Page:Three Books of Occult Philosophy (De Occulta Philosophia) (1651).djvu/525

of divers natural things together, as Cups, and Meats; upon this account the heart of a Mole, if anyone shall eat it whilest it is warm, and panting, conduceth, as it is said, to the foretelling of future events. And Rabbi Moses in his commentaries upon Leviticus tells, that there is an animal called (Hebrew characters) Jedua, having a humane shape, in the midle of whose navel comes forth a string, by which it is fastened to the ground like a gourd, and as far as the length of that string reacheth, it devours and consumes all that is green about it, and deceiving the sight, cannot be taken, unless that string he cut off by the stroke of a dart, which being cut off, it presently dies. Now the bones of this animal being after a certain manner laid upon the mouth, presently he whose mouth they are laid on, is taken with a phrensie, and soothsaying. The third degree answers to the sphear of Venus; This possesseth subtile powders, vapours, and odours, and oyntments, and suffumigations, which are made of these of which we have spoke above. The fourth degree belongs to the sphear of the Sun; this possesseth voyces, words, singings, and harmonical sounds, by the sweet consonancy whereof it drives forth of the minde any troublesomeness therein, and chears it up. Whence Hermes, Pythagoras, Plato, advise us to compose a discontented minde, and chear it up by singing and harmony. So Timotheus is said to have with sounds stirred up King Alexander to a phrensie: so the Priest Calame (Aurelius Augustus being witness) was wont at his pleasure by a certain shrill harmony to call himself forth out of his body into a rapture, and extasie; of these also we have before spoken. The fifth degree is answerable to Mars: this possesseth vehement imaginations, and affections of the minde, conceits also, and motions thereof, of all which before. The sixth degree answers to Jupiter: this possesseth the discourses of reason, deliberations, consultations, and moral purgations: of these we have spoken in part above, and further we shall speak afterwards; It possesseth also admirations, and venerations, at the astonishment of which, the phantasie, and reason are sometimes so restrained, that they suddenly let pass all their