we must doe contrarywise and those which wee place here fortunate must there be infortunate by raising malignant stars Also for the destroying or prejudicing any let there be made an Image under the ascension of that man whom thou wouldst destroy and prejudice and thou shalt make unfortunate the Lord of the House of his life the Lord of the ascending and the Moon and the Lord of the house of the Moon and the Lord of the house of the Lord ascending and the tenth house and the Lord thereof c. 23 The youth to be initiated to Diaination by magick spells ought to be chosen sound without sicknesse ingenious comely perfect in his members of a quick spirit eloquent in speech that in him the divine power might be conversant as in the good houses that the minde of the youth having quickly attained experience may be restored to its divinity If therefore thou shalt be a man perfect in the sound understanding of Religion and piously and most constantly meditatest on it and without doubting believest and art such an one on whom the authority of holy Rites and Nature hath conferred dignity above others and one whom the divine powers contemn not thou shalt be able by praying consecrating sacrificing invocating to attract spiritual and coelestial Poems and to imprint them on those things thou pleasest and by it to vivifie every magical work 24. Sacred words have not their power in Magical operations from themselves as they are words but from the occult divine powers working by them in the mindes of those who by faith adhere to them by which words the secret power of God as it were through Conduit pipes is transmitted into them who have eares purged by Faith and by most pure conversation and invocation of the divine Names are made the habitation of God and capable of these divine influences whosoever therefore useth rightly these words or Names of God with that purity of minde in that manner and order as they were delivered shall both obtain and do many wonderful things 25. To work Miracles by divine names words seales characters all must be done in most pure gold or virgin parchment pure clean and unspotted also with Inke made for this purpose of the smoak of consecrated waxe lights or incense and holy water The actor also must be purifyed and cleansed by sacrifice and have an infallible hope a constant Faith and his minde lifted up to the most high God if he would surely obtain this divine power 26. There are four kinds of divine phrenzy proceeding from several Deities viz. from the Muses from Dyonisius from Apollo and from Venus The first phrenzy therefore proceeding from the Muses stirs up and tempers the minde and makes it divine by drawing superiour things to inferiour things by things natural Of which there are nine degrees c. The second phrenzie proceeds from Dionysius this doth by expiations exteriour and interiour and by conjurations by mysteries by solemnities rites temples and observations divert the soul into the minde the supreme part of it self and makes it a fit and pure temple of the Gods in which the divine spirits may dwell which the soul then possessing as the associate of life is filled by them with felicity wisdome and oracles not in signes and marks and in conjectures but in a certain concitation of the minde and free motion c. The third kinde of phrenzy proceeds from Apollo viz. From the minde of the world this doth by certain sacred mysteries vowes sacrifices adorations invocations and certain sacred Arts or certain secret confections by which the spirit of their God did infuse vertue make the soul rise above the minde by joyning it with Deities and Daemons c. The fourth kind of phrenzie proceeds from Venus and it doth by a fervent love convert and trans-unite the minde to God and makes it altogether like to God as it were the proper image of God The soul therefore being converted and made like to God is so formed of God that it doth above all intellect know all things by a certain essential contract of divinity Doth besides that it hath by its integrity obtained the spirit of prophecy sometimes work wonderful things and greater then the nature of the world can do which works are called Miracles 27. It was a custome amongst the Ancients that they who should receive Answers certain expiations and sacrifices being first celebrated and divine worship ended did religiously lye down even in a consecrated chamber or at least on the shrines of sacrifices c. 28. Whosoever would receive divine Dreams let him be well disposed in body his brain free from vapours and his mind from perturbations and let him that day abstain from supper neither let him drink that which will inâ—briaâ—â— let him have a clean and neat ehamber also exâ—rcized or consecrated in the which a perfume being made his temples annointed things causing dreams being put on his fingers and the representation of the heavens being put under his head and paper being consecrated his Prayers being said let him go to bed earnestly meditating on that thing which he desireth to know so shall he see most true and certain dreams with the true illumination of his intellect c. 29. Every one that works by Lots must go about it with a minde well disposed not troubled not distracted and with a strong desire firm deliberation and constant intention of knowing that which shall be desired Moreover he must being qualified with purity chastity and holinesse towards God and the coelestials with an undoubted hope firm faith and sacred Orations invocate them that he may be made worthy of receiving the divine spirits and knowing the divine pleasre For if thou shalt be qualified they will discover to thee most great secrets by vertue of Lots and thou shalt become a true Prophet and able to speak truth concerning things past present and to come of which thou shalt be demanded 30. Whosoever being desirous to come to the supreme state of the soul goeth to receive Oracles must go to them being chastely and devoutly disposed being pure and clean to go to them so that his soul be polluted with no filthinesse and free from all guilt He must also so purifie his Minde and Body as much as he may from all diseases and passions and all irrational conditions which adhere to it as rust to iron by rightly composing and disposing those things which belong to the tranquility of the minde for by this means he shall receive the truer and more efficacious Oracles 31 We must therefore first observe cleanness in food in works in affections and to put away all filthinesse and perturbations of the minde and whatsoever sense or spirit that offends and whatsoever things are in the mind unlike to the heavens not only if they be in minde and spirit but also if they be in the body or about the body for such an external cleannesse is believed not to help
obtaine great propheticall oracles concerning every Region of things to come 2. If thou desirest to receive vertue from any part of the world or from any star thou â—halt those things being used which belong to this star come under its peculiar influence c. When thou dost to any one species of things or individuall rightly apply many things which are things of the same subject scattered among themselves conformable to the same Idea and star presently by this matter so opportunely fitted a singular gift is infused by the Idea by meanes of the soul of the World I say opportunely fitted viz. under a harmony like to the harmony which did infuse a certaine vertue into the matter The celestiall harmony produceth that into act which before was onely in power when things are rightly exposed to it in a celestiall season As for example if thou dost desire to attract vertue from the Sun and to seeke those things that are solary amongst vegetables plants metals stones and animals these things are to be used and taken chiefely which in a solary order are higher For these are more availeable so shalt thou draw a singular gift from the Sun through the beames thereof being seasonably received together and through the spirit of the world 3. By artificiall mixtions of things such as agree with the heavens under a certaine constellation descends a vertue by a certaine likenesse and aptnesse that is in things amongst themselves towards their superiours So from a certaine composition of herbes vapours and such like made according to naturall Philosophy and Astronomy there results a certaine common forme endowed with many gifts of the stars When therefore any one makes a mixture of many matters under the coelestiall influences then the variety of coelestiall actions on one hand and of naturall powers on the other hand being joyned together doth indeed cause wonderfull things by oyntments by collyries by fumes and such like 4. Then the vertues of things do then become wonderfull viz. when they are put to matters that are mixed and prepared in fit seasons to make them alive by procuring life for them from the stars as also a sensible soule as a more noble forme 5. Magicians teach that coelestiall gifts may through inferiours being conformable to superiours be drawne down by opportune influences of the heaven and so also by these coelestiall the coelestiall Angels as they are servants of the stars may be procured and conveyed to us That not onely coelestiall and vital but also certaine intellectuall angelicall and divine gifts may be received from above by some certain matters having a naturall power of divinity idest which have a naturall correspondency with the superiours being rightly received and opportunely gathered together according to the rules of naturall Philosophy and Astronomy That an Image rightly made of certain proper things appropriated to any one certain Angell will presently be animated by that Angel 6. A Magician doth make use of things manifest to draw forth things that are occult viz. through the voyce of the stars through fumes lights sounds and naturall things which are agreeable to coelestiall in which besides corporall qualities there is a kinde of reason sense and harmony and incorporeall and divine measures and orders 7. No man is ignorant that supercelestiall Angels or Spirits may be gained by us through good workes a pure minde purest prayer devout humiliation and the like Let no man therefore doubt that in like manner by some certaine matters of the world the Gods of the world may be raised by us or at least the ministring spirits or servants of these Gods So we read that the ancient Priests made Statues and Images foretelling things to come and infused into them the spirits of the stars c. 8. Some suffumigations or perfumings that are proper to the stars are of great force for the opportune receiving of coelestiall gifts under the rayes of the stars in as much as they do strongly worke upon the aire and breath Wherefore suffumigations are wont to be used to them that are about to southsay for to affect their fancy which indeed being appropriated to any certain Deities do fit us to receive divine inspiration The most powerfull fume is that which is compounded of the seven Aromaticks according to the powers of the seven Planets Know also that according to the opinion of the Magicians in every good matter as love good will and the like there must be a good fume odoriferous and pretious and in every evill matter as hatred anger misery and the like there must be a stinking fume that is of no worth 9. By certain Alligations of certain things as also suspensions or by simple contract or the continuation of any thread we may be able to receive some vertues thereby It is necessary that we know the certain rule of Alligation and suspension and the manner which the Aâ—â— requires viz. that they be done under a certain and sutable Constellation and that they be done with wyer or silken threads hair or sinewes of certain animals or fine cloaths and the like according to the sutableness of things 10. Rings also which were alwaies much esteemed of by the Antients when they were opportunely made do in like manner impresse their vertue upon us c. Now the manner of making these kind of Rings is this viz. When any star ascends fortunately with the fortunate aspect or conjunction of the Moon we must take a stone and herb that is under that star and make a Ring of the mettal that is sutable to this star and in it fasten the stone putting the herb or root under it not omitting the inscriptions of Images Names and Characters as also the proper Suffumigations c. 11. The countenance gesture the motion setting and figure of the body being accidental to us conduce to the receiving of the coelestial gifts and expose us to the superior bodies and produce certain effects in us Whosoever therefore doth the more exactly imitate the coelestial bodies either in nature study actions motion gesture countenance passions of the minde and opportunity of the season is so much the more like to the heavenly bodies and can receive larger gifts from them 12. It conduceth very much for the receiving the benefit of the heavens in any work if we shall by the Heaven make our selves sutable to it in our thoughts affections imaginations elections deliberations contemplations and the like For such like passions do vehemently stir up our spirit to their likenesse and suddainly expose us and ours to the superiour significators of such like passions and also by reason of their dignity and neernesse to the superiours do much more partake of the coelestials then any material things For our minde can through imaginations or reason by a kinde of imitation be so conformed to any star as suddainly to be filled with the vertues of that star as if it were a proper receptacle of the influence thereof We must
a little to the purity of the minde c. 32 They that desire to have this spirit pure and potent 〈◊〉 them use dryer meats and extenuate this grosse body with fastings and they make it easily penetrable and lest by the weight thereof the spirit should either become thick or be suffocated let them preserve the body clean by Lotions Frictions exercises and cloathings and corroborate their spirits by lights and fumes and bring it to be a pure and thin finenesse 33. We must acquit and avert our mindes from all multitudes and such like passions that we may attain to the simple truth which indeed many Philosophers are said to have attained to in the solitude of a long time For the minde by solitude being loosed from all care of humane affairs is at leasure and prepared to receive the gifts of the coelestial deities 34. It is believed and it is delivered by them that are skilful in sacred things that the minde also may be expiated with certain institutions and sacraments ministred outwardly as by Sacrifices Baptisms and Adjurations Benedictions Consecrations sprinklings of Holy water by annointings and fumes not so much consecrated to this as having a natural power thus to do 35. Moreover the Magicians when they made any confection either natural or artificial belonging to any star this did they afterward religiously offer and sacrifice to the same star receiving not so much a natural vertue from the influence thereof being opportunely received as by that religious oblation receiving it divinely confirmed and stronger c. Moreover to the coelestial and aetherial Gods white sacrifices were offered but to the terrestrial or infernal black c. 36. Moreover we must petition for and to the effectors of the thing desired viz. Such an Angel Star or Heroe on whom the office lies but observing that our invocation on them must be made with due number weight and measure and according to the rules delivered concerning inchantments 37. Consecration is a lifting up of experiments by which a spiritual soul being drawn by proportion and conformity is infused into the matter of our works according to the tradition of Magical Art rightly and lawfully prepared and our â—ork is vivified by the spirit of understanding So in the consecration of water fire oyle places paper swords c. Let there be commemoration made c. 38. Whosoever therefore thou art who desirest to operate in this faculty in the first place implore God the Father being one that thou also maiest be one worthy of his favour bee cleane within and without in a cleane place Wash your selves oft and at the daies appointed according to the mysteries of number put on cleane cloaths and abstaine from all uncleannesse pollution and lust Be not thou coupled to a polluted or menstruous woman neither to her who hath the Hemachoides touch not an uncleane thing nor a carkase Thou shalt wash and annoint and perfume thy selfe and shalt offer sacrifices Further perfumes sacrifice and unction penetrate all things and open the gates of the elements and of the heavens that through them a man may see the secrets of God heavenly things and those things which are above the heavens and also those which descend from the heavens as Angels and Spirits of deep pits and profound places apparitions of desert places and doth make them to come to you to appeare visibly and obey you 39. Moreover whatsoever thou operatest do it with an earnest affection and hearty desire that the goodnesse of the heavens and heavenly bodies may favour thee whose favour that thou mayest the more easily obtaine the fitnesse of the place time profession or custome diet habit exercise and name also do wonderfully conduce for by these the power of nature is not onely changed but also overcome For a fortunate place conduceth much to favour What place is congruous to each one must be found out by his nativity c. 40. Make election also of houres daies for thy operations For not without cause our Saviour spake Are there not twelve houres in the day and so forth For the Astrologers teach that times can give a certaine fortune to our businesses The Magicians likewise have observed and to conclude all the antient verse men consent in this that it is of very great concernment that in what moment of time and disposition of the heavens every thing whether naturall or artificiall hath received its being in this world for they have delivered that the first moment hath so great power that all the course of fortune dependeth thereon and may be foretold thereby All these are not ashamed to shew themselves in English ere this I have onely now collected them here and there with a running hand to the intent that at one view it might be discerned at least by comparison examined whether these dignifications qualifications dispositions preparations of Magick and Astrologie be not onely so superstitious as for conscience and religion to abhor them but so ridiculous as for reason and sense to deride them And whether these their preparations be not meer pollutions in themselves and these their dignifications very vilifications to natural and moral men and these their consecrations be not utter abominations to God and all good men Nay and whether the most damnable witches have not been initiated by such kind of preparative solemnities and their most execrable witch-crafts operated by such effectual ceremonies as these yea and they more fair seeming then the fairest of them CHAP. XXV From the folly of Interrogations and Elections WHether besides the superstition and vain curiosity it be not extreme folly and madnesse to make observation inquisition election of dayes and hours from a mans geniture and the disposition of the stars wherein to auspicate a businesse be it greater or lesse Especially seeing the directing Art it self is not onely depraved commentitiously as themselves confesse by the arrogance ambition vainglory covetousnesse and deceitfulnesse of the Artists but how are they able to vindicate it from a more commentitious invention and idle speculation or inspection according to such numbers additions substractions such days hours minutes scruples c. of such a star or planet in such a positure or aspect such a conjunction constellation configuration such a house such a Lord of the Ascendant such a Lord of the Horoscope such a significator such a Promissor such a Peregrinator such an ambulator such a prerogator such a dispositor such an Emissary c. with such motions congressions profections fortifications oppositions corrections rectifications directions elections c. And how do they prove that such fictions not onely of things but of names at least such disorderly confusions of both should not onely be the Rulers ordaining and ordering but the rules of foreknowing and foretelling mens fates and fortunes manners actions businesses successes fortunate or unfortunate c. Is it not great imprudence then for any to be here enquiring And as great impudence for them to
lust which shews what furious lust they are prone to that are borne under this cold and dull Planet Saturne is old because of his slow motion and want of heat He hath a Sythe in his hand and a Serpent by him because he is a retrograde Planet Jupiter binds him deposes him casts him into hell and all this is but a figure of a conjunction depressing infringing or tempering his malignant influence But Iupiter does no such thing but rather frees and restores him and does that signifie nothing was not this benigne Planet now a meanes to help and forward his malignity But Saturne was foretold by an Oracle that his own sonne should depose him from his Kingdom What were divining Oracles before the Planets Or indeed are there not over the Starres that can foretell their fates as well as they can the fates of others In short the Golden age was under Saturnes raigne why then is he made so maleficall a Planet wheresoever he is predominant It would be long to note the like of Iupiter Mars Sol c. and after all such observation the question at last would return to this whether Mythology or Astrology the poeticall or the speculatory Fable serves most to make one another good or more significant 3. Of the strange uncouth improbable impossible ridiculous and superstitious causes grounds forms prescripts waies means and instruments whereby to acquire the Art procure the power and prepare unto the practice of Divinatory Magick and Astrologie MElampus Tirefias Thales and Apollonius Tyanaeus could understand the voyce or language of Birds The latter of them sitting among his friends seeing many Sparrowes upon a tree and another comming in chirping to the rest told them that it told its fellows that there was a sack of Wheat spilt in such a place neere the City and they going to see found it so But how learnt Appollonius this rare divining art why peradventure by Democritus his prescript who named the Birds whose blood being mingled together would produce a serpent of which whosoever would eate should understand the voyces of Birds Or else by that of Hermes who saith If any one shall goe forth to catch Birds on a certaine day of the Kalends of November and shall boyle the first bird that he catcheth with the heart of a Fox that all that shall eate of this bird shall understand the voyces of Birds and of all other animals Or else that of the Arabians who say that they shall understand the meaning of bruits who shall eate the heart and liver of Dragons The Sybils the Bacchides and Niceratus the Syracusan and Amon were by their naturall melancholy complexion Prophets and Poets Hesiod Ion Tynnichus Calcinensis Homer and Lucretius were on a sudden taken with a madnesse and became poets and prophecied wonderfull and divine things which they themselves scarce understood Cornelius Patarus his Priest did at that time when Cesar and Pompey were to fight in Thessalia being taken with madnesse foretell the time order and issue of the battle How great heats love stirres up in the liver and pulse Physitians know discerning by that kind of judgement the name of her that is beloved So Naustratus knew that Antiochus was taken with the love of Stratonica When a mayd at Rome died the same day that she was married and was presented to Apollonius he accurately enquired into her name which being known he pronounced some occult thing by which she revived It was an observation among the Romans in their holy rites that when they did besiege any City they did diligently enquire into the proper and true name of it and the name of that God under whose protection it was which being known they did then with some verse call forth the Gods that were the protectors of that City and did curse the inhabitants thereof and so at length their Gods being absent did overcome them Vsyche in Apuleius prayes thus to Ceres I beseech thee by thy fruitfull right hand I embrace thee by the joyfull ceremonies of harvests by the quiet silence of thy chests by the winged Chariot of Dragons thy servants by the furrows of the Sicilian earth the devouring wagon the clammy earth by the place of going down into cellars at the light nuptials of Proserpina and returnes of the last inventions of her daughter and other things which are concealed in her Temple in the City Eleusis in Attica The Aegyptians and Arabians confirme that the figure of the Crosse hath very great power and that it is the most sure receptacle of all the celestiall powers and intelligences because it is the rightest figure of all containing four right angles and it is the first description of the superficies having longitude and latitude and they said it is inspired with the fortitude of the Celestials Rabbi Israel made certaine cakes writ upon with certaine divine and angelicall names and so consecrated which they that did eate with faith hope and charity did presently breake forth with a spirit of Prophecy Rabbi Iohena the sonne of Iochabod did after that manner enlighten a certain rude Countreyman called Eleazar being altogether illiterate that being compassed about with sudden brightnesse did unexpectedly preach such high mysteries of the law to an assembly of wise men that he did even astonish all that were neere him A certain man called Heruiscus an Aegyptian was endued with such a divine nature that at the very sight of Images that had any deity in them he was forthwith stirred up with a kind of divine phrenzy The Sybil in Delphi was wont to receive God after two waies either by subtill spirit and fire which did break forth somewhat out of the mouth of the cave where she sitting in the entrance upon a brazen three-footed stoole dedicated to a Diety was divinely inspired and did utter prophecyings or a great fire flying out of the cave did surround this prophetesse stirring her up being filled with a Deity to prophecy which inspiration also she received as she sat upon a consecrated seat breaking forth presently into predictions There was a Prophetesse in Branchi which sate upon an Extree and either held a wand in her hand given to her by some Deity or washed her feet and sometimes the hem of her garment in the waters by all these she was filled with divine splendor and did unfold many Oracles In the Countrey of Thracia there was a certaine passage consecrated to Bacchus from whence Predictions and Oracles were wont to be given the Priors of whose Temples having dranke wine abundantly did doe strange things Amongst the Charians also where the Temple of Clâ—vius Apollo was to whom it was given to utter divine things they having dranke much Wine did strange things There was also a propheticall fountaine of Father Achaia constituted before the Temple of Ceres where they that did enquire of the event of the sick did let down a Glasse by degrees tied to a small cord to the top of the water and
extraordinary cold 25. Of the Heavens calculating their own purport without the helpe of an Artist and the suspition of Magastromancers predicting rather by diabolicall instinct or the suggestion of their own Familiars then from any vertue of the starres THe day before Iulian died one and he an heathen watching over night saw a conjunction or compact of the Stars expressing thus much in legible characters To day is Julian slain in Persia Also Didymus Alexandrinus had a vision of white horses running in the ayre and they that rode upon them said tell Didymus in this very houre Iulian is slain and bid him tell it to Athanasius the Bishop Constantine in his holy meditations casting up his eyes Eastward towards Heaven saw the similitude of a Crosse wherein were stars as letters so placed that visibly might be read this sentence in Greek In this thâ—u shalt overcome At what time Caesar was in the battell of Pharsalia one Caius Cornelius a notable prognosticator in Padua beholding the flying of Birds cryed out Now they give the onset on both sides and a little after as a man possessed with some spirit cryed out again O Caesar the victory is thine Such was that of Apollonius concerning Domitian of which before Numa Pompilius a Magician or Sortiary not inferior to any had frequent and familiar company confabulation and congression with Aegeria a Nymphish devill Simon Magus had a dogge they say could speak and doe many prodigious pranks Quintus Sertorius had an Hart which he consulted withall Pope Sylvester the second had a dogge which he held more deare then the Kingdom of Naples Laurentius also had such an one at Roan Iodocus de Rosa had the divell in a Ring Petrus Apponensis a magicall Physician had seven spirits which he kept in glasses Andreas an Italian had a great red dogge that would doe many prodigious feats Faecius Caredeus is said to have an aery spirit very familiar Stephen Gardiner had his darling cat Iohn Faustus had a dogge called prestigiar And Cornelius Agrippa had another called Monsieur A French Baron had a cat that vanisht into the ayre because he chid her And it is reported of an English one that had such another which did in like manner The same day that the Torensians overcame the Crotonians in Italy the victory was told at Corinth Athens and Lacedaemon Mercury minding to try the skill of Tyresias in vaticinating stole his Oxen and came to him in the shape of a man and told him they were lost Out they went together to make conjecture of the thiefe by Augury and the blind presager bad Mercury to tell him what bird he saw he answered an Eagle flying on the left hand that he said signified nothing to him Again he askt him what bird he answered a Crow sometimes looking upwards sometimes downward Then understanding all by instinct that Crow said he sweares by heaven and earth that thou canst restore me my Oxen again if thou wilt When Caius Marius had overcome the Sicambrians at the River Mosa the news of the victory was presently carried to Rome by Castor and Pollux the Starry gods or as others say by the Impish divels themselves Plutarch reports many examples of demonicall familiars carrying newes of victory to the Romans in a moment from the remotest regions Cleombrotus sequestring himselfe from the society of men and frequenting solitary woods and caves to become more inward with Satyres was informed that there were Daemons wandring up and down to inspire dreams and Oracles and furnish men with prophecies and predictions Lactantius is of the mind that the cutting of the Whetstone by Accius Naevius and the drawing of the Ship by the Girdle of Claudia the Vestall and the like were obtained by their Familiars To which I may adde Thucia's drawing water in a sive Iodocus de Rosa was wont to say that he would put none other Messenger in trust with a cause of weight then him that lodged one night at Constantinople and the next under his Signet The spirit Orthon brought intelligence out of all corners of the world to Gaston Earle of Foix. The Spirit or Familiar which daily called upon Alaricus as he related to a certain godly Monk to begin his voyage towards Rome came from the divels court undoubtedly 26. Of Astromancers turning Pantomancers or presaging not onely upon prodigies but upon every slight occasion by every vile and vaine means and so occasioning superstitious people to an omination upon every accident and after any fashion DArius in the beginning of his raigne but changed the scabbard of his Sword from the Persian into the Graecian fashion and the Chaldaeans loath to let slip any occasion of keeping their art in ure straight way prognosticated thereupon the translation of his Kingdom to the Greekes A Raven let fall a clod upon Alexanders head and it brake to pieces and then flying to the next Tower was there intangled in pitch Aristander interprets it as a signe of the ruine of the City with some perill to the Kings person But what was last and least prognosticated was first and most found Alexander steeping Barley as the Macedonian custome was at the making of walls the birds of the ayre came and picked it up Now many took this for an unlucky token But the diviners that would spend their verdict in the most triviall matters rather then sit out told them it betokened that that Corn should nourish many countries Cicero derided the Baeotian vaticinators for predicting victory to the Thebanes from the crowing of Cocks So doth he the Lanuuian Aruspicks for making such a marvelous portent in that the Mice gnawed the Belts The City of Rome being mightily devested by the Gaules the Senators began to deliberate whether they should repaire their ruined walls or flit to Vejos Now a certaine Centurion of theirs comming by at that instant commanded the Ensigne to set down his Standard or Banner in that place saying it was best for them to abide there The Senators over hearing that voyce interpreted it as an omen and so desisted from consulting any longer about their migration or removall but resolved to stay at Rome still Lucius Paulus being about to warre with King Perses as he returned from the Court home to his own house his little daughter met him whom he kist and askt her why she lookt so sad she replied Persa was dead meaning her whelp or Pupper And this he took to be an omen or presage of the vanquishment and death of Perses Caecilia the wife of Metellus leading a Neece of hers now marriageable to the Temple to heare some hopes of a good husband she standing long there and hearing no answer to any such purpose desired her Aunt she might have leave to fit by her That thou shalt said she and I will yeild thee my seat This the Virgin accepted for an omen that she should succeed her in being married to Metellus after her decease Caius Marius fleeing to the house