For all things are full of light, but the fire is nowhere.

 

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 decay, or destruction.

15. Of Time, augmentation and diminution. 

16. And if Generation, qualities. 

17. Therefore, Eternity is God. 

18. The World is Eternity.

19. Time in the World. 

20. And Generation in Time. 

21. And Eternity stands 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 matter Immortality and Everlastingness, for the Generation of that dpends upon Eternity, even as Eternity does of God.

34. For Generation and Time, in Heaven and 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 Matter, all things in Eternity. 

37. All this Universal Body, in which 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 changes Generation. 

41. Eternity comprehends the World, either by Necessity or Providence or Nature. 

42. And if any man shall think any other thing, it is God that actuates or operates this all. 

43. But the operation or act of God is power insuperable, to which none may compare anything, either humane or divine. 

44. Therefore, O Hermes, think none of these things below or the things above, in anywise like unto God, for if thou do, thou errs from the truth.

45. For nothing can be like the unlike and only and one, nor may thou think that he has given of his power to any other thing. 

46. For who after him can make anything, either of life or immortality, of change or of quality? and himself, what other thing should he make?

47. For God is not idle, for then all things would be idle, for all things are full of God. 

48. But there is not anywhere in the World, such a thing as idleness, for idelness is a name that implies a thing void or empty, both of a doer and a thing done. 

49. But all things must necessarily be made or done both always, and according to the nature of every place. 

50. For he that makes or does is in all things, yet not fastened or comprehended in anything, nor making or doing one thing, but all things.

51. For being an active or operating power, and sufficient of himself for the things that are made, and the things that are made are under him. 

52. Look upon, through me, the World is to thy sight, and understand exactly the beauty thereof. 

53. A body immarcescible than the which there is nothing more ancient, yet always vigorous and young. 

54. See also the Seven Worlds set over us, adorned with an everlasting order and filling Eternity with a different course. 

55. For all things are full of light, but the fire is nowhere.

56. For the friendship and commixture of contraries and unlike became light shining from the act or operation of God, the prince of all order, and the ruler of the Seven Worlds. 

57. Look also upon the Moon, the forerunner of them all, the instrument of Nature, which changes matter here below. 

58. Behold the Earth, the middle of the whole, the firm and stable foundation of the fair World, the feeder and nurse of earthly things. 

59. Consider moreover how great the multitude is if immortal living things, and of mortal ones also, and see the Moon going about in the midst of both, to wit, of things immortal and mortal.

60. But all things are full of Soul, and all things are properly moved by it, some things about Heaven, and some things about Earth, and neither of those on the right hand to the left, nor those on the left hand to the right, nor those things that are above, downward, nor those things that are below, upwards. 

61. And that all these things are made, O beloved Hermes, thou need not learn of me.

62. For they are bodies, and have a soul, and are moved.

63. And that all these should come together into one, it is impossible without something to gather them together. 

64. Therefore, there must be some such ones, and he altogether one.

65. For seeing that the motions are divers and many, and the bodies not alike, and yet one ordered swiftness among them all, it is impossible there should be twoe or more makers. 

66. For one order is not kept by many.

67. But in the weaker, there would be jealousy of the stronger, and thence also contentions. 

68. And if there were one maker of mutable and mortal living wights, he would desire also to make immortal ones, as he that were the maker of immortal ones would do to make mortal.

69. Moreover also, if there were two, matter being one, who should be chief, or have the disposing of the facture?

70. Or if both of them, which of them the greater part?

71. But thinks thus that every living body has its consistance of matter and soul, and of that which is immortal and that which is mortal and unreasonable. 

72. For all living bodies have a soul, and those things that are not living are only matter by itself. 

73. And the soul likewise of itself drawing near her maker is the cause of life and being, and being the cause of life, is after a matter the cause of immortal things. 

74. How then are mortal wights other from immortal?

75. Or how cannot he make living wight, that causes immortal things and immortality?

76. That there is somebody that does these things, it is apparent, and that he is also one, it is most manifest.

77. For there is one soul, one life, and one matter. 

78. Who is this? Who can it be, other than the One God?

79. For whom else can it benefit, to make living things, save only God alone?

80. There is, therefore, One God.

81. For it is a ridiculous thing to confess the World to be one, one Sun, one Moon, one Divinity, and yet to have I know not how many gods. 

82. He, therefore, being one, does all things in many things.

83. And what great thing is it for God to make life and soul and immortality and change, when thyself does so many things!

84. For thou both see, speak and hear, smell, taste and touch, walk, understand and breathe.

85. And it is not one that sees and another that hears, and another that speaks, and another that touches, and another that smells, and another that walks, and another that understands, and another that breathes, but one that does all these things.

86. Yet neither can these things possibly be without God. 

87. For as thou, if thou should cease from doing these things, were not a living wight, so if God should cease from those, he were not - which is not lawful to say - any longer God. 

88. For if it be already demonstrated that nothing can be idle or empty, how much more may be affirmed of God?

89. For if there be anything which he ought not to do, then is he - if it were lawful to say so - inperfect.

90. Whereas seeing he is not idle but perfect, certainly he does all things.

91. Now give thyself unto me, O Hermes, for a little while, thou shall the more easily understand that it is the necessary work of God, that all things should be made or done, that are done, or were once done or shall be done. 

92. And this, O best beloved, is life.

93. And this is the Fair. 

94. And this is the Good.

95. And this is God.

96. And if thou will understand this by work also, mark what happens to thyself when thou will generate. 

97. And yet this is not like unto him, for he is not sensible of pleasure, for neither has he any other fellow-workman. 

98. But being himself the only workman, he is always in the work, himself being that which he does or makes. 

99. For all things, if they were separated from him, must needs fall and die, as there being no life in them. 

100. And again, if all things be living wights, both which are in Heaven and upon Earth, and that there be one life in all things which is made by God, and that is God, then certainly all things are made or done by God. 

101. Life is the union of the mind and soul. 

102. But death is not the destruction of those things that were gathered together, but a dissolving of the union.

103. The image, therefore, of God is Eternity, of Eternity the World, of the World the Sun, of the Sun Man.

104. But the people say that changing is death, because the body is dissolved, and the life goes into that which appears not. 

105. By this discourse, my dearest Hermes, I affirm as thou hear that the world is changed because every day part thereof becomes invisible, but that it is never dissolved.

106. And these are the passions of the World, revolutions and occultations; revolution is a turning, but occultation is renovation.

107. And the World being all formed has not the forms lying without it, but itself changes in itself. 

108. Seeing then the World is all formed, what must he be that made it? for without form, he cannot be.

109. And if he be all formed, he will be kept like the World, but if he have but one form, he shall be in this regard less than the World.

110. What do we then say that he is? We will not raise any doubts by our speech, for nothing that is doubtful concerning God is yet known.

111. He has, therefore, one Idea which is proper to him, which because it is unbodily is not subject to the sight, and yet shows all forms by the bodies.

112. And do not wonder if there be an incorruptible Idea.

113. For they are like the margents of that speech which is in writing, for they seem to be high and swelling, but they are by nature smooth and even. 

114. But understand well this that I say, more boldly, for it is more true: as a man cannot live without life, so neither can God live, not doing good. 

115. For this is, as it were, the life and motion of God to move all things and quicken them.

116. But some of the things I have said must have a particular explication. Understand, then, what I say.

117. All things are in God, not as lying in a place, for place is noth a body and unmoveable, and those things that are there placed have no motion.

118. For they lie otherwise in that which is unvodily, then in the fantasy or to appearance.

119. Consider him that contains all things, and understand that nothing is more capacious than that which is incorporeal, nothing more swift, nothing more powerful, but it is most capacious, most swift and most strong.

120. And judge of this by thyself, command thy soul to go into India, and sooner than thou can bid it, it will be there. 

121. Bid it likewise pass over the ocean, and suddenly it will be there, not as passing from place to place, but suddenly it will be there. 

122. Command it to fly into Heaven, and it will need no wings, neither shall anything hinder it, not the fire of the Sun, not the Æther, not the turning of the Spheres, not the bodies of any of the other Stars, but cutting through all, it will fly up to the last and furthest body. 

123. And if thou will even break the whole, and see those things that are without the World - if there be anything without - thou may. 

124. Behold how great power, how great swiftness thou has! Can thou do all these things, and cannot God?

125. After this manner, therefore, contemplate God to have all the whole World to himself, as it were all thoughts or intellections. 

126. If, therefore, thou will not equal thyself to God, thou cannot understand God.

127. For the like is intelligible by the like. 

128. Increase thyself unto an immeasurable greatness, leaping beyond every body, and transcending all time, become Eternity, and thou shall understand God. If thou believe in thyself that nothing is impossible, but account thyself immortal and thou can understand all things, every art, every science, and the manner and custom of every living thing. 

129. Become higher than all height, lower than all depths, comprehend in thyself the qualities of all the creatures, of the fire, the water, the dry and moist, and conceive likewise that thou can at once be everywhere in the sea, in the earth.

130. Thou shall at once understand thyself, not yet begotten in the womb, young, old, to be dead, the things after death, and all these together, as also times, places, deeds, qualities, quantities, or else thou cannot yet understand God. 

131. But if thou shut up thy soul in the body and abuse it, and say I understand nothing, I can do nothing, I am afraid of the sea, I cannot climb up into Heaven, I know not who I am, I cannot tell what I shall be, what have you to do with God? for thou can understand none of those Fair and Good things, be a lover of the body and evil. 

132. For it is the greatest evil, not to know God. 

133. But to be able to know, and to will, and to hope is the straight way and divine way, proper to the Good, and it will everywhere meet thee, and everywhere be seen of thee, plain and easy, when thou do not expect or look for it. It will meet thee, waking, sleeping, sailing, travelling by night, by day, when thou speaks, and when thou keeps silence. 

134. For there is nothing which is not the Image of God.

135. And yet thou say God is invisible, but be advised, for who is more manifest than he?

136. For therefore has he made all things, that thou by all things may see him.

137. This is the Good of God, this is his virtue, to appear and to be seen in all things. 

138. There is nothing invisible, no, not of those things that are incorporeal.

139. The Mind is seen in Understanding, and God is seen in doing or making. 

140. Let these things this far forth be made manifest unto thee, O Trismegistus!

141. Understand in like manner all other things by thyself, and thou shall not be deceived. 

The End of the Tenth Book.