,,iamblichus ,,on ,the ,mysteries ,,of ,,the ,,egyptians1 ,,chaldeans1 ,,and ,,assyrians4 ,,translated ,,from ,,the ,,greek ,,by ,,thomas ,,taylor4 1 1 ' 4 ,,plutarch4 ,second ,edition4 ,,london3 ,,bertram ,,dobell1 #gg ,,charing ,,cross ,,road1 ,w4,c4 ,,and ,,reeves ,,and ,,turner1 #e ,,wellington ,,street1 ,,strand4 ,,mdcccxcv4 ,,advertisement4 ,the various translations and original works of ,thomas ,taylor1 though still in request by the more zealous students of ancient philosophy and occult science1 have now become so scarce and expensive that it is only within the power of comparatively wealthy collectors to obtain them4 ,this is a matter for regret1 inasmuch as it cannot be affirmed that his writings have been1 or are likely to be superseded1 or that they are without value4 ,they can hardly be neglected without loss by those who desire to understand the systems of philosophy which satisfied the spiritual needs of the antique world4 ,it is not possible1 even for the most fervent believer in modern 8progress10 to dismiss the speculations of the ancient philosophers as antiquated notions which have had their day and no longer possess interest or value4 ,the names of ,socrates1 ,plato1 and ,aristotle can never grow dim with age1 nor is it possible to conceive a time when men shall cease to study and reverence them4 ,as the disciple1 the translator1 and the expounder of these and of other sages of antiquity1 ,thomas ,taylor deserves to be held in honour and remembrance1 and it would be a misfortune if his labours remained unknown because of the scarcity of his books4 ,it is for this reason that the present reprint has been undertaken2 and it is hoped that it will meet with such a measure of success as may encourage the republication of various other works by the same author4 ,it has been printed in handsome style and published at a moderate price in order that it may be regarded as a desirable addition to the scholar's library1 while yet it will not tax severely the means of the not too wealthy student4 ,for the rest it is only necessary to say that this reprint is1 in size1 number of pages1 type1 and general get-up1 an almost exact facsimile of the original edition1 which was first printed in #ahba4 ,no alterations or additions have been made in or to the original text1 as it is thought that those who care for ,taylor's writings will prefer to have them in their integrity4 ,should it be found possible1 however1 to continue the series it is intended to prefix to a future volume an essay on ,taylor1 which will contain a biography of him1 and a critical estimate of his writings4 ,may1 #ahie4 ,,introduction4 ,it appears to me that there are two descriptions of persons by whom the present work must be considered to be of inestimable worth1 the lovers of antiquity and the lovers of ancient philosophy and religion4 ,to the former of these it must be invaluable1 because it is replete with information derived from the wise men of the ,chaldeans1 the prophets of the ,egyptians1 the dogmas of the ,assyrians1 and the ancient pillars of ,hermes2 and to the latter1 because of the doctrines contained in it1 some of which originated from the ,hermaic pillars1 were known by ,pythagoras and ,plato1 and were the sources of their philosophy2 and others are profoundly theological1 and unfold the mysteries of ancient religion with an admirable conciseness of diction1 and an inimitable vigour and elegance of conception4 ,to which also may be added1 as the colophon of excellence1 that it is the most copious1 the clearest1 and the most satisfactory defence extant of genuine ancient theology4 ,this theology1 the sacred operations pertaining to which called theurgy are here developed1 has for the most part1 since the destruction of it1 been surveyed only in its corruptions among barbarous nations1 or during the decline and fall of the ,roman empire1 with which1 overwhelmed with pollution1 it gradually fell1 and at length totally vanished from what is called the polished part of the globe4 ,this will be evident to the intelligent reader from the following remarks1 which are an epitome of what has been elsewhere more largely discussed by me on this subject1 and which also demonstrate the religion of the ,chaldeans1 ,egyptians1 and ,greeks to be no less scientific than sublime4 ,in the first place1 this theology celebrates the immense principle of things as something superior even to being itself2 as exempt from the whole of things1 of which it is nevertheless ineffably the source2 and does not1 therefore1 think fit to enumerate it with any triad#a or order of beings4 ,indeed it even apologizes for giving the appellation of the most simple of our conceptions to that which is beyond all knowledge and all conception4 ,it denominates this principle however1 the one and the good2 by the former of these names indicating its transcendent simplicity1 and by the latter its subsistence as the object of desire to all beings4 ,for all things desire good4 ,at the same time1 however1 it asserts that these appellations are in reality nothing more than the parturitions of the soul1 which1 standing as it were in the vestibules of the adytum of deity1 announce nothing pertaining to the ineffable1 but only indicate her spontaneous tendencies towards it1 and belong rather to the immediate offspring of the first ,god than to the first itself4 ,hence1 as the result of this most venerable conception of the supreme1 when it ventures not only to denominate it1 though ineffable1 but also to assert something of its relation to other things1 it considers this as preeminently its peculiarity1 that it is the principle of principles2 it being necessary that the characteristic property of principle1 after the same manner as other things1 should not begin from multitude1 but should be collected into one monad as a summit1 and which is the principle of all principles4 ,the scientific reasoning from which this dogma is deduced is the following4 ,as the principle of all things is the one1 it is necessary that the progression of beings should be continued1 and that no vacuum should intervene either in incorporeal or corporeal natures4 ,it is also necessary that every thing which has a natural progression should proceed through similitude4 ,in consequence of this1 it is likewise necessary that every producing principle should generate a number of the same order with itself1 viz4 nature1 a natural number2 soul1 one that is psychical 7i4 e4 belonging to soul72 and intellect an intellectual number4 ,for if whatever possesses a power of generating1 generates similars prior to dissimilars1 every cause must deliver its own form and characteristic peculiarity to its progeny2 and before it generates that which gives subsistence to progressions1 far distant and separate from its nature1 it must constitute things proximate to itself according to essence1 and conjoined with it through similitude4 ,it is1 therefore1 necessary from these premises1 since there is one unity1 the principle of the universe1 that this unity should produce from itself1 prior to every thing else1 a multitude of natures characterized by unity1 and a number the most of all things allied to its cause2 and these natures are no other than the ,gods4 ,according to this theology1 therefore1 from the immense principle of principles1 in which all things causally subsist1 absorbed in superessential light1 and involved in unfathomable depths1 a beauteous progeny of principles proceed1 all largely partaking of the ineffable1 all stamped with the occult characters of deity1 all possessing an overflowing fulness of good4 ,from these dazzling summits1 these ineffable blossoms1 these divine propagations1 being1 life1 intellect1 soul1 nature1 and body depend2 monads suspended from unities1 deified natures proceeding from deities4 ,each of these monads1 too1 is the leader of a series which extends from itself to the last of things1 and which1 while it proceeds from1 at the same time abides in1 and returns to1 its leader4 ,and all these principles1 and all their progeny1 are finally centred and rooted by their summits in the first great all-comprehending one4 ,thus all beings proceed from1 and are comprehended in1 the first being3 all intellects emanate from one first intellect2 all souls from one first soul2 all natures blossom from one first nature2 and all bodies proceed from the vital and luminous body of the world4 ,and1 lastly1 all these great monads are comprehended in the first one1 from which both they and all their depending series are unfolded into light4 ,hence this first one is truly the unity of unities1 the monad of monads1 the principle of principles1 the ,god of ,gods1 one and all things1 and yet one prior to all4 ,no objections of any weight1 no arguments but such as are sophistical1 can be urged against this most sublime theory1 which is so congenial to the unperverted conceptions of the human mind1 that it can only be treated with ridicule and contempt in degraded1 barren1 and barbarous ages4 ,ignorance and impious fraud1 however1 have hitherto conspired to defame those inestimable works#b in which this and many other grand and important dogmas can alone be found2 and the theology of the ancients has been attacked with all the insane fury of ecclesiastical zeal1 and all the imbecile flashes of mistaken wit1 by men whose conceptions on the subject1 like those of a man between sleeping and waking1 have been turbid and wild1 phantastic and confused1 preposterous and vain4 ,indeed1 that after the great incomprehensible cause of all1 a divine multitude subsists1 cooperating with this cause in the production and government of the universe1 has always been1 and is still1 admitted by all nations and all religions1 however much they may differ in their opinions respecting the nature of the subordinate deities1 and the veneration which is to be paid to them by man2 and however barbarous the conceptions of some nations on this subject may be1 when compared with those of others4 ,hence1 says the elegant ,maximus ,tyrius1 8,you will see one according law and assertion in all the earth1 that there is one ,god1 the king and father of all things1 and many ,gods1 sons of ,god1 ruling together with him4 ,this the ,greek says1 and the ,barbarian says1 the inhabitant of the continent1 and he who dwells near the sea1 the wise and the unwise4 ,and if you proceed as far as to the utmost shores of the ocean1 there also there are ,gods1 rising very near to some1 and setting very near to others40#c ,the deification1 however1 of dead men1 and the worshiping men as ,gods1 formed no part of this theology1 when it is considered according to its genuine purity4 ,numerous instances of the truth of this might be adduced1 but ,i shall mention for this purpose1 as unexceptionable witnesses1 the writings of ,plato1 the ,golden ,pythagoric ,verses1#d and the ,treatise of ,plutarch on ,isis and ,osiris4 ,all the works of ,plato1 indeed1 evince the truth of this position1 but this is particularly manifest from his ,laws4 ,the ,golden verses order that the immortal ,gods be honoured first1 as they are disposed by law2 afterwards the illustrious ,heroes1 under which appellation the author of the verses comprehends also angels and dmons1 properly so called2 and in the last place1 the terrestrial dmons1 i4 e4 such good men as transcend in virtue the rest of mankind4 ,but to honour the ,gods as they are disposed by law1 is1 as ,hierocles observes1 to reverence them as they are arranged by their demiurgus and father2 and this is to honour them as beings not only superior to man1 but also to dmons and angels4 ,hence1 to honour men1 however excellent they may be1 as ,gods1 is not to honour the ,gods according to the rank in which they are placed by their ,creator2 for it is confounding the divine with the human nature1 and is thus acting directly contrary to the ,pythagoric precept4 ,plutarch too1 in his above mentioned treatise1 most forcibly and clearly shows the impiety of worshiping men as ,gods4#e 8,so great an apprehension indeed10 says ,dr4 ,stillingfleet1#f 8had the ,heathens of the necessity of appropriate acts of divine worship1 that some of them have chosen to die1 rather than to give them to what they did not believe to be ,god4 ,we have a remarkable story to this purpose in ,arrian and ,curtius#g concerning ,callisthenes4 ,alexander arriving at that degree of vanity as to desire to have divine worship given him1 and the matter being started out of design among the courtiers1 either by ,anaxarchus1 as ,arrian1 or ,cleo the ,sicilian1 as ,curtius says2 and the way of doing it proposed1 viz4 by incense and prostration2 ,callisthenes vehemently opposed it1 as that which would confound the difference of human and divine worship1 which had been preserved inviolable among them4 ,the worship of the ,gods had been kept up in temples1 with altars1 and images1 and sacrifices1 and hymns1 and prostrations1 and such like2 but it is by no means fitting1 says he1 for us to confound these things1 either by lifting up men to the honours of the ,gods1 or depressing the ,gods to the honours of men4 ,for if ,alexander would not suffer any man to usurp his royal dignity by the votes of men2 how much more justly may the ,gods disdain for any man to take their honours to himself4 ,and it appears by ,plutarch1#h that the ,greeks thought it a mean and base thing for any of them1 when sent on any embassy to the kings of ,persia1 to prostrate themselves before them1 because this was only allowed among them in divine adoration4 ,therefore1 says he1 when ,pelopidas and ,ismenias were sent to ,artaxerxes1 ,pelopidas did nothing unworthy1 but ,ismenias let fall his ring to the ground1 and stooping for that1 was thought to make his adoration2 which was altogether as good a shift as the ,jesuits advising the crucifix to be held in the mandarin's hands while they made their adorations in the ,heathen temples in ,china4 ,conon#i also refused to make his adoration1 as a disgrace to his city2 and ,isocrates#aj accuses the ,persians for doing it1 because herein they showed that they despised the ,gods rather than men1 by prostituting their honours to their princes4 ,herodotus mentions ,sperchies and ,bulis1 who could not with the greatest violence be brought to give adoration to ,xerxes1 became it was against the law of their country to give divine honour to men4#aa ,and ,valerius ,maximus#ab says1 8the ,athenians put ,timagoras to death for doing it2 so strong an apprehension had possessed them1 that the manner of worship which they used to their ,gods1 should be preserved sacred and inviolable40 ,the philosopher ,sallust also1 in his ,treatise on the ,gods and the ,world1 says1 8,it is not unreasonable to suppose that impiety is a species of punishment1 and that those who have had a knowledge of the ,gods1 and yet despised them1 will in another life be deprived of this knowledge4 ,and it is requisite to make the punishment of those who have honoured their kings as ,gods to consist in being expelled from the ,gods40#ac ,when the ineffable transcendency of the first ,god1 which was considered as the grand principle in the ,heathen religion by the best theologists of all nations1 and particularly by its most illustrious promulgators1 ,orpheus1 ,pythagoras1 and ,plato1 was forgotten1 this oblivion was doubtless the principal cause of dead men being deified by the ,pagans4 ,had they properly directed their attention to this transcendency they would have perceived it to be so immense as to surpass eternity1 infinity1 self-subsistence1 and even essence itself1 and that these in reality belong to those venerable natures which are1 as it were1 first unfolded into light from the unfathomable depths of that truly mystic unknown1 about which all knowledge is refunded into ignorance4 ,for1 as ,simplicius justly observes1 8,it is requisite that he who ascends to the principle of things should investigate whether it is possible there can be any thing better than the supposed principle2 and if something more excellent is found1 the same inquiry should again be made respecting that1 till we arrive at the highest conceptions1 than which we have no longer any more venerable4 ,nor should we stop in our ascent till we find this to be the case4 ,for there is no occasion to fear that our progression will be through an unsubstantial void1 by conceiving something about the first principles which is greater and more transcendent than their nature4 ,for it is not possible for our conceptions to take such a mighty leap as to equal1 and much less to pass beyond1 the dignity of the first principles of things40 ,he adds1 8,this1 therefore1 is one and the best extension of the soul to the highest ,god1 and is1 as much as possible1 irreprehensible2 viz4 to know firmly1 that by ascribing to him the most venerable excellences we can conceive1 and the most holy and primary names and things1 we ascribe nothing to him which is suitable to his dignity4 ,it is sufficient1 however1 to procure our pardon for the attempt1 that we can attribute to him nothing superior40#ad ,if it is not possible1 therefore1 to form any ideas equal to the dignity of the immediate progeny of the ineffable1 i4 e4 of the first principles of things1 how much less can our conceptions reach that thrice unknown darkness1 in the reverential language of the ,egyptians1#ae which is even beyond these8 ,had the ,heathens1 therefore1 considered as they ought this transcendency of the supreme ,god1 they would never have presumed to equalize the human with the divine nature1 and consequently would never have worshiped men as ,gods4 ,their theology1 however1 is not to be accused as the cause of this impiety1 but their forgetfulness of the sublimest of its dogmas1 and the confusion with which this oblivion was necessarily attended4 ,but to return to the present work4 ,to some who are conversant with the writings of ,porphyry1 who know how high he ranks among the best of the ,platonists1 and that he was denominated by them1 on account of his excellence1 the philosopher1 it may seem strange that he should have been so unskilled in theological mysteries1 and so ignorant of the characteristics of the beings superior to man1 as by his epistle to ,anebo he may appear to have been4 ,that he was not1 however1 in reality thus unskilful and ignorant1 is evident from his admirable ,treatise on ,abstinence from ,animal ,food1 and his 1 or ,auxiliaries to ,intelligibles4 ,his apparent ignorance1 therefore1 must have been assumed for the purpose of obtaining a more perfect and copious solution of the doubts proposed in his ,epistle1 than he would otherwise have received4 ,but at the same time that this is admitted1 it must also be observed1 that he was inferior to ,iamblichus in theological science1 who so greatly excelled in knowledge of this kind1 that he was not surpassed by any one1 and was equaled by few4 ,hence he was denominated by all succeeding ,platonists the divine1 in the same manner as ,plato1 8to whom10 as the acute ,emperor ,julian remarks1 8he was posterior in time only1 but not in genius40#af ,the difficulties attending the translation of this work into ,english are necessarily great1 not only from its sublimity and novelty1 but also from the defects of the original4 ,i have1 however1 endeavoured to make the translation as faithful and complete as possible2 and have occasionally availed myself of the annotations of ,gale1 not being able to do so continually1 because for the most part1 where philosophy is concerned1 he shows himself to be an inaccurate1 impertinent1 and garrulous smatterer4 ,,the ,,epistle ,,of ,,porphyry ,,to ,,the ,,egyptian ,,anebo4 ,porphyry to the ,prophet ,anebo greeting4 ,i commence my friendship towards you from the ,gods and good dmons1 and from those philosophic disquisitions1 which have an affinity to these powers4 ,and concerning these particulars indeed1 much has been said by the ,grecian philosophers2 but1 for the most part1 the principles of their belief are derived from conjecture4 ,in the first place1 therefore1 it is granted that there are ,gods4 ,but ,i inquire what the peculiarities are of each of the more excellent genera1 by which they are separated from each other2 and whether we must say that the cause of the distinction between them is from their energies1 or their passive motions1 or from things that are consequent1 or from their different arrangement with respect to bodies2 as1 for instance1 from the arrangement of the ,gods with reference to etherial1 but of dmons to aerial1 and of souls to terrestrial1 bodies8 ,i also ask1 why1 since all the ,gods dwell in the heavens1 theurgists only invoke the terrestrial and subterranean ,gods8 ,likewise1 how some of the ,gods are said to be aquatic and aerial8 ,and how different ,gods are allotted different places1 and the parts of bodies according to circumscription1 though they have an infinite1 impartible1 and incomprehensible power8 ,how there will be a union of them with each other1 if they are separated by the divisible circumscriptions of parts1 and by the difference of places and subject bodies8 ,how do theologists1 or those who are wise in divine concerns1 represent the ,gods as passive1 to whom on this account1 it is said1 erect phalli are exhibited1 and obscene language is used8 ,but if they are impassive1 the invocations of the ,gods will be in vain1 which announce that they can appease the anger of the divinities1 and procure a reconciliation with them2 and still more1 what are called the necessities of the ,gods1 will be vain4 ,for that which is impassive cannot be allured1 nor compelled1 nor necessitated4 ,how1 therefore1 are many things1 in sacred operations1 performed to them as passive8 ,invocations1--likewise1 are made to the ,gods as passive2 so that not dmons only are passive1 but the ,gods also1 conformably to what ,homer says1 8,and flexible are e'en the ,gods themselves40#ag ,but if we assert with certain persons1 that the ,gods are pure intellects1 but that dmons1 being psychical1 participate of intellect2 in a still greater degree will pure intellects be incapable of being allured1 and will be unmingled with sensible natures4 ,supplications1 however1 are foreign to the purity of intellect1 and therefore are not to be made to it4 ,but the things which are offered in sacred rites are offered as to sensitive and psychical essences4 ,are1 therefore1 the ,gods separated from dmons1 through the former being incorporeal1 but the latter corporeal8 ,if1 however1 the ,gods are incorporeal alone1 how will the sun and moon1 and the visible celestials1 be ,gods8 ,how1 likewise1 are some of the ,gods beneficent1 but others malefic8 ,what is it that connects the ,gods in the heavens that have bodies1 with the incorporeal ,gods8 ,what is it that distinguishes dmons from the visible and invisible ,gods1 since the visible are connected with the invisible ,gods8 ,in what do a dmon1 hero1 and soul1 differ from each other8 ,is it in essence1 or in power1 or in energy8 ,what is the indication of a ,god1 or angel1 or archangel1 or dmon1 or a certain archon1 or soul being present8 ,for to speak boastingly1 and to exhibit a phantasm of a certain quality1 is common to ,gods and dmons1 and to all the more excellent genera4 ,so that the genus of ,gods will in no respect be better than that of dmons4 ,since the ignorance of1 and deception about1 divine natures is impiety and impurity1 but a scientific knowledge of the ,gods is holy and beneficial1 the ignorance of things honourable and beautiful will be darkness1 but the knowledge of them will be light4 ,and the former1 indeed1 will fill men with all evils1 through the want of erudition1 and through audacity2 but the latter will be the cause to them of every good4 ,i wish you1 therefore1 to unfold to me the truth respecting these particulars4#ah ,and1 in the first place1 ,i wish you to explain to me distinctly#ai what that is which is effected in divination8 ,for we frequently obtain a knowledge of future events through dreams1 when we are asleep2 not being1 at that time1 in a tumultuous ecstasy1 for the body is then quiescent2 but we do not apprehend what then takes place1 in the same manner as when we are awake4 ,but many1 through enthusiasm and divine inspiration1 predict future events1 and are then in so wakeful a state1 as even to energize according to sense1 and yet they are not conscious of the state they are in1 or at least1 not so much as they were before4 ,some also of those who suffer a mental alienation1 energize enthusiastically on hearing cymbals or drums1 or a certain modulated sound1 such as those who are ,corybantically inspired1 those who are possessed by ,sabazius1 and those who are inspired by the mother of the ,gods4 ,but some energize enthusiastically by drinking water1 as the priest of ,clarius1 in ,colophon2 others1 by being seated at the mouth of a cavern1 as those who prophesy at ,delphi2 and others by imbibing the vapour from water1 as the prophetesses in ,branchid4 ,some also become enthusiastic by standing on characters1 as those that are filled from the intromission of spirits4 ,others1 who are conscious what they are doing in other respects1 are divinely inspired according to the phantastic part2 some1 indeed1 receiving darkness for a cooperator1 others certain potions1 but others incantations and compositions3 and some energize1 according to the imagination1 through water2 others in a wall1 others in the open air1 and others in the sun1 or in some other of the celestial bodies4 ,some also establish the art of the investigation of futurity through the viscera1 through birds1 and through the stars4 ,i likewise ask concerning the mode of divination1 what it is1 and what the quality by which it is distinguished8 ,all diviners1 indeed1 assert1 that they obtain a foreknowledge of future events through ,gods or dmons1 and that it is not possible for any others to know that which is future1 than those who are the lords of futurity4 ,i doubt1 therefore1 whether divinity is so far subservient to men1 as not to be averse to some becoming diviners from meal4 ,but1 concerning the causes of divination1 it is dubious whether a ,god1 an angel1 or a dmon1 or some other power1 is present in manifestations1 or divinations1 or certain other sacred energies1 as is the case with those powers that are drawn down through you priests by the necessities with which invocation is attended4 ,or does the soul assert and imagine these things1 and are they1 as some think1 the passions of the soul1 excited from small incentives8 ,or is a certain mixed form of subsistence produced from our soul1 and divine inspiration externally derived8 ,hence it must be said1 that the soul generates the power which has an imaginative perception of futurity1 through motions of this kind1 or that the things which are adduced from matter constitute dmons1 through the powers that are inherent in them1 and especially things adduced from the matter which is taken from animals4 ,for in sleep1 when we are not employed about any thing1 we sometimes obtain a knowledge of the future4 ,but that a passion of the soul is the cause of divination1 is indicated by this1 that the senses are occupied1 that fumigations are introduced1 and that invocations are employed2 and likewise1 that not all men1 but those that are more simple and young1 are more adapted to prediction4 ,the ecstasy1 also1 of the reasoning power is the cause of divination1 as is likewise the mania which happens in diseases1 or mental aberration1 or a sober and vigilant condition1 or suffusions of the body1 or the imaginations excited by diseases1 or an ambiguous state of mind1 such as that which takes place between a sober condition and ecstasy1 or the imaginations artificially procured by enchantment4 ,nature1 likewise1 art1 and the sympathy of things in the universe1 as if they were the parts of one animal1 contain premanifestations of certain things with reference to each other4 ,and bodies are so prepared1 that there is a presignification of some by others1 which is clearly indicated by the works performed in predicting what is future4 ,for those who invoke the divinities for this purpose1 have about them stones and herbs1 bind certain sacred bonds1 which they also dissolve1 open places that are shut1 and change the deliberate intentions of the recipients1 so as from being depraved to render them worthy1 though they were before depraved4 ,nor are the artificers of efficacious images to be despised4 ,for they observe the motion of the celestial bodies1 and can tell from the concurrence of what star with a certain star or stars1 predictions will be true or false2 and also whether the things that are performed will be inanities1 or significant and efficacious1 though no divinity or dmon is drawn down by these images4 ,but there are some who suppose that there is a certain obedient genus of dmons1 which is naturally fraudulent1 omniform1 and various1 and which assumes the appearance of ,gods and dmons1 and the souls of the deceased2 and that through these every thing which appears to be either good or evil is effected2 for they are not able to contribute any thing to true goods1 such as those of the soul1 nor to have any knowledge of them1 but they abuse1 deride1 and frequently impede those who are striving to be virtuous4 ,they are likewise full of pride1 and rejoice in vapours and sacrifices4 ,jugglers likewise fraudulently attack us in many ways1 through the ardour of the expectations which they raise4 ,it very much indeed perplexes me to understand how superior beings1 when invoked1 are commanded by those that invoke them1 as if they were their inferiors2 and they think it requisite that he who worships them should be just1 but when they are called upon to act unjustly1 they do not refuse so to act4 ,though the ,gods1 likewise1 do not hear him who invokes them1 if he is impure from venereal connexions1 yet1 at the same time1 they do not refuse to lead any one to illegal venery4 ,i am likewise dubious with respect to sacrifices1 what utility or power they possess in the universe1 and with the ,gods1 and on what account they are performed1 appropriately indeed1 to the powers who are honoured by them1 but usefully to those by whom the gifts are offered4#bj ,why also do the interpreters of prophecies and oracles think it requisite that they should abstain from animals1 lest the ,gods should be polluted by the vapours arising from them2 and yet the ,gods are especially allured by the vapours of animals8 ,why is it requisite that the inspector who presides over sacred rites ought not to touch a dead body1 though most sacred operations are performed through dead bodies8 ,and why1 which is much more absurd than this1 are threats employed and false terrors1 by any casual person1 not to a dmon1 or some departed soul1 but to the sovereign ,sun himself1 or to the ,moon1 or some one of the celestial ,gods1 in order to compel these divinities to speak the truth8 ,for does not he who says that he will burst the heavens1 or unfold the secrets of ,isis1 or point out the arcanum in the adytum1 or stop ,baris1 or scatter the members of ,osiris to ,typhon1 or that he will do something else of the like kind#ba1 does not he who says this1 by thus threatening what he neither knows nor is able to effect1 prove himself to be stupid in the extreme8 ,and what abjectness does it not produce in those who1 like very silly children1 are possessed with such vain fear1 and are terrified at such fictions8 ,and yet ,chremon1 who was a sacred scribe1 writes these things1 as disseminated by the ,egyptians4 ,it is also said1 that these1 and things of the like kind1 are of a most compulsive nature4 ,what also is the meaning of those mystic narrations which say that a certain divinity is unfolded into light from mire1 that he is seated above the lotus1 that he sails in a ship1 and that he changes his forms every hour1 according to the signs of the zodiac8 ,for thus1 they say1 he presents himself to the view1 and thus ignorantly adapt the peculiar passion of their own imagination to the ,god himself4 ,but if these things are asserted symbolically1 being symbols of the powers of this divinity1 ,i request an interpretation of these symbols4 ,for it is evident1 that if these are similar to passions of the ,sun1 when he is eclipsed1 they would be seen by all men who intently survey the ,god4 ,what also is the design of names that are without signification8 and why1 of such1 are those that are barbaric preferred to our own8 ,for if he who hears them looks to their signification1 it is sufficient that the conception remains the same1 whatever the words may be that are used4 ,for he who is invoked is not of the ,egyptian race2 nor1 if he was an ,egyptian1 does he use the ,egyptian1 or1 in short1 any human language4 ,for either all these are the artificial contrivances of enchanters1 and veils originating from our passions1 which rumour ascribes to a divine nature2 or we ignorantly frame conceptions of divinity1 contrary to its real mode of subsistence4 ,i likewise wish you to unfold to me1 what the ,egyptians conceive the first cause to be2 whether intellect1 or above intellect8 whether alone1 or subsisting with some other or others8 whether incorporeal1 or corporeal2 and whether it is the same with the ,demiurgus1 or prior to the ,demiurgus8 ,likewise1 whether all things are from one principle1 or from many principles8 whether the ,egyptians have a knowledge of matter1 or of primary corporeal qualities2 and whether they admit matter to be unbegotten1 or to be generated8 ,for ,chremon1 indeed1 and others1 do not think there is any thing else prior to the visible worlds2 but in the beginning of their writings on this subject1 admit the existence of the ,gods of the ,egyptians1 but of no others1 except what are called the planets1 the ,gods that give completion to the zodiac1 and such as rise together with these2 and likewise1 the sections into decans1 and the horoscopes4 ,they also admit the existence of what are called the powerful leaders1 whose names are to be found in the calendars1 together with their ministrant offices1 their risings and settings1 and their significations of future events4 ,for ,chremon saw that what those who say that the sun is the ,demiurgus1 and likewise what is asserted concerning ,osiris and ,isis1 and all the sacred fables1 may be resolved into the stars and the phases1 occultations and risings of these1 or into the increments or decrements of the moon1 or into the course of the sun1 or the nocturnal and diurnal hemisphere1 or into the river ,nile4 ,and1 in short1 the ,egyptians resolve all things into physical1 and nothing into incorporeal and living essences4 ,most of them likewise suspend that which is in our power from the motion of the stars2 and bind all things1 though ,i know not how1 with the indissoluble bonds of necessity1 which they call fate4 ,they also connect fate with the ,gods2 whom1 nevertheless1 they worship in temples and statues1 and other things1 as the only dissolvers of fate4 ,concerning the peculiar dmon1 it must be inquired how he is imparted by the lord of the geniture1 and according to what kind of efflux1 or life1 or power1 he descends from him to us8 ,and also1 whether he exists1 or does not exist8 ,and whether the invention of the lord of the geniture is impossible1 or possible8 ,for if it is possible he is happy1 who having learned the scheme of his nativity1 and knowing his proper dmon1 becomes liberated from fate4 ,the canons1 also1 of genethlialogy or prediction from the natal day are innumerable and incomprehensible4 ,and the knowledge of this mathematical science cannot be obtained2 for there is much dissonance concerning it1 and ,chremon and many others have written against it4 ,but the discovery of the lord1 or lords1 of the geniture1 if there are more than one in a nativity1 is nearly granted by astrologers themselves to be unattainable1 and yet they say that on this the knowledge of the proper dmon depends4 ,farther still1 ,i wish to know whether the peculiar dmon rules over some one of the parts in us8 ,for it appears to certain persons1 that dmons preside over the parts of our body1 so that one is the guardian of health1 another of the form of the body1 and another of the corporeal habits1 and that there is one dmon who presides in common over all these4 ,and again1 that one dmon presides over the body1 another over the soul1 and another over the intellect2 and that some of them are good1 but others bad4 ,i am also dubious whether this dmon is not a certain part of the soul1 such1 for instance1 as the intellectual part2 and if so1 he will be happy who has a wise intellect4 ,i see likewise1 that there is a twofold worship of the peculiar dmon2 the one being the worship as of two1 but the other as of three4 ,by all men1 however1 the dmon is called upon by a common invocation4 ,i farther ask1 whether there is a certain other latent way to felicity1 separate from the ,gods8 ,and ,i am dubious whether it is requisite to look to human opinions in divine divination and theurgy8 ,and whether the soul does not devise great things from casual circumstances8 ,moreover1 there are certain other methods1 which are conversant with the prediction of future events4 ,and1 perhaps1 those who possess divine divination1 foresee indeed what will happen1 yet are not on this account happy2 for they foresee future events1 but do not know how to use this knowledge properly4 ,i wish1 therefore1 that you would point out to me the path to felicity1 and show me in what the essence of it consists4 ,for with us ,greeks there is much verbal contention about it1 because we form a conjecture of good from human reasonings4 ,but by those who have devised the means of associating with beings more excellent than man1 if the investigation of this subject is omitted1 wisdom will be professed by them in vain2 as they will only disturb a divine intellect about the discovery of a fugitive slave1 or the purchase of land1 or1 if it should so happen1 about marriage1 or merchandize4 ,and if they do not omit this subject1 but assert what is most true about other things1 yet say nothing that is stable and worthy of belief about felicity1 in consequence of employing themselves about things that are difficult1 but useless to mankind2 in this case1 they will not be conversant either with ,gods or good dmons1 but with that dmon who is called fraudulent2 or1 if this is not admitted1 the whole will be the invention of men1 and the fiction of a mortal nature4 ,iamblichus#bb on the ,mysteries1 c4 ,,the ,,answer ,,of ,,the ,,preceptor ,,abammon ,,to ,,the ,,epistle ,,of ,,porphyry ,,to ,,anebo1 ,,and ,a ,,solution ,,of ,,the ,,doubts ,,contained ,,in ,,it4 ,,section ,i4 ,,chap4 ,i4 ,hermes1 the ,god who presides over language1 was formerly very properly considered as common to all priests2 and the power who presides over the true science concerning the ,gods is one and the same in the whole of things4 ,hence our ancestors dedicated the inventions of their wisdom to this deity1 inscribing all their own writings with the name of ,hermes4 ,if1 therefore1 we participate of a portion of this ,god1 adapted and commensurate to our powers1 you do well to propose your theological doubts to the priests1 as friends1 and to make these doubts known to them4 ,i also very properly conceiving that the epistle sent to my disciple ,anebo was written to me1 shall give you a true answer to your inquiries4 ,for it would not be becoming1 that ,pythagoras and ,plato1 ,democritus and ,eudoxus1 and many other of the ancient ,greeks1 should have obtained appropriate instruction from the sacred scribes of their time1 but that you who are our contemporary1 and think conformably to those ancients1 should be frustrated of your wish by those who are now living1 and who are called common preceptors4 ,i1 therefore1 thus betake myself to the present discussion2 and do you1 if you please1 conceive that the same person to whom you sent the letter returns you an answer4 ,or1 if it should seem fit to you1 admit it to be me who discourses with you in writing1 or some other prophet of the ,egyptians1 for this is of no consequence4 ,or1 which ,i think is still better1 dismiss the consideration whether the speaker is an inferior or a superior character1 but direct your attention to what is said1 so as readily to excite your mind to survey whether what is asserted is true or false4 ,in the first place1 therefore1 we shall divide the genera of the proposed problems1 in order that we may know the quantity and quality of them4 ,and1 in the next place1 we shall show from what theologies the doubts are assumed1 and according to what sciences they are investigated4 ,for some things that are badly confused1 require a certain distinction2 others are conversant with the cause through which they subsist1 and are apprehended2 others1 which we propose according to a certain contrariety1 draw our decision on both sides2 and some things require from us the whole development of mystic doctrines4 ,such1 therefore1 being the nature of the subjects of discussion1 they are assumed from many places1 and from different sciences4 ,for some things introduce animadversions from what the wise men of the ,chaldeans have delivered2 others produce objections from what the prophets of the ,egyptians teach2 and there are some that1 adhering to the theory of philosophers1 make inquiries conformably to them4 ,there are now likewise some1 that from other opinions1 which do not deserve to be mentioned1 elicite a certain dubitation2 and others originate from the common conceptions of mankind4 ,these things1 therefore1 are of themselves variously disposed1 and are multiformly connected with each other4 ,hence1 through all these causes1 a certain discussion is requisite for the management of them in a becoming manner4 ,,chap4 ,,ii4 ,we shall1 therefore1 deliver to you the peculiar dogmas of the ,assyrians2 and also clearly develop to you our own opinions2 collecting some things from the infinite writings of the ancients1 but others from those particulars which were comprehended by the ancients in one treatise1 and pertain to the whole knowledge of divine natures4 ,if also you should propose any philosophic inquiry1 we shall discuss it for you1 according to the ancient pillars of ,hermes1 which ,plato and ,pythagoras knew before1 and from thence constituted their philosophy4 ,but such things as exhibit foreign inquiries1 or which are contradictory and contentious1 we shall assist mildly and aptly1 or we shall demonstrate their absurdity4 ,such1 likewise1 as proceed conformably#bc to common conceptions1 we shall endeavour to discuss in a way perfectly known and clear4 ,and things1 indeed1 which require the experience of divine operations to an accurate knowledge of them1 we shall explain1 as far as this is possible to be effected by words alone2 but such as are full of intellectual theory1 we shall develop with a view to the purification of the soul4 ,but indications of this theory worthy of notice may be mentioned1 by which it is possible for you1 and those who resemble you1 to be conducted by intellect to the essence of real beings4 ,and with respect to such things as become known by a reasoning process1 we shall leave no one of these without a perfect demonstration4 ,but in all things we shall give to each that which is appropriate4 ,and such questions1 indeed1 as are theological1 we shall answer theologically2 such as are theurgic1 theurgically2 but such as are philosophical1 we shall1 in conjunction with you1 philosophically explore4 ,of these1 also1 such as extend to first causes1 we shall unfold into light1 by following them conformably to first principles4 ,but such as pertain to morals1 or to ends1 we shall fitly discuss1 according to the ethical mode4 ,and1 in a similar manner1 we shall examine other things methodically and appropriately4 ,let us1 therefore1 now betake ourselves to your inquiries4 ,,chap4 ,,iii4 ,in the first place1 therefore1 you say1 8it must be granted that there are ,gods40 ,thus to speak1 however1 is not right on this subject4 ,for an innate knowledge of the ,gods is coexistent with our very essence2 and this knowledge is superior to all judgment and deliberate choice1 and subsists prior to reason and demonstration4 ,it is also counited from the beginning with its proper cause1 and is consubsistent with the essential tendency of the soul to the good4 ,if1 indeed1 it be requisite to speak the truth1 the contact with divinity is not knowledge4 ,for knowledge is in a certain respect separated from its object by otherness4#bd ,but prior to the knowledge1 which as one thing knows another1 is the uniform connexion with divinity1 and which is suspended from the ,gods1 is spontaneous and inseparable from them4 ,hence1 it is not proper to grant this1 as if it might not be granted1 nor to admit it as ambiguous 7for it is always unically established in energy72 nor are we worthy thus to explore it1 as if we had sufficient authority to approve or reject it4 ,for we are comprehended in it1 or rather we are filled by it1 and we possess that very thing which we are1 or by which our essence is characterized in knowing the ,gods4 ,i shall likewise say the same thing to you1 concerning the more excellent genera that follow the ,gods1 ,i mean dmons1 heroes1 and undefiled souls4#be ,for it is necessary to understand respecting these1 that there is always in them one definite reason of essence1 and to remove from them the indefiniteness and instability of the human condition4 ,it is likewise requisite to separate from them that inclination to one side of an argument rather than another1 arising from the equilibrium of a reasoning process4 ,for a thing of this kind is foreign from the principles of reason and life1 and rather tends to secondary natures1 and to such things as pertain to the power and contrariety of generation4 ,but it is necessary that the more excellent genera should be apprehended uniformly4 ,the connascent perception1 therefore1 of the perpetual attendance of the ,gods1 will be assimilated to them4 ,hence1 as they have an existence which is always invariably the same1 thus also the human soul is conjoined to them by knowledge1 according to a sameness of subsistence2 by no means pursuing through conjecture1 or opinion1 or a syllogistic process1 all which originate in time1 an essence which is above all these1 but through the pure and blameless intellections which the soul received from eternity from the ,gods1 becoming united to them4 ,you1 however1 seem to think1 that there is the same knowledge of divine natures as of any thing else1 and that one thing1 rather than another1 may be granted from opposites1 in the same manner as it is usual to do in dialectic discussions4 ,there is1 however1 no similitude whatever between the two kinds of knowledge4 ,for the knowledge of divine natures is different from that of other things1 and is separated from all opposition4 ,it likewise neither subsists in being now granted1 or in becoming to be1 but was from eternity1 uniformly consubsistent with the soul4 ,and thus much ,i say to you concerning the first principle in us1 from which it is necessary those should begin who speak or hear any thing about the natures that are superior to us4 ,,chap4 ,,iv4 ,with respect to your inquiry1 8what the peculiarities are in each of the more excellent genera1 by which they are separated from each other80 if you understand by peculiarities the specific differences under the same genus1 which are distinguished by opposite qualities1 as the rational and irrational under animal2 we by no means admit peculiarities of this kind1 in things which neither have one common essence1 nor an equal contradistinction1 nor receive a composition from something common1 which is indefinite1 and defines the peculiarity4 ,but if you apprehend the peculiarity to be1 as in prior and secondary natures1 differing in their whole essence and whole genus1 a certain simple condition of being1 definite in itself2 in this case1 your conception of peculiarities will be reasonable4 ,for these peculiarities of things1 which have an eternal subsistence1 are simple1 and entirely exempt4 ,the inquiry1 however1 proceeds imperfectly4 ,for it was necessary1 in the first place1 to inquire what the peculiarities are of the more excellent genera1 according to essence2 in the next place1 what they are according to power2 and thus afterwards1 what they are according to energy4 ,but1 as your question now stands1 with respect to the peculiarities by which these genera are separated1 you alone speak of the peculiarities of energies4 ,hence you inquire concerning the difference in the last things pertaining to them2 but you leave uninvestigated such things as are first1 and most honourable in them1 and which are the elements of their difference4 ,in the same place1 also1 something is added concerning 8efficacious and passive motions10 which is a division by no means adapted to the difference of the more excellent genera4 ,for the contrariety of action and passion is not inherent in any one of them2 but their energies are unrestrained1 immutable1 and without habitude to their opposites4 ,hence1 neither must we admit in them motions of such a kind as arise from action and passion4 ,for neither do we admit in the soul a self-motion1 which consists of the mover and that which is moved2 but we conceive that it is a certain simple essential motion1 subsisting from itself1#bf and not possessing a habitude to another thing1 and exempt from acting on1 and suffering from1 itself4 ,who1 therefore1 can endure that the peculiarities of the genera superior to the soul1 should be distinguished according to active or passive motions8 ,that also which is added by you1 8or of accidents10 is foreign from these genera4 ,for in composites1 and things which exist together with1 or in others1 or are comprehended by others1 some things are conceived to be precedaneous1 but others consequent2 and some as essences1 but others1 as afterwards acceding to essences4 ,for there is a certain coarrangement of them1 and incongruity and interval intervenes4 ,but1 in the more excellent genera1 all things must be conceived in 1 i4 e4 in merely existing2 and wholes have a precedaneous subsistence1 are separate by themselves1 and have not their hypostasis from1 or in others2 so that there is not any thing in them which is accidental4 ,hence the peculiarity of them is not characterized from accidents4 ,at the end1 likewise1 of your inquiry1 you introduce a distinction according to nature4 ,for your question asks1 8,how essences are known by energies1 by physical motions1 and by accidents80 ,the very contrary1 however1 to all this takes place4 ,for if energies and motions were constitutive of essences1 they would be the lords of the difference which is between them4 ,but if essences generate energies1 the former being separate prior to the latter1 will impart to motions1 energies1 and accidents1 that by which they differ from each other4 ,this1 therefore1 subsists contrarily to what you suppose1 for the purpose of discovering the peculiarity which you now investigate4 ,in short1 whether you think that there is one genus of the ,gods1 one of dmons1 and in a similar manner of heroes1 and souls essentially incorporeal2 or whether you admit that these are severally many1 you inquire what the difference of them is according to peculiarities4 ,for if you apprehend that each of these is one and the same genus the whole arrangement of scientific theology is confounded4 ,but if1 as truth requires1 you admit that they are genetically distinguished1 and that there is not in them one common essential definition1 but that those of them which are prior1 are exempt from those that are inferior1 it is not possible to discover their common boundaries4 ,and even if this were possible1 this very thing would destroy their peculiarities4 ,in this way1 therefore1 the object of investigation cannot be found4 ,he1 however1 he who directs his attention to the analogous sameness which exists in superior natures1 as1 for instance1 in the many genera of the ,gods1 and again in dmons and heroes1 and1 in the last place1 in souls1 will be able to define their peculiarities4 ,hence through this1 it is demonstrated by us what the rectitude is of the present inquiry1 and what its accurate distinction1 and also in what manner it is impossible1 and in what manner it is possible1 for it to subsist4 ,,chap4 ,v4 ,in the next place1 let us direct our attention to the solution of your inquiries4 ,there is1 therefore1 the good itself which is beyond essence1 and there is that good which subsists according to essence2 ,i mean the essence which is most ancient and most honourable1 and by itself incorporeal4 ,and this is the illustrious peculiarity of the ,gods1 which exists in all the genera that subsist about them1 preserving their appropriate distribution and order1 and not being divulsed from it1 and at the same time being inherent with invariable sameness in all the ,gods1 and their perpetual attendants4 ,in souls1 however1 which rule over bodies1 and precedaneously pay attention to them1 and which1 prior to generation1 have by themselves a perpetual arrangement1 essential good is not present1 nor the cause of good1 which is prior to essence2 but to these a certain participation#bg and habit1 proceeding from essential good1 accedes2 just as we see that the participation of beauty and virtue is very different in these souls from that which we behold in men4 ,for the latter is ambiguous1 and accedes to composite natures as something adventitious4 ,but the former has an immutable and never failing establishment in souls1 and neither itself ever departs from itself1 nor can be taken away by any thing else4 ,such1 therefore1 being the beginning and end in the divine genera1 conceive two media between these extreme boundaries1 viz4 the order of heroes1 which has an arrangement more elevated than that of souls1 in power and virtue1 in beauty and magnitude1 and in all the goods which subsist about souls1 and which1 though it entirely transcends the psychical order1 yet1 at the same time1 is proximately conjoined to it1 through the alliance of a similar formed life4 ,but the other medium1 which is suspended from the ,gods1 though it is far inferior to them1 is that of dmons1 which is hot of a primarily operative nature1 but is subservient to1 and follows the beneficent will of the ,gods4 ,it likewise unfolds into energy the invisible good of the ,gods1 being itself assimilated to it1 and gives completion to its fabrications conformably to it4 ,for it renders that which is ineffable in the good of the ,gods effable1 illuminates that which is formless in forms1 and produces into visible reasons or productive forms that which in divine good is above all reason4 ,receiving also a connascent participation of things beautiful1 it imparts and transfers it1 in unenvying abundance1 to the genera posterior to itself4 ,these middle genera1 therefore1 give completion to the common bond of the ,gods and souls1 and cause the connexion of them to be indissoluble4 ,they also bind together the one continuity of things from on high as far as to the end2 make the communion of wholes to be inseparable2 cause all things to have the best1 and a commensurate mixture2 in a certain respect1 equally transmit the progression from more excellent to inferior natures1 and the elevation from things posterior to such as are prior2 insert in more imperfect beings order and measures of the communication which descends from more excellent natures1 and of that by which it is received2 and make all things to be familiar and coadapted to all1 supernally receiving the causes of all these from the ,gods4 ,you must not1 therefore1 think that this division is the peculiarity of powers or energies1 or of essence2 nor assuming it separately1 must you survey it in one of these4 ,but by extending it in common through all the genera1 you will give perfection to the answer concerning the peculiarities of ,gods1 dmons1 and heroes1 and also of those in souls which are now the subjects of your inquiry4 ,again1 however1 according to another mode of considering the subject1 it is necessary to ascribe to the ,gods the whole of that which is united1 of whatever kind it may be2 that which is firmly established in itself1 and which is the cause of impartible essences2 the immoveable1 which also is to be considered as the cause of all motion1 and which transcends the whole of things1 and has nothing in common with them2 and the unmingled and the separate1 understood in common in essence1 power and energy1 and every thing else of this kind4 ,but that which is now separated into multitude1 and is able to impart itself to other things1 and which receives from others bound in itself1 and is sufficient in the distributions of partible natures1 so as to give completion to them2 which also participates of the primarily operative and vivific1 having communion with all real and generated beings2 receives a commixture from all things1 imparts a contemperation to all things from itself1 and extends these peculiarities through all the powers1 essences1 and energies1 in itself2 all this we shall truly ascribe to souls1 by asserting that it is naturally implanted in them4 ,,chap4 ,,vi4 ,what1 therefore1 shall we say concerning the media8 ,i think1 indeed1 that from what has been before said1 they will be manifest to every one2 for these give completion to the indivisible connexion of the extremes4 ,nevertheless1 it is necessary to be more explicit4 ,i consider1 therefore1 the dmoniacal tribe to be multiplied1 but1 unitedly1 to be comingled1 but in an unmingled manner1 and to comprehend all other things of a subordinate nature1 according to the idea of that which is more excellent4 ,but again1 the tribe of heroes supernally presides over a more obvious division and multitude1 and likewise over motion1 commixture1 and things allied to these4 ,it also receives gifts of a more excellent nature1 concealed as it were inwardly2 ,i mean union1 purity1 a firm establishment1 impartible sameness1 and a transcendency above other things4 ,for one of these middle genera is proximate to the first1 but the other to the last1 of the extremes4 ,but it reasonably follows1 according to continuity of alliance1 that the medium which begins from the most excellent natures1 should proceed to such as are less excellent2 but that the medium which primarily produces a contact with the last of things1 should also in a certain respect communicate with the natures that transcend it4 ,from these media1 also1 the completion may be seen of the first and last genera1 and this entirely connascent1 in a similar manner1 in existence1 in power1 and in energy4 ,as we have1 therefore1 in these two ways1 perfectly completed the division of the four genera1 we shall deem it sufficient in the others1 to exhibit the extreme peculiarities alone1 for the sake of conciseness1 and because what remains1 i4 e4 the comprehension of the media1 is in a certain respect evident4 ,but the media themselves1 as being known from the extremes1 we shall omit2 making a definition of the extremes in the shortest way1 as follows4 ,,chap4 ,,vii4 ,of the extremes1 therefore1 one is supreme1 transcendent1 and perfect2 but the other is last in dignity1 deficient1 and more imperfect4 ,and the former1 indeed1 is capable of accomplishing all things at once1 uniformly in an instant2 but the latter is neither able to effect all things1 nor at once1 nor suddenly1 nor impartibly4 ,the former also generates and governs all things1 without being inclined towards them2 but the latter is naturally disposed to verge1 and be converted to the things which it generates and governs4 ,and the former1 indeed1 as primordial and cause1 precedes all things in power2 but the latter1 being suspended from the will of the ,gods1 as from a cause1 is from eternity consubsistent with it4 ,the former1 likewise1 according to one vigorous acme1 comprehends the ends of all energies and essences2 but the latter passes from some things to others1 and proceeds from the imperfect to the perfect4 ,farther still1 to the former that which is highest and that which is incomprehensible pertain1 and also that which is better than all measure1 and is in such a manner formless1 as not to be circumscribed by any form2 but the latter is vanquished by inclination1 habitude1 and propensity2 and is detained by appetites directed to that which is less excellent1 and by familiarity with secondary natures4 ,hence1 in the last place1 it is formalized by all-various measures derived from them4 ,intellect1 therefore1 which is the leader and king of all beings1 and which is the demiurgic art of the universe1 is always present with the ,gods with invariable sameness1 perfectly1 and without indigence1 being purely established in itself1 according to one energy4 ,but soul participates of a partible and multiform intellect1 having its attention directed to the government of the whole4 ,it also providentially attends to inanimate natures1 becoming at different times ingenerated in different forms4 ,from the same causes1 therefore1 order and beauty itself are consubsistent with the more excellent genera2 or1 if some one had rather admit it1 the cause of these is consubsistent with them4 ,but with soul1 the participation of intellectual order and divine beauty is always present4 ,and with the former1 indeed1 the measure of wholes1 or the cause of this1 perpetually concurs4 ,but soul is terminated by the divine boundary1 and participates of this in a partible manner4 ,to the former1 also1 empire over all beings1 through the power and domination of cause1 may be reasonably ascribed4 ,but soul has certain distinct boundaries1 as far as to which it is able to have dominion4 ,such1 therefore1 being the different peculiarities in the extremes1 it will not be difficult to understand what we have now said1 and to perceive the middle peculiarities of dmons and heroes1 which are allied to each of the extremes1 possessing a similitude1 to each1 departing from both to the medium1 and embracing a concordant communion comingled from them1 and connected with it in appropriate measures4 ,such1 therefore1 must be conceived to be the peculiarities of the first divine genera4 ,,chap4 ,,viii4 ,but neither must we admit that cause of the distinction of these genera which you subjoin1 viz4 8that it is an arrangement with reference to different bodies2 as1 for instance1 of ,gods to etherial bodies1 but of dmons to aerial bodies1 and of souls to such as are terrene40 ,for such an arrangement as this1 which resembles that of ,socrates to a tribe1 when he is a senator1 is unworthy of the divine genera1 because all of them are essentially unrestrained and free4 ,to which may be added1 that it is dreadfully absurd to ascribe to bodies a principal power of giving a specific distinction to the first causes of themselves4 ,for bodies are in servile subjection to these causes1 and are ministrant to generation4 ,and farther still1 the genera of the more excellent natures are not in bodies1 but the former externally rule over the latter4 ,hence they are not changed in conjunction with bodies4 ,again1 they impart from themselves to bodies every such good as they are able to receive1 but they themselves receive nothing from bodies2 so that neither will they derive from them certain peculiarities4 ,for if they were as the habits of bodies1 or as material forms1 or were in some other way corporeal-formed1 it would1 perhaps1 be possible for them to be changed together with the differences of bodies4 ,but if they are separate from bodies1 and essentially preexist unmingled with them1 what reasonable distinction1 produced from bodies1 can be transferred to them8 ,to which also may be added1 that this assertion of yours makes bodies to be more excellent than the divine genera1 since the former afford a seat to superior causes1 and insert in them peculiarities essentially4 ,he1 therefore1 who coarranges allotments1 distributions1 and consociations of governors with the governed1 will evidently assign a principal authority to more excellent natures4 ,for1 because the presiding powers are such as we have shown them to be1 on this account they have such an allotment1 and give to it an essential specific distinction1 but they are not assimilated to the nature of their receptacles4 ,it is necessary1 therefore1 to admit a thing of this kind in partial souls4 ,for such as is the life which the soul received1 prior to its insertion in a human body1 and such as the form which it readily exerted2 such also is the organical body which it has suspended from itself1 and such the consequent corresponding nature1 which receives the more perfect life of the soul4 ,but with respect to more excellent natures1 and which1 as wholes1 comprehend the principle of parts in these1 inferior are produced in superior natures2 bodies1 in incorporeal essences2 things fabricated1 in the fabricators2 and1 being circularly comprehended in1 are directed and governed by1 them4 ,hence1 the circulations of the celestial bodies1 being primarily inserted in the celestial circulations of the etherial soul1 are perpetually inherent in them2 and the souls of the worlds i4 e4 of the spheres1 being extended to their intellect1 are perfectly comprehended by it1 and are primarily generated in it4 ,intellect1 also1 both that which is partial and that which is universal1 is in a similar manner comprehended in the genera that are more excellent than intellect4 ,since1 therefore1 second are always converted to first natures1 and superior are the leaders of inferior essences1 as being the paradigms of them1 hence essence and form accede to subordinate from superior natures1 and things posterior are primarily produced in such as are more excellent2 so that order and measure are derived from primary to secondary beings1 and the latter possess that which they are from the former4 ,but the contrary must not be admitted1 viz4 that peculiarities emanate from things less excellent to the natures which precede them4 ,hence1 through these things such a corporeal-formed division as you introduce1 is demonstrated to be false4 ,it is1 indeed1 especially necessary not to propose any thing of this kind2 but if this should appear to you to be requisite1 yet you must not think1 that what is false deserves to be discussed4 ,for such a discussion does not exhibit a copiousness of arguments2 but he wearies himself in vain1 who1 proposing things that are false1 endeavours afterwards to subvert them1 as things that are not true4 ,for how is it possible that an essence1 which is of itself incorporeal1 and which has nothing in common with the bodies that participate of it1 should be distinguished from other things by corporeal qualities8 ,how can that which is not locally present with bodies1 be separated by corporeal places8 ,and how can that which is not inclosed by the partible circumscriptions of subjects1 be partibly detained by the parts of the world8 ,what1 also1 is that which can prevent the ,gods from being every where8 ,and what can restrain their power from extending as far as to the celestial arch8 ,for to effect this1 must be the work of a more powerful cause1 which is able to inclose and circumscribe them in certain parts4 ,but truly existing being1 and which is essentially incorporeal1 is every where1 wherever it may wish to be4 ,and that which is divine1 and which transcends all things1 would if what you say were admitted be transcended by the perfection of the whole world1 and1 as a certain part1 would be comprehended by it4 ,hence1 it would be inferior to corporeal magnitude4 ,i do not1 however1 see after what manner these sensible natures could be produced and specifically distinguished1 if there was no divine fabrication1 and if no participation of divine forms1 extended through the whole world4 ,in short1 this opinion wholly subverts sacred institutions1 and the theurgic communion of the ,gods with men2 since it exterminates from the earth the presence of the more excellent genera4 ,for it says nothing else than that divine dwell remote from earthly natures1 and that this our place of abode is deserted by them4 ,according to this assertion1 therefore1 neither can we1 that are priests1 learn any thing from the ,gods1 nor do you rightly inquire of us1 as knowing more than others1 since we shall differ in no respect from other men4 ,no one1 however1 of these assertions is sane4 ,for neither are the ,gods detained in certain parts of the world1 nor are terrene natures destitute of their providential attention4 ,but the divinities are characterized by this1 that they are not comprehended by any thing1 and that they comprehend all things in themselves4 ,but terrestrial natures possess their existence in the pleromas#bh of the ,gods2 and when they become adapted to divine participation1 then prior to their own proper essence1 they immediately possess the ,gods1 which latently preexisted in it4 ,through these things1 therefore1 we have shown that the whole of this division is false2 that the method employed by you of investigating peculiarities is irrational2 and that to suppose the government of the ,gods is fixed in a certain place1 is by no means to apprehend the whole essence and power which is in them4 ,it would have been proper1 therefore1 to have omitted the opposite inquiry made by you1 about this distribution of more excellent natures1 as not contradicting in any respect true conceptions4 ,because1 however1 it is necessary rather to direct the attention to true science1 but not to dispute with men1 on this account1 we also shall adapt the present inquiry to a certain rational and theological apprehension4 ,,chap4 ,,ix4 ,i consider you1 therefore1 as asking1 for it is your inquiry1 8,why1 since the ,gods dwell in the heavens alone1 there are invocations by theurgists of terrestrial and subterranean ,gods80 ,for what you assert in the beginning is not true1 that the ,gods circumvolve in the heavens alone3 since all things are full of them4 ,you also inquire1 8,how some of the ,gods are said to be aerial1 and different ,gods are allotted different places1 and circumscribed portions of bodies1 though they possess infinite1 impartible1 and incomprehensible power8 ,and how1 likewise1 there will be a union of them with each other1 as they are separated by divisible circumscriptions of parts1 and by difference of places and subject bodies80 ,of all these1 therefore1 and an infinite number of other similar questions1 one and the best solution will be obtained by surveying the mode of divine allotment4 ,a divine nature1 therefore1 whether it is allotted certain parts of the universe1 such as heaven or earth1 or sacred cities and regions1 or certain groves1 or sacred statues1 externally#bi illuminates all these1 in the same manner as the sun externally irradiates all things with his rays4 ,hence1 as light comprehends the things which are illuminated by it1 thus also the power of the ,gods externally comprehends its participants4 ,as1 likewise1 the solar light is present with the air in an unmingled manner2 but this is manifest from no light being left in the air1 when once that which illuminated it has departed1 though heat is still present with it1 when that which heated it is entirely withdrawn2 thus also the light of the ,gods illuminates separately1 and being firmly established in itself1 wholly proceeds through all beings4 ,moreover1 the light which is the object of sensible perception1 is one1 continuous1 and every where the same1 whole2 so that it is not possible for any part of it to be separate and cut off from the whole1 nor to be inclosed in a circle1 nor at any time to depart from its illuminating source4 ,after the same manner1 therefore1 the whole world being partible1 is divided about the one and impartible light of the ,gods4 ,but this light is every where one and the same whole1 and is impartibly present with all things that are able to participate of it2 through an all perfect power fills all things1 and by a certain causal comprehension1 incloses and terminates the whole of things in itself1 and is every where united to itself1 and conjoins ends to beginnings4 ,this too1 all heaven and the world imitating1 revolve with a circular motion1 are united to themselves1 and lead the elements which are carried round in a circle4 ,hence the world causes all things to be in each other1 and to tend to each other1 makes the end of one thing to coalesce with the beginning of another1 as1 for instance1 earth with heaven1 and produces one connexion and concord of wholes with wholes4 ,will not1 therefore1 he who surveys this conspicuous statue of the ,gods1 thus united to itself1 be ashamed to have a different opinion of the ,gods1 who are the causes of it1 so as to introduce among them sections1 and separations1 and corporeal-formed circumscriptions8 ,i1 indeed1 should think1 that every one would be thus disposed4 ,for if there is no ratio1 no habitude of symmetry1 no communion of essence1 nor a connexion either in capacity or in energy1 between that which is adorned and the adorning cause2 if this be the case1 there will neither be found in the world a certain extension according to interval1 nor local comprehension1 nor partible interception1 nor any other such like connascent equalization in the presence of the ,gods with mundane natures4 ,for in things which are of a kindred nature1 according to essence and power1 or which are1 in a certain respect1 of the same species1 or homogeneous1 a certain comprehension1 or conservation1 may be discovered4 ,but in such things as are entirely exempt from all mundane wholes1 what opposing circumstance1 or transition through all things1 or partible circumscription1 or local comprehension1 or any thing else of this kind can justly be perceived8 ,i think1 therefore1 that the several participants of the divinities are of such a nature1 that some partake of them etherially1 others aerially1 and others aquatically2 which also1 the art of divine works perceiving1 employs adaptations and invocations1 conformable to such a division4 ,and thus much concerning the distribution of the more excellent genera into the world4 ,,chap4 ,x4 ,after these things1 you again subjoin another division for yourself1 8in which you separate the essences of the more excellent genera by the difference of passive and impassive40 ,but neither do ,i admit this division4 ,for no one of the more excellent genera is passive1 nor yet impassive in such a way as to be contradistinguished from that which is passive2 nor is naturally adapted to receive passions1 but liberated from them through virtue1 or some other worthy condition of being4 ,but because they are entirely exempt from the contrariety of action and passion2 and because they are not at all adapted to suffer1 and have essentially an immutable firmness1 on this account ,i place the impassive and the immutable in all the divine genera4 ,for consider1 if you are willing1 the last of divine natures1 viz4 a soul purely liberated from bodies4 ,what does such a soul want with the generation which is in pleasure1 or the restitution which is in it to a natural condition1 since such a soul is above nature1 and lives an unbegotten life8 ,why1 also1 should it participate of the pain which leads to corruption and dissolves the harmony of the body1 since it is beyond all body1 and the nature which is divided about body1 and is entirely separate from the harmony which descends from the soul into the body8 ,but neither is it in want of the passions which precede sensation3 for neither is it detained in body1 nor inclosed by it1 so as to require corporeal organs1 in order to apprehend certain other bodies which are external to these organs4 ,and1 in short1 being impartible1 and abiding in one and the same form1 and also being essentially incorporeal1 and having no communication with a generated and passive body1 it cannot suffer any thing either according to division1 or according to a change in quality1 nor can have any thing which is allied to any kind of mutation or passion4 ,but neither does the rational soul1 when it accedes to body1 either itself suffer1 or the reasons which it imparts to the body4 ,for these reasons are forms1 and being simple and uniform1 they receive no perturbation in themselves1 and no departure from their proper mode of subsistence4 ,that which remains1 therefore or the participant of the rational soul1 becomes the cause of suffering to the composite4 ,cause1 however1 is not the same with its effect4 ,hence1 as soul is the first origin of generable and corruptible composite animals1 but is itself by itself ingenerable and incorruptible2 thus1 also1 though the participants of the soul suffer1 and do not wholly i4 e4 truly possess life and existence1 but are complicated with the indefiniteness and diversity of matter1 yet the soul is itself by itself immutable1 as being essentially more excellent than that which suffers1 and not as possessing impassivity1 in a certain deliberate choice1 which verges both to the impassive and the passive1 nor as receiving an adscitious immutability in the participation of habit or power4 ,since1 therefore1 we have demonstrated that it is impossible for even the last genus of the more excellent order of beings1 viz4 the soul1 to participate of suffering1 how can it be proper to adapt this participation to dmons and heroes1 who are perpetual1 and the attendants of the ,gods1 and who always invariably preserve the same divine order1 and never desert it8 ,for we know this indeed1 that passion is something disorderly1 confused1 and unstable1 never having any proper authority of its own1 but being devoted to that by which it is detained1 and to which it is subservient for the purposes of generation4 ,this1 therefore1 rather pertains to some other genus1 than to that which always exists1 and is suspended from the ,gods1 and which1 in conjunction with them1 observes the same order1 and accomplishes the same period4 ,hence dmons are impassive1 and all the more excellent genera1 which follow them and the ,gods4 ,,chap4 ,,xi4 8,how therefore10 you ask1 8are many things performed to them in sacred operations1 as if they were passive80 ,i reply1 that this is asserted through an ignorance of sacerdotal mysticism4 ,for of the things which are perpetually effected in sacred rites1 some have a certain arcane cause1 and which is more excellent than reason2 others are consecrated from eternity to the superior genera1 as symbols2 others preserve a certain other image1 just as nature1 which is effective of invisible reasons1 expresses certain visible formations2 others are adduced for the sake of honour1 or have for their end some kind of similitude1 or familiarity and alliance2 and some procure what is useful to us1 or in a certain respect purify and liberate our human passions1 or avert some other of those dire circumstances which happen to us4 ,it must not1 however1 be on this account granted1 that a certain portion of sacred institutions is employed in the service of ,gods or dmons1 as if they were passive4 ,for an essence which is by itself perpetual and incorporeal1 is not naturally adapted to receive a certain mutation from bodies4 ,nor1 even though we should admit that this essence is especially in want of such things1 will it require the aid of men to a sacred worship of this kind2 since it is itself filled from itself1 and from the nature of the world1 and the perfection which is in generation2 and1 if it be lawful so to speak1 prior to being in want it receives the self-sufficient1 through the never failing wholeness of the world and its own proper plenitude1 and because all the more excellent genera are full of appropriate good4 ,let this1 therefore1 be a lenitive for us in common1 concerning the worship of the undefiled genera1 as being appropriately coadapted to the beings that are more excellent than we1 and because pure things are introduced to pure1 and impassive things to impassive1 natures4 ,but directing our attention to particulars1 we say that the erection of the phalli is a certain sign of prolific power1 which1 through this1 is called forth to the generative energy of the world4 ,on which account1 also1 many phalli are consecrated in the spring1 because then the whole world receives from the ,gods the power which is productive of all generation4 ,but ,i am of opinion1 that the obscene language which then takes place1 affords an indication of the privation of good about matter1 and of the deformity which is in material subjects1 prior to their being adorned4 ,for these being indigent of ornament1 by so much the more aspire after it1 as they in a greater degree despise their own deformity4 ,again therefore1 they pursue the causes of forms1 and of what is beautiful and good1 recognizing baseness from base language4 ,and thus1 indeed1 the thing itself1 viz4 turpitude1 is averted1 but the knowledge of it is rendered manifest through words1 and those that employ them transfer their desire to that which is contrary to baseness4 ,another reason1 also1 of these things may be assigned4 ,the powers of the human passions that are in us1 when they are entirely restrained1 become more vehement2 but when they are called forth into energy1 gradually and commensurately1 they rejoice in being moderately#cj gratified1 are satisfied2 and from hence1 becoming purified1 they are rendered tractable1 and are vanquished without violence4 ,on this account1 in comedy and tragedy1 by surveying the passions of others1 we stop our own passions1 cause them to be more moderate1 and are purified from them4 ,in sacred ceremonies1 likewise1 by certain spectacles and auditions of things base1 we become liberated from the injury which happens from the works effected by them4#ca ,things of this kind1 therefore1 are introduced for the sake of our soul1 and of the diminution of the evils which adhere to it through generation1 and of a solution and liberation from its bonds4 ,on this account1 also1 they are very properly called by ,heraclitus remedies1 as healing things of a dreadful nature1 and saving souls from the calamities with which the realms of generation are replete4 ,,chap4 ,,xii4 ,you also say1 8that invocations are directed to the ,gods as to beings that are passive1 so that not only dmons are passive1 but likewise the ,gods40 ,this1 however1 is not the case4 ,for the illumination which takes place through invocations1 is spontaneously visible and self-perfect2 is very remote from all downward attraction2 proceeds into visibility through divine energy and perfection1 and as much surpasses our voluntary motion as the divine will of the good transcends a deliberately chosen life4 ,through this will1 therefore1 the ,gods1 being benevolent and propitious1 impart their light to theurgists in unenvying abundance1 calling upwards their souls to themselves1 procuring them a union with themselves1 and accustoming them1 while they are yet in body1 to be separated from bodies1 and to be led round to their eternal and intelligible principle4 ,but it is evident1 from the effects themselves1 that what we now say is the salvation of the soul4 ,for the soul in contemplating blessed spectacles1 acquires another life1 energizes according to another energy1 and is then rightly considered as no longer ranking in the order of man4 ,frequently1 likewise1 abandoning her own life1 she exchanges it for the most blessed energy of the ,gods4 ,if1 therefore1 the ascent through invocations imparts to the priests purification from passions1 a liberation from generation1 and a union with a divine principle1 how is it possible to connect with it any thing of passion8 ,for an invocation of this kind does not draw down the impassive and pure ,gods1 to that which is passive and impure2 but1 on the contrary1 it renders us1 who have become passive through generation1 pure and immutable4 ,neither do the invocations which implore the ,gods to incline to us1 conjoin the priests to them through passion2 but procure for them the communion of an indissoluble connexion1 through the friendship which binds all things together4 ,hence1 it does not1 as the name seems to imply1 incline the intellect of the ,gods to men2 but1 according to the decision of truth1 renders the will of man adapted to the participation of the ,gods1 elevates it to them1 and coharmonizes the former with the latter1 through the most appropriate persuasion4 ,on this account also1 such names of the ,gods as are adapted to sacred concerns1 and other divine symbols1 are able1 as they are of an anagogic or elevating nature1 to connect invocations with the ,gods themselves4 ,,chap4 ,,xiii4 ,moreover1 8the pacifications of anger0 will become manifest1 if we understand what the anger of the ,gods is4#cb ,this1 therefore1 is not1 as it appears to be to some1 a certain ancient and inveterate rage1 but an abandonment of the beneficent care of the ,gods1 from which we turn ourselves away1 withdrawing1 as it were1 from meridian light1 hiding ourselves in darkness1 and depriving ourselves of the beneficent gift of the ,gods4 ,hence pacification is able to convert us to the participation of divinity and the providential care of the ,gods1 from which we were divulsed1 and to bind together1 commensurately1 participants and the participated natures4 ,so far1 therefore1 is pacification from accomplishing its work through passion1 that it separates us from the passive and tumultuous abandonment of the ,gods4 ,but 8the oblation of victims10 when some evil is present in places about the earth1 procures a remedy for the evil1 and secures us from the incursion of any mutation or passion4 ,hence1 whether a thing of this kind is effected through ,gods or dmons1 it invokes these as the expellers of evil1 and our true saviours1 and through them exterminates all the injury which may accede from the calamities4 ,those powers1 also1 who avert genesiurgic#cc and physical punishments1 do not expel them through passions4 ,and if some one should think that the suppression of the guardian care of the ,gods1 introduces a certain spontaneous injury1 in this case the persuasion arising from pacification recalls the benevolence of the more excellent genera1 to a providential attention to our affairs1 and takes away our privation of good1 being itself perfectly pure and immutable4 ,,chap4 ,,xiv4 ,farther still1 with respect to 8what are called the necessities of the ,gods10 the whole truth of this is1 that necessities are peculiar to1 and subsist in such a way as accords with the nature of1 the ,gods4#cd ,hence they do not subsist as if they were externally derived1 or were the effect of violence1 but after such a manner as the good ought to be from necessity1 so the ,gods entirely exist1 and are by no means otherwise disposed4 ,this necessity1 therefore1 is mingled with beneficent will1 and is the friend of love2 through an order adapted to the ,gods1 possesses identity and immutability2 and because it is contained in one boundary1 abides in this1 and never departs from it4 ,hence1 through all these particulars1 the contrary to what you infer takes place4 ,for it happens that a divine nature is incapable of being allured1 is impassive and uncompelled1 if there are in reality such powers in theurgy1 as we have demonstrated there are4 ,,chap4 ,,xv4 ,after this1 you pass on to another division into contraries1 viz4 the division of ,gods with reference to dmons4 ,for you say1 8that the ,gods are pure intellects20 but you propose this opinion as an hypothesis1 or you narrate it as a dogma adopted by certain persons4 ,and you infer1 8that dmons are psychical essences participating of intellect40 ,neither1 therefore1 am ,i ignorant that this is the opinion of many philosophers2 but to you1 ,i do not think it is proper to conceal what appears to me to be the truth4 ,for all such opinions are full of confusion2 since they wander from dmons to souls1 which also participate of intellect2 and from the ,gods to an immaterial intellect in energy1 which the ,gods entirely excel by a priority of nature4 ,why1 therefore1 is it requisite to attribute to them these peculiarities1 which are by no means appropriate8 ,and thus much concerning this division1 for it would be superfluous to make any further mention of it4 ,but it is requisite that your doubts respecting this distinction should be properly considered1 as the discussion of them pertains to the sacerdotal province4 ,farther still1 having said 8that pure intellects are inflexible1 i4 e4 not to be changed or altered and unmingled with sensibles10 you doubt1 8whether it is requisite to pray to them40 ,but ,i think it is necessary to pray to no others than these4 ,for that in us which is divine1 intellectual1#ce and one1 or intelligible1 if you are willing so to call it1 is most clearly excited in prayer2 and1 when excited1 vehemently seeks that which is similar to itself1 and becomes copulated to perfection itself4 ,but if it should appear to you to be incredible1 that an incorporeal nature can be capable of hearing sounds1 and it should be urged by you1 that for this purpose the sense of hearing is requisite1 that it may apprehend what is said by us in prayer2 you willingly forget the excellency of primary causes1 which consists in both knowing and comprehending in themselves at once the whole of things4 ,the ,gods1 therefore1 do not receive prayers in themselves1 through any corporeal powers or organs1 but rather contain in themselves the energies of pious invocations2 and especially of such as1 through sacred ceremonies1 are established in1 and united to1 the ,gods4 ,for then1 in reality1 a divine nature is present with itself1 and does not communicate with the intellectual conceptions in prayer1 as different from its own4 8,supplications1 however10 you say1 8are too foreign to the purity of intellect to be offered to the ,gods40 ,but this is by no means the case4 ,for on this very account1 because we fall short of the ,gods in power1 purity1 and every thing else1 we shall act in the most opportune manner1 by invoking them with the most vehement supplications4 ,for the consciousness of our own nothingness1 when we compare ourselves1 with the ,gods1 causes us to betake ourselves spontaneously to suppliant prayer4 ,but from supplication1 we are in a short time led to the object of supplication1 acquire its similitude from intimate converse1 and gradually obtain divine perfection1 instead of our own imbecility and imperfection4 ,if1 indeed1 it is considered that sacred prayers are sent to men from the ,gods themselves1 that they are certain symbols of the divinities1 and that they are only known to the ,gods1 with whom1 in a certain respect1 they possess the same power1--how can it any longer be justly apprehended1 that a supplication of this kind is sensible1 and not divine and intellectual8 ,or what passion can accede to a thing of this kind1 the purity of which the most worthy human manners cannot easily equal8 ,you say1 however1 8that the things which are offered in supplications are offered as to sensitive and psychical natures40 ,and1 indeed1 if the offerings consisted of corporeal and composite powers alone1 or of such things as are merely subservient to corporeal organs1 your assertion would be true4 ,but as the offerings participate of incorporeal forms1 of certain reasons1 and more simple measures1 the aptitude of them is to be surveyed according to this alone4 ,and if a certain alliance1 or similitude1 is present1 which is either proximate or remote1 it is sufficient to effect the contact of which we are now speaking4 ,for there is not any thing which in the smallest degree is adapted to the ,gods1 to which the ,gods are not immediately present1 and with which they are not conjoined4 ,the connexion1 therefore1 of supplications with the ,gods1 is not as with sensitive or psychical natures1 but as with divine forms1 and with the ,gods themselves as ,gods1 i4 e4 as superessential hyparxes4 ,so that we have sufficiently spoken in opposition to this division4 ,,chap4 ,,xvi4 ,the difference which separates 8,gods from dmons by the corporeal and incorporeal10 is the next thing that follows in what you have written2 this being much more common than the former difference1 and yet it is so far from expressing the peculiarities of their essence1 that it does not afford a conjectural knowledge of them1 nor of any accidents which pertain to them4 ,for neither is it possible from these things to apprehend whether they are animals or not1 and whether they are deprived of life1 or are not at all in want of it4 ,farther still1 neither is it easy to conjecture how these names are predicated1 whether in common1 or of many different things4 ,for if in common1 it is absurd that a line and time1 ,god and dmons1 fire and water1 should be under the same incorporeal genus4 ,but if of many things1 what reason is there when you speak of the incorporeal1 that you should rather manifest by it ,gods than points2 or when you speak of the corporeal1 that you should not be thought to speak of the earth rather than of dmons8 ,for neither is this very thing defined1 whether ,gods and dmons have bodies1 or are carried in bodies1 as in a vehicle1 or use them1 or comprehend them1 or are alone the same#cf with body4 ,but1 perhaps1 it is not proper to examine this distinction very minutely4 ,for you do not propose it as your own decision1 but you exhibit it as the opinion of others4 ,,chap4 ,,xvii4 ,we will exchange1 therefore1 this division for the doubt which may be adduced by you against the present opinion4 8,for10 it may be said by you1 8how1 conformably to what we assert1 can the sun and moon1 and the visible natures in the heavens1 be ,gods1 if the ,gods are alone incorporeal80 ,to this we reply1 that the celestial divinities are not comprehended by bodies1 but contain bodies in their divine lives and energies2 that they are not themselves converted to body1 but they have a body which is converted to its divine cause2 and that body does not impede their intellectual and incorporeal perfection1 nor occasion them any molestation by its intervention4 ,hence it does not require an abundant attention1 but follows the divinities spontaneously1 and after a certain manner1 self-motively1 not being in want of manual direction2 but1 through an anagogic tendency1 being itself uniformly coelevated by itself1 to the one of the ,gods4 ,it may also1 if requisite1 be said that a celestial body is most allied to the incorporeal essence of the ,gods4 ,for as the latter is one1 so the former is simple2 as the latter is impartible1 so the former is indivisible2#cg and as that is immutable1 so this is unchanged in quality4 ,if1 likewise1 it is admitted that the energies of the ,gods are uniform1 a celestial body also1 has one circulation4 ,to which may be added1 that it imitates the sameness of the ,gods1 by a perpetual motion1 which is invariably the same1 and which subsists according to one reason and one order4 ,it also imitates a divine life1 by the life which is connascent with etherial bodies4 ,hence1 this celestial body does not consist of things contrary and different1 as is the case with our body2 nor does the soul of the celestial ,gods coalesce with the body into one animal from two things2 but the celestial animals of the ,gods are entirely similar and counited1 and are throughout wholes1 uniform1 and incomposite4 ,for things of a more excellent nature are always transcendent in them1 after the same manner2 and things of an inferior nature are suspended from the dominion of such as are prior1 yet so as never to draw down this dominion to themselves4 ,but all these are congregated into one coarrangement and perfection2 and1 after a certain manner1 all things in the celestial ,gods are incorporeal1 and wholly ,gods2 because the divine form which is in them predominates1 and inserts every where throughout one total essence4 ,thus1 therefore1 the visible celestials are all of them ,gods1 and after a certain manner incorporeal4 ,,chap4 ,,xviii4 ,your next inquiry doubts1 8how some of the ,gods are beneficent1 but others malefic40 ,this opinion1 therefore1 is assumed from the predictors of nativities4 ,it is1 however1 entirely remote from the truth4 ,for all the ,gods are good1 and invariably the causes of good2 and all of them are uniformly convolved to one good1 according to the beautiful and good alone4 ,the bodies1 likewise1 which are subject to them possess immense powers2 some of which are firmly established in the divine bodies themselves1 but others proceed from them into the nature of the world1 and into the world itself1 descending in an orderly manner through the whole of generation1 and extending without impediment as far as to things which have a partial subsistence4 ,with respect to the powers1 therefore1 which remain in the heavens in the divine bodies themselves1 there can be no doubt that all of them are similar4 ,hence1 it remains that we should discuss those powers which are thence transmitted to us1 and are mingled with generation4 ,these1 therefore1 descend with invariable sameness for the salvation of the universe1 and connectedly contain the whole of generation after the same manner4 ,they are likewise impassive and immutable1 though they proceed into that which is mutable and passive4 ,for generation being multiform1 and consisting of different things1 receives the one of the ,gods1 and that in them which is without difference1 with hostility and partibility1 conformably to its own contrariety and division4 ,it also receives that which is impassive1 passively2 and1 in short1 participates of them according to its own proper nature1 and not according to their power4 ,as1 therefore1 that which is generated or has a subsistence in becoming to be1 participates of being generatively1 and body participates of the incorporeal1 corporeally2 thus1 also1 the physical and material substances which are in generation1 participate of the immaterial and etherial bodies1 which are above nature and generation1 in a confused and disorderly manner4 ,hence they are absurd who attribute colour1 figure1 and contact to intelligible forms1 because the participants of them are things of this kind2 as likewise are those who ascribe depravity to the celestial bodies1 because their participants sometimes produce evils4 ,for the participation from the first could not be a thing of this kind1 unless the recipient had some mutation4 ,but if that which is participated is received as in another and different thing1 this other thing in terrene natures is evil and disorderly4 ,the participation1 therefore1 becomes the cause of the abundant difference in secondary natures1 and also the commixture of material substances with immaterial effluxions2 and besides these1 another cause is this1 that what is imparted in one way1 is received in another by terrestrial substances4 ,thus1 for instance1 the efflux of ,saturn is constipative1 but that of ,mars is motive2 but the passive genesiurgic receptacle in material substances receives the former according to congelation and refrigeration1 but the latter according to an inflammation which transcends mediocrity4 ,do not1 therefore1 the corruption and privation of symmetry arise from an aberration which is effective of difference1 and which is material and passive8 ,hence the imbecility of material and terrene places1 not being able to receive the genuine power and most pure life of the etherial natures1 transfers its own passion to first causes4 ,just as if some one having a diseased body1 and not being able to bear the vivific heat of the sun1 should falsely dare to say1 in consequence of looking to his own maladies1 that the sun is not useful to health or life4 ,a certain thing of this kind also may take place in the harmony and crasis of the universe3 for the same things may be the salvation of the whole1 through the perfection of the things inherent and the recipients2 but may be noxious to the parts1 through their partible privation of symmetry4 ,in the motion1 therefore1 of the universe1 all the circulations preserve the whole world invariably the same2 but some one of the parts is frequently injured by another part1 which we see is sometimes the case in a dance4 ,again1 therefore1 corruptibility and mutability are passions connascent with partial natures4 ,but it is not proper to ascribe these to wholes and first causes1 either as if they existed in them1 or as if they proceeded to terrestrial substances from them4 ,hence1 through these things it is demonstrated1 that neither the celestial ,gods1 nor their gifts1 are effective of evil4 ,,chap4 ,,xix4 ,in the next place1 therefore1 we shall answer your question1 8,what it is which conjoins the ,gods that have a body in the heavens with the incorporeal ,gods40 ,what this is1 therefore1 is evident from what has been before said4 ,for if these ,gods1 as incorporeal1 intelligible1 and united1 ride in the celestial spheres1 they have their principles in the intelligible world1 and intellectually perceiving the divine forms of themselves1 they govern all heaven according to one infinite energy4 ,and if they are present with the heavens in a separate manner1 and lead the perpetual circulations of them by their will alone1 they are themselves unmingled with a sensible nature1 and exist together with the intelligible ,gods4 ,it will be better1 however1 to answer you more particularly1 as follows3 ,i say1 therefore1 that the visible statues of the ,gods originate from divine intelligible paradigms1 and are generated about them4 ,but being thus generated1 they are entirely established in them1 and being also extended to1#ch they possess an image which derives its completion from them4 ,these images likewise fabricate another order2 sublunary natures are in continuity with them1 according to one union2 and the divine intellectual forms1 which are present with the visible bodies of the ,gods1 exist prior to them in a separate manner4 ,but the unmingled and supercelestial intelligible paradigms of them1 abide by themselves in unity1 and are at once all things1 according to the eternal transcendency of themselves4 ,there is1 therefore1 one common indivisible bond of them according to intellectual energies2 and there is also this bond according to the common participations of forms1 since there is nothing which intercepts these1 nor any thing which comes between them4 ,for indeed1 an immaterial and incorporeal essence itself1 being neither separated by places1 nor by subjects1 nor defined by the divisible circumscriptions of parts1 immediately concurs1 and is connascent with sameness4 ,the progression also1 from1 and the regression of all things to1 the one1 and the entire domination of the one1 congregates the communion of the mundane ,gods with the ,gods that preexist in the intelligible world4 ,farther still1 the intellectual conversion of secondary to primary natures1 and the gift of the same essence and power imparted by the primary to the secondary ,gods1 connects the synod of them in indissoluble union4 ,for in things of different essences1 such as soul and body1 and also in those of a dissimilar species1 such as material forms1 and those which are in any other way separated from each other1 the connascent adventitious union is derived from supernal causes1 and is lost in certain definite periods of time4 ,but by how much the higher we ascend1 and elevate ourselves to the sameness both in form and essence1 of first natures1 and proceed from parts to wholes1 by so much the more shall we discover the union which has an eternal existence1 and survey the essence1 which has a precedaneous and more principal subsistence1 and possesses about1 and in itself1 difference and multitude4#ci ,since1 however1 the order of all the ,gods is profoundly united1 and the first and second genera of them1 and all the multitude which is spontaneously produced about them1 are consubsistent in unity1 and also every thing which is in them is one1--hence the beginning1 middles1 and ends in them are consubsistent according to the one itself2 so that in these1 it is not proper to inquire1 whence the one accedes to all of them4 ,for the very existence in them1 whatever it may be1 is this one#dj of their nature4 ,and secondary genera1 indeed1 remain with invariable sameness in the one of such as are primary2 but the primary impart from themselves union to the secondary genera1 and all of them possess in each other the communion of an indissoluble connexion4 ,from this cause1 therefore1 the perfectly incorporeal ,gods are united to the sensible ,gods that have bodies4 ,for the visible ,gods also are external to bodies1 and on this account are in the intelligible world2 and the intelligible ,gods1 through their infinite union1 comprehend in themselves the visible ,gods2 and both are established according to a common union and one energy4 ,in a similar manner1 also1 this is the illustrious prerogative of the cause and orderly distribution of the ,gods1 on which account the same union of all the divinities extends from on high1 as far as to the end of the divine order4 ,but if this deserves to be doubted1 the contrary would be wonderful1 viz4 that there should not be this union of the visible and intelligible ,gods4 ,and thus much concerning the contact with1 and establishment of1 the sensible in the intelligible ,gods4 ,,chap4 ,,xx4 ,after this1 you again resume the same inquiries1 of which what has been already said may be considered as a sufficient solution4 ,since1 however1 it is necessary1 according to the proverb1 frequently to speak of and consider things that are beautiful1 neither shall we pass over these particulars1 as if they had been now sufficiently answered1 but by repeatedly discussing them we may1 perhaps1 obtain from all of them a certain perfect and great scientific good4 ,for you doubt 8what it is which distinguishes dmons from the visible and invisible ,gods1 since the visible are conjoined with the invisible divinities40 ,but ,i1 beginning from this as the first thing1 shall demonstrate what it is in which they differ4 ,for1 because the visible are united to the intelligible ,gods1 and have the same idea with them1 but dmons are far distant from them1 according to essence1 and scarcely adumbrate them through similitude1 on this account they are separated from the visible ,gods2 and they differ from the invisible ,gods1 according to the difference itself of the invisible4#da ,for dmons1 indeed1 are invisible1 and by no means to be apprehended by sense2 but the ,gods transcend rational knowledge and material intelligence4 ,and1 because they are unknown and unapparent to these1 they are thus denominated2 but are said to be invisible in a way very different from that in which this is asserted of dmons4 ,what1 therefore1 have the invisible ,gods1 so far as they are invisible1 more excellent than the visible ,gods8 ,nothing4 ,for that which is divine1 wherever it may be1 and whatever allotment it may possess1 has the same power and dominion over all the natures that are arranged under it4 ,moreover1 though the invisible ,gods should become visible1 yet they rule over invisible dmons4 ,for neither the place1 which is the recipient of divinity1 nor a certain part of the world1 produces any mutation in the dominion of the ,gods4 ,but the whole essence of the ,gods remains everywhere the same1 indivisible and immutable1 which all subordinate beings similarly venerate1 in the order assigned them by nature4 ,by the assistance also of this reasoning1 we may discover another difference between ,gods and dmons4 ,for both the visible and invisible ,gods1 indeed1 comprehend in themselves the whole government of whatever is contained in all heaven and the world1 and in the total invisible powers in the universe4 ,but those powers that are allotted a dmoniacal prefecture1 distributing certain divisible portions of the world1 govern these1 and have themselves a partible form of essence and power4 ,they are1 likewise1 in a certain respect1 connascent with1 and inseparable from1 the subjects of their government4 ,but the ,gods1 though they may ride in bodies1 are entirely separated from them4 ,the providential attention1 therefore1 to bodies1 produces no diminution in those to whom body is subservient3 for it is connectedly contained by a more excellent nature1 is converted to it1 and is not the cause of any impediment to it4 ,but the adhering to a genesiurgic nature1 and the being divided about it1 necessarily give to dmons a more subordinate condition4 ,in short1 that which is divine is of a ruling nature1 and presides over the different orders of beings2 but that which is dmoniacal is of a ministrant nature1 and receives whatever the ,gods may announce1 promptly employing manual operation1 as it were1 in things which the ,gods intellectually perceive1 wish1 and command4 ,the ,gods1 therefore1 are liberated from the powers which verge to generation2 but dmons are not entirely purified from these4 ,and thus much concerning this distinction2 and we trust1 that from the former and the present exposition1 the difference between ,gods and dmons will become more known4 ,,chap4 ,,xxi4 ,the division1 however1 of the passive from the impassive1 which you adopt1 may perhaps be rejected by some one1 as not adapted to either of the more excellent genera1 through the causes which we have before enumerated2 and it also deserves to be subverted1 because it is inferred that these genera are passive1 from what is performed in religious ceremonies4 ,for what sacred institution1 what religious cultivation1 which is conformable to sacerdotal laws1 is effected through passion1 or produces a certain completion of passions8 ,is not each of these legislatively ordained from the first1 conformably to the sacred laws of the ,gods1 and intellectually8 ,each also imitates both the intelligible and celestial order of the ,gods2 and contains the eternal measures of beings1 and those admirable signatures which are sent hither from the ,demiurgus and father of wholes1 by which things of an ineffable nature are unfolded into light through arcane symbols1 things formless are vanquished by forms1 things more excellent than every image are expressed through images1 and all things are accomplished through a divine cause alone1 which is in so great a degree separated from passions1 that reason is not able to come into contact with it4 ,this1 therefore1 is nearly the cause of our aberration to a multitude of conceptions4 ,for men being in reality unable to apprehend the reasons of sacred institutions1 but conceiving that they are able1 are wholly hurried away by their own human passions1 and form a conjecture of divine concerns from things pertaining to themselves4 ,in so doing1 however1 they err in a twofold respect2 because they fall from divine natures2 and because1 being frustrated of these1 they draw them down to human passions4 ,but it is requisite not to apprehend after the same manner1 things which are performed both to ,gods and men1 such as genuflexions1 adorations1 gifts1 and first fruits1 but to establish the one apart from the other1 conformably to the difference between things more and things less honourable2 and to reverence the former1 indeed1 as divine1 but to despise the latter as human1 and as performed to men4 ,it is proper1 likewise1 to consider1 that the latter produce passions1 both in the performer and those to whom they are performed2 for they are human and corporeal-formed2 but to honour the energy of the former in a very high degree1 as being performed through immutable admiration1 and a venerable condition of mind1 because they are referred to the ,gods4 ,,section ,,ii4 ,,chap4 ,i4 ,it is also necessary to demonstrate to you1 in what dmons1 heroes1 and souls differ from each other1 and whether this difference is according to essence1 or according to power1 or according to energy4 ,i say1 therefore1 that dmons are produced according to the generative and demiurgic powers of the ,gods1 in the most remote termination of progression1 and ultimate distribution into parts4 ,but heroes are produced according to the reasons or effective principles1 of life in divine natures2 and from these1 the first and perfect measures of souls receive their termination and distribution into parts4 ,since1 however1 the nature of dmons and heroes is thus generated from different causes1 it is also necessary that the essence of the one should be different from that of the other4 ,hence1 the essence of dmons is effective1 and perfective of mundane natures1 and gives completion to the superintendence of generated individuals4 ,but the essence of heroes is vital and rational1 and is the leader of souls4 ,and1 with respect to the powers of each1 those of dmons must be defined to be prolific1 inspective of nature1 and of the bond by which souls are united to bodies4 ,but it is requisite to attribute to heroes vivific powers1 which are the leaders of men1 and are liberated from generation4 ,,chap4 ,,ii4 ,it follows1 therefore1 that in the next place we should define the energies of them4 ,and those of dmons1 indeed1 must be surveyed as occupied about the world1 and more widely extended in their effects2 but those of heroes as less extended1 and as converted to the order of souls4 ,hence1 these being thus distinguished1 soul succeeds1 which proceeds as far as to the end of the divine orders2 and1 being allotted from these two genera certain portions of powers1 is redundant with partible additions1 and other prerogatives derived from itself4 ,it also produces at different times different forms and reasons and manners1 which originate from different sources2 and1 according to each part of the world1 employs various lives and ideas2 becoming1 connascent with1 and likewise receding from1 whatever natures it pleases2 being1 assimilated to all things1 and at the same time1 through difference1 being separated from them2 drawing forth reasons allied to real beings and generated natures2 and connecting itself with the ,gods1 according to other harmonies of essences and powers1 than those by which1 dmons and heroes are united to the divinities4 ,it likewise possesses the eternity of a similar life and energy in a less degree than dmons and heroes2 yet1 through the beneficent will of the ,gods1 and the illumination imparted by them1 it frequently proceeds higher1 and is elevated to a greater1 i4 e4 to the angelic1 order2 when it no longer remains in the boundaries of soul1 but the whole of it is perfected into an angelic soul and an undefiled life4 ,hence1 also1 soul appears to comprehend in itself all-various essences and reasons1 and forms or species of every kind4 ,if1 however1 it be requisite to speak the truth1 soul is always defined according to one certain thing1 but adapting itself to precedaneous causes1 it is at different times conjoined to different causes4 ,so great1 therefore1 being the difference between the energies of dmons1 heroes1 and souls throughout1 it is no longer proper to doubt1 what it is which separates them from each other2 but they are to be distinguished by the peculiar nature of each4 ,and so far as they are able to form one conjunction1 so far the communion of them must be surveyed4 ,for thus it will be possible truly to comprehend and define separately the conception which ought to be formed of them4 ,,chap4 ,,iii4 ,let us1 however1 now proceed to the appearances of the ,gods and their perpetual attendants1 and show what the difference is in their appearance4 ,for you inquire1 8by what indication the presence of a ,god1 or an angel1 or an archangel1 or a dmon1 or a certain archon i4 e4 ruler1 or a soul1 may be known40 ,in one word1 therefore1 ,i conclude that their appearances accord with their essences1 powers1 and energies4 ,for such as they are1 such also do they appear to those that invoke them1 and they exhibit energies and ideas consentaneous to themselves1 and proper indications of themselves4 ,but that we may descend to particulars1 the phasmata1 or luminous appearances1 of the ,gods are uniform2 those of dmons are various2 those of angels are more simple than those of dmons1 but are subordinate to those of the ,gods2 those of archangels approximate in a greater degree to divine causes2 but those of archons1 if these powers appear to you to be the cosmocrators1#db who govern the sublunary element1 will be more various1 but adorned in order2 but if they are the powers that preside over matter1 they will indeed be more various1 and more imperfect1 than those of the archons properly so called2 and those of souls will appear to be all-various4 ,and the phasmata1 indeed1 of the ,gods will be seen shining with salutary light2 those of archangels will be terrible1 and at the same time mild2 those of angels will be more mild2 those of dmons will be dreadful2 those of heroes 7which you have omitted in your inquiry1 but to which we shall give an answer for the sake of truth7 are milder than those of dmons2 but those of archons1 if their dominion pertains to the world1 produce astonishment1 but if they are material1 they are noxious and painful to the spectators2 and those of souls are similar to the heroic phasmata1 except that they are inferior to them4 ,again1 therefore1 the phasmata of the ,gods are entirely immutable1 according to magnitude1 morphe1,a and figure1 and according to all things pertaining to them2 those of archangels approximate to those of the ,gods1 but fall short of the sameness of them2 those of angels are subordinate to these1 but are immutable2 and those of dmons are at different times seen in a different form1 and appear at one time great1 but at another small1 yet are still recognized to be the phasmata of dmons4 ,moreover1 those of such archons as are leaders are immutable2 but those of such as are material are multiformly changed2 those of heroes are similar to those of dmons2 and those of souls imitate in no small degree the dmoniacal mutation4 ,farther still1 order and quiet pertain to the ,gods2 but with archangels1 there is an efficacy of order and quiet4 ,with angels1 the adorned and the tranquil are present1 but not unattended with motion4 ,perturbation and disorder follow the dmoniacal phasmata2 but spectacles attend the archons1 conformable to each of the particulars which we have already mentioned2 the material archons1 indeed1 being borne along tumultuously2 but those of a leading characteristic1 presenting themselves to the view1 firmly established in themselves4 ,the phasmata of heroes are subject to motion and mutation2 but those of souls resemble1 indeed1 ,sidenote ,a3 ,morphe pertains to the colour1 figure1 and magnitude of superficies4 the heroic1 but at the same time are less than these4 ,in addition also to these peculiarities1 divine beauty1 indeed1 shines with an immense splendour as it were1 fixes the spectators in astonishment1 imparts a divine joy1 presents itself to the view with ineffable symmetry1 and is exempt from all other species of pulchritude4 ,but the blessed spectacles of archangels have indeed themselves the greatest beauty1 yet are not so ineffable and admirable as those of the ,gods4 ,those of angels divide1 in a partible manner1 the beauty which they receive from archangels4 ,but the dmoniacal and heroical self-visive spirits1 have both of them beauty in definite forms1 yet the former is adorned in reasons which define the essence1 and the latter exhibits fortitude4 ,the phasmata of archons may be divided in a twofold respect4 ,for some of them exhibit a beauty which is spontaneous1 and of a ruling characteristic2 but others1 an elegance of form which is fictitious and renovated4 ,and the phasmata of souls are1 indeed1 adorned in definite reasons1 but these reasons are more divided than those in heroes1 are partibly circumscribed1 and are vanquished by one form4 ,if1 however1 it be requisite to define all of them in common1 ,i say that each participates of beauty according to its arrangement1 the peculiar nature which it possesses1 and its allotment4 ,,chap4 ,,iv4 ,proceeding1 therefore1 to other peculiarities of them1 we say1 that with the ,gods1 indeed1 there is acuteness and rapidity in the energies1 which shine forth with greater celerity than those of intellect itself1 though in themselves they are immoveable and stable4 ,with archangels1 the celerities are1 in a certain respect1 mingled with efficacious energies4 ,those of angels partake of a certain motion1 and do not1 similarly with archangels1 possess a power which is effective by speaking4 ,the operations of dmons appear to be more rapid than they are in reality4 ,in the motions of the heroic phasmata1 a certain magnificence presents itself to the view2 but in accomplishing what they wish to effect1 their energies are not so rapid as those of dmons4 ,in the phasmata of archons1 the first energies appear to be most excellent and authoritative2 but the second have a more abundant representation1 yet in actions fall short of the end4 ,and the phasmata of souls are seen to be more moveable1 yet are more imbecile1 than those of heroes4 ,in addition to these things also1 the magnitude of the epiphanies or manifestations in the ,gods1 indeed1 is so great as sometimes to conceal all heaven1 the sun and the moon2 and the earth itself1 as the ,gods descend1 is no longer able to stand still4 ,when archangels appear1 certain parts of the world are moved1 and a divided forerunning light precedes them4 ,but they exhibit a magnitude of light commensurate to the magnitude of their domination4 ,the angelic light is less than the archangelic1 and more divided1 but in dmons it is still more divided1 and the magnitude of the manifestation is not always equal in them4 ,the manifestation of heroes is still less than that of dmons1 but exhibits more of an elevated condition4 ,again1 the manifestation of such archons as preside over mundane forms1 presents itself to the view as above measure great2 but such of them as are distributed about matter1 exhibit in their manifestations an abundance of pride and arrogance4 ,those of souls are not all of them seen to be equal1 but appear to be less than those of heroes4 ,and1 in short1 the magnitude of the manifestation is appropriately present in each of these1 according to the magnitude of their powers1 and the amplitude of the empire through which they extend themselves1 and in which they exercise their authority4 ,after these things1 therefore1 we shall define the reasons of the self-apparent statues or images4 ,hence1 in the forms of the ,gods which are seen by the eyes1 the most clear spectacles of truth itself are perceived1 which are also accurately splendid1 and shine forth with an evolved light4 ,the images of archangels present themselves to the view true and perfect2 but those of angels preserve1 indeed1 the same form1 but fail in plenitude of indication4 ,the images of dmons are obscure2 and those of heroes are seen to be still inferior to these4 ,with respect1 also1 to archons1 the images of such as are mundane1 are clear2 but of such as are material1 obscure4 ,both1 however1 are seen to be of an authoritative nature4 ,and the images of souls appear to be of a shadowy form4 ,in a similar manner1 likewise1 we must determine concerning the light of these powers4 ,for the images of the ,gods1 indeed1 are replete with a fulgid light4 ,those of archangels are full of supernatural light4 ,those of angels are luminous2 but dmons present themselves to the view with a turbid fire4 ,the light of heroes is mingled with many things4 ,and1 with respect to archons1 the light of those that have the government of the world is more pure2 but of those that preside over matter1 exhibits itself mingled from things of a dissimilar and contrary nature4 ,and the light of souls manifests itself to be partibly filled with many of the mixtures which exist in generation4 ,conformably1 also1 to what has been said1 the fire of the ,gods1 indeed1 shines forth with an indivisible and ineffable light1 and fills all the profundities of the world1 in an empyrean1#dc but not in a mundane1 manner4 ,but the fire of archangels is impartible indeed1 but is seen to possess about itself an abundant multitude1 either preceding or following after itself4 ,the fire of angels is divided1 except that it exhibits itself in the most perfect ideas4 ,that of dmons is still more shortly circumscribed by a distribution into parts1 is effable1 and does not astonish the sight of those that have seen more excellent natures4 ,the fire of heroes has1 after a certain manner1 the same things as that of dmons1 but at the same time falls short of the most accurate similitude to it4 ,moreover1 with respect to archons1 the fire of those that are of a more elevated order1 is more pellucid2 but of those that are material1 is more dark4 ,and the fire of souls is seen to be much divided and multiform1 and is comingled from many of the natures that are in the world4 ,again1 the fire of the ,gods appears to be entirely stable4 ,that of archangels is tranquil2 but that of angels is stably moved4 ,the fire of dmons is unstable2 but that of heroes is1 for the most part1 rapidly moved4 ,the fire of those archons that are of the first rank is tranquil2 but of those that are of the last order is tumultuous4 ,and the fire of souls is transmuted in a multitude of motions4 ,,chap4 ,v4 ,moreover1 that which purifies souls is perfect in the ,gods2 but in archangels it is anagogic4 ,angels alone dissolve the bond of generation4 ,dmons draw souls down into nature2 but heroes lead them to a providential attention to sensible works4 ,archons either deliver to them the government of mundane concerns1 or the inspection of material natures4 ,and souls1 when they become apparent1 tend in a certain respect to generation4 ,farther still1 consider this1 also1 that you should attribute everything which is pure and stable in the visible image to the more excellent genera4 ,hence1 you should ascribe to the ,gods that which in the image is transcendently splendid1 and which is firmly established in itself4 ,that which is splendid1 but is established as in another thing1 you should give to archangels2 but that which remains in another to angels4 ,to all these1 therefore1 you should oppose1 that which is rashly borne along1 is unestablished1 and filled with foreign natures1 the whole of which is adapted to inferior orders4 ,these1 also1 may now be divided according to the difference of commixture4 ,for mundane vapours are mingled with dmons1 and are unstably borne along1 contrary to the motion of the world4 ,genesiurgic compositions of pneumatic substances are mingled with heroes1 about which substances1 also1 they are moved4 ,the archons of the world remain invariably the same1 exhibiting the mundane nature which they possess4 ,but the archons of matter are full of material substances4 ,and souls are filled with an abundance of stains and foreign spirits1 together with which1 when they become visible1 each of these genera presents itself to the view4 ,the following1 also1 will be no small indications to you of the difference of these powers4 ,with the ,gods matter is immediately consumed4 ,with archangels it is consumed in a short time4 ,with angels there is a solution of1 and elevation from1 matter4 ,by dmons matter is elegantly adorned4 ,with heroes there is a coadaptation to it1 in appropriate measures1 and a skilful providential attention to it4 ,and with respect to archons1 those that are the governors of the world are present with matter in a transcendent manner1 and in this way unfold themselves into light4 ,but those that are material1 exhibit themselves as entirely replete with matter4 ,with respect to souls1 also1 those that are pure1 present themselves to the view out of matter1 but those of a contrary description are seen surrounded with it4 ,,chap4 ,,vi4 ,moreover1 the gifts arising from the manifestations are not all of them equal1 nor have the same fruits4 ,but the presence#dd of the ,gods1 indeed1 imparts to us health of body1 virtue of soul1 purity of intellect1 and in one word elevates every thing in us to its proper principle4 ,and that1 indeed1 in us which is cold and destructive it annihilates2 that which is hot it increases1 and renders more powerful and predominant2 and causes all things to accord with soul and intellect4 ,it also emits a light1 accompanied with intelligible harmony1 and exhibits that which is not body as body to the eyes of the soul1 through those of the body4 ,the presence of archangels imparts likewise the same things1 except that it does not impart them always1 nor in all things1 nor does it bestow goods which are sufficient1 perfect1 and incapable of being taken away2 nor is their appearance accompanied with a light equal to that of the ,gods4 ,the presence of angels imparts divisibly still more partible goods1 and the energy through which it becomes visible falls very short of comprehending in itself a perfect light4 ,that of dmons renders the body1 indeed1 heavy1 afflicts with diseases1 draws down the soul to nature1 does not depart from bodies1 and the sense allied to bodies1 and detains about this terrestrial place those who are hastening to divine fire1 and does not liberate from the bonds of ,fate4 ,the presence of heroes is in other respects similar to that of dmons1 but is attended with this peculiarity1 that it excites to certain generous and great undertakings4 ,the appearance which is visible by itself1 of the mundane archons1 imparts mundane goods1 and every thing pertaining to human life2 but that of the material archons extends material benefits1 and such works as are terrestrial4 ,moreover1 the vision of souls that are undefiled1 and established in the order of angels1 is anagogic1 and the saviour of the soul1 is accompanied with sacred hope1 and imparts those goods which sacred hope vindicates to itself4 ,but the vision of other souls draws down to generation1 corrupts the fruits of sacred hope1 and fills the spectators with passions which fix them to body4 ,,chap4 ,,vii4 ,moreover1 in the manifestations there is an indication of the order which the powers that are seen possess4 ,for the ,gods are surrounded by either ,gods or angels2 but archangels have angels either preceding or coarranged with them1 or following them behind1 or are accompanied by a certain other multitude of angels1 who attend on them as guards4 ,angels exhibit1 together with themselves1 the peculiar works of the order to which they belong4 ,good dmons permit us to survey1 in conjunction with themselves1 their own works1 and the benefits which they impart2 but avenging dmons exhibit the species of punishments which they inflict2 and such other dmons as are depraved are surrounded by certain noxious1 blood-devouring1 and fierce wild beasts4#de ,archons of the first rank exhibit1 together with themselves1 certain portions of the world2 but other archons attract to themselves the inordination and confusion of matter4 ,with respect to soul1 if it ranks as a whole1 and does not belong to any particular species1 it presents to the view a formless fire1 extended through the whole world1 which is indicative of the total1 one1 indivisible1 and formless soul of the universe2 but a purified soul exhibits a fiery form1 and a pure and unmingled fire4 ,then1 also1 the most inward light of it is seen1 and an undefiled and stable form1 and it most willingly and joyfully follows its elevating leader1 and unfolds1 by its works1 its own appropriate order4 ,but the soul which verges downward draws along with it the signs of bonds and punishments1 is heavy with material spirits1 is detained by the anomalous tumults of matter1 and exhibits before itself1 genesiurgic presiding dmons4 ,and1 in short1 all these genera exhibit their proper orders2 viz4 the aerial genera exhibit aerial fire2 the terrestrial a terrestrial and blacker fire2 and the celestial a more splendid fire4 ,but in these three boundaries all the genera are distributed according to a triple order of beginning1 middle1 and end4 ,and the ,gods1 indeed1 exhibit the supreme and most pure causes of this triple order4 ,but the genera of angels depend on those of archangels4 ,the genera of dmons appear to be subservient to those of angels2 and in a similar manner to these1 the genera of heroes are ministrant4 ,they are not1 however1 subservient to angels in the same way as dmons4 ,again1 the genera of archons1 whether they preside over the world or over matter1 exhibit the order which is adapted to them4 ,but all the genera of souls present themselves to the view as the last of more excellent natures4 ,hence1 also1 they exhibit places in conjunction with themselves2 souls of the first rank primary1 but those of the second rank secondary1 places1 and the rest conformably to their arrangement1 in each of these three genera4 ,,chap4 ,,viii4 ,moreover1 with respect to the tenuity and subtilty of light1 the ,gods extend a light so subtle that corporeal eyes cannot sustain it1 but are affected in the same manner as fishes1 when they are drawn upward from turbid and thick water into attenuated and diaphanous air4 ,for men who survey divine fire are not able to breathe1 through the subtilty of it1 but become languid as soon as they perceive it1 and are deprived of the use of their connascent spirit4 ,archangels1 also1 emit a light which is intolerable to respiration1 yet their splendour is not equally pure with that of the ,gods1 nor similarly overpowering4 ,the presence of angels renders the temperature of the air tolerable1 so that theurgists are capable of being united to it4 ,but when dmons are present1 the whole air is not at all affected2 nor does the air1 which surrounds them1 become more attenuated2 nor does a light precede them1 in which1 being previously received and preoccupied by the air1 they unfold the form of themselves2 nor are they surrounded by a certain splendour1 which diffuses its light everywhere4 ,when heroes appear1 certain parts of the earth are moved1 and sounds are heard around them2 but1 in short1 the air does not become more attenuated1 nor incommensurate to theurgists1 so as to render them unable to receive it4 ,but when archons are present1 an assemblage of many luminous appearances runs round them1 difficult to be borne1 whether these appearances are mundane or terrestrial4 ,they have not1 however1 a supermundane tenuity1 nor even that of the supreme elements4 ,and to the psychical appearances the air is more allied1 and1 being suspended from them1 receives in itself their circumscription4 ,,chap4 ,,ix4 ,in the last place1 the dispositions of the soul of those that invoke the ,gods to appear receive1 when they become visible1 a liberation from the passions1 a transcendent perfection1 and an energy entirely more excellent1 and participate of divine love and an immense joy4 ,but when archangels appear1 these dispositions receive a pure condition of being1 intellectual contemplation1 and an immutable power4 ,when angels appear1 they participate of intellectual wisdom and truth1 pure virtue1 stable knowledge1 and a commensurate order4 ,but when dmons are seen1 they receive the appetite of generation and a desire of nature1 together with a wish to accomplish the works of ,fate1 and a power effective of things of this kind4 ,if heroes are seen1 they derive from the vision other such like manners and many impulses1 which contribute to the communion of souls4 ,but when these dispositions come into contact with archons1 mundane or material1 motions are excited in conjunction with the soul4 ,and1 together with the vision of souls1 the spectators derive genesiurgic tendencies and connascent providential inspections1 for the sake of paying attention to bodies1 and such other peculiarities as are allied to these4 ,in addition to these things1 also1 the manifestation of the ,gods imparts truth and power1 rectitude of works1 and gifts of the greatest goods2 but the manifestation of other powers is appropriately accompanied by such things as are commensurate to their several orders4 ,thus the manifestation of archangels imparts truth1 not simply about all things1 but definitely of certain things2 and this not always1 but sometimes2 nor indefinitely to all1 or every where1 but with limitation1 in a certain place1 or to a certain individual4 ,in like manner it does not impart a power effective of all things1 nor always without distinction1 nor every where2 but a power which is effective sometimes1 and in a certain place4 ,but the manifestation of angels1 in a still greater degree than that of archangels1 divides1 in imparting good1 the circumscriptions which are always defined by them in more contracted boundaries4 ,again1 the manifestation of dmons does not impart the goods of the soul1 but either those of the body1 or goods pertaining to the body4 ,and they impart these when the order of the world permits them4 ,after the same manner1 likewise1 the manifestation of heroes imparts second and third goods1 and regards as its scope the whole terrestrial and mundane polity of souls4 ,with respect to archons1 the manifestation of some of these imparts mundane benefits1 and all the goods of life2 but that of others of an inferior rank imparts not a few of the prerogatives of material natures4 ,and souls1 when they appear1 procure for those that behold them things which contribute to the benefit of human life4 ,thus1 therefore1 we have appropriately defined the gifts of these powers1 conformably to the proper order of each2 and the particulars in the manifestations about which you inquired1 have received a fit reply4 ,and thus much for these questions4 ,,chap4 ,x4 ,what you introduce1 however1 for the purpose of obtaining a knowledge of these things1 whether it be your own opinion1 or whether you have heard it from others1 is neither true nor rightly asserted4 ,for you say1 8that to speak boastingly1 and to exhibit an adumbrative phantasm1 are common to ,gods and dmons1 and to all the more excellent genera of beings40 ,but the thing is not as you apprehend it to be4 ,for a ,god1 an angel1 and a good dmon1 instruct men in what their proper essence consists2 and never use an addition in their language which transcends their power1 or their appropriate good4 ,for truth is coexistent with the ,gods1 in the same manner as light with the sun4 ,and1 at the same time1 we say1 that divinity is not in want of any beauty or virtue which it is possible to add to him through language4 ,moreover1 angels and dmons always receive truth from the ,gods1 so that they never assert any thing contrary to this1 each of them being essentially perfect1 nor can they add any thing to it for the sake of commendation4 ,when1 therefore1 does the deception mentioned by you 8of speakingly boastingly0 take place4 ,for when a certain error happens in the theurgic art1 and not such autoptic1 or self-visible1 images are seen as ought to occur1 but others1 instead of these1 then inferior powers assume the form of the more venerable orders1 and pretend to be those whose forms they assume2 and hence arrogant words are uttered by them1 and such as exceed the authority which they possess4 ,for1 as it appears to me1 if any fraud germinates from the first principle1 much falsehood is derived from the perversion1 which it is necessary the priest should learn from the whole order in the phasmata1 and by the proper observation of which they are able to confute and reject the fictitious#df pretext of these inferior powers1 as by no means pertaining to true and good spirits4 ,nor is it proper to introduce errors in the true judgment of things2 for neither in other sciences or arts do we judge of their works from the aberrations which may happen to take place in them4 ,you should not1 therefore1 here characterize things which are scarcely performed with rectitude through ten thousand labours1 from the errors which may1 through ignorance1 befall them2 but rather assert something else of them4 ,for if the works which take place from the appearance of these powers are such as you say1 viz4 if they are arrogant and false1 yet the operations about fire of true spirits are genuine and true4 ,for1 as in all other things1 such as are principal primarily begin from themselves1 and impart to themselves that which they give to others2 as1 for instance1 in essence1 in life1 and in motion2 thus also the natures which supply all beings with truth1 primarily proclaim the truth of themselves1 and precedaneously unfold the essence of themselves to the spectators4 ,hence1 likewise1 they exhibit to theurgists a fire which is of itself visible4 ,for it is not the province of heat to refrigerate1 nor of light to darken or conceal any thing2 nor with any other nature which essentially performs a certain thing1 is a power present of at the same time effecting the contrary4 ,but things which do not possess a true nature1 and which are contrary to things that exist essentially2 these are able to receive contraries1 and are adapted to fall into evil4 ,we must say the same thing1 therefore1 concerning phantasms4 ,for if these are not true1 but other things are so which have a real existence1 thus also in the appearances of spirits1 they seem to be such as things which are true beings2 at the same time they participate of falsehood and deception1 in the same manner as the forms which present themselves to the view in mirrors2 and thus vainly attract the mind about things which never take place in any of the more excellent genera4 ,these phantasms1 likewise1 will consist in deceptive perversions4 ,for that which is an imitation of real being1 and is an obscure assimilation1 and becomes the cause of deception1 pertains to no one of the true and clearly existing genera4 ,but the ,gods1 indeed1 and those powers that follow the ,gods1 reveal true images of themselves1 but by no means extend phantasms of themselves1 such as exist in water1 or in mirrors4 ,for on what account should they exhibit these8 ,shall we say1 as bringing with them an indication of their own essence and power8 ,this1 however1 is by no means the case4 ,for these phantasms become the cause of deception to those that believe in them1 and withdraw the spectators from the true knowledge of the ,gods4 ,shall we say1 then1 that it is because they afford a certain utility to those that behold them8 ,but what advantage can be derived from falsehood8 ,if1 therefore1 this is not the case1 may it not be natural to divinity to extend a phantasm from itself8 ,but how can that which is firmly established in itself1 and which is the cause of essence and truth1 produce in a foreign seat a certain deceitful imitation of itself8 ,by no means1 therefore1 does divinity either transform himself into phantasms1 nor extend these from himself to other things1 but emits1 by illumination1 true representations of himself1 in the true manners of souls4 ,conformably to this1 also1 the attendants of the ,gods are emulous of the self-visible truth of the ,gods4 ,but that which you now say1 8that it is common to ,gods and dmons1 and the rest of the more excellent genera1 to produce fictitious images1 and to speak boastingly of themselves10 confounds all the genera of superior beings in each other1 and leaves no difference whatever between them4 ,for thus all things will be common to them1 and nothing singularly excellent will be given to transcendent natures4 ,it will1 therefore1 be more just to ask1 in opposition to you1 in what will the genus of the ,gods be superior to that of dmons8 ,these genera1 however1 have nothing in common1 nor is the communion between them phantastic1 nor is it fit from such natures as are last1 and from the errors which take place in them1 to estimate first essences1 and the true impressions of forms which are in them4 ,for by thus thinking concerning these essences1 we shall think justly1 and in a way pleasing to the ,gods4 ,,chap4 ,,xi4 ,in what follows1 in which you think that ignorance and deception about these things are impiety and impurity1 and in which you exhort us to the true developement of these particulars1 is not1 indeed1 attended with any ambiguity1 but is acknowledged by all men4 ,for who will not grant that the science which apprehends real being1 is most adapted to a divine cause1 but that ignorance which is hurried along to nonbeing1 since it is most remote from a divine cause1 falls off from truly existing forms8 ,since1 however1 what is said by you is not sufficient1 ,i will add what is wanting2 and because what you assert is rather philosophical and logical1 than conformable to the efficacious art of priests1 on this account ,i think it is necessary to say something more theurgical about these particulars4 ,for1 let 8ignorance and deception be error and impiety10 yet it does not follow that1 on this account1 things which are offered to the ,gods1 and divine works1 are false4 ,for a conception of the mind does not conjoin theurgists with the ,gods2 since1 if this were the case1 what would hinder those who philosophize theoretically1 from having a theurgic union with the ,gods8 ,now1 however1 in reality1 this is not the case4 ,for the perfect efficacy of ineffable works1 which are divinely performed in a way surpassing all intelligence1 and the power of inexplicable symbols1 which are known only to the ,gods1 impart theurgic union4 ,hence1 we do not perform these things through intellectual perception2 since1 if this were the case1 the intellectual energy of them would be imparted by us2 neither of which is true4 ,for when we do not energize intellectually1 the synthemata#dg themselves perform by themselves their proper work1 and the ineffable power of the ,gods itself knows1 by itself1 its own images4 ,it does not1 however1 know them1 as if excited by our intelligence2 for neither is it natural that things which comprehend should be excited by those that are comprehended1 nor perfect by imperfect natures1 nor wholes by parts4 ,hence1 neither are divine causes precedaneously called into energy by our intellections2 but it is requisite to consider these1 and all the best dispositions of the soul1 and also the purity pertaining to us1 as certain concauses2 the things which properly excite the divine will being divine synthemata themselves4 ,and thus1 things pertaining to the ,gods1 are moved by themselves1 and do not receive from any inferior nature a certain principle in themselves of their own proper energy4 ,i have1 however1 been thus prolix1 in order that you may not think all the authority of the energy in theurgic operations is in our power1 and that you may not suppose the true work of them consists in our conceptions1 or the falsehood of them in our deception4 ,for though we may know the peculiarities which are consequent to each genus1 yet we may not obtain the truth which is in their works4 ,nevertheless1 efficacious union with divine natures is not effected without knowledge2 yet knowledge does not possess a sameness with this union4 ,so that neither is divine purity obtained through right knowledge1 as neither is purity of body procured through health2 but divine purity is more undefiled than knowledge1 and is more transcendently united4 ,hence neither this1 nor any thing of the like kind which is in us1 and is human1 cooperates any thing to the end of divine actions4 ,accept1 therefore1 this1 which is said indeed incidentally1 but is a sufficient reply to the whole of your conception concerning the theurgic art4 ,those assertions1 also1 of yours pertain to the same thing1 in which you say1 8that the science of the ,gods is sacred and useful1 and call the ignorance of things honourable and beautiful darkness1 but the knowledge of them light2 and also add1 that the ignorance of these things fills men with all evils1 through inerudition and audacity1 but the knowledge of them is the cause of all good40 ,for all these assertions tend to the same thing with the preceding1 and obtain together with them an appropriate discussion4 ,it is necessary1 therefore to omit them1 and to pass on to the inquiries concerning divination1 and concisely dissolve them4 ,,section ,,iii4 ,,chap4 ,i4 ,in the first place1 therefore1 you ask me to explain to you distinctly1 8what that is which is effected in the foreknowledge of future events80 ,immediately1 however1 that which you endeavour to learn is impossible4 ,for1 according to the meaning of your question1 you think that foreknowledge is something which is generated1 or subsists in becoming to be1 and pertains to things which have a natural subsistence4 ,it is not1 however1 one of the things which have their existence in becoming to be1 nor is it effected after the manner of physical mutation1 nor is it invented and devised as something useful for the purposes of life1 nor in short1 is it a human work1 but is divine and supernatural1 and is supernally sent to us from the heavens4 ,it is also unbegotten and eternal1 and spontaneously has a precedaneous subsistence4 ,the greatest remedy1 therefore1 for all such doubts is this1 to know the principle of divination1 that it neither originates from bodies1 nor from the passions about bodies1 nor from a certain nature1 and the powers about nature1 nor from any human apparatus1 or the habits pertaining to it4 ,but neither does it originate from a certain art1 externally acquired1 about a certain part of such things as are subservient to life4 ,for the whole authority of it pertains to the ,gods1 and is imparted by them2 it is also effected by divine works1 or signs2 and it possesses divine spectacles1 and scientific theorems4 ,all other things1 however1 are subjected as instruments to the gift of foreknowledge transmitted from the ,gods2 viz4 such things as pertain to our soul and body1 and such as are in the nature of the universe1 or are inexistent in particular natures4 ,but some things are previously subjacent1 as in the order of matter1 such as places1 or certain other things of the like kind4 ,if some one1 however1 dismissing primordial causes1 should refer divination to secondary offices1 such as the motions of bodies1 or the mutations of passions1 or certain other motions1 or the energies of human life1 or animal or physical reasons1 and should think that in so doing he asserts something manifest2 or if1 considering the symmetries of these with reference to each other1 as causes1 he should apprehend that he can assign something accurate concerning divination1 he wholly deviates from the truth4 ,but the one right boundary1 and the one principle of all these particulars1 is by no means to produce without a cause the foreknowledge of futurity1 from things which have no prescience in themselves1 but to survey from the ,gods who contain in themselves the terminations of all the knowledge of beings1 divination distributed about the whole world1 and about all the natures that are separately contained in it4 ,for such a cause as this is primordial1 and is especially most common1 containing in itself primarily those things which it gives to its participants1 and particularly imparting truth1 of which divination is in want2 and antecedently comprehending the essence and cause of future events1 from which foreknowledge necessarily and incessantly proceeds4 ,let such a principle as this1 therefore1 be the origin in common of all divination1 from which it is possible to discover scientifically all the species of it2 which we shall now unfold1 conformably to the questions proposed by you4 ,,chap4 ,,ii4 ,concerning the divination1 therefore1 which takes place in sleep1 you say as follows3 8,we frequently obtain through dreams1 when we are asleep1 a knowledge of future events1 not being in an ecstasy1 through which we are much agitated1 for the body is quiet1 but we do not apprehend what we see in the same clear manner as when we are awake40 ,it is usual1 however1 for what you here say1 to happen in human dreams1 and in dreams which are excited by the soul1 or by some of our conceptions1 or by reason1 or by imaginations1 or certain diurnal cares4 ,and these1 indeed1 are sometimes true and sometimes false2 and in some things they apprehend reality1 but in many deviate from it4 ,but the dreams which are denominated theopemptoi1 or sent from ,god1 do not subsist after the manner which you mention2 but they take place either when sleep is leaving us1 and we are beginning to awake1 and then we hear a certain voice1 which concisely tells us what is to be done2 or voices are heard by us1 between sleeping and waking1 or when we are perfectly awake4 ,and sometimes1 indeed1 an invisible and incorporeal spirit surrounds the recumbents1 so as not to be perceived by the sight1 but by a certain other cosensation and intelligence4 ,the entrance of this spirit1 also1 is accompanied with a noise1 and he diffuses himself on all sides without any contact1 and effects admirable works conducive to the liberation of the passions of the soul and body4 ,but sometimes a bright and tranquil light shines forth1 by which the sight of the eyes is detained1 and which occasions them to become closed1 though they were before open4 ,the other senses1 however1 are in a vigilant state1 and in a certain respect have a cosensation of the light unfolded by the ,gods2 and the recumbents hear what the ,gods say1 and know1 by a consecutive perception1 what is then done by them4 ,this1 however1 is beheld in a still more perfect manner1 when the sight perceives1 when intellect1 being corroborated1 follows what is performed1 and this is accompanied with the motion of the spectators4 ,such1 therefore1 and so many being the differences of these dreams1 no one of them is similar to human dreams4 ,but wakefulness1#dh a detention of the eyes1 a similar oppression of the head1 a condition between sleeping and waking1 an instantaneous excitation1 or perfect vigilance1 are all of them divine indications1 and are adapted to the reception of the ,gods4 ,they are also sent by the ,gods1 and a part of divine appearances antecedes according to things of this kind4 ,take away1 therefore1 from divine dreams1 among which also divination is contained1 8the being asleep10 and also the assertion1 8that we do not apprehend what we see in sleep1 in the same clear manner as when we are awake40 ,for the ,gods are no less clearly present with us in these dreams than when we are awake4 ,and1 if it be requisite to speak the truth1 the presence of the ,gods1 in the former case1 is necessarily clearer and more accurate1 and produces a more perfect perception than in the latter4 ,some1 therefore1 not knowing these indications of prophetic dreams1 and conceiving that they have something in common with human dreams1 rarely and casually obtain a foreknowledge of futurity1 and in consequence of this1 reasonably doubt how dreams contain any truth4 ,and this1 also1 appears to me to disturb you1 in consequence of your not knowing the true indications of dreams4 ,it is necessary1 however1 that1 admitting these to be the elements of the true knowledge of dreams1 you should attend to the whole of the discussion concerning divination in sleep4 ,,chap4 ,,iii4 ,the wise1#di therefore1 speak as follows3 ,the soul having a twofold life1 one being in conjunction with body1 but the other being separate from all body2 when we are awake we employ1 for the most part1 the life which is common with the body1 except when we separate ourselves entirely from it by pure intellectual and dianoetic energies4 ,but when we are asleep1 we are perfectly liberated1 as it were1 from certain surrounding bonds1 and use a life separated from generation4 ,hence1 this form of life1 whether it be intellectual or divine1 and whether these two are the same thing1 or whether each is peculiarly of itself one thing1 is then excited in us1 and energizes in a way conformable to its nature4 ,since1 therefore1 intellect surveys real beings1 but the soul contains in itself the reasons of all generated natures1 it very properly follows that1 according to a cause which comprehends future events1 it should have a foreknowledge of them1 as arranged in their precedaneous reasons4 ,and it possesses a divination still more perfect than this1 when it conjoins the portions of life and intellectual energy to the wholes from which it was separated4 ,for then it is filled from wholes with all scientific knowledge1 so as for the most part to attain by its conceptions to the apprehension of every thing which is effected in the world4 ,indeed1 when it is united to the ,gods1 by a liberated energy of this kind1 it then receives the most true plenitudes of intellections1 from which it emits the true divination of divine dreams1 and derives the most genuine principles of knowledge4 ,but if the soul connects its intellectual and divine part with more excellent natures1 then its phantasms will be more pure1 whether they are phantasms of the ,gods1 or of beings essentially incorporeal1 or1 in short1 of things contributing to the truth of intelligibles4 ,if1 also1 it elevates the reasons of generated natures1 contained in it to the ,gods1 the causes of them1 it receives power from them1 and a knowledge which apprehends what has been1 and what will be2 it likewise surveys the whole of time1 and the deeds which are accomplished in time1 and is allotted the order of providentially attending to and correcting them in an appropriate manner4 ,and bodies1 indeed1 that are diseased it heals2 but properly disposes such things as subsist among men erroneously and disorderly4 ,it likewise frequently delivers the discoveries of arts1 the distributions of justice1 and the establishment of legal institutions4 ,thus in the temple of ,esculapius1 diseases are healed through divine dreams2 and1 through the order of nocturnal appearances1 the medical art is obtained from sacred dreams4 ,thus1 too1 the whole army of ,alexander was preserved1 which would otherwise have been entirely destroyed in the night1 in consequence of ,bacchus appearing in sleep1 and pointing out a solution of the most grievous calamities4 ,the city ,aphutis1 likewise1 when besieged by ,king ,lysander1 was saved through a dream sent to him by ,jupiter ,ammon4 ,for afterwards1 he most rapidly withdrew his army from thence1 and immediately raised the siege4 ,what occasion1 however1 is there to be prolix in mentioning every particular of things which happen daily1 and which exhibit an energy superior to all language8 ,what1 therefore1 has been said concerning divine divination in sleep is sufficient to show what it is1 how it is effected1 and what advantage it affords to mankind4 ,,chap4 ,,iv4 ,afterwards1 also1 you say1 8that many1 through enthusiasm and divine inspiration1 predict future events1 and that they are then in so wakeful a state1 as even to energize according to sense1 and yet they are not conscious of the state they are in1 or at least1 not so much as they were before40 ,i wish1 therefore1 here to point out to you the signs by which those who are rightly possessed by the ,gods may be known4 ,for they either subject the whole of their life1 as a vehicle or instrument to the inspiring ,gods2 or they exchange the human for the divine life2 or they energize with their own proper life about divinity4 ,but they neither energize according to sense1 nor are in such a vigilant state as those who have their senses excited from sleep 7for neither do they apprehend future events72 nor are they moved as those are who energize according to impulse4 ,nor1 again1 are they conscious of the state they are in1 neither as they were before1 nor in any other way2 nor1 in short1 do they convert to themselves their own intelligence1 or exert any knowledge which is peculiarly their own4 ,the greatest indication1 however1 of the truth of this is the following4 ,many1 through divine inspiration1 are not burned when fire is introduced to them1 the inspiring influence preventing the fire from touching them4 ,many1 also1 though burned1 do not apprehend that they are so1 because they do not then live an animal life4 ,and some1 indeed1 though transfixed with spits1 do not perceive it2 but others that are struck on the shoulders with axes1 and others that have their arms cut with knives1 are by no means conscious of what is done to them4 ,their energies1 likewise1 are not at all human4 ,for inaccessible places become accessible to those that are divinely inspired2 they are thrown into fire1 and pass through fire1 and over rivers1 like the priest in ,castabalis1 without being injured4 ,but from these things it is demonstrated1 that those who energize enthusiastically are not conscious of the state they are in1 and that they neither live a human nor an animal life1 according to sense or impulse1 but that they exchange this for a certain more divine life1 by which they are inspired and perfectly possessed4 ,,chap4 ,v4 ,there are1 therefore1 many species of divine possession1 and divine inspiration is multifariously excited2 whence1 also1 the signs of it are many and different4 ,for either the ,gods are different1 by whom we are inspired1 and thus produce a different inspiration2 or the mode of enthusiasms being various1 produces a different afflatus4 ,for either divinity possesses us1 or we give up ourselves wholly to divinity1 or we have a common energy with him4 ,and sometimes1 indeed1 we participate of the last power of divinity1 sometimes of his middle1 and sometimes of his first power4 ,sometimes1 also1 there is a participation only1 at other times communion likewise1 and sometimes a union of these divine inspirations4 ,again1 either the soul alone enjoys the inspiration1 or the soul receives it in conjunction with the body1 or it is also participated by the common animal4 ,from these things1 therefore1 the signs of those that are inspired are multiform4 ,for the inspiration is indicated by the motions of the whole body1 and of certain parts of it1 by the perfect rest of the body1 by harmonious orders and dances1 and by elegant sounds1 or the contraries of these4 ,either the body1 likewise1 is seen to be elevated1 or increased in bulk1 or to be borne along sublimely in the air1 or the contraries of these1 are seen to take place about it4 ,an equability1 also1 of voice1 according to magnitude1 or a great variety of voice after#ej intervals of silence1 may be observed4 ,and again1 sometimes the sounds have a musical intension and remission1 and sometimes they are strained and relaxed after a different manner4 ,,chap4 ,,vi4 ,that1 however1 which is the greatest thing is this1 that he who appears to draw down a certain divinity1 sees a spirit descending and entering into some one1 recognizes its magnitude and quality1 and is also mystically persuaded and governed by it4 ,but a species of fire is seen by the recipient1 prior to the spirit being received1 which sometimes becomes manifest to all the spectators1 either when the divinity is descending1 or when he is departing4 ,and from this spectacle the greatest truth and power of the ,god1 and especially the order he possesses1 as likewise about what particulars he is adapted to speak the truth1 what the power is which he imparts1 and what he is able to effect1 become known to the scientific4 ,those1 however1 who1 without these blessed spectacles1 draw down spirits invisibly1 are without vision1 as if they were in the dark1 and know nothing of what they do1 except some small signs which become visible through the body of him who is divinely inspired1 and certain other things which are manifestly seen1 but they are ignorant of all the most important particulars of divine inspiration1 which are concealed from them in the invisible4 ,but to return from this digression3 if the presence of the fire of the ,gods1 and a certain ineffable species of light1 externally accede to him who is possessed1 and if they wholly fill him1 have dominion over and circularly comprehend him on all sides1 so that he is not able to exert any one proper energy1 what sense1 or animadversion1 or appropriate projection of intellect1 can there be in him who receives a divine fire8 ,what human motion1 likewise1 can then intervene1 or what human reception of passion or ecstasy1 or of aberration of the phantasy1 or of any thing else of the like kind1 such as is apprehended by the multitude1 can take place8 ,let such1 therefore1 be the divine indications of true inspiration from the ,gods1 which he who attends to will not wander from a right knowledge concerning it4 ,,chap4 ,,vii4 ,it is not1 however1 sufficient to learn these things alone1 nor will he who only knows these become perfect in divine science4 ,but it is requisite also to know what enthusiasm is1 and how it is produced4 ,it is falsely1 therefore1 supposed to be a motion of dianoia1 in conjunction with dmoniacal inspiration4 ,for human dianoia is not moved1 if it is thus enthusiastically affected2 nor is the inspiration produced by dmons1 but by the ,gods4 ,neither is enthusiasm simply an ecstasy2 for it is a reelevation and transition to a more excellent condition of being4 ,but delirium and ecstasy evince a perversion to that which is worse4 ,hence1 he who is an advocate for the latter1 speaks1 indeed1 of things which happen to those that energize enthusiastically1 yet does not teach that which is precedaneous4 ,but this consists in being wholly possessed by divinity1 which is afterwards followed by mental alienation4 ,no one1 therefore1 can justly apprehend that enthusiasm is something pertaining to the soul1 or to some one of its powers1 or to intellect or energies1 or to corporeal imbecility1 or that it cannot subsist without the debility of the body4 ,for neither is the work of divine inspiration human1 nor does the whole of it depend on human powers and energies2 but these1 indeed1 have the relation of a subject1 and divinity uses them as instruments4 ,he accomplishes1 however1 the whole work of divination through himself1 and being separated in an unmingled manner from other things1 neither the soul nor the body being at all moved1 he energizes by himself4 ,hence1 when divinations are rightly effected in the way which ,i have mentioned1 then they subsist without falsehood4 ,but when the soul has been previously disturbed1 or is moved in the interim1 or the body intervenes1 and confounds the divine harmony1 then divinations become turbulent and false1 and the enthusiasm is no longer true nor genuine4 ,,chap4 ,,viii4 ,if1 therefore1 true divination was a solution of the divine part of the soul from the other parts of it1 or if it was a separation of intellect1 or a certain extension of it2 or if it was a vehemence and extension of energy or passion1 or an acuteness and motion of dianoia1 or a fervour of intellect2 then1 since all such like particulars are excited by our soul1 enthusiasm might be reasonably supposed to be the offspring of the soul4 ,if1 however1 the body1 on account of certain temperaments1 whether they are such as are melancholic1 or any other1 or1 to speak more particularly1 on account of heat1 or cold1 or moisture1 or a certain specific quality of these1 or the mixture or temperature of these in a certain proportion1 or the pneumatic part of the soul1 or the more and the less of these2 if any one of these is established as the cause of enthusiastic alienation1 in this case1 the alienation will be a corporeal passion1 and will be excited by physical motions4 ,but if its excitation originates from both the soul and the body1 so far as these coalesce with each other1 a motion of this kind will be common to the animal produced by the union of the two4 ,the enthusiastic energy1 however1 is not the work either of the body or the soul1 or of both conjoined4 ,for these do not contain in themselves a certain cause of divine alienation1 nor are things of a more excellent nature adapted to be generated by such as are less excellent4 ,but it is necessary to investigate the causes of divine mania4 ,and these are the illuminations proceeding from the ,gods1 the spirits imparted by them1 and the all perfect domination of divinity1 which comprehends indeed every thing in us1 but exterminates entirely our own proper consciousness and motion4 ,this divine possession1 also1 emits words which are not understood by those that utter them2 for they pronounce them1 as it is said1 with an insane mouth1 and are wholly subservient1 and entirely yield themselves to the energy of the predominating ,god4 ,the whole of enthusiasm is a thing of this kind1 and is effected by these causes1 though this must not be considered as asserted with consummate accuracy4 ,,chap4 ,,ix4 ,what you afterwards say is as follows3 8,that some of those who suffer a mental alienation1 energize enthusiastically on hearing cymbals or drums1 or a certain modulated sound1 such as those who are ,corybantically inspired1 those who are possessed by ,sabazius1 and those who are inspired by the mother of the ,gods40 ,it is necessary1 therefore1 to discuss the causes of these things1 and to show how they are definitely produced4 ,that music1 therefore1 is of a motive nature1 and is adapted to excite the affections1 and that the melody of pipes produces or heals the disordered passions of the soul1 changes the temperaments or dispositions of the body1 and by some melodies causes a ,bacchic fury1 but by others occasions this fury to cease2#ea and1 likewise1 how the differences of these accord with the several dispositions of the soul1 and that an unstable and variable melody is adapted to ecstasies1 such as are the melodies of ,olympus1#eb and others of the like kind2 all these appear to me to be adduced in a way foreign to enthusiasm4 ,for they are physical and human1 and the work of our art2 but nothing whatever of a divine nature in them presents itself to the view4 ,we must rather1 therefore1 say1 that sounds and melodies are appropriately consecrated to the ,gods4 ,there is1 also1 an alliance in these sounds and melodies to the proper orders and powers of the several ,gods1 to the motions in the universe itself1 and to the harmonious sounds which proceed from the motions4 ,conformably1 therefore1 to such like adaptations of melodies to the ,gods1 the ,gods themselves become present4 ,for there is not any thing which intercepts2 so that whatever has but a casual similitude to1 directly participates of1 them4 ,a perfect possession1 likewise1 immediately takes place1 and a plenitude of a more excellent essence and power4 ,not that the body and the soul are in each other1 and sympathize1 and are copassive with the melodies2 but because the inspiration of the ,gods is not separated from divine harmony1 but is originally adapted and allied to it1 on this account it is participated by it in appropriate measures4 ,hence also1 it is excited and restrained according to the several orders of the ,gods4 ,but this inspiration must by no means be called an ablation1 purgation1 or medicine4 ,for it is not primarily implanted in us from a certain disease1 or excess1 or redundance2 but the whole principle and participation of it are supernally derived from the ,gods4 ,neither is it proper to say that the soul primarily consists of harmony and rythm4 ,for thus enthusiasm would be adapted to the soul alone4 ,it is better1 therefore1 to deny this1 and to assert that the soul1 before she gave herself to body1 was an auditor of divine harmony2 and that hence1 when she proceeded into body1 and heard melodies of such a kind as especially preserve the divine vestigie of harmony1 she embraced these1 from them recollected divine harmony1 and tends and is allied to it1 and as much as possible participates of it4 ,hence the cause of divine divination may1 after this manner1 be assigned in common4 ,,chap4 ,x4 ,let us1 however1 discuss what pertains to divination more particularly2 not asserting this1 that nature leads each thing to its like2 for the enthusiastic energy is not the work of nature2 nor again asserting that the temperature of the air1 and of that which surrounds us1 produces also a different temperature in the body of those that energize enthusiastically2 since inspiration1 which is the work of the ,gods1 is not changed by corporeal powers or temperaments4 ,nor must we say1 that the much celebrated inspiration of divinity is adapted to passions and generated natures4 ,for the gift of the proper energy of the ,gods to men is impassive and superior to all generation4 ,but since the power of the ,corybantes is1 in a certain respect1 of a guardian and efficacious nature1#ec and that of ,sabazius appropriately pertains to ,bacchic inspiration1 the purifications of souls1#ef and the solutions of ancient divine anger1#eg on this account the inspirations of them entirely differ from each other4 ,with respect1 however1 to the mother of the ,gods1 you1 indeed1 seem to think that those who are possessed by the ,goddess are males2 for1 conformably to this1 you denominate them ,metrizantes4 ,but the thing is not truly so4 ,for those who are precedaneously inspired by the mother of the ,gods are women2 but the males that are thus inspired are very few in number1 and such as are more effeminate4 ,this enthusiasm1 however1 has a vivific and replenishing power1#eh on which account1 also1 it in a remarkable degree differs from all other mania4 ,proceeding1 therefore1 in this way1 in what remains of the present discussion1 and fitly distinguishing the inspirations of the ,nymphs1 or of ,pan1 and the other differences of them1 according to the powers of the ,gods1 we shall separate them conformably to their appropriate peculiarities2 and we shall also be able to explain through what cause they leap and dwell in mountains1 why some of them appear to be bound1 and why they are worshiped through sacrifices4 ,all these1 likewise1 we shall ascribe to divine causes1 as containing in themselves all the authority of these particulars2 but we shall not say that either a certain collected redundancy of body or soul requires to be purified1 or that the periods of the seasons are the causes of such like passions1 or that the reception of the similar1 and the ablation of the dissimilar1 bring with them a certain remedy for an excess of this kind4 ,for all such like particulars are corporeal-formed1 and are entirely separated from a divine and intellectual life4 ,but each thing energizes conformably to its nature2 so that the spirits which are excited by the ,gods1 and which produce in men ,bacchic inspiration1 expel every other human and physical motion2 and it is not proper to assimilate their energies to those which are usually exerted after our manner2 but it is fit to refer them to perfectly different and primordial divine causes4 ,one species1 therefore1 of divine inspiration is of this kind1 and is after this manner produced4 ,,chap4 ,,xi4 ,another species of divine divination which is much celebrated1 most manifest and manifold1 is that of oracles1 about which you say as follows3 8,there are some who drink water1 as the priest of ,clarius1 in ,colophon2#ei but others are seated at the mouth of a cavern1 as those who prophesy at ,delphi2 and others imbibe the vapour from water1 as the prophetesses in ,brandchid40#fj ,you have1 therefore1 made mention of these three oracles by name1 not that there are only these1 for there are many more which you have omitted1 but as these are more celebrated than the rest1 and1 at the same time1 because through these you may be sufficiently instructed in the mode of divination sent to men from the ,gods1 hence1 as it appears to me1 you were satisfied with these4 ,we1 therefore1 likewise shall discuss these three1 omitting to speak about the many other oracles that exist4 ,it is acknowledged then by all men1 that the oracle in ,colophon gives its answers through the medium of water4 ,for there is a fountain in a subterranean dwelling from which the prophetess drinks2 and on certain established nights1 after many sacred rites have been previously performed1 and she has drank of the fountain1 she delivers oracles1 but is not visible to those that are present4 ,that this water1 therefore1 is prophetic1 is from hence manifest4 ,but how it becomes so1 this1 according to the proverb1 is not for every man to know4 ,for it appears as if a certain prophetic spirit pervaded through the water4 ,this is not1 however1 in reality the case4 ,for a divine nature does not pervade through its participants in this manner1 according to interval and division1 but comprehends as it were externally1 and illuminates the fountain1#fa and fills it from itself with a prophetic power4 ,for the inspiration which the water affords is not the whole of that which proceeds from a divine power1 but the water itself only prepares us1 and purifies our luciform spirit1#fb so that we may be able to receive the divinity2 while1 in the mean time1 there is a presence of divinity prior to this1 and illuminating from on high4 ,and this1 indeed1 is not absent from any one1 who through aptitude is capable of being united to it4 ,but this divine illumination is immediately present1 and uses the prophetess as an instrument2 she neither being any longer mistress of herself1 nor capable of attending to what she says1 nor perceiving where she is4 ,hence1 after prediction1 she is scarcely able to recover herself4 ,and before she drinks the water1 she abstains from food for a whole day and night2 and retiring to certain sacred places1 inaccessible to the multitude1 begins to receive in them the enthusiastic energy4 ,through her departure1 therefore1 and separation from human concerns1 she renders herself pure1 and by this means adapted to the reception of divinity3 and from hence she possesses the inspiration of the ,god1 shining into the pure seat of her soul1 becomes full of an unrestrained afflatus1 and receives the divine presence in a perfect manner1 and without any impediment4 ,but the prophetess in ,delphi1 whether she gives oracles to mankind through an attenuated and fiery spirit1 bursting from the mouth of the cavern1 or whether being seated in the adytum on a brazen tripod1 or on a stool with four feet1 she becomes sacred to the ,god2 whichsoever of these is the case1 she entirely gives herself up to a divine spirit1 and is illuminated with a ray of divine fire4 ,and when1 indeed1 fire ascending from the mouth of the cavern circularly invests her in collected abundance1 she becomes filled from it with a divine splendour4 ,but when she places herself on the seat of the ,god1 she becomes coadapted to his stable prophetic power3 and from both these preparatory operations she becomes wholly possessed by the ,god4 ,and then1 indeed1 he is present with and illuminates her in a separate manner1 and is different from the fire1 the spirit1 the proper seat1 and1 in short1 from all the visible apparatus of the place1 whether physical or sacred4 ,the prophetic woman too in ,brandchid1 whether she holds in her hand a wand1#fc which was at first received from some ,god1 and becomes filled with a divine splendour1 or whether seated on an axis1 she predicts future events1 or dips her feet or the border of her garment in the water1 or receives the ,god by imbibing the vapour of the water2 by all these she becomes adapted to partake externally#fd of the ,god4 ,but the multitude of sacrifices1 the sacred law of the whole sanctimony1 and such other things as are performed in a divine manner1 prior to the prophetic inspiration1 viz4 the baths of the prophetess1 her fasting for three whole days1 her retiring into the adyta1 and there receiving a divine light1 and rejoicing for a considerable time--all these evince that the ,god is entreated by prayer to approach1 that he becomes externally present1 and that the prophetess1 before she comes to her accustomed place1 is inspired in a wonderful manner2 and that1 in the spirit which rises from the fountain1 another more ancient ,god1 who is separate from the place1 shines forth to the view1 and who is also the cause of the place1 of the country1 and of the whole divination4 ,,chap4 ,,xii4 ,it appears1 therefore1 that the divination of oracles accords with all the hypotheses which we have before adduced concerning prediction4 ,for if a power of this kind was inseparable from the nature of places1 and of the bodies which are the subjects of it1 or proceeded#fe according to a motion defined by number1 it would not be able to foreknow1 with invariable sameness1 things which exist every where and always4 ,but being separate and liberated from places and things which are measured by the numbers of time1 and also from those which are detained in place1 it is equally present with all things wherever they may be1 and subsists simultaneously with all the natures that are produced according to time4 ,it likewise comprehends in one the truth of all things1 through its separate and transcendent essence4 ,hence1 if this is rightly asserted by us1 the prophetic power of the ,gods is not partibly comprehended by any place1 or partible human body1 nor by the soul1 which is detained in one certain species of divisible natures2 but being separate and indivisible1 it is wholly every where present with the natures which are capable of receiving it4 ,it likewise externally illuminates and fills all things1 pervades through all the elements1 comprehends earth and air1 fire and water1 and leaves nothing destitute of itself1 neither animals nor any of the productions of nature1 but imparts from itself a certain portion of foreknowledge1 to some things in a greater1 and to others in a less1 degree4 ,moreover1 existing itself prior to all things1 by its own separate nature1 it becomes sufficient to fill all things1 so far as each is able to partake of it4 ,,chap4 ,,xiii4 ,let us1 therefore1 now direct our attention to another species of divination1 which is not public1 but of a private nature1 concerning which you say1 8that some become enthusiastic by standing on characters1 as those that are filled from the intromission of spirits40 ,this species1 therefore1 through those who badly use it1 cannot easily be comprehended in one definition4 ,but it is obvious and superficial1 and known to many1 and employs a falsehood and deception which are not to be endured2 nor is it at all attended with the presence of a certain divinity1 but it produces a certain motion of the soul1 which is adverse to the ,gods1 and attracts from them an obscure and adumbrative representation1 which1 through the evanescent nature of its power1 is usually disturbed by dmoniacal depraved spirits4 ,that1 however1 which is truly a representation of the ,gods1 is in other respects genuine and pure1 immutable and true1 and is inaccessible to1 and unimpeded by1 spirits of a contrary nature4 ,for1 as darkness is not adapted to sustain the splendour of the glittering light of the sun1 but suddenly becomes totally invisible1 entirely recedes1 and immediately vanishes2 thus1 also1 when the power of the ,gods1 which fills all things with good1 abundantly shines forth1 no place is left for the tumult of evil spirits1 nor can it present itself to the view2 but1 as if it was nothing1 it departs into nonentity1 not being able to be at all moved1 when more excellent natures are present1 or to disturb#ff such natures in their illuminations4 ,since1 therefore1 these differ so greatly1 ,i shall not use any other indications1 in order to distinguish them1 than those which are adduced by you4 ,for when you say1 8some standing on characters10 you seem to signify nothing else than the cause of all the evils pertaining to these things4 ,for there are some who1 neglecting the whole business of the telesiurgic theory1 both concerning the invoking priest and the inspector 771 and also despising the order of religion1 and the most holy endurance of labours for a long time1 and rejecting the sacred laws and ordinances1 and other religious ceremonies1 think that the standing on characters is alone sufficient1 and that by doing this for one hour1 they can cause a certain spirit to enter2 though how is it possible that any thing beautiful or perfect can be effected by these8 ,or how1 by ephemeral works1 can a contact he produced with the eternal and true essence of the ,gods in sacred deeds8 ,through these things1 therefore1 it appears that such like rash men entirely err1 and that they do not deserve to be ranked among diviners4 ,,chap4 ,,xiv4 ,concerning another kind of divination1 also1 you say as follows3 8,others who are conscious what they are doing in other respects1 are divinely inspired according to the phantastic part1 some indeed receiving darkness for a cooperator1 others certain potions1 but others in cantations and compositions4 ,and some energize according to the imagination through water1#fg others in a wall1 others in the open air1 and others in the light of the sun1 or some other celestial body40 ,the whole1 however1 of this kind of divination of which you now speak1 since it is multiform1 may be comprehended in one power1 which may be called the eduction of light4#fh ,but this illuminates with divine light the etherial and luciform vehicle#fi with which the soul is surrounded1 from which divine visions occupy our phantastic power1 these visions being excited by the will of the ,gods4 ,for the whole life of the soul and all the powers that are in it1 being in subjection to the ,gods1 are moved in such a way as the ,gods1 the leaders of the soul1 please4 ,and this takes place in a twofold manner1 either from the ,gods being present with the soul1 or imparting to the soul from themselves a certain forerunning light2 but1 according to each of these modes1 the divine presence and the illumination have a separate subsistence4 ,the attentive power1 therefore1 and dianoia#gj of the soul1 are conscious of what is effected1 since the divine light does not come into contact with these2 but the phantastic part is divinely inspired1 because it is not excited to the modes of imaginations by itself1 but by the ,gods1 the phantasy being then entirely changed from human custom4 ,since1 however1 a contrary is receptive of a contrary1 according to a mutation and departure from itself1 and that which is allied to another thing1 and familiar#ga with it through similitude1 is capable of receiving it1 hence the illuminators receive darkness as a cooperator1 and employ in illuminating the light of the sun1 or of the moon1 or1 in short1 of the air4 ,sometimes1 likewise1 they use collocations of such things as are adapted to the ,gods that are about to descend1 or they employ incantations or compositions1 and these appropriately prepared for the reception1 presence1 and manifestation of the ,gods4 ,and again1 sometimes they introduce light through water1 because this being diaphanous1 is aptly disposed to the reception of light4 ,but at other times1 they cause light to shine forth on a wall1 having previously prepared the wall for the reception of light in the best manner by the sacred descriptions of characters2 and1 at the same time1 they fix the light in a certain solid place1 so that it may not be widely diffused4 ,many other modes1 also1 of introducing light might be mentioned2 but all of them may be referred to one mode1 that of irradiation1 wherever it may be effected1 and through whatever instruments the ,gods may illuminate4 ,since1 therefore1 this illumination accedes externally1 and has every thing which it possesses subservient to the will and intelligence alone of the ,gods1 and as the greatest thing pertaining to it1 possesses a sacred irradiating light1 either supernally derived from ether1 or from the air1 or the moon1 or the sun1 or from some other celestial sphere1--this being the case1 it is evident from all these particulars1 that such a mode of divination as this is unrestrained1 primordial1 and worthy of the ,gods4 ,,chap4 ,,xv4 ,let us1 therefore1 pass on to the mode of divination which is effected through human art1 and which possesses much of conjecture and opinion4 ,but concerning this you say as follows3 8,some also establish the art of the investigation of futurity through the viscera1 through birds1 and through the stars40 ,and there are1 indeed1 many other arts of this kind1 but the above are sufficient to exhibit the whole artificial species of divination4 ,universally1 therefore1 this art employs certain divine signs1 which derive their completion from the ,gods1 according to various modes4 ,but from divine portents1 according to an alliance of things to the signs which are exhibited1 art in a certain respect decides1 and from certain probabilities conjecturally predicts4 ,the ,gods1 therefore1 produce the signs1 either through nature1 which is subservient both generally and particularly to the generation of effects2 or through genesiurgic dmons1 who presiding over the elements of the universe1 partial bodies1 and every thing contained in the world1 conduct with facility the phnomena1 conformably to the will of the ,gods4 ,but these signs symbolically premanifest the decrees of divinity and of futurity1 as ,heraclitus says1 8neither speaking nor concealing1 but signifying20#gb because they express the mode of fabrication through premanifestation4 ,as1 therefore1 the ,gods generate all things through forms#gc1 in a similar manner they signify all things through signs1 impressed as it were by a seal 7 74 ,perhaps1 likewise1 they render by this mean our intelligence more acute4 ,and thus much has been said by us in common concerning the whole of this kind of human art4 ,,chap4 ,,xvi4 ,descending1 however1 to particulars1 the soul of animals1 the dmon who presides over them1 the air1 the motion of the air1 and the circulation of the heavens1 variously change the viscera1#gd conformably to the will of the ,gods4 ,but an indication that they are so changed is this1 that they are frequently found without a heart1#ge or deprived of the most principal parts1 without which it is not at all possible for animals to be supplied with life4 ,with respect to birds1 likewise1 the impulse of their proper soul moves them1 and also the dmon who presides over animals2 and1 together with these1 the revolution of the air1 and the power of the heavens which descends into the air1 accord with the will of the ,gods1 and consentaneously lead the birds to what the ,gods ordained from the first4 ,of this the greatest indication is1 that birds frequently precipitate themselves to the earth1 and destroy themselves1 which it is not natural for any thing to do2 but this is something supernatural1 so that it is some other thing which produces these effects through birds4 ,moreover1 the lations of the stars approximate to the eternal circulations of the heavens1 not only locally1 but also in powers1 and the irradiations of light4 ,but these are moved conformably to the mandates of the celestial ,gods4 ,for the most pure1 agile1 and supreme part of the air1 is adapted to be enkindled i4 e4 is most inflammable1 so that when the ,gods assent1 it is immediately set on fire4 ,and if some one thinks that certain effluxions of the celestial bodies are imparted to the air1 his opinion will not be discordant with what is frequently effected by the divine art4 ,the union1 also1 and sympathy of the universe1 and the simultaneous motion of the most remote parts1 as if they were near1 and belonged to one animal1 cause these signs to be sent from the ,gods to men in the most luminous manner1 primarily1 indeed1 through the heavens1 but afterwards through the air4 ,from all that has been said1 therefore1 this becomes manifest1 that the ,gods1 employing many instruments as media1 send indications to men2 and that they also use the ministrant aid of dmons and souls1 and the whole of nature1 and of every thing in the world which is willingly obedient to them1 they being the primordial leaders of all these1 and transmitting the motion which descends from them wherever they please4 ,hence1 they being separate from all things1 and liberated from all habitude and coarrangement with things in generation1 lead all that generation and nature contains1 according to their own proper will4 ,this explanation1 therefore1 of divination accords with the doctrine of the fabricative energy and providence of the ,gods4 ,for it does not draw down the intellect of more excellent natures to sublunary concerns and to us1 but this intellect being established in itself1 converts to itself signs and the whole of divination1 and discovers that these proceed from it4 ,,chap4 ,,xvii4 ,in the next place you inquire 8concerning the mode of divination1 what it is1 and what the quality is by which it is distinguished10 which we have already explained1 both generally and particularly4 ,but you1 in the first place1 represent diviners as asserting1 8that all of them obtain a foreknowledge of future events through ,gods or dmons1 and that it is not possible for any others to know that which is future1 than those who are the lords of futurity40 ,afterwards you doubt1 8whether divinity is so far subservient to men1 as not to be averse to some becoming diviners from meal40 ,you do not1 however1 properly apprehend the abundance of the power of the ,gods1 their transcendent goodness1 and the cause which comprehends all things1 when you denominate their providential care and defence of us subserviency4 ,and1 besides this1 you are ignorant of the mode of divine energy1 that it is not drawn down and converted to us1 but that it has a separate precedency1 and gives itself1 indeed1 to its participants1 yet neither departs from itself1 nor becomes diminished1 nor is ministrant to those that receive it2 but1 on the contrary1 uses all things as subservient to itself4 ,the present doubt also appears to me to be erroneous in another respect1 for supposing the works of the ,gods to be like those of men1 it inquires how they are effected4 ,for because we are converted to our works1 and sometimes adhere to the passions of the things which we providentially attend to1 on this account you badly conjecture that the power of the ,gods is subservient to the natures which are governed by them4 ,but this power is never drawn down to its participants either in the production of the worlds1 or in the providential inspection of the realms of generation1 or in predicting concerning it4 ,for it imparts to all things good1 and renders all things similar to itself4 ,it likewise benefits the subjects of its government most abundantly1 and without envy1 and by how much the more it abides in itself1 by so much the more it is filled with its own proper perfection4 ,and it does not itself1 indeed1 become any thing belonging to its participants1 but it causes the things which receive it to partake of its peculiarities1 and preserves them in an all perfect manner4 ,it also abides at the same time perfectly in itself1 and comprehends them at once in itself1 but is neither vanquished nor comprehended by any one of them4 ,in vain1 therefore1 are men disturbed by a suspicion of this kind4 ,for divinity is not divided together with the above mentioned modes of divination1 but produces all of them impartibly4 ,nor does he effect different things at a different time1 in a distributed manner1 but produces all of them according to one energy1 collectively and at once4 ,nor is he detained about signs1 being comprehended in1 or divided about1 them2 but contains them in himself1 and in one order1 and comprehends them in unity1 and produces them from himself1 according to one invariable will4 ,if1 also1 the power of the ,gods proceeds in premanifestation as far as to things inanimate1 such as pebble stones1 rods1#gf pieces of wood1 stones1 corn1 or wheat1 this very thing is most admirable in the presignification of divine prophesy2 because it imparts soul to things inanimate1 motion to things immoveable1 and makes all things to be clear and known1 to partake of reason1 and to be defined by the measures of intellection1 though possessing no portion of reason from themselves4 ,another divine miracle also divinity appears to me to exhibit through signs in these things4 ,for1 as he sometimes makes some stupid man to speak wisely1 through which it becomes manifest to every one1 that this is not a certain human but a divine work2 thus1 also1 he reveals through things which are deprived of knowledge1 conceptions which precede all knowledge4 ,and1 at the same time1 he declares to men that the signs which are exhibited are worthy of belief1 and that they are superior to nature1 from which he is exempt4 ,thus he makes things to be known which are naturally unknown1 and things which are without knowledge gnostic4 ,through them1 also1 he inserts in us wisdom1 and through every thing which is in the world excites our intellect to the truth of real beings1 of things which are in generation1 and of future events4 ,from these things1 therefore1 ,i think it is manifest1 that the mode of divination is perfectly contrary to what you suspected it to be4 ,for it is of a ruling and primordial nature1 of an unrestrained power1 and transcendent nature1 comprehending in itself all things1 but not being comprehended by any thing1 nor enclosed by its participants4 ,for it ascends into1 and rules over1 all things simultaneously1 and without circumscription1 and collectively signifies future events4 ,hence1 from what has been said1 you may easily dissolve these vulgar doubts1 which disturb most men1 and may in a becoming manner elevate yourself to the intellectual1 divine1 and irreprehensible presignification of the ,gods from all things4 ,through this1 therefore1 we have evinced1 that divinity is not drawn down to the signs employed by divination4 ,,chap4 ,,xviii4 ,another contest1 however1 awaits us1 not less than that in which we have been before engaged1 and which you immediately announce1 concerning the causes of divination1 8whether a ,god1 an angel1 or a dmon1 or some other power1 is present in manifestations1 or divinations1 or certain other sacred energies40 ,but our reply to your question is simply this1 that it is not possible for any thing to be performed in a manner adapted to sacred concerns in divine works1 without the presence of some one of the more excellent natures1 as inspecting and giving completion to the sacred energy4 ,and where the felicitous operations are perfect1 sufficient to themselves1 and unindigent1 of these the ,gods are the leaders4 ,but where they are media1 and in a small degree fall short of the extremes1 they have angels as the powers that perfect and unfold them into light4 ,and it is the province of dmons to effect those operations which rank as the last4 ,but the right performance of actions which are effected in a divine manner1 is entirely to be ascribed to some one of the more excellent natures4 ,for since it is not possible to speak rightly about the ,gods without the ,gods1 much less can any one perform works which are of an equal dignity with divinity1 and obtain the foreknowledge of every thing without the inspiring influence of the ,gods4 ,for the human race is imbecile1 and of small estimation1 sees but a little1 and possesses a connascent nothingness2 and the only remedy of its inherent error1 perturbation1 and unstable mutation1 is its participation1 as much as possible1 of a certain portion of divine light4 ,but he who excludes this1 does the same thing as those who attempt to produce soul from things inanimate1 or to generate intellect from things unintelligent4 ,for without the cooperation of a cause1 he constitutes divine works from things which are not divine4 ,let it be granted1 therefore1 that a ,god1 a dmon1 or an angel1 gives completion to more excellent works1 yet we must not on this account admit what you adduce as a thing acknowledged1 8that they affect these things1 in consequence of being drawn through us by the necessities with which invocation is attended40 ,for divinity is superior to necessity1 and this is likewise the case with all the choir of more excellent natures that is suspended from him4 ,nor is he alone exempt from the necessity which is introduced by men1 but also from that which comprehends in itself the world2 because it is not the province of an immaterial nature1 and which does not receive any adventitious order1 to be subservient to any necessity introduced from any thing else4 ,and in the next place1 invocation1 and the things performed by a scientific operator1 accede and are conjoined to more excellent natures through similitude and alliance1 and do not accomplish their energies through violence4 ,hence1 the effects which are seen to take place in diviners1 do not happen as you think1 from the scientific theurgist being passively affected2 nor is divination thus effected through necessity1 passion preoccupying the predictor2 for these things are foreign from1 and incongruous to1 the essence of more excellent natures4 ,,chap4 ,,xix4 ,but neither does the cause of the energies of more excellent natures subsist as a certain middle instrument1#gg nor does he who invokes operate through him who prophesies2 for to assert these things is impious4 ,and it is much more true to say1 that ,god is all things1 is able to effect all things1 and that he fills all things with himself1 and is alone worthy of sedulous attention1#gh esteem1 the energy of reason1 and felicitous honour2 that which is human being vile1 of no account1 and ludicrous1 when compared with that which is divine4 ,hence ,i laugh1 when ,i hear it said1 that divinity is spontaneously present with certain persons or things1 either through the period of generation1 or through other causes4 ,for thus that which is unbegotten will no longer be more excellent1 if it is led by the period of generation2 nor will it be primarily the cause of all things1 if it is coarranged with certain things1 according to other causes4 ,these assertions1 therefore1 are unworthy of the conceptions which we should frame of the ,gods1 and foreign from the works which are effected in theurgy4#gi ,but an investigation of this kind suffers the same thing as the multitude suffer1 about the fabrication of the universe and providence4 ,for not being able to learn what the mode is in which these are effected1 and refusing to ascribe human cares and reasonings to the ,gods1 they wholly abolish the providential and fabricative energy of divinity4 ,as1 therefore1 we are accustomed to answer these1 that the divine mode of production and providential inspection is very different from that which is human1 and which it is not proper wholly to reject through ignorance1 as if it had not from the first any subsistence2 thus1 also1 it may be justly contended against you1 that all prediction1 and the performance of divine works1 are the works of the ,gods1 as they are not effected through other and these human causes1 but through such as are alone known to the ,gods4 ,,chap4 ,,xx4 ,omitting1 therefore1 these things1 we may reasonably adduce a second cause1 assigned by you1 of the above mentioned particulars3 viz4 8that the soul says and imagines these things1 and that they are the passions of it1 excited from small incentives40 ,neither1 however1 does nature possess these passions1 nor does reason admit them4 ,for every thing which is generated is generated from a certain cause1 and that which is of a kindred nature derives its completion from a kindred nature4 ,but a divine work is neither casual1 for a thing of this kind is without a cause1 and is not entirely arranged1 nor is it produced by a human cause4 ,for this is a thing foreign and subordinate2 but that which is more perfect cannot be produced from the imperfect4 ,all works1 therefore1 which have a similitude to divinity germinate from a divine cause4 ,for the human soul is contained by one form1 and is on all sides darkened by body1 which he who denominates the river of ,negligence1 or the water of ,oblivion1 or ignorance and delirium1#hj or a bond through passions1#ha or the privation of life1 or some other evil1 will not by such appellations sufficiently express its turpitude4 ,how1 therefore1 is it possible that the soul1 which is detained by so many evils1 can ever become sufficient to an energy of this kind8 ,it is1 indeed1 by no means reasonable to suppose that she can4 ,for if at any time we appear to be capable of effecting this1 it is alone through participating of1 and being illuminated by1 the ,gods1 that we enjoy the divine energy4 ,hence the soul does not participate of divine works1 so far as she possesses her own proper virtue and wisdom2 though if works of this kind pertained to the soul1 every soul would perform them1 or that soul alone which possessed its proper perfection4 ,now1 however1 neither of these is sufficiently prepared for this purpose2 but even the perfect soul is imperfect as with reference to divine energy4 ,the theurgic energy1 therefore1 is a different thing1 and the felicitous accomplishment of divine works is imparted by the ,gods alone4 ,for if this were not the case1 the worship of the ,gods would not1 in short1 be requisite1 but divine goods might be present with us from ourselves1 without the exercise of religion4 ,if1 therefore1 these opinions are insane and stupid1 it is proper to abandon an hypothesis of this kind1 as not affording a cause which deserves to be mentioned of the accomplishment of divine works4 ,,chap4 ,,xxi4 ,is1 therefore1 what you add in the third place more true2 viz4 8that there is a certain mixed form of hypostasis1 consisting of our soul and divine inspiration externally derived80 ,consider this then more accurately1 lest we should be deceived by it1 being impeded by its plausibility4 ,for wherever one thing is effected from two1 this one thing is wholly of a similar species1 nature1 and essence4 ,thus the elements which concur in the same thing1 produce one certain thing from many1 and many souls coalesce in one total soul4 ,that1 however1 which is perfectly exempt1 can never become one with that which departs from itself2#hb so that neither will there be one certain form of hypostasis with the soul and divine inspiration4 ,for if divinity is unmingled1 the soul will not be mingled with it2 and if he is immutable1 he will not be changed through a concretion into that which is common1 from the simplicity of his subsistence4 ,some1 therefore1 prior to us1 were of opinion that certain small sparks excite in us divine forms4 ,it is impossible1 however1 that these sparks1 whether they are physical1 or in some other way corporeal-formed1 should be transferred from things of a casual nature to things which are divine4 ,but in what is now asserted by you1 the soul is said to be a concause of the divine commixture2 and it is evident1 this being admitted1 that the soul becomes of an equal dignity with the ,gods1 that it gives a certain part to them and receives a part from them1 and that it also affords a measure to natures more excellent than itself1 and is itself bounded by them4 ,that likewise follows which is asserted by some1 and is most dire1 that the ,gods precedaneously subsisting in the order of elements1 are inherent in their effects1 and there will be a certain thing produced in time1 and from a mixture according to time1 which will contain the ,gods in itself4 ,what1 likewise1 is this comingled form of subsistence8 ,for if it is both soul and divine inspiration externally derived1 it will not be one thing consisting of two1 but a certain composite1 and a coacervation from two things4 ,but if it is as something different from both1 eternal natures will be mutable1 and divine natures will in no respect differ from physical substances in generation4#hc ,and as it is absurd to admit that an eternal nature is produced through generation1 it is still more absurd to suppose that any thing which consists of eternal natures can be dissolved4 ,neither1 therefore1 is this opinion concerning divination by any means reasonable2 and besides this1 it is also paradoxical1 whether it is considered as one supposition or as two4 ,,chap4 ,,xxii4 ,you say1 therefore1 8that the soul generates the power which has an imaginative perception of futurity1 through motions of this kind1 or that the things which are adduced from matter constitute dmons through the powers that are inherent in them1 and especially things adduced from the matter which is taken from animals40 ,it appears to me1 however1 that what is now asserted by you exhibits a dire illegality with reference to the whole of theology and the theurgic energy4 ,for one absurdity in it1 and which is the first that presents itself to the view1 is this1 that it makes dmons to be generable and corruptible4 ,and another1 which is more dire than this1 is that things which are prior will be produced from things which are posterior to themselves4 ,for dmons exist prior to soul1 and to the powers which are distributed about bodies4 ,in addition to these things1 also1 how can the energies of a partible soul which is detained in body1 become essence1 and be by themselves separate out of soul8 ,or how can the powers which are divided about1 be separated from bodies1 though they have their very being in bodies8 ,and who is it that liberating them from a corporeal condition of subsistence1 again collects the corporeal dissolution1 and causes it to coalesce in one thing8 ,for thus a thing of this kind will be a dmon1 who will have an existence prior to his being constituted4 ,this assertion1 likewise1 is attended with certain common doubts4 ,for how can divination be produced from things which have no divining power8 ,and how can soul be generated from things which are without soul8 ,and1 in short1 how can things which are more perfect be the progeny of such as are more imperfect8 ,the mode1 likewise1 of production appears to me to be impossible4 ,for it is impossible that essence should be produced through the motions of the soul1 and through the powers which are in bodies4 ,for from things which are without essence1 it is impossible that essence should be generated4 ,whence1 also1 does the imagination1 receiving from a certain thing a divining power1 become prophetic of futurity8 ,for we do not see that any one of the things which are sown through generation possess any thing more than what is imparted to it by its first generating cause4 ,but1 in the present instance1 the imagination will receive a certain more excellent addition from that which has no existence4 ,unless some one should say1 that dmons preside over the matter which is derived from animals1 and that when this matter is adduced1 the presiding dmon is sympathetically moved towards it4 ,according to this opinion1 therefore1 dmons are not generated from the powers in bodies2 but preceding and having an existence prior to bodies1 they are moved in conformity to them4 ,let it1 however1 be admitted1 that dmons are thus sympathetic1 yet ,i do not see after what manner there will be something true respecting futurity4 ,for the foreknowledge and premanifestation of futurity is not the province of a copassive and material power1 which is detained in a certain place and body2 but1 on the contrary1 this pertains to a power which is liberated from all these4 ,such1 therefore1 are the corrections of this opinion4 ,,chap4 ,,xxiii4 ,the animadversions which are after this adduced1 at first1 indeed1 doubt about the mode of divination1 but as they proceed1 endeavour entirely to subvert it4 ,we shall1 therefore1 discuss both these4 ,and1 in the first place1 we shall begin to dissolve the former of these doubts4 8,for in sleep1 when we are not employed about any thing1 we sometimes obtain a knowledge of the future40 ,not that the cause of divination is derived both from us and externally3 for in things the principle of which definitely subsists in us1 and that which is consequent is externally derived1 if these two have a coarrangement and connexion with each other1 in this case the works of the two are definitely effected1 and the things which are suspended from them follow their precedaneous causes4 ,but when the cause is independent of us1 and preexists by itself1 the end is not defined on account of us1 but the whole depends on things external to us4 ,now1 therefore1 since the truth which is in dreams does not entirely concur with our works1 but frequently shines forth from itself1 it shows that divination is externally derived from the ,gods1 that it possesses an independent power1 and that it benevolently unfolds futurity when it pleases1 and in such a way as it pleases4 ,these things1 therefore1 should have an answer of this kind4 ,,chap4 ,,xxiv4 ,in what follows1 while you endeavour to unfold divination1 you entirely subvert it4 ,for if a passion of the soul is admitted to be the cause of it1 what wise man will attribute to an unstable and stupid thing orderly and stable foreknowledge8 ,or how is it possible that the soul1 which is in a sane and stable condition according to its better powers1 viz4 those that are intellectual and dianoetic1 should be ignorant of futurity2 but that the soul which suffers according to disorderly and tumultuous motions1 should have a knowledge of what is future8 ,for what has passion in itself adapted to the theory of beings8 ,and is it not rather an impediment to the more true intellection of things8 ,farther still1 therefore1 if the things contained in the world were constituted through passions1 in this case passions1 through their similitude1 would have a certain alliance to them4 ,but if they are produced through reasons and through forms1 there will be another foreknowledge of them1 which is liberated from all passion4 ,again1 passion alone perceives that which is present1 and which now has a subsistence2 but foreknowledge apprehends things which do not yet exist4 ,hence1 to foreknow is different from being passively affected4 ,let us1 however1 consider your arguments in support of this opinion4 ,that 8the senses are occupied10 therefore tends to the contrary to what you say2 for it is an indication that no human phantasm is then excited4 ,but 8the fumigations which are introduced10 have an alliance to divinity1 but not to the soul of the spectator4 ,and 8the invocations0 do not excite the inspiration of the reasoning power1 or corporeal passions in the recipient2 for they are perfectly unknown and arcane1 and are alone known to the ,god whom they invoke4 ,but that 8not all men1 but those that are more simple and young are more adapted to divination10 manifests that such as these are more prepared for the reception of the externally acceding and inspiring spirit4 ,from these indications1 however1 you do not truly conjecture that enthusiasm is a passion4 ,for it follows from these signs1 that the influx of it1 in the same manner as the inspiration1 is externally derived4 ,in this way1 therefore1 these things subsist4 ,,chap4 ,,xxv4 ,that which follows in the next place1 descends from a divine alienation of mind to an ecstasy of the reasoning power which leads it to a worse condition1 and absurdly says1 8that the cause of divination is the mania which happens in diseases40 ,for1 as we may conjecture1 it assimilates enthusiasm to the redundancy of the black bile1 to the aberrations of intoxication1 and to the fury which happens from mad dogs4 ,it is necessary1 therefore1 from the beginning1 to divide ecstasy into two species1 one of which leads to a worse condition of being1 and fills us with stupidity and folly2 but the other imparts goods which are more honourable than human temperance4 ,one species also deviates to a disorderly1 confused1 and material motion2 but the other gives itself to the cause which rules over the orderly distribution of things in the world4 ,and the one1 indeed1 as being deprived of knowledge1 wanders from wisdom2 but the other conjoins with natures that transcend all our wisdom4 ,the one1 likewise1 is unstable1 but the other is immutable4 ,the one is preternatural1 but the other is above nature4 ,the one draws down the soul1 but the other elevates it4 ,and the one entirely separates us from a divine allotment1 but the other connects us with it4 ,why1 therefore1 does your assertion so much wander from the proposed hypothesis1 as to decline from things primary and good to the last evils of insanity8 ,for in what is enthusiasm similar to melancholy1 or intoxication1 or any other delirium excited by the body8 ,or what prediction can ever be produced from diseases of the body8 ,is not a derivation of this kind a perfect corruption1 but divine inspiration the perfection and salvation of the soul8 ,and does not depraved enthusiasm take place through imbecility1 but the enthusiasm which is more excellent through a plenitude of power8 ,in short1 the latter being quiescent1 according to its own proper life and intelligence1 gives itself to be used by another power which is superior to itself2 but the former1 energizing according to its proper energies1 renders these most depraved and turbulent4 ,this1 therefore1 is a difference the most manifest of all others1 because all the works of divine natures differ in a transcendent degree from the works of other beings4 ,for as the more excellent genera are exempt from all others1 thus also their energies do not resemble those of any other nature4 ,hence1 when you speak of divine mania1 immediately remove from it all human perversions4 ,and if you ascribe a sacred 8sobriety and vigilance0 to divine natures1 you must not consider human sobriety and vigilance as similar to it4 ,but by no means compare the diseases of the body1 such as suffusions1 and the imaginations excited by diseases1 with divine imaginations4 ,for what have the two in common with each other8 ,nor again1 must you compare 8an ambiguous state10 such as that which takes place between a sober condition of mind and ecstasy1 with sacred visions of the ,gods1 which are defined by one energy4 ,but neither must you compare the most manifest surveys of the ,gods with the imaginations artificially procured by enchantment4 ,for the latter have neither the energy1 nor the essence1 nor the truth of the things that are seen1 but extend mere phantasms1 as far as to appearances only4 ,all such doubts as these1 however1 which are adduced foreign to the purpose1 and tend from contraries to contraries1 we do not consider as pertinent to the present hypothesis4 ,hence1 as we have shown the unappropriateness of them1 we do not think it requisite to discuss them any further1 because they are contentiously introduced1 and not with philosophical investigation4 ,,chap4 ,,xxvi4 ,there are many other contentious innovations also1 which may be the subject of wonder4 ,but some one may justly be astonished at the contrariety of opinions produced by admitting either that the truth of divination is with enchanters1 the whole of which subsists in mere appearances alone1 but has no real existence2 or that it is with those who are incited by passion or disease1 since every thing which they have the boldness to utter is fraudulently asserted4 ,for what principle of truth1 or what auxiliary of intelligence1 either smaller or greater1 can there be in those who are thus insane8 ,it is necessary1 however1 not to receive truth of such a kind as that which may be fortuitous2 for this1 it is said1 may happen to those that are rashly borne along4 ,nor must such truth be admitted as that which subsists between agents and patients1 when they are concordantly homologous with each other2 for truth of this kind is present with the senses and imaginations of animals4 ,hence this truth has nothing peculiar1 or divine1 or superior to common nature4 ,but the truth of divination is established in energy with invariable sameness1 has the whole knowledge of beings present with it1 and is connascent with the essence of things4 ,it likewise employs stable reasons1 and perfectly1 aptly1 and definitely knows all things4 ,this truth1 therefore1 is adapted to divination4 ,hence1 it is very far from being a certain natural prescience1 such as the preperception which is inherent in some animals of earthquakes and rain4 ,for this arises from sympathy1 when certain animals are moved in conjunction with certain parts and powers of the universe2 or when1 through the acuteness of a certain sense1 they antecedently perceive things which happen in the air1 before they accede to places about the earth4 ,if1 therefore1 these assertions are true1 though we derive from nature impressions by which we obtain a knowledge of things1 or come into contact with futurity1 it is not proper to consider an impression of this kind as prophetic foreknowledge2 but it is1 indeed1 similar to this knowledge1 yet falls short of it in stability and truth1 is conversant with that which frequently1 but not always1 happens1 and apprehends the truth in certain1 but not in all things4 ,hence1 if there is a discipline which foresees the future in the arts1 as1 for instance1 in the piloting or medical art1 this does not all pertain to divine foreknowledge4 ,for it conjectures the future by certain signs1 and these such as are not always credible1 nor such as have that of which they are the signs1 connected with them with invariable sameness4 ,but with divine providence1 a stable knowledge of the future precedes2 and this is attended with an immutable faith suspended from causes2 an indissoluble comprehension of all things in all2 and a perpetually abiding and invariable knowledge of all things as present and definite4 ,,chap4 ,,xxvii4 ,moreover1 neither is it sufficient to assert1 8that nature1 art1 and the sympathy of things in the universe1 as if they were the parts of one animal1 contain premanifestations of certain things with reference to each other2 nor that bodies are so prepared1 that there is a presignification of some by others40 ,for these things1 which are very clearly seen1 exhibit a certain divulsed vestige of divine prediction1 in a greater or less degree2 since it is not possible for any thing to be perfectly destitute of divine divination4 ,but as in all things the image of good exhibits a similitude of divinity2 thus1 likewise1 in all things a certain obscure or more manifest image of divine prediction shines forth to the view4 ,nevertheless1 no one of these is such as the divine species of divination2 nor must the one1 divine1 and unmingled form of it be characterized from the many phantasms which proceed from it into generation4 ,nor1 if there are certain other false and deceitful resemblances1 which are still more remote from reality1 is it fit to adduce these in forming a judgment of it4 ,but the divine form or species of divination is to be apprehended according to one intelligible and immutable truth2 and the mutation which subsists differently at different times is to be rejected as unstable and unadapted to the ,gods4 ,if1 therefore1 that which is truly divination is a thing of this kind1 i4 e4 is a divine work1 who would not blush to ascribe it to nature1 which produces its effects without reason and intellect1 as if nature elaborated in us a certain prophetic apparatus1 and inserted this aptitude in some things in a greater but in others in a less degree8 ,for in those things in which men receive auxiliaries from nature in the attainment of their proper perfection1 in these1 also1 certain aptitudes of nature precede2 but in things in which no human work is proposed to be effected1 in these neither does the end pertain to us4 ,and when a certain good1 which is more ancient than our nature1 has a prior arrangement1 it is not possible in this case that a certain natural excellence should become the prepared subject of it4 ,for in those things of which there are perfections1 in these imperfect preparations are ingenerated2 but both these are the habits of men and not of ,gods4 ,hence1 of those things which are not present with us1 so far as we are men1 there will not be a preparative from nature4 ,there is not1 therefore1 a natural seed in us of divine prediction4 ,if some one1 however1 should in a more general way assert1 that there is a certain human divination1 of this there will be a certain physical preparation4 ,but with respect to that which may be truly denominated divination1 and which pertains to the ,gods1 it is not proper to think that this is ingrafted by nature4 ,for both other things1 and also the indefinite1 according to the more and the less1 are the attendants on this4 ,hence it is separated from divine divination1 which abides in stable boundaries4 ,on this account1 also1 it is requisite strenuously to contend against him who asserts that divination originates from us4 ,you likewise adduce clear indications of this from the works performed in predicting what is future4 ,for you say1 8that those who invoke the divinities for the purposes of divination have about them stones and herbs1 bind certain sacred bonds1 which they also dissolve1 open places that are shut1 and change the deliberate intentions of the recipients1 so as to render them worthy1 though they were before depraved40 ,all these particulars1 therefore1 signify that the inspiration accedes externally4 ,it is requisite1 however1 not only to preassume this1 but also to define what the inspiration of divine origin is1 which produces divine divination4 ,for if this is not done1 we shall not previously know what its peculiarity is1 in consequence of not attributing to it its proper character1 and adapting this to it as a certain seal4 ,and this1 indeed1 has been accurately done by us a little before4 ,,chap4 ,,xxviii4 ,you adduce1 however1 as a thing by no means to be despised1 8the artificers of efficacious images40 ,but ,i should wonder if these were admitted by any one of the theurgists who survey the true forms of the ,gods4 ,for why should any one exchange truly existing beings for images1 and descend from the first to the last of things8 ,or do we not know that all things effected by an adumbration of this kind1 have an obscure subsistence1 are the phantasms only of that which is true1 and appear to be good1 but in no respect are so8 ,other things1 also1 of this kind that accede1 are borne along in a flowing condition of being2 but obtain nothing genuine1 or perfect1 or manifest4 ,but this is evident from the mode of their production3 for not divinity1 but man is the maker of them4 ,nor are they produced from uniform and intelligible essences1 but from matter1 which is assumed for this purpose4 ,what good1 therefore1 can germinate from matter1 and from the material and corporeal-formed powers which are in bodies8 ,or is not that which derives its subsistence from human art1 more imbecile than men themselves1 who impart existence to it8 ,by what kind of art1 likewise1 is this image fashioned8 ,for it is said1 indeed1 to be fashioned by demiurgic art2 but this is effective of true essences1 and not of certain images4 ,hence the image-producing art is distant by a great interval from the seminal production of realities4 ,besides1 neither does it preserve a certain analogy with divine fabrication4 ,for divinity does not fabricate all things1 either through the celestial physical motions1 or through a partial matter1 or through powers thus divided2 but he produces the worlds by conceptions1 will1 and immaterial forms1 and through an eternal and supermundane soul4 ,the maker of images1 however1 is said to elaborate them through the revolving stars4 ,but the thing does not in reality subsist so as it appears to do4 ,for since there are certain infinite powers in the celestial ,gods1 the last genus of all the powers in them is physical4 ,but again1 of this power one portion being inherent in spermatic reasons or productive powers1 and prior to these reasons being established in immoveable natures1 essentially precedes generation4 ,but another portion being inherent in sensible and visible motions and powers1 and in celestial effluxions and qualities1 has dominion over the whole visible order of things4 ,this last power1 therefore1 in all these rules over the circumterrestrial manifest generation in places about the earth4 ,many other arts1 however1 as for instance1 the medical#hd and gymnastic1 use this power1 which has dominion over visible generation1 and the qualities of the effluxions sent from the heavens employ it1 and likewise all such arts as in their operations communicate with nature4 ,and moreover1 the image-making art attracts a certain very obscure genesiurgic portion from the celestial effluxions4 ,such1 therefore1 as the truth is1 such also it is requisite to unfold it to others4 ,it must be said1 then1 that the maker of images neither uses the celestial circulations1 nor the powers which are inherent in them1 nor those powers which are naturally established about them2 nor1 in short1 is it possible to come into contact with them4 ,but he artificially1 and not theurgically1 applies himself to the last effluxions which openly proceed from the nature of them1 about the last part of the universe4 ,for these effluxions1 ,i think1 being mingled with a partial matter1 are capable of being changed and transformed differently at different times4 ,they likewise receive the transposition1 from some things to others1 of the powers which are in partial natures4 ,the variety1 however1 of such like energies1 and the composition of a multitude of material powers1 are not only entirely separated from divine fabrication1 but also from natural production4 ,for nature produces her proper works collectively1 and at once1 and accomplishes all things by simple and incomposite energies4 ,hence it remains that a commixture of this kind1 about the last and manifest celestial effluxion1 and about the things which are moved by a celestial nature1 is artificial4 ,,chap4 ,,xxix4 ,why1 therefore1 does the maker of images1 who effects these things1 desert himself1 though he is better than these images1 and consists of things of a more excellent nature1 and confide in inanimate idols1 which are inspired with the representation alone of life1 contain a renovated harmony1 and which is externally multiform1 and are in reality diurnal8 ,shall we say that something genuine and true is inherent in them8 ,nothing1 however1 which is fashioned by human art is genuine and pure4 ,but you will say1 that simplicity and uniformity of energy predominate in the whole of their composition4 ,this is very far from being the case4 ,for the idol1 according to its visible composition1 is mingled from all-various and contrary qualities4 ,shall we say then1 that a certain pure and perfect power is manifest in them8 ,by no means4 ,for a thing of this kind possesses an adventitious multitude of effluxions1 collected from many places1 and which shows itself to be imbecile and evanescent4 ,but if these particulars1 which we have enumerated1 are not found to take place in images1 is stability present with them1 as it is said to be by the patrons of these images8 ,by no means1 likewise1 is this the case4 ,for these idols are extinguished with much greater rapidity than the images which are seen in mirrors4 ,for they are immediately formed by the accession of fumigations from exhaling vapours2 but when the fumigation is mingled with1 and diffused through1 the whole air1 then the idol is likewise immediately dissolved1 and is not naturally adapted to remain for the smallest portion of time4 ,why1 therefore1 should the man who is a lover of truth1 pay attention to these useless delusions8 ,i1 indeed1 do not think them to be of any value4 ,for if the makers of these images know that the fictions about which they are busily employed1 are nothing more than the formations of passive matter1 the evil arising from an attention to them will be simple4 ,but in addition to this1 these idol-makers are similar to the images in which they confide4 ,and if they pay attention to these idols as if they were ,gods1 the absurdity will be so great1 as neither to be effable by words1 nor to be endured in deeds4 ,for a certain divine splendour never illuminates a soul of this kind1 because it is not adapted to be imparted to things which are entirely repugnant to it2 neither have those things which are detained by dark phantasms a place for its reception4 ,this delusive formation1 therefore1 of phantasms1 will be conversant with shadows1 which are very remote from the truth4 ,,chap4 ,,xxx4 ,you say1 however1 8that the makers of images observe the motion of the celestial bodies1 and can tell from the concurrence of what star1 with a certain star or stars1 predictions will be true or false2 and also whether the things that are performed will be inanities1 or significant and efficacious40 ,but neither will these phantasms1 on this account1 possess any thing divine4 ,for the last of the things which are in generation are moved in conjunction with the celestial courses1 and are copassive with the effluxions which descend from the heavenly bodies4 ,moreover1 if any one considers these things accurately1 he will find that they demonstrate the contrary to what is here asserted4 ,for how is it possible that things which are in every respect mutable1 and this with facility1 and which are all-variously turned by external motions1 so as to become inefficacious1 or prophetic1 or significant1 or effective1 or at different times different1 should contain in themselves1 by participation1 any portion1 however small1 of divine power8 ,what then1 are the powers which are inherent in matter the elements of dmons8 ,by no means3 for no partial sensible bodies generate dmons2 but much more are these generated and guarded by dmons4 ,neither is any man able to fashion1 as by a machine1 certain forms of dmons2 but1 on the contrary1 he is rather fashioned and fabricated by them1 so far as he participates of a sensible body4 ,but neither is a certain dmoniacal multitude generated from the elements of sensibles2 since1 on the contrary1 this multitude is simple1 and energizes uniformly about composite natures4 ,hence1 neither will it have sensibles more ancient1 or more stable than itself2 but being itself more excellent than sensibles1 both in dignity and power1 it imparts to them the permanency which they are able to receive4 ,unless indeed1 you denominate idols dmons1 not rightly employing an appellation of this kind4 ,for the nature of dmons is one thing1 and that of idols another4 ,the order of each1 likewise1 is very different4 ,moreover1 the leader of idols is different from the great leader of dmons4 ,and this1 also1 you admit4 ,for you say1 8that no ,god or dmon is drawn down by idols40 ,what1 therefore1 will be the worth of a sacred deed1 or of the foreknowledge of what is future1 if it is entirely destitute of divinity and a dmon8 ,so that it is requisite to know what the nature is of this wonder-working art1 but by no means to use or confide in it4 ,,chap4 ,,xxxi4 ,again1 therefore1 still worse than this is the explanation of sacred operations1 which assigns as the cause of divination1 8a certain genus of dmons1 which is naturally fraudulent1 omniform1 and various1 and which assumes the appearance of ,gods and dmons1 and the souls of the deceased40 ,i shall1 therefore1 relate to you1 in answer to this1 what ,i once heard from the prophets of the ,chaldeans4 ,such ,gods as are truly divinities1 are alone the givers of good2 alone associate with good men1 and with those that are purified by the sacerdotal art1 and from these amputate all vice1 and every passion4 ,when these1 also1 impart their light1 that which is evil1 and at the same time dmoniacal1 vanishes from before more excellent natures1 in the same manner as darkness when light is present2 nor is it able to disturb theurgists in the smallest degree1 who receive from this light every virtue1 obtain worthy manners1 become orderly and elegant in their actions1 are liberated from passions1 and purified from every disorderly motion1 and from atheistical and unholy conduct4 ,but those who are themselves flagitious1 and who leap1 as it were1 to things of a divine nature in an illegal and disorderly manner1 these1 through the imbecility of their proper energy1 or through indigence of inherent power1 are not able to associate with the ,gods4 ,because1 likewise1 they are excluded1 through certain defilements1 from an association with pure spirits1 they become connected with evil spirits1 are filled from them with the worst kind of inspiration1 are rendered depraved and unholy1 become replete with intemperate pleasures1 and every kind of vice1 are emulous of manners foreign to the ,gods1 and1 in short1 become similar to the depraved dmons1 with whom they are connascent4 ,these1 therefore1 being full of passions and vice1 attract to themselves1 through alliance1 depraved spirits1 and are excited by them to every kind of iniquity4 ,they are also increased in wickedness by each other1 like a circle conjoining the beginning to the end1 and similarly making an equal compensation4 ,hence deeds which are the nefarious offences of impiety1 which are introduced into sacred works in a disorderly manner1 and which are also confusedly performed by those who betake themselves to such works1 and at one time1 as it seems1 cause one divinity to be present instead of another1 and again1 introduce depraved dmons instead of ,gods1 whom they call equal to the ,gods 77--such deeds as these you should never adduce in a discourse concerning sacerdotal divination4 ,for good is more contrary to evil than to that which is not good4 ,as1 therefore1 the sacrilegious are in the most eminent degree hostile to the religious cultivation of the ,gods2 thus1 also1 those who are conversant with dmons who are fraudulent1 and the causes of intemperance1 are undoubtedly hostile to theurgists4 ,for from these every depraved spirit departs1 and when they are present1 is entirely subverted4 ,every vice1 too1 and every passion1 are by these perfectly amputated3 for a pure participation of good is present with the pure1 and they are supernally filled with truth from a divine fire4 ,these1 therefore1 suffer no impediment from evil spirits1 nor are these spirits any obstacles to the goods of their souls4 ,nor are theurgists disturbed by pride1 or flattery1 or the enjoyment of exhalations1 or any violence2 but all these1 as if struck by lightning1 yield and recede1 without touching the theurgist1 or being able to approach to them4 ,hence this genus of divination is undefiled and sacerdotal1 and is truly divine4 ,this1 also1 does not1 as you say it does1 require me1 or any other as an arbiter1 in order that ,i may prefer it to a multitude of other things2 but it is itself exempt from all things1 is supernatural1 and has an eternal preexistence1 neither receiving a certain opposition1 nor a certain transcendency1 which has a prearrangement in many things1 because it is of itself liberated1 and uniformly precedes all things4 ,and to this it is requisite that you1 and every one who is a genuine lover of the ,gods1 should give himself wholly2 since by this mean irreprehensible truth will be obtained in divinations1 and perfect virtue in souls2 and through both these1 an ascent will be afforded to theurgists to intelligible fire1 which ought to be preestablished as the end of all foreknowledge1 and of every theurgic operation4 ,hence you in vain adduce the opinion of those who think that divination is effected by an evil dmon1 since these do not deserve to be mentioned in speculations concerning the ,gods4 ,at the same time1 likewise1 they are ignorant of the means of distinguishing truth from falsehood1 because they are from the beginning nourished in darkness1 and are wholly incapable of knowing the principles from which these are produced4 ,here1 therefore1 we shall terminate our discussion concerning the mode of divination4 ,,section ,,iv4 ,,chap4 ,i4 ,let us then1 in the next place1 consider the opposing arguments1 what they are1 and what reason they possess4 ,and if we should discuss some things a little more abundantly1 in consequence of speaking freely and at leisure1 it is requisite that you should promptly attend to1 and endure what1 we say4 ,for it is necessary that great labour should be bestowed on the greatest disciplines1 and that they should be accurately explored for a long time1 if you intend to know them perfectly4 ,do you1 therefore1 conformably to the present hypothesis1 propose the arguments which occasion the doubt1 and ,i will answer you4 ,say then1 8it very much perplexes me to understand how superior beings1 when invoked1 are commanded by those that invoke them1 as if they were their inferiors40 ,but ,i will unfold to you the whole division1 which is worthy of regard1 concerning the powers that are invoked2 from which you will be able clearly to define what is possible and what is impossible1 in the subjects of your investigation4 ,for the ,gods1 indeed1 and the natures that are more excellent than we1 through the wish of what is beautiful1 and from an unenvying and exuberant fulness of good1 benevolently impart to those that are worthy1 such things as are fit for them1 commiserating the labours of sacerdotal men1 but being delighted with those that they have begotten1 nourished1 and instructed4 ,but the middle genera are the inspective guardians of judgment4 ,these inform us what ought to be done1 and from what it is fit to abstain4 ,they also give assistance to just works1 but impede such as are unjust2 and as many endeavour to take away unjustly the property of others1 or basely to injure or destroy some one1 they cause these to suffer the same things as they have done to others4 ,but there is1 likewise1 another most irrational genus of dmons1#he which is without judgment1 and is allotted only one power1 through an arrangement by which each of these dmons presides over one work alone4 ,as therefore1 it is the province of a sword to cut1 and to do nothing else than this1 thus also of the spirits which are distributed in the universe1 according to the partible necessity of nature1 one kind divides1 but another collects1 things which are generated4 ,this1 however1 is known from the phnomena4 ,for the ,charonean#hf spiracles1 as they are called1 emit from themselves a certain spirit1 which is able to corrupt promiscuously every thing that falls into them4 ,thus1 therefore1 of certain invisible spirits1 each is allotted a different power1 and is alone adapted to do that which it is ordained to perform4 ,he1 therefore1 who turns from their natural course things which contribute to the universe in an orderly manner1 and illegitimately performs a certain thing1 in this case receives the injury arising from that which he uses badly4 ,this1 however1 pertains to another mode of discussion4 ,,chap4 ,,ii4 ,but we sometimes see that take place which is now proposed to be considered4 ,for it happens that spirits are commanded to do this or that who do not use a reason of their own1 and have not the principle of judgment4 ,nor does this occur irrationally4 ,for our dianoia naturally possessing the power of reasoning about and judging of things as they are1 and comprehending in itself many powers of life1 is accustomed to command the most irrational spirits1 and such as derive their perfection from one energy alone4 ,hence1 it invokes these as more excellent natures1 because it endeavours to attract to particulars from the whole world1 in which we are contained1 things which contribute to wholes4#hg ,and it commands them as inferior natures1 because frequently certain parts of things in the world such as our reasoning power are more pure and perfect than things which extend themselves to the whole world4 ,thus1 for instance1 if one thing is intellectual as is the case with our dianoia1 but another is wholly inanimate or physical1 then that which proceeds to a less extent has a more principal power than that which is more extended1 though the former falls far short of the latter in magnitude and multitude of domination4 ,for these things1 also1 another reason may be assigned1 and which is as follows3 in all theurgical operations the priest sustains a twofold character2 one1 indeed1 as man1 and which preserves the order possessed by our nature in the universe2 but the other1 which is corroborated by divine signs1 and through these is conjoined to more excellent natures1 and is elevated to their order by an elegant circumduction1 this is deservedly capable of being surrounded with the external form of the ,gods4 ,conformably1 therefore1 to a difference of this kind1 the priest very properly invokes1 as more excellent natures1 the powers derived from the universe1 so far as he who invokes is a man2 and again1 he commands these powers1 because through arcane symbols1 he1 in a certain respect1 is invested with the sacred form of the ,gods4 ,,chap4 ,,iii4 ,dissolving1 however1 the doubts in a way still more true1 we think it requisite1 in invoking superior natures1 to take away the evocations which appear to be directed to them as to men1 and also the mandates in the performance of works1 which are given with great earnestness4 ,for if the communion of concordant friendship1 and a certain indissoluble connexion of union1 are the bonds of sacerdotal operations1 in order that these operations may be truly divine1 and may transcend every common action known to men1 no human work will be adapted to them2 nor will the invocations of the priest resemble the manner in which we draw to ourselves things that are distant2 nor are his mandates directed as to things separated from him1 in the way in which we transfer one thing from others4 ,but the energy of divine fire shines forth voluntarily1 and in common1 and being self-invoked and self-energetic1 energizes through all things with invariable sameness1 both through the natures which impart1 and those that are able to receive1 its light4 ,this mode of solution1 therefore1 is far superior1 which does not suppose that divine works are effected through contrariety1 or discrepance1 in the way in which generated natures are usually produced2 but asserts that every such work is rightly accomplished through sameness1 union1 and consent4 ,hence1 if we separate from each other that which invokes and that which is invoked1 that which commands and that which is commanded1 that which is more and that which is less excellent1 we shall1 in a certain respect1 transfer the contrariety of generations to the unbegotten goods of the ,gods4 ,but if we despise all such things1 as it is just we should1 as of an earth-born nature1 and ascribe that which is common and simple1 as being more honourable1 to the powers who transcend the variety which is in the realms of generation1 the first hypothesis of these questions will be immediately subverted1 so that no reasonable doubt concerning them will be left4 ,,chap4 ,,iv4 ,what then shall we say concerning the next inquiry to this1 viz4 8why the powers who are invoked think it requisite that he who worships them should be just1 but they when called upon to act unjustly do not refuse so to act80 ,to this ,i reply1 that ,i am dubious with respect to what you call acting justly1 and am of opinion that what appears to us to be an accurate definition of justice does not also appear to be so to the ,gods4 ,for we1 looking to that which is most brief1 direct our attention to things present1 and to this momentary life1 and the manner in which it subsists4 ,but the powers that are superior to us know the whole life of the soul1 and all its former lives2 and1 in consequence of this1 if they inflict a certain punishment from the prayer of those that invoke them1 they do not inflict it without justice1 but looking to the offences committed by souls in former lives2#hh which men not perceiving think that they unjustly fall into the calamities which they suffer4 ,,chap4 ,v4 ,the multitude1 also1 are accustomed to doubt in common the very same thing concerning providence1 viz4 why certain persons are afflicted undeservedly1 as they have not done any thing unjustly prior to their being thus afflicted4 ,for neither here is it possible to understand perfectly what the soul is1 and its whole life1 how many offences it has committed in former lives1 and whether it now suffers from its former guilt4 ,in this life1 also1 many unjust actions are concealed from human knowledge1 but are known to the ,gods1 since neither is the same scope of justice proposed to them as to men4 ,for men1 indeed1 define justice to be the soul's performance of its own proper business1#hi and the distribution of desert1 conformably to the established laws1 and the prevailing polity4 ,but the ,gods1 looking to the whole orderly arrangement of the world1 and to the subserviency of souls to the ,gods1 form a judgment of what is just4 ,hence the judgment of just actions with the ,gods is different from what it is with us4 ,nor is it wonderful1 if we are unable1 in most things1 to arrive at the supreme and most perfect judgment of more excellent natures4 ,what also hinders1 but that to each thing by itself1 and in conjunction with the whole alliance of souls1 justice may in a very transcendent manner be decreed by the ,gods8 ,for if a communion of the same nature in souls1 both when they are in and when they are out of bodies1 produces a certain identical connexion and common order with the life of the world1 it is likewise necessary that1 a fulfilment of justice should be required by wholes1 and especially when the magnitude of the unjust deeds antecedently committed by one soul transcends the infliction of one punishment due to the offences4 ,but if any one should add other definitions1 through which he can show that what is just subsists with the ,gods in a way different from that in which it is known by us1 from these also our design will be facilitated4 ,for me1 however1 the beforementioned canons are alone sufficient for the purpose of manifesting the universal genus1 and which comprehends every thing pertaining to the medicinal punishments inflicted by divine justice4 ,,chap4 ,,vi4 ,in order1 therefore1 that from an abundance of arguments we may contend against the objection which is now adduced1 we will grant1 if you please1 the contrary to what we have asserted1 viz4 that certain unjust things are performed in this business of invocations4 ,that the ,gods1 however1 are not to be accused as the causes of these is immediately manifest4 ,for those that are good are the causes of good2 and the ,gods possess good essentially4 ,they do nothing1 therefore1 that is unjust4 ,hence other causes of guilty deeds must be investigated4 ,and if we are not able to discover these causes1 it is not proper to throw away the true conception respecting the ,gods1 nor on account of the doubts whether these unjust deeds are performed1 and how they are effected1 to depart from notions concerning the ,gods which are truly clear4 ,for it is much better to acknowledge the insufficiency of our power to explain how unjust actions are perpetrated1 than to admit any thing impossible and false respecting the ,gods2 since all the ,greeks and ,barbarians truly opine the contrary to be the case with divine natures4 ,after this manner1 therefore1 the truth respecting these particulars subsists4 ,,chap4 ,,vii4 ,moreover1 it is necessary to add the causes whence evils#ij sometimes arise1 and to show how many and of what kind they are4 ,for the form of them is not simple2 but1 being various1 is the leader of the generation of various evils4 ,for if what we a little before said1 concerning images and evil dmons1 who assume the appearance of ,gods and good dmons1 is true1 an abundant evil-producing tribe1 about which a contrariety of this kind usually happens1 will from hence appear to flow4 ,for an evil dmon requires that his worshipper should be just1 because he assumes the appearance of one belonging to the divine genus2 but he is subservient to what is unjust1 because he is depraved4 ,the same thing1 likewise1 that is said of good and evil may be asserted of the true and the false4 ,as1 therefore1 in divinations we attribute true predictions to the ,gods alone1 but when we detect any falsehood in predictions we refer this to another genus of cause1 viz4 that of dmons2 thus1 also1 in things just and unjust1 the beautiful and the just are to be alone ascribed to ,gods and good dmons2 but such dmons as are naturally depraved1 perpetrate what is unjust and base4 ,and that1 indeed1 which consents and accords with itself1 and always subsists with invariable sameness1 pertains to more excellent natures2 but that which is hostile to itself1 which is discordant1 and never the same1 is the peculiarity in the most eminent degree of dmoniacal dissension1 about which it is not at all wonderful that things of an opposing nature should subsist2 but perhaps the very contrary1 that this should not be the case1 would be more wonderful4 ,,chap4 ,,viii4 ,we may1 however1 beginning from another hypothesis1 demonstrate the same thing4 ,we must admit that the corporeal parts of the universe are neither sluggish nor destitute of power1 but as much as they excel our concerns in perfection1 beauty1 and magnitude1 by so much also is the power which is present with them greater4 ,each1 likewise1 by itself is capable of effecting different things1 and produces certain different energies4 ,they are also capable of effecting things much more numerous on each other4 ,and besides this1 a certain multiform production extends to parts from wholes2 partly from sympathy1 through similitude of powers1 and partly from the aptitude of the agent to the patient4 ,if1 therefore1 certain evils and destructions happen to parts1 they are salutary and good as with reference to wholes and the harmony of the universe1 but to parts they introduce a necessary corruption1 either from not being able to bear the energies of wholes1 or from a certain other commixture and temperament of their own imbecility1 or1 in the third place1 from the privation of symmetry in the parts to each other4 ,,chap4 ,,ix4 ,after the body of the universe1 also1 many things are generated by the nature of it4 ,for the concord of similars1 and the contrariety of dissimilars1 effect not a few things4 ,farther still1 the assemblage of many things into the one animal of the universe1 and the powers in the world1 whatever the number and quality of them may be1 effect1 in short1 one thing in wholes and another in parts1 on account of the divided imbecility of parts4 ,thus1 for instance1 the friendship1 love1 and contention which subsist in energy in the universe1 become passions in the partial natures by which they are participated4 ,those things1 likewise1 that are preestablished in forms and pure reasons in the nature of wholes1 participate of a certain material indigence1 and privation of morphe1 in things which subsist according to a part4 ,and things which are conjoined to each other in wholes are separated in parts4 ,hence partible natures1 which participate of wholes in conjunction with matter1 degenerate from them in all things1 and also from what is beautiful and perfect4 ,but some parts are corrupted1 in order that wholes may be preserved in a condition conformable to nature4 ,sometimes1 likewise1 parts are compressed and weighed down1 though at the same time wholes remain impassive to a molestation of this kind4 ,,chap4 ,x4 ,we shall collect1 therefore1 what happens from these conclusions4 ,for if certain invocators employ the physical or corporeal powers#ia of the universe1 an involuntary gift of energy from these powers1 and which is without vice1 takes place4 ,he1 likewise1 who uses this gift sometimes perverts it to things of a contrary nature1 and to base purposes4 ,and the gift1 indeed1 is moved contrarily together with the passions1 and sympathetically through similitude2 but he who uses the thing which is imparted1 deliberately draws it1 contrary to justice1 to what is evil and base4 ,and the gift1 indeed1 causes things which are most remote to cooperate through the one harmony of the world4 ,but if some one understanding this to be the case should iniquitously endeavour to draw certain portions of the universe to other parts1 these parts are not the cause of the evil that ensues2 but the audacity of men1 and the transgression of the order in the world1 pervert things that are beautiful and legal4 ,hence neither do the ,gods effect what appears to be base1 but this is accomplished by the natures and bodies that proceed from them2 nor do these very natures and bodies impart improbity from themselves1 as it is thought they do2 but they send their proper effluxions to places about the earth1 for the salvation of wholes1 and those who receive them transmute them by their commixture and perversion1 and transfer what is given to a purpose different from that for which it was imparted4 ,from all these particulars1 therefore1 it is demonstrated that a divine nature is not the cause of evils and unjust deeds4 ,,chap4 ,,xi4 ,moreover1 you inquire1 and at the same time doubt1 8how it comes to pass that the ,gods do not hear him who invokes them1 if he is impure from venereal connexions2 but1 at the same time1 they do not refuse to lead any one to illegal venery40 ,you have1 indeed1 a clear solution of these things from what has been before said2 if they are done contrary to human laws1 but are effected according to another order and cause more excellent than laws4 ,or if it happens that things of this kind are conformable to the mundane harmony and friendship1 yet produce a conflict in parts through a certain sympathy4 ,or if the communication of good1 which is beautifully imparted1 is perverted by those that receive it to the contrary4 ,,chap4 ,,xii4 ,it is1 necessary1 however1 to discuss these things particularly1 and to show how they subsist1 and what reason they possess4 ,it is requisite1 therefore1 to understand that the universe is one animal2 and that the parts in it are1 indeed1 separated by places1 but through the possession of one nature hasten to each other4#ib ,the whole collective power1 however1 and the cause of mixture1 spontaneously draws the parts to a mingling with each other4 ,but it is also possible for this spontaneous attraction to be excited and extended by art more than is fit4 ,the cause itself1 therefore1 of this mixture extending from itself to the whole world1 is good1 and the source of plenitude2 has the power of harmonically procuring communion1 consent1 and symmetry2 and inserts1 by union1 the indissoluble principle of love1 which principle retains and preserves both things that are in existence1 and such as are becoming to be4 ,but in the parts1 through their separation from each other and from wholes1 and because1 from their own proper nature1 they are imperfect1 indigent1 and imbecile1 their mutual connection is accompanied with passion2 by which1 in most of them1 desire and a connascent appetite are inherent4 ,art#ic therefore1 perceiving this innate desire thus implanted by nature1 and distributed about it 7art itself also being multiformly distributed about nature71 variously attracts and derives it as through a channel4 ,hence it transfers that which in itself is orderly and arranged into the privation of order1 and fills that which is beautiful and commensurate with deformity4 ,but the venerable end in each particular thing1 which is connascent with union1 it transfers to another indecorous plenitude1 which is an assemblage of different things according to a common passion4 ,it likewise imparts a matter from itself1 which is unadapted to the whole generation of what is beautiful1 either because it does not entirely receive it1 or because it transfers it to other things4 ,it also mingles many different physical powers1 which it manages as it pleases for the purposes of generation4 ,hence we have universally shown1 that the apparatus of a venereal connexion of this kind proceeds from a certain human art1 and not from a certain dmoniacal or divine necessity4 ,,chap4 ,,xiii4 ,consider1 therefore1 also another genus of causes2 how a stone or a herb frequently possess from themselves a nature corruptive1 or again collective of generated natures4 ,for this is not only the case with these1 but this physical power is also in greater natures and greater things1 which those who are not able to infer by a reasoning process1 will perhaps transfer the works and energies of nature to more excellent beings i4 e4 to ,gods1 angels1 and dmons4 ,now1 therefore1 it is acknowledged that the tribe of evil dmons has a very extended power in generation1 in human affairs1 and in such things as subsist about the earth4 ,hence1 why is it wonderful that a tribe of this kind should effect such works as these8 ,for every man is not able to distinguish a good from an evil dmon1 or by what peculiarities the one is separated from the other4 ,hence those1 who are not able to perceive the difference between the two1 absurdly reason concerning the cause of them1 and refer this cause to genera superior to nature and the dmoniacal order4 ,if1 also1 certain powers of a partial soul are assumed in order to effect these things1 whether such a soul is detained in body1 or has left the testaceous and terrestrial body1 but wanders about the places of generation in a turbid and humid spirit2 this1 indeed1 will be a true opinion1 but separates the cause of these things at the greatest distance from more excellent natures4 ,by no means1 therefore1 is that which is divine1 or any good dmon1 subservient to the illegal desires of men in venereal concerns4 ,for of these things there are many other causes4 ,,section ,v4 ,,chap4 ,i4 ,the doubt mentioned by you in the next place1 is1 as ,i may say1 an inquiry which is made in common both by the learned and the unlearned1 ,i mean concerning sacrifices1 8what utility or power they possess in the universe1 and with the ,gods1 and on what account they are performed1 appropriately indeed to the powers who are honoured by them1 but usefully to those by whom the gifts are offered40 ,in the same place1 also1 another objection occurs1 viz4 8that the interpreters of prophecies and oracles ought to abstain from animals1 lest the ,gods should be polluted by the vapours arising from them4 ,for this is contrary to the assertion1 that the ,gods are especially allured by the vapours of animals40 ,,chap4 ,,ii4 ,the hostile opposition1 therefore1 in the things that are now proposed1 may be easily dissolved by demonstrating the dignity of wholes with respect to parts1 and by recalling to your recollection the exempt transcendency of the ,gods above men4 ,but what ,i mean is this1 that the soul1 which ranks as a whole1 presides over all the mundane body1#id and that the celestial ,gods ascend1 as into a vehicle1 into a celestial body1 neither receiving any injury from thence1 nor any impediment in their intellections4 ,but to a partial soul1 the communion with body is noxious in both these respects4 ,if1 therefore1 some one perceiving this1 should nevertheless introduce such a doubt as the following1 that if the body is a bond to our soul1 it will also be a bond to the soul of the universe1 and that if a partial soul is converted to the body on account of generation1 in a similar manner the power of the ,gods is converted to generation2 in answer to this every one may reply1 that he who thus doubts does not know how much superior beings transcend men1 and wholes parts4 ,since1 therefore1 the objections pertain to things different from each other1 they do not produce any ambiguity4 ,,chap4 ,,iii4 ,here1 therefore1 the same reasoning is likewise sufficient4 ,for with us the enjoyment of bodies which once were united to soul1 impresses in us heaviness and defilement1 ingenerates in us voluptuousness1 and produces many other diseases in the soul4 ,but with the ,gods1 and with mundane and total causes1 this is by no means the case4 ,for the exhalation which ascends after a divine manner from animals that are sacrificed1 as it is comprehended by1 and does not comprehend1 the ,gods1 and as it is also connected with the universe1 but does not conjoin wholes and the ,gods to itself1 is in consequence of this coadapted to superior beings and to total causes1 but does not restrain them and coadapt them to itself4 ,,chap4 ,,iv4 ,nor is that which so greatly disturbs you1 and for which you so strenuously contend1 attended with any difficulty1 ,i mean abstinence from animals1#ie if it is rightly understood4 ,for those who worship the ,gods do not abstain from animals1 lest the ,gods should be defiled by the vapours arising from them4 ,for what exhalation from bodies can approach those who1 before any thing material can come into contact with their power1 intangibly amputate matter8 ,nor is it the power of the ,gods only that abolishes all bodies1 and causes them to vanish1 without any approximation to them2 but a celestial body1 also1 is unmingled with all the material elements2#if nor does it receive into itself any thing extraneous1 nor impart any portion of itself to things of a foreign nature4 ,how1 therefore1 can any terrestrial vapour1 which is not elevated five stadia from the earth before it again flows down to the earth1 either nourish a circulating and immaterial body1 or1 in short1 produce in it a certain defilement1 or any other passion8 ,for it is acknowledged that an etherial body is void of all contrariety1 is liberated from all mutation1 is entirely pure from the possibility of being transmuted into any thing else1 and is perfectly free from a tendency to1 and from the middle1 because it is either without any tendency1 or is convolved in a circle4 ,hence1 it is not possible that bodies1 which consist of different powers and motions1 which are all-variously changed1 and are moved either upwards or downwards1 should have any communion of nature or power with celestial bodies1 or that any exhalation of the former should be mingled with the latter4 ,as the former1 therefore1 are entirely separated from the latter1 they will not effect any thing in them4 ,for celestial bodies being unbegotten1 are not capable of receiving any mutation from generated natures4 ,how1 therefore1 can the ,gods be defiled by such like vapours1 who suddenly1 as ,i may say1 at one stroke1 amputate the vapours ascending from all matter and material bodies8 ,this1 therefore1 it is not fit to suspect of the ,gods viz4 that they can be defiled by vapours2 but it is much more requisite to think that things of this kind are foreign to us and to our nature4 ,for things which are divided1 and also material and kindred natures1 are able to have a certain communion with each other in acting and suffering2 but things which are essentially different1 and such as are entirely transcendent1 and which employ other natures and powers1 these cannot act on or receive any thing from each other4 ,the defilement1 therefore1 produced by material natures1 falls on things which are detained by a material body2 and from these it is necessary those should be purified who are capable of being defiled by matter4 ,but how can those beings be defiled by material essences who neither have a divisible nature nor possess the power of receiving in themselves the passions of matter8 ,how1 likewise1 can divinity1 who has nothing in common with us1 in consequence of antecedently existing superior to human imbecility1 be polluted by my passions1 or by those of any other man8 ,neither of these1 therefore1 at all pertains to the ,gods2 neither our being filled with material bodies2 7for there is nothing1 in short1 of this kind with them1 nor are they defiled by our stains1 since they are entirely pure and incorruptible71 nor if there are certain material vapours of bodies which are emitted about the earth2 for these vapours are most remote from the essence and power of the ,gods4 ,hence the whole hypothesis of contrariety is subverted if no part of it pertains to the ,gods4 ,for how1 in short1 can that which is not possess in itself a certain contest with any thing8 ,you in vain1 therefore1 suspect things of this kind to be absurd1 and you adduce doubts unworthy of the ,gods1 since they cannot be reasonably applied even to good men4 ,for no man who possesses intellect1 and is free from passion1 would ever permit himself to be allured by the exhalation of vapours1 and much less would any one of the beings more excellent than man suffer himself to be thus allured4 ,these things1 however1 will be discussed shortly after4 ,but now1 since this contrariety is1 through many solutions1 subverted1 we shall here finish what we have to say about the first doubt4 ,,chap4 ,v4 ,your next inquiry is of greater consequence1 and is concerning things of a greater nature4 ,how1 therefore1 shall ,i be able1 briefly and sufficiently1 to give you an answer to a question which is extremely difficult1 and requires a long explanation8 ,nevertheless ,i will answer it1 and without failing in alacrity4 ,i will also endeavour to follow what you have concisely indicated and tacitly signified4 ,but ,i will unfold to you my dogma concerning sacrifices which is as follows4 ,it is by no means requisite that sacrifices should be offered for the sake of honour alone1 in the same manner as we honour benefactors2 nor for the sake of returning thanks for the goods imparted to us by the ,gods2 nor yet for the sake of first fruits1 or as a remuneration by certain gifts of more venerable goods bestowed on us by the ,gods4 ,for these things are also common to men1 and are assumed from the common polity of mankind1 but by no means preserve the transcendency of the ,gods and the order of them as exempt causes4 ,,chap4 ,,vi4 ,but the greatest thing in sacrifices1 viz4 their efficacious power1 and why especially they are so very beneficial that without them we are neither liberated from pestilence1 nor famine1 nor sterility of fruits1 nor obtain seasonable showers of rain1 nor things of much greater consequence than these1 ,i mean such as contribute to the purification of the soul1 or an emancipation from generation2 these are not at all indicated by such modes of sacrifices as you adduce4 ,hence no one can justly approve of them1 because they assign a cause of the works performed in sacrifices unadapted to their dignity4 ,and if some one should approve of them it will be only in a secondary way1 and as suspended from primary1 more ancient1 and venerable causes4 ,,chap4 ,,vii4 ,the discussion therefore requires that we should show what it is through which sacrifices are effective of things1 and are suspended from the ,gods1 the precedaneous causes of effects4 ,if then we say that the communion of similar powers1 or the dissension of contraries1 or a certain aptitude of the agent to the patient in the universe1 as in one animal1 every where possessing one and the same life1 coexcites adapted similars1 pervading with invariable sameness according to one sympathy1 and existing most near in things most remote3 if we should say this1 we should thus assert something of what is true1 and which necessarily accompanies sacrifices1 yet we should not demonstrate the true mode of their subsistence4 ,for the essence of the ,gods is not placed in nature and in physical necessities1 so as to be coexcited by physical passions1 or by the powers which extend through all nature2 but independently of these1 it is defined by itself1 having nothing in common with them1 neither according to essence1 nor according to power1 nor any thing else4 ,,chap4 ,,viii4 ,the same absurdities likewise happen from assigning1 as the causes of what is effected by sacrifices1 either certain numbers that are with us1 such1 for instance1 as assuming the number sixty in the crocodile1#ig as adapted to the sun2 or physical reasons1 as the powers and energies of animals1 for instance1 of the dog#ih1 the cynocephalus1#ii and the weasel#ajj1 these being common to the moon2 or material forms1 such as are seen in sacred animals#aja according to the colours1 and all the forms of the body2 or any thing else pertaining to the bodies of animals1 or of other things which are offered2 or a certain member1 as the heart of a cock2#ajf or other things of the like kind which are surveyed about nature1 if they are considered as the causes of the efficacy in sacrifices4 ,for from these things the ,gods are not demonstrated to be supernatural causes2 nor1 as such1 to be excited by sacrifices4 ,but they are considered as physical causes detained by matter1 and as physically involved in bodies1 and coexcited and becoming quiescent together with them1 these things also existing about nature4 ,if1 therefore1 any thing of this kind takes place in sacrifices1 it follows as a concause1 and as having the relation of that without which a thing is not effected2 and thus it is suspended from precedaneous causes4 ,,chap4 ,,ix4 ,it is better1 therefore1 to assign as the cause of the efficacy of sacrifices friendship and familiarity1 and a habitude which binds fabricators to the things fabricated1 and generators to the things generated4 ,hence when1 this common principle preceding1 we take a certain animal1 or any thing which germinates in the earth1 and which genuinely and purely preserves the will of its maker2 then1 through a thing of this kind1 we appropriately move the demiurgic cause1 which presides over it in an undefiled manner4 ,but these causes being many1 and some1 as the dmoniacal causes1 having a proximate arrangement2 but others1 as divine causes1 being arranged above these2 and farther still1 one most ancient and venerable cause being the leader of these2 all the causes are moved in conjunction by a perfect sacrifice4 ,each thing1 likewise1 is in a kindred manner adapted to the sacrifice1 according to the order which it is allotted4 ,but if any sacrifice is imperfect1 it proceeds to a certain extent1 but is not capable of proceeding any further4 ,hence many are of opinion that sacrifices are to be offered to good dmons1 many to the last powers of the ,gods1 and many to the mundane or terrestrial powers of dmons or ,gods4 ,these things1 therefore1 as being a part of sacrifices1 are not falsely asserted2 but they do not comprehend the whole of the power of sacrifice1 and all the goods it contains1 which extend to every thing divine4 ,,chap4 ,x4 ,we1 however1 admit all these assertions2 physical essences1 indeed1 being coexcited as in one animal1 according to aptitude or sympathy1 as in another respect being subjects1 and following and being subservient to the cause of the efficacy of sacrifices2 but dmons1 and terrene or mundane divine powers1 being primarily familiarized to our order2 nevertheless1 we must say1 that the most perfect and leading cause of the efficacy of sacrifices is to be conjoined to demiurgic and the most perfect powers4 ,but since these comprehend in themselves all the causes of sacrifice1 we say that all the effective causes of it are at once coexcited together with these4 ,and from all these a common utility is imparted to the whole of generation2 sometimes through cities and people1 or all various nations1 or circumscriptions more or less extended than these2 but at other times through houses1 or an individual1 these causes impart good with an unenvying and exuberant will1 unaccompanied with passion2 conferring their benefits with an impassive intellect1 according to adaptation and alliance2 one friendship at the same time which connectedly contains all things1 producing this bond through a certain ineffable communion4 ,for these assertions are much more true1 and more characteristic of the essence and power of the ,gods1 than what you suspect to be the case1 viz4 8that the ,gods are especially allured by the vapours produced in the sacrifices of animals40 ,for if dmons are invested with a certain body1 which some think is nourished by sacrifices1 yet this body is immutable and impassive1 luciform and unindigent2 so that neither does any thing flow from it1 nor is it in want of any influx externally introduced4 ,and if some one should admit that there is this influx1 yet since the world and the air contained in it have a never failing abundance of exhalations from terrene places1 an efflux of this kind being equally diffused on all sides1 what use can there be of sacrifices to dmons8 ,but neither do the influxions equally and commensurately fill the place of the effluxions1 so as that neither excess should at any time predominate1 nor deficiency be produced1 but that there should be a perfect equality and similitude of the bodies of dmons1 and this invariably the same4 ,for the ,demiurgus of the universe has not provided abundant nutriment1 and which may be easily obtained1 for all the animals in the earth and the sea1 but has made the beings superior to us to be in want of it2 nor has he imparted to other animals a native abundance of what is daily requisite1 but given to dmons nutriment which is adscititious and procured by us men2 so that if we through indolence1 or some other pretext1 should neglect an offering of this kind1 the bodies of dmons would be in want of food1 and would participate of incommensuration and disorder4 ,why1 therefore1 do not the authors of these assertions subvert the whole order of things1 so as to make us to be in a better and more powerful class of beings8 ,for if we supply dmons with nutriment1 we shall much more be the causes of their existence4 ,for every thing receives nutriment and perfection from that by which it was generated4 ,and this1 indeed1 may be seen in the visible generations of things2 but it may also be surveyed in the heavens and the earth4 ,for terrestrial are nourished by celestial natures4 ,but this becomes most eminently manifest in invisible causes4 ,for soul indeed1 is perfected by intellect2 but nature by soul4 ,and other things are in a similar manner nourished by their causes4 ,if1 therefore1 it is impossible that we should be the primordial causes of dmons1 it is1 for the same reason1 impossible that we should be the causes of their nutriment4 ,,chap4 ,,xi4 ,it appears to me1 also1 that the present question errs in another respect4 ,for it is ignorant that the offering of sacrifices through fire has the power of consuming and destroying the matter of them in a greater degree2 that it assimilates this matter to itself1 but is not itself assimilated to the matter2 and that it elevates to divine1 celestial1 and immaterial fire1 but does not tend downwards to matter and generation4 ,for if the enjoyment of the vapours from matter allured dmons1 it would be requisite that the matter should be pure and entire2 since thus there would be a more abundant efflux from it to its participants4 ,but now all the matter is enkindled and consumed1 and is changed into the purity and tenuity of fire2 which is itself a clear indication of the contrary to what you assert4 ,for superior beings i4 e4 dmons are impassive1 and they are delighted to amputate matter through fire1 and render us impassive4 ,they likewise assimilate whatever is in us to the ,gods1 in the same manner as fire#ajg assimilates all solid and resisting substances to luminous and attenuated bodies4 ,and they elevate us through sacrifices and the sacrifice fire to the fire of the ,gods1 in the same manner as fire elevates to fire1 and draws upward gravitating and resisting substances to divine and celestial natures4 ,,chap4 ,,xii4 ,for1 in short1 the vehicle#ajh which is subservient to dmons neither consists of matter1 nor of the elements1 nor of any other of the bodies known to us4 ,what perfect supply of food1 therefore1 can there be from one essence to another specifically different8 ,or what enjoyment can accede from foreign to foreign natures8 ,there cannot be any4 ,but much more1 as the ,gods by the fire of lightning divide matter1 and separate from it things which are essentially immaterial1 but which are vanquished and bound by it1 and render them impassive from being passive2 thus also the fire that is with us1 imitating the energy of divine fire1 destroys every thing which is material in sacrifices1 purifies the things which are offered1 liberates them from the bonds of matter1 and renders them1 through purity of nature1 adapted to the communion of the ,gods4 ,it likewise liberates#aji us after the same manner from the bonds of generation1 assimilates us to the ,gods1 causes us to be adapted to their friendship1 and conducts our material nature to an immaterial essence4 ,,chap4 ,,xiii4 ,subverting1 therefore1 in this manner the common absurd opinions concerning sacrifices1 we shall introduce in their place true conceptions about them2 omitting the particular discussion of each species of sacrifice1 which the peculiar and distinct consideration of sacrifices requires1 because this pertains to another inquiry1 and because1 at the same time1 every one who is intelligent may be able to accomplish this from what has been already said1 and from one thing may extend his reasoning power to many1 and may easily know what is omitted from what has been discussed4 ,and ,i1 indeed1 think that these things have been sufficiently explained1 both in other respects and because the explanation pays attention in a becoming manner to the purity of the ,gods4 ,because1 however1 it may perhaps appear to others to be incredible1 and not sufficiently manifest1 and the veracity of it may be suspected1 as not exciting the discursive energy of reason1 ,i wish to consider these things a little more fully2 and1 if possible1 to add arguments more evident than those which have been adduced4 ,,chap4 ,,xiv4 ,we shall begin1 however1 the elucidation of this subject in the best possible manner1 if we demonstrate that the sacred law of sacrifices is connected with the order of the ,gods4 ,in the first place1 therefore1 we say1 that of the ,gods some are material1 but others immaterial4 ,and the material1 indeed1 are those that comprehend matter in themselves1 and adorn it2 but the immaterial are those that are perfectly exempt from1 and transcend1 matter4 ,but1 according to the sacrific art1 it is requisite to begin sacred operations from the material ,gods for the ascent to the immaterial ,gods will not otherwise be effected4 ,the material ,gods1 therefore1 have a certain communion with matter1 so far as they preside over it4 ,hence they have dominion over things which happen about matter1 such as the division1 percussion1 repercussion1 mutation1 generation1 and corruption of all material bodies4 ,he1 therefore1 who wishes to worship these theurgically1 in a manner adapted to them1 and to the dominion which they are allotted1 should1 as they are material1 employ a material mode of worship4 ,for thus we shall be wholly led to a familiarity with them1 and worship them in an allied and appropriate manner4 ,dead bodies1 therefore1 and things deprived of life1 the slaying of animals1 and the consumption of victims1 and1 in short1 the mutation of the matter which is offered1 pertain to these ,gods1 not by themselves1 but on account of the matter over which they preside4 ,for though they are in the most eminent degree separate from it1 yet at the same time they are present with it4 ,and though they comprehend matter in an immaterial power1 yet they are coexistent with it4 ,things that are governed1 also1 are not foreign from their governors2 and things which are subservient as instruments1 are not unadapted to those that use them4 ,hence1 it is foreign to the immaterial ,gods1 to offer matter to them through sacrifices1 but this is most adapted to all the material ,gods4 ,,chap4 ,,xv4 ,let us then1 in the next place1 direct our attention to that which accords with what has been before said1 and with our twofold condition of being4 ,for there is a time when we become wholly soul1 are out of the body1 and sublimely revolve on high1 in conjunction with all the immaterial ,gods4 ,and there is also a time when we are bound in the testaceous body1 are detained by matter1 and are of a corporeal-formed nature4 ,again1 therefore1 there will be a twofold mode of worship4 ,for one mode1 indeed1 will be simple1 incorporeal1 and pure from all generation1 and this mode pertains to undefiled souls4 ,but the other is filled with bodies1 and every thing of a material nature1 and is adapted to souls which are neither pure nor liberated from all generation4 ,we must admit1 therefore1 that there are twofold species of sacrifices2 one kind1 indeed1 pertaining to men who are entirely purified1 which1 as ,heraclitus says1 rarely happens to one man1 or to a certain easily to be numbered few of mankind2 but the other kind1 being material and corporeal-formed1 and consisting in mutation1 is adapted to souls that are still detained by the body4 ,hence1 to cities and people not yet liberated from genesiurgic fate and the impeding communion of bodies1 if such a mode of sacrifice as this latter is not permitted1 they will wander both from immaterial and material good4 ,for they will not be able to receive the former1 and to the latter they will not offer what is appropriate4 ,at the same time1 likewise1 every one in sacrificing performs the sacrifice with reference to what he is1 and not with reference to what he is not4 ,it is not proper1 therefore1 that the sacrifice should transcend the proper measure of him by whom it is offered4 ,the same thing will also be said by me concerning the connexion which appropriately coadapts the men who worship and the powers that are worshiped4 ,for this connexion requires that a mode of worship should be chosen adapted to itself2 viz4 an immaterial connexion1 a mode of worship immaterially mingled1 and purely conjoining by pure incorporeal powers1 incorporeal natures to themselves2 but a corporeal-formed connexion1 a corporeal-formed mode which depends on bodies1 and is mingled with the essences that preside over bodies4 ,,chap4 ,,xvi4 ,farther still1 therefore1 we must not disdain to add what follows2 that we frequently perform something to the ,gods who are the inspective guardians of body1 and to good dmons1 for the sake of the necessary use of the body2 as1 for instance1 when by sacrifices we purify it from ancient stains1 or liberate it from diseases1 and fill it with health1 or remove from it heaviness and torpor1 or procure for it any other good4 ,in this case1 therefore1 we evidently must not busy ourselves with the body in an intellectual and incorporeal manner4 ,for the body is not adapted to participate of modes of this kind2 but1 obtaining things which are allied to itself1 it is meliorated and purified by bodies4 ,the rites of sacrifices1 therefore1 will necessarily1 for a purpose of this kind1 be corporeal-formed2 partly cutting off what is superfluous in us2 partly supplying us with that of which we are in want2 and partly leading into symmetry and order such things in us as are immoderately disturbed4 ,we also frequently engage in sacred operations1 entreating superior beings to grant us such things as are adapted to the wants of human life4 ,and these are such as preserve the body in health1 or pertain to those things which we procure for the sake of the body4 ,,chap4 ,,xvii4 ,what1 therefore1 shall we derive from the ,gods who are entirely exempt from all human generation1 with respect to sterility1 or abundance or any thing else pertaining to the mortal life8 ,nothing whatever4 ,for it is not the province of those who are liberated from all things to meddle with gifts of this kind4 ,but if some one should say that the perfectly immaterial comprehend in themselves the material ,gods1 and that through this they also contain in themselves their gifts according to one first cause2 such a one will also say1 that in consequence of this an abundance of divine gifts descend from the immaterial ,gods4 ,it must not1 however1 be granted to any one to say that the immaterial ,gods bestow these gifts by proximately interfering with the actions of human life4 ,for such an administration of our affairs is partible1 is accomplished with a certain conversion to the subjects of its care1 is not entirely separate from bodies1 and is incapable of receiving a pure and undefiled domination4 ,will not1 therefore1 that mode of sacrifice in works of this kind be most appropriate which is mingled with bodies1 and adheres to generation2 and not that which is entirely immaterial and incorporeal8 ,for the pure mode of sacrifice is perfectly transcendent and incommensurate with our concerns4 ,but the mode which employs bodies1 and the powers that subsist through bodies1 is in the most eminent degree allied to human affairs4 ,it is also capable of producing a certain prosperous condition of things1 and of imparting symmetry and temperament to the mortal race4 ,,chap4 ,,xviii4 ,according to another division1 therefore1 the numerous herd or the great mass of men is arranged under nature1 is governed by physical powers1 looks downward to the works of nature1 gives completion to the administration of ,fate1 and to things pertaining to ,fate1 because it belongs to the order of it1 and always employs practical reasoning about such particulars alone as subsist according to nature4 ,but there are a certain few who1 by employing a certain supernatural power of intellect1 are removed indeed from nature1 but are conducted to a separate and unmingled intellect2 and these1 at the same time1 become superior to physical powers4 ,others again1 who are the media between these1 tend to things which subsist between nature and a pure intellect4 ,and of these1 some indeed equally follow both nature and an immaculate intellect2 others embrace a life which is mingled from both2 and others are liberated from things subordinate1 and betake themselves to such as are more excellent4 ,this division1 therefore1 being made1 that which follows will most manifestly take place4 ,for those who are governed by the nature of the universe1 who lived conformably to this1 and employ the powers of nature1 these should embrace a mode of worship adapted to nature1 and to the bodies that are moved by nature1 and should choose for this purpose appropriate places1 air1 matter1 the powers of matter1 bodies1 and the habits of bodies1 qualities1 and proper motions1 the mutations of things in generation1 and other things connected with these1 both in other parts of piety and in that part of it which pertains to sacrifice4 ,but those who live conformably to intellect alone1 and to the life of intellect1 and are liberated from the bonds of nature1 these should exercise in all the parts of theurgy the intellectual and incorporeal mode of worship4 ,and those who are the media between these1 should labour differently in the paths of piety1 conformably to the differences of this middle condition of life1 either by embracing both modes of piety1 or separating themselves from one of the modes and adhering to the other1 or receiving both these modes as the foundation of things of a more honourable nature4 ,for without these they never can arrive at things supereminent4 ,or1 in some other way1 they should thus1 in a becoming manner1 labour in the paths of sanctity4 ,,chap4 ,,xix4 ,on this subject1 however1 there is also the following division4 ,of divine essences and powers some have a genesiurgic soul and nature subject and ministrant to their fabrications1 whenever they wish to use them4 ,but others are entirely separate from soul and nature1 ,i mean from a divine1 and not only from a mundane and genesiurgic soul and nature4#aaj ,and others are the media#aaa between these1 and afford to the extremes a communion with each other1 either according to an exuberant participation of greater good1 or according to an unimpeded reception of less good1 or according to a concord which binds together both the extremes4 ,when1 therefore1 we worship the ,gods who reign over soul and nature1 it is not foreign to these to offer to them physical powers1 and bodies which are governed by nature4 ,for all the works of nature are subservient to them1 and contribute to their government4 ,but when we undertake to honour those ,gods who are essentially uniform1 then it is requisite to venerate them with liberated honours4 ,hence1 intellectual gifts are adapted to these1 and things which pertain to an incorporeal life1 together with the fruits of virtue and wisdom1 and whatever perfect and total goods of the soul there may be4 ,moreover1 to the ,gods who subsist as media1 and who are the leaders of goods of a middle nature1 sometimes twofold gifts will be adapted1 and sometimes such as have a communication with both these2 or such as are separated from inferiors1 and pertain to more elevated natures2 or1 in short1 such as in one of the modes give completion to the medium4 ,,chap4 ,,xx4 ,being impelled1 therefore1 from another principle1 viz4 from the world and the mundane ,gods1 from the arrangement of the four elements in the world1 and the association of the elements according to appropriate measures1 and also from the orderly circulation of bodies about centres1 we shall have an easy ascent to the truth of the piety respecting sacrifices4 ,for if we are in the world1 are contained as parts in the universe1 are primarily produced by it1 and perfected by the total powers that are in it1 and if we consist of its elements1 and receive from it a certain portion of life and nature2 if this be the case1 it is not proper to pass beyond the world and the mundane orders4 ,we must admit1 therefore1 that in each part of the world there is this visible body1 and that there are also incorporeal powers1 which are divided about bodies4 ,hence the law of religion distributes similars to similars1 and thus extends from on high1 through wholes1 as far as to the last of things2 assigning1 indeed1 incorporeals to incorporeals1 but bodies to bodies1 and this commensurately to the nature of each4 ,if1 however1 some theurgist should participate of the supermundane ,gods1 which is the rarest of all things1 he1 indeed1 in the worship of the ,gods will transcend both bodies and matter2 being united to the ,gods by a supermundane power4 ,but that which happens to one person with difficulty and late1 and at the end of the sacerdotal office1 ought not to be promulgated as common to all men2 nor ought it to be made a thing common to those who are commencing theurgic operations1 nor to those who have made a middle proficiency in it4 ,for these1 after a manner1 pay a corporeal-formed attention to sanctity4 ,,chap4 ,,xxi4 ,i think1 therefore1 that all who are lovers of the contemplation of theurgic truth will acknowledge this1 that the piety which pertains to divine natures ought not to be exercised towards them partially or imperfectly4 ,hence1 since prior to the appearance of the ,gods1 all such powers as are presubjacent to them are moved1 and when the ,gods are about to descend to the earth1 precede them as in a solemn procession2#aab he who does not distribute to all these powers that which is adapted to them1 and does not honour each in an appropriate manner1 will depart imperfect1 and destitute of the participation of the ,gods4 ,but he who propitiates all of them1 and offers to each acceptable gifts1 and such as are to the utmost of his power adapted to them1 will always remain secure and irreprehensible1 giving completion in a proper manner to the perfect and entire receptacle of the divine choir4 ,since this1 therefore1 is the case1 whether is it necessary that the mode of sanctity should be simple1 and consist of a certain few things1 or that it should be multiform and all-harmonic1 and mingled1 as ,i may say1 from every thing contained in the world8 ,if1 indeed1 the power which is invoked1 and is excited in the performance of sacred rites1 was simple1 the mode of sacrifice should necessarily be simple4 ,but if the multitude of powers which are excited when the ,gods descend and are moved1 is not to be comprehended by any one1 except theurgists alone1 who accurately know this through experience in sacred operations2 if this be the case1 they alone are capable of knowing what the perfection is of the sacrific art2 and they also know that the omission1 though of a few things1 subverts the whole work of religion2 just as in harmony1 from the bursting of one chord1 the whole becomes dissonant and incommensurate4#aac ,as1 therefore1 in the visible descents of the ,gods1 a manifest injury is sustained by those who leave some one of the more excellent genera unhonoured1#aad thus also in the invisible appearances of the ,gods in sacrifices1 it is not proper to honour one of them1 and not honour another1 but it is entirely requisite to honour each of them according to the order which he is allotted4 ,but he who leaves some one of them unhonoured1 confounds the whole work of piety1 and divulses the one and whole orderly distribution of it2 not1 in so doing1 as some one may think1 imperfectly receiving the ,gods1 but entirely subverting all the ceremonies of religion4 ,,chap4 ,,xxii4 ,what then it may be said1 does not the summit of the sacrific art recur to the most principal one of the whole multitude of ,gods1 and at one and the same time worship the many essences and principles that are rooted and concentred in it8 ,entirely so1 but this happens at the latest period1 and to a very few1 and we must be satisfied if it takes place when the sun of life is setting4 ,our present discussion1 however1 does not ordain laws for a man of this kind2 for he is superior to all law2#aae but it promulgates a law such as that of which we are now speaking1 to those who are in want of a certain divine legislation4#aaf ,it says1 therefore1 that as the world has one coarrangement from many orders1 thus also it is necessary that the consummation of sacrifices1 being never failing and entire1 should be conjoined to the whole order of more excellent natures4 ,if1 however1 the world is multiform1 and all perfect1 and is united from many orders1 it is also necessary that sacred operations should imitate its omniform variety through the whole of the powers which they employ4 ,hence1 in a similar manner1 since the things which surround us are all-various1 it is not fit that we should be connected with the divine causes that preside over them1 from a certain part which they contain4 ,nor is it proper that we should ascend imperfectly to the primordial causes of them4 ,,chap4 ,,xxiii4 ,the various mode1 therefore1 of sanctity in sacred operations partly purifies and partly perfects some one of the things that are in us or about us4 ,and some things1 indeed1 it restores to symmetry and order2 but others it liberates from mortal-formed error4 ,but it renders all things familiar and friendly to all the natures that are superior to us4 ,moreover1 when divine causes1 and human preparations which are assimilated to them conspire in one and the same1 then the perfection of sacred operations imparts all the perfect and great benefits of sacrifice4 ,it will not be amiss1 also1 to add such particulars as the following1 in order to the accurate comprehension of these things4 ,an exuberance of power is always present with the highest causes1 and at the same time that this power transcends all things1 it is equally present with all with unimpeded energy4 ,hence1 conformably to this1 the first illuminate the last of things1 and immaterial are present with material natures immaterially4 ,nor should it be considered by any one as wonderful1 if we say that there is a certain pure and divine matter4#aag ,for matter being generated by the father and demiurgus of wholes1 receives a perfection adapted to itself1 in order to its becoming the receptacle of the ,gods4 ,at the same time nothing prevents more excellent beings from being able to impart their light to subordinate natures4 ,neither1 therefore1 is matter separated from the participation of better causes2 so that such matter as is perfect1 pure1 and boniform1 is not unadapted to the reception of the ,gods4 ,for1 since it is requisite that terrestrial natures should by no means be destitute of divine communion1 the earth also receives a certain divine portion from it1 sufficient for the participation of the ,gods4 ,the theurgic art1 therefore1 perceiving this to be the case1 and thus having discovered in common1 appropriate receptacles1 conformably to the peculiarity of each of the ,gods1 it frequently connects together stones1 herbs1 animals1 aromatics1 and other sacred1 perfect1 and deiform substances of the like kind2 and afterwards1 from all these1 it produces an entire and pure receptacle4 ,for it is not proper to despise all matter1 but that alone which is foreign from the ,gods4 ,but that matter is to be chosen which is adapted to them1 as being able to accord with the edifices of the ,gods1 the dedication of statues1 and the sacred operations of sacrifices4 ,for no otherwise can a participation of superior beings be obtained by places in the earth1 or by men that dwell in it1 unless a foundation of this kind is first established4 ,it is also requisite to be persuaded by arcane assertions1 that a certain matter is imparted by the ,gods1 through blessed visions4 ,this matter1 therefore1 is doubtless connascent with those by whom it is imparted4 ,hence1 does it not follow that the sacrifice of a matter of this kind excites the ,gods to present themselves to the view1 immediately calls forth the participation of them1 receives them when they accede1 and perfectly unfolds them into light8 ,,chap4 ,,xxiv4 ,the same things also may be learned from the distribution of the ,gods according to places2 and from this1 and the partible dominion over each particular thing1 it may be seen how many allotments1 greater or less1 superior beings are assigned according to their different orders4 ,for it is evident1 that to the ,gods who preside over certain places1 the things produced by them are most appropriately offered in sacrifice2 and that what pertains to the governed is most adapted to be sacrificed to the governors4 ,for always to makers their own works are particularly grateful2 and to those who primarily produce certain things1 such things are primarily acceptable4 ,whether1 therefore1 certain animals1 or plants1 or any other productions of the earth1 are governed by superior beings1 at one and the same time1 they participate of their inspective care1 and impart to us an indivisible communion with the ,gods4 ,some things1 therefore1 of this kind1 if they are carefully preserved1 increase the familiarity of those that retain them with the ,gods2 and these are such as by remaining entire1 preserve the communion between ,gods and men4 ,of this kind are some of the animals in ,egypt1 and man1 who is everywhere sacred4 ,but some things1 when consecrated1 produce a more manifest familiarity2 and these are such as by an analysis into the principle of the first elements1 effect an alliance more sacredly adapted to superior causes4 ,for the more perfect this alliance is1 the more perfect always is the good which is imparted by it4 ,,chap4 ,,xxv4 ,if1 therefore1 these things were human customs alone1 and derived their authority through our legal institutions1 it might be said that the worship of the ,gods was the invention of our conceptions4 ,now1 however1 divinity is the leader of it1 who is thus invoked by sacrifices1 and who is surrounded by a numerous multitude of ,gods and angels4 ,under him1 likewise1 a certain common presiding power1 is allotted dominion according to each nation of the earth4 ,and a peculiar presiding power is allotted to each temple4 ,of the sacrifices1 also1 which are performed to the ,gods1 the inspective guardian is a ,god2 but an angel1 of those which are performed to angels2 and a dmon1 of such as are performed to dmons4 ,after the same manner1 also1 in other sacred operations1 the presiding power is allotted dominion over each1 in a way allied to his proper genus4 ,when1 therefore1 we offer sacrifices to the ,gods1 accompanied by the presiding ,gods1 who give completion to sacred operations1 then at the same time1 it is necessary in sacrifices to venerate the sacred law of divine sanctity2 and at the same time1 also1 we ought to be confident1 as sacrificing under the ,gods who are the rulers of such works4 ,we ought1 likewise1 to be very cautious1 lest we should offer any gift unworthy of1 or foreign from1 the ,gods4 ,and1 as the last admonition1 we should in a manner entirely perfect1 pay attention to all that surrounds us1 and to the ,gods1 angels1 and dmons that are distributed according to genera in the universe4 ,and to all these1 in a similar manner1 an acceptable sacrifice should be offered2 for thus alone sanctity can be preserved in a way worthy of the ,gods who preside over it4 ,,chap4 ,,xxvi4 ,since1 however1 prayers are not the smallest but on the contrary a very great part of sacrifices1 especially give completion to them1 and through these the whole operation of them is corroborated and effected2 and since1 besides this1 they afford a common utility to religion1 and produce an indissoluble and sacred communion with the ,gods1 it will not be improper to discuss a few particulars concerning prayer4 ,for this is of itself a thing worthy to be known1 and renders more perfect the science concerning the ,gods4 ,i say1 therefore1 that the first species of prayer is collective2 and that it is also the leader of contact with1 and a knowledge of1 divinity4 ,the second species is the bond of concordant communion1 calling forth1 prior to the energy of speech1 the gifts imparted by the ,gods1 and perfecting the whole of our operations prior to our intellectual conceptions4 ,and the third and most perfect species of prayer is the seal of ineffable union with the divinities1 in whom it establishes all the power and authority of prayer2 and thus causes the soul to repose in the ,gods1 as in a never failing port4 ,but from these three terms1 in which all the divine measures are contained1 suppliant adoration not only conciliates to us the friendship of the ,gods1 but supernally extends to us three fruits1 being as it were three ,hesperian apples of gold4#aah ,the first of these pertains to illumination2 the second1 to a communion of operation2 but through the energy of the third1 we receive a perfect plenitude of divine fire4 ,and sometimes1 indeed1 supplication precedes2 like a precursor preparing the way before the sacrifice appears4 ,but some times it intercedes as a mediator2 and sometimes accomplishes the end of sacrificing4 ,no operation1 however1 in sacred concerns1 can succeed without the intervention of prayer4 ,lastly1 the continual exercise of prayer nourishes the vigour of our intellect1 and renders the receptacles of the soul far more capacious for the communications of the ,gods4 ,it likewise is the divine key1 which opens to men the penetralia of the ,gods2 accustoms us to the splendid rivers of supernal light2 in a short time perfects our inmost recesses1 and disposes them for the ineffable embrace and contact of the ,gods2 and does not desist till it raises us to the summit of all4 ,it also gradually and silently draws upward the manners of our soul1 by divesting them of every thing foreign to a divine nature1 and clothes us with the perfections of the ,gods4 ,besides this1 it produces an indissoluble communion and friendship with divinity1 nourishes a divine love1 and inflames the divine part of the soul4 ,whatever is of an opposing and contrary nature in the soul1 it expiates and purifies2 expels whatever is prone to generation1 and retains any thing of the dregs of mortality in its etherial and splendid spirit2 perfects a good hope and faith concerning the reception of divine light2 and1 in one word1 renders those by whom it is employed the familiars and domestics of the ,gods4 ,if such1 then1 are the advantages of prayer1 and such its connexion with sacrifice1 does it not appear from hence that the end of sacrifice is a conjunction with the ,demiurgus of the world8 ,and the benefit of prayer is of the same extent with the good which is conferred by the demiurgic causes on the race of mortals4 ,again1 from hence the anagogic1 perfective1 and replenishing power of prayer appears2 likewise how it becomes efficacious and unific2 and how it possesses a common bond imparted by the ,gods4 ,and1 in the third and last place1 it may easily be conceived from hence how prayer and sacrifice mutually corroborate and confer on each other a sacred and perfect power in divine concerns4 ,hence1 since it appears that there is a perfect conspiration and cooperation of the sacerdotal discipline with itself1 and that the parts of it are more connascent than those of any animal1 being entirely conjoined through one connexion2 this being the case1 it is not by any means proper to neglect this concord1 nor to admit some of its parts and reject others2 but it is fit that all of them should be exercised in a similar manner1 and that those should be perfected through all of them who wish to be genuinely conjoined to the ,gods4 ,these things therefore1 cannot subsist otherwise4 ,,section ,,vi4 ,,chap4 ,i4 ,it is now1 however1 time for me to pass on to the next doubt which you propose1 viz4 8,why it is requisite that the inspector who presides over sacred rites ought not to touch a dead body1 though most sacred operations are performed through dead bodies80 ,again1 therefore1 that we may dissolve this doubt1 we shall direct our attention to this apparent opposition2 for there is not in reality any1 but these things alone seem to subsist contrarily4 ,for if the laws of sacred rites ordered that the same dead bodies should not be touched and should be touched1 this would be a thing contrary to itself4 ,but if they order that some dead bodies should be abstained from as impure1 but that others which are consecrated should be touched1 this is not attended with any contrariety4 ,farther still1 it is not lawful to touch human bodies when the soul has left them1 since a certain vestige1 image1 or representation of divine life is extinguished in the body by death4 ,but it is no longer unholy to touch other dead bodies1 because they did not when living participate of a more divine life4 ,to other ,gods1 therefore1 who are pure from matter1 our not touching dead bodies is adapted2 but to those ,gods who preside over animals1 and are proximately connected with them1 invocation through animals is properly made4 ,according to this1 therefore1 no contrariety takes place4 ,,chap4 ,,ii4 ,after another manner1 also1 this doubt may be dissolved4 ,for in men1 indeed1 who are detained in matter1 bodies deprived of life produce a certain stain2 because that which is not alive inserts a certain defilement in that which is living1 in the same manner as the impure in that which is pure1 and that which is in privation in that which is in habit2 and also because that which is dead produces a certain pollution1 through a physical aptitude to a worse condition1 in consequence of having possessed the power of dying4 ,but a dead body cannot produce any defilement in a dmon who is perfectly incorporeal1 and does not receive any corruption4 ,for it is necessary that he should transcend a corruptible body1 and not participate of any representation of corruption from it4 ,and thus much in answer to the contrariety of the doubt4 ,,chap4 ,,iii4 ,in the next place we shall explain how divination is effected through sacred animals1 such1 for instance1 as hawks4 ,we must never say1 therefore1 that the ,gods accede through bodies that are thus procured1 being employed4 ,for they do not preside over animals1 either partibly1 or proximately1 or materially1 or with a certain habitude towards them4 ,but to dmons and these such as are very much divided1 to different orders of whom different animals are allotted1 and who proximately exercise a government of this kind1 and do not obtain their proper dominion in a way perfectly independent and immaterial1 such a contact with the organs of divination must be ascribed4 ,or1 if some one is willing so to admit1 a seat must be attributed to them1 through which we may be able to associate with and employ them4 ,it is necessary1 therefore1 to think that this seat should be pure from bodies4 ,for there can be no communion whatever between the pure and its contrary2 but it is reasonable to admit that this seat is conjoined with men1 through the soul of animals4 ,for this soul has a certain alliance to men1 through homogeneity of life2 but it is allied to dmons1 because1 being liberated from body1 it has in a certain respect a separate subsistence4 ,hence1 being a medium between both1 it is subservient to its presiding dmon1 but announces to those who are yet detained in body that which its prefect commands4 ,and it imparts to both these a common bond with each other4 ,,chap4 ,,iv4 ,it is necessary1 however1 to think that the soul which uses divination of this kind1 not only becomes an auditor of the prediction1 but also contributes in no small degree from itself to the consummation of it1 and of what pertains to its operations4 ,for this soul is coexcited and cooperates1 and at the same time foreknows1 through a certain necessary sympathy4 ,such a mode1 therefore1 of divination as this is entirely different from the divine and true mode1 being alone able to predict respecting small and diurnal concerns1 viz4 respecting such as being placed in a divided nature1 are borne along about generation1 and which impart motions from themselves to those things that are able to receive them1 and produce multiform passions in things which are naturally adapted to be copassive4 ,perfect foreknowledge1 however1 can never be effected through passion4 ,for that which is itself especially immutable1 immaterial1 and entirely pure1 is accustomed to apprehend the future2 but that which is mingled with the most irrational and dark nature of a corporeal-formed and material essence is filled with abundant ignorance4 ,an artificial apparatus1 therefore1 of this kind does not deserve to be called divination2 nor is it proper to bestow much attention upon it1 nor to believe in any other person who uses it1 as if it possessed in itself a certain clear and known indication of truth4 ,and thus much concerning divination of this kind4 ,,chap4 ,v4 ,let us1 therefore1 now discuss another species of doubts1 the cause of which is occult1 and which1 as you say1 is accompanied with 8violent threats40 ,but it is variously divided about the multitude of threats4 8,for it threatens either to burst the heavens1 or to unfold the secrets of ,isis1 or to point out the arcanum in the adytum1#aai or to stop ,baris1 or to scatter the members of ,osiris to ,typhon1 or to do something else of the like kind40 ,men do not1 however1 as you think1 threaten by such words as these the sun or the moon1 or any of the celestial ,gods2 for if they did1 more dire absurdities would ensue than those which you lament4 ,but1 as we before observed1 there is a certain genus of powers in the world which is partible1 inconsiderate1 and most irrational1 and which receives reason from another1 and is obedient to it2 neither itself employing a proper intelligence1 nor distinguishing what is true and false1 or what is possible or impossible4 ,a genus1 therefore1 of this kind1 when threatenings are extended1 is immediately coexcited and astonished1 because1 as it appears to me1 it is naturally adapted to be led by representations1 and to allure other things1 through an astounded and unstable phantasy4 ,,chap4 ,,vi4 ,these things also admit of another explanation of the following kind4 ,the theurgist1 through the power of arcane signatures1 commands mundane natures1 no longer as man1 nor as employing a human soul2 but as existing superior to them in the order of the ,gods1 he makes use of greater mandates than pertain to himself1 so far as he is human4 ,this1 however1 does not take place as if he effected every thing which he vehemently threatens to accomplish2 but he teaches us by such a use of words the magnitude and quality of the power which he possesses through a union with the ,gods1 and which he obtains from the knowledge of arcane symbols4 ,this1 likewise1 may be said1 that the dmons who are distributed according to parts1 and who guard the parts of the universe1 pay so much attention to the parts over which they preside1 that they cannot endure a word contrary to the safety of these1 but they preserve the permanency of mundane natures immutable4 ,they preserve this permanency1 therefore1 in an unchanged condition1 because the order of the ,gods remains invariably the same4 ,hence they cannot endure even to hear that threatened in which the aerial and terrestrial dmons have their existence4 ,,chap4 ,,vii4 ,or this thing may likewise be explained as follows3 ,dmons preside with a guardian power over arcane mysteries1 and this in so remarkable a degree1 because the orderly distribution of things in the universe is primarily contained in dmons4 ,for the parts of the universe remain in order1 because the beneficent power of ,osiris continues sacred and undefiled1 and is not mingled with any opposing error and perturbation4 ,the life of all things likewise remains pure and incorruptible1 because the occult vivific beauties of the productive principles in ,isis do not descend into body which is born along1#abj and is the object of sight4 ,but all things continue immoveable and perpetual1 because the course of the sun is never stopped4 ,and all things remain perfect and entire1 because the arcana in the adytum#aba are never disclosed4 ,hence1 in those particulars in which the whole of things possesses its safety1 ,i mean in arcana being always preserved occult1 and in the ineffable essence of the ,gods1 never receiving a contrary condition2 in these1 terrestrial dmons cannot endure1 even in words1 to hear that they subsist otherwise than they do1 or that they become profaned2 and on this account threatening language has a certain power when employed against them4 ,no one1 however1 threatens the ,gods1 nor is such a mode of invocation addressed to them4 ,hence with the ,chaldeans1 by whom words used to the ,gods alone are preserved distinct and pure1 no threats are employed4 ,but the ,egyptians1 mingling dmoniacal words with divine signatures1 sometimes employ threats4 ,you have1 therefore1 an answer to these doubts1 concise indeed1 but ,i think sufficiently free from error4 ,,section ,,vii4 ,,chap4 ,i4 ,the doubts also that follow in the next place require for their solution the assistance of the same divinely-wise ,muse4 ,but ,i am desirous1 previous to this1 to unfold to you the peculiarity of the theology of the ,egyptians4 ,for they1 imitating the nature of the universe1 and the fabricative energy of the ,gods1 exhibit certain images through symbols of mystic1 occult1 and invisible intellections2 just as nature1 after a certain manner1 expresses invisible reasons or productive powers through visible forms4 ,but the fabricative energy of the ,gods delineates the truth of forms1 through visible images4 ,hence the ,egyptians1 perceiving that all superior natures rejoice in the similitude to them of inferior beings1 and thus wishing to fill the latter with good1 through the greatest possible imitation of the former1 very properly exhibit a mode of theologizing adapted to the mystic doctrine concealed in the symbols4 ,,chap4 ,,ii4 ,hear1 therefore1 the intellectual interpretation of symbols1 according to the conceptions of the ,egyptians2 at the same time removing from your imagination and your ears the image of things symbolical1 but elevating yourself to intellectual truth4 ,by 8mire10 therefore1 understand every thing corporeal-formed and material2 or that which is nutritive and prolific2 or such as the material species of nature is1 which is borne along in conjunction with the unstable flux of matter2 or a thing of such a kind as that which the river of generation receives1 and which subsides together with it2 or the primordial cause of the elements1 and of all the powers distributed about the elements1 and which must be antecedently conceived to exist analogous to a foundation4 ,being1 therefore1 a thing of this kind1 the ,god who is the cause of generation1 of all nature1 and of all the powers in the elements1 as transcending these1 and as being immaterial1 incorporeal1 and supernatural1 unbegotten and impartible1 wholly derived from himself1 and concealed in himself1--this ,god precedes all things1 and comprehends all things in himself4 ,and because1 indeed1 he comprehends all things1 and imparts himself to all mundane natures1 he is from these unfolded into light4 ,because1 however1 he transcends all things1 and is by himself expanded above them1 on this account he presents himself to the view as separate1 exempt1 elevated1 and expanded by himself above the powers and elements in the world4 ,the following symbol1 likewise1 testifies the truth of this4 ,for by the ,god 8sitting above the lotus10 a transcendency and strength which by no means come into contact with the mire1 are obscurely signified1 and also indicate his intellectual and empyrean empire4 ,for every thing belonging to the lotus is seen to be circular1 viz4 both the form of the leaves and the fruit2 and circulation is alone allied to the motion of intellect1 which energizes with invariable sameness1 in one order1 and according to one reason4 ,but the ,god is established by himself1 and above a dominion and energy of this kind1 venerable and holy1 superexpanded1 and abiding in himself1 which his being seated is intended to signify4 ,when the ,god1 also1 is represented as 8sailing in a ship10#abb it exhibits to us the power which governs the world4 ,as1 therefore1 the pilot being separate from the ship presides over the rudder of it1 thus the sun having a separate subsistence1 governs the helm of the whole world4 ,and as the pilot directs all things from the stem1 giving from himself a small principle of motion to the vessel2 thus1 also1 by a much greater priority1 the ,god indivisibly imparts supernally from the first principles of nature1 the primordial causes of motions4 ,these particulars1 therefore1 and still more than these1 are indicated by the ,god sailing in a ship4 ,,chap4 ,,iii4 ,since1 however1 every part of the heavens1 every sign of the zodiac1#abc all the motion of the heavens1 every period of time according to which the world is moved1 and all things contained in the wholes of the universe1 receive the powers which descend from the sun1 some of which are complicated with these wholes1 but others transcend a commixture with them1 the symbolical mode of signification represents these also1 indicating 8that the sun is diversified according to the signs of the zodiac1 and that every hour he changes his form40 ,at the same time1 also1 it indicates his immutable1 stable1 never failing1 and at once collected communication of good to the whole world4 ,but since the recipients of the impartible gift of the ,god are variously affected towards it1 and receive multiform powers1 from the sun1 according to their peculiar motions1 hence the symbolical doctrine evinces through the multitude of the gifts1 that the ,god is one1 and exhibits his one power through multiform powers4 ,hence1 likewise1 it says that he is one and the same1 but that the vicissitudes of his form1 and his configurations1 must be admitted to exist in the recipients4 ,on this account it asserts 8that he is changed every hour1 according to the signs of the zodiac10 in consequence of these being variously changed about the ,god1 according to the many modes by which they receive him4 ,the ,egyptians use prayers to the sun1 conformable to these assertions1 not only in visions which are seen by the bodily eyes1 but also in their more common supplications1 all which have such a meaning as this1 and are offered to the ,god conformably to a symbolic and mystic doctrine of this kind4 ,hence it would not be reasonable in any one to undertake a defence of them4 ,,chap4 ,,iv4 ,but the inquiries which follow in the next place1 require a more abundant doctrine1 in order to their elucidation4 ,at the same time1 however1 it is necessary to discuss the truth concerning them with brevity4 ,for you inquire 8what efficacy there is in names that are not significant40#abd ,they are not1 however1 as you think1 without signification2 but let them be indeed unknown to us 7though some of them are known to us1 the explications of which we receive from the ,gods71 yet to the ,gods all of them are significant1 though not according to an effable mode2 nor in such a way as that which is significant and indicative with men through imaginations2 but either intellectually1 conformably to the divine intellect which is in us2 or ineffably1 and in a way more excellent and simple1 and conformably to the intellect which is united to the ,gods4 ,it is requisite1 therefore1 to take away all conceptions derived by an abstraction from sensibles1 and all logical evolutions from divine names2#abe and likewise the connascent physical similitudes of language to things which exist in nature4 ,but the intellectual and divine symbolical character of divine similitude must be admitted to have a subsistence in names4 ,and1 moreover1 though it should be unknown to us1 yet this very circumstance is that which is most venerable in it1 for it is too excellent to be divided into knowledge4 ,but in those names which we can1 scientifically analyze1#abf we possess a knowledge of the whole divine essence1 power1 and order1 comprehended in the name4 ,and farther still1 we preserve in the soul collectively the mystic and arcane image of the ,gods1 and through this we elevate the soul to the ,gods1 and when elevated conjoin it as much as possible with them4 ,but you ask1 8,why1 of significant names1 we prefer such as are ,barbaric to our own80 ,of this1 also1 there is a mystic reason4 ,for because the ,gods have shown that the whole dialect of sacred nations such as those of the ,egyptians and ,assyrians1 is adapted to sacred concerns2 on this account we ought to think it necessary that our conference with the ,gods should be in a language allied to them4 ,because1 likewise1 such a mode of speech is the first and most ancient4 ,and especially because those who first learned the names of the ,gods1 having mingled them with their own proper tongue1 delivered them to us1 that we might always preserve immoveable the sacred law of tradition1 in a language peculiar and adapted to them4 ,for if any other thing pertains to the ,gods1 it is evident that the eternal and immutable must be allied to them4 ,,chap4 ,v4 ,you object1 however1 8that he who hears words looks to their signification1 so that it is sufficient the conception remains the same1 whatever the words may be that are used40 ,but the thing is not such as you suspect it to be4 ,for if names subsisted through compact#abg it would be of no consequence whether some were used instead of others4 ,but if they are suspended from the nature of things1 those names which are more adapted to it will also be more dear to the ,gods4 ,from this1 therefore1 it is evident that the language of sacred nations is very reasonably preferred to that of other men4 ,to which may be added1 that names do not entirely preserve the same meaning when translated into another language2 but there are certain idioms in each nation which cannot be signified by language to another nation4 ,and1 in the next place1 though it should be possible to translate them1 yet they no longer preserve the same power when translated4 ,barbarous names1 likewise1 have much emphasis1 great conciseness1 and participate of less ambiguity1 variety1 and multitude4 ,hence1 on all these accounts1 they are adapted to more excellent natures4 ,take away1 therefore1 entirely those suspicions of yours which fall off from the truth1 viz4 8if he who is invoked is either an ,egyptian or uses the ,egyptian language40 ,but rather think that as the ,egyptians were the first of men#abh who were allotted the participation of the ,gods1 the ,gods when invoked rejoice in the ,egyptian rites4 ,again1 however1 if all these were the fraudulent devices of enchanters1 how is it possible that things which are in the most eminent degree united to the ,gods1 which also conjoin us with them1 and have powers all but equal to those of superior beings1 should be phantastic devices1 though without them no sacred operation can be effected8 ,but neither 8do these veils by which arcana are concealed originate from our passions1 which rumour ascribes to a divine nature40 ,for beginning1 not from our passions1 but1 on the contrary1 from things allied to the ,gods1 we make use of words adapted to them4 8,nor do we frame conceptions of a divine nature1 contrary to its real mode of subsistence40 ,but conformably to the nature which it possesses1 and to the truth concerning it1 which those obtained who first established the laws of sacred religion1 we persevere in our conceptions of divinity4 ,for if any thing else in religious legal institutions is adapted to the ,gods1 this must certainly be immutability4 ,and it is necessary that ancient prayers1#abi like sacred asyla1 should be preserved invariably the same1 neither taking any thing from them1 nor adding any thing to them which is elsewhere derived4 ,for this is nearly the cause at present that both names and prayers have lost their efficacy1 because they are continually changed through the innovation and illegality of the ,greeks4 ,for the ,greeks are naturally studious of novelty1 and are carried about every where by their volatility2 neither possessing any stability themselves1 nor preserving what they have received from others2 but rapidly relinquishing this1 they transform every thing through an unstable desire of discovering something new4 ,but the ,barbarians are stable in their manners1 and firmly continue to employ the same words4 ,hence they are dear to the ,gods1 and proffer words which are grateful to them2 but which it is not lawful for any man by any means to change4 ,and thus much we have said in answer to you concerning names1 which though they are inexplicable1 and are called ,barbaric1 yet are adapted to sacred concerns4 ,,section ,,viii4 ,,chap4 ,i4 ,leaving1 therefore1 these particulars1 you wish in the next place that ,i would unfold to you 8,what the ,egyptians conceive the first cause to be2 whether intellect1 or above intellect2 whether alone1 or subsisting with some other or others2 whether incorporeal1 of corporeal2 and whether it is the same with the ,demiurgus1 or is prior to the ,demiurgus8 ,likewise1 whether all things are from one principle1 or from many principles2 whether they have a knowledge of matter1 or of primary corporeal qualities2 and whether they admit matter to be unbegotten1 or to be generated80 ,i1 therefore1 will in the first place relate to you the cause why in the books of the ancient writers of sacred concerns many and various opinions concerning these things are circulated1 and also why among those that are still living1 and are renowned for their wisdom1 the opinion on this subject is not simple and one4 ,i say then1 that as there are many essences1 and these differing from each other1 the all-various multitude of the principles of these1 and which have different orders1 were delivered by different ancient priests4 ,as ,seleucus#acj narrates1 therefore1 ,hermes described the principles that rank as wholes in two myriads#aca of books2 or1 as we are informed by ,manetho#acb1 he perfectly unfolded these principles in three myriads six thousand five hundred and twenty five volumes4 ,but different ancient writers differently explained the partial principles of essences4 ,it is necessary1 however1 by investigation to discover the truth about all these principles1 and concisely to unfold it to you as much as possible4 ,and1 in the first place1 hear concerning that which is the first subject of your inquiry4 ,,chap4 ,,ii4 ,prior to truly existing beings and total principles or principles that rank as wholes1 there is one ,god1 prior to that deity who is generally believed to be the first ,god and king1#acc immoveable1 and abiding in the solitude of his own unity4 ,for neither is the intelligible connected with him1 nor any thing else2 but he is established as the paradigm of the ,god who is the father of himself1 is self begotten1 is father alone1 and is truly good4 ,for he is something even greater and prior to this1 is the fountain of all things1 and the root of the first intelligible forms4 ,but from this one deity1 the ,god who is sufficient to himself unfolds himself1 into light4 ,for this divinity1 also1 is the principle and ,god of ,gods1 a monad from the one1 prior to essence1 and the principle of essence4 ,for from him entity and essence are derived2 and hence1 also1 he is denominated the principle of intelligibles4 ,these1 therefore1 are the most ancient principles of all things1 which ,hermes arranges prior to the etherial1 empyrean1 and celestial ,gods4 ,he likewise delivered to us the history of the empyrean ,gods in one hundred books2 of the etherial in an equal number2 and of the celestial in a thousand books4 ,,chap4 ,,iii4 ,according to another order1 however1 he arranges the ,god ,emeph#acd prior to1 and as the leader of1 the celestial ,gods4 ,and he says that this ,god is an intellect1 itself intellectually perceiving itself1 and converting intellections to itself4 ,but prior to this1 he arranges the impartible one1 which he says is the first paradigm1 and which he denominates ,eicton4 ,in this1 also1 is contained that which is first intellective1 and the first intelligible1 and which is to be worshiped through silence alone4 ,besides these1 also1 other leaders preside over the fabrication of visible natures4 ,for the demiurgic intellect1 who is the curator of truth and wisdom1 descending into generation1 and leading the power2 of occult reasons into light1 is called in the ,egyptian tongue ,amon2 but in consequence of perfecting all things with veracity and artificially1 he is called ,ptha4 ,the ,greeks1 however1 assume ,ptha for ,vulcan1 solely directing their attention to the artificial peculiarity of the ,god4 ,so far1 also1 as he is effective of good he is called ,osiris2 and he has other appellations through other powers and energies4 ,with the ,egyptians1 therefore1 there is another domination of the whole elements in generation1 and of the powers contained in them2 four of these powers being male and four female1 which they attribute to the sun4 ,and there is1 likewise1 another government of the whole of nature about generation1 which they assign to the moon4#ace ,but dividing the heavens into two1 or four1 or twelve1 or six-and-thirty parts1 or the doubles of these1 they give to the parts a greater or less number of rulers4 ,and over all these they place one ruler1 who transcends all the rest4 ,thus1 therefore1 the doctrine of the ,egyptians concerning principles1 proceeding from on high as far as to the last of things1 begins from one principle1 and descends to a multitude which is governed by this one2 and every where an indefinite nature is under the dominion of a certain definite measure1 and of the supreme unical cause of all things4 ,but ,god produced matter by dividing materiality from essentiality2#acf and this being vital1 the ,demiurgus receiving1 fabricated from it the simple and impassive spheres4 ,but he distributed in an orderly manner the last of it into generable and corruptible bodies4 ,,chap4 ,,iv4 ,these things1 therefore1 having been accurately discussed1 the solution of the doubts which you have met with in certain books will be manifest4 ,for the books which are circulated under the name of ,hermes contain ,hermaic opinions1 though they frequently employ the language of the philosophers3 for they were translated from the ,egyptian tongue by men who were not unskilled in philosophy4 ,but ,chremon1#acg and any others who have at all discussed the first causes of mundane natures1 have unfolded the last rulers of these4 ,and such as have written concerning the planets1 the zodiac1 the decans1 horoscopes1 and what are called powerful and leading planets1 these have unfolded the partible distributions of the rulers4 ,the particulars1 also1 contained in the ,calendars comprehend a certain very small part of the ,hermaic arrangements4 ,and the causes of such things as pertain to the phases or occultations of the stars1 or to the increments and decrements of the moon1 are assigned by the ,egyptians the last of all4 ,the ,egyptians1 likewise1 do not say that all things are physical4 ,for they separate the life of the soul and the intellectual life from nature1 not only in the universe1 but also in us4 ,and admitting intellect and reason to subsist by themselves1 they say that generated essences were thus fabricated4 ,they likewise arrange the ,demiurgus as the primary father of things in generation2 and they acknowledge the existence of a vital power1 prior to the heavens1 and subsisting in the heavens4 ,they also establish a pure intellect above the world1 and one impartible intellect in the whole world1 and another which is distributed into all the spheres4 ,and these things they do not survey by mere reason alone1 but through the sacerdotal theurgy1 they announce that they are able to ascend to more elevated and universal essences1 and to those that are established above ,fate1 viz4 to ,god and the ,demiurgus2 neither employing matter1 nor assuming any other thing besides1 except the observation of a suitable time4 ,,chap4 ,v4 ,this deific and anagogic path ,hermes1 indeed1 narrated1 but ,bitys1 the prophet of ,king ,ammon1#ach explained it1 having found it in the adyta of ,sas#aci in ,egypt1 written in hieroglyphics2 and the same prophet also delivered the name of ,god1 which pervades through the whole world4#adj ,but there are1 likewise1 many other coarrangements of the same things2 so that you do not appear to me to act rightly in referring all things with the ,egyptians to physical causes4 ,for there are1 according to them1 many principles and many essences2 and also supermundane powers1 which they worship through sacerdotal sanctimony4 ,to me1 therefore these things appear to afford common auxiliaries to the solution of all the remaining inquiries4 ,but since it is necessary not to leave any one of them uninvestigated1 we shall add them to these problems1 and examine them on all sides1 in order that we may see where there is any thing futile in your opinions4 ,,chap4 ,,vi4 ,you say1 therefore1 8that according to many of the ,egyptians1 that which is in our power depends on the motion of the stars40 ,what the truth1 however1 is respecting this1 it is necessary to unfold to you from the ,hermaic conceptions4 ,for man1 as these writings say1 has two souls4 ,and one1 indeed1 is derived from the first intelligible1 and participates of the power of the ,demiurgus2 but the other is imparted from the circulation of the celestial bodies1 to which the soul that sees ,god returns4 ,these things1 therefore1 thus subsisting1 the soul that descends to us from the worlds follows the periods of the worlds2 but that which is intelligibly present from the intelligible1 transcends the genesiurgic motion1 and through this a liberation from fate1 and the ascent to the intelligible ,gods1 are affected4 ,such theurgy1 likewise1 as leads to an unbegotten nature is perfected conformably to a life of this kind4 ,,chap4 ,,vii4 ,hence that of which you are dubious is not true1 8that all things are bound with the indissoluble bonds of ,necessity10 which we call ,fate4 ,for the soul has a proper principle of circumduction to the intelligible1 and of a separation from generated natures2 and also of a contact with real being1 and that which is divine4 8,nor must we ascribe fate to the ,gods1 whom we worship in temples and statues1 as the dissolvers of fate40 ,for the ,gods1 indeed1 dissolve fate2 but the last natures which proceed from them1 and are complicated with the generation of the world and with body1 give completion to fate4 ,hence we very properly worship the ,gods with all possible sanctity1 and the observance of all religious rites1 in order that they may liberate us from the evils impending from fate1 as they alone rule over necessity through intellectual persuasion4 ,but neither are all things comprehended#ada in the nature of fate1 but there is another principle of the soul1 which is superior to all nature and generation1 and through which we are capable of being united to the ,gods1 of transcending the mundane order1 and of participating eternal life1 and the energy of the supercelestial ,gods4 ,through this principle1 therefore1 we are able to liberate ourselves from fate4 ,for when the more excellent parts of us energize1 and the soul is elevated to natures better than itself1#adb then it is entirely separated from things which detain it in generation1 departs from subordinate natures1 exchanges the present for another life1 and gives itself to another order of things1 entirely abandoning the former order with which it was connected4 ,,chap4 ,,viii4 ,what then1 is it not possible for a man to liberate himself from fate through the ,gods that revolve in the heavens1 and to consider the same as the leaders of fate1 and yet as those that bind our lives with indissoluble bonds8 ,perhaps nothing prevents this from being the case4 ,for if the ,gods comprehend in themselves many essences and powers1 there are also in them other immense differences and contrarieties4 ,moreover1 this also may be said1 that in each of the ,gods1 though such as are visible1 there are certain intelligible principles through which a liberation to souls from mundane generation is effected4 ,but if some one leaves only two genera of ,gods1 viz4 the mundane and supermundane1 the liberation to souls will be effected through the supermundane ,gods4 ,these things1 therefore1 are more accurately discussed in our treatise ,concerning the ,gods1 in which it is shown who are the anagogic ,gods1 and according to what kind of powers they are so2 how they liberate from fate1 and through what sacred regressions2 and what the order is of mundane nature1 and how the most perfect intellectual energy rules over this4 ,so that what you add from ,homer1 8that the ,gods are flexible10 it is not holy to assert4 ,for the works of the sacred ceremonies of religion have long since been defined by pure and intellectual laws4 ,subordinate natures1 also1 are liberated through a greater order and power2 and when we abandon inferior natures1 we are transferred into a more excellent allotment4 ,this1 however1 is not effected contrary to any original sacred law1 so as to cause the ,gods to be changed1 through a sacred operation being afterwards performed2 but from the first divinity sent souls hither1 in order that they might again return to him4 ,neither1 therefore1 is any mutation produced through a reascent of this kind1 nor do the descents and ascents of souls oppose each other4 ,for as generation and this universe are suspended from an intellectual essence2 thus1 also1 in the orderly distribution of souls1 the liberation from generation accords with the care employed by them about generation4 ,,section ,,ix4 ,,chap4 ,i4 ,let us now1 therefore1 to the utmost of our power1 endeavour to discuss the manifold doubt concerning the peculiar dmon1 and which also is subject to various objections4 ,since1 however1 to speak summarily1 the consideration of the peculiar dmon is twofold1 the one being theurgic1 but the other artificial2 and the one drawing this dmon down from supernal causes1 but the other from the visible periods in generation2 and the one making no use whatever of the calculation of nativities1 but the other meddling with methods of this kind2 and the one worshiping this dmon in a way more universal and supernatural1 but the other partibly conformable to nature2 this being the case1 you appear to me to have absurdly transferred a more perfect sacred operation to one that is human1 and in this to have exercised your inquiries4 ,,chap4 ,,ii4 ,in the next place1 here also you appear to me to have cut off only a certain small part of the discussion concerning the peculiar dmon4 ,for since it is usual with those who artificially operate about nature to invoke this dmon in an orderly manner from the decans1 from the dispensators of influxes1 from the signs of the zodiac1 the stars1 the sun and moon1 from the greater and lesser bear1 from the whole elements1 and from the world1 this being the case1 you do not act rightly in assuming one1 and that the smallest part of all these1 viz4 the lord of the geniture1 and making your inquiries about this alone4 ,here1 likewise1 again from one of the things proposed to be considered1 you inquire 8how the lord of the geniture gives the peculiar dmon1 and according to what kind of efflux1 or life1 or power1 it descends to us from him40 ,you also speak concerning the calculation of nativities1 and ask 8whether there is any reality in it or not20 and likewise concerning the invention of the lord of the geniture1 8whether it is impossible to be found1 or possible40 ,in what respect1 however1 do these things pertain to the domination of the dmon8 ,for it is evident that our knowledge of the manner in which he subsists1 contributes nothing to his essence and the cause of his existence4 ,for in things which belong to the empire of nature1 such as are generated in the universe have a proper stability of their own essence1 though we should be ignorant how they are produced4 ,in this way1 therefore1 we reply in common to your doubts4 ,but directing our attention particularly to the subjects of your inquiry1 we shall endeavour to give you solutions of them4 ,,chap4 ,,iii4 ,you say1 then1 8that he is happy who having learned the scheme of his nativity1 and knowing his proper dmon1 is thus liberated from fate40 ,to me1 however1 you appear to assert these things in a way neither consonant to themselves nor to truth4 ,for if our proper dmon is distributed to us from the scheme of our nativity1 and from thence we are able to discover him1 how can we be liberated from fate1 through a knowledge of the dmon imparted to us by fate8 ,but if1 as you say1 we are truly liberated from necessity through this dmon1 how is he allotted to us by fate8 ,thus1 therefore1 what is now said by you opposes what you before asserted2 and is also discordant with truth4 ,for the proper dmon of every one does not entirely accede from the scheme of the peculiar nativity2 but his origin is more ancient than this1 which we shall hereafter discuss4 ,to which may be added1 that if the descending dmon was to be alone surveyed from hence1 he will not be happy who obtains the knowledge of his genesiurgic dmon4 ,and who would willingly receive this dmon as his leader to a liberation from fate1 if he was given to him for this purpose1 that he might accomplish the distributions of fate8 ,farther still1 this appears to me to be only a certain and the last part of the theory pertaining to this dmon2 and that the whole theory of his essence is omitted by a method of this kind4 ,but these things1 indeed1 though they are falsely asserted1 yet at the same time are not utterly foreign from the purpose4 ,the doubts1 however1 adduced by you in the next place1 concerning 8the enumeration of the canons and the genethlialogical science10 as they are inscrutable1 are not attended with any ambiguity in the present discussion4 ,for whether these arts are known or are incomprehensible1 yet1 at the same time1 the efflux from the stars distributes to us the dmon1 whether we know it or not4 ,but divine divination is able to teach us concerning the stars1 in a way which is most true1 and when we are in possession of this we are not entirely in want of the enumeration of canons1 or of the divining art4 ,,chap4 ,,iv4 ,if1 however1 it be necessary1 dismissing these particulars1 to speak what appears to me to be the truth1 you do not rightly infer 8that a knowledge of this mathematical science#adc cannot be obtained1 because there is much dissonance concerning it1 or because ,chremon1 or some other1 has written against it40 ,for if this reason were admitted1 all things will be incomprehensible4 ,for all sciences have ten thousand controvertists1 and the doubts with which they are attended are innumerable4 ,as1 therefore1 we are accustomed to say in opposition to the contentious1 that contraries in things that are true are naturally discordant1 and that it is not falsities alone that are hostile to each other2 thus1 also1 we say respecting this mathematical science1 that it is indeed true2 but that those who wander from the scope of it1 being ignorant of the truth1 contradict it4 ,this1 however happens not in this science alone1 but likewise in all the sciences1 which are imparted by the ,gods to men4 ,for time always proceeding the divine mode of knowledge becomes evanescent1 through being frequently mingled and contaminated with much of what is mortal4 ,this divine mode is indeed in astrology also1 and a certain clear indication of truth1 though it is but small1 is at the same time preserved in it4 ,for it places before our eyes manifest signs of the mensuration of the divine periods1 when it predicts the eclipses of the sun and moon1 and the concursions#add of the moon with the fixed stars1 and when the experience of the sight is seen to accord with the prediction4 ,moreover1 the observations of the celestial bodies through the whole of time1#ade both by the ,chaldeans and by us1 testify that this science is true4 ,indications1 also1 more known than these might be adduced1 if the present discussion was precedaneously about these particulars4 ,but as they are superfluous1 and do not pertain to the knowledge of the peculiar dmon1 ,i shall1 as it is fit so to do1 omit them1 and pass on to things more appropriate than these4 ,,chap4 ,v4 ,you say then1 in your epistle1 8that the discovery of the lord or lords of the geniture1 if there are more than one in a nativity1 can scarcely be obtained1 and by astrologers themselves is confessed to be unattainable2 and yet they say that the peculiar dmon is from thence to be known40 ,but how can astrologers confess that the knowledge of the lord of the geniture is not to be obtained by them1 when they deliver clear methods for the discovery of it1 and teach us rules by which we may discover the doubts2 some1 indeed1 giving us five1#adf others more and others less than five rules8 ,omitting this1 however1 let us direct our attention to a thing of greater consequence1 viz4 the accidents pertaining to both these4 ,for if it is possible to discover the lord of the geniture1 the dmon imparted by him will be known2 but if this knowledge is unattainable1 we shall be ignorant of the lord of the geniture according to this hypothesis1 and yet1 nevertheless1 he will have an existence1 and also the dmon imparted by him4 ,what therefore hinders1 but that the discovery of him may be difficult through prediction from the nativity1 and yet through sacred divination1 or theurgy1 there may be a great abundance of scientific knowledge on this subject8 ,in short1 the dmon is not alone imparted by the lord of the geniture1 but there are many other principles of it more universal#adg than this4 ,and farther still1 a method of this kind introduces a certain artificial and human disquisition concerning the peculiar dmon4 ,hence1 in these doubts of yours there is nothing sane4 ,,chap4 ,,vi4 ,if1 however1 it be requisite to unfold to you the truth concerning the peculiar dmon1 we must say that he is not distributed to us from one part of the heavens1 or from some one of the visible elements2 but that from the whole world1 the all-various life contained in it1 and the all-various body through which the soul descends into generation1 a certain peculiar portion is distributed to each of the parts in us1 according to a peculiar prefecture4 ,this dmon1 therefore1 is established in the paradigm before the soul descends into generation2 and when the soul has received him as its leader1 the dmon immediately presides over the soul1 gives completion to its lives1 and binds it to body when it descends4 ,he likewise governs the common animal of the soul1 directs its peculiar life1 and imparts to us the principles of all our thoughts and reasonings4 ,we also perform such things as he suggests to our intellect1 and he continues to govern us till1 through sacerdotal theurgy1 we obtain a ,god for the inspective guardian and leader of the soul4 ,for then the dmon either yields or delivers his government to a more excellent nature1 or is subjected to him1 as contributing to his guardianship1 or in some other way is ministrant to him as to his lord4 ,,chap4 ,,vii4 ,from these things1 therefore1 it is easy to answer your next question4 ,for the peculiar dmon does not rule over one of the parts in us1 but1 in short1 over all the parts at once1 and extends to every principle within us1 in the same manner as he was distributed to us from the total orders in the universe4 ,for that which it appears to you proper to add as an indication 8that dmons preside over the parts of our body1 so that one is the guardian of health1 another of the form of the body1 and another of the corporeal habits1 and that there is one dmon who presides in common over all these20 this you should consider as an argument that there is one dmon who is the guardian and governor of every thing that is in us4 ,you must not1 therefore1 distribute one dmon to the body1 but another to the soul1 and another to intellect3 for it is absurd that the animal should be one1 but the dmon that presides over it multiform4 ,for every where the natures that govern are more simple than the natures that are governed4 ,and it will be still more absurd if the many dmons that rule over the parts are not connascent1 but separated from each other4 ,but you also make contrariety among them4 ,for you speak as if 8some of them were good1 but others bad40 ,evil dmons1 however1 have no where a ruling allotment1 nor are they oppositely divided to such as are good with equal authority and power4 ,,chap4 ,,viii4 ,afterwards1 abandoning these particulars1 you pass on to the opinion of philosophy4 ,but you subvert the whole hypothesis concerning the peculiar dmon4 ,for if as you say 8this dmon is a part of the soul10 such1 for instance1 as the intellectual part1 8and he is happy who is in possession of a wise intellect10 there will no longer be any other more excellent or dmoniacal order1 presiding over1 as transcending the human soul4 ,but certain parts of the soul1 or a certain divided power1 will have dominion over many of the forms of life that are in us2 and will rule over these1 not connascently1 but as naturally exempt1 and as transcending the whole of our composition4 ,,chap4 ,,ix4 ,after this1 therefore1 you also mention another disquisition concerning the peculiar dmon1 which represents 8some as worshiping two1 but others three1 dmons of this kind40 ,the whole of this1 however1 is erroneous4 ,for it is a false mode of proceeding to divide the causes that preside over us1 and not refer them to one2 since this wanders from the union which has dominion over all things4 ,the opinion1 likewise1 which distributes this dmon into body1 and the government of body1 draws down his domination to a certain most minute part4 ,so that what necessity is there for those who embrace this opinion to direct their attention to sacred operations1 the first principle of them being futile8 ,there is1 therefore1 of each of us one peculiar presiding dmon2 but it is not proper to think that this dmon is common to all men2 nor again1 that he is common1 but is peculiarly present with each individual4 ,for division1 according to species and difference of matter1 do not receive the communion and sameness of things essentially incorporeal4 8,why then you say is the peculiar dmon invoked by a common mode by all men80 ,because the invocation of him is effected through one ,god1 who is the lord of dmons2 who from the first defined to every one his peculiar dmon2 and who1 in sacred operations1 unfolds to every one his proper dmon1 according to his own proper will4 ,for always in the theurgic order secondary are invoked through primary natures4 ,among dmons1 therefore1 one common leader of the cosmocrators about generation sends to each of us his peculiar dmon4 ,hence1 when the peculiar dmon is present with each of us1 he then unfolds the worship which is proper to be paid to him and his name1 and likewise delivers the proper mode of invoking him4 ,,chap4 ,x4 ,and this order is adapted to dmons2 one part of it being allied to those that are invoked2 another being derived from more ancient causes2 and the third part effecting a common completion from both the others4 ,do not1 therefore1 assimilate divine invocations to such as are human1 nor those that are ineffable to those that are effable2 nor compare those that are prior to every boundary1 and every indefinite mode1 to those that are defined by men1 or to indefinite actions4 ,for our concerns have nothing in common with theirs1 whose whole genus and whole order transcend and govern the whole of our essence and nature4 ,but here1 especially1 the greatest errors happen to men1 when from human imbecility they infer any thing concerning the domination of dmons1 and from things which are small1 of no worth1 and distributed into parts1 form a conjecture of great1 excellent1 and perfect natures4 ,and thus much in answer to you concerning the peculiar dmon1 in addition to what has been before said4 ,,section ,x4 ,,chap4 ,i4 ,it now remains1 in the last place1 that we should speak concerning felicity1 about which you make various inquiries1 first of all proposing objections1 afterwards doubting1 and then interrogating4 ,adducing1 therefore1 all that is said by you1 we shall answer it appropriately4 ,you inquire1 then1 8whether there is not some other latent way to felicity40 ,but how1 in that path which recedes from the ,gods1 is it probable there can be an ascent to felicity8 ,for if the essence and perfection of all good are comprehended in the ,gods1 and the first and ancient power of them is with us priests1 and if by those who similarly adhere to more excellent natures1 and genuinely obtain a union with them1 the beginning and end of all good is earnestly pursued2 if this be the case1 here the contemplation of truth1 and the possession of intellectual science are to be found4#adh ,and a knowledge of the ,gods is accompanied with a conversion to1 and the knowledge of1 ourselves4 ,,chap4 ,,ii4 ,hence you in vain doubt1 8that it is not proper to look to human opinions40 ,for what leisure can he have whose intellect is directed to the ,gods to look downward to the praises of men8 ,nor do you rightly doubt in what follows1 viz4 8that the soul devises great things from casual circumstances40 ,for what principle of fictions can there be in truly existing beings8 ,is it not the phantastic power in us which is the maker of images8 ,but the phantasy is never excited when the intellectual life energizes perfectly4 ,and is not truth essentially coexistent with the ,gods8 ,is it not1 likewise1 concordantly established in intelligibles8 ,it is in vain1 therefore1 that things of this kind are disseminated by you and others4 ,but neither do those things for which certain futile and arrogant men calumniate the worshipers of the ,gods1 the like to which have been asserted by you1 at all pertain to true theology and theurgy4 ,and if certain things of this kind germinate in the sciences of divine concerns1 as in other arts evil arts blossom forth2 these are doubtless more contrary to such sciences than to any thing else4 ,for evil is more hostile to good than to that which is not good4 ,,chap4 ,,iii4 ,i wish1 in the next place1 to reply to such assertions as calumniate divine prediction4 ,for you compare with it 8certain other methods which are conversant with the prediction of future events40 ,to me1 however1 it does not appear to be any thing honourable if a certain natural aptitude is ingenerated in us to the indication of the future1 just as in animals there is a foreknowledge of earthquakes1 or winds1 or tempests4 ,for an innate presage of this kind is the consequence of acuteness of sensation1 or sympathy1 or some other conjoint motion of the physical powers1 and is not attended with any thing venerable and supernatural4 ,nor if some one1 by human reasoning1 or artificial observation1 conjectures from signs those things of which the signs are indicative 7as physicians foreknow that a fever will take place from the systole and torpor of the pulse71 neither does he appear to me to possess any thing honourable and good4 ,for he conjectures after a human manner1 and concludes from our reasoning power about things which are acknowledged to be effected naturally1 and forms a judgment not very remote from the corporeal-formed order4 ,hence1 if there is in us a certain natural presentiment of the future1 in the same manner as in all other animals1 this power is clearly seen to energize2 this presentiment does not in reality possess any thing which is most blessed4 ,for what is there among the things which are implanted in us by nature in the realms of generation that is a genuine1 perfect1 and eternal good8 ,,chap4 ,,iv4 ,divine divination1 therefore1 which is conjoined with the ,gods1 alone truly imparts to us a divine life2 since it participates of divine foreknowledge1 and divine intellections1 and renders us in reality divine4 ,it likewise causes us to be genuine participants of the good1 because the most blessed intellectual perception of the ,gods is filled with all good4 ,hence those who possess this divination 8do not10 as you conjecture1 8foresee future events1 and are nevertheless unhappy40 ,for all divine foreknowledge is boniform4 ,nor 8do they foresee1 indeed1 what is future1 but do not know how to use this knowledge properly40 ,for1 together with the foreknowledge1 they receive the beautiful itself1 and true and appropriate order3 and utility is also present with it4 ,for the ,gods1 in conjunction with it1 deliver a transcendent power of defence against the inconveniences which accede from nature4 ,and when it is necessary to exercise virtue1 and the ignorance of future events contributes to this1 then the ,gods conceal what will be for the sake of rendering the soul better4 ,but when the ignorance of what is future does not at all contribute to this1 and foreknowledge is advantageous to souls1 for the sake of their salvation and reascent to divinity1 then the ,gods insert the foreknowledge which pertains to divination in the penetralia of the essences of souls4 ,,chap4 ,v4 ,but why am ,i prolix about these particulars8 ,for ,i have abundantly shown1 in what has been before said1 the transcendency of divine above human divination4 ,it is better1 therefore1 in compliance with your request1 8to point out to you the way to felicity1 and show you in what the essence of it is placed40 ,for from this the truth will be discovered1 and at the same time all the doubts may be easily dissolved4 ,i say1 therefore1 that the more divine#adi intelligible man1 who was formerly united to the ,gods by the vision of them1 afterwards entered into another soul1 which is coadapted to the human form1 and through this became fettered with the bonds of necessity and fate4 ,hence it is requisite to consider how he may be liberated from these bonds4 ,there is1 therefore1 no other dissolution of them than the knowledge of the ,gods4 ,for to know scientifically the good is the idea of felicity2 just as the oblivion of good1 and deception about evil1 happen to be the idea of evil4 ,the former1 therefore1 is present with divinity2 but the latter1 which is an inferior destiny1 is inseparable from the mortal nature4 ,and the former1 indeed1 measures the essences of intelligibles#aej by sacred ways2 but the latter1 abandoning principles1 gives itself up to the measurement of the idea of body4 ,the former is a knowledge of the father2 but the latter is a departure from him1 and an oblivion of the ,god who is a superessential father1 and sufficient to himself4 ,the former1 likewise1 preserves the true life of the soul1 and leads it back to its father2 but the latter draws down the generation-ruling#aea man1 as far as to that which is never permanent1 but is always flowing4 ,you must understand1 therefore1 that this is the first path to felicity1 affording to souls an intellectual plenitude of divine union4 ,but the sacerdotal and theurgic gift of felicity is called1 indeed1 the gate to the ,demiurgus of wholes1 or the seat1 or palace1 of the good4 ,in the first place1 likewise1 it possesses a power of purifying the soul1 much more perfect than the power which purifies the body2 afterwards it causes a coaptation of the reasoning power to the participation and vision of the good1 and a liberation from every thing of a contrary nature2 and1 in the last place1 produces a union with the ,gods1 who are the givers of every good4 ,,chap4 ,,vi4 ,moreover1 after it has conjoined the soul to the several parts of the universe1 and to the total divine powers which pass through it2 then it leads the soul to1 and deposits it in1 the whole ,demiurgus1 and causes it to be independent of all matter1 and to be counited with the eternal reason alone4 ,but my meaning is1 that it peculiarly connects the soul with the self begotten and self-moved ,god1 and with the all-sustaining1 intellectual1 and all-adorning powers of the ,god1 and likewise with that power of him which elevates to truth1 and with his self-perfect1 effective1 and other demiurgic powers2 so that the theurgic soul becomes perfectly established in the energies and demiurgic intellections of these powers4 ,then1 also1 it inserts the soul in the whole demiurgic ,god4 ,and this is the end with the ,egyptians of the sacerdotal elevation of the soul to divinity4 ,,chap4 ,,vii4 ,with respect to the good1 likewise1 they conceive that one kind is divine1 and this is the ,god who is prior to the intelligible2 but that the other is human1 and is a union with the former4 ,and these two kinds of good ,bitys has unfolded from the ,hermaic books4 ,this part1 therefore1 is not1 as you suspect1 omitted by the ,egyptians1 but is divinely delivered by them4 ,nor do 8theurgists disturb the divine intellect about trifling concerns20 but they consult it about things which pertain to the purification1 liberation1 and salvation of the soul4 ,neither do they studiously employ themselves in things which are indeed difficult1 yet useless to mankind2 but1 on the contrary1 they direct their attention to things which are of all others most beneficial to the soul4 ,nor1 in the last place1 are 8they deceived by a certain fraudulent dmon10 who1 having vanquished a fallacious and dmoniacal nature1 ascend to an intelligible and divine essence4 ,,chap4 ,,viii4 ,and thus we have answered1 to the utmost of our ability1 your inquiries concerning divination and theurgy4 ,it remains1 therefore1 at the end of this discussion1 that ,i should beseech the ,gods to afford me an immutable guard of true conceptions1 to insert in me truth eternally1 and to supply me abundantly with the participation of more perfect conceptions of the ,gods1 in which the most blessed end of our good is posited1 and the confirmation of our concordant friendship with each other4 ,,additional ,,notes4 ,page #i4 ,anebo4 ,porphyry in his ,life of ,plotinus1 and also in the second book of his ,treatise on ,abstinence from ,animals1 informs us that he was familiar with a certain ,egyptian priest1 who1 as ,gale conjectures1 is probably the priest to whom ,porphyry now writes4 ,the diction1 indeed1 as ,gale observes1 denotes that the person to whom this ,epistle is addressed was a very great prophet1 who1 nevertheless1 is afterwards said to be a priest4 ,this1 however1 is not any thing novel or incongruous4 ,for by ,apuleius in ,metamorph4 lib4 xi4 the ,egyptian ,zaclas is said to be propheta primarius et sacerdos1 a chief prophet and priest4 ,page #i4 ,hermes the ,god who presides over language4 ,the ,egyptians celebrated two ,hermes1 the former of which is here signified by ,iamblichus4 ,this deity is the source of invention1 and hence he is said to be the son of ,maia2 because search1 which is implied by ,maia1 leads invention into light4 ,he bestows too mathesis on souls1 by unfolding the will of his father ,jupiter2 and this he accomplishes as the angel or messenger of ,jupiter4 ,proclus in ,,ms4 ,comment4 in ,alcibiad4 observes1 8that this deity is the inspective guardian of gymnastic exercises2 and hence herm1 or carved statues of ,mercury1 were placed in the ,palstr2 of music1 and hence he is honoured as the lyrist among the celestial constellations2 and of disciplines1 because the invention of geometry1 reasoning1 and discourse is referred to this ,god4 ,he presides1 therefore1 over every species of erudition1 leading us to an intelligible essence from this mortal abode1 governing the different herds of souls1 and dispersing the sleep and oblivion with which they are oppressed4 ,he is likewise the supplier of recollection1 the end of which is a genuine intellectual apprehension of divine natures40 ,p4 #aj4 ,the ancient pillars of ,hermes4 ,these pillars1 according to ,amm4 ,marcellinus1 lib4 xxii4 were concealed prior to the deluge in certain caverns1 which were called 1 syringes1 not far from the ,egyptian ,thebes4 ,the second ,hermes interpreted these pillars1 and his interpretation formed many volumes1 as ,iamblichus informs us in ,section viii4 of this work4 ,these pillars are mentioned by ,laertius in his ,life of ,democritus2 by ,dio ,chrysostom in ,orat4 #di2 by ,achilles ,tatius on ,aratus2 and by others of the ancients4 ,p4 #ae4 ,there is1 therefore1 the good itself which is beyond essence1 and there is that good which subsists according to essence4 ,there are three orders of good2 viz4 that which is imparticipable and superessential2 that which is imparticipable and essential2 and that which is essential and participable4 ,of these1 the last is such as our nature contains2 the good which ranks among forms is essential2 and that which is beyond essence is superessential4 ,or we say that the good which subsists in us may be considered as a habit1 in consequence of subsisting in a subject2 the next to this ranks as essence1 and a part of essence1 ,i mean the good which ranks among forms2 and the good which is beyond essence1 is neither a habit1 nor a part4 ,with respect to the good1 also1 which subsists according to essence1 it must be observed1 that since forms are twofold1 some alone distinguishing the essences of the things fashioned by form1 but others their perfections1 the genus of essence1 same and different1 and the form of animal1 horse1 and man1 and every thing of this kind1 give distinction to essence and subjects2 but the form of the good1 the beautiful1 and the just1 and in like manner the form of virtue1 of health1 strength1 and every thing of a similar nature1 are perfective of the beings to which they belong3 and of some1 essence is the leader1 but of others the good4 ,for1 as ,plato says1 every thing except the one1 must necessarily participate of essence2 and whatever preserves1 gives perfection to1 or defends any being1 must be good4 ,hence1 since these two are leaders1 the one of forms which give subsistence to things1 and the other of such as are the sources of their perfection2 it is necessary that one of these should be subordinate to the other2 ,i mean that the good which is allotted a coordination among forms that are the sources of perfection1 should be subordinate to essence1 which ranks among causes1 whence subsistence originates1 if the good is being1 and a certain being4 ,for it is either the same with1 or different from1 essence1 which the ,elean guest or stranger in the ,sophista of ,plato shows to be the genus of being4 ,and if the good is the same with essence1 an absurdity must ensue3 for being and well-being are not the same4 ,but if the good is something different from essence1 it must necessarily participate of essence1 in consequence of essence being the genus of all forms4 ,but if genera are more ancient than forms1 the good which ranks among forms1 and is posterior to their genus1 will not be the superessential good which reigns over intelligibles2 but this must be asserted of that good1 under which this and every form is arranged1 which possesses being1 and which is the leader of the other genera of being4 ,p4 #ae4 ,but the other medium1 which is suspended from the ,gods1 though it is far inferior to them1 is that of dmons4 ,in addition to what is said in this work by ,iamblichus concerning dmons1 the following information about them from ,olympiodorus1 in his ,,ms4 ,scholia on the ,phdo of ,plato1 is well worthy the attention of the philosophical reader3 8,since there are in the universe things which subsist differently at different times1 and since there are also natures which are conjoined with the superessential unities1 it is necessary that there should be a certain middle genus1 which is neither immediately suspended from deity1 nor subsists differently at different times1 according to better and worse1 but which is always perfect1 and does not depart from its proper virtue2 and is immutable indeed1 but is not conjoined with the superessential which is the characteristic of deity4 ,the whole of this genus is dmoniacal4 ,there are1 also1 different genera of dmons3 for they are placed under the mundane ,gods4 ,the highest of these subsists according to the one of the ,gods1 and is called an unific and divine genus of dmons4 ,the next subsists according to the intellect which is suspended from deity1 and is called intellectual4 ,the third subsists according to soul1 and is called rational4 ,the fourth1 according to nature1 and is denominated physical4 ,the fifth according to body1 which is called corporeal-formed4 ,and the sixth according to matter1 and this is denominated material40 ,olympiodorus adds1 8or after another manner it may be said1 that some of these are celestial1 others etherial1 others aerial1 others aquatic1 others terrestrial1 and others subterranean4 ,with respect to this division also1 it is evident that it is derived from the parts of the universe4 ,but irrational dmons originate from the aerial governors1 whence1 also1 the ,chaldean ,oracle says1 4 i4 e4 being the charioteer of the aerial1 terrestrial1 and aquatic dogs40 ,our guardian dmons1 however1 belong to that order of dmons which is arranged under the ,gods that preside over the ascent and descent of souls4 ,for a more copious account of dmons see the notes on the ,first ,alcibiades in vol4 i4 of my translation of ,plato4 ,p4 #bb4 ,one and the best solution will be obtained by surveying the mode of divine allotment4 ,the manner in which divine allotments subsist is admirably unfolded by ,proclus in ,tim4 p4 #dc1 as follows3 8,since1 according to a division of the universe into two parts1 we have distributed allotments into the celestial and sublunary1 there can be no doubt what the former are1 and whether they possess an invariable sameness of subsistence4 ,but the sublunary allotments are deservedly a subject of admiration1 whether they are said to be perpetual or not4 ,for since all things in generation are continually changing and flowing1 how can the allotments of the providential rulers of them be said to be perpetual8 ,for things in generation are not perpetual4 ,but if their allotments are not perpetual1 how is it possible to suppose that divine government can subsist differently at different times8 ,for an allotment is neither a certain separate energy of the ,gods1 so that sublunary natures changing1 we might say that it is exempt1 and remains immutable1 nor is it that which is governed alone1 so that no absurdity would follow from admitting that an allotment is in a flowing condition1 and is conversant with all-various mutations2 but it is a providential inspection1 and unrestrained government of divinity over sublunary concerns4 ,such being the doubts with which this subject is attended1 the following appears to be a solution of the difficulty4 8,we must say1 then1 that it is not proper to consider all the natures that are in generation1 and generation itself1 as alone consisting of things mutable and flowing1 but that there is also something immutable in these1 and which is naturally adapted to remain perpetually the same4 ,for the interval which receives and comprehends in itself all the parts of the world1 and which has an arrangement through all bodies1 is immoveable1 lest1 being moved1 it should require another place1 and thus should proceed from one receptacle to another1 ad infinitum4 ,the etherial vehicles1 also1 of divine souls1 with which they are circularly invested1 and which imitate the lives in the heavens1 have a perpetual essence1 and are eternally suspended from these divine souls themselves1 being full of prolific powers1 and performing a circular motion1 according to a certain secondary revolution of the celestial orbs4 ,and1 in the third place1 the wholeness 77 of the elements has a permanent subsistence1 though the parts are all-variously corrupted4 ,for it is necessary that every form in the universe should be never failing1 in order that the universe may be perfect1 and that1 being generated from an immoveable cause1 it may be immoveable in its essence4 ,but every wholeness is a form1 or rather it is that which it is said to be through the participation of one all perfect form4 8,and here we may see the orderly progression of the nature of bodies4 ,for the interval of the universe is immoveable according to every kind of motion4 ,but the vehicles of divine souls alone receive a mutation according to place2 for such a motion as this is most remote from essential mutation4 ,and the wholeness of the elements admits in its parts the other motions of bodies1 but the whole remains perfectly immutable4 ,the celestial allotments also1 which proximately divide the interval of the universe1 codistribute likewise the heavens themselves4 ,but those in the sublunary region are primarily1 indeed1 allotted the parts which are in the interval of the universe1 but afterwards they make a distribution according to the definite vehicles of souls4 ,and1 in the third place1 they remain perpetually the same1 according to the total parts of generation4 ,the allotments of the ,gods1 therefore1 do not change1 nor do they subsist differently at different times2 for they have not their subsistence proximately in that which may be changed4 8,how1 therefore1 do the illuminations of the ,gods accede to these8 ,how are the dissolutions of sacred rites effected8 ,and how is the same place at different times under the influence of different spirits8 ,may it not be said1 that since the ,gods have perpetual allotments1 and divide the earth according to divine numbers1 similarly to the sections of the heavens1 the parts of the earth also are illuminated1 so far as they participate of aptitude4 ,but the circulation of the heavenly bodies1 through the figures which they possess1 produce this aptitude2 divine illumination at the same time imparting a power more excellent than the nature which is present with these parts of the earth4 ,this aptitude is also effected by nature herself as a whole1 inserting divine impressions in each of the illuminated parts1 through which they spontaneously participate of the ,gods4 ,for as these parts depend on the ,gods1 nature inserts in such of them as are different1 different images of the divinities4 ,times too cooperate in producing this aptitude1 according to which other things1 also1 are governed2 the proper temperature of the air likewise2 and1 in short1 every thing by which we are surrounded contributes to the increase and diminution of this aptitude4 ,when1 therefore1 conformably to a concurrence of these many causes1 an aptitude to the participation of the ,gods is ingenerated in some one of the natures which are disposed to be changed1 then a certain divinity is unfolded into light1 which1 prior to this1 was concealed through the inaptitude of the recipients2 possessing1 indeed1 his appropriate allotment eternally1 and always extending the participation of himself1 similarly to illuminations from the sun1 but not being always participated by sublunary natures1 in consequence of their inaptitude to such participation4 ,for as with respect to partial souls such as ours1 which at different times embrace different lives1 some of them1 indeed1 choose lives accommodated to their appropriate ,gods1 but others foreign lives1 through oblivion of the divinities to whom they belong2 thus1 also1 with respect to sacred places1 some are adapted to the power which there receives its allotment1 but others are suspended from a different order4 ,and on this account1 as the ,athenian guest in ,plato says1 some places are more fortunate1 but others more unfortunate4 8,the divine ,iamblichus1 however1 doubts how the ,gods are said to be allotted certain places according to definite times1 as1 by ,plato in the ,timus1 ,minerva is said to have been first allotted the guardianship of ,athens1 and afterwards of ,sas4 ,for if their allotment commenced from a certain time1 it will also at a certain time cease4 ,for every thing which is measured by time is of this kind4 ,and farther still1 was the place which at a certain time they are allotted1 without a presiding deity prior to this allotment1 or was it under the government of other ,gods8 ,for if it was without a presiding deity1 how is it to be admitted that a certain part of the universe was once entirely destitute of divinity8 ,how can any place remain without the guardianship of superior beings8 ,and if any place is sufficient to the preservation of itself1 how does it afterwards become the allotment of some one of the ,gods8 ,but if it should be said1 that it is afterwards under the government of another ,god1 of whom it becomes the allotment1 this also is absurd4 ,for the second ,god does not divulse the government and allotment of the former1 nor do the ,gods alternately occupy the places of each other1 nor dmons change their allotments4 ,such being the doubts on this subject1 he solves them by saying1 that the allotments of the ,gods remain perpetually unchanged1 but that the participants of them at one time1 indeed1 enjoy the beneficent influence of the presiding powers1 but at another are deprived of it4 ,he adds1 that these are the mutations measured by time1 which sacred institutes frequently call the birthday of the ,gods4 ,p4 #bc4 ,which also the art of divine works perceiving1 c4 ,this art of divine works is called theurgy1 in which ,pythagoras was initiated among the ,syrians1 as we are informed by ,iamblichus in his ,life of that philosopher4 7,see p4 #i of my translation of that work47 ,proclus also was skilled in this art1 as may be seen in the ,life of him by ,marinus4 ,psellus1 in his ,,ms4 treatise on ,dmons1 says1 as we have before observed1 8that magic formed the last part of the sacerdotal science02 in which place by magic he doubtless means that kind of it which is denominated theurgy4 ,and that theurgy was employed by the ancients in their mysteries1 ,i have fully proved in my treatise on the ,eleusinian and ,bacchic ,mysteries4#aeb ,this theurgy1 too1 is doubtless the same as the magic of ,zoroaster1 which ,plato in the ,first ,alcibiades says1 consisted in the worship of the ,gods2 on which passage the following account of theurgy by ,proclus was1 ,i have no doubt1 originally part of a commentary4 ,for the ,,ms4 ,commentary of ,proclus1 which is extant on this dialogue1 does not extend to more than a third part of it2 and this ,dissertation on ,theurgy1 which is only extant in ,latin1 was published by ,ficinus the translator1 immediately after his ,excerpta1 from this ,commentary4 ,so that it seems highly probable that the manuscript from which ,ficinus translated his ,excerpta1 was much more perfect than that which has been preserved to us1 in consequence of containing this account of the theurgy of the ancients4 8,in the same manner as lovers gradually advance from that beauty which is apparent in sensible forms1 to that which is divine2 so the ancient priests1 when they considered that there is a certain alliance and sympathy in natural things to each other1 and of things manifest to occult powers2 and discovered that all things subsist in all1 they fabricated a sacred science from this mutual sympathy and similarity4 ,thus they recognised things supreme in such as are subordinate1 and the subordinate in the supreme3 in the celestial regions1 terrene properties subsisting in a causal and celestial manner2 and in earth celestial properties1 but according to a terrene condition4 ,for how shall we account for those plants called heliotropes1 that is1 attendants on the sun1 moving in correspondence with the revolution of its orb1 but selenitropes1 or attendants on the moon1 turning in exact conformity to her motion8 ,it is because all things pray1 and hymn the leaders of their respective orders2 but some intellectually1 and others rationally2 some in a natural1 and others after a sensible1 manner4 ,hence the sunflower1 as far as it is able1 moves in a circular dance towards the sun2 so that if any one could hear the pulsation made by its circuit in the air1 he would perceive something composed by a sound of this kind1 in honour of its king1 such as a plant is capable of framing4 ,hence1 too1 we may behold the sun and moon in the earth1 but according to a terrene quality2 but in the celestial regions1 all plants1 and stones1 and animals1 possessing an intellectual life according to a celestial nature4 ,now the ancients1 having contemplated this mutual sympathy of things1 applied for occult purposes1 both celestial and terrene natures1 by means of which1 through a certain similitude1 they deduced divine virtues into this inferior abode4 ,for1 indeed1 similitude itself is a sufficient cause of binding things together in union and consent4 ,thus1 if a piece of paper is heated1 and afterwards placed near a lamp1 though it does not touch the fire1 the paper will be suddenly inflamed1 and the flame will descend from the superior to the inferior parts4 ,this heated paper we may compare to a certain relation of inferiors to superiors2 and its approximation to the lamp1 to the opportune use of things according to time1 place1 and matter4 ,but the procession of fire into the paper1 aptly represents the presence of divine light to that nature which is capable of its reception4 ,lastly1 the inflammation of the paper may be compared to the deification of mortals1 and to the illumination of material natures1 which are afterwards carried upwards1 like the enkindled paper1 from a certain participation of divine seed4 8,again1 the lotus1 before the rising of the sun1 folds its leaves into itself1 but gradually expands them on its rising3 unfolding them in proportion to the sun's ascent to the zenith2 but as gradually contracting them as that luminary descends to the west4 ,hence this plant1 by the expansion and contraction of its leaves1 appears no less to honour the sun1 than men by the gesture of their eyelids1 and the motion of their lips4 ,but this imitation and certain participation of supernal light is not only visible in plants1 which possess nothing more than a vestige of life1 but likewise in particular stones4 ,thus the sun-stone1 by its golden rays1 imitates those of the sun2 but the stone called the eye of heaven1 or of the sun1 has a figure similar to the pupil of an eye1 and a ray shines from the middle of the pupil4 ,thus1 too1 the lunar stone1 which has a figure similar to the moon when horned1 by a certain change of itself1 follows the lunar motion4 ,lastly1 the stone called helioselenus1 i4 e4 of the sun and moon1 imitates1 after a manner1 the congress of those luminaries1 which it images by its colour4 ,so that all things are full of divine natures2 terrestrial natures receiving the plenitude of such as are celestial1 but celestial of supercelestial essences2#aec while every order of things proceeds gradually1 in a beautiful descent1 from the highest to the lowest4 ,for whatever particulars are collected into one above the order of things1 are afterwards dilated in descending1 various souls being distributed under their various ruling divinities4 8,in the next place1 there are many solar animals1 such as lions and cocks1 which participate1 according to their nature1 of a certain solar divinity2 whence it is wonderful how much inferiors yield to superiors in the same order1 though they do not yield in magnitude and power4 ,hence it is said1 that a cock is very much feared1 and1 as it were1 reverenced1 by a lion2 the reason of which we cannot assign from matter or sense1 but from the contemplation alone of a supernal order4 ,for thus we shall find that the presence of the solar virtue accords more with a cock than with a lion4 ,this will be evident from considering that the cock1 as it were1 with certain hymns1 applauds and calls to the rising sun1 when he bends his course to us from the antipodes2 and that solar angels sometimes appear in forms of this kind1 who1 though they are without shape1 yet present themselves to us1 who are connected with shape1 in some sensible form4 ,sometimes1 too1 there are dmons with a leonine front1 who when a cock is placed before them1 unless they are of a solar order1 suddenly disappear2 and this because those natures which have an inferior rank in the same order always reverence their superiors2 just as many1 on beholding the images of divine men1 are accustomed1 from the very view1 to be fearful of perpetrating any thing base4 8,in fine1 some things turn round correspondent to the revolutions of the sun1 as the plants which we have mentioned1 and others after a manner imitate the solar rays1 as the palm and the date2 some the fiery nature of the sun1 as the laurel2 and others a different property4 ,for1 indeed1 we may perceive that the properties which are collected in the sun1 are every where distributed to subsequent natures constituted in a solar order1 that is1 to angels1 dmons1 souls1 animals1 plants1 and stones4 ,hence the authors of the ancient priesthood discovered from things apparent the worship of superior powers1 while they mingled some things and purified others4 ,they mingled many things indeed together1 because they saw that some simple substances possessed a divine property 7though not taken singly7 sufficient to call down that particular power1 of which they were participants4 ,hence1 by the mingling of many things together1 they attracted upon us a supernal influx2 and by the composition of one thing from many1 they produced an assimilation to that one which is above many2 and composed statues from the mixture of various substances conspiring in sympathy and consent4 ,besides this1 they collected composite odours1 by a divine art1 into one1 comprehending a multitude of powers1 and symbolizing with the unity of a divine essence2 considering that division debilitates each of these1 but that mingling them together restores them to the idea of their exemplar4 8,but sometimes one herb1 or one stone1 is sufficient to a divine operation4 ,thus a thistle is sufficient to procure the sudden appearance of some superior power2 but a laurel1 raccinum 7or a thorny kind of sprig71 the land and sea onion1 the coral1 the diamond1 and the jasper1 operate as a safeguard4 ,the heart of a mole is subservient to divination1 but sulphur and marine water to purification4 ,hence the ancient priests1 by the mutual relation and sympathy of things to each other1 collected their virtues into one1 but expelled them by repugnancy and antipathy2 purifying when it was requisite with sulphur and bitumen1 and sprinkling with marine water4 ,for sulphur purifies1 from the sharpness of its odour2 but marine water on account of its fiery portion4 ,besides this1 in the worship of the ,gods1 they offered animals1 and other substances congruous to their nature2 and received1 in the first place1 the powers of dmons1 as proximate to natural substances and operations2 and by these natural substances they convoked into their presence those powers to which they approached4 ,afterwards they proceeded from dmons to the powers and energies of the ,gods2 partly1 indeed1 from dmoniacal instruction1 but partly by their own industry1 interpreting appropriate symbols1 and ascending to a proper intelligence of the ,gods4 ,and lastly1 laying aside natural substances and their operations1 they received themselves into the communion and fellowship of the ,gods40 ,the ,emperor ,julian alludes to this theurgical art1 in the following extract from his ,arguments against the ,christians1 preserved by ,cyril4 1 1 1 4 ' 1 ' 4 4 1 1 ' 4 i4 e4 8,for the inspiration which arrives to men from the ,gods is rare1 and exists but in a few4 ,nor is it easy for every man to partake of this1 nor at every time4 ,this has ceased among the ,hebrews1 nor is it preserved to the present time among the ,egyptians4 ,spontaneous oracles1 also1 are seen to yield to temporal periods4 ,this1 however1 our philanthropic lord and father ,jupiter understanding1 that we might not be entirely deprived of communion with the ,gods1 has given us observation through sacred arts1 by which we have at hand sufficient assistance40 ,for the cause why1 at stated times1 sacred arts1 oracles1 and inspiration fail1 see the additional notes to my translation of ,iamblichus's ,life of ,pythagoras4 ,p4 #bd4 ,the participant of the rational soul becomes the cause of suffering to the composite4 ,see my translation of ,plotinus on the ,impassivity of ,incorporeal ,natures1 in which this is beautifully and profoundly demonstrated4 ,proclus1 also1 in ,tim4 lib4 v4 p4 #cdj1 admirably observes1 that the motion of the nutritive power1 and the percussions of sense1 are the causes of the perturbation of the soul2 but that we must not fancy that the soul suffers any thing through these4 8,for as if10 says he1 8some one standing on the margin of a river should behold the image and form of himself in the floating stream1 he indeed will preserve his face unchanged2 but the stream1 being all-variously moved1 will change the image1 so that at different times it will appear to him different1 oblique and erect1 and perhaps divulsed and continuous4 ,let us suppose too1 that such a one1 through being unaccustomed to the spectacle1 should think that it was himself that suffered this distortion1 in consequence of surveying his shadow in the water1 and thus thinking1 should be afflicted and disturbed1 astonished and impeded4 ,after the same manner1 the soul beholding the image of herself in body1 borne along in the river of generation1 and variously disposed at different times1 through inward passions and external impulses1 is indeed herself impassive1 but thinks that she suffers2 and being ignorant of1 and mistaking her image for1 herself1 is disturbed1 astonished1 and perplexed40 ,p4 #ce4 ,since1 however1 the order of all the ,gods is profoundly united4----,for the very existence in them1 whatever it may be1 is the one of their nature4 ,the ,gods are self-perfect superessential unities1 so far as they are ,gods4 ,for the principal subsistence of every thing is according to the summit of its essence1 and this in the ,gods is the one1 through which they are profoundly united to each other and to the one itself1 or the ineffable principle of things1 from which they are ineffably unfolded into light4 ,concerning this union of them with each other1 ,proclus admirably observes as follows1 in his ,,ms4 ,commentary on the ,parmenides of ,plato4 8,all these unities are in1 and are profoundly united to1 each other1 and their union is far greater than the communion and sameness which subsist in beings4 ,for in the latter there is indeed mutual mixture of forms1 similitude1 and friendship1 and a participation of each other2 but the union of the ,gods1 as being a union of unities1 is much more uniform1 ineffable1 and transcendent3 for here all are in all1 which does not take place in forms or ideas2#aed and their unmingled purity1 and the characteristic of each1 in a manner far surpassing the diversity in ideas1 preserves their natures unconfused1 and distinguishes their peculiar powers4 ,hence1 some of them are more universal1 and others more particular2 some of them are characterised by permanency1 others by progression1 and others by conversion1 or regression4 ,some1 again1 are generative1 others anagogic1 or of an elevating nature1 and others demiurgic2 and universally1 there are different characteristics of different ,gods1 viz4 the connective1 perfective1 demiurgic1 assimilative1 and such others as are celebrated posterior to these2 so that all are in all1 and yet each is at the same time separate and distinct4 8,indeed we obtain this knowledge of their union and characteristics from the natures by which they are participated4 ,for1 with respect to the visible ,gods1 we say that there is one soul of the sun1 and another of the earth1 directing our attention to the visible bodies of these divinities1 which possess much variety in their essence1 powers1 and dignity among wholes4 ,as1 therefore1 we apprehend the difference of incorporeal essences from sensible inspection1 in like manner from the variety of incorporeal essences1 we are enabled to know something of the unmingled distinction of the first and superessential unities1 and of the characteristics of each4 ,for each unity has a multitude suspended from its nature1 which is either intelligible alone2 or intelligible1 and at the same time intellectual2 or intellectual alone2 and this last is either participated1 or not participated2 and this again1 is either supermundane1 or mundane4 ,and thus far does the progression of the unities extend40 ,shortly after he adds1 8,as trees by their extremities are rooted in the earth1 and through this are earthly in every part1 in the same manner divine natures are rooted by their summits in the one1 and each is a unity and one1 through its unconfused union with the one itself40 ,see more on this most important of all subjects in the notes to my translation of the ,parmenides4 ,p4 #ej4 ,for as in all other things1 such as are principal1 primarily begin from themselves1 c4 ,hence every ,god begins his own energy from himself1 which ,proclus thus demonstrates in ,prop4 #aca of his ,elements of ,theology4 8,for every ,god first exhibits the peculiarity of his presence with secondary natures in himself2 because he imparts himself to other things also according to his own exuberant plenitude4 ,for neither is deficiency adapted to the ,gods1 nor fulness alone4 ,for every thing deficient is imperfect1 and not being itself perfect1 it is impossible it should make another thing to be perfect4 ,but that which is full is alone sufficient to itself1 and is not yet prepared to communicate4 ,it is necessary1 therefore1 that the nature which fills other things1 and which extends to other things the communications of itself1 should be superplenary1 or exuberantly full4 ,hence1 if a divine nature fills all things from itself with the good which it contains in itself1 it is exuberantly full4 ,and if this be the case1 establishing first in itself the peculiarity which it imparts to others1 it will extend to them the communications of superplenary goodness4 ,p4 #ei4 ,it is requisite also to know what enthusiasm is1 and how it is produced4 ,the following account of enthusiasm1 and of the different kinds of mania mentioned by ,plato in the ,phdrus1 from the ,scholia of ,hermeas on that dialogue1 is extracted from the additional notes to my translation of ,proclus on the ,timus1 and is given in this place for the sake of the ,platonic ,english reader1 who may not have that translation in his possession1 as a valuable addition to what is here said by ,iamblichus on this subject4 8,since ,plato here delivers four kinds of mania1 by which ,i mean enthusiasm1 and possession or inspiration from the ,gods1 viz4 the musical1 the telestic1 the prophetic1 and the amatory1 previous to the discussion of each1 we must first speak about enthusiasm1 and show to what part of the soul the enthusiastic energy pertains2 whether each part of it possesses this energy2 if all enthusiasm is from the ,gods2 and in what part of the soul it is ingenerated2 or whether it subsists in something else more excellent than soul4 ,where1 then1 does that which is properly and primarily called enthusiasm subsist1 and what is it8 ,of the rational soul there are two parts1 one of which is dianoia1 but the other opinion4 ,again1 however1 of dianoia1 one part is said to be the lowest1 and is properly dianoia1 but another part of it is the highest1 which is said to be the intellect of it1 according to which the soul especially becomes intellectual1 and which some call intellect in capacity4 ,there is also another thing above this1 which is the summit of the whole soul1 and most allied to the one1 which likewise wishes well to all things1 and always gives itself up to the ,gods1 and is readily disposed to do whatever they please4 ,this1 too1 is said to be the one of the soul1 bears the image of the superessential one1 and unites the whole soul4 ,but that these things necessarily thus subsist1 we may learn as follows3 ,the rational soul derives its existence from all the causes prior to itself1 i4 e4 from intellect and the ,gods4 ,but it subsists also from itself3 for it perfects itself4 ,so far1 therefore1 as it subsists from the ,gods1 it possesses the one1 which unites all its powers1 and all the multitude of itself1 and conjoins them to the one itself1 and is the first recipient of the goods imparted by the ,gods4 ,it likewise makes all the essence of the soul to be boniform1 according to which it is connected with the ,gods1 and united to them4 ,but so far as it subsists from intellect it possesses an intellectual nature1 according to which it apprehends forms1 by simple projections1 or intuitions1 and not discursively2 and is conjoined to the intellect which is above itself4 ,and so far as it constitutes itself1 it possesses the dianoetic power1 according to which it generates sciences and certain theorems1 energizes discursively1 and collects conclusions from propositions4 ,for that it constitutes or gives subsistence to itself1 is evident from its imparting perfection to itself2 since that which leads itself to perfection1 and imparts to itself well-being1 will much more impart to itself existence4 ,for well-being is a greater thing than being4 ,if1 therefore1 the soul imparts that which is greater to itself1 it will much more impart that which is less4 ,hence that which is primarily1 properly1 and truly enthusiasm from the ,gods1 is effected according to this one of the soul1 which is above dianoia1 and above the intellect of the soul2 which one is at another time in a relaxed and dormant state4 ,this one1 likewise1 becoming illuminated by the ,gods1 all the life of the soul is illuminated1 and also intellect1 dianoia1 and the irrational part1 and the resemblance of enthusiasm is transmitted as far as to the body itself4 8,other enthusiasms1 therefore1 are produced about other parts of the soul1#aee certain dmons exciting them1#aef or the ,gods also1 though not without the intervention of dmons4 ,for dianoia is said to energize enthusiastically1 when it discovers sciences and theorems in a very short space of time1 and in a greater degree than other men4 ,opinion1 likewise1 and the phantasy1 are said thus to energize when they discover arts1 and accomplish admirable works1 such1 for instance1 as ,phidias effected in the formation of statues1 and another in another art1 as also ,homer says#aeg of him who made the belt of ,hercules1 #8that he neither did nor would artificially produce such another4' ,anger1 likewise1 is said to energize enthusiastically1 when in battle it energizes supernaturally4 ,like ,mars1 when brandishing his spear1 he raged4#aeh ,but if some one1 yielding to desire1 should eat of that which reason forbids1 and through this should unexpectedly become well1 you may say that desire also1 in this instance1 energized enthusiastically1 though obscurely2 so that enthusiasm is likewise produced about the other parts of the soul4 ,enthusiasm1 however1 properly so called1 is when this one of the soul1 which is above intellect1 is excited to the ,gods1 and is from thence inspired4 ,but at different times it is possessed about the aptitudes of itself1 by different ,gods2 and is more or less possessed when intellect or dianoia is that which is moved4 ,as1 therefore1 when we inquire what philosophy is1 we do not always accurately define it1 but frequently1 from an improper use of the word1 call mathematics or physics philosophy and science2 we do the like also with respect to enthusiasm4 ,for though it should be the phantasy which is excited1 we are accustomed to call the excitation enthusiasm4 ,moreover1 those who ascribe enthusiasm to the temperatures of bodies1 or the excellent temperament of the air1 or the ascendency of exhalations1 or the aptitudes of times and places1 or the agency of the bodies that revolve in the heavens1 speak rather of the cooperating and material causes of the thing than of the causes of it properly so called4 ,you have1 therefore1 for the producing cause of enthusiasm1 the ,gods2 for the material cause1 the enthusiastically energizing soul itself1 or the external symbols2 for the formal cause1 the inspiration of the ,gods about the one of the soul2 and for the final cause1 good4 8,if1 however1 the ,gods always wish the soul what is good1 why does not the soul always energize enthusiastically8 ,may we not say1 that the ,gods indeed always wish the soul what is good1 but they are also willing that the order of the universe should prevail1 and that the soul1 through many causes1 is not always adapted to enthusiasm1 on which account it does not always enthusiastically energize8 ,but some say that the telestic art extends as far as to the sublunary region4 ,if1 therefore1 they mean that no one of the superlunary and celestial natures energizes in the sublunary region1 they evidently assert what is absurd4 ,but if they mean that the ,telest1 or mystic operators1 are not able to energize above the lunar sphere1 we say1 that if all the allotments of souls are sublunary1 their assertion will be true2 but if there are also allotments of souls above the moon1 as there are 7for some are the attendants of the sun1 others of the moon1 and others of ,saturn1 since the ,demiurgus disseminated some of them into the earth1 others into the moon1 and others elsewhere71 this being the case1 it will be possible for the soul to energize above the moon4 ,for what the whole order of things impacts to the soul for a very extended period of time1 this the soul is also able to impart to itself for a short space of time1 when assisted by the ,gods through the telestic art4 ,for the soul can never energize above its own allotment1 but can energize to the extent of it4 ,thus1 for instance1 if the allotment of the soul was as far as to philosophy1 the soul would be able1 though it should not choose a philosophic but some other life1 to energize in that life somewhat philosophically4 ,there are also said to be certain supermundane souls4 ,and thus we have shown how the soul energizes enthusiastically4 ,but how are statues said to have an enthusiastic energy8 ,may we not say1 that a statue being inanimate1 does not itself energize about divinity1 but the telestic art1 purifying the matter of which the statue consists1 and placing round it certain characters and symbols1 in the first place renders it1 through these means1 animated1 and causes it to receive a certain life from the world2 and1 in the next place1 after this1 it prepares the statue to be illuminated by a divine nature1 through which it always delivers oracles1 as long as it is properly adapted4 ,for the statue1 when it has been rendered perfect by the telestic art1 remains afterwards endued with a prophetic power till it becomes entirely unadapted to divine illumination2 but he who receives the inspiring influence of the ,gods receives it only at certain times1 and not always4 ,but the cause of this is1 that the soul1 when filled with deity1 energizes about it4 ,hence1 in consequence of energizing above its own power1 it becomes weary4 ,for it would be a ,god1 and similar to the souls of the stars1 if it did not become weary4 ,but the statue1 conformably to its participations1 remains illuminated4 ,hence the inaptitude of it entirely proceeds into privation1 unless it is again1 de novo1 perfected and animated by the mystic operator4 ,we have sufficiently shown1 therefore1 that enthusiasm1 properly so called1 is effected about the one of the soul1 and that it is an illumination of divinity4 8,in the next place1 let us discuss the order and the use of the four manias1 and show why the philosopher makes mention of these alone4 ,is it because there are no other than these1 or because these were sufficient for his purpose8 ,that there are1 therefore1 many other divine inspirations and manias ,plato himself indicates as he proceeds1 and prior to this1 he makes mention of the inspiration from the ,nymphs4 ,but there are also inspirations from ,pan1 from the mother of the ,gods1 and from the ,corybantes1 which are elsewhere mentioned by ,plato4 ,here1 however1 he alone delivers these four manias2 in the first place1 because these alone are sufficient to the soul1 in the attainment of its proper apocatastasis1 as we shall afterwards show2 and in the next place1 because he delivers the proximate steps of ascent to the soul4 ,for the gifts of the ,gods to all beings are many and incomprehensible4 ,but now he delivers to us the energies of the ,gods which are extended to souls4 ,he delivers1 however1 these four manias1 not as if one of them was not sufficient1 and especially the amatory1 to lead back the soul to its pristine felicity2 but at present the series and regular gradation of them1 and the orderly perfection of the soul1 are unfolded4 ,as1 therefore1 it is possible for the tyrannic life1 when suddenly changed1 to become aristocratic1 through employing strenuous promptitude and a divine allotment1 but the gradual ascent is from a tyrannic to a democratic1 and from this to an oligarchic life1 afterwards to a timocratic1 and at last to an aristocratic life1 but the descent and lapse are vice versa2 thus also here1 the soul being about to ascend1 and be restored to its former felicity1 is in the first place possessed with the musical mania1 afterwards with the telestic1 then with the prophetic1 and1 in the last place1 with the amatory mania4 ,these inspirations1 however2 conspire with1 and are in want of1 each other2 so abundant is their communion4 ,for the telestic requires the prophetic#aei mania2 since the latter#afj interprets many things pertaining to the former4 ,and again1 the prophetic requires the telestic mania4 ,for the telestic mania perfects and establishes oracular predictions4 ,farther still1 the prophetic uses the poetic and musical mania4 ,for prophets1 as ,i may say1 always speak in verse4 ,and again1 the musical uses the prophetic mania spontaneously1 as ,plato says4 ,but what occasion is there to speak about the amatory and musical manias8 ,for nearly the same persons exercise both these1 as1 for instance1 ,sappho1 ,anacreon1 and the like1 in consequence of these not being able to subsist without each other4 ,but it is very evident that the amatory mania contributes to all these1 since it is subservient to enthusiasm of every kind3 for no enthusiasm can be effected without amatory inspiration4 ,and you may see how ,orpheus appears to have applied himself to all these1 as being in want of1 and adhering to1 each other4 ,for we learn that he was most telestic1 and most prophetic1 and was excited by ,apollo2 and besides this1 that he was most poetic1 on which account he is said to have been the son of ,calliope4 ,he was likewise most amatory1 as he himself acknowledges to ,musus1 extending to him divine goods1 and rendering him perfect4 ,hence he appears to have been possessed with all the manias1 and this by a necessary consequence4 ,for there is an abundant union1 conspiration1 and alliance with each other1 of the ,gods who preside over these manias1 viz4 of the ,muses1 ,bacchus1 ,apollo1 and ,love4 8,it remains1 therefore1 that we should unfold the nature of each of the manias1 previously observing that those which are internal1 and originate from the soul itself1 and give perfection to it1 are of one kind2 but the external energies of them1 and which preserve the outward man1 and our nature1 are of another4 ,the four external1 however1 are analogous to the four internal manias4 ,let us consider1 therefore1 in the first place1 the internal1 and which alone originate from the soul itself1 and let us see what they effect in the soul4 ,in order1 likewise1 that this may become manifest1 and also their arrangement1 let us survey from on high1 the descent1 as ,plato says1 and defluxion of the wings of the soul4 ,from the beginning1 therefore1 and at first1 the soul was united to the ,gods1 and its unity to their one4 ,but afterwards the soul departing from this divine union descended into intellect1 and no longer possessed real beings unitedly1 and in one1 but apprehended and surveyed them by simple projections1 and1 as it were1 contacts of its intellect4 ,in the next place1 departing from intellect1 and descending into reasoning and dianoia1 it no longer apprehended real beings by simple intuitions1 but syllogistically and transitively1 proceeding from one thing to another1 from propositions to conclusions4 ,afterwards1 abandoning true reasoning1 and the dissolving peculiarity1 it descended into generation1 and became filled with much irrationality and perturbation4 ,it is necessary1 therefore1 that it should recur to its proper principles and again return to the place from whence it came4 ,to this ascent and apocatastasis1 however1 these four manias contribute4 ,and the musical mania1 indeed1 leads to symphony and harmony1 the agitated and disturbed nature of the parts of the soul1 which were hurried away to indefiniteness and inaptitude1 and were filled with abundant tumult4 ,but the telestic mania causes the soul to be perfect and entire1 and prepares it to energize intellectually4 ,for the musical mania alone harmonizes and represses the parts of the soul2 but the telestic causes the whole of it to energize1 and prepares it to become entire1 so that the intellectual part of it may energize4 ,for the soul1 by descending into the realms of generation1 resembles a thing broken and relaxed4 ,and the circle of the same1 or the intellectual part of it1 is fettered2 but the circle of the different1 or the doxastic part1 sustains many fractures and turnings4 ,hence1 the soul energizes partially1 and not according to the whole of itself4 ,the ,dionysiacal inspiration1 therefore1 after the parts of the soul are coharmonized1 renders it perfect1 and causes it to energize according to the whole of itself1 and to live intellectually4 ,but the ,apolloniacal mania converts and coexcites all the multiplied powers1 and the whole of the soul1 to the one of it4 ,hence ,apollo is denominated as elevating the soul from multitude to the one4 ,and the remaining mania1 the amatory1 receiving the soul united1 conjoins this one of the soul to the ,gods1 and to intelligible beauty4 ,as the givers1 therefore1 of these manias are transcendently united1 and are in each other1 the gifts also on this account participate of1 and communicate with1 each other1 and the recipient1 which is the soul1 possesses an adaptation to all the gifts4 ,this1 therefore1 is the order1 and these are the energies and powers within the soul itself1 of these four manias4 8,but let us also consider their external energies on man1 and what they outwardly effect about us4 ,the musical mania1 therefore1 causes us to speak in verse1 and to act and be moved rythmically1 and to sing in metre1 the splendid deeds of divine men1 and their virtues and pursuits2 and1 through these1 to discipline our life1 in the same manner as the inward manias coharmonize our soul4 ,but the telestic mania1 expelling every thing foreign1 contaminating1 and noxious1 preserves our life perfect and innoxious1 and banishing an insane and diabolical phantasy1 causes us to be sane1 entire1 and perfect1 just as the internal telestic mania makes the soul to be perfect and entire4 ,again1 the prophetic mania contracts into one the extension and infinity of time1 and sees1 as in one present now1 all things1 the past1 the future1 and the existing time4 ,hence it predicts what will be1 which it sees as present to itself4 ,it causes us1 therefore1 to pass through life in an irreprehensible manner2 just as the internal prophetic mania contracts and elevates all the multiplied and many powers and lives of the soul to the one1 in order that it may in a greater degree be preserved and connected4 ,but the amatory mania converts young persons to us1 and causes them to become our friends1 being instructive of youth1 and leading them from sensible beauty to our psychical beauty1 and from this sending them to intelligible beauty2 in the same manner as the internal amatory mania conjoins the one of the soul to the ,gods4 8,all the above mentioned manias1 therefore1 are superior to the prudent and temperate energies of the soul4 ,nevertheless1 there is a mania which is coordinate with temperance1 and which we say has in a certain respect a prerogative above#afa it4 ,for certain inspirations are produced1 according to the middle and also according to the doxastic reasons of the soul1 conformably to which artists effect certain things1 and discover theorems beyond expectation1 as ,asclepius1 for instance1 in medicine1 and ,hercules in the practic#afb life40 ,afterwards1 in commenting on what ,plato says of the mania from the ,muses1 viz4 8that it adorns the infinite deeds of the ancients10 ,hermeas observes1 8that the inward energy in the soul of the poetic mania1 by applying itself to superior and intelligible natures1 imparts to subordinate natures harmony and order2 but that the external divinely-inspired poetry celebrates the deeds of the ancients1 and instructs both its contemporaries and posterity1 extending its energies every where40 ,but ,plato says1 8that he who without the divinely-inspired mania of the ,muses expects to become a divine poet1 will1 by thus fancying1 become himself imperfect1 and his poetry will be vanquished and concealed by the poetry which is the progeny of mania40 ,hermeas adds1 8,for what similitude is there between the poetry of ,chrilus and ,callimachus1 and that of ,homer and ,pindar8 ,for the divinely-inspired poets1 as being filled from the ,muses1 always invoke them1 and extend to them all that they say40 ,for a fuller and most admirable account of the poetic mania1 and of the different species of poetry by ,proclus1 see the notes on the tenth book of the ,republic1 in my translation of ,plato1 and also the ,introduction to my translation of the ,rhetoric1 ,poetic1 and ,nicomachean ,ethics of ,aristotle4 ,from what is here said by ,hermeas about enthusiasm1 the intelligent reader will easily see that none of the ,roman poets1 whose works have been transmitted to us1 possessed that which is primarily1 properly1 and truly enthusiasm1 or that highest species of it in which the one of the soul is illuminated by a divine nature1 and through transcendent similitude is united to it4 ,as to ,virgil1 indeed1 the prince of these poets1 though he invokes the ,muse in the beginning of the neid1 yet his invocation of her is but a partial and secondary thing4 ,for he only calls on her to unfold to him the causes that involved a man of such remarkable piety as neas in so many misfortunes3 ,musa1 mihi causa memora1 c4 ,and1 confiding in his own genius1 he begins his poem without soliciting supernal inspiration1 ,arma1 virumque cano1 c4 ,to which may be added1 that this placing himself before the ,muse1 resembles the ego et meus rex of ,wolsey4 ,on the contrary1 divinely-inspired poets1 as ,hermeas well observes1 knock1 as it were1 at the gates of the ,muses1 and thus being filled from thence exclaim1 ,and1 -- ,and1 4 ,for being always extended to them1 they dispose the whole of what they afterwards say as derived from their inspiring influence4 ,with an arrogance too1 peculiar to the ,romans1 who1 as a certain ,greek poet#afc says1 were a people ,beyond measure proud4 ,he associates himself1 in his fourth ,eclogue1 with the ,muses1 as their equal3 ,sicelides ,mus1 paulo majora canamus4 ,which reminds me of what ,suetonius relates of ,caligula1 that he would place himself between the statues of ,castor and ,pollux1 and confer privately with ,jupiter ,capitolinus1 fancying that he was intimate with1 and of equal dignity with1 these divinities4 ,and as to the poets that have lived since the fall of the ,roman empire1 it would be ridiculous to suppose that they possessed this highest enthusiasm1 as they did not believe in the existence of the sources from whence it is alone genuinely derived4 ,p4 #fg4 ,the attentive power of the soul4 ,this is that part or power of the rational soul which primarily apprehends the operations of the senses4 ,for the rational soul not only has intellect in capacity1 the dianoetic power1 will1 and choice1 but another power1 which is called by the best of the ,greek interpreters of ,aristotle1 as well as by ,iamblichus1 1 the attentive4 ,this power investigates and perceives whatever is transacted in man2 and says1 ,i understand1 ,i think1 ,i opine1 ,i am angry1 ,i desire4 ,and1 in short1 this attentive part of the rational soul passes through all the rational1 irrational1 vegetable1 or physical powers4 ,if1 therefore1 it is requisite it should pass through all these powers1 it will also proceed through the senses1 and say1 ,i see1 ,i hear2 for it is the peculiarity of that which apprehends energies thus to speak4 ,hence if it is the attentive power which says these things1 it is this power which apprehends the energy of sensibles2 for it is necessary that the nature which apprehends all things should be one1 since man also is one4 ,for if one part of it should apprehend these1 and another those things1 it is just1 as ,aristotle says1 as if you should perceive this thing1 and ,i that4 ,it is necessary1 therefore1 that the attentive power should be one indivisible thing4 ,p4 #gd4 ,for the human soul is on all sides darkened by body1 which he who denominates the river of ,negligence1 or the water of ,oblivion1 c4----will not by such appellations sufficiently express its turpitude4 8,the whole of generation1 as well as the human body10 says ,proclus in ,tim4 lib4 v4 p4 #cci1 8may be called a river1 through its rapid1 impetuous1 and unstable flux4 ,thus also in the ,republic1 ,plato calls the whole genesiurgic nature the river of ,lethe2 in which are contained1 as ,empedocles says1 ,oblivion1 and the meadow of ,ate2 the voracity of matter1 and the light-hating world1 as the ,gods say2 and the winding streams under which many are drawn down1 as the ,chaldean oracles assert40 ,p4 #aje4 ,but there are a certain few who by employing a certain supernatural power of intellect1 are removed from nature1 c4 ,the class to which these few belong is beautifully unfolded1 as follows1 by ,plotinus1 in the beginning of his ,treatise on ,intellect1 ,ideas1 and real ,being4 8,since all men from their birth employ sense prior to intellect1 and are necessarily first conversant with sensibles1 some proceeding no farther1 pass through life1 considering these as the first and last of things1 and apprehending that whatever is painful among these is evil1 and whatever is pleasant is good2 thus thinking it sufficient to pursue the one and avoid the other4 ,those1 too1 among them who pretend to a greater share of reason than others1 esteem this to be wisdom1 being affected in a manner similar to more heavy birds1 who collecting many things from the earth1 and being oppressed with the weight1 are unable to fly on high1 though they have received wings for this purpose from nature4 ,but others are in a small degree elevated from things subordinate1 the more excellent part of the soul recalling them from pleasure to a more worthy pursuit4 ,as they are1 however1 unable to look on high1 and as not possessing any thing else which can afford them rest1 they betake themselves1 together with the name of virtue1 to actions and the election of things inferior1 from which they at first endeavoured to raise themselves1 though in vain4 ,in the third class is the race of divine men1 who1 through a more excellent power1 and with piercing eyes1 acutely perceive supernal light1 to the vision of which they raise themselves above the clouds and darkness1 as it were1 of this lower world1 and there abiding despise every thing in these regions of sense2 being no otherwise delighted with the place which is truly and properly their own1 than he who after many wanderings is at length restored to his lawful country40 ,see my translation of the whole of this treatise4 ,p4 #aag4 ,by mire1 therefore1 understand every thing corporeal-formed and material4 8,matter10 says ,simplicius in his ,commentary on the first book of ,aristotle's ,physics1 8is nothing else than the mutation of sensibles1 with respect to intelligibles1 deviating from thence1 and carried downwards to nonbeing4 ,those things1 indeed1 which are the properties of sensibles are irrational1 corporeal1 distributed into parts1 and passing into bulk and divulsion1 through an ultimate progression into generation1 viz4 into matter2 for matter is always truly the last sediment4 ,hence1 also1 the ,egyptians call the dregs of the first life1 which they symbolically denominate water1 matter1 being as it were a certain mire4 ,and matter is1 as it were1 the receptacle of generated and sensible natures1 not subsisting as any definite form1 but as the state or condition of subsistence2 just as the impartible1 the immaterial1 true being1 and things of this kind1 are the constitution of an intelligible nature2 all forms1 indeed1 subsisting both in sensibles and intelligibles1 but in the former materially1 and in the latter immaterially2 viz4 in the one impartibly and truly1 but in the other partibly and shadowy4 ,hence every form is in sensibles distributed according to material interval40 ,p4 #abj4 ,through the innovation and illegality of the ,greeks4 ,iamblichus says1 that through this innovation and illegality1 both names and prayers have at present lost their efficacy4 ,for during his time1 and forborne centuries prior to it1 the genuine religion of the ,greeks was rapidly declining1 through their novelty and volatility1 of which he here complains4 ,hence the ,emperor ,julian1 in the fragments of his treatise against the ,christians1 preserved by ,ciryl1 says1 speaking of the ,christians1 8,if any one wishes to consider the truth respecting you1 he will find that your impiety consists of the ,judaic audacity1 and the indolence and confusion of the heathens4 ,for deriving from both1 not that which is most beautiful1 but the worst1 you have fabricated a web of evils4----,hence1 from the innovation of the ,hebrews1 you have seized blasphemy towards the venerable ,gods2 but from our religion you have cast aside reverence to every nature more excellent than man1 and the love of paternal institutes40 1 1 4 1 4---- ' 1 1 4 ,p4 #abb4 ,prior to truly existing beings1 and total principles1 c4 ,of the two most ancient principles of all things mentioned in this chapter1 as celebrated by ,hermes1 the first corresponds to the one itself of ,plato1 and the second to being itself1 or superessential being1 the summit of the intelligible triad2 which two principles are beautifully unfolded by ,proclus in the second and third books of his treatise on the ,theology of ,plato4 ,p4 #abb4 ,he arranges the ,god ,eneph prior to1 and as the leader of1 the celestial ,gods4--,but prior to this he arranges the impartible one1 which he says is the first paradigm1 and which he denominates ,eicton4 ,it appears to me that the former of these two divinities is the same with ,saturn1 who is the summit of the intellectual order of ,gods2 and that the latter is the animal itself of ,plato1 or the ,phanes of ,orpheus1 who subsists at the extremity of the intelligible triad4 ,for the ,god ,eneph is said by ,iamblichus to be an intellect intellectually perceiving itself1 and converting intellections to itself2 and these are the characteristics of ,saturn4 ,and the ,god ,eicton is said to be the first paradigm1 and this is also asserted of ,phanes4 ,p4 #abc4 ,for the books which are circulated under the name of ,hermes1 contain ,hermaic opinions1 though they frequently employ the language of the philosophers3 for they were translated from the ,egyptian tongue by men who were not unskilled in philosophy4 ,a few only of these books are now extant1 but what is here said by ,iamblichus sufficiently proves their authenticity1 and that they contain the genuine doctrines of ,hermes4 ,they have doubtless1 however1 been occasionally interpolated by some of the early ,christians1 though not to that extent which modern critics1 and that mitred sophist ,warburton1 suppose4 ,p4 #abc4 ,and such as have written concerning the decans4 ,the twelve parts1 mentioned in the preceding chapter1 into which the ,egyptians divide the heavens1 are the twelve signs of the zodiac4 ,but the thirty-six parts are the twelve houses of the planets1 divided into three other portions1 which they call decans4 ,ptolemy1 however1 in his ,quadripartite1 subverts this doctrine of the ,egyptians4 ,concerning these decans1 see ,scaliger ad ,manilium1 ,kircher ,,ii4 parte ,oedipi1 and ,salmasius de ,annis climactericis4 ,gale also gives the following extract from ,hermes relative to the decans1 which had not been before published1 and which he derived from a ,,ms4 copy of ,stobus in the possession of ,vossius4 1 4 ---- 1 4---- ---- 4---- 1 4 1 1 ' 1 4 1 1 4---- 4 i4 e4 8,we say1 ,o son1 that the body of the universe is comprehensive of all things4 ,conceive1 therefore1 this to be as it were of a circular form4----,but under the circle of this body the thirty-six decans are arranged1 as the media of the whole circle of the zodiac4----,these1 likewise1 must be understood to preside as guardians over every thing in the world1 connecting and containing all things----and preserving the established order of all things4----,farther still1 understand1 ,o ,tat1 that these decans are impassive to the things which the other stars suffer4 ,for neither being detained1 do they stop their course1 nor being impeded do they recede1 nor are they1 like the other stars1 concealed as with a veil by the light of the sun4 ,but being liberated above all things1 they comprehend the universe as the guardians and accurate inspectors of it1 in the ,nycthemeron or the space of night and day4----,they also possess1 with respect to us1 the greatest power40 ,p4 #abe4 ,so that what you add from ,homer1 8that the ,gods are flexible10 it is not holy to assert4 ,the words of ,homer are 1 and are to be found in ,iliad ix4 v4 #dic4 ,but when ,iamblichus says1 it is not holy to assert the ,gods are flexible1 he means that it is not holy according to the literal signification of the words2 divine flexibility indicating nothing more than this1 that those who through depravity were before unadapted to receive the illuminations of the ,gods1 and in consequence of this were subject to the power of avenging dmons2 when afterwards they obtain pardon of their guilt through prayers and sacrifices1 and through methods of this kind apply a remedy to their vices1 again become partakers of the goodness of the ,gods4 ,so that divine flexibility is a resumption of the participation of divine light and goodness by those who through inaptitude were before deprived of it4 ,p4 #acj4 ,dmons preside over the parts of our body4 ,proclus in the fragments of his ,ten ,doubts concerning ,providence1 preserved by ,fabricius in the eighth vol4 of his ,bibliotheca ,grca1 observes1 8,that the ,gods1 with an exempt transcendency1 extend their providence to all things1 but that dmons1 dividing their superessential subsistence1 receive the guardianship of different herds of animals1 distributing the providence of the ,gods1 as ,plato says1 as far as to the most ultimate division4 ,hence some of them preside over men1 others over lions or other animals1 and others over plants2 and still more partially1 some are the inspective guardians of the eye1 others of the heart1 and others of the liver40 ,he adds1 8all things1 however1 are full of ,gods1 some of whom exert their providential energies immediately1 but others through dmons as media3 not that the ,gods are incapable of being present to all things1 but that ultimate are themselves unable to participate primary natures40 ,hence it must be said that there is one principal dmon1 who is the guardian and governor of every thing that is in us1 and many dmons subordinate to him1 who preside over our parts4 ,p4 #acd4 ,hence it is requisite to consider how he may be liberated from these bonds4 8,the one salvation of the soul herself10 says ,proclus in ,tim4 lib4 v4 p4 #ccj1 8which is extended by the ,demiurgus1 and which liberates her from the circle of generation1 from abundant wanderings1 and an inefficacious life1 is her return to the intellectual form1 and a flight from every thing which naturally adheres to us from generation4 ,for it is necessary that the soul1 which is hurled like seed into the realms of generation1 should lay aside the stubble and bark1 as it were1 which she obtained from being disseminated into these fluctuating realms2 and that purifying herself from every thing circumjacent1 she should become an intellectual flower and fruit1 delighting in an intellectual life1 instead of doxastic nutriment1 and pursuing the uniform and simple energy of the period of sameness1 instead of the abundantly wandering motion of the period which is characterized by difference4 ,for she contains each of these circles1 and twofold powers4 ,and of her horses one is good1 but the other the contrary as is said in the ,phdrus4 ,and one of these leads her to generation1 but the other from generation to true being4 ,the one also leads her round the genesiurgic1 but the other round the intellectual circle4 ,for the period of the same and the similar elevates to intellect1 and an intelligible nature1 and to the first and most excellent habit4 ,but this habit is that according to which the soul being winged governs the whole world1 becoming assimilated to the ,gods themselves4 ,and this is the universal form of life in the soul1 just as that is the partial form1 when she falls into the last body1 and becomes something belonging to an individual1 instead of belonging to the universe4 ,the middle of these1 also1 is the partial universal1 when she lives in conjunction with her middle vehicle1 as a citizen of generation4 ,dismissing1 therefore1 her first habit1 which subsists according to an alliance to the whole of generation1 and laying aside the irrational nature which connects her with generation1 likewise governing her irrational part by reason1 and extending opinion to intellect1 she will be circularly led to a happy life from the wanderings about the regions of sense2 which life those that are initiated by ,orpheus in the mysteries of ,bacchus and ,proserpine1 pray that they may obtain1 together with the allotments of the celestial sphere1 and a cessation of evil4 ,but if our soul necessarily lives well1 when living according to the circle of sameness1 much more must this be the case with divine souls4 ,it is1 however1 possible for our soul to live according to the circle of sameness1 when purified1 as ,plato says4 ,cathartic virtue1 therefore1 alone must be called the salvation of souls2 since this cuts off1 and vehemently obliterates1 material natures1 and the passions which adhere to us from generation2 separates the soul and leads it to intellect2 and causes it to leave on earth the vehicles with which it is invested4 ,for souls in descending receive from the elements different vehicles1 aerial1 aquatic1 and terrestrial2 and thus at last enter into this gross bulk4 ,for how1 without a medium1 could they proceed into this body from immaterial spirits80 ,,the ,,end4 ,printed by ,,ballantyne1 ,,hanson ,,co4 ,edinburgh and ,london ----- ,footnote #a3 ,according to this theology1 as ,i have elsewhere shown1 in every order of things1 a triad is the immediate progeny of a monad4 ,hence the intelligible triad proceeds immediately from the ineffable principle of things4 ,phanes1 or intelligible intellect1 who is the last of the intelligible order1 is the monad1 leader1 and producing cause of a triad1 which is denominated 1 i4 e4 intelligible1 and at the same time intellectual4 ,in like manner the extremity of this order produces immediately from itself the intellectual triad1 ,saturn1 ,rhea1 and ,jupiter4 ,again1 ,jupiter1 who is also the ,demiurgus1 is the monad of the supermundane triad4 ,apollo1 who subsists at the extremity of the supermundane order1 produces a triad of liberated ,gods4 7 47 ,and the extremity of the liberated order becomes the monad of a triad of mundane ,gods4 ,this theory1 too1 which is the progeny of the most consummate science1 is in perfect conformity with the ,chaldean theology4 ,and hence it is said in one of the ,chaldean oracles1 8,in every world a triad shines forth1 of which a monad is the ruling principle40 7 74 ,i refer the reader1 who is desirous of being fully convinced of all this1 to my translation of ,proclus on the ,theology of ,plato4 ,footnote #b3 ,viz4 ,the ,philosophical ,works of ,proclus1 together with those of ,plotinus1 ,porphyry1 ,iamblichus1 ,syrianus1 ,ammonius1 ,damascius1 ,olympiodorus1 and ,simplicius4 ,footnote #c3 1 1 1 1 4 1 1 1 4 1 1 1 4 ,dissert4 i4 ,edit4 ,princ4 ,footnote #d3 8,diogenes ,laertius says of ,pythagoras1 that he charged his disciples not to give equal degrees of honour to the ,gods and heroes4 ,herodotus 7in ,euterpe7 says of the ,greeks1 ,that they worshiped ,hercules two ways1 one as an immortal deity1 and so they sacrificed to him2 and another as a ,hero1 and so they celebrated his memory4 ,isocrates 7,encom4 ,helen47 distinguishes between the honours of heroes and ,gods1 when he speaks of ,menelaus and ,helena4 ,but the distinction is no where more fully expressed than in the ,greek inscription upon the statue of ,regilla1 wife to ,herodes ,atticus1 as ,salmasius thinks1 which was set up in his temple at ,triopium1 and taken from the statue itself by ,sirmondus2 where it is said1 ,that she had neither the honour of a mortal nor yet that which was proper to the ,gods4 1 4 ,it seems by the inscription of ,herodes1 and by the testament of ,epicteta1 extant in ,greek in the ,collection of ,inscriptions1 that it was in the power of particular families to keep festival days in honour of some of their own family1 and to give heroical honours to them4 ,in that noble inscription at ,venice1 we find three days appointed every year to be kept1 and a confraternity established for that purpose with the laws of it4 ,the first day to be observed in honour of the ,muses1 and sacrifices to be offered to them as deities4 ,the second and third days in honour of the heroes of the family2 between which honour and that of deities1 they showed the difference by the distance of time between them1 and the preference given to the other4 ,but whereinsoever the difference lay1 that there was a distinction acknowledged among them appears by this passage of ,valerius1 in his excellent oration1 extant in ,dionysius ,halicarnass4 ,antiq4 ,rom4 lib4 ii4 p4 #fif4 ,i call1 says he1 the ,gods to witness1 whose temples and altars our family has worshiped with common sacrifices2 and next after them1 ,i call the ,genii of our ancestors1 to whom we give 1 the second honours next to the ,gods1 7as ,celsus calls those1 1 the due honours that belong to the lower dmons47 ,from which we take notice1 that the ,heathens did not confound all degrees of divine worship1 giving to the lowest object the same which they supposed to be due to the celestial deities1 or the supreme ,god4 ,so that if the distinction of divine worship will excuse from idolatry1 the ,heathens were not to blame for it40 ,see ,stillingfleet's ,answer to a book entitled ,catholics no ,idolaters1 p4 #eaj1 #eac1 c4 ,footnote #e3 ,see the extracts from ,plutarch1 in which this is shown1 in the ,introduction to my translation of ,proclus on the ,theology of ,plato4 ,footnote #f3 ,answer to ,catholics no ,idolaters4 ,lond4 #afgf4 p4 #baa4 ,footnote #g3 ,arrian4 de ,exped4 ,alex4 l4 iv4 et ,curt4 lib4 viii4 ,footnote #h3 ,vit4 ,artaxerx4 lian4 ,var4 ,hist4 lib4 i4 c4 #ba4 ,footnote #i3 ,justin4 lib4 vi4 ,footnote #aj3 ,panegyr4 ,footnote #aa3 ,lib4 vii4 ,footnote #ab3 ,lib4 vi4 cap4 iii4 ,footnote #ac3 4 1 1 1 1 4 ,cap4 xviii4 ,footnote #ad3 1 1 ' 1 1 4 1 4 1 1 4 1 4 1 1 1 1 4 1 4 ,simplic4 in ,epict4 ,enchir4 p4 #bjg4 ,lond4 #afgj4 #hvo4 ,footnote #ae3 ,of the first principles1 says ,damascius in ,,ms4 1 the ,egyptians said nothing1 but celebrated it as a darkness beyond all intellectual conception1 a thrice unknown darkness4 1 1 4 ,footnote #af3 ,for farther particulars respecting this most extraordinary man1 see the introduction to my translation of his ,life of ,pythagoras1 and my ,history of the ,restoration of the ,platonic ,theology4 ,footnote #ag3 ,iliad1 lib4 x4 v4 #dic4 ,footnote #ah3 ,gale has omitted to give the original of the sentence contained in the brackets2 the translation of which ,i have added from the answer of ,iamblichus to this epistle4 ,footnote #ai3 ,here also the original is omitted by ,gale1 and the translation of it is given by me from the text of ,iamblichus4 ,footnote #bj3 ,the paragraph within the brackets is omitted in the original2 but ,i have supplied it from the following answer of ,iamblichus to this ,epistle4 ,this omission is not noticed by ,gale4 ,footnote #ba3 ,here likewise the words within the brackets1 which are omitted in the original1 are added from ,iamblichus2 but the omission is not noticed by ,gale4 ,footnote #bb3 ,the following testimony of an anonymous ,greek writer1 prefixed to the manuscript of this treatise1 which ,gale published1 proves that this work was written by ,iamblichus3 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 4 i4 e4 8,it is requisite to know that the philosopher ,proclus1 in his ,commentary on the ,enneads of the great ,plotinus1 says that it is the divine ,iamblichus who answers the prefixed ,epistle of ,porphyry1 and who assumes the person of a certain ,egyptian of the name of ,abammon1 through the affinity and congruity of the hypothesis4 ,and1 indeed1 the conciseness and definiteness of the diction1 and the efficacious1 elegant1 and divine nature of the conceptions1 testify that the decision of ,proclus is just40 ,that this1 indeed1 was the opinion of ,proclus1 is evident from a passage in his ,commentaries on the ,timus of ,plato1 which has escaped the notice of ,gale1 and which the reader will find in a note on the fourth chapter of the eighth section of the following translation4 ,footnote #bc3 ,in the original 1 which ,gale erroneously translates contra communes opiniones4 ,footnote #bd3 ,damascius says1 8that difference not existing1 there will not be knowledge40 ,and1 8that the contact as of one with one is above knowledge40 ,likewise1 8that the intellectual perception of the first intelligible is without any difference or distinction4 1 4 ,et 1 4 ,alibi1 4 ,footnote #be3 ,between souls that always abide on high with purity1 such as the souls of essential heroes1 and those that descend into the regions of mortality1 and are defiled with vice1 such as the souls of the greater part of mankind1 the class of undefiled souls subsists4 ,these descend into the realms of generation1 partly from that necessity by which all human souls are1 at times1 drawn down to the earth1 and partly for the benevolent purpose of benefiting those of an inferior class4 ,but they descend without being defiled with vice4 ,they are also called heroes1 1 i4 e4 according to habitude1 in order to distinguish them from essential heroes4 ,and1 in the ,pythagoric ,golden ,verses1 they are denominated the terrestrial heroes4 ,footnote #bf3 ,for in this place1 it is necessary to read 4 ,footnote #bg3 ,for here1 ,i read 4 ,footnote #bh3 ,viz4 ,in the plenitudes1 or total perfections1 of the ,gods4 ,footnote #bi3 i4 e4 ,without habitude1 proximity1 or alliance to the things which it illuminates4 ,footnote #cj3 ,what is here asserted by ,iamblichus is perfectly true1 and confirmed by experience1 viz4 that the passions1 when moderately gratified1 are vanquished without violence4 ,but ,gale1 not understanding this1 says1 8,hoc adeo verum est1 ac si dixisset1 ignem extingues1 oleum addendo camino40 ,for a moderate gratification of the passions does not resemble the pouring of oil on fire2 since this similitude is only applicable to them when they are immoderately indulged4 ,footnote #ca3 ,see my ,dissertation on the ,eleusinian and ,bacchic ,mysteries4 ,footnote #cb3 ,in the original1 1 8 0 1 1 which ,gale most erroneously translates as follows3 8,sed et ratio possit reddi supplicationum1 quibus divinam iram procuramus1 si recte intelligamus1 qualis sit deorum ira40 ,footnote #cc3 ,viz4 ,punishments produced by the realms of generation1 or the sublunary region4 ,footnote #cd3 ,it is well observed by ,proclus1 8that divine necessity concurs with the divine will40 4 ,procl4 in ,tim4 lib4 i4 ,footnote #ce3 ,for here1 it is obviously necessary to read 4 ,footnote #cf3 ,for here1 it is necessary to read 4 ,footnote #cg3 ,for as a celestial body consists of light so pure and simple1 that1 compared with a terrestrial body1 it may be said to be immaterial2 hence1 like the light of the sun1 it cannot be divided1 or in other words1 one part of it cannot be separated from another4 ,footnote #ch3 ,for in this place1 ,i read 4 ,footnote #ci3 ,the nature of the one1 as it is all-receptive1 and all-productive 7 7 exhibits in itself a certain representation and indication of multitude2 for it is all things prior to all4 ,footnote #dj3 ,for the ,gods are essentialized in the one2 or1 as ,damascius observes1 speaking ,chaldaically1 in the paternal peculiarity4 ,for in every ,god there is father1 power1 and intellect2 father being the same as hyparxis and the one4 ,footnote #da3 ,viz4 ,according to the difference which there is between the invisibility of ,gods and the invisibility of dmons4 ,footnote #db3 ,the cosmocrators1 or governors of the world1 are the planets4 ,see the fourth book of my translation of ,proclus on the ,timus of ,plato4 ,footnote #dc3 ,for in this place1 ,i read 4 ,for the empyrean world1 according to the ,chaldeans1 is above the material worlds1 and emits a supermundane fire or light4 ,footnote #dd3 ,for here1 it is necessary to read 4 ,footnote #de3 ,these are terrestrial dmons1 to whom the ,chaldean oracle alludes1 which says1 8,the wild beasts of the earth shall inhabit thy vessel10 i4 e4 as ,psellus explains it1 the composite temperature of the soul4 ,footnote #df3 ,for here1 it seems requisite to read 4 ,gale also1 in his version1 in this place has fictum4 ,footnote #dg3 i4 e4 ,the inexplicable theurgic signs or symbols4 ,footnote #dh3 ,for here1 it is necessary to read 4 ,for ,iamblichus has before shown that divine dreams are not produced in sleep1 but either when sleep leaves us1 or between sleeping and waking1 or when we are perfectly awake4 ,the necessity of this emendation is also evident from what ,iamblichus shortly after adds1 viz4 that we must take away from divine dreams the being asleep2 i4 e4 the being in a profound sleep4 ,footnote #di3 ,in the original there is nothing more than in this place2 but the sense requires that we should read 4 ,and this emendation is confirmed by the versions of ,scutellius and ,gale4 ,footnote #ej3 ,for 4 1 ,i read 4 4 ,footnote #ea3 8,among the deeds of ,pythagoras10 says ,iamblichus1 in his ,life of that father of philosophy1 7chap4 xxv47 8it is said1 that once through the spondaic i4 e4 ,doric song of a piper he extinguished the rage of a ,tauromenian lad1 who had been feasting by night1 and intended to burn the vestibule of his mistress1 in consequence of seeing her coming from the house of his rival4 ,for the lad was inflamed and excited to this rash attempt by a ,phrygian song2 which1 however1 ,pythagoras most rapidly suppressed4 ,but ,pythagoras1 as he was astronomizing1 happened to meet with the ,phrygian piper at an unseasonable time of night1 and persuaded him to change his ,phrygian for a spondaic song2 through which the fury of the lad being immediately repressed1 he returned home in an orderly manner1 though a little before this he could not be in the least restrained1 nor would1 in short1 bear any admonition2 and even stupidly insulted ,pythagoras when he met him4 ,when a certain youth1 also1 rushed with a drawn sword on ,anchilus1 the host of ,empedocles1 because1 being a judge1 he had publicly condemned his father to death1 and would have slain him as a homicide1 ,empedocles changed the intention of the youth1 by singing to his lyre that verse of ,homer1 ,nepenthe1 without gall1 o'er every ill ,oblivion spreads4 ,,odyss4 lib4 #d4 ,and thus snatched his host ,anchilus from death1 and the youth from the crime of homicide4 ,it is also related1 that the youth from that time became the most celebrated of the disciples of ,pythagoras4 ,farther still1 the whole ,pythagoric school produced1 by certain appropriate songs1 what they called exartysis1 or adaptation2 synarmoga1 or elegance of manners2 and epaphe1 or contact1 usefully conducting the dispositions of the soul to passions contrary to those which it before possessed4 ,for when they went to bed1 they purified the reasoning power from the perturbations and noises to which it had been exposed during the day1 by certain odes and peculiar songs1 and by this means procured for themselves tranquil sleep1 and few and good dreams4 ,but when they rose from bed1 they again liberated themselves from the torpor and heaviness of sleep1 by songs of another kind4 ,sometimes1 also1 by musical sounds alone1 unaccompanied with words1 they healed the passions of the soul and certain diseases1 enchanting1 as they say1 in reality4 ,and it is probable that from hence this name epode1 i4 e4 enchantment1 came to be generally used4 ,after this manner1 therefore1 ,pythagoras1 through music1 produced the most beneficial correction of human manners and lives40 ,proclus also1 in his ,,ms4 ,commentary on the ,first ,alcibiades of ,plato1 observes1 8that of musical instruments some are repressive1 and others motive2 some are adapted to rest1 and others to motion4 ,the repressive1 therefore1 are most useful for education1 leading our manners into order1 repressing the turbulency of youth1 and bringing its agitated nature to quietness and temperance4 ,but the motive instruments are adapted to enthusiastic energy2 and hence1 in the mysteries and mystic sacrifices1 the pipe is useful2 for the motive power of it is employed for the purpose of exciting the reasoning power to a divine nature4 ,for here it is requisite that the irrational part should be laid asleep1 and the rational excited4 ,hence those that instruct youth use repressive instruments1 but initiators such as are motive4 ,for that which is disciplined is the irrational part2 but it is reason which is initiated1 and which energizes enthusiastically40 ,see1 likewise1 on this subject1 ,ptolem4 ,harmonic1 lib4 iii4 cap4 #g and #h1 who observes among other things1 8that our souls directly sympathize with the energies of melody1 recognizing1 as it were1 their alliance to them--and that at one time the soul is changed to a quiet and repressed condition1 but at another to fury and enthusiasm4 1 ----et1 1 4 ,and1 in the last place1 see ,plato in his ,io1 and ,aristotle in his ,politics4 ,footnote #eb3 ,proclus in ,polit4 p4 #hfe1 says1 8that the melodies of ,olympus were the causes of ecstasy40 4 ,footnote #ec3 ,the nature of the ,corybantes1 and the order to which they belong1 is unfolded as follows by ,proclus1 in ,plat4 ,theol4 lib4 vi4 cap4 #ac4 8,to what has been said we shall add the theory pertaining to the unpolluted#ed ,gods among the ruling divinities i4 e4 among the divinities that subsist immediately after the intellectual ,gods4 ,for ,plato also gives us an opportunity of mentioning these1 since it is necessary that the rulers and leaders of wholes should subsist analogous to the intellectual kings1 though they make their progression in conjunction with division1 and a separation into parts4 ,for as they imitate the paternal generative and convertive powers of the intellectual kings1 thus also it is necessary that they should receive the immutable monads in themselves1 according to the ruling peculiarity1 and establish over their own progressions secondary causes of a guardian characteristic4 ,and the mystic tradition1 indeed1 of ,orpheus makes mention of these more clearly4 ,but ,plato being persuaded by the mysteries1 and by what is performed in them1 indicates concerning these unpolluted ,gods4 ,and in the ,laws1 indeed1 he reminds us of the inflation of the pipe by the ,corybantes1 which represses every inordinate and tumultuous motion4 ,but in the ,euthydemus1 he makes mention of the collocation on a throne1 which is performed in the ,corybantic mysteries2 just as in other dialogues he mentions the ,curetic order1 speaking of the armed sports of the ,curetes4 ,for the ,curetes are said to surround and to dance round the ,demiurgus of wholes1 when he was unfolded into light from ,rhea4 ,in the intellectual ,gods1 therefore1 the first ,curetic order is allotted its hypostasis4 ,but the order of the ,corybantes1 which precedes ,core i4 e4 ,proserpine1 and guards her on all sides1 as the theology says1 is analogous to the ,curetes in the intellectual order4 ,if1 however1 you are willing to speak conformably to ,platonic custom1 because these divinities preside over purity1 and preserve the ,curetic order undefiled1 and also preserve immutability in their generations1 and stability in their progressions#ee into the worlds1 on this account they were called ,corybantes4 ,for 1 to koron1 is every where significant of purity1 as ,socrates says in the ,cratylus2 since1 also1 you may say that our mistress ,core was no otherwise denominated than from purity and an unpolluted life4 ,but1 in consequence of her alliance to this order1 she produces twofold guardian triads1 one in conjunction with her father1 but the other herself by and from herself1 imitating in this respect the whole vivific ,goddess ,rhea who constitutes the first ,curetes40 ,footnote #ed3 ,these ,gods are called unpolluted1 because they are the causes of purity4 ,for every ,god begins his own energy from himself1 and is that primarily which his effects are secondarily4 ,footnote #ee3 ,for here1 it is necessary to read 4 ,footnote #ef3 ,servius1 in commenting on the 8,mystica vannus ,iacchi0 of ,virgil1 observes1 that the sacred rites of ,bacchus pertained to the purification of souls1 8,liberi patris sacra ad purgationem animarum pertinebant40 ,and elsewhere he says1 8,anim aere ventilantur1 quod erat in sacris ,liberi purgationis genus40 ,euripides also1 in ,bacchis1 exclaims1 1 1 1 4 i4 e4 8,o blessed and happy he1 who knowing the mysteries of the ,gods1 sanctifies his life1 and purifies his soul1 celebrating orgies in the mountains1 with holy purifications40 ,footnote #eg3 8,in the greatest diseases and labours 7says ,plato in the ,phdrus7 to which certain persons are sometimes subject through the ancient indignation of the ,gods1 in consequence of former guilt1 mania when it takes place1 predicting what they stand in need of1 discovers a liberation from such evils by flying to prayer and the worship of the ,gods4 ,hence1 obtaining by this means purifications and the advantages of initiation1 it renders him who possesses it free from disasters both for the present and future time1 by discovering to him who is properly insane1 and possessed by divinity1 a solution of the present evils40 ,and the ,platonic ,hermias beautifully unfolds the meaning of this ancient indignation of the ,gods1 through former guilt1 as follows3 8,offences which have been committed for a great length of a time1 are more difficult to be washed away1 and a liberation from them can alone be effected by the telestic art2 but those that have been committed for a shorter time are more easily cured4 ,thus1 also1 we see in the medical art1 that maladies which have existed but for a little time1 if they are paid attention to at their commencement1 are easily remedied1 but that when they are of long standing1 they are more difficultly healed4 ,for the evil in this case becomes as it were natural and confirmed by habit1 and resembles an indurated ulcer4 ,a similar thing to this1 therefore1 takes place in guilty conduct4 ,hence1 if he who has committed an injury1 immediately repents1 and acknowledges his guilt to him whom he has injured1 he dissolves the injury1 and renders himself no longer obnoxious to justice4 ,but when some one dissolves an injury committed by his father1 by restoring1 for instance1 land which he had unjustly taken1 he then makes himself to be unobnoxious to justice1 and lightens and benefits the soul of his father4 ,these things1 however1 the telestic art more swiftly remedies4 ,moreover1 if it should happen that the whole race of some one successively use land which had originally been plundered1 in this case1 the injury in the first place becomes immanifest1 and on this account is more difficult to be cured2 and1 in the next place1 time causes the evil to become as it were natural4 ,hence the ,gods frequently predict to men that they should go to such or such places1 and that an apology should be made to this man1 who was never known to them1 and that he should be appeased1 in order that thus they may obtain a remedy and be liberated from their difficulties1 and that the punishments inflicted on them by the ,furies may cease4 ,the ,gods1 however1 predict1 not for the purpose of taking away punishment1 but in order that justice may be done1 and that we may be amended4 ,the telestic art1 therefore1 renders him better who possesses the mania which it imparts1 and through him saves also many others4 ,thus1 for instance1 it is related of one who was cutting down an oak1 and though he was called on by a ,nymph not to cut it down1 yet persisted in felling it1 that he was punished for so doing by the avenging ,furies1 that he was in want of necessary food1 and that if at any time he met with it1 it was immediately taken from him1 till one who possessed the telestic art told him to raise an altar and sacrifice to this ,nymph1 for thus he would be liberated from his calamities4 ,another person1 likewise1 who had slain his mother1 was freed from the punishment inflicted on him by the ,furies by migrating to another country1 conformably to the mandate of divinity1 and there fixing his abode40 ,footnote #eh3 ,this is because ,rhea1 the mother of the ,gods1 is a vivific ,goddess1 being filled indeed 7says ,proclus1 in ,plat4 ,theol4 lib4 v4 c4 xi47 from the father prior to her i4 e4 from ,saturn with intelligible and prolific power1 but filling the ,demiurgus ,jupiter1 who derives his existence from her1 with vivific abundance4 ,footnote #ei3 ,see1 concerning this oracle1 ,scholiastes ,apollonii ad i4 librum1 et ,tacitus ii4 ,annal4 ,footnote #fj3 ,this oracle is mentioned by ,herodotus1 l4 i41 by ,strabo1 l4 xiv4 and by ,ammian4 ,marcell4 lib4 xxix4 ,footnote #fa3 ,see ,plutarch in his treatise ,de ,defectu ,oraculorum4 ,footnote #fb3 ,see ,plutarch in the above mentioned treatise4 ,concerning this luciform spirit1 or vehicle1 which is immortal1 and which is called by ,olympiodorus 1 a luciform vestment1 see my ,translation of the fifth book of ,proclus on the ,timus4 ,footnote #fc3 ,it was usual for those who prophesied to carry a wand4 ,tiresias had a sceptre1 and ,abaris an arrow4 ,the ,scholiast on ,nicander says1 that the ,egyptian and ,scythian magi1 and also many of those in ,europe1 prophesied with wands4 ,and ,eustathius on the ,odyssey1 p4 #afeg1 observes1 8that there is a certain magic in divine wands10 esse in 4 ,footnote #fd3 ,that is1 to partake of an illumination1 which has no 1 or habitude1 to any thing material4 ,footnote #fe3 ,for here1 it seems necessary to read 4 ,footnote #ff3 ,proclus1 in his ,,ms4 ,commentary on the ,first ,alcibiades of ,plato1 observes1 8that in the mysteries some one of the more imperfect dmons assumes the appearance of one that is more perfect1 and draws down to himself souls that are not yet purified1 and separates them from the ,gods4 ,hence1 in the most holy of the mysteries i4 e4 in the ,eleusinian mysteries1 prior to the manifest presence of the ,god who is invoked1 certain terrene dmons present themselves to the view1 disturbing those that are initiated1 divulsing them from undefiled good1 and exciting them to matter4 ,on this account the ,gods in the ,chaldean oracles order us not to behold them1 till we are guarded by the powers imparted by the mysteries4 ,for they say1 4 i4 e4 ,it is not proper you should behold them till your body is purified by initiation4 ,and they add the reason1 1 i4 e4 ,for these dmons alluring souls1 always draw them away from the mysteries4 ,conformably to this1 also1 ,proclus in ,plat4 ,theol4 p4 #g1 says1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 7 7 1 4 i4 e4 8,as in the most holy of the mysteries1 they say1 that the mystics at first meet with the multiform and many shaped genera i4 e4 with evil dmons1 which are hurled forth before the ,gods1 but on entering the interior parts of the temple1 unmoved1 and guarded by the mystic rites1 they genuinely receive in their bosom divine illumination1 and divested of their garments1 as they would say1 participate of a divine nature2 the same mode1 as it appears to me1 takes place in the speculation of wholes40 ,that mitred sophist1 ,warburton1 as ,i have elsewhere called him1 from not understanding the former part of this latter extract from ,proclus1 ridiculously translates the words 1 8multiform shapes and species1 that prefigure the first generation of the ,gods40 ,see his ,divine ,legation of ,moses1 book ii4 p4 #aeb1 #hvo4 a work replete with distorted conceptions and inaccurate translations4 ,and yet1 as great a sophist as ,warburton was1 and notwithstanding the work ,i have just mentioned abounds with false opinions1 and such as are of the most pernicious kind1 yet he is compelled by truth to acknowledge1 in book ii4 p4 #agb1 8that the wisest and best men in the ,pagan world are unanimous in this1 that the mysteries were instituted pure1 and proposed the noblest end by the worthiest means40 ,but this by the way4 ,footnote #fg3 ,this divination according to the imagination through water1 may be illustrated by the following extract from ,damascius 7apud ,photium73 4 1 1 4 4 i4 e4 8,there was a sacred woman who possessed in a wonderful manner a divinely gifted nature4 ,for pouring pure water into a certain glass cup1 she saw in the water that was within the cup the luminous appearances of future events1 and from the view of these she entirely predicted what would happen4 ,but of this experiment we also are not ignorant40 ,footnote #fh3 8,the ,platonists10 says ,psellus 7ad ,nazianzenum7 8assert that light is spread under divine substances1 and is rapidly seized1 without any difficulty1 by some who possess such an excellent nature as that which fell to the lot of ,socrates and ,plotinus4 ,but others1 at certain periods1 experience a mental alienation about the light of the moon40 ,footnote #fi3 ,concerning this vehicle1 in which the phantastic power resides1 see vol4 ii4 of my translation of ,proclus on the ,timus of ,plato1 p4 #djg2 the ,introduction to my translation of ,aristotle on the ,soul2 and the long extract from ,synesius on ,dreams1 in vol4 ii4 of my ,proclus on ,euclid4 ,footnote #gj3 i4 e4 ,the discursive energy of reason4 ,footnote #ga3 ,proclus in ,plat4 ,polit4 having observed that ,socrates in the ,phdrus1 when he speaks in a divinely inspired manner1 and poetically adopts such names as are employed by the poets1 and says that it is not possible for one who speaks with an insane i4 e4 with an inspired mouth to abstain from them1 adds 8that an alliance to the dmoniacal genus1 preparing the soul for the reception of divine light1 excites the phantasy to symbolic narration40 1 1 4 p4 #cif4 ,footnote #gb3 ,these words of ,heraclitus are also quoted by ,plutarch in his treatise ,de ,defectu ,oraculorum4 ,footnote #gc3 ,for here1 ,i read 4 ,footnote #gd3 ,herodian1 lib4 viii4 observes1 that the ,italians very much believed in the indications of future events through the viscera3 and ,strabo1 lib4 xvii4 asserts the same thing4 ,footnote #ge3 ,the auspices were said to be pestiferous when there was no heart in the entrails1 or when the head was wanting in the liver4 ,this was the case with the animals that were sacrificed by ,csar on the day in which he was slain4 ,the same thing also happened to ,caius ,marius1 when he was sacrificing at ,utica4 ,but when ,pertinax was sacrificing1 both the heart and the liver of the victim were wanting1 whence his death was predicted1 which happened shortly after4 ,in the sacrifices1 likewise1 which ,marcellus performed prior to the unfortunate battle with the ,carthaginians1 the liver was found to be without a head1 as ,plutarch and ,livy1 ,pliny and ,valerius ,maximus relate4 ,footnote #gf3 ,gale observes that this appears to have been a very ancient mode of divination1 and does not differ from that which is comprehended under the term wood4 ,hence the ,scholiast1 in ,nicandri ,theriaca1 says1 8that the ,magi and ,scythians predicted from the wood of the tamarisk40 ,for in many places they predict from rods4 ,and that ,dinon1 in the first book of his third ,syntaxis1 observes1 8that the ,median diviners predict from rods40 ,the ,scholiast likewise adds the testimony of ,metrodorus1 who says1 8that the tamarisk is a most ancient plant1 and that the ,egyptians1 in the solemnity of ,jupiter1 were crowned with the tamarisk1 and also the ,magi among the ,medes40 ,he adds1 8that ,apollo also ordained that prophets should predict from this plant1 and that in ,lesbos he wears a tamarisk crown1 has often been seen thus adorned1 and that in consequence of this he was called by the ,lesbians 1 ,muricaion1 from 1 the tamarisk40 ,what the ,scholiast here says1 is confirmed by ,herodotus1 in lib4 iv4 and elsewhere4 ,to this1 also1 what every where occurs about prediction from the laurel pertains4 ,for if the leaves of the laurel when committed to the fire made a noise1 it was considered as a good omen1 but if they made none1 a bad one4 ,footnote #gg3 ,gale1 in his translation1 has totally mistaken the meaning of the original in this place1 and it is not unusual with him to do so4 ,for the original is ' 1 4 ,this he thus translates3 8,sed neque dicendum est fatidicum animum esse instrumentum intermedium divinorum1 sacerdotem vero invocantem esse tanquam efficientem causam40 ,in consequence1 also1 of this mistake1 he erroneously conceives that ,iamblichus dissents from himself4 ,footnote #gh3 ,god is all things causally1 and is able to effect all things4 ,he likewise does produce all things1 yet not by himself alone1 but in conjunction with those divine powers which continually germinate1 as it were1 from him1 as from a perennial root4 ,not that he is in want of these powers to the efficacy of his productive energy1 but the universe requires their cooperation1 in order to the distinct subsistence of its various parts and different forms4 ,for as the essence of the first cause1 if it be lawful so to speak1 is full of deity1 his immediate energy must be deific1 and his first progeny must be ,gods4 ,but as he is ineffable and superessential1 all things proceed from him ineffably and superessentially4 ,for progressions are conformable to the characteristics of the natures from which they proceed4 ,hence the cooperating energy of his first progeny is necessary to the evolution of things into effable1 essential1 and distinct subsistence4 ,the supreme ,god1 therefore1 is1 as ,iamblichus justly observes1 alone worthy of sedulous attention1 esteem1 the energy of reason1 and felicitous honour2 but this is not to the exclusion of paying appropriate attention and honour to other powers that are subordinate to him1 who largely participate of his divinity1 and are more or less allied to him4 ,for in reverencing and paying attention to these appropriately1 we also attend to and reverence him4 ,for that which we sedulously attend to1 honour1 and esteem in them1 is that alone which is of a deified nature1 and is therefore a portion1 as it were1 of the ineffable principle of all things4 ,gale1 from not understanding this1 exclaims1 8if these things are true1 7viz4 that ,god is alone worthy of sedulous attention1 c47 as they are1 indeed1 most true1 to what purpose1 ,o ,iamblichus1 is that mighty study and labour about dmons and other spirits80 ,but the answer to this1 by regarding what has been above said1 is easy4 ,for mighty study and labour about these intermediate powers is necessary1 in order to our union with their ineffable cause4 ,for as we are but the dregs of the rational nature1 and the first principle of things is something so transcendent as to be even beyond essence1 it is impossible that we should be united to him without media2 viz4 without the ,gods1 and their perpetual attendants1 who are on this account the true saviours of souls4 ,for in a union with the supreme deity our true salvation consists4 ,footnote #gi3 ,for these conceptions and these works teach us1 that in reality we1 through sacred operations1 approach to divinity1 but that divinity does not draw near to us4 ,hence ,proclus in ,alcibiad4 1 1 ' 4 i4 e4 8,in invocations of the ,gods1 and when they are clearly seen1 divinity1 in a certain respect1 appears to approach to us1 though it is we that are extended to him40 ,footnote #hj3 ,gale1 in his note on these words1 after having observed that ,porphyry says1 that ignorance1 darkness1 and folly attend the soul in its lapse into body2 and that1 according to ,servius1 the soul1 when it begins to descend into body1 drinks of folly and oblivion1 quotes also ,irenus 7lib4 ii4 c4 #ei71 who makes the following stupid remark3 8,souls entering into this life it is said drink of oblivion1 before they enter into bodies1 from the dmon who is above this ingress4 ,but whence do you know this1 ,o ,plato1 since your soul also is now in body8 ,for if you remember the dmon1 the cup1 and the entrance1 it is likewise requisite that you should know the rest40 ,to this it is easy to reply1 that a soul purified and enlightened by philosophy1 like that of ,plato1 is able to recognise many things pertaining to its preexistent state1 even while in the present body1 in consequence of partially emerging from corporeal darkness and oblivion2 but that it is not capable of knowing every thing distinctly1 till it is perfectly liberated from the delirium of the body4 ,and ,gale1 no less sillily1 adds1 8respondebunt ,platonici hc omnia cognovisse ,platonem ex narratione1 qu circumferebatur de ,ere ,armenio1 qui ,lethes aquam non biberat40 i4 e4 8,the ,platonists will answer that ,plato knew all these things from the narration of the ,armenian ,erus in the ,republic who did not drink of the water of ,lethe40 ,for ,plato did not obtain this knowledge from any historical narration1 but from possessing in a transcendent degree the cathartic and theoretic virtues1 and from energizing enthusiastically 7or according to a divinely inspired energy7 through the latter of these virtues4 ,footnote #ha3 ,agreeably to this1 ,porphyry says in his 1 or ,auxiliaries to ,intelligibles1 1 ' 4----,and 4 i4 e4 8,the soul is bound to the body1 by a conversion to the passions arising from her union with it40 ,and1 8the soul binds herself in the body40 ,philolaus also says1 that the ancient theologists and prophets asserted1 1 1 8that the soul is conjoined to the body on account of certain punishments1 and that it is buried in it as in a sepulchre40 ,footnote #hb3 ,this assertion1 that the nature which is perfectly exempt can never become one with that which departs from itself1 is opposed by ,gale1 who says that man is composed of soul and body1 and yet the latter is far inferior to1 and less excellent than1 the former4 ,but in adducing this instance1 he clearly shows that he does not understand what ,iamblichus says4 ,for the human soul being a medium between a certain impartible and partible essence1 so far as it partakes of the partible essence1 has a certain alliance with body1 and is not perfectly exempt from it4 ,but this is not the case with divine inspiration and our soul3 for the former in a perfectly exempt manner transcends the latter4 ,let it1 therefore1 be granted him that1 as ,psellus says1 8hypostatic union conducts different essences or natures to one hypostasis10 yet such a union can never take place between two things1 one of which has no habitude1 proximity1 or alliance to the other4 ,gale was led into this mistake by not properly attending to the words perfectly exempt1 1 which are here employed by ,iamblichus4 ,but such mistakes are usual with ,gale1 from his inaccurate and rambling manner of thinking4 ,he likewise forgot1 at the time he was writing notes on ,iamblichus1 that he was the master of a grammar school1 and not a philosopher4 ,from what has been said1 the absurdity1 also1 of their opinion is immediately obvious1 who fancy that the divine essence can be mingled and united with the mortal nature4 ,for if such a union were possible1 it would benefit and exalt the latter1 but injure and degrade the former4 ,just as in the union of the rational soul with the body 7as ,proclus beautifully observes in ,tim4 p4 #cci71 8the former1 by verging to a material life1 kindles indeed a light in the body1 but becomes herself situated in darkness2 and by giving life to the body1 destroys both herself and her own intellect in as great a degree as these are capable of receiving destruction4 ,for thus the mortal nature participates of intellect1 but the intellectual part of death1 and the whole1 as ,plato observes in the ,laws1 becomes a prodigy composed of the mortal and the immortal1 of the intellectual and that which is deprived of intellect4 ,for this physical law which binds the soul to the body is the death of the immortal life1 but vivifies the mortal body40 ,footnote #hc3 ,here again ,gale1 from not understanding1 opposes ,iamblichus4 ,for he says1 8sed nec hoc sequitur4 ,s4 ,maximus1 ubi hypostaticam unionem declarat2 hc inquit1 cernuntur in corpore et anima4 ,una ex utroque confit hypostasis composita4 ,servat autem in se naturam perfectam utriusque sc4 corporis et anim1 40 i4 e4 8,but neither does this follow4 ,s4 ,maximus1 where he unfolds hypostatic union1 says these things are perceived in the soul and body4 ,one composite hypostasis is produced from both4 ,but this hypostasis preserves in itself the perfect nature of each1 and likewise the difference of these unmingled1 end the peculiarities unmingled and unconfused40 ,this hypostatic union1 however2 as we have before observed1 cannot take place between divine inspiration and the soul1 because the former is perfectly exempt from the latter4 ,gale adds1 8,quro autem quid velit ,iamblichus per 8 ,opinor1 et 4 ,non facile evincet esse 1 utpote qu sit transiens dei actio40 i4 e4 8,i ask what ,iamblichus means by both4 ,i think the soul and divine inspiration externally derived4 ,but he will not easily prove that inspiration is something eternal1 because it is a transient energy of ,god40 ,gale is right in his conjecture1 that ,iamblichus by the word both in this place1 means the soul and divine inspiration externally derived2 for it can admit of no other meaning2 but when he adds1 that inspiration cannot be something eternal1 because it is a transient energy of divinity1 he shows himself to be as bad a theologist as he is a philosopher4 ,for ,god being an eternal1 or rather a supereternal nature1 his energies have nothing to do with time and its transitive progressions1 but are stably simultaneous2 so that transition does not exist in his inspiring influence1 but in the recipients of it1 these being of a temporal and mutable nature4 ,hence it is just as absurd to call any energy of divinity transient1 as it would be to say that the light of the sun is transient1 because it shines through diaphanous1 but not through opaque1 substances4 ,footnote #hd3 ,hippocrates was of opinion that physicians ought to be skilled in astronomy4 ,and ,galen derides those physicians who deny that astronomy is necessary to their art4 ,see his treatise entitled ,si quis sit ,medicus eundem esse philosophum4 ,and in lib4 viii4 cap4 #bj1 of his treatise ,de ,ingenio ,sanitatis1 he calls physicians that are ignorant of astronomy homicides4 ,but by astronomy here1 both ,hippocrates and ,galen intended to signify what is now called astrology4 ,roger ,bacon also1 in his ,epistle to ,pope ,clement1 says1 8,opera qu fiunt hic inferius1 variantur secundum diversitatem clestium constellationum1 ut opera medicin et alkimi40 i4 e4 8,the works which are performed in these inferior realms are varied according to the diversity of the celestial constellations1 as1 for instance1 the works of medicine and alchemy40 ,if1 however1 as ,galen says1 and doubtless with great truth1 physicians that are ignorant of this are homicides1 how numerous must the medical homicides be of the present age6 ,footnote #he3 ,according to ,proclus1 in ,alcibiad4 ,prior1 there are three orders of dmons1 the first of which are more intellectual1 the second are of a more rational nature1 and the third1 of which ,iamblichus is now speaking1 are various1 more irrational1 and more material4 ,footnote #hf3 ,charonea is a country of ,asia ,minor1 bordering on the river ,meander2 and in it there are spiracles which exhale a foul odour4 ,according to ,pliny1 there are places of this kind in ,italy1 in the country of ,puteoli1 now ,puzzulo4 ,in ,amsanctus1 also1 a place in the middle of ,italy1 in the country of the ,samnites1 there were sulphureous waters1 the steams of which were so pestilential1 that they killed all who came near them4 ,hence ,cicero1 in lib4 i4 ,de ,divin4 8,quid enim8 ,non videmus1 quam sint varia terrarum genera8 ,ex quibus et mortifera qudam pars est1 ut et ,amsancti in ,hirpinis1 et in ,asia ,plutonia40 ,footnote #hg3 ,and these irrational spirits1 so far as they contribute to wholes1 are more excellent than we are1 though through being irrational they are inferior to us4 ,footnote #hh3 ,see the justice of providence in this respect most admirably defended by ,plotinus1 in the first of his treatises on ,providence1 which treatise forms one of the five books of ,plotinus translated by me1 in #hvo4 #agid4 ,footnote #hi3 ,in the original1 1 which ,gale very inadequately translates proprium anim officium4 ,footnote #ij3 ,see my translation of ,proclus on the ,subsistence of ,evil1 at the end of my translation of his six books on the ,theology of ,plato4 ,footnote #ia3 ,see cap4 #dj1 #da1 #db1 of ,eunead iv4 lib4 iv4 of ,plotinus1 from which the doctrine of this chapter is derived4 ,footnote #ib3 ,agreeably to this1 ,plotinus1 also1 in ,eunead iv4 lib4 iv4 cap4 #cb1 says1 1 1 1 1 i4 e4 8,this universe is one1 and is as one animal4 ,but being an animal and completely effecting one thing1 nothing in it is so distant in place as not to be near to the nature of the one animal1 on account of its sympathy with the whole of itself40 ,footnote #ic3 ,this art is no other than magic1 of which the following account1 from a very rare ,greek manuscript of ,psellus1 ,on ,dmons according to the ,dogmas of the ,greeks1 will1 ,i doubt not1 be acceptable to the reader1 as it illustrates what is here said by ,iamblichus1 and shows that magic is not an empty name1 but possesses a real power1 though at present this art seems to be totally lost4 ,ficinus published some extracts from this manuscript in ,latin2 but ,gale does not appear to have had it in his possession4 4 1 1 4 4 1 4 1 4 4 4 1 4 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 4 4 1 4 1 1 1 4 4 1 1 4 i4 e4 8,goeteia1 or witchcraft1 is a certain art respecting material and terrestrial dmons1 whose images it causes to become visible to the spectators of this art4 ,and some of these dmons it leads up1 as it were from ,hades1 but others it draws down from on high2 and these1 too1 such as are of an evil species4 ,this art1 therefore1 causes certain phantastic images to appear before the spectators4 ,and before the eyes of some1 indeed1 it pours exuberant streams2 but to others it promises freedom from bonds1 delicacies1 and favours4 ,they draw down1 too1 powers of this kind by songs and incantations4 ,but magic1 according to the ,greeks1 is a thing of a very powerful nature4 ,for they say that this forms the last part of the sacerdotal science4 ,magic1 indeed1 investigates the nature1 power1 and quality of every thing sublunary2 viz4 of the elements1 and their parts1 of animals1 all-various plants and their fruits1 of stones1 and herbs3 and in short1 it explores the essence and power of every thing4 ,from hence1 therefore1 it produces its effects4 ,and it forms statues which procure health1 makes all-various figures1 and things which become the instruments of disease4 ,it asserts1 too1 that eagles and dragons contribute to health2 but that cats1 dogs1 and crows are symbols of vigilance1 to which1 therefore1 they contribute4 ,but for the fashioning of certain parts wax and clay are used4 ,often1 too1 celestial fire is made to appear through magic2 and then statues laugh1 and lamps are spontaneously enkindled40 ,this curious passage throws light on the following extract from the first book of the ,metaphorsis of ,apuleius3 8,magico susurranime1 amnes agiles reverti1 mare pigrum colligari1 ventos inanimes expirare1 solem inhiberi1 lunam despumari1 stellas evelli1 diem tolli1 noctem teneri40 i4 e4 8,by magical incantation rapid rivers may be made to run back to their fountains1 the sea be congealed1 winds become destitute of spirit1 the sun be held back in his course1 the moon be forced to scatter her foam1 the stars be torn from their orbits1 the day be taken away1 and the night be detained40 ,for it may be inferred from ,psellus1 that witches formerly were able to cause the appearance of all this to take place4 ,it must also be observed1 that this ,,ms4 of ,psellus ,on ,dmons forms no part of his treatise ,on the ,energy of ,dmons1 published by ,gaulminus2 for it never was published4 ,footnote #id3 ,hence ,iamblichus 7apud ,stob4 ,eclog4 ,phys4 p4 #aad71 says1 4 ' 1 1 ' 1 ' 4 1 4 i4 e4 8,there is not the same communion of all souls with bodies2 but the soul which ranks as a whole 7as it also appeared to ,plotinus71 approaching to itself1 contains body in itself1 but does not itself approach to body1 nor is comprehended by it4 ,partible souls1 however1 accede to bodies1 and give themselves up to them40 ,conformably to this ,porphyry also1 in his 1 ,no4 #cj1 says1 8,no whole and perfect essence is converted to its own progeny2 but all perfect natures are led back to the causes by which they were generated1 even as far as to the mundane body4 ,for this body1 being perfect1 is elevated to the mundane soul which is intellectual1 and through this is circularly moved4 ,but the soul of this body is elevated to intellect1 and intellect to that which is first4 ,all things1 therefore1 extend themselves to this1 beginning from that which is last1 according to the peculiar ability of each4 ,but the reduction to that which is first is either proximate or remote4 ,hence these are not only said to aspire after divinity1 but also to enjoy him as far as they are able4 ,but in partial natures1 and which are able to verge to many things1 a conversion to their progeny belongs4 ,hence in these guilt1 in these disgraceful perfidy1 is found4 ,matter1 therefore1 defiles these1 because they decline to it1 at the same time that they possess the power of converting themselves to a divine nature40 ,footnote #ie3 ,iamblichus here alludes to the excellent treatise of ,porphyry1 1 ,on ,abstinence from ,animal ,food1 from which work the ,english reader will find several admirable extracts in one of the ,introductory ,dissertations prefixed to my translation of ,proclus on ,euclid4 ,footnote #if3 ,a celestial body1 as is beautifully shown by ,proclus in ,tim4 lib4 iii4 contains the summits of all the elements1 but is characterized by vivific unburning fire2 so that1 in short1 it is vitalized extension4 ,footnote #ig3 ,the number sixty is no less manifest in the crocodile than in the sun4 ,for according to ,aristotle 7in ,hist4 ,anim4 lib4 v47 the crocodile brings forth sixty eggs of a white colour and sits on them for sixty days4 ,footnote #ih3 8,isis10 says ,gale1 8is the moon4 ,and a dog attended ,isis when she was diligently seeking her husband ,osiris4 ,but the moon perpetually seeks the sun1 and therefore that sagacious animal1 the dog1 accords with ,isis4 ,in the solemnities1 also1 of ,isis1 dogs preceded the procession40 ,after this manner others besides ,gale2 who have not penetrated the depths of the philosophy and theology of ,plato1 would doubtless explain what is fabulously said of ,isis4 ,in reality1 however1 ,isis is not the moon1 but one of the divinities that revolve in the lunar sphere as an attendant on the moon1 and who1 in modern language1 is one of the satellites of that planet4 ,for1 as ,i have shown from ,proclus1 in the ,introduction to my translation of the ,timus of ,plato1 every planetary sphere is an 1 or a part of the universe having a total subsistence1 i4 e4 ranking as a whole1 and is surrounded with a number of satellites analogous to the choir of the fixed stars4 ,of these satellites1 likewise1 the leaders of which are the planets1 the first in order are ,gods2 after these1 dmons revolve in lucid orbicular bodies2 and these are followed by partial souls1 such as ours4 ,see ,proclus in ,tim4 p4 #bge and p4 #bgi ,this theory1 as ,i have elsewhere observed1 is the grand key to the theology and mythology of the ancients1 as it shows at one view why the same ,god is so often celebrated with the names of other ,gods2 which induced ,macrobius to think that all the ,gods were nothing more than different powers of the sun4 ,the ,english reader will find an abundant confirmation of what is here said in the fourth book of my translation of the above mentioned admirable work of ,proclus4 ,footnote #ii3 8,the ,egyptians10 says ,horapollo1 lib4 i4 8wishing to signify the moon1 paint a cynocephalus1 because this animal is variously affected by the course of the moon40 ,footnote #ajj3 ,in the original 4 8,this word10 says ,gale1 8is written variously1 viz4 as 1 1 and 4 ,it is also variously translated1 for it is either rattus1 or mus araneus40 ,plutarch1 in the fourth book of his ,symposiacs1 ,quest4 #e1 says1 8that the ,egyptians were of opinion that darkness was prior to light1 and that the latter was produced from mice in the fifth generation1 at the time of the new moon4 ,and further still1 they assert that the liver of the weasel diminishes in the wane of the moon40 ,footnote #aja3 ,with the ,egyptians many animals were sacred2 for the worship of which the following admirable apology is made by ,plutarch in his treatise of ,isis and ,osiris3 8,it now remains that we should speak of the utility of these animals to man1 and of their symbolical meaning2 some of them partaking of one of these only1 but many of them of both4 ,it is evident1 therefore1 that the ,egyptians worshiped the ox1 the sheep1 and the ichneumon1 on account of their use and benefit1 as the ,lemnians did larks1 for discovering the eggs of caterpillars and breaking them2 and the ,thessalians storks1 because1 as their land produced abundance of serpents1 the storks destroyed all of them as soon as they appeared4 ,hence1 also1 they enacted a law1 that whoever killed a stork should be banished4 ,but the ,egyptians honoured the asp1 the weasel1 and the beetle1 in consequence of observing in them certain dark resemblances of the power of the ,gods1 like that of the sun in drops of water4 ,for at present1 many believe and assert that the weasel engenders by the ear1 and brings forth by the mouth1 being thus an image of the generation of reason or the productive principle of things4 ,but the genus of beetles has no female2 and all the males emit their sperm into a sphericle piece of earth1 which they roll about1 thrusting it backwards with their hind feet1 while they themselves move forward2 just as the sun appears to revolve in a direction contrary to that of the heavens1 in consequence of moving from west to east4 ,they also assimilated the asp to a star1 as being exempt from old age1 and performing its motions1 unassisted by organs1 with agility and ease4 ,nor was the crocodile honoured by them without a probable cause2 but is said to have been considered by them as a resemblance of divinity1 as being the only animal that is without a tongue4 ,for the divine reason is unindigent of voice1 and proceeding through a silent path1 and accompanied with#ajb justice1 conducts mortal affairs according to it4 ,they also say it is the only animal living in water that has the sight of its eyes covered with a thin and transparent film1 which descends from his forehead1 so that he sees without being seen1 which is likewise the case with the first ,god4 ,but in whatever place the female crocodile may lay her eggs1 this may with certainty be concluded to be the boundary of the increase of the ,nile4 ,for not being able to lay their eggs in the water1 and fearing to lay them far from it1 they have such an accurate presensation of futurity1 that though they enjoy the benefit of the river in its access1 during the time of their laying and hatching1 yet they preserve their eggs dry and untouched by the water4 ,they also lay sixty eggs1 are the same number of days in hatching them1 and those that are the longest lived among them live just so many years1 which number is the first of the measures employed by those who are conversant with the heavenly bodies4 8,moreover1 of those animals that were honoured for both reasons1 we have before spoken of the dog4 ,but the ibis1 killing indeed all deadly reptiles1 was the first that taught men the use of medical evacuation1 in consequence of observing that she is after this manner washed and purified by herself4 ,those priests1 also1 that are most attentive to the laws of sacred rites1 when they consecrate water for lustration1 fetch it from that place where the ibis had been drinking2 for she will neither drink nor come near unwholesome or infected water2 but with the distance of her feet from each other and her bill she makes an equilateral triangle4 ,farther still1 the variety and mixture of her black wings about the white represents the moon when she is gibbous4 8,we ought not1 however1 to wonder if the ,egyptians love such slender similitudes1 since the ,greeks also1 both in their pictures and statues1 employ many such like resemblances of the ,gods4 ,thus in ,crete there was a statue of ,jupiter without ears4 ,for it is fit that he who is the ruler and lord of all things should hear no one4#ajc ,phidias also placed a dragon by the statue of ,minerva1 and a snail by that of ,venus at ,elis1 to show that virgins require a guard1 and that keeping at home and silence become married women4 ,but the trident of ,neptune is a symbol of the third region of the world1 which the sea possesses1 having an arrangement after the heavens and the air4 ,hence1 also1 they thus denominated ,amphitrite and the ,tritons4 ,the ,pythagoreans1 likewise1 adorned numbers and figures with the appellations of the ,gods4 ,for they called the equilateral triangle1 ,minerva ,coryphagenes1 or begotten from the summit1 and ,tritogeneia because it is divided by three perpendiculars drawn from the three angles4 ,but they called the one ,apollo1 being persuaded to this by the obvious meaning of the word ,apollo which signifies a privation of multitude and by the simplicity of the monad#ajd4 ,the duad they denominated strife and audacity1 and the triad justice4 ,for since injuring and being injured are two extremes subsisting according to excess and defect1 justice1 through equality1 has a situation in the middle4 ,but what is called the tetractys1 being the number #cf1 was1 as is reported1 their greatest oath1 and was denominated the world4 ,for this number is formed from the composition of the four first even and the four first odd numbers1 collected into one sum4#aje ,if1 therefore1 the most approved of the philosophers did not think it proper to neglect or despise any occult signification of a divine nature when they perceived it even in things which are inanimate and incorporeal1 it appears to me that they1 in a still greater degree1 venerated those peculiarities depending on manners which they saw in such natures as had sense1 and were endued with soul1 with passion1 and ethical habits4 ,we must embrace1 therefore1 not those who honour these things1 but those who reverence divinity through these1 as through most clear mirrors1 and which are produced by nature1 in a becoming manner1 conceiving them to be the instruments or the art of the ,god by whom all things are perpetually adorned4 ,but we ought to think that no inanimate being can be more excellent than one that is animated1 nor an insensible than a sensitive being1 not even though some one should collect together all the gold and emeralds in the universe4 ,for the divinity is not ingenerated either in colours1 or figures1 or smoothness2 but such things as neither ever did1 nor are naturally adapted to participate of life1 have an allotment more ignoble than that of dead bodies4 ,but the nature which lives and sees1 and has the principle of motion from itself1 and a knowledge of things appropriate and foreign to its being1 has certainly derived an efflux and portion of that wisdom which1 as ,heraclitus says1 considers how both itself and the universe is governed4 ,hence the divinity is not worse represented in these animals than in the workmanships of copper and stone1 which in a similar manner suffer corruption and decay1 but are naturally deprived of all sense and consciousness4 ,this then ,i consider as the best defence that can be given of the adoration of animals by the ,egyptians40 ,footnote #ajb3 ,instead of 1 ,i read 4 ,footnote #ajc3 i4 e4 ,should be perfectly impartial4 ,footnote #ajd3 ,instead of as in the original1 which is nonsense1 it is necessary to read1 as in the above translation1 4 ,footnote #aje3 ,for #b #d #f #h #bj2 and #a #c #f #g #af2 and #bj #af #cf4 ,footnote #ajf3 ,the cock was sacred to ,apollo1 and therefore its heart was believed to be the instrument of divination in sacrifices4 ,the chemic ,olympiodorus says1 8that the cock obscurely signifies the essence of the sun and moon40 ,see1 in the additional notes1 what is said by ,proclus concerning the cock1 in his treatise ,on ,magic4 ,footnote #ajg3 ,it is well observed by ,ficinus1 in lib4 i4 ,eunead4 ii4 ,plotin4 8that the fire which is enkindled by us is more similar to the heavens than other terrestrial substances4 ,hence it participates of light1 which is something incorporeal1 is the most powerful of all things1 is as it were vital1 is perpetually moved1 divides all things1 without being itself divided1 absorbs all things in itself1 and avoids any foreign mixture3 and lastly1 when the fuel of it is consumed1 it suddenly flies back again to the celestial fire1 which is every where latent40 ,footnote #ajh3 ,for this vehicle is luciform1 and consists of pure1 immaterial1 unburning1 and vivific fire4 ,see the fifth book of my translation of ,proclus on the ,timus4 ,footnote #aji3 ,proclus in ,tim4 lib4 v4 observes concerning the telestic art1 or the art which operates through mystic ceremonies1 8that1 as the oracles teach1 it obliterates through divine fire all the stains produced by generation40 1 4 ,hence another ,chaldean oracle says1 4 i4 e4 8,the mortal who approaches to fire will have a light from divinity40 ,hercules1 as we also learn from ,proclus1 was an example of this telestic purification4 ,for he says1 1 1 1 in ,plat4 ,polit4 p4 #chb4 i4 e4 8,hercules being purified through the telestic art1 and participating of undefiled fruits1 obtained a perfect restoration to the ,gods40 ,footnote #aaj3 ,in the original1 1 ' 4 ,but it appears to me that we should here read1 conformably to the above translation1 1 1 ' 4 ,footnote #aaa3 ,these media consist of the order of ,gods denominated 1 or rulers1 and of those called 1 or liberated2 the former of which also are denominated supermundane1 and the latter supercelestial1 in consequence of existing immediately above the celestial ,gods4 ,see1 concerning these media1 the sixth book of my translation of ,proclus on the ,theology of ,plato4 ,footnote #aab3 ,proclus on the ,first ,alcibiades observes1 8that about every ,god there is an innumerable multitude of dmons1 who have the same appellations with their leaders4 ,and that these are delighted when they are called by the names of ,apollo or ,jupiter1 because they express in themselves the characteristic peculiarity of their leading ,gods40 ,in the same admirable commentary1 also1 he says1 8that in the most holy of the mysteries i4 e4 in the ,eleusinian mysteries1 prior to the appearance of divinity1 the incursions of certain terrestrial dmons present themselves to the view1 alluring the souls of the spectators from undefiled good to matter40 ,footnote #aac3 ,it is beautifully observed by ,simplicius on ,epictetus1 8that as if you take away letters from a sentence1 or change them1 the form of the sentence no longer remains1 thus also in divine works or words1 if any thing is deficient1 or is changed1 or is confused1 divine illumination does not take place1 but the indolence of him who does this dissolves the power of what is effected40 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 4 ,footnote #aad3 ,conformably to this1 ,servius1 in his ,annotations on the words ,diique1 deque omnes-- in the sixth book of the neid observes1 8more pontificum1 per quos ritu veteri in omnibus sacris post speciales ,deos1 quos ad ipsum sacrum1 quod fiebat necesse erat invocari1 generaliter omnia numina invocabantur40 i4 e4 8,this is spoken after the manner of the pontiffs1 by whom1 according to ancient rites1 in all sacrifices1 after the appropriate ,gods whom it was necessary to invoke to the sacrifice1 all the divinities were invoked in general40 ,and in his ,annotations on the seventh of the neid he informs us1 8that king neus offered a sacrifice of first fruits to all the divinities but ,diana1 who being enraged sent a boar as a punishment for the neglect40 ,with respect to this anger1 however1 of ,diana1 it is necessary to observe with ,proclus1 8that the anger of the ,gods does not refer any passion to them1 but indicates our inaptitude to participate of them40 1 1 4 ,footnote #aae3 ,plotinus was a man of this description1 to whom1 most probably1 ,iamblichus alludes in what he now says4 ,footnote #aaf3 ,in the original 3 but it is doubtless requisite to read with ,gale1 4 ,this ,i have translated a certain divine legislation1 because we are informed by ,proclus1 in ,platon4 ,theol4 lib4 iv4 p4 #bjf1 8that is connected with deity1 and pertains more to intelligibles2 but that 1 which unfolds intellectual distribution1 is adapted to the intellectual fathers40 1 1 4 ,footnote #aag3 8,perhaps10 says ,proclus1 in ,,ms4 ,comment1 in ,parmenid4 8it is necessary that1 as in souls1 natures1 and bodies1 fabrication does not begin from the imperfect2 so likewise in matter1 prior to that which is formless1 and which has an evanescent being1 there is that which is in a certain respect form1 and which is beheld in one boundary and permanency40 ,this1 therefore1 will be the pure and divine matter of which ,iamblichus is now speaking4 ,damascius also says1 that matter is from the same order whence form is derived4 ,footnote #aah3 ,this particular respecting the apples of gold is added from the version of ,scutellius1 who appears to have translated this work from a more perfect manuscript than that which was used by ,gale4 ,footnote #aai3 ,the conjecture of ,gale1 that for in this place1 we should read 1 is1 ,i have no doubt1 right4 ,for the highest order of intelligibles is denominated by ,orpheus the adytum1 as we are informed by ,proclus in ,tim4 ,by the arcanum in the adytum1 therefore1 is meant the deity who subsists at the extremity of the intelligible order 7i4 e4 ,phanes72 and of whom it is said in the ,chaldean ,oracles1 8that he remains in the paternal profundity1 and in the adytum1 near to the god-nourished silence40 ,footnote #abj3 ,for 1 ,i read 4 4 4 ,footnote #aba3 ,here too for ,i read 4 ,footnote #abb3 ,conformably to this1 ,martianus ,capella also1 in lib4 ii4 ,de ,nuptiis ,philol4 c4 speaking of the sun1 says1 8,ibi quandam navim1 totius natur cursus diversa cupiditate moderantem1 cunctaque flammarum congestione plenissimam1 et beatis circumactam mercibus conspicatur4 ,cui naut septem1 germani tamen1 suique similes prsidebant in prora4 ,prsidebat in prora felis forma depicta1 leonis in arbore1 crocodili in extimo40 ,for these animals1 the cat1 the lion1 and the crocodile were peculiarly sacred to the sun4 ,martianus adds1 8,in eadem vero rate1 fons quidem lucis there1 arcanisque fluoribus manans1 in totius mundi lumina fundebatur40 i4 e4 8,in the same ship there was a fountain of etherial light flowing with arcane streams1 which were poured into all the luminaries of the world40 ,porphyry1 likewise1 in his treatise ,de ,antro ,nymph4 says1 8that the ,egyptians placed the sun and all dmons not connected with any thing solid or stable1 but raised on a sailing vessel40 ,footnote #abc3 ,in the original 1 which ,gale erroneously translates animalia omnia4 ,footnote #abd3 ,of this kind are the following names in ,alexand4 ,trallian4 lib4 ii4 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 i4e4 ,meu1 ,threu1 ,mor1 ,phor1 ,teux1 ,za1 ,zn1 ,the1 ,lou1 ,chri1 ,ge1 ,ze1 n4 ,by these names ,alexander ,trallianus says1 the sun becomes fixed in the heavens4 ,he adds1 8,again behold the great name 1 7lege 71 1 1 1 1 1 i4 e4 ,ia1 ,azuph1 ,zun1 ,threux1 ,ban1 ,chk40 ,among the ,latins1 also1 ,cato1 ,varro1 and ,marcellus de ,medicamentis ,empiricis1 there are examples of these names2 the power and efficacy of which1 as ,gale observes1 are testified by history1 though it is not easy to explain the reason of their operation4 ,footnote #abe3 ,proclus1 in commenting on the following words of ,plato in the ,timus1 7see vol4 i4 p4 #bbh1 of my translation of his ,commentary71 viz4 8,let1 therefore1 this universe be denominated by us all heaven1 or the world1 or whatever other appellation it may be especially adapted to receive10 beautifully thus observes concerning the divine name of the world4 8,as of statues established by the telestic art1 some things pertaining to them are manifest1 but others are inwardly concealed1 being symbolical of the presence of the ,gods1 and which are only known to the mystic artists themselves2 after the same manner1 the world being a statue of the intelligible1 and perfected by the father1 has indeed some things which are visible indications of its divinity2 but others1 which are the invisible impressions of the participation of being received by it from the father1 who gave it perfection1 in order that through these it may be eternally rooted in real being4 ,heaven1 indeed1 and the world are names significant of the powers in the universe2 the latter1 so far as it proceeds from the intelligible2 but the former1 so far as it is converted to it4 ,it is1 however1 necessary to know that the divine name of its abiding power1 and which is a symbol of the impression of the ,demiurgus1 according to which it does not proceed out of being1 is ineffable and arcane1 and known only to the ,gods themselves4 ,for there are names adapted to every order of things2 those1 indeed1 that are adapted to divine natures being divine1 to the objects of dianoia being dianoetic1 and to the objects of opinion doxastic4 ,this also ,plato says in the ,cratylus1 where he embraces what is asserted by ,homer on this subject1 who admits that names of the same things are with the ,gods different from those that subsist in the opinions of men1 ,xanthus by ,god1 by men ,scamander call'd ,,iliad xx4 v4 #gd4 ,and1 ,which the ,gods ,chalcis1 men ,cymindis call4 ,,iliad xiv4 v4 #bia4 ,and in a similar manner in many other names4 ,for as the knowledge of the ,gods is different from that of partial souls1 thus also the names of the one are different from those of the other2 since divine names unfold the whole essence of the things named1 but those of men only partially come into contact with them4 ,plato1 therefore1 knowing that this preexisted in the world1 omits the divine and ineffable name itself1 which is different from the apparent name1 and with the greatest caution introduces it as a symbol of the divine impression which the world contains4 ,for the words1 8or whatever other appellation0 and 8it may receive0 are a latent hymn of the mundane name1 as ineffable1 and as allotted a divine essence1 in order that it may be coordinate to what is signified by it4 ,hence1 also1 divine mundane names are delivered by ,theurgists2 some of which are called by them ineffable1 but others effable2 and some being significant of the invisible powers in the world1 but others of the visible elements from which it derives its completion4 ,through these causes1 therefore1 as hypotheses1 the mundane form1 the demiurgic cause and paradigm1 and the apparent and unapparent name of the world are delivered4 ,and the former name1 indeed1 is dyadic1 but the latter monadic4 ,for the words 8whatever other0 are significant of oneness4 ,you may also consider the ineffable name of the universe as significant of its abiding in the father2 but the name world1 as indicative of its progression2 and heaven of its conversion4 ,but through the three1 you have the final cause1 on account of which it is full of good2 abiding ineffably1 proceeding perfectly1 and converting itself to the good as the antecedent object of desire40 ,footnote #abf3 ,see the additional notes at the end of vol4 v4 of my translation of ,plato1 where many of these names are beautifully unfolded from the ,,ms4 ,scholia of ,proclus on the ,cratylus4 ,footnote #abg3 ,see the additional notes at the end of vol4 v4 of my translation of ,plato1 and also the notes to my translation of ,aristotle de ,interpretatione1 in which the reader will find a treasury of recondite information concerning names1 from ,proclus and ,ammonius4 ,footnote #abh3 ,most historians give the palm of antiquity to the ,egyptians4 ,and ,lucian1 in lib4 ,de ,syria ,dea1 says1 8that the ,egyptians are said to be the first among men that had a conception of the ,gods1 and a knowledge of sacred concerns4----,they were also the first that had a knowledge of sacred names40 ---- 4 ,conformably to this1 also1 an oracle of ,apollo1 quoted by ,eusebius1 says that the ,egyptians were the first that disclosed by infinite actions the path that leads to the ,gods4 ,this oracle is as follows3 1 1 1 4 ' 1 1 1 1 7lege 7 4 i4e4 8,the path by which to deity we climb1 ,is arduous1 rough1 ineffable1 sublime2 ,and the strong massy gates1 through which we pass ,in our first course1 are bound with chains of brass4 ,those men the first who of ,egyptian birth ,drank the fair water of ,nilotic earth1 ,disclosed by actions infinite this road1 ,and many paths to ,god ,phnicians show'd4 ,this road th' ,assyrians pointed out to view1 ,and this the ,lydians and ,chaldeans knew40 ,for in this oracle ,i read 1 because ,i have no doubt that either ,aristobulus the ,jew1 well known for interpolating the writings of the ,heathens1 or the wicked ,eusebius as he is called by the ,emperor ,julian1 have fraudulently substituted the former word for the latter4 ,footnote #abi3 ,prayers of this kind are such as those of which ,proclus speaks in ,tim4 p4 #fe1 when he says1 8,the cathartic prayer is that which is offered for the purpose of averting diseases originating from pestilence1 and other contagious distempers1 such as we have written in our temples40 71 1 ' 4 ,footnote #acj3 ,porphyry1 in lib4 ii4 ,de ,abstinentia1 mentions ,seleucus the theologist1 and ,suidas says that ,seleucus the ,alexandrian wrote #ajj books concerning the ,gods4 ,footnote #aca3 ,these books 77 were most probably nothing more than short discourses1 such as the treatises now are which are circulated as written by ,hermes1 and which1 as ,iamblichus informs us1 contain ,hermaic doctrines4 ,footnote #acb3 ,a great priest1 a scribe of the ,adyta in ,egypt1 by birth a ,sebanite1 and an inhabitant of ,heliopolis1 as he relates of himself4 ,footnote #acc3 ,in the original1 1 which ,gale translates1 prior etiam primo ,deo1 et rege sole4 ,but the addition of sole in his translation is obviously most unappropriate and false3 for ,iamblichus is evidently speaking of a deity much superior to the sun4 ,footnote #acd3 ,for here1 ,gale conjectures that we should read ,kneph3 for ,plutarch says that the unbegotten ,kneph was celebrated with an extraordinary degree of veneration by the ,egyptian ,thebans4 ,footnote #ace3 ,hence the moon is said by ,proclus to be 1 the self-visible statue or image of nature4 ,footnote #acf3 ,proclus in ,tim4 p4 #aag1 cites what is here said as the doctrine of the ,egyptians1 and also cites for it the authority of ,iamblichus4 ,but his words are1 7 7 4 41 i4 e4 8,moreover the doctrine of the ,egyptians asserts the same things concerning matter4 ,for the divine ,iamblichus relates that ,hermes also produces matter from essentiality40 ,footnote #acg3 ,this is most probably the ,chremon who is said by ,porphyry1 in lib4 iv4 ,de ,abstinentia1 8to be a lover of truth1 an accurate writer1 and very conversant with the ,stoic philosophy40 ' ' 1 4 ,footnote #ach3 ,this was the ninth king in the twenty-sixth dynasty of the ,saitan kings4 ,footnote #aci3 ,this city is mentioned by ,plato in the ,timus1 who represents ,critias as saying 8that there is a certain region of ,egypt1 called ,delta1 about the summit of which the streams of the ,nile are divided1 and in which there is a province called ,saitical40 ,he adds1 8of this province the greatest city is ,sas1 from which also ,king ,amasis derived his origin4 ,the city has a presiding divinity1 whose name is1 in the ,egyptian tongue1 ,neith1 but in the ,greek ,athena1 or ,minerva40 ,it is singular that ,gale1 who is not deficient in philology1 though but a smatterer in philosophy1 should have omitted to remark in his notes this passage of ,plato4 ,footnote #adj3 ,proclus1 in ,,ms4 ,comment1 in ,alcibiad4 cites one of the ,chaldean oracles1 which says1 ---- ' 4 i4 e4 8,there is a transmitting name which leaps into the infinite worlds40 ,and in his ,,ms4 ,scholia in ,cratyl4 he quotes another of these oracles1 viz4 1 1 4 i4 e4 8,there is a venerable name with a sleepless revolution1 leaping into the worlds through the rapid reproofs of the father40 ,footnote #ada3 ,for in this place1 ,i read 4 ,footnote #adb3 ,gale1 in his translation of this part1 has entirely mistaken the meaning of ,iamblichus1 which he frequently does in other places4 ,for the words of ,iamblichus are1 1 2 and the version of ,gale is 8quando enim pars nostri melior operari incipiat1 et ad sui portionem meliorem recolligatur anima40 ,for is not the better part of the soul2 but when the better parts of the soul energize1 the soul is then intimately converted to itself1 and through this conversion is elevated to superior natures4 ,footnote #adc3 ,viz4 ,the science of calculating nativities4 ,footnote #add3 i4 e4 ,the joint risings and settings4 ,footnote #ade3 i4 e4 ,through a period of #cjj1jjj years2 and ,procl4 in ,tim4 lib4 iv4 p4 #bgg1 informs us that the ,chaldeans had observations of the stars which embraced whole mundane periods4 ,what ,proclus likewise asserts of the ,chaldeans is confirmed by ,cicero in his first book on ,divination1 who says that they had records of the stars for the space of #cgj1jjj years2 and by ,diodorus ,siculus1 ,bibl4 lib4 xi4 p4 #aah1 who says that their observations comprehended the space of #dgc1jjj years4 ,footnote #adf3 8,we say10 says ,hephestion1 8that a star is the lord of the geniture1 which has five conditions of the lord of the nativity in the horoscope2 viz4 if that star receives the luminaries in their proper boundaries1 in their proper house1 in their proper altitude1 and in the proper triangle40 ,he also adds1 8and if besides it has contact1 effluxion1 and configuration40 ,see likewise ,porphyry in ,ptolemum1 p4 #aia4 ,footnote #adg3 ,according to the ,egyptians every one received his proper dmon at the hour of his birth2 nor did they ascend any higher1 in order to obtain a knowledge of it4 ,for they alone considered the horoscope4 ,see ,porphyry apud ,stobum1 p4 #bja1 and ,hermes in ,revolut4 cap4 iv4 ,footnote #adh3 ,in the original 1 4 ,but instead of 1 which appears to me to be defective1 ,i read 4 ,footnote #adi3 ,for here1 ,i read 4 ,footnote #aej3 ,in the original1 by a strange mistake1 is inserted here instead of 1 which is obviously the true reading4 ,the version of ,gale also has intelligibilium4 ,footnote #aea3 i4 e4 ,man1 considered as a rational soul1 connected with the irrational life2 for this man has dominion in the realms of generation4 ,footnote #aeb3 ,see the second edition of this work in ,nos4 ,,xv4 and ,,xvi4 of the ,pamphleteer4 ,footnote #aec3 i4 e4 ,of natures which are not connected with body4 ,footnote #aed3 ,for in these1 all are in each1 but not all in all4 ,footnote #aee3 ,by an unaccountable mistake here is inserted instead of 2 but the mistake is not noticed by the ,german editor of these ,scholia4 ,footnote #aef3 ,and in consequence of this mistake1 for in this place1 we must read 4 ,footnote #aeg3 ,odyss4 xi4 #fab4 ,footnote #aeh3 ,iliad xv4 #fje4 ,footnote #aei3 ,for here1 it is necessary to read 4 ,footnote #afj3 ,and for read 4 ,footnote #afa3 ,for here1 it is necessary to read 4 ,footnote #afb3 ,the ,german editor of these ,scholia1 instead of which is the true reading in this place1 and which he found in the manuscript1 absurdly substitutes for it 1 as if ,hercules was a pugilist4 ,see my translation of the ,dissertation at ,maximus ,tyrius1 on the ,practic and ,theoretic ,life4 ,footnote #afc3 ,vid4 ,olympiodor4 in ,aristot4 ,meteor4 ---------------------------------------- -------------------------------- ,,books ,,published ,,by ,,bertram ,,dobell ,in ,two ,volumes4 ,post #hvo4 ,price #abs4 #f;d4 ,,the ,,poetical ,,works ,,of ,,james ,,thomson 78,,bysshe ,,vanolis07 ,,edited ,,by ,,bertram ,,dobell ,with a ,memoir and ,portraits of the ,author 8#8,the ,city of ,dreadful ,night' ranks with ,omar ,khayyam's ,rubaiyat as a lyrical expression of despair1 and it strikes a deeper note40--,daily ,news4 8,thomson's work 444 has intensity1 it has grip1 it has that power of imaginative realism which gives to conceptions1 embodied in words1 the arresting quality of objects present to sense4444 ,he was a creator and a singer1 and in his creation and in his song his powers were finely co-ordinated to imaginative ends4 ,even his most repellently pessimistic verse has the fascination of gloomy grandeur1 and when1 as in such poems as #8,the ,happy ,poet' and #8,sunday up the ,river1' he rises into an ampler ether1 a diviner air1 his verse has not only the impressiveness of power1 but the witchery of delight40--,westminster ,gazette4 8,messrs4 ,reeves ,turner and ,mr4 ,dobell have published in two volumes the collected works of ,james ,thomson1 the poet of that #8melancholia which transcends all wit1' as he terms it himself4 ,the sad story of his life is told with sympathy and fairness in a memoir by ,mr4 ,bertram ,dobell1 who has edited the work4 ,the pessimistic and heterodox utterances of the author of #8,the ,city of ,dreadful ,night' were never likely to be very popular1 but this excellent edition will be very welcome to many who know the strength and true poetry of many of his writings40--,daily ,telegraph4 ,crown #hvo1 pp4 #ccd4 ,price #gs4 #f;d4 ,,the ,,life ,,of ,,james ,,thomson ,,by ,,henry ,s4 ,,salt ,,with ,a ,,portrait 8,such is the story which ,mr4 ,salt tells1 and tells simply and sympathetically4 ,he #8had not the advantage of personal acquaintance with ,james ,thomson1' but he writes as if he had4 ,there is a brighter side to the picture1 and to this also the biographer does justice4 ,he throws into relief the brighter qualities of this unhappy man2 his social gifts1 his brilliant talk1 his capacity of friendship1 receptivity and humour1 and above all1 his popularity4 ,we are treated to plenty of his letters1 and these really are a treat4444 ,but whatever the demerits of ,mr4 ,salt's criticism1 this seems certain3 that the perusal of his #8,life of ,james ,thomson' will prove in most cases a prelude to the perusal of ,james ,thomson's works40--,scots ,observer4 ,crown #hvo1 pp4 #bhb4 ,price #fs4 ,,poems1 ,,essays1 ,,and ,,fragments ,,by ,,james ,,thomson 78,b4,v407 8,of the essays in this volume1 the principal are those on ,emerson1 ,burns1 ,shelley1 ,blake1 and ,walt ,whitman4 ,all these contain solid1 though unequal work1--the first named1 for instance1 reproducing ,emerson's peculiar staccato style too closely to be pleasant4 ,those on ,blake and ,walt ,whitman are1 we think1 his best1 though we are not sure that we agree with ,mr4 ,robertson in thinking that ,thomson was really more competent in prose than in poetry40--,the ,speaker4 ,,catalogue ,,of ,a ,,collection ,,of ,,privately ,,printed ,,books ,,compiled ,,and ,,annotated ,,by ,,bertram ,,dobell ,parts ,i4 to ,,iii4 now ready4 ,price ,one ,shilling each4 ,to be completed in five or six parts4 8,mr4 ,bertram ,dobell has now issued the second part of his #8,catalogue of ,privately ,printed ,books1' coming down to the letter ,n4 ,this consists1 it may be as well to state1 entirely of such books as are in ,mr4 ,dobell's own possession2 but as he has been collecting them for many years past1 and as he appends copious notes to the titles1 the work will always possess a permanent bibliographical value4 ,we observe that he describes a large number of pieces printed at the private press of ,charles ,clark1 of ,great ,totham1 ,essex1 which possess little interest beyond curiosity2 but he seems to have none of the dialect specimens of ,prince ,l4 ,l4 ,buonaparte1 and the only examples of ,mr4 ,daniel's ,oxford ,press1 that we have found are under the head of ,canon ,dixon others have since been noticed4 ,the ,appleton ,press of ,mr4 ,w4 ,j4 ,linton is fairly represented1 and so is that of the late ,halliwell-,phillipps4 ,altogether the curious reader will find here much to interest him in one of the by-paths of literature40--,the ,academy4 ---------------------------------------- -------------------------------- ,,transcriber',s ,,notes #a4 ,silently corrected obvious typographical errors and variations in spelling4 #b4 ,retained archaic1 non-standard1 and uncertain spellings as printed4 #c4 ,enclosed italics font in underscores4 #d4 ,enclosed bold or blackletter font in equals4