and ashes Hamilear the Carthaginian Captaine led on by the Ariolists sacrificed all the while he was in fight in hope of better successe but finding it in the discomfiture of his party to fall out on the contrary he cast himselfe as a desperate sacrifice into the fire to quench it with his blood that had put him in so great hopes and stood him in so little stead Rhadagusus a King of the Gothes in warring against the Romans did nothing almost but immolate or sacrifice for auspication or divinations sake so that they began boastingly to spread abroad Rhadagusus who had reconciled to himselfe the protection and assistance of such Gods was sure to overcome But nevertheless he was taken and slain with above 100000. of his army Papyrius Cursor oppugning Aquilonia the Pullarian Auspicator would needs be presaging clean contrary to his tokens whose fallacie being found out the Consul praesumed a good omen notwithstanding and beginning the fight caused the lying Augur to be placed in the front and the first dart that was cast by the enemy struck him stark dead Eudemus being foretold by a cunning dream-speller that although he was now in exile yet he should return to his own Land within five yeares within which space he notwithstanding dyed in â—â—racusa but to make his prediction good he said he meant his grave which is every mans own land Constantia an honourable dame of Rome having received assurance from Astrologers of a long healthfull and most happy life fell sick within sive daies after of a burning feaver and finding that there was no way but death she strained her husbands hand and concluded both her speech and life with these complaining words Behold what truth is in the vain pregnosticates of fond Astrologers Ninus who detested all Astrologers with their deceipts suppressed Zoroastes who would deale in nothing without their encouragement Pompey with his guard of prophets lost his head and Caesar by contempt of Oracles subdued his enemies Iustinian exiling all sorts of false Prophets with their bag and baggage did flourish as a Conquerour whereas Iulian admitting them with all their packs of falshoods and blasphemous lies did perish as a castaway At such time as Brittanicus waited for the great lot of the Roman Empire by the comfort and encouragement of a vaine Astrologer he lost both life and all by the rigour of a bloody Tyrant Thrasillus the Mathematician whom Tiberius had taken into familiarity presaging good things upon the sight of a ship but things falling out contrary to what he predicted Tiberius was purposed as they walked together to cast him down a praecipice for a falsary and an intruder into his secrets Seneca by a pretty fancy bringeth in Mercury perswading with the Gods that they would abridge the life of Claudius if not for any other cause yet even for pitty and compassion of the poore Astrologers who had already been taken with so many lies from yeare to yeere about this point as if the destinies were not more favourable then their grounds were sure the credit of Astrology would decay for ever St. Ambrose telleth of one that prognosticated great store of raine to fall after an exceeding drought but none was seen till it was obtained by the prayers of the Church Galen writeth that none of all those Prophets and Astrologers whose skill was commended and their depth admired in his time at Rome gave any perfect judgement either as touching the disease the continuance or cure thereof Manfredus a rare Doctor of Astrology assured Ordelaphius a Prince in Italy that that very yeere wherein he died if there were any certain knowledge by his art he should not end his life before extremity of age had made him lame and unweldy Paulus Florentinus lived till 85 yeeres of age and yet he would assure his friends in private that he never found one comfort that might promise long life in the figure of his birth but sudden death with many tragicall and most lamentable accidents The great dearth of Cattle which was so certainly expected by the Calculators Anno 1558. turned to a wonderfull encrease of all kinds of sustenance At the same time that the fond Bohemians were affraid to be consumed with sudden sire that should come down from Heaven as some preachers gave warning they were almost drowned with a second Flood by means of excessive showres spring-tides and store of land-waters that ranne down with immoderate abundance as if God had resolved to descry the falshood of their jugling At another time the people were so scared with an universall feare of waters scattered aboad by prophets of this kind as a certain Abbot seeking to prevent the worst built him a Tabernacle upon the top of Harrow on the Hill but the conclusion is that before Summer was halfe spent all the ditches were drawn dry and the castle perished for lack of water Paul Flerent noting two constellations under which the State of Florence was refreshed after long and bloudy warres findeth them so crosse and opposite one to another as himselfe is forced to confesse that small light of assurance may be taken from the blaze of this Beacon Pencer prognosticated upon the last Comet that our bodies should be parched and burned up with heat but how fell it out Forsooth we had not a more unkindly Summer for many yeeres in respect of 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 calling 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 thou 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
while he went forth so to doe he sacrificed it for the advantage of himselfe and his like Libo Drusus a loose rash young man was encouraged by Firmius Catus through the confidence of Chaldean promises magicall mysteries and interpretations of dreams to make insurrection against Tiberius Caesar but in the end was driven desperately his servants refusing to lay violent hands upon himselfe Immediately upon this the Senate consulted for the expelling of the Mathematicians and Magicians out of Italy and L. Pitnanius one of their number was cast down a Rock In Catilines conspiracy Lentulus was accused both by his letters and speeches which he used out of the Sybils books that the Kingdom of Rome was presaged to three of the Cornelian family viz. Cinna and Silla and himselfe the third to whom it was fated And moreover that now was the twentieth yeare from the burning of the Capitoll concerning which the haruspicks by their prodigies had given answer that civill warres there should be rife and bloody The haruspicks portended great and wonderfull things for the promotion of Caius Marius his ambition In the second Punick warre befides a tumult and distraction in the State such a confusion there was in religion as the cause and continuance of the other that men women young old noble plebeians all sacrisiced and prophecyed as they listed and he or she was no body that could not presage of one disastrous event or another Apollo gave such perplexed answers to the Lacedaemonians in their troubles that a Pagan Philosopher was provoked to tell him plainly If thou hadst answered thus in quiet times it had seemed frivolous to all only thy ignorance lurkes under our feares and distraction because such things are most impressing and credited in such kind of times Apuleius saith St. Augustine an Affricane and therefore best known to us Affricanes for all his magicall arts could not attain to a Kingdom no nor yet to any judiciall power in a Commonwealth for all his judiciary Astrologie Did he modestly contemn these things as a Philosopher Nay did he not hunt and hire and contend with the Citizens of Choas where he marryed a wife about the setting up of a Statue to him So that if he arrived at no greatnesse it was not because he had no will but no power A certain prophecy given out and published at Rome at the removing of the Emperour Tiberius that he should never return any more occasioned the death of many well disposed Citizens who ventring too farre upon this little ground to discharge their Countrey from the clog of servitude were cut off by cruelty About the same time Furius Scribonianus was exiled because he had enquired after the Princes death by Chaldeans or Astrologers Mahomet and Sergius both of them by magicall and praestigious tricks set up themselves the one for a King the other for a Prophet Fredericke Barbarossa leading an army against them of Millaine they sent an Arabian magician to play the veneficke and take away his life by poyson which being discovered and he apprehended notwithstanding he threatned that he could doe it with words and would doe it unlesse he were dismist yet this moved not the King to feare his malefice but he therefore inflicted on him the sharper punishment Pope Iulius the third gave a Cardinals hat to a youth whom he favoured and being askt the reason of it said That he found by Astrology that it was the youths destiny to be a great Prelate which was impossible except himselfe were Pope and therefore that he did raise him as the driver on of his owne Fortune Certaine rude uncivill clowns under a colour of a prophecy that they should conquer and subdue the holy Land raked a sort of vagabonds and bankrupts together who falling forthwith to spoyle and robbery were hanged upon Gibbets almost in every Countrey as they past The young Duke of Viseo in Portingale having once been pardoned by Don Ivan el Grande at the suit of the Queen his sister was encouraged by the Mathematicians and Astrologers to rebell again with assurance that he should obtaine the Crown whereof he not onely failed but besides was deprived of his life by the course of ordinary justice My Lord of Northampton tels the story of two Countreymen of ours one sometimes professing Greeke in Cambridge the other of the same calling one contriving treason sedition or faction from the starres but clapt under hatches when the planets promised most fortunate successe the other undutifully taking armes against his Soveraigne and often confessing he had never dealt in that attempt but by encouragement of a certain prophecy that he should prevaile against his Prince by popular devotion 28. Of impostorous Magicke and Astrologie the causes of preposterous villany or the Magastromancers instigating to those execrable acts which otherwise had never been invented or intended And other cursed consequents CAracalla remaining in Mesopotamia sent to Maternus whom he had left Governour of Rome to assemble all the Astrologers and Mathematicians and procure them to give their opinions secretly whether there were any conspiracies on foot against him and to give their judgements how long he should live and what death he should die Maternus did so and as the Astrologers had advised wrote that Macrinus his prefect was the conspirator and therefore did warn him to see Macrinus dispatcht out of the way As the Letter came to Caracalla he was at that instant upon a sport which he would not intermit so committed the Letters to Macrinus to read over and make report of their contents to him afterwards Macrinus in perusall of them finding himselfe accused of such treason as he never thought of and doomed or necessitated to it by Astrologicall judgement and considering the Emperours jealous cruelty and Maternus his envy thought there could now be no safety for him either in excusing or delaying and so set Martial a discontented Centurion whose brother he had caused to be put to death to murder him Among the other prodigies that were said to prognosticate Domitians death there was seen a crown encircling about the Sunne Now because Stephanus signifies a Crown the Astrologers would have the Crown to signifie Stephanus and he must be the man thus destinied to dispatch Domitian and this very thing was it that heartned him to doe the deed Dioclesian because a Druid or Sorceresse had foretold him that he should be Emperour after he had slain a Boare he not onely killed all the Boares he could but slew all the men he knew that had the name of Aper or Boare Valens understanding by a constellated figure that one should succeed him whose name began with Θ. or Th. thereupon caused divers to be slaine whose names began after that manner Edward the fourth wrought the death of George Duke of Clarence his brother instigated thereunto by a foolish prophecy that one whose name began with a G. should succeed him It was upon a prophecy or prediction that Mackbeth slew
Duncane King of Scots and likewise Banquo his chiefest friend because of a prophecy that his posterity should succeed in the Kingdome Again upon a Wizards prophecy or prediction that he should never be slain by any man born of a woman nor vanquished till the wood of Bernane came to the Castle of Dunsinane this made him give up himselfe securely to all kind of wickednesse Nisaeus tyrant of Syracuse being foretold of his death by a Soothsayer thereupon riotously lavisht away all his wealth beforehand So did a rich man of Lions upon the calculating of his Nativity but lived and beg'd along time after Natholocus King of Scots desirous to understand somewhat of the issue of his troubles sent a trusty servant of his to enquire of a Witch who consulting with her spirits told him the King should be murdered not by the hands of his enemies but by one of his most familiar friends The messenger demanding instantly by whose hands Even by thine said she Whereupon he defyed her and bad her goe like an old witch and trusted he should see her burnt ere he should be drawne to doe so villanous a deed intending to signifie it sincerely to the King himselfe But by the way as he returned many fears and suspitions arose in his mind especially that the Kings jealousie would not be satisfied with his innocency so that he thought it the surest way for himselfe to doe the deed and thus induced he did it Cambyses dreaming that his brother Smerdis should raigne because he thought he saw him sitting in a regall Throne contrived his death by the means of one Praxaspes a magician who peradventure had either magically sent that dream or else interpreted to that purpose From an old orientall prophecy that about that time such as came out of the land of Iudaea should obtaine the whole government of affairs the Jews slew their governour and rebelled but to their own miserable destruction Vespasian being admonished by the Mathematicians to take heed of Metius Pomposianus because he had an imperiall Genesis whom though he wiser then to give credit unto such things neverthelesse preferred yet Domitian was drawn to put him to death upon the selfe same occasion 29. Of Magastromancers cluding Authority and deluding themselves in a presumption of impunity CLeomedes for many portentous malefices being fast shut up in a close sepulchre or coffin with a cover that many men could hardly lift laid upon it to keepe him safe against the day of triall when the day came he was vanished thence and not there to be found neither alive nor dead When they consulted the Oracle about his portentous escape it commended him for it as one of the last of the Heroes Apollonius Tyanaeus being convented before Domitian when he thought to take punishment of the Magician he forthwith vanished out of his presence Apuleius accused for magicall Arts and practices before Claudius a Christian Magistrate instead of confessing his fault fell to calumniate and traduce the very Laws for exhibiting the same under such penalties One Diodorus or Leodorus a most portentous Conjurer being therefore condemned and led to execution by his enchantments slipt out of the executioners hands and conveyed himselfe in the ayre from Catana in Sicily to Constantinople At last the Bishop of Catana caught him at unawares and caused him to be burnt in a fiery furnace At Cullen a certain Damsell being cited for playing of prestigious tricks she did many jugling feats before the Nobles as rending of towels breaking of glasses and presently making them whole againe c. which made them vain sport and they conclude them to be but joculatory pranks and so she escaped the Inquisitour David Ebroy a magicall Jew made those of his Nation believe that he was the Messiah come to free them from the servitude of the uncircumcised The King of Persia apprehending him he by his sleights escaped out of prison crossed a broad river and could never be overtaken One Caesarius Maltes a praestigious Jugler being taken at Paris escaped prison by his circulatory tricks for which being questioned again in another place and condemned the Governour by his power and against Law reprieved him as much taken with his feats of Leigerdemaine But nothing prospered after that in his government and he died not long after In the territories of Berne one Scaphius boasted that he could scape invisible when he pleased and so had oft times avoyded the hands of his capitall enemies At length when he grew ripe both for divine and humane vengeance he was espied by those that laid wait to apprehend him through a window and was so slain with a speare when he least dreamt of his death Caius Marius a man ignoble and a cruell author of civill warres after the first fight wherein he was vanquished by Sylla being taken naked and muddy by the enemy he was brought to the Minturnians and delivered to the Governour of the City who sitting in councell upon him gave sentence that he should be put to death presently and seeing none of the Citizens would undertake the execution they committed it to a Cimbrian horsman or some say a Frenchman who about to dispatch the businesse heard a great voyce out of a dark place Thou man darest thou kill Marius at which the man affraid let fall his weapon and ran away crying he durst not doe the deed and so he escaped At Venice a certaine maleficall Sorcerer being condemned made all the locks fall off and doors fly open onely by a confection of certain herbs and mussitation of certain charms and so went his way 30. Of God and the Starres and men blasphemed accused calumniated defamed by or by the means of Magicians and Astrologers ALexander in a distempered mood having slaine Clytus his plaine but trusty friend afterwards ashamed of so foule a fact and having no other way to excuse so vile and dishonourable an action he urged his eligion spellers to try their fatidicall arts and to enquire whether it was not the ire of the Gods that had necessitated him so to doe and in conclusion after much calculating inspecting consulting the Gods are made to bear the blame in fatally enforcing so foule an act A certaine fatidicall Philosopher beating his servant for a fault the servant cried out of his masters injustice for punishing him for doing a thing that was not in his own will or power Seeing he himselfe had taught that men are fatally necessitated to doe either well or ill St. Augustine reports of a Mathematician in his time who was wont to say It was not men that lusted but Venus not men that killed but Mars not men that stole but Mercury It was not God that helpt or favoured but Iupiter c. Iustin Martyr Marullus Symeon Athanasius Eusebius Emissenus were calumniated and slandered by Magicians and Astrologers as if they had been the worst of them themselves Kunegunde they say was defamed for a whore by a diabolicall wizzard