66 HERMES TRISMEGISTUS. 



passible. 1 For there is a community of Souls, and those 

 of the Gods hold communion with those of the men, and 

 those of the men with those of the irrationals. But the 

 superior take care of the inferior, Gods of men, 2 but men 

 of the irrational animals, but The God of all. For He is 

 Superior to all, and all are inferior to Him. The World 

 then is subject to The God; but the Man to the World, 

 and the irrational to the Man; but The God is over all 

 things and about all things. And of The God indeed the 

 Energies are like as rays, and of the World the natures are 

 rays, but of the Man the arts and sciences are rays. And 

 these Energies indeed energize throughout the world, and 

 upon the Man through the physical rays of the World, but 

 the natures through the elements, but the men through 

 the Arts and Sciences. 



23. And this is the administration of the Universe (a), 

 dependent from the Nature of The One and pervading it 

 through the Mind of One. 3 Than which nothing is more 

 divine and more energetic, or more unitive (&) of Men in- 

 deed to the Gods, or of Gods to the Men. This is the 

 Good demon. Blessed the Soul which is fullest of this; 

 unfortunate the Soul which is void of this. 



Tat. How sayest thou thus again, Father? 



Hermes. Dost thou think then, Child! that every 

 soul has the good Mind? for it is of this that our discourse 

 is about, not concerning the servile one(c), concerning 

 whom we have just before spoken, him sent down- 

 wards (d) because of the judgment. 



24. For Soul apart from the Mind can neither say any- 



(ct) B/o/fc>70'/ rov KOIVTOS. (b) kvutiKOrtipov. 



(c) VKYipsrixov. (d) Kd.roe.'Tri^'Trof^ivov. 



1 The following, down to the end of this chapter, is extracted by 

 Stobaeus (Physica, 766; Meineke, i. 213). 



2 " Are they " (i.e., Angels) " not all ministering Spirits, sent forth 

 to do service for the sake of them that shall inherit salvation?" (Heb. 

 i. 14). " When The Most High divided the nations, when He separated 

 the Sons of Adam, He set the bounds of the nations according to the 

 number of the Angels of God" (Deut. xxxii. 8, Septuagint Version). 



3 Or " through the One Mind." 



