
144.	Direct not thy mind to the vast measures of the earth; For the plant of truth is not upon ground. Nor measure the measures of the sun, collecting rules, For he is carried by the eternal will of the father, not for your sake. Dismiss the impetuous course of the moon; for she runs always by the work of necessity. The progression of the stars was not generated for your sake. The wide aerial flight of birds is not true, Nor the dissections of the entrails of victims: they are all mere toys, The basis of mercenary fraud: flee from these If you would open the sacred paradise of piety Where virtue, wisdom, and equity, are assembled.
Z.	Psel. 4.

145.	Stoop not down to the darkly-splendid world; In which continually lies a faithless depth, and Hades Cloudy, squalid, delighting in images unintelligible, Precipitous, winding, a blind profundity always rolling, Always espousing an opacous, idle, breathless body.
Z. or T.	Synes de Insom. 140.

146.	Stoop not down, for a precipice lies below the earth, Drawing under a descent of seven steps, beneath which Is the throne of dire necessity.
Z.	Psel. 6—Plet. 2.

147.	Leave not the dross of matter on a precipice, For there is a portion for the image in a place ever splendid.
Z.	Psel. 1. 2.—Plet. 14.—Syn. 140.

148.	Invoke not the self-conspicuous image of nature.
Z.	Psel. 15.—Plet. 23.

149.	Look not upon nature, for her name is fatal.
Z.	Proc. in Plat. Th. 143.

150.	It becomes you not to behold them before your body is initiated, Since by always alluring, they seduce the souls of the initiated.
Z. or T.	Proc. in. Alcib.

151.	Bring her
Z. or T.	Jul. Orat. V. p. 334.—Tay.

179.	We should flee, according to the oracle, The multitude of men going in a herd.
Z. or T.	Proc. in I. Alc.—Tay.

180.	Who knows himself knows all things in himself.
Z.	1 Pic. p. 211.—Tay.

181.	The oracles often give victory to our own choice, and not to the order alone of the mundane periods. As, for instance, when they say, "On beholding yourself, fear." And, again, "Believe yourself to be above body, and you are." And, still further, when they assert "That our voluntary sorrows germinate in us as the growth of the particular life we lead."
Z. or T.	Proc. de Prov. p. 483.—Tay.

182.	These things I revolve in the recluse temples of my mind.

183.	As the oracle, therefore, says, "God is never so much turned away from man, and never so much sends him new paths, as when he makes ascent to the most divine of speculations, or works, in a confused or disordered manner, and, as it adds, with unhallowed lips, or unwashed feet. For of those who are thus negligent, the progressions are imperfect, the impulses are vain, and the paths are dark."
Z. or T.	Procl. in Parm.—Tay.

184.	Not knowing that every god is good, you are fruitlessly vigilant.
Z. or T.	Proc. in Pl. Pol. 355.—Tay.

185.	Theurgists fall not so as to be ranked among the herd that are in subjection to fate.
Lyd. de Men.—Tay.

186.	"That the number nine is divine, receiving its completion from three triads, and preserving the summits of theology according to the Chaldaic philosophy, as Porphyry informs us."
Lyd. p. 121.—Tay.

187.	In the left sides of Hecate is a fountain of virtue, Which remains entire within, not sending forth its virginity.
Z.	Psel. 13.—Plet. 9.

188.	And the earth bewails them even to their children.
Z.	Psel. 21.—Plet. 3.

189.	The furies are the constrainers of men.
Z.	Psel. 25.—Plet. 19.

190.	Lest being baptized in the furies of the earth, and in the neccesities of nature (as some one of the gods says) it should perish.
Z. or T.	Proc in Theol. 297.—Tay.

191.	Nature persuades us that there are pure demons, Even the blossoms of evil matter are useful and good.
Z.	Psel. 16.—Plet. 18.

192.	As yet three days ye shall sacrifice, and no longer.
Z.	Pic. Concl.—Tay.

193.	In the first place, the priest, who governs the works of fire, Must sprinkle with the cold water of the loud-sounding sea.
Z. or T.	Proc. in Crat.—Tay.

194.	Energize about the Hecatic Strophalus.
Z.	Psel. 9.—Nicep.

195.	When you shall see a terrestrial demon approaching Exclaim, and sacrifice the stone Mnizurin.
Z.	Psel. 40.

196.	If you often invoke me you shall see all things darkening, For neither does the convex bulk of heaven then appear, Nor do the stars shine, the light of the moon is hidden, The earth stands not still, but all things appear in thunders.
Z.	Psel. 10.—Plet. 22.

197.	..........From the cavities Of the earth leap forth terrestrial dogs, Shewing no true sign to mortal man.
Z.	Psel. 23.—Plet. 17.

198.	A similar fire flashingly extending itself into the waves of the air, Or even unfigured fire, whence an antecedent voice, Or light rich, glittering, resounding, revolved. But when you see a horse glittering with light, Or a boy, carried on the swift back of a horse, Fiery, or clothed in gold, or naked, Or shooting with a bow, or standing upon horseback—
Z. or T.	Proc. in Pl. Polit. 380.

199.	When you behold a sacred fire without form Shining flashingly through the depths of the whole world Hear the voice of fire.
Z.	Psel. 14.—Plet. 25.

Footnotes

1 Mr. Taylor in his collection of the oracles (Class. Journ. No. 22.) has arranged them under the following heads. I. The oracles which he conjectures may be ascribed to Zoroaster himself. This division includes the collection of Psellus, and in this collection are marked Z. as in the 8th. II. Oracles delivered by Theurgists under the reign of Marcus Antoninus. These relate to the Intelligible and Intellectual orders: and are here distinguished by a T as in the 4th. III. Oracles delivered either by the Theurgists or by Zoroaster, here marked Z or T. as in the 2nd. The rest he has placed together as uncertain or imperfect in their meaning; to which he has subjoined a few from the Treatise of Lydus de Mensibus. We are also indebted to Mr. Taylor for the references to the authors from whom the collection was originally made, and for the addition of several oracles hitherto unnoticed: the latter are distinguished by the letters Tay. after the reference, as in the 2nd oracle.

2 Eusebius attributes this to the Persian Zoroaster. I have added it to the collection.

3 Lobeck seems to be of opinion that neither this nor the one next following have any claim to be inserted.

4 χϑόνος, Time Tay.—Qy. Κρόνος. The latter Platonists continually substitute Χρόνος for Κϑόνος.

5 The Gnostics used the word Æon itself for their different celestial orders. See also Sanchoniatho. p. 4.

6 What the Pythagoreans signify by Monad, Duad, and Triad—or Plato by Bound, Infinite, or Mixed; or we in the former part of this work, by The One, The Many, and The United; that the oracles of the Gods intend by Hyparxis, Power, and Energy.—Dam. de Prin.—Tay.

7 The whole of the following division is a system grafted upon the Platonic doctrine of Ideas. It is composed of six different orders, called Triads, or each consisting of three Triads, which have different names in the respective theologies of the Modern Platonists, and of those who assumed the title of Chaldæans. Both regarded the first Cause as the One and the Good; from whom proceeded in succession the three first orders which were all Ineffable and Superessential.

8 I. The first Order is the Intelligible Triad of the Platonists, but Psellus says it was venerated among the Chaldæans as a certain Paternal Profundity, containing three triads, each consisting of Father, Power and Intellect.

9 II. The second order of the Platonists was the Intelligible and at the same time Intellectual Triad. Among the Chaldæans it consisted of the Iynges, Syonches and Teletarchæ.

10 III. The Intellectual Triad of later Platonists corresponds with the Fountains or Fontal Fathers of the Chaldæans.

11 The last of the Intellectual Triad was the Demiurgus, from whom proceeded the Effable and Essential orders including all sorts of Dæmons. They are according to the respective systems—