Asclepius (with the commentary), chapters 1–4

Hermes his Divine Pymander, and Asclepius.

Hermes Trismegistus HIS Second Book, CALLED Asclepius. Containing fifteen Chapters, With A Commentary.

LONDON, Printed for Thomas Brewster, at the three Bibles in St. Pauls Church-yard, near the West End. MDCLVII.

THE Second Book OF Hermes Trismegistus.

CHAP. I.

THou, Asclepius, serves in stead of a Sun unto me; for God hath brought thee to us, that thou mightest be present with us in thy divine Discourse, being such which may seem worthy to carry a greater lustre of Piety and Religion, than all the works before done of us, or any gifts inspired by divine Inspiration; which if understandingly thou shalt regard, thou shalt be richly filled with all good things thorowout thy whole Soul: If notwithstanding there be many good things, and not one generall, in which all things are, for the one is perceived to consent and agree with the other; all these things belong to that One, and that One is All; for the one so coheres to the other, that they cannot be separated. But in the future Discourse, by a diligent hearkening, thou shalt fully know it. But thou, O Asclepius, proceed a little, and call forth him which should be present; who entering, Asclepius also suggesteth Amnon to be present. Trismegistus saith, No Envie hindereth Amnon from us; for to his name we remember many things to be written of us, as also to his loving and dear Son, many things of naturall Philosophy, and of many Out landish and strange things: but this Tractate I will ascribe to your name, neither call any other save Amnon, lest a most devout Discourse of so weighty a matter should be violated by the intervention and presence of many comers; for it is an argument of no honest and religious heart, to publish a Tractate replenisht with the fulnesse of the divine Majesty, to the view of every mans conscience. Holy Amnon being now entered into a private closet, fitted with the Religion of four men, and the Divine Presence of God, in much reverence and secrecie he begins thus to declare himself in the name of all the Hermetes to the consciences and souls of them who are prepared to hear.

Trism. O Asclepius the soul of every man is immortall, but not all alike; for there is a difference both in the time and manner.

Asclep. No indeed, O Trismegistus, for every Soul is of one quality.

Trism. O Asclepius, how quickly hast thou learned, by the very light of reason; for said I not this, That all things are one, and one all things? that all things were in the Creatour, before he created all things; neither unworthily is he said to be All, whose parts are all things: therefore in this whole Discourse have a care to remember him, who being One, is All, even the very Creatour of all things; all things descend from Heaven into the Earth, into the Water, and into the Air. The Fire onely, in that it is carried upward, is lively subservient to that which descends; for whatsoever descends from above is generating, and whatsoever ascends upward is nourishing; the earth alone abiding in it self, is the receiver of all things, and the restorer of all things she receiveth. In this therfore wholly (as you said) even al things, both the Soul and the World, are naturally moved and concluded. So the various equality of every shape being differenced, that the Species of the qualities, by distance, may be known to be infinite, yet so united to this, that the whole may seem one, and from that one, all to have their being; wherefore the whole World are the four Elements of which it is compounded, Fire, Water, Earth, Air; one World, one Soul, one God. Now be thou present with me, as much as thou art able, both in minde, and wisdom: for the reason of the Divinity which is to be known by the divine intention of the understanding, is most like unto a Torrent running with a violent and swift stream from a high Rock, whereby it glides away from the understanding of such, who are either Hearers or Dealers in it.

The COMMENTARY.

This first Chapter teacheth, that all things belong to one, and that all things are one, of one, as from which all things are, One; as all the effects which in their cause are one, as that every mans Soul is immortall: but yet after a different sort. All things descend from Heaven; that which descendeth affords generation, that which ascendeth and goeth upward, giveth onely life. This thing to be one, of which all things are: and this which is all things to move the world, and all the forms of which the world is compounded, to wit, the Fire, the Air, the Water, and the Earth. And as all bodies make one body of one world, so it will have all the forms of things to make one uniform form of one world, which it calleth the Form of the world; and these are one Body, one Soul, one World, one God; from whom Divine Understanding and the Word passeth from above, with a swife lightening downwards, like unto a swift Torrent, which flows into, and fils all things, and this Divine VVisdom and the VVord, what is it (I pray) but the Divinity, or Divine VVisdom it self, which is the Creatour of all things, which as the wise man sings, is the onely Mover of all things, and which being one can do all things, and which abiding in it self changeth all things.

This is the first part.

CHAP. II.

HEaven therefore is the sensible preserver of all those bodies whose encrease and decrease the Sun and Moon, have as it were power of. But God who is the Creator of all things is the Governour of Heaven, and of its Soul, and of all things in the world. For from all the foresaid things, of all which there is a Governour, there is a frequent influence carried through the world by nature it self, and by the soul of every Genus and Species in it: for the world is prepared of God to be a receptacle of every sort of Species or form; and fashioning out nature by the forms, hath brought the world by the four Elements even to Heaven. All the works of God which are pleasing to the eye, and which hang over us are divided into Species, and in that manner I am now about to relate. The Genera, or kinds, of all things follow their Species for that the Genus is the totality, or substance of it, & the Species a part of the Genus: wherefore there is a Genus of good Spirits, and a Genus of bad[…] as also of men; and likewise of Birds, and of all things which the world hath, it begets Species like to it self: there is another Genus of brute Beasts wanting indeed understanding and reason, but yet not a soul or life, whereby it takes delight in Benefits, & pines and mournes away at injuries. I say of all things which live on the Earth by the preservation of Roots, and Plants, whose Species are dispersed throughout the whole Earth, the very Heaven it self is full of the Majesty of God, whose Genus inhabiteth that place where all Species are immortall; for the Species is a part of the Genus, as the Soul a part of man being a point of necessity to follow the quality of it Genus from whence it proceeds, that albeit every Genus or kind be immortall, yet every Species is not immortall; but the Genus of the godhead and the Species are immortall, yet the kinds of other things whose eternity remaines in the Genus, albeit it dyes in the Species is yet preserved by the fruitfulnesse of growing: therefore the Species are mortall as man is mortall, his soul immortal; yet with every Genus the Species of every Geuus is mixed, some which before were made, some made of these; but all these which were made are either of God, of Angels, or of men; being all formes most like unto their kindes: for it is impossible for Bodies to be formed without the will of God; Species to be fashioned without the help of Spirits, or brute Beasts to be ordered or disciplined without men. Whatsoever therefore ill Spirits swarving from their kind are joyned into the form of any Species of a divine Genus, are by that Proximity and nearnesse accounted like unto Gods, but the Species of which Spirits, persevering in the quality of their kind, and these loving the wisdom of man are called Spirits: there is also the like Species of men, but more large; for the Species of mankind is of many Shapes, and full of variety, and coming from above from the aforesaid fellowship makes a conjunction of necessity almost with all other Species, in which respect it comes nearest to God; who with Divine worship hath joyned himself unto God, even in that holinesse he requires; and they come nearest to ill Spirits, who joyne themselves to them: and those men who are contented with a mediocrity in their Genus, shall be like those Species they resemble and joyne themselves to.

The COMMENTARY.

The Second Chapter for the better understanding of what is and shall be said, intimateth that Mercurius doth use the word Animal in a far other signification then we have accustomed, as also the word Anima. For out of the Second Dialogue of Pimander he defineth the Soul by motion; wherefore whatsoever hath a moving faculty by the observance of his speech, hath Animam a Soul, whatsoever hath Soul and Body is Animal. The Heaven therefore is an Animal, so likewise the world, Plants, and the Elements. But it is our custome only to call that an Animal, which is a living Creature, and hath sense; Animà we define not only by motion but by Life, Sense, Voluntary motion, and Understanding. Therefore when we hear of the word Animal let us take it in his sense, and not in our own. But now to the Dialogue; he compareth Heaven and Heavenly bodies to other sensible things as a man to other Creatures; but yet man with other Creatures as a reasonable Soul, and Heaven with other sensible things as a sensible preserver. But that God is the Ruler & Governor of all thingst which are in the world, is nothing else, but that God provideth for all things, dispenseth all things in their kinds and Species, of all which the World is the receptacle, and God imparteth to every one as to a fit instrument some gift or propriety; as the Sun and Moon are the Divine Organs for the Springing and growing of things, and for their encrease, and decrease, and disposeth of men by Angels, and of brutes by men. But what he speaks of spirits, that Species cannot be formed without their help, and that certain have cleaved to a divine Genus, and in nearness and conversation have been accounted like unto Gods, and certain in the quality of their Genus to have persevered Lovers of the wisdom of men. VVe know, out of the sacred Scriptures, that those Angels which kept not their first State, but left their habitation, were reserved in everlasting chains, under darkness unto the judgment of the great day: for albeit they counterfeit themselves to be Lovers of men, yet they love them not, but draw them to the same damnation which they themselves have had from the Beginning. They counterfeited even to love, when they brought death upon all men, saying, Ye shall not die, but shall be as Gods knowing good and evil: what therefore he here speaketh of Angels or Spirits, can not seeme fitly to be applyed to any divine knowledge, but to imitate the error of the Gentiles; but what he speaks of men are those which cleave unto God and grow religious; but those which joyn themselves unto evil Spirits we confesse to be those which shall be received into the Company of Devils, and shall be joyned unto the evil Angels which shall be reserved, (as hath been said) in eternal chaines under darknesse unto the great day; for we know it pronounced out of Gods mouth what he will say to them on the left hand in the day of Iudgment, Depart from me ye cursed into everlasting fire, prepared for the Devill, and his angels; and who are those, but those who are joyned unto them, and love the works of darknesse in this life?

Thus much for the Second Chapter.

CHAP. III.

IN this regard, O Asclepius, Man is a great miracle, a Creature both to be reverenced and honored being after the nature & Image of God, as though he were a God. This the Angels know, for as much as they were created after the same nature, but disdained part of the humane Nature, & relied only on the Divine Nature. O therefore, the more temperate the Nature of man is, and comes nearest to God and to the divinity, the more he despiseth that part of his, whereby he becomes earthly; all other things below, with whom he must needs be, he knoweth with a Heavenly disposition, and are near unto him in way of Charity, yet his desires are in heaven: so therefore he is happily placed in the middest, that what things are here below him he loveth, and is himself beloved of those things above. He inhabiteth the earth, and by his agility is mixed with the Elements, yet by the sharpnesse of his understanding he diveth into the depths of the Se[…]; all things appear manifest to him neither do the Heavens seem to be above his reach, but as it were near by the quicknesse of his Spirit; no obscurity or darknesse of Air, can disturbe his fantasie, no thicknesse of ground can hinder his endeavour, nor depth of water hinder his eyesight; all things are the same with him, even all creatures whether they take root from above or below. Things without life, grow upwards from one root into woods and bushes; some are nourished with two Elements, some with one; the food is for two parts, the Life and the Body, of which the Animal consisteth. The soul of the World is alwaies nourished by a continuall and restles agitation. Corporeall things encrease and are nourished by such things which the water and earth affordeth. The Spirit, of which all things are full, is mixt with all things, quickens and inlivens all things, adding sense unto the understanding of man, which fifth part by Divine Inspiration is only granted to man; and which not to be seen in any other Creatures doth beautifie advance and lift up the understanding of manto the knowledge of divine mysteries; but for that I am put in minde to speak of the understanding, I will hereafter expound the reason of it unto you; for it is most holy, excellent, and no lesse than that which belongs to the Divinity it self: but now I will dispatch what I began; for I said in the beginning, that in the nearnesse and conjunction of the Deity onely, men enjoy the favour of God: for whosoever have attained to so much felicity, that they perceive that Divine Sense of Understanding, they are nearest unto the Divinity and Wisdom of God, which men onely partake of.

Asclep. O Trismegistus, there is not a like understanding of all men.

Trism. O Asclepius, All men have not attained that true Understanding, but apprehending some false fantasie, and that without any true reason, out of a rash opinion, are meerly deceived, which begets wickednesse in the minde, and transforms the best man into the nature and likenesse of a beast. But of the Understanding and the like, when I come to speak of the Spirit, I will give you the full reason; for man is only of two parts: the one part simple, which the Graecians call [Greek], or which we call the Image of God; but the other fourfold, which the Graecians call [Greek], and we the earthly substance, or pourtraiture, being […]he body, in which is inclosed that which we have affirmed to be the divine part of man, which is his Soul. In which the pure Divinity of the Soul, with the sense and feeling of a clear conscience, resteth at peace within it self, as within a Castle of Defence.

The COMMENTARY.

This third Chapter extolleth the dignity of man, in which the Authour of so great benefits is chiefly to be acknowledged, and for ever to be praised and la[…]ded, who hath honoured man with such excellent gifts; for, as he meaneth, man is made, that he might be like unto Angels, acknowledging them both to be, and that they are born with him, whom he hath to be his Guaraians and Preservers, even from the first beginni[…]g of his nativity, consisting of a nature near unto Immortality, marked with the character or image of God, compounded of a mortall and immortall, earthly and supernaturall part: but who soareth after divine things, despiseth and undervalues these earthly, hath his assistance in immortall and heavenly things, looks up and sighs after Heaven, knowing that to be the place of the better part of him, & of neerest affinity to his Soul: neverthelesse, he is placed here in the middest of the world, tying other things here below unto him, with whom (by Divine Ordinance) he knows he must needs be in the bond of love and charity, loving so these earthly things, that he may be loved of heavenly. He inhabiteth the earth by his agility, is mixed with the elements, & by the sharpnesse of his understanding descends into the de[…] All things are manifest to hi[…] Heavens seem not to be above his reach: for that by the quicknesse of his Spirit he perceives them to be (as it were) neer unto him. The darknesse of the air can neither confound the intention of his minde, nor yet the thicknesse of the earth hinder his endeavour, or the depth of the waters obscure his eye-sight, and above all creatures, God hath beautified, advanced, and lifted up the understanding of man, to partake of Divine Knowledge; the understanding being onely the celestiall and immortall part, and challengeth a Divine Essence, and some men have attained to this Divine Knowledge, and therein are happy, bearing alwayes a zealous and religious minde towards God. Others content themselves onely with a shadow of Divine Knowledge, which wh[…] so followeth, erreth and […]eived; for this mist of a […] of godlinesse, beg[…]tteth wickednesse in their mindes which are so deceived, and transforms a man (though by nature […] creature good and divine) into the likenesse and condition of a beast.

CHAP. IV.

ASclep. Why then, O Trismegistus, must man have his abode in the world, and not most happily live in that part where God is?

Trism. Thou rightly enquirest, Asclepius: For we also beseech God, that he will enable us to give the reason; for seeing all things depend on his will, then even those also which are most mysterious; the reason of which we endeavour to unfold, by our present discourse: Hear therefore, O Asclepius: The Lord who is the Creatour of all things, whom we truly call God, made the world first, which might be perceived and seen: but yet I affirm it to have no sense. For of this, whether it hath or no, I will declare another time; but so that it may be seen of all. Because therefore he made this first, and that the work seemed fair and good unto him, as most full of the variety of good things, he loved it as a part of his Divinity and Power; and therefore, because it was of such excellencie and goodnesse, he would have Man made, that he might behold the works he had thus made, and likewise imitate his Wisdom and Providence; for the will of God is the chiefest perfection, in that he fulfilled both his will and his deed, in one and the same moment of time. When therfore God perceived that that image of his (the Soul) could not be studious of all things, unlesse he should cloath it with an earthly covering, he builded for it this house of clay, confounding and mixing both parts into one, as much as each body should be capable: Wherefore he made Man of an immortall Soul, and mortall Body, that being a Creature thus composed, he might satisfie both ends, which was, to be in admiration of Heaven and to pray for spirituall and heavenly things, and to inhabit, and govern these earthly things below: and I do not onely avouch the Earth and the Water to be mortall things, which two (out of the four Elements) Nature hath subjected to the use of man; but all other things whatsoever belonging to man, as tillage, pastorage, buildings, ports, shipping, navigation, traffique, & merchandise, which is the strongest bond of humane Society: And there is a part of the world which is Water and Earth that which is the Earthly part of the world is preserved for the knowledge and use of Arts, and discipline without which God would not have the world to be perfit, for necessity followeth the pleasure of God; and the effects follow his will, for it is not credible that God should be displeased with his own will for he knew long bebefore what would be, and what would please him.

The COMMENTARY.

This fourth Chapter, why God did not place man in the spirituall region but in this world; and the answer is plaine, and also why he formed man of both natures a mortall and immortall; and why the soul which he created after his own Image and likenesse, he put in a corporeall and earthy closure; and that the will of God is the chief perfection of things, which necessity follows, and effect the necessity; for God fulfilled both his will, and his deed in one and the same […] ment of time. That he calleth the world, the second Deity, is as much as if you should call a second dueti[…] and unity; for two is one and one two, but one is absolutely one, but two not absolutely one but by participation and contraction one, and the duity one. So there is one absolutely God, but the world is not God, but God by participation, being the very stamp of all sensible and delectable things.

Thus, for the fourth part of Ascl[…]pius.