the greater the good is, the more the pain of envy is increased .
Some time after this, Typhos obtained the king¬
dom by fraud and force, and Osiris was banished.
But during the evils arising from the tyrannical
government of Typhos, some God manifestly ap¬
peared to a certain philosopher, who was a stranger
in Egypt, and who had received great benefits from
Osiris, and ordered him to endure the present cala¬
mities, because they were months only and not
years in which the fates had destined that the
Egyptian sceptres should raise the nails of the wild
beasts,1 and depress the heads of the sacred birds.4
Jut this is an arcane symbol. And the philosophic
stranger above-mentioned, knew that a representa¬
tion of this was engraved in obelisks, and in the
sacred recesses of the temples. The divinity also
unfolded to him the meaning of the sacred sculp-
1 i. e. Material daemons, or Οηρεε χθονοε, the wild beasts of the earthy as they are called in the Chaldean Oracles.
% i. e. Hie whole choir of beneficent natures superior to man. But by the depression of the heads of the sacred birds, the inaptitude of persons and places to receive divine influence, is denoted.
ture, and gave him a sign of the time in which it
would be verified. For when those, said he , who
are now in power , shall endeavour to make an inno¬
vation in our religion , then in a short time after
expect that the Giants, meaning by these , men of
another nation , shall be entirely expelled , being
agitated by their own avenging furies . If, how¬
ever, some remains of the sedition should still exist,
and the whole should not be at once extinguished,
but Typhos should still remain in the seat of go¬
vernment, nevertheless do not despair of the Gods.
The following, also, is another symbol for you.
When we shall purify the air which surrounds the
earth , and which is defied with the breath of the
impious , with fire and water , then the punishment
of the rest will also folloxo , and then immediately
expect a better order of things , Typhos being re¬
moved. For we expel such like prodigies by the
devastation of fire and thunder. In consequence
of this, the stranger considered that to be a feli¬
citous circumstance which had before appeared to
him to be dreadful, and no longer bore with
molestation a necessary continuance in life, through
which he would be an eye-witness of the advent of
the Gods. For it exceeded the power of human
sagacity to conjecture, that so powerful a multitude
as were then collected together in arms, and who
even in time of peace were by law obliged to be
armed, should be vanquished without any opposi¬
tion. He consideied with himself, therefore, how
these things could be accomplished ; for they ap¬
peared to surpass the power of reason. But after
no great length of time , a certain depraved frag¬
ment of religion , and an adulteration of divine
worship , like that of money as it were , prevailed ,
which the ancient law exterminated Jrom cities,
shutting the doors against impiety , and expelling it
to a great distance from the walls,1 Typhos,
3 What is here said by Synesius, reminds me of the follow** ing extraordinary prophecy in the Asclepian dialogue, ascribed to Hermes Trismegistus, a Latin translation only of which is extant, and is generally believed by the learned to have been made by Apuleius. The passage I allude to is the following:
An ignoras, O Asclepi, quod iEgyptus imago sit cceli, aut, quod c.st venus, translatio, et descensio omnium, quae guber- nantur, atque exercentur in coelo ? Et si dicendum est verius, terra nostra totius mundi est tern pi urn : et tamen quoniam praescire cuncta prudentes decet, istud vos ignorare fas non est, futuram tempos est, quum appareat iEgyptios incassum pia mente divinitatem et sedula religione servasse, et omnis eorum sancta veneratio in irritum casura frustrabitur. E terris enim ad coelum est recursura divinitas. Linquetur JEgypius, terraque , qucs fuit divinitatis sedes , religione viduata, numinum prcesentia destituetur . Alienigenis enim regionem istam , ter-
however, did not himself introduce this impiety, for he feared the Egyptian multitude, but for this
ramque complentibus, non solum neglectus religionum , sed ( quod est durius) quasi de legibus , a religione, pietate , cul tuque divino statuetur prcescripta pcena, prohibition Tunc terra ista , sane ~ tissima sedes delubrorum et iemplorum , sepulchrorum erit mor - tuorumque plenissima. O iEgypte, iEgypte, religionum solae supererunt fabulae, eaeque incredibiies posteris suis, solaque supererunt verba lapidibus incisa, tua pia facta narrantibus, et inhabitabit Mgyptum Scythes aut Indus , ant aliquis talis, Divinitas enim repetet ccelum, deserti homines toli morientur, atque ita iEgyptus Deo et homine viduata deseretur. Te vero appello sanctissimum flumen, tibique futura prasdico, torrenti sanguine plenus ad ripas usque erumpes, undseque divinae non solum polluentur sanguine, sed totae rumpentur, et vivis multo major erit numerus sepultorum^; superstes vero qui erit, lingua sola cognoscetur iEgyptius, actibus vero videbitur alienus. Quid ties, O Asclepi ? Et his amplius, multoque deterius, ipsa JEgyptus suadebitur, imbueturque pejoribus malis, quae sancta quondam et divinitatis amantissima deorum in terras religionis suae merito, sola seductio [lege reductio] sanctitatis et pietatis magistra, erit maximae crudelitatis exemplum. Et tunc teedio hominum non admirandus videbitur mundus, neque adorandus. Hoc totum bonum} quo melius nec est , nec fuit , nee erit , quod videri possit , periclitabitur. Eritque grave hominibus , ac per hoc contemnetur , nec diligetur totus hie mundus , Dei opus im~ mutabile , gloriosa construction bonum multiformi imaginum varietate compositum , machina voluntatis Dei in suo opere sine invidia suffragantis omnium in unum, quee venerari> laudari% amari denique a videntibus possunt , multiformis adunata con¬ gest io, Nam et tenebrae praeponentur lumini, et mors vita utilior judicabitur. Nemo suspiciet ccelum. Religiosus pro insano, irreligiosus putabitur prudenst furiosus fortis, pro bono habebitur pessirnus. Anima enim et omnia circum earn qui-
purpose called in the assistance of the Barbarians* and erected a temple in the city, having previously
bus aut immortalis nata est, aut immortal itatem se consecti- turam esse praesumit ; secundum quod vobis exposui, non solum risus, sed etiam putabitur vanitas. Sed mihi credite etiam periculum capitate constituetur in eum, qui se mentis reli- gioni dederit . Nova constituentur jura, lex nova, nihil sanc¬ tum, nihil religiosum, nec ccelo, nec coelestibus dignum audietur, aut mente credetur. Fiet Deorum ab hominibits dolenda se¬ cession soli nocentes angeli remanebant, qui humanitati commixti ad omnia audacice mala miseros manu inject a compellent in bella, in rapinas , in fraudes, et in omnia quce sunt animarum naturae cont r aria. Tunc non terra constabit, nec navigabitur mare, nec coelum astrorum cursibus, nec siderum cursus con- stabit in ccelo. Omnis vox divina necessaria taciturnitate mutescet, fructus terrae corrumpentur, nec foecundaerit tellus, et aer ipse mcesto torpore languescet. Haec et talis senectus veniet mundi, irreligio, inordinatio, irrationabilitas bonorum omnium. Cbm ha2c cuncta contigerint, O Asclepi, tunc ille dominus et pater, Deus primipotens, et unus gubernator mun¬ di, intuens in mores factaque voluntaria voluntate sua, qum est Dei benignitas, vitiis resistens, et corruptelae omnium errorem revocans, malignitatem omnem vel alluvione diluens, vel igne consumens, vel morbis pestilentiisque per diversa loca dispersis finiens, ad antrquam faciem mundam revocabit, ut et mundus ipse adorandus videatur et mirandus, et tanti operis effector et restitutor Deus ab omnibus qui tunc eruht frequentibus lau- dum praeconiis benedictionibusque celebretur. Haec enim mundi genitura cunctarum reformatio rerum bonarum, et na¬ turae ipsius sanctissima et religiosissima restitutio, peracto tern- poris cursu, quae est et fuit sine initio sempiterna. Voluntas enim Dei caret initio, qua? eadem est, et ubique est sempi- terna.” i. e.
subverted the laws of his country. When these things therefore came to pass, the stranger began
st Are you ignorant, O Asclepius, that Egypt is the image of heaven, or, which is more true, a translation and descent of every thing which is governed and exercised in heaven ? And if it may be said, our land is truly the temple of the whole world. Nevertheless, because it becomes wise men to fore¬ know all things, it is not lawful you should be ignorant that the time will come when it may seem that the Egyptians have in vain, with a pious mind and sedulous religion, paid attention to divinity, and all their holy veneration shall become void and of no effect. For divinity shall return back from earth to heaven, Egypt shall be forsaken, and the land which was the seat of divinity, shall be destitute of religion, and deprived of the presence of the Gods. For when strangers shall possess and fill this region and land , there shall not only be a neglect of religion , but , which is more miserable , there shall be laws enacted against religion , piety , and divine worship ; they shall be prohibited , and punishments shall be irficted on their vota¬ ries . Then this most holy land, the seat of places consecrated to divinity , and of temples, shall be full of sepulchres and dead bodies. 0 Egypt, Egypt, fables alone shall remain of thy re¬ ligion, , and these such as will be incredible to posterity , and words alone shall be left engraved in stones , narrating thy pious deeds. The Scythian , also , or Indian , or some other similar nation , shall inhabit Egypt. For divinity shall return to heaven, all its inhabitants shall die, and thus Egypt, bereft both of God and man, shall be deserted. Ϊ call <>n thee, O most holy river, and predict to thee future events. Thou Shalt burst forth with a torrent of blood, full even to thy banks, and thy divine waters shall not only be polluted with blood, but the land shall be inundated with it, and the number of the dead shall exceed that of the living. He likewise who survives, shall only by his language be known to be an Egyj -
to think that this was the event which divinity had predicted. And perhaps, said he, 1 shall be a
tlan, but by his deeds he will appear to be a stranger. Why do you weep* O Asclepius ? Egypt shall experience more ample, and much worse evils than these, though she was once holy, and the greatest lover of the Gods on the earth, by the desert of her religion. And she who was alone the reductor of sanctity, and the mistress of piety, will be an example of the greatest cruelty. Then also, through the weariness of men, the world will not appear to be an admirable and adorable thing. This whole good, a better than which, as an object of percep¬ tion, there neither is, nor was, nor will be, will be in danger, and will be grievous to men. Hence this whole world will be despised, and will not be beloved, though it is the immutable work of God, a glorious fabric, a good compounded with a multiform variety of images, a machine of the will of God, who in his work gave his suffrage without envy, that all things should be one. It is also a multiform collected heap, capable of being venerated, praised and loved by those that behold it. For darkness shall be preferred to light, and death shall be judged to be more useful than life. No one shall lookup to heaven. The religious man shall be accounted insane, the irre¬ ligious shall be thought wise , the furious brave , and the worst of men shall be considered a good man . For the soul and all things about it, by which it is either naturally immortal, or conceives that it shall attain to immortality, conformably to what I have explained to you, shall not only be the subject of laughter, but shall be considered as vanity. Believe me, like¬ wise , that a capital punishment shall be appointed for him who applies himself to the religion of intellect. New statutes and new laws shall be established , and nothing religious or which is worthy of heaven*, or celestial concerns , shall be heard , or be¬ lieved by the mind. There will be a lamentable departure of
spectator of what will follow, He, likewise, then learnt some particulars about Osiris which would