Page:Three Books of Occult Philosophy (De Occulta Philosophia) (1651).djvu/43

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kin to themſelves, and without life. And it is well known, if in a dark place where there is no light but by the coming in of a beam of the Sun ſomewhere through a litle hole, a white paper, or plain Looking-glaſs be ſet up againſt that light, that there may be ſeen upon them, whatſoever things are done without, being ſhined upon by the Sun. And there is another ſleight, or trick yet more wonderfull. If any one ſhall take images artificially painted, or written letters, and in a clear night ſet them againſt the beams of the full Moon, whoſe reſemblances being multiplyed in the Aire, and caught upward, and reflected back together with the beams of the Moon, any other man that is privy to the thing, at a long diſtance ſees, reads, and knows them in the very compaſs, and Circle of the Moon, which Art of declaring ſecrets is indeed very profitable for Towns, and Cities that are beſieged, being a thing which Pythagoras long ſince did often do, and which is not unknown to ſome in theſe dayes, I will not except my ſelf. And all theſe, and many more, and greater then theſe are grounded in the very nature of the Aire, and have their reaſons, and cauſes declared in Mathematicks, and Opticks. And as theſe reſemblances are reflected back to the ſight, ſo alſo ſometimes to the hearing, as is manifeſt in the Echo. But there are more ſecret arts then theſe, and ſuch whereby any one may at a very remote diſtance hear, and underſtand what another ſpeaks, or whiſpers ſoftly.

There are alſo from the airy Element Winds. For they are nothing elſe, but Air moved and ſtirred up. Of theſe there are four that are principall, blowing from the four corners of the Heaven, viz. Notus from the South, Boreas from the North, Zephyrus from the Weſt, Eurus from the Eaſt, which Pontanus comprehending in theſe verſes, ſaith,


Cold
Boreas from the top of 'lympus blows,
And from the bottom cloudy
Notus flows.
From ſetting
Phoebus fruitfull Zeph'rus flies,
And barren
Eurus from the Suns up-riſe.

Notus