xviii PREFACE. 



found at Enclistra, in the island of Cyprus. It is a strange 

 production, being a dialogue between Isis and his son 

 Horus, with Momus, on the creation of the world and of 

 f souls, and of metempsychosis. It is in places Platonic, as 

 \ if citing the Timreus; and it quotes also by name Hermes, 

 and partly the account by him of the Creation in " Poem- 

 andres." Being apparently a summary of the Grseco- 

 Egyptian philosophy, it must be attributed to a Graeco- 

 Egyptian, probably of Alexandria; but it is scarcely Greek 

 at all, and there are few indications of its exact date. In 

 this production Hermes is spoken of in these words : 

 " Hermes, he understanding all things, who also saw the 

 whole of things together, and having seen, considered them, 

 and having considered them was powerful to explain and 

 show them. For what he understood he committed to 

 characters, and having committed them to characters, con- 

 cealed the most part, being silent with wisdom, and speak- 

 ing opportunely, in order that all the duration of the world 

 hereafter should search out these things; and thus having 

 ordered the gods, his brethren, to become his escort, he 

 ascended towards the constellations. But he had for suc- 

 cessor Tat, his son and heir of his science, and shortly after- 

 wards Asclepius, son of Imothes, by the counsel of Pan 

 and Haephsestus, and all those to whom the Almighty Provi- 

 dence reserved an exact knowledge of the things of 

 heaven. Hermes then excused himself to all his sur- 

 roundings for not delivering the entire theory to his sdn, 

 on account of his youth." From this it would appear that 

 the writer of this discourse was posterior to Asclepius, 

 that is, of the middle or end of the third century. A 

 third fragment of importance is usually included among 

 the " Hermaica," and is quoted by Lactantius with a like 

 \ want of critical sagacity. It is denominated the " Defini- 

 tions ("Opoi) of Asclepius to King Ammon." He calls 

 " Hermes my master, who conversed with me often alone 

 or in presence of Tat," and quotes many passages of the 

 " Poemandres." It is written with eloquence. Ammon 

 the king is supposed to be present, and the main portion is 



