00 HERMES TRISMEGISTUS. 



Tat. Avengers I have then in myself, O Father ! 



Hermes. Not few, O Child ! but both fearful and many. 



Tat. I am ignorant, O Father ! 



Hermes. This is one Avengeress, Child ! Ignorance ; 

 but the second Grief, the third Intemperance, the fourth 

 Concupiscence, the fifth Injustice, the sixth Covetousness, 

 the seventh Deceit, the eighth Envy, the ninth Cheatery, the 

 tenth Wrath, the eleventh Kashness, the twelfth Malice (a) ; 

 these are in number twelve; but under these are more 

 others, Child ! and through the prison of the body they 

 compel the within placed (&) man to suffer in his senses. 1 



8. But these stand off, not forthwith (c), from him who 

 is pitied by The God ; and thus is composed (d) both the 

 way and reason of the Kegeneration. Henceforward, 

 Child! be silent and speak well; and through this the 

 mercy will not cease to us from The God. Kejoice hence- 

 forward, Child ! being purified by the powers of The 

 God unto comprehension (e) of the discourse. Knowledge 

 of The God hath come to us, and that coming, Child ! 

 the ignorance is banished. Knowledge of joy hath come 

 to us; this having arrived, Child ! Grief will fly to those 

 who give place to it. I call the Temperance (/) power for 

 joy, 2 sweetest power ! Let us assume it, O Child ! most 

 readily. How along with the arrival hath it expelled the 

 intemperance. 



9. But the fourth now I call Endurance (#), the power 

 -adverse to the concupiscence. This degree, Child ! is 

 the fixed seat of Justice (li) ; for without contention behold 

 how it hath banished the injustice. We are justified, O 

 Child ! injustice being absent. The sixth power coming 



(a) xotxix. (6) sv^ia-^roi/. (c) 



(d) ovviarotroti. (e) avvoc.p&puaiv. (/) iyx,paiTice,. 



(g) xaprtpieiv, continence. (h) 



1 " The works of the flesh are manifest, which are fornication, un- 

 cleanness, lasciviousness, idolatry, sorcery, enmities, strife, jealousies, 

 wraths, factions, divisions, heresies, envying, drunkenness, revellings, 

 And such like" (Galat. v. 19). 



2 Temperance was considered the greatest virtue by the Platonists, 

 and to include almost every other. 



