As men are musicians, but not all, neither are all archers or huntsmen.

 

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 by nature, whereas art and science do not happen unto all, but unto some. 

6. As men are musicians, but not all, neither are all archers or huntsmen, or the rest, but some of them have learned something by the working of science or art. 

7. After the same manner also, if some pismires did so, and some not, you might well say they gather their food according to science and art. 

8. But being they are all led by nature to the same thing, even against their wills, it is manifest they do not do it by science or art. 

9. For operations, O Tat, being unbodily, are in bodies, and work by bodies.

10. Wherefore, O Tat, in as much as they are unbodily, you must needs say they are immortal. 

11. But in as much as they cannot act without bodies, I say, they are always in a body. 

12. For those things that are to anything, or for the cause of anything made subject to providence or necessity cannot possibly remain idle of their own proper operation. 

13. For that which is, shall ever be, for both the body and the life of it is the same. 

14. And by this reason, it follows that the bodies also are always, because I affirm that this corporiety is always by the act and operation, or for them. 

15. For although earthly bodies be subject to dissolution, yet these bodies must be the places, the organs and instruments of acts or operations. 

16. But acts or operations are immortal, and that which is immortal is always in act, and therefore also corporification if it be always.

17. Acts or operations follow the soul, yet come not suddenly or promiscuously, but some of them come together with being made man, being about brutish or unreasonable things. 

18. But the purer operations insensibly in the change of time work with the oblique part of the soul. 

19. And these operations depend upon bodies, and truly they that are corporifying come from the divine bodies into mortal ones.

20. But every one of them acts both about the body and the soul, and are present with the soul, even without the body. 

21. And they are always acts or operations, but the soul is not always in a mortal nody, for it can be without a body, but acts or operations cannot be without bodies. 

22. This is a sacred speech, Son. The body cannot consist without a soul. 

23. Tat - How mean you that, Father?

24. Hermes - Understand it thus, O Tat, when the soul is separated from the body, there remains that same body.

25. And this same body, according to the time of its abode, is actuated or operated in that it is dissolved and becomes invisible.

26. And these thngs they body cannot suffer without act or operation, and consequently there remains with the body the same acy or operation.

27. This, then, is the difference between an immortal body and a mortal one: that the immortal one consists of one matter, and so does not the mortal one, and the immortal one does, but this suffers. 

28. And everything that acts or operates is stronger and rules, but that which is actuated or operated is ruled. 

29. And that which rules, directs and governs as free, but the other is ruled a servant. 

30. Acts or operations do not only actuate or operate, living or breathing, or insouled bodies, but also breathless bodies, or without souls, wood and stones, and suchlike increasing and bearing fruit, ripening, corrupting, rotting, putrifying and breaking, or working suchlike things, and whatsoever inanimate bodies can suffer. 

31. Act or operation, O Son, is called whatsoever is, or is made or done, and there are always many things made, or ratther all things. 

32. For the world is never widowed or forsaken of any of those things that are, but being always carried or moved in itself, it is in labour to bring forth the things that are, which shall never be left by it to corruption. 

33. Let, therefore, every act or operation be understood to be always immortal, in what manner of body soever it be. 

34. But some acts or operations be of divine, some of corruptible bodies, some universal, some peculiar, and some of the generals, and some of the parts of everything.

35. Divine acts or operations therefore there be, and such as work or operate upon their proper bodies, and these also are perfect, and being upon or in perfect bodies. 

36. Particular are they which work by any of the living creatures. 

37. Proper be they which work by any of the living creatures.

38. By this discourse, therefore, O Son, it is gathered that all things are full of acts or operations. 

39. For if necessarily they be in every body, and that there be many bodies in the world, I may very well affirm that there be many other acts or operations. 

40. For many times in one body, there is one, and a second, and a third, besides these universal ones that follow. 

41. And universal operations, I call them that are indeed bodily, and are done by the senses and motions.

42. For without these, it is impossible that the body should consist. 

43. But other operations are proper to the souls of men, by arts, sciences, studies and actions. 

44. The senses also follow these operations, or rather are the effects or perfections of them.

45. Understand, therefore, O Son, the difference of operations, it is sent from above. 

46. But sense being in the body, and having its essence from it, when it receives act or operation manifests it, making it as it were corporeal. 

47. Therefore, I say, that the senses are both corporeal and mortal, having so much existence as the body, for they are born with the body, and die with it. 

48. But mortal things themselves have not sense, as not consisting of such an essence.

49. For sense can be no other than a corporeal apprehension, either of evil or good, that comes to the body.

50. But to eternal bodies, there is nothing comes, nothing departs. Therefore, there is no sense in them. 

51. Tat - Does the sense therefore perceive or apprehend in every body?

52. Hermes - In every body, O Son.

53. Tat - And do the acts or operations work in all things?

54. Hermes - Even in things inanimate, O Son, but there are differences of senses. 

55. For the senses of things rational are with reason, of things unreasonable, corporeal only, but the senses of things inanimate are passive only, according to augmentation and diminution. 

56. But passion and sense depend both upon one head or height, and are gathered together into the same by acts or operations. 

57. But in living wights, there be two other operations that follow the sense and passions, to wit, grief and pleasure. 

58. And without these, it is impossible that a living wight, especially a reasonable one should perceive or apprehend. 

59. And therefore, I say, that these are the ideas of passions that bear rule, especially in reasonable living wights.

60. The operations work indeed, but the senses declare and manifest the operations, and they being bodily are moved by the brutish parts of the soul. Therefore, I say, they are both malefical or doers of evil. 

61. For that which affords the sense to rejoice with pleasure os straightaway the cause of many evils happening to him that suffers it. 

62. But sorrow gives stronger torments and anguish, therefore doubtless are they both maleficial. 

63. The same may be said of the sense of the soul. 

64. Tat - Is not the soul incorporeal, and the sense a body, Father? or is it rather in the body?

65. Hermes - If we put it in a body, O Son, we shall make it like the soul or the operations. For these being unbodily, we say are in bodies.

66. But sense is neither operation nor soul, nor anything else that belongs to the body, but as we have said, and therefore it is not incorporeal. 

67. And if it be not incorporeal, it must needs be a body, for we always say that of things that are, some are bodies, and some incorporeal. 

The End of the Fourteenth Book.