Ghazzali's Alchemy of Happiness. 



83 



is cold and dry, Venus is warm and moist. And the school 

 of astrologers is to be credited in these representations ; but 

 when they ascribe all events to influences proceeding from 

 the heavenly bodies, they are liars. They do not perceive 

 that they all alike are subject to the almighty power of God 

 as God says in his word : " And the sun, moon and stars 

 are subject to his command." 1 There is also an influence 

 exercised by the stars, which resembles the control, exer- 

 cised by the nerve that comes from the brain over the fin- 

 ger in writing ; while the force of nature is like the control 

 exerted upon the pen by the finger. . . . 



"When the health of a person undergoes a change, and 

 he becomes the prey of melancholy and suspicion, and the 

 pleasures of the world become distasteful, so that from dis- 

 gust with it, he withdraws from all society, his physician 

 says, "this person is diseased with melancholy; he must 

 take an infusion of dodder, of thyme and bark of endive as 

 a medicine." The naturalist says : " As this person's ma- 

 lady is of a dry nature, it arises from a predominance oi 

 dryness, which has settled on the brain. The occasion of 

 his having a dry temperament is the season of winter. 

 Until spring comes, and dry weather predominates, there 

 is no possibility of a cure." The astrologer says, " this 

 person being under the influence of melancholy, which 

 arises from a hurtful conjunction between Mars and Jupi- 

 ter, there will be no favorable change in his health until 

 the conjunction of Jupiter with Venus shall have reached 

 the Trine." Now know, beloved, that the language of all 

 these persons is correct, for they all speak and believe ac- 

 cording to the degree and reach of their reason and under- 

 standing. However, the real and essential cause of the 

 malady may be stated thus. "When fortune is favorable 

 to any person, and the Deity desires to guide him into the 



'S. 16: 12. 



