Book I. Tie Temple ^/Wifdome, ^ 35^

To anfvvcr fully, and in order, both to this ob- Jedion, and to the reft that fciloWj I fay; that, in ihefirft placci, vvc are to take notice 3 that, in the matter ofthefe figures, we have already condem- ned all Words, and all other Superftitions : (o that, toavoid a tedious Repetition, theReadcr muft call to mind, what hath already been faid to this. As for the Church, it never yet rejcded the True and lawful Power of figures, fuch as we havedefcri* bed it ; as may appear out of the writings of thofe two learned Men, Iho, Aquinas^ and Cardinal Cajs^ tan. And if the Fathers have fometimes condem- i»cd it ; it was not till they faw that it was fo mixed with fuperliition (that 1 fay not, Abominations) that they conceived they (hould never otherwife be able to divert men from the Praftice of it, but by condemning it utterly : as Mofes likcwife did, iii forbidding abfolutcly the Graffing on a Tree of a different kind, only to keep them from that ^n^ which was ufually committed at that A£^ion; And that it may appear that the bare figures have noc been ufcd alwaies,without any Application of words and Ceremonies 5 Uichas were not only Vain, but Ridiculous aUo ;vwe may take notice, that inJEgyp when they would caufc Haile toccafe, which might have been effefted by the Vertue of a bare lelefyne only 5 it was thought NecefTary, that four nac^ed Women (liould lye along upon the ground on their backs : and lifcing up their feet on high, they were to pronounce fomc cert:^in words, and fo the Haile would ccafe. ^atuor Midterei (faid they, asK.M^?- pf reports) jaceant in terra fnfer dorfum fuum nud^^ et erfgantpfdesfucsyft dicant talia verlm^ etoprenmr ijiud: grando-^ defcendins fuper hcinn illum^ rcccdet ab eod,m loco. I his R,idicuIous Cercniony was taken from
the
a54 ^Afl Temple e;/Wifdome. Book I.
the Pollure of fome "Teleftnatical Figure^ which fcr- ved to divert ftormes of Haile ; whereon^ faith Cboiner^ was graven the Image of Venus lying along. Befides^fome fgnoranc perfons having lighted upon loHie of the Charafters, which the Ancients had in* vented, that fo they might conceal their Philofophi- cal Secrets, from the unworthy Rabble ; ( fuch as are thofe wherewith the Chymifts books are full : ) not knowing the Original of them, and believing that they had fome fecretVertue in them, they graved them on Telefmes. Such perhaps was the Egyptians SerapiSj which had on its breaft the fo much Cele- brated Letter ^ftf^. This infcribing of Cifres, and Charai^ers, brought alfo along with it this belicfe; that feeing there wereLctters written upon lele^mesy they might certainly then be read alfo : and hence did this fuperftition take Rife, of fpeaking words in the making of thcfe figures , and afterwards, of let- ting alone the figure, and ufing the bare words or*- ly : as it is reported of Irallianm^ who ufed thefe words for the Cureof the Chollick ; (fivyi^(pivyi,u Xo\h. And Homer writes, that the bleeding ofVUjJes hiS wound wjs ftopped, by u(ing ccrtaine words: aslikewifethat o^ Orcondates vvaSjin Heliodortis ',whOj with Straho^ affirmes, that the Indians and Ethiopi- ans, ufe no other way of curing their Difeafes. fr ijfr^rt nfTures us, that he hath fcen thefe Ceremonies praftifed in his time : and even in Our daycf, they arc ufed but too often, efpecially by Superftitious Women. But at laft there were fome that made moreefteeme of Cliarafters, then of plain Words, confidering with themfelves what the power of fi- gures was. T\\n^liny reports, that M. Servilius made ufe of thefe two Letters, M,and >^, to keep himfelf from being blear-eyed : and Eudoxia the£mpref>',
being