300 THE KING'S MIRROR 



reveals and makes known many things to mankind 

 which would be largely hidden from them, if He were 

 unwilling to have them revealed. And many things 

 which were formerly concealed in His own knowledge 

 He has made known to us, because He wishes man to 

 take a profitable interest in the wealth of knowledge 

 which he draws from the divine treasures. But as a 

 guide toward this interest which we have just mentioned 

 one should take special note of the words that Wis- 

 dom used concerning herself when she spoke in these 

 terms: 



" I am begotten of God's own heart; I have proceeded 

 from the mouth of the Highest; and I have ordered all 

 things.* The spirit of God moved over empty space, and 

 we separated light from darkness; we appointed hours 

 and times, days and nights, years and winters and ever- 

 lasting summer. We built a star-lit throne for the King 



Ijl^ l~*' o f heaven; yea, God did nothing except in my far-seeing 

 presence. Together we weighed the lightness of the air 



nJl*. >h<tf (^ n d the gravity of the earth; [we hung the ponderous 

 i \ Sphere of earth in the thin air and strengthened the fir- 

 (^mament of heaven with mighty forces./ We commanded 

 the blazing sun to adorn the brow of day with shining 

 beams; but the inconstant moon we bade illumine the 

 darkness of night with its pale sheen. We created a 

 comely man in our image. God also beautified the face 

 of the earth with trees and herbs yielding manifold 

 fruits; He called forth the beauties of the sky in the 

 form of birds of many kinds; and he concealed multi- 



* Cf. Proverbs, viii, 22 ff.; see also, among the " Apochrypha," Ecdesiasticus 

 (The Wisdom of Jesus the son of Sirach), xxiv, 5 ff. 



