by the Elements Aeromancy or divining by the ayr Pyromancy by fire Hydromancy by water Geomancy by earth Theomancy pretending to divine by the revelation of the Spirit and by the Scriptures or word of God Daemonomancy by the suggestions of evill Daemons or Devills Idolomancy by Idolls Images Figures Psychomancy by mens souls affections wills religious or morall dispositions Antinopomancy by the entrails of men women and children Theriomancy by Beasts Ornithomancy by Birds I cthyomancy by Fishes Botanomancy by herbs Lithomancy by stones Cleromancy by lotts Oniromancy by dreams Onomatomancy by names Arithmancy by numbers Logarithmancy by Logarithmes Sternomancy from the breast to the belly Gastromancy by the sound of or signes upon the belly Omphelomancy by the navell Chiromancy by the hands Paedomancy by the feet Onychomancy by the nayles Cephaleonomancy by brayling of an Asses head Tuphramancy by ashes Capnomancy by smoak Livanomancy by burning of Frankincence Carromancy by melting of Wax Lecanomancy by a basin of water Catoxtromancy by looking-glasses Chartomancy by writing in papers Macharomancy by knives or swords Chrystallomancy by glasses Dactylomancy by rings Coseinomancy by seives Axinomancy by Sawes Cattabomancy by vessells of brasse or other metall Roadomancy by starrs Spatalamancy by skins bones excrements Sciomancy by shadowes Astragalomancy by dice Oinomancy by Wine Sycomancy by Figgs Typomancy by the coagulation of cheese Alphitomancy by meal flower or branne Crithomancy by grain or corn Alectromancy by Cooks or Pallen Gyromancy by rounds or circles Lampadomancy by candles and lamps And in one word for all Nagomancy or Necromancy by inspecting consulting and divining by with or from the dead The question is not about the difference of all these from the first to the last in matter instruments ceremonies or circumstances but whether they be not of like maleficall sorcery for main substance and formality And whether divining by the Starres and Planets be not a cause enclining and disposing at least an occasion inviting and encouraging what through imitation estimation toleration to all these sorts of sorcerous divination and the like 2. Whether there be any kind of Magick simply so naturall or laudably so arted as many serve to abstract it from the maleficall and diabolicall For though there be many occult qualities and miracles of nature and actives and passives there which perfectly known and fitly applyed might help to work wonders without either tempting of God or the Devill yet because of the difficulty of such things and not that alone but their uselessnesse and because of mens ignorance and for all that their curiosity and because of the Arts insufficiencie and besides that the fallacie and chiefly because of Satans privie suggestions and delusory seducements the study and search after these things proves very confused indiscerned unsafe and pernicious And because of all these the abuse of this astro-magicall art is as palpable as the practice but the use as occult as the Art it self But especially as touching the practice of this art if there be an artifice of doing wholly separate from malefice why then are the same things done by those that are altogether ignorant of the art so they have but a saith and why without such a faith is nothing to be done by the Art it self How many things have been done by all manner of Magicians that can have no naturall causes no true rules of art no power or comprobation from God and therefore must needs be acted by a confederation and familiarity with some evill spirit How many things have they presumed to predict or foretell which neither divine wisdome is pleased to reveal neither is it ordinarily for humane reason or art to find out but must only be done by a demoniacall sagacity or suggestion what sounds and syllables and words and sentences doe they murmure or pronounce and that to the very inanimates whom words can in no wise effect or move or else are so barbarous and insignificant as that if they were uttered to the intelligent they cannot conceive them their extent or use Now by whose invention is it that such words should be most operative in magick art that are operative upon no understanding How many rites solemnities ceremonies preparations doe they use which have naturally no force or vertue to the producing of the effect not yet can any way prepare the matter to the receiving thereof What sacrifices immolations consecrations prostrations adorations invocations execrations imprecations attestations comminations exorcisms adjurations c. And none of all these commanded by God and therefore not done to him how easy is it then to suspect by whom all these are suggested and for whom they are intended 3. Whether if be in Magick and Astrologie that the art hath power over the heavenly bodies or the heavenly bodies power over the art not the first because for the Art to have power over the heavenly bodies so as to stop or turn the course of the stars or by odes and incantations to fetch down the moon from her orb as the old Magicians have boasted this is beyond the power of a Devill or an Angell and were not only against the particular order of nature but would utterly confound the whole course of it And by conjurations or confections so to prepare the matter as to allure or force down influences and to make it by art capable and sufficient both to receive and retain them this were to mingle heaven and earth to subjugate the superiour bodies to their inferiors to preferre accidents to substances and turn the whole universe upside down Not the second for not only the speculations but also the practicks of their art a many of them are meerly intellectuall rationall arbitrary over which the stars and planets can have no power The stars are corporall things arts or sciences are mentall how come these then to impress and impose upon one another All power is from action all action is from forms all forms are either naturall or artificiall now by what third kind of form doe the stars and the Art worke one upon another And how agree their proper forms to act upon a third subject How can the stars or the Art in introducing forms and producing effects work either naturally by art or artificially by nature Can a naturall form give principles of life and motion to an artificiall matter or an artificiall to a naturall matter which way then will they have these two to conspire or consent either for the operating between themselves or upon a third 4 Whether that power which Magicians Necromancers conjurers inchanters insultingly boast of against Devils and evill spirits by way of coaction and compulsion be not indeed by way of invocation and subjection For though Christ and his Apostles subdued Devils and ejected them by a divine and extraordinary power but as for meer men and the vilest of men since God hath denyed them the singular gift who hath taught them the triviall art of acting over or commanding evill
friends there came one to the doore with a horse and made him come forth and get up and so carried him up into the ayre invisibly and he audibly crying out as he was carried up and down Another was seized on by the divell while he was presenting the praestigious pageantry of Hector and Achilles Another the divel came into his closet and left him there dead sitting in a chaire with his heart in his hand Pope Benedict the ninth strangled by the divel in a wood Iohn Faustus the divell entring his chamber with a terrible commotion was found dragd out of his bed and his face wrung quite behind him Bladad who not onely practised magicall arts but taught them to the Britaines in confirmation hereof would needs goe fly but fell headlong and was dasht in pieces against the Temple of Apollo in Troynovant Odo Bishop of Baia perished in prison Galeaceus caused a bold peremptory Astrologer to be hanged up Charles the seventh of France hang'd Aegidius the Marshall for his magicall exploits Simon the blind exorcist slain by his own wife possessed with a divell Stuphius taken by Radulph of Habspurge and burnt Methotin slain by the people and his body stak't Reatius killed by one whom he had deluded Hollerus slaine by his own aemulators Oddo drowned for all that he often sailed without a ship Ericus driven to hang himselfe Oluph desperately drowning himselfe Diodorus after all his prestigious evasions at length caught and burnt Iunctin an Italian prognosticating of himselfe as Astrologers rarely can be drawn to doe on the day he feared to be most dismall was knockt on the head by his books in his own study Peter of Pomfret executed for an imposterous traytor A Priest of Norimberge would needs goe conjure for treasure and digging found a hollow cave and therein spyed a chest and a black dogge lying by it which he was no sooner entred but the cave shut its mouth upon him and there he perished At Saltsburg a charmer undertook to enchant all the Serpents within a miles space which while he was effecting a great old serpent among the rest leapt upon him wrapt his taile about him and so drew him into the ditch and there he was drowned Gobrias that assisted Darius in freeing Persia from the Magicians cruell tyranny and execrable treachery a base massie Magician hard and close prest upon him so that one of his fellows durst not smite the villaine for feare of wounding his friend that had buckled with him But he bad not spare to use his sword though it were to the hazzard of himselfe which he rather chose to suffer then that such a miscreant should escape unavenged Alexander a pseudomantist as Lucian was preparing an accusation against him rotted lothsomely and so died miserably eaten up of worms Manes that magicall heretick or hereticall magician was in such favour with the King of Persia that he wrote all his portents for true miacles and his madnesse for divine fury His sonne falling sick he committed him to Manes his art for his cure Who confidently undertook it but faignedly performed it and therefore perceiving him to be worse and worse he fled into Mesopotamia Whence the King caused him to be fetcht back and flead off his skin alive and filled it with chaffe and gave his carcase to the dogs At the taking of Constantinople the Greeks superstitiously bewitched with a prophecy that a mighty enemy should be possessed of the greatest part of the City but should be defeated in the market-place called the Brazen Bull were both carelesse and dastardly in suffering the Turkes to make breaches upon the walls enter the City and arrive at the very place where they were cruelly slain themselves Bellantius the great Astrologer which is said to have given warning to Savanorola to beware of burning was neither able to foretell nor to prevent his own great perill in so plain a manner by the Stars but that he was most beastly murdered 35. Of the reformation of Magick and Astrology as well in Pagan States as Christian Churches with a Caveat in conclusion to English-men for to beware of Astrologicall Magicians or Magicall Astrologers as to redeem the old scandall and prevent the new calumny of their superstitious addiction to Soothsaying Prophecies and predictions NInus vanquished Zoroaster and in a contempt to his Magick and Astrology caused his books to be burnt Numa Pompilius and Dardanus would needs haâ—e their Magical books to be buried with them This might be their diabolicall envy or rather the divels own policy to have them thought and sought as things prizeable but it was indeed Gods providence to have them abolished as things detestable Hermogenes his books were burned by St. Iames the Apostle The Emperours Honorius and Theodosius ordained that such kind of books should be burned in the sight of the Bishops Athanasius speaks of whole volumes that were burnt even by the consent of the Arts greatest admirers Iodocus de Rosa his conjuring books were burnt by a common Councell Belike such a consumption hath alwaies been thought and found to be the best way of reformation and most conformable to that great example Acts 19.19 The Chaldaeans indigning the many oraculous and divining gods that were set up in severall countries and presuming to reform all to their own god Vr or Fire they proposed to divers Provinces that that God which prevailed to confound all the other should be accounted as the only God To this purpose they carry their Idol Fire in a Censer up and down with them and commit it to conflict with the other Idols of Gold Silver Wood Stone c. and it consumes them all The fame of the Chaldean Fire devouring all where it came coming to the eares of the Priest of Canopus an Aegyptian god in whose Temple was taught Magick by Aegyptian letters and not unlike Astrologie too or divining by the Stars since they have a Star also of that name this put him upon a crafty device to save the credit of his god He took a great earthen water pot full of holes and stopped them with Wax and filled it with water and painted it over and set it up instead of his God or rather this water pot was the belly of Canopus himselfe so fashioned In come the Chaldeans and as the two gods are put to the bickering the Wax melts and the water runs out and so the Fire is quenched and now is Canopus accounted for the victor After this comes Theophilus a Christian Priest to contest with him and he by the power and providence of God makes the very creature Fire to consume all in despight of all magicall force or fraud and so works the reformation The Alexandrians not well knowing how to prohibit the Astrologers directly did it subtilly They exacted a yeerly tribute not onely of the Astrologers but of all those that consulted them And this exaction they called 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the fooles tribute thinking that either
geniture As of Janus Jupiter Saturn Genius Mercury Apollo Mars Vulcan Neptune Sol Orcus Liber Pater Tellus Ceres Juno Lucina Fluona Luna Diana Minerva Venus Vesta Moreover Vitumnus Sentinus Mens Mena Iterduca Domiduca Abaona Adeona and Dea Fatua too not of the least ordination and operation either in the birth or life or death And no marvell that they make so many Consent-Gods goe to the fate of a Man when they will have so many to be busie about the fate of an herb As Seia fatally president of the sowing Segetia or Segesta at the comming up of the Corn Nodotus or Nodinus at the knitting or knotting Volutina at the involving of the leaves Patellina or Patellea at the opening of the blade Proserpina at the budding Hostilina at the equall shaping of the eare Flora at the flourishing Lasturtia at the nourishing Tutilina in the keeping Matuta or Matura at the ripening Messia at the mowing and Runcina not only at the weeding but at the plucking up by the roots 8. Whether Fate be one or many If it be one simply then what needs any reduction if it be many why is it not redueed to one And then in vain is that done by many which may be done by one and it is prophane to ascribe that to many which ought to be ascribed to one If it be one truly then is it undivided in it self and divided from all others which how can that which is a series or connexion of so many things be especially having its inherence in movables or mutables If it be but one by accident why should it imply all under a necessity If it be but one by aggregation collection connexion so are things fortuitous as well as fatall Besides such an unity is in the meanest degree of entity Wherefore then should it order and subordinate things of a more perfect degree than it self If it be many or a multiplicity then is it unequall indeterminate uncertain and next to a nullity If it be one why then do they make it so diverse according to divers conjunctions and constellations If it be many how can they make any certain and particular pronouncing upon it 9. Whether that they call Fate be in the first or among the second Causes If in the first that is as much as to make it equall unto God If among the second then is it inferiour unto man For among second causes and especially in involuntary actions and all such as fall under humane counsell and deliberation the intellectuall mind and rationall will hath no superiour And what more contrary to the order of nature and creatures than that the lesse noble should be disposing and governing those more noble than themselves 10. Whether there be a fatall necessity upon all acts or events If upon all acts where 's Liberty if upon all events where 's contingency And whether upon these both good and evill and that whether naturall civill or spirituall If upon naturall acts and events good or evill then what use of means either to preserve or to prevent If upon acts civill and good what merit what praise if upon acts civill and evill what laws what punishments If upon events civill and good what thanks if upon events civill and evill what hopes If upon acts spirituall and good what free grace if upon acts spirituall and evill what free will If upon events spirituall and good what free bounty If upon events spirituall and evill what free mercy 11. How can there or why should there be such a thing as Fate imposing a necessity upon actions and events when as divine providence it self doth it not so as to exclude liberty contingency or casualty from things But works with second causes according to their own motion and manner Permitting sometimes their exuberancy sometimes their deficiency preserving to them their sundry orders offices and degrees of efficiency Suffering the remoter causes or agents to be impedited by the more proximate that all effects might not be taken for naturall and necessary but that his own free disposing might appear Although nature and every naturall agent be of it self and ordinarily determinated to one effect and to the producing of it after the same way yet he suffers it to be impedited by one debility and indisposition or another either to come to pass otherwise or else to be altogether prevented that so he might preserve a contingency in all naturall causes to the intent nothing might be thought absolutely necessitating but his own will and pleasure above Much more doth he confirm a freedom to the rationall will not only that good may the more chearfully be done and accepted but the evill also that is done or suffered may not unjustly be imputed to providence because of a necessity imposed 12. If fate be as they define it the Series order nexure ligation complication constitution disposition of second causes c. what feeble things are all those seconds put together without the first what can their own motion work to without his speciall concurrence what if he work not with them what if without them what if against them Leave them to themselves and what knot in a rope of Sand Can there be a perpetuall series or indissoluble connexion betwixt causes so disparate yea so adverse as naturall internall necessary and arbitrary adventitious accidentall yet after this order is fate oftentimes finished A languishing man not only consumes away within himself but the ayr meats drinks poyson act the fatall consummation To an ordinated destiny of an unfortunate end comes in inordinately fire water a fall a gun a sword an unlucky hand c. and hath not this necessitating fate now the complement by accident and is there not a casuall intervention of more force to the fatall effect than all the causall connexion How many accidents fall out fatally that can have no second cause ordinatly assigned to them much less prospected in them but must be referred meerly to divine will and pleasure unless you will have accidentall instruments that interven inordinately to be such 13. The Physicall fate they will have to be a series of pure naturall causes c. viz. betwixt the stars the elements the temperament the inclination the manners the action and the issue or event now where are all these causes knit together in the efficient the form the matter or the end How are they worthy to be called causes or so proved How are they pure naturall and necessary causes when some of them are voluntary and contingent what connexion of them is that which carrys on prime and second causes naturall and voluntary necessary and contingent with one fatall force or inevitable agitation what series is that which as hath been said is so often interrupted what copulation betwixt the first and the last when as by their own confession the stars are not the causes of all events neither doe all those effects fall out necessarily whereof they are the cause How are they fatall
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 aetherical 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 Heror 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 work 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 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 vilisications 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 witchcrafts 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 onquiring And as great impudence for them to undertake to be here resolving 1. As concerning Fortune in general If you would know whether your fortunatenesse or infortunity prosperity or adversity shall be more or lesse in the beginning middle or end of your life in body minde name goods relations c. 2. As concerning Religion If you would know whether you shall be of any Religion or none whether of a true or of a false Religion whether heretical schismatical hypocritical whether constant or wavering in Religion c. 3. As concerning marriage If you would know whether you shall ever marry or not when or about what age you shal marry how many wives or husbands you shall have whether you shall get a wise easily or after long and hard suit which shall love first or most sc the husband the wife or the wife the husband whether you two shall live long together and love mutually equally and constantly whether your wife shall be a virgin a widdow or an harlot be noble or base beautiful or deformed rich or poor faithful or disloyal vertuous or vitious wise or foolish sullen or cheerful frugal or lavish subject or imperious modest and