Latin — 1533, repaired
[XXXIII]
Omnes stellae suas proprias habent naturas, proprietates, conditiones: quorum signacula et characteres per suos radios etiam in istis inferioribus producunt, in elementis, in lapidibus, in plantis, in animalibus et eorum membris. Unde unaquaeque res, a diapason [†diapason] harmonica, et a sua stella ipsam irradiante, sortitur speciale aliquod signaculum, seu characterem sibi impressum, illius stellae sive harmoniae significativum, ac specialem in se continentem virtutem, ab aliis differentem vel genere, vel specie, vel numero praeiacentis materiae.
Habet itaque quaelibet res suum characterem ad aliquem peculiarem effectum sibi a sua stella impressum, maxime ab illa quae in ipsa prae ceteris obtinet principatum: et hi characteres has stellarum suarum proprias naturas, virtutes et radices in se continent atque retinent, earumque consimiles operationes in res alias, super quas reflectuntur, producunt, et stellarum suarum influxus provocant adiuvantque, sive planetarum, sive etiam stellarum fixarum, et imaginum, et signorum caelestium, quoties videlicet in debita materia, suo tempore debitisque solennitatibus fuerint fabricati.
Quod considerantes antiqui sapientes, qui ad investigandas occultas rerum conditiones plurimum laboraverunt, stellarum imagines, figuras, signacula, sigilla, characteres adnotarunt, quos natura ipsa per stellarum radios in istis inferioribus depinxit, alios in lapidibus, alios in plantis, et ramusculorum iuncturis atque nodis, alios in animalium membris diversis: nam laurus, lotus, heliotropium, plantae solares, in suis radicibus ac nodis praecisis, Solis characteres ostendunt; sic et in animalium ossibus et spatulis, unde spatularia divinationis species processit; atque in lapidibus et lapidicinis characteres et imagines caelestium non raro inventae sunt.
Sed cum in tanta rerum diversitate non sit tradibilis scientia, nisi in paucis quae humana prudentia percipi possunt, idcirco relinquentes nunc ea quae in plantis et lapidibus, ceterisque rebus, et multorum animalium membris investigari possunt, in sola humana natura gradum sistamus: quae, cum sit totius universi completissima imago, in seipsa omnem caelestem continens harmoniam, proculdubio in ea ipsa omnium stellarum, caelestiumque influxuum signacula characteresque abunde reperimus: et illa quidem eo efficaciora, quo a caelesti natura minus sunt remota.
Verum, sicut stellarum numerus deo cognitus est, sic etiam eorum circa haec inferiora effectus et signacula, quare nullus humanus intellectus ad ea cognoscenda ascendere potest. Unde valde pauca innotuerunt, quae veteres philosophi et chiromantici partim ratione, partim experientia sunt adsecuti, et multa adhuc in naturae thesauris delitescunt occulta.
Igitur pauca quaedam planetarum signacula, sive characteres, hic adnotabimus, quos veteres chiromantici in hominum manibus cognoverunt. Has Iulianus sacras sive divinas literas vocat, quum, iuxta verbum scripturae sacrae, per illas scripta sit vita hominum in manibus eorum: suntque ubilibet nationum et linguarum semper eaedem atque sibi consimiles permanentesque; quibus adinvenerunt postea multas alias, cum veteres tum recentiores chiromantici: quas qui nosse velit, eorum volumina requirat. Satis hic est ostendisse unde tandem characteres naturam suam ducant originem, atque in quibus rebus sint perquirendi.
SEQUUNTUR FIGURAE LITERARUM DIVINARUM.
Literae sive characteres Saturni. [†figura: characters of Saturn]
Literae seu characteres Iovis. [†figura: characters of Jupiter]
Literae seu characteres Martis. [†figura: characters of Mars]
Literae sive characteres Solis. [†figura: characters of the Sun]
Literae sive characteres Veneris. [†figura: characters of Venus]
Literae sive characteres Mercurii. [†figura: characters of Mercury]
Literae sive characteres Lunae. [†figura: characters of the Moon]
Quomodo per res naturales earumque virtutes, possumus allicere et attrahere influxus atque virtutes corporum caelestium.
Close translation
All the stars have their own natures, properties, and conditions, whose signs and characters they also produce, by means of their rays, in these lower things — in the elements, in stones, in plants, in animals and in their members. Hence each thing, from the harmonic diapason [†diapason], and from its own star irradiating it, obtains some special sign, or character impressed upon it, signifying that star or harmony, and containing in itself a special power, differing from others either in kind, or in species, or in the number of the underlying matter.
Every thing therefore has its own character impressed upon it by its star toward some particular effect, above all by that star which, among the rest, holds chief rule over it: and these characters contain and retain in themselves the proper natures, powers, and roots of their stars, and produce like operations in other things upon which they are directed, and provoke and assist the influences of their stars — whether of the planets, or also of the fixed stars, and of the images and signs of heaven — whenever, that is, they have been fashioned in due matter, at their due time, with due solemnities.
Considering this, the ancient sages, who labored greatly to investigate the hidden conditions of things, noted down the images, figures, signs, seals, and characters of the stars, which nature herself has painted, by the rays of the stars, into these lower things — some in stones, some in plants and in the joints and knots of their little branches, some in the various members of animals: for the laurel, the lotus, the heliotrope, and the solar plants show the characters of the Sun in their roots and in their cut nodes; so too in the bones and shoulder-blades of animals, whence the species of divination called scapulimancy arose; and in stones and in quarries the characters and images of the heavenly bodies have not rarely been found.
But since, given so great a diversity of things, a systematic teaching cannot be handed down except in a few matters that human prudence can grasp, we shall therefore leave aside now what can be investigated in plants and stones and other things, and in the members of many animals, and fix our step upon human nature alone: which, since it is the most complete image of the whole universe, containing in itself every celestial harmony, we without doubt find abundantly, in it, the signs and characters of all the stars and of the celestial influences — and these indeed the more effective, the less removed they are from celestial nature.
But just as the number of the stars is known to God, so too are their effects and signs upon these lower things; wherefore no human understanding can rise to the knowledge of them. Hence very few things have become known, which the ancient philosophers and chiromancers attained partly by reason, partly by experience, and much still lies hidden, concealed in nature's treasuries.
We will therefore here note down a few signs, or characters, of the planets, which the ancient chiromancers recognized in the hands of men. Julianus calls these sacred or divine letters, since, according to the word of holy scripture, the life of men is written in their hands by means of them: and they are, among all nations and tongues, everywhere the same and alike and abiding; to which the chiromancers, both ancient and more recent, afterward added many others — whoever wishes to know these should consult their volumes. It is enough here to have shown whence, in the end, characters derive their nature, and in what things they are to be sought out.
THERE FOLLOW THE FIGURES OF THE DIVINE LETTERS.
Letters or characters of Saturn. [†figure: characters of Saturn]
Letters or characters of Jupiter. [†figure: characters of Jupiter]
Letters or characters of Mars. [†figure: characters of Mars]
Letters or characters of the Sun. [†figure: characters of the Sun]
Letters or characters of Venus. [†figure: characters of Venus]
Letters or characters of Mercury. [†figure: characters of Mercury]
Letters or characters of the Moon. [†figure: characters of the Moon]
How, by means of natural things and their powers, we can allure and draw down the influences and powers of the heavenly bodies.
Modern rendering
Every star has its own nature, properties, and character, and each imprints its sign — through its rays — onto the lower world: onto the elements, stones, plants, animals, and animal body parts. Each thing, tuned by the cosmic harmony and by whichever star irradiates it, ends up carrying some particular mark or character, standing for that star or harmony, and holding a special power of its own — a power that differs from other things' by kind, by type, or by degree, depending on the underlying matter.
So every object carries a character stamped on it, by its ruling star, aimed at some particular effect — above all by whichever star has chief authority over it. These characters hold and preserve the star's own nature, power, and root-cause within themselves; they produce comparable effects in whatever they're applied to, and they call up and reinforce the influence of their stars — whether planets, fixed stars, or celestial images and signs — provided they were made from the right material, at the right time, with the right ceremony.
Recognizing this, the ancient sages who worked hard to uncover the hidden workings of things recorded the images, shapes, signs, seals, and characters that nature herself paints into the lower world by starlight — some into stones, some into plants (in their roots and the knots of their branches), some into the various parts of animals. The laurel, the lotus, the heliotrope, and other sun-plants show solar characters in their roots and cut nodes; the same goes for animal bones and shoulder blades, which is where the divination method of reading shoulder blades comes from; and characters and images of the heavens turn up, not infrequently, in stones and quarries.
But because such variety can't be reduced to a teachable system except for the few cases human judgment can actually grasp, I'll set aside what can be studied in plants, stones, and the parts of many animals, and focus on human nature alone. The human body is the most complete image of the entire universe, holding the whole of celestial harmony within itself — so it's no surprise we find in it, abundantly, the signs and characters of every star and every celestial influence. And these are all the more powerful the less removed they are from celestial nature.
But just as only God knows the true number of the stars, only God fully knows their effects and signs down here — no human mind can climb all the way to that knowledge. So only a very little has come to be known, which the old philosophers and palm-readers worked out partly by reasoning and partly by experience, and a great deal still lies hidden in nature's storehouse.
So here I'll set down a few of the planetary signs, or characters, that the old palm-readers recognized in human hands. Julianus calls these "sacred" or "divine letters," since, as scripture says, a person's life is written in their hands by means of them. They stay the same everywhere, across every nation and language — always alike, always constant. Later chiromancers, both old and more recent, added many further signs of their own; anyone who wants to learn those should consult their books. It's enough here to have shown where characters ultimately come from, and where to look for them.
HERE FOLLOW THE FIGURES OF THE DIVINE LETTERS.
Characters of Saturn. [figure — see flag]
Characters of Jupiter. [figure — see flag]
Characters of Mars. [figure — see flag]
Characters of the Sun. [figure — see flag]
Characters of Venus. [figure — see flag]
Characters of Mercury. [figure — see flag]
Characters of the Moon. [figure — see flag]
How we can draw down and attract the influences and powers of the heavenly bodies by means of natural things and their properties.
Editorial flags — draft status
- table: The seven 'Literae sive characteres [planet]' captions correspond to seven printed glyph figures (planetary sigils/characters used in chiromancy) that exist only as images in the original woodcuts, not as OCR-legible text. The captions have been translated but the glyphs themselves cannot be transcribed from this OCR pass — must be re-keyed against page images.
- lacuna: Two short marginal/running fragments embedded among the character captions ('Sptttuurl unic procff...', 'I htyunt nMtrn calc stium infkxuu...') are too damaged to reconstruct; likely printer's marginalia/running notes rather than main text, left untranslated and marked [†].
- uncertain: 'diapason harmonica' reconstruction (from 'Ipolmoneharmonica') is a plausible but not certain reading — flagged for verification against page image rather than treated as settled.
- uncertain: Proper name 'Iulianus' (the authority credited with calling hand-characters 'sacred/divine letters') kept as printed; not cross-checked against a specific known source in this pass.