Page:Three Books of Occult Philosophy (De Occulta Philosophia) (1651).djvu/438

 and nothing can be an impediment to it: Yet neither do they perceive after that manner as we do with different organs, but haply as sponges drink in water, so do they all sensible things with their body, or some other way unknown to us; neither are all animals endowed with those organs; for we know that many want ears, yet we know they perceive a sound, but after what manner we know not.

Chapter xxiv. Of the names of Spirits, and their various imposition; and of the Spirits that are set over the Stars, Signs, Corners of the Heaven, and the Elements. Many and divers are the names of good spirits, and bad: but their proper, and true names, as those of the Stars, are known to God alone, who only numbers the multitude of Stars, and calls them all by their names, whereof none can be known by us but by divine revelation, and very few are expressed to us in the sacred writ. But the masters of the Hebrews think that the names of the angels were imposed upon them by Adam, according to that which is written, The Lord brought all things which he had made unto Adam, that he should name them, and as he called any thing, so the name of it was. Hence the Hebrew Mecubals think, together with Magicians, that it is in the power of man to impose names upon Spirits, but of such a man only who is dignified, and elevated to this vertue by some divine gift, or sacred authority: but because a name that may express the nature of divinity, or the whole vertue of angelical essences cannot be made by any humane voyce, therefore names for the most part are put upon them from their works, signifying some certain office, oe effect, which is required by the quire of Spirits: which names then no otherwise then oblations, and sacrifices offered to the Gods, obtain efficacy and vertur to draw any spirituall substance from above or beneath, for to make any desired effect.