The metamorphosis, or golden ass, and philosophical works, of Apuleius [A. on the God of Socrates; A. on the habitude of the doctrines of Plato] / Translated from the original Latin, by Thomas Taylor.

  • Apuleius
Date:
1822
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: The metamorphosis, or golden ass, and philosophical works, of Apuleius [A. on the God of Socrates; A. on the habitude of the doctrines of Plato] / Translated from the original Latin, by Thomas Taylor. Source: Wellcome Collection.

    13/444
    have delivered to us the more accessible parts of that philosophy with consummate eloquence, and an inimitable splendour of diction. rioso, glorioso tamen in lucem prodeant, apparebit tandem, quanta sapientise pars tenebris obruta jaceat, dum usitatam hanc in scholis solam sequimur, et amamus sapientiam.” i. e. “ There are also extant, in this kind of Platonic philo- sophy, the most elegant Commentaries of Hermias, the father of xVmmonius, on the Phsedrus, and likewise certain excerpta from the Commentaries of the very learned Olympiodorus on the Phsedo and Philebus, and his entire Scholia* on the Gorgias of Plato. But, among all these, the Inquiries of Damascius concerning the principles of things, are the most eminent. All which, if they were published, would excite the most ardent love of divine wisdom in the breast of those who apply them- selves to philosophy, not for the sake of disputing, but for this one thing alone, that they may become wise. And if at any time these should proceed into light, through the laborious, but yet glorious efforts of some one, who will be a man in reality, it will at length be seen how great a part of wisdom lies buried in darkness, while we alone pursue and love this [modern] wisdom to which we are accustomed, and which is taught in the schools.” For information respecting two of the above-mentioned pub- lications, I refer the reader to my notice of Professor Cousin’s edition of the two first books of Proclus on the Parmenides, in No. 48 of the Classical Journal, and to my observations in Nos. 49 and 50 of the same Journal, on Cousin’s and Creuzer’s edition of Proclus on the First Alcibiades of Plato. And, in the * Patricius calls these Commentaries; but they are merely Scholia, made most probably by some disciple of Olympiodorus, from the Com- mentaries of that philosopher on the Gorgias.
    digitised image 1
    digitised image 2
    digitised image 3