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much greater. And again I saw a mad one; he had a head like a nut, a most hollow soul, having accomplished everything notoriously. And there again I perceived a barrier of all evils, a form which sixty-five and another three hundred terrible, destructive, ill-fated, monstrous demons of grievous passions will bear and bring through the world, who rule even over vainglory. And I saw a great reproach of virtue, and likewise again of wisdom and of vain justice, whence then they lead astray the men of Hellenic wisdom. For one sees an image, and truth has fled completely; thus all things are a shadow and ever useless dust. For in these all evils are at work for the deception of many. But it is not right for me myself to compose unspeakable books; but having spoken a little from many things, I would have declared my own impiety among you all. But this I will say further: when indeed I had become a man of thirty years, I left the land of dark-skinned mortals, and I came to the city of the ancient Chaldean men, hurrying greatly, so that I might learn the course of the aether, which these men themselves say is upon a fiery flame, and the chosen men among them perceive it upon the light. From there I learned the fickle nature of the stars—as when one plucks countless herbs from their cups—and the stellar phalanxes appearing in wars. They themselves showed the affinities and houses of each, and indeed their friendship, halls, food and drink, and the intellectual friendship being accomplished in the light.

They themselves showed me the sixty-five and another three hundred divisions of the silvery pole. And there was a certain fellow-worker of visible nature for the stars, and they contrived a pretext; and they themselves obeyed the leader. And from them they showed forth a plan and a single path, hiding the ever-anxious command of secret things, and having propitiations only from sacrifices. But they hear nothing else and do not heed libations, but only care for the wide light; but even so I saw them, for the sake of his dark counsel, going obediently, so that being mingled little by little they might impart light to the stars that do not shine. And utter amazement seized me, when I looked upon the mediators, because even the dark aerial beings cared for bliss. And I marveled greatly when I understood their laws, which they set to be a mediation for one another, guarding in their heart the most faithful oaths. There also piety and friendship together and swiftness and vehement counsel, so that they might mix with one another, which the leader, the prompter of evil-plotting, appointed; for he also made them prudent, having drawn breath from the air and a tongue of fair speech from the plant-rearing earth, and having taught all guileful things from those below. Thence he held back the whole starting-point of the world, persuading it not to forget nature, but rather the reverent God; for prattling he set down all things for commerce, and having scattered all things, the sinner rules over the earth. Believe me myself, that I saw the demon himself, having propitiated him with many libations and sacrifices. Believe, that having seen him I addressed him with words and heard friendly words from him. And among all he addressed me as a youth fair by nature, just like Jambres, and a powerful initiate, worthy of his deeds. And indeed he consented for me to become a leader of the world, laboring with him, since he saw the works of my life. Then honoring me he put into my hand a baneful host of evil demons, and as I sprang forth he said: "3Cyprian, you were born a powerful mortal."3 And rising from his chair he sent me forth, and he provided amazement to those who saw; whence likewise all his venerable ones honored me greatly. And in form he appeared like flowery gold, with the flash of his long-haired eyeballs, and then on his head; having crowns fitted with locks and with precious stones, whose gleam with splendor adorned that place. And his garment was a similar adornment. But when he turned he shook the earth—and round about his throne stood many shield-bearers, having their forms to the ground, arrayed like phalanxes—flashing like lightning upon that plain, as a god on Olympus, all-shining with constellations, and making plants grow, making for all, whom God made, things entirely similar, contending with the immortal ruler and with the holy ones; for from there he seemed to deceive the mind of men, so that, being quite weak, he accomplished an empty shadow opposite, from which a demonic form comes to be

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μείζονα πάγχυ. μάργον δ' αὖτ' ἔσιδον· κεφαλὴν δ' ἔχεν ἶσα καρύῳ, ψυχὴν χαυνοτάτην, ἔκπυστα δὲ πάντα τελεῦσαν. πάντων δ' αὖ χαλεπῶν κεῖθι πράγος εἰσενόησα, εἶδος ὅ περ φορέοντες ἀεικέλιοι κατὰ κόσμον νείσοντ', οὐλόμενοι, κακοδαίμονες, αἰνοπέλωροι, πέντε καὶ ἑξήκοντα καὶ ἄλλοι τρὶς ἑκατόν γε δαίμονες ἀργαλέων παθέων, οἵ κεν κρατέουσι καὶ κενοδοξίης. ἀρετῆς δ' ἰδόμην μέγ' ὄνειδος, αὕτως δ' αὖ σοφίης τε δικαιοσύνης τε ματαίης, ἔνθεν ἄρ' Ἑλλήνων σοφίης ἄνδρας πλανόωσιν. εἰκόνα γάρ τις ὁρᾷ, καὶ ἀληθείη φύγε πάμπαν· ὡς σκιή ἐστιν ἅπαντα κόνις τ' ἀχρήιος αἰέν. ἐν γὰρ τοῖσιν ἅπασαι ἐνεργοῦνται κακότητες ἔς γε πλάνην πολέων. ἀλλ' οὐ θέμις ἐστί μοι αὐτῷ τεύχειν ἄσπετα βύβλα· πολέων δ' ἀπὸ τύτθ' ἀγορεύσας δυσσεβίην κεν ἐμὴν ὔμμιν μετὰ πᾶσιν ἔειπον. ἀλλ' ἔτι καὶ τόδ' ἐρῶ· ὅτε δὴ τριακονταέτηρος ἤδη φὼς γενόμην, κυανῶν μερόπων λίπον οὖδας, Χαλδαίων δ' ἱκόμην γε παλαιγενέων πόλιν ἀνδρῶν, καὶ μάλ' ἐπισπέρχων, δρόμον αἰθέρος ὄφρα δαείην, ὅν κ' αὐτοί φασιν οὗτοι ἐπὶ φλογεροῦ πυρὸς εἶναι, τούτων δὲ κριτοὶ ἄνδρες ἐπὶ φάεος νοέουσιν. ἔνθεν ἐγὼν ἐδάην ἄστρων φύσιν ἀλλοπρόσαλλον- εὖτέ τις ἐκ καλύκων βοτάνην δρέψηται ἄπειρον- ἀστρῴας τε φάλαγγας ἐειδομένας πολέμοισιν. αὐτοὶ συγγενίας καὶ δώματα δεῖξαν ἑκάστου ἠδ' ἄρα τῶν φιλίην, αὐλὰς βρώμην τε πόσιν τε καὶ νοερὴν φιλότητα τελισκομένην ἐπὶ φωτί.

Aὐτοὶ μοίρας δεῖξαν ἐμοὶ πόλου ἀργυρόεντος πέντε καὶ ἑξήκοντα καὶ ἄλλας τρὶς ἑκατόν γε. ἦν δέ τις ἄστροισιν ὁρατῆς φύσιος συνέριθος, καὶ σκῆψιν τολύπευον· ἀγῷ δ' ἐπίθοντο καὶ αὐτά. μῆτιν δὲ προύφαινον ἀπ' αὐτῶν καὶ πόρον οἶον, κεύθοντα κρυφίων πολυμέρμερον αἰὲν ἀνωγήν, ἐκ δὲ θυηπολίων μειλίγματα μοῦνον ἔχοντα. ἄλλα δὲ οὐκ ἀΐουσι καὶ οὐ σπονδῶν ἀλέγουσιν, ἀλλὰ μόνον φάεος τοῖσιν μέλει εὐρώεντος· ἀλλὰ καὶ ὧς ἔσιδον, ζοφερῇ οὗ εἵνεκα βουλῇ βαῖνον πειθόμενα, ὅππως φάεος μεταδῶσιν ἄστρασιν οὐ φαέθουσι κεραννύμενα κατὰ βαιόν. θάμβος ἔχεν δέ με πάμπαν, ἐπεὶ μεσίτας ἐσόπωπα, ὅττι καὶ ἠερίοις ζοφεροῖς ὄλβοιο μέμηλε. καὶ θέμιδας δ' αὐτῶν μεγάλως θάμβησα νοήσας, ἅς περ μεσσάτιον θέντ' ἀλλήλοισιν ἔσεσθαι, ὅρκους πιστοτάτους γε φυλασσόμενοι κατὰ θυμόν. κεῖθι καὶ εὐσεβίη φιλίη θ' ἅμα καὶ ταχυτῆτες καὶ μῆτις σφεδανή, ὄφρ' ἀλλήλοισι μιγεῖεν, ἥν περ ἀγὸς κατέλεξε κακορραφίης ὑποθήμων· καὶ πινυτοὺς γὰρ ἔτευξεν, ἀπ' ἠέρος εἰρύσας ἆσθμα γλῶσσαν δ' εὐεπίης γαίης ἀπὸ φυτοκόμοιο, ἐκ δέ γε νερτερίων δολομήχανα πάντα διδάξας. ἔνθεν βαλβίδα κόσμου ὅλην κατέρυκε πιθήσας μὴ φύσιος λελαθέσθαι, ἀτὰρ θεοῦ εὐσεβέοντος· κωτίλλων γὰρ ἅπαντα ἐς ἐμπορίην κατέθηκε, πάντα δέ γε σκεδάσας ἀλίτης κρατέει ἐπὶ γαίην. αὐτῷ μοι πείθεσθ', ὅτι δαίμονα ἔδρακον αὐτόν, λοιβαῖς καὶ θυσίαις μειλιξάμενος πολέεσσι. πείθεσθ', ὅττι καὶ αὐτὸν ἰδὼν ἐπέεσσι προσηύδων καὶ φιλίων ἐπέων κείνου κλύον. ἐν δέ με πᾶσιν ἠίθεον προσέειπε καλὸν φύσει, ὥς περ Ἰαμβρήν, μύστην δὲ κρατερόν, κείνου ἀντάξιον ἔργων. καὶ δή μοι κατένευσεν ἀγὸν κόσμοιο τελέσσαι αὐτῷ συμπονέοντα, ἐπεὶ βιοτῆς ἴδεν ἔργα. ἔνθεν κυδαίνων με κακῶν στίφος ἐγγυάλιξε λυπρὸν δαιμονίων, καὶ ἐκθρῴσκοντι ἔειπε· "3Κυπριανέ, κρατερός τις ἔφυς βροτός."3 ἐκ δὲ καθέδρης ἀνστὰς προύπεμψεν, θάμβος δ' ὁρόωσι παρέσχεν· ἔνθεν ὁμῶς γεραροί με τίον κείνου μάλα πάντες. μορφὴν δὲ χρυσῷ ἰνδάλλετο ἀνθεμόεντι, μαρμαρυγῇ γληνέων κομόων, κορυφῇ δέ τ' ἔπειτα· στέμματ' ἔχων πλοχμοῖσιν ἀρηρότα καὶ λιθάδεσσιν, ὧν σέλας ἀγλαΐῃ κείνην κατεκόσμεε χώρην. κόσμος δ' εἵμαθ' ὁμοῖος. ἀτὰρ στρεφθεὶς χθόνα σεῖε- κύκλῳ δὲ κλισμῶν πολέες στάσαν ἀσπιδιῶται, μορφὰς ἐς οὖδας ἔχοντες, ἀρηρότες εὖτε φάλαγγες- ἀστράπτων κατὰ κεῖνο πέδον, θεὸς ὣς ἐν Ὀλύμπῳ, τείρεσι παμφαίνων, φυτηκομίην δ' ἐπαέξων, πᾶσιν δ', οἷς περ ἔτευξε θεός, πανομοίια τεύχων, ἀθανάτῳ κρατέοντι ἐριδμαίνων ἁγίοις τε· ἔνθεν γὰρ δόκεεν νόον ἀνδρῶν ἠπεροπεύειν ὥς τε μάλ' ἠπεδανὸς κενεὴν σκιὰν ἄντα τελείων, ἐκ τοῦ δαιμονίη μορφὴ πέλεται