The life and times of Dr John Dee

Δ. Becauſe E. K. came not, ( according as it was bidden yeſterday ) to follow the Acti- on : I went to his Study door, and knocked for him : And I requeſted him to come ; and he refuſed ſo to do, and gave me a ſhort and reſolute anſwer, That he would never more have to do with theſe Actions. I aſked him the reaſon why : He would give none : But earneſtly denied to proceed. I told himthat his words * yeſternight ( that he could not this day deale ) did very much grieve me, &c. whereof he made ſmall account. So I went into my Study again, and committed the Cauſe to God. After half an hour and leſſe, he came ſpeedily out of his Study, and brought in his hand one Volume of Cornelius Agrippa his works , and in one Chapter of that Book he hread the names of Countries and Provinces collected out of Ptolomeus ( as the Author there noteth ) Whereuppon he inferred, that our ſpiritual Inſtructors were Coſeners to give us a deſcription of the World, taken out of other Books : and therefore he would have no more to do with them. I replied, and ſaid, I am very glad that you have a Book of your own, wherein theſe Geogra- phical names are expreſſed, ſuch as ( for the moſt part ) our Inſtructors had delivered unto us : and that, according to the Tenor and form of my requeſt to him, ſo to hav{e} them ex- preſſed : for our more perfect information, by thoſe known names ; to underſtand thoſe 91 unknown and unheard of names, of ſeven letters every one : whereby they (our Inſtructors I mean) are very greatly to be thanked, and to be deemed (in all reaſonable mens judgements) moſt friendly, and far from coſenage, or abuſing of us : And farther I ſaid, that my ſelf, had here ſet down on a paper, all the 91 names together orderly, as we received them, and thnat I had here brought the deſcription * Geographical of the whole earthly Globe: and alſo Pomponius Mela ſet forth in Engliſh with the Chartes thereunto belonging, fairly deſcribed by hand : To the intent he might ſee the verity of their words yeſterday delivered unto us : for the performance of my requeſt made to them, on Tueſday laſt in this form of words, as the Book hath it recorded thus ; Δ. As you gave us a taſte, or warning of Italia and Britania, ſo, if it be thought good to you, we are deſirous to underſtand of the reſt , the Application to ſuch names as we underſtand. Whereby you may perceive ( ſaid I to E. K. ) how your reaſon is marvellouſly confounded by your wilful phantaſie : For ſo much as, wherein you would find fault, in our ſpiritual Inſtructors doings, Therein they have done that which I requeſted them : as appeareth ; and that to the intent, of known Countries we might underſtand which Angels had the govern- ment : for ſuch purpoſes, as occaſion might offer or require our practices to be tryed in. This ( quoth I ) is to groſſe your error, and to wilful your wrangling : But I do in nar- rower points peruſe and conſider their words and doings ; In which though ſometimes my writings ( after your declaration ) hath been amended by them, yet the occaſion of miſwrit- ting for the moſt part, hath been either in your miſreporting what you ſaw and heard, or in my wrong hearing, or writing : and ſometime by the ſpiritual preſent correcting of my writing, and ſometime longer after, &c. But for all this, E. K. remained of his wilful intent ; and ſo departed to his Study again : And I committed God his Cauſe, into his own hands, care and ordering, as may be beſt for his honour and glory. So be it.