Egypte - Legends Of The Gods - The History Of Isis And Osiris
I.
Though it be the wise man's duty, O Clea,[FN#259] to apply to the
gods for every good thing which he hopes to enjoy, yet ought he more
especially to pray to them for their assistance in his search after
that knowledge which more immediately regards themselves, as far as
such knowledge may be attained, inasmuch as there is nothing which they
can bestow more truly beneficial to mankind, or more worthy themselves,
than truth. For whatever other good things are indulged to the wants
of men, they have all, properly speaking, no relation to, and are of a
nature quite different from, that of their divine donors. For 'tis not
the abundance of their gold and silver, nor the command of the thunder,
but wisdom and knowledge which constitute the power and happiness of
those heavenly beings. It is therefore well observed by Homer (Iliad,
xiii. 354), and indeed with more propriety than be usually talks of the
gods, when, speaking of Zeus and Poseidon, he tells us that both were
descended from the same parents, and born in the same region, but that
Zeus was the elder and knew most; plainly intimating thereby that the
empire of the former was more august and honourable than that of his
brother, as by means of his age he was his superior, and more advanced
in wisdom and science. Nay, 'tis my opinion, I own, that even the
blessedness of that eternity which is the portion of the Deity himself
consists in that universal knowledge of all nature which accompanies
it; for setting this aside, eternity might be more properly styled an
endless duration than an enjoyment of existence.
[FN#259] She is said to have been a priestess of Isis and of Apollo
Delphicus.
Egypte - Legends Of The Gods - The History Of Isis And Osiris
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