where I hope to be with Christ Amen One thing more I think meet to mind the Reader of that he may not lose the Benefit of these Histories That is How to discern a good Spirit from a bad The Scripture telling us that three things are the Characters of Devils Lying Malignity and Hurtfulness Ioh. 8. which include all Uncharitableness Revenge and Division we may certainly gather that it is a Diabolical Spirit that promoteth these whatever the Pretences are 1. The Antichristian Errour called Antinomian that would set Christ against Christ and make Men believe that his Death hath made all our Obedience to his Government a thing that shall never do us any good being called Works and all our Sins against his Grace to be so harmless that we ought not to think that we shall be ever the worse for them and that the Elect that live in Perjury and Murder and Adultery or any other Sin are not perjured Murderers Adulterers because now they are Christ's Sins and not theirs with many such Reproaches of Christ called by the Crispians the Exalting of him These certainly are from Devils and God doth notably disown them as the fore mentioned Instances of the Ranters and those in New England mentioned by Mr. Weld do shew And the doleful Form of Mr. Davies Congregation about Rowel in Northamptonshire of the Madness Blasphemies Barkings and Beastility there I leave to the Enquiry of sober Persons Though I am no Witness of it the Reports are such as are not meet to be silenced Mr. Samuel Crispe hath published this Week a Book as against me in defence of his Father telling the World that he understands not what he writeth of and ignorantly defending what I affirm and confuting his Father thinking it a Defence of him I deny not but a Crispian may be a Christian while through Ignorance he believeth not his own Words But he that will but read the Scripture and particularly the Texts cited by me in my Confession of Faith shall see how fully Christ hath confuted Crispe and vindicated his Mediatorial Office II. And all those Principles Passions and Practices that are against the Love and Concord of Christians whatever pretence of an Angel of Light or other Ministers of Righteousness may be their Cloak are undoubtedly from the dividing Devil III. And more evident is it that it is no better Spirit that inspireth all the Slanderers Silencers and Persecuters of the faithful Ministers of Christ and those that make and execute the Laws for the imprisoning and ruining of the most consâ—ionable Christians for their avoiding notorious Sin or at least for doubtful Infirmities incomparably less than these Persecuters Clergy or Laity are guilty of By their Fruits you may know what Spirit acâ—â—â—eth these Men. Wolves Thorns and Thistles are known by Hartfulness Christ's Miracles were Doing Good and Healing But Devil's Work is Hurting and Destroying And let those Men and Women think of it that cannot forgive but are set upon Revenge Mark whether Revenge be not the most ordinary Business of Witches and of Devilized Souls most of these Histories tell it you Therefore Christ telleth us that if we forgive not we shall not be forgiven so contrary is he to the Diabolical Spirit of Revenge though yet he hath just and punishing Governours Were but the Histories of Witches and Apparitions well considered it would help Men to understand that Devils make no small number of the Laws and Rulers that are made in the World and have no small number of honoured Servants and are the Authors of most of the Wars in the World So that the Phrase Rev. 3. The Devil shall cast some of you into Prison should not seem strange And I would I had no Cause to say that this Mark of Lying Malignity and Hurtfulness tells us that many Sermons are made by Devils and too many of the Books written by them that adorn the Libraries of many learned Men. And though Demons do good in order to do hurt yet by this Rule of Judging of Spirits by their Fruits I cannot but think that though there was a Mixture of Good and Bad there was more of the good Spirit than of the Bad in most of the ancient Monks and Hermites that lived so strict and mortified Lives And as I find not only by Erasmus but by the Complaint of Protestant Divines that it was a Desire of Liberty from the Papists Austerities that prevailed with most of the Vulgar to cast off Popery so the Case of many Monasteries their Mortification and Devotion though ignorant doth make me hope that in many such Monasteries there is more of the Spirit of God than among the common worldly sensual sort of Protestants I that must say so of our well-meaning Separatists here must say so of such Papists For I find by the multitude of Instances in Caesarius and others that just as deep Repentance for former Sin doth now bring many to think it safest to joyn with the Congregations which they think are most strict So before Luther's time it was ordinary when God humbled any deeply for their Sin to think that they must presently joyn with such as renounced the World and fleshly Pleasures and minded nothing but Religion and Salvation And thence it came to pass that among the Papists the Monasticks were called Religious in distinction from Secular and other sorts of Men. And as our separating religious Protestants do now demand of such as they admit to their Communion an Account of some special Experiences of God's Work on their Hearts in their Conversion So did the Monasteries by such as they received The aforesaid Author Caesarius will tell you of multitudes of Instances how God converted Sinners and brought them into their Religious Houses What can one think of all this but that as all that we here do is imperfect and faulty and yet pardoned through Christ to the Sincere so among Papists and honest Sectaries there is much that is of God and shall be accepted though Satan by their Ignorance and his Subtilty do obscure and maculate the Lustre of it and turn it into Scandal For such is his Warfare against Christ and his Kingdom in this World God is good and doth good and will have Mercy and not Sacrifice And his Justice doth hurt for a greater Good The Devil is a Do-Evil And if he do Good it is to greater Hurt And Oh that I could get my own and all Readers Hearts sufficiently affected with this Observation That as all our Life is carried on in a Warfare and Satan's Malice is both against Christ and us so his great Work is to draw us into some Sins which shall cloud the Glory both of the Grace and the Miracles of Christ and damp the Comfort which we might have received by all his Mercies If he see an honest Christian zealously affected draâ— him by Temptation of the Flesh into some Scandal or by Ignorance into some false Opinions and that Glory of
THE CERTAINTY OF THE WORLDS of SPIRITS And Consequently Of the Immortality of Souls Of the Malice and Misery of the Devils and the Damned And of the Blessedness of the Justified Fully evinced by the unquestionable Histâ—ries of Apparitions Operations Witchcrafts Voices c. Written as an Addition to many other Treatises for the Conviction of Sadduces and Infidels By RICHARD BAXTER Eph 6.12 We wrestle not against Flesh and Blood but against Principalities against Powers against the Rulers of the Darkness of this World against spiritual Wickednesses in high Places in Celestials Matth 8. 31 32. The Devils besought him saying If thou cast us out suffer us to go away into the Herd of Swine And he said Go. Luk. 10. 18 20. I beheld Satan as Lightning fall from Heaven But in this rejoyce not that the Spirits are subject to you But rather rejoyce because your Names are written in Heaven Heb. 2. 14. Are they not all the Angels ministring Spirits sent forth to minister for them who shall be Heirs of Salvation LONDON Printed for T. Parkhurst at the Bible and Three Crowns in Cheapside and I. Salisbury at the Rising Sun near the Royal Exchange in Cornhill 1601. THE PREFACE It seemeth hard to unruly Minds that God should keep Intellectual Souls so strange to the unseen World of Spirits that we know so little of them and that our Knowledge of them is no more by the way of â—ente But there is in it much of Gods â—rbitrary Soveraign Power and much of his Wisdom and much of his Justice and also of his Love 1. It pleased him to make Variety of Creatures What harmony would there be without Variety were there nothing but Unity there would be nothing but God And various Creatures must have a various Scituation Reception and Operations The Fishes must not dwell in our Cities nor be acquainted with our Affairs 2. We here dwell in Flesh in Bodies organized for the Souls Receptions and Perceptions and Operations And the Wisdom of God doth suitably dispose of his Communications and give us that measure of Light which is agreeable to our State The Sun must not shine on the Infant in the Womb nor must he there see our Buildings and Tradings and Business in the World 3. We have Light here that is proportionable to our work and interest So much as is necessary to our knowing of our selves and our God and Governour and our Duty and all those hopes that are our necessary Motives thereto Men that will but observe the Operations of their Souls may competently know what a Soul or Spirit is And Men that will but open their Eyes and considerately look about them may as certainly know that there is a God as they can know that there is any Being And Men that cannot but difference Moral Good and Evil and that know the Duty of Children to Parents Subjects to Rulers and Neighbours to Neighbours may know their Duty to God and that the performance of it shall not be in vain And if Men will not know all this which they may know it is just with God to leave them to their chosen darkness and not to know that which further might be known It is a dismal case to havea Soul that will not know it self to be what it is till utter Misery convince him 4. And the God of Love maketh Advantage of our not-seeing the World of Spirits for our Exercise of our higher Intellectual Faculties by a Life of Faith And Intuition a Nobler sort than our present Eye-sight will be seasonable and soon enough when ripeness hath made us ready for it We shall not need all the Organical parts of the Eye which Galen admiringly describeth for our Glorious sight And to see Devils and other Spirits ordinariâ—y would not be enough to bring our Atheists to the saving Knowledge of God without which all other Knowledge is vain They that doubt of a God the most perfect eternal infinite Being while they see the Sun and Moon and Stars the Sea and Land would not know him by seeing Created â—pirâ—ts As to the Originals of this Collection it had its rise from my own and other Mens need When God firâ—â— aâ—akened me to think with preparing seriousness of my Condition after Death I had not any observed Doubts of the Reality of Spirits or the Immortality of the Soul or of the Truth of the Gospel But all my doubts were about my own Renovation and Title to that Blessed Life But when God had given me peace of Conscience Satan Assaulted me with those worse Temptations Yet through Gods Grace they never prevailed against my Faith Nor did he ever raise in me the least doubt of the Being and â—erfection of God nor of my Duty to Love Honour Obey and Trust him For I still saw that to be an Atheist was to be â—â—ad But I fouâ—d thaâ— my Faiâ—h of Supernatâ—ral Revelaâ—ion â—â—st be more than a Believing Man and that if it had â—ot a firm Foundation and rooting even sure Evidence of Verity Surely Apprehended it was not like to do those great works that Faith had to do and to overcome the World the Flesh and the Devil and to make my Death to be safe and comfortable Therefore I found that all confirming helps were useful and among those of the lower sort Apparitions and other sensible Manifestations of the certain existence of Spirits of themselves Invisible was a means that might do much with such as are prone to judge by Sense The uses hereof I mention before the Book that the Reader may know that I write it for Practice and not to please Men with the Strangeness and Novelty of useless Stories It is no small number of Writers on such Subjects that I have read it 's near threescore years time from the fiâ—st occasion And finding that almost all the Athâ—ists Sadduces and Infidels did seem to profess that were they but sure of the Reality of the Apparitions and Operations of Spirits it would cure them I thought this the most suitable help for them that have sinned themselves into an incapacity of more Rational and Excellent Arguments And I have long feared lest secrâ—t unobserved defectiveness in their Belief of the Immortality of the Soul â—nd the truth of the Scripture is the great cause of all Mens other defects There lieth usually the unsoundness of Woridly Hypocrites where it is prevâ—iling and thence is the weakness of Graâ—e in the best though it prevail not against their Sincerity By which Motives I did though it displeased some make it the Second Fart of my Book called the Saints Rest And aftâ—rwardâ— provoked by Clement Writer I did it muâ—h more fully in a Book called the Unreasonableness of Infidelity And after that provoked by the Copy of a paper dispersed in Oxford said to be Dr. Walkers questioning the certainty of our Religion and seeing no answer to it come from the Univâ—rsity Men I wrote yet more Methodically of all in
contradict Gods Word and Cavil and Argue against Faith and Holiness They that deride and mock at the Obedience of Gods Commands and Reproach the most Religious by scornful Nicknames They that seduce them by false Doctrine and that draw them from Gods Worship and they that silence necessary Faithful Preachers and they that dissuade Men from hearing or regarding them O! what an Army hath Satan for his work of destroying Souls These Men should think that it 's greater Cruelty to destroy Souls than to Rob or Murder Bodies It is fighting against the Office and Work of Christ that came to save them and against all the Ordinannances and Word of God and all the Course of his saving Mercies and all the Desires and Endeavours of the Godly that Long and Labour for Mens Salvation It is to be like Devils and do the Devils work and by hurting others they more hurt themselves And if Gods Mercy should Convert and Save such wretches they cannot Convert and Save those that they have deceived and drawn to Sin And God only knoweth what thoughts they would have if they come to Heaven to see or know of Souls in Hell that they brought thither But if they die Unconverted and go to them their Presence and Torment will be the increase of their own 11. These thoughts should stir up all believers to labour to save Souls from the Snares and Powers of Devils O! do not say as Cain Am I my Brothers Keeper say not that it is only the Work of Ministers They are Guides in Christs Army but you are Soldiers You are Vowed to fight against the Devil the World and Flesh and that for others as well as for your selves Societies are for Mutual Helps A Minister is but one Man and not an Army and can be but in one place at once You live among and near your Family Neighbours and such as you Converse with and may often speak to them All in your places must be Lights and Salt to Enlighten a Dark and season a Corrupt Generation O! You that believe the Life to come make haste to help poor Miserable Souls before Death put them past Remedy or Sin hath utterly hardened their Hearts Do you love your Neighbours as your selves and will see them continue in Ignorance Worldliness and Profaneness and do nothing or little to save them If you saw but their Bodies in need and shut up the Bowels of Compassion against them what love have you to God to Christ or them If Christ in Judgment will Condemn Men for not relieving Podies Math. 25. will it prove less sinful to afford no help to Souls If you are not for Christ and his Works you are against him If you saw them fall down in a Swound you would help them up And if their Houses were on Fire you would help and haste to quench it yea if your Enemies Beast fall into a Pit you must help him out And do you believe a Hell and not help Sinners The Devil their Adversary and yours as a Roaring Lyon seeketh Night and Day to Devour And will you do nothing to save Men. If you cannot do what you would do what you can Do but take it for your Duty and Works for which you must give account to God and keep you an account how you perform it Ask your selves what have I done for Souls this Week or this day Begin at home and give to all an Example of Holiness Heavenly meekness and Self-denial Then look to your Families O! betray not the Souls of your Children and Servants with a few slight good words or forms but with Love and Diligence Labour to make them understand Gods Word and the things of their Salvation Catechize them and help them to understand and apply it Keep them from ill Company Labour to render Gods Service to them as it is Necessary Honourable and Pleasant Time is short Souls are precious Hell is dreadful Heaven is joyful Devils and their wicked Servants are busie While you have opportunity labour to do good to all Your Labour if sincere shall not be in vain If you want Ability labour to increase it and get the help of such as can do better get them to able Ministers Put suitable Books into their Hands Do not as those Sectaries that to shew their Gifts are ready to intrude as publick Preachers but instead of Patient and Compassionate Diligence with the Ignorant and Ungodly about them do but exasperate them by Reproaches and Disgrace Condescend to the least and lowest Do all with Humility and Winning Love Alas Satan hath a greater and more dangerous Army to fight against Christ and Holiness and Mens Salvation among the Great and Rich and Proud and Careless Voluptuous Sinners than among Witches and possessed Bodies He wins and undoes most by pleasing them If he can get them to prefer Earth before Heaven and Wealth and Honour before Holiness and to be lovers of fleshly Pleasures more than of God and keep them from any serious Minister or Means that would waken them and bring them to their Wits and keep them from serious Consideration and from thinking whither they are going and how all their Carelesness Ease and Sin will end this is it that answereth his Soul murdering desires 12. But especially these Instances of Satans Diligence and Malice should teach Ministers how to preach on what Subjects in and what manner and how to converse personally with those of their charge Shall the Captains in Christ's Army see the Devourer go away with the Prey and do little for their rescue Is ignorant cold jingling contentious Preaching meet for them that are so greatly obliged to militate under Christ against the Destroyer and for the everlasting saving of Mens Souls The Lord heal and pardon our Unbelief and cruel want of Pitty and our Sloth and Lukewarmness for it is great and serious Work which we undertake But of this I refer those that will read it to my formed Pastor O Lord give to the Christian World a greater number of Wise Humble Holy experienced Teachers and save them from those that hate or believe not the Doctrine which for worldly Ends they preach and that serve the Devil in the name of Christ and calling themselves the Church and their Conceits its Canon or Rule do Preach and Rule for themselves their Honour Will and Wealth on pretence of the Welfare and Unity of the Church and become the Trumpeters of Malignity Persecution and Schism and have not known the way of Mercy CHAP. II. Several Historical Instances of Apparitions Witches and marvellous convincing Works of God's Providence § 1. THere are in this City of London many Persons that prosess their great unbelief or doubt of the Life to come the Immortality of the Soul and therefore much more of the truth of the Gospel and Christian Faith and Supernatural Revelations But they say that could they be certain of Spirits Apparitions Witchcraft and Miracles it would do more to
convince them than the Assertions of the Scriptures But they take all such Reports to be but the effects of Error Deceit and easie Credulity For the sake of such I have recited many Credible Instances in this Book and my Saints Rest and in my Vnreasonableness of Infidelity and I shall here add some more I doubt not but abundance of Reports of such matters have no better causes than are here mentioned even the mistake of the Ignorant but that there are true as well as false Reports of such things is past all reasonable cause of doubting I. I will begin with that most convincing Instance which you may read in a Book called The Devil of Mascon Above twenty Years ago the now Earl Orery then Lord Broghil a Person of well known Understanding and not inclined to weak Creâ—ulity told me much of what is written in that Book and more and said That he was familiar with Mr. Perreaud a Reverend Worthy Protestant Minister in whose House all was done and had his Son for his Servant in his Chamber many years and from Mr. Perreaud had the Narrative Not long after Dr. Peter Moulin Prebend of Canterbury and Son to the famous Peter Moulin Printed the Book as having it from his Father who had it of Mr. Perreaud And Mr. Robert Boyle Brother to the Earl of Orery a Man famous for Learning Honesty and Charity and far also from weak Credulity prefixeth an Epistle to it owning it as undoubted Truth being acquainted with the Author Mr. Perreaud as his Brother was All these three worthy Persons the E. of Orery Mr. Boyle and Dr. Pet. Moulin through God's Mercy are yet living I hear some report that this History of Mascon is denyed by some that say they have spoken with some that have been at Mascon and knew nothing of it And what wonder if such things that are talkt of but a few days be forgotten after fifty or sixty Years They that will not believe the Narrative from such Men as the Famous Peter Moulin Senior and Dr. Peter Moulin Junior that Printed it and from the Earl of Orery that told me he was Familiar with Mr. Perreaud and had his Son many years his Chamber-Servant and his Brother Mr. Robert Boyle yet living that hath attested it by a Preface may read all the History with many more of Witchcraft printed in French and Published by Mr. Perreaud himself And if they cannot get it they may go to my Kinsman William Baxter now Schoolmaster at Newington where they may see it Could it be Counterfeit and never Contradicted in fifty or sixty years I remember not just the year that in a City so many of both Religions for so many Months together might croud at a certain hour into the Room and hear a Voice answering their questions and telling them things far off and to them unknown and Disputing with a Papist Officer of the City and the Whirling him oft about and casting him on the ground and sending him home Distracted I say if this and all the rest there written so attested be not sufficient Evidence I know not what is The said Earl of Orery told me of many effects of Witchcraft or Devils Men carryed about near him in Ireland which I shall not particularly recite though many Witnesses were named This was written while they lived Now only Mr. Boyle Surviveth II. My next History shall be that of Lieutenant Colonel Bowen which I will give only in the words of others as I received it Only telling you what they are 1. Mr. Samuel Iones is a Man of known Learning Piety and Honesty though a Silenced Minister now living in Glamorganshire by whose Mediation I had the other 2. Mr. Bedwell was also a Credible Faithful Minister 3. Mrs. Bowen her self either is or lately was living a Woman very much praised for True Piety and Courage Sister to Colonel Philip Iones once one of Cromwells Council 4. Here is a Letter also from Colonel Wroth Rogers late Governour of Hereâ—ord I think yet living and a Credible person though then not willing the Story should be published I suppose his Reasons are now over 5. I sent into Ireland in his Life-time to enquire what effect it had upon him of which I had the Letter of Mr. Samuel Foley and Credible Persons yet living 6. And Colonel Iohn Bridges then in Ireland purposely enquired and could learn no more but that he immured himself privately with one Servant in a Castle who reported that he used to rise in the Night and walk about the Room talking as to some one with him and more I could not hear 7. I desired lately a Worthy Minister in Swansey to enquire whether ever since any thing had abated â—the Belief of the Fact who tells me as others do that it is as fully believed by those that were in the House and others as ever Several Letters to Mr. Richard Baxter in relation to an Apparition in the House of Lieutenant Colonel Bowen in Glamorganshire in Wales in the Year 1655. Colonel Rogers the Governor of Hereford his Letter Together with an enclosed Relation of an Apparition c. Dear Sir BY the Enclosed you will find something of the Business you expected from me It is certain and true I have received it from very good Hands More there was but they did not think it convenient to put it in Paper My Request is that you will not expose it to publick View it may rather do harm than good I know that God hath given you Wisdom and you will make good use of such things It may harden others This with the Enclosed is all at present from Your Cordial Friend and Servant W. Rogers Hereford Aug. 23. 1656. The enclosed Relation of the late strange Apparition in the County of Glamorgan IN the beginning of the late War a Gentleman of that County being oppressed by the King's Party took Arms under the Earl of Essex and by his Valour obtained a good Repute in the Army so that in a short time he got the Command of Lieutenant Colonel But as soon as the heat of the War was abated his Ease and Preferment led him to a careless and sensual Life insomuch that the godly Commanders judged him unfit to continue in England and thereupon sent him to Ireland where he grew so vain and notional that he was cashiered the Army and being then at liberty to sin without any Restraint he became an absolute Atheist denying Heaven or Hell God or Devil acknowledging only a Power as the antient Heathens did Fate accounting Temporal Pleasures all his expected Heaven So that at last he became hateful and hating all civil Society and his nearest Relations About December last he being in Ireland and his Wife a Godly Gentlewoman of a good Family and concluded by all the Godly People that knew her to be one of the most sincere and upright Christians in those Parts as being for many Years under great Afflictions and always
Answers to what my Lord and Court might propose I well remember a Gentleman on a Saturday came to my House Incognito to know of me the truth of the Country Report about this Maid having seen some of the Nails c. she had Vomited up I told him it was very true and if he would stay in Town till the Morning he might see it himself for his own Satisfaction Which he did and early in the Morning was called to see her But because Beer was not given her when she wanted it she lay in a very Deplorable Condition till past two in the Afternoon when with much Difficulty she brought up a piece of Brass which the said Gentleman took away with him Though before the said Piece of Brass came up he told me he was satisfied of the Truth of the thing because it was impossible for any Mortal to Counterfeit her miserable Condition She sometimes lying in a dead Fit with her Tongue swelled out of her Head and then reviving she would fall to Vomiting but nothing came up till about two a Clock in the Afternoon Nay so curious was he to Anticipate any Cheat that he searcht her Mouth himself gave her the Bear held her up in his hand and likewise the Bason into which she Vomited and continued with her all this time without eating and drinking which was about eight hours that he might be an Eye-Witness of the Truth of it Nay further he found the Maid living only with a Brother and three poor Sisters all young Persons and very honest and the Maid kept at the Charge of the Parish were sufficient Testimonies they were uncapable of making a Cheat of it The Gentleman I now mentioned was as I afterward learnt Esquire Player of Castle-Cary I have often wondred how it was possible for all that Trumpery to be conveyed into her Body which at Intervals she cast up I therefore made all the Observation I could to satisfie my self and others I found that those things which she brought up in the Morning were conveyed into her Body by some Diabolical Power when she was in Bed at Night What induced me easily to believe this was by considering these following Circumstances 1. That it was only in the Morning that she Vomited up Nails c. and scarce did any thing in the Afternoon 2. I found by Enquiry that she always slept with her Mouth open and could not help it and when asleep she could not be awaken'd either by calling jogging or pulling of her for some considerable time though at the same time she fetcht such deep and painful Groans as if she were awaked and sensible of her sad Condition 3. For my Farther Satisfaction I got some at my own Charge to sit up at Nights with her and watch her Mouth and to see it was kept close shut Whilst this was done the Vomiting of Nails ceased and that for thirteen Nights Successively but when it was neglected she would be sure to bring up something of Nails or some such stuff I then had her lodged at a Neighbours House to see whether her Vomiting of Nails would totally cease but it did not For coming one day to my House to refresh her self she had not bin there two Hours before she began to be ill we immediately gave her some Beer and she Vomited up a great board Nail Some time after this she threw up a great piece of Brass which I saw followed with much Blood and she being extreamly weakened with striving and falling into a Fit I caused a Woman to open her Mouth who took out as much Blood as she could hold in the hollow of her hand After the Assizes afore-mentioned was ended and she was turned home she grew worse than ever by Vomiting of Nails Pieces of Glass c. And falling one day into a Violent Fit she was swelled to an extraordinary bigness some Beer being given her she throws up several Pieces of Bread and Butter besmeared with a Poysonous matter which I judged to be white Mercury This so much affrighted the Neighbours that they would come no more near her So that one day she being taken desperate ill I was sent for to pray with her and Compassionating the Deplorableness of her Condition I at last resolved to take her into my own House where in some short time the Vomiting ceased though for some space her Distorting Fits followed her But blessed be God is now and has been for a considerable time last past in very good health and fit for a Service May Hill Minister of Beckington In the County of Somerset April 4. 1691. II. They that will read Mr. Increase Mathers Book and especially his Sons Mr. Cotton Mathers Book of the Witchcrafts in New-England may see enough to Silence any Incredulity that pretendeth to be Rational Mr. Emlin a Preacher now in Dublin told me the Story of the Bewitching of two Gentlewoman Sisters to Mr. Pacy now a Pious Justice in Lestoft in Suffolke He and his Sisters now Married are all yet living They were used much like those in New-England mentioned by Mr. Cotton Mather being Children then about nine and eleven years old But I understand that the Story is in Print and it is also in M.S. from Judge Hale himself who Condemned the Witch which no Man was more backward to do without full Evidence A Lady of my Acquaintance hath it under his Hand Therefore I forbear the particulars Only one odd passage that Mr. Emlin told me I shall recite A Godly Minister yet living sitting by to see one of the Girls in her fits suddenly felt a force pull one of the Hooks from his Breeches And while he looked with wonder what was become of it the Tormented Girl Vomited it up out of her Mouth Any that doubteth of this Story may be satisfied of Mr. Pacy and both his Sisters yet living and may know all the Evidences and Circumstances which I pass over CHAP. IV. Instances sent me from the Duke of Lauderdale More in other Letters of his I gave away and some Books of Forreign Wonders he sent me SIR IT is sad that the Sadducean or rather Atheistical denying of Spirits or their Apparitions should so far prevail and sadder that the clear Testimonies of so many Ancient and Modern Authors should not convince them But why should I wonder if those who believe not Moses and the Prophets will not believe though one should rise from the Dead One great cause of the hardening of those Infidels is the frequent Impostures which the Romanists obtrude on the VVorld in their Exorcisms and pretended Miracles Another is the too great Credulity of some who make every thing VVitchcraft which they do not understand And a third may be the Ignorance of some Judges and Juries who condemn Silly Melancholy People upon their own Confession and perhaps slender Proofs None of these three can be deny'd but it is impertinent arguing to conclude that because there have been Cheats in
things so called very sad and Disconsolate and Despairing of her Life yea praying for her Death She came back to me about the midst of Autumn refusing not only Wine Beer Mead and all Water but also boil'd Meat and Bread steepe in Broth or Wine and at last all White and Wheaten Bread I believe because the one was made with Milk and the other with Water as is usual with us For which Reason for forty days time she lived on nothing but Apples Raisins Nuts Almonds and other Fruits proper to the Season yet for all this the rosie blush in her Cheeks was not Diminished nor the Milky snow of her Forehead At last for fifteen Days and Nights together she took neither Meat nor Drink How she could pass so many Days without either Meat or Drink I confess my self ignorant but that so it was I do avow and all my Family are ready with me most Solemnly to Depose upon Oath On the sixteenth day when she had of her own accord askt for some Drink and taken it she no longer refused Food I thought it then seasonable to have Recourse to Natural Means not Omitting Divine Exorcisms and I prepared the Decoction Ex fuga Damonum of Southern Wood Mugwort Vervene c. and after I had used her a while to that Drink I sent her Home In the interim tumbling over all the Books I could find at last I light on Bartholomew Carrichters Secrets who in the twelfth Chapter of his second Book Describes a certain Medicine proper to this Malady Finding this mightily Recommended in Horstius his Medicinal Epistles Epist. 1. Sect. vij in Hector Schlands Letter to Gregory Horstius dated in the year 1612. I Write both to him and to the Francford Apothecary in whose Shops he saith it is sold promising any Rate for the unguent and prescription But receiving no Advice from them and being Day and Night Sollicitous for the Childs Recovery I took Carrichter again into my Hand and having much ado to understand him by reason of a mistake of the Printers who had Printed in one word Holtz bletter beer which should have been in three I at last almost a Twelve-Month after for want of necessary Materials caused the following Unguent to be made Take of Dogs Grease well Dissolved and Cleansed four Ounces of Bears Grease eight Ounces of Capons Grease four and twenty Ounces three Trunks of Misletoe of the Hasle while Green cut it into pieces and pound it small till they become moist bruise together the Wood Leaves and Berries mix all in a Vial after you have exposed it to the Sun for nine Weeks you shall extract a green Balsam wherewith if you anoint the Bodies of the Bewitcht especially the parts most affected and the Joints they will certainly be Cured as hath been proved by this Child who hath been now three years perfectly well only on the days of the Ember-weeks do what she can she is seized with a certain Transient Melancholy And this is the Reason why I have ingenuosly Communicated to the World in the Latin Tongue the above-mentioned prescription concealed by others and published in Dutch by Carrichter faultily XXV Mer. Casaubon in Credulity and Incredulity in things Natural It cannot be deny'd because I see Learned Physicians are of that Opinion and visible Effects do evince it but that the Devil doth immiscere se in several Diseases whereof Sir Theod. Mayern whom I think for strange and even miraculous Cures I may call the AEsculapius of his time and to do no body wrong he gave me a notable Instance concerning a Maid in his House that had been bitten by a Mad Dog which also dy'd of it to whom when he came in a Morning with a Looking-Glass to make a Tryal of what he had read but not yet experienced himself under his Gown before he was in the Room she began to cry out and told him what it was he had about him XXVI Fernelius de Abdit rerum causis Pag. 65. saith I saw one that by certain words would make Shapes Spectres appear in a Looking-Glass which whatever he commanded them would presently by Writing or by true Images so clearly express that all might be quickly and easily understood by those that sat by They heard a few Sacred words but filthily contaminated by obscure names such as the power of the Elements the horrid and unheard of names of certain Princes of the East West c. And P. 124 125. he tells you how many ways by Characters Spells Ceremonies they work too long to recite and tells you how the Bewitched are Distorted Tormented speak unlearnt Languages tell the by-standers their Secrets c. and saith A few Years ago a young Man a Knights Son labour'd of a Concussion and a Convulsion of his Body by Fits which did so exagitate sometime the Left-Arm sometime the Right sometimes one Finger sometimes one Leg sometimes the other sometimes both sometimes the whole Trunk of his Body that four Servant-men could scarcely hold him but his Head remained unshaken his Tongue and Speech free his Mind sound and all his Senses entire even in the fierceness of his Convulsions He was taken at least ten times a Day sound in the intervals but broken with Labour Had he not had his Understanding and Senses sound it would have been taken for an Epilepsie The most skilful Physicians judged it a Convulsion kin to an Epilepsie from a malignant venemous Vapor impact in the Marrow of the Back c. They used all Remedies but we were all mistaken in Ignorance of the true Cause for in the third Month a Demon was found to be the Author of all shewing himself by Voice and unusual Words and Sentences Latine and Greek though he was ignorant of the Greek Tongue He detected many of the Secrets of the by-sitters and especially of the Physicians deriding them that he had by great Peril cheated them and that by their vain Medicines they had almost killed the Man If his Father a Knight of the Order of St. Michael that wore that Image in a Gold Chain was coming to see him he would far off bid them Let him not in or take off his Chain If Divine and Sacred words were read he would toss him and shake him most fiercely See the rest And Pag. 127. I saw one that would stop Blood flowing from any part of the Body by touching the part and muttering a few words So far the great Fernelius He next nameth many Diseases that they use Spells to Cure XXVII The greatest Physician of England to divers Kings and the chief that I have my self used and knew him to be an Honest Credible Man Sir Theodore Meyerne confirmeth the thing in question but goeth the true middle way between Ignorant Credulity and Incredulity in his late published Praxis Pag. 57. in a Letter to Dr. Castle about one seeming possess'd saying That Melancholy is the Seat the Bath and the Kingdom of the Devil I well