2“ We can by no other means,” (says Porphyry De Abstinen. lib. I.) “ obtain the true end of a contemplative intellectual life than by adbering to God, if I may be allowed the expression, as if fastened by a nail, at the same time being torn away and separated from body and corporeal delights; having procured safety from our deeds, and not from the mere attention to words.”

Think that you suffer a great punishment when you
obtain the object of corporeal desire; for the attain-
ment of such objects never satisfies desire.

Invoke God as a witness to whatever you do.

The bad man does not think there is a providence.

Assert that which possesses wisdom in you, to be the [true] man.?

The wise man participates of God.

Where that which is wise in you resides, there also is your good.

That which is not noxious to the soul, is not noxious to man.

He who unjustly expels a wise man from the body,
confers a benefit on him by his iniquity. For he thus
becomes liberated as it were, from bonds.

The fear of death renders a man sad through the ignorance of his soul.

You will not possess intellect, till you understand that you have it.

Think that your body is the garment of your soul; and therefore preserve it pure.

Impure demons vindicate to themselves the impure soul.

Speak not of God to every man.

It is dangerous, and the danger is not small, to speak of God even things which are true.

A true assertion respecting God, is an assertion of God.

You should not dare to speak of God to the multi- tude.

He does not know God who does not worship him.

The man who is worthy of God is also a God among men.

It is better to have nothing, than to possess much and impart it to no one.

He who thinks that there is a God, and that nothing

1 But intellect is the recipient of wisdom, and therefore intellect is the true man. This also is asserted by Aristotle.

is taken care of by him, differs in no respect from him who does not believe that there is a God.

He honors God in the best manner who renders his intellect as much as possible similar to God.

If you injure no one, you will fear no one.

No one is wise who looks downward to the earth.

To lie is to deceive in life, and to be deceived.

Recognise what God is, and what that is in you which recognises God.

It is not death, but a bad life, that destroys the soul.

If you know him by whom you were made, you will know yourself.

It is not possible for a man to live conformable to divinity, unless he acts modestly, well, and justly.

Divine wisdom is true science.

You should not dare to speak of God to an impure soul.

The wise man follows God, and God follows the soul of the wise man.

A king rejoices in those whom he governs, and there-
fore God rejoices in the wise man. He who governs
likewise, is inseparable from those whom he governs;
and therefore God is inseparable from the soul of the
wise man, which he defends and governs.

The wise man is governed by God, and on this account is blessed.

A scientific knowledge of God causes a man to use few words.

To use many words when speaking of God, produces an ignorance of God.

The man who possesses a knowledge of God, will not be very ambitious.

The erudite,! chaste, and wise soul, is the prophet

of the truth of God.

1In the Latin fidelis; but as Ruffinus, the Latin translator of these sentences, frequently adulterates the true meaning of Sextus, by substituting one word for another, I have no doubt that in this sentence the original was wemadevjevos eruditus, and not riaros fidelis. My reason for so thinking is, that in one of the sentences of Demo-

Accustom yourself always to look to Divinity. A wise intellect is the mirror of God.

philus it is said, “that the life of ignorant men is a disgrace,” ray épabay dvedos éwat rov Biov; and this in the sentences of Sextus is, “Hominum infidelium vita, opprobrium est.” If, therefore, Ruffinus translates duabdv, infidelium, there is every reason to suppose that he would translate reraidevjpevos, fidelis.

PYTHAGORIC SENTENCES, FROM THE

Protreptics of Iamblichus.!

As we live through soul, it must be said that by the
virtue of this we live well; just as because we see
through the eyes, we see well through the virtue of
these.

It must not be thought that gold can be injured by rust, or virtue by baseness.

We should betake ourselves to virtue as to an in-
violable temple, in order that we may not be exposed
to any ignoble insolence of soul with respect to our
communion with, and continuance in life.

We should confide in Virtue as in a chaste wife; but trust to Fortune as to an inconstant mistress.

It is better that virtue should be received accom-
panied with poverty, than wealth with violence; and
frugality with health, than veracity with disease.

An abundance of nutriment is noxious to the body;
but the body is preserved when the soul is disposed in
a becoming manner.

It is equally dangerous to give a sword to a madman, and power to a depraved man.

As it is better for a part of the body which contains
purulent matter to be burnt, than to continue in the
state in which it is, thus also it is better for a depraved
man to die than to live.

The theorems of philosophy are to be enjoyed as much

1 Several of these sentences as published by Arcerius, are in a very defective state; but which, as the learned reader will perceive, I have endeavoured to amend in my translation of them.

as possible, as if they were ambrosia and nectar. For
the pleasure arising from them is genuine, incorruptible,
and divine. They are also capable of producing mag-
nanimity; and though they cannot make us eternal
beings, yet they enable us to obtain a scientific know-
ledge of eternal natures.

If vigor of sensation is considered by us to be an
eligible thing, we should much more strenuously
endeavour to obtain prudence; for it is as it were the
sensitive vigor of the practical intellect which we con-
tain. And as through the former we are not deceived
in sensible perceptions, so through the latter we avoid
false reasoning in practical affairs.

We shall venerate Divinity in a proper manner, if we
render the intellect that is in us pure from all vice, as
from a certain stain.

A temple, indeed, should be adorned with gifts, but the soul with disciplines.

As the lesser mysteries are to be delivered before the greater, thus also discipline must precede philosophy.

The fruits of the earth, indeed, are annually im-
parted, but the fruits of philosophy at every part of
the year.

As land is especially to be attended to by him who
wishes to obtain from it the most excellent fruit, thus
also the greatest attention should be paid to the soul,
in order that it may produce fruit worthy of its nature.

Additional Notes

P. 37. BetrerR worth saving than ten thousand corporeal eyes.

Iamblichus here alludes to what Plato says in the
seventh book of his Republic, respecting the mathe-
matical disciplines. For he there says, ‘“‘that the soul
through these disciplines has an organ purified and
enlightened, which is blinded and buried by studies
of another kind, an organ better worth saving than ten
thousand eyes, since truth becomes visible through this
alone.”

P. 43. That in which the Sirens subsist.

“The divine Plato, (says Proclus in his MS. Scholia
on the Cratylus,) knew that there are three kinds of
Sirens; the celestial, which is under the government
of Jupiter; that which produces generation, and is under
the government of Neptune; and that which 1s cath-
artic, and is under the government of Pluto. It is
common to all these to incline all things through an
harmonic motion to their ruling Gods. Hence, when
the soul is in the heavens, the Sirens are desirous of
uniting it to the divine life which flourishes there.
But it is proper that souls living in generation should
sail beyond them, like the Homeric Ulysses, that they
may not be allured by generation, of which the sea is
an image. And when souls are in Hades, the Sirens
are desirous of uniting them through intellectual con-

ceptions to Pluto. So that Plato knew that in the

kingdom of Hades there are Gods, demons, and souls,
who dance as it were round Pluto, allured by the Sirens
that dwell there.”” See more concerning the Sirens in
my translation of Proclus on the Theology of Plato,
Book the 6th.

P. 44. That it 1s requisite to put the shoe on the right foot first.

This audition is taken from what forms the 12th
Symbol in the Protreptics of Iamblichus, and is as
follows: “When stretching forth your feet to have
your sandals put on, first extend your right foot; but
when about to use a foot bath, first extend your left
foot.” ‘This Symbol, (says lamblichus,) exhorts to
practical prudence, admonishing us to place worthy
actions about us as right-handed; but entirely to lay
aside and throw away such as are base, as being left-
handed.”

P. 44. That it 1s not proper to walk in the public ways.

This is the 5th Symbol in the Protreptics of Iam-
blichus, but is there differently expressed: for it is,
“Declining from the public ways, walk in unfrequented
paths.” On which Iamblichus observes: “TI think that
this Symbol also contributes to the same thing as the
preceding, [which is, “Disbelieve nothing wonderful
concerning the Gods, nor concerning divine dogmas ”’].
For this exhorts us to abandon a popular and merely
human life; but thinks fit that we should pursue a
separate and divine life. It also signifies nee it is
necessary to look above common opinions; but very
much to esteem such as are private and arcane; and
that we should despise merely human delight; but
ardently pursue that felicitous mode of conduct which

adheres to the divine will. It likewise exhorts us to
dismiss human manners as popular, and to exchange
for these the religious cultivation of the Gods, as tran-
scending a popular life.

P. 44. Do not assist a man in laying a burden down.

This in the Protreptics is the 11th Symbol, and is
explained by Iamblichus as follows: “This Symbol
exhorts to fortitude; for whoever takes up a burden,
signifies that he undertakes an action of labor and
energy; but he who lays one down, of rest and re-
mission. So that the Symbol has the following mean-
ing: Do not become either to yourself or another the
cause of an indolent and effeminate mode of conduct;
for every useful thing is acquired by labor. But the
Pythagoreans celebrate this Symbol as Herculean, thus
denominating it from the labors of Hercules. For
during his association with men, he frequently returned
from fire and every thing dreadful, indignantly reject-
ing indolence. For rectitude of conduct is produced
from acting and operating, but not from sluggishness.”

P. 45. Do not draw near to a woman for the sake of begetting children, tf she has gold.

In the Protreptics of Iamblichus (Symbol 35.) this
is expressed as follows: “Draw not near to that which
has gold, in order to produce children.” On which
Tamblichus observes: ‘The Symbol does not here
speak of a woman, but of that sect and philosophy
which has much of the corporeal in it, and a gravitat-
ing tendency downwards. For gold is the heaviest of
all things in the earth, and pursues a tendency to the
middle, which is the peculiarity of corporeal weight.
But the term to draw near, not only signifies to be

connected with, but always to approach towards, and to be seated near another.”

P. 45. Speak not about Pythagoric concerns without light.

This is the 13th Symbol in the Protreptics, and is thus explained by Iamblichus: “‘This Symbol exhorts to the possession of intellectual prudence. For this is similar to the light of the soul, to which being in- definite it gives bound, and leads, as it were, from dark- ness into light. It is proper, therefore, to place intellect as the leader of every thing beautiful in life, but especially in Pythagoric dogmas; for these cannot be known without light.”

P. 45. Wear not the image of God 1n a ring.