Demonology and Theology, Chapter 6
CHAP. VI.
Of Diabolicall Divination by Auſpicie, the flying of Birds; Augurie, the noyſe of Birds; Pullarie, the Chickens eating their meat, and by other Occurrences of Beaſts and Things, either conducing to, or concurring with, the ſayd Arts, or are Appendices of this kinde of Divination in generall.
OUR firſt worke muſt be to heare the voice of the Word of God, what it intimates of, and ſpeakes againſt theſe things, as obſerving the inclinations of men to theſe, Deut. 18.10. There ſhall not be among you an Inchanter. The Hebrew is, foreign which by the conſent of moſt, both Jewes and Gentiles, in all the learned ancient languages, ſignifies ſuch a one as practiſeth the aforeſayd Arts. The Chaldee Paraphraſe renders it by a word neer the ſame; namely, foreign which the Tranſlators of the Chaldee render, Qui obſervat auguria. The Syriack, Augur. The Arabick, Augur. The Samaritan, Qui auguretur. The Septuagint, foreign, one augurating. Hierom in his latine Tranſlation, Qui obſervet auguria. R. Abraham in his Commentary on this place, renders it, There ſhall not be found in thee, one augurating. The Hebrew Doctors ſay of our word foreign that it ſignifies one that Divines by food falling out of the mouth; by the falling of ones Staffe out of the hand; by ones Son calling his Father back againe; by a Crow crying towards, or after one; by an Hart, Kidd, Goate, Roe, interrupting a man in his way; by a Serpent on the right hand, or a Fox on the left hand; or by a Weeſell, or by Birds, or by Starrs.
It appears already by that which hath been ſayd.
1. That men are inclined to the foreſayd Diabolical Arts. Evil manners occaſion good Laws.
2. That as Augurie is ſometimes taken preciſely for divination by the chattering or noyſe of birds, ſo ſometimes by the figure Synechdoche, for many other kindes of Divinations (which we call Soothſayings.)
3. That all theſe are condemned by the word of God, both in the fore quoted Deut. 18.10.
And alſo in Levit. 19.26. Ye ſhall not eat any thing with the blood, neither ſhall ye uſe inchantment, nor obſerve times. The word, ye ſhall not uſe inchantment, are in the Arabian language, do not Auſpicate, or uſe not Auſpicie, that is (as we explained afore) Divine not by beholding birds, or obſerving the flying of birds in the Syriack do not augurate by a winged living creature. The Samaritan, is, Neither ſhall ye augurate: Augurie being properly taken, ſignifying (as we ſaid afore) Divining by the noiſe of birds. Hierome alſo in latine, and the Septuagint in greek render it, ye ſhall not Augurate. So the Caldee alſo.
The ſinful ſuperſtition, and diabolical art uſed in theſe three kinds of divination, (that we here put together in this chapter, becauſe of the interchangeable intermingling of them in ſeveral circumſtances and appendices) is in briefe this:
The Augure, or Augurer, or hee that uſeth Auſpicie, ſate on ſome kinde of Tower, the ayre being clear without dark Clouds or raine, with his Lituus, a crooked Staffe in his hand, clothed in his Laena, a robe adorned with Scarlet and Crimſon guards; his head covered, his face towards the Eaſt; in which poſture, he quartered out with his Staffe, the Heavens into certaine Temples, Regions, or diviſions, obſerving in which of them the Birds did appeare: If they came towards his left hand, then that was a token of good luck, becauſe it ſhewed that they came from their Heatheniſh God his right hand. For the givers right hand is towards the receivers left hand. From this ſuperſtitious divination, ſprang thoſe phraſes among the Latines and Greeks, Auſpicari rem, to begin a matter (with auſpicie) to doe a thing, Bonis avibus, with lucky Birds, or Bonis auſpicijs, with lucky auſpicie. And ſo on the contrary, Malis avibus, or Malis auſpicijs, with ill Birds, or ill auſpicie; that is, with ill luck, as they called it; and Chriſtians too much to this day uſe the word Luck. Tully, l. 1. de divinat. A ſiniſtrâ cornice ratum. i. e. It was ratified by a Crow flying to the left hand. And in the Law of twelve Tables, Ave ſiniſtrâ populi magiſter eſto: So they had this phraſe: They began nothing in auſpicatò, without conſulting with the Augures; ſo they had theſe phraſes, foreign, The right hand augurie, foreign, An augurie of health or ſafety. foreign, An augurie or divination of what ſhall come to paſſe in the way. Ariſtot. l. 5. Polit. Cap. 4. ſaith, foreign, &c. He fell into a ſad or ſorrowfull augurie. And Lipſius (Elect. l. 2. c. 2.) ſaith, that the Grecians from hence called the left hand, foreign, becauſe it ſignified in augurie, foreign, the beſt luck. As the Romans named ſiniſtrum, the left (as Serv. Aen. 1.2. ſaith) a ſinendo, permitting it ſo to be. Together with their Augurie by flight and ſight of Birds, the Augure did ſometimes kill a Sacrifice, and effata recantat, makes his prayers to this effect: Father Jupiter, if this thing ſhall be good and lawfull for us, let there be certaine and evident ſignes within the borders I have quartered out (namely, by his Staffe, as afore deſcribed.) And according to ſignes, ſo he did, Pronunciare, or Obnunciare, pronounce it ratified, or renounce it as unlawfull: And from this twofold augurating with, and without prayer, were ſignes diſtinguiſhed into Oblative, offered to the Augure, or, &c. without prayer: and Impetrativa, obtained by prayer. And the good ſignes were called Proſpera, and the badd Adverſa. Add further, that the Augure that did pronounce, or renounce any thing ratifiedly, did firſt ſee more then one onelyonly ſigne, the one following the other, before he undertooke to give a peremptory judgement; and therefore did not onelyonly obſerve the flying, or crying of Birds, but ſecondly Thunder, which if on the left hand of the Augure, Tonitruſve ſiniſtri (Ovid. Triſt. l. 1. Eleg. 8.) and Intonuit laevum, it ſignified (as they ſpeake) good luck. Thirdly, The manner of Chickens, eating crums caſt to them (of which by and by.) Fourthly, Beaſts croſſing the way, or appearing in ſome unwonted place. Fifthly, Some ſuppoſed voice, they know not whence (as Caedmus thought he heard ſuch a voyce when he killed the Serpent, Vox ſubitò audita eſt neque erat cognoſcere promptum unde, ſed audita eſt, Ovid. Met. l. 3. Fab. 1.) Sixthly, Caſualties, whether (as they had their rules of interpretation from the Devil) they were Bona omina, of a good ſignification, or Dira, i. e. Dei ira, ſuch as ſignified the anger of their Gods; as the falling of Salt towards them at the Table, or the ſpilling of Wine on their clothes.
For Pullarie, you ſee it involved in, and chained to Augurie and Auſpicie; not onelyonly by our Hiſtory of their ſuperſtitions, but alſo by thoſe Scriptures afore quoted, as the Hebrew Doctors expound them, that beſt know their owne language; therefore of this kinde of Divination briefly.
The manner was this, that if in a morning the Bird-Prophet caſt crums to Chicken in a Pen, the doore of it being opened with ſilence, and the Chicken made no haſte to their meat, or walked by it, or came not at all to it, then it ſignified the Gods did not approve of the enterprize; but if the Chicken came haſtily out, and eate ſo greedily, that ſome of the meat fell out of their mouths, this ſignified the Gods approving of the enterprize. And thus the Pullarius, the Bird-Prophet did divine by Pullens greedy eating of crums, to a letting ſome fall, and rebound againſt the ground; whence the Divination was called Tripudium; that is, a rebounding on the ground. This Pullarie, tis thought came from the Lycians, who when they would know the minde of their Gods in any buſineſſe, went to the Fountaine dedicated to Apollo, into which, caſting their baites, if the Fiſhes did eate them, they underſtood it a ſigne of good luck; if not, then of ill luck, Alex. Gen. l. 1. c. 29.
For a parallel of theſe times with theſe kinds of Obſervations and practices; tis eaſily made, as to the ſubſtance, though not in every circumſtance.
Firſt, For Birds, tis common in theſe dayes for people to make theſe obſervations; That by chattering of Magpies, they know they ſhall have ſtrangers; by the flying and crying of Ravens over their houſes, eſpecially in the dusk evening, and where one is ſick, they conclude death: The ſame they conclude by the much crying of Owles in the night, neer their houſes at ſuch a time. The ſame they conclude of a Cricket crying in an houſe where was wont to be none. There is (and I think it is in the Book of Martyrs) a Story of a perſecutor, over whom a Raven or Crow flying over his head, and dunging upon his head, did ſo much regard it as an evill ſigne, that he fell into ſuch a vehement diſcontent, that he went home curſing the Crow, and dyed: And as a juſt judgement on them that regard ſuch ſuperſtitious things as theſe, the Devill hath manifeſted his preſence with ſome, to the making of them Witches, by an Hen and Chickens, and to others, as a Crow.
Secondly, For Beaſts, their obſervations are, If Doggs houle in the night neer an houſe where ſome body is ſick, tis a ſigne of death. If an Hare or the like creature croſſe the way where one is going, it is (they ſay) a ſigne of very ill luck. In ſo much as ſome in company with a Woman great with Childe, have upon the croſſing of ſuch creatures, cut or torne ſome of the clothes off that Woman with Childe to prevent (as they imagined) the ill luck that might befal her. I know I tell you that which is moſt true: And I hope in ſuch a ſubject as this touching theſe ſuperſtitions, I ſhall not offend in acquainting you with theſe particulars.
Thirdly, For contingencies of things, how common is it for people to account it a ſigne of ill luck to have the Salt-ſeller to be overturned, the Salt falling towards them: And as common, to look upon any thing almoſt comming to paſſe that is not uſuall, to be a ſigne that ſuch an act was wel or ill done (as people pleaſe to interpret it) which was done a little afore the appearance of that ſigne: So how common is it to ſay a Winter thunder is an ill ſigne: And how frequent is it with people (eſpecially of the more ignorant ſort, which makes the things more ſuſpected) to think and ſay (as Maſter Perkins relates) if they finde ſome peices of Iron, it is a prediction of good luck to the finders. If they finde a peice of Silver, it is a fore-token of ill luck to them. If their eares tingle, they ſay it is a ſigne they have ſome enemies abroad, that doe, or are about to ſpeake evill of them: So if their right eye itcheth, it betokens ſorrowfull weeping; if the left eye itcheth, then it betokens joyfull laughter: And ſo from the itching of the noſe, and elbow, and ſeverall affectings of ſeverall parts, they make ſeverall predictions, too ſilly to be mentioned, though regarded by them.
I am ſure theſe kinde of men and Women have as the Apoſtle ſaith, Itching eares; giving heed to Doctrines and rudiments, that are not of God. And ſo ſuch doctrines, ſuch lives.
Fourthly, For voyces, theſe alſo are much hearkened after, and heeded and regarded, in theſe evill times of ſpirituall doteages. I ſpeake what I know, of pretended high Profeſſors. They teach one another to goe downe to the lower end of the Orchard, or the like ſolitary place, there to heare a voyce that ſhall be ſpoken to them; and they doe hearken for voyces: And moſt likely that they that doe attend for ſuch voyces, may hear them; even from the Devill; for we ſhewed afore, how the Devill doth not onelyonly ſpeake by Men and Women, but to Men and Women. I ſay, voyces from the Devil not from God; becauſe the word, Iſa. 8.20. Heb. 1.1. 2 Pet. 1.19. and every where commands us to hearken to the voyce of the written Word. And to turne away from the certaine word, to uncertaine voyces, what and whence they are, muſt needs be from the Devil. As Papiſts giving a Stone, or Woodden Croſſe the right hand as they goe or ride by, ſome alſo putting off their Hats, in ſo doing are guided by Diabolicall ſuperſtition; that Croſſe being not appointed a Medium cultus. (Compare Exod. 32.5. 1 Cor. 10 7.) So theſe pretended Proteſtants that doe (as I may ſay in a Figure) give the right hand to voyces, I know not what nor whence, leaving the Word of God as a ſurer and more effectuall divine inſtituted meanes of ſalvation, then a voyce from Heaven (2 Pet. 1.19. Gal. 1.8, 9. Luke 16.10.) doe herein follow Diabolicall lyes.
For it is a maine artifice of the Devil, by ſeverall fine pretences, and degrees, to bring people off from the Word of God. And what follows, theſe polluted times doe interpret. Being got looſe from the divine rule of the Word that did tye their conſciences (moſt righteouſly and holily, Pſal. 19.) from impieties, they breake out into Whoredomes and blaſphemies; the firſt to pleaſe the filthy fleſh; and the ſecond to ſtupifie conſcience, that they might never awake more unto repentance.
But in the behalfe of theſe Diabolicall and ſuperſtitious Divinations and Predictions, ſome things are objected by the favourers of them.
As firſt, That they have been moſt anciently obſerved and heeded by men of ſtrong natural abilities, as appeares by Cicero in his Tracts of Divination: and the Roman Hiſtorians, and Poets; and diverſe Greek Antiquities, of all which we have had ſome touches afore.
Anſw, The Devil that old Deceiver (ſaith the Scripture) was from the beginning, and the Devil was a deceiver from the beginning, even from our firſt Parents downeward: And from that, the Apoſtle (2 Cor. 11.) warnes the Corinthians to take heed of Him. And thoſe that moſt anciently learned theſe Doctrines and deceits of the Devil, were Heathens, that had not the Word of God; which we have heard, is flatly againſt them, which muſt fully ſatisfie Chriſtians: and it will be their greater ſin, that having the rule, forſake the rule, and tranſgreſſe againſt the rule.
Secondly, They object that it is ſayd, Gen. 44. 5, 15, Joſeph could Divine by his Cup. And it is ſayd by Chriſt, Luke 12.54, 55. When you ſee a Cloude riſing out of the Weſt, ſtraightway yee ſay there commeth a ſhowre, and ſo it is. And when yee ſee the South winde blow, there will be heat, and it commeth to paſſe.
Anſw. Firſt, To that of Joſeph: Firſt, That that might be ſpoken according to the common opinion of the people, that Joſeph could divine in ſuch a way (as Cicero ſaith, Loquendum eſt ut vulgus, ſentiendum ut ſapientes: We muſt ſpeake as the common people, but thinke as wiſe men.)
Secondly, This kinde of language might be uſed of purpoſe onelyonly to conceale Joſeph from being thought by his Brethren to be any other then an Aegiptian.
Thirdly, That by the taking away of the Cup (often uſed) not by the Cup it ſelfe, Joſeph would finde out (miſſing it) as by a plaine experiment, what manner of perſons they were with whom it ſhould be ſound, by them to be taken away.
And in particular, by this ſeeming guilt and ſuſpition of his Brethren, he ſhould have occaſion to ſtay his Brethren (to have further conference with them) and to try their affections to his Brother by Father and Mother, namely Benjamin, in whoſe Sack the Cup was found.
Secondly, To the words of Chriſt wee ſay, that from naturall neceſſary cauſes, to naturall events, we learne by experience a certaine natural prediction: As Solomon ſaith, The North winde driveth away raine, Prov. 25.23. And we uſually finde, that the South winde brings raine to us: And wee know when Birds waſh themſelves it is likely to raine, with many the like inſtances. But by naturall, or artificial contingencies, to foretell caſuall, and arbitrary events and things moſtly depending upon the ſpontaneous will of man, is not poſſible, but by Diabolical aſſiſtance. Of the former ſort of cauſes, and their events; namely, of the natural, true natural reaſons may be given; but of the latter, namely, the arbitrary and caſuall, no juſt reaſon can be given.
Thirdly, To both, namely, that of Joſeph and of Chriſt, we anſwer, That whatſoever things doe truely predict events, muſt ſo predict, either by a gift of Creation, ſtamping into them an inſtinct; as the comming of Swallowes, and other ſleeping Birds ſhew Summer is come, &c. or elſe by divine Ordinance of God by poſitive inſtitution; as the Roinbow ſignifies the World ſhall not be drowned, although the Raine be never ſo great. But the flying and crying of Birds, or Joſephs Cup, or any other of the things aforenamed, have no faculty by either of thoſe ways we now mentioned, to predict; and therefore conjectures by them are taught by the Devil.
3. Object. But accordingly things doe come to paſſe.
Anſw. Sometimes they doe, as a juſt judgement of God to ſuffer them to be deluded, who contrary to the Word give heed and credit to them. And ſometimes they doe not come to paſſe, and eſpecially not to them that according to the Word, doe deſpiſe them; that it may appeare to them that will ſee, that God overrules all, Devil and all.
I knew a young man diverſe yeares ſince, that ſayd going over ſuch a ſtyle, he thought hee heard a voyce ſaying to him, In ſuch a yeare of the Lord thou ſhalt dye, and he related it as a very ſerious thing: But (that I may ſpeake a little to voyces alſo) it came not to paſſe. The Devil and his phantaſie were deceived. And though the dreaming Fantaſticks of theſe times, forme in their braines an hearing of voyces, as ſome divine revelation, they are herein deceived, becauſe Revelations were given to them that ſtuck mightily to the Word of God, and were holy in practice; and to the end (as their Revelations did expreſſe) to inlarge and unfold the minde of God in his Word, and to promote holineſſe of converſation, and put men on to walke in that way. But the Revelationiſts of theſe erring times recede from all theſe foure qualifications, and therefore not to be regarded in their pretended Revelations.
And for that voyce of which the Lord ſpeakes by the Prophet, Iſa. 30.21. And thine eares ſhall heare a word (or voyce) behinde thee, ſaying, This is the way walke yee in it: that voyce imports onelyonly an impreſſion on the heart by the ſpirit of that Word that formerly had beene Preached to it, inclining a man to walke according to it, which is farr different both in the originall, matter, and end of the Revelationaries pretended voyces.