Part IX.

S Y M B. XIX.
His, Sit not upon a Cho^nix, may appear to be more Pythagorical, from what was already faid; for becaufe aliment is to be meafured by corporeity and animality, not by the Chcenix, reft nor, nor lead thy life uninitiated into Phi- lofophy ; but applying thy felf thereto, take greateft care of that in thee which is moft Di¬ vine, the Soul ; and in the Soul, chiefly the mind, whofe aliment is not meafured by the Choenix, but by contemplation and difcipline.
SYMB. XX.
f^~f^His, Breednothing that hath crooked talons, ad- I vifeth to a thing which is yet more Pytha¬ gorical; be free and communicative, andendea- vour to make others fuch alfo, accuftoming thy felf to give and receive without grudging or en^ vy; not to take all things infatiably, and to give nothing. For the natural condition of thofe Fowls, which have crooked talons, is, to receive and fnatch readily and quickly, but not eafily to let go, or impart to others, by reafon of the tenacity of their talons, being crooked, as the nature of Shrimps is fuch, that they quickly lay hold of a thing, but very hardly part with it, un- lefs they be turned upon their backs. Now we having hands given us by nature, proper to com- nmnicate,andfl:raight,not crooked fingers, ought not to imitate thofe which have crooked talons, unlike us; but rather mutually to communicate to, and participate from, one another, as being excited thereto by thofe, who firft gave names to things, who named the more honourable hand the right, not only hm n , from
recet'ving; but likewife, o/m to Ax,-nv h)
•rri lUTO.S'tJiveu, from being ready to recei've m com¬ municating, We muft therefore do juftly, and for that reafon Philofophife ; for Juftice isa re¬ turn and remuneration', exchanging and fup- plying excefs and defed.
SYMB. xxr.
XHis, Cut not in the ’way, that truth Is one, fal- fliood multiplicious ; which is manifeft from this, that what every thing is, fpeaking plainly, is exprelfed but one way; but what it is not, is expreffed infinite ways. Philofophy feems to be away ; it therefore faith, Choofe that Philofo¬ phy, and that way to Philofophy, in which thou lhalt not cut ( or divide ) nor eftablifli contrary Dodrines, but thofe which are conftituted and confirmed by fcientifick demonftration, by Ma- thematicks and contemplation ; which is, Philo- fophife PytbagoricaUy. It may be taken alfo in ano¬ ther fence, forafmuch as that Philofophy which proceeds by corporeals and fenfibles , ( with which Philofophy the younger fort are fatisfied, who conceive, that God, and Qualities, and the Mind, and Virtues, and in a word, all the prin^ cipal caufes of things, are Bodies ) is eafily fub- verted and confuted, as appears by the great dif- agreement amongft them, who go about to fay any thing therein. But the Philofophy which is of incorporeals, and intelligibles, and immateri- als, and eternals, which are always the fame in
themfelves, and towards one another, never ad¬ mitting corruption or alteration, is firmly ella- bliftved, and the caufe of irrefragable demonftra¬ tion. Now this precept advifeth us, when we'Phi- lofophife, and perfeAthe way which is manifeft, that we ftiun the fnares and entertainments of corporeals and divifibles, and intimately apply our lelves to the fubftance of incorporeals, which are never unlike themfelves, by reafon of the truth and ftability which they naturally have.
SYMB. XXII.
^His, Receive not a Swalow into your houfe, advifeth , that you admit not a flothful perfon ( who is not a conftant lover of labour, neither v/ill perfevere to be a difciple ) unto your Dodrines, which require continual labour, and patience, by reafon of the variety andintri- catenefs of the feveral difeiplines. He makes ufe of the fwallow to reprefent floth, and cutting off times, becaufe this bird.comes to us but in one feafon of the year, and then ftays but a (hort while v/ith us ; but is abfent from us, and out of our fight, a much longer fpace,
S Y M K. XXIII.
■^His, Wear not a Ring, is likewife adhortato- ry after thQPythagorick thus; Foraf¬ much as a Ring encompalfeth the finger of the wearer, in nature of a chain, but hath this pro¬ perty, that it pincheth not, nor paineth, but is fo fit, as if it naturally belonged to that part ; and the body is fuch a kind of chain to the foul. Wear not a Ring, fignifies, Pbilojophije truly, and fs- parate your foul from the chain which goeth round about it. For Philofophy is the meditation of death, and feparation of the foul from the body. Serioufly and earneftly therefore apply your felf to the Pythagorick Philofophy, which feparates the foul, by the mind, from all corpo¬ reals, and is converfant about intelledfuals and immaterial, by Theoretick doeftrines. But un- ty and loofeyour fins, and all things that pluck you back and hinder philofophifing, diverfions of the flelli, exceffive eating, unfcafonable re¬ pletion, which as it were, fetter the body, and continually breed infinite difeafes.
SYMB, XXIV.
'X'Hls, Grave not the image of God in a Ring, advifeth thus, Philofophife, and, above all things, think, that the gods are incorporeal. This Symbol is, beyond all others, tlie Seminary of the Pythagorick dotftrines ; of it all things ( al- moft) are fitly adapted, and by it are eftablilh- ed to the end. Think not that they ufe forms that are corporeal, neither that they are received into material fubftance, fettered ( as it were ) to the body, like other living beings. The figures engraved in Rings, in the very Ring exprefs a chain, and corporeity, and fenfible form, as it were the figure of forae animal, perceptible by fight, from which we muft abfoluteiy feparate the gods, as being eternal and intelligible, and always the fame in themfelves, and towards one another; as is largely difeourfed in the Treatife concerning God.
S Y M B.
4’5