Section 5

did
did apply and lay fome earthly things to fome heavenly , and thence brought down the celeftial forces into thefe inferiours, byreafonof their likenefs one with the ether; for the very likenefle of one thing to another, is afufficient bond to link them together. If a man do heat a piece of paper, and then lay it a little under the flame of "a candle, though they do not touch each other, yet he (hall fee the pa- per prefently burn, and the flame will flill defcend till it have burned all the paper. Let us now fuppofe the paper thus heated, to be that affinity which is betwixt fu- pcriours and inferious; and fuppoie we alfo, that this laying of the paper to the candle, to be the fit applying of things together, both for matter, and time, and place: let us fuppofe yet farther, the flame taking hold of the paper, to be the o- peration of fome heavenly body into a capable matter; and laft of all, we may lup- poie the burning of the paper, to be the altering of that matter into the nature of the celeftial body that works upon ir,and fo purifies it,that in the end it flieth up- ward like burning flax, by reafon of fome heavenly feeds and fparks which it hath within it felf.
Chap. X.
How the knowledge of fccrecies dependeth upon the furvey and viewing ef the wholt Wtrld,
\X7E are perfwaded that the knowledge of fecret things depends upon thecon- " templation and view of the face of the whole world, namely, of the motion, ftate and fafhion thereof, as alfo of the fpringing up, the growing and the decaying of things: for a diligent fearcher of Natures workes, as he teeth how Nature doth generate and corrupt all things, fo doth he alfo learn to do. Likewife he learns of living creatures; which though they have no underftanding, yet their fenfes are far quicker then ours ; and by their anions they teach us Phyhck, Husbandry > the arc of Building, the difpofing of Houfhold affairs, and almoft all Arts and Sciences i the like may beoblerved in Metals, Gems, and Stones. The bealts that have no rea- fon , do by their nature ftrangely faun the eyes of witches, and hurtful things : the Doves, for a prefervative agiinfl inchantments, fcft gather fome little Bay-tree boughs, and then lay them upon their nefts, to prelerve their young; fo do the Kites ule white brambles, the Turtles fword-graffe, the Crows^ Withy, the Lap- wing, Venus-hair, the Ravens Ivy , the Herns Carrot, the Partridges Reed-leaves, the Black-birds Myrtle, the Larkes graffe, the Swans Park-leaves, theEa«le ufeth Maiden-hair, or the ftone jEtites for the fame purpofe. In like mannner they have fhewed us preservatives againft poyfons : the Elephant having by chance eaten a Chamseleon, againft the poyfon thereof, eats of the wilde Olive ; whence Solinm ob- ferves, That the fame is a good remedy for men alfo in the fame cafe. The Panthers, having fwallowed up the poifonous herb Aconirum, wherewith the Hunters be- fmear pieces of flefh fo to deftroy them, againft the poyfon thereof feek out mans dung. The Tortoife, having eaten a ferpent,difpels the poyfon by eating the herb Origan. When Bears have tafted the fruit of the Mandrakes, they eat Pifmiresa- gainft the poyfon thereof. There is a kind of Spider which deftroyeth the Harts', except prefently they eat wilde Ivy; and whenloever they light upon anypoyfo- nousfood, they cure themfelves with the Artichoke; and againft Serpents they pre- pare and arm themfelves with wilde Pajfneps ; fo do the Ring-doves Choughs,and Black-birds ufe Bay-leaves. The little worm Cimex is good againft the biting of Afpes ; as Pliny fhews by Hens, who, if hey eat that worm, are all day after , free from the hurt of Afpes. Goats care not for Bafil-genrle, becaufe it bring* a Lethar- gy, as Chryfipptu writes. The fame Beafts have alfo fhewed us what herbs are good to cure wounds. When the Harts are wounded by theCretians, they feek out the herb Dittany, and prefently the darts fall cue of their bodies. And fo do the Goats. The Elephant being wounded, feeks out the juice of Aloes, and thereby is cured. The fame Beafts have alfo found out purgations for themfelves, and thereby taught us the fame. An Afle eats the herb Afplenum to purge his melancholy • of
whom
l6 Natural Magice. 2>00^i.
whom the Phyfitians have learned to Minifter the fame herb for the fame purpofe. The Hinde purges her felf with large Cummin, before fhe bringeth forth, that her birth may come the more eafily from her. Arifiotle faith, That Boars feed upon the herb Aram, or Wakej-robin, to keepihem foluble Pigeons and Cocks feed upon Pellitory, for the fharpening cf their ftomack. Dogs eat graffe to purge all their noifome humours, which otherwife would make them mad. Of all thefe, men have learned to ufe fuch Medicines againft the like difeafer. A Lion being fickof a quartane Ague, eats and devours Apes, and fo is healed : hence we know that Apes blood is good againft an Ague. The griping of the belly and guts, is healed by looking upon Geefe and Ducks, and Vegetim writes ; and Columella faith j that if a Duck do but look upon a fick horfe, fhe heals him : and Pliny faith, that if you lay a Duck to the griping of ones belly, (he takes away thediieafe, and dies of itherfelf; and LMarcellui writes, That it is good for one that is fo troubled, to eat the flefh of a Duck. Goats and Does are never purblind,becaufe they eat certain herbs. Hawks, as foon as they feel their fight dim,they eat Sc w-thiftle. Elephants, againft the difeafes of their eyes, drink milk. Serpents have caufed Fennel to be very famous; for as foon as they taftcof it, they become young again, and with the juice thereof repair their fight ; whence it is obferved, that the fame is good to repair a mans fight that is dim. Hares feed upon herbs that have juice like milk, and therfore in their bellies they have a cream; whence Shepherds have learned to make cream of many fuch herbs preffed together. Partridges eat leeks, to make their voi- ces clear, as Arifiotle writes ; and according to their example, Neroy to keep his voice clear, eat nothing butoyle of leeks, certain daves in every moneth. Thefe Beafts have likewife found out many inflruments in Phyfick. The Goats, when their eyes are blood-fhotten, let out the blood ; the She-goat by the point of a bull-rufh, the He-goat by the pricking of a thorn, which lets out the evil humour, and yet ne- ver hurts the eye, but reftores him his perfc& fight : hence, men learned by fuch means to cure the eyes. The ^Egyptians fay, they never learned of men to minifter clyfters, but of the bird Ibis, which ufeth it to her fclf for the loofneffe of her bo- dy. And of the fame bird alfo they learned their diet, to eat largely at the waxing, and fparingly at the waining of the Moon. Bears eyes are oft-times dimmed; and for that cauie they defire hony-combs above all things, that the Bees flinging their mouths , may thereby draw forth, together with the blood, that dull and groffe humour : whence Phyfitians learned to ufe letting blood, to cure the dimnefle of the eyes. The Gullie-gut, when he is full of meat, he pitcheth himfelf betwixt tw6 trees, fo to force out excrements.
Chap. XT.
That the likenefs of things (heweth their fecret vertues, . . • . i ' ■ ■"• '
^^Ho fo looks into the writings of the Ancients, namely, Hermes firpheusy Zero- afiresy Harpocration^ and other fuch like skilful men as have invented ard regi- ftred the fecrecies of this Art, fhall find that they gathered all from that likentffc of feeds, fruits, flowers , leaves and roots, as alfo of theflars, metals, gems,»and ftoncsjthat likenefle,I fay,which thefe things have to the difeafes and parts of a mans body, as alfo of other living creatures : and out of thofe Writers, afterward Hip- pocrates > ViofcoridesyPlinyy and the reft, called out as many fuch fecrecies as they found to be true, and recorded them in their own books;except fome certain thing?, which they thought were no fecries , but either of folloy or of envy, accounted them to be ordinary and plain matters. I will relate two or three examples of thofe former fecrecies. Tbeophrafttti (puking of thofe herbs that refemble the Scorpion and the Polypus, faith, That fome herbs have a peculiar kind of form, as the root of the herb Scorpius, called by fome Walwort, and the root of Polypody : for that it is like a Scropion, and is good againft the fling of him ; and this is rough, and full of hollow partitions like the Polypus, and is of force to kill him. And in another-place be faith, That many things ate written of the force of plants, not without juft caufe;
Of the Qaufes of Wonderful things. 17
at for exJmp!e,to make fruitful and barren ; both which, the herb Ragge-wort is forcible unto for they grow double, a greater and a Imaller ; the greater helps ge- neration, the frmller hinders ir. And this herb is called Tcfiicuhu. Some herbs are good for procreation of a male, and ft me of a female ; as the herb which is called Marifica,and Fceminipara ; both are like each other : the fruir of the Foeminipara is like the mofs of an Olive-treejthe fruit of the Maripara is double like a mans ftones. The fruit of whirelvy will make feed barreo,buc the fruit of Arfemery will make ic fertile; which fruit is a fmall grain, like to Millet. The leaves of the herb Harts- tougue will make a man quite barren,if the herb it felf be barren j for there is Harts- tongue thac bears fruit, and this will make a man fruitful. It is a thing to be noted in a Bur, that a flower grows within the roughncfle and prickles of it , which doth not fhew ic felf, but conceives and brings forth feed within it felf ; much like as Weafils and Vipers do: for they bring forth egges within themfelves, and Icon after briog forth young ones; fo theBur contains, and cherifhes, and ripens the flower within ic felf, and afterward yeelds fruir. But thei'e things have both the active and paffive parts of generation. Dicfcorides writetb, That the herb Scorr ius refembleth the tail of the Scorpion, and is good againfl his bicings. So he faith, thac the herb Dtajon, both the greater and the lefs , is full of fpeckles like a Serpents hackle, and is a remedy againd their hurts: fo the herb Arifaron in Egypr, and Wake.robin, and Garlick, bear feeds like a Snakes head; and fo Bugiois and Or- chanec bear feeds like a Vipers head . and thefe are good ro heal their venemous bitings. Likewife Stone-crop and Saxifrage arc good to break the flone in a mans bladder: and many other fuch things he there fets down. Galen faith, That the Lark hath a crefled crown, of the fafhion of the herb Fumitory, and that either of them is good againft the Cholick. Pliny hath gathered into his books, many things cut of the Antients works that were extant in his time. We will relate fome of' them. He faith, That an herb whidh grows in the head of an Image, being wrapt in a cloth, is good for the Head-ach. Many men have written of Holy- wort : it hath a flie-beetle in the ftalk, that runs up and down in it, making a noife like a Kid, (whence it receives the name) ; and this herb is patting good for the voice. Or- pheus found out by his wit, the properties of Stones. The flone GalacTites, in co- lour like: milk, if you caft the duft of it upon the back of a Goat, fibe will give milk m *re plentifully to her young ; if you give it a nurfein her drink , it encreafes her milk. C hriflal is like unto water; if one fick of an Ague keep ir, and roul it in his mouth, it quenches his thirft. The Amethift is in colour like wine,and it keeps from drunkennefs. In the flone Achates you may fee fruits, trees, fields and medows* the powder of it caff about the horns or fhouldersof Oxen as they are at plou°h| will caufe great encreafe of fruits. The ftone Ophites refembleth the freckles and fpots of Serpents, and it cures their bitings. If you dafh the ftone Galcophonos, ic founds like brafs : flage-players are wont to wear it, becaufe it makes one have an excellent voice. The flone Hematites being rubbed, is like blood, and is good for thofethat bleed, and for blood-fhot eyes: and the fioce Sinoper is of the fame both colour and vertue. The refidue I will not here fet down, becaufe I have handled them more at large, in that which I have written of the knowledge or* Plants. °
Chap. XIT. How to compound and lay things together, by this hkenefs.
»ryE have fhewed how that Nature layes open the likencfle of vertiies and * ▼ properties; now let us fhew how to compound and lay thofe things to- gether : for this is a principle of mod ufe in this faculty, and the very root of the greateft pare of fecrec and flrange operations. Wherefore here thou muft imitate the exact diligence of the Antients, fludying to know how to
F apply
18 Natural Magick. Hookj.
apply and by things together with their likes , which indeed is the chief matter wherein the moLt fccrecies do confi'i. It is manifeft that every kind of things, and every quality can incline and draw, and allure fome things to it, and make them become like it felf: and as they are more a£tive, lb they more eafi!y can perform it: as for example, fire being very a£tive, doth moreeahly convert things into it felf, andfo water into water. Avicenna laith, That if any thingfiand long in fait, it will become wholly i'alt ; if in an unfavory veffel, k will become unfavory: he thatconverfes with a bold man, Hull heboid; if with a fearful man, he fhall be fearful: and look what living creature converfes among men, the lame will be tame and gentle. Such pofitions are ufual in Phyfick ; as, All parts of the body, are nourifhed by their like, the brain by brains, teeth by teeth, lights by lights, and the liver by the liver. A mans memory and wk is holpen by a Hens brain ; and her skull, if it be put into our meat whilft it is new, helps the falling-faknefle ; and her maw, if you eat it before fupper, though you hardly digeft it, yet is it good to ftrengthen the ftomack. The heart of an Ape, takes away the palpitation cf a mans heart, and encreafeth boldnefle, which is feated in the heart. A wolfs yard broiled and minced, is good to eat for the procuring of luft, when ftrength begins to fail. The skin of a Ravens heel is good againft the Gout ; the right-heel-skin muft, be laid upon the right-foot, if that be gouty ; and the left upon the left : and final- ly, every member helps his like. But thefc things, Phyfitians wrire of, whofe fay- ings it is not our purpofe here to rehearfe. Furthermore, we muft cociider and be well adviled, what things fucb or fuch a quality is in ; and whether it be there onely after a common lore, or elfe in fome great meafure ; and whether it be an affection, or perturbationjand whether it come by chance,by art, or by nature j ay for example, heating , cooling, love, boldneffe, barrennelTe, fruufulnefle , ladnefle, babling, or luch like ; and whether it can caufe any fuch matter as we would work thereby : for examples fake : If you would make a woman fruiful, you muft confiderwith your felf the moft fertile living- creatures ; and amongft the reft, an Hare, a Cony, or a Moufe ; for an Hare is bigge even after fhe hath brought forth ; ftie genders every month, and brings not forth all her young at once, but now and then one upon fun- dry daies, and prefently goeth to buck again ; and fo conceives while (he gives fnck> and carries in her womb at once, one young that is ripe, another that hath no hairs, and a third that is but lately conceived. Again, you muft confider the parts and members where that property lyeth, andminifter them to your Patient : as, to make a woman fruitful, you muft give her the womb and curd of an Hare; and to the man, the ftones of an Hare. In like manner, any particular creature that was never fick, is a helpagainft all diicafes. If you would have a man become bold or impudent, let him carry about him the skin or eyes of a Lion or a Cock, and he will be fearlefle of his enemies ; nay, he will be very terrible unto them. If you would have a man talkative, give him tongues, and feek out for him water-frogs, wilde-geefe and ducks,and other fuch creatures, notorious for their continual noife- making ; the tongues whereof, if you lay under the head or fide of a woman as (he is deeping, becaufe they are moft clamorous in the evening, they will make her ut- ter her night-fecrecies. Other things we omit, as being fuperfluous and unprofitable here, feeing we have largely handled them in our books of plants.