Wits laberynth, or The exercise of idlenesse Containing an artificiall texture of two thousand two hundred and sixtie figures, so placed and disposed, as by the helpe of a briefe direction for that purpose, you may tell which of them any man thinketh. As also by the same obseruation, to discouer any name, or number, that shall bee imagined. Besides an ample and large subiect for those that affect such ingenious recreations, by the sharpnesse of their owne conceits, to drawe out many other delightfull varieties. First composed in Italian by Andrea Ghisi, and now Englished and augmented.
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CONTAINING AN ARTIFICIALL TEXTVRE OF TWO THOVSAND TWO HVNDRED AND SIXTIE Figures, so placed and disposed, as by the helpe of a briefe Direction for that purpose, you may tell which of them any man thinketh.
AS ALSO BY THE SAME OBSERƲATION, TO discouer any name, or number, that shall bee imagined.
BESIDES AN AMPLE AND LARGE SVBIECT FOR THOSE THAT affect such ingenious recreations, by the sharpnesse of their owne conceits, to drawe out many other delightfull varieties.
FIRST COMPOSED IN ITALIAN BY ANDREA GHISI, AND NOW Englished and augmented.
‘O [...]IBVS RESPVBLICA CONSERVETVR’
AT LONDON, ❧ Printed by Thomas Purfoot, and are to be sold at Britaine Burse by Iohn Budge. An. Dom. 1610.
❧ The Authors Epistle to the Prince of Mantoa Don Francesco Gonzaga.
IN all humane actions, the passage from one extreme to another was euer difficult and dangerous, and therefore for recouery of wearynesse procured by labour and exercise either of mind or body, which of necessity men must doe, was sport inuented, which is no other thing but the Exercise of Idlenesse. For that it being by his owne nature pleasurable, it might ease by little and little the teadiousnesse and burthen of saciety and lassitude, and so gently drawe a man to rest and quiet. Now because labours be of diuers natures, and diuers (also) be the natures of the persons that vndergoe and endure them, to the end that euery one might find recreation proportionable to his disposition, there is graunted vnto sport and pastime, the liberty of variety. Variety, wherein nature so much gloryeth, and mans mind, and euery sence of his so much delighteth: which, not satisfied with all that the world can afforde thereof, doe runne with restlesse feete, or rather wearylesse winges, but can neuer runne ouer the huge field and the large confines of thinges therein contained. With this variety I being enamoured, by dressing and digging the small Garden-plotte of my weake wit, haue drawne thereout the fruit of this my Laberinth, which to your Highnesse I humbly dedicate.
Your Highnesse most deuoted Seruant, ANDREA GHISI.
❧ A direction for the vnderstanding of the order of this Booke.
YOu are first to obserue, that the whole Booke comprehendeth One and twentie leaues, which are seuerally marked on the top of the margent with the Letters of A, B, C, according to the order of the Italian Alphabet. Euerie opening of the Booke presents you with Threescore Figures or Pictures, aptly distinguished into foure quarters, two vpon each side, and fifteene figures in euery quarter. Now if you would know which of those figures a man thinketh, thus you shall performe it. Let the partie imagine any figure he pleaseth amongst those of the two first Pages of the booke, and hauing thought it priuately to himselfe, let him tell you onely in which of the foure quarters it standeth. Then looke with what letter the name of the first figure of that quarter beginneth, and turne to the leafe in the alphabeticall order which is noted with that letter: as if the figure he thought were in the first quarter, the first figure thereof is Melancholy which beginneth with M, and you must turne to the leafe which is marked with the letter M on the top of the margent. This done, bidde him seeke out his figure in the fower quarters of that leafe, and tell you in which of them he findes it there; which knowen, you must againe as before, take the first letter of the first figures name of that quarter, and likewise turne to the leafe that is noted with that letter. Then the third time aske him in which quarter of that leafe his thought [...]gure standeth, which being tolde, marke what letter is the first of the first figures name of that quarter, and also in what place in the Alphabet that letter standeth, as whether it be the first, second, third, or fourth in number: and so begin to account the figures of that quarter, calling the first figure A, the second B, &c. till you come to your letter which is the first of the quarter last mentioned, and when you come to that letter, the Figure it falles vpon in reckoning so the letters by the figures, is the figure that was first imagined.
But by example the matter shall be more easilie conceiued. Suppose one thinkes a figure in the first quarter, by name the Gnat, looke then for the first letter of that quarter which is M, then turne to the leafe marked with M, and bid him search out his figure he thought, and he will find it in the fourth place of the third quarter. He hauing told you it is in that quarter, looke with what letter the name of the first figure of that quarter beginneth, and you shall see it is O, then turne to the leafe O, and bid him tell you in what quarter he finds it there, and he will tell you it is in the fourth quarter of that leafe. Obserue then what letter beginneth the first figures name of that quarter, and you shall find it to be D; and likewise in numbring the letters according to the order of the Alphabet, that D standeth in the fourth place, as A, B, C, D. Then beginne at the 1. figure of that quarter, and say vpon it A, vpon the 2. figure next following B, vpon the 3. C, and vppon the 4. D, and so you shall find where the letter D lighteth, that is the figure of the Gnat, which the partie first thought; And so consequently of all the rest.
Now for the numbers annexed to the pictures of the 4. first quarters of the Booke, if you would know which of them any man thinketh; let him first marke and obserue to himselfe the picture where his number standeth, then bid him seeke out that picture in the leafe M, where he shall find it matched with some other different number, which number let him take and carrie in memorie to the leafe S, where he shall likewise find that number placed with some other picture. That picture let him seeke out in the leafe Z, and onely tell you what number he finds thereto adioyned, from which take 6. and the remainder shall be the number that was first imagined.
Admit the number imagined were 40. which standeth vnder the picture of Honour; seeke out that picture in the leafe M, and you shall see it marked with 52. which number (turning to the leafe S) you shall find placed vnder the figure of Fortitude, and that figure sought out in the lease Z giues you 46. from which take 6. and so rests 40. your number desired.
IF you would know by a neere coniecture what name any one thinketh (whether of himselfe, his friend, or his Mistris) so it be no strange or new diuised name, but the vsuall proper name of a man or woman: thus by helpe of the former rules you shall performe it:
Let the party which hath conceiued such a name in his mind, choose some figure (amongst those of the first quarters of the booke) which beginneth with the same letter that his supposed name doth: and hauing thought such a figure, you shall vnderstand which it was by the direction of the first Rule. So haue you certaine knowledge of the first letter of his imagined name. Which reseruing to your selfe (without telling him as yet what picture he thought) bid him reckon with himselfe how many letters there are in the name he thought, and choose a picture that hath the same number annexed to it, which number you are sufficiently instructed by the second Rule how to find out, and hauing found, you then knowe both the first letter of the name he conceiued, and likewise how many letters it containeth: vpon which ground it is easie to giue so neere a gesse to the truth, as shall not once fayle in many tryalls. And so by this meanes you may discouer, both what name, what number, and what picture is thought all at one time. But note that when you are to find out any name beginning with A, or W, though generally you vse the letters of the Italian names of the pictures, and not of the English, yet there you must take the first letters of the English words Adamant, and Wrath, because there is none of the pictures names in Italian begin with those letters. By example this Rule wilbe cleared of all difficulty:
Suppose one thought his Mistresses name, and her name were Elizabeth, the first quarter of the first leafe of this Booke presents him with a picture, whose Italian name beginneth with the same letter, namely Essercito the Armie. And following the order of the first Rule, the first letter of the 1. figures name of that quarter being M, you are therby directed to the leafe M, where he finds the figure or picture of the Armie in the fourth quarter, whose 1. figure is the Quaile, which sends you to the leafe Q, and there his figure standing in the 2. quarter, and the second quarters 1. figure beginning with B, you conclude therevpon that the figure he thought was that of the Armie, and consequently that his imagined name beginneth with E, answerable to the first letter of the Italian word Essercito. This kept in memory, you proceed to inquire what number of letters the name containeth, which being 9. and that number conceiued in his thought befindes it vnder the picture of Fate. Then by order of the second Rule, seeking out that figure in the leafe M, it is there marked with 21. and from thence resoreting to the leafe S, the same number shall be found with the picture of the Fencer, who in the leafe Z hath onely 15. from which abate 6. there remaines 9. he-iust number that was thought, equall to the letters of the name imagined. Thus knowing that the name beginneth with E, and comprehendeth nyne letters, for that there is no other ordinary name consisting of the like number and beginning with the same letter, calling to mind what hath past in all this proceeding, you resolue at once that the figure he thought was the Armie, the number 9. and the name Elizabeth.
To tell a man how much money he hath in his purse, both Poundes, Shillings, and Pence, beeing within the compasse of three Poundes, this Booke shall likewise effect it, in this manner. First, for as many shillings as he hath in his Purse or conceaueth in his mind, let him finde out a number answerable therevnto in the first leafe of the Booke, and likewise obserue what picture that number is placed withall: which Picture, bid him tell in what quarter it standeth, and then proceed (according to the first rule) till you come to the knowledge thereof: which keepe to your selfe, and at the instant bidde him adde the number of his Pence to the number of his shillings, and giue you the summe of both, whilste in the meane time turning carelessely backe to the leafe A, you shall there discouer the number of his shillings, standing with the Picture he thought: which number seperate from the whole summe he giues you, and so haue you in seuerall numbers the iust summe of shillings and pence, which he first imagined.
Example.
Admit the summe which the partie hath or thinketh were 2. Pounds, 6. shillings, and 8. Pence. The number of shillinges then is 46. which number beeing placed with the figure of the Griffin, in the third quarter of the first leafe, giues him occasion to thinke that picture: and hauing tolde you where his figure standeth, you proceede on according to the direction of the first Rule, till you knowe the picture he thought was that of the Griffin. Then bidding him put the number of shillings and pence together, and in the mean while returning to the leafe A, you see there 46. the nūber of shillings which he thought, vnder the Picture of the Griffin: and separating that from 54. (the totall which he giues you of shillinges and pence together) then haue you the accomplishment of this Rule in two numbers, namely 46 and 8. expressing 2. Poundes, 6. Shillinges and 8. Pence.
NOte, that in the leafe Z, the two pictures of Kairo, & Essercito are misplaced, the one standing in the others roome, and the number which is with the one, should be with the other. Also in the same leafe the number 14. at the Picture of the Fencer, should be 15. And in the leafe M, the number 22. at the Picture of Fate, should be 21.