Histories of Visions Apparitions Prophecies Spirits Divinations, Part 1 · Section 8
8. Of the ſundry natures, cuſtomes, and manners of men, either quite contrary, or nothing according to the poſitions, conjunctions, dominations, and diſpoſitions of the Starres.
AMong the Seranes there is a law not to kill, nor to fornicate, not to worſhip Images; whence in that region, there's no temple to be ſeen, no harlot, no adultreſſe, none is a thiefe, none a man-ſlayer; neither doth the ſiery ſtarre of Mars, conſtituted in the midſt of heaven, compell the wil of anyone of them to the murder of men: neither doth Venus, conjoyned to Mars, cauſe any one of them to ſolicite another mans wife: and yet every day Mars muſt needs come there into the midſt of heaven; and that in ſo great a Region that men are born there every houre, is not to be denied.
Among the Indians and Bactrians, there are many thouſands of men, which they call Brachmans; they both by traditions, and laws of their Fathers, neither worſhip Images, nor eate any thing that is animate, they neither drink wine or beere, but farre from all malignity, are onelyonly attending upon God: but yet all the other Indians in the ſame Region, are involved in adulteries, murder, drunkenneſſe, idolatry; yea, there are found ſome of them, dwelling in the ſame climate, which hunting men, and ſacrificing, devoure them. And yet not any of the Planets, which they call good and happy, could prohibite theſe from ſlaughter, and miſchiefe; neither could the malefick ſtarres impell the Brachmans to malefice, or malefacture.
Among the Perſians there was a law, of marrying daughters, ſiſters, and mothers themſelves: neither did they celebrate theſe nefarious marriages in Perſia onelyonly, but alſo in all other climates of the world whereſoever they came: whoſe wickedneſſe other Nations abominating, called them Magufiaeans; and there are in Aegypt, Phrygia, and Galatia, very many of the Magufiaeans, that by ſucceſſion from their fathers, are ſtill polluted with the ſame wickedneſſe. And yet we cannot ſay, that in the Nativities of them all, there was Venus in termes, and in the houſe of Saturne, and with Saturne, Mars aſpecting.
Among the Getulians, this is the law or cuſtom: the women till the fields build houſes, and doe all ſuch like works; and moreover they may meet with whom they pleaſe: neither are they accuſed for it by their husbands, nor called therefore adultereſſes though they mingle indifferently with all, and eſpecially with ſtrangers. Alſo their women contemne all perſumes, neither weare they dyed garments; but goe bare footed. On the contrary, their men delight in veſtures, and odours, and various colours; yet doe they it not out of effeminacy; for they are valiant and warlike above other Nations. Nevertheleſſe all the women that are born among them, had not Ʋenus ill affected in Capricorne or Aquarius: nor were all the men born under Venus, conſtituted with Mars in Aries; which the fopperies of the Caldaeans can claim makes men both valiant and delicate at once.
Among the Bactrians, the women uſe gallant ornaments, and precious oyntments, and are more reverenced by their handmayds and ſervants, then their husbands are, and ride abroad in a ſingular pompe, their horſes adorned with trappings of gold and precious ſtones: neither doe they live chaſtly, but mingle with ſervants as well as ſtrangers: nor are they accuſed by their husbands, becauſe they Lord it over them. Notwithſtanding the nativity of every Bactrian woman had not Ʋenus, with Iupiter and Mars in the midſt of heaven, and termes of Ʋenus.
Amongſt the Arabians all adultereſſes are put to death, and thoſe puniſhed, that are onelyonly but ſuſpected. In Parthia and Armenia, homicides are executed, ſometimes by the Judges, ſometimes by the kindred of him that was murdered: but he that ſhall kil a wife, a ſonne, or a daughter, or a brother, or ſiſter unmarried, is not ſo much as accuſed for it; for ſo is the law. Contrarily we ſee among the Grecians and Romans parricide is not expiated, but by the greater penalty. Among the Atrians or Adroams, he that ſtole the leaſt thing was ſtoned: but among the Bactrians, he that ſtole but petty things was onelyonly ſpit upon: yet among the Romans, ſuch an one was beaten and wounded. From the river Euphrates, to the orientall Ocean, he to whom murder or theft was objected, was not much aggrieved, or tormented: but if he had abuſed himſelfe with a maſculine, and that come to light, he was forced, through paine to kill himſelfe. And yet the wiſe men of Greece were not aſhamed to purſue ſpecious boyes. In the ſame orientall coaſt, the parents and kindred, if they had known their ſonnes and kinsfolks ſubjecting themſelves to turpitude, they both killed them, and would not vouchſafe ſo much as to bury them. Amongſt the Gaules, the children marry publikly, and by the law are noted with no reproach for it; and yet truly it is not poſſible that all they among the Gaules, who betray the flower of their youth; ſhould have Venus and Mercury, in the houſe of Saturne, and of Mars tearmes occident.
Among the Britaines, many men have but one wife. Among the Parthians, many women (on the contrary) have but one husband; and yet they all live chaſtely, and obedient to lawes. The Amazons have no men; but, at ſpring time they goe into other Countries, and couple with their bordering neighbours: and thus, by a naturall law, they all bring forth about one time, and the males they ſlay, the females they cheriſh, and are all warlike women.
Mercury in his houſe, with Venus, is ſaid by the Chaldaeans, to make man covetous, and money mongers, and deviſers, and paynters; but in the houſe of Venus, to make them unguentaries, or perfumers, and ſuch as exerciſe their voyces, as Stage players and actors of fables. And yet among the Saracens and Moores, and in upper Lybia, and in nether Germany, and among the Sarmatians, and the Scythians, and other Nations that inhabit the Northern parts of the Sea Pontus; in Alania alſo, and Albania, and Othene, and Saunia, and Aurea; there is found no money hoorder, no paynter, no Architect, no Geometrician, no exerciſer of his voyce, no actor of fables: but ſuch a conjunction of Mercury and Venus, is found to be altogether ineffectuall and vaine, in ſo many and great parts of the world.
All the Medes nouriſh Dogges with no little coſt and care; to which they caſt men dying, and yet gaſping: notwithſtanding all of them had not, in a diurnall nativity, the Moon with Mars under the earth, in Cancer.
The Indians burn their dead, with whom their wives are willingly burned together: yet all thoſe women that thus willingly endured the ſire of their husbands, had not in a nocturnall nativity, the Sunne, with Mars, in the tearm of Mars in Leo.
Many of the Germans uſe ſtrangling: yet is it not poſſible that all they who ſo hang themſelves, ſhould have the Moone intercepted of Saturne and Mars.
Among all Nations men are born at all houres, and we ſee laws and manners prevaile every where from the power of a mans free will. Neither doth any mans nativity enforce him to doe any thing againſt it. Neither doth it compell the Serans to homicide; nor the Brachmans to the eating of fleſh; nor are the Perſians thereby reſtrained from unlawfull marriages; nor the Indians kept from the fire; nor the Medes from the dogges; nor the Parthians from marrying many wives; nor are the Meſopotamian women debarred from chaſtity; nor the Graecians from their exerciſes; nor the Romans from their rule; nor the French from their muliebriouſneſſe; nor can all the Nations, which we call Barbarians, be thus brought to approve the learning of the Muſes.
All the Iewes, by the Moſaicall law, doe circumciſe their children on the eight day; yet are they not compelled to it by the force of any Starre; nor are they impelled thereunto by the time of the region; nor are they induced to doe otherwiſe by the cuſtome or manners of any other Nation: for whereſoever they are, whether in Syria, Galatia, Italy, Greece, Parthia, they ſtill keep their Law; which could not at all be done by any neceſſity of their Nativity. For it is not poſſible that all the Iewes ſhould have the ſame Nativity. Futhermore, one of the ſeven daies, where ever they are, they ceaſe from all manner of work, nor goe a journey, nor uſe any fire, yet doth not any genethliacall reaſon reſtraine a Iew from building, or pulling down a houſe, from buying, or ſelling, on that day: but many of them are born, many are ſicke, and healed, and many die on that day.
The ſect of the Chriſtians, which are found in every part of the world, and in every City; if the Parthians after they once become ſuch, they marry not many wives; neither doe the Medes (after that) caſt their dead unto the dogs, nor the Perſians marry their daughters, nor the Pactrians and Gaules corrupt matrimony; nor the Aegyptians worſhip Apis, or a dogge, or a Goat, or a Cat: but whereſoever they are, they live after others laws and cuſtomes: nor can they be compelled, either by any genethliacall reaſon, or by their own, or by the principles of any, to think any thing fit to be done, which their maſter hath not counted fit to be ſpoken.