Stephanus 77

77a members and limbs every one—and its life had of necessity to abide in fire and breath, while because of these it wasted away, melted and emptied by them, the gods contrived for it a help. Blending with the kindred nature of the human kind other forms and other senses, so as to make another living thing, they planted it: what are now the tamed trees and plants and seeds, schooled by husbandry to gentleness toward us, were once only the 77b wild kinds, older than the tame. For everything that has any share in life may, in full justice, be called a living creature; and this creature we speak of now partakes of the third kind of soul, which the account seats between midriff and navel, having no share at all of opinion and reason and mind, but of sensation, pleasant and painful, together with desires. For it undergoes everything without pause; but when it is turned about within itself and upon itself, having thrust away 77c the motion from outside and used its own, its birth-giving nature has not granted it, even seeing, to reason out anything of its own. And so it lives and is a living creature still, but it stands fixed and rooted fast, because it has been cut off from motion of its own.

Having planted all these kinds, then, the betters made them food for the worse—to us—cutting channels through our very body, as one cuts irrigation ditches in gardens, that it might be watered as from a stream flowing upon it. And first they cut hidden channels beneath 77d the joining of skin and flesh—the two spinal veins, twin, as the body chanced to be, right and left; these they let down along the backbone, taking the fruitful marrow between, that it might flourish as much as possible, and that thence there might be abundance for the rest, the overflow coming as if down a slope, to furnish a level watering. And after this, splitting the veins about the head and weaving them 77e through one another in opposite ways, they let them down, bending those from the right toward the left of the body and those from the left toward the right, so that there might be, along with the head, a bond to the body through the skin—since it could not be wound round with sinews in a circle over the crown—and so, too, that the affection of the sensations might be plain through the whole body from either side.

Timaeus: And from here on, then, they made ready the waterways in some such manner

77a as parts and limbs, its life had of necessity to lie in fire and breath; and because of these, as it melted away and was emptied, it wasted. So the gods contrived a help for it. They took the nature of a race kindred to the human race, and, blending it with other forms and senses, so as to make it another living thing, they planted it. What are now our cultivated trees, plants, and seeds, tamed by farming to be gentle toward us, came from this planting. Before that there were only the 77b wild kinds, older than the tame ones. Whatever shares in life may, with all justice, be called a living thing. And this kind shares in the third form of soul, the one our account says is seated between the midriff and the navel. That soul has no share at all in belief or reasoning or mind, but it has feeling of pleasure and pain, together with desires. For it is acted on the whole time. And though it is turned in itself and around itself, and has pushed away the 77c motion from outside and used its own motion, becoming has not granted it, by nature, to reason out anything of its own and see it. So it lives, and it is a living thing and no other; but it stands fixed and rooted and planted fast, because it is cut off from motion of its own.

The beings greater than us, then, planted all these kinds as food for us, the weaker. They cut channels through our very body, as one cuts channels in gardens, so that it might be watered as if by a stream flowing over it. First, under the joining of skin and flesh 77d, they cut hidden channels, two veins along the back, a twin pair, since the body happened to be made of right and left. These they let down beside the spine, and they took the fruitful marrow that lay between. They did this so that the marrow might flourish as much as might be, and so that, with an easy run from there to the rest, the pouring-in of moisture might give an even watering. After this they split the veins about the head, and, weaving them across one another 77e in opposite directions, they let them through: those from the right side leaning toward the left of the body, and those from the left toward the right. They did this so that the head, together with the skin, might have a bond to the body, since the head was not wrapped round with sinews in a circle over the crown; and so that the feeling of the senses, coming from either side, might be clear through the whole body.

Timaeus: And next from here they made the watering ready in a certain way

77a it was so that of necessity its life consisted in fire and air; and because of this it wasted away when dissolved by these elements or left empty thereby; wherefore the Gods contrived succour for the creature. Blending it with other shapes and senses they engendered a substance akin to that of man, so as to form another living creature: such are the cultivated trees and plants and seeds which have been trained by husbandry and are now domesticated amongst us; but formerly the wild kinds only existed, 77b these being older than the cultivated kinds. For everything, in fact, which partakes of life may justly and with perfect truth be termed a living creature. Certainly that creature which we are now describing partakes of the third kind of soul, which is seated, as we affirm, between the midriff and the navel, and which shares not at all in opinion and reasoning and mind but in sensation, pleasant and painful, together with desires. For inasmuch as it continues wholly passive and does not turn within itself around itself, repelling motion from without 77c and using its own native motion, it is not endowed by its original constitution with a natural capacity for discerning or reflecting upon any of its own experiences. Wherefore it lives indeed and is not other than a living creature, but it remains stationary and rooted down owing to its being deprived of the power of self-movement.

And when our Superiors had generated all these kinds as nutriment for us inferior beings, they channelled out our body itself, like as if they were cutting channels in gardens, to the end that it might be irrigated as it were by an inflowing stream. And firstly, beneath the junction 77d of the skin and flesh they cut for hidden channels two veins along the back, seeing that the body was in fact double, with right side and left; and these they drew down along by the spine, keeping between them the spermatic marrow, in order that this might thrive as much as possible, and that the stream of moisture from there, being in a downward course, might flow easily to the other parts and cause the irrigation to be uniform. After this 77e they clave the veins round the head and interlaced them, and drew them opposite ways, bending those from the right of the head to the left and those from the left to the right, in order that they, together with the skin, might serve as a bond between the head and the body, seeing that the head was not encircled by sinews at the crown; and in order, also, that the sense-impressions derived from the parts on either side might be manifest to the whole body.