Page:Three Books of Occult Philosophy (De Occulta Philosophia) (1651).djvu/315

This page needs to be proofread.

the night, and then distribute each of those hours to every one of the Planets according to the order of their successions, giving alwayes the first hour of the day to the Lord of that day, then to every one by order, even to the end of twenty four hours; and in this distribution the Magicians agree with them; but in the partition of the hours some do different, saying, that the space of the rising and setting is not to be divided into equall parts, and that those hours are not therefore called unequal because the diurnal are unequal to the nocturnall, but because both the diurnal and nocturnal are even unequall amongst themselves; therefore the partition of unequall or Planetaty hours hath a different reason of their measure observed by Magicians, which is of this sort; for as in artificiall hours, which are alwayes equall to themselves, the ascensions of fifteen degrees in the equinoctiall, constituteth an artificial hour: so also in planetary hours the ascensions of fifteen degrees in the Eclipicke constituteth an unequall or plametary hour, whose measure we ought to enquire and find out by the tables of the oblique ascensions of every region.

Chap. xxxv. How some artificiall things as Images, Seals, and such like, may obtain some vertue from the Celestial bodies. So great is the extent, power and efficacy of the Celestiall bodies, that not only naturall things, but also artificiall when they are rightly esposed to those above, do presently suffer by that most potent agent, and obtain a wondefull life, which oftentimes gives them an admirable Celestiall vertue; which thing Saint Thomas Aquinas that holy Doctor, thus confirmeth in his book de fæto, when he saith, that even garments, buildings and other artificiall works whatsoever, do receive a certain qualification from the Stars; so the Magicians affirm, that not only by the mixture and application of naturall things,