Part IX.

call. The form of divine fimilitude. And again.
There are two images of God, the Id’orld, and Man,
This is the meaning of Pythagoras concerning the tranfmigration of fouls after death, and their de- feention into life. Others thought the foul educed out of the power of Matter ; Pythagoras afferted it infufed byGod into the body,and therefore be¬ fore it, not in time, but in purity and dignity.
This infufion he termed. The de/cent of the foul, not underftood of its fituation,or its motion from theintelledual world through the feveral fphears of the Elementary, as Proclus&nd others; but of the natural feries or form, the rational foul being the ultimate perfedlion of human body.
{a) That Pythagoras (faad, he was in times paft zScaUch. Eupborbus, thQmQzning is this: The Ancients call- can. 8. ed the inclinations and wills of men iht\t Minds, whence fuch as are of one ftudy, intention, incli¬ nation, motion,andfenfe, are termed Unanimonfs,
Thus the ancient Philofophers call the motive and fenfitive faculty. The Soul. An animate d^'ers from an inanimate ([faith Anfiotle') chiefly in two things, Motion andSenfe. Whofoever therefore are alike affected, and moved by the fame objedf, are faid to have the fame foul. The Metempjychc- jis then is nothing elle, but equal care, motion, and ftudy of fome dead perfon, appearing in fome living perfon. Thus Pythagoras might arrogate the Ibul of Euphorbus ; Callicles, Hermotimus ; Pyrrhus, PyrandertfCalidona, Aleevas having an inclination to the feveral excellencies that were in thofe perfons.
Again, in faying he was Euphorbus,^ Pythagoras 53 a:nigmatically taught f not the tranfmigration of foulSjbut j the tranfmutation of bodies out of firft matter ; which is not only fufceptible, but cove¬ tous of all forms, continually defiring, never fati- ated with any ; asflf aComedyf to ufe the conipa- rifon of Ariflotle ^ (hould fay, 1 was flrfl a Tragedy, De Gener, becaufe both Tragedy and Comedy are form’d ej the fame Letters and Elements. Tlhus Apollonius, dtrciati- Pbilojl.nt, dingofthe Indian Bracmanes, what their opini- Apollon. on was concerning the Soul, Jarchus anfwered,
‘ According as Pythagoras delivered to you, we to ‘ the ^/Egyptians. Apollonius replies, ‘ Will you then ‘ affirm you were one of the Trojan Captains, as Py¬ thagoras fitd he was Luphorbus ? Thefpafian wa¬ rily askt , ‘ Whom he thought the moft worthy of ‘ them ? Achilles ( faith Apollonius') if we believe ' Homer. Then yarchus, ‘ Look on him as my Pro- ■ .
^ genttor , or rr^yivov aS{A.A, progeniting body ; for ^ fitch Pythagoras ejfeemed Euphorbus.
Or if he meant Hiftorically, 'itAKiyftyeoia, that is, The foul, feparatefrom thebody, may by the power of God, be brought again, the fame into the fame body : The body in which Pythagoras was fo often revived, though called by feveral names, was one and the fame, not in quantity, but fubftance, as the Sea is one and homogeni- ous in it felf, yet is here called z^Egean, there Io¬ nian ; elfewhere, Myrtaan and Colfean ; fo one man often renate, is named zAEthalides, Euphor- bus, Hermotimus, Pyrrhus, and laftly Pythagoras.
Thefe Generations he aferibes not to the power of Nature, but to Mercury, God only ; none can revive but by the Divine power of God , whom he acknowledgeth, cfAwt’, A-
nimation of all things. He infuieth foul into all men, and being infufed, taketh it away ; and being taken away, reftores it, when , and as often as he plealeth.
CHAP.