Josephus' Account of Astrology--Antediluvians
acquainted with Astrology--Astrology after the
Flood--Magicians in various Nations--The Spirit
Bokim--Compact and Confederation with Spirits--Long
Life and Magical Power--Feats of Magicians--A French
Priest in compact with the Devil--Married to
Venus--Turning Leather into Gold--A Novice in Magic
destroyed by a Spirit--Principles of
Magic--Implements, Materials, and Doings of
Magicians--Piercing Sight--Lilly the Astrologer--Lilly
consulted by Royalists--Astrological Predictions
concerning Fires, Plagues, Famine, War, and the
Fortunes of Great Persons.
Josephus says that the antediluvians were well acquainted with
astrology, and inscribed the principles thereof on pillars to preserve
them to posterity from the Flood; for it was by this art, he believes,
that they were enabled to foresee the coming Deluge. Subsequent to the
Flood, the Assyrians were the first people who turned their attention
to astrology. The Chaldeans, Egyptians, and Arabians soon became
acquainted with the art, and by perseverance brought it to perfection
and high estimation. In several nations none but those skilled in
astrology were admitted to the administration of sacred rites or to
the management of state affairs.
In China, by the sacrifice of blood and the repetitions of several
superstitious invocations to the sun and moon, devils were brought up
from their place of abode, if not repose. In Tartary the magicians
offered to the ocean, the mountains, and the stars, divers sorts of
incense, by which means the spirits were compelled to appear. In the
East and West Indies the power of magic was equally powerful. Greek
and Roman magicians invocated spirits by prayers to the moon, and
sacrifices of milk, honey, and blood. In our own country, incantation
and conjuration, as already observed, were by no means uncommon.
When Chiancungi and his sister Napala first attempted to call up
spirits, they began with the spirit Bokim, in the twentieth degree.
They commenced their operations in a vault hung round with black
cloth. Having drawn their circle of the order of thrones and the seven
planets, and stamped their magical characters in the centre thereof,
they proceeded to the ceremonies of conjuration without anything
appearing. This caused them to become so desperate that they left the
circle and betook themselves to the most detestable branch of
magic--compact, or confederacy; through which they obtained from Bokim
155 years of life, and almost unlimited magical power, on the
condition that in return their bodies and souls should at last be
given to him. They performed strange miracles in every country. By the
assistance of these magicians, the Tartars destroyed above one hundred
ships belonging to the Chinese. Many a loss did they bring upon those
against whom they had a private grudge, or against whom they were
hired. Kingdoms were ruined, children slain, fruits withered, corn
blasted, silk destroyed, navigation impeded, and adult lives
sacrificed. Chiancungi had numerous public contests with magicians of
several countries in magical science, in which art he was said to
excel them all.
Lewis Gawfridi, a French priest, was another famous magician, who had
compact with the devil of a closer relationship than common men of his
craft could pretend to have. He served Satan for fourteen years in
performing detestable works--sacrificing children, worshipping the
devil in various shapes, and tempting people to become magicians, and
to take part in disgraceful nocturnal conventions.
A wonderful relation is given in support of the belief of magicians
having power over spirits. The story is this:--A newly-married man
was amusing himself with his companions, when, in case he should lose
his wedding ring, he put it on the finger of a statue of Venus.
Returning to take his ring, he found the finger so bent that the
ornament intended for his bride could not be removed. At night the
image of Venus appeared to him and said, "Thou hast espoused me, and
shalt not enjoy the society of any other woman." Again returning to
the statue in the morning he found the finger straight, and discovered
that the ring was gone. So greatly was he troubled, that he consulted
a magician, who put him on a plan of obtaining his ring and releasing
him of his engagement with Venus. The magician wrote a letter to a
principal spirit in the dominion to which Venus belonged, and, giving
it to the unhappy young man, instructed him to watch at a certain time
and place, when he would see a troop of spirits pass by him, one of
which, he said, would be seated on a chariot; and he it was for whom
the letter was written. The young man, on acting as directed, espied
the spirits, and gave the letter to the one for which it was intended.
As soon as the fiend read its contents he burst into a rage,
exclaiming, "How long shall we be subject to this accursed magician?"
With hesitation, he called on a most beautiful woman near the chariot,
and commanded her to return the ring to its owner, an order she
reluctantly obeyed.
Henry Cornelius Agrippa, who was born at Cologne in 1486, was an
astrologer and magician. When travelling, he paid his hotel bills with
pieces of horn, which appeared as gold to those to whom they were
presented. A foolish fellow entered Agrippa's study, and raised the
devil therein during the magician's absence. The novice, being unable
to subdue the fiend, lost his life. On Agrippa coming home, he found
several spirits dancing on the house-top. He ordered them to enter the
dead body, which they did, and then he cast it into a pit. Though
Agrippa seldom left his study or conversed with any one, he was well
acquainted with everything going on at home and abroad. People were of
opinion that a black dog he kept was an evil spirit, which duly
informed him of what was taking place far and near.
Every magical charm had its first principles according to certain
laws; and the garments worn by magicians were manufactured and
stitched at stated hours. The time was generally in the hour of Luna
or of Saturn, in the moon's increase. Their needles were made of
hedgehog's prickles, or bones of animals, as iron or steel possessed
virtues not always favourable to magic. Their ointments were of man's
fat, blood, hog's grease, oil, etc. Their characters were ancient
Hebrew, and their speech in the learned languages; their fires were
kindled with sweet wood and oil or resin; and their candles, of the
fat of men and children. Their vessels were earthenware; their
candlesticks had three feet, of dead men's bones. Their capes were
like pyramids, with lappets or ears on each side, and lined with fur.
Their gowns were, for ordinary purposes, long, reaching to the ground,
and lined with fox-skin. Their girdles were three inches broad, having
cabalistical names, signs, and circles inscribed thereon.
Some magicians had such piercing sight that they could discover
everything, however carefully concealed, and look into futurity with a
certainty of making known what was to come to pass. Lilly the
astrologer was a great authority in England. He was consulted by the
Royalists, (with the king's privity) as to whether the king would
escape from Hampton Court, and whether he would or should sign the
propositions of Parliament. For giving his opinion on these and a few
other subjects, the astrologer received L20. In Lilly's _Astrological
Predictions_ in 1648 occurs the following passage:--
"In the year 1656, the aphelium of Mars, who is the general
signification of England, will be in Virgo, which is assuredly the
ascendant of the English monarchy, but Aries of the kingdom. When this
apsis, therefore, of Mars shall appear in Virgo, who shall expect less
than a strange catastrophe of human affairs in the commonwealth,
monarchy, and kingdom of England? There will then, either in or about
these times, or near that year, appear in this kingdom so strange a
revolution of fate, so grand a catastrophe and great mutation unto
this monarchy and government, as never yet appeared; of which, as the
time now stands, I have no liberty or encouragement to deliver my
opinion--only, it will be ominous to London, unto her merchants at
sea, to her traffic on land, to her poor, to her rich, to all sorts of
people inhabiting in her or her liberties, by reason of consuming
fires and devastating plagues."
Accomplished events, even those which happened in his own time, and
information obtained from the writings of ancient astrologers, enabled
Lilly to predict important results. We find in a work _On the Probable
Effects of the Great Conjunction of Saturn and Jupiter_, that "the
mean or second greatest conjunction that happened in 1603"--Lilly was
born in 1602--"was in the eighth degree of Sagittarius, the opposite
sign of the ascendant of London. They were nearly conjoined the
greater part of the year in which Queen Elizabeth died; and there was
a severe plague in London, whereof died, in 1603 and 1604, more than
68,000 persons; and the year after, or in 1605, the Gunpowder Plot was
nearly being carried into execution.
"The next conjunction happened in the seventh degree of Leo, in 1623.
Within two years after, King James I. died; and there was also a
severe plague in London, which carried off 35,417 persons, in 1625;
and, what was observable, in 1639 there was a great eclipse of the
sun, in ten degrees of Gemini, in opposition to the place of the first
conjunction, in 1603; and exactly when Mars arrived to ten degrees of
Pisces, or in quartile to both places, the Long Parliament began; and
near the same time the Scots and English disagreed; and when Charles
I. applied to the citizens of London, they refused to lend him money
to be employed against them. It is also remarkable that Leo, the sign
where the conjunction happened, was the ascendant in King Charles's
nativity; and how unfortunate he was afterwards till his death, is
pretty well known.
"The next took place in 1643, in the sign of Pisces, which found the
king and his subjects in open arms, and was followed by dreadful civil
wars in England, that terminated in beheading the king."
Whether Lilly did really foresee what he pretended had been revealed
to him, we shall not here affirm or deny, but, there can be no doubt,
many strange circumstances following his predictions went far to
support his claim to the prophetic mantle. Further quotations from the
same work will supply additional matter for reflection:--
"The fourth conjunction in this trigon took place in 1663, in
Sagittarius, again opposite to the ascendant of London. The year after
followed a war with the Dutch, and in 1665 they took our valuable
Hamburgh fleet; and in that year also was the great plague in London,
that carried away 68,586 people. This was followed by the dreadful
fire of London, in 1666, that destroyed 13,200 houses, and consumed
nearly 400 streets.
"The next happened in Leo, in 1682, and was repeated in 1683, when
Lord William Russell was beheaded; and, two years after, Charles II.
died.
"The next was in seven degrees of Aries, the ascendant of England, in
1702. That year King William died, and war commenced with France. In
short, whoever takes his ephemeris in one hand and history in the
other, will have no difficulty in convincing himself of the efficacy
of such configurations; and though, by changing the signs, they may
vary the effects and also the places most subject to their influence,
yet it will appear that the observations of different authors (wherein
they all agree that England is most passive to the fiery trigon) are
founded on truth.
"The conjunction under consideration happened in the earthy
triplicity, to which Ptolemy refers to Europe in general; however, the
places most particularly under the sign Virgo are France, and more
especially Paris; and some authors say Lyons, and the principal port
of the Turkish dominions. Indeed it is curious to observe that the
Turks have got possession of nearly all the places said by Ptolemy to
be under this sign, wherein the conjunction happened, and I have no
doubt will most sensibly feel the effects of it; neither will Russia
and some parts of Germany and Switzerland escape its influence.
"As the signs of Sagittarius and Pisces are also afflicted, and
Jupiter so oppressed by the conjunction, Spain and Portugal will
likewise be sensible of their effects; neither do I like the
mischievous position of Mars in Taurus, the ascendant of Ireland,
particularly as he is upon the mid-heaven, and so near the mundane
quartile of Saturn and Mars.
"Most authors agree that evil configurations in Virgo are generally
attended with bloodshed, and that configurations in earthly signs have
more signification of feuds, dissatisfaction, and secret contrivances
among the common people, than they have of wars and differences
between kings and rulers, who are more properly denoted by princely or
fiery signs."