POEMANDRES. I. 15 



Water. 1 And it becoming evening, and the splendour of ( 

 the sun beginning to be wholly set, I called upon them to 

 give thanks to The God ; and having fulfilled the thanks- 

 giving, each returned to his own couch. 2 



30. But I inscribed within myself the beneficence of 

 Poemandres, and fulfilled with the things which I wished, 

 I was exceedingly rejoiced, for the sleep of the body be- 

 came sobriety of the soul (a), and the closing of the eyes i 

 true vision, and my silence pregnant with the good, and ! 

 the utterance of speech productions (&) of good things, 

 But this happened to me receiving from my Mind, that 

 is of the Poemandres, the Word of the supreme authority(c), j 

 whence becoming God-inspired (d), 3 1 arrived at the truth. 

 Wherefore I give from soul and whole strength blessing 

 to The Father God. 



31. Holy The God, The Father of the Universals (), 

 whose counsel is perfected by His own powers. Holy The 

 God Who willeth to be known and is known by His own. 

 Holy Thou art Who by Word hast constituted the Entities. / 

 Thou art Holy, of Whom all nature was born image (/).* 

 Thou art Holy Whom the nature formed not (g). Thou 

 art Holy Who art stronger than all power. Thou art Holy 

 Who art greater than all excellence. Thou art Holy Who 



(a) vq-fyig TJJf -j/vxqs. (&) yittNfciMtra. (c) T 



(d) 0&o7rvov$. (e) rav oXwv. (/) sizav s(pv. ((j) sp optpaasv. 



1 " Except a man be born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter 

 into the kingdom of God " (John iii. 5). " Jesus answered and said, If 

 thou knewest the gift of God, and who it is that saith to thee, Give me 

 to drink, thou wouldest have asked of Him and He would have given 

 thee living water." " The water that I shall give him shall become 

 in him a well of water springing up unto eternal life " (ibid. iv. 10, 

 14). See ch. iiL, x,poc.rv)p f post. 



2 From this passage some have surmised that this Hermes might 

 have been one of the Therapeutse, whose custom it was to worship 

 and sing praises thus at sunsetting. 



3 The meaning is doubtful. (Q.) If not QtoKvsvs a, wea. In Parthey's 

 edition, the VQVS is not circumflexed. Here, by anticipation, are pro- 

 pounded the tenets of the Egyptian Mystics, and indeed of the Mystics 

 of all ages of Christendom. 



* See ante, 8, and notes. 



