V. “At the fifth gate I made her enter; I despoiled her of the belt of jewels about her waist.
“ ‘Hold, keeper of the gate! Thou hast despoiled me of the belt of jewels about my waist.’
“ ‘Enter into the empire of the Lady of the Earth, to this stage of the circles.’
vi. “At the sixth gate I made her enter; I despoiled her of her armlets and bracelets.
“ ‘Hold, keeper of the gate! Thou hast despoiled me of my armlets and bracelets.’
“ ‘Enter into the empire of the Lady of the Earth, to this stage of the circles.’
vii. “At the seventh gate I made her enter; I despoiled her of her skirt.
“ ‘Hold, keeper of the gate! Thou hast despoiled me of my skirt.’
“ ‘Enter into the empire of the Lady of the Earth, to this degree of circles.’ ”[500]
We have something very similar in the judgment of souls in the Egyptian Ritual of the Dead. From Chaldaea or from Egypt the Gnostics who used the Gospel of St. Philip drew their doctrine of the soul traversing several circles, and arrested by an angel at the gate of each.