Pus-mantia the mag-astro-mancer, or, The magicall-astrologicall-diviner posed, and puzzled by John Gaule ...

8. Of the sundry natures, customes, and manners of men, either quite contrary, or nothing according to the posi∣tions, conjunctions, dominations, and dispositions of the Starres.

AMong the Seranes there is a law not to kill, nor to for∣nicate, not to worship Images; whence in that region, there's no temple to be seen, no harlot, no adultresse, none is a thiefe, none a man slayer; neither doth the fiery starre of Mars, constituted in the midst of heaven, compell the wil of anyone of them to the murder of men: neither doth Venus, con∣joyned to Mars, cause any one of them to solicite another mans wife: and yet every day Mars must needs come there into the midst of heaven; and that in so great a Region that men are born there every houre, is not to be denied.

Among the Indians and Bactrians, there are many thousands of men, which they call Brachmans; they both by traditions, and laws of their Fathers, neither worship Images, nor eate any thing that is animate, they neither drink wine or beere, but farre from all malignity, are onely attending upon God: but yet all the other Indians in the same Region, are involved in adulteries, murder, drunkennesse, idolatry; yea, there are found some of them, dwelling in the same climate, which hunting men, and sacrificing, devoure them. And yet not any of the Planets, which they call good and happy, could prohibite these from slaughter, and mischiefe; neither could the malefick starres impell the Brachmans to malefice, or malefacture.

Among the Persians there was a law, of marrying daughters, sisters, and mothers themselves: neither did they celebrate these nefarious marriages in Persia onely, but also in all other cli∣mates of the world wheresoever they came: whose wickednesse other Nations abominating, called them Magusiaeans; and there are in Aegypt, Phrygia, and Galatia, very many of the Magufiaeans, that by succession from their fathers, are still pol∣luted with the same wickednesse. And yet we cannot say, that

in the Nativities of them all, there was Venus in termes, and in the house of Saturne, and with Saturne, Mars aspecting.

Among the Getulians, this is the law or custom: the women till the fields build houses, and doe all such like works; and moreover they may meet with whom they please: neither are they accused for it by their husbands, nor called therefore adulteresses though they mingle indifferently with all, and especially with strangers. Also their women contemne all perfumes, neither weare they dyed garments; but goe bare footed. On the contrary, their men delight in vestures, and odours, and various colours; yet doe they it not out of effemi∣nacy; for they are valiant and warlike above other Nations. Neverthelesse all the women that are born among them, had not Ʋenus ill affected in Capricorne or Aquarius: nor were all the men born under Venus, constituted with Mars in Aries; which the fopperies of the Caldaeans can claim makes men both valiant and delicate at once.

Among the Bactrians, the women use gallant ornaments, and precious oyntments, and are more reverenced by their handmayds and servants, then their husbands are, and ride abroad in a singular pompe, their horses adorned with trap∣pings of gold and precious stones: neither doe they live chastly, but mingle with servants as well as strangers: nor are they accused by their husbands, because they Lord it over them. Notwithstanding the nativity of every Bactrian woman had not Ʋenus, with Iupiter and Mars in the midst of heaven, and termes of Ʋenus.

Amongst the Arabians all adulteresses are put to death, and those punished, that are onely but suspected. In Parthia and Armenia, homicides are executed, sometimes by the Judges, sometimes by the kindred of him that was murdered: but he that shall kil a wife, a sonne, or a daughter, or a brother, or sister unmarried, is not so much as accused for it; for so is the law. Contrarily we see among the Grecians and Romans parricide is not expiated, but by the greater penalty. Among the Atrians or Adroams, he that stole the least thing was stoned: but among the Bactrians, he that stole but petty things was onely spit upon: yet among the Romans, such an one was beaten and wounded. From the river Euphrates, to the orientall Ocean,

he to whom murder or theft was objected, was not much ag∣gri••ved, or tormented: but if he had abused himselfe with a masculine, and that come to light, he was forced, through paine to kill himselfe. And yet the wise men of Greece were not asha∣med to pursue specious boyes. In the same orientall coast, the parents and kindred, if they had known their sonnes and kinsfolks subjecting themselves to turpitude, they both killed them, and would not vouchsafe so much as to bury them. A∣mongst the Gaules, the children marry publikly, and by the law are noted with no reproach for it; and yet truly it is not pos∣sible that all they among the Gaules, who betray the flower of their youth; should have Venus and Mercury, in the house of Saturne, and of Mars tearmes occident.

Among the Britaines, many men have but one wife. Among the Parthians, many women (on the contrary) have but one husband; and yet they all live chastely, and obedient to lawes. The Amaz••ns have no men; but, at spring time they goe into other Countries, and couple with their bordering neighbours: and thus, by a naturall law, they all bring forth about one time, and the males they slay, the females they cherish, and are all warlike women.

Mercury in his house, with Venus, is said by the Chaldaeans, to make man covetous, and money-mongers, and devisers, and paynters; but in the house of Venus, to make them unguentaries, or perfumers, and such as exercise their voyces, as Stage-players and actors of fables. And yet among the Saracens and Moores, and in upper Lybia, and in nether Germany, and among the Sarmatians, and the S••yt••ians, and other Nations that inhabit the Northern parts of the Sea P••ntus; in Alania also, and Al∣bania, and Othene, and Sauni••, and Aurea; there is found no money-hoorder, no paynter, no Architect, no Geometrician, no exerciser of his voyce, no actor of fables: but such a conjun∣ction of Mercury and Venus, is found to be altogether ineffectu∣all and vaine, in so many and great parts of the world.

All the Medes nourish Dogges with no little cost and care; to which they cast men dying, and yet gasping: notwithstan∣ding all of them had not, in a diurnall nativity, the Moon with Mars under the earth, in Cancer.

The Indians burn their dead, with whom their wives are

willingly burned together: yet all those women that thus willingly endured the fire of their husbands, had not in a nocturnall nativity, the Sunne, with Mars, in the tearm of Mars in Leo.

Many of the Germans use strangling: yet is it not possible that all they who so hang themselves, should have the Moone intercepted of Saturne and Mars.

Among all Nations men are born at all houres, and we see laws and manners prevaile every where from the power of a mans free will. Neither doth any mans nativity enforce him to doe any thing against it. Neither doth it compell the Serans to homicide; nor the Brachmans to the eating of flesh; nor are the Persians thereby restrained from unlawfull marriages; nor the Indians kept from the fire; nor the Medes from the dogges; nor the Parthians from marrying many wives; nor are the Mesop••tamian women debarred from chastity; nor the Graecians from their exercises; nor the Romans from their rule; nor the French from their muliebriousnesse; nor can all the Nations, which we call Barbarians, be thus brought to approve the lear∣ning of the Muses.

All the Iewes, by the Mosaicall law, doe circumcise their children on the eight day; yet are they not compelled to it by the force of any Starre; nor are they impelled thereunto by the time of the region; nor are they induced to doe otherwise by the custome or manners of any other Nation: for where∣soever they are, whether in Syria, Galatia, Italy, Greece, Parthia, they still keep their Law; which could not at all be done by any necessity of their Nativity. For it is not possible that all the Iewes should have the same Nativity. Futhermore, one of the seven daies, where ever they are, they cease from all manner of work, nor goe a journey, nor use any fire, yet doth not any genethliacall reason restraine a Iew from building, or pulling down a house, from buying, or selling, on that day: but many of them are born, many are sicke, and healed, and many die on that day.

The sect of the Christians, which are found in every part of the world, and in every City; if the Parthians after they once become such, they marry not many wives; neither doe the Medes (after that) cast their dead unto the dogs, nor the Persians

marry their daughters, nor the Bactrians and Gaules corrupt matrimony; nor the Aegyptians worship Apis, or a dogge, or a Goat, or a Cat: but wheresoever they are, they live after others laws and customes: nor can they be compelled, either by any genethliacall reason, or by their own, or by the principles of any, to think any thing fit to be done, which their master hath not counted fit to be spoken.