Pythagoras: His Life and Teaching, a Compendium of Classical Sources (39 page)

Timaeus the Locrian

O
F THE
S
OUL OF THE
W
ORLD, AND OF
N
ATURE

T
imaeus, the Locrian, in his
Principles
, said these things. There are two principles of all things: the Mind, of things effected according to reason; Necessity, of those which are by violence according to the powers of bodies. Of these one is of the nature of good, and is called God, and is the principle of the best things. The consequent and concausals are reduced to Necessity. For all things are the offspring of these:
Idea, Matter, Sensibles.
The
Idea
is ungenerated, immovable, permanent, of the nature of Identity, intellectual, the exemplar of things that are made, and immutable.
Matter
is the print, mother, nurse, and productrix of the third essence. For, receiving likeness into itself, and being, as it were, characterised by them, it perfects all productions. This matter he asserted to be eternal, but not immovable, in form of itself and without figure, but receiving all forms. In bodies it is divisible and of the nature of Otherness. They call Matter, “Place” and “Region.” These two principles are contrary. Form, has the nature of male and father; Matter, of female and mother; the Third
(Sensibles)
is their offspring.

These being three are known three ways: Idea, by intellect, according to science; Matter, by spurious ratiocination, not being understood by direct comprehension but by analogy; their Offspring, by sense and opinion. Before Heaven was made, we must conceive that there was Idea, and Matter, and God, the maker of the better (viz. Idea). Now forasmuch as the elder is better than the younger, and the orderly than the disorderly—God, being good, and seeing Matter receive Idea and become totally changed, yet disorderly, saw also it was needful to bring it into order; and from indefinite transmutations to fix it determinately, that bodies might have proportionate distinctions and not receive promiscuous variations.

Of all this Matter he framed the World (making it the bound of the nature of Being since it comprehends all other things). He made it one, only begotten, perfect, animate, and rational (for these are better than inanimate and irrational), and a spherical body (that
being more perfect than other figures). Designing therefore to make the best production, he made this God, generate, not corruptible by any other cause but by the same God only which composed it, if it should please him at any time to dissolve it. But he who is good, will not be carried on to the destruction of the fairest production. Wherefore it is permanent, and being such, incorruptible, imperishable, and blessed. It is the best of productions, being made by the best cause; who looked not upon patterns made by hands, but upon the Idea, the intellectual essence. After which, this being exactly made, is the fairest of all and not to be demolished.

It is perfect, as to sensible things, for the exemplar comprehending in itself all intelligible creatures, left nothing out. It being the perfect bound of Intelligibles, as the World is of sensibles; which being solid, tactile, and visible, is divided into Earth, Fire, and (between these) Air, and Water. It consists of perfect bodies which exist entirely in it, so as no part remains beyond it, that the body of the Universe might be self-sufficient, and not liable to dissolution by any external accidents. For there are no other things besides these and what are contained in them—they being, after the most excellent analogy, connected in equal power, neither predominating over the other in any part, nor being predominated, that whereby some might increase, others decrease. But it rests in an indissoluble harmonious concord, according to the best proportion.

For there being three bounds, and the intervals distant from each other in the same proportion. The middle is that to the first which the third is to it, and so reciprocally, according to disposition of place and order. But to number these, without the help of another thing equal to them, is absolutely impossible. It is well ordered both for figure and motion. As to the first, being round, it is every way like itself, and able to contain all other figures. As to its circular motion, it keeps a perpetual tenor. For a Sphere only, whether in rest or in motion, is so adapted to the same place as that it never ceases nor removes—all its parts being equidistant from the Center. Now its outward superficies being exactly smooth, it needs not the weak organs which are bestowed on other living creatures for their accommodation.

The Soul of the World God inkindled in the midst, but diffused beyond it, covering the Universe with it and tempering it with a temperament of indivisible Form and divisible Substance, so as these two make one temperament. With this he mingled two powers, principles of the two motions of Identity and Otherness; which (Soul), not easily capable of being mixed, was not without difficulty blended together.

All these proportions are mixed according to harmonious numbers, which proportions he cunningly divided, that it might be known of what and by what the Soul consists. This Soul God did not ordain (as we affirm) after corporeal substance (for that which is most honorable is first both in power and time). But He made it before the body, removing one, the first of four Monads, into eight Decads and three Centuries. Of this, the duple and triple is easily collected, the first being settled. All these, with their complements, and sesquioctaves, will amount to thirty-six. The whole sum will be 114,695. The divisions are 114,695. After this manner he divided the Soul of the Universe.

The Mind only sees the Eternal God, the Ruler and Father of all things.
⁹⁶¹
That which is generated we behold with our eyes—this World and its parts. The Aetherial are twofold: some of the nature of Identity, others of Difference. Of these, some extrinsically carry about all that is within them from East to West by an universal motion. The rest, being of the motion of Diversity, intrinsically turn about from the West to the East, moved by themselves. They are carried round by accident, with the motion of Identity, having the greatest force in the World.

The motion of Diversity, divided according to harmonious proportions, is disposed into seven circles. The Moon being nearest the Earth, performs her course in a month. Next her, the Sun perfects his course in a year. There are two of equal course with the Sun—Mercury, and the Star Juno, which many call Venus, and Lucifer. (All persons not being skillful in the rules of sacred Astronomy and the observations of rising and setting). The same star is sometimes Hesper, when it so follows the Sun, that it is conspicuous to us when the Sun is set; sometimes Eous, when it go before the Sun, and rises
before him. Lucifer, therefore, many times is the star Venus when she runs along with the Sun. And likewise are many of the Fixed Stars and planets. For any star of visible magnitude, ushering the Sun above the Horizon, foretells day. The other three, Mars, Jupiter, and Saturn, have peculiar velocities and unequal years. But they complete their course in certain and comprehensible regularities, and appearances, and occultations, and eclipses, and risings, and settings. They have, besides their phases, rising and setting in regard of the Sun.

The Sun makes day in performing his course from East to West; night, by motion from West to East; while he is carried about with the motion of Identity, a year, by his own proper motion. By these two motions the Sun performs a double course: one as being carried about with the general motion of Heaven, the other by an oblique motion. One distinguishes the times of the day and the seasons. The other, by which he is carried about after the rapid motion of the Fixed Stars, at every revolution makes night day. These are parts of time called Periods, ordained by God together with the World. For before the World there were no Stars, and consequently neither year nor seasons, by which this generable World is commensurated. This time is the image of that which is innate, called Eternity. For as this Universe was formed after the eternal exemplar of the Ideal World, so was this time ordained together with the World after its pattern, Eternity.

The Earth being established in the midst, the seat of the gods is the bound of night and day, of rising and setting, according to the section of Horizons, as they are circumscribed by the sight and by section of the Earth. It is the most ancient of all bodies in the Universe. For Water was not produced without Earth; nor Air without humidity; and Fire cannot subsist without humidity and matter which it kindles. So that the Earth is settled upon its own weight as the root and basis of all things.

The principle therefore of generated things, as to the subject, is Matter; as to the form, Idea. The productions of these are bodies—Earth, Water, Air, and Fire—whose generation is thus. Every body consists of superficies; a superficies of Triangles; of which this is a rectangled equal-legged semiquadrangle; the other unequilateral,
having the greater angle in power, triple to the lesser. The least angle in it is one-third of a right angle. Double to this is the middle angle, consisting of two-thirds. The greatest is a right angle, sesquialter to the middle, triple to the least. Now this Triangle is a sesquiquadrangle to an equilateral Triangle, the perpendicular from the top to the bottom being divided into two equal parts. There are therefore in each two rectangled Triangles. But in one the two sides which include the right angle are equal; in the other, all the three sides are unequal. This figure is called “Scholion.” This semiquadrangle is the principle of which the earth was constituted; for the Quadrangle is compounded of these four semiquadrangles.

Of the Quadrangle is generated the Cube, the firmest and most settled of all bodies, having six sides, eight angles. For this reason Earth is the most heavy body, and unapt for motion, and not transmutable into any other, as being incommunicable with any kind of Triangle. For the Earth only has a stable principle, which is the semi-quadrangle, the element of the other bodies—Fire, Air, and Water. For the semiquadrangle being six times compounded, there arises an equilateral Triangle, of which a Pyramid with four bases and four equal angles is compounded, the form of fire most apt to motion and of rarest parts.

Next these is the Octahedron with eight bases and six angles, the element of Air. The third, Icosahedron, of twenty bases, and twelve angles is the element of Water, being fullest of parts, and heaviest. These being compounded of the same Element are transmutated into one another.

The Dodecahedron, he made the image of the Universe, as nearest to a Globe. Fire by reason of the rarity of its parts penetrates all things; Air all things but Fire; Water, all but Earth.

All things therefore are full, and admit no vacuity. They are carried about by the circumvolution of the Universe; and, by reason of their solidity, grate one upon another, rendering an unintermitted alteration to generation and corruption. These God used in framing the World—tactile by reason of Earth, visible by reason of Fire—the two extremes. By Air and Water, he connected it in a most firm band, proportion, capable to contain both itself and the things that are comprised in it. If then that which is connected be a superficies,
one medium is sufficient; if a solid, it requires two. To the two mediums, he adapted the two extremes—Fire to Air, Air to Water, Water to Earth; and again Fire to Air, Air to Water, and Water to Earth; and again as Earth to Water, Water to Air, and Air to Earth; and reciprocally as Earth to Air, Water to Fire. And forasmuch as all these are equal in power, their proportions are equal likewise.

Thus is the World one, and by a happy connection, proportionable. Each of these four bodies has diverse species. The Fire is flame, light, splendor, by reason of the inequality of the Triangles in each of these. The Air is partly clear and dry, partly humid and cloudy. The Water is fluid and concrete, as snow, frost, hail, and ice. Of Humid, one sort is fluid as honey and oil; another compact, as pitch and wax. Of the compact are two kinds: one fusile, as gold, silver, brass, tin, lead; the other frangible, as sulphur, bitumen, nitre, salt, alum, and stones of that kind.

After he had made the World, he proceeded to the production of mortal creatures that it might be perfect and completely wrought according to its pattern.
⁹⁶²
Having blended together and distributed the Soul of Man by the same proportions and powers, he delivered it over to that nature which had the power of changing. She succeeding him in the producing of mortal transitory creatures and instilled their souls: some from the Moon, some from the Sun, some from the other Stars which wander in the Region of Otherness. Excepting one soul in the power of Identity which he mingled in the rational part, an image of wisdom to those who make use of good Fate. For of the human soul, one part is rational and intellectual, the other irrational and foolish. Of the irrational, the better is of the nature of Identity, the worse that of Diversity. Each of these is resident about the head, that all the other parts of the soul and body may be subservient to it according to the analogy of the body of the Universe. Of the irrational part: one is irascible placed about the heart; the other desiderative about the liver.

As for the body, the principle and root of marrow is in the brain, wherein is the hegemonic of the Soul. From the brain issues an emanation flowing down along the vertebra of the spine from whence it is distributed into seed and generative substance. The bones are the
case of the marrow; the flesh is the covering of the bones; the joints he connected by nerves for motion. Of the inward parts, some were made for nourishment, others for conversation. Of the motions, those which come from without and flow into the apprehensive part are sensible; those which fall not under comprehension are insensible, whether by reason that the affected bodies are more earthy, or that the motions are weaker. Whatsoever motions change nature are painful; those that comply with her are named pleasures.

Of the senses, God enlightned our Sight for contemplation of Celestials and apprehension of Science. Hearing, he framed perceptive of Discourse and of Music. Of this sense, if any be destitute from his birth, he will also be incapable of Speaking. Whence we say Hearing is nearest allied to Reason. All that are termed affections of bodies are denominated with reference to the Touch and their inclination to a place. For the Touch determines vital faculties: warm, cold; dry, moist; smooth, rough; yielding, resisting; soft, hard. But heavy and light the Touch prejudges. Reason defines by inclination to move to the middle and from the middle. Below and the middle they affirm to be the same thing, for the center of a globe is below. Whatsoever is between that and the circumference is above.