Page:Fourth Book of Occult Philosophy, 1655.djvu/157

 Of the Nature of Sprits. I % $

hogs are thereby defended from the injury of wolves ; inhering to me with afalfe fuperjlition ; where when he hath been by me called again and again, and hath not appeared, I have taken this cuflody upon myfe/f in/lead ef S, Blaze : for I always freely /land in fiead of Cod and his Saints : fo alfo now rnojl freely do / keep his fwineforSt. Blaze, that J may tnagntfe and confirm the foolifh man in his vain confidence ; and thereby I mayfeiuce himfo y that he may efleem of this Schedule more then Cod.

Poll. This is a pleafant ftory : but I do not wonder thac the devil fhould impole fo much upon fo fimplc a Paflor, when he doth in many things prevail over the more wife, if they do at thcmfelves to his opportunities ; which the Church contradi&eth.

Poll. But are all things wrought and brought to pafs by means of the devil which men call Miracles ?

Cafr. No: for we muft give unto Nature that which feem- Somcmi- eth to belong unto her, who is fai.d to be the greatcft worker ™ cIes a ^' of Miracles ; as that which we have experienced in the ftone t „ r an». n Asbestos, which, as 5o//»«5witneffeth, being once fet on fire, cannot be quenched : and the root Baara, defcribed by Jo- fephm in the hiftory of Jerufalcm, which he teftifieth to be of the colour of a flame of fire, fplcndent and fhining in the night ; but fo difficult to be taken, that it always flies from under the hand of him that would take ir, and deceivcth his eyes fo long, until it be fprinkled with the urine of a men- ftruous woman : and when it is retained by this means, ic may not be gathered or plucked up without danger; for pre- fent death followeth him thac gathereth or plucketh it up, unlefs he fhall be fortified with a Prelervativc abouc his neck, of the fame root. For which caufe, they who want the fame root, dofcarifieit round about ; and having bound the root about with a bond, they tie the fame to a dog, and fuddenly depart away. Whereupon,the dog, too much endeavouring to follow after him, draweth up the root ; and, as if the dog were to perform the torn of his mafier, he forthwith dies;and afterwards the fame root may be taken and handled without any danger to any man. And the fame J^W teachetb,thac

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