Opening the text

The six books of Proclus, the Platonic successor, on the theology of Plato (vol. 1 of 2) : $b translated from the Greek, to which a seventh book is added, in order to supply the deficiency of another book on this subject, which was written by Proclus, but since lost, also, a translation from the Greek of Proclus' Elements of theology, to which are added a translation of the treatise of Proclus, On providence and fate, a translation of extracts from his treatise, entitled, Ten doubts concerning Proclus

Philosophy

The six books of Proclus, the Platonic successor, on the theology of Plato (vol. 1 of 2) : $b translated from the Greek, to which a seventh book is added, in order to supply the deficiency of another book on this subject, which was written by Proclus, but since lost, also, a translation from the Greek of Proclus' Elements of theology, to which are added a translation of the treatise of Proclus, On providence and fate, a translation of extracts from his treatise, entitled, Ten doubts concerning

Name: The six books of Proclus, the Platonic successor, on the theology of Plato (vol. 1 of 2) : $b translated from the Greek, to which a seventh book is added, in order to supply the deficiency of another book on this subject, which was written by Proclus, but since lost, also, a translation from the Greek of Proclus' Elements of theology, to which are added a translation of the treatise of Proclus, On providence and fate, a translation of extracts from his treatise, entitled, Ten doubts concerning
Author: Proclus

Proclus

Neoplatonism -- Early works to 1800; Plato -- Early works to 1800; Theology -- Early works to 1800

Farther still, it may be said, where will be the venerableness of your
boasted science about divine natures? For it is absurd to call these
dogmas which are collected from many places Platonic; and which, as
you acknowledge, are introduced from foreign names to the philosophy
of Plato; nor are you able to evince one whole entire truth about
divine natures. Perhaps, indeed, they will say, certain persons,
junior to Plato, have delivered in their writings, and left to their
disciples, one perfect form of theology. You, therefore, are able
to produce one entire theory about nature from the Timæus; but from
the Republic, or Laws, the most beautiful dogmas about manners, and
which tend to one form of philosophy. Alone, therefore, neglecting the
treatise of Plato, which contains all the good of the first philosophy,
and which may be called the summit of the whole theory, you will be
deprived of the most perfect knowledge of beings, unless you are so
much infatuated, as to boast on account of fabulous fictions, though
an analysis of things of this kind abounds with much of the probable,
but not of the demonstrative. Besides, things of this kind are only
delivered adventitiously in the Platonic dialogues; as the fable in
the Protagoras, which is inserted for the sake of the politic science,
and the demonstrations respecting it. In like manner, the fable in the
Republic is inserted for the sake of justice; but in the Gorgias, for
the sake of temperance. For Plato combines fabulous narrations with
investigations of ethical dogmas, not for the sake of the fables, but
for the sake of the leading design, that we may not only exercise the
intellectual part of the soul, through contending reasons, but that
the divine part of the soul may more perfectly receive the knowledge
of beings, through its sympathy with more mystic concerns. For, from
other discourses, we appear similar to those who are compelled to the
reception of truth; but from fables we suffer in an ineffable manner,
and call forth our unperverted conceptions, venerating the mystic
information which they contain.

Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.