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The Mystical Hymns of Orpheus - Platonic Philosophy

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204 ADDITIONAL NOTES.<br />

world, and circulsr7y invests it with her powers, as with a<br />

veil ; binding together all the mundane summits, and giving<br />

subsistence to all the allotments in the heavens, and to<br />

those which proceed into the sublunary region. Now<br />

therefore Socrates celebrates her guardian power, through<br />

the name <strong>of</strong> Patbas; but her perfective power through that<br />

<strong>of</strong> Mimerra. She is the cause therefore <strong>of</strong> orderly and<br />

measured motion, which she first imparts to the Curetic<br />

order, and afterwards to the other Gods. For Minerva,<br />

according to this power, is the leader <strong>of</strong> the Curetes, as<br />

<strong>Orpheus</strong> says, whence also, as well as those divinities she<br />

is adorned with empyrean arms, through which she re-<br />

presses all disorder, preserves the demiurgic series immov-<br />

able, and unfolds dancing through ry thtnical motion. She<br />

also guards reason as it proceeds from intellect; through<br />

this power vanquishing matter. For the visible region,<br />

says Timaeus, is mingled from intellect and necessity, the<br />

latter being obedient to the former, and all material causes<br />

being in subjection to the will <strong>of</strong> the father. It is this<br />

Goddess therefore who arranges necessity under the pro-<br />

ductions <strong>of</strong> intellect, raises the universe to the participation<br />

<strong>of</strong> Jupiter, excites and establishes it in the port <strong>of</strong> its<br />

father, and eternally guards and defends it. Hence, if the<br />

universe is said to be indissoluble, it is this goddess who<br />

supplies its permanency; and if it moves in measured<br />

motion, through the whole <strong>of</strong> time, according to one reason<br />

and order, she is the source <strong>of</strong> this supply. She watch-<br />

fully surveys therefore all the fabrication <strong>of</strong> her father, and<br />

connects and converts it to him ; and vanquishes all mate-<br />

rial indefiniteness. Hence she is called Victory and Heath;<br />

the former because she causes intellect to rule over ne-<br />

cessity, and form over matter; and the latter, because she<br />

preserves the world " perpetually whole, perfect, exempt<br />

42 In the very learned Pr<strong>of</strong>essor Boisuonade's edition <strong>of</strong> this work, for<br />

TOY KOU~OY ill this place, there is nothing more than TO KOV ; and my manu-<br />

script has very erroneoualy 70 KQKOV. But the true readiug is undoubtedly<br />

TOV KOV~OV. For Proclus, in what he here says, alludes to the following

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