This translation from the Greek by Thomas Taylor (1758–1835) was first published in 1821. Taylor's early writings and translations into English influenced such romantic poets as Blake, Coleridge and Keats. Iamblichus is thought to have been born in Syria in the middle of the third century and is regarded as one of the great Neoplatonist philosophers. He founded a school in which he taught 'white magic' or 'theurgy'; he sought to uncover the invisible side of nature and to give Man the means to effect the union of the divine spark with its parent-flame within him. In this work, divided into ten sections, he gives a complete canon of pagan religious thought and belief and explains their background. The Neoplatonist Porphyry's Letter to Anebo, in which he criticises religious rituals and practices, and Iamblichus' response to this criticism, and defence of these traditions, are included.