Gardens of Philosophy FICINO ON PLATO ✥ ARTHUR FARNDELL SHEPHEARD-WALWYN (PUBLISHERS) LTD © Arthur Farndell 2006 All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form without the written permission of the publisher, Shepheard-Walwyn (Publishers) Ltd First published in 2006 by Shepheard-Walwyn (Publishers) Ltd 107 Parkway House Sheen Lane London SW14 8LS www.shepheard-walwyn.co.uk Reprinted 2013 British Library Cataloguing in Publication Data A catalogue record of this book is available from the British Library ISBN-13: 978-0-85683-240-6 ISBN-10: 0-85683-240-5 Typeset by Alacrity, Chesterfield, Sandford, Somerset Printed and bound through s|s|media limited, Rickmansworth, Hertfordshire CONTENTS Preface by Clement Salaman vii The Historical Context by Michael Shepherd viii Translator’s Introduction xi Acknowledgements xii Socrates xiii Plato xiv Welcome xv PART ONE: Summaries of Twenty-five Dialogues of Plato 1 Translator’s Notes to Part One 2 Ficino’s Preface to his Commentaries on Plato 3 Hipparchus: the Desire for Gain 9 Philosophy or The Lover 10 Theages: Wisdom 12 Meno: Virtue 14 Alcibiades I: Nature of Man 17 Alcibiades II: Prayer 19 Minos: Law 21 Euthyphro: Holiness 23 Hippias: the Beautiful and Noble 25 Lysis: Friendship 30 Theaetetus: Knowledge 35 Ion: Poetic Inspiration 53 Statesman: Kingship 59 Protagoras: Virtue 65 Euthydemus: the Views of the Sophists 74 Lesser Hippias: Truthfulness 81 v CONTENTS Charmides: Temperance 83 Laches: Courage 90 Cratylus: Names 95 Gorgias: Rhetoric 109 Apology: Socrates’ defence 122 Crito: Socrates’ way of life 129 Phaedo: Nature of the soul 130 Menexenus: Love for one’s country 140 Critias: Story of Atlantis 143 PART TWO: Discussions of the Twelve ‘Letters of Plato’ 149 Translator’s Notes to Part Two 150 First Letter: from Dion to Dionysius 151 Second Letter: from Plato to Dionysius 152 Third Letter: from Plato to Dionysius 160 Fourth Letter: from Plato to Dion 161 Fifth Letter: from Dion to Perdiccas 162 Sixth Letter: from Plato to Hermias, Erastus, and Coriscus 163 Seventh Letter: from Plato to Dion’s relatives and friends 166 Eighth Letter: from Plato to Dion’s relatives and friends 171 Ninth Letter: from Plato to Archytas 172 Tenth Letter: from Plato to Aristodemus 173 Eleventh Letter: from Plato to Laodoman 174 Twelfth Letter: from Plato to Archytas 175 PART THREE: Appendices 177 Translator’s Notes to Part Three 178 Ficino’s Introduction to ten of Plato’s dialogues 179 Ficino’s Preface to his commentaries on Plato 182 Index 184 vi PREFACE LATO HAS EXERTED a major influence on Western civilisation for nearly two and a half millennia. He and his master Socrates Pwere chiefly concerned with what constitutes the real happiness for human beings and with the communication of this to others. For them, the Good did not consist in wealth, power and the gratification of the senses, but in the knowledge of the very principle of goodness of which all those things that seem good are merely transitory reflections. In Plato’s view, the path to the Good lies in the contemplation of the Good and the practice of the virtues: wisdom, courage, justice, and temperance. Marsilio Ficino, a Florentine priest of the fifteenth century, was the last of a long line of philosophers to re-introduce Plato’s teaching into society as a living commitment rather than an abstract theory. In addition to writing books to show that the works of Plato were in perfect harmony with the Christian religion, Ficino translated all the works of Plato from Greek into Latin. He also wrote illuminating commentaries on Plato’s dialogues. This volume consists of Ficino’s shorter commentaries or sum- maries. They all have as their focus Plato’s primary concern with the Good but the treatment of the theme is refreshingly varied. Neither Plato nor Ficino was an ivory-tower philosopher: they both believed that the virtues found within could be practised in the government of the State. The qualities of the good householder are also the qualities of the good ruler writ large. In these commentaries the reader will find an insight into the text of Plato’s dialogues which leads to a much greater understanding of the original master. No one is better equipped than Arthur Farndell to translate these com- mentaries. He has a comprehensive knowledge of the Latin language and a thorough knowledge not only of Plato but also of Ficino, since he has worked continuously on the translation of Ficino’s letters from Latin into English, of which seven volumes have now been published. Clement Salaman Editor of The Letters of Marsilio Ficino, Volumes 1-7, published by Shepheard-Walwyn, 1975-2003 vii TRANSLATOR’S INTRODUCTION S A STUDENT and young teacher, I found it difficult to get on A with Plato and Socrates. They seemed to ask too many questions and to hold the answers (if they had any) close to their chests. They would lead you along a labyrinthine path and then suddenly vanish, leaving you without directions as to how to proceed. Their ways of reasoning seemed arid and barren. Worst of all, they appeared to enjoy making fun of other people’s ignorance. My youthful views underwent a sea-change when I heard someone I greatly respect describe Plato as the Teacher of the West. What a provocative appellation! At that moment was born the resolution to read the whole of Plato’s works, with the aim of testing the validity of such a glorious title. It was a resolution that took immediate effect and worked its way into the interstices of daily living, so that, in addition to lengthier periods of reading, Plato’s words were being absorbed on London tube trains and whenever I had ten minutes ‘free’. The experience? That of taxiing along the runway for an inordinate length of time, before being unexpectedly whooshed up to the strato- sphere; of being charmed by the occasional idyllic scene or the slash of razor-sharp wit; and of being awed by effusions of pure wisdom. The verdict? The provocative appellation merited serious consideration. The result? Love and respect for Socrates and Plato. When a growing acquaintance with Marsilio Ficino’s works, written more than seventeen centuries after the time of Plato, showed that the Florentine philosopher viewed Plato as his teacher, the natural step was a desire to share some of what Ficino says about Platonic philosophy with others who are more at home with English than with Latin. Encouragement from good friends set the translation process in motion some six years ago, and the result is the present volume. Arthur Farndell xi The Preface to the Commentaries on Plato by Marsilio Ficino of Florence, Addressed to the Magnanimous Lorenzo de’ Medici Magnanimous Lorenzo: IVINE PROVIDENCE, which touches all things with its power Dand arranges them harmoniously, has resolved not only to arm holy religion with the Prophets, the Sibyls and the venerable Fathers, but also to bestow on her alone the grace of a virtuous and excellent philosophy, so that virtue herself, the source of everything good, would at last go forth fearlessly among all who profess wisdom and elo- quence, just as she dwells safely and peacefully in the heart of the household. For it was proper that religion, the only path to happiness, should be accessible to the sophisticated, just as she is to the simple. Under her guidance it is easier and safer for us to reach that bliss by whose grace we have been born, that bliss which we are all striving to attain. And so, at the appointed time, almighty God sent down the divine spirit of Plato from on high to shed the light of holy religion among all nations through his wonderful life, innate powers, and eloquence. But since the Platonic sun even up to our own time had not yet risen fully upon the Latin-speaking peoples, Cosimo, the glory of Italy and a man of outstanding devotion, striving to spread the Platonic light – a light which is very propitious for religion – from the Greeks to those who speak Latin, chose me, who had received much instruction within his own household, for this great work. Now although I have been a follower of the Platonic teaching from an early age, I entered upon this serious task, not under my own auspices, but under those of your grandfather Cosimo, trusting that divine aid would not be lacking for so vital and godly an undertaking. So, encouraged above all by this trust, I entered the Academy, and 3 GARDENS OF PHILOSOPHY before Cosimo’s death it was from there that I rendered ten of our Plato’s dialogues into Latin for him. After Cosimo’s death I gave your father, Piero – a most outstanding man – nine more dialogues to read. But after Piero had departed this life, fortune, often envious of noble works, dragged me away, against my will, from the work of translation. But you, a devotee of religion and a patron of philosophy, called me back, with every favour and assistance, to the task I had started. With fortune thus once more on my side, I returned to the undertaking; and I not only translated Plato’s thought but sometimes I also summarised its content, and at other times, as far as I could, I explained it with brief commentaries. And so this entire work, now completed through the help of God, I gladly dedicate to you. These things, too, which were written for your forebears, belong by right of inheritance to you, the direct heir of your grandfather’s excellence in cultivating our native land.