Book I. rte Temple (?/Wifdome. 259

zaldUf^ as well in the places above cited, as infoniC others : as namely in the 44. 6-9^. Apborifmes oft h^ fccond Century j the g%.Aphorifme of the third Cen- tury i and the 47. Aphoriftne of the ninth : in which places he makes ufe of words both vain and fupsr- ftitious, and alfo of moft falfe principles ; which is thcRcaConjwhynoman could ever, byufingthcm, attain to the end he propofcd. Now I have former- ly faid, that we condemne all Figures and Word?, that are mixed with Supcrftition, in thefe Tf/ tical Figures only; for, as for thofe Ceremonies and words, which arc pioufly ufed ; as for ex- ample, To caufe a ftorme of Haile to ceafes i man may ufe them without any fufpicion at all, ac- cording to the Judgement of fdme Divines. The manner is thus defcribed by Wierus. Having firft made thefign of theCrofs, againft the Lightning, Haile, Thunder or Tempeft, you miift take three Halle-ftones, of thofe that firft fell, and call them into the fire, in the name of the Holy Trin'ty ; and havi ng repeated the Lords Prayer two or three cimeg over, you muft read the Gofpel ofSt.John: which being cnded^ you muft make thefign of theCrofs, overagainft theCloude, and the Thunder, on every fide; and make the fame alfo upon the ground, toward the four quarters of the World : and after that the Exorcijl fhall have faid three times, Verbum caro fadum efl^ adding to it, as often thefe words ; Ter Evangelica diUa fagiat tempefljf efta ; if the Tem- peft were raifed out of malice, faith JHerus^ it will ceafc. But let us leave the determination of this matter til I fome other time ; only obferving at pre* fent, thett there hath crept in Superftition here alfo, as well as into the bufinefs^ we now treat of.
R 2 THr
76o The Temple
The third Objei^ion is grounded upon the Impo- tency of the matter ingraved. For, how can an Image, which is dead, and without motion, give. motion to other?, and have fuch operation?, as are attributed unto it > Thus it is argued by GuUelmm farifienfis^ againft thefe Figures. ^omrdo Imago i»ortua^ & onmimodo iHapprehenfa^ omnique modo immo- hiliSj mover etviventes ? aut qualiur prJjiat Scientiam^ qudm mchabuit. nee adUy necptentia earn habet certif- fimumejl? Gerfon faies the fame, and brings in a manner, all the very fame Arguments, in a Book that he hath written again a certain Phyfitian of Mcntpelier^ who graved upon a piece of Goid^ the Image of a Lyon, for the Cure of the Stone.
To this I anfwer, that the Image of it feif, is dead, and without any motion : but that by the Vertueof the Stars, under which it was made, it hathaaquired new qualities, which it had not be- fore: or elfe, that the matter being before indued with fome qualities that were proper forfuchan ef- fect, it is difpofed for fuch an effcft by a Semblable figure, and its qualities are excited. Itacjue arSy faith, hUrcilius [icinus^fufcitat inchoatam ihi virtutem^ ac dam ad figuram redigit^ fimilem fu£ cuidam cxlejti figur£^ tunc fu£ illicide£ frorfjis expenit', qtiam fie fx- pofitam Cixlum ea perftcit virtute qua e^eperat^ exhibem quafi fulpburi flammam. Thu^ many things, if they are not excited, work not at all : as forinftance, to make fome Herbs to frael, you muft crufh them be- twixt your fingers. So Amber^ which hatli received from the Heavens, the property of drawing Straws to it; yet unlefs it be a while rubbed and chafed, it is not able to do it. The Bczaar or Eezohar Stone (which Marcilius Ficinus {d\es^ fignifies as; much as, Antorte lebcrans: chough this be an Etymology as
Unknown,
Boo K 1- The Temple /7/W ifdome. 7 6 1
Unknown, as UntrueJ which is Naciiraily indued with the power of expelling poyfon, becomes alfo a very Sovcraign remedy againft it. That of the ' Scorpion, if there be firft graved on it the Figure of aScorpion, under the influence of theCelcftial con-
ftillation of the fame name. ^ The flint Stone
a gives not its fire, unlefs you ftrike it : in a word i^-^ — there is fcarcely any things but requires to be ^ Excited and Awakened up to its work, even ^^ aslow^as Artificial things 5 many whereof ap- ^ ^ pear not at all, unlefs there be Art ufed to dis- cover them : as we may fee, for Example, in Letters written with the juyce o^Chrons^Figs^Onyons^ Salt Alnionkk^^ and many other things ; wluch mufl be either held before the Fire, or elfe dipped in Wa- ter, that they may "oe read. In like manner alfo is it neceflTary) that the. vertue of Metals and of Stones (hould be excited by the Celcftial Rayes, for the rendering them apt to effed that which wedeiiie. Now that thefe Rayes are fo powerful, as that they are able to penetrate Stones, and into the bowels of the Earth, we have already proved 5 and lliall hcreconfirme it, by the teftimony of BoHaventure : Vicunt Philofophiy quod corpus c ^lefie^yitediante fuo lumine influit ufque ad profundum terrjt^ iibi miner alia corpora generdrihaheit, Et^ quantum ad hoc verum dicunt.W'htn Tcftimonies are grounded upon experience, they cannot podlbly then be denied : and we know that the Sun penetrates very far into the Earth, and there gives life to plants, and li vine; Creatures too i which, when we fee taken up, aftonifh us very much ; as appearcs out ofGeorgius Agricola^ and the learned Ucetuiy who is ftill ProfeflTor at Fddua. As for Sub- terraneous fiQies, we find them but too often en- i . vcned by the Stars, to our great difadvantage : as R 3 you
$62 ^^ ^f' Temple of WndomG. Book I.
you may obferve out of the third book of Seneca's X^at. qu£ll. c,ip. Who alfo in another place, Taies, that Thiiip having Cent men down into an old Gold- mine, to fee if the Covetoufnefs of Man had yet left there any thing undifcovered; they perceived Ri- vers running along thofe deep CavernF, and many other Prodigious fights : by which we may be cer- tainly afTured^ that the Heavens do operate through every part of the Univerfe. Defcendijfe illos^ faies this learned Author, cum multo lumine^ &multosdu'' rajfedies ; de'mde longa viafati^atos^ v'ldiffe flumna in'- genU(t^& conceptus aquarum inertium vajios^ pares milrpi'y nec compreffos quidern tsrrafupereminente'y fed libera laxi* tatis^non fine horror evifos. And thofe, chac write of thePviches oiAmerkaydiYuTe uSjthat the mine of Pro//, where Gold is generated, is fo hollow and Co deep, that nothing can more ficly reprefent the dreadful ImageofHell. If then the Stars do operate, with- in the bowels of the Earth, upon living Creatures, Plants and Metals, why not upon Stones alfo ? I do therefore account the Concluiion of Hieron.Hangejiy an Ancient, Learned, Sorbonift, tobenioftTrue^ who, fearching after the Reafon ofGamahes^ con- cludes (after a long dirpute)thac theFigure orpain- ting on them, proceeds from two caufes ; from the Stars, and from the Property of the Earth. Sec lie re his own word?. §^idigitur dicendumfit ? ref* pondeo^ ex duplki radke poffe contingere. Vna modo ex '/ad ice • iderea^fecimdmn A\irologorum author it atent^niul^ tlf expeyime'/itii coraprohattim. Alio modo^ ex. radice infe* riore^&c. Now this power or vertue of the Stars, worksindifierently upon all things j which Confi- tieration hath niovtd many that ftandupforthe powerof Figures, tobelieve that all forts of Stones,
(Vlecais ^^ ^^-^^^ "''^^^'^^ iiuiiffcrently, if it be gra- ved.
vcd, and wrought according to the Rules before de- vercd, would work the fame effefts. F'or, as Fire heateth all things that are fet before it ^ in like man- ner do the Stars Operate, fay they, upon all things indifferently. But I hold the firft Opinion to be «h,e Truer^ and more certain : not, that this later is falfe; but, becaufe the effeft here is flower. For, the Fire will indeed heat all things, that are placed nearit; but if the matter be indifpofed, the heat will not workfofpeedily : as we fee in e;reen Wood, and in a Pibblc-ftone, which requirech a longer time to grow hot in, then a Brick doch : and fo in all other things. It is required then, to the end that the Stars may opperate th-e more eafiiy, and in lefs time, that the matter be before hand indued with fome quality, chat is proper to the effect which we have propofed to our felves ; and havealfo fome Sympathy with thofeCelcftial (igns, which we in- tend to make ufe of. Read the Holy Guide.
You may fee this Sympathy, and the wonderful Correfpondencc that there is, betwixt Stones, Mi- nerals, Herbs^ Plants, Flowers,Tails,SmeIs,Colour5, Beafts, Fifhes, Birds, and all things elfe, and the ftars, in Georgius Venetus his Book, Ve Harmonia Mtm- ^^, and in the learned Comment of M Mo»'^'^/^, a Phyfitian, upon Scbola. Salermtayia j the reading whereof, in all forts of booAS what ever, is truly very Admirable.
The fourth Objection, which is brought bv the above-named Authors, is, that if this Artofpre- paring Images be certaine^and their vertue fo great as is faid ; the Egyptians j Arabians and Ferftans^ who were the hrft invcnters of them, would then have made themfelves Lords of the whole Earth, inUib- dmiig all their Ene Hies : which thing they have
R 4 not
264. ^Iheltwpicof Wxidome. BooKi
not done 5 but coiicranwife have themfelves all been Conquered.
To this I anfwer, that no Image, or lehfmatical -figure c^n poflibly be Capable of operating (b great an effeft : they may indeed pofiibly excite, in fome fmal meafitrc, the courage ofCombatants^and nwk^ them Ids fearful of the Terrours of War h but thefe qualities alone will never be fufficient, for the ob- taining of a Viftory. If any here urge againft me the flory of Nectonaho^ who is faid to have drowned all his Enemies Ships, by making certain little Vef- fcls of Wax, and then drowning them : lanfwer^ fuppofe thcU. things were fo ; yet it could not be from hence concluded, that thefe effects were wrought by the vertue of the Stars j but rather by fome evil Angels, to whom God may have given fome fuch power. Gulielmus Panfienfu utterly denies thefe ftorics to be true; as indeed they are raeerly Fabulous ; neither do I believe thefe is any one of them chat hath any truth in it. If it be returned iipon us, that there is nothing in them, but a man nray believe, fmce polTibly they might be true : I anfvver, that many things might have been, which heveryet have been : as, forinflance, there might have been more iSans, and more Worlds then one.
The fifth Objeftlon is,that it is necefiary that Na- tural Agents fnould.,. fome way or other, touch the thing they are to Operate upon: but a Figure, vvhich cureththe itone, Chollick, or anyother dif- ^afe^touchcch not at all the Part ijfFefted, theVertue of it therefore cannot be'Nattnal.
The anfwer to this Ob'ec^ion is fo eafie, that,
without troubling our felves to* reckon up, with
"S^oxisi^ the icYcral Wi^rss of loucking^ we Deed no
* more
B o o K i.
more but give an iiiftance in a Hot BricJ^. For as a Bricke receives heat from the Fire5Wichout touching either Cole, or r lame ; in like manner doth an l- mage receive the influence of the Stars, without touching an Part of the Heavens. ^ In a word, all the touching which is here found, is only a Virtual touching 3 as we fee in the Sun, which, doth never- thelefs warm it by its Vertue. And as a Bricke,hea- tedeitherby theSun, orbyFire, doth afterwards operate upon any other body, cummunicatingits Vertue to it, if it be applied unto it : in the fame manner doth a Figure or Image operate upon ano- ther body, communicating the influences, which it hath received from the Stars unto it, if it be in like manner applyed, either by a Corporeal, or by a \wrtual touching only. 1 fhall not here produce the Miraculous operation of the IVeapon falve^vfhich cures a wound, at a hundred Leagues diftance» if it be but apphed to the Weapon that made it j and that you drefs it, as you would do the Wounded Perfon ; as it is proved by Sr. Kenelme Vighy. If I ihould have madeufe of this Example, I (hould ne- ver have been quiet from having it thrown in my Teeth, that the Operation o( this Magnetical Vh- g«f«r isSupcrftitious and Diabolical. This is the whole burden of the Ignorant Rabble, who impute, whatever they find to carry wonder with it, to the operation of evil fpirits : and yet I have been afliirei by Dr.Turner a Phyfitian, that this very operation was Natural 5 and that himfelf had made ufe of it, with good fuccefs, and on a very ^ood man. Now if our Nativity Merchants deny, that the operation of a leUfmatical Image, which is buried under ground, can be Natural j becaufe that it is kept in bytheEarth, which coversit : hemayas well con-
- ' elude.
266 The Temple ^/ Wifdome. Book I.
elude, that the operation of a Needle touched with a Load-ftone is alro Diabolical •> feeing that although it be a hundred fathoms deep within the Earth, yet will it al wayes turn it felf towards the Pole, This Comparifon is fc much the more preffing, becaufe that the moft of the learned believe, that this Vcr- lue of the Load-ftone is communicated unto ic, by that part of the Heavens, which the Needle points to. So true it is, that there is nothing more po- werful, then the influences of the ftars, when they have once made an imprcflion upon things here be- low.
The fixth Objeftion ftrikcs at the power,which we have attributed to refemblance: for, there is not any where ffay our Scar Men) a nearer Tye and Correfpondence, then in the Love of a Mother and her Child ; and yet if a Mother drown her felfe,the Child will notprefently do fo too; and fo he con- cludes : ^anto minus igitur in tarn diverfisy utfunt Imago & Imaginatum^ nulla ligaturaj inter eaerity qu£ cogaty ut quod fxtituf ImagOy ^atiatur & Imagina" turn.
I know very well, that this Author makes ufe ctf Argument againft NeUanabo : but feeing that he brings it alfo againft Telefmatical Images ; [ anfwer, that thefe Images (as we have already faid) have no powerat all over our Wills. Now, to drown ones ifelfe, or, not to drown ones fclf, is an A^ion which depends wholly upon the Will. But if a Child re- femble the Mother, as well in the Lineaments of the Face, asin the A6:ions of the Soul ; there is no doubt, but that this refemblance may have very much power^ both as well on the paiijons of the mindc, as on thofe of the Body, which proceed
fron^
/ p o OK I. The Temple of Wifdome. 2 67
from within : as ic is often obfcrved. And even in our daycs, Wc have heard of two young Children, which were Brothers, at VenOton^ an EpJlcopal City inltaly^ who by reafon of their being fo perfefilj like one another, if one of them werefick, theo- ^her was fo too : as, for example, if one began to have a Pain in the Head, the other would prefently . feel it : If one of them were a {leep,or fad , the other could tiot hold up his head, or be merry : and fo of the reft, as I have been aifured by Collonel Kove/ a very honeft man, and a Gentleman of the fame City.
The fevcnth Objc6i:ion, brought by the Athiefts^ is, that if at any time thefe lelefmatical ftones have been known to cure the bitings of ^Serpents, and the flinging of iJcorpions; this cifeft proceeded not at all from the ftars, but from fomc feci-et Properties in the ftone, whereon the Figure of a .Scorpion, or Serpent, was graved.
ThisObjeftionis anfwered in two words. I fay then, that we have already proved, that the ftars have power to communicate this vertue to the ftone; and alfo, that it is not at all Natural to it, and pro- ceeding from its own proper vertue : becaufe that, before it was figured and prepared under certain Conftellations, it had no fuch Vertue at all. And indeed, to what end iliould a man take fo much pains in graving and preparing it under diverfe Af- pcftsof the ftars, if it had as much Vertue before? To what purpofe alfo ftiould the Inhabitants of the Country oiHamftz. in Tirrkje^ trouble themfelves to take the Impreflion of a .Scorpion tbat is figured upon a ftone in a certain Tower, in a piece of Pot- ters Clay, if fo be the Clay it felfhad the fame Ver- tue before > We fay therefore, that it had not any
Vertue
368 TAe Temple t?/ Wifdome. Book I
Vcrtue before, proper for fuch an opinion; and that this Vertiie was communicated unco it, by the ftone in the Tower; and to the ftonc, by the ftars.
I fhall noDhere examine the Arguments of the Star Monger, which are to be feen under the Title of the s6. Page, which is, ^uod ommn ifta qu£ fiunt fer Imagines ymalignijlime fiant : becaufe that in this Chapter he treats only of Speakjng ImageSy or Sta- tues ; fuch as was that fpeaking Image of a man, which isfalfly faid to have been mdidthy Albertui Magnus: But the Images we fpeak of, are quite ano- ther thing 5 as is alfo their power. So that there is nothing wanting now, to the full Vindication of them from falfhood, and all other Caluminies, by AthielU.
The laft Obie^^ion is indeed the moft difficult of all the reft ; feeins; that the Vcrtue, which we find Imprinted in a lelefman^ feemes to furpafs the po- wer of Nature. Neverthelefs we are able to make it appear, that there is nothing Extraordinary in it, by niftancing in the Load-ftone; which having communicated it's Vertue to apiece of Iron, this picceof Iron communicates it afterwards to ano- ther, in drawing it to it felf, and retaining it. In like manner may a 7elefmatical figure communicate it's vertue to another figure, which (hall have recei- ved impreflion from it 5 which (hall afterwards have the power to work the fame effefts; only the diffe- rence is, we can give a Reafon of this later, though not of the former. For, the lelefman is, as a Brick^ made very hot, which is able to heat another Brick, though not with fo much force, as the Fire does: and the fame is tobf faid of the Print of a leUf^m in Clay, which cait never befopowerful in opera-
B o o K I. The Temple ^/ Wifdome. 269
tion, as thcTelefman it fclfe ; which is heated^ of penetrated, by the Beams of the Stars.
We conclude then, that we may Naturally^ and without the aid of fpirits, prove, by thefecrets of Nature, not only the power of the Images, but of many other operations alfo, which arc more won- derful. As, for example, to fend Newcs to our friends, inlefsthenan hours fpace, above an hun- dred Leagues off: 2iSlrhheinm Abbas^ zndBanhoU^ my Cordelier^ and after him Kobert Fludy have under- taken to do. To do fuch Miraculous things, by the help of Looking-glafles, as we would think to be ut- terly impolfible ; fuch as were thofe ftrange opera- tions, which Kohert Bacon undertook to do in the number Nine ; by which he promifed the Pope, that if he would furnifh him with fuch a Summe of Money^as the charge of making them would require he (hould be able to annoy the lurk^s more by thefe GlafTer, then by an Army of a hundred thoufand Men. Briefly, if Arijktle had not informed us,that the Image in the Aire which infeparably followed a certain man, fo that he could never be rid of it, was Natural : would it not prefently have been conclu- ded, that it wasfome famili^fpirit,orfome Vernon, that took upon it the Figure of this Man? And yet neverthelefs, this was only the effed of the Man's ownweaknefs of fight ; which being unable to pe- netrate the Medium of the Aire, it's beameswerc reverberated, in like manner as in a Looking-glafs ; fo that, when ever his Eyes were open, he ftiil faw his own Image in the Aire. Which makes me to be of their opinion, who indcavour to vindicate the Ancients, from the Imputation of Magick, and to think that the Works which they did, and which arc commonly accounted Diabolical, proceeded
meerly
^'O T^Ae Temple ^/Wifdome. Book I.
meerly from fome Natural principle : and I am fc- rioufly of this inind^that there can be nothing more Rediculous, then to have rccourfcto Spirits. For, bcfides that Campanellay KioUmSy SymphorianuSy Cant' fegiusy and many others affure us, that, whatfoever they may have done, yet they have never obferved any thing that was fupernatural, at leaft in thofe works, which are faid to proceed fromfpirits: We our felvcs may do, without their Aid, whatfoever they can do 5 feeing that they have no advantage over us, but operate only by applying aftive things to paflivej like as we do. We conclude therefore with the learned Lord Bacon. Non igitur oportetnoi uti Magicis tllufionihusy cum potefias Fhiiofophu doc f at vperari quodfufficit.
You now know your Mcttals muft be firft made Spermatick and Callo, the better to receive the Aftral Agent, as you may read in the Holy Guide. I have for the truths fake, and to juftifie my innocent and former VifcourffSy added to them this little pieces which perhaps is fuch, and hath in it fo much as the fforld hatli not yet feen published. It is not indeed the tenth part of what I had firft defign'd, but fome fobcr conliderations made me forbear, as my fuddain and abrupt clofe will inform you. How- fcever, what I now refeive, as to Vhilofo^ical Myfte* r/f$maybe im an ed hereafter in owv Kegio Lucis ^ and for the Ro^eCrwci^ff, we (hall draw them up for our own private ui^c in the Kofie Crucian infallible AKiomata. 1 have little more to fay, but if it may add any thing to your content. 1 can affure you here is nothing affirm'dy but what is the fruit of my own experience ; 1 can truly fay of my own, for with much labour h ive I wrung it out of Nature : nor had I any to inftrud me , for 1 was never fo fortu- nate