The Magical-Astrological-Diviner Posed and Puzzled, Treatise · Chapter 27 · Section 3
3. Of the ſtrange, uncouth, improbable, impoſſible, ridiculous, and ſuperſtitious cauſes, grounds, forms, preſcripts, waies, means, and inſtruments, whereby to acquire the Art, procure the power, and prepare unto the practice of Divinatory, Magick and Aſtrologie.
MElampus, Tirefias, Thales, and Apollonius Tyanaeus could underſtand the voyce or language of Birds. The latter of them ſitting among his friends, ſeeing many Sparrowes upon a tree, and another comming in chirping to the reſt, told them, that it told its fellows, that there was a ſack of Wheat ſpilt in ſuch a place, neere the City; and they going to ſee, found it ſo. But how learnt Appollonius this rare divining art? why peradventure by Democritus his preſcript, who named the Birds, whoſe blood being mingled together would produce a ſerpent: of which whoſoever would eate ſhould underſtand the voyces of Birds. Or elſe, by that of Hermes, who ſaith, If any one ſhall goe forth to catch Birds on a certaine day of the Kalends of November; and ſhall boyle the firſt bird that he catcheth, with the heart of a Fox: that all that ſhall eate of this bird, ſhall underſtand the voyces of Birds, and of all other animals. Or elſe that of the Arabians, who ſay, that they ſhall underſtand the meaning of bruits; who ſhall eate the heart and liver of Dragons.
The Sybils, the Bacchides, and Niceratus the Syracuſan, and Amon, were by their naturall melancholy complexion, Prophets, and Poets.—Heſiod, Ion, Tynnichus, Calcinenſis, Homer, and Lucretius, were on a ſudden taken with a madneſſe, and became poets, and prophecied wonderfull and divine things, which they themſelves ſcarce underſtood.—Cornelius Patarus his Prieſt, did at that time, when Ceſar and Pompey were to fight in Theſſalia, being taken with madneſſe, foretell the time, order, and iſſue of the battle.
How great heats love ſtirres up in the liver and pulſe, Phyſitians know, diſcerning by that kind of judgement, the name of her that is beloved. So Nauſtratus knew that Antiochus was taken with the love of Stratonica.
When a mayd at Rome died the ſame day that ſhe was married, and was preſented to Apollonius, he accurately enquired into her name; which being known, he pronounced ſome occult thing, by which ſhe revived. It was an obſervation among the Romans, in their holy rites, that when they did beſiege any City, they did diligently enquire into the proper and true name of it, and the name of that God under whoſe protection it was: which being known, they did then with ſome verſe, call forth the Gods, that were the protectors of that City, and did curſe the inhabitants thereof, and ſo at length, their Gods being abſent, did overcome them.
Ʋſyche in Apuleius, prayes thus to Ceres; I beſeech thee by thy fruitfull right hand, I embrace thee by the joyfull ceremonies of harveſts, by the quiet ſilence of thy cheſts, by the winged Chariot of Dragons thy ſervants, by the furrows of the Sicilian earth, the devouring wagon, the clammy earth, by the place of going down into cellars at the light nuptials of Proſerpina, and returnes of the laſt inventions of her daughter, and other things which are concealed in her Temple in the City Eleuſis in Attica.
The Aegyptians, and Arabians confirme, that the figure of the Croſſe, hath very great power, and that it is the moſt ſure receptacle of all the celeſtiall powers, and intelligences, becauſe it is the righteſt figure of all, containing four right angles, and it is the firſt deſcription of the ſuperficies, having longitude and latitude; and they ſaid it is inſpired with the fortitude of the Celeſtials.
Rabbi Iſrael made certaine cakes, writ upon with certaine divine and angelicall names, and ſo conſecrated; which they that did eate with faith, hope, and charity, did preſently breake forth with a ſpirit of Prophecy.
Rabbi Iohena the ſonne of Iochabod did after that manner enlighten a certain rude Countreyman, called Eleazar, being altogether illiterate, that being compaſſed about with ſudden brightneſſe, did unexpectedly preach ſuch high myſteries of the law, to an aſſembly of wiſe men, that he did even aſtoniſh all that were neere him.
A certain man called Heruiſcus an Aegyptian was endued with ſuch a divine nature, that at the very ſight of Images that had any deity in them, he was forthwith ſtirred up with a kind of divine phrenzy.
The Sybil in Delphi was wont to receive God after two waies: either by ſubtill ſpirit, and fire, which did break forth ſomewhat out of the mouth of the cave, where ſhe ſitting in the entrance, upon a brazen three-footed ſtoole, dedicated to a Diety; was divinely inſpired, and did utter prophecyings; or a great fire, flying out of the cave, did ſurround this propheteſſe, ſtirring her up, being filled with a Deity, to prophecy; which inſpiration alſo ſhe received, as ſhe ſat upon a conſecrated ſeat, breaking forth preſently into predictions.
There was a Propheteſſe in Branchi which ſate upon an Extree, and either held a wand in her hand given to her by ſome Deity; or waſhed her feet, and ſometimes the hem of her garment in the waters: by all theſe ſhe was filled with divine ſplendor, and did unfold many Oracles.
In the Countrey of Thracia there was a certaine paſſage conſecrated to Bacchus, from whence Predictions and Oracles were wont to be given: the Priors of whoſe Temples having dranke wine abundantly, did doe ſtrange things. Amongſt the Charians alſo, where the Temple of Cl…vius Apollo was, to whom it was given to utter divine things, they having dranke much Wine, did ſtrange things.
There was alſo a propheticall fountaine of Father Achaia, conſtituted before the Temple of Ceres; where they that did enquire of the event of the ſick, did let down a Glaſſe by degrees tied to a ſmall cord, to the top of the water; and certaine ſupplications, and fumes being made, the event of the thing did appeare in the glaſſe.
There was alſo not farre from Epidaurus, a City of Licaonia, a deep Fume, which was called the water of Iuno, into which cakes of Corn being caſt, anſwers were given fortunate, if the waters did quietly retaine what was caſt in: but unhappy, if they did as it were ſcorning of them, caſt them back.
We read that Hermes, Socrates, Xenocrates, Plato, Plotine, Heraclitus, Pythagoras and Zoroaſtes, were wont to abſtract them ſelves by rapture, and ſo to learne the knowledge of many things. Alſo there was in Proconneſus, a Philoſopher of wonderfull knowledge, called Atheus; whoſe ſoule ſometimes went out of the body, and after the viſitation of places farre remote, returned again into the body, more learned. Alſo the ſoule of Harman Clezomenius was wont to wander abroad, his body being left, and to bring true tidings of things very farre off. And there are even to this day, in Norway and Lapland very many who can abſtract themſelves three whole daies from their body, and being returned, declare many things which are afar off.
Amphiarus the Prophet commanded thoſe who would receive Oracles to abſtaine one whole day from meat, and three daies from wine; that the ſoule could not rightly prophecy unleſſe it were free from wine.
It was a cuſtom amongſt the Antients, that they who ſhould receive Anſwers, certaine ſacred expiations, and ſacrifices being firſt celebrated, and divine worſhip ended; did religiouſly lie down even in a conſecrated chamber, or at leaſt in the skinnes of the ſacrifices. The Rulers of the Lacedaemonians were wont to lie down in the Temple at Paſiphae that they might dreame. The ſame was done in the Temple of Aeſculapius, from whom true dreames were thought to be ſent forth. And the Calabrians conſulting Podalyrius, the ſonne of Aeſculapius, did ſleep neere his Sepulchre in Lamb▪ skinnes: for ſo doing they were told in their dreames whatſoeuer they deſired to know.
There was formerly at Bura a town in Achaia, an Oracle of Hercules, conſtituted by a Cheſt board, where he that went to conſult of any thing, after he had prayed, caſt foure Dice; the caſt of which the Prophet obſerving, did finde written in the Cheſt board what ſhould come to paſſe.
There was once at Pharis, a City of Achaia, in the middle of the Market, a ſtatue of Mercury; where he that went to receive omen, did, Frankincenſe being fumed, and candles being lighted, which was ſet before it, and that Countrey Coyne being offered on the right hand of the ſtatue, whiſper into the right eare of the ſtatue, whatſoever he would demand; and preſently, his eares being ſtopped with both his hands, did make haſte away from the Market place; which when he was paſt, did preſently, his eares being opened, obſerve the firſt voyce he did heare from any man, for a certaine Oracle given unto him.
The Pythagorean Philoſophers, being taken with deſire of Oracles, divine praiſes being celebrated, did waſh themſelves in a river, as in a bathe; and did put on white rayment, and linnen, &c.—In like manner, the Brachmanni, the wiſe men of the Indians, were wont to waſh themſelves naked in a fountain, which is called Dirce in Boeotia, their heads being firſt annointed with amber drops, and odors fit for that purpoſe: then after they were according to cuſtome ſufficiently cleane, they were to goe forth about noon, cloathed in white linnen, with a white attire, having rings on their fingers, and ſtaves in their hands. In like manner among the Gymnoſophiſts it was a cuſtom to waſh themſelves thrice a day, and twice in the night, in cold water; before they entred into the holy place, &c.
The Brachmani did admit none to their Colledge, but thoſe that were abſtinent from wine, from fleſh, and vices: ſaying that none could underſtand God, but they that emulate him by a divine converſation, which alſo Phraortes (in Philoſtratus) taught the lower Indians.
The Prieſts of the Athenians, who are called in Greek Hierophantae (as Hierome reports) that they might live the more chaſtly in their ſacred employments, and might follow their divine affaires without luſt, were wont to caſtrate themſelves, by drinking of Hemlock.
Zoroaſtes the father and Prince of the Magicians, is ſaid to attain to the knowledge of all naturall and divine things, by the ſolitude of twenty yeeres; when he wrote, and did very ſtrange things, concerning all the art of divining and ſooth-ſaying. The like things doe the writings of Orpheus to Muſaeus, declare him to have done in the deſart of Thracia. So we read that Epimenides of Crete, becauſe learned by a very long ſleep; for they ſay, that he ſlept fifty yeeres, ideſt, to have laine hid ſo long. Pythagoras alſo in like manner to have laine hid ten yeeres: and Heraclitus and Democritus for the ſame cauſe were delighted with ſolitarineſſe.
The Brachmanni of the Indians, the Magicians of the Parſians, the Gymnoſophiſts of the Aegyptians, the Divines of the Greekes, and Chaldeans which did excell in divine ſecrets; did apply themſelves to divine vowes and prayers, and thereby did effect many wonderfull things.
Abbot Ioachim proceeded no other way in his prophecies, but by formall numbers.