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ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A16950	A true discourse, vpon the matter of Martha Brossier of Romorantin pretended to be possessed by a deuill. Translated out of French into English, by Abraham Hartvvel.; Discours veritable sur le faicte de Marthe Brossier. English.	Marescot, Michel, 1539-1605, attributed name. aut; Pietre, Simon, ca. 1525-1584, attributed name. aut; Le Bouthillier, attributed name. aut; Hartwell, Abraham, b. 1553.	1599 (1599)	STC 3841; ESTC S113238	24,481	52

a man had stroke me with a dagger I should not haue bled And thus haue wee philosophically disputed about a pinne somewhat too much The second reason to proue that Martha was possessed with a Deuill is That there appeared in her mouth a certaine kinde of thin foame Who did euer heare any speech of the Deuils foame If it be so there should haue been added that it was also blacke For all that commeth from him being of hell must needes be blacke Yea our good old women vse to say That the Deuill hath no white at all in his eye Who can forbeare laughter to heare that a woman is knowne to be possessed with a Spirit by her foame and spittle The third reason to proue that Martha was possessed with a Spirit is Because she had certaine marueilous violent motions without any alteration either in her pulse or in her breathing or in her colour But truly her motions were not so violent but that certaine Phisitians which could not patiently abide this cousinage could very easily stay her and so would haue done vpon the last daies also when she plaied her part so cunningly if they had been called But Non patebant fores ne pateret veritas The doores were not open for feare least the trueth should haue beene opened Moreouer though the motions of Martha had been violent yet were they very briefe and short for presently she raised her selfe and then the Exorcist said Here is nothing else but Martha But let vs confesse and auow that these her motions were so violent and sudden as they say without any chaunge or alteration in her pulse yet this signifieth that her blood was very thicke and earthie and so could not easily be kindled and therefore we say with Galen that the pulse of such people is very rare We haue oftentimes seene sundrie Melancholike persons not onely many daies and moneths but also many yeeres to haue runne vp and downe crying very strangely and howling like dogs without any change either in pulse or in breathing or in colour Againe vse and custome serueth greatly to this purpose There were fifteene moneths spent in carying of her too and fro like an Ape or a Beare to Angers Saulmur Clery Orleans and Paris in which time they taught her to practise all these gambalds Et quae consueta sunt minus afficere solent The things that are of vse and custome doe not breede any great alteration How many things are there which we doe daily see in Nature to be farre more strange admirable and incredible which notwithstanding are not attributed to Deuils but to the hidden secrets of Nature We see those that are bitten with a mad dogge to barke like dogges Men that are Warewolfes to howle and eate mans flesh like Wolues because they haue their Imagination hurt and thinke themselues to bee Wolues They that are desirous to know more hereof may reade the two bookes of Leuinus Lemnius De occultis Naturae miraculis Of the secret miracles of Nature Mizaldus and Fracastorius in the bookes of Sympathie and Antipathie and Baptista Porta in his Magike Naturall and also that which a learned man of this age hath written touching Miracles To bee short there are an infinit number of things that are done by the secret power of Nature which if because they are secret wee should attribute to the Deuill then to vnfolde the Questions of Naturall Philosophie and Phisicke from the beginning to the end of these two Sciences we should alwaies haue recourse to Deuils But this reason is of so slender force as by the same I may conclude the quite contrary that is to say that Martha Brossier neither is nor was possessed with a Spirit Those that are possessed with a Deuill after their vehement and sudden motions do remaine astonished and haue their members as it were cracked as it appeareth in the ninth chapter of S. Marke and by the Histories reported by Master Fernelius in his second booke De abditis rerum causis Of the hidden causes of Nature Martha Brossier after her motions was not in that case but to the contrarie remained liuely and lustie Therefore Martha Brossier was not possessed with a Deuill Now then build your beliefe vpon such slender reasons as you make to conclude a matter of so great weight The fourth reason if it were true would necessarily conclude that is to say if she had spoken Greeke and English hauing neuer before learned either of those languages it would be a certaine and sure argument of her possession with a Deuill But that is altogether false For she neuer spake any other language then the French tongue and the proper speech of Romorantin although false rumours haue been spread abroad thereof to the contrarie But say they indeede she neuer spake either Greeke or English but she answered to the purpose when a question was demanded of her in Greeke One asked her 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 How camest thou into the bodie She answered in French For the glorie of God Now the very selfe same question in Gr●eke had bin made vnto her before at Clery as Master Lieutenant Criminal hath seene in his informations It is manifest therefore that there was a collusion in it Besides that she answered not to the purpose for she was asked the means how he had entred into the bodie the answer was made of the end that is to say wherfore it entred into y e bodie Father Benet questioned with her a long time in English and the good old Father asked her What was his name and the womā answered I was not at your Christning O goodly Miracle Martha had heard the Bishop that furnished the good Father with Interrogatories as euen the Phisitians themselues which though the woman was possessed haue written in their Reporte and the Bishop willing him to aske it in English What was his Name it was an easie matter for this cunning wench being very craftie and well instructed in such subtilties to answere I was not at your Christning But if in this woman there had been a Diuell in deede how commeth it to passe that hauing been so long a time conuersant in the Westerne Church where Latin is so common it had not in all that time learned that language Now she did confesse that shee did not vnderstand vs when wee spake Latine What was the reason then that she did vnderstand rather the words of the Priests but onely because shee was alreadie instructed and vsed thereunto and so vnderstoode them as an Ape or a Dogge vnderstandeth his Master And for as much as whiles she was in the Chastelet shee had vsually in her hands the booke of the Deuill of Laon which shee brought with her from Romarantin and which Monsieur Lugoly caused to be taken from her I leaue it to consideration whether it were not of purpose to instruct her more and more in such Apish toyes Besides all these former reasons specified they bring vs

the testimonie of Saint Luke the Euangelist and Phisician to the end that this authoritie should be the greater against the Phisicians who when he reciteth the Histories of such as were possessed and healed by Iesus Christ doth alleadge no more plaine and euident signes of possession then those that were seen in this woman of Romarantin Now let vs see whether this bee true and well concluded In the first place Saint Luke in his eleuenth Chapter maketh mention of a Diuell that was dombe and driuen forth by Christ and doth not describe or set downe any signes whereby this Deuill might be knowne The Euangelists had no intent to describe any such signes For they which were brought to Iesus Christ to be healed were euidently found to be such persons euen by the confession of the Iewes and on the behalfe of Iesus Christ hee knew them well enough without any signes If therefore wee want none other signes of the Diuels possession but those that are set downe by the Euangelists then euery person that is Epileptike or troubled with the Falling Sicknesse euery Melancholike and euery Frantike person shall haue the Deuill in their bodies and there will be moe Demóniakes in the world then there are Fooles But let vs see whether Saint Luke doe not set downe more apparant and euident tokens of such as are possessed with Deuils then those which Martha had This Euangelist and Phisician in the eight Chapter of his Gospell describing the man possessed with a Deuill called Legion because many Deuils were entered into him saith that this man Ware no cloathes neither aboade in house but in graues Martha did weare garments of a slight coloured cloath after the fashion of a Romarantin Mayde Shee was when occasion required at the table of Bishops Abbats and Monkes Shee did eate and drinke as other folkes doe This Demóniake possessed with the Legion acknowledged Iesus Christ to bee the Sonne of God whom hee neuer had seene nor heard of and therefore he knew things that were otherwise secret But Martha did neuer any such thing This Demóniake although hee were bound with chaynes of Iron yet he broke them and was caried away by the Deuill into the Deserts But Martha was easilie helde and stayed with a very weake hand Then is this authoritie of Saint Luke not well alleadged Now that wee haue confuted these slender and sleight reasons of some of the Phisicians let vs come to the reasons of some others and begin with the testimonie of diuerse men of qualitie which say that they saw her lifted vp into the ayre for a space without any stay to vphold her Goe too then Let vs dispute by Philosophie Whatsoeuer is moued in recta linea in a right line it must haue a rest before it take any contrary Motion as for example a Ball being throwne against a Wall before it reboundeth backe againe resteth it selfe vpon the Wall as Aristotle sheweth in his eyght booke of Phisicks and an Arterie after the Dilatation thereof before it make Contraction resteth it selfe And now you may see why this woman of Romarantin leaping vp into the ayre rested her selfe before she came downe againe But this is somewhat too subtile a reason let vs yeeld you one that is more plaine and cleere They tolde vs vpon the Thurseday morning that they alwaies thought this matter of Martha to be meere cousinage but in the after-noone they saw her aloft in the ayre peraduenture because some vapours arising vp into their braines did breede certaine accidents like to Suffusions or Clowdes in such sort as a man shall see things as it were out of their place Which may very well bee shewed by the Arte Optike Yea it way possibly be that they saw Duplicem Martham vnam humi alteram in sublimi Two Marthaes one vpon the ground and another a loft Others there bee which haue alleadged another reason in that Martha did lift her flankes all the rest of her bodie remayning vnmoued And so Horses after they haue runne when they pant in their flankes which Horace termeth Iliaducere may as well haue the Deuill in their bodies I am ashamed to heare such reasons And in sooth this which followeth is not much better They heard a rumbling vnder her left ribs but it was very little and that onely when it was touched By this reason those that are troubled with a Winde about the short ribbes and poore Maydens that haue the Greene Sicknesse and pale colours shall haue the Deuill in their bodies For oftentimes the sound in their bellies is so great that it may bee heard aboue from beneath and from one chamber to another And by this reason also they should not haue one Deuill alone but many And in deed if we beleeue those Good-Fathers Martha had and yet still hath three Deuils in her one that is an olde and a cruell one called Beelsebuh another that is a merrie one which they call Ascalon The lester of Hell and a third which they call The Skullion of Hell And thus these reasons march all after one tune Some there be which adde hereunto that Martha discouered and tolde certaine Secrets of Men in such sorte as many of the assistants were in great feare thereof Father Seraphin who alwaies walked with a good simple conscience in this businesse demaunded of her What haue I done this night Martha answered Thou hast prayed to God Behold what a goodly great Secret this was to tell a Capuchine Frier Thou hast prayed to God Whereby a man may know that the Romarantine Wench mocked the simplicitie of these Good-Fathers Some bring a reason that is more vrgent that is to say That Martha did speake in her bellie when her mouth and her lips were shut and closed Truely Martha spake as another bodie did And yet if shee had done so should she therefore haue a Deuill that spake within her bellie Hippocrates in his fift booke of the Epidemies the 58. sentence maketh mention of the wife of one Polemarchus which spake in her bellie Iohn Gorraeus in his Definitions Medicinall sayth that in Hippocrates they are called 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which talke in their bellie when their Mouthes and their Lippes are shut and closed Looke vpon Scaliger against Cardan in the 258. Exercise and the third part Foetius in his Oeconomia Hippocratica writeth that the Great Adrian Turnebus did say in his Reading-Chayre that he had seen a Rogue who without opening his Mouth or stirring his lippes did with his bellie make such a sound and vttered such a voyce as pleased him and gained great store of money by practising that feate And in truth it might very well bee done because in closing or shutting the breast and stomacke there may enter some ayre into the Arterie which may make a kinde of sound or voyce not very distinct or plaine to bee discerned at first and yet by long exercise may bee in a sorte perceiued and such persons are called 〈◊〉