Three books of occult philosophy written by Henry Cornelius Agrippa of Nettesheim ... ; translated out of the Latin into the English tongue by J.F.

CHAP. XXVIII. Of the Composition and Harmony of the humane soul.

AS the Consonancy of the body consists of a due measure and proportion of the members: so the consonancy of the minde of a due temperament, and proportion of its ver∣tues and operations which are concupiscible, irascible, and reason, which are so proportioned together. For Reason to Concupiscence hath the proportion Diapason; but to Anger Diatessaron: and Irascible to Concupiscible hath the proportion Diapente. When therefore the best propor∣tionated soul is joyned to the best proportionated body, it is manifest that such a man also hath received a most happy lot in the distribution of gifts, for as much as the soul agrees with the body in the disposition of Naturals, which agreement in∣deed is most hid, yet after some maner shadowed to us by the wise. But to hasten to the Harmony of the soul, we must in∣quire into it by those Mediums by which it passeth to us, (i. e.) by Celestial Bodies, and Sphears; Knowing therefore what are the powers of the soul to which the Planets answer, we shal by those things which have been spoken of before, the more easily know their agreements amongst themselves. For the Moone governs the powers of increasing and decreasing; the Phantasie and Wits depends on Mercury; the Concupiscible vertue on Venus; the Vitall on the Sun; the Irascible on Mars; the Na∣tural on Jupiter: the Receptive on Saturn: but the Will as the Primum Mobile, and the guide of all these Powers at pleasure, being joyned with the superior intellect, is always tend∣ing to good; which intellect indeed doth alwayes shew a path∣way to the Will, as a Candle to the eye; but it moves not it self, but is the Mistriss of her own operation, whence it is cal∣led Free Will; and although it alwayes tends to good, as an object sutable to it self: yet sometimes being blinded with ••rror, the animal power forcing it, it chooseth evil, believing it to be good. Therefore Will is defined to be a faculty of the in∣tellect,

& Will wherby good is chosen by the help of Grace; and Evil, that not assisting. Grace therefore, which Divines call Cha∣rity, or infused Love is in the Will, as a first mover; which be∣ing absent, the whole consent falls into Dissonancy. More∣over, the soul answers to the Earth by Sense, to the Water by Imagination, to the Air by Reason, to the Heaven by the Intellect, and the soul goes out into an Harmony of them, according as these are tempered in a mortall body. The wise Ancients therefore knowing that the Harmonious dispositions of bodies and souls are divers, according to the divert••••y of the complexions of men, did not in vain use Musical sounds and singings, as to confirm the health of the body, and restore it being lost, so to bring the minde to wholsome manners, untill they make a man sutable to the Celestial Harmony, and make him wholly Celestial. Moreover, there is nothing more effica∣cious to drive away evil spirits then Musicall Harmony (for they being faln from that Celestial Harmony, cannot endure any true consent, as being an enemy to them, but fly from it) as David by his Harp appeased Saul, being troubled with an evil spirit. Hence by the ancient Prophets and Fathers, who knew these Harmonicall mysteries, singing and Musical sounds were brought into sacred servises.