PHILOSOPHERS OF ANTIQUITY.

The great Ammonius and Damascius claim
Our reverence next, as men of mighty name;
While yet Philosophy could boast a train
Of souls allied to Homer's golden chain.
The former for unfolding truth renowned,
The latter for his searching mind profound.
Priscian and famed Olympiodorus stand
The next in order, and our praise demand,
And with the acute Simplicius close the band.

Heroes, all hail! You who left your native skies,
From Lethe’s the river of forgetfulness in the underworld realms to instruct us how to rise,
And thus once more our kindred stars regain,
And ancient seats in Truth's immortal plain,
From whence we wandering fell, through mad desire
Of Matter's regions, and allotments dire.
Let Folly proudly boast her tyrant reign,
Her numerous followers, and her wide domain;
Your wisdom scorn, and with barbaric hand
Spread futile theories through a venal land.
By you inspired, the glorious task be mine
To soar from things sensible to forms divine;
From Phantasy—the soul's Calypso a nymph in the Odyssey who detained Odysseus; here, a metaphor for sensory illusions that trap the soul—free,
To sail secure on life's tempestuous sea,
Led by your doctrines, like the Pleiads' the seven stars used by sailors for navigation light,
With guiding radiance streaming through the night;
From mighty Neptune's the Roman god of the sea, representing worldly turbulence overwhelming ire,
Back to the palace of my lawful sire.

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A CATALOGUE