viz. If you would drive away any venemous serpent or noysom beast make the figure thereof in some certain matter under some convenient constellation and inscribe thereupon the name of the signe ascending and the name of the thing you would expell c. And for the contrary effect do it after a contrary constellation c. And observe the like in alluring to love or in provoking to hatred in curing of diseases and procuring of health c. But by no means so conscientious or cautious they are ascribe the effect to the Image for that 's say they idolatry superstition witchcraft but to the constellation and I pray what 's that But I am weary with reckoning up in part things of so great folly and of greater impiety Onely I ask not them but the sound and sober if indeed they be not so I mean if the businesse and folly of the world brought and sought to be directed by the businesse and folly of an Art be not very much repugnant to humane prudence and to divine providence much more CHAP. XXVI From the conviction of Confession WHether Magicians and Astrologers themselves have not plainly and plentifully discovered and acknowledged the vanity and impiety of Magick and Astrology And whether it be not an Argument irrefragable against an Art or operation whenas the Arch-Artists are so far convinc't as to confesse the pravity and obliquity thereof themselves For who can more truly and fully set them forth then they that have given themselves over to study and practise them How many things of old and of late have been spoken either through a spirit of recantation a conscience of conviction or a fury of exclamation by magicians against Magick and by Astrologers against Astrology Hear what one of them saith both against himself and all the rest of what kind or sort soever Whatsoever things have here already and shall afterward be said by me I would not have any one assent to them nor shal I my self any further then they shall be approved of by the universal Church and the Congregation of the faithful Magicians and those who were the authors of this Art amongst the Antients have been Chaldeans Aegyptians Assyrians Persians and Arabians all whose Religion was perverse and polluted idolatry We must very much take heed lest we should permit their errors to war against the grounds of the Catholike Religion For this was blasphenious and subject to the curse and I also should be a blasphemer if I should not admonish you of these things in this science Wheresoever therefore you shall find these things written by us know that these things are onely related out of other Authors and not put down by us for truth but for a probable conjecture which is allyed to truth and an instruction for imitation in those things that are true Of Magick I wrote whilst I was very young three large books which I called Of Occult Philosophie in which what was then through the curiosity of my youth erroneous I now being more advised am willing to have retracted by this Reeantation For I have heretofore spent very much time and cost in these vanities At length I grew so wise as to understand how and by what reasons I was bound to dehort others from this destruction For whosoever do not in the truth nor in the power of God but in the delusions of Devils according to the operation of the evil spirits presume to divine and prophecy and by magical vanities exorcisms inchantments love potions allurements and other devilish works and deceits of Idolatry exorcising prestigious things and making ostentation of phantasms boasting themselves to work miracles presently vanishing all these with Jannes and Iambres and Simon Magus shall be destinated to the torments of eternal fire The antient Philosophers teach us to know the nature of the genius of every man by stars their influx and aspects which are potent in the nativity of any one but with instructions so diverse and differing amongst themselves that it is much difficult to understand the mysteries of the Heavens by their directions c. Cicero following the stoicks affirms that the foreknowing of future things belongs onely to the Gods And Ptolomie the Astrologer saith that they onely that are inspired with a deity foretel particular things To them Peter the Apostle consents saying Prophesying is not made according to the will of man but holy men spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost Take heed that you be not deceived by them that are deceived Neither can the great reading of books direct you here since they are but as riddles How great writings are there made of the irresistible power of magical Art of the Prodigious Images of Astrologers of the monstrous transmutations of Alchimists of the blessed stone by which Mydas like all mettals that were touched were presently transmuted into Gold or Silver All which are found vain fictitious and false c. Whatsoever the monstrous Mathematicians the prodigious Magicians the envious Alchymists and bewitching Necromancers can do by spirits See where their Faith is placed where their hope is reposed who endeavour to subject the Elements Heavens Fate Nature Providence God and all things to the command of one Magician and seek for the preservation of a kingdom from Devils the enemies of publike preservation Saying in their heart with Ochoziâ—s there is not a God in Israel let us go and consult Beelzebub the God of Acbron c. Are they not delivered over to a reprobate sense who desire the certainty of secret counsels from the Devil the father of lies and hope for victory elsewhere them from the Lord of Hosts All these ungodly follies are wont to bring destruction to the admirers thereof to which truly they who especially confide are made the most unfortunate of all men Surely it is unknown to these Fools and Slaves of the Devil for to finde out things to come and to pronounce truth concerning those things which hang over our heads and are occult and from heaven portended unto men and to effect things which exceed the common course of Nature c. O Fools and wicked Who by these Arts would establish a kingdom by which formerly most potent Empires have fallen and have been utterly overthrown It is now time to speak of the Mathematical disciplines which are reputed to be the most certain of all other and yet they all consist not but in the opinions of their own Doctors to whom much faith is given who also have erred in them not a little Which Albumasar one of them attests to us saying that the Antients even since Aristotles time have not plainly known the Mathematicks For seeing all these Arts are chiefly conversant about the spherical or round whether figure or number or motion they are forced at length to confesse that a perfect round or spherical is no where to be found neither according to Art nor according to Nature And these disciplines although they have
a voyce crying out Depart we from hence Four yeeres before one Iesus the sonne of Ananias a plaine Countreyman cried out in a propheticall spirit while the City was yet in peace and abundance A voyce from the East a voyce from the West a voyce from the foure windes a voyce upon Hierusalem and upon the Temple a voyce upon the bridegroomes and the brides a voyce upon all the people At which the Elders were moved and caused him to be sharply punished but he changed not his voyce neither for feare nor stripes nor threats nor perswasions but at every stripe cried out woe to Hierusalem At length they weary with inflicting gave him over for one mad and that knew not what he said But he still continued in the same sad tune till the very beginning of the siege and then he ceased as one that needed denounâ—â— no more seeing the thing denounced was now come to passe Onely after the fire was already begun in the City and the Temple going about the wall he began to cry again Wo to the City the people and the Temple and woe also to me and so being smitten with something that was sling'd at him he died Many of the Astrologers conjecturing many things upon the geniture of Nero the saying of his father Domitius was held for the aptest presage that nothing could come from him and Agrippina but must be detestable and born for the publique evill Hannibal well noting the unskilfulnesse and temerity of Terentius varro and Caius Flaminius divined of the Romans defeat and the Affricans victory against all the Soothsayers or diviners Hippocrates writing of two brothers sickning alike and recovering alike supposed them therefore to be twins and so fetcht the cause from their like temper and constitution in their generation and conception but Possidonius a stoicke and much addicted to Astrology would needs have it to be from the constitution of the Stars at their conception and birth St. Augustine gives judgement for the physitian against the Mathematitian grounded upon the disposition of the parents the soyle the nutrition c. and not upon the influence of the Stars Three brothers sonnes to the Cimmerian King contending about their fathers kingdome were content to referre themselves to Ariopharnes King of Thrace whom he judged worthiest of it Who gave judgement after this manner better then all the Ariolaters He caused their fathers body to be taken out of the Sepulchre and to be tied to a tree to see which of them could shoot neerest their fathers heart The eldest shot his father in the throat the second hit him in the brest the youngest would rather lose his hopes then shoot at all And to him for his pieties sake he designed the Kingdom Charles the great or as some say his sonne beholding a stupendous Comet one Egmund alias Egmard an Astrologer willing to have him thereby apprehend some fearfull mutations either to his person or to his dominions yet because he would seem not to terrifie him too much made use of those words of Scripture both against his own art and mind Be not dismayed at the signes of Heaven To whom the Emperour answered very devoutly We feare not Comets or prodigious signes but the maker of them and us and magnifie his mercy that would thus admonish us provoking and slothfull sinners by these or any other his tokens Frederick the third when a Countreyman came before him complaining that one of his horses was stoln out of his Inne askt where the thiefe was that said the Countreyman he could not tell How chance said the Emperor he stole not both thy horses as well as one The man answered the other was a Mare and not fit for a souldiers use whereupon instead of going to a wise man to finde out stolne goods the Emperour advised him to lead his mare up and down the severall streets and lanes and so by their mutuall neighing the thiefe came to be discovered In the time of Edward sirnamed the Martyr there appeared a terrible blazing Starre which the Wizzards and the vulgar would have to portend this and that but the more wise and religious said it was a signe of Gods anger for their wickednesse against the married Clergy The mother of George Castriot called Scanderbeg dreamed she was brought to bed of a Serpent which covered all Albania and devoured many Turks His father Iohn Prince of Albania hearing of this dream would seek for no exposition either of Oracles or Soothsayers but cheared his wife telling her he foresaw she should be delivered of a sonne an excellent warrior a great scourge of the Turks and a defender of the Christian faith Luctatius Catulus a notable Romane in the first Punick war was advised by the Senate not to consult the fortune of the praeâ—estine lots Because the Commonwealth ought to be administred by patriall auspications that is by prudent counsels and not by forraine divinations And by this means he prospered and put an end to that war Apollo foreseeing the ruine of the Athenians counselled them for their safety to betake themselves to wooden walls sc their ships which very thing Themistocles out of his prudent observation had advised before Solon gave warning of the tyranny that should infest the state of Athens For which saith Cicero I may call him a prudent man but not a Diviner Because prudence was able to forespeak such a thing without Divination Divitiacus Heduus led more by Physiology then Astrology and by reason more then both as concerning the events of things future would never be drawn on alone by the augury of a divining Priest but would still adde thereunto his own prudent and rationall conjecture And by that alwaies ruled his affaires rather then by the other Otanes a noble Persian and most sagacious in conjecture suspecting the Magicians usurpation in suborning a false King a Pseudo Smerdis for the true Smerdis being slain by Prazaspes a Magician and Patizites a Magician setting up his brother Smerdis a Magician who was in all parts very like the other Otanes advised his daughter a concubine to feele about the Pseudo Smerdis his head for Cambyses had cut off both the Magicians eares for distinction sake and thus cunningly finding out the truth they conspired against the usurping Magicians and slew them Agathocles made an oration to his souldiers whereby they were much encouraged But an ecclipse of the Sunne hapned at which they were not a little terrified Wherefore the King as carefull to give a reason of that as of the warre told them that if it had hapned before they set forth the prodigie might have portended something against them that made the expedition but seeing it fell out after their setting forth all the portent must needs be against them against whom the expedition was made And thus he encouraged them again and proâ—ved victorious William the Conquerour comming out of his ship to enter upon the English shore his foot chanced to slip so
these are recorded by sundry Historians to have ascended the Papal chair by Magical and Necromantick Arts. And it is of equal observation that their covetousnesse as well as their ambition did induce them thereunto Certain of the Indians look what wares they had lost by shipwrack they sought to recover them from the sea again by incantations Stuphius used to pay his Army with Magical money Agrippa offered Charles the fifth to gain him infinite treasures by Magical means Macrianus an hungry Greek would needs go conjure for treasure in the Isle Paros and the earth swallowed him up A Prior with two of his fellowes entring into a den neer Puteoli to finde treasure miserably perishtthere and was never seen more A poor artificer of Basil diving into another low vault for the same purpose found nothing but dead mens bones and was so poysoned with the stench that he dyed within two or three dayes after At Pisa some tried in like manner but were so infested with devils that they were forced to give over the work In the west of Wales a certain rich man dreamed three nights together that there was a chain of gold hidden under the head Stone which covered St Bernaces well he believing his repeated dream and minding to make tryal put his hand into the hole and had it most venomously bitten by a poysonous serpent A certain prosessor of Chymistry which is a kinde of praestigious covetous cheating Magick would shew hands and feet of gold which he pretended to have composed by his art and so had made himself rich and many others poor At length he offered a golden bridle bit to Anastasius the Emperour who answered him thou hast deceived many but thou shalt not deceive me and so cast him into prison and there he dyed Two Chymists had agreed upon a cheat that one of them should turn druggist and sell strange roots and powders the other to follow still his gold finding trade and so he offered his service to Ernest Marquesse of Badeu who was wonderful given to that vanity To work they go and all things proceed well onely one ingredient was wanting which is called Resch precending it a cheap commodity and to be had at every Apothecaries shop The Prince sends his Page â—or some of it and his other partner was hard by the door exposing it to sale and lets him have a great deal of it for a matter of a shilling and the impostor puts in this dust among the rest and at length produces pretty store of gold The Marquesse wonderful glad of the effect richly rewards the man for bringing the art to that perfection and so dismisses him minding to practice it by himself which he doth with some happy successe as long as the Resch lasted which was a counterfeit powder mixt with the filings of gold this being spent he sends to the Apothecaries for more and none of them could tell that ever they had seen or heard of such a commodity And then the Prince perceived the imposture when neither it nor either of the inventers of it were any where to be found A certain Spanish pretending Alchymist comming to Antwerp set up his furnace and got acquainted with foure rich Spanish Merchants He fell to inveigh against their slow trading and slender return advising them to joyn with him and become compartners in his Art the truth whereof he would soon demonstrate to their senses and so they should be rich in a short time and without any great adventure Give him but such a little summe of gold and they should quickly see how his Gold-begetting art would multiply it The Merchants are content to venture so much for the experiment As all was working he hastily bids send of the Merchants men for two royals worth of the stone Onastros to be had at any Apothecaries shop as he was going he pretends there must be no delay and therefore bids goe to the next Apothecary with whom he had left a massie piece of gold crusted over and coloured as if it had been a stone and left order that whosoever came to aske for Onastros they should have that and at a very low rate This being brought he plyes the furnace according to all circumstances and at length drawes out a wedge of Gold in weight and value triple to that they had put in The Merchants send it to the Goldsmiths and it really abides and answers the touch At this there is exceeding rejoycing and they are sworn not to reveale his secret experiment to any And now they offer to trust him and his art with hundreds nay and thousands To which he seemed more modest then at the first But in an evening cals upon them for the largest summes they had offered to venture pretending to begin the like experiment very early the next morning which having got into his hands he took horse that night and so rode away into France One Constantine a famous Alchymist told this story of some of his fellows that they greedy of Gold blew long without either livelihood or hope of it and then consulted with a paredriall of theirs the divell to let them understand if they were defective in any riâ—e or ceremony requisite to the Art that they mist so of their expected end To this the Divell made no other answer but Labour labour Whereupon they fell to work a fresh and plyed every thing hard till all was conâ—umed away then came the divel thundering and scattered abroad all that was left and made all their geare to fly a pieces and laught at it when he had done Besides Dardanians such as by magicall and maleficall arts would transfer others stocks into their own fields and others heaps of Corn into their own barnes and garners they were also called Saecularians because by the same art they would charm and convey the money out of others purses into their owne Cicero records that Demosthenes almost 300 yeeres before him complained that the Pythian Oracle did 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 flatter Philip then in power and prognosticated altogether on his part and was to that purpose corrupted by him And addâ—s that the like was to be suspected of the Delphian Oracle of his daies Apollo flattered Lycurgus for giving Laws and knew not therefore whether he should stile him a God or a man And Lycurgus flattered him again pretending his Laws to proceed from his divining Oracles although some of them were such that old wives and slaves might easily have both predicted and edicted Archilocbus a viperine Satyrist and not onely so but a petulant obscure Poet for which the Lacedaemonians supprest his bookes and banisht the Author yet was he therefore highly commended by Apollo who foretold his father that such his sonne should be famous among men And when he was slaine the Delphian Oracle not onely condemned their wickednesse but commended still Archilocbus his wit Cypselus and Phalaris two egregious tyrants yet both praised by Apollo's Oracle and the one