PREFACE. xv 



attributed to Hermes was published at Paris, by Dr Louis 

 Meuard, in 1866, in quarto, and again in 1868 in small 

 octavo. This translation is by no means literal, often an 

 abbreviation, and sometimes incorrect. It is prefaced by 

 a critical dissertation on the authorship and contents of 

 the Hermetic books respectively, which contains much 

 curious information. This work was crowned by the 

 Academy of Inscriptions and Belles Lettres, but is dis- 

 cursive and not sufficiently discriminative. Nevertheless 

 the conclusions of the writer have often been adopted as 

 correct in the present volume. 



In 1781 Dietrich Tiedemann, Professor of Philosophy at 

 the University of Marbourg, the author of several works on 

 the philosophies of the Greeks and Egyptians, published 

 at Berlin and Stettin a translation into German of the 

 Poemandres, or Treatise by the Hermes Trismegistus of 

 " God's Might and Wisdom." 



In 1875, as already stated, Engelmann at Leipsic pub- 

 lished a dissertation on Hermes Trismegistus by Dr Eichard 

 Pietschmann, "after Egyptian, Greek, and Oriental sources," 

 which, however, relates mostly to the legendary Hermes, 

 and not to our author, but which contains a mine of infor- 

 mation on the general subject from a vast variety of 

 authorities, and may be considered introductory to the 

 present volume. 



At Bologna, 1820, was printed a dissertation on the 

 Hermaica, of which, however, the translator has not been 

 able to obtain a copy. Some others are referred to by 

 Me*nard in the preface to his volume. 



At 1855-1860 were published at Leipsic the complete 

 works of Stobasus in six volumes, correctly edited by 

 Augustus Meineke as part of the " Bibliotheca Scriptorum 

 Gra3corum et Komanorum Teubneriana," which, in his 

 " Physica et Ethica et Florilegium," contain large Excerpts 

 from Hermes. These constitute almost all we have of his 

 genuine works, beyond the "Poemandres," which we possess 

 entire, and the notices we have of them in the Fathers of 

 the Church. 



