Page:Three Books of Occult Philosophy (De Occulta Philosophia) (1651).djvu/119

 called Demarchus, the same opinion was Austin of: for he saith, whilest he was in Italy, he heard of some women that by giving Sorceries in cheese to travellors, turned them into working Catle, and when they had done such work as they would have them, turned them into men again, and that this befell a certain Father called Prestantius. The Scriptures themselves testify that Pharao's Sorcerers turned their rods into Serpents, and water into blood, and did such like things.

hen the soul of the world, by its vertue doth make all things that are naturally generated, or artificially made, fruitfull, by infusing into them Celestiall properties for the working of some wonderfull effects, then things themselves not only applyed by suffumigations, or Collyries, or oyntments, or potions, or any other such like way, but also when they being conveniently wrapt up, are bound to, or hanged about the neck, or any other way applyed, although by never so easy a contact, do impress their vertue upon us. By these alligations therefore, suspensions, wrappings up, applications, and contacts the Accidents of the body, and mind are changed into sickness, health, boldness, fear, sadness, and joy, and the like: They render them that carry them, gratious, or terrible, acceptable, or rejected, honoured, and beloved, or hatefull, and abominable. Now these kind of passions are conceived to be by the abovesaid, infused no otherwise, then is manifest in the graffing of trees, where the vitall vertue is sent, and Communicated from the trunk to the twig graffed into it, by way of contact and alligation; so in the female Palme tree, when she comes neer to the male, her boughs bend to the male, and are bowed: which the gardners seeing, bind ropes from the male to the female, which becomes straight again, as if it had by this continuation of the rope received the