The golden verses of Pythagoras

[586]Acad. des Inscript., t. xxxi., p. 319.

[587]Procl., In Tim., l. v., p. 330; Cicer., Somn. Scip., c. 2, 3, 4, et 6; Hiérocl., In Aur. Carm., v. 70.

[588]Veda, cité par W. Jones, Asiat. Resear., t. iv., p. 173.

[589]Premier Pourâna, intitulé Matsya.

[590]Boushznda-Ramayan.

[591]Institut. of Menou, ch. 1, v. 1.

[592]Shanda-Pourâna.

[593]Ekhamesha.

[594]Aurore naissante (Morgens röte im Aufgang: durch Jacob Böhmen zu Amsterdam, 1682), ch. 14, § 41.

[595] Brahma, Vishnu, and Rudra.

[596] Jupiter, Neptune, and Pluto.

[597] In the Tao-te-King of Lao-Tse, a work which has held a high reputation among the numerous followers of this theosophist, one finds that the absolute, universal Being which he declares can neither be named, nor defined, is triple. “The first,” he said, “has engendered the second; the two have produced the third; and the three have made all things. That which the mind perceives and the eye cannot see is named Y, the absolute Unity, the central point; that which the heart understands and the ear cannot hear is named Hi, the universal Existence; that which the soul feels and the hand cannot touch is named Ouei, the individual Existence. Seek not to penetrate the depths of this Trinity; its incomprehensibility comes from its Unity.” “This Unity,” adds Lao-Tse, in another passage, “is named Tao, the Truth; Tao is Life; Tao is to itself both rule and model. It is so lofty that it cannot be attained; so profound that it cannot be fathomed; so great that it contains the Universe; when one looks on high one sees no beginning; when one follows it in its productions, one finds in it no end.”

[598] One of the principal dogmas of Fo-Hi is the existence of one God in three persons, whose image is man. All his doctrine is limited to leading, by meditation and repression of the passions, the human ternary to its perfection. This ternary is composed, according to him, of Ki, Tsing, and Chen, that is to say, of the material, animistic, and spiritual principle. It is necessary that, being joined together, this ternary should make but One. Then its duration will have no limit and its faculties will be indestructible. Voyez Duhalde, t. iii., in fol., p. 50.

[599] This is noticeable particularly in Bayle.

[600]Herod., In Clio, § 131; Strab., l. xv.; Boehm., Mores Gentium.

[601] Pelloutier, Hist. des Celtes, t. v., c. 3.

[602]Tacit., De Morib. Germ., c. 9; Lactant., Præm., p. 5.

[603]August., De Civit. Dei, l. ii., c. 31; Clem. Alex., l. i., p. 304; Strom.

[604]Plutar., In Vitâ Numa; ibid., In Mar.; Pelloutier, Hist. des Celt., l. iv., c. i.; Lucan., Phars., l. iii., v. 412; Clem. Alex., Cohort. ad Gent., p. 57.

[605]Euseb., Prœp. Evang., l. xiii., c. 12; Henric. Steph., Poes. philosop., p. 78.

[606]Porphyr., Sent., no. 10, p. 221; Stanl., In Pythag., p. 775.

[607] Stanley, De Phil. chald., p. 1123; Beausob., Hist. du Manich., t. ii., l. ix., c. 1, § 10.

[608] Τρισμέγιστος, thrice greatest.

[609] It is said that this famous table of Emerald was found in the valley of Hebron, in a sepulchre where it was between the hands of the cadaver of Thoth himself. Krigsmann, who assures us that this table must have read in Phœnician and not in Greek, quotes it a little differently from what one reads in the ordinary versions. Voyez Tabula Smaragdina, citée par Fabric., Bibl. Græc., p. 68.

[610] Hermès, In Asclep., c. 9; Jambl., De Myst. Egypt., c. 30; Maimon., Mor. Nevoch., part ii., c. 10; Origen, Contr. Cels., l. i.; Beausob., Hist. du Manich., t. ii., p. 49.

[611] Homère, cité par Maxime de Tyr.; Pline, l. ii., c. 7; Bible, psalm. 73 et 93; Job, c. 23; Habacuc, c. 1; Malach., c. 3; Balzac, Socrate chrétien, p. 237.

[612] Plucquet, Dict. des Hérés., art. Prédestinatiens.

[613] Noris., Hist. pelag., l. ii., c. 15.

[614] Origen, Comment. in Psalm., p. 38 et 39.

[615]S. Léon., Epist. Decret., ii.; Niceph., l. xvii., c. 27.

[616]Conc. Rom., Gelas., t. iii.

[617]Dict. des Hérés., art.Pélagiens.

[618] Plucquet, comme ci-dessus, t. ii., p. 454.

[619]Pelag., apudS. August., De Nat. et Grat., l. iii., c. 9.

[620]Pelag., apudAugust., De Grat. Christ., c. 4.

[621]Comment. in Aur. Carm., v. 62.

[622]S. August., De Grat. Christ., cité par Plucquet, "Dict. des Hérés., art. Pélagiens.

[623] Calvin, Institut., l. ii., c. 1 et 2.

[624]Ibid., t. ii.

[625] Maimbourg, Hist. du Calvinisme, l. i., p. 73.