Section 2

CHAP,
of the Caufes of Wonderful things.
Chap. III.
"The InfiruBion of a
NOw it is meet to in'.buft * Magician, both what he muft know,and what he mud oblerve ; that being luffciently inftru&ed every way,he may bring very llrange and wonderful things to p2fs. Seeing Magick, as we (hewed before, is a pra&ical part of Natural Philoibphy , therefore it behoveth a Magician, and one that afpires to the dignity of that profeffion, to be an exa& and a very perfect Philofopher. For Pi?ilofophy teaches, what are the effects of fire, earth, air, and water , the principal matter of the heavens ■ and what is thecaufeof the flowing of the Sea, and of the divers-coloured Rain-bowe ; and of the loud Thunder,and of Comet ,and firy lights that appear by night,and of Earth-quakes ; and what arc the beginnings of Gold and of Iron ; and what is the whole witty force of hidden Nature. Then alfo he muft be a skilful Phyfician : for both thefe Sciences are very like and neer together • and Phyfkk,by creeping in under colour of Magi;k , hath purchafed favour amongft men. And furely it is a gieat help unto us in this kinde : for it teaches mixtures and temperatures, and fo fhews us how to compound and lay things together for fuch purpofes. Moreover, it is required of him,that he be an Herbalift,not onely able to difcern common Simples, but very skilful and fharpfighted in the nature of all plants: for the uncertain names of plants,and their neer likenefs of one to another, fo that they can hardly be dtfeerned , ruth put us to much trouble in fome of our works and experiments. And as there is no greater inconvenience to any Artificer, then not to know his tools that he muft work with : fo the know ledge of plants is fo neceffary to this profeffion, that indeed it is all in all. He muft be as well feen alfo in the nature of Metals, Minerals Gems and Stones. Furthermore,what cunning he muft have in the art of DWillation , which follows and refembles the fhowers and dew of heaven, as the daughter the mother ; I think no man will doubt of it : for it yeelds daily very ftrange inventions, and moft witty devices, and fhews how to finde out many things profitable for the ufe of man : As for example, to draw out of things dewy vapours, unfavoury and grofs fents or fpirits, clot?, and gummy or filmy humours ; and that intimate eflence which lurks in the inmoft bowels of things, to fetch it forth, and fublimate it, that it may be of the greater ftrengtb. And this he muft learn to do, not after a rude and homely manner, but with knowledge of the caufes and reafons thereof. He muft alfo know the Mathematical Sciences,and efpe- cially Aftrologie ; for that fhews how the Stars are moved in the heavens, and what is the caufe of the darkningof the Moon ; and how the Sun, that golden planet, meafures out the parts of the world, and governs it by twelvtSignes : for by the fundry motions and afpefts of the heavens, the celeftial bodies are very beneficial to the earth ; and from thence many things receive both active and paffive powcrs,and their manifold properties: the difficulty of which point long troubled the Platonicks mindes, how thefe inferiour things fhould receive influence from heaven. More- over, he muft be skilful in the Opticks , that he may know how the fight may be de- ceived , and how the likenefs of a vifion that is feen in the water, may be feen hang- ing without in the air, bv the help of certain Glaffes of divers fafhions ; and how to make one fee that plainly which is a great way off, and how to throw fire very far from us : upon which fl *ights, the greateft part of the fecrecies of Magick doth de- pend. Thefe are the Sciences which Magick takes to her felf for fervants and help- ers ; and he that knows not thefe , is unworthy to be named a Magician. He muft be a skilful worktnan,both by natural gifts,and alfo by the pra&ife of his own hands: for knowledge without pra&ice and workmanfhip,and practice without knowledge, are nothing worth ; thefe are fo linked togcther,that the one without the other is but v ain,and to no purpofe. Some there are fo apt for thefe enterprites,even by the gifts of Nature, that God may feem to have made them hereunto. Neither yet do I fpeak thi?, as if Art could not perfeft any thing : for I know that good things may be made better , and there are means to remedy and help fowajd d>*t which lacks
D a per-
^ Natural Magick, ^Boo/^u
perfection. Firft, let * man confidcr and prepare things providently and skilfully, and then let him fall to work, and do nothing unadvifedly. This I thought good to fpeak of,that if at any time the ignorant be deceived herein, he may not lay the fault upon us, but upon his own unskilfulnefs : for this is the infirmity of the fcholar,and not of the teacher : for if rude and ignorant men fliall deal in thefe matters , this Science will be much difcredited , and thofe ftrange effects will be accounted hap- hazard, which are mtft certain, and follow their neceffary caufes. If you would have your works appear more wonderful, you muft not let the caufe be known : for that is a wonder to us, which we fee to be done, and yet know not the caufe of it : for he that knows the caufes of a thing done,doth not fo admire the doing of it ; and nothing is counted unufual and rare , but onely fo far forth as the caufes thereof arc not known . Ariftotle in his books of Handy-trades,faith,that matter- builders frame and make their tools to work with ; but the principles thereof, which move admi- ration,thofe they conceal. A certain man put out a candle ; and putting it to a fione or a wall, lighted it again ; and this feemed to be a great wonder : but when once they perceived that he touched it with brimftone, then, faith (jaUn^ it ceafed to feem a wonder. A miracle, faith Ephefttts, is diflblved by that wherein ic feemed to be a miracle. Laftly, the profeflbr of this Science murt alio be rich : for if we lack mo- ney, we fliall hardly work in thefe cafes : for it is not Philofophy that can make us rich; we muft firft be rich, that we may play the Philofophers. Hemuft fpare forno charges, but be prodigal in feeking things out •, and while he is bufie and careful in feeking, he muft be patient alfo,and think it not much to recal many things ; neither muft he fpare for any pains : for the fecrets of Nature are not revealed to lazie and id le perfon?. Wherefore Spicharmus faid very well, that men purchafe all things at Gods hands by the price of their labour. And if the effect of thy work be not anfwerablc to my defcription, thou muft know that thy felf haft failed in fome one point or another j for I have fet down thefe things briefly, as being made for wit- ty and skilful workmen, and not for rude and young beginners.
Chap, IV.
The opinions of the antient Philofophers touching the caufe $ of ftrange operations ; and firft, of the Elements,
TTHofe effe&sof Nature which oft-times we behold, have fo imployed theantient Philofophers minds in the fearching forth of their caufes, that they have taken great pains, and yet were much deceived therein; infomuch that divers of them have held divers opinions : which it fliall not be amifs to relate, before we proceed any farther. The firft fort held that all things proceed from the Elements, and that thefe are the firft beginnings of things; the fire, according to Hippafus Metapomi- tiUi) and Heraclides Ponticw; the air, according to Diogenes Apolloniates^ and Anaxi- menes; and the water, according to Thales Mileftus. Thefe therefore they held to be the very original and firft feeds of Nature; even the Elements, fimplc and pure bodies (whereas the Elements that now are, be but counterfeits and baftards to them ; for they are all changed, every one of them being more or lefs medled with one another) thofe, fay they, are the material principles of a natural body, and they are moved and altered by continual fucceflion of change; and they are fo wrapt up together within the huge cope of heaven, that they fill up this whole fpace of the world which is fituate beneath the Moon ; for the fire being the ligbteft and pureft Element, hath gotten up aloft, and chofe it felf the higheft room, which they call[the element of fire. The next Element to this is the Air,which is fomwhat more weighty then the fire, and it is fpread abroad in a large and huge compafs ; and paf- fing through all places, doth make mens bodies framable to her temperature, and is gathered together lometimes thick into dark clouds, fometimes thinner into mifts, and fo is refolved. The next to thefe is the water; and then the laftand loweftof all, which is fcrapqd and compared together out of the purer Elements,
Of the Qaufes of Wonderful things. y
and is called the Earth ; a chick and groffe fubftancc , very folid , and by no means to be pierced through : fo that there is no folid and firm body but hath earth in ir, as alfo there is no vacant fpace but hath air in it. This Element of earth is fituatein the middle and centre of all, and is round befet with all the reft; and this only ftands ftill and unmoveable, whereas all the reft are carried with a circular motion round about it. But Hippon and fritias held that the vapours of the Elements were the firft beginnings : Parmtnides held that their qualities were the principles; for ail things (faith he) confflof cold and heat. The Phyfitians hold that ail things cor.fiGc of four qualities, heat, cold, moifture, drouth, and of their predominancy when they meet together ; for every Element doth embrace as it were with certain armes his neighbour-Element which is next fituate to him ; and yet they have alio contrary and fundry qualities whereby they differ : for the wifdom of nature hath framed this workmanfhip of the world by due and fee meafure, and by a wonderful fitneffe and conveniency of one thing with another; for whereas every Element had two qualities, wherein it agreed with fome, and difagreed with other Elements, nature hath bellowed fuch a double quality upon every one, as finds in other two her like, which (he cleaves unto : as for example, the air and the fire ; this is hot and dry, that is hot and moift : now dry and moift are contraries, and thereby fire and air difagree ; but becaufe either of them is hot, thereby they arc reconciled. So the Earth is cold and dry, and the water cold and moift; fo that they difagree, in that ihe one is moift, the other dry ; but yet are reconciled, in as much as they are both cold ; otherwife they could hardly agree. Thus the fire by little and little is changed into air, becaufe either of them is hot ; the air into the water, becaufe either of them is moift ; the water into the earth, becaufe either of them is cold ; and the earth into fire, becaufe either of them is dry : and fo they fucceed each other after a moft provident order.From thence alfo they are turned back again into themfelves, the order being inverted, and fo they are made mutually of one another : for the change is eafie in thofe that agrecin any one common qualicy ; as fire and air be ea- fily changed into each other, by reafon of heat : but where either of the qualities are oppofite in both, as in fire and water, there this change is not fo eafie. So then, heat,cold, moifture and drouth, are the firft and principal qualities) in as much as they proceed immediately from the Elements, and produce certain fecondary ef- fefts. Now two of them,namely heat and cold, are active qualities,fitter to be do- ing themfelves,then to fuller of others : the other two,namely moifture and drouth, are pafllve • not becaufe they are altogether idle,but becaufe they follow and are pre- fcrved by the other. There are certain fecondary qualities,which attend as it were upon the firft j and thefe are faid to work in a fecond fort ; as to foftcn, to ripen, to refolve, tomakeleffe or thinner: as when heat works into any mixt body, ic brings out that which is unpure,and fo whilft it ftrives to make it fit for his purpofe, that ic may be more fimple, the bodybecometh thereby fmaller and chinner: fo cold doch preferve , binde, and congeal ; drouth doth thicken or harden , and makes uneven ; for when there is great ftore of moifture in the utter parts, that which the drouth is not able to confume, it hardens , and fo che ucccr pares become rugged ; for chac pare where che moifture is gone, finking down, and che other where it is hardened, rifing up, there muft needs be great roughnefle and rugged- neffe : fo moifture doth augment , corrupt, and for the moft part works one thing byicfelf, and another by fome accident ; as by ripening, binding, expelling, and fuch like, it brings forth milk, urine, monethly flowers, and fweat ; which the Phy- fitians call the third qualities, that do fo wait upon the fecond, as the fecond upon the firft: andfometime they have their operations in fome certain parts, as to ftrengthen che head, to fuccour the reins ; and thefe, fome call fourth qualities. So then,thefe are the foundations, as chey call chem, of all mixt bodies, and of all wonderful operations : and whatsoever experiments they proved, the caufes hereof refted (as they fuppofed) and were to be found in the Elements and their qualities. ButEmpedocles Agrigentinus not thinking that the Elements were fufficient for this purpofe, added unco them moreover concord and difcord, as thecaufesof genera-
6 Natural Magick , ©00^ i.
tion and corruption : There be four principal feeds or beginnings of all things • J*. piter, that is to fay, fire ; Pluto> that is to fay, earth ;Juno9 that is to fay, air ; 'and Neftisi that is to fay, water: all thefe fometimes love and concord knits together in one, and fometimes difcord doth funder them and make them flie apart. This concord and difcord, faid he, are found in the Elements by reafon of their lundry qualities wherein they agree and difagree : yea,even in heaven it lelf, as Jupiter and Venn love all Planets fave Mars&nd Saturn, Venus agrees with Mars , whereas no Planet elfe agrees with him. There is alfo another disagreement amongft them, which arifeth from the oppolit ions and elevations of their houfes : for even the twelve figns are both at concord and at difcord among themfelvcs, is Mam/iusihc Poet hath (hewed.
Chap. V.
7 hat divers operations of Nature proceed from the effential forms of things,
A LI the Peripateticks , and moft of the latter Philofophers could not fee how all operations (hould proceed from thofecaules which the Antiems have let aown ; for they find that many things work quite contrary to their qualities , and therefore they have imagined that there is fome other matter in it, and that it is the power and properties of effential formes. Bat now that all thing; maybe made more plain, we mull ccnfiderthac it will be a great help unto us, for the making and finding out of ftrange things, to know what that is from whence the venues of any thing do proceed : that fo we may be able to difcern and diftinguifh one thing from another, without confounding all order of truth. Whereas one and the fame com- pound yeelds many effe£fs of different kinds , as we (hall find in the proceffe of this Book, yet every man confeffeth that there is but one only original caufe there- in that produceth all thelic effeels. And feeing we are about to open plainly this ori- ginal caufe, we mull begin a little higher. Every natural fubllance (I mean a com- pound body) is compofed of matter and form, as of her principles : neither yet do I exclude the principal qualities of the Elements from doing their part herein ; for they alfo concur, and make up the number oc three principles: for when the Ele- ments meet together in the framing of any compound, the lame compound retains certain excellent and chief qualities of theirs ; whereof though all help together to bring forth any effe&s , yet the fuperiour and predominant qualities are held to do all, becaufe they make the power of their inferiour, to become theirs : for unleffe fome were ftronger then other, their venues could not be perceived. Neither yet is the matter quite dettitute of all force: I fpeak here, rot of the firft and firople matter, but of that which conlifts of thefubftances and properties of the Elements, efpecially the two paflible elements, the Earth and the Water : and thofe which Arifiotle calleth fometimes fecondary qualities, fometimes bodily effects, we may term them the functions and powers of the matter ; as thinneffe, thickneffe, rough- neffe, fmoothnefle, ealineffe to be clefc, and fuch like, are altogether in the power of the matter, howbeit they proceed all from the Elements. Therefore to avoid con- fufion, it is better to hold that the effects of the qualities come of the temperature or mixture of the Elements, but the effects of the matter from the confidence or fubftances of them. But the Form hath fuch lingular vertue,that whatsoever effects we fee,all of them firft proceed from thence ; and it hath a divine beginning and be- ing the chiefeft and moll excellenr part, ablolure of her felf , (he uietb the reft as her inflruments , for the more fpeedy and convenient difpatch of her adfions: and he which is not addifted nor accullomed to fuch contemplations , fuppoietb that the temperature and the matter works all things, whereas indeed they are hut as ic were inflruments whereby the form worketh : for a workman that ufeth a graving Iron in the catving of an Image, doth not ufe it as though that could work, but for his own furtherance in the quicker and berter performance thereof. Therefore whereas there are three efficient and working caufes in every compound, we muft not fuppofe