Θεόν, ὅ τί ποτε μέν ἐστι τὴν φύσιν καὶ τὴν οὐσίαν, οὔτε τις εὗρεν ἀνθρώπων πώποτε, οὔτε μὴ εὕρῃ. ἀλλ’ εἰ μὲν εὑρήσει ποτέ, ζητείσθω τοῦτο καὶ φιλοσοφείσθω παρὰ τῶν βουλομένων. εὑρήσει δέ, ὡς ἐμὸς λόγος, ἐπειδὰν τὸ θεοειδὲς τοῦτο καὶ θεῖον, λέγω δὲ τὸν ἡμέτερον νοῦν τε καὶ λόγον, τῷ οἰκείῳ προσμίξῃ, καὶ ἡ εἰκὼν ἀνέλθῃ πρὸς τὸ ἀρχέτυπον, οὗ νῦν ἔχει τὴν ἔφεσιν. καὶ τοῦτο 1 αγον...ακωλυτον] ὕπο τὴν ἄληκτον φορὰν καὶ ἀκώλυτον ἄγαγον ‘Reg. Cypr.’ || 10 om συμφυτος...και πάσι b || 12 λέγωμεν] -ομεν be 2. λόγον ἐνθείς] Gr. does not mean (like Plato) that the universe is conscious of the law by which it acts. 3. διεξάγεται] seems simply to mean ‘is conducted.’ Cp. in i 12 διὰ κύκλου τινὸς εὐθύνων καἰ διεφτητι ἄγων τὸν ἀπάντα κόσμον. 5. τῷ αὐτομάτω ‘to chance.’ 10. πᾶσι σύμφυτος] notexactly = ἔμφυτος, but ‘naturally bound up with’; like συνημμένος (from τειν) just after. 17. Hereafter we shall know as we are known; here, the most privileged attain to a knowledge which is only relatively great. 15. ἀλλ’ εἰ μέν] but whether man will ever find.’ 19. τῷ οἰκείῳ] ‘with that to wh it belongs’: Vaughan's ‘spirits fair kindred ’ Cp. § 12 sub fin. εἶναί μοι δοκεῖ τὸ πάνυ φιλοσοφούμενον, ἐπιγνώσεσθαί ποτε ἡμᾶς, ὅσον ἐγνώσμεθα. τὸ δὲ νῦν εἶναι βραχεῖά τις ἀπορροὴ πᾶν τὸ εἰς ἡμᾶς φθάνον, καὶ οἷον μεγάλου φωτὸς μικρὸν ἀπαύγασμα. ὥστε καὶ εἴ τις ἔγνω θεόν, ἢ ἐγνωκέναι μεμαρτύρηται, τοσοῦτον ἔγνω, ὅσον ἄλλου μὴ τὸ ἴσον ἐλλαμφθέντος φανῆναι φωτοειδέστερος. καὶ τὸ ὑπερβάλλον τέλειον ἐνομίσθη, οὐ τῇ ἀληθείᾳ, τῇ δὲ τοῦ πλησίον δυνάμει παραμετρούμενον.