Book II, chapters 12–15: Nine to twelve, numbers above twelve, and number-signs made by gesture

CHAP. XII. Of the Number of Nine, and the Scale thereof.

THe number nine is dedicated to the Muses, by the help of the order of the Celestiall Spheres, and divine spirits Hence there are nine movable Spheres, and according to those there are nine Muses, viz. Calliope, Urania, Polymnia, Terpsichore, Clio, Melpomene, Erato, Euterpe, Thalia, which nine Muses indeed are appropriated to the nine Spheres, so that the first resembles the supreme Sphere, which they call Primum mobile, and so descending by degrees, according to the written order, unto the last, which resembles the Sphere of the Moon, s[…] viz. Calliope is appropriated to the Primum mobile; Urania to the Starry Heaven, Polymnia to Saturn, Terpsichore, to Jupiter Clio to Mars, Melpomene to the Sun, Erato to Venus, Euterpe to Mercury, Thalia to the Moon.

There are also nine orders of blessed Angels, viz. Seraphim, Cherubim, Thrones, Domination, Powers, Vertues Principallities, Archangels, Angels, which Ezekiel figure out by nine Stones, which are the Saphir, Emrald, Carbuncle Berill, Onyx, Chrysolite, Jasper, sopaze, Sardis: The number hath also a great, and Occult mysterie of the Cross For the ninth hour our Lord Jesus Christ breathed out b[…] Spirit. And in nine dayes the Ancients buryed their dea[…] and in so many yeers they say Minea received Laws from Jupiter in a Cave; whence this number was most especially take notice of by Homer, when Laws were to be given, or answers were to be given, or the sword was like to rag[…] The Astrologers also take notice of the number nine in to Ages of men, no otherwise then they do of seven, which they call Climactericall years, whch are eminent for so[…] remarkable change. Yet sometimes it signifies imperfectnes and incompleatness, because it doth not attain to the perfect on of the number ten, but is less by one, without which it deficient, as Austin interprets it of the ten Leapers: Neither the longitude of nine Cubits of Og King of Basan, who is a […] of the divel, without a mysterie.

The Scale of the Number nine.

CHAP. XIII. Of the Number Ten, and the Scale thereof.

THE number ten is called every number, or an universal number, compleat, signifying the full course of life: for beyond that we cannot number, but by replication; and […] either implies all numbers within it self, or explains them b[…] it self, and its own, by multiplying them: wherefore it is accounted to be of a manifold Religion, and power, and […] applyed to the purging of souls. Hence the Ancients called Ceremonies Denary, because they that were to be expected and to offer sacrifices, were to abstain from some certain things for ten dayes. Whence amongst the Egyptians i[…] was the custome for him that would sacrifice to Jo, to […] ten dayes before, which Apuleius testifies of himself, saying It was commanded that I should for the space of ten dayes refrain all meat, and be fasting. There are ten sanguine parts of man, the Menstrues, the Sperm, the Plasmatick spirit the Mass, the Humours, the Organicall body, the vegetative part, the sensitive part, reason, and the mind. There are also ten simple integrall parts constituting man, the bone, cartilage, nerve, fibre, ligament, artery, vein, membrane flesh, skin. There are also ten parts of which a man consists intrinsecally; The spirit, the brain, the lungs, the heart, the liver, the gall, the spleen, the kidnies, the testicles, the Matrix. There were ten Curtains in the Temple, ten strings in the Psaltery; ten musicall instruments with which Psalms were sang, the names whereof were, Neza, on which their Odes were sang, Nablum, the same as Organs, Mizmor, on which the Psalms, Sir, on which the Canticles, Tehila, on which Orations, Beracha, on which Benedictions, Halel, on which Praises: Hodaia, on which Thanks, Asre on which the Felicity of any one, Hallelujah, on which the praises of God only, and Contemplations. There were also ten singers of Psalms, viz. Adam, Abraham, Melchisedech, Moses, Asaph, David, Solomon, and three sons of Chora, there are also ten commandements; And the tenth day after the ascension of Christ the Holy Ghost came down. This lastly is the number, in which Jacob wrestling with the Angel all sight overcame, and at the rising of the Sun was blessed, and called by the name of Israel In this number Joshua overcame thirty one kings, and David overcame Goliah, […]d the Philistines, and Daniel escaped the danger of the […]ions. This number also is as circular as unity, because being […]aped together, returns into a unity, from whence it had […]s beginning, and it is the end, and perfection of all numbers, and the beginning of tens. As the number ten flows […]ck into a unity, from whence it proceeded so every thing that is flowing is returned back to that from which it had be beginning of its Flux. So water returns to the Sea, […]om whence it had its beginning, the body returns to the earth, from whence it was taken: time returns into Eternity, from whence it flowed, the spirit shall return to […]od that gave it; and lastly every creature returns to nothing, from whence it was created, neither is it support[…] but by the word of God, in whom all things are hid; and things with the number ten, and by the number ten, make […]ound, as saith Proclus, taking their beginning from God, […]d ending in him. God therefore that first unity, or one […]ing, before he communicated himself to inferiours, diffused himself first into the first of numbers, viz. The number three, […]en into the number ten, as into ten Idea's, and measures of […]aking all numbers, and all things, which the Hebrews call […] Attributes, and account ten divine names; For which those there cannot be a further number. Hence all tens have […]me divine thing in them, and in the Law are required of […]od as his own, together with the first fruits, as the origi[…]l of things, and beginning of numbers, and everytenth is as the end given to him, who is the beginning, and end of all things.

[Figure: The Scale of the Number ten.]

The Scale of the Number Ten.

CHAP. XIII. Of the Number eleven, and the number twelve; with a double Scale of the Number twelve Cabilisticall, and Orphicall.

THE number eleven as it exceeds the number ten, which is the number of the commandements, so it fals short of the number twelve, which is of grace and perfection, therefore it is called the number of sins, and the penitent. Hence in the tabernacle there were commanded to be made eleven Coats of hair which is the habit of those that are penitent, and lament for their sins, whence this number hath no Communion with Divine or Celestiall things, nor any attraction, or scale tending to things above: neither hath it any reward; but yet sometimes it receives a gratuitous favor from God, as he which was called the eleventh hour to the vineyard of the Lord received the same reward as those who had born the burden, and heat of the day. Now the number twelve is divine, and that whereby the Celestials are measured; it is also the number of the Signs in the Zodiack over which there are twelve angels as chief, supported by the irrigation of the great name of God. In twelve yeers also Jupiter perfects his course, and the Moon daily runs through twelve degrees. There are also twelve chief joynts in the body of man, viz. in hands, elbones, shoulders, thighs, knees, and vertebrae of the feet. There is also a great power of the number twelve in divine mysteries God chose twelve families of Israel, and set over them twelve Princes; so many stones were placed in the midst of Jordan, and God commanded that so many should be set on the breast of the Priest; twelve Lyons did bear the brazen Sea that was made by Solomon: there were so many fountains in Helim, and so many spies sent to the land of promise, and so many Apostles of Christ set over the twelve tribes, and twelve thousand people were set apart and chosen; the queen of Heaven crowned with twelve Stars, and in the Gospel twelve baskets of the fragments were taken up, and twelve Angels are set over the twelve gates of the City, and twelve stones of the heavenly Jerusalem. In inferior things many breeding things proceed after this number; so the Hare and Coney being most fruitfull, bring forth twelve times in the yeer, and the Cammel is so many moneths in breeding, and the Pea-cock brings forth twelve Eggs.

The Scale of the Number twelve.

The Orphical Scale of the Number twelve.

CHAP. XV. Of the Numbers which are above twelve, and of their powers, and vertues.

THE other numbers also which are above twelve, are endowed with many, and various effects, the vertues whereof you must understand by their originall, and parts, as they are made of a various gathering together of simple numbers, or maner of multiplication. Sometimes as their significations arise from the lessening, or exceeding of another going before, especially more perfect, so they contain of themselves the signs of certain divine mysteries. So you see the third number above ten, shews the mysteries of Christs appearing to the Gentiles, for the thirteenth day after his birth a Star was a guide to the wise men. The fourteenth day doth typifie Christ, who the fourteenth day of the first moneth was sacrificed for us; upon which day the children of Israel were commanded by the Lord to celebrate the Passeover. This number Mathew doth so carefully observe, that he passed over some generations, that he might every where observe this number in the generations of Christ. The fifteenth number is a token of spirituall ascensions, therefore the song of degrees is applyed to that in fifteen Psalmes. Also fifteen yeers were added to the life of King Hezekiah: and the fifteenth day of the seventh moneth was observed, and kept holy. The number sixteen, the Pythagorians call the number of felicity. It also comprehends all the Prophets of the old Testament, and the Apostles, and Evangelists of the new. The number eighteen, and twenty, Divines interpret to be unhappy, for in the former, Israel served Eglon King of Moab; in the other Jacob served, and Joseph was sold. And lastly, amongst creatures that have many feet, there is none that hath above twenty feet. The twenty two signifies the fulness of wisdom, and so many are the Characters of the Hebrew letters, and so many Books doth the old Testament contain. To the number twenty eight, the favour of the Moon is designed, for the motion thereof is distant from the course of other Stars, & as it were alone is compleated the twenty eighth day, when it returns to the same point of the Zodiake from whence it came. Hence twenty eight Mansions of the Moon, having singular vertue, and influence, are numbred in the heavens. The number thirty is memorable for many mysteries, Our Lord Jesus Christ was baptized the thirtieth yeer of his Age, and began to do miracles, and to teach the Kingdom of God. Also John Baptist was thirty yeers old when he began to preach in the wilderness, and to prepare the wayes of the Lord. Also Ezekiel at the same Age began to prophecy; and Joseph was brought out of Prison on the thirtieth yeer of his Age, and received the government of Egypt from Pharoah. The number thirty two, the Hebrew Doctors ascribe to wisdom, and so many paths of wisdom are described by Abraham. But the Pythagorians call this the number of Justice, because it is alwaies divisible into two parts, even unto a unity. The number fourty, the Ancients did honour with great observation, concerning which they did celebrate the feast Tessarosten: It is said that it doth conduce to the account of birth, for in so many daies the seed is fitted, and transformed in the womb, untill it be by its due, and harmoniacall proportions brought unto a perfect organicall body, being disposed to receive a rationall soul. And so many dayes they say women be, after they have brought forth, before all things are setled within them, and they purified, and so many dayes infants refrain from smiling, are infirme, and live with a great deal of hazard. This also is in Religion a number of expiation, and penitency, and signifying great mysteries. For in the time of the deluge the Lord rained fourty dayes, and nights upon the earth: The children of Israel lived fourty yeers in the wilderness; fourty dayes the destruction of Nineveh was put off. The same number was accounted as holy in the fasts of the Saints: For Moses, Elias, and Christ fasted fourty dayes. Christ was carried fourty weeks in the womb of a Virgin, Christ tarryed fourty dayes after his birth at Bethelem before he was presented in the Temple: He preached fourty months publickly: he lay fourty hours dead in the Sepulchre, the fourtieth day after his resurrection he ascended into heaven, all which Divines say, were not done without some occult property, and mysterie of this number. The number fifty signifies remission of sins, of servitudes, and also liberty. According in the Law, on the fiftieth year they did remit debts, and every one did return to his own possessions. Hence by the yeer of Jubilee, and by the Psalm of repentance it shews a sign of indulgency, and repentance. The law also, and the holy Ghost are declared in the same: For the fiftieth day after Israels going forth out of Egypt, the Law was given to Moses in mount Sinai: The fiftieth day after the resurrection, the holy Ghost came down upon the Apostles in mount Sion; Whence also it is called the number of grace, and attributed to the Holy Ghost. The number sixty, was holy to the Egyptians, for it is proper to the Crocodile, that as she in sixty dayes brings forth sixty eggs, and so many dayes sits on them, so she is said also to live so many yeers, and to have so many teeth: and so many dayes every yeer to rest solitary without any meat. The number seventy hath also its mysteries, for so many yeers the fire of the sacrifice in the Babylonian Captivity lay under the water, and was alive: so many yeers Jeremiah foretold the destruction of the Temple, and so many yeers the Babylonian Captivity endured, and in so many yeers the desolation of Jerusalem was finished. Also there were seventy Palms in the place where the children of Israel pitched their Tents. The Fathers went down to Egypt with seventy souls. Also seventy Kings with their fingers, and toes cut off did gather meat under the table of Adonibezeck seventy sons came forth of the loins of Joas, seventy men, all ions of Jero, seventy weights of silver were given to Abimelech, and so many men Abimelech slew upon one stone; Abdon had seventy sons, and Nephews, who rod upon seventy Foals of Asses; Solomon had seventy thousand men which carried burdens. Seventy sons of King Ahab were beheaded in Samaria; seventy yeers, according to the Psalmist, are the Age of man. Lamech shall be avenged seventy seven fold; Thou shalt forgive thy brother if he offend against thee, seventy seven times. Also the number seventy seven times. Also the number seventy two was famous for so many languages, for so many Elders of the Synagogue, for so many interprers of the old Testament, for so many Disciples of Christ: It hath also a great Communion with the number twelve; hence in the heavens, every sign being divided into six parts, there result seventy two fives, over which so many angels bear rule; and so many are the names of God; and every five is set over one Idiom with such efficacy, that the Astrologers, and Physiognomists can know from thence from what Idiom every one ariseth. Answerable to these are so many manifest joynts in mans body, whereof in every finger and toe there are three, which together with the twelve Principal reckoned before in the number twelve make up seventy two. The number a hundred in which the sheep that was […]ound, was placed, which also passeth from the left hand to […]he right, is found holy: and because it consists of tens it shews compleat perfection. But the Complement of all numbers is thousand which is the four square measure of the number ten, signifying a compleat, and absolute perfection. There are al[…] two numbers especially celebrated by Plato in his Repub. […]nd not disallowed by Aristotle in his Politicks, by which […]eat mutations in Cities are foretold: These are the square […] ten, and the four square measure thereof, viz. the fourty […]our above a hundred, and seven hundred twenty eight above thousand, which number is fatall: to which when any City, or […]ommon Wealth hath attained, it shall afterward with a com[…]eat four square measure decline: but in squares it undergoeth change, but for the better, if it be governed with prudent discipline, and then it shall not with fate, but imprudency […]l. And let thus much suffice for numbers in particular.

CHAP. XIV. Of the notes of numbers, placed in certain gesturings.

I Have often read in books of Magicians, and their works, and experiments certain, wonderful, & as they seemed to me ridiculous gesturings, and I did think they were certain occult agreements of the divels, by reason of which I did reject them: but after I did more seriously examine the matter, then I did presently understand that they were not the compacts of divels; but that there lay in them the reason of numbers, by which the ancients did by the various bending forward, and backward, their hands, and fingers represent numbers, by whose gesturings the Magicians did silently signifie words unknown by sound, various with numbers, yet of great vertue, by their fingers joyned together, and sometimes changed, and did with sacred silence worship the Gods that rule over the world. The rites whereof Martianus also makes mention of in his Arithmetick, saying, The fingers of the Virgin were moved all manner of wayes, who after she went in, did by expressing seven hundred and seventeen numbers with her bended fingers call upon Jupiter. But that these things may be the better understood, I shall bring something out of the saying of Beda who saith, When thou sayest one, bend in the litle finger on thy left hand, and set it in the middle of the Palme; when thou sayest two, place the next singer to the litle finger in the same place; when three, the middle finger after the same manner; when four, thou shalt lift up thy little finger; when five, the next to it after the same manner; when six, the middle, that finger alone which is called the ring finger, being fixt on the mddle of the Palme: when thou sayest seven, tho[…] shalt put only thy little finger above the root of thy Palm, the rest in the mean time being lifted up; and by when thou sayest eight, thy ring finger; when thou sayest ni[…] thou shalt set thy middle finger contrary to them; when thou sayest ten, thou shall set the naile of thy fore-finger, or the middle joynt of thy thumb. When thou sayest twenty, thou shalt put the top of thy middle finger close betwixt the joynts of thy thumb, and forefinger. When thou sayest thirty, thou shalt joyn the naile of thy thumb, and fore-finger lightly together. When thou sayest fourty, thou shalt bring the inside of thy thumb to the outside of thy fore-finger, both being lifted up. When thou sayest fifty, thou shalt bend thy thumb with the outward joynt, like to the Greek Gamma, to the Palme. When thou sayest sixty, compass about thy thumb being bended as before, with thy fore-finger bowed over it. When thou sayest seventy, thou shalt supply thy fore-finger being bowed about as before, with thy thumb stretched at length, the naile thereof being lifted up beyond the middle joynt of thy fore-finger. When thou sayest eighty, thou shalt supply thy fore-finger bowed about as before, with thy thumb stretched forth at length, the naile thereof being set upon the middle joynt of the fore-finger. When thou sayest ninty, thou shall set the naile of thy fore-finger bent into the root of thy thumb stretched out. Thus much for the left hand. Now thou shalt make 100. on thy right hand, as thou didst ten on thy left; and 200. on thy right, as thou didst twenty on thy left; 2000. on thy right, as thou didst two on thy left, and so to 9000. Moreover when thou sayest 10000. thou shalt put thy left hand upward on thy brest, thy fingers only being lifted towards Heaven. When thou sayest 20000. thou shalt put the same spread forth upon thy breast. When thou sayest 30000. thou shalt put thy thumb on the same hand downards, on the cartilage of the middle of thy brest. When thou sayest 40000. thou shalt lay the same upright, and stretched forth on thy navell. When thou sayest 50000. thou shalt lay thy thumb of the same hand downard on thy navell. When thou sayest 60000. thou shalt hold thy left thigh with the same, being downards. When thou sayest 70000. the same thou shalt put upon thy thumb upright. When thou sayest 80000. thou shalt put the same downward on thy thigh. When thou sayest 90000. thou shalt hold thy loyns with the same, thy thumb being turned downwards. But when thou sayest 100000. or 200000. and so unto 900000. thou shalt in the same order as we have spoken, fill them up on the right part of thy body. But when thou sayest 1000000. thou shall joyn both thy hands together, and clasp thy fingers one within the other. Let these suffice which have been observed out of Beda; Thou shalt finde more of these in Brother Luke of Saint Sepulchers, in his great Arithmetick.