day of the creation of the world, and God said, That it was good, because the number of two is evill. Hence also it was, that God commanded that all unclean Animals should go into the Ark by couples: because as I said, the number of two, is a number of uncleanness, and it is most unhappy in their Soothsayings, especially if those things, from whence the Soothsaying is taken, be Saturnall, or Martiall, for these two are accounted by the Astrologers unfortunate. It is also reported, that the number of two doth cause apparitions of Ghosts, and fearfull Goblins, and bring mischiefs of evill spirits to them that travell by night. Pythagoras (as Eusebius reports) said, that Unity was God, and a good intellect; and that Duality was a Divell, and an evill intellect, in which is a materiall multitude: wherefore the Pythagoreans say, that two is not a number, but a certain confusion of unities. And Plutarke writes, that the Pythagorians called unity Apollo, and two, strife, and boldness; and three, Justice, which is the highest perfection, and is not without many mysteries. Hence there were two Tables of the Law in Sina, two Cherubins looking to the Propitiatory in Moses, two Olives dropping oyle, in Zachariah, two natures in Christ, Divine, and Humane; Hence Moses saw two appearances of God, viz. his face, and back-parts, also two Testaments, two commands of Love, two first dignities, two first people, two kinds of Spirits, good and bad, two intellectuall creatures, an Angell, and soul, two great lights, two Solstitia, two equinoctials, two poles, two Elements, producing a living soul, viz. Earth, and Water.
Page:Three Books of Occult Philosophy (De Occulta Philosophia) (1651).djvu/205
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