74 HERMES TRISMEGISTUS. 



-course, Hermes! most beloved to me I say, as thou nearest, 

 the World also to be transformed because of part of it 

 becoming each day in the obscure, but by no means to be 

 dissolved. And these are the passions (a) of the World, 

 revolutions and occultations (b). And the revolution is 

 conversion (c), but the occult ation, renovation. 



16. For the World is of all manner of forms (d\ not 

 having the forms lying without, but itself changing them 

 in itself. Since then the World was generated of all forms, 

 He having made it, what should He be? for without 

 form (e) indeed He cannot be, and if He be also of all forms 

 He will be like to the World. But having one form so 

 far He will be inferior to the World. What then may we 

 say Him to be? lest we reduce the discourse into doubt- 

 fulness ; for nothing doubtful is to be understood about 

 The God. He has then one Idea (/), which is His proper 

 own(#), which incorporeal, may not be subject of(h) the 

 sight ; and shows all [ideas] by means of the bodies. And 

 be not astonished if there be some incorporeal idea. 



17. For it is as if that of the discourse, and margins (i) 

 in the writings (&). For they are seen being wholly out- 

 side, but smooth in the nature, they are also entirely even. 

 But consider what is said more boldly, but yet more truth- 

 fully. For just as a man cannot live apart from life, so 

 neither can The God live without doing the Good. For 

 this is as it were Life and as it were motion of The God, 

 to move all things and to vivify. 



18. But some of the things spoken ought to have pecu- 

 liar consideration ; understand as such what I say. All 

 things are in The God ; not as if lying in place ; for the 

 place indeed is both body and immoveable, and things 

 lying have not motion. For they lie otherwise (I) in in- 

 corporeal, otherwise in appearance. Understand Him com- 

 prising all things, and understand, that than the incorporeal, 



(a) 7ra,9n. (It) ^tvyatis x.ot,\ x,pvi]/et$. (c) 



(d) 'TroiVTOff.op^of. (e) olpoptyoc. (/) 



(y) fttoi. (fl) VTroffretty. (i) ocxpapsioe.1. 



