Book II, chapters 51–58: Characters, divination and lots; the soul of the world; names of the celestials

CHAP. LI. Of Characters which are made after the rule and imitation of Celestial, and how with the table thereof they are deduced out of Geomantical figures.

CHaracters also have their community from the rayes of the Celestials cast together according to a certain number by a certain peculiar property, which Celestials as in divers strokes of their rayes falling severall ways amongst themselves produce divers vertues: so also Characters being variously protracted, according to the various concourse of those rayes quickly obtain divers operations, and also more efficacious many times then the properties of naturall commixtions. Now the true Characters of the heavens is the writing of Angels, which amongst the Hebrews is called the writing Malachim, by which all things are described and signified in the Beaven for every knowing man to read. But of these hereafter; But now they make Characters of Geomantical figures binding together the points of each variously, and attributing them according to the manner of their figurings, to those Planets and signs of which they were made, the making of which the following table will shew.

The Characters of the Moon.

The Characters of Mercury.

The Characters of Venus.

The Characters of the Sun.

The Characters of Mars.

The Characters of Jupiter.

The Characters of Saturn.

[Figure: The Charactars of the head of the Dragon.]

[Figure: The Characters of the tayle of the Dragon.]

CHAP. LII. Of Characters which are drawn from things themselves by a certain likeness.

WE have spoken above of a certain manner of Images made not after the likeness of Celestial Images, but according to the emulation of that which the minde of the Operator doth desire. In like manner also it is to be understood of Characters; for such like Characters are nothing else then images ill dearticulated; yet having a certain probable similitude with the Celestial images, or with that which the mind of the Operator desires, whether that be from the whole image, or from certain markes thereof expressing the whole image. As the Characters of Aries and Taurus we make thus from their horns ♈︎ ♉︎. Of Gemini from imbracing ♊︎. of Cancer from a progress and regress ♋︎, of Leo, Scorpio, and Capricorn, from their tail ♌︎ ♏︎ ♑︎ of Virgo, from Spike [symbol] […] of Libra from a ballance ♎︎ of Sagittarius from a dart ♐︎, of Aquarius from Waters ♒︎ and of Pisces from Fishes ♓︎. In like manner the Character of Saturn is made from a Sickle [symbol] [symbol] of Jupiter, from a Scepter [symbol] [symbol] of Mars from a bolt ♂︎ of the Sun from roundness, and a golden brightness ☉︎ [symbol] of Venns from a Lookinglass ♀︎, of Mercury from a Wand [symbol] [symbol] of the Moon from her horns of increasing and decreasing ☽︎. Besides, of these, according to the mixtions of Signs and Stars, and Natures, are made also mixed Characters, as of a fiery triplicity [symbol] of Earthly [symbol] of Aiery [symbol] of Watery [symbol] also according to the hundred and twentie conjunctions of Planets, result so many compound Characters of various Figures; as of Saturn and Jupiter, viz. thus, [symbol] [symbol] or thus [symbol] or thus of Saturn and Mars, [symbol] or thus [symbol] of Jupiter, and Mars [symbol] or thus [symbol] of Saturn, Jupiter and Mars, [symbol] or thus [symbol] And as these are exemplified by two and three, so also of the rest, and of more may they be framed: after the same manner may the Characters of other Celestial images ascending in any face or degree of signs, be compendiously drawn after the likeness of the images, as in these which are made according to the way of imitation of that which the minde of the Operator desires, as to love, the figures be mixed together imbracing and obeying one the other, but to hatred, on the contrary, turning away the one from the other; contending, unequal, loosed. But now we will here set down those Characters which Hermes assigned to the fixed stars, and Behenii, and they are these,

[Figure: The head of Algol.]

[Figure: The Pleiades.]

[Figure: Aldaboram.]

[Figure: The Goat Star.]

[Figure: The greater Dog-star.]

[Figure: The lesser Dog-star.]

[Figure: The heart of the Lion.]

[Figure: The Tail of the Bear.]

[Figure: The wing of the Crow.]

[Figure: Spica.]

[Figure: Alcameth.]

[Figure: Elpheia.]

[Figure: The heart of the Scorpion.]

[Figure: The Vulture falling.]

[Figure: The tail of Capricorn.]

CHAP. LIII. That no Divination without Astrology is perfect.

WE have spoken in the foregoing Chapters of the divers kindes of Divinations: But this is to be noted that all these require the use and rules of Astrology, as a key most necessary for the knowledge of all secrets; and that all kinds of Divinations whatsoever have their root and foundation in Astrologie so, as that without it they are of little or no use; yet Astrological Divination, in as much as the Celestials are causes and signs of all those things which are, and are done in these inferiors, doth give most certain demonstations by the situation, and motion onely of Celestial bodies, of those things which are occult or future; of which we shall in this place speak no further, since of this Science huge Volums have been wrote by the Ancients, and are everywhere extant. Therefore whether the Physiognomists lookupon the body, or countenance or forehead, or hand, or the Soothsayer, searcheth by dreams or Auspicia, that the judgment may be right, the figure of heaven is also to be enquired into. From the judgements whereof, together with conjectures of similitudes and signs, are produced true opinions of the significators. Also if any prodigie shall appear, the Figure of the heaven is to be erected; also such things are to be enquired after, which have gone before in the revolutions of years from great conjunctions, and Eclipses: then also the Nativities, beginnings, intronizations, foundations, and revolutions, perfections, directions of Princes, Nations, Kingdoms, Cities, when these shall appear, and upon what place of the Celestial figure these fell; that by all these at length we may come to a rational and probable signification of these things. After the same manner, but with less labour, we must proceed in the Exposition of dreams. Moreover, they that being distempered foretell future things, do it not but as they are instigated by the stars, or inferior instruments of these, whence their Predictions must at length be imputed to the Celestials, as we read in Lucan the old Prophet Tuscus,

The Light'nings motion, and the veines which are
Fibrous, and warm, and motion of a fair
Plume wandring i'th aire, being taught—

After the City was viewed, the Sacrifice slain, the inspection into the intrals did at length by the dispositions of the Celestial stars pronounce judgement. Also Geomancy it self the most accurate of Divinations, which divines by points of the earth, or any other superfices, or by a fall, or any other power inscribed, doth first reduce them to Celestial figures, viz. to those sixteen which we above named, making judgement after an Astrological manner, by the properties and observations thereof: and hither are referred all natural Divinations by lots whatsoever, the power whereof can be from no where else then from the heaven, and from the minde of them that work them. For whatsoever is moved, caused or produced in these inferiors, must of necessity imitate the motions, and influences of the superiours, to which, as to its roots, causes, and signs it is reduced, the judgement whereof is shewed by Astrological Rules. Hence Dice, Tetracedron, Exacedron, Octocedron, Doderacedron, Icocedron being made by certain Numbers, Signs, and Stars at opportune times, under the influencies of the Celestials, and being inscribed, obtain a worderful vertue of Divining, and foretelling by their castings, such as those Dice Preneste had, in which we read the Destinies of the Romans were contained.

CHAP. LIV. Of Lottery, when, and whence the vertue of Divining is incident to it.

WHatsoever Divinations and Predictions of humane events are made by Lottery, must of necessity, besides the lot, have some sublime occult cause; which indeed shall not be a cause by accident, such as Aristotle describes Fortune to be. For in the series of Causes, seeing according to the Platonists, a cause by accident can never be the prime and sufficient cause, we must look higher, and finde out a cause which may know and intend the effect. Now this we must not place in corporeal Nature, but in immaterial, and incorporeal substances which indeed administer the Lot, and dispence the signification of the truth, as in mens souls, or separated spirits, or […]n Celestial Intelligences, or in God himself. Now that there is in mans soul a sufficient power and vertue to […]irect such kinde of lots, it is hence manifest, because there is in our soul a divine vertue, and similitude, and apprehension, and power of all things; And as we said in the first Book, All things have a natural obedience to it, and of necessity have a motion and efficacy to that which the soul desires with a strong desire; and all the vertues and operations of natural and artifical things, obey it when it is carried forth into the excess of desire, and then all Lots of what kinde soever are assisting to the appetite of such a minde, and acquire to themselves wonderful vertues of passages, as from that, so from the Celestial opportunity in that hour in which the excess of such a like appetite doth most of all exeeed in it. And this is that ground and foundation of all Astrological Questions, wherefore the minde being elevated into the excess of any desire, taketh of it self an hour and opportunity most convenient and efficacious, on which the Figure of the heaven being made, the Astrologer may then judge in it, and plainly know concerning that which any one desires, and is inquisitive to know. But now because Lots are not directed alwayes by mans minde, but also, as we said before, by the help of other Spirits; nor is the minde of a Prophet alwayes disposed to that excess of passion as we spoke of: hence amongst the Ancients, it was a Custome to premise before the casting of the Lot, some sacred performances, in which they called upon divine Intelligencies and spirits for to direct the Lot aright. Whatsoever kinde of presage therefore these kinde of Lots portend, must of necessity not be by chance or fortune, but from a spiritual cause, by vertue whereof the Phantasie, or hand of him that cast the Lot is moved, whether that power proceed from the soul of the Operator through the great excess of his affection, or from a Celestial influence, and opportunity, or from a certain Diety or spirit assisting, or moving from on high, whether these Lots are placed in casting of Cockalls, or throwing of Dice, or in the meeting of Verses, such as were formerly the Lot of Homer and Virgil, of which we read in Aetlius of Sparta, Hadrianus long since made enquiry, and which we read befell Trajanus the Emperour.

What's he far off grac'd with the Olive bough
Presenting offerings? his white chin we know,
A Roman King, whose laws first setled Rome,
And from small Curets a poor soyl, shall come
To great command—

By which Verses he did not in vain become to have hopes of enjoying the Empire. Also amongst Hebrews, and even amongst us Christians (some Divines not disapproving of it) Lots are taken out of Verses of Psalms. There are also more, & other kindes of Lots, as are humane Lots, which had no Divination in them amongst the Ancients, and are observed by us in choosing of Magistrates, to prevent envy, of which also Cicero against Verres makes mention: but they are not of our purpose: But those which are divine, and sacred Lots, respecting Oracles, and Religion, of which we shall discourse in the following Book: Onely thus far I would advise you, that how much presaging, divining or Southsaying soever Lots are found to have, they have them not as they are Lots, but by reason of a vertue of a higher operation joyned to them.

CHAP. LV. Of the soul of the World, and of the Celestials, according to the traditions of the Poets, and Philosophers.

IT is necessary that the heaven and Celestial bodies, seeing they have a power, influence, and manifest operation upon these inferiors, should be animated: seeing an operation cannot proceed from a meer body. All famous Poets, and Philosophers affirm therefore that the world and all Celestiall bodies must have a soul, and that also intelligent: Hence Marcus Mavillius in his Astronomy to Augustus, sings,

The great Corporeall world, which doth appear
In divers forms, of Aire, Earth, Sea, and Fire,
A divine soul doth rule, a Diety
Doth wisely govern—

Also Lucan,

The Earth that's weigh'd i'th aire, 's sustained
By great Jove—

And Boetius

Thou dost joyn to the world a soul, that moves
All things of threefold nature, and diffuse
It through the members of the same, and this
Into two Orbs of motion rounded is
Being divided, and for to return
Into it self makes haste—

And Virgil most full of all Philosophy, sings thus,

And first the Heaven, Earth, and liquid plain,
The Moons bright Globe, and Stars Titanian
A spirit fed within, spread through the whole
And with the huge heap mix'd infused a soul;
Hence man, and beasts, and birds derive their strain,
And monsters floating in the marbled main;
These seeds have fiery vigor, and a birth
Of heavenly race, but clog'd with heavy earth.

For what do these verses seem to mean, then that the world should not only have a spirit soul, but also to partake of the divine mind: and that the originall, vertue, and vigour of all inferiour things do depend on the soul of the world? This do all Platonists, Pythagorians, Orpheus, Trismegistus, Aristotle, Theophrastus, Avicen, Algazeles, and all Peripateticks confess, and confirm.

CHAP. LVI. The same is confirmed by reason.

THe world, the heavens, the Stars, and the Elements have a soul, with which they cause a soul in these inferior and mixed bodies. They have also as we said in the former book, a spirit, which by the mediating of the soul is united to the body: For as the world is a certain whole body, the parts whereof are the bodies of all living creatures, and by how much the whole is more perfect and noble then the parts, by so much more perfect, and noble is the body of the world then the bodies of each living thing. It would be absurd, that all imperfect bodies and parts of the world, and every base Animal, as Flies, and Worms should be worthy of a life, and have a life and soul, and the whole entire world a most perfect, whole, and most noble body, should have neither life, nor soul; It is no less absurd, that Heavens, Stars, Elements, which give to all things life, and soul most largely, should themselves be without life, and soul; and that every plant, or tree should be of a more noble condition then the Heaven, Stars, and Elements, which are naturally the cause of them; And what living man can deny that earth, and water live, which of themselves, generate, vivifie, nourish, and increase innumerable trees, plants, and living creatures? as most manifestly appears in things that breed of their own accord, and in those which have no corporeall seed. Neither could Elements generate and nourish such kind of living creatures, if they themselves were without life or soul. But some haply may say, that such kind of living creatures are not generated by the soul of the earth, or water, but by the influencies of Celestiall souls; These the Platonists answer, that an Accident cannot beget a substance, unless haply as an instrument it be subjected to the next substance, because an instrument removed from an artificer is not moved to the effect of the art; so also those Celestiall influencies, seeing they are certain accidents being removed far from vital substances, or from the life it self, cannot generate a vital substance in these inferiors. And Mercurius in his book which he cals De Communi, saith, All that is in the world is moved either by increase, or decrease. Now what moves, must needs have life; and seeing that all things move, even the earth, especially with a generative and alterative motion, they must themselves live. And if any doubt that the heavens live, saith Theophrastus, he is not to be accounted a Philosopher; and he which denyes the heaven to be animated, so that the mover thereof is not the form thereof, destroyes the foundation of all Philosophy; The world therefore lives, hath a soul, and sense; for it gives life to plants, which are not produced of seed; and it gives sense to Animals, which are not generated by coition.

CHAP. LVII. That the soul of the world, and the Celestiall souls are rationall, and partake of Divine understanding.

THat the above named souls have reason, is apparent hence; For whereas the universall works of the foresaid souls do with a certain perpetuall order conspire amongst themselves, it is necessary that they be governed not by chance but by reason; by which reason they do direct, & bring all their operations to a certainty. For it is necessary that the earth should have the reason of terrene things, and water of watery things; and so in the rest; by which reason each in their time, place, and order are generated, and being hurt are repaired. Therefore Philosophers do not think the soul of the earth to be as it were the soul of some contemptible body, but to be rationall and also intelligent, yea and to be a diety. Besides it would be absurd, seeing we have reasons of our works, that Celestiall souls, and the soul of the universe should not have reasons of theirs. But if (as saith Plato) the world be made by very goodness it self, as well as it could be made, it is certainly endowed with not only life, sense, and reason, but also understanding. For the perfection of a body is its soul, and that body is more perfect which hath a more perfect soul; It is necessary therefore, seeing Celestiall bodies are most perfect, that they have also most perfect minds. They partake therefore of an intellect and a minde; which the Platonists also prove by the perseverance of their order, and tenor, because motion is of its nature free, it may easily swarve, and wander now one way, now another, unless it were ruled by an intellect and a mind, and that also by a perfect mind foreseeing from the beginning the best way, and chief end. Which perfect mind indeed, because it is most powerfull in the soul, as is the soul, and as are the souls of Celestiall bodies, and of Elements, without all doubt doth most orderly, and perfectly govern the work allotted to it. For bodies do not resist a most powerfull soul, and a perfect mind doth not change its counsel. The soul of the world therefore is a certain only thing, filling all things, bestowing all things, binding, and knitting together all things, that it might make one frame of the world, and that it might be as it were one instrument making of many strings, out one sound, sounding from three kinds of creatures, intellectuall, Celestiall, and incorruptible, with one only breath and […]ife.

CHAP. LVIII. Of the names of the Celestials, and their rule over this inferiour world, viz. Man.

THe names of Celestiall souls are very many, and diverse according to their manifold power and vertue upon these inferior things, from whence they have received divers […]ames, which the ancients in their hymnes and prayers made […]se of. Concerning which you must observe, that every one of these souls according to Orpheus's Divinity, is said to have a double vertue; the one placed in knowing, the other in vivifying, and governing its body. Upon this account in the Celestiall spheres, Orpheus cals the former vertue Bacchus, the other a Muse. Hence he is not inebriated by any Bacchus, who hath not first been coupled to his Muse. Therefore nine Bacchus's are designed about the nine Muses. Hence in the ninth sphere Orpheus puts Bacchus Cribonius, and the Muse Calliope; in the starry heaven Picionius, and Urania; in the sphere of Saturn, Amphietus, and Polyphymnia; in the sphere of Jupiter, Sabasius, and Terpsichore; in the sphere of Mars, Bassarius, and Clio; in the sphere of the Sun, Trietericus, and Melpemene; in the sphere of Venus, Lysius, and Erato; in the sphere of Mercury, Silenus, and Euterpe; in the sphere of the Moon, Bacchus, Lyeus, and the Muse Thalia. Also in the spheres of the Elements, he names the souls after this manner. In the fire he puts the planet, and the morning; in the air lightening Jupiter, and Juno; in water the Ocean, and Thetys; in the earth Pluto, and Proserpina; but the soul of the world or universe Magicians call the Jupiter of the world, and the mind of the world Apollo, and the nature of the world, Minerva. Besides in the fire they put Vulcan, in the water Neptune, and they did name them by divers names. Also in the Stars of the Zodiack the Pythagorians did put twelve particular Gods or souls placed in the hearts of those Stars, and thence governing the whole Star, viz. in the heart of Aries is placed a particular Pallas, in the heart of Taurus a particular Venus, of Gemini a particular Phebus, of Cancer Mercury, of Leo Jupiter, of Virgo Ceres, of Libra Vulcan, of Scorpio Mars, of Sagittarius Diana, of Capricorn Vesta, of Aquarius a patticular Juno, in the heart of Pisces a particular Neptune: This did Manilius sing forth in these verses.

Pallas doth rule the Ram, Venus the Bull,
Phebus the Twins, and Mercury doth rule
The Cancer, and the Lyon guides doth Jove,
Ceres doth Virgo, Vulcan Libra move.
For Scorpion Mars; for Sagittarius faire
Diana cares; for Capricorn doth care
Vesta; Aquarius Juno doth protect;
And Neptune Pisces—

And most ancient Orpheus writing to Muscus, reckons up more Dieties of the heavens then these, signifying their names, respects, and duties, calling them all in proper songs. Let no one therefore think that they are the names of evill deceiving spirits; but of naturall, and divine vertues, distrubted to the world by the true God, for the service, and profit of man, who knew how to use them: and antiquity it self hath ascribed to each of these Dieties the severall members of man; as the ear to memory, which Virgil also dedicates to Phebus, saying, Cynthius puls my ear, and admonisheth me. So the right hand being a token of fortitude, & by which an oath is made, Numa Pompilius, as saith Livy, hath dedicated to faith: The fingers are under the tuition of Minerva, and the knees given to Mercifullness; Hence they that beg pardon bend them. Some dedicate the Navell to Venus as the place of luxury; some who refer all the members to it as the center, say it is dedicated to Jupiter. Hence in the Temple of Jupiter Hammon the effigies of a navel is celebrated. Many other things the ancients did observe, ascribing every little member and joynt to their Dieties, which if they be rightly understood, and the true Dieties ruling over them known, would not at all swerve from their duty, seeing also sacred writ testifies that all our members are governed by the superior vertues, of which we shall speak more largely in the following book; and not members only, but every exercise of men is distributed to its Dietie, as huntings to Diana, wars to Pallas, husbandry to Ceres, of which thus speaks Apollo in his Oracles in Porphyrie.

Pallas loves wars, woods to Diana fair
Ascribed are, to Juno humid Aire,
To Ceres Corn, and fruits; to Osyris
The water, also humors waterish.