Asclep. Whom affirm you, O Trismegistus, to be the heads and beginnings of the first Principles.
Trism. I reveal & disclose unto thee great & divine Mysteries of p. 56 which I now begin by the desired help and assistance of God. There are divers kinds of Gods, and of those one part intelligible, another sensible. They are called intelligibles, not because they may be supposed not to be subject to our senses, (for we perceive them more then those which we call visibles) as our discourse shall shew, and thou if thou mark it maiest perceive: for divine reason passing beyond the reach and capacity of men, if thou with good care, and great attention listen not unto the speakers, will fly away and passe through thee, and returne to the Fountain of it own waters. There are therefore chief Lords or Gods of all Species, the Prince of whom is Usia; these are like one to another in their Originall, who by nature effect all things, every p. 57 one illuminating one anothers work. The chief Lord of Heaven or whatsoever is concluded under that name, is Iupiter, for from Heaven Iupiter gives life to all. The chiefe Lord of the Sun, is the Light. For the benefit of light is distributed unto us by the globe of the Sun. There are 34. Lords of the horoscope, or which speculate into the Hours of Nativity, placed alwayes amongst the fixed Planets, the Prince of these they call 〈non-Latin alphabet〉, that is, which hath all snapes or which, in different Species, makes divers Shapes. The seven wandering Planets have also their Lords which they call, Fortune and Fate by which all things are changed which, were firmely stablished by the law of nature, & altered by a continual motion. But the Aire is the Organ or instrument p. 58 of all things, in which all things are brought to passe; and the chief Lord or Prince of this is second in degree conferring mortall things, and the like, upon mortall Creatures. These things therefore being so, that these lower things are moved by the higher; So likewise all naturall things are joyned to themselves, as mortall things with mortall, and sensible things with sensible. But the chief matter of Government, belongs to that great Lord, being not many but only one for from that one all things depend: rather flowing from him when they seem to be distant, & are supposed to be a many things apart by themselves but indeed are united: being one or rather two from whom all things are effected, and from which they are created; that is, the matter of which they are made, & from his p. 59 will by which other things are brought to passe.
Asclep. Again, what is the reason of this, O Trismegistus?
Trism. This, O Asclepius. For God the Father, or the Lord of all things, and whatsoever name he is more religiously and devoutly called of men, which ought for our understanding sake to be reverenced of us, in contemplation of so great a Majesty, we have expresly called him by none of those names, for if this sound uttered, setteth forth the whole will of man or that understanding he shall conceive by the spirit; the substance of which name consisting of a few syllables, is limited and circumscribed, that there might be in man a necessary and familiar entercourse betwixt the voice, & the eares, the spirit and the understanding, and so of all things by these: Whether p. 60 then the name of God be compleate or wholly in these? for I suppose not, that the efficient cause of all Majesty, and the Father and Lord of all things, can be expressed by one name though compounded of many Syllables: it is necessary therefore that he should be called not by one name but rather by all names, (seeing that he is both one and all things) being meet that all things should be his name; or that He should be styled by the name of All. This therefore being but one, as being all, is full of the fruitfulnesse of both natures, and rich in his own will bringeth forth whatsoever he hath a desire to create. His will is all goodness, and this same goodness pertaines to all things, from his divinity nature proceeds that all things may be as they p. 61 are, and have been and in all things which shall be, nature hence forward may of it self be sufficient to beget. Let this therefore be the reason given thee, O Asclepius, wherefore and how all things, of both sexes are made.
Asclep. You mean God, Trismegistus?
Trism. Not only God, O Asclepius, but all Creatures having life, and all Creatures without life; for it is impossible that any of those things which are, should be unfruitfull, for fruitfulnesse being barred from all things that are, it will be impossible that there be a perpetuity of those things which are: for, I say, that Nature and Reason, and the World do contein in them this nature, and preserve in themselves all things created; for every Sex is full p. 62 of procreation, and the Conjunction or uniting of both is incomprehensible, which you may call Venery or lust or both: this therefore being well understood and clearly conceived, that from the God of nature the invention and office of procreation is for ever, in whom is naturally perfect charity, joy, mirth, and divine love; and it might be said how great the force and necessity of his ministry is but that by the contemplation of him, it is manifest to every ones understanding. For if you o bserve the first time wherein we are fashioned, how both natures frameth an ofpring either Male, or Female, how that the one greedily snatcheth the seed of the other, & shuts it up close within the womb, and lastly how by that common Conjunction at the same time p. 63 they beget men and women, which the woman for a certain time beareth in her womb. The effects therefore of so pleasing, and necessary a work, is committed in the dark, lest that by the derisions and mockings of common ignorant fooles, the divinity of nature by the conjunction of both sexes, should be compelled to blush, if it should be subject to the open view of irreligious and ungodly persons, for there are very few in the world that may be counted modest and religious, whereby it hapeneth that in many there remaines malice and lewdnesse, through the want of wisdome and knowledge in those things which are: for by the understanding of divine knowledge, and religion, by which all things are sweetly disposed, and ordered, there p. 64 is not only a contempt of, but also medicine for all the evils in the world: but so long as ignorance and want of knowledge abide, there all manner of sin gets head, and wounds the soul with incurable Vices, which being infected, and defiled with them, swells it, as it were with Poyson, which cannot be cured but by a soul furnished with divine graces and understanding. If therefore only to a few this shall be profitable, it is meet to prosecute and conclude this tractate, to wit, wherefore God hath vouchsafed to impart, only unto men understanding and discipline. Hear therefore, when God the Father, and Lord of all things, had after other inferiour Gods or Angels made man of the corrupter part of the world, and of a like measure p. 65 of divinity, it happened that sin did remain mixed with those Bodies, with a necessary desire after food and living, (which nature hath given in common to other living creatures) as also other affections and vices of the minde incident to mans corruption. But the Angels which were made of the purest part of nature, and wanting no helps of Reason and Knowledge, and in a continuall state of immortality yet for unity of order, and for disclipine, and understanding he hath ordained by an eternal Law, (being an order by the Law of necessity limited) that they should not be far from them, or much different in nature; appointing man above all creatures to be only endued with reason and knowledge by which he might shun the corruption & vices of his body, hath assigned p. 66 them for the purpose and hope of immortality, finally he hath made man that he might be immortall of a divine and mortall nature, that it might appear that man being thus made after the will of God, is in better state then the Angels, who are made only of an immortall nature, as also all other mortall creatures. In which respect, man comming nearest to the nature of God he should worship him in pure and undefiled religion with an honest heart, and that the Angels with a pious and loving affection should pity and preserve all humane things. But this is spoken of some few men who are indued with chast and pure affections; we have nothing to do with the Vitious, lest this holy discourse be defiled by the thought of them.
The Commentary.
This eighth Chapter treateth of the materiall Lords or Princes, which he calleth Gods: The Lord of Heaven he calleth Jupiter; the Lord of the Sun, the Light: he reckons 34 Horoscopes, or markers of the hours of childrens nativity in the same place of the fixed Planets, and the chief of these he calleth Pantomorphos, and the Lords of the seven wandering Spheres, or Planets, he maketh Fortune, and Fate: also he appointeth a Lord of the air: but these seem to be the fictions of Devils, and certain vanities smelling of the errours of the Gentiles, and which cause those which trust in them, rather to perish, than to be in any safety. From hence he returneth to the contemplation of the most high and ineffable p. 68 God, or which is to be named by all names, being full of fruitfulnesse, whereby all things have that which makes them altogether fruitfull: From hence is that love of procreation, and that great work of Nature, which hath nothing deformed or unseemly in it, whiles that the thoughts, speech, and actions be modest and religious; for that is given and permitted for the imitation of divine fruitfulnesse. But because the greatest part of men is ignorant of these mysteries, they profane these divine Laws, and after the manner of bruit beasts, unreverently, unseemly, and outragiously use these things; therefore we dare not speak of such things, even for modesties sake, because those inordinate and irreverent thoughts and gestures are apt to thrust themselves into the minds of men, and not that seemly, holy, and undefiled p. 69 Ordinance of God: and because few have pure and good affections, I suppose that we should neither think, or speak much of this matter. Then he addeth, that God hath bestowed onely upon men reason and understanding, whereby that immortall, and divine part of him, might shun vices, which otherwise, by the admixture of his earthly substance, he might easily run into: for by reason of this body and dissoluble part, men must needs fall into lusts, and other temptations of the mind.
This, of the eighth Part.