242 



PLOT1NUS 



PLOUGH 



since the times of the Romans. There are nearly 

 thirty springs, ranging in temperature from (Mr 

 to 150" V. ; their waters are helpful against skin 

 diseases, gout, rheumatism, dysjiepsia, female 

 complaints, &C. A handsome casino was opened 

 in 1876, and there are picturesque walks and a 

 park in the valley in which the village stands. 

 Pop. 1971. 



I'loti mis. the most original and important 

 philosopher of the Neoplatonic school, was UH-II 

 at Lycopolis in Egypt in '205 A.D., and studied 

 philosophy under Animoiiius Saccas. In 242 he 

 joined Gordianus' expedition to Persia, in order to 

 study the philosophy of India and Persia ; but 

 the emperor being murdered in Meso|H>taiuia, he 

 returned hurriedly to Antioch, whence, in 244, he 

 wont to Home. His lectures here were attended 

 not only by crowds of eager youths, hut men and 

 women of the highest circles flocked to hear 

 him. Not only Neopythagorean and Neoplatonic 

 wisdom, hut asceticism and the charm of a purely 

 contemplative life were the themes on which he, 

 in ever new variations, and with an extraordinary 

 depth and brilliancy, held forth ; and such was the 

 impression his earnestness made upon his hearers 

 that some of them really gave up their fortune to 

 the poor, set their slaves free, and devoted them- 

 selves to a life of study and ascetic piety. It is 

 hardly surprising to find that his contemporaries 

 coupled with his rare virtues the gift of working 

 miracles. Sixty years old, he thought of realising 

 Plato's ' Republic,' by founding an aristocratical 

 and communistic commonwealth ; and the Emperor 

 GallieniiB was ready to grant a site in Campania 

 for his'PIatono|iolis;' hut In- died near M in turn:? in 

 270. Although he liegan to write very late in life, 

 he yet left fifty-four Imoks of very different size and 

 contents to the editorial cure of his pupil Porphyry, 

 who arranged them in six principal divisions, each 

 sulxlivided again into nine uooks or Enneads. 



Plotinus' system was based chiefly on Plato's, 

 combined with Neopythagoreaiiism and the oriental 

 theory of Emanation i.e. the constant transmission 

 of powers from the Absolute to the Creation, 

 through several agoncies, the first of which is ' Pure 

 Intelligence,' whence Hows the ' Soul of the World,' 

 whence, again, the souls of 'men' and 'animals,' 

 ami finally 'matter' itself. Men thus belong to 

 two worlds, that of the senses and that of Pure 

 Intelligence. It depends upon ourselves, however, 

 to which of the two worlds we direct our thoughts 

 most and belong to finally. The ordinary virtues, 

 as justice, moderation, valour, and the like, are 

 only the lieginning and very first preparation for 

 our elevation into the spiritual realm; purification 

 is a further step, to which we attain partly through 

 mathematics and dialectic; and the abandonment 

 of all earthly interests for those of intellectual 

 meditation is the nearest approach to the goal. 

 The higher our soul rises in this sphere of intellect, 

 the deeper it sinks into the ocean of the good and 

 the pure, until at last its union with God is com- 

 plete, and it is no longer thought but vision and 

 the ecstasy which pervades it. These are a few 

 snatches of Plotinus' philosophical rhapsodies, to 

 which may IKS added his mysterious lielief in a 

 kind of metempsychosis, by which souls not suffi- 

 ciently purified during life return after death, and 

 inhabit, according to their bent, men, animals, 

 and even plants. He further held somewhat fan- 

 tastic views as to gods and demons, ami professed 

 faith in astrology and magic. His was the last 

 attempt by the ancient world to solve the great 

 problems not bv ratiocination, but through intro- 

 spective mysticism ; and his mode of thought had 

 very unmistakable influence on early Chii-tinn 

 philosophy, modern theosophy, and various Herman 

 idealistic systems. 



See NCOPLATONISM uid works there cited, and work* 

 on Plotinus by Kirchner ( 1*54 ), Uremiing ( 1804 ), and 

 Kleist(1884). 



Plots must be distinguished on the one hand 

 from Assassinations (q.v.) and on the other from 

 Rebellions (q.v.). They involve the elements of 

 secrecy and conspiracy, but have not always 

 political assassination for their object, nor do those 

 who carry them through, or attempt to do so, put 

 arms in the hands of a great number of men. The 

 subjoined list only professes to give a selection of 

 the more noteworthy plots of history, intended to 

 supplement the lists given under ASSASSIN vii<>s 

 and KKIIKI.I.ION. Itctailsof most of them will l>e 

 found under separate articles. 



Catiline's Conspiracy, 63 B.C. 

 Qulrlni-Tieuolo in Venice. 1310. 

 Marino Fallen's Plot in Venice, 



1366. 

 Plot of Pleach! against Andrea 



1 Mia at Genoa, 1647. 

 Raid of Ruthven in Scotland, 



1682. 



Babington's Plot against Eliza- 

 beth. 1686. 

 Death of Prince Demetrius in 



Russia. 1691. 

 Cowrie Conspiracy In Scotland, 



1000. 

 Gunpowder Plot in England, 



1606. 

 Titus Oaten' pretended Popish 



Plot, 1*78. 

 Meal-tub Plot, 1879. 



Rye-house Plot against Charl*-^ 



II., 1683. 

 Assassination Plot to kill 



William III. of England, 16ML 

 Plot of Catharine against Peter 



III. of Russia 

 Colonel Despard's Plot against 



George III., 1802. 

 Plot of Cadoudal and Pichegra 



against Napoleon, 1802. 

 Muli-l ' Plot against Napoleon, 



1812. 



Cato Street Conspiracy, 1820. 

 Orsini'sattemptupon Ni- 



111.. 1868. 

 Numerous Nihilist plots In 



llnssia, 1881-91. 

 Alxluciion of Alexander of 



Bulgaria, 1886. 



I'loilgll. The first in order and importance 

 of agricultural operations is the breaking up <>i 

 the soil, and the implement employed most 

 largely for this purpose is the plough. The general 

 form of the plougn is known to every one, and 

 to the unobservant eye it appears to be a ve>\ 

 simple and even primitive tool ; nevertheless, much 

 mechanical skill and ingenuity have been expended 

 in perfectly adapting it to its work. It is a com 

 bination of instruments (fig. 1 ) fastened to a beam. 



GBL; the coulter, K, is an iron knife-blade, for 

 cutting the SIM! vertically; the share, CFD. which 

 is merely a socket lit ted on and not fastened to the 

 Ixxly of the plough, has a sharp point, C, and a 

 projecting horizontal edge, CO, on its right-hand 

 side, it* part of the work being to separate the 

 under surface of the sod from the subsoil ; by means 

 of the mould-board, H, the slice, now wholly 

 separated from the firm ground, is raised up and 

 turned over by the forward motion of the plough ; 



Fig. 2. 



and the ttilti, or handles, one of which, BL, is % 

 continuation of the beam, the other, M, being 

 fastened partly to the former by rods, and partly 

 to the lower tx'irtion of the framework (fig. 2, which- 

 also shows the point of the plough with the share 



