Part IV.

they give any fuch virtue unrothe Matter. Thetructh is thac Rodolpbus. Goclenius the younger dorh indeed endeavour to give an Anfwer unco this objection; whileft (in his ‘Magnetick Synartbrofis, page 101.) he thus wriceth: It not the Statue Claithhe) aa Siatue, neither yet tbe Seal, nor the lmage and figure, asfuch,tiat can affect any other Statue or quality. or the very truth is, that thefe Artificial Seals do acquireno virtue at al from Art 5 but the virtue is inftilled and infufed into them from Heaven, and the Stars. Lfay again that this fume Celeftial Ray, and Aftral {pirit that is {ent down bitber, and bere batb its in- fizence, (in this fublunary world ) doth not on- dy Accomodate it felf unfo the Metalls, Stones, and thofe plants aforefaid’; but doth likewife Secretly and imperciptibly infinuate it felf into their very fubftance 5 with the which ¢ even fromthe very firft Creatian) it bath obtained a Mutual and {(ympathetick, familiarity, con- nexion, and continuation. “But now this {pi- rit bath its influence without any adjuration, Confecration, and invocation of Devills 5 but altogetberina Naturalway. But allchat he anf{wereth is nothing worth. For thisis chat very thing Caccording as itis in the Quefti- on ) which he ought co prove,to wit,thac up- on Metals, and papers, ignorantly engra- venand Lectered, there can any fuch like virtue (as is atcribuced unto thefe Seals ) be derived from heaven, and the Stars. For although we do nor deny, that the Scars have their fecrec influences upon thefe inferi- ourbodies ( and therefore he hath taken much painsto very little purpofe in proving ofit, ¥to wic, thac the Scars do act upon thefe inferior bodies not only by their moti- onandlight, bucalfo by their occult influe ence : yet neverthelefs, two things there areefpecially of which there is great quefti- onto be made. The firft is this, whecher the Stars have inthem any fuch virtue of pro- ducing fortuitous Events, and meer cafual- ties, and fuch effects as are not Natural but wholly depend upon the will and good plea- fureotMen. And the otheris this, to wit, why they do not communicate thofe their
the ceaching and inftructing of others in the grounds of Aftronomy ) who could (if they had fo pleafed )have given fome other names unco chofe Afterifms,; which we now from them call, Pifcer, or Sagitarius. Like'as the Hollanders, even inour Ag¢, have moft freely (and according as they thought good) impofed names upon all thofe Meridional figns thac chey obferved in their Navigati- ons to the Southerly parts.:’ And fo the figns and figures likewife (, denoting thofe Afterif{ms, ) have been impofed according itothe wills and fancies of Men: andchere- fore we conclude, that there isno Neceflity }at all why che virtue of any Star fhould infi- nuate'it felfincoany fuch Chatacter as is im- |pofed meerly by che wil and fancie of Men, 'alchough ic be engraven and infcribed at fuch /a cettainctime, the Star being chen in fuch or fucha pofition, —— *.
length returns co this, that froma Naturall Caufe there can no fuch virtue be aferibed
there beany, ( for ofthis very thing there is great doubt to be made; and many things without gneftion are much talked of and boafted, which indeed were never yet expe- rimentally foundtobetrue) as Paracelfuysy Arnoldus devilla‘Nova, Thurneiferus, Cand other of our more Modern Authors ) produce many things to this purpofe; I fay if any fuch eficacy be found inthem, it isto beaf- cribed either tothe imagination, ( for chere is none chat knoweth nor, chat the power and ftrength of the Imagination is very great,and almoft incredible) or elfe if ic be not fo;chen of necefficy ic muft depend upon fome fuper- natural caufe;that isto fay indeed upon wic- ked {pirits,who by juch like Chara¢ters,as by certain fignes, are tacitly invited and called unto,by virtue of a former Compact they had long before entered into with his Servants that engaged chemfelves in a League with him. For thefe things have their original from the Gentiles that were extremely ad- dicted to fuperfticion and Idolatry : and thofe wicked {pirits,made and framed unto
influential yirtues unto Meralls as they are of | chemfelves {uch like Seals, and Characters,
themfelves, buc only unro fuch of them as are engraven with Characters. For what
have thofe Characters co'do withthe Stars?
And what hath Marr in the Heavens.ro do
wich che image ofan Armed man? Or what
hath Saturnto do with an old: man holding
the plough? Andfo ofall other che Planets,
And the very fame is likewife to be fayd
( the cafe ftanding al ofe) touching the figns
of the Zodiack, andthereft of che Afterifms
unto which Names have been given by Men according to their wills and pleafure;( for
to ferve inftead of Milirary pawns and pled- ges. And cherefore they avayl from chae Compact ( whether €xplicite or implicire ) co wit, thac which the Devil entered into withchat perfon who firft received and fucke inthis Difcipline from him. Now the Devil doth this, tcoconfirm and eftablifh che com- pact, and the fuperfticions confticuted by himfelf; andchache may ingrafc chem inco che minds of Men; or elfe bzing ingrafted rhae he might confirm and propagate “the fame; andfo by this, asby all ocher means, withs
draw
«
tee
. And therefore the whole controverfy at q
‘unto Seals and fuch like Characters: and if |
oo Chup - ga yl) yes} J | {ety al 1 fe tO | de n0tl | lls Ng | awk fo
fre it
hear My at inf PH ponceale D cectsof | i
4
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i
nam OW fegyl Like Ve tof tga diol / Vaviga d fo hl tho al |
CCovding
hdthete i Neceff an
uld infil 818 ioe ‘Of Men, dati l hha | i
i i
Neral
aferibed at
| ; and {i g thereat things of and ete nace 1S, (anda ptodualiy yt any tobealany for there vet aa reat alla {osthenat e lupe ON WiC a calle bey ball | Serva ue i cig ely a0 yal) aq ntl) raket id pl oan thi |
| | | | 1
a wees
Chap. 24.
draw manand hurry himaway ( unto him- felf } from God his creatour, and from thofe
Means by him created, and ordayned for the
fafety and welfare of Mankind... Andchere- fore thefe chings Cand al ocher of this nature) are nothing elfe but cercain owls or the De- vills Nighc-birds, with which he ufeth co hawk for chefouls of Mankind. And there- fore itis by no means to be endured,. what (Pbhedro writeth, (in his Chirurgia minore') chat infuch Charadteriftick Cures there: lie concealed greater and more miraculous Se- crets of the Firft Fathers Prophets, chen is fic for us to exprefs and difcover unto others. The rath bold Man ought firft of allto have demonftrated that this fo great avirtue is either by Godand Nature, orelfeby Arc, putuponthefe Cha- racters andconftellaced words (€as he calls them; ) then focohave raged.and railed. a-
© gainft other Phyficians, terming them (as
he doch ) blafphemous, and men of an ill confcience, fo to detract.cthe honour from God in thefe his higheft and miraculous ope- rations of the Characteriftick Cure. He honoreth God who concemplatech, admi- reth, and Celebrateth the works of God,fuch as are by him created,and as they come forth ofhis hands. Andhe may truly be fayd.to be injurious againft God, and impious, who atcribuceth unto any of his Creatures thofe virtues which they have neither received from God, nor yec from Arr. | Andas for chofe firft Fathers, and the An- cient Prophets he {peaks of, who(as he writ- eth) ufed this Characteriftick Cure, they are not thofe of whom we find menti- on made in holy wric; foric cannot be pro- ved by any Argument that cthefe ever admic- tedof any fuch fuperftitious pra@ifes: bur they are thofe char we find mention made ofin Ajcelpius Hermes Lrefmegiftus,in thefe words Becaufe (faith he) that our Fore-fathers er- red much againjt, and voalked contrary muito the command of the Gods, ( incredulous as they were) and not beeding Divine worfbip, but fleighting true Piety and Religion,they in- vented an Art by which they might bave Gods unto themfelves 5 unto vebich when they bad in- vented it they adjoyned that fit and conventent virtue that proceedeth fromthe very foul of the World, and this they mingled with the {aid Art: And becaufethey were not able to make Souls, calling forth the Souls of Devills, or Angels, they conferred thefe upon their Images, and their Divine Myfteryes 5 by which thefe their Idols Alone might bave porser and might of doing good or doing Evil unto others,as they thought good. And al others who have approved of thofe Characters,& defended them have been very inuch addicted unto the damnable arcMagick,
Whether it be lawful for a Chriftan by Amulets, CFC:
and the Ancient
—
bile sen cit
andunto all kind cf fuperftic ious practiles 3 co. wict,thePlatonifts,(che moft Studious& de- vout Worthippers of Devills ) Cornelius ‘Az grippa, Paracelfws,and others the like, very much: fufpected as touching this infamous Magick.) Neither doth this any ching ayail them, tofay, chat fuch things as thefe may be done,, without any invocation upon the Devil, and adjursction of the Wicked f{pirirs; and by other unlawful Means; and thac they may be wrought bya Natural power. For ficft of alithey were co prove that chefe have within them thofe peculiar vircues that Met- alls and precious ftones of themfelves have Hot; which unlefs chey can prove we may truly conclude thavthey’ make ufe of unlaw- ful means; andfuch as werenever ordayned by God, nor propounded by Nature for our practife. And moreover; thougii there appeag ho immediate compact with the Deviljnorany explicite Conjuration, ac the prefencs yet Neverthelefs there may be for all chis ( and queftionlefs chere is) an implicice compact with the Devil; who very well knows and is ready toacknowledg thofe his pawns and chgagements (asic were ) once given and ap- pointed unco his followers and Worfhippers: And who is there of all thefe who would de- fend thefe Seals from the fufpicion ofall fu perftition and Idolatry,that cab explainancd us what chefe ftrangeand wonderful Charadt= ers(and as Apuleins termeth them)fo lettered that they cannoc be underftood, and thofe unknown Words, which appear inthe Seals thac are propounded by Paracelfus; ( in his Archidox. Magic. & elfewhere ) fignify s ot that dares pais his word, and engage his faich uponic, chat chefe figures andunkown words are not the Devils pawns and affu- rances by which he obligech unto himfelf hig worfhippers and votaries ?A German under- ftandethnot what is written in che Turkiff Language, but:a Turk: doth 3 as likewife neither doch a Turk underftand that which is writcen in che German tongue; whith yer@ German doth. » And fo although ic benot e= very man chat underftandech chefe ftrange uncouth Characters; or knoweth what to make of thofe never heard of words € ‘narra be underftood ) yet nocwithftanding,cheDevil (asthe Author of chac Alphabet and wric- ing, ) underftands them very well; andac- cordingly being by thefe invocaced, and cal= led upon for his affiftance, he readily afford- eththe fame unto the ucmoft of his powere And therefore; lec any whofo pleafeth e? {teem of thefe waies & practifes,&& account of them ds highly as hegiftech;buras for my own parc; I fhatl endeavourto keep iti mind chat firft and Chief. command of God ; co wit; | Thou fbalt bave no otber Gods; ale
aes
2725
ae = S
ER ae EE te
wh) 62726. ~BooxV.
And therefore feeing that from what hath been faidic clearly appearech that there are no Natural virtues in thefe Seals and Periap- ta3 itis even from hetice maiiifeft, that thefe things cannot poflibly render a man inviol-
Of 'Prattical Phyfick.