Histories of Visions Apparitions Prophecies Spirits Divinations, Part 1 · Section 27
27. Of the treaſons, treacheries, conſpiracies, ſeditious ambitions, uſurpations, turbulencies, and buſie medlings, of Magicall and Aſtrologicall diviners, againſt Princes, Magiſtrates, Kingdomes and States.
CAmbyſes having added Aegypt to his fathers Kingdomes, could not endure their magicall religion, but abominating their ſuperſtitious ceremonies, cauſed the Oraculous Temples of Apis, and others, to be pulled down. At length he was murdered by means of two Magicians, who concealed his death, and uſurping upon his Kingdome, raigned in his ſtead, and name. But their boldneſſe being detected, they were apprehended and ſuppreſſed by Darius, who therefore by the conſent of all was choſen King.
Cobares, a man of magick art (if an art it be, and not a vaine mans deceit) yet what ever it be, he was more notable for his profeſſion of it, then for his knowledge in it. He (at a feaſt) would needs be counſelling Beſſus the weaker to yield to Alexander the ſtronger: which medling of his was ſo ill taken, that he hardly eſcaped his throat cutting; and he likewiſe took ſo ill the rejection of his counſell, that he defected and fled to the contrary part. Now what unhappy politicians are ſuch as theſe (both to themſelves and others) that if they may not be accepted for buſie counſellors, turn malecontented fugitives.
Alexander being about to ſcale the walls of a City, Demophon the diviner would needs diſſwade him from ſome apparition of unfortunate ſigns. Of whom the King demanded, if it would not trouble him to be interrupted in his Science? which he acknowledging, the King replyed upon him again, avouching, that in his greateſt affairs he found alwaies no greater diſtraction, and diſturbance, then that of a ſuperſtitious pragmaticall Soothſayer.
Nicius the Athenian Captain kept a Soothſayer continually in his houſe; pretending it was to conſult with him about the great affaires of the Commonwealth: when as it was onelyonly to inquire about his own buſineſſe, or to promote his owne ambition.
Alcibiades to promote his own ambitions, ſuborned certain predicting Soothſayers, to preſage happy ſucceſſe, and honour to the Athenians, in their Sicilian warre, although his end ſerved, it fell out clean contrary.
Meton the Aſtronomer very politickly feined himſelfe mad, and fired his own houſe, pretending a miſlike of the celeſtiall ſignes, as touching the common ſucceſſe in that warre: but his end was to himſelf, ſc. to releaſe his ſonne, engaged in that voyage, and ſo to eaſe himſelfe (let the Commonwealth ſinke or ſwim) of the charge of maintaining him there.
While Fadus governed the Province of Iudaea, a certaine Magician, Theudas by name, perſwaded the people to follow him to the River Iordane, (taking their ſubſtance along with them) and he would divide the waters, as heretofore; and ſo work their deliverance. But Fadus purſued them, diſperſed the ſeduced multitude, took the Magician and cut off his head.
Another time, an Aegyptian comming to Ieruſalem, feined himſelfe to be a Prophet, but was a Magician; he perſwaded the popular multitude to goe along with him to Mount Olivet, and he would there ſhew them ſtrange things for their freedome: but Faelix followed upon them, and ſlew hundreds of them: onelyonly the Aegyptian eſcaped, by vaniſhing out of ſight.
Another Magician ſeduced the people, leading them out into the Wilderneſſe; promiſing them ſafety, and reſt from their evils: but Feſtus followed ſtreight after them, and ſlew both the Seducer, and many of thoſe whom he had ſeduced.
Many Soothſaying Aſtrologers (grudging at the leaſt increaſe, or eaſe of the Church) had gathered themſelves together, to conſult about the praenotion of Ʋalens his ſucceſſor: and having tryed all kind of divination, at length they made a wooden Treuet of Lawrell, and uſed ſuch execrable and diabolicall incantation, that they obſerved a conjunction of theſe letters THEOD, which they expounded of one Theodorus a Pagan, and uſefull to their purpoſe: preſuming on the power of their conſtellation, or conſtellated figure, to depoſe or ſet up whom they thought good. But Valens underſtanding it, ſlew both the diviners, and the party they had divined upon. Yea, his fury was ſo implacable, that it extended to all, either of that ſect, or name.
Eugenius a Schoolmaſter, by the means of Arboguſtes, a treacherous officer, and of Hyparchus, a politick preſager, having ſtrangled young Ʋalentinian, uſurped the Empire; preſuming he ſhould attain to what he went about; being thereunto induced by the word of thoſe that took upon them to predict things future, from the immolation of victimes, inſpection of entrailes, and obſervation of the Stars.
Thraſyllus the Mathematician, having predicted certain joyfull things to Nero, and they falling out quite contrary: he determined to caſt him headlong into the ſea, as a falſarie, and raſh intruder into his ſecrets. Yea the ſame Nero had an odde way of exploring his Magicall predictors; and if there were found the leaſt ſuſpition of vanity or fraud in them, he would caſt them (as they walked upon a precipice) headlong into the Sea: and many times would doe it, leſt they might be the bewrayers of his ſecrets; for he, who knew their treacheries, durſt truſt none of them.
The ancient Brittains deeply drencht in ſuperſtition by their magicall Druides, were ſo enſlaved to them, as that they uſurped the determining of all controverſies, publique or private; concerning all matters or cauſes criminall, or reall: ſo that they took upon them to award recompences, or penalties, as they pleaſed; and who ever he or they were that refuſed to ſtand to their judgement; him, or them they preſently interdicted, forbidding all commerce with them.
It is recorded that in France, the Magicians, Aſtrologers, Sortiaries, Sorcerers, Wizzards, and Witches, were ſo numerous, that they began to boaſt themſelves not only for a ſociety, but for an Army; and to profeſſe that if they could but get ſome one in authority to be their Commander or leader, they durſt wage warre with any King or State; and doubted not of the victory through the vertue and power of their art: Like as the Hunnes (by thoſe very means) had formerly done againſt Sigebert King of France.
Peter of Pomfreit, that hermeticall Wizzard, by buzzing his prophecies into the peoples eares, ſought to make the commotion againſt King Iohn. And in Ketts commotion, one main promotion of it was, upon the falſe prophecies that Hob, Dic, and Hic, (meaning the ruſticks) with their clubs, ſhould fill up the valley of Duſſindale with the bodies of the dead.
Leoline Prince of Wales rebelled againſt Edward the firſt upon a prophecy of Merlin (that ginne of errour) how he ſhould be ſhortly crowned with the diadem of Brute. But his head was cut off, and crowned with Ivy, and there was his end.
The Perſi in Magi were not onelyonly contented to be honoured by their Kings, but uſurped the Kingdom to themſelves. The Aegyptian Prieſts, or vaticinators arrogated great honours for their praeviſion and praediction of ſuture things, both by their ſacrificings, and by their skill in the ſtarres.
Numa Pompilius, Licurgus, Solon, Minos, Zamolxis, pretended their Laws from Iupiter, Apollo, Mercury, Minerva, and other predicting Oracles; that ſo they might the more eaſily impoſe upon, and domineere over the ſlaviſh people.
Ariſtocrates King of the Arcadians, ayding the Meſsenians againſt the Lacedemonians; they ſo corrupted him with gifts, and beſides he was ſo blinded with the unproſperous ſignification of the intrayles, that upon the joyning of the battell he diſheartned his own ſouldiers, and fled; and ſo baſely betrayed his old friends the Meſſenians.
While Servius Tullus reigned, one had a very faire Cow, of which the oraculous predictors gave out, that whoſoever ſhould offer that Cow to Diana, he, his Countrey and kindred ſhould attaine to great authority and rule over the whole world. Now the owner of it bringing it to Rome, to offer it in behalfe of himſelfe and his, the preſaging Prieſt of the Temple, commanded him not to offer it till he had waſht himſelfe; and while he went forth ſo to doe, he ſacrificed it for the advantage of himſelfe, and his like.
Libo Druſus, a looſe raſh young man, was encouraged by Firmius Catus, through the confidence of Chaldean promiſes, magicall myſteries, and interpretations of dreams, to make inſurrection againſt Tiberius Caeſar: but in the end was driven deſperately (his ſervants refuſing) to lay violent hands upon himſelfe. Immediately upon this the Senate conſulted for the expelling of the Mathematicians and Magicians out of Italy, and L. Pitnanius, one of their number, was caſt down a Rock.
In Catilines conſpiracy, Lentulus was accuſed both by his letters and ſpeeches which he uſed out of the Sybils books; that the Kingdom of Rome was preſaged to three of the Cornelian family, viz. Cinna, and Silla, and himſelfe, the third to whom it was fated. And moreover, that now was the twentieth yeare from the burning of the Capitoll, concerning which the haruſpicks by their prodigies had given anſwer that civill warres there ſhould be rife and bloody.
The haruſpicks portended great and wonderfull things for the promotion of Caius Marius his ambition.
In the ſecond Punick warre (befides a tumult and diſtraction in the State) ſuch a confuſion there was in religion (as the cauſe and continuance of the other) that men, women, young, old, noble, plebeians, all ſacriſiced and prophecyed as they liſted: and he or ſhe was no body that could not preſage of one diſaſtrous event or another.
Apollo gave ſuch perplexed anſwers to the Lacedaemonians (in their troubles) that a Pagan Philoſopher was provoked to tell him plainly, If thou hadſt anſwered thus in quiet times, it had ſeemed frivolous to all; only thy ignorance lurkes under our feares and diſtraction; becauſe ſuch things are moſt impreſſing and credited in ſuch kind of times.
Apuleius (ſaith St. Auguſtine) an Affricane and therefore beſt known to us Affricanes, for all his magicall arts could not attain to a Kingdom: no nor yet to any judiciall power in a Commonwealth, for all his judiciary Aſtrologie. Did he modeſtly contemn theſe things as a Philoſopher? Nay did he not hunt, and hire, and contend with the Citizens of Choas (where he marryed a wife) about the ſetting up of a Statue to him? So that if he arrived at no greatneſſe, it was not becauſe he had no will, but no power.
A certain prophecy given out and publiſhed at Rome, at the removing of the Emperour Tiberius, that he ſhould never return any more, occaſioned the death of many well diſpoſed Citizens: who ventring too farre upon this little ground, to diſcharge their Countrey from the clog of ſervitude, were cut off by cruelty. About the ſame time Furius Scribonianus was exiled, becauſe he had enquired after the Princes death by Chaldeans or Aſtrologers.
Mahomet, and Sergius, both of them by magicall and praeſtigious tricks ſet up themſelves; the one for a King, the other for a Prophet.
Fredericke Barbaroſsa leading an army againſt them of Millaine, they ſent an Arabian magician to play the veneficke, and take away his life by poyſon: which being diſcovered, and he apprehended; notwithſtanding he threatned that he could doe it with words, and would doe it, unleſſe he were diſmiſt; yet this moved not the King to feare his malefice: but he therefore inflicted on him the ſharper puniſhment.
Pope Iulius the third gave a Cardinals hat to a youth whom he favoured; and being askt the reaſon of it, ſaid, That he found by Aſtrology, that it was the youths deſtiny to be a great Prelate; which was impoſſible except himſelfe were Pope: and therefore that he did raiſe him, as the driver on of his owne Fortune.
Certaine rude uncivill clowns, under a colour of a prophecy, that they ſhould conquer and ſubdue the holy Land, raked a ſort of vagabonds and bankrupts together; who falling forthwith to ſpoyle and robbery, were hanged upon Gibbets almoſt in every Countrey as they paſt.
The young Duke of Viſeo in Portingale, having once been pardoned by Don Ivan el Grande, at the ſuit of the Queen his ſiſter; was encouraged by the Mathematicians and Aſtrologers to rebell again; with aſſurance that he ſhould obtaine the Crown: whereof he not onelyonly failed, but beſides was deprived of his life by the courſe of ordinary juſtice.
My Lord of Northampton tels the ſtory of two Countreymen of ours, one ſometimes profeſſing Greeke in Cambridge, the other of the ſame calling: one contriving treaſon, ſedition, or faction, from the ſtarres, but clapt under hatches when the planets promiſed moſt fortunate ſucceſſe: the other undutifully taking armes againſt his Soveraigne: and often confeſſing, he had never dealt in that attempt, but by encouragement of a certain prophecy, that he ſhould prevaile againſt his Prince by popular devotion.