Paul Summers Young

  The Seventeenth Book of Hermes Trismegistus. To Asclepius, to be truly wise. 1. Because, my Son Tat, in your absence, would needs learn the nature of the things that are, he would not suffer me to give over - as coming very young to the knowledge of every individual - till I was forced at large, that his contemplation might from point to point, be more easy and successful.  2. But to thee, I have thought good to write in few words, choosing out the principal heads of the things than spoken, and to interpret them more mystically, because you have both more years, and more knowledge of Nature. 3. All things that appear were made, and are made. 4. Those things that are made, are not made by themselves, but by another. 5. And there are many things made, but especially all things that appear, and which are different and not like.  6. If the things that be made and done, be made and done by another, there must be one that must make and do them, and he unmade, and more ancient than the thin

  The Sixteenth Book of Hermes Trismegistus. That none of the things that are can perish.  1. Hermes  - We must now speak of the soul and body, O Son. After what manner the soul is immortal, and what operation that is, which constitutes the body, and dissolves it.  2. But in none of these is death, for it is a conception of a name, which is either an empty word, or else it is wrongly called death by the taking away the first letter, instead of immortal. 3. For death is destruction, but there is nothing in the whole world that is destroyed.  4. For if the world be a second God, and an immortal living wight, it is impossible that any part of an immortal living wight should die. 5. But all things that are in the world are members of the world, especially man, the reasonable living wight.  6. For the first of all is God, the eternal and unmade, and the Workman of all things.  7. The second is the world, made by him after his own image, and by him holden together, and nourished and immortal

  The Fifteenth Book of Hermes Trismegistus. Of Truth to his Son Tat. 1. Hermes  - Of truth, O Tat, it is not possible that man being an imperfect wight compounded of imperfect members, and having his tabernacle consisting of different and many bodies, should speak with any confidence.  2. But as far as it is possible, and just, I say, that truth is only in the eternal bodies, whose bodies be also true.  3. The fire is fire itself only, and nothing else; the earth is earth itself, and nothing else; the air is air itself, and nothing else; the water, water itself, and nothing else.  4. But our bodies consist of all these, for they have of the fire, they have of the earth, they have of the water and air, and yet there is neither fire, nor earth, nor water, nor air, nor anything true.  5. And if at the beginning, our constitution had not truth, how could men either see the truth or speak it or understand it only, except God would? 6. All things, therefore, upon Earth, O Tat, are not truth

  The Fourteenth Book of Hermes Trismegistus. Of Operation and Sense.  1. Tat  - You have well explained these things, Father, Teach me furthermore these things, for you say that science and art were the operations of the rational; but now you say that beasts are unreasonable, and for want of reason are called brutes, so that by this reason, it must needs follow that unreasonable creatures partake not of science or art, because they come short of reason.  2. Hermes  - It must needs be so, Son.  3. Tat  - Why, then, O Father, do we see some unreasonable living creatures use both science and art? as the pismires treasure up for themselves food against the winter, and fowls of the air likewise make them nests, and four-footed beasts know their own dens.  4. These things they do, O Son, not by science or art, but by nature; for science or art are things that are taught, but none of these brute beasts are tuaght any of these things.  5. But these things being natural unto them are wrought b

  The Thirteenth Book of Hermes Trismegistus. Of Sense and Understanding.  1. Yesterday, Asclepius, I delivered a perfect discourse, but now I think it necessary in suite of that to dispute also of sense. 2. For sense and understanding seem to differ, because the one is material, the other essential. 3. But unto me, they appear to be both one, or united and not divided, in men, I mean.  4. For in other living creatures, sense is united unto nature, but in men to understanding. 5. But the mind differs from the understanding as much as God from divinity. 6. For divinity is from or under God, and understanding from the mind, being the sister of the word or speech, and they the instrument one of another. 7. For neither is the word pronounced without understanding, neither is understanding manifested without the word.  8. Therefore, sense and understanding both flow together into a man, as if they were infolded one within another. 9. For neither is it possible without sense to understand, n

  The Twelfth Book of Hermes Trismegistus. His Crater, or Monas. 1. The Workman made universal world, not with his hands, but his word.  2. Therefore thus think of him as present everywhere, and being always and making all things, and one above that by his will has framed the things that are. 3. For that is his body, not tangible nor visible, nor measurable, nor extensible, nor like any other body.  4. For it is neither fire nor water, nor air, nor wind, but all these things are of him, for being Good, he has dedicated that name unto himself alone.  5. But he would also adorn the Earth, but with the ornament of a divine body. 6. And he sent man an immortal and a mortal wight. 7. And man had more than all living creatures and the world, because of his speech and mind.  8. For man became the spectator of the works of God, and wondered, and acknowledged the maker.  9. For he divided speech among all men, but not mind, and yet he envied not any. For envy comes not thither, but is of abode

  The Eleventh Book of Hermes Trismegistus. Of the Common Mind, to Tat.  1. The Mind, O Tat, is of the very essence of God, if yet there be any essence of God.  2. What kind of essence that is, he alone knows himself exactly. 3. The Mind, therefore, is not cut off or divided from the essentiality of God, but united as the light of the Sun.  4. And this mind in men is God, and therefore are some men divine, and there humanity is near divinity. 5. For the Good Demon called the Gods immortal men , and men mortal Gods . 6. But in the brute beasts or unreasonable living wights, the mind is their nature.  7. For where there is a soul, there is the mind, as where there is life, there is also a soul. 8. In living creatures, therefore, that are without reason, the soul is life, void of the operations of the mind.  9. For the mind is the benefactor of the souls of men, and works to the proper good.  10. And in unreasonable things, it co-operates with the nature of every one of them, but in men i

  The Tenth Book of Hermes Trismegistus. The Mind to Hermes. 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

  The Ninth Book of  Hermes Trismegistus. A Universal Sermon to Asclepius. 1. Hermes - All that is moved, O Asclepius, is it not moved in something and by something? 2. Asclepius  - Yes, indeed.  3. Hermes  - Must not that in which a thing is moved of necessity be greater than the thing that is moved? 4. Asclepius  - Of necessity. 5. Hermes  - And that which moves, is it not stronger than that which is moved? 6. Asclepius  - It is stronger.  7. Hermes  - That in which a thing is moved, must it not needs have a nature contrary to that of the thing that is moved? 8. Asclepius  - It must needs. 9. Hermes  - Is not this great World a body than which there is no greater? 10. Asclepius  - Yes, confessedly.  11. Hermes  - And is it not solid, as filled with many great bodies and, indeed, with all the bodies that are? 12. Asclepius  - It is so. 13. Hermes  - And is not the World a body, and a body that is moved? 14. Asclepius  - It is. 15. Hermes  - Then what a kind of place must it be, wherei

The Eighth Book of Hermes Trismegistus that the greatest evil in Man is the not knowing of God. 1. Whither are you carried, O Men, drunken with drinking up the strong Wine of Ignorance? which seeing you cannot bear, why do you not vomit it up again? 2. Stand and be sober, and look up again with the eyes of your heart! and if you cannot all do so, yet do as many as you can.  3. For the malice of Ignorance surrounds all the Earth, and corrupts the Soul shut up in the body, not suffering it to arrive at the Havens of Salvation.  4. Suffer not yourselves to be carried with the great stream, but stem the tide, you that can lay hold of the Haven of Safety, and make your full course towards it.  5. Seek one that may lead you by the hand, and conduct you to the Door of Truth and Knowledge, where the clear light is pure from darkness, where there is not one drunken but all sober, and in their heart look up to him whose pleasure it is to be seen. 6. For he cannot be heard with ears, nor seen wit

  The Seventh Book His Secret Sermon in the Mount of Regeneration and the Profession of Silence. To his Son Tat. 1. Tat - In the general speeches, O Father, discoursing of the divinity, thou speak enigmatically, and did not clearly reveal thyself, saying that no man can be saved before regeneration.  2. And when I humbly entreated thee at the going up to the Mountain, after thou had discoursed unto me, having a great desire to learn this argument of regeneration. Because among all the rest, I am ignorant only of this thou told me thou would impart unto me, when I would estrange myself from the World. Whereupon, I made myself ready, and have vindicated the understanding that is in me from the decit of the World.  3. Now then, fulfil my defects, and as thou said, instruct me of regeneration, either by word of mouth or secretly, for I know not, O Trismegistus, of what substance or what womb or what seed a man is thus born.  4. Hermes  - O Son, this wisdom is to be understood in silence, a