VIRGA,
the Rod of Moses, which, accord∣ing to the Rabins, God made between the two Vespers of the Sabbath, that is, on the Evening of the sixth Day of the Creation of the World, and on which the Holy, Great and Glorious Name of God. called Tetragrammaton was in∣scribed after a wonderful Manner; and there∣fore 'tis said in the Zoar upon Exodus, that the Miracles were graven and the most holy Name of God inscribed upon it. Galatinus writ a great deal concerning this Rod, and he relates some Things remarkable out of a Jewish Book entitu∣led Gale resaia, i. e. Revelans arcana. It's to be observed, according to the Sentiments of the Jews, that this Rod by reason of the particular and divine Vertue it had to work Miracles, was never given to any other but Moses; that Jo∣suah himself, though his Disciple and most worthy Successor, never made use of it, but only of a Lance and Javelin: It's true, when other sa∣cred Things as Aaron's Rod, the Pot of Manna, and Vessel of sacred Incense were laid up in the Ark by Josuah, we could never learn what became of Moses his Rod; and we do not find either in the holy Scriptures, or Books of the Rabbins any mention made of it: And Abarbinel inferrs from Moses his going up to the Mount Abarim to die there, that he took Gods Rod in his Hand, and that it was buried with the Body of that Prophet in the same Grave, God being unwilling that any other Man should make use of it after him; for as there never was a Man in Israel like unto Moses, either in respect to the Heighth of Prophesie or Signs and Wonders done by him, so no other but himself made use of that Rod for working all those Miracles: As Moses was the Conductor of the People of God into the promi∣sed Land, the Pagans also ascribe unto Mercury the Charge of conducting Souls into Hell: They likewise endue him with a Rod twisted round with Serpents, called Caduceus, in Imitation of Moses his Rod that was changed into a Serpent, and was so famous amongst them, that what∣ever miraculous and strange Thing was per∣formed by him, it was attributed to that Rod. Virgil describes the Vertue of that Rod in his Aeneids.
Tum virgam capit, hac animas ille evocat orca Pallentes, alias sub tristia tartara mittit, Dat somnos, adimitque, & lumina morte resignat: Illâ fretus agit ventos, & turbida tranat Nubila:
He therefore used his Rod as well when he fetch'd Souls from Hell as when he carried them thither: By the Help of this Rod he made the one sleep, and awaked the other, and made whom he would to die: He expelled the Winds, and pas∣sed through the Clouds.