Thrice-Greatest Hermes, Vol. II (the Corpus Hermeticum) — G. R. S. Mead (1906)
The text is shown on its own: no facing layer is held for this issue.
3 Sc. at the centre.
4 Or principles and priorities (antiquiora). * Sc. the "ideas."
6 The Latin text is hopeless. 7 Of. vii. i.
And [these are] not all men, but [they are] few, whose minds are of such quality that they can be receptive of so great a blessing.
2. For as the World's illumined by the Sun, so is the inind of man illumined by that Light ; nay, in [still] fuller measure.
For whatsoever thing the Sun doth shine upon, it is anon, by interjection of the Earth or Moon, or by the intervention of the night, robbed of its light.
But once the [Higher] Sense hath been commingled with the soul of man, there is at-onement from the happy union of the blending of their natures ; so that minds of this kind are never more held fast in errors of the darkness.
Wherefore, with reason have they said the [Higher] Senses are the souls of Gods ; to which I add : not of all Gods, but of the great ones [only] ; nay, even of the principles of these.
XIX
1. [VIII. M.] Asc. What dost thou call,
Thrice-greatest one, the heads of things, or
sources of beginnings?
Tris. Great are the mysteries which I reveal to thee, divine the secrets I disclose ; and so I make beginning of this thing l with prayers for Heaven's favour.
The hierarchies 2 of Gods are numerous ; and of them all one class is called the Noumenal,3 the other [class] the Sensible.4
The former are called Noumenal, not for the reason that they're thought to lie beyond our6 senses ; for these are just the Gods we sense more truly than the ones we call the visible, — just as our argument will prove, and thou, if thou attend, wilt be made fit to see.
For that a lofty reasoning, and much more one that is too godlike for the mental grasp of [average] men, if that the speaker's words are not received6 with more attentive service of the ears, — will fly and flow beyond them ; or rather will flow back [again], and mingle with the streams of its own source.7
2. There are, then, [certain] Gods who are the principals 8 of all the species.
1 Initium facio ; or perhaps perform the sacred rite, or give initiation.
2 Genera.
3 Intelligibilis (= ol I/OTJTOI) ; lit. that which can be known by intellect (alone).
4 Sensibilis (= tfolfffrof); lit. that which can be known by the senses.
5 That is, the " Sense " of those who have reached the " Trismegistic " grade, though of course beyond the range of the normal
6 The text is faulty.
7 Cf. x. 1 above ; and G. H.t x. (xi.) 17.
8 Principes.
Next there come those whose essence * is their principal. These are the Sensible, each similar to its own dual source,2 who by their sensibility 3 affect all things, — the one part through the other part [in each] making to shine the proper work of every single one.
Of Heaven, — or of whatsoe'er it be that is embraced within the term, — the essence-chief4 is Zeus ; for 'tis through Heaven that Zeus gives life to all.
Sun's essence-chief is light ; for the good gift of light is poured on us through the Sun's disk.
3. The " Thirty-six," who have the name of Horoscopes,5 are in the [self] same space as the Fixed Stars ; of these the essence-chief, or prince, is he whom they call Pantomorph, or Omniform,6 who fashioneth the various forms for various species.
The "Seven" who are called spheres, have essence-chiefs, that is, [have each] their proper rulers, whom they call [all together] Fortune and Heimarmene,7 whereby all things are changed by nature's law ; perpetual stability being varied with incessant motion.1
1 The Greek original oixria being retained.
2 That is, presumably, essence and sensibility.
3 That is, presumably, their power of affecting the senses.
4 The Greek ova-Lapx^s is retained in the Latin.
6 Horoscopi ( = wpocr/coVot) ; generally called Decans ; c/. Ex. ix., where the Decans are explained.
6 navr6/jLop<j)ov vel omniformem ; see xxxv. below ; also C. H., xi. (xii.) 16, Comment. 7 That is, Fate,
The Air, moreover, is the engine, or machine, through which all things are made — (there is, however, an essence-chief of this, a second [Air])
—mortal from mortal things and things like these.2
4. These hierarchies of Gods, then, being thus and [in this way] related,3 from bottom unto top, are [also] thus connected with each other, and tend towards themselves ; so mortal things are bound to mortal, things sensible to sensible.