How the superior Influences, seing they are good by nature, are depraved in these inferior things, and are made causes of evil.
SEEing every power and vertue is from above, from God, from the Intelligences and Stars, who can neither erre nor do evill, it is necessary, that all evill, and whatsoever is found disagreeing and dissonant in these inferiour things, do proceed, not from the malice of the Influence, but from the evill disposition of the receiver; thus Chysippus rightly sang,
They do like fooles accuse the Gods falsly
Make them the cause of all their misery,
When as their folly hurts themselves—
Hence Jupiter calling to minde the case of Aegisthus slain by Orestes, by Homer in the counsel of the Gods, saith,
Us Gods do men accuse (what vice is this?)
To be the cause, fountain of what's amiss,
When they themselves by their own wickedness
Run into danger—
When therefore the perversity of the subject receiveth the Influences of the perverse, or its debility cannot endure the efficacy of the superiors, then by the Influence of the heavens thus received into a matter full of discords, doth result something dissonant, deformed and evill; yet the celestiall powers alwaies remain good, which while they exist in themselves, and from the giver of light have their Influence by the holy Intelligences and the heavens, even till they shall come to the Moon, their Influence is good, as it were in the first degree; but then when it is received in a viler subject, it also is vilified; then also in respect of the different nature of the recipient it is received after diverse manners, and by the qualities disagreeing in the same subject amongst themselves, it also is varied and patiently suffreth in the subject; whence from all comprehended in the subject, at length some other thing doth result than that the Superiors send down; therefore the hurtfull quality in these Inferiors, is far different from the influx of the heavens; and therefore as the distemperof the bleareyed, is not to be imputed to the light, nor burnings to the fire, nor wounds to the sword, nor fetters and Prisons to the Judge, but to the evill disposed and offenders; so neither is the fault of wicked ones to be cast on the celestial Influences: Therefore we being well disposed, the celestial influences cooperate all things for good; but being evill disposed, and having for our sins, that divine good, which was in us, departed from us, all things work for evill: therefore the cause of all our evills is sinne, which is the disorder and distemper of our soul; from the which then, thus evilly governing, or falling down or declining from that which the celestial influences require, all things rebel, and are distempered for our destruction: then in mans body otherwise most temperate and composed with most sweet Harmony, the distemper of the Elements beginneth, evill humors arise: and even the good being disordered and severed from one another, by a certain vicissitude both vex and torment the body: then is a most vehement dissonance perceived, either by superfluity or diminution, or some intrinseral accident, or by superfluous meat, whence superfluous humors are generated, and by the same cause infirmities follow; yea the animal spirits, the bridle being broken, do fall to contention. Then the celestial influences, otherwise of themselves good, are made hurtfull to us, even as the light of the sun to eyes ill disposed: Then Saturn darteth down anguish, tediousnes, melancholy, madnes, sadnes, obstinacy, rigidnes, blasphemy, desperation, lying, Apparations, affrightments, walkings of the dead, stirrings of Divels: Jupiter then sendeth down covetousnes, evill occasions to get wealth and tyranny: Mars, furious wrath, prophane arrogancy, violent boldness, fierce stubbornnes: but the Sun imperious pride, and insatiable ambition: Venus, the deceits of concupiscence, lascivious loves and filthy lusts: Mercury deceits, cousenages, lyes, subtile desires of evill, propensity to sin; The Moon the inconstant progress of all things, and whatsoever is contrary to mans nature: and by this means man himself by reason of his unlikeness with the heavenly things receiveth hurt, whence he ought to reap benefit: by reason of the same dissonancy with the heavenly things (as Proclus saith) men also are subjected even to wicked spirits who as the officers of God do discharge themselves in punishing them: Then do they suffer grievances by evill spirits, even untill they are again expiated by due purgations, and man returneth to a divine nature: therefore an excellent Magitian can prohibite many mischifes about to fall on him from the disposition of the Stars, when he foreknoweth their nature by preventing, taking heed, and defending, least they should meet him, and least an ill disposed subject, as we have said, should receive hurt whence it ought to reap benefit.