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Page:Three Books of Occult Philosophy (De Occulta Philosophia) (1651).djvu/114

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Book I.
Of Occult Philoſophy.
87

Lignum-aloes, and if then there be some Sea Water, or blood cast into that place, the whole house will seem to be full of Water, or blood; and if some Earth of plowed ground be cast there, the Earth will seem to quake. Now such kinds of vapours we must conceive do infect any body, and infuse a vertue into it, which doth continue long, even as any contagious, or poisonous vapour of the Pestilence, being kept for two yeers in the Wall of a house, infect the inhabitants, and as the contagion of Pestilence, or Leprosie lying hid in a garment, doth long after infect him that wears it. Therefore were certain suffumigations used to images, rings, and such like instruments of Magick, and hid treasures, and as Porphyrius saith, very effectually. So they say, if any one shall hide Gold, or Silver, or any other pretious thing, the Moon being in conjunction with the Sun, and shall fume the place with Coriander, Saffron, Henbane, Smallage, and black Poppy, of each a like quantity, bruised together, and tempered with the juice of Hemlock, that which is so hid shall never be found, or taken away, and that spirits shall continually keep it: and if any one shall endeavour to take it away, he shall be hurt by them, and shall fall into a frensie. And Hermes saith, that there is nothing like the fume of Sperma Ceti for the raising of spirits: wherefore if a fume be made of that, and Lignum-aloes, Pepperwort, Musk, Saffron, red Storax tempered together, with the blood of a Lapwing, it will quickly gather airy spirits together, and if it be used about the graves of the dead, it gathers together spirits, and the Ghosts of the dead. So, as often as we direct any work to the Sun, we must make suffumigations with Solary things, if to the Moon, with Lunary things, and so of the rest. And we must know, that as there is a contrariety and enmity in Stars, and spirits, so also in suffumigations unto the same. So there is also a contrariety betwixt Lignum-aloes, and Sulphur, Frankincense, and Quick-silver, and spirits that are raised by the fume of Lignum-aloes, are allayed by the burning of Sulphur. As Proclus gives an example of a spirit, which was wont to appear in the form of a Lion, but by the setting of a Cock before it, vanished away, because there is a contrarie-

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