Section 3

any
Of the Qaufes of Wonderful things, y
any of them to be idle, but all at woik, fome more and fcmelefle • but above all other, the form is molt afttve and bufie, lengthening the reft ; which furely would be to nopurpofe. if the form fhould fail them , in as much as they are not capable of heavenly infiuences. And though the form of it felf be not able to produce fuch effe&s, but the reft alfo mull do their parts, yet are they neither confounded toge- ther, nor yet become divers things ; but they are fo knit among themfeiver , that one Hands in need of anothers help. He that fcans thefe things well by the iearch of reafon, fhall find no obfeurity herein,nor confound the knowledge of the truth. Wherefore that force which is called the property of a thing, proceeds not from the temperature, but from the very form it felf.
Chap. VI.
Whence the Form cometh j and of the chain that Homer faigned, and the rings that Pla- to memioneth,
SO then, the form, as it is the moft excellent part, fo it cometh from a mod ex- cellent place ; even immediately from the higheft heavens, they receiving it from the intelligences, and thefe from God himfelf : and the fame original which the Form hath, conlequently the properties alio have. Zeno Citticm holds two begin- nings, God and Matter ; the one of them aSive or efficient, the other thepaffive principle. For God, as Plato thinks, when by the Almighty power of his Deity he had framed in due meafure and order the heavens , the liars, and the very firft prin- ciples of things the Elements, which waft away by reafon of fo many generations and corruptions, did afterwards by the power of the Heavens and Elements, or- dain the kinds of living creatures, plants, and things without life, every one in their degree, that they might not be of the fame eftate and condition as the hea- vens are ; and he enjoyned inferiour things to be ruled of their fuperiours, by a fet Law, and poured down by heavenly influence upon everything his own proper Form,ful of much ftrength and a&ivity:and that there might be a continual encreafe amongft them, he commanded allxhings to bring forth feed, and to propagate and derive their Form wherefoever fhould be fit matter to receive it. So then, feeing that formes come from heaven, theymuft needs be counted Divine and heavenly thingsrfor fuch is the pattern and the moft excellent caufe of them,which ?Atf0, that chief Philofopher, cails the foul of the World, and Ariftotle univerfal Nature, and Avicenna calls it the Form-giver. This Form-giver doth not make it of any thing, as though it were but iome frail and tranfitory fubftance, but fiatcheth it meerly out of himielf, and bellows ir firft upon intelligences and liars, and then by certain afpe&s informetb the Elements, as being fit inflrumentsto difpofe the matter. See- ing therefore this Form cometh from the Elements, from heaven, from the intelli- gences, yea from God himfelf ; who is fo foolifli and untoward, as to fay thatic doth not favour of that heavenly nature, and in fome fort of the Majefty of God himfelf? and that it doth not produce fuch effects, as nothing can be found more wonderfull , feeing it hath fuch affinity with God? Thus hath the providence of God linked things together in their rankes and order, that all inferiour things might by their due courics be derived originally from God himfelf, and from him receive their Operations. For God the firft caufe and beginner of things, as Macrobtm fakb, of hisownfruitfulneffe hath created and brought forth a Spirit, the Spirit brought forth a Soul, (bur the truth of Chriftianity faith otherwife) the Soul is fur- nifhed partly with reafon , which it beftows up Divine things,as heaven and the ftars (for therefore are they faid to have Divine Spirits) and partly with fenfitive and vegetative powers,which it beflows upon frail and tranfitory things. Thus much Vtr* gil well perceiving, caileth this Spirit ,The foul of the World ; The Spirit, faith he, cherifheth it within , and conveying it felf through the inmoft parts, quickens and moves the whole lamp, and dofcth with this huge body. Wherefore feeing Man ftands as it were in the middle,bet wixt eternal and thole tranfitory things,and is not
• altoge*
8 Natural Magick , Soo^ i.
altogether fo excellent as heaven, and yet, bccaufe of his reafon,more excellent then other living creatures ; and he hath alfo the fenfitive power : therefore the other living creatures, as it were degenerating from man, are indued onely with the two powers that remain, the fenfitive and vegetative powers. But the Trees or Plants, becaufethey have neither fcnfe nor reafon, bur do onely grow are faid to live on- ly in this refpe&, that they have this vegetative foul. This the fame Poet doth ex- preffe a little after. Seeing then the Spirit cometh from God, and from the Spirit comcth the foul, and the foul doth animate and quicken all other things in their or- der, that Plants and bruit beafts do agree in vegetation or growing, bruit beafts with Man in fenfe, and Man with the Divine creatures in undemanding, fo that the fuperior power cometh down even from the very firft caufeto thefe inferiours, de- riving her force into them, likeasit wcrea cord platted together, and llretchcd along from heaven to earth, in fuch fort as if either end of this cord be touched, it will wag the whole; therefore we may rightly call this knitting together of things, a chain, or link and rings, for it agrees fitly with the rings of Tlato, and with Ho- mers golden chain, which he being the firlt author of all divine inventions, hath fignified to the wife under the fhadow of a fable, wherein he fcigneth, that all the gods and goddeffes have made a golden chain, which they hanged above in heaven, and it reacheth down to the very earth. But the truth of Chrirtianity holderh that the Souls do not proceed from the Spirit, but even immediately from God himfelf. Thefe things a Magician being well acquainted withal, doth match heaven and earth . together,as the Husband-man plants Elmes by his Vines ; or to fpeak more plainly, he marries and couples together thefe inferiour things by their wonderful gifts and powers, which they have received from their fuperiours • and by this means he, be- ing as it were the fervant of Nature, doth bewray her hidden fecrets, and bring them to light, fo far as he hath found them true by his own daily experience, that fo all men may love, and praile, and honour the Almighty power of God, who hath thus wonderfully framed and difpofed all things.
Chap. VII.
Of Sympathy and Antipathy • and that by them we may k»ow and find outtht vtrtHes of things,
BY reafon of the hidden and fecret properties of things, there is in all kinds of creatures a certain companion, as I may call it, which the Greeks call Sympathy and Antipathyjbut we term it more familiarly ,their confcnt,and their difagreement. For fome things are joyned together as it were in a mutual league, and fome other things are at variance and difcord among themfelves; or they have fomething in them which is a terror and deftru&ion to each other, whereof there can be rendred no probable reafon : neither will any wife man feek after any other caufe hereof but only this, That it is the pleafure of Nature to fee it fhould be fo, that (he would have nothing to be without his like, and that amongft all the fecrets of Nature, there is nothing but hath fome hidden and fpecial property ; and moreover, that by this their Content and Difagreement , we might gather many helps for the ufes and neceffities of men; for when once we find one thing at variance with another, pre- fently we may conjeflure, and in trial fo it will prove, that one of them maybe ufed as a fit remedy againft the harms of the other : and furely many things which former ages have by this means found cut, they have commended to their pofte- rity, as by their writings may appear. There is deadly hatred, and open enmity betwixt Coleworts and the Vine ; for whereas the Vine windes it felf with her ten* drels about every thing elfe, fhe fhuns Coleworts only : if once fhe come neer them, fhe turns her felf another way, as if fhe were told that her enemy were at hand: and when Coleworts is feething, if you put never fo little wine unto it, it will neither boil nor keep the colour. By theexamp'e of which experiment, «/f»- drocides found out a remedy againft wine, namely, that Coleworts are good againft
drunken-
Of the Caufes of W onderful things. p
drunken neffe, as Theophrafius faith , in as much as the Vine cannot away with the favour of Coleworts. And this herbe is at enmity with Cyclamineor Sow-bread ; for when they are put together , if cither of them be green , it will dry up the o- ther:now this Sow-bread being put into wine, doth encreafe drunkenne{fe,where- as Coleworcs is a remedy againii drunkenneffe, as we faid before. I vy, as it is the * bane of ali Trees, fo it is mofi hurtful, and thegreateft enemy to the Vine ; and therefore Ivy alfois good agaiolt drunkennefle.There is likewiie a wonderful enmi- ty betwixt Cane and Fern, fo that one of them dellroyes the other. Hence it is that a Fern root powned, doth loofe and fhake out the darts from a wounded body,thac were fhot or caft out of Canes : and if you would not have Cane grow in a place, do but plow up the ground with a little Fern upon the Plough -fhear, and Cane will never grow there. Strangle-tare or Choke-weed defires to grow amongft Pulfe,and efpecially among Beans and Fetches, but it choaks them all : and thence V'.ofcorides gathers,That if it be put amongft Pulle,let to feethe, it will make them feethe quick" iy. Hemlock and Rue are at enmity; they ftrive each againii other :Rue mult not be handled or gathered with a bare hand, for then it will caufe Ulcers to arile ; but if you do chance to touch it with your bare hand, and fo t aufe it to fwell or itch, a- noint ic with the juice of Hemlock. Much Rue being eaten, becometh poifon; but the juice of Hemlock expels ^it ; fo that one polon poifoneth another: and likewiie Rue is good againii Hemlock being drunken, as cDiofcorides faith. A wilde Bull being tyed to a Fig-tree, waxeth tame and gentle, as Zoroafter faith, who com- piled a book called Geopomca , oat of the choice writings of the Antients. Hence it was found out, that the ftalks of a wilde Fig-tree, if they be put to Beef as it is boiling, make it boil very quickly, as P//»7 writeth ; and D/ofcorides mini- ftrech young figs that are full of milky juice, together with a portion of water and vinegar, as a remedy againft a draught of Bulls blood. The Elephant is afraid of a Ram, or an engine of warfo called: for as foonasevet he feeth it, he waxeth meek, and his fury ceafeth : hence the Romans by thefe engines put to flight the Elephants of Vyrrhm King of the Epyrotes, and fo got a great victory, ^uch a contrariety is there betwixt the Elephants members, and that kind of Lepry which makes the skin of a man like the skin of an Elephant ; and they are a prefent reme- dy againft that dileafe. The Ape of all other things cannot abide a Snail: now the Ape is a drunken beaft, for they are wont to take an Ape by making him drunk; and a Snail well wafhed is aremedy againft drunkennefle. A man is at deadly ha- tred with a Serpent : for if he do but fee a Serpent, prefently he is fore difmaid ; and if a woman with child meet a Serpent, her fruit becometh abortive : hence it is, that when a woman is in very fore travel, if fhe do but fmell the fume of an Adders hackle, it will prefently either drive out, or deftroy her child : but it is better to anoint the mouth of the womb in fuch a cafe, with the fat of an Adder. The fight of a Wolfe is fo hurtful to a man, that if he fpie a man firft, he takes his voice from him; and though he would fain cry out, yet he cannot fpeak: but if he perceive that the man bath firft efpied him, he makes no ado, but his favagefury ceafeth, and his ftrength failes him. Hence came that proverb, Lu- p*t infabtiUy the Wolf comethinthe nick; which TUto fpeaks of in his Poli- ticks. The Wolf is afraid of the Urchin • thence, if we wafh our mouth and throats with Urchines blood, it will make our voice fhrill, though before it were hoarfe and dull like a Wolves voice. A Dog and a Wolfe are at great ecmity ; and therefore a Wolves «kin put upon any one that is bitten of a mad Dog, af- fwageth the fwelling of the humour. An Hawk is a deadly enemy to Pigeons, but they are defended by the Kaftrel, which the Hawk cannot abide either to hear or fee: and this the Pigeons know well enough ; for wherefoever the Kaftrel remains, there alfo will the Pigeons remain, thinking themfelves fafe becaufe of their protec>or, Hence Cecelia faith, That there is a kind of Hawks which the common-people call a Kaftrel, that builds her neft about houfes, that is very good to keep away hawk; from a Pigeon-houfe t If you take the Kaflrels youngones and put them in divers earthen pots,and cover the pots clofe,& plaifter them round about, ind hang them up in fundry corners of a Pi^eon-houfe, the Pigeons will be fo far
io Natural Magick, Sm^i.
in love with the place, that they will never forfake ir. Hither belongeth that no- table Difagree men t that is betwixt Garlickand the Load-ftone: for being lineared about with Garlike, it will not draw iron to it; as P/tttar^ hath noted, and after him Ttolomans : the Load-ftone hath in it a poifonous vertue, andGarlick is good againft poifon : but if no man had written of the power of Garlick againft the Lcad- ftone, yet we might conjecture it to be fo, becaufe it is good againft viperr, and mad dogs, and poifonous waters. So likewife thole living creatures that are ene- mies to poifonous things, and fwallow them up without danger, may fhew us that fuch poilons will cure the bitings and blows of thofe creatures. The Hart and the Serpent are at continual enmity : the Serpent as foon as he feeth the Harriets him into his hole, but the Hart draws him out again with the breath of his'nolirils,and devours him : hence it is that the fat and the blood of Harts, and the ftones that grow in their eyes, are miniftred as fit remedies againft the ftingiog and biting of ferpents. Likewife the breath of Elephants draws Serpents out of their dens, and they fight with Dragons; and therefore the members of Elephants burned, drives away Serpents. The Storks drive out of the Countreyes where they are, Ly- zards, and fundry kinds of Serpents, and other noifome things in the fields : and the intrails of them all are good againft the Storks. The fame is done alfo in Egypt by the bird Ibis. That Indian Rat, called Ichneumon, doth harneffe himfelf with fomeof the Lote-tree, and fo fights asainft the Afp. The Lamprey fights with Ser- pents, and with her biting, kills the Bafilisk, which is themoft poilonous fcrpeDt that is. So alio the crowing of a Cock affrights the Bafilisk, and he fights with Ser- pents to defend his hens • and the broth of a Cock is a good remedy againft the poifon of ferpents. So the Snail and the Eagle. The Stellion, which is a b?aft like a Lyzard , is an enemy to the Scorpions ; and therefore the oyle of him being pu- trified is good to anoint the place which is ftricken by the Scorpion. The Barbel eats up the Sea-hare, and is good againft the poifon thereof. A Swine cats up a Salaman- der, without danger, and is good againft the poifon thereof. The Hawk is an enemy to the Chamaeleon, and his dung drunken in wine, is good againft the poifon oftheChamseleon. Likewife out of the Sympathies of plants, we may tather fome fecret, which is helpful againft fome kind of hurt. The herb Corruda, whereof Sperage comes, is mort fitly planted where Reed grows, becaufe they are of much likeneffeandneerneff-jandbothof them are inciters to luft. The Vine and the Olive-tree do joy in each others company, as Africanm writes: both of them are very commodious for mens ufes. In like manner the Morehenne loves the Hart, which is given to luft ; both of their members are inciters to venery. The Goat and the Partridge love each other ; and both thefe are good for one and the fame re- medy. So the fifh Sargus and the Goat. A Dog is molt friendly to a man; and if you lay him to any difeafed part of your body, he takes away the difeafe to himfelf; as Pliny reporteth.
Chap. VIII.
That things receive their force and power from Heaven, and from the Stars; and that thereby many things are wrought.