Book I, part 2, section 2: astrology

The Second SECTION.

ASTROLOGY and other Arts of DIVINATION.

THe Second part of the Chaldaick Learning consists in Arts of Divination: The chief whereof was Astrology. This, as it is generally acknowledged to have been their proper invention, so were they most particularly addicted to it: for which Ptolomy gives a reason, out of the Art it self; because they are under Virgo and Mercury; But Cicero one, much better; that the plainnesse and evennesse of the Country did invite them to contemplation of the Stars.

It consists of two parts; one Meteorologick, which considers the Motions of the Stars; the other Apotelesmatick, which regards Divination: The first was known to the antient Graecians by the common names of Astronomy and Astrology; untill the other being brought into Greece also, they for dictinction called the former more particularly Astronomy, the latter Astrology. The excellent Ioseph Scaliger to advance the cred[…]t of the Greek learning constantly averres that the Chaldaeans had only a grosse and general, not exact Knowledge of Astronomy; ([non-Latin script] tantum, non etiam [non-Latin script],) and that the Greeks learned nothing therein of the Chaldaeans: when as Aristotle ingenuously acknowledgeth the contrary, the Aegytians and Babylonians saith he, from whom we have many informations concerning each of the Stars. Though doubtlesse they were far short of that height in this Art, to which the Greeks who brought it out of the East, improoved it: for Diodorus Siculus affirms that they alleged very weak reasons for the Eclipses of the Sun, which Eclipses they neither durst foretel nor reduce to certain Periods.

But of the Apotelesmatick part they boasted themselves not only the Inventors, but Masters; insomuch that all the professors of it, of what Country soever, were (as we formerly shewed) called after them, Chaldaeans.

CHAP. I.

Of the Stars Fixed and Erratick, and of their praesignification.

THey First lay down for a ground, That Terrestials Sympathise with the Caelestials, and that every one of those is renewed by the influence of these.

For every Man's endued with such a mind,
As by the Sire of Gods and Men's assign'd.

Above all things they hold that our Act and Life is subjected to the Stars, as well to the Erratick as the Fixed, and that Mankind is governed by their various and multiplicious course; That the Planets are of the kind of efficient causes in everything that happens in life, and that the Signes of the Zodiack co-operate with them; That they conferr all good and ill to the Nativities of Men, and that by contemplation of their Natures may be known the chief things that happen to Men.

They held the principal Gods to be twelve, to each of which they attributed a Moneth, and one of the Signes of the Zodiack.

Next the Zodiack they assert twenty fower Starrs, whereof half they say are ranked in the Northern parts, the other half in the Southern: Of these they which are apparent they conceive to be deputed to the Living, the inapparent congregated to the Dead: These they call Iudges of all things.

But the greatest Observation and Theory they hold to be that concerning the Five Starrs termed Planets, which they call the Interpreters, because the rest of the Starrs being Fixed and having a settled Course, these only having a peculiar course foretel things that shall come to passe, interpreting and declaring to Men the Benevolence of the Gods: for somethings (say they) they praesignify by their rising, some things by their setting, some things by their colour if observed; sometimes they foretell great Winds, sometimes extraordinary Raines or Drought. Likewise the rising of Comets, and Eclipses of the Sun, and of the Mind, and Earthquakes, and in a Word all Alterations in the Air signify things advantagious or hurtful not only to Nations or Countries, but even to Kings and private Persons.

Beneath the Course of these, they hold that there are placed thirty Starrs, which they call Consiliary Gods; that half of these oversee the Places under the Earth, the other half oversee the Earth and the Businesse of Men, and what is done in the Heaven; and that every ten daies one of these is sent to those below as a Messenger, and in like manner one of the Stars under the Earth is sent to those above, and that they have this certain Motion settled in an Aeternal revolution.

CHAP. II.

Of Planets.

TThe greatest Theory they hold (as we said) to be that which concerns the Planets: […]hese they call the Interpreters, because whereas the rest of the Stars are Fixed and have one settled course, these having their proper courses foretell what things shall come to passe, Interpreting and declaring to Men the benevolence of the Gods.

Of the Seaven they hold the Sun and Moon to be the chief, and that the other five have lesse power than they, as to the causing events.

Of the five they affirm that there are three which agree with and are assistant to the Sun, viz. Saturn, Jupiter, and Mercury; these they call Diurnal, because the Sun to whom they are assistant praedominates over the things that are done in the day.

As concerning the Powers of the Five, some they say are Benevolent, others Malevolent, others Common; the Benevolent are Jupiter and Venus; the Malevolent Mars and Saturn; the Common, Mercury, who is Benevolent with the Benevolent, and Malevolent with the Malevolent.

CHAP. III.

The Divisions of the Zodiack.

THe Chaldaeans having at first no certain rule of observation of the other Stars, in as much as they contemplated not the Signes as within their proper circumscriptions, but only together with their observation of the seven Planets, it came at length into their minds to divide the whole Circle into twelve parts: The manner they relate thus; they say that the Antients having observed some one bright Star of those in Zodiack, filled a vessel (in which they bored a hole) with water, and let the water run into another vessel placed underneath, so long untill the same Star rose again; collecting that from the same Signe to the same, was the whole revolution of the Circle; Then they took the twelfth part of the water which had run out, and considered how long it was in running; affirming that the twelfth part of the Circle past over in the same space of time; and that it had that proportion to the whole Circle which the part of water had to the whole water: By this Analogy (I mean of the Dodecatemorion or twlelfth part) they marked out the extreme term from some Signal Star which then appeared, or from some that arose within that time, Northern or Southern; the same course they took in the rest of the Dodecatemoria.

That to each of these Dodecatemoria, the antient Chaldaeans applyed a particular Figure and a Character, (as for instance to the first the Figure of a Ram and this Character. ♈︎.) though denyed by the Learned Iohn Picus Mirandula, seems manifest enough from what we find ascribed peculiarly to them, by Ptolomy, Sextus Empyricus and others, which we shall cite in their due places.

To each of these Signes they appropriated One of the principal Gods which they held to be twelve, and One of the Moneths; the Zodiack it self they termed the Circle Mazoloth, which the Septuagint render [non-Latin script], interpreted by Su[…]das the Constellations which are commonly termed [non-Latin script] Signes, for Mazal signifieth a Star. That they ascribed several Gods to them agre[…]th with what is said of the […]ollowers of Baal (whom Rabbi Maimonides conceives the same with these Chaldaeans) they burnt Incense unto Baal, to the Sun, and to the Moon, and to the Mazaloth, and to all the Host of Heaven. Hence some are of Opinion that Homer received this Doctrine from the Aegyptians, as the Aegyptians from the Chaldaeans, alluding to it in the first of his Iliads, where he mentions the Entertainment of Iupiter and the rest of the Gods in Aethiopia twelve dayes, with the several Houses built for them by Vulcan; and much better deserve they to be credited than those Antients w[…]o (according to Eustathius) write that Homer first gave the Hint of this Opinion to the Mathematicians. Neither is what he adds in Explication of this Mythology dissonant from the Chaldaick Doctrine, that the making those Mansions for the Gods or Stars is ascribed to Vulcan in respect of the Aetherial Heat of the Caelestial Orb.

Of the Signes some they call Masculine, others Feminine, some Double, others Single, some Tropical, others Solid.

The Masculine or Feminine are those which have a Nature that co-operates towards the Generation of Males or Femals, Aries is a Masculine Signe, Taurus a Feminine, Gemini a Masculine, in like manner the rest alternately are Masculine and Feminine; In Imitation of whom as I conceive the Pythagoreans call the Monad Masculine, the Duad Feminine, the Triad Masculine, and so on through all numbers odd and Even. Some there are who divide every Signe into twelve Parts, observing almost the same order; As in Aries they call the first twelfth part Aries and Masculine, the second Taurus and Feminine, the third Gemini and Masculine, and so of the rest.

Double Signes are Gemini, and it's diametrically opposite Sagittarius; Virgo and Pisces: the rest are single.

Tropical are those to which when the Sun cometh he turneth back, and maketh a Conversion: Such is the Signe Aries, and it's opposite Libra, Capricorn and Cancer; In Aries is the Spring Tropick, in Capricorn the Winter, in Cancer the Summer, in Libra the Au[…]umnal. The Solid are Taurus and it's opposite Scorpio, Leo and Aquarius.

Some Chaldaeans there are who attribute the several parts of Mans Body to particular Signes, as sympathising with them; To Aries the Head, to Taurus the Neck, to Gemini the Shoulders, Cancer the Breast, Leo the Sides, Virgo the Bowels and Belly, Libra the Reins and Loy[…]s, Scorpio the Secret parts and Womb, Sagittarius the Thighs, Capricorn the Knees, Aquarius the Leggs, Pisces the Feet. This did they not without consideration, for if any Star shall be in any Ascension of these Malignant Signes, it will cause a Maim in that part which bears the same N[…]me with it. Thus much in brief of the Nature of the Signes in the Zodiack.

Besides this Divis[…]on of the Zodiack into Sigres they Subdivided every Signe into 30 Degrees, every Degre into 60 Minutes, so they call the leas[…] indivisible Par[…]s, (as Empyrius affirms; whence it may be argued that the Chaldaeans made not any lower divisions into Seconds or the l[…]ke.) The Degrees being in every Signe 30 are in the whole Zodiack 360: in Some One of these the Sun must necessarily be at the time of the Nativity; which Degree the Chaldaeans properly call the place of the Birth. Hence the Greeks call these Degree [Greek] in Allusion to the [Greek] Goddesses of Destiny, these being our Fates; for it is of greatest Importance which of these Degrees is Ascendant at the time of Birth.

Three other Wayes there are of dividing of the Zodiack ascribed to the Chaldaans, which are Triplicities, Terms, Decanates.

The Trigons or Triplicities are these fower. The first is Aries, Leo, Sagittarius, the second […]aurus, Virgo, Capricorn, the third (Gemini, Libra, Aquarius,) the l[…]st (Cancer, Scorpio, Pisces;) That the Chaldaeans divided the Zodiack according to these Triplicities is manifest from their Way of collecting the Terms of the Planets described by Ptolomy.

Ev[…]ry Sign[…] hath five Terms. The Chaldaick Way of finding out the Quantity of the Terms in every Signe is one, and that very plain, for their quantities differ by an equal Diminution; every Term is lesse than the precedent by one Degree, for they made the first Term of every signe to be eight degrees, the second seven, the third six, the fourth five, the fifth fower, which make up 30 Degrees.

Lastly the Signes are divided into Faces, for so the Antients call'd them, in Hebrew Phanim, in Arabick Mageah, in Greek [Greek]; but the latter Astrologers Decanates [Greek] Decanos a word (as Scaliger observes) derived from the Roman Militia, of these in every Signe there are three, each of which comprehends ten degrees; that the Chaldaeans were not ignorant of these is manifest, in as much as […]emer the Babylonian an Author of great Antiquity wrote concerning them.

CHAP. IV.

Of the Planets considered in respect to the Zodiack.

THe Chaldaeans held that the Planets have not alwayes Power alike, as to the procuring of Good and Ill; but that in some Places [or Signs of the Zodaick] they are more […]fficacious, in others less; and that the same Stars have greater Power being in their proper Houses, or in their Exaltations [or Triplicities,] or Terms, or Decanates. All which the later Astrologers call their Essential Dignities.

The most Efficacious is that of Houses. They hold the Suns House to be Leo, the Moons Cancer, Saturn's Capricorn and Aquarius, Jupiter's Sagittarius and Pisces, that of Mars Aries and Scorpio, that of Venus Taurus and Libra, that of Mercury Gemini and Virgo.

They call the Exaltations and Depressions of the Planets, when they are in Signs wherewith they are delighted, or when they are in those in which they have little (or no) Power: for they are delighted in their Exaltations; but have little (or no) Power in their Depressions. As the Suns Exaltation is in Aries when he is exactly in the 19th degree thereof, his Depression in the Sign and Degree diametrically opposite to it. The Moons Exaltation is in Taurus, her Depression (or Detriment) in the Sign diametrically opposite. That of Saturn is in Libra, of Jupiter in Cancer, of Mars in Capricorn, of Venus in Pisces, and their Depressions are in the Signs diametrically opposite to their Exaltations.

The Trigones or Triplicities of Planets are order'd by the Chaldaeans after this manner. The Lord of the first Triplicity (of the Zodiack) is Jupiter, of the 2[…] Venus; the same Order they observe in the other two Triplicities, except that the third is said to have two Lords, Saturn and Mercury: the first part of the Day is assigned to Saturn, the Night to Mercury. The Lord of the last Triplicity is Mars. How much this diff[…]rs from the vulgar way (which takes in the Sun and Moon) will easily appear to those who will take the pains to compare them. The later way see in Firmicus.

They call the Terms of the Planets in every Sign, those in which any Planet from such a Degree to such a Degree is most powerful or prevalent. The Chaldaick way of Terms is gathered from the Lords of the Triplicities, (which is plainer and more effectual than that of the Aegyptians from the Lords of the Houses) yet neither in their Orders or Quantities do they alwayes follow those Planets which govern the Triplicities. In the first Triplicity, their Division of Terms in every Sign thereof is one and the same. The first term they give to the Lord of the Triplicity Jupiter, the second, to the Lord of the following Triplicity Venus, the third and fourth, to the two Lords of the Triplicity of the Gemini, which are Saturn and Mercury; the fifth, to the Lord of the last Triplicity Mars. In the second Triplicity they divide every Sign alike, and alot the first term to Venus, by reason of her Dominion in that Triplicity, the second and third to the two Lords of the Triplicity of the Gemini, which are Saturn and Mercury; the fourth to Mars, the last to Jupiter. To Saturn are attributed in the Day 66 Degrees, in the Night 78, to Jupiter 72, to Mars 60, to Venus 75, to Mercury in the Day 66, in the Night 78.

The Terms of the Chaldaeans or Babylonians.

The Decanates or faces of the Planets, have reference to those of the Zodiack; the first face is that Planet whose sign it is: the second, the next Planet; and so on. That these were of antient Chaldaick invention is manifest, not onely in regard that Teucer the Babylonian wrote concerning them, but likewise they were observed by the Aegyptians, who (as Iosephus saith) derived this Learning from the Chaldaeans. Nicip[…]o King of Aegypt, a most just Governor, and excellent Astrologer, did (if we credit Iulius Firmicus) collect all sicknesses from the Decanates; shewing what diseases every Decanate caused; because one nature was overcome by another, and one God by another. The same Author adds, that Petosiris touched this part of Astrology but lightly; not as being ignorant of it, but not willing to communicate his immortal Learning to posterity.

CHAP. V.

Aspects of the Signs and Planets.

EVery Sign of the Zodiack hath a mutual Aspect to the rest; In like manner the Planets have several Aspects; They are said to be in mutual Aspect or configuration, when they appear either in Trine or Square. They are said to behold one another in Trine, when there is an interposition of three signs between them: in Square or Quartile, when of two.

The Sun passing into the Sign next to that, wherein he was at the time of birth, regards the place of conception eit[…]er with a very weak Aspect, or not at all; for most of the Chaldaeans have absolutely denied, that the Signs which are next to one another behold one another; But when he is in the third Sign, that is, when there is a Sign betwixt them, then he is said to behold the first place whence he came, but with a very oblique & weak light, which Aspect is termed Sextile; for it subtends the sixth part of a Circle: for if we draw lines from the first Sign to the third, from the third to the fifth, and from thence to the seventh, & so on, we shall describe an aequilateral Hexagone; This Aspect they did not wholly of, for that it seemed to conduce the least to the Nativity of the Child, but when he comes to the fourth Sign, so that there are two betwixt, he looks on it with a Quarterly Aspect: for that line which his Aspect makes, cuts off a fourth part of the Circle. When he is in the fifth there being three betwixt, it is a Trine Aspect, for it subtends a third part of the Zodaick: which two Aspects the Quartile and Trine being very efficacious afford much increase to the Birth. But the Aspect from the sixth place is wholly inefficacious, for the line there makes not a side of any Polygone, but from the 7th Sign which is the opposite the Aspect is most full and powerful, and bringeth forth some i[…]fants already mature, termed Septimestres, from being born in the 7th Moneth: But if within that space it be not mature, in the 8th Moneth it is not born, for from the 8th Sign as from the 6th, the Aspect is inefficacious, but either in 9th Moneth, or in the 10th: for the Sun from the 9th Sign beholds again the particle of the Conception in a trine Aspect, and from the 10th in a Quartile; Which Aspects, as we said, are very efficacious: But in the 11th Moneth they hold, it cannot be born, because then, the Light being weak, sends first his languishing Ray in a Sextile Aspect, much less in the 12th, which Aspect is not all valid.

CHAP. VI.

Schemes.

THe way by which the Chaldaeans from the very beginning observ'd the Horoscope of any Nativity, corresponds with that of their Division of the Zodiack (mention'd formerly;) For a Chaldaean sate in the Night-time on some high Promontory contemplating the Stars; another sate by the Woman in travail until such time as she were delivered. As soon as she was delivered, he signifyed it to him on the Promontory, which as soon as he had heard, he observed the Sign then rising for the Horoscope, but in the Day he attended the Ascendants and Suns Motion.

Of the twelve Parts or Houses into which the Zodiack is divided, those which are predominant in every Nativity, and chiefly to be considered in Prognosticks, are four, which by one common Name they term Centers (or Angles,) but more particularly, they call one the Horoscope, or Ascendant, another the Medium Caeli, (the tenth House,) another the Descendant, (the seventh House,) another the Subterrestrial and opposite to the Medium Caeli, (the fourth House.) The Horoscope is that which happens to be Ascendant at the time of the Birth, the Medium Coeli is the fourth Sign inclusively from it. The Descendant is that which is opposite to the Horoscope. The Subterrestrial and Imum Coeli, that which is opposite to the Medium Coeli: as (to explain it by an Example) if Cancer be the Horoscope, Aries is the Medium Coeli, Capricorn Descendant, and Libra Subterrestrial. That House which goes before either of these Houses they call cadent, that which followeth, succedent; now that which goes before the Horoscope being apparent to us, they affirm to be of the ill Genius, that next which followeth the Medium Coeli of the good Genius, that which is before the Medium Coeli, the inferior Portion and single Lot, and God: That which is before the Descendant, a slothful Sign, and the beginning of Death; that which is after the Ascendant, and is not apparent to us, the Fury and ill Fortune; that which cometh under the Earth good Fortune, opposite to the good Genius: that which is beyond the Imum Coeli towards the East, Goddesse; that which followeth the Horoscope slothful, which also is opposite to the slothful.

Or more briefly thus: The Cadent of the Horoscope is called the ill Genius, the Succedent slothful, the Cadent of the Medium Coeli, God, the Succedent good Genius, the Cadent of the Imum Coeli, Goddesse, the Succedent good Fortune, the Cadent of the Descendant ill Fortune, the succedent slothful. These, as they conceive, ought to be examined not superficially.

Upon these Grounds the Chaldaeans made their Apotolesmatick Praedictions, of which there is a difference; for some of them are more simple, others more accurate: the more simple, those which are made from any one Sign, or the simple force of a single Star, as that a Star being in such a Sign shall cause such kind of Men: the more accurate, those which are made by the Concourse, and as they say, the Contemporation of many. As if one Sar be in the Horoscope, another in the Mid-Heaven, another in the opposite Point to the Mid-Heaven, others thus or thus posited, then these or these things will come to pass. These are all the remains of this Art, which can be attributed to the Antient Chaldaeans.

CHAP. VII.

Other Arts of Divination.

THe Chaldaeans, besides Astrology, invented and used many other wayes of Divination, of which Diodorus Siculus instanceth, Divination by Birds, interpretation of Dreams, Explication of Prodigi[…]s, and Hieroscopie. R. Maimonides likewise affirms, that amongst the Chaldaeans antiently there arose several sorts of Diviners, in particular these, Megnonemin, Menacheshim, Mecashephim, Chober chaber, Shel ob, Iid[…]o[…]i, Doresh el hammetim; all which are mentioned Deut. 18. 10, 11.

The first ascribed by Diodorus to the Chaldaeans, is Divination of Birds, [non-Latin script], or Augury: neither is it probable, that they who were so great Inquisitors into the several kinds of Divination, should be ignorant of this, which after-ages esteemed one of the most considerable. But they who understand the word Menacheshim in this sense, seem to have been drawn to it by a mistake of the Latine word augurari, by which it is rendred.

The next, interpretation of Dreams, [non-Latin script], Philo Iudae[…]s affirms to have been invented by Abraham. Indeed that it was profest by the antient Chaldaeans appears from their answer to Nebuchadnezzar, Tell thy servants the dream, and we will shew the interpretation. There are extant many onirocritical Verses, under the name of Astrampsychus, collected out of Suidas, and digested by Ioseph Scaliger: Astrampsychus is mention'd amongst the Magi by Laertius: and there are who conceive the name to be only an Interpretation of the Chaldaean or P[…]rsian Zoroaster, which some render, a living star.

The third, Explication of Prodigies, [non-Latin script], this kind the Greek Interpreters conceive included in the word Iide[…]oni, for they render it [Greek].

The last that Diodorus mentions, is Hieroscopie, by which I conceive to be meant extispicium, Divination by inspection into the entrails ([non-Latin script]) of sacrific'd Beasts. That the Chaldaeans used this kind, may be argued from the Prophet Ezekiel, who saith of the King of Babylon (using Divination,) he looked into the liver. Th[…]se seem to be the gazrin, reckon'd by Daniel amongst the Chaldaean Diviners; from gazar, to cut; for they cut open the Beast and divined by his entrails.

O[…], is rendred Pytho, or (rather) Pythonicus spiritus; the word originally signifieth a Bottle; and ther[…]upon is taken for that spirit which speaketh ex utero Pythonissae: The Sacred Text calls the Woman Esheth Baalath Ob, which the Septuagint render, [non-Latin script], and where Saul saith, I pray thee divine unto me in Ob, they translate, [non-Latin script]. R. Maimonides saith, she that was initiated held in her hand a myrtle wand, & received suffumigatio[…]s: R. Abraham ben David, that these Rites were usually performed at some dead mans Tomb.

Doresh el hammetim, is properly (as rendred) a Necromancer: some affirm this kind of Divination had it's original in Chaldaea.

These and the rest of this kind are all comprehended under the general name Mecashphim, of which formerly.