The goldenen verses of Pythagoras

PYTHAGORAS. Part IX. at that time the SunSleep mot at noon: forFor (Ol ce ympiad.is PlatnftPbe fheweth its greateft fhut our eyes agai the to not don.) We ought t mani feft. light, when it is mof without the command of Quit not your Station,s oug ht to be kept in the our General : Our foul forfake this life without body, neither may we, who gav e it us, left {pecial leave from him er. in Cat. we feem to defpife the gift of God.| (Cic and de Repub.) not Roaft not shat se boiled; )that 16, change bl. meeknefs to anger, (Fam d they conHeap not up Cypre/s ; Of thistowoo made, (Labe ter Jupi of ceived the Scepter ertius.) l deities,odd to Sacrifice even things to the Celeftia his Arithmein ady alre this, Of the Terreßrial. 565 e fpread, The Pytbagorick Letter two ways life # led. Man h whic in Shows the two paths facred Virtuestend s, to k trac The right hand Though ftcep and rough at firft, in reff it ends; 113 Crow, The other broad and{mooth, but from . down led tumb is r elle Trav On rocks the He who to Virtue by barfh toyls afpires, res: Subduing pains, worth and renown acqui Bus who fecks florbful luxury, and fliety The labour ofgreat atts, difbonour’d dies: — The GOLDEN VERSES of Pythagoras. ST A WEEN . Summary of the Pythagorick Doctrine is ex-s tant in Verfe, Entituled, The Golden Verfe tick. OT as others, of the Pythagoreans. h, calling to of Pythagoras:Hieroc When it thunders, touch the eart les,as Gold ssthe beft and pureff When a For that,faith mind our own mortality: (Fambl.)t or, the beit and moft Divine of are thefe fo , the ofender ough to humble of Metals King is angry, Verfes. They are thefe. himfelf. nd u t.)Some expo Eat not fitting in a Chariot.(Plu Firft, in their ranks, tb’ Immortal Gods adore, in quiet; oF, thac we it, that we ought to eat ought not to give our felves to luxury in a time of bufinefs. Thy Oath keep; next, great Heroes; then implore, Terreftrial Demons with due facrifice. ande near Allies : Thy Parents reverenc go out on the Go intothe Temple on the right band, the Ceremo- Him that ss firft in Virtue make thy Friend, co refer to feem left Right and left. And with obfervance bis kind fpeech attend: (to thy power) for leight faults caft him by, Nor place with Where blood bath been (beds cover thembra ss neighbour Lo Neceffity. pow'r Thy nce of ones; that is, abolifh the very reme Thefe know, and with intentive care purfue ; any war or diflention. (famb.) anger, loth, and luxury fubdue, But Hurt not a mild plant. (Laert. Porpb.) Some ex- In fight of otbers or thy felf forbear und it, Harm not the harmlefs. What's ills but of thy felf ftand moft in fear. Pray aloud, implying, not that God cannot Let Fuffice all thy words and actions [way; hear fuch as pray foftly, but that our prayers Nor from the even courfe of Reafon ffray è fhould be juft, (Clem. Alex. Strom. 4.) fuch as For know that all men are to die ordain’d, we need not care who hears. gain'd. ought And riches are as quickly lofte as Sail mot on the ground ; fignifying that weues , decree divin by Croffes that happen to forbear raifing Taxis, and fuch reven . 5. )as (If fuch thy lot) bear not impatiently. ome and unftable. (Clem. Strom nial numbers ; of which, already. are troublef care, be- Yet feek to remedy with all thy the Beges children; For it is our duty to leave greateff fhare. not have our room. And think the Fuß as may ferve che gods in hind us fuch, * Mongft men, difcourfes good and bad are [pread, e not thofe, nor be by thefe mifled. Neitber dip in a bafon,nor wafh in a bath. Famb. Defpif If any fome notorioms falfhoodfay, ibid.) Thou the report with equal Judgment weigh, Put not away thy wife, for fhe is a fuppliant. Let not mens [moother promifes invite, (Jamb. vit. cap. 18.) (‘Famb. ibid.) Counfel nothing but what à beff, for Counfel is | If ought thou would attempt, firft ponder it ; a facred thing: (Famb. ibid.) Fools only inconfiderate as commit. ) Plant not a Palm; (Plut. in Ifid. and Ofir. oli- Nor do whet afterwards thou maift repent; Laftly, Hither may be referred the ofSymb Firft learn to know the thing on which tb’ art bent, cal Letter Y. They fasd tbat the courfe bumane at Thus thou a life fhalt lead with joy repleat. Nor rougber threats from fuft refolues thee fright, arriving life is like that Letter, for every onedivi des it fof Nor muft thow care of outward bealth forget. way the firft Rate of youth, where the know temp'rance ufe in exercife and diet, Such to ing which into two, Bands at a gaze, not leads preferve thee in a fetled quiet. may As betthe to sake; if be meets with 4 guide that ry, or fome Meats unprobibited, not cursoses chufe, , Orato ser, that ss, if be learn Philofopby beneficial, but cannot Decline what any other may accufe. boneft Art, which may prove e of vanity deteft, > they affirm that The rafh expenc he attain’d without much labourplent A mean in all ss beff. efs: fordidn And iful Life. But be fhall lead an Honourable and Before thou all, advife ; felf: thy not Hurt left the if not lighting upon [uch a Mafter, bethetakes to clofe thine eyes, night at fleep better, and Nor fuffer band way, which [eems at firft to be bimfe thew hajf ore-run, day that acts thy thrice Till lf over to zu lead to virtue, that 5, sf be give duty left undone? what to bim Howflipt? what deeds? from loth and luxury, which fee pleafant at firftlong firft to laft, up ’d [umm t accoun thy lofe Thus ere abo ss ignorant of true good, be foalthenc joyfor what good hath paft. e forward, de the ill, live and e, Efat and both bis Credit fe thefe, and thefe afed ; practi fiudy, fly, and miferably. Thus (a) Laëfantiss, To Thefe iniou ignom thy fleps dire&. thefe e virtu ed facr (4) De vero es. Verf old the to ding allu s hap per culty, lib. 6, Dddd Eternal

Part IX. Eternal Natures fountain I atteft, This only 35 the Fate that harms, and rolls, Through miferies fucceffive, humane fouls, Within ws a continual hidden fight, Who the Tetraétys on our foul impreft. Before thy mind thon to this fludy bend, Invoke the Gods to grant it a good end. Thefe if thy labour vanquifh, thou fhalt then Which we to (hun muff fludy, not excite. Great Fove ! bow little trouble fhould we know, ? If shou to all men wouldft their Genius fhow Know the connexure both of Gods and men ; How every thing proceeds, or by what flaid, And know (as far as fit to be [urvey’d) Nature alıke tbreugheut : that thou maift learn Not to hope bepelefs things, but all difcern. And know thofe Wretches whofe perverfer wills Drawn down upon their bead [pentaneoms Ills ; Unto the good that's nigh them deaf and blind: Some few the cure of thefe mufortunes find. NN RE AR EN TR RES MANS But fear not thou ; Men come of beav'nly race, Taught by diviner Nature what 1 embrace : Which if purfu’d, show all 1 nam’d fhalt gain, And keep thy Soul clear from thy bodie’s Rain. In time of Pray'r and cleanfing, meats deny’d Abftain from ; thy mind’s rains let reafon guide . Then firip'd offlefh up to free either foar, A deatblefs God, Divine, mortal no more. LUE ASD FRE LL, NE li TIM Æ US THE LOCRIAN: Of the Soul of the World, and of Nature. Princip'es. IMe4US, the Locrian, faid nation, not being underftood by direct comprethefe things : There are two henfion, but by analogy ; their Of fpring, by Principles of all things; the Mind, of things effected according to Reafon ; Neceffity, of thofe which are by Violence, according to the powers of Bodies. Of thefe, one is of the nature of good, and is called God, and is principle of the beft things; the confequent and concaufals are reduced to Necefity. For all things are the off-fpring of thefe, Idea, Matter, Senfibles. The firft is ungenerated, immovable, permanent, of the nature of Identity, intellectual, the exemplar ofthings thacare made, and immutable. This is Idea. Matter, is che print, mother, nurfe, and produétrix of the third effence; for,receiving likenefs intoit felf, and being, as it were, characterifed by them, it perfects all preduétions. This matter he afferted to be eternal, but not immovable, in form of it felf, and without figure; but receiving all forms. In bodies ic is divifible, and of che nature of Alterity: They cal] Matter, Place and Region. Thefe two principles are contrary. Form, hath the nature of male and father; Matter, of female and mother ; the Third is their off-fpring. Thefe being fenfe and opinion, Before Heaven was made, we muft conceive, that there was Idea, and Matter, and God, the maker of the better, [viz. Idea.) Now fofaímuch as the elder is better than the younger, and the orderly than the diforderly ; God, being good,and feeing Matter receive Idza, and become totally changed, yet diforderly, faw alfo ic was needful to bring it into Order,and from indefinite tranfimutations, to fix it determinately, that bodies might have proportionate diftinctions, and not receive promifcuons variations. Of all this Matter he framed the World, (ma- The World, king it the bound of the nature of Beeing, fince it comprehends af] other things) one,only-begotten, perfett, animate, and rational, (for thefe are better than inanimare and irrational) and a fpherical body, that being more perfect than other figures. Defigning therefore to make the beft produétion, he made this God, generate, not corruptible by any other caufe, but by the fame God only which compos’d it, if it fhould pleafe bim at any time to diffolve it. But he who is good, will not be carried onto the deftruction of the faireft production. Wherefore it is permanent, and being fuch, incorruprible, unperifhable, and three, are known three ways ; Idæa, by intellect, according to fcience ; Matter, by fpurious ratioci- | bleffed. lc is che beft of productions, being made