PRELIMINARY.

This pamphlet is published as a "specimen" of an English version of the entire writings of Plotinus, which I am now making, and which I propose to finish as soon as possible. I am satisfied that one of the greatest boons which can be conferred on this and future generations is an English translation of Plotinus, undoubtedly one of the profoundest philosophers that ever energized within the World of Sense. His influence during the period of his mundane existence was extensive and predominant, and practically shaped the truly intellectual speculations of the third and immediately subsequent centuries. Eunapius, writing in the fourth century, says that "the public places are now the altars of Plotinus, and his books are not only in the hands of those skilled in the Platonic doctrines, but even if the multitude incidentally and superficially refer to a philosophic dogma it will prove to be of Plotinian origin." After his return to the Intelligible World, whence he came, his immortal writings circulated and expounded by his numerous and able disciples, who constituted the golden chain of the Platonic succession, were productive of incalculable benefit to the philosophic class of mankind, until a brutal, barbarous edict closed the School of Philosophy at Athens and thereby struck from the intellectual firmament the only luminary that remained of a once brilliant galaxy. The names of Plotinus and other philosophic heroes sunk into obscurity and were only mentioned to be ignorantly abused and calumniated.

In 1758 there descended into this sensible sphere a divine soul whose worldly name was Thomas Taylor, commonly known by way of distinction as the "Platonist." This wonderful genius and profound philosopher devoted his whole life to the elucidation and propagation of the Platonic philosophy. By his arduous labors modern times became acquainted with

many of the works of Plotinus, Porphyry, Proclus, etc., etc. Since Taylor's time something has been known of Plotinus, but he is still to many a mere name. They are ignorant of the nature and excellence of his philosophy (the Platonic), and to them his writings are truly "sealed books." It is to be sincerely hoped that this brochure will be the means of directing the attention of the "discerning few" to a most admirable and recondite philosopher who has been aptly termed a "resuscitated Plato." In this materialistic age, especially, his works ought to be known, read and pondered. The tendency of this age is to grovel-to deify matter. The investigation of material causes and facts is absurdly denominated "Science"! It is ridiculously believed by the multitude, philosophasters included, that all things can be apprehended by sense; that aside from matter nothing exists, and that such words as "intellect," "thought," and "soul" are meaningless and mere figments of the imagination.

There were materialists in the days of Plato and Plotinus, and they were wondrously like the herd of sensualists that flourish in this latter half of the 19th century. These men have never emerged from the cavern of Sense, and are no more qualified to express an opinion on a purely intellectual or spiritual subject than a Hottentot. How can persons discuss intelligently the nature of "intellect" who lack the capacity to apprehend the existence of anything superior to, or other than, matter? But enough of such intellectual pigmies!

The Platonic Philosophy is essentially spiritual, anagogic, intuitional. It perpetually aspires. It has for its chief objects the release of the immortal Soul from the bonds of matter and sense, and its union with Universal Divinity. "For the end and scope with Plotinus consisted in approximating and being united to the Supreme God" (Porphyry). "Nevertheless the endeavor is not to be [only] without sin, but to be a god [i. e., a god according to a similitude to Divinity itself] (Plot., En. 1., Lib. 2. 6). I have not space sufficient to give even a general outline of the Platonic or Plotinian system. Those philosophically inclined are referred to the works of Plato and

his genuine expositors, chief among whom is Plotinus. It must be carefully remembered, however, that every one is not competent to read and thoroughly comprehend the writings of Plotinus. They are by no means adapted, like many of the popular scientific and educational publications of to-day, to the "meanest capacities." They cannot be understood at first sight, without thought or previous preliminary study. They are written from the plane of the Universal. The author displays the utmost reluctance to descend, even temporarily, to the consideration of particulars. While they are truly "vocal to the intelligent," they will doubtless be incomprehensible to those immersed in sense and whose intellectual eye is blind. "To men indeed who make the study of words their sole employment, and the pursuit of wisdom but at best a secondary thing, who expect to be wise by desultory application for an hour or two in a day, after the fatigues of business, after mixing with the base multitude of mankind, laughing with the gay, affecting airs of gravity with the serious, tacitly assenting to every man's opinion, however absurd, and winking at folly however shameful and base-to such as these-and, alas! the world is full of such the sublimest truths must appear to be nothing more than jargon and reverie, the dreams of a distempered imagination, or the ebullitions of fanatical faith. But all this is by no means wonderful, if we consider that two-fold ignorance is the disease of the many. For they are not only ignorant with respect to the sublimest knowledge, but they are even ignorant of their ignorance. Hence they never suspect their want of understanding; but immediately reject a doctrine which appears at first sight absurd, because it is too splendid, for their bat-like eyes to behold." "Let no one therefore deceive himself by fancying that he can understand the writings of Plotinus by barely reading them. For, as the subjects which he discusses are for the most part the objects of intellect alone, to understand them is to see them, and to see them is to come into contact with them. But this is only to be accomplished by long familiarity with, and a life conformable to the things themselves. For then, as Plato says, "a light as if leaping

from a fire will on a sudden be enkindled in the soul, and will then itself nourish itself." (7th epistle)."

The three treatises in this pamphlet discuss matters of the greatest importance to thinkers, and in fact, to all mankind. The two on the "Essence of the Soul" are deeply interesting and contain some profound insights into this recondite subject. The one on the "Descent of the Soul" is a very subtile and abstruse investigation of the causes which induce the soul to descend from on high and enter the Sphere of Sense. The first treatise which, though complete in itself, is probably a fragment of a larger work, has never before appeared in English. Versions of the other two-that of the work on the "Descent of the Soul" being extremely paraphrastic-were published by Thomas Taylor. That on the "Essence of the Soul" is tolerably close, and, after a strict revision, has been adopted by me. The present translation has been made as literal as was consistent with perspicuousness and the idioms of the two languages. Plotinus is a peculiarly difficult author to render into English. He has been justly termed "one of the most obscure authors in any language." This obscurity is twofold; arising from both the brevity and complexity of his sentences, and the profundity of his conceptions. Occasionally, for the purpose of elucidating the text, words and phrases have been introduced, inclosed in brackets, not found in the original.

I have used and consulted the three following editions of Plotinus: 1. The Oxford, in 3 vols., 4to, 1835, edited by the celebrated Creuzer. It has the Latin version and annotations of Marsilius Ficinus, and though the punctuation of the Greek text is bad is, taken all in all, the most valuable and useful edition of Plotinus that there is. 2. The Paris, Gr. et Lat., 1 vol, 4to, 1855, edited also by Creuzer. 3. The Leipsic, Gr. only, 2 vols., 8vo, 1856, edited by A. Kirchhoff. This is a very convenient and excellently printed edition, and gives about the best text of any. It has neither notes nor annotations. A sketch of the principal events in the life of Plotinus is annexed. THOMAS M. JOHNSON.

OSCEOLA, Mo., September 9, 1880.