citie of Ramoth Gilead whiche the Assirians had taken from hym Iosaphat allowed well this deuise notwythstanding hée woulde in any wyse aske counsayle herein of god Achab therefore gathereth togither a councell of .400 priests of Baall who all with one voice exhorted him to goe on with his enterprise assuring him of most certeyne victorie One of them named Sedechias was so vainly bold that putting hornes of yron on his head he sayde with these hornes shalt thou pushe the Assirians But Iosaphat suspecting the matter asked if there were any one Prophet of God to be found of whom they might séeke councell Achab answeared There is quoth he yet a certeine man by whom we might enquire of the Lorde but I hate him for he doth not prophecie good vnto me but euill his name is Micheas Iosaphat thought good in any wise to heare him Wherfore the king presently sent for him by one of his chamberlaines And thus the messanger spake vnto him All the Prophets with one voice prophecie good lucke vnto the king I pray thée therfore that thou speake nothing to the contrary When he was nowe brought before the two kings sitting in their thrones clad with sumptuous apparell and before the other Prophets which stoode in their presence king Achab asked him whether they should make warres against Ramoth Gilead or no Unto whom he scoffingly answered go saith he thou shalt haue prosperous successe The king who by the manner of his vtterance vnderstoode he spake not in earnest instantly required hym to tell hym the truth Whervppon he sayde that he had séene all Israell dispersed in the mountaines as shepe without a shepherd and that the Lorde had sayde These men haue no Lord let euery one returne home to his owne house in safetie Then sayde Achab did I not tell thée that this fellowe doth prophecie me no good The Prophete went on saying heare the word of God I sawe the Lord sitting in his seate of maiestie and all the host of Heauen stand about him on his righte hande and on his lefte hande And the Lorde sayde who shall entice Achab that he may go and fall at Ramoth Gilead And one sayde on this manner and an other sayde on that manner Then there came foorth a spirit and stoode before the Lorde and sayde I will entice him And the Lorde sayde vnto him wherewith And he sayde I will go out and be a false Spirit in the mouth of all his Prophets Then he sayde thou shalt entise him and shalt also preuaile go foorth and do so Nowe therefore behold the Lorde hath put a lying Spirit in the mouth of all these thy Prophets and the Lorde hathe appointed euill agaynst thée Then Sedechias came nere and smote Micheas on the chéeke and sayde when went the spirit of the Lorde from me to speake vnto thée And Micheas prophecied what should happen also vnto him So the king commaunded him to be cast into prison and to be fed with bread and water vntil he returned frō the warres Then sayde Micheas if thou returne in peace the Lorde hathe not spoken by me and therewith he willed all the people to hearken what he spake Notwithstanding the kings went forewarde with their enterprise and prepared themselues and led foorth their armes against their enimies Achab was slayne in the battaile Iosaphat because he ioyned him selfe with the wicked was in very great daunger c. I haue handled thys historie somewhat at large that we might vnderstand howe God by his iust iudgement sendeth spirits vnto those which despise his word whereby they may be beguiled and deceyued The very same happened vnto the Christians after the Apostles tyme For when the word of God began to be lesse estemed than it shoulde haue bin and men preferred their owne affections before the hearing thereof and when as they would incurre no manner of daunger for the defence of their faith and of the truth but accounted of all religions alike God so punished them that nowe they began to giue eare vnto false teachers whiche framed them selues vnto theyr veine affections they learned of images whom they called lay mennes bookes they kissed these mens boanes and shrined them in golde if happely they were their boanes whose doctrine before they disdained to receyue they gaue credite vnto false apparitions and diuelishe visions and so suffered they worthy punishment for their greate ingratitude Euen as yong men which will not be ruled by their maisters are after compelled to obey other men with great shame so also happened it vnto those men for they fell dayly more and more from the word of God in so muche that when they had once lost the truthe some ranne one waye and some an other to fynde a meanes for the remission of their sins and one man beleued this spirite an other that which no man can deny The like chaunced vnto the Gentiles in times past as it appereth by the first chap. to the Romans also by their own writings They worshipped many gods many miracles were shewed amongst them they had many visiōs of gods and many oracles which when the Apostles began to preach al cessed S. Athanasius in his booke De humanitate verbi Fol. 55. 64. writeth that in auncient time ther were oracles at Delphos in Beeotta Lycia other places whiche he nameth but nowe since Chryste is preached euery where vnto all men this madnesse hath ceassed c. In the like manner writeth Lactantius and others But in these our daies since we haue refused mens traditions and willingly imbraced the doctrine of the Gospell all appearings of Soules and Spirites haue quite vanished away Who I pray you heareth now of any soule or Spirit which doth wander and as they call it craue mens deuotions Those rumblings of Spirits in the night are now muche more seldome heard than they haue bin in times past CHAP. II. VVhat the cause is that in these our dayes so fevve spirits are seen or heard THe clere light of Gods worde driueth away al such spirits which vse to worke their feates in the darke The cleare light approching the shaddowe and darknes vanisheth The prince of darknesse shunneth light and hath nothing to do where men worship God the father only through Iesu Christ beleuing only on him and committing them selues wholy vnto his protection If men esteme the word of God and haue it in price he will in no wise suffer them to be so ouerséene and deceyued as they are whiche do all things without the warrant of his word Here I cannot ouerpasse with silence a certeine merry iest when once there chanced to bée talke in a certayne place of visions and Spirits a certayne professor of the Gospell sayd vnto a Papist in this maner You ought quoth he euen by thys to gather that our religion is true and youres false for that since the Gospell was preached vnto vs very fewe spirits haue ben sene of any man. To whome
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
last reade least .102.27 for other in reade other name in .103.7 for made full reade made not ful â–ª 128.30 for certifie reade terrifie .130.31 for beate reade chyde .132.1 for ended reade in déede .136.16 for this is that is reade that is this is .143.33 for Delphis reade â—i Delphis .147.24 for was in vayne reade was not in vayne 1â—2.15 for haue lent reade lent .153.7 for late reade later .185 â–ª 14. for prouerb sayth reade prouerb sayth burnt childe dreads fire ¶ To the right excellent and moste wise and vertuous lorde Iohn Steigerus CoÌ„sul of the noble coÌ„mon welth of Berna his good lorde and patron Lewâ—s Lauaterus of Tigurin wisheth health MAny and diuers thinges are resoned vpon both of the learned and vnlearned as well of other matters as also of Spirites which are séene and heard and make men afrayde in the night season and in the daye tyme by sea and by lande in the fieldes woods and houses And lykewise concerning suche straunge things whiche for the most parte happen before the death of certayne men especially greate Princes and before notable innouations of kingdomes and empires Many which neuer sawe or hearde any of these thinges suppose all that is reported of them to be méere trifles and olde wyues tales for so muche as simple men and suche as are fearefull and superstitioâ—s persuade themselues they haue séene this or that when in déede the matter is far otherwise Againe there are some which as soone as they heare of any thing especially if it happen in the nighte they by and by thinke some spirite doth walke and are maruellously troubled in mynde bycause they can not discerne naturall things from spirites And some chéefly those which hunt after gaynes by the soules of dead men affirme that the moste parte of suche things which are hard or séene are the soules of dead men whych craue helpe of them that are liuing to be deliuered out of the tormentes of most cruell payne in Purgatorie Many not only of the common sorte but also menne of excellent knowledge do maruayle whether there bée any spirits or no and what maner of things they are Yea some of my familiar friends haue many times requested me to shewe them my opinion concerning these matters Wherefore me séemeth it shall be worth my laboure if I declare briefly and playnly out of the word of God what we ought to iudge concerning these things For the ministers of Gods Churche can take nothing more profitable in hande than to instructe the people of God purely and plainly in suche necessary matters as come in question out of the word of God whiche is a lanterne as the psalmist saith vnto our féete and a light vnto our pathes and to deliuer them from all erroure and superstition and bring them out of all wauering and dout And verily their study and diligence is to be highly commended who for these fewe yeares ago haue set foorth certayne bookes drawen out of the scriptures writteÌ„ in the Germayne tong against sundry errours theirs likewise who in these our dayes by writing of bookes do teache instructe and confirme the rude and vnlearned people For amongst many other excellent benefits which God our heauenly Father hath bestowed vppon mankinde this also is a great and most liberall gifte that in this latter and as it were olde age of the world he hath brought to light by the arte of imprinting as well many other good authors as also the holy scriptures of the olâ—e and newe testament written in diuers languages wherby he dothe not only teache vs amply and fully what to beléeue and what to doe but also mightyly subuerteth and quite ouerthroweth diuers and sundry errours which by little and little haue crept into the Church Truly all suche are very vngrateful towards God which doe not willingly acknowleage this so notabel a benefite As touching this my treatise concerning Spirits and straunge wonders I haue deuided it into three partes for the more clere vnderstanding therof In the first parte I shewe that there are visions and spirits and that they appeare vnto men sometimes and that many and maruellous things happen besides the ordinarie course of nature In the second I discusse what manner of things they are that is not the souls of dead meÌ„ as some meÌ„ haue thought but either good or euill Angels or else some secrete and hid operations of god In the third I declare why God doth sometime suffer Spirits to appeare and diuers forewarnings to happen and also howe men ought to behaue them selues when they happen to méete with such things In these points or partes the chiefest thing whereon men vse to reason touching this matter are conteined Nowe I meane to handle this matter being very obscure and intricate with many questions I trust so plainly clerely out of the holy scriptures wheron we may surely stay our selues out of the auncieÌ„t fathers allowed historiographers and other good writers that those which are studious and louers of gods truth may well vnderstand what may be denied and thought of those apparitions and other straunge and maruellous matters And I also trust that euen our aduersaries also in case they will lay their affections aside but a litle while will say that I haue truly alleaged all their arguments and confuted them without any rayling or bitternesse For my purposed ende is according to the doctrine of saincte Paule to edifie and not to destroy As touching diuinatioÌ„s blessings iugglings coÌ„iurings and diuers kinds of sorcerie and generally of all other diuelishe practises certayne learned men of our time haue written bookes as Gasper Peâ—cerus Ioannes Viera Ludouicus Mellichius and perchaunce some others also whose works I haue not yet séene It is not long ago since Ioannes Riuius a man learned and eloquent published a booke in the latine tong entreating of spirites and superstition In the which booke albeit very briefly yet doth he as he is wont in all things very finely and eloquently intreat of this matter and of other foolishe superstitions And albeit that I doo write more largely of this yet was it not my minde to gather togither all those things whiche I coulde haue spoken and alleaged touching the same matter but only suche as séeme the chiefest and most especial points partly because I wold not be tedious to the reader partly also least my bookes should growe vnto an ouer greate quantitie I haue great hope that Ioachimus Camerarius that excellent man who readeth the auncient writers both gréeks and latins with exquisite iudgemeÌ„t and hath great experience in all things will shortly write learnedly and at large of this matter and also of others like vnto it For so much he séemeth to promise in his preface to Plutarches booke De defectu oraculorum figura consâ—crata Delphis wherin he handleth the nature and operations of diuels and also in other of his writings I for my parte had once
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
one and they were always read of the auncient people For albéeit they neuer wente aboute to approue any doctrine by them yet were they of great authoritie amongst them CHAP. XIX To vvhome vvhen vvhere and after vvhat sort spirits do appeare and vvhat they do vvorke BY all these examples we may plainly perceiue that many straunge things are obiected to mens senses that sometimes spirits are séene and heard not only as some haue thought as Plutarke witnesseth in the life of Dion of children women sicke folkes dottards otherwise very plaine and simple creatures but also to mē of good corage and such as haue bin perfectly in their wits Yet it may not bée denied but that there appeare many more vnto some that vnto other some as vnto trauellers watchemen hunters carters and marriners who leade all their life not only in the day time but also in night in iorneying in the water woods hills and vallies You shal mete with some one who neuer sawe nor heard any of this geare in all his life time and contrariwise there be other some whyche haue séene and hearde very man suche things So there are some which very seldom chaunce vpō serpents agayne many there are which oftentimes méets with them in their iorney The common people say that those whose natiuities chaunce vppon the Auguries for so they terme the foure seasons of the yeare do sée more store of Spirites than those whiche are borne at other tymes but these are méere trifles Those whiche are stedfaste in true faithe see or heare suche thiyngs more seldome than superstitiouse people as in all other things Hée that is superstitiouse vseth some blessing as they call it to heale hys horses disease and it taketh good effecte he inchaunteth a Serpente and it can not once moue out of the place He applyeth a blessyng to straunge bleedyng and it stoppeth presentely He taketh a hollie rod or twisted wand inchāted it wil moue where a mettle mine is but he that is of a sounde fayth and doth despise these things for he knoweth well they are contrary to the word of god also to the Popes decrées albeit perchaunce he practise such things yet notwithstanding he can bring nothing to passe And so also it chaunceth that he séeth spirites and vaine visions a great deale more seldome than superstitious men do for hée knoweth wel what hée ought to déeme and iudge of them There are some kinde of men who thinke it a gay thing if many suche straunge sightes appeare vnto them There were farre many more of these kindes of apparitions and myracles séene amongest vs at suche tyme as we were giuen vnto blindnesse and superstition than since that the Gospell was purely preached amongest vs the cause whereof I will shewe heareafter And moreouer it commeth often times to passe that some one man doth heare or sée some thing most plainly when an other which standeth by him or walketh wyth him neyther séeth nor heareth any such matter We reade in the Historie of Heliseus that he saw chariottes of fire and many horsemen vpon the toppe of the Mountaine and yet hys seruaunt sawe nothing vntil the Prophet prayed vnto the Lord that he woulde voutsafe for hys confirmation and consolation to open hys eyes that he might also beholde this notable miracle So likewise we reade in the 9. chapter of the Actes of the Apostles that Christ ouerthew Paule before Damascus and that he spake vnto hym and his companions also hearde the voyce Afterwardes in the 22. chapter Paule himselfe shewing vnto the people in the presence of Lycias in the Castle at Hierusalem what had hapened vnto them sayth that they heard not the voice of him that talked with him which two places are not repugnant for the meaning is that they heard a voyce or sounde in deede but they vnderstood not what the Lord had sayd vnto him Plato writeth in his Dialogue called Theages that Socrates had a familiar spirit who was woonte to put him in mynde to cease from labouring when that whiche he attempted shuld haue no happie successe This spirit he himselfe sawe not and other men hearde not They say that sometimes Children doe sée certaine things whiche other men sée not and by a certain peculiar operation of nature some men behold that which others in no wise can perceiue As touching the tyme when spirits appeare we reade in hystories that it shall be after a thousand yeares which God hath appoynted in the whiche tyme Sainte Iohn prophesied in the Apocalips that Sathan shoulde be lette loose that is to saye errours and supersticion and al kynd of mischéefe should abound many spirits appeare euery where for men gaue them more creditte than the Scriptures If a spirit apeared or was heard to say in case these or those things be decréed to wit vowed Pilgrimage and erecting Chappelles and that this shall be an acceptable kynde of worship vnto God the Bishoppes and paryshe Priestes weighed not whither those things were agréeable to the word of God or no. c. Spirits appeared in old time and do appeare still in these dayes both day night but especially in the night and before midnighte in our first sléep Moreouer on the frydayes saterdayes fasting daies to confirme superstition Neither may we maruel that they are heard more in the night thā in the day time For he who is the author of these things is called in the holie Scriptures the Prince of darkenesse and therefore hée shunneth the light of Gods worde And albeit these are heard or séene in al places yet are they most especially conuersant in the fieldes where battels haue ben fought or in places where slaughters haue ben made in places of execution in woods into the which they haue coniured deuils being cast out of men in Churches Monasteries and about Sepulchers in the boundes of countries buts of lands in prysons houses towers and somtime also in the ruines and rubbish of Castles God thretneth the Babilonians in the 13. chap. of Esaie that spirits and Satyrs shal daunce where their magnificent houses Pallaces were where they were wont to lead their daūces And in his 34. chap. wher he threatneth destruction vnto al nations enimies of God he saith In the ruinous tottering Pallaces Castles houses horrible spirits shal apeare with terrible cries and the Satyre shal cal vnto hir mate yea the night hags shal take their rest there For by the sufferance of God wicked Deuils worke strange things in those places where men haue exercised pride and crueltie The maner of apearing of spirits is diuers manyfold as it apereth by those things which I haue aleaged before For they shew themselues in sundry sorte sometymes in the shape of a man whome we know who is yet alyue or lately departed otherwhile in the likenesse of one whom we knowe not I heard of a
they alledge this that Christs apostles beleued that the spirit or soule either of Christ as some of the fathers vnderstand it or of some other person did appere vnto thē Besides to proue this matter they alledge places out of the fathers decrées of councels the cōmon report that hath ben bruted of those that returned frō the dead To al these resons by Gods assistance we will briefly and orderly answere As touching y first obiection that al things are possible vnto God we denie it not We graunt then that God can bring soules out of heauen or hel vse their trauaile seruice to instruct cōfort admonish rebuke men But for that no text or example is found in holy scripture that euer any soules came from the dead which did so scoole warn men or that the faithful learned or sought to vnderstande any thing of the soules deceassed we cānot allow the sequele of their reason We may not of gods almightie power inferre cōclusions to our plesure For this is a principle holdē in scholes that the reson doth not truly folow that is set frō the power of doing to the dead done For God doth nothing against himself or his word writē to warrāt their reson they shold first haue proued that it was gods wil y soules shold return into the erth for so do holy fathers intreat of gods almighty power Tertulliā against Praxias saith Truly I neuer thought that any thing was hard to be done of God we may faine of God what wée liste as if he had done the same bicause he is able to doo it But we must not beléeue that God hathe therefore done all things because he is able to doo them But first we ought to make inquirie whether he hath done them S. Ambrose in his sixte booke of epistles and 37. epistle writeth vnto Cromatius in this wise Therefore what is there vnpossible vnto him Not that thing whiche is hard to his power but that which is contrary to his nature It is vnpossible for him to lye and this impossibilite in hym procedeth not of infirmitie but of vertue and maiestie For truth receyueth no lye neither doth the vertue of God enterteine the vanitie of errour Reade farther that whiche followeth in the same place Hierom writing to Eustochia of the preseruing of hir virginitie saith I will boldly auouch this one thing that though God can do all things yet can he not restore a virgin after hir fall Augustine in the tenth chapter of his fifth booke De ciuitate dei hath That God is saide to be omnipotent in doing that he will and not in doing that he will not Againe he addeth Gods power is not herby any whit diminished when we say that god cannot die or be deceyued And immediatly therefore he cannot do some things bycause he is omnipotent c. Thodoret also teacheth vs that it may not absolutely without exception be pronounced that all things are possible vnto god For who so doth precisely affirme thys dothe in effecte say this muche that all things both good and bad are possible vnto God c. Wherefore féeble is that obiection of theirs God can sende soules vnto men to teache and admonish them therefore these spirits that praye ayde be soules that come out of Heauen or Hell. In the meane time we do not denie the power of God as some do maliciously report of vs but we wold not haue the same made a denne or couert of errours Heare what the Lorde our God in the .18 of Deuteronomie speaketh When thou shalte come into the lande whiche the Lorde thy God giueth thée doo not thou learne to doo after their abhominable rites and vsages of those nations Let none bée founde among you that maketh hys sonne or his daughter to passe through the fire nor a diuiner that dooth forshew things to come nor a Sorcerer nor a witche nor a charmer nor one that consulteth with spirits nor an inchanter nor a Magitian nor one that raiseth vp the dead For the Lorde dothe abhorre all that doo such things and bicause of these abhominations the Lord thy God hath caste them out before thée Be thou therfore sound and perfecte before the Lorde thy God and by and by he promiseth to send them that great Prophet whome they shoulde heare In the .viij. of Esay it is written If they say vnto you inquire of them which haue a spirite of diuination whiche whisper and murmure softely in youre eares to deceyue you Should not euery people or nation enquire at their God what shall they go from the liuing to the dead Let them goe vnto the lawes testimonie suche as haue no light should they not speake according to this word which who so should contemne shal be hardened and hunger c. Héereby we do vnderstand that vnder a greate penaltie God hath precisely forbidden that we shoulde learne and searche out any thing of the dead He alone woulde be taken for our sufficient schoolemaster In the Gospell wée read They haue Moses and the Prophets let them heare them Unto these may be added testimonies out of the Apostles writings that God doth not send vs soules hither to informe vs The common and ordinarie way whereby it pleaseth God to deale with vs is his word Therwithal should we content our selues and not wayte for newe reuelations or receyue any thing that dooth not in all pointes agrée therwith But as touching this matter we wil speake more in his proper place CHAP. VII That the true Samuell did not appeare to the vvytche in Endor NOwe touching the examples by them commonly alleaged whiche do thinke that the soules of the dead do return again vnto the liuing vpon the earth I wil first intreat of Samuels apparition of which matter now adayes there is greate contention and reasoning And as I trust I shal proue by strong argumentes that very Samuell himselfe did not appeare in soule and body neither that his body was raised vp by the sorcerers which perchaunce then was rotten consumed vnto dust in the earth neither that his soule was called vp but rather some diuelish spirite First the author of the two bookes of Samuel sayeth that Saule did aske counsell of the Lord that he would not answer him neither by visions nor by Urim nor by his Prophets Wherfore if God disdayned by his Prophetes yet liuing and other ordinarie wayes to giue answer vnto him whom he had alredy reiected we may easily coniecture that he would much lesse haue raysed a dead prophet to make him answer And the rather for that as we haue a little before sayde the law of God hathe seuerely by a greate threatening forbidden to learne oughte of the deade and woulde not haue vs to searche for the truth of them nor that any manne should vse dyuination by spyrites and suche other diuelyshe Artes. Secondly yf very Samuell in deede appeared that muste
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
companie are so troubled in minde that they thinke their friends enimies and cannot tell in the world where they are and whether they go all the which commeth by feare Plutarche in his booke De sera numinis vindicta reporteth a maruellous and notable historie of one called Bessus who after he had murdered his father hid him selfe a long season But on a time as he went to supper espying a swalowes nest with his speare he thrust it downe and when those which supped togither with him misliked and abhorred his crueltie for we like not those men that trouble litle birdes and other beasts bicause we iudge them austerne and cruell he aunswered haue they not saith he falsly accused me a greate while crying out on me that I haue slayne and murdered my father Those which wer◠present being striken with greate admiration reported these his words to the king who immediatly caused hym to be tormented and examining the matter diligently at the last founde him giltie and punished him as a manquiller of his owne father Hereof ye may gather what fear◠can do the swalowes coulde not speake and yet he perswaded him selfe that they vpbrayed him with murdering his father Euen so many through feare imagine that they heare and sée many thinges whiche in deede are méer◠trifles Procopius in the beginning of the warres of Italie declareth that as Theodoricus sate at meate after he had put to death Boethius and Symmachus his sonne in lawe a fishes head being brought before him he sawe in it the countenance of Symmachus looking horribly which biting the nether lip with lowring eyes séemed to threaten him wherewith the King béeing sore abashed fell into a gréeuous sicknesse wherof he afterwards died Yea feare if it be vnmeasurable maketh vs to abhorre those things whiche otherwise should be comfortable vnto vs The apostles of our lorde Jesu Christ may be examples hereof Who in the night season being in greate daunger in the Sea when they sawe Christe walking on the water approching towards them wer maruelously appalled For they supposed they sawe a Spirit and cried out for feare But the Lorde came to deliuer them out of that present daunger wherein they were After his resurrection they were maruellously affrayde and as S. Luke saith they verily supposed they saw a Spirit when in deede he appeared vnto them in his owne body Therfore the lord comforteth hartneth them saying Behold my hands my féet for I am euē he hādle me and sée for a spirit hath not flesh and bones as ye sée I haue They through great ioy could not beleue it but maruelled at it Héere thou séest by feare it came to passe that the Disciples supposed the lord him self to haue ben a ghost And therefore no man ought to maruell if we hindered by feare mistake one man for an other and perswade our selues that we haue séene spirits whereas no suche were They whiche are of stout and hautie corage frée from all feare seldome tymes sée any spirits It is reported of the Scythiās a warlike natiō dwelling in mountaynes from whom it is thought the Turkes take their originall that they neuer sée any vayne sightes of spirits Authors write that Lions are not feared with any bugs for they are full of stomacke and deuoide of feare CHAP. IIII. Men vvhich are dull of seing and hearing imagine many things vvhich in very deed are not so THey which are weake of sight are many tymes in suche sorte deceyued that they beholde one man in stede of an other Poare blynded men whom the Gréekes call 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which can not sée any thing except it be very néere their eyes as for the most parte students are which night and daye turne ouer their bookes are so muche deceiued in their sight that they are many times ashamed to vtter what they haue thought they haue séene And it standeth by naturall reason that an ore séemeth to be broken in the water and a tower foure cornered a farre off sheweth to be rounde Those whiche drinke wine immoderately in suche sorte that their eyes beginne to waxe dimme and stare out of their heads like hares whiche haue bene caried hanging on a staffe a mile or twaine sée things farre otherwise than sober men doe They suppose they sée two candles on the table whē there is but one desiring to reache the potte they put their hand amisse In Euripides tragedie named Bacchis Pentheus affirmeth that he séeth two sunnes and two cities of Thebes For his braines were maruellously distempered It is a common saying that if wine haue the victorie all things seeme to bée turned vpside downe trées to walke mountaines to be moued riuers to runne against the head c. Salomon exhorteth all men from dronkennesse in his prouerbes cap. 23. shewing what discommodities ensue therof and amongst other things he sayeth thus Thy eyes shall sée straunge to witt visions and maruellous apparitions For as timorous men imagin miraculous things euen so do dronken men who of purpose corrupt and spoile their sight And albeit God shew many wonders in the aire and in the earth to the ende he may stir men vp from idlenesse and bring them to true repentaunce yet notwithstanding we must thinke that dronken men which sit vp vntill midnight do often say they haue séene this or that vision they haue behold this or that wonder when as in déed they are vtterly deceyued For in case they had retourned home in due season and not ouercharged themselues with too much wine no suche thing had appeared vnto them For in dede their eyesight had not bin blinded Doth it not often come to passe that when men are once throughly warmed wyth wine they mistake one for another of whom they thought they were abused in worde or déede and violentlye flye on them with weapon The place before alleaged out of Salomon maye also bée vnderstood to thys purpose Thy eyes shall sée straunge to witte women to luste after them For experience teacheth vs that men being dronk assaie to rauishe matrones and maydens which béeing sober they would neuer once thinke vppon Wine immoderately taken is the nurse of rashe boldnesse and filthy lust Aristotle writeth that some menne through the féeblenesse of their sight beholding in the aire néere vnto them as it were in a glasse a certaine image of them selues suppose they see their owne angels or soules and so as the Prouerbe is they feare their owne shadowe Although men in obscure and darke places can sée nothing yet doo they not I pray you imagine they sée diuers kindes of shapes colors And we many times suppose those things which we sée to be farre otherwise than in déede they are It is well knowne a mans sight maye be so deceiued that he verily thinkes that one deuoureth a sword spitteth out money coales and suche like that one eateth breade and spitteth foorth meale
Mary full of grace the Lord be with me c. The Frier knowing the Priors voyce caught a knyfe and wounded him therwith and when he defended himselfe the Fryer stoutly resisted and draue him backe These things thus done the Supprior béeing in good hope to restore all that they had lost appeared againe to the Frier saying that he was S. Catherin of Sena and therwith begun to chide him for that he so discurteously had intreated the holy Uirgin adding moreouer I am sent quod he to shewe thée that the wounds which thou hast in thy body are the very true woundes of Christ whiche neyther I nor yet S. Francis hath and that he enlarged with many wordes Yet notwithstanding the Frier so entertayned him that he was glad to saue himselfe with running away Nowe bicause the Fryer wold no longer be mocked at their hands they maruellously troubled and almost at their wits ende taking aduise among them selues brake the matter vnto him and tolde him that in very déede they fréely confessed many of those apparitions which he had séen to be fayned and that for no other cause but to the ende he should perseuere in his profession and Religion howbeit the very effect of the matter was most true and that he ought not to doubt but that he bare the wounds of Chryst in his body And forsomuch as the matter was nowe knowen abroad they ernestly besought him that he would not refuse to go on in the matter for otherwise their order should incurre open shame and bothe he and they fall into present daunger but in case he woulde persist in his enterprised purpose the thing woulde fall out to his and their great aduauntage And so with fairer wordes they persuaded him to make promise to be ruled by them hereafter After long instruction and teaching they placed him on the altar of our Lady knéeling on his knées within a chappell before the image of the holy virgine Where one of the Monkes standing behinde a cloath spake thorough a cane réede as if it were Christ talking with his mother in this wise Mother why dost thou wéep haue I not promised thée that whatsoeuer thou willest shal be done Wherto the image made answere Therfore I wéepe bicause this businesse findeth no end Then sayd the image of Christ Beléeue me mother this matter shall be made manyfest This doone the Monke priuely departing the chappell dores were shut As soone as these things were scattered about the citie by by ther was a great thronging of people Amongst whom also came foure monks dissembling and fayning that they knewe not what was there doone and therfore they commauÌ„ded the doores to be opened and after asked the Frier howe and after what sorte he came there He answered them that he was caried by a spirite And moreouer â—old them what woords the image had spoken and that he could by no means moue out of that place before that four of the chéefest Aldermen were come vnto him vnto whom he had certaine things to be declared he also desired to receyue the holy sacrameÌ„t The Aldermen were foorthwith called and then the Frier declared vnto them how the Uirgin Mary lamented and sorrowed for that the citie of Berna shold be shortly destroyed for receiuing yerely pensions of the French king Also for that thei droue not the Franciscans out of their citie who honoured her with the fayned title of vndefiled coÌ„ception Unto this his talke the Aldermen answered very little By and by the other Monkes gaue him the host infected with poyson which when he refused to receyue they brought him an other which he tooke then they led him with great pompe into the quire for so they call the vppermost parte of the churche The Frier the other foure Monkes were soone after called before the Aldermen to testifie the truth whether those things were so or not But the foure fearing excéedingly least he should bewray some thing bicause they knew he suspected them endeuored by al means to do him some priuie mischief by poyson giuen in his meat therfore they gaue him the sacrament dipped in poyson which he presently cast vp againe by vomite finally they so vexed and tormented him by so many wayes that in the end he left the Colledge and ran away and opened the whole matter to diuers and sundry men In the meane tyme the Monkes dispatched two legates or messangers to Rome to obteyne a confirmation of these thyngs of the Pope that hereafter it should be vtterly vnlawfull for any man to contrary or mislike the same And when these messengers were returned and as the Prouerbe is thoughte them selues in a safe hauen the noble Senate hadde commaunded the foure Monkes to be fast kept in prison for they had learned the whole circumstance of the matter before of the Frier whom they had committed to ward And sparing neither labour nor money sent also vnto Rome that they might perfectly knowe what they shoulde do in this matter In the ende both the Frier the foure Monks were all put to torments and there confessed all the matter And when they had bin openly conuicte of so many guiles and horrible déedes by the Popes permission they were firste putte from the orders which they commonly call degradation and afterwardes burned in the fâ—er It was commonly reported that in case the noble Senate of Berna hadde not prosecuted the matter with great constancie and courage the Cleargie woulde haue cloaked all the knauerie and haue sette the authours at libertie For they had greate cause to doubte as it after came to passe lest they should léese their credit and authoritie amongst many of the orders of Monkes that these things wheron the Popedome resteth as it were vppon pillers should now be had in great suspition with al men For it is most euident that after the impietie deceyt and wickednesse of these Monks began to be knowne abroade the opinion of the cleargie began to decay and to be suspected more and more euery day of good and godly men when as they sayd this or that soule required their helpe that tapers lighted of their owne accorde that this or that image spake wept or moued it selfe from place to place that this or that Sainct endowed their monasterie with precious reliques or that Crosses were sprinkeled with the bloud of Christ yea and although they had obteyned coÌ„firmation of these matters from the Pope yet notwithstanding many afterwards would in no wise belèeue it to be so Likewise they woulde not be persuaded that this holy father fallyng into a traunce sawe any miraculous thyngs or that Frauncis and Catherin of Sena bare the markes of Chrystes fyue woundes in their body Furthermore not without great cause men began to doubte of transubstantiation of bread into the bodye of Christ sith they had so often poysoned the sacrament and also of those things which they chaunted vpon with open mouth touching pardons vigilies orders purgatorie
Siluester the seconde that he gaue him selfe to the Deuill that by his meanes his counsell magical deuises he atteined the great office of papacie Do ye thinke that it is a hard thing for him that is confederat with the enimy of maÌ„kinde to faine spirits soules or to coÌ„iure a Deuill to make meÌ„ beleue he were a sâ—ule do you think such men abhorre to do such mischiefe The Historiographers report that Bonifacius the 8. deceyued his predecessor Celestinus by a voice sent through a cane réede as though it had come froÌ„ Heauen persuading him to gyue ouer hys office of popeship and to institute therin one Bonifacius a woorthier man than he except he woulde be thrust out of the kingdom of heauen The poore simple Pope obeying this voyce ordeyned Bonifacius Pope in his steade in the yeare of our Lord .1254 who first brought in the yeare of Iubile Of this Boniface the common people wold say He came in lyke a Fox he raigned lyke a Wolfe and died lyke a Dog. If the very vicar of Christ who hathe all knowledge as it were fast lockt in the Coffer of his brest could be deceyued lette no man maruel any more if simple credulous husbandmen and citezens haue ben deceyued and that it hath bin sayd to them God spake this This soule did aske helpe and suche like things whiche are most false and vayne Yf this man coulde counterfeite the voice of God coulde he not also faine the voice of dead men Before I procéede any further this is also to be obserued that plesant conceited fellowes may often times deceaue the priests them selues For when the priests dyd brag that they coulde coniure Spirits and deliuer mens soules it may be that other being wrapped in shéets hauing vnderneth them liue coales in an earthen pot appeared vnto priests who by and by were persuaded they sawe soules which required their helpe to be deliuered Erasmus in his Colloquio or talke which he intituled Exorcismus veâ—â—pectrum or a coniuration or vision writeth howe one Polus maruellously deceaued a priest called Faustus But there is nodoubt but that priests being many times deceyued in iest by the lay men for pastimes sake haue on the other side more often times beguiled them in earnest I haue spoken hetherto of men being awake and now I will adde a feaw words of suche as sléepe There be many which haue suche a kinde of disease that they walke in their sléepe which thing we reade to haue bin true in one Theon a Stoicke and in Pericles seruaunt who in theyr sléepe climed vp to the top of the house I haue hearde of some which in their sléepe haue done that which béeing awake they could not do by any meanes If a man sée suche a one walking in the night eyther appareled or naked and after heare him say he was at the same time in his bed he will straight thinke it was his soule that he sawe the like will he do if he heare suche a one at his owne house CHAP. XI That many naturall things are taken to be ghosts THere happen dayly many things by the ordinary course of nature whiche diuers meÌ„ especially they that are timorous and fearfull suppose to be visions or Spirits As for example when they heare the crying of rats cats weasels martins or any other beast or when they heare a horse beate his féete on the plankes in the stable at midnight by by they sweate for feare supposing some buggs to walke in the dead of the night Sometimes a bitter or hearne which birds are seldome séene with vs in Germany or some other straunge birdes make a noyse in the aire many fooles straight wayes dreame they haue hearde I wote not what If a worme whiche fretteth wood or that bréedeth in trées chaunce to gnawe a wall of waynescot or other tymber many will iudge they heare one softly knocking vppon an anduill with a sledge and sometimes they imagine they heare many hammers at one time Simple foolish meÌ„ hearing these things imagine I know not howe that there be certayne elues or fairies of the earth and tell many straunge and maruellous tales of them which they haue heard of their grandmothers and mothers howe they haue appeared vnto those of the house haue done seruice haue rocked the cradell and which is a signe of good lucke do continually tary in the house If suche dwarfes or elues haue bin séene at any time surely they were euill Spirits For we reade that the Gentiles in tyme past had their familiar or houshold gods whome they worshipped with greate deuotion bicause as they thought they toke care of their house and defended their familie and vnto these men euill spirites did somtimes appeare therby to confirme them the more in their blynde superstition Olaus magnus Archbishop of Vpsalia writeth in his historie de Gentibus Septentrionalibus that euen at this day also there are spirites séene in these countries which hauing the shape of men do meÌ„ seruice in the night dressing their horsse and looking to their cattell The wind in the night ouerthroweth some thing or shaketh a casement or lid of the window many by and by thinke they sée a spirite and can very hardly be brought from y vayn opinion This thing is also according to nature that when a maÌ„ either crieth or speaketh in the woods valeys or other hollow places Echo will resound the later word or sillable so playnly many times that a man wold verily thinke some liuing body made him answere agayn Many would be afrayd hereof at al tymes but especially in the night season except he knew very well it were a naturall thing Cardanus in his booke de subtilitate lib. 18 â–ª rehearseth a maruellous historie of one Comensis who very late in the night comming to a riuers side not knowing where he might passe ouer called cut aloude for some body to shewe him the foorde and when the Echo made him answere hée supposing it to be a man asked him if he might passe ouer héere to whom the Echo answered again in the ItaliaÌ„ tong Here here But in the place was a whirlepoole a great roring of the water Therfore the man douting asketh once or twice againe whether the riuer might be past ouer in the same place to which the Echo answered stil y it might In the end when he had escaped the passage without daunger he told his frends how by the persuasion of the diuell he had almost thrown himself hedlong into the riuer and drowned himself In the same place he sayth that the great Hall at Ticinium in Italy dothe render sundry and manyfolde voices if one speak in it and that the voyces as it were die and make an end much lyke a mans voyce when he lyeth a dying in so much that a man can scant be persuaded it is the noyse of Echo There are certayne things whiche shyne
horse with a Hauke on his fist as he was wonte when he liued and willed the secretarie albeit wonderfully afraid to bid his Sonne the nexte daye to repaire vnto the same place for he had matter of greate importance to declare vnto him Which when Ludouicus heard partly bycause he could not beléeue it partly for that he douted som body laye in waight for him he sent an other to answere in his roome With whome the same soule méeting as it did before lamented very much that his Sonne was not come thither for if he had so doone he saide he would haue opened many other things vnto him But as then he willed the messanger to tell him that twentie two yeares one month and one day being passed he should loose the rule gouernment whiche he nowe possessed As soone as the time forshewed by the ghost was expired albeit he were very circumspect and careful yet the same night the souldiours of Phillip Duke of Millen with whom he was in league therfore stood in no féare of him came ouer the ditches hard frosen with ice vnto the walles and raysing vp ladders toke both Citie and Prince togither Phillip Malancthon writeth in his booke de anima that he himselfe hathe seene some spirites and that he hath knowne many men of good credite whiche haue auoutched not only to haue séene ghostes them selues but also that they haue talked a great while with them In his booke which he intituleth Examen Theologicum he reherseth this historie Which was that he had an aunt who as she sat very heauily by the fire after hir husband was deade two men came into hir house whereof the one being verie like saide he was hir husband deceased the other being very tall had the shape of a Franciscan Frier This that séemed to be the husband came néere the chimney saluting his heauie wife bidding hir not to be afrayde for as he saide he came to commaunde hir certaine things then he bid the long Monke to goe aside a while into the stoue hard by And there beginning his talke after many wordes at the last he earnestly beséecheth and most hartily desireth hir to hire a Priest to say Masse for hys soule and so being readie to departe he biddeth hir giue him hir right hande which thing she being sore afraide abhorring to do after he hadde faythfully promysed she shoulde haue no harme she giueth hir hande which albeit in déede it had no hurte yet did it seeme to be so scortched that euer after it remained blacke This being doone hée calleth foorth the Franciscane and hastily going foorth togither they vanysh away Ioannes Manlius in his collectanies of common places wryteth concerning other spirits which he and other men also did sée the first tome in the chapter De malis spiritibus et ipsorum operibus and also in the chapter De satisfactione Ludouicus Viues saythe in his firste booke De veritate fidei that in the newe world lately found out ther is nothing more common than not that only in the night time but also at noone in the midday to sée spirits aparaÌ„tly in the cities fields which speake coÌ„maund forbyd assault men feare them strike theÌ„ The very same do other report which describe those nauigations of the gret Ocean Hieronimus Cardanus of Millen excellently séene in philosophie phisicke remembreth a great many of these apparitions in his bookes De subtilitate et varietate rerum which who so lysteth to reade I refer hym to his bookes for I am desirous to be bréefe Olaus Magnus Archbishoppe of Vpsalia in Sueuelande declareth in his historie De Gentibus Septentrionalibus the 2. booke and 3. chap that spirits apeare in Iseland in the shape likenesse of such as men are acquainted withall whom the inhabitants take by the hande in stead of their acquaintance before they haue heard any worde of those their acquaintance death whose similitude and likenesse they take on theÌ„ neither do they vnderstand that they are deceiued before they shrink vanish away These things haue I brought togither both out of the olde also newe wryters that it myght plainly apeare that spirits do often times walke and shewe themselues vnto men CHAP. XVI Daily experience techeth vs that spirits do appear to meÌ„ TO al the premisses before handled this also is to be added which no man caÌ„ deny but the many honest credible persons of both kinds aswel men as women of whom som ar liuing some alredy departed which haue do affirm that they haue somtimes in the day somtimes in the night séen hard spirits Some maÌ„ walketh alone in his house behold a spirit apéereth in his sight yea somtimes the dogs also perceue theÌ„ fal down at their masters fete wil by no means depart fro theÌ„ for they ar sore afraid theÌ„selues too Some man goeth to bed and laieth him down to rest and by and by there is some thing pinching him or pulling off the clothes sometimes it sitteth on him or lyeth downe in the bed with him and many times it walketh vp and downe in the Chamber There haue bene many times men séen walking on foote or riding on horseback being of a fierie shape knowen vnto diuers men suche as died not long before And it hath come to passe lykewise that some eyther slayn in the warres or otherwise deade naturally haue called vnto their acquaintance béeing aliue and haue bene knowen by their voice Many times in the nyght season there haue béene certaine spirits hearde softely going or spitting or groning who being asked what they were haue made aunswere that they were the soules of this or that man that they nowe endure extreame tormentes Yf by chaunce any man did aske of them by what meanes they might be deliuered out of those tortures they haue aunswered that in case a certaine numbre of Masses werâ— soong for them or Pilgrimages vowed to some Saintes or some other such like déedes doone for their sake that then surely they shoulde be deliuered Afterwardes appearing in greate lyght and glorie they haue said that they were deliuered and haue therefore rendred greate thankes to their good benefactours and haue in like manner promised that they will make intercession to God and our Ladye for them And hereby it may be well proued that they were not alwayes Priestes or other bolde and wicked men whiche haue fayned themselues to be soules of men deceased as I haue before saide in so muche that euen in those mennes chambers when they haue bene shut there haue appeared such things when they haue with a candle diligently searched before whither any thing haue lurked in som corner or no. Many vse at this day to serch and sifte euery corner of the house before they go to bed that they may sléep more soundly yet neuerthelesse they heare some sâ—rying out and making a lameÌ„table noise c.
It hath many times chaunced that those of the house haue verily thought that some body hath ouerthrowne the pots platters tables and trenchers and tumbled theÌ„ downe the stayres but after it waxed day they haue found all things orderly set in their places againe It is reported that some spirits haue throwne the dore of from the hookes and haue troubled and set all things in the house out of order neuer setting theÌ„ in their due place againe and that they haue maruellously disquieted men with rumbling and making a great noise Sometimes there is heard a great noise in Abbeis and in other solitarie places as if it were coupers hooping and stopping vp wine vessels or some other handicraftes men occupied about their labour when it is most certayn that all in the house are gone to bed and haue betaken themselues to rest When houses are in building the neighbours many times heare the carpenters masons and other artificers handling all things in such sorte as if they were busily labouring in the day time And this straunge wonder is ioyfully receiued as a sure token of good lucke There be some which iudge it commeth to passe naturally that we suppose we heare these things in the nighte which we heard before in the day time Which question I leaue to be discussed of better learned than my selfe Pioners or diggers for mettal do affirme that in many mines there appeare straunge shapes and spirites who are apparelled like vnto other laborers in the pit These wander vp and down in caues and vnderminings séeme to besturre them selues in all kinde of labour as to digge after the veine to carrie togither oare to put it into baskets and to turne the winding whele to drawe it vp when in very déede they do nothing lesse They very seldome hurte the laborers as they say except they prouoke them by laughing and rayling at them for then they threw grauel stones at them or hurt them by some other means These are especially haunting in pittes where mettall moste aboundeth A certayn godly and lerned man wrote once vnto me of a siluer mine at Dauosium in the Alpes vpon the which Peter Buol a noble man the Schultish of the same place whom they cal Landammanus had bestowed great cost a fewe yeres before and had gathered therby good store of riches In the same myne was a spirite or Diuell of the mountayne who when the laborers filled the stuffe they had digged into their vessels he séemed for the most parte euery Fryday to be very busie pouring the mettals of his owne accord out of one basket into an other Wherewith the Schultishe was not offended and when he would eyther descende into the pit or come vp agayne blessyng him selfe with the signe of the Crosse he neuer receyued hurt It chaunced on a tyme that whyle the sayde spirit was too busie intermedlyng himselfe with euery thing one of the myners being offended therewith began to rayle at hym very bitterly and with terrible cursing wordes byd him get him thence in the diuels name But the spirit caught him by the pate and so writhed his necke about that his face stoode behynde his backe yet notwithstanding he was not slaine but liued a long time after well knowne vnto diuers of his familiar friends whiche yet liue at this day howbeit he died within a fewe years after Georgius Agricola whose learned works whiche he wrote of mettalles be yet extant in the end of his booke of creatures liuing vnder the earth he maketh two kinds of Diuels haunting in certayne Mynes abroade For hée sayth there are some cruell and terrible to beholde whiche for the moste parte doo very much annoy and hurt the labourers digging for mettall Suche a one was hée whiche was called Annebergius who only with his breath destroyed aboue .xij. laborers at once in the caue called Corona Rosacea The wynde wherewith he slewe them he lette flée out of his mouth for he appéered in the similitude and lykenesse of an horse Suche an other was Snebergius who wearyng a black roll about his necke tooke vp a labourer aloft from the grounde and sette him in the brinke of a certayne excéeding déepe place where had sometyme bene great store of siluer not without gréeuous brusing of his body And againe he saith there be some very milde and gentle whome some of the Germans call Cobali as the Grecians do bycause they be as it were apes and counterfeiters of men for they leaping and skipping for ioy do laughe and séeme as though they did many things when in very déede they doo nothing And some other call them Elues or Dwarfes of the Mountaynes thereby notyng theyr small stature wherein they commonly appeare They séeme to bée hoare wearyng apparayle lyke the mettall fyners that is in a petycote laced and an apron of lether about their loynes These hurte not the laborers excepte they misuse them but do imitate them in all their doings And he sayth they are not much vnlike vnto those whom the Germans call Guteli bycause they séeme to beare good affection towards men for they kéepe horses and do other necessary businesse They are also lyke vnto them whom they cal Trulli who taking on them the fayned shapes of men and women do serue as it is sayd like seruants both amongst other nations specially amongst the Suetians Touching these spirits haunting mynes of mettal ther is somwhat to be read in Olaus Magnus de Gentibus Septentrionalibus the 6. booke and .x. chapter They whiche sayle on the greate Ocean sea make reporte that in certayne places where the Anthropophagi doo inhabite are many spirites whiche doo the people there very muche harme Héere many straunge things might be brought concerning visions appearing vnto men in their sléepe and also of them which being in a traunce haue lyen a whole day and more without mouing lyke vnto dead men and after béeing restored to them selues agayne haue tolde many miraculous things which they haue séene Cicero writeth of maruellous things in his booke of diuination or soothsaying And so do many other men also Augustine himselfe reciteth in many places of his bookes that some after they were dead haue warned many their frendes of diuers matters and haue disclosed vnto them secrete things which were to come and haue shewed sicke folkes good remedies for their diseases and haue done many suche like things Auenzoar Albumaro a physition of Arabia writeth that he receiued an excellent medicine for his sore eyes of a physition lately deceased appering vnto him in his slepe as Marsilius Fâ—cinus doth testifie writing of the immortalitie of the soule Lib. 16. cap. 5. The holy Scriptures also teache vs that God hath reuealed many things vnto men by dreames S. Mathew in his first and second Chapter writeth that the angell of God appered many tymes vnto Ioseph our Sauior Christes foster father in a dreame and coÌ„maunded him to beware
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
that he shuld not be able once to enter in at Hel gates Which example Tertullian aledgeth therwithal confuteth this vain opinion of the heathen Palinurus in Virgill besought Aeneas that he woulde cast earth on him when he was dead and erect vnto him an horsse for so did they call those Monuments of the deade in whiche albeit no man was layde yet were they vsed in the honour of the deceassed Vergill writeth that Deiphobus his Ghost wandred abroade vnto the whiche Aeneas erected an Horse For the Gentiles were of suche opinion in those dayes that they thoughte an emptie and counterfeyted buriall profited very much Moreouer the heathen were persuaded that the soules which dyed before their naturall time especially of those which perished by violent death whome they call 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 as by hanging drowning or beheading c. dyd strap abroade so long time as they should haue liued if they had not ben slaine by violent death Which opinion Tertullian also confuteth Plato in his 9. booke De legibus writeth that the soules of those which are slayne do pursue their murtherers so far that they do hurt them the which except it be vnderstoode by way of a Metaphor is likewise to be reiected The Catholik faith amongst the Iewes was that the soules of the dead did not return into this erth but either were at rest which was when they dyed in the faythe of the promised Messias or were condemned if they departed hence in their sinnes withoute repentaunce For Iob in his 7. chapter sayth Euen as the cloude vanisheth and fadeth away so he that goeth downe to the graue shall come vp no more nor returne into his house c. But if thou wilt say that Iob was an Ethnick it may be alleaged of Dauid that when he was in very greate daunger and death euen present before his eyes he prayed in the 31. Psalm Into thy handes O Lord I commend my spirite The Preacher also in his 12. chapter sayth The spirit shall returne to God that giueth it In the boke of Wisedome which of old wryters is attributed to Philo Iudeus the third chapter therof it is written the soules of the righteous are in the hande of God and no torment shal touch them And on the other side the soules of the wicked go downe into hell In the 49. Psalm it is written of those welthy worldlings whiche for lucres sake departe from God and his commaundements They are layd as shéepe in Hel death shal consume them and Hell is their habitation c. If the Iewes had beléeued that the soules after this life were tormented in Purgatorie no doubt amongst so many diuers kyndes of sacrifices whiche they offered for the sinnes of the lyuing they woulde at laste haue some one kynd of sacrifice wherby to redéeme souls or in some part to assuage and mitigate their paines And that soules do returne after deathe do offer themselues to be séene and beheld of men and require ayde of them we find no wher in the old Testament but rather the contrary In the 2. of Samuel 12. Dauid speaketh this of his yong childe that he begat by Bersaba that he could not bring him into life againe that he would go to him and the chyld should neuer returne vnto him againe And Iesus the sonne of Syrach in his .38 chapter sayth there is no returning from death Of the vision whiche was shewed to Samuel we will straightway speake in his proper place And that in latter ages long after Christ came in flesh there were some amongest the Iewes who thought that the soules seperated from their bodies dyd straye and raunge a broade it may hereby be gathered for that certaine of the Rabbines write that the soule of Naboth which was slayne bycause he woulde not sell his Uyneyarde to Achab was that Spirite that promised his helpe to seduce Achab béeing as it were one that coueted his death The Turkes also beléeue that the soule is immortall and that assoone as they are loosed from the body they come eyther into a place of rest or of torment But whether that they dyd think that soules returned agayn into the earth and roue there too and fro I could find no playn mention thereof in their Alcaron CHAP. II. The Papistes doctrine touching the soules of dead men and the appearing of them THe Papists in former times haue publikely both taught written that those spirits which men somtime sée and hear be either good or bad angels or els the soules of those which either liue in euerlasting blisse or in Purgatorie or in the place of damned persons And that diuers of theÌ„ are those soules that craue ayde and deliueraunce of men But that this doctrine of theirs and the whole state therof may be the more euideÌ„tly perceiued we wil more largely repete the same out of their owne bokes Iacobus de Cusa a Carthusian Frier Doctor of diuinitie wrote a book of the Apparition of soules after they were seperated fro the bodies which work of his hath in it many supersticious toyes and was Printed in a town belonging to the dominion of Berna named Burgdroâ—e in the yeare of our Lorde 1475. Popish writers commenting on the 4. boke of the Maister of Sentences do appoint foure places to receyue soules after they are departed from the bodies Thrée of the which places they say are perpetuall one which lasteth but for a tyme already lymitted The first place or receptacle is Caelum Empireum the firie heauen so termed of his passing gret brightnesse and glorie which they say is the seate ordeined for the blyssed sort this place by an other in Scripture is called Paradise The second place is Hel vnder the earth being the Mansion of Deuils and Infidels departing hence in deadely sinne without repentance The third place they tearme Limbus puerorum whiche is prouided as wel for the Children of the faythful as of the vnfaythfull who they say shal continually abyde there without any sense of payne being only depriued from the fruition of Gods presence And therefore they say that after their death they ought not to be buried in holy buriall The fourth place is Purgatorie whiche is prepared for them that departe hence without deadly sin or if they committed any such sinnes dyd some penance for them but yet made full satisfaction for theÌ„ or else went hence only stayned with venial sinne Of this place to wit Purgatorie Popish writers teach maruellous things Some of them say that Purgatorie is also vnder the earth as Hel is Some say that Hell and Purgatorie are both one place albeit the paines be diuers according to the deserts of soules Furthermore they say that vnder the earth there are more places of punishment in which the soules of the dead may be purged For they say that this or that soule hath ben séene in this or that
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
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
possessioÌ„ of life euerlasting they that depart in vnbeléef do streight way becoÌ„ partakers of eternal damnation The souls do not vanish away die with the body as the Epicures opinion is neither yet be in euery place as som do imagin touching this matter I wil allege pithie manifold testimonies out of the holy scripture out of which alone this question may ought to be tried discussed Our sauior Christ Iesus which could well iudge of these misteries in the .3 of Iohn saith So God loued the world that he wold giue his only begotteÌ„ son that who so beleueth on him shold not perish but haue life euerlastiÌ„g For god seÌ„t not his son into the world to coÌ„demn the world but that the world by him might be saued He that beleueth in him is not coÌ„demned he that beleueth not is coÌ„demned alredy bicause he beleued not in the name of the only begotteÌ„ son of god And in the .5 of Iohn he saith Uerily verily I say vnto you he that heareth my word beleueth on him that sent me hath euerlasting life shal not come into iugemeÌ„t or coÌ„demnation but hath passed alredy froÌ„ deth to life he doth not say that his sins shold first be purged in purgatorie And in the .6 cha he saith This is the wil of him that sent me that euery one that séeth the son and beléeueth on him should haue life euerlasting and I will raise him vp at the last day againe verily I say vnto you he that beleueth on me hathe life euerlasting In the .14 of Iohn also our Lord sauior Christ Iesus saith that he wil take vs vp to himself that where he is there shuld we be also c. When Christe sent forth his disciples to publish his gospel in the .x. of Math. he said vnto theÌ„ Go ye into the whole world preach the gospel to euery creature he that beleueth is baptized shal be saued and he that beleueth not shal be coÌ„demned in the 5. ch of the 2. to the Corin. the apostle S. Paule saith we knowe that if the earthly house of this tabernacle be destroyed we haue a building of god that is a house not made with haÌ„ds but eternal in the heaueÌ„s c. By these places it may be euidently gathered that the soules of the faithfull are taken vp into eternall ioy the soules of the vnfaithfull assoone as they are departed froÌ„ their bodies are condeÌ„ned to perpetual tormeÌ„t And that this is done streightway after death may be perceyued by the words that Christ spake to the théefe on the crosse when he hoong on his right hand This day shalt thou be with me in paradise And in the 14 chap. of the apocalips it is writteÌ„ I hard a voice that said vnto me write blessed are the dead that dye in the lord 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 .i. amodo as the old traÌ„slatioÌ„ redeth that is by by out of haÌ„d without delay SteueÌ„ in the very point wheÌ„ he loked to be stoned cried lord Iesu receiue my spirit He douted nothing but was assuredly persuaded that his soul shold straightway be traÌ„slated to eternal ioy Paule in the .j. chap. of his epist. to the Philip. sayth I desire to be losed or I couet to depart hence to be with christ Here is no meÌ„tioÌ„ at al made of purgatory in which the soules shold be first purged If thou wilt here obiect that the persons afore aleged wer saints martirs we say farther the Paradyse was opened also to the théef assoone as he became repentant And that the soules both of the faithfull vnfaithful which presently after their death are translated to heaueÌ„ or hel do not returne thence into the earth before the day of the last iudgement may wel be perceiued by the parable of the rich man clothed in purple Lazarus as we read in the .xvj. of Luke For wheÌ„ the rich man prayed Abraham that he would sende Lazarus vnto him to cooâ—e his tong Abraham gaue him this aunswer Betwixt thée and vs there is a great gulfe set so that they which wold goe hence from Abrahams bosome to you in Hell can not neyther can they come from thence to vs And when he be sought him that he would sende Lazarus to his fathers house to admonishe his fiue brethren least they also should come into that place of torment he sayd vnto him They haue Moses and the Prophets let them hear them And again If they heare not Moyses the Prophets neither wil they beleue though one rose agayne froÌ„ the dead CHAP. V. Testimonies of the auncient fathers that deade mens soules parted from theyr bodyes dooe not vvander here vpon earth THis matter was also thus vnderstoode by the holy and auncient Fathers For Augustine in his .xviij. Sermon De verbis Apostoli hathe that there bée two mansions the one in euerlasting fyre the other in the euerlasting kyngdome And in his .xxviij. chapter of his first booke De peccatorum meriâ—is remissione contra Pelagianos in the seueÌ„th tome of his works he sayth Neyther can any man haue any middle or meane place so that he maye be any other where than with the diuell who is not with Christ. And in his notable worke de ciuitate Dei the .xiij. booke and .viij. chapter he sayth The soules of the godly so soone as they be seuered from their bodies be in rest the soules of the wicked in torment vntill the bodies of the one bée raysed vnto lyfe and the other vnto euerlastyng deathe which in scripture is called the second death Iustine also an auncient father writeth in Responsione ad Orthodoxos quest 75. that the difference of the iust vniust doth appeare euen as soone as the soule is departed from the body For they are caried by the angels into such places as are fit for them that is the soules of the iust are brought vnto Paradyse where they haue the fruition of the sighte and presence of Angels and Archangels and moreouer the â—ight of our sauior Christ as it is conteined in that saying whiles we are straungers from the body we are at home with god And the soules of the vnrighteous on the other side are caried to Hell as it is sayde of Nabuchodonosor the king of Babylon Hell is troubled vnder thée being ready to méete thée c. And so till the day of resurrection and rewarde are ethy reserued in suche places as are méetest for them Saint Hillarie in the ende of his exposition of the second Psalme writeth that mens soules are straight way after death made partakers of rewards or punishments And touching the soules of the old Patriarks that dyed before the natiuitie of Christ Austin Hierom Nazianzen and other holy Fathers teache that God in certain places by him chosen out for that purpose hath preserued the soules of all
those that are departed from this lyfe in the true faith of the Messias to come in suche sort that they feele no gréefe but yet are depriued of the sight of god This place they call Abrahams bosom and hell for Hell doth not always betoken a place of tormente but also generally the state that soules are in after this lyfe And that our lord Iesus Christ did visite and release them and when he ascended caried them with himselfe into heauen Albeit certain of the fathers as Ireneus Tertullian Hilarie others think that they shal at the last day ascend to heaueÌ„ Some also there be of our tyme which maintaine this fonde opinion that the soules sléep vntil the day of the last iudgement in which they shal be again coupled with their bodies but this assertion hath no grouÌ„d in holy scripture of the which point diuers haue entreated But especially Iohn Caluin that worthy seruaunt of God in a proper treatise that hée wrote of the same matter in which he doth learnedly confute their reasons that maintein the contrary opinion Wherfore sith holy scriptures as the Fathers vnderstand interprete them teache that the soules of men as soone as they departe from the bodies do ascende vp into heauen if they were godly descende into hell if they were wicked and faithlesse and that there is no thirde place in which soules should be deliuered as it were out of prison that soules caÌ„ neither â—e reclaimed out of heauen or hell Hereby it is made euident that they caÌ„not wander on the earth desire aide of meÌ„ For first the soules of the blyssed néed no aide or help y men caÌ„ giue them on the other side the damned sort can no way be releued the which S. Ciprian the martir in his oration against DemetriaÌ„ dothe plainly witnesse in these words wheÌ„ we be once departed out of this world ther is afterward no place left for repeÌ„taÌ„ce no way to make satisfactioÌ„ here life is either woon or lost so forth Albeit the testimonies alredy alleged on this point of doctrin may wel suffise those that loue the truth are desirous to come to the knowledge therof yet to increase the nuÌ„ber I wil recite other testimonies also out of the fathers to proue manifestly that the soules departed do not again return wander on the earth so that all they which haue not yet stopped their cares that the truth myght not pierce enter into them may euideÌ„tly perceiue that those ancient tymes taught a far better doctrine of those spirits ghosts than other later tymes vnder poperiâ— haue coÌ„mended allowed Tertullian a very auncient writer in the end of his booke De anima sayth the soules do not any longer abide on the earth after they be once loosed from their bodies that neither by their own accord nor other mens coÌ„mandement they do waÌ„der at all after they haue descended into hel but he sayth that euil spirits do vse this kinde of deceyt to fayne themselues to be the soules of suche as are deceassed And that Hell is not open to any soule that it should afterward at any time depart thence Christ our Lord in the parable of the poore man that was in rest and the riche glutton that was in torment doth playnely ratifie vnder the person of Abraham that there can be no maÌ„ sent back to shew or tel ought of the state of hell And albeit the fathers haue noted certain errors and scapes in Tertullian yet ther was neuer any that reproued him for this opinion Athanasius in his booke of questioÌ„s the .xiij. question doth giue a reason wherfore God wil not suffer y any soul decessed shuld return vnto vs declare what the state of things is in hel what great misery is there hereby saith he many errors wold easily spring vp among vs for many diuels might so take on them the shape of men be traÌ„sformed into the likenesse of the dead say that they arose froÌ„ the dead and so publish many lying tales false opinions of things there don therby to seduce and hurt vs Weigh these words of Athanasius I pray thée Sainct Chrysostome in his nynetéenth Homilie on the eight chapter of sainct Mathews Gospell hath in maner the same woordes for hée moueth thys question Why suche as were possessed with Spirites lyued in graues Therefore sayeth he they abode there to put this false opinion in mens heads that those persons soules whyche by violent death departed were turned into Dyuels so dyd seruice vnto witches and soothsayers The which opinion the diuell first broughte in thereby to diminishe the Martyrs prayse and glorie that so the Sorcerers mighte â—lea those persons whose wicked trauell help they vsed those matters saith he ar far from truth For he proueth by the Scripture that the spirites of the godly are not vnder the power of the Diuels nor yet do stray abroade after deathe then that they woulde retourne vnto theyr owne bodyes if they myghte wander whether they lusted And further if they dydde any seruice too theyr Murderers by that meanes they should at their handes receyue a reward for an yll déede and displeasure By natural reason also it can not come to passe that a maÌ„s body should be turned into an other body and therfore also the spirite of a man can not be chaunged into a deuill But among other things which proprely belong to our purpose he sayth If we heare a noyse that sayth I am suche a soule we muste thus thinke that thys talke procedeth of some sleight and subtiltie of the deuill and that it is not the soule of the dead body that speketh these things but the Deuill that deuiseth them to deceyue the hearers And by and by he sayeth that these are to be counted olde wiues words or rather doting fooles toyes to mocke children withall For the soule when it is parted from the body cannot walke any longer in these parties For the soules of the iust are in the hands of god And on the other side the soules of the wicked after their departure hence are straightway lead aside and withdrawne froÌ„ vs which may euidently be séene by Lazarus the rich man And in another place also the Lorde sayth This day will they take thy soule from thée wherefore the soule cannot here wander when it is departed from the body A little afterwarde he addeth that it may be proued out of many places of scripture that the soules of the iust doo not here wander after death For Steuen saide Lorde receiue my Spirit and Paule desired to be loosed and to departe hence and to be with Christ. Also the scripture as touching the patriarks death vseth this phrase he is layde vnto his fathers growen vp vnto a good olde age And that the soules of sinners and wicked men cannot after their departure here abide any longer we may
graunteth that by the dispensation of Gods will it might so come to passe that the spirit of some holie Prophete shoulde consent to present it selfe in the sight of the King to come out of his owne place to speake with him but not to do this by constrainte or by the vertue of Arte Magike which might haue any power ouer it but therby to shew it self obedient to the secret dispensation of God yet he doth not dissemble â–ª that a better answere may bée giuen to wit that the spirit of Samuel was not truely in déed raysed vp from his rest but rather some vayne vision counterfet illusion that should be brought to passe by the deuils practise which the Scripture therefore doth terme by the name of Samuel bycause the same is woont to call the Images similitudes of things by the names of the things themselues For who is he saith Augustine that wil be afraid to cal a man painted a man considering that without staggering we are acustomed to giue eache thing his proper name as soon as we behold the picture of the same as when we take the viewe of a painted table or wall we say straight waye this is Tullie this is Salust hée Achilles that other Hector thys is the floude called Symois that place tearmed Rome whereof these things be ended no other than painted Images of those things whose names they beare Sith thys is so he sayth it is not to be maruelled that Scripture sayth Samuell was séene when perchaunce Samuels Image séemed to appeare thorow the crafty pollicie of hym that transformed himselfe into an Angell of lyght and fashioneth hys Ministers like vnto the Ministers of righteousnesse In his booke De octo Dulcitij questionibuâ— the 6. question therof he vttereth al this in as many words in his booke De cura pro mortuis gerenda he writeth that some are sent from the deade to the lyuing as on the other side Paule was rapt vp from the lyuing vnto Paradise he addeth ther the example of Samuel being dead which dyd foreshewe to Saule things that afterwardes should come to passe He sayth further that this place may otherwise be vnderstanded and that certaine faythful men haue ben of this Iudgement that it was not Samuel but that some spirit fit for such wicked practises had taken vpon him his shape and similitude And in other places as we wil shew héereafter he affirmeth that there is a fygure contayned in those wordes bycause the name of the thing is giuen vnto the Image that dothe but represent the same and that it was not Samuel that appeared but some deuilysh spirit Other Fathers of the Church haue written nothing particularly of this storie so far as I know but in certen places of their workes they teache generally that good spirites are not pulled backe into the earth by Magicall Art. Of Iustine and Gregorie I wil speake anone In the very Papall decrées 26. question 5. chapter Nec mirum it is written that it was not Samuell but rather some wicked spirit that appeared to Saule And that it were a great offence that a man should beléeue the playne words of the storie without some farther meaning for how saith he could it come to passe that a man from his byrth holie and iust in conuersation of life should by Art Magicke be pulled out of his place And if he were not so drawen against his will then he must needes agree thereto bothe whiche are alike absurde to be imagined of a iust man This is the Diuells legerdâ—mayne to make shewe as though he had power ouer good men thereby the rather to deceyue many He there farther addeth that the Hystoriographers do sette foorth both Saules mynde and Samuels state and also those things whiche were sayde and séene omytting this whether they were true or false And other wordes followe whiche who so lyst to sée more of that matter may there reade But héer Nicolas Lyras iudgement which in his commentaries on the books of the Kings mainteineth the contrarie opinion shoulde be little weighed and regarded of vs Where he noteth that the place by vs euen now alleged is not written according to the censure of the Church though it be found in the Popes lawe for otherwise saith he they whiche ensued in latter tymes woulde not haue written contrary to the same for many of those thyngs concerning which men haue written otherwise in latter tymes were neuerthelesse set foorth to the worlde to be beléeued as the very expresse and sound iudgement of the whole Christian Churche bycause they were put in the Popes booke of Decretals CHAP. VIII A Confutation of their argumentes vvhich vvould haue Samuell himselfe to appeare WE wil now come to the Confutation of their Arguments which mainteine that very Samuel himselfe appeared to the Sorcersse for he that rightly ouerthroweth his aduersaries arguments is supposed by the same meanes to confirme his own cause The chéefest arguments which our aduersaries vse is taken out of the 46. chapter of Ecclesiasticus where these words are fouÌ„d Samuel before his death made protestation before God before his anoynted that he tooke from no man his substance no not so much as the value of a shoe and no man could then reproue him And after his deth he Prophesied and tolde the King of his ende From the earth he lifte vp his voyce and shewed that the wickednesse of the people should perish This place somewhat troubled S. Augustine and other Godly Fathers For if the Deuill onely appeared and not Samuell howe is it there sayde that he slept that is dyed for the Deuill neyther sléepeth nor dieth Héerevnto I maye shape thys aunswere that this booke is not to be numbred among the Canonical bokes of the olde Testament and that Doctrine in controuersies cannot bée proued by the authoritie thereof the whych Saincte Augustine also confesseth in hys booke De cura pro mortuis agenda But howesoeuer that be credited as true or false I answere them playnly that Iesus the Sonne of Syraches intente was to alleage the Storie literally as the woordes lye and not by reason to debate the matter whether Samuell truely appeared or no. Hée speaketh there according too the opynion of Saule and the Witche whiche thought that Samuell hymselfe was raysed Further they say that hée whiche appeared vnto Saule is sometymes expresly and in playne woordes called Samuell And an vnséemely matter it were making muche for the reproche of so greate a Prophete if hys name hadde béene applyed vnto the Deuill If say they it hadde not béene Samuell but some wicked Spirite the Scripture woulde in some one woorde or other haue noted the same To this Argument fyrst I aunswere that euen in our common speache it is an vsuall phrase by the figure Metonymia to terme the Image by the name of the thyng that it presenteth So wée terme the Armes and Ensigne of a Noble man by
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
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
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
he may intermedle euil things therwith he speaketh truth that he may scatter abroade lyes and roote them in mens hearts So Sinon in Vergill mingled falsehode with truth that he might the better entrap the Troians Sathan dothe imitate craftie gamsters who suffer a plaine and simple yong man to winne a while of them that afterwards being gréedy to play they may lurche him of all his golde and siluer He followeth them which once or twise iustly repay vnto their creditoures suche money as they haue borowed kéeping their promise duely that afterwards they may obteine a great summe of them and then deceyue them The diuell sometimes vttereth the truth that his words may haue the more credite and that he may the more easely beguile them He that woulde vtter euill wares doth not only sette them foorth in wordes but doth also so trim and decke them that they seeme excellent good wherby they are the more salable this arte also the diuell knoweth for he painteth out his stuffe that he may obtâ—â—de it vnto other men in the stead of good ware S. Ambrose writeth in his CoÌ„mentaries vpon the first epistle to the Thessalonians and fift chap. expounding these words Quâ—nâ—he not the Spirit Despise not prophecying Examin all things and kepe that which is good Euill spirits are wont to speake good things craftely as it were by imitation and amongst those they priuily insinuate wicked things that by means of those things which are good euill things may be admitted and bycause they are supposed the words of one spirit they may not be discerned a sunder but by that whych is lawfull an vnlawfull thing may be commended by authoritie of the name and not by reason of vertue c. Herevnto apperteine those words whiche we reade in S. Chrisostomes second sermon De Lazara There he sheweth that many simple men haue bin in this erroure that they haue thought the soules of those which were slayne by some violent death did become Diuels He sayth further that the Diuell hathe persuaded many witches and such as serue him being in this erroure that they shoulde kill the teÌ„der bodies of many yong men hoping they shold become Diuels and do them seruice And by and by he addeth But these things are not true no I say they are not What is it then that Diuels say I am the soule of suche a Monke Uerely I beleue it not euen for thys that Diuells do aduoutche it for they deceyue their auditours Wherefore Paule also commaundeth them to silence albeit they speake truth lest taking occasion by truth they mingle lyes therwith and so purchase them selues credite For when they had sayd These men are the seruants of the most high God shewing vnto you the way of saluation The Apostle not content herewith coÌ„maunded the prophecying spirite vnto silence and to come foorth of the mayd And yet what harme speake they These men are the seruantes of the moste high god But bycause the most parte of simple men haue not vnderstanding alwayes to iudge of those things whiche are vttered by Diuels he at once excludeth them from all credite Thou art saith he of the number of infamous spirites it belongeth not to thee to speake fréely hold thy peace kepe silence it is not thy office to preache This is the authoritie of the Apostles why takest thou vppon thée that which appertayneth not vnto thee hold thy peace be thou infamous So also did Christe sharply rebuke the diuels saying vnto him we knowe thée who thou art therein prescribing vnto vs a lawe that we shoulde in no wise trust the diuell albeit he tell the truth Sith we know these things let vs in no wise beléeue the diuell nay rather if he say any thyng that is truth let vs flâ—e from him and shunne him For it is not lawful exactly to learne sounde and holsome doctrine of diuels but out of the holy Scriptures That you may therfore know that it can in no wise be that a soule once departed out of the body can come vnder the tyrannie of the diuell heare what sainct Paule sayth For he that is dead is iustified from sinne that is he sinneth no more For if the diuel can do no hurt vnto the soule whyle it is in the body it is euidente hée can not hurt it when it is departed out of the body c. By all these things it is playne what manner of things those are which are heard séene ¶ The thirde part of this Booke in which is shewed why or to vvhat end God suffereth Spirits to appeare and other strange things to happen as also howe men ought to behaue them selues when they méete with any suche things CHAP. 1. God by the appearing of Spirits doth exercise the faithfull and punishe the vnbeleeuers IT followeth nowe hereafter to be intreated of why God suffreth spirites ghostes and horrible sightes to appeare c. also why he dothe permitte other straunge and miraculous thynges to happen And furthermore howe men oughte to behaue them selues when they sée any suche thyngs GOD doth suffer Spirites to appeare vnto his electe vnto a good ende but vnto the reprobate they appeare as a punishemente And as all other things tourne to the beste vntoo the Faythefull euen so doo these also for yf they bée good Spirites whiche appeare vnto menne warnyng and defendyng them thereby do they gather the care prouidence and Fatherly affection of GOD towardes them But in case they bée euyll Spyrites as for the most part they are the faithfull are moued by occasion of them vnto true repentaunce They looke diligently vnto themselues so long as they liue least the enimie of mankynde who is ready at all assayes and lyeth always in waight should bring them into mischiefe and take further vauntage to vexe and hurte them God also by these meanes dothe exercise and trie their faith and pacience to the end they continue in his woord receyue nothing contrary to the same haue it neuer so fayre a shewe nor do any manner of thing agaynst his worde although those spirites doe not streightwayes cease to vexe them God dothe also suffer them to be exercised with haunting of spirites for this cause that they shold be the more humble and lowely For in the second Epistle to the Corinth and .xij. chap. Paul sayth And least I shold be exalted out of measure through the excellencie of reuelatioÌ„s ther was giuen vnto mée vnquietnesse through the fleshe euen the messanger of Sathan to buffet me bicause I shold not be exalted out of measure For this thing besought I the Lord thrice that it mighte depart from me And he sayd vnto me My grace is sufficieÌ„t for thée for my strength is made perfect through weakenesse Except God did shut vp the waye before vs with certaine stops and â—ets we shold not know our selues we shoulde not vnderstande wherof we stand in néed we shold not so earnestly pray vnto God
to deliuer vs from euill to strengthen our fayth and to giue vs pacience and other necessarie things Neither should we be touched with compassion of other mennes miserie which are vexed with spirits but we woulde rather say that they can not tell what they speake and that they imagine many vayne feares Moreouer if other vnderstande that godly men are for their exercise vexed by spirits they become more pacient when soeuer they are sicke or otherwise troubled acknowledging theyr owne harmes to be but small in comparison of other mens For nothing is more greuouse than when a manne is tormented by the Diuel Nowe as touching infidells they are constrayned will they or nill they to confesse that there are diuels for there are many which would neuer be persuaded there are good or euill Angels or spirits except sometimes they had experience therof in déede God suffreth these things to chasten them For so muche as they will giue no place vnto truth but are wilfully deceyued it is good reason they be taught by diuelishe illusions what they must do or leaue vndone and that they be illuded by euill spirits after some other meanes Thus we reade in the .13 chapter of Deuteronomie if there arise among you a prophet or a dreamer of dreames and giue thée a signe and wonder and that signe or wonder that he hath saide come to passe and then say let vs go after straunge Gods which thou hast not knowne and lette vs serue them hearkeÌ„ not thou vnto the words of that prophet or dreamer of dreames For the Lorde thy God proueth you to wit whether ye loue the Lord your God with all your soule Ye shall walke after the Lorde your God and feare him kepe his commandements and hearken vnto his voice serue him and cleaue vnto him And he addeth further that the same Prophete or dreamer shall dye the death By these words we do not only sée that God doth suffer suche leude fellowes to worke maruellous things but also to what ende and purpose he permitteth it that is to trye his faithfull how constant they be and how faithfully they would beleue in him if at any time spirits do come and foretell things to happen hereafter Our sauioure Christ saith in the thirde chapter of Saincte Iohn This is the condemnation that light is come into the world and men loued darknesse more than light bicause their déedes were euill for euery one that doth euill hateth the light neyther commeth he to the light least his déedes shoulde be reproued c. By the which woordes our Sauiour sheweth the cause why the worlde is condemned whiche is bycause they receyue not the lyght of the woorde of God or Christe himselfe who is the light of the worlde sette foorth vnto vs in his woorde but rather shut their eyes agaynst the cleare light preferring darkenesse that is errours superstition and wickednesse before the woord of god If God then condemne and reiecte the vnthankfull worlde what maruell is it if he vexe them with spirites and vayne apparitions Chryst sayth in the fyfth of Iohn I come in my Fathers name and you receyue me not yf an other come in his owne name you receyue him Christe laboured for their health and saluation this they woulde not acknowledge but refused him therfore was it the iust iudgement of God that they shold receyue others that hunted after their owne coÌ„moditie and profite suche as were Theudas Iudas of Galilee and many other false doctours and seditious seducers Wherefore if any refuse to giue eare to Christe and his ministers it is by the iust iudgemente of God that they hearken vnto Spirites and suche like things Saincte Paule in the seconde to the Thessalonians and seconde chapter writeth of Antichrist that he shoulde exercise greate tyrannie in the Churche of God and sheweth agaynst whome and for what cause God will suffer him so to do saying Among them that perishe bicause they recyued not the loue of the truth that they might be saued And therefore God shall sende them strong delusions that they shoulde beléeue lyes that all they myght be damned whiche beléeue not the truth but had pleasure in vnrighteousnesse And in the fourth chapter of his seconde Epistle to Timothe he earnestly beséecheth his scholer to be diligent in preaching dayly He giueth this reason for the tyme will come when they shall not suffer holsome doctrine but after their owne lustes shall they whose eares itche get them an heape of teachers and shall withdraw their eares from the truth and shal be turned vnto fables Now we sée the cause why god dothe suffer seducers false teachers and wicked spirites to deceyue men in the place of true doctours which is for that eyther they vtterly despise his woorde or little esteme it and can not abide godly and constant preachers Touching which matter wée will alleage a fewe examples Pharao contemned God and his seruants Moyses and Aaron wherfore God blynded his eyes that he gaue himself to be ruled by his Magi or wyse men and at the last perished miserably in the red Sea. Saule woulde not giue eare vnto Samuell who bare a ryght hart and good affection towardes his king he loued him not as by reason he shoulde haue done but haâ—ed him and all other that loued him right wel for he contemned the woord of god Wherfore it came to passe that being in extreme daunger he sought help of a witch to reare Samuel froÌ„ the dead that he might now vse his aduise whoÌ„ he despised béeing aliue disdayned to heare him This woman reareth one who is no otherwise called Samuel than when false gods are called gods when in very déede they are not gods but wood and stones or rather as Paul sayth .1 Corin. 10. very diuels This counterfait Samuel giueth him neither comforte nor counsell but driueth him to vtter desperation The same hapned vnto Saul whiche chaunceth vnto those stubborne children whiche despise their pareÌ„ts contemne their counsel wold gladly wishe their death at the last grow vnto y point that they wold willingly take in haÌ„d a great iourney on coÌ„dition it might be graunted them to heare them giue their last counsell An other example herof Achab king of Israel Iezabel his wife had many godly prophets amoÌ„gst whoÌ„ Elias was a man indued with the gifâ—e of shewing working miracles But they did not only conteÌ„ne those prophets but also cruelly murdered so many of them as they could catche Yet amongst the rest they especially laboured to intrap Elias who was exceading zelouse The Baalamites were in greate fauoure with the king but especially with the Quéene as hir chief dearlings And when the time approched that Achab shoulde suffer due and worthye punishement for his Idolatrie and wickednesse wherein he had long time liued he entred councell with his kinsman Iosaphat that they ioyning their powers togither might recouer agayne the
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
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
any allowed authors that in the time of the apostles and many dayes after this gréeting was accounted as a prayer or that any godly men did salute and call vpon the holy virgin Which thing I write not bicause I would bereue the holy Uirgin of hir honor but least that against hir will wée giue hir that honour which is only due to God the Father and to his sonne Iesu christ For he is our onely mediatour and redéemer 1. Timoth. 2. Otherwise the Aue Marie and other such places of holy Scripture full of consolation and comfort touching the humanitie of Christ his punishment death and merites are to be often read and diligentely considered neither are the Scriptures to be pulled out of the handes of the laye people in whiche they may sée all these things with their owne eyes In déede I denie not but Spirites haue many tymes vanished away vpon the saying of Aue Marie but it was so doone that men myght therby be confirmed in their superstition But these men procéeding further did coniure or consecrate water with certain peculiar ceremonies and kept it in vessels in their churches houses and elsewhere amongest many other vertues ascribing this force vnto it that it chaseth away spirites and vayne sights They also consecrated salte and taught that whether soeuer it were cast it draue away spirits and all deceytes of the diuel yea and the diuel himselfe also Moreouer they coniured with certain ceremonies and words candles palme herbs and other creatures to driue awaye fantasies as they terme them They layde these and such lyke things as also the relikes of Saintes in those places wheras Spirits had ben séene or heard They also beare men in hande that greate belles and sancebelles by their noyse frayed spirites out of the ayre All these things are founde more at large in the Papists bookes whiche are written of the consecration of suche things and are publikely extant If belles be roong on S. Iohns day or S. Agathes day they say it is a most excellent remedie against spirits Some vsed to burn a buÌ„dell of consecrated herbes that with the smoke therof they mighte thase away diuels Many haue their peculiar and straunge blessings agaynst spirites There haue bene also many holy rites instituted by the coÌ„maundement of wandring soules as Masses for the dead vigils prayers and twelue months minds as though the soules of godly men being deliuered from all trouble were not immediately translated into eternall rest And it is also plain by reding the Poets and Historiographers that the Gentiles had their sacrifices for the dead as their rites called Nouendialia which were obserued the ninth day and their yearely feastes c. Howbeit those counterfait ghostes craued nothing so earnestly as that many Masses might be song for their sakes for they bare men in hand that those had great and maruellous force to redeme them out of Purgatorie Iohn Tritenhemius writeth in his Chronicles of the Monasterie of Hirsgauium about the yeare of our Lorde 1098. Henricus the fourth then being Emperoure that at such tyme as the order of the Cistertians first began there appeared many dayes and nights not far from the citie of Wormes great troupes of horsmen and footmen as if they were now going foorth to battail running now here now there in troupes that about .ix. of the clock at night they returned again to the hill nere at hand out of the which they vsed to come forth At last a certain monke of the abbey of Limpurge which stode not far from the hil wheÌ„ce they issued associating certain other vnto him came on a certain night to the place of the hil blissing himself with the sign of the holy crosse adiured them in the name of the holy and vnseparable Trinitie as they came out of the hill to declare vnto him who they were vnto whom one of the company made answer we ar quod he no vain things neither yet liuing souldiers but the soules of earthly meÌ„ seruing in this world vnder our prince who not loÌ„g since was slain in this place The armour furniture horses whiche were vnto vs instrumentes of sinne while we liued are euen nowe after oure death certayne signes and tokens of tormentes Whatsoeuer ye sée aboute vs is all firie vnto vs although you nothing discerne our fyre When the Monks enquired whether they might be holpen by men the spirit aunswered we may saith he be holpen by fasting and prayers but chiefly by the oblation of the body and bloud of Christ which thing we beseche you to do for vs As soone as he had so sayd all the whole route of spirits cried thrée times with one voice pray for vs pray for vs pray for vs And sodainly withall they séemed to be all resolued into fyre yea and the hill it selfe as if it had bin on fyre â—ast forth as it were a great crashing and rushing of trées They had in Churches a peculiar order of them whome they called Exorcistes or coniurers whose duetie was to coniure and driue awaye Diuels but they were not so indued with that gifte as the auncient Christians were and therefore they did but vaunt and boast of themselues Afterwards certaine Monks and priests well séene in Magicall sciences for they were neuer without such trim men toke vpon them to coniure and driue away euill spirits out of houses into wods desert places They wroght maruellouse straunge things and they sayd that a spirit in the name of saincts and by the vertue of their coniuring and charecters was constrayned to giue place whether he would or not In dede the Diuel giueth place but he doth it as enimies do which by flying chuse a more fitte place to fight in or more apte to embushe them selues That which Sathan doth he doth it willingly and of his owne accorde that he might withdrawe men from trusting in God only and driue them hedlong into Idolatrie Christ and his disciples cast out Diuels but they were loth and vnwilling to departe Moreouer they vsed to hang saincte Iohns Gospell about their necks and caried about wyth them hallowed waxe inclosed in a purse which they call an Agnus Dei. There are certaine bookes abroade especially one written by Iacobus de Clusa a Carthusian concerning the appearing of soules separated from their bodies wherin amongst other things we reade after what sorte men should prepare them selues when any Spirits appeare how they shall behaue them selues in comming to them in departing from them in the place where they appeare and what questions are to be proposed vnto theÌ„ touching whiche things I spake before in the second parte of this booke and second chapter where if you list you may finde them I haue heard men which haue confessed themselues to haue bin so superstitious that when the priest lifted vp the host as they call it in saying masse they woulde presently wipe their face with their hands bycause they
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
For wryting of Alexander the great in his booke De vitis he saythe that there happened certaine prognostications before his death which sometimes Alexander â—ared not for but contemned them and contrariwise somtimes hée tooke smal and tryfling things as signes of euil lucke He addeth further howe daungerous a thing it is to dispise tokens and signes sente from God vnto men and on the other side howe pernitious and hurtfull it is to be afrayde of euery trifle for as in all other things so is ther a measure to be obserued herein The same opinion is he of touching other wonders and miracles For ye maye read in the life of Camillus that when he being Captaine had taken and destroyed the Veians he made a solemne vowe to translate the Image of Iuno vnto Rome And therefore hée commaunded certayne men to take vppe the Image he offred sacrifice vnto the Goddesse and besought hir that shée would voutsafe to followe him and to be fauorable vnto the Romaines as other Goddes were which nowe dwelt at Rome The Image made hym answere that she would go with him He also wryteth that those men which noted and recorded these things reporte other such straunge matters as that Images dyd sweat that they gaue great groanes that they turned away their faces or hanged downe their heades he sayth that men which lyued before his time gathered many suche examples togyther and that he himselfe hath heard many maruellous things of men lyuing in his time which were not by and by to be neglected and contemned and yet mannes infirmitie is suche that it cannot attribute eyther too muche or to little vnto those things without great daunger for men obserue no mesure but are either too supersticious and attribute ouer much to suche matters or else do vtterly reiect and contemne them And therefore the safest waye is to be aduised and to kéepe a meane in suche affaires Valerius Maximus confesseth in his firste booke that the verie Gentiles themselues hadde many miracles and wonders happening among them in great suspition and that not without iust cause True wonders ought to stirre vs vp from sléepe A couragious horsse goeth well inoughe of his owne accorde and yet if you doe but make signe vnto him with a wande or put spurre vnto him hée wil be more redyer quicker Euen so must we go in the way that leadeth vnto Heauen so long as we liue but in case we sée any foretokens or some great alteration sâ—eme to hang ouer vs we ought to be the more stirred vppe to giue our selues to prayer and to exercise godlynesse The Gentiles if at any tyme such forewarnings were shewed vnto them from Heauen dyd institute certayne solemne prayers and processions to pacifie their Gods howe much rather oughte all Christian Princes and Magistrates Doctoures and Preachers of our tyme to bende themselues wholly herein when so euer plagues hang ouer our heades that all men generally and particularly shew forth true repentance Hitherto I truste we haue sufficiently shewed what we maye thinke concerning visions and appearing of spirites and other straunge things which haue greate affinitie and likenesse vnto them And that in tymes past Doctours wrote and taught farre otherwise concerning them than the verie truth it selfe was we haue also shewed the causes thereof It might be also declared in many words that the like hath happened in other poyntes of Christian doctrine yea and many excellent learned and godly men haue at large opened the same in their bookes whiche are nowe extant concerning such matters And that I maye conclude this my booke I shall beséeche all those for the glorie of God that shall happen to reade it that in case they thinke I haue strayed from the rule of the worde of God they woulde fréely and friendly admonishe me thereof but if they knowe it be agreeable to the worde of God as I trust it is that then they suffer not themselues to be ruled and mocked of iugling Monkes and Priestes but rather gyue God thankes for that greate and vnspeakable benefite whereby he dothe dayly delyuer them out of greate errours and feares and dothe continually more and more bring his truthe to lyght leâ— them not so lose the raignes to their affections that they reiect the truth which they haue once acknowledged The Senate and people of Rome as stories witnesse graunted libertie to the people of Cappadocia when the stocke and issue of their Kings was vtterly extincte to be frée and Lordes of themselues for euer after But the Nobilitie consulting on the matter refusing libertie whiche they coulde in no wise disgest desired to haue a king The Romaines wondering heereat gaue them leaue to choose whome they would to be their king Let not vs bée suche fooles but rather let vs embrace the libertie of our soules whych God doth dayly offer vnto vs by hys worde Many Noble nations fighting couragiously haue put themselues in present daunger of life to obtayne and kéepe this sweete externall libertie Howe muche more ought we Christians to fight agaynst the suttletie and deceyt of the Deuill least the libertie of our soules whyche is muche more precious than the other shoulde be oppressed by diuers errours and supersticions Men setting in darkenesse desire the light verie earnestly Let not vs therefore cast away light fréely offered vnto vs by God in his Scriptures We haue nothing here in earth more deare vnto vs than the libertie of our soules and consciences Let vs not then as Paule sayth with holâ—â— truth in vnrighteousnesse lette euery man of what age soeuer he be weigh with hymselfe howe fraile and brittle this lyfe is which God hath giuen vnto vs and that we muste depart from hence sooner then wée thinke for and render an account to the iust Iudge of our fayth wâ—rdes and déedes Glorie and prayse be vnto Almightie God for euer and euer and I beséech him to voutsafe to stretche forthe hys hande to deliuer all suche as are still entangled in superstition and errours and to graunt those whome he hath delyuered hys Heauenly grace that they be always thankful for so great a benefite least they be wrapped againe in the same mischiefe FINIS The diuision or partes of this booke â–ª The dedicaâ—â—on Spectrum Visum Visio Terriculamenta Phantasma Matth. 24. Mark. 6. Phasma Pneuma Luk. 24. Lares Praestites Hostilij Genius Penates Vmbrâ—â— Lemures Laruae Ceriti Maneâ— Maniae Mormo Lamiae Lameâ— â–ª of Hieremie â–ª chap. 4. Striges Gorgones Incubi Succubi Empusa â–ª Dicelon Hecataea Acco Alphito Telchinnes Pan. Faunuâ— Satyri Sileni Onocentaurus Onosceli Hyppocentaurus Sphinx Scilla Harpyae Triton Nereides Syrenes Portentum Ostentum Prodigium Monstrum Some men denie there are Spirits Acts. 3â— Sundrie imaginations of malancholicke persons TheatruÌ„ a place to behold plaies and paâ—â—imes in Ioannes Sertorius * See Ludouiâ— Caeliu li. 17. câ— â— antiquitat Galen de lociâ— affectis Libro de Simtomatum diff chap.