Batman vppon Bartholome his booke De proprietatibus rerum, newly corrected, enlarged and amended: with such additions as are requisite, vnto euery seuerall booke: taken foorth of the most approued authors, the like heretofore not translated in English. Profitable for all estates, as well for the benefite of the mind as the bodie. 1582.

¶That euery man hath 3. keepers, and from whence each of them procee∣deth.

EUerye man hath a thrée-folde good Demon for his keeper,* 1.1 the one holy, the other of his begetting, the thirde of his profession. The holy Demon accor∣ding to y^e learning of the Aegyptians, is assigned to y^t reasonable soule, descēding not from the stars nor planets, but frō the supernall cause (euen from God, the very ruler of y^e Demones or Angels, & is vniuersall aboue nature. This Demon directeth y^e life of y^e soule, & doth alwaies minister good thoughts to y^e minde, con∣tinually working in vs by illumining, although we do not alwaies mark him, but when we are purged, & liue quiet∣ly, then we perceiue him, then he doeth as it were speake with vs, & doth make vs pertakers of his voyce, being present before, in silence, & doth alwaies studie to bring vs vnto a holy perfection. By the help of this Demon also, men maye auoid y^e mallice of desteny, which if hée be religiously worshipped of vs, in ho∣nestie & holines, which we knew Socra∣tes did. And y^e Platonikes think, he doth wonderfully help vs, by dremes, tokēs, & signes, & putting away euill things, and carefully procuring vs good things: wherfore y^e Pithagorians were wont to pray to Iupiter, y^t he wold deliuer them from euill, or would shew thē frō what Demon might be performed. The De∣mon of begetting, which also is called Genius, doth descend from y^e disposition of the world, & from the starcy circuits, which are occupied in generation. Ther be some which thinketh, y^t the soule bee∣ing now about to descende into y^e body, doth naturallye choose vnto himselfe, a kéeper out of the company of y^t Demo∣nes, and not so much to choose vnto him this guide, as againe also, to be wished by him to defend him. This Demon be∣ing y^e executor & kéeper of life, doth win life vnto y^e body, & when it is in y^e body, hath a care of it, & helpeth man for the very same office, to y^t which, y^e heuenly bodies haue appointed him in his birth. Whosoeuer then haue receiued a fortu∣nate Genius, are made in their workes

vertuous, mightie, & prosperous, where∣fore of the Philosophers, they are sayd, to be Bene fortunati, or Bene nati. The Demon of profession is giuen by the starres to whom such a profession or sent, is subiect, which any man shall professe, that the soule sometimes, doth priuelye wish, when now in this body, he hath be∣gun to vse choyce, & hath put on man∣ners. This Demon is chaunged when the profession is changed, & according to the worthines of the profession, they are present with vs, more worthy, and also more higher Demones of profession••, which successiuely haue a care of y^t mā, which daily getteth this & that Demon of profession, as he doth climbe vp from vertue to vertue. Wherefore when pro∣fession doth agrée with our nature, there is present with vs, the like Demon of profession, and agréeable with our Ge∣nius, & the life is made more quyet, hap∣py and prosperous. But when we take vpon vs a profession vnlyke or contra∣ry to the Genius, our life is made labo∣rious, & troubled with iarring aiders, so commeth it to passe, that some man may profit in some Science, or Art, or mini∣stery, in short space and labor, which in other things he laboureth in vaine, with much •• weale & studie, and although no Science, no Art, no vertue, be to be dis∣pised, yet to the end thou maist, liue pro∣sperously, & deale luckely, chiefly knowe thy good Genius, & thy good nature, and what good the disposition of y^e heauens, and God the distributer of all these, doth promise these, which distributeth to eue∣ry one as him listeth: follow the begin∣ning of these, professe all these things, be occupied in that vertue, to the which the almightie distributer aduanceth thée and guydeth thée, who made Abraham excell in righteousnes & gentlenes, Isa∣ac in feare, Iacob in strength, Moses in meekenesse & miracles, Iosua in warre, Phine••s in zeale, Dauid in religion and victory, Solomon in knowledge & praise, Peter in faith, Iohn in charitie, Iames in deuotion, Thomas in wisdome, Mag∣dalen in contemplation, and Martha in seruice. Wherfore haue a care to climbe vnto the toppe of that vertue, wherein thou shalt féele thy selfe to profit easely, that thou maist perseuer in one, that art not able to perseuer in all: yet despise not as much as thou canst, to profit in y^e rest, & if thou shalt haue agréeable kee∣pers of nature & profession, thou shalt feele & double profit & increase of nature & profession. But if they be vnlyke, fol∣low the better, for sometime thou shalt perteine more good to growe vnto thee by a worthy profession, then by thy birth or natiuitie.

Notes

• * 1.1

  Chap. 22