"Look not in a mirror by lamplight": that is, do not be misled by the phantasies of the senses, but be guided by the pure, bright light of spiritual knowledge. "Transplant mallows in your garden but eat them not": that is, cultivate spirituality and destroy it not. "Do not wear a ring": that is, philosophize truly, and separate your soul from the bonds of the body. "When the winds blow, give heed unto the sound": that is, when the Deity speaks, attend closely. "When you rise from bed, disorder the covering, and efface the impression of the body": that is, when you have attained unto wisdom, obliterate all traces of your former ignorance. "Leaving the public ways, walk in unfrequented paths": that is, lead a spiritual, not a worldly, life. "Do not offer your right hand lightly": that is, do not make pledges which you cannot or will not keep, and do not divulge the Mysteries to those who are unfit and uninitiated. "Do not receive a swallow into your house": that is, do not disclose the Mysteries to one who is flighty and unstable. "Speak not about Pythagorean concerns without light": that is, do not assume to be a teacher until you have become a student. "When treading the Path divide not": that is, truth is one but falsehood is multifarious; choose that philosophy in which there is no inconsistency or contradiction. "Above all things learn to govern your tongue when you follow the gods": that is, learn the power of silence. "Disbelieve nothing admirable concerning the gods or the divine teachings": that is, the Deity is perfect justice and perfect love; "the Divine wisdom is the science of life, the art of living." "Do not cut your nails while sacrificing": that is, in praying, remember even those who are most distant. "Sacrifice and worship unshod": that is, approach the Mysteries with a reverent heart. "Entering a temple, neither say nor do anything which pertains to ordinary life": that is, preserve the Divine, pure and undefiled; the divine science cannot be judged by the ordinary standards of human opinion. "Enter not into a temple negligently nor worship carelessly, not even though you stand only at the doors": that is, seek the Divine wholeheartedly without reference to personal advantage, no matter however humble your position. "Approach not gold in order to gain children": that is, beware of all teachers who barter the things of the Spirit; "by their fruits ye shall know them." "Inscribe not the image of the Deity on a ring": that is, do not think of the Supreme as either finite or personal. (2) Number