Book II, chapters 23–26: Geometrical figures, music and harmony, and their agreement with the heavens

CHAP. XXIII. Of Geometrical Figures and Bodies, by what vertue they are powerful in Magick, and which are agreeable to each Element, and the Heaven.

GEometricall Figures also arising from numbers, are conceived to be of no less power. Of these first of all, a Circle doth answer to Unity, and the number ten; for Unity is the Center, and circumference of all things; and the number ten being heaped together returns into a Unity from whence it had its beginning, being the end and complement of all numbers. A circle is called an infinite line in which there is no Terminus a quo, nor Terminus ad quem, whose beginning and end is in every point, whence also a circular motion is called infinite, not according to time, but according to place; hence a circular being the largest and perfectest of all is judged to be most fit for bindings and conjurations; Whence they who adjure evil spirits, are wont to environ themselves about with a circle. A Pentangle also, as with the vertue of the number five hath a very great command over evil spirits, so by its lineature, by which it hath within five obtuse angles, and without five acutes, five double triangles by which it is surrounded. The interior pentangle containes in it great mysteries, which also is so to be enquired after, and understood; of the other figures, viz. triangle, quadrangle, sexangle, septangle, octangle, and the rest, of which many, as they are made of many and divers insections, obtain divers significations and vertues according to the divers manner of drawing, and proportions of lines, and numbers. The Egyptians, and Arabians confirmed that the figure of the Cross hath very great power, and that is the most firm receptacle of all Celestial powers, and intelligencies, because it is the rightest figure of all, containing foure right angles, and it is the first description of the superficies, having longitude and latitude: And they said it is inspired with the fortitude of the Celestials, because their fortitude results by the straitness of angles and rayes: And stars are then most potent when they possess four corners in the figure of the heaven, and make a cross, by the projection of their rayes mutually. It hath moreover (as we shewed before) a very great correspondency with the numbers 5. 7. 9. most potent numbers. It was also reckoned by the Egyptian Priests, from the beginning of Religion amongst sacred letters, signifying amonst them allegorically the life of future salvation. It was also impressed on the Picture of Serapis, and was had in great veneration amongst the Greeks. But what here belongs to Religion we shall discuss elsewhere. This is to be observed, whatsoever wonderfull thing figures work when we write them in Papers, Plates, or Images, they do not do it but by the vertue acquired from sublimer figures, by a certain affection which a natural apitude or resemblance procures, in as much as they are exactly configured to them, as from an opposite wall the Eccho is caused, and in a hollow glass the collection of the solarie rayes, which afterward reflecting upon an opposite body, either wood, or any combustible thing, doth forthwith burne it: or as an Harpe causeth a resounding in an other Harpe, which is no otherwise but because a sutable and a like figure is set before it, or as two strings on a Harpe being touched with an equall distance of time, and modulated to the same intention, when one is touched the other shakes also: Also the figures, of which we have spoken, & what characters soever concern the vertues of the Celestial figures as they shall be opportunely impressed upon things, those ruling, or be rightly framed, as one figure is of affinity with, and doth express an other. And as these are spoken of figures, so also they are to be understood of Geometrical bodies, which are a Sphear, a Tetracedron, Hexacedron, Octocedron, Icocedron, Dodecacedron, and such like. Neither must we pass over what figures Phythagoras and his followers, Timeus, Locrus, and Plato assigned to the Elements and Heavens: for first of all they assigned to the earth a four square, and a square of eight solid angles, and of twenty four plains, and six bases in form of a Dice: to the fire, a Pryamis of a four triangular basis, and of so many solid angles, and of twelve plaines; to the aire Octocedron, of eight triangular bases, and six solid angles, and twenty four plains: and lastly, to Water they have assigned Icocedron twenty bases, twelve solid angles: To the Heaven they have assigned Dodecacedron of twelve five cornered bases, and twenty solid angles, and sixty plaines. Now he which knows the powers, relations, and proprieties of these figures, and bodies, shall be able to work many wonderful things in Natural and Mathematical Magick, especially in Glasses. And I knew how to make by them wonderful things, in which any one might see whatsoever he pleased at a long distance.

CHAP. XXIV. Of Musicall Harmony, of the force and power thereof.

MUsical Harmony also is not destitute of the gifts of the Stars; for it is a most powerful imaginer of all things, which whilst it follows opportunely the Celestial bodies, doth wonderfully allure the Celestial influence, and doth change the affections, intentions, gestures, motions, actions and dispositions of all the hearers, and doth quietly allure them to its own properties, as to gladness, lamentation, to boldness, or rest, and the like; also it allures Beasts, Serpents, Birds, Dolphins to the hearing of its pleasant tunes. So Birds are allured with Pipes, and Harts are caught by the same. Fish in the lake of Alexandria are delighted with a noise. Musick hath caused friendship betwixt Men and Dolphins. The sound of the Harp doth lead up and down the Hyperborean Swans. Melodious voyces tame the Indian Elephants: and the very Elements delight in Musick. The Hulesian fountain otherwise calm, and quiet, if the Trumpet sound, riseth up rejoycing, and swells over its banks. There are in Lydia those which they call the Nymphs Ilands, which at the sound of a Trumpet forthwith come into the middle of the sea, and turning round […]ead a dance, and then are returned to the shores; M. Varro testifies that he saw them. And there are more wonderful things then these. For in the shore of Attica the sea sounds like a Harpe. A certain stone of Megaris makes a sound like a Harpe every time the string of a Harpe is struck; so great is the power of Musick, that it appeaseth the minde, raiseth the spirit, stirreth up souldiers to fight, and refresheth the weary, calls back them that are desperate, refresheth travellers. And the Arabians say, that Camels carrying burdens are refreshed by the singing of their leaders. In like manner, they that carry great burdens, sing, and are thereby strengthened and refreshed: for singing causeth delight and strength, pacifieth the angry, cheareth up those that are sad and heavy, pacifieth enemies, moderates the rage of mad men, chaseth away vain imaginations: Hence it is that Democritus and Theophrastus affirm that some diseases of the body, and minde may thus be cured, or caused. So we read that Therpander, and Arion of Lesbos cured the Lesbians, and Jonians by Musick; and Ismenia of Thebes cured divers of very great diseases by Musick; Moreover, Orpheus, Amphion, David, Phythagoras, Empedocles, Asclepiades, Timotheus, were wont to do many wonderful things by sounds: Sometimes they did stir up dull spirits by familiar sounds; sometimes they did restrain wanton, furious, angry spirits by more grave tones. So David with a Harp moderated Saul in a rage. So Phythagoras recalled a luxurious yong man from immoderate lust. So Timotheus stirred up King Alexander to a rage, and again repressed him. Saxo the Grammatian, in his History of the Danes, tells of a certan Musician who boasted that he could by his Musick make every one that heard it to be mad; and when he was constrained by the King command to perform the same, he endeavoured to work severall wayes upon the affections; and first, by a tone of Musical gravity filled the hearers with a kinde of sadness and unsensibleness; then by a more lively sound he made them rejoyce, and dance; and lastly, he by a more earnest Musick, reduced them to fury and madness. We read also, that they in Apulia that were touched with a kinde of dangerous Spider, were astonished untill they heard a certain sound, at the hearing of which every one riseth up and danceth. And it is believed (Gelli[…] being witness) that they that are pained with the Sciatica, are eased at the sound of a Pipe. Also Theophrastus reports, that the sound of a Flute cures the biting of Spiders. And Democritus himself confesseth that the Consort of Pipers, hath been a cure for very many diseases.

CHAP. XXV. Of Sound, and Harmony, and whence their wonderfulness in operation.

MOreover we shall not deny, that there is in Sounds a vertue to receive the heavenly gifts; if with Pythagoras and Plato we thought the heavens to consist by an Harmonial composition, and to rule and cause all things by Harmonial tones and motions: Singing can do more then the sound of an Instrument, in as much as it arising by an Harmonial consent, from the conceit of the minde, and imperious affection of the phantasie and heart, easily penetrateth by motion, with the refracted and well tempered Air, the aerious spirit of the hearer, which is the bond of soul and body; and transferring the affection and minde of the Singer with it, It moveth the affection of the hearer by his affection, and the hearers phantasie by his phantasie, and minde by his minde, and striketh the minde, and striketh the heart, and pierceth even to the inwards of the soul, and by little and little, infuseth even dispositions: moreover it moveth and stoppeth the members and the humors of the body. From hence in moving the affections harmony conferreth so much, that not onely natural, but also artificial and vocal Harmony doth yield a certain power both to the souls and bodies: but it is necessary that all Conforts proceed from fit foundations, both in stringed instruments, in pipes, and vocall singings, if you would have them agree well together: for no man can make the roaring of Lions, the […]owing of Oxen, the neighing of Horses, the braying of Asses, the grunting of Hogs to be harmonious: neither can the strings made of Sheeps and Wolves guts, be brought to any agreement, because their soundations are dissonant; but the many and divers voyces of men agree together, because they have one foundation in the species or kinde: so many birds agree, because they have one nigh genus or kinde, and a resemblance from above; also artificiall instruments agree with natural voyces, because the similitude that is betwixt them, is either true and manifest, or hath a certain analogy. But every harmony is either of sounds or voyces. Sound is a breath, voyce is a sound and animate breath; Speech is a breath pronounced with sound, and a voyce signifying something: the spirit of which proceedeth out of the mouth with sound and voyce; Chaludius saith that a voyce is sent forth out of the inward cavity of the breast and heart, by the assistance of the spirit. By which, together with the tongue, forming, and striking the narrow passages of the mouth, and by the other vocall organs, are delivered forth articulate sounds; the elements of speech, by which Interpreter the secret motions of the minde are laid open: but Lactantius saith, that the nature of the voyce is very obscure, and cannot be comprehended how it is made, or what it is. To conclude, All Musick consisteth in voice, in sound, and hearing: sound without Air cannot be Audible, which though it be necessary for hearing, yet, as Aire, it is not of it self audible, nor to be perceived by any sense, unless by accident; for the Sight seeth it not, unless it be coloured, nor the Ears unless sounding, nor the Smell unless odoriferous, nor the Taste unless it be sapid, nor the Touch unless it be cold or hot, and so forth: Therefore though sound cannot be made without Air, yet is not sound of the nature of Air, nor air of the nature of sound, but air is the body of the life of our sensitive spirit, and is not of the nature of any sensible object, but of a more simple and higher vertue; but […] is meet that the sensitive soul should vivifie the air joyned to in and in the vivificated air, which is joyned to the spirit perceive the species of objects put forth into act, and this is done in th[…] living air, but in a subtile and Diaphanous the visible species, i[…] an ordinary air the audible, in a more gross air the species o[…] other senses are perceived.

CHAP. XXVI. Concerning the agreement of them with the Celestial bodies, and what harmony and sound is correspondent of every Star.

BUt understanding now, that of the seven Planets, Saturn, Mars, and the Moon have more of the voice then of the Harmony. Saturn hath sad, hoarse, heavy, and slow words, and sounds, as it were pressed to the Center; but Mars, rough, sharp, threatning great and wrathful words: the Moon observeth a mean betwixt these two; but Jupiter, Sol, Venus and Mercury, do possess Harmonies; yet Jupiter hath grave, constant, fixed, sweet, merry, and pleasant Consorts; Sol venerable, settled, pure and sweet, with a certain grace; but Venus lascivious, luxurious, delicate, voluptuous, dissolute and fluent: Mercury hath Harmonies more remiss, and various, merry and pleasant, with a certain boldness: but the Tone of particulars, and proportionated Consorts obeyeth the nine Muses. Jupiter hath the grace of the octave, and also the quinte, viz. the Diapason with the Diapente: Sol obtains the melody of the octave voice, viz. Diapason; in like manner by fifteen Tones, a Disdiapason; Venus keepeth the grace of the quinte or Diapente. Mercury hath Diatessaron; viz. the grace of the quarte: Moreover the ancients being content with four strings, as with the number of Elements, accounted Mercury the Author of them, as Nicomachus reports, and by their Base strings would resemble the earth, by their Pathypas or middle the water; by their note Diezeugmenon, or Hyperboleon the fire; by the Paranete or Synemmenon, or treble, the Air; but afterwards Terpander the Lesbian finding out the seventh string, equalled them to the number of the Planets. Moreover, they that followed the number of the Elements, did affirm, that the four kinds of Musick do agree to them, and also to the four humors, and did think the Dorian musick to be consonant to the water and phlegm, the Phrygian to choler and fire, the Lydian to blood and air; the mixt Lydian to melancholy and earth: Others respecting the number and vertue of the Heavens, have attributed the Dorian to the Sun, the Phrygian to Mars, the Lydian to Jupiter, the mixt Lydian to Saturn, the Hypophrygian to Mercury, the Hypolydian to Venus, the Hypodorian to the Moon, the Hypo mixed Lydian to the mixed Stars: Moreover they refer these modes of Musick to the Muses, and the strings to the Heavens, but not in that order as we have declared concerning the nine Muses, amongst our numbers and celestial souls; for they say Thalia hath no Harmony, therefore ascribe her to Silence, and the Earth; but Clio with the Moon move after the Hypodorian manner; the string Proslambanomenos & Asre. Calliope and Mercury possess the Hypophrygian maner, and the Chord, Hypate-Hypaton, or B. Mi. Terpsichore with Venus the Hypolydian manner, and Parahypote, Hypaton; and for Melpomene and the Dorian manner with Licanos, Hypaton, or D. Sol. Re. are applied to the Sun. Erato with Mars keep the Phrygian fashion, and the Hypatemise, or E. la. mi. Euterpe, and the Lydian Musick, and Pachyparemeson agree with Jupiter; Polymnia and Saturn keep the mixt Lydian manner, and Lichanos Meson D. Sol. Re. To Urania and the fixt Stars the Hypo mixt Lydian Musick, and the string Mese, or A. le. mi. re. are ascribed, as we reade them expressed in these Verses.

Silent Thalia we to th' Earth compare,
For she by Musick never doth ensnare,
After the Hypodorian Clio sings,
Persephone likewise doth strike the Base strings;
Calliope also doth Chord second touch,
Using the Phrygian; Mercury as much:
Terpsichore strikes the third, and that rare,
The Lydian Musick makes so Venus fair.
Melpomene, and Titan do with a grace
The Dorian Musick use in the fourth place.
The fift ascribed is to Mars the god
Of War, and Erato after the rare mode
Of th' Phrygians, Euterpe doth also love
The Lydian, and sixt string; and so doth Jove.
Saturn the seventh doth use with Polymny,
And causeth the mixt Lydian melody.
Urania also doth the eight create,
And musick Hypo-Lydian elevate.

Moreover there are some who find out the harmony of the Heavens by their distance one from another. For that space which is betwixt the Earth and the Moon, viz an hundred and twenty six thousand Italian Miles, maketh the Intervall of a Tone; But from the Moon to Mercury being half that space, maketh half a Tone; And so much from Mercury to Venus maketh another half Tone; But from thence to the Sun, as it were a threefold Tone and a half, and makes Diapente; But from the Moon to the Sun, maketh a twofold Diatessaron with a half; Again from the Sun to Mars is the same space as from the Earth to the Moon, making a Tone; from thence to Jupiter half of the same making half a Tone; So much likewise from Jupiter to Saturn, constituting an half Tone, from whence to the starry firmament is also the space of an half Tone. Therefore there is from the Sun to the fixed Stars a Diatessaron distance of two tones and an half, but from the Earth a perfect Diapason of six perfect tones; moreover also from the proportion of the motions of the planets amongst themselves, and with the eight Sphere, resulteth the sweetest Harmony of all; for the proportion of the motions of Saturn to Jupiters motion, is two fold and an half; of Jupiter to Mars, a six fold proportion; of Mars to the Sun, Venus and Mercury, which in a manner finish their course in the same time, is a double proportion; their motions to the Moon have a twelve-fold proportion: but Saturns proportion to the starry Sphere is a a thousand and two hundred if it be true which Ptolomy saith, viz. that, that Heaven is moved contrary to the primum mobile in an hundred yeers one degree. Therefore the proper motion of the Moon being more swift, maketh a more acute sound then the starry firmament, which is the slowest of all, and therefore causeth the most base sound; But by the violent motion of the primum mobile, is the most swift, and acute sound of all; but the violent motion of the Moon is most slow and heavy, which proportion and reciprocation of motions yeelds a most pleasant Harmony; from hence there are not any songs, sounds, or musicall instruments more powerfull in moving mans affections, or introducing magicall impressions, then those which are composed of numbers, measures, and proportions, after the example of the Heavens. Also the Harmony of the Elements is drawn forth from their Bases, and Angles, of the which we have spoken before; for between Fire and Aire, there is a double proportion in the Bases, and one and an half in solid Angles; again in Planes, a double; there ariseth hence an Harmony of a double Diapason, and a Diapente. Betwixt the Aire and Water, the proportion in their Bases is double, and one and an half; hence Diapason, and Diapente; but in their Angles double; Hence again Diapason; but between Water and Earth the proportion in the Bases, is threefold and a third part more; from hence ariseth Diapason, Diapente, Diatessaron; but in the Angles one and an half, again constituting Diapente. To conclude, betwixt Earth and Fire, in the Bases the proportion is one and an half, making Diapente; but in the Angles, double, causing Diapason; but between Fire, and Water, Aire and Earth, there is scarce any consonancy, because they have a perfect contrariety in their qualities, but they are united by the intermediate Element.