The Heroic Enthusiasts, Part II (Gli Eroici Furori) · 2 of 49 · tr. L. Williams
First Dialogue-a
.
Interlocutors: Cesarino.
Maricondo.
1.
Ces.
It is said that the best and most excellent things are in the world when the whole universe responds from every part, perfectly, to those things; and this it is said takes place as the planets arrive at Aries, being when that one of the eighth sphere again reaches the upper invisible firmament, where is also the other Zodiac;[A] and low and evil things prevail when the opposite disposition and order supervene, and thus through the power of change comes the continual mutation of like and unlike, from one opposite to another.
The revolution then of the great year of the world is that space of time in which, through the most diverse customs and effects, and by the most opposite and contrary means, it returns to the same again.
As we see in particular years such as that of the sun, where the beginning of an opposite tendency is the end of one year, and the end of this is the beginning of that.
Therefore now that we have been in the dregs of the sciences, which have brought forth the dregs of opinions, which are the cause of the dregs of customs and of works, we may certainly expect to return to the better condition.
[A] Astronomers distinguish between a fixed and intellectual zodiac; and the movable and visible zodiac.
According to the former, Aries still stands as the first of the signs; that is to say, the first thirty degrees of the zodiacal circle, reckoning from the equinoctial point in spring, are allotted to Aries in the intellectual zodiac....
Astronomers generally choose to reckon by the fixed and intellectual zodiac.—(Drummond's "Oedipus Judaicus.") Maricondo.
Know, my brother, that this succession and order of things is most true and most certain; but as regards ourselves in all ordinary conditions whatever, the present afflicts more than the past, nor can these two together console, but only the future, which is always in hope and expectation as you may see designated in this figure which is taken from the ancient Egyptians, who made a certain statue which is a bust, upon which they placed three heads, one of a wolf which looks behind, one of a lion with the face turned half round, and the third of a dog who looks straight before him; to signify that things of the past afflict by means of thoughts, but not so much as things of the present which actually torment, while the future ever promises something better; therefore behold the wolf that howls, the lion that roars and the dog that barks (applause).
Ces.
What means that legend that is written above?
Mar.
See, that above the wolf is Lam, above the lion Modo, above the dog Praeterea, which are words signifying the three parts of time.
Ces.
Now read the tablet.
Mar.
I will do so.
41.
A wolf, a lion, and a dog appear At dawn, at midday, and dark night.
That which I spent, retain and for myself procure, So much was given, is given, and may be given; For that which I did, I do, and have to do.
In the past, in the present and in the future, I do repent, torment myself and re-assure, For the loss, in suffering and in expectation.
With sour, with bitter and with sweet Experience, the fruits, and hope, Threatens, afflict, and comforts me.
The age I lived, do live and am to live, Affrights me, shakes me and upholds In absence, presence and in prospect.
Much, too much and sufficient Of the past, of now, and of to come, Put me in fear, in anguish and in hope.
Ces.
The doctrine of the periodic restoration or recurrence of all things to their original state after vast cycles.
The passage describes the 'great year of the world' as a cycle in which all things 'returns to the same again' through 'the most opposite and contrary means,' and concludes that from the current 'dregs' one 'may certainly expect to return to the better condition'—a periodic restoration to an original state.
The Hermetic axiom that the structure of the cosmos is reflected at every scale — 'as above, so below; as within, so without' — making each level a legible map of the others.
The text links celestial events (planets arriving at Aries) directly to earthly conditions (excellent or evil things prevailing), reflecting the 'as above, so below' axiom.
Ontological opposition between two primal principles (light/darkness, truth/lie, spirit/matter) as the fundamental structure of reality.
[auto] The passage explicitly describes the oscillation between 'best and most excellent things' and 'low and evil things' driven by opposite dispositions and contrary means.
The Stoic and Plotinian doctrine that all parts of the cosmos are bound by hidden affinities, so that a movement in one part resonates through the whole; the metaphysical basis for astrology, magic, and divination.
The passage explicitly states that the whole universe responds from every part to planetary movements, resonating with the definition of hidden affinities binding the cosmos.
Pronoia — the doctrine that the divine actively orders the unfolding of the cosmos and human affairs toward intelligible ends, against pure chance or blind necessity.
Maricondo affirms that the succession and order of things is 'most true and most certain,' implying an intelligible divine ordering of cosmic unfolding.
Bruno's eroici furori — a passionate, ennobling spiritual ardor that drives the soul toward divine wisdom; distinguished from base or animal passions by its orientation to infinite truth.
As a passage from Bruno's 'Gli Eroici Furori,' it establishes the cosmological framework within which the heroic enthusiasm operates, though this specific segment focuses on time cycles.
The soul's journey back to its divine origin, reversing the fall into matter through stages of purification or illumination.
[auto] The text describes the 'great year of the world' returning to the same again and expects a return to a 'better condition' from the dregs of sciences.
The Hermetic doctrine of a measured swing or pendulum motion between poles — action and reaction, flow and outflow, rise and fall — operating in mental, physical, and cosmic-historical registers alike. Distinct from apocatastasis (cosmic-scale eschatological restoration after vast cycles) in naming a constant, ever-present oscillation rather than a singular restorative event.
The entire passage is structured around the measured swing of cosmic time: 'the revolution of the great year of the world is that space of time in which... it returns to the same again,' and 'the beginning of an opposite tendency is the end of one year, and the end of this is the beginning of that.'
The rule of the stars and planetary powers over mortal destiny — the astrological governors whose spheres bind souls to birth, error, and death; in Sethian gnosis the 'error of the stars' that the savior exposes, and from which the incorruptible generation alone is free. Distinct from cosmic_sympathy (a doctrine of universal affinity) in being a bondage-to-powers claim, and from archons (the rulers as personal beings) in concerning the astral machinery itself.
The passage attributes the quality of worldly conditions directly to planetary positions: 'when the planets arrive at Aries' the best things prevail, and 'when the opposite disposition supervenes' low and evil things prevail, making the stars the governors of mortal fortune.