NaturalMagick, BooJ ^ i .

perfection. First, let a man consider and prepare things providently and skilfully*and then let him fall to work, and do nothing unadvisedly. This I thought good tospeak of,that if at any time the ignorant be deceived herein, he may not lay the faultupon us, but upon his own unskilful ness: for this is the infirmity of the scholar,andnot of the teacher : for if rude and ignorant men shalt deal in these matters, thisScience will be much discredited , and those strange effects will be accounted hap-hazard, which are me st certain, and follow their necessary causes. If you wouldhave your works appear more wonderful, you must not let the cause be known : forthat is a wonder to us, which we see to be done, and yet know not the cause of it :for he that knows the causes of a thing done,doth not so admire the doing of it; andnothing is counted unusual and rare, but onely so far forth as the causes thereof arcnot known. Aristotle in his books of Handy-trades,faith,that master-builders frameand make their tools to work with ; but the principles thereof, which move admi-ration^hose they conceal. A certain man put out a candle; and putting it to a stoneor a wall, lighted it again • and this seemed to be a great wonder: but when oncethey perceived that he touched it with brimstone, then, faith Cjalcn, it ceased to seema wonder. A miracle, faith Ephestue , is dissolved by that wherein it seemed to be amiracle. Lastly, the professor of this Science must also be rich : for if we lack mo-ney, we shall hardly work in these cases for it is not Philosophy that can make usrich ; we must first be rich, that we may play the Philosophers. He must spare for nocharges, but be prodigal in seeking things out > and while he is busie and careful inseeking, he must be patient also, and think it not much to recal many things ; neithermust he spare for any pains : for the secrets of Nature are not revealed to lazie andidle persons. Wherefore Spicharmus said very well, that men purchase all things atGods hands by the price of their labour. And if the effect of thy work be notanswerable to my description, thou must know that thy self hast failed in someonepoint or another ; for I have set down these things briefly, as being made for wit-ty and skilful workmen, and not for rude and young beginners.

Chap. IV.

The opinions of the antient Philosophers touching the causes of strange operations ; and firstsof the Elements,

•THofe effects of Nature which oft-times we behold, have so imployed the antient** Philosophers minds in the searching forth of their causes, that they have takengreat pains, and yet were much deceived therein; insomuch that divers of themhave held divers opinions: which it shall not be amiss to relate, before we proceedany farther. The first sort held that all things proceed from the Elements, and thatthese are the first beginnings of things; the fire, according to Hippafus Metaponti~nut, and Heraclides PonticM • the air, according to Diogenes Apollomates, and Anaxi-menesi and the water, according to Thales Milefius. These therefore they held tobe the very original and first seeds of Natuie ; even the Elements, simple and purebodies (whereas the Elements that now are, be but counterfeits and bastards tothem ; for thty are all changed, everyone of them being more or less medledwithone another) those, fay they, are the material principles of a natural body, andthey are moved and altered by continual succession of change ; and they are sowrapt up together within the huge cope of heaven, thar they fill up this whole spaceof the world which is situate beneath the Moon ; for the fire being the lightest andpurest Element, hath gotten up aloft, and chose it self the highest room, which theycaliche element of fire. The next Element to this is the Air,which is fcmwhat moreweighty then the fire, and it is spread abroad in a large and huge compass $ and pas*sing through all places, doth make mens bodies framable to her temperature, andis gathered together sometimes thick into dark clouds, sometimes thinner intomists, and so is resolved. The next to these is the water; and then the last andlowest of all, which is scraped and compacted together out of the purer Elements.