then or their complement of fate 14. Whether in the series both of fate and of fortune although two contraries Astrologers have not delivered the same order and connexion of causes as the stars tempers manners actions events or else what difference doe they make between them Nay wherefore doe the same Authors speak of fate and fortune so promiscuously and indiscriminately especially in their prognosticating or predicting way Is it not because they are not able to distinguish them Or is it not because they are conscious of a fortuitousness of event even in their strictest fatality 15. Whether in the series of fatall causes the effect doth follow the universall indefinite equivocall and remote or else the univocall proximate specificall and particular cause And which of these is that which doth determine and distinguish the effect Does not a man generate a man and a Beast a Beast what ever the position of the stars be Those that have been borne in the same region at the same moment under the same position have they all been the same nay how divers have they been for all that in their ingenies their fortunes and fates And why so but because they have taken their severall affections and inclinations from their particular causes 16. As for second causes means agents instruments seeing God Almighty makes use of them to bring his own purposes to pass not out of any defect or necessity but to make his own efficiency the more perceptible Yee seeing he oft times renders the most noble and convenient means ineffectuall and uses the meanest and unaptest of them to the producing of very eminent effects Why then should we be bound to lurke at that order which God himself observes not why should our faith be taught to respect or rest upon the middle things in a prejudice to that providence which is the absolute beginning and end of all 17. Whether the second causes be not ordained as the remedies rather than as the means of fate or fortune providence it self that has determined such an accident or event has it not also ordained second means to help and relieve in such a case wherfore are the creatures and their offices created to such ends if they be not to be used to such ends for which they were created what ever the fate or fortune be is there not a naturall Law imprest in every creature to labour for the conservation of it self both in its being and well being To what end hath God given men a mind will reason affections counsell deliberation science art observation experiment means instruments c. but as well prudently and diligently to discern procure fortify prevent remedy as thankfully to accept or humbly to submit Hath not the Spirit of God secretly and sweetly suggested to his dearest children in their sudden and extraordinary perils and perplexities even present advices and succours besides the inward consolations and confirmations of his grace yea is not this one cause why men are kept so ignorant of future accidents and of their utmost issues after that they are already happened that men might not only prepare for them but make use of such means as God himself hath prepared against them Otherwise should they not tempt God in a neglect of them 18. Whether there be not in the whole course of nature in the universall world and especially throughout the whole Church of Christ farre more effectuall causes means orders connexions rules guides guards helpes of life of health peace libertie society c. for counsell actions passions accidents events than the coelestiall bodies can possibly be ought these then to be respected more than all they or yet in comparison to them 19. Who is able to bring into one series or can reconcile to truth the old Philosophicall opinions about the exercise or execution of Fate by second causes As whether by Angels Spirits Geniusses Demons Devills by the Soul of the world by the Souls of men by the totall subservience of Nature by the motions and influences of the Starres and caelestiall bodies by sensible agents by artificiall instruments yea and by very accidents and cafualties Christians know and acknowledge all these creatures to be the ministers or instruments of providence The Angells doing his will are the more eminent ministers both of his mercies and judgements administring not only in temporalls and in spiritualls but likewise to eternalls And if it be so as Philosophie sayes that they are the Intelligencies that move the caelestiall orbes then have they an ordination over the administration of the Starres The Devills are not only permitted but wisely and justly used in the execution of temptations tryalls judgements But how comes in Fate and Fortune who can tell unlesse they intrude among the Devills and be indeed of their foysting in As for the heavenly bodyes they are to be confest as of Gods ordination and employment in their order light motions and prodigious appearances But he makes speciall use of mens reason understanding wills affections memories counsells deliberations policies vocations societies arts artifices Lawes Customes actions and experiments in the government of the world and yet more especially their gifts graces duties offices fervices in the governing of his Church Last of all come in the whole hoste of creatures to act here as he hath ordained Now what fatation or fatall necessitation to man among all these Angels or Devills can but inject into the mind they cannot compell no nor yet incline the will That 's only for the infinite power of God himself to doo men as to naturall civill and morall acts are still actors in their own liberty As for bodyes Coelestiall or terrestriall they work directly but upon bodyes only and the terrestriall are held and found to be the more proximately particularly and sensibly disposing Besides the friendship and hatred the complyance and adversness of men is not the service or disservice of the brute creature the vertue or venome of an herb or minerall yea the defence or offence of a sword a knise a spear a gun a club c. are not all these more sensibly apprehended to be more neerly advantagious or prejudiciall to health or sicknesse riches or poverty honour or disgrace prosperity and adversity life or death than are all the joynt benevolences or malevolencies of the fatall Starres If therefore a fatidicall prognostication may be made from the Caelestiall why not rather from the terrestriall motions 20. Whether Fate be above the Starres as their governour or else under them as their minister If above them why make they the starres to be the causes of fate For so they must needs be superiour to it If under them how then are the starres themselves subject to fate for so they must needs be inferiour How then should the starres dispose of others fate that are not able to dispose of their own Is it for creatures terrestriall or caelestiall to perform that to others which they are not able to
preserve to themselves Ought not therefore such a disposition to be referred solely to him that hath the ordination and gubernation of all things both in heaven and earth simply freely eternally and immutably in himself 21. How can the fatall series of causes be from the starres when as the starres themselves are not causes as in humane and arbitrary actions Not causes where they may be signes as of things already done and past Yea God himself may signifie many things whereof he is not the cause as in evill and sinfull actions Nay have not the fatidicall Vaticinators themselves made many fatall signes which could never be causes nor yet once come into any series or necessary connexion As in their aruspicies and auguries from the entrailes of beasts flight and noise of birds c. as also from lots dreams prodigies casualties yea and physiognomies c. 22. How can the starres be the first in the fatall series of second causes When as of all creatures the spirituall intellectuall or rationall are the supreme and the corporeall animate or inanimate their inferiours Now the starres are both corporeall and inanimate Spirits and souls as they have more similitude to so they participate more vertue of divine providence than all other creatures For they are both the cognoscitive and the operative instruments of providence which the other are not For these being but the executive only may either be directed or diverted by the iutellectuall and ordinative As acting of themselves with liberty deliberation discretion observation of right rules application of fit means and intention to a due end And therefore are the more eminent ministers of providence than all things else in heaven or earth 23. Whether any such cut as fatation may be properly sayd to be in or from the starres For fatation imports a primordiall law or decree not an influence only or effect what sacrilege is it then to ascribe that to the instrument which is only peculiar to the principall agent Since it is for instruments especially the inanimate not to ordain but execute only Yea it is a question whether there be any fatation even in fate it self it being accepted and discerned not for a seminall disposition but for an ultimate execution and that inherent in the moveable or mutable subject Wherefore seeing fatation is neither in the starres nor in fate it self whether can any thing be sayd to be fatall with respect to the starres For the starres are but second causes And with respect to all such some things may be sayd to be naturall some things arbitrary some things indifferent some things contingent some things uncertain some things casuall but few or none fatall 24. Whether it be in the power and validity of the celestiall bodyes to impose a fatall necessity either upon humane actions or yet upon naturall things For if the starres be any such causes then must they cause principally of themselves intentionally directly immutably Now how can they be principall causes when providence is above them how of themselves when they work not upon humane actions but by accident how intentionally since they want a mind or soul how directly when they operate upon humane actions but indirectly how immutably when their ordination or disposition may be impedited Again were they thus acting then should there be no contingents or accidents no libertie or free actions nor prevention of any events or issues no particular causes should be defective nor distance of place nor indisposition of the mean no neglect of the means no endeavour to the contrary or opposition should be available nay not only the understanding but the will should be tyed to corporall organs and matter yea and the starres should not only be of sufficient but of infinite power 25. How doe the celestiall bodyes work so fatally upon these inferiours when as they here operate not upon a necessity as to the producing of the effect For albeit their impressions be naturall yet are they not received but according to the manner of the receivers which are fluxible and not having themselves still after the same way Because of the matter that is in a potentiality to many yea and to contrary formes The matter also is movable and corruptable and may easily defect of it self may be intrinsecally indisposed and extrinsecally impedited And the staries themselves are but indefinite and remote causes to which the effect can never follow determinatly and necessarily unless the middle causes be necessary and then they follow them and not the other But in the foresaid series the middle causes are most of them contingent and from many contingent causes can come no effect of necessity because any one of them and all of them together may be defective and not attain unto their end 26. Seeing the heavenly bodyes act not upon these inferiours but by their light and motion and so communicate nothing to the matter they work upon but light motion and heat Now why may not all these flow from all the starres in generall And why then should such and such fatall inclinations be attributed to such or such positions or conjunctions And if there be any particular vertues of the light and motion of some stars contrary to the vertues of the light and motion of other flarres how is that demonstrated And how comes it to passe that they should be operative and effectuall one way in their simple natures or qualities and yet another way in their relative aspects and positions Is an imaginary relation or respect of more validity than a reall substance or propriety 27. They seem to define fate more acurately that make it to be the series or connext order of naturall causes Now till they can directly and successively deduce those naturall causes down from the starres to those fatall events what reason is there to credit their proposition much lesse their prognostication They likewise will have fate in the best sense they can take it to digest and distribute all things according to certain motions successions orders forms places times Now if their fate cannot be well understood or discerned without these same astrictions why are they so consounded at the inexplicableness of the circumstances Otherwise why doe they not predict usually the very times and places together with the fates themselves Moreover the first definers of fate held it to be not in the superiors but in the inferiors themselves Namely a disposition inherent in the moveable thing and that urging to an immoveable event If indeed it be such ought not every mans fate to be collected from himself rather than from his Stars 28. How should the things of fate and fortune be foretold when it is not yet with one consent told what things they are themselves Some have gone so high as to say that they are Deities or Gods others are fallen so low as to make them vanities and nothing Some confound these two together some set them so opposite as that they make them
spirits Or have they taken it upon themselves as did the Jewish Exorcists Acts 19.3 and is not indeed all their power and authority of the same force as was theirs But instead of preaching to such let me first reason with them Is it credible that a mortall man should be able to bind an immortall Spirit and bind him by a word a sound a syllable a character and these insignificant and no vertue of Gods promise in them Can these men doe that to the Devill which he cannot doe to them compell him to doe good or evill If they can compell him to doe the thing that good is then are they able to doe as much as God himself doth and to compell him to doe evill that they need not he is alwaies as ready to doe that as they Devils are above the order and power of sensible things how then should they be sufficient to move them either by way of allurement or constraint If the Devill doe at any time work with man he will not doe it gratis or freely unless it be upon his own errands and to his own ends for he hates mankind and their indifferent commerce And therefore since he will not doe it voluntarily and cannot be compelled if he acts at all it must either be upon a temptation of his own or else upon a confederation of theirs And if he be enjoyned to obey by covenant or compact then is not the malefice as much as confest Reason and experience prove that the Devil cannot be forced to stand to his own promises how much less then to any mans precept or command And therefore if the Devill appear at the provocation recede at the commination answer at the call and obey at the command of a Necromancer what dissimulation of obedience is there on both sides One secretly imploring and outwardly injoyning the other outwardly observing but inwardly inslaving For it is not they that bind the Devill but the Devill that binds them to obedience Only he seems to be enforced to doe theirs that so he may make them willing to do his will Or that his feigned constraint might either the more excuse him or else set them the more without excuse both before God and men what command or inforcement is that which is done not only to others injury but oft-times to the actors own hurt especially if he be doubting and have not a strong faith and observe not all the circumstances of adjuring which shews all the force on one part or other to be only in a pactionall artifice The main thing that the Astrologicall Magicians Necromancers conjurers and inchanters pretend is that they can stand without his chain and yet bring him will he nill he within their circle and all by vertue of the celestiall orbes only calling and urging him under certain aspects conjunctions constellations But alas these cannot impress or impose upon him neither of themselves nor by accident neither directly nor indirectly he being a meer spirituall substance and formally united to no body If therefore he be observant upon such tearms it is to indulge a superstitious faith and perswasion of the vertue of such things and efficacy of such an art besides above against the word of God And he obeys now not as necessitated thereby as by causes but yeelding thereto as unto Signs Signs indeed of a compact or confederation And in that regard seems very observantially to submit not only to stars and Planetary constellations but to plants herbs stones metals circles odes verses words sounds characters figures fabrications confections and indeed to any rites or ceremonies whatsoever used as seals to such an intent Otherwise was it not for the covenant on the one part there would notwithstanding all the art and authority be but little performance on the tother Having thus disputed with now let me preach to my magicall Dominator who by vertue of the spirit of the world not of the Lord and by vertue of the spirits in the Planets not of him that hath the seven spirits of God and the seven stars Revel 3.1 presumeth that he hath thus got the Devill in a string and can make him bow at a beck Job 41.1 c. Canst thou draw out Leviathan with an hook or his tongue with a cord which thou lettest down Canst thou put an hook into his nose and bore his jaw thorow with a thorn Will he make many supplications unto thee will he speak soft words unto thee Will he make a covenant with thee wilt thou take him for a servant for ever Wilt thou play with him as with a bird wilt thou bind him for thy maidens Shall thy companions make a banquet of him shall they part him among the Merchants Canst thou fill his skin with barbed irons or his head with fish-spears Lay thine hand upon him remember the battell doe no more I hope he is not ignorant that the allegory is very apt for his own application 5. Whether Magicians and Astrologers be not only obnoxious or lyable to but noxious or guilty of a diabolicall compact and commerce not only implicite but explicite As pretending to false science propounding false grounds urging false causes using false means exhibiting false circumstances practising false arts provoking false affections and intending false ends and especially seeking and teaching to supply the defect or fayling of all these by a false and superstitious faith A faith that is not in the things of faith and therefore cannot be divine A faith that in the things of reason denys and exclaims against the demonstration of reason and therefore cannot be humane Must not the effect of such a faith be superstitious and the event prestigious Moreover what proneness hath here been confest what properties of a diabolicall covenant have been found Besides a vanity and superstition of faith likewise of observation imagination affectation investigation invocation adjuration temptation Signs empty and delusory Feats jugling and prestigious wonders wrought without the command and approof of God creatures abused contrary to their nature and institution art pretended without any true principles words invented and muttered and they barbarous insignificant false absurd apocryphall yea though Canonicall and sacred yet applyed to such acts and ends for which they were never ordained admirable efficacy attributed to syllables sounds numbers rites solemnities ceremonies circumstances of time place and person Fabrications of images statues figures characters circles rings seals c. Confections of herbs minerals waters oyls juyces spirits c. acting and effecting at an improportionate distance and without convenient means spectrous Phantasmes or apparitions to affright men into a credulity ludibrious pranks only to make sport and so feed mans curiosity and divining predictions of things lost absent future without either calling or cause 6. Whether Magicall feats be wrought by things corporeall or spiritual Not by things corporeal because of improportionate matter form cause effect means instruments distance c. How can a body work
upon a body to make it sign and signify things hidden lost absent future to make a dead body walk speak c. To make a living body walk invisible transform its proper shape c. And if by things spirituall then whether by spirits good or bad Not by the good neither of Angels nor men for where 's the true and good cause Minister means object and end of Magicall operation Nay which of all these is not evill 7. Is it not the known property of God to know things future absolutely and exactly Wherefore then did the Devill arrogate to himself divination but in an emulation of Divinity Now whether of these two doe the Diviners imitate God or the Devill It cannot be God because they have no command to imitate him in these his powerfull properties no promise upon the imitation It must be the Devill then and to imitate him must needs be maleficall And they may imitate him many ways for he hath used himself to divination by spirits by men by living men by dead men by the celestiall bodies by the elements by things naturall by things artificiall yea and by things sacred and religious and may not they then be like him in all these 8. How easy is it for the Devill to predict those things which he intends to act himself As suppose he intendeth by Gods permission to practise the sickness death destruction of man or Beast is it not easy for him to suggest such his intention to his instruments and Ministers and so make them to predict the same Yea though it be done from him is it not easy for him and them to pretend it from some other cause albeit abused besides the naturall end thereof Is it a matter of much artifice for veneficks or witches to forespeak their own purposed and laboured malefice How readily may he presage anothers death or ruin that hath him in his own power and so hath already determined that such a day it shall be done In like manner how many have perished according to wizzardly predictions and that only because of wizzardly purposes and perpetrations And therefore it may not unjustly be doubted whether many of those prognosticated evill fates and fortunes against Princes Magistrates Ministers and other Christians especialy such as opposed them in their fatidicall way were not besides the Astrologicall speculation practised by goeticall Magick as by charms curses poysons treachery violence or by making maleficall images pictures figures constellated under the ascension of that man whom they would maliciously destroy or prejudice And why may not this be justly suspected of them since it is a thing not only of their own practising but of their teaching And it being so how can they themselves deny and what understanding man would not pronounce upon them for the most arrant inchanters sorcerers veneficks maleficks wizzards and witches in the world 9. Whether there may not be an effascination or bewitching by inspecting the stars as by imagination by breathing on by looking on by touching by fabricating of images c. We know none of these acts are malevolent or maleficall in their own nature but that any one of these as well as another may be abused to sorcery and witchcraft through a Satanicall stipulation or suffrage who can deny 10. What practice of sorcery or malefice more superstitious than the fabricating of Astrologicall and of magicall images pictures statues figures c. For as a tacite compact hath been suspected as touching the Astrologicall so hath an express one been concluded and confessed as concerning the magicall configurations And what is the one on the other of these but the making of an image or figure either of man or beast in gold silver brass copper wax wood stone clay under such a conjunction or constellation For the inviting and alluring of Angels for the expelling and ejecting of Devils for the procuring of love for the provoking of hatred for the atchieving of victory for the effecting of death for the raising or allaying of storms or tempests for the causing or preventing of pestilencies for the driving away of Serpents and vermine c. Now in such a compact what vertue or efficacy besides that of a compact only what similitude or resemblance betwixt the figure of a round star or Planet and a monstruous many-shap't magicall configuration The vertue of the celestials are but universall and indeterminate as to the producing of this or that effect neither but by naturall and particular causes And who will say that any such particular figures are either causes or naturall what preparation can there be of such a matter for the receiving and retaining such constellatory influences And what such kind of efficacies can it have thereby for the admitting of such effects The heavenly bodies operate no way but naturally these figures or fabrications operate no way but artificially being the artifices of humane invention and used arbitrarily how then should these modify and determine those How come their vast influences to be restrained only to such a figure and that only for such operations How come the stars and Planets so to neglect the matter and its disposition and so to respect the figure and its composition as accordingly to dart in their influences for the figures sake let the matter be what it will what vertue can there be for all the celestiall influences more than the matter is disposed unto what efficacy or aptitude of an artificiall form more than accidentall and instrumentall what principles of life and action from artificiall forms Is not the vertue of the matter still the same although of divers forms or figures why should artificiall figures be more apt to receive the starry influences than are naturall figures In all such configurations must not the efficacy of the Stars rather attend or depend upon the imagination and fancy of the artist or artificer than either upon the matter or form it self why should the inscription of characters letters words numbers make the figure or image more efficacious why should not the constellated vertue last so long as the substantiall matter lasts but only so long as the accidentall form or figure lasts Seeing therefore there is neither vertue nor efficacy in such fabrications or figurations from God Angels nature art stars matter form or figure whence then if an effect follow must all the efficacy be but from the sign the sign of a diabolicall and maleficall contract Sacrament suggestion suffragation operation and delusion Who can think otherwise even of a materiall image or figure that cannot be operative or efficacious beyond its proper species and form how much more then of that which is only fantasticall painted or ingraven 11. Whether of such kinde of configuration were not the Jewish Teraphim especially according to the Rabbinical use and account likewise the Talismanical sculptures of the Persians together with these French toyes Gamalies which set this fabrication aside are but the Games of Nature
ordinary means Needful in the beginning of the Church to strengthen weak Faith They have had their main end already the sufficient confirmation of the truth and the end accomplished that which was destinated to the end might well cease Christ was not onely the most eminent in miracles but in him they had their perfection and completion His Disciples believed in him before ever they saw him do a miracle how much more then may his Church without them that together with the memory of them hath the ordinances and ordinary means The permanency of miracles would but have diminished the efficacy of Faith because it would have been an occasion not to have believed without them The truth of the Gospel would still be called in question and thought dubious and uncertain if it always needed such confirmation The promises and faith would thus be evacuated because the walking would be not by Faith but by sight There would be no end of seeking after sensible fignes and means and so prophane men would still be tempting unto them and weak Christians would be discouraged in their defect Not onely ordinary graces would so grow vile but even miracles themselves for they would be thought no miracles by being so commonly obvious and assiduous What need we to stand upon such when the greatest work of God and most profitable for man is not alwayes the greatest miracle Have we not perpetually Gods spiritual miracles in our vocation conversion justification regeneration sanctification c. And his ordinary miracles in our creation propagation conservation c. And what need we more To conclude was there no other cause our sinnes are sufficient to make divine miracles to cease shall we then look after Magical miracles signes and wonders such as are set up by the sins of men CHAP. XXIII From the fables of Miracles IS not the rarity of miracles already proved enough to prove the stories of Magical Mirables to be but meer fables We need not therefore their pardon to call them so nay they ought to gratifie us that we call them not worse then so Seeing the vertue of miracles and miraculous operation is in Gods word alone and neither in Nature nor Art nor Artifice What can we say lesse then that all such natural Mirables are onely for meere naturals to admire Whose Authors have been some of them spurious most of them obscure all of them in that particular vain and nugacious Who take up their authorities by tradition from paganish story poetical fiction and my thological relation of such wonderful things as were never in Nature or the world Who use to cite their mirables with such a they say as if they themselves were not onely ashamed to own them but afraid to report them Who stuffe up their legendary stories of magical mirables with tales of such strange things and they so incredible and under strange Names and they so unknown and in such strange places and they so remote as that they are not worth seeking after or if they were yet neither name nor thing nor place is to be found Who urge us onely with this that such their wonders are not to be proved by reason but referred to experiment and yet we are as far from seeing the one as from hearing the other Neverthelesse all these are impudently urged and imposing upon our Faith to admit and admire what wonderful effects of configurations constellations influences impressions seales characters upon Elements Minerals Stones Vegetables Animals yea and Rationals not excepted Nay and a many of these so imposed as tending effectually to Prophecy Divination Prediction Prognostication And therefore omitting the ridiculous rabble of magical mirabilaries for I have neither list nor leasure to meddle with them at large I shall onely instance in a few of them which they not onely report confidently but impudently prescribe to this very purpose Advising the Reader by the way that for all this they cannot be believed without superstition nor practised without sorcery 1. There is an herb among the Chaldeans called Ireos among the Greeks Mutuchiol among the Latins Elitropia this herb is of so admirable vertue that if it be gathered in August while the Sun is in Leo and wrapt in a Lawrel leaf adding thereunto the Tooth of a Wolf and so at night laid under a mans head if any thing be stoln from him he shall see the Thiefe and all his conditions 2. The herb called by the Chaldeans Aquilaris by the Greeks Valis by the Latines Chelidonia if it be taken with the heart of a Mole and be laid upon the head of a sick man it may so be discerned or divined whether he shall dye of that disease or recover ye or no for if he now sing out it is a signe he shall die but if he weep then shall he not dye at that time By the like the conquering of an Enemy and recovery of a Suite is to be foreknown 3. The herb which by the Chaldeans is called Luperax by the Greeks Esifena by the Latins Viscus querei this herb with another herb called Martegon if it be put into a mans mouth and he begin to forethink who is a coming be it friend or soe if he shall come it will fixe upon his heart if he shall not come it will leap from it nay will it not leap out of his mouth 4. The herb which the Chaldeans call Tsiphilon the Greeks Orlegenea the Latins Centaurea this herb the Magicians say hath admirable vertue for if with the blood of a female Lapwing and oyle it be put into a Lamp it makes all that stands by believe themselves to be Magicians and that their heads are in heaven and their feet upon the earth and if the same be cast into the fire the staâ—s shining the stars will seem to justle and skirmish one against another 5. The Stone called Sylonites bred in an Indian Snail confers the prescience and presence of certain things future while a man hath it under his tongue let him bethink him of any businesse whether it ought to be done or may cometo passe or not and if it may or ought it will cleave so fast to his heart as that it cannot be plucked thence if not the heart will leap back from it 6. If thou wouldst interpret dreams and Prophetize of things future take the stone which is called Esmundus or Asmadus and it will give Prophetization interpretation of all dreams and make to understand riddles 7. If thou wilt divine of things future take the stone called Celonytes of a purple and various colour and is found in the body of a Snayle if any man carry this stone under his tongue he shall Prophesie and foretell future things 8. By the stone called Elitropia or as the Nigromanticks the Babylonian Gemme with certain verses and Characters Princes have predicted by divining for which cause the Priests of the Temples made special use of this stone in the feasts of their Idols If thou
inspection of the whole body presumeth it can by probable signs attain to know what are the affections of body and mind and what a mans fortune shall be so far forth as it pronounceth him Saturnial or Jovial and him Martial or Solar another Venereal Mercurial or Lunar and collecting their horoscopes from the habitude of the body and from affections transcending as they say by little and little unto causes namely Astrological out of which they afterward trifle as they list Metoposcopy out of a sagacious ingenie and learned experience boasts her self to foresent all the beginnings the progresses and the ends of men out of the sole inspection of the forehead making her self also to be the pupil of Astrologie Chiromancie feigns seven mounts in the palm of the hand according to the number of the seven Planets and supposes it can know from the lines there to be seen what a mans complexion is what his affections and what his fortune c. But we need no other reason to impugn the error of all these Arts then this self-same namely that they are void of all reason Yet very many of the Antients have written of these c. But they all can deliver nothing beyond conjectures and observations of experience Yet that there is not any rule of truth to these conjectures and observations is manifest from this because they are voluntary figments and upon which their teachers even of equal learning and authority are not agreed But this trifling kind of men is wont so to doat through the instinct of devils drawing them from error into superstition and from this by degrees into infidelity To the art of Augury they make faith who teach that certain lights of presagition do descend from the coelestials upon all those inferior living creatures as certain signes constituted in their motion site gesture going flight voice meat colour work event by which as by a certain ingraffed hidden force and firm consent they so agree with the coelestial bodies with whose powers they are affected that they can presage all things whatsoever that the coelestial bodies intend to do whereupon it is manifest that this divination followes not but from conjectures partly taken from the influences of the stars as they say and partly from certain parabolical fimilitudes then which nothing can be more fallacious Wherefore Panaetius Carneades Cicero Chrysippus Diogenes Antipater Josephus and Philo have derided it the Law and the Church hath condemned it They who endeavour to perswade that nothing is dream't in vain say that like as the coelestial influxes do produce divers forms in corporal matter so from the same influxes in the phantastical faculty which is organical there are phantasms impressed by the coelestial disposition consentaneous to the producing any kind of effect especially in Dreams because the mind is then more freed from the body and external cares and so receives those divine influxes more freely whence it comes to passe that many things are made known in dreams to men sleeping which are concealed from them waking By this reason chiefly they labour to reconcile an opinion of truth to dreams and yet of the causes of dreams both intrinsical and extrinsical they do not all of them agree in one opinion c. Of dreams nothing is delivered but meer dreams c. To these dreamers we may number those who give a faith of divinity to the vaticinations of madmen and think they have attained to a divine prescience of things to come who have lost all knowledge of things present all memory of things past together with all humane sense and that mad men and sleepers see those things which wise men and waking are ignorant of as if God were neerer to them then to the sound watchful intelligent and premeditating In truth they are unhappy men who believe these vanities and obey these impostures who cherish these kind of artificers and submit their wits and faith to these their vain delusions All these artifices of divination have their rooting and foundation in Astrologie For whether the body the face or the hand be inspected whether a dream or a prodigie be seen whether an auspicie or a Fury be inspired they consult to erect a figure of Heaven out of whose tokens together with conjectures of similitudes signs they hunt for opinions of things signified and so all Divinations challenge to themselves the Art and use of Astrologie and confesse this to be as it were the key to the necessary knowledge of all secret things Wherefore all those arts of divination how far they are from truth they plainly discover themselves in this in that they use principles so manifestly false and feigned by a poeticall temerity which neither are nor have been nor ever shall be yet are they made the causes and signes to which all events of things are to be referred contrary to all evident truth Magick is so neer joyned to and of affinity with Astrologie so that he who professeth Magick without Astrologie doth nothing but erreth altogether There is an Art given to mortal men whereby they might generate certain latter things not partaking of truth and divinity but might deduce certain images like unto themselves and Magicians most audacious men have gone so farre to perpetrate all things that old and strong Serpent the promiser of Sciences especially favouring them that they like to him Apes have endeavoured to emulate both God and nature To such a height of madnesse some of the Magicians are grown that from diverse constellations of the Stars through internals of times and by a certain reason of proportions being rightly observed they think that a fabricated image of the heavenly creatures may with a becke receive the spirit of life and understanding whereby it may answer those that consult it and reveale the secrets of hidden truth Hence it is plain that this naturall Magick sometimes enclined towards Goetie and Theurgie is insnared very often in the wiles and errours of evill spirits Of ceremoniall Magick there are two parts Goetie and Theurgie Goetie unfortunately began by the commerce with unclean spirits compacted of the rites of wicked curiosity unlawfull charms and deprecations is exerated banished by the verdicts of all Lawes These are they who carry about them familiar spirits doe feigne themselves to prophecy Some of them study to call and compell evill spirits adjured by some certain powers especially of divine names c. Others most wicked and by mischiefe detestable and to be punished with all fires submit themselves to devils sacrifice to them and adore them and are become guilty of idolatry and the vilest abasements to which crimes if the former be not obnoxious yet they expose themselves to manifest dangers For even compelled divels doe watch to the intent they may alwaies deceive us in our errours From this Sect or rather sinke of the Goeticks have issued all these books of darknesse c. excogitated by men of deplored wits Which books to