The subtiltie of astrologers to mainteine the credit of their art, why they remaine in credit, certeine impieties conteined in astrologers assertions.
F you marke the cunning ones, you shall see them speake darkelie of things to come,Astrologers prognostications are like the answers of oracles. devising by artificiall subtiltie, doubtfull prognostications, easilie to be applied to everie thing, time, prince, and nation: and if anie thing come to passe according to their divinations, they fortifie their old prognostications with new reasons. Nevertheles, in the multitude/154. and varietie of starres, yea even in the verie middest of them, they find out some places in a good aspect, and some in an ill; and take occasion hereupon to saie what they list, promising unto some men honor, long life, wealth, victorie, children, marriage, freends, offices; & finallie everlasting felicitie. But if with anie they be discontent, they saie the starres be not favourable to them, and threaten them with hanging, drowning, beggerie, sickenes, misfortune, &c. And if one of these prognostications fall out right, then they triumph above measure. If the prognosticators be found to forge and lie alwaies (without such fortune as the blind man had in killing the crow) they will excuse the matter, saieng, that Sapiens dominatur astris, wheras (according to Agrippas words) neither the wiseman ruleth the starres, nor the starres the wiseman, but God ruleth them both. Corn. Tacitus saith, that they are a people disloiall to princes, deceiving them that beleeve them. And Varro saith, that the vanitie of all superstitions floweth out of the bosome of astrologie. And if our life & fortune depend not on the starres, then it is to be granted, that the astrologers seeke where nothing is to be found. But we are so fond, mistrustfull & credulous, that we feare more the fables of Robin good fellow; astrologers, & witches, & beleeve more the things that are not, than the things that are. And the more unpossible a thing is, the more we stand in feare thereof; and the lesse likelie to be true, the more/213. we beleeve it. And if we were not such, I thinke with Cornelius Agrippa, that these divinors, astrologers, conjurors, and cousenors would die for hunger.
And our foolish light beleefe, forgetting things past, neglecting things present, and verie hastie to know things to come, doth so comfort and mainteine these cousenors; that whereas in other men, for making one lie, the faith of him that speaketh is so much mistrusted, that all the residue being true is not regarded. Contrariwise, in these cousenages among our divinors, one truth spoken by hap giveth such credit to all their lies, that ever after we beleeve whatsoever they saie; how incredible, impossible or false soever it be. Sir Thomas MooreS. Thomas Moores frumpe at judiciall astrologers. saith, they know not who are in their owne chambers, neither who maketh themselves cuckoldes that take upon them all this cunning, knowledge, and great foresight. But to enlarge their credit, or rather to manifest their impudencie, they saie the gift of prophesie, the force of religion, the secrets of conscience, the power of divels, the vertue of miracles, the efficacie of praiers, the state of the life to come, &c: doth onlie depend upon the starres, and is given and knowne by them alone. For they saie, that when the signe of Gemini is ascended, and Saturne and Mercurie be joined in Aquarie, Astrologicall blasphemies. in the ninth house of the heavens, there is a prophet borne: and therefore that Christ had so manie vertues, bicause he had in that place Saturne and Gemini. Yea these Astrologers doo not sticke to saie, that the starres distribute all sortes of religions: wherein Jupiter is the especiall patrone, who being joined with Saturne, maketh the religion of the Jewes; with Mercurie, of the Christians; with the Moone, of Anti-christianitie. Yea they affirme that the faith of everie man maie be knowne to them as well as to God. And that Christ himselfe did use the election of houres in his miracles; so as the Jewes could not hurt him whilest he went to Jerusalem, and therefore that *the[* read, he.] said to his disciples that forbad him to go;Joh. 11. 8. & 9. Are there not twelve houres in the daie?//
The xxiii. Chapter.214. 155.
Who have power to drive awaie divels with their onelie presence, who shall receive of God whatsoever they aske in praier, who shall obteine everlasting life by meanes of constellations, as nativitie-casters affirme.
HEY saie also, that he which hath Mars happilie placed in the ninth house of the heavens, shall have power to drive awaie divels with his onelie presence from them that be possessed. And he that shall praie to God, when he findeth the Moone and Jupiter joined with the dragons head in the middest of the heavens, shall obteine whatsoever he asketh: and that JupiterThe follie of our genethliaks, or nativiti-casters. and Saturne doo give blessednes of the life to come. But if anie in his nativitie shall have Saturne happilie placed in Leone, his soule shall have everlasting life. And hereunto subscribe Peter de Appona, Roger Bacon, Guido Bonatus, Arnold de villa nova, and the Cardinall of Alia. Furthermore, the providence of God is denied, and the miracles of Christ are diminished, when these powers of the heavens and their influencies are in such sort advanced. Moses, Esaie, Job and Jeremie, seeme to dislike and reject it: and at Rome in times past it was banished, and by Justinian condemmed under paine of death. Finallie, SenecaSenec. lib. de quæst. natural. 4. derideth these soothsaieng witches in this sort; Amongst the Cleones (saith he) there was a custome, that the γαλακτοφύλακες (which were gazers in the aier, watching when a storme of haile should fall) when they sawe by anie cloud that the shower was imminent and at hand; the use was (I saie) bicause of the hurt which it might doo to their vines, &c: diligentlie to warne the people thereof; who used not to provide clokes or anie such defense against it, but provided sacrifices; the rich, cockes and white lambes; the poore would spoile themselves by cutting their thombes; as though (saith he) that little bloud could ascend up to the cloudes, and doo anie good there for their releefe in this/215. matter.
And here by the waie, I will impart unto you a VenetianHilarius Pirkmair in arte apodemica. superstition, of great antiquitie, and at this daie (for ought I can read to the contrarie) in use. It is written, that everie yeere ordinarilie upon ascension daie, the Duke of Venice, accompanied with the States, goeth with great solemnitie unto the sea, and after certeine ceremonies ended, casteth thereinto a gold ring of great value and estimation for a pacificatorie oblation: wherewithall their predecessors supposed that the wrath of the sea was asswaged. By this action, as a late writer saith, they doo Desponsare sibi mare,Joannes Garropius in Venet. & Hyperb.
Zach. 10. 1. verse 2. that is, espouse the sea unto themselves, &c.
Let us therefore, according to the prophets advise, aske raine of the Lord in the houres of the latter time, and he shall send white cloudes, and give us raine &c: for surelie, the idols (as the same prophet saith) have spoken vanitie, the soothsaiers have seene a lie, and the dreamers have told a vaine thing. They comfort in vaine, and therefore they went awaie like sheepe, &c. If anie sheepebiter or witch- monger will follow them, they shall go alone for me.//