bred Serpents; and the hair of a Horſe taile put into Water, receiveth life, and is turned into a pernicious Worm. And there is an art wherewith by a Hen ſitting upon Eggs may be generated a form like to a man, which I have ſeen, & knew how to make, which Magicians ſay hath in it wonderfull vertues, and this they call the true Mandrake. You must therefore know which, and what kind of matters are either of nature, or art, begun, or perfected, or compounded of more things, and what Celeſtiall influencies they are able to receive. For a Congraity of naturall things is ſuſſicient for the receiving of inſlucence from Celeſtiall; becauſe when nothing doth hinder the Celeſtials to ſend forth their lights upon inferiours, they ſuffer no matter to be deſtitute of their vertue. Wherefore as much matter as is perfect, and pure, is not unſit to receive the Celeſtiall influence. For that is the binding and continuity of the matter to the ſoul of the world, which doth daily ſlow in upon things naturall, and all things which nature hath prepared, that it is impoſſible that a prepared matter ſhould not receive life, or a more noble form.
CHAP. XXXVII.
How by ſome certain naturall, and artificiall preparations we may attract certain Celeſtiall, and vitall gifts.
PLatoniſts, together with Hermes, ſay, and Jarchus Brachmanus, and the Mecubals of the Hebrews confeſs, that all ſublunary things are ſubject to generation, and corruption, and that alſo there are the ſame things in the Celeſtiall world, but after a Celeſtiall manner, as alſo in the intellectuall world, but in a far more perfect, and better fashion, and manner, but in the moſt perfect manner of all in the examplary. And after this courſe, that every inferiour ſhould in its kind answer its ſuperiour, and through this the ſupream it ſelf, and receive from heaven that Celeſtiall power which they call the
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