prodigalitie was such His exhibition he exceeded much And when his money was exhausted cleane His credit flaw'd and there remain'd no meane Either to score or pawne he walks alone And fetching many a deepe suspire and grone His melanch'ly grew almost to despaire Now as we finde the Diuels ready are And prest at such occasions ev'n so than One of these Sp'rits in semblance of a man Appeares and of his sadnesse doth demand The cause Which when he seem'd to vnderstand He makes free protestation That with ease He can supply him with what Coine he please Then from his bosome drawes a Booke and it Presents the Youth and saith If all that 's writ Within these leaues thou giv'st beleefe to I Will furnish all thy wants and instantly Vpon condition thou shalt neuer looke On any page or once vnclaspe the booke The yong man 's pleas'd the contract he allowes And punctually to keepe it sweates and vowes Now saith the Spectar note and vnderstand What thou seest done Then holds in his left hand The fast-shut booke his right he casts about Then with his thumbe and finger stretched out Meaning the middle of that hand holds fast The charmed Volume speaking thus at last Natat as saliat Aurum and instantly Six hundred Crownes into his pocket fly This shew'd and done he stands himselfe aloofe Giues him the Booke and bids the Youth make proofe As he before did The same order kept The selfe same summe into his bosome leapt They part the youthfull Schollar is surpris'd With ioyes incredible and well advis'd Within himselfe thinks he How should I curse To lose this more than Fortunatus Purse Which to preuent the surest way I 'le chuse Transcribiug it lest I perchance might loose Th'originalll copy Then downe close he sits Shuts fast his dore and summons all his wits From hand to hand the Booke he moues and heaues Weighing and poising the inchanted leaues Then layes it ope But in the stead of Histories Or Poëms he spies nought saue Magicke mysteries First page by page he turnes it ouer all Saue Characters most diabolicall He nothing sees then pausing a good space His eye by chance insists vpon a place At which he wonders namely'a circle that Is fill'd with confus'd lines he knowes not what Their meaning is and from the Center riseth A Crucifix which the Crosse much disguiseth Clov'n through th' midst and quite throughout dissect Aboue an head of horrible aspect Resembling the great Diuels ougly foule Which seemes on his rash enterprise to scoule On the right side two Crosses more appeare That after a strange guise conioyned were And these are interchangeably commixt And vpon each a Caca-Damon fixt Vpon the left that part exposed wide Which modest women most desire to hide Oppos'd as ev'n as iust proportion can Was plac'd th' erected virile part of man At these much wondring and asham'd withall He feeles a sudden feare vpon him fall Which Feuer shakes him his eye 's dull and dead And a strange megrim toxicates his head Imagining behinde him one to reach Ready t' arrest him for his promise-breach He calls aloud his Tutor is by chance At hand beats ope the dore and halfe in â—â—ance He findes his Pupill and before him spies This booke of most abhorrid blasphemies And questions how it came there He tells truth Then he in stead of chiding cheares the Youth And hauing caus'd a great fire to be made Now sacrifice this cursed Booke he said The Pupill yeelds the flame about it flashes Yet scarce in a full houre 't is burnt to ashes Though it were writ in paper Thus we see Though these Familiar Spirits seeming bee Mans profest friends their loue 's but an induction Both to the Bodies and the Soules destruction Explicit Metrum Tractatus octavi Theologicall Philosphicall Poeticall Historicall Apothegmaticall Hierogliphicall and Emblematicall Obseruations touching the further illustration of the former Tractat. PRide was the first sinne and therefore the greatest It was the Fall of Angels and is that folly in Man to bring him to perdition It striueth to haue a hand in euery noble Vertue as it hath an interest in euerie detestable Vice The Valiant it swells with vain-glory the Learned with selfe-conceit Nay further it hath beene knowne That men of most submissiue spirits haue gloried That they could so far humble themselues as being proud that they haue not been more proud It hath made zealous men presume of their merit wretched men to boast of their misery Come to the Deadly sins It is Pride in the Enuious man to maligne the prosperitie of his neighbor in the Wrathfull man to triumph in the slaughter of his enemy in the Luxurious man to trick himselfe vp and glory in the spoile of his Mistresse in the Sloathfull to scorne labour and delight in his ease in the Auaritious to despise the Poore and trust in his aboundance According to that of Ovid in the fift booke of his Metamorph. Sum foelix quis enim neg at hoc foelixque manebo Hoc quoque quis dubitat tutum me copia fecit Happy I am for who can that deny And happy will remaine perpetually For who shall doubt it Plenty makes me such Bee'ng made so great that Fortune dares not touch Pride saith Isiodor est amor propriae excellentiae It is a loue of our proper excellencie Saint Augustine telleth vs That all other vices are to be feared in euill deeds but Pride is not to be trusted euen in good actions lest those things which be laudibly done and praise-worthy bee smothered and lost in too much desire of Praise Humilitie maketh men like Angels but Pride hath made Angels Diuels It is the beginning the end and cause of all other euills for it is not onely a sinne in it selfe but so great an one that no other sinne can subsist without it All other iniquities are exercised in bad deeds that they may be done but Pride in good deeds that they may be left vndone Pride saith Hieron was borne in heauen still striuing to possesse and infect the sublimest mindes and as if it coueted still to soare vp to the place from whence it fell it striues to make irruption and breake into the glory and power of men which first broke out from the glory and power of Angels that whom it found Copartners in nature it might leaue Companions in ruin From heauen it fell saith Hugo but by the suddennesse of the fall hauing forgot the way by which it fell though thither it aime it can neuer attaine All other Vices seek only to hinder those Vertues by which they are restrained and brideled as Wantonnesse Chastitie Wrath Patience and Avarice Bounty c. Pride onely aduanceth it selfe against all the Vertues of the minde and as a generall and pestiferous disease laboureth vniuersally to corrupt them Now the signes by which Pride is discouered and knowne are Loquacâ—ty and clamor in speech bitternes in silence
Seas doth moue I am his Citisen in his place aboue He giueth to all Creatures a generatiue vertue in their kinde saith Seneca the Tragicke Poet. Providet ille maximus mundi pareus c. When He that did the World create Perceiv'd the rauenous threats of Fate The prouident Parent had a care That losse by Issue to repaire It is He who sees and heares all things saith Plautus Est profecto Deus qui quae nos gerimus Audit videt c. There is a God intentiue to All things we either speake or do It is He that both will and can do all things saith Ovid Immensa est finemque potentia Coeli Non habet quicquid superi voluere peractum est The Power of Heauen 's immense and hath no end Against their wills in vaine is to contend He onely knowes the true courses of the Signes and Planets ordering and disposing them According to the excellent Poet Virgil in his AEtna Scire vices etiam signorum tradita jura c. The Lawes and Courses of the Signes to finde And why the Clouds are to the earth inclin'd Or why the Sunnes fire lookes more pale and bright Than doth his blushing Sisters Queene of night Why the Yeares seasons vary whereupon The youthfull Spring the Summer vshers on And why the Summer growes soone old and spent Why Autumne her succeeds incontinent And Winter Autumne Or to haue true notion How these proceed in an orbicular motion To vnderstand the Poles and how th' are sway'd Or wherefore the sad Comets are display'd Why Hesperus the night-stars doth fore-run Or Lucifer to warne vs of the Sun Is last that shines and brings vp all the traine Or for what cause Boetes driues his Waine Or tell the reason wherefore Saturnes star Is stedfast That of Mars still threatning war c. These and the like to order and dispose It must be a Diuinitie that knowes If He should keepe backe his hand which is as much as to say to take away Loue and Vnitie from the Workes which hee hath made all things would be ready to run into disorder and to return into the former Chaos To which purpose reade Boethius Hic si frena remiserit Quicquid nunc amat invicem Bellum continuo geret c If He the bridle should let flacke Then euery thing would run to wracke And all his Works that now agree In mutuall Loue at war would be And in this new conceiued Wrath What now with sociable Faith In friendly motions they employ They then would labour to destroy c. The gods know better what is conuenient and profitable for vs than we our selues can apprehend or imagine therefore their wills and pleasures ought alwaies to be petitioned Witnesse Iuvenal Nil ergo optabunt homines si consilium vis Permittas ipsis c. Must therefore Man wish nothing Shall I shew My counsell Fit 't is that the gods should know Of what we stand in need let vs then tell Our wants to them who can supply vs well For they haue store of all things and know best How euery man to fit to his request And if we be deuout to them in prayer We soone shall finde they haue a greater care Of vs than we our selues haue we with'a blinde And inconsiderat motion of the minde As led by lust desire first to be sped Of a faire Bride Next being maried We long till we haue Issue ignorant still Whether to vs they may proue good or ill The gods alone in their fore-knowledge see What kinde of wife what children these will be Ouid by the way of a comparison hath made Him a gratefull and liberall Rewarder of all goodnesse that can be in man whatsoeuer Dij pia facta vident Astris Dolphina recepit Iupiter Stellas iussit habere novem The gods take note of pious acts The Dolphin's made Diuine And plac't in Heauen by Ioue himselfe With stars in number nine And Plautus alluding to the same purpose speakes thus Bene merenti bene profuerit Male merenti par erit To him that merits well hee 's good againe But vengeance he stores vp for the prophane Seneca speaking how fearefull a thing it is to incurre the wrath of God and withall how vaine and effectlesse the anger of Man is compared with it saith thus Coelestis ira quos premit miseros facit Humana nullos c. Mans anger is in vaine and no man thralls Heav'ns wrath is terrible on whom it falls That God is the most equall and Iust God of all men and all things the Auenger of the Wicked and Protector of the Innocent heare Plautus thus speaking Quotidiè Ille scit quid Hîc quaerat malum Qui Hîc litem adipisci postulet perjurio He knowes what euill daily man acquires And who that to accomplish his desires Would compound strife by periurie But when the Bad Of their false Causes from the Iudge haue had A sentence of their sides all is but vaine For He the matter judg'd will judge againe And then the Cause vprightly hauing try'de How shall the before perjur'd man abide His doome and mulct All such as shall abet Bad Suits to them his punishment is great But the Iust man that neither fawn'd nor brib'd His name he in his Tables hath inscrib'd Another holdeth that the actions or cogitations of men are so far inferior to the hidden wayes of the gods that they can no way either dammage or profit them in the least degree whatsoeuer as Lucan si Coelicolus furor arma dedisset Aut si terriginae tentarunt Astra gigantes c. If either rage should moue the gods to war Or if the earth-bred Gyants should now dare To menace Heauen Mans pietie and loue By armes or vowes could no way profit Ioue The reason is no Humane apprehension Can once conceiue th' immortall gods intention And that all praise and thanks are to be rendred vnto him euen for the least of his innumerable benefits daily and hourely conferred vpon vs reade Virgil of Tytirus and howsoeuer he intended his words I take them as they lie Oh Milibaee Deus nobis haec otia fecit Namque erit ille mihi semper Deus c. O Melibaeus God this leisure gaue And I but Him no other god will haue From this my fold a tender Lambe of mine Hath oftentimes been offered at his Shrine Thou seest by his leaue how my Oxen stray And on my rude Pipe what I please I play And so much for the Poets Diuers Nations but especially the AEgyptians made certaine Hierogliphyckes to expresse this sole and supreme Deitie First by the Storke who is a Bird that hath no tongue and God created all things in a temperate and quiet silence Inferring vpon this That Man ought not to speak of him too freely or rashly nor to search too narrowly into his hidden Attributes for so
expresseth her selfe in Words Gestures and Actions alwayes and euery where her voice in all honest ears is the most excellent harmonie She is the Guide and Conduct through the Labyrinth of humane affaires to bring the Minde the right and straight way to the Mansion of the other Vertues It is her sole Character To aduance man vnto Dignity and so granted to him from God That hee is borne vnto one Truth She is the onely food of the Minde the sole repast of the Soule Apparant it is That all humane actions not only by Boasting or Ostentation but by Simulation or Dissimulation are as with furious and tempestuous windes troubled and tossed But both these are no better than Liers the one by adding too much the other offering too little But Truth triumpheth ouer both she is liable to no prescriptions neither to space of time the Patronage of persons nor the Priuiledge of Countries the dulled Sences she restoreth the Deceiued shee directeth the Erronious she reconcileth her Strength all Vaine things treads vnder foot all Lies convinceth all Errors confoundeth Euen her Enemies acknowledge Her as oft as they are brought within her Sentence She is the sole rule by which all Knowledge is guided for nothing can be truly knowne but Truth onely for Falshood being excluded and Shee admitted the way lieth open vnto true felicitie In Her all the dignitie of humane life is contained and hee that is possessed of her no Force can deiect him no Deceit circumvent him no Trouble of minde afflict him no Heresie intrap him She is the strength of Resolution and soliditie of Purpose in whose presence no Vanitie can stand no Insolence dares appeare vnto whom Humane condition is more indebted than to all the other Vertues Who could distinguish Fortitude from Rashnesse Constancie from Peruersenesse Liberality from Profusenesse Friendship from Flatterie Sanctitie from Hipocrisie but by inspection to her Mirrhor in which Vertue is clearly discerned and Vice palpably discouered Who is so bold that without her light or guidance dareth to conclude or determine any thing since she is only conuersant in perspection exactly to find out what is sollid what sincere and punctually to discouer the causes the beginnings and the progresse and proceedings of all things As all those things which fall within dimension are not comprehended but within measure so whatsoeuer by Gods permission doth illuminate â—each or instruct the minde is by Truth defined and circumscribed That which in things bought and sold in our common commerce wee call Number Weight and Measure the same in all things is Truth she distinguisheth betwixt the delirements and enormities of Vices and those effects which are proper and peculiar to Vertues False Opinions shee refelleth things doubtfull shee resolueth as obscure things shee inlightneth so that which is luminous she declareth Hence ariseth that old Adage Solest Veritas è converso Veritas est Sol i. The Sun is Truth and by conuersion Truth is the Sun that is which hidden things reuealeth and things manifest maketh more perspicuous c. You see the constancie and stabilitie of Truth when all things else vnder the Sun are obnoxious to Vicissitude and Change Saith Horrace lib. 4. Ode 7. Diffugere nives redeunt iam gramina Campis Arboribusque Comae Mutat terrae vices c. The Snow is melted and the fields late bare Are cloath'd in Grasse the bald Trees gaine their haire The Earth doth change her course the Channels dry Fill vp their empty banks the Floud swell high The gentle South winde doth the cold allay Summer succeeds the Spring nor there doth stay But is by Apple-bearing Autumne ' noyd And Autumne next by Winter is destroy'd The like is extant in Ovid ad Pisonem Ipsa natura vices subit variat aque cursâ—â— Ordinat inversis c. Ev'n Natures selfe this change doth vndergo Which th' inverst order of the Yeare doth show Not alwayes doth with dropping shewres the Aire Obscure the Stars but sometimes it is faire The Winter ceaseth and the timely Spring Dries those moist locks which you before might wring It then giues place to Summer on whose heele Autumne doth tread and then soone after feele The hoary Winters vncontrolled power In many'a cold blast and tempestuous shower Propertius lib. 2. Eleg. 9. Omnia vertuntur ceriè vertuntur amores Vinceris aut vincis hac in amore rota est Magni saepe duces c. All things are wheel'd and turn'd about And so it is in Loue no doubt Thou Victor or else vanquisht art No Loue but in this change hath part Great Dukes haue falne great Tyrants been put downe Rich Thebes once stood braue Troy was ouerthrowne To the like purpose as intimating the mutabilitie incident vnto all humane actions Plantus in his Amphict doth seeme to allude Nam in hominum aetate multa eveniunt huiusmodi Capiunt voluptates mox rursum miserias c. In th'age of Man oft many such things fall First we taste fugred pleasures and then gall In bitter miseries Rage doth constraine Spleenefull and harsh words and we then againe Grow to a friendly peace then our Spleene o're Our Amitie growes stronger than before Hauing in some sort searched what Truth is it next followes not onely to finde out Religion but also to examine the truth thereof Saint Augustine lib. de Civitate Dei 2. Cap. 7. saith Religio nihil aliud est quam Divinus cultus i. Religion is nothing else but Diuine Worship And in his Booke De Vera Relig. Religio est Studium Sapientiae Religion is the study of Wisedome And Isidor lib. de Etymolog 18. defineth it in these words It is therefore called Religion because by it we binde our selues to obey one onely God and to serue him in our mindes with Diuine Worship Abundans est pauperi Religio c. saith Hugo De Claâ—st Anim. lib. 3. Religion is to the poore man abundant to the meane estated sufficient to the rich man tolerable to the Weak liberall to the Delicate compatient to the Strong moder at to the Poenitent mercifull to the Peruerse correctiue Against those that make Religion but a meere vaile or cloake for their abuses and vanities wee reade Hierome in his Epistle to Nepotianus thus Thou buildest Monasteries and erectest Religious houses and by thee many poor men are relieued through the Isles of Dalmatia but better were it for thy Soules health if thou thy self among holy men didst leade an holy life And in another sent to Eustochium saith he There be some men of our Order who for no other cause make suit to be admitted into the Deaconship and Priesthood than that thereby they might haue the greater priuiledge and incur the lesse suspition to enter into the familiaritie and acquaintance of faire women The chiefest study such employ themselues in is that their shooes sit neate and close their garments smell of perfume their haire be queintly kembed and crisped and that their
of victorie and such indeed was the euent of that War for of those three Captains two perished in the battell and the third grieuously wounded with the small remainder of his Army got with great difficultie into his Countrey Nicetas affirmeth That Euphrosine the wife of Alexius Angelus Emperor of Constantinople was much deuoted to this kind of Magicke The Count of Vestrauia by a Concubine of his whose companie before his lawfull Nuptials he had vsed was alike effascinated She by the aduise of an old Witch had cast an inchanted pot into a deepe Well which was in a backe yard belonging to the Pallace of the said Earle by which he was made incapable of all congresse and therefore out of all hope of any Issue to succeed him Which continued for the space of three whole yeares after which season meeting with this gentlewoman of his former acquaintance after a friendly salutation had past between them she asked him how he fared since his mariage how his wife and hee agreed together and how many children they had betweene them The Earle out of those words gathering some cause of suspition dissembling his discontent answered That he thanked Heauen all was well at home and that God had blest him with three sweet and hopefull children and that his wife at the present was as great as she could well goe with the fourth At which answer he perceiued a change of colour in her face when shee in a great rage said And may I beleeue this Then euill betide that cursed old Hag who persuaded me That she had so wrought with the Diuell that you should neuer haue child nor haue the abilitie to be the father of any The Count smiling at this desired to be satisfied from her what she intended by those words To whom she disclosed all the circumstances How being much grieued that he had so vnkindely forsaken her shee had dealt with a Witch who had promised vnto her c. telling him of the inchanted pot Which the Count vpon her words causing to be searcht found and after burnt his naturall vigor and vertue returned and he was after the father of a numerous Issue One neere to this but of greater malice Niderus reporteth to haue hapned in a towne called Boltingeu A famous Conjurer called Stradelin being conuicted of sundry malefactions among other confessed That for malice he bore to a man and his wife for seuen yeares together hee had strangled seuen children in her wombe insomuch that all hir births were abortiue In all which time all their Cattell in the same sort miscarried and not one of them brought forth a liuing and thriuing Issue And all this was done by burying a Lizard vnder the threshold of his doore which if it were remoued fruitfulnesse and fertilitie should come again both to her and to their herds of cattell Vpon this free confession the threshold was searched but no such Worme or Serpent found for it is probable that in that time it was rotten and turned to dust But they tooke the threshold and all the earth about it and caused them to be burned and then the Ligature ceased and they were all restored to their former increase of progenie The same Author speaketh of one Oeniponte a most notorious Witch who by making a picture of wax and pricking it with needles in diuers parts and then burying it vnder the threshold of her neighbours house whom she much hated she was tormented with such grieuous and insufferable prickings in her flesh as if so many needles had beene then sticking at once in her bodie But the Image being found and burned she was instantly restored to her former health and strength But to leaue these and come to other kindes of Sorceries and Witchcraft such as we finde recorded in Historie Grillandus is of opinion That euerie Magition and Witch after they haue done their homage to the Diuell haue a familiar Spirit giuen to attend them whom they call Magistellus Magister Martinettus or Martinellus and these are somtimes visible vnto them in the shape of a Dog a Rat an AEthiope c. So it is reported of one Magdalena Crucia That she had one of those Paredrij to attend her like a Blacke-More Glycas telleth vs That Simon Magus had a great blacke Dog tyed in a chaine who if any man came to speak with him whom he had no desire to see was ready to deuoure him His shadow likewise hee caused still to goe before him making the people beleeue that it was the soule of a dead man who stil attended him These kindes of familiar Spirits are such as they include or keepe in Rings hallowed in Viols Boxes and Caskets not that Spirits hauing no bodies can be imprisoned there against their wills but that they seeme to be so confined of their own free-wil and voluntarie motion Iohannes Leo writeth That such are frequent in Africke shut in caues and beare the figure of birds called Aves Hariolatrices by which the Magitions raise great summes of mony by predicting by them of things future For being demanded of any difficulty they bring an answer written in a small scroll of paper and deliuer it to the Magition in their bills Martinus Anthoniâ—s Delrius of the societie of Iesus a man of profound learning and iudgment writeth That in Burdegall there was an Aduocate who in a Viol kept one of these Paredrij inclosed Hee dying his heires knowing thereof were neither willing to keepe it neither durst they breake it and demanding counsell they were persuaded to go to the Iesuits Colledge and to be directed by them The Fathers commanded it to be brought before them and broken but the Executors humbly besought them that it might not be done in their presence being fearefull lest some great disaster might succeed thereof At which they smiling flung it against the walls and broke it in pieces at the breaking whereof there was nothing seene or heard saue a small noise as if the two elements of water and fire had newly met together and as soone parted Philostratus telleth vs That Apollonius Tyanâ—us was neuer without such Rings And Alexander Neapolitanus affirmeth That he receiued them of Iarcha the great Prince of the Gymnosophists which he tooke of him as a rich Present for by them he could be acquainted with any deepe secret whatsoeuer Such a Ring had Iohannes Iodocus Rosa a Citisen of Cortacensia who euery fift day had conference with the Spirit inclosed vsing it as a counsellor and director in all his affaires and enterprises whatsoeuer By it he was not onely acquainted with all newes as well forrein as domesticke but learned the cure and remedie for all griefs and diâ—eases insomuch that he had the reputation of a learned and expert Physition At length being accused of Sortelige or inchantment At Arnhem in Guelderland he was proscribed and in the