Part II.

ment to concupifcence ; and the harmony of a wife mufician moves his hearers with various paffions, whereof fome do voluntary follow the confonancy of art, others conform themfelves by gefture, although unwilling, becaufe their fenfe is captivated, their reafon not being intent to thefe things. Hence they fall into errors, who think thofe things to be above nature, or contrary to nature — which indeed are by nature, and according to nature. We mull know, there- fore, that evey fuperior moves its next inferior, in its degree and order, not only in bodies, but alfo in fpirits : fo the univerfal foul moves the particular foul ; the rational aCts upon the fenfual, and that upon the vegetable ; and every part of the world aCts upon another, and every part is apt to be moved by another. And every part of this inferior world fuffers from the heavens, according to their nature and aptitude, as one part of the animal body fuf- fers for another. And the fuperior intellectual world moves all things below' itfelf ; and, after a manner, contains all the fame beings, from the firft to the lall, which are in the inferior world., Celeftial bodies, therefore, move the bodies of the elementary world, compounded, generable, fenfible (from the circumference to the center), by fuperior, perpetual, and fpiritual offences, de- pending on the primary intellect, which is the aCting intellect ; but upon the virtue put in by the word of God ; which word the wife Chaldeans of Babylon call, the Caufe of Caufes ; becaufe from it are produced all beings : the aCt- ing intellect, which is the fecond, from it depends ; and that by reafon of the union of this word with the Firft Author, from whom all things being are truly produced : the word, therefore, is the image of God — the aCting intellect, the image of the word — the foul is the image of this intellect — and our word is the image of the foul, by which it aCts upon natural things naturally, becaufe nature is the work thereof. And every one of thofe perfeCts his fubfequent : as a father his fon ; and none of the latter exifts without the former ; foMhey are depending among themfelves by a kind of ordinate dependency — fo that when the latter is corrupted, it is returned into that which was next before it, until it come to the heavens ; then to the univerfal foul ; and, laftly, into the aCting intellect, by which all other creatures exift ; and itfelf exifts in the principal author, which is the creating word of God, to which, at length, all things are
returned.
Chap. XLV. TALISMANIC MAGIC. 171
returned. Our foul, therefore, if it will work any wonderful thing1 in thefe inferiors, mufi have refpeCl to their beginning, that it may be ftrengthened and iiiuflrated by that, and receive power of acting through each degree, from the very firfl Author. Therefore we mull be more diligent in contemplating the fouls of the liars — then their bodies, and the fuper-celeltial and intellectual world — then the celeltial, corporeal, becaufe that is more noble ; although, alfo, this be excellent, and the way to that, and without which medium the influence of the fuperior cannot be attained to. As for example : the Sun is the king of liars, moll full of light ; but receives it from the intelligible world, above all other liars, becaufe the foul thereof is more capable of intelligible fplendour. Wherefore he that defires to attraCl the influence of the Sun, mull contemplate upon the Sun ; not only by the fpeculation of the exterior light, but alfo of the interior. And no man can do this, unlefs he return to the foul of the Sun, and become like to it, and comprehend the intelligible light thereof with an intelleClual fight, as the fenfible light with the corporeal eye ; for this man lhall be filled with the light thereof, and the light whereof, which is an under type imprelfed by the fupernal orb, it receives into itfelf ; with the illullration whereof his intelled being endowed, and truly like to it, and being affifted by it, lhall at length attain to that fupreme brightnefs, and to all forms that par- take thereof ; and when he hath received the light of the fupreme degree, then his foul lhall come to perfection, and be made like to fpirits of the Sun, and lhall attain to the virtues and illullrations of the fupernatural virtue, and lhall enjoy the power of them, if he has obtained faith in the Firfl Author.. In the full place, therefore, we mull implore affillance from the Firfl Author ; and praying, not only with mouth, but a religious gellure and fupplicant foul, alfo abundantly, inceifantly, and fincerely, that he would enlighten our mind, and remove darknefs, growing upon our fouls by reafon of our bodies.
Y2
GHAP.
172
TALISMANIC MAGIC.