Chapter xvi. Of the notes of numbers, placed in certain gesturings.

I have often read in the books of Magicians, and their works, and experiments certain, wonderful, & as they seemed to me ridiculous gesturings, and I did think they were certain occult agreements of the divels, by reason of which I did reject them: but

after I did more seriously examine the matter, then I did presently understand that they were not the compacts of divels [devils]; but that there lay in them the reason of numbers, by which the ancients did by the various bending forward, and backward,

their hands, and fingers represent numbers, by whose gesturings the Magiciand did silently signifie words unknown by sound, various with numbers, yet of great vertue, by their fingers joyned together, and sometimes changed, and did with sacred

silence worship the Gods that rule over the world. The rites whereof Martianus also makes mention of in his Arithmetick, saying, The fingers of the Virgin were moved all manner of wayes, who after she went in, did by expressing seven hundred and

seventeen numbers with her bended fingers call upon Jupiter. But, that these things may be the better understood, I shall bring something out of the sayings of Beda who saith, When thou sayest one, bend in the litle [little] finger on thy left hand, and

set it in the middle of the Palme; when thou sayest two, place the next finger to the litle finger in the same place; when three, the middle finger after the same manner; when four, thou shalt lift up thy little finger; when five, the next to it after the same

manner; when six, the middle, that finger alone which is called the ring finger, being fixt on the middle of the Palme: when thou sayest seve, thou shaly put only thy little finger above the root of thy Palm, tthe rest in the mean time being lifted up; and

by it when thou sayest eight, thy ring finger; when thou sayest nine, thou shalt set thy middle finger contrary to them; when thou sayest ten, thou shall set the naile of thy fore-finger, or the middle joynt [joint] of thy thumb. When thou sayest twenty,

thou shalt put the top of thy middle finger close betwixt the joynts of thy thumb, and forefinger. When thou sayest thirty, thou shalt joyn the naile of thy thumb, and fore-finger lightly together. When thou sayest fourty [forty], thou shalt bring the

inside of thy thumb to the outside of thy fore-finger, both being lifted up. When thou sayest fiftym thou shalt bend thy thumb with the outward joynt like to the Greek Gamma to the Palme. When thou sayest sixty, compass about thy thumb being

bended as before, with thy fore-finger bowed over it. When thou sayest seventy, thou shalt supply thy fore-finger being bowed about as before, with thy thumb stretched at length, the naile thereof being lifted up before the middle joynt of thy

fore-finger. When thou sayest eighty, thou shalt supply thy fore-finger bowed about as before, with thy thumb stretched forth at length, the naile thereof being set upon the middle joynt of the fore-finger. When thou sayest ninty, thou shall set the naile

of thy fore-finger bent into the root of thy thumb stretched out. Thus much for the left hand. Now thou shalt make 100. on thy right hand, as thou sisdt ten of thy left; and 200. on thy right, as thou didst twenty on thy left; 2000. on thy right, as thou

didst two on thy left, and so to 9000. Moreover when thou sayest 10000. thou shalt put thy left hand upward on thy brest, thy fingers only being lifted towards Heaven. When thou sayest 20000. thou shalt put the same spread forth upon thy breast.

When thou sayest 30000. thou shalt put thy thumb on the same hand downwards, on the cartilage of the middle of thy brest. When thou sayest 40000. thou shalt lay the same upright, and stretched forth on thy navell. When thou sayest 50000. thou shalt

lay thy thumb of the same hand downard [downward] on thy navell. When thou sayest 60000. thou shalt hold thy left thigh with the same, being downards [downwards]. When thou sayest 70000. the same shalt put upon thy thumb upright. When thou

sayest 80000. thou shalt put the same downward on thy thigh. When thou sayest 90000. thou shalt hold thy loyns [loins] with the same, thy thumb being turned downwards. But when thou sayest 100000. or 200000. and so unto to 900000. thou shalt in

the same order as we have spoken, fill them up on the right part of thy body. But when thou sayest 1000000. thou shall joyn thy hands together, and clasp thy fingers one within the other. Let these suffice which have been observed out of Beda; Thou

shalt finde more of these in Brother Luke of Saint Sepulchers, in his great Arithmetick.

Date: 2015-12-24; view: 637