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 — Plato — John Shaqi
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
Plato · en
Since however, from this deity which is intelligible, that which is
posterior to it proceeds, it is evidently necessary that the monad,
duad, and triad, should severally have prolific power. These powers
therefore, Parmenides calls once, twice, thrice. For each of these
is a power which is the cause of the above-mentioned essences that
produce either separately, or connectedly. For there with respect
to the generations of them, some of them are entirely peculiar, but
others are common to secondary natures. The progeny therefore of
these are, the oddly-odd, the evenly-even and the evenly-odd.[243]
And of these, the oddly-odd indeed, as we have before observed, is
collective into union of the divine progressions. But the evenly-even
is generative of wholes, and proceeds as far as to the last of things.
The evenly-odd however, is mixed, having its subsistence from both the
even and the odd. Hence we must establish the first as analogous to
bound, but the second as analogous to power, and the third as analogous
to being. And you may see, how indeed in the first order all things
had a primary subsistence, viz. monad, duad, triad; but how in this
order, all things are secondarily and subordinately. And the mixture
which is the triad, subsisted there indeed in one way, but here the
evenly-odd subsists in another way. For there the extremes were odd,
because they were intelligible; but here the even is more abundant,
and the intelligible summit only is odd. For the middle of the triad
is analogous to power. And there indeed, is the monad, which has all
the forms of odd numbers according to cause, and the duad is there,
which is occultly all the forms of even numbers, and also the triad,
which is number primarily. But here both the odd and the even number
now subsist in a twofold respect, in one place in an unmingled,
and in another in a mingled manner. All things therefore, are here
prolifically, but there, paternally and intelligibly. But _that_
monad does not proceed from intelligibles, but subsists in them in
unproceeding union. Hence, after these, and from these, we may survey
the whole of number subsisting according to a third progression.
“For these things,” says Parmenides, “preexisting, no number will be
absent.” Every number therefore, is generated through these in the
third monad, and both _the one_ and being become many, difference
separating each of them. And every part indeed of being participates of
_the one_; but every unity is carried as in a vehicle in a certain
portion of being. Each of these however, is multiplied, intellectually
separated, divided into minute parts, and proceeds to infinity. For as
in intelligibles, we attribute infinite multitude to the third triad,
so here, in this triad we assign infinite number to the third part of
the triad. For in short every where, the infinite is the extremity,
as proceeding in an all-perfect manner, and comprehending indeed all