A treatise against iudicial astrologie Dedicated to the right Honorable Sir Thomas Egerton Knight, Lord Keeper of the great Seale, and one of her Maiesties most honorable priuie Councell. VVritten by Iohn Chamber, one of the prebendaries of her Maiesties free Chappell of VVindsor, and fellow of Eaton College.

CHAP. XVII.

Astrologie compared with other artes.

BVt if professions grounded vpon reason do often faile, no maruell if this witlesse starre-staring be still out, which hath no ground but blind chance, and the whir∣ling of fortune. The phisitian foreseeth the disease: the captain treason: the gouernour the tempest; yet these are often deceiued, though they proceed with reason. As the husbandman, when he seeth the Oliue blossome, he hopeth so see the frute too, and he hath reason; yet sometime it falleth out otherwise. The Phisitian hath the water, the pulse, actio laesa, qualitas mutata, substan∣tio naliter in haerentia, and a great many more helpes for indication, yet all too little sometime, the water deceiuing so oft, that it is well called of some, mere∣trix medicorum. As for the difference of pulses they are so nice, and so subtile, that one saith of them, Nemo no∣vit, nisi Deus, et Galenus, qui habuit delicatissimum tactum: No man can discerne them but God, and Galen, who had a most subtile touche. Indeed the doctrine of pul∣ses is verie exquisitelie set downe by Galen, neither containeth it any thing, which may not seeme full of reason; yet whether Galen euer in practise could di∣stinguish those differences, may well be doubted: spe∣culation is one thing, and practise is an other. I doubt not but many a musitian in setting, could so dash a song with proportions and moodes, that it would ap∣pose

himselfe to sing it; the like for any thing I see, may be thought of Galens pulses. The plaine and ap∣prehensible differences of pulses, are by all meanes to be heeded, as shewing the state and affects of the hart, according to that, orta attestantur suis principijs. As for the rest which are so obscure and subtile, if they be let passe, the matter is not great: wherein we shall seeme to imitate musitians, who hauing three kinds of mu∣sicke, dia tonum, Enarmonium, and Chronaticum, at this day retaine, and vse onlie that first, as being more plain and manly, neglecting the two latter, partlie for some effeminatenesse, partly for some difficultie in framing, and applying it to our voice. But a great deale more fit it were to compare this art with her fellow counterfaits aruspicina, hydromantia, chiromantia, choschinomantia, and such like; for these be in deed sutable, and match∣able, euery one as false as his fellow: neither was euer Astrology either more in request, or more honored then were these counterfeit toyes. Wherefore there is good hope, that as all those other are vanished and gone: so this will follow. Among the Romaines they were to do nothing either at home, or abroad, Nisi auspicato, and in what great account was their Collegium augurum? Yet because all was but meere follies, we see what is now become of them, euen time will weare such things out, though we do not at all help, according to that, opi∣nionum commenta delet dies, fantasticall conceits time it selfe wil dispatch. The feeding & flying, & guts of birds were they not a goodly thing to make Almanakes by, or to direct actions? What a notable iest is that of ter∣ripauium, and terripudium, and tripudium and how it came to tripudium solistimum? Now how ill fauoredly

haue they agreed in sinistrum, and dextrum, the Greekes taking dextrum for happie, the Latines contrarie sini∣strum, according to that of Virg. Aene. 2. ver. 692, subi∣toque fragore intonuit laeuum. Which difference also hath ben obserued of Tully. 2. de diuinat. in those words: Ad nostri augurij consuetudinem dixit Ennius.

Cum tonuit laeuum bene tempestate serena.

At Homericus Aiax apud Achillem, querens de ferocitate Troianorum, nescio quid hoc modo prospera Iupiter his dextris fulgoribus edit, ita nobis sinistra videntur, Gra∣ijs et barbaris dextra meliora, quanquam haud ignoro, quae bona sunt, sinistra nos dicere, etiamsi dextra sint. Neither shall we notwithstanding see this difference obserued well among the Latines, for of vntowardly and vnfor∣tunate things saith Virg. Ecl. 1. Saepe sinistra caua praedixit ab ilice cornix. With which agreeth that of Eustath. 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉.

But thus much only for a taste, that we may see what artes those can be, whose grounds are not yet agreed vpon. And yet I would thinke that euen these arts had more certaintie then Astrology, because they deale with that which they see, and handle, to wit, the bowels of birds, and feeding, and such like, wheras the Astrolo∣ger hath the stars so remote, that he must needs often mistake and erre.