Thrice-Greatest Hermes, Vol. I — G. R. S. Mead (1906)

Of the Trismegistic writings of Asclepius, Lactantius (D. I., ii. 15, 7) mentions a " Perfect Sermon " to the King (Ammon),1 and also refers to a rich ancient literature by Asclepius addressed to the same king.

Reitzenstein (p. 123), moreover, says that C. IT., (xvii.) presupposes writings addressed to the same King Ammon by Tat ; but I gather that the persons of the dialogue are really Asclepius and the King, and not Tat, and that Tat has been substituted for Asclepius by some copyist in error.

However this may be, there was a large literature addressed by Hermes himself to Ammon, as we may see from the distinct statement in P. S. A.t i. 2, and also from Stobseus, Exx. xil-xix. The same tradition is preserved in the presumably later Hermetic treatise, latromathematica, which is also addressed to Ammon.2

1 Probably our 0. H. (xvi.).

2 Camerarius, Astrologica (Nurnberg, 1537) ; Hermetis latrotnath., ed. Hoeschel (1597) ; Ideler, Physici et Medici Grceci Minores, i. 387 and 430. latromathematici were those who practised medicine in conjunction with astrology, as was done in Egypt (Procl., Paraph. Ptol., p. 24).

PROPHET AND KING

Here, then, we have another type of literature, and that, too, very ancient, in which the wise Priest and Prophet is set over against the King as teacher or discoverer of hidden wisdom. This we have already seen to have been the relationship between the Priest and Prophet Petosiris and King Nechepso. But the type goes still further back to pre-Greek times in Egypt. It was, as we have learned from Plutarch, who probably hands on the information direct from Manetho, a necessity that the King, to be a true King, should be initiated into the wisdom of the Priests.

As we have already seen, Imuth-Asclepius appears in Manetho as an inventor, so also in the charming story put into the mouth of Socrates by Plato in his Phcedrus (274 c) about "the famous old God whose name was Theuth," — Thoth is the inventories excellence. In this story — which elicits the remark from Phsedrus : " Yes, Socrates, you can easily invent tales of Egypt, or of any other country " — Thoth takes his inventions •to a certain King Thamus for his approval or disapproval, as to whether or no the Egyptians might be allowed the benefit of them. This Thamus was " King of the whole country of Egypt, and dwelt in that great city of upper Egypt which the Hellenes call Egyptian Thebes, and the God Himself is called by them Ammon."

In Hecatseus, also, Osiris, King of Thebes, has all inventions laid before him, and gives special honour to

Hermes whose inventions were far and wide renowned.1

In this connection it is to be noted that in the

Theban Thoth-cult, Thoth was regarded as the Repre-

1 Diodor., I. 15, 16.

sentative of the King and Light-God Ra (or Ammon). And so we read on the tomb of Seti I. :

" Thou art in my place, my representative. Wherefore are thou moreover called Thoth, Representative of the Light-God Ra."1

From these and other indications it is quite possible to conclude that Plato has used an ancient Egyptian logos as the basis of his story, and that this logos at a very early period found an echo in written instructions given by Thoth to the King.

All this took place on purely Egyptian ground, and hence the type of instruction from Thoth-Hermes to Ammon was fairly established in tradition before it was taken over by our Hellenistic Trismegistic writers.

AMENHOTKP-ASCLEPIUS