9?8 



3\£atur*B Htflcry : 



Experiments 

 in Conlorc , 

 Monitory i 

 touching 



TranfmiJJion of 

 Spirits, and 

 the Force of 

 Imagination. 

 991 



$02 



in China* And likewife, we mought work, any BffeB, without 

 and againft Matter : And this, not Holden by the Cooperation of 

 Aige/j, or Spirits , but only by the Vnity and Harmony of jffo* 

 /«r?, There were fome alfo, that (laid riot her e ; but went fur- 

 cher , and held 5 That if the of Man, ( whom they call the 

 Microcofm ) do give a fit touch to the Spirit of the World, by ftrong 

 jfmaginathns, and Beleefs, it might command Nature h For 

 ce//itf and fomedarkfome Jutbors,ot Magick, doafcribeto //wagi- 

 «*f/'oft Exalted, the T^erof Miracle-working Faith; With thefe 

 Vaftand BottomU* fie Follies , Mm have been ( in part ) enter- 

 tained- 



But wee, that hold firm to the Works of God- And to the 

 Senfe, which is Gods Lamp, ( Lucerna Dei Sptraculum Bominis ) 

 will enquire with all Sobriety, and Severitie, whether there be 

 to be found,' in the Foot-lteps of Nature, any f\ichTran/mi/sion 

 and Influx of Immateriate Virtues-, And what the Force of Ima 

 gination is • Either upon the $tdy Imagmant , or upon another 

 'Body- Wherein it will be like that Labour of Hercules, in Pujr-i 

 gmg the Stable of Augeas , to feparate from Superfluous , and 

 Magical A> ts , and Ob^mtions , any thing that is clean , and 

 putt Natural; And rot to be either Contemned , or Condem- 

 ned. And although we fhall have occafion to (peak of this in 

 more Places than One , yet we will now make fome Entrance 

 theieinto. 



M 



En are to be Admonifhcd, that they do not with-draw Credit^ from 

 the Operations by Tranfmifsion of Spirits , and Force of Imagination, 

 becaufe the Ejjetts jail fometimes. For as in InfeBion, and Contagion, from 

 B dy to IWy„as the Plague, and the like,) it is moft certain, that the Infecti- 

 on is rev^ived ( many times ) by the Body pafsive, but yet is by the Strength, 

 and good Difpofition thereof, Rcpulfed, and wrought out, before it be for- 

 med in a Difeafe; So much more in Imprefsior.s from Mind to Mind,oi from 

 Spirit to Spirit, the Imp?efsion taketh, but is Encountred , and Overcome , 

 by the Mind and spirit, wnich is Pafsive,beioie it work any manifeft EfjeB. 

 And therefore they work moft upon weak Minds, and Spirits : As thofe 

 oi Women; Sick Perform; Superfluous and Fearful Persons ; Children and 

 Tju/g Creatures. 



Nefcio quis teneros oculuS mihifafcinat Agnos : 



The Poet fpeaketh not of Sheep, but of Lambs. As for the Weaknejje of the 

 Power of them, upon Kings, and Magistrates ; It may be afcribed ( befides 

 tiiemain, which is the ProteBionoiQod , over thofe that Execute his 

 Place, ) to the weakneffeoi the Imagination of the Imaginant: For it is hard 

 for a witch, or a Sorcerer, to put on a Belief, that they can hurt fuch Persons. 



Men are to be admonifhed, on the other fide , that they^doe not eafily 

 give Place and Credit to thefe Operations, becaufe they Succeed many times'* 

 For 



