Chapter XXXIX. That We May, By Some Certain Matters of the World, Stir Up the Gods of the World and Their Ministering Spirits

The Philosophy of Natural Magic, by Henry Cornelius Agrippa, L. W. de Laurence ed. [1913], at sacred-texts.com

CHAPTER XXXIX.

That We May, By Some Certain Matters of the World, Stir Up the Gods of the World and Their Ministering Spirits.

No man is ignorant that evil spirits, by evil and profane arts, may be raised up as Psellus saith sorcerers are wont to do, whom most detestable and abominable filthiness did follow and accompany, such as were in times past in the sacrifices of Priapus, and in the worship of the idol which was called Panor, to whom they did sacrifice with shameful nakedness. Neither to these is that unlike (if it be true and not a fable) which is read concerning the detestable heresy of old churchmen, and like to these

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are manifest in witches and mischievous women, which wickednesses the foolish dotage of women is subject to fall into. By these, and such as these, evil spirits are raised. As a wicked spirit spake once to John of one Cynops, a sorcerer: "All the power," saith he, "of Satan dwells there; and he is entered into a confederacy with all the principalities together, and likewise we with him; and Cynops obeys us and we, again, obey him." Again, on the contrary side, no man is ignorant that super-celestial angels or spirits may be gained by us through good works, a pure mind, secret prayers, devout humiliation, and the like. Let no man, therefore, doubt that in like manner by some certain matters of the world, the gods of the world may be raised by us, or, at least, the ministering spirits, or servants of these gods, and, as Mercurius saith, the airy spirits (not supercelestial, but less higher). So we read that the ancient priests made statues and images, -foretelling things to come, and infused into them the Spirits of the Stars, which were not kept there by constraint in some certain matters, but rejoiced in them, viz., as acknowledging such kinds of matter to be suitable to them, they do always and willingly abide in them, and speak and do wonderful things by them; no otherwise than evil spirits are wont to do when they possess men's bodies.