§9ἔστιν οὖν πρόνοια ἡ μὲν ἀνωτάτω καὶ πρώτη τοῦ πρώτου θεοῦ νόησις, εἴτε καὶ βούλησις οὖσα εὐεργέτις ἁπάντων, καθʼ ἣν πρώτως ἕκαστα τῶν θείων διὰ παντὸς ἄριστά τε καὶ κάλλιστα κεκόσμηται.
Therefore, the highest and first providence is the intellect, or even the benevolent will towards all, of the first god, according to which primarily each of the divine things has been ordered for all time in the best and most beautiful way.
ἡ δὲ δευτέρα δευτέρων θεῶν τῶν κατʼ οὐρανὸν ἰόντων, καθʼ ἣν τά τε θνητὰ γίγνεται τεταγμένως καὶ ὅσα πρὸς διαμονὴν καὶ σωτηρίαν ἑκάστων τῶν γενῶν.
And the second is that of the second gods who move in heaven, according to which both mortal things come into being in an orderly manner and all those things that are for the preservation and salvation of each of the genera.
τρίτη δʼ ἂν εἰκότι ῥηθείη πρόνοιά τε καὶ προμήθεια τῶν ὅσοι περὶ γῆν δαίμονες τεταγμένοι τῶν ἀνθρωπίνων πράξεων φύλακές τε καὶ ἐπίσκοποί εἰσι.
And the third would reasonably be called the providence and forethought of all the daemons stationed around the earth who are guardians and overseers of human actions.
τριττῆς τοίνυν τῆς προνοίας θεωρουμένης, κυριώτατα δὲ καὶ μάλιστα τῆς πρώτης λεγομένης, οὐκ ἂν ὀκνήσαιμεν εἰπεῖν, εἰ καὶ φιλοσόφοις ἀνδράσι τἀναντία λέγειν δόξαιμεν, ὡς πάντα μὲν καθʼ εἱμαρμένην καὶ κατὰ πρόνοιαν οὐ μὴν καὶ κατὰ φύσιν· ἀλλʼ ἔνια μὲν κατὰ πρόνοιαν καὶ ἄλλα γε κατʼ ἄλλην, ἔνια δὲ καθʼ εἱμαρμένην· καὶ ἡ μὲν εἱμαρμένη πάντως κατὰ πρόνοιαν, ἡ δὲ πρόνοια οὐδαμῶς καθʼ εἱμαρμένην.
Therefore, while providence is contemplated as threefold, but most properly and especially the first is so called, we would not hesitate to say, even if we should seem to say the opposite to philosophical men, that all things occur according to fate and according to providence, but not indeed also according to nature; but some things according to one providence and others indeed according to another, and some things according to fate; and fate is altogether according to providence, but providence is by no means according to fate.
ἔστω δʼ ὁ λόγος τὰ νῦν περὶ τῆς πρώτης καὶ ἀνωτάτω.
But let our discourse for now be about the first and highest.
τὸ μὲν κατά τι ὕστερον ἐκείνου, καθʼ ὃ τι ἂν καὶ λέγηται· οἷον τὸ κατὰ νόμον τοῦ νόμου, καὶ τὸ κατὰ φύσιν τῆς φύσεως· οὕτω δὲ καὶ τὸ καθʼ εἱμαρμένην τῆς εἱμαρμένης νεώτερον ἂν εἴη.
That which is according to something is posterior to that according to which it is said; for example, that which is according to law is posterior to the law, and that which is according to nature is posterior to nature; and thus also that which is according to fate would be younger than fate.
ἡ δʼ ἀνωτάτω πρόνοια πρεσβύτατον ἁπάντων, πλὴν οὗπέρ ἐστιν εἴτε βούλησις εἴτε νόησις εἴτε καὶ ἑκάτερον.
But the highest providence is the oldest of all things, except that of which it is either the will or intellect or indeed both.
ἔστι δʼ, ὡς πρότερον εἴρηται τοῦ πάντων πατρός τε καὶ δημιουργοῦ.
And it is, as was said before, of the father and demiurge of all.
λέγωμεν γὰρ δή
φησὶν ὁ Τίμαιος
διʼ ἥντινα αἰτίαν γένεσιν καὶ τὸ πᾶν τόδε ὁ ξυνιστὰς ξυνέστησεν.
For indeed Timaeus says, "Let us declare then for what cause the composer composed generation and this universe.
ἀγαθὸς ἦν· ἀγαθῷ δὲ οὐδεὶς περὶ οὐδενὸς οὐδέποτε ἐγγίγνεται φθόνος· τούτου δʼ ἐκτὸς ὢν πάντα ὅτι μάλιστα ἐβουλήθη γενέσθαι παραπλήσια ἑαυτῷ.
He was good; and in a good person, no envy ever arises concerning anything; and being outside of this, he wished all things to become as much as possible like himself.
ταύτην δὴ ιδεμγενέσεως καὶ κόσμου μάλιστʼ ἄν τις ἀρχὴν κυριωτάτην παρʼ ἀνδρῶν φρονίμων ἀποδεχόμενος ὀρθότατʼ ἀποδέχοιτʼ ἄν.
This indeed one would most correctly accept from wise men as the most sovereign principle of generation and the world.
βουληθεὶς γὰρ ὁ θεὸς ἀγαθὰ μὲν πάντα, φαῦλον δὲ μηδὲν εἶναι κατὰ δύναμιν, οὕτω δὴ πᾶν ὅσον ἦν ὁρατὸν παραλαβών, οὐχ ἡσυχίαν ἄγον ἀλλὰ κινούμενον πλημμελῶς καὶ ἀτάκτως, εἰς τάξιν αὐτὸ ἦγεν ἐκ τῆς ἀταξίας, ἡγησάμενος ἐκεῖνο τοῦδε πάντως ἄμεινον.
For the god, wishing all things to be good, and nothing to be bad according to his power, thus indeed took over all that was visible, which was not at rest but moving discordantly and disorderly, and led it into order from disorder, having deemed the former altogether better than the latter.
θέμις δὲ οὔτʼ ἦν οὔτʼ ἔστι τῷ ἀρίστῳ δρᾶν ἄλλο πλὴν τὸ κάλλιστον
ταῦτα μὲν οὖν καὶ τὰ τούτων ἐχόμενα μέχρι ψυχῶν ἀνθρωπίνων κατὰ πρόνοιαν νομιστέον τήν γε πρώτην συνεστηκέναι· τὰ δʼ ἐντεῦθεν οὕτω λεγόμενα
ξυστήσας δὲ τὸ πᾶν ἰσαρίθμους τοῖς ἄστροις ἔταξε, διεῖλέ τε ψυχὰς ἑκάστην πρὸς ἕκαστον, καὶ ἐμβιβάσας ὡς εἰς ὄχημα τὴν τοῦ παντὸς φύσιν ἔδειξε, νόμους τε τοὺς εἱμαρμένους εἶπεν αὐταῖς· ταῦτα τίς οὐκ ἂν διαρρήδην καὶ σαφέστατʼ οἰηθείη τὴν εἱμαρμένην δηλοῦν, ὥσπερ τινὰ βάσιν καὶ πολιτικὴν νομοθεσίαν ταῖς ἀνθρωπίναις ψυχαῖς προσήκουσαν, ἧς δὴ καὶ τὴν αἰτίαν ἑξῆς ἐπιφέρει;
And it neither was nor is permitted for the best to do anything other than the most beautiful." These things, then, and those connected with them up to human souls, must be considered to have been established according to the first providence; but what follows is said thus: "And having composed the universe, he distributed souls equal in number to the stars, and assigned each soul to each star, and having mounted them as if onto a chariot, he showed them the nature of the universe, and told them the laws of fate." Who would not think that these words explicitly and most clearly reveal fate, as a certain foundation and civil legislation suitable for human souls, the cause of which indeed he adds next?
τὴν δὲ δευτέραν πρόνοιαν ὧδέ πως ἐπισημαίνεται λέγων
διαθεσμοθετήσας πάντα αὐτοῖς, ἵνα τοῖς ἔπειτα εἴη κακίας ἑκάστων ἀναίτιος, ἔσπειρε τοὺς μὲν εἰς τὴν γῆν, τοὺς δʼ εἰς τὴν σελήνην, τοὺς δʼ εἰς τἄλλα ὅσα ὄργανα χρόνου.
And the second providence he indicates somewhat in this way, saying, "Having legislated all things for them, so that he might be guiltless of the future wickedness of each, he sowed some into the earth, others into the moon, and others into the rest of the instruments of time.
τὸ δὲ μετὰ τὸν σπόρον τοῖς νέοις παρέδωκε θεοῖς σώματα πλάττειν θνητά, τὸ τʼ ἐπίλοιπον, ὅσον ἐστὶ ψυχῆς ἀνθρωπίνης δέον προσγενέσθαι, τοῦτο καὶ πάνθʼ ὅσα ἀκόλουθα ἐκείνοις ἀπεργασαμένους ἄρχειν καὶ κατὰ δύναμιν ὅτι κάλλιστα καὶ ἄριστα τὸ θνητὸν διακυβερνᾶν ζῷον, ὅ τι μὴ κακῶν αὐτὸ αὑτῷ γίγνοιτο αἴτιον. ἐν γὰρ τούτοις τὸ μὲν
ἵνα τοῖς ἔπειτα εἴη κακίας ἀναίτιος ἑκάστῳ
σαφεστάτην αἰτίαν σημαίνει τῆς εἱμαρμένης· ἡ δὲ τῶν νέων θεῶν τάξις καὶ δημιουργία τὴν δευτέραν πρόνοιαν δηλοῖ· καί πως καὶ τρίτης παρεφάπτεσθαι ἔοικεν, εἴ γε δὴ τούτου χάριν ἡ θεσμοθεσία,
ἵνα τῆς ἔπειτα εἴη κακίας ἑκάστῳ ἀναίτιος· θεὸς δὲ κακίας ἄμοιρος οὔτε νόμων οὔθʼ εἱμαρμένης; ἐπιδέοιτʼ ἄν, ἀλλὰ τῇ προνοίᾳ τοῦ γεννήσαντος συνεπισπώμενος ἕκαστος αὐτῶν πράττει τὰ αὑτοῦ·
And after the sowing, he handed over to the young gods the task of fashioning mortal bodies, and as for the remainder, as much of the human soul as was necessary to be added, having completed this and all that follows those things, to rule and govern the mortal animal as beautifully and best as possible according to their power, except insofar as it might become the cause of evils to itself." For in these words, "so that he might be guiltless of the future wickedness of each" signifies the clearest cause of fate; and the ordering and craftsmanship of the young gods reveals the second providence; and somehow it seems also to touch upon the third, if indeed the legislation is for the sake of this, "so that he might be guiltless of the future wickedness of each." But a god who has no share in wickedness would need neither laws nor fate, but each of them, being drawn along by the providence of the one who generated them, does his own things.
ταῦτα δʼ ἀληθῆ καὶ ἀρέσκοντα τῷ Πλάτωνι φανερά μοι δοκεῖ μαρτύρια εἶναι τὰ πρὸς τοῦ νομοθέτου ἐν τοῖς Νόμοις οὕτω λεγόμενα· ἐπεὶ ταῦτα εἴ ποτέ τις ἀνθρώπων φύσει ἱκανός, θείᾳ μοίρᾳ γεννηθείς, παραλαβεῖν δυνατὸς εἴη, νόμων οὐδὲν ἂν δέοιτο αὑτοῦ ἀρξόντων· ἐπιστήμης γὰρ οὔτε νόμος οὔτε τάξις οὐδεμία κρείττων, οὐδὲ θέμις ἐστὶ νοῦν οὐδενὸς ὑπήκοον οὐδὲ δοῦλον ἀλλὰ πάντων ἄρχοντα εἶναι, ἐάνπερ ἀληθινὸς ἐλεύθερός τε ὄντως ᾖ κατὰ φύσιν.
And these being true and pleasing to Plato, seem to me to be manifest testimonies which are said thus by the legislator in the *Laws*: "Since if ever any of men sufficient by nature, generated by divine portion, should be able to receive these things, he would need no laws to rule him; for no law or order is superior to knowledge, nor is it permitted for intellect to be subject or slave to anything, but to be ruler of all, if indeed it is truly free and really exists according to nature."