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Marsilio Ficino

Marsilio Ficino’s Platonic Theology, Volume II

Books V–VIII · Latin with an independent English translation

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Marsilio Ficino’s Platonic Theology, Volume IIBook VIII · Chapter 2 · §§ 1–2

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Latin Page · Branch 150 of 191

Book VIII · Chapter 2 · §§ 1–2

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Latin

p. 294

Anima alitur veritate. Ratio secunda.

Alimentum ea ratione assumitur ut in substantiam eius quod alendum est transeat, sicut comeditur panis ut caro efficiatur. Ideo cibus cognatus admodum esse debet illi quod est alendum, ut possit in eius naturam facile pertransire. Ita aquatica aqueis alimentis, terrestria terrenis, aerea pascuntur aereis. Similiter corpora corporalibus, incorporea incorporeis nutriuntur. Non enim corpus transit in spiritum, neque spiritus migrat in corpus, quia non subest illis communis materia per quam et in qua invicem se commutent. Constat animam corporibus non nutriri; constat incorporeis ali; constat igitur eam esse incorporealem. Si aliquibus anima vesceretur corporibus, illis maxime vesceretur quibus et corpus suum. Nam cum istud maxime animae congruat, alimenta etiam sua inter omnia corporalia congruent maxime, dummodo alimenta illa adeo tenuentur atque purgentur ut corpusculo illi subtili, quod vulgo anima esse putatur, conveniant. Erit igitur in corpore pingui validior anima quam in tenui, acutior ad inveniendum, ad reminiscendum firmior, promptior ad agendum, ad pervincendas turpes corporis illecebras continentior; magnanimitas in grandi corpore, in parvo pusillanimitas. Crescente corpore adolescet animus, etiam si nihil discat, si nullo studio rerum exerceatur. Decrescente per aetatem corpore et viribus eius debilitatis, sapientia, iudicium, constantiaque perdentur. Post epulas et vina acutius erit ingenium et sublimius. Omnia haec acciderent si animus cibis corporalibus coalesceret. Horum vero nunc contraria fiunt. Animus igitur corporalibus non pascitur alimentis.

Quid ergo? Nullis. Ita erit aeternus, si nulla alimonia indigebit, quod nos maxime cupimus. An forte spiritalibus vescitur epulis? Immo vero aliis nullis omnino, quod sapienti viro non est dubium, qui talibus alitur saepenumero.

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Marsilio Ficino’s Platonic Theology, Volume II: Book VIII

p. 295

The soul is nourished by truth. Second argument.

Nourishment is taken so that it may pass into the substance of what is nourished, as bread is eaten so that it may become flesh. Food must therefore be closely akin to that which it nourishes, so that it can readily pass into its nature. Aquatic creatures feed on foods of water, terrestrial creatures on foods of earth, and creatures of the air on airy foods. In the same way, bodies are nourished by bodily things and incorporeal beings by incorporeal things. Body does not pass into spirit, nor spirit migrate into body, because they share no common matter through which and in which they could be changed into one another. It is evident that the soul is not nourished by bodies; it is evident that it is nourished by incorporeal things; therefore it is evident that the soul is incorporeal. If the soul fed on any bodies at all, it would above all feed on those by which its own body is fed. For since its own body is most closely suited to the soul, among all bodily things its foods also would be most closely suited to the soul, provided that they were so refined and purified as to agree with that subtle little body which is commonly supposed to be the soul. The soul would then be stronger in a stout body than in a slender one, keener in discovery, firmer in recollection, readier in action, and more self-controlled in overcoming the body’s shameful allurements. Greatness of soul would inhabit a large body and littleness of soul a small one. As the body grew, the soul would mature even if it learned nothing and were trained by no study; as the body diminished with age and its strength declined, wisdom, judgment, and constancy would be lost. After food and wine, the understanding would be sharper and more sublime. All this would happen if the soul grew together with bodily food. Yet in fact the opposite occurs. The soul therefore is not nourished by bodily food.

What then—does it feed on no food at all? Then it will be eternal if it needs no nourishment, which is precisely what we desire. Or does it perhaps feast upon spiritual banquets? Indeed it feeds on no others at all. No wise man doubts this, for the wise man is often nourished by such fare.

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About This Reading Edition

Volume II continues Ficino’s inquiry into the immortality of the soul through Books V–VIII. Its arguments consider the rational soul’s self-motion, its relation to the body, sensation, and the powers of the mind. The Latin and independent English translation follow the supplied edition’s facing pages and matching comparison units.

Historical Text and Translation

The Latin reading text is independently established from the Florence 1482 editio princeps (M1482), collated against the Paris 1559 printing (G1559), with the Paris 1641 Opera used only as a late control. Abbreviations are expanded, spelling and punctuation are conservatively normalized, and consequential readings are recorded in the apparatus.

About Diotimos Editions

Diotimos Editions prepared this independent English translation in the voice established in Volume I, preserving Ficino’s argumentative sequence, metaphors, technical distinctions, repetitions, conditions, purposes, and qualifications. Editorial notes and witness variants accompany their passages as numbered notes. The edition and source statement, contents, and reading guidance are also retained. The source locator register remains available in the downloadable edition.

Rights

Ficino’s Latin source work is in the public domain. The 2026 English translation and Diotimos editorial matter are original to this edition and remain © 2026 Diotimos.