Book I. the Temple ^/Wifdome. 255

being in Travel with a Child, defired, fas CeeUren reports)co have certain Letters applyed to her Belly, for to bring forth the dead Child : but it was all in vain 5 for ic coft her, her life. To conclude, thcfc things havihg been invented only for the concealing of foiiie '^ecrets, as we have faid^ (after Koger BacoHy who faith, ^£ Thilofophi ad invenerant in oprihus ar» tis^ & Natur£ utfecreta occultarent ab indigmSj) they were afterwards turned into Superftition, by thofe who mixed them with the Images, and made ufe of them beyond the powerof Nature j and that too with io Damnable Ceremonies, as that the very thought of them is Irkfome. Read the Hurmony of the fi orldj Lib 2.
Now that the Pra^licc of making thefe figures was never forbidden, but only to keep us off from thofe Abominations^ that were ufually hepcby committed f the invention being nevcrthelefs natural, as we have fliewed ; and the things themfelves having been very Innocently ufed by good Men, without rheafliftance of any other Power, favethat of Na- ture) we may perceive by a like example, in the command that was given, of not Grafting on a tree of a different kind. For it was given for no other Pvcafonfthac 1 may here pafs by thofe, which are brought by interpreters, both of Greek and Latine, which are many times very wide of the Text) but only to turne aivay the Jews from thofe filthinefles and abominations, which they ufually committed at thiskindofEngraffing. The Latine words will in fome fort hide the uncleannefs of the difcourfe of thefe Villanies : you (hall have them therefore out ofthe above named Kabbi Mofes^ a man of very great knowledg in thefe Traditions : Vixerimt ergc^ qiicd in bora qua inferitur unafpci^s in aliam^oprUt tit ramus
infaendui
^^6 The Temple
iufeYendus fit in manu alicujus mulieris fulchra^ & quod vir aliquis carnaliter cognofcat earn f rater ntorem natura^ tern, Et dixnunt^ qucd in temfore HI ins aClus debet mutier Tftferere ramumin arbore. From hence a man mighc conclude it was, that God, to fet a mark upon the fculnefs of this CrimCj would have the very Trees themfelvcs alfoto have fome fenfc of it. For, if a Whore planted an Olive tree, f faith one of the lear- ned'ft Prelates of Italy ^ according to the Opinion of the Naturalilis J it would never bear any Fruit. OH- t/^, faith he, fetue manet^ vel omnino arefcit. Now, to Engraffe any Tree what ever, is a thing boih Natural , and of it TelfindifFercnt : neverthelefs it was foi^iddenj meerly to avoid the Sin w ter hocigitur^ is theconclufionofthe fore-cited few^ prohibit £ fuerunt commixtionei^ fcilicet incifio art oris in aiiamfpecienty ut elongemur a caufis Jdolatria &formca'- tionum. And tiie like caufe hath a I fo moved thofe men, that have condemned figures j though they are both Natural, and the making of them lawful j as we have already (hewed Now the reafon why they have been alfo rcjeded by fome of the more learned forr, was either to give way to the Rigour of the Inquifttion-y as the Italians and Spaniards have done : or elfe, for want of having taken the pains to examine them ; as Gul. Parifienfis^ Gerfun, and diverfe others ; whofe Ob jeft ions alfo, which they conceive to be Invincible ones, we (hall likewife an- fwer.
The ^ccond Objeftion is g rounded upon the foo- l»fliiiefs, and Impertinence of the words that are u- fed about thefe Telefwes -, at the making whereof. Ignorant people do ftill ufe fome certain Words, which fdy ihey, are very neer bordering upon Idola- try. Bui
BookI. '/^^ Temple (^fVVifdome. 257
But we have already anfwered, in theprecedent Chapter's that we do not at all defend the follies of the Superftitious; but do rather freely condema their Obfcrvations, and all words, that tend to fuperftition. In the fame Chapters aifo we have reje£tedpart of the fooleries, delivered bv Ff//^«o- venfis : andthatwemay not have any fcrupleunfa- tisfied, we do alfo here condemn thofe, which are brought by AHtoniusMizaldus: as namely, where he affirmes, according to Ptolomy^ that for to drive away Serpents, you muft prepare a fqiiare Plate ofCop- iper, and graving two Serpents on it 5 when the fc- cond face of Aries is Afcendent, you muft fay thefe words: Ligo Serpentes per banc Imagmemj ut nemini' fuerity permaneant. As alfo where hefaies, accor- ding to the CamePtohwy^ that, to drive away Rats I and Mice, you muft grave the Image of them upon : a Plate of Tin or Copper, when the third face of Cdpricorne is afcendent; faying, Ligo omrtes Mures \per hance hnaginem^ ut nullus^ in lo:o jwi fuerit^ ftianerepofjit, bo likewife for to gather together, and catch fifties, you muft engrave the Image of a fiOi^ upon a piece ofLead or Tin, when the firftface of Jquarim or o^Pifces is afcendent, faying : Ligo & adjuro omnes Pifces quifunt in flumine(vi\th all naming th; River J adtradum balifi£^ ut ad banc Imaginem ve^ niam^ quojiefcunque in e us aqua, pofita fuerit . And fo alfo for the driving of Wolves away, either out of a Wood or from a Sheep-coat, you muft grave upon a Plate of Copper or Tin, the Image of a Wolfe, with his feet tied^ and two Maftivcs feeming to bark at him, when the fecond face of Sagittarim is Afcen- dent ', and you muft wit hall {iy thus : Extermnoper banc Imdginem omnes Lufos , qui funt in bac Vella^ aut
K nemore^
i
a 58 The Temple ^f Wifdome, Book I.
wf7W(?r^ (calling the Wood or the Sheep-houfe by it's name} utnonremaneat aliquiseorum inillo. As iike- vvifej in the laft place, to render a Huntfman fortu- nate in his Game, you muft grave upon a peice of Tin^ Silver or Copper, the Image of a Huntrnian, having in his hand a Eow bent, and ready charged wich an Arrow 3 graving it under the fign ofSagit' tarius^ whofe Image he reprcfenteth, and faying : per banc hnaginem ligo omnes feras Silveiires^ cervos^ aproSj lepores^ ut nulla meam venationem jubterfugiaty qnin oftatam portionem &pr£dam rftihi femper relinquat. J havefetdown fomany of thcfe words, that Men may take notice of them to avoid them, and to give warning of them to thofe that arc inquirers after fuch things 5 who might happily have lighted on them in the Authors own writings, which are full of Superftitions. For, befides that the mannerof making them is Ridiculous, it is aifo as far different from the true way that is to be obfervedin making them, as Heli is from Heaveu. So that I cannot much wonder at the III Luck of a Friend of mine ; whofaie?, that of above a hundred of thefeTe/^/1 mam that he had made, according to thefe vaine Rules here delivered, he never faw any one of them anfwer hisExpeftation. But I defiring him to make one, according to the Dircftions I gave him -, he prefently faw the effeft follow. And M. Robert (Tnrnr a learned Phyfi ian makes them right, and^ the learned Eugenm Polymoy who is yet living, andmaybeaskt thequeftionj hath fworn to me, that he hath cured a moft Iiuollerable pain in the Rains, by one offchefe true 7elefmans : fo much doth* it concern us to be abletodiftinguifh, betwixt the true, and fulfe ones We rejeft therefore this fop- pilh way of meking them, delivered by the faid Mi-
zaldtts