in this life are 6 in number The first are those whose beginnings are called voluntary habituous consisting in naturall things done from the commandement of God as To plant sowe eat drink to take physick and so forth The second are called absolute voluntarie as All kinde of operations vertuous vicious scientificous done with deliberation The third are voluntary standing in need of extrinsecall instruments as To build dwell clothe and such like The fourth which to their owne will require the will of some other as To contract matrimony to joyne friendship to request a thing to speak to Princes to sit in judgement The fift are such as their ends are fortuitous or casuall as Playing hunting following of a prisoner buying selling putting out mony to vsury The last are impulsiue as a seruant to doo his masters businesse a scholar to bee constrained to school a hangman to execute his office There be 6 draughts in beer or wine some allowed others disallowed The first is drunk for health the second for pleasure the third to get sleep the fourth is drunkennesse the fift is clamour and noise the last is madnes or fury according to the Poet Quod si in vas parvum vis vinum fundere maguum Saepe potator is mor gitur ingenium Euery disease killeth a man for 6 respects By altering the course of nature by augmenting it self by corrupting the principall parts by extinguishing the heat by destroying the bodies food or nutriment Therefore it is said by Physicians that a man neuer dieth Cardan lib. de arte curandi parua but when the moisture of the heart is consumed For as one of those Spagyricks writeth Death is no other than the separation divulsion and consumption of the spirit and radicall balsam of the life of man Querce tetras grauis affec c. 10 by which onely the soule is linked to the body There be six humidous things in our body especially within the veines and arteries Bloud phlegm choler yellow and black whey aire Originall of diseases according to the opinion of the Paracelsians comes six maner of waies From excrementitious exhalations in the body from that we call Cacochymie from a vicious temperament from old age from the time or coldnes of the region from an obstructions kind of feeding The herb called Sene helpeth maruellously to the curing of 6 pestilent diseases The pthisick the paine in the head scabs pustles itch the falling Euill There are 6 famous Writers who haue imployed their wits in the knowledge of Herbals M. Cate Dioscorides Columella Plinie Mosna Palladius to whom if you adde a later Writer that is Arnoldâ—s de nona Villa you need not to seek after any other Herbalist All kinde of purging fruit-trees ought to haue 6 kinde of properties belonging to them according to the counsell of Mizaldus an excellent Hortensian They must bear sweet and generous fruits they must not growe too tall but somewhat neer to the ground they must not exceed three yeers of growth they must bee planted in a sweet and wholesome aire in a fat and luxurious ground last of all in a place defensiue that is free from the injury of men and cattell Some call this Vinum Alkeiâ— gicum That wine which Mizaldus calles Haliacabâ—us hath 6 notable vertues It helpeth the pain of the reines it is good against the pissing of bloud the retention of vrine the stone-collick the extraction of the stone out of the bladder the strangurie Yea the same Author doth so extoll the vertues thereof that it is almost incredible which he writeth Lib. de viniâ— medicatis The method for the curing of the falling Euill consisteth of 6 rules handled at large by Quercetanus in a peculiar discourse as touching this malady A traueller must eschew these 6 things following Poyson pride papistry women wine and wilfulnesse beginning with a letter CHAP. IX SEVEN THis Number is the most excellent of all others and there are many reasons many notable opinions among learned men to proue his excellency First it neither begettes nor is begotten Lib. de mundi â—pificiâ— according to the saying of Philo. Some Numbers indeed within the compasse of tenne beget but are not begotten and that is the vnarie Others are begotten but begot not 〈◊〉 as the octonarie Some beget and are begotten as the quaternarie Onely the septenarie hauing a prerogatiue aboue them all neither begetteth nor is begotten This is his first diulnity or perfection Secondly this is an harmonicall Number and as I may tearm it the well and fountaine of that faire and louely Digramma because it includeth within it self all manner of harmony Diatessaron Diaponte Diapason all kinde of proportions Arithmeticall Geometricall Musicall Thirdly it is a Theologicall Number consisting of perfection There are seuen remedics or preparatiues against the sin of sensuality 1 To fly thâ—occasions of siâ— 2. To banish them 3 To pray most feruâ—ntly to God-for help 4 To giue affliction to thy body as fasting watching discipline 5 To thinke of death 6 To make confession 7 To thinke God doth see thee called by some 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 because in the seuenth day God ceasing from his work all things were made perfect It is the Number of rest therefore called by some It is the number of sâ—nctification because Moses commanded the same most venerably to be obserued of the Israelites It is the number of reuenge the number of repentance the number of beatitude expressed by the Poet O terque quaterque beati Lastly it is the number of the Psalms of penitence Fourthly because of his compositure For it is compounded of one and 6 two and fiue or three and foure Now euery one of these beeing excellent of themselues as hath been remonstrated how can this Number be but far more excellent consisting of them all and participating as it were of all their excellent vertues I let passe many mo reasons cited by Macrobius Phylo and others to proue his excellencie contenting my selfe with a few of the better sort Bythagâ—â—as calleth this Number Vinculum humana vitae Cicero rerum omnium modum as that it should link and tie all things together by an indissoluble knot or confederacie If I would runne ouer all that hath beene written touching his excelleneie by antient writers I should scarce comprehend them in one volume Being therefore the most great most excellent most diuine most perfect of all others his extendure must needs bee answerable to the rest There be seauen Wonders of the world seauen Wife men of Greece seauen cities contended for the bones of Homer There be seauen Sâ—pâ—â—â—onâ— the greater and lesser made in the heauens the heauen is engyrted with seuen circles there bee seuen erraticall Starres That which we call Ersa maior is compassed with seauen Starres the assembly of Pleiades are composed of seuen Starres seuen of them are seene there bee seauen changes of voices seuen physicall and naturall mouings seuen
truth diligence That which the Paracelsians call Antimonie hath twelue excellent preseruatiues The first is called Panchreston helping many euill affections Pantagogon fit to purge all kinde of humors Theodoretum There be thirteene mathematicall instruments cited by Posse Biblio Selec To. 2. cap. 9. for his diuine help 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 for his efficacie in preseruing of health Soterion an wholsome medicament Lysippyreton extinguishing all kinde of hot agues Theodoton a remedy giuen vs from God Theopempton sent from God Panareton endued with all kinde of vertue Polychreston good for many things Isochryson which is to be equalled with gold Lysiponon mitigating all kinde of paine and griefe There be 18 kindes of pthongs in musick treated of by Prolomy â—uchde and others There bee fourteene externe chanels or passages in mans head according to some Anatomists Vnder the seuenteene those seuenteene humors mentioned by Cardan may be represented Zoroastres dwelt in the wildernesse twenty yeeres Moses in his booke of Genesis instructed from God himselfe entreateth of twenty two high and profound poynts such as were neuer handled by any Phylosopher Iew or Gentile Polidor Virgil maketh mention of twenty seuerall nations which worshipped twenty strange gods The beginning of the world God principles of humane things that we call Chaos Deep darknes waters Arid hearbes plants Sunne Moone Starres beastes man the soule intelligent Angels Deluge Gyants Towre of Babel diuision of Tongues and so forth All these things and much more he hath written in such a stile and character that those antient Hebrewes Greekes and Latines L b. 1. cap. 1. haue wond ed at his writing So that some haue not sticked to call him Gods Secretary taking pen in hand to write by his appoyntment There are twenty two Hebrew Letters according to the Number of those Latine Elements There be twenty foure propheticall books called Canonicall according to the Greeke Alphabet Twenty foure Elders are mentioned in the Apocalypse There were twenty foure famous Physicians of Arabia whose names are these alphabetically set downe in this wise Aboal Achme sonne to Abraham Agazo Asal Albumazar Albuer Ammuram Anicenna Auerrois Auenzoar Ebezenzar Elabin Hunim Hamech Elengezar Haly Abbas Saint Hierom affirmes that the Hebrewes made them a Cytharen consisting of 24 strings to the forme of Δ. Epist ad Darda de instru music Haly sonne of Abbas Isaac Abenamaram Mesne Rabi Razis Sabor sonne of Zuzer King of Medoram Serapio Xirase King of Med. It seemeth by this that Physick was in great request in those times seeing Kings were not onely Patrones but chiefe professors of that Æsculapian Science which now by vnskilfull Empiricks and methodians is taken in hand to the great reproach of that worthy and learned study Out of the Text of Scripture and Denuis Areopagite as also from some School-men it will easily be proued that hell hath twenty foure seuerall and distinct punishments Heat of fire a gnashing of teeth darknes smoke weeping sadnesse aspect of diuels crying ariditie thirst sulphureous smell the worm of conscience bands prison fear grief shame enuy rancor want of diuine vision the taking away all hope of redeÌ„ption Andra. Lau. Anato lib. 5. cap. 8. proteruous phantasie mad concupiscence irascible furie The twenty fift Number is famous for this in that there bee so many interne holes or creuises in the head of a man according to the probable computation of some Anatomists The twenty seuenth is a solid Nùber consisting of three times nine spoken of before vnder which progression Huga de S. Victore concludeth the quaterne faculties of the soule The thirtith Number is not without some secret vertue being a triplication of the denarie neither doth it want his signification There are 30 Ornaments required in a faire Virgin expressed elegantly in verse by Cornigerus which were found in Helena of Troy Silua nuptial.pagina 182. because in the space of thirty dayes the Sunne runneth his course through the twelue parts of the Zodiack touched before in this Chapter His extendure is famous for those thirty antient Ciuill Lawyers whose bookes are mentioned in the Pandects of Iustinian the Emperor Their seuerall names are also recorded by that excellent Scholar and Latinist Angelus Politian There bee thirty two teeth in a mans head by consent of all Anatomists on both cheekes equally diuided But it is strange that most men should haue so many and others so few Some write that Enripheus Cyrenens and Phirrus that was King of Epirontes Epis lib 5. Epis 11. had but one tooth in their vppermost jawe and that Direphna daughter to Mithridate wanted both rowes of teeth An Lau. Anato lib. 5. cap. 12. In Hercules and others a threefold chest was found But this was beyond the ordinary course of nature The Zodiack hath thirty fiue burdens called in Latine Gestamina But there is no Number more famous in the Scripture then the fortith Number God made the raine to fall forty dayes together on the earth Christ made the raigne of our saluation to abide forty houres together vpon the earth after his Passion M. Vigerius de cha christia according to the Symbole of that learned Cardinall Moses tooke the Law vpon mount Sina for forty dayes Christ in forty houres went away Conqueror ouer heauen earth and hell Helias fed with one morsell of bread came in forty dayes to the Mount of Oreb Christ fed with the Martyrdome of his Crosse after forty houres expired came from darknes to life againe Christ againe did fast forty dayes in the desart and ouercame Satan Now for the further explaining of this some hold that the soule of Christ remained separated from his body forty houres taking them from three dayes For he suffered about the vernall Equinoct that is at that time when the dayes and nights are of one length and about the middle of the day he let goe his spirit So that hee died six houres before the Sunne went downe because in the time of the Equinoctiall if the day haue twelue houres the middle of the day hath six before Sunne-set He was buried about the completorie houre that is about the going downe of the Sunne He staied in his Sepulcher an whole night going before the Sabbath day and the whole day of the Sabbath which contayne in them twenty foure houres In the morning going before the Dominicall day which was the third day of his death he rose againe The morning goeth for two houres before the Sunne riseth So that wee must beleeue his body remained in the graue on that third day for the space of tenne houres Now six houres of the day of his death and twenty foure of the whole Sabbath day make full thirty Adde tenne houres more of the night following the third day and they make vp iust fotty Therefore the soule of Christ was separated from his body for the space of forty houres that is six before his buriall and after that
thirty foure But in this computation which cannot be done without exact Numbring we must obserue one singular Note How that the Euangelists attributing the space of Christs death to the Ablatiue sense will not haue whole dayes meant heereby but part of whole dayes By this wee may learne how needfull the vse of Numbers is to the right vnderstanding of diuers passages in Scripture whether they be doctrinall or historicall Now in Chronologie or iust supputation of yeeres that is to knowe how long those antient Kings mentioned in Scripture did raigne there is nothing so needfull as the Art of Numbring And if you marke it well in all their seuerall Raignes or Regiments no Number occurreth so often as the fortith Number as though God had appointed vnder this Number the whole race or period of their kingly succession to haue beene concluded and determinated As for example Moses gouerned forty yeeres Othoniel 40 Barac and Debora 40 Gedeon 40 the Philistins interregnum consisted of 40. Saul Dauid raigned as many which I haue collected from the computation of Canus I.o. Theo. lib. 11 cap. 5. who hath joyned Theology and Chronologie together the best of any Popish Writer that I knowe The Rabbines in their Thalmud speak much touching those forty two diuine letters such as had them in venerable estimation Lemnius holdeth that men children are perfectly formed in their mothers belly in the space of 30 dayes but women in 42 or 45 Lib. de Mira. natura 4 cap. 23. but what they signifie and to what vse they serue I could neuer yet learne from them It is holden by those learned searchers of naturall Phylosophy confirmed by many famous Physicians that the whole Fabrick of mans body in the space of forty fiue dayes is perfectly and absolutely framed in Embrio or the mothers belly Epimenides slept for the space of fifty yeeres This Number must needs bee vertuous and famous for that it representeth those fifty gates of intelligences mentioned before For according to those Rabbines notable for their Symbolicall doctrine there was nothing before the creation but God and his name 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and his onely wisdome gotten from all eternity So that the gate of the first creation being shut from Moses notwithstanding he sought out the Law by the other nine and forty Iâ—sue did inquire it by one lesse Salomon by two who as Rabbi Akib expoundeth labored aboue measure to reduce the same but could not Hence saith Rabbi Iacob Cohu our antient Fathers walked through many waies that in the and they might put their feet in these admirable steppes of wisdome deliuered them by Zadkiel to Abraham our Father I dare not wade too far among those Iewish Doctors lest I should wander out of my way For they are mysteries and I beleeue if Sphinges interpreter were here he would scarce vnfold them Now besides the enquirie of these fifty gates and thirty two paths The yeere of mans age 63 hath euer been accounted perilous because that wher euerie 7 9 yeere meet together they make seuen nines or nine seuens being 63 in the whole and therefore it is called of the Philosophers Climactericus In which yeer and in 70 ther haue died the most famous men of the world Christ when he was here on earth had his 72 Disciples they were very curious in searching out the Number of Gods name called Tetragrammaton which if it bee well expounded say they will arise to fifty two according to the Number of Angells And this Number they slick not to call The colledge of letters The fiue and fiftith Number hath his excellencie in this in that according to Callippus and other antient Astronomers their calculation all the Planets with their Spheres either retrograde or Stationarie containe iust the quantity of this Number The last Number that I meane to speake of is the seuenty two famous for so many yeeres together from the translation of the Bible out of the Hebrew into the Greeke Language by those seuenty two interpreters by commandement of Ptolomy the Ægyptian Emperour beeing a worke that could not haue beene done with the helpe of man if the holy Ghost whose interpreters no doubt they were had not seconded them beyond their owne expectation Of these and their diuers celles appointed them with certaine questions propounded before the Emperour you may reade in Aristoas a Greeke Author though I am not ignorant how that Vines vpon what warrant I know not hath laboured to empeach his credit by counting him for a counterfeit as elsewhere I haue noted CHAP. XIIII Happy vnhappy Numbers ITearm them happy or fortunate which either in their syllables or elements exclusiue or their sense inclusiue bring some notable or joyfull tidings either present or future or otherwise beeing as vttered by God's owne mouth or by his Prophets haue been esteemed holy venerable of hie account vntill this day In Genesis we finde it written Ipse conteret caput Serpentis referred to the seed of the woman and not to the woman herself as some Popish Interpreters will haue it This was sure an happy promise made representing the quaternary Number being vttered in so many words For Christ which was the seed of the woman hath plaid the Conquerer foure manner of waies By freeing vs from originall sinne wherein Adam and Eue both were first polluted by breaking the snares of Satan who had tempted them by triumphing ouer the power of hell by trampling death and his sting vnder his feet This quadruple blessing beeing a pledge of his promise made to our first parents could not chuse but bee acceptable to them and their posterity The Angell Gabriel for the confirmation of this promise in his salutation vnto the Virgin Marie spake two words more powerfull more ponderous more remarkable in their few elements than of euery man can be well vnderstood What are those Aue Maria containing the binarie Number euery letter almost including within it some secret mysterie Which no man doth better expound than that antient Father Irenaeus in this similitude As Eue was seduced by an Angelicall Speech hee meaneth Lib. 5. cap. vlt. the temptation of that Serpent whereby she might flee from GOD hauing preuaricated his Word so this Eue by the Angels salutation was euangelized whereby she might bear Christ being obedient to the Word And as the one was tempted to forsake GOD so the other was perswaded to obey GOD that one Virgin might be the others Aduocate And as mankinde was subiect to death by the means of a Virgin so it was restored again by a Virgin the virginall inobedience of the one beeing equally poized with the virginall obedience of the other Now Irenaeus hath not onely alluded to the Angels salutation by calling her Blessed but vnto the bare elements aswell typically to be vnderstood wherein this message was deliuered for Aue by inuersion of the letters is Eua. As then the first Euâ— by preuaricating God's