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ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A24063	An account of the Oriental philosophy shewing the wisdom of some renowned men of the East and particularly the profound wisdom of Hai Ebn Yokdan, both in natural and divine things, which he attained without all converse with men, (while he lived in an island a solitary life, remote from all men from his infancy, till he arrived at such perfection) / writ originally in Arabick by Abi Jaaphar, Ebn Tophail ; and out of the Arabick translated into Latine by Edward Pocok ... and now faithfully out of his Latine, translated into English.; Risālat Ḥayy ibn Yaqẓān. English	Ibn Ṭufayl, Muḥammad ibn ʻAbd al-Malik, d. 1185.; Pococke, Edward, 1604-1691.	1674 (1674)	Wing A150; ESTC R7120	74,340	126

An Account of the ORIENTAL PHILOSOPHY Shewing The Wisdom of some Renowned Men of the East And particularly The profound Wisdom of Hai Ebn Yokdan both in Natural and Divine things Which he attained without all Converse with Men while he lived in an Island a solitary life remote from all Men from his Infancy till he arrived at such perfection Writ Originally in Arabick by Abi Iaaphar Ebn Tophail And out of the Arabick Translated into Latine by Edward Pocok a Student in Oxford And now faithfully out of his Latine Translated into English For a General Service Printed in the Year 1674. An Advertisement to the READER THis Book or Epistle of Abi Jaaphar is to be found in an Hebrew Version according to the account of the Latine Translator and Moses Narbonensis a learned Iew hath writ Commentaries upon it The Author to wit Abi Jaaphar lived contemporary with Averroes who died about the year of the Christian account 1198. So that the antiquity of this Relation is about five hundred years old Since the Latine Version of it came abroad which was in the year 1671. it is translated into Dutch some considerable time ago after it came into my hands and that I perused it I found a great freedom in mind to put it into English for a more general service as believing it might be profitable unto many but my particular motives which engaged me hereunto was that I found some good things in it which were both very savoury and refreshing unto me and indeed there are some sentences in it that I highly approve as where he saith Preach not thou the sweet favour of a thing thou hast not tasted and again where he saith In the rising of the Sun is that which maketh that thou hast not need of Saturn Also he showeth excellently how far the knowledge of a man whose eyes are spiritually opened differeth from that knowledge that men acquire simply by hear-say or reading and what he speaks of a degree of knowledge attainable that is not by premisses premised and conclusions deduced is a certain truth the which is enjoyed in the conjunction of the mind of man with the supreme Intellect after the mind is purified from its corruptions and is separated from all bodily images and is gathered into a profound stillness These with many other profitable things agreeable to Christian Principles are to be found here But Reader I am far from urging thee to receive for certain every thing in this Book nor do I recommend every thing in it unto thee for truth yet whatever may be otherwise in it doth not hinder to make a good use of the things which are both true and profitable contained therein and if thy taste be sound receive what is agreeable thereunto and pass by what is otherwise The design of the Author is far I believe from perswading men to slight or refuse the help of outward means of knowledge such as the testimonies of good and wise men and indeed it is as far from my own design who have undertaken this Translation It is the too much relying and resting upon them and neglecting those native and inward testimonies in the soul and mind of man it self that both the scope of the Book and my design in the Translation doth fence against If it appear unto thee that the Author or yet the person of whom he writeth hath been a good man and far beyond many who have the name of Christians that have had better outward opportunities to learn to be good then he such as the use of the holy Scriptures and other helps think not strange of it but remember there have been instances of good men mentioned in the Scriptures who had not the Oracles of God outwardly delivered unto them such as Job the three wise men of the East Cornelius and others Yea Justine Martyr stuck not to call Socrates a Christian and that all who lived conform unto that divine reason and word in them and which is in all men as said the above-mentioned Author in one of his Apologies were and are Christians I shall conclude with a saying of Augustine de civitate Dei lib. 18. cap. 47. and another of Ludovicus Vives in his Commentary on the same words Nor do I think saith Augustine that the Jews dare contend that none belonged unto God but the Israelites On which Ludovicus Vives saith thus So great a matter is it to be willing to be good although thou hast not any from whom thou mayest be taught vertue and in this sort of men what is wanting but water seing they have obtained and received the holy spirit no otherwise then the Apostles Peter witnessing that some were filled with a divine inspiration whom the mystical water had not touched so the Gentiles not having a Law and naturally doing the things of the Law are a Law to themselves and that light of so living is the gift of God and cometh from the Son of whom it is written who enlighteneth every man that cometh into the world An Account of the ORIENTAL PHILOSOPHY IN AN EPISTLE OF Abi Iaaphar Ebn Tophail Concerning Hai Ebn YOKDAN In the Name of the Lord the merciful Commiserator THE wise Doctor the Priest the Knowing the Excellent the Perfect the Learned Abu Iaaphar Ebn Tophail saith Praise unto God the great the greatest the ancient the most ancient the knowing the most knowing the wise the most wise the merciful the most merciful the beneficial the most beneficial the bountiful the most bountiful who taught the use of the Pen who taught man that which he knew not because the goodness of God was great towards him I praise him for his excellent gifts and I give him thanks for his continual benefits and I testifie that there is not a God but the one God who hath not a Consort c. O excellent sincere and most dear Brother God give thee an everlasting continuance and bless thee with a perpetual happiness Thou desired me to declare unto thee what ever I could of the mysteries of the Eastern Philosophy which the Doctor the chief Priest Abu Ali Ebn Sina mentioneth But know that it belongeth unto him who would attain to the truth that he seek it and use diligence in the acquiring it and surely thy demand hath raised in me an excellent motion of mind which hath brought me praise unto God to perceive the state which I saw not before and hath promoved me to so remote a period that the tongue cannot declare nor can the eloquence of speech express it whereas it is of another sort and of another world differing from them but that this state in respect of the exultation joy pleasure and gladness which is in it is such that he who hath attained it or hath come to any period of it cannot conceal it or keep it secret but that exultation chearfulness gladness and delight befalleth him which driveth him to express it summarily but not distinctly But if he

differing among themselves Nor is the one mingled with the other but that which we understand by the apprehension of the Contemplants is that which they apprehend from things Metaphysical like unto that which Abu Becr apprehended and in the apprehension of these things this condition is required that it be manifestly true and then falleth in a mid-speculation betwixt that and betwixt the apprehension of them who are near unto God who apply their study unto these things with an encrease of clearness and with greater delight But Abu Becr reproveth them who should make mention of this pleasure among the vulgar and he said it did belong to the immagining faculty and he promised to discribe how the state of the blessed ones should be when they had attained this in clear and manifest discourse But it behoveth that it be said to him Preach not the sweetsavour of a thing whichthou hast not tasted neither passe over the necks of the true speakers For neither did that man any thing of that sort neither performed he his promise for it is probable that the straitness of time mentioned by him hindred him from that undertaking and because he was taken up in a Journey taken in hand to Wahran or because he saw if he should describe that state the order of the discourse would compel him to declare the things in which he was which would be a reproach to him in the manner of his life and which would argue the precepts delivered by him of a lye whereby he incited men to multiply riches and gather them together and to use divers wayes of arts to acquire them But the discourse hath led us off somewhat to another thing then that which thou didst move us to by thy desire as necesity required And from what is said it is manifest that what is required by thee doth necessarily include one of these two Rocks viz. that thou ask of that which they see to whom it hath happened to see and to tast and to be present in that degree of nearnesse unto God and this is of the things which cannot be so as they may be described in a Book as they are indeed and when any have undertaken it and endeavoured whether in word or writ to expresse it the true reason of it is changed and passeth unto the parts of another speculative kind for when it is cloathed with letters and voices and becometh near unto the corporeal world it doth not remain in that state wherein it was in any manner or way and the signification of voices differ far in expressing it so that therein the feet of some err from the right way and it is thought concerning others that their feet are slidden when they are not slidden but the cause thereof is this because it is a thing which hath no bound in the space of a large tract which compasseth is not compassed But the second of the two Rocks which as we said thy question did necessarily include is that thou hast desired that a thing be made known unto thee in that manner as they do it who give themselves to contemplation and this is a thing God bring thee near unto himself the reason whereof requireth that it be described in Books and forms of words to express it but that is more rare then the Reed Sulphur and especially in these Regions wherein we live because it is so strange a thing that but one after one attaineth it but a little and who have attained any thing of it have not declared it unto men but by some obscure tokens for the Hanisitick Sect and Mohammedick Law forbiddeth men to dive into it and admonisheth them to beware of it And think not that the Philosophy which hath come unto us in the Books of Aristotle and Abu-Nasri and in the Book of Alshepha doth suffice unto this design which thou desired nor hath any of the Andaloseni written any thing of it which can suffice for they who were educate in Andulusia of men of an excellent ingine spent their life in the Mathematical Disciplines and attained a great degree in them before the Science of Logick and Philosophy was propagated in that place nor could they do any thing further Then an age of men succeeded unto them who exceeded them in some skill of Logick to which they gave pains but so that it brought them not to the true perfection Therefore one of themselves said It troubleth me that there are two knowledges of men nor is there any thing to be added unto them the one is the true knowledge which is attained with difficulty and the other false the attaining of which is unprofitable Then others more sharp-sighted succeeded unto those and who came nearer unto the truth among whom none was of a quicker ingine or who perceived things better or more truly then Abu-Becr-Ebn-Alsaijeg but that the world did take him up until death took him away before the treasures of his knowledge were manifested or the secresies of his wisdom were published and most of his Writings which are found are imperfect and mutilate in the end as his Book of the Soul and of the government of him who hath given himself to a solitary life and what he wrot of Logick and Natural Knowledge but his perfect Books are compendious Tractats and Epistles hastily written and this he declared saying that whose demonstration was proposed to him in the Epistle of Alette-sal i. e. the conjunction of the intellect with man is not altogether manifest in that discourse but after great difficulty and trouble and because the method of his Explication in some places is not ordered in so perfect a way but if more time were given him he purposed to change it And thus is the matter as to what hath come to us of the knowledge of this man but we saw him not and who were contemporary with him were such men as cannot be said to be equal to him in degree nor saw we any thing done by them but who succeeded them that lived in our time are but yet making progress or have stood short of perfection or how they have been truly is not known to us But as concerning the Books of Abu-Nasri which hath come to us most of them are of Logick and such as are come to us of Philosophy are full of doubts For he affirmed in the Book Almellati Alphadelati i. e. of the most excellent Sect the duration of evil souls after death in everlasting torments then in the Politicks he saith expresly that they are dissolved and annihilated and that only the souls endowed with vortue and perfect do remain Then he describeth in his Book of Manners somewhat belonging to the happiness of men and that it is in this life which is of this world then he uttereth words having this sense Whatever is mentioned besides this is madness and old Wives Fables He therefore driveth all men to despair of the mercy of God

and putteth good and bad in the same degree while he maketh the end unto which all tend to be Annihilation But this is ane unpardonable error and a fall after which there is not a restauration These things beside others he brought forth wherein he judged badly of Prophecy and that it properly belonged to the Imaginative faculty according to his opinion and that he preferred Philosophy unto it with other things not needfull to mention But touching Aristotle his Books Alsheigh-Abu-Ali supplyeth their vice in his Explication of them having followed his sect and going in the way of his Philosophy in the Book Alshepha i. e. of suficiency in the beginning of which he plainly affirmeth that in his opinion the truth differeth from what he delivereth therein and that he made that Book according to the Doctrine of the Peripateticks but he who would see the truth wherein is nothing obscure should look on his Book of Philosophy Almoshrakia i. e. Oriental but if any take pains to read the Book Alshepha and the Books of Aristotle it will appear they agree in most things although there be some things in the Book Alshepha which came not to us from Aristotle but when he hath received all things which the Books of Aristotle have given him and the book Alshepha according to the outward sound of the words not turning the mind to the hidden and inward sense of them he shall no wayes be brought unto perfection by them as Alsheich-Abu-Ali in the Book Alshepha admonisheth but as for the Books of Alsheich-Abu-Hamed-Agasali he so far as he spoke unto the vulgar one time bindeth another time loseth and reproveth some things of infidelity then he professeth them then in the number of them for which he accuseth the Philosophers of in fiidelity in the Book Alta-Haphot comonly called Destruction is that that they deny the resurrection of bodies and affirm that reward and punishment belong to souls apart then he said in the begining of the Book Almizan i. e. the Scales that this is the opinion of the Supphian Doctors precisely and again in the Book Almunkedh Men-Aldelali-Walmophseh Bel-Ahwali i. e. freeing from error and explaining the state he saith his opinion is the same with the opinion of the Suphij and that he is brought to it after a long search And many things of this kind are in his Books which he shall see who looketh on them and considereth attentively And he seeketh to be excused for this deed in the end of the Book Mizan-Almal i. e. the Scales of actions where he affirmeth that opinions are of a threefold kind first that which is common with the vulgar in that which they think Secondly the opinion according to which ane answer is given to every enquirer and that seeketh dirrection Thirdly the opinion which one retaineth with himself and which none knoweth but who is his Consort in his opinion then he saith after But if there be not in these words but to make thee doubt of thy opinion which thou hast heritably received this is enough to profit for who hath not doubted doth not consider who hath not considered shall not perceive who shall not perceive shall remain in blindness and perplexity then in place of a Proverb he used this Verse Receive what thou seest and let alone what thou hast perceived by the hearing In the rising of the Sun is that which maketh that thou hast not need of Saturn And this is the manner of his Doctrine and the greatest part of it is by Aenigma's and obseure Tokens of which he receiveth not profit but who first diligently looketh into these things with the eyes of the mind then heareth them again from himself or who is ready to understand these things excelling in ingine and to whom the least beck or nodd sufficeth But the same Author saith in the Book Alia-wahar i. e. of Pearls that he hath Books not to be communicated but unto those who are fit to read them and that he hath put in them the sincere truth but none of them came into Spain so far as we know but there came Books into Spain whom some think are those incommunicable Books but it is not so for these Books are Almaareph Alakliah i. e. Intellectual Knowledges and the Book Alnaphchi-Waltaswiati i. e. of Inflation and Aequation and besides them a Collection of divers Questions But these Books however some hints were in them contain no great matter further to the discovery of things beyond what is scattered in his known Books Moreover in the Book Almeksad Alasna i. e. Most high marks is found that which is deeper than what are contained in these other and he plainly affirmeth that the Book Almeksad Alasna is not communicable whence it is necessarily gathered that those who came unto us are not these incommunicable Books but some later Authors perswaded themselves that in his discourse which falleth in near the end of his Book Almeschat i. e. of the little window there is some great matter which hath made them fall into a depth whence they cannot extricate themselves and that is his saying after he had reckoned up diverse kinds of them who were encompassed with lights or who by the shining of the divine light are prohibited from an access then he passed unto the mentioning of them who came near unto God wherein he saith that they determined that this Great Beeing is described by Attributes which overturn the simple Unity whence it seemed to them necessarily to follow that he believed a certain multiplicity in the Essence of the true God God is far above what the unrighteous say nor is it doubtful among us that Doctor Abu Hamed is of their number who attained the chief happiness and came unto these noble and holy places of conjunction but his hidden or incommunicable Books which contain the knowledge of Revelation have not come unto us nor was the truth clearly made manifest to us which we have attained and which was the Butt or Mark which we have reached unto by knowledge until we followed his sayings and the sayings of Doctor Abu Ali and comparing them together and joyning them to the sentences which arose in this our time to which some are addicted of them who have professed Philosophy until the truth appeared unto us first by way of disquisition and inspection thereafter concerning it we have found at present this small taste from the present sense of things and then we saw our selves fit to say something which may be called our own But we have determined that thou should be the first to whom we might give this which is beside us and should give it to be looked on which we have attained because of the integrity of thy friendship and sincerity of thy gentleness but if we should propose unto thee the ends of that which we have attained in this sort before we give thee the principles thereof confirmed it would not be any thing profitable unto thee