78 HERMES TRISMEGISTUS. 



the grief and the pleasure. For of the composite body 

 both the grief and the pleasure seethe (a), just as humours, 

 into which the Soul having entered is immerged (&). 



3. In whatsoever souls then the Mind presides to these 

 it shows its own light, practising against their proclivi- 

 ties (c) ; just as a good physician pains the body pre-occupied 

 fay disease, burning or cutting for the sake of health. In 

 the same way also the Mind pains the Soul, extricating it 

 from pleasure, by which every disease of Soul is generate. 

 A great disease of the Soul is Atheism (c), since thereupon 

 follows opinion (e\ unto all things that are evil and nothing 

 good. Thus then the Mind counteracting this, procures 

 the Good for the Soul, as also the physician the health for 

 the body. 



4. But as many human Souls as have not obtained The 

 Mind as pilot, suffer the same with those of the irrational 

 animals. For becoming co-operator with them and letting 

 loose the desires to which they are borne, tending to- 

 gether (/) by the force of the appetite to the irrational, like 

 as the irrationality of the animals, irrationally enraged and 

 irrationally desiring, they cease not, nor have satiety of 

 the evils. For angers and irrational desires are excessive 

 vices. But for these, as it were avenger and convicter, The 

 God hath set over them the law. 1 



5. Tat. There, Father ! the discourse concerning the 

 Fate, that previously uttered to me, is in danger of being 



, overthrown. For if it is altogether fated to this some one 

 to fornicate or commit sacrilege, or to do any other evil 

 something, why is he punished, he from necessity of Fate 

 having done the deed? 



(a) tyovffiv. (&) fieMrrt^erott. (c) TrpoKypfAoKJiv. 



(d) dfaoTYig. (e) ($o|oc. (/) avvTtivcivaa$. 



1 " What then is the law 1 ? It was added because of transgressions " 

 (Gal. iii. 19). 



Plato in " Laws" (716) says: "The God then, as is also the ancient 

 saying, having the beginning and the end and the mean of all 

 Entities, terminates things directly, proceeding according to Nature. 

 But with Him ever follows on Justice, avenger of those who depart 

 from the Divine Law" (Hermann's Edit., v. 118). 



