuniversalnaturewhichreceives
allbodies—thatmustbealwayscalledthesame；for，whilereceiving
allthings，sheneverdepartsatallfromherownnature，andneverin
anyway，oratanytime，assumesaformlikethatofanyofthethings
whichenterintoher；sheisthenaturalrecipientofallimpressions，
andisstirredandinformedbythem，andappearsdifferentfromtime
totimebyreasonofthem。Buttheformswhichenterintoandgoout
ofherarethelikenessesofrealexistencesmodelledaftertheir
patternsinwonderfulandinexplicablemanner，whichwewillhereafter
investigate。Forthepresentwehaveonlytoconceiveofthree
natures：first，thatwhichisinprocessofgeneration；secondly，that
inwhichthegenerationtakesplace；andthirdly，thatofwhichthe
thinggeneratedisaresemblance。Andwemaylikenthereceiving
principletoamother，andthesourceorspringtoafather，andthe
intermediatenaturetoachild；andmayremarkfurther，thatifthe
modelistotakeeveryvarietyofform，thenthematterinwhichthe
modelisfashionedwillnotbedulyprepared，unlessitisformless，
andfreefromtheimpressofanyoftheseshapeswhichitishereafter
toreceivefromwithout。Forifthematterwerelikeanyofthe
superveningforms，thenwheneveranyoppositeorentirelydifferent
naturewasstampeduponitssurface，itwouldtaketheimpression
badly，becauseitwouldintrudeitsownshape。Wherefore，thatwhich
istoreceiveallformsshouldhavenoform；asinmakingperfumes
theyfirstcontrivethattheliquidsubstancewhichistoreceive
thescentshallbeasinodorousaspossible；orasthosewhowishto
impressfiguresonsoftsubstancesdonotallowanyprevious
impressiontoremain，butbeginbymakingthesurfaceasevenand
smoothaspossible。Inthesamewaythatwhichistoreceive
perpetuallyandthroughitswholeextenttheresemblancesofall
eternalbeingsoughttobedevoidofanyparticularform。Wherefore，
themotherandreceptacleofallcreatedandvisibleandinanyway
sensiblethings，isnottobetermedearth，orair，orfire，orwater，
oranyoftheircompoundsoranyoftheelementsfromwhichthese
arederived，butisaninvisibleandformlessbeingwhichreceivesall
thingsandinsomemysteriouswaypartakesoftheintelligible，andis
mostincomprehensible。Insayingthisweshallnotbefarwrong；as
far，however，aswecanattaintoaknowledgeofherfromtheprevious
considerations，wemaytrulysaythatfireisthatpartofher
naturewhichfromtimetotimeisinflamed，andwaterthatwhichis
moistened，andthatthemothersubstancebecomesearthandair，in
sofarasshereceivestheimpressionsofthem。
Letusconsiderthisquestionmoreprecisely。Isthereany
self—existentfire？anddoallthosethingswhichwecall
self—existentexist？orareonlythosethingswhichwesee，orinsome
wayperceivethroughthebodilyorgans，trulyexistent，andnothing
whateverbesidesthem？Andisallthatwhich，wecallan
intelligibleessencenothingatall，andonlyaname？Hereisa
questionwhichwemustnotleaveunexaminedorundetermined，nor
mustweaffirmtooconfidentlythattherecanbenodecision；
neithermustweinterpolateinourpresentlongdiscourseadigression
equallylong，butifitispossibletosetforthagreatprinciple
inafewwords，thatisjustwhatwewant。
ThusIstatemyview：—Ifmindandtrueopinionaretwodistinct
classes，thenIsaythattherecertainlyaretheseself—existentideas
unperceivedbysense，andapprehendedonlybythemind；if，however，
assomesay，trueopiniondiffersinnorespectfrommind，then
everythingthatweperceivethroughthebodyistoberegardedasmost
realandcertain。Butwemustaffirmthattobedistinct，forthey
haveadistinctoriginandareofadifferentnature；theoneis
implantedinusbyinstruction，theotherbypersuasion；theoneis
alwaysaccompaniedbytruereason，theotheriswithoutreason；the
onecannotbeovercomebypersuasion，buttheothercan：andlastly，
everymanmaybesaidtoshareintrueopinion，butmindisthe
attributeofthegodsandofveryfewmen。Whereforealsowemust
acknowledgethatthereisonekindofbeingwhichisalwaysthe
same，uncreatedandindestructible，neverreceivinganythinginto
itselffromwithout，noritselfgoingouttoanyother，but
invisibleandimperceptiblebyanysense，andofwhichthe
contemplationisgrantedtointelligenceonly。Andthereisanother
natureofthesamenamewithit，andliketoit，perceivedbysense，
created，alwaysinmotion，becominginplaceandagainvanishingout
ofplace，whichisapprehendedbyopinionandsense。Andthereisa
thirdnature，whichisspace，andiseternal，andadmitsnotof
destructionandprovidesahomeforallcreatedthings，andis
apprehendedwithoutthehelpofsense，byakindofspuriousreason，
andishardlyreal；whichwebeholdingasinadream，sayofall
existencethatitmustofnecessitybeinsomeplaceandoccupya
space，butthatwhatisneitherinheavennorinearthhasno
existence。Oftheseandotherthingsofthesamekind，relatingtothe
trueandwakingrealityofnature，wehaveonlythisdreamlike
sense，andweareunabletocastoffsleepanddeterminethetruth
aboutthem。Foranimage，sincethereality，afterwhichitis
modelled，doesnotbelongtoit，anditexistseverasthefleeting
shadowofsomeother，mustbeinferredtobeinanother[i。e。inspace
]，graspingexistenceinsomewayorother，oritcouldnotbeatall。
Buttrueandexactreason，vindicatingthenatureoftruebeing，
maintainsthatwhiletwothings[i。e。theimageandspace]are
differenttheycannotexistoneofthemintheotherandsobeoneand
alsotwoatthesametime。
ThushaveIconciselygiventheresultofmythoughts；andmy
verdictisthatbeingandspaceandgeneration，thesethree，existed
intheirthreewaysbeforetheheaven；andthatthenurseof
generation，moistenedbywaterandinflamedbyfire，andreceivingthe
formsofearthandair，andexperiencingalltheaffectionswhich
accompanythese，presentedastrangevarietyofappearances；andbeing
fullofpowerswhichwereneithersimilarnorequallybalanced，was
neverinanypartinastateofequipoise，butswayingunevenlyhither
andthither，wasshakenbythem，andbyitsmotionagainshookthem；
andtheelementswhenmovedwereseparatedandcarriedcontinually，
someoneway，someanother；as，whenrainisshakenandwinnowedby
fansandotherinstrumentsusedinthethreshingofcorn，theclose
andheavyparticlesareborneawayandsettleinonedirection，and
thelooseandlightparticlesinanother。Inthismanner，thefour
kindsorelementswerethenshakenbythereceivingvessel，which，
movinglikeawinnowingmachine，scatteredfarawayfromoneanother
theelementsmostunlike，andforcedthemostsimilarelementsinto
dosecontact。Whereforealsothevariouselementshaddifferentplaces
beforetheywerearrangedsoastoformtheuniverse。Atfirst，they
wereallwithoutreasonandmeasure。Butwhentheworldbegantoget
intoorder，fireandwaterandearthandairhadonlycertainfaint
tracesofthemselves，andwerealtogethersuchaseverythingmight
beexpectedtobeintheabsenceofGod；this，Isay，wastheirnature
atthattime，andGodfashionedthembyformandnumber。Letitbe
consistentlymaintainedbyusinallthatwesaythatGodmadethemas
faraspossiblethefairestandbest，outofthingswhichwerenot
fairandgood。AndnowIwillendeavourtoshowyouthedisposition
andgenerationofthembyanunaccustomedargument，whichamcompelled
touse；butIbelievethatyouwillbeabletofollowme，foryour
educationhasmadeyoufamiliarwiththemethodsofscience。
Inthefirstplace，then，asisevidenttoall，fireandearthand
waterandairarebodies。Andeverysortofbodypossessessolidity，
andeverysolidmustnecessarilybecontainedinplanes；andevery
planerectilinearfigureiscomposedoftriangles；andalltriangles
areoriginallyoftwokinds，bothofwhicharemadeupofoneright
andtwoacuteangles；oneofthemhasateitherendofthebasethe
halfofadividedrightangle，havingequalsides，whileinthe
othertherightangleisdividedintounequalparts，havingunequal
sides。These，then，proceedingbyacombinationofprobabilitywith
demonstration，weassumetobetheoriginalelementsoffireandthe
otherbodies；buttheprincipleswhicharepriortotheseGodonly
knows，andheofmenwhoisthefriendGod。Andnextwehaveto
determinewhatarethefourmostbeautifulbodieswhichareunlikeone
another，andofwhichsomearecapableofresolutionintooneanother；
forhavingdiscoveredthusmuch，weshallknowthetrueoriginof
earthandfireandoftheproportionateandintermediateelements。And
thenweshallnotbewillingtoallowthatthereareanydistinct
kindsofvisiblebodiesfairerthanthese。Whereforewemustendeavour
toconstructthefourformsofbodieswhichexcelinbeauty，and
thenweshallbeabletosaythatwehavesufficientlyapprehended
theirnature。Nowofthetwotriangles，theisosceleshasoneform
only；thescaleneorunequal—sidedhasaninfinitenumber。Ofthe
infiniteformswemustselectthemostbeautiful，ifwearetoproceed
indueorder，andanyonewhocanpointoutamorebeautifulformthan
oursfortheconstructionofthesebodies，shallcarryoffthepalm，
notasanenemy，butasafriend。Now，theonewhichwemaintaintobe
themostbeautifulofallthemanytriangles（andweneednotspeakof
theothers）isthatofwhichthedoubleformsathirdtrianglewhich
isequilateral；thereasonofthiswouldbelongtotell；hewho
disproveswhatwearesaying，andshowsthatwearemistaken，may
claimafriendlyvictory。Thenletuschoosetwotriangles，outof
whichfireandtheotherelementshavebeenconstructed，one
isosceles，theotherhavingthesquareofthelongersideequalto
threetimesthesquareofthelesserside。
Nowisthetimetoexplainwhatwasbeforeobscurelysaid：therewas
anerrorinimaginingthatallthefourelementsmightbegeneratedby
andintooneanother；this，Isay，wasanerroneoussupposition，for
therearegeneratedfromthetriangleswhichwehaveselectedfour
kinds—threefromtheonewhichhasthesidesunequal；thefourthalone
isframedoutoftheisoscelestriangle。Hencetheycannotallbe
resolvedintooneanother，agreatnumberofsmallbodiesbeing
combinedintoafewlargeones，ortheconverse。Butthreeofthemcan
bethusresolvedandcompounded，fortheyallspringfromone，and
whenthegreaterbodiesarebrokenup，manysmallbodieswillspring
upoutofthemandtaketheirownproperfigures；or，again，whenmany
smallbodiesaredissolvedintotheirtriangles，iftheybecomeone，
theywillformonelargemassofanotherkind。Somuchfortheir
passageintooneanother。Ihavenowtospeakoftheirseveral
kinds，andshowoutofwhatcombinationsofnumberseachofthemwas
formed。Thefirstwillbethesimplestandsmallestconstruction，
anditselementisthattrianglewhichhasitshypotenusetwicethe
lesserside。Whentwosuchtrianglesarejoinedatthediagonal，and
thisisrepeatedthreetimes，andthetrianglesresttheirdiagonals
andshortersidesonthesamepointasacentre，asingle
equilateraltriangleisformedoutofsixtriangles；andfour
equilateraltriangles，ifputtogether，makeoutofeverythree
planeanglesonesolidangle，beingthatwhichisnearesttothe
mostobtuseofplaneangles；andoutofthecombinationofthese
fouranglesarisesthefirstsolidformwhichdistributesintoequal
andsimilarpartsthewholecircleinwhichitisinscribed。The
secondspeciesofsolidisformedoutofthesametriangles，which
uniteaseightequilateraltrianglesandformonesolidangleoutof
fourplaneangles，andoutofsixsuchanglesthesecondbodyis
completed。Andthethirdbodyismadeupof120triangularelements，
formingtwelvesolidangles，eachofthemincludedinfiveplane
equilateraltriangles，havingaltogethertwentybases，eachofwhich
isanequilateraltriangle。Theoneelement[thatis，thetriangle
whichhasitshypotenusetwicethelesserside]havinggeneratedthese
figures，generatednomore；buttheisoscelestriangleproducedthe
fourthelementaryfigure，whichiscompoundedoffoursuch
triangles，joiningtheirrightanglesinacentre，andformingone
equilateralquadrangle。Sixoftheseunitedformeightsolidangles，
eachofwhichismadebythecombinationofthreeplaneright
angles；thefigureofthebodythuscomposedisacube，havingsix
planequadrangularequilateralbases。Therewasyetafifth
combinationwhichGodusedinthedelineationoftheuniverse。
Now，hewho，dulyreflectingonallthis，enquireswhetherthe
worldsaretoberegardedasindefiniteordefiniteinnumber，willbe
ofopinionthatthenotionoftheirindefinitenessischaracteristic
ofasadlyindefiniteandignorantmind。He，however，whoraisesthe
questionwhethertheyaretobetrulyregardedasoneorfive，takes
upamorereasonableposition。Arguingfromprobabilities，Iamof
opinionthattheyareone；another，regardingthequestionfrom
anotherpointofview，willbeofanothermind。But，leavingthis
enquiry，letusproceedtodistributetheelementaryforms，whichhave
nowbeencreatedinidea，amongthefourelements。