Let us therefore, according to the prophets advise, aske raine of the Lord in the houres of the latter time, and he shall send white cloudes, and give us raine &c: for surelie, the idols (as the same prophet saith) have spoken vanitie, the soothsaiers have seene a lie, and the dreamers have told a vaine thing. They comfort in vaine, and therefore they went awaie like sheepe, &c. If anie sheepebiter or witchmonger will follow them, they shall go alone for me. ♦Zach. 10. 1. verse 2.♦ ¶ _The twelfe Booke._ The first Chapter. _The Hebrue word Habar expounded, where also the supposed secret force of charmes and inchantments is shewed, and the efficacie of words is diverse waies declared._ This Hebrue word _Habar_, being in Greeke _Epathin_, and in Latine _Incantare_, is in English, To inchant, or (if you had rather have it so) to bewitch. In these inchantments, certeine wordes, verses, or charmes, &c: are secretlie uttered, wherein there is thought to be miraculous efficacie. There is great varietie hereof: but whether it be by charmes, voices, images, characters, stones, plants, metals, herbes, &c: there must herewithall a speciall forme of words be alwaies used, either divine, diabolicall, insensible, or papisticall, whereupon all the vertue of the worke is supposed to depend. This word is speciallie used in the 58. psalme, which place though it be taken up for mine adversaries strongest argument against me; yet me thinkes it maketh so with me, as they can never be able to answer it. For there it plainelie appeareth, that the adder heareth not the voice of the charmer, charme he never so cunninglie: contrarie to the poets fabling, ♦Psal. 58.♦ ♦Psal. 58. 4. 5.♦ _Frigidus in pratis cantando rumpitur anguis._ ♦_Virgil. in Damone._♦ _The coldish snake in medowes greene, With charmes is burst in peeces cleene._ ♦_By Ab. Fleming._♦ But hereof more shall be said hereafter in due place. I grant that words sometimes have singular vertue and efficacie, either in persuasion or disuasion, as also diverse other waies; so as thereby some are converted from the waie of perdition, to the estate of salvation: and so contrariwise, according to the saieng of _Solomon_; Death and life are in the instrument of the toong: but even therein God worketh all in all, as well in framing the heart of the one, as in directing the toong of the other: as appeareth in manie places of the holie scriptures. ♦Prover. 18. Chron. 30. Psal. 10. Psal. 51. Psal. 139. Jerem. 32. Isai. 6. Isai. 50. Exod. 7. 8. 9. Prov. 16.♦ The second Chapter. _What is forbidden in scriptures concerning witchcraft, of the operation of words, the superstition of the Cabalists and papists, who createth substances, to imitate God in some cases is presumption, words of sanctification._