490 NATURAL HISTORY. 



902. Men are to be admonished, on the other 

 side, that they do not easily give place and credit to 

 these operations, because they succeed many times ; 

 for the cause of this success is oft to be truly ascribed 

 unto the force of affection and imagination upon the 

 body agent ; and then by a secondary means it may 

 work upon a diverse body : as for example, if a man 

 carry a planet s seal, or a ring, or some part of a 

 beast, believing strongly that it will help him to ob 

 tain his love ; or to keep him from danger of hurt in 

 fighfc ; or to prevail in a suit, &c. it may make him 

 more active and industrious : and again, more confi 

 dent and persisting, than otherwise he would be. 

 Now the great effects that may come of industry 

 and perseverance, especially in civil business, who 

 knoweth not ? For we see audacity doth almost 

 bind and mate the weaker sort of minds ; and the 

 state of human actions is so variable, that to try 

 things oft, and never to give over, doth wonders : 

 therefore it were a mere fallacy and mistaking to 

 ascribe that to the force of imagination upon another 

 body which is but the force of imagination upon the 

 proper body ; for there is no doubt but that imagina 

 tion and vehement affection work greatly upon 

 the body of the imaginant ; as we shall shew in due 

 place. 



903. Men are to be admonished, that as they are 

 not to mistake the causes of these operations ; so 

 much less they are to mistake the fact or effect ; and 

 rashly to take that for done which is not done. And 

 therefore, as divers wise judges have prescribed and 



