116 HERMES TRISMEGISTUS. 



ought to guard oneself against the many understanding 

 not the virtue of the things spoken. 



Tat. How mayest thou speak, Father ! 



Asclepius. Thus, Child ! every the animal of the 

 men is rather prepense (a) to the evil, and becomes (&} 

 nurtured along with this ; wherefore also he is pleased 

 with it. But this the animal, if he have learnt that the 

 "World is generated and all things are generate according 

 to Providence and by Necessity, Fate ruling over all 

 things, will not be by much worse than himself, 1 having 

 despised indeed the Universe as generated, and referring 

 the causes of the evil to the Fate, he will never abstain 

 from every evil work. Wherefore one should be on guard 

 as to them, in order that they being in ignorance may be 

 less evil, though fear of the obscure (c). 



XL 



OF HERMES FROM THE THINGS TO AMMON.S 

 (Stobceus, ibid. i. 720; Meinckc, i. 196; Patrit., 40). 



THE Soul then is incorporeal Essence, and though being 

 in body, does not depart from its proper essentiality. For 

 it happens being ever moveable according to Essence, and 

 according to Intelligence self-moveable (d); not moved in 

 something nor towards something, nor because of some- 

 thing ; for it is prior (e) in the Power ; but the prior has 

 no need of the latter ones. That in something then is the 

 place, and time, and nature ; that towards something is 

 harmony, and form, and figure (/), but that because of 

 which, the Body; for because of Body both Time, and 

 Place, and Nature ; but these have communion with each 



(a) etrtpps'TrtorTfpov. (6) avvrpotyov ytynsrott. (e) 



(d) otvTOx.fi/irrras. (e) TrporepeJ. (/) l/Boj xxl 



1 Will only follow his own evil nature. 



2 This is Ammon, the contemporary of our Hermes, not Am- 

 monius Saccas. 



