Book i- The Temple ^/Wifdome. b 37

Pfalme; Miferere mei Veus^ ntiferere meiy quia. m$e confidit animd ntea. From hence it is, that fo many fuperftitions have fprunge; and that people at length begun to undertake the curing of Difcafcd perfons, mecdy by the bare Receiting of certain Words 5 without any regard had^ cither to the ftars. Or any thing elfe.
We confefs that the living Scorpion is not at all Exempted from Celeftial Vertue 5 feeing that, if it be applied to the Wound, it curech it, as well as it's lelefmanical Image : fo doth the Crocodile, the Rat, the Toad, the Dog, and the Viper alfo. And if in all the reft of living Creatures, we find not the fame effect 5 it is rather for want of fearching after it,tbeii any defeat in Nature : feeing that thofe, that are moft skilled in the wonderfull Works of God^ do certainly alTure us, that where ever any Difeafe is found, there alfo is the Remedy to be had. And who would ever have thought, that the Gravel, which is found in Urine, fhould fervc for a R.emedy againft the Stone ? and a world of other the like fecrets there are,wbich are daily brought tolight.But it may here be demanded*, Why then Hiould not the Stars communicate the Vertue of driving away Scorpions, as well to the living Scorpion, astoit*s Image >
lanfwcr, that if it were fo, Nature fhould then make warrc againft it feif,and (hould utterly dcftroy itfelfina ftiorttimc*, feeing that all living Crea- tures would foon be deftroyed by one another. Moft wifely therefore was ic ordered, that the ftars only^ and Men, (hould have this Vertue communi- cated unto them.
The anfwer of Te/m, to the Reafcns brought by Cajttan^ and lomti^nauuf, for, whereas the latter
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128 the Temple of Wifdome, Book I'
of thefe faies, that although Figures be not the be* ginning, and Caufe of Operation, yet it may ope- rate very much : feeing that we may obferve out of experience, that the Figure of a foul, deformed man, ftiikes us with a kind of fadnefs 5 whereas a Beautiful works in us,an tfFe^ quite contrary. Be- fides. Beautiful Obje^s do lo move us, as that we love them ; which foule,and Ill-favoured do not at all: Therefore faith F()J«/> Power to Operate. Veirio anfwers nothing to this, but only to the Confequence ; denying that Magi- call Figures are Beautiful, or Deformed. But, even Children may eafily perceive, that his Antecedent is utterly falfc. For, thofe Figures, which he calls Magical^ and we Telefmamcai, are truly, and really. Beautiful, or Deformed, according as the things are, which they reprefent, which are, for the moft part,the Heavens, and the Stars; the Beauty where- of ravifhet hour Senfes. Befides, thefe Figures do ordinarily rcprefent fome Conftellation or other 5 as the Virgin^ the 7wmSy and the reft. Now if a living Virgin, and living Twins, are Beautiful, or Deformed ; why then (hould not their Figures, or Pifturesbe fotoo> Let us now proceed to the Aigu- merits oi C^jetan^ which Veirio refutes with as litcle Reafon, as he hath done thoieof FomponatiM.
This learned Cardinal then layes down this moft Truej) and Powerful Concluiion, in favour of telef- 9f? anical Figures. Figura licet non fit ipfum friyjcipum Operationis^ efi tamen conprincipium. Be proves the Antecedent : qui^i in artificum inftrumentis efficit Fi' gura^ Mt illafic^ vel fic operentur ; turn quidferrum latum fuper aquas fertur^ quod fi in formam aliam contrahas^ demergetur. Thefe reafons of his are foftrong, and fo certttio J as that it is impoflible to overthrow them.
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