Commentary on Plato's Timaeus, Vol. I

PROCLUS ON THE TIMAEUS BOOK III [Tim. 31 B]

Upon which we have taken our stand, as being most truly earth, the opposition between these two is clear: the one fire is ever-moving, while the other earth is immobile; the one is preeminently visible, while the other is tangible; and the one is most subtle because of its light, while the other is most dense because of its darkness. And if we were to examine the primary elements of these—fire itself insofar as it is fire, or earth insofar as it is earth—we shall shortly describe all their oppositions when we go through the proportion [152 C ff.] of the four elements. That visibility is the special property of fire and tangibility the unique characteristic of earth should be taken as most true from these arguments. For this reason, says Porphyry A 3rd-century Neoplatonist philosopher, among the spirits original: "daimones", those who have more of the fiery element in their composition are visible but offer no resistance to the touch, while those who also partake of earth D fall under the sense of touch. He says such beings were proven to exist when they appeared in Italy near the Tuscans; they were shown to be of this nature not only by their emitting seed and generating worms from that seed, but also by the fact that they could be burned and would leave behind ashes. From this very fact, it is demonstrated that all things partake of earth. However, the nature of earth is not the same everywhere nor in all parts of the cosmos. In some places it is purer, more immaterial, and weightless—for weight is not the unique property of earth, but rather tangibility—while in other places it is more material, heavy, and difficult to move. In some regions it displays only solidity, while in others it takes on further generative and material powers, in the same manner as fire. But if, while we are saying these things, Aristotle should raise the difficulty: "How then, if there is fire in heaven, does it move in a circle and not in a straight line?" we must reply to him with the argument of Plotinus The founder of Neoplatonism: that every simple body remaining in its own proper place either stays still or moves in a circle, so that even in moving it does not leave its proper place. For if it moved otherwise, it would either no longer be in its own place, E or it would not yet have reached it. Therefore, the heavenly element, being of necessity fiery, if it moves, must move in a circle; for even the earth,

Critical apparatus notes regarding manuscript variations
6 or fire as M 12 resistant correction by Kroll 16 to be burned P 19 parts Q thus 21 and difficult to move and heavy P 25 compare Aristotle Meteorology 1.4. 341b 13 ff; On the Universe 4. 310b 16 etc. | he doubts M 25 compare page 9, 1 27 compare Plotinus Enneads 2.2.1 and below 274 CD 29 it might leave P