Verelie all these observations being neither grounded on Gods word, nor physicall or philosophicall reason, are vanities, superstitions, lies, and meere witchcraft; as whereby the world hath long time beene, and is still abused and cousened. It is written; _Non est vestrum scire tempora & momenta, &c_: It is not for you to knowe the times and seasons, which the father hath put in his owne power. The most godlie men and the wisest philosophers have given no credit hereunto. S. _Augustine_ saith; _Qui his divinationibus credit, sciat se fidem christianam & baptismum prævaricasse, & paganum Deiq; inimicum esse_. One told _Cato_, that a rat had carried awaie and eaten his hose, which the partie said was a woonderfull signe. Naie (said _Cato_) I thinke not so; but if the hose had eaten the rat, that had beene a wonderfull token indeed. When _Nonius_ told _Cicero_ that they should have good successe in battell, bicause seven eagles were taken in _Pompeies_ campe, he answered thus; No doubt it will be even so, if that we chance to fight with pies. In the like case also he answered _Labienus_, who prophesied like successe by such divinations, saieng, that through the hope of such toies, _Pompeie_ lost all his pavillions not long before. ♦The fond art of augurie convinced.♦ ♦Acts. 1, 7.♦ What wiseman would thinke, that God would commit his counsell to a dawe, an owle, a swine, or a tode; or that he would hide his secret purposes in the doong and bowels of beasts? _Aristotle_ thus reasoneth; Augurie or divinations are neither the causes nor effects of things to come; _Ergo_, they doo not thereby foretell things trulie, but by chance. As if I dreame that my freend will come to my house, and he commeth indeed: yet neither dreame nor imagination is more the cause of my freends comming, than the chattering of a pie. ♦_Arist. de somno._♦ When _Hanibal_ overthrew _Marcus Marcellus_, the beast sacrificed wanted a peece of his hart; therefore forsooth _Marius_, when he sacrificed at Utica, and the beast lacked his liver, he must needs have the like successe. These are their collections, and as vaine, as if they said that the building of _Tenderden_ steeple was the cause of _Goodwine sands_, or the decaie of _Sandwich_ haven. _S. Augustine_ saith, that these observations are most superstitious. But we read in the fourth psalme, a sentence which might dissuade anie christian from this follie and impietie; O ye sonnes of men, how long will you turne my glorie into shame, loving vanitie, and seeking lies? The like is read in manie other places of scripture. ♦_August. lib. de doct. chri. 2. cap. 2._♦ ♦Psal. 4, 2.♦