1 The following explanation of the sphinx is extracted from the notes to my translation of Fausanias : Tire sphinx, accord¬ ing to Lasus Hermioneus, was the daughter of Echidna and Typhon ; and according to Clearchus, she had the head and hands of a virgin, the body of a dog, a human voice, the tail of a dragon, the claws of a lion, and the wings of a bird. But it appears to me that the ancients, by the sphinx, designed t© represent to us the nature of the phantasy or imagination. In order to be convinced of which, it is necessary to observe, that the rational soul, or the true man, consists of intellect, dianoia or the discursive energy of reason, and opinion ; but the ficti¬ tious man, or the irrational soul, commences from the phan¬ tasy, under which desire and anger subsist. Hence the basis of the rational life is opinion, but the summit of the irrational life is the phantasy. But the phantasy, as Iamblichus beau» tifully observes, grows upon, as it were, and fashions all the powers of the soul ; exciting in opinion the illuminations from the senses, and fixing in that life which is extended with body, the impressions which descend from intellect. Hence, says Proclus, it folds itself about the indivisibility of true intellect, conforms itself to all formless species, and becomes perfectly every thing, from which dianoia and our indivisible reason consist.
This being the case, as the phantasy is all things passively which intellect is impassively (on which account Aristotle calls the phantasy passive intellect) hence the head of the sphinx is human, but at the same time of the feminine sex ; this sex being the image, from its passivity, of the irrational life. By the sphinx having the body of a dog, the discriminating power
tute of the ruling aid of wisdom, is borne along with stupid astonishment, mingling and confound-
of the phantasy is implied : for a dog is the image of the discri¬ minating power of the soul. Hence Hercules drew up this power from Hades, viz. from the obscurity of a sensible life. But by her having the tail of a dragon, and the claws of a lion, the communication of the phantasy with desire and anger is signified. And her wings are images of the elevating powers, which the phantasy naturally possesses ; for it is re-elevated in conjunction with the returning soul, to the region every way resplendent with divine light. But the riddles of the sphinx are images of the obscure and intricate nature of the phantasy. He, therefore, who is unable to solve the riddles of the sphinx, i. e. who cannot comprehend the dark and perplexed nature of the phantasy, will be drawn into her embraces and torn in pieces, viz. the phantasy in such a one will subject to its power the rational life, cause its indivisible energies to become divisible, and thus destroy as much as possible its very essence. But be who, like (Edipus, is able to solve the enigmas of the sphinx, or, in other words, to comprehend the dark essence of his phantasy, will, by illuminating its obscurity with the light of intellect, cause it, by becoming lucid throughout, to be no longer what it was before.
Hence we may see the propriety of the Egyptians placing a sphinx in the vestibule of the temple of Isis,4 who is the same with Minerva. For what the phantasy is in the microcosm man, that asther is in the universe. But opinion may be called the vestibule of the rational soul, and the rational soul is as it were the temple of that intellectual illumination which proceeds from Minerva. In this vestibule, therefore, the phantasy is seated. And in a similar manner sether is seated in the vestibule of that divine soul, which is suspended from the deity of Minerva, and which may be called her temple* So that sether is the sphinx of the universe.
ing all things ; and intellect is useless for the pur¬
poses of action, when it is deprived of the subser¬
viency of hands. But virtue and fortune are
scarcely indeed found to unite, and when they do,
it is in great characters such as yourself in whom
they concur. No longer, therefore, molest the
Gods, since you are able, if willing, to be saved by
your own internal resources, For it is not fit that
the Gods should always be absent from their own
abodes, and be willingly conversant with foreign
and inferior places ; unless it is impious in us to
use in a becoming manner the auxiliaries which
are disseminated in us for the purpose of preserving
terrene natures in order and a continued succes¬
sion. For those who assert this, must admit that
the Gods again descend from necessity before
tl
the appointed time, to the providential inspection
of terrene affairs. But when the harmony is dis¬
solved and becomes old, which the Gods adapted
to things, they again descend 1 hither that they
* When certain places and parts of the earth lose the apti¬ tude which they once possessed of receiving divine illumina¬ tions, then they are said in fables to be deserted by the Gods ; and when they recover this aptitude, and thus partake of the illuminations of the Gods, then the Gods are said to descend to such places, and this recovery of the participation of divine
may call it forth into -energy, and resuscitate
it when it is as it were expiring. They likewise
are delighted to effect this, accomplishing in so do-
ing a certain subserviency to the nature of the
world. They also descend when this harmony is
corrupted and broken through the fault of the na¬
tures that receive it, when in no other way what¬
ever it is possible for these terrene affairs to be
preserved. Divinity, therefore, is not excited by
circumstances of a trifling nature, nor when an
error is committed about this or that particular ;
for it is necessary that the affair should be some¬
thing of great moment, for the sake of which some
one of the blessed descends to this abode. When,
however, the whole order of things, and the greatest
things are corrupted, then it is necessary that the
Gods should descend for the purpose of imparting
the principle of another orderly distribution of
things. By no means, therefore, should men be
indignant, since the evils which happen to them
are spontaneous, nor ought they to accuse the
influence is fabulously called the birth-day of those Gods by whom this influence is imparted. The recovery of this apti¬ tude, also, is owing to the providential energies of the Gods, and is as it were a subordinate and preparatory illumination, the precursor of one that is precedaneous.
Gods of not providentially attending to their affairs*
For providence requires that men should exert
what they derive from themselves. Nor is it won»
derful that there should be evils in the abode of
evils ; but it is admirable if there is any thing here
which is not of this kind. For such a thing is a
stranger and foreign. This also is from providence,
through which, if we are not negligent, but employ
what we possess from it, it is possible for us to be
perfectly happy. For providence is not like the
mother of an infant recently born, who must neces¬
sarily be occupied in repelling whatever may accede
of a painful nature, since the child is yet imperfect,
and incapable of assisting himself. But providence
resembles that mother, who having caused her child
to grow, and furnished him with arms, orders him
to use them, and repel the evils by which he may
be attacked. Philosophize therefore always about
these things, and consider the knowledge of them
as a thing of the greatest importance to mankind.
For men who are pious and at the same time soli¬
citous, admit that there is a providence, and pay
attention to themselves, and do not conceive that
the conversion of divinity [to the superintendancc
of mundane affairs] aod the use of virtue are dis-
cordant with each other. Farewell. But prevent
if you are w ise the designs of your brother, and be
the first to subvert your own fate and that of the
Egyptians. For this is possible. But if you yield
and are remiss, expect at a late period the assist¬
ance of the Gods.
Having thus said, he departed the same way
with the Gods. But Osiris was left on the earth,
(though he w^as a thing of which the earth was by
no means worthy), and immediately strove to ex¬
terminate evils from it, not employing any force for
this purpose, but sacrificing to Persuasion, to the
Muses and Graces, he rendered all men voluntarily
obedient to the laws. But as the Gods abun¬
dantly supplied the king with all such gifts as the
air, the water, and the earth afford, he yielded the
enjoyment of these to the multitude, but abandoned
himself 'all indulgence, and instead of it engaged in
O' o o
every kind of labour, slept but little, w;as full of
care, and in short, was without leisure, in order
that all his subjects might have leisure. Hence,
he filled all men with both internal and external
goods, not only individuals, but families and their
kindred, cities, and whole provinces. For he ex-
eked virtuous emulation, ordering that every disci¬
pline and every pursuit should be undertaken with
a view to this one thing. He likewise appointed
rewards for those who governed nien in the best
manner, and who made the governed to resemble
their governors. But it is necessary that every
thing which is honoured should increase. At the
same time, therefore, the love of all erudition was
augmented, both that which pertains to the mind,
and that which depends on the tongue. For those
who excelled in a thing of this latter kind, were no
longer to be seen among the vulgar herd, but vvere
splendid through the honours w hich they received
from the king, in consequence of imparting the art
which is subservient to wisdom ; because intellect
proceeds into light clothed with wrords, and is
either well or badly adorned, just as some men are
seen to be of an elegant shape, but others de¬
formed. Osiris therefore thought it fit, that pre¬
paratory disciplines should be honoured ; for he
conceived erudition to be the fountain of virtue.
Piety, likewise, then flourished among the Egyp¬
tians more than at any other time. And these in¬
deed were the goods of the soul, in which the
Egyptians abounded during the reign of Osiris, so
riot . <2 M
that the whole region then resembled a school of
virtue, youth looking to one leader only, perform¬
ing that one thing which they saw, and speaking
that one thing which they heard*
With respect to wealth, also, Osiris himself in¬
deed neglected it, but was anxious in the extreme
that others might obtain it, himself refusing all
gifts, but being most munificent to others. He
likewise liberated cities from the payment of tri¬
bute, supplied them [from his own treasury] when
they were in want, raised that which was fallen,
and applied a remedy to that which wras in a ruin¬
ous condition. And one city, indeed, he rendered
more ample, but another he beautified ; this he
built, and that which was deserted by its inhabitants
he repeopled. It is necessary, therefore, that an
individual should be a partaker of common goods ;
but Osiris did not desist from paying attention to
this or that man, and from endeavouring that while
he reigned no one might be seen lamenting and
weeping. Nor was Osiris ignorant of the wants
of any one, or of what prevented any one from
being blessed. Hence, one man requested Osiris
to confer on him the honor which was justly his
due, and it was accordingly conferred on him ; but
another who applied himself to books, and had not
sufficient leisure to procure the necessaries of life,
was supplied by Osiris with food in the Prytanasum.
Another who neglected human honours, and who
was sufficiently affluent, but perhaps was ashamed
of his subserviency to the public, did not escape
the notice of Osiris, who liberated him from his
employment, not being importuned by him for this
purpose, but preventing his solicitation, conceiving
through his reverence for wisdom, that such a one
should be a law to himself, and should be free, as
a sacred thing dedicated to divinity. In short, no
one was defrauded of his desert, unless he deserved
some evil ; for in this case, he did not reward him.
For Osiris was ambitious to vanquish the most
impudent men, by gentleness of manners and bene¬
ficent works. And through these means he thought
he should be able to subdue his brother and his
faction, by changing their natural disposition
through the abundance of virtue ; in which opinion
howrever he was deceived. For envy is not re¬
pressed by virtue , but is in a greater degree in¬
flamed by it . For if it naturally adheres to good,