For God desired that , so far as possible , all things should be good and nothing evil ; wherefore , when He took over all that was visible , seeing that it was not in a state of rest but in a state of discordant and disorderly motion , He brought it into order out of disorder , deeming that the former state is in all ways better than the latter . For Him who is most good it neither was nor is permissible to perform any action save what is most fair . As He reflected , therefore , He perceived that of such creatures as are by nature visible , none that is irrational will be fairer , comparing wholes with wholes , than the rational ; and further , that reason cannot possibly belong to any apart from Soul . So because of this reflection He constructed reason within soul and soul within body as He fashioned the All , that so the work He was executing might be of its nature most fair and most good . Thus , then , in accordance with the likely account , we must declare that this Cosmos has verily come into existence as a Living Creature endowed with soul and reason owing to the providence of God .
This being established , we must declare that which comes next in order . In the semblance of which of the living Creatures did the Constructor of the cosmos construct it ? We shall not deign to accept any of those which belong by nature to the category of " parts " ; for nothing that resembles the imperfect would ever become fair . But we shall affirm that the Cosmos , more than aught else , resembles most closely that Living Creature of which all other living creatures , severally and generically , are portions . For that Living Creature embraces and contains within itself all the intelligible Living Creatures , just as this Universe contains us and all the other visible living creatures that have been fashioned . For since God desired to make it resemble most closely that intelligible Creature which is fairest of all and in all ways most perfect , He constructed it as a Living Creature , one and visible , containing within itself all the living creatures which are by nature akin to itself .

βουληθεὶς γὰρ ὁ θεὸς ἀγαθὰ μὲν πάντα , φλαῦρον δὲ μηδὲν εἶναι κατὰ δύναμιν , οὕτω δὴ πᾶν ὅσον ἦν ὁρατὸν παραλαβὼν οὐχ ἡσυχίαν ἄγον ἀλλὰ κινούμενον πλημμελῶς καὶ ἀτάκτως , εἰς τάξιν αὐτὸ ἤγαγεν ἐκ τῆς ἀταξίας , ἡγησάμενος ἐκεῖνο τούτου πάντως ἄμεινον . θέμις δ᾽ οὔτ᾽ ἦν οὔτ᾽ ἔστιν τῷ ἀρίστῳ δρᾶν ἄλλο πλὴν τὸ κάλλιστον : λογισάμενος οὖν ηὕρισκεν ἐκ τῶν κατὰ φύσιν ὁρατῶν οὐδὲν ἀνόητον τοῦ νοῦν ἔχοντος ὅλον ὅλου κάλλιον ἔσεσθαί ποτε ἔργον , νοῦν δ᾽ αὖ χωρὶς ψυχῆς ἀδύνατον παραγενέσθαι τῳ . διὰ δὴ τὸν λογισμὸν τόνδε νοῦν μὲν ἐν ψυχῇ , ψυχὴν δ᾽ ἐν σώματι συνιστὰς τὸ πᾶν συνετεκταίνετο , ὅπως ὅτι κάλλιστον εἴη κατὰ φύσιν ἄριστόν τε ἔργον ἀπειργασμένος . οὕτως οὖν δὴ κατὰ λόγον τὸν εἰκότα δεῖ λέγειν τόνδε τὸν κόσμον ζῷον ἔμψυχον ἔννουν τε τῇ ἀληθείᾳ διὰ τὴν τοῦ θεοῦ γενέσθαι πρόνοιαν .
τούτου δ᾽ ὑπάρχοντος αὖ τὰ τούτοις ἐφεξῆς ἡμῖν λεκτέον , τίνι τῶν ζῴων αὐτὸν εἰς ὁμοιότητα ὁ συνιστὰς συνέστησεν . τῶν μὲν οὖν ἐν μέρους εἴδει πεφυκότων μηδενὶ καταξιώσωμεν —ἀτελεῖ γὰρ ἐοικὸς οὐδέν ποτ᾽ ἂν γένοιτο καλόν—οὗ δ᾽ ἔστιν τἆλλα ζῷα καθ᾽ ἓν καὶ κατὰ γένη μόρια , τούτῳ πάντων ὁμοιότατον αὐτὸν εἶναι τιθῶμεν . τὰ γὰρ δὴ νοητὰ ζῷα πάντα ἐκεῖνο ἐν ἑαυτῷ περιλαβὸν ἔχει , καθάπερ ὅδε ὁ κόσμος ἡμᾶς ὅσα τε ἄλλα θρέμματα συνέστηκεν ὁρατά . τῷ γὰρ τῶν νοουμένων καλλίστῳ καὶ κατὰ πάντα τελέῳ μάλιστα αὐτὸν ὁ θεὸς ὁμοιῶσαι βουληθεὶς ζῷον ἓν ὁρατόν , πάνθ᾽ ὅσα

Nam cum constituisset deus bonis omnibus explere mundum , mali nihil admiscere , quoad natura pateretur , quicquid erat , quod in cernendi sensum ca- deret , id sibi adsumpsit non tranquillum et quietum , sed inmoderate agitatum et fluitans , idque ex inordi- nato in ordinem adduxit ; hoc enim iudicabat esse praestantius . Fas autem nec est nec umquam fuit quicquam nisi pulcherrimum facere ei , qui esset op- tumus . Cum rationem igitur habuisset , reperiebat nihil esse eorum , quae natura cernerentur , inintellegens in- tellegente in toto genere praestantius . Quocirca intel- legentiam in animo , animum inclusit in corpore . Sic ratus est opus illud effectum esse pulcherrimum . Quam ob causam non est cunctandum profiteri , si modo in- vestigari aliquid coniectura potest , hunc mundum animal esse , idque intellegens et divina providentia constitutum . Hoc posito , quod sequitur , videndum est , cuiusnam animantium deus in fingendo mundo similitudinem secu- tus sit . Nullius profecto id quidem , quae sunt nobis nota animantia ; sunt enim omnia in quaedam genera partita aut inchoata nulla ex parte perfecta ; imperfecto autem nec absoluto simile pulchrum esse nihil potest . Cuius ergo omne animal quasi particula quaedam est , sive in singulis sive in universo genere cernatur , eius similem mundum esse dicamus . Omnes igitur , qui animo cernun- tur et ratione intelleguntur , animantes conplexu rationis et intellegentiae sicut homines hoc mundo et pecudes et omnia , quae sub aspectum cadunt , conprehenduntur . Quod enim pulcherrimum in rerum natura intellegi potest , et quod ex omni parte absolutissimum est , cum deus eius similem mundum efficere vellet , animal unum aspectabile , in quo omnia animalia contineren- tur , effecit . Rectene igitur unum mundum diximus , an fuit pluris aut innumerabilis dictu melius et ve- rius ? Unus profecto , siquidem factus est ad exemplum . Quod enim omnis animantis eos , qui ratione intelle- guntur , complectitur , id non potest esse cum altero . Rursus enim alius animans , qui eum contineat , sit necesse est , cuius partes sint animantes superiores , caelumque hoc simulacrum illius ultimi sit , non pro- ximi . Quorum ne quid accideret , atque ut hic mun- dus esset animanti absoluto simillimus , hoc ipso , quod solus atque unus esset , idcirco singularem deus hunc mundum atque unigenam procreavit . Corporeum autem et aspectabile itemque tractabile omne necesse est esse , quod natum est . Nihil porro igni vacuum aspici ac videri potest nec vero tangi , quod careat solido , solidum autem nihil , quod terrae sit expers ; quam ob rem mundum efficere moliens deus terram primum ignemque iungebat . Omnia autem duo ad cohaerendum tertium aliquid anquirunt et quasi nodum vinculumque desiderant . Sed vinculorum id est aptissimum atque pulcherrimum , quod ex se atque de iis , quae stringit , quam maxime unum efficit . Id op- time adsequitur , quae Graece analogia , Latine ( auden- dum est enim , quoniam haec primum a nobis novan-tur ) conparatio proportiove dici potest .