A litell treatyse of astrouomy [sic] very necessary for physyke and surgerye, declarynge what herbes, and all kynde of medecynes are appropryate and vnder the influence of the planetes, sygnes and constellacyons : and also the partes and members of the bodye thereto correspondynge, and howe ye shall brynge the vertue of the heuens aud [sic] nature of the sters to euery parte of mans bodye beynge deseasad or sycke to the soner recoueraunce of helth : and also howe to chose the most luckey dayes and tymes for the aboue sayde, the whiche shal be appoynted by the almanacke yerelye, accordynge to the course of the moone, passynge by all the signes and sterres in one reuolucion / gathered and set forth by Anthony Askham physicio[n] ...

❧: THE EPISTLE to the Reader.

IT is manyfeste and well knowen, good Reder, that al herbes stones, gummes, and metalles, hath theyr generacions, disposi∣cyons, vertues and proprietyes of the Sonne, Moone, and Sterres, so that euery herbe hathe certayne Sterres appropryate and addicte vnto them, of whom they receyue suche influence and operacyon, as is accordynge to the nature of the Sterres, the whiche is knowen of longe tyme by dayly experience, in consideryng theyr mouinges, their cōiunctions and aspectes. And also markyng theyr influences, and pro¦pertes at such lyke tymes aforsaid Also by further experiēce, the Phy∣losopher hath founde forth seuen

Sterres orrotical in seuen seueral heauens or speres, and of sundrye influences and operacions, and ac∣cordynge to suche men of such lyke condycyon, they haue gyuen them names, as Saturne, Iupiter, and Mars, and so furth.

Also all the rest of the Sterres are fyxed in the eyght heauen, or spere emonges whom are ymagened. xii. beastes called sygnes, and. xxviii. other constellacions, and by suche lyke experyence of influences, hath named a certayne nōber of Sterres to be a Ramme, to be a Bull, to be a Lyon, to be a Scorpion, to be a Beare, to be a Dogge and so forth Also the heauenlye Sterres hath certayne commyxtion with the ele∣mentes, and the Elementes with them, so that all thynges made of the Elementes, receyueth certayne qualytes and operacions sensible, by an Elementall power, and also they

receyue certayne operacyons, and vertues insencible and occulte, by a celestiall and heauenly power, as all herbes and medecines solutisse are either, hote, dry, moyst, or colde, by the elementall power, and also by the celestyal power, some purge color, some melancoly, some fleume and some from the head, some from the stomake, some from the herte, some from the lyuer, and so forth of the whiche no man knoweth no o∣ther cause but the alonely proper∣tye and vertue of the heauens.

Also furthermore it is knowne and experte howe the planetes sygnes, and constellacions doth worke per¦ticulerly in diuers partes of mans bodye, and specially the seuen pla∣netes, vnto whose influence all o∣ther Sterres are obedyente and a¦greable, furthermore knowe that the Sonne, and Moone are cheife of al other planetes, for the Sonne

is the minister of al lyuely proper∣tye, and giueth al thinges lyfe, and makethe all herbes to growe, tyl they come to their perfection.

Also the Sonne draweth first frō the roote the lyuely moysture, that maketh the herbe to growe, & wax.

Saturne holdeth the mater toge¦ther in the roote stalke and leaues.

Iupiter geueth the temperature, benefete, shap, and fasshyon, and the ayrie humour and smell.

Mars hardeneth and gyueth the wooddy stalkes and strength.

The Sonne gyueth a contynu∣al increase of lyfe, by a liuely hete.

Venus gyueth the flowers, fayre∣nes and temperate humour.

Mercurye geueth the barke and sede, the preueand occulte properte

The Moone geueth the leaues, and warry humoure.

And thus vnderstande of all other thinges bothe of stones, gummes,

and metalles, and also of the body and sundrye partes of mankynde, furthermore knowe that the fyrste and most pryncypall workeman is the father of heauen, the which ha∣uyng in the Godhead, in the mynd deuine, and in the henuen arche∣typi, the edees simylytudes, and the ymages of all thynges create, before the creation of the worlde, the whiche at the proper instant of the creatyon he hath infused these symylitudes and ymages, beynge euen percelles, and powers of the Godhead in all his creatures, and as he hathe made all thynges of nought, so are yet al thīg{is} nought, the whiche wanteth these edees, si∣militudes, ymages and powers of the Godheade, for he is Omnia in omnibus, secondarye he hath create instrumentes as second causes the which are the Sonne, Moone, and Sterres, whose matter, influence

and operacyons is nothynge but by his power infused, the which he hath made alonelye to declare his glory and hyghe workemanshippe to his intellectyfe creatnes.

Also knowe that the Sonne is the princypall workeman of God, and the planetes are instrumentes and toles wherewith the Sonne wor∣keth, and the signes and constella∣tions are other meane instrumen∣tes to the planetes, and the Ele∣ment are the mater that they worke vpon, and all thynges made of the foure elementes, are the substaun∣ces and bodyes with lyfe schape & faryon that they make of the Ele∣mentes, as man, beast, fyshe, fowle, herbe and stone.

Also knowe that the Moone is the lowest of all the planetes and next to the Elementes, hauynge the lest and swyftest course of all the other planetes, and is the mediatrix, ca∣riare

and daily instrumentes, and cōueyre of the vertues and proper¦tyes of al the other planetes, from the one to the other, and is also the commixter and ioynere together of all the heauens and elementes as by example, when the Sonne com¦meth to vs warde in sprynge tyme and at all other tymes he gyuethe lyghte to all the Sterres and pla∣netes, and this lyght by an occulte vertue, is mouyng and lyuely, and is cōueyed by the Moone to the ele¦ment of the fyre, and there is made a lyuely heate.

Also the Moone, and the elemente of the fyre doth conuey it to the ele¦mētes of the ayre, where it is made a temperate lyuely heate, and from the ayre to the water, and so recey∣ueth an humorall moisture in con∣ceruing the temperate liuely heate fynallye the earthe, the whiche is the mother and matter of all the

other thinges, and this liuely hete entrynge and openynge the pores of the earth, and also of the rootes and seedes of herbes, geueth quic∣nynge, and mouynge vpwarde agayne from the centre, and by the elemente of the water, mynystred by the Moone a conseruyng moi∣sture, and by the Ayre and fyre a temperate lyuely heate, the herbe beginneth to sprynge and appere sensible. Then the Moone in her course passynge by the Sterres, signes or constellation of Saturn mynystreth the influence of Sa∣turne to the herbe, the whiche thic∣keth and kepeth the matter ī rotes stalkes and leaues togither, by the element of the earth.

Also in passyng by Iupiter she mi∣nistreth his influence to the herbe, in giuing temperature shape faci∣on and smelle, by the elemente of the ayre, and in passyng by Mars,

by Venus, by Mercury, or by their Sterres and cōstellacions ye shal vnderstande in lyke maner.

Also yf the Moone shuld not haue this ministracion dayly emonges the planetes, this succession of the growing of herbes shulde not fo∣lowe ordinatelye, and oftentymes we se daylye decay and lete of these procedinges, the whiche the cause is of the coniunctions and aspec∣tes of contrary planetes to the pro¦cedinges thereof, as at suche tyme, when Venus and Mercury shulde bringe forth the flower fruyte and seede. Then at that proper instant or at the entraunce of the reuolu∣cion fygure, Saturne and Mars, being in dygnites, doth thicke and make cold, dry, and earthy and vt∣terly sleeth that tender matter and lyuely humour, whereof the flouer and sede shulde haue ben ordeyned and made, and thus fynallye the

Moone hauing dayly administra∣tion of all maner of propertyes of herbes, both elemental, and celesti∣al, it shalbe declared by the course of the Moone in the sygnes, the tyme of ministryng of herbes and medecines for al partes of the bo∣dye, the whiche tymes shalbe kno∣wen by the Almanacke as is afore saide, wherefore nowe to conclude gentell reader I haue wrytten this lytell treasyse, not for leraned men but al onelye for the vnlerned En∣glishe reader, that they may partly perceyue the workynge of the om∣nipotente power, in hys instru∣mentes, the heuens and elementes in the elementates, or inal thinges that are made of the .iiii. elemente to the hyghe laude and prayse of the Deyte, to whom be all glorye worlde without ende Amen.

☞ FINIS.