Page:Three Books of Occult Philosophy (De Occulta Philosophia) (1651).djvu/108

 with divers odours to be burnt. Then presently with an irresistible power of Magick, and blind force of the Gods, the bodies of those whose haires did smoke, and crash, assume the spirit of a man, and feel, and hear, and walk, and come whither the stink of their haire led them, and insteed of Bæotius the young man, come skipping, and leaping with joy, and love into the house. Austin also reports, that he heard of some women Sorceresses, that were so versed in these kind of arts, that by giving cheese to men, they could presently turn them into working cattell, and the work being done, restored them into men again.

Now I will shew you what some of the Sorceries are, that by the example of these there may be a way opened for the consideration of the whole subject of them. Of these therefore the first is menstruous bloud, which, how much power it hath in Sorcery, we will now consider; for, as they say, if it comes over new wine, it makes it soure, and if it doth but touch the Vine it spoyles it for ever, and by its very touch it makes all Plants, and Trees barren, and they that be newly set, to die; it burns up all the hearbs in the garden, and makes fruit fall off from the Trees, it darkens the brightness of a looking glass, dulls the edges of knives, and razors, dims the beauty of Ivory, and makes Iron presently rusty, it makes brass rust, and smell very strong: it makes dogs mad, if they do but tast of it, and if they being thus mad shall bite any one, that wound is incurable: it kils whole hives of Bees, and drives them from the hives that are but touched with it, it makes linnen black that are boyled, it makes Mares cast their foal if they do but touch it, and makes women miscarry if they be but smeared with it: it makes Asses barren as long as they eat of the corn that hath been touched with it. The ashes of menstruous