Three Books of Occult Philosophy or Magic

HEN RY C O RNEL I U S AGR I PPA
THR EE BOOK S OF
HILOSOPHY 0 R
OCCULTP
T HE FAM
BY
HEN R Y
COUNSELOR
OU
MY
MAGIC
STIC
C O R N EL IUS
A G R IPPA
VON NETTESHEIM
TO CH AR LE S THE F IF TH EMPE R OR QF G E R MANY
JU DGE OF TH E PR E R OGA T IV E CO UR T
,
AN D
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P
BO O K O N E
N A T UR A L M A G IC
.
U DE
THE E AR LY L IF E OF AGR IPPA HIS S E VEN TY FO UR C HAPT E R S
NA TUR AL MA GIC NEW NO TE S ILLU S TR AT IO N S IN DE X
A N D O TH E R OR IG I NAL A N D S E L E C T ED MATTE R
WH ICH
IN CL
ON
E DITE D BY
W ILLIS
BY
DIR E C ON
TI
O F T HE
WHITEHEAD
BR
O HE H OOD
T
T H E M A G IC
A M
0F
M AGIC :
M IR R O R
E SSAGE TO MY STICS CO NTABTING FULL IN STR U C TION S O N ITS MAKE AN D U SE
A q u ai
n ta n d
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for go tte n l or e
CH I CAGO
HA H N
WH I T EHEAD
1898
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ED
C O N TEN T S
In tr o d u c to r y
13
Corn e liu s Ag rippa
t
o t
he
Rea der
Agr i
ppa to Tr ithemiu s
Tr ithemi
us t
ppa
o Agr i
28
31
Na tu r a l M a gi
c
How Ma gic ia n s Collec t Vir tu e s from the Thre e
fold Wor ld,

w
II
Wha t Ma gic
How the
is
Is,
Dec la red in
Wha ta r e
Profe ssors
hese Three
t
he
t
t
he reof
s, t
he i
r
0f the Fou r Elemen t
Mix tion s
u al
IV
Of
0f the
he
0f t
he r eof,
t
an d
mu stbe Qu a li
ed
Qu a lities
Mu t
and
38
Thr ee fold
-
Pa r ts
Book s
Con side ra tion of
t
he
Elemen ts
4O
Won derfu l Na tu r es of Fir e a n d Ea r th

Won derfu l Na tu re s of Wa te r Air a n d
.
42
Win ds
44
f Comp ou n ds w ha t R e la tio n they

st
and i
n t
o t
he Elemen t
s a n d w ha t R e la t
i
on
x t t
he Eleme n t
her e i
t
s be t
wi
s t
he mse lves a n d
t
he Sou l Sen ses a n d Di
sp osi
i
t
on s of Men
0f the Kin ds
V III How
.
i
n
he
t
Ele men ts
Dev ils
are
i
n An ge ls,
in t
he
a n d,
Hea ve n s
n
i
Sta rs
l a stly, i
n God hi
m
53
L IS T
OF
C O N T EN T S
Vir tu e s of thin gs Na tu ra l
i
mmedia te ly u p on Eleme n ts
Of the
Oc c u lt Vir tu es of
Of the
dep en di
ng
58
59
n gs
Thi
Oc c u l tVir tu e s a r e Infu se d in to the seve ra l

hr ou g h the He lp
ki
n ds of Thi
n gs by Idea s t
he Sou l of t
of t
he Wor ld a n d R a ys of the
Sta rs; a n d w ha t Thin gs a bou n d mostw ith
X I How
.
t
hi
s
62
Vir tu e s a r e Infu se d
he sa me
i
du a ls ev en of t
nt
o Pa r t
i
c u la r In di
vi
XII How
.
Vir tu e
it is t
ha t Pa r t
ic u la r
64
XIII
X IV
When c e
Of the
t
he
Oc c u ltVir tu es of
T hi
n gs
Sp iritof the Wor ld Wha tItIs

,
by w a y of medi
u m It Un i
es
t
thei
r Su bj ec ts
XV
How
oc c u
and
how
ltVirtu e s
t
he
Op e ra tion s of
on e
thi
ng i
nt
o
mu n ic a ted
69
on e
t
o t
he
r l Vir tu es Pa ss
a n ot
he r a n d a r e Com
he r
ot
by En mi
t
en dshi
p the Vir tu e s
y a n d F ri
hi
e d a n d Fou n d Ou t
n gs a r e t
t
o be Tri
es
Of the In c lin a tio n s of En miti
XIX How
.
he
t
Vir tu es of
T hin gs
are
f
75
78
t
o be Tr i
ed
and
Sp ec i
c a lly or
fi
a n y on e In di
vi
du a l by w a y of Sp ec i
a l Gi
ft
,
Vir tu es a r e in some Thin gs

t
hrou g hou t t
he ir Whole Su bst
ance
and i
n
ot
he r T hi
n gs i
n Ce r t
ai
n Pa r t
s a n d Me mbe rs
he Vi
r tu es of Thin g s w hic h a r e in the m
Of t
he i
n t
on ly i
r Li
fe Time a n d Su c h a s Rema in
n t
hem even Aft
i
r Dea th
er t
he i
The
74
Fou n d Ou t, w hi
ch are i
n t
he m
i
n
71
sev e a
X V II How
XV III
t
o
mu st F in d Ou ta n d Ex a min e the Vir

of T hi
n g s by w a y of Si
militu de
from
65
w e
t
u es
X V I How
Pr oc eed
82
Na tu ra l
83
85
LI S T
C O N T EN T S
OF
XXII How Infer ior Thin gs a r e Su bj ec ted to Su p e

r ior Bodies a n d ho w the Bodies Ac tion s
o
sp osi
t
i
on s of Men a r e Asc r i
be d t
a n d Di
Sta rs a n d Sign s
87
ll Kn ow w ha t Sta rs Na tu ra l
n gs a r e
Thi
n gs a r e Un der a n d w ha t Thi
Un de r the Su n w hic h a r e c a lled Sola ry
91
XXIII How
we
sha
XXIV
Wha t
n gs
Thi
Pow e r of
XX V
Wha t
t
he
Thi
n gs
Lu n a ry
are
Moon
are
Un der
or
t
he
95
Sa tu rn in e
Un de r
or
he
t
Pow e r of Sa tu rn
XX V I
Wha t T hin gs
an d a r e ca
t
er ,
XXV II
Wha t Thin gs
and ar e ca
X X V I II
cu
X XX
ry
Jovi
al
Pow e r of
Ju p i
1 00
Un der the Pow e r of Ma rs

Ma r tia l
101
Un der the Pow e r of Ven u s

Ven e rea l
102
Un de r the Pow e r of Mer

c a lle d Me rc u ri
al
103
are
are
and are
he
t
are
lle d
Wha t Thin gs
Un de r
lled
lled
Wha t Thin gs
an d a r e ca
XXIX
are
97
Whol e Su blu n a ry Wor ld a n d those

Thi
n gs w hi
ch a r e i
n It a r e Di
ribu ted to
st
Tha tthe
Pl a n e ts
XXXI How Prov in c e s a n d Kin gdoms a r e Distr ibu te d
t
s
o Pl a n et
XXXII Wha t T hin gs a r e Un de r the Sign s the F ix ed
Sta rs a n d their Ima ges
1 04
'
XXXIII
The
Sea ls a n d Cha ra c te rs of Na tu ra l
Thi
n gs
1 10
1 14
Mix tion s of Na tu r a l T hin gs

he i
her a n d t
r Ben efit
a n ot
1 15
by
XXX V
10 7
Na tu ra l Thin g s a n d their Vir tu es

h a n d At
t
ra c tthe Inu
w e ma y D ra w For t
r tu es of Celestia l Bodie s
en c es a n d Vi
XXXIV How
.
10 5
Of the
h
on e w i
t
L IS T O F C O N T EN T S
XXX V I
Un ion of Mix e d Thin gs a n d the

In trodu c tion of a Mor e Noble Form a n d
Of the
t
he
XXX V II How
.
117
Sen se s of L i
fe
n
ai
by some c e r t
Pr ep a ra tion s, We
,
Ce lestia l
and
D iv in e
XXXIX
a so
Bin din g s;
w ha t Wa ys
X L II
Of
ce
r ta in
1 18
ly Celestia l a n d
In tellec tu a l a n d
r ta in
1 21
some c e
r ta in Ma tte rs of
Up the Gods of the World
r Min iste rin g Spirits
t
he i
Of
Gifts
Gifts fr om Above
T ha t We Ma y, by
r
he Wo r ld, St
i
t
and
XLI
ce
Ar t
i
c ia l
n o ton
bu t
and
Ma y Attra c t
Vita l
XXX V III How We Ma y D ra w
Vita l
Na tu ra l
Sorc e ries
hey
ha tSor tt
hey
t
and
a r e w on tt
o
he ir
t
Pow e r
Won derfu l Vir tu es of
Of the
f,
are o
an d
D on e
be
i
n
some
Kin ds of
Sor c e ries
X L III
X LIV
Pe rfu me s or S uu miga tion s;

n er a n d Pow er
The
Comp osition of
X LV II
X LV III
pp rop ri
135
Un c tion s L ove Medic in es

-
Vir tu es
1 37
Of
Ma gic a l
Ri
n gs
and
and
he i
r
t
Su sp en sion s
ha t
Of Fa sc i
nat
i
on ,
Asc r ibe d
and
1 43
and
sev
1 46
t
he Ar tt
he r e of
1 39
Pl a c es
Of Li
g ht, Co lo r s , Ca n dle s a n d L a mp s ,
t
o w ha tSt
a r s, Hou se s a n d Ele me n t
s
are
Comp osition s
Vir tu e of Pla c es a n d
Su ita ble to eve ry Sta r
r a l Colo rs
and
Alliga t
i
on s
Pla n e ts
Na tu ra l
Of the
Ma n
132
me Fu me s
so
Of
ar e
X L IX
he
t
o t
Of Co llyr ie s,
heir
t
X LV I
t
he i
r
Of
at
ed
XLV
127
1 50
L IS T O F C O N T EN T S
LI
r ta in
0f
Vir tu es
L II
Obse rva tion s,
ce
Pr oduc in g w on derfu l
15 2
he
he Cou n t
en a n c e a n d Gest
u r e, t
Of t
Ha bita n d
he Fi
a rs
t
o w ha t St
gu re of the Body, a n d t
a n y of t
hese do An sw er ; w he n c e Physi
ogn omy,
Metoposc opy
a nd
Divina tion
L III
L IV
ver s
Of di
LV
ha v e
Divin a tion
Of
Chiroma n cy, Ar ts of
t
he ir Gr ou n ds
155
a nd
ce
ma ls,
An i
r ta in
hi
c h ha ve
Kin ds there of
he
t
an d
1 58
r thin gs
Au gu ries
a n d ot
he
ca t
i
Sign i
on
fi
i
n
1 61
How Au spic i
a s a r e Ve r i
ed by the Lightof Na t
u ra l Inst
i
nc t
, and o
f some Ru les of Fin din g
1 69
LV I
Soothsa yin gs of F la shes a n d L ight

rou s a n d Prodigiou s
ni
n gs a n d how Mon st
he
Of t
T hi
n gs
L VII
t
o be
are
Of Geoma n cy,
Pyr omcmc y
LV III
In ter p re ted
Hydroma n cy Aeroma n c y a n d
Fou r D i
vi
n at
i
on s of Elemen t
s
1 77
,
Rev ivin g of the Dea d

Hibe rn a tin g (w a n tin g
Of the
or
1 75
f Sleep in g
vi
ct
u a ls
Ma n y
an d o
1 80
L IX
LX
Of
Divin a tion
Of Ma dn ess,
an d
me n
w hen
by
are
D re a ms
1 84
Divin a tion s
hi
ch
a w a k e, a n d o
ar e
Pow e r of
Sp irits a r e
he
t
Mela n c holy Hu mor by w hic h

mes in du c ed in to Men s Bodies
i
some t
a
ma de
18 6
he Ex t
n g of Ma n , of t
ern a l Sen ses ,
Of the For mi
a so
hose
t
In w a rd
an d
it
e
Three fold Appe t
-
L XII
he
t
Will
he
t
Min d;
f the Sou l,
an d o
an d
he
t
Pa ssion s
1 90
Pa ssion s of the Min d their

Sou rc e Di
n ds
ffe ren c es a n d Ki
Of the
nal
Ori
gi
194
10
L IS T
C O N T EN T S
OF
LXIII How the Pa ssion s of the Min d c ha n ge the

p rope r Body by c ha n gin g its Ac c iden ts a n d
movin g the Sp irit
.
L XIV How
he
t
Pa ssion s of
he
t
Min d
f M en ,
Ima gin a tive Pow er
Body
L X V How
.
Sou l
he
bu tt
and w
ha t
h,
he
t
c ha n ge
me
Body by w a y of Imita tion from

Resembla n c e; of the Tra n sfor min g
ng
Tra n s la t
i
so
and
ha t Fo rc e the
n ot on
ly
ove
the
197
Pa ssion s of the Min d c a n Wor k of

her 9 Body
themselves u p on An ot
20 0
Pa ss ion s of the Min d a r e He lped by

he
a Ce lest
a l Sea son a n d ho w Nec essa ry t
i
a n c y of t
he Mi
nd i
s i
n ever y Work
Con st
20 3
t
he
L XVI
1 95
Tha tthe
L X VH
How
Min d of Ma n ma y be Joined w ith

Mind of the Sta rs, a n d In tellige nc es of
Cele stia ls a n d together w ith the m
t
he
he
t
t
he
Imp r ess
ce
r ta in
n gs
i
nfer i
or Thi
L X V III How
.
ou r
Min d
rfu l Vir tu es
pon
204
Cha n ge a n d Bin d infe rior

En ds w hic h w e Desire
and
t
he
Oc c u ltVirtu e of Words
Of the
L XXIII
he
Of t
Vir tu e of Writin g
Imp rec a tion s
L XXI V
20 8
206
20 7
Vir tu e of Pr op er Na mes
L XXI Of ma n y Wo rds j oin e d tog ether a s in Sen
he Vi
r tu es a n d
t
en c es a n d Ve r ses; a n d of t
Astric tion s of Cha rms
L XXII Of the w on derfu l Pow e r of En c ha n tmen ts
L XX
Of Sp eec h,
w on de
ca n
he
Thi
n gs t
o t
L XIX
an d
a nd
21 3
f Ma k in g
In scr i
p tion s
21 5
Prop ortion Corre spon den c y a n d R e

du c t
he Ce lest
i
on of L e t
t
ers t
o t
i
a l Si
gn s a n d
Pla n e ts Ac c o rdin g to va riou s Ton gu es a n d
a Ta ble t
her eof
0f the
21 0
21 6
L IS T
C ON T EN T S
OF
By He n r y M o r l e y
Critic ism on Agr i

ppa
Ex p osition of
Na tu ra l Ma gic
Ca ba la
he
t
11
New Ta ble of the Ca ba la
and
Ori
gin a l
Ta ro t(sp ec i
led
a lly c omp i
a nd
Symbols of the Alc hemists

The Ma gic Mirror a Messa ge
,
Il l u s tr a ti
o ns
t
o
S e l e c te d
Mystic s
a nd
279
Etc hin gs
Fr on ti
sp i
ec e
32
Ca la mu s
er s
Cha r a c t
94
Divin e L e tte rs
Ca ba l istic a l
Tr ee
he
t
Ta ble
Ca ba la
1 13
Cc
rdin a te Cha ra c te rs
hre e fu ll
t
p a ge
c hi
n g s,
et
fa c in g
Rosic ru c ia n Symbol of the Sp iritof Na tu re fa c in g

Symbols of the Alc hemists
,
220
.
The O c c u l t Phi
l o s o phy
U OU R E AD E Th i s i s tr u e a nd s u bli me O cc u l t Ph ilo s op h y To
u nd e r s t a nd th e m y s t e r i o u s i n u e nc es of th e i nte lle ctua l wor l d u pon th e
c e l es ti al a nd of both u pon th e te rr es tr i a l ; a nd to k now how to d i s p ose and
t o u r se l es s o a s to b e c a p a bl e of r e c e i i n g th s u p e r i or o p e r a ti on s of
th ese wor l d s wh e r e by we m ay b e e n a ble d to p e r a te wond e r fu l th i ng s by a
n a tu r a l p owe r
to d i s co e r th e se cr e t cou n se l s of me n to i nc r e a se r i ch es
to o e r come e n em i es to pr oc u r e th e fa or of me n to e pe l d i se a ses to pre
se r e h e a l th to p r o lon g li fe to r e n e w y o u th to for e te ll fu tu r e e e nts to
see a nd k now th i n g s don e m an y m il es ff a nd s u ch li k e a s th ese Th ese
th i ng s m ay seem i nc r e d ible y e t r e a d bu t th e e n s u i n g tr e a ti se a nd thou
s h a l t see th e po ss ibili ty con r me d b oth by r e a s on and e a m ple
J F th e tr a n s l a to r of th e En g li s h e d i t i on of 165 1
J DICI
R :
PR E F A C E
the l a s t h a lf o f 1 50 9 a n d the rs t mo n th s o f 1 5 10
Co rn e l iu s Ag ri pp a kn o w n in his da y a s a M a gi c i a n
ga th e r e d t o g eth e r a l l the My s t ic lo r e he ha d o b ta in e d
by the e n e r gy a n d a rd o r o f y o u th a n d c o mp i l e d i t i n to
the e l a b o r a te s y s t e m o f M a gi c i
n t
hre e b o o k s k n o w n
a s O ccu l t P h il o so p h y t
he r s t b o o k o f w h i c h Na tu r a l
Ma gi c c o n s ti tu te s the p r e s e n tv o l u me A gr i pp a pu b
li
s he d hi
s O cc u l t P h il o s o p h y w i th a dd i t
io n a l c ha p
t e rs in 1 533 T he o n l y En g l is h t ra n s l a t i o n a pp e a r e d
i
n L o n do n
i
n
1 65 1
ho r o u g h l y e d ite d a n d
It i
s a t
r e v is e d e di t i o n o f th i s l a tte r w o rk th a t w e p ro d u c e
So m e t r a n s l a ti
n g ha s b e e n do n e a n d mi s s i n g p a rt
s su p
p l ie d The re a d e r is a s su r e d th a t w h il e w e h a v e mo d
i
e d s o me o f the v e ry br o a d En g l ish o f the s e v e n tee n th
c e n tu ry tha t he ha s a th o ro u gh ly v a l i d w o rk Du e
c a r e ha s b e e n t
a ke n t
he q u a i n t n e s s o f
o p re s e rv e a l l t
the En g l i
sh t
e x t a s fa r a s c o n s i s t
e n t w it h p l a i n r e a d
ng
i
We h a v e e n de a v o re d to do fu ll j u s tic e to o u r
a u th o r t
he d e ma n d s o f th o s e p u r e ly my s ti
c a l a n d the
nat
u ra l c o n s e r v a t
i s m o f the a n tiq u a ry a n d c o ll e c t o r
In th i s w e b e l i e v e w e ha v e fu ll y s u c c e e d e d
The l i f e o f A g r i pp a u p to the time o f w r i tin g hi
s
Oc c u l t P hil o s o p h y is a l s o giv e n dr a w n m os t ly fr o m
He n ry M o r l e y s e x c e ll e n t l ife o f C o rn e l iu s A gripp a
Tha t p a rt o f the v o l u me c r e d ite d to Mr M o rl e y
ma y b e de s ign a te d a s a n ho n e s t S k e p t ic s c o n tribu tio n
to My s ti c i s m a n d hi
ir e a s
s c ha p t
e r s a r e p r o du c e d e n t
ju s tic e to bo th him a n d A gri pp a c a n n ot be d o n e o the r
w i
s e a n d th e y a r e a n e s p e c i
a l ly v a l u a bl e p a r t o f M ys
ti
te r a tu r e
c li
IN
13
14
E D I T O R S P RE F ACE
T he t abl e o f the C a b a l a n e w l y co mp i l e d for th is

v ol u me w i ll b e fo u n d to p o s s e s s su p e r i o r f e a tu re s o v e r
a l l o th e r s
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occ u l t w o rk o n P hy s ic
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u s e fu l a n d i n s t ru c t i v e
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co n tr i b u t ion o n the s u bj e c t e x ta n t
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t a in s w e h a v e c a u s e to b e li e v e so m e of the v e r y h i d
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l o v e to w o r k o u t h i dd e n th in g s
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fr i e n d s w h o h a v e e n c o u r a g e d him in the w or k on the
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s ou n d p l e a s a n t ly to the e a r
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con clu d in g v olu m e o f the O ccu l t P h i lo s o p h y
,
16
EARLY L I F E O F A GR IP PA
hi n g
imp l e r th a n to s e ta p a r tfo r l ite r a ry pu r p o s e s

th a t h a l f o f his re a l s tyl e w h ic h w a s a l r e a dy c o m
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i v e C o rn e l iu s A gri pp a
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He is the o n l y m e m b e r o f the f a m il y o f Ne tt e s he i m
c o n c e rn in g w h o m a n y r e c o rd s h a v e b e e n l e f t for the
in s t ru c ti o n o f p o ste r i t y Ne tte s he i m it s e lf is a p l a c e
tl e n o te di s ta n t a b o u t tw e n ty v e m il e s to the
o f li t
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the y w e re n o t p e r so n a l l y a tt a c h e d to the s e r v i c e of
The a n c e s to r s o f Cor
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neli
pp a ha d b ee n fo r g e n e ra t i o n s in the s e r vi c e
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the s a me c i t y o f C o l o gn e ; fo r th e r e in the th i r tee n th
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B o rn in C o l o gn e d i d n o t me a n in 1 48 6 w h a t it ha s
m e a n t fo r ma n y g e n e r a ti o n s a l m o s t u n t i l n o w born
i n t o the d a rk n e s s o f a mo u ld e r i n g re c e p t a c l e o f r e l i cs
T h e n the to w n w a s n o t p r i e s t r i dd e n bu t rod e its
p ri e s t s Fo r n e a r l y a th o u s a n d y e a rs p r i e s t cra f t a n d
h a n di c r a ft h a v e b a tt l e d fo r p re d o mi n a n c e w i th i n its
w a ll s P r i e stc ra ft e x p e l l e d the Je w s b a n i s he d the
w e a v e r s a n d g a i n e d tho r o u g h ly t
he ma s t e ry a t l a s t
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u pp e r m o s t a n d i
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m e c h a n i c d i d his p a r t in k e e p i n g w a t c h o n the a r c h
he i
s
T RO U BL E S O F
THE JEWS
17
b i s h o p Eu r o p e c o n ta i n e d the n bu t fe w c i ti e s th a t
w e r e l a r g e r bu s i e r a n d ric h e r for the R h in e w a s a
ma in h ig h w a y of c o mm e rc e a n d s he w a s e n ric h e d n o t
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ime a l so by a l a r g e r e c e i p t o f t o l l
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wh a te v e r p l a c e bo th a r e bro u g ht to g ethe r o n e o f the m
mu s t d i e
P a s s in g by the e a rl i e r time s to a bou t the y e a r 1 350
n ma n y
the re a r o s e a d e v ili s h p e r s e c u ti o n o f the J e w s i
p a r t s o f Eu r o p e a n d the J e w s o f C o l o gn e a l a rm e d by
the s u ffe r i
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e x p os e d w i
th dr e w in to th e i r h o u s e s w i th th e i r w i v e s
a n d c h il dr e n
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r h ou s e s
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e q u a lly b et w ee n the t o w n a n d the a rc h b i s h o p
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he t o w n c o u n c i l
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o f the c h u r c h a n d t
i c b o dy e x p r e ss e d the i r v ie w s v e ry s tro n g
a d e mo c r a t
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o t
he c h u rc he s a n d w e r e
w e r e s u bdu e d ; th e y e d t
s l ain a t the a l t a r s Eig htee n hu n dre d o f th e m a l l
who s u rv iv e d w e r e b a n i s he d su ffe ri n g o f c o u r s e
c o n s c a ti o n of the i r pr o p e rty a n d C o l o gn e b e i n g
cl e a r e d o f a l l its w e a v e r s w ho ha d c a rrie d o n n o
in c o n s id e ra bl e br a n c h o f ma n u fa c tu re the ir gu il d w a s
d e mo l i s h e d T hi s e v e n t o c c u rr e d tw e n ty y e a rs a fte r
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EARL Y L I F E
18
OF
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the t o w n ha d l os t in the Je w s
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ts d e c a y
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s he d a t C o l o g n e
In 1 388 a n u n i v e r s i ty w a s e s ta b l i
ty o f P a r i s
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The n o b l e s a s s e mbl e d by n ig ht
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fo rc e d u r in g the l if et i me o f C o rn e l iu s A g r i pp a
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st
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a t th e s e s o u rc e s
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the s tu d y o f Eu r o p e a n l a n g u a g e s a l s o b e c o m i n g pr o
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M a x im il ia n the Fi rs t w ho m he s e r v ed
r s t a s a s e cr e ta r y a fte r w a rd s fo r s e v e n y e a r s a s a
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G e r ma n c o u r t A t th is ti me
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F O RM S
Sp a in
BR O THER HO O D
MY ST IC
19
Fe rd in a n d
h a o ti c p o l i t i c a l c o n d i t i on
the w i
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P hi l i p w ho w a s the s o n o f M a x i mi l i a n In S e pte m
b e r 1 50 6 P h ili p d ie d
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cou ld b e re s t or e d to his e s ta te s T h e c a p tu r e of a
for t ic a ti o n kn ow n a s the B l a c k For t w a s n e c e ss a r y
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con s p i r a t o r s w e r e c a rr ie d o u t The B l a ck Fo r t w a s
c a p tu r e d a s p l a n n e d by a s t ra t a ge m Afte r r e ma i n
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thr ee mi l e s d i s t a n t s itu a te d in o n e of the mou n t a i n
w i ld e rn e s s e s w h i c h c ha ra c te r i z e the d i s t r i c t of Va ll s
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A D V EN T URE S I N
PA I N
21
the bro k e n mo u n t a i n s ma ke w a y fo r a gu lf c o n t a in in g
n a c c e s s i bl e r o c k s he m
s t a g n a n t w a te r s a n d j a gg e d , i
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to w e r e x c e p t w h e n the g r o u n d w a s fro z e n a n d t he s e
e v e n t s h a pp e n e d i
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he mi
d s u mm e r o f 150 8 The w a y
a mo n g t
he p o o l s w a s by a n a rro w pa th o f s to n e w i
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a bb o t w ho g a v e t
h e m p e rm is s io n to o c c u p y a n d fo rti fy
i t T his the y a c c o rd in g l y do n e ha v in g a p o o r b a il iff
i
n c h a rg e o f t
he pl a c e fo r c o mp a n y
The r e t r e a t to the to w e r w a s s a f e l y a c c o mp l i s h e d
u n d e r c ov e r o f n i
g ht G e r o n a s p l a c e w a s s a c k e d the
n e x t da y by the p e a s a n t
s w ho s o u g ht e r c e l y fo r the
G e r ma n a s th e y te r m e d A g ripp a The h idin g pl a c e o f
the c o n spi
r a to r s b e c o min g kn o w n the o o d o f w r a th
p o u r e d d o w n to w a rd s the to w e r bu t the s tre n g th o f
the p o s i ti
he n f e l t Wi th a b a rr i
on w a s t
c a de o f o v e r
th ro w n w a go n s the s o l e p a th to the b e s ie g e d w a s
nd t
h is b a rrie r t he y po s te d the m s e l v e s
c l o s e d a n d be hi
r a r qu e b u s e s o f w hic h o n e o n l y su ffi c e d to
w i th the i
,
da u n t
ro w d
of
me n
a c c u st
o
m e d to
no
w e a po n s
p t S l i n g s o r b o w s a n d a rr o w s The p e a s a n try
di
ng t
h a t the to w e r w a s n o tto be s to rme d s e t
s c o v e ri
tl e d d o w n to l a y s tri
c t S ie g e t
o t
he p l a c e a n d the r e by
ts li t tl e g a rri
n t o su rr e n de r
st
a rv e i
so n i
Pe r i l o u s w e e k s w e re p a s s e d by the a d v e n t u r e r s bu t
m o re f o r m i da bl e th a n a c tu a l c o n ic tw a s the f a m in e
c o n s eq u e n t o n t
h e i r b l o c k a de
P e rr o t the k e e p e r
t a k in g c o u n s e l w it h hi ms e lf a s ho w to h e l p his gu e s ts
a n d r i d hi
ms e lf o f the m a t the s a me ti me e x p l o r e d
e v e ry cr a nn y o f t
he w a l l o f r o c k by w hi
c h th e y w e re
C l a mb e r in g a mo n g the w a s t e s w i th f eet
su r r ou n d e d
ex c e
22
EARLY L I F E O F
A GR IPPA
ccu s t o me d t o the d ifc u l tie s o f the mou n t a i n he dis

c o v e re d a t la s t a de v i0 u s a n d r u gg e d w a y by w h ic h
the o bs t acl e s o f c r a g a n d c h a s m w e r e a v o i d e d a n d the
L o o k in g dow n fr o m t he r e he
mou n ta i n to p r e a c he d
d e the mo u n t a in ro s e o u to f
sa w ho w
o n the o the r s i
a l a k e k n own a s the B la c k La k e h a vin g a n e x p a n s e
o f a b o u t fou r m il e s u p o n t
he f a r the r s h o r e o f w h ic h
hi
H e fo u n d a w a y to the l a k e
s ma s te r s a bb e y s t
ood
th r o u g h a r ocky g or g e bu t fro m th e r e to the a bb e y
he l a k e
w a s a lon g w a y a n d t
o m e n w i th o u t a bo a t t
n
ai
He
w a s a m or e i mp a ssi bl e b a rr i
e r th a n the mo u n t
re tu r n e d t o the t ow e r w he r e the l i t tl e ga r r i so n h e a rd
the r e su l t o f h is e x p lor a t i o n s
I t w a s s ee n t ha ta b o a t
w a s n e c e ss a r y t
fe c t a n e s c a p e a n d t o p r o c u r e th a t
o ef
a l e tt e r wo u ld h a v e t
o b e s e n t th r o u g h the r a n k s o f
the v ig i l a n t b e si e g e r s w hos e s e n tr i e s w e r e p os te d a ta l l
po i n ts a n d w ho a llow e d n o o n e t o a pp ro a c h the t o w e r ;
n o t e v e n the g o od a bb o t h i m s e lf w ho ha d v a i n ly t ri e d
to t u rn the p e a s a n t s fr o m th e i r pu r p o s e
Un d e r the s e c i r c u ms t a n c e s the i n g e n u i t y of A g ri pp a
w a s s e v e r e ly te s te d a n d he j u s t i e d th e c r e d i t he ha d
w o n fo r s u b t l e w i t
The k e e p e r h ad a so n a s h e p h e rd
bo y a n d A gr i pp a d i s gu r e d hi
m w i th s t a in s o f milk
this t l e a n d the j u i c e o f o th e r he rb s b e fou l e d his s k in
a n d p a in te d i t w i th s h o ck in g s p o t s t o i m i t a te the
ma rk s o f l e p r o s y x e d his h a i r i n t o a l th y b u n c h
dr e s s e d hi
m l i k e a b e gg a r a n d g a v e him a cr o o k e d
br a n c h for a s t i ck w i th i n w h i c h the r e w a s s c o o pe d a
h o ll o w fo r the l ette r Upo n the boy s o d i s gu i s e d a
f e a rfu l p i c tu r e o f the o u t c a s t l e p e r the l e p e r s b e ll
w a s hu n g h is fa the r s e a t e d hi
m o n a n ox a n d l e d him
by n igh ta c r o ss the ma rs h e s by the fo r d whe r e he l e f t
m
hi
S ta mme r i n g a s he w e n t p et i t io n s for a l m s the
bo y wa lk e d w ith o u t d i
fcu l t y by a v e r y b r o a d r oa d
ma d e fo r him a m on g the p e a s a n try w ho r e ga rd e d his
a pp ro a c h w i th te r ror a n d e d fro m h is p a th
The l e t
a
24
E AR LY LI F E
hazardous
O F A GR
IPP A
missions After remaining several days in

the abbey he set ou t wi th an old man and his servant
An tonius Xan thus the c o m
S tephen for Barcelona
panion o f Agrippa had seen much of the rough side
of the world , was useful as a traveling companion
and became a member of Ag r ippa s secret lea gue
raveled to
No t nding L andulph at Barcelona th
Valentia From there they sailed for I aly and by
way o f the Balearic Islands and S ard inia they w ent to
Naples where disheartened by not nding L andulph
they shipped for L eghorn and then traveled to A v ig
non There they learned from a traveling merchan t
that L andulph was at L yons
The friends n o w corre
ing D ecember 1 7th nearly four
s po n de d Cornelius wri t
mon ths after he had left the abbey in search of his
friend the 24th o f August We may imagine many o f
It was the
the things these friends wro te each other
sugges tion of Agrippa tha t all the me bers o f their
league be called toge ther that they might be absolved
of their oaths regarding the S panish conspiracy and
to resume once more their former p l easant rela tions
He also hoped that L andulph might be able to visit
him a t Avignon and talk their secrets over as he was
unable to leave for L yons his funds being exhausted
u ntil aft
er the lapse o f a little time
.
m
.
hich has b een c ondense d

from M r Henry M orley s excellent L ife o f Cornelius
Agrippa is continued in that part of this volume that
s tarts wi th the headin g o f Agrippa and the R o s ic r u
ans
ci
Agrippa s life now beco mes so interwoven
with mys ticism that we give M orley s a ccoun t in full
The next chapters in his life are reple te with the frui
tion of his mystic na ture its f u ll blown ower being
The O ccult Philosophy or Three Books o f M a g ic ,
the wri ting of whic h comple tes his early life
The foregoing account
CO R NELIUS AGR IPPA TO THE R EADER
I do
doubt but the title o f o u r book of O ccult

Philosophy or of M agic may by the rarity o f it allure
many to read it amongs t which some of a disordered
judgmentand some tha tare perverse will come to hear
wha t I can say who by their rash ignorance may take
the name o f M agic in the worse sense and though
scarce having seen the title cry o u t t hat I teach fo r
bidden Arts sow the seed of heresies o ffend the pious
and scandalize excellent wits ; tha t I am a sorcerer
and supers ti tious and devilish who indeed am a M agi
ci
an : t
o whom I a n s w e r
tha t a M agician do th n o t
amongst learned men signify a sorcerer or one tha tis
superstitious or devilish ; bu t a wise man a priest a
ci
a n e s s e s and
pr o phe t a n d that the S ybils were M a g i
g
therefore prophesied most clearly of Chris t; and that
M agicians as wise men by the wonderful secrets of
the world knew C hris t the author o f the world to be
born and came rs t of all to worship him ; and tha t
the name of M agic was received by philosophers c o m
mended by divines and is not unacceptable to the
Gospel I believe tha t the supercilious censors will
obj ect against the S ybils holy M agicians and the
Gospel i tself sooner than receive the name o f M agic
in to favor S o conscientious are they that neither
Apollo nor all the M uses n o r an angel from heaven
c a n redeem me from their curse
Whom therefore I
advise tha t they read n o to u r wri tings nor unders tand
them nor remember them
Fo r they are pernicious
and full of poison ; the gate of Acheron is in this
book ; it speaks stones l e t them take heed that it
beat not o u t their brains Bu t you that come without
n ot
25
26
HENRY
O R N ELI U S
A GR I PP A S
prej udice to read it if you have so much discre tion of

prudence as bees have in ga therin g honey read
securely and believe that you shall receive no li ttle
pro t and much pleasure ; but if yo u s hall n d any
things tha t may n o t please yo u l e t them alone and
make no use o f them for I do n o t approve of them
Bu t do n o t refuse o ther
bu t declare them to yo u
things for they tha t look in to the b ooks of physicia ns
do toge ther wi th an tido tes and medicines read also
of poisons [ I confess tha t M ag ic teacheth many
superuous t
hings and curious prodigies for ostenta
tion ; leave them as emp ty things ye t be not ignorant
of their causes Bu t those things which are fo r the
pro t of men for the turning away o f evil events for
the des troying of sorceries for the curing o f disea ses
for the ex terminating o f phantasm s for the preserv
ing of life honor or fortune may be done wi thout
offense to God or inj ury to religion because they are
as pro table so necessary! Bu t I have admonished
you tha t I have w rit many thin gs ra ther narra tively
than a frmatively ; for so it seemed needful that we
should pass o v e r fe w e r things following the judg
ments of Platonists and o ther Gentile Philosophers
when they did sugges t an argument of writing to our
purpose [Therefore if any error hav e been committed
o r any thing hath been spoken more freely par don my
youth for I wro te this being scarce a young ma n that
I may excuse myself and say whilst I w as a child I
spake as a child and I unders tood as a child but being
become a man I retrac ted those things which I did
bei n g a bo y and in my book of the vani ty and n u oer
tain t o f S cie n ces I did for the mos t part retrac t this
book Bu t here hap ly you may blame me again say
ing Behold thou being a you th dids t w ri te and
now
being o l d has tre tracted it; what therefore hast
I confess whilst I was very young I
thou s e t forth ?
,
'
A DD R
E SS T O
THE
REA D ER
27
set upon the wri ting of these books but hoping that
I should s e t them forth wi th correc tions and enlarge
ments and for t hat cause I gave them to Tr ithe miu s a
formerly a Spa n he me n sia n a
a n Abbot
Ne a po l ita n i
man very industrious after secret things Bu tit hap
pened afterwards tha t the work being in tercepted
before I nished it itw a s carri ed abo u t imperfect and
impolished and did y abroad in Italy in France in
Germany through many men s hands ; and some men
whether more impatien tly or imprudently I know n o t
would have put it thus imperfect to the press with
which mischief I being a e c te d de termined to s e t it
fort h myself thinking tha t there migh tbe less danger
if these books came o u tof my hands with some amend
men ts than to come forth torn and in fragments o u t
of o ther men s hands [Mo r e o v e n I thought it no
crime if I should not s u e r the testimony of my youth
to perish Also we have added some chap ters and
inser ted many things which did seem un tto pass by
which the curious reader shall be able to u nderstand
by the inequality of the very phrase for we were u m
willing to begin the work anew and to unravel all tha t
we ha d done but to correc t it and pu t some ourish
upon it Wherefore I pray thee courteous reader
weigh not these things according to the presen t time
ting the m forth bu t pardon my curious youth if
o f se t
tho u nd any thin g in them tha tmay displease thee
,
When Agrippa rs t wro te his
O ccult
Philosophy he
sen t it to his friend Tr ithe miu s an Abbot o f Wurtz

burg with the ensuing let ter Tr ithe miu s detained the
messenger until he had read the manuscript and then
answered A gr ippa S l e tte r with suc h sound advice as
mys tics would do well to follow for all time to come
ic author and scholar
Tr i
the mi
u s is known as a mys t
,
HENRY C O RNE L I U S A GRI PPA S
28
AG R IPPA TO TR ITHEM IUS

To B P D John Tr ithe miu s,
.
t
he S u bu r bs
Ne ttesheim
an
n
ne s, i
n t Ja i
Abbot of Sa i
a
u s Agri
l
i
y
n
o
r
n
e
r
r
i
o
l
i
s
H
e
C
H
e
b
p
p
p
,
f
h
sen de t
Gr ee tin g :
WHEN I was of late mos t reverend fa ther for a

,
while conversan twi th you in your M onastery o f Herb

i
po l is we conferred toge ther of divers things concern
ing Chemis try M agic and Cabala and of other things
whic h as ye t lie hid in S ecret S ciences and Arts ; and
then there was o n e great question amongst the res t
Why M agic whereas it was accounted by all ancient
philosophers to be the chiefest science and by the
ancient wise men and priests was always held in great
venera tion came a t last after the b eginning of the
Catholic Church to be always odiou s to and suspected
by the holy Fathers and then exploded by D ivines ,
and condemne d by sacred Canons and moreover by
all laws and ordinances forbidden ? No w the cause ,
as I conceive is n o o the r than this viz : Because by
a certain fa tal depravation o f times and men many
false philosophers crept in and th e se under the name
of M agicians heaping together through various sorts
of errors and fac tions o f false religions many curs e d
superstitio n s and dangerous rites and many wicked
sacrileges even to the perfec tion o f Nature ; and the
same s e t forth in many wicked and unlawful books to
which they have by steal th prexed the most honest
name and ti tle o f M agic ; hoping by this sacred title
to gain credi t to their cursed and de tes table fooleries
Hence it is that this name of M agic formerly so hon
o r a bl e is now become mos t odious t
o good and honest
men and accoun ted a c api tal crime if any o n e dare
profess himself to be a M agician either in doc trine or
,
C O RRE S P O N D ENCE WI T H
TR ITHEM IU S
29
Wo rks unless haply some certain old doting woman

dwelling in the country would be believed to be skill
ful and have a di v ine power t hat she (as sai th Apu
leis the satiris t can throw down the heave n lift up
the earth harden fo u n tains wash away mountains
raise up ghosts cast down the Gods extinguish the
stars illuminate hell or as Virgil sings :

,
se by her c ha r ms t
o c a stgr ea tc a r es,
S he ll pr omi
ars
0 r ea se the min ds of men , a n d ma k e the St
ver s t
o st
a n d st
ill ,
For to go ba c k , a n d r i
An d r a ise the n ightly ghosts even a ther
T0 ma k e the
ea r t
h
and
t
o g r oa n ,
r e es t
t
o
ill;
fa l l
Fr om the mou n ta i
ns
Hence those things which L ucan relates of The ss a l a

the M a g ic ia n e s s and Homer o f the omnipotency of
,
Circe
Whereof many others I confess are as well

,
of
a fallacious O pinion as a supersti tious diligence and

pernicious labor ; for w hen they cannot co m e under a
wicked art ye tthey presume they may be able to cloak
themselves under tha t venerable title of M agic
These things being so I wondered much and was n o t
less indignant that as ye t there had been no man who
had ei ther vindica ted this sublime and sacred discipline
from the charge of impiety or had delivered it purely
and sincerely to u s Wha t I have seen o f o u r modern
wri ters
R oger Bacon R obert of Y ork an Englishman
Peter A ppo n u s Albertus [M agnus! the Te u to n ic h
Ar n o l da s de villa Nova Anselme the Pa r me n s ia n
Pic a tr ix the S paniard Cic c l u s Asc u l u s o f Florence
and many o ther writers of an obscure name when
they promise to treat of M agic do nothing bu t relate
irrational tales and supersti tions unworthy of honest
men Hence my spiri t was moved and by reason
partly o f admiration and partly o f indigna tion I was
willing to play the philosopher supposing that I
.
HENR Y C O RNE L I U S
30
A GR
IPP A
s hould do no discommendable work seeing I ha Ve

been always from my youth a curious and undaun ted
searcher for wonderful e ffec ts and O pera tions full of
mysteries if I should recover tha tancien t M agic (the
discipline o f all wise men from the errors o f impie ty
purify and adorn it wi th its proper lustre and vindi
ca te it from the injuries o f calumnia tors ; w hich thing
though I long delibera ted o f it in my mind I n ever
durs t under take ; but after some conference be twixt
us o f these things at He r bipo l is your transcending
knowledge and learning and your ardent adhor tation
There selecting
pu t courage and boldness in to me
the O pinions o f philosophers of known credit a n d
purging the introduction of the wicked (who dis s e m
h a counterfeited knowledge did teach
bl i
n g l y and wi t
tha t tradi tions o f M agicians must be learned from
very reprobate books o f darkness o r from institutions
and removing all darkness
o f wonderful O perations
Hhave a t last compos ed three compendious books of
M agic and titled them Of Oc c u l t Philosophy being a
title less o ffensive which books I submi t (you excel
ling in the knowledge o f these things to your cor
rec tion and censure that if I have wro te any thing
which may tend ei ther to the con tumely o f N ature
offending God o r inj ury of religion you may condemn
the error ; but if the scandal o f impiety be dissolved
and purged yo u may defend the Tradition of Truth ;
and tha t yo u would do so with these books and M agic
i tself tha t no thing may be concealed which m a y be
pro table and nothing approved o f which cannot but
do hu r t / by whic h means these three b ooks having
j
passed your exa mination with approbation may at
length be thought worthy to come for th w ith good
success in public and may n o t be afraid to come under
the censure of pos teri ty
)
,
Fa r ew e l l ,
and
pa r don these
my bold u n der ta k in gs
32
D E D I C AT E D
TO
HER M A NN U S
so mu c h the more learned any one is though t by hO W

much fewer things he is ignoran t o f M oreover your
wit is fully ap t to all things and to b e ra tionally
employed not in a few or low things bu t many a n d
sublimer Y e t this o n e rule I a dvise you to observe
that you com m unica te vulgar secre ts to vul gar friends
bu thigher and secre tto higher and secre tfriends only :
Understand
Give ha y to a n or su ga r to a pa r r ot on l y
my meaning les t you be trod under the oxen s fe et as
often times it falls o u t Farewell my happy friend
and if it lie in my power to serve you command me
and according to your pleasure it shall without delay
be done ; also let our friendship increase daily ; write
often to me a nd send me some of your labors I earn
Again farewell
e st
l y pray yo u
,
Fr om
ou r
Mon a ster y of Peapol is, the
A D MDX
.
8i
h da y
f Apr il,
January 1 5 3 1 Agrippa wrote from M echlin to

Hermann of Wied Arc hbishop o f Cologne to whom
he dedicated his O ccult Philosophy In this let ter he
says :
Behold ! amongst such things as were closely
laid u p the books Of Oc c u l tPhilosophy or of Ma gic
a new work of most ancient and abstruse learning ;
a doctrine o f antiquity by none I dare say hitherto
I shall be devotedly
a ttempte d to be restore d
yours if these studies o f my youth shall by the author

ity of your greatness come into knowl edge
seeing
many things in them seemed to m e being older as
mos t prota ble so most necessary to b e known Y ou
have therefore the work not only o f my youth but of
my presen t age
having added many things
The etching inser ted a t this place is m ade from the
title page o f the only comple te English edi tion o f the
O ccult Philosop hy of M agic heretofore published
In
T HR EE BO O KS
10
c cu t
WR
IT T EN
BY
N ET T ESH EIM
C ou nfelle r to C
H A R L E s the
EM P B R
O R o
Fi
fth
many
'
Iu dge ofthe P
r e ro at
i
ve C ou rt
g
ni
nto t
he
Tranflatedou tofthe Lati
fhTongu e, B
F
Engli
y
.
tedby R
at the
W for Gregorymal e,
Si
gn
o f th
e three
Weftend of
o
and are t
Bibles nee: the
65
THE F IR S
T O F THR EE BOOK S E NTI TLE D

OF
OCCULTP
HILOSOPHY OR
W R I TTE N BY
THA T
F AM
MAGIC
OUS M AN
HENR Y C O R NELIUS AGR IPPA Kn i

ght
DOCTOR OF B OTH L AW S COU N S E L L OR TO C E SAR S S ACR E D
M AJE STY AN D JUDGE OF THE PR E R OGA TIV E COUR T
,
AND
( 7
BO O K O N E
NA T U
R AL
M A G IC
CHAPTER I
Wor l d
How Ma g ic ia n s Coll ec t Vir tu es fr om the Thr ee fol d

-
is D ec l a r e d i
n t
he se Thr ee
Book s
is a Three fold World Elemen tary

Celes tial and Int e llectual and every inferior is gov
erned by its superior and receive th the inuence of
the virtues thereof so that the very O riginal and
Chief Worker of all do th by angels the heavens s tars
elements animals plan ts me tals and stones convey
from Himself the virtues of His O mnipotency upon
us fo r whose service He made and created all these
things : Wise men conceive it n o Wa y irrational that it
should be possible for us to ascend by the same de
grees through each World to the same very original
World itself the M aker of all things and First Cause
S EE I N G there
33
34
HENRY C O RNEL I U S AGR I PPA S
from whence a ll things are and proceed ; and also to

he
e nj oy n o t only thes e virtues which are already in t
more excellent kind o f things but also besides these
to draw new virtues from above Hence it is that
they seek af ter the virtues of the Elemen tary World
through the help of physic and natural philosophy in
the various mixtions of natural things ; then of the
Celestial World in the rays and in uence s thereof
ac cording to the rules o f As trologers and the doc
trines o f m a thematicians j oining the Cel estia l virtues
to the former : M oreover they ra tify and conr m all
these with the powers o f divers Intelligences through
the sac red ceremonies o f religions The order and
process of al l these I shall endeavor to deliver in
these three books : Wher e of the r s tcon tains N atural
M a gic the second Celestial and the third Ceremonial
Bu t I know n o t whe ther it be an unpardonable pre
sumption in me tha t I a man of so little j udgment
and learning should in my very youth so condently
set u pon a business so difcult so hard and intricate
as this is Wherefore whatsoever things have here
already and shall afterward be said by me I would
n o t have anyone assent to them nor shall I myself
any fur ther than they shall be approve d o f by the
universal church and the congre ga tion of the faithful
,
'
CHAPTER II
Wha t Ma gic
i
s,
Wha t a r e
Pr ofessor s
t
he
her eof
t
Pa r ts ther e of,
and
How the
mu st be Qu a l i
ed
M AG I C is a faculty of wonderful virtue full of most

,
high mysteries con taining the most profound con

te mpl a ti
o n of most secret things
together with the
nature power quality substance and virtues thereof
as also the knowledge of whole N ature and it doth
,
PH I L O S O PHY
OF
NA T URAL
M A GI C
35
instruct us concerning the di ffering and agreement of

things amongs t themselves whence it pr o du c e th its
won derful e ffects by uni ting the virtues of things
through the application o f them one to the other and
to their inferior sui table subj ec ts j oining and kni tting
them together thoroughly by the powers and vir tues
of the superior Bodies This is the most perfect and
chief S cience that sacred and sublimer kind of Phi
l o s o phy and las tly the most absolute perfection o f all
mos t excellen t Philosophy Fo r seeing that all regu
la tive Philosophy is divided in to Na tural M a the ma t
ical and Theological : (Natural Philosophy teacheth
the na ture o f those things which are in the world
searching a n d i n quiring in to their causes e e c ts times
places fashions events their whole and parts also
,
and
Ca ll e d Elemen ts
Fr om
The Nu mber
t
he Na t
ure
w
ha tFi
r e,
f those thin gs
Ea r th Air e for th br in gs;
Hea ven s their begin n in gs ha d;
hen c e t
he
When c e Tide w hen c e R a in bow in ga y c ol or s c l a d

Wha tma k es the Cl ou ds tha tga ther e d a r e a n d bl a c k
,
To
for th L ightn in gs a n d a Thu n d r in g c r a c k;

Wha tdoth the Nightly F l a mes a n d Come ts ma k e,
Wha tma k e s the Ea r th to sw e ll a n d then to qu a k e;
Wha tis the Seed of Me ta l s a n d of Gold;
sen d
W7 ha t Vir tu es We a l th
ure
doth Na t
Coer ho l d
All these things doth Na tural Philosophy the

viewer o f Nature contain teaching us according to
Virgil s M use :
,
When c e
ll t
hi
n gs
ow
When c e Ma n k in d Bea st; w hen c e Fir e w hen c e R a in a n d Sn ow ;

When c e Ea r thqu a k es a r e; w hy the w hol e Oc ea n bea ts
,
s ba n k s
Ov er hi
W hen c e
and
hen
t
n r et
a ga i
r ea t
s;
f Her bs w hen c e Cou r a ge r a ge of Br u tes

t
s
n gs a n d Fr u i
n g Thi
on e, of c r e epi
Al l k in ds of St
ho
r en g t
st
36
HENRY C O RNE L I U S AGR I P P A
Bu t M athematical Philosophy teacheth us to know

the quanti ty o f na tural bodies a s extended in to three
dimensions as also to conceive of the motion and
course of celes tial bodies
,
As in gr e a tha ste ,
he go l den St
?
t
ars t
o m a r c h so fa st
Wha tma k e s
Wha tma k es the Moon
so
The Su n
so
a l so, a s
me time s to ma sk he r fac e,
me disgr a c e ?
i
f in
And as Virgil sings :

,
How th Su n doth r u l e w ith tw e lve Zodia c Sign s,

ha ts mea su r d r ou n d a bou tw i
The Or b t
t
h Li
n es
Itdot
h the Hea ven s St
a r r y Wa y ma k e k n ow n ,
An d st
r a n ge Ec l i
he Su n a n d Moon ;
pses of t
Ar c tu r n s
a l so, a n d
t
he St
ars
The Seven St
a r s li
k ew i
se,
and
n,
R ai
Cha r l es, hi
s
w ai
n;
Why Win ter Su n s ma k e tow r ds the Westso fa st;

Wha tma k es the Nights so l on g er e they be pa st?
All which are understood by M athematical Philos

O phy
Hen c e, by the Hea v en s w e ma y for e k n ow

The Sea son s a ll; time s for to r eap a n d sow ,
An d
he n
An d
hen
t
i
s tt
o la u n ch i
nt
he deep,
o t
t
o w a r , a n d w hen i
n pea c e t
o sl eep;
he n t
r ees, a n d t
o di
hem a ga i
n
g up t
ha tt
hey ma y br i
To se t
t
n g for t
h a ma i
n
,
An d
No w Theological Philosophy
or
Divinity , teacheth
wha tGod is wha tthe M ind what an Intelligence what

an Angel wha ta Devil wha tthe S o u l what R eligion
what sacred Ins ti tutions R ites Temples O bserva
tions and sacred M ysteries are It instructs us also
concerning Faith M iracles the virt u es o f Wor ds and
Fi
gu r e s the secre t O pera tions and mys teries o f Sea l s;
,
HENRY C O RNE L I U S AGR I PPA
38
therefore is desirous to s tudy in thi s Faculty if he be

ural Philosophy wherein are dis
n o t skilled in N a t
covered the qualities o f thin gs and in which are found
the occul t proper ties of every Being and if he be not
skillful in the M a thema tics and in the Aspects and
Figures of the Stars upon which depen d s the sublime
virtu e and property of every thing ; and if he b e not
learned in Theology wherein are manifes ted those
immaterial substances which dispense and minister
all things he canno t be possibly able to unders tand
the ra tionality of M agic Fo r there is no work tha t is
done by mere M agic n o r any work that is merely M a g
ical that doth n o t comprehend these three Fa c u l tie s
,
CHAPTER III
r
Of the Fou r El emen ts, thei
Qu a l ities,
t
i
on s
and
Mu tu a l Mix
are four Elements and original grounds o f all

corporeal things Fire Ear th Water Air o f which
all e l e me n te d inferior bodies are c ompou nded ; n o t by
way o f heaping them up together but by transmu ta
tion and union ; and when they are destroyed they are
resolved into Elements Fo r there is none o f the
sensible Elements that is pure but they are more or
less mixed and apt to be change d o n e into the other :
Even as Earth becoming dirty an d bein g dissolved
becomes Wa ter and the same being made thick and
hard becometh Earth again ; but being evaporated
t hrough hea t passe th into Air and that being kindled
passe th into Fire ; and this being ex tinguished re turns
back again in to Air ; but being cooled again after its
burning becomes Earth o r S tone or S ulphur and this
is manifested by L igh tning Plato also was o f that
opinion tha t Ear th was wholly changeable and that
T HERE
PH I L O S O PHY
NA T URA L M A GI C
OF
39
res to f the Elemen ts are changed as into this so

in to one ano ther successively Bu titis the opinion of
the subtler sort of Philosophers tha t Earth is n o t
changed bu trelen ted and mixed wi th o ther Elements
which do dissolve it a n d that it re turns back in to
*
t
i self again
No w every one o f the Elemen ts hath
tw o s pe c i
c a l quali ties the former whereof i
t re tains
as proper to i tself ; in the o ther as a mean it agrees
wi th tha t which comes next after it Fo r Fire is ho t
and dry the Earth dr y and col d the Wa ter cold and
moist the Air mois tand ho t f And so after this man
ner the Elemen ts according to tw o con trary quali ties
are con trary one to the other as Fire to Water and
Earth to Air M oreover the Elemen ts are upon
another accoun t O pposi te one to the o ther : F o r some
are heavy as Earth and Wa ter and o thers are ligh t
as Air and Fire Wherefore the S toics called the
former pa ssives bu t the la tter a c tive s And yet once
again Plato distin g u is he th them after ano ther man
ner and assigns to every o n e of them three qualities
z
to the Fire brigh tness thinness and mo tion bu t
vi
to the Earth darkness thickness and quie tness And
according to these qualities the Elemen ts o f Fire and
Earth are contrary Bu t the other Elemen ts borrow
their quali ties from these so tha t the Air receives tw o
qualities of the Fire thinness and motion and o n e o f
the Earth viz darkness In like manner Wa ter
the
gr i pp t c h s h r d i n th c h p t r foll owi n g th tm tt r o r b
st n c h ow v r m c h it l m n t ry fo rms m y c h n g i s ET ER NAL th s
tof n o th i ng
d ny i n g th dogm th tG od cr t d l l th i ng s
P O PE
M E AN
+ Ta b 1a l y s t t d
QUALI Y
QUA
h t
d dr y
Fi r i s
d co l d
E rth i s dry
d mo i s t
W t r i s col d
*A
e,
ea
e an
s e e
a e
a e
ea e
su
e,
ou
LIT Y
an
an
an
is
mo i s t a d ho t
r
Th is
F i re i s co n tr a r y to Wa te r a n d E a r th to A i
As to th e s e q u a li ti s
i o n of the q u a li ti e s a s trol oge rs s h ou l d no te for wh il e th e books
e x p os i t
give th e s a m e m a tte r the pro pe r a d m e a n qu a li ti e s a r n otgi ve n
Ai
r
40
HENRY C O R N EL I U S
A GHI PPA s
receives tw o quali ties o f the Ear th darkness and

mo tion Bu t Fire is
thickness and one o f Fire v i
z
twice more thin than Air thric e more movable and
four times more brigh t; a n d the A ir is twice more
brigh t thrice more thin and four times more movable
Wherefore Wa ter is twice more brigh t
than Wa ter
than Ear th thrice more thin and four times more
movable * As t herefore the Fire is to the Air so Air
is to the Wa ter and Wa ter to the Ear th ; and a gain as
the Earth is to the Water so is the Wa ter to the Air
and the Air to the Fire And this is the root and
fou n da tion o f al l bodies natures virtues and wonder
ful works ; and he whic h shall know these q u alities o f
the Elemen ts and their mix tions shall easily bring to
pass such things that are wonderful and astonishing
a n d shall be perfect in M agic
,
CHA PTER IV
Of
Thr ee fo l d Con sider a t

i
on
t
he
El emen ts
are then as we have said four Elements

without the perfec t knowledge whereof we can e ffect
no thing in M agic No w each of them is three fold
that so the number of four may make up the number
of twelve ; and by passing by the number o f seven
in to the number o f te n there may be a progress to the
supreme Unity upon w hich all virtue and wonderful
O pera tion depends O f the rst O rder are the pure
Elemen ts which are nei ther compounded nor changed
nor admit o f mixtion bu t are incorruptible and not o f
which bu t through which the virtues o f all natural
things are brought for th in to a c t No man is able to
declare their vir tues because they can do all things
upon all things He which is ignorant o f these shall
T HERE
Th e
n i ty of
th e
con tr a s ts b e tw e e n th e fo u r e l e m e n ts i s h re s h ow n
e
PH I L OSO PHY
OF
NA T URAL M AG I C
41
never be able to bring to pass any wonderful ma tter

O f the second O rder are Elements that are com
pounded changeable and impure yet such as may by
a r t be reduced to their pure simplicity w hose virtue
when they are thus reduced to their simplici ty doth
above all things perfect all occult and common O pera
tions of Na ture ; and these are the foun dation of the
whole N atural M agic O f the third O rder are those
Elements which originally and of themselves are n o t
Elemen ts but are twice compounded various and
changeable o n e in to the o ther * They are the in fa l l i
ble Mediu m and therefore are called the middle na ture
or S oul of the middle na ture : Very few there are that
understand the deep mys teries thereof In the mis
by means o f certain numbers degrees and orders the
perfec tion o f every effec t in any thing soever whe ther
Na tural C eles tial o r S uperceles tial ; they are full of
wonders and mysteries and are opera tive as in M agic
N a tural so in Divine : Fo r from these through them
proceed the bindings loosings and transmu ta tions of
all thi n gs the knowing and foretelling of all things
to come also the driving forth of evil and the gaining
o f good spirits
L e t no man therefore wi thout these
three sorts o f Elements and the knowledge thereof
be conden t tha t he is able to work any thing in the
occul t S ciences of M agic and N a ture Bu twhosoever
shall know how to reduce those of on e O rder into
those of ano ther impure in to pure compounded into
simple and shall know ho w to unders tand distinc tly
the na ture virtue and power of the m in number
degrees and order without dividing the subs tance he
shal l easily a ttain to the knowledge and perfect oper
a tion of all Natural things and Celestial secre ts
.
'
c h a s h e a t li gh t a n d e le c tri c i ty ; a s tra l m a gn e ti sm a ttr a c ti on a n d

v i bra ti on ; for m n u mbe r a n d col o r ; occ u l t pr i n c i ple s of n a tu ra l l a w ; th
i mm u ta b le a ttr i bu te s of ti m e s p a c e a n d su bs ta n ce
* Su
42
HENRY C O RNEL I U S
A GR
CHAPTER V
Won derfu l
0f the
Na tu r es
IPP A
re
Fi
Ea r th
and
are t wo t hings saith Hermes v iz Fire an d

Ear th which are sufcien t for the opera tion o f all
wonderful things : the former is active the la tter pas
sive Fire as sai th Dionysius in all things and
through all things comes and goes away brigh t; it is
in all things brigh t and a t the same time occult and
unknown When it is by i tself (n o other matter c o m
ing to it in which it should manifes t its prop er action
i
t is boundless and invisible o f i tself su fcient for
every action tha t is proper to it movable yie lding
itself after a manner to all things tha t come next to
it renewing gu arding Nature enligh tening not c o m
prehended by lights that are veiled over clear parted
leapi n g back bending upwards quick in mo tion high
always raising motions c omprehending another n o t
comprehended itself not standing in need o f ano ther
secre tly increasing of itself and manifesting its great
ness to things that receive it; Active Powerful Iuvis
i
bl y presen tin all things a tonce ; it will n o tbe a r o n te d
t were in a way o f revenge it will
o r opposed bu t as i
reduce o n a sudden things into obedience to itself ;
incomprehensible impalpable n o t lessened most rich
in all dispensations o f itself Fire a s saith Pliny is
the boundless and mischievous part o f the nature o f
things it being a question whether it destroys o r pro
du c e th most things
Fire itself is one an d penetrates
through all things as say the Pytha g o r ia n s also
spread abroad in the Heavens and S hining : but in the
infernal place straitened dark and tormenting ; in
the mi
d w a y it par takes of both
Fire therefore in
i tself is one but in that which receives it m anifold ;
and in differing s u bj ec ts it is dis tributed in a di fferent
manner as C lean thes witnesseth in Cicero That re
T HERE
PH I L OSO PHY
NA T URAL M AG I C
OF
43
then which we use is fetched o u tof other things It

is in stones and is fetched out by th e stroke of the
s teel ; it is in Earth and makes that af ter digging up
to smoke ; it is in Water and heats springs a n d wells ;
i
t is in the depth of the S e a and makes tha t being
tossed wi th winds warm ; it is in the Air and m a kes
i
t (as we oftentimes see to burn
And all animals and
living things w ha tsoever as also all vege tables are
preserved by hea t; and every thing that lives lives by
reason of the inclosed hea t The properties of the
Fire that is above are heat making all things fr u itful
and li ght giving life to all things The properties of
the infernal Fire are a parching hea t consuming all
things and darkness making all things barren
The
Celes tial and brigh t F ire drives away S pirits o f dark
ness ; also this o u r Fire made wi th wood drives away
the same in as much as it hath an analogy with and
is the v e hic u lu m of that S uperior ligh t; as also o f him
who saith
I am the Li
which is
g ht o f the World
true Fire the F a ther o f L igh ts from whom every
good thing that is given comes ; sending forth the
light o f His Fire and communicating it rs t to the
Su n and the rest of the Celestial bodies and by the se
as by media ting instruments conveying that light into
our Fire As therefore the spiri ts o f darkness are
stronger in the dark so good spirits which are Angels
of L igh t are augmen ted n o tonly by tha t light which
is Divine o f the S u n and C eles tial but also by the
ligh t of our common Fire Hence it was that the rst
and mos t wise institutors o f religions and ceremonies
ordained that prayers singings and all manner of
divine worships wha tsoever should n o t be performed
wit hout ligh ted candles or torches (hence also was
tha t signican t saying of Py thagoras
Do n o t speak
of God without a L ight
and they commanded that
for the driving away of wicked spirits L ights and
,
HE N RY C O R N EL I U S A GR IPP A
44
should be kindled by the corpses o f the dea d

and that they should not be remove d un til the expi a
tions were after a holy manner performed and they
buried And the grea tJehovah himself in the o l d law
commanded that all his sa crices shoul d be o e r e d
with Fire and that Fire should always be burning
upon the al tar which custom the pries ts o f the al tar
did always O bserve and keep amongst the R omans
No w the basis and foundation o f all the Eleme n ts is
the Earth fo r t hat is the obj ect subj ec t and recepta
cle o f all Celestial rays and inuences ; in it are con
ues o f all things ;
n e d the seeds and seminal vir t
ta i
and therefore it is said to be Animal Vegetabl e and
Itbeing made fruitful by the other Ele ments
M ineral
and the Heavens it brings for th all things o f i tself
It receives the abundance of all things and is as it
were the rs t foun tain from whenc e all things spring
It is the center foundation and mo ther of all things
Take as much o f i
t as you please separated was hed
depurated subtilized if you let it lie in the O pen air
a li ttle while it will being full and abounding wi th
heavenly virtues of itself bring forth plants worms
and o ther living things also s tones and bright sparks
of m e tals In it are great secre ts if at any time it
shall be puried by the help o f Fire and reduced unto
i
ts simplicity by a convenient washing
It is the rst
matter o f o u r creation and the t r u est me dicine that
can restore and preserve us
Fires
CHA PTER V I
Of the
Won derfu l
Na tu r es of
Wa ter
Air
and
Win ds
THE other two Elements , v iz Wa ter and Air , are

n o t less e fcacious than the former ; nei ther is N ature
.
wanting to work wonderful things in them
There
is
HENR Y C O R N E L IU S A G R I PP A
46
wonders tha t are done by Wa ters according to the

her historians
n u s and many o t
W ritings of Pliny So l i
of the wonderful virtue whereo f O vid also makes
mention in these verses :
,
Hor n d Ha mmon
Ar e
ho ta tSu n
c o l d;
Wood
Wa ter s
a thi
gh n oon
Su n
i
ng
t
ri
se a n d se t
r d,
he ma s i
s Fi
n g At
n bu b l i
pu ti
i
r d;
The Moon then fa r thestfr om the Su n r e t
c on i
an
Ci
st
r ea ms c on g ea l
n k s,
Tha tther eof dr i
Cr a this
Syba r i
s
and
hi
s t
o St
on e
s gu t
hr ow n
her e i
n i
s t
a n d w ha tt
(fr om
Col or the ha ir l ik e Amber
he
t
Mou n ta in s
r ol
)
.
pu r e Go l d
n de ,
ou s k i
pr odi
gi
or
fou n ta in s of a mor e
Noton l y c ha n ge the body bu tthe min de
Who ha th n othea r d of obsc en e Sa lma c is ?
hi
s
w ho of t
h Et
hi
opi
a n l a k e ? for
Of i
Bu ton l y ta ste their w its n o l on ger k eep,
Or for thw ith fa l l in to a dea dl y s l eep
Who a t Cl itor iu s fou n ta in thir str emove
Some
"
Loa t
h
Win e
n en
i
a n d, a bs t
With str ea ms
The y
r e el,
as
oppos
Wa ter
m ee r
t
,
l ove
n c e st
us
hese Li
dt
o t
dr u n k ,
ho dr i
nk t
oo
A L a k e in fa ir Ar c a dia
ow es
mu c h of those
f ol d
w ofo l d
Ca l l d Phen eu s s u spec ted as t
nk t
her eof by n i
o dr i
Fea r a n d for bea r t
ght
By n ightu n w hol esome w hol esome by da y light
st
a n ds, o
Joseph u s al so makes relation o f the wonderful

nature of a certain river betwixtArcea and R a pha n e a
ci ties o f Syria which runs wi th a full channel all the
S abba th day an d then on a sudden ceaseth as if the
springs were s topped and all the Six days yo u may
pass over it dry shod ; but again o n the seventh day
(n o man knowing the reason of it the Waters return
again in abundance as before Wherefore the in ha b
i
ta n ts thereabout called it the S abbath day river ,
,
PH I L O S O PHY
NA T URAL M AG I C
OF
47
because of the S eventh day which was holy to the

Jews The Gospel also testies to a sheep pool in to
which whosoever stepped rst after the Wa ter was
troubled by the Angel was made whole of whatso
ever disease he had The same virtue and e fcacy we
read was in a spring o f the Jo n ia n Nymphs which
was in the territories belonging to the town of Elis
a t a village called Heraclea near t
he river Ci
the r o n :
which whosoever s tepped in to being diseased came
forth whole and cured of all his diseases Pausania s
also reports that in Lyc e u s a mountain of Arcadia
there was a spring called Agria to which as often a s
the dryness of the region threatened the destruc tion
of fruits Jupi ter s priest of Lyc e u s wen t and after
the o e r i
n g of
sacrices devoutly praying to the
Waters o f the Spring holding a Bough of an O a k in
his hand pu t it down to the bo ttom of the hallowed
S pring
Then the Wa ters being troubled a Vapor
ascending from thence in to the Air was blown in to
clouds with which being joined toge ther the whole
Heaven was overspread ; which being a li ttle af ter
dissolved into rain wa tered all the country m os t
wholesomely M oreover R u ffu s a physician o f Eph
c sus besides many other au t
hors wrote s trange things
concerning the wonders o f Wa ters which fo r ough t I
know are found in no other au thor
It remains tha t I speak of the Air
This is a vi tal
spirit passing through all beings giving life and sub
sistence to all things binding moving and lling all
things
Hence it is tha t the Hebrew doc tors reckon
i
tn o t amongs tthe Elemen ts b u t count it as a Medi
um
or glue j oining things toge ther and as the resounding
spirit o f the World s ins trument It immedia tely
receives into itself the inuences o f all celes tial
bodies and then communica tes them to the o ther El e
ments as also to all mixed bodies Also it receives
,
48
HENRY C O RNEL I U S AGRI PPA S
into itself as it were a divine looking glass the spe

cies of all things as well na tural as articial as also
o f a l l manner of speeches and retain s the m ; and car
ering into t he bodies o f
r yi
n g them with it and e n t
men and other animals throu gh their pores m akes
an impression upon them a s well when they sl eep as
when they b e awake and a ffords matter for divers
s trange Dr ea ms and Divin a tio ns Hence they say it is
that a man passing by a place where a man was slain
or the carcass newly hid is moved with fear and
dread ; because the Air in tha t place b eing f u ll of the
dreadful species o f manslaugh ter doth being brea thed
in move and trouble the spirit o f the man wi th the
like species whence it is that he c omes to be afraid
Fo r everything that makes a sudden impression aston
h nature
i
s he t
Whence it is that many philosophers
were of opinion that Air is the cause o f dreams and
he
o f many other impressio n s of the mind through t
prolong ing of Images or similitudes o r species (whic h
are fallen from things and speeches multiplied in the
very Air until they come to the senses and then to
the phantasy and soul o f him that receives them
w hich b eing freed from c ares and no way hindered
expecting to meet such kind o f species is informed by
the m
Fo r the species of things a lthough of their
own proper nature they are carried to the senses of
men and other animals in genera l , may n o tw ithsta n d
ing get some impression from the Heaven whilst they
be in the Air by reason of which toget her with the
aptness and disposition o f him tha t receives them
they may be carried to the sense o f one rather than of
another And hence it is possible naturally and far
from all manner of supers ti tion no other spirit c o m
ing between that a man should be able in a very li ttle
time to signify his mind unto another man abiding a t
a very long and unknown dis tanc e from him ; a l though
-
PH I L OSO PHY
NA T URAL M AG I C
OF
49
he cannot precisely give an estimate o f the time when

it is yet o f necessity it mus t be within twenty four
hours ; and I myself know how to do it and have often
*
done it
The same also in time past did the Abbot
us
Tr i
te n i
both know and do Also when certain
appearances n o t o n ly spiritual but also natural do
o w forth from things (that is to say by a certain
kind o f o w in g s for th o f bodies from bodie s !
; and do
ga ther s trength in the Air they offer and show them
selves to us as well t hrough ligh t as motion as well
to the sight as to o ther senses and some times work
-
)
,
Th i s i s conc l s i ve e v i d e n c e th a t te l e p a th y o r m i n d tr nsf r n c e h a
be e n known a n d p ra c ti c e d for h ndre ds of y e a r s The m e th od of mi n d
tr a nsf e re n c e i s fr e q
ntl y c a rr i e d ou t u n a w a re s a d m a y b e p e r forme d
i n v a ri ou s w ys W h n tw o pe r sons a r e i n n t r a l sym p a th y w i th e a c h
oth e r it i s a com p a ra ti ve l y e sy m tt r i f th e y a of a n rv o s or s ns i
ti v te m pe r a m e n t W r i ti n g a l e tt r a n d th e n b u rn i n g i
t th e w h il x i n g
th e m i
n d rm ly p on th p rso n a ddre ss e d a d willi n g th a t the l e tte r b e
a n sw r d i s o e m th od
M e n ta ll y a ddr ss i n g a crys ta l v ss l of w a t r
w i th the pa l ms of th e h a nds x t nd d ove r the gl a ss the w h il e p i c t ri n g
the a bs n t p rson c l
rl y i n the m i nd s e ye a n d th e n p ou ri n g th e wa te r
i n to a s tr e a m o r the oce a n will c a rry a m ss a ge to o e a t a B u ry i n g a
s ton s l a te or pi e c e of m e ta l i n the a rth tth ti m of th
w moon o n
wh i c h a m e ss a ge i s i nscr i b d w ill i n nc th ose wh o l a bor i n th rth or
work i n li k m t l s sp c i a lly i f S t rn or U ra n u s b e i n s tr on g a sp e c tto
the a r th th ro gh th s
Th e AIR m e th od i s th e b e s t of a l l a d w a th at
ndo b te d ly u se d by A gri pp a a h m a k s m nti on of th m tt r i n th i s
pl a ce G o o u t i nto th e op n i or t op n Wi n dow a n d fa c e th q u a r
te r w h e r i n th p e rso n i s ; o r i f the q u a r te r b
n k n own fa c e i n tu rn e a c h
of th fou r c a r d i n a l p o i n ts a d a u d i bl y c a ll the n a m of th pe rson wi th
wh om comm n i c a ti on i s d s i r d th s m a th ou gh the p a rty w i n
a d j o i n i n g room t
h r e ti m e s e a rn s tl y a n d e a c h ti m e wi th a dd d force
Wh il do i ng th i s e x te n d th e a r ms a n d h a n ds a i n a pp e a l th e wh il e c l e a r ly
pi c tu ri ng th e p e r s on s fe a tu r s i n th m i nd d will d t rm i n d l y a d p
si
st
ent
l y th a ty o u r c a ll a d m ss a g he h e a rd
T h e n s p e a k a s th ou gh the
pe rson s tood b e fo re you s h or tl y rm l y a n d d e c i d e d l y H a vi ng done th i s
li s te n fo r a re pl y w h i c h will com e a th ou gh e we re s pe a ki n g to the m i n d
w i th o u t th e a i
Do
d of the e a
o t i m a gi n e a r e pl y a s th a t w ill n o t h l p
bu tr a th r h i n d e r comm u n i c a ti o n
O f cou r se i n mostc a s e s iti s n e c e ss a ry
th a tth e r e s h o l d e x i s ta s y m
p a th e ti c bond or tie of som e ki nd be tw n the
p a rti e s Th i s a tma y b e d e ve l o p e d by p ra c ti c e by l ove r s e s p e c i a ll y to a n
a st
on i s h i ng d e gre e It will b fo nd ve ry h l p fu l to se tc e rt i n ti m e s fo r
su c h d ve lo p me n t Wi th p ra c ti c e a fte r m i n d comm u ni c a ti on h a be e n
a ccom p li s h e d s p ok e n m e ss a ge s a n d o th e r n o t
ion s m a y b di s
e d co n d i t
pe se d w i th a d itw ill be m e r e l y n e c ss a ry to WILL a n d THINK p r o j e c ti ng
th e m s s a ge a s tr a ll y
tThe a s tra l bod y f r om the m a te r i a l bod y
*
re
ue
se
e ne
un
e ea
a r
o an
as
an
on
ee
er
an
e u
a u
ea
ue
HENRY C O RNE L I U S AGRIP PA
50
wonderful things upon us as Plotinus proves and

teache th And we see ho w by the south wind the Air
is condensed in to thin clouds in which a s in a looking
glass are reected represen tations at a grea t dis tance
les mountains horses and men and o ther things
o f cas t
which when the clouds are gone presently vanish
And Aristotle in his M eteors shows that a rainbow is
conceived in a cloud o f the Air as in a looking glass
And Albertus saith that the e fg ie s o f bodies m ay by
the strength of na ture in a moist Air be easily r e pr e
sen ted in the same manner as the representations o f
things are in things
And Aristo tle tells of a man to
whom it happene d by reason o f the weakness o f his
sigh t that the Air that was near to him became as it
were a looking glass to him and the O ptic beam did
reec t back upon hi mself and coul d n o t penetra te the
Air s o that whi thersoever he wen t he thought he saw
hi
h his face towards him go before
s own image wi t
him In like manner by the a r tic ia l n e s s o f some
cer tain looking glasses may be produced at a dis tance
in the Air beside the looking glasses what images we
please ; which when ignoran t men see they think they
see the appearances o f S pirits o r sou l s ; when indeed
the y are no thing else but semblances kin to them
selves and without life And it is well known if in a
dark place where there is no light but by the coming
in of a beam o f the sun somewhere through a l ittle
hole a whi te paper o r plain looking glass be set up
agains tthat light that there may be seen upon them
wha tsoever things are done wi thou t being shined
upon by the sun And t here is another sleight or trick
ye t more wonderful : If any o n e shall take i mages
articially painted o r written letters and in a clear
nigh t set them against the beams o f the full moon
whose resemblances being multiplied in the Air and
c augh t upward and reected back together wi th the
,
PH I L OSO PHY
NA T URAL M AG I C
OF
51
beams of the moon any other man that is pri v y to the

thing a t a long distance sees reads and knows them
in the very compass and circle o f the moon ; which Art
of declaring secre ts is indeed very protabl e for towns
and ci ties that are besieged being a thing which
Pythagoras long since did often do and whic h is not
unknown to some in these days ; I will n o texcept my
self And all these and many more and greater than
these are grounded in the very na ture o f the Air and
have their reasons and causes declared in mathematics
and op tics And as these resemblances are reec ted
back to the sigh t so also some times to the hearing as
is manifest in the Echo Bu t there are more secret
arts than these and such whereby any one may at
a very remote distance hear and understand what
another speaks or whispers softly
There are also from the airy elemen t Winds ; for
they are nothing else bu t Air moved a n d s tirred up
Of these there are four tha t are principal blowing
from the four corners o f the Heaven viz : Notu s from
the S outh Bor ea s from the N orth Zephyr u s from the
Wes t Eu r u s from the Eas t* which Pontanus compre
hending in these verses sai th :
:
Bor ea s fr om the top of l ympu s bl ow s

An d fr om the bottom c l ou dy Not
u s ow s
n g Phaebu s fr u i
Fr om se t
t
i
t
fu l Zeph r u s flies
An d ba r r en Eu r u s fr om the Su n s u p r ise
Co l d
rc s M a n ili u s of R om e ti m e of Au gu stu s a n d a u th or of th e poe m

e nt
i tl d A str on om i c a th s wri te s of the Ca rd i n a l W i n ds (F i ve B ook s of
M n ili u s L o n do n
E a s t W e st a n d N o rth a n d Sou th on e i th e r s i d e
T h e s e Q a rt rs l i ppos d the W orl d d i v i d e
A m a n y W i nds from th e s e fo u r Qu a r te r s ie
A n d gh t a d r a ttle th r o th e e m p ty S k y
R o gh B or a s from th N or th b e a rs F r os tan d S n ows
A n d from th e E a s t th e g e n tl e E u ru s b l ows
We tAu s te r fr om the tor r i d S o th i s th rown
An d p le a s i n g Z e ph yr s coo l s the s e tti n g S u n
*Ma
e
'
e o
'
52
HENRY C O RNEL I U S AGR I PPA
the S outhern Wind cloudy mois t warm and

sickly which Hieronimus calls the butler o f the rains
O vid describes i
tthus :
Notu s is
Ou t ies Sou th w in d
-
i
t
h dr oppi
ng
w i
n gs, w
ho
shr ow
ds
H is fea rfu l a spec tin the pitc hie c l ou ds,

H is w hite Ha ir e str ea ms, his Be a r d big sw ol n w ith show er s;
M ists bin de his Br ow s, r a in fr om his Bosome pow r es
-
Bu tBor ea s is contrary to Notu s and is the Northern

Wind erce and roaring and discussin g clouds ; makes
the Air serene and binds the Water with frost Him
doth O vid thus bring in speaking o f himself :
,
For c e me befi
ht
hi
hi
t
s: w i
t
s t
c k c l ou ds I dr i
ve;
Toss the bl ew Bill ow s, k n ott
y Ok es u p r i
ve;
Con gea l softsn ow , a n d bea tt
he Ea r t
hwi
t
h ha ile :
-
When
I my br e t
hr en i
n t
he Air e
F
or
t
h
a
ts
(
ou r
)m
F ie l d
i
t
h
it
h su c h
ee tw
we
Tha tthu n dr in g S k ie s
a ssa i
l e,
ou r en c ou n t
er s r oc k
A n d c l ou d st
r u c k li
n g a shes fr om
ghtn i
-
When
a shoc k ,
t
hr ou gh the Cr a n n i
es
hi
gh,
t
he Ea r t
h I j li
e
on
An d for c e her in he r ho ll ow Ca ves; I ma k e

The Ghost
r embl e , a n d t
s t
o t
he gr ou n d t
o qu a k e
And Zephyr u s which is the Western Wind is most

soft blowing from the West with a pleasa n t gale ; it
is col d and moist removing the e e c ts o f Winter
bringing forth branches and owers To this Eu r u s is
contrary which is the Eastern Wind and is called
Ape l i
ot
t is waterish cloudy and ravenous
es; i
Of
these two O vid sings thus :
,
'
To Per si
s
a nd
Whose
ms pe rfu me the bl u shin g Mor n e
gu
Sa bea ,
Nex tto the Even in g ,
Eu r u s fl ies
and
With se ttin g Phce bu s ow

,
se :
s up r i
t
he Coa stt
ha tgl ow s
ry
Zeph r u s bl ow s;
HEN R Y C O R N E L I U S AGR IP PA
54
more heavy ; and those wa teris h which are tr a n s pa r

ed o f wa ter as crys tal beryl and
e n t and are compac t
pearls in the shells o f shes ; and they are called airy
which swim upon the wa ter and are spongeous as the
stones o f a sponge the pumice s tone and the stone
and they are called ery o u t o f which re is
s o phu s ;
ex tracted or which are produced o f re as thunder
bol ts r e stones and the stone asbestos Also amongs t
Me tals lead and silver are ear thy ; quicksilver is w a
n are airy ; and gold and iron are
terish ; copper and ti
ery In Plants also the roots resemble the earth by
reason o f their thickness ; and the leaves water
because o f their j uice ; owers the air because o f
their subtility and the seeds the re by reason o f
their multiplying spirit Besides they are called
some ho t so me col d some moist some dry borrowi n g
their names from the qualities of the Elements
Amongs t Animals also some are in comparison of
others earthy and dwell in the bowels of the earth
as worms and moles and many oth er small creeping
vermin ; o thers are wa tery as shes ; others airy
w hich canno t live o u tof the air ; r o thers also are ery
living in the re as salamanders and crickets suc h
as are of a ery heat as pigeons ostriches lions and
such as the wise man calls beas ts breathing re
Besides in animals the bones resemble the earth esh
the air the vi tal S pirit the re and the humors the
wa ter And these humors also partake o f the El e
ments for yellow choler is instead of re blood instead
ater and black choler o r
o f air phlegm instead of W
melancholy ins tead o f earth And lastly in the S oul
i tself according to Austin the understanding resem
bles re reason the air imagination the wa ter and
the senses the earth
And these senses also are
,
m e e r sc h a u m (se a f ro th)
o r s pi o li te
tB i rds i n ge n e r a l a r e u n do u b te d l y h e r e m e a n t
Pr ob a bl y
on e
of
the bi
si
li
c at
es
PHI L OSO PHY
N A T URAL M A GI C
OF
55
divided amongst themselves by reason o f the El e

men ts for the sight is ery neither can it perceive
without re and light ; the hearing is airy for a sound
is made by the striking o f the air ; the smell and tas te
resemble the wa ter without the moisture of whic h
there is neither smell nor taste ; and lastly the feel
ing is wholly earthy and taketh g ross bodies fo r its
objec t The actions also and the O perations o f man
are governed by the Elements The earth signies a
slow and rm motion ; the water signies fearfulness
and sluggishness and remissness in working ; air sig
ni
e s c heerfulness a n d an amiable disposition ; but re
a erce quick and an gry disposition The Elemen ts
therefore are the rs t of all things and all things
are of and according to them and they are in all
things and diffuse their virtues through all things
,
CHAPTER VIII
How the El emen t

s
are
i
n An ge l s,
n D evi
l s,
he Hea vens, i
n St
n t
i
a r s, i
an d
God himse lf
l a st
n
ly i
IT IS the unanimous consent of all Platonis ts that

as in the original and exemplary Worl d all thin gs are
in all ; so also in this corporeal world all things are
in all ; s o also the Elements are not only in these in fe
rior bodies but also in the Heavens in S tars in De v
ils in Angels and lastly in God the maker and origi
nal example of all things Now in these inferior
bodies the Elements are accompanied with much gross
mat ter ; but in the Heavens the Elements are wi th
their natures and virtues viz after a celestial and
more excellent manner than in sublunary things Fo r
the rmness of the Celes tial Earth is there withou t
the grossness of water ; and the agility o f the Air
without running over its bounds ; the heat o f Fire
,
HE N RY C O R N E L IU S A GR I PPA
56
wi thout burning only s hining and giving life to a ll

ts hea t Amongs t the S tars also some
things by i
are ery as M ars and S O 1 ; airy as Jupiter and V enus ;
wa tery as S a turn and M ercury ; and ear thy su c h as
inhabi tthe eigh th Or b * and the M oon (which n o tw ith
s tanding by many is accounted watery seeing as if
it were Earth it a ttracts to itself the celestia l wa ters
with which being imbibed it doth by reason o f its
nearness to us pour out and com mu n icate to us
There are also amongst the S igns !
; some ery some
earthy some airy some watery ; the Elemen ts rule
them also in the Heavens distributing to them these
four threefold considera tions o f every Element v iz
the beginning middle and end : S o Aries possesse th
the beginning o f re L e o the progress and increase
and S a gi ttarius the end Taurus the beginning of the
earth V irgo the progress Capricorn the end Gemini
the beginning o f the air L ibra the progress Aquarius
the end Cancer the beginning o f wa ter S corpius the
middle and Pisces the end O f the mixtions there
fore of these Plane ts and S igns toge ther with the
Elemen ts are all bodies made M oreover Devils also
are upon this accoun t distinguished the o n e from the
o ther so tha t some are called ery some earthy some
airy and some watery Hence also those four Infer
nal R ivers e r y Phlegethon airy Cocytus watery
S tyx earthy Acheron
Also in the Gospel we read of
hell re and eternal re into which the cursed shall
be commanded to go ; and in the R evelation we read
of a lake o f re and Isaiah speaks o f the damned
tha tthe L ord will smi te them with corrupt air And
in Job they shall skip from the wa ters o f the sno w to
ex tremity o f heat ; and in the same we read that the
,
s u pp os e d l y tra ns p a re n te n ve l op e or a u r s ph e re i nc l os i ng th e e a r th
a n d ot
h e r li ke s ph e re s w i th i n w h i c h we re c a rri e d the p l a n e ta ry bod i e s
h ou s e s o r d i v i s i on a l p a r ts of th Z od i a c
1 Th tw l v e
A
'
PH I L OSO PHY
OF
NA T URAL M AG I C
57
Earth is dark and covered wi th the darkness o f death

and miserable darkness M oreover also these El e
ments are placed in the Angels in Heaven and the
blessed Intelligenc es There is in them a stabili ty of
their essence which is an ear thly virt u e in which is
the steadfas t sea t of God ; also their mercy and piety
is a wa tery cleansing v i
rtue Hence by the Psalmis t
they are called Wa ters where he speaking o f the
Heavens saith Who r u le st the Waters tha tare higher
than the Heavens * Also in them their subtile brea th
is Air and their love is shining Fire Hence they are
called in S crip ture the Wings o f the Wind ; and in
another place the Psalmis t speaks of them Who
makest Angels thy S piri ts and thy M inis ters a ami n g
re Also according to orders o f Angels some are
ery as S eraphim and Au thorities and Powers ;
ear thy as Cherubim ; wa tery as Thrones and Arch
angels ; airy as Dominions and Principali ties Do we
not also read o f the original maker o f all things tha t
the earth S hall be opened and bring for th a S avior ?
Is i
t not spoken of the same that he shall be a foun t
ain of living Water cleansing and regenera ting ? Is
n o tt
he same S pirit breathing the br ea th o f life ; and
the same according to M oses and Paul s testimony
at consuming Fire ?
Tha t Elemen ts therefore are to
be found everywhere and in all things after their
manner no man can deny : Firs t in these inferior
bodies s e c u l e n t and gross and in celes tials more pure
and clear ; but in s u pe r c e l e s tia l s living and in all
respec ts blessed Elemen ts therefore in the e x e m
pl a r y world are Idea s of things to be produced in
Intelligences are dis tributed powers in Heavens are
virtues and in inferior bodies gross forms
,
s a l m cx lv iii 4 W a te rs th a tb e a bove the H ve n s Ge n i 6 9

i s a l so no te wor th y The W a te ry T ri pli c i ty of th e Z od i c m a y p ro pe rl y be
te r m e d a s Wa te r s a bo v e the H e a v e ns
o r Ce l e s ti a l W t rs
Se e P
"
ea
"
a e
58
HENRY C O RNEL I U S A GR I PPA

CHA PTER IX
Of the Vir tu es
mme dia te ly
ng i
hi
t
n gs Na t
u r a l , depen di
El eme n ts
u pon
na tural virtues of things some are Element

ary as to hea t to cool to moisten to dry ; and they
are called opera tions or rs t q u alities ; and the second
act : fo r these qualities only do wholly change the
whole subs tance which none of the other qualities
can do And some are in things compounded of El e
men ts a n d these are more than rst quali ties and
such are those that are matura ting digesting r e so l v
ing mollifying hardening restringing absterging
corroding burning opening evaporating strengthen
ing mitigating conglutina ting obstruc ting expelling
retaining attrac ting repercussing s tupefying bestow
ing l u br ifyin g and many more Elementary qualities
do many things in a mixed body which they c annot do
in the Elements themselves And these operations
are called secondary qualities because they follo w the
nature and proportion of the mix tion o f the rst vir
tues as largely it is treated of in physic books As
matura tion which is the O peration o f natural heat
according to a c ertain proportion in the substance of
the matter so induration is the operation of cold ; so
also is congelation and so of the rest And these
operations some times act upon a certain member as
suc h whic h provoke water milk the ow and they
are called third qualities which follow the secon d as
the second do the rs t According therefore to these
rs t second and third qualities many diseases are
both cured and caused M any things also there are
articially ma de which men muc h wonder at ; as is
Fire which burns Water which they call the Greek
Fire o f which Aris to tle teacheth many compositions
in his particular treatise of this subj ec t In like
O F the
PH I L OSO PHY
OF
NA T URAL M AGI C
59
manner there is m a de a Fire that is extinguished with

oil and is kindled with cold water when it is sprinkled
upon it; and a Fire which is kindled either with R ain
Wind or the Su n ; and there is made a Fire which is
calle d burning Wa ter the confection whereof is well
known and it consumes nothing but itself And also
there are made Fires t hat cannot be quenched and
i
n c ombu st
i
bl e Oi
l s and per pe t
u a l L a mps which can be
extinguished neither with wind nor water nor any
other way ; w hich seems utterly incredible , but that
there had been such a mos t famous L amp which once
did s hine in the Temple o f Venus in which the s tone
Asbes tos did burn which being once red can never
be ex tinguished Also o n the co n trary Woo d o r any
other combustible ma tter may b e so ordered tha t it
can receive no harm from the Fire ; and there are
made certain confec tions with which the hands being
anointed we may carry red ho t iron in them or put
them into melted metal ; o r go wi th o u r whole bodies
being rst anointed therewi th into the Fire without
any manner of harm ; and such like things as these
may be done There is also a kind o f ax which
Pliny calls A s be s tu m the Greeks call Asbeson which
is n o t consumed by F ire o f which An a x ila u s saith
tha t a tree compassed about with it may be c u t down
with insensible blows tha t canno tbe heard
l
CHAPTER
u es
0f the Oc c u l t Vir t
f Thin gs
T HERE
are also other virtues in things which are

not from any Element as to expel poison to drive
away the noxious vapors o f minerals to attract iron
or a n y thing else ; and these virtues are a sequel o f the
species and form of this o r that thing ; whence also
,
HENRY C O RNEL I U S A G RI PPA S
60
they being li ttle in quanti ty are of great e ffic acy ;

which is not gran ted to any Elementary quality For
these virtues having much form and little matter c an
do very much ; but an Elementary virtue because it
hath more materiality requires much matter for its
acting And they are called Oc c u l t Qu a l ities, b ecause
their causes lie hid and man s intellect cannot in any
way reach and nd them out Wherefore phil osophers
have attained to the greatest part o f them by l ong
experience rather t han by the search of reason : for
as in the stomach the meat is digested by heat , which
we know so it is changed by a certain hidden virtue
which we know not : for truly it is n o t changed by
heat because then it should rather be changed by the
r e side than in the stomach
S o there are in things ,
besides the Elemen tary qualities whic h w e know
other certain imbred virtues created by Nature which
we admire and are amazed a t being such a s we know
n o t and indeed sel dom o r never have seen
As we
read in O vid of the Ph oe nix o n e only bird which
renews herself :
,
All Bir ds fr om
her s
ot
do der i
ve t
hei
r bi
rt
h,
Bu tye ton e Fow l e ther e is in a ll the Ea r th,

v , w ho t
r
he w a i
n
Ca l id by ih Assyr ia n s Phce n i
0f
r s, a n d sow s
a ge r epa i
her
se l
a ga i
n
And in another place

E gyptu s
An d this
ca
me to
r are
see
Bir d is
thi
s w
on dr ou s si
;
ght
w e l co m
d wi
h de l i
t
ght
.
L ong since Ma tr e a s brought a very great wonder

ment upon the Greeks and R om a ns concernin g him
self He said that he nourishe d and bred a beast that
did devour itself Hence many to this da y are soli o
i
to u s what this beast o f M a tr e a s should b e
Who
would not wonder that shes shoul d be digged out of
.
HE N R Y C O RNE L I U S A GRIPP A
62
CHA PTER X I
How Oc c u l t Vir tu es
are
nt
o t
he
Infu se d i
hr ou gh t
he He lp
n gs by Idea s, t
Thi
Wor l d
R a ys
an d
most w ith this Vir tu e
l ki
n ds
t
he Sou l
an d w
t
he St
a r s;
sev e r a
ha t Thi
n gs
he
t
a bou n d
PLA T O N IS T S say tha t all inferior bodies are exempli

N o w they dene an Idea to
e d by the superior Idea s
be a form above bodies souls minds and to be one
simple pure immutable indivisible incorpo re al and
eternal ; and tha t the na ture o f all Idea s in the rst
place is in very Goodness i tself (i
God by way of
cause ; and that they are dis tinguished amongs t the m
selves by some rela tive co n siderations only lest wha t
soever is in the world should be bu to n e thing without
any variety and tha tthey a gree in essence les t God
should be a compound substance In the second
place they plac e them in the very In telligible Itself
in the Sou l of the Wor l d di ffering the one from
(i
the o ther by absolute forms so that all the Idea s in
Go d indeed are bu t o n e form but in the S oul of the
World they are many They are p l aced in the minds
of all other things whether they be joined to the
body or separa ted from the body by a certain pa r tic
i
o n and now by degrees are dis t
inguished more
pa ti
and more They place them in N a ture a s certain
small S eed o f Forms infused by the Idea s and las tly
they place the m in ma tter as S hadows Hereunto
may be added tha t in the S oul of the World there be
as many S e minal Forms of things as Idea s in the mind
o f Go d by which forms she did in t
he Heavens above
the Stars frame to herself s hapes also and stamped
upon all these some properties O n these Stars there
fore shapes and proper ties all vir tues o f inferior
species as also their properties do depend ; s o that
every species hath its Celestial S hape or gure that
.
PHI L OSO PHY
NA T URAL
OF
M AGIC
63
is sui table to it fro m which also proceeds a wonderful

power of oper a tin g which proper gift it receives from
i
ts own Idea through the S eminal Forms of the S oul
of the World Fo r Idea s are not only essential causes
of every species bu t are also the causes o f every
virtue which is in the species ; and this is tha t which
many philosophers say tha tthe proper ties which are
in the na ture of things (which virtues indeed are the
operations of the Idea s are moved by certain virtues
z
such as have a certain and sure founda tion ; not
vi
fortuitous nor casual bu t e fcacious powerful and
su f
c i
e n t doing nothing in vain
No w these V irtues
do n o t err in their actings but by accident viz by
reason of the impurity or inequali ty of the ma tter :
Fo r upon this accoun t there are found things o f the
same species more or less powerful according to the
puri ty or indisposi tion of the matter ; for all C eles tial
Inuences may be hindered by the indisposi tion and
insufciency of the ma tter Whence it was a proverb
amongs t the Platonis ts tha t Celes tial Virtues were
infused according to the desert o r meri tof the ma tter :
Which also Virgil makes mention of when he sings :
,
The ir
nat
u r es
er y
a r e, a n d
fr om
a bov e ,
n e l y move
An d fr om gr oss bodi
es fr eed, di
vi
Wherefore those things in which there is less
the
Idea of the ma tter (i
such things which have a
grea ter resemblance of things separa ted have more
powerful vir tues in opera tion being like to the opera
tion o f a separa ted Ide a
We see then tha t the si tua
tion and gure of Celestials is the cause of all thos e
excellen tV irtues tha t are in inferior species *
of
d of a p r E l e m e nt w h th r the e l e m e n tb e of ti m e Sp a c e or
m tte r i s a i d e a th a tp rta i ns e xc l s i ve ly to s u c h l m n t cor l ti n g wi th
ita p rf c tl y a
th e i d e a i s pe r fe c t A s s c h i d a m s t b
v ol v d i n a n
i n te lli g n t of s c h e l m e n t so i d e a s a e e sse n ti a l to occ l te x pe ri m e n t
*
An I
ea
e e
u se
e a
e e
HENR Y C O RNEL I U S AGR IP PA
64
CHA PTER X II
.
How itis tha tPa r tic u l a r Vir tu es a r e Infu sed in to Pa r tic u la r

es
In di
du a l s, eve n of the sa me Spec i
vi
.
T HERE
are also in many individuals or particular

things peculiar gifts as wonderful as in the species
and these also are from the gure and situa tion of
t begins
Fo r every Individual when i
Celes tial S tars
to be under a de termined Horoscope and Celestial
Constella tion c on tr a c ts together wit h its essence a
cer tain wonderful virtue bo th of doing and su e r in g
some thing tha tis remarkable even besides tha twhich
i
t receives from i
ts species ; and this i
t do th p artly by
the inuence o f the Heaven and par tly through that
O bedien tialness o f the matter of things to be gener
a ted to the S oul o f the World which obedientialness
indeed is such as tha t of our bodies to o u r souls Fo r
we perceive tha t there is this in us that according to
our conceptions o f things o u r bodies are moved and
that cheerfully as when we are afraid of or y from
any thing S o many times when the cele stial souls
conceive several things then the matter is moved obe
di
ent
l y to it
Also in N ature there appear divers
prodigies by reason of the imagination o f superior
motions S o also they concei v e and ima gine divers
virtues not only things natural but also sometimes
things articial and this especially if the S oul of
the operator be inclin ed towards the same Whence
Av i
c e n saith that whatsoever things are done here
mus t have been before in the mo tions and conceptions
o f the S tars and O rbs
S O in things various e ffec ts
inclina tions and dispositions are occasioned not only
from the ma tter variously disposed as many suppose
but from a various inuence and diverse form ; n o t
truly with a s pe c ic a l di fference b u t peculiar and
proper And the degrees o f these are vario u sly dis
,
PH I L OSO PHY
NA T URAL M AG I C
OF
65
tributed by the rs t cause of all things Go d himself

w ho being unchangeable distributes to every one as
he pleaseth wi th whom notwi thstanding second
causes Angelical and Celes tial c o O perate disposing
of the corporeal matter and other things tha t are
commi tted to them All virtues therefore are infused
by God through the S oul of the World ye tby a par
ti
c u l a r power o f resemblances and in t
el ligences over
ruling them and concourse o f the rays and aspec ts of
the S tars in a certain peculiar harmonious consent
,
CHA PTER
When c e the
rt
u es
Oc c u l t Vi
X III
f Thin gs Pr oc e ed
well known to all tha t there is a cer tain virtue

in the L oads tone by which it a ttrac ts iron and tha t
the Diamond do th by its presence take away tha t vir
tu e o f the L oads tone
S O also Amber and Je t rubbed
and warmed draw a s traw to them ; and the s tone
Asbes tos being once red is never o r scarce e x tin
A Carbuncle shines in the dark ; the stone
s he d
gu i
Ae ti tes pu t above the young fr u it o f women o r plan ts
streng thens them bu t being pu t under weakene th
The Jasper s ta u n c he th blood ; the li ttle sh Echeneis
s tops the ships ; R hubarb expels choler ; the liver o f
the Chameleon burn t raise th showers a n d thunders
The stone Helio trope dazzles the sight and makes him
that wears it to be invisible ; the stone L yu c u r iu s
takes away delusions from before the eyes the per
fume o f the stone Lyppa r is calls forth all the beasts
the
the s tone S yn o c hi
ti
s bri n gs up infernal ghosts
s tone A n a c hitis makes the images of the Gods appear
The En n e c tis pu t under them tha t dream cause th
oracles There is an herb in E thiopia wi th which
they repor t po n ds and lakes are dried up and all
IT IS
HENR Y C O R N E L I U S A GR I PPA
66
things tha t are
shut to be opened ; and we read of an

herb called L a face which the Persian kings give to
their embassadors that whi thersoever they s hall come
they shall abound with ple n ty of all things There is
a lso a S cy thian herb wi th which being tasted o r a t
leas t held in the mouth they reportthe S cy thians w ill
endure twelve days hunger and thirst ; and Apuleius
sai th tha t he was taught by an O racle that there were
many kinds o f herbs and s tones with which men
migh t prolo n g their lives forever bu t that it was n o t
lawful for men to unders tand the knowledge o f those
things because w hereas they have bu t a short time to
live they study mischief with all their might and
a ttempt all manner o f wickedness ; if they s hould be
sure o f a very long time they would n o t sp are the
Gods thems elves : Bu t from whence these virtues are
none o f all these have she wed who have s e t forth
huge volumes of the properties o f things n o tHermes
n o t Bo c hu s n o t Aaron n o t O rpheus n o t The o hr a s
p
tu s n o t The bi
th n o t Ze n o the mi
er n o t
s n o t Zoroas t
Ev a x not Dioscorides n o t Is a a ic k the Jew n o t Zach
aria s the Babyl onian n o t Alber tus n o tAr n o l du s ; and
yet all these have confessed the same that Zac harias
wri tes to M ithr idite s tha t great power and human
destinies are couched in the virtues o f S tones a n d
Herbs
Bu t to know from whence th ese come a
higher specula tion is required Alexander the peripa
te ti
c
n o t going
any further than his senses and
qualities is of the opinion that these proceed from
Elements and their qualities whic h haply migh t be
supposed to be true if those were of the same species ;
bu t many o f the opera tions o f the S tones agree nei ther
i
n ge n er e nor spec i
e
Therefore Pla to and his scholars
a ttribute these virtue s to Idea s the formers o f things
Bu t Av ic e n r e du c e th these kinds o f O perations to
In telligence s Hermes to the S tars Albertus to the
,
PH I L OSO PHY
OF
c a l
spe c i
NA T URAL M A GI C
67
forms of things And a l though these authors

seem to thwart one the o ther yet none of them if
they be rightly understood goes beside the truth ;
since all their sayings are the same in e e c t in most
thin g s For God in the rs t place is the end and
beginning of all Virtues ; he gives the seal of the Ide a s
to his servants the Intelligences ; who as faithful
sign all things in trusted to the m wi th an
o i
c ers
Ideal Vir tue ; the Heavens and S tars as instrume n ts
disposing the matter in the mean while for the r e c e iv
ing of those forms which reside in Divine M aj esty (as
saith Pla to in Time u s and to be conveyed by S tars ;
and the Giver of Forms dis tributes them by the M in
elligences which he hath s e t as R ulers
i
st
r y of his In t
and Controllers over his Works to whom such a
power is int r usted in things committed to them that
so all Virtues of Stones Herbs Me tals and all o ther
things may come from the In telligences the Govern
ors The Form therefore and Virtue o f things comes
rst from the Idea s t hen from the r u ling and govern
ing Intelligences then from the aspects o f the Heavens
disposing and lastly from the tempers o f the Elements
disposed answering the inuences of the Heavens by
which the Elements themselve s are ordered o r dis
posed These kinds o f operations therefore are per
for med in thes e inferior things by express forms and
in the Heavens by disposing virtues in In telligences
by media ting rules in the O riginal Cause by Idea s and
exemplary forms all w hich must of necessity agree in
the execution of the e ffect and virtue of every thing
u e and operation
There is therefore , a wonderful virt
in every Herb and S tone but greater in a S tar beyond
which even from the governing Intelligences every
thing receiveth and ob tains many thin gs fo r itself
especially from the S upreme Cause wi th whom a l l
t hings do mutually and exac tly correspond agreein g
.
)
,
HENR Y C O R N EL I U S A G R I P P A
68
in an harmonious consen t as it were in hymns always

praising the highes t M aker o f all things as by the
three children in the ery furnace were all things
called upon to praise God wi th singings Bless ye the
L ord all things that grow upon the Earth and all
things whic h move in the Wa ters all fowls o f the
Heavens beas ts and ca ttle together with the sons o f
men There is therefore no o ther cause o f the n e c e s
si
ty o f effec ts than the connec tion o f all things with
the Firs t C ause and their correspondency wi th those
Divine pat terns and eternal Idea s whence every thing
ha th its determinate and particular place in the e x e m
ts
pl a r y world from whence it lives and receives i
original being : And every virtue of herbs s tones
me tals animals words and speeches and all things
that are o f Go d is placed there
N o w the Firs tCause
which is Go d al though he do th by In telligences and
the Heavens work upo n these inferior things do th
some times (these me diu ms being laid aside or their
o fcia ting being suspended works those things imme
dia te l y by himself which works then are c alled M ira
cles Bu t whereas secondary causes which Pla to
and o thers call handmaids do by the command and
appoin tment o f the First C ause necessarily act and
are necessita ted to produce their effec ts if Go d shall
no tw i ths tanding according to his pleasure so dis
charge and suspend them tha tthey S hall wholly desist
from the necessity of that command and appoin tmen t;
then they are called the grea tes t M iracles o f God
S o the re in the Chaldeans furnace did not burn the
Children
S o also the S u n at the command of Joshua
wen t back from its course the S pace o f a whole day ;
so also a t the prayer o f Hezekia h it went back ten
degrees o r hours S o when Chris t was crucied the
Su n was darkened though at full M oon
And the rea
sons o f these opera tions can byn o rational discourse
,
70
HENRY C O R N EL I U S A GR I PPA S
but as it were a body v iz by which the soul may be

j oined to the body N o w they conceive such a m ediu m
z
that which we call
to be the S piri t o f the World v i
the quintessence because it is n o t from the fo u r El e
men ts but a cer tain rs t thing having its being above
and besides them There is therefore such a kind of
ri
u m whereby
spi
t req u ire d to be as i
t were the medi
Celes tial S ouls a r e j oined to gross bodies and bes tow
upon them wonderful gifts This Spirit is after the
same manner in the body of the world as ours is in
the body of man Fo r as the powers o f o u r soul are
comm u nicate d to the members of the body by the
spiri t so also the Vir tue o f the S oul of the World is
di ffused through all things by the quintessenc e : Fo r
there is no thing found i
n the whole world that hath
n o t a spark o f t
he virtue thereof
Y et it is more nay
mos t of all infused into those things which have
received o r taken in most o f this S pirit No w this
S piri t is receive d or taken in by the rays of the S tars
so far forth as things render themselves conformable
to the m
By this S pirit therefore every occult prop
e rt
y is conveye d in to herbs s tones metals and ani
mals thr ou gh the Su n M oon Planets and through
Stars higher than the Plane ts
N o w this S pirit may be more advantageous to us if
any one knew how to separate it from the Elements ;
or at leas t to use those things chiey which do mos t
abound wi th this S pirit Fo r these things in which
this S piri t is less drowned in a body and less checked
by ma tter do more powerfully and perfectly a c t and
also more readily generate thei r like ; for in it are all
genera tive a n d seminary virtues Fo r which cause
the Alchemists endeavored to separa te this Spirit
from Gold and S ilver ; which being righ tly separa ted
and ex trac ted if thou shalt afterward proj ect it upon
any matter o f the same kind (i
any me tal presently
,
'
PH I L OSO PHY
OF
NA T URAL
M A GI C
71
will turn it in to Gold or S ilver And we know how

t done : but we could make
to do tha t and have seen i
han the weigh t of that was o u to f which
n o mor e Gold t
we extracted the S piri t; for seeing that [gold! is an
ense it canno t beyond its o w n
ex t
en se form and n o t in t
bounds change an imperfec t body into a perfect ; which
I deny n o t but may be done by another way
.
CHA PTER
How
we
XV
mu stF i
rt
u es of Thi
n d Ou ta n d Ex a mi
ne t
he Vi
n gs
militu de
by w a y of Si
.
IT IS n o w manifes t tha t the occul t properties in

things are not from the na ture of the Elemen ts bu t
infused from abo v e hid from our senses and scarce at
last known by our reason whic h indeed co me from the
L ife and the S piri t of the World thro ugh the rays of
the Stars ; and can no o therwise bu t by experience and
conjec ture be inquired in to by us Wherefore he that
desires to en ter upon this study must consider tha t
every thing moves and turns i tself to its like and
inclines that to itself with all its migh t as well in
property viz O ccul t Vir tue as in quali ty viz El e
men tary Virtue S ome times also in subs tance i tself
as we see in sal t for wha tsoever ha th long s tood wi th
sal tbecomes sal t; fo r every agent when it ha th begun
to a c t do th not attemp t to make a thing inferior to
itself bu t as much as may be like and sui table to
itself Which also we manifes tly see in sensible ani
mals in which the nutri tive vir tue doth not change
the meat in to an herb or a pla n t but turns it into sen
sible esh In what things therefore there is an
excess o f any quality o r property as hea t cold bold
ness fear sadness anger love hatred or any o the r
passion or virtue (whe ther it be in them by na ture or
,
,
.
HENRY C O R N EL I U S A GR I PPA
72
sometimes also by a r t o r chance as boldness in a

wan ton these things do very much move and provoke
S o r e moves to
to such a quali ty passion o r vir tue
re and wa ter moves to wa ter and he tha t is b o l d
moves to boldness And it is well known amongst
physicians that brain helps the brain and lungs the
lungs S o also it is said tha t the right eye o f a frog
helps the soreness o f a man s righ t eye and the left
eye thereof helps the soreness o f his left eye if they
be hanged about his neck in a clo th of its na tural
color The like is reported o f the eyes of a crab S o
the feet of a tortoise helps them that have the gout
in their being applied thus as foo t to foot hand to
hand right to righ t leftto left
After this manner they say that any animal that is
barren cause th another to be barren and o f the ani
mal especially the generative parts S o they report
tha t a female S hall be barren if betimes drink be
made o f a certain s terile animal or anything steeped
therewith If therefore we would ob tain any property
o r virtue l e t us seek fo r such animals or suc h other
things whatsoever in which such a proper ty is in a
more eminen t manner than in any o ther thing and in
these l e t us take tha t part in which such a property
o r virtue is mos t vigorous ; as if at any time we would
promote love l e t us seek som e animal which is most
loving o f which kind are pigeons turtles sparrows
swal lows wag tails and in these take those members
o r parts in which the vi t
al vir tue is m ost vigorous
such as the heart breast and also like parts And it
mus t be done a t tha t time when these animals have
this affec tion mos t intense for then they do provoke
and draw love In like manner to increase boldness
l e t us look fo r a lion o r a cock and o f these let us
take the hear t eyes o r forehead
And s o w e must
unders tand that which Ps e l l u s the Platonist saith
PH I L OSO PHY
z
vi
NA T URAL M AG I C
OF
73
that dogs crows and cocks conduce much to

wa tchfulness also the nightingale and ba t and horned
owl and in these the hear t head and eyes especially
Therefore it is said if any shall carry the heart o f a
crow or a bat abou t him he shall n o t sleep till he cas t
it away from him The same doth the head o f a ba t
dried and bound to the righ t arm of him t hat is awake
for if it be put upon him when he is asleep it is said
tha t he shal l not be awaked till it be taken o ff from
him After the same manner doth a frog and an owl
make one talka tive and of these specially the tongue
and hear t S o the tongue also o f a wa ter frog laid
under the head makes a man speak in his sleep ; and
the heart of a screech o w l laid upon the leftbreas t of
a woman that is asleep is said to make her u tter all
her secret s The same also the heart of the horned
owl is said to do also the suet of a hare laid upon the
br e a s t o f one tha t is asleep
Upon the same account
do animals that are long lived conduce to long life ;
and whatsoever things have a power in themselves to
renew themselves conduc e to the renovatio n of o u r
body and res toring of youth which physicians have
often professed they know to be true ; as is manifest
of the viper and snake And it is known tha t harts
renew their o l d age by the ea ting of snakes After
the same manner the ph oe nix is renewed by a re
which she makes for herself ; and the like virtue there
is in a pelican whose right foo tbeing pu tunder warm
dung after three mon ths there is of tha t generate d a
pelican Therefore some physic ians by some certain
confec tions made o f vipers and hellebore and the esh
of some such kind o f animals do restore you th and
indeed do sometimes restore its o as M edea res tor ed
old Pileas Itis also believed that the blood of a bear
if it be sucked out of her wound do th increase s tre n gth
o f body because that animal is the strongest creature
.
Ho w the Oper a tion s of

nt
i
o
a n ot
her ,
sever a
and are
Pa ss fr om
rt
u es
l Vi
Commu n ic a ted
on e
on e
t
hi
ng
ot
her
he
t
o t
THO U
must know that s o great is the pow er o f nat

ural things tha t they n o t only work upon all things
tha t are near them by their virtue bu t also besides
this they infuse into them a l i
through
k e power
which by the same virtue they also work upon other
t hings a s we see in the loadstone which stone indeed
do th n o t only draw iron rings but in fu s e th a virtue
in to the rings themselves whereby the y can do the
same which Austin and Albertus say they saw After
this manner it is as they say tha ta wanton grounded
in boldness and impudence is like to infec t all that
are near her by this property whereby they are made
like herself So Paul saith to the C orin thians Evil
communica tions do th corrupt good manners There
fore they say t hat if any o n e shall pu to n the inward
garmen t of a wanton o r shall ha v e about him that
looking glass which she daily looks in to he shall
thereby become bold conden t impudent and wanton
In like manner they say that a cloth tha t was about
a corpse hath received from thence the property of
sadness and melancholy ; and tha t the hal ter where
with a man was hanged hath cer tain wonderful prop
c rt
i
es
The like story tells Pliny : If any S hall pu t a
green lizard made blind together with iron or gold
rings into a glass ve ssel pu tting under them some
ear th and then shut ting the vessel and when it
appears tha t the lizard hath received his sight shall
m o u t o f the glass that those rings shall help
pu t hi
sore eyes The same may be done with rings and a
weasel whose eyes af ter they are with any kind of
prick put o u t it is cer tain are restored to sight again
Upon the same account rings are pu tfo r a cer tain tim e
,
P HILO SOP HY
O F NA
T UR A L
M A GI C
75
in the nest of sparrows o r swallows which afterwards

are used to procure love and favor
,
CHAPT ER X VII
How by En mity
Fr ien dshi
he Vi
rt
u es
p t
and
be Tr i
ed
an d
hi
n gs
t
are
t
o
Fou n d Ou t
.
IN the
next place it is requisi te tha t we consider

that all things have a friendliness and enmity amongst
themselves and every thing hath something that i
t
fears and dreads tha tis an enemy and des truc tive to
i
t; and on the con trary some thing that i
t rej oiceth
and deligh teth in and is s trengthened by S o in the
Elemen ts Fire is an enemy to Water and Air to Earth
but ye t they agree amongs t themselves And again
in Celes tial bodies M ercury Jupi ter the Su n and
Moon are friends to S a turn ; M ars and Venus enemies
to him All the plane ts besides M ars are friends to
Jupiter also all besides Venu s hate M ars ; Jupiter and
Venus love the Su n ; M ars M ercury and the M oon are
enemies to him All besides S a turn love Venus
Jupi ter Venus and S a turn are friends to M ercury ; the
Jupi ter Venus and
Su n M oon and M ars his enemies
S aturn are friends to the M oon ; M ars and M ercury her
enemies There is ano ther kind of enmity amongs t
the s tars v iz when they have opposi te houses as
S a turn to the Su n and M oon Jupiter to M ercury and
Mars to Venus And their enmi ty is s tronger whose
exal ta tions are opposi te as of S aturn and the Su n of
Bu t
Jupi ter and M ars and of V enus and M ercury
their friendship is the s tronges t who agree in na ture
quali ty subs tance and power as M ars wi th the Su n
as Venus with the M oon and as Jupiter with Venus ;
as also their friendship whose exal ta tion is in the
house of ano ther as that of S aturn wi th Venus of
,
76
HENRY
O R N ELI U S
A GR
IPP A
Jupiter with the M oon o f M ars with S aturn of the

S u n wi th M ars o f Venus wi th Jupiter and of the
And o f what sort the friendships
M oon wi th V enus
and enmi ties o f the superiors be such are the inclina
tions o f things subj ected to them in those inferior
These disposi tions t herefore o f friendship and enmity
are no thing else bu t certain inclinations of things of
the one to another desiring such and such a thing if
i
t be absen t and to move towards i
t unless i
t be hin
dered ; and to acquiesce in itwhen it is obtained shun
ning the con trary and dreading the approach of it
and n ot res ting in o r being con tented with it He r
acli
tu s * therefore
being guided by thi s opinion
professed tha t all things were made by enmity and
friendship
No w the inclinations of F riendship are suc h in all
Vegetables and M inerals as is tha t a ttrac tive virtue
ion which the loadstone ha th upon iron and
o r inclina t
the emerald upon riches and favor the j asper upon
the birth of any thing and the s tone achates upon
eloquence In like manner there is a kind of bitumi
nous clay tha t draws re and leaps into it whereso
ever it sees it Even so do th the root of the herb
a pr o x i
s draw re from afar o ff
Also the same in c l i
na tion there is bet w ixt the male palm tree and female ;
w hereof when the bough of one shall touch the bough
of the other they fold themselves into mutual em
braces ; neither doth the female palm tree bring for th
fruit without the male And the almond tree when
,
om e ti m e s gi v n a s He a c l e itu s a G re e k ph il oso ph e r w h o li ve d a bou t

500 B C
H e w a s k n ow n a s th e w e p i ng ph il oso ph e r so i m p r ss e d w a s h
by th w e a kne ss e s of m nki nd O n l y f r a gm e n ts of h i s ph il osoph i c a l work
Pe r i Physe os
r e m a i n Th s fr a gm e n ts go to s h ow th a t
(O n N a tu r )
to b e th e r s t p r i nc i p l e of a l l ph e nom n a a d th e
H e r a c li t s h e l d
or i gi n a l s u bs ta n c e o tof w h i c h th y h a v a l l b e e n e vo l v e d A gr i pp a i n
th e a bov , th rows f r th r li gh t on h i s ph il oso ph y
Th e fr a g m e n ts of th e
t a c h i n g s of H e r a c li t s w r
colle c t d a t B e r li n i n 1805 w h il e A gr i pp a
wro te som e th re e h u n d re d y a rs a r li e r
S
re
"
HE NR
78
O R N ELI U S
A GR
IPPA
like manner cranes j ackdaws partridges and black

birds purge their nauseous s tomachs wi th the same ,
wit h which also crows allay the poison o f the chame
leon ; and the lion , if he be feverish is recovered by
eating of an ape The lapwing being surfeited with
eatin g of grapes cures himself with sou thernwood ; so
the harts have taught us that the herb dita n y is very
good to draw o u t darts ; fo r they being wounded with
a n arrow cas t it o u t by ea ting of this herb ; the same
do goats in Candy
S o hinds a little b efore they
bring forth purge themselves with a certain herb
called moun tain osier Al so they that are hurt with
S wine also
S piders seek a remedy by ea ting o f crabs
being hurt by snakes cure themselves by eating of
them ; and cows when they perceive they are poisoned
with a kind o f French poison seek fo r cur e in the oak
Elephants when they have swallowed a c hameleon
help themselves wi th the wild olive Bears being
hurt with mandrakes escape the danger by eatin g of
ants Geese ducks and such like watery fowl cure
themselves with the herb called wall sage Pigeons
turtles and hens with the herb called pellitory o f the
wall Cranes with bulrushes L eopards cure them
selves b eing hurt , with the herb called wolf s bane ;
boars wi th ivy ; hinds with the herb c alled c in n a r a
,
CHA PTER X V III
he In c l i
nat
ion s of Enmi
0f t
t
i
es
Enmities
and they are as it were the odiu m and anger in dig
nation and a certai n kind o f obstinate con trariety of
nature so that any t hing shuns its contrary and drives
it away o u to f its presence S uch kinds o f inclination s
hath rhubarb against choler treacle against poison
ON the contrary , there are Inclinations
,
of
PHILO S OP HY
O F NA
T UR A L
M A GI C
79
the sapphire s tone against ho tboils and feverish hea ts

and diseases of the eyes ; the amethyst agains tdrunk
fensive
e n n e s s the j asper against ux of blood and o f
imagina tions the emerald and angus cas tus against
lust acha tes against poison piony against the falling
sickness coral against the ebullition o f black choler
and pains in the s tomach The topaz against spiritual
heats such a s are covetousness lus t and all manner
of excesses o f love The like incli n ation is there also
of an ts against the herb origanum ; and the wing o f a
ba t and the heart o f a lapwing from the presence of
which they y Also origanum is contrary to a cer
tain poisonous y which cannot endure the Su n and
resists salamanders and loathes cabbage wi th such a
deadly ha tred that they destroy o n e the other S O
cucumbers hate oil and will run themselves into a
ring lest they shoul d touch it And it is said tha t the
gall of a crow makes men afraid and drives them
away from where it is as also certain other things
So a diamond doth disagree w i
th the loads tone tha t
being set by it i
twill n o tsuffer iron to be drawn to i
t;
and sheep y from frog parsley as from some deadly
thing and that w hich is more wonderful N a ture ha th
pictured the sign o f this dea th in the livers o f sheep in
w hich the very gure o f frog parsley being described
do th n aturally appear S o goa ts do so ha te garde n
basil as if there were nothing more pernicious
An d
again amongs tanimals mice and weasels do disagree ;
whence itis said that mice will n o t touch cheese if
the brains of a weasel be pu t in the renne t and beside s
that the cheese will n o t be corrupt wi th age S o a
lizard is so contrary to scorpions tha t it makes them
afraid with its very sight as also it puts them in to a
cold swea t; therefore they are killed with the oil o f
lizards which oil also cures the wounds made by s e or
pions There is also an en mity be twix t scorpions and
,
80
HENRY C O RNEL I U S
A GR
IPP A
mice ; wherefore if a mouse be applied to a prick or

wound made by a scorpion it cures it as itis repor te d
There is also an enmi ty be twix t scorpions and s ta l a
bors asps and wasps It is reported also that no
thing is so much an ene my to snakes as crabs and
tha t if swine be hur ttherewi th they e a t them and are
cured The S u n also being in Cancer serpents are
Also the scorpion and crocodile kill one
tormented
the o ther ; and if the bird ibis dot h bu t touch a croco
dil e with o n e o f his fea thers he makes him imm o v a
ble The bird called bus tard ies away a tthe sigh tof
a horse and a hart runs away a t the sight of a ram
as also of a V iper An elephan t trembles at the hear
ing o f the grunting o f a ho g so do th a lion a t the
sig ht o f a cock ; and pan thers will n o t touch the m
tha t are anointed all over wi th the broth of a hen
especially if garlic ha th been boiled in it There is
also enmi ty betwixt foxes and swa n s bul ls and j ack
daws Amongst birds also some are a t perpetual
strife one wi th another as also wi th o ther animals as
j ackdaws and owls the ki te and crows the turtle and
ring tail e g e pis and eagles harts and dragons Also
amongst water animals there is enmi ty as betwixt
dolphins and Whirlpools mulle ts and pikes lampreys
and congers Also the sh called po u r c o n tr e l makes
the lobs ter so much afraid that the lobster seeing the
other but near him is struc k dead The lobster and
conger tear one the o ther The cive t c a t is said to
stand so in awe o f the pan ther that he hath no power
to resist him o r touch his skin ; and they say that if
the skins of both of them be hanged up o n e against
the o ther the hairs o f the pan ther s skin fall o ff
And O rus Apollo saith in his hieroglyphics if any one
be girt abou t wi th the skin o f the cive t cat that he
may pass safely through the middle of his enemies
and not at all be afraid Also the la mb is very muc h
.
PHILOSOPHY
O F N A T UR A L M A GI C
81
afraid o f the wolf and ies from him And they say
that if the tail o r skin or head of a wolf be hanged
u pon t
he sheep coate the sheep are much troubled and
canno t eat their mea t for fear And Pliny makes
mention of a bird called marlin that breaks crows
eggs whose young are so annoyed by the fo x tha t she
also will pinch and pull the fox s whelps and the fox
herself also ; which when the crows see they help the
fox against her as against a common enemy The
li ttle bird c alled a linne t l iving in thistles ha tes
asses beca use they eat the owers of thistles Also
there is such a bitter enmity betwixt the li ttle bird
called e sa l o n and the ass tha ttheir blood will n o t mix
toge ther and that at the braying of the ass both the
eggs and young of the e s a l o n perish There is also
such a disagreeme n t be twixt the olive tree and a
wanton that if she plan t it it will ei ther be always
unfruitful o r altoge ther wi ther * A lion fears nothing
so much as red torches and will be tamed by no thing
so much as by these ; and the wolf fears neither sword
nor spear but a stone by the throwing o f which a
wound being made worms breed in the wolf A horse
fears a camel so t hat he canno t endure to see so much
as his picture An elephan t when he rageth is qui
eted by seeing of a cock A snake is afraid o f a man
t hat is naked but pursues a man that is clothed A
mad bull is tamed by being tied to a fig tree Amber
.
T h i s ill u str a ti o n of a n a tu r a l a n ti p a th y s a i d to e xi st be twe e n w a n to n

a n d a n o li v e t
re e as we ll a s o th e r ill stra ti ons h e re i n of the occu l tv i rt e s
of th i n gs m a y be re g a rd e d a s som w h t f n c i fu l bu t the re a d r w ill be
ab l e t
o br i n g to m i n d p l e n t
y of n a tu ra l ph e n om e n a th at fu ll y pr ove the
le a d i n g tr th s th a tA gr i ppa h e re s e e ks to conve y For i n s ta n c e th wri te r
knows on e p e r son of w h om itma y b e j s tl y c l a i m e d th a te v e ry p l a nt grows
m po s
th a th e to c h e s w h il e h i s mo th e r r e n d e r i ng the s a m e c a re n ds it i
s i bl to r a i s e a pl a n t All wom n kn ow w h o h a ve ha d the e x pe ri e n ce th a t
a t ce r ta i n ti m e s e a c h mo n t
h th y c a nnot m ke pi ck le s th a tw ill n o tsp o il
Th e e x p l a n a ti o n of th e s e th i ng s a e fo nd i n the occ u l tvi rtu e s of N a tu re ;
t
h e i n h r e nt s y m p a th y a m i ty or a n ti p a th y I)
: al l t
h i ngs To al l othe r th i ngs
wh i c h A g ri ppa s o a dm i ra b ly s e ts forth
*
HENRY
82
O R N ELI U S
A GR IPPA s
draws all things to it besides garden basil and those

things which are smeared wi th oil be twixt which
there is a kind of a natural antipathy
,
CHAPTER X IX
How the Vir tu es of Things a r e to be Tr ied a n d Fou n d Ou t

n t
hem Spec i
w hi
ch ar e i
c a l l y or in a n y on e In dividu a l
,
by w a y
ft
f Spec ia l Gi
M O R EO V ER thou must consider tha t the Virtues of

things are in some things according to the S pecies as
boldness and courage in a lion and cock fearfulness
in a hare or lam b ravenousness in a wolf treachery
and deceitfulness in a fo x a ttery in a dog cove tous
ness in a crow and j ackdaw pride in a horse anger in
a tiger and boar sadness and melancholy in a c a t lust
in a sparrow and so of the rest Fo r the grea tes t
part o f N a tural Virtues doth follow the S pecies Y e t
some are in things Individually ; as there be some men
which do so wonderfully abhor the sight o f a c a t tha t
they cannot look upon he r wi thou t quaking ; which
fear it is manifes t is n o t in them as they are men
And A v ic e n te lls of a man tha t lived in his time whom
all poisonous things did shun all o f them dying which
did by c hance bite him he himself n o tbeing hur t; and
Albertus reports tha t in a ci ty of the Ubia n s he saw
a wench w ho woul d catch spiders to e a t them and
being much pleased wi th such a kind o f meat was
wonderfully nourished therewith S o is boldness in a
wanton and fearfulness in a thief And upon this
account it is that philosophers say that any particular
thing tha t never was sick is good agains t any manner
o f sickness ; t
herefore they say that a bone o f a dead
man who never had a fever being laid upon the
pa tien t frees him of his quartan There are also
,
PHILOSOPHY
NA T URAL M AG I C
OF
83
many singular virtues infused into particular things

by Celestial bodies , as we have shewed before
.
CHAPTER
u r a l Vi
The Na t
rt
u es
Whol e
Su bst
a n c e,
Member s
a nd
and
so
n gs i
n Cer t
ai
n P
ar t
s
Thi
her
ot
i
n
me Thin gs thr ou ghou t their
i
n
are
XX
AGA I N thou must consider that the Virtues of things
are in some things in the w hq l e (i

the whole sub
stance o f them o r in all their parts as tha t li ttle sh
echeneis * which is said to s top a ship by its mere
touch ; this it doth n o t do according to any particular
par t bu t according to the whole subs tance S o the
cive t cat hath this in its whole subs ta nce that dogs
by the very touch o f his shadow hold their peace
S o s a l e n di
n e is good for the sight n o t ac cording t
o
any one but all its par ts ; n o t more in the roo tthan in
the leaves and see ds and so of the rest
Bu t some
Virtu es are in things according to some parts o f it
z
only in the tongue or eyes or some o ther mem
vi
.
be li e f th a t the E c h e n i s a s h of the R e mora o r S u cke r fa m il y

h s th e p ow r of s to pp i n g s h i p s w a s form r l y q i t p r v a l n t I G ood
win s tr a ns l ti on of Pl t rc h s M or a l s vo l u m th r w nd th foll ow i n g
story Ch a e r e mo ma u s th Tra lli a n wh e n w e we r a ta ve ry nobl e sh
d i nn r p oi n ti ng to a li ttl e l ong s h rp h a d e d sh s a i d the e c h e ne i s (s h i p
stopp e r)
li k th a t for he h a d ofte n s n it h s il d i n th S i c ili n
w
a a d w o de e d a t i
t s tr ng forc e fo r i
ts to pp e d th e s h i p w h e n u n d e r
fu ll s il ,u n til o e of the se m n p rc i ve d its ti ck i n g to the outs i d e of the
s h i p a d took itoff Opp i a n s a ys d scri b i n g its occ l tvi rtu
B tth ou gh th e c a nv a s b lli s w i th th b l a s t
A d bo i s te ro s w i nds b e n d do w n the cr a ck i ng m a s t
a
Th e b a rk s ta nds rm l y roo t d on th
An d a l l
m v d a s tow e r or tow ri ng tr
Pli ny s a ys
Why s h o l d u e e ts a d rm d s t a m a k s c h tu r
re ts on th w a ll s a d fore c s tl s wh e n on e li ttl e s h i s a b l e to a rr sta d
s ta y p forc e ou r good l y a d ta ll s h i ps
N t H i s t V o l X I p 41 Ov i d
Th r too i s th li ttl e s u cki ng sh wo dro s t be h o l d a v a s t
Wr i t s
obstru c ti on to s h i p s a d L c a n sa ys the e c h e ne i s s to ps s h i p s on th e oce a n
* 'l h e
'
as
e :
e se
"
"
se
?"
ee
un
er
ee
ee
as
se
HENRY CORN EL IUS AGR I PPA
84
bers and parts ; so in the eyes of a basilisk is a most

violen t power to kill men as soon as they see them
The like power is there in the eyes of the civet c a t
which makes any animal tha t it hath looked upon to
stand s till to be a mazed and not able to move itself
The like virtue is there in the eyes o f some wolves
who if they see a man rs t make him amazed and so
hoarse tha t if he woul d cry o u t he ha th n o t the use
of his voice O f this Virgil makes men tion when he
Sings :
.
Moer is is du mb ha th l osthis v oic e a n d w hy

h c a sthi
The Wo lf on Ma r is r stha t
s e ye
,
also there were some certain women in S cythia

and amongs t the Illyrians and Tr iba l l ia n s w ho as
often as they l ooked angrily upon any man were said
to slay him
Als o we read of a certain peopl e of
R hodes calle d Telc hines who corrupted all things
with their sight wherefore Jupiter drowned them
Therefore wi tches when they would af ter this manner
work by witchcraft use the eyes of such kind o f a n i
mals in their wa ters for the eyes for the like e ffects
In like manner do ants y from the hear to f a lapwing
and n o t from the head foo t or eyes S o the gall o f
lizards being bruised in water is sa id to ga ther wea
sels toge ther ; n o t the tail or the head o f it The gall
o f goa t
s put into the earth in a brazen vessel gathers
frogs toge ther ; and a goa t s liver is an enemy to but
te r i
e s and all magg ot
s Dogs shun them that have
the hear t o f a do g about them ; an d foxes will n o t
touch those poul try that have eaten the liver o f a fox
S o divers things have divers virtues dispersed vari
o u s l y through several par t
s as they are from above
infused in to them according to the div ersity o f things
to be received ; as in a man s body the bones receive
no thing bu t life the eyes sight and the ears hearing
So
HENRY CORN EL IUS AGR I PPA S
86
of a frog yo u must put the frog into the water again ;

and if you take the too th o f a wolf you must not kill
the wolf ; and so of the res t S o writes D emocritus if
any one take o u tthe tongue o f a water frog ye t liv
ing no other part of the body s ticking to it and She
be l e t go in to the wa ter again and lay it upon the
place where the heart bea ts o f a woman she shall
answer truly whatsoever you ask her Also they say
that if the eyes of a frog be before sunrising bound to
the sick party and the frog be l e t go again blind into
the water they will drive away tertian ague ; as also
tha t they will being bound with the esh o f a night
ingale in the skin of a hart keep o n e always watchful
wi thout sl eep Also the ray of the fork s h being
bound to the navel is said to make a woman have an
easy travail if the ray be taken from the sh alive
and it pu t into the sea again S o they say the right
eye o f a serpent being applied dot h help the wa ter
ing o f the eyes if the serpent be l et go alive And
t here is a certain sh or grea t serpent called Myr u s
whose eye if it be pulled out and bound to the fore
head o f the pa tien t is said to cure the inammation
o f the eyes ; and tha t the eye of the s h grows again ;
and tha t he is taken blind w ho w ill not l e t the sh
Also the tee th o f all serpents being taken ou t
go
whils t they are alive and hanged about the patient
are said to cure the quartan S o doth the tooth of a
mole taken out whils t she is alive being afterwards
l e t g o cure the toothache ; and dogs will not b ark at
those tha t have the tail o f a weasel th at is escaped
And Democri tus rela tes that the tongue o f a chame
leon if it be taken from her alive do th conduce to a
good success in trials and is pro table for women that
are in trava il if it be aboutthe outside of the house
fo r you mus t take heed that it be n o t brought into the
house because that would be most dange rous
,
PHILOSOPHY
OF
NA T URAL M AG I C
87
M oreover , there be some properties that remain after

death and of these the Platonists say that they are
things in whic h the Idea o f the matter is less s w a l
lowed up In these even after death that which is
immortal in them do th not cease to work wonderful
things S o in the herbs and plants , pulled asunder
and dried tha t Virt u e is quick and operative whic h
was infused at rst in to them by the Idea Thence it
is that as the eagle all her life time doth overcome all
other birds so also her fea thers after her death
destroy and consume the fea thers of all other birds
Upon the same account do th a lion s skin destroy all
other skins ; and the skin of the civet cat destroys the
skin of the panther ; and the skin of a wolf corrodes
the skin of a lamb And some o f these do not do it
by way of a corporeal con tact but also sometimes by
their very sound S o a drum made o f the skin o f a
wolf makes a drum made o f a lamb skin n ot to sound
Also a drum made of the skin of the sh called rochet
dr ives away all creeping things at what distance
soever the sound of it is heard ; and the strings o f an
instrument made o f the in tes tines of a wolf and being
strung upon a harp or lute wi th strings made of the
intestines of a sheep , will make no harmony
,
CHAPTER XXII
How Infer i
n gs
or Thi
ho w t
he
Bodies,
are
Su bj e c t
ed t
o Su per i
or
i
on s ,
t
he Ac t
Asc r ibed to St
ar s
an d
Si
gn s
a nd
Bodies
D isposit
i
ons of Men
an d
are
IT IS
manifest that all things inferior are subj ect to

the superior and after a manner (as saith Proclus they
are one in the other v iz in inferiors are superior and
in superiors are inferior : S o in the Heaven are things
terrestrial but as in their cause and in a celestial
,
H E NRY CORNE L IUS AG RIPP A S
88
manner ; and in the Earth are things c eles tial bu t

after a terrestrial manner as in an effec t S o we say
that there be here cer tain things which a re S olar y
and certain which are L unary in which the S u n and
M oon make a s trong impression o f their virtues
Whence it is that these kind o f things receive more
opera tions and properties like to those o f the S tars
and S igns which they are under S o we know tha t
S olary things respect the heart and head by reason
tha t L e o is the house o f the S u n and Aries the e x a l
ta ti
he S u n
o n of t
S O things under M ars are good for
the hea d and secrets by reason o f Aries and S corpio
Hence they whose sense s fail and heads ache by rea
son o i drunkenness nd cold water and vinegar good
to bathe the head and secrets Bu t in reference to
these i
t is necessary to know how man s body is dis
tribu ted to Plane ts and S igns Know therefore tha t
according to the doc trine of the Arabians the Su n
rules over the brain hear t the thigh the marrow the
righ t eye a n d the spirit ; also the tongue the mouth
and the rest of the organs of the senses as well in ter
nal as extern a l ; al so the hands fee t legs n erves a n d
the power of imagina tion
Tha t M ercury rules over
the S pleen s tomach bladder womb and right ear as
also the faculty o f the common sense Tha t S a turn
rules over the liver and eshy part of the stomach
Tha tJupi ter ru les over the abdomen and navel whence
i
t is wri tten by the Ancien ts tha tthe e fgy o f a navel
was laid up in the temple o f Jupiter Hammon Also
some a ttribute to him the ribs breast bowels blood
arms and the righ t hand and left ear and the powers
na tural And some s e t M ars over the blood the veins
the kidneys the b ag o f the gal l the bu ttocks the
back motion o f the sperm and the irascible power
Again they set Venus over the kidneys the secre ts
the womb the seed and concupiscibl e power ; as also
,
PHILOSOPHY
NA T URAL M AG I C
OF
89
the esh fat belly breast navel and the venereal

parts and such as serve thereto ; also the os sa c r u m
the back bone and loins ; as also the head and the
mouth with which they give a kiss as a token of love
No w the M oon although she may challenge the whole
body and every member thereof according to the
variety o f the S igns yet more par ticularly they
ascribe to her the brain lungs marrow o f the back
bone the stomach the mens trual and excretory parts
and the left eye as also the p ower of increasing Bu t
Herme s saith : Tha tthere are seven holes in the head
of an animal dis tributed to the seven Planets viz :
The righ t ear to S a turn the lef tto Jupi ter the righ t
nostril to M ars the l eftto V enus the righ t eye to the
Su n the lef tto the M oon and the mou th to M ercury
The several S igns also o f the Zodiac take care of
the ir members : S o Aries governs the head and face ;
Taurus the neck ; Gemini the arms and shoulders ;
Cancer the breas t lungs s tomach and arms ; L e o the
heart s tomach liver and back ; Virgo the bowels and
bottom of the stomac h ; L ibra the kidneys thighs and
buttocks ; S corpius the secre ts ; S agi ttarius the thighs
and groins ; Capricornus the knees ; Aquarius the legs
*
and shins ; Pisces the feet
And as the triplici ties
he o ther and agree in
o f these S igns answer one t
celes tials so also they agree in the members ; which is
sufcien tly manifes t by experience because wi th the
coldness of the fee t the belly and breas t are a ffec te d
which members answer the same triplici ty ; whence it
is if a medicine be applied to the o n e it helps the
o ther as by the warm ing o f the feet the pain o f the
belly cease th R emember therefore this order and
,
s e ve ra l pa rts of the ph ys i c a l body it will b e s e e n r u n i n ord r

fr om the h e a d to th e fe e ti n th e i r corre sp on d e nc e wi th th tw l ve S i gns or
H o s s of th e Z od i a c from A r i s th rs th o s t Pi sc e s th twe l f th a n d
l s t The Z od i a c a s a w h ol e i n sy mboli i ng a l l p r ts of a com pl e te m a n
ty p i e s a p e rfe c t c e l e s ti a l b e i ng k n ow n a s th e G r a n d S o l a r Ma n
* The
HENRY CORN EL IUS AGR I PPA
90
know that things which are under any o n e o f the

Planets ha v e a cer tain par ticular aspec t o r inclina tion
to those members tha t are a ttributed to tha t planet
and especially to the Houses and exal ta tions thereof
Fo r the res t of the digni ties as those triplici ties a n d
marks and face are o f little accoun t in this Upon
peony balm clove gilly
this account therefore
owers C itron peel sweet marj oram cinnamon saf
fron lignum aloes frankincense amber musk and
myrrh help the head and hear t by reason of the S u n
and Aries and L eo S o do th ribwor t the herb of
M ars help the head and secrets by reason of Aries
*
and S corpio ; and so of the rest
Also all things
under S aturn conduce to sadness and melancholy
those under Jupi ter to mirth and honor ; those under
M ars to boldness conten tion and anger ; those under the
Su n to glory victory and courage ; those under Venus
,
s e m i co l on s u s e d i n th i s s e n te n c e
i n the E ngli s h e d i ti on of 1651 M r He n ry M o rl e y i n h i s L i fe of Corn li u s
A gr i pp a
V o l p g 140 i n a note re f rri n g to a q u o ta ti o n
(L ondon
h e m a ke s th e r e from th e L a ti n e d i ti o n of A g r i ppa of 153 1 s a y s

I h a ve
p r se rv d th p nc t a ti on i n th i s p a ss a g to s h ow the e of th e col on
be fore se m i co l ons we re i n ve nt d The p a ss a ge M r M o rl e y q u ote s from
th e L a ti n e d i ti on of 1531 ( D e O cc l ta Ph il oso ph i a L i br i T r e s
A n tw e r p
B l gi m o book o n l y of w h i c h w p b li sh d of th th re e )
con ta in s s i x
co l on s w h e re a s th e E n gli s h e d i ti o n of 165 1 (se e e tc h i n g fo r ti tl e p a ge )
a l so
u s e d by M
M or l y a n d p u b li s h e d c Om pl e te on e h u n dr d a n d tw e n ty y e a rs
l a t r conta i ns non T h i s i nd i c t s a pp a re ntl y th g ne r a l p e ri od w h e n
s e m i col o n s w e r e i n ve n te d a d c a m e i n to u se Th e c h a r a c te rs of p c tu a
ti on a e s pp os d to h a ve b e e n g e n r a ll y i nv e n te d a d i n tr od u c e d n e a r the
c l os e of the fte e nth c e n t ry by A l d u s M a t a no t d p ri nte r a d p b
l ishe of V n i c e
The s e m i co l on a s a bo v e o r i g i n a te d l a te r on b e tw
n 1531
F r th r th e m d a s h
a
a d 165 1
now s e d i s of com p a r a ti v e l y mod
er
i n trod u c ti on I fa il to n d a s i n gl e m d a s h i n th E n glis h e d i ti on of
A g r i pp a of 165 1 th o g h 3 m d a s h e s
we re occ a si on a ll y s d b e fo re
q u o ta ti on s from th po e ts E i gh t y e a rs l a t r i n 1659 I n d the 2 m d a s h
u s d i n th
s cond e d i ti o n of L ill y s Ch r i s ti a n A stro l o gy p a ge 60 th s
Hi le a s t
A s th i s w a s
o r d i n a ry p a ra gr a ph of i ts l f it s h ows
th a tth y d i d n o t a tth a tti m e u e th m d s h b tw r e e v o l v i ng tow a r ds i
t
T h tr th r g a rd i n g p nc t a ti on i s th a ti
th a s s l ow l y a d s te a d il y e v o l v d
e s pe c i a ll y s i n c e t
h e a r t of p r i n ti ng t its p r e s n t s ta tu s
Th e ob j c t of
pu n c tu a ti on p ri m r ily i s to p re se n ta wri te r s th ou gh t c l e a rl y con c i se ly
a d corr c t
l y by p oi n ti ng th i s s li n twords s i ng the m a rks li k e a n
a rt
i s tdoe s h i s h u e s to gi ve p rom i ne nc e a n d pi th th r to
*N O T
ON
We
PUN C TUA TION :
all
nd
e
as
ne
us
"
'
an
ee
u s,
nu
un
ou
GR A N D S OL AR
M AN
92
H E NRY CORNE L IUS AGR I PPA
also the s tone w hich is called the Eye o f the S u n

being of a gure like to the apple o f the eye fr om the
middle whereof S hines fort h a ray ; it c omforts the
brain and s treng thens the sigh t S O the carbuncl e
which shines by night hath a virtue against al l airy
a n d vaporous poison
So the chrysolite s tone which
is o f a ligh t green color in which when it is held
agains t the Su n there shines for th a golden star ; and
this comforts those parts that serve fo r breathing and
helps those tha t be asthmatical ; and if it be bored
through and the hole lled wi th the mane of an ass
and bound to the left arm it drives away idle imagi
nations an d melancholy fears and puts away foolish
ness S o the stone called iris which is like crys tal in
color being often found wi th six corners ; when under
some roof par tof it is held agains tthe rays o f the S u n
an d the other part is hel d in the s hadow it ga thers the
rays o f the S u n in to i tself which whilst it sends them
for th by way o f reec tion makes a rainbow appear on
the opposite wall Also the stone heliotrope green
like the j asper or emerald beset wi th red specks
makes a man cons tan t renowned and famous ; also it
c o n du Ce t
h to long life ; and the virtue o f i
t indeed is
mos t wonderful upon the beams of the S u n which it
is said to turn in to blood (i
to appear o f the color
when itis
o f blood as if the S u n were eclipsed viz
j oined to the juice of a herb o f the same name and be
r
There is also ano ther v i
pu t into a vessel of water
tue o f itmore wonderful a nd tha t is upon the eyes of
men whose sigh tit do th so dim and dazzle tha t it doth
n o t suffer him tha t carries it to see i
t an d this it do th
not do wi thout the help o f the herb o f the same name
which also is called helio trope (i
following the Su n
These vir tues do th Albertus M agnus and William o f
Paris conrm in their wri tings The s tone hyacinth
also hat h a virtue from the Su n against poisons and
So
'
P HILO S OP HY
O F NA
T UR A L
M A GI C
pes tiferous vapors ; it makes him tha t carries it to be

safe and accep table ; it c o n du c e th also to riches and
t; it streng thens the hear t; being held in the mou th
wi
it doth wonderfully cheer up the mind Also there is
the stone pyr o phyl u s O f a red mixture which Alber
ion o f in o n e
tu s M agnus sai th [ Es c u l a pi
u s makes men t
of his Epis tles un to O c tavius Augus tus saying tha t
there is a certain poison so wonderf u lly cold which
preserves the heart of man (bein g taken o ut from
burning so tha t if fo r any time it be put into the re
i
t is turn ed in to a stone and this is tha t s tone which
is called pyr o phyl u s from the re It hath a wonder
ful virtue agains tpoison and it makes him tha tcarries
it to be renowned and dreadful to his enemies Bu t
above all tha t s tone is mos t S olary which Apollonius
is reported to have found and which is called pa n ta u r a
which draws o ther s tones to it as the loads tone do th
iron a n d is mos t powerful agains t all poisons It is
called by some pa n the r u s because it is S po tted like
the beas t called the pan ther It is therefore also
called pa n to c hr a s because it con tains all colors and
Aaron calls it e v a n thu m There are also o ther S olary
s tones as the to pa z iu s c hr ys o pa s su s the rubine and
ba l a g i
us
S o also is a u r i
g m e n tu m and things o f a
pi
golden color and very lucid
Amongs t plants also and trees those are S olary
which turn towards the S u n as the marigold and
those which fold in their leaves when the Su n is nea r
upon se tting bu t when it riseth unfold their leaves by
li ttle and li ttle The lote tree also is solary as is
manifest by the gure o f the fruit and leaves S o is
peony s a l l e n din e balm ginger gen tian and dittany ;
and vervain which is o f use in prophesying and e x pi
s The bay tree
at
i
o n s as a l s o dr i
vi
n g away evil S piri t
also is consecra ted to Ph oe bus so is the cedar the
palm tree the ash the iv y and vine and whatsoever
.
94
HENRY CORNELIUS AGR I PPA
repel poisons and ligh tnings and those things which

never fear the extremi ties o f the win ter S olary also
are min t mas tic zedoary sa ffron balsam amb er
musk yellow honey lignum aloes cloves cinnamon
calamus a r o m a tic u s pepper frankincense sweet mar
j oram also libano tis which O rpheus calls the sweet
perfume of the S u n
Also amongs t animals
those are c alled S olary
which are magnanimous
courageous ambitious of
V ic tory and renown as
the lion king of beasts ;
the crocodile the Spot
te d wolf the ram the
boar ; the b u ll king of
the herd which was by
the Egyptians at Heli
opolis dedicated to the
Su n which they called
V eri tes ; and an ox was
c onsecra ted to Apis in
M emphis and in He r
mi
nt
hu s a bull by the
name o f Pa this
The
W o l f a 18 0
W a s Co n s e
CALA M U S (S WEE T FL AG
crated to Apollo and
L atona Also the beast called baboon is S olary
which twelve times in a day (viz every hour barks
and in time o f q u in o c tiu m m ic tu r a te th twelve times
every hour ; the same also it do th in the night whence
the Egyptians did engrave him upon t heir fountains *
,
y n o t s h r i n r f r n c t th b boon th t H r m s T ri s
m g i t or a wri t r i n h i s n m t g h tth tth commo n d i v i s i on of ti m
w
s gg s t d t m by th h b i ts of th i s s c r d n i m l L i f of H n ry
Co r n e li s A g r i pp a V o l m I p g 132
* Mr
as
M orl e
s u s,
an
au
"
HENRY CORNELIUS AGR I PPA S
96
and insipid ; amongs t me tals S ilver ; amongs t s tones

crys tal the silver marcasite and all those s tones tha t
are white and gree n Also the stone selenite (i e the
M oon L unary shining from a white body wi th a yel
low brigh tness ; imi tating the mo tion o f the M oon
by having in it the gure of the M oon which daily
increaseth o r de c r e a s e th as doth the M oon Also
pearls which are generated in shells of shes and
stalac tites formed from the droppings of wa ter ; also
the beryl or aqua marine greenish and S ix sided
Amongst plan ts and trees these are Lunary as the
which turns towards the M oon as doth
r o pi
on
se l e no t
the he l io tr O pio n towards the Su n ; and the palm tree
which sends forth a bough at every rising of the new
M oon Hyssop also and rosemary agnus cas tus and
the olive tree are Lu nary
Also the herb c hin o s ta
which increaseth and de c r e a s e th with the M oon v iz
in substance and number o f leaves n o t only in sap
bu t in virtue which indeed is in some sor t common
to all plan ts excep t onions which las t are under the
inuence o f M ars and have c on trary proper ties
As amongs t ying things the S aturnine bird called
a q u ail is a grea t enemy to the M oon and S u n L unary
ani m als are such as delight to be in man s company
and such as do natural ly excel in love o r hatred as all
kinds o f dogs The cha meleon also is L unary which
always assumes a color accordin g to the v a rie ty of the
color o f the obj ect a s the M oon changeth her na ture
according to the varie ty o f the S ign which it is found
in L unary also are swine hinds goats and all those
animals whatsoever that observe and imitate the
mo tion o f the M oon as the baboon and the pant her
which is said to have a S po t upon her shoulder like the
M oon increasing in to a roundness an d having horns
tha t bend inwards C a ts also are L u nary whose eyes
become grea ter o r less accordi n g to the course O f the
,
PHILOSOPHY
NA T URAL M AG I C
OF
97
Moon ; and those things which are of like nature as

ca tamenial blood of which are made wonderful and
strange things by magicians The civet cat also
changing her sex with the M oon being obnoxious to
divers sorceries ; and all animals that live in wa ter as
well as o n land as otters and such as prey upon sh
Also all monstrous beasts such as without any mani
fest seed are equivocally genera ted as mice which
some times seem to be generated o f the pu trefaction o f
the earth Amongst fowl geese ducks didappers
a n d all kind o f watery fowl as prey upon sh as t
he
heron and those that are equivocally produced as
wasps o f the carcasses of horses bees of the putre
fac tion o f cows small ies o f pu tr e e d wine and bee
tles o f the esh o f asses
Bu t most Lunary of all is
the tw o horned beetle horned after the manner o f a
bull which digs un der cow dun g and there remains
for the space of twen ty eigh t days (in which time the
Moon measures the whole Zodiac and in the twen ty
nin th day when it thinks there will b e a conjunc tion
of their brigh tness it opens the duhg and cas ts it into
water from whenc e then come bee tles
Amongs t sh these are Lunary : [ El u r u s w hose
eyes are changed according to the course of the M oon
and wha tsoever observes the mo tion of the M oon as the
tortoise the echeneis crabs oysters cockles and frogs
,
CHAPTER
Wha tThin gs a r e
n e,
u rn i
Sa t
or
XXV
Un der the Pow er of Sa tu r n
amongst Elements are ear th and

also wa ter ; amongs thumors black choler tha tis moist
as well na tural as adventi tious (ad us tcholer excep ted
Amo n gs t tas tes sour tart and dead like Amo n gst
me tals lead and gold by reason o f its weigh t and
the golden marcasi te
Amongs t s tones the onyx the
SA T URN I N E thi n gs ,
)
,
HENRY CORNE L IUS
98
zi
az aa
the
ca
A GR
IPP A
u s the sapphire , the brown j asper

mo n i
,
the chalcedon the loadstone and all dark weighty

earthy things Amongst plan ts and trees the da ffo
dil dragon s wort rue cummin hellebore the tree
from whence benzoin comes man drake opium and
those things which are never sown and never bear
fruit and those which bring forth berries o f a dark
c olor and black fruit a s the black g tree the pine
tree the cypress tre e and a certain tree used a t buri
als which never S prings afresh with berries rough of
a bit ter tas te o f a s trong smell o f a black shadow
yielding a most sharp pi tch bearing a mos t u n pr o t
able fruit never dies wi th age deadly and dedica ted
*
to Pluto
As is the herb pas o w e r wi th which they
,
from the l a ti n word p a ssu s m a n i ng s te p p a c e o r ri gh t of

g oi ng fo re mos t; p re c e d e nc e Th u s the pa s ow e r m e a n s a p l a ntb l oom i n g
a h e a d of o th r ow rs
Ac
ord i na t word i s p sc h m e a n i n g to pa ss
ov r gi vi ng th e n a m e Pa ssove r o r the fe a s tof E a s te r Pa sc h come s
from a d m ns th s a m a s p a sc h a a n d w e r e a d of th p a sc h e gg
s ta i n e d a n d gi ve n to c h il dr n a t E a s te r a s a l so of th e p a sc h ow e r of
E a s t r The E a s te r owe r w a s a l so know n a the Pa s h ow e P sc h a l
we
a d P sq
pa s h a d p s q
m ni n g E a s te r a d
ow
p a sc h a l pe r ta i n i ng th e re to T h i s i nd i c a te s th a t the pa s o w e r i n th
bov t x ti s i d n ti c a l w i th th p a s q u e ow of the ge nu s A n mon h a
i n g l a r ge p rpl e owe rs w h i c h s a lly b l oom a bo t E st r s te ppi n g fo re
mos t ih th e i r ord e r of b l oom i n g a s re g a r d i ng o th e r owe rs A g ri pp a a l so
m k s m n ti on h re of th p s ow e a s be i ng a n e mb l e m of mou rni n g a
th e a n c i e n ts u s e d it to
s trow th gr a v s b for th y p tth d d bod i e s
i n to th m W h ile the a nc i n ts m a y h a ve h e l d the pa d ow e r a sa cre d to
th e r i te s of b r i l th e s ns of it
E a s te r ow e r wo l d i nd i c te
a s th
th a t it w a s a l so u s e d a s a n e mb l e m of g r e a t j oy a d s i g n i d a
e w li fe
for th d p rt d th ro gh a w b i rth o r re su r re c ti on A tru e u n d e r s ta nd
i n g of the m ni n g of th f s tof th Pa ssov r or E a s te r will s h ow th i s
E s t r d a y i s lw a y s the r s tSu nd a y a fte r the fo rt n th d a y of the c a l e n
d a moon w h i c h com e s p on or n x t a f te r th l
tof M a rc h ; so th a t i f the
fo rt n th da y com e s on a S nd a y E a s t r d y will be th e S nd y fte r
E a s te r corr s p onds to the Pa ssove r of the Je w s a n d mos tn a ti ons s till gi ve
it th i s n a m u nd e r th e v r i o s forms of p sc h a p a s q u e p a q u e or p a sk
Th f a s tof th P sso v e r w a s i n s ti tu te d by th e Je ws t comm e mo r a t th e
p rovi d e n ti a l e sc a p e of th H br ws i n E gy pt w h e n G od sm i ti ng th st
born o f the E gy pti ns PASSED O V ER th e h o s s of the I s ra e li te s w h i c h we re
m rk d w i th the b l ood of th PA SCH AL LAMB W i th the C h ri s ti a n c h rc h
i
t i s obs e r ve d to comm e mor a t th
R ESU R R EC T IO N of Ch r i s t
Th Ol d
H i gh G rm a ns c e l br a t d th d a y i n h onor of O s ta r a th e god d e ss of LIGHT
or SPR ING w h e nce th e y c a lle d A p ril (th mo n th of or foll owi n g E a st r)
O sta m a o th
Th e A n g l o S a xo n s c a ll e d the s a m e mo n th Ea s te mo n a dh
*
Pa s
ea
ue
er
"
a,
"
ea
ue
er
s u se
ea
ee
ee
"
ea
ne
ea
HENRY CORNELIUS AG RIPP A S
100
and many sorts of vermi n Amongst birds those are

S aturnine which have long necks and harsh voices as
cranes ostriches and peacocks which are dedica ted to
Also the screech o w l the horned
S a turn and Juno
owl the bat the lapwing the crow , the quail which
is the most envious bird of all Amongst shes the
eel living apart from all o ther sh ; the lamprey the
dog s h which devours her youn g ; also the tortoise
oys ters cockles to which may be added sea sponges
and all such things as come of them
,
CHA PTER XXVI

.
Wha t
Thi
n gs
are
Un der the Po
c a ll ed
wer
Jov i
al
er ,
Ju pit
and
are
T HIN G S under Jupiter amongst Elements are the air ;

amongst humors blood and the Spirit o f L ife ; also all
things which respect the increase nourishment and
vege tation o f the life Amongst tas tes , such as are
s w eet and pleasant Amongst metals tin Silver and
gold b y reason o f t heir temperateness Amongst
s tones the hyacinth beryl sapphire emerald green
j asper and those o f airy colors Amongst plan ts and
trees sea green garden basil bugloss mace spike
mint m astic, elecampane the violet darnel henbane
the poplar tree and those which are calle d lucky trees
a s the o a k the msc u l u s or horse chestnut which is
like an o a k but much larger ; the holm or holly tree ,
the beech tree the hazel tree the service tree the
white g tree the pear tree the appl e tree the vine
the plum tree the ash the dogwood tree and the
olive tree and also oil tree Also a l l manner o f corn
as barley and wheat ; also raisins l icorice sugar and
all such things whos e swee tness is manifest and sub
tile partaking somewha t o f an astringent and sharp
,
PHI L OSOPHY
NA T URAL M AG I C
OF
10 1
as are nuts almonds pine apples l be r ts pista

chio nuts roo ts O f peony myrobalan rhubarb and
manna ; O rpheus adds storax Amongst animals such
as have some sta teliness and wisdom in them and
those which are mild well trained up and of good
dispositions as the hartand elephant ; and those which
are gen tle as sheep and lambs Amongst birds those
tha t are o f a tempera te complexion as hens together
with the yolk O f their eggs Also the partridge the
pheasant the swallow the cuckoo and the s tork and
pelican birds given to a ki n d of devotion which are
emblems of grati tude The eagle is dedica ted to
Jupi ter she is the ensign o f emperors and an emblem
of Jus tice and Clemency Amongs tsh the dolphin
the sh called anchia o r anchovy ; and the S heath or
shea f sh by reason of his devoutness
taste ,
'
CHA PTER
Wha t Thin gs a r e
XXVII
Un der the Pow er of Ma r s,
Ma r tia l
a n d a r e c a l l ed
T HESE things are M artial : Amongst Elements re

toge ther with all adust and sharp things
Amongst
humors choler ; also bi tter tastes tar tand burning the
Amongs t me tals iron and
tongue and causing tears
red brass ; a n d all ery red and sulphureous things
Amongst stones the diamond loads tone the blood
stone the j a sper the s tone tha t consis ts of divers
kinds and the amethys t Amongs t plan ts and trees
garlic euphorbium cas tanea ammoniac
hellebore
radish the laurel o r sweet bay wolf s bane scam
mony ; and all such as are poisonous by reason o f to o
much heat and those which are bese t round about
with prickles o r by to u ching the Skin burn it prick
t or make i
t swell as cardis the ne ttle crow foot ;
i
,
HENRY CORNE L IUS AG RIPP A S
1 02
and such as being eaten cause tears as onions asc o

lonia leeks mustard seed and a ll thorny trees ; and
the dogwood tree which is dedica ted to M ars And
all s u ch animals as are warlike ravenous bold and o f
cle ar fancy as the horse mule goa t kid wolf l e o p
ard and wild ass S erpen ts also and dragons full of
displeasure and poison Also all suc h as are O e n s iv e
to m e n as gnats ies and the baboon by reason o f
his anger All birds that are ravenous devour esh
and break bones as the eagle the fa lcon the hawk
and the vul ture ; and those which are c a l l e d the fa tal
birds as the horn o w l the screech o w l c a s tr e l s and
kites ; and such a s are hungry and ravenous and such
as make a noise in their swallowing as crows daws
and the pie which above all the res t is dedicated t o
M ars
And amongs t shes the pike the barbel the
fork s h the sh that hat h horns li k e a ram the stur
geon and the g l a c u s all which are great de vourers
and ra v enous
,
CHAPTER
Wha t Thin gs
XXVIII
Un der the Pow er of Ven u s,
are
Ven er e a l
a n d a r e c a ll ed
T HESE things are under Venus : Amongst Elements

air and wa ter Amongs t humors phlegm wi th blood
spiri t and seed Amo n gs t tas tes those which are
swee t unc tuous and delec table Amongs t me tals
silver and brass both yellow and red Amongst
s tones the beryl c hrysolite emeral d sapphire green
j asper carnelian the s tone aetites the lazuli s tone
coral and all of a fair various w hi te an d green color
Amongst plan ts and trees the vervain V iole t maiden
hair ; valerian which by the Arabians is called phu
and ti thymal for its fragrant and swee t smell ; also
,
HE NRY CORNELIU S AGR I PPA
1 04
quick silver tin and the silver marcasite Amongst

stones the emerald achate o r aga te red marble and
topaz and those which are of divers colors and vari
ous gures na turally ; and those tha t are ar ticial as
glass ; and those which have a color mixed wi th green
and yellow Amongs t plan ts and trees the hazel
mpe r
v e leaved grass the herb mercury fumi tory pi
nel marj oram parsley and such as have S horter a nd
le ss leaves being compounded o f mixed na tures and
divers colors Animals also that are of quick sense
ingenious s trong inconstan t and swift ; and such as
become easily acquain ted wi th men as dogs weasels
apes foxes the hart and mule ; and all animals that
are of bo th sexes and those which can change t heir
sex as the hare cive t cat and such like Amongst
birds those which are naturally wi tty melodious and
inconstan t as the linnet nigh tingale blackbird lark
thrush the gnat snapper the bird calandra the par
r o t the pie t
he bird ibis the bird porphyrio the black
beetle wi th o n e horn and the sea bird trochilus which
goes into the crocodile s mouth fo r its food Amongst
shes the sh called po u r c o n tr e l fo r deceitfulness
and changeableness ; the fork s h fo r its industry and
the mullet also tha t Shakes o ff the bait on the hook
with his tail
,
CHA PTER
Tha tthe
Whol e
Su bl u n a r y
i
n It
,
are
are
XXX
Wor l d
and
t
hose Thi
n gs w hi
ch
ri
Di
st
bu t
ed t
o Pl a n e t
s
M O RE OV ER wha tsoever is found in the whole world

is made according to the governmen ts of the Plane ts
and accordingly receives its virtue S O in re the
enlivening ligh t thereof is under the governmen t o f
the S u n ; the hea t o f it under M ars in the Ear th ; the
,
PHILOSOPHY
OF
NA T URAL MAG I C
105
various s u pe r c ie s thereof under the Moon and Me r

cury and the starry heaven ; the whole mass o f it
under S a turn Bu t in the middle Elements air is
under Jupiter and wa ter u nder the M oon ; but being
mixed are under M ercury and Venus In like manner
na tural ac tive causes O bserve the S u n the ma tter the
Moon the frui tfulness o f ac tive causes Jupiter ; the
frui tfulness of the mat ter Venus ; the sudden e ffecting
of any thing M ars ; and M ercury tha t for his v e he
mency this for his dexterity a n d manifold vir tue
Bu t the permanent con tinua tion of all thing s is
ascribed to S aturn Also amongs t vege tables every
thing tha t bears frui t is from Jupiter and every thing
tha t bears owers is from Venus ; all seed and bark is
from M ercury and all roo ts from S a turn and all wood
from M ars and leaves from the M oon Wherefore all
tha t bring forth frui t and n o t owers are of S a turn
and Jupi ter ; bu t they tha t brin g forth owers and
seed and n o t fruit are of V enus and M ercury ; those
which are brough t forth of their own accord wi thout
seed are o f the M oon and S a turn All beauty is from
Venus all s trength from M ars and every plane t rules
and dis po s e th tha twhich is like to it Also in s tones
their weigh t clamminess and s l iptic n e s s is of S a turn
their use and temperament o f Jupi ter their hardness
from M ars their life from the S u n their beauty and
fairness from V enus their occul t virtue from M ercury
and their common use from the M oon
,
CHA PTER
How Pr ovin c es
and
Kin gdoms
M O R EO V E R the whole
XXX I
are
Di
st
ri
bu t
ed t
o
Pl a n e ts
of the ear th is dis tribu ted

by kingdo m s and provinces to the Planets and S igns :
Fo r M acedonia Thracia Illyria Arriana Gordiana
,
or b
1 06
HENRY CORN EL IUS AG RIPP A S
India ,
many of which coun tries are in the l esser Asia

are under S a turn wi th Capricornus ; but wi th Aquarius
under him are the S auromatian Coun try O x ia n a S o g
diana Arabia Pha z a n ia M edia and ZEthipo ia w hich
coun tries fo r the most part belong to the more i n ward
Asia Under Jupi ter with S agi ttarius are Tusc ana
and happy Arabia ; and under him
ne
Cel tica Spa i
wi th Pisces are L ycia L ydi a Cilicia Pamphylia
M ars with
Paphlagonia Na s a m o n ia and Lybia
Aries governs Bri tany France Germany Ba s ta r n ia
the lower par ts o f Syria Idum ea and Judea ; wi th
S corpio he rules S yria Co m a g e n a C appa docia M e ta
gonium M auritania and Ge tulia The Su n wit h L e o
governs Italy Apulia Sicilia Phenicia Chaldea and
the O r c he n ia n s V enus with Taur u s governs the
Isles C yclades the seas o f little Asia Cyprus Par thia
M edia Persia ; bu t wi th L ibra she commands the
people o f the Island Br a c tia o f Ca s pia of S eres of
Thebais o f O asis and o f Tr o g l o dys
M ercury wit h
Gemini rules Hir c a n ia Armenia M a n tia n a Cyrenaica
M armarica and the lower Egypt ; but with Virgo he
rules Greece Achaia Creta Babylon M esopotam i
a
Assyria and El a whence they of tha t place are in
S cripture c all ed Elamites
The M oo n wi th Cancer
governs Bithiv ia Phrygia Colchic a Numidia Africa
C ar thage and all Ca r c he do n ia
These we have in this manner ga thered from Pto l
emy s O pinion to which according to the wri tings of
o ther as trologers many more may be added Bu t he
w ho knows ho w to compare these divisions o f prov
i
n c e s according t
he
o the Divisions o f the S tars with t
M inis try of the R uling In telligences and Blessings o f
the Tribes o f Israel the L o ts of the Apos tles and
Typical S eals of the S acred S crip tu re shall be able
to ob tain grea t and prophe tical oracle s concerning
every region of things to come
,
1 08
w hereof the rs t is called the Head o f Algol

and amo n gs t stones rules over the dia mond ; amongs t
plan ts black hellebore and mug wort The second
are the Pleiades o r S even S tars which amongst
stones rule over crystal and the s tone dio do c u s ;
amongs t plants the herb dia c e do n and frankincense
quicksilver The
a n d fennel ; and amongs t metals
t
third is the s tar A l de bo r a n which hath under i
amongs t stones the carbuncle and ruby ; amongst
plants the mil ky this tle and m a tr y S ilva The fourth
is called the Goa t Star which rules amongs t stones
the sapphire ; amongst plants horehound min t mug
wor t and m andrake The fth is called the grea t Do g
S tar which amongst stones rules over the beryl ;
amongs t p l an ts savin mug wort and dragon s wort ;
and amongst animals the forked tongue of a snake
The six th is called the lesser Do g S tar and amongs t
stones rules over acha te or agate ; amongst plan ts the
owers of marigold and pennyroyal The seventh is
called the Hear t o f the L yo n which amongst s tones
rules over the grana te o r garne t; amongs tplants sal
lendine mug wort and mastic The eighth is the Taile
of the lesser Bear which amongs t s tones rules over
the loads tone ; amongs t herbs over succory or chicory
whose leaves and owers turn towards the north ; also
mug wort and the owers of periwinkle ; and amongs t
animals the too th of a wolf The nin th is calle d the
Wing o f the Crow u n der which amongs t s tones are
such s tones as are of the color of the black onyx stone ;
amongs t plants the bur q u a dr a g in u s henbane and
comfrey ; and amongs t animals the tongue of a frog
The ten th is called S pica which hath under it am ongst
stones the emerald ; amongst plants sage trifoil peri
winkle mug wort and mandrake The elevent h is
call ed Al c ha me c h which amongs t s tones rules over
the j asper ; amongst plants the plantain
The twelfth
S tars ,
PHILOSOPHY
NA T URAL M AG I C
OF
1 09
is called El phe ia ; under this amongst stones is the

topaz ; amongst plants rosemary trifoil and ivy The
thirteenth is called the Heart of the S corpion under
which amongst s tones is the sa r do n iu s and ame thyst ;
amongs t plan ts long a r is to l o c hy and s a r o n The
fourteenth is the Falling Vultur under which amongs t
stones is the chrysoli te ; amongst plants succory and
fumitory The fteen th is the Taile o f Capricorn
under which amongst s tones is chalcedo n y ; amongst
plants marj oram mug wort a n d catnip and the root
of mandrake
M oreover this we must know tha t every s tone or
plan t o r animal or any o ther thing is n o t governed
by one star alone but many of them receive inuence
not separated but conj oined from many s tars S o
amongst stones the chalcedon is under S a turn and
Mercury toge ther wi th the Taile o f S corpion and
Capricorn
The sapphire under Jupi ter S a turn and
the s tar A l ha j o th ; tu tia is under Jupiter and the S u n
and M oon ; the emerald under Jupi ter Venus and
M ercury and the star S pica
The ame thys t as sai th
Hermes is under M ars Jupiter and the Heart o f the
Scorpion
The j asper which is o f di vers kinds is
under M ars Jupi ter and the s tar Al c ha m e c h The
chrysolite is under the Su n Venus and M ercury as
also under the s tar which is called the Falling V ul tur
The topaz under the S u n and the star El phe ia ; the
diamond under M ars and the Head of Algol In like
manner amongs t vege tables the herb dragon is under
S aturn and the celestial Dragon ; mas tic and mint are
under Jupi ter and the Su n bu t mastic is also under
the Heart of the L yon and min t under the Goa t S tar
Hellebore is dedicated to M ars and the Head o f Algol ;
moss and sanders to the Su n and Venus ; coriander to
Venus and S a turn Amongs t animals the sea calf is
under the Su n and Jupi ter ; the fo x and ape under
,
HENRY
1 10
AG RIPP A S
C ORNELIUS
and M ercury ; and domestical dogs under Me r

cury and the M oon And th u s we have shew ed more
*
u
things in these inferiors by their s perior s
S aturn
CHAPTER
f Na tu r a l Thin gs
er s
Cha r a c t
and
0f the Sea l s
XXX III
o
ALL S tars have their peculiar natures properties

and condi tions the S eals and Charac ters w hereof
n fe
they produce through their rays even in these i
rior things viz in elements in stones in plants ih
animals and their members ; whence every na tural
thing receives from a harmonious disposi tion and from
t some particular S eal or char
i
ts s tar S hining upon i
acter stamped upon it; which S eal of charac ter is the
si
c a to r O f tha t star o r harmonious disposi tion
gn i
con taining in it a peculiar Virtue differing from o ther
vir tues o f the same mat ter bo th generically s pe c ic
a lly and numerically Every thing therefore hath
t by i
ts s tar for some par
i
ts charac ter pressed upon i
ha t s tar which do th prin
ti
c u l a r e ffect especially by t
And these Characters contain and
ci
pa l l y govern it
re tain in them the peculiar N a tures Virtues and
R oo ts o f their S tars and produce the like operations
upon other things on which they are reec ted and
s tir up and help the inuences of their S tars whether
they be Plane ts o r xed S tars o r Figures or celestial
as o ft as they shal l be made in a t
S igus r viz
,
g ri pp s h i s to ri n M H n ry M o rl y s y s H r n ds th d t il of
p on w h i c h w r b s d so f
co n c r n d n t r l
th th or y of N t r
rts of sorc ry d d i vi n ti o n From th ory t p r c ti c th r
th i n g s th
for th y o n g s t d ntp ss s
L i f of C o r n li s A g r i pp
V l I p 136
m a pp d ti nto c l s t rs d comb i n ti on s
Th H a v ns i n g n r l
of s t rs kn own
cons tell ti on s
d t
c h cons t ll ti on th n c i n ts
g v c rt i n g r th n m of w h i c h l so n m d th con s t ll ti on
c p r go t d co r n h orn)
i s gi v n th g r of
C p r i corn s (f r om
go t ( h orn s t rry ) d th i s cons t ll ti on by b i ng
of th tw l v
cons te ll a ti o n s of th Z od i c i s f r th r kn own
of th TWE V E S i gn s
A
a u
e a
on e
an
a,
o ea
u,
"
on e
e a
a s on e
e,
an
ou
an
e e
a r as
an
an
a
e
"
ar e
as
e, u
e a
e
,
as
1 12
few S eals and Characters of the Plane ts such as the

ancien t chiromancers knew o f in the hands o f men
These doth Julian call S acred and Divine L e tters
seeing tha t by them accordin g to th e holy S cripture
is the life o f men writ in their hands And there are
in all nations o f all languages always the same a nd
like to them and permanent ; to which were added and
found o u t afterwards many more ; as by the ancien t
so by latter chiromancers And they that would know
them mus t have recourse to their volumes It is sufh
cien t here to shew from whence the Charac ters of
Na ture have their original source and in what things
they are to be enquired after *
,
y o n p g 138 of h i s wo rk gi v s s cc ss i v l y li n nd r li n
th d i v i n l tt r s of S t rn J p i t r M rs V n s M rc r y th S
d th
M oon w h i c h m y b com p r d w i th th g r s m d from th 165 1 d i ti o n
* Mr
M or l e
e
a u
'
'
w e
BW
8 8
H
*X
al l
S A
Z V
Vt! EW K
2
5 n
e u
m a x r m:1:
ST ?
'
e v
u n , an
e
e,
e
:
PHILOSOPHY
HE R
OF
NA T URAL M AG I C
F OLLO W THE F I GU R
L etters or
The
L etters or
The
O F DI
V I N E LE TT ER S :
of S aturn
Characters
:1: :F W
'
ES
BVV
Characters
of
Jupiter
The
or
The
Characters
L etters or
W
The
Charac ters
L etters
Charac ters
3
"
01
L etters or
of
M ars
of the S u n
V SW
dIN
O AK
S
L etters or
L etters
The
A ST
The
1 13
II
of Venus
8 8
Characters
Characters
of
Mercury
of the M oon
HENRY CORNE LIUS AGRI PPA
1 14
CHA PTER
Ho
,by
Na tu r a l Thin g s
For th
and
Bodies
and
XXX IV
We ma y Dr a w
he i
r Vi
rt
u es,
t
u es of Ce l est
i
al
Attr a c t the Inu en c e s a n d Vir t
NO W , if thou desires t to receive virtue from any
part o f the World or from any S tar thou shalt (t hose

things being used which belong to t his S tar come
u nder i
ts peculiar inuence as wood is t to receive
ame by reason of sulphur pi tch and O il Ne v e r the
less when thou dost to any one species o f things or
individual righ tly apply many things (which are
things o f the same subj ect scattered a mongs t them
selves conformable to the same Idea and Star pres
ently by this ma tter s o O pportunely t ted a singu l ar
gift is infused by the Idea by means o f the S oul o f the
World I say O pportu n ely tted viz under a har

mony like to the harmony which did infuse a certain
virtue into the matter Fo r although things have
some virtues such as we speak o f yet those virtues
do so lie hid that there is seldom any e e c t produced
by them Bu t a s in a grain o f mus tard seed bruised
the sharpness which lay hid is stirred up ; and as the
hea t o f the re doth make le tters apparen t to the
sight which before could n o t be read being wri t with
the juice of an onion o r with milk ; and as let ters
wrote upon a stone with the fat o f a goat and a lto
ge ther u nperceived when the s tone is put in to vinegar
appear and she w themselves ; and as a blow wi th a
s tick s tirs up the madness of a dog which before lay
asleep s o do th the Celestial Harmony disclose vir
tues lying in the wa ter ; s tirs them up s tr e n g the n e th
them and makes them manifes t; and as I may so say
pr o du c e th that into Ac t which before wa s only in
Pow er when things are rightly exposed to it in a Celes
tial S eason
As fo r example : If thou dost desire to
116
degrees correspond wi th them tha t go before where

the patien t is tl y applied to its superior agen t S o
from a certain composition o f herbs vapors and such
like made according to the principles o f natural phi
l o s o phy and astronomy there results a c ertain com
mo n for m endowed w ith many gif ts o f the S tars as
in the honey of bees that which is ga thered o u t of
the j uice of innumerabl e owers an d brough t into o n e
form con tains the virtue of all by a kind o f divine
and admirable art o f the bees Y et this is n o t to be
less wondered a t which Eudoxus Giu diu s reports o f
an articial kind o f honey whic h a certain N ation of
Gian ts in Lybia knew ho w to make out o f owers and
that very good and n o t far inferior to that of the bees
Fo r every mix tion which consists o f many several
things is then mos t perfect when it is s o rmly c o m
t becomes one is every where
pa c te d in all parts that i
rm to i tself and can hardly be dissipated as we
sometimes see stones and divers bodies to be by a cer
tain natural power s o conglutinated and united tha t
they seem to be wholly one thing ; as we see tw o trees ,
by grafting to become o n e ; also oysters with stones
by a certain occult vir tue o f N a ture ; and there have
been seen some animals which have been turned into
s tones and SO uni ted with the substance o f the stone
that they seem to make o n e body and that also homo
g e n e o u s ; so the tre e ebony is one while wood and
ano ther while stone When t herefore any o n e makes
a mix tion o f many matters under the celestial in u
c h e es then t
he varie ty o f c elestial a c t
i
on s o n the one
hand and of natural pow er s o n the other hand being
j oined toge ther doth indeed cause wonderful things
by ointmen ts by c o l l yr i
e s by fumes and such like
w hich are read o f in the books of Chir a mis Ar c hyta
Democri tus and Hermes who is named Al c ho r a t, and
many o thers
,
PHILOSOPHY
OF
NA T URAL M AG I C
CHAPTER
0f the Un ion
Mor e
XXXVI
f Mix t Thin gs
Nobl e For m a n d
o
he In t
r odu c t
i
t
on of
an d
1 17
f Li
fe
t
he Sen ses
MO R EO V ER we mus t know tha t by how much the

more noble the form of any thing is by so much the
more prone and a pt it is to receive and powerful to
act Then the virtues of things do then become won
z
when they are put to matters tha t are
de r fu l v i
mixed and prepared in tseasons to make them a l ive
by procuring life for them from the S tars as also a
sensible S oul as a more noble form Fo r there is so
great a power in pr epa r ed mat ters which we see do
then receive life when a perfec t mix tion of quali ties
seems to break the former contrariety Fo r s o much
the more perfect life things receive shews by how
much their temper is more remo te from con trarie ty
No w the Heaven as a prevalent cause do th (from
the beginning of every thing to be genera ted by the
due concoction and perfect diges tion o f the ma tter
together with life bes tow celestial inuences and
wonderful gifts according to the Capaci ty tha t is in
tha t Life and se n sible S ou l to receive more noble and
sublime virtues Fo r the Celes tial Vir tue doth o ther
wise lie asleep as sulphur kep t fro m the ame but in
L iving Bodies itdoth always burn as kindled sulphur ;
and then by its vapor like the lighted sulphur it lls
all the places that are nextto it
So cer tain wonderful works are wrought such as are
read of in the book o f Nemith which is titled a Book
of the L aws of Plu to because such kind o f mons trous
generations are not produced according to the L aws
of Nature Fo r we know tha to f worms are genera ted
gna ts ; o f a horse wasps ; o f a calf or o x bees ; of a
crab his legs being taken O ff and he buried in the
ground a scorpion ; o f a duck dried in to powder and
,
1 18
into wa ter are generated frogs ; bu t if the duck be

baked in a pie and c u t in to pieces and then pu t into
a moist place under the ground toads are generated
t
of i
O f the herb garden basil bruised be twixt tw o
s tones are genera ted scorpions ; and of the hairs of a
ca tamenial person buried under compost are bred
serpents ; and the hair o f a horse s tail put in to wa ter
receiveth life and is turned in to a pernicious worm
And there is an a r t wherewith by a hen sitting upon
eggs may be genera ted a form like to a man (which I
have seen and know how to make which magicians
say ha th in it wonderful virtues ; and this they call
the true mandrake Y ou mus t therefore know which
and wha t kind of matters are ei ther o f N a ture or A r t
begun o r perfec ted o r compounded of more things
and wha t celestial inuences they are able to receive
Fo r a congrui ty o f natural things is su fficient for the
receiving o f inuence from those celestial ; because
when no thing do th hinder the Celes tials to send forth
their lights upon Inferiors they suffer n o ma tter to be
des titu te of their virtue Wherefore as much ma tter
as is perfect and pure is n o t un tto receive the celes
tial inuence
Fo r tha t is the binding and continuity
ter to the S oul o f the World which do th so
o f the ma t
daily ow in upon things na tural a n d all things which
N a ture ha th prepared tha tit is impossible tha t a pre
pared matter S houl d not receive life o r a more noble
form
pu t
CHA PTER
IIow , by
-
We
me
so
c er t
ai
n
Na tu r a l
'
XXXVII
and
Ar ti
c ia l Pr epa r a tion s,
ma y Attr a c t c er ta in Ce l estia l
a nd
Vita l Gi
fts
PL A T O N I S T S toge ther with Hermes say and Ja r c hu s

Br a c hma n u s and the M e c u ba l s o f the Hebrews confess
,
that all sublunary things are subj ec t to generation and
HENRY CORNE L IU S AG RIPP A S
1 20
obtain of God its understandi ng and mind in its

soul and body as in wood the dryness is t ted to
receive oil and the oil being imbibed is food for the
re the re is the ve hicle O f light By these exam
ples you see how by some cer tain na tura l a n d ar ticial
prepara tions we are in a capacity to receive cer tain
celes tial gifts from above Fo r stones and me tals
have a correspondency with herbs herbs wi th animals
animals wi th the heavens the heavens with In te l l i
g e n c e s and they with divine proper ties and attributes
and with God himself after whose image and likeness
all things are created
No w the rst image o f God is the world ; of the
world man ; o f man beas ts ; of beasts the z e O phyton
half animal and half plant ; o f the
o r zoophyte (i
z e O phyt
plan ts ; of plants metals ; and o f metals
on
stones And again in things spiritual the plan t
agrees with a bru te in vegetation a brute wi th a man
in sense man wi th an angel in un derstanding and an
angel wi th God in immortali ty Divini ty is annexed
to the mi n d the mind to the in tellec t the intellec t to
the in tention the in tention to the imagin ation the
i magination to the senses and the senses a t l ast to
things
Fo r this is the band and continuity o f N ature
tha t a l l superior vir tue doth ow through every i
n fe
rior with a long and con tinued series dispersing its
rays even to the very las t things ; and inferiors
through their superiors come to the very S upreme of
all Fo r so inferiors are successively j oined to their
superiors that th ere proceeds an inuence from their
head the First C ause as a certain s tring stre tched o u t
to the lowermos tthings of all ; of which s tring if one
end be touched the whole do th presen tly shake and
such a touch do th sound to the o ther end ; and a tthe mo
tion o f an inferior the superior a l so is moved to w hich
the o ther do th answer as s tri n gs in a lute well tuned
to
PHILOSOPHY
NA T URAL M AG I C
OF
CHA PTER
How
we
ma y Dr a w
n ot on
and
ual
In t
e ll ec t
c er t
ai
n
1 21
XXXV III
Vit
a l bu t a l so
and
ly Ce l est
i
al
Di
n e Gi
vi
fts
fr om Abov e
MAG I C I AN S teach that celestial gifts may through

inferiors being conformable to superiors be drawn
down by opportune inuences of the heaven ; and so
also by these celestial gifts the celestial angels (as
they are servants of the s tars may be procured and
conveyed to us Ia mbl ic hu s Proclus and S yn e s iu s
with the whole school of Pla tonists conrm tha t n o t
only celestial and vi tal bu t also certain in tellec tual
angelical and divine gifts may be received from above
by some cer tain ma tters having a na tural power o f
divini ty (i
whic h have a na tural correspondency
wi th the superiors bein g righ tly received and O ppo r
tu n e l y ga thered toge ther according to the rules o f
na tural philosophy and astronomy And M ercurius
Trismegistus wri tes tha t an Image rightly made of
certain proper things appropria ted to any one cer tain
angel will presen tly be anima ted by tha t angel O f
the same also Aus tin (S t Augus tine makes men tion
in his eigh th book De Civi tate De i (the Ci ty of God
Fo r this is the harmony o f the world tha t things
superceles tial be drawn down by the celes tial and
the superna tural by those natural because there is
O n e O pera tive V ir tue that is di ffused through all
kinds o f things ; by which v ir tue indeed as manifes t
things are produced o u tof occul tcauses so a magician
doth make use o f things manifes tto draw forth things
tha t are occul t viz through the rays of the S tars
through fumes lights soun ds and na tural things
which are agreeable to those celestial in which aside
from their corporeal quali ties there is also a kind of
reason sense and harmony and incorporeal and divine
measures and orders
,
)
.
HE NRY CORN EL IUS
1 22
A GR
IPP A
we read that the ancien ts were wont O ften to

receive some divine and wonderful th ing b y certain
na tural things : S o the stone that is bred in the apple
ongue of a
o f the eye o f a civet c a t held under the t
man is said to make him to divine o r prophesy ; the
same is seleni te the moon stone reported to do So
they say tha t the Images o f Gods may be called up by
*
and tha tthe ghos ts o f the
the s tone called a n c hi
ti
s;
dead may be being called up kep t up by the stone
s dO
s yn o c hi
ti
s
The like do th the herb a g l a u pho ti
which is also called ma r m o r ite s growing upon the
marbles of Arabia as saith Pliny and the which
magicians use Also there is an herb called r he a n
gelida wi th which magicians drinking o f can pr o ph
e sy
M oreover there are some herbs by which the
dead are raised to life ; whence Xan thus the historian
tells that wi th a certain herb c alled balus a young
dragon being killed was made alive again ; also tha t
by the same herb a cer tain man o f Til l u m whom a
dragon killed was res tored to life ; and Juba reports
tha t in Arabia a cer tain man was by a cer tain herb
restored to life Bu t whe ther or n o any such things
can be done indeed upon man by the virtue o f herb s
o r any other na t
ural thing we shall discourse in the
following chapter N o w it is certain and manifest
that such thin gs can be done upon o ther animals SO
if ies tha t are drowned be pu t into warm ashes t hey
revive And bees being drowned do in like ma tter
recover life in the juice o f the herb catnip ; and eels
being dead fo r want o f wa ter if with their whole
bodies they be pu tunder mud in vinegar and the blood
of a vul ture being put to them will all o f them in a
few days recover life They say tha t if the sh
So
T h i s w a s i n a l l p rob a bili ty som e m i n r l th tr s e mb l e d D D e e s e l

e b a t d s ton e w h i c h w a s c a n n e l co a l a b l a ck m i n e r a l co a l s u f c i e n t
ly h a rd
to b e c u t a n d p o li s h e d a n d u s e d by h i m a s a M a g i c M i rr o r
,
HENRY CORN EL IU S AG RIPP A S
124
S O we read that
(not supercelestial b ut less higher
the ancient priests made s tatues and images fore tell
ing thin gs to come and infused into them the S pirits
he S tars whic h were n o t kept there by constrain t
of t
in some certain mat ters bu trej oiced in them v iz as
acknowledging such kinds o f matter to be suitable to
them they do always and willingly abide in them and
speak and do wonderful things by them ; n o otherwise
than evil spirits are wont to do when they possess
men s bodies
.
CHAPTER X L
0f
Bin din gs;
ha tSor tt
hey
f,
are o
a nd
be D on e
o
a r e w on tt
i
n w ha t Wa ys t
hey
WE have spoken concerning the virtues and wonder
ful e fcacy of natural things It remains now that we

understand a thing o f grea t wonderment and it is a
binding of men into love o r ha tred sickness or health
or such like Also the binding o f thieves and robbers
that they cannot steal in any place ; the binding of
merchants , that they cannot buy o r sell in any place ;
the binding o f an army tha t they cannot pass over
any bound ; the binding of ships that no winds t hough
never so strong shall be able to carry them ou to f the
haven Also the binding o f a m ill that it can by no
force what soever be turned round ; the binding o f a
cistern or fountain that the wa ter cannot b e drawn up
o u to f them ; the binding o f t
he ground that it cannot
bring forth fruit ; the binding of any place , that no th
ing can be built upon it ; the binding o f re that
tho u gh it be never s o strong can burn no combustible
thing that is put to it
Also the bindings of lightnings
and tempes ts that they shall do no hurt ; the binding
o f dogs that t hey cannot bark ; the binding of birds
.
PHI L OSOPHY
NA T URAL M AG I C
OF
1 25
and wild beasts that they shall not be able to y or

r un away
And such like as these which are scarce
credible ye t of ten known by experience No w there
are such kind o f bindings as these made by sorceries
s and love potions ; by binding to o r
c o l l yr i
e s unguen t
hanging up o f things ; by rings by charms by strong
imaginations and passions by i mages and characters
by enchantments and impreca tions by lights by num
bers by sounds by words , and names invocations ,
and sacrices ; by swearing conjuring consecra tions
devo tions and by divers superstitions and observa
tions and such like
,
CHA PTER
0f Sor c er ie s
and
X LI
he i
r
t
Pow er
T HE force of sorceries is repor ted to be so grea t that

they are believed to be able to subvert consume and
change all inferior things according Virgil s muse :
,
Moer is for me the se her bs in Pon tu s c hose,

An d c u r iou s dr u gs, for ther e gr ea t pl en ty gr ow s;
I ma n y ti
mes, w ith these ha ve Mce r is spied
,
Cha n g d to
a w ol e , a n d
i
n t
he
w oods
t
o hi
de;
e d c ha r m,
Fr om Sepu l c hr es w ou ld sou l s depa r t
n
r
e
r
a
n
d
i
n
r
o
m
a
n
o
t
h
e
r
s Fa r
A d Co n b a st
g f
m
.
Also in another place concerning the companions

of Ulysses whom
,
The
c r u el
Goddess, Cir c e, ther e in vests
With er c e
a spec t
s, a n d c ha n g
And a little after

,
When
d t
o
sa va ge
bea st
s
fr om Pic u s Cer c e c ou ld n otga in e,

Him, w ith her c ha r min g w a n d a n d he l l ish ba n e ,
l ove
126
o
Cha n g d t
With su n dr y
No w
a n d spot
s
r d,
bi
his spec k l e d
n gs
i
c o l or s
are some kinds of these sorceries men

hat sorceress The s sa l a
ti
o n e d by L ucan concerning t
ca l ling up ghos ts where he sai th :
,
there
Her e a l l Na tu r e s pr odu c ts u nfor tu n a te :

Foa m of ma d D ogs, w hi
ch w a t
er s fe a r a n d ha t
e;
Gu ts of the L yn x ; Hyen a s , k n otimbr ed;
The ma r r ow of a Ha r tw ith Serpen ts fe d
Wer e n otw a n tin g; n o, n or the se a La mpr ey,
Whic h stops
he
t
shi
ps; n or
he D r a gon
ye tt
s eye
And such as Apuleius tells of concerning Pa mphila

tha t S orceress endeavoring to procure love ; to whom
Fo ti
s a certain maid brough t t
he hairs of a goa t (c u t
tle m ade wi th the skin thereof
o ff from a bag o r bo t
ins tead o f Bmo tiu s (a young man hair No w she
sai th Apuleius being o u t o f her wits for the young
man goe th up to the tiled roof and in the upp er part
thereof makes a great hole O pen to al l the oriental
and o ther aspec ts and most t fo r these her ar ts and
there priva tely worships ; h aving before furnished her
m ournful house wi th sui table furni ture wi th all kinds
wi th pla tes o f iron wi th s trange words
o f spices
engraven upon them with par ts O f ste m s o f S hips that
were cas t away and much lamen ted and with divers
members of buried carcasses cas t abroad here n oses
and ngers there the eshy nails o f those tha t were
hanged and in ano ther place the b lood o f them tha t
were murdered and their skulls mangled with the
tee th o f wild beas ts
Then s he o ffers sacrices (their
enchanted entrails lying pan ting and sprinkles them
wi th divers kinds o f liquors ; some times w i th foun tain
water sometimes with cows milk sometimes wi th
mountain honey and mead Then she ties those hairs
,
H E NRY CORN EL IUS
1 28
A GR
IPP A
touched wi th it Itmakes linen black tha t is boiled

with it; it makes mares cas t their foal if they do but
touch it and makes asses barren as long as they eat
t The ashes
he corn tha t hath been touched wit h i
of t
of c a ta m e n io u s clo thes if they be cast upon purple
garments tha t are to be washed change the color o f
They say
them and takes away colors from owers
that it drives away tertian and quar tan agues if itbe
put into the wool of a black ram and tied up in a S il
he patient s feet
v e r bracelet ; as also if the soles o f t
be anointed therewith an d esp e cially if it be done by
the woman herself the p a tien t n o t knowing o f it
M oreover it cures the ts of the fal ling sickness ; but
mos t especially itcures them that are afraid o f water
or drink after they are bi tten wi th a mad do g if only
a c a ta me n io u s clo th be put under the cup Besides
they repor t that if c a ta m e n io u s persons shall walk
being n u de about the standing corn they make all
cankers worms bee tles ies and all hurtful things
to fall O ff from the corn ; but they mu st take heed tha t
they do it before sun rising o r el se they will make the
corn to w ither Also they say they are able to expel
hail tempests and ligh tnings more of which Pliny
makes mention of Know this that they are a grea ter
poison if they happen in the decrease o f the M oon
and ye t much greater if they happen be twixt the
decrease and change o f the M oon ; but if they happen
in the eclipse of the M oo n or the Su n they are an
incurable poison Bu t they are of greates t force of
all when they happen in the rs t early years even in
the years o f virginity for if they do bu t touch the
posts o f the house there can no mischief take e ffect in
it Also the y say tha t the threads o f any garment
touched therewi th cannot be burn t and if they be cast
into the re it will spread no further Also it is said
tha t the root of peony being given with castor o il
.
PHILOSOPHY
OF
NA T URAL M AG I C
1 29
smeared over using the c a ta me n io u s cloth c u r e th the

falling sickness M oreover if the stomach of a hart
be burnt or roasted and to it be put a perfuming made
wi th a c a ta me n io u s clot h it will make cross bows use
less for the killing o f any game The hairs o f a cata
menion s person put under compos t breed serpen ts ;
and if they be burnt will drive away serpen ts with
their s mell
S o great a poisonous force is in them
tha tthey are poison to poisonous crea tures
There is also hippomanes whic h amongst sorceries
is not the leas t taken no tice o f a n d it is a lit tle ven
emons piece o f esh as big as a g and black which
is in the forehead o f a col t newly foaled which unless
the mare herself presen tly e a t she will never after love
her foal or l e t it suckle And fo r this cause they say
there is a mos t wonderful power in i
tto procure love
if itbe powdered and drank in a cup with the blood of
hi
m tha t is in love
There is also ano ther sorcery o f
the same name hippomanes a venemous humor of the
mare in her mating season o f which Virgil makes
mention w hen he sings :
,
Hen c e c omes tha tpoison w hic h the S hepher ds c a ll

Hi
h fa ll ,
ppoma n e s, a n d fr om the Ma r es do t
The w oefu l ba n e w hic h c r u e l stepda mes u se ,
An d w ith a c ha r me mon gstpow rfu l dr u gs infu se
Of
this do th Juvenal the sa tirist make men tion :

,
ha tboyl ed
Hi
ppoma n es, poyson s t
Ar e gi
n la w ,
ven t
o Son s i
it
h
a n d c ha r
a r e,
su c h
me s
li
k e ha r mes
Apollonius also in his A r g o n a u tic a makes mention

of the herb o f Prometheus which he sai th growe th
from corrupt blood dropping upon the earth whils t
the vul ture was gnawing upon the liver o f Prome theus
upon the hill Caucasus The ower of this herb he
sai th is like sa ffron having a double s talk hanging
,
HENRY CORN EL IUS
1 30
A GR
IP PA
further than the o ther the length o f a cubit ;

the roo t under the ear th as esh newly c u t sends
for th a blackish j uice as it were o f a beech wi th
which saith he if any one shall after he ha th per
formed his devo tion to Proserpina smear over his
body he canno t be hurt ei ther wi th sword or re
Also S axo Gr a ma tic u s writes that there was a cer tain
man called Fr o to n w ho had a garment which when
he had pu t o n was such he could not be hurt wi th the
poin t or edge o f any weapon The civet cat also
abounds wi th sorceries fo r as Pliny reports the posts
of a door being touched wi th her blood the arts o f
jugglers and sorcerers are so invalid tha t the gods
canno t be called up and will by no mea n s be per
s u a de d t
h them Also that they that are
o talk wi t
anoin ted wi th the ashes o f the ankle bone o f her left
foo t being decoc ted wi th the blood of a weasel shall
become odious to all The same also is done with
the eye being decocted Also it is said that the
straigh t g u t is administered against the injus tice and
corrup tion of princes and grea t men in power and for
success o f pe ti tions and to conduce to the ending of
sui ts and con troversies if any one ha th never so little
of it about him ; and tha t if it be bound un to the left
arm it is such a perfec t charm tha t if any man do but
look upon a woman it will make her follow him pres
en tly ; and tha t the skin of the civet c at s forehead
do th wi ths tand be w itc hin g s They say also tha tthe
blood o f a basilisk whic h they call the blood of S a t
urn hath such grea t force in sorcery that it procures
for him tha t carries it about him good success o f his
pe ti tions from great men in power and of his prayers
from God and also remedies o f diseases and grant of
any privilege They say also tha t a tyke if it be
pulled o u to f the left ear of a dog and if be it is al to
gether black hath great v irtue in the prognos tica ting
ne
ou t
, o
'
1 32
HENRY CORN EL IU S AG RIPP A S
were beheaded in wine and the sick drink thereof he

an They say also tha t a
S hall be cured of his quart
cup of liquor being made wi th the brains O f a bear
and drank o u to f the S kull shall make him that drinks
i
t to be as erce and as raging as a bear and think
himself to be changed into a bear and j udge all things
he sees to be bears and so to continue in that madness
un til the force of tha t dra ught shall be dissolved no
o ther distemper being all this whil e perceived in him
,
CHA PTER
0f
Perfu mes
X LIII
i
he i
r Ma n n er
Suu mi
on s; t
ga t
or
and
Pow er
su ffumigations also or pe r fu min g s tha t are

proper to the S tars are of great force for the o ppo r
tune rec eiving o f celestial gifts under the rays of the
S tars in as much as they do strongly work upon the
air and brea th Fo r our brea th is very much changed
by such kind o f vapors if both vapors be of ano ther
like The air also being through the said vapors
easily moved or a e c te d with the qualities o f inferiors
or those cele s tial daily ; and quickly pene tra ting our
breast and V itals doth wonderfully reduce us to the
like quali ties Wherefore s u u mig a tio n s are won t to
be used by them that are about to soothsay o r predict
for to a ffect their fancy or concep tion ; whic h su ffu mi
o n s indeed being duly appropria t
ed to any certai n
g a ti
dei ties do t us to receive divine inspira tion S o they
say tha t fumes made wi th linsee d e a bane seed roo ts
s and parsley do th make o n e to foresee things
o f viole t
to come and do th conduce to prop hesying
L e t no
man wonder how grea tthings suffumiga tions can do in
the air especially when he shall wi th Porphyrius con
sider tha t by certain vapors exhaling from proper
su ffumiga tions airy spiri ts are presently raised as
S OM E
PHI L OSOPHY
NA T URAL M AG I C
OF
1 33
also thunderings and ligh tnings and such like things

As the liver of a chameleon being burnt o n the to p o f
the house do th as is manifes t raise showers and
lightnings In like ma n ner the head and throa tO f the
chameleon if they be burn t with oaken wood cause
storms and ligh tnings There are also s u ffumiga tions
under opportun e inuences of the Stars tha t make the
images o f spirits forthwith appear in the air o r else
where S o they say tha t if o f coriander smallage
henbane and hemlock be made a fume tha t spiri ts
will presen tly come toge ther ; hence they are called
spirits herbs Also it is said tha t a fume made of
the roo t of the reedy herb sagapen with the juice of
hemlock and henbane and the herb ta ps u s barba tus
red sanders and black poppy makes spiri ts and
s trange S hapes appear ; and if smallage be added to
them the fume chase th away S piri ts from any place
and des troys their visions In like manner a fume
made o f calamin t peony min ts and palma chris ti
drives away all evil spiri ts and vain imagina tions
M oreover it is said tha t by cer tain fumes cer tain
animals are ga thered together and also pu tto ight
as Pliny men tions concerning the s tone liparis tha t
wi th the fume thereof all beas ts are called o u t S O
the bones in the upper par to f the throat o f a hart
being burnt ga ther all the serpe n ts toge ther ; bu tthe
horn of the har t being burn t do th wi th its fume chase
them all away The same do th a fume of the fea thers
of peacocks Also the lungs of an ass being burn t
puts all poisonous things to igh t; the fume o f the
burnt hoof o f a horse drives away mice ; the same do th
the hoof o f a mule ; wi th which also if itbe the hoof
An d they say
of t
he lef t foo t ies are driven away
if a house or any place be smoked with the gall o f a
cu ttle s h made in to a confec tion wi th red s torax
roses and lignum aloes or lignaloes and if then there
,
HENRY CORNE L IU S AG RIPP A
134
be some sea wa ter o r b lood cast into tha t place the

whole house will seem to be full o f wa ter o r blood ;
and if some ear th O f plowed ground be cast t here the
earth will seem to quake No w such kinds of vapors
we must conceive do infect any body and infuse a v ir
tu e in to it which do th continue long even as any con
ta g i
o u s or poisonous vap o
r of the pestilence being
kep t for tw o years in the wall o f a house infec ts the
in habi tants and as the con tagion o f pestilence o r
leprosy lying hid in a garmen t do th long after infect
him tha t wears it Therefore were certain su ffumiga
tions used to a ffect images rings and such like i
n st
ru
men ts of magic and hidden treasures and as Po r phy
rius saith very e ffectually S O they say if any o n e
her precious thing
S hall hide gold or silver or any o t
the M oon being in co n junc tion wi th the Su n and shall
fume the hiding place wi th coriander saffron henbane
smallage and black poppy of each a like quanti ty
bruised toge ther and tempered wi th the juice of hem
lock tha t which is s o hid s hall never be found or
taken away ; and that spiri ts S hall con tinually keep it
and if any o n e S hall endeavor to take it away he shall
be hurt by them and s hall fall into a frenzy
And Hermes sai th that there is no thing like the
fume of spermace ti fo r the raising o f spirits Where
fore if a fume be made O f that and lignu m aloes red
s torax pepper wort musk and sa ffron all tempered
together wi th the blood o f a lapwing i
t will quickly
ga ther airy spiri ts toge ther and if it be used about
t ga thers together spirits and
the graves o f the d ead i
the g hos ts o f the dead
S o as of ten as we direct any work to the Su n we
mus t make suffumiga tions wi th S olary things and if
to the M oon wi th L u n ary things and so o f the rest
And we must know tha t a s there is a contrariety and
enmity in s tars and spiri ts so a l so in suffumigations
-
136
brain of a hart the blood o f a man and the blood of a

black c a t
Fo r Venus take musk ambergris lignum aloes red
roses and red coral a n d make them up wi th the brain
he blood o f pigeons
o f S parrows and t
Fo r M ercury take mas tic fra nkincense c loves and
the herb cinque foil and the stone acha te and incor
po r a te them all with the brain o f a fox o r weasel and
the blood o f a magpie
Besides to S a turn are appropriated for fumes all
odoriferous roo ts a s pepper wort root etc and the
frankincense tree ; to Jupiter odoriferous fruits as
nutmegs and cloves ; to M ars all odoriferous wood as
sanders cypress lignum balsam and lignum aloes ; to
the Su n all gums frankincense mastic benj amin ,
s torax ladanum ambergris and musk ; to Venus sweet
owers as roses viole ts saffron and such like ; to
M ercury all the peels o f wood and fruit as cinnamon
l ignum cassia mace ci tron o r lemon peel and bay
berries and wha tsoever seeds are odoriferous ; to the
M oon the leaves o f all vegetables as the leaf indum
and the leaves o f the myrtle and bay tree
Know also that according to the O pinion o f the
magicians in every good ma tter as love good will
and the like there mus t be a good fume odoriferous
and precious ; and in every evil matter as hatred
anger miser y and the like there must be a s tinking
fume tha t is of n o worth
The twelve S igns also o f the Zodiac have their
proper fumes as Aries hath myrrh ; Taurus pepper
wor t; Gemini mastic ; Cancer camphor ; L e o frank
incense ; Virgo sanders ; L ibra galbanum ; S corpio
O popanax ; S agi ttarius lignum aloes ; Capricornus
benjamin ; Aquarius euphorbium ; Pisces red storax
Bu t Hermes describes the most powerf u l fume to be
tha t which is compounded of the S even Aromatics
,
PHILOSOPHY
NA T URAL M AG I C
OF
137
according to the powers o f the S even Planets for it

receives from S aturn pepper wort ; from Jupiter nut
meg ; from M ars lignum aloes ; from the Su n mastic ;
from Venus sa ffron ; from Mercury cinnamon ; and
from the M oon the myrtle
-
CHAPTER
XLV
Un c tion s, L ove Me dic in es ,
es,
0f Collyr i
and
he i
r Vi
rt
u es
t
M O RE O V ER c o l l yr ie s and unguents conveying the

virtues o f things na tural and celes tial to our S pirit
can multiply transmute tr a n s g u r e and transform it
accordingly a s also transpose those virtues which are
in them in to it; that s o it canno t act only upon its
own body but also upon that which is near it and
affect tha t by visible rays charms and by touching it
with some like quality Fo r because our spiri t is the
subtile pure lucid airy and unc tuous vapor of the
blood it is therefore t to make c o l l yr ie s of the like
vapors w hich are more suitable to o u r spirit in sub
s tance for then by reason of their likeness they do
the more s tir up a ttrac t and transform the spiri t
The like virtues have cer tain ointmen ts and o ther con
fe c ti
Hence by the touch some times S ickness
on s
poisonings and love is induced ; some things as the
Also by kisses
hands o r garmen ts being a n oin ted
some things being held in the mou th love is induced ;
as in Virgil we read tha tV enus prays Cupid
,
m in her l ap
do hu gs hi
Tha tw hen g l a d D i
Atr oya l fea sts, c r ow n d w ith the c heer in g gr ape,
When
sse s
n g , sha l l sw e etk i
she, embr a c i
r e hi
d
In spi
He
w ou
No w the
a me
it
h dea dl y ba n e
v e,
gi
dec ei
ve,
ld
igh t because it perceives more purely and

clearly than the o ther senses and fastening in us the
S
1 38
marks o f things more acu tely and deeply doth mos t

of all and before others agree with the phantas tic
spirit as is apparent in dreams when things seen do
more ofte n presen tthemselves to us than things heard
hing coming under the o ther senses There
o r any t
fore when c o l l yr ie s o r eye waters transform V isual
he imagina tion
S pirits tha t S pirit do th easily a e c tt
which indeed being a ffec ted with divers species and
forms transmi ts the same by the same spirit un to the
O u tward sense o f sigh t; by which occasion there is
caused in it a percep tion o f such species and forms in
tha t manner as if it were moved by external obj ects
tha t there seem to be seen terrible images and spirits
and such like So there are made c o l l yr ie s making
us forthwi th to see the images of spirits in the air o r
elsewhere ; as I know ho w to make of the gall of a
man and the eyes of a black c a t and O f some o ther
things The like is made also o f the blood o f a lap
wing o f a bat and a goa t; and they say if a smoo th
shining piece of s teel be smeared over wi th the j uice
of mug wort and ma de to fume it will make invoked
S pirits to be seen in i
t
S o also there are some su f
fumigations o r unctions which make men speak in
their sleep to walk and to do those things which are
done by men tha t are awake ; and some times to do
those things which men tha t are awake canno to r dare
n o tdo
S ome there are that make us to hear horrid
able sounds and such like And this is the
o r delec t
cause why maniacal and melancholy men believe they
see and hear those things wi thout which their imagi
nation do th only fancy within ; hence they fea r things
not to be feared and fall in to wonderful and most false
h them ; are also
s u s pi
ci
o u s and y when none pursue t
angry and contend nobody being presen t and fear
where no fear is S uch like passions also can magical
confections induce by suffumiga tions by c o l l yr ie s by
,
HENRY CORN EL IUS A GR I PPA
14 0
about the neck o r in a n y o ther way applied al though

by never so easy a con tact d o impress their virtue
upon us By these alliga tions therefore suspensions
applica tions and contacts the acci
w rappings up
den ts of the body and mind are changed in to sickness
heal th boldness fear sadness and j o y and the like
They render them that carry them gracious or terrible
acceptable o r rej ec ted honored and beloved o r hateful
and abomin able No w these kind o f passions are con
cei
ved t
o be by t
he above said to be infused and not
otherwise like wha t is manifest in the grafting of
trees where the vi tal virtue is sen tand c ommunicated
from the trunk to the twig grafted in to it by way o f
contac t and alliga tion S o in the female pal m tree
when she comes near to the male her boughs bend to
the male and are bowed which the gardeners seeing
bind ropes from the male to the female which becomes
straigh t again as if she had by this connection of the
rope received the virtue of the male In like manner
we see tha tthe cramp s h or torpedo being touched
afar O H wi th a long pole doth presently stupefy the
hand of him that touche th it And if any shall touch
the sea hare with his hand o r stick will presently run
out o f his wi ts Also if the sh call ed s tella o r star
sh as they say being fastened with the blood of a
fox and a brass nail to a gate evil medicines can do
no hurtto any in su ch house Also it is said that if
a woman take a needle and beray it wi th dung and
then wrap it up in ear th in which the carcass of a man
was buried and S hall carry it abou t her in a cloth
which was used at the funeral that she shall be able
to possess herself so long as she hath it about her
No w by these example s we see ho w by certain
alligations of certain things as also suspensions or
by a simple contact o r the connection o r continuation
of any thread we may be able to receive some virtues
,
PHI L OSOPHY
NA T URAL M AG I C
OF
1 41
thereby Itis necessary that w e know the certain rule

of Allig ation and S uspension and the manner which
the Ar t requires viz that they be done under a cer
tain and sui table Constellation and that they be done
with wire o r silk en thr ea ds with hair o r sinews of cer
tain animals
And things tha t are to be wrapped up
must be done in the lea ves o f herbs o r the S kins o f
animals or n e c l oths a n d the like according to the
suitableness of things as if yo u would procure the
Solary vir tue o f any thing this being wrapped up in
bay leaves o r the skin of a lion hang it about thy
neck wi th a golden thread or a silken thread of a
yellow color whilst the S u n rules in the heaven s o
thou shalt be endued with the S olary virtue of that
thing Bu t if thou dost desire the virtue o f any S a t
ur n i
ne t
hing thou shalt in like manner take that thing
whilst S a turn rules and wrap it in the skin of an ass
or in a cloth used a ta funeral (especia l ly if yo u desire
i
tfo r sadness and wi th a black thread hang i
t about
thy neck
In like manner we must conceive o f the rest
.
)
,
CHAPTER
n gs
0f Ma gic a l R i
an d
X L VII
he i
r Composi
t
t
i
on s
also which were always much es teemed of

by the ancients when they are O pportunely made do
in like manner impress their virtue upon us in as
much as they do affec t the spirit of him tha t carries
them with gladness o r sadness and render him court
e o u s o r terrible bold or fearful amiable o r hateful ; in
as much as they do fortify us against sickness poi
sons enemies evil spirits and all manner o f hurtful
thin gs or at least will n o t suffer us to be kept under
them No w the manner o f making these kinds of
M agical R ings is this v iz : When any S tar ascends
R I N GS ,
HENRY CORN E LIUS AGR I PPA
1 42
for tunately wi th the fortuna te asp ect o r conj unction

of the M oon we mus t take a stone and herb tha t is
un der tha t S tar and make a ring o f the me tal tha t is
sui table to this S tar and in it fasten the s tone pu tti n g
t n o tomi tting the inscrip tions
the herb or root under i
of images names and characters as also the proper
s u ffumiga tions ; but we S hall S peak more of these in
another place where we shall trea t of Images and
Characters
l o s tr a tu s J a r c hu s that a wise prince
S o we read in Phi
of the Indies bes towed seven rings made after this
manner (marked with the virtues and names o f the
seven plane ts to Apollonius ; o f which he wore every
day o f the week o n e thereof dis tinguishing them in
their order according to the names of the days as is
h by astrologers v iz S unday the ring marked
s e t for t
wi th the vir tues and inscribed wi th the na me and seal
of the S u n that planet whic h rule th over S unday and
from which the day take th its name ; M onday the ring
he vir tues seal and name O f the M oon ; Tuesday
of t
tha t inscribed un to M ars ; Wednesday that unto M e r
cury ; Thursday that inscribed unto Jupi ter ; Friday
tha t un to Venus and S a turday tha t unto the planet
S a turn seeing as S a turday is the last day o f the week
and ha th correspondence wi th the last end of life
and is ruled by S a turn which carries the sickle of
dea th ; and it is said that Apollonius by the benet
O f these seven magical rings lived above one hundred
and thirty years as also that h e al ways re tained the
beau ty a n d V igor of his youth In like manner M oses
the law giver and ruler o f the Hebrews being S killed
in the M agic of the Egyptians is said by Josephus to
have made rings of love and oblivion There was
also as sai th Aristo tle amongs t the Cir e n e a n s a ring
of Battus which could procure love and honor We
read also that Eu da mu s a cer tain philosopher made
,
HENRY CORNE L IUS AGR I PPA S
1 44
that place dug up there will no eas be bred in that

place where it is sca ttered S o they say tha t the dust
O f the track of a snake being ga thered up and sca t
te r e d amongst bees makes them re turn to their hives
S o also tha t the dust in which a mule hath rolled
himself being cas t upon the body do th mi tiga te the
hea t of passion ; and tha t the dust wherein a hawk
ha th rolled herself if it be bound to the body in a
bright red cloth cures the quartan S o do th the stone
taken o u t of the nes t of a swallow as they say pres
en tly relieve those that hav e the falling sickness and
being bound to the party con tinually preserves them
especially if it be rolled in the blood o r heart O f a
swallow And it is repor ted t ha t if any o n e shall cut
a vein being fasting and shall go over a place where
any o n e la tely fell wi th the t of a falling S ickness
And Pliny
that he shall fall into the same disease
reports tha t to fasten an iron nail in tha t place where
he tha t fell with a t o f the falling S ickness rst did
pitch his head will free him from his disease So
they say that an herb growing upon the head of any
image being gathered an d b ound u p in some part o f
,
p rop r l y i ns tr c t h ow s c h ri n g s h o l d b m a d a d wor n A y o
c ll d p roph t or or c l th tnow d i s g r c s d p r v rts tr occ l t
w ill th os a s trol o g rs
tw ill mos tp r ob b l y l y c l i m t th i s k n ow l d g
g i ft d p r t n d rs i n A m ri c w h o h i d th i r cr d c q i r m n ts
a d
d p r c ti c s b h i nd h i gh so nd i n g n m s
I
i n A m ric b c s
y
i n E ngl n d v n m i n n t pr c ti ti o n r s
p ro h i b i t d by B ri ti s h l w from
do i ng work for th p b li c d
forc d fo r s l f p r o t c ti on t s rv nd r
ss m d n m s S c h cond i ti on tp r v ili n g i n th i s co ntry iti s s f t
r g rd th os w h o ss m ti tl s
i th r h rl t ns or w h o tf rom v ry
s p r c i l k n ow l dg T h r m y p oss ib l y b h on or bl xc p ti ons t th i s
r l b t w do b t it Cons l t Y O U SE F th r for r g rd i n g a p rson l
occ l tri n g s l c ti ng th m t l s ton
mos tpl s d
d d s i gn th ty
w i th T h n y h v m d prop r s t r t d i n gr tm n y c s s n d
go f rth r ; th s v ry pl i n g o l d m rr i g r i n g b com s a m gi l ri ng
A th co r ts h i p i s x l t d so w ill b th p o t ncy of th r i ng Th w i f m y
oft n w h s c ri ty t th m rr i g ri ng d s h o l d l w ys w r it
T o l os th m rri g r i n g p or t n ds vil
n oth r
h vi r d
d
n g r v n w i th th r s tn m s of th co pl li k J ck
d
M ry d
th m rr i g d t s h o l d b p r oc r d
soon c i rc ms t n c s w ill p rm i t
E v ry ri n g b i n g c i rc l con t i ns occ l tforc d s y mboli s th t r n l
to
ar
an
u e
er
a e
"
as
as
e an
ea e
one
an
a
an
an
ze
ea
ea
ee
ca
ea
an
ou a r e
a e
e e
au
e u
ac
an
a,
e a
a a
an
e an
ue
e a
as e
ou
sa
e , as
ar e
no
e e
no
ar e
an
an
e e
PHILOSOPHY
OF
NA T URAL M AG I C
145
one s garment with a red thread shall presently allay

the headache ; and that any herb ga thered out o f the
brooks or rivers before S unrising and no body seeing
him that gat hers it shall cure the tertian if it be
bound to the left arm the S ick party not knowing
wha tis done
Amongst places tha t are appropria ted to the S tars
all s tinking places and dark underground religious
and mournful places as chu rch yards tombs and
houses not inhabited by men ; and old tot tering o h
scure dreadful houses ; and solitary dens caves and
pi ts ; also s h ponds s tanding pools sewers and such
like are appropriated to S a turn Unto Jupi ter are
ascribed all privil e ged places consis tories of noble
men tribunals c hairs places fo r exercises schools
and all beau tiful and clean places and those sprinkled
wi th divers O dors To M ars ery and bloody places
furnaces bakehouses shambles places of execution
and places where there have been grea t battles fough t
and slaugh ters made and the like To the S u n light
places the serene air kings palaces and princes
courts pulpits theaters thrones and all kingly and
magnicen t places To Venus pleasan t foun tains
green meadows ourishing gardens garnished beds
stews and according to O rpheus the sea the sea
shore ba ths dancing places and all places belonging
to women To M ercury shops schools warehouses
exchanges for merchan ts and the like To the M oon
wildernesses woods rocks hills moun tains fores ts
foun tains wa ters rivers seas seashores s hips high
ways groves granaries for corn and such like O n
this accoun t they that endeavor to procure love are
wont to bury for a certain time the instrumen ts of
their a r t whe ther they be rings images looking
glasses o r any o ther o r hide them in a stew house so
tha tthey will con tract some virtue under Venus the
HENRY CORNE L IUS
1 46
IPP A
A GR
same as those things tha t stand in stinking places

become stinking and those in an aromatical place
become aroma tic and of a swee t savor
The four c orners of the ear th also pertain to this
ma tter Hence they tha t are to gather a S aturnine
M ar tial or J o v ia l herb must look towards the East or
S ou th par tly because they desire to be orien tal from
the Su n and par tly because o f their principal houses
z :
Aquarius S corpio and S agi tta r ius are S outhern
vi
Bu t they
S igns so also are Capricornu s and Pisces
tha twill ga ther a Venereal M ercurial o r L unary herb
must look towards the West because they deligh tto be
wes tern o r else t hey must look towards the North
because their principal ho u sesviz Taurus Gemini
S o in any S olary
Cancer Virgo are N orthern S igns
work we must look n o t only towards the Eas t and
S ou th whilst plucking it but also towards the S olary
body and ligh t
,
CHA PTER
Col or s , Ca n dl es
Of Light
,
Hou ses
and
El emen ts
X L IX
L a mps ,
and
sev er a
and
l Co l or s
t
o w ha t St
a r s,
are
Asc r ibed
LI GHT
also is a quali ty tha t partakes much o f form

and is a simple act and also a representa tion o f the
unders tanding It is rst di ffused from the M ind of
God in to all things ; bu t in Go d the Father the Father
of L ight it is the rst true ligh t; then in the So n a
beautiful overowing brigh tness and in the Holy
Ghos t a burning brigh tness exceeding all In te l l ig e n
ces ; yea a s Dyo n is iu s saith o f S eraphims in angels
t is a shining in telligence di ffused an abundant j oy
i
beyond all bounds of reason ye t received in divers
degrees according to the nature o f the Intelligence
t Then it descends in to the celestial
tha t receives i
,
HENRY CORNE L IUS AG RIPP A
148
accordi n g to their congruity which whe n they be

ligh ted and shine alone are won t to produc e some
wonderful and celes tial effects which men many times
wonder a t S O Pl iny repor ts o u t o f An a x ila u s of a
poison of mares which being ligh ted in torc hes do th
mons trously represen t a sig ht o f horses heads The
like may be done with ies which being duly te m
pered wi th wax and ligh ted make a strange sig ht of
ies ; and the skin of a serpen t lig hted in a proper
lamp make th serpen ts appear They say t hat when
grapes are in t heir ower if any one shall bind a vial
full o f o il to them and shall let it alone until they be
ripe and then the o il be put in a lamp and ligh ted it
makes grapes to be seen ; and so with o ther fruits If
ce n taury b e mixed with honey and the blood o f a lap
wing and be pu t in a lamp they tha t s tand about will
look much larger than they are won t; and if it be lit
in a clear nigh t the S tars will see m to sca tter one from
another S uch force also is in the ink of the c u ttle
sh that it being pu t in to a lamp m akes blackamoors
appear It is also reported that a candle made o f
some S aturnine things being ligh ted if it be e x tin
s he d in t
he mou th o f a man newly dead will af ter
gu i
wards as o ft as it shines alone bring a feeling of sad
ness and great fear upon them tha t stand about it
O f such like torc hes and la mps doth Hermes speak
more o f also Plato and Chyr a n n ide s and O f the latter
wri ters Albertus in a cer tain treatise o f this pa r tic u
lar thing
Colors also are a class of lights which being duly
mixed wi th things are wont to expose such things to
the inuence o f those S tars to which the colors are
agreeable And we S hall afterwa r ds speak of some
colors which are the L ights of the Plane ts by which
even the na tures of Fixed S tars themselves are under
stood which a lso may be applied to the ames of
,
PHILOSOPHY
NA T URAL M AG I C
OF
14 9
lamps and candles Bu t in this place we shall rela te

how the colors of inferior mixed things are dis tributed
All colors as black lucid ear thy
to divers planets
leaden or brown have relation to S aturn S apphire
and airy colors and those which are always green
clear purple darkish golden o r mixed wi th silver
belong to Ju pi ter R e d colors and burning ery
aming viole t purple bloody and iron colors resem
ble M ars Golden sa ffron purple and bright colors
resemble the S u n Bu t all white fair curious green
ruddy be twixt sa ffron and purple resemble V enus
Mercury a n d the M oon M oreover amongs tthe S igns
he Zodiac known as the Houses o f the Heaven
of t
the rst and seven th hath the color white ; the second
and twelfth green ; the third and eleventh sa ffron ;
the fourth and the ten th red ; the f th and nin th a
honey color ; and the six th and eigh th black
The Elemen ts also have their colors by which
na tural philosophers j udge of the complexion and
property of their na ture Fo r an ear thy color caused
of coldness and dryness is brown and black and
manifests black c holer and a S a turnine na ture Blue
ending towards whi teness doth deno te phlegm Fo r
t
cold makes whi te ; mois ture and dryness makes black
R eddish color shews blood ; bu tery aming burning
ts sub tilty and
ho t shews choler which by reason of i
ap tness to mix wi th o thers do th cause divers colors
more ; fo r if itbe mixed wi th blood and blood be mos t
predominan t itmakes a orid red ; if choler pr e do mi
na te it makes a reddish color ; if there be an equal
mixtion it makes a sad red Bu t if adus t choler be
mixed with blood it makes a hempen color ; and red if
blood predominate ; and somewhat red if choler pre
vail ; bu t if it be mixed wi th a melancholy humor it
makes a black color ; bu t wi th melancholy and phleg m
together in an equal proportion it makes a hempen
.
1 50
color If phlegm abound a mud color ; if melancholy ,

a bluish ; bu t if it be mixed with phlegm alone in an
equal proportion it makes a citron color ; if unequally
a pal e or palish No w all colors are more prevalent
when they be in silk o r in metals o r in perspicuous
substances o r in precious s tones and in those thin gs
which resemble celestial bodies in color especially in
living things
,
CHAPTER L
nat
i
0f Fa sc i
on ,
he Ar t t
her eof
t
and
FA S C I NA T I O N
is a b inding which comes from the

he wi tch through the eyes of him that is s o
S piri t o f t
bewitched and en tering to his heart N o w the in str u
men t of fascina tion is the S piri t v iz a certain pure
lucid sub tile vapor generated of the purer blood by
the hea t o f the heart
This doth always send forth
through the eyes rays like to itself Those rays be
ing sen t forth do carry wi th them a spiritual vapor
and that vapor a blood (as it appears in swollen and
red eyes whose rays being sen t forth to the eyes O f
him tha t looks upon them carry the vapor of the cor
rupt blood toge ther wi th itself ; by the contagion of
which it do th infec tthe eyes o f the beholder with the
like disease S o the eye being O pened and intent
upon any one wi th a stro n g imagina tion doth dar t its
beams (which are the vehiculum o f the spirit in to the
eyes o f him that is opposite to him ; which tender spirit
strikes the eyes o f him tha t is bewitched being stirred
up from the hear t o f him that s trikes and possesseth
the breast o f hi
m tha t is stricken wounds his heart
and infec ts his spirit Whence Apuleius sai th Thy
eyes slidi n g down through my eyes into mine inward
bre as t s tir up a mos tvehement burning in my marrow
,
)
,
1 52
H E NRY CORNELIUS AGRI PPA S
the civet cat and the like To procure misery o r sick

ness they use S aturnine things and so of the res t
.
CHA PTER LI
0f
n
c er t
ai
ng
i
on s, Pr odu c i
Obser va t
w on der u
rt
u es
l Vi
T HEY say that certain acts and observations have a

certain power o f na tural t hings ; tha tthey believe dis
eases may be expelled o r brought thus and thu s S O
they say that q u a r ta n e s may be driven away if the
parings o f the nails o f the sick be bound to the neck
h and she be let go into
o f a live eel in a linen clo t
the wa ter And Pliny saith tha tthe parings of a sick
man s nails o f his fee t and han ds being mixed wi th
wax cure the quartan ter tian and quotidian ague ;
and if they be before S unrising fas tened to another
man s ga te will cure such like disea ses In lik e man
ner l e t all the parings o f the nails be pu t into the
caves of an ts and the rs t ant tha tbegins to draw at
the parings mus t be taken and bound to the neck of
the sick and by this means w ill the disease be cured
They say that by wood s tricken with lightning and
c as t behind the back with o n e s hands any disease
may be re moved ; and in q u a r ta n e s a piece o f a nail
from a gibbet wrapped up in wool and hung about
the neck cures them ; also a rope do th the like that
is taken from a gallows and hid under ground so that
the S u n canno t reach it The throat of him that hath
a hard swelling o r imposthume being touched with
the hand of him tha t died by an immature death will
be cured thereby They say also that a woman is
presen tly eased o f her hard labor if any one shall put
into her bed a s tone or dart with which a boar or a
bear o r man hath been killed wi th one blow The
ha t is pulled o u t of the body of a
s ame doth a spear t
.
PHILO S OP HY
O F NA T UR A L M A GI C
1 53
man if it s hall not rst touch the ground ; also they

say tha t arrows pulled out of the body of a man if
they have n o t touched the earth taken and stealthily
placed under any o n e lying down will procure love
The falling sickness is cured by meat made o f the esh
of a wild beas t slain in the same manner as a man is
A man s eyes tha tare washed three times wi th
S lain
the wa ter wherein he hath washed his feet shall never
be sore or blear Itis said tha t some do cure diseases
of the groin with thread taken o u t o f a weaver s loom
and tying in to it seven o r n ine knots the name o f some
widow being named a t every knot The spleen of
ca ttle extended upon painful spleens cures them if he
tha t applies it sai th that he is applying a medicine to
the spleen to cure and ease i
t After this they say
the pa tien t must be shu t into a sleeping room the
door being sealed u p wi th a ring and some verse be
repea t
ed over nine teen times The wa ter o f a green
lizard cures the same disease if it be hanged up in a
vessel before the pa tien t s bed chamber so tha t he
may as he passes in a n d out tou ch it wi th his hand
And a li ttle frog climbing up a tree if any o n e shall
spi t in his mouth and then l e t him escape is said to
cure the cough It is a wonderful thing bu t easy to
experience tha tPliny S peaks of tha t if any o n e S hall
be sorry fo r any blow tha t he ha th given ano ther afar
of
f o r nigh a t hand if he s hall presen tly spi t in to the
middle o f tha t hand wi th which he gave the blow the
party tha twas smi tten shall presen tly be freed from
pain This ha th been approved of in a four foo ted
beas ttha t ha th been sorely hurt S ome there are tha t
aggrava te the blow before they give it In like man
ner S pi ttle carried in the hand o r to spi t in the shoe
of the righ t foo t before itbe pu t on is good when any
one passe th through a dangerous place They say
tha t wolves will n o t come to a eld if one o f them be
,
HENRY CORNELI U S AGR I PPA S
1 54
taken and his blood let by lit tle and little o u tO f his
legs being unbroken wi th a knife and sprinkled
abou t the outside o f the eld and he himself be buried
in tha t place from whenc e he was rs t drawn The
M e tha n e n s e s citizens o f Tr e z e n iu m accounted it as a
present remedy for preserving of vines from the wrong
of the sou thern wind having always found it by mos t
certain experience if whils t th e wind blows a white
cock should be pulled to pieces in the middle by two
men bo th of whom e ach keeping his part mus t walk
each way around the vineyard un til both meet in the
place from whence they began t heir circuit and must
in tha t place bury the pieces of the cock Also if
any o n e S hall hold a viper over a vapor with a s ta
he shall prop hesy and tha t the s ta ff wherewi th a
snake was beaten is good against female diseases
These things Pliny reci tes
It is said tha t in gather
ing roo ts and herbs we must draw three circles round
abou t them rs t with a sword and then dig them up
meanwhile taking heed of any c ontrary wind Also
they say that if any one shall measure a dead man
with a rope rst from the elbow to the bigges t nger
then from the shoulder to the same nger and af ter
wards from the head to the fee t making thrice those
mensura tions ; if a n y o n e af terwards shall be measured
wi th the same rope in the sam e manner he shall not
prosper bu t be unfortunate and fall into misery and
sadness Albertus of Chyr a n n is saith tha t if any
woman ha th enchanted thee to love her take the
gown S he S l eepeth in out o f doors and spit through the
righ t sleeve thereof when the enchantmen t will be
quitted And Pliny saith that to Sit by wo men far
with child o r when a medicine is given to any one of
them the ngers being j oined together like the teeth
of a comb is a charm ; so much the more if the hands
be joined abou t o n e o r bot h knees Also to sit cross
,
1 56
Thou must know tha t such like gestures and gures ,
as harmonies O f the body do expose it n o ot her w ise

to the celes tials than odors and the spiri to f a medi
cine a n d in ternal passions also do the soul Fo r as
medicines a n d passions o f the mind are by certain dis
positions o f the heaven increased so also the gesture
and mo tion o f the body do g e t an e ic a c y by certain
in u ences o f the heavens Fo r t
here are gestures
resembling S a turn which are melancholy and sad as
are bea ting of the breas t or s triking of the head ; also
such as are religious as the bowing of the knee and a
xed look downwards as of o n e pra ying ; also weep
ing an d such like as are used by the austere and
S a turnine man ; such an one as a sa tirist describes :
,
With ha n g d dow n
he a d,
ye s fi
x ed
t
o t
he gr ou n d,
a n d mu t
er i
n g sou n d
t
ith
His r a gin g w or ds bite s in ,

He doth e x pr ess w ith pou tin g l i
ps
cheerful and hones t countenance a worshipful

o r noble ges t
ure or bearing clappi n g o f the hands as
o f one rej oicing and praising and the bending o f the
knee wi th the head lifted up as of o n e tha t is wor
shipi n g are ascribed to Jupi ter
A sour erce cruel angry rough coun tenance and
gesture are ascribed to M ars
S olary are honorable and courageous ges tures and
countenances ; also walking abroad a bending of the
knee as o f one honoring a king wit h o n e knee bent
Those under Venus are dances em braces laugh ters
and those o f an amiable a n d cheerful countenance
Those M ercurial are incons tan t quick variable and
such like ges tures and coun tenances
Those L unary or under the M oon are such as are
movable poisonous and childish and the like
As we have S poken above o f ges tures so also are
the shapes of men dis tinc t as follows :
,
PHI L OSOPHY
OF
NA T URAL M AG I C
157
S aturn bespeaks a man to be of a black and yellow
ish color lean crooked of a ro u gh skin grea t veins

the body covered with hair little eyes o f a frowning
forehead a thin beard great lips eyes inten t upon
the ground of a heavy gai t s triking his fee t toge ther
as he walks crafty witty a seducer and murderous
Jupiter signies a man to be o f a pale color darkish
red a handsome body good s tature bold o f great
eyes (n o t black altogether with large pupils short
nostrils n o t equal great teeth before curled hair o f
good disposi tion and manners
M ars makes a man red with red hair a round face
yellowish eyes o f a terrible and sharp look j ocund
bold proud and crafty
The Su n makes a man o f a tawny color betwixt
yellow and black dashed with red o f a short s ta ture
yet of a handsome body withou t much hair and curly
of yellow eyes wise fai thful and desirous o f praise
Venus signies a man to be tending towards black
ness bu t more white wi th a mixture o f red a hand
some body a fair and round face fair hair fair eyes
the blackness whereof is more in tense o f good man
ners and honest love ; also kind pa tien tand j ocund
Mercury signies a man n o t much whi te or black
of a long face high forehead fair eyes n o t black to
have a s traight and long nose thin beard long ngers
to be ingenious a sub tile inquisi tor a turncoa t and
subject to many for tunes
The M oon signies a man to be in color whi te mixe d
wi th a li ttle red ; of a fair s tature a round face with
some marks in it ; eyes n o t fully black frowning fore
head a n d kind gen tle and sociable
The S igns also a nd the faces O f S igns have their
gures and shapes which he that would know mus t
seek them o u t in books o f As trology L as tly upo n
these gures and gestures bo th Physiognomy and
,
1 58
M etoposcopy arts of divinatio n do depen d ; also Chiro

mancy foretelling future even ts n o t as causes but as
signs through like e ffec ts caused by the same cause
And al though these divers kinds of divina tions may
seem to be done by inferior and weak signs yet the
j udgments o f them are n o t to be S lighted or condemned
when prognos tica tion is made by them not o u t of
supers tition bu t by reason o f the harmonical corre
s po n de n c y o f all t
he parts o f the body
Whosoever
therefore doth the more exactly imitate the celestial
bodies eit her in nature st u dy action motion gesture
c oun tenance passions o f the mind and opportunity of
the season is so much the more like to the heavenly
bodies and can receive larger gif ts from them
,
CHAPTER
0f Di
vi
nat
i
on ,
and
L III
Kin ds
he
t
t
her eof
T HERE are some other kinds o f divinations depend

ing upon natural causes which are known to every o n e
in his a r t and experience to be in divers things by
which physicians husbandmen shepherds mariners
and others do prognos tica te o u t of the probable s igns
o f every kind of divina t
ion M any o f these kinds of
divina tion Aris to tle made men tion o f in his book of
Times amongs t which An guria and Au spicia are the
chiefes t which were in former time in such esteem
amongst the R omans that they would do no thi n g that
did belong to private o r public business without the
counsel o f the Augures Cicero in his Book o f Divi
na tions largely declares t ha t the people o f Tu sc ia
would do no thing wi thout this a r t No w there are
divers kinds o f Auspicias for some are called Pedes
tria (i
which are taken from four foo ted beasts ;
some are called Anguria which are taken from birds ;
,
HENR Y CORNELIUS AGR I PPA
160
Co n fe r v e tu s is an augury when rst thou nd or see
a man o r a bird be n ding from thy righ t side it is an

ill S ig n concerning thy business
S c ima s a r n o v a o r S o n n a s a r n o v a is when a man o r a
bird comes behind thee and o u tg o e th thee but before
he comes at thee he res ts thou seeing o f him o n thy
righ t side it is to thee a good S ign
ma s a r v e tu s o r S o n n a s a r v e tu s is when thou see a
Sc i
man or bird behind thee but before he comes to t hee
he rests in that place thou seeing o f it is a good S ign
Co n fe r t is an augury when a man or bird in j ourney
ing o r ying shall pass behind thee coming from the
left S ide o f thee and bending toward thy right pass
o u t o f thy S ight and is an evil S ign concerning thy
business
S c a s s a r v e tu s is when thou see a man or a bird pass
by thee and resting in a place o n thy left side is an
evil S ign to thee
S c a s s a r n o v a is when thou see a man o r a bird pass
by thee and resting in a place o n thy right side is an
a u gury of good to thee
Empo n e n the m is when a m a n o r a bird coming from
thy left S ide and pa ssing to thy righ t goeth out of
thy sight without resti n g and is a good S ign
Ha r te n a or He r r e n a m is an augury that if a man or
a bird coming from thy right hand shall pass behind
thy back to thy lef t and thou shall see hi
m resting
anywhere this is in evil S ign
The ancients did also prognosticate from snee z ings
he seven teen th book o f his poem
o f which Homer in t
hought
o f the O dyssey makes mention because they t
tha t t hey proceeded from a sacred place viz the
head in which the in tellec t is vigorous and operative
Whence also wh atsoever speech came in to the breast
o r mind o f a man rising in the morning unawares is
said to be some presage and an augury
,
PHILOSOPHY
NA T URAL M AG I C
OF
CHAPTER LIV
ver s
0f di
c er t
ai
n
An i
ma l s,
a n d ot
her
hi
t
n gs,
Si
c a tion in Au gu r ies
gn i
ALL
161
hi
c h ha ve
the Auspicia or auspices which rst happen

in the beginning of any en terprise are to be taken
notice of AS if in the beginning of thy work thou
shal t perceive tha t ra ts have gnawn thy garmen ts
desis t from thy undertakings If going forth thou
shalt stumble at the threshold o r if in the way thou
sh a lt dash thy foot agains t any thing forbear thy
journey If any ill omen happen in the beginning of
thy business pu t O ff thy under takings les t thy in te n
tions be wholly frus trated or accomplished to no pur
pose but expec t and wai t fo r a fortuna te hour fo r the
dispa tching of thy a a ir s with a better omen We
see tha t many animals are by a na tural power imbred
in them prophetical Doth n o t the cock by his crow
ing d iligently tell you the hours o f the night and
morning and with his wings spread forth chase away
the lion ? M any birds wi th their S inging and cha tter
ing and ies by their sharp pricking fore tell rain ;
and dolphins by their often leaping above the wa ter
warn of tempes ts It would be to o long to rela te all
the passages which the Phrygians Cilicians Arabians
Umbrians Tu s c ia n s and o ther peoples which follow
the auguries have learned by birds
These they have
proved by many experimen ts and examples Fo r in
all things the O racles of things to come are hid bu t
those are the chiefes t which o me n a l birds shall fore
tell
These are those which the poe ts rela te were
turned from men in to birds
Therefore what the daw
declares hearken un to and mark observing her set
ting as she sits ; and her manner o f ying whe ther on
the righ t hand o r l ef t; whe ther clamorous o r S ilent ;
whether s he goes before o r follows af ter ; whether she
,
1 62
waits for the approach of him that passeth by o r ies

from him and which way she goes All these things
must be diligently observed O rus Apollo saith in his
Hieroglyphics that daws that are twins signify mar
because this bird brings forth two eg gs o u tof
ri
a ge
which male and female must be brought forth ; but if
which seldom happens two males be genera ted o r
tw o females the males will n o t go wi th any other
female s n o r females with any other males but will
always live without a mate and soli tary Therefore
they that mee t a single daw divine thereby that they
S hall live a single life
The same also do th a black
hen pigeon be token for after the dea th o f her mate
she always lives single Thou shal t also as carefully
observe crows whic h are as signicant as daws yea
and in greater ma tters It was Epictetus the S toics
philosop her s judgmen t who was a sage au thor that
if a cro w did croak over agains tany o n e it did betoken
some evil either to his body fortune honor wife or
children Then thou shall take heed to swans who
foreknow the secrets of the waters fo r their cheerful
ness do th presage happy e vents not only to mariners
bu t all other travelers unless they be overcome by
the coming over o f a s tronger bird as o f an eagle
who by the most poten t maj esty o f her sovereign ty
makes null the predic tions o f all other birds if she
speaks to the co n trary ; for s he ies hig her than all
o ther birds and is o f more acute sigh t and is never
excluded from the secre ts o f Jupi ter ; she portends
a dvancemen t a n d vic tory but by blood because she
drinks n o wa ter bu t blood An eagle ying over the
Lo c r e si
a n s gh t
ing a gainst the Cr o to n ie n sia n s gave
them vic tory ; an eagle se tting herself unaware s upon
the target o f Hiero going for th to the rst war be
tokened tha t he should be king
Tw o eagles sitting
all day upon the house at the b ir th o f Alexander of
,
HENRY
1 64
AG RIPP A S
C O R N ELI U S
owl who because she goes to her young by night

unawares as death c o m es unawares is therefore said
to fore tell death ; ye t some times because she is not
blind in the dark of the night do th betoken diligence
and watchfulness which she made good when she sat
upon the Spear of Hiero And Dido when she saw the
unlucky owl pi tied j En e a s whence the poet sang :
,
The Ow l ,
Sen ds
si
t
t
i
n g on
t
op
mpl a in ts
And in ano ther place

hu
s l ot
A fa t
al
the hou se
sa d c o
for th her
The
a l on e,
h m ou r nfu l t
it
one
l Ow l by
mor ta l s is
med
e st
ee
omen
sa m e bird sang in the c apitol when the R oman

a ffairs were l o w a t N umantia and when Fr e g e l ia was
pulled down for a c onspiracy made against the R omans
Al ma de l says tha t owls and night ravens when they
turn aside to strange coun tries o r houses betoken the
dea th of the men of tha tcountry and those houses for
those birds are delighted with dead carcasses and
perceive them beforehand Fo r men t hat are dying
have a near a in ity wi th dead c arcasses The hawk
is also a foreteller o f con ten tion as N aso sings :
The
We
S he
he
ha t
e t
a lw a
ys
Ha w k , bec a u se tha ta r ms
mon gst
li
ves
embassador O f Pompey was slain in

S pain amongst the purveyors which misfor tu ne a
hawk ying over the head is said to foretell And
A l ma de l sai th that these kinds o f birds ghting
amongs t themselves signify the change o f a kingdom ;
but if birds of ano ther kind shall ght with them and
are never seen to come together again it portends a
new condition and sta te of that coun try Also little
birds by their coming to o r departing from foreshew
Le l i
u s, t
he
PHILOSOPHY
OF
NA T URAL M AG IC
1 65
that a family shall be increased or lessened ; and their

ight by how much the more serene it is by so muc h
the more laudable shall the change be
Whence did
M elampus the Augure conj ecture a t the slaugh ter of
the Greeks by the ight o f li ttle birds whe n he sai th :
Thou see now that no bird takes his igh t in fair

S wallows because when they are dying
wea ther
they provide a place of safe ty fo r their young do
portend a grea tpa trimony or legacy after the dea th o f
friends A ba t mee ting any one runnin g away s ign i
es a n evasion ; for although she have n o wings yet
She ies
A sparrow is a bad omen to o n e that runs
away for she ies from the hawk and makes haste to
the owl where she is in as grea t danger ; ye t in love
she is for tuna te for being s tirred up wi th a ffection she
seeks her consort hourly Bees are a good omen to
kings for they signify an obseq u ious people Flies
signify importuni ty and impudence because being O ften
times driven away they do con tinually re turn Also
do mestic birds are not without some auguries for
cocks by their crowing promo te hope and the jour
ney o f him that is undertaking it M oreover L ivia
the mo ther of Tiberius when she was grea t wi th him
took a hen s egg and ha tched i
t in her bosom and a t
length came fort h a cock chick wi th a great comb
which the auguries in terpre ted tha t the child tha t
should be born of her should be a king And Cicero
writes tha t at Thebais cocks by their crowing all
nigh t did presage tha t the Bmo tia n s would obtain
vic tory agains t the L a c e daamo n ia n s and the reason is
according to the augury s in terpre ta tions because that
bird when he is bea ten is silen t bu t when he himself
ha th overcome crows In like manner also omens of
events are taken from beas ts Fo r the mee ting o f a
weasel is ominous ; also the mee ting of a hare is an ill
omen to a traveler unless she be taken A mule also
,
1 66
is bad because barren A hog is pernicious for such

is his nature and therefore sig n ies pernicious men
n g s whence
A horse betokens quarrelings and g hti
Anchises seeing o f whi te horses cries o u t in Virg il :
,
With w a r
are
Hor ses
ar
m d, yea
t
hr ea t
en w a r
Bu t when they are joined together in a chariot

beca u se they draw with an equal yoke they sign ify
tha t peace is to be hoped for An ass is an u n pr o t
able crea ture yet did M arius good who when he was
pronounced an enemy to his coun try saw an ass dis
daini ng provender that was O e r e d to him and running
to the wa ter by which augury he supposing he saw a
way o f safety showed to him entreated the aid o f his
friends that they woul d convey him to the sea w hich
being gran ted he was set in to a lit tle ship and so
escaped the threats o f S illa the conqueror If the
foal of an ass mee t any o n e going to an augury he
signies labor pa tience and hinderances A wolf
mee ting any o n e is a good sign the e ffect whereof was
seen in Hiero o f S icilia from whom a wolf snatching
away a book w hilst he was a tschool conrmed to him
the success o f the kingdom bu t yet the wolf makes
him speechless whom he sees rs t A wolf ren t in
pieces a watchman of P Africanus and C Fu l v iu s at
M in turn w hen the R oman army w as overcome by the
fugitives in S icilia He signies pe r diou s men such
as yo u can give no credit to which was known in the
progeny of R oma n s Fo r the fai th which they long
since sucked frOm t heir mo ther the wolf and kept to
themselves from the beginning as by a certain law of
na ture passed over to their pos terity To mee t a lion
seeing she is amongs t animals the s trongest a n d
s triking terror into al l the rest is good Bu t for a
woman to mee t a lioness is bad because s he hinders
c onception fo r a lioness brings forth but once To
,
HENRY CORNELIUS AGRI PPA
1 68
snakes were found in the bed of S e m

t
Gracchus
wherefore
a
soo
t
hsayer
old him if
r
n
i
u
o
s
p
he would l e t the male o r the female escape either he
ly die ; and he preferring the
o r his wife would shor t
life o f his wife killed the male and let the female go
and wi thin a few days he died S o a viper signi es
le w d women and wicked c hildren ; and an eel signies
a m a n displeased wi th everybody for sh e l iv e s a pa r t
from all o ther shes nor is ever found in the company
Bu t amongst all Auguries and O mens there
o f any
is n o n e more e ffectual and poten t than m a n himself
and none that doth signify the truth more clearly
Thou shalt t herefore diligently note and observe the
condi tion o f the man tha t mee teth thee his age pro
fe s s i
on
sta tion s tature ges ture mo tion exercise
complexio n habi t name words speech and all such
like things Fo r seeing there are in all o ther animals
so many discoveries of presages wi thout all question
these are more e fcacious and clear which are infused
in to man s soul ; which Tu lly himself tes ties saying
that there is a certain Au s pi
ci
u m na t
urally in men s
souls of their e terni ty fo r the knowing o f the courses
and causes o f things In the foundation of the city
o f R ome t
he head of a man was found with his whole
face which did presage the greatness o f the empire
and gave the name to the M ountain of the Capitol
The Bru tian soldiers ghting against O ctavius and
An tonius found an [ Eth iopian in the ga te o f their
castle and tho u gh they slew him as a presage o f ill
success yet they were unfortuna te in battle and both
their generals Brutus and C assius were slain
The mee ting o f monks is commonly accounted an
ill omen and so much the rather if it b e early in the
morning bec ause these kind o f men live fo r the most
by the s u dden death o f men a s v u ltures do by
slaugh ters
his fall
Tw
'
PHI L OSOPHY
OF
NA T URAL M AG I C
CHA PTER L V
How Au spic ia s
are
and o
so
1 69
Ver i
ed by the Lightof Na tu r a l Instin c t,
me R u l es of Fin din g of It Ou t
AUSPI C I A and An guria which foretell things to come

by animals and birds O rpheus the divine himself as
we read did teach and show rs t of all which after
wards were ha d in grea t es teem wi th all na tions
No w they are veried by the ligh t of na tural ins tinct
as if from this some ligh ts o f divina tion may descend
upon four footed beasts those winged and o ther crea
tures by which they are able to presage to us O f the
events o f things ; which Virgil seems to be sensible of
when he sings :
,
Nor thin k I Hea v en
on
hem
t
Nor tha tthe ir pr u den c e is
su c h
a bov e
k n ow l edge
t
he Fa t
es
e s,
at
st
of N ature as sai th William o f

Paris is more sublime than all human apprehension
and very near and mos t like to prophecy By this
instinct there is a certain wonderful lightof divination
in some animals na turally as is manifested in some
dogs who know thieves by this in stinct and men that
are hid unknown bo th to themselves and men and nd
them o u t and apprehend them falling upon them wi th
a full mouth By the like ins tinc t vul tures foresee
future slaugh ters in bat tles and ga ther together in to
places where they Shall be as if they foresaw the
esh of dead carcasses By the same ins tinc t par
tr i
dg e s know their dam whom they never saw and
leave the partridge which stole away her dam s eggs
and sa te upon them By the same ins tinc t also cer
tain hurtful and terrible things are perceived the soul
being ignoran t of them whence terror and horror
cease th when men think nothing of these things S O
a thief lying hid in a house al though no o n e knows
No w
this Ins tinct
1 70
thinks o f his being there strikes fear and terror

and a troublesomeness of mind in to the in habitants of
tha t house al though haply not of all because the
brigh tness o f this instinct is not common to all men
S o an evil person
y e t possessed o f some of them
being hid in Some large building is sometimes per
c ei
ve d t
o be there by some o n e tha t is al together i
gn o
ran t O f their being there It is men tione d in his tory
ain Egyp tian a man o f a divine
tha t He r a i
s c u s a cer t
na ture could discern evil persons n o tonly by his eyes
bu t also by their voice he hearing them afar OE and
thereupon did fall in to a mos t grievous headache
William o f Paris also makes men tion of a certain
woman in his time tha t by the same instinc t per
c ei
v e d a man whom she loved coming tw o miles o f
f
He relates also tha t in his time a cer tain s tork was
convic ted o f unchas ti ty by the smell of the male who
being j udged guil ty by a mul ti tude o f s torks whom the
male ga thered toge ther discovering to them the fault
e was her feathers being pulled o ff torn in
o f his ma t
pieces by them The same doth Varro Aristotle and
Pliny relate concerning horses And Plin y makes
men tion of a certain serpen t called the asp that did
such a like thing fo r she coming to a certain man s
table in Egyp t was there daily fed and She having
brough t forth some young by o n e of which a son of
her hos t was killed after she knew of it killed that
young one and would never return to tha t house any
more N o w by these examples you see how the
ligh ts o f presage may descend upon some animals as
signs or marks o f things and are set in their gesture
mo tion voice ying going mea t colo r a n d such like
Fo r according to the doc trine of the Platonis ts there
is a certain power put into inferior things by which for
the most part they agree wi th the superiors ; whence
also the tacit consen ts o f animals seem to a gree with
or
HENRY CORNELIUS AG RIPP A
1 72
portend evil because two is a number o f confusion

In like manner thou shalt e n quire in to the reason o f
the rest as this is S hown by nu mber M oreover it
belongs to an artis t to O bserve a S imili tude in the se
conj ec tures as in Virgil V enus dissembling teacheth
her son ZEn e a s in these verses :
to
Al l this is
ght,
a u g ht
n my pa r en t
s Au gu r y t
i
n va i
;
El se me
n ot or n a u
g l a d c ompa n y
he e ther i
a l Sk y
r d pu r su e d t
hr ou g h t
Jove s bi
hi
n a l on g t
rai
In He a ven s br oa d t
r a c k s; n ow e a r t
n
Lol t
wi
ce
The y
se em
As they
n
Sw a n s i
x
si
t
o t
a k e,
r et
u rn w
An d Hea ven
or
h
it
n;
t
a k en , t
o di
sda i
i
n gs t
he y spor t
,
l on g c on sor t
ng w
sou n di
ng
su r r ou n di
i
n
fl ee tha ve ga in ed
Ba y obta in ed
hy fr i
en ds a n d
Ju stso, I sa y, t
The por t
r w i
h fu l l sa ils t
he
t
, o
M os t wonderful is that kind o f auguring of theirs

who hear and unders tand the speeches o f animals in
which as amongst the ancients M elampus Tir e a s
Thales and Apollonius the Tya n e a n who as we read
excelled and whom they repor t had excellent skill in
the language o f birds ; o f whom Philo s tr a tu s and Po r
u s S peak
sa ying tha t o f old when Apollonius
phyr i
sat in company amongst his friends seeing sparrows
sit ting upon a tree and o n e sparrow co ming from else
where un to them making a grea tchattering and noise
and then ying away all the rest following him he
said to his companions tha ttha t sparrow told the rest
tha t an ass being burdened wi th wheat fell down in
a hole near the city and that the wheat was scattered
upon the ground M any being much moved with these
words wen tto see and so it was as Apollonius said
Porp hyrius the Pl a
a t which they much wondered
to n i
s t in his third book o f sacrices sai t
h tha t there
is certainly a swallow language because every voice
,
PHILOSOPHY
NA T URAL M A GI C
OF
1 73
of every animal is sig n ic a tiv e o f some passion of its

soul as j oy sadness o r anger o r the like which
voices it is not s o wonderful a thing could be under
stood by men conversant about them Bu tDemocritus
himself declared this art as saith Pliny by naming
the birds o f whose blood mixed toge ther was produced
a serpent of which whosoever did e a tshould under
stand the voices o f birds And Hermes saith tha t if
any o n e shall go forth to ca tch birds on a certain day
of the Kalends o f N ovember and s hall boil the rs t
bird tha t he catche th wi th the hear t of a fox tha t all
tha t shall e a t o f this bird shall understand the voices
of birds and all other animals Also the Arabians
say tha t they can unders tand the meaning o f brutes
who shall eat the heart and liver of a dragon Pr o
clus also the Pla tonis t believed and wro te that the
heart o f a mole c o n du c e th to presages There were
also divina tions and auspices which were taken from
the inwards o f sacrices the inventor whereof was
Tages o f w hom L ucan sang :
,
An d i
f the In w
a r ds
ha v e
An d i
f this Ar tby Ta ges
n o c r e di
n ed,
tga i
w as
bu tfe i
gn ed
The R oman religion though t t hat the liver was the
head of the inwards Hence the soo thsayers e n q u ir

ing after future things in the inwards did rs t look
into the liver in which w ere tw o heads whereof the
one was called the h ead fo r the city the other for the
enemy ; and the heads o f this or ano ther part being
compared together they then gave judgment and pro
n o u n c e d for vic t
ory ; as we read in L ucan that the
inwards did signify the slaughter of Pompey s men
an d the vic tory of Caesar s according to these verses :
.
In t
he i
n w a r ds
a ll
defec t
s
min ou s
are o
he
On e pa r ta n d br a n c h of t
en t
rai
ls
dot
hi
n c r ea se,
1 74
HENRY CORNE L IUS

An other pa r tis
Be a ts
moves
and
w ea k , a n d
A GR
IPP A
fl a ggin g l ie s,
he
c k pu l se t
h qu i
it
er i
es
ar t
bowels being nished they search the

heart N ow if there were a sacrice found wi thout a
hear t or a head was wanting in the liver these were
deadly presages and were called pia c u l a r ia Also if
a sacrice ed from the al tar o r being smi tten made
a lowing or fell u pon any part of his body than he
ought to do it was the like ominous We read tha t
when Julius Cms a r on a day wen t for th to procession
with his purple robe and sitting in a golden chair and
sacricing there was twice a hear t wan ting When
C M arius Utic a was sacricing th ere was wanting a
liver Also when Ca in s the prince and M M arcellus
C Claudius and L Pe te l l i
fering sacri
u s C O SS were O f
c e s tha tthe liver was consumed suddenly away and
n o t long af t
er o n e o f the m died of a disease ano ther
was slain by men o f Lygu r ia the en trails foretelling
so much ; which was though t t
he power
o be done by t
he Gods o r help of the devil
of t
Hence it was
accoun ted a thing o f grea t concernmen t amongstthe
ancien ts as o ft as any thing unusual was found in the
inwards as when S ylla was sacricing a t La u r e n tu m
the gure o f a crown appeared in the head of the liver
which Po s thu miu s the soo thsayer in terpre ted to por
tend a vic tory with a kingdom and therefore advised
tha t S ylla should e a t those en trails himself The
color also o f the inwards is to be considered O f
these L ucan made men tion :
Then , the
.
St
r u c k:
For
he
tt
it
h
fou l
c o l or
Pr ophe ts
w er e w
it
h
fea r
r a ls t
in ged w e r e
pa l e en t
Both bl a c k a n d bl u e , w ith spec k s of spr in k l ed bl ood
They w er e
There
spot
s
was in times past such a venerable es teem o f

these arts tha t the most potent and wise men sought
1 76
leeping the ant pu t corns o f whea t which wa s a n

omen of grea t riches S o bees s a t u pon the mou th of
Pla to when he was sleeping in the cradle by which
was fore told the swee tness o f his speech Hecuba
when she was bringing for th Paris saw a burning
torch which should set o n re Troy and all Asia
There appeared unto the mo ther o f Phalaris the image
h
o f M ercury pouring forth blood upon the earth wit
which the whole house was o v e r o w e d The mo ther
of Dionysius dreamed S he brought forth a satyr
which prodigious dream the event that followed made
good The wife o f Ta r q u in iu s Pr is c u s seeing a ame
lick the head o f S ervius Tullius fore told that he
should have the kingdom In like manner after Troy
was taken [ Eneas dispu ting with Anchises his father
concerning a gh t there appeared a ame licking the
head o f the crown o f Ascanius and doing him no hurt
Which thing seeing it did portend the kingdom to
Ascanius persuaded him to depar t for mons trous pro
dig i
e s did forerun grea t and eminent destruc t
ion S o
we read in Pliny tha t M A ttiliu s and C Po r tiu s being
consuls it raine d milk and bloo d which did presage
that a very great pestilence should the next year over
spread R ome In L ucania it rained spongeous iron
and in the year before M arcus Crassus was slain in
Parthia wi th which also all the soldiers of L ucania ,
being a very numerous army were slain L Paulus
and C M arcellus being consuls it rained wool about
the cas tle O f Co r i
s a n u m near which place a year after
u s was slain by M i
T An n i
l us
And in the wars o f
D enmark the noise of arms and the sound o f a trumpe t
was heard in the air And L ivy concerning the Mace
do mian wars sai th in the year when Annibal died it
rained blood fo r two days Concerning the second
Punic war he sai th tha t water mixed with blood came
down from heaven like rain a t the time when Annibal
S
PHILOSOPHY
OF
NA T URAL M AG I C
1 77
did spoil Italy A little before the destruction o f

L euctra the L a c e de mo n ia n s heard a noise of arms in
the temple of Hercules and at the same time in the
temple of Hercules the doors tha t were shut with bars
O pened themselves and the arms that were hanged on
the wall were found on the ground The like even ts
may be prognosticated of other like things as often
times ih times past something ha th been foretold of
the m Bu t concerning these also the judgments of
the celestial inuences must n o tbe neglec ted concern
ing which we shall more largely treat in the following
chapters
.
CHAPTER LVII
0f Geoma n c y , Hydr oma n c y , Aer oma n c y,

Fou r D i
vi
na t
i
on s
an d
f El emen ts
Pyr oma n cy
MO R EO V E R the Elements themselves teach us fatal

events ; whence those four famous kinds O f divina tions
Geomancy Hydromancy Aeromancy and Pyromancy
have go ttheir names o f which the sorceress in L ucan
seems to boas t herself when she sai th :
,
The
Ea r th
he Ai
r e, t
he Cha os,
t
The Sea s, the Fie lds, the R oc k s,
and
an d
he S k i
t
e,
Mou n ta in s high
ru t
h
For e te ll the t
rst therefore is Geomancy whic h foreshows

future things by the mo tions o f the earth as also the
noise the swelling the trembling the chops the pits
and exhala tion and ot her impressions thereof the art
h Bu tthere
o f which A l ma de l the Arabian sets for t
is ano ther kind o f Geomancy which divines by poin ts
written upon the earth by a certain power in the fall
of it which is n o t o f prese n t speculation bu to f that
we shall speak hereafter
The
HENRY CORNE L IUS AGR I PPA
1 78
No w Hydromancy do th perform its presages by the
impressions o f waters their ebbing and owing their

increases and depressions their tempes ts colors and
the like ; to which also are added visions which are
made in the waters A kind of divination found by
the Persians as V arro repor ts was that O f a bo y who
saw in the water the e ig ie s o f M ercury which fore
he even ts of
told i
n a hundred and fty verses all t
the war of M i thridates
We read also tha t Numa
Pompilius prac ticed Hydromancy for in the water he
called up the gods and learned of them things to come
Which a r t also Py thagoras a long time after Nu ma
prac ticed There was of O l d a kind o f Hydromancy
had in grea t esteem amongs tthe Assyrians and it was
called L ecanomancy from a s k in full of water upon
which they pu t pla tes of gold and silver and precious
s tones wri tten upon wi th certain images names and
charac ters To this may be referred tha tart by which
lea d and wax being melted and cas t in to the water do
express manifest marks o f images of those things we
desire to know There were also in former years
fountains tha t did fore tell things to come as the
fa thers foun tain a tAchaia and tha twhich was called
the water o f Juno in Epidaurus ; bu t of these more in
the following chapter where we shall speak of O racles
Hither also may be referred the divination of shes
here was use made by the L ycians in a
o f w hich kind t
cer tain place whic h was cal led Dina near the sea ; in
a wood dedica ted to Apollo was a hollow in the dry
sand in to which he that went to consult o f future
thing s let down roasted meat and presen tly tha tplace
was lled wi th wa ter and a great multitude of sh and
s trange shapes unknown to men did appear ; by the
forms of which the prop het fore told wha tshould come
to pass
These things doth A the n e u s more at large
rela te in the his tory of the L ycians
,
1 80
in to them and s a d if they did rej ect them Bu t of

these things we shall speak of in the following chap
ters amongs tthe answers of the O racles
.
CHAPTER
ng
vi
0f the R ev i
in g
t
he D ea d,
(w a n tin g
L V III
an d o
ng
S l eepi
f
Ma n y
u a ls
vi
ct
ea r s
or
Hiber n a i
t
oge t
her
T HE Arabian philosophers agree that some men may

elevate themselves above the powers o f their body and
above their sensi tive powers ; and those being sur
mounted they receive into themselves by the pe r fe c
tion o f the Heavens and the C elestial Intelligences a
Divine Vigor
S eeing therefore that all the S ouls o f
men are perpetual and also tha t all the S piri ts obey
the perfec t S ouls M agicians think that perfect men
may by the powers O f their soul repair their dying
bodies (wi th other inferior souls newly separa ted and
inspire them again : As a weasel tha t is killed is
made alive again by the brea th and cry of his dam ;
and as lions make alive their dead whelps by brea th
ing upon them And because as they say all like
things being applied to their like are made o f the
same n a tures ; and also every patient subj ec t and
thing that receives in to itself the a c t O f any agent is
endowed wi th the na ture o f that a gen t and made c o
na tural with it Hence they think that to this v iv i
cation o r making alive certain herbs and M agical
confections (such as they say are made of the ashes
of the Ph oe nix and the ca st skin o f a S nake do much
conduce ; whic h indeed to many may seem fabulous
and to some impossible unless it could be accoun ted
approved by an historical faith Fo r we read o f some
tha t have been drowned in water others cas t into the
re or pu tupon the re others slain in war and others
PHILOSOPHY
OF N
A T URAL M AG IC
18 1
otherwise tried and all these after a few days were

alive again as Pliny testies of A v io l a a man per
n u s Tubero
taining to the consul of L L amia Caal i
e n u s and many others
u s Ga bi
We read that
Co r di
n do r e u s Hercules and Pa l i
IEs o p the tale maker Ti
cy
the sons of Jupiter an d Thalia being dead were
raised to life again ; also that many were by phy
ci
a n s and magicians raised from death again as the
si
historians rela te o f E s c u l a piu s ; and we have above
mentioned out o f Juba and Xan thus and Philo s tr a tu s
concernin g Tillo and a certain Arabian and Apollo
nius the Tya n e a n Also we read that Glaucus a cer
tain man that was dead the herb dragon wortres tored
to life S ome say that he revived by the putting in to
his body a medicine made o f honey whence the prov
erb Glaucus was raised from deat h by taking honey
in to his body Apuleius also relating the manner of
these kinds o f r e s to r in g s to life sai th o f Za c hl a the
Egyp tian prophe t tha tthe prophe t being favorable
laid a cer tain herb upon the mou th o f the body of a
young man being dead and anot her upon his breast;
then turning toward the Eas t o r rising of the pr opi
tious Su n he prayed S ile n tly (a grea t assembly of peo
ple s triving to see it when in the rs t place the
breast of the dead man did heave then a beating in
his veins then his body lled with brea th after which
If these
the body rose and the young man spoke
accoun ts are true the dying souls mus t some times
lying hid in their bodies be oppressed with vehement
extasies and be freed from all bodily ac tion ; so that
the life sense and mo tion forsake the body and also
tha tthe man is not ye t truly dead but lies as tonied
and dead as it were for a certain time And this is
often found tha t in times of pestilence m
any tha t are
carried for dead to the graves to be buried revive
again The same also ha th often befell women by
,
1 82
reason of ts o f the mo ther And R abbi M oises o u t

a r c ha transl a ted
he book O f Galen which Pa tr i
of t
makes men tion of a man who was su ffoca ted for six
days and did nei ther e a t nor drink and his arteries
became hard And it is said in the same book that a
cer tain man being lled wi th water los t the pulse o f
his whole body so tha tthe heart was n o t perceived to
move and he lay like a dead man It is also said that
a man by reason o f a fall from a hi gh place o r great
noi se o r long s taying under the wa ter may fall into
a swoon which may con tinue for ty eigh t hours and so
may lay as if he were dead his face being very green
And in the same place there is men tion made o f a man
tha t buried a man who seemed to be dead seventy tw o
hours after his seeming decease and so killed him
because he buried him alive ; and there are given S igns
whereby itmay be known who are alive al though they
seem to be dead and indeed will die unless there be
some means used to recover them as phlebotomy or
some o ther cure A n d these are such as very seldo m
This is the manner by which we understand
happen
magicians and p hysicians do raise dead men to life as
they that were tried by the s tinging of serpents were
by the na tion o f the M arsi and the Ps ill i restored to
life We may conceive that such kind of extasies may
continue a long time although a man be not truly
dead as itis in dormice and Crocodiles and many o ther
serpents which sleep al l winter and are in such a dead
hey can scarce be awakened with re
S leep tha t t
An d I have often seen a dormouse dissected and con
ti
n u e immovable as if S he were dead until she was
boiled a n d when put in to boiling water the dissected
members did sho w life And although it b e hard to
be believed we read in some approved historians
that some men have slep t fo r many years together ;
and in the time o f sleep un til they awa ked there was
,
1 84
walked and fasted in the strength o f tha t mea t fort y

And John Bo c a tiu s makes mention of a man in
days
his time in V enice w ho would ev ery year fast four
days without any mea t; al so a grea ter wonder tha t
there wa s a woman in lower Germany at the same
time who took no food till the thir teenth year of her
age which to us may seem incredible bu tthat he
conrmed it He also tells o f a miracle o f our age
that his bro ther Nicolaus S tone an Helvetian by
nation w ho lived over twenty years in the wilderness
wi thout meat till he died That also is wonderful
which Theop hras tus men tions concerning a certain
man called Philin u s w ho used n o meat or drink
besides milk And there are also grave authors who
describe a certain herb o f S parta with which they
say the S cythians can endure twelve days hunger
withou t meat or drink if they do but taste it o r hold
it in their mouth
.
CHA PTER
LIX
nat
i
on by D r e a ms
0f D ivi
T HERE is also a cer tain kind o f divination by dreams

which is co nrmed by the tradi tions of philosophers
the au thorities of divines the examples of histories
and by daily experience By dre ams I do n o t mean
vain and idle imagina tions for they are useless and
have no divina tion in them bu t a rise from the remains
of wa tchings and dis turbance o f the body Fo r as
the mind is taken up abou t and wearied with cares it
sugges ts itself to him that is asleep I call that a
true dream which is caused by the celestial inuences
in the phan tas tic sp irit mind or body being all well
disposed The rule o f in terpreti n g th ese is found
amongs t as trologers in tha t part whic h is wrote con
cerning ques tions ; bu t ye t tha t is n o t sufficient
,
PHILOSOPHY
NA T URAL M AG I C
OF
1 85
because these kinds of dreams come by use to divers

men after divers manners and according to the divers
qualities and disposi tions o f the phan tas tic spirit
Wherefore there cannot be given o n e common rule to
all for the interpretation of dreams Bu t accordin g
us
to the doctrine o f S yn e s i
seeing there are the same
acciden ts to things and like befalls like s o he whic h
hath often fallen upon the same V isible thing ha th
assigned to himself the same O pini on passion for tune
action and even t As Aris to tle sai th the memory is
conrmed by sense and by keeping in memory the
sa me thing knowledge is O btai n ed ; as also by the
knowledge O f many experiences by li ttle and li ttle
arts and sciences are thus O btained After the same
account you mus t conceive o f dreams Whence S yne
sin s commands tha t every o n e should O bserve his
dreams and their even ts and such like rules viz to
commi tto memory al l things tha t are seen and acci
dents tha t befall as well in S leep as in wa tchin g and
with a d iligen t O bserva tion consider wi th himself the
rules by which these are to be examined ; for by this
means S hall a diviner be able by li ttle and li ttle to
interpre t his dreams if so be nothing slip o u t o f his
me mory No w dreams are more e fcacious whe n the
Moon overruns tha t S ign which was in the nin th num
ber * o f the na tivi ty o r revolution o f tha t ye
io r in
the nin th S ign from the S ign o f Pe r fe c tio n i For itis
a mos ttrue and certain divina tion neither doth it pro
ure o r human ar ts but from puried
o e c d from na t
minds by divine inspira tion We shall n o w discuss
and examine Prophesying an O racles
,
'
i nth N mbe r
Th N i n th H o u s e of th H orosco pe known a s the
Ho s of S c i nc
d R li g i on
tta i n e d a to th e E r th its or i gi n a l
W h n th S u h
t R e vo l u ti on
posi ti on or th p l a c itocc pi d a tth mom ntof b i rth
Th i s i s th F i rs t H o s of th H orosco pe th a t
t S i g n of Pe rf e c ti on
or Z od i a c ri si n g a tb i r th ; the a s t rn h or i on
Ho u s e of th
H e a ve n
* N
u
"
e an
as a
1 86
CHA PTER
Of Ma dn ess,
and
and
a w a k e,
Pow er
t
he
ma de
me n
hen
ar e
Me l a n c hol y Hu mor , by
i
n du c e d i
nt
o
a r e so
hi
ch
me times
hic h Spir it
s
Di
vi
nat
i
on s
LX
Men
are
Bodie s
happens also sometimes tha t n o t only they that

are asleep bu t also they tha tare wa tchful do with a
kind of ins tiga tion o f mind divine ; which divination
Aristotle calls ravishment o r a kind of madness and
teache th tha t it proceeds from a melancholy humor
saying in his trea tise o f divination : M elancholy men
by reason of their earnes tness do far b e tter conj ect
ure and quickly conceive a habi t and mos t easily
receive an impression o f the celes tials And he in his
Problems sai th that the S ibyls and the Bacc hides and
N ic e r a tu s the S yracusan and Ammon were by their
na tural melancholy complexion prophe ts and poets
The cause therefore o f this m adness if it be any
thi n g within the body is a melancholy humor ; not
tha t which they c all black choler which is s o o bs ti
na te and terrible a thing tha t the V iolence of it is
said by physicians and na tural philosophers (besides
madness which it do th induce to draw o r en tice evil
spiri ts to seize upon men s bodies Therefore we
understand a melancholy humor here to be a natural
and w hi te choler Fo r this when it is s tirred up
burns and s tirs up a madness conducing to knowledge
and divina tion especially if it be helped by any celes
tial inux especially o f S a tur n who (seeing he is
cold and dry as is a melancholy humor hath his in u
ence upon it increaseth and preserve th it Besides
seeing he is the au thor o f secret contempla tion and
estranged from all public a a ir s and the highest of
all the plane ts h e do th as he w ithc a l l s his mind from
ou tward business so also make it ascend higher and
bes tows upon men the knowledge and presages of
IT
)
,
1 88
art Bu t when these kinds o f Spirits por tend to u s

fu ture things they show those things which belong to
the dis turbing of the Elements and changes of times
as rain tempes ts inunda tions ear thquakes slaughter
grea t mortality famine and the like As we rea d in
Aulus Ge l iu s tha t his pries t Cornelius Pa ta r u s did
he time when Cms a r and Pompey were to ght in
a tt
Thessalia being taken with a madness foretell the
Bu t when the
time order and iss u e o f the bat tle
mind is turned wholly into reason it becomes a recep
tacle for middle world spirits Hence it obtains the
knowledge and unders tanding o f na tural and huma n
things
S o we see tha t a man sometimes do th on a
sudden become a philosopher phy sician or an orator
and fore tells muta tions o f kingdoms and restitutio n s
o f ages and such things as belong to them as did the
Bu t when the mind is wholly
S ibyl to the R omans
eleva ted in to the unders tanding then it becomes a
recep tacle of sublime spiri ts and learns of them the
secre ts o f divine things su ch as the L aw o f God and
the O rders o f Angels and such things as belong to the
knowledge o f things e ternal and the ascent of souls
It foresees things which are appointed by predes tina
tion such a s future prodigies or miracles the prophet
to come and the changing of the l a w
So the S ibyl s
prop hesied of C hrist a long time before his coming
S o Virgil understanding that Christ was a t hand and
remembering wha t the Sibyl Cu mma ha d said san g
thus to Pollio :
.
La stt
i
mes
me Cu mce a
are co
e
pr ophesi
Now fr om hi
n gs a n ew pr ogen i
e,
gh hea ven spr i
mes Gr ea t Or der n ow a ga in i
An d ti
s bor n ,
The Ma i
d
r et
u r n s,
u rni
Sa t
a n R ea l ms
r et
u rn
And a little af ter intima ting that original sin shall

be of no effect he sai th :
,
PHILOSOPHY
If
a ny
nt
s o
pr i
By
OF
NA T URAL M AG I C
189
'
ou r ol d vi
ce r e
n
ai
hee t
hey r voi
t
d, a n d fea r sha ll l ea ve t
he La n d;
He a God s l i
fe sha ll ta k e, w ith Gods sha l l see
Mi
x tHer oes,
R u le
and
hi
mse lf the ir
it
h pa t
er n a l pow er t
h
sha ll
He
ob ec tbe;
a ppea sed
Ea r th
Then he adds , that thence the fall of the S erpent ,
and the poison o f the tree of death o r o f the knowl

edge of good and evil shall be nulled saying :
,
The Serpen tsha l l

An d the dec e it
fu l Her b of Ven om
fa l l
et
he intima tes that som e sparks of original

shall remain when he saith :
n
Si
Some
st
eps o
a n ci
en t r a u d sha l l
ye tbe
fou n d
And at last with a most great hype rbole cries o u t

to his child as the o ffspring of Go d adoring him in
these words :
,
D ea r
f Gods, gr ea tstoc k of
r a ce o
Beho l d !
Se e
he
t
Wor l d sha k es
ea r t
h, a n d
How
ll t
hi
n gs
ha tmy l ife
O, t
As
w ou
ld
on
it
s pon de r ou s
hea ven s i
mmen se,
a tt
h a ppr oa c hi
ng
suf c e
l d l a stso l on g ,
t
hy
act
i
on s
t
o
a r e,
s,
Oc e a n tr ac t
an d
w ou
Ju pi
t
er ,
Age
r e oi
c e!
a n d voi
c e,
r ehea r se
[There
are also some prognostics which are in the

middle betwixt na tural and superna tural divina tion
as in those who are near to death and being weakened
with O ld age do some times foresee things to come
because as saith Pla to by how muc h the more men
are less hindered by their sense so much the more
accurately they understand and because they are
nearer to the place whither they mus t go (and their
bonds being as it were a li ttle loosed seeing they a r e
,
19 0
the
no more subj ect to the body easily perceive

i
on
o f divine r e v e l a t
j
light
CHA PTER LX I
he For mi
ng
0f t
In w a r d,
he Sou l ,
t
an d
and
f Ma n
he
t
Min d;
Ex ter n a l Sen ses,
he
t
and o
Pa ssion s of
he
t
a l so
t
hose
he Thr ee fo l d Appe t
it
e
t
Will
IT
IS the opinion O f some divi n es th at God did not

i mmediately create the body o f man but by the assist
ance of the heavenly spiri ts compounded and framed
him ; which opinion Alcinous and Plato favor thinking
that God is the chief creator of the whole world and of
S pirits
bo th good and bad and therefore immortal
i
z e d t hem ; but tha t all kinds o f mortal ani
mals were
made only at the comma n d o f Go d ; for if he should
have created them they must have been immortal
The spirits therefore mixing Earth Fire Air and
Water to ge ther made o f them all put together o n e
body which they subj ec ted to the service of the soul
assigning in it several provinces to each power thereof ;
to the meaner of them mean and low places : as to
anger the midriff; to desire the womb ; but to the more
noble sense s the head as the tower of the whole
body and then the manifold organs o f speech They
divide the senses into the external and internal The
external are divided in to ve known to every one to
which there are allot ted v e organs o r subj ec ts as it
were foundations ; being so ordered that they which are
placed in t he more eminent part of the body have a
greater degree of purity Fo r the eyes plac ed in the
uppermost place are the mos tpure and have an a ffin
i
ty with the nature of Fire and L ight ; the n the ears
have the second orde r of pla ce and puri ty and are
compared to the Air ; the nostrils have the third order
,
HENRY CORNELI U S AGR I PPA S
192
is tha twhich shows us fut u re things by drea ms whence

the fancy is some times named the phantas tical intel
lec t Fo r itis the las timpression o f the understanding
which as sai th Ia mbl ic u s is that belonging to all the
powers of the mind and forms all g u res resem
blances of species a n d opera tions and things seen
a n d sends for t
h the impressions of other powers unto
o thers And those things whic h appear by sense it
s tirs up i n to an opinion ; but those things which appear
by the intellect in the second place it o ffers to opinion ;
bu t of itself it receives imag es from all and by its
property doth properly assign them according to
their assimilation ; i
t forms all the ac tions o f the soul
and accommoda tes the ex ternal to the internal and
impresses the body with its impression No w these
senses h ave their organs in the head fo r the common
sense and imagination take up the tw o forward cells of
the brain although Aris totle pl a c e th the organ of the
common sense in the hear t; but the c ogitative power
possesse th the highes t and middle part o f the head ;
and lastly the memory the hindmost part thereof
M oreover the organs o f voice a n d speech are many as
the inward muscles o f the breast betwixt the ribs the
bre asts the lungs the arteries the windp ipe the bow
ing o f the tongue and all those parts and muscles tha t
serve fo r brea thin g Bu tthe proper organ of speech
is the mouth in which are framed words and speeches
the tongue the teeth the lips the palate and the
like Above the sensible soul which e x pr e ss e th its
powers by the organs o f the body the incorporeal
mind possesseth the highes tplace and ithath a double
nature the one which in q u ir e th in to the causes prop
i
and progress o f those things which are con
e rt
es
ure and is con tent in the
ta i
n e d in the O rder of N a t
contempla tion of the truth which is therefore called
the con te mplative Intellect The o ther is a power o f
,
PHILOSOPHY
OF
NA T URAL M AG I C
19 3
the mind which discerning by consulting what things

are to be done and what is to be shunned is wholly
taken up in consultation and action and is therefore
ive in tellect This order o f po w ers
c alled the ac t
therefore Nature ordained in man tha t by the ex ter
nal senses we mig ht kno w corporeal things and by
those internal the representations o f bodies as also
things abstracted by the mind and intellec t which are
neither bodies n o r any thing like them And accord
ing to this three fold order o f the powers o f the soul
there are three Appeti tes in the soul : The rst is
l and is an inclina tion of na ture unto its end as
ones ; ano ther
o f a stone downward which is in all s t
is animal which the sense follows and it is divided
into that ir agg bl e and tha t concupiscible ; the third is
i
u aj
a n a s c alled the will di ffering from the
f
g
r tha t the sensitive is o f itself of
Sensi tive faculty fi
those things wh ich may be presen ted to the senses
desiring no thing unless in some manner comprehended
Bu t the will al though it be of i tself o f all things tha t
are possible yet because it is free by its essence it
may be also o f things that are impossible as itwas in
the devil (desiring himself to be equal with Go d and
therefore is al tered and deprave d wi th pleasure and
with continual a n guis h w hilst itassents to the inferior
powers Whence from its depraved appe ti te there
arise four passions in it wi th which in like manner
Whereof the rs t is
the body is a ffected sometimes
ation whic h is a cer tain quie tness o r
c alled oblec t
assentation of the mind or will because it obeys and
not willi n gly consen ts to that pleasan tness which the
senses hold forth ; which is therefore dened to be an
inclina tion o f the mind to an e ffeminate pleasure
The second is called effusion which is a remission of
viz when beyond the
o r dissolution o f the power
a tion the whole power o f the mind and intention
o blec t
,
'
1 94
the presen t good is mel ted and diffu s e th itsel f

to enj oy it The third is vaun ting and loftiness ,
thinking itself to have attained to some great good
in the enj oyment of which itprides itself and glorieth
The fourth and the las t is envy or a certain kind o f
pleasure o r deligh t a t ano ther man s harm without
any advantage to itself It is said to be without a n y
advan tage to itself because if any one should for his
o w n pro t rej oice a t anothe r man s harm this would
be ra ther o u to f love to himself than o u to f ill will to
another And all these four passions arising from a
depraved appetite for pleasure the grief or perplexi ty
itself do th also beget very many con trary pa ssions a s
horror sadness fear and sorrow at ano ther s good
wi thout his own hur t which we call envy o r sadnes s
a t ano t
her s prosperity j u s t as pity is a certain kin d
o f sadness at ano t
her s misery
of
CHA PTER L X II
Of the Pa ssi
on s of t
he Mi
n d, t
he i
r Or i
n a l Sou r c e , D i
gi
ffer
en c es, a n d
THE passions
Kin ds
the human mind are nothing else bu t

cer tain motions or inclina tions proceeding from the
apprehension o f any thing as of good o r evil conve m
i
e n t o r inconvenient
N o w these kind o f a ppr e he n
sions are of three sorts v iz S ensual R ational and
Intellec tual
According to these three are three sorts
o f passions in the soul ; fo r when t
hey follow the sen
si
ti
v e apprehension then t
hey respect a temporary
good or evil under the notion o f protable or u n pr o t
able O r deligh tful o r o ffensive and are call ed natural
o r animal passions
When they follow the ra tional
apprehension and so respect good o r bad under the
no tions Of virtue or vice praise o r disgrace protabl e
of
H E NRY
1 96
C O R N ELI U S A GR
IPP A
power according to the diversity of the passions rst

of all change the proper body with a sensible trans
mu ta tion by changing the accidents in the body and
by moving the S piri tupward o r downward inward o r
outward and by producing divers qualities in the
members S o in j o y the spiri ts are driven outward ;
in fear drawn back ; in bashfulness are m oved to the
brain S o in j o y the h ear t is dila ted outward by
li ttl e and li ttle ; in sadness is constrained by lit tle
and li ttle inward After the sam e manner in anger
bu t suddenly
Again anger o r desire o f
o r fear
revenge pr o du c e th heat redness a bit ter taste and a
looseness Fear in du c e th cold trembling o f the hear t
speechlessness and paleness S adness causeth sweat
and a bluish whiteness Pity which is a kind of sad
ness do th often ill a ffect the body of him that takes
pi ty though it seems to be the body of another man
s o a ffec t
ed Also it is manifest that amongst some
lovers there is such a strong tie o f love that wha tthe
fers the other suffers
Anxiety in du c e th dry
o n e su f
ness and blackness And how great hea ts love stirs
up in the liver and pulse physicians know divining
by that kind o f j udg ment the name o f the one that is
so beloved in an heroic passion S o Na u s tr a tu s knew
tha t Antiochus was taken with the love o f S traton
ica Itis also manifest that such like passions when
they are most ve hemen t may cause death And this
is manifes tto all men that wi th too much j oy sadness
love o r ha tred men many times die and are sometimes
freed from a disease And so we read that S ophocles
and Dionysius the S icilian tyran t did both suddenly
die at the news of a tragical V ictory S o a certain
woman also seeing her son returning from the Ca n e n
sian ba ttle died su ddenly No w what sadness can
d o is known to all
We kno w that dogs oftenti mes
die with sadness because o f the death o f their masters
,
P HILO S OP HY
O F N ATUR A L M A G I C
19 7
also by reason o f these like passions long

diseases follow and are sometimes cured S o also
some men looking from a high place by reason of
great fear tremble are dim sighted and weakened and
some times loose their senses So fears and falling
S ome times won
s ickness sometimes follow sobbing
d e r fu l e ffects are pr o duced as in the son o f Cr oe sus
whom his m other brought for th dumb yet a vehemen t
fear and ardent affection made him speak which na tu
r ally he could never do
S o with a sudden fall often
times life sense or mo tion o n a sudden leave th e
members and presently again are some times re turned
And how much vehement anger joined wi th grea t
y can do Alexander the Grea t shows who
a udaci t
being circumven ted wi th a ba ttle in India was seen to
send forth from himself ligh tning and re ; the fa ther o f
The o do r i
c u s is said to have sen t forth out o f his body
sparks of re so that sparkling a mes did leap ou t
with a noise And such like things some times appear
in be a sts as in the horse o f Tiberius whic h was said
to send forth a ame o u t of his mouth
S ometimes ,
'
CHA PTER
How
Pa ssion s of
t
he
Imit
i
at
on
and
fr om
ha t
h,
me
so
Min d c ha n ge
R esembl a n c e;
t
he
Body
by
w ay o
t
he Tr a n sfor mi
ng
f Men a n d w ha tFor c e the Ima gin a tive

he Body bu tt
he Sou l
n o ton l y over t
ng
i
Tr a n sl a t
Pow er
t
he
L X IV
THE
foresaid passions some times al ter the body by

reaso n o f the virtue which the likeness o f the thing
hath to c hange it which power the vehemen t imagi
n ation moves as i
n se tt
ing the te eth on edge a t the
s igh t or hearing of some t
hing or because we see or
imagine another to eat sharp or sour things S o he
which sees another gape gapes also ; and some when
,
HE N R
1 98
O R N ELI U S
IPP A
A GR
they hear any o n e name sour things their tongue s

waxe th tart Also the seeing o f any l thy thing
cause th nauseousness M any a t the sight o f a man s
blood fall in to a swoon S ome when they see bitter
mea t given to any perceive a bitter S pittle in their
mou th And William o f Paris sai th th at he saw a
man that a tthe sight of a medicine was affected a s
much as he pleased ; when as nei ther the substance of
the medicine n o r the odor n o r the taste o f it came to
hi
m bu tonl y a kind o f resemblanc e was apprehended
by him Upon th i s accoun t some tha t are in a dream
think they burn and are in a re and are fearfully
tormen ted as if the y did truly burn when a s the sub
s tance o f the re is n o t near them but only a resem
blance apprehended by their imagination And some
times men s bodies are transformed and tr a n s g u r e d,
and also transported ; and th i s o fttimes when they are
l n a dream and sometimes when the y are a wake
So
Cyprus after he was chosen king o f Italy did very
much wonder at and meditate upon the gh t and v ic
tory o f bulls and in the though t thereof did sleep a
whole nigh t and in the morning he was found horned
no
o therwise than by the vege tative power bein g
s tirred up by a vehemen t imagination elevating corn
i
c humors in to his head and producing horns
Fo r a
vehemen t cogita tion whils t it veh emently moves the
species pic tures o u tthe gure of the thing thought on
which they represent in their blood and the blood
i
m pr e sse th the g u re o n the members t hat are nour
i
s he d by it ; as upon those of the same body s o upon
those o f anothers S o the imagination of a woman
wi th child impr e s s e th the mark of the thing longed
for upon her infan t and the imagina tion o f a man bit
wi th a mad dog impr e sse th upon his body the image
o f dogs
And
S o men may grow gray o n a sudden
some by the dream o f o n e night h ave grown up fro m
,
HENRY CORN E LIUS
200
IPP A
A GR
men t hat they can sc arce a t all be discerne d Als o

Pliny relates by divers exa mpl es t hat women have
been turned into men Pontanus te s tie th that in his
time a certain woman called Ca ie ta v a and another
one called Aemilia w ho many years after they were
married were changed in to men N o w ho w much
imagination can affec t the soul n o man is ignorant
fo r i
t is nearer to the subs tance of the soul than the
sense is and therefore acts more upon the soul than
the sense doth
So women by cer tain s trong imagi
na tions dreams and sugges tions broughtin by certain
ma g ical arts do often bind the mselves into a strong
a ffection fo r any o n e
So they say that M edea by
a drea m was lled wi th love fo r Jason S o the soul
sometimes is by a vehemen t imagination or specula
tion al together abs tracted from the body as Celsus
relates of a certain presbyter who as often as he
pleased could make himself senseless and lay like a
dead man so th at when any one pricked o r burn t him
he felt n o pain but lay without any motion o r brea th
ing ; ye t he could as he said hear men s voices as it
were afar O if they cried o u t aloud
.
'
CHAPTER L X V
Ho
he
t
Pa ssion s of
he
t
Min d
An othe r
can
Wor k of
Body
t
hemse lves
upon
passions o f the soul which follow th e p hantasy

when they are most vehement canno t only change
their own body bu t also can transcend s o as to work
upon ano ther body ; s o that some wonderful impres
sions are thence produc ed in elemen ts and extrinsical
things and they can thus take a way or bri n g some
dise ase of the mind o r body Fo r the passions of the
soul are the chiefes t cause of the temperament of its
THE
PHILOSOPHY
OF
N A T URAL M AG IC
20 1
proper body So the soul being strongly elevated

and inamed wi th a s trong imagin ation sends for th
health o r sickness n o t only in its proper body but
also in other bodies SO Av ic e n is of the O pinion that
a camel may fall by the imagination o f any o n e
So
he who is bitten with a mad do g presently falls in to
a madness and there appear in his body the shapes of
dogs S o the longing o f a woman wi th child do th act
upon another s body when it signs the infant in the
womb with the mark of the thing she longs fo r SO
many monstrous generations proceed from monstrous
imagina tions o f women with child as M arcus Damas
c e n u s reports t
ha t a t Pe tra S aneta a town si tua ted
upon the terri tories of Pisa there w a s a wench pre
sented to Charles king o f Bohemia who was rough
and hairy all over her body like a wild beast whom
her mother a ffec ted with a religious kind of horror
by the pic ture of John the Bap tis t (which was in the
chamber she occupied afterwards brought her forth
after this fashion And this we see is not only in
men but also is done among brute creatures S o we
read that Jaco b the pa triarch wi th his speckled rods
se t in t
he wa tering places did discolor the sheep of
L aban S O the imagina tive powers of peacocks and
other birds whils t they be ma ting impress a color
upon their wings Whence we produ ce whi te pea
cocks by hanging white clothes around the places
where t hey mate No w by the above examples it
appears how the affec tion o f the phan tasy when it
vehemently in tends itself do th n o t only a ffect its o w n
proper body bu t also ano thers So also the desire o f
witches to hur t do th bewi tch men mos t perniciously
wi th steadfas t looks To these things A v ic e n Ar is
Fo r it is manifes t
to tl e Algazel and Gallen assent
that a body may mos teasily be a ffec ted wi th the vapor
of ano ther s diseased body which we plainly see in the
.
)
,
HENRY CORNELIUS
20 2
A GR
IPP A
plague and leprosy Again in the vapor of th e eyes

there is so grea t a power that the y can bewitch and
infec t any tha t are near them a s the cockatrice or
basilisk which kill men wit h their looks And certain
women in S cythia a mong s t the Illyrians and Tr iba l l i
killed whomsoever they look ed angry upon There
fore let n o man wonder th at the body and sou l of one
may i n like manner be a ffected with the mind of
ano ther seeing t he mind is far more powerful strong
ferven t and more prevalent in its motion than the
vapors ex haling out o f bodies ; neither are there want
n
i
g mediums by whic h it s hould work nei ther is
another s body less subj ect to another s mind than to
another s body Upon this account they say that a
man by his affection and habi t only may act upon
ano ther Therefore philosophers advise tha t the
soc ie ty of evil and mischievous men must be shunned
fo r their soul being full of noxious rays infects them
that are near wit h a hurtful contagion On the con
tr a r y they advise that the socie ty o f good and fo r tu
nate men be endeavored after because by their near
ness they do us much good Fo r as the smell of musk
doth pene tra te so something of ei ther bad o r good is
derived from anything bad o r good by those that are
nigh to the m ; which may continue a long time No w
if the foresaid passions have so great a power in the
phantasy they have certainly a grea ter power in the
rea son i n as much as the re ason is more excellent than
the phan tasy ; and lastly they have much greater
power in the mind ; for this when it is xed upon God
for any good wi th its whole intention do th oftentimes
a ffect another s body a s well as its o w n with some
divine gift By th i s means we read that many mira
cles were done by Apollo nius Pythagoras Empedocles
Philolaus and many prophets and holy men of our
religion which things we shall n o w consider
,
204
received and the thing to be done i n us o r by us We

mus t therefore in every work and application of
things a ffec t vehemen tly imagine hope and believe
s trongly for that will be a great help And it is veri
e d amongst physicians that a s trong belief and an
undoubted hope and love towards the physician and
medicine conduce much to heal th ; yea more some
times than the medicine i tself Fo r the same tha tthe
e i
c a c y and V irtue o f the medic i
ne works the same
doth the strong imagination O f the p hysician work
be i ng able to change the quali ties in the body of the
sick especially when the pa tien t pl a c e th much c on
dence i n the physician by that means dispos ing him
self for the receiving of the virtue o f the physician and
physic Therefore he that works in Magic must be o f
a cons tant belief be credulous and n o t at all doub tful
o f obtaining the e f
fect
Fo r as a rm and strong
belief doth w ork wonderful things al though it be in
false works so distrust and doub ting do th dissipa te
and break the virtue of the mind o f the worker w hich
is the medium between both extremes ; whence it hap
pens tha the is frustrated o f the desired inuence o f the
superiors which could not be joined and united to our
labors without a rm and solid virtue o f our mind
.
CHA PTER
How
Min d of Ma n ma y be Join ed
he
t
Sta r s,
L XVII
and
In t
e ll i
g en c e s
t
hem, Impr ess
Thi
n gs
c er t
ai
n
i
t
ht
he
f the Ce l estia l s
a n d,
f l Vir tu es
w on der u
Min d of the
t
og e t
her w i
t
h
u pon
i
nfer i
or
THE
philosophers especially the Arabians say that

man s mind when it is mos t i ntent upon any work
through its passion and e ffec ts is j oined with the mind
o f the stars and in t
elligences ; and being so joined is
,
PHILOSOPHY
OF
N A T URA L
M AGI C
205
the
cause o f some wonderful V irtue be ing infu sed into

our works and things ; and this because there is in
the mind an apprehension and power O f all thi n gs SO
all things hav e a na tural obedience to it and o f n e c e s
si
ty an e fcacy ; and more to that which desires them
wi th a s trong desire And according to th i s is veried
the art of charac ters images enchan tments and some
speeches and many o ther wonderful experimen ts as to
everything which the mind a ffec ts By this means
wha tsoever the mind of him that is i n vehement love
a ffec ts ha th a n efcacy to cause love ; and whatsoeve r
the mind o f him tha t s trongly hates dic ta tes ha th an
e fcacy to hur t and destroy The like i s in o ther
things which the mind affec ts with a strong desire
Fo r all those things which the mind ac ts and dic ta te s
by charac ters gures words speeches ges tures and
the like help the appe ti te o f the soul and acquire
cer tain wonderful vir tues ; as from the soul of the
opera tor in tha t hour when such a like appe tite do th
invade it s o from the O pportunity and celestial in u
ence moving the mind in that manner Fo r our mind
when i t is carried upon the grea texcess o f any passion
or V irtue often times presen tl y takes o f itself a strong
better and more convenien thour or opportuni ty which
Thomas Aquinas in his third book agains tthe Gen tiles
confesse th S o many w onderful vir tues bo th cause
and follow certain admirable opera tions by great
aec t
i
hose things which the soul do th dic ta te
o n s in t
in tha thour to them Bu t know that such thin gs c o n
fer no thing O r very little to the author o f them and
to him which i s inclined to them as if he we re the
author o f t hem And this is the manner by which
And it is a general rule in
their e fficacy is found out
them tha tevery mind that is more excellent in its love
and affection makes such like things more t for itself
becoming e fcacious to that which it desires Every
,
HENRY CORN EL IUS
20 6
IPP A
A GR
therefore that is willing to work i n M agic must

know the vir tue measure order and degree of his o w n
soul i n relation to the Power of the Universe
on e ,
CHA PTER
How
ou r
Min d c a n Cha n ge
En ds
and
hi
ch
L XVIII
Bin d
we
infer i
n gs t
o t
he
or Thi
re
D esi
THE R E is also a certain V irtue in the minds
of
men
o f changing a t
tracting hindering and binding to that
which they desire ; and all things O b e y them whe n t hey
a re carried in to a great excess of any passion o r V ir
tue so as to exceed those things which the y bind
Fo r the superior binds that which is inferior and con
verts i t to itself ; and the inferior is by the same rea
so n converted to t
he sup erior or is otherwise a ffected
and wrought upon By this reason things that receive
a superior degree o f any star bind or a ttract or hin
der things which have an inferior according as they
a gree or disagree amongst themse lves Whence a
lion is afraid o f a cock because th e presence o f the
S olary virtue is more agreeable to a cock than to a
lion S o a loadstone draws iron because in its order
i t hath a superior degree of the Celestial Bear
S O the diamond hinders the loadstone because in
the order o f M ars it is s u perior to it In like man
ner any man when he is opportunely exposed to the
celes tial inuenc es (a s by the a ffections of his mind
and due applications of na tural things if he become
stronger in a S olary virtue he binds and draws the
inferior into admira tion and obedience in the order of
the M oon to servi tude or in r mitie s ; i n a S aturnine
order to quietness o r sadness ; in the order of Jupiter
to worship ; in the order of M ars to fear and discord ;
i n a Venus order to love and joy ; in a M ercurial order ,
,
)
,
20 8
as in dreams we seem to speak and dispute with o u r

selves and whilst we are awake we r u n over a whole
speech silently Bu t an uttered word hath a cer tain
act in the voice and proper ties o f locution and is
brought forth with the brea th o f a man with opening
h and with the speech of his tongue ; in
o f h i s mou t
which na ture h ath coupled t he corporeal voice and
speec h to the mind and understanding making t hat
a declarer and in terpreter o f the conception of our
intellect to the hearers ; and o f this we now speak
Words therefore are the tte st medium betwixt the
speaker and the be a r e r carrying with them n o t o n ly
the conception o f the mind but also the vir tue of the
speaker with a certain e fficacy u n to the hearers ; and
t
his oftentimes with so great a power that often they
change n o t only the hearers but also other bodies and
things that have no life
No w those words are o f
grea ter e fcacy than others which represen t greater
things as intellectual celes tial and supernatural ; as
more expressly so more mys teriously Also those
that come from a more worthy tongue or from any of
a more holy order ; for these (as i t were c ertai n signs
and representations receive a po w er of celestial and
supercelestial things a s from the virtue of things
ex plained of which they are the vehicle and from a
power put into them by the virtue of the speaker
,
)
,
CHA PTER
rt
ue
0f the Vi
L XX
f Pr oper Na mes
THA T the proper names o f things ar e very necessary

in M agical O pera tions almos t all men testify Fo r
,
the na tural power o f t hings proceeds rst from the

obj ec ts to the senses and then from these to the ima g
i
na t
i
o n and from this to the mind in which i t is rs t
,
PHI L OSOPHY
N A T URAL M AG IC
OF
20 9
conceived and then is expressed by voices and words

The Platonis ts therefore say that in this very voice
ts articles that the
o r word o r name framed wi th i
power o f the thing as it wer e some kind of life lies
under the form of the signication First conceived i n
the mind a s it were through certain seeds o f things
then by voices or words as a bir th brought forth ; and
lastly kept in writings [Hence magicians say that
the proper names of things are certain rays o f things
he power of
e verywhere presen t at all times keeping t
things as the essence o f the thing signied rules and
is discerned in the m and know the things by them as
by proper and living images Fo r as the grea toper
!
a tor doth provide divers species and particular things
by the inuences o f t he Heavens and by the elemen ts
together with the virtues of planets so according to
the properties of the inuences proper names resul t
to t hings and are pu t upon them by him who numbers
the multi tude o f the s tars calling them all by their
n ames ; of which names C hris tin another place speaks
Y our names are wri tten in Heaven

Adam
s aying
therefore that gave the rs t names to things know
ing the inuences of the Heavens and properties of
a l l things gave them all names according t
o the i r
n atures a s i t is wri t
ten in Genesis where Go d brough t
all things that he had crea ted before Adam tha t he
should name them ; and a s he named any thing so the
name o f it was ; which names indeed contain in them
wonderful powers of the th i ngs signied Every
c a ti
v e rst o f all sigui
v oice therefore that is s i
gn i
es by the inuence o f the celestial harmony ; secondly
by the imposition of man al though oftentimes other
wise by this than by tha t Bu t when both s ig n ic a
tions mee t in any voice or name which are pu t upon
them by the said harmony o r men then tha t name i s
na tura l a n d arbitrary made
w ith a double virtue viz
.
21 0
most e fcacious to a c t as of ten as i t shall be uttered in

due place and time and seriously wi th an in tention
exercised upon the m att er righ tly disposed and that
can na turally be acted upon by it S o we read i n Phi
l o s tr a tu s that when a maid at R ome died the sam e da y
sh e was married and wa s presented to Apollonius he
accura tely inquired in to her name which being known
he pronounced some occul t thing by which s he
revived It was an observation amongs tthe R omans
in their holy rites tha t when they did be s i ege a n y
city they did diligen tly enquire in to the proper and
true name o f it and the n ame of th at Go d unde r
whose protec tion it was ; which be i ng known they did
then wi th some verse call for th th e Gods tha twere the
protectors o f that city and did curse the inhabitant s
h the i r Gods be i ng absent did
o f tha t ci ty s o at leng t
overcome them a s V irgil sings :
,
Tha t k eptt
hi
s R ea l m
The i
r Al t
a r s ha v e for sook ,
and
ou r
'
Gods
bl esta bode s
No w the verse w i th which the Gods were called
ou t
and the enemies were cursed when the city w a s

assaulted round about let him that would know n d
it o u t in L ivy and M acrobius ; but also many of these
cus
in his book o f secre t things
Se r e n u s Sa mo n i
makes mention o f
,
CHA PTER
0f ma n y
Wor ds j oin ed toge ther
and o
he Vi
u es
t
rt
and
L XX I
as
i
n Sen t
er
c es a n d
Ver ses;
Ast
ri
ct
i
on s of Cha r ms
BESI D ES the virtues of words and n ames there is

al so a grea te r virtue fo und in sentence s from the truth
con tained in them wh i ch ha th a very great power o f
impressing c hanging bindi n g a n d es tablis hing S O
,
H E NRY CORN E LIUS AG RIPP A S
212
Besides w i th
temple in the c i ty o f Eleusis in Attica
t he divers sorts of the n ames o f the stars they com
mand us to call upon them by t he na me s o f the In tel
li
g e n c e s ruling over the stars themselves o f which we
shall speak more at large in their proper place T hey
tha t desire fur ther examples o f these let them search
in to the hymns o f O rpheus than which nothing is
more e fficacious in N a tural M agic if they together
with t heir circumstances which wise men know be
used according to a due harmony wi th all atten tion
Bu t to re turn to o u r purpose S uch like verses being
ap tly and duly made according to the R ule o f the Stars
and being full of signication and meaning and o ppor
tu n e l y pronounced with vehemen ta ffec tion (as accord
i
n g to t
he number and the propor tion o f the i r articles
so according to the for m resul ting from the ar ticles
and by the violence o f imagina tion do confer a very
great power i n the enchan ter and some times transfers
i
tupon the thing enchan ted to bind and direct it to the
same purpose for wh i ch the a e c tio n s an d speeches of
the enchanter are intended N o w the instru m
en t of
enchanters is a most pure harmonical spirit warm
breathing living bringing wi th it motion a ffection
and signica tion ; composed o f i ts parts endued with
sense and conceived by reason By the quali ty there
fore o f this spirit and by the celes tial S imilitude
thereof (besides those things whic h have already been
spoken o f verses also from the opportuni ty o f time
receive from above most excell ent virtues ; and indeed
are more sublime and e fa c iou s th an spiri ts and vapors
exhaling o u to f the vege tab le life suc h as herbs roots
gums aroma tical things and fumes and such like
And therefore magicians enchanting things are wont
to blow and breathe upo n the m th e words of the verse
o r to breathe in the virtue with the spirit tha t so t
he
whole virtue o f the soul be directed to the thing
)
,
PHILOSOPHY
OF
N A T URA L M AG IC
21 3
nchanted being disposed for the receiving of sa i d

virt ue
[An d here it is to be noted that e very oratio n
as they induce accustomed mo
w riting and words
io n s by their accustomed numbers proportions and
t
form so (besides their usual order being pronounced ,
or wrote backwards move unto unusual e ffect s
!
e
CHAPTER
0 f the
w on derfu
L XX II
Pow er of En c ha n tmen ts
THEY say tha tthe power of enchan tmen ts and verses

i
s
so great t hat it is believed they are able to subvert

almos tall Na t
ure Apuleius saith that wi th a magical
whispering swift rivers are turned back the slow sea
i
s bound the winds are breathed o u t wi th one accord
he Su n is stopped the M oon is claried the S tars are
t
pulled o u t the day is kep t back the night is pr o
longed ; and o f thes e th i ngs L ucan wri tes :
,
The
c ou r se s o
Pr ol on ged w a s
Aston ie d
w as
Wa s by the
hi
n gs di
d
ll t
c e a se ,
he
t
ni
ght
w a s li
l on g befor e t
ght
;
he he a dl on g Wor l d a ll t
hi
s
t
t
w
as
hea r i
ng
a ver se
And a lit tle before :

Thessa l ia n
ver se
nt
o hi
di
di
s he a r tso ow ,
Tha titdid ma k e
er he a tof l ove
gr ea t
And elsewhere :
n g by hi
m dr u n k,
No dr egs of poison be i
His w its dec a y d en c ha n ted
Also Virgil in Damon

,
e,
mma n d the Moon dow n fr om the Sk i
Cha r ms c ha n g d Ul ysses c ompa n y
Cha r ms
r ce
Ci
can c o
n g c ha r m d, bu r s t
A c ol d sn a k e , be i
214
And O vid i n h i s un titled book saith :

,
With c ha r ms doth w ith r in g
Dr i
ed
he
t
are
fou n ta in s
Cer e s dye,
a l l,
Ac or n s fr om Ok es, en c ha n ted Gr apes,

An d a ppl es fr om tr ees fa l l
.
If
these things were not true there would not be

such str i ct pe n al statutes made against them that
should enchan t fruit And Tibullus saith of a certain
enchan tress :
,
fr om He a ven , I,
An d tu r n i
ng t
he c ou r se of r i
v e r s di
d espy;
he e a r t
h, a n d Ghost
She pa r t
s t
s fr om Sepu l c her s
D r a w s u p, a n d fe t
h bon e s a w a y fr om i
h fi
r es,
c he t
Her
h Cha r ms dr a w i
i
t
n g St
ars
h Ai
r,
er s c l ou ds i t
t
pl ea su r e sc a t
An d ma k es itSn ow i
r
n Su mmer hota n d fa i
An d
a ther
Of
all which that enc hantress see ms

i n O vid when she saith :
to
boast herself
Atw ill , I ma k e
sw
i
ftstr e a ms
i
re
r et
To the i
r fou n t
ai
n s w hi
l stt
he i
r Ba n k s a dmi
r e;
Sea t
oss a n d smoot
h; c l e a r Cl ou ds w i
t
h Cl ou ds defor m
,
With Spe ll s
Cl ea ve
Cha r m s I br ea k the Vi
per s j a w ,
so l i
d R oc k s, Ca k es fr om t
he i
r se i
z u r es dr a w ,
and
Whol e Woods r emov e

Ea r th for
t
o gr oa n ,
Mou n ta in s sha k e,
a n d Ghost
s fr om gr a ves a w a k e
,
the l oft
y
An d thee , 0 Moon , I dr a w
M oreover all poets sing and philosophers do not

deny that by verses many wonderful th in gs may be
done as corn to be removed lightnings to be com
m a n de d diseases to be cured and the like
Fo r Cato
himself in country a ffairs used some enchantments
against the diseases o f beasts which as yet are extant
in his writings Also Josephus tes ties that S olomon
was skilled i n those kinds o f enchantmen ts Als o
,
21 6
disposi tion We nd also tha tthe same kind of pre

s as Virgil testi
c e pts was i n use amongst the ancien t
es when he s i ngs :
,
I w a lk
a r ou n d
mber w hic h thr e e

I sha ll thy Ima ge bea r
he se Thr e a ds
t
ht
r stw i
Fi
Bou tth Al tar s
hr i
t
ce
in n u
are
And a li ttle after :

Kn ots
hr ee ,
Ama r y ll i
s, t
i
e ! of Co l or s t
sa y,
The se bon ds I k n itfor Ven u s be
Then
the
And in
As
w ax
fir e this c l a y doth ha r der pr ove,
mor e
ft;
so
D aphn is,
so ,
CHAPTER
he Ce l est
i
a l Si
t
o t
gn s
and a
and
L XX IV
i
on , Cor r espon den c y ,
0f the Pr opor t
Ton gu es,
same pl ace :
t
h on e
wi
The
h
it
l ove
ou r
R e du c t
i
on
and
Pl a n e ts Ac c or din g
,
f Letter s
t
o
va r i
ou s
Ta bl e ther eof
GO D gave to man a m i nd and speech which (as saith

M ercurius Trismegis tus are thought to be a giftof the
same vir tue , po w er , and immor tali ty The omnipotent
Go d ba th by his providence divided t he speech of m e n
,
i nto divers langu a ges which languages have accord

,
in g
to their diversi ty ,
received divers and proper char

a c te r s o f wri t
ing consis ting in their c e r tain order
number and gure n o t so disposed and formed by hap
o r chance
nor by the weak judgmen t o f m a n but
from above whereby they agree w i th the c eles tial and
divine bodies and virtues Bu t before all notes o f
languages the wr i t i ng o f t he Hebrews is of all the
most sacred i n the gures o f characters points of
vowels and tops o f accen ts ; or consisting i n matter,
form and spiri t
,
PHILOSOPHY
NA T URA L M AG IC
OF
21 7
The position of the S tars being rst made in the s e at
of God which is Heaven after the gure o f them (as

the masters of the Hebrews tes tify are most fully
formed the letters of th e C eles tial Mysteries as by
their gure form and signication so by the numbers
signied by them and also by the various harmon i es o f
their conj unction Whence the more c u rious M e c u ba l s
of the Hebrews do undertake by the gure o f their
let ters the forms o f c haracters and t heir signature ,
simpleness or composition separa tion crookedness o r
directness defect abounding greatness o r li ttleness
crowning opening or shutt i ng order transmutation ,
j o i ni ng together revolution o f letters and of points
and tops by the supputa tion of numbers and by the
letters o f things s ig n ie d to explain all things ; ho w
they proceed from the rs t cause and are again to be
reduced into the same M oreover they divide the l e t
t e rs of their Hebrew alphabe t v iz into twelve simple
seven double and three mo thers which they say sig
ni
fy as characters of th i ngs the Twelve S igns S even
Planets and Three Elemen ts viz Fire Water and
Earth ; for they account Air no element but as the
glue and spirit of th e elemen ts To these also they
appoint poin ts and tops As therefore by the aspects
of Plane ts and S igns toge ther with the Ele ments (the
working spiri ta nd truth all th i ngs have been and are
broug ht forth S o by these characters o f letters and
points signifying those th i ngs that are brought fort h
the names of all things are appointed as certain S igns
and vehicles of things explained carrying with them
everywhere their e ssence and virtues The profound
mea n ings and Si gns are inherent i n those characters
and gures of them as also numbers place order and
revolution ; so tha t O r ig e n e s therefore thought tha t
those names whe n transla ted into another idiom do
not retain their proper virtue Fo r only the original
,
)
,
21 8
na mes whic h are rightly imposed because t hey sig

It is n o t
ni
fy na turally and have a n a tural ac tivity
so with them whic h signify a t pleasure which have no
ac tivity as they are signifying as they are bu t cer tain
na tu ral things in themselves No w if there be any
language whose words have a natural signica tion it
i s ma n ifes t that th i s is the Hebre w ; the order o f which
he tha t sha ll profoundly and radically O bserve and
shall know to resolve proportionably the le tters
thereof s hall ha ve a rule exac tly to nd out any idiom
The re are therefore tw o and twenty letters which
are the founda tion o f the wo rld and of creatures that
are and are named in it and every saying and every
crea ture are o f them and by their revolutions receive
their name being and V irtue
He therefore tha t will nd t hem out must by each
j oining together o f the let ters so long examine them
un til the voice of Go d is manifest and the framing of
the mos t sacred le tters he opened and discovered ; for
hence V oices and w ords have e fficacy in magical works
because that in wh i ch N ature rs t exercise th magical
e fficacy i s the voice o f Go d Bu t the se are o f more
deep speculation than to be handled in this book To
re turn to the division of the let ters : o f the se amongst
the Hebre w s are three mo thers v iz
1 R ; seven
double viz n 1 g D j J 3
The other twelve
,
z"
Vi
T he
P
rule is
v D
,
J, D) 7:
m)n
are
I
,
i mple
same amongst the Chaldeans and by

the imi ta tion o f those above also the le tters o f other
to n gues are distributed to the S igns Planets and El e
men ts after their order Fo r the vowels in the Greek
tongue ans w er to the S even Planets and the others are
a ttribu ted to the Twelve S igns of the Zo diac the Four
Ele men ts and the S pirit of the World Amongst the
L a tins there is the s ame signica tion of them For
the
HENR Y M O R LEY
'
S CR ITIC IS M
disguised by Hebrew admixture and little

pe r v a te d by the specula tions of the Pla tonis ts o f Alex
andria Philo the Jew Plo tinus and Ia mbl ic hu s w ho m
the young s tuden t quo tes most frequen tly we have
again the Attic M oses Pla to speaking through a
young and strong he art to the world Very great was
the inuence of Pla to i n this period of wakening to
thought
N oth i n g was known by experience of Na ture
for little had been learnt since the time when Pla to
theor i s i ng upon N a ture owned it to be impossible t o
arrive a t any certain re sul t in our specula tions upon
the crea tion of the visible universe and it authors ;
wherefore
he said e ven if we should only
advance reasons not less probable than those o f o thers
you should still be content
In th i s spiri talone Co r
ne l i
u s Agrippa taugh t his age :
There are these mar
vels well accredited ; there i s this cumbrous and dis
join ted mass of earthly sensible experience whic h
there i s no way of explaining left to me bu t one
I
accept the marvels foolish as they seem ; they are as
well accredi ted as th i ngs more obv i ous l y true [Wi th
God all things are possible In God a ll things consis t
I will adop t Pla to s belief that the world is anima ted
by a movin g soul and from the soul of the world I
wi l l look up to i ts C rea tor I cannot restcon ten twi th
a confused mass O f evidence ; I will anima te wi th my
own soul a n d a faith in its divine origin the worl d
abou t m e j I w ill adop t the glorious belief o f Pla to
tha t we s it here as i n a cavern wi th our faces held from
looking to the cavern s mouth down which a ligh t is
streaming and pours in a ood over o u r heads broke n
LI TT LE
221
HENRY M ORLEY
222
CRI T ICIS M
by shadows o f things moving i n the world above

We see the shadows on the wall hear echoes and
believe in all as the one known truth of substance and
of voice al though these are but the images o f the
superiors I a l so will endea vor to climb up out o f the
cave i nto the land ooded with sunlight I connect
all tha t we see here w i th Plato s doc tri
ne of superior
ideas I su bdue ma tter to spiri t I will see true knowl
edge in apparen t foolishness and connec tthe meanest
clod with its d i v i ne Crea tor I will seek to draw down
in u ences and to ll my sou l wi th a new streng th
imparted by the virtue o f ideas streaming from above
he superior manifest in the inferior is the l a w o f
T
[
N ature manifested in the t hing crea ted
M y sou l is
n o t su f
ficient fo r i tself ; beyo n d i t and above i t lie
eternal laws subtle n o t hav i ng subs tance o r form yet
the cause of form and substance I canno t hope to
know them otherwise than as ideas ; to unborn genera
t i ons they will be rev ealed perhaps ; to me they are
ideas ce l est i a l inuences w orking in telligences I
believe in them and I desire to lay open my soul to
their more perfec t apprehension They are not God
though God crea ted them ; they are n o t man though
they have by divine ordainment formed him The
more I dwell upon their qu ali ties the more I long for
the divine the more shall I be blessed by the recep tion
heir rays The more in te n se l y I yearn heavenward
of t
the more shall I bring down hea ven to dwell in my
soul :7
So w e may hear if we will the spirit o f the young
inquirer pleading to us from across the c enturies and
if our own minds ever yearned fo r an escape from the
delusions o f the gross er sense and the restriction se t
by crowds on free inquiry there is no true hear t that
will n o t say :
Y o u l a bored well my brother
.
HENRY CORNELIU S AG RIPP A
224
eformers When rst Greek stud i es were

revived the monks commonly regarded them as e s se n
and the v e r v
to R oman in terests
ti
a l l y adverse
language seemed to them infec ted wi th the plague O f
heresy In the Netherlands it be ca me almost a prov
erb wi th t hem that to be kno wn fo r a gram marian was
to be repu ted here tic No t seldom indeed in la ter
times ha s John R euc hlin who fo r his Greek and
Hebrew scholarship was called af ter the manne r of
hi
he Ph oe nix o f Germans and who was the
s day t
O bjec to f an arden t he r o w o r s hip to men like Cornelius
Agrippa been called also the Fa ther o f the R eforma
t
ion Cer tainly L uther E rasmus and M e l a n c tho n had
ins truction from him ; by him it was tha t S c hw a r tz e r d
had bee n taugh tto ca ll himself M e l a n c tho n ; and many
will remember ho w after his dea th Erasmus in a
pleasant dialogue raised h i s old friend to the rank o f
sain t and prayed to him

O h holy soul be favorab l e
to the lan g uages ; be favorable to those that l ove ho n
o r e r s o f the languages ; be propitious to the sacred
tongues
Bu tR euchlin fo r the tas te O f smoke i n it
R euc hlin q u a si R e e k i h i s name was turned in to the
Greek form Ca pn io R euchlin o r Ca pn io never
passed as a reformer beyond de testation of the v i ces
o f the priesthood
L ike Cornelius who began h i s li fe
before the public as a sc holar by an act of homa ge to
h i s gen i us R euch l i n l o ved liberty and independence
cher i shed the i do l of free conscience bu t never fairly
trusted himself to its guidance To the last an ins tinct
o f obedience to the church governed his actions and
the s pi r i tua l gold he could ex trac t from Plato Aris
to tl e or the wonderful C aba l a of the Je ws was in but
small proportion to the dross fetched u p with it from
the same ancien t mines
A con temporary not i on o f the R eformation not with
out some rude S ignicance in this respec t i s sa i d to
of
the
AM ON G
THE
ROSICRUCI A NS
225
have be e n obtruded u p on Charles V by a small body

o f unknown actors who appeared before hi
m in 1 530
when h e was in Germany He had been dining wi th
his broth e r Ferdinand and d i d not refuse their offer to
produce a c omedy i n dumb S ho w
O n e dressed as a
scholar l abelled Ca pn io brought before the emperor
a bundle of sticks some croo ked and some stra i ght
laid them down in th e highway and departed Then
e ntered another who professed to represent Erasmus
looked at the sticks shook his head made var i ous
a ttempts to straighten the crooked ones and nding
tha t he could n o t do s o shook h i s hea d over them
again put t hem down where he had found them and
departed Then came an ac tor labelled L uther wi th
a torch who set all that was crooked in the bund l e
blazing When h e was gone en tered o n e dressed as an
emperor w ho tried in vain to p ut the re o u t with h i s
sword L ast came Pope L e o X to whom grieving
dismally over the s p ectac l e before him , there were two
pails brought ; one con tained oil the other water His
holiness to quell the re poured over it th e bucke tful
o f oil and while the ame a t
tracted all eyes by the
power beyond mastery with which i t sh ot up towards
heaven , the actors made their escape undetected
o and
No w i
t was over the crooked sticks o f Ca pn i
many o ther matters difcul t o f comprehension that
C ornelius and his confedera tes were bent in curious
and anxious study

said
The be arer o f the l e tters
L andulph in excusing himself on the pl ea of illness
the
from a winter j ourney to a friend at Avignon
bearer o f thes e letters i s a German nat i v e o f Nu r e m
berg but dwelling at L yons ; an d he is a curious
inquirer after hidden mysteries a free man re s trained
by no fetters who impelled by I know n o t wha t
rumor concerning you desires to sound your de p ths
That the man himself migh t be sounded , as o n e likely
.
226
to have kno w le dge o f some importa n t th i ngs a n d

t hat if it seemed t h e should be made a me mber of
their bro therhood was the res t o f the r e c o m me n da
s fr i en d Agrippa
tio n of this person by L a ndulph to hi
A t L yons were assembled many members o f hi
s
league awai ting the arrival o f the young soldier phi
l O SO phe r
His ear l y taste for an inq u iry i nto mys terie s
had caused him to take all possible advan tage as a
scholar o f each ch ange o f pl a ce a n d each ex tension
o f acquain t
ance among learned men who were posses
sors of rare books He had searched every a ccess i b l e
volume tha t might he lp him i n the prosecutio n o f the
stud i es that had then a fascination n ot for him only
but fo r not a few of the acutest minds i n C hristendom
At that time there was i n the modern sense no natu
ral science ; the na turalis ts o f anc i ent Greece a n d
ie s in whom the learned
R ome being the sole au thor i
t
cou l d pu t trus t Of the miraculous properties of
pl a nts a n d animals and p arts of animals even a t the
c l ose of the six teen th century careful and sober me n
pl ace d as acce p ted knowledge many ex travagant idea s
on record A t the beginning o f the century when a
belief in the inuences of the stars in the in terference s
of demons and i n the most wonderful proper ties o f
bod i es was the rule a m ong learned and unlearned
L u ther himself n o t ex c l uded from the number a n
a ttemp t to co ll e ct and group if it mig ht be accordin g
to some sys tem the mos t recondi te secrets o f wha t
passed for the divine ordering of Nature was i n n o
man s opinion foolish tho u gh i n the opinion of the
grea ter number criminal Belief in the myster i es o f
magic n o t want o f belief caused men to regard with
enmi ty and dread researches into secrets tha tmight
g i ve to those by whom they were discovered subtle
and superhuman power through possessing which they
would acquire an inuence horrible to suspect over
,
228
HENRY
C ORNELIUS
AG RIPP A
who not content with his own nob l e ancestry assigned

hi mself by right of the Ca mpe giu s , to the family of
the Campeggi o f Bologna and a ssum e d its arms He
stud i ed a t Par i s Liter a hu ma n ior a at M ontpellier medi
cine and practiced at L yons He li ve d to obtain
great fame deserving title and l os ing after his death
a ll It was n o t until ve ye ars after this visit from
a n us acting as body
Cornelius Agrippa that S ympho r i
physician to the Duke of L orraine was knighted on th e
battl e e l d of M arignano Among h i s writings those
which most testify h i s sympathy w i th the inquiries of
Cornelius are a book on the M iracles of S cripture a
L ife o f Arnold of Villeneuve and a Fr e nc h version of
S ibylline oracles
This Champier th e n sympathiz ed
wit h the enthus i asm o f the young theosophist , and
under his roof the rst ventur e o f Cornelius before the
world of l etters seems to have be en planned In the
l ast week o f M a y w e nd that he has se nt S tephen to
fetch De Br ie from Dole has summoned Anton ius Xan
t hus from Niv e r n e and wishes in assoc i at i on with
anus t
Sympho r i
o arrange a meeting with L andulph
at any conven i e nt place and t i m e He has someth ing
in hand concerning which he wishes to take couns e l
with his comrades A few days afterwards he and
L andulph ar e at Dole together ; and while Co r nelius
has left Dole for a short t i me to go to Chalon (sur
his fr iend sends word to him that he has
S aone
e nga ged on his b e ha l f t he interest of th e Archbishop
of Be sancon (Antony I p robab l y n ot a n o l d man
since he was alive thirty years afterwards who desires
greatly to see him and bo asts that he can g ive in for
mat ion of some things unknown perhaps even to him
T h e archbishop is impatient to see th e person who has
stored u p from rare books even those writ ten in
Greek and Hebrew so grea t a number of the secr e ts
L andulph to c ontent him an tedates
o f t he universe
,
'
)
,
PREP A RIN G
To
LEC T URE
229
ti me appointed for his friend s return and while

r eporting this adds that there are many a t Dole loud
in the p ra i se of C ornelius a nd none louder than him
s elf
The inuence o f his associa tes is eviden tly at
w ork on his behalf among the magnates of the town
and universi ty O f Dole and l earned men in the adj oin
i ng towns of Burgundy fo r it i s at Do l e tha t he has
resolved to make his rst public a pp earance as a
s cholar by expounding i n a series of orat i ons R e u c h
lin s book o n the Mir ic Word A t Chalon however
C ornelius fell sick of a summer pes tilence from whic h
he was recovering on the eigh th o f July
As soon as
he a lth permi tted h e returned to Dole where there was
prepared for him a cordial recep tion
Dole is a p retty li ttle town and a t that time pos
sessed the university which wa s removed i n after years
to Besancon
Its canton was called fo r its be au ty
and fer tili ty the Val d Am o u r ; and when Besancon
was independen t of the lords of Burgundy Do l e was
the i r capi tal
A pleasant minia ture capitol wi th n o t
four thousand inhabi tan ts a parliamen t a university
a church of No tre Dame whereof the tower could be
an t elds a princely residence Dole la
s een from dis t
Joyeuse they called i t un til thirty years before Co r
here ; but after
neli
u s Agrippa declaimed his orat i ons t
it had been in 1479 cap tured and despoiled by a
French army it was called Dole la D o l ente
M is tress of Dole and Burgundy was M aximilian s
d aughter M argaret of Aus tria who in this year of
Agrippa s life was twen ty nine years old She was
already twice a widow When a ia n c e d twic e o nce
va i n l y to France a second time to S p a i n and likely to
perish in a tem p est before reach i ng her appointed hus
band s he ha d w it to write a clever epi taph u p on her
self He r Spanish husband died a l most after the rst
er four years o f we dded
e mbrace and she ha d since af t
the
230
happiness lost her true husband Philibert of S avoy

S he was twen ty f our years o l d when tha t happened
and re so l ved to make an end of marrying In 1 5 0 6
after the dea th of Archduke Philip he r father M axi
milian being guardian o f his grandson Charles the
Fif th made M argaret his governor over the N e ther
lands and appoin ted her to rule a l so over Burgundy
and the Cha r o l o is Thus she ca me to be in the year
1 509
mistress at Dole A c l e ver lively woman
o pp osed s trongly to France and a l ways mindful of the
interes ts o f that house of Austria to which the family
o f young A gr i pp a wa s atta ched M argaret was we ll
known for her p atrona ge of l etters and her bounty
towards le arned m en It would be therefore a pleas
ant tra nsfer o f his l oya l ty Agrippa thought , from
M aximilian to M argare t if he cou l d thereby get rid of
w ha t he regarded as camp s l a very under the one and
Earn the favor of the other i n the a cade m i c grove To
e arn M argaret s good will and he lp u p on the royal
road to fort u ne was one main O bj ect o f Cornelius when
he announced a t Dole that he p ro p osed to expound
R e u c hl i
n s book on the M i
ri
c Word i n orat i ons to
which inasmuch as they were to be delivered i n honor
he mos t serene Princess M argaret the whole p ub
of t
lic would have gratui tous admission
Poor you th ! he co u ld not possibly have made a mor e
genu i ne and honest e ffor t o r one l ess p ro p er to be
use d by evil men for the damnation of his character
M argare t was the p r i n cess to whom o f all others he w a s
ab l e to pay una ffected homage and R euchlin then the
boast of Germans was the scholar of whom before
every other he a German youth m i ght choose to hold
d i scourse to the Burgundians Of R euchlin IEg idiu s
h
c i ef of th e A ust i n Friars wrote that he had blesse d
him and all mortals by his works
Philip Be r o a l du s,
the younger wrote to him : Pope Le o X has rea d
.
HENRY CORNE L IUS
232
A GR
IPP A
rich in o ther knowl edge ; we mus t recall i n fact som e

he main poin ts of the Cabala
of t
T h i s a ccount of the Cabala is derived from German
sources among wh i ch the chief are Br u c k e r s Histor ia
Philosophies and the Ka bba l a D en u da ta a col lection o f
o l d cabalistical wr i t i ngs arranged and explained by
The tradi tions or
Christian Knorr von R o s e n r o th
Cabala of the Jews are contained in sundry books
wri tten by Hebrew R abbis and consis t o f a strang e
m i xture of fab l e and philosophy varying on a good
many points but a ll adher i ng wi th su fficien t accura cy
to one scheme of doc trine
T he y c l a i m h i gh and r e
mote origin S ome say that the rst Cabala were
received by Ada m from the ange l R aziel who gav e
him ei ther while he yet remained in Paradise o r else
at t he time of h i s expulsion to console and help him
a book fu ll o f divine wisdom In this b ook were the
secre ts o f N ature and by knowledge o f them Ada m
entered into conversa t i on wi th the Su n and M oon
kne w how to summon good and evil spiri ts to inter
p ret dreams forete ll e vents to hea l and to destroy
This book handed down from fa ther to son came in to
S olomon s possession and by i ts aid S olomon became
mas ter o f many p otent secre ts A cabalistic volume
called the Book o f R aziel wa s in the m i dd l e ages
sometimes to be seen among the Jews
Ano ther a ccount sa i d tha tthe rs tcaba l i st i ca l book
was the S e phe r Je z ir a h wri tten by Abraham ; but the
mo s t prevalent o pi n i on wa s that w hen the wr itten
l aw was given o n M oun t S inai to M oses the Cabala
or mys terio u s in terpre ta tion of it was taught to him
a l so Then M oses it was said when he descended
from the moun tain entered Aaron s tent and taught
him a l so the secret powers of th e w ri tten word ; and
Aaron having been instruc ted placed himself at the
righ t hand o f M oses and stood by while h i s sons
,
T HE C A BA L A
233
Eleazar and Ithamar who had been ca ll ed into the

tent received the sa me instruction O n the r i ght and
leftof M oses and Aaron the n sat Ithamar and Eleazar
when the seventy elders of the S anhedrim were called
i n and taught the hidden knowledge The elders
nally were sea te d tha t they migh t be presen t when
all those amo n g the common people w ho des i red to
learn came to be to l d those mysteries ; thus the elec t
of the common p eo pl e heard bu t once what the S a n
bedrim heard twice the sons of Aaron three times
and Aaron four times re p e ated o f the secrets that had
been ma de known to M oses by the vo i ce o f the M ost
High
O f this mystical i nter p retat i on of the S cripture no
p erson s e t do w n any account in wr i t i ng un l ess it was
Esdras ; but some Jews doubt whe ther he did Israel
ites kept the knowledge of the doctr ine by a p ure tra
dition ; but about f ty years af ter the des truc tion of
Jerusalem A k i ba a great rabbi wrote the chief p art
of i t i n that book S e phe r j e z ir e h o r the Book of the
Creation which was foolis hly ascr i bed by a few t o
Abraham A disciple of the R abbi A k i ba was R abb i
Simeon ben Jo c ha i who wro te more of the tradi tion
in a book called Zoar
The truth p robab l y is that the li tera ture of cabal
ism which is full of sugges tion der i ved from the Ne o
pl aton i cs of Alexandria began wi th the Jews of Alex
andria under the rst Ptolemys In the book o f
Simeon ben S c he ta c h i
t wen t to Pales tine where i t at
rs t was l i tt l e heeded ; but after the destruct i on of
Jerusalem it ga i ned importance and t hen R abb i s
Ak i ba and S imeon ben Jo c ha iextended it Itis indis
pu ta bl e that Aristo tle had been studied by the wri ter
of t he S e phe r j e z ir e h the oldest known book of th e
s ts The C aba l a went afterwards w i th other
Cabal i
learning to S pain and that part of it at least which
,
234
deals with Hebrew anagrams c annot be tra ced to a

time earlier than the e l e venth cen tury M any rabb i s
Abraham ben David S a u dia M oses Bo tr il M oses bar
N ac hman Eliezer of Garmiza and o thers have wri t
t en H ebrew books fo r the purpose of in terpreting the
s yste m o f the Cabala ; bu tit was perhaps not before
the eighth century that i t had come to receive very
genera l a tten tion from the Je w s
T he Cabala consisted of tw o portions the symbol
ical and the real ; the symbolical Cabala be i ng the
means by which the doc trines of the re a l C aba l a were
ed
e lici t
In the Hebrew text of t he S criptures it was said
there is n o t only an ev i dent but there i s also a l atent
meaning ; and in its la ten t mean i n g are contained the
m yster i es of God and of the un i verse Itnee d scarcely
be said tha t a belief in se cret wisdom has fo r ages
been inheren t in the O riental mind and i n the Scrip
tures i t was re aso n e d by the the la ter Jews all wis
dom must be of necessity conta i ned O f divine
authorship the y cannot be li ke ordinary works of men
Bu t if they were taken only in the na tural sense
m i ght i t not be said that many human works con tain
marvels n o t l ess surprising and morali ty as pure
No
i t was said as we have enterta i ned angels and regarded
them as men so we may entertain the words of the
M ost High if we regard only their apparent sense and
mys tery A nd so i t was that
n o t the i r spiritual
t hrough a blind excess of reverence the inspired writ
ings were p ut to supersti tious use
The modes of examining their letters words and
sen tences for hidden meaning i n which wholly con
sis ted the symbolical Cabala were three and these
were called Ge ma n tr ia No ta r ic o n The mu r a
Ge ma n tr ia was ari thme tical when i t cons i sted in
a pplying to the Hebrew let t
ers o f a word the sens e
.
236
it was to extract by any of the means allowed the

hidden meaning of the S crip tures T he real C aba l a
was the doc trine in this way elici ted It was theoret
ical explaini ng divine qualities the ten se p h i roth the
fourfold cabalistical worlds the th i rty two footprints
of wisdom the fty doors to prudence Adam Ka dmo n
& c ; o r it was p ra ct i ca l ex pl a i n i ng how to use such
knowledge fo r the calling o f S piri ts the extinguishing
of res the ban i sh i n g o f d i sea se and so for th
The theoretical Cabala contained i t was said by
Chris tian s tude n ts many references to the M essiah
Its main points were : 1 T he Tree ; 2 The Chariot of
Ezekiel ; 3 T he Work of Crea tion ; 4 T he Ancient of
Days ment i oned i n D aniel
It concerns us most to
understand the Tree The Chariot o f Ezekiel or
M a a sse h M e r c a ba h was a description o f pr e gu r e
ments concerning ceremonia l and judicial law The
doc trine of Creation in the book Le v is c hith was a dis
se r t
i
at
o n upon physics
The A nc i ent of Days trea ted
of God and the M essiah in a way so myst i ca l that
c abalists generally declined to ascribe any meaning at
all to the direct sense of the words employed Of
these th i ngs we need say no more but of the Cabalist
i ca l T ree it will be requisi te to s p e ak in more de tail
It was an arrangement of the te n sephiro th
The
word S ephiro th i s derived by so m e rabbis from a word
meaning to coun t because they are a counting of the
d i v i ne excellence O therwise i t i s considered a n
ada p tat i on of the Greek word S phere because it rep
resents the s p heres of the universe which are succes
s i ve e manat i ons from the Deity
In the beginning was O r Ha e n SO ph the eterna l li ght
from w hose brigh tness there descended a ray through
the r st born of Go d Adam Ka dm o n and presently
departing fro m its stra i ght cours e ran i n a c i rc l e and
so formed the rs tof the sephiroth which was calle d
,
THE
C ABA L A
23 7
Ke the i or the crown because su p er i or to all the rest

Having formed this circle the ray resumed its stra i g ht
course t ill i t aga i n ran in a c irc l e to produce the sec
ond of the ten sephiroth Cho c hma wisdom because
wisdom i s the source of all The same ray o f d i v i ne
light p assed o n l os i ng gradually a s it be ca m e more
distan t from i ts holy source some of i ts p owe r and
formed presently in l i ke manner the third of the
sephiro th called Binah o r unders tanding because
understanding is the channel through which wisdom
ows to things be l ow the origin of human knowl edge
The fo u r th of the sephiro th i s called Ge do l a h or
Chesed greatness or goodness because God as be i ng
grea t and good crea ted all things The f th is Gebu
rah strength because it is by strength that He main
ta ins them and because s trength is the only source of
justice i n the world The sixth of the sephiro th
Thpe r e th beauty or grace unites the qualities of the
p reced ing The four l ast of the sephiroth are succes
si
v e l y na me d N e z a c h victory ; Ho d honor ; Je s o d o r
Schalom the founda tion or peace ; and nally M a l
cuth the kingdom E ach of the ten has also a divine
name and the i r d i v i ne names wri tten in the same
order are Ej e h Ja h Jeh ovah (pronounced Elohim
Eloah Elohim Jehova h (p ronounced as usual L ord
S abaoth Jehovah Zebao th El c ha i (the living God
Adonai (the L ord
By these circles o u r world i s su r
rounded and weakened in its passage through them
but ab l e to bring down w i th it powers tha t are the
character of each divine li ght reac hes us These
sephiro th arranged i n a peculiar manner form the
Tree of the Cabalis ts ; they are a l so somet i mes
arranged i the fgj m of a ma n A dam Ka dmo n a ccord
of the N e o pl a to n ic s that the gu re of
the wor l d was that o f a man s body
In a ccordan ce
with ano ther v i ew derived from the same school
,
)
)
)
238
things in this world were supposed to be gross i ma ge s

M atter was said by the cabalis ts to
o f th i ngs above
have been formed by the w i thdrawa l o f the d i v i ne ray
by the emanation of which from the rst source i t was
p roduced Every thing create d was created by an
emanation from the source of all and that wh i ch
being most dis tan tcontains leas tof the divin e essence
is capable O f gradual purica tion ; so tha t even the
e v i l S pirits wil l i n course of time become holy and
pure and be ass i m il ated to the brightes tof the emana
tions from O r Ha e n so ph
God it was said i s all i n
all ; every thing i s p art of the d i v i ne essence with a
growing or percep tive or re ect i ve power one or all
and by that which has one all may be acquired A
s tone may be come a plant ; a plant a beas t; a beast
a man ; a man an ange l ; an ange l a crea tor
T h i s kind of belief whic h was derived also from the
Alexandrian Platonists l ed to that S piritual cabalism
by whic h such Chris tians a s R euchlin and Agrippa
p ro ted Itconnec ted them by a strong link w i th the
divine essence and th e y feeling p erha p s more dis
ti
nc t
l y than their neighbors tha tthey were partakers of
the divine na ture and might by a striving after purity
of soul and body win their way to a state o f spiri tual
happiness and p ower cut themselves o ff from all com
munion with the sensuality that had become the
scandal of the Church of R ome and keen l y perceived
as they expressed s trongly their sense of the degraded
hab i ts O f the pries ts It w a s in this way tha t the
Chris tian Cabalists ass i sted i n the l abors of the
R eformation
L i ttle more ha s to be said about their theory and
that re la tes to the four Cabalistical Worlds
These
we re placed in the four s p aces be tween the upper
sephiro th Be tween the rst and second was pl aced
Az i
l u th the o u t o w i
ng
which con tained the purest
.
U PHE
R OTH
C ELE
STIAL
G EBUR AH
C HES ED
D
L
W
O
A
I
T
S
E
L
E
C
FIR MNES S
S PLENDO R
ASTR AL
S UNS
FO U N DAT IO N
F O UR
TH TO
N I N T H S E PHI R
O TH
T HE C ABA L A
239
the pro ducers of the rest Between the sec

ond and third sephiroth was the world Briah or the
thrones containing spirits less pure but st ill n o tma
te r i
al
They were c l assed i nto wheels lightnings
lio n s burning spiri ts angels ch il dren of God cher u
bim Their prince was ca ll ed M eta tron The world in
the next in terspac e called Je z ir e h angels a pp roa ched
more nearly to a material form ; and the fourth A s i ah
was made who ll y material From th i s p o i nt density
increases t ill o u r world is re ached Asiah is the abode
of the Kl ippo th o r material spiri ts s triving against
Go d
T he y travel through the air their bod i es are of
dense air incor ruptible and they have power to work
in the ma terial world Wi th Ca to r ie l Adam Belial
Esau Ag a n ie l Us ie l O g ie l Tho mie l The u mie l for
c ap t
ains they ght in two armies u nder their chiefs
Zamiel and L ilith Their ene mies are the ange l s who
contend against them w i th tw o armies led by M eta
tron and S andalphon
L ilith i s the be getter of the
po wers str i v i ng against l i ght
The nature of man s soul said Cabalists is three
fold v e g e ta tiy e
in tellectualeac h em
br a c i
It emana tes from the u pp e r se p h i roth
i
for the four ele
s composed of the p ure elements
ments e i ther i n their pure and spiritual or t heir gross
form enter into all th i ngs i s expansive se p arates
af ter death so that the p arts re turn ea ch to its o w n
place but reunite to praise God o n the sabbat hs and
new moons With ea ch soul are sent into the world a
guardian and an accusing angel
beings ,
rl y s xc ll n t s mm ry of th K bb a l a De n d ta m y
th n ti c l th o g h h w r i t s from th s t nd p i nt of
b r g a rd d as f ll y
nb li v r Th T of th C b l (d i vi d d i n to th r pl t s t f c ili
by D P nco s t gi v s th mor mod rn r nd i ti on of th
t t com p r i so n )
n wl y
th t o fo ll owi ng p g s
C b l
W i n tr od c
g d t bl
of th C b l (H b r w l tt rs)
r nd r i ngs i n E ng li s h l tt rs s y mbol s t rot
mbl ms t T h i s t b l i s th p l i n s ti n it t rms of l l o th rs F ol low
i ng th ta b l th C b a l a i s conti n d d th ti tl of The e i n Word
Mr M o
N O TE :
an u
a a
e . on
a a
ree
'
au
a e
ee
ue
un
er
ar r a n
a a
"
24 0
HE NR
IPP A
A NEWLY AR R ANGED TABLE

NUMER ICA L
OR D E R
1
E BR E W LE TTE R S
F OR M
N UMER CAL
AL U
E SPON DI NG
E N G L I SH
C RR
Aleph
Be th
B EH BY
e
l
Gime l
G, GH
Daleth
D DH
v, w
7
Zayin
Cheth
CH KH, HH,
,
Teth
10
Y odh
11
Caph
C CH, K,
L amed
I,
M
50
15
S ame c h
6O
O , GHH
17
P PH
80
18
Ts a dhe
Ts , TZ
90
19
Ko p h
K. Q
100
'
sh
S , SH
S hin
T, TH
Five Hebrew
L etters C a p h M em Nu n Phe and

,
242
WO R D
THE M IR IFIC
as th e crea tive l i ght runs round eac h upper

world before coming to ours it comes to us c harged
with supernal inuences and such an idea lies at th e
foundat i on of cabalis tical magic By what secret to
have power over this line of com m unication wi th su pe
rior worlds i t is fo r practical cab alism to discover
The secret cons i ste d chiey in the use of names
Go d it was said gave to all things their names ; He
could have given no nam e that was not mystically t ;
every such name therefore is a word containing divine
power and especially a e c tin g that thing , person or
s pi r i t to wh i ch i t belongs The S cripture tells us that
there are names w r it ten in heaven ; why , i t wa s said
should the y be writ ten there if t hey b e useless
Through the knowledge of such divine names it i s
a ffirmed M oses overca me the sorcerers of E gy p t E li as
brought re from heaven Daniel closed the mouths of
lions Bu t of all names by which wonders can be
wrought t he M ir ic Word of Words (h e r e we come to
the main thought o f R e u c hl in s book and to the cen
tra l topic o f the oratory of Cornelius was the con
c e a l e d name
of
Go d the S c he m ha mma pho r a se h
Whoever knows the true pronunciation of th e name
J e ho v a h the n ame from whic h a ll o ther divine names
in the world sprin g as the branches from a tree the
name tha t b i nds toge ther the sephiroth whoever ha s
that in h i s mouth has the world in his mouth W hen
i t is spoken angels are s tirred by the wave of sound
It rule s all creatures works all m i ra c l e s i t commands
all the inferior names o f dei ty which are borne by th e
several a n ge l s that in heaven govern the respec tiv e
nations of the earth T he Jews had a tradition tha t
when David was on the poin t o f ghting with Goliath
No w
THE M IR I F I C
WORD
243
th e giant s brother toss e d him u p into the

air and he l d a spear below that h e might fall upon
i
t Bu t A b i sha i when he saw that pronounced the
holy name , and David re mained in the air till Ja s c hbis
Spear no longer threa tened him
They said also that
the Mir ic name wa s among the se c rets contained i n
the Holy of Holies and that when any person having
e ntered that shrine o f the tem pl e learnt the word of
power he wa s roared at a s he c am e o u t by two bra z en
lions or bayed by brazen dogs until through terror he
lost recollection of it S ome Jews accounted also by
a fable of this nature for o u r S avior s miracles They
said that hav i ng been admi tted within the Holy o f
Holies and havin g learn tthe sacred mystery he wrote
i t do w n u p on a table t c u tO p en h i s th i gh and having
p ut the tablet i n the wound closed the esh over i t by
uttering the n ame o f wonder A s he passed o u t the
roaring lions caus e d the secret to p ass from h i s mind
bu t a f terwards he ha d only to cut out the tablet from
his thigh a n d a s the be g i nn i ng of miracles hea l
insta nt l y the wound in his o w n esh by pronouncing
the M ir ic Word Such Jewish de tails were o f course
rejec ted by the Chris tians who accepted the essen tial
principles o f the C aba l a
A s the name of all power was the hidden na me of
God so there were also names o f p ower gr eat though
l i m i ted belonging to the an ge l s and the evil spiri ts
To discover the n ames o f the spirits by applying t o
the Hebrew text of S crip ture the symbolical Cabala
was to acquire some o f th e power they possessed
Thus it b e i ng said of the S odomi tes t hat they were
s truck with blindness the Hebrew word for blindness
was translated i nto Chaldee and the Chaldee word by
one of the symbolical processes was made to y i e l d the
name o f a ba d angel S c ha br ir i which being wri tten
down wa s employed as a charm to cure ophthalmia
Ja sc hbi
244
A common mode of conjura tion wi th t hese name s of

power wa s by the use of amule ts pieces of pap er or
parchmen t on wh i ch for certain pu r po s e s c e r ta in
names were written A t h i s rst entrance i nto the
world such a n a mu l e t w i th the names S enoi S anse
noi S e mo n g e IO ph u po n it wa s s lipp e d round the

neck o f the new born child s o tha t the infa n t scarce l y
saw the light before it wa s collared by the gen i us of
superstition
Another mode of conj uration consisted in the use
not of names bu t of the Psalms o f Dav i d Whole
volumes were written u p on th i s use of the Psalms
The rst of them wri tten o n doeskin was su pp ose d to
help the b i rth of children ; o thers could i t wa s thought
be so wr i tten a s t o make those who carried the m
invisible ; others secured favors from princes ; others
e x tinguished res The transcription of a p sa l m for
any such p ur p ose wa s no triing work be cause apart
from the necessary care in the formation o f le tters
s ome hav i ng a mystical reason for being larger than
others it was necessary for the copyist a s soon as he
had writ ten down one line to plunge into a bath
M oreover that the charm might be the work of a p ure
man before beginning every new line of his manu
script it was thought necessary that he shou l d re p eat
t he plunge
,
'
R EUC HLIN THE
M Y S TIC
were the mys teries of the Hebrew Cabala

strangely blending a not unrened philosophy wi th
basest su pe r s tititio n It remains for us to for m some
j ust O pinion of the charm the y ha d for many C hris tian
scho l ars in the rst years of the Sixteenth cen tury
R euchlin or Ca pn i
o wa s of such scholars the l eader
a n d the ty p e ; as such
indeed he was acce p ted by
S uch
H E NRY C ORNE L IUS AG RIPP A
24 6
euchlin ma i nta i ned his ground at twenty v e wro te

a Greek grammar lectured a t Po ic tie r s and was made
l i cent i ate o f civil law His notion of l a w stud i e s was
ex p ressed in a formu l a that has been applied i n other
t erms to other things : In his rst year the young law
yer knows how to decide all causes in the second
begins to be uncertain in the third acknowledges that
he knows no thing and then rst beg i ns to learn In
the las t of the se stages of progress the licentiate of
Po ic tie r s re p a i red to Tubingen and p ract i ced as an
a dvocate wi th such S ucce ss that he ma de mone y and
marrie d A t Tubi n gen R euc hlin won the con de n ce
of Eberhard O f the Beard became his priva te se cre
tary and o n e of his privy councillors and went with
h i m to R ome in 1 48 2 his age the n being e i ght and
twen ty
A t R ome he d i st i n g ui shed himself as an ora
to r before the Pope a n d was cons i dered to speak L a tin
wonderfully well fo r a German A fter his return to
Germany John R euchlin remained wi th E berhard in
S tu ttg a r d became a ssess o r of the S u preme Cour t at
the age of thir ty and a year afterwards was elec ted
proc tor for the body o f the Dominicans throughout all
Germany which unpaid o fce he held for nearly thir ty
years A t the age of thirty o n e he received a t Tubin
gen h i s doctorate and i n the year follo w ing that i s to
say in the year of Cornelius Agrippa s birth he was
sent w i th tw o othe rs to Frankfor t Cologne and Aix
la Chapel le o n the occasion o f the corona tion o f M a x
milia n as R oman emperor
Then i t was that M axi
i
milian rst beca me acquain ted w i t h him R euchlin
had then a house a t S tu ttg a r d and w a s known as a
grea t cu l t i vator of the learned languages while he
was also h i gh in the favor of h i s o w n prince and i n
constant re q ue st as a prac ti tioner o f law In 149 0 he
o R ome on ano ther mission and on his way
w a s sent t
through Florence enjoyed p e rsona l in tercourse w i th
R
REUCHLIN T HE M YS T IC
247
Giova n ni Pico di M irandola the scholar w ho alt hough

a determ i ned antagon i st to the as trologers was a
great friend to cabalism and the in trod u cer of the
cabalistic mysteries i nto the favor of Italian sc holars
By him R euchlin wa s fur ther s timulated to the l ove o f
Hebrew lore
When two years af terwards R euchlin!
was at L inz on sta te bus i ness w ith the Emperor Fred
eric
it wa s some thing indeed tha t the base born
scholar wa s raised to the digni ty of cou r t pala tine
but it was more to R euchlin tha t the cour t physician
was a learned Je w Jehiel L oans w ho perfec ted his
intimacy w i th the H ebrew His aim then was above
all things rst to s tudy the or i g i na l text of the O l d
Tes tamen t and se cond l y to re ad the wri tings of the
C aba li sts T he em p eror whose life was then about to
close (he d i ed while R euchlin was at L inz saw here
ano ther way of grat i fy i ng the agreeab l e and kin dly
scholar fo r he n o t only made R euchlin a coun t pala
t ine (h i s arms were a golden al tar from which smoke
arose wi th the inscription A ra
but he
also pre sen ted to him a very ancient H ebre w Bible
wri tten c arefully on parc hmen t a treasure then wor th
three hundred gol d crowns which i s to be seen s till in
the l i brary of the Grand Duke of Carl sruhe where it
is regarded as the o l dest of i ts k i nd in Europe Wi t h
the knowledge impar ted by Jehiel L oans and the
actual text in which all mys teries lay hidden R e u c h
lin went home enriched as much as he had been
ennobled Hebrew writing was at that time very rare
and was to be met wi th ch i e y in the hands o f Jews
A t Hebrew R euchlin l abored co l lec ting Hebrew book s
and works expounding the C abala whenever possible ;
and eventua ll y he ga ve l i fe i n Germany as Giovanni
Pico di M irandola wa s giving li fe i n Italy to th e
cabalistical philosophy the great i m p u l se to this Ger
man revival be i ng the p ub l i cat i on of the book on th e
,
248
a pp eare d at Basle in the yea r

It wa s
1 4 9 5 the au thor s a ge then being for ty one
The book was
n o t published a t T ub i ngen till 1 5 1 4
regarded as a m i rac l e O f heavenly wisdom Philip
Be r o a l du s told of the Pope s enj oymen t and wrote
wo r d a l so to its a u thor tha the had caused n o ton l y men
of l etters bu t e ven s ta tesmen and warriors to be take
themse l ves to study i ng the m yster i es of the Cabala
The dea th o f R e u c hl i
ron Eberhard the elder
n s pa t
soon after his eleva tion to the rank of duke in 1 49 5
w a s followed by a period o f misrule in the li t
tle sta te
O n e O f the rs t acts of E berha rd the younger was to
re l ea se his favori te a dissolute p r i est name d Ho l
zinger from the p r i son in wh i ch he had been kep t by
the good counse l o f R euch li n ; and for the further d i s
c o m t
u r e of the scho l ar th i s man was appoin t
ed chan
c e l l o r o ver the un i vers i ty o f Tubingen
R euchlin of
course resig n ed He had been l ong wanted at Heidel
berg and went there to be cheris hed by a new pa tron
in the Elector Pala tine He showed a s usual his
lively energy by the es tablishmen t o f a Greek chair
w hi ch the monks p ronounced upon the s p ot to be a
heresy ; and by ven ting his wrath a ga i nst Holzinger in
a L a tin comedy denouncing dissolute priests wh i ch
he ca ll ed S ergius or the H ead of the H ea d Itwas
wri tten to be acted by the s tudents A L atin comedy
wa s the n a ra re thing in the land ; and the news tha t
John R euchli n had wri tten one wa s noised abroa d
Pruden t friends counseled him to beware of such
unscrupulous and p owerfu l ene m i es a s he would make
if he atta cked abuse s o f the priest hood ; he submit ted
to advice and as he wa s no toriously answerab l e for a
comedy and gossip must be satised he suddenly
com p osed a subs titute for tha t rs t wri tten When
therefore the day O f the performance came it was
found that the Greek professor had com p osed a comedy
M ir ic W ord
It rst
250
Austria the elec tors and princes T here was a sec

hird for
o n d j udge for p re l ates count s and nob l es a t
imperial cities This pos the held dur ing e l e ven years ;
he was holding it therefore at the t i me when the
young Cor n elius A gr ipp a undertook to com ment pub
li
c l y at D ole u p on his book concerning the M i
ri
c
Word R euchlin then being fty v e years O ld and a t
the summit of his fam e high also in the good esteem
of M aximilian T hree years before this date n o t
withs tanding the great ma ss of l ega l business en tailed
fice R euchlin had to the
o n him by his j udicial o f
great help of all studen ts published a volume of the
R udimen ts o f Hebrew which included both a gra m
mar and a dictionary This book he wrote cost me
the greatest trouble and a large p art of my fortune
C ornelius no doubt had l earnt his Hebrew by the he lp
of i t and was a l ready deep i n s tudies which a few
years afterwa rds brought the monks O f Cologne in to
a rray against R euchlin himself their hos t
ility some
w hat embi ttered by a n inkling of the L a tin comedy
tha t was n o t to be quite su pp resse d Cornelius how
ever was the rs tto fee l the power of such enemies
By the Epis to l m O bs c u r o r u m V ir o r u m the monks were
destined to come o ff much worsted from their battle
a gainst R euchlin and the scholars who defended his
fair name O f their for tune in the ba ttle fought
a gainst C ornelius Agrippa it is one part of th i s history
to tell
R euchlin wrot e a t a later period (1 5 1 7 a book upon
the cabalistic art If i t is writ ten God created heaven
a n d earth h e in t
erpre ted that to m ean S piri t an d mat
ter the spirit consisting of the ange l s and m i n i sters
by w hom the ways of man are inuenced M a g i c he
said deal t wi th e v il s pi r i ts bu t the true Cabala only
wi th the good He be li eve d in as trology ; and so
indeed d i d L u ther and M e l a n c tho n ; Giova n ni Pico di
.
REUCHLIN T HE M YS T IC
25 1
M irandola at Florence while ado p t ing the Cabala

was very s i ngu l ar i n his hos tili ty to a belief i n in u
e n c e s of t
he stars
His o w n fa i th i n cabalism R e u c h
lin e nforced thus : God out of love to his people has
revea l ed the hidden mys teries to some o f them and
these could nd i n the dead le tters the li v i ng spiri t
Fo r S cripture cons i sts of s i ng l e l etters visible signs
w hi ch stand in a cer t
ain connec tion wi th the angels
as celes tial and spiri tual emana tions from Go d By
the pron u nciation of the one the o thers also are
a ffected ; bu t with a true Cabalis t w ho p enetrates t he
whole connec tion o f the ear thly w i th the heavenly
these signs righ tly placed in connec tion w i th e ach
o ther are a wa y of putting him i nto immediate union
with the spiri ts who through that are bound to sat i sfy
h i s wishes
In his book ca ll e d Ca pn i
o
or the M ir ic Word
e xpounded a t Dole by Cornelius A gr i pp a
R euchlin
placed the Chris tian sys tem i n the cen ter of O ld
heathen philosophies considering many of the doc
trines of Py t
hagoras and Pla to as ha v ing been take n
from not in troduced in to the wisdom of the Cabalis ts
T he argumen t is stated in the form of dialogue wh i ch
i s immedia tely p receded by a summary of its intention
that ma y very well suffice here for a summary o f its
conten ts : R ecei v e then i n this book the argumen t
on the M ir ic Word O f three phi l osophers whom I
have feigned to be ho l d i n g such dispu te among them
s elves a s the controvers i e s p ro p er to the i r sec t
s would
occasion , a s to the best elucida tion o f the hidden
proper ties o f sa cred names O u t of which grea t as
they are in number and impor tance occas i on w ill at
l ast b e the more easily a o r de d for se l e ct i ng one name
c
tha t is above all n ames su p reme l y m i
ri
c and be a ti
And thus you may know the whole matter i n brief
S idonius at rst ascribed to the school of Epicurus ,
,
25 2
H E NRY CORNELIUS AG RIPP A
but found af terwards n u l l iu s j u r a r e in ver ba ma gistr i

an unfettered philosopher travels about to sat i sfy his
th irst for knowledge and af ter many experience s
enters S u a bia where he mee ts i n the town of Pfo r tz
tw o philosophers
heim
b
i
rth
pl
ace
u c hl i
n s
R
e
(
Baruch a Jew and Ca pn io (R euchlin himself a

C hr i st i an wi th whom he disserts u p on many systems
and presently u p on the knowledge itself of divine a n d
human thi n gs upon opinion fa i th m i rac l es the
powers of words an d gures secre t o p erat i ons a n d
the mysteries of seals In this way q uest i o n ar i se s
concerning the sacred nam e s and consecrated cha r a c
ters of all nations which have anythin g exce ll ent i n
the i r p h i l oso p hy or n o tunwor thy in their ceremonies ;
an enumera tion of symbols i s made by eac h s p eaker
zealously on be ha l f of the r i tes cheris hed in his sect
un til a t last Ca pn io in the third book collec ts o u tof
all that is holy one na m e Je ho s u a in which is gath
ered up the v i rtue and p ower of all sa cred th i ngs a n d
which is eterna ll y suprem ely blessed

,
)
,
AGR IPPA EX PO UNDS R EUC HLIN
HERE was a vast theme for the oratory of a youth of

twenty thre e , and it was o n e also that enabled him to
display the w hole ran ge of h i s learning The newly
recovered trea sures of Greek l iterature ; the study o f
Plato that had lately been revived by M a r s iliu s Fi e i
nus in Italy ; the study of Aristo tle urged a n d helpe d
in Fra n ce by Faber S ta pu l e n s is
a pp eared
to bring the fullest conrma tion of the principles of
the Cabala to men ignorant a s a l l were then o f the
Greek source of more than half the la ter mysticism of
the Hebrews which a ttribu ted to itself an origin so
anc i ent T hat he had acquired so e ar l y in his life
-
254
back wi th a note say i ng that the vice chanc ellor had

been its censor and correc tor V erne twas dili gen t in
fact on the young scholar s behalf and his interes ts
were seconded by the A rchbi sho p of Besancon No t
a syllable w a s whispered about heresy The fr i end
w ho urged C ornelius in spite of the dean s contrary
co u nsel to be come an au thor gave a familiar example
from his o w n ex p er i ence of the van i ty of s p oken
words H e had declaimed p ub li c l y from me mory and
w i thout o n e hi tch upwards of tw o tho usand two
hundre d verses of h i s own com p os i t i on ye t be cause
they we re not p r i nte d earne d only a temporary local
fame O f the value o f the wri tten word evidence very
soon afterwards wa s enclosed to Cornelius by that
other fr i end who had translated his oration Zealous
t o do good service he ha d cause d a copy of the p ane
gyric to p roceed by way of L yons on the road to
roya l no tice and de l i ghte d the as pi rant after pa tron
age by enc losing to h i m a tte r ie s fro m John Pe r r e a l a
roya l chamberlain probably the sa e l earne d French
man who beca me known twenty or more years l ater as
J o ha n n is Pe r e l l u s transla ted i nto L a tin Gaza on the
A ttic M on ths and wrote a book about the Epac ts of
the M oon
TO the youth ushed wit h tr i um p h as a scholar there
ca me a l so rem i nders of the m ili tary li fe he was so
ready to forsake A corresponden t sent him news of
a defeat o f the V enet i ans by the Frenc h near A gna
de l l o the rs t fru i ts of the discreditable l eague of
t will be remembered won
C ambray
The French i
th i s v i ctory while M axi milian their ne w a ll y was stil l
perplexed by the d i ssat i sfact i on of his subj ec ts evi
deuced during the la te diet at W orms Agrippa s
friend wished to have in return for h i s news any
knowledge that h i s re l at i on to the emperor might give
him o f i ntent i ons that m i ght be d i sc l ose d a t an
-
T HE
N O BILI T Y O F
WO M A N
255
pproaching die t His real i ntent i ons were to break

a pledge by marching agains tthe Venetians ; his fate
to retire ere long defeated from before the walls of
Padu a He was renewing with his enemy the King
of France the treaty of C ambray and sending a mes
s enger to Spire to burn t
he book in w hi ch he had
recorde d all the injuries and insul ts suffered by his
family or empire at the hands of France C orne li us
cared little for France or Padua ; his hopes as a scho l ar
were with M argare t at Ghent though S he to o be ing
a nother member of the league could ha ve employed
him a s a sol dier O ther ho p es a s a man he was
d irecting towards a younger and a fairer mis tress
He
desired not only to prosper but to marry
The li ttle universi ty of Do l e favored the young man
heartily His prelec tions had exci ted grea ta tten tion
and p rocured fo r him the admira tion of the neighbor
hood From the university they won fo r h i m a t onc e
the degree of doctor of divini ty together wi th a
s t i p end
a
THE NO BILITY O F
WO M AN
A N G LIN G for p r i vate p atrona ge was in the s i xteenth
en tury correlative to the habi tn o t very un common i n

these days of using bai ts to ca tch the publ i
c favor
M e n who once lived by the help o f princes n o w owe
their support to the whole people and the pai n s
bestowe d u p on the cul tiva tion of the good will o f the
people in these days are neither less n o r more to be
re p rehended t han the pains taken by scholars o f pas t
time to procure a safe means of subsis tence through
the good will o f a prince It may be said w i th a fair
approxima tion to the truth that as much as a ma n may
do n o w w i th the i ntent i on of deserv ing populari ty
a n d not discredi t h i mse l f i n h i s own eyes o r those of
c
256
the great number of his ne ighbors he m i ght have don e

w i th as li tt l e discredi t i n the S ixteen th cen tury wi th
W e hav e
the des i gn of earning favor from the great
seen how in the case o f R euchlin a p oor c horister
was fostered a t rs t by small princes of Germany
afterwa rds even by the em p eror and enabled to develo p
i nto a grea t H ebrew scho l ar when o n e patron died
ha v i n g another ready to befr i end him and enj oyin g
digni ty and wea l th wi th a com pl ete sen se of in de pe n d
ence Tha t a ge was in fact as far remove d as this i s
from the transi tion period dur i ng which the pa tron
age o f l etters by the great ext in ct a s a ne cess i ty sur
radition and the system tha t ha d once
vi
v e d as a t
been vigorous and noble be came imbecile and base
N obody at D ol e was i gnorant that the des i gn of Co r
ne li
u s Agrippa was to earn th e p atronage of M argaret
a liberal encourager of learning N obody considered
it dishonorable to seek this by showin g t ha t i t w a s
de served The prevalent feeling was so far removed
from any such impression tha tfro m man y qua rters the
young man was urged to magnify his claim on M arga
re t s attent i on by devo ting n o t only the ora tions but
also some piece of wri ting to her honor E ven the
cordial v i ce chance ll or desirous to advance the in ter
es ts of the young ora tor set as i de h i s predilec tion for
the s p o ken word and was among t he forem ost in
admo n ishing Cornelius to write No tslow to pro tby
a dv i ce that ran the same course with his inclina tions
the new doc tor of divinity set h i mse l f to display hi
s
powers as a theologian in the true manner of the day
and with theo l og i ca l a cuteness to combine a cour tier s
tact by dedica ting to the most conspicuous exa m pl e of
his argument a trea tise on the Nobility and Pr e exce l
lence o f the Fema l e Se x
A s I ha ve hin ted too ther e
was a priva te example o f it known to h i s own heart
A ng li ng fo r p atronage shown from an other point of
,
258
c i te it A gr ipp a then dilates as well he may on the

i mm en se i m p ortance of words according to the p ra e
tice o f all j urists ; he te l ls how Cyprian argued against
the Jews that Adam s name wa s derived from the
ini tials of the Greek words meaning east wes t nor th
and sou th be cause his esh was made o u t o f the
earth though that der i vat i on was at var i ance with
M oses w ho put only thre e letters i n the Hebrew name
For this however a dds Agrippa C y p r i an was not to
blame since like many saints and expounders of the
sa cred text he ha d not learnt the H ebre w l anguage
Upon the word Ev a it is fur ther ma i nta i ne d that it
suggests comparison wi th the mys tic symbols of the
Cabalists the na me of the woman having a in i
ty wi th
the i
n e a bl e T etra grammaton t
he mos tsacred name of
the Divini ty ; while that O f the man di ffered ent i re l y
from it All these considera tions however Agrippa
consents to pass over as matters re a d by few and
understood by fewer T he p re em i ne nce of the woman
can be proved out of her cons titu tion her gifts and
her mer i ts
The nature of wo man is d i scussed however from
th e theo l og i an 8 p o i nt o f V i ew Things were crea ted
i n the order o f the i r rank Firs t indeed incorrup tible
soul then incorrup tible ma tter bu t afterwards out of
tha t ma tter more or l ess corrup tible things beginning
wi th the meanest Firs t minerals then herbs and
rees then zoophy tes then bru tes in the i r
S hrubs and t
order re p t i l es rs t af terwards shes birds quadru
peds L as tly tw o huma n be i ngs but o f these rst the
male and na ll y the fe male in which the hea vens and
the ear th a n d th e i r whole adornment were p erfe cted
T he d i v i ne res t followed because the work wa s con
summated no thing greater was conceived ; the woman
was thus lef t the most p erfect and the nob l est o f the
crea tures u p on ear th a s a q ueen placed in the court
,
THE N
O BILI T Y
OF
WO M AN
259
that had been previously prepared for he r R ig htly

therefore do all beings round about her pay to this
queen homa ge o f reverence and love
The di fference be tween the woman and the man is
yet more s trongly marked says the deeply read theo
l o gi
a n because t
he man was made like the bru tes in
open land ou tside the ga tes o f paradise and made
wholly of clay bu t the woman was made af terwards
in paradise i tself ; she was the o n e paradisaical crea
tion
Presen tly there follow S crip ture arguments to
show tha t the place of their birth was a sign to me n
o f honor o r dishonor
The woman too was n o tmade
of clay bu t from an inux of celes tial mat ter ; since
there wen t in to he r composition no thing terrestria l
excep tonly one o f Adam s ribs and tha twas n o tgross
clay bu t clay that had been already puried and kin
dl e d wi th the breath o f life
The theological demons tra tions Cornelius next c o n
rms by the evidence o f some na tural fac ts equally
cogen tand trus tworthy which were held in that day by
many wise men to be equally true Itis because she is
made of purer ma tter that a woman from W hatever
height she may look down never turns giddy and her
eyes never have mis t before them like the eyes o f men
Moreover if a woman and man tumble toge ther into
water far away from all ex ternal help the woman
oats long upon the surface bu tthe man soon sinks to
the bo ttom
Is there n o t also the divine light s hining
t hrough the body of the woman by which she is made
often to seem a miracle of beau ty Then follows a
clever inven tory o f all a woman s charms of person
written with due reserve which migh t be here trans
la ted if the English language had the terseness of the
L atin
In shor t wo man is the sum o f all ear th s
beauty and it is proved tha ther beauty has some times
inspired even a n gels and dem ons wi th a despera te and
.
HE N R
260
O R N ELI U S
A GR
IPP A
fa tal love Then follo w s a chain of S crip ture texts

honoring female beauty which a ll lead up to the
twen ty thousand virgins solemnly celebra ted by the
church and the admira tion o f the beauty o f the Vir
gin M ary by the Su n and M oon
Tex ts follow that must be omitted and then the
argument takes ana tomic al grounds o f the mos tingen
ious charac ter and shows ho w every di fference o f
struc ture be tween the man and the woman gives to
woman the advan tage due to her superior delicacy
Even after dea th na ture respec ts her inherent modesty
fo r a drowned woman oa ts o n her face and a drowned
m a n upon his back
The nobles t par t o f a human
being is the head ; bu t the man s head is liable to bald
ness woman is never seen bald The m an s face is
of ten made so lthy by a most odious beard and so
covered wi th sordid hairs tha tit is scarcely to be dis
n gu i
he face of a wild beast ; in women
ti
s he d from t
her hand the fa ce always re mains pure and
o n the o t
decent Fo r this reason women were by the laws of
the twelve tables forbidden to rub their cheeks les t
hair s hould grow and obscure their blushing modesty
Bu tthe mos t eviden t proof o f the inna te purity of the
female sex is tha t a woma n having once was hed is
clean and if she wash in second wa ter will n o t soil it ;
but that a man is never clean though he should wash in
ten succ essive wa ters b e will cloud and infec tthem all
S ome o ther marvellous peculiari ties I mus t omi t
a n d pass t
o Agrippa s appreciation o f the woman s
predominance in the possession o f the gift of speech
the mos t excellen to f human facul ties which Hermes
Trismegis tus though t equa l to immortali ty in value
and Hesiod pronounced the bes t o f human treasures
M a n too receives this gift from woman from his
mother o r his nurse ; and it is a gift bestowed upon
woman herself wi th such liberali ty tha t the world has
.
HE N R
262
IP PA
therefore ,
be born of a man ; woman alone was judged

wor thy to be the earthly paren t of the Deity R isen
again he appeared rs t to women M e n forsook him
women never No persecution heresy o r error in the
They were
Church ever began with the female sex
men who be trayed sold bought accused condemned ,
mocked crucied the L ord Peter denied him his
disciples left him Women were a t the foot of the
cross women were a t the sepulchre Even Pilate s
wife w ho was a hea then made more e ffort to save
Jesus than any man among believers Finally do not
almos t all theologians asserttha t the Church is main
ta i
n e d by t
he Virgin M ary ?
Aristo tle may say tha t of all animals the males are
stronger and wiser than the females bu t S t Paul
writes tha t weak things have b een chosen to confound
the str ong
Adam was sublimely endowed but woman
humbled him ; S amson was s trong bu t woman made
him captive ; L o t was chas te bu twoman seduced him ;
David was religious but woman disturbe d his piety ;
S olomon was w ise bu t woman deceived him ; Job was
pa tient and was robbed by the devil of fortune and
family ; u lcerated grieved oppressed nothing pro
t therein prov
v o k e d him to anger till a woman did i
ing herself stronger than the devil Pe ter was fer
vent in fai th but woman forced him to deny his lord
S omebody may remark that all these illus tra tions tend
to woman s shame ; n o t to her glory Woman how
ever may reply to man as Innocen tIII wro te to some
cardinal If o n e of us is to be confounded I prefer
that it be yo u
Civil law allows a woman to consult
her o w n gain to ano ther s hurt; and does n o t S cript
ure i tself of ten ex tol and bless the evil deeds o f the
woman more than the good deeds of the ma n Is not
R achel praised w ho deceived her fa ther ? R ebecca ,
beca u se s he ob tained fraudulently Jacob s benedic
.
WO M AN
THE N O BILI T Y 0 F
tion
Is
263
not the deceit of R a hab imputed to he r a s

justice ? Wa s not Jael blessed among women fo r a
treacherous and cruel deed ? What could be more
iniquitous than the counsel o f Judith ? what more c r uel
than her wiles ? what worse than her pe r dy ? Y e t for
this she is blessed lauded and extolled in S crip ture
and the woman s iniquity is reputed better than the
goodness of the man Wa s n o t Cain s a good work
when he o ffered his best frui ts in sacrice and was
reproved for it ? Did n o t Esau well when he hun ted to
get venison for his old fa ther and in the mean time
was defrauded of his birthright and inc u rred the
divine hate ? O ther examples are adduced an d robust
scholars ingenious theologians are deed to nd an
equal amount of evidence in support of the con trary
thesis that the iniqui ty of the man is better than the
goodness of the woman S uch a thesis says Agrippa
could not be defended
From this point to the end Agrippa s trea tise c on
sis ts o f a mass of illustrations from profane and Script
ure history classied roughly Some are from na tu
ral his tory The queen of all birds he says is the
eagle always of the female sex for no male eagles
have been found The ph oe nix is a female always
On the other hand the mos t pestilent of serpents
called the basilisk exists only as a male ; it is impo s s1
ble for it to hatc h a female
A11 evil things began with men and few or none wi th
women We die in the seed of Adam and live in the
seed o f Ev e The beginning of envy the rst homi
cide the rst parricide the rst despair of divine
mercy was with man ; L amech was the rst bigamis t
Noah was the rst drunkard N imrod the rst tyran t
and so forth Me n were the rst to l ea gue themselves
M e n have
With de mons and discover profane hearts
nent
and had in innumerable instances
i
n c on t
be e n i
,
'
'
264
HENRY
O R N ELI US
AGR
IPP A
each man m any wiv es a tonce ; bu twomen have been

con tinen t each con ten t wi th a single husband excep t
only Bathsheba M any women are then ci ted as illus
heir sex in this respec t o r fo r their lial
tr a ti
o n s of t
pie ty including Abigail L ucretia Cato s wife and
the mother of the Gracchi the vestal C laudia Iphi
genia If any one O pposes to such women the wi v es
of Zoilus S amson Jason Deiphobus and A g a me m
non it may be answered that these have been unj us tly
accused tha tn o good man ever ha d a bad wife O nly
bad husbands get bad wives o r if they g e ta g o od one
are some times able to corrupt her excellence If
women made the laws and wrote the histories and
tragedies could they n o t jus tly crowd them wi th tes

ti
mo n y to the wickedness of men
O u r prisons are
full of men and slain men cumber the earth every
where bu t women are the beginners o f all liberal arts
r
of virtu e and be n e c e n c e
Therefore the arts and Vi
tues commonly have feminine names Even the cor
n ers of t
he world receive their names from women the
n ymph Asia ; Europa the daugh ter of A ge n i
o r ; L ybi
a
the daugh ter of Epaphus w ho is called also A phr ic a
Illus trations follow of the pre eminence O f woman
n go o d gifts and i
i
t is urged that Abraham who by
his fai th was accounted just was placed in subj ec tion
to S arah his wife and was told

In all that S arah
ha th said un to thee harken unto her voice

(Gen
to
xx
i,
.
There
follows a host o f other illustrations of the

excellence of women drawn from all sources ; am ong
others illustrations of her eminence in learning
And adds Agrippa were not women now forbid

den to be li terary we should at this day have most
celebrated women whose wit would surpass that of
men What is to be said upon this hea d when even by
nature women s eem to be born easily superior to pra o
,
HENRY
266
O R N ELI U S
IPP A
A GR
how among the Ge tu l ia n s the Bactrians and others

men were the softer sex and s a tat home w hile women
labored in the elds buil t houses transacte d bu siness
rode abroad and went out to do battle Among the
C antabrians men brough t dowries to their wives
bro thers were given in marriage by t heir sisters and
Among
the daugh ters of a household were the heirs
the S cy thians Thracians and Gauls women possessed
their r ig hts bu tamong us said Agrippa
the tyranny
o f men prevailing over divine right and the laws of
na ture slays by law the liberty of woman abolishes
it by use and cus tom extinguishes it by education
Fo r the woman as soon as she is born is from her
earliest years de tained at home in idleness and as if
des ti tute o f capaci ty for higher occupations is per
mitte d to conceive of noth ing beyond needle and
thread
Then when she has a ttained years of puberty
she is delivered over to the j ealous empire of a man
The law
o r shu t up for ever in a shop of vestals
also forbids her to ll public o fces No prudence
en ti tles her to plead in open court

A list follo w s of
t
f
the chief disa bili ies o women
who are trea ted by
the men as co n quered by the conquerors not by any
divine necessi ty fo r any reason but according to cus
tom education fortune and the tyran t s oppor tunity
A few leading O bj ections are then answered Ev e
was indeed made subj ec tto man after the fall bu tthat
curse was removed when man was saved Paul says
that wives are to be subj ect to their husbands and
women to be silent in the church

but he spoke of
temporal church discipline and did not u tter a divine
law since in Christ there is nei ther male n o r female
bu t a new creature
We are again reminded o f the
tex t subj ec ting Abraham to S arah and the trea tise
closes then wi th a short recapi tula tion o f its heads
We have shown Agrippa says the pre eminence

,
THE N
O BILI T Y
0 F
WO M A N
267
of the female sex by its name its order and place of

creation the material of which it was created and the
dignity tha t was given to woman over man by God
then by re l igion by nature by human laws by vari
ous au thority by reason and have demons tra ted all
this by promiscuous examples Y et we have not said
so many things but tha t we have lef t more s till to be
said because I came to the writing o f this n o t moved
by ambi tion or fo r the sake of bringi n g myself praise
but fo r the sake o f duty and trut h les t like a sacri
l e gi
I might seem if I were silen t by an
ou s person
impious taciturnity (and as it were a burying o f my
s e s due to so devout a sex
talent to refuse the pr a i
SO tha tif any one more curious than I am should dis
cover any argument which he thinks requisi te to be
added to this work l e t him expect to have his position
n o t con t
ested by me but a ttested in as far as he is
able to carry o n this good work of mine wi th his o w n
genius and learning And that this work i tself may
n ot become too large a volume here let it end

Such was the treatise writ ten by Cornelius at Dole
for the more perfec t propitia tion of the Princess M a r
garet M a n y years elapsed before it was printed and
presented to the princess ; doub tless however the
youth read the manuscrip tto his betrothed very soon
after it was wri tten Towards the close of the year a
friend in Cologne wro te to Agrippa of the impatience
of his parents for their son s re turn but at the close
of November another friend in Cologn e Theodoric
Bishop of Cyrene asking as an especial favor for his
views upon judicial astrology so ho tly opposed by Pico
di M irandola says tha t his expression on the subj ec t
had appeared to him ambiguous when they conversed
togeth er Probably he had then been o fferin g to the
embrace o f his pare n ts not a son only bu t a son and
daughter for it is said to have been in the year 1509
,
'
268
HENRY CORNELI U S
A GR
IPP A
when all was honor for him in the presen t all hope in
the future tha tC ornelius von N e ttesheim m arried Jan e
a maiden equal to him in
L ouisa Tys s i
e
o f Geneva
rank remarkable fo r beauty and ye t more remarkabl e
for her aspira tions and her worth S he entered with
her whole soul in to the spiri t of her husband s life
rej oiced in his ambi tion and knew how to hold high
converse wi th his friends The marriage was in ever y
respec t a happy one ; there was a world of gentlenes s
and loving kindness in Agrippa s hear t We shall
have revelation of it as the narra tive proceeds The
tenderness of his nature mingles s trangely sadly
wi th his restlessness his self re liance and his pride
S O full o f hope and happiness a tthe age of twen ty
three he took to wife a mai den who could love him fo r
his kindliness and reverence him for his power He
was no needy adventurer but the son of a noble house
W ho was b eginning as it seemed the achie v ement o f
the highes t honors He was surrounded by admirers
already a doc tor o f divini ty hereafter to a ttain he
knew not wha t Fostered by M aximilian s daughter
wha t migh tn o t his in tellec t achieve ?
Poor you th even in t ha tyear o f hO pe the blight w a s
already se ttling o n his life ! While he was writin g
praise o f womanhood a t D ol e to win the smiles o f
M argaret Ca tilin e t a Franciscan friar w ho had been
at t
he adj acen t town o f Gray when R euchlin wa s
expounded meditated cruel vengeance on the down
chinned scholar At Ghen t as preacher before the
R egen t o f the N etherlands and all her cour t Ca ti
li
net
was to deliver in the Eas ter following the Qu a dr a ge s i
m al Discourses
Agai n s t the impious Cabalis t he was
preparing to arouse the wra th O f M argare t during
those same days which were spen t by the young student
in pleasan t effortto deserve her kindness
Now i
t was that Agrippa wrote his books on M agic
.
O R DER O F THE EM PY R EAN HEAVEN
T HERE is a God all powerful all in telligent and

e ; O mnipo ten t
s upremely perfec t; eternal and inni t
a n d omniscient ; who endures from e t
ernity to e ternity
y to inni ty
a n d is present from inni t
Bu t though from the nature and perfec tions of the
Deity he is invisibly presen t in all places and no thing
happens withou this knowledge and permission ; ye tit
is expressly revealed in S crip ture and admitted by
hors tha t he is visibly
a l l wise and intelligen t au t
present with the angels a n d spirits and blessed souls
of t
he departed in those mansions o f bliss called
Heaven There he is pleased to a fford a nearer and
m ore immediate V iew o f himself and a more sensib le
manifes ta tion o f his glory and a more adequate per
c e pt
i
tributes than can be seen or felt i
o n of his a t
n
any other parts O f the universe ; which pla ce for the
s ake of pre eminen t distinc t
ion and as being the se at
a n d cen ter from whenc e all t
hings o w and have their
beginning life light power and motion is called the
in terior or Empyrean Heaven
The p o sition and order o f this interior heaven or
c en t
er o f the Divini ty has be en variously described
a nd i
ts locality somewha tdisputed among the learned ;
bu t all agree as to the c er tainty o f its exis tence
Hermes Tris megis tus denes heaven to be an in tel
lectual sphere w hose cen ter is everywhere and cir
his he mean t n o more
c u mfe r e n c e nowhere bu t by t
than to a ffirm wha t we have done above tha t God is
everywhere and a t all times from inni ty to innity
that is to say without limitation bounds or circum
Pla to speaks of this in ternal heaven in
ference
-
269
270
THE
HE A V E N
E M PY R E AN
which bear s o s trict a resemblance wi th the

books of R evelation and in so eleva te d and m a gn i
cen ta style tha t it is apparen t the heathen philos o
phe r s no twithstanding their worshiping demi o r false
gods possessed an unshaken condence in o n e o mn ipo
ten t supreme overruling power whose throne was the
cen ter o f all things and the abode o f angels and
blessed spirits
To describe this interior heaven in terms adequat e
to its magnicence and glory is u tterly impossible
The utmost we can do is to collec t from inspired
writers a n d from the words o f R evelation assisted
by occul t philosophy and a due knowledge of the
celestial spheres that order and position o f it which
reason and the divine ligh ts we have bring neares tto
the truth
That God mus tbe stric tly and literally the
center from whence all ideas of the Divine M ind
ow as rays in every direction t
hrough all sphere s
and through all bo dies cannot admit o f a doubt
That the inner circumference of this center is sur
roun ded lled or forme d by a r rangements o f the
three hierarchies of angels is also consonant to r e a
ermed the
so n and S cripture , and forms what may be t
en trance o r inner gate o f the empyrean heaven
through which no spirit can pas s without their knowl
edge and permission and within which we mus ts u p
po se the vast expanse o r mansions o f the Godhead
and glory o f the Trinity to be This is stric tly con
formable to the idea o f all the prophets and evangel
ical writers From this primary circle or ga te o f
heaven L ucifer the grand Apostate as M ilton nely
describes it was hurled in to the bottom less abyss ;
whose o fce as o n e o f the hig hest orders o f angels
having placed him near the eternal throne he became
c ompe titor for dominion and power with G od himself !
The circles nex t surroun ding the hierarchies are
terms
T HE
A N I M A M UN D I
271
composed o f the ministering angels and spirits and

messengers O f the Dei ty In posi tions answering to
de a s of the holy Trinity and intersec ting all
the i
orders of angels are seated in fullness of glory and
sple n dor those superior angels or intelligent spiri ts
who answer to the divine attributes of God and are
the pure e ssences o r stream through which the will
or a t of the Godhead is communicated to the angels
and spirits and ins tantaneously conduc ted to the
Anima M undi R ound the whole as an atmosphere
round a plane t the Anima Mundi or universal S pirit
of Nature is placed ; w hic h r e c e iv in g the impressions
or ideas of the Divine M ind conduc ts them onward
to the remotes t parts of the universe ; to innity itself ;
to and upon and through all bodies and to all God s
works This Anima M undi is therefore wha t we
unders tand o f N a ture o f Providence of the presence
O f God and the foun tain or seat of all second causes
being as itwere the Eye of God or medium be tween
God and all created thi n gs Next to the Anim a
Mundi is tha t vast region or expanse called the
ethereal heaven o r r ma me n t wherein the xed stars
plane ts and come ts are disposed ; and wherein the
celes tial bodies and the comets move freely in all
directions and towards all parts of the heavens
To ill u s tra te wha t has been s tated above a plate is
here inserted of the Interior Heaven wi th the di ffer
e n t orders o f the S piri ts and Essences of the Divine
Mind distinguished by their proper n ames and charac
ters in the original Hebrew and Iberian tex t as
pointed o u t in the manuscripts o f ancient and learned
philosophers This pla te shows in wha t manner the
rays o r beams O f Divine Providence pass from the
center o r seat of the Godhead through all the di ffer
he Anima M undi
o t
e n t orders of angels and spiri ts t
he n c e to all the celes tial bodies plane ts
a n d fr o m t
.
'
'
T HE E M PY R E A N
272
HE A V EN
and stars ; to our earth and to the re m otest parts of

inni te space cons ti tuting wha t is termed celes tial
inux o r tha t facul ty in na ture by which the quality
and tempera ture o f one body is communicated to
another
e r e n tranks
Theologists have divided angels into di
o r classes which they t
erm Hierarchies a word sig n i
fyi
n g to rule in holy t
hings Ancient authors give nine
orders of these celes tial spiri ts Cherubim S eraphim
Thrones Dominions Principalities Powers V ir tues
Angels and Archangels and these they class into
Three Hierarchies appointing them their respective
o ffices in the performance o f the word and will of God
The rabbis and cabal i
s tical writers have dened one
rank o f angels o r the In telligences as superior to
all the foregoing nine orders o f spirits and which
answer to and are con tained in the te n distinguishing
names of God and are the pure essences o f the S upreme
S pirit or the Divine D iffusion through whic h the mi
ri
c
Word and Will are communicated to the angels and
blessed spirits and through which providence extends
to the c are and pro tection of N ature
The rs t of these divine essences is Jehovah and is
peculiarly attributed to God the Fa th er being the
pure and simple essence of the S upreme Divinity
owing through Ha j o th Ha k a dos to the angel Me tr a t
m
to n and to the minis tering spirit R e s c hi
th Ha g a l a l i
who g u ides the Primum M obile and bestows the gift
O f being upon all t
hings To this spirit is allo tted the
o fce of brin ging the souls o f the faithful departed
in to heaven ; and by him God spake to M oses
The second is Jah and is attribu ted to the Person
of t
he M essiah whose power and inuence descend
through the angel M asleh into the sphere o f the celes
tial Zodiac
This is the S pirit O f N a ture the S oul o f
the World or the O mn ic Word which ac tu ated the
,
T HE E M PYR E A N
274
HE A V E N
the angel Haniel , and communicated through the

sphe r e o f Venus giving zeal fervency and righteous
ness O f heart a n d producing vege tables
The nin th is S ha dda i W hose inuence is conveyed
by cherubim to the angel Gabriel and falls into the
sphere o f the M oon c ausing increase and decrease of
al l things like un to the tides o f the sea and govern
ing the genii and na tural protectors of man
The ten th is Elohim who extends his be n e c e n c e to
the angel J e so do th into the sphere o f the Earth and
di
s pe n s e t
h knowledge understanding and wisdom
The three rst o f t hese te n names Jehovah Jah
and Ehj e h e xpress the essence of God and are proper
names ; but the o ther seven are only expressive o f his
attributes The only true name of God according to
the c abala is the name o f four letters the Tetragram
m a ton Y o d he v a u he
In the exterior circle of the celestial heaven oc e n
pied by the xed stars the Anima M undi hath he r
par ticular forms answering to the ideas o f the Divine
M ind ; and this si tuation approaching nearest to the
Empyrean Heaven the sea t o f God rec eives the spir
i
tu a l powers and inuenc es which immediately pro
c e e d from him
Hence they are diffuse d thro u gh the
sphere s o f the planets and heavenly bodies a n d com
mu n ic a te d to the inmost cen ter o f the Earth by means
o f natural l a w
o r the S piri t of the World that rules
the terrestrial world
While many ancien t authors have contended o n the
denition and me a ning o f the word N ature yet they
all in reality mean o n e and the same thing only giv
ing di fferen t explanations o f the same ideas ; and if
their argume n ts are closely pursued and compared
wi th each o ther they will all tend to show that the
Anima M undi and the S oul of the Universe is what
they mean by Nature
,
S Y M BO LS O F THE ALC HEM IS TS
T HIS volume would be incomple te withou t the sym

bols O f the Alchemis ts as they na turally pertain to
Na tural M agic and occasionally prove of grea t value
The L ondon Pharmaceutical Journal an excellent
authority gives the symbols we here introduce
Nowadays chemis ts write their formulas and work
heir processes by means of symbols an d the
ou t t
alchemists used also signs a n d hieroglyphics to r e pr e
sent the then known elements me tals and ot her sub
s tances in common use
The so called elemen ts Fire Water Air Ear th
were represen ted by special symbols here represe n ted
The metals were supposed to be inuenced by the
planets to a certain degree and were represen ted by
the Corresponding signs o f the Zodiac Various o ther
articles also had their symbols which served as a
means of shorthand at a period when caligraphy was
little known or employed Gold for i n stance was
associated with the S u n because o f its brigh tnes s and
perfection fo r it was always held to be the noblest of
me tals The symbol applied to it embodies these
quali ties S ilver rese mbles the M oon in lus tre and
the origin of the crescent needs no explanation
Iron
was dedicated to M ars being the metal from which
implements o f war were made M ars being the g o d of
war probably owing to the blood red color o f the
plane t S a turn was the slowes t o f the planets and
lead being the dulles t and mos t despised of me tals
was therefore ac corded to S a turn Quicksil ver was ,
of course mos tappropriate to M erc u ry the messenger
o f the gods
,
275
276
SY M BOLS
OF
T HE A LCHE M IS T S
Pereira derives all these symbols from gold

and the Greek cross taken to repre sent acrimony the
supposi ti tious substance which combined wi th gold
produced o ther me tals Copper for ins tanc e has the
S i gn of gold on top and tha t of acrimony underneath
Quicksilver derived its symbol from that of silver o n
the to p beca u se of its color that of acrimony beneath
and gold be tween becaus e gold was supposed to lurk
in all metals Iron was sup posed to con tain acrimony
of a differen t na ture from that O f the o ther me tals
being represented in this sym bol by the barbed spear
head Fire and Wa ter being anta gonis tic are r e pr e
sented by the same symbol o n e being inverted Air
which was supposed to be a modication o f re has a
modied re symbol whilst the fourth hypothetical
elemen t has for its symbol tha t of air inverted
These are based on Aris totle s doctrine which taugh t
tha tthe four elements had each tw o qualities on e of
whic h was common to some other elemen ts
Dr
S Y M BOLS AN D S I GN I F I C ATIO N S
F
i re
Le a
Ai
r
Ti n
n i mo n y
A t
Ar
W a te r
Iro n
s e ni c
G old
q u a Vi ta
Wa te r
oppe r
Bo ra x
i nn a b a r
Ca
M o tu u m
ut
E a rth
Me
r c ry
u
fl
'
l pe te r
A n O il
Sa t
To
:
C
ilve r
Pu
ri fy
Q9
.
Ma
gn
t
.
MES S AGE
I s to od
e ve n t
i e
'
A l l e m pty l o o k e d
S TAR S
T h e ne v e r
n din g pl a in
ga in
An a r my bi
v o ua c k e d
Un n u m be r e d po in ts o f l i
gh t
Be s po k e a Fo rc e S u pr e me inv in c ibl e fo r R i
gh t
a nd v o i
d
t,
as
ga z e d
'
THE M AGIC M IR R O R
A Me s s a ge to M y s ti
re c t
i
c s b y Di
on
ho o d
of
S T A T E M E N T BY
M a gic
of
the
Br o the r
ED I T OR
The Editor wishes to s tate plainly and positively
that he K NO W S the Ar t of M agic to be a tru th ; and
further tha t he KN O WS O f the existence of the Astral
Bro therhood of M agic an occult orga n ization both
here and in the unseen world
He has received the follo w ing M essage to M ystics in
regard to the M agic M irror that wonderful instrumen t
so long used by advanced M ystics fo r communication
be tween the two worlds and gives it as it comes to
m by direction of the unseen Bro therhood
hi
THE
To
EAR T H T HE A S T R AL BRO T HER

SEN D L O V E A N D G R EE T I N G :
T HE MYS T ICS
HOO D O F
OF
MA GI C
Until the Astral Fire is kindled by the L ord on his
Al tar in Egyp t there is work for us to do pre

paratory there to
The c hains o f centuries o f cycles and o f ages are
riven a t length by their o w n heart ea ting rust No
bond tha t comes of darkness can endure the full dawn
O f the Da y
To carry this work in to full success w e mus t have
true tried and capable bro thers on the Ear th who
will a c t in concert wi th us for the uplif ting and educa
tion o f Humani ty
No man made law can set aside or annul the L aws
O f Na ture The educa ted M Y S T I C W ho o f all the
children o f Ear th acts u n s e l s hl y is N a ture s own
true ins trumen tin human advancement He is the one
S acred
279
T HE
280
M A GI C M I R R
OR
who has met and overthrown error and arroganc e in

high places who has denied the Divine R ight o f
Kings w ho has uproo ted the rule o f the despo t and
tyran t who has lead humani ty wi th the po ten tweapon
of t
hough tto triumph over supers tition and ignorance
and who will nally be the means o f ending the reign
of the Beast w ho exis ts only fo r a time and times
and half a time
Before the tru ths of our Brotherhood the bonds a n d
shackles of mankind are des tined to melt as sno w
b enea th the Su n o f Aries
,
it
need not ask if whether or no yo u are a Mystic

Every soul con tains w ithin i tself the attributes o f
divini ty They may be repressed and crucied to the
loss of the soul or they may be made to bloom lik e
the lo tus to a be au ty and power that may set the
more inferior limi tations of exis tence at any length
Are you selsh ? This is the question you should
ask yourself This is the deep underlying condi tion
we most must comba t Ca n you lay this selsh in
st
i
n c t aside t
o work for t
he good of all in place O f the
aggrandizement o f self ? If so then we welcome you
to o u r Brotherhood
We reach o u tto you a hand over
the innite spaces from the dim forgot ten centuries
and recognize you as bro ther and comrade
Y
ou
*k
The reign of absolu te j ustice tru th and goodness

c omes at leng th , to every peopled world TO such
,
culmina tion the march o f mankind is marked wi th

every vicissi tude tha tthe changes o f xed forces may
imply When such a s ta te has been accomplished the
plane tary forces tha t before i n dicated so much of so r
row and sufferin g are found to be needful to the per
fe e t social organiza tion The force o f war is then
.
T HE
28 2
M AGI C M IR R
OR
Purity of purpose and of the physic al being is a nec

essary condition in traveling the rugged path of M ystic
developmen t We canno t enter into diseased condi

tions
We may s e t those forces in O pera tion that will
assuage deep seated sorrow and physical s u e r in g
n ha r mo
bu t we cannot promise to bring music out of i
es To tr y to do so would result in deep
ni
o u s no t
injury to ourselves Be pure
The M ys tic who lives a pure life does not dissipa te
his forces The dissolute man does The unspe n t ger
minal forces give the individual a pu rpl e a u r a which
envelops him a t all points This is broken down and
destroyed by those ac ts whic h result from animal
instincts With t his aura unimpaire d the Mys tic pos
sesses the power necessary to the practice of M agic
Take hee d therefore that this force is preserved
.
We now propose to indicate the path of
c om
mu n ic a
you having lled all necessary condi

tions fall short of this end do n o t be cas t down
To
t hose who are fa ithfu l will be given much S ome o ther
time the occasion not now having arisen w e shall
handle this problem Even if no apparen t results
are O b tained PE R SE VE R E if necessary fo r years
Whil e capacity will mark the degree o f advance
ment o f the true M ys tic the principle of c o ordina tion
will signify the degree o f communication To enter
in to such relations with us he must place himself in a
class of V ibra tory forces that c o ordinate wi th our
TO a ttain this condition he shoul d carefully x
ow n
a practical ideal in his mind of the kind of life a true
M ystic should live He should examine himself like
he would a parcel of goods seeking both inferior and
superior qualities and no te each hindrance and V irtue
Then let him plan like a general the attack and
tion
S hould
A M E S SA GE To M Y S T I C S
28 3
defense of an ideal Mystical life Having done this

li
ve t
he i
dea l l i
fe Until you so live do not expect to
rise AS the ideal life is lived many questions arise ,
and we here furnish the answers to a few R ight and
pure thoughts are essen tial They will drive away
Aspire
a n d destroy all vain and frivolous fancies
a n d you will be inspired
Do the work you nd ready
to do ; do not defer a good action or a laudable ambi
tion The time to do a thing is when the ambition
takes hold of the mind Then natural ardor sustains
the energy , and a clear conception undimmed by pro
i
act most e ffectively for success Thus
i
n at
on
c r a st
n g in the ideal life of a M ystic yo u will
hi
n ki
n g and doi
t
make rapid progress to a point where we may be ab l e
to establish communic a tion with you
,
it
Having arisen to life you are n o w in a condition to

The
s eek relations with us through the M agic M irror
wise Mystic makes his own mirror No t that it can
not be made for him bu t that if he makes one himself
it will more surely c o ordinate with his o w n person
a l ity and it will not prove a bar to comm u nic ation
like one impregna ted wi th the selsh and per v erted
forces of some o ther person whose sole O bj ect is of a
nancial nature
Procure the following materia l s
with which to make the M agic M irror :
.
O ne 611 85 concave glass free from aws

1
S mall
amount of turpentine asphaltum

O n e pint of spirits of turpentine
S uitable one inch hair brush
A box to hold the M irror
Half a yard of new clo th
of
The total cost
the above materials shoul d not

exceed one dollar A plush covered case for the mir
ror should n o t be much more There are no superior
-
T HE
284
M A GI C M I R R
OR
materials in existence wi th which to m a ke a M agi c

Mirror The superior mirrors are always dark
If the S ize of the M irror see ms to o small one 8 x 10
may be procured The turpen tine is to clea n the
glass and brush wi th n o t to dilu te the asphaltum
The brush should be n ew like every thing else used
The bo x may be O f cardboard o r wood clean and fresh
The clo th Shou l d be agreeable to the touch and sight
Y ou may select any color or shade you like best ; it i
s
used to wrap the M irror wit h when not in use
.
With these things yo u will enter a room that has been

set in order free from tain t o f any kind
L et the day a n d surrou n dings be brigh t and cheerful
wi th no thing to dis turb the agreeable condi tions
No w wi th a n ew piece o f cloth clean the glass well
wi th turpentine This is also necessary to make the
asphal tu m adhere well to the back Clean the brush
well also with turpentine some of which may be
poured in to a saucer for the purpose N o w carefully
coat the conv ex side of the glass with the asphaltum
beginning at o n e end o f the glass and working gradu
ally to the other L ay the coa ting on smoothly a n d
evenly not stopping fo r any o ther purpose un til it is
nished Do n o t g o back over your work Any im
perfec tion in the coating is to be remedied by another
coa t on another day three such coa ts being usually
necessary to make the glass opaque
The coating bei n g nished you will now magnetize
the mirror as follows : With the righ thand held w i th
the palm abou t three inches over the gla ss you will
describe a circular motion for a minute or so and then
do the like with the left hand The line O f motion
made by the ba n ds will intersec t each o ther you will
nd if you do it properly o n tha t side of the glass
thoroughly
,
o
286
T HE
M A GI C M I R R
OR
sticking to the under edge o f the glass until you have

on thre e different occas ions r e coated and r e magne
z e d the M irror
ti
It will then be found opa que and
ready for use
This part o f the ma tter being acco mplis hed , you
will cleanse the b r u sh in the turp entine working it in
the uid as long as any of the asp haltum re mains
When clean lay it aside for future use Clean the
china with turpent ine al so
,
i
*k
Kee p
i
t steadily in force
Examine the events o f eac h day
nigh tly and note every failure and lapse resolving how
to avoid future lapse s of the same kind
The ideal life will brin g yo u new j oys peace of
mind a n d the inspira tion of truth and goodness
Y o u will feel a growth of your soul
s
The astral man i
now unfolding As you S ucceed in attainmen t so you
yo u will bring to yourself higher and purer forces a n d
aspira tions With these comes power the power tha t
will some day rejuvena te the worl d when each will
give according to his ability and will receive accord
ing to his capacity
T his unfoldment this progress this uplifting this
power all these c ome th from within A legi
on of
angels might stand a tyour beck an d call and no result
fol low their ministrations The Ego must unfold from
within With a heart on re for humanity, and a mind
aspiring for truth and a hand eager to engage in goo d
works all these resulting from the ideal life you
need and shall have o u r companionship
In the rst place you must give u s an opportuni ty to
c ommunicate with you This calls for certain condi
tions Y o u must secretly observe the regular duty of
sitting at c ertain specied times We say secretly
The i
deal mystical life must not be relaxed
A M E SS A GE To M Y S T I C S
This is for your own protection
28 7
The
curious should
kn ow no thing of the ma tter S e t sta ted times for
developing in the use O f your M agic M irror L e t
no thing in terfere with your sittings excep tsickness or
death DO n o t disappoin t us if you do n o t wish to
disappoin t yourself Twice or three times a week is
O ften enough O nce a week will answer in some cases
Make your si ttings from thirty minutes to an hour and
a half always commencing to s it a t the same time of
day A neat comfortable roo m should be used NO
one else Should be present The mind should be c o m
posed and above all pa tien t L e t the room be dark
Y ou should n o tbe able to see the mirror though you
gaze a t it or rather into it S it comfor tably n o t
bending forward holding the mirror in both hands
If the Mirror is boxed l e t the thumbs touch the glass
As soon as any Mys tic is known to be doing this he
is V isited by members of the Bro therhood and n e c e s
sary da ta secured His capaci ty ability surround
ings V ibratory forces periods o f sittings and o ther
necessary ma tters are all carefully noted A repor tis
made of this and it is recorded To establish c o mmu
ni
her mus t be found whose vibratory
c at
i
o n a bro t
forces c o ordina te wi th the sit ter and who will v o l u n
teer to be a companion to him and to establish c o m
mu n ic a tio n wi th him a ts ta ted in tervals
S ometimes it
may seem a long while before the righ t companion is
found Bu t if the sitter will be pa tient regular and
faithful he may expect tha t the Bro therhood is in ter
e st
e d in him and keeps him in sigh t
M any times the
Mystic will be visited by those o f us w ho could n o t
communica te with him owing to some peculiar physi
cal condi tion We shall no te his e fforts and will help
to bring him in communica tion with us
When a bro ther volun teers as a companion results
soon come on the mirror At rst a milky lm will
.
288
THE
M A GI C M I R R
OR
appear a sort of whi te cloudy appearance which

is the ma n ifesta tion of the ma terialization of forces
This clearing away a s tar may be seen to travel
across the r ma men t of the glass This is the rst
S ign of success and t
he M ys tic should preserve his
cal mness and n o t become to o eager fo r developments
When these resul ts come yo u may know tha t we are
w ith you ; t
hat we have measure d you and have rec
z e d yo u
o gn i
The veil of Isis is about to rise
Knowing how you should if possible make a Mir
r o r for anyone w ho desires you t
o do s o
L e t them
apply to you through their as tral inuence and n o tby
reason o f an adver tisemen t Y ou should never solicit
the making of a M irror
S ho u ld yo u charge for the
work you should n o t ask over ve dollars for the
three coats of asphal tum
M ake the M irror in v a r ia
bly as if it were fo r your own use and deliver the one
you make n o ma tter how much yo u may have become
a ttached to it Instruc t the recipient to let no one
handle it bu t himself
,
The
work here undertaken will never end short of

the well being of Humani ty
We care not for color
c lime or creed
All humanity mus tbe made to know
tha t they are bre thren and tha t the only true good of
each lies in the permanent welfare o f all
-
Thos e M ystics
ho
endeavor to follow the require

men ts of the Ideal L ife as here indicated by the Bro th
e r ho o d of M agic will receive additional information
in regard to inquiries and other matters upon address
ing the editor in care of the publishers as below
w
HAHN
Pos to fc e Bo x
WHITEHEAD
336, CHIC AGO , ILL

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HEN RY C O RNEL I U S AGR I PPA

E SSAGE TO MY STICS CO NTABTING FULL IN STR U C TION S O N ITS MAKE AN D U SE

YSTI C THI NK E R AND {3 T E AC HE R

Corn e liu s Ag rippa

How Ma gic ia n s Collec t Vir tu e s from the Thre e

fold Wor ld,

Con side ra tion of

Won derfu l Na tu r es of Fir e a n d Ea r th

f Comp ou n ds w ha t R e la tio n they

Oc c u l tVir tu e s a r e Infu se d in to the seve ra l

Sp iritof the Wor ld Wha tItIs

Vir tu es a r e in some Thin gs

mu st F in d Ou ta n d Ex a min e the Vir

XXII How Infer ior Thin gs a r e Su bj ec ted to Su p e

Un der the Pow e r of Ma rs

Un der the Pow e r of Ven u s

Un de r the Pow e r of Mer

Whol e Su blu n a ry Wor ld a n d those

Mix tion s of Na tu r a l T hin gs

Na tu ra l Thin g s a n d their Vir tu es

Un ion of Mix e d Thin gs a n d the

XXX V III How We Ma y D ra w

Won derfu l Vir tu es of

Pe rfu me s or S uu miga tion s;

Un c tion s L ove Medic in es

Obse rva tion s,

Soothsa yin gs of F la shes a n d L ight

Rev ivin g of the Dea d

Mela n c holy Hu mor by w hic h

Pa ssion s of the Min d their

LXIII How the Pa ssion s of the Min d c ha n ge the

Ima gin a tive Pow er

Body by w a y of Imita tion from

Pa ssion s of the Min d c a n Wor k of

Pa ss ion s of the Min d a r e He lped by

Min d of Ma n ma y be Joined w ith

Cha n ge a n d Bin d infe rior

Imp rec a tion s

Prop ortion Corre spon den c y a n d R e

Critic ism on Agr i

New Ta ble of the Ca ba la

Symbols of the Alc hemists

Rosic ru c ia n Symbol of the Sp iritof Na tu re fa c in g

T he t abl e o f the C a b a l a n e w l y co mp i l e d for th is

imp l e r th a n to s e ta p a r tfo r l ite r a ry pu r p o s e s

ccu s t o me d t o the d ifc u l tie s o f the mou n t a i n he dis

missions After remaining several days in

hich has b een c ondense d

CO R NELIUS AGR IPPA TO THE R EADER

doubt but the title o f o u r book of O ccult

prej udice to read it if you have so much discre tion of

When Agrippa rs t wro te his

sen t it to his friend Tr ithe miu s an Abbot o f Wurtz

HENRY C O RNE L I U S A GRI PPA S

AG R IPPA TO TR ITHEM IUS

WHEN I was of late mos t reverend fa ther for a

while conversan twi th you in your M onastery o f Herb

Wo rks unless haply some certain old doting woman

stars illuminate hell or as Virgil sings :

Hence those things which L ucan relates of The ss a l a

Whereof many others I confess are as well

a fallacious O pinion as a supersti tious diligence and

s hould do no discommendable work seeing I ha Ve

so mu c h the more learned any one is though t by hO W