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.

¶ How to get ones owne Genius, and to seecke out his nature.

AS in heauenly things euery countrey hath a certaine star & heuenly image,* 1.1

giuing influence, to it more then other: so also in supercelestiall things, it get∣teth a certaine intelligencie & vnderstā∣ding, ruling & desending it, with infinite other ministring spirits or Demones of his order, which with a common name, Beni Heloim Sabaoth, that is, y^e sonnes of the God of hoasts. For this cause, as often as the most highest doth determine of any warre, slaughter, desolation of a∣ny kingdome, & subduing of any people, in these lowermost parts, then no other∣wise, then these things shoulde come to passe vppon the earth, there goeth be∣fore a conflict of those spirites aboue, as it is written in Esay, Vicitabit vnto in terra: of which conflict of spirits & rulers we also read in Dan. 10. to wit, of the Prince of the Kingdome of the Persi∣ans, of the Prince of the Greekes, of the Prince of the People of Israel, and their conflict together, whereof also in times past Homer séemeth to haue writ∣ten.

Tantus Coelesti rumor, precrebuit Aula, Cum saeua alterni ruerunt, in praelia Diui. Neptunum contra bellabat Phoebus A∣pollo. Aduersus Martem certabat Pallas A∣thenae. Iunoni obstiterat bello pharetrata Di∣ana. Latonam telis volucer Cyllenius vr∣get. So great a rumour was in heauens court aboue, When that the Gods together rusht, in cruell bloudy warre. Then did the God Apollo sight, a∣gainst God of the Sea. Pallas also Athena hight, against Mars did contend. Diana with hir bowe and shaftes, resisted Iunos force. And Mercury did with his Dartes, Latona sore assaile.

Notwithstanding forsomuch as in e∣uery country there are all kindes of spi∣rits & Demones: yet those are ther strō∣ger then the rest, which are of the same order with the ruler of that region. So in the region of the sunne, the spirits of the sunne are of more force than the rest. In the region of the Moone, those spirites of the Moone: and so of the residue. And héerof it ariseth & followeth, that when we change places & countries, diuers e∣uents of our matters and affaires ofter themselues & followe, els where, héere or there, more fortunate: to wit, where the Demon or Genius shall haue grea∣ter power: or we shall get ther a stron∣ger Demon of the same order. So men borne vnder the sunne, if they goe into a countrie or prouince, where the Sunne ruleth, that is vnder the sunne, become there much more fortunate, because they shall haue there, their guides or Genij stronger, & more profitable: by whose ex∣cellent rule in that place, all their mat∣ters oftentimes are brought to happie endes, euen contrary to opinion and the measure of their strength. Héereof it is, that y^e choice of y^e place, countrie, & time, where a man doth exercise himselfe, ac∣cording to the nature and extinct of his Genius, and also dwelleth and haunteth, doth very much auaile to the happinesse of his life. Moreouer, the chaunging of his name oftentimes doth auayle, for séeing that the properties of names, are the declarer of things, as it were by a glasse, declaring the conditions of theyr formes. Thereof it commeth to passe, that the names being altered, it hapneth oftentimes, that the things are altered. Héerevpon the holy Scripture not with∣out cause, bringeth in God, when hee went about to blesse Abram and Iacob, to chaunge their names, to call the one Abraham and the other Israel. And the wise men of auncient time do teach one to knowe the nature of euerye mans Genius by the starres, and their influ∣ence, and by the aspectes of the same, which are in euery ones natiuitie: but with such diuers and contrarie doctrine among themselues, that it is very hard for a man, to be able to take out of their handes these Sacramentes of the Hea∣uens. For Porphirus sheweth out the Genius by the starre being mysteries of the genitour.

But Maternus séeketh them out, ei∣ther thereby or by the Planets, which haue there many dignities, or either by him, whose house the Moone shall enter into, after y^t which she possesseth when a man is borne. And the Chaldees sear∣cheth not out the Genius, but by y^e sun, or by the Moone. But others, and many of the Hebrewes, thinke good to searche him out of some quarter of the heuens, or of them all. Other séeke for the good Genius, from the 11. house, which there∣fore they call Bonus Demon, & require the naughtie Genius from the 6. house, which they call Malus Demon. Where∣fore séeing the search of these is verye painfull and secret, we shall much more easely search out the nature of our Ge∣nius by our selues, heedefullye working those things, which our minde doth pre∣mit vs, from our first age diuersly dra∣wen with no cōtagions, or those things which the minde being pourged from vaine cares, and sinister affections, im∣pediments being layd aside: the minde also doth prompt, the instinct of nature doth teach, and heauen incline. These without doubt are the perswasions of the Genius, which is giuen euerye man from the beginning of his natiuitie, lea∣ding vs, and (perswading) vs to that, wherevnto his starre doth enclyne vs.

The Starre is but the instrument, the Planet is the same: The signes also doth represent, Iehouas mightie name. In that all things created weare, each other to supply: The strong, each feeble doth vpreare, who can the same deny. As God is soule to euery man, and life to creatures all: So rules he them that ruleth vs, when starres by name he call. Disdaine not then the noble skill of Planets course and tide: For they doe rule thee by Gods will, yet God is still thy guide. The gift of thine immortall state, is faith to God aboue: Which teacheth thee by reason heere, how God imparts his loue. Glis. in lib. ani.

Notes

• * 1.1

  Lib. 3. Cap. 21.