Part V.-

PLATO.
* Jitnxo.
which the ancient Theologians anigtnatkally al¬ lude by their four Infernal Rivers, Acheron^ Co- cytus., 'Styx, and Ph/egeton.
We may divide the Body of the World into three parts : Coeleflial, Mundane, Infernal : The Ground why the Poets feign the Kingdom of Saturn to be (hared betwixt his three Sons, Jupiter, Neptune, and P/uto: implying only the threefold variaiionof this corporeal Worlds which.as long as it remains under Saturn, that is, in its Ideal Intelleffual being, is one and undivided ^ and fo more firm and potent : but falling into the hands of his Sons, that is, changed to this material Being, and by them divided into three parts, according to the tri¬ ple exiftence of Bodies, is more infirm and lefs potent, degenerating from a Spiritual to a Cor¬ poreal eflate. The firft part, the Heavenly, they attribute to Jupiter the laft and lowett to Pluto the middle to Neptune. And becaufe in this Principality is all Generation and Cor¬ ruption, the Theologians expreis it by the O- cean. Ebbing or Flowing continually : by Nep¬ tune underftanding the Power or Deity that prefides over Generation. Yet muff w'e not imagine thefe to be different Souls, diflinffly informing thefe three parts.- The World her felf being one, can have but one Soul ^ which as it animates the fubterraneal parts, is called Pluto the fublunary Neptune •, the Coeleftial, Jupiter. Thus Plato in Philebo avers by Jove is underjiood a Regal Soul, meaning the princi¬ pal parr of the World which Governs the other. This Opinion, tho’ only my own, I fuppofe is more true than the expofition of the Greeians.
Sell. X.
NExt that of the World, Platonifts affign many other Rational Souls, The eight Principal are thqfe of the Heavenly Spheres ^ which according to their Opinion exceeded not that number ^ confifting of the feve.n Planets, and the Starry Orb. Thefe are the ■ nine Mufes’ of the Poets : Calliope (the Univerlal Soul of the World) is firft, the other eight are diftribu- ted to their feverl Spheres.
SeJ. XI.
aflerts, ^ Th.it the Author of the World made the Mundane, and all other Rational
Souls, in one Cup-, and of the fame Elements ^ the univerfal Soul being mofl perfeli, ours leaf-. whofe parts we may obferve by this divifion : Man, the chain that ties the World together, is placed in the midif : and as all mediums partici¬ pate of their extreams,his parts correfpond with the whole World ^ thence called Mierocofmus.
In the World is firft Corporeal Nature, eternal in the Heavens ^ Corruptible in the Elements, and their Compounds, as Stones, Metals, Cfc. Then Plants. The third degree is of Beafts. The fourth Rational Souls. The fifth Angelical Minds. Above thefe is God, their Origine. In Man are likewife two Bodies one eternal, the Platonifts Vehiculum Ccelefe, immediatly in¬ formed by the Rational Soul The other Cor¬ ruptible, fubjeft to fight, confifting of the Ele¬ ments : Then the vegetative faculty, by which Generated and nourifhed. The thftd part is Senfitive and Motive. The fourth Rational ^ by the Latine P eripateticks believed the laft ^ and moft Noble part of the Soul : Yet, above that is the Intelleflual and Angehck -, the moft ex- cdlent part whereof, we call the Souls Union immediately joyning it to God, in a manner re- fembling .him j as in the other Angels, Bea& and Plants. About thefe Platonifts differ Pro- clus and Porphyrins ’ only allow the Ra’tional part to be Immortal ^ Zenocrates and Speufippus the fenfitive alfo j Numenius and Plotinus the whole ^ul. •
SeJ. XII.
IDea’s have their cafual being in God, their Formal in the firft Mind, their partici^ted in the rational Soul. In God they are not, but produ¬ ced by him in tlie Angehck Nature^ through this communicated to the. Soul, by whom illu¬ minated, when ftie refieUs on her intelleUual parts, fhe receives the true forms of things. Ideas. Thus differ the Souls of Men from the Coeleftial : Thefe in their bodily funflions recede not from the IntelleUual, at once Contempla¬ ting and Governing, Bodies afcend to them they defcend not. Thofe employed in Corpo¬ real OflSce are deprived of Contemplation, for- rowing Science from Senfe, to this wholly en- clined, full of Errors : Their only means of re- leafe from this Bondage, is, the amatory life • . which by fenfible Beauties, exciting in the Soul a remembrance of the Inrelleaual, raifeth her from this terrene life, to the eternal j by the flame of Love refined into an Angel.
The Second PART.
, - — - ^ -
SECT. I.
/
^■«“"^He apprehenfive Faculties of the Soul 8 are employed about Truth and Fal- n (hood -, aflenting to to one, dilfent- ^ ing from the other. The firft is af firmation, the fecond negation. The defidera- tive converfe.in good and ill, .inclining to this, declining to that. The firft is Love, the fe¬ cond Hate. Love is diftiqgaiftied by its ob- je£fs if of Riches, termedfEovetoufnefs ^ of Honour, Ambition ^ of Heavenly things, Piety^
of equals, frrendfhip: thefe we exclude, and admit noother fignification, hut the define to pcf- fefs what in it felf, or at leaf in our ejieem, is fair: of a different nature from the love of God to his Creatures, who comprehending all, can¬ not defire or want the Beauty and perfeUionsof another : and from that of Friends which mull be reciprocal. We therefore with PA//;? define it, xaAa The define of Beauty. Defire
is an inclination to real or apparent good. As
Love