Selected quad for the lemma: virtue_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
virtue_n	draw_v	iron_n	loadstone_n	1,525	5	13.0457	5	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A28798	Frier Bacon his discovery of the miracles of art, nature, and magick faithfully translated out of Dr. Dees own copy by T.M. and never before in English.; De mirabili potestate artis et naturae. English	Bacon, Roger, 1214?-1294.; T. M.	1659 (1659)	Wing B373; ESTC R10803	22,920	72

practice ●●en men despising the Rules of Philosophy irrationally call up wicked Spirits supposing them of Energy to satisfie their desires In which there is a very vast errour because such persons imagine they have some authority over Spirits and that Spirits may be compelled by humane authority which is altogether impossible since humane Energy or Authority is inferiour by much to that of Spirits Besides they admit a more vast mistake supposing such natural instruments as they use to be able either to call up or drive away any wicked Spirit And they continue their mistake in endeavouring by Invocations Deprecations or Sacrifices to please Spirits making them propitious to their design Without all question the way is incomparably more easie to obtain any thing that is truly good for men of God or good Angels then of wicked Spirits As for things which are incommodious for men wicked Spirits can no further yeeld assistance then they have permission for the sins of the sonnes of men from that God who governs and directs all humane affairs Hence therefore I shall conclude these things being beyond or rather against the Rules of Wisdome No true Philosopher did ever regard to work by any of these six wayes CHAP. II. Of Charms Figures and their Vse WHat men ought to believe touching Figures Charms and such stuff I shall deliver my opinion Without doubt there is nothing in these dayes of this kind but what is either deceitfull dubious or irrational which Philosophers formerly invented to hide their secret operations of Nature and Art from the eyes of an unworthy generation For instance if the virtue of the Load-stone whereby it draws iron to it were not discovered some one or other who hath a mind hereby to cosen the people so goes about his businesse as lest any by-stander should discover the work of attraction to be natural he casts Figures and mutters forth some Charmes Thus many things lie dark in Philosophical writings in which the wiser sort of Readers will expresse so much discretion as reject the Figures and Charmes eying the works of Nature and Art that so they may see the mutual concurrence of animate and inanimate creatures occasioned by Natures conformity not any efficacy of Figures or Charmes This is the cause why the unlearned crew have judged such natural or artificial operations to be meerly Magical And some fond Magicians beleeve That their casting of Figures and Charmes was the sole cause of such operations hereupon leaving their natural and artificial operations have stuck close to their erroneous casting of Figures and Charms And thus they both have by their own folly deprived themselves of the benefit of the others wisdome In times past godly and religious men or rather God himself or his good Angels composed several Prayers which yet may retain their primitive virtue As to this day in several Countreys certain prayers are made over hot irons and water in the River c. By which the innocent are ci●ared and guilty condemned yet all this is done by the Authority of the Church and her Prelates Our Priests exercise their holy water as formerly the Iews did in the Old Testament in making the water of Tryal whereby the wife was tryed whether she were an adultresse or honest Not to instance in others of the like nature Concerning those Secrets which are revealed in Magicians writings although they may contain some truth yet in regard those very truths are enveloped with such a number of deceits as it 's not very easie to judge betwixt the truth and falshood they ought all worthily to be rejected Neither must men be believed who would assure us That Solomon or some other of our sage Progenitors were Authors of such Books because those Books are not received either by the Churches Authority or by any prudent men but only by a few cheating Companions to be the works of such men Mine own experience assures me they compose and set forth new works and inventions of their own in lofty high flown expressions the more colourably to make their lies passe under the shelter of the Text prefixing some specious titles the better to set them off impudently ascribe such bastard births to famous Authors Figures are either composed of words involved in the formes of letters invented to contain the sense of some * speech or prayer or they are made according to the face of the Heavens in proper and select seasons The Figures of the former sort must have the same sentence that I gave of prayers formerly as for Figures and * Impressions of the other kind unlesse they be made in their peculiar seasons they are not of any efficacy And hence it is that all wise men think they effect nothing who only go according to their prescribed Characters not at all regarding more than the bare external forme The more knowing sonnes of Art dispose all their works of Nature and Art according to the power of the Heavens casting their work under a right Constellation no lesse than the casting it in a right Figure Now in regard there is much difficulty to discern the motion of Celestial Bodies many are cousened and very few know how to begin their work either profitably or truly Hence it comes to passe that the croud of judicious Mathematicians and Starre gazers effect little and that unprofitable while the more expert Professours who sufficiently understand their own Art attain many conveniences both by their Operations and Judgements in select and proper opportunities And yet let us take notice how the Physician or he that would re-erect a drooping soul effects his designe by the use of Figures or Charmes which in themselves are meerly fictitious as Constantine the Physician is of opinion Physicians use Figures or Charmes not for any prevalency in them but that the raising of the soul is of great efficacy in the curing of the body and raising it from infirmity to health by oy and confidence is done by Charmes for they make the Patient receive the Medicine with greater confidence and desire exciting courage more liberal belief hope and pleasure The Physician then who would magnifie his cure may work some way of exciting hope and confidence in his Patient not that hereby he should cheat but stirre up the sick to believe he shall recover which if we pin our faith on Co●stantines sleeve is very tolerable Upon this account he defends the hanging Charmes or Figures about the Neck The soul no question is of much prevalenc● by reason of its strong affections over its proper body as Avicen saith in lib. de anima 8. animal to which all wise men accord Hereupon it was that they concluded sick persons should be delighted by the company of children to play before them and other pleasing objects Yea they frequently consent to such things as please the appetite though they be obnoxious to their disease because affection desire and hope of