Concerning the Three Principles of the Divine Essence

5. And here may be seen very exactly, who was the accuser of Cain, viz. the blood of Abel, which cried to God from the earth, and awakened the fierce anger against Cain ; where the essences of the soul of Abel, through the deep gate of anger, pressed into God, through the Treader upon the Serpent, and so stirred the root of the fire in Cain, whereby the anger was awakened. Here consider what the sighings of the righteous, and their pressing in to God (in their being unequally oppressed) can do, how it kindleth the anger of God, as in Cain ; whereas then fiery coals are heaped upon the driver's [or oppressor's] head.

3 the wrath, or 6. But when 3 it was allayed again by the voice of God, then Cain did not know how that came to pass, and set his murder at rest, like one who hath a secret gnawing dog sitting in the dark ; yet conscience.

Ch. 21] THE CAINISH AND ABELLISH KINGDOMS 559

he proceeded and built his powerful earthly kingdom, and did not wholly put his trust in God. For when he saw, that he must seek for his bread out of the earth, and must take his clothing from the l children of the earth, therefore all his business 1 the beasts, lay in the art of seeking how and which way he wWc might find, and how possess the treasure of that earthf the which was found, that he might always have enough ; because he saw God no more, therefore he did like Israel, who were brought out of Egypt by Moses, and when they saw him not (because he was on the mount) then they begun their dancing and false worship of God, and asked after Moses no more.

7. Thus Cain now built his earthly kingdom, and began to search all manner of arts, not only in

* agriculture, but also in metals, and further [all » husbandry, arts] according to the seven spirits of nature, tai!?go which 3in the letter is well to be seen, wherein gr°und-

* • j »

our schools [or universities] will now be masters ;

but they are not yet scholars in the ground. circumstances.

8. And it is excellently shewn, that they had

4 the light of the tincture in their hands, wherein 4 That is, in they found [their inventions], though it was not£yhad7he wholly known, for sins were not then in such thTiTjSJeV multiplicity upon the earth; and therefore the 6 Mysteries were not so very hard and close hidden' the Mysteries to them, but all was found out very easily ; S tfthL. especially by Adam, who had the Mysteries 6 in his 6 Or naked, hand, and was [but] entered out of the wonders of plain*11'

p. 560

THE THREE PRINCIPLES

[Ch. 21

1 Or kinds.

2 speech or word.

3 Or kind.

paradise into the wonders of this world, who knew not only the essences, * natures, and properties of all the beasts, but also of all plants and metals ; he knew also the ground of the seven liberal arts [arising] out of the seven forms of nature ; yet not so altogether out of the ground [or fundamentally]. But he was the tree, out of which afterwards all the roots and branches grew.

9. But the depth in the centre of the birth he knew much better than we in our schools [or universities] ; which is shewn by that 2 saying, That he gave names to all things, to every thing according to its essence, 3 nature, and property, as if he had stuck [or dwelt] in every thing, and tried

4 Or beings, all 4 essences ; whereas he had the knowledge of them only from their sound, also from their form and aspect, smell and taste ; the metals he knew in the glance of the tincture, and in the fire, as it may yet well be known.