chosen into their order who séemed to be very fitte for their purpose They tried him by throwing stones into his chamber in the night tyme making a great noise and faining them selues to be Spirits The matter séemed vnto them euen from the beginning that it woulde take good successe â–ª On a certeine day béeing Fryday the supprior shrouding himself in a shéete together with other Spirites whom he had coniured vp for this purpose brake into the Friers cel with great force and noyse faining with many teares that he desired his ayde help Now had they priuely conueyed Holy water and the Reliques of Saints into his Cell before The poore Frier half dead with feare denied that he coulde by any meanes helpe him recommending himselfe to Christ our sauior and to his holy mother The Spirite aunswered that it was in his and his brethrens power to deliuer him out of this miserie if he would suffer hymself for the space of .viij. days euery day to be whipped vntil the bloud folowed and moreouer cause .viij. Masses to be soong for his sake in S. Iohns chappell himselfe while they were soong lying in the floore with his armes spread abroade After he tolde him that the next Fryday before midnight he wold come again with greater noyse willing him in any wise not to be afrayd for the Diuels could nothing hurt him bicause he was an holy man The next day this foolish Frier openeth al the matter to the ringleaders of this deuise beséeching theÌ„ to assist him that the miserable soule might be deliuered The matter was out of hand rumored aboute the citie The Monkes preached openly hereof in the pulpit coÌ„meÌ„ding highly the holinesse of their order which euen hereby might be séene for that the spirite craued helpe of them and not of the wicked dronken Franciscans â–ª At the tyme appoynted the spirite accompanied with other euil spirits came again with greate noyse to the Friers cell who adiuring and coniuring him questioned with him touching certain points The spirite shewed him who he was and for what cause he was so miserably vexed and withal gaue great thanks both vnto him and also to his fathers for being touched with remorse of him adding that in case there were yet .xxx. Masses soong and â—our Uigiles obserued that he wold yet once ageyn whip himself vntil he bled then he shoulde be cleane deliuered out of most cruell torments which he had continually endured a hundred and sixtie yeares He had confereÌ„ce with him also of other maruellous matters whiche we néed not here to rehearse Afterwards the same spirit appeared againe vnto the Frier and preferred the order of preachers before al others bearing him in hand that many of them which had bin aduersaries vnto this order suffered most horrible torment in purgatory that the citie of Berna should be vtterly ouerthrowne except they banished the Franciscans refused the yearly stipends which they receyued at the french kings hands He also talked of sundry things which had hapned to the Friar which thing they had learned before of him by meanes of auricular confession Moreouer he hartely thanketh the Frier for the great benefite of his deliueraÌ„ce giuing him to vnderstande that he was nowe admitted into the .vij. degrée of Angels and that he should say Masse there for his benefactors After these things thus done an other night one comming vnto him in the apparell of a woman sayde he was S. Barbara whome he deuoutly serued and tolde him that the blessed virgin would shortly appeare vnto him and make full answere vnto those questions which one of the Monks had written in a paper for him This paper Barbara promised that she hir selfe wold deliuer vnto our Lady which they shoulde shortly after finde in a hollie place sealed and signed miraculously The Frier vppon this reuealeth the whole matter vnto his fathers desiring to bée confessed of his sinnes wherby he might be found worthy the apparition or séeing of our Lady He willed them to serche in the halowed place for the scroule which at the last they found in the Fratry as they term it where they had laide it before Then they caried it with great reuerence vnto the high alter affirming that it was sealed with christes bloud and that the tapers lightned of their owne accord In y morning the virgine Mary appeared vnto him agayne rehersing many things whiche hir sonne Iesus commaunded hir to tell vnto him to wit that Pope Iulius was that holie man which shoulde reconcile the two orders in frendship againe and institute ordayne the feast of the defiled conception of our Lady for she woulde sende vnto the Pope a crosse marked with foure droppes of hir sonnes bloud in signe that she was conceiued in originall sinne and that they shoulde finde an other crosse marked with fiue droppes of bloud in their fratrie which they must conuey to Rome â–ª for the Pope would allowe and confirme it with large indulgences and after returne it to Berna agayne other things likewise she sayde whereof many things were both reported and written to and fro But in witnesse of the foresayde things the same Mary droue an yron nayle through the hand of the poore Frier saying this wounde shal be renewed in the day wherein my sonne was crucified and in the feast of my sonnes bodie After they toke a burning water made by Necromancie by the which they taking away his senses made foure other woundes in his body And after that he came againe vnto him selfe they bare him in hand that there was a certeine holie thing I wote not what which appeared aboute him And when they sawe that many men came flocking about him to sée this newe Christ they taught him for hée was of rude condicions howe to behaue hym selfe And when they had giuen him a drinke beréeâ—ing him of hys senses and causing him to some at the mouth then he saide be striued and wrestled with death euen as Christ dyd in the mount Oliuet After al this another of them appeared vnto him telling him many things but the Frier knowing him by his voice began to suspecte and mislike the whole matter and with violence thrust him from him The next night the Frier himself appeared vnto him saying that he was Mary of whom he had ben in doubt and to the ende he shoulde bée out of all suspicion she had brought him the host of hir sonnes body for he brought him an host stiped in poyson to the ende he shoulde no more thinke he sawe an euil spirite he also affirmed that he had brought a vessel of glasse full of hir sonnes bloud which he would giue vnto him and to his Monasterie But the Frier who also had this vision in suspition answered If sayde he thou be not an euil spirit reherse thy Pater noster and thy Aue Maria with me The Priour sayde the Pater noster and afterward sayd in the person of our Lady Hayled am I
what he desireth so that hereby thou mayst be honored he comforted and thy faithfull people also holpen and succored In the name of the father the sonne and the holy ghost Amen Yet do they teache that a man may choose to vse this or some other forme of prayer and ceremonies bicause that without these spirites haue often appeared shewed what they required This doon we shold as they teach fall to questioning with them and say Thou spirite we beséech thée by Christ Iesus tell vs what thou art and if there be any amongst vs to whom thou wouldest gladly make answere name him or by some signe declare so much After this the question is to be moued eche man there presente being recited whether he wold aunswere vnto this or that man And if at the name of any hée speake or make a noyse al other demaunds remayning should be made vnto him As these and suche lyke What mans soule he is for what cause he is come and what he doth desire Whether he require any ayde by prayers and suffrages Whether by Massing or almes giuing he may be released Farther by how many Masses that may be compassed by iij. vj.x.xx.xxx c. Furthermore what maner of priests should say Masse for him Monks or secular Priests Then if he aske for any Fasting by what persons howe long and in what sorte he woulde haue it doone If he require almes déedes what almes déedes they should be how many and on what persons bestowed whether on him that lacketh harbour or that is diseased of the leprosie or on some other sort of people Furthermore by what signe it may be perfectly known that he is released and for what cause he was firste shut vp in Purgatorie And yet they hold that no curious vnprofitable or superstitious questiōs shold be demaūded of the spirit except he wold of his own accord reuele open them And that it wer best that sober persons shold thus questiō with him on som holyday before diner or in the night seson as is cōmōly accustomed And if the spirite will shewe no signe at that tyme the matter should be deferred vnto some other season vntill the spirite woulde shewe hymselfe agayne and yet that the crosse and holy water should be left there for that by the secret iudgement of God it was ordeyned that they shold appeare at certeine houres and to certeine persons and not vnto all men And farther they say that we néede not to feare that the spirit would do any bodily hurte vnto that persone vnto whome it doth appeare For if such a spirit would hurte any he might iustlie be suspected that he were no good spirit Moreouer popishe writers teache vs to discerne good spirits from euill by foure meanes First they say that if he be a good spirit he will at the beginning somewhat terrifie men but againe soone reuiue and comforte them So Gabriel with comfortable words did lifte vp the blessed virgin which before was sore troubled by this salutation They also alleage other examples Their second note is to discry them by their outward and visible shape For if they appeare vnder the forme of a Lyon beare dog tode serpent catte or blacke ghoste it may easly be gathered that it is an euill spirit And that on the other side good spirits do appeare vnder the shape of a doue a man a lambe or in the brightnesse and clere light of the sunne We must also consider whether the voice whiche we heare be swéete lowly sober sorowfull or otherwise terrible and full of reproch for so they terme it Thirdly we must note whether the spirit teache ought that doth varie from the doctrine of the apostles and other doctoures approued by the Churches censure or whether he vtter any thing that dothe dissent from the faith good maners and ceremonies of the church according to the canonicall rites or decrées of councels against the lawes of the holy Church of Rome Fourthly we must take diligent héede whether in hys words déeds and gestures he do shew forth any humilitie acknowledging or confessing of his sinnes punishments or whether we heare of him any groning wéeping complaint boasting threatning slaunder or blasphemie For as the begger doth reherse his owne miserie so likewyse doo good spirits that desire any helpe or deliuerance Other signes also they haue to trie the good angels from the bad but these are the chéefe Now touching the suffrages or ways of succour wherby soules are dispatched out of Purgatorie Popishe doctours appoynt foure meanes That is the healthfull offering of the sacrifice in the sacrament of the aultar almose giuing prayer fasting And vnder these membres they comprise al other as vowed pilgrimages visiting of churches helping of the poore and the furthering of Gods worship and glorie c. But aboue all they extoll their masse as a thing of greatest force to redéeme soules out of miserie of whose wonderfull effect and of the rest euen nowe recited by vs they alleage many straunge examples Of these things they moue many questions the whiche who so lust to sée let him search their bookes whiche haue bin written and published of this matter Neither only in their writings but in open pulpit also they haue taught how excellent and noble an acte it is for men touched with compassion with these foresaid works to ridde the soule that appeareth vnto them and craueth their help out of the payns of purgatorie or if they cannot so do yet to ease and assuage their torture For say they the soules after their deliuerance ceasse not in moste earnest maner to pray for their benefactors and helpers On the other side they teach that it is an horrible and heynous offence if a man giue no succoure to suche as séeke it at his hands especially if it be the soule of his parents brethren and sisters For except by them they mighte conueniently be released of so manyfolde miseries they woulde not so earnestly craue their helpe Wherefore say they no man should be so voyde of naturall affection so cruell and outragious that he should at any tyme denie to bestow some small wealth to benefite those by whome hée hath before by diuers and sundry wayes ben pleasured If they were not the soules of the deade whiche craue helpe and succour but diuelishe spirites they woulde not will them to pray fast or giue almes for their sakes for that the diuels doo hate those as also al other good works CHAP. III. VVhat hath follovved this doctrine of the Papists concerning the appearing of mens soules BY these meanes it came to passe that the common sorte were of opinion that those spirites which were séene and heard were the soules of the dead and that whatsoeuer they did say was withoute gaynsaying to be beléeued And so the true simple and sincere doctrine of the calling vpon God in the name of Christe Iesus only of the confidence in Christes merites and redemption
Christes witnesses shuld very wel vnderstand that both the Law the Prophets do bear record vnto our Sauiour Chryst that he shuld die for the world come again in the latter day to raise vp the dead bodies to glorifie them to carrie theÌ„ with him into eternal blisse And for this cause God wold haue these two excellent Prophets séene of the Apostles Lazarus soule did not only appeare but he came againe both in bodie soule as Iohn witnesseth in his 11. chap. he is as it were a sure token of our true resurrection which shall be in the last day as also others which our Sauiour Christ the Apostles in auncient time the Prophets haue raysed from the dead You shal neuer read that either Lazarus or any other haue told wher they were while they were deade or what kynde of being there is in the other world for these things are not to be learned and knowen of the dead but out of the word of God. The like may be said to that which is in the 27. chap. of S. Matthew that when Christ suffered on the Crosse the graues wer opened afterwards on the day of his resurrection many dead bodies did arise appeared to many at Hierusalem The soules of the dead did not only appeare neither did they warne the liuing or coÌ„maund them to do this or that for the deads sake to wit either to pray for theÌ„ or to go on pilgrimage to saints c. But the dead with their souls bodies togither came into the earth for héerby god would shew that he by his death hath ouercom destroyed death to the faithful that at the last day their soules bodies shall be knit togither and liue with God for euer Now what thâ—se holy men were that rose again whether they remained any time in this present life or died again or went with Christ into heauen loke the iudgement of S. Augustine in his .99 Epist. to Euodius his 3. booke De mirabilibus scrip ca. 13. To these we may ioyn that which Ruffinus writeth in his ecclesiastical historie .1 boke 5. chap. and which Socrates repeteth in his first boke 12. chap. touching Spiridion byshop of Cyprus He had a daughter called Irene with whoÌ„ a certaine friend of hirs left gorgeous apparel she being more wary than néeded hyd it in the ground within a while died Not long after coÌ„meth this man that owed the apparel hearing say the maideÌ„ was dead goeth to hir father whom somtimes he accuseth somtimes intreateth The old father supposing this maÌ„s losse to be his own calamitie coÌ„meth to his daughters graue ther calleth vpoÌ„ god beseching him that he would shew him before the time the resurrection which is promised And his hope was in vaine for the virgin being reuiued apeared to hir father shewed the place wher she had hid the aparel so departed again I will not deny this thing to be true For the like historie hath Augustine in his 137. epist. A certain yong man which had an euil name accused Boniface Augustines priest that he inticed him to filthinesse Now wheÌ„ the matter could neither be proued nor disproued by sufficient resons both of them were bid to goe to the graue of one Felix a Martyr that by a miracle the truth might be known They had not bin sent vnlesse before this time also some secrete matters had bin knowne by this meanes it may be well answeared that they were good or rather euill Angels which did appeare CHAP. XI VVhether the holy Apostles thought they savve a mans Soule vvhen Chryst sodenly appeared vnto them after his Resurrection WE reade in the 24. Chapter of S. Lukes Gospell that two Disciples which returned from Emaus to Hierusalem tolde the Apostles that they had séene Chryst aliue againe and whyles they yet spake the Lord stoode in the myddest of them and sayd vnto them peace be vnto you but they being amased and afrayd thought they sawe a spirit c. Out of this some go about to proue that the Apostles beléeued that spirits or soules did walke and appeare vnto men and that they themselues did thinke they sawe the spirite of Chryst as certaine of the olde Wryters doe expounde it or else some other mannes spirit This Argument may be answered two wayes First if they thought they sawe a Soule they thought a mysse But they were no lesse deceyued with the common sorte nowe than when they thought Chryst would rayse vppe an outward and earthly kingdome in which they shoulde be chiefe Secondly it may be that they supposed they sawe an euil or good Angell for there are more kyndes of spirites than one There is a spirit that created al thyngs to wit God the Father the Sonne and the Holie Ghost Agayne there be spirites that be created as good and euill Angels as also the soules of men which eyther are in the body or by death seuered from the body and abyde either in euerlasting lyfe or in eternal damnation As touching the state of Soules in Purgatorie where they are prepared to the Heauenly iourney and of Limbus puerorum there is nothing extant in holie Scripture It is manifest in scripture that God appeared vnto the holy patriarches to the prophets to kings and others in diuers visions and formes and that he shewed hym selfe vnto them and spake with them Iacob sawe a ladder reache from the earth vp to Heauen and God leaning on it Isaias sawe the Lord sitting vppon an high throne Daniell sawe an olde maÌ„ sitting and his sonne comming vnto him and receyuing all power of him TertulliaÌ„ and other holy fathers do teache that the sonne of God which at the appointed time shoulde take vppon him humaine fleshe didde appeare vnto the Patriarches in an angelicall shape When Iohn Baptist did baptise our sauioure in Iordan the Holy ghost was séene in the shape of a doue The holy scriptures in many places do testifie that good Angells haue oftentimes appeared to Gods ministers That euill spirits are often séene and that at this day they shewe themselues in diuers formes to inchaunters and coniurers and to other men also as well godly as wicked both histories and daily experience doth witnesse Truely we reade not that soules haue appered on this fashion By these we may easly gather that the Apostles when they thought they sawe a spirit did not beléeue they sawe a soule Could they not thinke I pray you they sawe an euill spirit Or rather that they sawe a good spirit or a good angel For it may be shewed by many examples that euen the faithfull haue bin troubled and feared at the appearing of good Angels In the eyght and tenth chapter of Daniel we read that the Prophet fel into a sicknesse at the sight of Angels The virgin Mary hirselfe was afrayde when she sawe the Angell Gabriel So was Zachary the priest
the crafte and subtiltie of the Diuel by this meanes Saincte Paule to the Ephesians the 6. chapter and Peter in hys firste Epistle and fifthe chapter saythe Be ye sober and watche for your aduersarie the Diuel as a roaring Lyon walketh about séeking whome he may deuoure whom resiste stedfast in faith c. When men are secure and negligente wholly giuen vnto pleasures and as it were drowned in drunkennesse in surfettyng couetousnesse adulterie and suche other wickednesse then hathe the Diuell place to shewe him selfe Wherefore we ought to giue our selues to watching praying fasting and godly liuyng we must heare the worde of God often and gladly we must desire too reade and talke of hym contynually that wée may thereby put from vs those diuelishe illusions and sightes If thou haue any publike office or charge do it faithfully restore thy goodes euill gotten either vnto their true owners or else imploy them to some good and godly ende If men care neither for God nor his worde it is no maruell if vayne sightes appeare vnto them For God suffereth such things to happen vnto them to humble them and to make them knowe themselues It is an horrible thing that there are some which giue ouer themselues to the diuel bicause he shold not tormeÌ„t them they ought rather to waigh with them selues that if they so do they shall be perpetually tormented of euil spirits except they truely repent and turne agayn vnto God. CHAP. VII That spirits vvhich vse to appeare ought to be iustly suspected and that vve maye not talke vvith them nor enquire any thing of them WE ought not without greate cause to suspecte all Spirites and other apparitions For albeit God dothe vse the helpe and seruice of good Angels for the preseruation of his electe yet notwithstanding in these our dayes they appeare vnto vs very seldome For things are nowe farre otherwyse since Christes comming into the worlde than they were before in auncient tyme Although perchaunce thou thinke thou haste séene a good aungell yet doo not easily and vnaduisedly giue him credite If the euent of the matter declare afterwarde that it was a good aungell whiche gaue thée notable warning of some matter or deliuered thée oute of some greate daungers giue God thankes that he hath delte so fatherly and mercyfully with thée and hathe suche care ouer thée and endeuour to frame thy selfe to his good will and pleasure But if thou sée an angell whiche flattereth and speaketh thée faire suche a one as thâ—se are whiche craue thy helpe as thou hast heard before in no wise credite their words Men which blaunche and flatter with vs are always suspicious why then shoulde not suche spirites be suspected Enter into no communication with suche spirites neither aske them what thou must giue or what thou must doo or what shal happen hereafter Aske them not who they are or why they haue presented them selues to bée séene or hearde For if they be good they will lyke it well that thou wilte heare nothing but the woorde of God but yf they be wicked they wyll endeuour to deceyue thée with lying When the Angell in the first chapter of Matthew instructed Ioseph in a dreame he by and by alleaged testimonie out of the Prophet If it be so that we must not beléeue an angell comming from Heauen who can iustly blame vs if we giue no credite to spirites and suspitious dreames Althoughe Chryste and his Apostles had the full power to shewe miracles yet did they establishe and confirme their doctrine by the holy Scriptures When Almightie God himselfe had enquired of Adam in Paradyse touching the breaking of his commaundement and that he had layd the fault vppon his wyfe Eua and she had put it ouer to the Serpente whiche caused hir to eate of the forbidden fruite God woulde not demaund of the Serpente that is of the Dyuell whiche had vsed him as instrument why he had so doone for he knew right well that he was a lyer Except Eue had talked with the Serpent she had neuer transgressed Gods commaundement If Spirites of their owne accorde woulde gladly tell vs many thinges yet wée must not giue eare vnto them muche lesse ought we to coniure them to tell vs the truth God commaunded in his lawe as we haue oftentymes sayde before that no man shoulde enquire any thing of the dead God himselfe sent his faithfull seruants the Prophets Apostles Euangelists and especially his only begotten sonne Christ Iesu our Lord and sauioure into the worlde by whome he truly plentifully taught his faithfull seruants what they ought to beleue to do to leaue vndone what kind of worshipping did best please him with many other suche things By them he enformed vs concerning great and weightie affaires whiche should happen in his Churche and in kingdomes euen vnto that blessed day wherin Christ shall iudge the world and shall call togither hys generall councell and shall pronounce finall sentence vppon them who haue done well or yll and wherein he shall make a diuision and separation betwene the good and euill Christe himselfe after his Resurrection did not immediatly ascende into heauen but aboade a whyâ—e in earth appearyng vnto his Disciples and others least we should at any tyme say Who euer came agayne to tell vs what estate is to be looked for in the other worlde Moreouer God among suche greate and long persecutions wherin many profytable bookes haue perished hath miraculously preserued the holy Scriptures for oure profite euen vnto this day and hereafter will preserue them in despite of all impious and wicked men He hath also ordeyned the ministerie of the worde that vnto the ende of the worlde there shoulde be some men whiche bothe by lyuely voyce and also by their writings shoulde interprete his woorde and enfourme others of his will and pleasure His woorde is a shining lanterne whiche shineth in this darke worlde whiche is full of errours as we reade Psalm 119. And our sauiour sayth in the eyght chapter of saint Iohn that he is the light of the worlde whome if any man follow he walketh not in darknesse This standeth as a sure grounde wherfore no other reuelations are to be looked for neyther by miracles from heauen nor by wandring spirites or soules as the common people mysterme them But lette vs imagine that they are the wandring spirites of deade bodies then is it necessarie that they be the soules eyther of faithful men or of infidels If they be the soules of the faithful they will say with God the father concerning his sonne Christe Iesus Heare him But if they be the soules of Infidels and of wicked men who I pray you will vouchsafe to heare them or beléeue any thing they say Morâ—ouer those things whiche these counterfayte soules doo speake eyther agrée with the holy Scriptures or else are contrary vnto them If they are agréeable then are they to be receyued not bicause
and knowe the truth c. By the woorde spirite are vnderstoode false teachers whiche vaunt themselues of the spirite of God But what cause is there why it maye not be vnderstoode of suche wandring spirites whiche haue induced men to take in hande many things In the seconde Epistle to the Thessalonians and the seconde Chapter when certayne affirmed the latter daye to be presente at hande Paule foretelleth them that there shall be a defection and that Antichrist shall first come saying Nowe we beséech you brethren by the comming of our Lorde Iesus Chryste by our assembling vnto hym that yée be not sodenly moued from your intent nor troubled neyther by spirite nor by word nor by letter as it were from vs as though the day of Christ were at hande Let no man deceyue you by any meanes c. Which wordes truely in my iudgement may also be verie aptly vnderstood of those wandering spirits Saint Iohn sayth in hys first Epistle and fourth chapter Dearly béeloued beléeue not euery spirit but trie the spirits whether they are of God for many false Prophetes are gone out into the world Héereby shall yée knowe the spirit of god Euery spirit that cōfesseth that Iesus Christ is come in the flesh is of God and euery spirite whiche confesseth not that Iesus Chryst is come in the flesh is not of god c. Héere he speaketh not of spirites which falsly affirme themselues to be mens soules but of those teachers whiche boaste of themselues that they haue the spirite of god But in case we must not beléeue them being aliue much lesse ought we to credite them when they are dead And albeit that neyther Chryste nor hys Apostles had so diligently giuen vs warning not to suffer our selues to be seduced with myracles and with the talke of spirites yet notwithstanding dayly experience teacheth vs to be circumspect and warie in these cases For as soone as false teachers sée that they haue no testimonie of Scripture to defende themselues withall by and by they turne themselues to spirits and visions whereby they may confirme their Doctrine which thing hath opened a large window to many erroures To what inconuenience Ambition couetounesse enuie hath brought many of the clergie it is both well knowne by many examples and it hath also as it were by the waye béene before declared Haue not the orders of Monkes striued amongest themselues for the preheminence haue not they inuented newe miracles haue they not counterfeited Gods Pilgrimages Saintes spirits The holy Uirgin is a famouse notable exāple that we shuld not rashly beléeue euery spirit For at what time the Angel Gabriel apeared vnto hir in a visible shape saluted hir shewing hir before of the Incarnation of the Sonne of God she thought with hir selfe what maner of salutation that shuld be how this thing could come to passe séeing she had knowen no man Then at the last being enfourmed of the means by the Angel she sayd Behold the handmayde of the Lorde be it vnto me according to thy word Why then should we beléeue euery spirite especially those which teach things quite contrarie to the word of God. CHAP. IX After vvhat sorte the faithfull in the primitiue Churche vsed themselues vvhen they mette vvith spirites I Haue declared out of the word of God how good and godly men ought to behaue themselues when soeuer any spirites appeare vnto thē And truely the auncient Christians behaued themselues after this sorte For they were couragious without feare they gaue themselues to godlynesse and all good workes they diligently auoyded all things which were displeasing vnto God and they were also verie circumspect not to attribute too much vnto spirites and visions It was a cōmon custome amongst thē to blesse themselues with the signe of the Crosse when they met with these things which many also vse at this day Tertullian writeth in his booke De corona militis that the auncient Christians did many times marke their foreheades with the signe of the Crosse. S. Hierom exhorteth Demetriades that he often crosse his foreheade least that the destroyer of Egipt finde any place therein Origen also Epiphanius Chrisostome and Augustine write many things of the vertue of the holie Crosse. S. Athanasius writeth in hys booke de Humanitate verbi eiusque corporali aduentu fol. 67. In times past sayth he the deuils by vaine shewes and mockerie ensnared men abiding somtimes in wels somtime in ryuers in stones and woods and so by craftie deceytes brought vnwise men into sottishnesse But nowe since Gods worde hath appeared vnto vs suche sightes and vaine fantasies haue surceased Fol. 56. and .72 and in other places also he handleth the same matter Lanctantius writeth of the same in his fourth boke Diuinarum Institutionum 26. chapter and also thorowout the 27. Chapter He saythe that the deuill can haue no accesse vnto those nor any wayes hurte them whiche signe their foreheades with the crosse He addeth moreouer that the Christians vsed this ceremonie in olde time in casting out deuils and healing diseases Not for that they ascribed such efficacie and force to the externall signe of the crosse for that were supersticious but vnto the crosse that is to the merytes of Chryste whose worthinesse and excellencie they called withall to their remembrance Touching the holy Apostles or Apostolike Churches we reade not that they euer vsed the signe of the crosse in expelling deuils in curing diseases or in any other thing God spared the Iewes in Egipt whiche marked the doore postes with the bloude of the Lambe not that Lambes bloude is able to deliuer men from death but it was a figure of the bloud and passion of Christ Iesus And the Iewes sprinkled not bloud of their owne good deuotion as they terme it but by the commaūdement of god The holy fathers by the ceremonie that they signed themselues wyth the crosse mente to testifie their confidence in the crosse that is in the deth of Christ Iesus which abandoneth all euill and mischiefe The deuill neuer a whit feareth the crosse wherewith we signe our selues nor yet those pieces fragmentes of Christes crosse which are shewed for reliques but he trembleth at the power and force of Chrystes death by the whiche he was conquered and ouerthrowen If any man attribute too muche vnto ceremonies he cannot be excused from supersticion which worthily deserueth blame We read more in the auncient wryters that they vsed exorcismes or coniurations in the primatiu◠Churche against Deuils You may read in Tertullian in his booke De anima that vncleane spirites haue often times deceyued men haue taken on them the persones of others and haue fayned themselues to be the soules of dead men that men should not beléeue that all soules descended into Hell what is to be vnderstood by the worde Hell I haue shewed before and so to bring the beleefe of the latter Iudgemente
written thys my treatise in the vulgar tong and now bicause I trust it shal be also profitable to other men I haue translated it into latine adding certayne things thereto This my booke which I haue with greate laboure and study gathered out of many mens writings I present and offer vnto you most noble consul according to the ancient fashion and custome not for that I suppose you haue any néed of my teaching touching these things which are herein haÌ„dled For I am not ignoraunt vnder what teachers you haue attained vnto true learning and how you haue and do continually reade ouer sundry good authors with perfecte knowledge in many tongs But partely that I might purchase credite and authoritie vnto this my booke with those men vnto whome your goodnesse godlines and constancie whche you haue alwayes hitherto euermore shewed and yet do shewe in setting foorth true religion and mainteyning good lawes is throughly knowen and partly that I might shewe my selfe in some respecte thaÌ„kfull vnto you For your honour hath bestowed many benefits on me whom you only knowe by sight and vppon other ministers of the Church wherby ye haue so bouÌ„d me vnto you that I shall neuer be able to make any recoÌ„pence Wherefore I most earnestly beséech you not to refuse this signe and token of my good will be it neuer so simple but rather to voutchsafe when ye haue leisure from the laboure and toile of the common welth to reade ouer this my booke for I haue good hope it will not séeme vnpleasaunt vnto you and others in the reading as well for the playne order I vse therin as also for the sundry and manyfold histories in it recited Almightie God who hath so blessed you with his heauenly gifts that for them albeit very yong you haue aâ—pired vnto the highest degrée in your noble citie and dominioÌ„ of Berna voutchesafe to preserue you in health and increase and multiply his good gifts in you My Lords and brethreÌ„ the ministers of Tigurine and also your olde coÌ„panion master George Grebelius that excellent man in lerning vertue and nobilitie hartily salute your Lordship From Tigurine in the month of Ianuary the yeare of Christs Natiuitie 1570. A TABLE OF the Chapters of the three principall partes touchyng Spirites walking by nyght Of the fyrste parte COncerning certain words which are often vsed in this Treatise of Spirites and diuers other diuinations of things to come Chapter 1. Folio 1. Melancholike persones and madde men imagining things whiche in very deede are not Chapter 2. Folio 9. Fearefull menne imagine that they see and heare straunge things Chapter 3. Fol. 14. Men whiche are dull of seing and hearing imagine many things which in very dede are not so Chapter 4. Fol. 16. Many are so feared by other menne that they suppose they haue heard or seene Spirites Chapter 5. Fol. 21. Priests and Monkes fayned themselues to be Spirites also howe Mundus vnder this coloure defiled Paulina and Tyrannus abused many noble and honest matrons Cha. 6. Fo. 23. Timotheus Aelurus counterfeating himselfe to bee an Angell obteyned a Bishoprike foure Monks of the order of prechers made many vayn apparitions at Berna Cha. 7. Fol. 28. Of a counterfaite and deceyuing spirite at Orleaunce in Fraunce Chapter 8. Fol. 37. Of a certâ—ine parish priest at Clauenna which fayned him selfe to be our Lady and of an other that counterfaited himself to be a Soule as also of a certayne disguised Jesuite Fryer Chapter 9. Fol â–ª 41. That it is no maruell if vayne sights haue ben in olde tyme neyther yet that it is to be maruelled at yf there be any at this day Chapter 10. Fol. 45. That manye naturall thyngs are taken to bee ghostes Chapter 11. Fol 49. A proofe out of the Gentiles histories that ghostes doe oftentymes appeare Chapter 12. Fol. 53. A proofe oute of the histories of the auncient Churche and of the writings of holy Fathers that there are walking Spirites Chapter 13. Fol. 62. That in the Bookes set foorth by Monkes are many ridiculous and vaine apparitions Chapter 14. Fol. 65 A profe by other sufficient writers that Spirits do sometime appeare Chapter 15. Fol. 68. Daily experience teacheth vs that Spirites do appeare to men Chapter 16. Fol. 7â— That there happen straunge wonders and prognostications and that sodayne noises and cracks and suche like are hard before the death of men before battaile and before some notable altâ—rations and chaunges Chapter â–ª 17. Fol. 77. It is proued by testimonies of holy scripture that Spirits are sometime seene and heard and that other strange matters doâ— often chaunce Chapter 18. Fol. 85 To whome when where and after what sort Spirits do appeare and what they do worke Chapter 19. Fol. 88. The Chapters of the second parte The opinion or beleefe of the Gentiles Iewes and Turkes concerning the estate of soules seperated from their bodies Chapter 1. Fol. 92. The Papists doctrine touching the soules of dead men and the appearing of them Chapter 2. Fol. 102. What hath followed this doctrine of the Papists concerning the appering of mens soules Chapter 3. Fol. 110. Testimonies out of the word of God that neither the soules of the faithfull nor of infidels do walke vppon the earth after they are once parted from their bodies Chapter 4. Fol. 114. Testimonies of the auncient Fathers that dead mens soules parted from their bodies doe not wander here vppon earthe Chapter 5. 116 A confutation of those mennes arguments or reasons which affirme that dead mens soules doo appeare And first that is answeared whiche certaine doo alleage to wit that God is omnipotent and therfore that he can worke contrary to the ordinarie course of nature Chapter 6. Fol. 123. That the true Samuell did not appeare to the witche in Endor Chapter 7. Fol. 127. A confutation of their arguments which would haue Samuell himselfe to appeare Chapter 8. Fol. 133. Whether the Diuell haue power to appeare vnder the shape of a faithfull man Chapter 9. Fol. 140. Moses and Elias appeared in the Mount vnto Chryst our Lorde many haue ben raysed from the dead both in body and soule and therfore soules after they are departed may returne on earth againe Chapter 10. Fol. 145. Whether the holy Apostles thought they sawe a mans soule when Chryste sodeynlye appeared vnto them after his Resurrection Chapter 11. Fol. 148. Concerning the holy Fathers Councels Bishops and coÌ„mon people which say that soules do visibly appeare Cha. 12. Fo. 151. Whether soules do returne agayne out of Purgatorie and the place which they call Limbus puerorum Cha. 13. Fol. 155. What those things are whiche men see and heare and firste that good angels 〈◊〉 sometimes appeare Chap. 14. Fol. 159. That sometymes yea and for the moste part euill Angels doâ— appeare Chapter 15. Fol. 163. Of wondrous monsters and suche lyke Chap. 16. Fol. 164. That it is no harde thing for the diuell to appeare in diuers shapes and to bring
to passe straunge things Chap. 17. Fo. 167. Diuels do sometymes bid menne doe those things which are good and auoyde thinges that are euill sometymes they tell truth and for what cause Chap. 18. Fol. 171. The Chapters of the thirde parte God by the appearing of Spirits doth exercise the faithful and punish the vnbeleeuers Chap. 1. Fol. 175. What the cause is that in these our dayes so fewe spirites are sene or heard Chapter 2. Fol. 183. Why God dothe suffer straunge noyses or extraordinarie rumblings to be heard before some notable alterations or otherwise Chapter 3. Fol. 186. After what sorte they shoulde behaue themselues whiche see good or euill spirites or meete with other straunge aduentures and firste howe Jewes and Gentiles behaued themselues in the like cases Chapter 4. Fol. 187. Howe Christian menne oughte to behaue themselues when they se spirits and first that they ought to haue a good courage and to be stedfast in fayth Chap. 5. Fol. 190. It behoueth them whiche are vexed with spirites to praye especiallie and to giue themselues to fasting sobrietie watching and vpright and godly lyuing Chap. 6. Fol. 193. That spirits which vse to appeare ought to be iustly suspected and that we may not talke with theÌ„ nor enquire any thing of them Chapter 7. Fol. 199. Testimonies out of the holy Scripture and one example whereby it is proued that suche kinde of apparitions are not to bee credited and that wee oughte to bee verie circumspect in them Chapter 8. Fol. 201. After what sorte the faythfull in the primatiue Churche vsed themselues when they met with spirits Cha. 9. Fol. 204. That sundrie kindes of superstition haue crepte in whereby men haue attempted to driue away spirits Cha. 10. Fol. 206. That spirites are not to bee driuen awaye by cursing and banning Chapter 11. Fol. 214. After what sorte we oughte to behaue oure selues when we heare straunge crackes or when other forewarnings happen Chapter 12. Fol. 216. FINIS ¶ The firste parte of this Booke concerning Spirites walking by night Wherein is declared that Spirites and sightes do appeare and that sundry strange and monstrous things do happen CHAP. I. Concerning certaine vvordes vvhiche are often vsed in this Treatise of Spirits and diuers other diuinations of things to come TO the intente that those men which occupie themselues in reading of this my Booke and especially in perusing of other auncient writers may the better vnderstande euerie thing I will at the firste entrance briefly expound those thinges which shall seeme to concerne the proprietie of wordes and termes vsed in this my treatise of Spirits Spectrum amongst the Latines doth signifie a shape or forme of some thing presenting it selfe vnto our sight Scaliger affirmeth that Spectrum is a thing which offereth it selfe to be séene eyther truely or by vaine imagination The diuines take it to be a substance without a body which béeing hearde or séene maketh men afrayde Visum signifieth an imagination or a certayne shewe which men being in sléepe yea and waking also séeme in their iudgemente to beholde as we reade of Brutus who sawe his owne angell Cicero in his first booke Acadaem quest writeth that Visum amongst the Grecians is called 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a fantasie or vaine imagination Also the Latines call those things Visiones whiche the Grecians name 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Terriculamenta are vayn visions or sightes which make men afrayde The Latins also call it Terriculum bicause it bréedeth feare That whiche S. Math. 24. and Marke 6. call 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Erasmus doth translate it Spectrum â–ª but the olde interpreter vseth the Gréeke worde 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in lyke maner dothe signifie an else a sighte or vaine apparition Suidas maketh a difference betwéene Phantasma Phantasia saying that Phantasma is an imagination an apperance or sight of a thing which is not as are those sightes whiche men in their sléepe do thinke they sée but that Phantasia is the séeing of that onely which is in very déede 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 is taken in Luke 24. chap. for a spirite or vaine imagination Howbeit most coÌ„monly some other worde is ioyned vnto it if it be put for an euill spirite as 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 The Gentiles as S. Augustine and other fathers doo testifie supposed that the soules of men became Daemones that is good or euill angels which if they had done wel then were they called Lares that is priuate gods but if they haue done euill then were they named Lemures or Laruâ— bugs Elues But if it were douted whether they had liued well or yll then were they called Manes Apuleius and other olde writers affirme that Genij and Lares were all one It was supposed as Festus witnesseth that Lares were the soules of men or else inâ—ernal gods Lares were called Praestites bicause they made all things safe with their eyes that is they saued and preserued all things And authors affirme they were called Hostilij for that they were supposed to driue away enimies Neither were they thought to beare rule only in priuate houses in crosse méeting ways but also to defend Cities They were lykewise worshipped priuately in houses and openly in the high wayes As touching those that were called Larâ—s you may reade more in Anthonius Constantius of Fauentia his commentaries and in Ouid. lib. 5. Fastorum Genius saye the Grammarians is the naturall god of euery place of euery thing or of euery man when we are borne as it is written we haue two Geniâ— wherof the one encourageth vs to doo well the other â—o doo euill Genius saith Censorinus is a god in whose gouernance euery man doth liue so soone as he is borne eyther bicause he taketh care for our begetting or that he is ingeÌ„dred with vs or els that he taketh charge and defence of vs when we are begotten Sure it is he is called Genius à gignendo that is of begetting Penates lykewyse are domesticall gods Macrobius affirmeth that they are gods by whom we onely breathe by whom we enioy this body by whoÌ„ we possesse the reson of our minds Nonius sayth Lemures are spirites walking by night terrors rising of pictures of men of beasts Other say that Lemures are euil hurtful shapes which appere in the night yea and that they be the soules of those that make men blacke and blew called after that name Some men call the ghosts of al dead things by the name of Lemures Thus sayeth Apuleius Of those Lemures â–ª he that hathe care of hys posteritie and inhabiteth the house with a peaceable and quiet kinde of rule was called Lar familiaris god of the house And bicause amongst the people of olde tyme as they counted Lares good so they supposed Lemures to be nought therefore to driue them away they did sacrifice vnto them Some other men affirme
one drinketh wine which after runneth out of his forehead that one cutteth of his felowes head which afterwardes he setteth on agayne and that a cocke séemeth to drawe after hym a huge beame of tymber c. Moreouer it may be brought to passe by naturall things as by perfumes and suche like that a man woulde sweare in earnest that all men â—itting at the table wyth him haue no heds at al or else that they are like the heads of asses that somtimes a vine spreadeth it self as it were ouer al the house wheÌ„ in deed it is a mere deceit or a plain iuggling cast Of whiche matter there be bookes coÌ„monly set abrode The like reson is in hearing in the other senses Those men whoâ—e hearing is somwhat decayed many tymes séem in their owne imagination to heare the noyse of boystrous winde or violent tempeste the sparkling of fyre the roaring of waters sodenly increased singing and sounding of instruments and also the iangling of belles when as in deede these things are not so but only chaunce by default of hearing for others whiche are conuersant with them hauing the right vse of hearing doo not heare any suche thing at all Somtimes in very deede such things are heard as the crackling of waynscot walles and suche lyke whiche are naturall signes of some tempeste shortly after ensuing There are also certaine hollowe places thorough the whiche the winde whiszing giueth a pleasant sound as it were through a pipe much lyke vnto singing so that men wonder very much therat We reade in writers of Philosophie that the very same also chaunceth in banks of riuers whiche bend a little in compasse Hearing is also deceyued when we thinke we heare thunder and it is in déed but the rumblyng of some carte There be many which thinke they handle some thing and yet are deceyued If men sicke of the ague drinke wine of the â—est and swéetest sorte yet they thinke it is more bitter than Gaâ—l if they eate pottage neuer so good yet they iudge it vnsauorie whiche thyng commeth not of any faulte in the Cooke but of the mouth and stomack which is distempered with sicknesse For vnto them whiche haue abundance of choller all things séeme bitter And euen so it commeth to passe that a man supposeth hée seeth heareth féeleth or is felte of some spirite when in déede it is not so and yet no man can persuade him the contrarie If feare and weaknesse of the syghte and of other sensâ—s méete togyther then men fall into straunge and maruellous imaginations beléeuyng thyngs vtterly false to be very true Neyther wil they bée brought from theyr owne opinions by any meanes or reason We reade that not only perticular and priuate men but also whole armies of soldiours generally haue bin so deceyued that they haue verilye thought their enymies hard at their héeles when as no man followed And hereof haue procéeded many horrible flightes in battaile Cominaeus a knight and diligent writer of hystories in the ende of his firste booke of the Actes of Lewes the .11 King of Fraunce writeth that when Charles Duke of Burgundie with other Princes hadde remoued their armie to Paris they vnderstood by their espials that the next day the king had determined to sette on them with all his power of men Wherfore the next daye Charles sent out certaine horsemen to vewe his enimies who comming foorth by reason that the elemente was somewhat â—arke supposed they sawe a huge number of pikes and speares but when they had passed a little further and that the aire was a little clearer they vnderstood the same place wherein they iudged the king to be with all his armie to be planted and ouergrowne with many high thistles whiche a farre off shewed as it had bin long speares For the night beguileth mens eyes And therefore none ought to maruell if trauellers towardes night or at midnight mistake stones trées stubbes or such like to be sprites or elues We reade in the last booke of the kings the 3. chap. that after the death of king Achab the Moabites reuolted from Ioram hys sonne wherefore he desired Iosaphat to aide him and with all his power he determined to make warre on the Moabites to reduce them to obedience and subiection Which thing when the Moabites heard they prepared to defend themselues so many as were able to beare armoure But when they hadde set foreward verie early in the morning against their enimies supposing in the rising of the sunne the waters whiche GOD had miraculously brought out to bée redde they sayd amongst themselues Surely the two Kings haue encountred togither and each haue destroyed other wherevppon they running on heapes without order to spoile the Israelites Tents were by them vanquished and slaine here you sée all the Armie mistooke water in steade of bloude CHAP. V. Many are so feared by other men that they suppose they haue heard or seene Spirites FUrthermore it commeth to passe many tymes that not only pleasant and merrie conceyted men but also spiteful and malitious men chaunging their apparell make others extreamelie afrayd It is a common custome in many places that at a certaine time of the yeare one with a nette or visarde on his face maketh Children afrayde to the ende that euer after they shoulde laboure and be obedient to their Parentes afterward they tel them that those which they saw were Bugs Witches and Hagges which thing they verily beléeue and are commonly miserablie afrayde Howbeit it is not expedient alwayes so to terrifie Children For sometimes through great feare they fall into dangerous diseases and in the nyght crye out when they are fast asléepe Salomon teacheth vs to chasten children with the rod and so to make them stand in awe he doth not say we must beare them in hande they shal be deuoured of Bugges Hags of the night and such lyke monsters Many times pleasant merrie yong men disguise theÌ„selues like vnto Deuils or else shroud themselues in white shéetes to make other men afrayde with whome if simple men chaunce to meete they make no doubt of the matter but verily thinke they haue séene spirites and straunge sightes And yet it is not alwayes the safest way so to deceyue men with iests and toyes for many examples might be brought to shew how euill some men haue sped hereby It is an vsuall and common thing that yong men merily disposed when they trauell by the way comming to theyr Inne at night tye roapes to the bed side or to the couerlet or garments or else hide them selues vnder the bed and so counterfeating them selues to bee Spirits deceyue and mocke their fellows It chaunced once at Tigurinâ— where we dwell that certayne plesaunt yong men disguising theÌ„selues daunced aboute the Churcheyarde one of them playing on a beere with two bones as it were on a druÌ„me Wich thing when certaine men had espied they noysed it about the
theyr feare was longer than they had cause to feare Upon this the house stoode desert and solitarie wholly leâ—te vnto the monster whiche haunted it yet was it proclaymed to bée solde if happily any man whiche was ignorant of this great mischiefe would eyther buy it or hire it Athenodorus chanced to come to Athens and there readeth the writing on the doore And when he had learned the price bycause he suspected the good cheapnesse thereof enquiryng further vnderstoode the whole matter and notwithstanding any thyng that he hearde he hired the house so muche the rather When it waxed nighte he commaundeth his seruauntes to make his bedde in the vtter partâ— of the house he taketh his writing tables his writing wier and a candle and sendeth all his seruantes into the inner part of the house He himselfe settleth his mynd his eyes and hand to write least his mind being vnoccupied should imagine it heard strange figures and should bréed vayne feare In the beginning of the night there was silence as is in all other places but not long after the iron began to ring and the chaines to moue but yet he would not looke vp nor let cease his writing but hardned his hart stopped his eares Then the noyse increaseth draweth néere and seemeth somtimes to be without the porche somtimes within Then he looketh back seeth and acknowledgeth the shape wherof he had heard before the image stood still beckned with his finger as though he had called him the philosopher on the other side signifieth with his hand that he should stay a while and falleth agayne to his writing The image shaketh his chaines ouer his head as he sate writing He looketh about again and séeth him becknyng as he did before And so rysyng vp without delaye taketh the candle in his hand and foloweth the image goeth before with a softely pase as though hée were heauily laden with chaines After hée had turned aside into the court of the house sodeinly vanishing away leaueth his walking mate alone He being forsaken layeth herbes and leaues gathered togither vpon the place The next day he goth to the rulers of the citie and willeth them to commaunde the place to bée digged vp whiche doone they fynde boanes wrapped and tyed in chaynes whyche the body béeing pâ—triâ—ied and consumed with long lying in the earth had lefte lying in bondes those boanes béeing gathered togither were buryed solemnely The house after they were orderly layde in the grounde was euer after cleare of all suche ghostes In these things I must beleue other mens reports but that which foloweth I can boldly affirme on myne owne knowledge I haue one with mée sometyme my bondeseruaunt but nowe enfraunchized and set at libertie a man not vtterly vnlerned with him my yonger brother lay togither in one bed He in his own imagination séemed that he saw a certain personage sitting vpon the bedde where he laâ—e putting kniues vnto his head and therwith polling off his heares When it was day light the â—eareâ— were found on the ground he being in very dede notted aboute the crownâ— of his head Shortly after the like happened vnto hym which made all men beléeue the firste was true The boy amongst a great many of his fâ—llowes chaunced to sléepe in the schole and being in sléepe there came certayne in at the windowes as he sayde clothed in white garments and shore of his heare as he lay and so departed agayne as they came This polling and also his haires scattered abroade were founde when it was day No notable matter ensued hereof except it were perchaunce that I was not accused of treason as I shoulde haue bin if Domitianus who died about this time had liued longer For there was a libell found in his coffers giuen vnto him agaynst me written by master Carus By whiche it may well be coniectured that in so much as those which are accused do vse to let their heare growe very long the cutting of my friends heare was a sure signe of escaping the great daunger which then hong ouer my head Wherfore I hartyly require you to strayne your learning The matter is worthy wherin ye may vse long and déepe consideration and I surely am vnworthy to whom ye shold opeÌ„ your knowlege You may therfore if it please you dispute the matter on both sids as ye are accustomed but yet I pray you haÌ„dle it more throughly on the one side least ye sende me away wandring and hanging in doubt whereas the cause of my séeking counsell is to the ende I might be quit out of doubt Fare ye well What answere master Sura who as it appereth was well learned made vnto master Pliny I do not finde But to say the truth what sound answer could he being a GeÌ„tile make herin The like history is to be red in the collections of Iohn Manlius coÌ„mon places who as Philip Melancthon reporteth dothe write that Theodorus Gaza had a lordship or manour place in Campana giuen him by Nicholas Pope of Rome In the manour wheÌ„ by chaunce one of his farmers had digged vp a coffin with dead mens bones in it there sodenly appeared a spirit vnto him commaunding him to burie the coffin againe or else his sonne should shortly after dye Which when the farmer refused to do shortly after his sonne was found slayne in the night A fewe dayes after the Spirit appeared agayne vnto the husbandman menacing and threatning him that in case he did not burie the aforesayde bones he would kill his other sonne also The man taking warning by his losse and séeing his other sonne fallen sicke goeth vnto master Theodorus and sheweth him all the matter He vnderstanding it goeth with him to the manour and there in the same place where the farmer had before digged vp the coffin casting a new graue they burie the coffin with the bones As soone as thâ—e bones were layde in the graue the husbandmans sonne immediatly recouered his health Dion writeth that the Emperour Traianus was lead out of the house where he hadde taken vp his Inne in the time of an earthquake into a more safer place Iulius Capitolinus which setteth out a fewe liues of the common Emperours reporteth that Pertinax for the space of thrée dayes before he was slayne by a thrust sawe a certayne shaddowe in one of his fishepondes whiche with a sword ready drawen threatned to slay him therby much disquieted him Flauius Vopiscus writeth that wheras Tacitus fathers graue opened it selfe the sides therof falling downe of their owne accord and that his mothers soule appeared bothe to him Florianus day and night as if she had bin liuing it was a most sure and infallible signe that he shoulde dye shortly after Ammianus Marcellinus writing of the signes or prognosticatioÌ„â— of Constantius death saith that he was troubled and terrified in the night season with shapes and figures The same author affirmeth in his 25. booke that a little before Iulianus
died as he sate writing in the tents following the example of Iulius Cesar he saw the image of the publicke Genius or God of the place which was woont to be painted with Amaltheas horne in his hande departing from him more deformed and ill fauoured than when it began to mount vp to the narrowe top of the tent Lucanus as well an excellent historiographer as also a most learned Poet reckneth vp many forwarnings in his first booke of the battaile of Pharsalia which chaunsed before the great conflict betwéen Iulius Cesar and great Pompeius and amongst other things he writeth thus The trumpets blew and looke euen as the battaile ioynd apace â–ª So did the night with silent shaades increase hir darkishe face And then the ghosts of Sylla fierce were plainly sâ—ene in field Therby declaring euill signes of bloud that should be spilde And by the flud of Anien the husbandmen did spye Great Marius out of broken graue his head aduauncing hiye CHAP. XIII A proofe out of the histories of the auncient Churche and of the vvritings of holie Fathers that there are vvalking Spirits YF we reade ouer the Ecclesiasticall histories we shall finde many of these examples Sozomenus writeth in his ecclesiasticall historie the sixt booke and 28. chapter of one Apelles a blacke Smyth by occupation whose name was at that time very famous throughout Egipâ—e for the gifte of working miracles wherewith he was indewed who as he was one night hard at his work had appering vnto him a vision of a Diuel in the likenesse attire of a very beautiful woman mouing intising him to the vice of lechery But he sodenly catching the yron which he wrought on glowing hot out of the fire thrust it in the Diuels face scorched his visage wherat he fretting crying out in al hast fled away Likewise in his 7. booke and 23. chap. writing of the sedition raised at Antioche for the immoderate exactioÌ„ and tribute which Theodosius layd on the citie in the time of warrs wherby the people being offended ouerthrewe the images of the Emperour and his wife dragging them in roapes about the citie and reporting al kinde of villanie and dispite ageinst theÌ„ thus he saith But in the night before assoone as the rebellion began immediatly at the breake of the day it is certainly reported there was a straunge sight séene of a womaÌ„ hauing a huge stature and most horrible looke running vp and downe the cittie through the streats alâ—ft in the aire whisking â—eating the aire with a whip rendring a fearfull sound That as men are wont to prouoke wild beasts to anger whiche serue for publike spectacles euen so it séemed some euil angell by the crafte of the Diuell stirred vp that commotion amongst the people Theodorus Lector in his first booke of collectanies out of the ecclesiasticall historie writeth that as Gennadius patriarch of Constantinople came downe to the high aultar to make prayers and orizons there appeared vnto him a certaine vision or spirit in a most horrible shape and figure which so soone as he had sharplie rebuked straightways he herd a voice crying out aloud that so loÌ„g as he liued he wold giue place cease but wheÌ„ he was once dead he would surely ransack spoyle the Church Which when the good father heard he ernestly prayed for the preseruatioÌ„ of the Church soone after departed this life There are many things to be read in Gregoâ—iê° Nicephorê° â–ª who setteth foorth â—â—clesiasticall matters at larâ—â— Abdias in the liues of the Apostles concerning visions dreames miracles of saints and also appearings of spirites For wise men iudge they were more diligent redie in describing such things than in other maters which might haue beÌ„ to greater purpose and much more profitable for the readers to vnderstand Hée that readeth ouer the Hystories whiche in tymes paste haue ben written and that especially by Monkes shall méete with an innumerable company of these sorte Yet by the waye I must néedes say this that very many things haue bene written by them whych the Readers maye iustly suspecte and stande in greate doubte of Ludouicus Viues Beatus Rhenanus and many other learned men of our tyme in describing other things do fynde greate faulte with the Chronicles written by Monkes for that they were gathered togyther by vnlearned â—â—ltes without any iudgement But let euery man esteme of them as hée lâ—st For albeit there are diuers things in them very foolish ridiculous yet it may be wel thought that many things â—ere so in very déed as they haue committed them to writing A man shall méete with many places concerning visions appearingâ— of Spirits euen in the old fatherâ— also S. Ambrose in his .90 Sermon writeth of a noble Uirgin named Agnes who was crowned with martirdom for the profession of christian religion And as hir pareÌ„ts watched oâ—e night by hir graue they saw about midnight a goodly companiâ— of Uirgins clothed in golden vayles amongst whom also was their â—aughter arayed like vnto the rest who willing the other virgins to stay a while turning hir self towards hir parentes willed them in any case not to bewayle hir as if she were dead but rather to reioyce with hir â–ª for that she had obteined of god eternal life Which as soon as she had spokeÌ„ she immediatly vanisht out of sight S. Augustin deâ—lareth in his booke De cura pro mortuis agenda that when the Citie of Nola was besieged by the Barbaruus the citizens saw Felix the martyr playnly â—ppearing vnto them Touching S. Gregorie who in his Dialogues writeth many suche things we will in 〈◊〉 hereafter when his turne commeth Yée shall reade of many suche lyke in the liues of the auncient fathers which all are not to be reiected as vaine and fabulous for some parte of them were written by graue and learned men whereof letting the rest passe for breuitie sake I will héere rehearse one short historie It is to be séene in the life of Ioannes Chrysostom that Basiliscus Byshoppe of Comane who suffered as a Martir with Lucianus the Priest at Antioch vnder Maximianus the Emperor appéered vnto Sainte Chrysostome when he was in exile and sayde vnto him Brother Iohn be of good comforte for to morrowe we shall be togither But first he appéered to the Priest of that Churche and saide vnto him prepare a place for our deare brother Iohn who wyll shortly come hither Which things the euent proued afterwardes to be true CHAP. XIIII That in the Bookes set foorthe by Monkes are many ridiculous and vaine apparitions WE made mention a litle before of Chronicles written by Monkes Nowe as touching their legendes of Saintes as they terme their storehouses of examples and liues of auncient Fathers in the whiche are many apparitions of Deuils and Spyrits verily there is no cause at all why we shoulde ascribe much vnto them for the most
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 Plâ—bans as they call them belonging to the churche of Tigurine preaâ—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 dedicatioÌ„ 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 â–ª 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 Samariâ— from great famine when it was fiercely besieged by Benhadad king of the Assyrians â–ª 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 â—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
mountaine floud or valley where it hath committed the offence that these are particuler Purgatories assigned vnto them for some special cause before the day of Iudgement after which time all maner of Purgatories aswell general as particuler shal cease Some of them say that the paine of Purgatorie is al one with the punishment of hel that they differ only in this that the on hath an end the other no ende and that it is far more easie to endure all the paynes of this worlde which al men since Adams time haue susteined euen vnto the day of the last Iudgement than to beare one dayes space the least of those two punishmentes Further they holde that our fire if it be compared with the fire of Purgatorie doth resemble only a painted fire Séeke their Doctours in this poynte on the fourth booke of Sentences the â—0 distinction This question also they moue by whome the Soules in Purgatorie are tormented Wherefore their opinion are very diuers and disagréeable among themselues Richardus de Media villa a Franciscan frier writeth vpon the Maister of Sentences sayth he verily beléeueth that soules are caried by good Angels into the places of torment but yet that they themselues do not torment them bycause they shall become at length fellow citizens with them Neyther yet are they punished by Deuils who after this life do no longer tempte men but only by the méere iustice of god And yet saith he it may so come to passe that the Deuils be present at the doing thereof and reioyce at their tortures I thought good to repeate these things of Purgatorie somewhat at large the rather for that the reader might sée that their Doctours do disagrée in a matter of great weight by which they haue both robbed men of their wealth and plunged them into very great myserie Héervnto they adde that the spirites aswel of the good as the yl do come and are sent vnto men lyuing from hel And that by the common lawe of iustice all men at the day of Iudgement shall come to their trial from hell and that none before that time can come from thence Farther they teach that by Gods licence dispensation certaine yea before the day of Iudgement are permitted to come out of hell and that not for euer but only for a season for the instructing and terrifying of the lyuing Héervppon they recite diuers kinde of visions that certaine Clarkes and Laye persons being damned bothe men and women haue appeared to their ghostly fathers and others and haue opened vnto them the causes of their daÌ„nation all which to rehearse héere were lost laboure And that the soules which be in euerlasting ioye or in Purgatorie do often appeare it may be séene in Gregories Homelies Gregories Dialogues who writeth that Peter and Paule and other Saintes dyd not onely appeare vnto holie men but dyd also conducte theyr Soules vnto Celestiall ioye Moreouer that God dothe licencâ— soules to returne from those two places partely for the comfort and warning of the liuing and partly to pray aide of them And yet that those soules doo not here represent themselues to be séene of men when and how often soeuer they list themselues No doubt these men shew them selues to haue a sharpe wit and profounde knowledge These doctours moreouer moue this question whether we may request without offence that the soules of suche as are departed may shewe themselues to be behelde and séene of the liuing To ryue asunder this crabbed knotte they bring thys wedge that if this request procéede of some good intent without the spot of lightnesse and vanitie that a maÌ„ might vnderstand the state of some frend neighbor benefactour or of his parents or some other therby to help relieue them spéedily of their torments it is no offence at all bicause dead mens soules doo of their owne accorde shewe themselues vnto the lyuyng to receyue helpe of them and therfore nothing can let vs to aske this thing at gods hande Of this opinion is Thomas of Aquine But as concernyng the tyme and place when and where Spirites doe proffer them selues to bée séene they saye no certayne rule can be giuen for this standeth wholly in Gods pleasure who if he list to deliuer any suffereth him to make his appearaunce foorthwith euen in such places as he may be well heard in And that spirits do not alwaies appeare vnder a visible shape but sometimes inuisibly in so much that sometime nothing els is heard of them but snéesing spitting syghing clapping of hands c. Of which point I haue noted somewhat before when I spake generally of ghosts bycause they appeare in sundry sorts And whersoeuer these spirits be they say that they endure punishment Besides that soules do not appeare nor answeare vnto euery mans interrogatories but that of a great number they scantlie appeare vnto one And therefore they teache Whensoeuer suche visions of spirits are shewed men should vse fasting and prayer or euer they demaund any question of them which say they in the x. and xj chapters of Daniell is read to haue ben done by Daniell him selfe Besides this shrift and massing shoulde bée vsed ere we question with them farther that we should not giue credite assoone as we heare but one signe but waite to heare the same thrice repeated whiche in the first booke of Samuel and 3. chapter is reade to haue bin done by Samuell being yet a childe for otherwise the Diuell may delude and deceyue vs as he doth very often And so soone as these things are dispatched and performed that foure or fiue deuoute priests are to be sent for whych should come to the place where the spirite was woont to shewe him selfe and that they should vse certeine ceremonies as to take a candle that hath bin halowed on Candlemasse day light it also holy water the signe of the crosse a censor in their hande and when they light their candle should pray ouer it as I remember the seuen penitential psalmes or reade the gospell of S. Iohn And when they come to the place they shoulde sprinkle it with holy water pâ—rfume it with Frankincense casting about their neckes a holy stoale and then that one of them knéelyng on his knées should reherse this prayer folowing O Lord Iesu Christ the sercher of al secrets which art always woont to reueale healthfull and profitable things vnto thy faithful people little ones which haste permitted some certain spirite to shew himselfe in this place wée humbly beséech thée of thy great mercy by thy death passion and by the sheding of thy most precious bloud for our sinnes that thou wilt vouchesafe to giue in charge to this spirite that he may declare and open what he is without any fraying or hurting of vs or of any other creature besides shewing vnto vs thy seruaunts or to other sinners as we be who he is why he is come and
from sinne and damnation of the true déedes of christian charitie was dayly more and more impugned and oppressed So that when men by little and little forsooke holy Scripture and cast it asyde mens traditions and preceptes began streight way to be had in great price and estimation yea they were more regarded thaÌ„ gods owne worde A great offence was it taken to be if any would presume once to breake mens traditions On those apparitions of spirits as on a sure foundation their Purgatorie is chiefly builded For by talke hadde with them Popishe writers taught that men atteined vnto saluation by their owne and by other mens merits which opinion so blinded them that they became retchlesse secure and sluggishe For if any dyd so persuade him selfe that he coulde hyre one for mony which could worke one feate or other to deliuer the dead from torments then woulde he either delay the amendment of his life or vtterly neglect it Wherfore vnto suche fellowes that happened whiche chaunced vnto the fiue foolish virgins of whom mention is made in the â—5 of Matthew By these apparitions of spirits masses images satisfactioÌ„ pilgrimages for religion sake relikes of saints monasticall vowes holidaies auricular confession and other kinds of worshippings and rites and to be shorte al things whiche haue no grounde in holy scripture by little and little grewe into authoritie and estimation So that the matter came at the last to that extremitie and excesse that many deuoute and simple soules pinched and nipped their owne bellies that they might the better haue by these meanes wherwithall to finde and mainteine idle monks and priests and to offer vnto images They founded chappels alters monasteries perpetuall lights anniuersaries frieries and suche like to release their friends out of the torments of Purgatorie And this did the walking spirits will theÌ„ to do And sometyme also by their councell mens last willes and testaments were altered Hereby priests monks increased daily their parishes colleges monasteries with yerely reuenewes got into their hands the best farmes vineyards lands medowes pondes parkes bond meÌ„ iurisdictions great lordships and the authoritie of the sword For after that this opinioÌ„ once toke firme roote in meÌ„s harts the mens soules did walke after their death appeare on the earth the greatest part did whatsoeuer they commaunded theÌ„ And that it may more plainly be perceiued how much meÌ„ estemed those visioÌ„s such like pelfe how in memorial of theÌ„ they deuised framed to theÌ„selues new kinds of worshippings I will recite vnto you one or two histories Martinus Polonus Archebishop of Consentine and the Popes PeniteÌ„tiarie writeth in his Chronicles tha Pope Clement the fourth did canonize for a saint at Viterbe one Eduergia duchesse of Polonia a widdow of great holinesse who among many notable things that are written of hir when hir canonization had bin many yeares delayed at length appeared hir selfe in a vision to hir Proctour in the courte of Rome being heauie and pensiue about this matter and certified him both of the spedy dispatching of this businesse also of the day wherin it should be dispatched Canonization amongst the Ethniks from whence it toke his originall is named 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that is deification or making of a God. Ioannes Triâ—enhemius Abbot of Spanheim a man of great authoritie in his booke of Chronicles teacheth that the memorie of all faithfull soules termed All soules day had his originall obseruation by this meanes that when a certeine Monke returned from Ierusalem and lodged in a certeine Hermits house in Sicill about the mount Aetna which flasheth forth fyre he learned of the saide Hermit that many soules of the dead were tormeÌ„ted there by fyre out of which again through the praiers of the faithful they were released as it was taught him by the testimonie euen of the spirites themselues Hereof also writeth Polydorâ— Virgill in his vj. booke and ix chapter De inuentione rerum that the feast of All hallowes had the very same originall whiche they shall finde in Petrus de natalibus his tenth booke and first chapter Wherby thou maist gather that Feastes were first ordeyned by the tales of spirites appearing vnto men The lyke fable is found in Damascene who writeth of Macharius thus When according to his maner he prayed for the dead and was desirous to vnderstande whether his prayers did profite them oughte and whether they receyued any comfort therby God willing to reueale so muche to his seruaunt inspired a drye scull with the worde of truth so that the deade scull brake foorth into these words When thou prayest for the dead we receyue comfort by thy prayers Of the like roote sproong the order of the Carthusian Monks which of the commoÌ„ sorte is iudged to be the most holiest and streightest order of the which the Monks them selues of this broode haue put foorth a booke For as Polydore Virgil recordeth they began vpon this occasion in the vniuersitie of Paris in the yeare of our Lord .1080 A certeine doctoure which for his learning and integritie of life was very famous chaunced to dye when he shoulde haue bin buried in a certaine Churche he cried out with an horrible voice I am by the iust iudgement of God accused Whervppon they lefte the coffin in the Churche by the space of thrée daies during which time the people flocked togither out of sundry places to behold this straunge sight The second day he cried againe By the iuste iudgement of God I am iudged The thirde day likewise he cried I am by the iust iudgement of god condemned And as Vincentius Bellonacensis saith some adde herevnto that he rose vp thrice vppon the béere which perchaunce they faine of their owne heads Now bycause no man suspected that so notable and famous a man was vtterly condemned for euer euery man was sore astonished thereat Wherfore Bruno a doctor of diuinitie borne in Coleine foorthwith forsooke all that he had and taking to him sixe other godly companions gat him into a desert called Carthusia in the diocesse of Gratianopolis where he erected the first monasterie of that order which drawing his name of the place was called the Carthusian order For this cause also or for the like many other monasteries at the firste beginning were bothe founded and indowed with greate liuelyhode CHAP. IIII. Testimonies out of the vvorde of God that neither the soules of the faithfull nor of infidels do vvalke vppon the earth after they are once parâ—ed from their bodies NOw that the soules neither of the faithful nor of infidels do waÌ„der any loÌ„ger on the earth wheÌ„ they be once seuered from the bodies I wil make it plain euident vnto you by these reasons folowing First certain it is that such as depart heÌ„ce either die in faith or in vnbeléef Touching those that go heÌ„ce in a right beléef their soules ar by by in
the name of that Lorde hymselfe that giueth those Armes We saye this is Iulius Cesar Nero Saint Peter Saint Paule or here thou mayest sée the Cities of Tigurine and Argentorat also the Duke of Saringe whereas in deed they are onely theyr Counterfeicts or Armes and Signes of Honor. In a Commedie or Tragedie wée call thys manne Saule that Samuel an other Dauid whereas they do but betoken and represent their Personages So saythe Vergill in his fyrst booke of Aeneidos They wonder at Aeneas gyftes and haue Iulius in admiration And yet was it not Iulius or Ascanius but Cupide feining himselfe to bée Iulius whereby hée myght the easâ—yer pearce the heart of the ignorant Quéene with hys Darte of Loue. Saynte Augustine in his seconde booke and nynth chap. De mirabâ—libus Scripturae sayth that holie Scripture dothe sometymes applye the verie names of things to the Images and similitudes of the same Hée alleageth there this example that the foule spirit is called Samuel bycause hée dyd falsely beare Saule in hande that hée was Samuell whyche fraude of the Deuill coulde no ways turne too Samuels reproch For who would say that it should bée a reproche for an honest manne if some knaue would terme hymselfe by his name as if hée were hée himselfe The false Prophetes sayde they were true Prophets and Goddes Seruauntes yea which is more they fained themselues too bée the verie Messias the Sonne of god And that Scripture doth not so muche as in one woorde make mention that this was verie Samuell in déede but rather some spirite we must think that it so came to passe for this cause that all men by the Lawe of God might vnderstand that Magike and enquirie of things at the dead dyd much displease god Saule himselfe before by the counsell and motion of Samuell slewe all the Magitians that he could any where finde And God is not accustomed in this wise to interprete Figuratiue speaches for many of them are soone descried by suche as giue diligent héed to them A vaine superfluous speach it were if a man wold say this is Peter this is that is the Image of Peter whiche by a figure is called by the name of Peter Furthermore holie Scripture dothe vse to speake of things rather according to the opinion and iudgement of men than accordyng to the substance and true béeing which they haue in déede So Iesus is called the Sonne of Ioseph and Iosephe named his father whereas notwithstanding our Sauiour Chryst Iesus was borne of a chast and vnspotted Uirgin without any helpe of man And yet neuerthelesse many of the Iewes imagined that he was the Sonne of Ioseph In the 1. Cor. 1. the Gospel it selfe is named foolishnesse bicause that men did account the great wisdom of God but as méere foolishnesse So in the first epistle to the Corinthians .x. chap. the Scripture termeth them gods which be nothing lesse thaÌ„ so in dede And that for this cause onely for that the Heathen tooke them for Gods and so dyd worshippe them Euen so the Scripture doth terme the Deuil Samuel bycause Saule thought him to â—e Samuel in very déede An other reason they vse that Samuel forshewed vnto 〈◊〉 such things as afterwardes should come to passe as that the Philistians should in baâ—tayle ouerthrow hys 〈◊〉 and he and his sonnes together be slaine And all these thyngs comâ— to passe according to his Prophesie And say they the Deuil knoweth not neither can he foretell of things to come sith it is onely in Gods power so to do But as Christ in the eyght of Iohn saith he is a lyer the father of lyes Here vnto a man may easily answere The Diuell knewe howe things stode with the Iewes and the Philistines he vnderstode euen the very secrete consultations priuy practises and warlike preparation on both sides He sawe that the Israelits were slenderly addressed vnto battaile and vtterly daunted of courage Besides this Samuel had a little before thretned Saul with gods heauie wrath and vengeaunce and that Dauid shold be aduaunced to the kingly throne wherby he might easely gather what would ensue and that Saule must nedes giue place to Dauid And if the euent had bin otherwise yet he knewe that Saule with this prophesie woulde be quite dismayde and driuen to dispaire which thing muste néedes well content and please Sathan who layeth hys baits day and night to intrappe men The Diuell doth not presently vnderstande things to come and therefore he giueth doubtfull aunswers to such as séeke oracles of him As when he saide Croesus perdet Halin transgresâ—us plurima regna That is Cresus passing ouer the riuer Halis shal ouerturne many kingdomes And yet oftentimes he gathereth one thing no otherwise than by an other Hereof writeth Augustine in the 26.27 and 28. chapters of his booke De Anima The Diuell is one which hath bin long beaten in experience the which thing in all affaires and matters is of very great force For olde and practised souldiours 〈◊〉 by and by foresée to what issue things will come but yong men and suche as want experience do not forthwith espye out the euent of eche enterprise Moreouer the Diuels are very actiue and can soone dispatch their matters The marriners knowe when winds and stormes will arise Husbandmen also are not destitute of their prognostications The skilful astronomer can many yeares before exactly foretell when there will happen an Eclipse of the Sunne and Moone The Phisitian by the critical dayes pulse and vrine can lightly iudge whether his patient shal liue or no builders sée before hand when an house wil fal and a practised souldioure can straight wayes iudge who shall winne the victory And what maruaile then may it be if the Diuell an olde trained souldiour can sometimes foreshew some certain thing Shall we be of this minde that so many yeares experience hathe broughte them no knowledge at all Otherwhiles he telleth things which be true in déede and yet to no other ende but that he may therby purchase a certaine credite vnto his lying to seduce the ignoraunt For euen that counterfeit Samuell made wise as if he had taken it in very ill parte that Saule did so molest and disquiet him and that he shold be forced to talke with him he vseth farther the words as it were of Samuel him selfe And hereof it commeth that many gather he was the true Samuell in déede But what doth not Sathan deuise to deceyue men and to force them vnto desperacion Here I could alleage examples of suche as haue bin perswaded that they sawe and heard this and that man and moreouer knewe them perfectly by their spéeche whereas they haue afterwards had euident intelligence that they were at that time many miles distaunt from them So craftie is the Diuell and knoweth howe to worke these and many other feates There are farther diuers places alleaged out of the auncient fathers that séeme too
make for them whyche affirme that true Samuell appeared vnto Saule But these places wée haue béefore for the moste parte aunsweared For albeit Augustine in some places moue a doubte whether it were the true Samuell or no yet in certeine other places he lyketh and beste alloweth their opinion who denye Samuell to haue appeared at all takyng rather that kinde of speache for tropicall and figuratiue Iustine the Martir who is one of the most aunciente fathers reasoning against Trypho a Iewe writeth in his colloquio that the couetouse sorceresse at Saules commaundement raysed vp Samuels soule And no man shoulde maruaile hereat sith that the selfe same author dothe by and by adde that he is of this iudgemente that all the soules of Prophetes and iust menne are subiecte vnto suche power as a man may in very déede beléeue to haue bin on thys gréedy and subtile Witche But this none of the fathers will graunt him Other Gréeke writers also whyche in their tender yeares applyed theyr mindes to Philosophie and not to the studie of holy Scriptures and afterwardes were conuerted to Christianitie do sette foorthe in their writings certaine opinions whyche are not agreable to the word of god Wherefore it néede not séeme a straunge thing to any manne that Iustine the Martire in some pointes hadde hys erroures The same author in Responsionibus ad Orthodoxos quest 52. mainteineth the contrary assertion For sayth he what soeuer things were done by that hungry witche were in déede the workes of the Diuell who dyd so dasell the eyes of suche as beheld him that it séemed vnto them they sawe Samuell him selfe when in very déede he was not there But the truth of his words procéeded from God who gaue the Diuell power to appeare vnto the sorceresse and to declare vnto hir that which shoulde afterwards come to passe c. If any manne obiect that thys woorke is not ryghtly ascribed vnto Iustine for so muche as he dothe make mention of Origen and Ireneus the Martire whereas notwithstanding he hym selfe was martired before them And further speaketh of the Manichees who were in their ruffe long after this tyme Herevnto wee answere that yf this booke were not written by Iustine â–ª yet as maye appeare some other learned clerke wrote that woorke whose authoritie might carie away as great credite as Iustines â—ith that the same doth fully agrée with holy Scripture Furthermore we may set agaynste Iustine other holy fathers as Tertullian and Chrysostom of whom wée haue before spoken who haue by holy scripture instructed vs that it was not Samuel in deede which appeared vnto Saule We will héereafter say somewhat of Gregorie who no doubte was a learned and godly father but yet too simple and light of beléefe And the fathers themselues denye that a man shoulde subscribe vnto their opinion in oughte that they doo mayntaine and aduouche without the warrant of Gods worde The Popes out of Augustine haue written in their Decrées Quest. 9. ca Noli that a man should credite none of the fathers except he proued his saying out of holy scriptures But in these days many cull nothing out of their bookes but erroures and whatsoeuer they maynteyn by good testimonie of the holy scriptures that they reiecte and disanull in whiche poynt they doo fitly resemble those chyldren who onely in things wicked and euill imitate their good parentes for good men also haue their faultes CHAP. IX VVhether the Diuell haue povver to appeare vnder the shape of a faithfull man BUt thou doest demaund whether the Diuell can represente the lykenesse of some faithfull man deceased Hereof we néede not doubt at all For in the seconde Corin. 11. Saincte Paule witnesseth that Sathan transformeth hym selfe into the shape and fashion of an Angell of light Sathan by nature is a spirit and is therefore tearmed an Angel bicause God vseth to send him to bring that thing to passe which he thinketh best So in the second of kings .22 chapter an euill Angell was sent forth to Ahabs destruction to be a lying spirit in the monthe of 400. false prophets Thys was an Angell of erroure and darknesse who yet in outward shewe could resemble a good Angell that he mighte so guide the councell of Baals worshippers who no doubt vaunted theÌ„ selues as if they had bin gathered togither by Gods holy spirit If Sathan be then so skilfull can he not counterfaite and fayne him selfe to be some holy maÌ„ by resembling his words voice gesture and suche other things Amongst the Gentiles he hath done miraculous Actes persuading them to thinke that soules by arte Magike were called vp and compelled to giue answere of secrete and hidden things that were to come And therefore not only in publike but also priuate affayres if they semed to be any thing hard vnto them they consulted with Magitians and sorcerers and had moreouer recourse somtimes vnto oracles Tertullian in hys booke De Anima mentioneth that there were some euen in his dayes whiche professed they could raise vp and reclaime soules from the hellishe habitation And he calleth arte Magike the second Idolatrie in the which the Diuells do as well fayne them selues to be dead men as they do in the other to be Gods. So do these suttle spirites lurke and do many straunge things vnder the pretence of deade men He addeth that Magike is thought to conuey soules out of Hell whiche lye there in rest and to represent them vnto our sighte by reason that it sheweth a vaine vision and counterfeiteth the shape of a bodie Neyther is it a harde matter for him to bleare and beguyle the outward eyes who can easily darken and dazell the inwarde sight of the mynde The serpents that were brought foorth by the inchaunters rods séemed to the Egiptians to be bodies but the truth of Moyses deuoured vp the Magitians lye Simon also and Elimas the Magitians did many signes and wonders against the Apostles c. Hée addeth that euen in hys tyme those heretikes named properly Symonistes of Symon the Magitian the first author of that sect did with suche greate presumption aduaunce their arte that they professed they coulde rayse from the dead euen the soules of the Prophets c. Lactantius in the .2 booke .17 chapt De origine erroris writeth that euill angels lurking vnder the names of the dead did wound and hurt the liuing that is they tooke vnto themselues the names of Iupiter and Iuno whome the heatheÌ„s tooke to be gods or as we now say they tooke vnto them the names of S. Sebastian Barbara and others In the .7 boke and .13 chap. he sayth that the Magitians with certayne inchauntmentes did call soules out of hell But this may not so be vnderstode that Lactantius was of this iudgement that they by their wicked artes did bring the soules back again into their dead bodies but that they did so vaunt and boast that they had raysed vp this
that life and deathe peace and warre the alteration of Religion the exchaunge of Empires and of other things are in his power that we might thereby learne to feare him and to call vppon his name In the meane season Sathan also fayneth and worketh many thyngs to terryfie men and to plant superstition in their hartes But that all thyngs are not doone by Sathan héereby we maye vnderstande It chaunceth that one is thrust thorowe and slayne by one wyth whome hée neuer was at variance but hath euer vsed him as hys friende some man is drowned or falleth down from some highe place or otherwise is miserably slayne an euill spirite can haue no foreknowledge héereof for there are no naturall signes or coniectures going before them as there are in diseases yet notwithstanding some signes and rare casualties fall out before Héereof doe I gather that these things are wrought by God who onely knoweth that they shal come to passe and they are not onely admonishmentes vnto them whome they especially concerne but also vnto them whiche heare them and are present at the doing of them There was a certayne Magistrate within the liberties of Tigurine not long before I wrote this whom certaine of his friendes taried for to breake their fast with him before he tooke his iourney and thus waighting they supposed they heard a knyfe falling from the vpper parte or floore of the stewe wherein they were yet sawe they nothing and sodenly as they coÌ„muned togither of this straunge wonder they thought they heard it agayne In the meane while commeth the Magistrate vnto whome they declare what had happened and as they had skant ended their talke the knyfe fell agayne the thirde time in the hearing of the Magistrate who before doubted very much of the matter And therefore taking occasion héereby hée began to exhorte them that whereas within fewe dayes after a greate mariage shoulde be kepte in the same place they should all endeuoure to maintayne peace obserue sobrietie least perchaunce through quarelling murther it should be a bloudy mariage After he taking his iourney within a day or twayne dispatching his businesse as he was returning towards his Castle his horsse falling into a ryuer which was sodenly encreased with rayne after hée had long striued with the water at the last died myserably And that the Deuill dothe delude men wyth straunge happes héereof I gather that if any be taken with gréeuous sickenesse so that not onely the Phisition but also the sicke themselues dispaire of their owne healthe in the nighte tymâ— there is heard a noyse as if one were making a coffin or chest to lay one in or were burying a dead body that suppose I to be an illusion of the Deuil for hée thinketh verily the diseased wil die whom God by means of godly and earnest prayers dothe restore agayne to his former health Where as Plinie writeth that rauens are of such sharp senses that they wil flye thrée or foure dayes before vnto the place where carryon wil afterwardes be it is altogyther vaine fabulous If this were graunted it were no obsurditie to say that the deuil hath a knowledge of things to come yea euen where there are no naturall causes c. Moreouer he may by Gods permission if warres and mutinies be towardes stirre the instrumentes of warre and al other kynde of munition as it lyeth in the Armorie he can make a noyse reare a clamour crie as it were of a great Armie in the ayre and play as it were on a Drum and do other such things whiche al Hystoriographers affirme with one voyce haue oftentimes chaunced CHAP. XVII That it is no hard thing for the Deuill to appeare in diuers shapes and to bring to passe straunge things BUt it is no difficult matter for the deuil to appeare in diuers shapes not only of those which are aliue but also of deade mâ—nne whereof I spake also before when I entreated of Samuels appearing yea and whiche is a lesse matter in the fourme of beastes and birdes c. as to appeare in the likenesse of a blacke Dog a horsse an Owle and also to bring incredible things to passe it is a thing most manifest for he may through long and great experience vnderstande the effectes force of naturall things as of herbes stones c. and by meanes héereof woorke maruellous matters And then he is a suttle and quick spirit which can redyly take things in hande whiche in eache thing is of no small weight By his quicknesse by his knowledge in naturall things he may easily deceyue the eye sight and other senses of man and hide those things which are before our face and conuey other things into their places Whereof the holy Scriptures and histories continual experience beareth record Howe dyd the wicked spirit handle Iob what dyd he not bring to passe in shorte space What strange workes of an euil spirit did Bileam bring to passe did he not purchase a famouse name by his Magical arts what wonderful great miracles dyd Pharaos Sorcerers Did not Simon Magus so be witch the Samaritanes wyth his vnlawfull Artes that he would say he was the great vertue of God Touching this coniurer the olde Fathers write many things as Iereneus in his first book and tenth chapter Eusebius in his second booke thirtéenth chapter Egesipppus writeth in his third booke and second chapter of the destruction of Hierusalem that this Symon came to Rome and there set himselfe against Peter boasting that he could flye vp into Heauen and that hée came at the day appoynted vnto the Mounte Capitoline where leaping from the rocke he flew a good while not without the gret admiration of the people who nowe began to credite his wordes but sodenly he fell downe and brake his leg and after being carried vnto Aritia there died Iohannes Tritenhemius Abbot of Spanheimium writeth in his Cronicles concerning the Monasterie of Hirsgraue of the order of S. Bennet in the yeare of our Lorde .970 that Peter and Baianus the two Sonnes of one Simon a Monke ruled ouer the Bulgarians wherof the one namely Baianus was throughly séen in the Arte of Necromancie and thereby wrought many myracles He chaunged himselfe into a Wolfe so often as he list or into the likenesse of an other beast or in such sorte as he could not be discerned of any man and many other straunge things he could do and dyd whereby he brought men into great admiration And after in the yeare .876 he writeth that there was a certaine Iewe named Sedechias sometimes philosopher and physition vnto Lewes the Emperour who being very cunning in sorcerie did straunge miracles and wonderfull sleyghts before the Princes and before all other men For he brought it to passe by his cunning that he séemed to deuoure an armed man with his horsse and all his harnesse and also a carte loaden with hay together with the horsse and carter
He cut off mens heads their handes and féete which he set in a basyn before al the lookers on to behold with the bloud running about the basen which by and by he would put againe vpon the places whence they séemed to haue ben cut off without any hurte to the parties Hée was séene and hearde of all men to exercise huntyng and running and suche lyke things in the aire and cloudes as men are accustomed to exercise vpon the earth He practised so many and diuers deceytes that all men maruelled and were astonished out of measure In the yeare of our Lord .1323 when Frederike Duke of Austrich who was chosen Emperor against Lewes as the same author witnesseth was vanquished in a great battail betwéene Ottinga and Moâ—ndâ—rfus and deliuered into the handes of Lewes who sent him away into a strong castell to be safely kept It chaunced shortly after that a coniurer going vnto his brother Lupoldus in Austriche promised that by the helpe of a spirite he would within the compasse of an houre deliuer Frederike safe and sounde out of captiuitie if he would promise him and giue him a worthy reward for his paines The Duke aunsweared him if thou wilt quoth he do as thou makest promise I wil worthily reward thée So the Magitian with the Duke entring his circle of coniuration in an houre moste conuenient calleth the Spirit whiche was accustomed to obey his commaundement Whome when he appeared in the likenesse of a man he commaunded by the vertue of hys coniurations that he should spedyly bring vnto him into Austriche Duke Frederike deliuered safely out of prison Unto whome the spirit aunswearing said If the captiue Duke will come with me I will willingly obey thy commaundement This sayde the spirite flyeth awaye into Bauarie and taking vppon him the forme of a Pilgrime he entreth into the prison where the Duke was kepte prisoner whome as soone as he sawe the Spirite whyche was sente as messanger vnto him sayde If thou wilt be deliuered out of captiuitie mount thee vp vpon this horse and I will bring thée safe and sounde without any huâ—te into Austriche vnto Duke Lupoldus thy brother Unto whome the Duke sayde Who art thou The Spirite aunswered Aske not who I am bicause it appertayneth nothing to the purpose but get thée vp on the horse whichâ— I offer thée and I will bring thée safe and sound and fréely deliuered into Austrich Which when the Duke heard he was taken with a certaine horror and feare being otherwise a hardy knight and when he had blessed him selfe with the signe of the holy crosse the Spirit sodainly vanished away with the blacke horse whiche he had proffered him and retourned emptie agayne vnto him that sent him of whome béeing rebuked bicause he had not brought the prisoner he declared al the matter vnto him in order Duke Fredericke at the last being deliuered out of prison confessed that it had so happened vnto him in his captiuitie the very same day they named This historie is also to be sene in the Chronicles of the Heluetians There are also coniurers founde euen at this day who bragge of themselues that they can so by inchauntments saddle an horse that in a fewe houres they will dispatch a very long iourney God at the last wil chasten these men with deserued punishment What straunge things are reported of one Faustus a German which he did in these our dayes by inchauntments I will speake nothing at this time of those olde sorcerers Apollonius and others of whom the histories report straunge and incredible things Hagges witches and inchaunters are sayde to hurte men and cattell if they do but touche them or stroake theÌ„ they do horrible things wherof there are whole bookes extant Iugglers and tumblers by nimblenesse do many things they will bid one eate meatâ— which when they spit out agayne they cast forth ordure and such like Magitians iugglers inchanters and Necromanciers are no other than seruants of the Diuel do you not thinke their mayster reserueth some cunning vnto him selfe Howbeit this is not to bée dissembled that the Diuel doth glory of many things whiche in déede he cannot performe as that he saith that he raiseth the dead out of their graues c. He may in very déede by Gods sufferaunce shewe the shapes of them vnto men but he hath no suche power ouer the dead bodies CHAP. XVIII Diuels doe sometimes bid men doe those things vvhich are good and auoide things that are euill sometimes they tell truth and for vvhat cause IF those spirits whiche séeke helpe at mens hands be not soules but Diuels many will say why then do they persuade men vnto good things exhorte them vnto vertue and call them from vice For they saye Iudge vprightely take héede of thefte and extortion restore goodes vniustely gotten vnto their owners beware of periurie surfets and drunkennesse enuie and hatred lying and deceite pray earnestly come to Churche often c. The Dyuell is not pleased when wée doo good and auoide euill nothing woulde gréeue him more than that we should liue according to the prescripte woorde of god Therefore they are not Diuels which bid vs do good and eschue euill Moreouer those Spirites speake truthe but the Dyuell is a lyer and is called by Christe the father of lyes Therefore we may not say that they are diuellishe Spirits Unto this argument I aunswere thus he dothe thys for his owne aduantage If he should shewe him selfe so as he is by nature he should little proffite That whiche he dothe he doth it to this ende that he may purchase credite vnto his words and that he might the better thrust other things vpon men and bring and driue them into sundry erroures whereby they forsaking the worde of God might giue eare vnto Spirits Did not the seruaunts of vncleane â—pirits I meane false Prophets come in times past vnder shéepes skinnes and fayned themselues â—o tender the peoples commoditie whereas in very déede in the meane space they sought after another thing that is that when they had obteined great authoritie they might pill and poule other men and fill their owne bags with golde and siluer Do not all heretickes yet at this day say they are sent froÌ„ God and that we must eschewe wickednesse and seeke after vertue Diddest thou neuer heare y théeues trauelling by the way with those on whose company they light haue talked of liuing honestly and of the punishmeÌ„t of wicked men and the reward of good men to the ende that after they might take the aduantage of theÌ„ vnwares Whereas the Diuell hathe fayned him selfe to be otherwise than he is it hath brought forth innumerable errors superstitions and false worshippings in the Churche of god For Bishops in proces of time neglected the worde of God they would accepte the Diuell and receiue him as an Angell of light when he came not in a blacke and horrible but a plesaunt and acceptable forme He speaketh some good things that
spirites speake them but bicause they are comprysed in the woorde of god But in case they are repugnant to the woorde of God they ought in no wyse to be receyued albeit an angell from heauen vtter them Thou wilt not beléeue a man of thy familiar acquaintaunce otherwyse worthy of credite who sounde of bodye and soule nowe liueth togither with thée if hée affirme any thyng whiche thou knowest to be contrary to the holy Scriptures why then wouldest thou beléeue a spirite which thou doest not know In ciuill causes the euidence or witnesse of deade men is reiected why then in causes of religion shold we giue eare to the testimonie of runagate and wandring spirites It is no harde or difficulte matter for the Lorde oure God to sende his angels vntoo vs whome otherwyse hée vseth for oure profite and by them to instructe vs in the Fayth but it hathe pleased him to appoynte the matter otherwyse Wée reade in the tenth chapter of the Actes that by an angell he commaunded Cornelius to sende for Peter that he might instruct him in the fayth He myghte haue commaunded the Angell to teache Cornelius but he folowed an orderly meanes It shal be best for vs therfore to stand to the holy Scriptures simply and that all appearing of spirites as also all dreames and reuelations be tried by the holy scriptures as vpon a touchstone and so to admit nothing but that whiche is set foorthe in the holy Scriptures for excepte wée go thus warely to woorke there is greate daunger least wée bée deceyued If the aunciente Fathers had so doone they had not estrayed so farre from the Apostles simplicitie S. Augustine in his thirde booke and .6 chapter writing agaynste the letters of Petilianus sayeth thus If concerning Christe or any other thing whiche appertayneth to fayth and euerlasting lyfe I will not say we for comparyng with him that sayde Albéeit that wée but simply where as he goyng on sayd If an Angell from Heauen shall teache you any thyng besydes that whiche you haue receyued in Scriptures conteyning the law and the Gospell bée he accursed S. Chrysostom vpon the Epistle to the Galathians the firste chapter Abraham sayeth he when he was desired to send Lazarus sayd They haue Moyses the prophets if they will not heare them they will not giue eare vnto them which rise from the dead And when he bringeth in Christ vttering these words he sheweth howe he woulde haue the holy scriptures more worthy of credite than any raised from the dead S. Paule when I name Paule I name likewise Christ for he stirred vp his mind preferreth the Scriptures before Angels descending from Heauen and that for very iust cause For albeit Angels are great yet are they seruants and ministers For all holy scriptures were not commaunded to be written and sent vnto vs by seruants but by almightie God the lord of all things Thus write these two holy fathers What things soeuer are necessarie for vs to knowe are conteined in the holy scriptures those things which are not expressed in them we muste not curiously enquire of as things profitable for our saluation Who wil therfore say against the commaundement of God that these things are to be sought and learned of dead men and by diuelishe visions These things which are secrete and hidden we shal thorowly sée when we come to eternall life May not god if we be not content with his holy word say that vnto vs which sometimes he spake by the mouth of Helias vnto the messangers of king Ochosias Is there no god in Israell that you now go to Accaron to aske councell of Belsabub Yea Thomas Aquinas denieth that diuels are to be heard which deceyue simple menne feyning them selues to be the Soules of dead men and by that coloure especially terrifie menne whiche some tymes also happened vnto the Gentiles If it were certayne and sure that the Diuel coulde not appeare and deceyue menne and also shewe greate and straunge miracles then perchaunce some men would thinke that we shoulde giue eare vnto suche Spirits but nowe we sée the contrary happen An euill spirite cloaketh his erroures vnder the coloure of diuine seruice and vnder the pretence of religiō he endeuoreth to ouerthrowe religion For as S. Hierom sayth the Deuill sheweth not himself with al his deceites that he may be known what he is And therefore it behoueth vs to be very circumspect and warie Moreouer myracles are onely testimonies and seales of the word neither may any thing be approued by them whiche is repugnant to the worde of god All miracles which lead vs away from our creator vnto creatures do attribute that vnto our works which is only due vnto the merites of Chryste and to be shorte all those whiche induce vs any wayes into errour are to be eschued If we must néedes beléeue these appearing soules no man could be assured of his estate for newe things shoulde be continually deuised as we sée playnely it happened in the olde time Therefore we must let passe all manner of spirits and embrace true religion and therein constantly abide CHAP. VIII Testimonies out of holie Scripture and one example vvhereby it is proued that such kynde of apparitions are not to be credited and that vve ought to be verie circumspect in them THat wée ought not by and by to beléeue all things whiche we heare not onely experience and many common Prouerbes but also the holie Scriptures teach vs especially in cases concerning our saluation touching the which thing we wil alledge only a fewe places and examples When Christ first sent abroad his Disciples to preach the Gospell he sayd vnto them Matthew .10 Be yée wise as serpentes and simple as Doues beware of men howe muche more than ought we to take héede of diuels Christ prophecieth in the 24. of Matthew that many false techers shall come in the latter dayes and shall shewe straunge myracles to confirme their erroures and therefore hée commaundeth the faythfull to be héedefull and circumspect and not without cause hée addeth Beholde I haue tolde you before Saynte Paule to the Galathians the firste Chapter sayth in great eanest vnto them that if an Angell come from Heauen and preache vnto them any other Gospell hée shoulde be accursed Euen so if at thys tyme spirites appeare and doe vtter any thyng repugnant to the Doctrine of the Apostles and Prophetes they are to be reiected The Apostle in hys firste Epistle and fourth Chapter to Timothie dothe prophecie of false teachers which shoulde come and saythe the spirite speaketh euidently that in the latter times some shall departe from the faythe and shall gyue héed vnto spirites of errour and doctrines of Deuils whiche speake lyes through hypocrisie and haue their consciences burned with an hote yron forbydding to marrie and cōmaunding to absteyne from meates whiche God hath created to be receyued with gyuing thanks of them whiche beléeue
of the resurrection of the dead into doubt and question Moreouer we reade that the olde Fathers haue caste Deuils out of menne and out of suche places wherein by their rumbling they haue put many in horrible feare Such an historie of S. Iohn is in Abdias Babylonius for the holy Apostles and many godly menne after them were indued with this grace from God that they coulde cast out vncleane spirites whiche gyft continued a long season in the Church to the great profite of the faythfull but afterwardes it ceased as other miracles dyd also It maketh vnto this purpose that Tertullian writeth hys Apologetico fol. 858. and 159. Thus we haue sufficiently séene after what sorte the holy fathers and auncient christians behaued themselues when any spirits appeared vnto them CHAP. X. That sundrie kyndes of superstition haue crept in vvhere by men haue attempted to driue avvay spirites IN proces of tyme Supersticions encreased more and more Paule complayneth that in his time Antechrist began to practise his misterie of iniquitie and that many opinions and sectes began to spring vp Saint Iohn writeth that in his time there were many Antechristes What maruel is it then if afterwards yea and that verie quickly diuers errours croape into the Churche and multiplyed excéedingly Sainte Augustine in his 22. booke De ciuitate Dei and eyghte Chapter after that he hadde recited certayne myracles which were therefore shewed that men might beleeue in Chryst he seâ—teth foorthe thys historie Hesperius a man of good worshippe and calling amongest vs hath a piece of land in the territorie of Fussalum called Cubedi in the whiche perceyuing by the languishing of his cattell and seruantes that his house was infected with the force and rage of euyll spirites he desired our fellow Priestes I being then absent that some one of them would take the paines to go thither that the spirit by his good prayers might giue place one of them went thither and there offred the sacrifice of the body of Chryst praying very earnestly that the same disquieting of spirites myght cease and by and by God had compassion and it ceased He had giuen him of a friende of his some parte of holie lande brought from Hierusalem where Chryste being buried rose againe the thirde daye that earth he hung vp in hys chamber least any euil might happeÌ„ vnto him But when his house was deliuered froÌ„ that trouble he deuised wyth himselfe what he might do with the saide earth which for reuerence sake he woulde not kéepe any longer in his chamber c. Héereby it is manyfest that superstition began immediatly and as it hapneth always grewe bigger with great increase as if one shoulde roll foorthe snowe clodded togyther or as when huge lumpes of snow begin to fal down from the Alpes â–ª al things on euery side are filled with snowe Shortly after menne began to praye and offer sacrifice for dead mennes soules yea and that wyth a good intention as it may euidently appeare in many of the auncient fathers Afterwards when Byshops parish Priestes did not onely not correct olde supersticions but also vppon a good meaning increase theÌ„ at the last they grew to an infinite number For when spirits appeared men called not vpon God through Chryst only but also vpon Saintes forgetting that which Saint Paule saithe to the Romaines the tenth For I will let passe at this tyme all other argumentes how shall they call vppon him in whome they haue not beléeued The Papistes themselues cannot deny but that we must beleeue onely in God and therefore he only is to be worshipped through his Sonne Some write that it is a soueraigne remedie to driue away deuils if we praye Aue Maria. Where by the way it is to be noted that the same salutation of the Angell is no prayer but onely a gréeting and hystoricall narration to wit howe the Archangell Gabriell tolde the Uirgin Marie before of the Incarnation of Chryst. But I praye thée weigh the sense of the words and whether thou wilt or no thou must néedes say that these wordes conteine in them neither asking nor thankesgiuing whiche are the partes of prayer WheÌ„ the Angell came vnto hir he saluted hir saying 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 i. salue that is God spéede or reioyce for as Festus sayth the Gréeke and the Latin word haue one signification Then he addeth further full of grace which is to be vnderstoode passiuely as they terme it in the scholes for bycause God bestowed his grace vpon hir for so the Angell himselfe expoundeth it when hee saythe afterwardes that she had found grace that is that God is mercifull and louing towardes hir Those words may not be so vnderstood as if she were the fountayne of grace as some haue expounded it and that she hath grace of hir selfe and bestoweth it vpon such as call vppon hir or speake vnto hir with the salutation of the Angel. For neyther the Gréeke worde nor any other places of the Scriptures admit this sense The Apostle saythe to the Ephesians the firste chapter that God hath made vs hys faithfull seruants deare by his grace through his beloued that is through Iesus christ In the whiche saying the same word is put whiche the Angell vsed in saluting the holy virgine It is written in the firste chapter of saincte Iohns Gospell in playne words that Iohn Baptiste bare witnesse of Christ with a loude voice and saide that we all haue receiued of his fulnesse grace for grace For the lawe was giuen by Moses but grace and truth sprang vp by christ Many other suche places I omitte for breuities sake The virgin Mary hir selfe saith the Lord hath done maruellous things vnto me She setteth foorth the grace of God giuen vnto hir from God without any of hir deserts For he neuer bestowed greater grace on any womaÌ„ And there is a very great difference betwene him that coÌ„ferreth grace and them whiche receiue or obteine grace Grace is only to be sought at his hands who giueth grace and not of them which them selues receiue grace A fewe yeares past all men besought the virgin for helpe hoping for more grace and succour of hir than of Christ him selfe The Angell addeth further Blessed art thou amoÌ„gst women that is God hathe conferred more grace vnto thee than vnto any other woman The words which are ioyned herevnto Blessed is the frute of thy wombe are not the words of the Angell but of hir cousin Elizabeth who also saluted hir Unto these words some religious men added Iesus Christ amen Therefore the Angell vttered not all those words of the Aue Marie as it may manifestly be gathered out of the very text of Saincte Luke chapter .1 not bycause we deny these words to be good and holy for the text saith of Elizabeth that she was full of the holy ghost but that which the Angell spake not is not to be attributed vnto hir You shall not finde in
were persuaded that it was good to stop all spirits from méeting with them in a visible forme But tell me I pray thée who soeuer thou art which doest so by what places of scripture canst thou coÌ„firme those ceremonies Where doth Christ and his disciples teache vs to expell the Diuell which is a Spirit and therefore without any body by bodyly things shewe but one example that they haue cast forthe the Diuell by this way or meanes If you bring out of the bookes of Tobie that the harte and liuer of the fish being layed on the coales droue away the Diuell with the smell we say that the same booke is not accounted amongst the canonicall scriptures and moreouer that the same Diuell was rather vanquished by the prayers of Tobias and his wife than by any fumigation Did Chryste ordayne the holye Supper to thys ende that thereby Deuils shoulde be caste out Albeit that an euill Spirite doo fayne to giue place bycause of these thynges yet he bringeth to passe in the meane season that Superstition is more déepely rooted in the heartes of menne CHAP. XI That spirits are not to be driuen avvay by cursing and banning HEre I cannot ouerpasse that certeine doo vainly persuade them selues that Spirits may easily be driuen away with cursing banning for that as they say Spirits approche néere vnto such as pray and do more egerly disturbe and vexe them Our Lord Iesus Chryste who can best tell how we should fight against the crafte and subtiltie of the Diuell teacheth vs in many places to pray continually he biddeth vs to pray in the Lords prayer that we may be deliuered from euil calling Sathan by the figure 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Euill it selfe bicause he excelleth therein Nothing can be more acceptable and pleasing to the Diuel than when any man vseth cursing and banning He feyneth that he is hereby driuen away but in the meane season he crepeth inuisibly into their bosoms If you liste ye may driue away the Diuel in saying that he hathe no place with you but his place is in Hell and that he hathe nothing to do with those whiche put their only trust and confidence in Christ Iesus For in the eyght chapter to the Romans in the beginning it is sayde Nowe there is no condemnaâ—ion vnto them that are grafted in Christe Iesu who walke not according to the fleshe but according to the spirit A man may commaund the diuel to departe from him without any cursing or banning And that is also to be blamed that certaine wicked and rashe men talke very beastly and filthily with spirits if they appere at any time vnto them Some others when spirits appeare vnto them will by and by set on theÌ„ driue them away with naked swords and sometimes throwe them out of the windowes not coÌ„sidering with themselues that spirites are nothing hurte with weapons In the Grecian histories we reade that a certayne Lacedemonian passing by a sepulchre in the night season when a spirit séemed to appeare vnto him ran towardes it thinking to run it through with his speare saying whether flyest thou O thou soul wich shalt twice dye Surely it is praise worthy when a maÌ„ meâ—ing with a spirite is not afrayde but yet boldnesse and rashnesse can not be commended If thy enimy albeit he be very weake be not to be despised muche lesse ought an enimy so mighty so crafty to be neglected There haue bin some who when they would haue striken a Spirit with their sword haue thought they haue striken the fetherbed the Diuel so mocked them Others supposing they had throwen a spirit out of the window by and by thought they heard shingles falling and ratling amongst the trées It is reported that there haue bin some who supposing with their weapons to hurte spirites haue wounded them selues for their armes and other members of theyr body haue neuer serued theÌ„ after We must not vse a materiall sword against spirits and vayne shewes for it profyteth nothing but we must vse the sword of the Spirit They which will strike spirits and ghosts with a sword in dede 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that is fight with their owne shadow In the booke of Iob the diuell is signified by Leuiathan which careth not for the speare for he apeareth in diuers shapes caÌ„ not be put to flight with pikes The diuel is a spirit he hath not boanes fleshe but he only taketh on him a shape for a time But in case spirits which haue bodies do waÌ„der that is coÌ„iurers priests whores whoremoÌ„gers which faine theÌ„ selues to be spirits â–ª there caÌ„ be no better coÌ„iuratioÌ„ inueÌ„ted thaÌ„ to bang theÌ„ wel with a cudgel For thou shalt not so much preuaile with this kind of diuels with words as with stripes Hytherto I haue shewed howe they ought to behaue themselues which méete with spirits As touching them which neuer heard or sawe any thing for there be many which neuer chaunced on such things let them be thankfull vnto God for so greate a benefite let them not be rash and bolde nor desirous to sée suche thyngs but rather let them praye vnto God for them whyche are vexed wyth suche euyls Let them not doo as they many tymes vse whiche were neuer greatly sicke for they féele not other mens griefes and therfore they thinke they are little sick or that they counterfaite their sicknesse vntill suche tyme as they them selues fall into some greate and dangerous disease euen so God can cause them to see spirites which neuer sawe any before that afterwardes they may be the more touched with other mens gréefs and diligently pray for them CHAP. XII After vvhat sort vve ought to behaue oure selues vvhen vve heare straunge crackes or vvhen other forevvarnings happen BUt nowe as concernyng other matters as in case any straunge crackes and noyses be heard or any rare and maruellous things happen before the alteration of kingdomes whiche wée spake of before what shall we then doo Surely we must not attribute too much vnto such things for they somtimes yea and most commonly chaunce by the disceyte of the diuell who hath a great pleasure to haue men muse nighte and daye on suche matters and to imagine before theyr eyes and myndes many horrible things that therby they may fall into some gréeuous sickenesse and neuer bée at rest When such things happen in déede they ought to put vs in mynd that we casting from vs al these things which displease God should wholly consecrate oure selues vnto God and so frame our selues that at what houre soeuer he come and please to call vs out of this lyfe we shoulde be ready for him euen as he himselfe teacheth vs and also endure patiently all vnfortunate chaunces howe many soeuer happen vnto vs knowing that they come not by chaunce but by the prouidence of God. Plutarch albeit he be an Heathen writer is of a sounde iudgement as me séemeth coÌ„cerning Monsters and wonders