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ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A05303	A treatise of specters or straunge sights, visions and apparitions appearing sensibly vnto men Wherein is delivered, the nature of spirites, angels, and divels: their power and properties: as also of witches, sorcerers, enchanters, and such like. With a table of the contents of the several chapters annexed in the end of the booke. Newly done out of French into English.; Discours des spectres, ou visions et apparitions d'esprits, comme anges, demons, at ames, se monstrans visibles aux hommes. English	Loyer, Pierre le, 1550-1634.; Jones, Zachary.	1605 (1605)	STC 15448; ESTC S108473	230,994	324

adventurous beganne to rush vpon Monsieur the spirite saying vnto him Sir if you be the Divell I am his damme And therewithall he curried him so lustily with sound blowes of his cudgell that the spirite which was of no other substance than flesh and bone did so well feele his Bastanadoes as hee cryed out for pardon and saide hee was Maister Iohn At this worde his neece leapt out of hir bed and stayed herfriend from dealing with him any further And this shall suffice to speake of artificiall devises which doe in a sorte seeme very cunning and subtile and do passe withall so cunningly as the most crafty are overtaken and abvsed by them Wee will now proceede to speake of other artificiall prankes more grosse and not so fine and such as are played and vsed vpon sottish and simple witted persons Of iests wher by simple persons are deceved and deluded lib. 2. of the Courtier It is a thing very ordinary and vsuall with common Iesters to be alwayes deluding of simple and credulous folkes And you may well thinke how easie a matter it was to make that man beleeve any thing whatsoever of whome Balthasar Castilion speaketh who was easily perswaded and drawne to beleeve that hee was starke blinde The history is thus Two Bouffons or pleasant companions after they had long played and jested with a poore simple fellow made him in the end to lay him downe And within a while after they having put out the candle made a shew as if they had beene still playing at the cardes and did perswade him who was layde that there was light still burning in the chamber and that they did still holde on play Insomuch as at last this poore man began to cry out vnto them saying Oh sirs I am blinds The others replying vnto him and making shew as if they did come neere him with the candle said that he was deceived and that it was nothing but a fantasie that was come into his head for that his eyes were still very faire and goodly to looke vnto Ayme quoth he this is no fantasie nor I see no more than as if I never had had eyes in my head This poore sotte say I woulde have easely beene made beleeve all manner of false visions that any man could have presented vnto his sight And if his companions had withall made a noyse and rumbling in the Chamber it had beene enough to have scared and frayed him as if the Fairies and Spirites had already taken him by the shinnes Besides it is a common tricke of vnhappy boyes to make especiall choice of Churchyardes there to terrifie others Churchyards places most suspected for spirits to walk in because those are helde to be places most suspected for Ghostes and Spirites to haunt in and inhabite In those places they will sometimes set Crevises alive or Tortoyses and putte a burning candle on their backes and after will let them to go to the intent those that shall see them slowly marching or creeping neere about the sepulchres may suppose them to be the soules of dead men In himno Mercurii And truely Homer saith That the Tortoise is armed with deceipt and imposture or that I may vse his owne worde 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Meaning in my conceit That by her simple persons are deceived in the night season More than that there be of those Streete-walkers and idle companions which wil apparel themselves like warre-woolves and take vnto them the habite of some supposed spirite or Divell and so keeping neere vnto the sepulchres of the dead they will counterfeit themselves all the night to be ghosts and spirites Lavater recounteth how it happened one day in a Towne of Switzerland named Zurich Libr. 1. de Spectris that certaine yoong lusty Gallants and carelesse youths having changed their apparell did daunce all night long and within a certaine churchyard and it happened that one of them more pleasantly disposed than she rest taking vp the bone of a dead man did play therewithall vpon a beere of wood that was neere by and was vsed for the carriage of the dead corpes and hee made it to sound as if he had beene playing on a Tabor Some there were that happened to perceive it who as it seemeth being none of the wisest did presently spreade abroade throughout all the towne and reported that they had seene a daunce of dead men and that it was greatly to be doubted that some plague and mortalitie would follow after it Certaine it is that it is much the worse when as such fooles doe finde others as very fooles as themselves For else it might happen that their trumperies and deceiptfull illusions which they prepare to abuse others would fall vpon their owne heades and they might chaunce at some time or other to be so well marked for their labour as they would remember it all their lives after But if these maister fooles doe gaine little or nothing in playing the divelles towardes such as are more divelles than themselves So doe they as little advantage themselves when they thinke to terrifie and make afraide such men as are wise and of a minde settled and assured and who doe not easely or without good proofe and triall beleeve all things to be Spirites which doe appeere hideous and strange vnto them To this purpose there is a very notable Historic recited by Lucian of Democritus an excellent Philosopher in his time In Dialogo 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Democritus being willing to withdrawe himselfe into a solitary place that hee might the more at his ease intend the study of Philosophy without being troubled by any body made choice of a sepulchre that was large and deepe in the ground and seated without the citie of Abdera within the which enclosing and shutting himselfe vp hee beganne to write and compose many things containing matter of notable and great learning The young youths of Abdera who esteemed him little better than a foole being advertised heereof apparelled themselves in the habite and shew of spirites and taking vnto them blackeroabes and certaine hideous visardes made like in shape vnto dead men having their sculles bare and naked they did environ the sepulchre round about dācing leaping fetching their gambolds in a round never ceasing still to intermingle straunge cries and voyces in their dauncing Democritus for all this mummery would not so much as lift vppe his eyes from his Booke but continued still writing of somthing all that time But in the end being weary of their cries and noyse he sayde vnto them Cease cease my friends to play the fooles thus as you doe and vse your fooleries to some others for I knowe you well enough Neverthelesse Guido Cavalcanti did in another forte aunswere certaine yoong Gentlemen of Florence that came to feare and terrifie him within a Churchyard where hee was verie busie and intentive in coutemplating certaine auntiént Toombes and Sepulchres For as Boccace affirmeth having

Night Spirits or as the Italians vse to terme them Gli Farfarrelis c. That is Spirits that vse to walke only in the night times O●t●e Spirites called Genti De Demonio Oratisin Apologetico Those Spirits which the Latines call Genii are diuels also as both Apuleius and Tertullian do witnesse and the like affirmeth the Greeke Comick who saith That To euery man on earth a Demon is ordained The which his life to rule and gouerne is enioyned According to the tradition of the Church of Rome For certaine it is that these Genii and no other haue charge to keepe and protect euery man that is borne into the world And they are named Genii as Censorm saith because to them is committed the care of our generation or because they are borne with vs or for that they doe receiue and guard vs after we are engendred And these Genii haue not onely the ouersight and charge of euery particular person but euery kinde of people also haue their proper and peculiar Genius according as Symmachus a very famous Author hath written Saying Lib. 10. Epist That as the soules of men are giuen vnto them with which they are borne So are the Genii attributed vnto seuerall peoples and Nations So likewise euery particular Towne had his Genius to the which it offered Sacrifices And there haue beene found many Titles and Inscriptions in the olde ruines of auncient Townes in the which hath beene written Genio Ciuitatis To the Genius of the Citie So likewise there was not any troope of men at Armes amōgst the Romans nor the Senate of Rome but had their particular Genius But aboue all the Genius of the Romane Emperour was had in great honour and it was a common thing to sweare by it and to inuocate and call vpon it in testimony of that Obeysance and subiection which they ought vnto the Prince whome that Genius had in protection And this superstition did endure and continue euen to the time of Tertullian In Apologetic● who reproouing the same did will and enioyne the Christians not to inuocate or call vpon the Genius of their Prince and from him euen to the time of Iustinian at the least as is to bee seene by a Lawe of Vlpian which was neuer chaunged nor refined by Trebonian L. si due patroni § Gli. D. de lure lur as others were that had lesse superstition in them This law did defend and prohibit any to sweare falsly by the Genius of the Prince and enacted that those which did so offend should suffer the Bastonado wherby they might be admonished not to sweare againe so rashly and vnaduisedly And wee may not forget That these Genii were sometimes paynted by the Paynims in the forme and shape of men hauing a horne betokening plentie or aboundance in their hand as is yet to be seene in many olde and auncient stampes or coynes and sometimes in the forme of Serpents which may well serue to vnderstand that verse of Perseus where he writeth Pinge duos angues Satir. 1. pueri sacer est locus extra meïte And this did not Seruius forget In lib. 5. Enei● dos in expisca●ione versus Cum lubricus anguis ab ●mis septem ingens gyros speaking of that Serpent which Aeneas in his Anniuersaries or yearely sacrifices celebrated to the name of his father Anchises did see to creepe vpon his Tom be Touching the which as Virgill saith Aeneas was vncertaine whether it were the Genius of his father or of the place And this may also helpe to the interpretation of another place in Theocritus in his Booke of Characters which I haue also corrected from the vulgar and commō reading where he saith That a superstitious person seeing by chaunce a Serpent in his house did consecrate vnto it a little chappell in the same place But my meaning is not here to speake of Serpents which as Plutarch saith were cōsecrated vnto Noble and Heroicall persons In vita Cleomedis and which after their deathes did appeare neere to their corpses for this is not any part of our matter albeit a man may very wel fit vnto the Genii that same which he hath deliuered touching this point Of the spirits called Manes Glossaer manes 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 To proceed therefore with our purposed Discourse let vs now ●nter to entreate of those Spirits which the Latines call Manes which also are no other then verie Diuels and are therefore of Festus called also by the former name of Laruae Also the manner was to paint them blacke and hideous as wee vse to paint Diuels and hellish Ghostes or shadowes And to this purpose there is a very pleasant and merrie History in Dion in the life of Domitian Xiphilin the Abbre●●ator of Dion the which I thinke will not be vnpleasing if I discipher it here at large After the victory had gotten against the Gethes the Emperour Domitian caused many shewes and triumphes to bee made in signe and token of ioy and amongst others hee inuited publickly to dine with him all sorts of persons both noble and vnnoble but especially the Senators and knights of Rome to whom he made a feast in this fashion Hee had caused a certaine house of al sides to be painted black the pauemēt therof was black so likewise were the hangings or seelings the roofe and the wals also black and within it hee had prepared a very low roomth not vnlike a hollow vault or cell ful of emptie siedges or seats Into this place he caused the Senators knights his ghests to be broght without suffering any of their Pages or attend ●nts to enter in with them And first of all hee caused a little square piller to be set neere to euery one of them vpō the which was written the parties name sitting next it by which there hāged also a lamp burning before each seat in such sort as is vsed in Sepulchers After this there comes into this melancholicke and dark place a number of yong Pages with great ioy and merriment starke naked and spotted or painted all ouer with a die or colour as black as Inke who resembling these Spirits called Manes and such like Idols did leape skip round about those Senators and Knightes who at this vnexpected accident were not a little frighted and afraid After which those Pages sate thē downe at their feete against each of them one and there stayed whilest certaine other persons ordayned there of purpose did execute with great solemnitie all those ceremonies that were vsually fit and requisit at the Funerals and exequies of the dead This done there came in others who brought and serued in in blacke dishes and platters diuers meats and viands all coloured blacke in such sort that there was not any one in the place but was in great doubt what would become of him and thought himselfe vtterly vndone supposing that he should haue his throate cut onely to giue

a perpetuall daunce vpon the waters and that in dauncing and leaping they approach and come neere to Marriners or Sea passengers and so to guide and conduct them to their desired Hauen Now daunses or leaping and vawting in measures haue neede of nothing as saith Aristotle but onely of Number measure and true cadence Finally the Nymphes of the Land haue the Voyce Of the land-Nymphes and that the Voyce is proper to them Fatum or Fate whence deriued That the Nymphes are no other then Diuels proper vnto them And for the most part they are fayned to be Diuiners Prophets and Poets as Egeria Hersilia Carmenta the Camenae and the Goddesse Fatua the wife of Faunus of whome I may deriue the name of Phataa that is to say Destinye and where of is come the Latine word Fatum Now for a conclusion of al this Discourse certainely if all these Nymphes of which I haue spoken haue at any time appeared vnto men It can not be imagined but that they must needes be Spirits and Diuels And the truth is that euen at this day it is thought that in some of the Northerne Regions they do yet appeare to diuers persons And the report is that they haue a care and doe diligently attend about little Infantes lying in the cradle that they doe dresse and vndresse them in their swathling clothes and do performe all that which carefull Nurses can do vnto their Nurse children And surely the Auncients had the same opinion of them For the Poets say that Iupiter was kept in his Infancy of the Nymph or Fairie Melissa and that Bacchus as soone as hee was borne was carried away by the Nymphes or Fayries Nysa was saide to be nurse of Bacchus and of her he is cal led Nyseus to bee nourished by them in the Denne or Caue of Nysa and that by them Hylas a yong lad was rauished and carried away Antinous taken and Adonis pulled away from the Barke of the Myrrhe tree which was his mother transformed and Metamorphosed To be short if I should recite all the Fables which are written of them I should neuer make an ende Onely this I will adde that those Fairies or Nymphes which I said did attend about little Infants to dresse them as Nurses may well bee those Diuels or auncient Goddesses which were said to haue the charge of the birth of Children and for that cause were named 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 But I would gladly knowe and learne who did put it in the heades of olde folkes and other simple persons and Idiots that the Arcades the Theaters the olde Fountaines or Water Conduits the Bathes and Great stones pitched vp aloft Of diuers olde famous works and buildings supposed to be the works and dwellings of the Nymphes were the workes of the Nymphes or Fayries Was it trow ye because it hath beene continually held and commonly thought that the Spirits and Nymphes or Fayries haue loued ruinous places and that for this cause the olde ruines of great proud admirable buildings decayed haue bene said to be the houses dwelling places or the workes of the Nymphes Surely as touching their inhabiting in ruinous places Esay witnesseth it where he saith Esay 13. That the Syrens or Nymphes shall possesse their houses and there make their retrait abiding The dwellings of the Nymphes described in Homer and Virgil are sufficiently well knowne that they were in dennes or caues farre remoued and concealed from the sight company of men builded wrought by themselues in the naturall rocks hard stone And Homer for his part hath so well and perfectly described the Caue of Ithaca where these Fayries did abide that Porphyrius hath taken the paines to interpret and explane at large the ingenious order of their building and Arctitecture At this day is to be seene the Caue of Sibylla Cumana neere to Naples of which also Iustin Martyre doth partly make mention and sayeth that the report went how in that Cell she wrote her Prophecies Besides the Temples of the Nymphes called by the Greekes 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and of the Latines Lymphaea were alwayes situated without the Citties and Townes in solitarie places and farre remoued from any dwellinges as appeareth by the Lymphaeum of Rome which was on the other side of Tyber and stoode alone and aside fró the Suburbes And so did the other Téples caues of the Nymphes whereof Strabo and other Authors haue written But seeing wee haue sufficiently discoursed of the names of Angels Spirits and Diuels It is requisite that we now set downe the reasons and arguments of those men that deny their Apparition to the ende we may to the vtmost of our power confute and refell them CAP. III. Of the Opinions and Arguments of the Saduces and Epicures by which they would proue that the Angels and Diuels do not appeare vnto men MAny there haue bene at all times and in all ages which haue impugned stiffely denied the Apparitions of Diuels Angels and Spirits But some haue done it in one sort and some in another For there be some who to ridde themselues altogether from the question and disputation that might be made concerning particular and special matters which are often alledged in regard of the Apparition of Specters doe bend themselues against them all in generall That so by cutting of the roote and vndermining the foundation of a Principle well grounded they may the more easily cause the ouerthrow and downefall of all that which dependeth vpon the same They deny therefore Of the severall opinions of sundry sorts of persons th●t de nv●d the being of sp●tus c. their Apparitions that there are any Angels or Diuels at all or any Spirites seuered and abstracted from a corporall substance or bodie to the ende that by consequence they may inferre and conclude that there are not likewise any Specters nor Apparitions of Spirites Such were the Saduces as we may read in the Actes of the Apostles and the Epicures Actes 23. The first opini on of the Saduces Epicures other Atheists and the greatest part of the Peripatetickes and all sortes of Atheistes whatsoeuer Of which last there are at this day more huge numbers abounding within this our Realme of France then would be tollerated These men would not sticke to affirme if they durst and were it not for feare of the Magistrate that it is free for men to abandon themselues to all kinde of iniquitie impiety and dissolute liuing for so doe they murmure and mumble when they are alone and by themselues that there is not either God or any Spirits at all good or euill nor yet any hel where the souls of men shuld suffer any paines or punishment but that they dye together with the body And that all whatsoeuer is saide or alledged touching hel torments is nothing but a vaine and superstitious toy and fable onely to make babes and children afraid and to wrappe

death still doubt P. Yea much more I now rest doubtfull than I did before Ap. Poore man T is time thou now leave off thy doubting And let thy Tombe so ponderous and heavy Henceforth make cease all doubtfulnesse within thee Lucian also scoffing at him and his folowers saith That they aide themselves of their senses as if they had none at all in not beleeving that they do see that which they have seene or to heare that which they have heard as being altogether senslesse and not assuring any thing for certaine which may come into the vnderstanding by the senses Sextus the Philosopher who was one of this Sect hath written a very large volume wherein he assayeth to maintaine the opinion of Pirrhon by the authority of many auncient Philosophers and Poets and to shew by lively demonstrations and arguments That the sight the hearing the smelling and other the humane senses are subiect to be deceived be they never so sound and that wee doe neither imagine nor take an opinion of any thing but falsely and inconsiderately But it is more than time that we doe set downe with as great brevitie as may be what should move Pirrhon and his disciples to be so obstinate to deny all things though never so manifest and to impugne the veritie of the senses It is not without cause that I should touch this poynt for it followeth with good reason That if the Sonse the Imagination and the Intellect be false then that also which we comprehend by them as the Specters must needes bee false and deceitfull likewise The Arguments of the Sceptiques against Specters And as touching Specters Beholde what the Sceptiques do alleadge to refute them First they say That of things incomprehensible no demonstration can be made and by consequence no iudgement And as it is most sure and certaine that the Specters are incomprehensible in nature so is not possible for any man to give any demonstration or iudgement of them For those thinges of which demonstration may be made have a substance certaine comprehensible and assured to be such which cannot be saide of Specters The which even amongst the dogmaticall Philosophers who were most earnest maintainers of that opinion is certaine were called in doubt as namely by the Peripatetiques who of all other Philosophers being the most dogmaticall and opinionative did wholy impugne and deny the being of any Specters Answer to the first argument of the Sceptiques But to this argument I answere That albeit the Specters be incomprehensible in their owne nature yet when they appeare vnto vs they are comprehensible by the senses which doe carry them to the Intellect or vnderstanding and the same dooth then give such demonstration and iudgement of them according as is the subiect thereof and that is it iudgeth of them supernaturally as of a thing supernaturall The second argument of the Sceptikes That the senses are vncertaine and deceived in regarde of the vncertainetie and variety of the accidents in man which being knowne by the senses doe cause in them diverse and different imaginations and effects But will the Sceptiques now say The senses can not see or discerne any thing in truth and how is it then possible that vpon an obiect falsely conceived a man may ground his iudgement and maintaine the essence thereof But now let vs see what they alleadge for the regard of the senses It is most certaine say they that the senses do not comprehend any thing but by th' accidents Of the which the essence is vncertaine and variable according vnto the subiects wherein they offer themselves to be seene For we see that in following the vncertaintie of the accidents there are to be marked and observed divers imaginations fantasies and natures in creatures of which the senses doe ' comprehend and perceive some things either more or lesse in them as the Eagle hath her sight more cleere then all other birdes and the dogge hath his nosthrilles more subtile to smell and to take the sent of any thing far more excellent than any other beast whatsoever Contrariwise the Owle seeth not at all but only in the night and there are many creatures which can smell little or nothing at all And this proceedeth not of any other thing than of the accidents which being divers and different in creatures dooth make their imaginative powers to be as divers and different likewise That this is so and that the accidents do present themselves in creatures according to the diversitie of their condition or disposition It appeareth even amongest men who according as they shall finde themselves disposed so will they alwayes imagine the thinges that are present As those that have a fever doe iudge all things to be hote and to them that have their tongue or taste distemperd by meanes of any fever wherewith they are aggreeved all meates doe seeme to be exceeding bitter and so is it likewise of all other accidents wherewith men are touched and whereof they have an imagination by their senses Insomuch that there are found some men who in their sleep walke go vp and downe and which is almost incredible doe execute all such actions as they vse to doe when they are waking With such a maladie or infirmitie were stricken Theon Tithoreus the Stoicke and the servant of Pericles of whome we reade That the one vsed to walke in his sleepe and the other did vsually in his sleepe creepe vppe to the toppe of the house as is reported by Diogenes Laertius Lib. 9. de vita Philosophorum Lib. examin is doctrin Gent. And Francis Picus of Mirandola writeth that himselfe knew many in his time to whome the like had happened Besides Aristotle in his booke of Auscultations writeth That in the Cittie of Tarentum there was a Taverner which in the day time did vse to sell wine and in the night would runne vppe and downe through the Towne in his sleepe as if he hadde beene madde or frantike and yet would so well looke to the keeping of the keyes of his Taverne or Wine-seller which he carried hanging at his girdle that a many of gallants having plotted made a match to get it from him yet lost their labour and were disappoynted of their purpose Bar●bo●us also telleth how there was a certaine man in Pisa In lib. vt vim D. de Iust Iur. which in his sleepe would vse to arise and arme himselfe and to runne vp and downe wandering through the towne still talking and singing as hee went And Marian a Doctour of the Civill Lawe writeth that there was a neighbour of his a yoong woman Cap. ad studientium that in her sleep would arise out of her bed and bake her bread sleeping In like sorte Laudensis writeth how hee had a companion his fellow student at Paris In Clem. 1. de homicid an Englishman borne who without awaking went in the night not farre from the Church of Saint Benet