out or exalted it self from the downward-born Elements of God the Word of God into the clean and pure Workmanship of Nature and was united to the Workman Minde for it was Consubstantiaâ—… and so the downward-born Elements of Nature were left without Reason that they might be the only Matter 15. But the Workman Mind together with the Word containing the Circles and Whirling them about turned round as a Wheel his own Workmanships and suffered them to be turned from an indefinite Beginning to an undeterminable End for they alwayes begin where they end 16. And the Circulation or running round of these as the Minde willeth out of the lower or downward-born Elements brought forth unreasonable or bruitish Creatures for they had no reason the Air flying things and the Water such as swim 17. And the Earth and the Water were separated either from other as the Mind would and the Earth brought forth from her self such Living Creatures as she had four-fooâ—…ed and creeping Beasts wild and tame 18. But the Father of all things the Minde being Life and Light bâ—…ought forth Man like â—…nto himself whom he loved as his proper Birth for he was all beauteous having the Image of his Father 19. For indeed God was exceedingly enamoured of his own Form or Shape and delivered unto it all his own Workmanships But he seeing and understanding the Creation of the Workman in the whole would needs also himself fall to work and so was separated from the Father being in the sphere of Generation or Operation 20. Having all Power he considered the Operations or Workmanships of the Seven but they loved him and every one made him partaker of his own Order 21. And he learning diligently and understanding their Essence and partaking their Nature resolved to pierce and break thorow the Circumference of the Circles and to understand the Power of him that sits upon the Fire 22. And having already all power of mortall things or the â—…iving and of the unreasonable Creatures of the World stooped down and peeped thorow the Harmony and breaking thorow the strength of the Circles so shewed and made manifest the downward-born Nature the fair and beautifull Shape or Form of God 23. Which when he saw having in it self the unsatiable Beauty and all the Operation of the Seven Governors and the Form or Shape of God he smiled for love as if he had seen the Shape or Likenesse in the Water or the shadow upon the Earth of the fairest Humane form 24. And seeing in the Water a shape a shape like unto himself in himself he loved it and would cohabit with it and immediately upon the resolution ensued the Operation brought forth the unreasonable Image or Shape 25. Nature presently laying hold of what it so much loved did wholly â—…ap her self about it and they were mingled for they loved one another 26. And for this cause Man above all things that live upon Earth is double mortall because of his Body and immortall because of the substantiall Man For being immortall and having power of all things he yet suffers mortall things such as are subject to Fate or Destiny 27. And therefore being above all Harmony he is made and become a servant to Harmony And being Hermaphrodite or Male and Female and watchfull he is governed by and subjected to a Father that is both Male and Female and watchfull 28. After these things I said Thou art my Minde and I am in love with Reason 29. Then said Pimander This is the Mystery that to this day is hidden and kept secret for Nature being mingled with Man brought forth a Wonder most wonderfull for he having the Nature of the Harmony of the Seven from him whom I told thee the Fire and the Spirit Nature continued not but forthwith brought forth seven Men all Males and Females and sublime or on high according to the Natures of the Seven Governors 30. And after these things O Pomander quoth I I am now come into a great desire and longing to hear Do not digress or run out 31. But he said Keep silence for I have not yet finished the first speech 32. Trism Behold I am silent 33. Piman The Generation therefore of these Seven was after this manner The Air being Feminine and the Water desirous of Copulation took from the Fire its ripenesse and from the aether Spirit and so Nature produced bodies after the Species and Shape of men 34. And Man was made of Life and Light into Soul and Minde of Life the Soul of Light the Minde 35. And so all the Members of the Sensible World continued unto the period of the end bearing rule and generating 36. Hear now the rest of that speech thou so much desirest to hear 37 When that period was fulfilled the bond of all things was loosed and untied by the Will of God for all living Creatures being Hermaphroditicall or Male and Female were loosed untied together with Man and so the Males were apart by themselves and the Females likewise 38. And straightwayes God said to the Holy Word Encrease in encreasing and multiply in multitude all you my Creatures Workmanships And let him that is endued with Minde know himself to be immortall and that the cause of death is the love of the body and let him learn all things that are 39. When he had thus said Providence by Fate and Harmony made the mixtures and established the Generations and all things were multiplied according to their kinde and he that knew himself came at length to the Superstantiall of every way substantiall good 40. But he that through the Errour of Love loved the Body abideth wandering in darknesse sensible suffering the things of death 41. Trism But why do they that are ignorant sin so much that they should therefore be deprived of immortality 42. Pimand Thou seemest not to have understood what thou hast heard 43. Trism Peradventure I seem so to thee but I both understand and remember them 44. Pimand I am glad for thy sake if thou understoodest them 45. Trism Tell me Why are they worthy of death that are in death 46. Pimand Because there goeth a â—…ad and dismall darkness before its body of which darknesse is the moist Nature of which moist Nature the Body consisteth in the sensible World from whence death is derived Hast thou understood this â—…right 47. Trism But why or how doth he that understands himself go or pass into God 48. Pim. That which the Word of God said say I because the Father of all things consists of Life and light whereof Man is made 49. Trism Thou sayest very well 50. Pim. God and the Father is Light and Life of which Man is made If therefore thou learn and beleeve thyself to be of the Life and Light thou shalt again passe into Life 51. Trism But yet tell me more O my Minde how I shall go into Life 52. Pim. God saith Let the Man endued with a Minde mark
consider and know himself well 53. Trism Have not all men a minde 54. Pim. Take heed what thou sayest for I the Minde come unto men that are holy and good pure and mercifull and that live piously and religiously and my presence is a help unto them And forthwith they know all things and lovingly they supplicate and propitiate the Father and blessing him they give him thanks and sing hymnes unto him being ordered and directed by filiall Affection and naturall Love And before they give up their Bodies to the death of them they hate their Senses knowing their Workes and Operations 55. Rather I that am the Minde it self will not suffer the Operations or Works which happen or belong to the body to be finished and brought to perfection in them but being the Porter and Door-keeper I will shut up the entrances of Evill and cut off the thoughtfull desires of filthy works 56. But to the foolish and evill and wicked and envious and covetous and murderous and profane I am far off giving place to the revenging Demon which applying unto him the sharpnesse of fire tormenteth such a man sensible and armeth him the more to all wickednesse that he may obtain the greater punishment 57. And such a one never ceaseth having unfulfillable desires and unsatiable concupiscences and alwaies fighting in darknesse for the Demon afflicts and tormenteth him continually and increaseth the fire upon him more and more 58. Trism Thou hast O Minde most excellently taught me all things as I desired but tell me moreover after the return is made what then 59. Pimand First of all in the resolution of the materiall Body the Body it self is given up to alteration and the form which it had becometh invisible and the idle manners are permitted and left to the Demon and the Senses of the Body return into their Fountains being parts and again made up into Operations 60. And Anger and Concupiscence go into the bruitish or unreasonable Nature and the rest striveth upward by Harmony 61. And to the first Zone it giveth the power it had of increasing and diminishing 62. To the second the machination or plotting of evils and one effectuall deceipt or craft 63. To the third the idle deceipt of Concupiscence 64. To the fourth the desire of Rule and unsatiable Ambition 65. To the fifth prophane Boldnesse and theâ—… headlong rashnesse of Confidence 66. To the sixth Evil and ineffectuall occasions of Riches 67. And to the seventh Zone subtile Falshood alwayes lying in wait 68. And then being made naked of all the Operations of Harmony it cometh to the eighth Nature having its proper power and singeth praises to the Father with the things that are and all they that are present rejoyce and congratulate the coming of it and being made like to them with whom it converseth it heareth also the Powers that are above the eighth Nature singing praise to God in a certain voyce that is peculiar to them 69. And then in order they return unto the Father and themselves deliver themselves to the powers and becoming powers they are in God 70. This is the Good and to them that know to be deified 71. Furthermore why sayest thou What resteth but that understanding all men thou become a guide and way-leader to them that are worthy that the kinde of Humanity or Mankinde may be saved by God 72. When pimander had thus said unto me he was mingled among the Powers 73. But I giving thanks and blessing the Father of all things rose up being enabied by him and taught the nature of the Nature of the whole and having seen the greatest sight or spectacle 74. And I began to Preach unto men the beauty and fairnesse of Piety and Knowledge 75. O ye People Mâ—…n born and made of the Earth which have given your selves over to drunkenesse and sléep and to the ignorance of God be sober and cease your surfeit whereto you are allured and invited by bruitiâ—… and unreasonable sleep 76. And they that heard me came willingly and with one accord and then I said further 77. Why O men of the Off-spring of the Earth why have you delivered your selves over unto death having power to pertake of immortality Repent and change your mindes you that have together walked in Error and have been darkened in ignorance 78. Depart from that dark light be partakers of immortality and leave or forsake corruption 79. And some of them that heard me mocking and scorning went away and delivered themselves up to the way of death 80. But others casting themselves down before my feet besought me that they might be taught but I causing them to rise up became a guide of mankinde teaching them the reasons how and by what meanes they may be saved And I sowed in them the words of Wisdom and nourished them with Ambrosian water of immortality 81. And when it was Evening and the Brightnesse of the same began wholly to go down I commanded them to go down I commanded them to give thanks to God and when they had finished their thanksgiving every one returned to his own lodging 82. But I wrote in my self the bounty and beneficence of Pimander and being filled with what I most desired I was exceeding glad 83. For the sleep of the Body was the sober watchfulnesse of the minde and the shutting of my eyes the true sight and my silence great with childe and full of good and the pronouncing of my words the blossoms and fruits of good things 84. And thus came to passe or happened unto me which I received from my minde that is Pimander the Lord of the Word whereby I became inspired by God with the Truth 85. For which cause with my Soul and whole strength I give praise and blessing unto God the Father 86. Holy is God the Father of all things 87. Holy is God whose will is performed and accomplished by his own powers 88. Holy is God that determineth to be known and is known of his own or those that are his 89. Holy art thâ—…u that by thy Word hast established all things 90. Holy art thou of whom all Nature is the Image 91. Holy art thou whom Nature hath not formed 92. Holy art thou that art stronger then all power 93. Holy art thou that art greater then all excellency 94. Holy art thou who art better then all praise 95. Accept these reasonable Sacrifices from a pure soul and a heart stretched out unto thée 96. O thou unspeakable unutterable to be praised with silence 97. I beséech thée that I may never err from the knowledge of thée look mercifully upon me and enable me and enlighten with this Grace those that are in ignorance the brothers of my kinde but thy sons 98. Therefore I beléeve thee and bear witnesse and go into the Life and Light 99. Blessed art thou O Father thy man would be sanctified with thée as thou hast given him all power The End of the Second Book THE Third
and nothing else 4. But our Bodies consist of all these for they have of the Fire they have of the Earth they have of the Water and Air and yet there is neither Fire nor Earth nor Water nor Air nor any thing true 5. And if at the beginning our Constitution had not Truth how could men either see the Truth or speak it or understand it onely except God would 6. All things therefore upon Earth O Tat are not Truth but imitations of the Truth and yet not all things neither for they are but few that are so 7. But the other things are Falshood Deceit O Tat and Opinions like the Images of the fantasie or appearance 8. And when the fantasie hath an influence from above then it is an imitation of Truth but without that operation from above it is left a lie 9. And as an Image shews the Body described and yet is not the Body of that which is seen as it seems to be and it is seen to have eyes but it sees nothing and ears but hears nothing at all and all other things hath the picture but they are false deceiving the eyes of the beholder whilest they think they see the Truth and yet they are indeed but lies 10. As many therefore as see not Falshood see the Truth 11. If therefore we do so understand and see every one of these things as it is then we see and understand true things 12. But if we see or understand any thing besides or otherwise than that which is we shall neither understand nor know the Truth 13. Tat. Is Truth therefore upon Earth O Father 14. Herm. Thou dost not misse the mark O Son Truth indeed is no where at all upon Earth O Tat for it cannot be generated or made 15. But concerning the Truth it may be that some men to whom God will give the good seeing Power may understand it 16. So that unto the Minde and Reason there is nothing true indeed upon Earth 17. But unto the true Minde and Reason all things are fantasies or appearances and opinions 18. Tat. Must we not therefore call it Truth to understand and speak the things that are 19. Herm. But there is nothing true upon Earth 20. Tat. How then is this true That we do not know any thing true how can that be done here 21. Herm. O Son Truth is the most perfect Vertue and the highest Good it self not troubled by Matter not encompassed by a Body naked clear unchangeable venerable unalterable Good 22. But the things that are here O Son are visible incapable of Good corruptible passible dissolveable changeable continually altered and made of another 23. The things therefore that are not true to themselves how can they be true 24. For every thing that is altered is a lie not abiding in what it is but being changed it shews us always other and other appearances 25. Tat. Is not man true O Father 26. Herm. As far forth as he is a Man he is not true Son for that which is true hath of it self alone its constitution and remains and abides according to it self such as it is 27. But man consists of many things and doth not abide of himself but is turned and changed age after age Idea after Idea or form after form and this while he is yet in the Tabernacle 28. And many have not known their own children after a little while and many children likewise have not known their own Parents 29. Is it then possible O Tat that he who is so changed is not to be known should be true no on the contrary he is Falshood being in many Appearances of changes 30. But do thou understand the True to be that which abides the same and is Eternal but man is not ever therefore not True but man is a certain Appearance and Appearance is the highest Lie or Falshood 31. Tat. But these eternall Bodies Father are they not true through they be changed 32. Herm. Everything that is begotten or made and changed is not true but being made by our Progenitor they might have had true Matter 33. But these also have in themselves something that is false in regard of their change 34. For nothing that remaines not in it self is True 35. Tat. What shall one say then Father that only the Sun which besides the Nature of other things is not changed but abides in it self is Truth 36. Herm. It is Truth and therefore he is only intrusted with the Workmanship of the World ruling and making all things whom I do both honour and adore his Truth and after the One and First I acknowledge him the Workman 37. Tat. What therefore dost thou affirm to be the first Truth O Father 38. Herm. The One and Only O Tat that is not of Matter that is not in a Body that is without Colour without Figure or Shape Immutable Unalterable which always is but Falshood O Son is corrupted 39. And corruption hath laid hold upon all things on Earth and the Providence of the True encompasseth and will encompasse them 40. For without corruption there can no Generation consist 41. For Corruption followeth every Generation that it may again be generated 42. For those things that are generated must of necessity be generated of those things that are corrupted and the things generated must needs be corrupted that the Generation of things being may not stand still or cease 43. Acknowledge therefore the first Workman by the Generation of things 44. Consequently the things that are generated of Corruption are false as being sometimes one thing sometimes another For it is impossible they should be made the same things again and that which is not the same how is it true 45. Therefore O Son we must call these things fantasies or appearances 46. And if we will give a man his right name we must call him the appearance of Manhood and a Childe the fantasie or appearance of a Childe an old man the appearance of an old man a young man the appearance of a young man and a man of ripe age the appearance of a man of ripe age 47. For neither is a man a man nor a childe a childe nor a young man a young man nor an old man an old man 48. But the things that pre-exist and that are being changed are false 49. These things understand thus O Son as these false Operations having their dependance from above even of the Truth it self 50. Which being so I do affirm that Falshood is the Work of Truth The End of the Fifteenth Book THE Sixteenth Book OF Hermes Trismegistus That none of the things that are can perish HErm. We must now speak of the Soul and Body O Son after what manner the Soul is Immortall and what operation that is which constitutes the Body and dissolves it 2. But in one of these is Death for it is a conception of a name which is either an empty word or else it is wrongly
then it will speak more for its Author than can be spoken by any man at least by me Thine in the love of the Truth I. F. THE Titles of every Book OF Hermes Trismegistus Lib. Fol. 1. HIs first Book 1 2. Poemander 15 3. The holy Sermon 42 4. The Key 47 5. That God is not manifest and yet most manifest 72 6. That in God alone is good 84 7. The secret Sermon in the Mount of Regeneration and the Profession of Silence 93 8. That the greatest evil in Man is the not knowing of God 115 9. A Universall Sermon to Asclepius 123 10. The Minde to Hermes 135 11. Of the common minde to Tat. 159 12. Hermes Trismegistus his Crater or Monas 183 13 Of Sense and Understanding 194 14. Of Operation and Sense 206 15. Of truth to his son Taâ—… 220 16. That none of the things that are can perish 232 17. To Asclepius to be truly wise 237 Hermes Trismegistus HIS First Book I O my Son write this first Book both for Humanity sake and for Piety towards God 2. For there can be no Religion more true or just than to know the things that are and to acknowledge thanks for all things to him that made them which thing I shall not cease continually to do 3. What then should a man do O Father to lead his life well seeing there is nothing here true 4. Be Pious and Religious O my Son for he that doth so is the best and highest Philosopher and without Philosophy it is impossible ever to attain to the heighth and exactnes of Piety or Religion 5. But he that shall learn and study the things that are and how they are ordered and governed and by whom and â—…r what cause or to what end will acknowledge thanks to the Work man as to a good Father an excellent Nurse and a faithfull Steward and he that gives thanks shall be Pious or Religious and he that is Religious shall know both where the truth is and what it is and learning that he will be yet more and more Reigious 6. For never O Son shall or can that Soul which while it is in the Body lightens and liâ—…ts up it self to know and comprehend that 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 is Good and True â—…de back to the contrary For it is infinitely enamoured thereof and forgetteth all Evils and when it hath learned and known its Father and Progenitor it can no more Apostatize or depart from that Good 7. And let this O Son be the end of Religion and Piety whereunto when thou art once arrived thou shalt both live wel and die blessedly whilest thy Soul is not ignorant whither it must return and flie back again 8. For this onely O Son is the way to the Truth which our Progenitors travelled in and by which making their Journey they at length attained to the Good It is a Venerable way and plain but hard and difficult for the Soul to go in that is in the Body 9. For first it must war against its own self and after much Strife and Dissention it must be overcome of one part for the Contention is of one against two whilest it flies away and they strive to hold and detain it 10. But the victory of both is not like for the one hasteth to that which is Good but the other is a neighbor to the things that are Evil and that which is Good desireth to be set at Liberty but the things that are Evil love Bondage and Slavery 11. And if the two parts be overcome they become quiet and are content to accept of it as their Ruler but if the one be overcome of the two it is by them led and carried to be pupunished by its being and continuance here 12. This is O Son the Guide in the way that leads thither for thou must first forsake the Body before thy end and get the victory in this Contention and Strifefull life and when thou hast overcome return 13. But now O my Son I will by Heads run thorow the things that are Understand thou what I say and remember what thou hearest 14. All things that are are moved onely that which is not is unmoveable 15. Every Body is changeable 16. Not every Body is dissolveable 17. Some Bodies are dissolveable 18. Every living thing is not mortall 19. Not every living thing is immortall 20. That which may be dissolved is also corruptible 21. That which abides alwayes is unchangeable 22. That which is unchangeable is eternall 23. That which is alwayes made is alwayes corrupted 24. That which is made but once is never corrupted neither becomes any other thing 25. First God Secondly the World Thirdly Man 26. The World for Man Man for God 27. Of the Soul that part which is Sensible is mortall but that which is Reasonable is immortall 28. Every Essence is immortall 29. Every Essence is unchangeable 30. Every thing that is is double 31. None of the things that are stand still 32 Not all things are moved by a Soul but every thing that is is moved by a Soul 33. Every thing that suffers is Sensible every thing that is Sensible suffereth 34. Every thing that is sad rejoyceth also and is a mortall living Creature 35. Not every thing that joyeth is also sad but is an eternall living thing 36. Not every Body is sick every Body that is sick is dissolveable 37. The Mind in God 38. Reasoning or disputing of discoursing in Man 39. Reason in the Mind 40. The Mind is voyd of suffering 41. No thing in a Body true 42. All that is incorporeall is voyd of Lying 43. Every thing that is made is corruptible 44. Nothing good upon Earth nothing evill in Heaven 45. God is good Man is evil 46. Good is voluntary or of its own accord 47. Evill is unvoluntary or against its will 48. The Gods choose good things as good things 49. Time is a Divine thing 50. Law is Humane 51. Malice is the nourishment of the World 52. Time is the Corruption of Man 53. Whatsoever is in Heaven is unalterable 54. All upon Earth is alterable 55. Nothing in Heaven is servanted nothing upon Earth free 56. Nothing unknown in Heaven nothing known upon Earth 57. The things upon Earth communicate not with those in Heaven 58. All things in Heaven are unblameable all things upon Earth are subject to Reprehension 59. That which is immortal is not mortal that which is mortal is not immortal 60. That which is sown is not alwayes begotten but that which is begotten alwayes is sown 61. Of a dissolveable Body there are two Times one from sowing to generation one from generation to death 62. Of an everlasting Body the time is only from the Generation 63. Dissolveable Bodies are increased and diminished 64. Dissolveable matter is altered into contraries to wit Corruption and Generation but Eternal matter into its self and its like 65. The Generation of Man is Corruption the Corruption of Man is the beginning
of man be above it let it not neglect the things that happen to be under Fate 46. And these thus far were the excellent sayings of the good Demon. 47. Tat. Most divinely spoken O Father and truly and profitably yet clear this one thing unto me 48. Thou sayest that in bruit Beasts the Mind worketh or acteth after the manner of Nature co-operating also with their 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 impetus inclinations 49. Now the impetuous in clinations of bruit Beasts as I conceive are Passions If therefore the Minde do co-operate with these impetuous Inclinations that they are the Passions in bruit Beasts certainly the Mind is also a Passion conforming it self to Passions 50. Herm. Well done Son thou askest nobly and yet it is just that I should answer thee 51. All incorporeall things O Son that are in the Body are passible nay they are properly Passions 52. Every thing that moveth is incorporeal every thing that is moved is a Body and it is moved into the Bodies by the Minde Now Motion is Passion and there they both suffer as well that which moveth as that which is moved as well that which ruleth as that which is ruled 53. But being freed from the Body it is freed likewise from Passion 54. But especially O Son there is nothing impassible but all things are passible 55. But Passion differs from that which is passible for that Passion acteth but this suffers 56. Beodies also of themselves do act for either they are unmoveable or else are moved and which soever it be it is a Passion 57. But incorporeall things do alwayes act or work and therefore they are passible 58. Let not therefore the appellation of names trouble thee for Action and Passion are the same thing but that it is not grievous to use the more honourable name 59. Tat. O Father thou hast delivered this Discourse most plainly 60. Herm. Consider this also O Son That God hath freely bestowed upon man above all other living things these two to wit Minde and Speech or Reason 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 equal to immortality 61. These if any man use or imploy upon what he ought he shall differ nothing from the Immortals 62. Yea rather going out of the Body he shall be guided and led bythem both into the Quier and Society of the Gods and blessed Ones 63. Tat. Do not other living Creatures use Speech O Father 64. Herm. No Son but onely Voice now Speech and Voice do differ exceedingmuch for Speech is common to all men but Voice is proper unto every kinde of living thing 65. Tat. Yea but the Speech of men is different O Father every man according to his Nation 66. Herm. It is true O Son they do differ Yet as man is one so is Speech one also and it is interpreted and found the same both in Egypt Persia and Gréece 67. But thou seemest unto me Son to be ignorant of the Vertue or Power and Greatness of Speech 68. For the blessed God the good Demon said or commanded the Soul to be in the Body the Minde in the Soul 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the Word or Speech or Reason in the Minde and the Minde in God and that God is the Father of them all 69. Therefore the Word is the Image of the Minde and the Minde of God and the Body of the Idea and the Iâ—…ea of the Soul 70. Therefore of the Matter the subtilest or smallest part is Air of the Air the Soul of the Soul the Minde of the Minde God 71. And God is about all things and through all things but the Minde about the Soul the Soul about the Air and the Air about the Matter 72. But Necessity and Providence and Nature are the Organs or Instruments of the World and of the Order of Matter 73. For of those things that are intelligible every one is but the Essence of them is Identity 74. But of the Bodies of the whole or universe every one is many things 75. For the Bodies that are put together and that have and make their changes into other having this Identity do alwayes save and preserve the uncorruption of the Identity 76. But in every one of the compound Bodies there is a Number 77. For without Number it is unpossible there should be consistence or constitution or composition or dissolution 78. But Unities do both beget and increase Numbers and again being dissolved come into themselves 79. And the Matter is One. 80. But this whole World the great God and the Image of the Greater and united unto him and conserving the Order and Will of the Father is the fulnesse of Life 81. And there is nothing therein through all the Eternity of the Revolutions neither of the whole nor of the parts which doth not live 82. For there is nothing dead that either hath been or is or shall be in the World 83. For the Father would have it as long as it lasts to be a liâ—…ing thing and therefore it must needs be God also 84. How therefore O Son can there be in God in the Image of the Universe in the fulnesse of Life any dead things 85. For dying is corruption and corruption is destruction 86. How then can any part of the incorruptible be corrupted or of God be destroyed 87. Tat. Therefore O Father do not the living things in the World die though they be parts thereof 88. Herm. Be wary in thy Speech O Son and not deceived in the names of things 89. For they do not die O Son but as compound Bodies they are dissolved 90. But dissolution is not death and they are dissolved not that they may be destroyed but that they may be made new 91. Tat. What then is the operation of Life Is it not Motion 92. Herm. And what is there in the World unmoveable Nothing at all O Son 93. Tat. Why doth not the Earth seem unmoveable to thee O Father 94. Herm. No but subject to many motions though after a manner it alone be stable 95. What a ridiculous thing it were that the Nurse of all things should be unmoveable which beareth and bringeth forth all things 96. For it is impossible that any thing that bringeth forth should bring forth without Motion 97. And a ridiculous question it is Whether the fourth part of the whole be idle For the word immoveable or without Motion signifies nothing else but idlenesse 98. Know generally O Son That whatsoever is in the World is moved either according to Augmentation or Diminution 99. But that which is moved liveth also yet it is not necessary that a living thing should be or continue the same 100. For while the whole World is together it is unchangeable O Son but all the parts thereof are changeable 101. Yet nothing is corrupted or destroyed and quite abolished but the names trouble men 102. For Generation is not Life but Sense neither is Change Death but forgetfulnesse or rather Occultation and lying hid Or better
and Species in the World that is both of soul and life so likewise the world is the distributer and giver of all things which seem good to mortall creatures that is change of parts seasonable fruites nativity encrease and maturity and the like and by this God sitting above in the highest Heaven is every where and beholds all things for there is above these Lower Heavens a place without Starrs far from all earthly things this place betwixt Heaven and Earth the dispenser of aâ—…l things inhabiteth whom we call Iupiter or god but on the earth and the Sea Reigneth Iupiter Pluto and he is the nourisher and preserver of all Living and fruitfull mortall Creatures by the power of all these Fruits Trees Plants and the ground are refreshed and the power and effects of other Gods are distributed through all things that are They are distributed that shall bear rule on the Earth and shall be placed in the very entrance of Egypt in that City which is built in the West or where the Sun sets To which place all mortall Creatures both in Land and Sea shall hasten Asclep But at this time where are they O Trismegistus Trism They are placed in the great City in the Libyan Mountain and thus far this declaration The COMMENTARY This whole Ninth Chapter is prophane Which Augustine well reproveth in his Book of the City of God It maintaines Idolatry extolling and setting it forth with wonderfull praises and the decay or fall of it it much deplores In the highest Heaven he setteth a certain God beholding all things but in that place betwixt Heaven and Earth he placeth Jupiter the disposer or Steward and Pluto Jupiter to be the God and dispenser on Land and Sea as though there were one God in Heaven another in the Aire and another on the Land and Sea all which contein an infinite impiety of errors for out of divine Writ we are uncorruptly purely and holily taught that the Lord he is God in Heaven above and in Earth below and that there is no other God but against Idols and Idolatry the word of God and the â—…ly Prophets do warily admonish 〈◊〉 that we be not defiled with so great a blot of impiety nor corrupted with so great an error for the Idol it self is cursed and him that made it and again the worshipping of cursed Idols is the cause beginning and end of all mischief An Idol maker and this Idol are both an abomination to the Lord for both that which is made with him that it shall be consumed with fire these and many more things of Idolatry out of the Book of wisdome and in Leviticus God himself out of his own mouth commandeth I am the Lord your God you shall not make to your self any Idol or graven Image neither shall you erect any monument or Pillar in your Land to worship it And of the Idols of Aegypt he advertiseth in Ezekiel Be not polluted with the Idols of Aegypt for I am the Lord your God and of their abolishing 〈◊〉 speaketh by the same Propâ—… 〈◊〉 will destroy their Images and make an end of their Idol Memphis he shall no more lead them out of the Land of Aegypt What Mercurius calleth the soul Spirit and sense of Idols and Images in that they shall bring diseases in firmities and fears upon men we know without doubt to be evill Spirits and in assurance to be those of which the Prophet truly affirmeth that all the Gods of the gentilâ—…s are divils or evil Spirits Let this little be sufficient against the impiety of Trismegistus in this ninth part for we speake to those who are seasoned with the true knowledge of God which as the wiseman saith to know and understand is perfect righteousnesse and to know his righteousnesse and power is the root of immortality Lazarelus draweth this place to an Analogie as though the Idols were the Apostles the Image of man Christ the power given from above the holy Ghost Aegypt the darknesse of the gentiles and the persecution of the Disciples Apostles Martyrs the graven pillars declaring their pious works and that the heart of posterity did retâ—…ine not their works but their faith only these are piously invented but per adventure far from the Letter or meaning I think with Augustine that Hermes overshot himself both in this and the 13. Chapter for they seem to have the Prophets of the Gentiles as Balaam and the Sybills that they may suffer both Light and darknesse the lucid and obscure intermixture of Prophecies sometimes pure and sometimes impure This for the ninth Chapter CHAP. X. NOw we are to discourse of mortality immortality for hope and fear of death torments many which are ignorant of the true reason for death is caused by dissolution of the body tyred out with labour and the harmony being ended whereby the members of the body are fitted into one composition for lively uses for the body dieth when the vitall parts of man faile This is therefore death a dissolution of the body and an utter decay of the bodily senses about which to take thought for is to no purpose but there is an other thing necessary which either ignorance or mans incredulity seteth leight by Asclep What is that O Trismegistus that they are either â—…gnorant of or believe not to be Trism Hear therefore O Asclepius when there shall be a separation of the soul from the body then the Judgement and examination of his deserts shall passe over unto the great God and he when he shall see that it is just and righteous shall suffer it to abide in a fit Mansion but if he shall see it to be spotted and defiled with sin and iniquity he will cast it down and deliver it to Stormes Whirle-Winds fire Lightening and Tempest and it shall be snatched up betwixt Heaven and Earth with worldly tempests and with continuall torments be driven into divers places that in this respect the eternity of them is prejudicious because by an immortall sentence the Soul is condemned to everlasting judgment left therefore we be infolded with these miseries know that we must fear tremble and beware for the unbelievers are after their faults and pleasure in sin compelled to believe not by words but by examples not by threatenings but by the very suffering of punishment Asclep Are not then O Trismegistus the faults of men punished only by mans Law Trism Forsooth O Asclepius first all earthly things which are mortall then those things also which live by corporal reason and which swarve from living after that Law of reason all these according to their deserts and faults are liable to punishment but after death so much the sorer punishment as their faults have been concealed unpunished in this life for God foreknowing all things renders a like punishment to evey one according to the measure and quality of the fault Asclep Who are worthy of the greatest punishment O Trismegistus Trism Those who being condemned
by the Laws of men come to a violent death which seem not to yeeld unto the debt of nature but to suffer punishment for their deserts Contrarywise God is a sheild and defence unto a righteous man who loveth piety and religion for he defendeth such from all manner of dangers and evils for the Father and Lord of all things who alone is all showes himself willingly to all not where he is in place nor what in quality nor how great in quantity but illuminating man with the alone understandof the mind who when the darknesse of mind is removed and the brightnesse of truth perceived participates himself by the full sense of divine knowledge by whose love he is freed from that naturall part which is mortall and conceiveth hope of future immortality This therefore shall be the difference betwixt good and evil men for every one by piety religion divine worship and reverence of God shineth and becometh bright as the eye-sight when he hath throughly seen the truth of reason and the confidence of hope and excelleth so far other men as the Sun excelleth other Starrs in his Light for the Sun it self not so much in greatnesse of diety as in divinity and sanctity illuminateth the other Starrs For I suppose this O Asclepius to be the Second God governing all other things illustrating all worldly things whether they be creatures with life or without life for if the creature the world hath is shall alwaies be Living nothing in the world is mortal For there is no place of mortality for every living part which is in the world as in one and the same continuall living creature wherefore it ought to be full of life and eternity if it must always live The Sun therefore as the world is eternall and so is the governour of life and livelinesse and the continual dispenser of them He is therefore the God of the living and of those things which have life in the world the continuall governour and eternall dispensator of life it self for he hath once dispensed by an eternall Law and giveth life to every Living thing In this manner which I will speake of for in that quicknesse of eternity the world is moved and in that living eternity is the place of the world for which hereafter it shall neither stand nor be destroyed the world being intrenched and as it were wrapped in with the eternity of life It is therefore the dispenser or giver of life to all things which are in it and the place of all things which are governed under the Sun the commotion of which world consisteth of a twofold effect For it self is outwardly enlivened from eternity and it quickens and inlivens those things which are within it differing in proportions and appointed and prefixed times all things are known and ordered by the effects of the Sun and by the course and influence of the Starrs all temporall things are established by reason and divine Law the Earthly seasons are known by the quality of the Aire as either in the variety of heat or cold the Heavenly seasons by the return of the Starrs to the same places and by the temporall change of tides and the world is the receptacle of time by whose course and motion it is refreshed but time is kept by order Order and time make an innovation of all things which are in the world by course The COMMENTARY This Tenth Chapter speaketh of death and the examination of the Soul when the body shall die that they shall be most punished after death whose life justly is taken away by mens Lawes for the greatnesse of their offences that God is a defence to the righteous of the divinity of the Sun and the world for he puts the World to be the first sensible God the Sun to be the Second that the world shall never take rest nor be destroyed But we give not the incommunicable name of God neither to the Sun nor to the world and believe that the world shall one day be dissolved These things therefore being understood as the bare words of Hermes shew they set out the error of the Gentiles yet we do grant by participation to these a divinity as to excellent works of God This the tenth part CHAP. XI VVHerefore all things being so neither of things created Heavenly things or Earthly is any thing stable fixed or immoveable for only God and worthily he alone is in himself from himself and on all sides wholly full and perfect and this is his firme stability which cannot be removed by the enforcement or occasion of any other seeing in him are all things and in all things he is only unlesse any man will dare to say that his motion consisteth in eternity but much rather his eternity is unmoveable into which the motion of all times returneth and from which the motion of all times takes it beginning God hath therefore been alwayes stable and his eternity alwaies a like stable with him containing the world not created within himself which we rightly call sensible The Image of this God is the world which is made an imitator or resemblance of eternity for time hath the force and nature of stability in the very necessity of return again into it self wherefore albeit eternity be stable immoveable and fixed yet because by the mobility of time motion is alwayes called back into eternity and that mobility is turned by reason of time it comes to passe that eternity it self is certainely immoveable and may seem only by time to be moved in which it self is for in that time is all the motion so it happens that the stability of eternity is moved and the stability of time becomes stable by the rule of motion and so it is credible that God is moved into himself by the same immoveablenesse for there is an in immoveable motion in the greatnesse of his very stability for the condition of his greatnesse is immoveable This therefore which is so and not obvious to our senses is infinite incomprehensible and inestimable which can neither be sustained reported of nor found out whereupon it is uncertain wherein where how and in what fashion it is for he is reported to be in the greatest stability and in him is his stability whether he be God or Eternity whether the one be in the other or both in either for which cause eternity is without definition of time but time which may be defined returning either by order course or circuit of another is eternal wherefore both seem to be infinite both eternall for stability considering that it is fixed for that by the Benefit of strength it can sustein all things that are moveable it worthily obtaineth Dominion for the beginning of all things which are is God and eternity but the world because it is moveable hath not the principality for his mobility prevents his stability by the rule of continuall motion having an immoveable strength All sense therefore of the divinity