Agrippa: The Philosophy of Natural Magic, Chapter XVIII — Of the Inclinations of Enmities
§ About this work
Agrippa opens by positing a three-fold World—Elementary, Celestial, Intellectual—ascended toward the First cause (I), then defines Magic as the chief Science comprehending Natural, Mathematical, and Theological Philosophy (II). He treats the four Elements, their qualities, orders, and the properties of Fire and Earth, Water and Air, their compounded bodies, and their presence in all things up to God (III–VIII). He distinguishes elementary, secondary, and occult virtues, tracing the latter to Ideas, the Soul of the World, and celestial situation (IX–XIV), then how virtues move to their like, infuse likeness, form friendships and enmities, and reside in species, individuals, whole substances, parts, and life or death (XV–XXI). He assigns things to Sun, Moon, Saturn, Jupiter, Mars, Venus, Mercury, planetary governments, kingdoms, Signs, stars, and Characters (XXII–XXXIII), then shows how virtues are drawn down through conformable things, mixtions, prepared matter, correspondence of Worlds, and animated Images (XXXIV–XXXVIII). Turning operative, he treats raising spirits (XXXIX), bindings, sorceries, catamenia, suffumigations and their recipes, collyries and unguents, alligations, rings, and virtues of places (XL–XLVIII). He describes light, fascination, wonder-working acts, and gestures and bodily figures (XLIX–LII), then divinations—Auguria and Auspicia, birds and beasts, lightnings and prodigies, and the four elemental divinations (LIII–LVII)—and reviving of bodies (LVIII). He treats dreams and prophetic madness (LIX–LX), then man's body, senses, mind, and passions, how the phantasy alters one's own and another's body, and how passions gain power through Heaven, faith, and the stars' minds (LXI–LXVIII). He closes with the power of words, proper names, sentences, enchantments, writing, and the Hebrew letters ordered to Signs, Planets, and Elements, ending the first book (LXIX–LXXIV).
The chapter defines Inclinations of Enmities as natural contrariety by which things shun opposites. It lists remedies opposing ailments: rhubarb against choler, treacle against poison, sapphire, amethyst, jasper, emerald, coral, topaz. It cites ants and origanum, cucumbers hating oil, crow's gall causing fear, diamond disagreeing with loadstone, sheep fleeing frog-parsley, goats hating basil, mice and weasels, lizards and scorpions, scorpions and mice, snakes and crabs, ibis immobilizing crocodiles. Further enmities follow among birds, water animals, the pourcontrel and lobster, panther and civet cat, wolf and lamb, marlin and crows, linnet and asses, olive-tree and a wanton, lion and torches, and amber drawing all but basil.
Chapter XVIII, Section 1aChapter XVIII, Section 1b