And this is what we too must do. Both
kinds of causes should be acknowledged by us, but a distinction
should be made between those which are endowed with mind and are
the workers of things fair and good, and those which are deprived
of intelligence and always produce chance effects without order
or design. Of the second or co-operative causes of sight, which
help to give to the eyes the power which they now possess, enough
has been said. I will therefore now proceed to speak of the
higher use and purpose for which God has given them to us. The
sight in my opinion is the source of the greatest benefit to us,
for had we never seen the stars, and the sun, and the heaven,
none of the words which we have spoken about the universe would
ever have been uttered. But now the sight of day and night, and
the months and the revolutions of the years, have created number,
and have given us a conception of time, and the power of
enquiring about the nature of the universe; and from this source
we have derived philosophy, than which no greater good ever was
or will be given by the gods to mortal man. This is the greatest
boon of sight: and of the lesser benefits why should I speak?
even the ordinary man if he were deprived of them would bewail
his loss, but in vain. Thus much let me say however: God invented
and gave us sight to the end that we might behold the courses of
intelligence in the heaven, and apply them to the courses of our
own intelligence which are akin to them, the unperturbed to the
perturbed; and that we, learning them and partaking of the
natural truth of reason, might imitate the absolutely unerring
courses of God and regulate our own vagaries. The same may be
affirmed of speech and hearing: they have been given by the gods
to the same end and for a like reason. For this is the principal
end of speech, whereto it most contributes. Moreover, so much of
music as is adapted to the sound of the voice and to the sense of
hearing is granted to us for the sake of harmony; and harmony,
which has motions akin to the revolutions of our souls, is not
regarded by the intelligent votary of the Muses as given by them
with a view to irrational pleasure, which is deemed to be the
purpose of it in our day, but as meant to correct any discord
which may have arisen in the courses of the soul, and to be our
ally in bringing her into harmony and agreement with herself; and
rhythm too was given by them for the same reason, on account of
the irregular and graceless ways which prevail among mankind
generally, and to help us against them.
Thus far in what we have been saying, with small exception,
the works of intelligence have been set forth; and now we must
place by the side of them in our discourse the things which come
into being through necessity-for the creation is mixed, being
made up of necessity and mind. Mind, the ruling power, persuaded
necessity to bring the greater part of created things to
perfection, and thus and after this manner in the beginning, when
the influence of reason got the better of necessity, the universe
was created. But if a person will truly tell of the way in which
the work was accomplished, he must include the other influence of
the variable cause as well. Wherefore, we must return again and
find another suitable beginning, as about the former matters, so
also about these. To which end we must consider the nature of
fire, and water, and air, and earth, such as they were prior to
the creation of the heaven, and what was happening to them in
this previous state; for no one has as yet explained the manner
of their generation, but we speak of fire and the rest of them,
whatever they mean, as though men knew their natures, and we
maintain them to be the first principles and letters or elements
of the whole, when they cannot reasonably be compared by a man of
any sense even to syllables or first compounds. And let me say
thus much: I will not now speak of the first principle or
principles of all things, or by whatever name they are to be
called, for this reason-because it is difficult to set forth my
opinion according to the method of discussion which we are at
present employing. Do not imagine, any more than I can bring
myself to imagine, that I should be right in undertaking so great
and difficult a task.
