Four great liars, striving who shall win the silver whetstone Also, a resolution to…Foure great lyers, striuing who shall win the siluer whetstone Also, a resolution to…

2 The casting of the heavens into twelve parts, signifying twelve didistinct kind of matters is ridiculous, because it being imagined, and void of stars, can have no force. Yet (some will say) other stars being in those places may have and signify such or such effects. I answer that if stars of divers natures coming to such an house always signifying some one kind of thing, then the house must of necessity give some force unto the Planet: and so it shall have not only an augmenting, but also an effectually working power, which Astrologers deny, and no reason can prove.

2 The casting of the heauens into twelue partes, signifieng twelue didistinct kind of matters is ridiculous, because it being imagined, and voyde of starres, can haue no force. Yet (some will say) other starres beeing in those places may haue and signifie suche or such effectes. I answere that if starres of diuers natures comming to such an house always signifieng some one kind of thing, then the house must of necessitie giue some force vnto the Planet: and so it shall haue not onely an augmenting, but also an effectually working power, which Astrologers deny, and no reason can proue.

3 They make the twelfth and eleventh houses being higher above the horizon then the first, to be of less force then it: and the fourth house to be of greater power then any above the Horizon not Cardinal: and the end of the ninth to be more in power then the beginning of the eleventh house: all which are against reason, ⟨image 37⟩because a Planet the more perpendicular his beams are, the more is his force. They answer, although the force of the light be greater, yet the secret influence is less, and the first house hath more forcible influence than the twelfth or eleventh. If the influence be secret how can they know it? again they can by no good experience show that those houses have more influence then the rest: this influence maketh against them. I say they cannot prognosticate because they know not one stars virtue. For whereas they say, that the sun, and moon and planets have most force. I answer that it is by reason of their light, not their influence, which is small, and there is far greater in the smallest fixed Stars. So that the fixed Stars although they have no light, or very small light perceived, yet they have most influence. And so these men must needs dream because they judge by wrong causes. Well, their figure being framed and distinguished with fair characters, then go they on to find the Lord of the