William Wynn Westcott: Premium Collection. William Wynn Westcott

are and passing through them, fill them? and that Body doth it not consist of the mixture of the four? therefore all those things which thou callest empty are full of Air.

      54. Therefore those things that thou callest empty, thou oughtest to call them hollow, not empty, for they exist and are full of Air and Spirit.

      55. Asclepius. This reason is beyond all contradiction, O Trismegistus, but what shall we call the Place in which the whole Universe is moved?

      56. Hermes. Call it incorporeal, O Asclepius.

      57. Asclepius. What is that incorporeal or unbodily?

      58. Hermes. The Mind and Reason, the whole, wholly comprehending itself, free from all Body, undeceivable, invisible, impassible from a Body itself, standing fast in itself, capable of all things, and that favour of the things that are.

      59. Whereof the Good, the Truth, the Archetypal Light, the Archetype of the Soul, are as it were Beams.

      60. Asclepius. Why then, what is God?

      61. Hermes. That which is none of these things, yet is, and is the cause of Being to all; and every one of the things that are; for he left nothing destitute of Being.

      62. And all things are made of things that are, and not of things that are not; for the things that are not, have not the nature to be able to be made; and again, the things that are, have not the nature never to be, or not to be at all.

      63. Asclepius. What dost thou then say at length, that God is?

      64. Hermes. God is not a Mind, but the Cause that the Mind is; not a Spirit, but the Cause that the Spirit is; not Light, but the Cause that Light is.

      65. Therefore we must worship God by these two Appellations which are proper to him alone, and to no other

      66. For neither of all the other, which are called Gods, nor of Men, nor Demons, or Angels, can anyone be, though never so little, good, save only God alone.

      67. And this He is, and nothing else; but all other things are separable from the nature of Good. 68. For the Body and the Soul have no place that is capable of or can contain the Good.

      69. For the greatness of Good, is as great as the Existence of all things, that are both bodily and Unbodily, both sensible and intelligible.

      70. This is the Good, even God.

      71. See therefore that thou do not at any time, call ought else Good, for so thou shalt be impious, or any else God, but only the Good, for so thou shalt again be impious.

      72. In Word it is often said by all men the Good, but all men do not understand what it is; but through Ignorance they call both the Gods, and some men Good, that can never either be or be made so.

      73. Therefore all the other Gods are honoured with the title and appellation of God, but God is the Good, not according to Heaven, but Nature.

      74. For there is one Nature of God, even the Good, and one kind of them both, from whence are all kinds.

      75. For he that is Good, is the giver of all things, and takes nothing and therefore God gives all things and receives nothing.

      76. The other title and appellation, is the Father, because of his making all things; for it is the part of a Father to make.

      77. Therefore it bath been the greatest and most Religious care in this life, to them that are wise, and well-minded, to beget children.

      78. As likewise it is the greatest misfortune and impiety for any to be separated from men, without children; and this man is punished after death by the Demons, and the punishment is this, To have the Soul of this childless man, adjudged and condemned to a Body, that neither bath the nature of a man, nor of a woman, which is an accursed thing under the Sun.

      79. Therefore, O Asclepius, never congratulate any man that is childless; but on the contrary, pity his misfortune, knowing what punishment abides, and is prepared for him.

      80. Let so many, and such manner of things, O Asclepius, be said as a certain precognition of all things in Nature.

      The Tenth Book

       The Mind to Hermes

       Table of Contents

      1. Forbear thy speech, O Hermes Trismegistus, and call to mind those things that are said: but I will not delay to speak what comes into my mind, since many men have spoken many things, and those very different, concerning the Universe and Good; but I have not learned the Truth.

      2. Therefore, the Lord make it plain to me in this point ; for I will believe thee only, for the manifestation of these things.

      3. Then said the Mind how the case stands.

      4. God and all.

      5. God, Eternity, the World, Time, Generation,

      6. God made Eternity, Eternity the World; the World Time, and Time Generation.

      7. Of God, as it were the Substance, is the Good, the Fair, Blessedness, Wisdom.

      8. Of Eternity, Identity, or Selfness.

      9. Of the World, Order.

      10. Of Time, Change.

      11. Of Generation, Life, and Death.

      12. But the Operation of God, is Mind and Soul.

      13. Of Eternity, Permanence, or Long-lasting, and Immortality

      14. Of the World, Restitution, and Decay or Destruction.

      15. Of Time, Augmentation and Diminution.

      16. And of Generation, Qualities.

      17. Therefore Eternity is in God. 18. The World in Eternity.

      19. Time in the World.

      20. And Generation in Time.

      21. And Eternity standeth about God.

      22. The World is moved in Eternity.

      23. Time is determined in the World.

      24. Generation is done in Time.

      25. Therefore the Spring and Fountain of all things is God.

      26. The Substance Eternity.

      27. The Matter is the World.

      28. The Power of God is Eternity.

      29. And the Work of Eternity is the World not yet made, and yet ever made by Eternity.

      30. Therefore shall nothing be at any time destroyed, for Eternity is incorruptible.

      31. Neither can anything perish, or be destroyed in the World, the World being contained and embraced by eternity.

      32. But what is the Wisdom of God? Even the Good, and the Fair and Blessedness, and every Virtue, and Eternity.

      33. Eternity therefore put into the Matter Immortality and Everlastingness; for the Generation of that depends upon Eternity, even as Eternity doth of God.

      34. For Generation and Time, in Heaven, and in Earth, are of a double Nature; in Heaven they are unchangeable and incorruptible, but on Earth they are changeable and corruptible.

      35. And the Soul of Eternity is God; and the Soul of the World, Eternity; and of the Earth, Heaven. 36. God is in the Mind, the Mind in the Soul; the Soul in the Matter, all things by Eternity.

      37. All this Universal Body, in which are all Bodies, is full of Soul, the Soul full of Mind, the Mind full of God.

      38. For within he fills them, and without he contains them, quickening the Universe.

      39. Without he quickens this perfect living thing the World, and within all living Creatures.

      40. And above in Heaven he abides in Identity or Selfness, but below upon Earth he changeth Generation.