Page:Three Books of Occult Philosophy (De Occulta Philosophia) (1651).djvu/197

 Iron, and hall make triall of it, he presently ceaeth to wonder, and doth no more cruple it to be the work of nature. But here it is convenient that you know, that as by naturall vertues we collect naturall vertues, o by abtracted, mathematicall, and celetiall, we receive celetiall vertues, as motion, life, ene, peech, outhaying, and divination, even in matter les diposed, as that which is not made by nature, but only by art. And o images that peak, and foretell things to come, are aid to be made, as William of Paris relates of a brazen head made under the riing of Saturn, which they ay pake with a mans voice. But he that will chooe a dipoed matter, and mot fit to receive, and a mot powerfull agent, hall undoubtedly produce more powerfull effects. For it is a generall opinion of the Pythagoreans, that as Mathematicall things are more formall then Naturall, o alo they are more efficacious: as they have les dependence in their being, o alo in their operation. But amongt all Mathematicall things, numbers, as they have more of form in them, o alo are more efficacious, to which not only Heathen Philoophers, but alo Hebrew, and Chritian Divines do attribute vertue, and efficacy, as well to effect what is good, as what is bad.

 

Everinus Boethius aith, that all things which were firt made by the nature of things in its firt Age, eem to be formed by the proportion of numbers, for this was the principall pattern in the mind of the Creator. Hence is borrowed the number of the Elements, hence the coures of times, hence the motion of the Stars, and the revolution of the heaven, and the tate of all things ubit by the uniting together of numbers. Numbers therefore are endowed with great and 