Revelation and The Book of Gates: Deep Thought

12. FA(?). The text reads: "Those who are in this picture are in front of this great god, and they carry the serpent Mehen-ta on their heads into this City, and they travel onwards in the following of Ra into the Eastern Horizon of the sky. This god crieth unto them by their names, and he decreeth for them what they have to do. And Ra saith unto them:'O ye who keep ward over your serpent-figures with your two hands, lift ye up your heads, whose hands are strong, whose feet are firm, who perform the journeyings which ye are bound to make, who make long your steps as ye go, unite ye yourselves to your offerings in the Hall of the Eastern Horizon.' Their work is to make the serpent Mehen to travel to the Eastern Hall of the Horizon, and they unite themselves to their habitations after this great god hath passed through the darkness and hath taken up his place in the horizon."

IV. Twelve goddesses, with their arms hanging by their sides, who are described as "those who give praises to RA as he passeth over URNES," Their names are: 1. MAA-NETER-S, 2. ART-NETER-S, 3. HEKENT, 4. NET, 5. APERT-RE, 6. AB, 7. NEBT-HET, 8. HRA-SENI, 9. TEFNUT, 10. NUTET, 11. AMENT, 12. AST. The Address which the Sun-god makes to the gods in the First Division of the Tuat reads: The Majesty of this god standeth up after he hath taken up his position in this Court, and he addresseth words to the gods who are therein, saying, "Open ye to me your doors, and let me come into your Courts! Give ye light unto me, and make ye yourselves guides to me, O ye who came into being, from my members, my word hath gone forth to you. Ye are made of my bodies, I have made you, having fashioned you of my soul, I have created you, I have made you by means of my enchantments, [and] I have come to avenge myself the blood of my members which have risen up against me, and I will bring to destruction that which hath been made for it. I will make perfect with the...... of my forms Osiris Khenti Amenti.

9-12. Four goddesses, each in a seated position, but without a throne; the first is called ANTHETH, the second HENHENITH, the third HEMT, and the fourth SEHITH. The text which refers to these reads: "The Majesty of this great god saith unto these gods: O ye gods who dwell in the Tuat, and who are in the following of the lord of the beings who are in the Tuat, who stand up and sit down in Nu, who dwell in your Field, O ye gods who send forth light, and who make to stand up your bodies, and O ye goddesses who sit down in the following of the SCARAB in the place where are his bodies in the Tuat, O ye who live on your......, whose hearts live on their food, who send forth light in the darkness which surroundeth you, who have the mastery over your Red Crowns, who partake in content of the offerings made to you, let them travel in my following, let my soul be with me, let me rest (or, unite myself) to my bodies, and let me pass by you in peace. These gods hear the voice of Ra every day, and they have their life through his voice.

12. HEKENU. The text reads: "Those who are in this picture sing praises unto this great god from dawn, when he taketh up his position in the Hall of the east of the sky. They say unto Ra, 'O thou who art the producer of [thine own] birth, who dost bring into being [thine own] being, [lord of] homage of every soul...... Heaven belongeth to thy soul, which taketh up its place therein, and the earth belongeth to thy body, thou lord of homage. Thou sailest over the Horizon, thou takest up thy place in thy shrine, the gods in their bodies praise thee; descend thou into the sky and take thou thy two souls through thy magical protectors.' The work of these gods in the Tuat is to praise this great god, and they stand in this City and they count up (or, verify) the gods of the country of Mafket (i.e., Sinai). They descend (?) to earth [before] Ra after he hath taken up his position in the sky and doth rise upon the eyes of mankind in their circles."

4. "To those who are in this picture with their arrows, and to those with javelins, and to those with their bows, who are in the presence of this great god, and who make their appearance with him in the Eastern Horizon of the sky, this great god saith: Speed ye your arrows, make ready your javelins, bend your bows, and destroy ye for me my enemies who are in darkness; be ye at the portal of your horizon, and follow ye in my train when I unite myself to those who make adoration to my flesh in the MANTIT BOAT. It is, they who drive back the SEBI serpent of NEHA-HRA in the thick darkness, and when this great. god passeth on into the Eastern Hall of the horizon, they also travel on in the train of this god." Over the upper register runs a line of text, which reads: "[This is] the hidden Circle of Amentet, where KHEPER uniteth himself to the form of Ra, and where the gods, and the spirits, and the dead hasten (?) in the hidden forms of AKERT.

"O R[=a], those who dwell in the heights and those who dwell in the depths adore thee. The god Thoth and the goddess Ma[=a]t have marked out for thee [thy course] for each and every day. Thine enemy the Serpent hath been given over to the fire, the serpent-fiend Sebau hath fallen down headlong; his arms have been bound in chains, and thou hast hacked off his legs; and the sons of impotent revolt shall nevermore rise up against thee. The Temple of the Aged One [Footnote: i.e., R[=a] of Heliopolis.] (i.e., R[=a]) keepeth festival, and the voice of those who rejoice is in the mighty dwelling. The gods exult when they see thy rising, O R[=a], and when thy beams flood the world with light. The Majesty of the holy god goeth forth and advanceth even unto the land of Manu; he maketh brilliant the earth at his birth each day; he journeyeth on to the place where he was yesterday."

On the right of the boat are twenty-four gods, the first twelve of whom are described as "those who are at peace, the worshippers of Ra," and the second twelve as "the righteous who are in the Tuat." These beings are thus described by the accompanying text: "These [are they who] have worshipped (or, praised) Ra upon earth, who uttered words of power against Apep, who made their offerings unto him, and who burnt ( literally, made) incense to their gods on their own behalf, after their offerings. They have gained possession of their cool waters, and they receive their meat, and they eat of their offerings in the gateway of him whose name is hidden. Their meat is by the gateway, and their offerings are with him. who is therein. And Ra saith unto them:'Your offerings are yours, ye have power over your cool waters, your souls shall never be hacked to pieces, your meat shall never fail, [O ye who have] praised [me], and have vanquished Apep for me.'" The above passage refers to the "worshippers of Ra who are at peace."

“First of all, sir,” I said, “explain this to me: What is the meaning of the rock and the gate?” “This rock,” he answered, “and this gate are the Son of God.” “How, sir?” I said; “the rock is old, and the gate is new.” “Listen,” he said, “and understand, O ignorant man. The Son of God is older than all His creatures, so that He was a fellow-councillor with the Father in His work of creation: for this reason is He old.” “And why is the gate new, sir?” I said. “Because,” he answered, “He became manifest in the last days of the dispensation: for this reason the gate was made new, that they who are to be saved by it might enter into the kingdom of God. You saw,” he said, “that those stones which came in through the gate were used for the building of the tower, and that those which did not come, were again thrown back to their own place?” “I saw, sir,” I replied. “In like manner,” he continued, “no one shall enter into the kingdom of God unless he receive His holy name. For if you desire to enter into a city, and that city is surrounded by a wall, and has but one gate, can you enter into that city save through the gate which it has?” “Why, how can it be otherwise, sir?” I said. “If, then, you cannot enter into the city except through its gate, so, in like manner, a man cannot otherwise enter into the kingdom of God than by the name of His beloved Son. You saw,” he added, “the multitude who were building the tower?” “I saw them, sir,” I said.

"And the dragon of the outer darkness hath twelve authentic names on his doors, a name on every one of the doors of the dungeons. And these twelve names are different one from another; but the twelve are one in the other, so that he who speaketh one name, speaketh all. These then will I tell you at the expansion of the universe. Thus then is fashioned the outer darkness,--that is the dragon."

Then this thought arose in the mind of those twelve hundred self-controlled (Arhats): We are struck with wonder and amazement. (How) if the Tathâgata would predict to us severally our future destiny as the Lord has done to those other great disciples? And the Lord apprehending in his own mind what was going on in the minds of these great disciples addressed the venerable Mahâ-Kasyapa: Those twelve hundred self-controlled hearers whom I am now beholding from face to face, to all those twelve hundred self-controlled hearers, Kasyapa, I will presently foretell their destiny. Amongst them, Kâsyapa, the monk Kaundinya, a great disciple, shall, after sixty-two hundred thousand myriads of kotis of Buddhas, become a Tathâgata, an Arhat, &c., under the name of Samantaprabhâsa, endowed with science and conduct, a Sugata, &c. &c.; but of those (twelve hundred), Kâsyapa, five hundred shall become Tathâgatas of the same name. Thereafter shall all those five hundred great disciples reach supreme and perfect enlightenment, all bearing the name of Samantaprabhâsa; viz. Gayâ-Kâsyapa, Nadî-Kâsyapa, Uruvilvâ.-Kâsyapa, Kâla, KâIodâyin, Aniruddha, Kapphina, Vakkula, Kunda, Svâgata, and the rest of the five hundred self-controlled (Arhats).

And Penelope answered, “Stranger, dreams are very curious and unaccountable things, and they do not by any means invariably come true. There are two gates through which these unsubstantial fancies proceed; the one is of horn, and the other ivory. Those that come through the gate of ivory are fatuous, but those from the gate of horn mean something to those that see them. I do not think, however, that my own dream came through the gate of horn, though I and my son should be most thankful if it proves to have done so. Furthermore I say—and lay my saying to your heart—the coming dawn will usher in the ill-omened day that is to sever me from the house of Ulysses, for I am about to hold a tournament of axes. My husband used to set up twelve axes in the court, one in front of the other, like the stays upon which a ship is built; he would then go back from them and shoot an arrow through the whole twelve. I shall make the suitors try to do the same thing, and whichever of them can string the bow most easily, and send his arrow through all the twelve axes, him will I follow, and quit this house of my lawful husband, so goodly and so abounding in wealth. But even so, I doubt not that I shall remember it in my dreams.”

In like manner He says to His disciples, "Verily I say unto you, That ye which have followed me, in the regeneration, when the Son of man shall sit on the throne of His glory, ye also shall sit upon twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel." Here we learn that Jesus shall judge with His disciples. And therefore He said elsewhere to the Jews, "If I by Beelzebub cast out devils, by whom do your sons cast them out? Therefore they shall be your judges." Neither ought we to suppose that only twelve men shall judge along with Him, though He says that they shall sit upon twelve thrones, for by the number twelve is signified the completeness of the multitude of those who shall judge. For the two parts of the number seven (which commonly symbolizes totality), that is to say, four and three, multiplied into one another, give twelve. For four times three, or three times four, are twelve. There are other meanings, too, in this number twelve. Were not this the right interpretation of the twelve thrones, then since we read that Matthias was ordained an apostle in the room of Judas the traitor, the Apostle Paul, though he laboured more than them all, should have no throne of judgment; but he unmistakeably considers himself to be included in the number of the judges when he says, "Know ye not that we shall judge angels?" The same rule is to be observed in applying the number twelve to those who are to be judged.

and eight are the angles of yupa (stake), in all sacrificial rites.’ Vandin said, ‘Nine is the number of the mantras used in kindling the fire in sacrifices to the Pitris; nine are the appointed functions in the processes of creation; nine letters compose the foot of the metre, Vrihati; and nine also is ever the number of the figures (in calculation).’ Ashtavakra said, ‘Ten is said to be the number of cardinal points, entering into the cognition of men in this world; ten times hundred make up a thousand; ten is the number of months, during which women bear; and ten are the teachers of true knowledge, and ten, the haters thereof, and ten again are those capable of learning it.’ Vandin said, ‘Eleven are the objects enjoyable by beings; eleven is the number of the yupas; eleven are the changes of the natural state pertaining to those having life; and eleven are the Rudras among the gods in heaven.’ Ashtavakra said, Twelve months compose the year; twelve letters go to the composition of a foot of the metre called Jagati; twelve are the minor sacrifices;

And therefore, as Marcus Varro multiplied the sects to the number of 288 (or whatever larger number he chose) by introducing these four differences derived from the social life, the New Academy, the Cynics, and the threefold form of life, so, by removing these differences as having no bearing on the supreme good, and as therefore not constituting what can properly be called sects, he returns to those twelve schools which concern themselves with inquiring what that good is which makes man happy, and he shows that one of these is true, the rest false. In other words, he dismisses the distinction founded on the threefold mode of life, and so decreases the whole number by two-thirds, reducing the sects to ninety-six. Then, putting aside the Cynic peculiarities, the number decreases by a half, to forty-eight. Taking away next the distinction occasioned by the hesitancy of the New Academy, the number is again halved, and reduced to twenty-four. Treating in a similar way the diversity introduced by the consideration of the social life, there are left but twelve, which this difference had doubled to twenty-four. Regarding these twelve, no reason can be assigned why they should not be called sects. For in them the sole inquiry is regarding the supreme good and the ultimate evil,--that is to say, regarding the supreme good, for this being found, the opposite evil is thereby found.

Whenever a high council of the church of Christ is regularly organized, according to the foregoing pattern, it shall be the duty of the twelve councilors to cast lots by numbers, and thereby ascertain who of the twelve shall speak first, commencing with number one and so in succession to number twelve.

This duodenary number is perfect. It is that of the signs of the Zodiac, which the sun visits in twelve months, and it is to honour that number that Moses divided his nation into twelve tribes, established the twelve cakes of the shew‐bread, and placed twelve precious stones upon the breast‐plate of the pontiffs.(1116)

the first age was the best and the longest, and the following ages grew worse and worse, and became shorter at thu same time. This primitive conceit was by the ancients combined with the conceit of the year, so that the four ages were compared with the four seasons of the year. Something similar seems to have happened in India, where, however, there are three or six seasons^ For the (?ainas seem to have originally divided one Eon into six minor periods. Now the year was frequently compared to a wheel, and this second metaphor was worked out by the (?ainas. They named the six minor periods aras, literally spokes of a wheel, and divided the whole Eon into one descending part (of the wheel), avasarpirri, and one part, utsarpiKi. These Avasarpuris and Utsarpiwis are probably a later improvement, and the Eon originally contained but six Aras. But if there were indeed twelve Aras from the beginning, they must have been suggested by the twelve months of the year. ‘ This is the first of the ten kinds of men mentioned above; the remaining nine are enumerated in the following verse. [45] C i8 Perceiving that the four requisites are difficult to obtain, he will apply himself to self-control, and when by penances he has shaken off the remnant of Karman, he will become an eternal Siddha. (20) Thus I say.

Vaishampayana said, "Formerly, in the Krita age, O king, the ascetics dwelling in Naimisha were engaged in a grand sacrifice extending for twelve years. Many were the Rishis, O king, that came to that sacrifice. Passing their days, according to due rites, in the performance of that sacrifice, those highly blessed ones, after the completion of that twelve years' sacrifice at Naimisha, set out in large number for visiting the tirthas. In consequence of the number of the Rishis, O king, the tirthas on the southern banks of the Sarasvati all looked like towns and cities. Those foremost of Brahmanas, O tiger among men, in consequence of their eagerness for enjoying the merits of tirthas, took up their abodes on the bank of the river up to the site of Samantapanchaka. The whole region seemed to resound with the loud Vedic recitations of those Rishis of cleansed souls, all employed in pouring libations on sacrificial fires. That foremost of rivers looked exceedingly beautiful with those blazing homa fires all around, over which those high-souled ascetics poured libations of clarified butter.

Houdin taught his son to develop Attention by a simple exercise which may be interesting and of value to you. He would lay down a domino before the boy--a five-four, for example. He would require the boy to tell him the combined number at once, without allowing him to stop to count the spots, one by one. "Nine" the boy would answer after a moment's hesitation. Then another domino, a three-four, would be added. "That makes sixteen," cried the boy. Two dominoes at a time was the second day's task. The next day, three was the standard. The next day, four, and so on, until the boy was able to handle twelve dominoes--that is to say, give instantaneously the total number of spots on twelve dominoes, after a single glance. This was Attention, in earnest, and shows what practice will do to develop a faculty. The result was shown by the wonderful powers of observation, memory and attention, together with instantaneous mental action, that the boy developed. Not only was he able to add dominoes instantaneously, but he had powers of observation, etc., that seemed little short of miraculous. And yet it is related that he had poor attention, and deficient memory to begin with.

12. FA(?). The text reads: "Those who are in this picture are in front of this great god, and they carry the serpent Mehen-ta on their heads into this City, and they travel onwards in the following of Ra into the Eastern Horizon of the sky. This god crieth unto them by their names, and he decreeth for them what they have to do. And Ra saith unto them:'O ye who keep ward over your serpent-figures with your two hands, lift ye up your heads, whose hands are strong, whose feet are firm, who perform the journeyings which ye are bound to make, who make long your steps as ye go, unite ye yourselves to your offerings in the Hall of the Eastern Horizon.' Their work is to make the serpent Mehen to travel to the Eastern Hall of the Horizon, and they unite themselves to their habitations after this great god hath passed through the darkness and hath taken up his place in the horizon."

IV. Twelve goddesses, with their arms hanging by their sides, who are described as "those who give praises to RA as he passeth over URNES," Their names are: 1. MAA-NETER-S, 2. ART-NETER-S, 3. HEKENT, 4. NET, 5. APERT-RE, 6. AB, 7. NEBT-HET, 8. HRA-SENI, 9. TEFNUT, 10. NUTET, 11. AMENT, 12. AST. The Address which the Sun-god makes to the gods in the First Division of the Tuat reads: The Majesty of this god standeth up after he hath taken up his position in this Court, and he addresseth words to the gods who are therein, saying, "Open ye to me your doors, and let me come into your Courts! Give ye light unto me, and make ye yourselves guides to me, O ye who came into being, from my members, my word hath gone forth to you. Ye are made of my bodies, I have made you, having fashioned you of my soul, I have created you, I have made you by means of my enchantments, [and] I have come to avenge myself the blood of my members which have risen up against me, and I will bring to destruction that which hath been made for it. I will make perfect with the...... of my forms Osiris Khenti Amenti.

9-12. Four goddesses, each in a seated position, but without a throne; the first is called ANTHETH, the second HENHENITH, the third HEMT, and the fourth SEHITH. The text which refers to these reads: "The Majesty of this great god saith unto these gods: O ye gods who dwell in the Tuat, and who are in the following of the lord of the beings who are in the Tuat, who stand up and sit down in Nu, who dwell in your Field, O ye gods who send forth light, and who make to stand up your bodies, and O ye goddesses who sit down in the following of the SCARAB in the place where are his bodies in the Tuat, O ye who live on your......, whose hearts live on their food, who send forth light in the darkness which surroundeth you, who have the mastery over your Red Crowns, who partake in content of the offerings made to you, let them travel in my following, let my soul be with me, let me rest (or, unite myself) to my bodies, and let me pass by you in peace. These gods hear the voice of Ra every day, and they have their life through his voice.

12. HEKENU. The text reads: "Those who are in this picture sing praises unto this great god from dawn, when he taketh up his position in the Hall of the east of the sky. They say unto Ra, 'O thou who art the producer of [thine own] birth, who dost bring into being [thine own] being, [lord of] homage of every soul...... Heaven belongeth to thy soul, which taketh up its place therein, and the earth belongeth to thy body, thou lord of homage. Thou sailest over the Horizon, thou takest up thy place in thy shrine, the gods in their bodies praise thee; descend thou into the sky and take thou thy two souls through thy magical protectors.' The work of these gods in the Tuat is to praise this great god, and they stand in this City and they count up (or, verify) the gods of the country of Mafket (i.e., Sinai). They descend (?) to earth [before] Ra after he hath taken up his position in the sky and doth rise upon the eyes of mankind in their circles."

4. "To those who are in this picture with their arrows, and to those with javelins, and to those with their bows, who are in the presence of this great god, and who make their appearance with him in the Eastern Horizon of the sky, this great god saith: Speed ye your arrows, make ready your javelins, bend your bows, and destroy ye for me my enemies who are in darkness; be ye at the portal of your horizon, and follow ye in my train when I unite myself to those who make adoration to my flesh in the MANTIT BOAT. It is, they who drive back the SEBI serpent of NEHA-HRA in the thick darkness, and when this great. god passeth on into the Eastern Hall of the horizon, they also travel on in the train of this god." Over the upper register runs a line of text, which reads: "[This is] the hidden Circle of Amentet, where KHEPER uniteth himself to the form of Ra, and where the gods, and the spirits, and the dead hasten (?) in the hidden forms of AKERT.

"O R[=a], those who dwell in the heights and those who dwell in the depths adore thee. The god Thoth and the goddess Ma[=a]t have marked out for thee [thy course] for each and every day. Thine enemy the Serpent hath been given over to the fire, the serpent-fiend Sebau hath fallen down headlong; his arms have been bound in chains, and thou hast hacked off his legs; and the sons of impotent revolt shall nevermore rise up against thee. The Temple of the Aged One [Footnote: i.e., R[=a] of Heliopolis.] (i.e., R[=a]) keepeth festival, and the voice of those who rejoice is in the mighty dwelling. The gods exult when they see thy rising, O R[=a], and when thy beams flood the world with light. The Majesty of the holy god goeth forth and advanceth even unto the land of Manu; he maketh brilliant the earth at his birth each day; he journeyeth on to the place where he was yesterday."

On the right of the boat are twenty-four gods, the first twelve of whom are described as "those who are at peace, the worshippers of Ra," and the second twelve as "the righteous who are in the Tuat." These beings are thus described by the accompanying text: "These [are they who] have worshipped (or, praised) Ra upon earth, who uttered words of power against Apep, who made their offerings unto him, and who burnt ( literally, made) incense to their gods on their own behalf, after their offerings. They have gained possession of their cool waters, and they receive their meat, and they eat of their offerings in the gateway of him whose name is hidden. Their meat is by the gateway, and their offerings are with him. who is therein. And Ra saith unto them:'Your offerings are yours, ye have power over your cool waters, your souls shall never be hacked to pieces, your meat shall never fail, [O ye who have] praised [me], and have vanquished Apep for me.'" The above passage refers to the "worshippers of Ra who are at peace."

“First of all, sir,” I said, “explain this to me: What is the meaning of the rock and the gate?” “This rock,” he answered, “and this gate are the Son of God.” “How, sir?” I said; “the rock is old, and the gate is new.” “Listen,” he said, “and understand, O ignorant man. The Son of God is older than all His creatures, so that He was a fellow-councillor with the Father in His work of creation: for this reason is He old.” “And why is the gate new, sir?” I said. “Because,” he answered, “He became manifest in the last days of the dispensation: for this reason the gate was made new, that they who are to be saved by it might enter into the kingdom of God. You saw,” he said, “that those stones which came in through the gate were used for the building of the tower, and that those which did not come, were again thrown back to their own place?” “I saw, sir,” I replied. “In like manner,” he continued, “no one shall enter into the kingdom of God unless he receive His holy name. For if you desire to enter into a city, and that city is surrounded by a wall, and has but one gate, can you enter into that city save through the gate which it has?” “Why, how can it be otherwise, sir?” I said. “If, then, you cannot enter into the city except through its gate, so, in like manner, a man cannot otherwise enter into the kingdom of God than by the name of His beloved Son. You saw,” he added, “the multitude who were building the tower?” “I saw them, sir,” I said.

"And the dragon of the outer darkness hath twelve authentic names on his doors, a name on every one of the doors of the dungeons. And these twelve names are different one from another; but the twelve are one in the other, so that he who speaketh one name, speaketh all. These then will I tell you at the expansion of the universe. Thus then is fashioned the outer darkness,--that is the dragon."

Then this thought arose in the mind of those twelve hundred self-controlled (Arhats): We are struck with wonder and amazement. (How) if the Tathâgata would predict to us severally our future destiny as the Lord has done to those other great disciples? And the Lord apprehending in his own mind what was going on in the minds of these great disciples addressed the venerable Mahâ-Kasyapa: Those twelve hundred self-controlled hearers whom I am now beholding from face to face, to all those twelve hundred self-controlled hearers, Kasyapa, I will presently foretell their destiny. Amongst them, Kâsyapa, the monk Kaundinya, a great disciple, shall, after sixty-two hundred thousand myriads of kotis of Buddhas, become a Tathâgata, an Arhat, &c., under the name of Samantaprabhâsa, endowed with science and conduct, a Sugata, &c. &c.; but of those (twelve hundred), Kâsyapa, five hundred shall become Tathâgatas of the same name. Thereafter shall all those five hundred great disciples reach supreme and perfect enlightenment, all bearing the name of Samantaprabhâsa; viz. Gayâ-Kâsyapa, Nadî-Kâsyapa, Uruvilvâ.-Kâsyapa, Kâla, KâIodâyin, Aniruddha, Kapphina, Vakkula, Kunda, Svâgata, and the rest of the five hundred self-controlled (Arhats).

And Penelope answered, “Stranger, dreams are very curious and unaccountable things, and they do not by any means invariably come true. There are two gates through which these unsubstantial fancies proceed; the one is of horn, and the other ivory. Those that come through the gate of ivory are fatuous, but those from the gate of horn mean something to those that see them. I do not think, however, that my own dream came through the gate of horn, though I and my son should be most thankful if it proves to have done so. Furthermore I say—and lay my saying to your heart—the coming dawn will usher in the ill-omened day that is to sever me from the house of Ulysses, for I am about to hold a tournament of axes. My husband used to set up twelve axes in the court, one in front of the other, like the stays upon which a ship is built; he would then go back from them and shoot an arrow through the whole twelve. I shall make the suitors try to do the same thing, and whichever of them can string the bow most easily, and send his arrow through all the twelve axes, him will I follow, and quit this house of my lawful husband, so goodly and so abounding in wealth. But even so, I doubt not that I shall remember it in my dreams.”

In like manner He says to His disciples, "Verily I say unto you, That ye which have followed me, in the regeneration, when the Son of man shall sit on the throne of His glory, ye also shall sit upon twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel." Here we learn that Jesus shall judge with His disciples. And therefore He said elsewhere to the Jews, "If I by Beelzebub cast out devils, by whom do your sons cast them out? Therefore they shall be your judges." Neither ought we to suppose that only twelve men shall judge along with Him, though He says that they shall sit upon twelve thrones, for by the number twelve is signified the completeness of the multitude of those who shall judge. For the two parts of the number seven (which commonly symbolizes totality), that is to say, four and three, multiplied into one another, give twelve. For four times three, or three times four, are twelve. There are other meanings, too, in this number twelve. Were not this the right interpretation of the twelve thrones, then since we read that Matthias was ordained an apostle in the room of Judas the traitor, the Apostle Paul, though he laboured more than them all, should have no throne of judgment; but he unmistakeably considers himself to be included in the number of the judges when he says, "Know ye not that we shall judge angels?" The same rule is to be observed in applying the number twelve to those who are to be judged.

and eight are the angles of yupa (stake), in all sacrificial rites.’ Vandin said, ‘Nine is the number of the mantras used in kindling the fire in sacrifices to the Pitris; nine are the appointed functions in the processes of creation; nine letters compose the foot of the metre, Vrihati; and nine also is ever the number of the figures (in calculation).’ Ashtavakra said, ‘Ten is said to be the number of cardinal points, entering into the cognition of men in this world; ten times hundred make up a thousand; ten is the number of months, during which women bear; and ten are the teachers of true knowledge, and ten, the haters thereof, and ten again are those capable of learning it.’ Vandin said, ‘Eleven are the objects enjoyable by beings; eleven is the number of the yupas; eleven are the changes of the natural state pertaining to those having life; and eleven are the Rudras among the gods in heaven.’ Ashtavakra said, Twelve months compose the year; twelve letters go to the composition of a foot of the metre called Jagati; twelve are the minor sacrifices;

And therefore, as Marcus Varro multiplied the sects to the number of 288 (or whatever larger number he chose) by introducing these four differences derived from the social life, the New Academy, the Cynics, and the threefold form of life, so, by removing these differences as having no bearing on the supreme good, and as therefore not constituting what can properly be called sects, he returns to those twelve schools which concern themselves with inquiring what that good is which makes man happy, and he shows that one of these is true, the rest false. In other words, he dismisses the distinction founded on the threefold mode of life, and so decreases the whole number by two-thirds, reducing the sects to ninety-six. Then, putting aside the Cynic peculiarities, the number decreases by a half, to forty-eight. Taking away next the distinction occasioned by the hesitancy of the New Academy, the number is again halved, and reduced to twenty-four. Treating in a similar way the diversity introduced by the consideration of the social life, there are left but twelve, which this difference had doubled to twenty-four. Regarding these twelve, no reason can be assigned why they should not be called sects. For in them the sole inquiry is regarding the supreme good and the ultimate evil,--that is to say, regarding the supreme good, for this being found, the opposite evil is thereby found.

Whenever a high council of the church of Christ is regularly organized, according to the foregoing pattern, it shall be the duty of the twelve councilors to cast lots by numbers, and thereby ascertain who of the twelve shall speak first, commencing with number one and so in succession to number twelve.

This duodenary number is perfect. It is that of the signs of the Zodiac, which the sun visits in twelve months, and it is to honour that number that Moses divided his nation into twelve tribes, established the twelve cakes of the shew‐bread, and placed twelve precious stones upon the breast‐plate of the pontiffs.(1116)

the first age was the best and the longest, and the following ages grew worse and worse, and became shorter at thu same time. This primitive conceit was by the ancients combined with the conceit of the year, so that the four ages were compared with the four seasons of the year. Something similar seems to have happened in India, where, however, there are three or six seasons^ For the (?ainas seem to have originally divided one Eon into six minor periods. Now the year was frequently compared to a wheel, and this second metaphor was worked out by the (?ainas. They named the six minor periods aras, literally spokes of a wheel, and divided the whole Eon into one descending part (of the wheel), avasarpirri, and one part, utsarpiKi. These Avasarpuris and Utsarpiwis are probably a later improvement, and the Eon originally contained but six Aras. But if there were indeed twelve Aras from the beginning, they must have been suggested by the twelve months of the year. ‘ This is the first of the ten kinds of men mentioned above; the remaining nine are enumerated in the following verse. [45] C i8 Perceiving that the four requisites are difficult to obtain, he will apply himself to self-control, and when by penances he has shaken off the remnant of Karman, he will become an eternal Siddha. (20) Thus I say.

Vaishampayana said, "Formerly, in the Krita age, O king, the ascetics dwelling in Naimisha were engaged in a grand sacrifice extending for twelve years. Many were the Rishis, O king, that came to that sacrifice. Passing their days, according to due rites, in the performance of that sacrifice, those highly blessed ones, after the completion of that twelve years' sacrifice at Naimisha, set out in large number for visiting the tirthas. In consequence of the number of the Rishis, O king, the tirthas on the southern banks of the Sarasvati all looked like towns and cities. Those foremost of Brahmanas, O tiger among men, in consequence of their eagerness for enjoying the merits of tirthas, took up their abodes on the bank of the river up to the site of Samantapanchaka. The whole region seemed to resound with the loud Vedic recitations of those Rishis of cleansed souls, all employed in pouring libations on sacrificial fires. That foremost of rivers looked exceedingly beautiful with those blazing homa fires all around, over which those high-souled ascetics poured libations of clarified butter.

Houdin taught his son to develop Attention by a simple exercise which may be interesting and of value to you. He would lay down a domino before the boy--a five-four, for example. He would require the boy to tell him the combined number at once, without allowing him to stop to count the spots, one by one. "Nine" the boy would answer after a moment's hesitation. Then another domino, a three-four, would be added. "That makes sixteen," cried the boy. Two dominoes at a time was the second day's task. The next day, three was the standard. The next day, four, and so on, until the boy was able to handle twelve dominoes--that is to say, give instantaneously the total number of spots on twelve dominoes, after a single glance. This was Attention, in earnest, and shows what practice will do to develop a faculty. The result was shown by the wonderful powers of observation, memory and attention, together with instantaneous mental action, that the boy developed. Not only was he able to add dominoes instantaneously, but he had powers of observation, etc., that seemed little short of miraculous. And yet it is related that he had poor attention, and deficient memory to begin with.