Secret of Secrets

...let him examine the second book of Giovanni Francesco Pico on the death of Christ and on things to be contemplated regarding oneself. And let him also read through the first book of Alexander of Aphrodisias on the soul. For thus his desire will be abundantly satisfied.

Second. That the sacred precepts of philosophy are not to be promulgated to just anyone is the consensus of all philosophers. Indeed, he diminishes the Deity (as the author of the Conciliator, Pietro d'Abano, says) who divulges mystical secrets. Macrobius indeed narrates that Numenius, the most curious investigator of occult things among the philosophers, when he had divulged the Eleusinian mysteries by interpreting them, was seen in his dreams to see the Eleusinian goddesses standing in a harlot’s attire before an open brothel; and to him, wondering and asking about the causes of such filthiness unbecoming to divinities, they replied in anger that they had been forcibly stripped of their attire of modesty by him and were being prostituted to passersby. Whence those who cared for such things decreed that such precepts should be handed down most obscurely. Hence the professors of alchemy involved the intimate parts of their art in wondrous obscurities, as Bonus explains beautifully in his Margarita; and Aristotle writes that his acroamatic books were published and unpublished to Alexander. Hence also divine Plato said to Dionysius that one must speak of such things through enigmas. Our author, observing this and compelled by his duty to Alexander to bring forth the secret of secrets, wished to explain it through enigmas and figures.

Third. That also must not be passed over in this place, that even though the philosophers, acknowledging that pearls are not to be thrown before all, agreed on the concealment of philosophy, yet (as Simplicius says) they differed in the mode of concealment: for the more ancient ones [concealed them] through enigmas, figures, examples...