sooner was he arirued in that cittie but contrarie to all expectation his fame began to increase his studies to be more vehement his ambition more earnest so that he finally promised the Diuell if he would raise him to the dignitie of Papacie he would be his both bodie and soule This condition ratified betwéene them by these steps he presently ascended First became he tutor to Otto the emperor and afterwards to Robert of France making by this meanes diuers famous scholers and attaining thereby many mightie friends At last wearied with teaching which is a great busie trouble he exchanged his Academy into Archbishoprick his rod into a crosier his cap into a miter attaining the Archbishopricks of Rhemes and Rauenna by bribes and by Simony and not content with these but aspiring prowdlie to a higher place at last by many insinuations with the Diuell and promises to be his bodie and soule after death hée attained the Papacie not crowned by the Emperor as a holy diuine and Philosopher but like a most execrable damned Magician Installed thus in the soueraigntie he poisoned those whom he hated peruerted those whom he loued persecuted the professors of the truth hiding so much mischiefe vnder the shadow of holinesse as the world no sooner espied it but they began to detest him And because where honour is attaind it cannot be lost without discontent very curious of continuance of his life and desirous to escape death by magical incantations he so wrought the diuel that at last he gaue him this answer of his fortune Thou shalt liue so long saith he to Pope Siluester for the name of Gilbert he gaue ouer at his coronatiō til thou enter Ierusalem The vain man prowd of this replie fearing neuer in Rome to méet with Ierusalem and supposing the Prophecie extended to the citie in Paltestine where it only had relation to a Minster in Rome he followed banquetting tooke his delight and pleasure leauing nothing vn sought that might further his vanitie and securitie at last in the fourth yeare of his raigne and the tenth day of the first month whilest he sacrificed and said masse in Rome in the Cathedrall church of the holy crosse in Hierusalem on a sodaine he was warned hée should die and at last he perceiued how vainly he was deceiued where vpon moued with repentance and publickly confessing his sins to the people and exhorting to flie the baits of preposterous ambition and eschue the deceipts and magicall illusions of the Dwell he prepared himselfe to the death which sodainly followed charging his ministers amidst the pangs thereof that after his death they should cut his bodie into péeces and so scattered should lay it on a chariot not suffering him to be buried in any place but where they willingly rested At last he dead and his will effected both to shew Gods prouidence and to examplefie his mercie vpon vnfained repentance he was laid in a chariot so mangled and cut péecemeale and was conducted by the horses to the Cathedrall church of Lateran where willingly staying he was worthily burried she wing in his life the vanities of magicke and in his death the effectuall fruits of repentance Thus hast thou heard O Asterius a true and certaine example Which if thou follow the world will reioice in thy conuersion and thy soule shall haue comfort in my counsaile Thou hast wonne me holy hermit quoth Asterius not without sheading of teares and I long to be instructed in a better kind of studie my former delights are tedious to mine ears and my present state dangerous by my sins O Asterius said Anthonie as thou hast liued ill so learne to liue well take the benofite of Gods forbearance least thou be ouertaken with his iustice Thou séest a good matron will rather die then betray hir husband a stout captaine perish ere he leaue his souldiers so play thou by Christ as thy maister obserue him as thy guide follow him as thy iusticer feare him as thy redéemer loue him and learne to die for him who suffered death for thy follies duly bethinke thée now on the gréeuousnesse of sin hourely flie thou the occasions of offence learn in the beginning to resist temptations mortifie thy flesh that hath beguiled thy spirit kéepe thy toung from talking of vanities restraine thy heart from being intangled with the inordinate loue of visible delights séeke solitude flie idlenesse think God alwaies present and suspect sin alwaies egging and come and learne what the desert is and loue to liue with Anthony Great is my desire said Asterius and forward my zeale but I haue a father to loue a mother to content their presence is mine only comfort their absence my miserie Ah Asterius quoth Anthome this as Hierome saith is the Ram and battering Cannon of all pietie that knitteth vs so much to earthly loue as we despise heauenly Harke what Climachus saith It is better quoth he to gréeue our parents thē to discontent Iesus for he created and saued vs they onely loose vs by louing vs Gods loue must extinguish eternall loue and he that will be his must be wholy his Let not thy parents teares draw thée from him least thou increasest eternall teares to thy owne soule when thy Parents inuiron thee like bées and brey about thée like waspes complaining and lamenting propose thou thy sinnes to thy selfe that thou maist ouercome griefe with griefe Thou are bound to forsake thy father for Gods sake neither doest thou hate thy father by comming to Christ but thou makest him happie by producing thée who art sealed to Christ shall the celestiall trumpet of Christ draw thée to battell with the world saith Augustine Epist. 38. ad Laet. and shall thy mother retaine thée She counsaileth thée perhaps saith Barnard to flie solitude by this meanes is contrarious to thy health and her owne chuse therfore of both which thou wilt either to satissie ones foolish will or to loose boths saluation But if thou louest her truly forsake her rather least forsaking Christ to remaine with her she likewise perish for thy cause perhaps thou will say thou are not sure of thy vocation because thou art called publikely But heare what Barnard saith in 107 Epistle to Thomas Vox haec non sonat in soro nec auditur in publico secretum consilium secretum quaerit auditum auditui tuo gaodium pro certo dabit laetitiam si sobria aure perceperis Thou maist say that solitude wanteth thē delights of this life but I tel the with the wiseman Prouerbe 15 better to be called Ad oleum cum caritate quam ad vitulum saginatum cum odio Thou wilt say the solitarie life is subiect to temptations and I tell thée that those who are tempted are beloued and who abide the assault are worthy of the lawrell perhaps thou suspectest the necessaries of life but heare Augustine what he saith lib de Eleemos Thinkest thou that earthly necessaries shall faile thée where
extinguish the studie of vertue mortifie the thought of celestiall things disturbe the memorie diuert the loue and conuert all sanctitie to sensualitie who so is gréedie to get is readie to doe wrong purchase bréedeth much fruit vsurie more hate marchandise much feare all manner of gain al māner of trouble Pouerty is the parent of vertue Wealth the stepdame who contemneth secular ioies deploreth sempiternall Hierome so thought and so writ That vertues and riches could not agrée in one brest vsing in this cause the example of Crates the rich Theban who going to Athens to studie Philosophie cast away a great sum of money thinking it impossible for riches and vertues to agrée in one possession Blessed is he saith a father who hath not followed those things which being possessed burthen man beloued defile him and lost crucifie him Besides all this the miserie and daunger in getting the sorrow and harme in vse and possessing consider the infinitie and affinitie of vices that follow lewd increasing The memorie of death martireth the rich Temporall abundance bréedeth forgetfulnesse of eternall briefly as wéed hath his worme so the worme of wealth is his pride What is a rich man but a liuing dead man Or what can he challenge to be his who hath his wealth Lord of himselfe his mind subiect to his wealth and all estranged from God how shall I cal riches but the chains of sin where pride is coupeled with lust and lust is mounted in this chariot The foure whéeles that draw it are foure vices the abuse of surfet the delicacie of attire the abundance of sléepe and idlenesse and lastly the heat of filthy lust the horses of this chariot are backt by these two guides The dulnesse of sloth and the blindnes of securitie and of purpose are these coachmen without spurs because in y e kingdome of pleasure there should be nothing that might induce sadnes or produce remorse only dissimulation improuidence beare the canapie to shadow mans eie from repentance vntill he fall into the snare of his own damnation Thou blamest me for not being ambitious not considering this that ambition is a subtile euill a secret poyson a hidden plague a srautfull workeman the mother of hipocrisie the parent of hate the fountaine of sinne the bait of offence the rust of vertue the moth of holinesse the blinder of hearts creating diseases of remedies and begetting griefes of medicines Thou willest me to cherish and to norify my bodie but vertue to chasten it for the flesh by euery light motion is subiect to commotion and he that wil sit surelie on an vnbrideled colt must cunningly breake him Pithagoras séeing one of his followers pampering his flesh and affecting belly chear why saith he art thou about to build a prison for thy selfe And Plato vnderstanding what wounds the mind receiued by the wicked inticements of the bodie purposelie chose out an vnhealthfull Academy in Athens that by such meanes he might correct the good disposition of the fare Thus in their blindnesse perceiued these Philosophers that contemplation hath no enemie more capitall then our prowd and fraile flesh O Metrodorus I hate not my bodie but the corruptions therof and I only in this loue my selfe in that I chastise my selfe worthilie said Leo in a certaine sermon So much more euery man loueth himselfe by how much he hateth himselfe for Gods loue Thou persuadest me to wed to encrease the world and I say the world had more néed of wéeding then wedding Thou saiest that mariage is a blessing but I know it to be the sourse of miseries for children being borne make their parents carefull and vnborne miserable liuing vnfortunate and dead desolate To this man the multitude of children bréedeth a ioy to possesse thē but this ioy is extinct if he want to relieue them to that man the want of an heire is noisome who hath toild away life to get great possessions and wanteth a son to encrease his posteritie so that the ones good fortune is the others calamity and each of them desireth that successe wherwith he séeth his neighbor to be excruciat This mā hath lost a swéet boy by death that lamentetha lewd son in life and both of these worthie commiseration for the one gréeueth at his boies death the other at his sons life O scope of mans vanitie where all things that are desired grow tedious and the greatest benefits that are possessed wax troublesome O Metrodorus accuse me not for flying the world for it deceiueth all men the king by securitie the prince by ambition the magistrate by corruption the merchant by misfortunes all men by being the world He that dwelleth in Sodome cannot escape the shower of fire he that loueth Egipt must liue in seruitude and who will be of the world must not be without temptations since therefore God is my portion suffer him to be mine only pleasure since the world is so wicked learne thou to forsake it Leaue thy sandie foundations of this earth to build on the sure rocke Christ honor pouertie for it mortifieth worldlie cares and trauaileth to God without let It is the end of griefe the ground of peace the cleannes of life that deliuereth vs from the cares of this transitorie world and tieth vs to the lawes of eternall righteousnesse studie obedience for it is better then sacrifice Learn humilitie for it norisheth the soul being pure Manna to féed the deuout mind Elebony to purge the ambitious Finally prowd Philosopher learne to correct thine owne life before thou condemne others for he soonest misdoeth that vainlie misthinketh No sooner had Anthony ended this discourse but Metrodorus quite confounded sat eying the ground Asterius amased beheld the heauens Whilest wéeping Frementarius broke out into this discourse Solitarie and sacred behold the fruits of thy wisdome thou hast put obstinacie to silence drawne curiositie to admiration whetted ignorance to contemplation Now therefore what thou hast wrought by word win by examples for as Tully saith examples if they sauour of antiquitie yéeld great authoritie in their proofe and pleasure when they are heard My sonne quoth Anthonie if obstinacie wax silent there is hope he will heare if curiositie admire he begins to affect and since thou in ignorance doest contemplate thy zeale bursteth out into teares which both expresse thy remorse in respect of thy deserts and thy desire to encrease in vertue to seale them therefore to God whom he hath gently sommoned I wil report a true historie as full of admiration as of certaintie and in euent so certaine as they are impudent that impugne it Amidst those lustie mountaines of Italy that deuide the indestious Sabins from the warlike Marsians there liued a reuerend and respectiue father called Menas who forsaking the sollace of the world tooke his only delight in solitarie meditation of whose life there are as many famous witnesses as Samnia hath fortunate warriors This holy Hermit forsaking the resorts of men consorted onely
with God growing one with him in charitie who was and is the only fountaine of all charitie neuer rose the sunne but preuented by his praiers neuer shut the euening but out worne by his meditations neuer was he pensiue but beholding the presumptions neuer more pleasant then in confirming a Conuertite his riches was a hiue yéelding him hony and the honie of his persuations suckled and fed the weake mindes Whilest thus he liued and thus perfited It for tuned that certian straglers that had left the Army of the Lumbards to intend folow pillage ignorāt in the waies of Italie lost their direct way and by good hap fell into this desert where trauelling long without either pleasure or profit and in a desert disinhabited where no victuals might be had to assuage hunger they at last hit on Menas caue where they found him slacking his hunger with hearbes quenching his thirst with water and rather féeding to continue life then to pamper nature Where shewing themselues by their inciuilitie they not only robbed him of his meat spoiled tooke away his hiue but beyond all reason beat him cruelly The good old man that had no helpe but from heauen nor weapon in his hand to defend him but his tongue praying earnestly whilest he was persecuted at last brake out into this persuasion What outrage is this you souldiers whereas you neither respect age nor regard deuotion neither feare God nor regard the lawes wild beasts assaile not vnprouoked Serpents sting not vntrod on the harmelesse bird is no Harpies prey shall then a Hermit in deuotion an old man in yeares a poore man in fortune be subiect to your tirannies In the law of kind you are cursed for by it you are to endure no more to be done to others then you can quietly admit in your owne causes then since none of you can easily suffer iniurie beware to be ouer earnest in offering it to other men In the law written all theft is forbidden then what are you but law breakers that vse violence The law of grace condemneth you for it enioineth you to giue of your owne to other men but you driue other men from their own O what impietie is this to defraud nature to abuse God to despise grace and afflict man In the Romane lawes as Cato witnesseth théeues were punished by the double and taxed to restore twise that thing in value which they had taken away by villany in Gods law thieues are excluded from Gods kingdome Oh earthly men consider what you loose by winning so wickedlie you loose your liuing soules to norish your deadlie sinnes you loose heauen to purchase hel You loose honor to win infamie brieflie the poore curse you the rich hate you the Prince condemneth you the Magistrate plagueth you what miseries then worke you for your selfe when on earth you are estranged from all societie in heauen forsaken for your impietie in hell euerlastingly plauged for your securitie Oh repent you presentlie or too lately is too lamentably who deferreth his repentance hasteneth his plague where time is swift the world but a shadow mans life but a moment his death imminent how vaine is his delay in repentance where reuenge outstrippeth time terrifieth the world shortneth the shortnesse of life and whets on death and damnation Further would this holie father haue discoursed and more earnestlie would he haue vrged his arguments But that a miscreant wretch who had neuer God in his lips but to blaspheme him nor remorse in his heart where blood was to bée shead séeing the rest of his fellowes some what amazed at these his persuasions drew out his sword and purposelie ran at him to pierce his brest when loe after a terrible and hideous crie the heauen ouercast the earth opened and from the lowest hel a fiend appeared in shape ouglie in threats dreadfull who seazing the sinfull wretch first flong him vp into the aire then threw him on the ground sometime turning his lims from their naturall places other whiles thundring out oracles of the wretches condemnation till Menas mooued by compassion and his companions terrified by example humbly knéeling dispossessed him by praier whom the Deuil had possessed for his sinne finallie the catiue reconciled his soultiers scholed and Menas recompenced they returned to their armie reporting his fame whilst he resorted to his meditations to yéeld thanks for their reconcilements Neither was Gods power so tied to defend him from men but that he likewise protected him from sauage beasts so that being earnest in their prey he subdued them by praier making them feare at his presence who otherwise caused all men to runne from their pursute His studie likewise was to haue nothing in this world and hauing nothing to contemne all things his charitie was to embrace all that visited him and to conuert all that heard him frée was he in reproouing the prowd and reconciling the penitent To be short his solitude made him beloued of God defended from men preserued from beasts and lastlie a Citizen of heauen Metrodorus that had left his solitarie thoughts to listen to his holie historie hearing so many miracles at first grew amazed but subdued by self opinion which quicklie peruerteth our faith he brake out into this reply which be wrated his infirmitie Though thy life old Hermit be the example of modestie yet thy words are so wonderfull as they deserue no credit miracles are for more then men and those are our best obiects that are subiect to our sences bring therefore better authoritie to confirme our beliefe or for my part I shal thinke the storie is rather an Hiperbole then a historie Metrodorus quoth Anthonie this prooues thée to be carnall because thou comprehendest nothing that is eternall and therfore worldlie wits as Gregorie saith beléeue not spirituall things because they behold not that in experiment which they heare by report the reasons whereof I will expresse thée because I am willing to confirme thée Looke as a child borne in prison and nourished in obscuritie bearing nothing but the solitarie cries of his mother séeing nothing but the desolation of all delight seemeth holie assured in the 〈◊〉 of his sences suspitious in all other approued certainties so that if his mother tel of the sunne he beléeueth nothing but obseuritie if she talke of 〈◊〉 Moone and Starres he trusteth nothing to be in that he sées not their being so carnall men hauing all things by hearsay beléeue nothing but in experience liuing in the obscurities of the world they admit nothing that excéedeth their conceits and hauing the marke of sinne in their bodies norish not the light of contemplation in their soules With Adam their father they are taxed to labours but with Adam their father they conceaue not their fall for the memorie of his former pleasures remaineth in him but the remisconceit worldlie blindnesse choketh thē he remembring his former happinesse vert they nourished in their worldlie frailties delight therein
aduersary Demon because experienced in many things and Belial because yoakles and an Apostata Leuiathan because the complement of all this deuouring soule and bodie affecting and séeking obscuritie accusing and calumniating the iust bringing message of mischiefe assailing vs by his craft beguiling vs by his experience seduring vs by his Apostacie and planting in vs the excesse of all impietie Briefly diuels as a father saith are desirous to hurt deuoid of Iustice swelling in pride swallowed with enuie craftie in deceit who dwell in this aire and being cast from the height of the superior heauen are ordained and destinated to the prisō of obscurity in regard of their pride restraint of their power Their power is tied not in such sort as they may not tempt but as they may not tempt as they desire by nature permission they may do things in semblance true and séeming to the fantasie as y e Magitians rods in respect of Moises by permission as spoiling Iob and his flocks yet both these acts are held miraculous not in respect of nature but in respect of sences debilitie Ouer good men the deuils haue power to proue not to destroy ouer bad to destroy except repentant Their prison is the darkesome aire till the time of the Iudgement their hell the retreat of horror from whence the issue is remedilesse In mans enuie they tempt and impugne in his pride vsurpe and confound They assaile men by obiects because they know the senses most flexible they assaile by passion assured that the soule is subiect to perturbations they assaile by fantasie because as Aristotle saith the braine and heart are most subiect to unpression and fantasies They seduce by persuasion or inciting passion and that in two sorts as Damascene witnesseth where he saith Omnem malitiam immund as passiones a daemonibus fuisse excogitatas inuentas Those in the aire are till the iudgement enclosed for our exercise to impugne tempt and assault vs not beyond our power Some alreadie in hel which as now only afflict the soule but after iudgement shall torment both bodie and soule But is it true graue father quoth Metrodorus that the malignant spirit appeareth to man on his death bed Too true Metrodorus said Anthonie and that by common course for if it be certaine that a good angell is assistant to reléeue and succour vs it is necessarie that an euill angell should be prest to tempt vs for as the one is to helpe the other is to destroy and further as a Father saith as in the issue of a conquest men show greatest value so the néerer we approch to our end the busier is the feind to seduce vs as appeared by Martin the Bishop who séeing sathan assistant at his death bed said thus Quid hic astas cruenta bestia In what manner quoth Frumentarius my good father Anthony appeare they for as spirituall they cannot be séene because there ought to be proportion betwixt the obiect and the power I tell thée myson answered Anthonie they either appeare imaginatiuely by mouing humours and blood and thereby forme certain apparitions or they appeare in assumpted bodies appropriat to their intents and if suppositiuelie or according to imagination they appeare to none but to those to whom the vision appertaineth but if in an assumed body it is by their power and in that sort are subiect to many mens sights Besides in temptations they aime at fiue things first to corrupt faith by error next to kéepe man in superstition thirdly to induce vice fourthlie to produce tediousnesse and we arinesse in affliction Lastlie to confirme men in their iniquities that by that meanes they may be finally condemned and eternally perish Besides they continually tempt in desire not in power in desire because they are enuious in power because they feare to be subdued and suspect their owne weakenesse and to the end they might make the iust secure from temptations That there are workings then we are sure by deuils because they be that they hate we perceiue because they seduce that they are proud we are resolued in that they rebeld that they are selfe louers we know for it was their sinne all this thine arguments infer or thy reasons approue but for Magicke we doubt and in Magicke we would be resolued discourse therefore good Anthonie of that secret What should he discourse said Frumentarius where Pliny condemns it as false scornes it as vaine and denies it for anie thing One instance quoth Anthonie in Logicke destroies not an vniuersall proposition neither is priuat reproofe a general conuiction That it is it appeareth because forbidden that it is forcible it is manifest because taxed and condemned by law The name importeth effects aboue nature which though receiued for art is but méer folly They define Magicke to be the worker of many effects the reasons wherof are neither comprehēded by sence nor by any reason may be subiect to the mind or vnderstanding The schoolmen likewise deuide it as being of two sorts the one natural conuersing only in secret ending in naturall vertues which though vnknowne to most men is onelie admirable for obscuritie not effect for those effects are vnrightly admirable which are incident to nature the other diabolicall condemned by God laws and customes Touching the naturall it may be wrought without the concomitance or assistance of any spirituall bodie and those are rightly called Magi who are expert in those sciences and practised in those works for example consider these wondrous effects which resemble preposterous and diabolicall actions yet in effect are méerely naturall as is the stone Molaris which is found in Tigris which as Aristotle in his book De animalibus witnesseth being caried about a man defendeth him from the incursions of wild beasts and the hearb Dictamnum which being deuoured by goats driueth out those arrowes wherewith they are wounded as Pliny and other testifie And touching the effects of the loadstone if it were generally vnknowne to man he that first should either show it or vse it should be held a Magician for he should méerlie work miracles and séeme both the author and agent of incredible matters diuers fathers there be that haue diuerslie written of these secrets one of an iron ring fastened to a loadstone which by the vertue of the attractiue minerall drew linck by linck many other to the first till it séemed an absolute and vnited chaine Another registreth the historie of a wonderful fountaine in which torches were extinguished and extinct were lighted again Architas Doue Dedalus Laborinth both but the Proiects of wit were held Magicall and admirable Iohn of Mountroyall the Almaigne so memorable in Ramus in his booke of Mathematicall obseruation made an eagle which before the Emperor mounted into the aire and afterwards dulie stooping followed him to his gate His flie likewise of yron who beholding it would not rather haue held him for a diabolical Artist then an excellent Naturalist So then it
diuels and so haue Apostatas Moses turned his rod into a serpent and so did the magirtans of Pharau Peter healed so did the vnbeléeuing in Christs name the Sinode of the Saints speake in vnknowne toungs and su do the possessed this doubt is waightie and thus in two conclusions resolued Some works are done by magistans which are not done by grace some other accomplished by grace which excéed the power of Magicke and the reason is because magitians worke many inchantments which are altogether opposite to their course that worke by infused grace I meane grace not deseruedly gotten but gratias gratis datas gratefully infused contrariwise prophecie is receiued amongst the graces which magicians by no meanes can attaine vnto as magitians for if deuils according to their owne defects cannot know things subsequent which is proper to prophecie magitians cannot attaine that misterie who are but Magickes and their ministers Againe magicians worke nothing by Diuine or Angelicall power for then both Gods law were faultie in reproouing them for bad and humane policy should be condemned that wholie disanuls them and their industries for euil angels inuented sorceries where God doth nothing neither angels indeuour any thing but for pittie goodnesse and grace where the diuels work nothing but by subtile art foolish discipline and craftie pollicie You may like wise ask me if there be any lawfull and godlie Magicke patronized by angels and furthered by them And this difficultie may both haue reason to defend it and authoritie to countenance it you may ask me how and thus I must resolue you Good angels you know haue no lesse power if not more then the euill but the euill communicat their power with euill men why therefore should not good angels be as forward in furthering the good The cōclusion of this argument is cōceiued in these few words which if they be markt as they be meant may doubtles giue light to the industrious Good angels communicat to good men for charitie diuels to bad men for worship and ostentation the one that God may haue the praise only the other that they may deceiue wholy The difference then of good and euill works twirt good and euill angels is this that the one worketh in charitie the other in hatred consequently no magick can be termed holie because good angels are not prouoked thereby but worke all things in charitie Againe this is a certaine proofe in the angels working that often times and orderlie they worke obscurely and very sildome visibly the reason therof is because they would not be adored For men doe very easily arrogate Diuinitie vnto them whom they perceiue efficacious in anie kind of wonder for example when Paul at Listra in Licaonia had healed lame men in the name of Iesus the people would haue sacrificed vnto him as to a God And this mistaking is more dangerous in respect of angels because they most approximate God in dignitie and excéed man in puritie and for this cause are angels héedfull to giue occasion to men of Idolatrie because they know their presence is a ready obiect of wonder For this cause in the ninetéenth of the Apocalips when Iohn had séene the angell and fallen down and worshipped him Beware saith the angel least thou doe it inducing this reason Conseruus enim tuus sum fratrū tuorum Hereupon like wise it may be concluded that since the angels are holie and of the number of the blessed perhaps they neuer meddle with terrene and humane affairs except by Gods speciall commandement and therefore all those benefits which man receiueth immediatly from God or by the ministerie of the angels séeming to excéed his hope and surpasse our naturall facultie must be peculiarly and properly ascribed to God as the onlie author Another doubt may arise To what cause we should attribute the sascination and charming of children by witches or infants by inchanters which may be thus resolued that either the witches soule infected with mallice corrupteth the aire by her sight and by y t means infecteth yong infants especially such who haue tender bodies capable of impression or otherwise such fascination ought to be attributed to the mallice of deuils with whom the foresaid witches are confederat which commeth to passe either by hidden fate or Gods permission For deuils cannot delude men except God suffereth them Furthermore whereas the conseruation of bodies after death from corruption the increase of hair beard and nailes in the dead the fresh bléeding of a slaughtered bodie at the presence of the murtherer séeme matters of wonder and are doubtfull whether they are to be ascribed to diuine miracle or to natures power or to deuils working and the rather because the debate thereof according to many wise mens opinions hath sorted to different conclusion I will explaine the same in these following propositions All miraculous works and apparitions in their kind ought to be ascribed to these foure To God to angels to Diuels and to holie men or to their spirits Sometimes likewise such wonders may bée done by men possessed by the diuell or by Magitians or otherwhiles by mans fallacious subsiltie That such admirable things may be wrought by the subtiltie of the diuell and illusion of wicked men it appeareth in the example of that Demoniack who when he would could counterfeit to bée dead faine blindnesse séeme lame or resemble a man troubled with the dropsie Miracles likewise may be reduced to naturall causes which are done about the bodies of the dead as for example the preseruation of dead bodies from putrifaction which according to some learning may either be reduced to the vertue of the place the nature of the ointment or some other corporall thing wherein the bodie is inclosed by whose vertues the dead bodie is preserued from corruption and inciueration There may a naturall reason likewise be giuen of the growth of nailes and increase of haires in the dead drawne either from the complexion of the dead bodie in which some unperfect vegetatiue forme may be induced or to the effects of nature which dilateth and extendeth all thing when she beginneth to suffer any violence Sometimes likewise the preseruation to dead bodies may be ascribed to diuine miracles the reason is because God somtimes conserueth the dead bodies of the saints incorruptible to expresse their singular sanctitie true innocence and integritie of mind which they insoled in life Some bodies likewise are maintained and cōtinued incorruptible for vengeance sake as that of Charles king of Hungarie the excommunicate sometimes the bodies of bad men are kept without corruption by the subtiltie of the deuill to the end that this miracle might be ascribed to their merit in life and men who detested their conuersation should admire and wonder at their conseruation As for the bubling of blood from the wound of the murthered at the presence of the blood sucker this solie is to be ascribed to Gods miracle inforced to bréed horror of that crime and