POEMANDEES. IX. 53 



this understanding, but one is material, another essential. 

 For the one along with wickedness (material, as I said), 

 from the demons possesses (a) the seed of the understand- 

 ing ; but these along with the essentially good are saved 

 by The God. For The God is the Creator of all things ; 

 creating all things He makes all things like to Himself; 

 but these good things generated, in the use of energy are 

 barren : for the worldly course rubbing against (b) these 

 generations (c), makes them qualities, soiling these indeed 

 with the evilness, but purifying those with the Good. For 

 the World also, O Asclepius! has its proper sense and 

 understanding, not like to the human nor as various, but 

 as superior and simpler. 



6. For the sense and understanding of the World is 

 one, in the making all things, and unmaking them into 

 itself, organ of the will of The God; and so organised, 

 that, having received all the seeds unto itself from The 

 God, conserving them in itself, it might manifestly (d) make 

 all things, and dissolving might renew all things ; and 

 when thus dissolved, as a good agriculturist of life it 

 imparts by the change a renewal to these its offspring (e). 

 There is nothing that it does not engender alive (/). But 

 bearing it makes all things alive, and it is at once the 

 place and the creator of life. 



7. But the bodies from matter are in difference. For 

 some indeed are from earth, some from water, some from 

 air, and some from fire ; but all are composite (#), and 

 some are more so, some more simple ; more so indeed are 

 the heavier, the lighter less so. But the velocity (A) of its 

 course effects the variety of the generations of qualities (j). 

 For breath (&) being very dense stretches forth the quali- 

 ties (I) over the bodies with one fulness, that of the life. 



8. The God indeed then is Father of the World, but the 

 World of things in the world. And the World indeed is 



(a) iff%tf. (b) 93 xofffifKq (f>opoi rpifiovaa,, wearing away. 



(c) ra,s '/tviati;. (d) ti/etpyas. (e) (f>voftei/ot^. 



(/) oyoj>/. (g) avvQiTet. (h) i.e., rot> 



(t) rUSt 7TOIUSI '/WitJttoV. (k) KVQV). (I) 



