The Magical-Astrological-Diviner Posed and Puzzled, Treatise · Chapter 27 · Section 24
24. Of things falling out quite contrary to Magicall and Aſtrologicall Prognoſtications or Predictions: and thereupon the Magaſtromancers themſelves juſtly rewarded by divers, for their deluſive way.
CAius Cornelius Hiſpalus by an Edict commanded that the Chaldaeans within ten daies ſhould depart the City, and all Italy; becauſe by their light and lying wits, they made a gaine of, and a ginne for the people.
The Magicians of Perſia deviſed many praeſtigious impoſtures whereby to delude and diſturbe Iſdigerdes their King: but their pranks being detected, he cauſed every tenth man of them throughout the Kingdom to be beheaded.
Maximinus being overcome by Licinius, returned home in a rage, and put to death his fatidicall predictors (that had urged him to the warre, in confidence of their oraculous praeſagings) as inchanters and ſeducers, and ſuch as had betrayed his peace and ſafety.
Julian that ſo favoured, and practiſed all kind of praeſtigious artifices, in his warre againſt the Perſians, was not onelyonly hecouraged, and aſſured of victory by his Soothſayers; but and all manner of fortunate ſucceſſe confirmed unto him by Delphian, Delonian, and Dodonaean Oracles: yet how fatall that war was to him, the event proved; and not onelyonly ſo, but the heavens themſelves (without, yea and againſt the Aſtrologers) foretold.
As Sylla (upon an expedition) was ſacrificing, there appeared a ſerpent about the Altar; of this the Arioliſts made a ſad preſage, and would have retarded the exploit: but he proceeded nevertheleſſe, and there followed a glorious iſſue that day; not from the counſell of the Diviners, but of the Commanders.
Cicero reports from his own knowledge, that the Chaldaeans had foretold to Pompey, to Craſſus, and to Caeſar himſelfe, that none of them ſhould die, but in their old age, at their own houſes, and with honour; in all which particulars it fell out clean otherwiſe to them all. So that he wonders any ſhould believe them, that may obſerve ſo many events, ſo contrary to their predictions.
To their objection, of Flaminius, and his army periſhing, becauſe they followed not the Diviners direction; Cicero oppoſes this anſwer, that Paulus obſerved them the yeere after, and yet both he and his army periſhed nevertheleſſe. I adde, from Oroſius, that Flaminius the conſul contemning the Diviners counſell, inhibiting his courſe as unfortunate; went on, and obtained a glorious conqueſt. Whether it was the ſame, or another, it is ſufficiently confuting.
It is ſtoried in Livie, that the Augurs ominating diſaſtrous and unfortunate things to the Romane army, from their immolations and inſpections: the Captaines reſolved on the contrary, acquainted the army that all things divined were happy, and promiſed victory; whereupon they proceeded chearfully and prevailed.
Nicias the Athenian, being made to believe (by the Aſtrologers prognoſticating upon an Ecclipſe of the Moon) that it was ſafeſt for him, not to ſtir out of the haven that night, but to ſtay ſtill in his ſhips, was there that night ſurprized by the Syracuſans.
A great aruſpicall Diviner would needs forewarn Caeſar, not to ſend over into Africa before winter; yet he did it; and if he had not done it, the enemy had gathered all their forces together, and utterly prevented him.
After that the Serpents had thrice eaten up the liver of the ſacrifices, and the inſpecting Augurs had conſtantly interpreted it for the good of T. Gracchus: yet his unfortunate end followed upon it for all that.
Maxentius gave himſelfe to magicall ſtudies, and incantation, and ript up women with child, and inquired into the entrayles of new born infants, and killed Lyons to that purpoſe, and after a ſecret manner adjured and invoked Divels; and endeavoured thus to avoyd the inſtant warre; and by theſe arts wholy promiſed himſelfe the victory; and confided more in his magicall arts, then in the good will of his ſubjects: but the Emperour Conſtantine, by faith, and prayer, and the power of God, utterly vanquiſht him, and he was miſerably drown'd in Tyber, after all. So was Magnentius alſo vanquiſht by Conſtantius, and made to cut his own throat, after all the vaine hopes his Magicall Diviners had deluded him withall.
In the time of Leo Iſaurus, Maſalmas a Prince of the Saracens ſoon entred Pergamus, although the Citizens thereof (truſting to a certaine Magician) had immolated an horrible ſacrifice to the Divell; a pregnant woman being cut up, and the fruit of her wombe taken out alive, and boyled in a Kettle, and all the Souldiers directed to dip the ſleeve of their right hand in the broth.
Albumazar, that great Aſtrologer, prophecied (by his art) that the Chriſtian Law ſhould not laſt above 1460 yeers; which we now ſee falſified ſome hundreds almoſt.
Abraham the Iew progno…ticated from his aſtrologicall obſervations, that the Meſſiah which the Iews expected, ſhould come in the yeere 1464. after Chriſt. Which how true it is, the day hath declared.
Petrus de Aliaco (one that made no difference betwixt Theology and Aſtrology) predicted many things againſt the peace of the Church, which never fell out, but rather the contrary.
Pope Iohn 2…. alias 19. would often out of his Mathematicall skill, promiſe to himſelfe long life, and Popedome, and boaſt it among his familiars: but died nevertheleſſe of a diſaſtrous caſualty within foure moneths after he was made Pope.
Od. Biſhop of Baia, was put in great hopes by his Aſtrologicall predictors, that he ſhould happily attaine unto the Popedome: but uſing the means thereunto, he purchaſed to himſelf a perpetuall impriſonment, and ſo died miſerably.
Oleph King of Norway was induced, by ſundry prognoſticks of his prevailing, to invade Denmark, but his Navy being ſcattered, he deſperately caſt himſelfe into the Sea, and ſo periſhed.
Ericus that conquering King of Swedes, when (by the prognoſticks of his art) he preſumed himſelfe moſt ſecure, was taken captive by Oſtanes. And Hading, ſuch another of them, after all his preſumption was forced to hang himſelfe.
Guido of Flanders was deceived by a Necromancer (of whom he had learnt the Art) by which he had promiſed him, that whenſoever he would, he ſhould paſſe inviſible out of any perill. But that immutation little availed to the ſafety of his life.
Fredericke Stupbius (who maintained his army with magicall money) was notwithſtanding taken by Rudolph of Habſpurge, and burnt.
Reatius a praeſtigious operator, being therefore convented, confeſſed his circulatory frauds: and afterwards was ſlain by one whom he had deceived by thoſe his deluſory waies.
Methotin an idolatrous Magician, his frauds being detected, was ſlain by a concourſe of people, and his body nayled to a ſtake. And Hollerus ſuch another, was cruelly murdered by his own aemulators.
A great Calculator confeſſes, that Sebaſtian Caſtalio ſhewed an Aſtrologer (to his great admiration) the geneſis of his little ſonne, who died in his infancy; and yet that geneſis had all the aphaeticall places ſafe and ſound; which might promiſe a prolonged life, or direct any judge for to pronounce thereupon.
An Earle of Aſpremont would ſeem to entertaine all comers with all kind of dainties, but they were no ſooner out of his houſe, but that horſe and man was ready to die with hunger and thirſt. A curious inquiſitor was carried out of his own houſe into a very pleaſant place, as it ſeemed, but in the morning found himſelfe laid upon thorns, and almoſt ſtarved. One Mendoza would preſent his banquets, but they proved nothing but coales and aſhes.
Hamilear the Carthaginian Captaine, led on by the Arioliſts, ſacrificed all the while he was in fight, in hope of better ſucceſſe; but finding it, in the diſcomfiture of his party, to fall out on the contrary, he caſt himſelfe as a deſperate ſacrifice into the fire, to quench it with his blood, that had put him in ſo great hopes, and ſtood him in ſo little ſtead.
Rhadaguſus a King of the Gothes, in warring againſt the Romans, did nothing almoſt but immolate or ſacrifice for auſpication, or divinations ſake: ſo that they began boaſtingly to ſpread abroad Rhadaguſus (who had reconciled to himſelfe the protection and aſſiſtance of ſuch Gods) was ſure to overcome. But nevertheleſs he was taken and ſlain, with above 100000. of his army.
Papyrius Curſor oppugning Aquilonia, the Pullarian Auſpicator would needs be preſaging clean contrary to his tokens: whoſe fallacie being found out, the Conſul praeſumed a good omen notwithſtanding, and beginning the fight, cauſed the lying Augur to be placed in the front, and the firſt dart that was caſt by the enemy ſtruck him ſtark dead.
Eudemus being foretold by a cunning dream-ſpeller, that although he was now in exile, yet he ſhould return to his own Land within five yeares: within which ſpace he notwithſtanding dyed in Syracuſa: but to make his prediction good, he ſaid, he meant his grave which is every mans own land.
Conſtantia an honourable dame of Rome, having received aſſurance from Aſtrologers of a long, healthfull, and moſt happy life, fell ſick within five daies after of a burning feaver, and finding that there was no way but death, ſhe ſtrained her husbands hand, and concluded both her ſpeech, and life, with theſe complaining words, Behold what truth is in the vain pregnoſticates of fond Aſtrologers.
Ninus who deteſted all Aſtrologers, with their deceipts, ſuppreſſed Zoroaſtes, who would deale in nothing without their encouragement. Pompey with his guard of prophets loſt his head: and Caeſar by contempt of Oracles ſubdued his enemies. Iuſtinian exiling all ſorts of falſe Prophets with their bag and baggage, did flouriſh as a Conquerour; whereas Iulian admitting them, with all their packs of falſhoods and blaſphemous lies, did periſh as a caſtaway.
At ſuch time as Brittanicus waited for the great lot of the Roman Empire, by the comfort and encouragement of a vaine Aſtrologer: he loſt both life and all, by the rigour of a bloody Tyrant.
Thra…illus the Mathematician, whom Tiberius had taken into familiarity, preſaging good things upon the ſight of a ſhip: but things falling out contrary to what he predicted, Tiberius was purpoſed, as they walked together, to caſt him down a praecipice for a falſary, and an intruder into his ſecrets.
Seneca, by a pretty fancy, bringeth in Mercury perſwading with the Gods, that they would abridge the life of Claudius; if not for any other cauſe, yet even for pitty and compaſſion of the poore Aſtrologers: who had already been taken with ſo many lies (from yeare to yeere) about this point: as if the deſtinies were not more favourable, then their grounds were ſure, the credit of Aſtrology would decay for ever.
St. Ambroſe telleth of one that prognoſticated great ſtore of raine to fall, after an exceeding drought: but none was ſeen, till it was obtained by the prayers of the Church.
Galen writeth that none of all thoſe Prophets and Aſtrologers, whoſe skill was commended, and their depth admired in his time at Rome, gave any perfect judgement either as touching the diſeaſe, the continuance, or cure thereof.
Manfredus a rare Doctor of Aſtrology, aſſured Ordelaphius a Prince in Italy, that that very yeere wherein he died, if there were any certain knowledge by his art, he ſhould not end his life, before extremity of age had made him lame and unweldy.
Paulus Florentinus lived till 85 yeeres of age, and yet he would aſſure his friends in private, that he never found one comfort that might promiſe long life in the figure of his birth; but ſudden death, with many tragicall and moſt lamentable accidents.
The great dearth of Cattle which was ſo certainly expected by the Calculators Anno 1558. turned to a wonderfull encreaſe of all kinds of ſuſtenance.
At the ſame time that the fond Bobemians were affraid to be conſumed with ſudden fire that ſhould come down from Heaven, as ſome preachers gave warning, they were almoſt drowned with a ſecond Flood, by means of exceſſive ſhowres, ſpringtides, and ſtore of land-waters; that ranne down with immoderate abundance, as if God had reſolved to deſcry the falſhood of their jugling.
At another time, the people were ſo ſcared with an univerſall feare of waters ſcattered aboad by prophets of this kind, as a certain Abbot (ſeeking to prevent the worſt) built him a Tabernacle upon the top of Harrow on the Hill: but the concluſion is, that before Summer was halfe ſpent, all the ditches were drawn dry, and the caſtle periſhed for lack of water.
Paul Flerent noting two conſtellations, under which the State of Florence was refreſhed, after long and bloudy warres: findeth them ſo croſſe and oppoſite one to another, as himſelfe is forced to confeſſe, that ſmall light of aſſurance may be taken from the blaze of this Beacon.
Peucer prognoſticated upon the laſt Comet, that our bodies ſhould be parched and burned up with heat; but how fell it out? Forſooth we had not a more unkindly Summer for many yeeres in reſpect of extraordinary cold.