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PART I.
Imhotep to the King Amon.
I ADDRESS to thee, O King, a comprehensive discourse, which is, as it were,
the sum and epitome of all others. Far from being in accordance with the opinion
of the vulgar, it is wholly adverse thereto. Even to thee, it may seem
inconsistent with certain of my discourses. My master, Thoth, who frequently
conversed with me, either alone, or in the presence of Tatios, was wont to say
that those who should read my writings would affirm their doctrine to be quite
simple and clear, while indeed, on the contrary, it is truly occult and contains
a hidden sense. And it has become yet more obscure since the Barbarians
undertook to translate it from our language into theirs. This has been a source
of difficulty and perversion of sense. The character of the Egyptian language,
and the energy of the words it uses, enforce the meaning on the mind. As much
then as thou canst, O King, and indeed thou art all-powerful, prevent this
discourse from being translated, lest these mysteries should reach the
Barbarians, and their manner of speech, adorned and elegant in expression,
should, perchance, weaken the vigour and diminish the solemn gravity and force
of these words. The Barbarians, O King, have new forms of language for producing
argument, and their philosophy is prodigal of speech. We, on the other hand,
employ not words so much as the great language of facts.
I will begin this discourse by invoking God, the Master of the Universe, the
Creator and the Father, Who contains all, Who is All in One, and One in All. For
the plenitude of all things is Unity, and in Unity; nor is the one term inferior
to the other, since the two are one. Bear in mind this thought, O King, during
the whole of my exposition. Vain is it to seek to distinguish the All and the
One by designating the multitude of things the All, and not their Plenitude.
Such a distinction is impossible, for the All exists no longer if separated from
Unity; and if Unity exists, it is in the Totality; now it indeed exists and
never ceases to be One, otherwise the Plenitude would be dissolved.
In the bosom of the earth there are impetuous springs of water and of fire;
such are the three natures of fire, water, and earth, proceeding from a common
origin. Whereby it may be thought that there is one general fountain of matter,
bringing forth all abundantly and receiving existence from on high. It is thus
that heaven and earth are governed by their creator, that is, by the sun, who
causes essence to stream downwards, and matter to rise upwards, and who draws to
himself the universe, giving all to everything, lavish of the benefits of his
radiance. It is he who distributes beneficent energies not only in heaven and
throughout the air, but upon earth also, and even in the depths of
the abyss. If there be an intelligible substance, it must be the very
substance of the sun, whose light is the vehicle thereof. But what may be its
constitution and primal fount, he only knows. That by induction we may
understand that which is hidden from our sight, it would be necessary to be near
him and analogous to his nature. But that which he permits us to behold is no
conjecture; it is the splendid vision which illuminates the universal and
supernal world.
In the midst of the universe is the sun established, like the bearer of the
crowns; and even as a skilful driver, he directs and maintains the chariot of
the world, holding it to its course. He keeps fast the reins of it, even life,
soul, spirit, immortality, and birth. He drives it before him, or, rather, with
him. And after this manner he forms all things, dispensing to immortals eternal
permanence.
The light, which from his outer part streams towards heaven, nourishes the
immortal spaces of the universe. The rest, encircling and illuminating the
entirety of the waters, the earth, and the air, becomes the matrix wherein life
germinates, wherein are initiated all births and metamorphoses, transforming
creatures, as by a spiral motion, and causing them to pass from one portion of
the world to another, from one species to another, and from one appearance to
another; maintaining the equilibrium of their mutual metamorphoses, as in the
creation of greater entities. For the permanence of bodies consists in
transmutation. But immortal forms are indissoluble, and mortal bodies decompose;
such is the difference between the immortal and the mortal.
This creation of life by the sun is as continuous as his light; nothing
arrests or limits it. Around him, like an army of satellites, are innumerable
choirs of Genii. These dwell in the neighborhood of the Immortals, and thence
watch over human things. They fulfill the will of the Gods by means of storms,
tempests, transitions of fire, and earthquakes; likewise by famines and wars,
for the punishment of impiety. For the greatest crime of men is impiety towards
the Gods. The nature of the Gods is to do good, the duty of men is to be pious,
the function of the Genii is to chastise. The Gods do not hold men responsible
for faults committed through mistake or boldness, by that necessity which
belongs to fate, or by ignorance; only iniquity falls under the weight of their
justice.
It is the sun who preserves and nourishes all creatures; and even as the
Ideal World which environs the sensible world fills this last with the plenitude
and universal variety of forms, so also the sun enfolding all in his light
accomplishes everywhere the birth and development of creatures, and when they
fall wearied in the race, gathers them again to his bosom. Under his orders is
the choir of the Genii, or rather the choirs, for there are many and diverse,
and their number corresponds to that of the stars. Every star has its genii,
good and evil by nature, or rather by their operation, for operation is the
essence of the genii. I n some there is both good and evil operation. All .
these Genii preside over mundane affairs, they shake and overthrow the
constitution of States and of individuals; they imprint their likeness on our
souls, they are present in our nerves, our marrow, our veins, our arteries, and
our very brain-substance, and in the recesses of our viscera.
At the moment when each of us receives life and being, he is taken in charge
by the genii who preside over births, and who are classed beneath the astral
powers. Perpetually they change, not always identical, but revolving in circles.
They permeate by the body two parts of the soul, that it may receive from each
the impress of his own energy. But the reasonable part of the soul is not
subject to the genii; it is designed for the reception of God, who enlightens it
with a sunny ray. Those who are thus illumined are few in number, and from them
the genii abstain; for neither genii nor gods have any power in the presence of
a single ray of God. But all other men, both soul and body, are directed by
genii, to whom they cleave, and whose operations they affect. But reason is not
like desire, which deceives and misleads. The genii, then, have the control of
mundane things, and our bodies serve them as instruments. Now, it is this
control which Thoth Twice Great calls Destiny. 1
The Intelligible World is attached to God, the Sensible World to the
Intelligible World, and through these two worlds, the sun conducts the effluence
of God, that is, the creative energy. Around him are the eight spheres which are
bound to him--the sphere of the fixed stars, the six spheres of the planets, and
that which surrounds the earth. To these spheres the genii are bound, and to the
genii, men; and thus are all beings bound to God, who is the universal Father.
The sun is the creator; the world is the crucible of creation. The Intelligible
Essence rules heaven, heaven directs the gods, under these are classed the
genii, who guide mankind. Such is the divine hierarchy, and such is the
operation which God accomplishes by gods and genii for Himself. Everything is a
part of God, thus God is all. In creating all, He perpetuates Himself without
any intermission, for the energy of God has no past, and since God is without
limits, His creation is without beginning nor end.
Footnotes
101:1 This
discourse, which usually concludes, not precedes, the "Fragments," is
sometimes but erroneously attributed to Purlieus; see Hargrave Jennings'
scholarly and exhaustive "Introductory Essay" to my Annotated Edition
of "The Divine Pymander."
Robt. H. FRYAR, Bath.
106:1
Imhotep, throughout this discourse, preaches pure Hermetic doctrine, which
discourages all traffic with elementals, astrals, and other dæmonic influences,
whether beneficent or the reverse, and instructs man rather to seek the grace of
the Holy Spirit, by aspiring evermore inwards and upwards, and abiding in the
reasonable and divine part of his nature.
A.K.
106:2
Compare with this declaration the opening passage of Section III. in the Book
of Thoth to Tatios, and my note thereon. The Divine Olympos, or Mount of
Energies, emits a continuous river of Generation, or "Becoming." And
the equilibrium of Nature is continually maintained by a corresponding process
of perpetual return from Matter to
p.
107 Essence; from Existence to Being. With the right hand ADONAI
projects; with the left He indraws.
The leading idea in the above fragment is the parallelism between Man and the
Universe. The whole Solar System of the Macrocosm, with its hierarchy of gods
and elemental powers, is resumed in the human system of the Microcosm.
A.K.
PART II.
IF thou reflectest, O King, thou wilt perceive that there are incorporeal
corporealites. Which are they? says the King. Corporealites which appear in
mirrors; are they not incorporeal?
It is true, Tat, says the King; thou hast a marvelous fancy!
There are yet other incorporealities; for instance, abstract forms, what say
you to them? Are they not in themselves incorporeal? yet they are manifest in
animated and inanimated corporealities.
True again, Tat.
So then there is a reflexion of incorporealities upon corporealities, and of
corporealities on incorporealities. In other words, the Sensible World and the
Ideal World reflect each other. Adore, then, the sacred images, O King, for they
also are reflective forms of the Sensible World.
Then the King rose and said, Methinks, prophet, it is time to look after our
guests; to-morrow, we can continue this theological controversy. 1
[When
PART III.
WHEN a musician, desiring to conduct a melody, is hindered in his design by
the want of accord in the instruments employed, his efforts end in ridicule, and
provoke the laughter of the auditors. In vain he expends the resources of his
art, or accuses of falseness the instrument which reduces him to impotence.
The great musician of Nature, the God who presides over the harmony of song,
and who controls the resonance of the instruments according to the rhythm of the
melody, is unwearying, for weariness reaches not the gods. And if an artist
conducts a concert of music, and the trumpeters blow according to their ability,
the flute-players express the delicate modulations of the melody, and the lyre
and violin accompany the song, who would think of accusing the inspiration of
the composer, or withhold from him the esteem his work deserves, if some
instrument should trouble the melody with discord and hinder the auditors from
seizing its purity? Even so, not without impiety can we impeach Humanity, on
account of the impotence of our own body. For know that God is an Artist of
untiring Spirit, always Master of His science, always successful in His
operations, and everywhere bestowing equal benefits. If Phidias, the creative
artisan, should find the material on which it is necessary for him to work,
refractory to his skill, let us not blame him who has labored to the utmost of
his power; neither let us accuse the musician of the faults of the instrument,
but rather complain of the defective chord, which, by lowering or raising a
note, has destroyed the concord; and the worse this is, the more does he merit
praise who succeeds in drawing from such a chord an accurate tone. Far from
reproaching him, the auditors will be all the better pleased with him. It is
thus, O most illustrious hearers, that our inward lyre must be attuned to the
intention of the musician.
I can even imagine that a musician, deprived of the aid of his lyre, and
being called upon to produce some great musical effect, might, by untried means,
supply the place of the accustomed instrument, and arouse thereby the enthusiasm
of his auditors. It is related of a cithara player, to whom Apollo was
favorable, that, being once suddenly checked in his performance of a melody by
the snapping of a string, the kindness of the God supplied the want and
magnified the talent of the artist; for by providential help, a cicada
interposed his song and executed the missing notes which the broken cord should
have sounded. The musician, reassured, and no more troubled by the accident,
obtained a triumph. I feel in myself, O most noble hearers, something similar;
for, but now, being convinced of my incapacity and weakness, the power of the
Supreme Being has supplied in my stead the melody wherewith to praise the king.
For the design of this discourse is to declare the glory of royalties and their
achievements. Forward, then! the musician wills it, and for this the lyre is
tuned! May the grandeur and sweetness of the melody respond to the purpose of
our song!
And since we have tuned our lyre to hymn the praise of kings, and to
celebrate their renown, let us first praise the good God, the supreme King of
the universe. After Him we will glorify those who reflect His image, and hold
the sceptre of royalty. Kings themselves are glad that the song should descend
from above, degree after degree, that aspiration should draw nigh to Heaven
whence victory comes to them. Let, then, the singer praise the mighty God of the
universe, ever immortal, whose power is eternal as Himself, the first of
Victors, from Whom all triumphs come, succeeding one another. Let us hasten to
close our discourse, that we may offer praise to kings, even to those who are
the guardians of peace and of general security; who hold from the Lord supreme
their ancient power, and receive victory from His hand; those whose scepters
shine resplendent to herald the hardships of war, whose triumphs anticipate the
conflict; and to whom it is given not only to reign, but to overcome; whose very
advance to battle strikes the barbarian enemy with fear.
PART IV.
THIS discourse ends where it began, with the praise of the Supreme Being, and
afterwards of the most holy kings by whom we obtain peace. So that having
commenced by celebrating the Almighty greatness, it is to this greatness that we
return in terminating our speech. Even as the sun nourishes all germs, and
receives the promise of the fruits which his rays, like divine hands, gather for
the God; even as these shining hands collect likewise the sweet odors of plants,
so also we, after having begun by the adoration of the Most High and the
effluence of His Wisdom, after having gathered into our souls the fragrance of
these heavenly flowers, must now collect the sweetness of this sacred harvest
which He, with fruitful rains, will bless. But even if we had ten thousand
mouths and ten thousand voices wherewith to glorify the God of all purity, the
Father of Souls, we should yet be powerless to celebrate Him worthily; for
new-born babes cannot, indeed, rightly extol their father, yet since they do
their utmost, they obtain indulgence. Or rather, the glory of God is seen in
this, that He is superior to all creatures; He is the Beginning, He is the End,
the Midst, and the Continuance of their Praise; in Him they acknowledge their
Parent, all-powerful and infinite.
It is the same also with our king. We, who are his children, love to extol
him; and we ask indulgence of our father, even when, before we asked, it was
granted to us. A father, far from turning away from his little ones, and from
his new-born infants, because of their feebleness, rejoices to see himself
recognized by them. The universal gnosis which communicates life to all, and
enables us to bless God, is itself a gift of God. For God, being good, has in
Himself the fullness of all perfection; being immortal, He contains in Himself
immortal tranquility, and His eternal power sends forth into this world a
salutary benediction. In the hierarchy which He contains there are no
differences nor variations; all the beings in Him are wise, the same providence
is in all, the same intelligence governs them, the same sentiment impels them to
mutual goodness, and the same love produces among them universal harmony.
Therefore, let us bless God and after Him the kings who from Him receive the
sceptre. And having inaugurated the praises of the kings, let us also glorify
piety towards the Supreme. May He instruct us how to bless Him, and may His aid
assist us in this study. May our first and chief endeavor be to celebrate the
fear of God and the praise of the Kings. For to them is due our gratitude for
the fruitful peace which by their means we enjoy. It is the virtue of the King,
and his name only which obtains peace; he is called King because he advances
chief in royalty and power, and because he reigns by reason and peace. He is
above all barbarian royalties, his very name is a symbol of peace. The name
alone of the King suffices often to repel the foe. His images are as beacons of
safety in the tempest. For the very image of our King procures victory, confers
security, and renders us invulnerable.
[Patrizzi hesitates to ascribe the fragment entitled
"Imhotep to King Ammon" to the disciple of Thoth, thinking it unworthy
of one who had enjoyed the instructions of so great a man. Dr. Menard points out
that despite the tirade against the Barbarians and the Greek tongue in the first
section of this fragment, it was undoubtedly originally written in that very
language, as is proved by the reference made in the third section to
βασιλεύς (the king), and the
etymological derivation of the word from (βαίνειν
(to advance), and also by the allusions to Phidias, and to Eunomios, a musician
of Locris, in the second section. The description of the sun as a charioteer,
and the passing reference to "him who bears the crowns," are also both
suggested by Greek usages. In Egypt the sun was always represented as carried on
a barge or floating raft along the waters of the Nile. Dr. Menard inclines,
therefore, to believe that the depreciatory remarks concerning the Barbarians
must have been introduced by a fraudulent hand, in order to mislead the reader
in regard to the true origin of the fragment. Dr. Menard is, moreover, of
opinion that the king, or kings spoken of in the fragment, are the imperial
brothers Valens and Valentinian. I venture to differ from this view, and
believe, rather, that the writer, whether indeed the true Imhotep or not,
certainly uses the words "king," "kings," and
"royalties" in an occult sense. For if he intended, as Dr. Menard
supposes, a mere commonplace eulogium on a reigning monarch or monarchs--whether
Ammon, or Valens and his brother--to what purpose should he set out by declaring
his writings to be "truly occult and containing a hidden sense"? All
that is said in the fragment concerning kingship is perfectly applicable to the
mystic Osiris, the nature of whose royalty has been elsewhere explained. Osiris
is the reflection and counterpart in Man, of the supreme Lord of the Universe,
the ideal type of humanity; hence the soul, or essential ego, presenting itself
for judgment in the spiritual world, is in the Egyptian Ritual of the Dead,
described as "an Osiris." It is to this Osiris, or king within us, our
higher Reason, the true Word of God, that we owe perpetual reverence, service,
and faithful allegiance.
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