IV. On Plato's Cosmical System as exhibited in the Tenth Book of " The 

 RepuUicr By J. W. Donaldson, D.D. Trinity College; Vice-President 

 of the Society. 



[Read Feb. 28, 18590 



Nearly sixteen years ago I communicated to the Philological Society of London an explana- 

 tion of the passage in the 8th book of Plato's Republic, which contains the description of his 

 mysterious Number. It did not form part of my task on that occasion to interpret another 

 passage in the same dialogue, which is scarcely less difBcult and which is not unconnected with 

 the results of that arithmetical enigma, I mean the view of the cosmical system combined with 

 the destiny of man, which is found in the 10th book, and is there given as part of the Divina 

 Commedia put into the mouth of Er the Pamphylian. As, however, nothing has been done 

 since 1843 to clear up the obscurities of this passage, and as it involves considerations of no 

 little interest and importance, I will take this opportunity of communicating my opinions 

 respecting it to a Society, which is not only prepared to listen to philological discussions, 

 but is also, in name and reality, devoted to the study of philosophy in all its applications. 

 For the sake of distinctness, I propose to divide my disquisition into the following heads. 



(1) I will give a translation of the passage in question, as I think it ought to be rendered. 



(2) I will make some philological remarks on the Greek text. (3) I will endeavour to 

 indicate Plato's object in giving this fanciful picture of the universe. (4) I will attempt to 

 trace the origin of his speculations, 



(l) The Pamphylian Dante, after describing the torments of the wicked in a future state, 

 proceeds to describe the experiences of the righteous as follows (Plat. Resp. x. p. 6l6 b) : " When 

 in each case these spirits had passed seven days in the meadow, they were obliged to leave the 

 place on the eighth day, and to travel, till they arrived, on the fourth day of their journey, at 

 a place from whence they looked down from above on a straight line of light, like a pillar, 

 stretched throughout the whole of heaven and earth, most of all resembling the rainbow, but 

 brighter and purer still. At the middle point of this column of light the spirits arrived after 

 a day's journey, and there saw the extremities of the girding bands of heaven stretching from 

 heaven to this a?fls. For this axis of light is the bond of heaven, and holds together all the 

 revolving spheres, just like the hawser, which is passed round the hull of a trireme. But 

 from the extremities again is suspended the spindle of Necessity, by means of which all the 



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