I O my Son, write this first Book, both for Humanity sake, and for Piety towards God.
2. For there can be no Religion more true or just, than to know the things that are; and to acknowledge thanks for all things, to him that made them: which thing I shall not cease continually to do.
3. What then should a man do, O Father, to lead his life well; seeing there is nothing here true?
4. Be Pious and Religious, O my Son; for he that doth so, is the best and highest Philosopher; and without Philosophy, p. 2 it is impossible ever to attain to the heighth and exactnes of Piety or Religion.
5. But he that shall learn and study the things that are; and how they are ordered and governed; and by whom, and for what cause, or to what end; will acknowledge thanks to the Work man, as to a good Father, an excellent Nurse, and a faithfull Steward, and he that gives thanks shall be Pious or Religious, and he that is Religious shall know both where the truth is, and what it is; and learning that, he will be yet more and more Reigious.
6. For never, O Son, shall, or can that Soul, which while it is in the Body lightens and lifts up it self to know and comprehend that which is Good and True, slide back to the contrary: For it is infinitely enamoured p. 3 thereof, and forgetteth all Evils; and when it hath learned and known its Father and Progenitor, it can no more Apostatize, or depart from that Good.
7. And let this, O Son, be the end of Religion and Piety; whereunto when thou art once arrived, thou shalt both live wel, and die blessedly, whilest thy Soul is not ignorant whither it must return, and flie back again.
8. For this onely, O Son, is the way to the Truth, which our Progenitors travelled in; and by which, making their Journey, they at length attained to the Good. It is a Venerable way, and plain, but hard and difficult for the Soul to go in, that is in the Body.
9. For first, it must war against its own self, and after much Strife and Dissention, it must be overcome of one part; for the Contention p. 4 is of one against two, whilest it flies away, and they strive to hold and detain it.
10. But the victory of both is not like; for the one hasteth to that which is Good, but the other is a neighbor to the things that are Evil; and that which is Good, desireth to be set at Liberty; but the things that are Evil, love Bondage and Slavery.
11. And if the two parts be overcome, they become quiet, and are content to accept of it as their Ruler; but if the one be overcome of the two, it is by them led and carried to be pupunished by its being and continuance here.
12. This is, O Son, the Guide in the way that leads thither; for thou must first forsake the Body before thy end, and get the victory in this Contention and Strifefull life, and when thou p. 5 hast overcome return.
13. But now, O my Son, I will by Heads run thorow the things that are: Understand thou what I say, and remember what thou hearest.
14. All things that are, are moved; onely that which is not, is unmoveable.
15. Every Body is changeable.
16. Not every Body is dissolveable.
17. Some Bodies are dissolveable.
18. Every living thing is not mortall.
19. Not every living thing is immortall.
20. That which may be dissolved is also corruptible.
21. That which abides alwayes is unchangeable.
22. That which is unchangeable is eternall.
23. That which is alwayes made, is alwayes corrupted.
24. That which is made but once, is never corrupted, neither becomes any other thing.
25. First, God, Secondly, the World; Thirdly, Man.
26. The World for Man, Man for God.
27. Of the Soul; that part which is Sensible is mortall, but that which is Reasonable is immortall.
28. Every Essence is immortall.
29. Every Essence is unchangeable.
30. Every thing that is, is double.
31. None of the things that are, stand still.
32, Not all things are moved by a Soul, but every thing that is, is moved by a Soul.
33. Every thing that suffers p. 7 is Sensible; every thing that is Sensible suffereth.
34. Every thing that is sad rejoyceth also, and is a mortall living Creature.
35. Not every thing that joyeth is also sad, but is an eternall living thing.
36. Not every Body is sick; every Body that is sick, is dissolveable.
37. The Mind in God.
38. Reasoning (or disputing, of discoursing) in Man.
39. Reason in the Mind.
40. The Mind is voyd of suffering.
41. No thing in a Body true.
42. All that is incorporeall, is voyd of Lying.
43. Every thing that is made, is corruptible.
44. Nothing good upon Earth, nothing evill in Heaven.
45. God is good, Man is evil
46. Good is voluntary, or of its own accord.
47. Evill is unvoluntary, or against its will.
48. The Gods choose good things, as good things.
49. Time is a Divine thing.
50. Law is Humane.
51. Malice is the nourishment of the World.
52. Time is the Corruption of Man.
53. Whatsoever is in Heaven is unalterable.
54. All upon Earth is alterable.
55. Nothing in Heaven is servanted, nothing upon Earth free.
56. Nothing unknown in Heaven, nothing known upon Earth.
57. The things upon Earth, communicate not with those in Heaven.
58. All things in Heaven are unblameable, all things upon Earth are subject to Reprehension.
59. That which is immortal, is not mortal; that which is mortal, is not immortal.
60. That which is sown, is not alwayes begotten; but that which is begotten alwayes is sown.
61. Of a dissolveable Body, there are two Times, one from sowing to generation, one from generation to death.
62. Of an everlasting Body, the time is only from the Generation.
63. Dissolveable Bodies are increased and diminished.
64. Dissolveable matter is altered into contraries; to wit, Corruption and Generation, but Eternal matter into its self, and its like.
65. The Generation of Man is Corruption, the Corruption of Man is the beginning of Generation.
66. That which off-springs or begetteth another, is it self an off-spring or begotten by another.
67. Of things that are; some are in Bodies, some in their Ideas.
68. Whatsoever things belong to operation or working, are in a Body.
69. That which is immortal, partakes not of that which is mortal.
70. That which is mortall, cometh not into a Body immortall; but that which is immortall, cometh into that which is mortal.
71. Operations or Workings are not carried upwards, but descend downwards.
72. Things upon Earth, do nothing advantage those in Heaven; but all things in Heaven do profit and advantage the things upon Earth.
73. Heaven is capable, and a fit receptacle of everlasting Bodies, the Earth of corruptible Bodies.
74. The Earth is bruitish, the Heaven is reasonable or rational.
75. Those things that are in Heaven, are subjected or placed under it; but the things on Earth are placed upon it.
76. Heaven is the first Element.
77. Providence is Divine Order.
78. Necessity is the Minister or Servant of Providence.
79. Forrune is the carriage or effect of that which is without Order; the Idol of operation, p. 12 a lying fantasie or opinion.
80. What is God? The immutable or unalterable Good.
81. What is man? An unchangeable Evil.
82. If thou perfectly remember these Heads, thou canst not forget those things which in more words I have largely expounded unto thee; for these are the Contents or Abridgment of them.
83. Avoyd all Conversation with the multitude or common People; for I would not have thee subject to envy, much lesse to be ridiculous unto the Many.
84. For the like alwaies takes to it self that which is like, but the unlike never argrees with the unlike: Such Discourses as these have very few Anditors, p. 13 and peradventure very few will have; but they have something peculiar unto themselves.
85. They do rather sharpen and whet evil men to their maliciousnesse; therefore it behoveth to avoyd the multitude, & take heed of them, as not understanding the virtue and power of the things that are said.
86. How dost thou mean, O Father?
87. Thus, O Son, the whole Nature and Composition of those living things called Men, is very prone to Malieiousnesse, and is very familiar, and as it were nourished with it, and therefore is delighted with it. Now this Wight, if it shall come to Learn or know that the vvorld vvas once made, and all things are done according to Providence, and Necessity, Destiny, or Fate, bearing Rule over all: p. 14 Will he not be much vvorse then himself? despising the vvhole because it vvas made. And if he may lay the cause of Evill upon Fate or Destiny, he vvill never abstain from any evillwork.
88. Wherefore we must look warily to such kind of people, that being in ignorance, they may be lesse evil for fear of that which is hidden and kept secret.
The end of the first Book.