Part iX.

‘ dence ; for anger boiletb like a pot upon the fire,
; never dividing the mind to that which is paft.
> You muft therefore fettle your mind in tranquil¬
lity, diverting it from anger, and often prevent¬ ing your felf; as a man maketh brafs found, not without touching it. This paffion therefore muft be fuppreft by reafon.
j ; ’ SYMB. XI.
^ B ^His, Help to lay on a hurt hen, hut not to take it I off, advifech to fortitude ; for, whofoever i layeth on a burthen, fignifieth labour and
adion ; but he who taketh if off, reft and remit’
' nefs. The meaning therefore of the Symbol is
this. Be not the caufe, either to thy felf or any , ; other, of remifnefs of mind, and foft life; for
every ufeful thing is acquired by labour. This Symbol Fythagoras called Herculean, as being ' ' fealed by his labours ; for whilft he lived amongft
men, hepaffed frequently throughfire, and many difficulties, fhunningidlenefs. From actions and ^ labour proceeds a right office, but not from floath.
r; SYMB. xir. 4
r I ^His, Tluck off your right fhoo firfi , hut put your ' ^ left foot firjl into the hafon, exhotts to
prudence; that good acftions, as right, are to be i fet round about us ; but the ill, as left, to be laid
afide and rejetfted.
I SYMB. XIII.
ij
{ :■
THis, Difccurfe not of Pythagorean things with¬ out light, is chiefly adhortatory, that the mind acquire prudence ; for that refembles the ^ [ light of the mind, which being indefinite, limits
rj and reduceth it, as it were, out of darknefs into
light ; It is therefore chiefly requifite to look upon the mind, as guide of all good adions in life ;
I but in the Pythagorick dotftrines, this is moft
! particularly neceffary ; for it is not poffible to
underhand what they are without light.
I SYMB. XIV.
t I
jj r B "^His, Paf not over ahallance, commands to
1 1 ^ do juft ly, and above all things, to refped:
“ij I equality and mediocrity, and to know juftice,
^ i the moft perfed Virtue, which compleats the
reft, and without which, the reft profit nothing; neither muft we know it fuperficially only, but by Theorems, and fcientifick Demonftrarions. This knowledge is the work of no Art and Sci- i i ence, but only of the Philofophy of Pythagoras,
' which preferreth Mathematicks before all things
elfs.
‘ SYMB. XV.
• r'|~'0 the fame purpofe is this. Travelling from
, ^ home, turn not hack, for the furies go back
With yon. This Symbol exhorteth to Philofophy, .. and free adion about the mind. Itlikewifema- nifeftly teacheth thus. When thou ftudieft Phi¬ lofophy, feparate thy felf from all corporeal and fenlible things, and truly make a meditation of death unto things intelligible, which are always the fame, and after the fame manner; pro¬
ceeding ( without turning back ) by Mathema¬ ticks, conduceing thereto. For travel is the change of Place, death is the feparation of the Soul from the Body. But we muft fo ftudy Philofophy, as to make ufe of the pure mind fin- cerely, without the adfs of corporeal fenfes, to the comprehenfion of the truth which in things that are, which is acknowledged to be wifdom. But after you have once applied your felf to ftudy Philofophy, turn not back, nor be drawn back to the former corporeal things, in which you were bred up ; for you will much repent hereof, being hindred from facred comprehen- fions, by the darknefs which is in corporeal things. Repentance they call Erinys, or Fury.
SYMB. XVI.
I 'His, Urine not being turned towards the Sun, ad- monifheth, that we offer not to do any be- ftial adion, but to ftudy and pradife Philofo- phy, looking upon Heaven and the Sun ; and remember, that in the ftudy of Philofophy, you never bear a low mind, but by the contemplati¬ on of heavenly things, afcend to the gods, and to wifdom. And having applied your felf to ftudy Philofophy, and to the light of truth that is in it, purifying your felf, and converting your felf wholly to that defign, to Theology, andPhyfio- logy, and Aftronomy, and Tltiologick, which is above all the reft, do nothing irrational or beftial. ^
SYMB. xvir.
Xhe fame meaning is of the next. Wipe not a feat with a Torch ; for not only becaufe a Torch is purificative, as partaking of muchquick fire, likefulphur, it advifeth that this ought not to be defiled, its nature being fuch, as it difpel- leth all things that defile ; nor ought we to op- pofe natural habitude, by defiling that, whole nature js repugnant to defiling. Much lefs ought we to joyn and mix things proper to wifdom, with thofe which are proper to animality. For, a Torch, in refped of its brighrnefs, is compared to Philofophy ; a Seat, in refped of itslownels, to Animality.
SYMB. XVIII.
%
"^His, Breed a Cock, hat not facrifce it ; for it is f acred to the Moon and the Sun\ admonifiieth us, to nourifti and cherifii ( and not to negled; fo as to fuffer them to perilh and corrupt ) the grea? evidences of the union, and coagmentari- on, and fympathy, and confpiracion of the World. It therefore advifeth, to addrefs our felvesto contemplation of the Univerfe, and to Philofophy ; for the truth of all things being by nature concealed, and hard to be found our, yet requifite to be fought, and inveftigated by man, chiefly through Philofophy, ( for to do it by any other ftudy is impoffible) which receiving fome little fparits from nature, blows them up, and makes them greater and more perfpicuous by its Dodrines. Philofophy therefore ought to be ftudied.
SYMB.
PTT H AGORA S.