thinke, but because it is as nature hath ordained. We must therefore be verie circumspect in these things: for a man may easily tread awry, and many erre in both partes. Some denie that there is any operation: but others exceede and flie vnto Magicke. And hence it is, that there are so many bookes in the worlde of charmes, and characters, praiers, coniurations, sacrifices, and such like, that are meere Magicke: as the booke of the offices of Spirits, the book of the death of the Soule, the booke of Art notorie, and infinite more of the same kinde, that containe not in them the power of Art or Nature, but are wholy stuffed with the idle deuises of vaine magitians. Yet it must be remembred, that many bookes are ascribed to Magitians, which in truth are not such, but containe in them the excellencie of wisdome. Now amongst these, which are suspected, and which not, euerye mans particular experience shall instruct him. For if in any of them wee can meete with a worke of Nature or Art, let vs make choyse of that: if not, let vs leaue it as suspicious, and ill beseeming a wise man. It is the part of a Magitian so to handle thinges needlesse and superfluous: for (as _Isaak_ iudgeth in his booke of Feuers) the reasonable Soule is not hindered in her operations, vnlesse it be detayned by ignoraunce. And _Aristotle_ sayeth in his booke of Secretes, that in such matter a sounde and healthy person may doo any thing that is expedient for men, though not without the influence of diuine vertue: & in the third of the Meteors, he saith, that there is no vertue, but it cõmeth from God: and about the latter end of his _Ethicks_, he affirmeth, that there is no vertue, neither Moral, nor Naturall, endued with a celestiall vertue, without a diuine and celestiall influence. So that when we speake of the power of particular agents, we do not exclude the regiment of the vniuersal agent, and first cause. For euery first cause hath a greater influence in the thing caused, then the second cause, as it appeareth by the first proposition of causes.