Book II. H pleafes.

50 THE CABALA 5 OR, Book II.
pleafes, and overcome whom he will ; by whom if once the devil be over- come, he is made his fervant, and being overcome, cannot fight any more with another, as a wafp that has loft his fting. To which opinion Origen affents, in his book Periarchon, concluding that the faints fight againft evil fpirits, and, overcoming, do leflen their army ; neither can he that is over- come by any moleft any more. As therefore there is given to every man a good lpirit, fo there is given to every man an evil diabolical' fpirit, whereof each feeks an union with our fpirit, and endeavours to attract it to itfelf, and to be mixed with it, as wine with water ; the good indeed, through all good works conformable to itfelf, change us into angels by uniting us y as it is written of John the Baptift in Malachi, “ behold I fend my angel before thy face of which tranfmutation and union it is written elfewhere, he that adheres to God is made one fpirit with him. An evil fpirit alio, by evil works, ftudies to make us conformable to itfelf, and unite us, as C.hrijl lays of Judas> “ Have not I chofen twelve, and one of you is a devil ?” And this is that which Hermes fays, when a fpirit hath influence on the loul of man, he fcatters the feed of his own notion, whence fuch a foul, being lown with feeds, and full of fury, brings forth thence wonderful things, and whatfo- ever are the offices of fpirits : for when, a good fpirit hath Influence on a holy- foul, it doth exalt it to the light of wifdom ; but an evil fpirit being tranf- fufed into a wicked loul, doth ftir it up to theft, to man-flaughter, to luff, and whatfoever are the offices of evil fpirits. Good fpirits, as Jamblicus fays, purge the fouls moft perfectly, and Ibme beftow upon us other good things ; they being prefect, do give health to the body, virtue to the foul, and fecurity ; what is mortal in us they take away, cherilh heat, and make it more efficacious to life } and, by an harmony, do always infufe light into an intelligible mind. But whether there be many keepers of a man, or one alone, theologians differ among themfelves : we think there are more, the prophet laying, “ he hath given his angels a charge concerning thee, that they Ihould keep thee in all thy ways,” which, as Hierome fays, is to be underftood of any man, as well as of Chrift. All men, therefore, are go- verned by the mimftry of different angels, and are brought to any degree
Partl. CEREMONIAL MAGIC. 51
of virtue, deferts, and dignity, who behave themfelves worthy of them ; but they who carry themfelves unworthy of them, are depofed and thruft down, as well by evil fpirits as good fpirits, unto the lowed; degree of mifery, as their evil merits fhall require j but they that are attributed to the fub- limer angels, are preferred before other men ; for angels having the care of them, exalt them, and fubjedt others to them by a certain occult power, which, although neither of them perceive, yet he that is fubjedted feels a certain yoke of prefidency, of which he cannot eafily quit himfelf ; yea, he fears and reverences that power, which the fuperior angels make to flow upon inferiors, and with a certain terror bring the inferiors into a fear of prefidency. This did Homer feem to be fenfible of, when he fays, that the Mufes begot of Jupiter, did always, as infeparable companions, affifl: the kings begot of Jupiter, fpeaking figuratively, who by them were made vene- rable and magnificent : fo we read that M. Antoninus. being formerly joined in Angular friendfhip with Odtavius Augufius, were accuftomed always to play together ; but when, as always, Augustus always went away conqueror, a certain magician counfelled M. Antoninus thus : “ O Anthony, what dolt thou do with that young man ? Shun and avoid him, for although thou art older than he, and art more fkilful than he, and art better defcended than he, and hath endured the wars of more emperors, yet thy Genius doth much dread the Genius of this young man, and thy fortune flatters his fortune ; unlefs thou lhalt lhun him, it feems wholly to decline to him.” Is not the prince like other men ? how fhould other men fear and reverence him, unlefs a divine terror fhould exalt him, and ftriking a fear into others, deprefs them, that they fhould reverence him as a prince ? Wherefore we mufl endeavour, that, being purified by doing well, and following fublime things, and choofing opportune times and feafons, we be entrufled or committed to a degree of fublimer and more potent angels, who taking care of us, we may defervedly be preferred before others*
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