URELIE Nero prooved all these magicall arts to be vaine and fabulous lies, and nothing but cousenage and knaverie. He was a notable prince, having gifts of nature enow to have conceived such matters, treasure enough to have emploied in the search thereof, he made no conscience therein, he had singular conferences thereabout; he offered, and would have given halfe his kingdome to have learned those things, which he heard might be wrought by magicians; he procured all the cunning magicians in the world to come to Rome, he searched for bookes also, and all other things necessarie for a magician;Tiridates the great magician biddeth the emperor Nero to a banket, &c. and never could find anie thing in it, but cousenage and legierdemaine. At length he met with one Tiridates, the great magician, who having with him all his companions, and fellowe magicians, witches, conjurors, and couseners, invited Nero453. to certeine magicall bankets and exercises. Which when Nero required to learne,/ he (to hide his cousenage) answered that he would not, nor could not teach him, though he would have given him his kingdome. The matter of his refusall (I saie) was, least Nero should espie the cousening devises thereof. Which when Nero conceived, and sawe the same, and all the residue of that art to be vaine, lieng andNero made lawes against conjurors and conjurations. ridiculous, having onelie shadowes of truth, and that their arts were onelie veneficall; he prohibited the same utterlie, and made good and strong lawes against the use and the practisers thereof: as Plinie and others doo report. It is marvell that anie man can be so much abused, as to suppose that sathan may be commanded, compelled, or tied by the power of man: as though the divell would yeeld to man, beyond nature; that will not yeeld to God his creator, according to the rules of nature. And in so much as there be (as they confesse) good angels as well as bad; I would know whie they call up the angels of hell, and not call downe the angels of heaven. But this they answer (as Agrippa C. Agrip. lib. de vanitat. scient. saith.) Good angels (forsooth) doo hardlie appeare, and the other are readie at hand. Here I may not omit to tell you how Cor. Agrippa bewraieth, detecteth, and defaceth this art of conjuration, who in his youth travelled into the bottome of all these magicall sciences, and was not onelie a great conjuror and practiser thereof, but also wrote cunninglie De occulta philosophia. Howbeit, afterwards in his wiser age, he recanteth his opinions, and lamenteth his follies in that behalfe, and discovereth the impietie and vanities of magicians, and inchanters, which boast they can doo miracles: which action is now ceased (saith he) and assigneth them a place with Jannes and Jambres, affirming that this art teacheth nothing but vaine toies for a shew. Carolus Gallus also saith; I have tried oftentimes, by the witches and conjurors themselves, that their arts (especiallie those which doo consist of charmes, impossibilities,/328. conjurations, and witchcrafts, whereof they were woont to boast) to be meere foolishnes, doting lies, and dreames. I for my part can saie as much, but that I delight not to alledge mine owne proofes and authorities; for that mine adversaries will saie they are parciall, and not indifferent./
The xxxiii. Chapter.454.
Of Salomons conjurations, and of the opinion conceived of his cunning and practise therein.
T is affirmed by sundrie authors, that Salomon was the first inventor of those conjurations; and thereof Josephus is the first reporter, who in his fift booke De Judæorum antiquitatibus, cap. 22. rehearseth soberlie this storie following; which Polydore Virgil, and manie other repeat verbatim, in this wise, and seeme to credit the fable, whereof there is skant a true word.
Salomon was the greatest philosopher, and did philosophie about all things, and had the full and perfect knowlege of all their proprieties: but he had that gift given from above to him, for the profit and health of mankind: which is effectuall against divels. He made also inchantments, wherewith diseases are driven awaie; and left diverse maners of conjurations written, whereunto the divels giving place are so driven awaie, that they never returne. And this kind of healing is very common among my countrimen: for I sawe a neighbour of mine, one Eleazer, that in the presence of VespasianProbatum est upon a patient before witnes: Ergo no lie. and his sonnes, and the rest of the souldiers, cured many that were possessed with spirits. The maner and order of his cure was this. He did put unto the nose of the possessed a ring, under the seale wherof was inclosed a kind of roote, whose verture Salomon declared, and the savour thereof drewe the divell out at his nose; so as downe fell the man, and then Eleazer conjured the divell to depart, & to return no more to him. In the meane time he made mention of Salomon, reciting incantations of Salomons owne making. And then Eleazer being willing to shew the standers by his cunning, and the wonderfull efficacie of his art, did set not farre from thence, a pot or basen full of water, & commanded the divell that went out of the man, that by the overthrowing thereof, he would give a signe to the beholders, that he had utterlie forsaken and leaft the man./455. Which thing being doone, none there doubted how great Salomons knowledge and wisedome was. Wherin a jugling knacke was produced, to confirme a cogging cast of knaverie or cousenage.
Another storie of Salomons conjuration I find cited in the sixt lesson, read in the church of Rome upon S. Margarets daie, far more ridiculous than this. Also Peter Lombard maister of the sentences, and GratianLib. 4 dist. 14. Decret. aureum. dist. 21 Rub. de exorcist. his brother, the compiler of the golden decrees; and Durandus in his Rationale divinorum, doo all soberlie affirme Salomons cunning in this behalfe; and speciallie this tale; to wit, that Salomon inclosed certeine thousand di/vels329. in a brasen bowle, and left it in a deepe hole or lake, so as afterwards the Babylonians found it, and supposing there had beene gold or silver therein, brake it, and out flew all the divels, &c. And that this fable is of credit, you shall perceive, in that it is thought woorthie to be read in the Romish church as parcell of their divine service. Looke in the lessons of S. MargaretsLect. 5. & 6. daie the virgine, and you shall find these words verbatim: which I the rather recite, bicause it serveth me for divers turnes; to wit, for Salomons conjurations, for the tale of the brasen vessell, and for the popes conjurations, which extended both to faith and doctrine, and to shew of what credit their religion is, that so shamefullie is stained with lies and fables.
[The xxxiiii. Chapter.]
Lessons read in all churches, where the pope hath authoritie, on S. Margarets daie, translated into English word for word.
