Cause Principle Unity

On magic
things do not have their own names. They are not observable by means of
vision and touch, and explanations of their specific origins are not to be
found in visual and tactile differences. All we can say about these occult
forms is that they do exist. As a result, we conclude that not even the
demons themselves could talk about them easily, if they were to choose
to discuss them with us, using our words and the meanings which are
signified by our words.
Secondly, the bondings arising from sounds and songs
A second type of bonding is based on the conformity between numbers,
between measures and between times. This is the origin of those rhythms
and songs which have such a very great power. Some people are affected
more by tragedies, others by comic melodies, and others are affected generally
in all cases. Some even react like that barbarian general who, when
he heard musical instruments played very skilfully, said that he preferred
to hear the neighing of his horse. He clearly proved by this that he was a
disgrace and was unworthy of appearing to be human.
By the term ‘songs’ we intend to refer to much more than harmonies,
for as some have experienced, the most powerful songs and poems seem to
contain more discord than harmony. Perhaps such was the condition of the
soul of that subhuman general who was more easily influenced by the sounds
of his horse’s neighing. For just like someone who looks at the sensible harmonies
of vision, the souls of humans and horses and dogs are captured by
different harmonious sounds, and different things are beautiful according
to the condition of each species. As is said in the proverb ‘from an ass to a
lyre’, not all songs are well suited for everyone. And as different harmonies
bind different souls, so also different magicians bind different spirits.
These bonds are tenacious for two reasons. First, they are perceived or
encountered in the soul through hearing, just as the voices of the Marsi and
the Psylli became such powerful voices when they were present in the serpent.
26 Second, the bonding effect is brought to completion by an occult
murmur which, analogously to the relations between spirits, did not originally
come from the binder to the bound for the purposes of bonding. For
those who are enchanted do not always hear the voice of their enchanters,
and even when they do, they are not sensibly affected immediately.
26 Both the Marsi, a people who lived near Lago di Celano in Southern Italy, and the Psylli, a people
who lived near Sidra on the North African coast, were well-known as snake charmers.
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