Histories of Visions Apparitions Prophecies Spirits Divinations, Part 1 · Section 31
31. Of praeſtigious Magicians and Aſtrologers, prodigiouſly practiſing their arts, for the promotion of their own and others filthy luſts.
Nectanebus an Aegyptian King, and great Magician, coming into Macedonia in King Philips time; ſo practiſed it, as to make Olympias (Philips wife) to dream, that ſhe ſhould be married to Jupiter Hammon, and ſhould conceive a famous childe by him. And thus it was brought about, Olympias ſent for Nectanebus, to learn of him, what ſhould become of her; in as much as it was rumored abroad, that King Philip was minded to forſake her, and to take another: he tels her under hand, that he received a charge from the Oracle, as he came out of Aegypt, to go and help a neglected Queen, whom Jupiter Hammon greatly loved, and intended to embrace. The following night he cauſes her to dream of ſuch a thing: yea and by his diabolical charm effects the like imagination in Philip, now abſent in war. Thus is Olympias earneſtly longing after Jupiter; and the next day calls again for Nectanebus, and enquires of him, when ſhall be this much expected time? He bids her to adorn her bed, and make her-ſelf fit to receive ſo divine a Paramour; but adds, he will come to her in the ſhape of a Dragon, with a Goats head, and horns. At the hearing of which ſhe greatly terrifyed, he replies, if you be afraid of ſuch a congreſſion, make me a bed hard by, and I will ſecure you from all affrightment. At night, to bed goes the credulous Queen, royally prepared, as became ſuch an entertainment: and as ſoon as all was ſilent, the magical impoſtor raiſes a praeſtigious commotion, and apparition; and goes to bed to the Queen himſelf: and ſo begets Alexander the Great; hereupon reputed the ſon of Jupiter Hammon. When Alexander was now grown up, he with his Tutor and Father, Nectanebus, walking abroad in the evening, and ſtanding hard by the ſteep of a Rock; Alexander haſtily turning himſelf round about, thruſt the Magician down the precipice at unawares: where he was ſo daſhed and ſore bruiſed in the fall, that his death muſt neceſſarily follow. Then complaining of Alexanders raſh act; Alexander replyed, thou oughteſt rather to complain of thine own Art, that buſies thee in the ſearching the things of the Heavens: and lets thee not foreſee, what impends thee on earth. Alas (quoth he) what mortal man can avoid his own fate? I foreknew, while I was in Aegypt, that mine own ſon ſhould be the occaſion of mine own death. What am I thy ſon ſaid Alexander? To whom Nectanebus confeſſes the whole truth, and dies.
A certain Aegyptian burning in luſt towards another mans wife, conſults with a Magician, or Sorcerer, how he might obtain his deſire? He anſwered, nothing hindred, but the mutual love that was between the husband, and the wife, whereupon he hired the impoſtor to ſtir up a diſlike betwixt them; which he laboured after this praeſtigious manner, making the woman appear to the man, as if he had a ſhagg'd Mare in his bed.
A paganiſh young man in Gaza, extreamly loved a Virgin that was a Chriſtian; and when all his dalliance availed not to his end, he went to Memphis, thinking to bring it about by Magical Art. Where after a yeers attendance, he was inſtructed by Aeſculapius his vaticinators, to put a certain plate of braſſe, with a portentous figure, under the threſhold where the maid dwelt; and to recite certain torments, or charmes of words over it. Whereupon the Virgin grew mad in love with him; and did nothing but call for the young man, nightand day. But her parents had her to Hillarion, who preſently (by his wiſdom and piety) diſpoſſeſſed her of that magical and conſtellational fury.
Turbula a Martyr in Perſia, being falſly accuſed and condemned by the Magicians: one of them fell greatly enamoured with her excellent beauty; would have corrupted her, with promiſe of ſafety to her and her followers, and other great rewards; but all would not prevail.
Ʋter Pendragon coming into Gornwall, caſt his eyes upon fair Igrene, wife to the Duke of that Province; whom he very importunately ſolicits, but all to little purpoſe; the conſtant wife (that ſo dearly loved her Lord) would by no means be won to do him that diſhonour. Merlin therefore is conſulted, who to bring her to his bow; ſcorns to uſe any petty magical Philters; but he new moulds the ſhape of the King, and prints upon his face, the very feature of Gonlois her own Lord: by which means he ſoon violated this Ladies chaſtity, in the bed of praeſtigious deluſion.
A Magical Monk in Spain, or ſome Fryer Praedicant, was familiar with a Nobleman, that had a fair wife. He tempts her chaſtity, and is repulſed; upon his unſatisfied importunity, ſhe acquaints her husband: it is conſented to admit him again, and watched to entrap him. At the time appointed, he comes in a ſecular habit and equipage; ſhe is reſolute ſtill and refuſing: but the night gave boldneſſe to the attempt, and now what he cannot perſwade, he ſeeks to enforce. She reſiſts it, and cries out, to give the watchword to her husband, and thoſe that lay in wait; but all in vain; for he by his effaſcinating Art, had charmed them all into a dead ſleep. As they ſtrugled together, ſhe ſpyed a dagger at his back, and therewithal ſtabbed him to the death. And running into the room, where her husband and the reſt were, ſhe found them ſo faſt aſleep, that all ſhe could do, could not awake them, now having none in her family either to hear, or help her; ſhe ſuſpected ſome malefice, and went ſtoutly and caſt the dead carcaſe into the ſtreet. Where paſſers by lighting upon it, the buſineſſe is brought before the Corrigidor, and the dead party is diſcerned. The next day the Prior of the Covent is deſired to ſummon all his fellows together; who all came, onelyonly this party is abſent: they then knock at his chamber door, but no body makes anſwer; at laſt they break open the door, and there they eſpie a Torch in the Chimney burning very dimly. Now neither the husband nor any of the family could be awaked till that Torch was extinct.
A certain ſouldier that by Magical Philters had ſought to procure the love of ſuch a woman; one night imagined that he enjoyed her in his dream: but he awaking, found himſelf caſt into a filthy myry ditch, and there embracing in his arms a carcaſe or carrion of a dead beaſt.
In Miſnia a young man uſing the Art, or means of a Magician, to enjoy her whom he loved; was brought into a byroom, & by malefical incantations there was brought in to him the ſpectrene apparition of her whom he loved: the beſotted youth taking it for real, put forth his hand to embrace her; at which his brains were violently daſht out againſt the walls; the carcaſe ſo beaten upon the Magician, that he himſelf lay half dead a long time after.
The Oracles themſelves ordained ſcenical and Floralian enterludes. The Magical Philoſophers had their notorious Harlots: and profeſſed not onelyonly a neceſſity, but a lawfulneſſe of having them. The Perſians and Chaldeans were burning mad upon their own ſiſters, daughters, mothers. Both their Magical Religion, and Laws, were for wrong and luſts.
Romulus, (whoſe birth, life and death was praeſtigious) is thought to be begot upon a Veſtal by Mars, by Amulius her Uncle, by the Genius of the place, by a divining Prieſt, by a common ſouldier. The things to be chiefly noted in him are the Magical luſts of his birth, wrongs of his life, and judgements of his death.
Simon Magus had his Helena: and (take Helena's for Harlots) ſo had Nicolaus of Antioch; ſo had Marcus; ſo had Marcion: ſo had Apelles; ſo had Montanus; ſo had Priſcillian. All Hereticks; moſt or all Mag-aſtro-mancers. And it is a queſtion whether they made more uſe of their women in their Magick, their hereſies, or their luſts.
Gallirrhoe a noble Virgin, and already betrothed to an husband, bathing in the River: and according to a Magical inſtance, with odes and incantations, imploring Scamander to take her maiden-head: Simon the Athenian, praeſtigiouſly faigning himſelf to be Scamander, did vitiate her by that means.
Echerates the Theſſalian, coming to conſult Apollo at Delphos, and there ſeeing Pythia a Virgin of exceeding beauty, violently raviſhed her, upon which it was decreed, that no Virgin, or young woman ſhould after that be ſet over the Oracle: but ſome old Crone of fifty at leaſt, yet in a virgins habit.
Ariſtocrates King of the Meſſenians, in as much as he could not allure the Prieſteſſe of Diana Hymnia to his luſts, and to avoid his importunity, flying to the Altar, he forceably raviſhed her there. For which he was ſtoned by the Arcadians: and the Prieſthood was afterwards transferred from a Virgin to a marryed wife.
Decius Mundus, a young man of dignity and wealth, falling deſperately in love with Paulina, the faire, and yet chaſte wife of Saturninus; offered her twenty Myriades, or two hundred thouſand Attick Drachmes, for one nights lodging: which ſhe refuſing, he reſolved to pine himſelf to death; which Ida (his fathers hand maid infranchiſed) perceiving, chears him up, bids him be of good hope, promiſing him for five Myriades, to bring it ſo about, as that he ſhall obtain his deſire. And knowing the vertuous woman to be much devoted to Iſis, ſhe goes to ſome of the Prieſts of the Temple, and giving them two Myriads and an half, and promiſing as much more, adjures their ſilence, and requires their aſſiſtance. The chief of the Prieſts promiſes to convert Paulina; and feigns a Meſſage to her from Anubis out of Aegypt, as touching his love to her, and how he commanded that ſhe ſhould preſent her ſelf before him. She willingly imbraces the motion, and boaſts to her friends the love of Anubis towards her. Her husband alſo is acquainted with the ſolemn invitation, and conſents to it, being confident of his wives chaſtity. To the Temple ſhe comes, gallantly adorned, and after ſupper the Prieſt ſhuts her up: and the lights withdrawn, and Mundus lurking in a corner, comes to her inſtead of the God, and lies with her all night, and departs early in the morning. Though ſhe returning home, glories greatly among her friends of her congreſſe with the God, to the wonder of them all. But about three dayes after, Mundus meeting her by chance, thus greets her: O well dear Paulina! thou haſt ſaved me twenty Myriades, nd nevertheleſs haſt ſatisfied my deſire: neither was it little contentful to me, that I obtained it under the name of Anubis; and having ſoſaid, away he went. At which hearing, the deluded matron tears her garments, and tells the praeſtigious and flagitious deluſion to her husband, intreating him not to neglect her diſhonour, ſo as to ſuffer it to go unpuniſhed. Whereupon he relates the buſineſſe to Tiberius; who after due examination, cauſes Idae and the ſacrificing impoſtors to be executed, baniſhes Mundus, pulls down the Temple, and caſts the Statue of Iſis into Tyber.
A Prieſt of Saturn, by name Tyrannus, would by his reſponſals invite the nobleſt men and women to worſhip; and if the women were pleaſing to him for his luſt, he would tell the husband, that Saturn commanded his wife ſhould ſtay there with him all that night. Then would he in their ſight ſhut the doors, and deliver the keyes to another, and depart. But at night would ſecretly creep by a ſubterranean paſſage into Saturns hollow Image: and thence would he talke to the ſuperſtitiouſly deluded creature of thoſe things that might the more excite her reverence, and provoke his own concupiſcence. After that extinguiſhing the lights by his Art, then would he deſcend to the amazed ſoul, and mixe ſacrilegious adultery with his profane commentations. Thus had he long and often illuded a many of them. But it ſo fell out, that a Matron, more wiſe and chaſt then the reſt, abhorring the act, diſcerned Tyrannus by his voice; complained hereof to her husband: And the beaſtly fraud being detected, him they tormented, and the Temple and Image they demoliſhed.