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the colors of what is about to be brought to completion for itself, so also the living egg, conceived from infinite matter, being moved by the underlying and ever-·lowing matter, displays all kinds of transformations. For from within the circumference a certain androgynous animal is formed by the providence of the divine spirit within it, which Orpheus calls Phanes, because when he appeared, the whole shone forth from him, with the light of the most brilliant of the elements, fire, being perfected in the moist. And it is not incredible that, for the sake of an example, nature has also granted us to see a moist light in fireflies. Therefore, the first-formed egg, being warmed by the living being within, ·»eaks, and then, having been formed, it comes forth, as Orpheus also says, «when the skull of the wide-gaping egg was split». And so, when he who came forth appeared with great power, the hull receives its harmony and holds its arrangement, while he himself presides as if on the peak of heaven, and in secret shines around the infinite age. But the fertile matter left behind within the hull, as in a long time the underlying natural heat, seething up, separated the substances of all things. For its lower part first, like a sediment, sank down on account of its weight, which they called Pluto on account of its drawing power and the heavy and great mass of the underlying substance, declaring him to be king of Hades and of the dead. They say, therefore, that this first and great, ·easeful and rough substance was swallowed by Cronus, that is, time, naturally, because of its downward return. And after the first sediment, the water which flowed together and floated on the first substance they called Poseidon. And the remaining third, the purest and highest, being transparent Χν fire, they named Zen on account of the seething nature in it; for the upward-bearing Χν fire was not swallowed down by time, that is, Cronus, but (as I said) the fiery substance, being vital and upward-bearing, flew up to the air itself, which is also most intelligent on account of its purity. Therefore, with its own heat, Zeus (that is, the seething substance) draws up the finest and divine spirit left in the underlying liquid, which they called Metis. And having come to the top of the aether and being drunk up with it, just as a liquid mixed with a hot substance, having produced a perpetually moving palpitation, it begets intelligence, which they also name Pallas from its pulsating, being a most artful intelligence, using which the aetherial craftsman fashioned the entire cosmos. And from Zeus himself extending through (from the hottest aether) the air reaches to the regions here, which they name Hera. And since she is indeed of a substance inferior to the purest substance of the aether, as a female in purity in comparison to the better, she was reasonably considered the sister of Zeus, as having been born from the same substance; but his wife because she is subject to him like a woman. Hera is understood as for the good temperament of the airs, for which reason she is also most fertile; but Athena, whom they also call Pallas, because she is unable to produce any birth on account of extreme heat, was considered a virgin. And likewise Artemis is also interpreted, whom they take to be in the lowest recess of the air, and being barren on account of extreme cold

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ἑαυτῷ τοῦ μέλλοντος τελεσφορεῖσθαι χρώματα, οὕτως καὶ τὸ ἐξ ἀπείρου ὕλης ἀποκυηθὲν ἔμψυχον ὠὸν ἐκ τῆς ὑποκειμένης καὶ ἀεὶ ·εούσης ὕλης κινούμενον παντοδαπὰς ἐκφαίνει τροπάς. ἔνδοθεν γὰρ τῆς περιφερείας ζῷόν τι ἀρρενόθηλυ εἰδοποιεῖται προνοίᾳ τοῦ ἐνόντος ἐν αὐτῷ θείου πνεύματος, ὃν Φάνητα Ὀρφεὺς καλεῖ, ὅτι αὐτοῦ φανέντος τὸ πᾶν ἐξ αὐτοῦ ἔλαμψεν, τῷ φέγγει τοῦ διαπρεπεστάτου τῶν στοιχείων πυρὸς ἐν τῷ ὑγρῷ τελεσφορουμένου. καὶ οὐκ ἄπιστον, ὅτι καὶ ἐπὶ λαμπυρίδων δείγματος ἕνεκα ἡ φύσις ἡμῖν ὁρᾶν ὑγρὸν φῶς ἐδωρήσατο. τὸ μὲν οὖν πρωτοσύστατον ὠὸν ὑποθερμανθὲν ὑπὸ τοῦ ἔσωθεν ζσου ·»γνυται, ἔπειτα δὲ μορφωθὲν προέρχεται ὁποῖόν τι καὶ Ὀρφεὺς λέγει «κρανίου σχισθέντος πολυχανδέος ὠοῦ». καὶ οὕτω μεγάλῃ δυνάμει αὐτοῦ τοῦ προεληλυθότος φανέντος, τὸ μὲν κύτος τὴν ἁρμονίαν λαμβάνει καὶ τὴν διακόσμησιν ἴσχει, αὐτὸς δὲ ὥσπερ ἐπ' ἀκρωρείας οὐρανοῦ προκαθέζεται καὶ ἐν ἀπορρήτοις τὸν ἄπειρον περιλάμπων αἰῶνα. ἡ δὲ τοῦ κύτους ἔνδοθεν γόνιμος ὑπολειφ- θεῖσα ὕλη, ὡς ἐν πολλῷ τῷ χρόνῳ ὑποκειμένης ἕως φυσικῆς ὑποζέουσα ἡ θερμότης τὰς πάντων διέκρινεν οὐσίας. τὸ μὲν γὰρ κατώτερον αὐτῆς πρῶτον ὥσπερ ὑποστάθμη ὑπὸ τοῦ βάρους εἰς τὰ κάτω ὑποκεχώρηκεν, ὃ διὰ τὴν ὁλκότητα καὶ διὰ τὸ ἐμβριθὲς καὶ πολὺ τῆς ὑποκειμένης οὐσίας πλῆθος Πλούτωνα προσηγόρευσαν, ᾅδου τε καὶ νεκρῶν βασιλέα εἶναι ἀποφηνά- μενοι. ταύτην μὲν οὖν τὴν πρώτην καὶ πολλήν, ·υπαρὰν καὶ τραχεῖαν οὐσίαν ὑπὸ Κρόνου, τοῦ χρόνου, καταποθῆναι λέγουσιν φυσικῶς διὰ τὴν κάτω ὑπονόστησιν αὐτῆς. μετὰ δὲ τὴν πρώτην ὑποστάθμην τὸ συρρυὲν ὕδωρ καὶ πρώτῃ ἐπιπολάσαν ὑποστάσει Ποσειδῶνα προσηγόρευσαν. τὸ δὲ λοιπὸν τρίτον τὸ καθαρώτατον καὶ κορυφαιότατον ἅτε διαυγὲς Χν πῦρ Ζῆνα ὠνόμασαν διὰ τὴν ἐν αὐτῷ ζέουσαν φύσιν· ἀνωφερὲς γὰρ Χν τὸ πῦρ πρὸς μὲν τὰ κάτω ὑπὸ χρόνου, τοῦ Κρόνου, οὐ κατεπόθη, ἀλλ' (ὡς ἔφην) ἡ πυρώδης οὐσία ζωτική τε καὶ ἀνωφερὴς οὖσα εἰς αὐτὸν ἀνέπτη τὸν ἀέρα, ὃς καὶ φρονιμώτατός ἐστι διὰ τὴν καθαρότητα. τῇ οὖν ἰδίᾳ θερμότητι ὁ Ζεύς (τουτέστιν ἡ ζέουσα οὐσία) τὸ καταλειφθὲν ἐν τῷ ὑποκειμένῳ ὑγρῷ τὸ ἰσχνότατον καὶ θεῖον ἀνιμᾶται πνεῦμα, ὅπερ Μῆτιν ἐκάλεσαν. κατὰ κορυφῆς δὲ αὐτοῦ ἐλθὸν τοῦ αἰθέρος καὶ συνποθὲν ὑπ' αὐτοῦ, ὥσπερ ὑγρὸν θερμῷ μιγέν, τὸν ἀεικίνητον παλμὸν ἐνποιῆσαν γεννᾷ τὴν σύνεσιν, ἣν καὶ Παλλάδα ἐπονομάζουσιν διὰ τὸ πάλλεσθαι, τεχνικωτάτην οὖσαν φρόνησιν, ᾗ χρώμενος τὸν πάντα ἐτεχνήσατο κόσμον ὁ αἰθέριος τεχνίτης. ἀπ' αὐτοῦ δὲ τοῦ διήκοντος ∆ιός (τοῦ θερμοτάτου αἰθέρος) ὁ ἀὴρ μέχρι τῶν ἐνταῦθα διικνεῖται τόπων, ἣν ἐπονομάζουσιν Ἥραν. καὶ ὡς δὴ τῆς τοῦ αἰθέρος καθαρωτάτης οὐσίας ὑποβεβηκυῖα, ὡς θήλεια τὴν καθαρότητα πρὸς σύγκρισιν τοῦ κρείττονος, ἀδελφὴ ∆ιὸς κατὰ τὸ εἰκὸς ἐνομίσθη, ὡς ἐκ τῆς αὐτῆς οὐσίας γεγενημένη· γαμετὴ δὲ διὰ τὸ ὡς γυναῖκα ὑπο- κεῖσθαι. παραλαμβάνεται δὲ ἡ μὲν Ἥρα πρὸς ἀέρων εὐκρασίαν, διὸ καὶ γονιμωτάτη ἐστίν· ἡ δὲ Ἀθηνᾶ, ἣν καὶ Παλλάδα λέγουσιν, διὰ τὸ ἄκρως θερμὸν γένεσίν τινος ποιῆσαι μὴ δυναμένη, παρθένος ἐνο μίσθη. ὁμοίως δὲ καὶ Ἄρτεμις ἑρμηνευομένη, ἣν εἰς τὸν κατώτατον μυχὸν τοῦ ἀέρος παραλαμβάνουσιν, καὶ δι' ἀκρότητα κρύους ἄγονον οὖσαν