The Turba Philosophorum (complete) — trans. A. E. Waite (1896)
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The translator’s English as printed (A. E. Waite). The original-language text is not held; names are romanised as the translator printed them.
by touch. The Turba answereth: — Thou hast well spoken, yet hast thou omitted to treat of that particular thing which is not known, or described ,. except by reason and piety. Saith he : — Are ye then in such haste ? Know that the creature which is cognised in none of these five ways is a sublime creature, and, as such, is neither seen nor felt, but is perceived by reason alone, of which reason Nature confesses that God is a partaker. They answer : — Thou hast spoken truly and excellently. And he : — I will now give a further explanation. Know that this creature, that is to say, the world, hath a light, which is the Sun, and the. same is more subtle than all other natures, which light is so ordered that living beings may attain to vision. But if this subtle light were removed, they would become darkened, seeing nothing, except the light of the moon, or of the stars, or of fire, all which are derived from the light of the Sun, which causes all creatures to give light.
The Turba PhilosopJiorum. 17
For this God has appointed the Sun to be the light of the world, by reason of the attenuated nature of the Sun. And know that the sublinie creature before mentioned has no need of the light of this Sun, because the Sun is beneath that creature, which is more subtle and more lucid. This light, which is more lucid than the light of the Sun, they have taken from the light of God, which is more subtle than their light. Know also that the created world is composed of two dense things and two rare things, but nothing of the dense is in the sublime creature. Consequently the Sun is rarer than all inferior creatures. The Turba answereth : — Thou hast excellently described what thou hast related. And if, good Master, thou shalt utter anything whereby our hearts may be vivified, which now are mortified by folly, thou wilt confer upon us a great boon !*
* The shortened version ol the second Recension offers some conspicuous variations, and is literally as
B
1 8 The Turba Philosophorum.
The Eighth Dictum. Pythagoras saith : — I affirm that God existed before all things, and with Him was nothing, as He was at first. But know, all ye Philosophers, that I declare this in order that I may fortify your opinion concerning these four elements and arcana, as well as in the sciences thereof, at which no one can arrive save by the will of God. Understand, that when God was alone, He created four things — fire, air, water, and earth, out of which things He afterwards follows : — " Two natures alone are described by Lucas, one of which is neither known nor realised, save by piety and reason ; the other is not seen and is not described, for it is heaven. But there is a third connected nature, which is felt, seen, and known, and this is that which contains whatsoever is in heaven or earth. Now, reason perceives hy the help of the five senses, &c. . . . What ensues is substantially the same as the text, till towards the close, which is as follows : — As to that nature which is perceived by none of these, the same is sublime ; it is known by reason and piety only, and is God Most High, who made the light which is the Sun. Know that the Sun is more subtle than all creatures, to the end that it may light the world, which consists of two dense things and two rare. Nothing of the dense is in the sublime creation, because lie himself is more rare than the Sun and all inferior creatures."
The Turba Philosophorum. 19