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

1 have taken the title from the concluding words, which are evidently the end of the sermon. Stobaeus thus seems to have reproduced the whole of this little tractate, which should be read in connection with Exx. xi., xii. and xiii. C. H., xii. (xiii.) 6 (see Commentary), seems to presuppose this sermon.

1 The distinction seems to be between colour, form, etc., " in itself," and differentiated colours, forms, etc.

2 irpbs r$ 6t<? ywoft&ni. 3 Or save, preserve.
4 This sentence seems to be corrupt.

EXCERPT XL

[OF JUSTICE]

(I have added the title, the excerpt not being found in
Patrizzi.

Text : Stob., Phys., iii. 52, under the vague heading :
"Of Hermes"; G. p. 50; M. i. 33, 34; W. i. 62, 63.

Menard, Livre IV., No. iv. of " Fragments from the
Books of Hermes to his Son Tat," p. 240.)

1. [Her.~\ For there hath been appointed, 0 [my] son, a very mighty Daimon turning in the universe's midst, that sees all things that men do on the earth.

Just as Foreknowledge1 and Necessity have been set o'er the Order of the gods, in the same way is Justice set o'er men, causing the same to act on them.

For they rule o'er the order of the things existing as divine, which have no will, nor any power, to err.

For the Divine cannot be made to wander ; from which the incapacity to err accrues [to it].

1 Or Providence. Cf. Ex. i. 15, note.

But Justice is appointed to correct the errors men commit on earth.

2. For, seeing that their race is under sway of death, and made out of bad matter, [it naturally errs], and failure is the natural thing, especially to those who are without the power of seeing the Divine.1

Tis over these that Justice doth have special sway. They're subject both to Fate through the activities of birth,2 and unto Justice through the mistakes [they make] in life.3

COMMENT

The title and place of this excerpt has been discussed in the Commentary on C. H., xii. (xiii.) 6. It belongs to the Tat-Sermons, and in the collection of Lactantius probably stood prior to the Sermon of Hermes to Tat, "About the General Mind."4

1 This recalls Philo's description of the Therapeuts, who were "taught ever more and more to see," and strive for the "intuition" or "sight of that which is," — rys rov &VTOS fleas (Philo, D. V. a, 891 P., 473 M.).

2 That is, through the natural accidents that attend life in a body.

3 That is, in their way of living — h r$

4 Compare with it Exx. x., xii., xiii.

EXCERPT XII.

OF PROVIDENCE AND FATE

(Title from Patrizzi (p. 38); followed by: "From the
[Sermons] to Ammon."

Text : Stob., Phys., v. 20, under heading : " Of Hermes
from the [Sermons] to Ammon " ; G. p. 70 ; M. i. 48, 49 ;
W. i. 82.

Menard, Livre IV., No. ii. of " Fragments of the Books of Hermes to Ammon," p. 258.)

ALL things are born by Nature and by Fate, and there is not a [single] space bereft of Providence.

Now Providence is the Self-perfect 1 Reason.

And of this [Reason] there are two spontaneous powers, — Necessity and Fate.

And Fate doth minister to Providence and to
Necessity ; while unto Fate the Stars 2 do minister.

For Fate no one is able to escape, nor keep himself from their 3 shrewd scrutiny.4

For that the Stars are instruments of Fate ; it is at its behest that they effect all things for nature and for men.5

\6yos, — complete in itself. * 3 That is, the Seven Spheres. 3 Sc. of the Stars.

4 Stivtrriros. 6 With this extract compare Exx. x., xi., xiii.

EXCEKPT XIII.

OF THE WHOLE ECONOMY

(Patrizzi (p. 38) gives no title, but only the heading :
" To the Same Ammon ( A/x/Awi/a)."

Text: Stob., Phys., v. 16, under sub-heading: "Of the
Whole Economy," followed by: "Of Hermes from the
[Sermons] to Ammon ('A/xoGv l) " ; G. p. 68 ; M. i. 47 ;
W. i. 79, 80.

Me"nard, Livre IV., No. i. of " Fragments of the Books of
Hermes to Ammon ").

Now what supporteth the whole World,2 is Providence ; what holdeth it together and encircleth it about, is [called] Necessity ; what drives all on and drives them round,3 is Fate, bringing Necessity to bear on them (for that its nature is the bringing into play of [this] Necessity); [it4 is] the cause of birth and death 6 of life.

So, then, the Cosmos is beneath the sway of n

1 The only place in which this form occurs in Stobseus ; cf. v. 20, and xxxv. 4, 7, 8.

2 Or Cosmos. 3 Or makes them to revolve 4 Fate — fina.ptJi.fvri. 5 Or destruction.