Page:Three Books of Occult Philosophy (De Occulta Philosophia) (1651).djvu/366

 Rh Elector, Duke of Westphalia, and Augaria, Lord Lord Arch-Biſhop of Colonia, and Paderborne, his moſt gracious Lord, Henry Cornelius Agrippa of Netteſ-heim.

IT is a very excellent opinion of the Ancient Magicians (most Illustrious Prince) that we ought to labour in nothing more in this life, then that we degenerate not from the Excellency of the mind, by which we come neerest to God and put on the Divine nature: least at any time our mind waxing dull by vain idleness should decline to the frailty of our earthly body and vices of the flesh: so we should loose it, as it were cast down by the dark precipiced of perverse lusts. Wherefore we ought so to order our mind, that it by it self being mindfull of its own dignity and excellency, should alwayes both Think, do and operate something worthy of it self; But the knowledge of the Divine science, doth only and very powerfully perform this for us. When we by the remembrance of its majesty being alwaies busied in Divine studies do every moment contemplate Divine things, by a sage and diligent inquisition, and by all the degrees of the creatures ascending even to the Archetype himself, do draw from him the infallible vertue of all things, which those that neglect, trusting only to naturall and worlfly things, are wowt often to be confounded by divers errors & fallacies, and very Rh