written a Detection of his lying Discouerie and haue touched nothing concerning Sommers testimonic mine owne answers and the seuerall depositions Then haue I written nothing at all For there be scarce anie lines in it which concerne not one of these three But thereof let the world Iudge I can say no more I hope I haue shewed how indirect a course it is that Sommers by threats flatterings and promises of maintenance shoulde first he brought to accuse himselfe after me and then to witnesse against me that mine owne answers should be curtalled and stretched after the Discouerers pleasures that the depositions which were against their likings should be suppressed and others published so far forth as might giue occasion of doubt to the Reader What dare not you auouch which are so bold to affrme that wherof the contrary appeares in euery mans hand If your meaning were that in some particular I haue pretermitted this which your words will not beare then you should haue done well to haue named that Particular as the nature of an Instance requireth which seeing you haue not done it is thereby plaine your selues be rather guiltie of legerdemaine then L Those pages which you quote in the margine I grant I passed ouer for that they concerne others and S. Hars Disc 28. 29. not my selfe as also because the matter was friuolous and vnworthy answere as may there appeare vrging the being of a thing by no other reason but because such a thing might be But marke what a faire threed these men haue spun and how seeking to discredite my Detection they haue brought not a little credite vnto it For I will hence proue that in my Detection I haue not let passe one materiall point of M. Harsnets Discouery vnanswered and namely thus If Darrell haue in his Detection let goe anie materiall point of the Discouery vnanswered then would the Discoursers haue giuen some instances of such omission where they endeuor to proue the same by instances But the Discoursers instancing to that end haue giuen not so much as one instance of such omission Ergo Darrell in his Detection hath not let goe any one materiall point in the Discouery vnanswered pag. 8. 9. My second cunning sleight by your saying is that I disgrace by all meanes Sommers testimonie produced against me but extoll it for me vpholding by it the signes of Possession Dispossession That no credit is to be giuē to his lying testimony I auouch it indeed in the place by you cited but where do I vphold the signes of possession dispossession by Sommers his testimonie wherewith you charge me why do not you also cite some place for this You thought if one part of your assertion were true the Reader would pardon you for the rest It is such nouelty for you to speake truth that any litle is to be accepted at your hands From the Epistle of the Detection you come to the Narration the proofe wherof you will not haue to depend vpon report of the fact pag. 10. 11. but vpon continuance of Essentiall Possessions and Dispossessions in these times A ridiculous thing and to be hissed at The reason why you eschew to deale against matter of fact I haue sufficently declared in the beginning Wel I wil follow you in your course come to your Answere to the Doctrine Which treatise to admit such an hotchpotch as you say though sober men will iudge it set downe in such order as is conuenient it is not for euery one to cooke his matters so artificially as your Discoursing gallimaufrey is but the more skil it wantes the more credit for truth it ought to haue seeing it rasteth simply as bare nature giues without commendation of any slibber-sauce First for Essentiall possession you reproue me or at least Exorcistes for arguing from the word Possession out of the Geneuah translation pag. 12. 13. whereas I no where nor any man else inferre essentiall inherencie from the word Possession as I haue shewed in the Suruey of your Dialog Discourse yet is the same confuted by the Originall by Erasmus Beza Castalio and Montanus But this was your voluntarie perhaps before you came to your musicke now let vs beare your set and meditated song Wheras I argue a possession thus The pag. 13. 14. actions or pasrions which the parties endured were supernaturall and therefore proceeded from supernaturall causes You deny the actions were supernaturall and that for three reasons First Naturall causes haue had more wonderful effects which I think I haue sufficiently answered in the beginning of your seuenth Dialogue Now therefore in one word Is nothing supernaturall in any creature which is exceeded by anie other worke in nature Then the foming wallowing the breaking of chaines asunder reported of Demoniakes in the Gospel were not supernaturall because something more wonderful Dialog Dis 204. may come from a naturall cause as that mentioned by you of the little fish Echneis which being but halfe a foote long if shee but once cleaue to the side of a ship wil compel it perforce to stand still notwithstanding the violence of the wind or oare I am ashamed to heare men thus absurd You might haue considered had your wits beene your owne that these actions or passions are not therefore supernaturall and so called because they are more wonderfull then anie thing issuing from nature which a naturall would scarce affirme but partly because they are for the most part aboue that and more wonderfull then the nature of man can send forth and partly in respect of the supernatural cause from which they did proceed namely the diuel Secondly say you One cause may bring forth sundry effects and one effect may proceed from sundry causes Doubtlesse happy might that man be that could apply either this One cause or these sundry causes to this cause we haue in hand Is this your proposition If one cause may bring forth sundry effects and one effect proceede from sundrie causes then the Actions or Passions reported by me in the Demoniakes were not supernaturall It is wonderfull what a man shal gaine by disputing with you For now haue I learned by your priuiledged proposition Not only these actions of our Demoniakes not to bee supernatural but also neither any action of any Demoniake that either the Apostles or Christ himselfe deliuered Thirdly The like effects issue from diuers diseases I answere If your skill in physicke be so great tell vs I beseech you from what disease so many strange effects might arise as are witnessed to haue bene in these parties what disease it was they had Whether had they the Lunacie or the phrensie or the Epilepsie or the Mother or it was some Convulsions or Crampe that they had Name the disease And if so manie effects doe not proceede from one disease as it is very likely declare how manie diseases they had and what they were And whether they had all the diseases
nowe haue confuted me you should haue bent your force against these things I say and not against that I no where do affirme But this is with you an vsuall thing You adde that I deeming possession to be but a meere naturall maladie doe directly crosse my former speech where I make it a supernaturall maladie And this forsooth is one of your Contradictions But you must first proue better then you haue done yet that I doe not onely deeme but say that Possession is a naturall maladie before it be so indeed that I crosse mine owne speech If I were giuen as much to crosse my body as you say I am to crosse my selfe in my speech I were a very fit man to make a Papist who loue of life to crosse themselues To make vp your summe you foist vs in a counterfeit That all supernaturall pag. 65. works are miracles as if faith hope and charitie peace of conscience and such like were all miracles which if it be true we must needs stil haue miracles or els haue no Church The Papists would be glad to heare of these tidings but no body else except such as would reioâ—ce at your folly For your second third fourth and fist Dialogues wherein you thinke you haue ouerthrowne Essentiall possession by that time you haue weighed in a iust ballance what hath beene answered thereunto you shall perceiue to haue preuailed as much as if you had laboured to ouerthrow your Peake hils You pag. 66. 67. say You haue shewed Passession is not inflicted for sinne but I say you must shew it better before any man of wisdome can beleeue you I haue branded your absurditie in your Discourses for that you conclude Iob. 12. 31. a finall end of possession from the casting forth of the prince of this world Here you increase it a thousand folde in making your owne singular foolish and impious wresting of this Scripture to contain a matter of no lesse certaintie then is the expresse word of God Genes 9. 14. 15. for an vtter end of any the like floud to that which was in Noabs time I do not tie the Lord to the punishment of Gomorrah or of the children deriding the prophet or of Cehazi and such others but where the like sinnes raigne there may be the like punishment which you will not grant in actuall Possession hauing put a necessarie end vnto it But you wil not be pressed with May be Much a do you keep with this pag 68. Sophisme a posse ad esse Wherfoeuer you meet with may or can in the conclusion then eftsoones you tell vs of this fallacie â—s in your Discourses your skil in Rhetorike in discerning of Tropes did faile you so here it doth in Logicke in discerning Elenchs To auouch Poss ssion of d uels to bâ—e inflicted also for sinne is Cuâ—kolike melodie in your eares but you haue sung vs a Iacke Dawes song in limitting it with * pag. 67. two onely ends that is of confirmation of Chaists Deity and of the Gospell as I haue abundantly proued Whereas I affirme the iudgement of our senses for the truth of Sommers vexation by Satan you reply Our senses could not comprehend pag. 69. such supernaturall matters besides they might be deluded and diuels can do things in shew For comprehension seeing you depriue vs of all iudgement of sense blame vs not if we be something dull in conceâ—uing this How that seeing we do not see feeling we do not feele smelling we do not smell and hearing wee doe not heare and that we require you would make it plaine vnto vs. Which when you haue once done and beaten into our heads I will neuer trust mine eyes againe though I should see M. Deacon in forme of an Angel of light But if our senses were deluded things done in shew that were not in deed surely it was Satan that deluded vs and no counterfeiting in Sommers as you would faine haue it This is the summe of your first dialogue against me to which Lycanthropus subscribeth as able to suffice any reasonable man but this is but a small thing saith Pueumatomachus and therfore he stretcheth the matter to an higher pitch That neither any vnreasonable man which is much more shall be euer able to answer it So that now we are much beholding to M. Deacon and M. Walker that haue put all fooles and mad men to a perpetuall non plus whose tongues would otherwise continually bee tampring Concerning the straunge and present affliction of the boy of Northwitch I will say nothing I neuer sawe him howsoeuer you descant on the matter after your lying palâ—ry maner Yet I think pag. 71. it not amisse to offer to thy view good Reader the iudgement of the Bishop of Chester in his direction to his parents and of three other Commissioners for causes Ecclesiaflicall according with him therein FIrst we thinke it fit and doe require the parents of the said childe that they suffer not any to repaire to their house to visite him sauing such as are in authority and other persons of speciall regard and knowne discretion and to haue speciall care that the number alwayes be very smal Further hauing seene the bodily affliction of the said child and obserued in sundry fits v ry strange effects and operations either proceeding of naturall vnknowne causes or of some diabolical practise we thinke it conuenient and fit for the ease and deliuerance of the said childe from his grieuous afflictions that prayer be made for him publikely by the minister of the parish or any other preacher repairing thither before the congregation so oft as the same assembleth And that certaine preachers namely M. Garrad M. Massey M. Coller M. Haruey M. Eaton M. Pierson and M. Brownhill these onely and none other to repaire vnto the saide child by turnes as their leisures will serue and to vse their discretions by priuate prayer and fasting for the ease and comfort of the afflicted with all requiring them to abstaine from all solemne meetings because the calamitie is particular and the authoritie of the allowing and prescribing such meetings resteth neither in them nor in vs but in our Superiours whose pleasure it is fit we should expect Moreouer because it is by some held that the child is really possessed of an vncleane spirit for that there appeareth to vs no certaintie nor yet any great probability thereof wee thinke it also conuenient and require the preachers asoresaid to forbeare all formes of Exorcisme which alwayes imply and presuppose a reall and actuall possession Rich. Cestriensis Dauid Yale Chancel Griff. Vaughan Hugh Burghes Hereunto I will adde a fewe lines which M. Haruey aforesaid a man of great learning and godlines writ in his life time to a friend of his Grace mercie from our only Sauior There is such a boy as your report signifieth whose estate from the beginning of February till this present hath
beene so strange and extraordinarie in regard of his passions behauiour and speeches as I for my part neuer heard noâ— read of the like Few that haue seene the variety of his fits but they thinke the diuell hath the disposing of his body My selfe haue diuers times seene him and such things in him as are impossible to proceed from any humane creature The matter hath affected our whole countrey The Diâ—ines with vs generally hold that the child is really possessed And so much for him Wee see what the Bishop and Preachers of Chesse-shire their iudgement is touching this child What say nowe the Discoursers concerning him They after they haue for three leaues together scofted at his grieuous affliction for so the Bishop before tearmeth it in most prophane childish and scurrulous maner doe in the end pag. 76. affirme that he counterfeiteth and that this would soone apeare if be were well coniâ—â—ed a while with a three corded whip Is this the fruit of your visiting the child you had better haue kept you at home VVas this all the comfort the distressed boy and parents receiued from you Miserable comforters then are you Is this the mercy and all the bowels of compassion that is in you towards him that is Rom. 12. 15. in miserie O mercilesse men and voyd of all piâ—ie It appeareth you haue not learned to weepe with them that weepe VVell I can tell you of a couple of such merrie or mercilesse companions as your selfes that comming of late to one M. tames Charles of Wolroych in Kent to see his daughter Clemens Charles who is reputed to be possest with the diuell not without cause they scarce went so merrily home as they were at M. Charles and yet but a small thing befell them by the way Returning home they went by one M. Hooke his house of Darlton maister not long before to this maid at whose house she began to bee afflicted Now as they were on horsebacke before M. Hooke his doore and sporting themselues with him about the counterfeiting of this new vpstart counterfeit behold one of their horses staled bloud and as they were talking thereof loe the other did the like whereat they were somewhat appaulled How it fared with their horses after I know not but the day following they caried themselues at M. Charles more soberly whether they went on other horses But hereof ynough I will nowe proceede to your second Dialogue A REPLIE TO THE SECOND DIALOGVE THe second part of my Doctrine treateth That those eight before mentioned were verily dispossessed that by fasting and prayer the meanes appointed by God For confirmation wherof I knew no better rule then the example of men dispossessed in holy Scripture which is the onely true and vnsallible touchstone to examine both this and all other actions by These Answerers scorne these notes calling pag. 8â— them falsly pretended signes of dispossession from sacred Scripture and therefore pretermitting them require my argumentes as if the Signes from Scripture were no arguments at all It seemeth you haue found a veine of better mettal then the Scriptures froÌ„ whence your whole booke is so full stuffed with your owne shining drosse and is so vtterly destitute of this purified gold Yet you cannot beat me from them but I vrge them thus There were in our Demoniakes the selfe same signes or notes of dispossession precedent and subsequent which wee reaâ—e of in the Scripture Demoniakes and therefore the same dispossession you answere There were not the same signes in our demoniakes and first because they were meere cosonages as is confessed freely by the parties themselues vpon their owne oathes I reply the parties we speake of bee eight in number whereof onely Sommers hath made this cursed confession which was not free and voluntaries Detect pag. 127. as you vntruly affirme but extorted by Satan and his instruments as in my Detection I haue made manifest But what say you to the seuen in Lancashire It may be Sommers hath sworne for theÌ„ all for they as yet were neuer examined yet because we doubt of Somers general oath I pray you proue vnto vs who taught the children to counterfeit when and where and by what meanes they were taught what end might induce them to imbrace such teaching whether the parents were priuy to it and what they propounded in practising such wickednesse Yea put Sommers too into the roll shew vs what man is able by practise to do the things that either Sommers or they did And one woulde thinke a man of meane agility might quickly performe that which cofoning yong boyes and girles could Shew vs I beseech you these and such like things or otherwise if you cannot shew theÌ„ yet tel vs of cosâ—nage you shew vs nothing but your long eares brasen faces Secondly â—g 83. say you The signes in the Scripture Demoniakes were sensibly percâ—iued by the beholders but these in your pretended Demoniakes were not so by your own confession Belike all we that were spectators of our Demoniakes being at sundrie times a great multitude were all stricken with blindnesse with deafnesse and with a benummednes and yet we all thought we vsed our senses and I am sure wee were no sooner out of the place but we were able the Lord bee thanked to see heare and feele But you confirme this by mine own confession â—ct pag. 37 which saith that the spirit could not possibly be felt or seene I said so say so againe that Spirits cannot be felt or seene in their owne bare essence but as they make themselues knowne vnto vs by their effects I angling Sophisters will dispute That the nose of a mans face cannot be seene because that which we see is but colour or forme and the nose it selfe is neither of both Your eares ring it may bee with their noise which hath made you borrow an argument from them Thirdly you say The Signes we report are false which I would graunt you if your selues had learned to speake truth We must remember there are aboue two hundred witnesses hereof liuing at this day of which some haue deposed the same wee report of Sommers Fourthly say you Scripture Signes can argue no Dispossession now because like effects may arise froÌ„ naturall causes and coporall diseases By this your good helpe Atheists might ouerthrow all Possessions and Dispossessions in the scripture But howsoeuer you may be friendly to such vile wretches yet haue they no foothold from hence For neither those effects in those ancient Demoniakes nor in these of our time iointly wholy considered can proceed from naturall disease Naturall causes can bring forth no supernaturall effects as we haue demoÌ„strated these to be in spight of your seuenth Dialogue and what other treaty so euer you oppose against it Lastly say you A dispossession may bee without such apparant signes and therefore your signes precedent and subsequent do not necessarily conclude a dispossession