A Golden Chain

Furthermore, all men must here be warned to take heed, that they use not such means as have no warrant. Of this kind are all charms or spells, of what words soever they consist: characters and figures either in paper, wood, or wax: all amulets and ligatures, which serve to hang about the neck or other parts of the body, except they be grounded upon some good natural reason;¹ as white peony hung about the neck, is good against the falling sickness: and wolf-dung tied to the body is good against the colic, not by any enchantment, but by inward virtue. Otherwise they are all vain and superstitious: because neither by creation, nor by any ordinance in Gods word, have they any power to cure a bodily disease. For words can do no more but signify, and figures can do no more but represent. And yet nevertheless, these unlawful and absurd means are more used and sought for of common people, then good physic. But it stands all men greatly in hand in no wise to seek forth to enchanters, and sorcerers, which in deed are but witches and wizards, though they are commonly called cunning men and women. It were better for a man to die of his sickness, then to seek recovery by such wicked persons. For if any turn after such as work with spirits, and after soothsayers, to go an whoring after them, the Lord will set his face against them, and cut them off from among his people. ²When Achazia was sick, he sent to Beelzebub to the god of Ekron to know whether he should recover or no: as the messengers were going, the Prophet Elijah met them, and said,³ Go and return to the King which sent you, and say unto him, Thus saith the Lord, Is it not because there is no God in Israel, that thou sendest to inquire of Beelzebub the god of Ekron? therefore thou shalt not come down from thy bed on which thou art gone up, but shalt di• the death. Therefore such kind of help is so far from curing any pain of sickness, that it rather doubleth them and fasteneth them upon us.

Furthermore, all men must here be warned to take heede, that they vse not such meanes as haue no warrant. Of this kind are all charmes or spels, of what wordes soeuer they consist: characters and figures either in paper, wood, or waxe: all amulets and ligatures, which serue to hang about the necke or other parts of the bodie, except they be grounded vpon some good naturall reason;