CHAP. Xir. PYTHAGOREAN NUMBERS. 19-3 



to the even number 2 ; but 5, being generated as 

 it were out of both the preceding numbers, 2 and 

 3, may be said to bear an equal rehition to both, 

 as to its common parents. So, again, the mere 

 word which signifies the universe of beings, is of a 

 similar sound with this number (Travra, ttsvtsX as 

 to coiuit Jive* is made use of for counting in ge- 

 neral." 



On the subject of numbers, the same author 

 makes the following remarks : " It is my opinion, 

 when the Pythagoreans appropriate the names of 

 several of the Gods to particular numbers, as tliat 

 of Apollo to the unit, of Diana to the duad, 

 of Minerva to the 7> and of Neptune to the 

 first cubet, that they allude to something which 

 the founder of their sect saw in the Egyptian 

 temples, to some ceremonies performed in them, 

 or to some symbols there exhibited t:'* the same 

 " Pythagoreans also look upon Typho to have 

 been of the order of Demons, as, according to them, 

 *he was produced in the even number 5Q.^ For 

 as the power of the triangle is expressive of the 

 nature of Pluto, Bacchus, and Mars; the properties 

 of the square of Rhea, Venus, Ceres, Vesta, and 

 Juno ; and of the dodecagon of Jupiter ; so (we 



* The word " TrtixTraffaa-Gcu" is taken from counting by the five 

 fingers, — a primitive method in early times. The Egyptians some- 

 times represented the number 5 by a star, having, as usual, five rays ; 

 because, as Horapollo pretends, that is the number of the planets. 

 Ilorapollo, i. 13. 



-|- " Simplicius, in his Commentary on Aristotle's Treatise de Ccelo, 

 tells us that a cube was called by the Pythagoreans, harmony, because 

 it consists of twelve bounding lines, eight angles, and six sides; and 

 twelve, eight, and six, are in harmonic proportion." Vide Taylor's 

 Theor. Arithm. p. 153. 



X Plut. s. 10. 

 VOL, I. — Second Series. O 



