Art Magic

"THE SEVERAL SORTS OF DIVINATION FORBIDDEN

Wee shall find, Deut. 18: 10, 11, those Diviners which are by the law forbidden, distinguished into seven kindes, not because there were no others, but they were the most usual. 1st, An observer of times. 2d, An inchanter. 3d, A witch. 4th, A charmer. 5th, A consulter with familiar spirits. 6th, a wizard. 7th, A necromancer. To these we may adde an eighth, Consulting with the staffe. And a ninth, A consulter with intralls. The first is: An observer of times, one that distinguisheth times and seasons, saying , such a day is good, or such a day is naught, such an houre, such a month is luckie, and such and such unluckie, for such and such business......The second sort of unlawful Diviner is also an observer of times; the first, drawing his conclusions from the colour or motion of the clouds; The second, from his owne superstitious observation of good and evil events, happening upon such and such dayes, such and such times; the first seemeth to have drawne his conclusions a priori, from the clouds or planets, causing good and bad events; the second, a posteriori, from the events themselves, happening upon such and such times. This planetary observer when he watched the clouds, seemeth to have stood with his face Eastward, his backe Westward, his right hand towards the South and his left hand towards the North.

2. The second is Menachesch, rendered an Inchanter; it importeth rather an Augur, or Soothsayer. The originall signifieth such a one who out of his owne experience draweth observations, to foretell good or evil to come, as soothsayers doe by observing such and such events, by such and such flying of birds, screechings, or kawings. The Rabbines speake in this wise. He is Menachesch, a Soothsayer, who will say, because a morsell of Bread is fallen out of his mouth, or his staffe out of his hand, or his sonne called him backe, or a Crow kawed unto him, or a Goat passed by him, or a Serpent was on his right hand, or a Fox on his left hand, therefore he will say, doe not this or that to-day. This word is used in Gen. 30: 27. "I have learned by experience saith Laban, that the Lord hath blessed mee for they sake." Againe, Gen. 44: 5. "Is not this the cup in which my Lord drinketh? and whereby indeed hee divineth?" That is, proveth or maketh triall or experience what manner of men yee are; the Heathen people were very superstitious in these observations; some days were unluckie, others luckie; on some dayes they counted it unfortunate to begin battaile, on some months unfortunate to marry.

And as they were superstitious in observing unluckie signes, so likewise in the meanes used to avert the evil portended; the meanes were either words or deeds. Deeds; if an unluckie bird, or such like came in their way, they would fling stones at it; and of this sort is the scratching of a suspected witch, which amongst the simpler sort of people is thought to bee a meanes to cure Witchcraft. By words, they thought to elude the evill, signified by such signes, when they say:

"This evil light on thine owne head."

The third is Mecascheph, A Witch, properly a Jugler. Th originall signifieth such a kinde of Sorcerer who bewitcheth the senses and mindes of men, by changing the formes of things, making them appeare otherwise than indeed they are. The same word is applied to the Sorcerers in Egypt, who resisted Moses, Exod. 7: 11. Then Pharoh also called Mecaschphim, the Sorcerers. Now the magicians in Egypt, they also did in like manner with their Inchantments. This latter part of the text explaineth what those sorcerers were. In that they are called magicians, it implieth their learning, that they were wise men, and great philosophers; the word inchantments declareth the manner of the delusion, and it hath the signification of such a slight, whereby the eyes are deluded, for Lahatim, there translated inchantments, importeth the glistening flame of a fire, or sword, where-with the eyes of men are dazled.

The Greeke version doth not unfitly terme them compounders of medicines, or if you please, complexion-makers, such artisens who make men and women false complexions. hence it is that the Apostle compareth such false teachers, who under a forme and shew of godlinesse, leade captive silly women, to the Egyptian Sorcerers, Zannes and Zambres, who assisted Moses, 2 Tim. 3:8. These two were of chief note. In the Talmud they are called Johanne and Mamre.

The fourth is Chober, a Charmer. The Hebrew word signifieth conoining or consociating; either from the league and fellowship which such persons have with the Devill, or as Bodine thinketh, because such kinde of witches have frequent meetings, in which they dance and make merrie together.

Onkelos translateth such a charmer Raten, a Mutterer, intimating the manner of these Witcheries to be by muttering or soft speaking of some spelle or charme. The description of a charmer is thus: Hee is a charmer who speaketh words of a strange language, and without sense, and he, in his foolishnesse, thinketh that these words are profitable; that if one say so, or so, unto a Serpent or Scorpion, it cannot hurt a man, and he that saith so, or so, unto a man, he cannot be hurt. Hee that whispereth over a wound, or readeth a verse out of the Bible, likewise he that readeth over an infant, that it may not bee frighted, or that layeth the Booke of the Law, or the Philacteries, upon a child that it may sleepe, such are not only among Inchanters, or Charmers, but of those that generally deny the Law of God, because they make the words of the Scripture medicines for the body, whereas they are not, but medicine for the Soule. Of this sort was that, whereof Bodinus speaketh. That a childe by saying a certain verse out of the Psalmes, hindered a woman that shee could not make her butter; by reciting the same verse backwards, hee made her butter come presently.

The fifth Schoel Ob, a consulter with Ob, or with familiar spirits. Ob signifieth properly a Bottle, and is applied in divers places of Scripture to Magicians, because they being possessed with an evil spirit, speake with a soft and hollow voice, as out of a bottle. The Greek calleth them Ventriloquos, such whose voice seemeth to proceed out of their belly. Such a Diviner was the Damosell, Acts 16: 16, in Staine Augustin's judgement, and is probably thought so by most Expositors, who are of opinion, that the spirit of Python, with which this Damosell was possessed, is the same which the spirit of Ob was, amongst the Hebrews. Hence the Witch of Endor, whomo Saul requested to raise up Samuel, is said in Hebrew to have consulted with Ob; but among the Latine Expositors, she is commonly translated Pythonissa, one possessed with the spirit of a Python.

The sixth is Jiddegoni, a Wizard; he is translated sometimes a cunning man. hee had his name from knowledge, whcih either the wizard professed himself to have, or the common people thought him to have. The Rabbies say hee was called in Hebrew from a certain beast, in shape resembling a man, because these wizards, when they did utter their prophecies, held a bone of this beast between their teeth. This haply might bee some diabolicall sacrament or ceremonie, used for the confirmation of the league betweene Satan and the Wizard. Prophane history mentioneth diinations of the like kinde, as that Magicians were wont to eat the principall parts and members of such beasts, which they deemed propheticall, thinking thereby that the soule of such beasts would be conveyed into their bodies, whereby they might be enabled for prophecy.

The seventh is Doresch el hammethim; the Greeke answereth word for word - an enquirer of the dead, a Necromancer. Such diviners consulted with Satan in the shape of a dead man. A memorable example wee finde recorded; 1 Sam. :29. There King Saul, about to warre with the Philistins, (God denying to answer him either by dreames, or by Urim, or by Prophets,) upon the fame of the Witch of endor, he repaired to her, demanding that Samuel might bee raised up from the dead, to tell him the issue of the warre. Now that this was not in truth Samuel, is easily evinced, both by testamonies of the learned, and reasons: First, it is improbable that God, who had denied to answer him by any ordinary meanes, should now deigne him an answer so extraordinary. Secondly, no Witch or Devil can disturbe the bodies or soules of such as die in the Lord, because they rest from their labors; Rev. 14: 14. Thirdly, if it had beene Samuel, he would doubtless have reproved Saul for consulting with Witches.

The eighth is Scoelmakle, a consulter with his staffe. Jerome saith the manner of this divination was thus: That if the doubt were betweene two or three cities, which first should be assaulted; to determine this, they wrote the names of the cities upon certain staves or arrowes, which being shaked in a wuiver together, the first that was pulled out determined the citie.

Others deliver the manner of this consultation to have been thus: The consulter measured his staffe by spans, or by the length of his finger, saying as he measured, I will goe, I will not goe, I will doe such a thing, I will not doe it, and as the last spanne fell out, so he determined. This was termed by the Heathen, Divination by rods or arrowes.

The ninth was Roebaccabed, a diviner by intralls. Nebucadnezar being to make warre both with the Jews and the Ammonites, and doubting in the way against whether of these he should make his first onset: First he consulted with his arrowes and staves, of which hath beene spoken of immediately before; Secondly, he consulted with the entralls of beasts. This practice was generally received among the Heathens, and because the liver was the principall member observed, it was called Consultation with the liver. Three things were observed in this kind of divination. First, the colour of the intralls, whether they were all well-colored; Secondly, their place, whether none were displaced; Thirdly, the number, whether none were wanting. Among those that were wanting, the want of the liver or the heart chiefly presaged ill. That day when Julius Caesar was slaine, it is storied, that in two fat oxen then sacrificed, the heart was wanting in them both.