to the saying of the prophet to those gods and idols which took on them the power of God Do either good or ill if you can c. So as the prophet knew and taught thereby that none but God could worke miracles Infinite places for this purpose might be brought out of the scripture which for brevity I omit and oveâ—slip S. Augustine among other reasons whereby he proveth the ceasing of miracles saith Now blinde flesh doth not open the eyes of the blinde â—y the miracle of God but the eyes of our heart are opened by the word â—f God Now is not our dead carcase raised any more up by miracle but our dead bodies be still in the gâ—ave and our soules are raised to life by â—hrist Now the eares of the deafe are not opened by miracle but they â—hich had their ears shut before have them now opened to their salvation The miraculous healing of the sick by anointing spoken of by S. Iames is â—bjected by many specially by the papists for the maintenance of their â—â—crament of extreame unction which is apishly and vainly used in the â—â—omish church as though that miraculous gift had continuance till this â—ay herein you shall see what Calvine speaketh in his institutions â—he grace of healing saith he spoken of by Saint Iames is â—â—nished away as also the other miracles which the Lord would have â—â—ewed onely for a time that he might make the new preaching of the â—ospel mervellous for ever Why saith he do not these meaning miraâ—â—e-mongers appoint some Siloah to swim in whereinto at certaine orâ—â—nary recourses of times sicke folke may plunge themselves Why do â—â—ey nor lie along upon the dead because Paul raised up a dead child 〈◊〉 that meanes Verily saith he James in the miracle to anoint spake â—â—r that time whiles the church still enjoyed such blessings of God Item 〈◊〉 saith that the Lord is present with his in all ages and so often as need 〈◊〉 he helpeth their sicknesses no lesse than in old time But he doth 〈◊〉 so utter his manifest powers nor distributeth miracles as by the hands 〈◊〉 the Apostles because the gift was but for a time Calvine even their â—ncludeth thus They say such vertues or miracles remaine but experâ—â—â—ce saies nay And see how they agree among themselves Danaeus saith at neither witch nor devil can worke miracles Giles Alley saith directly that witches worke miracles Calvine saith they are all ceased All witchmongers say they continue But some affirme that popish miracles are vanished and gone away howbeit witches miracles remaine in full force So as S. Loy is out of credit for a horseleach Master T. and mother Bâ—â—gy remaine in estimation for prophets nay Hobgoblin and Robin 〈◊〉 fellow are contemned among young children and mother Alice and another Bungy are feaâ—ed among old fooles The estimation of these continue because the matter hath not been called in question the credit 〈◊〉 the other decayeth because the matter hath been looked into Where I say no more but that S. Anthonies blisse will helpe your pig where ever mother Bungy doth hurt it with her curse And therefore we 〈◊〉 warned by the word of God in any wise not to feare their curses â—e let all the witchmongers and specially the miracle-mongers in the 〈◊〉 answer me to this supposition Put case that a woman of credit 〈◊〉 a woman-witch should say unto them that she is a true prophet of 〈◊〉 Lord and that he revealeth those secret mysteries unto her whereby â—â— detecteth the lewd acts and imaginations of the wicked and thâ—◠〈◊〉 him she worketh miracles and prophesieth c. I think they must 〈◊〉 yeeld or confesse that miracles are ceased But such thing saith Câ—â—dane as seeme miraculous are chiefly done by deceipt legierdemaâ— or confederacy or else they may be done and yet seeme unpossible else things are said to be done and never were nor can be done CHAP. II. The gift of prophesie is ceased THat witches nor the woman of Endor nor yet her familiar or devil can tell what is to come may plainly appear by the words of 〈◊〉 prophet who saith Shew what things are to come and we will say 〈◊〉 are gods indeed According to that which Solomon saith who 〈◊〉 a man what shall happen him under the sun Marry that can I saith witch of Endor to Saul But I will rather beleeve Paul and Peters 〈◊〉 say that prophesie is the gift of God and no worldly thing Thâ— cousening queane that taketh upon her to do all things and can do thing but beguile men up steppeth also mother Bungy and she 〈◊〉 you where your horse or your asse is bestowed or any-thing that you 〈◊〉 lost is become as Samuel could and what you have done in all 〈◊〉 age past as Christ did to the woman of Sichar at Iacobs well yea 〈◊〉 what your errand is before you speak as Elizeus did Peter Martyr saith that onely God and man knoweth the heart of 〈◊〉 and therefore that the devil must be secluded alledging these place Solus Deus est scrutator cordium Onely God is the searcher of hearts 〈◊〉 Nemo scit quae sunt hominis nisi spiritus hominis qui est in eo None â—oâ—â—eth the thigs of man but the spirit of man which is within him Soâ—â—mon saith Tu solus nosti cogitationes hominum Thou onely knowest 〈◊〉 thoughts of men And Jeremy saith in the person of God Ego 〈◊〉 scrutans corda renes I am God searching hearts and reines Also 〈◊〉 thew faith of Christ Iesus autem videus cogitationes eorum And 〈◊〉 seeing their thoughts who in Scripture is called the searcher and 〈◊〉 of the thoughts in the heart as appeareth in Acts 1. 15. Rom. 8. Matth. 9.12 22. Marke 2. Luke 6. 7. 11. John 1.2.6 13. Apoc. 2. 3. and in other places infinite The same Peter Martyr also saith that the devil may suspect but not know our thoughts for if he should know our thoughts he should understand our faith which if he did he would never assault us with one temptation Indeed we reade that Samuel could tell where things lost were straied c. but we see that gift also ceased by the coming of Christ according to the saying of Paul at sundry times and in diverse manners God spâ—ke in the old times by our fathers the prophets in these last dayes he hath spoken unto us by his sonne c. And therefore I say that gift of prophesie wherewith God in times past endued his people is also ceased and counterfeits and coufeners are come in their places according to this saying of Peter There were false prophets among the people even as there shall be false teachers among you c. And think not that so notable a gift should be taken from the beloved and the elect people of God and committed to mother Bungy and such like of her
be by a witch made corporal being by God ordained to a spiritual proportion The cause of this grosse conceipt is that we hearken more diligently to old wives and rather give credit to their fables than to the word of God imagining by the tales they tell us that the divel is such a bulbegger as I have before described For whatsoever is proposed in scripture to us by parable or spoken figuratively or significatively or framed to our grosse capacities c. is by them so considered and expounded as though the bare letter or rather their grosse imaginations thereupon were to be preferred before the true sense and meaning of the word For I dare say that when these blockheads read Iothans parable in the ninth of Judges to the men of Sichem to wit that the trees went out to annoint a king over them saying to the olive tree Reigne thou over us who answered and said Should I leave my fatnesse c. they imagine that the wooden trees walked and spake with a mans voice or else that some spirit entred into the trees and answered as is imagined they did in the idols and oracles of Apollo and such like who indeed have eyes and see not ears and hear not mouthes and speak not c. CHAP. XIII The equivocation of this word spirit how diversly it is taken in the scriptures where by the way is taught that the scripture is not alwayes literally to be interpreted nor yet allegorically to be understood SUch as search with the spirit of wisdome and understanding shal finde that spirits as well good as bad are in scriptures diversly taken yea they shal well perceive that the divel is no horned beast For sometimes in the scriptures spirits and divels are taken for infirmities of the body sometimes for the vices of the minde sometimes also for the gifts of either of them Sometimes a man is called a divel as Iudas in the sixt of Iohn and Peter in the xvi of Matthew Sometimes a spirit is put for the Gospel sometimes for the mind or soul of man sometimes for the will of man his minde and counsell sometimes for teachers and prophets sometimes for zeal towards God sometimes for joy in the Holy-ghost c. And to interpret unto us the nature and signification of spirits we find these words written in the scripture to wit The spirit of the Lord shal rest upon him The spirit of counsel and strength The spirit of wisdome and understanding The spirit of knowledge and the fear of the Lord. Again I will pour out my spirit upon the house of David c. The spirit of grace and compassion Again Ye have not received the spirit of bondage but the spirit of adoption And therefore Paul saith To one is given by the spirit the word of wisdome to another the word of knowledge by the same spirit to another the gift of healing to another the gift of faith by the same spirit to another the gift of prophesie to another the operation of great works to another the discerning of spirits to another the diversity of tongues to another the interpretation of tongues and all these things worketh one and the self same spirit Thus farre the words of Paul And finally Esay saith that the Lord mingled among them the spirit of errour And in another place The Lord hath covered you with a spirit of slumber As for the spirits of divination spoken of in the scripture they are such as was in the woman of Endor the Philippian woman the wench of Westwell and the holy maid of Kent who were indued with spirits or gifts of divination whereby they could make shift to gain money and abuse the people by sleights and crafty inventions But these are possessed of borrowed spirits as it is written in the book of Wisdome and spirits of meer cousenage and deceipt as I have sufficiently proved elsewhere I deny not therefore that there are spirits and divels of such substance as it hath pleased God to create them But in what place soever it be found or read in the scriptures a spirit or divel is to be understood spiritually and is neither a corporall nor a visible thing Where it is written that God sent an evil spirit between Abimelech and the men of Sichem we are to understand that he sent the spirit of hatred and not a bulbegger Also where it is said If the spirit of jealousie come upon him it is as much to say as If he be moved with a jealous minde and not that a corporal divel assaulteth him It is said in the Gospel There was a woman which had a spirit of infirmity 18. years who was bowed together c. whom Christ by laying his hand upon her delivered of her disease Whereby it is to be seen that although it be said that satan had bound her c. yet that it was a sicknesse or disease of body that troubled her for Christs own words expound it Neither is there any word of witchcraft mentioned which some sâ—y was the cause thereof There were seven divels cast out of Mary Magdalen Which is not so grossely understood by the learned as that there were in her just seven corporal divels such as I described before elsewhere but that by the number of seven divels a great multitude and an uncertain number of vices is signified which figure is usual in divers places of the scripture And this interpretation is more agreeable with Gods word than the papisticall paraphrase which is that Christ under the name of the seven divels recounteth the seven deadly sins only Others allow neither of these expositions because they suppose that the efficacy of Christs miracle should this way be confounded as though it were not as difficult a matter with a touch to make a good Christian of a vicious person as with a word to cure the ague or any other disease of a sick body I think not but any of both these cures may be wrought by means in processe of time without miracle the one by the preacher the other by the physitian But I say that Christs work in both was apparently miraculous for with power and authority even with a touch of his finger and a word of his mouth he made the blinde to see the halt to goe the lepers clean the deaf to hear the dead to rise again and the poor to receive the Gospel out of whom I say he cast divels and miraculously conformed them to become good Christians which before were dissolute livers to whom he said Go your wayes and sin no more CHAP. XIV That it pleased God to manifest the power of his Sonne and not of witches by miracles JEsus Christ to manifest his divine power rebuked the winds and they ceased and the waves of water and it was calme which if neither our divines nor physicians can do much
with her father she made it haile in another field at her fathers request Hereupon he accused his wife and caused her to be burned and then he new christened his child again which circumstance is common among Papists and witch mongers And howsoever the first part hereof was proved there is no doubt but the latter part was throughly executed If they could indeed bring these things to passe at their pleasure then might they also be impediments unto the course of all other naturall things and ordinances appointed by God as to cause it to hold up when it should raine and to make midnight of high noon and by those meanes I say the divine power should become servile to the will of a witch so as we could neither eat nor drink but by their permission Me thinks Seneca might saâ—isfie these credulous or rather idolatrous people that runne a whore-hunting either in body or phansie after these witches beleeving all that is attributed unto them to the derogation of Gods glory He saith that the rude people and our ignorant prededecessors did beleeve that rain and showers might be procured and stayed by witches charmes and inchanâ—ments of which kind of things thaâ— thâ—re can nothing be wrought it is so manifest that we need not go to any philosophers school to learn the confutation thereof But Jeremy by the word of God doth utterly confound all that which may be devised for the maintenance of that foolish opinion saying Are theâ—â— any among the gods of the gentiles that send raine or give showers from heaven Art not thou the selfe same our Lord God We will trust in thee for thou doest and maketh all these things I may therefore with Brentius boldly say that is neither in the power of witches nor devils to accomplish that matter but in God onely For when exhalations are drawne and lifted up from out of the earth by the power of the Sun into the middle region of the air the coldnesse thereof constraineth and thickeneth those vapours which being become clouds are dissolved again by the heat of the sunne whereby rain or hail is ingendred rain if by the way the drops be not frosen and made hail These circumstances being considered with the course of the whole Scripture it can neither be in the power of witch or devill to procure raine or fair weather And whereas the story of Iob in this case is alledged against me wherein a witch is not once named I have particularly answered it else-where And therefore thus much onely I say here that even there where it pleased God as Calvine saith to set down circumstances for the instruction of our grosse capacities which are not able to conceive of spirituall communication or heavenly affaires the devill desireth God to stretch out his hand and touch all that Iob hath And though he seemeth to grant Sâ—tans desire yet God himself sent fire from heaven c. Whereby it is to be gathered that although God said He is in thine hand it waâ— the Lords hand that punished Iob and not the hand of the devill who said not Give me leave to plague him but Lay thine hanâ— upon him And when Iob continued faithfull notwithstanding all his afflictions iâ— his children body and goods the devill is said to come again to God and to say as before to wit Now stretch out thine hand and touch hâ—s bones and his flesh Which argueth as well that he could not do it as thâ—â— he himselâ—e did it not before And be it here remembred that M. Mâ—â— and the residue of the witch-mongers deny that there were â—hy wiâ—châ—â— in Iobs time But see more hereof else-where CHAP. XIIII What would ensue if witches confessions or witch-mongers opinion were true concerning the effects of witch-crafâ— inchantments IF it were true that witches confesse or that all writers write or thâ— witch-mongers report or that fools beleeve we should never have bâ—ter in the chearne nor cow in the close nor corne in the field nor 〈◊〉 weather abroad nor health within doors Or if that which is contaiâ—â— in M. Mal. Bodin c. or in the pamphlets late set forth in English 〈◊〉 witches executions should be true in those things thaâ— witches are 〈◊〉 to confesse what creature could live in security Or what needed foâ— preparation of warres or such trouble or charge in that behalfe Nâ— Prince should be able to raigne or live in the land For as Danaeus said that one Martin a witch killed the Emperour of Germany with witch 〈◊〉 so would our witches if they could destroy all our magâ—strates One 〈◊〉 witch might over-throw an army roiall and then what needed w◠〈◊〉 guns or wild-fire or any other instruments of warre A witch migâ—â— supply all wants and accomplish a Princeâ— will in this behalfe eâ—â— without charge or blood-shed of his people If it be objected that witches worke by the devill and christiâ—â— princes are not to deale that way I answer that for princes disposed to bâ— tell would make conscience therein specially such as take unjust waâ—s hand using other helps devises and engines as lawfull and devilish that in whose campe there is neither the rule of religion or christiâ—â— order observed insomuch as ravishments murthers blasphemies 〈◊〉 thefts are there most commonly and freely committed So that the devill is more feared and better served in their campes than God Almighty But admit that souldiers would be scrupulous herein the Pope hath authority to dispense therewith as in like case he hath done by the testimony of his own authors and friends Admit also that throughout all christendome warres were justly maintained and religion duly observed in their camps yet would the Turke and other infidels cut our throats or at least one anothers throat with the helpe of their witches for they would make no conscience thereof CHAP. XV. Examples of forreign nations who in their warres used the assistance of witches of eybiting witches in Ireland of two archers that shot with familiars IN the warrs between the kings of Denmarke and Sueveland 1563. the Danes do write that the king of Sueveland carryed about with him in campe foure old witches who with their charmes so qualified the Danes as they were thereby disabled to annoie their enemies insomuch as if they had taken in hand any enterprise they were so infeebled by those witches as they could performe nothing And although this could have no credit at the first yet in the end one of these witches was taken prisoner and confessed the whole matter so as saith he the threads and the line and the characters were found in the high way and water-plashes The Irishmen addict themselves wonderfully to the credit and practise hereof insomuch as they affirme that not onely their children but their cattell are as they call it eybitten when they fall suddenly sick and â—earme one sort of their witches eybiters onely in that respect yea
extraordinary sicknesse or to be bewitched or as they say strangely taken looke in B Googe his third book treating of cattel and happily you shall find some good medicine or cure for them or if you list to see more antient stuffe reade Vegetius his four bookes thereupon or if you be unlearned seek some cunning bullocke-leech If all this will not serve then set Jobs patience before your eyes And never think that a poore old woman can alter supernaturally the notable course which God hath appointed among his creatures If it had been Gods pleasure to have permitted such a course he would no doubt have both given notice in his word that he had given such power unto them and also would have taught remedies to have prevented them Furthermore if you will know assured meanes and infallible charmes yielding indeed undoubted remedies and preventing all manner of witchcrafts and also the assaults of wicked spirits then despise first all cosening knavery of priests witches and coseners and with true faith reade the sixt chapter of S. Paul to the Epesians and follow his counsell which is ministred unto you in the words following deserving worthily to be called by the name insuing The charme of charmes Finally my brethren be strong in the Lord and in the power of his might Put on the whole armour of God that you may stand against the assaults of the devil For we wrestle not against flesh and blood 〈◊〉 against principalities and powers and against wordly governoâ—â—â— the princes of the darknesse of this world against spiritual wickednesse which are in the high places For this cause take unto you the armour of God that you may be able to resist in the evill day and having finished all things stand fast Stand therefore and your loines giâ—ded about with verity and having on the brestplate of righteousnesse c. â— followeth in that chapter verses 15 16 17 18. 1 These 5. 1 Pet. 5. verse 8. Ephes. 1. and elsew-here in the holy scripture Otherwise JF you be unlearned and want the comfort of friends repaire to 〈◊〉 learned godly and discreet preacher If otherwise need require â—â— to a learned physician who by learning and experience knoweth and 〈◊〉 discerne the difference signes and causes of such diseases as 〈◊〉 lesse men and unskilful physicians impute to witchcraft CHAP. XXIII A confutation of the force and vertue falsely ascribed to charmes and amulets by the authorities of ancient writers both Divines and Physitians MY meaning is not that these words in the bare letter can doe any thing towards your ease or comfort in this behalf or that it were wholesome for your body or soul to wear them about your neck for then would I wish you to wear the whole Bible which must needs bee more effectuall than any one parcell thereof But I find not that the Apostles or any of them in the primitive Church either carried S. Iohns Gospell or any Agnus Dei about them to the end they might be preserved from bugs neither that they looked into the four corners of the house or else in the roof or under the threshold to find matter of witchcraft and so to burn it to be freed from the same according to the popish rules Neither did they by such and such verses or prayers made unto Saints at such or such houres seek to obtain grace neither spake they of any old women that used such trades Neither did Christ at any time use or command holy water or crosses c. to be used as terrours against the Divell who was not affraid to assault himself when he was on earth And therefore a very vain thing it is to think that hee feareth these trifles or any externall matter Let us then cast away these prophane and old wives fables For as Origen saith Incantationes sunt daemonum irrisiones idolatriae faex animarum infatuatio c. Incantations are the Divels sport the dregs of Idolatry the besotting of souls c. Chrysostome saith there be some that carry about their necks a peece of a Gospell But is it not dayly read saith he and heard of all men But if they be never the better for it being put into their ears how shall they be saved by carrying it about their necks And further hee saith Where is the vertue of the Gospell In the figure of the letter or in the understanding of the sense If in the figure thou doest well to wear it about thy neck but if in the understanding then thou shouldst lay it up in thine heart Augustine saith Let the faithfull Ministers admonish and tell their people that these Magicall Arts and incantations doe bring no remedy to the infirmities either of men or cattell c. The heathen Philosophers shall at the last day confound the infidelity and barbarous foolishnesse of our christian or rather antichristian or prophane Witchmongers For as Aristotle saith that Incantamenta sunt muliercularum figmenta Inchantments are womens figments So doth Socrates who was said to be cunning herein affirm that Incantationes sunt verba animas decipientia humanas Incantations are words deceiving humane soules Others say Inscitiae pallium sunt carmina maleficium incantatio The cloak of Ignorance are charms witchery and incantation Galen also saith that such as impute the falling evill and such like diseases to divine matter and not rather to naturall causes are Witches Conjurers c. Hippocrates calleth them arrogant and in another place affirming that in his time there were many deceivers and couseners that would undertake to cure the falling evill c. by the power and help of Divels by burying some lots or inchantments in the ground or casting them into the Sea concludeth thus in their credit that they are all knaves and couseners for God is our only defender and deliverer O notable sentence of a beathen Philosopher The thirteenth Book CHAP. I. The signification of the Hebrew word Hartumim where it is found written in the Scriptures and how it is diversly translated whereby the objection of Pharaohs Magicians is afterward answered in this Book also of naturall magick not evill in it self HArtumim is no naturall Hebrew word but is borrowed of some other nationâ— howbeit it is used of the Hebrews in these places to wit Gen. 4.1.8.24 Exod. 7.13.24 8.7.18 9.11 Dan. 1.20 2.2 Hierom sometimes translateth it Conjectores sometimes Malefici sometimes Arioll which we for the most part translate by this word witches But the right signification hereof may be conceived in that the inchanters of Phaeraoh being Magicians of Aegypt were called Hartumim And yeâ— in Exodus they are named in some latine translations Venefici Rabbi Lâ—i saith it betokeneth such as doe strange and wonderfull things naturally artificially and deceitfully Rabbi Isaac Natar affirmeth that such were so termed as amongst the Gentiles professed singular wisdome Aâ—â—â— Ezra expoundeth it to signifie such as know the
other I doe call upon thee â—â— beseech thee O Lord Jesus Christ by thy nativity and baptisme thy crosse and passion by thine ascension and by the comming of the 〈◊〉 ghost by the bitternes of thy soule when it departed from the body thy five wounds by the bloud and water which went out of thy body thy vertue by the sacrament which thou gavest thy disciples the day before thou sufferedst by the holy trinity and the inseparable unity by blessed Mary thy mother by thine angels arch-angels prophets patriarchs and by all thy saints and by all the sacraments which are made in thine honor I doe worship and beseech thee to accept these prayers conjurations and words of my mouth which I will use I require thee O Lord Jesus Christ that thou give me thy vertue and power over all thine angeâ—â— which were throwne downe from heaven to deceive mankind to draw them to me to tie and bind them and also to loose them to gather them together before me and to command them to do all that they can and that by no meanes they contemne my voyce or the words of my mouth but that they obey me and my sayings and feare me I beseech thee by thine humanity mercy and grace and I require thee Adony Amay Horia Vege dova Mitaâ— Hel Suranat Ysion Ysesy and by all thy holy names and by all thine holy he saints and the saints by all thine angels and archangels powers dominations and verâ—ues and by that name that Solomon did bind the divels and shut them up Elbrach Ebanher Agle Goth Ioth Othie Venoch Nabrat and by all thine holy names which are written in this booke and by the vertue of them all that thou enable me to congrerate all thy spirits throwne downe from heaven that they may give me a true answer of all my demands and that they satisfie all my requests without the hurt of my body or soule or any thing else that of mine through our Lord Jesus Christ thy sonne which liveth and reigneth with thee in the unity of the Holy ghost one God world without end Oh father omnipotent oh wise sonne oh Holy ghost the searcher of hearts oh you three in persons one true Godhead in substance which drift spare Adam and Eve in their sinnes and oh though sonne which diedst for their sinnes a most filthy death sustaining it upon the holy 〈◊〉 oh thou most mercifull when I flie unto thy mercy and beseech thee by all the means I can by these thy holy names of thy sonne to 〈◊〉 A and Q and all other his names grant me thy vertue and power that I may be able to cite before me thy spirits which where thrown downe from heaven and that they may speak with me and dispatch by and by without delay and with a good will and without the hurt of my body soule or goods c. as is contained in the book called Annulus S. Lomonis Oh great and eternall vertue of the highest which through disposition these being called to judgement Vaichâ—on Stimulamaton Esphares Tetragrammaton Olioraâ— Cryon Esytion Existion Eâ—iona Onela Brasim Noym Messias Soter Emanuel Sabbath Adonay I worship thee I invocate thee I imploy thee with all the strength of my mind that by thee my present prayers consecrations and conjurations be hollowed and wheresoever wicked spirits are called in the vertue of thy names they may come together from every coast and diligently fulfill the will of me the exorcist Fiat fiato fiat Amen CHAP. V. A confutation of the manifold vanities conteined in the precedent chapters specially of commanding of divels HE that can be perswaded that these things are true or wrought indeed according to the assertion of conseners or according to the supposition of witch mongers and papists may soone be brought to beleeve that the moone is made of green cheese You see in this which is called Salomons conjuration there is a perfect inventary registred of the number of divels of their names of their offices of their personages of their qualities of their powers of their properties of their kingdomes of their governâ—rs of their orders of their dispositions of their 〈◊〉 of their submission and of the wayes to bind or loose them with a note what wealth learning office commodity pleasure 〈◊〉 they can give and may be forced to yeeld in spight of their hearts to 〈◊〉 forsooth as are cunning in this art of whom yet was never seen 〈◊〉 rich man or at least that gained any thing that way or any 〈◊〉 man that became learned by that meanes or any happy man 〈◊〉 could with the helpe of this art either deliver himselfe or his 〈◊〉 from adversity or adde unto his estate any point of felicity yet 〈◊〉 men in all worldly happineâ—se must need exceed all others 〈◊〉 things could be by them accomplished according as it is presupposed 〈◊〉 if they may learne of Marbas all secrets and to cure all diseases and Furcas wisdome and to be cunning in all mechanicall arts and change any mans shape of Zepar if Bune can make them rich and eloquent if Beroâ—h can tell them of all things present past and to 〈◊〉 if Asmodie can make them go invisible and shew them all hidden treasure if Salmacke will afflict whom they list and Allocer can procure the 〈◊〉 of any woman if Amy can provide them excellent familiars if 〈◊〉 can make them understand the voyce of all birds and beasts and 〈◊〉 and Bifrons can make them live long and finally if Orias could proâ—â— unto them great friends and reconcile their enemies and they 〈◊〉 end had all these at commandement should they not live in all world honor and felicity whereas contrariwise they lead there lives in all oâ—â—quy misery and beggery and in fine come to the gallowes as thou they had chosen unto themselves the spirit Valefer who they say 〈◊〉 all them with whom he entereth into familiarity to no better end than the gibbet or gallowes But before I proceed further to the confuâ—â—tion of this stuffe I will shew other conjurations devised more lately and of more authority wheâ—ein you shall see how fooles are trained to beleeve these absurdities being wonne by little and little to such credulity For the author hereof beginneth as though all the cunning of conjurors were deâ—â—ved and fetcht from the planetary motions and true course of the 〈◊〉 celestiall bodies c. CHAP. VI. The names of the Planets their characters together with the twelve signes of the zodiake their dispositions aspects and government with other observations The disposition of the Planets The aspects of the Planets ☌ Is the best aspect with good planets and the worst with evill âš¹ Is a meane aspect in goodnese or badnesse â–³ Is very good in aspect to good planets and hâ—rteth not in evill â–¡ This aspect is of enimity not full perfect ☠This aspect is of enimity most perfect How the day is divided or
and by his unspeakable name Tetragrammaton and by all the holy sacraments and by the holy majesty and deity of the living God I conjure and exorcise thee Bealphares by the vertue of all angels archangels thrones dominations principaâ—s potestats virtures cherubim and seraphim and by their vertues and by the most truest and speciallest name of your master that you doe come unto us in faire form of man or woman kinde been visibly before this circle and not terrible by any manner of wayes This circle being our tuition and protection by the mercifull goodnesse of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ and that you doe make answer truly without craft or deceit unto all my demands and questions by the vertue and power of our Lord Jesus Christ Amen CHAP. XIIII To bind the spirit Bealphares and to loose him again NOw when he is appeared bind him with these words which follow I conjure thee Bealphares by God the father by God the son and by God the Holy Ghost and by all the holy company in heaven and by their vertues and powers I charge thee Bealphares that thou shalt not depart out of my sight nor yet to alter thy bodily shape that thou art appeared in nor any power shalt thou have of our bodies or soules eartly or ghostly but to be obedient to me and to the words of my conjuration that be written in this book I conjure thee Bealphares by all angels and archangels thrones dominations principats potestates vertutes cherubim and seraphim and by their vertues and powers I conjure and charge binde and constraine thee Bealphares by all the 〈◊〉 words aforesaid and by their vertues that thou be obedient unto me and to come and appeare visibly unto me and that in all dayes houres and minutes wheresoever I be being called by the vertue of our Lord Jesus Christ the which words are written in this book Look ready thou be to appeare unto me and to give mee good counsell how to come by treasures hidden in the earth or in the water and how to come to dignity and knowledge of all things that is to say of the magick art and of grammar dialectike rhetorike arithmeticke musick geometry and of astromomy and in all other things my will quickly to be fulfilled I charge upon pain of everlasting condemnation Fiat fiat fiat Amen When he is thus bound ask him what thing thou wilt and he will tell thee and give thee all things that thou wilt request of him without any sacrifice doing to him and without forsaking thy God that is thy maker And when the spirit hath fulfilled thy will and intent give him license to depart as followeth A license for the spirit to depart GO unto the place predestinated and appointed for thee where thy Lord God hath appointed thee untill I shall call thee again Be thou ready unto me and to my call as often as I shall call thee upon pain of everlasting damnation And if thou wilt thou mayst recite two or three times the last conjuration untill thou doe come to this â—earin In throno If he will not depart and then say In throno that thou depart from this place without hurt or damage of any body or of any deed to be done that all creatures may know that our Lord is of all power most mightiest and that there is none other God but he which is three and one living for ever and ever And the malediction of God the father omnipotent the son and the holy ghost descend upon thee and dwell alwayes with thee except thou doe depart without damage of us or of any creature or any other evill deed to be done and thou to goe to the place predestinated And by our Lord Jesus Christ I do else send thee to the great pit of hell except I say that thou depart to the place whereas thy Lord God hath appointed thee And see thou be ready to me and to my call at all times and places at mine own will and pleasure day or night without damage or hurt of me or of any creature upon pain of everlasting damnation Fiat fiat fiat Amen Amen The peace of Jesus Christ be between us and you in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Ghost Amen Por crucis hoc ✚ signum c. Say In principio erat verbum verbum erat apud Deum In the beginning was the word and the word was with God and God was the word and so forward as followeth in the first chapter of saint Iohns Gospell staying at these words Full of grace and truth to whom bee all honour and glory world without end Amen A type or figure of the circle for the master and his fellowes to sit in shewing how and after what fashion it should be made THis is the circle for the master to sit in and his fellow or fellowes at the first calling sit back to back when hee calleth the spirit and for the fairies make this circle with chalk on the ground as is said before This spirit Bealphares being once called and found shall never have power to hurt thee Call him in the houre of ♃ or ♀ the ☽ increasing CHAP. XV. The making of the holy water EXorciso te creaturam salis per Deum vivum ✚ per Deum ✚ verum ✚ per Deum sanctum ✚ per Duem qui te per Elizaeum prophetam in aquam mitli jussit â—tâ—s naretur sterrilitas aquae ut efficiaâ—is sal exorcisaâ—us in saluum credentium ut sit omnibus te sumentibus sanitas animae corporis essugiat atque discedat ab co loco qui aspersus stâ—â—at omnis phantasia nequitia vel versutia diabolicae fraudis omnisque spiritus adjuratus per cum qui venturus est judicare vivos mo tuos saeculum perignem Amen Oremus Imunsam clementiam tuam omnipotens aeterne Deus humiliter imploramus ut hanc creaturam salis quam in usum generis humani tribuisti bene ✚ dicere sancti ✚ ficare tua prelate digneris ut sit omnibus sumentibus saâ—is menlis corporis ut quicquid ex co tactum suerit vel respersum careat omni immundicia omnique impugnatione spiritualis nequitia per Dominum nostrum Iesum Christum filium tuum qui tecum vivit regnat in unitate spiritus sancti Deus per omnia saecula saeculorum Amen To the water say also as followeth Exorciso te creaturam aquae in nomine ✚ patris ✚ Iesu Christi filii ejus Domini nostri in virtute spiritus ✚ sanct ✚ ut siat aquae exorcisata ad estisgandam omnem potestatem inimici ipsum inimicum erodicare explantare valeas cum angelis suis apostatis per virtutem ejusdem Domini nostri Iesu Christi qui venturus est judicare vivos mortuos saeculum per ignem Amen Oremus Deus qui ad
deceive us with vain words For it is the Lord only that worketh great wonders and bringeth mighty things to passe It is also written that Gods Word and not the words of conjurors or the charmes of witches healeth all things maketh tempests and stilleth them But put case the Divell could be fetched up and fettered and loosed again at their pleasure c. I marvell yet that any can be so bewitched as to be made to beleeve that by vertue of their words any earthly creature can be made invisible We think it a lye to say that white is black and black white but it is a more shamelesse assertion to affirm that white is not or black is not at all and yet more impudency to hold that a man is a horse but most apparent impudency to say that a man is no man or to be extenuated into such a quantity as thereby he may be invisible and yet remain in life and health and that in the cleare light of the day even in the presence of them that are not blinde But surely he that cannot make one haire white or black whereof on the other side not one falleth from the head without Gods-speciall providence can never bring to passe that the visible creature of God shall become nothing or lose the vertue and grace powred thereinto by God the creator of all things If they say that the divell covereth them with a cloud or veil as M. Mal. Bodin and many other doe affirm yet me thinks we should either see the cover or the thing covered And though perchance they say in their hearts Tush the Lord seeth not who indeed have blinded them so as seeing they see not yet they shall never be able to perswade the wise but that both God and man doth see both them and their knavery in this behalf I have heard of a fool who was made beleeve that he should goe invisible and naked while he was well whipped by them who as he thought could not see him Into which tools paradise they say he was brought that enterprised to kill the prince of Orenge CHAP. XXII A compartson betweeen popish exorcis and other conjurors a popish conjuration published by a great doctor of the Romish Church his rules and cautions I See no difference between these and popish conjurations for they agree in order words and matter differing in no circumstance but that the Papists doe it without shame openly the other doe it in hugger mugger secretly The papists I say have officers in this behalfe which are called exorcists or conjurors and they look narrowly to other cousenours as having gotten the upper hand over them And because the papists shall be without excuse in this behalfe and that the world may see their cousenage impiety and folly to be as great as the others I will cite one conjuraton of which sort I might cite a hundred published by Iacobus de Chusa a great doctor of the Romish church which serveth to find out the cause of noise and spirituall rumbling in houses churches or chappels and to conjure walking spirits which evermore is knavery and cousenage in the highest degree Mark the cousening devise hereof and confer the impiety with the others First forsooth he saith it is expedient to fast three days and to celebrate a certain number of masses to repeat the seven psalms penitential then four or five priests must be called to the place where the haunt or noise is then a candle hallowed on candlemas day must be lighted and in the lighting thereof also must the seven psalmes be said and the Gospell of St. Iohn Then there must be a crosse and a censer with frankincense and therewithall the place must be censed or perfumed holy water must be sprinkled and a holy stoal must be used and after divers other ceremonies a prayer to God must be made in manner and form following O Lord Jesus Christ the knower of all secrets which alwayes revealest all wholesome and profitable things to thy faithfull children and which sufferest a spirit to shew himself in this place wee beseech thee for thy bitter passion c. vouchsafe to command this spirit to reveale and signifie unto us thy servants without our terrour or hurt what hee is to thine honour and to his comfort In nomine patris c. And then proceed in these words Wee beseech thee for Christs sake O thou spirit that if there be any of us or among us whom thou wouldst answer name him or else manifest him by some sign Is it fryer P. or doctor D. or doctor Burc or sir Feats or sir Iohn or sir Robert Et sic de caeteris circunslamibus For it is well tryed saith the glosse he will not answer every one If the spirit make any sound of voice or knocking at the naming of any one he is the counsenour the conjuror I would say that must have the charge of this conjuration or examination And these forsooth must be the interrogatories to wit Whose soule art thou Wherefore camest thou What wouldst thou have Wantest thou any suffrages masses or almes How many masses will serve thy turn three six ten twenty thirty c By what priest Must he be religious or secular Wilt thou have any fasts What How many How great And by what persons Among Hospitals Lepers Or beggers What shall be the signe of thy perfect deliverance Wherefore liest thou in purgatory and such like This must be done in the night If there appear no sign at this hour it must be deferred untill another houre Holy water must be left in the place There is no fear they say that such a spirit will hurt the conjuror for he can sinne no more as being in the meane state between good and evill and as yet in the 〈◊〉 of satisfaction If the spirit doe hurt then it is damned soule and not an elect Every man may not be present hereat specially such as be weak of complexion They appear in divers manners not alwayes in body or bodily shape as it is read in the life of S. Martine that the divell did but sometimes invisible as only by sound voice or noise Thus 〈◊〉 Iacobus de Chusa But because you shall see that these be not empty words nor standet◠but that in truth such things are commonly put in practise in the Romish church I will here set downe an instance lately and truly though lewdly performed and the same in effect as followeth CHAP. XXIII A late experiment or cousening conjuration practised at Orleance by the Franciscan Friers how it was detected and the judgement against the authors of that comedy IN the year of our Lord 1534. at Orleance in France the Maiors wife dyed willing and desiring to be buryed without any pompe or noise c. Her husband who reverenced the memoriall of her did even as she had willed him And because she was buried in the
salt by God by the God ✚ that liveth by the true ✚ God by the holy ✚ God which by Elizaeus the prophet commanded that thou shouldest be throwne into the water that it thereby might be made whole sound that thou salt here let the preist looke upon the salt maist be conjured for the health of all beleevers and that thou be to all that take thee health both of body and soule and let all phantasies and wickednesse or diabolicall craft or deceipt depart from the place whereon it is sprinkled as also every uncleane spirit being conjured by him that judgeth both the quick and the dead by fire Resp. Amen Then followeth a prayer to be said without Dominus vobiscum bet yet with Oremus as followeth ¶ Oremus Almighty and everlasting God we humbly desire thy clemency here let the pâ—eist looke upon the salt that thou wouldest vouchsafe through thy piety to bl ✚ esse and sanc ✚ tifie this creature of salt which thou hast given for the use of mankind that it may be to all that receive it health of mind and body so as whatsoever shall be touched thereby or sprinkled therewith may be void of all uncleannesse and all resistance of spirituall iniquity through our Lord Amen What can be made but a conjuration of these words also which are written in the canon or rather in the saccaring of masse This holy commixtion of the body and bloud of our Lord Jesus Christ let it be made to me and to all the receivers thereof health of mind and body and a wholesome preparative for the deserving receiving of everlasting life through our Lord Iesus Amen CHAP. XXVIII That popish priests leave nothing unconjured a fomre of exorcisme for incense ALthough the papists have many conjurations so as neither water nor fire nor bread nor wine nor wax nor tallow nor church nor churchyard nor altar nor altar cloth nor ashes nor coales nor bells nor bell ropes nor copes nor vestmenâ—s nor oile nor salt nor candle nor candlesticke nor beds nor bedstaves are without their forme of conjuration yet I will for brevity let all passe and end here with incense which they do conjure in this sort ✚ I conjure thee most filthy and horible spirit and every vision of our enemie c that thou go and depart from out of this creature of frankincense with all thy deceipt and wickednesse tâ—at this creature may be sanctified and in the name of our Lord ✚ Jesus ✚ Christ ✚ that all they that taste touch or smell the same may receive the virtue and assistance of the Holy ghost so as wheresoever this incense or frankincense shall remaine that there thou in no wise be so bold as to approach or once presume or attempt to hurt but what uncleane spirit so ever thou be that thou with all thy crast and subtilty avoid and depart being conjured by the name of God the father almighty c. And that wheresoever the sume or smoke thereof shall come every kind and sort of divels may be driven away and expelled â—â— they were at the increase of the liver of fish which the archangell Raphael made c. CHAP. XXIX The rules and lawes of popish Exorcists and other conjurors all one with a confutation of their whole power how S. Martine conjured the divell THe papists you see have their certaine generall rules and lawes as to abstaine from sinne and to fast as also otherwise to be cleane from all pollutions c and even so likewise have the other conjurors Some will say that papists use divine service and prayers even so do common conjurors as you see even in the same papisticall forme no whit swarving from theirs in faith and doctrine nor yet in ungodly and unreasonable kinds of petitions Me thinks it may be a sufficient argument to overthrow the calling up and miraculous workes of spirits that it is written God only knoweth and sâ—aâ—cheth the hearts and only worketh great wonders The which argument being prosecuted to the end can never be answered in so much as that divine power is required in that action And if it be said that in this conjuration we speake to the spirits and they heare us and therefore need not know our thoughts and imaginations I first aske them whether king Baell or Amoimon which are spirits raigning in the furthest regions of the east as they say may heare a conjurors voyce which calleth for them being in the extreamest parts of the west there being such noises interposed where perhaps also they may be busie and set to worke on the like affaires Secondly whether those spirits be of the same power that God is who is every where filling all places and able to heare all men at one instant c. Thirdly whence commeth the force of such words as raise the dead and command divels If sounds do it then may it be done by a taber and a pipe or any other instrument that hath no life If the voyce do it then may it be done by any beasts or birds If words then a parret may do it If in mans words only where is the force in the the first second or third syllable If in syllables then not in words If in imaginations then the divell knoweth our thoughts But all this stuffe is vaine and fabulous It is written All the generations of the earth were healthfull and there is no poyson of destruction in them Why then do they conjure holsome creatures as salt water c where no divels are God looked upon all his works and saw they were all good What effect I pray you had the 7. sonnes of Sceva which is the great objection of witchmongers They would needs take upon them to conjure divels out of the possessed But what brought they to passe Yet that was in the time whilest God suffered miracles commonly to be wrought By that you may see what conjurors can do Where is such a promise to conjurors or witches as is made in the Gospell to the faithfull where it is written In my name they shall cast out divels speake with new tongues if they shall drinke any deadly thing it shall not hurt them they shall take away serpents they shall lay hands on the sicke and they shall recover According to the promise this grant of miraculous working was performed in the primitive church for the confirmation of Christs doctrine and the establishing of the Gospell But as in another place I have proved the gift thereof was but for a time and is now ceased neither was it ever made to papist witch or conjuror They take upon them to call up and cast out divels and to undoe with one divell that which another divell hath done If one divell could cast out another it were a kingdome divided and could not stand Which argument Christ himselfe maketh and therefore I may the mâ—re boldly say even with Christ that they have no such
S. Margaret is a fable may be proved by the incredible impossible foolish impious and blasphemous matters contained therein and by the ridiculous circumstance thereof Though it were cruelly done of her to beat the divell when his hands was bound yet it was curteously done of her to pull away her foot at his desire He could not speak so long as she troad on his head and yet he said Tread off that I may tell you what I am She saw the heavens open and yet she was in a close prison But her sight was very clear that could see a little dove sitting upon a crosse so far off For heaven is higher than the Sun and the sun when it is neerest to us is 3966000. miles from us And she had a good pair of ears that could hear a dove speak so far off And she had good luck that S. Peter who they say is porter or else the Pope who hath more doings than Peter had such leisure as to stay the gates so long for her Salomon provided no good place neither took good order with his brazen bowl I marvell how they escaped that let out the divels It is marvell also that they melted it not with their breath long before for the divels carry hell and hell fire about with them alwayes in so much as they say they leave ashes evermore where they stand Surely she made in her prayer an unreasonable request but the date of her patent is out for I beleeve that whosoever at this day shall burn a pound of good candles before her shall be never the better but three pence the worse But now we may find in S. Margarets life who it is that is Christs wife whereby we are so much wiser then we were before But look in the life of S. Katharine in the golden legend and you shall find that he was also married to S. Katherine and that our Lady made the marriage c. An excellent authority for bigamie Here I will also cite another of their notable stories or miracles of authority and so leave shameing of them or rather troubling you the readers thereof Neither would I have written these fables but that they are authentick among the papists and that we that are protestants may be satisfied as well of conjurors and witches miracles as of others for the one is as grosse as the the other CHAP. XXXVII A pleasant miracle wrought by a popish Priest WHat time the Waldenses heresies began to spring certain wicked meâ— being upheld and maintained by diabolicall vertue shawed certaine signes and wonders whereby they strengthened and confirmed their heresies and perverted in faith many faithfull men for they walked on the water and were not drowned But a certain catholick priest seeing the same and knowing that true signs could not be joined with false doctrine brought the body of our Lord with the pix to the water where they shewed their power and vertue to the people and said in the hearing of all that were present I conjure thee O divell by him 〈◊〉 I carry in my hands that thou exercise not these great visions and phantasies by these men to the drowning of this people Notwithstanding their words when they walked still on the water as they did before the priest in a rage threw the body of our Lord with the pix into the river and by and by so soon as the sacrament touched the element the phantasie gaâ—â— place to the verity and they being proved and made false did sink 〈◊〉 lead to the bottome and were drowned the pix with the sacrament immediately was taken away by an angell The priest seeing all these things was very glad of the miracle but for the losse of the sacrament he was very pensive passing away the whole night in tears and mourning in the morning he found the pix with the sacrament upon the altar CHAP. XXXVIII The former miracle confuted with a strange story of St Lucy HOw glad Sr Iohn was now it were folly for me to say How would he have plagued the divell that threw his God in the river to be drowned But if other had had no more power to destroy the Waldenses with sword and fire than this priest had to drown them with his conjuring box and cousening sacraments there should have been many a life saved But I may not omit one fable which is of authority wherein though there be no conjuration expressed yet I warrant you there was cousenage both in the doing and telling thereof You shall read in the lesson on saint Lucies day that she being condemned could not be removed from the place with a teem of Oxen neither could any fire burn her in somuch as one was faine to cut off her head with a sword and yet she could speak afterwards as long as she list And this passeth all other miracles except it be that which Bodin and M. Mal. recite out of Nider of a witch that could not be burned till a scroll was taken away from where she hid it betwixt her skin and flesh CHAP. XXXIX Of visions noises apparitions and imagined sounds and of other illusions of wandering soules with a confutation thereof MAny through melancholy doe imagine that they see or hear visions spirits ghosts strange noises c. as I have already proved before at large Many again through fear proceeding from a cowardly nature and complexion or from an effeminate and fond bringing up are timerous and afraid of spirits and bugs c. Some through imperfection of sight also are afraid of their own shadows as Aristotle saith see themselves sometime as it were in a glasse And some through weaknesse of body have such imperfect imaginations Drunken men also sometimes suppose they see trees walk c. according to that which Salomon saith to the drunkards Thine eyes shall see strange visions and marvellous appearances In all ages monkes and priests have abused and bewitched the world with counterfeit visions which proceeded through idlenesse and restraint of marriage whereby they grew hot and lecherous and therefore devised such means to compasse and obtaine their loves And the simple people being then so superstitious would never seem to mistrust that such holy men would make them cuskholds but forsooke their beds in 〈◊〉 case and gave room to the cleargy Item little children have been so scared with their mothers maids that they could never after endure to â—e in the dark alone for fear of bugs Many are deceived by glasses through art perspective Many hearkening 〈◊〉 false reports conceive and beleeeve that which is nothing so Many give credit to that which they read in authors But how many stories and bookes are writen of walking spirits and soules of men contrary to the word of God a reasonable volum cannot containe How common an opinion was it among the papists that all soules walked 〈◊〉 the earth after they departed from their bodyes In so much as it was in
lesse our conjurors and least of all our old witches can bring any such thing to passe But it pleased God to manifest the power of Christ Jesus by such miraculous and extraordinary means providing and as it were preparing diseases that none otherwise could be cured that his sons glory and his peoples faith might the more plainly appear as namely leprosie lunacy and blindnesse as it is apparent in the Gospel where it is said that the man was not stricken with blindnesse for his owne sinnes nor for any offence of his ancestors but that he was made blinde to the intent the works of God should be shewed upon him by the hands of Jesus Christ. But witches with their charmes can cure as witchmongers affirme all these diseases mentioned in the scripture and many other more as the gout the toothach c. which we find not that ever Christ cured As touching those that are said in the Gospel to be possessed of spirits it seemeth in many places that it is indifferent or all one to say He is possessed with a divel or he is lunatick or phrentick which disease in these dayes is said to proceed of melancholy But if every one that now is lunatick be possessed with a real divel then might it be thought that divels are to be thrust out of men by medicines But who saith in these times with the woman of Canaan My daughter is vexed with a divel except it be presupposed that she meant her daughter was troubled with some disease Indeed we say and say truely to the wicked the divel is in him but we mean not thereby that a real divel is gotten into his guts And if it were so I marvel in what shape this reall divel that possesseth them remaineth Entreth he into the body in one shape and into the minde in another If they grant him to be spiritual and invisible I agree with them Some are of opinion that the said woman of Canaan meant indeed that her daughter was troubled with some disease because it is written instead of that the divel was cast out that her daughter was made whole even the selfe same houre According to that which is said in the 12. of Matthew There was brought unto Christ one possessed of a divel which was both blinde and dumbe and he healed him so as he that was blind and dumbe both spake and saw But it was the man and not the divel that was healed and made to speak and see Whereby I say it is gathered that such as were diseased as well as they that were lunatick were said sometimes to be possessed of divels CHAP. XV. Of the possessed with divels HEre I cannot omit to shew how fondly divers writers and namely Iames Sprenger and Henry Institor do gather and note the cause why the divel maketh choice to possesse men at certaine times of the moone which is say they in two respects first that they may defame so good a creature as the moon secondly because the brain is the moistest part of the body The divel therefore considereth the aptnesse and conveniency thereof the moon having dominion over all moist things so as they take advantage thereby tho better to bring their purposes to passe And further they say that divels being conjured and called up appear and come sooner in some certain constellations than in other some thereby to induce men to think that there is some godhead in the starres But when Saul was relieved with the sound of the harp they say that the departure of the divel was by means of the signe of the crosse imprinted in Davids veins whereby we may see how absurd the imaginations and devices of men are when they speak according to their owne fancies without warrant of the word oâ— God But me thinks it is very absurd that Iosiphus affirmeth to wit that the divel should be thrust out of any man by vertue of a root And as vain it is that Aelianus writeth of the magicall hearb Cynospastus otherwise called Aglaphotis which is all one with Salomons root named Raaros as having force to drive out any divel from a man possessed CHAP. XVI That we being not throughly informed of the nature of divels and spirits must satisfie our selves with that which is delivered us in the Scriptures touching the same how this word divell is to be understood both in the singular and plurall number of the spirit of God and the spirit of the divell of tame spirits of Ahab THe nature therefore and substance of divels and spirits because in the scripture it is not so set down as we may certainly know the same we ought to content and frame our selves faithfully to beleeve the words and sense there delivered unto us by the high spirit which is the Holy Ghost who is Lord of all spirits alwayes considering that evermore spirits are spoken of in scripture as of things spirituall though for the help os our capacities they are there sometime more grossely and corporally expressed either in parables or by metaphors than indeed they are As for example and to omit the history of Iob which elsewhere I handle it is written The Lord said Who shall entice Ahab that hee may fall at Ramoth Gilead c. Then came forth a spirit and stood before the Lord and said I will goe entise him And the Lord said Wherewith And he said I will goe and be a lying spirit in the mouth of all his prophets Then he said Goe forth thou shalt prevaile c. This story is here set forth in this wise to bear with our capacities and specially with the capacity of that age that could not otherwise conceive of spirituall things than by such corporall demonstrations And yet here is to be noted that one spirit and not many or diverse did possesse all the false prophets at once Even as in another place many thousand divels are said to possesse one man and yet it is also said even in the self same place that the same man was possessed only with one divell For it is there said that Christ met a man which had a divell and hoe commanded the foul spirit to come forth of the man c. But Calvine saith Where satan or the divell is named in the singular number thereby is meant that power of wickednesse that standeth against the kingdome of justice And where many divels are named in the scriptures we are thereby taught that we must fight with an infinite multitude of enemies lest despising the fewnesse of them we should be more flack to enter into barrell and so fall into security and idlenesse On the other side it is as plainly set down in the scripture that some are possessed with the spirit of God as that the other are endued and bound with the spirit of the divell Yea sometimes we read that one good spirit was put into a great number of personâ— and again
that divers spirits rested in and upon one man and yet no reall or corporall spirit meant As for example The Lord took of the spirit that was upon Moses and put it upon the seventy elders and when the spirit rested upon them they prophesied Why should not this be as substantiall and corporall a spirit as that wherewith the maid in the Acts of the Apostles was possessed Also Elisha intreated Elia that when he departed his spirit might double upon him We read also that the spirit of the Lord came upon Othinel upon Gidcon Ieptha Samson Balaam Saul David Ezekiel Zachary Amasay yea it is written that Caleb had another spirit than all the Israelites beside and in another place it is said that Daniâ—l had a more excellent spirit than any other So as though the spirits as well good as bad are said to be given by number and proportion yet the quality and not the quantity of them is alwayes thereby meant and presuposed Howbeit I must confesse that Christ had the spirit of God without measure as it is written in the Evangelist Iohn But where it is said that spirits can be made tame and at commandment I say to those grosse conceivers of Scripture with Salomon who as they falsly affirme was of all others the greatest conjuror saith thus in expresse words No man is lord over a spirit to retaine a spirit at his pleasure CHAP. VII Whether Spirits and soules can assume bodies and of their creation and substance wherein writers doe extreamly contend and vary SOme hold opinion that spirits and soules can assume and take unto them bodies at their pleasure of what shape or substance they lift of which mind all papists and some protestants are being more grosse than another sort which hold that such bodies are made to their hands Howbeit these doe varie in the elements wherewith these spirituall bodies are composed For as I have said some affirm that they consist of fire some think of air and some of the starres and other celestiall powers But if they be celestiall then as Peter Martyr saith must they follow the circular motion and if they be elementary then must they follow the motions of those elements of which their bodies consist Of air they cannot be for air is Corpus homogeneum so as every part of air is air whereof there can be no distinct members made For an organicall body must have bones sinews veins flesh c. which cannot be made of air Neither as Peter Martyr affirmeth can an airy body receive or have either shape or figure But some ascend up into the clouds where they find as they say diverse shapes and formes even in the air Unto which objection P. Martyr answereth saying and that truly that clouds are not altogether air but have a mixture of other elements mingled with them CHAP. XVIII Certaine popish reasons concerning spirits made of air of day divels and night divels and why the divell loveth no salt in his meat MAny affirm upon a fable cited by M. Mal. that spirits are of air because they have been cut as he saith in sunder and closed presently again and also because they vanish away so suddenly But of such apparitions I have already spoken and am shortly to say more which are rather seen in the imagination of the weak and diseased than in verity and truth Which sights and apparitions as they have been common among the unfaithfull so now since the preaching of the Gospell they are most rare And as among fainthearted people namely women children and sick folks they usually swarmed so among strong bodies and good stomachs they never used to appeare as elsewhere I have proved which argueth that they were only phantasticall and imaginary Now say they that imagine divels and spirits to be made of air that it must needs bee that they consist of that element because otherwise when they vanish suddenly away they should leave some earthy substance behinde them If they were of water then should they moisten the place where they stand and must needs be shed on the floore If they consisted of fire then would they burn any thing that touched them and yet say they Abraham and Lot washed their feet and were neither scalded nor burnt I finde it not in the Bible but in Bodin that there are day divels and night divels The same fellow saith that Deber is the name of that divell which hurteth by night and Cheleb is he that hurreth by day howbeit he confesseth that Satan can hurt both by day and night although it be certain as he saith that he can doe more harm by night than by day producing for example how in a night he slew the first born of Egypt And yet it appeareth plainly in the text that the Lord himself did it Whereby it seemeth that Bodin putteth no difference between God and the divell For further confirmation of this his foolish assertion that divels are more valiant by night than by day he alleadgeth the 104 Psalme wherein is written Thou makest darknesse and it is night wherein all the beasts of the Forrest creep forth the lions roar c. when the sun riseth they retire c. So as now he maketh all beast to be divels or divels to be beasts Oh barbarous blindnesse This Bodin also saith that the divell loveth no salt in his meat for that it is a sign of eternity and used by Gods commandement in all sacrifices abusing the Scriptures which hee is not ashamed to quote in that behalfe But now I will declare how the Scripture teacheth our dull capacities to conceive what manner of thing the divell is by the very names appropriated unto him in the same CHAP. XIX That such divels as are mentioned in the scriptures have in their names their nature and qualities expressed with instances thereof SUch divels are mentioned in the Scriptures by name have in their names their nature and qualities expressed being for the most part the idols of certaine nations idolatrously erected in stead or rather in spight of God For Beelzebub which signifieth the lord of the flies because he taketh every simple thing in his web was an idol or oracle erected at Ekron to whom Ahaziah sent to know whether he should recover his disease as though there had been no God in Israel This divell Beelzebub was among the Jews reputed the principall divell The Grecians called him Pluto the Latines Sumanus quasi summum deorum manium the chief ghost of spirit of the dead whom they supposed to walk by night although they absurdly beleeved also that the soul died with the body So as they did put a difference between the ghost of a man and the soul of a man and so doe our papists howbeit none otherwise but that the soul is a ghost when it walketh on the earth after the dissolution of the body
so often The viper The serpent c. and that his children are called the generation of vipers but upon this first description of the divell made by Moses For I think none so grosse as to suppose that the wicked are the children of snakes according to the letters no more than we are to think and gather that God keepeth a book of life written with penne and inke upon paper as citizens record their free men CHAP. XXXI Of the curse rehearsed Gen. 3. and that place rightly expounded John Calvines opinion of the divell THe curse rehearsed by God in that place whereby witchmongers labour so busily to prove that the divell entered into the body of a snake and by consequence can take the body of any other creature at his pleasure c. reacheth I think further into the divels matters than we can comprehend it or is needfull for us to know that understand not the wayes of the divels creeping and is far unlikely to extend to plague the generation of snakes as though they had been made with legges before that time and through his curse was deprived of that benefit And yet if the divell should have entered into the snake in manner and form as they suppose I cannot see in what degree of sin the poore snake should be so guilty as that God who is the most righteous Judge might be offended with him But although I abhorre that lewd interpretation of the family of love and such other heretiques as would reduce the whole Bible into allegories yet me thinks the creeping there is rather metaphorically or significately spoken than literally even by that figure which is there prosecuted to the end Wherein the divell is resembled to an odious creature who as he creepeth upon us to annoy our bodies so doth the divell there creep into the conscience of Eve to abuse and deceive her whâ—â— seed neverthelesse shall tread down and dissolve his power and 〈…〉 And through him all good christians as Calvine saith obtaine power to doe the like For we may not imagine such a materiall tragedy as there is described for the ease of our feeble and weak capacities For whensoever we find in the scriptures that the divell is called god the prince of the world a strong armed man to whom is given the powâ— of the air a roaring lion a serpent c. the Holy Ghost moved us thereby to beware of the most subtill strong and mighty enemy and to make preparation and arm our selves with faith against so terrible an adversary And this is the opinion and counsell of Calvine that we seeing our own weaknesse and his force manifested in such termes may beware 〈◊〉 the divell and may flie to God for spirituall old and comfort And as for his corporall assaults or his attempts upon our bodies his night walkings his visible appearings his dancing with witches c. we are neither warned in the scriptures of them nor willed by God or his prophets to flie them neither is there any mention made of them in the scriptures And therefore think I those witchmongers and absurd writers to bee as grosse on the side as the Sadduces are impious and fond on the other which say that spirits and divels are only motions and affections and that angels are but tokens of Gods power I for my part confesse with Augugustine that these matters are above my reach and capacity and yet so farre as Gods word teacheth me I will not sticke to say that they are living creatures ordained to serve the Lord in their vocation And although they abode not in their first estate yet that they are the Lords ministers and executioners of his wrath to trie and tempt in this world and to punish the reprobate in hell fire in the world to come CHAP. XXXII Mine own opinion and resolution of the nature of spirits and of the divell with his properties BVt to use few words in a long matter and plain termes in a doubtfull case this is mine opinion concerning this present argument First that divels are spirits and no bodies For as Peter Martyr saith spirits and bodies are by antithesis opposed one to another so as a body is no spirit nor a spirit a body And thaâ— the divell whether he be many or one for by the way you shall understand that he is so spoken of in the scriptures as though there were but one and sometimes as though one were many legions the sense whereof I have already declared according to Calvins opinion he is a creature made by God and that for vengeance as it is written in Eccles. 39. vers 28. and of himselfe naught though imployed by God to necessary and good purposes For in places there it is written that all the creatures of God are good and again then God in the creation of the world saw all that he had made was 〈◊〉 the divell is not comprehended within those words of commendation For it is written that he was a murtherer from the beginning and abode not in the truth because there is no truth in him but when he speaketh a lye he speaketh of his own as being a lyer and the father of â—â—es and as Iohn saith a sinner from the beginning Neither was his creation so far as I can finde in that week that God made man and those other creatures mentioned in Genesis the first and yet God created him purposely to destroy I take his substance to be such as no man can by learning define nor by wisdom search out M. Deering saith that Paul himselfe reckoning up principalities powers c. addeth Every name that is named in this world or in the world to come A cleer sentence saith he of Pauls modesty insconfessing a holy ignorance of the state of angels which name is also given to divels in other places of the scripture His essence also and his form is also so proper and peculiar in mine opinion unto himself as he himself cannot alter it but it must needâ— be content therewith as with that which God hath ordained him and assigned unto him as peculiarly as he hath given to us our substance without power to alter the same at our pleasures For we find not that a spirit can make a body more than a body can make a spirit the spirit of God excepted which is omnipotent Neverthelesse I learn that their nature is prone to all mischiefe for as the very signification of 〈◊〉 enemy and an accuser is wrapped up in Satan and Diabolus so doth Christ himselfe declare him to be in the thirteenth of Matthew And therefore he brooketh well his name for he lyeth dayly in wait not onely to corrupt but also to destroy mankind being I say the very â—â—mentor appointed by God to afflict the wicked in this world with wicked temptations and in the world to come with hell fire But I may not here forget how
is expressely called upon the names of persons are not expressed but almighty and everlasting God invocated who abideth in trinity and unity it doth easily appear elsewhere also that the persons being not named under the name of almighty everlasting God not only the father to be understood but God which abideth in trinity and unity that is the father the sonne and the Holy-ghost A third objection of theirs is this The sonne of God oftentimes praying in the gospels speaking unto the father promiseth the holy spirit and doth also admonish the apostles to pray unto the heavenly father but yet in the name of the sonne Besides that he prescribeth them this forme of prayer Our father which art in heaven Ergo the father only is to be called upon and consequently the father only is that one and very true God of whom it is written Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God and him only shalt thou serve Whereto I answer first by denying the consequent The son prayed to the father only Ergo the father only is of us also to be prayed unto For the sonne of God is distinguished of us both in person and in office he as a mediator maketh intercession for us to the father and although the sonne and the holy spirit do both together receive and take us into favour with God yet is he said to intreat the father for us because the father is the fountain of all counsels and divine works Furthermore touching the forme of praying described of Christ it is not necessary that the fathers name should personally be there taken sith there is no distinction of persons made but by the name of father indefinitely wee understand God or the essence of God the father the sonne and the Holy-ghost For this name hath not alwaies a respect unto the generation of the sonne of God but God is called the father of the faithfull because of his gracious and free adopting of them the foundation whereof is the son of God in whom we be adopted but yet so adopted that not the father only receiveth us into his favour but with him also the sonne and the holy spirit doth the same Therefore when we in the beginning of prayer do advertise our selves of Gods goodnesse towards us we doe not cast an eye to the father alone but also to the sonne who gave us the spirit of adoption and to the holy spirit in whom we cry Abba Father And if so be that invocation and prayer were restrained to the father alone then had the saints done amisse in calling upon invocating and praying to the son of God and with the son the holy spirit in baptisme according to the forme by Christ himselfe assigned and delivered Another objection is out of the fourth of Amos in this manner For lo it is I that make the thunder and create the spirit and shew unto men their Christ making the light and the clouds and mounting above the high places of the earth the Lord God of hosts is his name Now because it is read in that place shewing unto men their Christ the Pneumatomachi contended that these words are to be understood of the holy spirit But Ambrose in his book De spiritu sancto lib. 2. cap. 7. doth rightly answer that by spirit in this place is meant the wind for if the prophets purpose and will had been to speak of the holy spirit he would not have begunne with thunder nor have ended with light and clouds Howbeit the same father saith If any suppose that these words are to be drawn unto the interpretation of the holy spirit because the prophet saith Shewing unto men their Christ he ought also to draw these words unto the mystery of the Lords incarnation and he expoundeth thunder to be the words of the Lord and spirit to be the reasonable and perfect soul. But the former interpretation is certain and convenient with the words of the prophet by whom there is no mention made of Christ but the power of God is set forth in his works Behold saith the prophet he that formeth the mountains and createth the wind and declareth unto man what is his thought which maketh the morning darknesse and walketh upon the high places of the earth the Lord God of hosts is his name In this sort Santes a right skilfull man in the Hebrew tongue translateth this place of the prophet But admit this place were written of the holy spirit and were not appliable either to the wind or to the Lords incarnation yet doth it not follow that the holy spirit is a creature because this word of Creating doth not alwaies signifie a making of something out of nothing 〈◊〉 Eusebius in expounding these words The Lord created me in the beginning of his wayes writeth thus The prophet in the person of God saying Behold I am he that made the thunder and created the spirit and shewed unto men their Christ this word created is not so to be taken as that it is to be concluded thereby that the same was not before For God hath not so created the spirit sithence by the same he hath shewed and declared his Christ unto all men Neither was it a thing of late beginning under the sonne but it was before all beginning and was then sent when the apostles were gathered together when a sound like thunder came from heaven as it had been the comming of a mighty wind this word Created being used for sent downe for appointed ordained c. and the word thunder signifying in another kind of manner the preaching of the gospels The like saying is that of the Psalmist A clean heart create in me O God wherein he prayed not as one having no heart but as one that had such a heart as needed purifying as needed perfecting and this phrase also of the scripture that he might create two in one new man that is that he might join couple or gather together c. Furthermore the Pneumaâ—omachi by these testimonies insuing endeavour to prove the holy spirit to be a creature Out of Iohn the 1. cha By this word were all things made and without it nothing was made Out of the 1 Cor. 8. We have one God the father even he from whom are all things c we in him and one Lord Jesus Christ through whom are all things and we by him Out of the 1. Coloss. By him were all things made things in heaven and things in earth visible and invisible c. Now if all things were made by the sonne it followeth that by him the holy spirit was also made Whereto I answer that when all things are said to be made by the sonne that same universall proposition is restrained by Iohn himself to a certain kind of things Without him saith the evangelist was nothing made that was made Therefore it is first to be shewed that the holy spirit was made and then will we conclude out
be and what be their names and by whom it was laid there and to shew me true visions of what sort and similitude they be and how long they have kept it and to know in what dayes and houres 〈◊〉 shall call such a spirit N. to bring unto us these treasures into such a plan N. upon paine of everlasting condemnation ✚ Also I constraine thee spirit N. by all angels archangels thrones dominations principats potestaâ—s virtutes cherubim seraphim that you do shew a true vision in this crystall stone who did convay or steale away such a N. and where it is and who hath it and how far off and what is his or her name and how and when to come unto it upon paine of eternall condemnation Fiat Amen Also I conjure thee spirit N. by the ☉ ☽ ♄ ♃ ♂ ♀ ☿ by all the characters in the firmament that thou do shew unto me a true vision in this crystall stone where such N. and in what state he is and how long â—e hath been there and what time he will be in such a place what day and houre and this and all other things to declare plainely in paine of hell fire Fiat Amen A licence to depart Depart out of the sight of this crystall stone in peace for a 〈◊〉 and ready to appeare therein againe at any time or times I shal call thee by the vertue of our Lord Iesus Christ and by the bonds of words which are written in this booke and to appeare â—â—sibly as the words be rehearsed I constraine thee spirit N. by the divinity of the Godhead to be obedient unto these words rehearsed upon paine of everlasting condemnation both in this world and in the worldâ— come Fiat fiat fiat Amen CHAP. XX. When to talk with spirits and to have true answers to find out a theife THe dayes and houres of ♄ ♂ ☿ and the ☽ is best to doe all crafts of necromancy and for to speak with spirits and for to find theft and to have true answer thereof or of any other such like And in the dayes and houres of ☉ ♃ ♀ is best to doe all experiments of love and to purchase grace and for to be invisible and to do any operations whatsoever it be for any thing the ☽ being in a convenient signe As when thou labourest for theft see the moon be in an earthy signe as ♉ ♠♑ or of the air as ♊ ♎ â™’ And if it be for love favour or grace let the ☽ be in a signe of the fire as ♈ ♌ â™ and for hatred in a signe of the water as ♋ ♠♓ For any other experiment let the ☽ be in ♈ And if thou findest the ☉ and the ☽ in one sign that is called in even number then thou mayst write consecrate conjure and make ready all manner of things that thou wilt doe c. To speak with spirits Call these names Orimoth Belimoth Lymâ—ck and say thus I conjure you up by the names of the angels Satur and Azimor that you intend to me in this houre and send unto a me spirit called Sagrigrit that he do fulfill my commandement and desire and that also can understand my words for one or two years or as long as I will c. CHAP. XXI A confutation of conjuration especially of the raising binding and dismissing of the divell of going invisible and other lewd practises THus far have we waded in shewing at large the vanity of necromancers conjurors and such as pretend to have reall conference and consultation with spirits and divels wherein I trust you see what notorious blasphemy committed besides other blind superstitious ceremonies a disordered heap which are so far from building up the endeavours of these black art practitioners that they doe altogether ruinate and overthrow them making them in their follies and falsehoods as bare and naked as an anatomy As for these ridiculous conjurations last rehearsed being of no small reputation among the ignorant they are for the most part made by T. R. for so much of his name he bewrayeth and Iohn Cokirs invented and deviced for the augmentation and maintenance of their living for the edifying of the poore and for the propagating and inlarging of Gods glory as in the beginning of their book of conjurations they protest which in this place for the further manifestation of their impiety and of the witchmongers follie and credulity I thought good to insert whereby the residue of their proceedings may be judged or rather detected For if we seriously behold the matter of conjuration and the drift of conjurors we shall finde them in mine opinion more faulty then such as take upon them to be witches as manifest offenders against the majesty of God and his holy law and as apparent violators of the laws and quietnesse of this realm although indeed they bring no such thing to passe as is surmised and urged by câ—edulous persons cousenors lyars and witchmongers For these are alwayes learned and rather abusers of others than they themselves by others abused But let us see what appearance of truth or possibility is wrapped withiâ— thesâ— mysteries and let us unfold the deceipt They have made choice of certaine words whereby they say they can work miracles c. And first of all that they call divels and soules out of hell though we find in the Scripture manifest proofs that all passages are stopped concerning the egresse out of hell so as they may goe thither but they shall never get out for Ab inferno nulla est redemptio out of hell there is no redemption Well when they have gotten them up they shut them in a circle made with chalk which is so strongly beset and invironed with crosses and names that they cannot for their lives get out which is a very probable matter Then can they bind them and loose them at their pleasures and make them that have been lyers from the beginning to tell the truth yea they can compell them to doe any thing And the divels are forced to be obedient unto them and yet cannot be brought to due obedience unto God their creator This done I say they can worke all manner of miracles saving blew miracles and this is beleeved of many to be true Tam credula mens hominis arrectae fabulis aures So light of beleef is the mind of man And attentive to tales his eares now and than But if Christ onely for a time left the power of working miracles among his Apostles and Disciples for the confirmation of his Gospell and the faith of his elect yet I deny altogether that hee left that power with these knaves which hide their cousening purposes under those lewd and foolish words according to that which Peter saith With faigned words they make merchandize of you And therefore the counsell is good that Paul giveth us when he biddeth us take heed that no man