S Y S T E M

MA '

Gr I C K
O R, A

H I S T O R Y
O F T H E

B LA C K A R T .

B EI NG A N

His t or ical Ac c ou n t M ank i nd s most early

Of

D e alin g w it h the De v il ; a n d how th e Ac

quaintance o n both S ides rst b e gun .

Ou r M a ic , Now co m m a nds t h e Tr oop s of He ll

g , ,

The D e v il him se f l su b m its t o Cha r m a nd Sp e ll .

The Conj r e r in his Cir cles a n d his R ou nds

J u s t w hist les up h is Sp i r it s a s ,
M
e n d o Ho unds .

Th o b se qu iou s D ev il o beys t he S or ce r e r s S kill,

The Mill t ur ns r ou n d t he Hor se , t ha t r s t t ur ns r o u nd

t he lldill .

LOND OJV Print e d :,

An d
S old by AND R EW
M ILLAR ,
at B u ch a n a n s Head aga i nst S t

,
.

Cle m e n t s
Ch u r ch in the S tr a n d MD CC! ! V I II
. .
 PREFACE .

TO r emove a di fcul ty in my title an d t h at we m a y ,

no t s t umble at the threshold some preface to this ,

new undertaking may be necess ary but it will b e ,

very short .

If by a system of this terrible thing call e d m agic ,

m y readers should exp e ct a body of t h e black art a s

a science a b ook of rul e s for ins t ruction in the
,

p r a ctic e or a magical grammar for int roduction t o

,

young beginn e rs all I can say to such is that t hey

, ,

will be m i staken .

The world has p e rhaps been imposed upo n in

n o thing more t h a n in their no t ions of this d a rk

practic e as well its anci e nt as its modern s tat e

, , .

M os t people when they read of the an cien t m agi

,

e i a us think they ar e r e a d ing of O ld n e cromancers

,

a nd conj urers when really a t rst th e y were very

,

hones t men ; and now when they r e ad of them in,

their mod e rn practic e th e y t ak e them for honest

,

fellows wh e n they are g e n e rally speaking mer e

, , ,

j ugglers che ats moun tebanks and postur e masters

, , ,
-

o r els e real wizards and down right dealers with

, ,

the D ev il .

Ther e is one sort would fai n be called cunni n g

m e n than which nothi ng can b e a gross e r piece of
,

d e lusion ; and i t is n ot their cunning b u t their ,

! PR EFACE .

clien t s w ant of cunning that gives them the le a s t
,

a ppe a r a nce Of common sense in all their pr a ctice .

It is a strange piece of a r t where fools chea t fools ,

a nd the blind a nd the ignoran t are imposed upo n

by the blind and the ignor a n t .

All the discovery I c a n make by i t is t o n o t e ,

what a visible di fference t here is be t ween cunning

a nd wi t ; be t w e en sleigh t of hand as I may c al l it , ,

a nd understanding It is evident the pret ender s

.

to magic a t this time a re s o far from dealing with

t he Devil that they must certa i nly be deal t wi th by
,

t he Devil th at h ave anythi ng t o do with them

,
.

In the rs t ages t h e y w e re wise men ; in the

m iddle age m a dmen ; in t h e se latter ages cunning
, ,

men : in the earl iest t ime th ey were hones t ; i n t he

m iddle time rogues ; in these last t imes fools : at
, ,

r s t they d e al t with nature ; then with the Devil ;

a nd n ow not wit h t he Devil or with n at ure either
,

in t he rst a g e s t h e magicians were wiser tha n the

people ; in the second a ge wickeder than the peo,

ple and in o ur age the people a re both wiser a nd

,

wickeder than the magicians .

I s e e no gre at h a rm in ou r presen t pre t e n d e rs t o

magic if the poor people could but keep their

,

m oney in t heir pock e t s ; an d t h at t hey should h a ve

their pockets picked by such an u nperforming uh ,

m e a ning ignoran t c r ew as these a re is t he o nl y

, ,

m a gic th at I c a n nd in t he whole science .

The best course th at I c an t hi nk Of t o cure the

people of this itch of t heir brain the ta r a n t ula Of ,

t he p r ese nt age in r unn ing t o cu nning m e n a s you

, ,
 PR EFACE . xi
c all them a nd t he m os t likely t o h ave success is
, ,

t his of laughing at them : the sa t ire h a s reformed

,

the age of many a folly which the solid an d the

,

solemn could never re a ch : even gener al vice ,

would the men Of wit an d m e n of qu ality j oin in the

attemp t migh t be hissed ou t Of t he world though
, ,

all the preaching and all the p r eachers sho u ld prove

fruitless an d exhaus t ed : men a re t o be ridiculed

into good manne r s when t hey will n ot be cudgelled
,

int o i t .

Your modern h ar lequins especially s o exquisi t ely

,

cont rived and so p e rfec tly well performed as those

,

Of lat e by Mr Rich (in which not t o att er him

.
, , ,

we must a cknowledge he h a s ou t done al l t hat was

before him ) have gon e further t o e xpose and run
,

down the magic I am spe aki n g of and cure the ,

world of the hippo a nd t he vapou r s than t h e whol e

, ,

s t age could do b efore ; nay th a n all the bright es t

,

dram at ic perform an ces of t he l a s t a ge could p r e t end

to.

N eve r w a s t he popul ar fren zy bett er exposed ;

the i gnorance on on e side and the impudence o n,

the other mor e a ccurat ely l a id Open the mimicry

,

is mimicked t o the life ; the m a gici a n made a fool ,

the fool tickled in t o m o r e wi t an d the Devil himself

,

laughed ou t Of coun t en a nce .

We le ave the remainder t o be com plet ed by t he

same hand the success c a nnot fail while the ,

senses and the passions a re t o be wrought upon by

t he eyes i ght : our me thod looks the same way ,

only th at we bring i t up from it s origi n al a nd pur sue ,

xii PR EFACE .

it to the end of it s prospect M r Rich shows you

. .

wh a t foolish things you ar e j ust n ow doing ; we

show yo u what yo u r anc e stors did before you an d ,

what st ill worse thin gs the a ges to come ar e like

to do after you .

Le t no m a n be disgus t ed at the good a ccount we

give of the original and wisdom of the magi a nd ,

then call them mag i cians : if we will debauch the

word with a degeneracy of pr a ctice the fault is ou r ,

own . Their magic was t ruly science whereas ours ,

is neither magic or sci e nce but a kind of devilism

, ,

a practice carried on by m e n that would be wicked

,

if they did no t want wi t a nd a re n o otherwise

,

h armless th a n as th ey happen t o be fools

,
.

E ven a t its best it is a Babel like confusion that

,
-
,

spe aks s e veral langu ages a n d none to be under

,

s t ood ; a complet e d e gener a cy of or deviation from , ,

co m mon sense ; a complication of negatives that ,

how many soever yo u put t oge t her will no t m ake ,

up one a f rmat ive .

Now to bring this nothing from t he s om e t h m g it

,

derived from though i t se e ms a little difcult ye t

, ,

it is very necess ary a nd this is t he re a son why I

,

c all i t a his t ory .

I have trace d it as far b a ck a s antiquity gives u s

a ny clue to discove r i t by i t seems to have i t s b e
ginn ing i n the ignorance and curios i ty o f t he
darkes t a ges of t he world when miracle a nd some
, ,

thing wonderful was expected t o conrm e very

,

a dvanced n otion ; an d when the wise m e n h a ving ,

r a cked their i nve nt ion t o the u t mos t, c alled in the

 PR EFACE . xiii
Devil t o th e ir assist a nce for want of bett er help ; ,

and those that did n ot run int o S atan s meas ures ,

and give th e mselves up to th e infe rnal yet trod so ,

near and upon the v e ry edge of H ell th a t it was

, ,

h ard to distinguish b e twe e n the magician and th e

Devil ; a nd th e re t h e y have gon e on ever since so
r

that al most all the dispute between us and t he ma

gi c ia n s is that
, they say th e y convers e with good
Spirits and w e s ay if th ey deal with any spir its it i s
, ,

with the Devil : let th e following sh e ets de t ermin e

the matter .

Hail ! dangerous science fals ely call e d subl i m e , ,

Whi ch treads upon the ve ry brink o f cri m e .

H ell s m im i c S atan s m ountebank o f state

,

D e als with m ore devils th an He av n di d e er create

.

Th e infe rn al ju ggl ing b ox by Hell de s ign d

-
, ,

T o pu t the grand parade upon m ankind .

Th e D evil s rst gam e whi ch he i n Ede n play d

, ,

W he n he h ar angu d t o Ev e i n m as querade

.

In the rst age s m e n m i stook thy face ,

Thy c onj ring past fo r wi t thy gravity for grac e

.
,

By thee the juni or world i n w itch craft gre w .

Th at w i tch craft still the s e n i or worlds pursue .

Nature s rst u sher to induct m ankind

, ,

Prompting W i se arts t o his inquiring m ind .

T O Jubal th o u and Tubal scie nce bro u ght

, , ,

T O thi s hi s m e tals that hi s m u s i c tau ght

, .

Bu t born a che at under the cloak o f grave

, ,

First m ade him a m e chani c then a knave , ,

 C O N T E NT S .

P ART I .

I NTRO D U CTI O N O f the m eaning Of the term s wh o

.
-

and wh at ki nd of p e opl e the m agici ans were

and h ow the words M agi c or M
,

agi ci an were
original ly understood .

CH AP II . . Ho w w i sdo m
and l e arning advance d m e n
in the rst age s to royalty and govern m ent ,

and h ow m any Of the m agi ci ans were m ade

kings o n th at account ; as Zoroaster Cad ,

m u s and m any othe rs

, .

CHAP III . .Of the re ason and occas i on which

brough t the ancient hone st m agi wh os e ,

original study was p hilosophy astrono m y , ,

and the work s Of nature to turn sorc erers ,

and wizards and de al with the D evil ; and

,

h o w their conversati on b e gan .

CHAP I V . .Of wh at sh ap e s the D evi l assum e d i n

hi s rst app e aranc e s to the m agi ci ans and ,

others in the rst age s of the world ; and

,

whe the r he i s or has b ee n allowe d to as

,

sum e a hum an sh ap e or no
,
.

CHAP V furthe r account of the D evil s conduct

A

. .

i n i m i tating divine inspirati ons som ething

Of the differenc e b etwee n the m ; and partien
larly Of s i gns and wonders fals e as well as ,

tru e and the che ats of the form er

, .

s . M . b
xvi C O NT ENT S .

CH A P V I
. . O f wh o were the rst practi s ers Of m a
gi c as a ,
di abol i cal art and h ow i t w as ,

h ande d on to the Egypti ans and h oeni P

ei au s where it was rst Op e nly e ncourage d

,
. 1 39

CHAP V II
. Of the practi c e and progre ss O f ma
.

gic as i t i,
s n o w e xplai n e d to b e a d i abol i

cal art h ow it spre ad its elf i n the world

, ,

and by wh at degree s it gre w up to the

height whi ch i t h as s inc e arrive d to .

P A RT II .

I NTRO DU CTI O N O f the blac k art its elf ; wh at i t

.

re al ly i s why there are s everal diffe ri ng

,

practi ce s of i t in the s everal parts Of the

world and wh at th os e practi c e s are ; as
,

also wh at i s containe d i n i t i n ge neral

,
. 215

CH AP I
. . O f modern m agi c o r the blac k art as ,

now i n its practi c e an d p erfe cti on .

CH AP II
. . scene ch ange d ; th at as the D evil
Th e
acte d at rst w ith hi s black art wi th out the
m agi c i ans s o the m agi c i ans s ee m to carry i t
,

o n now w i th out the D evil .

CH A P III
. . O f th e pre s ent pre tenc e s Of t h e m agi ,

c ian s : h ow the y d efe nd the m s el ve s ; and

some exam pl e s Of their practi c e .

CH A P I V
. . Of the doctrin e o f S pirits as i t i s under
stood by the m agi ci ans h ow far i t may b e
suppos e d the re m ay b e an intercours e wi th
superi or b eings with out any fam il i arity
,

with the D evil or evil spirits ; with a trans

,

iti o u to the pre s e nt ti m e s .

 C O NT ENTS . xvi i

CH AP V
. . Of the m agi c of the pres ent tim e as i t ,

stands stripp e d i n the last ch apter fro m all ,

the pre tenc e s o f the m agi ci ans and the de ,

l u sio n s o f hell o f wh at l ength i t h as gon e ,

or i s l ike to go i n de ludi n m an ki nd ; wh at
, g
the m agici ans can do and th at they re ally
,

have now no conve rs e with the D evil at al l :

S O th at the art b ei ng at an e n d the hi s tory ,

co m e s to an e nd Of cours e .

CH A P V I
. .Of rai s ing the D evil b y m agi cal op er a :

ti ons ; whe the r the m agi ci ans re ally h ave

such a powe r o r no and if they h ave whe
, ,

ther i t i s perform e d as an art and by the ,

cons equenc e Of m agi cal e xp eri m e nts o r ,

whe ther it i s by conc ert and m utual cons e nt

b etwee n S atan and the m agi ci ans .

CH A P V II S eeing as the m agicians p r e t e n d they do

. .
, ,

not de al with the D evil o r rai s e th e D evil

,

wh o i t i s the y do de al wi th h o w thei r cor

,

re sponde nc e i s m anage d and why do the y

,

deal with go o d sp irits by conjurings and

,

the blac k art ?

 A SYS T E MOF MAGIC .

INTR OD U CTI O N .

Of the m e a ning of the t e r ms ; who a nd wha t hin d

e o le th e m a gic ia n s w e r e , a n d h o w th e w o r ds
o
f p p
m a ic
or m a icia n w r i in a ll d
g g e re o
g y u n e r

s t ood .

B EFO R E I come t o the main end of this u n de r t ak

ing which is p la i nly laid down in my titl e it is n e
, ,

ce s s ar y to explain t he terms and to determin e ful ly

,

what is a nd i s not to be unders t ood by Magic th e ,

Black Ar t and such like hard words as we S hall

,
-

be obliged to make fr e qu e nt use of as w e go along .

I am willing to suppose my r e ad e rs not so unac

u ain t e d with the ancien t usage as n o t to know
q ,

th at the w ord magic had a quit e di fferent s ign i

cation in former t i m e s from what it is now applied
,

to ; and that the p e ople who stud i ed or professed

th at which we n ow c all magic were qu it e another,

sort of folk th a n those wort h y g e ntlemen who now

,

apply thems elves to that profess i on .

In a wor d a mag i cian was no more or l e ss in th e

,

anci e nt Chald e an times th an a math e matic i an a

, ,

man of science who stor e d with knowl e dge and

, ,

l e arnin g as learning went in those days was a kind

, ,

of walk i n g diction a ry to other p e opl e and instructed ,

the rest Of mankind in any nicet ie s and difcult i es

which occurred to them and which they wanted to
,

be informed about ; and in this s e nse we are to be

S M
. . B
2 A S YS TEM OF MAG I C .

unders t ood when we Speak of the magici a ns in

E gypt in Persia in Babylon 8 m
, , , .

T h us when any om e ns ill Signs and t ok ens , , ,

dreams or other strange things happ e ned in those

, ,

tim e s whether publi cly m the a i r or particular t o

, ,

persons and fam il i es we nd not only th e ord i nary ,

people bu t e v e n kings and princes s e nt im m e di

,

ately for the magic i ans and the w i s e men th e south ,

say e rs & c to tell them wh at the m e aning Of such

, .
,

th i ngs was .

These magicians are explain e d on many occasion s

by th e term O f wise men and that t e rm again by ,

m e n o f knowl e dg e and more than ordinary under ,

standi n g Me n in a word who studi e d nature

.
, , ,

look e d up into and made Observations from th e

, ,

motions O f th e stars and other heav e nly bodies and ,

who as it is said in the S cr i ptur e s understood th e

, ,

Signs of the times th e fac e of th e heavens a nd the

, ,

inu e nces of th e sup e rior luminaries ther e ; who

s e arched into th e arcan a of natur e and were ,

m ast e rs of p e rhaps a littl e e xperim e ntal philosophy ;

I say a little for r e asons which I shall repeat pre
,

s e n t ly .

It was no impropriety in Sp ee ch to call such a s

thes e wis e m e n at t h at t ime thou gh p e rh aps th e u t ,

most Of th e ir knowl e dg e might arr ive to no mor e

t h an what w e would n ow j ustly call supercial Be .

cause at that tim e the k nowl e dg e of nature was

v e ry gr ee n and young in the world ; and the philo
sop h er of thos e tim e s if h e was to b e rat e d by th e ,

r ul e s men ar e pl e as e d to j udg e by at this time ,

would b e som e thi n g lik e ou r l e arn e d friend sir Th o .

J whose particul a r honour it was to be a doc t or

among fools and a fool among doctors
, .

To th e s e magic i ans m e n w e nt o n th e several o c ,

cas i ons hint e d as abov e for th e solution Of doubtful ,

questions ; to be resolv e d and d i r e ct e d in difcult

a n d intric at e undertakings ; to be advised in thi ngs
 A SYS TE M OF MA G I C . 3

Of moment ; and th e s e w e re th e refore cal le d sages

first and for a long tim e ; and aft e rwards magi
, ,

from the gr e atn e ss of th e ir wisdom H e nce t he .

wise statesmen to whom the gov e r nm e nt of the

Me d i an interregn u m was committ e d w e r e called
magi ; as w i se men t o wh om alon e it was t to in
trust s o important an article a s that of th e govern
m ent of an e mpir e .

Thus afterwards in th e Israelit e s times their, ,

wise men w e re called by another but v e ry s ign i

cant nam e Or t erm viz s e ers a word aft e rwards ,
.
, ,

h eld in such v e nerat i on that they though t t to ,

bestow it upon th e ir prophe ts who also wer e call e d ,

seers though aft e rwa rds th ey O bta i n e d a sup e rior

,

title nam ely that of man o f G o d But b e for e

, ,
.

that I say t h e wis e r m e n w ere call e d se e rs ; and this

,

is m ost e xpressly s i gni e d in that e m i nent t e xt ,

1 S am ix 9 wh e r e it is said that b e for e t i m e th e y

. .
,

u sed to say when they want e d to inqu i r e o f G o d ,

that is to inqu ir e about anyth i n g di fficult Co m e a n d

, ,

le t u s go t o th e s e e r that is to the magician th e , , ,

wise man the proph e t or what else you pl e as e to

, ,

call him .

It i s plain from the sam e text also that they

sometimes w e nt to those people call e d se e rs upon
m e aner inquiri e s ; for t hey took it for granted t h at
thos e se e rs d e alt in all s e cr e t matt e rs ; t h us Ah az i a h
sen t to Baal z e bub wh e n h e was sick to know i f h e
-
,

should l iv e or d i e 2 Kings i 2 3 and so t he k i n g

,
.
,

of S yria s captains told their mast e r that Elisha

th e prop h et told th e king O f Isra e l what h e d i d in

his b e d c h amb e r 2 Kin gs v i 1 2 An d to br i n g it
-
,
. .

down to a m e an e r cas e still ; e ve n wh e n S aul

want e d but to nd his father s lost ass e s o r cattl e ,

his s e rv ants s aid to him Le t u s go a n d in qu ir e of ,

t h e s e e r ; and SO they d id a n d found news O f ,

them .

Li kewise it appe a rs by the same t ext that t h os e ,

B 2
4 A S YST EM O F MAG I C .

Seers or prophe t s or magi made an employment

, , ,

of it that it was their business to t ell men of their

,

lost goods direct them in th e ir way foretell Of their

, ,

health and the lik e ; and that th e y made a liv eli

,

hood or tr a de of it ; therefor e when S aul s servant
proposed to him to go to the seer S aul made a dif ,

c u lt y O f it because he had nothing t o gi v e him ;

as if he sho uld have said I ha ve no money in my ,

pocket and no t a loaf O f br e ad to gi ve the cunning

,

man or seer and how should I exp e ct that he

,

Should give me any account of my cattle for

n othing Then wh e n the s e r v ant told h i m he had
a fourth par t of a Sh ekel Of silver in h i s purse ,

( which by th
,
e way was not abov e seven
, pence half -

p enny or thereabouts ) S a u l was mighty glad r e

, , ,

solving to give the low prized magician or prophet -

th at v a st fee to t ell him what was become of his

,

fath e r s a sses .

It s ee ms the lawyers fees were not S O high in
those days as th e y ha v e b e en Sinc e ; for if he h a d
not had that pi e c e Of silv e r p e rhaps about as big a s ,

an E nglis h groat I say if h e had not had that a

, , ,

coupl e of h alf p e nny b ar le y l oav e s It seems woul d hav e

-

be e n as good and have done as w ell ; those lo a ves

,

being not usually b i gg e r than o u r h alf penny or at -

bes t th a n our penny wh e aten brown bread lo aves

are now .

Again ; yo u nd when Ben hadad king of Dam a scus -

sent to Elisha th e prophet to know if h e should live

or die h e sent t h e prophet a pr e sent forty camels
, ,

loaden with all the good things of D am a scus ,

2 Kings viii 9 A large fee ! But it is t o be s u p

. .

posed th e gift Sent was not suited to the prophet

,

SO much as to the sender ; h e gave as a king ; but

still we nd th e s ee rs w e re supposed to mak e th e

ga in th e ir business .

Th a t i t was t he s ame thing with the magi b e ,

for e t h at we h a ve no re a son t o doub t though we

, ,
 A SYS T EM OF MAG I C . 5

h ave no part icular in story r elating t o th at part .

But w e nd thos e southsay e rs magicians and wise , ,

men who were s e nt for by Pharaoh king of E gypt

, , ,

to int e rpr e t his dr e am w e r e to hav e rec e ived gr ea t ,

rewards if th e y had given satis faction to th e king ;

,

and Joseph we see d i d receive gre a t rew ards as

, , ,

well as honour On that account , .

Again afterwards in the case of Ne b u ch adn e z ,

zar s dr e am th e re is a su fcient testimony th a t
,

those wis e men astrolog e rs magicians & c were, , ,

.
,

est ee med n ot t o b e wizards and dealers with the

De v il but only (as I have explained the word abov e)
,

mere philosophers or wis e men men of l e arning , ,

a nd knowledge men of sci e nc e and of Skill in the

,

works o f nature ; for wh e n th e k i ng demand e d of

them t o t ell him not only th e interpretation of the
dr e am but the dream its e lf and thr e at e ned th e m
, ,

with d e at h in case t he y fail e d to p e rform it th e y ,

expostulate with the king upon the unr e asonable

ness of the propos al as a thing th a t no king in the ,

world would e xpect from th e m and that w a s n ot in ,

t h e power of natur e to perform

As if they had said Does your maj es t y think we ,

deal with t h e Devil th at yo u sh ould e xp e ct such a ,

pi e ce O f work as this from us It is not in the pow er

Of any or of all the wise men or philosophers in
, ,

the world a nd therefor e it cannot be imagined we

,

should do it ; but l e t the k i ng tell us the dr e am ,

and then we wi ll interpret it and that s as much as ,

man can do .

It is plai n from henc e no t only that th e magi ,

o r mag i c i ans in thos e days w e re not really con

j ur e r s and dealers with t he D e vil but that th e y ,

w e r e ju n d e r s t oo d to b e what we may call scholars ,

m e n of l earning of wisdom a nd O f a superior u n

, ,

d e r s t a n din g : so wh e n the king calls for Dan ie l to

prefe r him i t is said h e did it because a n e xce lle n t
,

s ir it w a s f ou n d in h im and i anothe place i t i s

p n r
6 A S YS TE M OF MAG I C .

s a id tha t the sp ir it of th e ho ly Go ds w a s in h im
,

wh e r e as at the sam e tim e it is certain that the king

est e emed him as o n e O f the magi c i ans nay and h e ,

was s e t ov e r th e m as th e chi e f and gov e rnor of all

the r e st Ce rta i nl y th e n th e y d i d not take those
.

magicians to be what w e hav e since understood O f

ours viz d e alers with th e Devil and so rcer e rs
,
.
, , ,

such as ought to b e pun i sh e d for having or using

u nlawful arts and practices with e vil spir i ts and the

lik e
.

Had this b e en the common Opi ni on of them they ,

would have b e en tr e ated after another manner ,

both th e n and in aft e r a ges ; for not only among

-

th e Jews but in other nat i ons such a s w e call now

, ,

magicians w e re punish e d as crim i nals .

But to go back a littl e to originals and t o fet ch ,

up knowl e dge fr om th e fountain : man born ign o ,

rant arriv e s to v e ry littl e knowl e dg e but what com e s

,

by o n e of thes e two chann e ls .

F irst Long e xp e ri e nce study and application

, , , .

S econdly T e aching and instr u ction from those

,

that went b e fore .

I shall insist only upon the last and that parti ,

c u l ar ly for the sak e of what was ant e dil u vi an The .

most e arly kn owl e dg e wh i ch mank ind obtained in

those days is suppos e d to be by t e aching im m e di
,

a tely from heav e n ; for exampl e : Adam and E ve s

mouths w e r e op e n e d a t the same tim e with their

eyes an d they could sp e ak and kne w what lan
, ,

guag e to sp e ak as soon as th e y were made

, .

Bu t it is most c e rtain also that all th e Speaking ,

world since Adam and E v e learnt it succ e ssi ve ly

from th e m by mere imitation O f sounds t e ach ing
, ,

of par e nts and nurses and th e l i k e , .

Aft er Adam his posterity having l e arn t t o speak

,

immediat e ly from him and S O to convers e with o n e

,

a noth e r a consummat e acquired knowledge in se

,

ver al o t her t hings quick ly followed ; p ar ticul ar ar t s

 A SYS T EM OF MAG I C . 7
and s c1 e n ce s wer e e ith e r taugh t by inspiration from
h e av e n or attain e d by the exqu i sit e capaciti e s of
,

their minds ; on e hav i ng a g e n i us to th i s another ,

t o that kind of knowl e d ge as on e to mus i c anoth e r ,

to work i ng in and nd i ng ou t m e tals and m i nerals

in th e e arth th e n melt i ng r e n i ng casting and
, , , ,

other op e rations and improv e m e nts as knowl e dge ,

ca me in by the door of e xp e riment .

Adam s post e r i ty (I mean his particular house or

family) learnt to speak more immed i at e ly from him

a n d E ve th e ir mot h er by mere imitation o f sounds
, ,

as we do to this day from one ano t h e r .

But having thus O btained sp e ech from their im

m e diate parents all oth e r ac q u i r e d knowl e dge m e n
,

t ion e d above such as O f th ei r i mpro ve m e nt O f cul

,

ture discoveri e s in nature and the lik e s e em e d to

, , ,

be the cons e quenc e 1 O f a vehement and in flam e d

, .

desire aft e r knowl e d ge plant e d i n the i r minds by ,

nature i ts e lf ; an inquiring disposit i on ; be i n g s e ns

ible Of a vast treasur e hidden in nature apt for dis
co v e r y and which
,
as it w e re waited only for the
, ,

s e arch in order to O p e n itself to their vi e w for the

,

general good 2 A vast capacious understandin g

. .

tted for that search and which we hav e r e ason to

,

b eliev e the ant e d iluv ian fathers wer e mor e than or

d in ar ily furnish e d wit h gu i ding the m d i r e ctly to ,

the s e arch after and into all th e arcana of nature ,

with a readiness and accuracy so point e d as if th e y ,

had be e n b eforehand instruct e d what to search for ,

how to search for i t and where to nd it 3 A , . .

secret inspir a tion from heav e n llin g t h em with or , ,

at l e ast d i recting them to th e knowledge of things ,

in a mor e than ordi nary manner .

N B W e cannot doubt but were there n ow to

. .

app e ar a man p e rfe ctly untaught no t h avin g con ,

v ers e d at all with men taught and instructed befor e

him and yet should hav e a treasure O f such know
,

ledge in h i s mind exerting itself in a ction to such a

,
8 A SYS T EM OF MAG I C .

degree a s w a s ordinary to the pat riarchs o f the

a ntedil u vian age we should presently give him up
,

for a magician in the grossest acc eptation Of the

word and say in Short that h e deals with the Devil
, , , .

Bu t be it so or not and let the consummate know

,

ledg e Of those patr i archs come which way it will ,

and b e as great as it will or a s you will suppose it

,

to b e this is certain it died with them ; it w as

, ,

all drown e d in th e ood the postdiluvian age in

,

h e r it e d very little o f it ; or if th e y did it w as ,

drowned again in the ood of vice and wickedness ,

which almost as soon overspread the worl d a s the ,

people d i d the plains Of Sh in aar and much sooner ,

than th ey Spr e ad the rest of the earth with their

posterity however fas t they mul tipli e d
,
.

Nor do I wrong th e people Of those rst ages

aft e r th e ood in the least when I s ay they seemed ,

to have lost all that fund of knowl e dge all that ca ,

aciou s understanding and all that sacred inspira

p ,

tion whic h their predecessors th e ant e diluvians

,

w er e masters of ; I need go no further for an ex

a mpl e o f it than the building O f Bab el F or was i t .

possible that anything SO absurd and ridic ul ous

could hav e entered into the thou gh t s of m e n if ,

t hey had no t been sunk i nto an unexpressible d e ge

n e r acy as t o s e nse a mere stupidity o f understand
,

ing ? To say nothing of their hav i ng lost all pre

t e nc e to inspiration so far were they from any
,

share of s acred light in it that th e y co uld n ot be ,

said t o have a cted with common sense Bless us ! .

to build a house t o r e ach up to heav e n ! or as we

m ay with more propriety e xpress it to build a ,

st aircase t o go up i nto heav e n by ; and that in

case of anoth e r ood too whi ch adds to the m a d,

n ess of t he design many ways .

.1 They had certainly no no t ion of heaven itself;

n ot to sp e ak Of religious notions of heaven th ey ,

mus t be ent ir ely d ar k a nd stupid as t o t he philo

 A SYS T EM OF MAG I C . 9

Sophy of it ; th e imm e nse d i s t ance the di ffe ring ,

regions the alterat i on of things in their natural

,

c i rcumstances and situation by the way or in the, ,

passa ge .

.2 Th e y had n o und e rstanding O f t heir own con

s t it u t io n o r at l e ast t he y must have very gross and
,

absurd conc eptions a b out it ; as particularly O f th e ir

breathing and subsisting in the reg i ons above the
atmosph e re and in the pure unmixed ether (or
, ,

what else it should b e called ) which th e y who ,

mount e d up t o such h e ight would be sure to me e t

with and i n whic h they m i ght as e as i ly conc e i v e
,

an imposs i bility of br e athin g as th e y could c on ,

c e iv e of th e imposs i bility Of l i vin wit h out breath

g .

.3 Th e y must hav e h ad no notion o f th e nature

o f the ood i tself ; as that o f the power forc e and , ,

w e ight O f the waters when mov i n g in such a

,

collected body ; how u nable anything th e y could

build would b e to resist th e force and n ot b e ,

pr e s e ntly blo wn up a nd driven away by the

stream .

.4 They must be utterly ignorant of th e na t ure

of th e e arth o n wh i ch th e ir building stood ; how no

foundation could be laid S O d ee p or S O rm in it ,

but wh at by th e violenc e of such an immens e oc e a n

O f water wo uld be loos e ned and overwh elm e d and ,

th e fabric by consequenc e be brought down ; the

e arth which upheld it b e ing was he d away .

. 5 Th e y must be wholly ignorant o f wha t ou r

learned theory men insist to have b e en th e cau s e s
-

of the delu e namely an absorption or breaking in

g , ,

o f the surface o f that e a r th which was b e fore a

,

known ca v ity or hollow lled u p with water into ,

wh i ch th e eart h fell with a violence equal to th e

fall O f th e highes t mountain that could be suppos e d
to fall into the low e st subt e rranean deep ; and in
wh i ch cas e the h ei ght and str e ngth and magn i
, ,

tude o f th e ir build i ng could only serve to make

IO A SYS TE M OF MAG I C .

it s fall more violen t more cer ta in a nd mo r e , ,

terrible .

All these things and m a ny more which nat ure , , ,

h a d th e y b ee n capable of consulting it would hav e ,

dict a ted to them th ey must be p e rfectly ignoran t

,

of oth e rwise they could nev e r with a d e l i beratio n ,

a n d long consulting o n e another as th e relation of ,

the story implies have gone abo u t s o ridiculous a

,

piece o f work as that Of Bab el than wh i ch nothing ,

a ttempted by the grossest and dullest fancies on

e arth was ever mor e abominably foolish and ig
n or a n t .

W e r e these the post e ri ty of th e wise antediluvian

a ge ! whose minds wer e inspir e d from heaven and ,

whose understandings were so eminently large and

c apacious ; who s e genius led t h e m to the inventing

the most u seful arts and t o exal t t hem in quest Of ,

the nobl e st parts of sci e nce (such a s music in par ,

t ic ula r and t o make the most rened experiments ,

s uch as the melting mixing separating and r e , , ,

ning Of metals ; and whic h was still as much a s

a ll the rest the nding those metals in the or e a s
, ,

t h e iron the copp e r t h e Silver and the gold of

, , , ,

whic h we nd th ey h ad a complete knowledg e and ,

c ar ried i t o n no doubt t o t h e most usefu l e x p e r i

ments ? Thus Jabal and Jubal for e xampl e the , ,

s ons of Lamech who se v erally applying themselves

, ,

to us eful arts becam e instruct e rs Of th e ir posterity

.

in culture of the e arth husbandry bre e ding of , ,

c at tle Si c O thers w e nd w e r e p r ocie n t s in

,
.
, ,

philosophy and th e stu dy o f nature ; for the doc

,

trine o f sounds is on e Of the nicest p a rts O f ph ilo s o

p hi c al study and w e nd them immediately masters
,

Of m u sic and inventing and instructing oth e rs in

,

makin g the instrum e nts of music and particularly

t h ose nicest and most d iicu lt of all the rest the ,

h a rp and th e organ that is to say wind music

, , ,
-
,

which is voc al ; a nd music by vibr ation which we ,

 A S Y STE M OF MAG I C . 1

call ins t rumental : likewise Tubal Cain their broth e r -

,

who was the rs t ar t i c e r of who m w e may say ,

that h e was a true natural mechanic and the rst ,

an d best tinker in th e world .

In the room of this capacious understanding ,

a nd this inquiring and apply i ng temp e r in thos e

ages behold a stupid g e n e ration ris e n up i n suc
,

cession ; stript a s naked o f the natural glori e s O f

their anc e stors as the e arth was of its natural
,

fruitfuln e ss aft e r th e curse in Paradise ; and inst e ad

o f applying th e mselv e s to us e ful arts and to the ,

acquiring of knowl e dg e grown as indolent as they,

wer e ignorant hav i ng like S olomon s fool no de
, , ,

light in und e rstand i ng .

Instead O f qual i fying thems el ve s to ins truct their

post e rity w e see no marks of wisdom l e ft be h ind
,

t hem t for imitation ; nothi ng th a t could r e c om

mend them to th ei r ch i ldr en for an yth i n g bu t a rac e
o f brutish u npol i shed
, unn i sh e d creatures th a t
, ,

neither understood h e av e n or earth thems el v es or , ,

a nything about them ; that s ee m e d quali e d for

nothing but mer ely as th e r e st O f th e br u tal worl d
,

w e re to propagat e their kind and overspread the

, ,

earth .

Nor in th e ir multiplying th e ir speci e s did they

seem to promise anyt hi ng but to peopl e the world
with a race Of fools as ignorant and sordi d as their
ant e d iluvian pro ge nitors had b e en outrageously
wicked a race that threat e n e d to mak e h e av en as
Sick o f th e m for their folly as it was Of thos e that,

w e nt befor e th e m for their corruptions and ab om in

a bl e vic e s ; and that might be as l ik ely to hav e
brought a d el u ge upon th em for th ei r obstinat e u m
tractabl e i gnorance as th e other had be e n for their
,

rebell i on and loos e n e ss had not G od s promise n ot

,

to d e stroy the world any more b e en th e ir s e ,

c u r it y .

Nor ind e ed were th ey less corrupt their cap a ,

12 A SYS T EM OF MAG I C .

cities considered than the old world whose agr ant

, ,

crim e s had invol v ed them in a general d e struction ;

and i f th e y fell short in anything it was for want O f ,

wit not for want of wickedn e ss

, .

This app e ars in all their subsequ e n t conduc t ,

fro m th e rst p e opling of th e world aft e r Noah to ,

that foolish Bab el building age I Speak of In the

-
.

Old world w e fo u nd that at l e ast for a time men

, , ,

began to call on the name of the Lord ; and the

patriarchs Of that age w e r e famous for pi e ty Of ,

whom it is said as partic ularly Of E noch that he

, ,

w a lk e d w ith G od an emphatic S i gn icant e x

pression which ou r le arn e d comm e ntators have
,

sp e nt a gr e at d e al o f tim e i n expati ating upon and

explaining T he S criptur e again expresses this
.

walking with Go d t o be an act Of faith and quotes ,

it H e b xi 5 a s a glorious example of such fa i th as

, . .
,

w a s rewarded with a n immediat e translation of the

person into h e aven : H e w a s n o t f o r God took ,

h im and from which the most e xquisitely and ac

c om pl is h e dl
y whimsica -
l M r A s ill formed his new
g .

syst e m of going the near e st way (home ) t o he a ven

by the furthest way about a ery chariot instead of ,

dying ; as if the form e r were no t a change as well

a s the latter and as if H ea ven h a d n o t already made
,

the best choice for us but thoug h h e suffered

martyrdom for his s chem e (having been expelled
th e parliam e n t O f two king d oms for it ) we do no t ,

nd h e has y e t had the b e net Of his proj ect so we ,

must wait till h e is ple ased to m a ke th e e x pe

r iment .

Bu t to retu r n t o the antediluvians : the ol d worl d ,

I s ay as wicked as th ey were had some shadow Of

, ,

g ood in th e m an d for some years n ay some hun

, , ,

dr e ds o f y e ars th e y ma intained the character o f the

,

sons of G od before th e y w e r e d ebauched by t h e

,

d aughters Of men ; that is to say b e fore they bl e nded ,

the r a ce with the corr up t seed Of Ca in a nd min gled , ,

 A SYS TE M OF MAG I C . 13

blood with idolater s Wh ere by the way w e h ave

.
, ,

a n accurate description O f th e t i m e s I m e an in thos e ,

e arly days Of th e race ; it is evident it was j ust then

as it is now the ladies were th e devils O f th e age
,

the beauties th e toasts the ne faces w e re the baits ;

, , ,

th e h ell lay conceal e d in th e smil e s of the charm i ng

s e x ; th e y wer e th e magicians taking the word i n it s ,

present acceptation and its gross e st s e nse th e re lay

th e witc h craft and its force was SO irresistibl e that
, ,

it d rew in even the son s Of G od j ust in a word a s , , ,

it do e s now and of which I s h all hav e occasion to

,

Sp e ak again at large as w e go on In th e m e an .

time I d e sc e nd with the story to the next genera

,

t i on
.

The ant e diluvians might ha v e something O f r e

l igio n in th e m how eve r fatally mixed with crime ;
,

but as for th e new good for nothin g race we hardly - -

,

read O f anything th at e v e r was to be fo u nd among

them that may b e call e d valuabl e fr om Noah h im ,

s e lf do wnward ; and eve n Noah h ims el f, we all know ,

fell into the d e bauc he ries O f wine and if you will ,

believe tradition continued in it a hundred years

,
.

Now from him and from his immediate race natur e

, ,

seemed prepar e d for the utmost deg e neracy for ,

they fell into all manner of cr i m e s nay into th e , ,

worst crimes rst ; for they d i d n ot b e gi n low and ,

s in gradually but immediat e ly aft e r th e drunk e nness

,

Of Noah hims e lf his posterity degen e rat e d into

,

i dolatry or rath e r return e d to it ; for som e think

,

a nd tha t not without probability enough that Noah s ,

sons w e r e idolat e rs b e for e the ood and w e re s a v e d ,

in the ark such was th e will of G od m e r ely for b e ing

, ,

th e posterity or prog e ny of a right e ous fath er ; if so ,

then t hey only returned to the idolatry which they

h ad b ee n practised in before .

But b e t h at as it will it is certain th at the poste

,

rity of Noah fell imm e diat ely into idolatry and th at ,

all his wis e dictates which he gave to hi s children ,

14 A SYST EM OF MAG I C .

which for s o m a ny ag e s were pres e rved by or al t r a

duction and were called the precepts of N oah had
, ,

n o su fficient e ffe ct upon th e m to prevent that h a ted

s in Of idolatry no not even while h e was alive

, , .

I t is worth Observing here indeed w e re it not t oo ,

gr ave for your reading how e ffectu ally Noa h by the

, ,

horrid d e fection of his own morals in that o n e act of

drunkenness I say how e ffe ctually h e shut the door
,

against the force of all his o w n fu ture instructions

he was till th e n indeed a preach e r of righteousness
, , ,

and had been so to the antediluvian world for near

s ix hundr e d y e ars ; but after that he might preach ,

ind ee d if he wo uld b u t what regard wo u ld h e O btain

, ,

when th e d ebauch e d i nstruct e r had exposed himself

by his drunkenness to the ridicul e inst e ad O f the
rev e r e nce Of his posterity an d when th e drunken ,

monitor by h i s own practic e had rendered hi s in

, ,

s t r u c t io n s fruitl e ss and r i d i culous ?

How j ustly m i ght the y b i d h i m hold his t ongu e ,

a n d go and reform h i s l i fe b e for e h e pr e tended to,

instruct them ! bid him rst learn t he pr e cepts he

ta u ght and show them by his exampl e what it was
, , ,

he would hav e th e m practise ! how m i ght th ey

upbraid him w i th e xhorting th e m to b e sob e r while ,

he w e nt drunk to b e d ! exh orting th e m to modesty

and vi rtue whil e he app e ared i n the most scandalous
,

mann e r l y ing drunk i n h i s t e nt and h is nakedn e ss

, ,

expos e d to the banter and imp i ous j est of hi s gran d

son Ham !
How must it cover his face with bl u shes t o nd ,

h e had dishonour e d by his e xample th e d octrine Of

, ,

sobriety which h e had preached to his chi ldren who ,

were t h er e by brought to mock him rather than to ,

listen to h i m and to make ballads of him rather

, ,

than copy his prec e pt for their imitation !

But I say this is a subj ect too sol e mn for the age
, , ,

and you will pr e sently t e ll m e I am going to writ e a

comment upon the ninth ch apter of G enesis S O I .
 A SYS TE M OF MAG I C 15 .

le ave it for you to consid e r O f and ret urn t o th e ,

chronology of early w i ckedness in the postdiluvi a n

world .

No ah being thus disabled by his own falling into

,

crim e from instructing his post e rity what was th e

, ,
?
cons e quence He liv e d to see the m run h e adlong
into that worst of all crimes i dolatry and th e , ,

worship O f G od sunk as it w e r e o u t of the world ,

ev e n in his ow n time and b e fore his ey e s

, .

This is ev ide n t from Abraham whom th e S cripture,

acknowledge s to h av e been not a n i dolat e r only but ,

even br e d up in idolatry wh i l e h e li v ed In M esopo

tamia ; and it is c e rta i n Abraham w a s born abov e
fty years b e for e Noah di e d : so t h at Noah li ve d to
s e e his post e rity d e g e nerat e d i nto idolatry not all ,

his preachin g or pract i c e b e ing abl e to pr eve nt it .

Hav i ng thus se e n all th e w i ck e dn e ss of t h e Old

world r ev iv e d i n its n e w i nhab i tants without th e ,

wit and capaciti e s wh i ch th ey h ad b e for e ; an d th e

race being thus e nt i r ely deg e n e rat e d w e must begin ,

all ou r historical account of th e m with taking them

j ust as w e nd them and that w i ll bring us d i r e ctly
,

to the subj ect I propos e .

Th e rac e b ei n g thus as I have sai d stript n aked

, ,

of the beauti e s O f th e ir ancestors wheth e r i n matters,

O f s e ns e and und e rstanding or i n matt e rs of pi e ty

,

and r el i g i on and runn i n g on i nto all mann e r o f

,

foolish and simpl e as w ell as wick e d e xc e sses it is ,

n o t at all wond e rfu l i f wh e n any part i cular person

,

app e ared mor e than ordinary know i ng or but a lover ,

Of and search e r aft e r knowled ge and w i sdom such a ,

p e rson was h onour e d in a mor e t h an ord i nary mann e r ,

was r eve r e nced as an e xtraord i nary m an e xalted in ,

th e common e st ee m when al ive and p e rh aps placed ,

amon g th e stars after his d e ath ; th a t h e wh o shin e d

i n th e ir e st ee m wh en l ivi ng m i ght b e suppos e d to
,

be made immortal at hi s d e ath and to be exalted to,

shine in a highe r orb i t .

16 A SYS TE M OF MAG I C .

Hence i t became a vulgar error among the rs t

ages b u t was riv e ted s o fast in the minds of men
, ,

that nothing could persuade them not to belie ve it ,

v iz that th e stars were all th e transpar e nt bright

.
,

souls Of their wise ancestors who for their virtue ,

and wisdom wer e ex al ted by th e immortal pow e rs t o

a s t ation of glory and were made to Shine in that
,

m anner for t h e furthe r enlight e ning th e world to ,

whom th ey had been so b e n e ce n t when th e y were

here ; and from h e nce it came at last th at all their , ,

great men and especially their kings wer e thus

, ,

reverenced a nd exalted whether th e y wer e good ,

men or no .

It could not b e but that in proc e ss of time as th e

, ,

world grew populous though th ey had none Of the ,

rare parts an d exalted und e rstandings of th e a n t e di

luvian p a triarchs yet th e re would be some men O f
,

a more rened ge n i us and of more capacious souls ,

than others S urely th e world would no t be all

.

fools or not all equally and alik e so ; nor can I doubt

,

but that while the gross o f the p e ople went about

that hairbrained preposterous p ie ce Of work which
we call Babel there wer e som e wis e r heads who
,

though they might no t care to Oppose themselves to

t h e pop u lar h u mour o r perhaps to th e ir resentment
, ,

and did no t ridic u l e and mock the undertaking y e t ,

looked on i t with a di fferent view and e ntertained ,

wis e r notions O f thi ngs and consequently (wh e n by ,

the confusions which afterw ards happened among

the builders on a ccount of their sp e ech they were ,

obl i ged to give ov e r their work) might tak e the li

ber ty to expostul ate wi th the m upon th e weakn e ss
o f the design and convince them a fterwards that it
,

was an unlikely impracticable thing : or perhaps

those men had c almly argued that par t wit h them
before and had as far as th e times would bear it
, , ,

declared their sentiments about it ; these men woul d

certa inly Obta in the ch ar a c t er of wise men upon this
 A SYS TE M OF MAG I C . 17

occ a sion and be valued by them a s such upon all

,

subsequ e nt e vents .

AS upon th e confusion Of languages the several

, ,

fam i l i es who und e rs t ood on e another s speech k e p t
togeth e r S O it is very probable they did not s e parate
,

singly e v e ry one runn i ng his own way but by fami

, ,

lies and tr i b e s or by nations a s their speech was

, ,

or was no t understood by o n e another ; and this

w a s directed by Providence no do ubt for it is said , ,

in the text God s ca tte r e d the m up on the f a ce or

, ,

over th e fac e of th e w ho le e a r th
, .

It is not unlikely but t hat when they le ft O ff

building and found th e y were n ot able to p u rsue
,

the design with that imposs ibility they b e gan also

,

to se e i nto the folly and absurdity O f the u n d e r t ak

ing ; and be gan more and mor e e very day to r e ect
upon th ei r stupid i ty in going about i t ; that bein g
withal asham e d of th e work th e y were asham e d Of ,

the place too a n d went every man or tribe o f m e n

, ,

at least th ei r o wn way to get as far ou t O f the

, ,

s i ght of it as they could : I grant indeed that this , ,

i s but my co nj ecture but I th i nk it is a v e ry j ust ,

conj ecture and i t is made on supposition that all

,

wise m e n looked back with regret upon those

actions of t heir lives which t hey have b e en drawn

into and in which th e y have reason t o se e th e m

,

s elv e s mistak e n In short as no man loves to se e

.
,

hims e lf a fool and if h e has done a foolish thing

, ,

does not care to hav e th e remembranc e of it always

in his view ; so generally if h e cannot ge t the Ob
, ,

j e c t r e moved and p u t o u t o f his Sight h e will ,

remove hims e lf from it if he can , .

Upon th i s foo t I cannot doub t but that all the ,

pe ople quitt e d the plain o f Sh in a ar as fast a s th ey

could and run away from the hat e d monum e nt of
,

th e ir Sh am e ; w e would have done so ours e lves ,

and I cannot doubt I say but th e y did SO too , , .

S uppose t he n th e people to be upon their ma r ch ,

s M . . C
18 A S Y S T EM OF MAG I C .

and goin g t o the sever al qu ar t ers Of the world ,

whit her t hey were direct e d to sett le ; a nd let th a t

be whe r e you and s ir Wa lter R aleigh please ; for
th at learned a uthor following S cripture light h as , ,

really m a rsh alled them and laid o u t their sever al ,

rout es a s exactly and authenticly as i f he h a d been

,

commissary gener al and h a d gone befo r e t o provide

-
,

them q u a rters .

Wher e ver I s ay, t hese sever al n ations wen t and

, ,

in wh at country soever they settled and xed their

abode though t he government and mon archy of
,

each division w a s p atriarchal an d her e ditary yet ,

w e Shall nd upon several occasions aft e rward th at ,

they had among the m many particul ar men famous ,

for their wisdom and kn owledge and for their ,

search in t o t h e secrets Of nature whose c on su m ,

m a te wisdom by degrees no t only Obtained for them

a more t han ordin ary reverence a mong the people ,

but in Short brough t the peopl e to subj ect them

, ,

selves t o t heir governmen t an d make some of them ,

kings .

Th u s Ca dmus a Ph oenici a n born bec am e king of

, ,

Thebes in Greece by having Obtained the fame of a

,

wise m a n and one who dedic at ed himself to th e

,

common good of mankind ; s o Prometheus obt a ined

the governmen t of a p ar t o f Armenia and Atlas the ,

like in Africa ; a nd thus sever al others by their ,

w isdom and earnes t se ar c h aft e r kn owledge Ob

, ,

t a in e d the empire and governmen t o f t hose coun

tries where their wisdom was s o conspicuous But .

pray take thi s with yo u as you go that those days ,

are over tha t wisdom crown s no m a n n o w exc e pt

, ,

it be wi th th e rage a nd m alice o f enemies with ,

poverty a nd insult .

Probitas lau datur e t alge t .

Hones ty sh all be p r a ised an d star ved ; wis dom

 A SYS TEM OF MAG I C . 19

and knowledge ar e marks for the men Of power to

shoot at ; to be high an d gre at is to be wise and ,

good .

He th at i s ri ch i s wi s e ,

An d all m e n l e arn e d po ve rty de s pi s e .

But this is but a n e xcurs i on I com e back r e ,

pro v ed th e magi wer e n ot always kin gs or e m

.

p e r or s the wise men and the south sayers the ma ,

g ic ia n s a nd a strol o ge rs
(w h o by the way w e re all
, , ,

bu t on e sort of p e Opl e ) were oft e n tim e s in me a n

,

circumstances a s to money ev e n in thos e gra v er ,

d ays ; they ac te d for the p u blic good ind ee d but it ,

was in conj unction with th e ir o wn inter e st t o o th e y ,

had their rewards for southsaying and divining ; and

wh e n th e king of Syria ask e d h i s servants to go to
E lisha the prophet to inqu i r e for him about his
health he bad e t he m t ake a prese nt in th e ir hand
,

for the man Of God .

I c a nnot indeed say how high prized things w e nt -

in those days and whether wisdom was not und e r

,

rated then a s it is now ; wh e th e r ther e was du e e n

,

c ou r a e m e n t given for th e search or wheth e r wit

g ,

went threadbare and in rags as it does Since ; ,

author s are not agreed upon it inde e d and it may b e ,

h ard to bring them to a point : it is true lat e r and ,

more mod e rn phi losoph e rs learne d to despis e money ,

and S olon prefe rred wisdom and a r e tir e d life to th e

w e alth of Croe sus ; but in th e more e arly tim e s Of
the world th e knowledg e of natur e a nd the study
,

of wisdom as it went then seem e d t o be a c o m m u

, ,

n ic at iv e good which ther e fore as t hey that reaped

, , ,

the benet of it ought to pay for and d i d s o so th e ir ,

wise men grew in tim e mercenar y and mean as in

, , ,

oth e r plac e s .

This leads me to the times wh e n the primiti ve

wisdom o f thos e e arly days beginning as I sa i d to , ,

be mor e common and that t he magi had communi

,

C2
20 A SY ST EM OF MAG I C .

c at e d m u ch Of their knowledge t o the common

p e opl e those then who still pr e tended to be some
,

thin g b e yond the rest of the world wer e obliged t o ,

go hi gher 1 n their studies and 1 u quir e into nature , ,

v iew th e a spec t Of th e heave ns calculate the mo ,

tions of th e stars an d e specially dw e l l upon th e ir

,

inuenc e s in human a ffairs which is Since c alled ,

astrology .

By this study they O btained the n ame of south

say e rs and astrologers a dd e d to that of m agicians
, ,

which th e y had b efore : and o n the foot O f thes e

stu d ies th e y interpreted dreams e xplained good ,

and bad om e ns foretold events and perhaps played

, ,

some l e gerd e main tricks t o o to impose upon the ,

world as th e ir worthy successors do to this day ;

,

and in a word it is likely they did all thos e thin gs

, ,

t h en which thes e p e opl e do now of whom we say

, , ,

with more fr e edom perhap s than tr uth that they ,

deal with th e Devil .

No t that those people were ch arged a t least not ,

y e t with any criminal conversation with the Old

,

g e ntl e man ; n or if I underst a nd h o w the case stood

,

with S atan at that tim e had h e any manner of o c ,

casion for them but did h i s busin e ss q uit e another

,

way ; for the Devil had altars a n d t e mpl e s of h is

ow n was a nother kind o f a king i n those days tha n
,

he has app e ar e d to be s i nce : then h e gave a udi e nce

in form Of a d e ity a nd saw hims e lf worshipp e d lik e
,

a god almost throughout th e whol e world : here ,

und e r th e name of Baal ; t here M oloch ; here in ,

o n e manner there in a nother : nor had th e G od of

,

heaven on e temple in th e world wh e n the Devil h a d ,

a gre a t many scatter ed here and there almost in ,

every n ation I assure you however modern

.
,

writers t h ink t to repr e sent him he scorn e d in ,

those days to go about like a poor Shabby o u t at -

heels devil as h e has done since and may perh a ps

, ,

be n ow NO he a ppe ared in stat e a nd a s he

.
, ,
 A SY STE M OF MA G I C . 21

usurped divine honours SO h e mad e a gure su i t ,

able to h i s usurpation and had h i s shrines and his

,

v o t a ri e s his pr i ests and his plac e s of worsh i p i n

, ,

whatev e r Shapes or places h e pleased to be w or

sh i pped in thus as Dagon h e had a hous e of sol e mn ,

wors h ip at Ashdod 1 S am v 2 ; an d as Baal zebub

, . .
-
,

at E kron and th e l i ke
,
.

Now as the Devil had thus th e governm e nt of th e

whole world in h is own h and and t h at h e was almost , ,

in the v e ry lett e r o f i t th e G od Of th e world SO h e

, ,

had no n ee d at that time to employ secr e t agents ,

an d work by way of fam i liars or pr i vate intell i g e nc e ,

as h e does s i nc e ; nor to do th e hon e st m e n j ust i c e

, ,

had any of th e south say e rs and magic i ans and thos e ,

which w e r e at rst call e d th e ir w i s e m e n any con ,

v ersation with th e D e vil at all no or w i th any of , ,

his works ; th ey carr ie d on no bus i n e ss for him .

But t he y w e re m e n of t h ough t o r if you pleas e , , ,

men of d ee p e r t h inking than t h e ordinary sort : th e y

studied the sc ie nc e s and i nquired i nto us e ful things
, ,

searched th e works of natur e and pro vi denc e stud i ed ,

th e meaning and end of t h ings th e caus e s an d ,

ev e nts and consequ e ntly w e r e abl e to s e e furthe r

,

into th e ordinary course and caus e s both of things

about th e m and things abo ve th e m than other m e n
, ,
.

In the study O f astronomy th e y soon found th e ,

secr e t inuences of the stars upon the surfac e of th e

earth upon plants and animals n ay u pon both man
, , ,

and b e ast : as for exampl e how t he growth and ,

virtu e s Of e arthly bod i es w e r e gu i d e d and gov e rn e d

by th e h e av e nly and how e v e n the e ve nts o f t h e
,

gr e at e st mom e nt o n e arth oft e nt i m e s ob e y e d th e

force O f those h e ave nly bodi e s ; th ei r conj unct i ons ,

oppositions near or remot e pos i t i ons r e volut i on s

, ,

and app e arances ; and accordingly th ey wer e capabl e

O f ma k ing such probabl e conj e ctur e s of t h ings not
yet com e to pass as wer e amaz i n g and surpr i s i n g to
,

the rest of the world and by which t hey took th em

22 A SYST EM OF MAG I C .

e ither for men lled with s a cred knowledge a n d that ,

thos e things wer e communicat ed to them imme diately

from hea v e n or that however th ey go t it they h ad
, , ,

a prophetic knowl e dg e o f what Should come to p a ss ,

an d could for e t e ll e v ents even before the apparen t

caus e s w e re ordinarily known .

Thi s gav e the common people an e xtraordinary

ven e ration for the persons O f thos e magicians and
wise m e n a s th e y had an awful notion of their ex
,

c e e din wisdom and knowledg e Thus N e b u ch a d

g .

n e z z ar aft e r h e h ad e xalted the prophet Dani e l t o

,

be th e chi e f of his wise men stooped to him with a ,

k i nd O f r eve rence and b e gins his addr e ss n ot like

,

that of a tyrant th e t e rror O f the world as he at

, ,

that time really was but as on e that had an awe ,

upon his mind of the great resp e ct he ought t o Show

to a person div inely i nspired as Dani el was S ee , .

the t e xt Dan iv 9 0 B e lte s h a z z a r m a s t e r of th e

. .
,

m a gic ia n s b e c a u s e I k n o w t h a t th e sp ir it of th e h o ly
,

g o d s is in th e e
c A n d SO in the 8 t h verse o f the
,
r .

same chapter : A t la s t D a n ie l c a m e in b efo r e m e ,

w h os e n a m e is B e lte s h a z z a r af t e r th e n a m e of m y,

Go d a n d in w h o m is t h e Sp ir it of th e h o ly go d s
, .

Th e se were th e magician s of t h e rst a ges Of the

worl d and such was t h e O pinion which the people
,

had o f them in those days ; not that they were

conj ur e r s or cunning m e n or such sort of people a s
, ,

we now c all th e m but were men who at that time ,

knew more than the ordinary rat e O f knowledge in

struct e d oth e rs to know and wer e e ndu e d from ,

h e av e n with e xtraordinary degrees of wisdom above

other m e n Nor was th e r e spect paid to them equ al
.
,

but more or less in degre e accord i n g to the p a rticular

,

degrees of s a cred i nspiration whic h they were sup

posed t o hav e Thus in the case Of the prophet
.

Dani el as above the king treats him n ot as a

, ,

magician only nor as the chief of the magician s only

, ,

but as a m a n lled with higher degrees Of wisdom

 A S Y S TEM OF MAGI C . 23

and knowledge th an a ny nay than all the res t O f th e , ,

magicians Of the age pu t together a s appears Dan , .

i v 1 8 : Now thou 0 B e lte s h a z z a r d e c la r e th e in

.
, ,

t e rp r e ta t ion the r e of (that is o f the dream ) f o r a s

, ,

m u ch a s a ll th e w is e m e n of m y hingd o m a r e n o t
a ble t o m a he hn ow n u n to m e th e in te rp r e t a tion, b u t
th o u a r t a b le , f or th e s
p ir it
f
o th e h oly go ds is in
the e .

This is s t ill further explained in th e next chapt e r ,

and in the transactions of the nex t reign : I say it

i s further and fully explained to my purpose v iz as , .

to what was the people s opinion O f th e se magici ans ,

a s well as t h e ir king The story is very particular . .

It was in the r e ign o f Belshazzar th e son and suc ,

cessor a ccord in g to some O f the great N e b u ch adn e z

, ,

zar king of Babylon ; when th e king saw a hand

,

come ou t and writin g words upon th e wall see th e

, ,

t e xt Dan v 7 : Th e hing c r ie d a lou d t o b r ing in

. .

th e a s t r o loge r s , t h e Ch a ld e a n s a n d th e s oo ths a y e r s
, ,

to r ea d th e w r it ing W hy were these call e d but as ,

they were men Of fame for their learning in r e adin g ,

str a nge characters men O f skill in languages and ,

books which in those d ays the common peopl e knew

,

lit tle or nothi ng of P

Well all the l earn e d m e n of the kingdom were
,

a ccordingly c alled t og e ther bu t none o f th e m could ,

answer th e end ; n o notwithstand i ng all t he great ,

rewards promised them V e r 8 Th e n c a m e in a ll . . .

t h e hings w is e m e n that is to s ay th e Flam st e a ds , ,

the s ir Isaacs t he Hall eys th e W h ist on s

, of th e , ,

a ge b u t they cou ld n o t r e a d the w r iting

,
and ,

what follows ? Th e n w a s the hing B e ls h a z z a r gr e a t ly

t r ou b le d , a nd his c ou n te n a n ce w a s ch a nge d in h im .

Nor is th a t all, bu t the t ex t adds, a n d h is lor d s w e r e

a s t on ie d .

I t s e ems they though t t hose wise men kne w every

thing that they had b ee n able to und e rstand all t he
,

l anguages in the world and that t herefore if t h ey ,

24 A S Y S TE M OF MAG I C .

could no t r ead it i t must be something supern at ur al

, ,

something om above or som e thing from below

, ,

which was worse ; and in those cases i ndeed they

did not expect th e wise men should read it for they ,

did not suppose those wise men corr e sponded with

the D e vil or had an e vil spirit They thought in
,
.
,

deed if it d e pended u pon huma n understanding they

, ,

could do it but as t o hi gher things than those they

, ,

did not expect them ; SO the king and his lords beg a n
to be the mor e surpris e d at it But now s e e the .

1 0 t h verse The queen directs th e m to inquire ou t

.

D a ni el and send for him and tells them he would

, ,

certainly r e ad th e writing an d tell them the me a ning

,

or int e rpretation of it S ee the words a t large

. .

No w th e qu e e n by r e a s on of th e w o r d s of th e
,

hing a nd h is lor d s , c a m e t o th e b a n qu e t h ou s e a n d -

t h e qu e e n sp a he a n d s a id , 0 hing , liv e f o r e v e r : le t
n o t thy t h o ugh ts t r ou b le t h ee , n o r l e t t hy c ou n te

n a n ce b e c h a nge d

Th e r e is a m a n in thy hingd om , in w h om is t he
s ir it o t h e h o ly go d s : a n d, in th e d a s o th
p f y f yf a t h er ,

ligh t, a n d u nd e r s t a n d ing, a n d w is d om , lihe th e w is dom

q f t h e
g ods , w a s
f o u n d in h im w h o m t h e h ing

Ne b u ch a dn ez z a r thy f a th e r , th e hing, I s a y, thy

a t h e r , m a d e m a s t e r of th e m a gic ia n s , a s t r o lo e r s ,
f g
Ch a ld e a n s, a n d s oo ths a y e r s
F o r a s m u ch a s a n e x c e lle n t sp ir it, a n d hn ow le dge ,
a n d u n d e r s t a n ding, in te rp r e t ing of d r e a m s , a nd
s h e w ing o f h a r d s e n te n c e s , a n d d is s o lv in
g fo d ou b t s ,

w e r e f ou n d in th e s a m e D a n ie l, w h om th e hing
n a m e d B e lt e s h a z z a r n ow le t D a n ie l b e c a lle d , a n d

h e w ill s he w th e in te rp r e ta tio n .

After this story n o man ne e d inquire wh at t he

world unders t ood by the magicians and astrologers ,

and wise men o f t h ose days ; but it is pl a in they

were looked upon not a s d e alers with the Devil but ,

as men inspired from heaven ll ed with inspired ,

knowledge ligh t a nd underst anding a nd excelle nt

, , ,
 A S YS TE M OF MAG I C . 25
wisdo m ; t hat they could make in t erpretat ions resolve ,

doubts & c a s ver 1 5 1 6 of the same 5t h chapter

,
. .
, . .

An d a s such the princ e s and lords of t h e country

,

a pp lied to them in a ll di fficul t a nd e xtraord i n a ry

cases .

Now it is true we have only examples o f the

,

kings a nd princes making us e of thes e p e ople in

d i fc ult cases as Pharaoh N e buchadn e zzar Bel
, , ,

s h a z z ar But it is not to be doubted tha t th e people

.

in general of all qualities and conditions w e nt t o

, ,

t hem to be resolv e d i n their doubts and to hav e ,

qu estions answer e d th e m in di fficult cases ; i n short ,

th i s was t heir general employm e n t and they mad e ,

a trade Of it .

O n t h is accoun t we nd i n sev e ral anci e nt writings

that the southsayers w e r e made us e of to int e rpret
dreams and foretell thin gs to com e ; to r e pr e sent
,

good or bad om e ns and g i v e their O pinions upon th e

,

appeara nces O f any extraordinary p he nom e n a In n a

ture ; thus you have Julian t h e Apostat e r e proach e d
with encouraging such men and listening to them , ,

some ag e s after t his when their reput ation was sunk

,

to a lower degree by far t han it was at in former

tim e s
.

This being then th e cas e we are no t to talk of ,

t h e magic of those ag e s o r Of the people call e d ,

m agicians in t he pr e sent vulgar acceptation Of the

,

word ; but th ey are to b e understood to b e what

S olon Plato S eneca Aristotle or any of the best
, , , ,

and brightest of th e philosop he rs of after ages w e re -

known to be namely m e n O f learning ; who had

, ,

applied themsel v es to t h e study of virtu e and to ,

t h e knowledge O f and search into t he most hidde n

t r easur e s of nat u re ; who und e rstood th e reasons Of
things th e caus e s and originals Of the most retired
,

and d i fcult acc i dents in natur e ; that s e arch e d into

and calculate d all astronomical dii cu lt ie s ; th e mo
tions a nd revolutions of h e avenly bodies ; and as I ,
26 A S Y ST EM OF MAG I C .

said before their inu e nces on things below ; th at

,

studi ed and found out the physical vir tu e s of plan ts ,

metals minerals a nd in a word ev e ry di f cult t hin g

, , , , ,

either in n atur al or e xp e rimental philosophy .

These wer e the mag i cian s O f thos e days ; an d t o

writ e a syst e m O f magic as it was then practised ,

a nd is to this day und e rstood to be the rst meanin g

o f it would b e to write a system o f natur al philosophy ;
,

only with t his specic d i ffe rence nam ely that with , ,

the utmos t of their search the highest Of their reach

, ,

an d the greatest of their und e rstandings they knew ,

s o li t tle o f e verything or i ndeed Of anything tha t

, ,

the w i sest o f th e ir wise men the most a ccomplished

,

m a gician or Chaldean in all the E gyptian or Ch al

,

dean courts could not pr e tend to know what ou r

,

present pupils in science com e to the understanding

o f in the rst lectures Of philosophy which they go ,

through in a course of academic study .

Th e ir conceptions O f things w e r e rough a nd

rude ; what th e y e n t ertained was eith e r rece i ved
by t he i nstruction of others as by oral tradition ,

from the like wise m e n that went before t hem or ,

from the dark conj e ctures of th e ir own re a soning

and i n quiring dispositions j oin ed perhaps t o s ome
,

few and those but very mean experiments of thei r

,

own making fr om Observ ation and r e ection

, .

These rst lights burn t very dim in their under

stan din gs a n d gave but little h elp s to th e m in
,

their search after knowl e dg e ; but still as th e rest ,

of the world was inni te ly d a rker and more ign o ,

r an t also than they are now SO this dim ligh t an d, ,

these glimmerings of knowl e dge appeared to them ,

( in proportion to the light they had to j udge by ) a s

bright a nd shining a s the greatest and mos t con

s ummate knowledge do e s now t o us in the heads o f

a Boyle a Newton or the mos t exquisi t e a nd bes t

, ,

a ccomplished philosophers of the age .

All t hi n gs in n at ur e a re gre a t o r lit tle in t heir

 A SYS TEM OF MAG I C . 27

a ppe a rances in proportion to those proper Obj ects

,

whi ch they are to b e considered with or measured ,

by The earth its elf is consider e d as a v a st glob e

.

O f solid substances formed into on e body by an ih ,

nit e ly powerfu l hand ; when ou th e on e hand it is ,

measured by any particular bodies e ither p a rt of it ,

self Or of any other body which ar e small and as

, , , ,

it may b e said inconsid e rabl e in bulk compar e d to

,

it : whereas on the other hand that v e ry globe or ,

vast body which we call this earth is but as a ,

point a mote or a gra i n of dust wh e n considered

, , ,

with and m e asured by the immense bodi e s Of the

comets th e sun the xed stars or other those
, , ,

glorious luminari e s which w e see ranged above us ,

and ou t O f the reach e v e n almost of our con

c e p t ion S .

Thus th e knowl e dge and acquir e ment of th e

m agicians and w i se m e n in the rst ages Of time ,

a nd of whom I have b e en now sp e aking though ,

m e an and tr i ing sup e rcial and of little worth, , ,

when compar e d with th e accomplished and con

summate wisdom O f t h e mod e rns the i r e x p e r i ,

mental ph i losophy their knowledg e in astronomy , ,

their improvement of natur e and ar t ; yet it was

great and worthy O f admiration wh e n comp a red in
, ,

those days to what the r e st of mankin d kn ew and

, ,

looked upon by and compared with an ignorant

a ge such as that was and ther e fore the king tells
,

D a niel that an e x c e lle n t sp ir it of w is d o m w a s f ou n d

,

in h im ; Dan v 1 4 An d doubtl e ss the people

. . .

looked upon Daniel to b e inspir e d with wisdom an d

knowledg e from the holy gods tha t is to say from , ,

h ea ve n as indeed he was though not from the i r

, ,

dumb idols whom they called by the name of the

,

holy gods .

In l ik e manner though perhaps n ot with so ,

strong a convict i on th ey had an opinion O f all those ,

they c alled the Ch alde ans a n d southsayers magi ,

28 A S Y ST EM OF MAG I C .

e iau s a nd a strologers tha t t h e y had secret com m u

,

n ic at ion with their o d s and that they r e ceived

g ,

a ll the knowl e dge with which they were inspired ,

and in wh i ch they SO much exc e lled t h e rest Of

mankin d from the several de i ti e s which t hey wor
,

shipped I will not deny but that those magicians

.

mig ht endea v our by many subtilties and arts to ,

con rm and pr e s e r v e the d elusion (for th ey knew

it to be so ) in the m i nds of th e peopl e ; that they
might also work u p t h e vener a tio n of th e deluded
,

multitud e to a d u e h e ight and pr e serve the O pinion

,

both Of their p e rsons and of their capaciti e s ; and

this perhaps will app e ar wh e n further inquired
,

into to be the foundation O f all the wicked things

,

which follow e d as I shall demonstrate in its order

,
.

It was really a t e mptation to thos e wise men a s ,

they w e r e call e d to s e e th a t the world h ad a vast

,

O pinion Of th e m ; wh i le the world was blind and in , ,

the infancy o f th e ir ow n und e rstand i ng a little ,

matter would impose upon th e m ; but in process of

things the world gr e w wis e r and th e light Of nat ure,

began to rec e iv e il l u minations fr om the light o f

re a son and then it behoved the w i se men to s e e
,

that their knowledg e also incr e ased in proportion ;

for still th e y w e r e oblig e d to k e ep th e r e p u tation of
their understandings by passing from o n e study t o
,

another and aspir i ng st i ll higher and higher in

,

their several class e s Of impro ve ment .

Now this it was easy to do in all those e a rly ,

days Of knowl e dge Nay th e y had a thousand

.
,

years before th e m still in which a mod e rat e com

,

e t e n c e o f acqu i red knowledge would ke e p u p their

p
characters ; what course w a s taken afterwards we ,

Sh all see by and by .

TO sum it up then in few words ; a m agician in

the rs t ag e s O f the world was nothin g more or
less than a m a n of learning ; only you must take
this wit h you as you go that by the word learning
,
 A SYSTEM OF MAG I C . 29

is t o be und e rstood not a man of lett ers and books ,

for th e world k new l ittle o f either in the rst days

of those acquir e ments ; nay we h ave r e ason to be ,

a ssur e d that the knowledge of l e tt e rs was n ot

arri v ed in the world at th e tim e when Pharaoh
summoned th e wise men and the southsay e rs and , ,

magicians to int e rpret his dream and as th ey had

,

no l e tt e rs they had no books and th e r e fore wh e n

,

i t is sa i d th at M os e s was learn ed in all th e wisdom

Of the E gyptians it must be u nd e rstood Of oral
,

lear ning w i sdom conveyed t o him by O bser v ation

, ,

or instruction or inspiration as afterwards he really

, ,

rec e i ve d it from h eaven .

Th e magicians I say were m e n Of learnin g

, , ,

that is to say men Of study m e n of O bs e rvat i on

, , ,

busy in t he s e arch after knowl e dg e : and if w e will

take pa i ns to inquire into it w e Shall nd th e ir ,

Observat i ons ch iey respect e d th e mot i ons of t he

h eavenl y bo di e s t h e a spect s and i nuences of the
,

pl a nets and x e d st a rs ; a nd considering that th e y

were absol utely without the help of instruments
and glasses to make their O bs e r v ations by and ,

without books by w hich to communicat e the know

ledge Of on e age or of on e person to another ; I
, ,

say consid e ring these things were wanting it is a

, ,

wonderful thing that th e y arrived to such a degree

O f astronomical knowledge a s th e y did .

O th e rs studi e d the kn owl e dge of n ature in the

constitution and contexture of human bodies ; the
ori ginals the progress and th e causes of diseas e s
, ,

and dist e mp e rs both in men and women ; and

,

also th e phys i cal or m e dicinal virtue of drugs and

plants for cure a nd ease of those diseases ; the
,

qualit i es of th e se v eral h e rbs and trees and pro ,

d u c t ion s of the earth and as in th e s e things t he y

mad e daily d i scov e ri e s in nature wh ich the world ,

was till th e n i gnorant o f and by which they p e r ,

formed surpris i ng cur e s and deliv e r e d the dis ,

30 A S Y STEM OF MAG I C .

tressed people in divers mal a dies they were on th a t ,

a ccount and deser v edly t oo had in gr e at esteem

, , ,

were reverenced a nd eve n worshipped by the

,

people .

I could give many ex a mples in his t ory from the

mos t a ncient times when their physicians a nd ,

astronomers were after their d ecease ranked

, ,

a mong their gods and doubtl e ss were h a d in a

,

profound v e neration while they wer e li v ing ,

.

In a word science and usefu l knowledge being

,

young in the world t hose men who gave them ,

selves u p to the rst searches after those things ,

were thought worthy of the great est honours and ,

were h a d in the greatest esteem indeed they v e ry

well deser v ed Of mankind since th e y gave suc h ,

noble testimonies of th e ir b e ing devoted to t h e

public good Thus Prom e th e us who is said t o be
.
,

chained down to mount Caucasus with a vulture ,

preying upon his bowels ; the substanc e o r meaning

o f which was no mor e than this : that h e gave him

self s o entir e ly up to the study O f astronomy an d ,

to search after the knowl e dg e O f the heav e nly mo

tions t hat the eager desire aft e r the knowledge of
,

them gn a wed into his v e ry vitals consumed hi s ,

n a tural s t rength and proved fatal to his health and

,

th at this w a s upon moun t Cauc a sus intimated only , ,

that he chose a hi gh hill or a summit among those ,

mountains where h e us e d to lie o n his back wh ole

,

nights together to make his Obs e rvations mor e ex

,

a ct ly O f the re v olving motions o f th e stars till h e ,

contracted distempers by the colds and damps Of

the a ir s o t ha t h e was as it were chain e d down to
, , ,

those mount ains till the diseases he contrac t ed eat

,

o u t his very bowels .

This is tha t Prometheus who for his e xquisit e , ,

knowledge is fe igned by the p oets to have rst

,

formed m a n ; th a t is to s ay formed th e model of a ,

m a n by t he help of w at er an d earth and then s t ole ,

 A S Y ST EM OF MAG I C . 31

r e from the s u n to animat e the model a nd t o give ,

h i m life and motion .

Th e m e aning of which is no more than thi s : th at

by his wisdom h e instruct e d and formed the minds
o f men in true notions a nd righ t knowl e dge Of th e

mos t sublim e Obj ects .

Prom etheus rst as ancient auth ors say

, ,

Firs t m ade the m odel o f a m an i n clay

Form e d all the b e aute ous parts and whe n he d don e

,

S tol e v ital he at fro m the prol i c sun .

An d here by the way the rst atheists the E pi

, , ,

c u r e an s and oth e rs who showed t h eir mighty will

,

ingn e s s to d e ny a Fi rst Cause a b e ing pr i or a nd , ,

therefore superior to all b e ings would make m a n

, ,

to be the auth or of his own form an d life and that

P rometh e us having thus formed the mod e l and by
, , ,

borrowing r e from the sun given it life the n e w , ,

formed creatures had e ver since communicated that

life by g e neration But this empty notion stands
.

confuted most effe ctually by only j oining the fol,

lowing four lines to those above

Bu t n o t an auth or t ells us , to thi s day,
W ho m ade Pro m e the u s rst, and wh o the clay
W h o gav e the he at proli c to the sun,
An d where the rst productive powe r b egun .

But to leave moralizing which my merry read e rs ,

s e em to hav e an avers i on to I go on with my ,

story .

Th e l e arn e d sir Walter Raleigh says they are ,

greatly m i stak e n who th i nk that the thi ng as we ll

as the word magic is derived from S imon Magu s .

He adds that S i mon s name was no t M agus a ma
, ,

g ic ia n but G oes a person familiar with evi l spirits

, , ,

and t h at he only usurp ed the title of S imon t he

Magici a n because the titl e of a magic ia n w a s
32 A S Y STEM OF MAG I C .

honourable and good ; and my opinion is t hus

strength e ned by h is authority v i z th at th e re is a ,
.
,

m a nife st di ffe r e nc e betwe e n magic which is wis d om ,

and supernatural knowledge and the witchery an d ,

conj uring by which we now un d e rstand t h e word ,

and us e i t accordingly .

I j oin with this exposition of the word magic ;

and shall ther e fore carefully d istinguish as I go ,

alo n g betwixt th e several d i ffe ring p e rsons known

,

in history for magi magicians and profe ssors or

, ,

prac t is e rs O f magic and thos e magicians by which

,

we are t o und e rstand sorcerers and enchanters an d ,

deal e rs with the D e vil ; O f whom neverthel e ss I , ,

sh all have occasion frequ e ntly to speak in this work ,

b ec a use though I Shall let you know that the magi

,

eiaus were n ot all sorcer e rs and devil dealers yet I -

,

must also l e t you know t oo that I am to point the ,

main of this discourse t o such as ar e s o .

Nor is this pr e vious det ermining the poin t a ny

thing l e ss tha n necessary at this time With r e .

spect to the vari ety of worthy gentlemen ou r pre ,

s e nt contemporaries in fash i onabl e wisdom w h o , ,

how ev e r will ing th ey ar e to be t aken for magicians ,

ev en in th e very w orst sens e O f the word rather ,

th a n not to pass for conj ur e rs must b e vindicated , ,

ev en against th e ir w ill s if it b e only upon th e

,

single consideration of incapacity ; since as none ,

O f the magi Of th e world were fam e d for wa n ting

brains S O the D e vil ha v ing no occasion for fools
, ,

in the natural s e ns e will always disown them in

, ,

Spit e O f the strongest pre t ences th ey make t o his

servi ce .

In j ustic e therefore to those would b e witches I

, ,
-
,

must cl e ar th e way as I go and op e nly distinguish ,

between magicians understand i ng them as wise and

,

learned men or magicians u nderstanding them as ,

black art men ; and fools that are only not sorcerers
-
,

be c a use the Devil does n ot think it worth his while

 A S Y STEM OF MAG I C 33 .

t o employ them and in Short that they ar e inca

, , ,

p a b l e o f b e ing as wick e d as th e y would be .

The word Magus from wh e nc e th e words m a ,

gic and magician are deriv e d i s a P e rs i an or , ,

perhaps Chald e an term used originally to signify a ,

s t udent in divinity a man conv e rsant in divin e

,

studies ; and Plato s ays th e art of magic is nothing

but the knowl e dg e of the worship of the gods and
the Persians call their gods p ya g ; which e x p os i ac
i
f / v

tion O f t h e word is agr e eabl e to th at of Matt i i 2 . .

,

Th e r e c a m e w is e m e n of t he Ea s t w h o h a v ing s e e n , ,

t h e s ta r of h im th a t w a s b o r n hing of th e J e w s ,

cam e so
f ar t o w o r s hip h im .

These wis e men the Greeks aft e rwards c alled

philosoph e rs that is lov e rs Of wisdom ; and th e
, ,

same i s und e rs tood i n th e Indian languag e by

Br ach m an s and now Brahmins by th e Babylonians
, ,

Chald e ans ; by th e H ebrews seers ; and among th e ,

Persians mag i cians , .

It is tru e as king James I s ays in his book of

,
.

demonology that under the name of m agic all other

,

unlawful arts ar e compr ehend e d ; but that is onl y

a s w e mod e rns und e rstand it n ot that it was under ,

s tood S O by th e ancients and even in that the k i ng

distinguishes b e tw ee n magic in i t s worst s e ns e and , ,

the arts or practices of witchcraft and sorcery ,

whi ch with his maj e sty s leav e l t hin k a n e edless

,

,

distinction : nor shall I be so nice ; but all thos e

dealings which w e call n e cromancy sorc e ry w i tc h , ,

craft and all kinds of diabolical doings shall pass

, ,

with m e for magic and the black art and in this -

,

sens e I shall afterwards us e the word .

The wis e men of Babylon are d istinguish e d in

the prophecy of Daniel into four class e s t he magi
eiaus that is th e wise m e n in the sens e as abov e
, , , ,

I m e an ph ilosophers ; the astrolog e rs whi ch ar e ,

understood th e sam e with our astronomers and ,

with them so uthsayer s ; the thir d sor t are t he sor

s M
. . n
34 A S Y STEM OF MAG I C .

c e r e r s, who were c a lled m a lefici or worker s Of evil ,

o r mischie f; a s som e c all them these are the kind I

am to treat of who are workers Of e vil by the assist
,

a nce of an evil spirit and the last a re called Chal

de a ns by which ar e unders t ood for e te llers of things
,

to come who unders tand their hidden and secret

,

c a uses .

This exposition brings u s down t o the case in

h a nd wh e re by the word or t erm of magic is u n
,

d e r s t o od the t wo last sorts who working evil of ,

sever al kinds do it also by the assistance Of a n

,

evil Spiri t ; that is in En glish by the help of the ,

'

Devil by enchantment conj ur ations and corrupt

, , ,

methods .

The pr a ctices of these people were m a ny w ays

diabolical eve n in those days ; and if we m ay credit
,

kin g James s a ccount of them they were r ather ,

worse in those latter a g e s Of the world than in

former times b u t of that in i t s place .

Philo J u dae u s carries it fur ther than any of the

m ost ancient wr iters and sages an d says that by thi s ,

ki n d of magic that is by astrology and observation

, ,

Of the he a venly bodies their motions and revol a , ,

t ions Abraham who was certainly a very great m a

, ,

g ic ia n arriv e d t o th e knowledge Of the true G od ;

,

even before he came ou t from Ur Of th e Chaldees ;

that is to say he gathered from the wi se gov e rn
,

m ent the wonder ful order and motion and th e im

, ,

m ovable decrees and r ev ol u tions o f the heavenl y

bodies that th e r e must b e an innite wise and in
, , ,

t e ll ige n t being who as he was the rst c a use of

, ,

th eir beings s o h e was likewise th e great director

,

Of their motions and by his appointment everything

,

in the whole system o f their operations was guided

a n d appointed : in short that Abraham learned to ,

know the Creator by the contemplation of the crea ,

ture An d doubtless as this study of nature dir e ctly

.
,

le a ds us t o the gr e at author of n at ur e s o Abr ah am , ,

 A S Y S TE M OF MAG I C 35 .

by his Sincere application to th e rs t and his s in ,

c e re d e sir e to b e led into the number of th e last ;

G od who kn e w thos e desires of his h e art to b e s i n
,

cere and aiming a t a right e nd was pl e as e d t o mak e

, ,

a mor e cl e ar d i sco ve ry Of h i ms elf to h i m by v i sion

a n d r e v e lation ; teachin him mor e than he could
g
ever ha ve O btained by all th e s t udy and applic a tion
imaginable .

It is not doub t ed however that Abrah am was the

rst t e ac he r of astronomy and of arithmetic i n the
world and p e rhaps Of th e s e v e ral branches Of the
,

math e matics ; the anci e nts afrm that he taugh t ,

the Ph oenicians th at is to s ay th e Canaan i t e s

, ,

among w h om he li ve d and the E gyptians also all

, ,

the knowledge they had wheth e r philosophical or ,

divine .

Thus then whatever not ions we hav e n ow enter

,

t a in e d O f ma gic as diabolical y e t c e rta i nly as o u r

, ,

S a v iour says i n anoth e r cas e in th e b egin ning it w a s

,

n ot s o . In th e rst ag e s of th e world t he knowl e dge ,

of magic was th e w i sdom o f nature ; and nothing

but ignoranc e brought men to prostitute t he m

selves to th e Devil for the increase of their under
standings .

An d this indeed is the way by which magic and ,

th e knowle dg e of the most excell e nt things has ,

b e en abus e d in the world ; wh e n m e n s e ek i ng b e

yond themselves for knowledge and ignorant O f ,

the way to increase true knowledge have been ,

impos e d upon to make use o f wick e d an d d i a

b olic al m e thods to obtain it ; th e Devil not only
r e adily concurring to assist them but openly act i ng ,

with th e m by concert to encourag e th e d e lusion

,
.

H e nce th e w e akest and most impotent Of al l c a

a c it ie s m e r e fools except e d have be e n found
p , ,

su fc i ent to mak e tools for th e Devil ; who hard

e n ing the m for his o wn work tra ins th e m up to
,

his hand with such an un we ar i ed dil i genc e that

, ,

D 2
36 A S Y S TEM OF MAG I C .

no thing c an prevent their improving in h is s e r

V l ce .

Thus while magic is the wisdom of n at ur e an d ,

the m agicians Of t h ose ages were the wisest and bes t

o f men ; t he magici a ns of our times and Of this new ,

kind improve from nothi ng begin wit h the vilest of

, ,

ignor a nce a nd proce e d to the v i lest of wickedness

, ,

till they come t o be the most diabolic al cre at ures in

the world .

Magic bei ng therefore nothing in those t imes ,

but as I h ave said a degree of useful knowledge

, , ,

a n d the m a gician s being a race o f honest s t udious

men searching aft er wisdom and blest with greate r

, ,

Sh ares o f it th a n the ord inary race Of men were ar

rived t o ; we mus t look fu rther and come d own ,

lo wer into time for the present vulgar accept atio n

,

o f the word : in which inquiry i t will n ot be s u f ,

cien t to j ump at onc e from the beginning Of thing

to th e pres e nt t imes and from what th e magici a n s
,

were in E gyp t a n d Chald ea to what they ar e now ,

in a Christian age : but we must a little inquire

into the gradations Of the change and s e e by what ,

se v eral progressions of art the usefu l magic ia ns of

those ag e s have come on from mere philosophy t o , ,

all the e xt raordinaries of mystery cunning trick , , ,

cheat star gazing fortune telling conj uring witch

,
-
,
-
, ,

craft and the devil ; and if this b e not an inquiry

,

bo th protable and diverting I must be mistaken ,

i n my subj ect o r in my readers Le t us enter into

, .

it gr a dually and wi th caution lest we r a ise the

, ,

Devil before we come at him .

 A S YS TE M OF MAG I C . 37

CH AP II . .

H ow wis do m lea r n ing a dv a n c e d m e n in the

a nd

r s t a ge s t o r oya lty a n d gov e r n m e n t, a n d h ow

m a ny o f th e m a gic ia ns w e r e m a d e hin s o n th a t
g
a c co u n t ; as Z o r oa s te r , Ca dm u s, a n d m a ny
o th e r s
.

IT w as no t m a ny ages that the world con t inued in a

state of dulness, equal to that a t the rst scattering
the n ations We do n ot nd them build i ng any
.

more Babels or en t erta i ning themselves wi th such

,

gross no t ions any more .

As they trav e lled abroad they learned e xperience ;

,

they s aw further into natur e and into the r e ason of,

things ; ins t ead Of building ladders and Babel s t o

r each up to he aven and keep them from drowning
, ,

t hey soon learnt to build cities t o keep ou t their

en emies a nd ships to s a il upon the water ; they
,

b a l e d th e fears of a nother deluge no t by th e ir faith ,

t hat G od woul d n ot drown the world again SO much ,

as by the relief of this whims e y that seeing they ,

could swim in ships a nd boats he could n ot do it ; ,

o r th at knowing they co u ld liv e upon the wa t er ,

th e y might seem not to care wheth e r he did or no .

In this travelling circumstance th e y gre w in

knowle dge as I say a n d at least some Of th e m being
, , , ,

o f a brighter genius than othe rs advanced beyond ,

their n e ighbours in wisdom and understa n ding both ,

sp e cul ative and practical ; and these a s they gained ,

every day more knowledge even by knowing s o , ,

that kn owl e dge gained them inni t e appl a use and

esteem among the p e opl e .

Hence every a spiring genius a mong them get ,

38 A S Y S TEM OF MAG I C .

ting the s tar t of the rest e ither in r e al or a ffec t ed ,

knowl e d ge Of things and thereby g a ining adm i r er s

,

and d ependents took little d i e r in g rout e s in thei r

,

wanderings ; and wherever they though t t to

plant and s e ttl e they built houses called i t a ci t y
, , ,

and th e leader made himself be c alled their parti

c u l a r king .

This petty royalty a s i t w a s r a ised upon the foo t

,

Of chance r ather than blood a nd upon the mea n

, ,

circumstance of a bold a spiring head which a sm a ll ,

s har e Of brains abov e his neig h bours g a ve a title t o ,

s o it seemed to subsist o n the foot of the same

ch a nce ; those kings being a s easily and as Often ,

deposed as they were either ov e rpowered by their

,

n e i ghbours o r as any decay and defec t of the brigh t

,

p art that raised them caused them to sink in the ,

Opinion of their subj ec t s and gave the king of t he ,

n ext city a bet t er place in their favour .

Y et this diminutive rank Of sovereignty rem a in ed

m a ny ages in th e world ; and we nd no t only m ,

Abraham s time when th e ve citi e s of t he lake or

,

v alley wher e S odom stood had v e kings over

, ,

them ; and afterwards in Jacob s t ime the city of ,

S ichem h a d a king over it ; but even a t the coming

o f the Israelites into Canaan almost every city had ,

its king ; a nd we have a gr e at deal of room t o j udge ,

that th e se kings d id not d e ri v e from a patriarch al

succession fo r then there would h ave been many
,

thousands of kings more than ther e were ; but from

the exalted merit Of the un derstandings and geniu s
o f such and such a perso n whom t h e people though t ,

t to admire and follow and consequently subj ec t ,

themselves t o and w e have abund a nce Of examples

in hi story to prove that this w as the practice of
,

those rst ages But t his is a dry study and the

.
,

se a rch aft er their names would be as nee dless as ,

the list when Obt a ined would be t edious t o re a d ;

, ,

s o I le a v e it, an d go on .
 A S YS T EM OF MAG I C . 39

The r e a so n of my naming this par t is n ot t o show ,

t he ve neration th e most early ages of the world had

for wisdom and virtue ; for G od knows these m agi , , ,

though they had the merit of some knowle dge above

the res t yet we do not nd they had a much gre ate r
,

sh are of virt ue t han other people : but e ven as we

nd it now the most knowing men are no t the bes t
,

men even s o it w aS t h e n every wise m an much

,
'

, ,

less every great man was not a good m an : and a s ,

in our age it m ay be feared we h a ve more clergy ,

t han Christians s o there were in t hose days more

,

s ages th a n saint s : till a t las t th e ir wise men turned

whimsical their kings madm en their southsayers
, ,

mere conjurers and their mag i cians devils : of all

,

which I shall give a further account presently .

I ll suppose now that the magicians of those ages

were as I have described them in the chap t er b e

,

fore nothing but m e n famed for extraordinary

,

knowledge ; mer e a s trologers philosophers men of , ,

study and the like You will nex t se e how those

, .

men fr equently raised their fort unes by their

wisdom or rather by the Opinion which the ignor a n t
,

world had of their wisdom and capacit ies .

Zoroaster was a famous magici a n in the sense ,

which I h ave alre a dy given of the word Histor y .

tells us he was a great as trologer and foretold ,

things by his art wh i ch were to come th at by his

, ,

wond e rful predictions he obtained such a venera

tion among the people that the Bactr i an s adored ,

him as a man s e nt down from the gods or if you ,

lik e it a s well in S cripture t erms as a man of G od ; ,

and by this mighty Op i nion which they h a d of him ,

he obtained t h e empire of th e Bactrians Thi s .

must be at the time when N inus was monarch of

Assyria ; for h e was afterwards conquered dispos ,

sessed of his dominions and slain by S emiramis , ,

th at w arlike widow qu e en of Assyria .

They repor t tha t he foret old he should be sl ai n

40 A S Y ST EM OF MAG I C .

by lightning or by the re of heaven ; a nd th at he

,

told the Assyrians that if they could nd h i s ashes, ,

th ey should carefully preserve th em for that their ,

empire s h ould cont i nue no longer than wh ile h is

ashes sh ould remain in being ; that afterward it fell
o u t accordingly that he was killed by lightning and
, ,

that t h e Assyrians did s o pres e rve hi s ashes but ,

that they w e re aft e rwards taken from them by the

Persians who ov e rthrew their e mpire
, .

N B All th i s is summed up thus In fa ct ; that

. .

Zoroaster left b e hind him wholesome rules of virtue

an d good gov e rnment which as lon g as the Assy ,

rians kept in memory and worthily followed , ,

they were prosp e rous as he foretold them they ,

woul d be ; b ut when aft erwards th e y degenerated

into vice and c e ased to obey the rul es which he
,

had s e t them they fell into divisions and factions

, ,

civil wars and d e v a stations which a t lengt h ended ,

i n the ruin of th e ir empire .

Cadmus mention e d before was a Ph oenician bu t

, , ,

went from his own country a nd s e ttl e d in Greece ,

wher e as they say he built the city o f Theb e s and

, , ,

was made king of it in consequence of th e p e r ,

for m an c e and in ven e ration of his l e arning having

, ,

brought sixteen letters of the G reek alphabet among

them ; n ot that he invente d those letters though ,

he has the fame of i t to this day : th e letters were

these ; a B y 3 e 11 K A y o qr g ; the

, , , 7
, , c, , , , , , , , , v

oth e r four 0 E ! they tell us were afterwa rds

, , :

supplied by Palam e des during the siege of Troy , .

But the moral of the story is this ; that Cadmus

came from Ph oe nicia into G re e ce wh e re by his ,

learning he instructed th e p e ople civil i zed an d ,

polished thei r manners and taught them the kn ow ,

ledge of letters ; dir e cted them to bu ild houses and ,

inhabit together in town s and villages which they ,

then called cities ; and in a word introduced , ,

am ong them disciplin e a nd good governmen t : in

 A S YST EM OF MAG I C 41 .

recompense for which th ey m a d e him their king ,

and call e d their rst town Thebes in honour of ,

Cadmus who was originally of the great E gypti a n

,

Th ebes a city much more ancient th a n the n ation

,

of th e G reci a ns .

Atlas (also mentioned before) was an Afric a n

conspic u ous for his exc ellence in all human wisdom
and kn owledge ; b y this he was raised to such a
-

h e ight in th e a ffe ct i on of th e p e ople that they made ,

hi m kin g of Mauri t ania in th e northern part of ,

Afric .He was on e of the most learned magicians

of the time a nd by his knowled ge in the motions
,

of the stars and his excellent j udgment in the good

,

government of nations he is fei gn e d by the anc i ents

,

t o carry the world u pon his s h oulders ; that is to

sa ,y hi s precepts of
government support e d the na
tions an d pres e rved order and discipline in the
,

world ; and for this he was as he well deserved , ,

chosen by the peopl e of Afric to be their ki n g .

I hav e done with my examples of wise m e n being

m ade kings esp e ci al ly b e ing made s o for their
,

wisdom too ; an d indeed to what purpose should I ,

go o n with the account ? it is n ot pretended the

example should move the world in this age or in ,

the nex t : the world at present has no gr e at occa

sion for more wise kings than they hav e ; and b e
sid e s as there is a right wise g e n e ration rising u p
,

t o supply the place of power as fast as nature wears ,

off the incumbents and w e s e e no d anger of wanting

,

a suitable succ e ssion so I l e ave that par t of the

,

subj e ct and sh all t alk of another class

, .

The magician s or wise men being as I ha v e thus ,

descr ibed men of worth and justly valu e d in the

, ,

world let us s e e how long they held it and how

, ,

they lost that character .

The rst st e p which I meet with which lessens ,

their gur e in my acco u nt was when th e m agi ,

o r wise m e n were c alled in to suppor t t he gover n

42 A S YS T EM OF MAG I C .

men t of the Persian empire : a nd here they showed

indeed that wisdo m is not the only qualic a tion of
,

a prince ; that ther e is anoth e r thing requisite ,

whi ch though it is but triing indeed among the

moderns was a n essential among the a ncients wh o
, ,

found that to make a good gov e rnor it w a s requi

, ,

site that he shoul d not only be a wise man but an ,

honest man ; and in d e fe ct of this quali cation the ,

Persians cut the throats of all the magi to whom ,

they had committed th e government of the country ;

for tho u gh they wer e all philosophers and wise ,

men yet as fame han d s it down to us they did n ot

, , ,

nd on e honest man among them .

These magi are called by some priests by o ther s , ,

philosophers by others astrologers ; it is certai n

,

th e y foretold things to come or at least m a de the , , ,

people believe s o ; as in the case of the queen of

Persia mother of king S ap or e s The Persians it
,
.
,

se e ms were in great p e rpl e xity for want of a kin g

, ,

( ther e were no pret e nders at tha t time to pu t in

th eir claim ) a thing which very seldom happ e ns in

,

o u r tim e s ; the nobil i ty b e ing assembled in orde r ,

to consider of a nom i nation the magi sen t them ,

word th at they should not proce e d for t h at the ,

queen dowager w a s with ch ild and would bring ,

forth a prince who Sh ould be a mighty king and

, ,

do grea t things for the honour of his country .

Upon this their consultations broke off and wit h ,

great joy they s e nt for the qu e en and laying the ,

crown upon her b elly they sol e mnly crowned the

,

embryo gave it the title of king and salut ed i t king

, ,

by th e name of S apor or S a por e s ; all which came

,

t o pass a nd yet I may say all this might come t o

pass and no great matt e r owing to the prophetic
,

knowl e dge of the mag i ; for the queen lo ath to h ave ,

a king chosen too soon befor e she kn e w how it was

,

with her might v e nture t o s ay she was with child

, ,

or at least ge t the pries t s the magi t o s ay s o for

, , , ,
 A SY ST EM OF MAG I C . 43

her a n d le ave the rest all t o fat e for if i t h a d n ot

,

proved s o nobody was inj ured and it woul d only

, ,

have been said that th e magi were mistak e n .

But we ar e if you please to suppose that a s I

, , , ,

said this d i d no t last long the low prized l e arning

,
-

of the magicians answ e r e d very well while the ,

world was ignorant in proportion but a s the world

increas e d in people a n d as y e ars went over thei r
,

heads knowledge had its gradations t o o and though

, ,

it m u st be confessed it was at a v ery Slow rate y et ,

some advances they did mak e ; and as princes

severally wer e lovers of learning so they encouraged ,

men of learn i ng t o o and their numb e rs increased

, ,

a s well as th ei r knowledge .

As the common p e ople becam e more k n owing

and int ell igent so it behoved the magicians to ad
,

vanc e their studies and seek furth e r i nto the more

,

sublime p arts of learning to pr e s e rv e the distance ,

they stood in from th e lower class of their coun try

m e n a nd to ma i ntain th e respect and veneration
,

which as I said the people had for t h e m ; if they

, ,

had not done this th e y had soon b e en upon a level

,

with the rest of mankind t h e rabble h a d b e en their ,

equals i n wisdom and th e y had lost themselves in

,

the sup e rior station of magicians which they enj oyed

befor e .

This put them presen tly upon se arching furt her

a nd further into the arcana of nature pursuing the ,

highest and mos t elevated studi e s with th e utmost

dil i gence and application ; advancing from on e
thing to another st i ll to ke e p up the gure and
,

character of wise m e n which t h ey had before ; th a t

is to say being st i ll as many degr e es above the
,

common sort however the common sort m i ght be

,

impro v ed in knowl e dge as they were before , .

Nor was th i s di fcult to do ; for as knowledge

w a s then and even is still an unexhausted m i ne
, ,

a nd s t orehouse of invaluable treasure a nd which , ,

44 A S YS T EM OF MAG I C .

still the deeper it is d u g in t o discove r s more a nd ,

more riches and an innite var iety of rarities and

,

curious things as w ell natural a s articial ; SO the

,

further these men of application searched into t he

arcana or conc e aled treasures of wisdom and the
, ,

further and great e r experiments they made the ,

mor e they found the search answer th e ir utmost

ambition ; th e more they knew th e more they d is ,

covered yet to kno w ; and all their inquiries made

good th e modern distich made upon a like subj ect
W h at s y e t
only s erve s to sh o w
dis co v e r d

Ho w l itt l e s k no wn to wh at the re s l e ft to kno w

,

.

This was no t only an encourag e m e nt to the wis e

men of the ag e s w e speak of to go on in their
s tudies and in their making new discoveries in t he
,

hidden and most retired parts of nature b u t it ,

showed that they were still abl e to main t ain the

ch arac t ers they bore in the world and to m ake ,

g ood t he distinction whi ch was formerly made b e

tween them and the common people ; so that they

still passed for magicians wise men and astrologers , , ,

as they really at last were and for men qualied to ,

inst ruc t th e ignorant world in a superior know

ledge .

Take them then in this new situation that is t o

, , ,

s ay pus hi ng o n in the commendable search afte r

,

wisdo m and knowledg e till as S olomon s ays they , , ,

dug for it as for hid treasures ; y e t the common

people followed th e m clos e at th e ir heels ; the n a
tions gr e w wis e r and wiser as well as the magi ; ,

t il] in short art b e gan to fail o r rather the num

, , ,

be r s of th e men o f art began to increase that s o ,

wise men were not such rariti e s or so high prized ,

-

a s they h a d b ee n and gr e w daily less and less in

,

the ordinary rat e an d esteem of the world .

Thus in short the wis e men and the improving

, ,

wo r ld s eem ed like m e n r unn ing a r a ce in the pur

 A S YST EM OF MAG I C 45 .

suit after kn owl e dge ; the m agi or southsayers or , ,

what you pl e ase to call them had gott e n t he start , ,

and w e re a great way ahead a great way b e fore the ,

rest but the peopl e followed a nd advanced at a

,

great r a te .

An d t hi s brings me down t o the point .

The men of wit and l e arning b e ing h ar d put to ,

it in their new dis c overies h ad but t h re e ways to ,

preserv e th e dignity of th e ir profession and ke e p ,

up their cr e dit as w i se m e n that i s as philosoph e rs , , ,

m agi and th e lik e

,
.

.1 T h e rst was t o pursue vi gorously the s t udy

,

o f philosophy that is to say of n ature th e sever al

, , ,

branches of astronomy astrology ge ometry and the , , ,

like.

.2 The second w a s to pus h into the s t udy of a rt , ,

t hat is to say e xperim e ntal ph i losophy

,
.

.3 T h e last was t he study o f r e ason viz nat ural ,

.
,

homag e an d t he worsh i p of th e gods

,
.

In th e rst of t he s e t he y w e nt on with great su c

cess n or w e re th ey to b e follow e d by th e common
p e ople whose und e rstandin gs could nev e r come u p
,

to a ny uncommon d e gre e s o f science or i nd e ed to ,

make any pret e nsions to i t and th e refore thos e

that appl ie d t o t h is study kept up their cr e dit lon g e r
than any of th e r e st .

Thus the thre e wis e m e n of th e E ast are said t o

come into Jud e a from a far country by obs e rving an
unusual and surpr i sing ph e nom e non v i z a star at , .
,

noonday moving in a particular orbi t a nd pointing

, ,

to them in a v ery part i cular mann e r by wh i ch th e y ,

w e r e as i t s e ems d i r e ct e d to follow i t in order to

, , ,

mak e an e xtraordinary discovery of som e gr e a t

birth and of some won d e rful princ e whom ther e
, ,

fore t hey o u gh t to com e and pay hom age to S om e .

a uthors t e ll us t h es e thr ee w i s e m e n o r magi wer e

, , ,

t hree of the post e rity o f Abrah am by K e tur ah h i s , ,

l ast wife ; that th e y dwelt in Arab i a F elix and

46 A SYS T EM O F MAG I C .

that t hey had i t reveal e d t o th e m that they should

s e e t h is star and that th e y Shoul d be guided by
,

it to s e e the great Me ssiah who was to com e into ,

the world to un i t e the post e rity of Abraham and to ,

e stablish them in o n e kingdom whic h shoul d rul e

over the whole world But I tak e this as it is viz

.
,
.
,

a chimn ey corn e r tale t for a l e gend and no t

-
, ,

c apabl e of any manner of improvem e nt .

But thus far it is to my purpose namely th at the , ,

credit of the wis e men o f th e E ast was not y e t quite

sunk in the world ; t h at th e y maintained a corre
s on d e n c e with the stars ; t h at th e y por e d upon the
p
h e av e nly motions and knew more of that kind th a n
,

all that ev e r went before th e m .

AS th e astronom e rs and star gazing magi kept u p

,
-

the dignity of their charact e rs and outdid all t h e ,

rest of mankind in thos e a ges ; s o the s e cond sort

too applied thems e lv e s to th e st u dy of low e r life ,

observing the mechanism o f natur e and introducing ,

the helps of art even to p e rform things surprising

,
.

A mong these some studied the microcosm of h u

,

man bodies and search e d both distemp e r and me

,

d ic in e and these that is to say th e phys i c i ans and

, ,

natur alists obtained a nobl e asc e ndant in the esteem

,

o f th e vul gar b ei ng able by the kno wledg e of drugs

,

and plants and th ei r v irtu e s to apply proper reme

, ,

d i es in cases of the greatest distress and disast e r ;

and th i s i ndeed could not but obtain for the m a xed
and large e ste e m in th e minds o f t h e p e ople whom ,

o n s o many occasions they reliev e d Thus the rs t .

s e arch e d into the curiosities of nature the second ,

into the art of ph ys io .

But the third were a v ery p articular kind ind e ed ,

and th e se applied thems el v es to th e arcan a of things

d i vin e ; and at this door cam e in all the w icked
things wh i ch have since with so much j u stic e too
, , ,

g i v e n a black char a ct e r to th e ve ry name of a m ag i

c ian ; for u n de r t he shelte r of r eligion the worst a nd ,
 A SY ST EM OF MAG I C 47 .

mos t diabolic al things w e re practised and in a few

a ges mor e we nd that all the magicians were
,

pr i ests in E gypt or according t o some all the priests

, ,

were mag i c i ans S ome hav e o ffer e d at drawing a

.

par all el from this to ou r tim e s and in som e s e ns e it ,

m ay be tr u e but in oth e rs doubtful

, For if by m a .

g ic ian s we are to u n derstand philosophers and wis e

men I shall nev e r be brought to ackn owledg e that

,

all our priests are m agicians for I abhor all slander ,

.

But to go back to the cas e as it is b e fore me c e rtain ,

it is that the wise men nding as above that th e y

, , ,

must t ake new m e asures that they must have r e ,

course to some new art if they would ke e p up the ,

reputation o f their wisdom ; I say nding it thus , ,

th e y appl ie d themselv e s to three sorts of study .

The rst was t o innoc e nt art secret and cunnin g ,

contriv a nces to d e lude th e s i gh t ; t hi s we call j ug

gl ing l e g e r d e main or p h ilosophical d e lusion s u ch
, , ,

as I shal l mention in its place but th i s would go

but a littl e way .

A second sort as above applied to religious

, ,

fr auds a nd set u p for c el e stial d e lusions m i xing

, ,

th e ir magical performances with rel igious rites so

deceiving the peopl e with the O pin i on of sanctity ,

a n d with the beli e f that they had th e a ssistance o f

the gods .

In no m ine Do m ini incip it om ne m alum .

These last studi e d indeed divinity such as it was ,

a n d how unhappily did th e y pursue the m yst e ries

they professed ! for rst we nd t hey i nvoked th e

gods and n ot nding that would do they chang e d
, ,

h ands and invoked t h e d e vil .

Fle ct e r e si ne
q ueo su
p e r os , Ach e r o nt a m ov e b o .

F rom henc e it is that I suppose ou r wise de

scribers of th e magic of th e anc ie nts tell us th e r e
were thr ee sorts of mag i c : 1 Natu ral which con .
,
48 A S YST EM OF MAG I C .

sis t ed o f the p ar t s alre a dy mentioned n amely t h e , ,

knowledge o f the s t ars the motions of the he avenly ,

bodies and their revolutions and inuences ; that Is

,

t o s ay the study of na t ure of philosophy and astr o

, , ,

n om
y 2
. A rtici a l.o r rational ma gi c in which ,

they included the knowledg e of all j udicial as

t r ol ogy th e casting o r c alculating nativities curing
, ,

diseases by charms by particular gures plac e d in

,

t hi s or that position ; by h e rbs gathered at this o r

that particular crisis of tim e and by s aying such ,

and suc h words over the pat ient repe a ted so many ,

times and by such and such ges t u res stroking the

, ,

esh in such and such a mann e r and innumerable ,

such like pieces of mimicry workin g not upon the

-

disease itself but upon the imagination of th e dis

,

t e mpered people and so e ffe cting th e cures by the

,

power of nature though that nature w e re set on

,

work by the w e akes t and simplest methods imagin

able But thirdly the last is truly called diaboli
.
, ,

c al a nd hell ish magic which was Operated by a nd ,

with th e concurrence of th e de v il carri e d o n by a ,

correspond e nce with e v il spirits with th e ir help , ,

presence and personal assistance an d chiey pr a e

, ,

t is e d by their pri e sts An d thu s you have the ge

.

neral system of magic according to my title : but I ,

must enter a littl e into th e particulars .

Th e r st sort of this magic I have already de

scrib e d ; and I am still of this O pinion that in all the ,

rst ages of the world there was v e ry little other ,

magic than this known among men ; that all the

di abolical practices of the third sort or the ar t and ,

legerd e m ai n o f the second sort of magic w a s per ,

fe c tly unknown to the magicians of E gypt or Ar abia ,

o r afterwards of Ch a ldea at l e ast for a gr e at while ,

.

As for th e magic i ans of Chaldea I have named ,

them alr e ady an d we nd nothing diabolic al among

,

them : as to those of E gypt especially such a s were ,

o r din arily c alled s o it is evident also they we r e ge

,
 A S Y ST EM OE MAG I C . 49

n e r all t he same for wh e n Ph a r a oh ki n g o f E g pt

y ; y
dreamed his rst dr e am of th e sev e n fat and the ,

seven lean kine Ge n xli th e words ar e e xpr e ss

, . .
,

ver 8 ; H e s e n t f or a ll the m a gic ia ns a n d a ll th e w is e

.

m e n of Egyp t and what followed th e r e w a s n o n e

t h a t c o u ld in te rp r e t h is d r ea m Upon which Jos e ph
.
,

was sent for ; wher e by the way you may observe

, ,

the d i fference betw ee n Jos e ph and the wis e men or

m agicians l e t them b e what they will Th e wise
,
.

men came wh e n they were sent for a n d th e y put ,

the king to th e trouble of t elling them his dream ,

a nd as we may b eliev e w e nt away to consul t and

, ,

consider o f an answer If t h ey could have amused

.

the kin g with any sham answer so as to hav e ,

quiet e d h is though ts which wer e disturb e d with th e

,

oddness of the app e arance they would c e rtainly ,

have don e it ; wh e nc e I conclude they were not

either of the s e cond sort of magic i ans who by trick ,

and charm mutt e ring of words drawing gures

, , ,

and such empty and simple formalities did their ,

work ; if th ey h ad th e y would c e rta i nly hav e cheated

,

the king with som e o f their impostures and l e ge r de

main and have mad e him accept o f this or th at
,

wild story for an int e rpretation .

Nor w e re they d i abol i cal magicians such as by a ,

real and imm e d i ate conversation with t h e D e vil o r ,

some of h i s inv i sible ag e nts wh i ch w e call ev i l s p i

,

rits w rought th e ir us u al wond e rs or delusions l ik e

, ,

wonders ; and such as perhaps those aft e rwards

made use of by another Pharaoh k i ng of E gypt
r e ally were who mimicked t h e miracl e s of M os e s
,

in t he s i ght of th e king and h is court : if they had

been such th e D ev il would not have su ffered the m
,

t o be s o disgrac e d b e fore their lord a s to go away ,

a n d say t h ey could mak e nothing of i t nor g i ve him ,

the int e rpr e tation ; the Devil would c e rtainly hav e

furnished them with s ome kind of int erpr e t a tion ,

5 M
. . E
50 A SYST EM OF MAG I C .

true or false at leas t such as s h ould h a ve sat ised

,

t he king for the present .

N B It is very re a sonable t o suggest here th at

. .
,

these magici a ns and wise men of E gypt and s o ,

t hose afterwards at Babylon had been usually c alled,

t og e ther before upon such occasions a s those th a t

,

t h e y had often int e rpr eted dreams perhaps for the ,

king himself as well as for other people ; that some

,

times they did perhaps make such interpret ations

a s ca m e to pass by which th e y maintained much o f
,

their reputation a mong the people as wise men an d ,

as m a gicians : th e same we s e e pr a ctised among us

t o this day by m any an ignorant old woman with ,

out the least claim to the ven e rable name of magi

c ian m u ch less o f wis e ; al so we cannot doubt but
,

t ha t the kings of E gyp t and o f B abylon did expect

and believe those magicians could in te rpret if they

wo u ld ; it had been else a preposterous piece of
cr u elty in N e b u ch a dn e z z ar t o put all the m agicians
a nd wise men to death b e c a us e they did not tell him
,

his dream and the interpretation if he did really ,

believe they were not abl e to do it ; for it is certain

they did not pretend t o be able t o tell the dream ,

though they d id pretend to tell the in t erpretation ;

but he certainly believ e d they wer e abl e to do both .

But when Pharaoh comes to talk with Joseph h e ,

honestly t ell s the king it w a s not in him ; modestly

dives t ing himself o f all claim to the honour which
he foresaw w a s goi n g t o b e pu t upon him a nd giv ,

ing up the praise to the suprem e a gent to whom it ,

w a s due v 1 6 ; I t is n o t in m e b u t Go d s h a ll giv e
, .
,

Ph a r a oh a n a n s w e r of p e a c e and then he goes on

to interpret the dream .

I giv e you this as an evid e nce of the di fference in

the kinds of magic practised in those tim es ; the
rst sort it is plain were as has b e en described
, , , ,

mere men of le a rning m a ster s of science namely

, , ,
 A S YS TE M OF MAG I C . 51

the knowledge of nature studying philosophy astro , ,

h omy and t he lik e

,
some pract i sin g on e way some ,

anoth e r som e looking up among th e stars others ,

down among t h e pl ants ; som e i nto the microcosm of

man and practising medicine for th e cur e of d i s
,

e ases som e j udg i ng of dr e ams and om e ns othe rs of ,

s i gns and appearanc e s and all according to their ,

several stud ie s and the se ve ral branches of science

,

which th ey appli e d themselv e s t o ; but not any s or

cery or d ev il work among them a t th a t time or for
-
,

some hundr e ds of years aft e r .

Bu t come now to the sam e co u ntry v iz E gypt ; ,

.
,

for h e re i t s ee ms th e D e vil b e gan rst to convers e

, ,

with mankind or mank i nd with h i m rather in this

, ,

familiar manner ; I say com e to th e same country ,

at the distance of less than two hu ndr e d years or ,

thereabout and th e re you nd th e m ag i c i ans turn e d

,

into anoth e r sort of p e ople or rath e r anoth e r sort ,

o f peopl e mix e d wi th th e m ; fo r when M oses an d

Aaron go to Pharaoh to d e mand th e lib e rty of t h e

Israelit e s an d sh ow mir a cl e s or signs befor e him it
,

is said Pharaoh s e nt for th e magicians & c and ,

.
,

th e y did the lik e .

But th e n let us see how the text distinguishes

th e kinds and you w ill nd it is exactly according
,

to my present distinction b e for e it is sa i d Pharaoh , ,

sent for th e magic i ans and wis e men of E gypt S ee .

G en xli 8 Bu t now th e style is chang e d as t h e

. .
,

p e ople were also E xod V II 1 1 Phar a oh called th e

, . . .

sorcerers and m agic i ans of E gypt ; and see then

how th ey act e d v e r 2 2 An d th e m a gicia n s did th e
, .

s a m e w ith th e ir e n ch a n tm e n ts ; and th e lik e in se

veral other plac e s so that her e th e magicians and

wis e men w e re o f another sort for th e y act e d by a ,

diabolical pract i c e as sorcer e rs and dealers w i t h

, ,

the Devil ; b e sid e s it is e verywhere said th e y d i d

, ,

it by th e ir enchantments which w e nev e r nd so ,

much as m e ntioned before ; no nor afterw ards ,

E 2
52 A S Y S TEM OF MAG I C .

a m ong the Ch al deans a nd the magicians of Persi a

a n d A ssyria ; but they ac t ed by th e mere force of
their wisdom and learning viz the study of n ature ; ,
.
,

and when th a t failed them they acknowl e dged they ,

had no other power and could go no further , .

N ow a s I said before having passed through the

, ,

best of the art and the rst and only honest part of
,

the p r actice it follows th at we consid e r the s u b se

, ,

quent progr e ssions of the people called magic i ans ,

what th ey have been understood t o be what they ,

n ow a re i n the world and what we are to under

,

stand by the word when we s ay magic or a m a gi ,

c ian ; a n d this I s ,

F irst A j uggler or sho wer of t ricks by l e ge r de

, ,

main and sl e ight of h a nd ; which I c all only a sha m

magic and wh i ch the world h as been indeed de
,

l u d e d with for many ages .

S econdly A real sorc e rer or wizar d that deals

, ,

with the Devil who converses familiarly with the

,

ol d g e ntleman has him at his c all fetches him

, , ,

sends him o f errands raises him lays him uses , , ,

him upon all occasions and In all disguises a s he

, ,

nds occasion .

That there h ave been such as these in the worl d ,

must be true or history must be one univers al le

,

e n d of lies and we must have been d e luded a nd

g ,

i mposed upon by all the writers an d register keepers -

that ever h ave been w e re or are in being ; nay , , ,

ev en the sacr e d wr itings conrm it and therefor e , ,

with the pardon o f all ou r modern unbeliev e rs who ,

deny there is such a thing as a devil or evil spirit

in being either in the world or out of it I s ay with
, ,

their good leav e I must take it for grant e d

, .

N ow though I co u ld bring many exampl e s a mon g

the moderns where it is most certain tha t some
,

w al king gentlemen a mong us who have looked as ,

if they had nothing in them more than other people ,

h a v e re ally been a cage of dev ils and a s the t e xt ,

 A S Y ST EM OE MAG I C . 3

calls them u nc le a n sp ir its yet I must at present

look a little high e r because I am resolved t o bring
,

such evidenc e as cannot be denied .

F irst The S cripture says of Judas t h at with or

, ,

after the s op the Devil enter e d into him John xi i i

, , .

27 And af t e r the s op S a ta n e n t e r e d in to h im tha t

, ,

is I nto Judas ; and in the same chap ver 2 th e D e

, . .
,

v il h a v ing u t it in to th e h e a r t o
p ,

f J u d a s I s c a r io t ,

S im on s s o n to b e tr a y h im

, and again S t Paul ,
.

sp e aking to E lymas whom the text calls in t ot id e m

,

v er b is t h e sorcerer calls him th o u ch ild o e D e v il

, f t h .

This and all the testimonies of the Devil s being

,

mi r aculously disposs e ssed by o u r S aviour and by ,

his disciples and apostles will put it o u t o f question , ,

not only th a t ther e is such a thing as a Dev il but ,

al so that he has possession of several of his servan t s

in human shape .

But this is n ot t he case at all for I a m not n o w ,

upon the proof of the re ality and existence of the

Devil ; that has b e en worthily undertaken and histo ,

r ic ally m athematically and enthusiastically enough

, ,

performed by a lat e writer in another place : but I

a m now talking of a s e t of peopl e who were no t p o s

se ss e d by but rather as it may b e c all e d are p os

, , ,

s essed of the devil h ave him i n their ke e ping and

custody ; wh e re by t he way I do not nd but that
, ,

t h e De v il seems to be very much in s ubj ection to

them ; whether it b e voluntarily a nd so perhaps , ,

like an Obsequious dog that fawns for what he can ,

get ; he (the Devil ) creeps an d cringes in order the ,

b e tt e r to carry on his own designs which indeed is , , ,

n ot at all improb able ; or whether there were ways

a n d means which these ancient people had found o u t ,

by what sup e rior power I know not t o subj ect t he ,

Devil to th ei r orders and make him their humble

,

s e rvant upon all occasions t o run a nd go fetch an d , ,

c arry at th ei r whistl e : all these critical inquiri e s

,

m ay perh aps come in my way when I come to t alk ,

54 A SYST EM OF MAG I C .

mor e p ar t icul a rly of the magic of o u r presen t t imes ,

a n d the managem e nt o f ou r modern cunning m e n ,

who pr e t e nd to have the Devil in a string make hi m ,

j ump over a broomstick dance and Show tricks a s , , ,

t he mounteb a nks and m e r r yan dr e w s do with a be a r

a nd a monkey .

I must confess if I c a n but in my fu rther search

, ,

aft er those things nd o u t t he method the ancien t

,

magicians had to manag e the Devil thus a nd bring ,

hi m to their hand and can convey th e ar t to p os

,

t e r it y o r at least s e t up a sch e me for the present

,

improvemen t of it I shall not doubt but I shall ,

m eet with e ncouragem e nt ; and if the eminent M r

W h ou will bu t stoop to j oin in with my design
.

( as I d oubt n ot he wil l if there be but money , to be

got by it ) we may publish our readings and s e t u p
, ,

lec t ures for the instr u c t io n of young m agicians and ,

that with extraordinary goo d succ e ss ; n or do I

n
thi nk th e rever e d Mr E m in would stick ou t ; .

for why shou ld we doubt but th e y who have already

levelled their S aviour with a class innitely below
t h e Devil and made a mer e devil or a pparition o f
,

the great Teacher and S an ct i e r of the world ,

would wil lingly s e t up lec tures in favour of the D e vil

himself if they can n d their accoun t in it ?
,

Besides wh e n we are t h us e ngaged in S at an s

,

service and in conj unction with his friends and

,

favourit e s we cannot doubt but the Devil hims e lf

,

will b e s o much obliged th a t he may come fra n kly ,

a n d volunteer and let us into the secret bind him

, ,

self appr e ntice to us for a term of years and enable ,

u s t o play the devil with him for th e t i me to come ,

a s he had played the devil with us for s o many

years p a st Nor if he b e a grateful devil can he
.
, ,

do less ; for no men in the world s e em better qu a li

e d to advance his interest in the main however , ,

for the presen t we m ay seem to keep him in a little

,

j
s u b e ct l on .
 A S Y STE M OF MAG I C . 55

On the other hand if he should prove a n u n ,

grateful spirit and hang an a

, as the modest
call it being unwilling t o come into bondage then
, ,

I say w e m ust try if we canno t nd the way to do

,

i t w i thout h im and by our black art play the de v il

, , ,

with h i m and forc e h i m to come when he is called

, ,

g o when h e is sent and d o a s he is bid

, as ou r pre

d e c e s s or s the anc i ent m a gicians of E gypt did before

us who made him assist M oses and Aaron a nd
, ,

make frogs and snakes j ust a s they directed him : ,

though it s e ems when th ey comm a nded him to

,

m ake lice t he l e ast and lousiest cr e ature of them

,

all the hon e st Devil confessed it w a s out of his

,

power that G od was above the Devil and that in a

, , ,

word he could n ot do it ; by which however he

, , ,

lost a gr e at deal of his credit with his employers ,

and perhaps with th e king himself .

That th e Dev i l assist e d the magicians of E gypt t o

do thos e things or in short that th e y made use of
, , ,

him as th e ir i nstrument is plain from the t ext viz , , .

,

th a t they did it by th e ir e nchan t ment s what man

ner of conj urings or enchantment s they were that
they made use of; we h a ve no particular l igh t in to
from the sacred text but perhaps some guess may ,

be mad e a t it from wha t happened frequently in

,

those countri e s in aft e r a ges -

.

Al so we nd t ha t whatever t he magici a ns in Per

sia and in M edia and in those E astern coun tries
, ,

w e re (for their cre d it continued many a ges ) yet in

, ,

E gypt th e y w e r e after that chi e y sorcerers and

, ,

dealers with the De v il and in a wor d E gypt seemed ,

to be th e nurs e ry of human devils for all the world .

Hence Balaam is call e d a witch a nd hence in the ,

Roman tim e s the E gyptian sorcerers were brought

to An tioch for th e ass i stance of Julian the Apostate ,

t o utter predict i ons and to atter the emperor with

,

their good omens and their prognostications ; i n

w hich he w a s so superstitious th at they p u t the ,
56 A S Y ST EM OF MAG I C .

grosse s t delusion s u pon him until the ci t ize n s of

,

A ntioch m a de a j est of him and expos e d his e u

,

ch a nt m e n t s to ridicul e ; for which had he li v ed to

,

come back from the w a r in Persia he had vowed a ,

sev e r e revenge .

Hence also the E gyptians a re to this day the ,

common stroll ers of th e world an d ar e succeeded

,

by a race of vagabon d s who pretend to the art with ,

o u t the real wick e dness o f it and would b e thought

,

t o deal with the Devil when the truth is they know

, ,

little or nothing of him .

I suppose I need not tell yo u that the word gip se y

is deri v ed fr om th e se strolling magicians w h ich ,

really c ame out o f E gypt and wandering over the

,

world got money by th e ir pretending t o magic

, ,

telli n g fortunes pr e dicting ev e nts a nd moun t ebank

, ,

ing the world with their enchantm e nts until at last , ,

havi n g tired the Devil with following them and the ,

drudgery of their service be i ng not worth his while ,

S atan l e ft them and th e y have be e n since th a t for

, ,

s ome t ime in the class of the well known card i n a l

,
-

who preten d ing to an acquaint a nce with the

D evil a nd to have thr e e infe rior demons appointed
,

t o wait o n him the Devil sent those three demon s to

,

tell his neighbours it was all a cheat a nd that he , ,

S atan had n o t hing to do with him

,
.

It is very strange men should b e s o fond of bei n g

thought wicked e r than th e y ar e ; that they cannot
forb e ar but that they must abus e the very Devil a n d
, ,

claim kindred of him whether he has any know

,

ledge of the m o r no ; but thus it is a n d we need ,

no t go to E gypt for e xamples when we have s o

,

m a ny pi e ces of d u ll witchcraft among ourselves .

It is true the Devil do e s not often decl ine an ac

qu a intance where he can nd his account in i t
and therefore the eminen t doctor may hop e ,

th a t after a little further application to heresy a nd

bl a sphemy he m ay be t hought wo rthy of a dmitt an ce
,
 A S YS TE M OF MAG I C 57 .

into S atan s favour at least s o much as to set tle a
,

correspond e nce th at s o th e y m ay a ct in concert for

,

the fut u r e .

I am told some have thought it a particul ar repu

t at ion to th e m to hav e it suppos e d they maint ai n a
corr e spond e nce of this kind which must be upo n ,

the foot of S atan s credit supposing tha t he knows ,

who is t for his b u sin e ss and who not and that , ,

they must be all capable h ea ds that h e thinks t to

b e conc e rned with in t h i s mann e r ; for as wis e
princ e s always choose wise councillors the Devil ,

understands the capacities of his friends so well ,

that he i s never mistak e n in his choic e ; but t he y

th at are concerned with him must at l e ast be of t h e
cunning class for he h as no inclination at all to
,

This brought some j ust reec t ions int o my thought

upon th e conduc t of o u r times and immediat ely ,

clear e d up the charact e rs of some of th e gr e atest

politicians of o u r age at l e ast in my opinion se e ing
, ,

it is evident th e y e ith e r hav e too much brains or ,

t oo littl e for the infern al correspon d ence ; let the

,

world judg e which of the two is th eir case .

I s ay it clear e d up th e charact e r o f some gre at

m e n t o m e and I conclud e d th e y w e r e no magic i ans
, ,

that th e y neither practised magic in th e rst sense ,

as philosophers or in the last s e nse a s conj u rers ;

, ,

what th e y might do in th e m iddl e sens e a s j uggler s , ,

t hat remains to be inquired into a s Opport u nity m a y

pres e nt
.

Ind e e d I run over in my reect ions t he presen t

,

situation of most of the public a ffairs in E urop e the ,

prime minist e rs grand viziers th e statesmen the

, , ,

councillors gener als admirals ; the clergy whether

, , ,

popish o r protestant G r e ek church or Roman ,

church Christian or M ahometan ; and I must sp e ak

,

it to th e ir honour th at except as a late writ e r

, ,

ta ugh t me t o except our own people our own coun

, ,
58 A S Y ST EM OF MAG I C .

t r y,a nd coun t ry worthi es I c a n s e e no r e a so n t o ,

think any of the present managers to be magici a ns ;

whethe r a s above we consider the magicians t o be
, ,

philosoph e rs o r a s Jannes an d Jambres enchanter s

, ,

and conj ur e rs .

But having spoken of the t wo se v er a l sorts of

m ag ic 1 Honest magic which I have proved to be
, .
,

only the study of natural philosophy and astronomy ,

an d such useful parts of knowledg e which the ,

learn e d c al l natural magic ; and 2 n dl y Diabolic al , ,

o r infe rnal magic which is a practising by the help

,

o f demons o r evil spirits .

It remain s then that I sho uld a t leas t mention

t he thir d or which before I placed a s second in
,

order whi ch is articial m a gic that is t o s ay a

, , ,

mere legerdemain or j u ggling with n ature this is

,

m a naged by the wit and dex te ri ty o f m a n with the ,

a dvantag e s of conce aled occ u l t powers known in , ,

n ature but unknown and unseen by vulgar he a d s

,

a nd eyes and such fame t ells us have been carried , ,

to extraor d inary heights such a s ,

l Th e glass sph e re o f Archimedes

. .

2 The wooden pigeon of Ar chit a s

. .

3 The golde n birds of the emperor Le o which

.
,

s un
?
4 The brazen birds of Boetius which did both ,

s i ng and y ; and his br a zen serpent which could ,

hiss .

To which we may a dd F ri ar Bacon s br a zen he a d , ,

which spoke .

These were all imposit ions upon the sigh t or

he ar ing of the people ; as no doubt th e phosphorus
would ha v e been which makes re burn without ,

heat a nd without consuming the m at ter ; a nd had

,

a man in those days of i nvention foun d ou t a load

stone wha t wond e rs migh t he not have performed
,

by it ! wha t would h a ve been said to s e e him m ake ,

a pie ce of iron d an ce round a table while the a ge nt ,

 A S Y ST EM OF MAG I C . 59

held the magn e t und e rneath ; m ake another pi e ce

o f iron touched with it suspend a third in th e air , ,

and th e l i ke ; make it draw o n e end of a n ee dle to

it and then driv e it from it again as the poles of
, ,

the magn e t were turned and directed ! Will any

man b el i ev e but he that rst showed th e se unac
countable things would hav e passed for a magician
, ,

a deal e r with the D e vil n ay or r a the r for a r e al

, ,

devil in human shape ?

W ho e ver had rst brought such a wonderful
ston e into vi e w a s o u r ord i nary chalk stone calcin e d ,

and turned into lime supposing it never to h av e

,

b ee n h e ar d of b e fore and shown with it the r arity

,

o f its operation viz ,

that if yo u thre w it into the
.
,

re it would put th e re o u t a nd if you put it into

, ,

w ate r it would burn ?

,

Th e se ar e some of the delusion s of articial ma

g ic ia n s and such as these th e world h a s been full
,

of; till now w e begin to be too wise to be cheated

any longer that way ; but as to state j ugglers the -

magic of the party mong e rs religious j ugglers a nd

-
,
-
,

the magic o f the pulpit with di v ers other less fatal

,

kinds I b elie ve they are at this time in the meridia n

,

o f their practice and success or near it ; what ,

height they may go further we do no t indeed cer

t a in ly know it must b e left to time
, .

An d thus you ha v e an h on e st system of the sci

ence called magic a ccording t o t he t i tle of this
,

unde rtaki n g .
60 A S Y ST EM OF M AG I C .

CH AP III . .

Of the r e a son a n d o cc a s io n w h ic h b r ough t the an

c ie n t h on e s t m a gi, w h os e o r igin a l s t u dy w a s
p h ilo s o h , a s t r o n o m , a n d t h e w o r ks o
p y y f n a tur e,

t o t u r n s o r ce r e r s a n d w iz a r d s , a n d d e a l w ith
t h e D e v il a n d h o w th e ir c o n v e r s a t io n b ega n .

HA V I N G thus stated the fac t a n d given you what I ,

c all a system o f magic it is n e c e ssary now that in

, ,

purs u anc e of my title I should ins i st more p ar t icu

,

l ar ly upon the third and last sort of magic I men

ti on e d and which is called diabolical or according
, ,

t o the vulgar acceptation th e black art and bring it

, ,

ou t t o yo u from its very fo u ndation .

This m u st be deduced historically from the other

two or els e I cannot lead you regularly into it s
,

original or give you its true d e scription ; besides a

, ,

great many useful and agreeable sp e culation s o e r

themselv e s in th e rise and progress of th e thing it
s elf which will be most necessary to spe a k t o a s we
, ,

go along .

M agic did no t j ump at onc e into b e ing as to the ,

th in g i tself ; it w a s n ot a revelation from hell made a t ,

once to m a nkind to tell them what they might do

,

the Devil did n ot com e and o ffer his s e rvic e gratis

to us and repr e sentin g how useful a slave he would
,

b e solicit us to tak e h i m into pay and this at o n ce

, , ,

without ceremony or introduction .

No no i t was a long progression of s t u di es a n d

, ,

improv e ment in wicked a n d mischi e vous schemes ,

t ha t bro u gh t mankind to have recourse to th e in

fe r n als to seek th e aid of the dark a gents belo w
, ,

a nd t o solicit a commer ce of th a t kind : nor was

 A SYS TE M OF MAG I C . 61
this done t ill aft e r nding many di fcul t ies in their
other way th e y saw e vid e ntly th e y could not do
,

without h i m could n o t accompl i sh th e ir m i schievou s

,

desires by oth e r methods and that this way it w as

,

to be done .

N ot but tha t the Devil was very ready when he ,

found hims elf made necessary ; I say h e w a s ver y ,

ready to come into th e sch e mes when proposed ,

and to serve us in ou r occasion an d that with a ,

wi llingn e ss which was extremely obliging ; which

show e d him to be a person of abundance of c om
plaisance a n d mighty w i lling to engage us whatever
, ,

it cost him ; as much as to say he was glad h e coul d ,

serv e us was r e ady to do his utmost for us and t h e lik e

, , .

Now to go back bri e y to the occasion which

brought t h e magicians to the necessity o f se e king
to h im for assistanc e and to tak e him into the ma
,
'
n a e m e n t of th e ir a a ir s ; the cas e was in short
g , ,

th i s : the world as I ha ve said already b e gan to be

, ,

wiser than the ages b e for e th e m ; the ordinary ma

gic of th e form e r ag e s wou ld no t pass any longer
fo r wisdom ; and if the wise men as th e y were ,

called did n ot daily produc e some new discov e ries

, ,

it was e vid e nt th e pric e and rate of southsaying

would come down to nothing .

If this p ut th e m upon stratag e m and art in order ,

to ke e p up their cr e dit an d maintain the d i stanc e

,

between them and the infe rior rank of m e n it is ,

not to be wonder e d at ; and th e s e stratag e ms were

o f several kinds as the occasion and the wit of th e
,

u ndertakers present e d for you are to suppose the

inqu i r i ng temp e r of the common peopl e t o be
arr i ved to such a height that nothing could pass
,

with th e m for true at l e ast nothing which had

,

any nov elty in it unl e ss it was conrm e d by som e

,

strang e th i ng some Sign som e m i racl e to b e

, ,

wrought by which the mind receiving a du e im

,
 62 A SYST EM OF MAG I C .

pression e nt er ta ined the rest of the proposed

,

wonder with th e more satisfaction .

At rst the magician s satised the curiosity of

th e peopl e by j uggle an d tr i ck by framin g articial ,

voices and nois e s ; foretelling strange e vents by ,

mechanical app e aranc e s and all th e ch eats whic h

,

we nd put upon the ignorant people to this day ;

and it would b e tedious to enumerate the p ar t icu
lars by which they imposed u pon o n e another .

You may gu e ss at th e m by such a s ar e mentioned

before ; but principally thos e who studi e d the
heavenly mo t ions had great opportuniti e s of r e
,

commending thems e l ve s for men of craft pretend ,

ing to t ell fortunes calculat e nati v iti e s resolv e

, ,

doubts re a d the lines of n ature drawn in th e face

, ,

palms of th e hand symmetry of the body moles and

, ,

marks on the esh and the like ,

.

These th ings they carried to a du e l e ngth a nd ,

w e nd the success was s o much to th e ir advantage ,

that the whole world or great part o f it has been

, ,

i
gp y se
-
ridden by t hem even to this day
,
.

It wo u ld ll a v ol u me larger than I propose

this shall be to gi v e an account of th e s e v e ral
,

stratagems th ose people had recours e to in the ,

early days of sorc e ry and magic in order to main ,

tain their charact e r in the world as extraord i nary .

For I must d o them s o much j ustice as I go to ,

observe th a t t hey did n ot immediately run to the

,

Devil for help ; or a t least if some among them ,

dealt in the dark and corr e sponded below th e y did

, ,

not all do so ; perhap s th e y were not hardened

enough a t rst for the carrying on such a t r a ick .

It was a new commerce and had som e thi n g a l i ttle

,

shocking at rst till th e necessity of their south

,

saying c i rcumst a nc e s brought th e m to comply with

a nything rather th a n lose th e ir trade .

The E gyp t ians you mus t know were a peopl e

, ,
 A S Y STE M OE MAG I C . 63

or igin ally att ended with two things which nat ur ally ,

made way for t hese magical stud i es .

1 M ost impertinently inquisitive grossly ign o

.
,

rant in th e main (as ignorance wo u ld b e call e d

,

n ow but mighty wis e as th ings wer e rat ed at th a t

, ,

tim e ) and prying into everything with an ir r e sist

,

ible passion for what they called knowledge ; o n

this account they pass e d for the wisest nat i on on
earth and E gyp t was est ee med the centre of
,

learning and knowledge H e nce M os e s was s a id .

to b e learn e d in all the wisdom o f th e E gyptians .

It is tru e and they a re upbraided with it by th e

,

E thiopians of Arabia F el i x which th ey call th e ,

south and wh o th ough Arabians ar e call e d E thi

, ,

o ian s in S cript u r e ; I say it is true that the

p , ,

E gyptians l e arned all their magic that is th ei r , ,

astronomy and astrology from t h e Arabian s ; and ,

th ey t ell us that Abraham instructed his s on

Ishma el in all the superior knowledge in which
,

his posterity afterwards grew so famous .

2 W i th this inquisitive temper o f th e E ptians

.

gy ,

th e y w e re also mos t ridiculo u sly superst i t i ous I

say most ridiculously because it Showed itself In
, ,

that sordid and most simpl e idolatry wh i ch th e y

had amo n g th em in wh i ch t hey sunk b elow th e
,

common notions of worship practis e d by th e most

ignorant nations in th e world ; for they worshipp e d ,

or mad e a go d of almost everything that came in

,

their way ; as the o x the calf the water of Nil e , , ,

nay the river its elf the sand the crocodiles and
, , , ,

numberless things as senseless as thos e .

As these things w e r e peculiar to them a s a na

tion so they part i cularly qu ali e d them to be im
,

pos e d upon by their southsayers a nd magici an s ,

with all manner of d elusions nor did the subtl e

magic i ans fail to make their advantage upon al l ,

occ a sions of this superstitious and inquiring h u

,
64 A S Y ST EM OF MAG I C .

mour of the people bu t used all possible s tr ata gem

,

an d art to delude a nd impose upon them .

To this purp ose they soon mixed their religion

,

a nd their m a gic toge th e r ; th e ir philosophy and their

idolat ry were made assistant t o the general fraud ,

and to raise a d u e veneration in the minds of the

e
p p O l e : to this or that p ar ticular t a le advanced by

their pri e sts they brought always along with them

,

some extraordinary r e velation from th e gods som e ,

wonderful d i scovery in nature or something strange ,

and miraculous .

How str a ngely does r eligious enthusiasm keep

it s hold of mankind and how exactly do past thin gs ,

d present correspond As th e end is the same ,

s o are the means : pious frauds got ground from

the beginning and pious frauds g e t groun d to the

,

end As no cheats are so fatal as those which

.

come prefaced w i th introduc t ions of rel i gion so no ,

cheats ar e so easy to prevail s o soon m ake impres ,

sions upon the people or st amp those impressions ,

deeper .

The priest s a mong the E gyptians when they ,

t u rned magicians (or rather I should h a ve said

, , ,

the magicians wh en they turned priests ) set u p

, ,

for revelation inspiration an d a conversat i on wi th

, ,

their gods and for this purpose th ey withdrew into

the deserts and wastes of which th e country is ,

known to be full ; an d wh e re to their glory (shame )

be it spoken the religious of the Romish church
,

played the same gam e over a gain some ages ,

aft e rward .

Hith e r the E gyp t ian pries t s I s ay retired for , ,

conversation with their gods from whence they ,

were s ure to come b a ck inspired that is to s ay , ,

lled with some n e w delusion to impose upon th e

people Here they cut s a cred marks upon th e
.

trees a nd then brought t hem b a ck as the lan

,
 A S YS TE M OF MAG I C . 65
gu age t a ught th e m from the gods ; and by whic h
they pr e tended aft e r mutter i ng ov e r them som e
,

uns i gnifying s ign i ca t io n s to utter som e answ e rs ,

to any d i fculties propos e d to th e m ; and then

sending their votaries into the wild e rn e ss th e y ,

would s e t th e m to s e arch for th e sam e divine cha

r ac t e r s ; which after long looking for th ey would ,

nd upon some stone or post or tr e e and come , , ,

home in raptur e s for th e discov e ry .

O thers of th e se d i vine magicians or divin e rs ,

rather w ou l dic lam b e r up to th e top of th e pyramids

, ,

whos e imm e ns e h e ight w e have such c e rta i n a c

counts of as may make th e climbing up s e em in
,

cr e dibl e whatev e r else may n ot be s o Y e t her e

,
.

they w e nt to mak e obs e rvat i ons and calc u lations ,

o f the heavenly motions some say ; but a ccord i ng ,

to others to mak e the i r conj urations th e ir sacr e d

, ,

retreats and to carry o n th e delusion o f conv e rsin g

,

with th e god
H e re also th ey cut the ir diabolical marks wh i ch ,

the E gyptians call t he sacred characters wh i ch they ,

l e ft be h ind them inde e d in th e stone upon th e

, ,

upp e r at of th e pyramid ; for accord i ng to the

learned G r e aves t h e summ i t of the pyramid was
,

n ot a point as th e top o f a Spire o r as r e pr e s e nting

, ,

a am e and which by its gr e at he i ght it s e em e d

,

to be ; but the uppermost parts form e d a plain ,

which S t e phanus i n his comm e nt supplying th e ,

d e fect in H e rodotus mak e s to be e i g h t o r gyiae

, ,

which again accord i ng to S u id as is a fathom or

, , ,

six foot ; SO that th e plain o n t h e top of th e pyra ~

mid m u st b e e i ght fathom square ; oth e rs r e port i t

to b e nin e foot only though I think the form e r ,

mor e probabl e .

But be that as it will here it is c e rtain the y , , ,

m a d e o r found made by Ot he rs c e rta i n dark

, , ,

mystic and as they pret e nd e d sacred Charact e rs ;

, , ,

whose s ignicat ion s were r e presented by the pr i ests

.s M . F
66 SY ST EM OF MAG I C
A .

j ust as they ple a sed for we h av e re a son to believ e

they had n ot then the u s e of l e tt e rs ; and as some ,

think th ese mystic charact e rs were th e original of

,

all the hieroglyp h i c writing which was a fterwards th e

ord i nary practic e of the E gypt i ans till the Hebrew ,

characters were handed to them by M oses from th e ,

writing o f G od deliver e d him a t mount S inai .

It is v e ry w e ll observed by the learned auth or

j ust n ow named that had n ot the priests stood in
,

need o f somet h ing extraordinary to make th e ir c e

l e s t ial converse s ee m more w eighty a nd import a nt ,

a ll th e ir astronomical obs e r v at i on s might as well

have bee n mad e from the pla i n of the rock upon

which those pyramids ar e built and which support ,

the foundation ; which as he takes notice is its e lf , ,

so elevate d that in a country which is all a low

, , ,

at and level surface for near fty miles e v ery way

, ,

a n d a ffords a fair horizon is as well suited for all ,

such observations as require a l arg e ext e nded pros

p e e t as it would be if it wer e seven or e ight hundr e d
foot higher which is supposed to be t h e he i ght o f
,

the pyramid .

But the reason is evident ; the mounting th e

st e ps o r degr ee s of the pyramid on the outside was
a work of vast labour and som e hazard every head,

could not b e ar the el ev ation ev e ry mind could not

have resolut i on to undert ake it fe w would ventur e
up to examin e the tr u th of th e characters or bring ,

do w n copies o f them much less ex a mine into th e ,

n atur e o f th e m An d if they had gone u p i t was

.

e nough th e c u nning priests had impress e d the m

,

there and left t h e originals upon th e top ston e o f

,

the wonderful building mag i cal and a wful in its e lf ;,

a nd as it was really so that there the charact e rs ,

were to be seen it was n o hard matter to persuad e

,

the cr e dulous superstitious p e opl e

, ,

1 That they were wr i tten there by the ng e r of

.

the gods
 A S Y ST EM OF MAG I C . 67

2 Th a t the int e rpr e tation of them was given by

.

I nsp i ration to the sam e pri e sts or wise m e n who

, ,

rst d i scovered and brough t down the chara cters

th e ms elv e s .

How far t hese delusion s have prevail e d and do ,

to this day prevail among the E gyptians I ne e d not ,

tell yo u ; it is eno u gh to say i t has gone such a

length as has encourag e d enthusiastic pretenders
, ,

a nd made E gypt the nursery of witchcraft to th e

whol e world .

Bu t why should we think it str a nge to h a ve di

v inity and magic thus blen d e d tog e ther in a country
s o sup e rst i tious as E gypt ? Has th e re n o t be e n a
stranger mixture of magic and witchcraft n ot omit ,

tin g priestcraft in all kinds of r e ligions ever Since ;

,

a nd is it l e ss among the politer r eligions now in

v o gu e than it was in those days ?
To be gin at the very pinnacl e of t h e church an d ,

to leave j uda i cal magic all b e hind us though th e y ,

had the Devil almost in e very synagog u e I s ay to ,

b egin at the pinnacle o f th e churc h how many ,

pop e s in particular does history give us an account

, ,

of who hav e b ee n sorc e rers and conj urers a nd who

, ,

have dealt with the De v il in the most Open and

avowed manner ! Ho w has th e Romish churc h
been established upon the articial m agic o f the
clergy ! and how j ustly may we say to h e r as J e h u ,

to th e king of Isra el Wh a t p e a ce w h ile th e w h o r e

, ,

d o m s of thy m o the r J ez e b e l a n d h e r w itch c r af ts a r e

so m a ny
But not t o mak e our inquiries a satir e upon ou r
s el ve s in fall ing upon popery where w e are equally
,

gu i lty l e t us r e commend it to our M ost Rev e r e n d

,

a n d R i ght R ev e ren d to put o u r o w n e ccl e siast i c

affairs into such a good postur e that we may ha ve

,

no mag i c amon g us ; that while we pull down th e

formal magicians we may not set up th e cunn i ng
,

F 2
68 A S YS T EM OF MAG I C .

men upo n th e fall of the wise men a nd erec t he r esy ,

i n the roo m o f schi sm .

S ome p e ople pretend o u r modern divinity is s o

m a gical in its o wn n ature that it is not e asy to ,

separate th e m tha t is in a word the Devil has so

, ,

far en croach e d upon t h e ch u rch that it is impossible ,

to cast h im ou t : the tr u th is if it was not so we Should

, ,

h a rdly hav e such a struggle a s has now been among

u s to k e ep the true Lord in possession An d since .

the church has but on e true and rightful king and

so ve reign ther e would never have been such a bold
,

attempt to d e pose him if the Devil th e ancient, ,

usurper o f his throne had not b e en at work a g a i n

,

to step up in his room B u t we shall have occasion

.

to sp e ak of this part more plainly by an d by .

It was with great success that the E gyptia n

priests went o n in the mann e r as a bove and their ,

ar ticial magic went a gr e at way in all the E astern

world th e y were count e d the best and wis e st men ,

who mount e bank lik e could Show most tricks a nd

, , ,

invent th e most surprising things to take with t h e

vulgar s o as to give t h eir words th e force of an
,

oracl e and entitl e th e m to the chara cter of divine

,

a n d prophetic An d thus we may suppose the

.

world going on for many ages till at length t o , ,

come nearer o ur o wn times and inde e d nearer to the ,

practic e of our o wn times t oo their m im ick r y was ,

e xhausted they had no more tricks to play t he

, ,

j uggl i ng trade gre w stal e and dull the world began ,

to look beyond th e m and expected something more ;

,

a nd so th e last I do not say the churc h j uggl e rs ,

w e nt to the D e v i l for h elp I h ad rather tell you tha t

.

anot he r g e neration who had always b e e n tru e magi

,

e iaus true practis e rs of the dia b olical p art came in

, ,

play of course and succ e ed e d the rst who gra

, ,

dually deposed th e msel v es by their mere impotency ;

and j u st as d arkness is a deprivat ion of light a nd
, ,
 A SYS TE M OF MAG I C 69 .

succee d s it by the m e r e consequence of thi n gs so ,

the hon e st ignoranc e of the innoc e nt magician b e ing ,

unabl e to keep th e e xpectation of the peopl e up ,

a nd a nswer the importuniti e s of the age dealing ,

with th e D e v i l succeede d ev e n by th e m e re c on s e
,

u e n ce o f things
q .

The n e w magic coming thus in play let us se e ,

how it made i ts rst entranc e in th e world and i n ,

w hat shapes it b e gan to appear ; in wh i ch s e arch

w e sh all nd in sh ort that religion still opened the
, ,

d oor. Fo r as t he Devil aspir e d at noth i ng mor e

,

from th e b e g i nning than to be s e t up for a god so

, ,

he always built his chapel close by G od s c h urch ;
it was in the cons e qu e nc e of this that the priests ,

were always his more i mmediate corr e spon d e nts .

How long th e y continued so but e speci al ly when ,

the corr e spond e nc e c e as e d would b e a discovery

,

worth mak i n g t o t h e world but 0 how d i f cult !

It is indeed to b e observ e d and th e D e vil has ,

done us Christians that j ustic e that S atan has dis ,

cov ered his attachment to the pagan rites in dis

tinct i on from and Opposition to the Christi an
, ,

worship on many occas i ons an d that particularly ,

a s perhaps the latt e r is more tted to introduce

devil worship i n th e world ; we ha v e some instances

-

of his m aking this dist i nction particularly wh e n ,

the e mperor J ulian whil e h e was only Cae s a r an d

, ,

had not declar e d himself apostate (nay was perhaps , ,

m ore incl i ned to b e a Chr i stian than a p a gan for he ,

was educat e d a Christian ) I say it was observed

, , ,

t h a t he was perv e rted from Christianity and c on ,

rm ed a pagan by Maximus a magician

, .

N B This M aximus was a magician when the

. .
,

word magic i an signied no more a wise man or a ,

southsay e r but a downright conj urer a master of

, ,

the bl a ck art or one who dealt w i th th e D ev i l

, .

Nor was i t that the magic i ans w e re fa v our e rs of

p aganism only but such was th e subtlety of t h e
,
70 A S Y ST EM OF MAG I C .

Devil th at indeed the pagan worship consist ed much

,

in sorcery an d magic conj urings invocation of , ,

de v ils an d raising evil Sp i rits : by thes e the ri te s

,

a n d ceremonies of paganism w e re supported It 1 5 .

s a id of the famous champion of the Christi a n religion ,

A than a sius that h e und e rstood all the mysteries of

,

the paga n theology ; but we are not come to that

length in our inquiries yet .

The Devi l had a gr e at m a ny good reasons to b e

friend the p agan wors h ip rath er than th e Christi a n ; ,

for that indeed the substance o f p a ganism was a

diabolical system in itself and to worship the ,

heathen gods was e ssenti ally to worship th e Devil

, ,

a s we shall s e e in its pl a ce .

We must obs e rve h e re that the curiosity of m a n ,

in the mos t early times was never fully gr atied

b ut when h is understanding was as it w e re con
founded when he w a s under some astonishmen t
,

a n d surpris e a t seeing or hearing some strange

,

t h ing The Pharisees when th e y were attacking

.
,

o u r S avio u r as th e y a lmost were always and when

, ,

a s t h e y t h o u gh t th e y insulted him asked him

, Wh a t , ,

s ign d os t th o u s he w, th a t th ou d o e s t s u ch t h ings as

An d in other places it is said when he did per ,

for m some m i raculo u s things they w e r e a s to n is h e d ,

a t h im astonishment introduces silence ; men are

,

rst amaze d and hav e nothi n g to s ay and then

, ,

n ature dictates cr e dulity as the cons e quenc e viz , .

,

that when they a re thus surpr i sed w i th wonder ,

they should consequ e ntly b e lie ve the person who s o

a stonished th e m with his miracles ; though by the ,

way it was n o t always s o with the Jews for they

, ,

were a mazed and yet did n o t believe neither ; in

,

which th e y were something of kin to an unbelieving

Chr istian i n o ur town of ecclesiastic fame too who
, ,

says he wonders and is astonished at th e maj esty of

t h e S crip t ur e s tyle a n d ye t does n ot be lieve a word
,
 A SY S TE M OF MAG I C 7! .

they s ay A bolder ind e l I have n ot met with

.

since I w a s last at the pagan circle near old ,

Charing where G od was owned sworn by im pr e

, , ,

c a t e d bl a sphemed and denied all in a br e ath

, , , .

But to go on : the curiosity o f mankind I s ay , ,

was nev e r fully satised but wh e n something won

d e r ful was o ffered ; and therefore miracle was imme
d iat e ly called for when any new syst e m was o ffered
, ,

o r anything di fcult proposed .

Thus when Go d sent M oses a n d Aaro n to

Pharaoh he supposes the very case ; M oses and
,

A a ron were to assure Pharaoh that G od sent them ,

and they w e r e in h is n am e to d e mand l i berty for

th e children of Isr ael Th e demand was surprising :
.

it w as a n insol e nt thing indeed for a coupl e of ,

sl aves to com e and ask the king to rel e as e s ix

h u ndr e d thousand m e n slav e s lik e th e mselves fro m
, ,

t heir captivity and from the king s service whose

,

subj ects or rath e r servants they wer e ; and

, ,

Pharaoh it is to be suppos e d b e gan to r e sent it ;

, ,

nay we may suppose without any presumption that

, , ,

Pharaoh s courtiers made game at them a nd his ,

ministers of stat e perhaps proposed to punish the m

for their imp u d e nce a nd for putting such n otions
,

into the peopl e s hea d s which might be dang e rous , ,

a n d might e xcite tumults a n d reb e llion ; and there

fore it w a s prudence to suppress the insolence a nd ,

m ake examples o f the two pr e tend e d ambassadors .

But hold ! says M oses w e do not come to a ffront ,

your maj esty nor a r e th e people we come to speak

,

for inclined to revolt o r rebel ; but we com e from

,

G od ; the peopl e of Isra e l whom we repr e s e n t are ,

G od s chosen favourite nation though they are ,

your servants and they are comman d ed to go three

,

days j ourney into the wilderness to perform a great ,

sacrice and mak e a great fe ast to h i m ; and th e re

,

fore w e come to desir e your leav e that we may go ,

p e a c e ably and do the

, duty of o u r worship ; assur
72 A SYS T EM OE MAG I C .

i ng yo u r maj esty that G od himself who h as thu s

, ,

comman d ed us o u t has sen t me to you t o d e mand,

your a ssent .

G od sent you ! says the king : a ne story for

you to p ut into the people s h e ads to make the m ,

i dle and hinder my business ; go get you gone to

, ,

your work and to your t a sk or I sh all nd a way

, ,

to dri v e th e s e whimseys ou t of you r h e ads aga i n .

But still M oses and A aron with other the heads ,

o f the Israelites (for th e r e w e r e many m o r e with

,

them ) insisted that they were sent by the imme

,

d iat e dir e ction o f God himself A n d how do yo u .

prov e that ? says th e king ; what Sign d o you gi v e

me that you come with such an authority ?
With this M oses repli e s to Pharaoh I shall soon ,

convinc e your maj esty that I am sent by the grea t

king and Go d of h e aven and earth : and with that
, ,

turning to Aaron h e says to him Brother throw , , ,

down th e sta ff or rod that i s in your hand upon

, , ,

the ground b e fore th e king .

A aron does so throws down his white sta ff and

, ,

imm e diat e ly it was turned into a s e rp e nt .

The learn e d have sp e nt som e thought upon wh at

kind of serpent this should b e ; but that is not to
my purpose ; n or are their conj ectures of any
w e ight especially that foolish not i o n tha t it w as
, ,

the same kind of serpent as appeared an d talk e d

to E ve in Paradis e an d that it walk e d erec t in ,

Pharaoh s pr e sence s o that it fright e d the king

, .

But Pharaoh r e covering th e surprise t e lls them , ,

?
What does this s i gnify you shall se e I hav e peo
ple of my o wn can do as much as th i s Upon which .

h is two chief conj urers or magicians were call e d in ;

it is supposed they were at hand for the d e vil is s e l ,

dom o u t of c all when h e is wanted for any mischief .

Upon this comes Jannes and Jambr e s so S t Paul , .

called them and the text says they w e re t wo magi

,

e i a u s a nd perhaps there migh t be a gr e at m any

,
 A S YS T EM OF MAG I C 73 .

more of that sort ; for it se e ms the king s court w as
n o t th e n without a su f cient numb e r o f cl e rgy in

daily waiting An d the text adds Ph a r a oh c a lle d

.
,

th e w is e m e n a n d t h e s or c e r er s and the next word

ca lls them magicians and not only magicians in
,

common, as the word was u sed personally but as ,

it was us e d n ationally the mag i cians of E gypt ,

whence it is inferr e d th at th e r e w e re som e magi

,

e ia u s not only mor e e min e nt than others but suc h ,

as were in public O ic e th e r e ; as the e minent Dr .

H

may b e call e d the kin g s astronomer or ,

a s the more eminent M r F lam s t e a d usually called .

himself th e k i ng s star gaz e r ; and i f it was n ot so

,

-

that th e s e men wer e in ordinary attendanc e and in ,

pay h ow should they b e brought in so soon while

, ,

M os e s and Aaron w e r e i n the pr e s e nce ?

W ell th e se m e n b e ing call e d in Pharaoh in c on
, , ,

tempt o f M os e s and A aron and th e s i gn o r miracl e ,

they had shown asked them if th e y could not do

,

that as well as Aaron ?

They readily answer Y es and fall t o p a w wawin g
, ,
-
,

a s th e Am e ricans call it and using th ei r e nchant ,

ments invoki n g or w h isp e ring th e ir d e mon s or

, ,

what oth e r diabolical arts t hey might use we know ,

n ot ; but upon this and th e ir stav es or rods being

,

c a st down th e y w e r e turn e d i nto s e rpents too

, .

This was enough to make Pharao h tr i umph over

M oses a nd Aaron and their company and d e riding
, ,

their miracl e tell them insultingly this did not at

, ,

a ll t e stify their mission from G o d for they might see ,

h i s w i s e men could turn rods into serpents as w e ll as

they Nor did th e d istinction which G od was pleased
.

t o Show by suffe ring Aaron s serpent to devour o r

,

sw allow up th e s e rp e nts of th e E gyptian sorc e rers ,

al ter the c a se with Pharaoh ; for that as an accident , ,

did n o t import anythin g at all in the cas e An d thus .

he sent them or rather d ro v e th e m away w i th con

, ,

te mpt and immed i ately s e nt taskm a st e rs among the

,
 74 A SYS T EM OF MAG I C .

people t o double their a l ict ion s inc r e a se their l a ,

h ou r s an d force them to make brick with out str a w

,
.

Well M oses and Aaron come again with the same

,

messag e and it had the same event they ar e bant e red

, ,

and rid i cul e d : a s if the king had call e d to them

thus ; Well you are come again and you s ay G od
, ,

has sent you : pray h a s b e furnished you with any

better testimony t h an yo u h ad be fore ; have you any
other miracle to Show ?
Th e sacred ambass a dors grav ely tell him th e y had ,

a nd if h e would still refuse to grant th e ir dem a nds ,

he Should s e e it ; nay they tell him be forehan d ,

wh a t it Should b e namely th a t they wo uld turn the

, ,

waters of Nile th e great river of their country into

, ,

blood .

Pharaoh as may be supposed no t b elieving they

, ,

could do it treats them still in the s a m e manner

, ,

and refu s e s still to r e c e iv e them as messengers from

G od ; upon which M oses calls to A aron and bids , ,

him stretch out h i s rod and smite the waters of the

river and they were immediat e ly turned into blood
, ,

a nd all th e waters ponds an d pools besides ; for , ,

E gypt is full of pits and ponds wherein th e y preserve ,

t he water of Nile a ft e r th e annual inundation .

The king frighted a t this sudden change of t h e

,

water is a little calm e r than he was b e fore ; but con

,

Side r in g the matter h e call s his magicians to s e e if

,

they coul d not do this also as well as M os e s ; when ,

th ey came they did the sam e by which still the

, ,

blinded mind of th e prince continued obstinate

I might run through the r e st of the mir a cles

wr ought th e re and Sho w yo u how t he m a gician s
,

brought frogs b u t could not bring lice but this is

,

n ot to the case ; the story is known .

O nly o n e thing I must note for your directio n in

t he reading this part of the story viz that the m a , .
,

g ic ian s could bring plagues a t least some of them , ,

as well as M oses a nd Aa ro n ; b u t t he m a gici a ns

 A SYS T EM OE MAG I C . 75
could not remov e th e m again a s M oses did ; s o that ,

the king might hav e perc e ived that which th e m a

ic ian s th e mselves acknowled ged in th e plague o f
g
th e lice that it was the nger o f G od which only
,

could remo v e th e plagues h e brought .

Th e whole d e sign of thi s r e mark is to Show that

it was always the temper of mankind to d e mand a
Sign or a miracle to conrm any n e w advanced
,

doctrine or any extraordinary mission and to take

, ,

those miracles wh e n produc e d for a full con r m a

'

, ,

tion.

This temper of the people as it drov e th e magi ,

c ian s to their Shifts h ow to supply miracl e s to obtain

credit with th e p e opl e so it drov e th e m beyond th e ir

,

s hift s t oo a t last and brought them to a confe deracy

,

w ith the Devil for a supply of w on de rf ul s to delud e

the p e ople They tell us of a certa i n sorcerer a t
.

Antioch who for the conrmat i on of som e particular

, ,

thing which h e had a f rm e d to the people to keep ,

U p his credit with th e m told th e m that such an

, ,

evening he would cause re to come down from

heaven and that it should rest on the top of such a
,

cert ain hill in the sight of all the city .

Wh eth e r the cunning artist had found o u t any

composition by which to make articial reworks ,

a greeabl e to what is don e at this time or not is n ot ,

cert a in ; though it is most c e rtain the art of making

gunpowder was not th e n known nor for above a ,

t housand y ea rs afterwards : but fo r certain h e caused

such a m achine to mou n t in the air unseen in the ,

dark of the e vening which t h en bursting c a m e down

, ,

a gain in a shower of re lik e th e stars as we call

, ,

them which spread themselves and fall down u pon

, ,

t he b u rsting of th e tail of a rocket ; and this so

a maz e d the peopl e that they believed afterwards
,

everything he said .

Thus S i mon th e sorc e r e r is s ai d by his diabol ical ,

ench a ntments to y up in the air and perform s o

, ,
76 A S YS T EM OE MAG I C .

m any surprising things that i t is said the people ,

called him the great po wer of G od or the appe a ra nce ,

o f the great power of G od A cts v iii 1 0 , . .

Ind ee d the descr i ption th e S cripture gives there

of this S i mon is very r e markabl e to the case in hand ;
rs t it is said ver 9 Th a t h e u s e d s o r ce ry a nd
,
.
,

b e w itch e d th e p e op le that is the peopl e of S amaria ;

, ,

then it is added a ll th e p e op le ga v e h e e d to him

, ,

and said Th is m a n is the gr e a t p o w e r of Go d ; the

,

meaning is evident this m an h as done such grea t

,

a nd strang e things showed suc h miracl e s such , ,

wond e rs that non e but the great power of G od

,

could en able him to d o ; a nd there fore it is certain

that he is aided and assisted by the great power of
G od and this he held a long time ver l l To h im ,
.

th ey h a d r ega r d b e c a u s e f o r a lo ng t im e h e h a d b e
,

witc h e d th e m w ith h is s o r c e r ie s .

The c a se of S imon and the people at S amaria was

j ust as it was with Pharao h and his magicians wh e n ,

M os e s an d A aron cam e to him Pharaoh and all .

his courtiers gave heed to Jann e s and Jambres for ,

that of a long tim e they had bewitched them with

their sorceries .

It remains a question here by what power and by ,

whose hand it must be that the magic i ans of E gyp t ,

t urned th e ir rods into s e rpe nts smote t h e waters , ,

a nd turned them into blood brought up frogs 850 , , .

that is in Short mimicked or imitated th e miracles

, ,

of M os e s and Aa ron If I am asked by whose per .

mission i t was done I know how to answer ; but if ,

you ask wh o was th e i nstrum e nt I must say it was the ,

Devil for th e text says expr e ssly th ey d id it by the ir ,

e n c h a n t m e n ts .

On t h e other h and wh e n they were bafed in ,

their p aw wa w in g for lice and could not perform it

-
, ,

i t is sai d expressly th ey a chn o w le dg e d tha t they

,

c ou ld n o t d o it
f o r t h a t it w a s th e n e r
, g of God ,

E xod viii 1 9
. . .
 A SYS T EM OE MAG I C . 77
N ow whether the magicians m e ant i t is the nge r ,

o f G o d that hinders us from doing now as w e did

befor e so that we cannot bring up lice as we did

,

frogs ; or wh e ther th ey s ee med to acknowledg e th a t

th e pla gue of lice was the nger o f God though ,

they d i d not grant that th e blood and the frogs were

s o becaus e the Devil co ul d do it a lso ; this I say is
, , ,

a doubt which commentators d o n ot resolve or at ,

.

least do not agre e about .

But take it which way yo u will it is an acknow ,

l e dgment that what th e y did by th e ir sorcery an d

e nchantm e nts was not done by the nger of G od ;
,

and also that when t he ng e r of G od was in th e

work their sorc e ry and e nchantments were im po
,

tent and could d o nothing

, .

It is n ot to be qu e stion e d but as this corr e spond

ence began between these m agicians and the infer
nal sp i r i ts they did also upon all occasions and
, ,

with the utmost of th ei r power as w e ll as with the ,

g reatest artic e and cunning e nd e avour to m a ke

,

t he p e ople beli ev e that what th e y did was by th e

great power o f G od by th e n ge r of heav e n ; for
,

this alon e answered th e end which was deluding , ,

and imposing upon mankind It was the unhapp i .

~

n ess of that a e as it is o f ours wh e n a more m o

g , ,

dern and ind e ed mor e fatal kind o f magic is prae

t is e d in th e world ; I say it was th e ir unhappiness
,

that th e minds of th e peopl e seem e d pr e par e d for

th e ir d el u sions by b e ing mor e e asily imposed upon
,

than usual .

Th e E ast e rn world had for m any ages been led

a n d g u i ded by the j uggl e s and l e gerdemain o f t heir

southsay e rs a n d wis e men as they were called ; and

,

wh e n they by th e d e generacy of the t i mes were as

, , ,

I have sa i d brought so l o w as to submit to sorcery

,

and enchantm e nt th ey had a vast ad v antag e ov e r

,

the p e opl e by t he good O p i n i on wh ich th e peopl e

,

h a d of th e ir sinc e r i ty and honesty a nd that they ,

78 A S YS TE M OE M AG I C .

would not by any means cheat a nd impose upon

them .

Thus wh e n errors and damn able doctrines in r e

l igio n ar e broached a n d s e t o n foot among u s by
men o f appar e nt sanctity in conv ersation men of ,

s ev er e morals of rigid and a ustere lives blameles s

, ,

and morti e d manners strictly practising the good

,

things which they pr e ach and wh o by that strict

,

n e ss of conversation have obtained a reputation in

t h e world as men that do not willingly d e ceive the
,

p e ople or that at least have not a wicked design to

,

dec e i v e ; in s u ch case I say error comes armed

, ,

with a fatal and do u ble power and its inuence 1 s ,

much more likely to do mischief the hypocrisy is ,

the more dangerous a nd the people more e a sily

,

a bus e d .

Who co ul d in our days expect that m e n of mo

, ,

rals men of unspotted liv es and whose charact e rs

, ,

would b e such as n e ver to s u ffer any reproach ,

should blemish all their r e p utation whic h that c o m ,

m e ndabl e r e ctitud e of life had obtained for them ,

with harbouring a horrid and detestable blasph e my

a gainst the Holy G host itself robbing the S on o f ,

G od of the equality which h e thought it no robb e ry

to ass u me and denying the G odhe a d o f him who is
,

G o d b les s e d f o r e v e r
But this is still too solemn a n d I am not also ,

come on far enough in order of time to talk of those

p eople we shall meet with them again in ou r way :
for t he present I must be cont e nt to go back to the
S outh and to the E ast visit th e primitive times of
,

sorcery and witc h craft and se e if we can nd it o u t

, ,

how the D e vil and mankind came to b e so well ac

u a in t e d as we nd th e y hav e been ; for certainly
q
it was not all don e at onc e S atan whose region is .
,

the air a nd whose busin e ss is in th e dark w as not

, ,

immediately correspond e d wit h in an open public , ,

a nd a vowed m a n n er ; he did n ot w alk abou t in per

 A SYS TE M OE MAG I C . 79
s on , ndisguised a nd open clothed in the sh ape s
u ,

a n d g u r e s o f a devil and acting l i k e himself ; h e

,

certa i nly made his court to mank i n d by some par

t ic u la r applications o r they to him ; fo r t he learned
,

are not fully agreed who ma d e the rst adv a nces

towards th e n e w acquaintance and whether the ,

d e vil m a de love rst o r how mankind found him ,

ou t . I must confe ss it is a n inquiry of moment ,

a nd the history of it wo u ld take up som e room in

our speculations perhaps v e ry much to your satis
,

faction I m ean if w e could g ive a tru e and parti

,

c a lar account how the De v il and mankind came rst

acquaint e d .

A n d rst it would be particul arly impro v ing to

,

o u r understand i ngs if we could tell where the rst

,

occasion of the correspond e nc e lay ; that is to say ,

1 Wheth er th e D ev il in the admin i stration o f his

.
,

a ffairs found it absolutely nec e ssary to s e ttl e a c o r

,

respondence among mankind and th e r e for e a s Mr , , .

M ilton h a s it trav elled to this globe upon the foot

,

o f new disco v eries and impro v ed upon those disco

,

v e r ie s aft e rwards by the d e xterity of his manage

ment m aking his acquaintanc e with mankind his own

,

way and as he fo u nd prop e r for his occasions or

, ,

2 Wheth e r mankind nding th ei r desir e s to be

.
,

wicked innit e ly great e r th an th e ir capacities a n d

, ,

b e ing und e r an absolut e necessity o f som e exotic

h e lps som e ass i stances fu rth e r and other than they
,

found natural powers would supply m ade their ap ,

plication to him ; a ccording to th e laudable exam

ple of my old friend and good patron i n eve ry
wicked contri v anc e the l a t e honourabl e Mr M g
M wh o (sav i ng that I cannot say I beli eve d him )
.
,

told m e that b ei ng in an e xtraordin a ry strait and

, ,

want i ng an i nfall i ble agent i n a part i cular pi e ce o f

r e veng e wh e re a c e rta i n femal e had j ilted and in
s u l t e d him went o u t i nto his g a rden three nig h ts
, ,
80 A SY ST EM OE MAG I C .

t oge ther j ust at the moment of twelve (tha t it

, , ,

s e e ms was the critical time for S at a n to h e spok e

,

wi th ) an d call e d him aloud by his name t ell ing him

, ,

he want e d his imm e diat e attendance in an affair

of the utmost importance .

Now I say which of these two was the case at

, ,
.

the b e ginning of the intercourse between m an and

his mast e r is hard to d e termine a nd wo u ld be a
, ,

most a dmirabl e discovery if the certainty could b e

come at in a manner agreeable to th e nature o f the
,

thing s o as it might be dep e nd e d upon For my

,
.

o wn part if I might gi v e my opinion I should de

, ,

termine it in favour of the Dev i l and that mankind ,

were the aggressors rst sought the acquaintance

, ,

implored his infernal maj esty s assistance proposed ,

a le ague or confederacy with him o ffensiv e and de ,

fensive a nd vow e d themselves to be his faith

,

ful allies and to serve h im to the ut m ost o f their

,

power ; upon which application S atan a s power , ,

ful princes Oft e n do yi e lded to their importun i ties

, ,

granted their petition took t h em into his protec t ion

, ,

and has b ee n their constant fr ie nd and confeder a te ,

o n all wicked occasions ever sinc e , .

B u t ther e is o n e d i fculty in the way o f this o pi

nion which ind ee d gives me a shock in t h e faith o f
,

it and se e ms to intimat e tha t it cannot be so at

, ,

least that it cannot b e absolut e ly and fu lly s o in th e

l argest s e ns e ; and that is How did mankind com e ,

rst to know that there was s u ch a creature a s a

De vi l in b e ing ? that he was capabl e of gi v ing them
assistanc e in the ag e ncy of such black designs a s
?
they r e ally want e d h is h e lp in that he was a Spirit
qual i ed for his corr e spondence and that he would , ,

upon application give h im th e assistanc e he want ed ?

,

An d again if he d i d know o r that any tra d i t ional

, ,

memoirs r e mained with him from the records o f

p a st ages of the agency of the Devil with old E v e
, ,
 A S Y ST EM OE MAG I C . 81
or with a ny of the antediluvian rac e and how S atan ,

h ad manag e d th i ngs in those tim e s yet i t does n ot ,

a ppear how he found th e way to corr e spond wh e ,

th e r h e had any instructions for his appl i cat i on and ,

in a word how h e knew where to nd t h e De v il ou t

, ,

and to come to the spe e ch of him These d ii cu l .

ties in d e ed li e in th e way of my last hypothes i s ;

an d until th e y can be solv e d to t h e gen e ral s at is fa c

tion I doubt I must qu i t the suppos e d appl i cation

,

of man to the Devil and allow that S atan hims e lf

,

rst p i cked acquaintanc e wit h him th at th e corr e ,

s o n d e n ce b e gan t hat way that the Dev i l o ffe r e d

p ,

his s e r vi ce to h i m and l e t h i m know b e for eh and

,

how r e ady h e would be to come at his call an d to ,

a ssist h i m upon all occas i ons .

I must confe ss this supposition lays th e Dev i l a

little low in your thoug h ts d epr e ciates his charac ,

ter and plac e s him b e n e ath t he d i gn i ty of h i s s e

,

r a hic original : but it cannot b e helped ; i f th e D e v i l

p
w i ll mak e h i mself a sl ave he m ust ; an d if h e will
be accordi n g to the happy t i tl e of th e chief of hi s
,

confe d e rates s e r v u s s e r v o r u m who can h elp i t ?

, ,

T h e thing expla i ns its e lf : what eve r h e was at rst ,

he c e rtainly h as b e en i s and is lik e to b e t he most

, , ,

obs e quious humble dil i gent devil that e v e r man

, ,

kind could ha ve had t o d o with .

I must acknowl e d ge th at I did n ot inquir e of my

friend j ust n ow n am e d wh e th e r t he D evil g a ve hi s
,

att e ndanc e immediately and w i th h i s usual alacrity

, ,

u pon h i s calling o u t so audibly to him ; not that I

e v e r doubt e d but that th e D e v i l did wait upon h i m ,

b e caus e it i s visible that he h as act e d as if t he D evi l

had b ee n i n h i m e ver sinc e ; but I say I sho u ld , ,

ha v e i nqu i r e d wh e t he r h e cam e at th e r st call for ,

w i thout doubt h e call e d loud e nough for him to

h e ar ; for as vo i c e always ascends th e v ibrat i on
, ,

m o v ing most naturally upward and th a t S atan s ,

particular residence is sa i d to l ie th at way th e r e i s ,

s M . . G
82 A S YS T EM OE MAG I C .

no room t o question but h e could hear him unless ,

a s E lij ah sa i d to t h e priests of Baal he might be ,

busy or asle e p or gon e a j ourney ; which seldom

, ,

h appens to him s o as to be ou t o f the way of m is

,

ch i ef
.

N B Here ind e ed I ough t t o m ake some small

. .

a pology for what I h app e n e d to s a y of th e honour

a ble p e rson I j ust now m e ntioned and who I seemed ,

to sugg e st was not to b e b elieved ; which expression

( he being a person )
o f honour I ought to explain as ,

I do by t h ese pr e sents and in manner and form fol ,

lowing ; that is to say tha t he is always to be b e ,

lie v e d in all cases and relati n g to all persons but

, , ,

hims e lf ; but he claiming a right and privilege of

sland e ring hims elf a n d being e xceeding fond of
,

being thought wick e der than he is I ventured by , ,

way o f obser v ation to suspect his ver a city when he

, ,

talks of h i s father s only s on ; knowing that as h e

has so constantly boast e d of sin s he was never able

t o commit and that ev e rything must be false whi c h
,

cannot b e tru e so there is no cr e dit to be given to

,

him i n that particular .

But in all other cases you must understand me t o

acknowledg e him for a man of as nice a taste and ,

as strict an obs e rv e r of truth and decency as ever ,

S atan corr e sponded with ; wh i ch public a ck n owl e dg

ment I hop e h e w ill tak e for ample satisfaction .

Now wit h pardon for the needful digression

,

abo v e I go o n with r e p e ating in substance wh a t I

,

conclud e d before viz th at this di fculty is so great

, .
,

that I cannot easily ge t o v er it viz to resolve who , .

,

b e gan th e acquaintanc e b e tween S atan and ou r a n

c e s t or s o f th e E ast for there it seems th e y rs t c or
,

r e spond e d .

Nor can I proc e ed historically in my presen t u n

d e r t ak in g w i thout coming to a certainty in thi s
,

point and until it is d e termined o n e way or other ;

,

and for t hat reason I think I must for the present

, ,
 A SYS TE M OE MAG I C . 83

until the Devil thinks t to cl e ar himself of the

charge l e ave i t at his door and grant t h at he found
, ,

the correspond e nce so much to h i s advantag e th at ,

i s to say so much for the int e rest of his present u n

,

d e rt ak ings of anoth e r kind that h e ma d e no scrupl e ,

o f b e ing rst in the appl i cation ; that h e stoop e d

without ceremony to make the rst visit and so b e ,

gan the tr e aty aft e rwards in his ow n nam e .

N or has the De v il bee n very nice in his s u b s e

'

qu e nt int i mac i es or in the manag e ment of th e c or

,

respond e nce aft e r it was begun but has on so

many occasions testi e d his resolution to culti v at e
the fri e ndship so (h appily for him) b e gun that they ,

found him e v e r aft e r at th e ir e lbow wh e n th e y had

occasio n for him and sometim e s wh e ther th ey had
,

occasion for him or no whether he is l e ss k i nd to

th e ir pos te rity let h i s friends and con fed e rat e s of
,

the present a ge t e stify .

It is true t h at sometimes w e nd or at least th e y ,

tell us so that he is too cunning for his corr e spond

,

ents and tha t wh e n he has dra wn them into bar

gains he is not so j ust to his word as he shoul d b e
, ,

o r as th e y expected ; and this brings some scandal

u pon the acquaintanc e as if he was not a faith ful

,

confe derat e and that he leaves his friends oft e n in

,

the l u rch as he d i d the late famo u s Cartouch in

,

F ranc e Jon athan Wild i n E ngland and as he has

, ,

done the poor trooper lat e ly at Dresd e n wh o th e y , ,

sa
y
, h e ought to hav e secured from th e o i ce r s of

j ustice ; and that when h e had kill e d monsieur

Halm the Luth e ran minist e r the D e vil should have
, ,

giv e n him an i nvisible cloak to h ave carried h i m o ff ,

and not have left h im to the mercy of the pro

t e s t an t s aft e r he had do n e him such a n eminent
,

piec e o f servic e .

But l e t us bring things t o a right unders t andin g ,

do S atan j ust i c e and set the saddl e upon the r igh t

,

devil In these cases the question is not wheth er

.
, ,

G2
84 A S Y ST EM OE MAG I C .

the Devil aft er h av ing ma de bargains with these

,

people d i d not perform and was n ot s o j ust to his

, ,

word as they expected ; but whether he was n ot as

j ust t o his word as they ought to have e xpected ?
For example perhaps in m ak i ng t heir bargains with
,

the Devil t hey expect things to be p e rform e d which

,

it is not in his power to p e rform the m istake lies

not in S atan himself b u t in th e m who make a god ,

of him and will have him be able to do ev e ryth i ng

, .

Now it is true th a t S atan as he is a Sp i rit is , ,

magnipotent but he never was omnipotent ; an d

,

therefore there may be and ar e abundanc e of ne , ,

things which such peopl e expect o f him which he

really not only never promises but is not in any ,

condition t o perfor m ; and if people will ha v e him

do what he is n ot able to do that s their fault not , ,

his all th e y can blame h im for in that case is th a t ,

he does not t e ll them how far he can or cannot ,

serve th e m ; and that truly to gi ve him his due , ,

se e ms to be none of his busin e ss ; but l i ke a cun

ning ar t ic e r who is loath to tell yo u what he can
,

n ot do but e nlarges and expatiates up o n his re al

,

a b ilities so the D ev il if you ar e w ill i ng to b elie v e

, ,

h e can do thus a nd thus for you it is enough i f he ,

does but equivocate and tacitly grant it without , ,

engaging to perform ; but h e is not bound to con

fe ss his impotence an d own h e cannot do i t : s o
,

th e se people pretend to blame him w hereas in truth ,

th ey ought only to bl am e themselves for expecting

things o f him t h a t even th e Devil hims e lf is not abl e
to perform .

Thus o u r lat e friend Jonathan while h e kept within ,

bounds h ad no doubt a faithful and friendly corre

, , ,

s on d e n c e with him But said the De v il what would

p .
, ,

Jonathan have me do ? d i d he e xpect I could s a ve

h im when he committed a felony e v e n with h i s
fetters on and wh ile he was in Newgate ? I had
,

bee n his protecto r in a thous a nd rogueries ; things ,

 A SYS TE M OE M AG I C . 85
which if I had not stood by him he could never ,

ha v e got o v e r : I h ad hanged a hundred and fty

honest rogu e s to sav e h im ; every on e of which i f ,

I had n ot h e lp e d h im to be too cunning for th e m ,

and s topt th e ir mouths t ill it was too lat e to open

t he m co u ld have hanged him and sa ve d themsel v es ;
,

but he was com e to such a pitch at last and push e d ,

his fate so far that not I no not th e Devil h i mself

, , , ,

co uld save h i m .

Th e l i ke pl e a th e D e vil ma d e for himself no ,

doubt in the case of his F r e nch favour i te Ca rtouch ;

,

had he thoug h t t aft e r a thousand audacious v i l

,

lani e s successfully committ e d a n d an innite stock ,

o f tr e asur e amassed (for he was grown rich by th e

,

trad e ) had he thought t to have l e ft Paris and

, ,

march ed o ff e ither o u t of th e kingdom or at least

, ,

o u t o f t he city w h er e h e was so we ll known and so ,

diligently pursu e d I had carried h im safe o ff But

, .

he was obst i nat ely and incons i derat ely bold ; and
the D evi l is n ot bo u nd to sav e those that resolve
they will b e ha n ged Nay if I am n ot misinform e d
.
, ,

the D e v i l himself told h i m he would be taken if h e

stayed in Par i s ; and added that the search after ,

him was so hot a nd such rewards promised and he

, ,

s o w e ll known that if h e S a tan himself was s o per

, , ,

fe ct ly describ e d and s o hotly p u rsued h e should

, ,

certainly be discov e r e d Though by the way I .

,

would hav e yo u take that part only a d r efe r e n du m ,

as the m e n o f busin e ss call it .

Now it i s an unr e asonable thing that m e n Should

mak e a bargain with e ith e r man or devil for more
than th e y are abl e to perform and th e n pr e t e nd to ,

blam e t he m for n on p e rformanc e ; and t h erefore a

-

c e rtain n oble lord now in exil e (whom th ey charg e

, ,

wit h contracting with S atan for some particular i n ,

favour of h is lat e Dumblan e e nterpris e and wh i ch ,

the Devil h a s it seems failed him in ) ought not a s

, , , ,
86 A S Y STE M OE MAG I C .

th ey s ay he do e s to blame the Devil who re ally

, ,

could do n o more for h im than he did .

H aving then brought it to this conclusion th a t ,

the De v il has been r e ally rs t in the confe deracy ,

that S atan mad e th e acquaint ance and that man ,

neither k n e w how to come at the Devil nor so much ,

as kne w originally that th e re was any s u ch thing

as a de v il in b e ing it wo ul d add to o u r more per
,

fe c t understand i ng o f the whol e matter if w e could ,

be inform e d in wh a t manner the acquaint a nce

begun .

T h e rst a ttack the D e vil m ade upon ou r mother

E ve w e have had fully describ e d S acr e d history
,
.

relates th e fact ; and honest grave Mr Milton h as , .

giv e n us the part i c u lars as distinctly and in a s ,

liv e ly colours as if h e had bee n at th e confe rence

, ,

heard the courtship and how cunn i ngly the D e vil

,

m anag e d with wha t addr e ss he insinuated into h e r

w e akest part and how entirely h e con quered her
,

v irtue her obedience h e r se n s e of r eligion brought

, , ,

h e r t o forget the command that she had but j ust

l e arned to r e m e mb e r ; and to sacrice her soul
and all h e r posterity to h e r app e tit e : I s ay M r
, , .

M ilton has don e it in s o lively a mann e r that it ,

seems plain that though S olomon could not und e r

,

stand the way o f a man with a maid but placed it ,

a mong th e things that w e r e too wond e rful for him ,

Milton seems n ot to be at a loss to describe the way

of the D e vil wit h a woman .

Now I say we have a distinct account how the

, ,

Devil made the rst attack u pon E ve in Par a dise

but how h e pick e d ac qua i ntance with the sons of
Noah after the delug e and in wh at m anner or upon
, ,

what occasion that w a s begun we ar e utterly at a ,

loss about .

Nor h av e we any historical accoun t who we r e

the persons who en t erta ined the rst correspondence
 A SYS TE M OE MAG I C . 87

with him or upon what occasion ; noth i ng appears

,

upon record to give us th e l e ast l i ght into it oth e r ,

than th i s that we nd th e e ffe cts of an inv i sibl e

,

d evil in H a m o r Cham o n e o f Noah s sons and in

, ,

Canaan h i s grandson ; but it is not t he in v isibl e

d e vil that I am inquirin g aft er but an appearing ,

conversible d e mon o r e vil Spirit w h o assuming ,

human shap e or at l e ast vo i c e and int ell i gibl e O p e r

, ,

a t ion s could supply the o fce o f th e D e vil i n as

,

sisting mankind in the s e veral e xig e nces of th ei r

'

a ffairs wh e n any kind of i nfe rnal work was upon

,

t heir hands .

This I say is the devil I am inquirin g aft e r ; and

, ,

a s I would fain brin g m ank i n d and hi m to b e a c

u ain t e d tog e th e r in a d e c e nt and r e gular mann e r
q ,

I must confe ss I am at a gr e at loss for want of the

particul ars as well of persons as of the circum
, ,

stanc e s in which those p e rsons w e r e conc e rn e d .

Howe ve r sinc e that part cannot be e nt e red any

,

further into or at l e ast not so far as to mak e a full

,

discov e ry we must tak e up w i th so m u ch as we

,
f

nd u pon record and this may p e rhaps be enough,

to sa t i sfy us that so it was .

The story of Job according to the sacred ch r o ,

n ol ogy and by comparing it with ot h er accounts of

,

things app e ars to be ve ry anci e nt ; e ven so old as

,

t o b e in a v e ry few y e ars after Abraham ; for E liphaz

the T e manit e could not by calculat i on b e many r e , ,
-e

mo v es from E sau and Ishma e l ; and J ob being at

that t i me an ol d man n o less than a hundr e d y e ars
,

o l d he might probably b e a li ve w i th in the t i m e o f

,

J aph e t on e o f the sons of Noah ; for it is thou ght

,

Job was above a hundred y e ars ol d wh e n his rst

sorrows cam e upon him .

Now in t he time of Job it is evid e nt th e D e vil ,

h a d mad e his visibl e appearanc e s upon e arth and ,

a mong t he sons o f G od too ; for h e app e ared b e fore

t h e Lord at t he time a s is supposed o f a sol e mn , ,

,
 88 A SYS TE M OE MAG I C .

ser v ice o r sacrice What his business was there

.
,

and on what occasion he came does not li e before ,

m e on the pr e s e nt occas i on .

In th e next place the D e vil n ot only had per

,

s on all app e ared but it se e ms l a in from the text

y , p ,

w he n G o d had given J ob into his hands that is t o ,

sa had gi ve n him commission to fall upon and af

y,

i e t him and th at he was gon e out from th e pre

,

sence of G od that h e imm e diately s e t h i s human as

,

w e ll as elementary i n struments at work ; that h e

rais e d a storm of win d from o r in the wildern e ss
, ,

a n d bl e w the hous e down upon Job s sons and d a u gh

t ers ; t h at h e brought thunder an d lightni n g upon

th e ocks and burnt up t h e poor sh ee p and the
, ,

s e rvants that look e d aft e r t he m : this was nothin g

but w h at a s a d ev il a n d a prin ce of the a ir m ight
, ,

be exp e cted from him ; but that was not all ; h e

raised w ar upon him ; th e Chald e ans from o n e sid e ,

( the North ) and ,

the S ab e ans from another s i d e ,

( th e E ast ) made
, o u t th ei r armies an d came upon

him and plund e red him ; th e rst carried a way t h e

,

c a mels and th e other th e oxen

,
.

It i s cert a i n thos e nation s w e r e at p e ace with J ob

befor e an d his s e rvants fe d unmol e sted b y them
, ,

a n d in t h e ir neighbourhood ti l l the D ev il took upon

,

him to br e ak the peace an d excite th e m to insult

,

Job and fall upon his substance Ho w came this to .

p ass ? and what had J ob done t o any of them t o ,

mov e th e m to use violence with him I make n o ?

question b u t th e Devil w e nt to them an d told them ,

G od had s e nt him to order them in his name to

r a v a ge the lands and carry away the good s o f Job

that G od had d e stined him to misery and po v erty ,

a nd had giv e n h i s e stat e to th e m and ther e for e i t ,

.

was l awful for them to fall upon and d e stroy him

and his family ; and to gi v e th e m a Sign as I said ,

before and that th e y might know he came with a

,

comm i s sio n they should s e e he would go a nd se nd

,
 A SYS TE M O E MAG I C 89 .

down re from hea v en and d e stroy his sh e ep ; and

if t he y would not carry o ff th e camels and th e
ox e n he would d o t h e lik e by t h ose also
,
.

T hi s a n d the bait o f plund e r was e nough to

, ,

a nimat e t h os e nations against poor Job and so th e y ,

cam e i mm e diately and did as t he Devil d ir e ct e d .

This se e ms t o m e to be t he rst visibl e appear

ance of th e Devil amon g the sons of Noah in t h e ,

post diluv ian ages I will not say his acqu a i ntance
.

b e gun her e though if I Should suppos e it did I do
, ,

n o t see t h at I could be contradict e d by any a u

t h e n t ic vouch e rs from h i story Ind ee d it w a s a

.

plausibl e occasion enough for it was apparently a ,

favour b e stowed o n th e S ab e ans and o n th e Ch al

deans to g ive th e m Job s goods m e r ely for fe tc h ing
,

and this for ought w e know may b e the reaso n

, ,

that the rst mag i cians that w e r e ad o f anywher e ,

w e re among thos e two nat i ons viz Chaldeans and , .

,

( Arabi ans ) S ab e ans ; nor can I doubt but that th e

D evi l hav ing mad e his a cquaintance rst h e re kept ,

h i s hold and int e rest amongst th e m upon account

o f th e oo d o fc e s he had done th e m and perhaps
g ,

migh t do the m o n m any oth e r occasions .

Now though I would not be positiv e where th e r e

,

i s the l e ast unc e rta i nty b e ing mi ghty cautious (as

,

I am at pr e s e nt acting in th e capac i ty of an h i s
torian ) of do i ng t h e D e vil any wrong o r inj ury so
I e nt e r my cav e at too aga i nst an obj e ction here ,

v i z th at if th is be not the rst time t h at any man

.
,

giv e s an account of S atan s app e aranc e and that th is

,

was n ot th e rst of h i s pranks wh i ch he played upon

mankind aft e r the ood let th e m s h ow us anot h er
,

before it if the y can ; n ay I belie ve th e Devil him

, ,

self can not t ell us any o n e tim e or plac e or any ,

oth e r occasion o n which he e ver show e d hims elf

, ,

o r p e rhaps durst show hims e lf in a v isible app e ar

,

a nc e in th e world I mean after th e d elu ge

, .

Nor is i t e a sy to be det ermined what shape , ,

90 A SYS TE M O E MAG I C .

wha t case of esh and blood o r (as I might s ay

,

with more propr ie ty ) what s e em i ng e sh and blood ,

h e app e ared dress e d in at that tim e nor will I take

upon m e to gu e ss wh at gur e h e made when he ,

a ppear e d amon th e sons o f G od and whether they

g ,

kne w him o r n o t ; that is to say kn e w who h e was

, ,

a n d o n what occas i on he appear e d th e re ; whethe r

J ob was amon g t he m or n o t (fo r he was doubtl e ss

,

o n e of th e sons o f G od and th e t e xt owns h im as

,

such ; m y s e r v a n t J o b ; for son and s e rvant I tak e

t he r e to hav e th e same s i gnicat i on and wh e t he r
the short discours e wh i ch it is sa i d th e re the Lord
h e ld with th e arch enemy of h i s serv ant was audible
-

a n d articulat e and wh e t he r th e r e st heard it or no ;

,

all thes e di f culti e s I l e a ve as t h e learned s a to

, y ,

anoth e r Opport u nity that is to say b e cause I am

, ,

n ot a ble to s a on e wo r d t o t h e m at t his
y .
 A S Y ST EM OE MAG I C . 91

CH AP IV . .

Of wh a t s hap e s th e D e v il
in his r s t
a ss u m ed

a e a r a n ce s t o th e m a ic ia n s , a n d o th e r s , in t h e
pp g
r s t a ge s of th e w o r ld ; a n d w he th e r h e is o r h a s
b e e n a llowe d t o a s su m e a h u m a n s hap e , o r n o .

As I have ingenuously acknowl e dged in my last

chapter that I can g i v e yo u no account of what
,

dress or shap e the Dev i l a pp e ared in wh e n he pre ,

s e nt e d himself among the sons of G od as not e d in ,

th e rst chapter of J ob or wh e th e r he was visibl e

,

t o any else but his M aker ; so I am equally u n c e r

tain in what gure he ma d e his rst app e arances
after wards amon g his ow n acquaintanc e and ser
,

v a nts when h e was introduc e d

,
.

It must th e refor e su fc e to tell you that howeve r ,

it w as managed we nd th e re was c e rtainly an in

,

t e llige n c e carried o n a correspond e nce m a i ntained

, ,

a nd wh at was n ot performed person ally was done ,

by enchantments which w e ca ll sorcery ; by v oices

,

a n d by dreams or by apparition in such shap e s an d

,

postures as S atan for reasons o f state thought t

, , ,

to take upon himself for th e occasion .

S ome hav e d oubted wheth e r the Devil is em

pow e r e d to t ake up any human shape or to appear ,

i n the gur e of a man ; and th ey argue that it does

n ot seem consist e nt with th e goodness o f t he gr e at

fath e r of mankind to su ffe r th e arch en e my of h is

,
-

cr e atur e s to go about in such a disguis e so d anger ,

ou s and that m i ght b e so fatal to h im

, for that h e
would b e always i n d ang e r of b e ing d e c e iv e d to h i s
hurt that h e could n e ver be safe ; but that as t h e
,

S c ripture directs u s to be courteous t o stran ger s ,

92 A S YS TE M OE MAG I C .

because some by b e ing so had enter ta ined a ngels ,

s o it would make u s be shy and afraid o f s t r a ng e rs , ,

for that we should be al ways afraid we m ight rec e ive

t h e De v il into o u r houses and esp e cially into o u r
,

friendship and famil i ar i ty A n d h e nc e I b elieve

.

came the foolish e mpty notion thou gh s uch as it is ,

impossible to root o u t of th e fanci e s of men viz ,

.
,

that the Devil cannot appear wi thout his clo ve n

fo ot ; o f which I s h all say nothing here but th at it ,

is a thing so ridiculous as to merit n o notice either ,

now or at any other t i me .

Though there may b e many things said for this

opinion and p articularly to th at part which relates
,

to t h e safe ty o f mankind in case of the se v eral d is

,

guises th at the D ev il may appear in y e t I canno t ,

exclude the D evi l from th e privilege o f put t ing on

o u r clothes som e times and that too perhap s oft e ner
,

th a n we may th i nk h e do e s ; and that he appears

in s u ch a shape t oo oft e n e r than w e may beli e ve he
,

does As to the dang e r of it I may speak of th at

.
,

by its elf .

I hav e taken i t for grant e d in my last chapter ,

that in th e rst acquaintance b e tw ee n mankind and

the e v il spirit after the d e luge S atan was the
, ,

a ggr e ssor ; that h e made his application to th e m

first made his prop osals of ass i stanc e and help in
, ,

the cases wherein he knew they want ed his c or

r e spond e nce ; and I shall add that h e perhap s ,

raise d di f cult perpl e x e d cas e s in th e world on ,

purpos e t o pr e pare th e way for his rendering h im

s elf useful .

We are come n ow to th e manner I m ean h o w ,

a nd in what way t h e cunn i ng man a g e r m ad e h is

rst addr e ss t o mankind It i s tru e we are so me

.
,

thing d e cient in the h istory of this rst transaction ,

because we do n ot y e t know nor can e asily nd ,

o u t who was his rst corr e spond e nt in the world ;

,

bu t if you will take wh at h a s been , by wh a t is a nd ,

 A S Y STEM OE MAG I C . 93

j udge of his rst m e t hod by his subsequent practice

, ,

I think I may giv e you room to mak e a fa i r j udg

m e nt Nor do I th ink i t i s an i mproper w ay of
.

d e t e rmining the point s i nc e as S atan found t he

,

rst st e p successful it is probabl e h e found n o

,

occasion to al t e r h i s m e asures and though di ffe r i ng

circumstances of plac e and p e rsons may mak e h im
vary a littl e as he s ee s occasion y e t I ha ve I t hink , , ,

a gr e at deal of r e a son to suppos e that the ge ner al

rul e of h is pr a c t ic e i s much the sam e and that he

proce e ds upon th e same foot with mankind in all

ages and on all occas i ons m u ta t is m u t a n dis as h e
, , ,

nds th e circumstances of the people the same or ,

n ot the same .

Take then the Devil s rst m e thod with mankind
, ,

to be ground e d upon his ow n exp e ri e nc e in his

antediluvian practic e s with their anc e stors ; upo n
his knowl e dg e of their pres e nt circumstances I ,

m e an pr e sent at th e time after the ood yo u must ,

allow S atan to h a v e so much cunning in him as to be ,

a ble wit h out the l e ast h e sitat i on to know what w as

, ,

the best method to com e about th e man and h ow to ,

compass him ; and for that reason I say I do n ot , ,

allow him to hav e made any change i n his measur e s .

The rst m e thod th e n that I suppose th e D e vil

,

took to mak e his acqua i ntanc e wit h mank i nd was ,

by the way of dr e ams and h er e I s h all go back so

far as to sugg e s t that h e put Canaan Noah s grand
, ,

~

son upon intox i cat i n g th e good patr i arch his grand

,

fath er with w i ne for I j oin w i th a late opinion that

, ,

it was Canaan n o t Ham that was t he occasion of i t

, ,

t h ough H am was guilty of tr i umphing o ve r the old

man wh e n h e was o ve rcome and e xposing him as
, , ,

far as lay i n hi m to his mod e ster br e thren

, .

S uppose t he n young Canaan v e ry busy h e lping ,

a nd assist i ng hi s grandfather in planting and dr e ss

,

ing the vines aft e r the oo d and in gathering th e ,

94 A S YS T EM OE MAG I C .

frui t ; t ake then th e following obse r v at ions upo n

those circumstanc e s in particular .

F irst I cannot come into that foolish notion that

, ,

N oah did ;n ot und e rstand the n ature of the vine or ,

the str e ngth o f the j uic e whe n the grap e s were ,

press e d and the wine ran ou t and that he drank it

, ,

ignorantly ; I say I c a nnot come into that opinion ,

,

for Noah who had n o doubt pr e ached against the

,

vices of the ant e diluvian world and against drunken ,

ness among th e r e st must certainly know the use of ,

the vine and the abus e of it too ; how els e did he

,

come to plant it at all a n d to press the j uice o u t for ,

drinking it at all ?
G en ix 20 No a h b ega n to b e a n h us b a n d m a n
. . .
,

a nd h e p la n t e d a v in ey a r d .

2 1 A n d h e d r a nh of t h e w in e ,
. a nd w a s d r u nk e n .

S econdly, It d o e s not se e m , that the time o f

N oah s drunk e nn e ss was upon the pressing o f the

grapes o r the pressing th e rst grapes of his

,

n ew plantation ; it must certainly be a consider

a ble ti m e aft e r his planting them and after his ,

rs t makin g of wine For though it is very pro .

bable that he planted t h e vines immediat ely after

the ood an d th e t e xt s ee ms to intimate as much
, ,

yet it is evident i t must be many years after that ,

when he fell int o the snare of drunkenness Fo r .

Ca naan who was then a man grown was not born

, ,

at the coming o u t of the ark and there must be a t ,

least twenty or thirty years between that time and

the fact F or if Canaan had n ot been maj or h ad
.
,

n ot been at man s e state he would not in proba b i l i t y ,

have been curs e d by his grandfather a s a principal ,

in the crime as it is evident he was for it does n ot

,

seem that he was cursed so p a rticularly as an ao ,

c e s s ar only o r for th e m e r e o ffe nce of h is father

y , ,

n or would i t h av e been righteous in N oah t o h a v e

done so But a s he is s o w a rmly fallen upon and

.
,
 A SYS TE M O E MAG I C 95 .

s o particul a rly b y th e old patriarch in his anathema

, , ,

it is v e ry probabl e h e was a pr i nc ipal in the fact of

abusing him .

S uppose th e n I say young Canaan busy in as , ,

s i sting his grandfath e r in planting and dr e ssing the

vines and i n pr e ss i ng t h e fruit ; t h e Devil takes this
,

for a handle a n d subtly mak e s Can a an dr e am

, ,

r I will grant w i th M r Mi lton that th e D e vil had

( f o .
, ,

from th e beginning t h e art o f wh i spering to him in ,

his sl ee p as th at author mak e s h i m do to E v e i n

,

Paradis e and th ereby making h im dr e am of an y

,

thing h e pleas e d ) Tak e h i m th e n whisp e ring to .

Cana an t h at h e should mak e h i s grand fat he r d runk

,

with the win e a n d that he s h ould be abl e to do

,

what h e pl e as e d with h i m eve r aft e r ; insinuati n g ,

that th e e ffe ct o f it would be to mak e h i s grand

father ha ve a gr e at e r affe ction to him th an to a ny of
the rest of h i s gr a ndchildren T hi s is n ot im p r o .

bable becaus e t h e D e vil always te mpts with th e e x

,

e c t at io n o f some a ppar e nt good

p .

O thers suggest that Noa h hav i ng reproved and ,

r eproached Canaan for some crim e and p e rhaps ,

caus e d him t o be correct e d for it the D e v i l took ,

hol d of his r e sentment (which by the way is n o t , , ,

muc h unl i k e a devil ) and propos e d th i s method of ,

revenge to him in a dre am as if h e had dr e amed ,

that he had pr eva i led over h i s grandfath e r by p e r ,

s u a din him to drink himself drunk and had th e re

g ,

by m ad e him e xpose hims elf in a beastly manner ,

until he became the ridicul e and j e st of the whole

family which by that time was very n u merous and
,

that Canaan pl e ased with the liv e ly repr e s e ntat i on

,

o f h is grandfather s sham e r e solved (the Dev i l

,

promptin g him to it in other subs e quent dr e ams ) i f ,

possibl e to gi v e h imself the satisfaction of brin ging

,

it to pass and to p e rsua d e the ol d man to drink hi m

,

self dru nk the n e xt time he came to assis t him i n th e

,
96 A SY ST EM OE MAG I C .

business ; and th a t accordingly h e did s o and pr e ,

vail e d .

Wh e ther S atan did it thus or by any other ,

.

method o f I nsinuation we ar e not sure but i t i s v ery , ,

probable it was by a dr e am n or is i t clear to m e .

,

t ha t the D ev il had e v e r any other way b u t by dream ,

or apparition to come at th e int e ll i gent faculties of

,

m an . It is e v ident he does suggest e vil ; n ow he

must do it sle e pin g or waking ; i f sl e eping it must ,

b e by a dream in which he does but imitate t h e

,

good Spirit wh i ch a s th e S cripture says pla i nly a n d

, , ,

ives a m u ltitud e of i nstanc e s o f it opens the u n

g ,

d e r s t a n din gs of men in the n i gh t visions and seals ,

t h eir instructions ; nor is it a new practice of S atan

to m im ick and imitate his M aker in the measures ,

a n d operat i ons o f his wisdom with mankind .

But b e that as it will w e ar e sure the Devil does ,

communicat e his mal icio u s proposals of m i schief to

m ankind ; yo u hav e two emin e nt examples of it in
S cr i ptur e whic h are t oo plain and too dir e ct to
, ,

my pu rp os e her e to admit any d i spute ; rst in t h e

, ,

case of Dav i d and h i s proj ect of numberin g the

,

p e ople it is said e xpressly 1 Chron xxi 1 S a ta n

, ,
. .
,

m o v e d D a v id t o n u m b e r th e p e op le Wh e r e by the .
,

way thoug h it was his sin y e t by it w e ga i n a pi e c e

, ,

o f i nformation how pro d igiously pop u lous the tribes

,

wer e at that tim e v iz that th e re were fteen , .

,

hundred and se ve nty thousand ghting m e n in only

t e n of the tribes an in cr e dibl e numb e r to inhabit so
,

small a S p o t of ground as th e land of Canaan b e ,

sid e s wom e n and childr e n but that by th e way .

Th e second e xample whi ch r e nd e rs it o u t of all ,

do ubt that S atan has access to t h e thou ghts o f

,

men is that o f Judas John xii i 2 ; S a ta n p u t it in to

, , .

t h e h e a r t of J u d a s t o b e t r a y Ch r is t Now I say as .
, ,

abo ve this must be don e sl e eping o r wak i ng ; if

, ,

s leepi n g it must be by dr e ams ; if w aking it must

, ,
 A SYS T EM OF M A G I C . 97
be by voice poss e ssion o r apparition We shall
, , .

cons i d e r th e m all in th e ir place .

It is probabl e th at the rst method the D e vil took

in the world was by dream ; as for poss e ssion we ,

do not m e et with it v e ry early ; as to voic e and ap

ar it ion w e tak e them to b e all subs e qu e nt and the
p , ,

e ffe ct of a long acq u aintanc e ; a s among m e n ther e ar e

several d e gr ee s o f commun i cation w it h on e another ,

after men h av e a p e rsonal knowl e dge and acqua i nt

ance b e fore it com e s up to int i macy and fr i ends h ip
, .

Dr e am th e n b e ing th e rst way of acc e ss or by

, , ,

which th e D e v i l found th e way into th e man there ,

is no roo m to doubt but by this m e thod h e found

means also to infus e into his m i n d an in n i t e
variety of corrupt imaginat i ons wick e d d e sir e s and , ,

abhorr e d conclusions and r e solutions with some ,

ridiculous foolish and absurd t h ings at the same

, ,

tim e .

Thus I cannot think b u t the D e vil rst put it into

the hearts of the men of the old world t o go about
that ridiculous pi e c e o f work (as I obser ve d i t to be
befor e ) of build i ng of Bab e l ; rst by llin g t he ir
thoughts with daily terrors and appr eh e ns i ons of
anot h er inun d ation throng i ng th e ir Sl eep i ng I magi
,

nations wit h fanci e s of n e w ra i ns to o ve row t he m

by which e v ery time th ey had any hasty showers
,

whic h raised t h e wat e r of th e rivers or brooks to

w h at w e call a land o od th ey would b e imm e diat ely
-
,

alarmed as if another delug e was a comin g upon

t h e m and that they w e re i mmediat e ly to b e drowne d

, .

Thus raisin g t h e vapours in t hei r h yp ocon dr ia s ,

they w e r e every night dr e aming t hat th e y h e ard it

t h und e r that they s aw h e avy rains and th at the
, ,

brooks and rivers sw ell e d o r as we say in ou r ,

c ommon d i scourse on such occasions the wat e rs ,

were o ut ; in cons e quence of this he puts t he m upon ,

considering o f means for th e ir ow n s e cur i ty and ,

th e n th ey dream ev e ry n ight of methods ; on e W h ile

8 M
. . H
98 A S Y ST EM OE MAG I C .

they a re for building an other ark a no ther time for ,

building a thousand that is to s ay an ark for every, ,

family o r p atriarchat e or tribe ; o n e time this

, ,

foolish thing and a noth er t ime that ; and perhap s

,

m a ny men dreaming on m a ny several methods till at ,

last they bring their sleeping co git ations to a w aking

consultation ; a nd ther e they r esol v e upon the
meanest emptiest a nd most inconsistent proj ec t
, , ,

th at e ver a ny body of men formed in their heads ; and

which if the Devil had not been in t hem and drawn
, ,

them into it a s I say merely to impose u pon and

, , ,

expose them even to th ei r own ridicule could never ,

h ave come into th e ir heads I me a n t he building of ,

Babel .

If the De vil did e xcite th at foolish im agination ,

he must do i t a s he was a m ere d evil to Show his

, ,

malice to put them upon doing something extremely

,

ridiculous and which should a t las t expose them to

,

their o w n resentm e nts on the madness and folly of it ;

or which I rather think he bewildered their imagi
, ,

nations without any immediate prospect other than

, ,

this that he knew it would end in some ridiculous

,

undertaking either very foolish or very wicked ;

, ,

not knowing which it would be and perhaps n ot much ,

caring s o it woul d b e put prov ok i ng to th e ir M aker

, ,

a nd what might a ny way bring his displeasure upon ,

them .

An d here by the way I cannot but observe that

, , ,

the m e thod Go d in his p rovidence was pl e ased to

ta k e with m ankind upon their entering u pon that,

foolish piec e of work w a s the mildest and kindest ,

that coul d be imagin e d and the mos t to their in ,

t e r e s t calculated for t heir goo d evidently issuing

, ,

so ; and t hat much mor e than letting them go on in

their madness would have been .

Had H e aven thought t to hav e winked at the

a u dacious attempt and to ha v e let them go on with
,

it a s far as thei r own i gn or a n ce a nd obstin a cy would

 A S YS TE M OF MAG I C . 99

h ave guided them till by the immense circle of t h e

,

rs t stag e s of the building they had formed an ascent

higher than anything of it s kind could be supposed
to stand ; yet t hey must hav e stopp e d at last i t must ,

ha v e e nded somewhere ; the time would h a ve come

at length that as they had c alled a council abo ut the
,

rst building o f i t t hey would ha v e called a nother

, ,

with a G o to now shall w e le a ve o ff this mad piece

,

o f work ? that as they had advised with on e another

saying Go to le t u s b u ild G en xi 4 so t hey would

, ,
. . .

have said G o to let us leave O ff building

, ,
.

S uppose them to have fo u nd the way up t o the

regions above the atmosphere or wh e re else you can ,

imagin e ; a nd t hat th e y then found thems e lves as

muc h r e mote from h e a v en whith e r they had pro ,

posed the tow e r should reach as th ey were at rs t ; ,

and that among the oth e r mischiefs th e y had m e t

with such as t h e di fficulty of carrying mat e rials s o
,

high and the di fculty of bre a thing & c they had

, , .
,

also begun to discover that their work was fru i tless ,

and would be endless a s must have been the c a se ;

,

th e y wo uld certainly h ave given it ov e r at last a n d ,

with indignation a t thems e lv e s perhaps at on e ,

another ha ve laid it aside

,
.

What a piece of folly would the fruitless toil have

been how woul d they have reproached themselves
, ,

and perhap s falling o u t and going together by t he ,

ears about it the victors would h ave made the

,

v anq u ished pull it down and carry away t he mate ,

ri als that the m on um e nt of their shame might be

,

remo v ed o ut of their sight The rs t that is leaving .

, ,

o ff the work I s a must hav e happened at last the

y , ,

other it was v e ry lik ely would have h app e ned ; so

,

th a t i t is ou t of doubt H e av e n acted the kind e st part

for them by confounding their sp e ech to make th e
, ,

going o n with it i mpract i cabl e s o br i nging th e m to ,

a nec e ssity of laying it asid e before they h a d carried ,

it on t oo far .
 1 00 A SYS TE M OE MAG I C .

H aving t hus with a rational prospect proposed

, ,

the rst metho d of S atan s making his acquaintance
w ith mankind and so brought him to a scene o f
,

a ction ; it is very rational to sugg e st that he bega n ,

the method v e ry e arly and th e r e fore those two

experim e nts of Canaan and the build e rs o f Babel
, ,

a re not improp e r to mention a s they seem to be ,

things which mankind had never attempted if the ,

Devi l had not put th e m upon it ; nor had the D e vil

at that tim e any oth e r way to bring it to pass but by
dreams a t least n o t as we know of
,
.

It m ay also be observed th a t the rst converse of ,

mankind w i th th e invisible world whether with t h e ,

evil spirit or w ith th e good or e v en with th e ir ,

M aker h i mself was by d reams ; a n d therefore it is

,

not improb abl e that S atan made his application t o

them the same way : w e have it very e arly m e ntioned ,

G en xv l The w o r d of the Lo r d c a m e to A b r a m in
. .
,

a v is io n that is a dr e am ; and again A d e e s le ep

, , p ,

e ll u o n A b r a m ; a n d lo a h or r o r o
f p , fg, r e a t d a r knes s

f e ll u
p o n h im A n d h e s a id u n t o h im
. ver 1 2 1 3 .
,
.

It is in som e part i cular texts said th e Lo r d ap ,

e a r e d t o Ab r a m which if interpr e t e d by other plac e s

p , ,

must be understood to be in a dr e am ; fo r in those

places when G od conversed by a pparition with
,

Ab r am or called to him by voice it is distinguished

, ,

expressly in s o many wo r ds that Go d s a id and Go d ,

w e n t up f r o m ta lk ing w ith A b r a m ; and th e Lo r d

a
p p e a r e d t o h im in t h e d oo r
f
o h is te n t and the like .

AS G od hims elf took this method with Abram ,

a n d s o wit h M oses and s o with many oth e rs both

, ,

befor e and s i nce ; s o the D e vil found means to m ake

his address to mankind by the same way Hen ce .

we nd a mighty great str e ss laid upon some of the

dreams of th e anci e nts in thos e days ; and much ado
was m a d e abo u t the interpretation of them : for whe n
once a man of not e had dreamed any important
drea m a ny dre a m which seemed to h ave something
,
 A SYS T EM OE MAG I C . 101

extraordinary in it away th e y w e nt to their cunning

,

men t he ir southsay e rs and m agic i ans to inquire of

, ,

them th e m e aning and interpretation of these d reams .

Now brin g all thes e circumstanc e s together and ,

you will nd the D e vil subtil ely insinuat i ng dreams

into th e he ads of princes and gr e at men and then , ,

by like dr e ams communicat i ng t o h is correspondents

,

thos e v e ry dreams and what int e rpre t ations th e y

,

Should make of them .

This was a particu lar fa v our done in aid of those

magicians who wer e mor e than ordinarily in his
good grac e s and no doubt it ga ve them a p ar t icu
lar r e putation at court and in th e O p i nion of the,

people as hav i ng a mor e than ordinary under

stand i ng in hidd e n matt e rs o r hav ing a v e ry parti ,

c u l ar int e lligenc e in the secret and r e serv e d par t o f

n atur e or a corr e spondence in the world of Spirits

, .

Al i Alb r ah a z e n a P e rsian wizard had doubtless

, ,

this int e rcours e with t h e Devil if what I have to ,

sa
y o f him is true He was it
. se e ms a S abian by , ,

birth and had obtained a wond e rful r e putation for

,

his witchcraft the same wh i ch I suppose the S crip

ture calls enchantments in the cas e of the mag i cians,

o f E gypt when M os e s and A aron came to work mi

,

racles b e for e Pharaoh ; he you may suppos e was , ,

sent for by th e king of Persia upon som e e x t r aor di

nary occasion such as the int e rpr e tat i on o f a dream
, ,

or of som e apparition like that of B e lshazzar s hand
writing or some m e teor or e clipse and he n e ver
, ,

fail e d to give them great satisfaction on such occ a

sions Fo r wh e ther h is accounts were true or false
.
,

he always delivered th e m i n such ambiguou s t e rms ,

that som e t h in g of what h e pr edicted might be sure

to be d e duced from his words and so s e em to im ,

port that h e had e ffe ctually reve aled it whethe r he ,

had r e ally done so or not .

This Ali (so fam e tells you ) being in th e desert

, ,

w a ndering by himself and musing muc h upon the ,

1 02 A S Y ST EM O E MAG I C .

appe a r a nce of a certain ery meteor which had t o , ,

the grea t t error of all the country been seen every

,

night for t wenty o r thirty nigh t s successively w as ,

mighty desirous t o unders t and the meaning of it ,

a nd wh at it should port end t o the world but being

u t terly incapable to make th e least prob able guess
a t the thing the reason or nature of it much less
, ,

its impor t or meaning he sat him down under a

,

palm tree weary with his travelling and his mind

-
, ,

a lso tired and we a ried with fr u itless and unperform

ing im a ginations : here he vehemently wished th a t

some attending spirit would be s o assisting to h is
fancy tha t he might at least make som e probable
,

conj ectures a t the true meaning of that strange

phenomenon a nd also at wha t migh t probably be
,

the issue a n d even t of it to the world .

With this very warm and impor t uning desire he ,

fell asleep and being in a deep sleep he dreamed

,

th a t a tall m a n came to him of a venerable m aj es t ic

,

aspect b ut with a ple a sing a nd cheerful smil e on his

,

fac e ; and c alling hi m by hi s name told him th at , ,

he was come a t his request t o answ e r his importuni

ti es and th at he wo u ld tell him the signication o f
,

the grea t and terrible re in the air which was seen

,

in his ci ty and in all Arabi a and Persi a

, .

An d now says he you shall unders t and th a t

, ,

these ery appear a nces a re nothing but certa in col

lections of matt er exhaled by the in uence of t he
s u n fr om the e a rth or s e a o r perhaps from other
,

solid bodies in t he compass of the solar system such ,

a s the plane t s and other bodies whic h you in this

,

e a rth know nothi ng of .

These being s e t o n re in their wanderi ng mo

tion appear like stars or comets for a time being ,

driven about in th e expanse by the impetuosity of

th e ir o wn motion a nd becom e visible in this hemi
,

sphere to the innit e terror of the people as tho u ,

sees t it now is ; tho ugh those a pprehensions a nd

 A S YS TE M OF MAG I C . 1 03

t ha t am a zement of th e peopl e ar e v ery groundless ,

a n d ra i s e d only from their o w n folly and i n o

g
rance .

For as to the importanc e of th e m to hum a n

a ffairs the truth is Al i and you ar e to b e unde
, , ,

c e iv e d in that point they have no im ort or s i n i

p , g

cation at all other tha n t h at s om e t im e s by th e ir

, ,

n e ar approach to the earth and by th e ir attraction , ,

or by their d issipation of mo i st vapo u rs th e y occa J ,

-

sion som e tim e s g r eat drou ght and insupport able ,

h ea t ; and at other tim e s d istilling great an d u n ,

usual rains by cond e nsing in an extraordinary man

, ,

n e r th e vapours which by their acquired heat th e y

,

h ave e xhal e d .

Ali was surprise d at thi s a ccount ; and being e n

c ou r a e d to sp e ak he repli e d But what shall I a n
g , ,

s w e r t o my p e ople who expect great things from

,

me ? I ha v e often satised them i n like diic ult ie s ,

but when I shall come to t ell them t h a t it signi es

nothing at all that it is only th e e ffe ct o f a natural
,

cause and is of no import mor e than an ordinary

,

star they will ston e m e and say that Hea ve n nev er

, ,

hangs o u t such signals with out som e signication ;

that I only impose upon them b e cause I am ign o ,

rant and do not und e rstand th e motions and i nti

,

m atio ns of the h e avenly bodies or how the a ffairs of ,

this world ar e inuenc e d by them .

O Ali 0 Al b r ah a z e n h i ghly favoured ! said th e

, ,

apparition ; I will instr u ct th ee th e n h ow to prevent

t h y b e ing desp i s e d by the eld e rs of thy people o n ,

condition th at tho u wilt now and o n all occasions , ,

give ear to my instruct io ns and follow thos e rules ,

that I Shall s e t t hee .

T o this he readily assented and m a de such assur ,

auces as w e re satisfactory t o th e spectre G o then .

,

s ays th e vision an d warn thy nation that this e ry

,

meteor port e nds an e xcessi v e drought and fam i n e

for know thou that by th e strong exhal i ng t h e v a
,
1 04 A S Y ST EM OE MAG I C .

pours of
th e earth which is occasioned by the me ,

t e or s unusual nearn e ss to this h e mispher e the n e ,

c e s s ar y rains will be withh e ld and by a long drought ,

thou knowest famine and scarcity of corn succ ee ds

of course Thus by j udging a ccording to the rules
.

of natural ca u ses thou shalt predict what shall cer

,

t a in ly com e to pass an d shalt obtain th e r e putation ,

whic h thou so earnestly desirest to wit o f a s a ge , ,

magician and wise man .

But says Al i and what shall I s ay to the lords o f

, ,

th e Pers i an court who ha v e sent for me to inquire

, ,

of me o n the same phenom e non ? what shall it p or

tend to that nation ? will th e same fate be the con

sequence to their country as is portend e d to this ? ,

To this the subtle D e vil answ e rs : Th i s inquiry

is to th ee o f the utmost consequence F iery me .

t e or s sometimes from the same natural causes pro

duc e j ust contrary ev e nts ; and wh e reas these b o
dies as I said exhale a n innite quantity and bulk
, ,

o f vapours which th e y rarify by th e ir heat and s o

, ,

cause immoderate dro u gh t and h e at in such and

such climat e s a nd particul ar countr ie s wh e re th e y
, ,

approach too n e ar ; so o n the other han d they are , ,

in th e mselves vast coll e ctions of humid and wate r y

v apours which if hastily cond e nsed would be s u i
, , ,

cient to d elug e the worl d and d rown m ankind an d ,

som e times they condens e in so consid e rabl e quanti

ties as to d e scend upon the earth and caus e e x c e s
, ,

sive rains an d oods and great desolations of the ,

country G o the n fearless says he to the Persian

.
, , ,

court and pr e dict to th e m e xcessive rains an d

,

oods whic h s h all greatly hurt t he fruits o f t he

,

e arth an d occasion gr e at dearth also Thus if

, .
,

eith e r of th e se succ ee d as it is most probabl e thou , ,

shalt be ass u r e dly received a s a sage magician in

on e country if not in the oth e r : also to both t hese
,

th o u mayest suggest as a probability only th e con , ,

sequence of these to b e a plague or in fection among

 A SYS TE M O E MAG I C . 1 05

t h e people which i s ordin arily the e ffe ct as well of

,

exc e ssi ve wet as of exc e ssiv e h eat ; if t h i s happens

, ,

thou shalt gain th e r e putation tho u d e sir e st ; and if

n o t se e in thou didst n ot pos i tiv e ly for e t e ll it thou
, g ,

shalt not i ncur the i gnom i ny of a fals e pr e d i ctor .

This was ve ry obl i ging i n t h e D e vil it must h e,

confe sse d if th e story b e true ; and Ali was very

,

s e ns i bl e of th e h elp it was to h i m and fa iled n o t to

,

a s k the vision how he should obtain h i s promised

assistanc e i n the l ik e cas e s of di f culty Upon .

which th e vi sion told him t hat whene v er he wanted

,

h i s h elp h e should come a g ain to th e palm tre e

,
-
,

a n d that surroundi n g th e tr ee fte e n tim e s he

, ,

should call him aloud by his nam e thr ee times ,

e ve ry tim e h e w e nt round the tree and at th e en d

o f the fte e nth tim e h e s h ould n d sleepin e ss com e

upon h im whe n h e should lay h i mself down as he

,

did now w i th h is fac e to th e south ; a n d i f he fe ll

,

a sl ee p h e should b e sur e to rec ei v e a visit from him

,

in vision : an d with this h e g ive s him the m agic

name w h ich h e was to call him by .

Al i was innitely exalt e d with th e thoughts o f this

information which l et him so m u ch into th e s e cret
,

o f natur e as to enabl e him to sp e ak in a dialect in

,

nitely sup e rior to th e common understanding and ,

in particular to m ak e a j udgm e nt o f things o u t o f

the r e ach of th e most pret e nd i ng of th e r e st of his
fellow ma gic i ans Wh e n h e went home among the
-
.

people h e fail e d n ot to give his j udgment of the

,

terr i bl e app e aranc e in th e air and told them posi

,

t iv e ly it port e n d e d a gr e at drough t and h e at in the

approach i n g summ e r ; to w h ich h e added as a s ug ,

g e stion only that h e had great r e ason to b elieve it

,

would be a ttend e d w i th a famine and p e rh aps the

,

fam i ne m i gh t b e foll owed with a plague ; in s in u

a ting th at if th e famin e was not att e nded with a
,

plagu e amo n g hi s o w n countrymen as he had said ,

it would it w a s then likely it would appear rst in

,
1 06 S Y ST EM O E MAG I C
A .

Persi a t heir n eighbouring ki n gdom an d per h aps i t

, ,

migh t afterwards Spr e ad among th e m .

Thi s terrible prediction delivered with the au ,

t h or it y of o n e whom th e y had the vener able op i

n i on o f b e for e as a magician a n d on e that could ,

foretell e vents o f things g ave the people an al ar m , ,

and also their king with them to whom the news ,

o f the prediction was soon carried ; but the magi

c ia n conc e al e d entirely from their knowl e dge t h e

manner of his obtaining his information so that it ,

cam e to them on the singl e authority of h is own

j u dgm e nt .

l t happ e n e d as a conrmation o f his prediction ,

that aft er the meteor ceased to appear a nd the ,

spring season advanced an extreme hot season ,

c a me on with a long drought followin g for several

,

weeks which began very much to burn up t he

,

fruits of the e art h immedia t ely the people remem

bering th e words of the magician an d nding s o ,

much o f what he had said prove true it put the m ,

in a great consternation fro m the appreh e nsion o f

what according to his account was yet to follow
, , .

It happened some time after thi s that the king of ,

the country dreamed a d r e am which much per ,

l e x e d hi m and all the magicians and astrologers

p ,

were sen t for to int e rpret th e said dre am b u t Ali

,

was no t sent for which griev e d him much think

, ,

ing that he was not esteem e d enough among the

pr i nc e s of the country and that h e fe ared his h a ving
,

for e told the portentous events of the late meteor ,

which wer e n ot yet det e rm i ned b y the tim e that h e

pr e dict e d he was negl e ct e d as a person that would
,

not give any good interpretation of the king s

dream Howev e r when Ali saw that th e m agi

.
,

e ia u s and southsay e rs who were sent for gave the , ,

king no satisfaction for they were confounded in ,

th ei r accounts and differ e d one from another an d

, ,

the king w a s so a ngry that he was a bout to com ,

 A SYS TE M OE MAG I C . 1 07

m an d them all t o be p u t to death ; with this he w a s

comforted again and resol v ed to apply hims elf to
,

the palm tr ee to s e e if he could furnish himself

-
,

with any intellig e nc e su i tabl e to what h e desired ;

in which c a se he would soon l e t the king know th a t ,

though the rest of t h e m a gicians could n ot answ e r

his desire he coul d supply that d e fe ct ; and so h e
,

should gai n more r e putat i o n than if he had been

s ent for with t he rest .
_

Upon th is he ret ires himself as usu al into the

,

desert as before and com e s to the spot wh e re h e

,

h a d the rst vision Here h e surrounds the tre e

.

fteen times and e v e ry ti m e calls th e sp e ctr e by

,

his a ppointed n am e three times over and as loud as ,

h is utmost ext e nded voic e would a dm i t wh e n ac ,

cor ding to direction h e laid h imself down w i th h is

,

face t o t h e south shut his eyes and obsequiously

, ,

w a ited t ill h e fe ll asle e p which was not long : no ,

sooner had his s e ns e s forsaken him wheth e r dozed ,

wit h an y infernal charm or otherwis e the account ,

does not Specify ; but I say no sooner was he , ,

a sl e ep but the vision appear e d to his fancy a nd

, ,

a sk e d him what was th e occasion of his coming .

He answered that th e king had dreamed a dre am

, ,

a nd h ad t old it to the magicians whom he s e nt for ,

in order to have t hem int e rpret his dream b u t that ,

he h a d no t b e en s e nt for which was at rst ve ry ,

g rieving to him ; but that upon further inquiry he

found that the magicians had given th e king no
s a tisfaction , and that it had highly provoked h im ,

s o that he was going once to hav e kill e d them all ,

and th at n ow h e w a s glad he was not called ; but

that if h e could n o w p ut h i m into a cond i tion to in
t e r pr e t th e king s d ream it would establish h i s

r e putation for ever n ot wit h the king only but with

, ,

the whol e country for that he w a s sure to be e x

,

alted to the highest pitch of honour th at the king

1 08 A S Y STE M OE MAG I C .

c ould give and besid e s all th e people would ad or e

,

h im as o n e that had int e lligenc e among th e gods ;

s o that h e should be had in the highest reverence

im a ginabl e
.

Th e vision assur e d him that he could no t only

qual i fy h im to interpret th e king s d ream but that

he h a d mad e the kin g dr e am it on s e t purpose to

gi ve him occasion to i nt e rpr e t and explain it ; an d
so h e l e t him into the part i culars of what it was the
king had dr e amed and that the dream being thus
dir e ct e d by him h e likewise could direct him to
,

s uch an int e rpr e tation as non e but h ims e lf could

put u pon it ; and so he at onc e told him both what

th e ki n g dream e d a n d what int e rpr e tation he
,

should giv e of it ; adding that h e would y e t do ,

greater things for him th an those ; for that if he

had occas i on to r e commend hims e lf to the ki n g or ,

to any oth e r p e rson of not e h e would put it into ,

his pow e r at any tim e not only to t ell the kin g

,

what his dr e am s i gni e d but should make the king ,

dr e am anythi n g that h e thou ght t ; s o that he

should be abl e to say to t h e king T o morrow night ,
-

a d ee p sl e ep shall come upon you and you shall ,

d r e am so and so which dr e am shall port end suc h

,

and such thi n gs to yo u and your p e ople .

Al i was e xce e d ingly rais e d in his thoughts u pon

such a m otion as this and you will not wonder that
,

he e xpr e ss e d thou gh in his sl ee p or vision h is high

, ,

satisfaction at such a favour ; and from that time

he enterta i n e d a constant corr e spondence with this
v ision or appar i tion n o t being awar e or perhap s
, ,

not conc e rn e d that h e was all this while con v ersing

,

with th e Devil and that t he n e w friendship he had

,

engag e d in was neither less or more than an imm e

,

diate correspond e nc e w i th h ell .

We hav e a parall e l story to this and almost of the ,

s a me kind of the Devil a nd a n old Ar a bian in t he

,
 A SYS TEM or MAG I C . 1 09

cour t of a Pharao h king o f E gypt upon the appear

, ,

anc e of a com e t o r blazing star and of which I sh all

.
,

giv e an a ccount i n i ts plac e .

Nor was t h is anything e xtraordinary in those

tim e s ; it was natural to S atan s way of conversing
with mankind who had fr e qu e ntly m i dnight thoug h ts
,

inj e cted to them by a supernatural power that is by , ,

th e ev i l spirit without t hei r know i ng by w h at hand

,

they wer e inj e ct e d and the Devil was abl e most

,

c e rta inly to giv e t he i nt e rpr e tation of those thoughts

which h e had b ee n th e occasion o f .

This whole a ffair though remote in tim e I giv e

, ,

this accoun t of to sugg e st from it t he probable

,

method which S atan has tak e n fro m th e b e ginn i ng

to insinuate himself into mankind and as I said b e , ,

fore to begin th e acquaintance whic h w h e n once

, , ,

begun h e took particular car e to cultivat e to all the

,

degr ee s of int i macy possible so t h at in fe w years ,

such p e opl e have b ee n as intimat e with th e D evil ,

though p e rhaps not thoroughly knowing who it

was they convers e d with as they could d e sir e to b e
, .

By this method h e found opportuniti e s upon all

, ,

o ccasions to bring m e n to convers e fr e ely and fully

,

with him ; and as he oft e n fu rnish e d them with

mat e rials and su bj ects to amuse th e rest of the
world w i th he was alw ays able to obl i ge th e m in
,

the utmost mann e r see i ng noth i ng could b e mor e to

,

the satisfaction of such people than the rais i ng th eir

r eputation in th e ir profe ssion and giving a sanction ,

or conrmation to t h eir pr e dictions .

I know it is doubt e d by many among the l e arned ,

whet he r the D e vil has hims elf any knowl e dg e of

futurity and wh e th e r he can pr e dict or foret ell
,

ev e nts or anything futur e and to come ; and this

,

very vision or apparition supposing it to be tru e , ,

ver i e s the O pin i on for h e put the alt e rn at i ve

,

s eve ral times upon h i m that so if he missed gi ving

,

a righ t int e rpretation in o n e thing he might be sur e ,

1 10 A SYST EM or MA G I C .

in a no ther ; an d if o ne conj e cture should miss ,

a nother migh t hit a s you s e e in t h e construction of

,

the appearing body of re .

But th e question is nee dl ess here ; for if it be in

th e Devil s power t o inj ec t th e subj e c t of a dre am

a nd pu t thoughts in t o the heads of those that ar e

a sleep it is then most certainly s o far in his powe r
,

to g i ve the interpre t ation of those thoughts to

whom he pleas e s to grant such a favour seeing the
whole scheme may be a mere chea t and delusion of
the evil Spirit on purpose to form another d e lusion
, ,

n a mely that of bringing in a conj urer or d reamer of

,

dr e ams to interpret i t This is indeed a true piece

.

o f the leg e rdemain of h e ll and it may be called the

, ,

Devil turned j uggler ; for i t is s o in t he very abstract ,

a n d n othing else .

All this is no gre at ma t te r for S at an to do if we ,

grant him only the power o f infusing midnigh t

t h oughts into the mind which we have good reason
,

t o believe he is able e nough to p e rform and yet ,

have no grea t matt e r of craft in him neither n ot s o ,

much as we a re ordinarily willing to suppose the

De v il is master o f The vari e ty i s innite that I
.

might suppose the Devil is cap abl e to a ct among h is

disciples by this piece of cunning if we do but ,

allow him s o much ; a n d I canno t but say it is

v e ry clear to me that th e Devil has a secret p ower
,

to inj e ct innumerabl e thi n gs into ou r h e ads by

d r e am and to make us dr e am almost what a n d
, ,

when he pleases s o as may best serve h is occasions

, ,

and ours too .

An d h is advant a ges are very gre a t by this fr a ud ,

for he gives his instrument such an undoubted r e

putation for a revealer of s e cr e ts and an interpre t er
o f dreams that nothing can be like it
, No t Daniel .

himself who they said had an excellent Spirit an d

, ,

that the spirit of the holy gods was in him could ,

do mo r e ; for by t his me ans t he souths ayer would ,

 A S YS TE M OF MAG I C . 11]

be able t o te ll the dreamer what it was he dre a med

o f as w e ll as what it signied
,
.

If any man doubt that the Devil c a n as I say in , ,

fuse midn i ght thoughts a nd whisp e r suggestions by

,

dream of any kind to the m ind I r e fe r him to M r , .

Milton who shows us the D e vil in the Shape of a

,

toad crept close to E ve s ear in her de e pest slum
bers and inj e ct i ng lustful or loos e and wandering
,

though ts into her ch a ste min d (I say chaste for , ,

such i t was without do u bt befor e ) and making ,

her dr e am with pleasure of the s in wh i ch b e r e sol ve d

to allure her to commit the n e xt day an d so pre ,

pare h e r for the crime which till then h e r very

,

soul abhorred .

This granted and the De v il b e ing allowed such an

,

advantage over mankind wheth e r good or bad ; I ,

cannot wonder eith e r that h e makes use o f it at all ,

or that h e mak e s use of it in such a frequent and e x

t r aor d in ary manner as to bewitch and i nspire his
friends and favourites nor that those fri e nds or
,

favourites of his whom he d oes thus assist mak e

, ,

such corrupt uses of it as we nd th ey do for insi ,

n u at in a n Opinion o f themselves i nto the world

g
for w e nd pr e sently w he n this familiarity is once
,

obtained wit h the ev il spirit and th e y begin to act ,

by his instruction the rs t thing th e y do is to put

, ,

a fraud upon mankind and make the world believe

,

that all they did wa s fr om heaven that t h ey spoke

by inspir a tion a nd r e velation and that their intel ,

lige n c e was imm e diately from the gods ; to speak in

the language of those t i mes .

Thus Balaam te lls th e king of M oab he can ,

speak nothing but as G od sh all command him ;

wh e r e as it i s plain had not the Devil b ee n restrained
,

from directing him at that tim e h e would a s ,

heartily hav e c u rsed Israel as b e blessed them and ,

so hav e gain e d th e r e wards o f h i s o fc e which was ,

the w ages of divin ation ; bu t he confesses the impo

1 12 A S Y STE M or MAG I C .

t e n cy of his ar t wh e n h e found a lock put upon his

,

tong u e and the k e y in the hand of a supr e me

,

p ow e r ; I s ay he confe ss e s the goodw ill he had to

,

the reward b u t th e w e akn e ss of his black art where

,

Heaven int e rpos e d its pow e r Numb xxiii 2 3 , . .

,

S u r e ly t h e r e is n o e n ch a n t m e n t a ga ins t J a c o b ,
n e ith e r is th e r e a ny d iv in a tio n a ga in s t I s r a e l : in t i

mating that he had tri e d the utmost of his Skill but ,

could do nothing ; and in v e rse 2 0 B e h o ld I h a v e ,

r e c e iv e d co m m a ndm e n t to b les s , a nd h e h a th b le ss e d ,
a nd I c a n not nothing
r e verse it : can b e plain e r ;
he would but th e Devil an d he to ge th e r w e r e n ot
,

able to r e v erse th e bl e ssing Th e only thing strange .

in this story of Balaam is that G od should thus ,

s u ffer a sorcerer and e nchanter a W itch o r dealer , ,

with the D evi l to r e cei ve commands from hims e lf

, ,

and to bid him go and do thus an d t h us and to ,

meet him and put into h i s mouth what he should

,

s ay o n that occasion from whence som e mi ght in

,

sinuat e that th e wizards and magic i ans o f those

,

days had a mutual or alternat e con ve rse sometimes ,

r e ally with G od hims elf and at oth e r times with the

,

Devil ; as if the wretc h w e r e to day a man of G od -

a n d to morrow a sorcer e r conj urer and an in s t r u

-
, ,

ment of the Devil ; an d as if G od would stoop to

employ those who had s o fa r stooped below t h e
dignity of reasonable creatures as to converse with ,

th e Devil .

By this means th e p e ople also were the more

easily subj e ct e d to the ab u se of the conj urer and ,

expos e d to th e d elusions of an evil spirit n ot being ,

able to kno w when he spoke fro m one or from the ,

other ; no doubt th e d e l u d e r would always pr et end

he Spoke by th e imm e diate ill u mination of H e a v e n ;
as he had sometim e s really done so it would not be ,

difcul t to obta in the op i nion that he did alway s

so .

N ow i t is m os t cer ta in t h a t no thing c a n mo r e
 A SY ST EM or MAG I C . 1 13

assist the delusions of the Devil in such cases as

th e se than to hav e i t e nt e rtained among the peo
,

ple t h at all the inspiration i s from h e a v en ; ev e n

,

th e D evil hims elf cannot desire a stronger auxil i ar ;

it is an a ssistanc e so natural to th e delusions w h ich
he is carrying on among men that all h i s infe rnal ,

art cannot form an equivalent to it An d hence i t .

cam e to pass at l e ast I believe so that the D evil

, ,

chose always that way o f comin g at th e s e ns e s of

mankind I m e an by v ision and dr e am by voices in
, ,

th e night and by inj e ctions o f midnight thoughts ;

,

because G od himself had mad e use o f the sam e

means to inspir e the minds of men w i th d i v i n e
id e as and th e De v il by imitating th e superior r e
,

v e l at ion s could n o t only enabl e h i s mag i c i ans and

,

southsay e rs and such oth er instrum e nts of d e lusio n

, ,

to impose th ei r c he ats up on t he p e ople but could ,

even delud e and impose upon thos e dr e amers th e m

selves too persuading them to b eli e v e th e ir in s pi
,

rations wer e from h e av e n and that they had suc h ,

and such things rev e al e d to them from th e imm e

diate spirit of God when it was only a at u s from
,

h ell throwing them into e cstaci e s and as Balaam

, ,

said b e ing in a t r a n c e b u t w ith h is ey es op e n that

, , ,

is to s ay possessed with th e witchcraft of an evi l

,

sp i rit as is said of th e maid in th e Acts xvi 1 6

, ,
.
,

who had a Sp i rit of d ivination and brough t to h e r ,

master great gain by sout h say i ng that is to say by , ,

speak i n g as th e Dev il dictat e d to her ; nay and ,

the t e xt is plain in acknowl e dg i ng that i t was

the D ev il that possess e d h e r for in th e original yo u ,

ha ve hi s nam e what d evil it was and if you want

,

a further e xplanation of him you may hav e it too ,

his name is c all e d Python a nd som e of your B i bles ,

( supposin g for onc e that you read any ) hav e i t in

the ir margi ns what part i cular d e vil Python was ,

whether an avaric i ous a t r e ach e rous a d e c e iv i n g

, ,

d ev i l ; but some think it was th e rst b e cause sh e ,

S M
. . I
1 14 A S Y ST EM or MAG I C .

h ired ou t herself a nd h e r devil with her to a

, ,

master ; an d wh a t She got by her devil her m a ster ,

was to make the best of ; the terms much the same

a s a lat e Irish mar s m a rried two wives for then ,

l e t th e m ou t a gain at s o much a y e ar and took the ,

incom e of both their devils for his j ointure A .

ra r e b argain indeed a nd something akin I bel i eve

, , ,

to th e devi l Python !
How much were it t o be wished that some of ,

o u r southsaying wits who are really neither wise

,

men or southsayers magicians or conj urers and

, ,

who will have u s in spite of our senses believe

, ,

th a t th e y a re re al ly inspired could but tell us t oo , ,

with any moderate certainty whether those in s pi ,

rations ar e from God or the Devil ; whether the

igh ts of their in s ip ids are e cstacies of the adored ,

or of the horrid ; wheth e r when th e y r a il at heaven ,

and burlesque their M aker we may not really b e ,

lieve they are overruled by a divine in fluence to do ,

it with so ill a gr a ce and s o littl e common sens e

, ,

that it may be d i rected to ex alt the All wise by the -

very means used to expose him and to make them ,

mix impudence with so much ignorance that ,

others equally wicked but of b e tt e r j udgm e n t may

, ,

grow sick of the crime for t he mer e deciency of

the wit .

Doubtless he that knows h ow to serve the b est

,

ends by the worst means can l e av e the me a nest ,

heads a nd the most brainless wits to be thus

wicked to intimate to others the weakness of the
,

crime and the gross absurdity o f atheism I do

, .

not therefore think it at all profane at least if , ,

not s o intended to s ay such a fellow is on e of G od

,

a m igh ty s simple ones ; by which I would be al
-

ways understood that he is on e to whom He a ven

,

has d enied th e gift of brains and s uffe red the Devil ,

to ll up the empty spac e s in his head with a share

of gl a ring impudence such a s will pass for wit with
,
 A SYS TEM or MAG I C . 1 15

those th at hav e n one an d for the wors t of folly

,

with all the r e st of mankind .

This sort of wise men o f whom the a ge is pl e n

,

t ifu lly stored at this time are doubtless plac ed u p

,

and d own in proper stations by the allowan ce of

Pro v id e nce for the c onviction of m ankind in the i r
,

particular sph e r e s ; j ust as the D e vil hims elf has ,

in many cases been a pr e acher of truth and wi ll

, ,

be s o to the end of the world though sore ag a inst ,

his will .

O f s o mu ch forc e is ironic a l righteousness that ,

the bl a ckest a gents are ttest to b e made the

brightest exampl e s of it ; since also the greatest
a n d b e st principl e s a r e often illustrat e d by their

mos t infamous and cons e quently, by th e ir com

,

p l e t e s t con t raries .

But to go back where I left o ff The Devil .

,

who h a s always had the impudence to mimic his

M aker a nd sometimes to personat e him t oo in his
, ,

appl i cations to mankind has m a d e I s ay his rs t

, , ,

acquaintance with him by this method of dream

a n d midn i gh t vision for tha t very reason viz
,
be , .
,

cause it is the m e thod by which G od him self often

used t o reveal hims elf to the prophets and other
his mos t emin e nt s e rvants of old as instanced b e ,

fore in Abraham and of which the S cripture has

,

m any examples (I hope that book when it i s

.
,

tak e n as a history only may obt a in cr e dit enough

,

to b e brought in evidence ) I have mentioned .

Abraham already and perhaps i t may be o ffered

,

that this is not sufci e nt because God conversed , ,

as the t e xt says in another place fac e to face with ,

Abraham ; but take it then with his gran d son

Jacob : Go d app e ared to Jacob G en xxviii 1 3 in ,
. .
,

his dr e am of th e ladder reachin g up to h ea v e n ;

A n d , b e h o ld , t h e Lo r d s tood a b ov e it, a n d s a id, I a m
t h e Lo r d Go d of A b r a h a m th i hi
yf a th e r But f t s .

will n ot do ne ither th e n take i t w i th

, on e wh o i t
I 2
1 16 A SY ST EM OF MAG I C .

migh t be as likely should have the Devil appear to

him as G od hims elf but still it was the same thing
, ,

G en xx 3 Go d c a m e t o A b im e le ch in a d r e a m ;
. .
,

s o m i ght th e D e vil too for Abimelech was an ido ,

later : and again ver 6 An d Go d s a id u n to h im

,
.
,

in a d r e a m Now Abimel e ch was a Ph ilis t in e of

.

the curs e d rac e d estined to destruction by the

,

posterity o f Ab raham and ye t Go d app e ared to ,

h i m or came to him in a dream and spoke t o h im

, ,

in a dr e am .

F rom h e nc e the Devil who is cunning enough t o ,

im It a t e all thos e methods of acc e ss to the minds of

m a n which it is possible for him to come at h im
,

b v and which hi s M aker has used for th e like com

.

m u n icat io n s has always made use of this m e thod ;

,

and wh e n he has designe d th e d e lusion or the per ,

l e x in o f mankind o r any other of his infernal in

p g ,

fat u at ion s he has brought them to pass by th e in

,

j e c t io n o f evil thoughts or other dark means ,

moving his passion s and affe ctions instilling all t h e ,

h ellish imaginations that ar e requisit e to th e mis

ch i efs h e designs An d thus yo u have the circum
.

stanc e s and t h e re a son too of the Devil s way of
, ,

worki n g with mankind .

It remains a question though of no extraordinary ,

importance what shape o r form the Dev i l made u s e

,

o f in his rst acqu ainting hims e lf with m a nkind .

It is S atan s misfortune to say no worse of him , ,

that h e cannot appear in his o w n gure clothed ,

with any of his nati ve beauties ; but t h at it would

render h i m so frightfu l to his emissaries and even ,

his b e s t fri e nds and most useful s e rvants would be

t e rried and would run away from him inst e ad of
,

conv e rsing with him ; an d the most accurate magi

o ian o r southsay e r in Ar abia would inst e ad of going ,

into the deserts and wil d erness to mee t him abhor ,

the ve r y pl a ce and tremble at the thought of seei ng

,

him .
 A SY STE M OF MAG I C . 1 17

Henc e to whisp e r to t h em in th e night and only

, ,

ta lk in v i s i on and app e aranc e is the kind e st th i ng ,

the D ev il can do to t he m as well as the wisest way ,

for hims e lf ; for was he ever to app e ar I say in h i s , ,

o wn clothes none o f his friends would e v e r com e

,

to rec e ive h i s second visi t Now h is comi n g in the .

night or in dream as is hint e d in the story of th e

, ,

mag i cian abo ve i s c e rtainly n ee dfu l ; for as in a

,

dream t he vo i ce w ithout t h e vision is su f c ie nt so ,

if a s h ap e is repres e nt e d to the imaginat i on in t h e

sleep it soon e r w e ars off and th e i mpr e ss i ons ar e
, ,

soon e r raz e d out of the mind than if the apparition ,

was visible with op e n e yes and i n the lig h t of th e ,

day ; there is a gr e at d e al o f d i ffe r e nc e b e tw ee n

what w e reall y s e e and what we only dream w e d i d
,

se e.

W e hav e ind ee d some of Balaam s dream e rs that ,

is to say wh o dr e am wit h th ei r e yes Op e n ; i nd e ed

,

some of them may b e said to be always i n a dream ,

they are scarce anything but appar i tion th e mselv e s ;

th e ir wh ol e lives ar e a k i nd o f moral delus i on ; and
a s they liv e i n a d ream s o w e must dream too to
, ,

mak e anything of the m for th e y nev e r are wh at,

they s ee m to b e o r seem to b e w h at th e y ar e B ut
, .

a s I may p e r h a ps end e avour to d i scov e r t h os e peo

pl e to the world a l i ttl e plain e r than I can discov e r

,

the m to thems e lv e s I say no mor e of th e m in thi s

,

plac e l e a v ing t he D e v il and them to act in conc e rt

,

awhil e that they may illustr at e and be fo i ls to on e

, ,

a noth e r .

It i s tru e tha t by this way o f d e aling in d reams ,

the D ev il has inn i t e advantag e fo r th e mak i n g

conj ur e rs that is to say magic i ans and south sayers
, , ,

in th e world : wh e th e r that sort o f p e ople ha ve b ee n

of any use to h i m for t h e propagat i ng his interest
i n th e world is a qu e stion by i ts e l f
, .

That the D evi l took th is m e th od for th e rst

es tablishing hi m self in the world a nd a s I called it , ,
1 18 A S Y ST EM or MAG I C .

making h is a cquaint ance with m a nkind I h a ve ,

take n notice of already : h o w useful he h as found

h is new m a de friends and how apt to carry on h is
-
,

business a nd esp e cially for the fu rther ext e nding

,

his power and propagating the del u sions of others

, ,

his t ory will inform us ; a nd we cannot doubt but he

has found his advantag e in i t : but i t remains a
questio n of imp ortanc e still undecided whether ar e ,

best pleased in th e se nocturn a l Operations the D e vil ,

o r the magician ; my opinion is for the rst I be .

lieve indee d the D e vil has got the bett e r of them

, ,

in the main and wh e reas he at rst was mighty

,

eager to mak e his acquaintance among them and ,

glad of the means h e seems now to have over ,

reached them and to have worked the m up to a

,

desire aft er the correspondence in such a mann e r ,

that the s u btl e man ager is not s o cheap to be had

Since but makes bargains n ay brings them up to
, , ,

his own t erms and sometimes tells th e m plainly he

, ,

has no occasion for th e m ; but on the other hand ,

if they want him they must give him his own pric e
, ,

and do what he condition s with them for or else ,

he has no more to s ay to them ; though he is a che a t

in th a t t o o .

Thus like a cun ning chap he t urns his back and

, ,

is gone knowing very well that they will call him

,

a gain and gi v e h im his price yield to his demand

, , ,

a nd rather sell themsel v es to him soul and body a s ,

we ar e told is n ow very freq u ent t h an go without ,

his assistance This is all owing to h is subtlety

.
,

a n d mankind s folly a nd fon d ness ;

for had they
stood as they did at rs t he mus t have come to ,

their conditions ; but he found th e way t o make

himself nec e ssary to them an d t o ple a se them a nd , ,

he managed accordingly .

It is indeed a n evid e nce how shrewdly the Devil

o v erreached mank in d in the most early ages o f ft h e
wo rld : for 1 s t as I mentio n ed befo r e t his was t o
, .
,
 A S Y S T E M OF MAG I C 1 19 .

come t o them with some authority an d with the ,

magnic e nc e of a god and it always gav e th e m an

,

a w e and kind o f reverence of his appearance ; 2 n dl

y ,

it really so far pr e vail e d with th e m that we have a ,

great d e al of r e ason to b elieve they did not always

know whether th e ir i nt e llig e nce was from above or
from below and wh e ther t he y were conversing with
,

G od or with th e Devil ; if this is true as I have no ,

reason to question I hav e l e ss reason to doubt th at

,

he oft e n d e luded th em to think the former An d .

t h us p e rhaps many fals e prop he ts in former times

cam e to th e poor p e ople and b e gan th e ir pr e dict i ons
,

with th e usual pr e fac e Thu s s a ith th e Lor d ; wh e n

,

in j ust i c e th e y ought to hav e begun with Thus ,

sait h th e D e vil as th e y might e asily hav e seen

,

aft e rwards by the consequence o f it and by the

, ,

n ature o f their pr e d i ction for I believe that way it

is most e asily disco ve red .

The discov e ry seems indeed t o be dir e cted by

this v e ry method wher e the S cripture says If a
, ,

r o he t c o m e s s h e ws s i n s a n d w o n d e r s and then
p p g
, ,

adds Go s e r v e o th e r g ods his very doctrine proves

, ,

him to be an impostor and on that v e ry account h e

,

is to b e r ejec t ed : G od s prophets will always t e ach

G od s truth s a fals e prophet is easily known by h is
,

t eachings ; the D e v i l may deceive for awhile but ,

even th e De v il himself cannot hold it long the ,

clov e n principl e w i ll appear wh i ch I suppos e th e ,

fable of the cloven foot to be an emblem of and no ,

mor e .

But t o com e back to the example of the magician

goin g into the d e sert ; why th e very place w a s a ,

branch of t h at complicat ion of fraud wh i ch consti

t u t e d all the r e s t : the man went thith e r rst
casually fell asl e ep by the natural cons e qu e nc e o f
,

his weariness and under the pal m tre e as cus

,
-
,

t o m ar y to preserve him by i ts sha d e ; th e r e st w a s

,

a ll a che at ; the Devil could a s well hav e m a de him

1 20 A SYS TE M OF MAG I C .

dr e am a nd see the vision in his chamber at S usa ,

o r wher e else he dwelt in Persia or Ar a bia as in , ,

th e wilderness but h e catch e d him there and took ,

that advantag e to introduc e the c e r e mony of h is

,

futur e corresponding ; and therefore he appoints

him to com e aga i n to the same place and there ,

giv e s him th e formality of m e asures to b e obs e rv e d ;

he must mak e his tour ft een tim e s round the tree ;
h e must call hi m by what infernal titl e h e was pleased
to g i v e hi ms elf ; and t hi s to b e don e thr e e times
e ve ry circui t he made about the tree ; and w h e n all
this was don e as h e m i ght w e ll be inclined to do
, ,

he was to li e down and go to Sl ee p An d what .

n e ed all this cook e ry but to dish u the d elusio n

p
,

with a d u e form g i ve a sanction to the vision itself

, ,

and command a suitable r e gard to the audienc e

wh i ch h e had th e honour to be admitted to ?
If this had not been the case i t might as well ,

ha ve all b e e n transact e d anywhere els e ; but S atan

nds his account in th e se things : for during many
ag e s aft e r t h is and p e rhaps i n oth e r pl aces t h e
, ,

south sayers and magicians of Arab i a w e nt ou t in

th e night and into th e wild e rness and solit a ry
, ,

places to m e et w i th th ei r inspirations a n d to dream

, ,

dreams and then cam e back stor e d an d qual i e d

, ,

to make their pred i ctions ; a s much as to say they ,

go to th e ir palm tr e es to m e et visions ; th er e th e y
-
,

met th ei r dev i l and th e n came back and Spread

, ,

t he ir d elusions as th e ir instructer had furn i shed

,

th e m .

S e miramis it s ee ms and we may suppose her suc

, ,

c e s s o r s in the Babylon i an monarchy k e pt se v eral ,

s e ts of th e s e p e opl e ; and as th ey had th e ir sev e ral

d e nominat i ons so th e y had their s everal o fces an d
,

e mploym e nts under he r : as particularly h e r wis e

men or magic i ans ; thes e were to e xplain to h e r t h e
aspect of th e h e av e ns the probable e ffe cts o f al l
,

surprising phe n omen a in n a ture ; her a str ologer s

 A S Y S T E M OF MAG I C . 1 21

a nd southsay e rs ; an d these wer e employ e d to con

sult th ei r pri v at e d ev ils and w e r e rev e alers of s e ,

c r e t s interpr e ters o f dr e ams

,
& c ; and then they , .

had wizards and sorcer e rs and such as us e d e u

, ,

c h an t m e n t s ; and th e s e for e told th e succ e ss of her

mil i tary e nterpris e s expound e d om e ns the signs

, ,

a n d circumstanc e s o f cr e atures th e yi n g o f bir d s , ,

v oic e s apparitions and all such th i ngs a s wer e p ar

, ,

t ic u lar ly un e asy or disturbing to th e que e n or to h e r ,

court a n d want e d their e xpl ain i ng : the rst of

!

th e s e I have v ot e d already to b e hon e st m e n but ,

the last two I mak e n o doubt consult e d with the

D ev il and th e D ev il with th e m upon all occ a sions
, ,
.

Nor do I doubt at all b u t that the y ma de prod i gi e s ,

a n d t he n e xplain e d t he ir meanin as I sa i d befor e

g ,

tha t th ey appo i nt e d d r e ams on purpose and for th e ,

s ak e o f int e rpr e t i ng th e m ; o f which I shall give

you another account h e r e aft e r .

S om e t i mes it se e ms th e se co nj uri ng e nchanting

, ,

peopl e were so far from expla i n i ng t hi n gs to the

,

qu e en s mind or inte rpreting things after the man

,

ner that sh e e xp e cted th at her m aj e sty was pl e ased

,

to d e spatch th e m ou t of h e r way and hang th e m ,

by d ozens An d thus N e b u ch a dn e z z ar commanded

.

a ll the w i s e m e n of Babylon to b e put t o death ,

though it d o e s not appear that h i s commands w e r e

e x e cute d nor ar e we certain th ey w e re n ot but it
,

is evi dent it was ve ry much th e custom to do so .

Henc e I suppos e th e y w e r e gen e rally inclined like ,

the prop he ts i n t h e cas e of k i ng Ah ab to take c are ,

a nd proph e sy noth i n g but what should please t he

king An d whe n M icaiah a true proph e t or pro
.
, ,

phet of G od cam e to tell the king what r e ally came

,

to pass w e s ee what his fate had b ee n if t h e kin g

,

h ad outli ve d th e battle .

Nor to this day do t he pr i nc e s o f the E ast mak e

any scrupl e to truss up t hei r conj urers an d south
s aye r s whe n t hey nd them j uggle with them and
, ,
1 22 A S Y ST EM or MA G I C .

nd they che at and impose upon t hem ; a n adm ir

abl e method to deal with the broachers of at h e
is t ic al deistical and enthusiastic whims eys in o u r
, ,

age where we ha v e a more s u re word of prophecy

, ,

which we are command e d to take he e d to a nd ,

which th e mod e rn agents of th e D e vil are only

e mploy e d t o co u nt e ract and dri v e out o f the world , ,

i f possible that the old or a cles o f de v il worship and

,
-
,

other delusions might b e again introduc e d

,
.

But I am loath to see m vindictive in my notions ,

nor would I s e t up r e and fagot ; no not against ,

the De v il and his agents ; they may h a ve e nough of

that h e reaft e r with the Devil and his angels : and
,

besid e s such a p e rsec u tion must nec e ssar i ly at this

,

time be so bloo dy that I know n ot what city or , ,

town inns o f court palace college or university

, , , , ,

( our own e xc e pt e d ) wh i ch it wo u ld not,almost

lay wast e d e solat e and m ake void of inhabitants
, , .

M ercy on us ! p e rsecut e a n d punish m e n for being

atheists an d d e ists ; for di v iding the Trin i ty and ,

u nsanct i fyin g t he Holy G host who is th e s an c t i e r ,

of th e world and such di fcult t r i e s as these !

,

where would it e nd ! an d what would b e com e of all

the rel i g i ous part o f the world ! what a schism in ,

the most lit e ral s e ns e would this make among us 1 ,

an d wh e re is ther e a church chapel m e eting house , ,

-

o r congregation t h at would not be divid e d against

,

i tself and s e t up a n e w body of diss e nters ? Truly

,

so as dissenting not from this or that O pinion o f r e

,

l igion but from all religion and all opinions in re

, ,

ligio n whatsoev e r .

W ell l e t th e Church of Rome send prot e stants t o

,

heaven by th e rack and the gibbet I would not b e ,

instrum e ntal to send all the atheists and Arians to .

the Devil ; no not for th e sake o f my nati v e co u n

,

try for fe ar of laying waste the glebe a nd le aving

, ,

post erity nobody to ins t r u c t t he m better .

 A S YS T EM or MAG I C . 1 23

CH AP V . .

A f u r the r f D e v il s

a c c ou n t o th e in im ita t c ond u c t

ing div in e in sp ir a t io n s ; s om e th ing of th e d i e r

e n ce b e tw e e n th e m a nd
p y f g
a r t icu la r l o s i n s a n d

w o n d er s , f a ls e a s w e ll a s t r u e , a n d th e ch ea ts of
the f o r m e r .

HAV I N G obs e rved how the Devil in th e infancy o f ,

his corr e spond e nce with mankind came to him , ,

and made his acqua i ntanc e by th e sam e method

that G od was pl e as e d to r e veal himself on occasions
of th e gr e at e st importance ; it wo ul d be ve ry much

to the advantage of ou r pr e sent inquiry if we could ,

come at some mor e particulars in t h e respective ap

e ar an c e s and know something of the di ffe rence in
p ,

them ; th at so f or th e future we might distinguish

o u r modern inspirations and no t obl i ge the D e vil so
,

much or his favourit e s e ith e r as to flatter their v a

, ,

mity with think i n g th e y are d ivin ely inspired wh en , ,

a s I said befor e t h ey are only d e lud e d with th e e m

,

t h u s ia s m s o f hell and i mposed upo n by mother E ve s

,

toad at their ears that is to say b y the whisp e rs of

, ,

the Devil .

That G od w a s pl e ased t o rev e al himself t o h is

ser v ants of ol d by vision and dream is e vident , ,

b e sid e s the examples m ention e d befor e from his ,

o w n d e claration that th i s was the way h e r e solv e d

,

to transac t with them Numb xii 6 : If th e r e b e a

,
. .

r o he t a m on
p p g y ou I t h e Lo
, r d w il l m a k e m y lf
s e

k n ow n to h im in a v is ion , a nd w ill s
p ea k u n to h im
in a d r e a m ZlIy s e r v a n t

. M os e s is n ot s o, (that is
t o s ay was more than
, s o,
) w ith h im w ill I s
p ea k
1 24 A SYS T EM or MAG I C .

m o u th t o m ou th, even a
pp a r e n tl
y , a nd no t in d a r k
e e c h es , (
p
s
3 0.

Th i s is a noted d eclaration o f the manner h ow

G od would d i scover h i mself to his ser v ants ; and
we cannot doubt but the De vi l who kne w i t v e ry ,

w ell did quickly imitat e t h e l i k e m e thod an d

, ,

bring i n a thousand d e lusions at the sam e door :

it b e ing in his po w e r as I have said to inj ect
, ,

midnight thoughts and amus e ments and make ,

his app e aranc e s in vision and dream as he pleased ,

how n e ar he mi ght com e to im i tate the visions

and r e v elations of G od is what I cannot under ,

take to det e rmin e : I am sur e it i s more than pro

bable that he m i ght do s o in a man n e r as m i gh t
d e c e i v e thos e unguard e d p e rsons to whom h e ofte n
thus app e ar e d and whose ends In seeking him ou t
,

mi ght b e almost as wick e d as his that a ppeared to

them .

I t may be som e thing too much in the favour of

the pr e t e nd e rs to n e w l i g h t and prophecies an d to ,

the anci e nt revelat i ons and discov e ri e s m a de by

fa lse prop h ets properly so called in th e holy sacr e d
,

writings ; but I cannot answ e r it to my o wn reason ,

if I should say that I b e li e v e th e y all kne w and ,

e v e ry tim e t o o wh e n th e y said Th u s s a ith t h e Lo r d

, , ,

t hat it was false that th e y told a wilful pr e medi t at e d

,

li e and that th e y ought to have said Thus saith

, ,

o u r sover ei gn lord th e D e vil .

Nor will I vent ure to say that all the moder n ,

heath e ns the druids among the Britons the pri e st s

, ,

o f th e h e ath e n t e mpl e s w h o utt e red th e oracl e s of

,

t h e D e v i l how e v e r t he y cam e by th e m or th e Brah

, ,

mins and strictest r e cluses of t he Indians th e d e r ,

vises of M ahom e t and th e lik e do all actually know

, , ,

that is to say by imm e diat e commun i cations om

,

hell and the instrumental i ty of i ts ag e nts that th e y

, ,

r e ally a re confede r at e wi t h t he gre a t e n emy of m an

 A S YS TE M OF MAG I C . 1 25

kind and carrying o n a correspond e nce with t h e

,

D e vil I hav e so much opinion of t he power of

.

common sens e in man as a h um a n cr e atur e and so

, ,

much ch a r i ty for the good m e aning of thos e wh o

we do n ot nd imm e diat ely v i l e p r o igat e a n d im , ,

moral as to think they would n ot act with S atan

,

u pon that foot .

I have much mor e reason to think the four e ccl e

s ia s t ic s o f S witz e rland in the story o f J e t z e r acted
, ,

with S atan op e n eye d an d open fac e d when the y

-

,
-

propos e d to th e poor foolish cr e atur e to r e nounc e

G od and Jesus Christ and so to carry on th e fraud
,

they had begun with a kind of sanct i on i nstead of

,

an oath of secrecy ; and it app e ared i ndeed to be so

at last .

But certainly as in other cases abund ant paral

, ,

l e l s might be brought Th e Dev il who g e n e rally

.
,

a cts in disguis e has carri e d t h os e disguis e s so art

,
~

fully th at I doubt n ot but many of hi s false pr o

,

h e t s long b e for e o u r t i m e s ha ve said T h u s s a ith

p , , ,

t h e Lo r d w i th a good grace ; that i s with a real

, ,

b e lief that Go d had spok e n to th em or as was the , ,

languag e o f the S criptur e times had spok en by ,

the m wh e n r e ally it was the v oic e of the D e vil and

, ,

o f nobody else : a n d l e t n ot o u r mo d e rn e n t h u s i

a s t ic s tak e this to be said only in favour of th e m

selv e s I am not com e so far down in t h e course of

my work so much as to think of t he m n o n ot of
, ,

S t Dunstan S t F rancis or of th e more e min e nt

.
,
.
,

d e cei ve r S t Ignat i us th e greatest enthusiastic of

.
,

th e last t e n c e ntur ie s : wh e n I com e to them w e

shall r e ckon as we m ee t .

But I am yet talk i ng of th e sp e cic di ffer e nce

betwe e n th e inspirations o f false proph e ts t h e ,

dreams wh i sp e r e d a n d sugg e st e d by th e D e vil ; and

thos e on th e oth e r h and from the contrary app e ar
, ,
~

an c e s of the good S p i rit that i s to say of G o d hi m

, ,

sel f I a m in the rst pl a ce to intimate that t hey

.
,
1 26 A SYS TE M OF MAG I C .

a r e no t al w ays to be discerned no n or e a sy t o be , ,

discerned ; if they wer e ther e would not be s o,

m a ny delusions in th e world as have been ; for t he

m e n are n ot all devils before they come to him,
they do n ot come to h im r e solving to be deceived ,

a n d in t ending to deceive e ve rybody they ar e con

cerned with I m u st own I do not think th at all

.
'
,

the four hundred priests of Baal whom E lij ah s u m ,

m on e d together to th e grea t sacrice a t M ount

Carmel would have Showed so many antic tricks
, ,

leaping upon th e altar cu tting themselv e s with

,

kni v es and crying 0 B a a l h e a r u s if they had

, ,

believed they were u n d e r a d elusio n of the Devil

a ll the whil e and that Baal was nobody but a de a d
,

stock a lifeless imag e without sense to he a r m uch

, , ,

more withou t power to answer They must c e r .

t a inly believe that Baal was a something o r a ,

som e body whom it was their duty t o pay a homage

,

a nd reverence to ; or that th e y paid t hat homage

to the tr u e G od throu gh th e medium of an image ,

a sor t of a model of that m e aner and more ignorant

idol atry called pop e ry .

B ut to look forward b eyond this image of i d ol

worship we have the old fals e prophets coming
,

much ne a rer to the true and the inspirations bear

,

ing an afnity In a more Signicant point ; and that

.

is i n signs an d wonders or what we call miracl e s

, , ,

which y e t may be all from the De v il ; so hard it is

for the dec e ived fals e prophet to know when he is
right and when he is wrong ; a nd so easy is it for
h im t o be impos e d upon himself and cons e quently ,

to delude the peopl e he converses with .

The Dev il as far as his agency of this kind will

,

reach mus t certainly be mightily pleased with it ;

,

for by thus inspiring his tools not only to the de ,

gree of false proph e ts but to an ability o f working

,

mir a cles showing signs and wonders whether rea l

, ,

or im agin ary he not only the more e ffectually im

,
 A S YS TEM or MAG I C . 1 27

poses u pon his false proph e ts but gives or deputes ,

s o much o f devil to th e m a s to mak e them able to ,

del u de and dec e ive others n ay to dec e ive the whole , ,

world ; o r a s the text express e s it M att xxiv 2 4

, ,
. .
,

to d e c eiv e i os s ib le t h e v e r y e le c t
, f i t w er e
p ,
.

It is r e markable in this sam e t e xt that i t is pre ,

dict e d ther e shall com e false Christs and false pro ,

p h e t s, (devils or d e vils a gents and sh a ll sho w ,

great signs and wonders .

Th e re is also anot her text which gives us a cau ,

tion against such though I do confe ss I cannot see

,

h ow it can be mad e use of t i ll th e d e lusion h a s

gon e some len gth ; and that is in Deut xi ii 2 . .

r o he t or a d r e a me r
If t h e r e a r is e a m o n
g y ou a
p p ,

o
f d r ea m s a nd
,
g iv e th th e e a s ign o r a w o n d e r a n d , ,

t he s ign o r th e w o n d e r co m e to p a s s Now this I .

,

say r e quir e s so much time as to th e fullling th e

, ,

tok e n or pred i ction of th e fal s e prophets till wh e n , ,

and till the false doctrin e which h e pr e aches shall

detect him the people are m anife stly in d anger of
,

the d elusion for as in all such cases in those an

cient tim e s every novelty was conrmed by Sign s
,

and wond e rs what could be more deluding an d

, ,

more apt to impose upon the peopl e than to have ,

the shower of those signs an d wonders conrm his

teachings by a m ir a cle and that th e miracl e should
,

come t o pass ? Yet all t his may attend the lying

wonders of a magician a false prophet n ay of a , , ,

dev il ; that such wonders may b e wrought as are

j ustly t e rmed false and lying wond e rs we ha ve ,

aga i n pr e dicted 2 Thess i i 9 which text I doubt

,
. .
,

touches a littl e ou r holy father th e pop e whos e c om ,

ing i s said to be after t he working of S at an wi th all ,

pow e r and Signs and lying wond e rs ; i ntimating

,

th at th e r e are wonders which are d elusi ve ; said to

be wrought but not wrought ; a la m od e th e Le
,

e n d the F ables of M onk e ry th e Dev i l o f Lo n d on

g , , ,

a n d the like Wonders indeed can s carce be called

.
 1 28 A SY STE M OF MAG I C .

lying upon any oth e r foundation : for if they we r e

real and actually p e rformed h ow ca n th ey t h en be
, ,

ly i ng ? but if promised to b e performed and not ,

done o r sa i d to b e really p erform e d and done b u t ,

wer e not t h en th e y ar e i nd e ed l i es o r lying won

, ,

d e rs and take th e m which way w e w i ll I doubt as ,

b e for e and l e a ve my masters the J e s u its to bring

, , ,

his h ol i n e ss off th ei r ow n way .

But I come on upon moder n ti m e t oo fast ; his

tory d e ma n ds that we advanc e by j ust d e gre e s and ,

to that purpos e I must look a little more p ar t ic u

l a r ly into t h e a n t i quity of th e se things S atan to .
,

gi v e the Devil h is due did not manag e with so ,

little dext e rity his rst acquaintances with man

kind as to su ffe r his secr e t methods to be disco
,

v e red an d d e t e ct e d o r his instrum e nts to be

,

exposed : o n t l e contrary h e put innum e rable ,

wond e rs upon mankind act e d with inextr i cable ,

strata ge m and art ; from whic h d e xter i ty and the ,

d ifc u lty of e x pla i ning his manag e ment the com ,

mon op e rations o f h i s favour i t e s obtain e d t he sanc

tion of de vil i s h ; and the art they used obta i ned ,

the honourable titl e of Black ; and this accord i ng ,

to my t i tl e is what I am now to describe

,
.

T h e world was now so much improved in know

ledge that as I hinted above noth i ng n e w could be
, , ,

started but a miracle was presently inquired after

,

to conrm it and he that could do the most emi

n e nt things of that kind was the most famous in ,

their Opin i on M opsus was a southsay e r and said

.
,

to b e t h e son o f Apollo : h e was in such cr e dit and

e ste e m in h i s tim e th at it grew into a prov e rb to
. ,

b e as infall i bl e as M opsus .

This M opsus me e t i ng on e Ch al ch as a man lik e ,

wise emin e nt in the same de vi lis h profe ssion th e y ,

fell into disp ut e about some th i ngs r elating to th e ir

art Mopsus asked Ch alch a s h o w many gs such a
.

wild g tree a s he point e d o ut to him had upon it ;

-
, ,
 A SYS TE M or MAG IC . 1 29
the southsay e r Ch al ch a s would not answe r h i m ,

but all e ge d t h at it was not a fair question Upon .

wh i c h M opsus told him th e num b e r and upon ,

count i n g t he m up it was found true to a g ; upon

wh i c h Ch alch a s was so confounded not b ei ng a bl e ,

to conc e iv e how it was p e rformed that though the ,

thin g was tr i flin g h e di e d for gri e f

, .

It s ee ms Ch al c h as had his fortun e told him by the

oracl e v iz that h e should die wh e n h e found o ut a
, .
,

b e tter south say e r t han hims e lf ; all which I can r e

sol v e into nothi ng but this that M opsus had more ,

fav our with th e D evil than Ch al ch a s at least at t h at ,

time and that h e whisp e r e d the numb e r of t he gs

,

in h i s e ar ; o r to cl e ar up th e j ug gl e M opsus had ,

count e d them b e for e a n d so the qu e stion was a

,

j uggl e in i ts e lf ; wh ic h ind ee d was the most likely of

th e two .

T he humour of the tim e s b e ing as I said to r e , ,

quir e miracl e s and wond e rs the southsay e rs an d ,

d r e am e rs of dr e ams b e stirred thems e l v es and sought ,

o u t (every man h i s own way ) for s e cr e t inspirat i ons

and illum i nations and th e Devil was v ery us e ful to

,

th e m o n many occas i ons t i ll at last he found the ,

work incr e as e d upon his hands and h e was obliged ,

t o s e t up d e lusion o f ce s as I may call th e m and

-
, ,

gi ve out answ e rs at t h e shrin e s of th e people s idols ,

a n d in the names of th e ir gods .

T he s e w e r e so far from crying down the o fce or

d i gnity o f a southsayer in t h e world that it rath e r ,

i ncreas e d their fam e F or as th e number of those

.

oracl e s w e r e but fe w not abov e twelve o r fourte en

, ,

g r e at and small so th e wise

, m e n th e magicians ,

and southsay e rs w e re often sent by th e ir r e sp e ctive

,

pr i nc e s whos e favo ur it e s they were to those oracl e s

, ,

o n e xtraord i nary occas i ons and to b e resolved in ,

th ei r doubts w he nc e the y fr e qu e ntly brough t such

answ e rs as th ey kn e w would pl e ase and obl i ge t he
prince that sen t them ; perhaps as best suited the
. s M . K
1 30 A SYS TE M OF MAG I C .

circumst ances of those princ e s and which those ,

s o sent b e s t knew w he ther t h e oracle ga ve such

answ e rs or no th e latter being n ot alw ays n e

,

c e s s ar
y
.

Th i s working by miracle seldom o r never failed

it confounded th e und e rstand i ngs o f m e n ; and
wh e n any o f th e ir souths ayers had once obtain e d an
e st ee m by such a p e rformanc e he n e ve r want e d ,

a nyth ing mor e to continu e his charact e r and to ,

ga i n h i m a dmittanc e into the fa v our a n d court o f

the great e st prin c e s H e nc e Jos e ph s t elling Pha
.

r a oh s c h i e f butl e r and chi e f bak e r their d r e ams

and those dr e ams e xactly com i ng to pass opened ,

th e doors of th e pr i son for h im ; a s h i s a dd i n g to

it that of telling the interpr e tation o f Ph araoh s

d r e am ad v anc e d h im to the s e cond chariot and t o ,

th e cry i ng Ab r eh b e for e him that i s Bow th e knee

, , .

It i s the O pinion of som e l e arned in th e wisdom

,

of t he E gypt i ans that Joseph cont i n u e d the art of

,

southsay i ng (for in tha t the wisdom of the E gyptians

chiey consisted ) for a gr e at whil e aft e r ; a n d I
a cknowl e dge myself to b e of that Op i nion whether I ,

a m l e arned in t he wisdom o f th e E gypt i ans o r no ,

and that he had never been continued in such a

high post so long if h e had not
, .

F or this reason thos e words h e used a fterwards

to h is br e thr e n Wo t y o u n o t th a t s u ch a m a n a s I
,

c a n d iv in e ? are a kind o f admiration ; that is t o

sa
y ,
A re you so ignorant in th e customs o f this
country as n ot to know that a man in my post must
,

b e abl e c e rtainly to di v ine ? Ge n xli v 1 5 . . .

An d ind e ed w i thout putting any strained or con

,

strain e d m e an i ng upon th e sacr e d t e xt I cannot ,

do u bt but that th e p e ople of E gypt took Jos e ph to

b e what th e y call e d the pr i nc e o f th e m agicians of
the E ast ; that is to say o n e o f th e chi e f of them
, ,

and e xtraordinarily qualied by th e gods for the

u nd e rstanding deep mysteries for d i ving into h a rd
,
 A SYS T E M OF MAG I C 1 31 .

questions int e rpr e ti n g dre ams and r e sol v i n g doubts

, , .

In a wor d i n t h e sam e s e ns e th at Dan iel almost a

, ,

thousand y e ars aft e r was e st ee m e d at Babylon v iz

, , .
,

that t he sp i r i t o f th e holy gods was in hi m w he the r

th e y m e ant by t he ir gods th e croco d i l e or the ri ve r
, ,

N i l e or t he great calf at th e E gyptian Theb e s or

, ,

Isis or O syr i s t h at I shall n ot i nqu i r e into h e r e

, , ,

but th e y doubt e d n ot th a t som e o f the b e st and

brightest of t he ir deit ie s inspired Jos e ph w i th an
exc e ll e nt Spirit .

Nor was it unr e asonabl e for the poor p e opl e u n ,

d e r th e dark circumstanc e s of that a ge to b e l ieve so ,

o f him for how e ls e Sh ould h e h ave th e for eknow

l e dg e of t he dr e adful fam i n e s eve n y e ars b e for e it
cam e ? h o w th at sagac i ty to gat he r such imm e nse
quantit ie s o f corn i n th e pl e nt i ful y e ars b e fore it ?
a n d lay it u p in such plac e s and i n suc h propor ,

tions and so s e cured as to supply su i t a bly the

, ,

whol e country of E gypt so v astly ext e nd e d a n d so

, ,

populous as i t was at t h at t i m e
H o w Jos e ph cam e by all t hi s knowl e dg e and
wisdom t he y (as w e ha v e l ik e r e ason to b e li eve )
,

wer e as ignorant of as th e y w e r e posit ive t h at it

,

was so by som e m e an s or othe r ; and the r e for e i t

,

was no absur d i ty for th e m to sug ge st th at h e d id all

by divination t h at is to say by e nchantm e nt or
, , ,

s e cret con ve rs e with th e sp i r i ts of anoth e r worl d

o r as w e call it w i t h mor e propr ie ty at l e a st in our
, ,

O pin i on th at h e d e alt w i th t he D e v i l ; and that this

,

was don e by th e charm o f th e s i l ve r cup wh i ch w a s

put i n t he mout h of B e nj am i n s sack
.

T h at the y b el ieve d so is e vid e nt from the words

o f th e sam e c h apt e r Ge n xliv 5 ,
I s n o t t h is it in
. .

w h ich m y lo r d d r ink e th, a nd w h e r e by h e div in e th

Th e words ar e fully e xplain e d by th e customs and
usage o f th e mag i c i ans and d e v i l hunt e rs i n thos e -

d ays who us e d stran ge g e stur e s and clanging

, ,

s ounds such o r n ot m u ch unlik e suc h as o u r o ld

, , ,

K 2
1 32 A SYS T EM or MAG I C .

women n ow use to hive their b e es ; by th e se th e y

call e d th e familiar d e vils the Python s and Apol ,

lyons of th ei r acquaintance about th e m whate ve r , ,

occasions mad e it necessary for them to speak w i th

them .

That Joseph kn e w b e tter and that h e c e rtainly ,

n e it h er us e d such m e thods or conv e rsed with any ,

such k i nd of fore i gn e rs or infe rn als was most c e r ,

tain but h i s st e ward was direct e d to sp e ak in the

,

lan guag e of the country ; n or would h e h a ve talked

to h av e b ee n und e rstoo d if h e had not : and this
,

conrms the conj ecture as abov e and mak e s it ,

most reasonable ; namely that all E gypt took him ,

( Jos e p h ) to b e a southsay e r or wise m an an d that ,

c e rta i nly he could di v ine .

This part of Joseph s story is useful to explain by
what m ann e r of communication the diviners of those
days used to maintain th e ir acq u aintance w i th th e
infe rnals a n d how mean and scandalous m ethods the
,

Devil contri ve d to settl e his correspond e nc e ; that

in short by th e clanging o f an old kettl e or brass
, ,

pot the whole hiv e of d ev ils should be alarme d be

, ,

told that som e o f th e ir m asters on e arth h ad occ a

sion for them or as we call it want e d to speak with
, ,

them and that th e y should immediately y to hand

, ,

and mount t o th e place to know the b u siness .

This w i ll b e a very material point to discuss mor e

fully and to explain th e philosophy of if w e should
, ,

come to examine t h e mos t accurate and polite m e

t h o d s o f that p articular art which we call raising ,

th e Devil of which s o many valiant old wom e n

,

ha ve b ee n complet ely mistresses ; and that so emi

u e ntly that S atan durst no more r e fuse to att e nd
,

the call o r fail o f his duty when he h e ard the sum

,

mons than a schoolboy that has b ee n well lash e d

,

for playing truant dares do it again b e for e h is

, ,

backside has done smarting : for d o ubtless t h e ,

s colding of a n old wom a n, a nd upon such a disap

 A SYS T E M OF MAG I C . 1 33

pointm e nt t oo would be e nou gh to terrify th e De vi l

,

h ims elf i f h e has any s e ns e of that outr age ous an i

,

mal call e d an o ld w i tch upon h i s m i nd

, ,
.

But I l e a v e that part to a part i cul ar diss e rtat i on

upon the sp e ci e s wh e n I shall l e arn e dly and pol i t e ly
,

e xam in e and if practicabl e d e t e rm i n e for th e good

, , ,

o f mank i nd th e two follow i ng w ei ghty and impor

,

tant di fculti e s .

Fi rst Wheth e r upon an imm e rge nt and sudden

,
'

occasion th e m u s ic als o b ei ng th e sam e old mothe r

, ,

A nthony o f i n t h e county of could not

b e as e ffe ctual wit h h e r vo i ce to h i v e a swarm of
b ee s as any brass k e ttl e o r warming pan i n all th e
,
-

village ; and so bot h fru gally sa ve he r n ei gh bo u rs

from the r i sk of bruisin g their h ous e hold stu ff and -

the said moth e r Anthony i nst e ad o f b ei ng l i abl e to ,

t he d u ck i ng stool fo r a common d i sturb e r b e com e a

-
,

u s e fu l ser v a nt to h e r k i n and country and e nj oy a

g ,

p e nsion for her good o fc e s .

S e condly Wh e the r th e sam e moth er Anthony

, ,

a ccord i ng to the hypoth e sis of Jos e p h s cup o f d iv in
ation m i ght n ot b e also mad e us e ful in h e r ge ne
,

ration upon like e xtraordinary occas i ons to lay th e ,

D ev il and that too by th e sam e r u l e s that oth e rs

,

raise h im ; S i nc e th e b e es in th e ir gr e at e st hurr i es
and tumults are qui e t e d as abo ve by th e sam e , ,

n ois e which at another tim e would fr e t and d i s

ord e r t he m ; th e ph ilosophy o f whi c h is not y e t
und e rstood nor can th e r e ason of it be d i sco ve r e d
,

in all th e ph i losoph i cal tra n saction s o r transactors

who have so lon g studi e d i t F rom wh e nc e th e y .

sa ,y th e tink e rs b e atin g t he ir pans w he n they pub

l i sh th e ir occupat i on s o r as w e c all i t v ulgarly i n
,

E n gland cry t hei r trad e s ar e e xtr e m ely un e asy to

, ,

al l t he o l d wom e n abov e th ei r n i nth cl i mact e ric ,

a nd unsuffe rabl e to thos e who ar e e n gag e d i n th e

art i cl e of circl e makin g and p aw w aw i n g ; i nsomuch
-
,
-

that if a tinker should have stopped In a village a n d

 1 34 A SYS T E M OF MAG I C .

b e at his k e ttle abo v e a certain limited tim e at or , ,

with i n h e aring o f th e town of Ipswich in mothe r ,

Lackl and s tim e S h e would ha v e b e en obl i g e d to

hav e rais e d the D evi l for h e r assistance But this I .

leave to exp e rim e nt .

As I say th e s e two importan t question s may

,

tak e up a larg e tract by them s el ve s a n d as th e y ,

must n e eds b e o f v ast cons e qu e nc e to t h e r e aders I ,

doubt n ot th e books e ll e rs who are g e n e rally publ i c

,

spir i t e d g e ntl e men w ill e mbrac e th e opportunity of

,

publ i sh i ng such a v al u abl e pi e ce fo r t he good o f the

n ation ; so I shal l adj ourn it for the pres e nt .

Come w e n e xt i n order accord i ng to th e contents

,

of this chapt e r to th e particular qu e stion i n what

,

shap e th e De vi l a pp e a r e d to th e rst magicians or ,

th e e nchanters of t he m ost early t i m e s ; and the

answ e r is as far a s w e can y e t l e arn that h e did
, ,

n ot assum e any s h ap e or vi s i b l e a pp e aranc e at all :

wh e th e r i t was his m od e sty o r h i s policy i s a qu e s
tion h as b e en a littl e thou gh n o t fully d i scuss e d an d
, ,

tho se that sp e ak m ost f av o urably o f S atan think i t ,

was th e rst ; for in th e e arly t i m e s of h i s intimacy

h e m ight b e loath p e rh aps to exp os e h ims e lf to h is
n e w acquaintanc e wh e r e as aft e r w ards wh e n he b e ,

came really a famil i ar spirit i n t h e l i teral s e nse of ,

th e wor d h e mad e no d i fculty to con v ers e with his

,

fa v ourit e s mor e openly se e an d be s ee n ; of which

,

in i ts plac e .

B u t if t hi s was n o t th e cas e it s ee ms to me th at , ,

at rst and wh i l e b e in g only a n i ght visit e r b e

,

commun i cat e d h i ms elf by v is i on and dream only ,

th e r e w a s no mann e r of occasion for th e locality of

his p e rson and for a r e al appeara n c e ; nor if h is
, ,

busin e ss was don e was i t mat e rial w he ther he de

,

li ve r e d it by his own mo u th or by th e voice of any ,

o f his trusty and w e ll b e lo ve d a n ge l s and ag e nts

-

who a r e certainly as capabl e to ofc iat e in his place

a s if he was there in person .
 A SYS T E M o r MAG I C 1 35 .

Besides as muc h a spirit as th e Devil is w e ha ve

, ,

reason to bel ieve h e i s so far from b ei n g o m n ipr e

sent th at h e would not b e abl e to d e spatch a thou
,

s a n d t h part o f t h e bus i ness h e has upon hi s h a nds ,

if h e had not an i nnum e rabl e num b e r o f d e puty r e

pres e ntati ve d ev ils al w ays at h i s hand to ex e cut e ,

hi s commissions and mak e their a pp e aranc e for

,

him wh e n and as oft e n as th e m e anest o f the south

,

saying e nchanting rac e c alls him .

An d for this r e as on i t m i g h t b e that Al i Alb r a ,

haz e n as is said abo ve in t he rst i ntimaci e s b e

, ,

twixt him and the fa v o u rite spirit who spok e to h im

in dr e am had a nam e gi ve n by wh i ch h e was to be
, ,

call e d thr ee t i m e s at eve ry round of th e palm tr ee

c i rcl e whic h wh e n h e h ad r e h e ars e d t h e D ev il ,

( tha t I S to say that part, i cular d e puty d e vil which

was appointed to wa i t upon h i m ) was always to at
t e nd and b e r e ad y W he th e r t h at sa i d part i cular
.

Sp i rit was boun d to his du e and da ily att e n d ance fo r

t h at o n e occas i on h i story h as not y e t d e t e rm i n e d
,

1 hav e only to say t h at if it was so fri e nd Al i must

, ,

b e a mag i c i an o f som e q u al i ty th at had a whol e ,

de vi l to att e nd him p e rsonally and sin gly who was ,

a llowed to do no oth e r busin e ss but j ust wait to r e

c e iv e his orders and g ive back th e instruction s
,

which Al i might stand i n need of unless p e rhaps ,

now and th e n h e mi ght go upon som e oth er e rrands ,

wh e re the occasion was e xtraord i nary .

W e ar e told that in Am e rica and in some nations

, ,

i n Africa th e magi c i ans or wiz ards an d paw waws

,
-

found ways and means to con v erse with S atan face

to fac e as part i cular occas i ons r e qu i red ; and t h at
,

from th e b e ginnin g of tim e : for p e rhaps h is conv e rs

ation in thos e r e mot e countri e s m i gh t b e as anci e nt
as i t was anywh e r e E gypt and A rab i a e xc e pt e d
, .

It Is said also t h at h e do e s app e ar in those coun

,

tri e s and upon cert ain tim e s or occasions i n human

, ,
1 36 A S YS TE M o r MAG I C .

shape sometimes in o n e postur e som e times in an

, ,

ot he r as circumstanc e s may vary as som e t i mes he

,

app e ars angry and frightful surround e d w i th r e , ,

pr e c e ded w i t h t e mp e st an d th e like t e rrifying oh

,

j ee rs to le t th e p e opl e know th at h e can h u rt t h em ;

,

s o m e tim e s in smil e s and sweet sp i cy p e rfumes and

, ,

prec e d e d by music and melody in th e air to l e t ,

them know h e is pl e as e d .

It i s tru e it was lat e in th e worl d b e for e w e in

, , ,

th e se parts kne w anyth i ng of i t ; and it might b e

,

s o also b e for e he beg u n t h os e practic e s th e r e : th e y

w e r e too gross to go down wit h the rs t a ge s w he n ,

th e k n owl e d ge of G od was not so e nt i r ely oblite

rated from the minds of m e n as it was aft e rwards
but idolatry h ad pr e vailed to such a d e gr ee in
A m e r i ca t h at the D ev il was perh aps th e only god
,

t h e y had h e ard anything o f for some t housands of

ears But I r e turn to my subj e ct
E xcept in t h os e and such
y . .

l i k e r e mote and un a c
u a in t e d parts of th e world w e do not nd much
q
,

e v id e nc e o f th e mag i cians s eei ng or con ve rsin g with

e v il sp i rits of what e v e r kind o r quali t y i n t he s h apes

, ,

o f m e n o r wom e n : G od s an ge ls ind ee d who ar e in ,

s acr e d t e xt c alled th e h e a v e n ly h o s t ar e and hav e ,

been frequ e ntly allow e d to mak e t he ir appearanc e ,

and h ave be e n s e nt hith er on immed i at e and sp e c i al

b u s i n e ss as to Abraham to Jacob to M os e s to the
, , , ,

fath e r o f Jo h n t he Baptist t o th e V i rgi n Ma ry to

, ,

th e s he ph e rds at th e birth to o u r S av iour h i ms e lf o n

,

di v ers occas i ons and to th e wom e n at th e s e p u l

,

chr e at t he r e surr e ction and at the asc e ns i on

, , .

P e rhaps th i s may b e th e r e ason why the Devil

has k e pt his d i stanc e ; he r e memb e rs n o doubt h is , ,

former r e nco u nt e rs w i th Uri el a n d with G abri el o r ,

oth e r ang e ls no matt e r who m e ntion e d by nam e in

, ,

M r Milton and how th e y d ro ve him about from o n e

.
,

part o f th e waste to anoth e r o u t of heaven o ut of , ,

 A SYS T E M o r M AG I C 1 37 .

paradise and eve rywhe r e e lse wh e re t h ey and he

, ,

happ e n e d to m ee t ; and do u btl e ss h e does not much

car e to r e ncount e r the m .

Wh at s h ap e o r gur e h e app e are d in wh e n he

c ame to t e mpt his M ak e r and o u r S a v iour at that ,

t i m e himself in a stat e of p e rson al i ty as e sh and

blood as it is not e xpr e ss e d so I will not pr e t e nd to
, ,

mak e a gu e ss at it : i t is pla i n w he n h e was at any

t im e cast o u t of the poor d i stemp e r e d p e opl e by o u r
S aviour or by h i s d i sc i pl e s t h oug h h e cam e ev i
, ,

d e n t ly out of th e demon i ac or poss e ss e d y e t h e did ,

not come ou t v i sibly a n d i n S h ap e but walkin g off ,

l ik e a d e t e ct e d th ie f in th e dark and i mp e rc e pt i bl e , ,

h e always play e d o u t o f S i ght .

Th e sam e m e thod I b el ieve h e took w i t h all sorts

o f p e opl e in t he world for som e a g e s e sp e c i ally a t ,

the b e gi nning o f t i m e ; and would all ou r poss e ss e d

or profe ss e d d e al e rs w i t h t h is cunning mana ge r act
in the dark and k e ep hi m to th e ms e l v es th at w e
, ,

might not s e e th e ir i nstruct e r or b e a cqua i nted w i th ,

th e i nstructions t hei r w i tc he ry and craft of h ell

,

would I b elieve b e much l e ss hurt ful to the world

, ,

than it is .

But n ow it s ee ms as i f o u r mod e rn magic i ans

act e d upon an ot he r foot ; that th ey do not go to t he
D evi l but t h e D evi l co m e s to th e m t he y do n o t go
,

to h im i n th e d e serts and r e tr e ats o f the dark for

d i r e ct i ons and instruct i on s b u t h e acts with th e m
,

i n conc e rt and t h er e is a k i nd o f m u tual cohab i ta

,

t i on t he y go o n hand i n hand and ar e fe llow age nts

, ,
-
,

both pr i nc i pals and both acc e ssar ie s only wit h t h is ,

usual d iffe r e nce o n the D evi l s s i d e v iz i f th e y

, .
,

happ e n to do any cap i tal misch ie f so as to bring ,

them to th e gallows h e al w ays l e a ve s t he h an ging

,

part to t he m ; the r e he as we say slips hi s neck o u t

, ,

o f th e collar and is gon e , .

T hi s subtl e a gr ee m e nt i n misch i e f b e tw ee n t he
m agician and the spirit that acts w i t h hi m i s not at ,
1 38 A S YS T E M or MAG I C .

all for the ad v ant a g e of mankind and the magici an s

o f th e form e r mould s ee m to ha ve b e en muc h the

l e ss h urtful kind for th ey g e n e rally wer e known t o

,

b e what t he y pr e t e nd e d and w e r e only m a d e use of

,

by p e opl e w h e n th e y want e d th e m and for w h at w a s

,

r e qu i r e d o f t he m ; so t he y had t hei r pay and wages

of u nr i ght e ousness a n d you had don e w i th th e m
, .

B u t he r e w e con ve rs e w i t h t he m e n knowin g no ,

thin g of what th e y ar e a n d do n o t s ee th e D evil

,

that i s withi n th e m ; s o w e d e al w i th the D ev il at

s e cond han d as w e m ay call it that is w e talk to
-
, , ,

h i m in d i sgu i s e mak e bargain s and contracts with

,

h i m and t h at some of th e worst k i nd by th e a g e ncy

, ,

o f th e s e m a gic i a ns and s ee n o t th e evi l sp i r i t who is

,

all th e w hil e both d i r e ctor and principal in all the

a ffair T h us fa r for thos e mag i c i ans w h o really d ea l
.

i n s e cret with him and t hi s is that ma gi c w h ich we

,

call t he black art that i s to say a s e cr e t un d isco ve r e d

, ,

conspiracy b e t w ee n S atan and thos e a ge nts o f his

whi c h apply to h i m for d i r e ction and th e n th e ir
,

act i ng aga i n by thos e directions to abuse impose

, ,

upo n and d ecei v e m a nkind

, .
 A SYS T E M or MAG I C . 1 39

CH AP VI . .

Of w h o w e r e th e r s t p r a c t is e r s of m a gic, a s a d ia
b o lic a l a r t, a n d h o w it w a s h a n d e d o n t o t h e
Egyp t ia n s a n d I h aen ic ia ns , w h e r e it w a s r s t

y

o e nl e n c ou r a e d
p y g .

TH E writers upon this subj e c t b e for e m e s e em to

ha ve all b ee n a t a loss to x th e orig i nal o f mag i c as
an art diabolical and t he y would fa i n ha ve us b e
,

lieve it w a s in practis e i n th e ant e d i l u v ian world .

T h i s I hav e n ot d e ni e d n or shall I d e ny it st ill ; but

,

granting th e D evi l to ha ve a conqu e st upon th e rst

woman and b y h e r w e akn e ss and tr e ach e ry drawing
,

her husband i nto th e sam e snar e w e may gi v e up ,

all their rac e fo r a s black as h e ll co uld mak e th e m

a n d ind e ed th e sacred t e xt d e scr i b e s th e m i n terms

as black as can w e ll b e e xpress e d Ge n vi 1 2 Go d , . .

look e d up o n th e e a r t h, a n d , b e h o ld , it w a s c or r up t ;
f f
o r a ll les h h a d co r r u t e d h is w a
p y pu o n th e e a r th

and ve r 1 3 , The e a r th is lle d w ith v io le n ce ; an d

.

v er 5 sp e aking o f m an , th e im a gin a t io n of t h e
. .

t h o u gh t of h is h e a r t w a s o n ly e v il c o n t in u a lly ; a n d
'
t h e w ick e d n e s s qf m a n w a s gr e a t up o n th e e a r th .

Upon th i s account I say I ga ve u p all that race in

, ,

the b e ginnin g of this work ; and b e it so or be it ,

only supposed t o be so it is much th e same n o r is

, ,

it worth disputing with anybody ; if t he D ev il had

t h e man agement of t he m as it i s ev ident he had , ,

much less could not b e e xpect e d l e t that part go ,

.

But my q u e stion has b ee n all alon g not w h at was ,

done befor e b u t s i nc e th e d e lu ge and how d i d S atan

, ,

introduce hims elf to th e postd ilu v ian ag e s wh en

?

and where with whom and in w h at manner d i d he

, , ,
1 40 A SYS TE M o r MAG I C .

make his rs t acquaintanc e and b r eaking in upon

m ankind for a second possession o r management o f ,

art

I m e ntion e d Zoroaster slain in battl e by S e miramis ,

and Prom e th e us and others and ve ry e arly th ey wer e ;

,

and I stan d by my account o f th e m tha t th e y w e re ,

the rst mag i cians as the word o r t e r m magician

,

impli e d a man o f l e arn i ng of w i t a n d mor e tha n

, ,

common un d erstanding s e arching aft e r knowl e dg e

, ,

studying th e rudim e nts and rst pr e c e pts and pr i n

c i l e s o f ph i losophy B u t w e ar e n ow i n search aft e r
p .

another sort o f people who th ough th e y w e r e

, ,

searchers into knowledge t o o yet looked i nto it in ,

a noth e r manner and for other purpos e s n am e ly

, , ,

wh o search e d d ee pe r into thin gs and into d e eper ,

things I mean s e arch i ng i nto hell its e lf ; wh o began

,

rst to e nter upon d i abolical inquiri e s into the

infernal myst e ries and arts o f th e De vi l ; and wher e
those b egun it i s n ot so e asy to nd o u t .

S ome authors as S e r e n u s and Cas s ia n u s fr o m him

, , ,

and th e l e arned S ir Walter Ral ei gh from both hand ,

down this fabulous orig i n al fo r o u r sp e culat i on viz , .

,

that Ham or Cham the s on o f Noah having practis e d

thos e sup e rstitious and sacrileg i ous arts ( 1 tak e their
own words ) befor e th e ood and know i ng th at he,

could bring no book or memorial of that n ature into

the holy vessel wh e re his life was to b e s e cur e d by
the goodness o f his M ak e r and wh e rein h e was to
,

r e main with his righteous and godly father caus e d ,

th e rul e s and precepts to be gra ve d in m e tal and in ,

hard S t one which should receive no i mpr e ssion from

,

the water .

But t h is is such an e v id e nt ction and full of so ,

many absurd i ti e s and contradictions as w ell as ,

fals e hoo d s that it is n ot onl y unlikely it should but

, ,

impossibl e it can b e tru e .

F or rst Wh e r e were those plates left ? If th e y

,

were to be preserved in the a rk it is cert a in N oah , ,

 A SYS TE M or MAG I C . 1 41

who had th e sup e rint e nd e ncy o f th e whole building ,

a n d of eve ryt hi ng t h at was brought i nto i t o r to b e ,

adm i tted wo u ld much l e ss h av e a dmitt e d copper

,

plat e s to b e brou ght in th e r e or tabl e s of ston e ,

w i t h s u c h abom i nations e ngrav e n o n th em than h e ,

would h ave tak e n in written b ooks if such had bee n ,

th e n in use .

S e condly Had Cham be e n such a person so far

, ,

e ngag e d in a correspondenc e wit h hell we may ,

r e asonably suppos e G od who for t h e r e ason s taken , ,

from th e sins of the r e st of manki nd d e stroyed th e ,

whol e world would n eve r ha ve spar e d him and so

, ,

by hi m laid the foundation o f t h e D ev il s s e cond
k i ngdom and o f h i s d e bauc h ing th e world with
,

sorc e ry and witc h craft nor do w e r e ad that Cham

o r Ham was cursed by his fath e r o n any such ac

count but fo r s i ns actually committ e d after th e de

,

lu ge and aft e r th e ir com i ng ou t of th e ark but to

,

charg e Ham w i th sorc e ry and d i abol i cal practices

b e fore the ood is a gross b e ggi n g the qu e stion ,

and by no means to be admitt e d without good evi

d enc e .

An d a gai n th e writing an d gra v ing u pon hard

,

ston e s m e tal & c r e quires a proof that th e re w as

, , .
,

an
y such th i ng as th e knowl e dge and use o f letter s

a mon g m e n befor e the ood ; wh i ch aft e r the ,

s trict e st inquiry is not y e t asc e rtained much les s

, ,

a gre e d upon by m e n o f learning ; the sam e ha v ing

n ot b e en pr e s e rv e d to mankind aft e r the d e lug e ,

w hi ch i t is highly probabl e would have been if such ,

a th i ng had been in use th e knowl e dge having been ,

both i nnoc e nt and us e ful .

Th i rdly If suc h writing or engr avement were

,

mad e by Cham o r any o n e else wh e r e w e r e the y

, ,

laid and how foun d aga i n w h en by th e univ e rsal

, ,

convulsions su ffe r e d dur i ng th e ood not th e l e as t ,

v estiges ruins or remains of c i ties or towns w e re to

, ,

be seen upon the surface o f the ea rth but all was ,

1 42 A SYS T E M or MAG I C .

huddle d tog e th e r in th e g e n e r al confusion of the

parts and ei the r buri e d and o ve rwh e lm e d in the
,

body of t he e art h o r dri ve n down by th e rapid cur

,

r e nts wh i c h follow e d a t t h e going off o f th e ood ;

a nd it s ee ms stran ge that th e s e ston e s or plates
could b e found w he n e v e rythi n g els e was lost and
ov e rthrown w he n t he surfac e b ei n g p e rfe ctly n e w ,

no on e part o f th e world could b e known from a n

other m uch less any plac e b e known by th e situ
,

a tion wh i c h i t h a d b e for e .

Th e r e ar e many mor e abs u rdities in the case as

I t I S propos e d but I must not d w e ll too long in a
plac e th at hav e so long a j ourn ey to go
,
.

Zoroast e r is th e n e xt to whom th e y would ascribe

the mag i c art but I ha ve pro ve d h i m to be a very
hon e st m a n and a wis e man properly sp e aking i n
, , ,

my form e r chapt e rs and that h e was e mploy e d in a

,

much b e tter a n d h onest e r study such as in d i sco ,

v e r in th e natur e o f h e rbs and plants m e tals and

g ,

min e rals pr e c i ous ston e s and j e w els ; t h at he in

,

v e nt e d t h e doctrines and rst pr i nc i ples of natural

and m or al p hi losophy ; and many useful and b e ne
c ial parts o f knowl e dg e for t he good of manki n d ;
t h e pow e r o f sympathi e s and ant i pathi e s and th e ir ,

v arious work ings and obj ects in a ll which I take ,

Abraham also who was still befor e h im to ha v e

, ,

b e en e sp e c i ally famous ; and that it i s probabl e

A braha m was particularly instr u ct e d by Noah him
s e lf for it is evi d e nt t h at Abr a ham was upwards of
,

fty y e ars o l d wh e n Noa h d ie d .

To com e o ff of all th i s th e r e ar e oth e rs who make

,

anoth e r Zoroast e r a r e al and d i abolical magic i an

, ,

w h o was not Sla i n by S e miram i s as th at wis e pr i nc e ,

Zoroaster was but o n th e ot he r hand havi ng b ee n

, ,

teac h ing h i s d i sc i pl e s th e art of rais i ng and con

v e rs i n g wit h sp i r i ts was by o n e o f them tak e n away
,

o u t of h is school all his scholars l ooking o n

, or i f ,

you wi ll have it in a modern style he raised the ,

 A SYS T E M or MAG I C . 1 43

Devil to Show h i s disc i pl e s a t e st of h i s art ; and

,

the De v il carr i ed him aw ay i n th e face of th e m all ,

to g ive th e m a t e st of his pow e r w h ic h by the way , ,

was but poor e ncoura ge m e nt at t h at t i m e for any ,

o n e o f t he m to turn m ag i c i an and for that r e ason ,

and knowing th e D evil to be no fool makes m e give ,

th e l e ss h ee d to that part of th e story

O th e r writ e rs o f whom Jos e phus i s o n e (whose
, ,

cr e dit I must always pr e mis e go e s but a v ery little

, ,

way w i th m e ) t e lls us t h at S e th the s o n of Adam

'

, , ,

rst d i sco ve r e d t he plan e ts o r wand e r i n g stars with ,

th ei r motions inu e nc e s r e volutions & c ; that those

, , ,
.
,

wit h se v eral oth e r us e ful branch e s o f astronom i c

knowl e dg e wer e hand e d down by trad it i on to Noah
, ,

and by h i m to t he n e w world and that th e n coming ,

from Noah i mm e d i at e ly to Abraham to Zoroaster , ,

a n d ot he rs they w e r e h anded from them to poste

,

rity as w e nd it at th i s day
, .

But all this is nothing to th e purpose that is t o ,

s ay nothi ng to o u r diabol i c mag i c

, n or do e s i t giv e ,

any l ight into th e grand question Who was the rst ,

author of that k i nd of study ? who was S atan s rst
corr e spond e nt in th e n e w world or rst d e al t with ,

the D e vil aft e r th e ood ? I cannot think indeed , ,

that the D ev il su ffe r e d mank i nd to l i ve long u n m o

l e sted by h i m or that mank i nd could go o n long
,

without som e busin e ss b e twe e n th e m : th e y would

b e both eag e r to r e n e w t he acqua i ntanc e and r e ,

stor e the ancient fam il i ar i ty ; and it could not be

lon g b e for e th e y found some m e ans or oth e r t o
brin g it to pass ; for lo ve rs yo u kno w will m e et , , ,

what eve r ar e t he d i f cult ie s w h ich rst obstruct

and esp e c i ally th e gr e at artist on his sid e had many
, ,

dark d e s i gns i n vie w and n e w foundations to lay

,

for th e o ve rth ro w of a ris i n g ge neration which r e ,

quired to b e la i d d ee p and stron g ; and the soo n er

th ey were b e gun th e bett e r for h i m
, .

As to Ch am be i n g the author of m agic in th e

1 44 A S YS TE M or MAG I C .

n ew world that ind ee d I cannot gran t that is to

, ,

say not as the a nci e nts bring i n th e story ; namely

, ,

that he i nv e nt e d th e s eve n l i b e ral sci e nc e s and ,

wrot e them i n fourt ee n p i llars o f brass o r stone & c , .

,

a s abo ve ; t h at Ch am as h e was notwithstand i ng

, ,

t h e curs e b e incurr e d by h i s i ll b ehaviour to his

fath e r on e of t he i mm e d i at e prog e nitors of th e n e w
,

rac e and par t i cularly of thos e gr e at and m i ghty

,

n at i ons th e E gypt i ans Arabians A fr i cans and , , ,

Ph oe nic i ans amo n g whom all human wisdom and

,

l e arn i ng rst our i she d and ind e ed rst b e gan ; so

,

I d oubt n o t but h e was c apabl e to instruct them in

much of th e ant e dilu v ian knowle dge and that of ,

e v e n th e b e st t h ings an d d id so : that h e re i gned

,

afterward in E gypt a v e ry long whil e is conrmed ,

by all the anc ie nt wr i ters ; particularly in th e cata

logu e of th e E gyptian k i ngs o f which Cham w as ,

c e rtainly th e rst th e y are said to reign and succeed

,

one anoth e r t h us
Cham p e opl e d E gypt the year o f the worl d 1 8 47 , ,

1 9 1 y e ars aft e r th e ood .

O syr i s o r M izraim t h e son o f Cham 200 8 3 52

, , ,

y e a rs after th e ood .

N B This was th e king who el ev ated Jos e ph

. .
,

an d who bu i lt th e pyram i ds n ot for tombs and mo ,

n u m e n t s only but for mag i c that is astronomic

, , ,

obs e r v ations as S e miram i s d i d the great tower of

,

Babylon .

F rom h e nce it app e ars th a t Cham c am e to E gyp t

when h e was n e ar three h u ndred years old suppose
h i m to b e an hundr e d years old wh e n he cam e o ut
of th e ark which was th e most for his e ld e r b r o
, ,

th e r S em was n o mor e and that h e r e igned in ,

E gypt o n e hundr e d and sixty on e years in which -

t ime he mad e t h e E gyptians and th e Arabian s and ,

also the t n ic ia n s for they were all h is o ffspring

, ,

very pol ite nat i ons .

The Ar abi a ns were h is pos t e r ity by h is s on Chu s .

 A S YS T EM or MAG I C . 1 45

Th e Phoenicians by h i s son Canaan whom Noa h

cursed .

The E gyptians by his s on M izraim which was ,

the king O syris abo ve .

The Libyans and E thiopi a ns by his sons Phut and

Lu d .

S o that in short Cham was so exceeding fruitful

, , ,

that h e p e opl e d all Africa and sinc e that from , ,

Africa all America an d t h ose particularly populous

,

parts of Asia call e d Arabia and S yria .

I expect my light h e ad e d read e rs whose wits ar e

-

t oo v olatil e for th i s remot e story will call this a dry ,

subj e ct t h ough to m e I confe ss it is j ust th e c on

,

t r a r y ; but as it is t o o grav e for them I w i ll e n

d e a v o u r it shall not b e too long for th e m ; so to
oblige folly and I am sur e to th e d i slik e of th e truly
,

wis e and sol i d h e ads I l e ave off b efore I have don e

, ,

that I may n ot abat e that most fash i onabl e custom

of writing most of that wh i ch i s pl e asant and l e ast ,

o f that w h ich is protabl e so will i ng is your humbl e

s e rvant to be a man of mod e and such a w ei ght d oe ,

h e put on those who hav e r e ally no w e ight i n th e m

s el ve s .

In favo u r t h en o f th e usag e of the tim e s and e s

, , ,

p e c ially of th e ge nius and t e mp e r I m e ntion abo v e ,

I am to l e a ve o ff t h os e gra v e t h ou gh us e ful d igr e s

sions and com e bac k to th e progr e ss of mag i c th e
, ,

p art i cular subj e ct b e for e m e .

T h at th e D evi l was the aggr e ssor in his n e w c or

r e spond e nce with mankind i s not to b e doubted but ,

t h at is not so much ou r bus i n e ss as to know wh e n ,

this corr e spond e nc e b e gan who was th e rst amon g ,

m e n that carr ie d o n t he cland e stin e dealing and ,

h ow it was managed o n both s i des .

W e hav e cl e ar e d Ch am of t h e charge as far as ,

probabiliti e s w ill go i n his favour and th e trut h i s ,

Cham grew qu i ckly too gr e at was abov e th e occa ,

s i on for it a nd bein g th e rst and p e rhaps th e

, ,

.S M . L
1 46 A SYST EM or MAG I C .

great e s t mon ar ch upon earth even befor e N i nus or ,

Bell (B aa l ) he had n o need o f turning conj ur er a nd

magic i an which became pr e sently the work of a
,

meane r race of men than Cham ; for the magician s ,

e specially speakin g of them n ow a s wi t ches a nd e u

chanters were n ot kings and emperors but the s e r
, ,

v ants of kings and emperors ; k e pt an d m a intained

for the wicked works an d services which they did
for t h em .

Indeed the m a gici a ns which I men t ioned at rst ,

were worsh ippers of the divin e Bein g or eminent ,

e xamples of the homag e m e n owed to the true G od ;

na
y ,
an d even a ft er some time were teachers o f di ,

v ine things too though under the mis t aken mediums

,

o f idols an d im a ges These magi or magicians a s .

, ,

I have observed were at rst s o reverenced a nd ,

honoured by the n ations they served as often t o be ,

m ade governors of t he c ommonwealth ; public b e

n e fa c t or s having the most ri ght to the public h o
,

n ou r s and advancements in those countries where

they had been accepted for their merits .

Hence i t seems most n atural that all kings should ,

be p atriots se e ing the very name a nd dignity much

, ,

more the o fce began in the thing ; but th a t by the

,

way how far the patrio t and the royalty go toge ther
in th e se d ays how the name an d t h e d i gnity corre
,

s on d let the kings o f the earth e x amine whose

p , ,

business it i s t o mend i t where i t is not so an d to ,

let it be more known where it is .

It is then pretty hard to nd ou t who were the

, ,

rst m agicians taking the word m agic as I n o w u m

,

d e r s t an d it viz in th e wors t sense ; and yet it does

,
.
,

n ot se e m t o be very long a ft er the ood before we

shall nd some of them at work ; for in t he imme

diate reign after Cham that is in the reign of Miz , ,

rai m or O syris which history m akes to be the Pha

,

rao h whose dream Jos eph inter pre t ed and who ,

reigned t wo hundr ed a nd Sixty on e years ; in his -

 A S YS T EM or MAG I C . 1 47

r e ign i t is evident th e r e were such people S ee the .

place G en xli 8 H e s e n t a n d c a lle d f o r a ll th e

,
. .
,

m a gic ia ns of Egyp t a n d a ll th e w is e m e n th e r e of
,

It Is true it does n ot ap pear positively tha t t he se

were magicians of the worst sort but it se e ms to be ,

s o because H e aven reserv e d from th e m the reveal

,

ing to Pharaoh the interpretation of his dreams ;

which however migh t be to preser ve the honour to
, ,

Joseph and to make way for all the great e v ents

,

which followed ; b ut still I s ay we do n ot know , ,

t hat here were none o f th e present kind of w i cked

m agicians and we have much re a son to beli e v e
,

t here were .

But within the Space of about t wo hundred years

a ft e r we are sur e to n d them ; nay the t e xt is
, ,

plain they wer e th e re wh e n M oses and Aaron stood

,

before the l a st Phar a oh who held the peopl e in cap

t iv it y for then they imitated the miracle s of M oses
a n d A aron by their enchantm e n ts that is by sorc e ry , ,

a nd witchcraft now e ve n this was but a little abo v e

e ight hundr e d years from the ood ; and thus much

m ay su f ce for the chronology of witchcraft and

s orcery .

Being thus come t o a t oler able certain t y as to

time when this art was rst practised we shall be
, ,

l e d more directly to th e persons by e ntering a little ,

into an inquiry aft e r the practic e that is t he man , ,

n e r made use o f in thos e early times o f th e art ; fo r

by discovering what they did we shall discover also ,

who did it They acted certainly from the b e gin

.

n ing by certain mystic o r conceal e d conj urations

, ,

s uch a s uncouth noises an d sounds strang e g e stures , ,

postures and barbarous magic noises of which we

, ,

shall s ay more in their p l ace .

But what say ou r i nquirers wer e those things

c alled e n ch aht m e n t s which constit u te what I s call e d
, ,

the black art o r t h e craft m agical ? Th e t e x t says

,

the m a gici a n s did s o a nd s o by their e nchantm e nts ;

,

L 2
1 48 A S Y S T EM or MAG I C .

that i s whatever wond e rs or m iracles the two pr o

,

h e t s o f G od wrought by the ng e r a n d p ower of

p
G od thes e men imitated by the power of th e D e vil
, .

Those enchantments I take to consis t of cer tai n

a greed gestur e s and noises c e rtain barbarous names ,

a n d words and such in e xplicable terms of hellish

,

art which upon concert between hell and the h ell ish
,

ag e nt a r e to be s o an d so understood betwe e n them

,

o n expr e ssing o f w h i ch and making such circles

,

and gures on the ground as is agr ee d the ev il ,

spirit with whom th e y have concert e d the a ffair b e

for ehand shall app e ar an d appear too in such and
, ,

such form as th e y appoint to br i ng him o u t in ; and

this I give as a brief denition of what they c a ll e n
ch a ntment .

A n d here not t o preach upon the poin t or to in

, ,

s i st that eve n what is thus acted must be by the

p ower o f Hea v en concurring for this is what all th a t ,

are not ath e ists a ckn owle dge ; but I s ay not t o , ,

dwell o n this part I make so free with o u r fello w

,

conj ur e rs as to say t h e y put a great d eal of che a t

,

upon the world i n p r e t e nding to act by s u p e r n at u

,

ral powers in those enchantm e nts l e t them be of ,

w hat sort th e y will wh ereas they really a cted much

,

by ch e at and trick l e g e rd e ma i n or sl ei ght of hand

, ,

and pr e t e nded the prince of the air when he had ,

nothing to do in it ; t h at howe v er some of tho s e

things were c e rta i nly by his the De v il s a i d and a s ,

s is t a n c e as it was w i th Ali Al b r ah az e n and has been

, ,

w i th oth e rs to this day wh i ch w e shall not and cari

,

n o t d e ny yet it is app ar e nt much o f it has been as

, ,

I sa i d mer e j uggling a n d decei v ing

,
.

A s th e Dev i l has not ti e d h i ms e lf up to methods

i n h is actin g with m a nk i nd so n e ither have the ,

m agicians of the world kept to any c e rt ain m e thods ,

as to a stat e d rule in th e ir acti n gs among u s b ut ,

ha ve o n many occasions made us e of di ffering me

, .

t h o ds I mean as to their management between the

 A SYS T E M or MAG I C . 1 49

Devil and them and also as to the i r app arent p ut

tin g the b el ie f of it upon us .

How w e shall do to know and d i s t in guish whe n

the magician puts th e D evi l upon us and wh e n he ,

only acts th e j u ggl e r would b e worth wh ile to n d

,

o u t ; and d i d ei ther th e D evi l o r the ma gi cian act

by any stated rul e s an d m e thods w e m i ght mak e ,

som e j udgm e nt about it ; b u t o n the ot h er hand ,

they ar e so much and so oft e n both d e vils and both

j ugglers that it is ve ry d i f cult to x th e m
, .

F or exampl e in th e ir comin g to audi e nc e o b

, ,

t a ining admittance o r call i t what you w i ll t h e

, ,

g r e at question is how do they let,the De vi l kno w

?
th e y want to Speak with him eith e r h e i s always
at t heir elbow and can hear them wh e ne ve r t he y
,

call wherever th e y ar e and on what e ver occasion

, ,

and that wo uld b e to ascribe e ith e r great things to

him a s a person or a great numb e r to him as an
, , ,

host .

B e that as i t will it is c e rtain thes e p e ople hav e

,

c e rtain conc e rted terms a greed as I said abo ve , ,

u pon r e peating which he is to app e ar to th e m an d ,

ac t for them a s they shall a gre e ; and t h ose I call

enchantm e nts There are also other a gr ee d s i gn als

.
,

upon mak i ng which the D e vil accord i ng to t h e , ,

terms agreed o n betw e en th e m shall act in such ,

and such a manner without app e aring ; and thos e I

call charms .

Thus it seems the D evi l and Dr Borem an

, , .

a gr e ed the matter ; th e good doctor having a m i nd

to pay hom e an old j est upon a you n g g e ntleman

that had abus e d a poor girl a cli e nt of h is ; the do c
tor i t s ee ms told her that if sh e could p e rsuad e
, , ,

him to g e t i nto her smock upon th e ir n e xt int i macy ,

he wo u ld certainly a gre e to marry h e r upon wh i ch ,

t h e poor girl mak e s h e rs elf a n e w o n e and ve ry ,

large for the purpose an d g e ttin g t h e young fello w ,

i nto i t the doc t o r a s was s a id l aid suc h a ch a rm

, , ,
1 50 A S Y ST EM OF MAG I C .

u pon it or the Devil by h is order tha t t he fellow

, ,

could nev e r get o u t of it till h e gave the girl a note

under his hand t o m a rry her the next mornin g a nd ,

a ccordingly did it .

If the story be fact a s is loudly af rm ed the , ,

Devil acted upon the hon e st Side it seems ; which I

do not howe v er charge upon him as a thing that he
i s oft en guilty of but n o w an d t hen for the credit ,

of his e mployers he m ay be allowed t o go out of his

,

w ay a little .

What those things called ch a rms a re a nd how ,

made use o f m ay occ a sion some specul ation a s we

,

go on and when we come to speak of charms a s

,

they are used between the magici a ns and the people ;

b u t I am n ow u pon t h e subj ec t of charms a nd e n
c h an t m e n t s a s they relate to the proper intercourse
,

between the magici a n an d the Devil or the Spirit ,

whom he acts with or by or for whom he acts for , ,

it is n ot easy to express it right .

I say it i s not easy to s ay in wh at c apaci ty the

,

m a gician is to b e understood to act 1 Whethe r . .

with t h at is in conc e rt and a gr ee ment or 2 AS

, , , , .

we might s ay in partn e rship with the Devil o r

, ,

whether In a superior or b a s a magici a n of quality ,

making use o f an attendant obsequious commande d , ,

de v il always a t his call to do what he bids him

, , ,

j ump o v er h is stick run an d go fetch a nd carry , ,

like a dog as some emi n e nt magician s of stat e h av e

,

neen said to act ; or a s S t Dunstan S t F rancis the .

, .
,

abbot of Crowl a nd and others did by him who they , , , ,

tell us s e t him to work sent him of err a nds m a de

, , ,

him ring the b ell to vespers sweep the church and , ,

a thousand good things the serviceable de v il did for

them if his good humour is not belied by the priests
,

kn a very and S ata n ch arged with more complais

,

a nce for them than e v er he was guilty o f or 3

, , .

Whether the Devil is m a s t er which I must own is ,

m ore likely a nd t he m agici a n se r v a n t ; and t he n

,
 A SYSTEM o r MAG I C 1 51 .

he does not act the Devil but the D e vil acts h i m , ,

and mak e s him d o e v e rything he bids him ; I say

all these are doubtful po i nts and n o t yet fully n u ,

d e r s t ood by us o r at l e ast not easily

, .

But be it which o f these i t will there mus t be ,

some conc e rt e d terms of come and call b etwe e n

the Devil and his corr e spondents ; lik e s h ip s at
s e a t h ey must convers e by s i gnals they must know
, ,

wh e n to meet and when to summons for a meeting ;

,

when to appear an d w h e n to disappear ; and to do

'

this is o n e of th e constituting parts of magic ;

,

for without it the magic i an is as good as nobody ,

and the De vil in short would appear of no use t o

, ,

him .

In some parts of India they alle ge to this day ,

that he is talk e d with in th e apparent shape of a

man and in the habit o f their pr i ests ; but that is
,

not the busin e ss ; th e y add that when e v e r they ,

want to speak with h i m the y go u p to such a nd ,

such mountains in troops or assembl ie s ; such as

ours at Ne w Hall per h aps only with som e Speci fic ,

di fferences which I m i ght m e ntion but that th e y

, ,

a re t oo triing to trouble you w i th When th e y .

are all togeth e r they call him with a l i ttle kettle

,

drum j ust a s I told you the good ol d wi v e s hive

,

their bees sav e that th e y b e at it o n the wrong

,

side ; then they pronounce som e words wh i ch they

cal l charms and the D e vil comes without fail
,
.

It is hard t o nd out in history what words those ,

w e r e that wer e used for charms in E gypt and

Ar a bia betw ee n th e Devil and the m a gicians for so
, ,

m any a g e s ; it is certa i n th e y di ffer e d in di ffering

co u ntries and it is as certain th e y d i ffe r e d as th e
,

several p e rsons acted tog e ther or apart ; but I am

as much at a loss to nd o u t what the D e vil should
mean by su ffe ring those words or any words at all , ,

to ch arm call a waken or alarm him as I a m to

, , ,
1 52 A SYS TE M or MAG I C .

know wha t the words were ; but at presen t let us

think o f the words .

The Gre e ks h ave left us a word which was used

by th e magicians o f antiquity among th e m upon ,

t he se and many more such occas i ons This is that .

famous tri n e o r triangular word c al led Ab racad abr a

, ,

w h ich dr a wn o ut in its equilateral sides st a nds

, ,

thus
ABRACADABRA
ABRA CADABR
ABRACADAB
ABRACADA
A BRACAD
AB B ACA
A BRAC
ABBA
A BR
AB
A

There is ab u ndance of learn e d puzzle among the

a ncients to nd o u t the signicat i on of this word ;
the subtl e position o f th e letters gave a k i nd o f
r e verenc e to them b e cause they read it as it were
,

ev ery way upwards and downwards backwards and

, ,

forwards and many will have it st i ll that the De vi l

,

put them togeth e r nay they began at last to think ,

it was ol d Le gion s surnam e and whenever he w a s

,

call e d by that name he used to come very r e adily ;

,

for whic h r e ason the old women in th e ir chimney

corn e rs would b e horribly afraid of saying it oft e n
ov e r together for if th ey should s ay it a certa i n
,

number o f times th e y had a n otion it woul d cer

,

t a in ly raise the Devil .

They say on the contrary tha t it was invented

, ,

by o n e Ba s ilid e s a learned G reek that it contained

, ,

the g r e a t a nd a wful n am e of t he Divinity a nd th at ,

 A SYS TE M or MAG I C . 1 53

it w a s used for many years for th e oppos i ng th e

spells and c h arms o f th e pagans ; that i s the dia ,

b olic al spells and charms of th e p agan magic i ans .

But b e this as it will it fell i nto contempt i n ,

after ages and was us e d by the magicians th e m

-
,

sel v es ; s o that its containing o r being intended to ,

contain th e na m e o f G od seems to me to be a ,

pretence only to add a kind of v en e ration to t he

,

word ; whereas it is n ow dropp e d only that som e ,

o f o u r ol d women and quack magic i ans use it for, ,

a spell o r charm as they would have it call e d to

, ,

cur e agues being written o n a piece of parchm e nt

, ,

and hang e d about th e neck of t h e affl i cted p e rson .

It would be nothing b u t crowd i ng ou r work w i th

ol d stori e s to co ll e ct together wha t they call spells
,

a n d charms which our p e ople h e r e make use of

,

( wh e r e ver th e y had th e m ) to cur e dist e mpers I .

know an ol d book ridden Bu n ya n ist th a t is to say -

, ,

a baptist pr e acher in Bedfordshire who c u r e d ,

a gues by only saying some words while he ga v e

, ,

the p ati e nt a piece o f paper to p ut into his pocke t

others I ha ve known cur e d by saying some words
only and giving them nothing at all I could gi ve
,
.

ou many e xamples and you will nd many mor e

y ,

i n the l e arn e d collections o f Mr Au b e r y and .

,

oth e rs wh e r e in particular th e r e is t he quest i on

,

answ e red why saying som e words which h av e no

,

s i gni cation and which neither th e p e rson to whom

,

th e y ar e said o r the p e rson h ims e lf who says th e m

, ,

can understand s h ould work a cur e ; and th e a n

,

sw e r i s becaus e th e gods u nd e rstood what the per

,

son meant who rst implored th e ir aid in those

words and to which they have still r e gard
, .

This shows a littl e w h at I am bring i ng all t he s e ,

things to nam ely that this was the remains o f t he ,

o ld pagan magic and is all der i ved from it thou gh

, ,

p e rhaps it is practis e d w i th l e ss criminal corr e

s p onde n c e t h a n it w a s then the p e ople that now do ,
1 54 A S Y ST EM o r M AG I C .

these things n ot knowing wh a t they s ay o r t o ,

who m they s ay i t ; yet cer tai nly the thing is the

same .

A nd this too gives u s a light into the a ncien t

pr a ctices of the m agicians in Arabi a an t gypt ,

and the nature of those things which the S cripture

calls enchantm e nt s ; and how and to wha t uses , ,

those enchantm e nts were obtain e d and applied .

Take th e wh o le in this summ a ry acco unt which I ,

gather from the exactest observation of the usage

of those times and o f the beh a viour of t he people
,

i n the following ages .

Of th e n a t u r e a n d o r igin a l o
f e n ch a n tm e n ts .

The story of t he Devil a n d Ali Al b r ah az e n t h e

S abean or Persian st a nds a s a good foundation ; w e
,

hav e another without a n a me an E gyptian I will , ,

n o t add a name by w a y of invention because I will ,

n ot put my sanction to the truth of all the partien

lars but th e story is of the sam e use wheth e r one
, ,

word of the fact b e true o r no An d so though I .

,

m i ght take u p some time with vouchers for the r e

l ation I leave it upon your h a nds as a current t r a
,

d ition for t h ose things are too a ncient for quota

,

tio n of a ny sort .

N B There is no r oom to question but tha t in

. .
,

Arabia E gypt S yri a a nd those co u ntries where s o

, , , ,

m u ch magic w as at rst pr a ctised and where the ,

Devil s corresp onde n ce with mankind w a s begu n ,

where magic w as in its perfection for s o many

ages and practised with such apparent success
, ,

there a re a great many strange stories current to

this day and the mouths of the people are still
,

ll e d with tr a ditional accounts of th e wonders of

the ancients their strang e performances a nd the
, ,

e e ct s o f t hei r m a gic al skill the people ar e full of

 A SYS TE M or MAG I C . 1 55

them a nd even o u r E u rop e ans when they travel

, ,

into thos e countri e s bring away innumerable tales

,

o f this k i nd wh i ch los e l i ttle in th e coming as

, ,

perhaps t h is among the rest .

The account I am now going to gi v e relates t o ,

a magician of great note it se e ms though as I hav e , ,

s a id I have n ot h is n ame whom the Devil i f it

, , ,

was th e D e vil managed muc h in the sam e way as

,

the other and it is of like us e in the case b e for e us

, .

Fo r a s it conrms th e Devil s conduct to be muc h

the s a me with mankind though in di ffe rent places , ,

s o it shows us that the sam e occasions suit him to

m ake use o f b e for e h e frigh ted the S ab e ans with

,

a m e t e or or ball o f re in the air now h e alarm s ,

E gypt with a comet eith e r o f them things of n o

si gn i cation in themselv e s and which we i n these ,

days can look o n without running to conj urers for

th e ir int e rpr e tat i on But in those yo u ng e r days
.

they were surprising and t e rrifying a nd therefore ,

very proper to amus e the world with and to make ,

even kings a s well as p e ople send for their magi

, ,

eiaus to inquir e aft e r the ev ents of them

, .

In like manner we nd in both thes e account s ,

the Devil n ot only mak i ng u s e of dreams for d i s

t u rb in g the fanci e s o f th e p e ople as w ell th e ir ,

kings as oth e rs but we nd him in both us i ng th at

pow e r p e culiar to him as a Spirit namely of caus , ,

i ng people to d ream of th is or that (whatever he ,

pleas e s ) on purpose to furnish a counterfe it inter

,

r e t at ion to his fa v ourit e southsayer an d raise his

p ,

reputation at court in ord e r to s e rve his ( S atan s )

,

interest in other subsequent delusions but I refe r

t o the story .

An Arabian o f ancient fame and emin e nt in the ,

E gyptian court fo r his gr e at skill in southsaying ,

ha v ing long stud ie d the knowledg e of h i dden and

secret things an d arri v ed to great skill in th e
,

motions a nd r evolutions of the st ar s a nd planets ,

1 56 A SYS TE M or MAG I C .

had m a de himself fam ous on tha t accoun t : h a ving

also much studied the appearances and nature of
th e planets vapours meteors and oth e r the ph e
, , ,

n om e n a of th e upp e r r e gions fro m wh e nce h e ,

made gr e at and accurat e i m pro ve m e nts in natural

a n d e xperi me ntal philosophy ; h e also studi e d and

u nd e rstood th e nature of plants owers drugs , , ,

gums & c and the inu e nc e s o f th e hea v enly

, .
,

bodi e s upon them giving them v irtue colour

, , ,

a romatic a v our and m ost h e aling and comforting

,

p owers ; and by this knowled ge o u r l e arn e d Ar a ,

b i an obtained the fame o f a most excellent phy

s ic ia n as w e ll a s of a wise m an and southsayer
, ,

a n d was had i n uni v ersal esteem but e speci ally I , ,

sa in the court o f Pharaoh king o f E gypt

y
, , .

N B They do n ot tell us wh ich Pharaoh this was

. .
,

s o that t h e chronology o f t h is Arabian is somethin

g
defecti v e in that part ; but n e ither is this very ma
t e r ial b e cause much of it will be discovered by th e
,

other circumstances .

Unweari e d in his diligence and studies and e at e n ,

up with th e d e s i re of knowled ge this Arabian doctor ,

o r such w e shall now call him ) not at all abating

( f
h is search after w i sdom by th e fame already obtained ;
but s e e i ng daily that th e re was an abyss of know
ledge yet b e hind and that all he knew w a s a s no
,

thing compared to what he was st i ll ignorant of, he

,

pursued h i s search into natur e with th e utmost ap

plication : all ni gh t yea many nights together h e
, , ,

c ontinu e d upon the h i lls a n d in th e des e rts wh i th e r

, ,

h e wand e r e d ; for E gypt is a plain country for many

leagues tog e ther from M emphis where h e resided ;
,

I say all n i gh t h e sp e nt in looking u p into he av en

, ,

and all day in poring upo n th e earth s e arch i ng into ,

the secrets o f n atur e and trying and proving the

,

v irtues of the plants and fru i ts and o t her rariti e s , ,

the p r oduct of that rich and fert i le soil : a nd thus

he w a sted and exh a u s t ed his vital and a nim al s tr ength
 A SYS TE M or MAG I C . 1 57

to fee d and nouris h the strength of his mind and ,

ll his h e ad and h e art with d iv ine wisdom and u n

d e r s t a n din g Thus far it must be a ck n ow le ge d h e
.

was a tr u e original magician and a man of m e r i t a s ,

w ell a s fam e .

It happe n ed in his wander i ng through the d e sert

, ,

t o t h e station where he usually x e d his place of

astronomic observat i ons th at he saw rise up o u t of ,

t h e s e a n orthward from hi s situation a body of r e

, , ,

which at rst seem ed to him o n e plain am e mak i n g ,

an oblong squar e o f an imm e nse l e n gth and br e adt h

, .

B u t as it asc e nded wit h th e ordinary mot i on of th e

he ave ns o r rathe r accord i ng to the n e w systems th e
, , ,

ordinary motion of th e e arth it lessened i n its ap ,

parent dim e nsions and also came to b e ar a mor e ,

r e gular form than b e for e ; till coming to its full

he i ght it app e ar e d aft e r som e tim e to be a comet
,

or blazing star which was v isibl e above the h o

,

rizon as i s usual in such bod ie s for about twenty

, ,

s i x days (or nights rather ) succ e ssiv e ly an d th e n ,

was se e n no mor e .

Th i s appearanc e being entirely new surmounted ,

all the pow e rs o f his und e rstanding and e xtr e mely ,

perpl e x e d h i m ; and be i ng on e n i ght more than

ordinarily a ffl icted about it he brok e ou t into wor d s ,

to this purpose though not direct e d to any of th e

,

gods not know i ng i t s e ems wh i c h of th e m wer e abl e

, , ,

to inform him and w hi ch not : 0 ! that som e of th e

,

bl e ss e d inhab i tants of t h e unseen world would a ss i st

m e i n s e archi ng o u t the mystery of t his strang e
ph e nom e non .

H e was the mor e anxious about it becaus e at h i s , ,

r e turn to h i s o w n hous e at Me mp hi s h e had an a c ,

count th at Ph arao h had summon e d all th e magicians

,

and wi s e m e n o f E gypt to g iv e him their s eve ral ,

op i n i ons of th e m e an i ng of t hi s strang e app e aranc e

fo r the kin g had e i t he r s ee n it or h e ard of i t from ,

others T he app e aranc e of i t as I hav e said be i n g

.
, ,
1 58 A S Y ST EM or MAG I C .

co n st a n t for about twenty six days after the Ar abi a n -

had rst disco ve red it a nd th e wise men d i ffer ing ,

v ery much in their accounts of it their j u dgmen t ,

had incre a s e d th e king s curiosity very m u ch ; b e
sides the Arabian sout h sayer had notice given him
, ,

that he would r e c e ive a s u mmon s o r order to come

to the king s palace upon the s a me occasion .

Being t h us as is said e xtremely puzzled with this

, ,

a ffair and b e lieving p e rhaps that he should do no

,

mor e wh e n he came to the king than discover h is ,

ignoranc e as th e rest o f th e southsayers and the

,

magicians had done he was very un e asy and r e , ,

s olved to retire into E thiopi a for some tim e till the ,

inquiry might be over ; and as he was not s e nt for

to the king when the rest of the magicians were it ,

would be n o imp e achm e nt of his fame th at he w as ,

gone abroad for some time .

O n e d ay while this public une a siness lasted a s

, ,

he wa s walking towards his usual obs e r v atory a s

above there j o i ned him a gr av e and venerable old
,

man who salutin g him wit h the usual blessing of

,

t h e times and in the Arabic tong u e falls into d is

, ,

course wit h him upon d i v ers subj ects such as seemed ,

t o Show that the str a ng e r wa s l i ke himself a n in , ,

u ir e r after knowledge A mong the r e st o f their

q .

discours e the Arabia n particul arly gav e th e str a nger

,

an accoun t of the late appe a r a nce which he had seen ,

as above .

They walked toget her till they c ame t o t h e foot

of a g e ntly rising mount on the top of which the ,

A rabian had e rected for hims e lf a little b u t or bower ,

of p alm tr e e l e aves ; here the stranger s e eing him

-

re a dy to go up to the hill o ffered to take h is le ave , ,

but he entreated him to go up to his obs e rv at ory ,

as he c all ed it with him and to stay with him th a t

, ,

n ig h t that he might Show him the s aid appearance

, ,

and that in the mo r ning he should go whither he

ple a sed .
 A S Y ST EM o r MAG I C 1 59 .

When they were come up to the a sce nt of th e

hill th e day being shut in and th e time for ob se r v
, ,

ation of the stars come o n the h ea vens b eing clear , ,

a nd th e moo n absent under the horizon le aving ,

them a fair v i e w of th e stars perfe ctly bright an d ,

clear ; th e strang e r a sked him in what part of the

hemisphere he had s ee n the comet rise and s e t and ,

what was the particular sph e re of its motion ; all

which he showed him most ex a ctly a n d at l a st the ,

com e t itself n o t forgetting at the same time t o l e t

,

th e stranger know how anxious a nd conc e rned he

,

had been to understand th e natur e and reason a s ,

well a s the import of the appearance of such a body ,

and to what particular nation it h a d a refe rence ; and

a t last told him how v e h e m e ntly he had c a lled o u t

to the gods to g i ve him some wis e interpreter to

, ,

instruct him in t h e n a ture of such appe a rances and ,

o f that in particular .

The stra nger took n o n otice of his knowing th a t

he had done so but began with a philosophical d i s
,

course of comets ; as of stars whi ch in their ordi , ,

n ary revolutions are but seldom visible ; and there

,

fore when they do app e ar says he it is gener ally , ,

supposed that they import great changes a nd tro u

bles a mong men wh ich says he may in on e sens e
, , ,

be true because they frequen tly are very much the

,

occasion of them .

But says the Ar abian how shall we know when

, ,

they hav e import a nt s ign i cat ion s a n d when n ot , ,

a n d t o what nation s a nd countries their s i n i ca

g
tions are directed and which a re not concerned in
,

t hem ?
S ays the s t ranger There are me t hods to know
,

these thin gs also ; and the gods when they are ,

minded to communicate these things do it their ,

o w n way . But father s ays th e Arab i an if you ca n

, ,

relieve my thought in the si gnication of th e pre

sen t d if cu lt y pray be so kind ; for I a cknowle dg e
,
 1 60 A S Y S T EM OF MAG I C .

my ignorance and that which perplexes me the

,

mor e about it is that I expect to be call e d b e fore

, ,

Pharaoh t o morrow whom I r e ver e nce in th e high

-
,

e st manner I beseech you inform me what I a m to

.

call this strange n e w a ppearance a nd what are it s ,

consequenc e s to th e world .

Here the strang e r looking upon him with a smil

,

in g aspect repl i ed ; I hav e gr e at regard for your

,

b ei ng este e m e d by Pharaoh and shall let yo u into ,

t he knowledge of what you des i re for your further ,

g ood fortune Know then

. a d d e d b e with an aspect , ,

all shining and pleasant the app e arance we n ow ,

s e e is a com e t or blazing star th e l i ke of which h a s

, ,

not b ee n seen in E gypt in the m e mory of th e most

ancient m an in the kingdom which makes the wi s e ,

men e ntir ely at a loss about it ; n e ither hav e th e y

recei v ed any traditional acco u nt o f such a pheno
m e non from th e ir fathers .

Comets continued he ar e n ot a s xed st a rs

, , , ,

bodies of r e burning in th e same mann e r as t h e

,

sun : but bodi e s of a di ffe ren t n ature composed ,

e ither of prepared created mat ter suited from the ,

beginning for in a mmation o r of v ast collections of ,

e xhaled and con d ens e d matt e r subj e ct to in am m a ,

'

t i on and more or less inam e d a ccordi n g to th e p o

,

sit i ou of their orbits and m otion ; and ther e fore

th e er u ption of their ame is but on on e Sid e o r o n ,

o n e sid e c h i e y
( as we s e e ,this burning ) with a ,

continu e d a n d gv e h e m e n t eruption : they move in

t h e utmost e xtent of the wast e or expanse of spac e ,

which you call t h e e ther or air and their distan c e ,

is so gr e at and th e ir revolutions so t e dio u s that

, ,

t he y som e tim e s d o not: com e so n e ar this glob e as

to b e v isibl e no not in ve hundred or a t h ousand
, ,

y e ars ; and this is the second that was e ve r se e n in

this hemisph e re sinc e the gr e at d e lu ge o f th e e arth

i n th e years of Pharaoh s gr e at grandfathe r s fath e r

-
,

being n o w above eight hundred years p a st .

 A SYS TE M OF MAG I C . 1 61

The long t ail or e xtended am e which you s e e

a t o n e s i de of th e star is th e e rupt i on of ame
, ,

which as I say continually burns with gr e at viol e nce

, , ,

and i s somet i m e s e xt e nd e d to an i mm e ns e and u n

m e asurabl e length ev e n to that of many hundr e d
,

t h ousand mill i ons o f st a d i a and blaz e s out for e v e r

, .

The Arabian h e ard this with a surpr i s e of plea

sure and was e ven r e ad y to kn ee l down and worsh i p
,

him w h ich you w ill say it is much th e D evi l should

, , ,

r e fuse : but wh e n h e was j u st go i ng t o inqu i re of h im

what import this app e aranc e was to th e world and ,

t o E gypt mor e esp e cially and abov e all t o th e king

,

in part i cular he was not o n ly disappoint e d to the

,

las t d e gr ee but most m i s e rably a ffl i ct e d and sur

,

pr i se d for that turning his head casually from him ,

o r rat h er h is he ad b e i n turn e d o r his e yes turned

g ,

from h i m he in that v e ry momen t disapp e ar e d an d

, ,

was gon e .

It was in vain tha t the Ar abian doctor ran ou t of

the hut or bow e r an d down the hill aft e r him to
, ,

his two s e r v ants wh o always att e nd e d h im at t h e

,

foot of th e hill inquiring of th e m if the fath e r th e

, ,

v e n e rabl e strange r cam e not to t he m ; th e y c o n

,

s t an t l and faithfully a frmed that they h ad watc h e d

y ,

as was the ir d u ty against wild b e asts for his s e curity

, , ,

and that nothin g had passed by th e m .

It was in vain also that h e w e nt back lamenting ,

and call i ng alo u d upon th e stranger whom he ,

styled fath e r to r e turn How is it said he that

, .
, ,

you could thus far illuminate my understanding and ,

r e veal the secr e t of wisdom but In part ; promising

to me a clear an d perfe ct knowledg e and then l e av e ,

me uninstruct e d and in th e dark i n th e main and

, ,

grand inqu i ry ? But no voice no app e arance r e ,

turn e d w h ich afict e d him sor e ; and t he day a p

,

p e aring he r e solved to cont i n u e ther e t he n e xt ni ght

, ,

in hopes he m i ght se e h i m a ga i n in th e eve n i n g as ,

h e had done before Aft e r r e sol v ing o n t hi s and

.
,

M
1 62 A SYSTEM or MAG I C .

having bee n w aking a s is said all nigh t he l a id

, , ,

him down to sleep He was n o sooner fallen into a

.

deep sleep bu t he dreamed that he saw or to

, , ,

speak it in the l an guage of the E a st the ancien t ,

father the venerable stranger a ppeared to him

, ,

again in a dream .

He was mos t agreeably surprised with the sigh t

o f him and accord i ng to the E ast e rn custom fe ll a t
,

hi s fe et embracing h is knees and with all the p as

, ,

s ion at e expressions which he had used before ex ,

postulat ed with him th a t he should l eav e him so in

,

the dark an d half inform e d aft e r having a ssured

, ,

him that he wo ul d fully let him into the knowledg e

of that most important secret .

Th e vision on the contrary seemed disple a sed

, , ,

an d looked a t him with a less smiling and pleas an t

countenance th a n he had done before when he was ,

a wak e ; and with a stern voice asked him wh e refore

he called aft er him s o importunately when he h a d ,

stay e d s o long w i th him and had s o fully informed,

him of all things he could desire .

O my father ! says the Arabi a n (though himself ,

a hundred and fty ye a rs old ) did not you put me ,

in e xp e ctation that you would likewis e inform me

o f what m ighty importanc e this frightful come t
should be to Ph a raoh a nd t o his kin gdom and to, ,

the country where we are that I m i ght obtai n ,

t he favour of the king and be acc e pt e d for my ex

,

t r aor din ar y wisdom a nd kn owledge a mong the p eo

P l e

Thou fool ! says the vision harshl y : O t hou of

weak a n d empty j udgment ! was it not su fcien t to
thee that I had let thee know it was no new thing
, ,

nothi ng o u t of the cours e of nature but a comet or ,

star o f a di fferent kind from an d remoter position ,

than the rest ; that it came t o be visible here only

in the course of it s ordin a ry revolution a n d may ,

perh aps a ppear j us t in the s ame m ann er an d in the ,

 A S YS T EM or MAG I C . 1 63

s ame place aga in abou t seven or eigh t hundred

,

years h ence ?
Can anything be more natural tha n th at when I
had t old th e e this thou shouldst know also that
,

there ar e no extraordinary things portended in n a

ture s common and ordinary e vents no por t entous

thr e atening ; no ill omens or bodings in the common

appear a nces of the heavens ; no more in one s t ar
than in anoth e r ? When I had t herefore told the e
that it was only an ordinary revolution of a comet ,

I in e ffect told the e that it imported nothing either ,

to Pharaoh or to thee or t o a ny person or place

,

what e ver .

The Arabian surprised a nd y e t informed by this

, ,

discourse stood j ustly reproved a nd for a while an

, ,

s we r e d not a word ; whic h the v ision a s it were oh

serving spok e again as follows

,

Though I have given th e e su fcient light where

by t o e xpose the ignor a nc e of the wise men who
have been called before Ph a raoh ye t there are ,

many thi ngs which thou mayest s ay to the king ,

whi ch are of gr e at importance to him and h is king

dom t o know which thou shalt be e n abl e d by me to
,

give him the knowledge of and wh i ch if thou dili , ,

gently list e n t o my instructions shall s e t thee at th e ,

right hand of the kin g in all his councils and cause ,

thee t o be esteemed the wisest man in his kingdom :

but th en thou mus t be v ery c areful to observe all
the r ules which I sh all give thee a nd t o a ct In ex ,

a ct obedience t o them .

The doctor a waking and the vision being ended

, ,

he now began to und e rstand who it was h e had be e n

conversing with na m ely an angel of the invisible
, ,

world (I suppos e th e word devil w a s not known
,

among them at that tim e ) and tha t for t h e futur e

,

he had a fair opportunity of good int ellig e nce from

t he other world upon all nec e ss ary occ a sions and
, ,

u pon the mos t importan t inquiries .

1 64 A S YS TEM or MAG I C .

Comfo rt ed exceedingly with this in t elligence he ,

h a st e ns back t o the city and being sent for to ap

,

pear before the king as he expect e d Pharaoh t ol d

, ,

him th e occasion of hi s sending for him a n d how ,

t h e southsay e rs and wise men were puzzled a nd

perpl e xed about i t bu t could give him no rati on al
,

account of it .

Upon this th e Arabian t old the king that h e w as

sorry to nd him Pharaoh made s o uneasy by the
, ,

apprehensions of a thing which though above the ,

reach and understanding of the m agic i ans had y e t ,

in it n othin g extraordinary noth i ng ou t of the ,

course of nature ; that there was noth i ng in it more

than the n ecessity of its own motion occ a sioned ,

a nd that it had therefore no portentous import or

signication t o Pharaoh o r to any of h is people or of
, ,

h is dominions and that this he migh t be assured of .

Then he wen t on and gave t he kin g an acco u nt

,

of the nature o f the thing as a com e t or blazing ,

star ; a nd t hat word for word as the ancient stranger

or spiri t had deliv e red it ; a nd this he did t oo in the
audience no t of Pharaoh only but of his whole ,

court ; and that with such a gener al applaus e that ,

all the other magicians a nd southsay e rs acknow

ledged the j ustice and r e ason of wh a t he sai d a n d ,

the king was made perfe ctly e a sy upon that account .

F rom whence they tell us that the E gyptian s , ,

though in other cases t he mos t superstitious people

in the world and that used formerly to be the most
,

concerned u pon all new phenomen a in the heavens ,

or u pon any unusu al a ppearances ying immediately ,

to t h e divinations and to th e ir southsayers an d

, ,

magicians to int e rpr e t and account for such things

,

to them are y e t ever since this discovery by the

, ,

Arabian southsayer so long ago und e r no concern ,

at all upon the appearance o f comet s or blazing

stars on any account whatsoever
, .

But I re t urn t o the Ar abi a n It was no sm all .

 A SYS TE M OF MAG I C . 1 65

fame which h e gain e d by the solution he had giv e n

o f this appearance o f a comet ; Pharaoh pr e fe rr e d

h im b e for e all the magicians of E gypt and exalt e d ,

h i m to div e rs honours but particularly to that o f

,

being near h is p e rson to counsel and advise him

,

upon all e xtraord i nary occasions as w ell i n matt e rs ,

o f state and politics as matt e rs of difculty : nor

,

d i d the rest of t h e magic i ans envy him t h e honours

h e enj oyed for t h e y w e r e convinced h e merit e d all
, ,

th e k i ng had done for him ; and which was mor e ,

they d i d not nd they could come at an y part of th e

extraordinary intellig e nce or understanding in things
which h e was mast e r of .

In th e mean tim e as he was t oo wise to com

,

m u n icat e to a nybody the sourc e of h is information ,

so he was t oo w ell satis e d w i th his n e w int ell i genc e ,

to n e gl e ct th e part he was directed to act which ,

was fr e quently to m ee t with th e v i s i on which had

,

onc e been so favourable to him : in a word he fol ,

lowed with th e gr e ate st ass i duity th e b e gun inti

macy and failed no t to attend th e very next n i ght
,

in particular after he h ad made his sp ee ch concern

,

in g the comet b e for e th e king .

O n that occasion going towards his observatory

,

a s usual he was e ncount e red by a man i n the hab i t

,

o f a n E thiopian rid i ng upon a mul e

,
and hav i ng a ,

bow han gin g over his sho ul d e r a sh e af of arrows at

,

his side and a lanc e in his hand ; th e man s ee med

,

to shun him and o ffe r e d t o go for w ard but presently

, ,

turn e d back and with a kind of compl i m e nt to th e

,

Arab i an doc t or inquired of h i m if th e re were any

,

way for him to ford through t h e river Nilu s wh i c h ,

at tha t t i me of the y e ar was so l ow as to b e in som e ,

places al m ost dry and easily passabl e on hors e

,

back The Arab i an courteously answ e r e d him t h at

.
,

th e r e was not any place near the road or track

whi ch h e was goin g i n and t h at he b ei n g as b e p e r
,

ce iv e d a s t ranger and alone i t would be hazardous

,
1 66 A S Y ST EM or MAG I C .

for him t o ven t ur e ; but that if h e would be ple a sed

to st ay and go with him to a little b u t which he
,

h a d hard by for h i s retreat in the night he would

, ,

guide him in the morning to a place where he should

pass t he river with safety .

The tr a veller than k e d him for the kind o ffe r bu t ,

seemed rather inclin e d to go o n S ir says the ,

Ara b ian the night a ppro a ches an d you may mee t

, ,

with other dang e rs i n the way from crocodiles , ,

lions & c pressing him a gain to stay ; but he de

,
.
,

c lin e d i t again and as to the dang e rs he laughed at

, ,

and despised t hem ; Well t h e n says the kind hos ,

it ab l e Arabian let me send one o f my ser v an t s

p ,

wi th you to guide you He seemed at rst inclined .

to accept s o kind a n o ffer as tha t was but falling a ,

litt le further into discourse the Ar abian p e rceived ,

the str a nger beg a n to look pleased and fancying he ,

would accept the rst o ffe r v iz of s t aying all night , .

, ,

moved i t ag a in a nd with a little additional entr e at

,

ing the s t ran ger con s e n t ed t o th at part and tur n ed

, ,

back with them .

The Ar abi a n though with t wo se r v a nts wit h him

, ,

was always on foot ; he had himself no weapons ,

bein g withou t fe a r b u t of wild be a sts against which ,

h is two se r vants were his security who were armed ,

wi t h swords a nd lances ; but the strang e r well ,

a rm ed a s above t urning b a ck they went on fearles s

, ,

together tow a rds the hill which was abou t the dis ,

tan ce of t wo miles .

In the w ay t h e Ar a bian was a little shocked with

,

the unusual civility which a gre a t overgrown cro

c o d il e showed th em ; who rushing o u t of a marshy

kind of bog ne a r the way came forw a rd t oward s ,

them but on a sudden turned b a ck a nd very ob

, ,

s e u iou sly crep t into the lurking place where i t

q
-

had j us t before come o u t from and lay still there as , ,

quiet as if it had been hushed by it s own fears as ,

perh aps i t was .

 A S Y ST EM or MAG I C . 1 67

At a small distance Ir t h e r they m et t wo sh e

lions or as some call them lioness e s ; and as they
, , ,

heard them growling at some distance before they ,

were s ee n they that is the Arabian and his two

, , ,

servants began to show some concern about it ; bu t

,

behold when the lion s appe a red they imm e diately

, ,

t u rn e d about and e d with the utmost precipitation

, .

After a l i ttle further walking the Arabian t urning ,

t o his guest told him T h ere pointing to the hill

, , , ,

which was close at hand was his littl e retreat t o , ,

which h e had invited h im and desir e d him to l e ave ,

his mul e with his s e r v ants and t o walk up the little ,

mount w i th him ; which th e tra v ell e r very r e adily

did bidding his new landlord go be fore to Show him
,

t he way and he would follow him as also he did

, ,

but what a surprise think you was th e poor Arabian

in betwe e n j oy and fright wh e n turning abou t at the ,

top of the ascent to rec e ive his g u est h e s aw nobody ,

but the ancien t venerable stran ge r who had at rst ,

app e ared to him and from who m he had r e ceived so

,

mu ch kind instruction and assistance before .

The apparition (for such I suppose it should be

n o w call e d e e
) p rc iving h im In some confu sion bid ,

hi m not be surprised for h e was st i ll his friend and

, ,

in the same disposition to s e rve him as b e for e and ,

as ked him wh e ther he came that night in expect a

tion of meetin g him or not ; to whic h the A rabian
r epli e d H e d i d h 0 ping to see him in p e rson o r in
, ,

vis i on having som e th i ng to o ffe r whic h he hoped

, ,

he would b e so kind as to comply w i th him in .

Upon asking what it was he told him that Ph a ,

r a oh had a great di f culty upon him and had asked ,

him his O pinion therein and he knew not what an ,

s w e r to giv e .

What is this d ifculty ? says th e app arition .

Why says th e Arabian h e has a privat e account

, ,

fr om his Spies that T h e r m e s b u s the gen e ral of the

, ,

ar m ies of E thiopi a designs t o invade him in the

,
1 68 A S Y ST EM OF MAG I C .

beginning of the year with an inni t e number of

,

troops ; a n d as the king is in great e r readin e ss to

begin the war than the other h e wants m y Opinion
, ,

whether h e sh all mak e war upon E th i opia fort h with ,

o r stay till h e is obliged to do it in his o w n defe nce .

G O yo u back says t h e Sp e ctre t o him an d wait

, ,

till th e king sends for yo u to interpret his dream or

dr e ams .

What dream ? says the Arabian .

Why to morrow night says th e sp e ctre the

-

, ,

king s h all dr e am th a t a black elephant came up to

th e gates o f his palac e and that with his mighty
,

t a s k s o r te e th h e brok e down the gates and w as

, ,

ent e ring in to make further Spoil ; w he n the gates

bein g as I say broken do wn rst the tower which
, , ,

was ov e r t he gat e s being shaken with the fall fell ,

down soon after upon the el e phant and well nigh ,

-

crushed him to d e ath ; b ut that though by h is ,

gr e at strength h e bore up the weight yet h e was so ,

t e rried with th e fall o f the tow e r upon h i m that ,

he withdrew into th e d e s e rt an d went quite away .

An d what int e rpr e tation shall I give of t h is

dream ? says the Ara b ian .

You shall t e ll him says the sp e ctre tha t the

, ,

black e lephant is the kin g of E thiopia ; that he

shall send h i s g e neral to in v ad e him e ven to the ,

ga t es of h is fronti e r city of Zaba and shall e nter ,

t he gates thereof ; but that the E gyptians in garri

s on within shall br e ak o u t and fall upon him and ,

though by the great power of their troops they

Shall escape yet that th e y shall r e tire and go bac k
,

into the d e s e rts of E thiopia and n ot dare to look ,

upon him any more .

Bu t what then shall I advise t o be done ? s ays

th e Arabian .

Yo u will nd it mos t ration al says the spectre , ,

to advis e h im to begin the war ; and may promise

h im success without fear ; but if not l e t him pl a ce
, ,
 A S YST EM OF MAG I C . 1 69

ve r y gr e at garrisons in all th e frontier t owns of

his dom i n i ons south an d esp e c i ally in Zaba or
, , ,

Zabda ; and l e t h im wait in a good posture of d e

fe nc e till the E thiop i an army advances to the siege
,

o f that place and so h is dr e am will come to pass .

Th i s was all wonderful ; the Arab was surprised

with b e ing thus furnished for ingrat i ating h i ms elf
with his master th e king of E gyp t ; he kn e w well
e nough t h at to be abl e to mak e Ph araoh dr e am
,

what he pleas e d and th e n to interpret it how he

,

pleased must needs make him pass for a great

,

man in a country too so sup e rstit i ously add i cted

,

to dr e ams and so uneasy to hav e those dreams in

,

t e r p r e t e d as th e p e opl e o f E gypt wer e

, .

Thus furnish e d he go e s back to the city where

, ,

h e h e ard n othing till th e third day in th e morn ing ,

wh e n the whole court was in d i sorder all faces ,

se e med cloudy and ev e ry mind disturb e d : the

,

news was soon spread into all parts of the city that ,

th e king h ad had a frightful and terribl e dr e am ,

which h a d so d i stracted his mind (it is suppos e d ,

th e y did not call h i m his maj e sty ) that he could ,

not rest .

T he wise men and the southsayers magicians ,

a nd ast rologers wer e imm e diat ely s e nt for in a great

,

hurry to gi ve th e ir opin i on an d i nt e rpr e t P h araoh s ,

dream : th e circumstances of th e dr e am were

much th e same with thos e alr e ady m e nt i oned with ,

this addition that a t the b e g i nning Pharaoh being

, ,

in a d ee p Sl eep h e ard as he t h ough t a sudden

, , ,

great no i s e t h at it alarm e d the wh ol e city and

, ,

t hat his guards as we call them o r sold ie rs whic h

, ,

w e re about him were awaken e d but all ed away

, , ,

a nd that th e c i ty was e v e n l e ft without d efe nce ,

only th at th e gates w e r e shut .

That in th e midst o f this hurry a mons trous ,

bl a ck elephant br e akin g down all b e fore him and

, ,

even overthrowing the hous e s and build i ngs w h ich

1 70 A S YS TEM OF MAG I C .

were withou t t he city came on no on e resisting

, ,

him to the gat e s o f the city or castle wh e re

,

Pharaoh slept ; that with the force of his mighty

tusks or teeth he beat down the gates thereof ;
, ,

b ut that the to we r b e ing shake n also par t of the ,

building fe ll do w n upon the back of the e leph a nt ,

and as th e king thought a t rst had crushed him

, ,

to death .

But that n otwiths t anding the weight of t he

building which fell down was v e ry great yet tha t ,

the el e phant by his mighty strength bore itself up

and r e ceived n o inj ury by i t ; but b e ing made
afraid by the gr e at blo w it r e ceived it withdr ew , ,

an d retired into th e des e rt towards the south .

N one of the magicians could interpr e t this dream ,

or ra th e r they could not agree in their interpre ta

,

t ions of it : some said one thing some another s o , ,

that Pharaoh r e c e ived n o satisfaction fr o m their in

t e rp r e t at io n s ; whereupon the Arab who appe a re d ,

a t court purpos e ly to b e call e d in was s u mmoned , ,

the king b e ing told that he was there .

He came without any hesitation at th e rs t call ;

, ,

a n d the king wit h great app e aranc e of dist u rbance

, ,

tells him what a stran ge dr e am h e had had how it ,

had disturbed him and th e lik e and a dd e d th a t

, , ,

none of the int e rpr e tat i ons which th e wise m e n

h a d given of it w e re satisfactory to him or a gree
, ,

ing with one anoth e r The Arab h aving th e n de

.

m an d e d a par ticular o f the king s dream had it ,

r el ated to him as abo v e ; th e n h e desired to kn o w

what account the magicians had given of it and ,

h ow they had int e rpreted it ; which when he was

t old he expressed some wond e r th a t they should
,

all amuse the kin g in such a mann e r an d should ,

s ay nothing but what w a s perfectly remote fr o m

the case .

But turn ing t o the king Le t no t Ph ar a oh s ays

, ,

he be a ny more disturbed abou t t he in t erpretat ion

,
 A SYS TE M or MAG I C . 1 71

of his dream seeing the event shall redound to the

,

honour o f the king and prosperity of his domi

,

nions ; for that the dr e am b e ing i nt e rpreted is a ,

repres e ntat i on of what shall immediately come t o

p a ss : and then he went on to in t erpret boldly the
d re a m thus .

The noise 0 king says he which thou w a s t

, , ,

alarmed with in the city and which thy soldiers ,

were intimidat e d with so as to run ou t of th e city

, ,

thi s is nothing els e but a rumour of war from t h e

S outh and a certain alarm upon the approach of
,

a n army upon th e borders at whos e approach all ,

the inhabitants of th e country shall y into the

mountains and cities for fear of the invaders .

The bl a ck e l e phant assaulting the gates of the

king s palace is the ge n e ral of the armies of

E thiopia who shall mak e war upon Pharaoh and

, ,

shall i nvad e his kingdoms with a great army and ,

s h all break down the ates o f his strong cities but

g
let n ot t he kin g b e dismayed a t the strength of
thi s en e my wh i ch is so great for the power of ,

Pharaoh s h all fall u pon him and shall strik e h im ,

with terror and amaz e m e nt ; s o that he shall ee

away with all his army into the wild e rness and ,

into the desert country and shall be seen no more

, .

He had no soon e r deliv e red his interpretat i on ,

but Pharaoh embrac e d him with j oy and told him ,

that he had ind e ed g i ven him a ri ght int e rpretation

of the d ream ; and th at he fully b eli e ved it would
c ome to pass in the same manner : wh e r e upo n
Pharaoh forthwith c aus e d pr e parat i ons of war to be
mad e and sent am b assadors into E thiopia to de
,

nounce war .

The same year that the Ar abian had given this

int erpretation of th e kin g s dream the E thiopians

wit h a gre a t army inv a d e d th e co a sts o f E gypt ,

wasting the co u ntry and slay i ng the people e v e n

, ,

to the gates of Z aba or Zabda a fortied city on

, ,
1 72 A S Y ST EM or MAG I C .

the frontiers of the country which they besieged , ,

but in vain ; and t h e king of E gypt marchi n g

against th e m with all his chariots and horses at ,

th eir approach th e E thiopians e d and retired into ,

t h e des e r t country a n d w e re s ee n n o more

, .

Th i s story supposing it or th e substanc e of it t o

, , ,

b e t ru e l e ts us into th e mann e r and method in and

,

by which the Devil rst introduced a correspond

ence with mankind and how he transacted the
,

sam e with th e mag i c i ans o f E gypt which w a s c e r ,

t a in ly continued by him fo r many ages afterwards ,

in th e very s am e manner and by wh i ch the magi ,

c ian s of E gypt obtai n ed so much in th e Opinion of

mankind that they pass e d fo r th e wisest men in

,

the world ; whereas all this knowl e dge if we may ,

believe tradition was neither more or l e ss than a

,

mere d e aling with th e Devil a plain downright ,

hellish corr e spondence managed by a magical,

s ch e m e
, d ictated by the Dev il himself and oh ,

s erv e d by the magic i a ns wit h bu t t o o much exac t

n ess on all occasions .

By this dia b ol i cal magic the Devil conv e rsed

freely with th e magicians and th e y with him ; and ,

whatev e r some may pret e nd that the Devil cannot ,

as sume a human Shap e for his corr e spondence with

mank ind it is most c e rtain that he did app e ar in

,

divers sh ap e s an d o n many occasions or els e all th e

, ,

accounts o f such things which tradition has handed

down t o th e succeeding ag e s mus t be false and
fabulous ma d e up by the i nvention of the a ges in
,

whi ch they were written .

But that this was n ot so is apparen t fr om the ,

Sc riptur e as also from th e rst writers of the

,

Egyptian and Ph oe nician histori e s by all which We ,

read o f the wickedness of the magicians ; a s parti

c u lar ly in the story of th e wond e rs wro u gh t by

Aa ron a nd M oses in the presence of Pharaoh wher e ,

it is allowed that the m a gici a ns wrought by ench a nt

 A SYS TE M or MAG I C . 1 73

m ent , which I always understood to me a n by in

v ok in th e assistanc e o f th e ev il spirit and by
g , re

c e iv in g he lp and secr e t pow e rs a s well as in t e lli

g e nc e from those e v il spirits ; and bes i des the

working by e nchantment or sorc e ry so taken no tice ,

of ther e w e see it mention e d again in th e Book of

,

Wisdom chap xv i i ; speak i ng of th e plague of

, . .

darkness h e says Th ey w e r e s ca tte r e d u n de r a

, ,

da r k v e il of f o rg e tfu ln e s s b e ing h o r r ib ly a s t on is he d
, ,

a n d t r ou b le d w ith
! s tr a n e
g ] a
p p a r itio n s N o is e s
! a s .

of w a t ers
]f a llin
g d o w n s o u n d e d a b o u t th e m
,
a n d ,

s ad v is io ns a e a r e d u n to h ea v th e m w ith
n t
pp y cou e

n a nc e s Verse 6 ; On ly th e r e ap p e a r e d u n to th e m a
.

r e k in d le d of its e lf , v e r y d r e a dfu l : f o r b e ing m u c h

te r r i e d , t h ey t h o u gh t th e t h ings w h ich t h e
y s a w to

b e w o r s e tha n th e s igh t th ey s a w n o t .

V e rse 7 ; As f o r t h e illu s io ns of a r t m a gich, they

w er e p u t d o w n , a n d t h e ir v a u n t ing in w is d o m w a s
r e r o v e d w ith disgr a ce F o r t h e , th a t r o m is e d to
p y .
p
d r iv e a w a y t e r r o r s a n d t r ou b les f r o m a s ich s ou l,
w e r e sich th e m s e lv e s of f e a r , w o r t hy t o b e la ugh e d
,

at .

This whole quot at ion is a d e scription of the d ar k

ness of E gypt in wh ich accord i ng to this t e xt
, , ,

th e r e wer e strange apparitions b e ing evid e ntly th e ,

D e vil and e vil spirits with human shap e s horribl e ,

app e arances and h e avy count e nances

,
.

I think th i s is so pla i n as to n ee d no conrmation

from other opinions : magic was r e pro ve d that is ,

t o say d i sgrac e d bec a use the Devil co u ld not assist

, ,

the mag i c i an so a s to mak e any a b atem e nt of th e

,

darkn e ss which was wrought by Heav e n ; for even

,

th e re could not b e mad e to g i v e any light so t h e ,

power of art nay e ven of magic itself was at an e n d

, , ,
.

In this t e rr i bl e cas e the D e vil or rath e r d evi ls

, , ,

were it seems perm i tt e d to app e ar in horri b le and

, ,

fr ightful s h apes with he avy co u nt e nances & c

, ,
.

In like manner I cannot doubt but he app e ar e d

1 74 A S Y S TEM or MAG I C .

t o the m agici a ns when he a n d they h ad occasion t o

m eet and conv e rs e and carry on their helli sh com
,

b in at ion s and confe deracies for doing m ischief; a nd

t his brings me of course to speak o f the m an n e z o f

the magicians conversing wi t h the Devil for h i ,

t h e r t o we h a ve only spoken of his conversing with

them .

The case is this whenever the Devil had an oc

c a sion to speak with the old Arab or in ages after ,

th at (for t h e Arab was rst ) with Ali Alb r ah az e n

the m agician of S aba in Arabia he knew well h ow ,

to nd them ou t and could go to them m e et them

, ,

in apparition or speak to them in vision but wha t

,

w a s to be done when they w a n t ed his a ssis t ance

upon a ny emergency ?
T h e story of Ali mentioned alre a dy s t ated t he
, ,

m at ter for him namely that he w as to go into the

, ,

desert to a certain p alm t ree surro u nd it s o many

-
,

t imes c all the Devil s o many times in every circle

,

by such and such a n ame and then he would come , .

Here was indeed a great d ea l of cer e mony b e ,

fo r e h is worship would b e spoken with ; and I c a n

n ot but think o u r fr iend Roger M A
( o

c e t e d F ree Ma son 8 m ) speaks with him sometimes

p ,
.

u pon much easier term s ; for the world is grown

much nicer of late than they were then and the

, ,

Devil is obliged to tre at with them on terms of less

ceremony .

But the r est of the story of the ol d Arabian will

st ate this m a tter much clearer an d to the under ,

standin g of ev e ry reader ; a n d will let us s e e a little

what metho d s they took t o raise the D e vil in king
Ph ar a oh s t ime an d before our modern experime nt s

were in u s e .

The Ar ab w as now a great person all E gypt r e ,

c e iv e d him as a wonderful man ; his words were

the oracle of the day for whatever he said came t o

,

p a ss ; he was sent to far a n d wide a nd m essen gers ,

 A S YS TEM OF MAG I C . 1 75

c am e from Persia from Ph oenicia nay r om E thiopi a

, , , ,

for him to come thith e r a n d giv e t h e int e rpretation

,

o f th e ir vis i ons and e xplain to t h em every doubtfu l

,

c ase but h e wo ul d not leave th e court of Pharaoh ,

a nd h e was in the right for th e king highly honoured

,

All this while his reputation wholly depended

upo n the constant int e ll i g e nce which he k e pt up
with his familiar s pirit (s o I may now c all it ) I
, ,

m e a n the apparition which came to him in the

desert ; but as t hi s app e arin g was arbitrary a nd ,

wh e n it pleased an d m i gh t n o t b e at hand when he

,

might have a mor e than ord i nary occasion for it it ,

occurred to him on e n i ght to propos e m e thods of a

m ore constan t a nd less d i f cult corr e spond e nce a n d ,

that the app arition m i ght b e brough t to a greate r

familiarity so as that wh e n any e x i ge nc e was u po n
,

him h e might be sure o f his a i d m i gh t b e able to

, ,

c all him to his assistanc e and that he would n ot fail

,

t o appe a r .

S tory does n ot record what condition the Devil

might make with th e old Arab ; as for sell i ng souls ,

signing cont racts and the lik e it s ee ms to m e there

, ,

was little need of thes e things in those days ; if there

had and the Devil had ins i sted on it I doub t not
, ,

th e Arabian would hav e mad e no mor e scruple of it ,

than ou r brother of th e trow el who adorns so often ,

his blu e ribband with the most honourabl e badge of

the leather apron ; and b e ing rst incorporated as ,

above in the ancient society of free Th

, S m ay , ,

for aught we know build two or thre e churches

,

abroad se e ing t h e D evil and h e are known to be

,

upon t h eir trav els t og e ther .

You ha v e th us a Sketch o f S atan s professed c or

r espond e nce with his ag e nts in th e rst and most

early d ays of the ma gic art ; i f by those subtleti e s

he brought them i nto gr e at r e putat i on among t h e
people and In th e courts o f princ e s you a re not to
, ,
 1 76 A SY ST EM OF MAG I C .

doub t but he found his a ccount in i t for by gain

ing a reputation to his ag e nts and at the same time ,

ke e ping th e m at hi s command for the sak e of t h e ,

illuminations which th e y gain e d from him he h a d ,

t h e m always at his hand r e ady to do or undert ake

,

an y t hing, how ev er black which in the course of , ,

their witchcrafts cam e in their way We s h all nd

, .

some aming e xampl e s of this kind v e ry quickly .

But for t he pr e sent le t us ke e p to our Arab as a

sampl e or instance of th e ordinary way of suc h peo
ple in their fut u re correspondences ; hi thert o yo u
s e e the Devil very assistant and in his way ob li
g , , ,

ing to the last degre e to his new acquaintan ce the

,

Arab . I will for th e present suppose he had n o

, ,

other correspond e nt at l e ast not in Pharaoh s court
, ,

n or was th e r e any ne e d of anoth e r ; but you are to

suppos e h e had more such or such lik e in other places
, , .

H e had it seems found o u t th e way to mak e

, ,

hims e lf n e cessary to th e Arab s o that the doctor ,

could not bear the thoughts of wanting his constant

assistanc e : th e sens e of this puts the Arab upon
proposing to him that for th e future the D evil
,

Should be so favourabl e to him as always to come to

him when e v e r he had occasion and this without ,

obliging him to go into the desert and up the hill ,

in s e arch of him which many times the e x t r aor di

,

n ary demands o f th e court would not admit nor ,

allow him tim e for .

If the Devil did conc e de this favour which wa s ,

mor e than he granted to Al i Alb r ah az e n (for he

obliged him to come to th e palm tree walk so m any -
,

tim e s about it call aloud so many times upon him

,

e very circl e h e mad e ) b e fore he wo u ld com e I say ,

if he yi elded to this at th e desire of his acquaint

anc e th e Arab it was certainly for the great ends
,

which were to follow .

Upon his new propos al measur e s wer e stated b e

,

twee n them th at upo n such a nd such formal ma

 A SYS T EM or MAG I C . 1 77

n aging (for there was som e r e ason it s eems to

, , ,

make i t a pi e c e of gr e at formal i ty ) th e D e vil Should ,

always that i s some of the innumerabl e l e gions

, ,

should always app e ar ; wheth er S atan hims e lf o r ,

some of his messen ge rs servants or gentl e men in , ,

waitin g h i story ind e ed is n ot so part i cul a r as that

,

I Sho u ld be able to gi ve you the nam e s o f them ,

wheth e r Christian name or surname as in other ,

c as e s mi ght be expect e d .

The forms of his appearing the occasion the , ,

conditions & c b e ing thus l e ft to the A rab to de

, .
,

term i ne as Should b e for his occasion l e t us see ,

h ow n e ar w e can com e t o the particulars .

Circles and gur e s visibl e to ot h ers wit h som e ,

needful cant or hard words which m i ght be made

use of a udibly as th e r e mi ght be occasion ; th e se
,

s ee m to have b ee n appo i nt e d as th e pomp and cere

mony of th e thing call e d conj uring and magic and ,

m ig h t be found n e c e ssary for many reasons ; and i n

s everal ag e s these wer e v ari e d and changed as the ,

magic i an and the Devil might agr e e about it b e

twe e n themsel v es .

It was no doubt a gre at condescension that th e

Devil would stoop to b e al ways at han d and to ,

come wh e n h e was call e d ; but h e found h i s account

in it the Arab now had him at h i s beck and when ,

e ver Pharaoh had any d ifc u l t thing to propos e the ,

o ld Arab could as they call it raise the Devil

, ,

wh e n b e pl e ased to assist in it ,
.

This i s w h at aft e r tim e s called having a fa m iliar

-
,

a n d a familiar Sp i rit and is acknowl e dged to this

,

t i m e to b e fr eq uently practised by w i tches and

warlocks and what w e nd mention e d in S cr i pture
, .

M anass eh in part i cular though on e of t h e kings of

, ,

Judah the S cr i pture is expr e ss in it Th a t h e u s e d

, ,

e n c h a n tm e n ts a n d d ea lt w ith
f a m ilia r sp ir its a n d

w iz a r ds 2 Kings xxi 6
, . .

s M
. .
1 78 A S Y ST EM OF MAG I C .

S ever al hun dred ye a rs before this i t is appa r ent , ,

by the laws agains t such a s these th a t such were ; ,

a nd that doubtless while they were in E gypt n ay

, , , ,

it must be there ; the law is very express and rec ,

kons up sev e ral sorts Deut xvi i i 1 0 1 1 ; The r e , . .

,

s h a ll n o t b e f o u n d a m o ng y ou
(mar k t he kinds ) ,

1 O n e th a t uses divin a tion

. .

w An observer of times .

o
o An ench a nte r .

h A witch
n
.

o A ch a rmer .

c
x A consulter with fa mili a r Spiri t s .

q A wizard .

o
o .A nec r om an cer .

Then follows the j us t ch a r a c t er of those p r ae

tices ver 1 2 ; F o r a ll th a t d o s u ch things a r e a n
, .

a b o m in a tio n t o th e Lo r d .

No w from the same tex t we Sh all p r ove t h a t

these were pr a ctices in t he n ations of th at p a r t of
the world even lo n g before the ch ildren of Isr a el
,

came in t o the land of Can a an S ee the same chap .

ter verse 1 2 ; An d b e c a u s e of thos e a b om in a tions

,

t h e Lor d t hy Go d d oth d r i ve t h e m ou t f r o m b efo r e

th e e An d a gain ver 1 4 F o r th es e n a tion s wh ich
.
,
.

t h o u s h a lt p oss e s s h e a r k e n e d u n to o b s e r v e r s ofytim e s ,

a nd u n to d iv in e r s .

N ow such a o n e wa s this Ar ab ; let him act as he

did and be t h a t how it will it is e v id e n t he h a d a
, ,

famili a r ; the me a ning is he was in or under a c o ,

venant with the Devil he had m a de a n agreemen t

with th e apparition for continuing the correspond
ence and for a ttending him constantly to fur nish
, ,

him for his predictions foretelling events a nd ac , ,

q u a in t in
g them with secre t a nd hidden things .

These ar e the known interpretations of these s e

ver al expressions having a fa mili a r using divin a
, ,

tion ench a n t men t s & c All imply a correspon d

, ,
.
 A S YS TE M OF MAG I C . 1 79

ence wi th the Devil to help them in such e x t r aor

,

din ar y c a ses .

S uch a sor t of people i t seems there w a s among , ,

the Can aanit es tha t is to s ay the Phoe nicians an d

, ,

the abomination was come to such a height a nd ,

G od h a d borne with i t s o many ages th a t n ow he ,

w as resolved to drive ou t those nations for this ,

v ery crime . Now as ther e were s u ch people a mong

,

the Ph ce n ician s no doubt but there were such

,
-

among th e E gyp t ians too from whom these peopl e ,

o f Isr a el came ou t a nd who though with the r st

, ,

born of t heir children sl a in in E gypt the loss of ,

their ar my and king in th e waters of the Red S e a ,

an d other calam ities they were r e duced low enough

,

a t the time that we read of them yet w e re a strong ,

an d pow e rfu l nation even from the time of M izr aim

, ,

their greatest monarch after Cham .

As they were a pow e rful and great people so ,

they were a wise and learned nation as wisdom ,

and knowledge went then in th e world ; and ther e

fore we nd that how e ver the Chald e ans and Ar a
,

bians boast that th e y were th e rst searchers into

the mys t eries of wisdom and knowledg e and th a t ,

t he rst rudiments of the c elestial st u dies were

conc e ived among them which yet does not appear ,

oth er than in th e ir pretences ; y e t suppose i t or ,

suppose we were to grant it we still nd that th e y ,

went to E gypt for their practice and encourage

ment ; that p e rhaps in Arabia they might dri nk i n
the rst knowl e dg e a nd principles of things ; but
Arabia a country always poor and n ot able to giv e
, ,

encouragement to learning as we say of a neigh ,

b o u r ing country a fford e d no thing but the dry study

, ,

they must go further for th e improvement of it ; i n

short they might stay at hom e a nd get knowledge
, ,

but they must go abroad if they would g e t money .

This was the reason that as i t is at this t i m e ,

somewhere els e as soon a s the poor wretches had

,

N 2
1 80 A S Y ST EM or MAG I C .

go t a li ttle smattering of Arabian moun t ain wi t , ,

and a little star gazing knowledge away th e y went

-
,

to E gypt and th e r e they set up immediately for

,

wise m e n and conjurers a nd we sc arce know what ,

o f philosophers .

Th e E gyptians a wealthy but from the very b e

, , ,

ginning a superstitious kind of people always hunt

, ,

i ng aft e r s e cret interpre t ations and hidden reserved , ,

events poring upon rath e r than understanding

, , ,

mysterious things and loving to hav e strang e ,

stori e s t old them by any on e especially foreign e rs , ,

gaped eagerly after th e n e tales of these second

sighted Ar abians drank in their mag i c a s it w a s
,

then called and fre ely parted with th e ir money t o

,

ha v e their fortunes t old them and the lines in their ,

palms expl a ined to them by the cr afty w a ndering ,

Arabs .

O n the con t r a ry the cunning a r t ists that though

, , ,

they knew nothing of the matter at rst ye t seeing ,

plainly that e ven that littl e was esteem e d a great

deal while the people they talk e d with knew less
, ,

and nding the E gyptians easy to b e imposed upon ,

willing to be ch e at e d and particularly contented ,

to have t h e ir pocke t s picked for the satisfying their

simple curios i ty ; I s ay the cunning wandering ,

strangers made a good mark e t of th em grew rich ,

and famous a mong them and k e pt up the reputa ,

tion of their craft by all the subtleties of wit a nd

I nv e ntion .

This success encouraging their s t udies we may ,

e a sily suppose they pushed into all manner of na

tural inquiries and, as far as they were abl e im
, ,

proved themselves an d furnished their heads with

,

the knowledge of human things such a s reason , ,

philosophy and natural experiments might supply

, ,

and at l e ngt h pushing at everythin g they found ,

the way or he found it out for them a s I have al

, ,

re a dy observed t o de al with the Devil An d thus

,
.
 A SYS TE M o r MAG I C
. 1 81

we a re come at th e or i ginal of magic a s we n ow

,

understand th e wor d that is to say o f diabolical

, ,

practices or a c e rta i n spreading of delusions by the

,

a ssist a nce of the Devil .

1 82 A SYST EM or MAG I C .

CH AP VII . .

Of the p r a c t ic e a nd
p g f ro r e ss o m agic, as it is now
e x la in e d t o b e a dia b o lic a l a r t h w i t ad
p o s
p r e

its e lf in th e w o r ld, a n d b y wh a t d egr e es it gr ew

up to th e h eigh t w h ich it h a s sin c e a r r iv e d t o .

W E h ave pi t ched upo n E gypt t o be t he spo t where

the rst hellish artists studied this t ha t I n ow c all
d iabolic al magic I sh all not keep you long upon
.

the cold scent It w as pr a ctised there very early

.
,

a nd very long before we heard much of it any

,

where else but when it t ook a run whe n i t st ar ted ,

from t hence we Shall soon hear of i t ab r o a d : for

,

however s ecr et the black a rt may be an d howeve r ,

priv at e the m agicians and t heir great m a ster the

Devil m anaged their corresponden ce ye t the pr ac ,

t ice of it and the game they played upon m a nkind

,

by it w as always public a nd open as we Sh all h a ve

, ,

r e a so n t o s ay a mong o ther n at ions a s well as

, ,

among our own .

AS t o the c h ronology of i t and when i t began in , ,

wh at a ges of the world t hose Arabi a ns beg an t o

pr a c t ise a s above when they rs t dealt in t his craft
, ,

when t he E gyptians began to be t heir schol a rs an d ,

they the Devil s i t is no t (however a ncien t ) so

difc ul t t o come a t the knowledge of in gener al as ,

som e other t hings in the world whi ch ye t we think ,

ourselves very certain of .

The S cripture whethe r our good ie n ds th at

,

re a d books in this a ge will bear wi t h our quoting i t

in m att ers of religion or no yet is gener ally a llowed ,

to be a t olerable good hi story N ay if we may b e .

,

lie ve s ome good a ut ho r s, it mu st be allowed to be

 A S YS TEM or MAG I C . 183

the most an cien t his t ory and the wri t i ng from

,

which a ll other authorities t ake their rise ; that

M oses was long before Berosus Homer Hesiod or , , ,

in a word a ny of the wr iters on earth Nor could

, .

it be well otherwise if what is lat ely a dvanced is

,

true th at the rst knowledge of l et ters to write by

, ,

and t o read upon wa s dictat ed to M oses from

,

moun t S inai by the immediat e revelation of Heav e n

, .

I s ay it could not be otherwise F or how should .

they write before they had letters and kne w how to ,

form t he soun d of words upon the tables where ,

they were impressed ?

As M oses had the rs t knowledge of l e tters s o ,

he had the rs t knowledge of things too a nd was ,

therefore the best qu alied to be a collector of a n

t iqu it ie s nor w a s it s o difcult a matter for M oses
to write a his t ory o f the creation and of all the ,

m ateri al events of things that had happened before

his time a s some may imagine : since by the calc a
,

l at ion s of t ime M oses m i ght easily have an ao

,

count of those things by a successive supply of oral

tr a dition from N oah h imself a s you may gather ,

fro m the times wherein he li v ed a nd the persons ,

wit h whom he h a d conversed ; of which t ake t h e

following short Sketch a s a l eading thread or chain
,

of things directly conrming my ar gum e nt .

If Moses then had the most early knowledge of

, ,

things by a short succession o f the persons relating

them and that even from A dam an d Noah in a
,

right line ; and if M os e s had the rs t kn owledge

o f le t ters even immedia te ly from a s u perior hand
, ,

then at l e ast you must all ow me that M oses was ,

certainly the b e st qu alied t o form a history of the

r st thi ngs t ransacted in the world ; and was t h e
rst m a n or a t least the man best able t o writ e that
,

history down For who coul d for m a history of

.

things they did not know ? and who could write be

fo r e they h a d le t te r s t o form t he words he was to
1 84 A S YSTE M OF MAG I C .

?
writ e by and who could read wha t was wr itt en ,

u nl e ss those l e tters h a d be e n known a n d ma d e ,

public in th e world
Hence I infer that M os e s was the rs t his t orian ,

and the Books of M oses are the rst history in the

world and if th e rst consequently most lik e ly to
,

b e the best authority ; at l e ast a s I have said ,

above (and that my r e aders may n ot be pushed

upon too hard to b e l iev e th ose books which they
,

ha v e so ill a relish of) I say at least they will allow

, ,

that t he S cr i pture or Pentateuch is a tolerable

good history and tha t is all I ask of them as a
,

favour .

N ow t o b e gin with the chronology o f things

the law given to the Jews from t h e mouth of the
oracle upon moun t S inai of which M os e s gives u s
,

the history was according to sir W alter Raleigh

, , ,

published a n n o m u ndi 2514 .

Joseph di e d 2 370 .

M os e s was born 2 43 3 .

Th e ch i ldren of Israel came ou t of E gyp t 2 5 1 3 .

But we nd in the history of Joseph and we nd ,

by the command s to ext i rpate witch e s and sorcerers ,

mentioned in the rst l aw given the Israelites ; I

sa we nd the practice o f diabolical magic w as
y
,

much mor e anci e n t than M oses n ay than Joseph , , ,

a n d that it was practised so long ago not only in ,

E gypt but in Phoe nicia also ; and perhaps in the

,

last as soon as in the rst .

F irst It seems that God resol v ed to drive ou t t he

,

Ph oe nicians that is th e Canaanites before the chil

, , ,

dren of Isra el e v en for this very o ffe nce among

,

oth e rs ; and I canno t com e u p to the modern r ate

of scepticism as to b el ie v e Go d would ha ve driven
,

them o u t of t heir country for a cr i me which they

were n ot guilty of ; an d e specially too that he ,

would have a ssigned that for a reason of it which

the poor people could h ave s t ood up a nd cle ar ed
 A SYS TE M OF MAG I C . 1 85

themsel ve s of a nd have said they did n ot under

,

stand what it was .

T h is go e s far to a sugges t ion that the Canaani t es

wer e gu ilty of i t e v e n four hundred y e ars b efore ,

and b e for e G od s prom i se to Abram to gi ve h im

that country ; o r else w e must suppos e the Ca

naamites cond e mn e d to an expuls i on b e fore the
cr ime for which th e y wer e to be e xp ell e d was c om
m it t e d ; and I can no more com e into that than the
other .

Ce rtainly G od s promis e to t urn ou t the inha

,

b it a n t s for Abram s post e rity must b e allow e d to be

a s e nt e nc e of cond e mnation upon th e Canaanites ,

e ven at that t i me ; and he wo u ld n ot have condemn e d

th e m to ban i shm e nt I m e an as a n ation for crim e s
, ,

which t hey were not eve n then guilty of ; especially

that ve ry crim e b e ing assign e d as t h e cause of their
said cond e mnation and s e ntenc e .

If t h is argum e nt is j u st as I think it mus t be, ,

then I ha v e gain e d t h e point as to th e antiquity for

then this cr im e of diabolical magic is as anci e nt as
Abram ; and it is evid e nt Abram was born above
fty S ix y e ars b e for e Noah died
-
H ow long this .

wicked trade was known b e for e Abram we cannot ,

d e t e rmin e but may grant it might be som e cousi

,

d e r ab l e time .

It is c e rtain how e ver that in the r e ign of Miz

, ,

raim who was but the grandson of Noah they were

, ,

gro wn v e ry consid e rabl e I mean as to th e ir r e puta

,

tion in th e E gypt i an court ; and I am willing t o

,

suppose my old Arab was o n e of the chi e f if not ,

on e of the rst of th e m in M izraim s r e ign and per

,

haps near th e b e ginnin g of it for as th e D evi l in

t r o d u ce d h i mself as it were volunt ee r to h i m it ,

should seem that h e had no correspond e nts of that

kind there be for e and took that m e thod to b e gin
,

his acqua i ntance ; p e rhaps allowi n g his corr e spond

ents to convey the s a me method of intelligence
1 86 A SYST EM OF MAG I C .

from on e t o an o ther and perh aps t o r en ew the con

,

tr a ct a s often as he their ins t ruc t or thought t .

Bu t be th a t h ow it will it is cer t ain t he Devil ,

must be aggressor in all ages of this ar t He knew

, .

well enough how to bre ak in upon them how to ,

Show himself and make his appear ances to t hem as

,

Often as he thought t ; a nd could begin it or r e ,

new it how a nd whenever he pleased But the

, , .

case was quite di fferent on their Side for nobody ,

knew how to com e a t him they did n ot s o muc h ,

a s know hi m when they s aw him o r know where he ,

li v ed where he kept his residence ; how to go t o

,

him or send to him ; or in a word to have any

, , ,

correspondence with him bu t j us t as he thought t ,

to ente r into a familiari ty with them an d give th e m ,

met hods and rules by which they should Obtai n

a udience of him when a nd a s o ften as they h a d oc
, ,

c asion .

This bein g t he c a se i t is no t t o b e wondered th at

,

the Devil and those men of craft became a cquaint e d

, ,

very soon in the world ; for the Devil is t o o dili

gent to neglect his o w n a ffairs a ny longer th a n till
they were ripe for his agit a tion .

H a ving then brought all the southsaying and

m a gic of the rs t ag e s a s it were within his own
m a nagemen t and establi shed a correspondence with
,

t he wise men of the mos t early times we a re next ,

to ex a min e how it proceeded and wh at progress i t ,

m a de : a nd in m aking this inquiry it comes di ,

r e ct l in m way to tell o u a very unhappy truth ;

y y y
n a mely that the clergy o f those times seem to me
,

t o be th e rs t conj urers and de al e rs with the ,

Devil ; a nd s o in all the s ubsequent times and in ,

all or mos t of the distan t nations o f the world ; I

mean nex t immediately aft er those E gypti a n pr o

cie n t s .

I hope ou r most reverend a nd righ t reverend of

the s a cerdotal orde r in t hese d ays a nd in this wise ,
 A S Y S TEM OF MAG I C 1 87 .

m agic al a ge will t ake no o ffence a t me for this at

, ,

le a st t ill I h ave furt her and fu lly explain ed mysel f .

Fa r be it from u s (a nd s ad would be o u r circum

s ta nces should I ventur e ) t o suggest that any o f

o u r clergy shoul d be conj u r ers a n d deal in magic ,

n o no ; plenty o f grace
,
and paucity o f brains I
, ,

hope is ou r established protection from such a d is

,

m al eruption as tha t would be u pon us .

In order th e re fore t o explain myself fu lly upon

t his subj ec t I must go b a ck to the e a rly ages of the
,

world even j us t where I was before The Devil

, .
,

a fter the ood observing the world begin to ll

, ,

a nd tha t the peopl e spre a ding themselves over it

, ,

b e ga n to p e opl e i t again a nd form thems e lves inta

, /
n a t i ons a n d governments ; o n e o f h is rs t c a r es

was t o debauch their principles a s to religion to ,

dic tate fals e notions of homage and worship to t h e m

and in a word to introduce idolatry j .
,

, ,

As he knew perfectly well the end he a im ed at ,

s o he w as no t at a loss t o nd o u t the mean s It .

woul d be t o o long a story t o t ell you in what man

n e r he found out gods for them to wo r ship an d h ow ,

he c a non i z e d their heroes for them Th e tale of .

Ninus or Nimrod app e aring t o the wis e men in a

ame of r e and t elling them he wa s going just
,

t hen up into heaven fr om whence he Would always

,

shine upon th e m In t h e Shape of a s ta r and that ,

they should build a temple to the glory of hi s m e

mory ; that he should be called Baal or Bell which ,

is a s much as to s ay a great go d and that he would

, ,

be always ready to help th e m against their enemies ,

a s he w a s to ght for t h em while he was alive

I say this tale suppos e it but a t ale was n ot a t

, , ,

all unlikely to t ake with the people who had the ,

memory of t heir dead h e ro king fresh in th eir -

thought a nd who were ready to idolize the very

,

empty sound of his name S uppose the wise men as .

,

they c alled them only feigned or forged th is story

, ,
 88 A S Y ST EM OF MAG I C .

and repor t ed i t t o the people a s a vision which they

had really seen though they had not se e n it at all
, ,

yet it was n ot unlikely to make impressions upon

th e m in their rs t ignorance of things
, .

B u t suppose o n the other hand the D e vil who is

, , ,

always awake Should have r e ally shown himself in

,

such an app e arance and then h ave drawn in the ,

wise magic i ans of that ag e upon s ee ing such a ,

sight fr i ghtfu l and horrid lik e the D ev il tha t formed

, ,

it to r elate (as they might with truth ) th e fact to

,

the people : it was n ot a t all stran ge that the wise

men men t ioned Should go t o the king with that
story also ; a nd that he the king bigoted by the ,

m ag i cians and terried as t h ey w e re should I mme

, ,

d iat e ly order a temple to be e recte d sacrices to be ,

appointed a nd a formal worship s e t o n foot t o the

, ,

ho nour Of this great god Bell whose memory was s o ,

high in th e ir este e m before .

Hi s t ory is very full of th e rst fury of idolat rous

zeal a n d of the extrav agant b ranches of their d e vo
,

tion I mean in th e ir princes N i nus built a house

, ,
.

for th e worship of B e ll the walls and towers are a ,

prodigy in th e mselves what the manner of worship

was we d a not read th ough afterwards we have t he
,

description of their abominable rites a s the sacri

!
,

c e s to M o s ch viz m aking their childr e n to pass

, .
,

th rough the re ; wheth e r th e y were burn e d to

d ea th or horribly scorched a uthors d o not ye t r e
, ,

solve u s The king of M oab sacriced his s on the

.
,

heir apparent of his thron e upon the walls of the ,

city only to obtain deliverance from the si e ge by

,

the help of his idol at th e price of his son s blood
,
.

As those idols were introd u ced by the art of the

Devil so it must be tha t the direction came from
,

him I mean as t o th e manner of the idol worship -

,

a n d that he certainly held an immediate corr e

s on d e n c e with the ins t i t u t o r s a nd ma nagers o f t he

p
idol ri t es .
 A S Y ST EM OF MAG I C . 1 89

These were the magic i ans and a st rologers who , ,

by h i s directions wer e i nstruct e d what ceremoni e s

, ,

what rit e s what manner of worship to o ffe r t o th e ir

,

gods ; and as th ey consul te d the ma gic i ans for th e

inst i tut i on of their worsh i p so in a few ag e s after , , ,

the magicians or south sayers were th ei r pr i ests and ,

th e ir priests w e r e all magicians and southsay e rs .

Hence the aruspices th e s acr i c e r s and the priests

, ,

o f the several t e mples where answers were giv e n to

,

questions eve nts pr e d i ct e d and th e lik e were th e

, , ,

ivers of thos e answers from th e oracl e that I S

g , ,

i n plain E ngl i sh the priests wer e magicians and

, ,

the magicians were th e pri e sts and the Devil ,

brought witchcr aft a nd idolatry to be at last but

o n e science .

AS h e corresponded person all y with Al i Alb r ah a

zen and the old Ar ab in th e infancy of time an d
, , ,

when his kingdom was as it wer e but j ust erecting , ,

a nd setting up in th e world so wh e n that p e rsonal ,

correspondence app e ar e d succ e ssfu l in setting up

i d olatry h e made it e quall y useful for th e p r op agat
,

ing it and the magici a ns became pri e sts in the tem

,

ples of their gods .

Nothing could be more agreeabl e to the priests

o f their idols than this intimacy with th e infe rnal
,

Spirits ; for th e Devil who was always his craft s ,

m as t er fa i led n ot as well to delud e th e pri e sts th e m

,

s elves as by them to impos e upon the world ; nor

,

could he hav e carried o n his game upon mankind

without it For if th e priests had n ot b e l i ev e d that
.

they conv e rs e d with th e gods when r e ally they con ,

v e rsed with the Devil if th ey had b ee n all l e t into

the secret and made to propa gat e their rel i gion as
,

a cheat upon th e world to whi ch th e y w e r e to ha v e ,

b ee n privy ; if i t had all b e en known to b e as it ,

r e ally was a conspiracy aga i nst h e a ve n in favour of

,

the D ev i l an d with real d es i gn to i mpos e upon and

,

damn the world they would never have be e n ,

 1 90 A S Y STEM OF MAG I C .

brough t univers all y to h ave kep t the Devil s cou n
sel, and have come into the plot at the price of ,

their eternal felici ty a nd the souls of all their fr iends

,
.

The Devil s plot would cert a inly h ave been blown
long before it was and t he pri e s t s of the oracle s
,

would most cer t ainly h a ve rst or las t have be t r ayed

, ,

their m a ster a nd exposed the whole cheat Bu t the

, .

c a se was evident ly this the Devil found the w ay to

,

del ud e a nd impose upon t he very priests themselves ;

a nd n ot only suggested t o t hem but m a de them ,

really believe th a t t he gods conversed with t hem

, ,

that the voices they he ard t he answers dictat ed by ,

their or a cl e s the app aritions & c were all the r e a l

, , .
,

a ppearan ces o f their gods those in partic ul a r whose

,

ser v a nts a nd pries t s they were ; when in t ru th i t

was no more than a gross delusion a nd a n appe ar ,

a nce of the Devil .

I make n o doub t bu t th at the t um u l t r a ised by

the Silversmiths a t E phesus though t hey in p ar t i e n ,

l ar were touched with the sense of their in t er es t ,

and the loss of their craft and trade yet was carried ,

o n in the sincerity o f their ignor a nce by t hose wh o

c alled her the gre a t goddess Diana whom they a nd ,

all the world worshipped ; th a t they who c r ied

G r e a t is D ia n a of th e Ep h e s ia n s believed h e r to ,

be s o a nd had no t t he leas t no t ion of their worshi p

,

ping t he Devil .

I d oubt not bu t the priests of Apollo at Delphos ,

who wai t ed there t o give ou t the a nswers to the

several inquirers th at c ame with t heir gifts t o t he
oracle b e l ie ved that the said oracles were issued by
,

the gods and especi ally by Apollo himself ; and li ttle

,

thought that they (the priests ) were tools of the

Devil to cheat and amuse the world and prop a gate
, ,

idolatry ; for whi c h the true G od who w a s highl y ,

'
a r o nt e d in the fr a u d would on e d a pu t them all
, y
t o sil e nce .

Thus far, I thin k the cle r gy a re beh ol den to m e

 A S YS T EM OE MAG I C . 191

very much for establishing th e ir honesty a t the ex

,

pense of th e ir he a ds an d telling you th e y were al l ,

fools r ath er than knaves At the s am e time it

,
.

holds still and this par t can never b e denied th at

, ,

a s the Dev i l carried on his k i ngdom by the art

magic or what we call the Bl a ck Ar t s o the priests
, ,

were the instr uments both of the witchcraft an d the

idolatry .

How fa r the two infernal j uggles a re still c arried ,

on , and whether the priests in most parts of the

world (our own G od bless us ! always excepted ) ,

are n ot magicians a nd de alers with th e Devil even , ,

in their s acr e d s and by the mere consequ e nce of

,

t heir o f ce l e t th e padres a nd men of t h e t onsure

,

t ell us a nd give us satisfaction i f they can

,
.

W e have n ow brought the magici a ns of E gypt

a nd the pri e st s of the pagan temples t o be some
thing a kin ; at least we may say I have brought ,

them to be all of a t r a de ; and I believ e it is not

very diicu lt t o Show you that as th ey s e rved the ,

same mas te r so they had their ins t ructions by the

,

very same ch a nnel and from the same origin al : in ,

a word th at the worship of the gods which was in

, ,

d e ed the worship of the Devil was dictated in the ,

very s ame way namely by a n immed i ate corr e , ,

s on de n ce with the Devil and with all the circum

p ,

stanc e s m e ntioned in th e text b e fore quoted ; viz .

,

di v ination enchantmen t conjura t ion apparition

, , , ,

vision dream familiar Spirits observing times Ob

, , , ,

serv ing seasons a nd ying of bir ds entr a ils of ,

beasts a nd th e like
, .

It m ay s ee m a little di f cul t to bring all the

schem e s of idol or pagan worship do w n to a level
w i th witchcra ft and diabolical magic ; and some
will tell us that s e veral parts of the pagan worsh i p
, ,

o r even paganism in
gener a l w a s establi shed u pon ,

pure a nd j ust principles an exact and regular v i r ,

tue the height of mor als princ i ples of truth and of

, , ,
1 92 A S Y ST EM OE MAG I C .

n atur al religion of good government a nd of dedic a

, ,

t i o n to the publ i c w elfare of mankind ; nay even ,

upon principl e s of pi e ty a n d a homage to be paid to ,

the Divine B e i n g as the rst mov i ng caus e Of life

, ,

and as a d e bt du e to that Being for all th e good at ,

tending human l i fe ; that not h ing has been want

ing in som e pagans but a r e v elation from heaven ,

a n d an opening i n the e yes o f th e soul by divin e in

spirat i on to know th e only true G od

, .

Those that are of this O pinion support it by the ,

example o f Numa Pompilius th e founder of th e ,

R om an rites a n d to whom th e establishing th e

,

greater part o f th e pagan c e r e monies is j ustly

assigned ; who they tell us acted upon the high e st
, ,

principl e s of morality an d virtu e and even of piety ; ,

that he went e v en to the utmost l e ngth th a t n ature

and reason could go ; that h e n ot only acknowl e dged
a suprem e Pow e r to whom mankind owed his h o ,

mage for the good received and who would n ot ,

fail in a life to come to distrib u t e r e wards and p u

, ,

n is h m e n t s agreeable to the life and conduct o f every

,

man h e r e : but owned also t h at wors hip as a n atural

d e bt to be pa i d by all m ankind ; hence upon th e
,

door of the temple o f the s eve ral gods he caused t o

be written as a direction to all mankind this Short
, ,

pr e cept a J o v e p r in c ip iu m intimat i ng tha t e very

,

action of man s life sho u ld b e begun with applica

tion to th e gods Th e y add that Numa had a pro

.
,

found sincer e ven e ration for the Creator of all

,

thi ngs as th e Author o f life and the supreme G od

, ,

o f h e av e n and e arth and that he wanted nothing to

,

be a sincere worsh i pp e r of the true G od but a true ,

revelatio n from heav e n enlightening h i s mind and , ,

guid i ng him to know what way of worship that G od

wo uld be pleased to acc e pt .

Th e y g i ve us sev e ral other examples of gre at and

illustrious men who though profe ssed h e ath en s in

,

the m anner of worship and the immedi at e O bj ect , ,

 A SYS TE M O E MAG I C 93 .

yet form e d th e ir not i ons upon j ust and nobl e prin

c ipl e s ,
strictly ad h e ring to the natural princ i ples
o f r e l i g i on clos e ly pursuing j u stic e in governm e nt
, ,

impart i ality in matt e rs of r i ght pr e s e rving virtu e ,

and honour in the peopl e and making whol e som e

,

laws for th eir b e tt e r gov e rnm e nt upon all occasions ,

such ar e Lycurgus the Laced ae monian Confu cius ,

the Chines e S olon th e wis e philosopher and sundry

, ,

oth e rs .

Th e y also name to us the books of th e S ibyls ,

which so far as th e y are discover e d t h e y say ar e

, ,

ll e d with summary rules for well gov e rn i ng man -

kind and direct i ng a due homa ge to th e gr e at G od

, .

But l e t us look through all this G od for wis e .

,

ends d i d not think t to acc e pt thes e little emana

,

tions of natural light or to r e veal himself to th e

,

persons how eve r sincer e th e y may be said to be in

the pursuit of divine l i ght as th e n they wer e l e ft
,

to the dim and dusky Shadows of natural reasonin gs

only so it appe a red that those natural r e asonings
,

were not sufcient to inform th e m i nd of man c o n

c e rning G od ; but that when th e y had done all for ,

want of further illuminations the Devil was su ffe r e d ,

to chop in and confound all th e ir bri ght e st id e as of

,

worsh i p with a horrid rhapsody of compl i cat e d

,

idolatry .

This v e ry obser v a t ion is su fcient o r at least it ,

mi ght b e e xpect e d that it S h ould be sufc i ent to ,

crush th e not i ons which o u r m ore polit e gentlemen

now advanc e in favour of the study o f m agic as an
, ,

a rt or science only ; they contend that the word

magic is gr e atly m i staken and th at w e do no t u m
,

d e r s t an d what w e sp e ak of t h at magic is nothing

e lse but a rece i ved w e ll guided way o f th i nk i n
g
-

and acting ; th at i t is tr u ly the science of r e e ct i on ,

and th e art o f making a r i ght j udgm e nt o f th i n gs ,

by gi v ing e v e ry obj ect howev e r d i stant i ts du e

, ,

we i gh t ; thinking of things according to t he tru e

8 M
. . O
1 94 A S Y ST EM OE MAG I C .

rate of them ; that the huma n j udgmen t is in it

self infallible and therefore in some manner equal
,

to the Divine Being ; a ligh t issued from heaven ,

a n d d a rted by emanation into th e souls of men ;

which if rightly cultivated and improved an d espe

, ,

c ially if Sincer e ly followed adhered to and obeye d , , ,

guid e s the soul to understand th i ngs In a superior

way this th e y s ay is magic : th e very word which
, ,

int i mat e s a superior and divine knowl e dge leads to

.
,

un d erstand what it me a ns ; and this say they , ,

duly foll owed would from the beginn i ng have made

,

men be as the s e rpent told them they Should be

, ,

viz like gods knowing good and evil

.
, , .

N ow these n e spun notions or im agin ations I

-

sa a r e full y answered by taking notice tha t there

y
, ,

is a pp ar ently no such infallibility in man s j udg

ment unless a ssisted by a y et higher an d superior

,

degree o f illumination ; that is t o s ay unl e ss G od , ,

th e author of all perfect and complete illumin a tion

should add to it the revelation of himself and of ,

his mind and will giving the man rules and laws,

for his further illumination a nd for the direction o f ,

himsel f .

This appe ars in the partic ul a r mentioned above ,

n amely that notwithstanding man s infallible j udg
,

m ent l e d him t o the knowledge of a divine being ,

and that th e r e was a great rst caus e innite , ,

e t e rnal and superior b e caus e prior to all being an d

, , ,

that this rs t b e ing h a d a right to the hom a ge a nd

ob e di e nce o f his creatures yet till G od by revela ,

tion direct e d it all the p e rfe ct i on of human j udg

,

ment could never lead mankind to a right know

ledg e of the worship and homage this great being
r e quire d Bu t they sunk down in t o idolatry wor
.
,

shipping many gods a n d im ag e s the representa , ,

tions of gods ; and in a word into the grossest and ,

dullest conception s of things relating to their deit i es ,

such as one would think i t w a s impossible human

 A SY STE M O E MAG I C 1 95 .

j ud gm ent und e r any m a nner of improvement

, ,

could fall into ; things unworth y of Go d nay n u , ,

worthy of m e n Hence they made th e ir Jupiter .

,

thoug h th e y call e d h i m the fath e r o f gods and

men a horrid picture of ungovern e d lust a ravager
, ,

o f the world ravishing innocence and virtue trans

, ,

forming himself into divers shap e s to Obtain h i s ,

v icio u s desires ; a s into a white bull to carry away ,

E uropa ; into a golden shower to fall into th e lap ,

o f Danae and the l i ke , H e r e is the picture of in .

fallibl e human j udgmen t ! Wonder no more that at

l a st it c a rried them all headlong in t o the arms of the
Devil and not only t o be ignor a nt of t he worsh i p o f
,

th e true God but to pay th e homage they owed to

,

their M aker to him who was their d estroyer and

,

e n e my .

Thus Numa with all his sincerity and piety r e

, ,

sol v ed all his id e as into a confu s e d mass of idola

trous c e remoni e s adorning the priests forming n e w , ,

or d e rs a nd degrees of his clergy ; and in a word , ,

draw ing a sch e me of pompous paganism ; est ablish

i ng games and inhuman gh t in gs of gladiators
, ,

rac e s a nd exercis e s for sport in honour of th e ,

gods : b e sides crowding th e city with t e mples and

altars to innumerable a nd unknown d e iti e s ; s o
,

that in a word after he had acknowledged that

, ,

th e re was a supr e me power a Go d of all t he earth , ,

a great rst cause o f life and to whom all homag e ,

was due I say after a ll th ese sublime ide a s he yet

, , ,

sunk down into the gross e st of all i dolatries th e ,

worshipping imaginary gods deifying the s t ars of ,

heaven and o ffe ring sacr i c e s building temples

, , ,

dedicating pri e sts and making vows t o stocks and ,

ston e s the work of their ow n ngers and th e i dols

, ,

o f th ei r own brain .

Will any o n e think w e wrong th e pagan in st it u

t i ons m u ch less the institutors to s ay that th e
, , ,

Devil had a nger in all this ? Does not S atan in

O2
1 96 A S Y S T EM OE MAG I C .

policy su ffer a n appe a rance of vir t ue a nd piety to

b e s e t up to mock the world into true dev i l wor
,
-

sh i p ? H ow could he set hims e lf up t o be worshipped

as a god and how could he make himself t ruly the
,

god o f this world if he did not enj o i n to his wor

,

shipp e rs at least se e mingly some forms of life and

, , ,

appearing principl e s agreeable t o the rules of virtue

,

and honour ? It is by th i s that in general he h as

carried o n the delusion and this as I may s ay h as
, , ,

been the magic of his art a s well a s the ar t of his ,

m ag i c .

T h e Roman s were the mos t civilized heathens

th a t th e world ev er saw ; th e ir governmen t had in
i t all the appearance of j ustice and moderatio n ;
th e y honour e d and rewarded v irtue and honour ,

lo ve to o u r country cour a g e gallan t ry : how did

, ,

they crown those that sav e d a citizen give t riumphs ,

to those that had conquered their enemies give ,

priz e s to those who exc e ll e d in the most commend

a ble things ! H ow did they honour c hastity in
th e ir vest al virgins ; t emperance eloquenc e learn , ,

in g and philosop h y in the persons of those that e x

,

celled a nd e r e c t st atues t o their memory when

,

dead !
Y et all this while th e ir r e ligion was devil worship ; -

their au gurs and southsayers and the priests of ,

th e ir temples and oracl e s were diviners mag i cians , , ,

wizards and in th e v ery l e tter of it d e alers with the

, , ,

Devil and that in the worst s e nse ; all their sacri

,

ce s and th e ir institution of games for appeasing

, ,

th e angry go d s wer e th e most horrid a nd barbarous

,

p i eces of ignoranc e or h ell ish cru elty and brut ality

, ,

that could b e imagin e d e ven som e times to human,

sacr i ces ; and in all thos e excesses of their devo

tion th e Devil led them on blind e d by s t rong de
,

lu s ion s to such performances (in order to appease ,

th e wrath of H e av e n ) as were unworthy of G od in

, ,

consis t en t with his n at ure a s a bountiful b e n e ce n t

,
 A S Y STE M O E MAG I C 1 97 .

being a s a fountain o f goodness and mercy in

, ,

n it e ly compass i onat e to his creatures ; and who

co uld n ot tak e pleasure in those things w hi ch w e r e

inj urio u s to mankind in ord e r to b e reconcil e d to
,

th e m or be paci e d by d e stroying thos e whom i t

,

was h is glory to save an d prot e ct .

All th e wh i le that th e y e rect e d temples to j ustic e ,

to honour to virtu e and to p e ace th e y studi e d all

, , ,

possible ways by war and blood to amass tr e asur e s

, , ,

and enlarge their e mpire until as th e R om an h i s, ,

tori e s confe ss th e y left no nation unsubd u e d ex

, ,

cept such as they found it n ot in their pow e r or ,

worth th e ir whil e to conquer ; that is to say such

, ,

a s th e Parthians who were too pow e rful for t h e m to

,

conqu e r and S O poor when conqu e r e d as not to b e

, ,

worth th e a t t e mpt or the In dians and E thiopians ,

who though rich yet w e r e so remote and fe nc e d by

, ,

wid e unpassabl e d e serts and protected by the ex

,

c e s s iv e h e at of the climat e so that it was n ot in

,

th e ir power to assault them Th e ir arm i es wer e .

not able to endure th e march through the Libyan

sands or over th e mountains and v ast wat e rs of
,

India under or n e ar th e equinox and wher e there

, ,

was nothing to sh e lt e r or relieve them under t he

excessive and viol e nt force of th e sun .

All the r e st of th e world as I h av e said they , ,

continually invad e d an d subdu e d and matt e r e d n ot ,

the reason and j ust i ce of the war i f th e r e ward of ,

the ir treasur e s and t h e advantage o f governing

,

them was apparent

, .

Thus Cae sar in v aded th e G auls the H elvet i ans , ,

the Ge rmans with out any j ust pr e t e nc e of makin g

,

war exc e pt only that o f conqu e st plunder and

, , ,

dominion What pretenc e of war had the Romans

.

aga i nst a quiet a remote an ino ffe nsive nat i on as

, , ,

th e Britons certa i nly wer e ? Th e y neither o ffe r e d

to disturb the Roman government or w e re in con ,

dit io n t o do i t ; h aving no knowledge o f arms

 1 98 A S Y ST EM OE MAG I C .

equal to any such attemp t no alliances or cor ,

r e spondence with any o f the Romans enemies n o ,

Ships t o traverse the ocean a nd make t hem t e r ,

ribl e .

N othi n g called Cae s a r over hither t o invade the

innoc e nt Britons bu t thirst o f glory and e nlar g
, ,

ing dominion ; a principle imbibed from the tyran

n i c n ature of th e D evil ; to rais e human glory ,

no t by d e eds t ruly gr e at n ot by virt uous actio n s

, ,

but by destroying and insulting the weak in pre

sumpt i on of strength and by shedding blood t o
,

t riumph ov e r the wr ongs a nd oppression o f their

fellow creatures
-
.

An d what w as the rew a rd of Caesar s a mbition

and thirs t of glory ? a conquest indeed he gained ;

but of what and for whom ? a conques t o f inno
,

cence an d a conques t for the Devil ; the fruit of

,

which w a s t hus to be summed up : They rst an d ,

last destroyed two millions some think ve or s ix

, ,

mi llions of the inhabita nts ; they spilt also an

,

ocean of Roman blood ; e ighty thousand Romans

were killed at one tim e by the gallant queen Boa
dic e a a t Cam al od u n u m now M alden in E ssex an d
, ,

a fter a possession of above s ix hundred years they ,

were forc e d t o ab a ndon it with infamy a nd sc a ndal ,

and so e nded just where they began .

Whence was all this but from the Devil ? whose

,

go v ernment of the world had this m agic indeed

al ways in it that it spread cru e lty and tyranny in
,

all par t s founded dominion in blood an d m a de the

, ,

world a th e at r e of rapin e and violence .

This w a s the s e cret magic of his government ,

and ye t this was always carried on under th e mask

o f j ust i ce peace and religion ; that is to say
, , ,

avar i ce w as j ustic e an d to gain th e plund e r of a

,

nation was a sufci e nt prete n ce to quarrel with and

subdue i t : conquest then brought peace that is t o
sa when r a pine or sl a ugh t er h a d impove r ished or
,y
 A SYS TE M OE MAG I C . 1 99

extirpated a peopl e then the Romans gav e th e m

,

peace and prot e cted th e remnant ; and a s to rel i

,

gion th e substance of it w a s as above cruelty and

, , ,

superstition .

This is the sum of th e Roman polity and of the ,

methods taken in a government a n d by a people

who as abo ve are said to be the most civiliz e d of
, ,

al l the pa an nations and governm e nts in the world

g
and this i n a word; s e rves to O pen the e yes of pos
,

t e r ity and betrays the De v il s conspiracy against

,

mank i nd in th e openest manner possible Th e .

magic of h ell d i sco v ers its e lf here that und e r th e ,

specious pr e tenc e of j u st gov e rnm e nt and und e r th e ,

fam e of a civilized n ati on gov e rning th e mselves and ,

th e world by the rul e s of j ustic e and v i rtu e a loos e ,

was given to all manner of barbarisms cruelty , ,

blood and oppr e ssion

, .

It is clear in so many exampl e s that I need s ay ,

no mor e to explain it that the Roman gov e rnment ,

an d the Roman religion was all founded o n a d i abo

l ic al r e gimen and was mainta i n e d by t h e magic

,

an d art i ce of the Dev i l and his instruments ;

which instruments were chi e y th e priests of the
idol templ e s and worship who by th e subtlety of ,

th e ir arts (religious art the worst sort of magic ) ,

made such d e ep impressions o n the minds o f th e

d e luded world that not th e common sort only not
, ,

th e vulgar or as we s ay th e canaill e th e m ob
, ,

and rabbl e of th e p e ople cam e into it and belie v ed , ,

th e lying wonders ; but the learned world the ,

philosophers th e poets men of t h e most exquisit e

, ,

parts and t h e most polite knowl e dg e nay o f th e

, , ,

noblest principl e s of v i rtue an d who had th e most ,

rened id e as o f j u stice and honour e v en th e se all ,

ca m e into th e delus i on s of th i s black art b eli eve d , ,

a n d as I may say r e l i shed th e witchcraft and delu

, ,

sions of the mag i c i ans and sorc e r e rs and were ,

ta ke n wit h their lying won d e rs : even t he Cat o s

,
2 00 A S YS T EM OF MAG I C .

the Tully s t h e gr e at and th e great e s t heroes philo
, ,

soph e rs scholars it was all on e th e y wer e sw al

, , ,

low e d up by the arts o f the magicians and south

s ay e rs nay th e ir kin gs stooped to deal in thi s
,

black a r t themsel v es Romulus th e foun der of the .

,

City o f Rom e and the rst fath e r even of the Roman

n am e was h i ms e lf a southsay e r ; that is to say a
, ,

magicia n a diviner or enchanter in plain E n glish

, ,

a d e al e r with th e D ev il an d th e gr e at prop agator of ,

the infe rn al art ; I say th e great propagator of it , ,

fo r h e was the rst that instituted the augurs in t h e

pagan worship and as I said hook e d in the m agi
, , ,

c ian s in t o the ir religion making all th e wizards and ,

conj ur e rs pri e sts ; though I must insist upon it n ot ,

Romulus Numa or th e Devil hims elf could m ak e

, , ,

all the pri e sts co njur e rs n o not to this day , ,

.

S om e have b ee n of opinion that Numa Pompil i us ,

who I hav e said was Sinc e rely inclined to r e ligion ,

as it was Simply unders t ood to b e a m e re homag e

due from man a creature to Go d th e Crea t or that ,

he acted from a sinc e r e princ i ple and that he wen t ,

furth e r towar d s establishin g t h e true rel i gion than ,

any pagan in the world ev e r did b e fore h i m .

But they add h e was lost for want of rev e aled

,

light : that having d etermined by th e l i ght of h is

reason that th e re was a Go d and that h e was t o b e ,

worshipped but no t knowing h ow o r in what man

,

ner that worship was to be directed and n ot bei n g ,

able to nd ou t by his utmost search what worship

would b e acceptable he sunk into idolatry an d ,

polyth e ism as the only patt e rn that was befor e h im ;

,

wit h this addition that having thus taken h is ris e

,

from a wrong beginning his d e vout te mp e r hurried ,

him on in t o all th e e xtr e m e s o f idolatry and pagan

ism until a t l e ngth he cam e into this very m i schi e f
,

I am Speakin g of; I m e an m a gic sorcery and deal , , ,

ing with familiar spirits that is the D e vil , , .

T his is j us t wh at I h a d s a id alre a dy ; b u t it is
 A SYS T EM OE MAG I C . 20 1

mos t cert a in that though at rst they ac t ed upon

,

some foundation o f natural principl e s or if you ,

pleas e princ i ples of natural religion y e t th e y aft e r

, ,

wards run furthe r into this sorc e ry and south saying ,

and that with such an uni ve rsal gust of incl i nation ,

that it b e came a chief part of th e ir r el i gion ; and

th e re were v e ry few of the i r great m e n na y even of , ,

th ei r kings and e mp e rors but what were m ag i cians

,

themsel ve s ; and s ome of them if not all of th em , ,

took it for a part of th e ir imp e rial t i tl e s and a badg e ,

O f th e ir honour to b e called Pontife x M aximus and

, ,

som e times appear e d i n th e robes of a s acr ic e r and ,

Of this o r that ord e r of th e pri e sts as they thought ,

t ; unt i l at l e ngth unsu ffe rabl e pr i de and insolenc e

le d them to acc e pt of d iv ine honours thems elv e s to ,

l ay aside th e pr ie st and assum e that o f a god

,

placing th e msel v es so abov e t h e s acr i ce r as to ,

s u ffer th e mselves to b e sacriced t o : but this went

but a littl e way .

At length th e Christian religion in spite of p e r ,

s contion and obstinate resistanc e both from th e ,

Jews as well as the pagans b e gan to spread its elf in,

th e world and as Chr i st hims e lf says that he came ,

to d e stroy th e works of the Devil so it app e ar e d ; ,

for immed i at e ly th e glori e s of the pagan superstition

b e gan to fade their oracl e s c e ased th e pr ie sts h e
, ,

cam e dumb ; and th e De v il n ot abl e to carry o n ,

the cheat any furth e r thr e w it up the augurs and

,

southsay e rs ed from th e fac e o f the Christian d oc

trin e and from the preaching o f t h e apostl e s and
,

th e ir succ e ssors as not abl e to exerc i s e t he ir sorce

,

ries and d ivi nations no not so much as in th e pre

, ,

senc e o f th e Christian ministers .

W e hav e two r e markable instances of this in th e

sacred t e xt ; o n e is A cts xi i i 7 when bein g at th e.
,

isl e of Cyprus E lymas th e s orcer e r ventur e d to

,

withstan d S t Paul wh e n he preac h ed the word of

.
,

G od to S ergius P a ulus the governor bu t for the ,

 2 02 A S Y STE M OE MAG I C .

audacious att empt was struck blind by the m ir acu

lo u s word of the blessed apostle s o being made an ,

ins t r u men t to conrm the governor in his faith and ,

complete the conv e rsion which th e conj uring wr etc h

sought to oppose ; ver 1 2 Th e d ep u ty w h e n h e
.
, ,

saw w h a t w a s d o n e , b e lie v e d , b e ing as to n is h e d a t th e

do c t r in e of th e Lo r d .

T h e other instanc e is in Acts xix 1 9 where in .

,

de e d ther e is a doubl e e v idence rst of the pow e r ,

of the Chr istian doctrine pre vailing ov e r the m a gic

a nd diabolic arts th e n in practice ; and secondly , ,

o f the prodigious increase o f those magical delusions

amon g th e Roman s howev e r wise and polite a peo

,

pl e th e y were The story is Short and fully to the

.
,

p u rpose : S t Pa ul preaching at E phesus m a de a

.
, ,

wonderfu l progress in converting the pagans o f th a t

gr e at city to the Chr istian faith S ome histories tell
, .

us he converted o n e hundred thousand people there

and in th e country adj ac e nt but that by the way
in a word the text says ver 1 7 th e n a m e of th e
, ,
.
,

Lo r d J e s u s w a s m a gn ie d An d how but by this .

,

eminent victory ov e r th e Devil ? For (b e sides the

conquest o f the e xorcists who wen t about to cast
o u t a de v il by their conj urings and spells
) the ma
i i n s th e mselves were converted by Paul s pre a ch

c a
g
ing and that to a prodigious number of th e m ; ver
19 M
.
,

e m w h ich u s e d c u r iou s a r ts
, an
y f
a lso o t h ,

b r ough t th e ir b o oks t oge th e r , a nd b u r n e d th e m b e

f o r e a ll m e n a n d t h ey c o u n t e d the
p f
r ice o t h e m ,

a nd
f o u n d it
f y
t t h ous a nd
p i ece s o
f s ilver Wh a t
a h e ight m u st the black art of the D e vil be come t o
at that time that th e books which were to be found
,

in that o n e city should amount to such a sum of

mon e y ! I give this a ccount as I have said to let , ,

you see to what an extravagant h eight the Devil had

carried this matter ; and how and in what manner
he supported his interest in the world But I must .

go b a ck to t he begin n in g of t hings wher e I left off , ,

 A SYS TEM O E MAG I C 2 03 .

viz a t the i nstitution of the augurs who were for

.
, ,

some ag e s th e e ngrossers of al l th e se delusions in

the R oman empir e .

The augurs were a sort of Rom a n priests who ,

pretend e d to foretell events by om e ns by the chat ,

t e ri n g of birds howling of dogs a nd oth e r uncouth

, ,

noises o f any kind in the air : th ey were e r e ct e d in

to a society and formed in a coll e ge or hall by the
,

king s speci al order ; th e number at rst was but
three o n e b e ing taken from every Roman tribe ;
,

and wh i le they wer e thus fe w t he dignity was very ,

v aluable and it was highly est e em e d among even

,

the p at r icii and nobility S ervius Tullius increas e d .

their number to four and caused th e m t o be taken ,

only from th e nobility : aft e rwards ! u i ntu s a n d

Cae neus Age llin u s obtained that ve mor e should
be added to th e ir number and should be chose n ,

o u t of th e
p l e b e ii or common p e ople S o a mbitious .

were the Rom a ns of this diabolical preferment and ,

s o much honour had the Devil s immediate servants

in the world ; nay upon this increase of their num ,

b e r to nine the go v ernment was so resolute against

,

l owering the price o f that reverenc e and est e em

they had among the p e opl e that th e y passed a de ,

cre e against increasing their number any more .

How e ver Sylla o n e of the most bloody and cruel

, ,

tyrants o f h is tim e that he might accord i ng to cus

, ,

t om j oin hi s car e of religion to h is thirst of blood

, ,

added s ix m or e ; so that n ow th e ir number wa s

fteen The eldest wh e ther in y e ars of longest
.
,

standin g in order ( I am n ot positive which ) w a s

,

made father or presi d e nt of t he college and had t h e ,

imm ed i ate direct i on of all the rest .

Th e ir privileges lik e their institution were ex

, ,

orbitant ; for th ey w e re never t o b e d e posed or ex

p e l l e d n o n o t for any crime how great soever nor
, , , ,

th e ir plac e s lled up by anoth e r .

N B Cr ime did not r ender t he Devil s a gents

. .

2 04 A SYST EM OE MAG I C .

scandalous in their profe ssion bu t r ather the , ,

wickeder th e y were the tter for the pri e sthood or ,

augurate How far th e same maxim may hold in

.

som e of the sacr e d or d e r in the world at th is time ,

if I was of their number I Sho ul d not vote to h ave ,

it examined .

An d now for the ceremoni es of the au gur s trade ;

for w e must not e that th e art magic had always

,

abundance of dark and uncouth usa ges att e nding

it as it has to this day ; raising th e Devil was not
,

done with a whistle like calling a dog ; or with a ,

h e ck o f the head or hand as we beckon to ser ,

v ants whe n we call them s i l e ntly to come near us

th e D e vil kne w very well that his a ffair mus t b e

clothed with ceremony or it would not t ake with ,

the world o r at least would not hold long in it

, ,
.

T h e pagan rit e s were in deed loaded with burden

some cer e monies ; all the D ev il s worship was lled
with conj urings and m u tterings strange gestur e s , ,

a gitations ecstacies and I know not h ow many dis

, ,

t or t in gs of the limbs and count e nances wild p r ac ,

t i ces and fr i ghtful nois e s that ll e d the people with ,

terror and with a kind of awful horror at the ma

,

j esty of th e ir go d s .

The augur s Observa t ions were attended with a
gr e at v ariety of those things as the appar a tus t o ,

their visions o r whate ve r els e th e y wer e to be called

,
.

The aug u r rst placed himself upon a high tower

l ike o n e of o u r observatories and perhaps th e tower ,

erect e d upon a high hill as upon t h e M ons Palatinus ,

in Rome : here h e s e at e d h i ms e lf in the clearest

day or in a starlight n i ght to obs e r ve wh a t came
, ,

by him or in h i s Sight by day or wh a t he might

, , ,

hear o r se e by n i ght .

He hel d in h i s hand a litu u s th at is a crooked , ,

s ta ff with which he us e d a great many wild ges

,

tur e s a n d mot i ons ; and he had o n his gr ave

Iwn a t h a t is his s ou ths ayi ng gow n or m a n tle : he
, ,
 A S YS T EM OE MAG I C . 2 05

placed himself always with hi s face t o the east ,

and at his rst xing h is station h e u tt e r e d certain

sent e nces and exotic barbarous words wh i ch none ,

knew th e mean i ng of but the Devil and himsel f .

B e ing thus s eat e d and xe d as I have said he , ,

qu arters ou t the heav e ns or hemisphere rather , ,

into four parts or regions e ach quarter having b e ,

forehand such and such predictions a ssigned to it

if it was day then b e was to mark ev e ry bird that
,
'

r ose up or cam e y i ng by o r towards him ; which

, ,

Of the said four quart e rs he rst app e ar e d in and ,

th e n killing his sacric e s and mutt e ring o ve r cer

,

tain sentenc e s j oin i n g som e pet i tionary speech e s to

,

such or such a deity ' or d e mon rath e r (which, ,

speech e s were called e a ta ) he then proceeded to ,

divination .

If it was in the night h e Observed in th e like ,

mann e r any ery meteor any ying or Shooting ,

res any sudd e n vapour (as the ni gh ts are full of

, ,

such things ) or any cloud eclipsing the light of any

,

particular plan e t or star o f the rst magnitude ; and

t hen he proceed e d in the same manner only with ,

some part i cular words and mutt e rings as regarded ,

the sev e ral appearances respectively .

In th e nigh t i t was sa i d th ey had the company

, ,

of several Sp i rits assist i ng them a nd communicating ,

to th e m th e knowledge of the thi ngs th e y desired .

Th e ir divinations w er e arbitrary and positive nor ,

durst any man ask or inquire of th e m the reason of

w h at t he y pr e d i ct e d or h ow they c a me to k n ow that
,

i t would or should b e so and so A provision I .

,

must co n fe ss very prud e nt in the priests and which

, , ,

as th e cas e has stood with some of th em would be ,

v e ry much to th e ir convenience to this day as I ,

shall Show in its plac e .

By this taking such a kind of s tate upon them ,

they politicly pr e s e rved th e rev e rence and e st ee m of

th ei r order and imprint ed a kind o f aw e in th e
,
2 06 A SYST EM O E MAG I C .

minds of t he peopl e concerning no t the holiness of ,

th e ir persons only (though t hat wen t a great way )

, ,

b u t concerning the divine mysteries as t hey w e re ,

called which wer e put into their h a nds ; a nd they

,

were looked upon as persons to whom th e gods had

committed the most secret things that wer e other ,

wise known only to themselv e s and were communi ,

c a t e d to th e a u gurs favouri t es of the gods for t he

, ,

good of m ankind .

A learned author speaking of this mys t e r y of ,

southsaying says i t came rst from the Chal deans

, , ,

wh o taught it to the G reeks of whom Amphiar a us ,

was a n eminen t procient ; bu t he mentions nothing

of who taught it the Chaldeans in which I believ e ,

my a ccount is the most authentic ; n a m ely that ,

the Devil t aught it to the Arab I have mentioned ,

o r to some o t her if a ny was before him ; that these

,

ga ve it to th e E gyp t i a ns and Chalde a ns and Phoe , ,

n ic ia n s much about the same time ; and th a t th e

,

Ph oe nicians taught it the G reeks th e ir prince Cad

mus being an eminent southsay e r : a nd s o yo u se e
its blessed original .

In a word as it is a particul ar famili arity with

,

the D e vil and depends entir ely upon his assist a nce
, ,

s o nobody can contend that he w a s not th e rst in

t r o du c e r of it as an art ; Since as I O bs e rved h e , ,

might e asily begin a corr e spondence with man but ,

it was utterly impossible that men sh ould begin a

corr e spondence with him or know where t o nd ,

h i m and how to call him to their assistance what

, ,

e ver the occasion might b e witho u t his direction , ,

assist anc e and cons e nt

, .

A S to the i ntroducing it from o n e natio n to an

other it may ind e ed b e som e thing di f c ul t to assign
,

the manner ; but as to the mere divining upon th e

ying of b i rds upon noises and app e arances in the
, ,

a ir the chattering of pi e s the croaking of frogs and

, ,

ravens and the like I t ake much of t h at t o b e

, ,
 A SYST EM OE MAG I C . 07

m er e juggl e a nd legerdemain of the pries t s and

augurs ; and they ha v e carried on the j ugglin g
trade to a great perfe ction in the same country t o
this day ; (stand cle a r Dominicans o f which ,

hereaft e r .

But n ow for a downright convers e with the Devil

, , ,

I don t understa nd that S atan ever tied himself
down by articles that n ot only such an d such a ,

man as my Arab or Ali Al b r ah a z e n of whom I ,

-

hav e spok e n Should b e abl e to call him up wh e n

,

th ey pleased by such and such forms c e remonies

, , ,

v o i c e s and sounds but that to whomsoe v er th ey

should communicat e th e same tok e ns or watch ,

words t hey Should hav e the same power and th at

, ,

t h e v e ry words should call him or his a gents up t o

an appearanc e whoe v er made use of them, .

Th i s would have b e en to ha v e t he De v il bind

himself pr e ntice to th e m a n d th e ir h e irs for e v e r ;
and to hav e chain e d hims elf down galley slav e lik e ,
-
,

to the sound o f th e words wh i ch I take to be qu i t e ,

wide of t he cas e ; nor would it s e rv e his d e s i gns ,

for the Devil lov e s to know his a ge nts and n ot be ,

a t the call of e very boy b e cause p e rhaps h i s grand ,

mother told him the words which Sh e us e d to r a is e

the De v il with or because the D ev il and she had
,

agre e d upon the matt e r But no doubt S atan who .

,

is c e r tainly the author of all th i s kind of mag i c and ,

w h ich ther e for e and for that v e ry r e ason i s called

b y his nam e diabol i c
- I say n o doubt as he is th e
, , ,

only t e ach e r of th e art so h e teaches it imm e diat ely ,

by hims elf ; that is h e mak e s m e n magicians and , ,

wizar d s and makes Old women witch e s (ay an d

, , ,

yo u ng too ) by an imm e diate conv erse and contract

,

w i th th e m only and betw e en t he m and h i msel f

, .

Nor does he stick at th e pa i ns of b e ginni n g an e w

w ith e very person and i n ev ery country ; and t hi s ,

is the r e ason why t he black art as we r i ght e ously

e ntitle it is not the sam e in all countries nor i s
,

, ,
2 08 A S Y ST EM OE MAG I C .

the Devil talked to in th e same words for then all ,

the witch e s and magicians o f every nation m ust

l e arn the sam e language ; but on the contrary a s ,

th e D e vil talks all languages when he pl e as e s s o ,

he talks to every o n e of hi s discipl e s in their own

mother ton gue and directs th e m to do the same to
,

h im s o that a R oman wizard call s h i m up in

Latin ; a Tuscan conj u rer in Italian ; a High G er

man doctor makes his c i rcles and casts h is gures , ,

and talks magic to him in the suitabl e tongu e called

High Dutch ; th e second sighted Highlander in Ir s
-

and the Lancashire lady in E nglish .

S o propitious s o civil so wel l mann e red is S at an

, ,
-

to all his drudges and devotees that he to put them , ,

to as little trouble as possibl e stoops to harken to ,

their summons as they think t to expres s them

,

sel v es in their own or any language Nay though

, .
,

the magicians sometimes form a c an t of th e ir o w n ,

by wh i ch they amuse their clien t s y e t th e ir famili a r ,

fri end tak e s it in good p art and converses with ,

them in th e ir own way .

E ven the poor Indians p a w waw with him in the -

l anguag e of t h e most northern America the Bani a ns ,

in t he languag e o f the E ast Indians the islanders o f ,

Amboyna in th e languag e of the Celebes and M oluc

c a s and th e Chinese in tha t of G rand T art ary
,
.

The magicians s e em t o ac t in this p art as if the ,

Devil cond e scended to them n o t they to him but ,

then th i s mak e s it e vident that h e convers e s per

,

s on all
y with them all that , he mak e s h i s bargains
and agreem e nts with them always s e parat ely i n all ,

places and in all lan guag e s wher e as i f he gave

, ,

th e m a gen e ral comm i ss i on to empower others t o

divin e e n c h ant and raise t h e Dev il or ev i l Spirits
, , , ,

t h e y m u st all und e rstan d o n e uni ve rsal language .

Th e sum of th e matter is th i s ; the D evi l as a ,

learned author says has thr ee ways by which h e

,

c a rries o n his kingdom in the world and by which ,

 A S Y STEM OE MAG I C . 2 09

he works a ll his wond e rs which amuse a nd dec e iv e ,

them .

1 By m ov i ng th e a ffe ctions a n d thoughts of men

.
,

wheth e r Sl ee ping o r waking and this as i t resp e cts ,

his causing them to dr e am on any occas i on as he

thinks t is o n e v ery consid e rabl e bran ch o f h i s
,

p ow e r .

2 By his exquisite kn owledg e o f natur e by

.
,

which h e turn s th e causes o f things to his o wn pur

pos e s and ofte n brings to pass su ch events as su i t
,

with h i s particul ar occasions .

3 By illusion and fr au d imposing upon the

.
,

senses binding an d bl i nding th e und e rstanding and

,

th e e y e s both o f t h e body an d of the minds of

,

will i n gly dec eive d men

-
.

N B An d I may add a fourth which p e rhaps h e

. .
,

was n ot acqua i nt e d w i th in form e r times ; namely ,

by familiar agr e ement compact and contract with ,

the bright men o f t h e times who h e bri n gs o ve r to ,

conv e rse and correspond wit h him and wh o he acts ,

by and allows th e m to play their gam e and h is own

,

toget h er ; and this is mag i c .

Having then e stablished a corr e spond e nce with

man we ar e n ot t o wond e r if, to gratify h i s n e w
,

correspond e nts he empowers th e m to act abundanc e

,

Of strange and unaccountabl e th i ngs in t h e worl d ,

that th e y may by that means obtain a r e putat i on o f

being wiser an d craft i e r than th e ir n e ighbours and ,

m ay also be admired and est ee m e d rst and cous e ,

qu e ntly b e liev e d .

Thes e won d e rs they work by his imme diate h and ,

by h i s power and assistanc e as w e ll as direction ; ,

and th i s I call magic and it is s o in th e worst sense

,
.

To th i s he subj o i ns a power as it may be call e d , ,

over hims elf ; a u thorizing th e magic i ans or c on

u r e r s to summon him in to th e ir aid whenev e r they
j
h a v e occasion for him to demand his presenc e an d
,

assistance when e v e r th e y pl e ase It was said of .

s M
. . P
2 10 A S Y ST EM OE MAG I C .

Hamed an E gyptian sorcerer that he had the Devil

, ,

SO at his command that if he did but dr a w a circle

,

upo n the ground a nd stamp with his foo t in t h e

,

middle of it the D e vi l would app e ar and bring a s

, ,

many devils with him as the magician stamped s e ,

v e ral times on the ground ; and that upon their s o

appearin g he could a gai n send them of such e r
,

rands and for the despatch of such business as

,

he requir e d whether to do good or evil to bring

, ,

o n mischief or to prevent mischief as h e that

, ,

so c all e d h im up pl e ased to direct ; but I d o not

vouch the truth of th e Devil s complaisance in this
p articular nor s e e the reaso n of it
,
.

If the magicians in those anci e nt days h a d such

in u e nce upo n him i t is undoubtedly true that they
,

d id him gre at a nd sign al services for and by it ; or , ,

else S atan who does no t use to disp e nse his favours

,

gr a tis m u st have some secret view in it which they

, ,

o r we have not yet discovered .

This gr e at u s e which t h e D e vil makes of magicians

a nd conj urers is a cert ain discovery that he is con
,

ned by a superior hand in his workings and t hat ,

he can only ac t by stratagem by cunning and craft , ,

n o t by forc e a nd power .

It is r e ported of a sorcerer in Rom e that he ,

could c al l for lightning and thund e r wh e never h e

pl e ased and that t h e Devil wo uld pro d uce it for
,

him ; but that c alling him u p once to pr oc ur e

thunder that should b u rn a house a nd do grea t
, ,

mischief to gratify the wicked design of the con

,

j urer h e told h i m no h e could not gratify his r e

, ,

v enge s o far at least not at that time ; and that the

,

sam e sorcerer did at last confess th a t the Spirit ,

which he convers e d with could Show his pow e r ,

many ways in a miraculous manner bu t could not ,

do a n y mischief by it .

It m ay be tr u e and no doub t is s o that th e ma

, ,

g i c ia n s , were they fully empowe r ed a nd a t liberty , ,

 A SYS T EM O E M AG I C 211 .

would really do more mischi e f than the Devil him :

self had he th e same p ow e r not that th e ir malic e

,

can b e great e r but th e ir pol i cy is certainly l e ss ;

,

and as t h ey do not see so far before th e m as he

does s o th e y do not always s ee into the reason of
,

things and wheth e r it would b e fo r th e common in

,

t e r e s t or n o : for e xampl e ; w e r e the D ev il em

powered to re houses d e stroy famili e s lay wast e , ,

kingdoms he might inclin e to do i t ; b u t his pru

,

d e n t ial s a n d p olit i cs m i ght somet i mes tell him th a t ,

it would be more for his int e r e st to l et it alon e and

so th e magicians l i k e wis e nd it I say for the i r , ,

common inter e st to act by craft and subtl e ty as

,

their mast e r th e D ev il has done b e for e th e m rath e r ,

than by Op e n rage and fury I m e an for th e ir com ,

m on int e r e st as magicians The Devil could with .

,

o u t doubt in the or d inary e x e rcise of h i s power as

,

a spirit burn k i ll d e stroy and in som e sense put

, , , ,

a n end to G od s cr e ation : b u t th i s would n ot an

swer his e nd ; he kn ows his M aker is h i s gov e rnor ,

and could if h e pl e as e d punish him imm e diat ely ,

even as h e e xpr e sses it i n the S criptur e befor e h i s

, ,

tim e : and he knows likew i s e that wh e n he h ad ,

d e s troyed and made havo c o f m ankind G od could , ,

with t he br e ath o f his mouth form a n e w sp e c ie s , ,

and that such a kind as h e should ha v e no power

Ove r ; and th e r e for e it i s not i n short th e D e vil s , ,

i nter e st to mak e that Spo i l in th e world which as ,

an ang el as a pow e rful Spiri t he might do ; and

, ,

e specially if w e supp os e him not t o be chained and

fe tter e d down to sup er ior l i mitations which how , ,

e v e r we know to o u r innit e satisfact i on that he is

, .

In a word th e D e vil s business and all his aim

,

, ,

is n ot to destroy b u t to damn mank i nd n ot to c ut

,

him O ff and put his M ak e r to th e troubl e of a

,

n ew cr e at i on but to mak e h i m a r e b el l i k e h i ms elf;

, ,

and e v e n this he i s fain t o br i n g to pa s s by subtl e ty

a n d art makin g use of man aga i nst man arm i n g
, ,

P 2
2 12 A S YS T EM OE MAG I C .

esh a gains t spirit an d setting natur e in de a nce

,

o f the G od of n atur e ; and this by secretly corre

s on din with some f the worst and vilest abandoned

p g o

wretch e s that h e can nd ; in structing them and ,

teaching th e m his own methods and s o m aking ,

th e m traitors to their own kind ; drawin g them in

to engage with him in ruini n g the souls and bodies
o f ot h ers a n d concerting measur e s with these cor
,

r u t e d instruments whose principles he h rst

p , as

d ebauch e d that t h ey may ac t and do for him and

, ,

in his name all the misch i ef w h ich he nds it is

,

n o t for h i s p u rpos e to do h i msel f .

While he thus li e s behind the curtain himsel f ,

and is n ot se e n or at least n ot publi cly he cor

, ,

responds most pun ctually with these agents em ,

powering and d i recting them by a great varie ty o f ,

hellish a rts a nd contrivanc e s to work wonders ,

amuse a nd impose u pon mankind and carry o n all ,

his a ffairs for h i m An d this is that w e call the black

.

art and so I am com e b a ck to my text

, .

If it be tru e that the De v il is t h e prince of the

a ir then he can form t e mpests in it can poison a nd
, ,

infe ct it s o as that all creatur e s human as w e ll as

, ,

sensiti v e an d vegetable should p e rish in it ; but as ,

he is y e t a prince under limitations and restrictions ,

s o he can ex e rt n o more power than he has ; a nd

wh e n his human agents who are th e r e in worse ,

devils than himself would be for c on agr at ion s, ,

and gen e ral destruction h e wis ely or rath e r c u n , ,

n in l p uts them O ff and d i v e rts them wit h out

gy , , ,

telling th e m or gi v ing them room to think that he

, ,

really has not power h i mself to enable them .

It is impossible to clos e this articl e of the magi

cians power being l imited without an agreeable r e

,

e ct ion upon the mod e rn fu ries o f o u r age your ,

p arty leaders and politic sch e me makers ; what

,
-

merry work they would make in the world if the ,

Devil their he a d engineer was n o t limited and

, , ,
 A S YS TE M OE MAG I C . 21 3

n ot in condition to trust them w i th the power of

doin g mischi e f as t he y d e sire i t .

Perhaps t he s e ns e of th i s lim i tation in th e power

o f their ch ie f corr e spond e nt is o n e r e ason t h at ,

how e ver stud i o u s th e y ar e to do m i sch ie f yet th e y ,

ha v e not so much studi e d the diabol i cal art as t h ey

would oth e rwis e ha v e don e ; in a word th e y are ,

not compl e t e mag i c i ans b e ca u s e t hey se e th e black

,

art is n ot wick e d e nou gh for th e m and they cannot ,

obtain a pow e r b y it to out sin the D e v il -

.

But I com e back to th e art its e lf The artists .

are c e rtainly v e ry h elpful to t h e D e vil as w e ll as ,

th e D evi l to them for as h e is obl i g e d to work by

stratag e m n ot by forc e all h is cunn i ng is e mploye d
, ,

to carry o n h i s kingdom and government i n t h e

world ; and this brings me to t h e r e ason wh y t h e
Devil do e s n o t car e to act i n person i n most cas e s ,

o f h i s adm i n i stration ; but to employ thos e people

whom we call mag i c i ans that t hey m ay act with

,

his full dir e ctions and though w i t h art y e t with

, ,

pow e r also suf c ie nt to stand his ground against all

human opposition .

Und e r the cov e r o f th e se agents h e acts w i th in

nite success by th e ir inuenc e h e carr ie s o n a ll
,

his affairs and e specially those of k i ngdom and do

,

minion in which it i s n ot for want o f i mpud e nce i f

,

h e do e s not ri v al or ind ee d d e th ron e h is M ak e r .

By h i s s e cret correspond e nc e w i th t he m it is t h at
h e lls th e world with s h am wond e rs an d fals e ,

stor i es which b ei ng d e t e ct e d and e xpos e d re e cts

, ,

upon the mag i c i ans not upon th e Devil ; n e ither

,

ind ee d ou ght i t to a ffe ct hi m for that i t is n o t for

,

want of his assistanc e if any Of th e m miscarry but ,

from t h e i r e xp e cti n g mor e from h i m than it is t he

should grant o r th an p e rh aps it is in h is power to
,

grant No wond e r th e n h e is so o fciou s and so

.
,

willing that he runs and go e s and danc e s attend

, ,

ance upon a s e t of ignorant m agici a ns ; I s ay ign o

214 A SYST EM OE MAG I C .

rant excep t only a s h e inst ructs them ; i t is evi

,

d e n t ly becaus e he makes his a dvant a g e of them ,

a n d they act for his account .

It is then apparent that the m agician s are in

,

s t r u m e n t s by wh i ch th e D e vil carries o n his politic

a ffairs in the world . It is time th e n in th e next

,

place to inquire in what manner they perform it,

,

a nd fro m wha t principles th e y act and then we

s h all com e to some historical acco u n t of their me r ry

proceedings in t he world .
 A S YS TE M OE MAG I C . 215

A SYS T E M OF MAG I C .

P ART II .

I N T R OD U C TI O N .

Of th e b la ck a r t its e lf ; w h a t it r e a lly is , w hy t he r e
a r e s ever a l d
if e r in
gp f
r a c t ic e s o it in th e s e v e r a l

e w o r ld, a n d w h a t th os e
p a r ts
of t h p r a c t ice s a r e

a s a ls o, w h a t is c o n ta ine d in it in g e n e r a l .

I H A V E all along till n ow spoken of th e g e n e ral

, ,

c orrespond e nc e o f t he Devil with mank i nd under ,

the head of diabolic magic as a mere intimacy ,

o nly ; I h ave represent e d it as a method whic h

the Devil rst took t o form his interest and ac
,

quaintance with mankin d when h e was drowned ,

o u t o f his kingdom in the O ld world by th e ood .

It is too certai n that the Devil act e d by this

m e thod at rst for th e propagation of h i s ow n
,

design s only and to s e t on foot a new administrat i on

,

o f his a ffa i rs ; it b e ing for many r e asons n o t his

business to act Op e nly and barefac e dly in th e world

a s a D ev il ; but n ow i t is also as appar e nt that after ,

the D e v i l had thus e st ablish e d a corr e spond e nce h ,

soon found man as forward as hims e lf as willing to ,

embark with h im and e ngag e as h e co ul d d e sire ; ,

n ay, s o forward in th e n e w trad e so eag e r for ,

mischi e f so gl ad of b e ing v e st e d with pow e r (though

,

in fernal ) to do it and to grat i fy th os e vil e st of hi s

,

passions en vy rev e n ge mal i c e and str i fe that t he

, , , ,

Devil hi msel f a s is observ e d in the last c h apter is

, ,
216 A SY STE M OE MAG I C .

forc e d to res t rain him a n d g e ntly to diver t his ,

thou ghts to som e less violent and less d e s t ruct ive

methods ; not bein g willing and sometim e s indeed ,

n o t being abl e to act s o much the Devil as these

,

n e w hell r e ag e nts would ha ve him ac t it

-
.

The correspondence b e ing thus settled betwee n

the D e vil and the magician and th e treaties betw ee n ,

th e m Signed rati e d and exchan g e d in form the

, , ,

instrum e n t (man ) is imm e diately fu rnished by the

employ e r ( S atan ) with a ll n ecessary qualications
for h is bu sin e ss and i s compl e t e ly qualied for a n
,

infe rn al mount e bank ; and so h e falls to his j uggling

box an d to showing his tricks his p aw w aw in g and ,
-

conjuring and in a word exercising his new a c

, ,

u ir e m e n t s and hellish talents up on mankind ; a n d

q
this we call and t h a t with a great propriety of
,

sp ee ch the black art

,
.

The brief denition o f wha t we call th e bl a ck ar t ,

that is to s ay as I wo u ld have it b e understood in

,

th e r e st of my discourse is that it is a n e w gener al , ,

term for all the branches o f that correspondence

which mankind has maintain e d or do e s or ca n , ,

carry o n be t w e en hims elf and the D ev il between

,

this and the infernal worl d comprising all the eight

particulars which I m e ntion e d b e fore as th e y ar e ,

taken from the prohibition of them and the d e cla ,

r a tion against th e m in the law of M oses viz , ,

.
,

Di v in i ng the same a s souths aying

, .

O bserving o f times .

Usin g enchantmen t .

Witchcraft .

Charming or setting o f sp e lls

, .

D e aling with fam i liar spirits .

W iz ar d is in g or sorcery though t t o be the s ame

, ,

as witchcraft but mistaken ,

.

Necromancing .

T h e practice of thes e or of any of them or of a ll of , ,

them is wh at we a re t o unders tan d by t his g e ne r al

,
 A SYS T EM OE MAG I C . 217

term the black art ; and as th e se se v eral parts ar e

,

express e d aft e r a di ffe ring mann e r and p e rhaps ,

practis e d in a diffe ring form in se v eral and r e mote

part s of th e world it may be n e c e ssary to giv e a
,

brief descr i ption o f th e m one by on e ; th at so when

we nam e them apart I may yet be rightly under ,

stood and may need no more d i gress i ons for e x plan

,

at i on o f t e rms as I go on .

I Divining A di vi n e r I understand to be th e
'

. .

same a s was anci e ntly call e d a southsay e r ; this is

expressly conrm e d in S cr i ptur e if you will take it s ,

authority for anyth i ng ; A cts xvi 1 6 : A c e r t a in .

d a m s e l p os s e s s e d w ith a sp ir it of d iv in a t io n m e t u s ,

w h ich b r o u gh t h e r m a s te r s m u c h ga in by s oot h
sa in
y g: so that di v ination and so u thsaying is the
same thing .

N B O bs e rve that this divination is here called

. .

a Spirit that is to say t h e D ev il or a devil ; and h e

, , ,

was really in her for it is said Paul cast him ou t of

, ,

her .

This southsaying also as we are to understand it , ,

contained all those lesser p i eces of low priz e d art -

,

called telli n g fortun e s resolving d i f culties nding

, , ,

out and discov e ring secret things and perhaps all

th e j uggling p ar t practised at this t i m e ; a n d that
without any correspondence with th e Sp i rit Python
that Paul cast ou t o r any ot he r sp i rit but that o f
,

fraud and l e gerdemain which the d ivining o r south ,

saying is only made a cov e r to .

2 O bs e rv e rs of tim e s The se I take to be some

. .
,

who by correspondenc e with an e vi l spirit declared

, ,

suc h and such days o r times to hav e a particular

fatality so that n o busin e ss which was und e rt ak e n
,

o n that day could prosp e r ; and this part o f th e

black art m ay take in suc h as carrying on th e study

o f j udicial astrology to th e e xtr e m e and to the gat e s ,

of h e ll ascribe eve n t s o f th i ngs to th e government

,

a nd in uence of the stars a nd th a t inuence t o be ,

218 A S YS T EM OE MAG I C .

s o or s o direc t ed for good or e v il a ccording to the ,

p ar t icular position opposition conj unction or situ a

, ,

tion of thos e stars or plan e ts in di ffering houses ; a s

if th e s e could be the dir e ctors o f th e fate of p e rsons ,

fa milies and n ation s ; and that the e ve nts of thing s

were directed by them and by the Seasons and times
,

o f th e ir stations h e re o r th e re in th e cours e o f their

ordinary motion whether direct or retrograde : in a

,

word th e practice o f j udicial astrology thou gh n ot

, ,

a dealing with or by the help of th e D e vil is

, ,

condemned here as b e ing a plain robbing divine

,

Providence o f it s known glory in dir e cting and dis ,

posing both causes and events in all things relating

t o the government o f mankind o r inde e d o f the ,

whole world an d ascribing that to the poor innocent

,

unconcerned s t ars o r planets which is singly in the

disposition of h im that made them Th e stars and .

planets are no intelligent b e ings ; they have indeed

a veg e t a tive o r activ e l ife but as to knowl edge o r
,

a cquaintanc e o f o r w i th human a ffairs they are ,

e n tir e ly life l e ss bodies utt e rl y incapable of inu e ncing

,

o r directing anything o r o f any mot i on o r action

, ,

other than by the d ir e ction of t h e sam e p ower and

providence which made an d guides them in common
with the rest of th e world .

3 Using enchantments These a r e v ariously de

. .

s cribed by th e ancients ; but to explain it by o u r

modern t e rms of art t his is what we call conj uring ;

,

and th is is certainly performed by th e imm e diate

a gency and assistance of the evil spirit when the ,

magician using these enchantments works by the ,

s ecr e t aid o f the De v il some wonderful thing s o a s ,

t o surprise the behold e rs and make them th i nk the

,

operator is v e sted with supernatur al power and ,

consequently is some extraordinary man Thus .

when S t Paul healed the lame m a n at Lystr a the

.
,

people surprised with th e miracle cried ou t pre

, ,

s en tl
y,
Th e
god s a r e co m e down to us , in the lik e nes s
 A S YS T EM OE MAG I C 219 .

of m e n Thus the
. magicians in Pharaoh s court
mad e frogs turned the water into blood and the
, ,

rods into serpents by their e nchantm e nts that is t o , ,

sa by the imm e diate han d o f th e Devil ; w h o w a s

y
,

permitted it seems to increas e the plagues of

, ,

E gypt doi n g misch ie f b e ing his particular tal e nt

,

but I do n ot r e a d t h at whenever A aron an d M os e s ,

deno u nc e d any of thos e plagu e s th e magici a ns co u ld ,

stop or pr eve nt them ; if th e y could hav e done that

indee d th e y had b e en worth notice but it w as
, ,

quit e otherwise ; for l e st th e y Sh ould boast t o o ,

much of th e ir power th e y w e r e r e stra i ne d and n ot , ,

able to make l i c e though the y had mad e frogs and ,

s e rpents but t h e y w e r e obl i ge d t o acknowledge in

public that th e y w e r e unabl e to do i t that it was
, ,

t he ng e r of Go d and that h e had put a stop to ,

their e nc h a ntments ; in a word i t m ade them a c ,

knowl e dge that accord i ng to an O ld proverb which

, ,

for aught I know is d e rived from thence Go d is , ,

abov e th e D ev il .

4 Witch craft This is ind e ed the bl a ckest part

. .

Of the black art its e lf : I n ee d n ot d escribe it any

further than this that it is a pow e r r e ceived imme ,

d iat e ly from t he D ev il to do m i schief to gratify

r a ge envy malic e r e v e n g e and th e v ilest pass i ons
, , , ,

o f m e n g i v ing it into th e ir hands to b e w i tch m e n

, ,

cattl e plac e s a nd thi n gs ; to burn and destroy

, , ,

tho u gh l i mit e d as hint e d b e fore in man y p ar t ic u

,

lars th e e ffects of this witchcraft we O ften see an d ,

shall s ay mor e to it in its plac e .

This includes person s b ei ng i mm e diat e ly agitat e d

by a n e v i l sp i rit carri e d Oft e n v iol e ntly into the air
,

by the help o f the Devil a n d being abl e to carry ,

away others in th e a ir also ; and not to i n sist upon

all the improbable th i n gs said o f th e m an d said to ,

be done by th e m y e t t h at th e D evi l certainly plays

,

his pranks by those tools som e tim e s in a most e x

t r av a gan t manner I must grant Why i t is gene
, .
2 20 A S YS TE M O E MAG I C .

rally pr a ctised by old women only is a point to b e ,

c onsider e d by itself .

In this article of witchcraft is included what we

call an e vil tongu e an e vil ey e c u rsing b lasting , , , ,

bewitching and abundanc e of hellish things whic h

,

t h e s e creatures are p ermitt e d to practise to the ,

hurt o f those that they poin t their mal i ce aga inst .

5 Charm i ng
. This is c e rta i nly a piece of the
.

black art and consists of di v ers branch e s such as

, ,

setting sp ells drawing circles within which if t h e

, , ,

person to be Operat e d upon s e ts his feet he Shall ,

n ot be abl e to stir o u t of the comp ass o f it without

l e a v e from the charmer ; lik e wis e dozings giving ,

philters potions and h e llish contrivances to c a use

, ,

barrenn e ss impot e nce idiotism lunacy lov e h a

, , , , ,

t r e d and abundance more nam e less wickednesses

, ,

whic h nothing but t h e De v il and father of mischief

co ul d empower th e m to do .

6 Deal i ng with familiar Spirits

. This is wh a t .

was mor e imm e diately proper t o a magician ; I

mean such a diabolical m agician as I have b ee n de
scribing and as th e title e xpr e sses it is an imme ,

diate con v ersing with a devil who always a ttends ,

h im a t his call t o come and go a s he pleases to

, ,

consult with be advised and d i rect e d by and in a

, , ,

word t o do for him wh at ever he the magician de

, , ,

Sires .

Thus we re a d that king M an a sseh dealt with the

D e vil : the text s ays expressly H e u s e d w it ch c r a ft ,

a n d e n c h a n t m e n ts a n d d e a lt w it h a a m ilia r s ir it
, f p .

A n d who could doubt it fro m what followed ? N 0 ,

thing but a man abandoned to h e ll and that had t he ,

De v il at his elbow could have b ee n prevailed with ,

to do what he did which at th a t time was th e most

,

dang e rous pi e ce of impud e nce that ever had been

heard of viz t o s e t a carved im age in the very
,
.
,

temple the house of G od

, .

7 Wi z a rds This some ta ke t o be n o thi ng but

. .
 A S YS T EM O E M AG I C 22 1 .

wh at they c all a man witch but in the prac t ic e it

hat h b ee n carri e d furt her namely to b e o n e that
, ,

consults wi t h the D e vil to give a nswers to diicu lt

,

quest i ons to r e veal an d discover consp i racies a nd

, ,

to govern the great e r things of life ; as to blast or

succ e ed the e nterprises of pr i nc e s and people ; to
t e ll and foretell th e success of such and such nu
d e r t ak in gs and e v en to inu e nce the undertak e rs .

S uch a o n e as this was Baal a m who being famed ,

for a wizard was s e nt for a long way by t he king

,

o f M oab to curs e the camp and army o f th e H e br e ws .

The n orthern word used in o u r ow n country

for this k i nd i s a warlock t he anci e nt import o f
,

which was on e that could giv e good or bad sp ee d

to any un d e rtaking or at l e ast could for e tell wh e
,

ther the thing inqu i red about should succ ee d o r n o .

W e hav e abundanc e of m e rry tal e s scatt e red

abro a d in th e oral tradition o f anci e nt tim e s and ,

among those ancient things call e d old women c on ,

cerni n g wizards : h ow th e kin gs and princ e s us e d

to consult with them b e fore t he y undertook any
great e nterprise They t e ll you in the n orth h ow
.
,

an ol d wizard warned king J am e s IV o f S cotland .

,

who was k ill ed at F lodd e n F i e ld not to pass th e ,

Twe e d with h is army but e ncamp on the northern

,

bank of th e ri ve r and tha t if the E n gl i sh passed th e

,

wat e r of Tw e ed to attack him he S h ould certainly

,

d e fe at and ov e rthrow them ; but that if he fought

on E nglish groun d h e Should lose both his army
,

and h i s l i fe ; which accordingly happene d Th e y .

relate the same of old mother S hipton i n E ngland ,

who thou gh so many fabl es are made o f h e r w a s

, ,

a r e al and known p e rson and was n o t a witch o r

,

a prophet e ss but a warlock o r wizard ; and it is cer

,

tain sh e d i d foretell to cardinal Wols e y his falling

into d i sgrac e at court h is loss of the k i n g s favour
,

a nd his d e ath all wh i ch accord i n gly happen e d

, .

.8 The last of th e s e is a n e cromanc e r a word ,

22 2 A S YS T EM OE M AG I C .

very a ncien t and con t aining indeed the bl a ck art

,

in its full perfe ction this being one who not like ,

the w i zard foretold o r predicted but who whe n the

, , ,

p eople cam e to him would carry th e m to his or i ,

ginals that is to s ay would go to work and bring

, , ,

the Devil up by his art to talk with and do th e ir

busin e ss for th e m himself ; and th i s inde e d migh t
prop e rly be said t o be a teacher of th e black art ,

that is to say not t hat h e could tie the Devil do w n

,

t o app e ar to the p e rson whoever it was that he , ,

took a fe e Of and be at his summons a s h e was b e

,

fore at his the necromancer s own ; but if e ve r any
p e rson had a mind to com e into the wicked class ,

and h a ve a personal confe rence wit h th e Devil In

order to make a bargain with him th e n e cr om an ,

cer s business was to raise th e Devil pr e s e nt the ,

stranger bring them acquainted and then leav e

, ,

the De v il and t h e m a n to agree the matter among

th e mselves .

In a word the n e cromancer (like the famous M r

, .

Whiston of good lying merry memory ) was th e

, , ,

De v il s broker neith e r mor e or l e ss he brings gr i st

,

to the Devil s mill c u stomers to his shop and fur , ,

t h e r s his trad e and his own gain by th e ordinary

method of his employment .

It is t r ue t h e s e blackest of the b lack ar t men

have a gr e at many oth e r things in their practice ,

besid e s that o f brok e ring for th e Devil ; they were

u sed to raise storms wh i rl winds and hurricanes , , ,

by which th e y mad e the mselv e s v e ry te r ribl e to the

people as if it was in their p ow e r to do all t h e m is
,

c h ie v o u s things in th e world : by this th e y brought

in their custom e rs for the p e opl e u sually br i bed,

t hem as the Indian s worsh i p t h e Devil that he m a y

,

do th e m n o harm T he stron g Opinion the common

.

peopl e had o f these men in time p a st was such ,

that they would go to th e m for rain in drought ,

and for fair weather in harv e st for abatement of ,

 A SYS T EM OE MAG I C . 223

oods a nd for protectin g their cattle in ligh t ning

,

and th u nd e r .

T o sum them u p all the d iviner and souths ayer , ,

the j udic i al astrolog e r an d conj urer th e e nchanter ,

and charmer th e w i tch and t h e wizard the necro

, ,

m an c e r and d e al e r with a familiar Spirit all put t o

gether a nd practis e d in their full e st e xt e nt make ,

up this on e black art which I am speaking of in it s

, ;

perfe ction ; and in this sense I am to b e understood

in th e followin g part o f this work .

O nly take a fe w h ints by way of O bs e rvation on ,

this occ asion vi z that th e Devil has some littl e Out

, .
,

liers and sculking operators in t h e world and which ,

he makes gr e at us e O f w hi ch may n ot b e said to ,

c ome und e r a ny of those denomination s ; as parti

c u l ar l ou r s e cond sig h t m e n in S cotland th e
y ;
-

wind merchants i n Norway who s ell fair an d foul ,

weath e r storms and calms a s th e D e vil an d yo u

, ,

can agre e upon a pric e an d as your occasions r e ,

quir e : also i n Lapland Musco v y S iber i a a n d oth e r

, , ,

n orth e rn parts of th e world h e is sa i d to act by ,

di ffe r i ng m e thods and gov e rn his dominion s by a

,

more Open and arb i trary m ethod not pr e scrib e d ,

and limit e d to art an d craft a s h e does h e r e .

W e ha ve also som e n e w practition e rs in m agic

amon g ours e lv e s who d eal with th e D ev il i n a m ore
,

e xalted subl i me way and who for aught I know , , ,

ar e able to teach the D e vil some n e w an d more

accurat e ways o f managing t h e m and th e rest of ,

the world t o o than e ve r he knew before In a

,
.

word inst e ad of i nqu i ring at th e D e vil s oracl e
, ,

and l e arn i n g from h i m I t h ink the D e vil must e v e n

,

com e to sc h ool to th e m ; for as Al ph onsus o f Ca s

t i l e said If G o d Alm i ghty had consult e d with him
,

w h en h e ma d e the world h e could have show e d him ,

h ow to m e n d i t so c e rta i nly if the D evi l had c on ,

s u lt e d thes e g e ntl e m e n i n hi s rst r e b e ll i on t he y ,

m i ght as well tell u s th e y would h av e Shown h i m

,
2 24 A S Y ST EM O E MAG I C .

how t o have m a rshalled his army better and perh a ps ,

not have lost the d ay as he did ; at least they

wo u ld take upon them to giv e him n e w m e asures
for his present and fu ture conduct that so he may ,

rebel against h e av en again whenever h e pl e ases ,

and sha ll b e sure to carry o n th e war (at least de

fe n s iv e ly) with better s uccess th a n ever he did
be fore .

We have also some mod e rn sects of hellish di v i

mity not formerly known no not to th e D ev il him
, ,

s e lf ; wh i ch seem to part ake of the black ar t in a

peculiar manner and which though not contained
, ,

under any of th e e ight h e ads already m e ntioned ,

yet the pro fe ssors clai m to be incorporated among

the Dev i l s graduates and may be j ustly e st e emed
,

me m bers of th e society o f deceivers ; and that t hey

have practised the bl a ck art in a more exquisit e
method than any that ever wen t b e fore th e m ; of
whom and of t h eir art and managem e nt if I may
, ,

O btain a fr e edom of thinking in an articl e of such

i mportance as t h is I may give you a very protable
,

description in the process of this history .

Th e re remains a vacancy too for o u r fri e nds o f

the legend and calendar a mong who m we shall nd
,

certain r e d letter black art m e n who deal w i th the

D e vil under th e s ancti e d vizor of the red hat th e ,

cowl and the tonsure ; among whom I say many

, , ,

ha ve been and many still may be agents o f h e ll in

, ,

t h e most abstracted sense and therefore can n ot be,

d e ni e d to b e practitioners in the black art as ,

e ffe ctually an d to all intents and purp oses as fully

, , ,

as e v er the monks of Lon don or t h e patrons of ,

father J e t z e r and the maid of Kent ; of all which

,

in their order .
 A SYS TE M OE MAG I C . 225

CH AP I . .

Of m od e r n m a g ic, o r th e b la ck a r t as n ow in its
p r a c t ic e a n d
p f
e r e c t io n .

TH E ancient mag i c having by a long succ e ssion of

art and tim e be e n handed down to the G recians ,

and from th e m to t h e Romans we cannot but a c ,

knowledge th at th e y w e nt a gr e at way to th e im
pro v ing it for th ey mingl e d th e bl a ck art so
,

ent i r e ly amon g th ei r rel i g i ous worship that it i s not

to this day poss i bl e to dist i ng u ish b e tw e en the rit e s
and c e r e moni e s of t hei r gods and the enchantm e nts
,

and charms conj urations and divinations im m e di

, ,

a t e ly d i r e cted by th e D e vil .

I have m e nt i on e d som e thing of this alr e a dy in

th ei r augurs and the se ve ral i nstitutions of Rom u
,

lus Numa Pomp il i us and oth e rs ; b u t nothing so

, ,

e ffe ctually disco v er e d th e black art to b e bl e nd e d

w i th th e ir r e l i g i ous r i t e s and th e craft of the De v il
,

w i th th e wors h ip o f th e ir gods as the s e tting up ,

oracl e s giving r e spons e s and sol vi ng doubts as i f

, , ,

by in qu i ry of th e gods : wher e as i nd ee d i t was all

manag e d by th e cr aft of the D evi l and th e ag e ncy ,

of thos e solemn knav e s the pr ie sts ; and th i s I call

e ccl e siast i c magic .

Th e r e was not a littl e knave ry in the s etting u p

th e augurs in the d ivi nat i on s and pr e dictions fro m
,

the y i ng and chatt e ring O f birds and befor e that ,

in t h e pr ie sts poring upon the e ntrails of th e

b e asts sacr i c e d to th e ir gods : her e th i s art went
such a l e ngt h that t h e tr u t h is the D e vil s a w him
, .

s e lf outdone by t h e pr ie sts an d th e w itchcraft o f

,

s up e rstition w e nt b eyond all t h at S atan hims elf

8 M
. .
!
226 A SYS T E M OE MA G I C .

ever preten d e d to in the rst institution : s o far did

t h e crafty and a v aricious pr ie sts e ngross th e D e vil s

bus i n e ss that th e y really s ee m e d to take the ve ry

,

tra d e o u t o f his hand or a s w e say o f an in v a d ing

,

trad e sman that s e ts up und e r his m ast e r s n os e he ,

tak e s the br e ad out o f his mouth .

Th e G r ee ks w e r e t h e most sup e rstitious o f all

the d ev il wors h ipp e rs i n th e world wors e than the
-
,

Pers i ans and Ch ald e ans from whom th e y borrow e d

,

all th e fu ndam e ntals of th ei r idolatry ; and far worse

th an t he Romans w h o wer e aft e rwards th ei r
,

sc h ol a rs ; imag e an d i dol worsh i p wer e e ss e ntials

in all th e ir templ e s wh i ch t h e R omans at rst r e
,

e c t e d w i th d i sda i n even Num a Pomp i lius the

j ; ,

m ost d ev out and sup e rstitious o f all the Romans ,

d e spis e d i t ; and many of the m ost learned of t h e

Roman authors e xclaim aga i nst it as absurd and ri
dic u l o u s ; how e v e r they came i nto it aft e rward s
,

also .

But the G reeks I say from th e ir particular love

, ,

to sup e rstit i on w e r e th e rst t h at worshipp e d the

,

i mag e s of th ei r gods : thus yo u read o f the Eph e

s i ans h a vi ng th e i m a g e of Jupit e r wh i ch cam e down
from heav e n ; i n l i k e mann e r th e y h ad particular
i mag e s in eve ry t e mpl e and t e mpl e s almost in ,

eve ry corn e r ; and b ei n g t he tt e st p e opl e to be

thus imposed u pon an d d e lud e d th e pri e sts w h o , ,

w e re equally subtle ther e as i n othe r plac e s in ,

ve nted (o r t he D e v il d ir e ct e d t h e m t o ) that grosses t

o f all c he ats t h e oracl e s o f th e ir gods to whose
, ,

t e mpl e s they constantly r e pair e d for answ e rs in t h e

most di fcult and doubtful cas e s ; and the Roman s
took it from th e m .

Thes e oracl e s w e r e inde e d th e De v il s m aster

pi e c e for here the pri e sts and h i ms e lf j uggl e d to

,

g e t he r in so notorious a manner t h at n o contr i ,

v a nc e for putting a p u b lic c he at upon the world

ever met with the l i ke success the D e vil assis t ing
 A SYS TE M O E MAG I C 22 7

the priests gav e answ e rs in th e mos t subtle doubt ,

fu l and amb i guous t e rms imagin abl e so t h at t he y ,

fr e qu e ntly poss e ss e d th e peopl e with a b e l ie f of th e

t hi ngs pr e d i ct e d b e ing com e to pass ; wh e r e as i t
was all owin g to th e doubl e e nt e ndr e o f th e a n
s w e r s w h ich l e ft things to b e un d e rstood any way
,

t he pr ie sts though t t and l e ft th e pri e sts room t o

,

sugg e st a corr e spond e nc e b e tw ee n the oracl e an d

t he eve nt wh e n i nd ee d t h er e was n o mann e r o f si
,

m ilit u de no coh e r e nce o r anythin g l ike i t

, ,
.

History gives s eve ral e xampl e s o f t he ambiguous

doubtfu l answ e rs o f th e oracl e s and y e t S O b i goted
,

w e r e t he G r ee ks to th e ir n otions o f th e m th at on ,

th e day o f th e great battl e at Plat m a with t h e

Persians t h ey would n ot g ive battl e thou gh th e ,

en e my was upon t he m and b e ga n to trampl e down

,

t he ir infantry wit h t he hors e t ill t he y k n e w t h e

,

will of the gods as they e xpr e ssed it and had a fu ll

, ,

answ e r fro m t he oracl e ; th e sold ie rs s i tt i ng still

upon th e ground and l e ttin g th e e n e mi e s cut t he m
,

in pi e c e s But as soon as t hey had und e rstood th at

.

t he oracl e had gi ve n i ts answ e r and that th e ir s a,

c r i c e s for victory wer e fa v ourabl e th ei r c om ,

mand e rs assuring th e m that t h e gods w e r e p r o p i

tious and t h at th e y had a prom i s e of vi ctory t he y
, ,

i mm e d i at e ly rous e d up from t h ei r s e ats form e d t h ei r ,

battal i a or phalanx and fe ll o n w i th suc h fury that

, ,

t h e P e rsians and t h e oth e r G r ee ks t h at w e r e con

fe d e rat e w i t h th e m w e re utt e rly o ve rth ro w n a n d
, ,

cut i n pi e c e s .

It w i ll n ot b e amiss in ord e r to Show th e worl d

,

how gr e at th e pow e rs of r e l i gi ous i n fatuations w e r e ,

and h ow fa r mank i nd may b e impos e d upon to give ,

a short account o f but t h a t o n e day s act i on b e tw ee n
t he G r e c i an army und e r thei r ge n e r a l Pausan i a s
an d M
,

a r d o n iu s l e ad e r o f th e army o f ! e rx e s t h e

k i n g o f P e rs i a .

T h e P e rsian army consist e d of th r ee h u ndr e d

2
2 28 A SYS T EM OE MA G I C .

thousan d Persians th e ower of ! e rxes army ; ,

and ft y thousand G r e eks ; Theb a ns M ac e donian s ,

and Thessalians aux i l i ari e s o r confe derates with,

! e rxes Th e Ath e nians and La c e de m o n ian s con

.

sisted of no mor e than forty thousand G recians but ,

Old soldi e rs and well arm e d commanded by Pau, ,

s an ia s to whom th e y h ad j oin e d inde e d seventy

,

thousand auxiliar milit i a but th e se w e re only r a w ,

and un e xper ie nc e d p e opl e ; nor had they any d e

e n d e n c e o n th e m for th e ir valour or discipline
p ,

only for making e xcursions pl u ndering an d the , ,

lik e .

The G re e ks had sent to inquire of th e oracle at

Delphos to know th e success o f th e war a n d w e re
, ,

answ e r e d that th e y should c e rtainly have the

,

victory pro vi ded th e y fought the battle upon

,

Ath e n i an groun d or in the plains of Ce res an d ,

Pros e rp i na and made th e ir pray e rs to such and

,

such gods d e mi gods and nymphs ; (e xc ellent c on

,
-

j u ring and magic to patch up r e lig i on with

Th i s answ e r o f th e oracle was an apparent cheat ,

for nobody kne w wh e r e this pi e ce o f ground could

b e : th e plain of Ce r e s was ind ee d o n Ath e nian
ground but then it was not near wher e the armi e s
,

lay and they being inferior in force could n ot

, ,

choos e their ground or ght wh e r e they pleased ; ,

but there was an ol d templ e of Ceres and Proser

p i na near th ei r camp and likewis e some dedicat e d
, ,

places sacr e d to thos e nymphs a nd demi gods -

s poken o f upon mount C it h m r o n ; but then the

lan d b elong e d to th e citiz e ns o f Plat ae a an d n ot ,

to th e Ath e n i ans and this p e rpl e xed t h em much , .

Whil e th e y wer e in th i s uneasin e ss the Pl a ,

t ac ans to Show the i r goodwill and e ncour a ge the

, ,

a rmy b e stow e d all th e lands which thos e t e mpl es

,

a n d dedicated plac e s stood o n and for a large ,

sp ace round by de e d o f gi ft o n th e At h eni a ns so

, ,

to c a us e them to ght on Athenian ground .

 A SYS TE M OE MAG I C . 229

All th ings bein g thus cl e ar e d up and the arm ie s ,

j ust r e ady to e ngag e the G rec i an g e neral caus e d

sacrices to th e gods for v ictory to b e brought to th e
head o f the troops ; n or would th e Ath e n i ans stir or ,

strik e a strok e t ill t he y w e r e e nd e d a n d tha t the

, ,

pri e sts g a ve signals o f t he fortuna t e om e ns Th e .

Pe rs i an army ad v anc e d the horsemen char ge d in

,

u pon th e for e most troops the arrows e w in ,

clouds and m any were sla i n ; but it was all o n e

, ,

th e sold ie rs sat upon the gro und and would n o t stir ,

a foot .

But as soon as Pausanias h a d not i ce that t h e s a

c r i c e s w e r e happ i ly e n d e d and t h at h e found t h e s e
,

tok e ns in th e e ntra ils of th e b e asts which th e s u ,

e r s t it io n O f th e a e e st ee m e d fortunat e and s i gnals

p g ,

o f succ e ss ; h e imm e d i at e ly caus e d t h e army to ra i se

a shout and ga ve th e s i gnal o f b attl e : upon wh i ch

,

th e sold ie rs sudd e nly r i s e up upon th ei r fee t with ,

a cclamations and r e c e i ve d t he c h ar ge of t he Barba

,

rians in such e xc e ll e nt ord e r and with suc h u n ,

daunt e d brav e ry t h at n otw i t h standin g th e e n e my

,

cam e p ourin g i n upon t he m wit h th ei r multitud e s ,

e xpecting to b e ar all down b e for e t he m y e t the ,

P e rsians w e r e r e pul s e d and utt e rly o ve rthrown an d

Mar don iu s w ith abov e thr e e hundr e d thousand m e n
, ,

k i ll e d u pon th e spot .

What eccl e siast i c mag i c was this ! what super

s t it io n ,
w i th out groun d ! T he sacr i c e s would
have gon e o n though t he arm ie s had e n ga ged ; or
,

i f n o t wh y w e r e th e y not brought soon e r to th e

,

plac e and how i n a few mom e nts more m i ght t he

,

w h ol e army h ave b ee n cut i n p ie c e s witho u t r e sist

anc e for want of t h e c e r e mony of a tim ely sacr i
,

c e ! But suc h is t he pow e r of sup e rst i t i on and to ,

suc h a d e gr ee of poss e ssio n o r infatuat i on had th e

D evil by t h e m e ans of hi s i nstrum e nts t he magic i ans
, .

brought mank i nd .

This I take to be the m e ridian O f the Devil s in

2 30 A S YS T EM OE MAG I C .

u e n ce, and wh e n the magic diabolical was at it s

gr e at e st height Th e Roman s w e re superstitious
.

e nough but n o t so grossly gi ve n up : and y e t the

,

G recians w e r e a wis e nation ; the Athen i ans wer e

fam e d for w i sdom and knowledg e ; for p hi losoph y ;
art and sci e nc e ourish e d among th em t o a d e gr ee
b e yond all the r e st of th e world Nay t he y d e sp i sed .
,

th e w i s d om o f all th e world in comparison of their

o w n ; y e t swallow e d up with th e m a gic O f s u p e r s t i

tio n t he y w e r e in S h ort b e witch e d by a r el i giou s

, , ,

sorcery a n d run i nto superst i t i on to an exc e ss equal

,

to madn e ss and distraction .

Th e R omans as I said above follow e d them at

, ,

th e h e els ; and t h ough at rst th e wis e st O f th e ir

lead e rs r ej ected the imag e worship o f th e G r ee ks ,

n ay stoo d o u t on e h undr e d and se v enty y e ars from

,

Numa Pompilius e st ee ming it absurd a n d impious

,

to r e pres e nt things glorious by things bas e or m e an ;

,

yet T ar qu in iu s Prisc a s following th e usag e of th e

G r ee ks (who I say of all th e n ation s of th e world
, , , ,

w e r e th e most d e luded by th e D ev il ) brou ght in ,

th e custom of setting up the imag e s o f t h ei r gods in

th e ir t e mples ; and i n som e a ge s aft e r th i s use of ,

imag e s came up to such a h e ight and mult i plied to ,

s uch an i n nit e numb e r that i t was n ext to im p os

,

sibl e to kn ow th e m o n e from anoth e r but th ey w e re ,

oblig e d to writ e th e ir nam e s o v er th e ir statu e s an d

imag e s ; an d the numb e rs of th ei r gods and d e mi ,

gods gre w up to suc h a multitu d e that th e y were

, ,

oblig e d to marshal th e m into r e gim e nts an d classes ,

d e gr ee s and ord e rs and e v e n of th e m too m any to

,

rep e at S uch as d ii c o ns e n t e s s e le c t i d ii p a t r it ii
.
, ,

d ii m e d ii in s ig n io r e s d ii m e d io r u m or common gods
, ,

terr e str i al and c e l e stial h e roes gods and d e mi ,

gods nymphs and i n a word an innite throng of

, , , ,

gods .

Happy art ! howev e r infe rnal and diabolic that ,

could furnish gods from the stree t to the Ca pitol ;

 A SYS TE M OE MAG I C . 23 1

nay dun ghill gods door k ee p i n g gods and s enat e

, ,
-
,

h ous e gods d ii c o ns c r ip ti and abo ve all th e rest as

, , ,

th e l e arn e d La c t a n t iu s says t he rabbl e of gods ,

b e at i e d by m e n E p i m e n i d e s Cr e t e nsis e r e ct e d
.

in th e Ath e nian pla i ns th e famous altar to th e d ii

ig n a t ii th e unknown gods o f wh i c h S t Paul took
, ,
.

n ot i c e for it r e ma i n e d t h ere to hi s t i m e when h e

, ,

mad e th at fam e d oration i n i m i tabl e for it s e lo ,

u e n c e and b e auty o f lan ua e as w e ll as e xc e l

q g g ,

l e nc e and str e ngt h o f argum e nt w he n h e stood ,

upon M ars h ill at Ath e ns confut i n g th e w i sdom of

,

th e p h ilosoph e rs and p e rh aps magi cians ,

.

An d whe nc e now cam e all t hi s ignoranc e and

, ,

s up e rstit i on but from th e e arly d e lus i ons o f t h e

,

D evi l carr ie d o n among men by t h e h elp of th i s

,

w e call mag i c or black art an d in all i ts s eve ral ,

composi t i ons ? t h at i s to say as abo v e di vi n i n g , , ,

sout h say i n g e nch antm e nt w itc h craft sorc e ry and

, , , ,

d e al i ng w i t h famil i ar spir i ts n e cromancy and t h e , ,

D evi l .

T he s e things introduc e d e nthus i asm e nthusiasm ,

brought up idolatry and th e n w i tc h craft and ma gi c ,

brought down t he minds of m e n to a meann e ss t

to b e d e luded by th e m .

It may not b e improp e r to obs e r ve her e that the ,

black art as thus e xpla i n e d may b e l e ss ne e dful in

, ,

thos e d ays w h e n th e d e l u d e d world was mor e e asy

,

to b e impos e d upon an d ch e at e d th an n o w w he n , ,

t he world s ee m to have th ei r e y e s op e n and requ i r e ,

mor e art i c e to impose u pon them w i th .

In th e G r e cian an d R oman tim e s th e minds of ,

men untau gh t a n d w i t h out t he assistanc e of d i vi n e

,

ill u m i nat i ons wer e e as ily i mpos e d upon g ive n up to

, ,

stron g d elus i ons and to b e l ieve l ie s ; t h ey w e r e

,

b i got e d by th e pr ie sts and by the ir o w n nati ve s u ,

e r s t it io n s and w e r e e as i ly d e lud e d to wors hi p

p ,

a n
y
gods e ve rybody s gods and eve n as abo ve unknown
, , ,

gods Happy ignor a nce ! compared to o u r ag e wh o

.
,
2 32 A SYS TE M OE MAG I C .

by their excess of knowledg e and sense are a rri v ed

to a d e gr ee of liberty from th e slavery an d bondage
,

of all r eligion ; that e st e em themselves wis e i n h av ,

ing foun d o u t a new happin e ss for mankin d freeing ,

h im from the chains o f doctrine and principle ,

triumphing in a state of compl e t e a the ism and irr e

ligio n and inst e ad o f worshipping many gods sav e
, ,

th e msel ve s the troubl e of idolatry and worship n o ,

god at all .

It must h e confe ss e d it has cost th e Devil some

pains h e has employed a world o f a g e nts an d
, ,

besto wed a great d e al of mag i c to bring this to ,

p ass nay i n my O pinion it se e ms that he n e v er

,

w a s able to br i ng i t to pass n o n ot by all his , ,

a gents a n d what e ver pains and e xp e nse h e had

,

been at ; but on th e contrary i t came into his m a ,

n a e m e n t by an unfor e se e n and eve n to th e D e vil

g , ,

hims el f an un e xpect e d turn Of his a ffairs : for rst

,

it s e em e d to b e a n e w disco v ery i n its v ery n ature ,

and what S atan had n o not i on of for many thousands

o f y ears ; and I do n o t nd the most l e arn e d in

t hese matters ar e agreed y e t about i t as wh e th e r it ,

is immediately from h ell a n ew inv e ntion o f the ,

place an d so introduc e d by the De v il as a fa v our

,

and ad v anta ge to mankind ; or whether the case i s

inv e rt e d and as m an has in this pract i ce outsinned
,

the De v il so he has b e en the Devil s in structor in
,

it and brought th e thing to him as a proj e ctor does

, ,

a scheme to the p e rson whom h e would have to ma

n a e it for him
g .

Indee d I must do the De v il th e j ustic e to say I

think i t was the latt e r ; th at it ne v er enter e d into
S atan s h e ad as cunn i ng as he i s to im a gine any

, ,

thing S o gross would go down with t h e world that

t h ough it is tru e h e had b e gun e arly in s e tting u p
himself in th e place o f Go d and h ad gott e n h i m self ,

t o be worsh i pped as a god y e t he n eve r o ffered t o

,

suggest t o mankind th at the r e w a s n o G od to be

 A SYS T E M O E MAG I C 233 .

a dored a t all ; n o supr e me B e ing e xisting to whom ,

the homag e o f the world was du e a s to i ts creator ,

and pr e s e rve r .

T h e D e v i l kn e w th e e a rly principl e s and wh e nc e ,

they w e r e infus e d ; h e kn e w t h at it was a r e k i ndl e d

with th e l i fe a n d th at c ould not b e e xting u is h ed
,

but wit h th e sam e l i fe ; that i t was th e work o f n a

ture in man twi sted with his r e ason and as h e
, , ,

t h ought it impossible to b e e rased and obliterated ,

s o h e n ev er att e mpt e d it No t to b e liev e a Go d !

.

All h e ll acknowle d ge d the m i gh ty truth and the ,

De v il himself could n e ve r imagine m ankind could

be brought to qu e stion it .

Infernal S piri ts the m s el ve s h ave deie d ,

Bu t d evils nor m e n the b eing o f G o d d e nie d ;

T ill wi s e r a ge s foun d n e w ways t o S in ,

An d t u r n d the Devil o u t to l e t the Athei st i n

.
,

This attainm e nt is inde e d a n e w inv e ntion ; but

like o ur lat e S o u t h s e a stock it is r u n up and h as ,

g a i n e d upon man k in d by a g e neral in fatuation an d ,

may w e ll b e call e d m a g i c in i ts ve ry abstract NO .

thing ind ee d but a k i nd of th i nkin g r i ghtly called ,

free and found e d o n sch e m e s o f t h e most r e ned

,

indelity could act upon such a syst e m as this

,

what magic must t h e r e b e to work u p th e mind of

m an to a poss i b il i ty of r e c e i vi ng such a principle ,

W i thout astonishm e nt No G o d ! wh at a s h ock it

.

gi ve s to th e soul w h at a blow to the reasoning

,

p owers !
T he s e cre t tre pi dati on rack s the soul ,

An d whil e he sa v s No G o d repl ie s Th ou fool !

, ,

It must b e a most e xqu i sit e piece of m agical

work and m ag i c in i ts e lf must b e a most e xqu i s i t e
,

art m or e r e n e d and mor e sup e r i or in wick e dn e s s

,

than th e most sup e rlati ve craft of hell e v e r arri ve d

t o that should raze ou t the impr e ssions O f a G od
,
234 A SYS T EM O E MAG I C .

from the s oul of man wh e re th e y w e re rs t ri v eted

,

by th e v e ry sam e hand o f p ower tha t created him

that could hard e n the soul against th e t e rrors o f his
M aker and blot o u t all th e repres e ntations of God
, ,

which t h e l i ght of n ature and of reason had printed

up on h i s min d .

It is b eyond ev e n th e lofty th e m e I am upon and ,

as the pow e r of mag i c cannot r e ac h it so i t is also ,

b e yond me to conc eive of it e ithe r w h at p ow e r it is ,

wroug h t by o r from what strang e corr u pt e d foun

,

tain it o w s I confe ss I cannot nd in my heart

.
,

to c h arg e S atan w i th it for I would not sland e r the

,

D e vil ; nor do I nd any foots te ps o f it in all the

Devil s story or in all the accounts of h is manag e

ment in the world I l e a ve i t th e r e fore to t h e learn e d

search e rs i nto th e antiqu i ty of t h ese tim e s to nd ,

o u t if it be p oss i bl e its original

, and tell us from
, ,

whenc e it proc ee ds ; promis i ng in the mean time ,

that i f they will but t e ll m e w he r e it b e g u n I ll tak e ,

c ar e to gi ve th e m a n acco u nt wher e it will end and ,

that from ve ry good a u thor i ty .

Th e br i nging mankind to d e ny the b e ing o f th e ir

M ak e r is a t h ing i n i ts e lf so surpris i n g s o shocking
, ,

to nature and to common s e ns e that i t cannot but ,

ra i s e o u r curiosity i f p ossibl e to nd o u t its origi

, ,

n al ; I acknowl e dge mys e lf to ha v e lost a gr e at

deal o f labo u r in t he s e arch n or ha ve all the me ,

t h o d s I ha ve hith e rto taken b e en able to gi v e me

any consid e rabl e light i nto th e matt e r I am loath .
,

I confe ss to go to S atan hims e lf to i nquire about it

, ,

and so d e al w i t h th e De v il myself wh i le I am ex ,

l o din g t h e practice in ot h e rs Besides I a m v ery

p .
,

doubtfu l w he t he r if I d id he could giv e me a tru e

, , , ,

o r at l e ast a fu ll accoun t o f i t
, for I am under a full
persuasion that i t is b e yond h im that th e original ,

was from th e n ature o f man arr ive d by his o w n im ,

prov e m e nt to a h e ight b e yond his rst instructor .

How the he a r t of man bec a me receptive of wick e d

 A SYS TE M OE MAG I C . 2 35

ness b eyond th e power of h ell and d ev ils t o i nfu s e ,

is a point t oo cur i ous to dw e ll u pon h e r e we may ,

me e t w i th it again i n ou r way .

It may b e true and we ha ve good reason to s ay

,

w e nd it so that th e D e vil gr ee d i ly e mbrac e d th e

,

proposal ; and l i k e t h e k i ng o f S pa i n wh e n Colum ,

bus brought h i m th e rst n e ws Of a n e w world in

A m e rica o ffe r e d to his go ve rnm e nt and add i n g a ,

n e w e mp i r e to h i s d om i n i on ; h e whos e ambition
had b e for e grasped th e whol e world in i m ag i nation ,

y e t gr ee d i ly acc e pt e d th e d isco ve ry h o w m e an s o ,

e ve r th e discover e r was Thus S atan h ow eve r o u t

.
,

witt e d and outs i nn e d by th e d e xt e rity o f m e n b e ing ,

show e d a way of i n sult i n g h i s Mak e r (h is darl i n g

s in and th e hei gh t o f hi s amb i tion ) wh i ch h e nev e r
,

thought of b e for e thou gh p e rh aps s e cr e tly disdain

,

in g to b e outshot in hi s o w n b ow y e t gr ee d i ly em ,

brac e d th e disco ve ry e mbarks in the sch e m e an d

, ,

prompts t he wick e d contri ve rs to go o n with it ,

with th e utmost appl i cat i on .

It may b e ask e d o f m e why I will ins i st u pon this

,

matt e r i n a tr e atis e of m a g i c ; that th i s r elat e s to

th e ath e ists n ot to m ag i c i ans and that by the
, ,

sam e rul e all e nthusiasm s her e si e s and myst e r i ous

, , ,

th i ngs i n r eli gi on as w ell a s in sc i enc e may b e rat e d

, ,

in th e sam e class and b e call e d by t he sam e name

, ,

and so w e Shall make a m a g i c o f r e l i gi on a t last .

But l e t a s h ort answ e r sufc e to t hi s w e ak ob je c

tion ; all e rrors in r e l i gion are n ot e qually d i abol i c ,

n o n or e qually misch i e v ous ; and as I hav e said

,

abo ve that t h is s ee ms t o b e o f an ori gin al d ee p e r

,

t h a n h e ll and o u t of th e r e ach o f t h e D evi l ; so as

, ,

far as i t is a cr i m e wh i ch d e ri ve s from th e m a n as
an i nd e p e ndent and acti n g th e D ev il by h i ms e lf I
, ,

th i nk it must ha ve th e h e i gh t of h uman i ma gi nat i o n

and inv e nt i on in i t and s o m ay b e call e d ma gi cal
, ,

a s m a gic is a science or art o f do i ng superlative

evil .
2 36 A SY STE M OE MAG I C .

If, then it Shall be allowed a t leas t to b e a s i t

, ,

r e ally is an extr e m e o f h u man wickedn e ss it must

, ,

ha ve th e e ss e nc e o f m agic in it as magic is now ,

co nsid e r e d ; and therefor e wh e n I m e ntion it in th e

title of th i s chapt e r I call it m agic in i ts practice
,

and perfe ction What mysterio u s power must it b e

.
,

o r as it is usual to expr e ss i t what magic must t h er e

, ,

be in it that mankind can b e hard e n e d to a pitch

,

c a pable of d e ny i ng t h e p ow e r that mad e them c a ,

pahl e of arguing agai n st th e reality of that Being ,

wh i ch gave t he m b ei n g !
Nor do e s the magic consist in the fact neither do ,

I lay th e str e ss o f i t th e r e ; or upon th e S in against

reason a gainst common sen s e th e ingratitude to
, ,

the ir M ak e r the op e n insult of Heaven the venture

, ,

o f provoking t h at B e ing w h ose pow e r it insults and ,

m any other things o f lik e importance ; t h ese ar e

things the p e opl e I am t alking to and the ag e I am ,

talking in can ridicul e and m ak e a j e st o f and

, , ,

laugh at th e m e n tion o f th e m ; n or shall I d we ll

u pon them t h e d ivi n e s ar e e qual to th i s task and
, ,

th e ir proper work it is I l e ave it with th e m . .

But my inquir y looks anoth e r way and ther e the ,

magic d i sco v ers its elf viz by what strang e in u

,
.
,

e nce by what s e cr e t wond e r In natur e it i s brought

,

about t h at m e n who say th e y ha v e souls that ha v e a ,

capacity of reasoning and j ud ging and whos e uni v er ,

s al passion is to be vain o f that j udg m ent proud o f ,

their r e ason i ng powers and o f their being capable of

,

censuring t he defe cts of others that thes e s h ould ,

e ve r b e capable O f b e ing th u s impos e d upon of r e ,

c e iv in g s u c h a notion and e v e n o f desiring it should

,

be tru e This i s i nd e ed aston i shing ! and her e :I

.

confe ss th e r e must b e som e ma gi c some s e cr e t pr e ,

vailin g arti c e w he t h er of th e D e v i l or of what else

, ,

w h o can t e ll ? Her e must be some wh ee ls and

sprin gs ab l e wh e n s e t age in g to giv e a progr e ss i on
, , ,

to t he whole movement ; a nd here m u s t be some se

 A S YS T E M OE MAG I C . 2 37

cret h and turning thos e wh e els and springs ; b e i t ih

t e rnal e xt e rnal or infe rnal I l e a v e it as I nd it ;
, , ,

only I thi nk as I thoug ht befor e my j udgm e nt dic

, ,

tat e s to m e that th e D e vil is n ot i n th e plot that h e

, ,

had no hand i n it at l e ast not at rst ; w h at he may

,

have done Since I know n oth i ng o f y e t and I do

, ,

n ot s e e h o w I shall at l e ast n ot till I have m a d e

,

furth e r I nquiry .

In look i ng i nto this absurdity which s o many m e n ,

Of parts and who scorn absurd i ti e s In oth e r t h ings

, ,

ar e pl e as e d to com e into I cannot but obs e r ve how ,

busy t hey are how many arts and tricks truly ma

ica l do t he y n d o u t to r e aso n t he ms e l ve s i nto t h e
g , ,

bel ie f of that horrid i ncons i st e ncy ! What s u b t e r

fo g e s do t h ey y to what argum e nts w e ak as th e y
, ,

ar e do th ey us e ; and how do th e y cl e a v e and clin g

,

about th e m load i n g e v e ry word t h at can b e o ffe red

,

a gainst t h em with innum e rable cavils and with th e ,

most appar e nt sophistry !

O n e sort will h a ve a G od o f o n e kind o n e of ,

anot he r Th e sc e pt i c forms th e n otion of a G od i n

.

his m i n d but strips h i m of all his governin g power

, ,

divests h im of knowl e dg e and wisdom hol i n e ss and ,

j ustic e and all those glor i ous attribut e s for wh i ch h e

,

is worthy to b e adore d and wh i c h m ak e h i m j ustly ,

th e obj e ct o f o u r homag e an d of ou r a ffe ct i on too , .

T h e d e ist str i ps him o f th e ve ry constituting part

o f th e D ei ty and brin s h im down to a l eve l with
g ,

o ur r e asoning d i v e sting h i m of all gov e rn i ng pr o

, ,

t ee tin g and pres e r v ing provid e nc e a n d part i cularly ,

o f all r e s e ntm e nt a ainst t he v ilest o ffe nc e s ; robb i ng

g
h i m of t he power O f r e wards a n d pun i shm e nts and ,

mak i n g h im so good s o kind a n d gracious t h at th e y

, ,

do not l e av e hi m room to be j ust o r allow him any ,

r e s e ntm e nt l e t the cas e s b e w h at t h ey will

, .

Th e at hei st outgo e s t he m all ; an d n o t abl e inde e d

t o r e conc i l e th ei r not i on s to common s e ns e m u c h ,

l ess to r e a son hims e lf i nto th e ir op i nions audaciously ,

2 38 A S YS TE M OE MAG I C .

shuts his e y e s agains t reason and sense also and ,

t e lls yo u th e r e is no G o d at all .

N o w mag i c puts an e nd to all this d i fculty ; for

by consult i ng t he dark oracl e and e ntering a little
,

into th e s e cr e ts oft he sacr e d sci e nce as t h e y w ick e dly

,

t e ll yo u it is th e y com e o u t transform e d into a n e w

,

k ind o f Sp e c ie s th ey t e ll yo u t h at th e y ar e arri ve d
,

to a compl e t e knowl e d g e of th e eternal myst e r ie s ;

that G o d i s noth ing but th e sum o f human d e s i r e s ,

t h e e cstacy o f an e xalt e d Sp i rit carri e d up into the

,

r e gions o f et e rnal calm and qui e t wh e re th e soul is ,

in r aptures o f j oy and lo v e This th e y r e sol v e by

.

th e l i g h t o f th e r e n e d sublim e j udgm e nt to he the

perfe ct i on of happin e ss and that is G od Am or
, .

D eus es tJ up it e r gu o d c u n gu e c up is .

Th e y tell yo u , furth er, to d e sc e nd to t h e person

ality of a Go d, i s talking w i ldly and imm e thod i cally,
a n d what i s i nconsist e nt with nature ; that G o d is a

quality rat he r t h an a being that cannot b e described

, ,

by words any more than it can be limit e d by spac e ;

,

t hat th e supr e m e e ss e nc e is an inconc ei vabl e Spiri t

o f l i g h t and glory and the soul r e c eive s an ass i mi

,

lat i ng l i ght and kn owl e d ge ev e n by th e cont e mpla

,

tion o f it by th e rays o f a communicabl e e ffulgenc e ;

,

s o that ha v i n g b ee n once i llum i nated it continu e s ,

e nj oying a full lustr e of emin e nt glory for ev er after .

T h is unint e ll i g i ble stu ff is all magic to me and I ,

believe w e may truly say it is so to us all ; it is some

o f th e cant o f th e trad e the t e rms o f art in that
,

profe ss i o n ; and if th i s b e the d i scovery that magic

m a k e s to the mind th e mag i c i an s will h a v e small
,

caus e to b oa s f of th ei r impro ve m e nt ; I pr e sum e it

shall l e a ve th e mind dark e r than it nds i t .

N o w th at this mak e s roo m for atheism o r deism , ,

o r polyt he ism i n the mind it is very e v id e nt ; for

, ,

n e xt to th e d e ny i ng the di v ine B e ing o u r e nt e rtain ,

ing fals e and corrupt notion s unworthy of Go d and ,

o f the reasoning human soul are fat a l to r e l i i on

, g .
 A SY S T E M OE MAG I C . 2 39

Ye t wha t impr e ssions ha ve th e s e things made

,

upon som e of t he pol i t e st m e n in th i s a ge who pr e ,

t e nd i ng to e xt i rpat e all th e notions of r e ligio n in ~

t hei r souls b e g i n i t with d e ny i ng t h e b ei ng of th e

,

Go d th at e vid e ntly made t he m ; i f you pr e tend to

argu e from r e ason from n atur e from v is i bl e t hi ngs
, ,

to in vi sibl e th e y r ej e ct i t all and call for d e mon

, ,

s t r a t ion ; t he y will h a ve he av e n m e asur e d m ath e

m at ic ally a n d ge ograp hi cally as i t w e r e by scal e ,

and compass and will j u dge of things i n vis i bl e a c

,

cordin g t o G unt e r ; t he y will allow o f not hi n g b u t

w h at t he y can s ee w i th t hei r e y e s and fe el wit h ,

th e ir hands n or w i ll t he y b e l ieve any such t hi n g as

,

an incompr e h e ns i bl e Th e y will h av e all h e av e n

.

resol ve d i nto natur e all r e l i gion into r e aso n and all

, ,

G o d i nto philosophy T he y ar e n ot thus d ii cu lt

.

i n oth e r th ings ; l e ss evi d e nc e w ill s e r ve t he m i n

crime and t he y w i ll mak e sh i ft with th e w e akest
,

argum e nts i n th e world to p e rsu a d e th e ms e l v es

,

into t he lawfuln e ss and j ust i c e of th e vil e st thi n gs

t h at th e y allow t h e pract i c e of so p art i al ar e the y
to th ei r corrupt inclinations so pr ej u d i c e d against ,

eve rything that looks l i k e a sup e r i or and l e gal r e

stra i nt to th ei r vic e s IS n o t t hi s justly called
.

m a g i c ? i s it not w i th th e utmost propr ie ty brought

into a system o f ma gi c ? is i t n ot r e ally a black
art a p ie c e of co nj urat i on a n d w i tchcraft ? is it n ot
,

all n e cro ancy and th e D e vil

m ?

W hen h u m an s e ar ch o f things divi ne

w it , in ,

W o u ld re ason s l ig ht wi th r eve lati on jo in

,

Ex p e ct to h a e Al m i ghty b ei n g m a d e k n own
v

By the sa m e l igh t b y whi ch w e k now o u r o wn

Cre ating b y cre a te d wo u ld e xplai n ,

A n d de m o n s trat i o n o f rst po w ers obtai n

Ho w d o e s the w il d philosophy confe s s ,
It s we a k n e s s i n o r a n c e a n d e m pti n e ss
,
o
,

H o w d o the n atu rali s ts a n d S o S o s d re a m

,

W hen gravel y the y pre s ent the sacre d sche m e !

2 40 A SYS T EM OF MAG I C .

Lay d o wn the dra u ght dra w o u t the m agi c plan , ,

A s elf de rivi ng world a s e lf cre at ing m a n

-
,
-

An d wo uld a n ature v o i d Of G o d e x plai n !

S trange ! h o w whe n m e n ar e onc e o f cri m e p o s s e s s d
,

T hei r re a son ing fa cultie s a r e a ll s u p pr e s s d

.

If Of re ligi on the y so m e hi nts d e sire ,

W h at proo fs wh at de m onstra ti ons the y requ i re

,

W hat di f cultie s ere they can sub m i t , ,

W h at re ason ing scrupl e s rai s e wh at turns o f w i t , ,

T o S hift the strong convi cti on fro m the m i nd !

A s if rel igi on a ll to s e ns e c o n n d

, ,

S h o u ld eve ry sch ool di sti ncti o n unde rg o ,

A n d rul e s o f fai th to rul e s o f re aso n b o w

, .

Bu t if to h a r d e n d cri m e the y b u t incl in e

In v ain thei r re asoning l ight pret ends to shine ,

T h e wilde st noti ons bli ndly e nt e rta i n

Re ason and nature struggl e b u t all i n vain .

Error like m othe r s m il k t he y s w allo w down

, ,

An d by thei r ch o i c e m ake e v ery cri m e thei r own,

.

T h e de adly poi sonous draugh t drink freely in ,

An d as k no re aso n ing que s t i ons whe n the y s i n .

T ake cri m e b y lum p h o w e e r absurd and gross ,

,

An d w e d m i s take s for b ett e r o r fo r wors e ,

.

S o p e ddl ing m e rch ants as thei r stock s i ncre as e

T urn wh ol e sal e
, ,

m e n and only tra d e by t h p ie c e

.
,

Th e bringing mankind th e n int o thes e ab s u r di

ties I say i s th e h e ight of mag i c ; i t is maki n g
, ,

them capable o f ent e rtaining ath ei stic notions and ,

o n pret e nce of reasoning to receiv e principles in ,

consistent with reason ; a n d becaus e t h ings div i ne

are i n s om e particulars incompr e h e ns i ble th e y run ,

i nto notions neith e r compr e h e ns i bl e or ration al .

Th i s is in n it e ly beyond all th e enthusiasm and

r e ligious fr e nzy in the world ; it is brou ght abou t

by a possession a mer e ra p ture o f the imagin ation

, ,

which in a word forms in the mind a n e w sche m e

, ,

O f nat u re n e w n otions o f being of life of motion of

, , , ,

pa st pr e s e nt and fu tur e ; nay th e y tell you as

, , ,

much ; they tell you the common concept i ons of

things are only calcul a ted to keep t h e world blind
 A S Y STE M O E MAG I C 241 .

a n d dark t h a t wrapp e d up in their o wn ignor a nc e

, , ,

they may be easy .

That i f by a supernatural light and by th e study ,

of sacred sci e nce ( that is to say o f magic ) a fe w of

, ,

the mor e e nli ght e n e d part of mankind h a v e attain e d

to a clear e r v ie w of things and that vi e w o r know ,

ledge is communicat e d to th e souls of those fe w by ,

a sublime i nu e nce ; yet it is not so in th e main ,

that th e rest of the world understand nothing Of i t ,

and that mankind r e mai n blind and i gnorant for ,

want merely of application t o and study of a tru e ,

knowledg e .

T h es e are th e things which they tell us of th e m

selv e s and which they tal k in a k i nd of cant parti
, ,

c a lar to their o wn sort r e pr e sent i ng t he msel ve s as

a k i n d of ang e lic p e opl e t h at li v e above th e r e st of
,

th e world and that act i n a high e r sph e re ar e e n

, ,

dow e d with super i or l i g h t th at liv e b eyond th e or ,

di me ry rat e of th e ir fellow creatures Wh at reality .

th e r e is in thes e th i n gs what attainments th e y have

, ,

and how th e y hav e e x e rcis e d th e m we s h all d i scover ,

more pla i nly w h en w e look a l i ttl e into the r e st of

,

it ; wh e n we s ee what ang elic things th e y do an d ,

in what mann e r th ey e x e rcis e th e ir extraord i nary

faculties ; wh e t he r t he y app e ar to b e illum i nat i on s
from h e av e n o r d e lus i ons of he ll ; wh e th e r e mana
,

tio ns of th e r e al m s of l i ght or mists an d vapours ,

from th e re gions of darkn e ss ; in a word whether ,

th e y ar e r evelat i ons and i nspirat i on fro m th e good

S pir i t abo ve o r enthus i asms witchcraft and s or
, , ,

cery prompt e d and assist e d by the De v il

,
.

How low priz e d ar e all the ir und e rtakin gs how

-
,

mean and cont e mpt i bl e th e metho d s they take to

exert t he s e noble and sup e rior facult i es ! How do
th ey pract i s e upon mank i nd by co nj urations sp ells ,

a n d enc h antm e nts by th e m ost p i t i ful and scanda

,

lous d e lusions pr e t e ndin g to di v ine an d sup e r i or

,

knowledge ! O n e part of their perform ances con

s M
. . R
2 42 A SY ST EM O E MAG I C .

sists in j uggling and sleight of hand a no ther par t in ,

fraud and falsehood another in the most ignorant

,

p r etences and the last and as I may s ay t h e only , ,

re al p art in a mer e necromancy and d e aling with

,

familiar sp i rits .

I n t heir operations wer e th e ir acquirement s

,

a l vine was their pow e r fro m Hea v en were t h e

, ,

e xtraordinary accomplishm e nts which th e y boast o f ,

truly and as th e y say s e rap h ic and h e a ve nly, i t

,

would app e ar in th is that l i k e th e ir h e avenly or i gi

,

n al they would b e ex e rted in do i ng good ; th e y

would be shown in acts of ch ar i ty of b e n e c e n c e to ,

'
mankind mo v i n g th e world to r e form and in a
, ,

word in bringing a glory to r e l i gion and to e ve ry

, ,

laudabl e thing ; wh e r e as o n the contrary w e s ee , ,

the m agici an s of th e latt e r ag e s o f th e world ar e ,

and alw ays have been employ e d in th e extrem e of

,

wickedness in th e black e st crimes in protecting

, ,

an d encourag i ng th e worst and most d e vilish prae

tices in the world prompt i ng confe derated mischiefs
, ,

j oining in with m urd e r treason assassination and , , ,

all manner of wick e d things .

Thus th e y t e ll u s of th e m a gicians among th e Ge r

mans who fom e nt e d the reb ellion o f t h e s e e nthusiasts
,

called An abaptists which brought so many thousands

,

to th e ir grav e by war and treason S om e will tell u s .

t h a t count Wall e nstein th e gr e at gen e ral un d e r th e

,

emperor Fe r d in an d II and who fought th e gre a t bat

.
,

tl e of Lu t z e n a ga i nst th e k i ng o f S weden us e d magic , ,

a nd that s eve ral O f the Ge rm an o fc e rs had charms

and spells about them to rend e r the m invuln e rabl e
, ,

s o that no sword would cut them n o b ullets wound ,

them but that th e y w e r e d e luded by the magician s ,

for that many Of them w e r e foun d among the slai n

with charms hanging a bout their n e cks a nd that ,

Wall e nst e in h i ms e lf n otwithstanding his ma gic art

, ,

was o ve rthrown and sham e fully beat e n by t he

S wedes in that great b attle a nd w a s himself aft e r ,
 A S YS TEM O E MA GI C . 43
war ds a ssassinated and k ill e d by a n Irish captain in
the castle Of E gr a in Boh e mia though surround e d
,

with h i s guards .

Many i nstances h ave been given and history i s ,

full of them wh e r e th e pr e tenders to t h is art ha ve

,
~

b e en abandoned to ruin e ither deluded by t he

,

demon th e y trusted or through th e re a l de ciency

,

o f th e art i tself ; th e latter o f which I insist upon , ,

h as b ee n chi e y the reason of it for what op e ration

could they e xpect from th e h elp of magic to counter
a c t th e d e t e rminations o f Providence ? eve n Balaam

h i mself could declar e it thus S u r e ly th e r e is n o e n

c ha n tm e n t a a in sJ a co b , n eit h e r is th e r e
t a ny
g
v in a t io n a a ins t I s r a e l ; Numb x x i ii 2 3
g . . .
2 44 A S Y S T EM OE MAG I C .

CH AP II . .

Th e s c e n e ch a ng e d th a t as th e D e v il a c te d a t r s t
w ith h is b la c k art w ith o u t t h e m a gic ia n s , s o th e
m a gic ia n s s eem to c a r r y it o n n ow w ith ou t t h e

D e v il .

H IT HER T O I hav e made t h e Devil the aggressor in

all the transact i ons b e twe e n hims e lf and mankind ,

but now w e must turn the tabl e s ; for whether it

be that n d ing thi n gs go on curr e ntly a nd to his
, ,

m ind he only sits stil l and looks on l i k e an engineer

, ,

who has with innite art an d great fatigue formed

, ,

a new m achin e then sets it at work and se e ing it

, ,

perform according to exp e ct a tion sits down wi th ,

satisfaction and l e ts it go round of its elf ; or wh e

,

t her the n atur e of man corrupt and prompt to all , ,

the foolish an d foul things th e D ev il could pu t into

h is head does really run on fast e r than the D e vil
,

c an drive him this as a doubt whic h e ither philo ,

Sophy or d iv inity hav e n ot y e t r e s ol ve d I m u st ,

le ave it to time and e xp e ri e nc e to explain .

That thus it is the fact i s plain ; if the black or

,

d iabolic art was at rst a machine o f the D ev il or ,

let it be whose it w ill it works now of itself it per , ,

forms to th e D e vil s satisfaction ; h e has littl e to do
but to s it still a n d s ee the whe el s go round .

N ay w e may s ay the scholars teach the m a ster

, , ,

the m a gician s ee m s to guid e nay to command the , ,

Devil whose art it is that h e professes and accord

, ,

ing to the lines in my title ,

T h e obs equ i ous D e v il atte n ds the sorc erer s S p ell

Th e m ill turn s rou nd the h ors e wh o rst turn s rou nd

the mill .
 A S Y STE M OE MAG I C . 2 45

It is worth obs e rving her e h ow rem arkable the ,

turn is that se e ms to be gi v en to the work i ng of

thes e infe rnal machines At rst th e D e vil had .

some di fculty with mank i nd was oblig e d to act ,

with gr e at craft and s u btl e ty to make his acquain t

a nce among th e m as I have observ e d at large ; afte r
,

this he got the ascendant to such a degree that he

, ,

( as th e D e vil y o u know is apt, to e ncroach w h ere ,

he nds room for it ) s e t himself up for a guid e then '

a governor then a god : was rst followed as a

,

d irec tor o r advis e r ; next ob e yed and submitt e d t o

a s a governor and commander ; and then (for he

never r e sts ) worshipp e d as a go d which no doubt , , ,

was his rst and of necessity must b e his highest

, ,

a im and ambition .

But now by we know n o t what fate mankin d

, ,

s eems to ha v e ot the b e tt e r of h im ; inst e ad o f being

g
wait e d upon i n form and humbly expected as i n , ,

his rst appearanc e s inst e ad o f being p aw w aw e d ,

-
,

a nd gr e at assemblies and c e r e mon ie s used to obtai n

a n aud i ence o f him he comes n o w at ev e ry old ,

woman s call and u pon th e most triing occasion ;

,

instead of being a counsellor or an adviser mu cli ,

less a gov e rnor now he i s a m e r e e rrand b oy r u ns

, ,

a n d go e s will do any drudg e ry work l i k e a h ors e

, , ,

fe t ch and carry lik e a dog d ig d i tc h es carry bur , ,

d e ns bu i ld ch urch e s O r anything th e priests and

, ,

t h e conj ur e rs b i d him do ; w i tness N e wmarke t

he ath S tone he nge Crowland abb ey and a thousand
, , ,

mor e things wh i ch to be s u r e t he De v il d i d b e
, , , ,

c ause w e don t kno w h o w e lse th e y could b e done .

T h e magicians w e r e form e rly th e D ev il s s e rvants

,

but n o w t he y ar e his masters and that to such a ,

d egr e e that i t i s but drawin g a circle casting a fe w

, ,

gures mutt e ring a little Ar ab ic and up com e s the

, .

D e vil as r e adily as th e draw e r at a tavern w i th a

, ,

D ye call sir ? o r lik e a S cotch caud e w i th What s

, ,

your honour s wull s i r nay and as the learned in

?
, , ,
2 46 A S Y S T EM O E MAG I C .

th e ar t say he m u st com e h e can t help it : then
, ,

a s to tempting he is quite o u t of d oors An d I

, .

t hink as the o l d parl i ament did by the bishops we

, ,

m ay e en vo te him us e l e ss In a word there is no .
,

manner o f occasion for h im mank ind are as forw ard

as he can wish and d e s i re of them ; nay som e ,

cunning m e n t ell u s we s in faster than th e D e vil

c a n k ee p pac e with us : as witness the late witty

a nd mod e rat ely wick e d lady who blest her

s tars that the D e vil n e ver tempted h e r t o anyt hing ,

he und e rstood hims e lf b e tt e r for S h e knew well ,

e nough how to s in without h i m and th a t it would ,

b e losing his time to tal k t o her .

Lik e wis e o u r happy friend th e much honoured ,

-

s ir H who val u e s himself upon this p a rtie n

l a r accomplishment that he is able to S in like a ,

gentleman ; nay he m e rits m uch from S atan in

, ,

that if he may b e beli e ved when he speaks the

,

worst of himsel f he i s also abl e to teach him (the

,

D e vil ) to be m or e r e n e dly wick e d than he is .

This sir H certainly giv e s the Devil very

li ttl e troubl e about h i m ; and t hough I don t hear
t hat the old g e ntleman is yet come to school to the

b a ronet yet as the baron e t don t c om e t o learn
,

of him S O he (the D e vil ) n eed not com e to teach

,

him for that he is c e rtainly a s w e ll accomplished in

,

the horrid art as th e D ev il can make him .

Th e ag e we liv e in fruitful in black arts (whether, ,

in that which by way o f e minenc e w e c all black art

o r no is y e t u ndet e rmin e d ) a ffords u s m a n y I dare , ,
.

n ot say bri ght exampl e s o f am i ng wick e dn e ss ; it

,

is n o n e w t h ing to h e ar the right honourable my

l ord t h ough his lordship is known to be n o
necromanc e r n e ith e r rat e hims e lf above the low , ,

m echanic p oor h e a d e d rabble as he j ustly calls

,
-
,

them who dar e be d e vils but don t u nderstand it ;
, ,

h av e impudence e nough but not a gen i us to be ,

tr uly agr ant I t is indeed a modern a ccomplish

.
 A SYS T E M OE MAG I C . 2 47

m ent and req u ir e s some add i tions of ar t and prae

,

tic e to b e abl e to sin l i k e a lord An d though t h e

,
.

g r e at man j ust n ow mentioned may p e rhaps have

r e ason to e x a lt his own acquir e ment and to boast o f ,

accumulat e d crim e insomuch that he would take it

,

for an a ffront if th e Dev i l should pretend to prompt

h i m ; and that perhaps S atan who understands ,

good breedin g has had more manners th a n to dis

,

turb h is lordship that way s e eing h im go on so ,

happily without h im ; yet it may be acknowledged

th e watchful seraph do e s nd a l i ttle busin e ss some

tim e s among som e of his lordship s imitators being ,

at some happy pains to form th e m as the mod e rns ,

express it and mak e t he m as nished d e vils of quality

,

as his lordsh i p S O that w e may b e satised there i s

no grea t fe ar w e shal l want a s u ccession of human
infe rnals no n ot amon g m e n of rank
, ,
.

Wond e r not th e n th at the D ev il growing s o

, , ,

much o u t of busin e ss in th e world and men growing , ,

as I sa i d such p r o c ie n t s in the sci e nce of th e

,

a bominables is in proportion humble as to his con

,

duct and allows h imself to be the obedient servant

,

o f ev e ry star gazer and gu r e caster ; t h at he comes

- -

when he is called goes wh en he is sent nay some

, , ,

ti m es com e s befor e h e is call e d and is the most ,

dilig e nt devil i maginable He would be very n u .

grateful it must be allow e d if he sh ould not wh e re

, , ,

the ag e is s o o b l i ging to h i m but bes i des that he ,

nds it fo r his interest too and he is too cunning ,

not to push his gam e where v er i t will go .

I ha ve he ard of a magician that wh e n the D ev il ,

and h e had made a barga i n t h at he Should always

c ome when he was call e d that is to say that when , ,

ev e r th e magic i an dr e w such a n d such circles and ,

mad e such and such gures and th en call e d h i m by ,

name t h at th e n he should b e sur e to app e ar had a

, ,

mind to try wh e th e r the D ev il would be honest to

h im or n o ; and for mak i ng t his experiment per ,
2 48 A SY STE M O E MAG I C .

formed all h is exercises as I m ay c all them by him , ,

s e lf and when h e had no manner of o ccasion for it ;

,

howev e r th e punctual de vi l kept his word and came ,

to a tittle which th e n e cromanc e r was mightily

,

pl e ased with Aft e r this h e though t he might make

.

a little gam e with the Devil ; s o h e calls him up

again and wh e n he came the spirit asked him what
, ,

was the business he told him he had n o business ,

only call e d him for his company and to be bette r ,

ac quaint e d Very well says S atan or B e elzebub

.
, , ,

o r who yo u will call him for I don t remembe r ,

that he kne w what h is n ame was ; but it seems the

p atient d e vil answ e red him twas very well an d ,

,

Showed no manner of resentment but after som e ,

con v ersation left him again very quietly .

The foolish fellow it seems went on with t he , ,

sport m aking a fool of the Devil s o often and s o

,

long t il] at last the Dev i l asking hi m as before

, , , , ,

what he called him up for and h e telling him he ,

had n o business but only that he liked his conver

,

s ation a n d called him up for t h e sake of his com

,

pany Very w ell says th e De v il not at all d is

, ,

pl e ased I am glad to h e ar it ; then go along with

,

m e an d you shall hav e enough of my company

, ,

withou t gi v ing me th e trouble to com e so far an d

with that the conj ur e r felt hims elf lifted up in the
air a little from the ground wh i ch made him cry ,

o u t horribly .

I don t know what argumen t a n d entr e aties he
used s o as to move compassion in him that is kn own
,

not to be furnished with anything of that kind ; b u t

perhaps the Devil w a s not quite ready for h i m a n d ,

knew that h e might d o h i m more service in the

station he was n e wly e ntered into ; so it seems he
did n ot take him quite away that time : however i t
was the magician w a s e e c t u ally cured o f trying
,

experiments and never o ffered to m ake a j es t of t h e

,

Devil a ny mo r e .
 A SYS TE M O E MAG I C 2 49 .

If I should t ell you the name of t his bold Spark

o f a conj ur e r and tha t he li v ed n o t far o ff of o n e
,

o f our T e mples yo u would perhaps wond e r at the

,

man who ind ee d n obody e v e r took to ha v e wit

,

enough to bant e r the Devil ; but I must not bring

my c h aract e rs too n e ar h ome b e sides who knows ,

but the D evi l may charge m e with discovering his

secr e ts and b e traying conversation ? so I say no
m er e : if anybody nds m e o u t and guesses at the ,

man by the story I shall be only sorry for the p e rson

, ,

not for the pictur e .

AS I was musing of thes e things the oth e r d a y ,

a nd hav ing a gr e at many m e rry stories of t hi s sort

in my budget was cons i d e r i ng wh i c h was t to be
,

told and which not it cam e i nto my thoughts how

, , , ,

tr a v e lling som e tim e Since from Dav e ntry towards

Leicester I m e t on t he road with a countryman of
, ,

whom being m yself a stran ger to t h e road I asked

, ,

the way to Northampton t he countryman told me ,

but w i th a ton e of m e lanc h oly a n d d ej ection th at ,

he was going to Northampton and i f I pl e ased , ,

a n d I would no t ov e r ride him he would show me -

,

the way .

I was very glad of his o ffered s e rvic e and so suit ,

ing my pac e to his for he h ad but a ve ry poor ,

hors e we w e nt on to gether ; I still perc ei v e d the

,

m a n to b e p e nsi ve and sad spok e l i ttl e and ne v er , ,

but when I asked him som e qu e stion wh ich obl i ged

him to an an sw e r ; o ft en sighe d and lifted up h is
ha nds and sometim e s his ey e s a nd mind e d his way
, ,

s o littl e that if his hors e had not b ee n mor e saga

,

c ions than h e th e man would hav e run against a

,

p ost or into a ditch ; and two o r thre e t i m e s he did

,

get into a h ol e or some other ill plac e in the way ,

which he m i ght h ave shunned Countryman says .

,

I w h at s the matte r w i th you and s o we begun t h e
,

short discours e as follows

Cou n try m a n Why sir ? .
,
2 50 A SYS T EM OE MAG I C .

Au t h o r . Wh y you don t s e em to min d your fee t

,

,

or your hors e s fee t ; you m ay l ead me to North

a mpton but I think you w ant somebody to lead yo u

,

too or else you will b e in a d i tch

, .

O I care n ot m u ch ind ee d where I go or wh at

.
, , ,

becomes of m e .

A S O I think truly ; why if you were in some

.
, ,

ro a ds that I know you would have found a stable ,

for your hors e by this time .

C A stable for my horse ! what in a ditch I

.
, ,

suppos e
A Y es I mean s o indeed ; you ll be but an o dd

.
, ,

gu id e to me if yo u can t keep yours e lf out of harm s
wa
DA . I said before I car e n o t what b e comes of
s ,

me but however mast e r I ll guide you well
, , ,

enough the way to Northampt on An d then .

(H e r e he s to
pp ed a nd
f e t ch e d a si h
g a n d I ,

t h o u gh t I s a w t e a r s s t a n d in h is ey e s ) .

A An d th e n what then
. what will you do with
yourself th e n
C Nay I don t know n ot I ; ha n g myself I
.
,

, ,

think I don t know anything I can do b e tter
,
.

A Prythee fri e nd what s t h e matter ? is it such

.
, ,
?
a secret you dare n ot tell it I hope you have n ot
committed murd e r .

C No no murder ; I have committed neither

.
,

m u rder n or robbery ; tis n o such great m at t er
neith e r .

A N 0 great matter a nd yet talk o f h a ngi ng

.
,

yours e lf !
C It i s a gr e at m atter to m e though it may be
.
, , ,

i t would be nothing in th e ey e s of oth e rs .

A Well frien d if it be not too much a s e

.
, ,

cret l e t me ask you what it is ; perhaps I may help

,

y ou .

C Ay you or fty more m ay ask me ; but I a m

.
,

a fool if I tell you .

 A S Y S TE M OE MAG I C . 251

A .W ell countryman if it be a secre t pray k ee p

, , ,

it to yourself ; I don t desire to know any of yo u r
a ffairs .

C Nay tis n o great secr e t neith e r ; a nd y e t tis

.
,

a s e cr e t too or e ls e I Should not have gon e to

,

Northampton to day -
.

A Y ou r e a m e rry fe llow countrym an ; wh at a

.
,

s e cr e t and n o secret ! that s a secret indeed of itsel f .

I don t understan d yo u .

O Why mast e r if you must have it yo u must ;

.
, , ,

the matt e r i s this I am a cuckold and my w i fe s a ,

whore tha t s no s e cret ; but I can t t ell yo u who
,

d oes it for m e ; that s a secr e t an d that s what I ,
'
want to nd o u t ; s o there s th e s e cret and no secret
m ade o u t at once An t I righ t now mast e r ? .

A Poor man I think tho u hast mad e it o u t in

.

deed ; but w h y so m elancholy at it ? S ure you

would n ot hang yours e lf to nd it out ?
C N 0 mast e r n ot to nd it o u t but I am t to
.
, ,

hang mys e lf b e caus e I can t nd it o u t Would not .

any man hang himself t o be a cuckold and can t , ,

nd o u t the man ?
A An d what if you did n d o u t the man ? what
.

would yo u be the better for that unless you c ould ,

p rev e nt it ?
C 0 I d prevent it I warrant ye ; I would not
.
,

hang mys elf I assure yo u ; but I d hang the dog

,

,

I d s e e n prev e nt th e ir whorin g .

A Well but coun t ryman that s wro n g a gai n

.
, , ,

that has the gallows at the end of it ; and that

would b e but poor work for you to bring yourself to
th e D evi l b e caus e your wife s a whore
,

.

C Nay I don t care where I go rather th a n be
.
, ,

a cuckold .

A Is t h at such a igh t fu l t hing t o you ! would

.

you commit murder and be hanged rather than be ,

a cuckold
0 Why master what mus t I do
.
,
?
,
2 52 A S YS T EM OE MAG I C .

A Do ! Be cont e nted , if you c a n t help i t,

. as
m a ny hones t m a n is fo r ced to do
an .

C No n o that won t do : I can t be conten t ed ;

.
, ,

I must an d will nd i t ou t .

A Well bu t do you thi nk hanging yourself will

.
,

discov e r it t o you o r being hanged for murder ,

a bout it ; d ye think you sh all know the s e cret when

you re hanged
C No doubt o f it
. .

A Well but what if yo u did ?

.
,

C Did ? why d ye think I could not get le a ve t o
.
,

come again an d plague the m ?

A Who d o you t h ink could gi v e you leave ? As
.

for heaven I suppos e you don t think much abou t

,

that espe c ially upon th e foot you Speak of I mean

, ,

murder ; and as for th e Devil I don t think he ,

would part with you if he once had yo u fast ; s o I ,

would not have you d e pen d upon it too much .

C Well but the D e vil it may h e would tell me

.
, , ,

who t is
.

A An d what woul d you b e the b e tter if he d id ?

.

C W h y I would get him to com e and plague

.

them a little and that would do as well another ,

way ; for I am r e solved th ey shall ha ve n o r e st .

A Y ou are a terrible r eve ngefu l fe llow that you

.
,

would b e content to go to the D e vil to be r e venged

of the man th a t cuckolds yo u .

C An d of the whore too ; you sho u ld h a ve put

.

that in master ,
.

A I wonder indee d you han t been revenged Of

.

her already considering yo u r furious Spirit : why

,

you are a madman I should be afraid you should ,

m u rd e r your wife
'
.

C Ay master she s afraid 0 that too ; but sh e

.
,

has been too cunning for me for She is run for it , ,

(1 got o u t o f my clutches .

A S he s in the right of it : can yo u blame h e r ?

.

C Ay bu t sh e h as robbed me too
.
, .
 A SYS T E M O E MAG I C 2 53 .

A Robbed you ! ay what could yo u expect ?

. ,

wh y if yo u would ha ve mur d e r e d h e r S h e must ,

have b ee n a fool to hav e stayed ; and if s h e w as

forced to y yo u could n ot th i nk S h e would go away
,

empty could you ? ,

O Well I wi ll nd them ou t if they a r e a bove

.
, ,

ground .

A If you can you mean ; but pr ay are th e y gone

.
,

t ogeth e r
C Nay if I knew that then I should know who
.
, ,

the rogu e is which is o n e of th e main things I want

,

t o be i nform e d of .

A An d w h ich yo u would b e content to go to t he

.

Devil to discover ?
C If I was sur e h e or any one els e could bu t tell
.

me I didn t car e wh e r e I w e nt
,

.

A Wh y do yo u t h ink i f the Devil did know

.
, ,

that h e would t ell yo u ?

O W h y not mast e r ?
.
,

A W h y do you t hi nk th e Devil is more your

.

friend than the i rs ? do yo u t hi nk he cares how ma n y

whores and cuckolds t he r e ar e ?

C Nay that s tru e ind ee d I did n ot think of

.
, ,

that but how eve r I s h all b e i nform e d wh e re I am ,

going wh e th e r th e D e vil knows anything of it o r

,

no and i f h e do e s
A W h at th e n what if he do e s ?
.
,

C W h y t he n I b e li eve I shall g e t it o u t of him

. .

A W h at d y e m e an o u t o f th e De v il ? why

.
, ,

wh e r e are you go i ng ?
C To o n e o f h i s acqua i ntanc e m aster that will
.
, ,

t ell m e I dar e say for a p ie ce o f mon e y ; and

, ,

though th e j ad e han t l e ft m e a shirt to my back I

hav e borrow e d a l i t tle mon e y for th i s work and I ,

will ha v e it o u t i f mon e y wil l do it , .

A W hat do yo u m e an countryman are yo u

.
, ,

really going to th e De v il ?
2 54 A SYS T EM OE MAG I C .

C Why to tell you the truth I am going to a

.
,

cunning man master hard by Northampton th at I

, , ,

am told w ill d i scover it all to me .

A Well but do you call that going to the Devil ?

.
,

C Y es certainly for h e deal s with th e Devil or

.
, ,

els e he could n e v e r do such strange things .

A W hat strang e things does h e do ?

.

C Why h e can cast a gur e tell folks where

.
,

their lost cattle ar e t e ll w h o robs them and Oft en , ,

tim e s h e lps th e m to ge t the i r goods again .

A An d so you th i nk h e can tell who has cuck

.

Ol d e d yo u don t yo u ?
,

C To be sure he can master ; why should n ot

.
,

he t e ll o n e th i ng as w ell as another ?
A H e ll take your money to b e sure that s all

.
,

you can be sure of I tell the e countryman tis all .

,

a cheat ; they are only rogues and j ugglers th e y ,

know nothing of the matter .

C Why that can t be master ; th e y say he will

.

,

show m e th e man s face i n a looking glass -
.

A An d wh at if he does show yo u a m an s face

.
,

and you don t know him wher e ar e you then ?
,

C Nay that s none of his fault

. .
,

A Tw ill be his fa u lt to put a cheat upon yo u

.
,

and show yo u a fac e you don t know pretending ,

that s the man and you ne er the wiser , .

C Well but he w i ll make me dream of the man

.
, ,

and s e e him in my Sl ee p .

A Very w e ll and so if you chance to dream of

.
,

an honest man you will go and murder h im will ,

you for m aking you a cuckold ? I tell you your

,

cunning man is a ch e a t ; he no more d e als with th e

De vi l t h an you do .

C Well th e n I ll go to O undl e there s a man

.
,

,

th at d e als in m agic and h e ll raise the D ev il for me ,

if I d e sire it a nd I sh all see him a nd talk with him

,

mysel f .
 A SYS TE M O E MAG I C 2 55 .

A A . n d y o u b e l ie ve it do y o u ?
,

O I
. shal l b e li e ve it sur e w he n I see it sha n t I ?
,

why d ye th i nk I won t b e l i eve my own e y e s ?

A Why do yo u kno w th e D ev il wh e n yo u see

.
,

him h o w will yo be sure tis th e De v il

? u ?

C I shall know him by his clo v en foot sh a n t I

.
, ,

master
A I believe n ot : did you e ver s e e the Devil i n
.

your life ?
C No not I but I ha ve heard of a gr e at m a ny
.
, ,

that hav e ; why I S that such a strang e thing m a st e r ? ,

A Tis such a strang e thing that I don t beli e v e

.
,

on e word of it .

C What don t yo u believ e that a m agician can

.
,

rais e the D evi l ?

A I do not know countryman but the De vi l
.
, ,

may b e called up upon extraordinary o ccasions but

hardly by your three half p e nny conj urer nor upon - -
,

such a business as yours is .

C Why won t t he De v il com e wh e n he is call e d

?
.
,

why the magician at O undle can mak e him com e

, ,

they say wh e t h er he will or n o : if h e do e s b u t draw

,

a circl e and turn ro u nd ve tim e s in i t the De v il ,

can t help appearing n o more than if w e said th e

,

Lord s prayer backward

.

A Why will h e com e if w e say o u r pray e r s

.
,

backward ?
C Ay certainly master ; why you d on t doubt
.
, , ,

that d ye ?
,

A Nay I don t say I doubt it ; but did yo u e ve r

.
,

try it yourself .

C No I never tried it that s tr u e ; but I ha ve

.
, ,

heard an ol d woman at Daventry used to raise th e

De v il th at way v e ry oft e n .

A I wonder you s h ould not try it when yo u ha ve

.
,

s u ch occas i on to talk with him .

C Ay I w a nt to tal k with h i m tha t I do but I

.
, , ,

dare not t alk with him by myself neither .

2 56 A S Y ST EM OE MAG I C .

A Why no t ? you kno w well enough wh at t o say

.

t o him .

C Ay that s true but I don t kno w how to

.
,

,

m anage him as th e y d o ; they are used to him ; t is
t heir tra d e to deal between him and u s .

A But it would save you the charges an d I

.
,

fa ncy t he D e v il and you ar e n o stra n gers .

C What d ye mean master ? I ne v er s aw him in

.

,

A W ell ,

. if you h a nt b e en in h is company I d are ,

sa
y h e has be e n in yours .

C W hy s o master ?
.
,

A Y ou would nev e r talk of han ging yourself

.
,

a n d o f being hang e d for murder so familiarly as o

y u ,

do if he had not b e en at work with you

, .

O Why I am half mad sir ; what would yo u

.
, ,

have m e do ? I must b e r ev eng e d o n em

.

A Ay I told you the D e vil had been with you

.
, ,

t is he m akes you t alk of re v enge ; that s all th e
D evil and en d s in d a mnation ; for if he is a spirit
,

which waits to d e vour a n d th at does all he can t o ,

destroy us w e may v e ry well think all e vil motion s

,

c ome from him .

C I don t understand those thi n gs master n ot I ;

.

, ,

but I am sure the De v il has had nothing to do with

me either i n that or anything else
,
.

A I tell thee honest friend t h e n doest not

.
, ,

know when the Devil is working i n thee and when ,

n ot ; all such horrid tho u g h ts as tho u hast had

a bout s e lf mur d er reven ge -
and doing mischief t o , ,

others must b e from th e D e vil

'
.
,

C W ell m aster let s talk n o more of that m y

.
, ,

he a d runs anoth e r way at pr e sent .

A W h y w i ll you really go to inquire o f th e De v il

.
,

about who h a s m a d e yo u a cuckold ?

C NO n ot to the Devil I only go to t h e cunning
.
, ,

man .
 A S YS TE M OE MAG I C . 2 57

A . Y es and to th e conj u rer at O undle you s ay

, , ,

a n d h e can raise th e Devil it Seems ,

.

'
C W e ll th e n h e d e als with th e Devil not I .
.
, ,

A An d do yo u th i nk as I said b e fore th e D e vil

.
, ,

would b e fri e nd you so far as to hinder your wife s
wickedn e ss ? do you think h e would not rath e r mak e
her wick e d e r than s h e i s ?
C Nay that s true ; b u t howev e r I d try what I
.
,

,

can do ; I am resol ve d I ll go to him .

Wh e n I found he was so positive I bade him e e n ,

go a nd try the exp e r i ment ; but dep e nd u pon it ,

said I the Devil won t betray the secr e t to yo u ; h e
,

is too much 0 t other side .

By this tim e we w e re come to ! ue e n s Cross a

,

littl e o f this Side Northampton ; and se e ing the

town from t h e h i ll I o ffe red to go o n fast e r s ee ing
, ,

I kne w th e way was b e for e me : but he bespoke me

to k ee p him company ; for mast e r says h e if yo u , , ,

lie in the town all night I ll c e rtainly come and t ell ,

you what th e cunn i ng man says to me .

I was not unw i ll i ng to h e ar th e resul t of th e

story but was particularly curious to h e ar what the
,

m ag i cian at O undle could do ; so I resolved t o stay

at Northampton that n i gh t and we kept company ,

togeth e r to th e town When we came to the town .

,

I put up at the Ge orge Inn and thought h e would ,

have gon e in with m e ; but when we cam e to th e

d oor h e bad e m e good bye for the present for th e
, ,

cunnin g man h e said l i v e d two mil e s o u t of th e

, ,

to wn and h e would tal k with him and come to m e

, ,

a t nigh t .

I w e nt into my in n and stay e d t here all n i ght ,

but heard no mor e of my poor cuckold the country

m an all that e v e ning Th e next morn i ng I was .

indispos e d wh i ch made me stay long e r at the inn

,

than I intended and indeed was obli ged t o s t ay

,
'

there all that day and n i ght too but st i ll I h ad n o ,

news o f my countrym a n, which made me a littl e

.S M . S
2 58 A S YST EM OE MAG I C .

ch a r e e n but at l a s t he cam e back a gain a n d

g ,

comes to me but not till the nex t day about eleven

,

o clock .

Then a s I had been waiting before ve ry patiently ,

I b e gan and spoke a little angr i ly ; Wh at s the b u
,

s in e s s n ow, says I what s the matter with you that

,

you dodg e about s o

0 S ir says he let m e com e in and I ll tell yo u

, , ,

th e strangest thin gs
W e ll come in then s ays I an d S it down ; I
, , ,

thought you had b e en lost or had forgot your ,

promise S O he cam e in and we begun another

.
,

short discourse as follows ,

C 0 mast e r I hav e had a hard night s work

.
,

on t .

A What do you mean o f a night s work wher e
.
,

h a ve yo u been ?
C Why rst master I w e n t to my cunning man
.
, , ,

a nd gave him a Shilli n g which it seems he tak e s ,

b e for e he will sp e ak a word .

A Ay ay they are in the right t is the only

.
, , ,

thing I can call them cunn i ng men for .

C Why are th ey cunning i n t h at

.
?

A Because they kno w if they d id not tak e t h e

.

money befor e hand nobody would give i t them after ,

wards because they can tell nothing n or say any

, ,

thing to the purpos e .

C Well I gave him the shill ing ; he d e manded

.
,

half a crown but I told him I was a poor man and

, ,

so he cond e scended in charity to take a shilling .

A That is to say he saw th e re was n o more to

.
,

be had so he took what h e could get and so th e y

,

all do But com e what did he do for it what d id

.
, ,

he t e ll th e e
C O he e xam i n e d me v ery stric tly I a ssure you
.
,
.

A E xamine yo u about wh at ?
.

C Why h ow long my wi fe h ad b e en gon e what

.
,

She carried with her what o clock sh e went at wh at ,

,
 A SYS TE M OE MAG I C . 2 59

she said at partin g ; and took ev e rything down i n

gur e s .

A V e ry w e ll t h is w a s all grimace to put a coun

.
, ,

t e n a n ce upon th i ngs .

C T he n h e b i d me hold my ton gu e and he fe ll

.
,

to mak i ng gur e s and mutt e r i ng t o hi mself ; and on

a s u dd e n h e starts up ; W e ll sa ys he I find your , ,

wife is gon e away and that yo u b e at her very s e

,

v e re l
y b e for e Sh e w e nt N o w I could n o t d e ny
.
,

that part mast e r b e cause I kn e w it was tr u e ; but

, ,

how should h e know that mast e r i f he wan t a cun , ,

ning man
A W e ll e noug h when h e h a d e xam i n e d yo u so
.

s t rictly b e fore i n all t he particulars h e m i g h t e as i ly ,

g u e ss yo u h ad us e d h er hardly by the rag e yo u ,

were in when you cam e to him and wh e n you

talked Of h angin g yo u rself and murd e rin g her he ,

might e as ily j udg e t h at yo u h ad talk e d th e sam e to

her which had frigh t e d the woman and sh e was
, ,

run away for fe ar o f yo u ; th e re s n o great cunnin g
in all that I was a go i ng to say so to you mys e lf
.

onc e for I really thought o f it befor e

, .

C Why th e n you are as much a cunning man a s

.

A Well what else did h e say to yo u ?

.
,

O Not hi ng to th e purpos e only to v e x m e and

.
,

make me mad .

A Nay that he could n o t do for I v e r i ly thi n k

.
, ,

o u w e r e mad befor e but what was it ? come t e l l

y ,

me .

O Why mast e r he fell to scr i bblin g and scrawl

.
, ,

ing again upon a p ie c e of pap e r and t he n h e r i s e s , ,

and walks up and down and round and roun d as I , ,

thought ; h e made circl e s t h re e or four t i m e s and ,

talk e d to hims e lf all t h e whil e .

A Well and that frighted you I warrant you ;

.
, ,

did n ot yo u think h e was go i n g to ra i s e th e D evi l

C W h y you know e verythin g master afor e hand
.
, , ,

s 2
2 60 A SYS TEM OE MA G I C .

I think you are as cunning as he I w a s s o fright ed

I trembled lik e an aspen l e af master , .

A Why didn t you s ay you w a nted to s e e the

.
,

Devil to tell you all ?

,

C Ay that s tru e master but I w a s deadly fraid

.
,

, ,

for all that e sp e cially whe n I thought he w a s j us t a

,

com i ng .

A Well and how then what came of it ?

.
, ,

C Cam e o n it ! why m ast e r the man s a rogue

.
, ,

,

a mer e cheat ; h e had got my money an d when ,

a ll come to all he told me noth i ng at l e ast n othin g

, ,

that signi e d anyth i ng to me .

A Well but what wa s i t ? for I nd he told yo u

.
,

som e thing though you d on t lik e it did he bid you
,

go home and b e quiet and easy an d not trouble ,

y ourself about it ?
C Hang him rogue ; when h e had made all his
.
,

turn s and his circles and said all his witchcraft ,

over to himself he sits down and calls me to him , ,

and very civ i lly bade me S it down and begun h is ,

u gly story .

A I nd he has n o t pleas e d y e : I really fancy

.

the man has gi v e n thee good h onest ad v ic e and bid ,

thee go hom e and m i nd thy business an d be easy ; ,

?
did not I say the sam e to thee
C I ll t ell it you all master if you ll have p a
.

, ,

t ie n c e he s a rogue a rogue mast e r I told you

, .

he would have my money beforehand and s o he ,

had or he should n e v e r ha had a farthing ; and he
,

kn e w that w e ll enough .

A No n o h e knew folks never pay wh e n they

.
, ,

don t lik e th e story but go on w h at did he s ay

,

C Why as grav e as a j ud ge he tak e s me by the

.
, ,

h a nd fe lt my p uls e holding his conj urin g paper in

, ,

t oth e r hand all th e while ; Hark thee friend says

, ,

he I have calculated the time s and the seasons I

, ,

hav e brought your n ames in a dir e ct opposition I ,

h a ve done everything to s at isfy you th at c an be done ,

 A SYS TE M OE MAG IC . 26 1

a nd all my n umbers a n d a ccounts a gree a nd this is ,

the s u m o f your cas e yo u ar e a poor hon e st fret , ,

fu l passionat e fe llow that st a nds her e o n o n e

, ,

side ; and th e n h e showed me h i s damned gu re s ,

and crosses and circl e s on o n e side ; and he re is ,

y our poor w i fe a t oth e r side says h e ; and t he n

he show e d me his gures again ; she h a s an ge r e d

you and scol d e d at you for your ill usag e of her
, ,

and you ha v e falle n upon her a n d b e at e n h e r n u

mercifully a n d thr e at e n e d to murder h e r and sh e
, ,

is r u n away for fear of it ; and n ow yo u call her

whore a n d come to m e t o t ell yo u who has mad e a
,

cuckold o f you .

A An d did the man say all this to you fri e nd ?

.
,

C Y e s master and a gr e at d e al more like a

.
, , ,

r o gue as he is H e a cunn i ng m an ! h e is a block

.

he a d why I knew all that b e for e

,
.

A Ay and h e might ea sily gather it from your

.
,

d iscours e
'
.

C N 0 m a st e r that h e c ould not I a m s ure

.
, , ,
.

A Well the n yo u will mak e him a cunning man

.
, ,

inde e d at th e same tim e that you call h i m a block

,

head and a fool I t ell you I gath e r e d as much b e

.

fore fro m you and you can t h elp it ; yo u a r e t oo
,

full o f your own story But go o n what d id he say .

,

then
C Why then he fell to pr e aching a n d giving me
.
, , ,

a dvic e G O hom e fr ie nd s ays the toad and be easy , , ,

a n d quiet and t e ll your fri e nds you are sorry you

,

have b ee n in such a he at a n d that you hope yo u r ,

wife will com e home again for yo u won t do her ,

an y hurt ; and th e n your n e ighbours will tell h e r ,

a nd sh e ll come lovingly aga i n to you ; for I tell
th ee fri e nd says he thou art in the wrong the
, , ,

poor woman is no whore I ca n show it you in black , ,

a n d whit e here and th e n he po i nted to his curs e d

c o nj uring paper ; sh e is a very honest woman thou ,

has t only a whims ey come in t hy h ea d b e ca us e s he

2 62 A S Y ST EM O E MAG I C .

is gone ; I tell thee tho u a rt no cuckold go home ,

and b e quiet .

A An d did he say all this to thee ?

.

C Y e s to b e sure master and a great de al more

.
, ,

such stu ff ; wh a t should I be in such a passion with

him for else
A Upon my w ord friend wheth e r he be a cun
.
, ,

ning m an o r no that I have nothing to say to ; he,

may mak e the e b e liev e so that s for his advantag e ,

but 0 my consci e n c e I think h e s a wise man an d

,

a n honest man and I would ad v ise th e e to follo w

,

his co uns el ; for I do t ell the e I rmly believ e t is ,

thy cas e to a tittl e and I tell thee thy whole dis ,

course discover e d it ; he might have said it all

without his gur e s and circles ; that was done to

a mus e you b u t tis plain from all you have said
, ,

that s thy very case .

C Ay ay mast e r it is n o m at ter for that let

.
, , , ,

him be a s c u nning and a s wise as he will I have had ,

another gu e ss account O f it an d bett e r advic e ,

since ; for I have b e en at O u ndle mast e r sinc e , ,

that and there I have m e t with a c u nning m an

,

indeed .

A Why h a ve you really b ee n consul t ing with

.
,

the D e vil then ?

C I believe I h a v e ind ee d
. .

A Nay then
. tis l ik e you hav e had good ad
, ,

vice inde e d ; mayn t a b ody kno w wh a t you h av e
met with there too

C Truly master I don t know whether I can tell
.
,

it you or no for I have been frighted out of my

,

wits I am sure if my h at had b ee n on my ha i r

.
,

woul d h a v e l i ft e d it o ff though I had had a goo d ,

b a sket o f apples upon my h e a d .

A C om e l e t m e hear it however as well a s you

.
, ,

c an .

C Why mas t er when I came to the man s house

.
,

( i hi n t wo mile of O undl e I t hink , or there

t s w t .
 A SYS T EM or MAG I C . 2 63

a bout ) it was almost d ark and tha t m a de it the

, ,

worse I knock e d at the door and o u t cam e a tall

.
, ,

black frightful old man I b e gu n to b e fri ght e d at

,
.

the v ery rst s i ght for I thought it had been the ,

Devil was come b e fore I asked for him .

A A n d are yo u sur e it was not ?

.

C Y es I think h e was n ot the Devil for he spoke

.
, ,

very civilly to m e ; and when I asked him if he wa s

th e cunning man h e smil e d and bade me com e in ;, ,

s o he carr ie d me i nto a large room which had but ,

o n e d im burn i ng candl e in it and I tr e mbled ev e ry

-
,

inch o f m e for I thought th e c a ndle burn t blue a s

,

s oon as I looked at it .

A V e ry w e ll so you thought you were come in t o

.
,

good c ompany did n o t you ? ,

C Inde e d I wi s hed mys e lf ou t o f the house

.
, ,

a gain th a t I did ; but the old gentleman whistled

, ,

a nd in cam e a young fellow that look e d like a s e rvan t ,

a nd h e bad e him go snu ff th e candl e and bring in ,

another and that comforted m e a litt le ; th e n h e sat

,

him down in a g r eat elbow chair with a li t tle table -

,

befor e it and upon the tabl e was a great many

,

books and a p e n and ink and p aper C om e friend

, , .
,

says h e l e t me know thy busin e ss for though I am

, ,

none of those i gnorant fe llows you call cunn i ng men ,

yet perhaps I may tell yo u w h at you want to know ,

upon a better foot .

A W el l h e begun pretty high : wha t could he

.
,

pretend to ?
C I r e pli e d S ir I w as told you w a s on e that
.
, ,

dealt in s e cr e t things that understood the black art , ,

and thos e w e call cunning m e n ; if I a m mistak e n ,

I am v ery sorry ; and so mad e a s if I would go away

again ; but he stopped m e a n d said Look you fri e nd , , , ,

I am none of thos e fe llows yo u call cunning men I ,

look upon t hem to be all ch e ats ; m y practic e is all

divine o f a superior n a ture I s tudy t hings in a
, ,
2 64 A SY S T EM OF MAG I C .

higher Sphere I d e al in th e mysteries of a n invisible

,

world and converse with the world o f spirits unem

,

bodied who are b e n e c e n t and kind to us who are

, ,

Spirits embodied and not only converse with u s,

belo w but are helpful and servic eable to us on all

,

occasions I can t remember all his hard words
.
,

m a ster but he said a d e al mor e to that purpose

,
.

A W ell did not h e ask for your money before

.
,

hand t oo as t other did ?
,

C No indeed but when he bade me t ell him my

.
,

cas e I put my hand in my pocket and p u ll e d o u t

, ,

t w o half crowns and went to o ffer him the money

, ,

for I found h e was n ot a n ordin ary fe llow and s o I ,

thought h e would not be v e ry low prized -

.

A But he took th e money I suppos e ?

.
,

C No he said he did n o t do these things for

.
,

money as he found I beli e ved he did ; but he sai d

, ,

Y ou may pu t what you pleas e in there p ointing to a ,

box that stood upon the table ; I shall dispose of it

charitably and to better us e s it may be than you
, , ,

would do yours e lf ; s o I put the mon e y into his box ,

which had a Slit l i ke a t radesman s till .

A Very well this looked great ind e ed

.
, .

C Then he bade me tell him my case ; for s ay s

.
,

he I percei v e you are a man of a t roubled c ou n t e n

,

a nce y our mind is oppressed the passions of you r

, ,

soul have been in a perturbation your spirits ar e ,

utt ering still and in a storm though something

, ,

ab a ted of what th e y have been ; pray be very free ,

and t ell me your whole cas e as fully and pl a inly a s ,

y ou can .

A Well I a ssure you h e spoke in state wi t h a

.
, ,

great deal of m aj esty .

C Y es a n d y e t he spoke very courteously too

.
, ,

and I began t o like him mightily ; s o I b e gan and ,

told him my case at large j ust as I did you m a s t er , , .

A T hat i s t o s ay th a t you w a nted t o be revenged

.
,
 A S YS TE M or MAG I C . 2 65

of your wife a n d to nd ou t th e m an that had

,

cuckold e d you a n d the like ; s o yo u expected pre

,

s e nt l
y h e s h ould tell y o u who it was .

C Y e s so I did ; but he brought me t o under

.
,

stand th i ngs better a nd I found he was in earnest , ,

and that h e was not to be ch e ated He e xamined .

m e too as t other had don e and asked me abund an ce ,

of questions .

A An d I doubt no t gathered your case in every

.
, ,

p art of it from the weak inconsistent account you

gave him of i t .

C I don t know th at ; bu t aft e r h e had d one

.

a sking m e all h i s quest i ons he took his pen and ink ,

t o o and wrot e down a gr e at many things upon h is

,

pap e r and ma d e lin e s w i th a short brass r ul e and a

,

p encil and then took out a pair of compasses and

, ,

drew se v eral gur e s and marks but I understood ,

n othing o f t he m n e ith e r could I se e them distinctly

,

by th e candl e light then h e ask e d me my Christian

-

name which I told h im was E dward and he se t it

, ,

down in gr e at l e tters but such as though I can read ,

mast e r I am sur e that I n e ver saw such before

, .

Th e n h e asked my wife s Christian nam e too which

I told him was Abigail and h e s e t that down in the ,

s ame kind of l e tters as before ; th e n he asked my

a ge and my wife s age and the a ge of my two chil
, ,

dren ; of all which I ga v e h i m a ful l account .

A I suppos e you had told him that yo u had two

.

childr e n : h e did not conj ure out that did he ? ,

C Y e s he had asked m e that b e for e and I told

.
, ,

him ; so wh e n h e had done all and I b elieve we h a d ,

talk e d tog e th e r above an hour he rose up and , ,

o ffe r e d to go away and I ros e up t oo but he laid , ,

his hand upon my arm Do you sit still says he and , , ,

I ll com e to yo u a ga i n ; at which I was a little
fright e d to be l e ft alone and he p e rceiv e d i t Don t , .

be afraid says b e th e re shall nothing hurt you nor

, , ,

spe ak to you ; and if yo u hear any noise don t you
2 66 A S YS T EM or MAG I C .

stir bu t s it s t ill here S o he took up one of the

, .

candles an d w e nt into another ro om by a little door

,

like a clos e t door and whe n he shut the door afte r

-
,

him I p e rceiv e d a littl e windo w of o n e broad square

,

o f glass only that looked into the room which he

,

was gone into .

A I warran t ye you wanted to peep did n ot y e ?

.
, ,

C Yes I did but I durst not stir for my life b e

.
, , ,

c a use he had charg e d me I should not .

A W e ll but you was to hear some noises w a s

.
, ,

you n o t ?
C But I did not except once that I he a rd a
.
,

noise like the dr a wing of a chair upon the oor ,

which being nothing but what was ordin ary did n ot ,

disturb me .

A Well how long did he s t ay

.
,
?

C About half an ho u r a n d came in again looking

.
, .

very w e ll pleas e d and asked m e how I d id an d , ,

then sat down as befor e Well says he I have bee n .

, ,

consulting on your case and I nd things not s o ,

threat e ning to you as I expect e d ; perhaps you may

not b e in s o ill a c a se as yo u imagin e ; however I ,

am ordered to t ell yo u that some d ays after you r ,

r e turn your wife shall come to a house ne a r you

, ,

a n d send to know if yo u will receive her a g a i n

kindly ; if th e person She sends is a woman you ,

may conclude your wife h as abused you ; b u t if s h e

sends a man the n sh e is innocent a nd you ar e
, ,

mistaken .

A This was poin t blank I assure you

.
, .

C I did not like it however and that he migh t

.
, ,

s e e well e nough ; for I can t allow any ifs or an d s .

Tell m e of b e ing mistaken ! said I to him I can t ,

be mistaken Well says he I ll go a gain and con
.
, , ,

sult fu rther about you and seeing me b e gin to ge t

up too h e turns a gain You are not afraid says he
, , , ,

are yo u ? No n ot at all said I ; Well n or you

, , ,

wo n t be afr a id will you if you s e e no t hin g fr ightful ?

, ,
 A SYS TE M or MAG I C . 2 67
No not a t all said I again But I lied mast er for
, , .
, ,

I was almost frigh ted to d e ath when he spoke of my

s e eing som e thing ; but as I had said No tw i c e and , ,

spok e it pr e tty heart i ly t oo he sa i d W e ll then , , , ,

come along w i t h m e i nto t he n e xt room .

A I do u bt you w e r e afraid th e n inde e d

.
,
.

C Ay so I was h e art i ly an d h e perceived it

.
, ,

t oo aga i n ; Well says he i f you are afra i d to go

, , ,

into my room of pract i c e I ll stay here with you ; ,

only whatever yo u s e e or h e ar S it you s t ill and

, , ,

neither sp e ak or stir out o f yo u r chair .

A W e ll did you obser v e h i s d i r e ction ?

.
,

C No i nd e ed master my heart fa i led me ; I

.
, , ,

durst n ei th e r go nor stay ; but I ll t e ll you what I

did wh e n he was gon e into t h e next room I wen t

, ,

to the w i ndow and pe e p e d .

A An d what did yo u s e e ? tis odd peeping a t

.

the De v il I must t ell you

, .

C I s aw my old gentl e man in a great chair a nd

.
,

two mor e in chairs at some distanc e and three ,

great candles and a gr e at sh ee t of whit e pap e r upon

,

th e oor b e tw ee n t h em ; ev e ry on e of th e m had a
long white wand in their hands t h e lower end of ,

which touched the sh ee t of pap e r .

A An d were the candles upon the ground t oo ?

.

C Y e s all o f them
.
,
.

A Ther e was a grea t de al of ceremony abou t

.

you I assur e you

, .

C I t hi nk so too but it is not done y e t ; imme

.
,

d iat e ly I h e ard th e littl e door stir as if it w a s ,

opening an d away I skipped as softly as I could

,

t read and got into my cha i r again and sat there as

, ,

gravely as i f I had n e ver stirred o u t of it I was n o .

s oon e r set but th e door opened indeed and the old ,

gentl e man cam e ou t as b e fore an d t u rning to me , ,

said S it st i ll don t y e stir ; and a t th at word the

, ,

oth e r two that were w i th him in the room walked out

after him one after another a cross the room a s if
, , ,
2 68 A SY S TE M or MAG I C .

t o go ou t at t he other door where I c a me in but at

the further e nd of the room th e y stopped and turned ,

their faces to o n e anoth e r an d talked ; but it w as ,

some devil s languag e of their own for I could ,

understand nothing of it .

A An d now I suppose you were fright ed in

.
, ,

e a rnest
C Ay s o I was ; but it was wors e ye t for they
.
, ,

had n o t stood long together but the gr e at elbow ,

chair which the old gentlem a n sa t in at the littl e

,

tabl e j ust by m e began to stir of itself ; at which

,

the old g e ntleman knowing I should b e afraid came , ,

to me and said S it still don t you stir all will be
, , ,

well you shall have no harm at which he gave h is

,

ch a ir a kick with h is foot and said G o with some , , ,

oth e r words and of other languag e and aw ay wen t

, ,

the obedient chair sliding two o f its legs on the , ,

ground and the other t wo o f as if somebody h a d

, ,

dragged it by that part .

A A n d s o no doub t they d id t hough you coul d

.
, , ,

n o t s e e it .

C As soon as the chair was dragged or moved

.

to the end of the room wh e re t h e thr e e I know , ,

n o t what to call em were two other Chairs did the , ,

like fr o m the other side of the room and s o they all ,

s at down and talk e d tog e ther a good while at last

,

the door a t that end o f the room op e n e d too and ,

they all were gone in a moment without rising out ,

o f t heir chairs ; for I a m sure they did not rise t o

go ou t a s other folks do
,
.

A Wha t did yo u think of yourself when you

.
,

s aw the c h air stir so n e ar o u ?

y
C Think ! n ay I d i d not think ; I w a s d e a d to
, , ,

be sur e I was dead wit h the fright and exp e cted I , ,

Should be carried away chair and all the next , ,

m oment Th e n it was I say t hat my hair would

.
, ,

h ave lift ed off my h at if i t h a d bee n on I a m sure , ,

i t would .
 A S Y ST EM OF MAG I C . 2 69

A . W e ll but when th e y w e re all gone you came

,

to yourself again I suppose ,

C To tell you the truth master I am not come

.
, ,

to mys elf y e t .

A But go on let me know how i t ended

.
,
.

C Why aft e r a little wh i le my ol d man came in

.
,

again called h i s man to set th e c h airs to r i ghts and

, ,

then sat him down at th e tabl e spoke cheerfully to ,

me and ask e d m e if I would drink which I refused

, , ,

though I was a dry inde e d I believe th e fr i ght

-
.

had mad e me dry but as I ne ve r h ad b ee n used to

drink with the D e vil I d i dn t know wh at to think
,

o f it so I l e t it alon e
, .

A But yo u m i gh t e en hav e ventur e d for the

.
,

o l d n e cromancer was b u t a man what e ver corr e ,

s o n d e n c e h e mi ht ha v e and his al e would not

p g ,

h ave h urt you But what else did he say abo u t

.

your business ?

C W hy h e told m e th e invis i ble ag e nts were

.
,

favourabl e in th ei r answers that th e re app e ared n o ,

th i n g but w e ll that h e was assured by the aspects

,

whic h any way conc e rn e d m e t h at I was more c on

cerned about t hi s matter than t h ere was reason for ,

that I should go hom e and wait t ill by th e signals ,

h e h ad giv e n m e I might j u d ge for mys el f, and till

,

I h e ard from my w i fe as b e for e and that i f I coul d

make any plain disco v ery that th e r e was r e al guilt ,

I s h ould com e to h i m again and h e would endea ,

vour to point o u t th e man ; but if I could not I ,

should r e st sat i s e d that I had been wrong i nformed

o f things in my family and might make mys e lf
,

e asy .

A This is an o d d story : why this man is only a

.
,

ch e at like all th e r e st ; he bids yo u go h ome and if

, ,

you can nd out any r e al g u ilt t h e n come to him , ,

a n d he will t e ll o u what to do that is to say h e

y ,

knows noth i ng Is this your necromancer ! pray

.
,

where does h e dwell ?

2 70 A SY ST EM o r MAG I C .

C N ay m a ster the man has done me n o wrong

.
, , .

I was directed to th e house but I can t nd it ,

again if I was to be hang e d for missing it ; how

,

e v er I won t betray him n e ither l e t him be what he

,

,

will .

A W e ll ; but it seems you ar e n ot ful ly satised

.

yet b e cause he does n ot conrm your n otion that

,

your wife is a whore ; I fancy yo u have a min d it

should be s o .

C I don t care what sh e is so I could but nd it

.

ou t .

A But you se e n e ith e r th e honest m an at

.
, ,

Northampton n or th e D ev il at O undl e would giv e , ,

you any r e ason to think so I woul d ha v e you go .

hom e as the rs t m an advised y ou and b e quiet

, , .

I ve r ily b elieve ther e s nothi n g at all in it ; but you
h av e be e n a cru e l husband ha v e used your w i fe l i ke ,

a d og and frighted h e r with worse and sh e is e d

, ,

from you as a poor naked d e fencel e ss she e p would

, , ,

from a lion or wol f .

C An d you would h ave me go hom e an d submit

.

to my wife n o I ll h an g mys e lf rst ,

.

A I don t say submit to your wife ; though if

.

you have wronged your wife as I doubt yo u have I , ,

s e e n o r e ason why o u should n o t mak e a wife satis

y
faction for th e inj ury done h e r charact e r as w e ll as ,

o u wo u ld to a man that was able to cu dg e l yo u into

y
i t But I say go hom e and m e nd your wife s hus
.
,

ban d an d t hat will in all probability m e nd your

,

wife an d you may liv e comfortably again togeth er

,
.

C I can t prom i s e mast e r to take any of th ei r

.

, ,

advic e s or your s e ith e r
, .

This story is n ot told so much t o giv e an account

o f the m a n who was nothing as I could und e rstan d
,

by it all b u t a bas e passio n at e fellow to an honest

,

woman his wife ; but it is a kind of a history of mo

d e rn magic or of the craft wh i ch is at this time in
,

pr a ctice in the world Nor is it a singular ex a mple .

,
 A S Y STE M or MAG I C . 27 1

for we h a ve many more peopl e among us who are ,

pretend e rs to th e sacr e d scienc e s as t he y call them ;

,

who y e t do not le ve l th ei r knowl e d ge of th e m to

such m e a n us e s as to go mountebank i n g wit h them
, ,

to g e t a crown or two for p e tty d i sco v er ie s and s e t ,

up for what th e y ca ll cunning m e n ; which is i ndeed

th e lowest step o f this kind t h at a Sp i rit o f the in v i
sible world could w e ll be suppos e d to take .

It is true it is something h ard to describe what

,

t his th i ng we call mag i c is and h ow it is to be u n

,

d e r s t o o d now what i t was form e rly we know some

thing of, an d yet eve n then n o gr e at th i n gs were
perform e d by i t ; something the y did wh e ther by ,

the thin g its e lf as an art or by th e Devil b ei ng pr e

,

s e nt to ass i s t t he m w e know not ; that which woul d

,

be call e d wond e rful is that t he y did then as t he y

, ,

pr e tend to do st i ll s eve ral things which th e Dev i l

,

really has n o power to do ; and particularly that of

for e telling th i ngs to com e whi ch w e do n o t g e ne
, ,

rally speakin g grant t he D evi l to ha ve i n hi s power

,

he can ind ee d make bett e r j udgm e nt o f things than

we can but t h at the knowl e dge of futur i ty 1 s g i ven
,

hi m I d e ny
, .

For th e aug u rs an d south sayers th e y did strang e ,

thin gs form e rly ; by whos e pow e r i s n ot in my ,

r e ac h nor any one s e ls e to d e termin e : for e xampl e ;

,

i n the latt e r end of th e life of Augustus Cae sar ,

whil e th e c e remonies wer e p e rforming in th e Ca m

pus M a r t in s
,
the e mp e ror and a vast concourse of
p e ople being pr e sent a n eagle came into th e plac e
, ,

and ho ve r e d over th e emp e ror som e tim e yin g ,

ro u nd and round h im i n th e air and th e n y i ng to

,

wards a small temple o r oratory it s e ttled upon a ,

littl e pinnacle j ust ov e r the statue of Agrippa

, .

Th i s was taken as a pr e sag e or om e n to the e m

p e r or
, wh e t he r o f good o r e vi l was hard to det e r

m i n e : but the augurs being cons ult e d th e y d e t e r ,

2 72 A S Y STE M or MAG I C .

mined it t o be evil and tha t it be t okened the d e ath ,

o f the emperor in a Short tim e .

Anoth e r accid e nt happ e ned the very next day ,

viz a ash o f l i ghtning broke upon the statue of

.
,

the emperor ov e r the senat e hous e an d struck ou t -

,

t h e lett e r C from the word Cae sar in the inscription

, ,

u pon the capital of the work over the statu e The .

a ugurs w e re again consult e d and th ey aga i n con ,

s u l t in with o n e another and by the ord i nary oh

g ,

s e r v a t ion s declar e d th e emperor would di e within a

,

hundred days ; signied by th e numeral lett e r C

being struck o u t an d that he S h ould then be reckoned
,

among the gods b e cause the word ZES AR in the H e,

t r ur ian to n gu e signies a god .

No w it fe ll o u t according to this pr e diction ; t he

emperor and Tib e rius hi s heir apparent went as far
, ,

a s Be n e v e n t u m h e was taken sick th e re of a diar

,

r h oe a an d causing himself to be carried to Nola near

,

Capua h e e xpir e d ninety nin e days after the stroke

,
-

o f the thund e rbolt o r l i ghtning as above If then .

the D ev il has n o knowl e dge of fu turity but that ,

th e study of th e int ell e ctual world o r world of spi ,

rits b e a sacr e d sci e nc e as the profe ssors o f it c on

, ,

tend ; then those augurs who acted upon the foot

o f the anci e nt magic were illuminate d from those ,

intellectual b e ings and had conv e rse with spirits o f ,

a differing kind from those which we call devils o r

di abolic al .

Now as it is hard to distinguish th e se ill u min a

,

tion s otherwise than by th e e v e nts and consequ enc e s

of the int e llig e nce they bring s o I think that i ,

rst of all t h e distinction be allowed b e tween good

,

an d e v il Spirits th e n it is a j ust way of d e termining

, ,

viz that such intelligence as tends to the good of

.
,

m ankind t o the propagatio n of virtue and pr e s e rv

, ,

ing honour chast i ty prop e rty and r e l i gion may be

, , ,

supposed t o proceed from good Spirits whether ,

 A SYS T EM or MAG I C . 73
angels or other spirits un e mbodi e d on the contr ary ,

wher e the correspondence has a ge n e ral t e nd e ncy to

mischi e f to e nco u rage crime to th e hurt of mankind
, ,

in general to discourage virtu e and r eligion to in

, ,

sult Heav e n and in a word wh e re th e t e nor and

, ,

bent of th e i llumination is to do e vil or to direct t o ,

the doing it ther e w e may w i thout inj ury to per

, ,

sons or to t h e Devil himself say it is from him or

, , ,

by his agency and that h e (t h e D evil ) is princip ally

,

concern e d in it ; for we kno w it is his n atur e and

particular property t o b e prop agat i ng evil and th at ,

he is apparently known to hate mank i nd and abhor , ,

envy and malign the holy nature of the etern a l

,

B ei ng .

It may be a very j u st distinction betwe e n the

bless e d e t e rnal B e in g and th e cursed e xil e d con , , ,

d e m n e d sp e ci e s of e vi l ang e ls ; i n a word b e tween

G od and the Devil to say o f them thus ,

G od i s th e p e rfection of good .

The Devil is the extrem e of corruption .

G od th e perfe ctio n o f purity and holiness .

The D e v i l a compos i tion of t h e utmos t impurity .

F rom these two contrari e s d e r i v e all th e e x e c u

ti v e power of good and evil ; th e Devil can no more
be th e g e nuin e par e nt of good actions than a n evil ,

tr e e can bring forth good fr u it than darkness ,

w h ich is a privation of t h e glorious light can be a ,

c ons e quenc e o r production of it .

G od can no more be t he author o f evil than he ,

can an n ih i l ate h ims elf and cease to be ; a n d h e can ,

not c e ase to be b e caus e h e t h at e xists from e ternity

,

i s eternal and exis t s necessarily as w e ll as from

, ,

hims el f .

If t h en th e int elligenc e given or the illumina ,

tions r e c e iv e d by t h e art wh i ch these m e n pr e t e nd

to is found to ha ve th e se e ssential qual i cat i ons o f
,

goodn e ss ; viz b e n e c e n t to mank i nd d i r e ct i n g

.
, ,

m e n to th e preserving virtue honour prop e rty a n d , , .

s M
. . T
2 74 A S YS T EM OF MAG I C .

pie ty t hen I should be tempt e d to think they h a ve

an acquaintance with th e intell e ctual world a c on ,

v e rs e with goo d spirits and a presci e nce communi

,

c at e d from t he good ang e ls those guardians o f m an

,

kind waking c e ntinels s e t to guard the world fr o m

, ,

evil an d to counteract th e malice and rage of hell

, ,

but not e lse .

Her e then is a t e st of the magicians art and let ,

us not be amused and imposed upon by the pre

t e n c e s to th e sacred scien c e s and to th e study of
,

e xalt e d mysteries incantations divine and sublime

, ,

and many other lofty expr e ssions signican t in

thems elv e s but not so in th e case befor e us unless
, ,

testi e d by th e virtue a n d j ust productions which

appear in their practice I say let us no t be amused
.
,

with th e se to e mbrace hell in the disg u ise of hea

ven and converse with a dece i ver in the robes of a n
,

ang e l o f light .

If ther e ar e suc h glorious things atta ined t o by

art and by t he study of th e se sacred sciences where
, ,

shall we nd the practice of them ? I think we

must be referr e d back t o th e augurs a nd diviners
amo n g th e more hon e st h e at h e ns ; for we may al
most answer for it that nothing of this kind is seen
,

among us or at least if it i s found in theory a nd ,

ther e is in n atur e a reality of art such as I have ,

mention e d abov e ; that magic is a sci e nce laudable

i n its study j ustiable In i ts practice sublim e In it s
, ,

attainm e nt ; it is yet s o bl e nded with the wicked

p art by th e corruption of its professors that we
, ,

scarc e kno w wher e to nd on e ei th e r in being or in

,

story in the whole Christ i an tim e whose practice

, ,

can be allow e d to be sacr e d whatever c a n be said o f

,

the sci e nc e .

It i s true there w a s a famed m agici a n in K e nt

, ,

who pretend e d to th i s and of whom I Sh all Speak at

,

large in th e n e xt chapters ; and h e seemed to a ct

wholly upon the princ i ple of doing good d e t e c t ing ,
 A SYS T E M on MAG I C . 275

punishing and e xpos i ng crim e : but I shall giv e my

,

exceptions to it whe n I com e to his story .

At pr e s e nt t he r e for e t he world ar e to be e xcused

th e m i sta k e i f t he y run i nto it eve n w i th a k i nd of
,

g e n e ral cons e nt taking th e word m ag i c and magi

,

c ia n in th e worst s e ns e u n d e rstand i ng t he m all as

,

pract i s i ng th e diabol i cal part o f i t v iz a con v e rs e ,

.
,

w i t h evi l spirits and a d e al i ng w i t h th e D e v i l in

,

elusi ve also of all thos e s e v e ral Class e s i nto wh i ch I

hav e d i stingu i sh e d i t befor e .

H e nc e p e rhaps it is that i n o u r discours i ng with

,

e v en the most learn e d m e n upon t hi s subj e ct a fe w , ,

a v e ry fe w e xc e pt e d it is ve ry h ard to brin g the m

,

to any notions of a d i ffe r e nc e b e tw ee n magi c and

w i tc h craft b e tw ee n a ma gician and a sorc e r e r b e
, ,

tw ee n a stud e nt in the e xalt e d sc ie nc e s a con ve rs e r ,

with th e I nt e ll e ctual world and a wr e tc h t h at h a s a

,

famil i ar a w i zard or n e cromanc e r ; but th e y w i ll

, ,

though t he y may be wron g i n it too hav e t he m be ,

r e ckoned all in a class t h at t he y ar e all pract i tion e rs

,

i n th e d i a b ol i cal p art and i n a word th at th e y all

, ,

deal w i t h th e D ev il Ind ee d t he d i ffe r e nc e is not

.

e asily perc e ptibl e becaus e o f th e pr e t e nc e s wh i ch

,

t he worst o f t he m mak e to th e hi gh i llumina

tion wh e n th e y a r e r e ally act i n g t he v i l e st part and
, ,

that in t he ord i nary cours e o f t hei r practice ; i t i s

t h er e for e by t h e cons eq u e nc e s only that th e y ar e to ,

be known W itchcraft and s orc e ry may in on e

.

r e sp e ct b e j ustly said to b e all mag i c ; but I must

not allow t h at all magi c is w i tc h craft as I distin ,

u ish e d b e fore b e tw ee n a witch and a wizard But

g .

se e ing i t i s so h ard to k n ow t h em asund e r and t h at ,

th e impostur e i s so gr e at th e best m e thod I can ,

take i s wher e h i story or conversat i on w ill supply

,

mat e rials to giv e yo u as many e xampl e s o f th e

,

s e v e ral practic e s and pract i s e rs i n the s e last ag e s o f

t h e world as w e can me e t w i th as w ell for your d i
, ,

v e rsion as instr u ctio n .

2 76 A SY STE M OF MAG I C .

I must here enter a caution too against a weak ,

but vulgar mis t ak e which to the r e proach of human

,

und e rstanding the world has be e n v e ry m u ch pos

sess e d with ; and that is to ascrib e every di fcult ,

unaccountabl e performance to the art magic ; and

every superior genius every m a n o f a sublime ,

thought and mor e than ordinary capacity to be a

, ,

magician Archim e des was a mos t accomplished

.

g e nius and an e xc e ll e nt mathematician but w e will

, ,

ha v e him be a magician too F riar Bacon who by .

,

h is skill in the mathemat i cs and th e doctr i ne of ,

m otion an d of sounds ma d e a brazen head to Sp e ak ;

,

o f which by the way there a r e many examples in

, ,

history more a ncient than fath e r Bacon y e t we

, ,

will ha v e this honest friar be a witch a magician a , ,

conj urer only because the thing was beyond the

,

ord i n a ry conception .

M en of thought and h e ad who have a genius a ,

little abo v e the i r neighbours have on all occasions ,

bee n l i able to be th us tr e at e d ; even ou r S aviour

hims e lf when he acted such wonders as the like h a d
,

n o t b e en se e n and cast o u t devils wh at said the

, ,

a maz e d world ? Th e more weak and admiring an d

innocent thoughts were amaz e d the text says they ,

w e r e astonished ; and at another time th e y wer e lled

with wond e r and the like but th e s e lf wise heads -
,

th e pr e tending Pharisees having neither knowl e dge ,

to reach the divine power by which h e wrought an d ,

too much pride to submit to faith r e proached him ,

with d e aling with the D e vil : H e c a s te t/t o u t d e v ils

b y B e e lz e b u b t h e p r in c e of d e v ils M att xii 2 4 . . . .

Th is mistake m ay ther e fore tak e place in the case

b e fore m e ; and men who ha v e stud i ed in the .

most e xquisite m anner any of the sciences which ,

are lawfu l and commendabl e and ar e arrived to a ,

d e gre e of knowl e dg e beyond others may be sus ,

e c t e d o f ma gic an d o f th e di a bolic magic t oo

p , ,

which I h av e b e en spe aking of .

 A SYS TEM or MAG I C . 277

I will n ot venture to stat e t he bo u nds critically ,

sp e aking betw ee n the la wful study o f mag i c as a

,

sci e nc e and th e unlawful part of its pract i ce as a

,

diabolic o r a black art any more th an b e tw ee n the ,

nobl e study of astronomy i nclud i ng the mot i ons o f ,

the h e av e nly bodi e s and t h at corrupt and horr i d

,

imposition t h at worst of j uggl e the most s i mpl e

, ,

and scandalous of all ch e ats called j ud i cial as ,

t r ol ogy .

That magic may be a handl e to witchcraft that ,

one may b e gi n wher e th e other e nds th i s I w i ll not ,

deny ; but I must be allow e d to say that i f th e r e is ,

a n i n v isible world a world of Sp i rits if ther e i s a

, ,

convers e betw ee n t he spirits unembodied and our ,

Spirits embodi e d which also I cannot d e ny what

, ,

ever lawful way th e r e can be found i f such can be ,

found to for m an i nt e ll i g e nc e b e tween them must

, ,

be a subl i me and heavenly attainm e nt ; at th e same

time I wi ll n ot ventur e to say such an intell i gence
,

can be form e d .

Nor will I venture t o say that ther e can b e any

settl e d method found o u t to call u p any of thos e in
visibl e inhabitants of the world of Spir i ts to a v i sible ,

appearance in this world and to an aud i ble and ,

vocal conversation so as to rec e iv e int e llig e nc e of

,

things pr e sent or dir e ctions in things to com e to be

, ,

advis e d couns e lled or i nform e d by th e m or to any

, ,

such purpos e ; it does n ot s ee m probabl e ; if at any

time th e y do or can app e ar w h ich ye t I do not ,

grant it must be spontan e ous and arbitrary h o w

, , ,

when wh e re and o n what occas i on they think t

, ,

but as to o u r calling th e m up by art e xc e pt it b e by ,

a diabol i cal ma gic and by the i mm e diate assistance

,

o f th e D evi l and perhaps t oo i t may b e only a d e

,

l u s io n o f S atan s who pr e tendin g to vis i t u s by t h e

,

good Spirits w e want to con ve rs e with constitutes a ,

missionary devil to p e rsonate th e spirit e xp e c t ed ,

and so put a cheat u pon the inquir e r as the witch ,

278 A SYS TE M or MAG I C .

of E ndor r a is e d a sp e ctre o r sham S amuel in the

room of the tru e prop he t S amu el who we may , ,

without presumption believe knew nothing of the

,

m atter .

To pr e tend by art to bring those good Spirits

fro m th e ir stat e of fe licity where v er it is to an ap , ,

e a r a n c e for o u r privat e concerns s ee ms to h a ve

p ,

no cons i stenc e in th e natur e of a fu tur e stat e ; that

ther e may b e an invisible a n d impercept i bl e c o n
v erse of spir i ts whic h w e cannot d e scribe and ap ,

point e d by Provid e nce for ends whic h we do n ot

ful ly und e rstand I b e li e ve is p ossibl e ; but it i s then
,

don e their own way and w e know nothing of the

,

manner .

There is m u ch said of guardian angels and som e ,

seeming ground from S criptur e but not e nough to ,

b e called an authority from whenc e to ground an,

hypoth e sis o f th e manner ; n or will t h e greatest

magician that e ve r was how much soever h e pre ,

t e nds to the s acr e d sci e nc e take upon him to s ay ,

h e can call up or caus e to app e ar o n e of those

guardian ang e ls ; no n ot by th e utmost and most
,

exquisit e art th at was e v e r att a ined to ; so that all

that part o f call i ng up good sp i rits or guardian
angels to a visible app e aranc e se e ms to b e ctitious ,

and gro u ndl e ss A s to call i ng up evi l a n gels o r

.

e vil spirits that is to say devils as it is to be done

, , ,

by th e assistance of th e Devil a nd that he h as ,

giv e n his assistanc e to the doi n g it and ther e fore ,

can do it I make no qu e stion ; and th e r e fore whe n

,

th e mag i cians do at any tim e bring up a ppearances

a nd fr i g h tful a ppa ritions by th e ir art I s h all always

suppos e i t to b e th e D ev il that is to say th e D e vil , ,

ra i s e d by consent of th e Devil ; the D e vil coming

up at th e ir call who he had b e fore cons e nted Should
,

have l e av e t o call him ; for he must com e volunte er

too n or can he be call e d up or disturb e d without
,

his consen t ; bu t he b a rgains with those wicked

 A SYS TE M o r MAG I C
. 2 79

people upon such conditions as th ey agree between

them that h e shall obs e quiously att e nd wh e n e ver
,

they us e such a nd such methods to call him ; and

this is wi tchcra ft and this i s magic ; this magic is
,

witchcraft and th is witc h craft is magic : le t any one

,

distinguish between th e m i f they can .

2 80 A S Y ST EM OF MAG I C .

CHA P III . .

Of th e p r e s e n t p r e t e n ce s of t he m a gicia ns how they

d ef e n d t h e m s e lv e s ; a n d s o m e e x a mp le s of th e ir
r a c t ic e
p .

THE magicians such as ackn owledge themselves t b

,

be acquainted with th e black art as we call it are , ,

no t dumb a nd speech l e ss in th e ir own case ; on the

contrary they defend th e mselves with the utmost
,

ar tice h ave their historical accoun t s of the ir

,

practice and give the most fair and plausible

,

sketches of the art itself that can be im a gined .

They in sist that i t is a g e neral mistake a vulgar ,

error an d inj urious to all the practisers o f this

,

science to s ay th e y have a fam iliar as we under

, ,

stand the wor d that is a n e vil spirit or th a t they

, , ,

deal with th e Devil ; they ow n they hav e access to ,

a nd an in t ercourse with superior bei n gs and con ,

verse with the world of spirits ; but that they are

the good an d well dispos e d sp i rits who are always
-
,

b e n e ce n t kind and r e ady to do all possible o fces

, ,

o f love t o mankind ; that t hey are certa inly in

u e n c e d from above and that consequently it is s o

,

far from being true that th e y are diabol ic an d

wicked spirits that on the contr a ry they a re alw ay s
,

employed in matters sup e rior t o the n ature of the

infernal spirits ; that t he y do n ot a muse the world
with ctions and d e ceiv e and abuse the people
,

that com e to th e m with their inquiries ; th a t they

do no t like the D e vil s oracles of old give ambi
, ,

u o u s and doubtful answ e rs in the c a ses and in

g
u ir ie s th a t are bro u ght before them t o che a t a n d
q ,

delude t he inn ocen t inquirer ; bu t tha t t hey on the ,

 A S Y S TEM or MAG I C . 28 1

con tr ary t ell them th e truth of e v e rything be it

, ,

for good o r evil to them ; that th e y o ften detect

criminals expos e vice pr e vent mis ch ie f and pro
, , ,

mot e virtu e things nobody will pr e t e nd ar e in the

intent and meaning of e vil spirits ; that th e y do n ot
impose u pon th e i gnorant to cheat and d e fr aud
th e m or make unj ust a dv ant ag e s of them
, .

In discoursing many years sinc e upon this sub

je c t with a particular fri e nd a j ud i cious and l e arned ,

man an d o n e that was not easily imposed upon

, ,

I seemed to b e doubtfu l of th e r e ality of the t h ing

in gen e ral and wh e ther th e re was i nde e d such a
,

thing a s that o f men ha v ing i nt e rco urs e wit h the

world o f Sp i rits and wheth e r w e mi ght d i stin
,

guish b e tw e en that an d w i tchcraft ins i sting that I ,

thought it was all witchcraft sorcery and the , ,

De vi l .

He t old m e he was o f my mind till some years

before that h e had occasion to co nverse with the
,

famous magician called Dr Bor e man i n K e nt who .

, ,

h e assur e d m e was a v e ry grave j udicious man an d , ,

as h e b e liev e d a good man I had once said he

, .
, ,

above all the r e s t a lo n g confe r e nc e with him on a

,

particular occasion ; but t i s too lon g to t ell you the

particulars If tis not t oo long for yo u to t ell

.

,

said I it will not be too lon g for me to h e a r for

, ,

I am r e ally impati e nt to know what i s t o b e known

of t hat k i nd ; and th e m or e becaus e I am at a loss ,

to pass a j udgm e nt about it W e ll sa i d h e if I .

, ,

tir e you then with th e l e ngth o f it t ell m e a n d I , ,

will l e av e off S o he b e gan his story thus : I had

.
,

said h e a fr ie nd a youn g man who d e sired m e upon

, , , ,

a n extraord i nary occas i on to go with him (as he ,

called it ) t o a cunning man .

I ask e d him what was the business .

He said it was busin e ss of cons eq uence to him ,

and though h e d id not care to tell it j ust then yet ,

I should know it afterward .

28 2 A SYS TE M OF MAG I C .

I told h im I had n o fa i th at all in those sor t of

peopl e whom th e y call e d cunning m e n .

Nay says h e I b e l ieve th e y deal wit h the Devil

, , ,

but I don t car e for that i f I can but hav e s at is fac

tion in what I go about .

I told h im I di ffe r e d fr om him in that too for I ,

neith e r b eli eve d that th e y dealt with the D e vil or ,

th e Devil with th e m ; or that th e y could say any

thing to him that wa s to th e p urpose .

W h y t he y d o t e ll strang e t hi ngs says h e

, ,
.

I told h im I bel ie v e d noth i ng o f it ; but that it

w a s all a ch e at ; and so I s ee m e d loath to have him
go to th e cunnin g man at all .

N B Yo u must u nd e rstand here that my fr iend

. .
,

was n ot so really doubtfu l as h e mad e the young

m an b e l ieve h e wa s ; but as he h ad told me before
, ,

h e belie ve d t he re was som e thing in it but he could ,

nev e r com e at th e spe e ch o f o n e of th e pr e tenders

to the art and so was entir ely ignorant of what they
,

did o r how th e y proc ee d e d and th e r e for e ( as he

, ,

told m e ) h e was mighty willing to go with him ,

though h e mad e som e s h ow of being backwards ; s o

he went o n wit h h i s d i scours e .

I w as not only loath to l e t him go says my friend , ,

but I told him I d i d not c ar e for it a n d t h erefore ,

d esired h e would e xcus e m e going with him ; but

when he told m e who th e cunn i ng man was and ,

that he would go to t h e famous Dr Boreman my

.
,

curiosity pr e vail e d with me not only not to persuade ,

him a gainst going but to r e solv e to go with him

,

myself .

In a word w e appo i nted a day a n d I went

, ,

with him for I had a great mind to talk with the

,

doctor .

Wh e n we came to th e house (it was in Ken t not ,

far from M aidston e wh e r e th e doctor liv e d at that

,

time ; I d on t r e memb e r th e place exactly but ) I

,

S ay whe n we c a me t o t h e pl a ce a se r van t c a me t o
, ,
 A S YS TE M o r M AG I C 2 83 .

t h e door and very ci v illy l e d us i nto th e h ouse and

, ,

bade us s i t down ; l e avi ng u s in a large hall wh e r e ,

w e walk e d about looking o n h i s ma gical pictu res

, ,

of wh i ch we s a w a gr e at many wh ose m e an i n g I did

n o t at all understan d and t h e servant w e nt away a s
, ,

I suppos e t o call his master

, .

After a wh i l e the doctor cam e in with a sta ff in

his h and lik e a crutch as I th oug h t ; and I thought
, ,

al so h e was la m e h av i n g lately had th e gout : h e

,

was a grav e ol d man w i t h a long black ve lv e t gown

,

o n his beard long a n d th e upp e r l i p of it trimm e d

, ,

into a kind o f m u s c h at o a cap o n hi s he ad wit h a ,

bord e r of h air wit h in it as was the custom i n those ,

days .

After usual c i viliti e s he began to i nqu i r e o u r ,

b usiness ; and d i r e ctin g h i s sp ee ch to m e as th e ,

s e nior in a pp e aranc e I told him th a t young man , ,

( pointin g to h im t h at cam e with m e

) my fri e nd h ad ,

so me th i ng of importanc e to commun i cate to him ,

and whic h h e want e d his ad v ic e in ; and so says ,

he I h id t h e young man gi v e the doctor an account

,

of h is bus i ness .

This young man had it s ee ms a particular case , ,

which h e w e nt to him a bout ; and thou gh he had

d e sired me to go w i th him as I have sa i d y e t he , ,

had n o t told m e h is case ; so I was obl i g e d to d i rect

him to t e ll it hims e lf .

Th e n th e doctor desired the young man to gi ve

him his case in wr i t i n g ; but h e told him h e could
not wr i t e w e ll e nou gh o r expla i n his case so in t e lli
,

i
g y b l to h i m in wr i t i ng .

W e ll th e n says t he doctor t e ll it me in words at

, ,

length and I ll writ e it down from your own mouth
,

howev e r I p e rsuad e d h im to writ e it down as w e ll

,

a s he could ; upon wh i ch h e d e sir e d a p e n ink and , ,

paper wh i c h t he doctor ord e r e d hi s man to giv e h i m ;

,

a nd in th e mean tim e the doctor asked m e to w alk ,

284 A S Y STE M or MAG I C .

into a no ther room ; Come says he we will le ave him , ,

to do it tha t we may not d i sturb him S o we went

,
.

in t o the n e xt room .

Then he be gan a discourse by askin g m e if I ,

knew anything of the young man s cas e ; which I
really did not and ther e fore told him so ; but if I
,

had known it I should hardly hav e given him any

,

account for I took that to b e a p i ec e o f his art to

, ,

pick as much of th e circumstanc e o f the case ou t

privat e ly as h e could so to guid e his ans w e rs ; but
,

I qu i te mistook the m an F rom that we fell into .

several oth e r disco u rs e s an d among th e rest I asked

, ,

the doctor if it would b e no o ffe nce to him t o l e t u s

, ,

t alk a little about th e study of those things which he

w as s o famed for .

He said no no t at all if I w a s disposed to t alk of

, , ,

the m in a serious and fri e ndly m ann e r .

I told him I hoped he d i d n ot think I had any

ill design though a stran g e r ; if he did I would n ot
, ,

desire to say any mor e ; and t h at as I did not know

what he m ight und e rstand by the word friendly I ,

would not mov e it any fu rt h e r .

He said he did not appr e h e nd anything danger

o u s ; for he used n o unlawful arts but he sa i d se v eral ,

p e rsons made a j e st of those th i ngs wh i ch he e st ee me d

sacr e d and that h e did n o t care fo r thos e discourses
,

o r t h ose people who b u ffo o n e d t h ings because they

did n ot un d erstand them .

I told him that what e ver I thought he Should

, ,

nd I would neithe r tr e at him or the subj ect we ,

might discours e of with any disr e spec t

, .

He told m e he woul d take my word for it ; s o we

fell into several discours e s about science in gen e ral ,

partic ularly o f th e study of magic a nd the practice ,

of it and when rst i t was known in the world

, .

He told me I seem e d i gnorant in the thing itself ;

An d t o wh at purp ose says he Should I go to speak
, ,
 A SYS TE M o r MAG I C 28 5 .

o f the origin al o f a th i ng which you have not right

notions of ? so w e d i scours e d a littl e further upon

it thus
,

A Wha t notion s would you hav e me en te rtain

.

of i t ? I scarc e know what you me a n by th e thing

its e lf .

D r Why S ir you s e em n e ith e r t o kno w what I

.
, ,

mean o r w h at you m e an yoursel f

, .

A That is to say I do not e xpr e ss myself p e rh aps

.
,

right ; th e n yo u may s e t m e to r i ghts a n d it would ,

be v e ry k i nd to do so .

D r Y ou sp e ak of my practising as an art ; n ow
.

I practis e no art n or us e any art ; I am no j uggler

, ,

Sir ; you d on t s ee m e Show tricks .

A I would n o t o ffe nd you sir ; w i ll you tell m e

.
,

th e n what it i s yo u do practis e ?
D r N ei t he r w i ll I b e o ffe nded ; but if you will
.

giv e m e l e ave to ask you a pr e vious q uestion o r two ,

I Shall be th e b e tt e r able to answer your other

qu e stion aft e rwards .

A An y qu e stion you pl e ase

. .

D r Why then will you tell me what br ought

.
,

you hith e r to me ?
A Why r e ally S ir my answ e r must b e I cannot
.
, , ,

w ell t e ll ; my fri e nd who is wr i t i ng th e r e in th e

oth e r room will t e ll yo u that b e tt e r than I
, .

D r W h y th e n shall I t e ll you w h at you come

.
,

for ? p e rhaps you ll think that som e thi n g o dd

.

A S o i nd ee d I should if I did not consider yo u

.
,

as a man of art .

D r N o no not a man th a t deals with the D e vil

.
, , ,

as you fancy I d o .

A Nay you mus t d e al with somebody if yo u t e ll

.
, ,

me my b u sin e ss h e r e wh en I don t know it mys e l f , .

D r Wh y I w i ll t e ll yo u i n fe w word s t h e n ; your
.
,

fri e nd com e s about business you t o satisfy your ,

cur i osity .

A Upon my word I think you are in the right

. .
286 A S Y ST EM or MAG I C .

Dr . Well I hav e used n o gr e at mat t e r

, of a r t you
see yet .

A Nay I don t know that ; I suppose what you

.
,

do is pretty much in the dark and i mperc e pti b le ; ,

so you migh t us e art and I kno w nothing o f it ,

.

D r T h at s tru e o r els e i t would b e n o art

. .
,

A But is my curiosity any o ffe nce to you doctor

.
?
,

if it is I ll ha done and say no mor e but leave
,

,

you an d my fri e nd togeth e r for I don t come t o ,

affront yo u far from i t I ass u r e you, ,

.

D r No n o tis n o o ffe nc e at all to m e ; only

.
, ,

si n c e you s ee m to talk fri e ndly and fre ely give me ,

lea ve to ask you som e questions rst an d t he n I ll ,

stat e y ours for you and answ e r them directly and , ,

I hop e to your sat i sfaction .

A W ith a ll my h e art ; ask me what you ple a se

.

D r What did you suppose m e to be or what did

.
,

yo u r friend t e ll you I was be for e you came ? ,

A An d yo u will promis e m e not t o take it ill if

.

I speak pla i n E nglis h ?

D r Not in th e least ; I ll put it into your mouth

.
,

for I know what yo u took m e for as well as you do ,

yo u rs e l f .

A I doubt you do sir ; and that looks as if we

.
,

wer e in th e right .

D r Not at all neith e r b u t o f that aft e rwards ;

.
,

o u and your fri e nd took m e for a necrom anc e r a

y ,

magic i an o n e t h at d e als with t h e Dev i l can raise

, ,

the D ev i l conv e rses with him and by his h e lp can

, ,

res olv e d i fcult quest ions gi ve answers in doubtful ,

cas e s and i n short that I a m a conj urer

, ,
.

A An d so yo u must be I think or e lse how do

.
,

you know all th i s ?

D r How I know it is not the ques t ion
. b ut ,

wheth e r it i s true or no .

A E xactl y tru e to a tittle

.
, .

D r An d if I am no such p e rson h a ve I not then

.
,

a great d eal of wron g done me

 A S YS TE M or MAG I C . 287

A You

. know S ir t i s natural for people t o say a
, ,

man deals with t he D evi l whe n h e t ells p e ople th e ir

thoughts foret e lls to th e m wh at com e s to pass and
, ,

resol ve s such doubts as nobody but the D e v i l could

resol ve .

D r An d p e rhaps the D evi l hims e lf could not do

.

thos e things if h e was to app e ar and d o his utmost ,

for h e knows no mor e of t hi n gs to com e than yo u or

I do and p e rhaps no t so muc h
,
.

A Nay do not j oin m e t o yours e lf pray for you

.
, , ,

may know more th an th e D e v i l hi ms e lf can t e ll yo u .

D r O r e ls e I would burn my books and pr e tend

. ,

no mor e to th e sacr e d sc i enc e s whic h I h a ve so

much v e n e ration fo r and w hi ch you call my pra e
,

t i ce .

A If I w a s sur e o f tha t I sho u ld have another

.

kind of notion of you and your practice th an I have

y e t I assure you
,
.

D r If you was sur e o f what

.

A Why t h at you do n o t p e rform th e se things

.
,

by th e help o f a fam i l i ar sp i r i t .

D r Nay hol d I don t say t h at n e ither ; but ar e

.
, ,

there n o sp i rits but what ar e d ev ils ?

A I don t know ind ee d as to t h at ; but w e u n

.
, ,

d e r s t a n d no oth e r ; w he n w e talk of a fam i liar spir i t

w e always und e rstand by i t t he D e v i l .

D r T he n yo u misund e rstand it sir that s c e r

.
, ,

ta i n : unsu ffe rabl e i gnoranc e ! wh v are th e r e no ,

goo d spir i ts ?

A I can say noth i ng to that

. .

D r An d p e rh aps are not desirous to b e in

.

formed .

A Nay th e re you wron g m e and take me for

.
, ,

a fool into the barga i n fo r th e r e ar e none but fools

that hav e no d eli gh t in und e rstand i n g ; I would b e
inform e d of ev eryth i ng th a t I do not know .

D r Th e r e woul d b e n o such things a s fools s i r

.
, ,

if th e y were willing to be inform e d .

288 A S YS T EM or MAG I C .

If fools could thei r o wn ignoranc e di sc ern ,

They d b e no longe r fools b e caus e the y d l e arn

.
,

A Well , I am very willing to learn , I a ssure you,

.

a nd y of
too whateverou you please, t o in for m
me ; perhaps I may be in the wrong a s to what you
sa of good Spirits bu t I nev e r heard o f any
y ,
.

D r That s strang e indeed ! you h ave been much

.
,

o u t of their care sur e , .

A I don t kno w that neither ; I hope not

. If , .

they have any of us in charge for good I m ay b e ,

under th e ir care I hope an d ye t know nothing of it ,

myself .

D r At least it seems yo u have been ou t of their

.

acquaintance ; but that is not muc h to th e case ;

t h e loss has been yours to be sure and the fa ult , ,

A Th e loss may have been mine bu t how does

.

it appear that the fault has b e e n mine t oo ?

D r It s e ems ev i d e nt to me an d p e rhaps I m ay
.
,

convinc e you of it if you allo w m e to ask you a fe w

,

more suc h innoc e nt questions as thes e .

A With all my heart esp e cially if th ey are inno

.
,

cen t .

D r If yo u have any reason t o susp e c t them do

.
,

not answ e r .

A An d you give me l e ave to u s e my liber ty s ir

.
, ,

without o ffe nc e
D r Ay your u t most liberty S ir ; why Should I
.
, ,

be o ffe nded ? I think you ought rather to be

o ffended if I ask anythi n g that does no t become
,

me T he rst qu e stion I wo uld ask you is whether

.
,

you think th e re is an invisible world ?

A That s no un fair qu e stion at all and you Shall

.

nd S ir I won t ca vi l I ll answ e r directly : I make
, , ,

no doubt but ther e is .

D r But l e t my question be direct too ; by an

.
,

invisible world I don t me a n a s the a stro n omers s u g ,
 A SYST EM o r MAG I C 289 .

ges t th at t here are plan e tary worlds m a de invisible

, ,

only to us by their d i stance .

A No n o I do not take you so ; I belie v e there

.
, ,

is a worl d of spirits and t h at I suppose i s what yo u

,

mean by invisible also that this world you sp e ak of

is inhab i ted by Spirits only and therefore j ustly ,

c alled invisible .

D r Y ou are kind n ay generous in argument for

.
, , ,

you grant faster th an I ask .

A I do that to save circumloc utions and giving

.
,

you trouble .

D r Well sir wher e do yo u suppose this world

.
, ,

o f spirits is ? for th e re must b e a locality for the

dwe lling ev e n o f Sp i r i ts ; how e lse do we call it a

world ? and heaven itself is a plac e accordin g to the ,

common understanding of the word .

A It is hard to say wher e it is at least tis hard

.
,

t o me so I cannot answer that question a t le a st not ,

d ir e ctly as I would do .

D r It is t r u e th e innite spaces abo ve are n ot

.
,

ea sily d e scrib e d as they are not to b e m at h e m at i

,

ca lly lin e d out ; but we have reason to know t h e

inhabitants of it are not v e ry r e mote from u s and ,

t ha t brings on another quest i on .

A I know some peopl e think the regions o f the

.

air even within the compass of th e atmosphere ar e

, ,

full of sp i rits and th a t of divers k i nds some good

, ,

and som e evil .

D r I hav e nothing to say to that notion ; I can t

.

allow they i nhabit promiscuously th e same regions ,

and dw e ll togeth e r ; as good and bad people l i v e

her e among on e anoth e r without d i st i nction .

A I don t pretend to r e solve that ques t ion in

.

deed .

D r N e ither did I propose it sir : but my ques

.
,

tion is th i s As you grant a world o f spir i ts and

, ,

that you do not know w h ere it is so that for augh t , ,

o u kno w it m ay be very near as well as very r e ~

y , ,

S M. . U
2 90 A SYS TEM OF MAG I C .

m o t e ; n or t o a spirit is dis ta nce of pl ace a nyt hi ng

, ,

worth considering if I may speak my Opinion ; but ,

m y question I say is t his Do you believe th a t the

, ,

Spirits inhabiting the in v isible world h ave any con

v erse with u s or with our embodied spirits in thi s
, ,

world ?
A Truly it is a nice ques t ion a nd wha t I h ave
.
, ,

Oft en consider e d v e ry seriously ; I a m of Opi nion

t here is a c e rtain secre t convers e of Spirits though ,

I cannot understand anything of the manner .

D r Well Sir your conceptions ar e much the

.
, ,

s am e with mine only tha t you believe there is an d

, ,

I a m sure of it .

A That s car rying it a great way ; and I thi nk

.

this brings me to turn the tables a n d to dem an d ,

leave to ask you some question s in my turn if you ,

h a ve done or when you h ave done

, .

D r Wi t h all m y he a rt s ir ; pr ay as k wh at you
.
,

ple a se .

A My rs t question will be s ir how you c an

.
, ,

sa
y you are sure there is such a converse with t h e
s pirits o f the invisible world ?

D r Bec a us e I h ave actu ally conversed with them

.

myself .

A N ow you come t o the poin t indeed

. But .

what then do you call conv e rsing ?

D r Why I call se e ing them Speaking t o t hem
.
, , ,

an d hearing them Speak conversing ; is n ot tha t a s ,

clear a s the other ?

A The expression is cle a r bu t the thing e x
.
,

pressed is not s o at least not to m e : how do you ,

reconc ile seeing a nd speaking t o t he thing c all e d

, ,

Spirits
D r Why t herei n you and I di ffer in our circum
.
,

stances and this is the sublime quality of the

,

sciences whi ch we profe ss ; that be i ng u nder the

operation of a higher and ex al t ed mind th e eyes of ,

the soul which I s a spirit c a n opera t e upon imm a

, ,
 A S Y ST EM OF MAG I C 291 .

t e r ial objec t s a nd s e e what t o commo n Sight is

,

called inv i sible .

A This is all mysterious a nd if you will allow

.
,

me th e fr e edom we Should call it all c a nt and n u

,

i nt ellig i ble .

D r I kno w i t very well ; a nd we on th e o ther

.
,

hand call your discourse empty and insignicant ;

,

for that you n e ith e r understand what you s ay nor ,

s ay what you might easily be taugh t to understand ;

a nd if a man e nl i ghten e d in this superior m anner ,

comes to talk with you and would instruct you a ,

little yo u pr e s e ntly y o u t and cry a magic i an a

, , ,

conj urer t h at h e h as a familiar a nd d e als with th e

, ,

Devil this was not always so .

A This brings m e to my rst question S ir ex

.
, ,

a c t ly namely whence is the original o f what y o u

, ,

c a ll your sublime pr a ctic e and where and when did ,

i t be gin
D r I could r un you back s ir t o its original and
.
, , ,

iv e you the h i story of it but two ul d be too long
g ,
.

I doubt your want of patience .

A My c u riosity is too gre at t o le t me w a nt

.

pat i e nce .

D r W e ll I ll give you an abri dgm en t t hen of

.
,

it thu s Befor e the deluge when the ant e d iluvians

, ,

had the bl e ssi n g of long ev ity to the n u mb e r o f al ,

most a thousand y e ars we have m any t e stimonies

,

Of th e ir conv e rs i ng n ot only with th e spirits of the

,

invis i bl e world but with th e great life of spirit th e

, ,

Being of b ei ngs ; and i f we can d e duce anything

from cons e qu e nces d i vine spirits daily illuminated
,

th e minds of mank i nd and convey e d all useful ,

sc i en c e to th e m and t h a t t o such a d egr e e as h as

,

n ever b e en a tta i ned to sinc e by which a ll th e mos t ,

exalt e d parts of both n atural a nd supernatur al

kno wledg e w e r e conv ey e d into their unders t and i ngs .

A Th ey had w i t h out qu e stion a sup e rior gen i us

.
, ,

in t h e antediluvian State far above what we have ,

U 2
2 92 A SYSTEM OF MAG I C .

n ow, a nd your n o t ions of th at kin d a re ver y cle ar t o

me I agree with you in that
, .

D r They had not s o much a s uperior genius a s

.
,

th e y had a sup e rior illumination ; what should you

and I have if we had lived three or fou r hundr ed
,

years a nd had conversed all that while in an angel ic

,

socie ty a nd with an invisible species of creatures

, ,

in whom compl e te k n owl e dge was but mere n at ur e ,

a nd who had th e goodness to be always commun i

cating the most perfect ideas the mos t sublime ,
?
images to our t houghts wh at Shoul d we be capable
of

A Nay, I th i nk you migh t s ay what should we

.
,

n ot be c apable of

D r Then considering th at at t he end of th a t

.

three or four h u ndred ye a rs we w e re but in t h e

prime of o ur ag e in ful l strength of j udgment and
, ,

y i o ur of mind capable to rece i ve th e most divine

g ,

i mpressions of sacred knowledg e what Should we ,

not learn with such teachers ?

A But h ow do we kno w t hat they were t hu s
.

blessed
D r Why does no t all your accounts o f those times
.
,

br ing in th e p eopl e conv e rsing t h us ? Nay do you ,

not s ay t hat G od or that inconc e ivable something

,

( which you c a ll so
) the king and go v ernor and , ,

m aker o f Spirits conversed a mong them t alked , ,

w ith and to th e m ?
A Y es we b el i eve G od hi mself convers e d with
.
,

them p artic ul arly with Adam the rst of them

, , ,

and with Noah the last of them a nd no doubt with

, ,

many oth e rs betwe e n .

D r Well and did the great B e ing of beings con

.
,

verse with man and not t h e smaller and lo we r de

,

f ?
grees o spiri t do yo u think t h e servants did not
convers e i f the master did ?
,

A Why th at indeed I never consi de r ed before

.
, ,

I co nfess .
 A S Y STE M OF MAG I C . 29 3
Dr But where els e had they the kn owle dge of
.

some things wh i ch nothing but Sp irit an d spirituous

,

converse could possibly convey ?

A What thi ngs were they ? I do n ot rightly n u
.

d e r s t an d you .

Dr Why rs t for ex a mple music th at he ave nly

.
, , , ,

science the doctrine of sounds ; me a sur ed and di

,

v ide d so as by di s sonance t o make har mony to be

,

a dmired by every e a r to move the passions an d , ,

a git a te the soul to b e read by no t es und e rstood by

, ,

the di ffering key of sounds the o nl y universal charac ,

ter in the world Co ul d th e genius of man invent it ?

.

NO it came from the invisible world and was cer ,

t a inly communicated from the fountain o f knowledge ,

by the agency of the go od Sp irits with whi ch they ,

so freely conversed .

A Yo u advance boldly doctor

.
, .

D r Tha t may fairly be a sserted which is im p os

.
,

Sible t o be otherwise .

A I won t ventur e to s ay it is impossible

. .

D r But I d a re s ay it a nd with good r e a so n ;

.
,

t h e n there is the doctrine of numbers whi ch we c all ,

v ulgarly a rithm e tic ; this with music seem to be two

in n it e s the bounds Of them and the variety is not

,

t o be m e asured o r conceived of a nd how co u ld

, ,

hum a n genius measure them ou t ?

A What do you in fer from t h e nce ?
.

D r Nothing but this ; tha t those good b e n e

.

cent Spirits with whom m a nkind had then the bless

,

ing of a da i ly society lled their minds an d inspired ,

their thoughts with these noble an d u seful dis

Cov e r ie s and qualied them d a ily t o improve upo n
,

t hem .

A Y ou t alk above me now in d eed

. .

D r Y ou cannot s ay b u t I t alk pl a inly an d in t el

.
,

ligible .

A S o you conclude that the good spirits in

.

s tr uc t e d t he m in t hese subl im e r p a r t s of k n owledge ?

2 94 A S Y STEM OF MAG I C .

Pr ay why did they not teach them a s t ronomy n a

, ,

tural phil osophy a nd all the useful branch es of the

,

mathem a tics
D r An d s o no doub t they d id
. There s t he ark .

for ex a mple ; yo u s ay God Spoke to No ah and told , ,

him in general what kind of vessel it should b e ; by

which I suppose you may understand G od told h im ,

that the world Should be drowned and that he ,

should be s aved in a Ship which h e should build ? ,

Bu t can you think Noa h coul d do all this wi t h out

the more particular direction o f these good a nd b e
n e ce nt spirits instructing him how t o perform
,

the work ? how the b e ams and the timbers the , ,

planks a nd a ll the p a rts were to be put together ;

, ,

h o w the bottom was to be shaped for swimming ,

the head and t he s t ern for breaking o ff t he force of

the water in tha t tr uly unbounded ocean t h e
,

ood ; all these things I make no quest ion he was

inst ructed in by the daily assistance of the good in
habit a nts of t he invisible regions who freely had ,

at th at time a n intercours e with t h e embodied t h at ,

is imprisoned spirits of men ; and these are t he

, ,

same th a t we converse with now : s o th a t I h ave

fairly brough t it down to o u r o wn times .

A S ir your discourse is very well laid t oge the r I

.
, ,

confess ; but you make a long leap and some of i t ,

in the dark too ; from Noah and the ye a r of t h e ,

world 1 57 6 or thereabout s to o u r time which is

, , ,

about three thous a nd years after How is i t tha t .

these good spirit s left off their goodwill t ow a rd s men ,

and see m to shun u s as much n ow a s they cour t e d

us before ?
D r I do n o t nd it s o I rather s ay they do a nd
.
,

would converse with us still if we either s aw t h e ,

blessing of it or knew how t o v alue it a nd m a de i t

, ,

appe ar we desired it .

A Bu t when did i t b r e a k off ? wh at did th e

.

ood pu t an e nd t o i t ?
 A S YS T EM OF MAG I C . 29 5

Dr I t se e ms that men by a di ffering conduct

.
, , ,

a n d a way of life too gross for s o exc e ll e nt and s ub

lime a conve rse have r e nd e r e d th e mselves unworthy

,

a n d unqualied since the ood ; s o tha t the a n geli c

t rai n seem to have forsaken the earth and only ,

c ommunica te th emsel v es to such a s r e nder them

s elv e s acceptable and worthy by a life of e arnest

a pplic a tion to the stud y o f divine science and who ,

s eek a ft e r th e h i gh il luminatio n .

A S o that there are some who enj oy this ex t r a

.

o r din a ry society still ?

D r Why not pray ? the good Spirits are the

.
,

s ame ; they change no t n e ither is their goodwill ,

t o wards m e n abat e d but the custo m of the world

h a s been a nd s till is t o be s hy and afraid of the m
, , ,

take them to b e evil spirits and as the world c alls , ,

t hem devils ; s o that a goo d Spirit ca nnot now

,

O ffer it s assistance to m a n o r go about to do any ,

g ood to mankind but they are fright

, e d and terried ,

a n d cry o u t the Devil y from it and refu se t o a o , ,

cept the ben e t O ffere d .

A But it se e ms all do no t trea t t hem so ?

.

D r N 0 But how then ar e they treated who ac t

. .

a fter another ma nn e r ?

A. Why how are they

,
tr e ated ?

D r Ar e we no t tr e ated as demoni a cs as m a gici

.
,

a n s a nd conj urers ne cromanc ers and that de al

, ,

wi t h the D evil Did not you take me for such ?

.

A I t is v e ry true I did
.
, .

D r Ay and are you not u n der some sort of frigh t

.
, ,

e ven all the w h il e you are talking with me as if you ,

wer e talkin g with the D e vil and l e st I should r a ise ,

t h e D e vil w h ile yo u are here ?

A I cannot sa y b u t it is in some measure true
. .

Dr An d yet we kno w n o more of th e D e vil than

.

you do nor conv e rse any more with h im tha n other

,

folks do nor so m u ch ne i th e r
, .

Ha v ing c arr ied o n our co nve rs atio n thus far m y ,

2 96 A SY S TEM OF MAG I C .

comp a nion who was all this while a wr i ting hi s

,

c a se came to the door and calli n g t o the doctor

, , ,

t old him he h a d don e ; Well says the doctor to h im , ,

pr a y give m e the paper then and let me read i t over ; ,

s o he gave him his paper whi ch w a s a long o n e in ,

deed and very close written containing a ll h is case

, , ,

which it seems wa s very p articul ar a n d required ,

a bund a nce o f bett e r advice than I thought the grave

doctor w a s able to give him b ut I w as really m is ,

t aken .

I was far from being t ired wi t h this a ccoun t a nd ,

believe I shall not tire th e reader with setting i t

down Ind ee d I interrupted hi m here with a sking
.
,

h im if he did n ot ye t know hi s ma n s cas e and if he

,

di d not read the paper ; but he told me he did not ,

s o I desired him to let me have t h e r es t of the

s t o r y a nd he went on thus
,

My man said he who was with me t old m e little

, , ,

o r nothing of h is c a se a s I hin t ed b e fore except , ,

th a t he s a id it was very di f cult a nd int ric at e ; a nd

t hat if it could not be resolved a nd brought t o a ,

c onclusion he w a s sure he should n ever get ov e r i t

, ,

bu t should b e undone and that ther e fore he c a me ,

t o t his man .

Why s ays I wh a t do you t ake the m a n t o be ?

, ,

Why wha t Should I take him for says he ?

, ,

N ay I suppose s a id I you take him for a c on

, , ,

j ur er an d on e th a t deals with the Devil

, .

I care not who he is or wh o he de als with say s , ,

the man s o I do bu t ge t my business don e by him

, ,

nd ou t a man or t wo that I look for an d h ave s om e ,

satisfaction in my other a ffairs .

I don t kno w who yo u look for said I a nd I dou b t , ,

you don t know who t is you seek to

.

Why th e Devil says he ; who d ye th ink I seek
, ,

t o when I come t o a cunning man ?

,

This discourse w as before we came t o the do ct or s

house, an d was the occ a sio n in deed th at I was at

 A S Y S TEM OF MAG I C 2 97 .

rst s o shy of him and made so m a ny r ound about ,

c a utions whe n I rst spoke to him .

When he had written his case down and given it ,

to the magician th e doctor ask e d him i f h e could

,

n ot le ave the paper with him and com e again in ,

two or three days ? The inquirer seemed u neasy at

th at though he did n ot directly s ay n o ; but th e
,

d octor perc e i v e d i t ; W e ll then sa i d he are you , ,

willing to stay here with me about eleven or twelve

hours and sit up all night
, Th e man looked ear
n e s t l a t m e as if it had been to ask me whether he
y ,

should v e nture to stay all n ight but withal looked ,

a little frighted t oo .

The doctor se e ing him look at me as if he would ,

a sk my advice turned to me sm iling at the m a n s
, ,

b a ckwa rdness .

S ir says he I perceive you mus t decide i t ; he

, ,

s eems a little frighted I don t know at what , .

S ir says I smiling I believe he is afraid the

, , ,

candles w i ll burn blue .

Ay says he you s e e the re a son why the good

, ,

Spirits hav e left off conversing with m ankind ; and

you s e e how we that are men of art and who have ,

st udied t h e sacr e d scien ces su ffer by the e rrors of ,

commo n fame ; they tak e us all for devil mongers -

,

d a mn e d rogues and conj urers , .

I t is v e ry true s ir said I I s e e it now ; he is

, , ,

a fr a id in short that you will raise the Devil

, ,
.

With th at h e turns to the man ; H a rk ye friend ,

s ays he are you afraid to stay all night ? spe a k

,

honestly if you are and tell me s o

, , .

Why sir says the m an I can t say but I a m a
, , ,

l ittle uneasy about it though I don t know at wh a t

, ,

for I a n t very apt to be afraid of Sights not I Wi t h ,
.

t ha t I pu t in a word to my companion ; Why cousin ,

s ays I if you ar e uneasy about seeing a ny strange

,

Sight or hearing anything uncommon what did you

, ,

co m e t o this gentleman for ? you know very well

2 98 A S Y ST EM OF MAG I C .

wh a t you t old m e you unders t ood hi m t o be an d ,

what you expected of him .

Nay says the conj urer I must n e eds s ay he th at

, , ,

is afraid to s e e the Devil Should never come t o s ee ,

us

Why you don t al ways de al with the Devil do
, ,

ye ? says the man .

N ay says he I h a n t t old you yet th a t I d e al

, ,

with him at all ; but I say you Should n ot be afr aid ,

of him when you come of these errands ; for i t

,

se ems you suppose we talk with him for you .

Why that s as much a s to t e ll me s ays t he
, ,

young m a n yo u can raise the Devil for me if you

, ,

please .

Well come h e plain with me a nd tell me ; h ave

, , ,

you a mind to s e e him or no ? s ays t he doc t or laugh ,

mg .

N 0 no t I s ays he no t at all an d t h at m a de m e
, , , ,

u n e a sy .

Well well says he you sh all no t s e e the Devil

, , ,

then .

Bu t shall I s e e nothing else s ir ? says he I ,

.

would s e e none Of your Spirits whether they ar e ,

d evils or n o .

I te ll you says t he doctor you shall s e e no thin g

, ,

t o hu r t you .

But says the m a n a gain I don t know wh at t o
, ,

sa o u speak in gener als ; pr a y don t frigh t me
y y , ,

any more th a n hurt me .

I t ell th ee ag a in s ays t he doc t or I ll neither hur t
, ,

thee nor fright thee ; but if you will hav e nothin g

,

done for you what do you give me your case for ?

,

and if you are afraid to s e e o r hear a n ything why , ,

do yo u n ot c a re t o le a ve your c a se with me an d ,

come again ?
This was such a reasonable proposal that I coul d ,

not but tell my young m a n that I thought he was

playin g t he fool with the doc t or ; if you s tay you ,
 A S YS TEM OF MAG I C . 2 99

mus t be con t ent t o see wh a t is t o be seen ; and if

you don t car e to v e nt u re that can t you go and , ,

come again ? so in a wor d I advised him to le ave ,

hi s case with the doctor and go a w ay a nd co m e for , ,

an answer when he should appoint him .

As we wer e go i ng aw ay the doctor t akes me by ,

the hand the young man being gone ou t of t he

,

door ; Yo u se e sir t h e notions the poor innocen t

, ,

well meaning p e ople hav e o f all th e good Spirits of

-

t he in v isible world and though in th e ir distresse s

they w i ll com e to us and we mak e some search for ,

t hem yet th e y gi v e the D e vil all t he praise o f it ;

,

n ay ,though they r e ceiv e good from it ; and ye t

t hey a cknowl e dge the Devil t o be the author of
n o t hing but mischi e f .

But s ir said I yo u co uld I suppose give this

, , , ,

hones t man what answ e r you shall purpose to give

him without letting him s e e any appe a rances to
,

fr igh t or terrify him ?

I h a ve noth i ng about me s ays he or that c on , ,

v erses with me that n e e d to fright or terrify a ny

,

o n e much less that will d o him any hur t

,
I do no t .

s ay but as t he good spirits are b e ne c e n t and kind

, ,

a nd may m e et and conv e rse upon a ny occ a sions an d ,

in a ny place from their own happy inclination t o

,

s erve a nd assist the oppr e ssed or indigent creatures ,

m ay come and go pass and repass in or near my ,

house which would b e to m e th e grea t est felicity of

,

life O n this occasion the man might have he ar d

.

s ome little noises and perhaps h a ve seen some mo

,

tions rather than bodies wh i ch he might call spec ,

t res and app a ritions o r devils o r what he would ; , ,

yet these as th ey would take no notice of him or

, ,

do anything to t e rrify or disorder him s o h e wo ul d ,

h a ve nothing to do but to s it still and not o ffe r t o ,

s t ir o r speak and be und e r no concern at a ll

, , .

Well S ir said I w e re th e case mine a s it is not

, , , , ,

I a ssure you I would h ave trusted you for I d o n ot ,

300 A SYST EM OF MAG I C .

t hink let the c a se be what i t will th at i t is your

, ,

business t o su ffer your clien t s t o receive any hur t in

your house or to be frighted s o a s to bring a ny evil
, ,

repor t upon you .

S i r says the doctor my business is t o do good t o

, ,

all men and to hurt none as is t h e desire Of those

, ,

s uperior beings which I have the happiness t o con

,

verse with ; an d t h e r e for e it o nly is wanting to us th at

' ,

t h e poor people were a little l e ss afraid of us and th at ,

t hey came to u s for mere necessi ty only a nd n ot ,

m erely to s atisfy their curiosi ty as is o ften their c a se , .

However a dded he as to the young m a n your friend

, , ,

le t him go hom e to morrow you w i ll see he will come

,
-

b a ck to me in a gre a t h urry tho u gh I han t orde r ed ,

hi m to come till F riday a s yo u heard ; but I w a rr an t ,

ye he will dream some strange dream to night his -

,

v e r y frigh t will make him do i t and t hen h e will ,

come and des i re me t o interpre t his dre a m for hi m ;

an d then you may hear further .

W e ll s ir said I I sh all observe him a nd perh aps

, , , ,

he will ask me to come along with him if he doe s ,

I shall ven t ure to come .

N0 says the doc t or I don t think he will ask you

, ,

t o come I believe he will be in better he art t o

,

m or row ; and it m ay be he ll o ffer to s t ay all n ight
with me a nd all d ay t oo if I desire him le t h im s ee
, , ,

wh at he will .

I think said I h e s a fool he don t s tay now ;
, ,

i n deed if i t had been my c a se I wo u ld h ave tr ust ed ,

.

yon .

Well Sir says he if you h a ve a ny occ a sion in

, , ,

which I can render yo u any s e rvice I sh all b e ,

alw a ys re a dy to answer your expectations in t he

bes t manner I am able ; and in the me a n t ime I ,

h Op e you will no more have thos e weak notions as ,

if a ll the intelligence m a nkind can attain to fro m

t h e invisible world must be wi t h the Devil or t he ,

e vil Spiri t s I h ope you will s e e t h at t her e ar e

.
 A S Y S T EM OF MAG I C . 30 1

c a ses come befor e me which the Devil would n o ,

more be a D e vil if he Shou ld give a ny satisfaction

in or any relief to the inquirer
,
.

I gave him an answ e r in a s obliging terms a s I

could and so we parted and I came to th e y oung
, ,

man who waited for me with the utmost impatience

, ,

a n d with some kind of terror ; for I foun d he w as in

a sw e at though it was a cold evening t oo

, .

When I came up to him I a sked him how h e ,

did .

Pretty well says h e but I m glad I am got a w ay
, , .

Why so ? said I Nobody o ffer e d to detain you

.
,

I thought the doctor spoke very civilly to you and

I m sure h e did SO t o me

.

Ay says he he did so and I had a mind to have

, , ,

ventured once t o s tay all night but I a m h e artily ,

gl ad I didn t ; I sho uld have been fright ed o u t of
my wits if I h a d s e en the De v il
,
.

Why I c a n assure you that he says positively he

, ,

has nothing to do with the Devil and if you had ,

seen any app e aranc e it wo ul d n ot have been an evil

,

spirit or devil but a good spirit ; that it wo ul d

, ,

have come to rend e r you servic e and do you good , ,

rather than have hurt you and tha t you wo ul d h a ve ,

had no need to be frighted .

No matt e r for that says he all spirits ar e devil s

, ,

to me ; if I had s ee n a Spirit or an apparition all , ,

he could have s a id to me woul d not have persuaded

m e to believ e it h ad not been th e D ev il .

Why would yo u n ot h ave believed the doc t or if

, ,

he had told you so ?

No says he nor a hundred conj uring doct ors
, ,

more not I , .

u ?
But what is it yo go t o him for th e n said I .

If you won t b e lie ve what he says what signies ,

your going to h i m ? you had better h ave k ept it to

yourself a nd never h ave troubled him
, .
3 02 A S Y ST EM OF MAG I C .

N ay th at s tr ue said he a nd that was the re a son
, , ,

I was loath t o leave my case with him .

But you have le ft it with him says I han t you ? , ,

Ye s says he an d let him mak e th e best of i t

, ,

a n d the worst of it I never intend to go to h im ,

ag a in .

Wh a t s ays I won t you go t o him for an a n swer ?
, ,

N o not I said h e I have e nough of him ; come

, , ,

a w ay .I am s o fright e d already I am almost de a d ; ,

don t you s e e what a sweat I a m in ? for all t is

s uch cold wea t her the swea t runs down my face in ,

drops .

?
Why wh at d ye s weat for now said I You ar e .
,

far enough out o f his way her e an t you ? ,

No no says he Why if he has his Devil within

, , .
,

doors d y e think he has not his Dev i l withou t doors
,

t oo ? Why all t he while I ha v e stood here for you

, ,

I fancy every tre e is a man and every man a Shadow , ,

an d every shadow a spirit .

Y ou s e e s a id I t is evening an d the light begins

, ,

,

t o be dusky and so you s e e double : why sure you

, ,

a n t s o frig h t e d as you seem to be ?

Indeed I am says he I don t know wh at s t he , ,

m atter I don t us e to be s o ; I us e d to laugh a t
,

people when they talked of seeing apparitions a nd ,

b eing fright e d with Spir i ts .

Well well you ll come again for all that said I
, , , , ,

I warrant you .

N o if the Devil c at ches me there ag a in I ll fo r give

, ,

him says b e
, .

Y ou don t know your own mind said I Why he , .
,

will answ e r all your qu e stions .

Ay so he Shall when I come again says he

, , ,
.

I warrant you ll come again to him says I for an , ,

an sw e r t o morrow -
.

N ay says he I am no t appoint ed till F riday

, , .

Ay s ays I tis no m a t ter for tha t I dare s ay you

, , ,
 A SY S T EM OE MAG I C . 3 03

wo n t hav e p at ienc e to s t ay so long Why you ll .
,

dream of it all n i ght : I don t doubt but you ll be

wi th him again also for satisfact i on to your in

,

u ir ie s ; I know you h a n t the patience though I
q ,

don t kn ow your case

.

Yo u may say wh at you will says he but I a ssure , ,

you I ll go ne ar him no more .

Th i s kind of discours e held us to a town hard by ,

wher e we lodged that night for it was t oo late to go ,

an y furth e r An d in the mor n i n g I h appe n ed t o

.

over sl e ep myself ; for in Short my h e ad ran s o

-
, ,

much upon th e doct or an d his i n v is i bl e world t hat

, ,

i t kept m e awak e almost all ni ght ; so that in t h e

morning wh e n I got up twas near t en o clock
, ,

.

W hen I call e d for my you n g man th e master o f ,

the hous e told m e h e w a s gone G on e ! said I .

what and nev e r stay for m e n or t o speak to me ?

, ,

Nay sir says th e man of th e hous e I bel i ev e he

, , ,

is mad Why h e has made such a noise and a dis

.
, ,

t ur b an c e he has fright e d all the house ; two o f my

,

people have b ee n fain to sit up with him all night ;

he says he has seen th e De v il .

S e e n the D ev il ! says I : does h e know t h e Devil

wh e n h e s ee s him ? I b eli e ve he never saw him in
his l i fe I suppose it was some dream
. .

Nay says th e man I don t know h o w he should

, ,

see th e D evil h e r e I m sure m y house is n ot
,

haunt e d I fancy h e h a s b ee n at Dr Bor e m an s
. .

lately .

Dr Boreman s ays I who s th at ?

.
, ,

O sir says m y landlord did you never he ar of

, , ,

Dr Boreman ? W h y h e s the most famou s man in

.
,

all th i s country h e do e s a thousand str ange things

, .

What says I is he a conj urer does he de al with

, , ,

the D ev il ?

I don t kn ow for that says my landlord I c a n t , ,

fancy h e d e als with t h e D ev il neith e r ; for he i s a

very honest gentl e m an a nd does a great m a ny good ,
 304 A SYSTEM OF MAG I C .

things F olks t h a t deal wi t h the De vil do n t u s e t o
.

do anything that s good .

Prythee says I what good does he do ?

, ,

Why master says my landlord they s ay he l ays

, , ,

the De v il when o t her folks rais e him ; h e can cure

a house whe n it s haunted Here was a h o u s e in .

o u r town so plagu e d with e v il spirits that nobody ,

could lie in it ; and wh e n t h e doctor was sent for ,

he wen t and sat up al l n i ght in it ; what he did

there nobody knows but he so frighted the Devil ,

to be s u re that th e house has ne v e r been haunted

,

a ny more since ; and the p oor wench e s are so afra id

of h im all round the country that they d are no t s e e ,

him .

Why s ays I wha t does he do to them ?

, ,

Why s ir says h e a poor girl c a n t let a young fel
, , ,

low kiss her but the doctor will tell ; and if they
,

prove with child he ll tell the father of it pr e sently ;
,

n ay he ll discover all the little w h o r ing intrigues In

,

t he country N ow m a ster a d ds h e this is not

.
, , ,

de v il s work ; you kn ow the Devil did n t c a re if

they were all whores not he , .

That s very true ind e ed says I ; but wha t the n , ,

must the doctor be call ed ? is he a magician ?

I suppose h e is master says h e though I don t , , ,

know what that me a ns But he charms folks and .

,

sets spells a nd a yo u ng fellow dares not come near

,

an honest girl for fe ar of him Why they s ay he

,
.

drew a circle the oth e r day round a young lass s bed
th at was suspect e d ; and when the fellow that they ,

thought had to do with her came to h e r truly he , ,

could not get a way till the docto r was sen t for to
release him .

A n d do you believe all this ? said I .

Belie v e it sir ! says he Why all the country

, .
,

b elie v es it and the young people ar e kept in such

,

a w e by it that I don t think ther e will be on e
,

b a st ar d go t t his year no no t in twen ty p a rishe s , ,

 A SYS T E M OF MAG I C . 3 05

hereabout ; and that s very hard master says h e , , ,

th is war t i m e too w he n the king is lik e to want

,

soldiers .

Th i s discours e was div e rting but still I want e d to ,

hear o f my man I was loath to go back to t h e

.

doctor to s ee k him th e re ; so I was obl i g e d to go

away with out h im .

T h us far I ha ve e nt e rtain e d you wit h my frien d s

relation as I h ad it from h i m in a continu e d dis

,

course and this last part is m e rry eno u gh ; nor is it

,

more than I ha v e he ard by many oth e r h ands I m e an ,

o f the doctor s e xplo i ts and particularly i t was c e r

t a inly tru e o f h i m t h at he k e pt all th e young p e opl e

, ,

I m e an th e wick e d part of t he m in aw e ; w he t h er ,

by spells or charms and what t h os e Sp e lls o r charms

,

were that I could ne ve r come to a c e rtainty about

, .

The story o f h i s p e rsuad i ng a young fe llow and

his wenc h to g e t both i nto h e r smock and that wh en ,

h e was i n t he doctor s e t hi s sp ell upon h i m so that

, ,

he could n eve r g e t o u t t i ll th e doctor was s e nt for

to rel e as e hi m an d that h e would n ot r el e as e him
till th e fello w obl i g e d h ims e lf to marry th e g i rl ; th i s
story I say is so rmly b e li e ved all o v er that part
, ,

o f th e country that nobody doubts o f i t

,
.

But to com e back a l i ttl e to my fri e nd and the ,

story of th e young fe llow that was wit h him which ,

I shall g ive yo u now in a mor e summary way it ,

b e in g too lon g for my work t h e s h ort of the cas e

was t h is t he fellow be i n g he artily fri ght e d as yo u ,

have heard was no soon e r got to bed and fe ll fast

, ,

a sl e ep but he d r e amed tha t the doctor cam e into

,

hi s chamb e r and to hi s b e d side wit h two d e v i ls or -

,

spirits w i th h im ; th at he was at rst so t e rr i e d ,

that he was not able to sp e ak ; but that the doctor

spoke kindly to h i m and bade h i m n ot b e afra i d , ,

for that her e was a good ang e l com e to him t o give ,

him a full ans we r happy and for h i s sat i sfaction to

, , ,

s M
. . x
3 06 A S YS T EM OF MAG I C .

all his diic ult ie s and that h e had no thing t o do bu t

to hear and rec e ive his m e ssage and b e e asy ; and ,

t h a t upon this th e Sp i r i t advanc e d clos e to the bed

,

side : but that h e cried o u t and refu sed to hear ,

him at which th e doctor spok e angrily to him and ,

said Well Sinc e you refuse th e advice and dir e c

, ,

tion of a good Spirit w e shall l e a ve yo u to the

,

same d ist urbing d e vil which poss e ss e d you be fore

a nd upon this the doctor and the good Spirit v a
n is h e d o u t of his sight and an ugly fr i g htfu l devil
,

rema i n e d in th e place which grinned and threat,

en e d him in a terrible m ann e r but said nothing to ,

h i m : tha t the horror o f th e last spectre frighted

him s o t e rr i bly th a t h e waked o u t of his sleep ,

kn ocked up th e people of the house and tol d them ,

the Devil was in the room a n d in a wor d dis , , ,

t u r b e d the whol e family ; the hostler a n d a maid

servant s at up with him but s aw nothing ; and in ,

th e morning as soon a s it was light he took h is

, ,

hors e and went away .

As the doctor had t old my fri e nd a nd as he s a id ,

to th e young m an so i t was for being t e rried to

,

the last degree with thi s coarse appearance a w ay ,

he w e nt to the doctor s hous e in hurry enough It .

happened tha t wh e n h e came to t he house the ,

d octor w a s at his door sp e aking to somebody that ,

h e was j ust dismissing and the party went aw ay ,

j ust as th e young man came up .

W e ll says the doctor what s the matt er now ?
, ,

why I did not bid you come till F riday

, .

0 sir says the young man but l e t me speak with

, ,

you a little upon another occasion that h as h ap

pened sinc e and I ll wait u pon you again abou t
,

t other business on F ri d ay as you appointed

, .

Come come in then says the d octor I believe I

, , ,

kn ow your business ; I warrant ye you have be en

d r e am i ng some frightful thi n g or other t o nigh t : -
 A S Y ST EM OF MAG I C . 3 07
w h at , have you seen the Devil in your sleep ?

yo u had e en as good ha l e t me have shown him

you .

Why so you hav e sir says h e han t you ? pray , , ,

h ave not yo u been abroad to night -

Abroad says t h e doctor what dos t thou me a n

, ,

by that I a m but j ust out o f bed .

Why mast e r says he han t you been at W r o o

, , ,

tham to n i ght ? -

At W r o ot h a m why thou a rt mad I tell thee I ,

a m but j ust up .

It s n o matter for that says the m a n still staring

, ,

and wild ; I am sure I saw you there and spoke t o ,

you a n d yo u to me
, .

Come fri e nd says th e doctor I see you ar e , ,

frighted and you hav e dreamt waking ; you have

,

dreamt of the De v il or of spirits all n i ght ; why , , ,

tho u art not com e t o thys e lf yet : come let me ,

know the whole story .

Nay s ir says the young man tis a plain case
, , ,

you know the whole story already as well as I ,

.

Not a word not I says the doctor I assure you

, , , .

Why S ir says h e han t you told me th e very
, , ,

case ? h an t you told me I have been dreaming of
th e D evil and seen the Devil ? h ow can you s ay
,

you know nothing of it ?

Truly says the doctor any on e that s aw what a
, ,

fr i ght yo u were in last nigh t wit h out th e l e ast rea ,

s o n and s ee s h ow bewilder e d you look now mi gh t

, ,

gu ess yo u ha v e b ee n terried in a dream and t h a t ,

without any witchcraft or conj uring in th e l e ast

but adds the doctor what si gnies tell i ng me I
, ,

know it alr e ady ? If you think t to tell m e th e

cas e well and good ; i f no t pr ythee go about your
, ,

business I d es i r e n ot to m eddle with i t

, .

With that h e b e gg e d the doctor s pardon an d

,

told him i f h e did n ot know his case alr e ady he

, ,

hoped he would not be a ngry with him for what he

x 2
308 A SYST EM OF MAG I C .

h a d S aid ; at le a s t he was sure he would not when ,

h e had told him S o he gave him the whol e story

.

at large as I have told it you with a gre at m a ny ,

mor e part iculars .

W e ll says the doc t or you s e e there are good

, ,

and b e n e ce n t Spirits in being who are willing to ,

r e li e ve and extric ate us out o f di fculties at le a s t ,

by their good coun sel and a dv ic e ; and if thou

hadst had courag e and patience to have h e ard it ,

no doubt yo u would hav e had all your doubts ex

plained and your questions answ e r e d and would
, ,

hav e had no n e ed to come to me : but th e De v il ,

who you s ay stood behin d and who afterwards ap ,

e ar e d terrible and frightful to you pr e vented your

p ,

a ccepting the good counsel and th e answers which ,

o u would have had from the rs t appearance :

y
a n d as for my appearing to yo u depend upon it ,

y our imaginat i on s upplied that par t fo r I have n ot ,

stirred out from home all night ; besid e s a good ,

Spirit might a ssume a Shape and appearance lik e

m e that it might b e mor e famili a r to you
,
.

B u t s ir says the young m an what must I d o

, , ,

now ? if I h ave rej e cted this good o ffer it may be ,

the same good Sp irit will no t n ow resolve me or do ,

a nything for me .

Perhaps i t m ay s ays t h e doctor o r perhaps I

, ,

may obtain a resolut ion for yo u a re you willing to

stay with e n ow by daylight
m ?
,

Ay s ir with all my heart ; I ll w a i t all d ay a n d

, ,

all night too now if you please ; for I am satised

,

n ow that yo u will d o me no hurt

,
.

In short the fellow s case was thus (t ake it in my
,

fri e nd s o wn words a gain He wa s d e sper a t ely in
lo v e with a young g e ntlewoman in the country had ,

court e d h e r a lo n g time an d gained her goodwill ,

s o far at last that th e y had a gre e d to be married ;

,

but on a sudden som e oth er obj ect had pr e sented

,

to h e r friends who h a d a b ett er es ta te th a n this

,
 A S Y STE M OF MAG I C . 3 09

young man ; a nd he found his mis t ress was a t rst

k e pt up from him and at last that thou gh she was , ,

a t lib e rty she was grown cold and ind i ffe rent to
,

him and h e was h al f mad with the disappointment :

,

that aft e r this she seemed a little kind e r and told ,

him the r e ason o f her coldness ; b u t after all that ,

a nother thing perplexed him and that was that , ,

th ree nights tog e ther he dr e amt that he saw a

n e ighbouring g e ntleman kissing h is mistress and , ,

in downright E nglish lying with her ,

.

Th i s last torment e d him and h e was so p e rpl e x e d

,

between his lov e and his j e alousy that h e could n Ot ,

rest to this was to b e add e d th at though h is mis ,

tress was kinder t o him than befor e y e t her fath e r ,

had gi ve n him a positiv e d e nial and h e kn e w not ,

what to do and for a d i rect i on in th i s d i f c u lty h e ,

went to the cunning man .

Upon these things th e doct or aft e r all the inter

, ,

v e n in g circumstanc e s which ha ve taken up your

time gave him this very good advic e ; wh e th e r by
,

his art consulting of Spirits or by what oth e r me

, ,

thod I know not b u t he delivered it to him in this

, ,

form or to this purpose

, .

F riend says the doctor the int elligenc e which I

, ,

h ave had r elating to thy affairs from th e inv is i ble

regions and by th e aid of thos e good spir i ts which
,

thou art so afraid to receive i t from is v e ry k i nd and ,

favourabl e to thee if t hou art disposed to harken

,

t o good advice .

The young woman t hat thou art so deeply in lov e

with is n ot d i shon e st ; thos e dr e ams thou hadst in
,

prej ud i c e o f th y affection are inj urious and proc e ed ,

from the grinn i ng angry sp i rit which as t h ou

, , ,

saidst app e ar e d to thee I n t h y last night S disturb

,

a nce : how e ver it would b e w i s e ly don e i f thou

, ,

wouldst withdraw thy a ffe ct i on from this obj e ct for ,

I a m well assur e d h e r par e nts who ar e r e sol ve d t o ,

dispose of h e r a nother way w i ll n e ver favour t h cc,

3 10 A SYS TE M OF MAG I C .

a nd if thou takest her against their co n sen t wil l ,

neither give the e portion or blessing nor will t hy ,

marriage be happy .
Ask me not by what rules I Obtain this i nfor m a
tion ; qui e t thy mind in the view of other o ffe r s
which may present ; pr e serve thy virtue and tem
e r a n c e ; there seems som e thing in view though
p ,

yet at a distance which shall be mor e to thy satis

,

faction e v en than this had it gon e forward ; a nd I

,

s e e a light of mod e rat e happiness glancing tow a rd s

the e from a remot e part intimating that thou shalt

,

be very happy and live comfort ably if the exercise

, ,

of a patient and quiet temper prevail over rash n es s

a nd passion ; bu t if the latter prevail exp e ct misery ,

and d istr a cted circumstanc e s may be thy lot .

The youth went away b e tter instruct e d th a n I

should have expected from an ar t which I have s o
very bad an Op i nion of : but this Dr Bore m a n was .

a strange man according to all the rep ort s of t h e

,

country about him a nd did abundance of things

, ,

even by the m e thods of his ar t which c a rried a face

,

o f good with th e m a s is said b e fore p a ge 3 0 3

, ,if i t
was delusive and came from th e D e v i l i t was s o
, ,

much the more dang e rous as it cam e cov e red a nd

,

coloured with a mist of virt ue an d a religious ch a

,

r ac t e r a n d with a mouth always fu ll of a lofty can t

, ,

a s if talking from a divine oracle and d irected by

,

spiri t s always employed for t he good of mankind in

gen e r al and to do acts of ch arity and b e n e c e n c e t o
,

a f icted or p e rplexed persons in partic u lar .

Thu s far from my friend who convers e d with Dr .

Boreman : h e gave m e several other a ccounts of him ,

which no t withstanding all the good things pretended

,

t o and the ne canting words of the doc t or c on

, ,

v ince me s t i ll that he must h a ve h a d some un l a wful

conversation wit h such spirits or such beings as I

should s t ill c a ll d evils : th a t he used sp e lls an d ,

ch ar ms a nd fam ili ar s ; t h at he did n ot disown the

,
 SYS TE M OF MAG I C
A 31 1 .

a ppearanc e o f sp i rits to him assum i ng visible bodies , ,

was it se e ms w e ll known ; and that h e had s e v e ral

, ,

books of mag i cal e xperiments I have h e ard it also

w ell attested ; wh e th e r there w e r e any wick e d m agi
cal p e rformanc e s in thos e books or not I cannot tell , , .

It i s tr u e o r e ls e g e n e ral r e port must lie most n u

,

usually that h e d i d perfor m several strang e t h ings ;

,

yet th e y say h e was n eve r known to do or d i r e ct ,

the doing any m i sch ie f or to encourage any inj u

, ,

r ions t h in g : i t was usual as th e y rep ort of him to , ,

s e t Spells for th e country p e ople fo r t he preserving

t heir cherry gard e ns from be i ng pl u nd e r e d

-
and ,

t heir orchards from b e ing robb e d : tak e some of the

tal e s which pass for cr e d i tabl e as follows ,

That thr ee young fe llows being gotten into an

orchard w hi ch I suppose was un d er h is p articular
,

care he caused a large bell to hang to the h e el o f

,

their Shoes b ehi nd l i k e a h ee l spur by which they

,
-
,

alar med th e house and raised the peopl e who sur

, ,

rounding th e orc h ard took them all ; when th e y ,

w e re tak e n the b ells being to b e pull e d off could

, ,

not b e s ee n and y e t t he sound of them was heard

,

all the way th ey w e nt to the j u stice o f the peac e t ill ,

he committed th e m and th e n ceased , .

An oth e r time some boys b ei ng gott e n into a

,

cherry garden and on e of t h em b ei ng up a cherry

-
,

tre e h e mad e th e boy s ee a gr e at mast i ff dog

,

sitting at t h e bottom o f the tre e waiting for hi s ,

coming lookin g h i m full in th e face and grinning

, ,

a nd snarling at him i f h e o ffe r e d to st i r so that the

poor boy not dar i ng to com e do wn was oblig e d to ,

Sit in th e tr e e unt il h e cri e d o u t for h e lp ; by which

means th e peopl e o f the hous e came and found him
,

in the tre e ; and as soon as th e y were come he ,

could s ee no more of th e dog n ei ther could any ,

body se e it but h i mself .

The m e thods he took with l e wd people Of those

t imes , were it seems e xceeding many an d such
, , ,
312 A SY STE M OF MAG IC .

tha t as t he landlord t old m y friend t he young

, ,

wenches stood in aw e of him an d were t erried ,

with the ve ry name o f him .

NO p e tty thefts but he would discov e r th e m eve n ,

aft er th ey w e re com m i tt e d ; and if w e may b elie v e

common fam e if peopl e s cattle w e re gone astray h e
, ,

would tell th e m which way to look for them .

Whether h e could hav e told S aul how to nd h is

fath e r s ass e s I c a nnot say ; but I dare air m he
,

c ould not have told him of the kingdom as S amuel ,

did .

An d yet this Dr Boreman as they s ay would n ot

.
, ,

s uffer any such thing as a witch to live in th e coun

try but e xpos e d and d e tected th e m on all occasions ;
,

and th e wick e d spirits o n all occasion s ed from

him a s was rep ort e d of the house which they said
,

was ha u nt e d .

How to reconcile this to a correspondence of

d e vils only I cannot say ; and y e t that m agic
,

p ow e rs are communicat e d by good ang e ls and by ,

d i vine app oin t m e nt I can se e n o reason to sugg e st ;

,

but the contrary seems to be e vident by the p e opl e

o f E phesus , coming a nd bringing th e ir conjuring
books and burning th e m upon r e c e iving the Chris
, ,

tian faith by the preaching o f th e apostle Pa ul to ,

the valu e o f fty thousand pieces of silver .

There are abund a n ce of books u pon this subj ec t

left by this Dr Boreman ; and som e as they s ay
.
, ,

with rul e s o f ar t as they are call e d ; but th e y a re

,

k e pt so up in private hands that I do not nd they ,

a r e to be come at by any means , T h e works of the .

right famous e nthus i ast Jacob Be h e m e n se e m to b e

o f the same k i nd though something more r e ned
, ,

and less rational being all in t he clouds and con

,

fusion .

This Jacob Be h e m e n t ook it very ill t o be called

a magician ; but he was a kind of a visionist He .

pretended t o s e e t h i n gs invisible a nd hear thing s ,

 SYSTE M OF MAG I C
A 313 .

unutt erable ; an d I might add h e seemed t o have ,

some truth in i t for h e p u blished things u n in t e ll i

,

gib l e .

His wr i t i ngs ar e e ither m agic or e nthusiastic or ,

rather both for I n ev e r m e t with many th at would

,

pr e t e n d to u nd e rstan d t he m and n e v e r with o n e

,

that was th e b e tt e r for them ; e xc e pt it was o n e

ve ry particular man among his a dm i rers who de ,

cl ar e d hi ms e lf to b e th e b e tt e r for th e m only and , ,

for that very r e ason n amely b e cause h e d i d n ot

, ,

u nd e rstand th e m .

Now that I may not s e em to pass my c e nsure

rashly I d e si r e t h at my more i nt ell i g e nt r e a d e rs
,

will pl e as e to reduc e the following t hi ngs i nto

mean i ng i f th e y can and fa v our us w i th the inter
, ,

r e t a t io n b e ing som e particular account f the life

p o

Of this famous r e ligious en gi n ee r for I know n ot ,

what else to call him and the titles o f some o f h is

,

b ooks .

By th e di ffe r e nces and co n tro ve rsi e s in r el i gion

w h ich h e kn e w n ot how to sat i sfy h i ms elf i n h e was ,

stirr e d up and m o ve d to ask s eek and knock that

, .
,

he might know t h e truth .

Upon wh i ch by t h e d ivi ne drawi n g and will he

,

was in spirit wrapt up into th e h oly S abbath i n ,

which h e r e ma i ned s eve n whol e days by hi s ow n ,

c onfe ssion in high e st j oy : aft e r h e cam e to h i ms e l f;

,

h e la i d as i d e the folly of youth a n d was dr i ven by

,

div ine z e al e arn e stly to r e pr eh e nd i mpud e nt scan ,

d al ou s and blasph e mous sp ee ch e s and d i d forb e ar

, ,

in all hi s act i ons t he l e ast app e arance o f e vil and ,

continued to ge t h i s l iv in g by th e labour o f his

hands until the b e g i nning of th e Sixth s e culum
, ,

which was t h e year 1 600 wh e n he was th e s e cond

,

time poss e ssed w i th a d iv in e ligh t and by the s i ght ,

O f a sudden obj ect was brought to the inwa rd

groun d or centre of the hidden n atur e .
314 A S Y STE M OF MAG I C .

Ye t somewhat doubting he wen t ou t in t o an

,

open eld and there b e held t h e miraculous works

,

Of the Cr e ator in the signatur e s and g ures of all

created things manife stly laid open ; whereupon he
was taken w i th an e xc ee ding j oy y e t held his pe a ce, ,

in sil e nc e praising G od
, .

But t e n y e ars after in th e year 1 6 1 0 through

, ,

th e ov e r shadowin g o f th e Holy S pirit he was a

-
,

third tim e touch e d by G od and renew e d an d b e, ,

came SO e nl i ghten e d that lest s o great grace b e

,

stowed upon him s h ould Slip o u t of his memory and ,

he resist his G od he wrote privat ely for himself

,

( withou t the h e lp of any books but t h e Holy S crip

tures ) many books such as these
,

A Book o f the S i gnat u re o f all Things .

A Co nsolatory Book o f the F our C omplexion s

A M
.

is t e r iu m magn u m upon Ge nesis .

A Book of 1 7 7 T h e O S Op h ick ! uestions .

C ertain Lett e rs to divers Persons at certain times ,

wi t h certain K eys for som e hidde n Words .

These l e arned labours o f this right l e arned e n

t h u s ias t may for aught I know be st i ll extant ; they
, ,

a r e recommended here for their extraord i nary titles ,

an d I beli e v e are muc h about as int elligible a s the

above rhapso dy of his life ; to all whic h I r e com
mend t he c u rious reader if he has a mind to em
,

barrass his understanding for an age or two an d ,

come o u t as wise as he went in The specimen I .

think to b e much of a piece with the good Dr .

Boreman only with this sp e cic di ffe rence viz

, ,
.
,

that fri e nd Jacob carries us up into the cloud s

to understand things ther e if anybody there may ,

be found to teach us ; and Dr Boreman w as for .

bringing the c louds down to us to te a ch u s wh a t ,

we could understand no thing of whe n we wer e ,

ta ught.

Thu s you h a ve the two invisible a nd u n int e lli

 A SYS TE M OF MAG I C . 315

gib l e brothers t og e th e r ; wh e th e r th e y h ave le ft any

t o carry on the unm e anin g magic I kno w n o t
, .

There hav e been som e pretend e rs to the art who

h a v e succ ee d e d t h e doctor but w e se e noth i ng of
,

their p e rform anc e at leas t no t e qu al t o his : l e t u s

,

look a little higher .

3 16 A S Y ST EM OF MAG I C .

CH AP IV. .

Of d oc t r in e of sp ir its a s it is u nd e r s tood by the

the
m a gic ia ns h o w f a r it m a y b e s up p os e d th e r e m ay
b e a n in te r co u r s e w ith s up e r io r b e ings , w ith ou t
a ny f a m ilia r ity w ith th e D e v il, o r e v il sp ir its ;

with a t r a n s it io n to th e p r e s e n t t im e s .

WH E N th e sev e n sons of S cm v a the J e w pretended

to exorc i sm and to cast the Devil o u t of a possessed
,

person the D e vil taking it in scorn to be a ffron t ed

,

by mer e pretenders and disdaini n g those that had

,

no authority to m ake u s e of th e names whi ch he

was subj ected to the terror of e w u pon th e m a s the , ,

te xt says in a r age J e s u s I k n o w a n d Pa u l I k n ow
, , , ,

says he b u t w h o a r e y e and he never left them till

,

they ed away from h im naked and wounded .

N ow in what n ame or by what authority Dr .

Boreman or any of these m agic i ans di smiss e d the

D ev il from haun t ed houses chas e d away spirits ,

from the place s wh e re th e y had made any appear

an c e a n d k e pt the D e vil in such awe as is reported
, ,

I cannot y e t l e arn Had the doctor really cast the

.

Devil ou t o f any demoniac o r poss e ssed p e rson a nd ,

openly hav e ex e rcised such an absolute p ower over

h im and had it b e en w e ll vouched by persons of
,

k n own i ntegrity and sound j udgment we must then ,

h ave b e liev e d that ther e were some good spirits ,

some sup e rior intelligent beings whom the doctor ,

was s o fa v oured by that knowing his good int e n,

tions th e y would assist him with their aid ag a inst

,

t h e e vi l spirits .

Bu t t h ere are innumerable difculties in the way ;

the words of our S aviour a re express t h at this kind ,
 A SYS T EM OF MAG I C . 317

g oe th n ot b u t by p r a y e r a n d f a s ting, and I do
ou t

n ot read much of the doctor b ei ng a person so pio u s

a n d so religious as to ex e rc i s e h i mself that way at

a ll ; w h at he might do in privat e I know not but ,

by all I can l e arn he acted as by th e immediate

,

d eputation Of those good spirits ; int i matin g that ,

t hey brought him intellig e nce that they acquainted ,

him with the circ u mstanc e s of e very inqu i ring p e r

s on ; that th e y dir e cted h i m what ans w e rs to g i ve ;

tha t he was but as it wer e their m e ss e ng e r to ev i l

, ,

spirits ord e ring th e m to r e mov e from suc h and such

,

places that t h ey e mpowe ed h i m by sp e aking such

r
,

and such words to charm and bind down such p e o

,

ple as h e was dir e cted to Op e rate upon to such a ,

limit a n d w i th i n such a circle o f ground

,
.

Bu t a ll this is st i ll attended wit h this doubt viz , .

,

that th e fact is not pro ve d let us see ther e fore !

wha t it i s l i kely th e s e good spl r it s can do a n d what

they really ar e b e lie v e d to d o in any part of th e
world for th e gen e ral good of mankin d
,
.

That th e re are som e app e aranc e s in the world ,

and that of such Spirits as we m ay call good I wil l ,

not d e ny h e re wh e ther I grant it at pr e s e nt or n o

, .

The p e opl e in Norway tell yo u of a good sp i rit

which at all tim e s gives p e ople notic e of th i ngs fatal
and d e structive ; that it appears in a ying bal l of a
y ellowi sh gr ee n ; and is se e n in th e a i r and will ,

knock at t he ir doors b e for e approach i ng t e m pests

and d ee p sno w s that they may sa v e th e ir sh in g
,

boats by haul i ng th e m up upon t he S h ores or into ,

narrow safe creeks wh e re th e y will r e ceive n o

damage and that on shor e th e y may br i ng home
,

th e ir cattl e and s e cure them from those deep snows

,

and sever e colds .

In Lapon i a w e are told of several Spir i ts whi ch

th e y con ve rs e w ith n ot by way of w i tc h craft and
,

sorcery but wh ic h t hey cal l thei r good Sp i rits and

, ,

who m they consul t with upon ev e ry urg e nt occasion

 318 A S YS T EM OF MAG I C .

for relief an d assistance and who n eve r do a ny hur t

,

to th e m or to th ei r cattl e What the Lapland .

wi t ch e s m ay do I know not neither is i t my present ,

I nqu i ry .

Wh e ther th e se good Spirits are n ot t hose who at ,

the r e quest of some c e rtain p e opl e o n all the coas t s

of Norway are sa i d to procur e fair win ds for ship s
,

go ing t o s e a I will n ot und e rtake to s ay but this I

,

hav e upon stri ct inqu i ry l e arnt

F irst That it r e ally is so in fact ; that upon going
,

t o c e rtain p e opl e there and u pon paying th e m a ,

sm all consid e ration (not abo v e two d oll a rs) they ,

have been assur e d o f a fair wind exactly at such a ,

time from such a c e rtain point of the compass an d

, ,

to last s o many hours as has been agreed for , .

S econdly That this has been agreed for when

,

t h e winds have b e en a s the s e amen call i t se t in to

, ,

blo w trade from a directly contr a ry point and for a ,

consid e rabl e tim e b e fore and that wh e n they have

gon e away and declined the agre e me n t th e y h ave ,

l a in a long time without a fair wind till complying ; ,

a n d again t hat upon s o complying they have n eve r

,

failed .

Thirdly Tha t if you o ffe r to d e sire or give m o

, ,

n ey to th e m to raise a high wind that is a s t orm , , ,

th e y will be very angry r e fu se your money wi t h ,

disdain and ask you in th e ir langu a ge if you think

, ,

they deal with the D ev il ? that their power come s

from a good spirit that n ev e r does any hurt in t h e
,

world but always does th ings kind an d good a n d

, ,

for the b e net o f m ankind .

Al l ou r accoun t s histories and r elations concern

, , ,

ing th e north e rn parts o f Britain ar e full o f t h e ap

e a r a n c e o f spirits to the inhabitants on sundry oc
p
casions and yet none of thos e spirits ar e hurtful t o
,

them or j oin in any hurtful things

, .

E ither thes e spirits inhabit in th e regions of the

a ir a n d s o are near u s a nd take cog n iz a nce o f o ur
,
 A S YS T EM OF M AG I C 319 .

p e rsons an d a ffairs or th e y do not : if they do n ot

, ,

what do they app e ar for i f the y tak e cogn i zance o f

u s and o f o u r a ffairs and y e t d o n on e h urt then
, ,

they ar e not d e vils though spirits for the D e vil ,

would certa i nly do the utmost m i schi e f h e could ;

o n the contrary thos e Sp i rits do e min e nt good ser
,

vices o n sundry occasions to mankind ; th e y must

therefore be suppose d at least to b e good an d bene
ce nt beings inhabiting som e wh e re i n the vast ex
,

panse of spac e which w e call the h ab i t ation of S pi

rits or t he i nvisible world
,
.

An d this leads us by th e hand to that h itherto

unint e lligibl e thing call e d the second sigh t that is -

to s ay that those good Spirits mak e t he ms e lv e s vi

,

sible to som e particular p e rsons an d r e pr e sent to ,

them the form or Shadow Of th i s or th at p e rson that

they have a mind to have se e n a n d e ve n thos e per
sons ar e represented n ot to do t he m h urt but often ,

times to warn of approaching mischie f, d e ath or ,

d anger .

To what purpose should th e D e vil wh o is never ,

guilty of doing good e xc e pt wit h d e sign of evil , I

,

say to what purpos e shoul d h e for e tell e v i ls awaiti ng

this or that m an who car e s n ot w h a t evi l may or
,

can befall him ? to repres e nt to h i m t h i n gs i n e fgy ,

which shall yet com e to pass in r e al ity ? to giv e him

warnings of evils in time that h e m ay avoid it ? ,

This i s not like the Devil who is always seeking ,

man s destruct i on For e xampl e .

Th e s e cond sighted Highlander se e s a young lady

-

with thre e gentl e m e n standin g at he r r i ght hand ,

intimating t h at th ey sho uld eve ry o n e O f them in

their turn b e her husband ; and h ow e v e r u nl i k ely
, , ,

th i s comes to pass : h e s ee s the l i k e number of

wom e n standing o n the left h and o f a man and he ,

is d i r e cted by this to know th e y shall all b e h is

wiv e s ; th e very faces and habits of th e m ar e de
scribed and that so as to h av e th e m known ; an d
,
32 0 A S YS T EM OF MAG I C .

this though seeming at rst ridiculous comes t o

, ,

p ass A second sig h t man trav e ll i ng o n the road

.
-
,

sees a man o n h orseback at a great distan c e coming

towards him ; a great ri v er being b e twe e n them ;
he says to his fri e nd that was w i t h him Ride for ,

ward to the river bank a nd you may chance save

the man s l i fe for he will pass the ford but will be

, ,

driven a way by the w a ter and you may chance as ,

sist him to get o u t .

The man to w h om it was s a id gallop e d up to ,

the river s brink and calls to the m an o n the o t her
,

sid e bidd i ng him n o t come for ward for the river at

, ,

th e ford was n e wly r i s e n and the water or the cur ,

rent would b e too strong for his horse adding that ,

he would b e in dang e r : I kno w the ford s ays he , ,

bett er than you mind your o w n a ffairs ; and with

,

that com e s on an d enters the riv e r and was accord ,

in gly driven away with the curr e nt and in great ,

danger but t h e man s e nt to warn h im was S O care

ful that run ning o n the other side of th e riv e r h e
, , ,

had an O pportunity to throw a rop e to him which ,

at last he took hold of and with gr e at dii cu lt y is ,

drawn to the shore : and in that manner his life

was s a ved .

N ow though it is true that the int e lligence

,

which this m an gave was the sav i ng th e man s l i fe ,

yet they will hav e it that this man d e alt with t h e ,

De v il : h o w e lse say th e y shoul d this man kn o w

, ,

that th e oth e r man a stran ge r to him should b e in, ,

dang e r ? Bu t I answ e r that the Devil has no ,

knowledg e o f fu turity and t he refor e this could n ot ,

b e the D e v il or from th e D e vil ,

.

Besides w h y should th e Devil tell the man an d

, ,

war n h im o f th e dang e r Of passing the ri v er would

h e not much rath e r t h at the man should h ave been
drown ed and as many more as he could ?
,

It is evident th at in witchcrafts and familiar

S pirits where the Devil a cts by the a gency of th e
,
 A SY STEM OF MAG I C . 32 1

witch o r wizard they are always fam e d for do i ng

,

misch i ef prompting to all mann e r of evil torm e n t

, ,

ing t h e partic ular people th e y are e mpow e r e d to

act upon ; m u rdering oth e rs ; d e stroying cattl e ,

setting re to hous e s ships stacks of corn or hay ;

, ,

and i n a word everything hurtful an d everyth i ng

, ,

hateful .

Th e r e is some r e ason therefore c e rtainly to dis

, , ,

t in gu is h b e t w e en those Spirits who are k i nd and

careful and assistant to mankind and thos e that
, ,

a r e misch ie vous destructi v e and d e clar e th e m

, ,

sel ve s e n e mi e s to t h e common good : the last are

evid e ntly o f hell the v e ry n ature of th e D ev il ap
,

pears in all th e ir act i ons and in the ends and a i ms

,

o f all th e e missar i es they e mploy Wh at contrary .

j ud gm e nt is to be mad e from con t rary e ffects r e ,

ma i ns to b e consid e red .

T h e y both act a t least we und e rstand th e m to

,

act by the assistance of some inv i s i bl e spir i t or as

, ,

it may be mor e properly expressed the invisibl e ,

spirits act in th e m and by th e m .

As to w i tchcraft a nd poss e ssion that I think is ,

plain and n ee d s no d i scours e upon it ; it is known

,

to b e all fr om an evil Spirit or in pla i n E nglish , ,

from t h e Dev il Th e r e i s no room to dispute i t ;

.

t he wr e tch e s employed acknowl e dge i t and the

, ,

h e llis h thi n gs th ey do discover it ; so w e need say

no mor e o f that nor is i t th e busin e ss b e for e m e
,
.

But w h o is i t that acts these other sorts of p e ople ?

what Sp i rits infor m th e m ? what s e cr e t power opens
th ei r e y e s to s ee th i ngs b id from th e r e st of man
,

kind ? I m e et with many t h at h ave e xamined

into this matt e r o f th e s e cond s i ght and who hav e -
,

d i scours e d w i t h th e p e opl e who ar e wh at shall I ,

call i t ? I c a n hardly say bl e ssed w i th it n e ither,

d o th e y call i t so t he ms e l ve s ; and all t h at I h ave

i n q u i r e d o f about i t s ee m only to hold up the i r
,

hands w i th a kind of a ston i shm e nt at th e th i ng b u t ,

5 M
. . Y
322 A S YS TEM OF MAG I C .

can give no a ccount of it ; they wonder at b ut do ,

not understand it .

To me it is more a wonder that it should not be

u nderstood for it seems to be n othing m ore or less
than this : that supposing an invisible world or ,

world o f spirits as w e hav e alre a dy been discours

,

ing an d have in part grant e d ; I say supposing

, ,

th e re are s u ch spirits and th a t th e y inhabit the,

invisible r e gion s (how n e ar to o r r e mot e from u s ,

w e know n ot ) and that the reality of their exist

,

e n ce is certain this second sight th e n is accounted

,
-

for thus
Two ways those spirits nd to converse with

m a nkind ; be it for good or evil that s a question ,

b y its e lf ; I say they m a intain an intercourse with

,

m ankind two ways .

F irst By imm e diate personal an d part icular

, , ,

converse with this or that man and by such parti ,

c u l ar methods a s is only known t o the person ;

whether by the mean s o f any science or a rt or , ,

otherwise we know not ; this we call magic a nd

, ,

the man s o conversing with them we call a ma ,

ICI a n
g .

S econdly O r these spirits actin g at a d istance

, , ,

rend e r themselves visible and the i r transactions ,

perceptible to such and such particular persons and ,

o n such occasions as th e y think t a nd as they nd ,

ne e dful ; without any further conc e rn o r acquaint

a n ce with th e person or communicating to him or ,

them anything of the r e ason or nature of the disco

very or any knowledge Of th e person so making th e
,

discovery and this is what we foolishly enough call

the second sight -
.

Nor is this notion in anything inconsistent either

with reason or t he natur e of the thing ; the angel
that stood w ith the aming sword in his h a nd was
seen by the ass o f Balaam and not se e n by h is ,

m a ster O u r S aviour in h is gloried state aft er

.
,
 A SYS T E M OF MAG I C 323 .

his resurrection was s e en and con ve rsed with in

,

the open e st and fr ee st mann e r imaginabl e by the

t wo discipl e s go i ng to E mmaus and y e t they kn e w ,

not who i t was ; and as soon a s they knew him he

b e came invisible to th e m again .

Now suppose o n e o f th e se invisibl e inhabitants

,

d e s i gns t o make i t s elf vis i bl e e it h e r to d isco v e r ,

such or such an evi l at hand to part i cular men or , ,

to warn this or that p e rson of m i schief attending

another ; so that he may imm e diately go and pre
vent it : can w e think it di fcult for that Spirit to
make its elf visibl e to this or that part i cular man ,

and not to another ? I think there is nothing

strang e at all in i t .

A second si ghted man going towar d s a gentle

-

man s house in Br adalb in s ee s t h e gentl e man t o

, ,

wards whose hous e h e was going riding o n the ,

road with a n e ighbouring gentleman whom he also ,

kne w attend e d with thr ee servants on foot and on e

,

o n horseback six in all ; t he n he sudd e nly s ee s a

,

troop o f h i ghland robbers forty Or fty i n numb e r , ,

rushing o u t of a wood or som e oth e r plac e where

they lay in ambus h who s u rround e d th e g e ntl e
,

men dismounted and robbed th e m wound e d the

, ,

rst g e ntl e ma n in the arm and killed on e of th e ,

s er v ants .

T he man going forward to the g e ntleman s house

j ust in th e court or entry befor e hi s house se e s th e

gentl e man wit h t he ot he r g e ntl e man his fri e nd
, ,

mountin g his horse to ride abroad and t h e s e rvants ,

attending j ust thr ee in number bes i des the gentle

, ,

man s steward o n horseback .

H e imm e d i at ely speak i ng to one Of the ser v ants

, ,

i n quires wh i c h way t hei r master was tra ve ll i n g ;

they answer him t h at h e i s goin g to In n e r l o c hy
, ,

upon such and such busin e ss W h i c h way do e s .

h
t e laird i ntend t o take ? says th e man S uch a .

gat says the servant I beseech his honour says

,
.
,

Y2
3 24 A SYS T EM OF MAG I C .

the man that he go no t by that gat (tha t is to say

, , ,

by that road ) for if he does he wi ll fall into bad

, ,

hands .

Th e servant t e lls his master and he calls the ,

strang e r and asks him what h e meant by t elling

,

him so S ir says he I t ell it for good if your

.
, , ,

honour pl e ase to h e ark e n to it F or if yo u go by .

that gat (mention i ng the road wh i ch h i s servant

,

had named ) you will fall in with th e robbers who

,

haunt t h os e hills and will b e o v erpower e d and mis

,

c h ie v e d .

What says the other gentleman that was to go

,

with him mocking at the s e cond sighted man are

,
-
,

y e o n e of those fool bodies (a S cots e xpr e ssion ) that

-

th e y call se e rs ? ha ye b e e n seeing a vision this .

?
morn i ng pr ythee how m any were th e y and what , ,

did they s a to o u ?
y y
An your honour will gang says t h e man gang , ,

your w a : b ut yo u will r e m e mber what I have told

you wh e n ye nd it tru e
,
.

The rst g e ntl e man answer e d W e re th ey a tr oop , ,

say you ? Y es a n d t please your honour says th e
, ,

m an .

Well well says the gentleman I shall go an a

, , ,

troop of de vi ls wer e in th e way S O th e man w as .

outed o n all hands and went his way back ; the ,

t w o gentl e m e n went o n as they said th e y would , ,

and w e r e attacked and robb e d ; o n e s e rvant kille d ,

and o n e Of th e g e ntl e m e n had his arm broke with a

p i stol bull e t and was broug h t back the same day to
-

h is o w n h ous e .

W h at spir i t it m u s t b e that could thus form an ,

app e aranc e o f thin gs that would come to pass th at ,

we cannot d e t e rm i n e ; but supposing this story to

be tru e in fact as man y such ha ve been this had , ,

c ertainly o n e token o f a good spir i t in it ; nam ely ,

that it gave th e gentleman fair warning to shun th e

danger tha t awa i ted him and as it wer e s e n t a n , ,
 A SYS T EM OF MA G I C . 32 5
e xpress t o him from th e in v is i bl e world which if , ,

h e had n ot d e sp i s e d h e m i ght ha ve escap e d and

, ,

avoided t he dan ge r .

Now had t hi s be e n th e D ev il if I ha ve any no

, ,

tion o f th e D evi l and of h i s natur e as w ell as d e

, ,

signs h i s part would rath e r have b ee n to have s e nt

,

an a g e nt o f h is to th e troop of robb e rs h i s fri e nds ,

to gi ve th e m not i c e that such a g e ntl e m a n and

, ,

such anoth e r wit h hi m was com i n g upon th e way , ,

and that in such a plac e th e y s h ould be sure to

m ee t and surpr i se th e m H e would ha ve b ee n so .

far from warning th e gentl e m e n of th e ir dan ge r ,

t h at h e would have run th e m i nto i t w i th all th e

art i c e h e was master of ; and I will not say that h e
did n o t prompt t he two gentl e m e n abo ve to sco ff ,

a n d out at t he poor s e cond s i gh t e d man and mak e -

a j e st of h i s int e ll i genc e as yo u h a ve h e ard ; t h at so

,

th e y mi ght go o n and fall i nto th e dang e r they wer e

,

warn e d aga i nst rath e r than go another way and

, ,

avoid i t .

S om e of these informing Sp i rits think t to

app e ar th e msel ve s to t he se s e cond sight e d p e opl e -

a n d not to oth e rs ; and if th e auth or o f th e d e s c r ip

tion of th e w e st e rn islands of S cotland may b e

cr e d i t e d w h o also n am e s n ot th e circumstances only
, ,

but th e p e rsons th e y hav e n o t only abundanc e o f

,

t he s e s e cond s i ght e d p e opl e t he r e but t h e v ha v e

-
,

abundanc e of t hi ngs d i scov e r e d to t he m In this

mann e r and e sp e cially upon th e approac hi n g death
,

o r disast e rs of any p e rson or fam i ly It is tru e the .

,

e xamples h e br i ngs ar e most o f th e m tri i ng but ,

w e have m any r e lat i ons in that country g e n e rally

r e c eiv ed for truth which ar e cons i d e rabl e : and d i
,

v e rs e xampl e s are to be had w h ich ar e new and , ,

with out pr e c e d e nt ; nothing is mor e fr eq u e nt amon g

them t h an that o f for e t e ll i ng the d e ath of any p e r
s o n som e examples o f whic h I can gi v e o f my o w n
,

knowle dge .
32 6 A SYS TE M OF MAG I C .

I w a s at a gentl e man s h ou s e in this town nea r ,

S t Jam e s s an d he happened to have some friend s
.
,

invited to his hous e that day upon an e ntertain

ment the occasion of which I do n ot j ust now r e
,

member Am ong the gu e sts a t his table w a s a n

.

anci e nt g e ntl e woman and her d aughter a ne be a u,

tiful young l ady an d was I think to be m arried the

,

next we e k or with i n a ve ry few days : t he r e sat op

,

o s it e to h e r anoth e r lady o f what country I do n o t

p ,

r e m e mb e r but she was a for e i gner a nd I think

, ,

was a Dutchwoman but app e ared as a person o f ,

good gur e .

This for e ign e r i t seems cam e to the gentleman s
house n o t as invited to th e entertainm e nt but upon
, ,

some busin e ss of consequ e nce ; dinn e r b e ing j ust

ready he ask e d h e r to stay and told h e r th e y would
, ,

despatch their business aft e rwards and so led her ,

in among the l adies .

After dinn e r the gentlem a n an d this foreign lady

,

withdrew to d e spatch t he ir affair whic h was some ,

thing relating to the E xchequ e r where he had a n ,

employ ; and i n discourse she said to him pray , ,

Mr . who is that e lderly lady t h at sat Oppo

site to m e ? so he told her th e lady s name An d
.

that young charming lady is her d augh ter I sup ,

pose ? says Sh e Y e s says th e g e ntleman Poor

.
, .

lady says S h e I am very sorry for h e r for that her

, , ,

daught e r is a most beautiful creatur e inde e d and I ,

s e e sh e is very fon d o f h e r tis a sad thing ! Wh at ,

?
d y e m e an says t he g e ntl e man W h y says she .
, ,

the young la dy wo n t liv e abov e a fortn i ght and the ,

poor lady her mother will almos t br e ak her he a r t

for h e r : I am very sorry .

Th e g e ntl e man ( who told me th e story with his

own mouth ) was extr e mely surpr i s e d at what sh e
said and would fain have und e rstood it as if S h e
,

j e s te d with him ; but she a frm e d it seriously an d ,

s howed so much con cern at it th a t he could n ot ,

 A SYS TE M OF MAG I C . 327
c arry it o ff for a j e s t ; the n he asked her how s h e
kn e w it ? I see it upon her says s he I wish I could , ,

Sho w it yo u I t e ll you she is a d ea d wom an all th e

, ,

world can t sav e her for her hour is come ask m e

, ,

n o more qu e stions My fri e nd told m e the story .

imm e diat e ly ; the conc e rn about i t had almost

fr i ght e d h i m and the event answered it all i n
, _

abo u t th ree days the young lady was tak e n ve ry

ill which turned to a vomit i ng and that to a
, ,

fever and she died o n th e very fourte e nth day

,

aft e r w ard .

Another time walking in a friend s garden near

,

London th e r e was a young g e ntl e woman walk i n g in

,

the next g a rden and there b e ing but a l ow wall b e

,

tween a n d a mount o n that Side wh e re w e wer e we

, ,

could s ee h e r walking with h e r fath e r o n on e S i d e

o f h e r and a s i st e r o n th e other ; said on e g e ntle
,

man that was with me Who is the middl e most p e r ,

s on O f thos e t h re e ? w e told him sh e was the g e nt l e

man s daughter who walked by her .

Has sh e b ee n sick ? sa i d h e Now it was true .

,

that the lady had been very ill and was come into ,

the co u ntry for air and w e told him how it was ,

.

Well says h e the air won t recover her for sh e w i ll

, ,

,

die with i n a v e ry fe w days I e arnestly pr e ssed hi m to .

tell us how h e knew it ; h e answer e d amb i guously a

good wh ile b u t as I pr e ss e d him with gr e at impor
,

t u n it y he told m e s e rio u sly : said he Yo u cannot

, ,

s e e it as I d o I wish I could not s e e t h ings s o as I

,

do but her face now at th i s instant is to m e e xactly

,

wh a t you call a d e ath s head ; that is the sk e l e ton

o f a h ea d or scull and no oth e r ,

.

Th e t h ing was righ t a nd the young wo m an d ie d ,

withi n a we e k after .

But to return to the subj ect as thes e Spirits we ,

may suppos e can mak e any r e pr e s e ntations of t hi n gs

,

vi s i bl e and t h at to whom th ey pl e as e so it may b e

, ,

s uppos e d t hey can m a ke t hems e lv e s v isi b le also ,

3 28 A SYS T EM OF MAG I C ,

when and to who m th eyplease ; and this is attested

,

by many witn e sses and e vi d e nced by sever al di ffe r

,

ing circum stanc e s of which I have by I nquiry met

, , ,

wit h a great many in my time .

In th e H i ghlands and Islands they tell you of a ,

spirit whic h th e poor i gnorant country peopl e call

,

Browny ; or Bronne as it se e ms was th e mor e a n , ,

cient nam e they ga ve it as the Norwegi a ns hav e ,

anoth e r whom th e y call Bi e lke

,
.

Much pain s has b ee n tak e n to examin e wh o

this Browny is an d wh e ther he is a good spiri t or
,

a bad ; but most of the stories I meet with are S O

fa b ulous or tr i i ng or ridiculous that I rather take
, , ,

the appearanc e to be imaginary than r e al if it b e

real it must b e some low prized Spirit employed
,
-
,

a mong th e meanest of p e ople and o n the mean e st ,

occasions scarce worth n aming a n d ye t most of

, ,

them rath e r for ev i l than good .

It is worth observing that wh e re these frequent ,

appearanc e s ar e an d these second sighted v isionists

,
-

w e rar e ly h e ar o f any p aw w aw in g o r conj uring no -

black art men v e ry little magic I fancy it s ee ms

- -
, .

rath e r that what business these inv i si b le a g e nts

,

have to d o and what int e rcours e they carry on with

,

this world th e y g e nerally do it thems e lves they

, ,

are not m a nag e d by art o r called in to the a id ,

and assistance o f the artists B u t as th e y m ake .

things visibl e at pleasure they want no a gen t s , ,

th e y do their own business their own way and in a

wor d th e y have no magic i ans among th e m n one o f
, ,

thos e they ca ll cunning m e n or that consult with ,

th e invis i ble world in behalf of oth e rs ; it s ee ms

they have no occasion of s uch men they ar e not s o ,

fanciful or overrun with vapours as we are in this

, ,

part of th e world .

Ye t th e y have some remains of sorcery among

t hem too and p articularly they are strangely a d
,

dic t ed t o charms In t he isles of O rk n ey they u s e

.
 A SYS TEM O F MAG I C . 29

a charm to stop bl ee d i ng and th e y tell you i t is as

,

e ffe ctual as th e stron ge st stiptic be t h e bl e eding ,

outward by a wo u nd or inward by any br e aking

, , ,

th e v ess e ls wr e nch o r stra i n or by dist e mp e r a n d

, ,

for th i s th e y ha v e part i cular p e opl e wh om they ,

call c h armers What part of th e black ar t or

.

magic t h es e charmers practic e I know not but i t , ,

s ee ms they perfor m it at a d i stance and without ,

se e ing or knowi n g th e p e rsons ; only th e p e rso n

who i s in distr e ss by bl ee d i ng sends his n ame t o ,

the charm e r and he s e nds th e good spir i t he talks

,

of and (as th e m agic i ans say ) conv e rs e s w i t h and

, ,

the bl ee ding is stopp e d in a mom e nt Th i s th e .

,

charm e r as th e y call h i m do e s by rep e at i n g the

, , ,

name o f th e p e rson a ffl i ct e d t o wh i ch h e always ,

adds som e barbarous un i nt e ll i g i ble languag e of h is

o w n ; upon r e p e ating which h e s e nds th e m e ssen

g e r away and th e cur e is p e rfect e d No w this is

,
.

much t h e sam e with th e mag i c of oth e r pract i sers

for this th ey t ell yo u is th e ch arm e r speaking to the
good spirit h e con v erses w i th who imm e diately ,

ies inv isibl e to the poor distressed pat i ent an d ,

works the cur e .

Th e se charms are also of s eve ral kinds and for

several purposes some to cure h uman bod ie s som e ,

to cur e cattl e som e to qu ie t gr e at dogs and pr e

, ,

vent th eir falling upon p e opl e as th e y go along and ,

som e perhaps t o pre v e nt th ei r bark i ng wh e n a

, ,

thie f may att empt t he hous e ; that part I suppose ,

t h ey won t call t h e work of a good sp i rit They .

h av e suc h a variety o f thos e th i n gs in othe r parts ,

a s w e ll as i n o u r o w n country and e sp e ci ally in ,

Ir eland in Norway and in som e parts o f Ge r m any

, , ,

that i t would b e n ee dl e ss to g iv e an account of

th em and a littl e o u t of the way t oo i n such a work
,

as this .

But I must come a little near er home These .

3 30 A S Y STEM OF MAG I C .

arts are us e d m or e o n this Side the world a s the ,

rendering darker th i ngs visible seems to be more ,

the case on that side and as I a m inquiring rathe r

what our mag i cians practise with o u t the De v il ,

than what the De v il or any other spirit practises

without the magician I come to bring all t h ese
,

t hings down to your immediate understanding .

We have be e n di v ing into myst e ri e s long enough ,

and b e en serious t i ll perhaps you are tir e d ; for a

little gra v e doings wearies us at this time o f d ay ;
l e t us s e e if th e subj ect w i ll a fford us any div e rs i on .

The age is witty beyond measure and not a littl e ,

wicked too ; but whence is it that we have n o

magic in o u r wit ? I t is not many years ago sin c e ,

the sprightly p art of human wit relished with man

kind and m e n were bright by mere inspiration the
,

good Spirits if suc h there are dictated things o f

, ,

value to th e minds of men they conversed in the

,

very connes o f the mys t e rious world but without ,

raptur e s and agitations ; th e y had th e s ublime wi t h

o u t the infe rn al the humid without t h e horrid
,

th ey had th e r e without th e brimstone ; they

co u ld laugh without bawdy and j e st without blas
,

p h e m y ; talk without bu ffoo n ery and vote without

,

bribery ; write without pedantry a nd r ead witho u t ,

party .

B u t now bl e ss us all ! how strangely is the cour se

,

Of things chang e d ; what with good Spirits and bad

spirits we do e v e ryt h ing without spir it ; we are all
,

magic an d n o w i tchcraft th e D ev il without the

, ,

D e v i l ; w e lau gh without a j est an d j e st without ,

wit ; we wr i t e without s e ns e and r ea d without ,

taste ; w e are lewd beyond whor e dom and devout ,

beyond r e li gion ; w e pr e ach without doctrin e are ,

rel i gious w i t h out princ i ples pray without doxology ,

a n d worship without a G od .

Now how sh al l we do t o nd ou t t he magic of

,
 A S YS TE M OF MA G I C 331 .

a ll this ? it is c e rtainly brought abou t by som e

strange fascination som e d e v i l i sm that we feel and
, ,

do not s ee H e r e must be some int e rcourse b e

.

twe e n u s and the i nvis i bl e world though I doubt i t ,

is som e of the darker part of it E ve ry man seem s .

to m e to have his d e mon o f a particular k i nd p r o ,

per and separat e to himself by which h e e i the r go ,

verns himself or is govern e d I know n ot well

, ,

which to call it ; an d so h e walks o n in his ow n

way follows nobody and lea d s nobody ; but is a
, ,

principle a doctrine a governor n ay a god to

, , , ,

himself .

F ormerly th e broach e rs of errors and particular

,

n otions h ad always th e ir disc i pl e s and follow e rs ;

,

a n d th e y j udg e d pr e tty much o f th e goodn e ss o r

badness of th e doctrine wheth e r r e l i gi ous philos o , ,

phi e o r moral by t he n umb e r and quality of the

, ,

follow e rs th e y had ; ev e n the Jews d i d th u s of ou r

S av iour H a v e a ny of the e ld e r s o r of th e r u le r s b e
,

l ie v e d h im
on

But now, Go d save us ! so m a ny m e n so many

s e v e ry man broach e s
,

mag gots , t o t h om in e s , t o t d i
his own opinions preac h es t he m to h i mself is his
, ,

o w n conv e rt ; his soul i s th e d i scipl e o f h is fancy ,

a nd hi s sens e s th e pulpit of his humour ; as for

other p e opl e as h e t e ac h es nobody so h e scorns to
, ,

be taught by anybody and b i ds G od da him if , ,

he had not rath e r go to th e D ev il than n ot go to ,

hea ve n his own way .

T h us w e l i v e in a g e n e ral d is gu ise and like th e ,

m asqu e rad e s e v e ry m a n dr e ss e s h imself up in a

,

particular habit not two appear alik e in th e whol e

,

plac e ; and that the sim i l e may be p e rfe ct th e ,

humo u r carr ie s i t o n to the m i nutest part ; as th e

hab i ts ar e n o t al i ke so th ey ar e always particularly
,

remarkable for b e in g directly oppos i t e to t he p e rso n

th e y cov e r ; th e phlegmat i c dr e ss e s a la s a ngu in e ,

the sob e r mimics the drunkard th e cha ste chooses ,

33 2 A SY S TEM OF MAG I C .

to dress a la the ath e is t pu t s o n the

c o u r t is a n e ,

r e lig ie u s e th e Christian has the vest a n d the

,

t urban and the ! uak e r a habit from th e th e atre

, .

In the app e arance o f th e sup e rior par t it is much

the same mimicry and opposite capac i ti e s engross
con v ersation ; t h e b e an turns polemic th e atheist ,

d isputes principl e s th e actr e ss practises mod e sty

, ,

and the p e dant pan e gyrics upon wit : fools writ e

satire as clowns t e ac h mann e rs ; th e fops ar e the
,

m e n of w ei ght ; and s i nc e by accid e nt wit and , ,

sens e appear e d und e r th e titl e of the Tatlers the

e t e rnal clan g of tea
,

tabl e tattl e has rung th e changes

upon scandal and s e t up for the universal censors
,

o f con ve rsation .

An d n e e d w e go any further n o w for o u r I n qu I

?
ri e s aft e r magic co u ld things take such a turn as
this without a gener a l conv e rs e with th e world o f
,

?
Spirits will any man tell me this could happ e n by
the n at ur e of things or e v e n by t h e th i ngs of
,

n ature ? No n o : i n v isible operations are acted

,

fro m an in vi sibl e world ; the magicians a r e in th e

right all th e gr e at things t h ey do could n e v e r b e
,

done without an intercours e with a sup e r i or rank

Of b e ings be th e y infe rnal or what oth e r Devils
, ,

you please to call th e m .

Take a fe w bright d oings for examples Upon .

wha t foot does th e bright lord S it e ve ry morn

ing over his chocolate talking upon all th e works

,

Of the l e arned hims e lf unl e arn e d to a scandal ?

,

An d how good natur e d and well mann e r e d is the

- -

age that n obody laughs at him till he is gone or

, ,

forbears i t aft e rwards ? How wise are his remarks !

how j ust his r e e ctions ! when h e talks so much ,

and understands so l i ttl e that it may be truly said , ,

no wise man talks like him In which however .

, ,

his lordship had this happiness that h e chose to ,

t ake it for a complim e nt instead O f a satire , .

S ir Timothy Titlep a ge is a n admir able g e ntle

 A S YS T EM OF MAG I C . 3 33

man : his knowl e dge o f the rst l e af of everything ,

complet e ly covers his ignoranc e of the inside of

anyt h ing His j ust charact e r is so tru e a picture
.

o f th e age that you ne e d go no furth e r for a r ea son

,

why nons e ns e bears such a price and the book ,

sell e rs trad e is so much improv e d ; s ee in g they buy

most books that r e ad l e ast and tha t according to , ,

the famous Dr S almon t h e hav i ng a good library

.
,

mak e s a man a d octor H ow eve r sir Timoth y n o .

, ,

doubt understoo d the names of aut h ors and had as

, ,

good a local memory as to th e e di tions o f books as ,

most m e n that could n ot r e ad Latin Nor was h e .

e ve r out in his j udgm e nt that I h av e h e ard of till , ,

a n unlucky l i n e ndraper ask e d h i m onc e conc e rn

ing t h e l e arn e d author call e d Crocus upon H i n

d e r l an d s w h o the kn i ght pr e s e ntly own e d but n u
3
, ,

luckily forgot that th e i m pr e ss i o n was mad e in Ge r

many and that th e books cam e ov e r n ot in quir e s
, ,

but i n rolls from Br e m e n and H amburgh

, .

Th e happy mis e rabl e gen e rous cyn i cal good

, , , ,

n atured out o f humour bart s i r

,
wo uld .
,

b e approv e d by som e body i f h e was not laugh e d at ,

by ev e rybody h e might som e t i m e s pass for pleasant ,

if he was not always surly and to l i ke som e t hi n g , ,

only that he dislikes ev e ryth in g H e s e ts up for a .

crit i c with this unhappy addition to h i s pr ofe

,

s i on that h e alt e rs ev e ryt h ing and m e nds nothing

, ,
.

How unansw e rabl e a d e monstrat i on is this e x t r ao r u

d in a r y g e nius o f th e in u e nc e o f th e i n vi s i bl e
world upon th e a ffa i rs of mortals h e r e ! seeing if he ,

h a d l e ss than a hundr e d th ousand d evil s in hi m h e ,

could n eve r carry o n th e practic e of an uni v ersal

p e dant without b e ing wh i pp e d o u t o f h uman so
,

c ie t y for a scandal t o th e v ery A B C and to , , ,

turn th e po e t S words a little awry for him ,

3
Croc u s an d Hin de rlan ds
are t w o partic ul a r sorts o f
c o ars e G er m an y l i n e n whi ch are i m ort e d b y the Ha m
p ,

b urgh m erchants and are known to e v e ry drap er

, .
 334 A SYS TE M OF MAG I C .

Fellows that n e e r we re he ard or re ad of

,

,

W o uld long ere thi s have wrote hi s he ad o ff .

Roch to S hadwe l . .

The ladies a fford us a n inni t e variety and t o in ,

spect their s h are in the magic of this ag e s manage
m e nt would take up a volume by itself ; in a word
, ,

they a re all m agicians and I won t take upon me to,

sa
y
, t hat as witchcraf t generally sp e akin g , has for ,

some ages been engross e d by the s e x and th e p os ,

s e ssion chi e y lay among the matrons ; that is to

sa
y
, that none but o ld women were witches : s o n ow

the same s e x seem to have engrossed the sacred

s ciences and th e m agic l i es in short all among the
, , ,

ladies W h o shall e nter into the d e scription of it ?

.

The magic of th e ir wit 0 how subtle ! the magi c ,

o f th e ir beauty how e xquisit e ly n e w fashioned !

,
-

and the m agic of their tongu e s how charmingly ,

loud ! not to say sonorous and musical .

To mak e th e s e bea u ties of the s e x the more dif

fu s iv e in th e ir bright e st qualications and innitely ,

m ore s o than was possible in former ages we h a ve ,

three new invent e d colleges o f wit and good manners

-

where the ladies r e ceiv e d aily add i tion to their ordi

nary acquirements ; and which g i v e them innite
a dvantage ov e r the past days of th e ir ancestors
( gr a ndmothers ) and in the
,
frequent access to which
th e y m u st nec e ssarily e xcel all that went b e fore them .

These ar e the tea table th e ass e mbly and t he

-
, ,

masquerad e ; at th e rst they le a rn to be light

head e d at the s e cond to b e light h e arted and if a t
,
-

th e th i rd th e y don t l e arn to be light h e el e d the

-
,

d e fe ct mus t li e som e where else th a n in the laud able

e ndeavours of thos e that s e t them up in so many
p arts of this newly reform e d nation ; whose endea
-

v o u r s for the publ i c ood can never be enough com

g
m e nde d either in print o r in manuscript
, .

I have had so m e thought to inquire among all the

r e al m agici a ns of the times a nd especially of the ,
 A SYS TE M OF MAG I C 3 35 .

more eminent pr e t e nders about Baldwin s gard e ns -

W h it e cr o s s all ey O ld street Whitechap el & c and

-
,
-
, ,
.
,

to get int e lligenc e from the inv i sible world con

c erning th i s i mportant question ; whether any of
t h e good spirits or bad spirits the wh i te d e v ils or ,

black d ev ils or what e ver spirits th e y w e re which

,

form e rly inspired the Rochest e rs the Dors e ts and ,

D ryd e ns of the last ag e s are yet in b e ing and if ?

,

th e y are what has b ee n the occas i on that they

,

hav e withdrawn th e spirit Of poetry from th e E nglish

world ? that not only th e r e is extinguish e d and ,

th e genial inspiration d e cayed but that th e relish of ,

true poesy is lost ? T h at as there is nothing per

formed that will b e ar reading so no read e rs that ,

can tast e a performanc e ! eve n th e e xalted merit o f

the gr e at e st m e n is sun g in notes without music ,

l i nes without m e an i ng wo rds without e nergy verse

, ,

without po e try and po e try without spirit

, .

I wond e r som e times that th e gr e at men or m a n ,

rath er who we see daily p e rs e cut e d by th e horrid

,

j i ngle (I think I Should say j angle ) of th e ir rhyming

e xpectants and d e p e nd e nts d o n ot con sid e r of ,

paying their d e bts (I mean the i r po e tical debts ) in

kind and give th e poor v e rsifying Devils now an d
,

th e n a d i st i ch at l e ast in balance of th eir v olumi

, ,

nous labours if they pa i d but aft e r th e rat e of public

i nt e r e st b u t thr e e p e r cent it would at least in time
, .
,

r e duc e th e d e bt and m i ght in th e meantim e lay

,

the foundation of a good S i nking fund .

If th e y do not think of this or some other w a y ,

( for pensions will rat h er incr e ase the number and ,

l ike s w e at m e at s draw the ies about th e m ) I say if , ,

th ey do n ot th i nk of som e such way they may I ,

think j ustly sw e ar th e peac e against th e assa ilants ,

and safe ly a frm that t h ey go in dang e r o f being

an e gyr ick e d to d e ath by them F in short s u ch
p o r .
,

writing is little less in my opinion th an a po e tical

assassin ation a nd the min isters a re in d an ger of
,
336 A SY S TE M OF MAG I C .

dying the deat h o f E d ward V and being smothered .

,

w i th fe ather b e ds -
.

H e avens deliv e r every hones t s t atesm a n fro m the

insupportabl e burden of panegyric espec i ally whe r e ,

it is attend e d wit h two negativ e s want of money , ,

and want of w i t ; the last makes th e rst lam e ntable ,

b u t the rst mak e s the last unsu fferabl e ; th e rst is

piteous th e last is pitiful ; t he rst is a fflicting the
, ,

l ast torm e nting ; th e rst importunate but the las t ,

imp e rt i n e nt : and as a wis e giver would give any

th i ng to b e del i vered from them so a wise r e c e iver ,

would rath e r decently starve than to r e ceiv e at the ,

pric e of b ei ng a plague to the bountiful hand and ,

O f b e ing r e lieved as the unj ust j udge relieved the

,

widow to be rid of her

, .

A s for t h e po e tical g e ntlemen themsel ve s I thi nk ,

it may be said of them with resp e ct to their magic ,

as was said o f a lat e author of a quadrupl e perform

anc e w i t h r e spect to his m e rit ; nam ely that there ,

mi ght b e som e in his po v erty but th e re was none at ,

a l l In h i s po e try .

In my opin i on how ev er ther e is a great d e al of

, ,

magic o r black art or call it d e aling wit h the D e vil

,

if yo u will that p o e tical dr e gs s h ould r e gal e the ag e

, .

If they were s e nt to th e druggists and sold t here ,

for emetics or mad e up in lotions and given for

, ,

glisters I sho uld not do u bt t hei r e ffe ctual op e ration

,

but that they should be palmed upon us for wit ,

( by Jo ve and, all th e hell born cla n o f deities

-
!) I
t h i nk t h e authors l i k e co i n e rs o f count e rfe it money
, ,

s h ould b e drawn hang e d and quart e r e d for h i gh

, , ,

tr e ason aga i nst th e peac e of their sov e r e ign lord

king Drama hi s crown and dignity , .

Where s t he cadence th e propriety th e plot the, , ,

g enius , not to say anything o f the wit in any o ne ,

play writt e n for these two o r thre e or four las t

, , ,

r ei gns ? The drums a n d trumpets o f the war t h e ,

bro a dsides of the eets a t Bar e u r a nd la Hogue ,

 A S Y ST EM OF MA G I C . 33 7

t oge ther with th e more t erribl e clamours of the s t reet

mobs and all th e e t c e tor a s of parties rabbl e s riots
, , ,

and reb ellions quit e s i l e nced the muses struck them

, ,

dumb and I am told they could n e ver make any

,

music sin ce no not all nin e of them put tog e th e r

, , .

Now w e talk of th e black art o f magic o f ra i s i n g , ,

spirits o f having an int e rcourse with superior b ei ngs

,

an d the lik e ; I think th e art o f o u r days the mag i c ,

of this ag e has b ee n e x e rcis e d to lay the spir i ts not

, ,

rais e th e m ; to sink th e D ev il of wit n ot lift him ,

u
p ; and if t he y have any intercourse with the in

visi b l e world it must be a mong t h e infe rior b e ings

, ,

not the superior if th ey know any d e gr e es among

,

the s e r aphic tra i n : certain it is th e impetuosity o f ,

o u r wit has for some y e ars b e en all let O ff in squibs

and crackers and so lik e th e l e ss e r volcano e s of

,

Lip ar y and S t r o m b ol o h a ve gi v en vent to th e sub

,

t e r r a n e a n s O f sulphur and nitr e while the quantity ,

w as moderat e Wh e r e as when the l u xur i ance of

.

wit overpow e red those smaller eruptions then ,

m ount G ib e ll o (E tna ) an d Vesuvius roar e d aloud ,

and overrun all th e country wit h a torrent of l i quid

re Wh e re th e n is the r e wh i ch once amed in
.

this h e misph e re ? those comets in wit which blaz e d

in their several orbits ar e disappeared and when ,

the revolution of th e ir spirits shall be v i sible again ,

what astronom e r what calculator can inform us ?

,

n ot all th e N e wtons the W h is t on s or Hall eys in

, ,

the nat i on can solv e th is di fficulty .

What ma gic i an now can bring us to an int e rcourse

with thos e depart e d wits o r assist us in the bring ,

ing th e m t o con ve rs e wit h us again ? If there i s an

acquaintanc e with this world of spirits let us call ,

upon th e sons of art to e x e rt th e ir utmost and br i ng ,

thos e good sp i rits a ga i n in play an d to restor e

t h e commonw e alth of w i t that th e new fas hi on e d ,
-

ribaldry w hi ch th e worl d now r e l i she s for wit and

, ,

the dogmatic which upon t h e strict e st vi e w of our

, ,

z
338 A S Y ST EM OF MAG I C .

other perform a nc e s the utmos t perfection o f them

, ,

may receive their due censure t o the satisfaction of ,

all the t r ue masters of common sense and th e due ,

m or t i cat ion of the voluminous scribblers o f the

age .

Par d on me then fr om the s t range turn of affairs

,

in these times of ours ; I s ay pardon me to look ,

b a ck agai n a little t o the conj urin gs and black art of

the middl e a ges of time especially among those of
,

them who did not pretend to d e al with the Devil ,

and it will presently bring us to an unders ta nding

of things among o u rselves .

Aft e r the ancien t magicians had tired the world

with their tricks and t h e De v il b e gan to fail them
, ,

e xcept to those who kept an immediate correspond

ence with him by wa y of familiar there came up a ,

n e w sor t of magic as well a s a new sort of magi

,

eiau s the case was this

The people it s e ems began to discover that th e
magicians having left o ff tha t us e ful and valuable
study of sci e nce call e d th e kn owl e dg e of na t ur e the
, ,

improvement of art and t h e instr u ction of mankind

,

in wisdom a nd virtu e had turne d th e ir hands to a

,

n e w and infe rior study ; that th e y consulted d e mons

and e vil Spirits that they qu al i e d themselv e s by

, ,

h ell i sh corr e spondences t o do mischief inst e ad o f

, ,

doing good ; a n d tha t in shor t they dealt with t h e

De vil making themselves the te r ror ins t ead of th e
,

blessing of mankind .

When this came to b e their char a c t er no wonder ,

the peopl e began to be afraid of them to Shun a nd ,

avo i d them as a kind of devil s themselves s o that

e xcep t a few who k e pt up their reputation by a
,

closer a nd cunninger m a nage the people withdrew ,

their reverence from th e magicians till at last th e ,

Devil was fai n to shift hands too and act by other ,

i nstr u m e nts o r h e would have endanger ed his king

,

dom in t he worl d .
 A SYST EM OF MAG I C . 3 39

S O m onarchs ,
when their politics gro w stal e ,

Change m easure s a nd by no ve lty prev ail , .

Upon this chang e of the D e vil s measur e s he fr e ,

qu e ntly found reasons to c h ang e som e o f h i s in s t r u

ments too and t h us from th e magi h e turned Ove r
, ,

t o the clergy ; and so as I h i nt e d in its place th e , ,

augurs th e aruspices and t h e oracl e s came i n

, ,

play .

Now it happ e ned to S atan as it has frequ e ntly ,

happ e n e d to other m i gh ty princes and tyrants in

the world ; t h at nding h i s s e rvants and statesmen
c ease to be popular ceas e to b e the darl i ngs o f th e
,

p e ople as t he y us e d form e rly to be ; h e found also a

,

nec e ss i ty to S h ift h ands dismiss his tools an d in ,

s t r u m e n t s and tak e up with others

, S o Philip II . .

had as was sa i d e l e ven n e w min i sters and gov e r

, ,

nors in th e Neth e rlands but no n e w man ag e m e nt ;

i f any Of his ag e nts and prim e m i n i st e rs gr e w odious
to th e p e opl e b e v alu e d n o t disgracing th e m recall
, ,

i ng t he m e xposing them and turning the m o u t ;

, ,

but took car e that wh en anot he r governor cam e

, ,

the go v ernm e nt should be th e sam e An d w he n .

t he pr i nc e of Parma who by h i s conduct reco ve r e d

,

th e whole Low Country poss e ssion s to th e crown

-

o f S pa i n would h ave pr e s e rved t he m by his pru

,

d e nc e when h e had ga i n e d th e m by his valour the

,

S panish councils wh i ch wer e all for tyranny and for

,

cru elty chos e to discourag e that gallant princ e

, ,

rath e r than not carry o n their Old absolut e do

min i on S o e v ery go v e rnor there if th e p e opl e
.
,

complained was sure to be turn e d ou t and yet th e

, ,

n e xt was obli ge d to pursue th e same tyranny u nt i l ,

they wer e p e t i t i on e d o u t a s others had be e n befor e ,

them .

W hen
i ni sters o f s tat e
m
Cease to be o
p p u lar the
y k n
,
o w th e i r fa t e .
 3 40 A SY STE M OF MAG I C .

Th e cra fty tyrant has no m ore to d o,

Bu t sacri ce a fav o u ri t e o r t w o .

T h e m ob are e as il y cajo l d , a n d then

He ch an ge s n o t the m i s chie fs , b u t the

men .

By this method as I s ay the D e vil pursued h is

, ,

in t erest in th e world ; wh e n on e gen e ration grew

o u t of use o u t of fashion and stal e he took to an
, , ,

t her ; when the a u gurs gre w stal e wh e n the cheat s o f ,

th e oracl e s wer e e xpos e d when the priests could no

,

mor e predict by th e entrails h e sets his wit s to work ,

to nd out other ways and means for the carrying ,

o n his game : a s ,

I By a kind of astrologic a l magic in which he

.
,

managed with a great d e al of subtlety and art ,

bringing the stars a nd pl a netary inuences int o

play : and by an unpractis e d sub tlety th e art was ,

then carried on with spell and charm by words ou t ,

in m e tals and in stones divining by the b e ryl by

, , ,

the am e thyst by the lustre of the emerald and t he

, ,

ruby and by all the O ld superstitions brought in t o

,

a new rul e o f practic e This was call ed the t alis

.

m ans or the sympathetic conj u ring stone -

.

It would be too t e dious for this work to give a ,

long hist ory of th e d e lusions and cheats which the

Devil put upon mankind for three or four hundred
y e ars practice of this kind in th e world I sh all .

s a tisfy m self only to let you s e e by way of ab r id

y g ,

ment what thes e t alismans were and what the a u

, ,

thors of th e m pretended ; take the description of

th e m as coll e ct e d from the best a uthors t hus
Talismans or M
, ,

u t h al sa n s was t he name o f cer

, ,

tain mag i cal gur e s gr av ed upon ston e s or metals ,

wh e r e of th e anonymous author of a book entitled , ,

The Tal i smans Justied gives this d e scription , .

Th e talismans says h e is the seal th e g u r e t he

, , , ,

character or imag e of a c e lestial Sign con stell a tion , ,

o r plan e t graved o n a symp a thetic ston e o r o n metal

, ,

correspond e nt to the st ar The e ffects which were

.
 A S YS TE M OF MAG I C 341 .

a tt ribut ed to th e s e gur e s are altog e t h er marvellous ;

it is said for example t h at the gur e of a l i on e n
, ,

graven o n gold whil e the sun is in Le o pr e s e rv e s

, ,

those from the ston e that carry this tal i sman about
them ; and t h at that of a scorpion mad e und e r t he S i gn
S corpio sec u res from the wounds o f that an imal
,
.

F or to gi ve b e auty an d strength o f body th e y grave ,

the gure o f V e nus o n t he rst fac e of Li bra

, ,

Pisces or Taurus : to purchase honours and d ign i

,

ti e s e asily they grav e th e imag e of Jupit e r that is

, , ,

a man hav ing t he h e ad o f a ram on s i lve r or o n a , ,

whit e ston e ; and he that carri e s thi s talisma n

about him will see (say th ey ) surpris i ng e ffe cts to
,

be successful in m e rchand i s e and gaming th ey r e ,

pres e nt Me rcury o u silv e r ; to b e courage ous and

v ictorious th e y e ngrav e the gur e of M
, ars on the
rst fac e o f S corpio ; to procur e the favour o f k i ngs ,

t hey r e pres e nt t he sun in liken e ss of a king sitting ,

on a thron e with a l i on at h is sid e in very n e

, ,

gold in th e rst fac e of Le o In th e number of

,
.

ta lisman s ar e rank e d th e Palladi u m o f Troy ; t he

Roman buckl e rs c all e d ja n cilia ; th e fatal statu e s o f
Constantinopl e for t h e pr e s e rvation o f that city
,

the statu e of Me mnon i n E gypt which mo ve d and ,

gave oracl e s as soon as t he sun was ris e n : the

,

statue of th e godd e ss F ortun e that S ej anus h a d , ,

wh ich brought good luck to those that poss e ss e d it

t h e braz e n y : V i r gil s gol d e n l ee ch wh i ch h i nd e red

th e i e s from e nt e r i ng Naples and destroy e d all the

,

leeches o f a w ell i n t h at c i ty : t h e gure of a stork ,

whic h A pollon i us s e t up in Constant i nople to drive ,

away th e s e ani m als : t h e statue o f a kn i gh t which ,

serv e d t h at city as a preservative aga i nst t h e plague :

the gure of a s e rp e nt i n brass wh i ch hind e r e d all ,

serpents from ent e r i n g into th e sam e plac e ; whe nce

it happ e n e d that M ah om e t soon aft e r t h e takin g of
, ,

Constantinopl e h avin g brok e n the t ee th of t h at s e r

,

pent a prod i g i ous number of s e rp e nts came upon

,
3 42 A SYS TE M OF MAG I C .

th e inhabitants of that city bu t withou t d oing them ,

any hurt becaus e all their teeth were broke as were

, ,

those o f th e brazen Serp e nt .

Talismans ar e dist i nguished into three sorts viz ,

.
,

astronomical magical a n d mix e d : th e a stronom i

, ,

cal are r e fe rr e d to sign s of c e lestial constellation s ,

which are engra v en with othe r gur e s and some ,

int ellig ibl e characters : the magical have e x t r a or

d in ar y gures with sup e rstitious words and the ,

n am e s o f unknown ang e ls : th e mixed ar e composed

o f Signs and barbarous names but which ar e n ei ther ,

superstitious o r of unkno wn angels They bury

,
.

th e m in th e earth or in the squar e s of public places

, ,

o r they may carry th e m about them S ome hav e .

beli e v e d that Apollonius Tyan ae u s was the rst an

thor of th e talismans but others are of opinion that
,

th e E gyptian s were th e in ve nt e rs of them which ,

Herodotus seems to insin u at e in th e second book o f

his history when he says this peopl e havi n g rst of
, ,

all given nam e s t o t h e tw e lve cel e stial gods d i d ,

lik e w i se e ngrav e animals on stones The inhabit .

a nts o f th e island of S amothracia mad e talismans

with gold rings wh ich had iron set in th e m inst e ad

,

o f pr e cious ston e s Petronius Speaks of it wh e n he ,

says that Tr im al cio carri e d a gold ring s e t with

,

s tars of iron Th e gods which th e y call e d th e gods

.
,

o f S amothracia w e re those that pr e sid e d ov e r the

,

sci e nc e o f th e talismans which is conrm e d by the

,

i nscrip t ions o f thos e three altars whereof Tertullian

sp e aks Before th e pillars saith he there are three

.
, ,

gr e at altars d e dicat e d to th r e e sorts of gods which

, ,

th ey call great and mighty and strong and which

, , ,

a re b eli ev ed to be thos e of S amothracia Apollonius .

makes mention o f thr ee d ivin i ties to whom he j o in ,

eth M ercury and r e la t e t h t h e barbarous n ames o f

,

those gods wh i ch it was prohibi te d to reveal v iz

, ,
.
,

Ax ie r u s Ax ioc e r s o Ax ioc e r s u s
, ,and Cas m il u s , ,

which he s ays a re C eres Proserpina Pluto a nd

, , , , ,
 A SYS TEM OF MAG I C . 43

M ercury Th e E gyptians from whom the great e st

.
,

part of other people ha ve learn e d the s e cret of thos e

rin gs had also other talismans for all parts of th e
,

body An d p e rhaps i t is for this that w e nd so

.

many littl e gures of gods m e n and anim al s in , , ,

the anci e nt tombs of t h is country The most a n .

ci e nt talismans ar e mad e upon plants branc he s O f ,

tre e s or roots Josephus sp e aks o f them in the

,
.

e i ghth book of his An ti quiti e s an d attributes th e ,

invention o f them to S olomon Th e y apply says .

,

he to th e nos e of th e Sick poss e ssed by t he Devil a

, ,

ring wherein a root was set inst e ad of a ston e

,

S olomon had taught i t i n his works This historian .

says that h e has e v e n se e n th e e ffe cts ; and that a

,

Jew E leazer by name cur e d many p oss e ss e d in

, ,

this mann e r in th e pr e senc e of th e e mp e ror V esp a

,

sian The anc ie nt E gyptians b e lie v ed that certain

.

stones cut ou t into b ee tl e s had considerabl e v irtues

, ,

to procur e str e n gth and courag e for those that carri e d

th e m about with th e m ; b e cause says ZElia n this , ,

a nimal has no fe mal e and is an i mage Of the sun

,
.

Th e y put lik e w i s e som e times the gures o f frogs in

talismans and Pliny test i es that if we b e l ie ve
,

those that improve that sci e nc e a parcel of frogs ,

Ought to b e esteemed mor e Signi fic a nt i n a c o m

m o n w e alt h than a body of laws E l i an says that .
,

those of E gypt took a r ee d w hi ch pres e rved them ,

from b ei ng d e voured by adders o r crocod i les Of the

Nil e and that t hey ar e the e mbl e m o f w i sdo m
,

and prud e nce Tz e tzes r e l at e t h that a ph ilos o

.
,

pher p ut a stop to a plagu e at Antioc h by a tal i s ,

man of ston e wh e r e in th e r e was th e head o f

,

Ch aron gra ve d Apollon i us mad e use of th e gu r e s

.

o f storks and s e rp e nts an d the E g ptians commonly

y,

made use of the gures of S e rap i s of Canopus , ,

o d o f the E gyptians of th e spar hawk and asp

g
-
, ,

a gainst th e evi ls which m i gh t com e from the four

elements earth w ater air a nd r e

, , , ,
.
3 44 A S Y ST EM OF MAG I C .

The modern talismans ar e not so curious as the

ancient and we may know them by the characters
, ,

which ar e purely Arabic Turkish or of oth e r O r i

, ,

ental tongues The principal authors tha t have

.

treated on th i s subj ec t in t h e latt e r ages are Ca ,

milli Leonardi who has writ th e M irror of S tones

,
.

Ge ber Bacon and Parac e lsus who have treated of

, , ,

astrological magic and of the symp ath y of stones

, ,

metals and pl an e ts Gaffar e l has composed a book

, .

o n th i s subj ect entitl e d Un h eard o f Curiosities

,
-
.

An d Agrippa has treated of it in his O ccult Philo

Sophy G r e gory of Tours r e la t e t h that th e city Of
.
,

Paris had been built u nder a constellation which ,

preserv e d it from c on agr a t ion s e rpents and mic e ; , ,

a nd that a littl e before th e re that happened in the

year 5 8 8 th ey had found in raking up a n arch of
, ,

a bridge the two talismans pres e rv e rs o f that city

, , ,

which were a serp e nt and a mous e of brass S ome .

hav e derived the Arabic name talisman fro m the

G reek which signi e s pr e servation We .

will not spend tim e to Show the vanity o f t he talis

mans for we live in an age that is not much a d
,

dicted to such superstitions .

But th e se things went but a little w a y comp ared ,

to what followed ; for now the pagan worship de

c l in ing th e world began to s e e with oth e r eyes ;
,

th e Devil los t ground ev e rywh e re and the Christian ,

religion spread i tself insensibly and in a surprisin g ,

manner esp e cially o v er all the eastern and northern

,

parts as into Asia and into G ermany and F rance

, ,

and now it behoved the Devil to take n e w measur es

a lso .

Nor was he at all at a loss for he knew his me ,

thod pres e ntly and that was to put o n the face of

,

religion rank in wit h the sanctied part of the

,

peopl e to wit the clergy and draw the m into his

, , ,

s cheme as he had done the pagan priests before

, .

Up on this he t ook up the tonsur e sh a ved himself ,

 A S Y ST EM or MAG I C . 3 45
for a monk or a monk ey wh i ch you ple a s e dressed
, , ,

hims e lf up in the hab i t put on the sacr e d vest ,

m ents and got pr e s e ntly into or d e rs

,
The pop es .

quickly fe ll i n w ith h im : pope S yl v est e r II gave .

him institut i on and induct i on and from th i s time ,

forward h e quitt e d the astrologic an d set up an ,

eccl e s i astic ma gic in th e world : th e success ha s

been wond e rful b e yond eve n his own e xp e ctation ;
,

for i t must be confe ssed wh e n the priests rst bega n

,

a correspond e nc e with him the y outstripp e d him in ,

their sp e ed for th e y run even befor e th e y were sent

, .

S t F ranc is and S t Ignat i us out d i d all th e arts of

. .

infernal mag i c that e ver wer e known or in use in ,

th e world and with his assistance did more t o

, , ,

es t ablish a r ac e of enchant e rs and church magi

c ia n s in th e world than th e Devil hims elf co ul d
,

h a v e exp e ct e d .

This ser ve d his interest e ffectually on o n e side of

the worl d that is to say for E urop e especially an d
, , ,

all the west e rn world : and C onfucius drew o u t a n

other plan Of e ccl e siastic or rather philosophic
m agic for him in Ch i na and Japan But h e w as .

still at a loss for all the rest of Asi a a nd Afric a ,

which we migh t th e n call the middle part of t he

world and wh i ch at that t i me was rip e for any kinds
,

of e nthusiasm o r church magic let it b e almost wh a t ,

it would .

S atan who always s e es his O pportunity and h as

, ,

no want o f v ig i lance to lay hold of i t s a w the occ a ,

sion but could n ot r e adily nd out a h an dl e He

, .

c ould not pres e ntly th i nk of a method t ill at leng th

th e industr i ous D e v i l found out th e contri v ance of
s etting up the Unity aga i nst th e Trinity th e house ,

o f Ishmael a gainst th e hous e of Isaac th e rac e o f ,

th e bondwoman against th e race o f the fr ee woman

the c i rcumcision aga i nst the baptism and t h e ,

magic of Mahomet s p i geon to mimic the Chr i stian

dove .
346 A S Y S T EM OF MAG I C .

Having t hus set tled the scheme he foun d o u t a ,

tool t for his purpose ; a erce ignorant Arabi an ,

bo ld subtle cruel and merc iless ; to men insolent

, , , ,

a n d audacious to Heaven ; who b this mere m a gic

y ,

of enthusiasm back e d by the sword and spe a r s e t

, ,

u
p th e boldest the grossest and the
, most s e ns e l e ss,

of all impost u res that ev e r was in the world ; and

which y e t at this tim e and for abov e a thousand ,

years past has strang e ly tri u mphed over the Chris

,

ti a n world h as Spr e ad its e lf ov e r Asia and Africa

, ,

from the utmost islands of India e ast to the utmost ,

corner of Africa to th e west ; and it was t i ll within ,

a fe w years past m a ster of a fourth part of E urop e

,

besid e s .

S uch is the force of e ccl e siastic magic ; and how

far it is gon e b e sides this to br e ak into the eccle
, ,

s ia s t ic a ffairs of th e Christian world is not hard t o ,

d e scribe though it would take up too much room

, ,

especially a t the close of this work to inquire into ,

t h e particulars .

What a continued series of ecclesiastic magic has

b e en act e d among the Rom i sh clergy and in the ,

whole papal hi e rarchy ! E v e n popery its e lf seems

to me to be o n e entire system o f antichristian ma
gic its constitutions are all sorc e ry and witchcraft ;
they pre v ail upon s e nse by n onsens e upon the ,

head by the tail upon zeal by enthusiasm and , ,

upon th e Christian doc trine by the doctrine Of the

D ev il .

How could it be possibl e that mankind blinded ,

by their ow n obstinacy could sink their r e ason to ,

er e ct notion ; e stablis h fraud and cheat against ,

Ch ristian sincerity and plainness ; m ak e men r e fuse

t o s e e when th ei r ey e s are open worship priests in
the name Of G od and set up darkness in the room ,

O f light if th e y were not bewitched with the magic

,

o f hell ,a nd under t he ent ire m a n a gement of the

Devil ?
 A SYS TE M OE MAG I C . 3 47

It would be worth wh ile her e to d raw a table of

proportions and l e t us se e h ow much more fatal to
,

the world thi s e cclesiast i c mag i c o f pop ery inclusive ,

o f a fe w ot he r spiritual d e l u sions and e nthus i asms ,

has bee n than all the mag i c of pagan i sm and all the
,
'

conj urations of h ell w e r e b e for e .

That m e n sho uld renounce th e idols and th en ,

wors hi p th e pri e st ; cond e mn oracl e s and in qu i r e ,

o f th e Devil ; cast o ff th e Baals th e J u it e r s and

p , ,

th e S aturn s of the pagans and s e t u p a br e a d en ,

g od
,
that th e y s h ould rst worsh i p a n d th e n de

v our !
That whol e nations Should r elinquish the glorious
host o f hea ve n th e much mor e rat i onal gods of
,

t hei r for e fath e rs and e m power eve ry pri e st to make

,

a god for th e m wit h half an ounc e of meal ! The

cl e rgy wer e ind ee d i n th e r i ght of i t s o far that ,

th ey lik e th e sil ve rsmiths o f E ph e sus wh e n th e y

, ,

had onc e drawn the p e opl e into t hi s ma gi c of a w or

ship took car e to e ngross the art of making gods
,

all to t h emselves .

Nor was i t the least part o f the m agic of this c on

t r iv a n ce that th e y should make e atin g t he ir go d be
a part of th e ir most sol e mn idolatry I cannot call it ,

worship that wh e n t hey had mad e a bush el or two

o f gods , and b ee n pa i d for them th e p e opl e t h at ,

cam e to church might e at t he m up and the priests ,

be ric h ly s e t to work to mak e m or e .

If e v e r t he talismans of th e G reeks th e augurs ,

and arusp i c e s of th e R omans th e l apdo g o f V e nu ,

t i us or Ma h om e t s p i ge on could outdo t h es e d e lu
, ,

sions of c h urch mag i c I am quite m istaken and

, ,

shall b e r e ady to acknowl e dge it .

That m e n should sin against Go d and then ask ,

the pri e st pardon for i t as i f a man should commit

tr e ason in E ngl and aga i nst th e king and t he n go t o ,

a ch imn e y sw ee p e r o r a black guard boy to b e par

-

d oued for it that a man Should go to a Shopke e pe r

3 48 S YS T EM OF MAG I C
A .

in C heapside t o buy a license to commit whoredo m

o r to rob upon th e highway and stock j ob He ave n ,
-

in E xchange all e y by puts an d r e fusal !

-

If ev e r there was any magic in E gypt or Arabi a

lik e this history i s ent i r e ly S i lent in it nor had the
, ,

Devil ev e r craft e nough to teach his disciples any

s uch art What sums o f mon e y wo u ld the he a the n
.

pries t s h av e rais e d if th e ir gods had took br i bes a s

o u rs do and p ardons for s in and lic e nse to sin had , ,

been to b e bought and sold at the church d oors as ,

it is with us
But th e se are merry times a n d the church magic ,

ou t does all th e conj urings of the a nci e n t s a s muc h ,

as mada m Violante o utdoes a common s t age

tumbler o r as an hospital thorough bred surgeo n
,
-

does a mount e bank tooth draw e r -

.

As to o u r r e l i gious magic the enthusiasms and ,

heresies th at r ei g n among us I think we must d e al ,

with th e m j ust as their m aker se e m s to ha ve don e ,

l e t the m alone giv e them up to t h eir o wn magic

, ,

a nd to their o w n delusions to beli e ve t h e lies of ,

their own making F or as those holy ch e ats are

.

the easies t t o b e d iscovered they are th e hardes t to

,

be cured becaus e th e y are g e nerally supported from

,

this invisible world o f spirits these mighty good ,

superior beings that is to s ay th e Devil with , ,

who m the fat he rs of th e se relig i ous frauds have s o

intimate acquaintance that th e mischie fs they,

Spread and th e confusions which they bring every

,

day into all o u r r e ligious establishment are too ,

deep rooted for all th e skill and applicat ion of the

-

more rel ig i ous world to cur e .

Bu t I must O bs e r ve one thing here which is n e ,

c e ss ar
y to your illumination ; and though it should
bring me back and dra w me in again to th e Sin of
,

gravity wh i ch the to w n hates ; y e t venturing the

,

general displ e asur e I say it is n e cessary to take no

,

tice here t hat these religious e iu via of hell which

, ,
 A SYSTEM OF MAG I C . 3 49

at presen t make such confusion of principles among

as,
ar e so demonstrably e mbrac e d by t he pres e nt
magi th e sages th e convers e rs with good spirits the
, , ,

Ros i crucians and mast e rs of th e occult sc ie nc e s and

, ,

all th e other pr e tenders to sup e rnaturals and s e cr e t

illuminat i ons that they l e ave us no mor e room t o
,

doubt but th e y ar e all nati ve s of th e sam e clima te ,

bred up in the sam e country carrying on the same ,

interest and will share at last i n th e sam e destru o

,

t ion wh e n the tares and the wh e at shall be skilfully

,

and critically s e parated as we are w ell assured they ,

will b e .

This ind e ed stands fair a gains t all the modern

, ,

t each e rs of th e Ros i crucian w hi ms e ys and th e d o c ,

trin e of spirits v iz that non e of th e m apply to the

, .
,

e stablishm e nt of true rel i g i on O n t h e contrary .

,

t hey establish or striv e to e stablish ol d errors and

, , ,

continually broach new ; th ey preach anoth e r d oc

t rine and th e ir notions w e r e th e y not e xpos e d by
, ,

t heir own extravaganc e s a n d e nthus i ast i c bra i ns , ,

would e xpose themselves bei n g a kind o f rel i gious ,

r a mble a confus e d and a confounding h e ap of n o n

,

sense : the poor peopl e would otherwise b e in dan

ger of being wh e edled into their delus i ons b u t this ,

unravels all their dark schem e s and t e nds to show ,

us the ch e at o f all th e rest and to convi nce us that ,

it is all a black art a ll a d i abol i c a mere e manation

, ,

o f hell .

Thus all their m a gic detects and e xposes i t self ,

all th e high and blustering bombast of sacr e d divine , ,

exc ellent and such lik e discov e r w he nc e they

,
-
,

com e ; the pretences to illuminations c om m u n ica ,

tion or intercourse with spirits an d an inv is i ble

, ,

world appear to b e pretenc e s and n o more ; thei r

, ,

dreams of a e rial substanc e s an d spirituous bod i es ,

th e inhabitants o f the e l e m e nts th e ren e d i ncor ,

o r e al e ss e nc e s ; th e ir abstracts f qu i nt e ssenc e
p o ,

and a thousand more which th e y put upon the

3 50 A S Y ST EM or MAG I C .

world ; I s ay t h e y all smell of the re and brims t one

, ,

a r e born of h e ll their invisible world is e v idently

,

to be understood th e infe rnal world and their ,

stu dy o f t he sacr e d sciences is neither m or e or less ,

to sp e ak in th e common dialect than dealing wi t h ,

the Devil ; t h e re it b e gins and th e re it must a nd ,

will end .

What else m e ans their philosophic cant of

mingling th e sup e rnatural essences their confound ,

ing th e t e rms of religion and th i ngs d i v in e with ,

th e dreams and th e j argon o f th ei r unsign i fying

language ? loosing the n am e of God De v il Heav e n , , ,

Hell in the cant of their trade a n d the laboured

, ,

e xpression s of sacr e d ame m e ntal re immo r tal , ,

spirit per fection corrupt i on illuminating genius

, , , ,

and a vast throng of w ords tending to amuse th e ,

foolish and distract th e w i se ; tending to destroy

,

religion and all th e solid establishm ent of h e a ve n ,

wh e ther for the fe licity of the j ust or punishment ,

of th e wick e d ?

Had th e ir magic any tokens of a truly di v in e

institution o f a heave nly original and was this d e
, ,

m on s t r at e d by its conrming and conform i ng to

the principl e s of e ither natural or r eve al e d r eligion ,

something might b e said for it ; or was its tendency

to establish not b e wild e r the u n derstanding and
, ,

to x th e knowl e dge of the tru e G od in the minds

o f men ; was it q u al i e d to e stablis h o u r faith in

di v ine illuminations and truly to dir e ct o u r worship

,

and h omag e to h i m e ncouraging at the sam e tim e

,

peace j ust i c e h umility and every Christ i an virtu e ;

, , ,

were this th e cas e w e should not dispute with ,

them the con v ers e of spirits between us and th e

i n visible world th e spirits uncas e d and ed fro m
,

hence with th e spirits yet embodied by a n in v isibl e

, ,

and inconceivable communication But leave it as .

it is a mat t er indiffe r e nt to u s at present t i ll it

, ,

comes t o be understood better when we a rrive ther e .

 A S YS TEM or MAG I C . 351

CH AP V . .

Of th e m a gic of th e p r e s e n t t im e , a s it s ta nd s
s tr i
pp e d in th e l a s t c h a t e r ,
p f r o m a ll t h e
p r e te n c e s

o
f t h e m a gic ia n s , a n d th e d e lus io n s o
f h e ll ; of
w h a t le ngth it h a s go n e , o r is lih e t o go, in d e
lu d ing m a nk in d ; w h a t th e m a g ic ia ns c a n d o,
a n d th a t t h ey r e a lly h a v e n o w n o c o n v e r s e w ith

th e D e v il a t a ll : s o t h a t th e a r t b e ing a t a n e n d,
th e h is to r y co m e s t o a n e n d of c o u r s e .

HAV I N G in th e last chapt e r brought down this idol

, ,

call e d mag i c to its tru e or i ginal str i pped it of all th e ,

masquerad e dr e ss e s j e sted a little about it and at last

, ,

laid the bastard at t h e D e v i l s door w h o i s the tru e

fath e r o f it ; o n e would think so bar e fac e d an im

postur e should be abl e to app e ar no lo n ger in th e
world that it would be hiss e d off the stage and
, ,

that the ve ry boys and girls would th ro w ston e s and

dirt at it in the stre e t .

But the cas e is quite oth e rwise an d in spite o f ,

contrad i ction the D e v i l go e s on his o w n way ; i f

this or that nat i on o r country or peopl e drop h i m
, , , ,

and refus e him h e goes to anoth e r ; l i k e a tru e

,

pe dlar if h e i s answ e r e d no at o n e door he knocks

, ,

at th e n e xt If h e s e lls count e rfe its and i s call e d

.
,

ch e at i ng knave at o n e hous e he calls himself ,

hon e st man at anoth e r T h e Devil is never

.

balk e d but carries o n his gam e in Spit e of all th e

, ,

repuls e s he m ee ts with n ay in spite o f H e av e n

, ,

i ts e l f
.

B e sid e s h e i s n ev er at a loss for disguises and

, ,

lik e a lady at th e ball i f she happ e n s to hav e b ee n

,

known in h e r masqu e rade hab i t v e s t e r day to ,

3 52 A S Y ST EM OF MAG I C .

m o r row she ge t s another th at shall be a more per

feet disguise If he happens to be blown here he
.
,

is concealed there If he is disco v ered and known .

for a de v il to day yo u shall mistak e him again and

-
, ,

ta ke h im for a saint or magician of another kind t o

morrow .

Nay and aft er all eve n wher e he is known to b e

, ,

the Devil and nds he cannot be disg u is e d any

,

longer ; ye t h e has his ways with hi m to w i n and ,

please you and draw yo u in at least to b e ar with

, ,

hi m s e eing he does yo u n o harm

,
Thus do you .
,

n o t s e e the crowd about the puppet Show and do -

,

they not laugh and halloo and appear innitely , ,

pleased with the grossest an d Simpl e st of all cheats ;

a nd tha t tho u gh th e y kno w the m to be cheats and
delusions and that th e y are but mere puppets ?
,

S o ou r magicians though you know them to be ,

cheats though yo u kno w that notwithstanding all

,

their pretenc e s they really deal with the Devil ;

,

yet we ha v e people a mong us t h at woul d be con

t ent an d deal with them upon that v ery score
, I .

wan t to kno w says the j e alous he aded countrym a n

,
-
,

who has made me a cuckold and don t t ell me o f ,

the cunning man going to the D ev il for information .

Why I d go to th e Devil myself if I knew where he

,

was rath e r than not nd it out

,
.

N ay though yo u convince them tha t even in the

, ,

wors t o f it all the fello w is not so wick e d as they

,

t hink he is o r as he makes o f himself ; that he kno ws

,

n othing o f t h e Devil any more than they do but ,

on ly cheats th e m and persuades them to beli e ve he

,

k nows som e thing when ind ee d he knows nothi ng of,

t h e matter y e t st i ll they will go to him ; s u ch a n

,

old woman o r such a yo ung fool told them that

, ,

t hey had b e en with th e cunnin g man a n d they will ,

go too n or is it p ossible to persuade th e m aga ins t

i t till they hav e thrown their money away a nd
, ,

c ome b a ck a sha m ed .
 A SY STE M OF MAG I C . 3 53

S o th a t th e delus i on still go e s o n A yo ung girl .

h as two s weeth e arts an d she go e s to th e cunn i ng

,

m an to know w hich of those t wo S h all have h e r A .

yo u ng fellow has lost his m i str e ss and must know ,

who courts her Another has lost a cow and away

.
,

he goes to the cunning man to kno w who has stole

h e r The crafty shav e r l i ke the D e vil s ora cles o f
.
,

old, g i v es doubtful answers satis e s nobody and , ,

y e t pl e ases everybody He sends the girl hom e with

.

a n old wife s tale ; bids her lay two sticks across

under h e r pillow and the rst Sh e dr e ams o n will

,

be the man The poor girl s h e ad runs upon t he

.

affair of a husb and it is no wond e r S h e should dr e am

,

o f o n e of them and it may b e th e rig h t as w e ll th e

, ,

wr ong so that i t is an even l ay But t h e conj urer

, .

is right ; a nd to b e onc e r i ght secures him th e ,

custom of all the young p e ople in t he country ;

whereas if he is o u t that s forgotten and do e s h i m
, , ,

no harm .

This is the D e vil s low prized game and he -
,

c a rri e s it on a gr e at way ; and as th e mount e bank

o ft entim e s gets more money than a licens e d phy
c ian and the quack than th e doctor ; so the De v il
,

get s mor e cli e nts than the couns e llor a nd his age nts ,

have as much p r actis e as the lawy e rs and perhaps ,

upon as h onest a foot too as som e of th e m .

I should inqu i re a little he re and e xpose the ,

weak doings o f those cunn i ng men and h ow th e y ,

delude th e poor p e ople ; but it is of no gr e at use .

F or as it is o ne of th e simpl e st things of i ts kind in

the world and by which the poor p e ople ar e the
,

most imposed upon y e t it is perhaps on e of th e last

,

d e lusions in the world tha t they will b e cur e d o f ;

nor can all t he cunning men of a high e r kind in th e
whole world r e ason th e m ou t of it Th e y w i ll l e ave .

the surgeon for th e mount e bank th e p h ysic i an for ,

t h e quack th e parson for th e conj urer and G od fo r

, ,

the Devil A fe w short t ales upon th i s part m ay

.

5 M
. . Aa
3 54 A S Y STEM or MAG I C .

perhaps illus t r a te the spec u lation and Show yo u the ,

forc e of fraud though I doubt it will not do much

,

t owards a cure .

A magicia n giving o u t his bills and boasti n g of ,

h is migh ty performan ces wen t d o w n in the way o f ,

h is call i n g as oth e r trad e smen do to Bristol fair

, , ,

an d there he did wonders told fortunes calculated , .

n ativities look e d in th e girls hands p ee ped in their
, ,

e yes talk e d broad things to them to make th e m

,

blush ; and then guessing from th e ir colour how

t hings stood with th e m and by a thousand cross ,

questions rst crept into their cases and then told

, ,

th e m for a mighty discovery what they had dis ,

covered to him with their o wn foolish tongues that

v ery mi nute .

A mong the rest of the young lasses that came to

h im with their grievanc e s there co m es one with that ,

l a udable question if in lov e whether I shall m a rry ,

the man o r no ? S he was s o modest that she could

n ot tell the doctor h e r case herself b u t She brings ,

it him in writing ; and inst e ad of stating the ques

tion as abov e if in love she had written if cou rt ed
, , , .

The doctor (for th e y are all doctors ) looks u pon

the paper and s ee in g it a woman s hand it is your
,

o w n writing ch i ld says he I suppos e you would

, , ,

not tr u st a nybody else with it ; sh e curtsi e d and ,

said yes : s o he re a ds it ou t if in lov e wheth e r th e , ,

?
m a n will marry me o no Th e girl coloured and
r

said tis not so you don t r e ad it right sir Well

,

,

,
.
,

child says b e I ll read it right by an d by ; com e

, ,

hither swe e the a rt pull off thy glo v e let m e s e e thy

, ,

hand ; so h e tak e s her by the hand looks in th e ,

palm cri e s hum v ery well all s righ t th e re ; th e n

, , ,

he fe els her puls e ha ! says he with a kin d of s t a rt

, , ,

is it s o ? w e ll com e c h ild s ays he S it down in thi s

, , ,

chair I ll t ell th ee a story : so the girl aft e r a few

,

,

curtsies a n d slight refus e s sits down ; and th e ,

doctor begins his s t ory : there was says he a youn g , ,

 A SYST EM OF MAG I C 3 55 .

wom a n a v e ry pretty clever girl as you are my

, , ,

dear (and w it h t h at h e fe e ls h e r p ul s e again ) cam e

, ,

to m e t oth e r d ay j ust wit h such a quest i on as t h is

, ,

a nd aft e r I had a little talk w i th h e r and fee ling ,

her puls e as I do yours my d e ar (and t he n h e fe lt

, , ,

her pulse again and sta rt e d again ha says h e it i s

, , , ,

s o i n de e d and th e n go e s o n ) I by th e h e lp o f my
, , ,

art w h ich is th e most certain line for th e d i sco ve ry

,

o f hidd e n truth dir e ct e d by natur e and by t h e in ,

t e r co u r s e o f i n vi s i ble b e ings which inform m e o f ,

everyth i ng prop e r to b e kn own and for th e s e rv ice ,

o f thos e who com e to b e assist e d with my e x alt e d

geni u s I say by my infallibl e j udgment I found th e

, , ,

poor girl had conc e al e d someth i ng from m e wh i ch ,

indeed she ought n ot to ha ve d on e .

For by gi v ing m e a wrong account o f h e r cas e ,

how S h ould I gi ve a d i rect answer ; wer e it n o t that

I who am ass i st e d by th e good spirits the inhab i t
, ,

ants of th e sup e r i or world a m not to be dec ei ved , .

S o I sa i d to her swe e theart thou hast conc e aled

, ,

t h e ch ie f part of thy cas e ; is there n ot som e thing

mor e in this qu e stion th an thou hast acknowl e dged ?
S h e made m e no answ e r at rst t ill I b e ing ill u m i ,

nated by the bright sp i rit of the fth r e gi on of

Al ah a m e d Ir w is h ah and by all th e ass i st i ng l i ghts of
,

th e hi gh e xalted atmosph e r e (here th e doctor r u n ,

ov e r a gr e at many G r ee k words w hi ch almost ,

fright e d t he poor girl whom h e h e ld fast by th e

han d or wrist all t h e whil e ) I said he that could , , ,

n ot b e d e c ei ved told her in plain words why thou

, ,

hast conc e aled from m e that t ho u art with c hi ld ; at

which cont i nu e s he the guilty poor girl hav ing no
, ,

thing to say and b e ing not abl e to d e ny what sh e

,

found was r eve al e d to m e by my never fa i ling i nt e l -

l ige n c e c onfe ssed to me that it was so ; and I

,

ha vi ng compass i on for h e r circumstanc e s ( for s he

had b e en d elud e d ) prom i sed h e r my pow e rful ass i st
ance t o bring the knav e to m a rry her which is now ,

A a2
3 56 A S Y ST EM or MAG I C .

happily do n e t o her innite satisfac t ion All t hi s .

while he held her by the wrist and looked fre q u ently ,

in her face .

By the rst he d iscerned an unusual ut t erin g

a n d sudden disord e r in her pulse occasion e d by the ,

story b e in g w ell enough told a n d the rst girl s b e ,

haviour mimicked to the l i fe ; by looking in h e r

fac e he saw her colour come and go ; a n d whe n
,

he t alk e d of his knowi n g e ve rything from the supe

rior b e ings and the invisible world he saw She w as ,

in t h e utmost confusion .

Now my dear says the doctor raising her by t he

, , ,

hand o u t of the cha i r give me lea ve to look a littl e ,

fu rther ; s o leading her to the win d ow he gently ,

lifte d up one of her ey e lids th e n h e ga ve two hums , ,

and said pretty well ther e Th e g i rl all the while

, .

blushed and coloured an d changed now red and , ,

then p ale ; a littl e co nj uration indeed would tell the

doctor how it was with her .

Now my dear says he to th e girl you would do

, , ,

w e ll to be s o fre e wit h m e as to l e t m e know your whole

cas e if you think fit to trust m e with it and for that
, , ,

I a m a s secret as death ; you n ee d not be under the

least conc e rn about that for it i s my business , ,

I a m trust e d with th e s e cret of princ e s and am a ,

counsellor o f couns ellors ; a n d if I should betray any

body it would b e a double o ffe nc e n e ither would
, ,

th e invisible Spirits communic a te th e secrets of

peopl e s a ffairs to m e if they did no t j udge me

faithfu l th e refore you may trust me with t h e utmost

,

safety ch i ld adds h e I Sh all never d ivulge anything

, , ,

that you commit to m e .

T h e girl was a s mut e a s a sh an d said n ot one ,

word to him but blushed and coloure d as red a s the

,

gills of a turkey cock when he is angry -

.

Come my d e ar says h e perhaps you can t ex

, , ,

pr e ss yourself fre ely so I won t press you any fur ,

ther ; but Sit down till I consult the good spiri t s

 A SYS TE M or MAG I C . 3 57
ag a in who as I told th ee ar e always re a dy to assist
, , ,

d i stressed i nnocenc e ; and who will not fa i l to g i ve

me a full information of your case and d i r e ct i ons ,

also for your good ; s o that I do not n ee d yo u should

m ake any kind of con fe ssion o f your case t o m e I .

shall b e abl e p re s e ntly to t e ll it you d i rectly w i th out

your h elp ; so pray s i t b u t two or t h r e e min u tes ,

a nd I ll come to yo u aga i n

.

Having sa i d this to he r he o ffe red to go away a t , ,

which th e girl fe ll a crying vehem e ntly ; and the

doctor too cunn i ng not to take hold of it and satis
, ,

e d that he had hit th e mark s topped and cam e , ,

back to h e r : W ell my d e ar says he I s e e h ow it , , ,

is and I had partly int elligence o f i t b e for e as yo u

, ,

may e as i ly perceiv e but come c h ild adds he let s , , ,

s ee ,what is to be don e for th ee ? S he cri e d all the

while ; but wh e n h e said wh at s to b e done S h e , ,

s aid but c ould not sp e ak it plain for crying th a t

, ,

Thomas would and there she stopped I n u .

d e rs t a n d thee chil d s ays h e that I s h o u ld make

, , ,

Thomas marry th e e is it not ? Yes s ays she and , , ,

blubb e red most sadly .

Well says t h e doctor bu t how fa r are you gone

, ,

with ch i ld ? let me kno w that and th e n I ll tell th e e ,

wh e ther I can br i ng it to pass o r n o With that he .

l a id h i s hand g e ntly upon h er belly I doubt thou .

a r t far gon e s ays he : About four months says the

, ,

girl W e ll c hi ld says h e co m e to m e a gain to

.
, , ,

morrow i n th e aft e rnoon and I ll t ell thee wh at i s ,

r e solved in t h y cas e by t he powers who assist my

n e ve r fail i n g art
-
S o tak i ng a crown of th e poor
.

girl for l e tt i n g h i m pump th e truth o u t of her o w n

mouth and gett i n g t he r e putation o f a most e mi
,

nent magic i an a n d man of art he d is missed h e r for ,

that time l e tt i n g h e r know that if h e und e rtook to

,

b r ing Thomas to marry h e r he should e xpect a ,

mor e consid e rabl e acknowl e dgm e nt .

In a word h e took Thomas s n ame and where

,

,
3 58 A SY S T EM or MA G I C .

he lived and foun d ways to m an age Thom a s s o

,

well that Thomas cam e to him in two o r three days

,

to get rid of a ghost t hat haunted h im The ,

.

cas e was this : t h e doctor had an implement which

he carri e d with him upon the occasion of his busi
ness a subtle oily tongued young fellow who wa s ,
-

a j ack of all trades ; h e r e was a j uggler th e r e a

- - -
,

tumbl e r to day a conj ur e r at one t i me a ghost or

,
-
,

appar i t i on at anoth e r a d e vil or spirit and so a ct e d

, ,

all s h apes and postures that could be d e s i r e d .

The doctor h aving had his intellig e nc e from the

girl wh e re Thomas lived and nd i ng v ery hap , ,

pily that h e lodg e d in a public hous e n ot far o ff

,
-
,

b e ing servant t o a tradesman who n ot ha vi ng room ,

for him in his hous e paid for a lo dging for h im in ,

the al e ho u s e ; I say ha vi ng gotten this handle he , ,

sends his e n gin ee r to lod g e in the same house .

This fellow nds an opportunity to come s o fa r

acquaint e d with Thomas as always to know whither ,

he went an d upon what errands and business : and

,

the rst time that Thomas was sent o f an err a nd

(very happily for him ) w a s t o a village about a mil e ,

out of th e c i ty and in t h e ev e ning , .

A s Thomas was going to th i s village this subtle ,

ro gu e gets beh i nd a wall in his way and with a ,

hollo w d e ad kind of voi ce calls him thre e times by

his n ame and i mmediat ely con ve ye d hims elf aw a y
into a el d of corn wh e r e had Thomas suspected , ,

him he could not ha ve found him and g e tting o u t

,

o f the corn he r u ns round by another way and puts

, ,

himself j ust in the way that Thomas was to come ,

an d as if h e had been fart h e r that way and w as

, ,

returning m e ets Thomas ful l but as th e y c all

, ,
-
,

it one going from t h e city and the other com i ng to

, ,

11 .

They salute as usual and as acquaintance a nd , ,

fall into a S h ort discourse upon t he occasion of the

v oice that Thomas had he ar d .
 A SY S T EM or MAG I C . 3 59

G eorge says Thomas I am very glad t o s e e you ;

, ,

I wish you would go back with me to you town

ther e I d be much beholden to you for yo u r com
,

pany .

I am in great haste says G eorge ; I can t go ,

now .

0 pray do if you can for I a m terribly frighted

, , ,

s ays Thomas .

Frighted says G eorge at what ? , ,

Why as I cam e along b y th e stone wall there

, ,

says Thomas at th e bottom of th e b ill I heard a

, ,

voice call m e thre e tim e s by my nam e aloud .

Why what does that s i gnify says G eorge ? tw a s
, ,

somebody behind the wall to b e sur e th a t knew , ,

you ; what should yo u b e frighted at that for ?

N o no it was n ot behind the wall it was r a ther
, , ,

o n t other side o f th e road

says Thomas ; but the ,

voice w as up in the a ir to be sur e it must be some ,

spirit .

N ay if it was up in the air indeed says Ge orge

, , , ,

there may b e something in it those voic e s a re s ad

things my master now would t ell you ex a ctly wh a t
it meant .

Why ay says Thomas s o they s ay ; you r master

, ,

c a n te ll folks all such th i ngs but can t you tell ,

a body something of it t o o ? come do go b a ck with

-
,

me a little .

Nay says Ge org e Sinc e you a re s o concerned I

, , ,

will go till I s e e you safe at the next town or s o , ,

but I mus t run home th e n for it is almost night , ,

and my mast e r will wan t me .

S o i n Short Ge orge goes alo n g with him which

, , ,

was all he wanted .

But Ge org e says Thomas what c a n t his voice

, , ,

mean
H ow many times did it call yo u ? says G eorge .

Three t i mes says Thomas , .

An d w a s i t ve r y loud a nd distinct ? says G eorge .

3 60 A S Y ST EM or MAG I C .

Ar e you sure yo u a re not deceived ? for some t im es

p e opl e fancy voic e s when there are none .

Ay that may h e says Thomas bu t I an t s o

, , ,

fanc i ful I am very sure I heard it three times it

called my Christian name and surname Thom a s ,

rst th e n Thomas S aunders a n d Thomas S aunder s

, ,

again ; it was a devil s voice to be sure it was , ,

h a rsh and hollo w as the D e v il .

Nay I don t like it I confess, s ays G eorge ; it
, ,

s e ems to si gnify death when people are called so ,

and it may b e in thre e d ays three weeks, or thr ee ,

months o r thr ee years , .

Can t you tell m e which ? s ays Thom as

.

No really says G eorge I can t go s o far as that
, , .

If my m aster was t o know t he case he woul d tel l ,

you exactly ; b u t I dare s ay it is death or some ,

thing very bad .

Th e y had not gone far after this bu t G eorge ,

watching a convenien t place gives a little start and , ,

t 0 ps looking as if he s aw something : hold a li ttle

, ,

ays he to T h omas .

What s th e matter ? says Thomas .

M atter says G eorge nay you best kno w wh at s
, ,

the matter hav e you commi t ted murder Thom a s ? ,

h a ve you kill ed anybody ?

I ki lled anybody I mercy u pon m e ! s ays Thom as ,

what do you mean ?

Why do you s e e nothing says G eorge d o you
, , ,

s e e nothing there ? (H e p o in ts t o a g r e a t t r e e w h ic h

s too d o n th e co m m o n w h ich th ey w e r e going

ov e r .
)
N o not I says Thomas ; don t frigh t me ; you
, ,

know Ge org e I am frighted enough alre a dy

, , .

Nay says G eorg e I don t d e sire to frigh t you
, , ,

Thomas but you would be worse frigh t ed than I if

you s aw it I m glad you don t .

?
But what is it says Thomas Dear G eorge tell .
,

me is it the D e vil ?
,

N o no not the Devil says G eorge bu t t is a
, , , ,
 A SYS TE M OF MAG I C . 36 1

spirit tis a ghost to b e sure ; that m a de me ask if
,

you had k ill e d anybody .

W e ll I shall d ie says Thomas ; I m e en de ad

, ,

with th e fr i ght why how should you s e e it a n d n ot

I G eorge ?
,

0 th e r e s a r e ason for that says G eorge ; my m a s
, ,

ter ga v e m e a particular s i ght ; that I can see app a

r it io n s whe n others can t it b e longs to our business ; ,

but you ll see it presently for it will come nearer I

, ,

s e e t h at .

0 says Thomas wh at shall I do G eorge ? will it

, , ,

speak to m e ?

I don t kno w ye t says G eorge it m ay be not I ll
, , ,

tell you pr e sently .

T h ey continu e d going forward all this while an d ,

began to com e pr e tty n e ar the town ; when by and by ,

says Ge orge I don t kno w wh at to think of it Tho
, ,

m as ; it thr e atens and makes signs as it would come

u
p to you and strike yo u .

S tr i k e m e ! s ays Thomas : n ay then twill kill me
t o b e sure .

No no they never kill anybody ; besides I s e e

, , ,

you ar e in such a fr i ght I ll s ee i f I can speak to it ,

,

a nd k ee p it o ff ; if my master wer e here he d send ,

it away with a word sp e aking W ith that G eorge .

go e s thr ee steps forward ; bids Thomas sta n d still ,

draws a circl e with his st i ck upon the gro u nd and ,

puts Thomas into it S tand t he re says Ge orge , ,

and yo u Shall b e safe and don t be afr aid I ll s e e , ,

what I c a n do for th ee .

T h o m as stands still as he was bid b u t quaking and ,

tr e mbl i n g i n th e utmost confusion ; and G eorge

go e s forward a l i ttl e o u t of the way and talks aloud ,

but so that Thomas could h e ar only th e voice not u n ,

d e r s t a n d the words and G eorge makes a great

many motions and cross e s i n th e air and th i s he ,

held a goo d whil e wh e n h e com e s back to T homas

, .

Well Thom a s says h e I b el i eve I h ave delivered

, , ,
3 62 A SY ST EM or MAG I C .

yo u for this time but something is the matt er thi s

,

apparition threatens you strangely ; I fancy you ll
hear o f it again .

But is it gone now ? says Thomas .

S tand still says G eorge a little I think t is a
, , , .

going .

S o G eorge and he stand still a little : Ay there , ,

says Ge org e it go e s off that way (pointing nor t h)

,

and now t i s gone up in th e air says G eorge come

, , ,

n ow we ll go o n S o away th ey w e nt to the town

.
,

and G eorge tells him h e m ust tak e his leave of him ,

a nd run home as hard as h e can dri v e .

Dear G eorge says Thomas don t leave m e why
, , ,

I could n ot go b a ck in the dark if you wo u ld giv e

me a thousand pounds .

I can t possibly st a y says G eorge ; if yo u ar e s o

,

frighted yo u had best lie there all night an d come

, ,

home in the m orning .

I dar e not do that neither says Thomas m y , ,

m a ster will be so angry tis as much as my place is ,

worth .

Why then you mus t get som e body t o come wi th

you at the town says Ge org e for indeed I can t
, ,

stay now S o away comes G eorg e and l e aves him

.
,

a n d sets up a run a s if he was bound to be back

,

a ga i n w ith the u tmost expedition .

When Ge orge had got away a n d was ou t of sigh t ,

he alter e d hims e lf as he kn e w ve ry well h ow to d o

,

by his Skill in post u r e s a nd tumbl i ng which as b e , ,

fore was a part of his trad e ; a n d hav ing a linen

,

habit in his gr e at pocket dr e ss e s hims elf up in the ,

habit of a ghost or a n apparition n o t in a Shroud ,

like a dead body but all in wh i te down to th e feet

, , ,

and a woman s headdr e ss u pon h i s h e ad ; an d in
this posture he places hims e lf wh e re h e knew Tho
m a s woul d come B ut b e for e this co v ering h is
.
,

habit w i th his gr e at coat he plac e d hims e lf at the ,

v ill age in sight o f the door where Thom a s wen t in,

 A S Y ST EM or MAG I C . 63

th a t he might be sur e to know wh e n he came out ,

and w h ich way he w e nt lest h e Should t ake some

,

oth e r way ; and also to know who and how many he

got to com e with him .

H e soon found Thomas o n his way for he came ,

o u t o f t he hous e and two fellows with h i m in about

an hour : so G eorge follow e d th e m at a distanc e ,

till h e saw them in a littl e lane leading in t o the

common as befor e a nd when he knew th e y could go
,

no other way ; upon which he r un by anoth e r way

ov e r the e lds and got into th e common b e fore th e m
, .

The rst thing he d i d was to g e t into a little

thick e t wh e re ly i ng flat on th e ground an d o u t of
, ,

sight h e lay a n d h i ssed like a s e rpent most fright

,

full y ; this had i ts imm e diate effect for it fright e d ,

them all an d h e he ard on e of them say It was t he

, ,

D ev il and that h e was come for Thomas to be sure :

,

and the other said so t oo adding that he would go , ,

no furth e r this was enoug h for G eorge for by th i s ,

he knew they w e re no champions that Thomas h a d

brought along with him ; s o r e moving and g e tting
to another place a little behind them that they ,

might not run back again there he changed his ,

note and th e n growled l i ke a gr e at d og and that

, ,

fright e d th e m again Now hav i ng ma d e this b e

.

ginning h e leaves off a littl e and go e s in to the

, ,

common and stands in the mid dle of th e road j ust

,

wh e r e th e lan e op e ned into th e heath ; s o that he

might b e sur e to be s ee n all in white a little before ,

th e y cam e out of the lane .

Th e n i ght was not very dark but no moonlight ; ,

som e stars not many w e r e se e n ; when coming to

, ,

the lan e s end they saw the spectre and no sooner
, ,

s a w it but all thr e e run away and cried o u t most

,

t e rribly Ge org e had now his end for he didn t
.
,

desir e to carry it on any furt h er ; so he k e pt his

post till h e found by their noise th e y cross e d the
common further o ff and o u t of Sight ; then he put
3 64 A S YS T EM or MAG I C .

off h is h ab it , an d
made the best of h is w ay to their
l od g i ng ; where wh e n Thom a s came he found G eorge ,

v ery s e dately standing at the door smoking h is pipe .

He bade Thomas welcom e hom e but said n o

!

more not taking th e leas t notice o f anything ; bu t

,

fo u nd that Thomas w e nt imm e diately up stairs a n d ,

thre w himself down upon the bed ; an d the next

m orning Thomas was very sick .

G eorge in the m e an time wen t home to h is

m as ter and gave him an account of the whole trans
,

a ction who nding his engines work t o his mind

, ,

gave G eorge further instructions ; which were in

S hor t to haunt t h e poor fe llow night a n d day a n d
, ,

give him no quiet till he had man aged him up

to a nec e ssity of coming to h im (the doctor ) for
help which was n ot long rst
, .

I should have observed th at the d oct or or cu n ,

n ing man nding he should compass his ends upo n

Thomas sent now for the poor girl a nd told her

, , ,

th at he had employed the utmost of h is ar t a nd

skill in her behalf ; An d upon my wor d adds he , ,

my child I hav e had a fatherly concern for you ;

,

and I have engaged so m a ny of th e goo d spirits of

the superior regions in your favour that they (al ,

w ays ready to do acts of b e n e ce n c e and kin d

ness to distressed mort als ) ha v e assured me th at
Thomas shall m a rry you ; ay an d shall come and ,

court you to hav e him too as much as if he h ad no t ,

gott e n this unj ust advantag e of you or he Shall have ,

n o rest in this life ; nay h e shall have n o rest in thi s

,

life til l he do e s .

The poor girl smil e d a nd was might ily please d , ,

a s you may well suppos e and puts h e r hand in h e r ,

pocket and gi v es the doctor half a guinea for the

,

good news Th e docto r took the money but told

.
,

her modestly that if he did her such a gre a t piece

,

o f service as this s h e must consider S he u n

, ,

d er s t ood him a nd t old him sh e h a d no t a gre at

, ,
 A SYS TE M or MAG I C . 3 65

deal of money but y e t S h e had a rich aunt and

, ,

oth e r good fri e nds ; and Thomas n ee d n ot ha used

h e r so ; for t h at if and t he n Sh e cri e d again ,

sh e would hav e scorned to ha v e marr i ed him but ,

I und e rstand you child says th e doctor ; n ow , ,

o u must n o t only take h i m but must b e glad he

y ,

will tak e you ? Y e s sir says she , ,

.

W e ll says the doctor and do e s your aunt know

, ,

this unlucky story ?

Y es s i r says t he girl and sh e bid me t e ll you she
, , ,

will mak e a handsom e pr e s e nt to yo u if you can ,

bri n g it about .

W e ll child says the doctor tell your a unt I will

, , , ,

und e rtak e to do it if sh e w i ll b e as good as her word

, .

Ind ee d sh e will sir I will br i ng it you says , .

,

s h e ; and nam e d t h e sum w h ich was no l e ss than ,

t wenty pounds ; and th e doctor with an unusu al ,

mod e sty not craving any mor e told h e r g e nerously

, , ,

that if h e fail e d h e wo uld have noth i ng mor e than

,

Sh e had g ive n him alr e ady .

This tr e aty took up two or thr e e days and in the ,

mean t i m e G eorg e haunt e d Thomas upon several

occasions : nay h e could har dly stir o u t o f doors in
,

the n i ght but he show e d h ims e lf som e tim e s all in

, ,

wh it e som e t imes all i n bl a ck ; t ill at last T h omas

,

com e s to him o n e e ve n i ng : Ge orge says he d e ar , ,

G eorg e if yo u don t h e lp m e I know n ot what to

,

do . I am h arass e d o u t o f my wits This D evil if .

,

it is th e D evi l haunts m e so that it giv e s me n o

,

rest Last nigh t it call e d m e again three times at

.

m y chamber window t he ve ry same voice and , ,

t h r ee times over j ust as i t did at the long wall , .

N B G eorge h ad cunn i n gly go t a ladder in th e

. .

night and s e t i t up to th e fellow s window and w e nt

,

u
p, and call e d him aloud with the same hollow d e ad ,

sound as h e d i d b e for e .

W e ll says G eorge I am sorry for it Thomas ; I

, , ,

would have you send for a m i n i st e r and prepare for ,

366 A SY STE M or MAG I C .

an other worl d for I doubt you a re not very long

,

for this world .

But d i d not you t e ll me says Thomas your mas , ,

t e r could do som e thing for m e ?

Y es inde e d says G eorg e I did so ; and I believe
, ,

he could if you han t l e t it run t o o far and if you
, ,

han t done some sad thing Thomas : for th e sp i rits

,

of the invisibl e world wh i ch my mast e r knows and ,

converses with are all good sp i rits Thomas and

, , ,

they will do n oth i ng for you adds h e if you have , ,

committed murd e r o r robbery o r any suc h thing ; ,

and therefor e if that b e your case do not let me ,

carry yo u to my master for he can do yo u n o ,

good .

Thomas stared as if he had been b e witched .

M ercy upon m e I what do yo u m e an broth e r G eorge , ,

s ays h e I am as innocent as th e child unborn I

,
.

never did any suc h thing in my life .

Well Thomas says Ge org e if you speak honestly

, , , ,

I ll let my mast e r know your case an d if you will ,

come to o u r o fce to morrow morning yo u shall -

,

have his answ e r .

G ood G eorge says Thomas don t p ut it off till
, ,

to morrow ; what shall I do ; why G eorge th e

-
,

De vil will murd e r m e to night -

.

What would you ha v e me do ? says Ge orge I ll .

go immediately if you will but I doubt he i s n ot at

, ,

hom e .

However Thom a s pressing him away they go to

, ,

the doctor together ; which was indeed what Ge orge

w a nted When th e y cam e to him G eorg e i n tro
.
,

duces t h e young man ; and in a word t e lls him , ,

th e whol e story at large and implor e s his high s u ,

perior assistance to th e poor distressed yo u ng man ,

who was daily terri e d a nd harassed to the d a n ,

ger of his wits .

But says the doctor (j ust as G eorge h a d been

, ,

ta ught t o do before ) I fe a r this m a n h as committed

,
 A SYS TE M or MAG I C . 67

som e agran t crim e and so the evil spirits have a ,

right to pursue him Hark th e e friend com e .

, ,

h i th e r to me let me se e thy hand ; hast th o u not

,

committ e d murder or tr e ason ? No indeed sir , , ,

says Thomas n e ver in my l i fe , .

W ell pull o ff thy glove says th e doctor

, , .

H e re sir says Thomas you may s e e I an t burnt
, , ,

in the hand .

Pryth e e young man says the doctor I don t

, , ,

look for that ; so he e xamin e s his palm W e ll says .

,

the doctor all S w ell her e Nor you h a v e committed

,

.

n o robb e ry or fe lony ? don t com e to m e if you ar e
guilty of any such crimes as yo u ought to b e ha ng e d
for.

No indeed I han t e nd t please you says
, , , ,

Thomas .

Then the doctor fe els his pulse a nd looks him ,

full in t h e face : her e is some disord e r som e guilt ,

h e r e Look ye young man assur e yoursel f; if you

.
,

ha ve stole anything or committ e d any crime the , ,

good sp i rits inhabitants of the invisible world

, ,

whose sublim e inuenc e s I shall apply to them for

in your behal f, and to deliver yo u from t h e power
o f the e vil spirits which haunt you thus w i ll do no ,

thing for yo u if you ar e a criminal ; and mor e

than that th ey wi ll certainly inform me of i t as
, ,

soon as I make my appl i cation for your r e l ie f, and

t ell it me as the r e ason why th e y can do nothin g
for you ; so yo u had better let me kno w it before
hand .

Ind e ed sir and ple a se you says Thom a s I hav e

, , , ,

ne ve r d on e any suc h th i ng i n my life .

H ast thou eve r done a ny inj ury says th e doctor , ,

to any for whic h thou can st b e thus plagued ?

,

No ind ee d s i r n ot I says Thomas , , , .

W e ll fri e nd says th e doctor I inquir e for your

, , ,

s e rvice only ; for I don t car e what you have d on e

,

nor do I c a re to know it But l e t me ask you o n e .

3 68 A SY ST EM or MAG I C .

question more a nd then I shall be able t o spe ak for ,

o u in ge n e r al as a v e ry innocent h onest person

y , , .

Ar e yo u willing to make satisfaction or reparation , ,

to an ybody or t o everybody that yo u have done any

,

inj ury to ?
Ye s s ir with all my heart s ays Thomas ; a nd
, , ,

Sir adds h e I have never done any hurt in all my

, ,

life .

All this w hile the doctor hol d s him by the hand ,

and e very now and th en fe e ls his pulse Look you .

,

friend says b e here is some little disorder h e r e in

, ,

your blood your conscience utt e rs a n d is a little

, ,

Come don t send m e of a fool s erran d

d isturbed .
, ,

for if thou doest I cannot only do the e no goo d but , ,

these evil spirits will tear th ee to pi e ces wh e n they ,

know a s they will do that I hav e spok e for thee

, , .

Come I ll ask the e b u t o n e q u estion more : h as
,

there b e en n o lov e business between a ny yo u ng girl

a n d you and She has broke h e r heart
,
and is d e ad ,

for you and now pays you home for it and plagu e s
, ,

you ? for it seems you s ay the apparition had a

woman s h e addres s o n .

No inde e d s ir s ays Thomas I ne e r had any
, , , ,

fancy but for on e and s h e is alive ; I am sure I

, ,

s aw h e r several times sinc e this happ e ned .

Now t h e doctor had him fast Well is there .

,

a nything be tween yo u is she your sweethear t still ? ,

No a n d t please you says Thomas we have
, , ,

done .

Done ! s ays the Doctor what have you done you ?

,

han t lain with h e r have you ? But however come , , ,

Thomas says the Doctor I must o wn that I s not a

, ,

fair question so I d o n t pr e ss you to answer m e , I .

hope yo u ha ve don e the girl n o wrong if you have , ,

e r e paration C s it down

y o u sa
y you ll mak ome .
,

there t i ll I go into my study and if you h ave been

, ,

honest I shall serve you I don t do u b t ; but if you

, ,

h a n t I sh all come b a ck an d tell you all you have

, ,
 A SYS TE M o r M AG I C 369 .

conc e al e d , without giving myself the trouble o f

asking yo u .

H e r e Thomas b e gan to s t are and look fri ghted .

Why sir a n d t please you says h e must I confess

, ,

, ,

ev e ryt h ing

N o no Thomas says the doctor I don t ask you
, , , ,

to confess anything ; I ll come back pr e s e ntly and
t ell you as w e ll as if yo u told m e yours e l f
,
.

Ay but th e n s i r says T h omas you say if I don t

, , , , ,

t e ll yo u e verything rst th e n I shall g e t no h elp ,

aft e rwards .

That s very tru e Thomas says the doctor , , ,

gr av ely I do say so ; and th e r efor e if you ha ve

, ,

anyt h ing to t ell m e befor e I go let m e know it ; ,

but I don t obl i g e yo u to t ell you m ay do as you ,

will ; if you h av e anything to say t e ll me ; if not , ,

tell me .

Why nothing S ir but about t h e girl a l i ttle , , ,

.

Why there now I thought so w h en I felt your

, , ,

pulse d i d nt I almost tell you so ? says t he doctor

.

I warrant yo u y e have lain wit h the poor g i rl n ow

, ,

and it m ay b e got he r with c h ild is that it ?

, ,

I m afraid so ind ee d s ir says Thomas ; but it , ,

was but t wice .

W e ll says the doctor you dr e w her i n I dare

, , ,

sa ,y by promis i ng to marry he r did nt yo u ? ,

I th i nk yo u know everything says T h omas ; in ,

~

deed tis so sir , .

A n d th e n says the doctor when you found the

, ,

poor g i rl was with child you disappoint e d h e r I , ,

suppos e .

Y e s s i r says Thomas there s no hiding anything
, ,

from you I t hi nk , .

W e ll Thomas says the doctor b u t what shall I

, , ,

do fo r you now ? for unl e ss yo u make t h is poor gir l

som e sat i sfaction t he r e s no sa v ing you Wh e r e i s ,

.

?
Sh e you say she s al ive it s ee ms , .
3 70 A SYS T EM or MAG I C .

Y es an d t please yo u she s alive says Thom a s ;
, , ,

sh e don t live far o ff .

Well what must be done Thom a s says the ?

, ,

d octor What would m a rry her ? will that

.
y ou ,

gi ve her satisfaction Thomas ? ,

Y es a n d t p l e ase yo u I ll marry her ; a nd I ll

,

,

send for her j ust n ow s ays Thomas , .

What an d marry h e r i n the dark says the doc

,

tor that won t do Thomas , .

W h y sir says Thomas I ll marry her over a g a in

, , ,

by dayl i ght .

No no Thom as s ays the doctor we won t break

, , , ,

through the laws neith e r I ll tell you what you shall .

do : send for the girl a n d let me hear her story , ,

a n d wha t she demands ; if marrying her will do ,

Thomas and that will satisfy her you shall Sign a

, ,

bond h e re to her to m arry h e r to morrow m orn i n g -

a n d then t o protect you from the Dev i l that h aunted ,

ou you shall li e h e re with m y oth e r man Will t o

y , ,

night and I will answer n on e of them will dare to

,

haunt you in my house .

W it h all my h e art a n d t pl e ase you says Thomas ; ,

if you w i ll promise m e I shall n ot b e haunted any

mor e afterwards .

Why Thomas says the doctor to secure you I ll
, , ,

c a st a gure for you to night an d I will know if -

those v oices an d Sp e ctres w e r e upon h e r accou nt or

n o an d if th ey w e re I w i ll answer for it you shall ,

hear n o more of them aft e r yo u have married her

a nd if th e y w e r e n ot you shan t be obliged to take ,

her that s a fair proposal Thom as , .

N ay m aster a md t pl e as e you says Thomas I
, , , ,

think I Should tak e h e r that s the truth o n t ; and ,

I ll e en have her I th i nk wh e the r I am d eli v er e d , ,

or n o sinc e you say tis j ust an d I should d o it
, ,
.

An d besides master s ays Thomas she is a good

, , ,

hones t girl a nd loves me t oo m a inly and sh e ll be

, , ,

 A SYS TE M or MAG I C . 37 1

a good w i fe : I ll e e n tak e h e r m a ster for bet t er , ,

for wors e .

Now you sp e ak hon e stly says th e doctor Now , .

I l i ke yo u Thomas I warrant yo u th e D e vil will

, .

haunt you no mor e if yo u take he r ; b u t you hav e

b e en but a kind of a rogue t o h e r before I under ,

stand .

Upon th e whol e th e doctor heartens him o n the ,

young fellow i s e asy and th e young woman i s sent

,

for ; and in the morning they w e r e marri e d and ,

had a gr e at w e dding dinn e r near the doctor s house ;

-

S o that all was don e to the girl s mind and the c on

j urer s t oo : for th e doctor had two gu i n e as of

T h omas for d e liver i ng him from th e De v il (who ,

co ul d do it Ch e aper and twenty of the good w i fe s

fri e nds a nd the lady that g av e th e mon e y thought

,

it ve ry w e ll b e stow e d .

Th i s manag e m e nt of the magician serves to l e t

yo u s e e with what ar t and d e xt e rity these men play
the doctor with o u r i gnorant peopl e and well they
d eserv e th e nam e o f cunni n g men and as th i s i s
the great e st part o f the m agic th e y ar e masters of ,

s o this is t he chief e nd and aim o f this r e lation to ,

let th e r e ad e r into the cheat of it Here w e r e two .

fools manag e d by on e cunning knave ; y e t both o f

them ar e s e rv e d Th e knowl e dge of t h e ir story
.
,

and th e way to do th e m both j ust i c e is pick e d o u t ,

o f th e ir o w n mouths ; y e t they are brought to do

o n e anoth e r j ustic e and b e l ie v e it is all don e by the

,

ma gic o f th e cunn i n g man ; he g e ts their money ,

a n d th e y c o m e both o ff thankfu l into th e bargain .

A n d h e r e s n o t a n ounce of m agic in it all ; h e r e s

no d e al i n g w i th th e D evil i n all t h is It is not hi n g .

but a b i t e a k i nd o f a j uggl e a devil and no de vil

, ,

a d octor no co nj ur e r a v ision without a spirit a

, ,

d ance w i t h out a ddl e ; and in a w ord here was , ,

craft but no kn a ve ry n e ith er ; for what h e d i d

,

e nded in doin g a poor inj ured wench j ustic e and ,

B b 2
3 72 A S YS TE M or MAG I C .

bringing a you n g impu d ent fellow upon his knees ,

mak i ng h im take the woman n ot indeed for the fe ar ,

of G od but fo r fear o f the Devil

, .

This a ccount of the doctor or cunning man m ay , ,

stan d u pon record a s a specimen of the magic which

w e have now gen erall y practised a mong us ; or if ,

you please to tak e it as a sp e cim e n of what is at ,

pres e nt put upon t h e world for m a gic F or as to .

th e real black art or dealing with the Dev il by way

,

o f compact intercours e witchcraft a n d such like

, , ,
-
,

we nd s o little of it l e ft that we have some reason ,

to say it is quite o u t of u s e an d we ha v e heard ,

v e ry l i ttle of it in this p a rt of the world for m an y

y e ars .

Not that we a re much be t ter than o ur ancestors ,

nor hav e we s e en anything in t h e mann e rs of the

peopl e less add i cted to sorc e ry than formerly ; but
custom has mad e m e n turn magicians to th e mselv e s
w e s e em to carry on ou r corr e spond e nc e with hell
si n gl e hande d an d by a kind of immediat e inter
-

cours e ; s o that we want n o more the h elp of the

m agician what e ver w e do o f the mag i c
, An d here .
,

I think t h e magic its e lf b e ing as i t wer e brought

, , ,

to a conclusion the history of it is j ustly at a c on

,

e lusion also The arts o f h e ll ar e n ow no mor e carried

.

o n by particular in struments and by way o f r ofe s

p ,

sion the black art is at e n d the D ev il having n o

more need of the magicians has dropp e d them and , ,

man a ges his a ffairs himself ; and th e mag i cians ,

having n o other access to the Devil than what 1 8

i mag i nary and carried o n by m e re leg e rd e main ,

what eve r it was form e rly th e ir number 1 s decrease d , ,

and in a m anner worn o ff by time ; so that you

, ,

have n ow n othing left but a fe w juggl e rs cunning ,

men gips e ys and fortune t ellers

, , In short the -
.
,

trade is decaye d and we may suppos e the managers

,

o f t h e black n e gotiation have turn e d their hands to

oth e r employments .
 A SYS T E M or MAG I C . 3

C H AP VI . .

Of r a is ing th e D e v il by m a gic a l o
p e r a tio n s w h e th e r
t h e m a g ic ia n s r e a lly h a v e s u c h a p o w e r o r n o, a n d

if th ey h a v e , w h e th e r it is p e r o r m e d a s f an a r t,

a nd by t he c o n s e qu e n c e of m a g ic a l e xp e r im e n t s , o r
w h e t h e r it is b y c o n c e r t a n d m u t u a l c o ns e n t, b e
t w e e n S a t a n a n d t h e m a gic ia n s .

RA I S I N G the De vi l has b e en thought by some to be

a branc h of witc h craft rath e r than magic ; and th e n
i t s h ould not b e ment i oned in this place ; but t h e
po i nt is n ot fully d e cid e d It s ee ms both t h e .

worthy profe ssions hav e pr e t e nd e d to it and p e rhaps ,

both h a ve at t a i ned to pract i s e i t and so i t may b e ,

r e ckon e d among the occult sci e nces in common to ,

the practit i on e rs of both ki nds and then may b e ,

properly tr e ated of in wh i ch part o f ou r undertaking

w e pl e ase .

It is a kind of a vulgar e xpr e ssion an d has n ot ,

much propri e ty i n it I m e an that o f ra i s i ng t he

,

De vi l ; for the Devil is n ot rais e d h e is rath e r ,

brought down As his abod e is expr e ssly said to b e

.

in t h e upper r e gions and h i s pr i nc i pal ity i s in the

,

air he is n ot fetc he d ou t of t h e e arth and as som e

, , ,

ha v e though t w i th the stamp of a foot a s i f h e lo dge d

, ,

und e r us and w e knocked for him as th e s i ck body

, ,

knocks upon the oor for th e nurs e to com e up

stairs and sp e ak to hi m .

S atan certa i nly i s n ot far o u t of call thou gh i t is ,

still somet hi n g doubtfu l in what particular e l e m e nt

h e in h ab i ts .

1 No t in th e e arth say I b e caus e th e n h e would

.
, ,

be empowered to Sh ake th e world with earthquakes ,

374 A SYS TE M or MAG I C .

o ve rturn cities and t owns and give mankind per ,

e t u al d i sturbances a nd perhaps would be obl i g e d

p ,

to do so as often as h e moved from plac e to place .

Nay it would s ee m nec e ssary that th e earth n ot

, ,

wi t h standing his spirituous n ature must su ffer some ,

convulsions dislocations and op e n i ngs or som e or

, , ,

other distortions e very time an old woman had oc

,

casion to Speak with h i m .

2 No t i n th e s e a : t h is is appar e nt by th e devils
.

o f G adar e n e who besought C

, hr i st n ot to s e nd the m
away into the deep It s ee ms they have an a ve rsion
.

to th e wat e r and that th e r e fore instinct led th e herd

,

of sw i ne to run into th e s e a to d e liver th e ms e l v es ,

from the Dev il suppos i n g he would leav e th e m when

,

th e y cam e there But th e hogs it se e ms wer e not s a

.

a c iou s enough to nd th e ir way o u t again o r to c on

g ,

si d er that before t he y went in Luke v i ii 33 . . .

3 Not in th e r e ; because that elem e nt is ap

.

r o r ia t e d for their nal state is to be their prison

p p , ,

and th e plac e of their punishment ; an d as they have

at pr e sent an int e r v al for act i on s o th e y must have ,

a m e dium of spac e for their resi dence during the

time o f action .

.4 It m u st then be in th e air or airy re gions ; ,

and as we ha ve r e ason to b e lie ve that they are n ot

conned to th e atmospher e of this globe the eart h ,

which compar e d to the m their numbers and the

, , ,

extent o f th e ir oper ations would b e by m u ch t o o ,

narrow a place for them t oo much pr e scri b e d an d ,

limit e d and give the m n o room for a ction in pro

,

portion to th e msel v es ; so I a m willing to allow

S atan to be in capacity (at l e ast abl e ) to visit all ,

the atmosph e res and spac e s in the immense waste ,

wheth e r of hab i ted h abitable or uninhabited bodies ;

, ,

and whether in thos e w e c all pl a nets or such bodies ,

as w e hav e no nam e for bec a us e no knowl e d ge of , .

Thus the Devil canno t compl a in that I ha ve n ot

give n him room enough since I h av e denied his ,
 A SYS T EM or MAG I C . 3 75

loc ality to n o place b u t h e a v en (wh e re he cannot ,

come and p e rhaps do e s not n ow d e sir e it ) and th e

, ,

oth e r gross e lem e nts wh i ch could not contain h im

, .

Th e De vi l b e ing r e sid e nt ch ie y at least i n that

, ,

in v isible world the air and w hi c h w e particularly

, ,

call the world o f Spirits o u r br i ng i n g h im o u t into

,

company is v e ry unworthi ly call e d ra i sing t h e De v il ;

for h ow can that be ra i s e d up which is alrea dy n ot ,

b e low ?
However if we will talk int elligibly we m u st call
, ,

things as other peopl e call them and Sp e ak of the m ,

as oth e r p e opl e un d e rstand the m t h at th ey may ,

know what w e talk of and know h ow to think upon

,

what w e sp e ak to th e m about Ha vi ng th e refor e no .

oth e r way o f expr e ssing it you must b e cont e n t to

,

h e ar me sp e ak o f ra i s i ng t he D evil t h ou gh at the ,

same t i m e I t e ll you i t is nons e nse in the v e ry t e rms ,

and contrary to natur e .

But to h old you n o lon ger upon s e ttling p r e l im i

naries th e point i n hand i s Ca n th e mag i c i ans who
, ,

w e a r e n o w sp e aking o f ra i s e the D ev il or can th e y

, ,

not ? can th e mag i c art p e rform t h is h i gh op e rat i on ,

is it in th e reach of t he profe ssion and is S atan ,

subj e cted to it ? is h e obl i g e d t o com e wh e n h e is

called wh e n such and such words of command ar e
,

g iv en ou t such and such meth o d s us e d suc h and

, ,

s u ch words r e p e ated ? i s h e rous e d as t h e k ee pe r ,

rous e s the l i ons in th e Tow e r d i sturbed from his

abod e and o b liged to com e away ? or as t he hunts

,
'

man un h arbours a d e er by his h orn and h is halloo

,
?

If th e D evi l is und e r th i s n e cess i ty and is t h us at ,

th e summons o f e ve ry glass trump e t as we may call ,

it ; t h at eve ry scoundr e l rascally gu r e cast e r and -

c i rcle maker can fe tch h im up whe n th e y th i nk t

-
,

I must say I t h ink S atan is no free ag e nt ; he is

very far fro m b ei ng a princ e and a pr i nce of the ,

pow e r of th e a i r Nay there ar e so many rat i onal

.
,

obj ections against it so many di fculties absurdities

, ,
3 76 A SYS TE M o r MAG I C
a n d even impossib i liti e s in it tha t I think t here is ,

hardly room for any further d isput e about it ; the

th i ng has n othing in it rational or agr ee i n g to ,

common sense .

But how is it don e th e n ? for that it is so a n d ,

that the D e vil does appear wh e n th e y call doe s ,

com e when h e is sent for and t h at by the meanest ,

o f t h e s e cr e atur e s wh o hav e thos e d e al i n gs w i th him ,

is n ot to b e d e ni e d ; nor ne v er has b ee n deniabl e

sinc e t h e witch of E ndor s days nor will it want ,

con rmat i on o n m any occasions since that : did not

s h e p ut it to S aul who h e would ha v e her b r ing up ?
,

in t im at in g that she coul d bring up whom she pleased ,

ev e n the D e vil hims elf if h e want e d him , .

It must b e th e n by con c e rt a n d a gre e ment ; for

if th e De v il can t b e forc e d o u t of h i s den if he is

n ot co nj ur e d up as we call it ; h e must be invit e d

,

in a fri e ndly manner and pr e vail e d upon by e n t r e a

,

ties o r e xpected by agre e m e nt ; a n d in both the s e

,

c a ses i t is much mor e agreeable to o u r understand i ng

a n d we can conceiv e of things with m uch more
propriety .

E ith e r he is invited by entr e aties and p e tition s ,

importun e d and e arn e stly d e sir e d to com e ; and thi s

is a k i nd of p e culiar for that it is a reality we have
n o room to doubt I say it is p e culiar to tho s e
.
,

co u ntri e s wh e re th e Devil is worsh i pp e d as a go d ,

wh e re they h ow the knee and as th e Ind i ans call , ,

it say O t o him as a supr e m e power That he

,

.

willin gly obs e rves th e se summons an d comes whe n ,

they desire him Is e asy to suppose as he 1 8 a poli

,

t i c d ev il and willing to pres e rv e his poss e ssion

,

among th e m w i lling to be worshipp e d and a dored

, ,

a s h e most obsequ i ously is upon thos e occas i ons ,

a nd which he in a mann e r triumphs ov e r his M ake r

, ,

by as if he had gai n e d a victory had conqu e r e d those

, ,

p arts of his d ominions and taken t h em from him by ,

force .
 A S YS TE M or MAG I C . 3 77

Or on th e oth e r hand h e is obl i ged by con tract ,

b e tw ee n h imself and thos e infe rnal m e rchants that

trade with h i m I say h e is obl i g e d to come when
.
,

they hav e occasion for h i m ; and in this case he

mus t perform h i s promis e o r e ls e h e would not ,

maintain his cr e dit a nd would n o t be trusted again

, .

T h us i n o n e h e is bound to come as he is a cunn i ng

, ,

d evil and knows h is i nt e r e st and in the other

,

cas e as h e is an honest d ev il and k ee ps his word ;

, ,

thou gh th e last is subj e ct to many br e aches and

fal s i c at io n s and he is not always as good as his
,

word n ei th e r .

All the di fcul t y that li e s b e fore us h e re is how ,

he m ak e s h i s bargains W itc he s and wizards th ey .

,

t ell us S i gn contracts l e t hi m pr i ck th e ir hands

, , ,

and S i gn with t h eir blood h e ll i sh doings I but I do

n ot t ell yo u I g ive any cr e d i t to t h em But the .

magicians who it i s suppos e d ar e persons of a

,

sup e rior di gn i ty s e em to act u pon a b e tt e r foot and

, ,

by th e h elp of what th e y call art h av e to do with ,

him in a s u p e r i or way w h at t h at way is and wh at ,

ar t it is to b e called that brings the a ffa i rs o f h e ll

,

into s u ch a manag e ment is the great question b e ,

for e m e .

It i s tru e the mag i cians d e ny it and Dr Bore

, ,
.

man would have told you h e scorn e d your words ;

h e ra i sed no d e v il h e had to do w i th no e v i l Spirits
, ,

he d e alt w i th n o suc h cattle ; but o n th e contrary , ,

that h e la i d th e Dev i l w he n oth e r peopl e raised h i m ,

that h e cur e d hous e s t h at w e r e ha u nt e d and turned ,

th e D evi l o u t of doors wh e n h e was ge t in ; all

which I b eli e v e as st e adfastly as I do that S t Dun .

stan took him by t he nos e w i th a pair o f r e d hot -

ton gs o r that S t F rancis would have nothin g to do

.

with him w h en he appear e d to him in th e s h ap e of

,

a bag o f mon e y ; or th at S t Ignat i us r e s i st e d h im .

,

w he n he tempted h i m in the shape of a naked beau

t iful lady .
3 78 A S Y STE M or MAG I C .

Where by th e way if the l e gend makers of t he

, ,
-

Romis h church could pro v e thos e two passag e s to

b e true in fact so that we could n o mor e do u b t
,

th e m we should have much mor e reason t o take

,

those two p e rsons for saints than ever I thought we

had It must h e confess e d t h e thing would b e r a re
.

in itself to s e e a pr i est kick a purse of gold o u t of

,

his way upon th e road and not think it worth h is ,

whil e to take it up : s o to s e e a young lady b e auti , ,

fu l and charming o ffe r h e rself to a priest and h e

, ,

turn from her as Jos e ph from his mistr e ss looked a

, ,

little mor e saint lik e than I must ow n I should ex

-

peet from any of th e trib e e specially on th e Roman ,

side of th e question I hope our ow n church h as .

abundanc e of s u ch saints among the clergy though ,

I may n ot have the honour to be a cquainted with

many of t h e m .

But th e s e m e n of art can raise him ; that seems

t o be a truth t o o solid to be d e nied ; and I must
n o t hazard my r e putatio n so much as to oppose all

th e ol d women that ha v e seen him o r dr e am e d they ,

s a w h i m ; so that I must take it for grant e d that ,

they c an rais e h i m ; though I beli ev e it no more

than I do that Dr Bor e man could lay him whe n .

other p e ople h ad raised him which I take to be ,

whimsical a n d ridic ulous .

But suppos i ng then for discourse sak e that they

, , ,

can raise him as th ey call it : what is it and how is

, ,

it done
As to what it is I take it to be n o more tha n,

this that th e D e v i l i s pl e ased at their d es i r e s igni

, ,

h e d to him I n such manner as to the ma gician i n

,

his gr e at w i sdom s ee ms m e et to assum e a visib ility , ,

and put on suc h a shape o r person as h e and t h e

magic i an agr e es upon for th e pres e nt purpose T h is .

being grant e d two th i ngs n e cessar i ly follow

,

1 That the Devil and t he magician re ally cor r e

.

sp e nd .
 A SYS T E M or MAG I C . 79
2 . Tha t the Dev i l was presen t before only not ,

visibly .

Fi rst That th e D ev il an d the magician corre

,

s o n d : by corr e spond i ng must I t h ink b e u nd e r

p , ,

stood that th e magicia n knows wh e re S atan is

,

t h at meas u r e s ar e concert e d b e tween t he m how to ,

convers e as was t h e cas e betw e en h i m and Alb r a

hazen o f wh om a lr e ady ; and that by th e se con
,

c e rt e d m e asur e s b e can ask t h e favour of S atan a s

oft e n as h e pl e as e s to make h i ms elf v isibl e for such

,

or such an occ a sion as at t h at tim e pres e nts , .

S econdly By this i t should se e m according t o

, ,

the opinion o f some learn e d in this wisdom that , ,

those ma gicians that ar e e minent in th e ir practic e

have som e d evi l or oth e r always with them v isible ,

to thems e l ve s though in v isibl e to oth e rs and that

,

th e y both s ee and con ve rse with th e m continually .

T h is is v ery rat i onal to b elieve and is what I take ,

to b e that which th e S criptur e m e an s by having a

famil i ar sp i r i t ; and that M anasseh had such t h e
text is positi ve in N ow that th e se m e n o r wom e n
.
, ,

wh eth e r m a gicians or what you pl e as e to call th e m ,

can desire th e favour of th ei r familiar or seconda ry

d ev il to assum e a shape and put on vi s i b i l i ty I m a ke ,

n o qu e stion of ; it s ee ms to be no gr e at matter and ,

t o h av e n o gr e at di fculty in i t O n th e othe r hand .

,

th e s e s ee m to b e th e only p e opl e that can raise t h e

D ev il ; for how s h ould anybody else do i t upon such
common and ordinary occasions if h e was not at ,

thei r e l b ow ? h o w could th e y call him with mutter

ing ov e r a littl e gi bb e r i sh and talking it in w h isper ,

too ? T h e D evi l is not omn i scient ; he cannot at ,

th e distance o f h is a i ry dwell i ng know t h e though ts ,

o f t h e agent o r s e e the circl e s and g u res h e draws ;

,

h e must ther e fore b e in v isibly pr e s e nt with hi m ,

c a n see his circl e s crosses and gur e s and all his

, , ,

motion s wheth e r publ i c or privat e ; and I insist

,

upon it that none can raise the Devil in this manner

3 80 A SYS TE M or MAG I C .

but s u ch men as those that ha v e a cer t ain and c on

,

stant intercours e with h i m I do not say that the .

m agicians h ave this corr e spond e nce with him n o r ,

d o I s ay o r beli eve that all of them can bring S atan

into apparition when th e y pl e ase but this I do both
sa
y and b e li e v e that thos
, e that can o r do thu s

ra i se him as we call it do it by this means and

, , ,

hav e such a correspond e nce and int i macy with him ,

a nd that i t can b e d one by n o oth e r .

All the notions which w e can hav e o f the Devil ,

found e d upon the S criptur e or upon r e ason seem to ,

j ustify this Opinion ; for unless we Shall allow him

to be innite omnisci e nt and omnipr e s e nt (and
, , ,

tha t would be to m ake him a god ) we cannot m ake ,

it rational that h e shoul d be commanded into visi

b ilit y and action j ust w he n w e pl e as e .

If h e is conned to locality if h e is anywh e re , ,

a n d that a nywhere is som e where then he mu st ,

have som e s e ttled intelligenc e e stablished betwe e n

h im and mank i nd for th e carrying on his business
and this must b e carri e d o n by th e a gen cy of some
spirits it cannot be by voice only by m e r e wh i sper
, ,

a n d suggestion if h e b e n o t pr e s e nt
,
fo r thou gh it
may be true that Spirits con ve rs e without t h e h elp
of voice y e t infer n al spirits cannot act as the inni t e
,

eternal Being acts n am ely by innite extensive

, , ,

knowl e dge they must converse by the in s t r u m e n

,

tality and a gency of th ei r persons : it is true it may ,

b e imp e rc e ptible to human si ght an d it is s o ; b u t ,

th e re i s not the less r e ality in their a g e n cy for tha t ,

t h e re is not the l e ss p e r sonal i ty n or a g e ncy of per

so n s o r plac e s o n that account ; fo r that may as

really b e that cannot be p e rceived to exist as that ,

whic h is v isibl e .

Now stand clear m a gic and stand clear m agi

, ,

eiau s ; for if th e mag i c i an can rais e th e Devil he ,

must correspond with th e D evi l ; and if he corre

s on d s with the Devil he mus t have a fa mili a r ; o r
p ,
 A SYS T EM OE MAG I C . 38 1

how does he do it ? Th e De v il must either be

al w ays by h i m or h av e an age nt d ev il in commis
,

s i on always att e nd i ng him and always r e ady to act ,

as h e shall dir e ct ; a d e p u ty de v il und e r orders -

and instruct e d to act for h im and to p e rsonat e ,

eith e r d ev il o r othe r shap e as occasion pr e sents

, , ,

o r as the magician pleas e s to direct It can b e no .

otherw i se n o t the De vi l hims e lf can act upon any

,

o th e r foot .

'
All w e have to say for our m agicia n s is to hop e ,

that w h at th e y hav e to say fo r th e ms el ve s may have

some truth in it ; nam ely that t hey d e al w i t h spi ,

rits but t h at it is w i th good Spir i ts not with the

, ,

De vil or with ev i l sp i r i ts ; and t hi s w e h av e only

,

their o wn words for ; we cannot b e sure it is so ,

n o r will I v e ntur e to say t h at w e have a gr e at d e al

o f r e ason to b e l ie ve th e m ; at least there may be

room to doubt the truth of it .

I wo u ld rath e r advance for th e m what I have

much mor e reason to b e l ie v e and that is that th e y , ,

d e al with no sp i r i ts at all eith e r good or bad ; for ,

if I should once e nt e rtain a b e l i ef that th e y r e ally

consult e d with any sp i rits at all I should b e afra i d ,

th e y were devils ; becaus e as I ha ve sa i d that I , ,

b el ieve th e D e vil would not b e at t h e i r b e ck at

e v e ry turn so oft e n as th e y ha v e occas i on for him ;
,

so I am l e ss of th e O pin i on t h at th e good sp i r i ts
would b e call e d backward and forward o n th ei r tri
vi al and fri v olous e rrands n or is i t rat i onal to b e ,

li eve th e y should .

If t h en th e y have any spirits I doubt th ey are ,

d evils not good sp i rits ; but my mor e j ust i abl e

,

Op i n i on and w hi ch I think is really w ell ground e d

,
-
,

is that most if n ot all of th e m who pr e tend to t h is

, , ,

conv e rs e w i th s p i rits ha ve no knowled ge o f o r corr e

, ,

s o n d e n c e wit h any spirits at all but that all t he

p ;
,

cant of th e ir good sp i r i ts th e i n h ab i tants of t he in

,

v i sible world and thei r intellig e nc e w i th them is a

, ,
3 82 A S YS TE M OF MAG I C .

cheat a mer e ch e at and d elusion to abuse the ign o

, ,

rant w orld impose upon th e w e ak and if poss i ble

, , , ,

gai n themselves a character an d a fam e of kn ow

le dg e and wis d om in order to pick pock e ts and get
, ,

mon e y .

How m a ny tricks do t h e y play with mankind !

how many frauds do they put upon u s 1 under how
many sham appearanc e s do th e y j uggl e with us !
-

It is plain wh e n any sublim e doctr i n e com e s to b e

,

d iscussed by th e m th e y are all in th e dark ; they ,

n e ither can concei v e right thems e lves or teach us ,

h o w to make a r i ght j udgment of anything but a p ,

p e ar to be empty ign or aht cr e atures th e mselves

,

who h ave like Jacob Be h e m e n got a high c a nt O f

, ,

mystic languag e words without me aning an d as , , ,

I said before valued only for their being u n in t e l

,

l i gible a nd th a t entir ely so and v ery particularly

,

too for that they ar e s o put together that not only

, ,

n obody that b e a r s th e m can un d erstan d th e m but ,

that they do n ot und e rstand them thems e lves .

This certainly is the j ust character o f most of the

m agicians we me e t with in o u r t i m e s ; what may ha ve
be e n form e rly o r what may ye t be wh e r e th e De v il
, ,

has r e ally a corr e spond e nce with any of these p e o

ple and if th e re a re any Alb r ah a z e n s alive I will
, ,

not determine ; but th e n I say eith e r thes e must , ,

h av e a more than intimate convers e with the D e vil

p e rsonally as Al i had or th e y must do it by way of
, ,

familiar by a constant att e nding agent ; and th e n

,

th e y ar e n o more magicians but necromancers an d , ,

downr i ght d e al e rs with the Devil ; and this is not

what w e are talking Of it is not what th e y pretend ,

to n or is it really in them
,
.

To bring it then do w n to th e c a se in h and I ,

mean about raising the De v il ; th e pr e sent quest i on

,

is o f two parts ; rst wh eth e r the magic i ans ha v e ,

a power to raise the Devil that is to produce an , ,

appe a r a nce or a pp arition of the Devil This I say .

, ,
 A SYS TE M OE MAG I C . 3
I will not deny ; only that th e n I say they ar e no ,

mor e magic i ans but w i tch e s wizards n e cr om an

, , ,

c e rs or w h at e lse yo u pl e as e to call thos e p e ople

,

that have an imm e d i at e conv e rsation with th e D e vil .

S econdly W heth e r if th e y can do i t at all it is

, , ,

don e as an art a syst e m for th e pract i ce o f which

, ,

ther e ar e rul e s and methods wh i ch b e ing l e arn e d ,

by oth e rs enabl e s them to p e rform the same thing

, ,

a s an op e ration wh e th e r mathe matical or oth e r

,

wise ? and this I think I may ve ntur e to d e ny ;

, ,

b e caus e I th i nk i t subj ects S atan to such a situation

o f circumstances as are inconsist e nt with all th e
,

n ot i ons we hav e of him as a sp i rit ; as a powerful

unlimited s e raph a prince o f t h e a i r an d who (e x
, ,

cept wh e r e his M ak e r has l im i t e d and prescribed

him ) is plac e d in a station inconc e ivably superior to
all human inuenc e or operat i on .

T O talk o f screwing th e Devil u p in t o an engine ,

that like a j ack in a box h e may b e brough t o u t

, ,

a nd shown for a sight to th e people wh ene v er a

conj ur e r thinks t o r to b e shown l i ke a puppet
,

sho w for t w opence a piece I m u st n ee ds say thi , ,

is r e ally d i shonouring the D e v i l hi ms elf .

What may b e d one by concert and agreem e nt

betw ee n th e Devil and t he m is o n e thing ; but to .

talk o f bringing him ou t by an art o r in ve ntio n so ,

that as I sa i d b e for e th e artists m ay call him in o r

, , ,

call h i m up wh e n th e y pleas e t h is would b e rais

,

i ng him ind ee d in th e v e ry l it e ral s e nse o f th e wor d ;

,

and may b e for augh t I know what was the tr u e

, ,

m e an i n g O f the e xpr e ssion at rst An d I must .

obs e rv e h e r e this rais i ng t h e D ev il i s an old way of

,

speaking and was form e rly much mor e in use

,

a mong us t h an it i s n o w ; for 1 am n ot yet d e t e r

mined in th e matt e r fully wh e ther it b e a fact or a ,

m e re proverb i al sp ee c h : my O pin i on at present

must n e c e ssarily b e for t he latt e r for as to rais i ng
him i t is as I h ave said already a pi e ce of non
, , ,
3 84 A SYS TE M OF MAG I C .

sense because first it intimat e s tha t he is fet ched

, , ,

up a b inf e r is from b e low ; wh e r e as I have give n

, ,

many good reasons to mo ve you to beli ev e he is

a lr e ady r a ther abo v e than below ; and s e con dly , ,

b e caus e I can giv e you many more t o prov e tha t if ,

he was b elow that is to say in h e ll in the bottomless

, , ,

pit itself as w e hav e t o o much fanci e d h e is all the

, ,

Old women an d old witch e s a n d all the pray e rs in ,

the parish r e ad backward all the circles and gures , ,

all t h e paw waws and conj u r in gs in the worl d could

-
,

n e ver fe tch him o u t again ; till He comes who h a s

th e k e y of the bottomless pit an d who shuts and , ,

n o man c a n op e n .

We are told that S t P et er gave our holy fathe r .

o f S t A ngelo the keys of hea v e n ; b u t I doubt he

.

has not the k eys of t other plac e too ; if h e h a s ,

he has been but a sorry j ailer for the Devil has ,

been abroad th e s e four thousand years to o u r know

ledge and continu e s still at large ; not a constable
,

can take h im up ev en a scap e warr a n t cannot ap

,

preh e nd him .

AS he is then at large though he is a prison e r t oo ,

in o n e sens e but as I say th e Devil is at large he

, , , ,

is then a fre e agent as to us h e go e s to and fro in , .

o r throughout the e arth a n d w a lks up a n d d o w n ,

t h e r e in Job i 7
, H e has fre e liberty O f egress an d
. .

regress can go and come when where a nd how he

, ,

pleases .

I must plead for liberty you see t hough i t be for , ,

the D e vil It has pleas e d his M ak e r to give thi s

.

roaring lion liberty to go up and down s e eking 8 m , , .

and how cam e h e to sell o r lose that lib e rty ? How

cam e the magician to be the Devil s j ail e r that he
,

s h ould have h im in his custody to call him o u t ,

wh e n h e thinks t ? If it is s o it is a voluntary ,

connem e nt and the D ev il nds his account in it

, ,

o r h e would nev e r s u bmit to it ; s o that it must b e

by a consent of parties and then we come into the ,

 A S YS T EM OF M AG I C . 3 85

ro ad Of things again ; th at is t o s ay that the Devil ,

may consent to appear when he is SO a nd so a nd for ,

such and such purpos e s required ; but this is quite

,

another thing than wha t the magicians are said to

do ; I must ther e fore give i t agains t them The .

Devil is not to be raised by art ; no magic n o c on ,

j urin g no circles or squares no prayers read back

, ,

w a rd no or forward either w ill bring him o u t

, , , ,

unless he pleases an d nds it for his purpose If

, .

he comes at all he comes of hims e lf and abo u t h is

, ,

o wn busin e ss or by agreement with his o wn do

,
,

m e s t ic s such as Old moth e r

, of E ndor or ,

moth e r Lackland of Ipswich or such as he is in ,

actu al confe deracy with ; but as for your pretenders

to ar t that th e y can raise him and lay him fetch
, , ,

him in or send him ou t it is all a cheat and the

, ,

m agici a n has this to b e said in his favour that he ,

really is n o t s o intim a te with the Devil as he says

he is.
 CH AP VII . .

S e e ing, a s th e m a gic ia ns p r e t e n d , th ey d o n o t d e a l
w ith th e D e v il, o r r a is e t h e D e v il, w h o it is th ey
d o d e a l w ith , h o w is t h e ir c o r r e sp o n d e n c e m a n age d,
a n d w hy d o t h ey d e a l w ith
goo d sp iri ts , b y c o n
u r ings a n d t h e b la ck a r t ?
j
TH E R E remain but t wo questions then which have ,

any di fculty in them to sp e ak to in this a ffair of

,

m agic ; the rst is th e n atural consequ e nce Of what

i s said befor e ; if t h e magic i an cannot raise the
Devil who an d what it i s h e does ra i se ? for w e
,

will have it that h e h a s Spirits about h i m : if they

a re n o t e v il Spirits as h e will ass e rt in his own
,

defe nce what spir i ts are th e y and by wha t power

, ,

o r in u e n ce does h e maintain such a correspond

ence among the int ellig e n t b e ings of the invisible

world as to procur e thos e sup e rior an ge lic cr e a
,

t ures to app e ar upon ea rt h ei th e r at h i s r e quest

, ,

or upon s u ch occasions as h e r e pres e nts to th e m ?

Th e re is t o o much d i f culty I had almost said ,

abs u rdity in this part for us to com e into it as th e

, , ,

magicians pr e tend to desire ; th e y would have us

beli e ve th at all they do is by th e aid and assistanc e
o f th e s e happy int e llig e nt beings that they upon , ,

the m e re principl e of a ffe ction to mankind and ,

merely fro m th e ir b e n e c e n t nature and disposi

tion ar e r e ady at all t i m e s to assist th e ir faithful
,

a gent o r servant th e magician in doin g a cts Of ,

charity kin d n e ss and b e n e vol e nce to th ei r fellow

, ,

creat ur e s .

It is true th e m a gic ian by this puts a gr e at c o m

l im e n t upo n himself and sugg e sts that h e is hi m
p ,
 A SY S TE M OE MAG I C . 87

self a g e neral bl e ssin g to mankind ; and that as such

t he s e ge n e rous and b e n e c e n t b e ings s i ngl e o u t
th e m (the m ag i c i ans ) as t he prop e r i nstrum e nts o f
th ei r k i ndn e ss to th e ir fellow cr e atur e s ; a n d t h at
-

th ey eve n could not act at l e ast n ot so fu lly and

,

e ffe ctually w i thout th e m

,
.

Th at t he r e for e it is thos e super ior b e in gs ar e

,

pleas e d to con ve rs e w i t h th e s e mag i cian s and com ,

m u n ic at e to th e m a sup e r i or knowl e dg e o f t hi n gs ,

mak i n g them us e ful to m ank i nd and gi vi ng th e m ,

a r e putat i on for th ei r wisdom th at so t he d i str e ss e d

,

peopl e may apply to th e m for ass i stanc e dir e ct i on , ,

and couns e l .

But th e n the s e cond q u e stion is h ow do they ,

conv e rs e with them by what m e ans do thos e good

,

spirits com e to know when th e magic i an has a n y

thing to b e assist e d i n a nd i n wha t manner do th ey
,

claim o r d e s i r e th e ir assistanc e ? Now t he diic u lt y

o f th i s qu e stion raises a doubt almost unansw e rabl e

against th e truth of th e m a gician s answ e r to the
rst.

They t e ll us th ey converse with the good spirits

o f th e i n v is i ble world : t h at th e y would ha ve us tak e

as a rst pr i nciple a postulatum t h at s h ould b e

,

grant e d ; t h ough it is pr e tty much to ask t o o : but

to obli ge th e m as far as wit h any colour of common
s e nse can be don e let us suppos e it though I can
.
,

by n o m e ans grant it .

But h ow then i s it m a nag e d ? H ow is this c on

v e rse carried o n ? In a word how d o th e y come ,

togeth e r ? It must b e e ith e r ,

By th e ma gi cians a pplying to th e s e spirits for

ad vi ce wh e n the y want it .

.2 O r by the sp i r i ts O f c io u sly coming to t he m

upon such occas i ons of t hei r o wn m e r e goodn e ss
, .

.3 O r thos e good Sp i r i ts must b e always pr e s e nt ,

and to b e s ee n spok e n to and con ve rs e d w i th w i th

, , ,

o u t calling o r w i thout s e ek i n to b e call e d

, g .

c c 2
38 8 A S YS TE M OF MAG I C .

I must be s o plain with ou r magicians as t o s ay , ,

that I do n ot s e e how either Of these three can be

m a de ou t by them ; n or yet h o w they can defe nd
thems e lves from the charge of diabol i c m ag ic unles s ,

th e y mak e o u t all the three and that very clearly t oo

, .

1 AS to magicians applyin g to these Spirits for

.

advice an d intell i genc e ; this I know is their pre

tenc e this they all alle ge ; and when the poor ign o
,

rant peopl e apply to th e m th e y make a gr e at de al ,

o f c e r e mony with their circles and gur e s with ,

m agical books H e brew or Arabic characters m u t

, ,

t e r i ng of hard words an d other barbarisms innu

,

m e r ab l e ; j ust in a wor d as the O ld n e cromancers

, ,

d o when they consul t with th e Devil

,
.

Now is th e re anything O f all this requisite in

,

order to converse with a good spirit ? did the pro

h e t s o f Old use a n ything of this mimicry whe n
p ,

they wen t to inquire of the Lord ? If they woul d

have their art b e called the sacred science and we ,

must bel i eve that they converse with h e avenly bei n gs ,

what need of all th e se amusements these conj urings ,

a nd paw w aw in gs ?
-

Will they make us beli e ve that the good spirits

are to be used as the wizards and witches use the
D evil ? tha t they are to be brought down by mut
t e r in gs and conj urings by postur e s and distortions
, ,

o r (as our danc i ng masters talk ) by grotesque ch a

-

r act e r s ? This would do v e ry little to oblige o u r

r e ve rence nor to m e would it look like anything
, ,

b u t tal king to the Devil .

If it is done to put an amusement u pon the ign o

rant p e opl e that come to the m and t o giv e a so ,

l e m n it y (as th e y call it ) to the thing then tis evi

,

dent it is don e to ch eat th e m Fo r what occ a sio n .

could ther e b e for such things if they were re ally ,

a bout to converse w i th th e ex alted spirits of a

h e a ve nly kind a nd inh abit a nts of the i n visible t e
,

gions ?
 A S YS TE M OF MAG I C . 389

It is manifes t they apply to th e ir invisibl e an

gelie spirits j ust as th e oth e r sort O f p e opl e do to
,

th e Dev i l Their ceremoni e s of addr e ss ar e much

.

the same and when th e poor ignorant stranger

,

se e ms surprised a t it t h ey tell h i m he should n ot

,

fe ar for they are not go i ng to raise th e D ev il ;

,

granting clearly that ther e was goo d r e ason to sus

p e et it .

If they are honest why then will th e y not t ell u s

,

the reason o all th e se barbarisms

f ? What cause ,

an d what n e c e ssity wh e n they are applying to h e a

,

ven to act j ust as thos e do w h o apply to hell ? Le t

,

t h e m e xamine history or antiquity n ay l e t th e m ex , ,

a mine nature ; are t h e appl i cation to G o d and idols

the same ? Th e D e vil may mimic th e methods of

th e b e st service and s eek to b e s e rved in th e same
,

mann e r as his M ak e r : but we nowh er e read that

ever t he serv a nts o f Go d mimicked the Devil till now .

Le t th e m look at that e min e nt tim e when the ,

proph e t E lij ah brought himself and th e pri e s t s of

Baal to a test for the truth of their worsh i p a n d th e ,

reality o f the G od they worshipped : the i dolatr ous

priests b e gan their pagan rites their sacric e s w e re ,

alik e ; that was appointed by the proph e t because ,

th e y s h ould not say b u t th ei r idol d e vil had equal

honour done him as t h e tru e G od had in a propor
, ,

tion But when t he y cam e to th e service O f the

.

priests the idol pr i ests us e d th e ir exorcisms th e ir

, ,

conj urin gs their e cstasi e s and their barbarisms

, ,

l eaping up u pon th e ir altars and dancing to their ,

god t h en cutting th e mselves with kniv e s an d the

, ,

l ik e .

But w he n the truly rev e r e nd proph e t came to b e

gin th e sacr e d O f c e and the apparatus o f lay i n g the
,

sacri c e upon t h e wood was simply p e rform e d what

d i d El ij ah ? noth i n g but in a solemn manner and
, ,

in th e a u d i enc e o f all t he p e opl e and in t h e v ulgar

,

t ongu e th a t th ey migh t all underst a nd what w a s

,
 390 A S YS T EM OF MAG I C .

said and with a lo u d voic e call upon th e true G od

, ,

to h e ar h i m and to glor i fy hims elf in the s i ght of

,

th e p e ople ; and G od did hear him and magni e d h is ,

power acco rdingly to t h e con v iction of t h e people

, ,

e v e n to th e conviction of their senses .

Br i ng this down to o u r cas e n o w Here is a set .

of men pr e tending to consult t h e good spirits in ,

habitants o f the sup e rior regions and w h o dw ell ,

in the ang e lic world wh e rev e r that is T o these

, .

they gi v e all th e adorabl e nam e s th e y can de v ise in ,

strange and outlandish t e rms an d ad v anc e th e m in ,

th e ir notions that th e y m ay raise the regard of their

,

wond e ring but ignorant admir e rs

, .

Wh e n th e y hav e don e all this th e y apply to them ,

j ust after th e patt e rn o f th e wizards and n e c r o m an

cers in t he ir inquiring O f the D evi l with mutt e rings ,

a nd wh i sp e rs w i th hard and exotic words and unin

, ,

t e lligib l e sp e ech e s ; as if th e good Spirits d id n o t n u

d e r s t a n d E nglish as w e ll as Arabic an d Hebrew or
, ,

as well as th e ir unm e aning unsignify ing de v il lan

,
-

guag e ; a j argon O f th e ir o w n forming without any ,

real usage among men but such as they pl e ase to ,

put upon it .

How can this be reconciled to the con ve rsing

with good Spirits ? Int e llig e nt and b e n e c e n t beings ,

who partake o f th e h e a v e nly natur e and are always ,

inclin e d to do good to mankind wh o assist the indi ,

g e nt and distr e sse d an d protect those that are in

,

dang e r direct in di fculti e s and ar e ready o n all

, ,

occasions to do good o fces and acts o f kindn e ss to

ev e ry o n e ?
H ow are th e y thus r e a dy and b e n e c e n t if they ,

are thus to be call e d o u t O f their happy abodes like ,

d ev ils with sp ells a n d conj urations with n e cro

, ,

man e y and w i zardism ? W e r e they such bl e ss e d ,

bount i ful and b e n e c e n t b e ings and so ready to

, ,

h e lp and assist mank i nd in times o f di f culti e s pro ,

t e c t t h e m from evil and from evil spiri t s it would

, ,
 A S Y ST EM OF MAG I C . 39 1

be but r e a son able t o suppose they sho ul d give some

direc t ions to mankind h o w t o Obta i n a nd p r ocur e
thei r a ssist ance when they wan t it , .

It is supposed if these spirits are such good such

, ,

b e n e c e n t compassion a te beings a nd SO particularly

, ,

inclined t o do good t o mankind ; I say it is to be ,

supposed t hey are so by the det e r minate appoin t

,

m e nt of their C reat or ; their heavenly Fa ther from ,

whose inheren t goodness all good desires a nd al l ,

good though t s do proceed as well in heaven a s in ,

e ar th a s well in angels and Spirits as in hu m an

, ,

c re at ures Th e s e good Spirits t hen if t hey we r e

.
,

such a s is pre t ended would cert a inl y direct man

,

kind t o Obtain their a id by pr aying t o the supreme ,

Being under whose comm a nd and direction they

,

immediately are that t hey (the said good spirits )

,

might be sent t o direct assist and protec t those , ,

th at s o desire their assistance .

It is a shrewd sign t o me t h a t these Spirits a re of ,

an othe r class and th at they do no t proceed fro m

,

Him who is the au thor Of all good ; that they must

be applied t o in such a scandalou s manner ju st as ,

the Devil is applied t o ; tha t they t ake the honour t o

themselves of being applied to direct ly and im m e di
a t ely as G od himself is a nd without giving the h e
, ,

nour to G od the rst c a us e and original author of all

,

g ood ; and that t hey a t the same t i me stoop S O low ,

as t o accep t of the like me a n and b a se methods of

being c alled to for h elp which a re used when we ,

want t o raise the Devil .

Wh at do the magici ans me an by this un couth

j ar gon I ll go and cons ult with the good spirit s
,

w hich I conv e rse with and I ll bring you an answ e r ?

,

Where a re these good spirits and how do they con ,

verse with them ? If th ey would say I will pray t o ,

G od th at he may send his ang els or some of his ,

angels or good spirits to advis e an d assist you ; this

, ,

h a d some s e nse in it ; something lik e th e usual me

.s M .
3 92 A SY ST EM OF MAG I C .

thod : then when we came to the magici an or cu n

ning m an ou r language would b e We pray you in
, ,

quire Of the Lord for u s ; and thus it was when God

h a d h is good proph ets and hi s good spirits to a c t
betw e e n h is people and him a s much a s can be s u p ,

posed now .

But now the magici an inst e a d Of saying I wil l

, ,

inq u ire of t he Lord for you says I will consult with

, ,

th e good spirit s of the invisible world who I h a ve ,

t h e honour to converse with and I will tell you wha t

,

they s ay in your case Here s n ot a word of God
.
,

o r of what he pleases to do or not to do t o direct , ,

or not to direct but these good Spirits are to te a ch

a nd dir e ct ; a s if he th at m a de these good spirits
w as out of the questio n an d h a d no thi ng to do
, ,

either with them or us .

These things I s ay ren der it very susp icious

, ,

th at there ar e no such t hings as good s pirits in t he

case especiall y when they ar e j oined with the
,

sc a nd alous manner of t heir being applied to ; a nd

if ther e are no good spirits and they disown all ,

conversation with bad Spirit s it m ay be s a id wi th ,

ou t O ffence (though in the vulg a r way ) not what

, , ,

the Dev il a re they doing ? but wh a t devils a re ,

t hey doing with ?

2 But he re is a second suggestion t o help t hem

.

ou t,
a nd t his is that they do not go to conver se
,

wi t h t hese good Spirits by a special inuence c all

, ,

ing them to their a ssis ta nce ; but the good spirit s

( ther e by showing t hemselves to be good a nd be n e
c e n t as h a s be e n s a id ) condesce n d to come vol a n
,

teer to help and assist couns e l and direct in ca s e

, , ,

of the d i str e ss o f those helpl e ss creatures call e d

men ; and tha t they do th i s O f ciou sly by the a s

sist e nc e of their chosen serv a nts th e magicians ;
who like the almoners of a great prince a re always
, ,

la y i ng b e fore th e ir eyes suit able obj ec t s for thei r

help a nd benevolence .
 A S YS T EM OF MAG I C . 3 93

This is a formal story and migh t h a ve some ,

weight in it if it were n ot that it wanted truth o f

,

fact to support it and that this i s so we mus t b e ,

lieve till we get th e following difculties r e moved

,
.

The rst is How d o they know the condition and

,

circumstances of those that want t o b e assis t ed ?

That these good spirits must either know it by an

i nnite prescience by which th e y mus t e very on e
,

o f them know everything and tha t no t everything ,

that i s visible to human ey e s and real bu t e v e ry in , ,

visible a n d imaginary thi ng the thoughts the , ,

anguish of the soul the desires wish e s fears , , , ,

terrors a nd hopes of not only the particular per

, ,

sons th e y ar e to assist but o f all p e ople what ever

, ,

in all places and times and o n every particular o c ,

c a sion whatever ; and to do s o wo u ld be to be ab

s ol u t e ly and essentially Go d and e very on e of them ,

separat e ly so ; a thought at tend e d with a heap of

horrid confusions and forming distracted imag e s in
,

the mind such as tend to all m anner of blasphemies

,

on o n e hand or gross absurdities on t he o ther

, .

The n e xt thing is if the good spirits cannot by

,

th eir own prescienc e know the condition a nd c ir

c u m s t a n c e s o f those that may w an t their assis ta nce ;

how or by whom must they be o r a re they in

, ,

formed O f it ?
N ow here is the only crisis in which the magi
cian makes himself necessary ; for if the good
Sp irits had j oined t o s o u nivers al b e n e ce n c e in
,

t heir disposition a n innite knowledge of all the

,

pe rsons and their circumstances who s t ood in any

need o f th e ir help t hey would then c e rt a in ly in
, ,

co ns e qu e nce o f the general good disposition o f thei r

n atur e immediately a pply themselves to the proper

,

obj e cts and i n compass i on to them would relieve

,

and assist them of th e ir own fre e goodness and b e

n e ce n c e not needing the in t erp ositio n of a ny
,

o t her agen t wh at soever .

 3 94 A S Y ST E M OF MAG I C .

Bu t now this we do n ot nd : bu t t hese goo d

spirits with all th e goodwill which th e y bear to u s
, ,

yet s i t p assively still and s e e all the mis e ries of

,

mankind and all the d istr e sses which th i s or that

,

p art i cular person labours und e r and p e r h aps lan ,

uis h e s i n and at last lets h i m p e rish without the

g ,

l e ast h elp or ass i stance .

This I think d e stroys th e v e ry notion o f th eir

, ,

pr e scien c e or els e it must destroy th e n ot i on of

,

their b e n e c e n c e o n e o r other must drop : they

mus t eit he r not know o f the mis e rable wretch and
his distr e ss e s who wants th e ir assistance ; or know
,

ing it th e y must want a will or power to assist and

,

d e l i ver him .

But h e re com e s in t he magic ian and h e truly to , ,

mak e hims e lf a nec e ssary man in his generation is ,

to b e made a cquaint e d with o u r d i str e ss e s an d o u r

compla i nts and he is to lay th e m b e for e th e s e good
,

spirits and procur e th ei r answers ; in which cas e it

,

follows m ost naturally ,

F irst That th os e goo d spirits are short sighted

,
-
,

ignoran t and uninformed b ei ngs till th e y receive ,

informat i on from some infe r i or hand thus in ,

S hort th e coun sellor at law ; h e is r e a d y to gi v e his

,

ad v ic e in the most di f cult cas e and perfe ctly qua ,

l i e d and able to dir e ct what yo u should do ; but

h e sits in h i s chambers in the T e mpl e or in Li ncoln s ,

Inn and waits (p e rfectly passi v e i n all business ) till

,

the cli e nt bro u ght by the attorn e y or solicitor

, ,

com e s to him wit h his bri e f ; and if th e client do e s

not c om e h e may sit still and h e ruin e d for any
, .

advice o r assistanc e t h e lawy e r w i ll give him till ,

he is ask e d : or as the p h ys i cian ; h e is master o f

his bus i ness a ble to d i r e ct and ad v is e abl e to pr e
, ,

scribe a spec i c a c e rta i n cur e for such o r such

, ,

dist e mp ers ; but Sits i n his study and stirs n ot o u t ,

o f h i s easy ch a i r to do th e distress e d p e opl e in his

,

neighbourhood any good or to help them in the ir ,

 A S YS TE M OF MAG I C . 95
gr e atest dis t ress till he is s e nt for and th e case
, ,

laid b e fore h i m and t he n h e s h ows his b e n e c e n t

,

good d i sposit i on i f th e y ha ve stay e d t i ll t he d i stem

per i s too far gon e h e pit ie s t he m and S h ows hi s
,

concern for th e m ; but adds W h y d i d not you let ,

me know his condition sooner ? I could ha ve

sav ed h i s life if you had s e nt to m e in t i m e ; but
h ow should I do him any good wh e n you did n ot so ,

much as let m e know he was sick ? an d thus th e

poor patient languis he s and d i es and t h e physician ,

i s n ot blam e d by anybody for how s h ould he help,

h im when th ey d i d n ot send to h i m for adv i c e or

, ,

s o much as let him know h e was s i ck

S e condly That th e magicians ar e a most n e

,

c e s s ar y g e n e ration o f m e n that w i t h out th e m t h e

,

mis e rabl e world would b e robb e d o f th e ass i stanc e

o f all thos e b e n e c e n t good sp i r i ts i n th e i n v is i bl e

world wh i c h wait to do us good but cannot apply

, ,

thems e l ve s to e x e rt t h e good dispos i t i on s t hey ar e

lled with for want of knowing t he condition and
,

circumstances o f thos e distr e ss e d creat u r e s wh i c h

stand i n ne e d of th e ir h e lp ; and t h at those magi
c ian s be i n g th e only men that con v ers e in t h at in v i

s i ble world and hold any correspond e nc e w i th th e

,

spirits that a re disposed to ass i st us th e y alone can ,

hand that assistance to us b e ing th e only peopl e ,

that can acquaint the sa i d good Spirits w i th o u r

cond i tion .

T h irdly That therefore it is our only business to

,

ch e r i sh a n d e ncourag e th e se us e ful m e n call e d ma

ic ia n s and to tak e care that the rac e h e not e x
g ,

tinct and the world depr i v e d of t h eir e xtraord i nary

,

performanc e s .

T h is would b e a nobl e doctrin e for th e m e n o f

gur e s and c i rcl e s ; a magic i an wo uld outdo all t he
mo u nt e banks quacks and pr e t e nd e rs to i nfall i bl e
,

r e m e d i es i n t he world ; t he y would br i n g law p h y ,

s i c a n d d ivi n i ty i nto o n e h ead of practic e and

, , , ,
3 96 A S Y STEM OF MAG I C .

good s pi r i t s in sp iring t hey would cure t he a ge of

,

all it s distempers bo t h of soul and body ; they

,

would r esolve all c a ses of conscience j u r e div ine ,

cure all t he inc u rabl e s in G uy s Hospital an d m ake

th a t ol d
s charity a s useless a s h is s
,

They would abridge the pr a ctice o f the l a w to pe r

fe ct ion a nd bring all the pleadings a t b a r to
,

ch ambe r practice ; the good Spirits would all be

peace makers and magicians b e gener al a rbitr at ors
-
, .

But this not being a t present o ur c a se from ,

hence I venture t o conclud e t h at these good ,

Spirits if such t here be ar e n o t s o in t im at e wi t h

, ,

o u r modern magici a ns as the lat t e r pre t en d they

are ; a n d i t is to b e gd ou b t e d t hese c a rry on their

intelligence with a different sor t of Spiri t s a nd in a ,

m a n age savour ing a li ttle more of t he diabolic t h an ,

the a ngelic ; or , a s I s a id befo r e wi t h n o Spiri t s at ,

all.

T H E END O F T H E S Y ST EM OF MAG I C .

O ! F OR D : I
PR NTED BY D A. TALBOYS .
.