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Arbatel de Magia Veterum
(1575)
Isagoge: The Seventh Septenary of Aphorisms:
The Precepts of Magicians
Aphorism 43
The Lord liveth and the works of God do live in him by
his appointment, whereby he willeth them to be, for he will
have them to use their liberty in obedience to his commands or disobedience thereof. To the obedient, he hath proposed
their rewards; to the disobedient, he hath propounded
their deserved punishment. Therefore, these Spirits of their
freewill, through their pride and contempt of the Son of
God, have revolted from God their Creator and are reserved
unto the day of wrath, and there is left in them a very great
power in the creation. But, notwithstanding, it is limited, and
they are confined to their bounds with the bridle of God.
Therefore the Magician of God, which signifies a wise man of
God, or one informed of God, is led forth by the hand of
God unto all everlasting good, both mean things and also
the chiefest corporal things.
Great is the power of Satan, by reason of the great sins
of men. Therefore also the Magicians of Satan do perform
great things and greater than any man would believe -- although they do subsist in their own limits, nevertheless they
are above all humane apprehension as to the corporal and
transitory things of this life, which many ancient Histories
and daily Examples do testitie. Both kindes of Magic[ian] are
different one from the other in their ends: the one
leadeth to eternal good and useth temporal things with thanksgiving; the other is a little sollicitous about eternal
things, but wholly exerciseth himself about corporal things,
that he may freely enjoy all his lusts and delights in
contempt of God and his anger.
Aphorism 44
The passage from the common life of man unto a Magical
life is no other but a sleep from that life and an
awaking to this life; for those things which happen to ignorant
and unwise men in their common life, the same things
happen to the willing and knowing Magician.
The Magician understandeth when the minde doth meditate
of himself; he deliberateth, reasoneth, constituteth, and
determineth what is to be done; he observeth when his
cogititions do proceed from a divine separate essence; and he
proveth of what order that divine separate essence is.
But the man that is ignorant of Magick is carried to
and fro, as it were in war with his affections -- he knoweth
not when they issue out of his own minde or are impressed
by the assisting essence; and he knoweth not how to
overthrow the counsels of his enemies by the word of God,
or to keep himself from the snares and deceits of the
tempter.
Aphorism 45
The greatest precept of Magic is to know what every
man ought to receive for his use from the assisting Spirit and
what to refuse; which he may learn of the Psalmist, saying, "Wherewith shall a young man cleanse his way? In keeping thy word,
Oh Lord." To keep the word of God, so that the evil one
snatch it not out of the heart, is the chiefest precept of wisdom.
It is lawful to admit of, and exercise, other suggestions
which are not contrary to the glory of God and charity
towards our neighbours, not inquiring from what Spirit such
suggestions proceed -- but we ought to take heed, that we are not too much busied with unnecessary things according
to the admonition of Christ: "Martha, Martha, thou art
troubled about many things, but Mary hath chosen the better
part, which shall not be taken from her." Therefore, let us alwayes
have regard unto the saying of Christ, "Seek ye first the kingdom
of God and his righteousness and all these things shall be added
unto you." All other things -- that is, all things which are due
to the mortal Microcosme, as food, raiment, and the necessary
arts of this life.
Aphorism 46
There is nothing so much becometh a man as constancy
in his words and deeds, and when the like rejoyceth in his
like, there are none more happie then such, because the holy
Angels are conversant about such and possess the custody of
them. On the contrary, men that are unconstant are lighter
then nothing, and rotten leaves. We choose the 46 Aphorisms
from these.
Even as everyone governeth himself,
so he allureth unto himself Spirits of his nature and condition;
but one very truely adviseth, that no man should
carry himself beyond his own calling, lest that he draw unto
himself some malignant Spirit from the uttermost parts of
the earth, by whom either he shall be infatuated and deceived or brought to final destruction. This precept appeareth
most plainly, for Midas, when he would convert
all things into gold, drew up such a Spirit unto himself, which
was able to perform this, and, being deceived by him, he
had been brought to death by famine, if his foolishness had
not been corrected by the mercy of God. The same thing
happened to a certain woman about Franckford> at Odera, in
our times, who would scrape together and devour many of anything. Would that men would diligently weigh this precept
and not account the Histories of Midas and the like for fables,
they would be much more diligent in moderating their
thoughts and affections, neither would they be so perpetually
vexed with the Spirits of the golden mountains of Utopia.
Therefore, we ought most diligently to observe, that such presumptions should be cast out of the minde, by the
word, while they are new; neither let them have any habit
in the idle minde, that is empty of the divine word.
Aphorism 47
He that is faithfully conversant in his vocation shall have
also the Spirits constant companions of his desires, who will
successively supply him in all things. But if he have any
knowledge in Magick, they will not be unwilling to shew him and
familiarly to converse with him and to serve him in those several
ministeries unto which they are addicted -- the good Spirits
in good things, unto salvation; the evil Spirits in every
evil thing, to destruction. Examples are not wanting in the
Histories of the whole World and do daily happen in the
world. Theodosius, before the victory of Arbogastus, is an
example of the good; Brute, before he was slain, was an
example of the evil Spirits, when he was persecuted of the
Spirit of Cæsar and exposed to punishment, that he slew
himself, who had slain his own Father, and the Father of his
Country.
Aphorism 48
All Magick is a revelation of Spirits of that kinde, of
which sort the Magick is, so that the nine Muses are called,
in Hesiod, the ninth Magick, as he manifestly testifies of
himself in Theogony; in Homer, the genius of Ulysses in
Psigiogagia; Hermes, the Spirits of the more sublime parts of the
minde.
God revealed himself to Moses in the bush. The
three wise men who came to seek Christ at Jerusalem [and] the
Angel of the Lord was their leader. The Angels of the
Lord directed Daniel. Therefore, there is nothing whereof
anyone may glory, "for it is not unto him that willeth, nor unto
him that runneth, but to whom God will have mercy," or of some
other spiritual fate. From hence springeth all Magick, and
thither again it will revolve, whether it be good or evil. In this manner, Tages, the first teacher of the Magick of the
Romanes, gushed out of the earth. Diana of the Ephesians
shewed her worship, as if it had been sent from heaven. So
also Apollo. And all the Religion of the Heathens is taken
from the same Spirits; neither are the opinions of the Sadduces humane inventions.
Aphorism 49
The conclusion, therefore, of this Isagoge is the same which
we have above already spoken of, that even as there is one
God -- from whence is all good -- and one sin -- to wit, disobedience,
against the will of the commanding God, whence comes all evil -- so that the fear of God is the beginning
of all wisdom and the profit of all Magick. For obedience to
the will of God followeth the fear of God, and after this
do[es] follow the presence of God and of the holy Spirit, and the
ministery of the holy Angels, and all good things out of the
inexhaustible treasures of God.
But unprofitable and damnable Magick ariseth from this,
where we lose the fear of God out of our hearts and suffer
sin to reign in us. There the Prince of this world, the God of
this world, beginneth and setteth up his kingdom instead of
holy things, in such as he findeth profitable for his kingdom. There, even as the spider taketh the flye which falleth into his
web, so Satan spreadeth abroad his nets and taketh men with
the snares of covetousness, until he sucketh him and draweth
him to eternal fire -- these he cherisheth and advanceth
on high, that their fall may be the greater.
Courteous Reader, apply thy eyes and minde to the sacred
and profane Histories, and to those things which thou seest daily
to be done in the world, and thou shalt finde all things full of
Magick, according to a twofold Science, good and evil, which
that they may be the better discerned, we will put here their
division and subdivision, for the conclusion of these Isagoges,
wherein every one may contemplate what is to be followed
and which to be avoided and how far it is to be labored for
by everyone, to a competent end of life and living.
A Table of Good and Evil
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