Hierocles upon the Golden verses of the Pythagoreans translated immediately out of the Greek into English.

BUT IF HAVING LEFT YOUR BO∣DY YOU COME INTO THE FREE AETHER, YOU SHALL BE AN IM∣MORTAL GOD, INCORRUPTI∣BLE, NEVER MORE LYABLE TO DEATH.

So when unbody'd you shall freely rove In the unbounded Regions above, You an Immortal God shall then commence, Advanc'd beyond Mortality and Sense.

This is the most excellent end of all our labours. This (says Plato) is the great Prize, the great Hope. This is the most perfect fruit and reward of Philoso∣phy. This is the greatest work of the Amorous and Mystical art (viz.) to fa∣miliarize us and lead us up to the things that are truly excellent, to rescue us from the labours we drudge under here below, as from the deep dungeon of this gross material life, to mount us up to the AETHEREAL Splendors, and to place us in the Mansions of the blessed, if we

have walk'd according to the foregoing rules. For such only have a title to the Crown of divine Immortality.

Since no man is capable of being adop∣ted into the number of the Gods, but he that has possess'd his Soul of Truth and Vertue, and its spiritual Vehicle of Puri∣ty. For so being sound and intire he is restored to the form of the primitive ha∣bit, having return'd home to himself by the collection of right reasonings, having consider'd the frame of the divine Orna∣ment, and so found out the Maker of the Universe. And when he is become that (as far as 'tis possible after Purgation) which those beings are always, who are not in a capacity to be born, he is carry'd up to a God by his knowledge, but with∣all having a body Congenial to him, he wants place wherein he may seat him∣self as a Star. Now for such a body that place is most proper which is immediate∣ly under the Moon, as being above the Corruptible, and yet inferior to the Ce∣lestial bodies, which the Pythagoreans call the FREE AETHER. Aether, because immaterial and Eternal. Free, because void of all material passions, and terrestri∣al hurries. What therefore shall he be when he arrives thither but that which he

says, YOU SHALL BE AN IMMOR∣TAL GOD, that is, like the Immortal Gods spoken of in the beginning of the Verses, not really so. For how is it pos∣sible that he who is Deifi'd for a gradual proficiency in Vertue begun at some cer∣tain time, should ever be really the same with them who were so from Eternity? And this appears from the sequel. For to these words YOU SHALL BE AN IM∣MORTAL GOD, he adds, INCORRU∣PTIBLE AND NEVER MORE LIA∣BLE TO DEATH. Intimating that our Deifying consists in the removal of what is Mortal, and that we are not Gods by nature or essence, but by pro∣ficiency and improvement. So that this makes another sort of Gods, Immortal by ascent, but by descent Mortal; and such as are necessarily subordinate to the Illustrious Heroes, since these always be∣hold the face of God, whereas the other sometimes do not attend to his perfecti∣ons. For it will not be properly a third kind when perfected, nor will it be third in respect of the middle, but it will be made like to the first kind, yet subordinate to the middle. For that habitual resem∣blance of the Celestial which is seen in men, does preexist in the Heroical kind after

a more perfect and native manner. And thus the common and only perfection of all rational beings, consists in their resem∣blance of God that made them. Now this resemblance is constant and uniform in the Celestial beings, constant only and not uniform in those Aethereal ones which persevere, but neither constant nor uniform in those Aethereal beings which fall down, and are apt to con∣verse here upon earth. This first and best resemblance of God may be well enough call'd the Pattern of the second and third, or else the second of the third. For 'tis not intended only that we should propose God immediately to our imita∣tion, but resemble him also by the best rule, or middle likeness. But if we can∣not attain so far, yet at least we reap this most excellent fruit of Vertue, that we know the measure of our own na∣ture, and that we are not dissatisfi'd at it. And this is the highest Vertue to contain ones self within the limits of the Creation, whereby all things are specifical∣ly distinguish'd, and to comply with the laws of Providence whereby all things according to their several capacities are directed to that good which is agreeable and convenient for them.

And thus have we finish'd our Exposi∣tion of the GOLDEN Verses, wherein we have given you an indifferent Sum∣mary of the Pythagorick Institutions. For 'twas fit, that we should neither confine our Paraphrase to the shortness of the Verses, (For so the reason of many ex∣cellent Precepts would have lain hid) nor yet launch out into the Ocean of his whole Philosophy (for that were to ex∣ceed the limits of our present undertaking) but proportion our Comment to the sense of the Text, and deliver only those things which serve to a general Explication of the doctrines contain'd in the Verses. Which are nothing else but the most per∣fect transcript of Philosophy, a Compen∣dium of its most principal doctrines and an Elementary Institution, left to Poste∣rity by those who following the law of God were receiv'd up into Heaven. You may truly call these Verses the best dis∣covery of humane generosity, and with reason suppose that they were not the memorable Sayings of any one Pythago∣rean, but the common Resolve of the whole Sacred Assembly. Whence 'twas a law among them that these Verses like so many Pythagorick Oracles, should be repeated in the hearing of all every Morn∣ing,

and also at Evening just before Bed∣time, that so by a continual Meditation of these sentences, their Doctrines might shine forth in their lives. Which 'twere well if we did doe too, that we might see what profit we might at length reap from them.