here let us place the foundation of all wisdom after the wisdom of God revealed in the holy Scriptures and to the Considerations proposed in Nature Appoint therefore to him who solely dependeth upon God the wisdom of every creature to serve and obey him nolens volens willing or unwilling And in this the Omnipotency of God shineth forth It consisteth therefore in this that we will discern the creatures which serve us from those that are unwilling and that we may learn how to accommodate the wisdom and offices of every creature unto our selves This Art is not delivered but divinely Unto whom God will he revealeth his secrets but to whom he will not bestow any thing out of his treasuries that person shall attain to nothing without the will of God Therefore we ought truly to desire 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 from God alone which will mercifully impart these things unto us For he who hath given us his Son and commanded us to pray for his holy Spirit How much more will he subject unto us the whole creature and things visible and invisible Whatsoever ye ask ye shall receive Beware that ye do not abuse the gifts of God and all things shall work together unto you for your salvation And before all things be watchful in this That your names be written in Heaven this is more light That the spirits be obedient unto you as Christ admonisheth Aphor. 12. In the Acts of the Apostles the Spirit saith unto Peter after the Vision Go down and doubt not but I have sent them when he was sent for from Cornelius the Centurion After this manner in vocal words are all disciplines delivered by the holy Angels of God as it appeareth out of the Monuments of the Aegyptians And these things afterwards were vitiated and corrupted with humane opinions and by the instigation of evil spirits who sow tares amongst the children of disobedience as it is manifest out of St. Paul and Hermes Trismegistus There is no other manner of restoring these Arts then by the doctrine of the holy Spirits of God because true faith cometh by hearing But because thou mayst be certain of the truth and mayst not doubt whether the spirits that speak with thee do declare things true or false let it only depend upon thy faith in God that thou mayst say with Paul I know on whom I trust If no sparrow can fall to the ground without the will of the Father which is in heaven How much more will not God suffer thee to be deceived O thou of little faith if thou dependest wholly upon God and adherest only to him Aphor. 13. The Lord liveth and all things which live do live in him And he is truly 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 who hath given unto all things that they be that which they are and by his word alone through his Son hath produced all things out of nothing which are in being He calleth all the stars and all the host of heaven by their names He therefore knoweth the true strength and nature of things the order and policy of every creature visible and invisible to whom God hath revealed the names of his creatures It remaineth also that he receive power from God to extract the vertues in nature and hidden secrets of the creature and to produce their power into action out of darkness into light Thy scope therefore ought to be that thou have the names of the Spirits that is their powers and offices and how they are subjected and appointed by God to minister unto thee even as Raphael was sent to Tobias that he should heal his father and deliver his son from dangers and bring him to a wife So Michael the fortitude of God governeth the people of God Gabriel the messenger of God was sent to Daniel Mary and Zachary the father of John Baptist And he shall be given to thee that desirest him who will teach thee whatsoever thy soul shall desire in the nature of things His ministry thou shalt use with trembling and fear of thy Creator Redeemer and Sanctifier that is to say the Father Son and holy Ghost and do not thou let slip any occasion of learning and be vigilant in thy calling and thou shalt want nothing that is necessary for thee Aphor. 14. Thy soul liveth for ever through him that hath created thee call therefore upon the Lord thy God and him only shalt thou serve This thou shalt do if thou wilt perform that end for which thou art ordained of God and what thou owest to God and to thy neighbour God requireth of thee a minde that thou shouldst honour his Son and keep the words of his Son in thy heart if thou honour him thou hast done the will of thy Father which is in heaven To thy neighbour thou owest offices of humanity and that thou draw all men that come to thee to honour the Son This is the Law and the Prophets In temporal things thou oughtest to call upon God as a father that he would give unto thee all necessaries of this life and thou oughtest to help thy neighbour with the gifts which God bestoweth upon thee whether they be spiritual or corporal Therefore thou shalt pray thus O Lord of Heaven and Earth Creator and Maker of all things visible and invisible I though unworthy by thy assistance call upon thee through thy only begotten Son Jesus Christ our Lord that thou wilt give unto me thy holy Spirit to direct me in thy truth unto all good Amen Because I earnestly desire perfectly to know the Arts of this life and such things as are necessary for us which are so overwhelmed in darkness and polluted with infinite humane opinions that I of my own power can attain to no knowledge in them unless thou teach it me Grant me therefore one of thy spirits who may teach me those things which thou wouldst have me to know and learn to thy praise and glory and the profit of our neighbour Give me also an apt and teachable heart that I may easily understand those things which thou shalt teach me and may hide them in my understanding that I may bring them forth at out of thy inexhaustible treasures to all necessary uses And give me grace that I may use such thy gifts humbly with fear and trembling through our Lord Jesus Christ with thy holy Spirit Amen The third Septenary Aphor. 15. They are called Olympick spirits which do inhabit in the firmament and in the stars of the firmament and the office of these spirits is to declare Destinies and to administer fatal Charms so far forth as God pleaseth to permit them for nothing neither evil spirit nor evil Destiny shall be able to hurt him who hath the most High for his refuge If therefore any of the Olympick spirits shall teach or declare that which his star to which he is appointed portendeth nevertheless he can bring forth nothing into action unless he be permitted by the Divine power It
ungodly wicked or unjust nor to let it once come in his minde and so he shall be divinely defended from all evil Aphor. 40. When the Magician determineth with himself to do any incorporeal thing either with any exteriour or interiour sense then let him govern himself according to these seven subsequent laws to accomplish his Magical end The first Law is this That he know that such a Spirit is ordained unto him from God and let him meditate that God is the beholder of all his thoughts and actions therefore let him direct all the course of his life according to the rule prescribed in the word of God Secondly Alwaies pray with David Take not thy holy Spirit from me and strengthen me with thy free Spirit and lead us not into temptation but deliver us from evil I beseech thee O heavenly Father do not give power unto any lying Spirit as thou didst over Ahab that he perished but keep me in thy truth Amen Thirdly Let him accustome himself to try the Spirits as the Scripture admonisheth for grapes cannot be gathered of thorns let us try all things and hold fast that which is good and laudable that we may avoid every thing that is repugnant to the divine power The fourth is To be remote and clear from all manner of superstition for this is superstition to attribute divinity in this place to things wherein there is nothing at all divine or to chuse or frame to our selves to worship God with some kinde of worship which he hath not commanded such are the Magical ceremonies of Satan whereby he impudently offereth himself to be worshipped as God The fifth thing to be eschewed is all worship of Idols which bindeth any divine power to idols or other things of their own proper motion where they are not placed by the Creator or by the order of Nature which things many false and wicked Magicians faign Sixthly All the deceitful imitations and affections of the devil are also to be avoided whereby he imitateth the power of the creation and of the Creator that he may so produce things with a word that they may not be what they are Which belongeth onely to the omnipotency of God and is not communicable to the creature Seventhly Let us cleave fast to the gifts of God and of his holy Spirit that we may know them and diligently embrace them with our whole heart and all our strength Aphor. 41. We come now to the nine last Aphorismes of this whole Tome wherewith we will the divine mercy assisting us conclude this whole Magical Isagoge Therefore in the first place it is to be observed what we understand by Magician in this work Him then we count to be a Magician to whom by the grace of God the spiritual essences do serve to manifest the knowledge of the whole universe and of the secrets of Nature contained therein whether they are visible or invisible This description of a Magician plainly appeareth and is universal An evil Magician is he whom by the divine permission the evil Spirits do serve to his temporal and eternal destruction and perdition to deceive men and draw them away from God such was Simon Magus of whom mention is made in the Acts of the Apostles and in Clemens whom St. Peter commanded to be thrown down upon the earth when as he had commanded himself as it were a God to be raised up into the air by the unclean Spirits Unto this order are also to be referred all those who are noted in the two Tables of the Law and are set forth with their evil deeds The subdivisions and species of both kindes of Magick we will note in the Tomes following In this place it shall suffice that we distinguish the Sciences which is good and which is evil Whereas man sought to obtain them both at first to his own ruine and destruction as Moses and Hermes do demonstrate Aphor. 42. Secondly we are to know That a Magician is a person predestinated to this work from his mothers wombe neither let him assume any such great things to himself unless he be called divinely by grace hereunto for some good end to a bad end is that the Scripture might be fulfilled It must be that offences will come but wo be to that man through whom they come Therefore as we have before oftentimes admonished With fear and trembling we must live in this world Notwithstanding I will not deny but that some men may with study and diligence obtain some species of both kindes of Magick if it may be admitted But he shall never aspire to the highest kindes thereof yet if he covet to assail them he shall doubtless offend both in soul and body Such are they who by the operations of false Magicians are sometimes carried to Mount Horeb or in some wilderness or desarts or they are maimed in some member or are simply torn in pieces or are deprived of their understanding even as many such things happen by the use thereof where men are forsaken by God and delivered to the power of Satan The seventh Septenary Aphor. 43. The Lord liveth and the works of God do live in him by his appointment whereby he willeth them to be for he will have them to use their liberty in obedience to his commands or disobedience thereof To the obedient he hath proposed their rewards to the disobedient he hath propounded their deserved punishment Therefore these Spirits of their free-will through their pride and contempt of the Son of God have revolted from God their Creator and are reserved unto the day of wrath and there is left in them a very great power in the creation but notwithstanding it is limited and they are confined to their bounds with the bridle of God Therefore the Magician of God which signifies a wise man of God or one informed of God is led forth by the hand of God unto all everlasting good both mean things and also the chiefest corporal things Great is the power of Satan by reason of the great sins of men Therefore also the Magicians of Satan do perform great things and greater then any man would believe although they do subsist in their own limits nevertheless they are above all humane apprehension as to the corporal and transitory things of this life which many ancient Histories and daily Examples do testifie Both kindes of Magick are different one from the other in their ends the one leadeth to eternal good and useth temporal things with thanksgiving the other is a little sollicitous about eternal things but wholly exerciseth himself about corporal things that he may freely enjoy all his lusts and delights in contempt of God and his anger Aphor. 44. The passage from the common life of man unto a Magical life is no other but a sleep from that life and an awaking to this life for those things which happen to ignorant and unwise men in their common life the same things happen to the willing and knowing
sibiipsi simillimus bonorum omnium auriga munera non expectans optimus prudentissimus pater juris sine doctrina justitiam perdoctus natura perfectus sapiens sacrae naturae unicus inventor c. Thus saith Zoroaster word for word God the first incorruptible everlasting unbegotten without parts most like himself the guide of all good expecting no reward the best the wisest the father of right having learned justice without teaching perfect wise by nature and onely inventor thereof So that a Magician is no other but divinorum cultor interpres a studious observer and expounder of divine things and the Art it self is none other quam Naturalis Philosophiae absoluta consummatio then the absolute perfection of Natural Philosophy Nevertheless there is a mixture in all things of good with evil of falshood with truth of corruption with purity The good the truth the purity in every kinde may well be embraced As in the ancient worshipping of God by Sacrifice there was no man knowing God among the Elders that did forbeare to worship the God of all power or condemn that kinde of Worship because the devil was so adored in the Image of Baal Dagon Astaroth Chemosh Jupiter Apollo and the like Neither did the abuse of Astrologie terrifie Abraham if we believe the most ancient and religious Writers from observing the motions and natures of the heavenly bodies Neither can it dehort wise and learned men in these days from attributing those vertues influences and inclinations to the stars and other Lights of heaven which God hath given to those his glorious creatures I must expect some calumnies and obtrectations against this from the malicious prejudiced man and the lazie affecters of Ignorance of whom this age swarmes but the voice and sound of the Snake and the Goose is all one But our stomacks are not now so queazie and tender after so long time feeding upon solid Divinity nor we so umbragious and startling having bin so long enlightned in Gods path that we should relapse into that childish Age in which Aristotles Metaphysicks in a Councel in France was forbid to be read But I incite the Reader to a charitable opinion hereof with a Christian Protestation of an innocent purpose therein and intreat the Reader to follow this advice of Tabaeus Qui litigant sint ambo in conspectu tuo mali rei And if there be any scandal in this enterprise of mine it is taken not given And this comfort I have in that Axiome of Trismegistus Qui pius est summe philosophatur and therefore I present it without disguise and object it to all of candor and indifferencie and of Readers of whom there be four sorts as one observes Spunges which extract all without distinguishing Hour-glasses which receive and pour out as fast Bags which retain onely the dregs of Spices and let the Wine escape and Sieves which retaine the best onely Some there are of the last sort and to them I present this Occult Philosophy knowing that they may reap good thereby And they who are severe against it they shall pardon this my opinion that such their severity proceeds from Self-guiltiness and give me leave to apply that of Ennodius that it is the nature of Self-wickedness to think that of others which themselves deserve And it is all the comfort which the guilty have Not to finde any innocent But that amongst others this may finde some acceptation is the desire of Robert Turner To his special friend Mr. R. Turner on his judicious Translation of Corn. Agrippa AS one that just out of a Trance appears Amaz'd with stranger sights whose secret fears Are scarcely past but doubtful whether he May credit's eyes remaineth stedfastly Fix'd on those objects just like him I stand Rapt in amazement to behold that can By art come neere the gods that far excel The Angels that in those bright Spheres do dwell Behold Agrippa mounting th' lofty skies Talking with Gods and then anon he pries Int ' earths deep cabinet as t' Mercury All kindes of Spirits willing subjects be And more then this his book supplies but we Blinde mortals no wayes could be led to see That light without a taper then thou to us Must be Agrippa and an Oedipus Agrippa once again appears by thee Pull'd out o' th' ashes of antiquity Let squint-ey'd envie pine away whilst thou Wear'st crowns of Praise on thy deserving brow I.P.B. Cantabrigiae To his ingenious friend Mr. Turner upon his Translation THrice-noble Soul renown'd Epitome Of Learning and Occult Philosophie That unknown Geomancie dost impart With profound secrets of that abstruse Art T' expound Natural Magick is thy task Not hell-born Necromancie to unmask Exposing Mysteries to publick view That heretofore were known to very few Thou dost not keepe thy knowledge to thy self As base covetous Misers do their pelf Whose numerous bags of rust-eaten gold Profits none till themselves are laid in mold But studious of Publike good dost make All of th' fruits of thy labours to partake Therefore if some captious Critick blame Thy Writings surely then his judgement 's lame Art hath no hater but an empty pate Which can far better carp then imitate Nay Zoilus or Momus will not dare Blame thy Translation without compare Excellent So that if an hundred tongues Dame Nature had bestow'd and brazen lungs Yet rightly to ebuccinate thy praises I should want strength as well as polite phrases But if the Gods will grant what I do crave Then Enoch's Translation shalt thou have W.P.S. John's Cambr. To his friend the Author on this his Translation VVHat not a Sibyl or Cassandra left Apollo ceas'd Has sharp-fang'd Time bereft Us of the Oracles Is Dodan's grove Cut down Does ne'er a word proceed from Jove Into the ears of mortals that inherit Tiresias soul or the great Calcha's spirit What is become o' th' Augurs that foretold Natures intents Are th' Magi dead that could Tell what was done in every Sphere Shall we Not know what 's done in the remot'st Country Without great travel Can't we below descry The minde o' th' gods above All 's done by thee Agrippa all their Arts lie couch'd in thee Th' Art that before in divers heads did lie Is now collect in t ' one Monopoly But all 's in vain we lack'd an Oedipus Who should interpret's meaning unto us This thou effect'st with such dexterity Adding perhaps what th' Author ne'er did see That we may say Thou dost the Art renew To thee the greater half of th' praise is due J. B. Cantabrigiae To the Author on his Translation of Cornelius Agrippa PAllas of Learning th' art if Goddess nam'd which Prototype thy knowledge hath explain'd Which Nature also striving to combine Science and Learning in this Form of thine To us not darkly but doth clearly shew Knowledge of Mysteries as the shrine in you By thy permission 't is we have access Into Geomancy which yet unless Thou hadst unmask'd a mystery 't had lain
do I account the Hebrews who glory in being the off-spring of their father Abraham to have been better then the former when also by the instinct of the devil after their coming up out of Egypt with cruel hands they violently assaulted the Prophets and holy men of God whom at length they also slew that I may hold my peace how diligently they have brought into their Religion the Gods or rather Devils of the Gentiles Castor I perceive by these thy assertions that one Devil and another Devil hath been adored for Gods for thou hast now said That the Greeks by the madness wherewith the devil possessed them have made unto themselves Saturn Jupiter Bacchus Venus and Flora for Gods which Lactantius in his fourth book De vera Sapientia also accounteth for Devils Pollux Declare I pray thee the words of Lactantius Castor Mark them they are thus The same Devils are the gods of the Gentiles but if any one will not believe these things of me then let him credit Homer who joyneth the great Jupiter to the great Devils and the other Poets and Philosophers do call them sometimes Gods and sometimes Devils whereof there is one true and another false for the most wicked Spirits when they are conjured do confess themselves to be Devils but where they are worshipped they declare themselves to be Gods that they may thrust men into errors and draw them from the worship of the true God through whom alone eternal death can be escaped Pollux It is expedient for me now to be more inquisitive in this discourse whether there be power given to the Devils to foretell things to come concerning which thing hitherto I have not been able to dart at the right mark for this question seemeth sufficiently doubtful unto me Castor St. Augustine in his book De Natura Daemonum dissolveth this Gordoneus knot and saith That the damned Spirits being filled full of all manner of impiety and wickedness do sometimes challenge to themselves power of foreseeing things to come because in the sense of their Aiery bodies they have a fan more strong and prevalent power of fore-knowing then men of earthly bodies can have or because of the incomparable swiftness of their aiery bodies which wonderfully exceedeth not onely the celerity of men and wilde beasts but also the flying of birds by which means they are able to declare things long before they come to be known which we by reason of the earthly slowness of our sense cease not to wonder at and admire or because of the benefit of their continual life they obtain this wonderful experience of things which we cannot attain to because of the shortness of our momentaneous life which is but as it were a bubble Poll. This last assertion of S. Augustine seemeth unto me to be more true then the rest because the Series of many years doth cause great experience Cast If any one shall deny these opinions of Augustine as erroneous Damascenus setteth a greater witness of these things without all exception before our eyes who in his second book of Orthodox Faith saith thus That the devils cannot foreknow things to come for that belongs only unto God but so much as they are able to know they have from the disposition of the celestial and inferiour bodies Poll. Why therefore do the devils so willingly and of their own accord undertake Prophecies and to answer Oracles What benefit have they from hence Cast Nothing but that hereby they seek to get great estimation and covet to be counted worthy of admiration and to be adored in stead of Gods Poll. We know that the devil is the father of lyes Castor from whence we are piously to believe that those things which he foretelleth he extracteth from his own lyes Cast Furthermore the Prophet Esaias saith thus Shew the things that are to come hereafter and tell us that we may know that ye are gods And the Apostle Peter also saith The prophecie came not in old time by the will of man but holy men of God spake as they were moved by the holy Ghost Poll. No man therefore will deny that they do sometimes foretel things to come Cast No man certainly but for what cause that is attained to Chrysostom doth most clearly teach in these words It is granted he saith that sometimes the devil doth speak truth that he might commend his own lying with rare verity whereas if he should never tell the truth he could deceive no man neither would his lying suffice him to tempt with Thus far Chrysostome Notwithstanding if he understand that he hath not grace granted unto him of himself to foretel the truth he foretelleth things nevertheless but so obscurely saith S. Augustine that he always layeth the blame of the things by him so foretold upon the interpreter thereof Porphyrius in his book of Oracles although he be the greatest maintainer of devils and the most expert teacher of diabolical Arts nevertheless he saith with the aforesaid Doctors that the foreknowledge of things to come is not only intricate to men but also uncertain to the gods and full of many obscurities Poll. Thou hast said that the predictions of the devils are done in this manner that they may gain authority to themselves amongst the credulous people and be worshipped instead of Gods for what end do the evil spirits work Miracles Cast What is a Miracle Pollux Poll. A new and unwonted accident which cometh to pass contrary to its course and custom and draweth men into admiration thereof Cast But do they work Miracles Poll. They do for whereby dost thou believe that Aesculapius was honoured in his Consecration for a god but onely by the means of a Miracle when he conveyed a Serpent from Epidaurus to Rome What gave so great authority to Juno but onely the working of a Miracle when her Image of wood was asked by Furius Camillus whether it would be carried to Rome and it answered with a humane voice It would Also from thence Fortune was made a goddess because her Statua in the way to Latium in the hearing of many people not once but oftentimes spoke with a humane voice In the 8 Chapter of the Acts of the Apostles we read of Miracles done by Simon the son of Rachel and in Exod. 8. of the Magicians of Pharoah who in the sight of many people brought forth frogs and serpents and turned the waters into blood Apuleus doth testifie the power of men to be so great in Inchantments that the devils do not only work Miracles by the means of men but they are able also to subvert Nature and with a Demoniacal Incantation make violent streams to stay their course To turn the windes To make the Sun stand still To break the course of the Moon To lay impediments upon the Stars To prolong the day and to shorten the night as Lucanus excellently sheweth Cessavere vices rerum dilataque longa
and aspects What cannot we be fortified with any thing to force and compel them to flie from us Cast Origen in his book against Celsus saith That there is no way more certain then the naming of JESVS the true God For he saith he hath oftentimes seen innumerable spirits so driven away both from the souls and bodies of men St. Athanasius in his book de variis Question testifieth that the most present remedy against the insultation of evil spirits is the beginning of the 67 Psalm Let God arise and let his enemies be scattered Cyprian in his book Quod idola dii non sint commandeth that the devils should be conjured away by the true God Some men have declared that Fire which is the most holy of all enements and the Creed and also the instrument whereon the fire was carried were very profitable for this purpose from whence in their sacrifices about the sepulchres of the dead they diligently observed the use of lights or else from thence that Pythagorus did determine that God could be in no wise truly worshipped without lights burning Some others do binde swords for this intent and purpose taking the same out of the 11 Ode of Homer where be writeth that Vlysses when he offered a sacrifice to his mothen had a sword drawn present by him wherewith he expelled and drove away the spirits from the blood of his sacrifice And in the sixth of Virgil when the Sybil led Aeneas into hell she saith thus Procul O procul esto profani Tuque invade viam vaginaque eripe ferrum Hence hence all ye prophane do thou invade The way and from 'ts confinement take thy blade Philostratus writeth that he compelled Apollonius a spirit obvious to him and his companions to fligh with contumelies and direful imprecations that the vision making a noise and with great horror vanished away from them Very many do much commend a Perfume of Calamint Plony Mint Palma Christi and Parsley to be used in this case Many do keep present with them Red Coral Mugwort Hypericon Rue or Vervin for this purpose Some do use for this business the tinkling of keys sounding of consecrated bells or the terrible ratling of Armour Poll. I have sometimes heard from our Elders that they made them Sigils inscribed with Pentagones by vertue whereof the spirits might be expelled and driven away What sayst thou to these Cast Averrois writing against Algazelus affirmeth such things to be almost nothing worth unless to them that have confederated with the spirits If therefore Averrois saith the truth how then can the devils kingdom stand divided against it self Poll. But we read that Solomon a singular man with God did make such Sigils Cast We do read truly that Solomon did make them but it was at such time when he worshipped Idols and not when he was in the state of salvation Tertullian offeâ—eth a more certain Antidote then all the former and exhorteth us as Job the most strong champion of God to sight against all the assaults of temptations he admonisheth us to be clothed with the silken garment of Honesty the purple-robe of Modesty and Shamefac'dness and the cloak of Patience and he perswadeth us to meditate upon all those things which the devil doth devise and invent to overthrow our integrity that his falling may be proved the glory of our constancy and that we be willing constantly to war against all machinations which are permitted by God for this end And the Prophet Jeremiah teacheth the same in these words The Lord of hosts is the approver of the just D. Maximus in his book de charitate commandeth us to binde and kill the devils He saith we do then binde them when by diligent observation of the Commandments of God we do diminish and quash those affections that do boyl up in us And we are said to kill them when we so truly mortifie our lusts that we cut him of from all occasions of accusing saying with the Prophet Depart O homicide the Lord the strong warrior is with me thou shalt fall and shalt be vanquished from me for ever Olympiadorus 10. cap. when he interpreteth the Ecclesiastical History saith That all sensual appetites are to be shut out and excluded so that the devil may not be admitted neither by the allurements of the eyes nor by itching ears nor by the petulancie and frowardness of a hurtful tongue for this he accounteth to be the most absolute seal against the power of the devils Some do admonish us in our going forth to war against the devil to use two sorts of weapons the one is pure Prayer which may raise up our affections unto heaven and true and perfect knowledge which may communicate and fill our understandings with wholesom doctrines and may suggest unto us what we are to pray for that we may pray ardently according to St. James and not doubtingly In the Prophecie of Isaiah and the Epistles of St. Paul we may finde the same things Isa 59. Eph. 6. and 1 Thess 5. which may be as a remedy against vain Ghosts that they may be expelled Poll. For a remedy against Ghosts Dost thou conceive that a Ghost is divers and different from a spirit Cast I know not truly what I may think hereof for flowing in so spacious a Sea of many opinions I am so led in doubt that I cannot easily attain to a certain Port of judgement for there are some which do suppose that these Ghosts are devils by reason of the great fear and terror wherewith they ragingly molest men by night in their houses and sometimes for their innate nature do do hurt There are others that do believe these Spirits are deceitful fantasies deceiving those that are of evil belief who by their fallacious visions and imaginations do deceive and frighten the inhabitants in their houses and do deny that they are Spirits indeed because the Spirits have a body without hands and feet wherefore they can hurt no man nor make any tumult being ignorant that the Angel who also hath a body without hands and feet did carry Habakkuk with his whole dinner by the hair of his head into Babylon and afterwards brought him back again and set him in his own place neither considering that the Spirit of the Lord also without a body snatched up Philip and carried him to Azotus that I may forbear to speak concerning a certain incorporeal Spirit which did so disquiet the house of my Grandfather that by the space of almost thirty years he caused it to be uninhabitable unless it were when a Lamp was burning therein neither did that then sufficiently quiet the same for going out of the house they did so moleâ—t them with stones from above in the streets that they would cast out of their hands the hearts of Pine-trees which they used for torches Concerning the Ghost that haunted the house of Anthenodorus the Philosopher and the tumultuous spirit of C. Caligula there
and deliverance from the prison of torments Poll. I have sometimes read that the same St. Augustine did write that it is better for a man to doubt of secret things then to contend about things uncertain Cast That is certainly true neither doth he declare himself to be an offence to those who do leave all these things to the unsearchable judgements of God and labour not to finde out the secrets thereof Poll. Because I have easily understood thy answers hitherto I will not desist till thou hast fully resolved me concerning this subject I desire therefore to know whether all Miracles which the devils perform are done really or imaginary phantasies Cast That they perform many things really and many things only seemingly we have already manifested out of the Writings of St. Augustine For that great Prelate of the Christian Church writeth in the 11 Chapter of his book de Trinitate That it is a very easie thing for the wicked Spirits through the aiery substance of their bodies to perform many things which seem wonderful to the souls that are oppressed with earthly bodies to be done He also saith That earthly bodies may be so qualified with art and exercise that in publick Theaters they may perform such wonderful things that those who never have seen them will not believe them but that they were done by the assistance of the devil and his ministers to make their bodies of such an aiery element that the flesh wonders at Or else which is much he saith also That they do contrive with occult inspirations forms and fantasies of images to delude humane sense wherewith waking or sleeping they may be deceived Thus far Augustine But if thou wilt I will produce also another witness without exception Pollux Poll. I would have thee tell me who that is Cast Abbas Tritemius in his third Question to St. Maximus Emilianus which is spoken of before saith thus The devils amongst unfaithful people do seem to raise up the dead to life and to shew miracles to curious men that they might as it were swallow them up with error in stead of miracles and are altogether pertinacious and obstinate but they cannot truly and really raise up the dead but do variously deceive the senses of men shewing them feigned resemblances of the dead For it is certainly manifest that the devils can do all things but only in a false similitude of holy miracles in truth Poll. Some say that the devils are obedient to wicked men because of the similitude of their malice How seemeth that to thee Cast It seemeth to me that they are obedient to evil men but not to all men Poll. But to whom Cast To those certainly with whom they have contracted and made compacts and covenants as those women which they call Pythonists are accounted who have vowed themselves by promise unto him Poll. But although they are compelled to be so serviceable unto them yet is this service true or feigned Cast It is feigned certainly for they are subservient unto men of their own accord and genuine woâ—k that they may deceive them and allure them to themselves Although we do not deny that their service is sometimes true but only towards those men whose faith in the Lord Jesus Christ by the merit of his holiness hath caused them to be acceptable and friends unto him And that Lactantius also testifies in these words in his second book De origine Erroris and 16 Chapter That the devils do fear the just that is those that worship God in whose Name they are conjured to depart out of bodies and with whose words they are beaten as it were with scourges and they do not only confess that they are devils but do declare their names neither can they lye unto the just And the same Lactantius in his fourth book De vera Sapientia Chap. 27. saith That it is necessary that they who are of the true Christian Religion should know the course and order of the devils and understand their subtilty and restrain their force and conquer and subdue them with spiritual weapons and force them to obey them Poll. I am now by thee sufficiently informed of all things which I have hitherto desired to know wherefore I shall not any further trouble thee with my Questions or rather Riddles but leave thee to thy own occasions Cast. Neither have I counted my self idle in answering thee but let the use thereof yield us each to other an equal recompence Farewel therefore Poll. And thee also GERARD CREMONENSIS OF ASTRONOMICAL GEOMANCY BEcause Astronomy is so transcendent and subtil an Art in it self that therein a man ought to have respect unto so many things before he can attain to true judgement thereby because the eye of the understanding will not pierce unto the half thereof and few Doctors of our later time have been found so experienced therein that they know sufficiently how to judge thereby Therefore I have composed this work which I will have to be named Astronomical Geomancy wherein I will sufficiently teach how to judge with less labour and study For in this present Science it is not requisite to behold neither the Ascendent nor the hour in a Table as it is in Astrology It is expedient therefore to make four unequal lines by the points casually set down and to joyn together those points and out of the points which are not joyned together which do remain in the heads of the lines as it is done in Geomancy extract one figure and the sign of the Zodiack that answereth to that figure put for the Ascendent for the words sake If Acquisitio arise from the heads of those four Lines let Aries be placed in the Ascendent if Laetitia or the lesser Fortune put Taurus in the Ascendent if Puer or Rubeus place Gemini if Albus Cancer if Via Leo if Conjunctio or the Dragons Head Virgo if Puella Libra if Amissio or Tristitia Scorpio if the Dragons Tail Sagittary if Populus Capricorn if Fortuna major Aquary if Career then put Pisces for the Ascendent Afterwards in the second House let that sign be placed which immediately succeeds the other In the third House the third Sign and so place the rest in order until you come unto the end of the Signes and make one square figure divided into twelve equal parts and therein place the Signs in order as it is in Astrology and as you may finde them in this figure neither are we here to regard the * witnesses or * Judge or any other thing which belongs to Geomancy but only the sixteen Figures that by them we may have the twelve Signs to which they agree and observe the manner of the Figure as it is here placed Look how the twelve Signes are placed in the figure and so may any other Sign be ascending in his turn as Aries is here ♈ ♉ ☋ ♊ ♄ ♀ ♋ ♌ ♠♃ ♎ ☽ ♠☊ ♠♀ ♑ ☉ â™’ ♂ ♓ Afterwards it