Section 38

WyL Def. of Gent, whofe defence of Iuiiciall Aftrologie (fo long fince publifhed) ftands MhoLpagJ 63 hitherto firme & unconfuted, notivithftanding all the whirling Affaults of any Advcrfary) the CeleftiaH Influences never ceafe to flow into m^and therefore not unlikely tkt the lifapofition or Configuration to that under which we are borne, my by Ufa imprefion andhfluence incrcafe and ftrengtbeti the operation of the former, more then it would iftbe Nativity were conpdered alone. And upon thefe grounds Harm ad vi&s to make Elections, like thofe he layes downe.
(+50
i) ®toie
Jin contrariety totals election.
Which is the Jfame in effeft with that of (\) Ototomy, where he faith to fA Aphor 6 this purpofe, vi\. « ' Though an Eleclion of a Day or ibowrc be well made, yet "will it prove of little advantage unlefl'e futably constituted to the ftheame "the Planets threatned: and hence it comes that tAclions Thrive or Mifcarry (though begun at one and the fame time,) according as the pofition of Hea- ven then agrees with the Nativity of the Pcrfons that manage them.
As touching the Necefity of Eleftions, to be ufed in Pyet, Buildings Dwel- ling, Appardl, and the feverali Actions of our Life, let any that would be fatis- iied,read Marcd!u*%Ficinui, Hefiode, Cato, Virgil, Varro, Columella, Pliny, who (and generally all PhilofophersJ ordered their affaires of planting, fo wing, lopping, &c. by them.
For in thofe things (here below) which have no fence (as well as thofe that have) the Heavenly influences alwaies make Imprefion according to the meafure and Capacity of the $ubjeft,znd doe evidently manifeft their dominion in them,(/)for nothing is mere powerful then their Influences, whenlmpettiois one* .* r „ r . f made. Witnefie their power in Plants, Herbes, Come, and what is Vegitable, ]' &^T' Cmol' whofe Seeds diverfly profper,6r decay, according to the ftate of the D with the PaS,2,I9* O at the time of their [owing. This the Husband-mans Experience can tell the world, and the Sau'i ArmuallAcceffe and Receffe makes manifeft to the fence.
And great Reafon there is in Nature why the Moons condition ought chiefly tobeobierved, for (he is the Pta'neereft the Earth, and appointed as it were the Vibiculum of all other heavenly Influences unto what is Sublunary, and in that regard (he is properly called (m) An Injfrument of the Armies from m) Eccl.4$« *• above : according to whofe prefent Condition things are fteered $ for if (he fie Fortunate by good A Jpe6ts,bappr by Vofltion, fwift oUourfe, and increafing in Light, things thrive apace zndflourifb ', But the contrary if (he fuffer Impedi- ments. We may ordinarily obferve how pdore ly and flowly the Seeds of Plants grow up, nay man) 1 times languijh and degenerate into an unkindly Quality and Taft, if fowne in the Wxine of the Moone, and the Reafon is becaufe the ZMoyftureand Sapp that mould feed them is exceedingly dimini&ed ; yet his the fitteft tyme for cutting downe Timber, or what effe we would' preferve from decaying.
(n) Tbumeijfem (among many other admirable and ufefull Obfervations) «) Hid Plant gives us the Tofhionoi Heaven under which feverali Plants are Impregnated with the greateft vertue^ the gathering of which at fuch times, for ThifieaU lifts, defer ves to be taken notice of ; for the notable difference that evidently appeares betwixt their wrtacx and the vertues of fuch as are gathered without that Confideration. In a word, by EleSfions we may Govern, Order and 'Pro- duce things as we pleafe ; Fabcr quifq-} Fonunxpnpii&t
Nnn 2. Paa.
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Pag. loo.U.u *$0&Mvt&&tfo$vte%itzn'bmt*
IN chis and the firft Ten following lines, are laid downe the Authors Rules for framing an Eleftion by,' agreeable to which he ere A? you Schema (about the Latitude of ?r. degrees) that are placed before the (ixth Chap, which Ihivecaufed to bz exaftlyCop/'d from ihzOrigiMll though fome Planets, I maft acknowledge not placed in that exactorder (for houfes and fignei) as Ap&nomicall Rules dire ft, and the Doftrine of Aftrelogie requireth. For Example, In the firft Houfe of the firft Figure you have g in 7. 'degr. of £, the Afcendent in a. rfegr. of £5 and then the O in the 1 SSDegr. of the fame $gwe5 whereas the -a. degr of $ being fewer degrees of that S/^we then 7, (wherein $ is placed j mould Antecede it. Againe in the fecond Figure you have both $ and the]) in the nth Houfe thereof, who mould of Right be politedinthe roth, becaufethe * oth degree o£ £1 is the Gufpeof the nth, and therefore zWPlmets in leiTer degrees of that Signe are falling into the 1 oth. Befides you have £ placed in every Figure fo remote from the O, that Aftrommers rauft count it abfurd, fince me is never above 4$Aegr. Elongated from him > and yet in the third Figure me comes not within the compafle of a 2fc Ajpetii, nay in the fecond fne is almoft in 8 to him.
For their Pofitiou; I could have placed them in Houfes according to Art3 but I rather let themftand as I found them in the Originall,bdng well aflured they were thus Polited by DtfignCy and not through Ignorance or Miftafa for our ^wformanifeftshirnfelfe a learnedv4/Wogw»,and too wary a Pen-man to be guilty of either* And though it may feem contrary to sArt for the Pofition of 2 to be fo far diftant from the Q , yet 'tis agreeable to his Rule of EleStion that (he is fo often placed in the 4th Houfe (efpecially feeing theSigne falls out to be there in which (he is exalted) bee aufe he appoints the Lord thereof to be fortunate,
©je^pag.ioo, j0j jfo^jeitg CtyefattmmabfconWtttmof etoCleriJ*.
Withall, the Planets n they ftand here placed in Signet and Houfes are not fo as that thefe Figures were the Elc&ed times for the Authors owne Operations (or any others in that Faculty) but are rather famed and invented, onely to bring them within the compafle of his Rules. And tofatisfiemy felfe herein, I have taken fbme paines to Calculate the places of the TUanets for feverall years- about the Authors time, but cannot finde the three Superiors and place of the . G to be in thofe Signes wherein he has poiited them;
It is alfo worthy pf ourObfervationto fee how the tAuthor continues- his Vailes and Shadows, as in other parts of the Miftery, Co likewife in the very F^rexoffomeoftheTtazj/orhedoesnot exhibite them under the Cba- \A 'ft *' w&ers commonly now (or then) ufed, but Hterogliphically in Figures agtee- fjAnpow. a^e tQ the-r ^atUj.eSj yCt (py direrfitie of Names (or Figures) makes no di- verfitiein the thngs they fignifle: For J} is pointed out by a Spade, If, by a Miter, $ by an Arrow, 2 ^Y a beautifull Face, $ by the figure (in thofe daies) ufualiy ftamped upon the Reverfe of cur Evglifh Coyne : Onely the 0 and J) are left us in that fafhion the Aumimts beftowed upon them.
Pag,
to)
Pag.i*©.H.3 2. Croft nottoaU ^ftrologerg, 3 fate fofcte: ^r o? tljas 3M t0 a0 Jeer n 30 UHfefmte.
AStrologk is a profound Science: The depth this Art lyes obfeur'd in, is not to be reach't by every vulgar Plumet that attempts to found it.Never wasany»/4gefopefter'd with a multitude of Pretenders, who would be ac- counted (and ftick not to ftyle them fel ves)Mafiers, yet are not worthy to weare the Badge of illuftrious Urania. And ('oh to be lamented/) the /» likely to increafe,untill through their Ignorance they become the ridiculous objed of the Enemies to Afirologie ', (would that were all J and EtVpfe the glory ohhzt light, which if Judicioufly difpenf'd to the Worli would caufe admiration 5 but unskilfully expof'd, become the fcorne and contempt of the Vulgar.
He that understands no more of Afirologie (nor wiU make a further ufe of it) then to quack with a few Tcarmes in an Horary Jgusftion} is no more worthy to be efteemed an Afirologian then Hee who hath onely lea rnt Hebrew may be accounted a C&btilifticaU Rabbi. Tis true, he may be fo fraught with words, as to amufe the unlearned, with the Canting noyfe thereof,but what is that if com- pared to the full and intjre knowledge of the Language} Yet of this fore at prefent are ftart up divers Illiterate Profejjors (ant Women are of the Num- ber) who even makttAfirologie the Bawd & Pander to all manner of Iniquity, proftituting Chaft Urania to be abus'd by every adulterate Interefl. And what willbethe imiefl wifh it may prove no ProphefieJ ere long Afirologie (hall be cried down as an Impofl or, becaufe it is made ufe of as a Stalexo all bad Uraftifes, and a laudable Vacuity to bolfter up the legerdimane of a Cbeate* And befides having now growne famous by the true Predictions of fome of her able and honett tfMLf,fhall grow into as much difgrace and infamy,by the un- skilfull 'Trcgnofiio^s of ignorant Illegitimate Bafiards : who rather then they will accufe themfelves-when they faiie of truth in their Judgments, will not Iticktocondemne Afirologie it felfeas defective and lame, in what their flothfull negligence or ignorant blindnefle was not able to finde out. And therefore Norton here fpeaks truly 3 that tXfirologie (take it with all its Com- prehenfions)is as Secret or Mificrious asAlchimy,and. as difficult to be throughly and perfectly underftood.
There are in Afirologie (T cenfefle) (hallow £> oo\cs, through which young Tyroetrnaywadei but withali, there are deepe P cards, over which even the gyants themfelves muft fmm. Such is the Do&rine of Nativities, Directions, tAnnuaU Revolutions and what elfe depends thereupon, belonging to {Man, the Utk W%rli : and beyond thefe, thofe of Comets, Eclip'es, Great Conjunct* ions and Revolutions, that refer to the grczteiVorld. Thefe are fubje&s of Emineiuy, and being judicioufly handled Magnifie the^tt. But,
q; $® an$ men fccene te$t$ tmifc t^m tcattf, %) ©ri/Xcap.

Iknow fome few tArtifis have fatisfa&orily manifefted what excelloncy of Sk$ there is in Judging an Horary J^ueftw, and how much of truth may be
"^ Nnnj drawne.
C4H) '
drawrie from that branch of Art j But they are thofe that are throughly read in all other parts oiAQrologit 5 for fuch only are able to'give a true Rtfolution to the^uerent, and from the evenrs of their confederate TrediSions, bring Honour to thes/£rr,and gaine Reputation to Themfelves,
IN regard of the violent Nature of the Medicine which is deadly indeed^becaufe its Nature is fo infinitely ftrong above Mans, that it overcomes his Spirits and poy fens him j Nett ok therefore lets fall a hinte> what Parts an Operator ought to Arme, and whence to fetch "Breath : Meaning thereby, that thofe 0?$Cttofthe2toiy beclofelyftopt (through which there isfo open a paffage, that a Strong vapour would fly as fpeediiy as lightning into the inmofl parts) white the Vzjfetl is opening. But how to breathe the while is the ^Difficulty. We have Praftijes fomething neere it, as of thofe who attempt to lye long under Water, Sec.
And therefore let this be a Caution fufficient to youngPrdftifers in this Science^ that when they worke upon a Matter, and bring it (as they fuppofe) to fome perfection, it they caninduretheo/wwBgoftbeir Vefltll without being Armed, they may reft fatisfied that nothing is morecertaine then that their Matter is not the T hilofopbers Mercury, and their Praftife erronious*
Pag. 10y.li.i7- $oa?&abe3 tattgtypotiefecrgttyBgbg $ame*
rj#0r. r) Hoctibidiftum
ToUememor:
THis Verfe ought to be needfully obferved by the Student in this Science, for he fpeaks a real! truth, Nihil pratermijfum quod a quovis dicipofit No- thing being wanting, nor nothing Itft eut that is needfull to be knowne to com- pleate this greate J^orfc : which many have not the happineffeto*/>pr*faf, though it mould be more plaincly difcovered unto them. Much alike unfortu- s>Pnef ine^E- nate as tno^et^at Sandivogiut fpeaks of, (s) to whom he had intimated the niiPhiloC ' dnkomwordto word, but they could by no meanes underftand him, yet , . would be accounted Pbilofopbers,
Seeing then a {Man may be in the true Path and not know it to beib, it be-
t) Wifd 1 J. hoves the ferious Student cavnzftly to defire ot God to (f) cc remove from his
a) 1 Tbefj.S.
w) Trov.4.1 5.
« red his waves. That his Dayes be not fpent in vanity, nor his Yeares waft
y')Pfai9.i. tr doing nothing : but that (7) one Day may teach another and one Nighc
"add knowledge to another, And then he (hall find that though this Author
has opened his Mouth in a parable, yet he hath declared [or made plain] hard
Sentences ©f Old.
1) Ord. pa .105. *) f &* *n ^(0 jOtftitiall-Obe-ftts pen out of Doubt,)
3s mtWz Ut%>l*w,\w}xi9pomkftont.
Pag,
C+w)
Cijis XOofczteW begun
INthe/ctfwHhave made after tAutbentique Mamfcripts to compleate this Worker private gentleman lent me a very faire one of Norton's OrdinaU, which I chiefly followed 5 yet not admitting to compare it with fourteen other Copies. It was written in Velame and in an auntient/er* Hd«i,very exact and ex- ceeding neatcTheFrgwrn (whence I caufed thefe herewith printed to be Gr&v- «yi>eing alfo moft neatly & exquifitely lymyd3znd better work then that which was Henry the feaventfrs own J3oc^,(as lam informed by thofe that have feene botbj It had placedin the midle and bottome of the Compartments o£Flowers3 Birds and Beajts , the Nevcll's Coate of Ames, with others which that Family quartered. This induced me to believe it to be the Originall for one exaftlyC'op/Vifrom It) prefented by the Author to George Itevett then Arch- Bijbop o/Torfowho was a moft wealthy and Magnificent Bifhop;zs appeares not * T(- r . onely by the rich (a) Jewell he offered at Bec\etts Tombe, but for the greate and V 1J?|c^ar. ftately Entertainment he provided at Morein Hartfordfbkc for. Edward the 4th : J0'*6** to make which more Magnificent he brought forth a (b) \z& Trcafure o{ ft stow. Ann Tltic, that he had hid during the diftra&ions of former yeares, all which the ji,^X6^ " Ipffg feifed upon with his (Money and more conGderable fum of Money in thofe dayes, then now 5 j and made of the Arcb-Bijhops Mitre (fet with precious Stonei) a Qrowne for himfelf.
I hare beene informed that there was greate Correspondency betweene this Areb-'Bifhop and the Hermetique Tbilojopbers of his time,and this is partly con- firmed tome from Ripley's (c) Dedication of his Medulla to him, Ann.1476. ascj See the Pie- alfo the prcfentation of this of Norton's Ordimll ; for though I findethefaid face. Arcb-Bijhop dyed the fame yeare this OrdinaU was begun to be written, yet th? certaine time of that yeare I cannot yet learne^us: it was towards the latter
fentcd, (or if not prefented, yet intended) before he dyed, though begun bmtht pag.ibidem.. fame yeere.
Pag. 1 07. mf e, &c.
THis #%£e- (which is alio called the twelve Gates) was ven'd by Sir Gtffr^f R/p/ey,and formerly (/)fet forth in print by Ralph Rabbards-,1 have compa-/) An. r foi, red it with feve rail other Manufctipt Copies, amongit which I happily met with one written neere about the time that Ripley lived, (and in thefe Streamesof Learning the more cleared and without the leaftcf Mixture is to be found neereft the Spring-bead^ the which I moft relyed upon. Yet where th -y 'differ, the Reader (if this Copy pteafe not) may make ufe of the former.
It appeares at the en.1 of this (g)/for^,that it was written in the yeare 14.71. ,\ p _ ,, which I the rather take notice of, becaufe I have met with a kind of Retraction ***' vf Ripley's beginning,
Fa/a*
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Falix quemfacimt alknapericula cautum.
Wherein he befeecfcesallmen, wherefoever they (hall meete with any of his Experiments written by Him , or that go under his Ityme, (from the yeare 1 4 ? o. totheyeare 1470.) either to £#r«e them or afford them no Credit, being writ- ten according to his eftecme, not proofr, and which ("afterwards upon tryall) he found falfe and vaine : for foe long was he feeking the Stone , but in the truth of praStife had not found it, till towards the end of that yeare, and then (faith He) Invent quern diligit animamca.
So that this Treatife of the 12. Gates being wrote the yeare after, is unquefti- onablytobere/>fi«po», becaufe pen'd from a grounded experimental} Praftifc&s himfelfe Teftifies in his Admonition,
....... h) 31 tiebct faS» toc?fec trulg bttt one,
h)K^./idmo- -. jpf frfyfy int^ij0f ^teattfe t j,e tvutl) 3J &atoe toft.
mtion.
In which (for the Students fafeguardj he gives an account of his own Efti- niota Experiments, therein following Chaucer, Ricbardus Anglicus, Vionipus, Zaebarius the noble Trevifan, a»d divers other honeft and Confciencious Vbilofopbers* i) A nno 164 9. Ludovicm Combacbm (who hath f i) lately fet forth divers of Ripley's Wor\s k)Pref. ad 0- m *, per. G Rip. *n mo^ Pure Eltgiaqtit verfe, by one Unbolts May upon the Command of the ?/'./■■' Empcrour Rudolph the fecotid, and that he could willingly have added it to that he publified, (which wastranflated out ofEnglijb into Latine verfe by Sir Edw: H\flley) for the better undemanding thereof, but that the Qopy w as none of his owne. 1) Printed at To ^e learned Faber, ( 1 646.) befto wed much Paines and Coft in publishing loufe. toxhewov[d(l)B