The philosophical and mathematical commentaries of Proclus on the first book of Euclid's elements (Vol. 1 of 2) : $b To which are added, A history of the restoration of Platonic theology, by the latter Platonists: And a translation from the Greek of Proclus's Theological elementsProclus
Philosophy
The philosophical and mathematical commentaries of Proclus on the first book of Euclid's elements (Vol. 1 of 2) : $b To which are added, A history of the restoration of Platonic theology, by the latter Platonists: And a translation from the Greek of Proclus's Theological elements
Proclus
Euclid. Elements; Platonists
Indeed, if I were willing to be prolix, I could relate many theurgical
operations of this blessed man; from the infinite number of which,
I will only relate one in this place of a very wonderful nature.
Asclepigenia, the daughter of Archiades and Plutarch, but the wife of
Theagenes, from whom I have received many benefits, while she was yet a
girl, and was nourished by her parents, fell into a disease, grievous,
and incurable by the physicians. And Archiades, who had reposed in her
alone the hope of his race, was deeply afflicted with her condition.
But the physicians despairing of her recovery, the father fled to his
last anchor, Proclus the philosopher, which he was accustomed to do in
affairs of the greatest moment, considering him as his best preserver,
and earnestly intreated him to intercede by his prayers with the god
for his daughter, whose condition was well known to our philosopher.
Proclus therefore, taking with him Pericles[65] the Lydian, a man
well deserving the name of a philosopher, went to the temple of
Esculapius[66], that he might pray to the god for the health of the
sick virgin: for the city at that time happily possessed this divinity,
and rejoiced in the temple of the saviour god, which was as yet free
from the destruction of the Christians. As soon, therefore, as Proclus
had prayed after the ancient manner, the girl immediately perceived a
great change and alleviation of her disease; for the preserving god had
easily restored her to health. The sacred rites being finished, Proclus
went to Asclepigenia, and found her delivered from the molestations of
disease, and in a healthy condition. But this affair, with many others,
was performed privately, so that no traces of it remained to succeeding
investigators; and the house in which he resided greatly assisted him
in this design. For besides his other fortunes, he enjoyed a most
convenient dwelling, which his father Syrianus and his grand-father
Plutarch (for so he did not hesitate to call him) had once inhabited;
and this was situated near the temple of Esculapius, together with
that of the celebrated Sophocles, and of Bacchus, which is next to the
theatre, and looks towards, or is at least seen from, the lofty towers
of Minerva.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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