Book 1. T he Temple of Wiidom^. i7i

-^ Aurato fulgcbat Afollinefuffis,
And Terfim : ^
^acetipfe in littofe^ & u»h
Ingeutei de fuppe Vei,
Which gave occafion to the Poets to feign, that J«- piterikoie away Enropa^ under the fhapc of a Bull; becaufe the Ship of the CretianSy who ftole her away, had, foi it's Tf/f/w/r;^, the Figure of theCoeleftiall Sign 7aurufmnd for it'sDeity^a Statue x^( Jupiter /The like Original might, probably, that other Fable of Gammed have had 5 who is faid to have been carried away by an Eagle, the Bird proper to the fame God. You may fee further, concerning this particular, in Sextus PompeiuSy lib^ de Europey^nd La^antiusy lihM FalfaKeligione. This cuftome of Mariners fetting up oftheCcJelefnianSj or Images, in their VeflTels, a- gainft Shipwracks, is fo Ancient, that they fay, that among thofe that came with lEneas from Trojf, there was on€ that had the Figure of two Lyons : that the Gadarenes\\di6. one, with the Image of aHorfe: and that the Ship oi Alexandria y which ^t.P/^w/ failed in, had the Images ofCaftor and ToUuXy or, according to the Arabiansy the Gemini graved on it : and that which carried Hippocrates^ when he took his journey to Ahdera, for the curing oi'DemocrititSy bare the Fi- gure of the 5un. Now all thefe 7elefmans were not made fo much for the avoiding of .Shipwrack only, as for the turning away of fome other Difaftrous ac- cidents, or the procuring of fome good fortune, or other. And from this praftife of the Ancients have the Chriflians taken Example, though in aChri- ftianway, of having Images in their Veflcls, and Piduring in them, the -Saints whofe names they bear.
Eut
1 22 T^e Temple oj Wifdome. Book. L
But lince thac 1 am iinawars fallen upon this choice Peice of Antiquity, I flffall here further adde that thefe ^eleftndHs were not fet up in Cities oncly, and Ships, but alfo in the plauijop^a fields loo;and it may be , that that Stone fo much famed among the Turks , which they c^U Bradan, and is fct up at fAecha, being foure foot long, and two foot broad as 5«/^*« reports, was only, a Te'/fpw/2«. For other- wife we muft even content our felves with Turkifh Fables, and believe, that it would never have been fo highly prized by them, but for that it iferved in- ftead of a bed to Ahraham^ when he had knowledg of his Maid Hagar: For bciides that,this is ridiculouSj the Turks will never acknowledg themfelvcs to be Baftards, and defcended frQio a .^ervant^m^id j but irom Sarah : and this is the reafon, that they arc fo much delighted in being ealled Sarafitis^^ Others fay jthat the reafon why the Turks have this ^tonein fo 'much Veneration,is, becaufe that Abraham tyed his pameltoit, when he went up to the top of the ^Mountain to facrifice his fon y as Euthymm Zigabc" nm affirmes; or, as feme others of the more Trifling fort of the Arabian Writers will have it, becaufe ic was crefted hi memory of a certain Holy Woman, who was taken up into Heaven, and afterwards ho- noured upon earth as a goddef?, for having very charitably ctitertained the Angels -4rftt z\\ That which moved thefe latter to forge thefe Fa- bles, was the Figure of Kfww^jwhich is ingraved up- bnthisftone, with a Crc^pwt: and this is that which makes me believe, that it was a TV/t'/'m/z^ of this Pla- ner, which, as Mr Selden (ayes, was anciently taken through all Afia^ for the Moon. And for this caufe it is, that this people hath Yriday in the fame Vene- ration^ thac Sunday \^ with us : -SLnd that in memory
of
Book. I. i^e Temple ^/Wifdome. 123
of this Starr, which all the Afiaff^ Worfhipped7~the ridges of their Hoiifcs, and tops of their Temples I tvere adorned with little Crefcents^ as ours are with I Crojfes, Now it cannot bethought, that this ftone I was only a bare, fimple Image, erefted in honour of I Venus: for^ beGdeSjtliat it was placed. in the opea ! Fields, and not within any Temple; it had that Vertae, which no other Image of this goddcfs ever had. Forit draveaway, faith Zachder^ all Veno- mous Beafts, and rendered all the neighbouring Fields both happy, and fruitful: which isfofarr from bdng obferved in them at this day, that, oa the contrary,they are all utterly barren. And this agrees eKccllently well with the Nature of thefc lelefmayuy whofe Operation lafteth but for fome certainefpaceof time, as Alhertm M(tgnui2i^\\rts us. Non latent nos^ faith he, qucd ficut virtutes Natttrales^ ferdurant in quodam tempre^ & non ultra \ ita etiam ejt de vlrtiitihtii ImaginunK Konenim influit diqua virtus de GodOy nifi quodam tempore periodi j pofiea cajfa & inu^ tHis rernanet Imago frigida & mortua, Et h£C eft caufa^ quare quodam Imagines non operantur hoc temper e^ quod fecerimt tempore antiquo. From the divcrlity of Opi* nions concerning this Telefmanical Stonc^ it may be judged, how many Fabulous Stories have been rai- fed touching thofe Artificial Images ; as namely, of thofe which were called 2To/X£/a were broken to pieces by the Latines^ at their entring into ConliantlnGpk :oitht Talladium^oi which there are ^o many Wonders reported, and which perhaps was nothing elfebut zlelefman : of thofe IrndLgtsoithtAmorhiteSy which, zsFhilo Judeus re- ports, vitve C2i\\cd Nympha facra^ which Ihewed to their (laves hourcly, whatfoever they were to do: and which being at iaii quite decayed, an Angel of
the
154 Tie Temple ^fWKlome. Book I.
the Lord, (feeing they couid neirher be broken to pieceSp norburntin the FireJ took, andcaft into a bottomlefs Pit. And having lighted on fome of thefe Images, that had been nudeJopg before, and feeing them to have fuch :^dniirable, cri^nge Ver- tues in them ; being unable toapprehefvd ctic rca- fon of thefe things, they prefently betook them- felves to AdT.iration.
Kofie Crucians ufually propofe to thcmfelves what EfFeft they would have thefe Images produce , whe- ther to chafe away fome hurtful reafts 5 or, to al- lay the violence of Winds, to prevent Lightnings, andHailes to cure certain Difeafes, and the like. This being firft propofed, they then fcarch after the mean?, that may be proper for the attaining of the End propofed : as, for example, for the Cure of the Dropfie, it is to be confidered, that the Difeafe con- iifts in Moifture : they are therefore not to take any matter indifferently, for to ingrave, and forme, under fuch and fuch Conftellations , but it muft be fomething, that is of a fubftance naturally hot and dry. Secondly, they muft take, for the r*»fcendent, fome (ign that is like wife hot and dry j as Aries, for inftance. In the Third place, they muft make choyce of fome Star, to which this Malady is fub- ^eft; fuch as 5^t«r»^ is faid to be: but there being iieedalfoof fome S'tar that is very moift, (to the tnd chat Sympathy, which is fo powerful in all things, may aflift alfo in this particular j ) they may taketheMoo»in her Wane. For, as the curing of the biting of a Viper, they mixe fome of its fiefti, With the Antidote ; in like manner, for the expel- ling of thefe waceriQi humors, we muft makeufeof that St;^i, which hath the greateft affinity with the waters. You muft alfo obferve the Sign, which
relates
BookL /Ae Temple
relates to the part ot the body that is ilJ-afFoded : and thisisther.outuel of a Itarued Phyiitian, who faies, that 5 ( iportet Modicum a}(que defeCiu fcire^ ubi Cauda. T>racoms fit ih homint, uli Anes^ ubi Axis Polaris^ ubi fit linea t^ieridionuUs^ ubiOneHi^ubiOccidens^ bcc. Now that the i^^iies have moje Agreement wich^ and have ftrongei influen e upon one pare of the bodv, then another > we are certainly taught by dayly Fxpenence, ii the curing of Wounds. Wc muftalfo have regard, ifit bepolfible, to the Stars to winch the Sick perfon is fubjeft ; and then in the laft place, we muft above all things take care to be- gin our W r^, under (ome certain Afpe;^S3 which are only ufcful in the Operation, fonie fortofhed their Influences with more heat^or cold, and others, with lefs, as occafion (hall require. So that all thing > being thus diligently obfervedj the Beames of the ^'tars, finding a Figure aptly difpofed for the receiving them^ do make fuch an Impreflion in ic, by theRefembianceand Harmony that they there find, as that being once taken in, they do after- wards Operate on that, which they find to oe fembl- able. In all the other operations, they proceede after the fame manner : as-, ^r Example, to chafe away «9corpionb out of any place, they take the fign, with which they have fome Correfpondence ; fucl^ as is the fign Scorpio : then do they take fome Malig- nant ftar, which is Adverfe to them*, it being not fonecefldry to obfervefomany rules in Beafts^ and other Irrational Creatures, as in Men. Now when the Figureof a Scorpion is thus prepared, the living Scorpions feeling naturally the Offt^nfive influence, wherewith the Image is indued j they prefentlya- void the place, for their own prcfcrvation 5 orelfe, iftheybctoonearit, they prcfemly dye, Ifit be
thoughc
126 The Temple of Wifdome. Book I.
thought by any a hard thing to conceive, how theft living Creatures (hould have any fenfe of this in- , flucncc; let them but con (idcr, that there are fome Perfons that bear foftrangea hatred to Cats, oro- ther likeBeaftsJ as that if there be any within the Houfe where they qrc, they do prefently fall into a fweating, and trembling, although they fee them not. It is reported alfo, that there is a certain herb^^ that Cats will fcent, at a very great diftance : info- much, that if one lay it upon the top of a Houfe, or in a Chamber, you (hall have them come from very far, to tumble, and roulethemfelves on it. Many things are delivered by the Naturalifts,which are in appearance, much more Incredible then thefe.
And now it is no hard matter to conceive, how thePower of Te/e/?«/?«5 comes at this day to be fo^^ undervalued; for thofe that have written of this fubjeft, have mixed fo many, both confufed> arid dangerous things together in their writings; that. people making no diftinftion at all betwixt the good and the bad, do equally abhor all, whitfoever bears but the very name of Figure, or Telefnian. But we (hall, in th^ profecution of this difcourfe, fever the good Corn from the Darnel; and (hall Qiew, that, in the making of thefe Figures, all words are indif- ferent 5 and that they ferve but toamufe thelim- pler fort of people. As, vjhtn AlhinM VilknoveHfn faies, that for to cure the Tertian, and Quartan Ague, the pain of the Nerves, Ventricle, and Privy part, you rnuft grave the Image of a Scorpion upon a piece of Gold, or Silver, when the Sun is in his proper Houfe, and the Moon in Capricorne : and while you arc graving it, you muft City thefe words % Exurge Thmine^ gloria, mea ; Exurge Tfalteriumy &- Ci- thardj (XHYgam dilucuro: and then rchearfe this
PfalniC5