Thus endeth the doctrinal of sapyence the whyche is ryght vtile and prouffytable to alle crysten men, whyche is translated out of Frenshe in to englysshe by wyllyam Caxton at westmestter [sic] fynysshed the. vij. day of may the yere of our lord, M,cccc lxxx ix Caxton me fieri fecit

¶ Of Sorceryes and deuinacions Ca ij (Book 2)

By cause that many of the symple people byleue and haue byleued and hath had fayth in sorceries and in deuyna ryons we shal make to you therof mencyon thou oughtest to bi leue stedfastly that god maye alle thyng doo. & that without him maie nothing be doo by ony how holy or good that he be. how thēne byleuest thou & hast affiance & trust in sorceues & de¦uinacōns: certes that whyche they doo & saie. thei doo nothing ne kenowe but by their fals byleue & by reuelacōn of deuyllis & yf thou demāde me wherfor suffreth god it: I āsuere the that he suffreth it not but for to proeue the. & the deuyl also doeth it

for to dāpne the. The doctours of holy chyrche sayen that alle the deuinours & thei that byleue in them ben excomynied & ac¦cursed of god and of holy chyrche. And as ydolatres & cursyd crysten men. they attrybute to the deuyl and to mankynde tho∣nour and the fayth that they owe to god. ¶ Ther ben somme that ben sorcerers of herbes. of wordes. and other thynges / And also ther ben somme that make wrytynges and bryeuet∣tes full of crosses and other wrytynges. And sayen that alle they that bere suche breuettys on them may not perysshe in fyre: ne in water: ne in other peryllous place: And ther ben also sōme breuettis and wrytynges whyche they doo bynde vpon certeyn persones for to hele them of somme sekenesses and ma ladyes: And for admonycyon. ne for predycacyon. ne for ex∣com̄ynycacyon that may be doo to them they wyl not leue it: Alle they that make suche thynges / or doo make it. or bere it. or do it to be born / And haue trust and affyaunce therin. And they that selle it. gyue or lene it synnen ryght greuously. But yf they be symple people and so ignoraunt of symplesse / that by Ignoraunce they be excused. the whyche thyng excuse not them yf they be suffycyentely warned and taught. ¶ we saie not that yf ony gadre herbes medycynal in sayeng the credo or the pater noster that it be dedely synne. But that they doo other thynges aud sorceryes. ¶ Ther ben somme that byleue that they haue their destyne after the cours of the sterres / The whyche thyng is false and euyl errour. For seint Gregorye sayth that no good crysten ought to byleue that thei haue ony other destynee: but that onely god whyche hath gyuen to them the lyf be plesed wyth. it yf were trouth saith seynt Gregorye that the sterres were our destynee: we shold be sub gettes to the sterres: whyche is a fals errour to byleue. For the sterres be made for to serue vs. And not we for the sterres [Exā.] when Jacob the holy patryarke shold yssue out of his moders ¶ wombe. he helde

helde the plante of the fote of his brother Esau. For hym beho∣ued to yssue fyrst. And bothe were born at tones to gydre out of of one wombe in one houre neuertheles the lyf of that one was not lyke to that other / For Jacob was welbyloued of god. an holy man and of good lyf: But Esau was other. Then he∣retykes ansueren and sayen in thys manere that in the space that one shold prycke a poynt the constellacion of the sterres cha unge and torne. But seint gregorye saith that the natyuyte of the chylde is so grete. that yf it torne and chaunge in the space of a poynt lyke as they saye. that the child hath as many desty∣nees vpon hym / as he hath membres on hym: It is redde of [Exā] one that was a moche grete clerke whyche was deceyued by grete errour. For he aftermed certainly that he whyche was prede stynate to be saued: that he mnste nedes by necessyte be sa ued: And yf he were predestynat to be dampned / that he muste nedes by necessyte be dampned / And therfore he abandonned and gaf hym self to doo many grete synnes. It happed that he becam greuously seke. And sente for to seche a Physycyan and prayed hym that he wold doo hys deuoyr to hele hym. And the physyeyen whyche was well expert in medycynes / and was a goode Theologyen. And knewe well hys erronr sayd to hym. ¶ Syre yf ye ought to deye of thys maladye I may in noo wyse helpe you. For I sholde thenne lese my peyne. And yf ye shal be hool and guarysshyd yr shal be wel heled wythout me. And the clerke ansuered. Syre how sayr ye soo / I knowe certeynly. but yf I haue remedye for my sekenes. that I shal shortly deye. And the physycien thenne an∣suered to hym. Syre yf ye byleue that by the vertu of medycy∣ne your lyf may be lengthed / wherfore byleue ye not that pena unce may lengthe the lyf of our soules. Thēne the clerke thou ghte in the vertu of the wordes of the valyaunt phisicien and ¶ thelogyen. and said to hym

See •• take hede that fro hens forthon ye be physicyen of sowlis For by the medecyne of your tongue our lord hath delyuered me of grete errour. Byleue thenne stedfastly in god of whom all good cometh: and haue no faith ne truste in these euil deuy∣nours and sorcirers. For yf ye consydere well hys bounte and hys grace ye shal doubte preyse and loue hym