Chapter viii. Of the Number Five, and the Scale thereof.

The number five is of no small force, for it consists of the first even, and the first odd, as of a Female, and Male; For an odd

number is the Male, and the even the Female. Whence Arithmeticians call that the Father, and this the Mother. Therefore the

number five is of no small perfection, or vertue, which proceeds from the mixtion of these numbers: It is also the just midle

[middle] of the universal number, viz. ten. For if you divide the number ten, there will be nine and one, or eight and two, or

seven and three, or six and four, and every collection makes the number ten, and the exact midle [middle] alwaies is the

number five, and its equidistant; and therefore it is called by the Pythagoreans the number of Wedlock, as also of justice,

because it divides the number ten in an even Scale. There be five senses in man, sight, hearing, smelling, tasting, and feeling:

Heinrich Cornelius Agrippa: Occult Philosophy. Book II. (part 1)

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five powers in the soul, Vegetative, Sensitive, Concupiscible, Irascible, Rationall: five fingers on the hand: five wandering

Planets in the heavens, according to which there are five-fold terms in every sign. In Elements there are five kinds of mixt

[mixed] bodies, viz. Stones, Metals, Plants, Plant-Animals, Animals, and so many kinds of Animals, as men, four-footed

beasts, creeping, swimming, flying. And there are five kinds by which all things are rnade of God, viz. Essence, the same,

another, sense, motion. The Swallow brings forth but five young, which she feeds with equity, beginning with the eldest, and

so the rest, according to their age. Also this number hath great power in expiations: For in holy things it drives away Divels

[devils]. In naturall things, it expels poysons [poisons]. It is also called the number of fortunateness, and favour, and it is the

Seale of the Holy Ghost, and a bond that binds all things, and the number of the cross, yea eminent with the principall

wounds of Christ, whereof he vouchsafed to keep the scars in his glorifyed body. The heathen Philosophers did dedicate it as

sacred to Mercury, esteeming the vertue of it to be so much more excellent then the number four, by how much a living thing

is more excellent then a thing without life. For in this number the Father Noah found favour with God, and was preserved in

the floud [flood] of waters. In the vertue of this number Abraham, being an hundred years old, begat a Son of Sarah, being

ninety years old, and a barren Woman, and past child bearing, and grew up to be a great people. Hence in time of grace the

name of divine omnipotency is called upon with five letters. For in time of nature the name of God was called upon with

three letters. éãù Sadai: in time of the Law, the ineffable name of God was expressed with four letters äåäé insteed of

which the Hebrews express éðãà Adonai: in time of grace the ineffable name of God was with five letters äåùäé Ihesu,

which is called upon with no less mysterie then that of three letters åùé.

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