Select Works of Plotinus — trans. Thomas Taylor
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, therefore, was the domestic conduct of Typhos. But when he transacted the affairs of the public, then he clearly demonstrated that vice is all-various. For it is discordant both with virtue and itself, and all the parts of it are in opposition to each other. In transacting public business, therefore, being inflated with pride, he immediately became furious, and barking more ferociously than an Epirotic dog, inflicted calamity either on an in¬ dividual, or a family, or a whole city. The greater also the evil was which he occasioned, the more he was delighted, as if he would wipe away with the tears of mankind the infamy of his domestic indop. 517lence. Nevertheless, one advantage was derived from this evih For frequently when he attempted any thing of a dire nature against some one, he was induced to fall into suspicions foreign from the truth, so that he resembled those who are furious through inspiration from the Nymphs, strenuously contending about the Delphic shadow. In the mean time, he who was in danger was saved ; for “ no mention was made of him afterwards. Or it so happened that he was seized with a lethargy and a heaviness in his head for a certain time, so as to forget what he intended to do. Afterwards, how¬ ever, though he recovered from this stupor, yet he lost all recollection of past transactions. He would likewise contend with those who w7ere in adminis¬ tration, about the quantity of grains of wheat con¬ tained in a medimnus, or the cyathi contained in a congius ; exhibiting in such disputes a certain superfluous and absurd sagacity. Sleep, also, by opportunely attacking Typhos, would sometimes snatch a man from destruction. For Typhos, when seized with this, would have dashed his head on the ground, unless some one of his attendants, laying aside his lamp, had supported him. And thus it* frequently happened that a tragical Pan *p. 518 nuchis s ended in a comedy. For he did not trails» act business during the day* because he was natu¬ rally hostile to light and the sun, and adapted to darkness. But though he clearly knew that every one with whom the smallest degree of wisdom was present, despised his extreme ignorance, yet he did not accuse himself of folly, but was on this account the common enemy of intelligent men as of those that injured him, because they knew how to form a judgment of things. For he was a man incapable of giving counsel to others, and most ready in the contrivance of stratagems.
of folly, but was on this account the common enemy of intelligent men as of those that injured him, because they knew how to form a judgment of things. For he was a man incapable of giving counsel to others, and most ready in the contrivance of stratagems. With him folly and an insane confidence were inseparably united, which are two pests of the soul that corroborate each other ; than which there neither are, nor ever will be in the nature of things, evils of a greater magni¬ tude, or more prompt to destroy the human race.
These several particulars the father saw and understood, but at the same time provided for the welfare of the Egyptians. For he wras a king, a priest, and a wise man. And the Egyptian writ¬ ings say that he was also a God. For the Egyptians s Any sacrifice or mystery which was celebrated during the whole of the night, wai thus denominated.
p. 519
do not hesitate to believe that myriads of Gods 3 have reigned over them, before the earth was go¬ verned by men, and they trace the descent of their kings from Piromis to Piromis.* When therefore
1 Every God, according to the arcana of ancient theology, beginning from on high, produces his proper series as far as to the last of things ; and this series comprehends many essences different from each other, such as Angelical, Daemoniacal, Heroical, Nymphical, and the like. The lowest powers also of these orders, have a great communion and physical sympa¬ thy with the human race, and contribute to the perfection of all their natural operations, and particularly to their procrea¬ tions. Such men, therefore, as transcended the herd of man¬ kind either in practical or intellectual virtue, in consequence of being inspired by and also knowing the divinity from whom they descended, called themselves by the name of that divi¬ nity, and were in consequence of this denominated Gods. For a copious account of these heroic souls, see the notes to my Pausanias, and to the Cratylus of Plato in the last volume of my translation of his works.
% i( When Hecatasus,” (says Herodotus in Euterp.) “ in the account of his family, came to mention the l6th God, they (i. e. the priests of Jupiter at Thebes) would by no means ad¬ mit of his supposition, that a man could be begotten by a God ; but on the contrary told him, that each of the images he saw, represented a Piromois begotten by another Piromois ; and that of the whole number, amounting to 345, no one had been reputed either a God or a hero ; the word Piromois signifying no more in their language than an honest and,virtuous man, which images he saw, represented a Piromois begotten by another Piromois ; and that of the whole number, amounting to 345, no one had been reputed either a God or a hero ; the word Piromois signifying no more in their language than an honest and,virtuous man, which character all those represented by the images had, and yet were far inferior to the Gods.” — Littlebury’s Herodotus, vol. i. p. 221,p. 520 the divine laws had transferred him to the greater Gods, and the day destined [for the election of his successor] was present, the tribes of the priests, and the soldiers that were natives of the land, assembled together from every city of Egypt, hav¬ ing been previously cited by a proclamation for this purpose. These, therefore, assembled from the necessity of law. It was lawful, however, for the rest of the people to be absent ; but no one was prevented from being present, who intended to come as a spectator of voting, and not as one who was to give his vote* Swineherds, however, were excluded from the spectacle, and such foreigners as bore arms for the Egyptians : for it was not lawful for these to be present. The elder son, therefore, on this account had much fewer votes than the younger. For the seditious faction of Typhos con¬ sisted of swineherds and foreigners, an insane and numerous class of men ; yet yielding to custom, and not attempting any thing contrary to it, nor considering the disgrace of their exclusion as something dire, but as that which was appropriate, as being established by law, and natural to their race.
p. 521
A king, however, among the Egyptians was created as follows : There is a sacred mountain near the great city of Thebes, and another mono» tain opposite to it, between both of which is the stream of the Nile. Of these, the mountain oppo¬ site to that which is sacred, is called Libycus, in which the candidates for the election of the king were by law commanded to dwell, during the time of preparation for the ceremony, in order that they might not know any thing of the choice which would be made. But the sacred mountain is called Egyptius. On the summit of this is the tabernacle of the king, with whom also those priests dwell who transcend in wisdom, and the arrange¬ ment proceeds to every class of those of superior en¬ dowments, distributing the seats according to the dig¬ nity of the mysteries [in which those who filled them were initiated.] The first circle, therefore, consists of those, who are placed about the king as if sur¬ rounding a heart. The next circle to this consists of the soldiers.