the whole yeer At an hundred a Goose 〈…〉 I 〈◊〉 from his owne proper source but the day he maketh not perfect without the motion of the first Mouer Ventis compleateth her course in 348 daies Mercury hauing some co-fellowship with the Sunne is different from him but 30 degrees he finisheth his course in 338 daies The Moon goeth through the Zodiack euery Moneth Saturn staieth in euery Signe 30 Moneths whereby it followeth that hee perfecteth his course in thirty yeers Iupiter abideth in each Signe for a whole yeer and so he compleateth his iourney in twelue yeer Mars continues in euery Signe forty daies Nice Cho. thesa orth fide l. 2. c. 9. These are the numerall conjectures of Archimedes and Ptolomey Again if we would knowe the Apocastaticall Reuolutions that is in how many yeers they signifie the worlds continuance vsed by those Grecians it is not possible that it should be done without much skil of numbring no more can we conjecture the greatnes of the Sunne or Moon without the skill of cyphering Some write that the Sunne is ten times greater than the earth if we beleeue Ptolomey it is eightscore times bigger So that to knowe the eleuation of the heauens the site of the Planets the course of the Sunne and Moon their substance their mouings fallings and declinings those which wee call Axes Poles Hemi-sphears Circles Septentrionals Solstices Equinoctials Brumales Australes Signifers Meridians Finitors Colures the twelue Signes with their thirty and fiue Gestamines what is the nature of those Epicycles their breadth and length what is syncentricall what excentricall what schematisms the Sunne and Moon haue what is the fashion of the earth what inclination of the world what variety of shadowes what difference of houres moneths and daies how many Clymates and Zones which are called Antocci and Periocci vnder what Region Antipodes are beeing all properties belonging to sphearicall Astrologie is to haue recourse to the quantity proportion and disproportion of Numbers So that nothing appertains to those higher Orbs nothing to those inferiour Planets nothing vpon the surface of the earth nothing within her hidden bowels and treasures treated of by our Alchymists but proceedeth from the Art of numbring I will dwell no longer vpon these Speculatiues but with a touch or two as touching other knowledges will take an end Neither can we â—â—â—de out the diuision distinction of of each chapter or sentence in the Bible without numbring Some hold that the Arithmencall partition of those Chapters is not very antient For 500 yeers ago or thereabout among the Hebrews and Greeks there was no place of diuine Scripture numerously cited besides the Psalms which had their numbers euen from the Apostles time as may be gathered out of the Acts of the Apostles Xâ—â— Senâ— Bâ—llio 〈◊〉 3. Without the experience of numbring we cannot learn those Hebrew Sabbath-daies mentioned in sacred Scripture those Paynime Festiuall-daies the vse of holy daies those Ægyptian daies esteemed among those antient Magicians as planetarian or heauenly dispositures such as among the Romans were called Ante diem quartum Nonas Sextilis numbred for blank daies as the 17 day of Iune among the Hebrewes the ninth of Iuly and the day wherein Moses brake the Tables Manasses crected idols into Sancta Sanctorum the wals of Hierusalem were broken that time wherein both destructions of the Temple were permitted the vse of the Iulian yeer the Spanish Era the Gregorian Calendar with many other singular obseruations meerly belonging to this Art From hence if wee go to the Art called Magia which as Picus writeth certifieth vs more of Christ's Diuinity than any other Art we cannot proceed heerin without the curious inquisition of Numbers for what is all this Art but the Art of numbring seeing it consisteth of naturall formall and rationall computation both in naturall and diuine things And these Numbers they stick not to call The Numbers of Numbers wherein Ioachim the Abbat was found most skilful Neither can their Characters vpon whom they stand so much hauing a certain community with those celestiall Radiations to vse their owne tearm consist without numbring Of which Picus writeth Plus posse characteres figuras in opere Magico quà m possit quaecunque materialis qualitas Last of all how shall a man knowe that Antiqnum accedat ab aue aeuum is next to eternity eternity is next to God who raigneth and ruleth beyond all eternity being called The Antient of daies by Daniel hauing all times and seasons vnder his power How can a man bee acquainted with the degrees of those 12 Signes mentioned before in what points and minutes they consist what interuallum there is betwixt the shadow and the Sunne how many houres and daies there bee in the whole yeer for how maâ—â— yeers continuance the world shall last except he knowe what it is to number Out of all which premises we may gather that the vse of numbring is so large so copious so vniuersall that by the help of it alone without the supply of other Arts a man may finde out the nature of propagation from Zaratas Pythagoras school-master Besides all there and many others a man cannot know the proportion and symmetry of Salomon's temple described by so many old and new Writers no not the increment and decrement of the Riuer Nilus without the Art of Numbring wherof read more in Po. Virg. l. 1. c. 18 what is addition substraction multiplication vsed among our Arithmeticians what is a Monade a Diade a Cube a Square a Triangle a Circle a Figure frequent among Geometricians what is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 among Musicians what Phythagoras meant by One and Two taking number for the minde of man and how hee attributeth to Numbers all kinde of vertues how that Themistius Boetius and Auerroys extoll them so that they affirm No man is able rightly to play the Philosopher without them how that to finde out the Secrets of Numbers lineally superficially and corporally is To knowe the formall compositure of the soule the sympathy of the whole world and how a way may be made to all kinde of natural and supernatural Prophecy how a man may diue into the nature of Oracles haue familiarity with Angels and lastly how a man may safely and compendiously attain to the knowledge study and practice of any science whatsoeuer So that to conclude this Chapter In things corporeall there is nothing more diuine than the minde of man in things separate nothing more excellent than Numbers CHAP. II. The definition of Numbers Diuision Antiquity what is that which is not comprehended vnder them NVmber called in Greek 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 according to Themistius desinition is not onely that thing which is composed of Vnities but the thing it self which is numbred Para. in 4. lib. physicor so that many times the things numbred are taken for the Numbers themselues It is diuided into two kindes formall and specificall Some
nine consisting of an vnequall Number produce a threefold dimension which is a solid body His extendure is as large as some of the other There are nine Muses signified vnder this word Mucmosune conteyning nine elements in the whole Whereupon Scaliger calleth this a most perfect Number Poet. lib. 1. cap. 1. from the concent of Musicians But how can this Number saith he be applied to musicall tones seeing there are eight kinds of Diupazons Though Scaliger followed heerin the opinion of Ptolomir by numbring but eight Diapazons yet Aristexemus counteth 13 which is a greater Number not nine Againe the Antients erred in this in that they called this The Number of the heauens For there were but eight in those daies when they liued how then could the ninth agree with them This of Scaliger by way of obiection might casily be answered For by Scaligers confession there were but three Muses at the first afterwards the fourth was added Then they grewe from foure to seuen from seuen to nine And why might it not be so with the Number of the heauens seeing Calius Rodignie auerreth that they were nine at the first and afterwards by later inuention they grew to the Number of tenne euen as that instrument called 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 was added to 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and Monatessaron to make the harmony more full and compleat And it may be that Coelum Empireum was not numbred for one of them among the Antients There be nine kindes of constitutions out of Galen One temperate or mediocrous in which all the qualities serue according to equilibrious proportion eight are intemperate in which one or two excell the rest from whence foure simples that is hot and cold foure compounds that is hot and dry hot and moyst cold and dry cold and moyst are deriued In prescribing of sick persons a diet nine things must be considered Goodnes measure quality custome Metattron is taken two wares for Moses Angel for the secret of the minde According to these nine orders of Angels Ficinus hath framed nine orders or degrees of the Trinity Epis lib. 2. delight order time the houre and day There are nine Spheares in the sensible world moued from the heauen we call Empireum which is vnmoueable vnto which Metattron serueth So there be nine companies of Angels moued by God who is Primum mobile seruing him day and night Some Angells are called Difformes and they are personally distinct in their essence of which Lucifer was the greatest falling the first day in which he was created according to the opinion of some Diuines Some are made perfect and blessed after their conuersion endued with a co-operatin ggrace wanting their owne proper body to speake with that notable Schoolman There are 9 principall archhereticks from whence all other proceed Basilides who dreamed that God was a mind created called 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 who hold that the nature of God came from the substà ce of soules Anthromorphites that God was the image of a corruptible man Collobarsus that there were two gods one true the other cald Deus creator of the world Simon Magus that God was not the Maker of the world Apelles that there was one good God the other bad begotten from the other Archoutick that the God of the Law and Prophets was not Father vnto Christ Sabellians that God the Father was borne of the Virgin Marie that he was crucified and buried Mentagisinontes that the Sonne was in the Father no otherwise then one vessell in another There be nine subiects of all liuing things God Angell Heauen Man Imaginatiue Sensitiue Vegetatiue Elementatiue and Instrumentatiue All these haue a threefold scale of vnderstanding whereby secrets of secrets are discerned Of degrees whereby their aptitude Of nature by which secrets with their secrets of secrets from an eslentiall kinde of collation are examined and accommodated Man hath nine co-adjutorie helps from those nine orders of Angels mentioned before From the Angells he is corroborated to be a messenger of the diuine will From Archangels to beare rule ouer beasts the fishes of the sea and birds of the ayre From Principalities he obteineth all manner of strength From Vertues the force or efficacie of strength These things may be said to be true according to a kinde of resemblance or imitation or as he saith Atonisiue but not really or potentially P. Scah conclusio From Powers hee getteth helpe against his enemies From Dominions help to the attainment of his wished end From Thrones remembrance of heauenly blisse From Cherubins light of the minde From Seraphins perfect order of loue and feruent charity As touching all these auxiliarie helps our Schoolman from whom I borrowed this Number concludeth thus In vanum laborant qui naturali cursu et proprus viribus ad tam alt a contendunt If wee might glue credence to this learned mans distinction I doe not see but we might better giue diuine worship to Gods Angels than vnto any Saint in heauen For it is without question that great power is giuen them from God Math. c. 4. v. 6. for the preseruation of mankinde otherwise the diuell could neuer haue cited Scripture 0198 0 to haue tempted Christ in the wildernesse C. 19. v. 10. how that the Angels had care ouer him that he should not dash his foot against astone C. 19.7 ◠But in the Apocalypse from the Angell of God wee haue an expresse commandement that neither Angells nor Arch-angels nor Thrones nor Principalities ought to be worshipped but God onely seeing all those Tribes all those Hierarchies of Angels all those Elders praysing God and singing Halleluiah fell downe before the Throne of the Lamb and worshipped him If therefore Angells co helpers and coadiutors to man are not to be praied vnto much lesse any saint of Heauen who though they enioy a place not much inferior to those Angels and are made fellow heires with Christ in one and the selfe-same Kingdome yet this must bee imputed to Christ not to their owne righteousnesse beeing sometimes men on earth as we are subject to the like infirmities as we be and so shall remaine vntill Christ with his glorious mantle of righteousnes shall couer our vnrighteousnes Therefore such manner of Numbers giuing so much to Angels whereby the least jot of Gods glory dominion orpower may seeme to bee empeached ought warily and discreetly to be read I know our School-man had these and such like from Denuis Areopagite who writeth so of these Angelicall Orders as though he were dwelling among them but by his leaue hee writeth many things at randome some others hee dreameth yea the best he writeth touching those hierarchies are but bare conjectures and those so childish friuolous paradoxicall as leuer thought it meere tediousnes and cutiosity to reade them This I thought good to annex by way of a Caueat lest any man through ouer much curiosity or simplicity might bee beguiled There bee ninethings which in the
first Number is correspondent to the vnarie and denarie called Circulus because that vnity the center circumference of all things and the tenth Number coaceruated in vnity return backwards from whom the end coÌ„plement of al Numbers haue their beginning The Paracelsians do so wonderfuly admire and praise the vnarie Number that they stick not to define a Spagyrick after this manner Spagyricus is est quicunque nouit optimè discernore verum à falso à bono malum et impurum à puro segregare et abycere binarium vnitate sernata It is much in request among our Geometricians though they vse not the name so much but the thing it selfe A circle therefore beeing to them in stead of the vnarie is called a line infinite in which there is no Terminus à quo nor ad quem to speak Logicaly whose beginning and end consist of euery poynt Wherefore the circular motion is counted infinite not as touching time but the place So that this figure of all others is the most absolute and perfect Likewise the Pentagogon by the vertue of his equinarie and lineature which hee hath both within and without within hauing fiue Angles obtuse without fiue sharp circundated with fiue Hexagonous Triangles conteyneth a wonderfull mysterie Exagonius est triangulus qui omnes habet acutos angulos Which may bee said touching other figures as the Triangle Quadrangle Hexagonon Heptagonon Octagonon of which many by reason of their multiplicious intersections haue diuers and different reasons of discoursing according to the variable sâ—â—uation and proportion of their lines and Numbers Hexahedron est quod ex sex superfieiebus quadratis aque lateribus et aque triangulis integratur Octohedron est quod ex octo Isopleuris integratur et habet angules planos 24. et 6. solidos Duodecahedron est quod ex superficiebus peÌ„tagogis duodecim integratur habens angules planos 60. solidos 20. Icohedron est quod ex 20. Isopleuris componitur et contmet angulos planos 60. atque 12. solidos Put heereto that which we call Algebraicall demonstration whereof discourse may be made which is no other than restauration of Number if wee beleeue Euclide I haue spoken as touching the figure of the Crosse in our fourteenth Chapter But this must not be vnderstood of such kinde of figures onely which haue secret significations in them but of all others vsed in Geometry as the Spheres Tetrahedron Hexahedron Octohedron Hedron Dodecahedron and the like whose interpretations I haue caused to be set downe in our margent So Pythagoras and after him Timeus Locrus and Plato gaue vs to vnderstand that the first Cube of earth consisted of eight solid angles twenty foure planes six bases quadrated in the forme of a balance But they attributed to the fire a Pyramide conteyning foure bases Triangle and so many angles solid and twelue planes To the ayre they appointed an Octohedron consisting of eight bases Triangle six angles solid twenty foure planes To the water they assigned an Icohedron of twenty bases twenty angles solid To the heauen they gaue Dodecahedron composed of twelue bases Pentagonous twenty angles solid planes sixty He that is not superficially insighted in these Geometricall Figures can neuer attaine to the Art of true Numbring To the gayning of whose knowledge Euclides Demonstrations or Pappus Mathematicall collections especially if they were perfect will be of much worth But if they may not be gotten Posseuines 15. book of his selected bibliotheke entreating of Mathematicall discipline will serue in steade of the other because there he hath abbridged the whole worke of Euclide or else hath drawne it from others who took it in hand before him into a Compendium by deducing all those Mathematicall Numbers into certaine Theorems which are illustrated with a short scholie CHAP. XIX Harmanicall Discourse MVsicall harmony bringeth not a little faculty of discoursing seeing her power and vertues are so great that shee is called The Imitatrix of the starres of the soule and body of man Harmony consists of 7 Sones interuals kindes constitutions tones mutation melodie handled at large by Euclide And when she followeth celestiall bodies so exquisitely it is incredible to think how shee prouoketh those heauenly influxes how she tempereth the affections of her hearers their intentions gestures motions changeth their actions and manners allureth them to her proprieties either to mirth or sadnes boldnes or tranquillity and so forth We finde by experience that she draweth Beasts Serpents Birds Dolphins vnto the hearing of her modulation It recreateth the minde of man with Pipe Fiddle Timbrell Harp Lute Citharene Organ and with diuerse other instruments It erecteth the minde of man It cureth diseases especially that our Physicians call Tarantula which maketh a man to runne mad neuer leauing off kipping and dancing till it be cured by some melodious harmony It moueth Captains to warre It easeth and moderateth high enterprises and great labours taken in hand It recalleth furious and frantick persons from sudden and desperate attempts It comforteth trauellers It moueth pastime It mitigateth anger letificateth those that bee sad pacificateth such as are at discord It temperateth choler and to conclude all in a word it expelleth all vagrant wandring and imaginary cogitations whatsoeuer By this means discourse is made as Tensiones dicuntur ab instrument is ad eas comparatis a tendendo Pthongi vero eo guod voce etiam eduntur by sounds and concents Euclide calleth them Pthongos by harmonicall compositions tones mouings sones aswell instrumentall as naturall proceeding from the imperious conception of the minde affection of the heart and phantasie as also consonous and propin quous fundaments of kindes symboles similitudes by analogie concord of naturall and artificiall voices do take sweetly their beginning from hence The vse and necessity of all which is so great that one discourseth of them in this manner Si nihil moveretur sed omnia quieseâ—rent summum esset silentium si autem fieret silentium nihil moveretur nihil audiretur Quare ut aliquid audiatur necesse est priùs motum pulsumque fieri As if he should inferre that without motion and musicall harmony whereby all things consist neyther the higher heauens nor the lowermost Planets no Non est hannonice compositus ait Augustinus qui harmonia non delectatur not the soule and body of man framed from harmonicall symmetry could performe their duty Therefore the necessity of musick is so great so potent so admirable in each thing that it is impossible the world should consist without it What consist without it No not for a day not for an houre not for a minute no which is lesse not for a moment Musica apud Ciceronem in tribus consistit Numeris voribus modis L. 1. de Oratore Now it is to bee noted that all concent is either of sounds or voices Sound is a spirit Voice is a sound and spirit animated Speech is