Lecture: the Arbatel of Magick part VI

The Seventh Septenary. Aphor. 43. The Lord liveth, and the works of God do live in him by his appointment whereby he willeth them to be; for he will have them to use their liberty in obedience to his commands, or disobedience thereof. To the obedient, he hath proposed their rewards; to the disobedient he hath propounded their deserved punishment. Therefore these Spirits of their freewil, through their pride and contempt of the Son of God, have revolted from God their Creator, and are reserved unto the day of wrath; and there is left in them a very great power in the creation; but notwithstanding it is limited, and they are confined to their bounds with the bridle of God. Therefore the Magitian of God, which signifies a wise man of God, or one informed of God, is led forth by the hand of God unto all everlasting good, both mean [small] things, and also the chiefest corporal things. Great is the power of Satan, by reason of the great sins of men. Therefore also the Magitians of Satan do perform great things, and greater then any man would believe: although they do subsist in their own limits, nevertheless they are above all humane apprehension, as to the corporal and transitory things of this life; which many ancient Histories, and daily Examples do testifie. Both kindes of Magick are different one from the other in their ends: the one leadeth to eternal good, and useth temporal things with thanksgiving; the other is a little sollicitous about eternal things; but wholly exerciseth himself about corporal things, that he may freely enjoy all his lusts and delights in contempt of God and his anger.	SEPTENA Septima. APHOR. XLIII. Viuit Deus, & Dei opera viuunt in eo statu, quo esse voluerunt: nam voluit illos libertate sua ad obedientiam mandatorum aut inobedientiam eorum uti, Obedientibus proposuit sua præmia. Inobedientibus proposuit pœnas meritas. Libera ergo voluntate Spiritus per superbiam & contemptum FILII DEI à Deo Creatore desciuerunt, & reseruantur ad diem iræ. Estque illis relicta maxima potestas in Creatione, sed tamen limitata, & semper freno. Dei cohercentur suis limitibus. MAGVS igitur DEI, quod sapientem Dei sonat, seu à Deo informatum manu Dei ad omne æternum bonum deducitur & MEDIOCRIA vel etiam SVMMA CORPORALIA. Magna est potentia Sathanæ propter hominum magna peccata. Ideo etiam magna Sathanici Magi præstiterint, & maiora, quàm quis unquam crediderit. Quamuis in suis limitibus subsistant, tamen illi supra omnem captum humanum sunt, quatenus ad corporalia & transitoria huius vitæ: quemadmodum id multæ veterum testantur historiæ, & quotidiana rerum exempla. In fine utraque Magia à se inuicem differunt, illa ad æterna bona transit, & temporalibus utitur cum gratiarum actione. Hæc de æternis parum est solicita, sed tota se corporalibus tradit vt liberrimè omnibus suis fruatur cupiditatibus & deliciis DEI & iræ eius contemptum.
Aphor. 44. The passage from the common life of man unto a Magical life, is no other but a sleep, from that life; and an awaking to this life; for those things which happen to ignorant and unwise men in their common life, the same things happen to the willing and knowing Magitian. The Magitian understandeth when the minde doth meditate of himself; he deliberateth, reasoneth, constituteth and determineth what is to be done; he observeth when his cogititions do proceed from a divine separate essence, and he proveth of what order that divine separate essence is. But the man that is ignorant of Magick, is carried to and fro, as it were in war with his affections; he knoweth not when they issue out of his own minde, or are impressed by the assisting essence; and he knoweth not how to overthrow the counsels of his enemies by the word of God, or to keep himself from the snares and deceits of the tempter.	XLIIII. Transitus de communi hominum vita, ad vitam magicam, non est alius nisi de eadem vita dormientem ad eandem vitam vigilantem. Quæ enim in communi vita hominibus accidunt ignorantibus & nescientibus, ea Magis accidunt scientibus & volentibus. MAGVS intelligit quando animus eius à seipso cogitat, deliberat, ratiocinatur, constituit, definit aliquid faciendum: obseruat quando suæ cogitationes ab assistente separata essentia proficiscuntur, & probat de quo ordine illa assistens separata essentia sit. Ad homo Magiæ imperitus tanquam bellua affectibus sursum & deorsum fertur, cùm à suo animo emanantibus, tum impressis ab essentiis assistentibus: ac nescit per verbum Dei inimicorum consilia euertere, seque ab insidiis tentatoris præcustodire.
Aphor. 45. The greatest precept of Magic is, to know what every man ought to receive for his use from the assisting Spirit, and what to refuse: which he may learn of the Psalmist, saying, Wherewith shall a yong man cleanse his way? in keeping thy word, Oh Lord. To keep the word of God, so that the evil one snatch it not out of the heart, is the chiefest precept of wisdom. It is lawful to admit of, and exercise other suggestions which are not contrary to the glory of God, and charity towards our neighbours, not inquiring from what Spirit such suggestions proceed: But we ought to take heed, that we are not too much busied with unnecessary things according to the admonition of Christ; Martha, Martha, thou art troubled about many things; but Mary hath chosen the better part, which shall not be taken from her. Therefore let us alwaies have regard unto the saying of Christ, Seek ye first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things shall be added unto you. All other things, that is, all things which are due to the mortal Microcosme, as food, raiment, and the necessary arts of this life.	XLV. Summam Magiæ præceptum est scire, quid quisque ad usum suum accipere debeat ab assistente spiritu, quid respuere: quod à Psalmista discet dicente. In quo corriget adolescens viam suam? in custodiendo sermones tuos Domine. Custodire verbum Dei, ne illud malus rapiat de corde, summum est sapientiæ præceptum, reliquas suggestiones, quæ non sunt contra gloriam Dei, & charitatem erga proximum, admittere & excipere licet, non interrogando à quali spiritu talis suggestio proficiscatur. Cauendum tamen ne nimium circa non necessaria occupemur iuxta Christi admonitionem, Martha Martha, tu es sollicita circa plurima. Maria optimam partem elegit, quæ non auseretur ab ea. Ita semper intuendum Christi dictum. Principiò quærite regnum Dei & iustitiam eius, & cætera adiicientur vobis. Cætera, hoc est omnia quæ mortali Microcosmi parti debentur, victus, amictus, artes vitæ necessariæ.
Aphor. 46. There is nothing so much becometh a man, as constancy in his words and deeds, and when the like rejoyceth in his like; there are none more happy then such, because the holy Angels are conversant about such, and possess the custody of them: on the contrary, men that are unconstant are lighter then nothing, and rotten leaves. We chuse the 46 Aphorisme from these. Even as every one governeth himself, so he allureth unto himself Spirits of his nature and condition; but one very truely adviseth, that no man should carry himself beyond his own calling, lest that he draw unto himself some malignant Spirit from the uttermost parts of the earth, by whom either he shall be infatuated and deceived, or brought to final destruction. This precept appeareth most plainly: for Midas, when he would convert all things into gold, drew up such a Spirit unto himself, which was able to perform this; and being deceived by him, he had been brought to death by famine, if his foolishness had not been corrected by the mercy of God. The same thing happened to a certain woman about Franckford at Odera, in our times, who would scrape together & devour mony of any thing. Would that men would diligently weigh this precept, and not account the Histories of Midas, and the like, for fables; they would be much more diligent in moderating their thoughts and affections, neither would they be so perpetually vexed with the Spirits of the golden mountains of Utopia.Therefore we ought most diligently to observe, that such presumptions should be cast out of the minde, by the word, while they are new; neither let them have any habit in the idle minde, that is empty of the divine word.	APHORISMVS XLVI. Nihil adeò decet hominem, ac constantia in dictis & factis. Et cùm simile gaudeat simili, nulli sunt feliciores talibus: quia sancti angeli circa talesversantur, eorùmque custodiam tenent. Contrà auersantur homines nihili & foliis leuiores caducis. Ex his elicimus 46 Aphorismum. Prout se quisque gesserit, ita ad se allicuerit eius naturæ & conditionis Spiritus. At verissimè quidam admonet, ne quis velit ultra suam vocationem se efferre, ne ad se vel ab extremis terrarum orbis aliquem malignum Spiritum alliciat, à quo infatuetur, ac ad finalem pernitiem pertrahatur. Hoc præceptum latissimè patet. Nam MIDAS cùm omnia conuertere vellet in aurum, ad se talem pertraxit Spiritum, qui hoc præstare posset, & per eum deceptus, ad mortem ex fame perductus fuisset, nisi ex misericordia Dei eius stultitia correcta fuisset. Idem accidet nostris temporibus mulierculæ circa FRANCKFVRTVM AD ODERAM, ut de omni re pecuniam raperet & deuoraret. O si hoc præceptum homines perpenderent, & non Midæ & similium historias pro fabulis haberent, diligentiores essent in moderandis suis affectibus & cogitationibus, neque ita perpetuò à Spiritibus aureorum montium Vtopiæ vexarentur. Proinde accuratè obseruandum, vt per verbum tales præsumptiones ex animo reiiciantur, dum recentes sunt, neque habitum fecerint in ocioso & diuino verbo vacuo animo.
Aphor. 47. He that is faithfully conversant in his vocation, shall have also the Spirits constant companions of his desires, who will successively supply him in all things. But if he have any knowledge in Magick, they will not be unwilling to shew him, and familiarly to converse with him, and to serve him in those several ministeries, unto which they are addicted; the good Spirits in good things, unto salvation; the evil Spirits in every evil thing, to destruction. Examples are not wanting in the Histories of the whole World; and do daily happen in the world. Theodosius before the victory of Arbogastus, is an example of the good; Brute [Brutus] before he was slain, was an example of the evil Spirits, when he was persecuted of the Spirit of Cæsar, and exposed to punishment, that he slew himself, who had slain his own Father, and the Father of his Country.	XLVII. In vocatione sua, qui fideliter versabatur, habebit etiam constantes eius studii socios Spiritus, qui ei omnes suppeditabunt successus. Quòd si etiam Magiæ aliquam notitiam habuerit, non grauabuntur se illi ostendere, a familiariter cum ipso colloqui, & in diuersis ministeriis iisdem, quibus addicti sunt: inseruire, in bonis, boni ad salutem: in malis, mali ad omne malum & perniciem. Non desunt exempla in historiis totius mundi, & quæ indies in mundo accidunt. In bonis exemplo est Theodosius ante victoriam de Arbogasto. In malis Brutus antequam occumberet cùm à Cæsaris genio persequeretur, ac deposceretur ad pœnam, vt seipsum iugularet, qui Patrem Patriæ & suum patrem iugulauerat.
Aphor. 48. All Magick is a revelation of Spirits of that kinde, of which sort the Magick is; so that the nine Muses are called, in Hesiod, the ninth Magick, as he manifestly testifies of himself in Theogony. In Homer, the genius of Ulysses inPsigiogagia. Hermes, the Spirits of the more sublime parts of the minde. God revealed himself to Moses in the bush. The three wise men who came to seek Christ at Jerusalem, the Angel of the Lord was their leader. The Angels of the Lord directed Daniel. Therefore there is nothing whereof any one may glory; For it is not unto him that willeth, nor unto him that runneth; but to whom God will have mercy, or of some other spiritual fate. From hence springeth all Magick, and thither again it will revolve, whether it be good or evil. In this manner Tages the first teacher of the Magick of the Romanes, gushed out of the earth. Diana of the Ephesians shewed her worship, as if it had been sent from heaven. So also Apollo. And all the Religion of the Heathens is taken from the same Spirits; neither are the opinions of the Sadduces, humane inventions.	XLVIII. Omnis MAGIA est reuelatio eius generis Spirituum, cuius speciei est Magia. Ita nouem MVSÆ HESIODVM ad nouenam Magiam vocarunt, sicut de seipso manifeste testatur in Theognia. HOMERICVM VLYSSIS GENIVS in psichiogogia. HERMETEM de sublimioribus animis spiritus. MOSEN ipse DEVS in rubo. TRES MAGOS, qui Christum quæsitum venerant Ierosolymam, Angelus domini eorum ductor. DANIELEM Angeli domini. Sic non est, ut quis glorietur, non est volentis nec currentis, sed vel miserentis DEI vel alicuius alterius spiritualis fati. HINC OMNIS ORITVR MAGIA & eò rursus deuoluitur, seu bona illa sit seu mala. Hoc modo TAGES primus præceptor Magiæ Romanorum de terra prosiliit, DIANÆ EPHESIORVM suum cultum quasi cœlitus demissum ostendit. Sic & APOLLO, ac universa GENTIVM RELIGIO accepta est ab iisdem Spiritibus, neque sunt ut SADVCEORVM opiniones, humana inuenta.