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cause_n	body_n	part_n	whole_a	3,651	5	5.0534	4	true

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ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A01683	The mirror of alchimy, composed by the thrice-famous and learned fryer, Roger Bachon, sometimes fellow of Martin Colledge: and afterwards of Brasen-nose Colledge in Oxenforde. Also a most excellent and learned discourse of the admirable force and efficacie of art and nature, written by the same author. With certaine other treatises of the like argument; Speculum alchemiae. English	Bacon, Roger, 1214?-1294.; Bacon, Roger, 1214?-1294. De secretis operibus artis et naturae. English. aut; Khālid ibn Yazīd al-Umawī, 7th cent.; Simon, of Cologne, d. 1442?.	1597 (1597)	STC 1182; ESTC S100517	44,892	89

to wit of which wonderfull things fit for this the meanes to wir to proceede by ishere CHAP. XII An enigmaticall insinuation what the matter of the Stone shoulde be THerefore am I called Hermes Trismegistus Now that he hath declared the composition of the Stone he teacheth vs after a secret maner wherof the Stone is made first naming himselfe to the ende that his schollers who should hereafter attaine to this science might haue his name in continuall remembrance and then hee toncheth the matter saying Hauing three parts of the Philosophie of the whole world because that whatsoeuer is in the worlde hauing matter forme is compounded of the foure Elements hence is it that there are so infinite parts of the world all which he diuideth into three principall partes Minerall Vegetable Animall of which iointly or seuerally hee had the true knowledge in the worke of the Sunne for which cause hee faith Hauing three parts of the Philosophic of the whole world which parts are contained in one Stone to wit Philosophers Mercurie CHAP. XIII VVhy the Stone is said to be perfect FOr this cause is the Stone saide to be perfect because it hath in it the nature of Minerals Vegetables and Animals for the stone is three and one hauing foure nátures to wit the soure elements three colours black white and red It is also called a graine of corne which if it die not remaineth without fruit but if it doo die as is aboue said when it is ioyned in coniunction it bringeth forth much fruite the afore named operations being accomplished Thus curteous reader if thou know the operation of the Stone I haue told thee the truth but if thou art ignorāt thereof I haue said nothing That which I haue spoken of the operation of the Sunne is finished that is that which hath beene spoken of the operation of the stone of the three colours and foure natures existing and beeing in one onely thing namely in the Philosophers Mercurie is fulfilled Thus endeth the Commentarie of Hortulanus vppon the Smaragdine table of Hermes the father of Philosophers The Booke of the Secrets of Alchimie composed by Galid the sonne of Iazich translated out of Hebrew into Arabick and out of Arabick into Latine and out of Latin into English The Preface of the difficultie of the Art THankes be giuen to God the Creator of all things who hath conducted vs beautified vs instructed vs and giuen vs knowledge and vnderstanding Except the Lorde should keepe and guide vs wee should bee like vagabonds without guide or teacher yea we shuld know nothing in the world vnlesse he taught vs that is the beginning and knowledge it selfe of all things by his power and goodnes ouer his people He directeth and instructeth whom he wil and with mercie reduceth into the way of iustice for hee hath sent his messengers into the darke places and made plaine the wayes and with his mercy replenished such as loue him Know brother that this our mastery and honourable office of the secret Stone is a secret of the secrets of God which hee hath concealed from his people neither would he reueale it to any saue to those who like sonnes haue faythfully deserued it knowing both his goodnesse and greatnesse for to him that desireth a secret of God this secret masterie is more necessary then any other And those wise men who haue attained to the knowledge herof haue concealed part therof and part therof they haue reuealed for so haue I found my wise predecessors agreeing in this point in their worthie bookes wherby thou shalt knowe that my disciple Musa more honorable in my eies then all other hath diligently studied their bookes labored much in the worke of the mastery wherin he hath bin greatly troubled much perplexed not knowing the natures of things belonging to this work the explanation whereof and direction wherein he hath humbly begged at my handes yet I would afford him no answere therin nor determine it but commaunded him to reade ouer the Philosophers bookes therin to seeke y t which he craued of me he going his way read aboue a hundreth bookes as hee found them euen the true and secret bookes of noble Philosophers but in thē he could not find that which he defired so he remained astonished almost distracted though by the space of a yeare he continually sought it If therfore my scholler Musa that hath deserued to be accoūted among y e Philosophers haue beene so doubtfull in the composition hereof and that this hath hapned vnto him what shall the ignorant and vnlearned doo that vnderstandeth not the nature of things nor is acquainted with their complections But when I behelde this in my choysest and dearest disciple moued with pitty and compassion toward him or rather by the will and appointment of God I made this book at the houre of my death wherin I haue pretermitted many things that my predecessors haue made mention of in their bookes and againe I haue touched some things which they concealed would by no meanes open discouer yea I haue expounded and laide open certain things that they haue hidden vnder dark figuratiue speeches And this my book I haue called the Secrets of Alchimy in which I haue spoken of whatsoeuer is necessarie to him that is studious of this Art or masterie in a language befitting his sence vnderstanding And I haue named foure masteries far greater and better thē other Philosophers haue done of which number is Elixir one Mineral the other Animall but the other two are minerals and not the one Elixir whose office is to washe that which they call the bodies and another is to make gold of Azotviue whose composition or generatiō is according to the generationor order of generation in the mynes being in the heart and bowels of the earth And these foure masteries or works the Philosophers haue declared in their bookes of the composition of this mastery but they want much neyther would they shew the operation of it in their bookes and though by chaunce he found it out yet could hee not vnderstand it so that hee found out nothing that was more troublesome to him I wil therefore in this my booke declare it together with the maner how to make it but let him that will reade it first learne Geometry and her measures that so he may rightly frame his furnaces not passing a meane either by excesse or defect and withall he must know the quantitie of his fire and the forme of the vessell fit for his worke Moreouer lette him consider what is the ground-worke and beginning of the mastery beeing to it as the matrice is to liuing creatures which are fashioned in the wombe and therin receiue their creatiō nourishment for if the thing of this mastery finde not that which is conuenient for it the worke is marred and the workmen shall not find that which they looke for neither shal the thing

their places for there will be a great noyse Goe with them my sonne for they will quickly vanish away CHAP. XI Of the commistion of the Elements that were seperated BEgin composition which is the circuite of the whole worke for there shall be no composition without marriage and putrefaction The Marriage is to mingle the thinne with the thicke and Putrefaction is to rost grinde and water so long till all be mingled together and become one so that there should bee no diuersitie in them nor separation from water mingled with water Then shall the thicke labour to retaine the thinne then shall the soule striue with the fire and endeuour to beare it then shall the Spirite labour to be drowned in the bodyes and poured foorth into them And this must needes bee because the bodye dissolued when it is commixt with the Soule it is likewise commixt with euerie part therof other things enter into other things according to theyr similitude and likenesse and are changed into one and the same thing And for this cause the soule must partake with the commoditie durablenesse and permanencie which the body receiued in his commixtion The like also must befall the Spirite in this state or permanencie os the soule and boby sor when the Spirit shall bee commixt with the soule by laborious operation and all his partes with all the partes of the other two to wit the soule and bodie then shall the Spirite and the other two bee conuerted into one indiuisible thing according to their entire substance whose natures haue beene preserued and their partes haue agreed and come together whereby it hath come to passe that when this compounde hath met with a body dissolued and that heate hath got hold of it and that the moysture which was in it appeareth and is molten in the dissolued body and hath passed into it and mixt it selfe with that which was of the nature of moysture it is inflamed and the fire defendeth it self with it Then when the fire would been flamed with it it will not suffer the fire to take holde of it that is to say to cleaue vnto it with the Spirit mingled with his water The fire will not abide by it vntill it be pure And in like manner doth the water naturally flie from the fire wherof when the fire hath taken hold it doth forth with by little and little euaporate And thus hath the body beene the meanes to retaine the water and the water to retaine the oyle that it should not burne nor consume away and the oyle to retaine tincture and tincture the precise cause to make the colour appeare and shew forth the tincture wherein there is neither light nor life This then is the true life and perfection of the worke and masterie which thou soughtest for Be wise therefore and vnderstande and thou shalt find what thou lookest for if it please God CHAP. XII Of the solution of the Stone compounded THe Philosophers moreouer haue taken great paines in dissoluing that the body and soule might the better be incorporate for all those things that are together in contrition assation and rig ation haue a certaine affinitie and alliance betweene themselues so that the fire may spoyle the weaker of nature till it vtterly fade and vanish away as also it again returneth vpon the stronger parts vntil the bodie remaine without the Soule But when they are thus dissolued and congealed they take the parts one with another as well great as small and incorporate them well together till they be conuerted and changed into one and the same thing And when this is done the fire taketh from the Soule as much as from the body neither more nor lesse and this is the ceuse of perfection For this cause it is necessary teaching the composition of Elixir to afford one chapter for expounding the solution of simple bodyes and soules because bodyes doo not enter into soules but do rather withhold and hinder them from sublimatiō fixation retention commistion and the like operations except mundification go before And thou shalt know that solution is after one of these two wayes for either it extracteth the inward parts of things vnto their Superficies and this is solution an example whereof thou hast in Siluer that seemeth cold and drie but being dissolued and that his inwards appeare it is found hot and moyst or else it is to purchase to a body an accidentall moysture which it had not before and to adde hereunto his owne humiditie whereby his parts may be dissolued and this likewise is called solution CHAP. XIII Of the coagulation of the Stone dissolued SOme among the learned haue said Congeale in a bath with a good congelation as I haue tolde thee and this is Sulphur shining in darknesse a red Hiasinth a firy deadly poyson the Elixir that abideth vppon none a victorious Lion a malefactor a sharpe sworde a precious Triacle healing euery infirmitie And Geber the sonne of Hayen sayd that all the operations of this masterie are contained vnder fixe things to put to flight to melt to incerate to make as white as Marble to dissolue and congeale That putting to flight is to driue away and remoue blacknesse from the spirit and soule the melting is the liquefaction of the body to incerate belongeth properly to the body and is the subtiliation thereof to whiten is properly to melt speedily to congeale is to congeale the body with the soule alreadie prepared Againe flight appertaineth to the body and soule to melt whiten incerate and dissolue belong vnto the body and congelation to the soule Bee wise and vnderstand CHAP XIIII That there is but one Stone and of his nature BAuzan a Greeke Philosopher when it was demaunded of him whether a stone may be made of a thing that buddeth made answere yea to wit the two first stones the stone Alkali and our stone which is the life and workmanship of him that knoweth it but he that is ignorant of it and hath not made it and knoweth not how it is engendred supposing it to be no stone or that conceiueth not with himselfe whatsoeuer I haue spoken of it and yet will make a tryall of it prepareth himselfe for death and casteth away his money for if he cannot finde out this precious stone another shall not arise in his place neither shall natures triumph ouer him His nature is great heate with moderation He that now knoweth it hath profited by reading this booke but he that remaineth ignorant hath lost his labour It hath many properties and vertues for it cureth bodies of their accidentall diseases and preserueth sound substances in such sort that their appeareth in them no perturbations of contraries nor breach of their bond and vnion For this is the sope of bodies yea their spirit and soule which when it is incorporate with them dissolueth them without any losse This is the life of the dead and their resurrection a medicine preseruing bodies and

Creatures and in this poynt all wise men agree and for this cause sicke folkes are suffered to see playes and pleasaunt thinges are brought vnto them yea oftentimes following theyr humour wee giue them many contrary thinges because the affection and appetite of the soule ouercommeth sicknesse Nowe forsomuch as the truth must in no wise bee empayred wee are diligently to consider that euery Agent not onely substances but likewise Accidens of the third kinde of Qualities worketh a vertue and maketh an apparance in the outward nature and that there are certain sensible vertues in things This therefore may worke a vertue and kinde out of it selfe and the rather because it is more excellent then other corporall things but cheesely for the worthinesse of the soule And men do not exercise only through heat but their spirits are stirred vppe within them as they likewise are in other liuing creatures And we see that some creatures are changed and do change such things as are obedient vnto them as for example The Basiliske slaieth a man if it doo but beholde him the wolfe maketh a man hoarse if it spie him first and the Hyena as Solinus reporteth in his wonders of the worlde and other Authors will not suffer a dog to barke within his shadow Yea Aristotle sayth in his booke of Vegetables that the frutes of the female Palme trees wax ripe by the smell of the male Palmes and in some regions Mares conceiue with yong through the very sent of the horses as Solinus recordeth and many such things happen through the kinds and vertues of creatures and plants euen many strange wonderfull things as Aristotle affirmeth in his booke of Secrets Now if plants and liuing creatures cannot attaine vnto the excellencie of mans nature they shall much lesse be able to worke vertues kinds and sende foorth colours for the alterations of bodies without them whereupon Aristotle saith in his booke of Sleep Watching that if a menstrous woman beholde her selfe in a looking glasse shee will infect it so that there will appeare a cloude of bloud And Solinus reporteth that in Sythia there are women which haue a double Ball or Apple in one eye which caused Ouid to say Nos quoque pupilla duplex who when they are angry slay men with the very looking on them And we know that a man of an ill complexion hauing some contagious disease as the leprosie or falling-sicknesse or a sharpe ague or very bad eyes and the like poysoneth and infecteth others that are in his company but contrariwise men of a good and healthie complexion especially yong men do comfort others and make men ioyfull with their presence which commeth to passe by reason of their delicate Spirits theyr holsom and pleasant vapours their kindly natural heate I say it is by meanes of the spirits and vertues which proceede from them as Galen teacheth vs in Techin And these things become hurtful if the soule be corrupted with many grosse sins beeing coupled with a diseased body of an euill complexion and in like case is it if there be a feruent appetite and vehement desire to hurt and mischiefe For then the nature of the complexion and soundnesse woorketh more forcibly by the cogitations of the soule and longing desires that it hath For which cause the Leper that earnestly wisheth and with exceeding carefulnesse intendeth to infect some body that standeth before him doth both more speedily and dangerously infect him then he could haue done if he had not before hand thought hereof desired and purposed it For Nature as Auicen teacheth in the foresayde places obeyeth the thoughts and vehement desires of the Soule yea there should bee no operation at all in men if the naturall vertue in the members did not subiect it selfe to the thoughts and desires of the soule For as Auicen teacheth in the thirde of the Metaphysickes the first moouer is a thought and the next a desire conformable to the thought And last of all the vertue of the Soule in the members which yeeldeth obedience to the desire and thought and that both in euill and good VVhereupon when these thinges are to bee seene in a man a good complexion health of bodie youth beautie comly proportion of the members and a Soule free from sinne an earnest thought and vehement desire to someworke then whatsoeuer may be effected by the kinde and vertue of man by the spirits and naturall heate it must of necessitie be more forcibly and throughly wrought by these such like Spirites Vapours and influences then if anie of these were wanting especially if there bee an earnest desire and forcible intention So then many straunge matters may bee brought to passe by the woordes and workes of man when all the forenamed caules doo concurre and meete together for wordes proceede from within by the thoughts of the Soule and desire commeth by the motion of the Spirites heate and vocall arterie And the generation of these thinges hath open wayes through which is a great passage of Spirits heate euaporation vertue and kindes which may bee made by the Soule and heart By reason whereof there are alterations and chaunges made in thinges spirituall other things beeing answerable by words according to that naturall power which is due vnto them For wee see that by reason of these and such like arteries gaspings and yawnings and many resolutions of the Spirites and of heate arise from the heart in the inwarde partes which sometimes hurt vs when they proceede from a crazie body that is of an euill complexion and againe they greatly profite and comfort vs when they come from a pure and sound bodie of a good complexion In like sort therefore there may be some naturall operations in the generation and pronunciation of woordes with an intent and desire of working so that not without good cause we vse to say that a linely voyce is of great efficacie not because it hath that vertue which the Magitians dreame of or that it is able to make and alter as others thinke but because it is as nature hath ordained We must therefore be verie circumspect in these things for a man may easily tread awry and many erre in both partes Some denie that there is any operation but others exceede and flie vnto Magicke And hence it is that there are so many bookes in the worlde of charmes and characters praiers coniurations sacrifices and such like that are meere Magicke as the booke of the offices of Spirits the book of the death of the Soule the booke of Art notorie and infinite more of the same kinde that containe not in them the power of Art or Nature but are wholy stuffed with the idle denises of vaine magitians Yet it must be remembred that many bookes are ascribed to Magitians which in truth are not such but containe in them the excellencie of wisdome Now amongst these which are suspected and which not euerye mans particular experience shall instruct him

in his second booke namely that in a certaine Citie hee defended himselfe against the Romane armie for hee burnt an armed souldior with diuers things which he cast at him The Greeke fire is not much vnlike these and many other burning things Besides there may be made perpetuall lights and bathes burning without end for we haue knowne many that are not burned but purified But ouer and besides these there are other things of Nature that will amaze and astonish vs to heare of them for noyses may bee made in the aire like thunders yea with greater horror then those that come by Nature for a little matter fitted to the quantitie of a thumbe maketh a horrible noyse and wonderfull lightning And this is done after sundry fashions whereby any citie and armie may be destroyed after the manner of skilfull Gedeon who hauing onely three hundreth men discomfited the hosts of the Madianites with broken pitchers and lamps fire issuing out with an vnspeakeable noyse These are maruailous things if men knewe how to vse them effectually in due quantitie and matter But nowe I will propose many strange things of another kind which although they haue no great profite yet are they a most apparant demonstration of wisedome and may be vsed for the prouing of any secet things which the rude multitude gainsay being like to the attraction of Iron by the Adamant For who would beleeue such an attraction vnlesse he behelde it and there be many wonders of nature in this drawing of the Iron that are vnknowne to the common people as experience teacheth the studious But these things are greater and more in number for there is the like attraction of all mettals by the Stone of golde and siluer and the Stone runneth to Vineger Yea plants and the parts of liuing creaturs beeing locally diuided the one from the other will not withstanding by a naturall motion concurre and come together again Now when I had beheld these and such like things and considered them well I thought nothing incredible neyther in diuine nor humane things Yet there are greater behinde then these For the whole power of the Mathematickes according to the practise of Ptolomy in the. 8. de Almagesto setteth but an instrument vppon the superficies wherein all things that are in the heauen shall be truely described with theyr lengths and breadths but that they should naturally mooue with a daily motion is not in the Mathematicians power Yet doth the faithfull and industrious practisioner earnestly desire to make it of such a matter and after such a manner That the heauens should be naturally moued with a daily motion seemeth impossible vnto him because many things are carryed with the motion of the heauenly bodyes as Comets and the sea when it floweth and other things eyther wholy or in parte for then should all instruments of Astrology be in vaine as well those which haue beene inuented by the learned as those that haue beene deuised by the common sort neyther shoulde a Kings treasure bee skant comparable Moreouer there may yet greater things bee performed though not in respect of their straungenesse yet if wee regarde a publike or priuate commoditie namely to gette as great plentie of golde and siluer as we list not by a possibilitie of Nature but by the perfection of Art for asmuch as there are seuenteene manners of golde whereof eight in number haue a commixtion of Argent-uiue with gold Now the first kinde of golde is made of certaine parts of golde and some partes of siluer vntill wee reach vnto the two and twentieth degree of Gold alwayes augmenting one degree of gold with one of siluer and there are as many more of the admixtion of Brasse with Golde So that the last manner consisteth of foure and twentie degrees of pure golde without the admixtion of any other mettall and nature cannot proceede any further as experience teacheth But Art may augment gold very much in the parts of purity and likewise accomplish it without fraude or couine But this is a greater matter then the former that although the reasonable soule cannot bee constrained yet may she be effectually disposed indued and prouoked freely to change her maners affections and desires according to another mans pleasures and this may be effected not in one particular person alone but in the whole body of a Citie or people of a Kingdome And such a matter Aristotle teacheth in his booke of Secrets as well of a nation as of an army or priuate person These things are almost as much as nature or Art are able to performe But yet the last decree wherein the perfection of Art can doo oughts with all the power of nature is the prolonging of life for a great space and the possibilitie hereof is approued by many experimēts For Plynie reporteth that there was a Souldiour lustie and strong both in body mind that continued healthy beyond the accustomed age of man who when Octauianus Augustus asked him what he did that made him liue so long made aunswere in a riddle that he vsed oyle outwardly and sweet wine inwardly But afterwards there sell out many such things for on a time as a husband man was plowing he chanced to finde a golden vessell with a precious licour which he surmising to be the dew of heauen washt his face with it and dranke thereof and was incontinently renewed in Spirite in body and in quicknesse of witte for which cause of a plow-man hee was made porter to the King of Sicily this hapned in the time of king Ostus Besides it is confirmed by the testimony of the Popes letters that Almanichus beeing Captaine among the Saracens took a medicine by the benifit wherof he prolonged his life fiue hundred yeares For the king to whom hee was prisoner receiued Ambassadors from king Magus with this medicine but forasmuch as he suspected it to be poyson he would needes make a tryall of it in this Captiue In like manner the Queene of Tormery in great Britany seeking after a white Hart lighted vppon an Oyntment wherewith the Keeper of the forrest had noynted his whole bodie the soles of his feete onely excepted he liued three hundreth yeares without corruption saue that hee was troubled with the goute in his feete And wee haue obserued many Countrey-men in our dayes who without the counsell and adulse of Phisitions haue liued a hundred and three score yeares or there abouts And these things are approoued by the works of bruit beasts as namely in the Hart the Egle the Serpent and many other that by the vertue of hearbes and stones renewe theyr youth For which cause wise men haue addiected themselues to search out such a secret prouoked thereunto by the example of brute Beastes deeming it to bee possible for man to obtaine that which is not denied to vnreasonable creatures And hence is it that Artephius in his Booke intituled the Wisedome of Secretes diligently obseruing the force and

desire according as they are disposed togither In all these neither Physicall reason nor Art nor naturall power hath anye place and for this cause it is more abhominable sith it contemneth the lawes of Phylosophie and contrarie to all reason inuocateth wicked Spirites that by theyr helpe they may haue their desire And herein are they deceyued that they thinke the Spirits to bee subiect vnto them and that they are compelled at mens pleasures which is impossible for humane force is farre inferiour to that of the Spirites And againe they fowly erre to dreame that the cursed spirits are called vppe and figured by vertue of those naturall meanes which they vse Moreouer they notoriously offende when they goe about by inuocations deprecations and sacrifices to appease them and vse them for the benefite and commoditie of man For this were without all comparison more easie to bee attayned at the handes of God or of good spirites But vet the malignaunt spirits will not yeeld vnto vs in those things which are very hurtfull and daungerous saue so farre forth as it pleaseth God who ruleth and gouerneth mankinde for the sinnes of men to permit and suffer them These wayes and meanes therefore are besides the rules and precepts of Wisedome nay rather they are contrarie vnto them and the Phylosophers did neuer make account of them Now concerning Charmes Characters and such like trumperies that are vsed in these dayes I adindge them to bee all false and doubtfull For some are without all shewe of reason whereof the Philosophers haue made mention in the woorkes of Nature and Art to the ende they might conceale secrets from the vnworthie as if it were altogither vnknowne that the Load-stone could attract Iron and one desirous to woorke this feate before the people shoulde make Characters and pronounce Charmes that by this meanes he might bring it to passe this worke of his should be erroneous and deceitfull After this maner there are many thinges hidden in the Philosophers bookes wherein a wise man must beware that neglecting the Charmes and Characters he onely attend and make tryall of the worke of Nature and Art And then he shall perceyue things liuing and without life to concurre and agree in Nature for the conformitie and likenesse of their Natures and not by vertue of the Charme or Character whereas the simple people suppose manie things to bee wrought by Magicke which are nothing else but the secretes of Art and Nature Yea the Magitians themselues doo vainelie repose such confidence in theyr Charmes and Characters as though they should receyne power from them that in the meane time they sorsake the woorke of Arte and Nature And by this meanes both these kinde of men are depryued of the benefite of VVisedome theyr owne follye so constrayning Neuerthelesse there are certaine deprecations long since sramed and instituted by faithfull men or rather ordained by God himselfe and his Angels that may retaine their pristine and ancient vertue as it is yet to bee seene in many Countreyes where they make certain prayers ouer Iron red hot ouer the water of y e riuer such like there by to approue the innocent and cōdemne the guilty and these things are thought to be brought to passe by the authority of the prelates For euē the priests them selues do vse Exorcismes as we may reade in the consecration of blessed water and the old law of the water of purification whereby adultery breach of wedlock was fifted out And ther are many other such like things But as for those things that are contained in the Magicians books we must vtterly reiect them though they bee not altogether deuoyde of truth because they be so stuffed with fables that the truth cannot be discerned from fal shoold So that we must giue no credit to such as say that Solomon and other learned men made them for these bookes are not receiued by the authoritie of the Church nor of wise men but by Seducers that take the bare ietter and make newe bookes themselues and fill the world with their new inuentions as daily experience teaeheth vs. And to the ende men might be the more throughly allured they giue glorious titles to their workes and foolishly ascribe them to such and such Authors as though they spake nothing of themselues and write base matters in a lostie stile and with y e cloke of a text do hide their own forgeries But as for Characters they are either words vnder the sorme of some letters containing in them the matter of a praver or else they are made sor the seruice and worship of certaine Stars at speciall times Of Characters in the first sence we are to iudge in the same sort as we did of prayers but as for these latter figures and Characters it is well knowne that they haue no vertue nor efficacie at all vnlesse they be sramed in their proper seasōs For which cause he that maketh them as he findeth them in the books obseruing only the figure wherein he solloweth his sampler is iudged by al wise men to do iust nothing But contrariwise he that worketh according to the aspect of the heauens in due constellations is able not onely to dispose of his Characters but euen of all his works as well artificiall as naturall agreeable to the influence of the heauen Neuerthelesse for so much as it is very difficult to perceiue the certainty of heauenly bodies many are ouertaken with grosse errors few there are that can truly profitably order any thing And hence it is that the common Mathematicians iudging and working by Magick Starres and by workes as it were iudgements at choyse times become nothing famous although they bee right cunning and throughly acquainted with the Arte and are able to bring many things to passe But it must not bee forgotten that the skilfull Phisition and any other of what profession soeuer may to good purpose vse Charmes and Characters though they bee fained after the opinion of Constantinus the Phisition not as though Charmes and Characters coulde worke any thing but that the Medicine might bee the more willingly and readily receyued and that the minde of the patient might bee excited become more confident and bee filled with ioye for the Soule thus affected is able to renue many things in his owne bodie insomuch that it may recouer his former health through the ioy and hope it hath conceiued If therefore the Physition for the magnifying of his worke doo administer any such thing that his patient may not dispayre of his health it is not to bee abhorred if wee will credite the sayde Constantinus For hee in his Epistle of those things which may be hanged about the necke graunteth that Charmes and Characters may thus bee vsed and in this cause defendeth them for the soule hath great power ouer the body through his strong and forcible operations as Auicennae sayth in his Bookes of the Soule and in his eight booke of liuing