Stephanus 34

34a for going on foot.

Timaeus: For motion he allotted it the one proper to its body—of the seven, the motion that has most to do with mind and understanding. And so, turning it round into one and the same place, within itself, he made it move in a circle, revolving; the other six motions he took away, and made it free of their wanderings. And for the sake of this circuit, having no need of feet, he brought it to birth without legs and without feet.

This one, then—the reasoning of the god being ever about the god who was one day to be, and being reckoned out—34b he made its body smooth and even, everywhere from the center equal, whole and complete, of complete bodies; and setting soul in its middle, he stretched it through the whole and further wrapped the body about it from outside; and he made the heaven a single circle, turning in a circle, alone and solitary, yet by its virtue able to keep itself company, needing no other, and knowing itself and, in due measure, its friend. For all these reasons he brought it to birth as a blessed god.

And the soul—not as we now attempt to say, that the god made it younger 34c than the body—for he would not have allowed the elder to be ruled by the younger, when he joined them—but it is somehow in our fashion, partaking greatly of the haphazard, that we speak of things this way; whereas he made the soul older in birth and in virtue, prior to the body, to be its mistress and to rule what was to be ruled.

34a walking.

Timaeus: For he gave it the motion proper to its body. Of the seven motions, he gave it the one that has most to do with intelligence and thought. So he turned it in a circle, in the same place and within itself, and made it move by turning round. All the other six motions he took away, and he made it free of their wandering. For this circular motion it had no need of feet. So he brought it to birth without legs and without feet.

Now this world, being the whole and eternal thought of God about the god that was 34b one day to be—when it had been thought out, he made its body smooth and even everywhere, equal in every direction from its center, whole and complete out of complete bodies. He set soul in the middle of it. He stretched the soul through the whole, and then he wrapped the body around it from outside. And he made it a heaven turning round in a circle, one and alone. By its excellence he made it able to be its own companion, needing nothing else, and knowing itself and befriending itself well. For all these reasons, he brought it to birth a blessed god.

And the soul, too, he did not make as we now try to say, as if it were later and younger than the body. 34c God would not have joined them so as to let the older be ruled by the younger. It is because we share so much in chance and guesswork that we speak this way. He made the soul earlier and older than the body, in birth and in excellence, as its mistress and its ruler, to rule the thing that was to be ruled,

34a Timaeus: For movement He assigned unto it that which is proper to its body, namely, that one of the seven motions which specially belongs to reason and intelligence; wherefore He spun it round uniformly in the same spot and within itself and made it move revolving in a circle; and all the other six motions He took away and fashioned it free from their aberrations. And seeing that for this revolving motion it had no need of feet, He begat it legless and footless.

Such, then, was the sum of the reasoning of the ever-existing God concerning the god 34b which was one day to be existent, whereby He made it smooth and even and equal on all sides from the center, a whole and perfect body compounded of perfect bodies, And in the midst thereof He set Soul, which He stretched throughout the whole of it, and therewith He enveloped also the exterior of its body; and as a Circle revolving in a circle He established one sole and solitary Heaven, able of itself because of its excellence to company with itself and needing none other beside, sufficing unto itself as acquaintance and friend. And because of all this He generated it to be a blessed God.

Now as regards the Soul, although we are essaying to describe it after the body, 34c God did not likewise plan it to be younger than the body; for, when uniting them, He would not have permitted the elder to be ruled by the younger; but as for us men, even as we ourselves partake largely of the accidental and casual, so also do our words. God, however, constructed Soul to be older than Body and prior in birth and excellence, since she was to be the mistress and ruler and it the ruled; and, He made her of the materials