Selected quad for the lemma: death_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
death_n	woman_n	write_v	young_a	69	3	5.7408	4	false

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ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A05186	Of ghostes and spirites walking by nyght and of strange noyses, crackes, and sundry forewarnynges, whiche commonly happen before the death of menne, great slaughters, [and] alterations of kyngdomes. One booke, written by Lewes Lauaterus of Tigurine. And translated into Englyshe by R.H.; De spectris, lemuribus et magnis atque insolitis fragoribus. English	Lavater, Ludwig, 1527-1586.; Harrison, Robert, d. 1585?	1572 (1572)	STC 15320; ESTC S108369	158,034	242

they cruelly sle● him in a hotehouse as he was bathing him selfe from that time foorth there were many strange sightes seene in the same place many times also most greuous gronings were there heard in so much that they wer euer after constreyned to stop vp the hotehouse dores Also in the life of Dion he reporteth that the saide Dion being a stout a couragious man without any feare sawe notwithstanding a greate and maruellous horible sight For when he chaunced to sit alone in the entry of his house in the euening those are Plutarks owne words as Xiliander interpreteth them musing discoursing many things with him selfe being sodenly moued with a greate noyse he arose and loked backe to the other side of the gall●rie and there he espied a monstrous great woman who in apparell and countenaunce nothing differing from a Tragicall furie swept the house with a broome With the which ●ight being amazed terribly afraide he called his friends and acquaintance vnto him and declaring vnto thē what he had séene desired thē to remaine with him al that night for béeing as it were stricken dead with feare he doubted least it would appeare vnto him againe if he were alone which in déede neuer hapned after But a fewe dayes after his sonne threwe him selfe hedlong from the top of the house and died and he him selfe being stabbed through the body ended his miserable life The same author writeth in the life of Decius Brutus how when Brutus was determined to transporte his army out of Asia into Europe being in his tent about midnight the candle burning dimly and all the host quiet and silent as he was m●●ing and reuoluing with him selfe he séemed that he hearde one entring the Tente into him and looking backe vnto the doore hée sawe a terrible and monstrous shape of a bodye whiche farre excéeded the common stature of men standing faste by him without any words wherewith he was sore afrayde and yet he ventured to aske it thys question What arte thou sayeth hée eyther a God or a man and why commest thou vnto me Whereto the image aunswered I am quod he O Brutus thy euill ghoste at Philippos thou shalt sée mée Then sayth Brutus being nothing amazed I wil see thée When the sight was vanished he called his seruants who told him that they neyther sawe any suche thing neither heard any voyce at all All that nighte Brutus coulde not sléepe one winke In the morning very early hée goeth vnto Cassius and sheweth him his straunge vision Cassius who despised all suche things for he was an Epicure ascribed the whole matter to natural causes For his disputation hereof is yet extant in Plutarke Afterward Brutus being vanguished by Augustus and Anthony in the field of Philippi slue himselfe bicause he would not be deliuered into the handes of his enimies Valerius Maximus in his first booke .vj. chap. writeth that Caius Cassius saw Iulius Cesar in the battayle of Philippi in a shape of greater maiestie than any man hath setting spurres to his horse and running on him with a terrible threatning countenaunce whiche when Cassius sawe he turned his backe to the enimie and fled shortly after murthered himselfe Dio Cassius Nicaeus in his Roman historie from the beginning of his 55. booke writeth of Drusus who by spoiling Germanie far néer on euery side came euen to the riuer Albis where when he could not get ouer erecting monuments of victorie departed back againe For he there saw a woman excéeding the state of mortall creatures which met him and sayd vnto him Drusus which canst fynd n● end of the gréedie desire whether goest thou It is not laufull for thée to sée al these things but rather get thée hence for the end both of thy lyfe and woorthie déedes is nowe at hand When Drusus heard these things he sodenly changed his course and being in his iorney before he came to the riuer of Rein he sickned and dyed Other like foretokens the same author reporteth to haue hapned before his death all the whiche notwithstanding he nothing regarded For two yong men appeared on horsebacke vpon the rampiers and the shryking of women was also hearde with many other suche lyke c. Plinius secundus citizen of Nouocomensis hath an Epistle of Spirits appearings written vnto his friend Sura in the .vij. booke of his Epistles whiche we haue thought good to set downe whole in this place Leysure sayth he graunteth mée libertie to learne and giueth thée leaue to teache Therfore I am very desirous to knowe whether thou thynke fantasyes are any thyng and whether they haue any proper figure of their owne and be some kynde of diuine power or else whether they take vppon them ●ome vayn variable shape according to the feare whiche we haue of them That I should so beléeue I am especially moued thereto by that which I heare saye happened to Curtius Rufus who was as then companion to the ●●●consyl of Affrica ▪ bothe poore and also of small reputation And as he walked one day in a Gallerie towardes the euening ther méeteth with him the shape of a woman more great beautifull than any liuing creature Wherat he béeing amazed she telleth him that she is Affrica and is come vnto him to foretell him of good happe to followe First that he should go to Rome and there take on him the state of great honour and afterwarde that he shoulde returne into the same prouince with full and high authoritie and there end his dayes Which things came all to passe And moreouer the same figure as it is sayd mette with him agayn on the shoare side as he entred out of the 〈◊〉 and came towardes Carthage ▪ to take his charge and regiment in hande Afterwards falling sick when no man dispay●ed of his healthe coniecturing things to come by those that had passed and comparing aduersitie with his former prosperitie he vtterly cast awaye all hope of recouerie Is not this also more terrible and no lesse maruellous whiche I wyll nowe repeate as I haue hearde it tolde There was in Athens a goodly and a very large house but euill reported and counted as an infortunate and vnluckie house For about mydnight there was hearde the noyse of iron and if one marked it wel the ratling of chaines as it were a farre off at the firste and so neerer and néerer shortly ther appéered an image or shape as it were an olde man leane and lothsome to beholde with a long beard and staring haire on his legs he had fetters and in his hands caryed chaines which he always ra●led togither By meanes wherof th●se that inhabited the house by reason of their fear watched many heauie and pitifull nights after their watching folowed sicknesse and soon after as feare increased ensued death For in the day tyme also alb●it the image were departed yet the remembrāce therof was euer presente before their eyes so that

in his book de nobilitate c. 30. that it is to be séen in the historie of Rodulphus king of the Romains that when the sayde Rodulphus had vanquished Othotarus King of Boemia continuing on the place all nyght where tho battell was fought about mydnight certain spirites or Deuils with horrible noyse and tumulte troubled and disordered his whole armie And that those were spirites walkyng by night it appeared hereby that they sodeynly vanyshed away lyke smoake The same Author writeth in his .xxvj. chapter That in the yeare of our Lorde .1280 as one of the Pl●bans as they call them belonging to the churche of Tigurine prea●hed to the people the graue stone of the tumbe or sepulchre of the two martyrs Felix and Regula patrones of the same place violently brake a sunder no man mouyng or touching it giuing a horrible sound lyke vnto thunder so that the people were no lesse astonished and afrayde than yf the vaute of the Churche had fallen downe And he sayth that the same yeare the third day of October the greater part of the citie of Tigurum was brent with fire and more ouer that sedition was moued amongest the Citizens for certaine Ecclesiasticall disciplines and for the Imperiall Banne as they terme it In the yere of our Lord .1440 the twelfth day of December at the dedicatiō of the foresayd churche about midnight there was the like noyse hearde and immediatly after followed ciuill warres whiche the Tigurins held with vncertaine successe against the other Heluetians for the space of seuen yeares and more The same writer in the .33 Chap. hath that at the same tyme in the yeare of our Lorde .1444 before that valiaunt battayle whiche a fewe Heluetians fought agaynst the innumerable companye of Lewes Dolphine of Fraunce faught by the wall Basill in the tyme of generall the Councell there was hearde certayne nyghtes about those places the alarme of Souldiours the clattering of harneys and the noyse of menne encountring togyther c. Here I purposely omitte many suche lyke examples for there are many Bookes bothe of auncient and also of newe writers touchyng straunge signes and wonders wherin these may be redde CHAP. XVIII It is proued by testimonies of holy scripture that spirits are sometime seene and heard and that other straunge matters do often chaunce YEt perchaunce it wil be obiected vnto vs that wée bring no testimonie oute of holy Scripture touchyng this matter especially to proue that Spirites doo oftentymes appeare vnto menne I aunswere that truthe it is There are fewe things hereof in the Scriptures and yet notwithstanding somewhat is to be redde in them It is read in Saincte Mathewe his fourtéenth chapter of Christes Disciples that when in the night season by reason of a contrary wind they were in greate daunger of drownyng in the lake of Genazareth and that in the dawnyng of the daye the Lorde walked on the water they béeyng afrayde cryed out supposyng they sawe a Spirite Héereof we gather that they knewe well ynoughe that Spirites appeared vnto men vpon sea and lande Lykewise when the Lorde being rysen from death appeared vnto his disciples meaning to assure them of his Resurrection they thought at the firste that they sawe a Spirit In the which place Chryst denieth not but there are Spirits and straunge sightes and that they are sometimes séene but he rather confirmeth the same by putting a difference betwene him selfe spirits or vaine apparitions But as touching these two testimonies we wil speake more in another place It is a notable historie whiche we reade in the seconde Booke of Samuel concerning Saule who at what tyme the Philistians warred vpon hym and that he was in very great daunger of them he came to a woman who was a witche and desired hir to rayse Samuel from deathe that he might knowe his counsell touching the successe of the warres Shée raysed hym vp one whome Saule tooke to be Samuel in déede who also tolde him what euents shoulde come of the warres But whether hée were a true Samuel or a counterfait wée will dispute the matter more at large in his conuenient place As concerning other maruellous things there is somewhat to be read in the Scriptures In the seconde of Samuel the fifth chap. Also in the first of Paralipomenon and the .xiiij ▪ chap. we reade that the Philistins wente vp the seconde tyme into Iurie to make warres on Dauid Hée went vnto the Lord and shewed him the matter who commaunded him that he shoulde embushe himselfe behynde the wood with his armie and when he heard a rustling or noyse in the toppes of the trées he should immediatly sette vpon them This sounde they say was a strange and supernaturall sounde It is written in the second book of the Kings the .vj. and vij chapters that God deliuered the citie of Samari● from great famine when it was fiercely besieged by Benhadad king of the Assyrians ▪ for in the night season their enimies dyd heare the noyse of chariots the neyghing of horsses and shréeching of a huge armie as it were in their owne pauillions and tentes supposing therefore that the kyng of Israel had gathered togyther his footemen and horssemen and had nowe sette vpon them they soughte to saue themselues by ●lyghte leauyng theyr victuall and other prouision behynde them in their tentes In the fyrst of Samuel and the seuenth chapter God caused a wonderfull greate noyse to sounde ouer the Philistians and so destroyed them I meane they were so affrighted with a kynde of straunge feare that it was an easy matter to vanquishe them In the fifthe Chapter of Daniell yée may reade that king Balthasar in his roisting banquet espyed ryghte agaynste the candle a hande wryting vpon the wall what his ende shoulde bée It is read in the thirde Chapter of the seconde of the Machabées that there appeared a horsse vnto Heliodorus seruaunt vnto Seleucus Kyng of Asia as hee was aboute to destroye the temple at Hierusalem and vppon the horsse séemed to sitte a terrible man whiche made towardes him to ouerrunne hym On eche syde of hym were two yong men of excellent beautie whyche wyth whippes scourged Heliodorus The seconde of the Machabées and tenth chapter Iudas Machabeus encountred wyth hys enimies and when the battayle was hotte there appeared vnto the enimie oute of heauen fyue men sytting on horsses rayned with notable brydles of golde who ledde the Iewes hoste and two of them defended Machabeus from all his enimies And vnto Machabeus appeared a horsseman in a shinyng garment his Armour all of gold and shaking his speare Whereby it was signified that he shoulde obtayne a notable and famous victorie .2 Macha 11. I alleage not these examples for that I adiudge the bookes of Machabées of as good authoritie as the Canonicall Bookes of the newe and olde Testament but only for that they are ioyned together with them and may be read of euery

that he shuld not be able once to enter in at Hel gates Which example Tertullian aledgeth therwithal confuteth this vain opinion of the heathen Palinurus in Virgill besought Aeneas that he woulde cast earth on him when he was dead and erect vnto him an horsse for so did they call those Monuments of the deade in whiche albeit no man was layde yet were they vsed in the honour of the deceassed Vergill writeth that Deiphobus his Ghost wandred abroade vnto the whiche Aeneas erected an Horse For the Gentiles were of suche opinion in those dayes that they thoughte an emptie and counterfeyted buriall profited very much Moreouer the heathen were persuaded that the soules which dyed before their naturall time especially of those which perished by violent death whome they call 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 as by hanging drowning or beheading c. dyd strap abroade so long time as they should haue liued if they had not ben slaine by violent death Which opinion Tertullian also confuteth Plato in his 9. booke De legibus writeth that the soules of those which are slayne do pursue their murtherers so far that they do hurt them the which except it be vnderstoode by way of a Metaphor is likewise to be reiected The Catholik faith amongst the Iewes was that the soules of the dead did not return into this erth but either were at rest which was when they dyed in the faythe of the promised Messias or were condemned if they departed hence in their sinnes withoute repentaunce For Iob in his 7. chapter sayth Euen as the cloude vanisheth and fadeth away so he that goeth downe to the graue shall come vp no more nor returne into his house c. But if thou wilt say that Iob was an Ethnick it may be alleaged of Dauid that when he was in very greate daunger and death euen present before his eyes he prayed in the 31. Psalm Into thy handes O Lord I commend my spirite The Preacher also in his 12. chapter sayth The spirit shall returne to God that giueth it In the boke of Wisedome which of old wryters is attributed to Philo Iudeus the third chapter therof it is written the soules of the righteous are in the hande of God and no torment shal touch them And on the other side the soules of the wicked go downe into hell In the 49. Psalm it is written of those welthy worldlings whiche for lucres sake departe from God and his commaundements They are layd as shéepe in Hel death shal consume them and Hell is their habitation c. If the Iewes had beléeued that the soules after this life were tormented in Purgatorie no doubt amongst so many diuers kyndes of sacrifices whiche they offered for the sinnes of the lyuing they woulde at laste haue some one kynd of sacrifice wherby to redéeme souls or in some part to assuage and mitigate their paines And that soules do returne after deathe do offer themselues to be séene and beheld of men and require ayde of them we find no wher in the old Testament but rather the contrary In the 2. of Samuel 12. Dauid speaketh this of his yong childe that he begat by Bersaba that he could not bring him into life againe that he would go to him and the chyld should neuer returne vnto him againe And Iesus the sonne of Syrach in his .38 chapter sayth there is no returning from death Of the vision whiche was shewed to Samuel we will straightway speake in his proper place And that in latter ages long after Christ came in flesh there were some amongest the Iewes who thought that the soules seperated from their bodies dyd straye and raunge a broade it may hereby be gathered for that certaine of the Rabbines write that the soule of Naboth which was slayne bycause he woulde not sell his Uyneyarde to Achab was that Spirite that promised his helpe to seduce Achab béeing as it were one that coueted his death The Turkes also beléeue that the soule is immortall and that assoone as they are loosed from the body they come eyther into a place of rest or of torment But whether that they dyd think that soules returned agayn into the earth and roue there too and fro I could find no playn mention thereof in their Alcaron CHAP. II. The Papistes doctrine touching the soules of dead men and the appearing of them THe Papists in former times haue publikely both taught written that those spirits which men somtime sée and hear be either good or bad angels or els the soules of those which either liue in euerlasting blisse or in Purgatorie or in the place of damned persons And that diuers of thē are those soules that craue ayde and deliueraunce of men But that this doctrine of theirs and the whole state therof may be the more euidētly perceiued we wil more largely repete the same out of their owne bokes Iacobus de Cusa a Carthusian Frier Doctor of diuinitie wrote a book of the Apparition of soules after they were seperated fro the bodies which work of his hath in it many supersticious toyes and was Printed in a town belonging to the dominion of Berna named Burgdro●e in the yeare of our Lorde 1475. Popish writers commenting on the 4. boke of the Maister of Sentences do appoint foure places to receyue soules after they are departed from the bodies Thrée of the which places they say are perpetuall one which lasteth but for a tyme already lymitted The first place or receptacle is Caelum Empireum the firie heauen so termed of his passing gret brightnesse and glorie which they say is the seate ordeined for the blyssed sort this place by an other in Scripture is called Paradise The second place is Hel vnder the earth being the Mansion of Deuils and Infidels departing hence in deadely sinne without repentance The third place they tearme Limbus puerorum whiche is prouided as wel for the Children of the faythful as of the vnfaythfull who they say shal continually abyde there without any sense of payne being only depriued from the fruition of Gods presence And therefore they say that after their death they ought not to be buried in holy buriall The fourth place is Purgatorie whiche is prepared for them that departe hence without deadly sin or if they committed any such sinnes dyd some penance for them but yet made full satisfaction for thē or else went hence only stayned with venial sinne Of this place to wit Purgatorie Popish writers teach maruellous things Some of them say that Purgatorie is also vnder the earth as Hel is Some say that Hell and Purgatorie are both one place albeit the paines be diuers according to the deserts of soules Furthermore they say that vnder the earth there are more places of punishment in which the soules of the dead may be purged For they say that this or that soule hath ben séene in this or that

he may intermedle euil things therwith he speaketh truth that he may scatter abroade lyes and roote them in mens hearts So Sinon in Vergill mingled falsehode with truth that he might the better entrap the Troians Sathan dothe imitate craftie gamsters who suffer a plaine and simple yong man to winne a while of them that afterwards being gréedy to play they may lurche him of all his golde and siluer He followeth them which once or twise iustly repay vnto their creditoures suche money as they haue borowed kéeping their promise duely that afterwards they may obteine a great summe of them and then deceyue them The diuell sometimes vttereth the truth that his words may haue the more credite and that he may the more easely beguile them He that woulde vtter euill wares doth not only sette them foorth in wordes but doth also so trim and decke them that they seeme excellent good wherby they are the more salable this arte also the diuell knoweth for he painteth out his stuffe that he may obt●●de it vnto other men in the stead of good ware S. Ambrose writeth in his Cōmentaries vpon the first epistle to the Thessalonians and fift chap. expounding these words Qu●n●he not the Spirit Despise not prophecying Examin all things and kepe that which is good Euill spirits are wont to speake good things craftely as it were by imitation and amongst those they priuily insinuate wicked things that by means of those things which are good euill things may be admitted and bycause they are supposed the words of one spirit they may not be discerned a sunder but by that whych is lawfull an vnlawfull thing may be commended by authoritie of the name and not by reason of vertue c. Herevnto apperteine those words whiche we reade in S. Chrisostomes second sermon De Lazara There he sheweth that many simple men haue bin in this erroure that they haue thought the soules of those which were slayne by some violent death did become Diuels He sayth further that the Diuell hathe persuaded many witches and such as serue him being in this erroure that they shoulde kill the tēder bodies of many yong men hoping they shold become Diuels and do them seruice And by and by he addeth But these things are not true no I say they are not What is it then that Diuels say I am the soule of suche a Monke Uerely I beleue it not euen for thys that Diuells do aduoutche it for they deceyue their auditours Wherefore Paule also commaundeth them to silence albeit they speake truth lest taking occasion by truth they mingle lyes therwith and so purchase them selues credite For when they had sayd These men are the seruants of the most high God shewing vnto you the way of saluation The Apostle not content herewith cōmaunded the prophecying spirite vnto silence and to come foorth of the mayd And yet what harme speake they These men are the seruantes of the moste high god But bycause the most parte of simple men haue not vnderstanding alwayes to iudge of those things whiche are vttered by Diuels he at once excludeth them from all credite Thou art saith he of the number of infamous spirites it belongeth not to thee to speake fréely hold thy peace kepe silence it is not thy office to preache This is the authoritie of the Apostles why takest thou vppon thée that which appertayneth not vnto thee hold thy peace be thou infamous So also did Christe sharply rebuke the diuels saying vnto him we knowe thée who thou art therein prescribing vnto vs a lawe that we shoulde in no wise trust the diuell albeit he tell the truth Sith we know these things let vs in no wise beléeue the diuell nay rather if he say any thyng that is truth let vs fl●e from him and shunne him For it is not lawful exactly to learne sounde and holsome doctrine of diuels but out of the holy Scriptures That you may therfore know that it can in no wise be that a soule once departed out of the body can come vnder the tyrannie of the diuell heare what sainct Paule sayth For he that is dead is iustified from sinne that is he sinneth no more For if the diuel can do no hurt vnto the soule whyle it is in the body it is euidente hée can not hurt it when it is departed out of the body c. By all these things it is playne what manner of things those are which are heard séene ¶ The thirde part of this Booke in which is shewed why or to vvhat end God suffereth Spirits to appeare and other strange things to happen as also howe men ought to behaue them selues when they méete with any suche things CHAP. 1. God by the appearing of Spirits doth exercise the faithfull and punishe the vnbeleeuers IT followeth nowe hereafter to be intreated of why God suffreth spirites ghostes and horrible sightes to appeare c. also why he dothe permitte other straunge and miraculous thynges to happen And furthermore howe men oughte to behaue them selues when they sée any suche thyngs GOD doth suffer Spirites to appeare vnto his electe vnto a good ende but vnto the reprobate they appeare as a punishemente And as all other things tourne to the beste vntoo the Faythefull euen so doo these also for yf they bée good Spirites whiche appeare vnto menne warnyng and defendyng them thereby do they gather the care prouidence and Fatherly affection of GOD towardes them But in case they bée euyll Spyrites as for the most part they are the faithfull are moued by occasion of them vnto true repentaunce They looke diligently vnto themselues so long as they liue least the enimie of mankynde who is ready at all assayes and lyeth always in waight should bring them into mischiefe and take further vauntage to vexe and hurte them God also by these meanes dothe exercise and trie their faith and pacience to the end they continue in his woord receyue nothing contrary to the same haue it neuer so fayre a shewe nor do any manner of thing agaynst his worde although those spirites doe not streightwayes cease to vexe them God dothe also suffer them to be exercised with haunting of spirites for this cause that they shold be the more humble and lowely For in the second Epistle to the Corinth and .xij. chap. Paul sayth And least I shold be exalted out of measure through the excellencie of reuelatiōs ther was giuen vnto mée vnquietnesse through the fleshe euen the messanger of Sathan to buffet me bicause I shold not be exalted out of measure For this thing besought I the Lord thrice that it mighte depart from me And he sayd vnto me My grace is sufficiēt for thée for my strength is made perfect through weakenesse Except God did shut vp the waye before vs with certaine stops and ●ets we shold not know our selues we shoulde not vnderstande wherof we stand in néed we shold not so earnestly pray vnto God