And the Egyptian theology seems to favor this opinion. For they oftentimes call Isis by the name of Minerva, which in their language expresseth this sentence, ‘I
[p. 121]
came from myself,’ and is significative of a motion proceeding from herself. But Typhon is called (as hath been said
before) Seth, Bebon, and Smu, which names would insinuate a kind of a forcible restraint, and an opposition or
subversion. Moreover, they call the loadstone Horus's
bone, and iron Typhon's bone, as Manetho relates. For as
iron is oftentimes like a thing that is drawn to and follows
the loadstone, and oftentimes again flies off and recoils to
the opposite part; so the salutary, good, and intelligent
motion of the universe doth, as by a gentle persuasion, invert, reduce, and make softer the rugged and Typhonian
one; and when again it is restrained and forced back, it
returns into itself, and sinks into its former interminateness. Eudoxus also saith that the Egyptian fable of Jupiter is this, that being once unable to go because his legs
grew together, he for very shame spent all his time in the
wilderness; but that Isis dividing and separating these
parts of his body, he came to have the right use of his
feet. This fable also hints to us by these words, that the
intelligence and reason of the God, which walked before in
the unseen and inconspicuous state, came into generation
by means of motion.
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