And let not long-practised habit compel thee 55 along this path, thine eye careless, thine ear and thy tongue overpowered by noise; but do thou weigh the much contested refutation of their words, which I have uttered. There is left but this single path to tell thee of: namely, that being is. And on this path there are many proofs that being is without beginning and 60 indestructible; it is universal, existing alone, immovable and without end; nor ever was it nor will it be, since it now is, all together, one, and continuous. For what generating of it wilt thou seek out? From what did it grow, and how? I will not permit thee to say or to think that it came from not-being; for it is impossible to think or to say that not-being 65 is. What thing would then have stirred it into activity that it should arise from not-being later rather than earlier? So it is necessary that being either is absolutely or is not. Nor will the force of the argument permit that anything spring from 70 being except being itself. Therefore justice does not slacken her fetters to permit generation or destruction, but holds being firm. (The decision as to these things comes in at this point.) ἔστιν ἢ οὐκ ἔστιν. κέκριται δ ̓ οὖν ὥσπερ ἀνάγκη, τὴν μὲν ἐᾶν ἀνόητον, ἀνώνυμον· οὐ γὰρ ἀληθὴς ἐστὶν ὁδός· τὴν δ' ὥστε πέλειν καὶ ἐτήτυμον εἶναι. 75 πῶς δ ̓ ἂν ἔπειτ' ἀπόλοιτο ἐόν ; πῶς δ ̓ αὖ κε γένοιτο ; εἰ γὰρ ἐγέντ ̓ οὐκ ἔστ ̓ οὐδ ̓ εἴ ποτε μέλλει ἔσεσθαι. τὼς γένεσις μὲν ἀπέσβεσται καὶ ἄπυστος ὄλεθρος. οὐδὲ διαίρετόν ἐστιν, ἐπεὶ πᾶν ἐστιν ὁμοῖον· οὐδέ τι τῇ μᾶλλον, τό κεν εἴργοι μιν συνέχεσθαι, 80 οὐδέ τι χειρότερον, πᾶν δ' ἔμπλεόν ἐστιν ἐόντος. τῷ ξυνεχὲς πᾶν ἐστιν, ἐὸν γὰρ ἐόντι πελάζει. αὐτὰρ ἀκίνητον μεγάλων ἐν πείρασι δεσμῶν ἔστιν, ἄναρχον, ἄπαυστον, ἐπεὶ γένεσις καὶ ὄλεθρος τῆλε μάλ' ἐπλάγχθησαν, ἀπῶσε δὲ πίστις ἀληθής. 85 τωὐτόν τ' ἐν τωὐτῷ τε μένον καθ' ἑωυτό τε κεῖται, χοὕτως ἔμπεδον αὖθι μένει· κρατερὴ γὰρ ἀνάγκη πείρατος ἐν δεσμοῖσιν ἔχει, τό μιν ἀμφὶς ἐέργει. οὕνεκεν οὐκ ἀτελεύτητον τὸ ἐὸν θέμις εἶναι· ἐστὶ γὰρ οὐκ ἐπιδευές, ἐὸν δ ̓ ἂν παντὸς ἐδεῖτο. 90 λεῦσσε δ' ὅμως ἀπεόντα νόῳ παρεόντα βεβαίως οὐ γὰρ ἀποτμήξεις τῇ ἐὸν τῇ ἐόντος ἔχεσθαι 77. De Caelo, 559, 115. 78. Simpl. Phys. 19 r 86, 24, 31 r 143, 3; 81. Simpl. Phys. 86, 22; 87, 23. Plot. Ennead. vi. 4, 4, 648 A; Prokl. Parm. ii. 62 and 120 ; Philop. Β 5 : 65. 82-89 (except 85). Simpl. Phys. 9 r 39, 26. 82-84. Ibid. 17 v 79, 32. 85-89. Ibid. 7 r 30, 6; 9 r 40, 3. 85. Prokl. Parm. iv. 32. Simpl. Phys. 31 r 143, 15. V. 78: Η διαιρέτεον. V. 79: For μᾶλλον Stein reads κεν ἐόν. V. 80: Η δὲ πλέον. V. 82: D ἀκινήτων. V. 84: MSS. τήδε, corr. Scal. DEF ἐπλάχθησαν, corr. a. V. 85 : Diels ταὐτόν, ταὐτῷ, ἑαυτό. Simpl. 30, 6 omits the last τε. V. 86: C οὐχ οὕτως, a οὕτως, text from DF. V. 88 : Stein πέλον. V. 89: Simpl. μὴ ἐὰν δὲ ἂν παντὸς. Karsten reads ἐπιδευές in three syllables and puts ke for ἄν. Preller omits μή. Stein considers these views untenable, and finds a break, probably longer than one line, after ἐπιδευές. 90-93. Clem. Al. Strom. v. 2, 653. 90. Theod. Ther. Ser. i. 13. V. 90: Stein suggests ἀπεόν τε νόῳ παρεόν τε βεβαίῳ. V. 91: Stein πέλον : Vulg. ἀποτμήξει, corr. Brandis. MSS. τὸ ἐὸν τοῦ, corr. Preller, comparing vv. 105 and 108. Either being exists or it does not exist. It has been decided in accordance with necessity to leave the unthinkable, unspeakable path, as this is not the true path, but that the other path exists and is true. 75 How then should being suffer destruction? How come into existence? If it came into existence, it is not being, nor will it be if it ever is to come into existence. . . So its generation is extinguished, and its destruction is proved incredible. Nor is it subject to division, for it is all alike; nor is anything more in it, so as to prevent its cohesion, nor anything less, but all is full of being; 80 therefore the all is continuous, for being is contiguous to being. Farther it is unmoved, in the hold of great chains, without beginning or end, since generation and destruction have completely disappeared and 85 true belief has rejected them. It lies the same, abiding in the same state and by itself; accordingly it abides fixed in the same spot. For powerful necessity holds it in confining bonds, which restrain it on all sides. Therefore divine right does not permit being to have any end; but it is lacking in nothing, for if it lacked anything it would lack everything.' 90 Nevertheless, behold steadfastly all absent things as present to thy mind; for thou canst not separate Following Karsten and Preller; Stein rejects the interpretation. οὔτε σκιδνάμενον πάντῃ πάντως κατὰ κόσμον τωὐτὸν δ' ἐστὶ νοεῖν τε καὶ οὕνεκέν ἐστι νόημα. 95 οὐ γὰρ ἄνευ τοῦ ἐόντος, ἐν ᾧ πεφατισμένον ἐστίν, εὑρήσεις τὸ νοεῖν. οὐδὲν χρέος ἔστιν ἢ ἔσται ἄλλο πάρεξ τοῦ ἐόντος, ἐπεὶ τό γε μοῖρ ̓ ἐπέδησεν οὖλον ἀκίνητόν τ' ἔμεναι. τῷ πάντ' ὄνομ ̓ ἔσται ὅσσα βροτοὶ κατέθεντο, πεποιθότες εἶναι ἀληθῆ, 100 γίνεσθαί τε καὶ ὄλλυσθαι, εἶναί τε καὶ οὐκί, καὶ τόπον ἀλλάσσειν διά τε χρόα φανὸν ἀμείβειν. αὐτὰρ ἐπεὶ πεῖρας πύματον, τετελεσμένον ἐστὶ πάντοθεν, εὐκύκλου σφαίρης ἐναλίγκιον ὄγκῳ, μεσσόθεν ἰσοπαλὲς πάντῃ· τὸ γὰρ οὔτε τι μεῖζον 105 οὔτε τι βαιότερον πέλεναι χρεών ἐστι τῇ ἢ τῇ. οὔτε γὰρ οὐκ ἐόν ἐστι, τό κεν παύοι μιν ἱκνεῖσθαι εἰς ὁμόν, οὔτ ̓ ἐὸν ἔστιν ὅπως εἴη κεν ἐόντος τῇ μᾶλλον τῇ δ' ἧσσον, ἐπεὶ πᾶν ἐστιν ἄσυλον. εἰ γὰρ πάντοθεν ἶσον ὁμῶς ἐν πείρασι κύρει. τὰ πρὸς δόξαν. 110 ἐν τῷ σοι παύσω πιστὸν λόγον ἠδὲ νόημα ἀμφὶς ἀληθείης· δόξας δ' ἀπὸ τοῦδε βροτείας 94-112. Simpl. Phys. 31 v 146, 7. 94-98. Ibid. 19 r 87, 13 and 86, 31. 94-96. Ibid. 31 r 143, 22. 98. Plat. Theaet. 180 E, and from this Simpl. Phys. 7 r 29, 18. 103-105. Plat. Soph. 244 E; from Plato, Simpl. Phys. 12r 52, 23; 19 v 89, 22; Stob. Ecl. i. 15, p. 352. 103-104. Arist. de Χ.Ζ.Θ. ch. 2 and 4; Prokl. Tim. 160 D; Simpl. Phys. 27 × 126, 22 and 127, 31; 29 v 137, 16. 104-105. Prokl. Parm. iv. p. 62. V. 95 : D (87, 15) πεφωτισμένον. V. 96: (19: 86, 13) οὐδὲν γάρ ἐστιν, (31: 146) οὐδ ̓ εἰ χρόνος ἐστίν, corr. Stein. V. 98 : Text from Simpl. 19: 87. Simpl. 31: 146 πάντ ̓ ὠνόμασται. Plato οἷον ἀκίνητον † τελέθει τῷ πάντι† ὄνομ ̓ εἶναι. V. 100: MSS. οὐχί, corr. Karst. V. 105 : E and Plato χρεόν. V. 102: Karsten αὐτὰρ ἐπί, Stein αὐτὰρ ἐόν. V. 106: DEF παύοι, text from a: Η κινεῖσθαι, Stein ἱκέσθαι. V. 107: MSS. οὔτε ὄν, corr. a. DEF καὶ ἕν, a κενὸν, corr. Karsten. V. 109: DEF οἱ γάρ, a ή γάο, Diels εἰ γάρ or ᾗ γάρ: MSS. κυρεί, corr. Stein. being in one place from contact with being in another place; it is not scattered here and there through the universe, nor is it compounded of parts. Therefore thinking and that by reason of which 95 thought exists are one and the same thing, for thou wilt not find thinking without the being from which it receives its name. Nor is there nor will there be anything apart from being; for fate has linked it together, so that it is a whole and immovable. Wherefore all these things will be but a name, all these things which mortals determined in the belief that they were true, viz. that things arise and perish, 100 that they are and are not, that they change their position and vary in colour. But since there is a final limit, it is perfected on every side, like the mass of a rounded sphere, equally distant from the centre at every point. For 105 it is necessary that it should neither be greater at all nor less anywhere, since there is no not-being which can prevent it from arriving at equality, nor is being such that there may ever be more than what is in one part and less in another, since the whole is inviolate. For if it is equal on all sides, it abides in equality within its limits. 110 CONCERNING OPINIONS. At this point I cease trustworthy discourse and the thought about truth; from here on, learn the opinions of mortals, hearing of the illusive order of my verses. H |