confesseth himselfe 127 Abyron Dathan swallowed vp by the earth for their impieties 213 Accusation of Sorcerers 8 The acts of Adoration of Verrine 3.143.185 An Act of humility in Magdalene 149 Adoration of Verrine 3.143.185 Adiuration of Verrine 103.123 Adam driuen out of Paradise for his disobedience 133 Adams Repentance 115 Adam and what he did 44.217.246.106 Adoration of the Eucharist 26.33 Adoration of the Goat in the synagogue 302 Adoration of God by a Diuell in a miracle 89 An aduertizement vnto Monkes and Priests 133.144 An aduice to write that which the Diuell deliuered 30 An aduice giuen to Priests 104. and vnto religious persons 172. and generally vnto all men 192.238.274 The Age wherein we are to doe penance 237 Agnus dei is a lambe for true Christians but a roaring Lion for Diuels 24 Against such as addresse themselves to Witches 253 Allusion made by the Diuell touching the constraint which be suffereth in exorcismes 204 Saint Andrewes day appointed by the Diuels to carry away Magdalene 1.2 Angels of heauen and their force 36 Angels which are our guardians ought to bee worshipped and why 199 Angels and Saints are our aduocates 147 Angels are not able to sing at full the praises of God 136 Angels that were goodly creatures condemned to hell for their pride 181 Angels are waiters at the table of God 184 Answers of the diuels which were in the body of Louyse 2.3 Antichrist borne 260.268.269.299.305 Antichrist will cause himselfe to bee adored and the Kings of the earth shall serue him 267 Apostrophe vnto S. Magdalene 298 Apostrophe to the laity 145.274 Arriuall of Lewes to S. Baume 287 Arriuall of S. Magdalenes mother to S. Baume 13 Arriuall of Father Michaelis to S. Baume 283 Arriuall of Magdalene to S. Baumie 1 The Attributes giuen to diuine persons 46 Audience giuen to Magdalene 290 An Auie said for our enemies waighes more then a Pater for our friends 257 Authority of the Church 171 Authority of Priests 190 B Balberith is he that tempteth meÌ„ to blaspheme God 252 S. Baume ought to be reuerenced 226.281 Baptisme not regarded 123 Barbarous nations liue in darkenesse 123 The Bee ought to be proposed to our imitation 229 Beatitude not essentiall but accidentall may bee augmented 96 Belzebub tosseth Magdaleue from one side to another 21 Belzebub belloweth like a bull and casteth Magdalenes shooes at Louyse head 6 Belzebub maketh an out cry when he heard these words Ecce Ancilla domini 24 Belzebub sweareth that Louyse is possessed 294 Belzebub in speaking to another Diuell doth imitate the Exorcist 66 Belzebub humbled and troden vnder feete 86.124 Belzebub complaineth to God of his too great mercy 62.63.73.74 S. Bernard a great familiar of the Virgins 194 Beauty of Paradise 38.281 Beades without workes are of none auaile 80.81 Birds of the aire blesse God 250 Blindnesse of men 188 He is Blind who neither hath vnderstanding nor will to do good 141 Booke of life and death in Gods keeping 271 The Booko of the Crucifix 145.275 The Booke with two leaues 173 Bread taken for the species and forme of bread 151 C CAluenists beleeue not the Church of Rome 39 Capuchins goe to Marseille 299 Carreau one of the Diuels 243.116 Catherine of France gardian vnto Magdalene 6 Caroches enter into hell but men goe to Paradise on foote 21.124 A Change in the life of Magdalene 132 The Charity of Saints 37 The Charity of Christ Iesus 77 Charity the daughter of God 44 Christians that serue not God are miserable 17 The Church shall examine all these things 116 Out of the Church there is no saluation and it is but one 209 Single Combats prohibited by God 135.242 Confession of Magdalene 8 The holy Communion the table of the King of Kings 183 Confession without due preparation is not good 126 Confessours and Exorcists are excluded from the consultations 289 Consultations touching the verification of the acts 289 Considerations to bee thought vpon when wee sit at table 228.229 Consultation touching the businesse of the Magician 185 Conuersion of Magicians 261. It is a miracle 305 Constraint of Verrine 18.20.57.58.64.106 Constraint of Belzebub to renounce the actions of the Magicians 241 Constraint of the Diuels to speake truth 42.43.91 and to humble themselues 63.92.93.160.186 Contradiction when the miracles of God are wrought 205 Contradiction of Leuiathan 152 Cooperation of the creature with God 229 Fiue Counsels or instructions giuen to Louyse 40. and to Magdalene 40 The Contrition of Magdalene 10 Another Consultation how to proceed in case that the Magician would not confesse 106 The Contempt of Diuels towards our Lady 5.182 The Contempt which some haue of Priests is not to bee regarded by Priests 135 The Crosse a glasse in which we are all to looke 145 Christ Iesus is the same also 146 The Cruelty of the Magician Lewes 298 All Creatures obey God 60 Damnable Curiosity touching the blessed Sacrament 90 The Curious fall into a pit out of which they cannot get when they will 116.90.133 The Custome of the DominicaÌ„s in saying of their Rosary 3 D DAmnation the recompence of Diuels 60.61 Dathan and Abyron swallowed vp for their impieties 213 Death and the sundry sorts thereof 170 The Deformity of Diuels and the damned 38.61 The Diuell begins to speake at the first exorcismes but by constraint 2.3.157 The Diuell boweth himselfe to worship God 3 The Diuell that is inferiour dareth not speake before his superiour 6 Diuels make dainty to tell their names for feare of being exorcised commanded and punished 66 The Diuell seene by Magdalene 14 The Diuels beaten 24.25 The Diuels are constrained to speake at S. Baume 30 The Diuels would ouerthrow the coÌ„pany of S. Vrsula 34.89 The principall Diuels that were in Magdalene 39 The Diuels condemned for one onely sinne and why 93.64 Diuels are theeues 90 Diuels are vncapable of conuersion 90 The Diuel commandeth not neither are we to obey him 94 The Diuell doth falsely affirme that Lewes was no Magician and that Magdalene was not bewitched 131 The Diuell imployed by God and why 236 The Diuels that tempted our first parents 266 The Diuell exprobateth Lewes with his villaines 289 The Diuels are bound 300 304 The Diuell resisteth and disputeth against God 24.143 The Diuell is proud and is vexed that God would chuse a woman to be the instrument of so important a business 85.54 The Diuell issueth forth like a blast from the body of Louyse 210.211 The Diuels keepe Magdalene bound in all her body to make her to despaire 84 Diuels who are forced by God or his Church to sweare a truth cannot lie 29.88.91.92.95.153.154 Diuels doe laugh at those who are curious 51 The Diuels and their number which was in the body of Louyse 3 A Dialogue of the soule and the body 217 A Dialogue betweene Verrine and Leuiathan 161.187 A Dialogue betweene Verrine and Belzebub 62 A Dialogue betweene Verrine and the Exorcist 186 A Dialogâ—e between Leuiathan one of
Verrine Afterward she read the letter which she had formerly the day before her conuersion directed to the blessed Mother of God by the order and aduice of the Father Romillon in reading of which Verrine rebuked her and taxed her of pride saying that Pelagia being conuerted by a sermon Nonnus refused to baptize her but she threw her selfe downe at his feete and said that she would demaund satisfaction of him at the day of iudgement whereupon he did baptize her Then hee said Take courage Magdalene for God will giue assistance vnto thee but beware thou neglectest not the fiue counsels and instructions which were giuen to Louyse this morning to wit a good intention puritie of affection puritie of conscience faith and humilitie Francis for his simplicitie and humblenesse is in Paradise hee suffered himselfe to bee accounted a foole yet was hee garnished with all sorts of excellent vertues for God giueth grace to the humble and resisteth the proud He was also indowed with the gift of obedience for without obedience there is no going to Paradise yea the Sonne of God himselfe said to his Father in the garden of Oliuet Fiat voluntas tua and finally resignation is to be made of all worldly desires After this hee caused the tenour of the letter to bee changed saying that it sented of nothing but of pride and nicenesse and he made it to be mended in manner as followeth My most deare glorious worthie and vnspotted Mother of God and the most louely Mother of my Spouse I salute you in the heartiest manner and present my selfe before you as a wretched malefactor before his Iudge to the end that you would be pleased to intercede for me to your best beloued Sonne and to offer vnto him your holy and chast wombe that bare him and your blessed breasts that gaue him sucke As also to pray your dearest Sonne to present his fiue wounds vnto his Father that so I may haue remission of all the sinnes which I haue committed in my fiue senses I am a poore miserable creature vnworthie to lift vp mine eyes to heauen or once to name of my Creator But I will say like another Thais he who hath created me and framed me of nothing take pitie vpon me who am not worthie to tread on the earth or to lift vp my spirit and voyce to pray no not to S. Magdalene S. Dominicke my good Angel and all the Saints of heauen or other reasonable creatures as well absent as present I Magdalene of Demandouls haue written this letter to the most sacred and worthie Mother of God who doe not merit as much as to name her deliuered by a Diuell called Verrine that spake by the mouth of Louyse because I haue not made those instructions vsefull vnto mee which by so many learned personages whom I little esteemed of were recommended to my practise I haue rather hearkened vnto Lucifer then to them and doe now make my protestation before God that I shall neuer hereafter giue eare to Belzebub nor to his adherents by the assistance of his grace and through the prayers of the Virgin Mary the sinners Aduocate and specially of S. Mary Magdalene of all Angels and of all Saints Protesting in despite of Belzebub the chiefe of the Diuels which are in my bodie and of al hell I will heedfully obserue those fiue points which were recommended vnto me to wit a good intention a pure affection puritie of conscience simplicitie humilitie as also obedience and resignation of the world All this I doe here promise by the aide and grace of my God The subscriptioÌ„ of the said letter was dated in manner as followeth Verrine saying that the subscription of letters that were to be sent to great personages ought to be no lesse polite and elegant then the bodie of the letters themselues Your most humble and prostrate hand-maid replenished with all presumption in that she hath been so hardie as to write vnto so great a Queene although my great and compelling necessities haue pressed me vnto it and I saw that you were the Sanctuarie and refuge of those that were forlorne as also I was transported thereunto by reason of the great and violent assaults of temptations which Belzebub and all his complices did force vpon me And hauing vnderstood such wonders spoken of your greatnesse I was emboldâ—â—d to take you for my Mother and Aduocate and will remaine all my life long vntill the last houre of my death by the helpe of my God your most forlorne and worthlesse slaue Magdalene of Demandouls The superscription was thus To the most sacred worthie pretious and glorious Mother of my God and Aduocate for sinners The acts of the 13. of December 1610. being the feast of S. Luke THat day in the morning the Dominican Father came to conferre of the discourse of the day past that he might orderly couch and set downe in writing what he had obserued And seeing that hee could not conceiue where to begin hee remained a little sad that it should bee thus in hazard to bee forgotten At the length he was resolued to take the Stole and to adiure the Diuell Verrine that if it were the good pleasure of God that this should bee written to the end that the Church might take knowledge of the same it was then his part and dutie to repeate and dictate what hee had spoken to the confusion of the Diuell and to the glorie of God Presently did the Diuell begin to dictate in the presence of the fathers of the congregation as is aforesaid The Diuell protesting that he was now inforced to â—he repetition thereof but would hereafter dictate all â—nto the Church so leasureably that a man might haue â—he opportunity to write after him The same day in the morning Louyse and Magdaâ—ene were exorcised by the Dominican father and at the â—eginning of the exorcismes Verrine began to dictate â—hat which here followeth in the hearing of many taâ—ing the subiect of his discourse from the Gospell In â—rincipio which the Priest read after Masse Hee cried â—ut Cursed be In principio If I were able to smother â—t how willingly would I doe it These last words â—lunge vs into despaire Verbum caro factum est haâ—itauit The beginning speaketh of your redemption â—he conclusion of your glorie there is no habitauitâ—or â—or vs it is for others And this habitauit is it that â—addeth vs. The miracle doth not consist in this that Iohn the Euangelist wrote it but the wonder is that â— Diuell doth auow it and is constrained to his inâ—nite sorrow to annunciate this truth vnto you The â—iuels are compelled to speake the truth when God alâ—ighty doth expresse and wring it from them and are â—s Gally-slaues forced vnto it This is that God whom â—e Christians worship After Masse was finished hee began to speake after â—is sort touching the great Counsell of the most saâ—ed Trinitie about the reparation of mankinde When
peace coÌ„mest thou here to preach lies Thou saiest that thou art sent from God to preach the Gospell wee haue Preachers enow without thee To this Verrine replied thou lyest and doest misvnderstand me I said not so thou knowest not the bottome of this businesse and that maketh thee to speake so foolishly as thou doest It is most true I neuer so much as said that I was sent from God to preach the Gospell I should lye to say it I said that I was here in the bodie of this vnhappie woman who hath begged from God that shee might bee humbled euen to the paines of Hell for the saluation of her neighbours I said that God had permitted me to enter into this body for his glorie and the conuersion of many soules and in particular of these two which thou curious fellow knowest not Thou art a proud arrogant fellow and worse then a Diuell except thou humble thy selfe and I will proue it vnto thee that thou beleeuest not thy God to be omnipotent Thou art worse then an Hereticke except thou repent and beleeue what I haue spoken Get thee gon get thee gon accursed spirit said the Frier I will not beleeue the Diuell Then said Verrine I doe adiure thee by the liuing God to come with me and sweare that all which I haue said is true For thou deseruest to bee burnt aliue if thou doest not beleeue thy God to be omnipotent Why saiest thou thy Credo if thou beleeuest not what I haue spoken It is not to bee auoided thou must either denie the puissance of God or confesse that this is true To this the Frier replied that there was a woman in Paris much resembling the condition of this woman in whom was discouered a great deale of knauerie and iugling and that she did deceiue much people Verrine told him that it was true shee did indeede cousen many but Louyse was trulie possessed Let her life belooked into and let her be turned ouer to the Examinations of the sharpest vnderstandings Shee would bee readie euen to suffer Martyrdome to maintaine this auerment if need did so require because it would redowne vnto the glorie of her God Then Verrine ingeminated that speech to goâ— and sweare with him and that Louyse could not communicate till they were both sworne The Frier made great resistance hereunto and would by no meanes obey it saying that hee would not bee commanded by a Diuell Hereunto Verrine answered it standeth not with reason to obey the Diuell I command thee not from my selfe but say vnto thee on Gods behalfe that thou â—ome along and sweare with mee it waxeth late and Louyse is to communicate Then the Frier said vnto the Priest which held the blessed Sacrament Father doe â—ou commaund me for I will not obey the Diuell Whereupon the Priest commanding him he came and wore vpon the Te igitur and then vpon the blessed â—acrament Verrine also taking such an oath the like whereof hee had neuer taken before said thus I doe weare by the liuing God that whatsoeuer I haue said I â—aue been constrained to vtter the same vnto you It is â—rue O God who art here really and truly with thy boâ—ie and blood with thy diuinitie power wisdome and â—ountie The said Frier was present when hee swore â—hus to whom he said I doe sweare by the God of Isâ—ael and by the God of the Christians that all which I â—aue spoken is true I sweare vnto thee according to â—he meaning of God and his Church and according to â—he Exorcists intention also that when wee are inforâ—ed thereunto by God we must put his good pleasure 〈◊〉 execution keeping all the solemnities that are requiâ—te in taking a true and perfect oath Then the Frier submitted himselfe and said that hee â—ad spoken nothing against God or his Church and beâ—eeued that God was Omnipotent and was able to â—orce the Deuill to deliuer a truth when it pleased him â—nd so submitting himselfe he rested satisfied The Deuill thereupon told him Thou art exceeding â—roud learne to humble thy selfe and bee not so ouer-â—urious for the curious fall into a pit from whence â—hey cannot free themselues when they will alleaging Caluin Beza Luther Iulian the Apostata Simon Maâ—us and saying doe not thou boast thy strength aboue heirs for there haue been Priests and religious perâ—ons that afterwards became heretikes as Caluin Beza Luther Verrine further said vnto him And of what religion art thou Doth thy Order command thee to bee proud I will proue vnto thee that thou art arrogant and selfe-opinioned and wouldest circle in the omnipotencie of God within thy narrow vnderstanding Humble thy selfe for it ill beseemeth one of thy coate to bee thus drenched in curiositie The supremest Seraphins doe euery day make new discoueries of great perfections in God the same doth his Mother and all the Angels Salomon when hee dedicated his Temple said Hee that created heauen and earth whom the heauen of heauens cannot containe and wilt not thou that art but a worme which crauleth on the earth submit thy selfe but wouldest hoope in the omnipotencie bountie and wisedome of thy God within the cancels of thine owne memorie and braine Vpon this the Frier rested satisfied and submitted himselfe with many words of humiliation Verrine also discoursed touching the reason of these present writings in forme of a letter missiue the tenour whereof here ensueth The men of these times are so curious that God must bee as a Gardener vnto them witnesse Magdalen to whom he appeared in the semblance of a Gardener and fit diuers sorts of sallets vnto their palats lest they should be disrelished wherein he resembleth a good father who doth so affectionately loue his child that he is euer asking him What wilt thou eate childe And if the childe chance to say I haue no appetite I see nothing I can eate the father will cause daintie and exquisite meate to bee set before him the best that may bee gotten If then the childe should say nothing heere pleaseth me the fault is not in the victuals but in him that is sicke and hath his tafte ill-affected What doth the father then doth he fall a beating of him doth he threaten and chide him no but goeth about and searcheth after other strange victuals which may chance to please them for their noueltie as being such which hee had neuer seene tasted or heard talke of Euen so doth your God by you for he is an hundred times more carefull then all the naturall fathers that are This father both of your soules and bodies when he obserueth that the soule hath no appetite vnto such varietie of good meates which as a father hee hath solicitously prouided such as is the holy Scripture it is true euery one doth not vnderstand this which is a meat too lushious too delicious too precious and all cannot rellish and like the same especially women and fooles it is too hot for them and
doe nothing but that which is euill and Angels can doe nothing but that which is good but men are able to doe either good or euill as being endowed with a free will and yet O God there are of these creatures that doe rebelliously demeane themselues against thee and are indeed worse then Diuels The paines that men suffer in this world are as flowers and Roses in comparison of the paines of Hell which are true torments indeed I tell you the fiers of this world are imaginarie and painted in respect of the fiers there and all furnaces are as nothing if they be compared but to a sparke in Hell Diuels are as wild and rauenous beasts they bite in their embracements Wee promise much and performe nothing because where nothing is nothing can bee expected You that are Priests bee circumspect and aduised in your calling because it is no offence if a man neglect and turne from an Angell of heauen to doe honour and reuerence vnto you The Angels indeed doe incessantly behold the face of their God but you with foure words doe make him descend vpon the Altar and since herein the King obeyeth his vassall how wretched must that Priest bee that doth rebell and mutter against his superiour you lumps of clay it will not go well with you vnlesse you humble your selues and bee repentant Disobedience was it that turned Adam out of Paradise and the same disobedience cast Lucifer headlong out of Heauen If God were capable of sadnesse hee would weepe when he seeth a rebellious and disobedient man so highly doth that sinne displease him Euery one ought to liue contentedly in his vocation You that are Priests and religious persons ought to studie preach and search out the truth for you are sequestred from this world to be seruants vnto the light Many seeke truth and cannot find it because they search after it with a dim and obscure lanthorne other search it with a greater and fuller light and they finde it Faith is this light and humility the doore that openeth vnto truth The curious walke vpon the brinke of Hell and thinking alwaies that they shall finde out what they make inquisition after they doe at last stumble and fall downe the head first and the rest of the body after witnesse the Caluinists Caluin Beza Luther these were the heads of our new Hereticks and all the body to wit those that follow and adhere to their opinions doe fall into this gulfe if they die obstinately in their fancies this is it they must looke for vnlesse they be conuerted You that are in religious Orders attend seriously vnto your vocation and obserue the commandements and counsels of God and know that your life is a light vnto worldlings and a patterne or copie of their liues and conuersations you must studie a new booke a booke that hath but two leaues the first leafe containeth the manner of attaining vnto perfect humility in the birth of the Son of God the other leafe containes the obedience which till his death hee euer practised I tell you that those who shall reade this booke aduisedly and as they ought I dare bee bold to promise them on Gods behalfe life eternall because in this booke is comprehended the beginning and end of perfection He that is humble is neither curious nor rebellious but is apt for commands and full of obedience and the obedient cannot die but liue eternally by obedience I vnderstand such a kind of subiection that shall no way be disagreeable vnto God or his Church or the saluation of soules for if I should say otherwise I should lie And I say turning himselfe to the Assembly speaking vnto you in generall not in particular that our Lord had twelue Disciples of whom one was starke naught The Iewes were formerly the true children of God but now they are a reprobate Nation so I say if you see a wicked priest you are not presently to ground from hence that all the rest are like vnto him if you see a wicked Frier or religious person you are not by and by to coniecture that their religion is naught But here is the great misery of worldly men who when they see a wicked Priest are presently ready to say this is the conuersation of them all I say vnto them that herein they doe bely them and they are not to speake after this manner for the wicked cannot preiudice or disparage the good and those that thus despise Priests doe it to this end that they may haue freer scope to liue in liberty and licentiousnesse The booke of humility is hard to be vnderstood by a man that is not very intelligent but when hee once shall know the interpretation of the same hee will find all manner of vertues contained therein for she is a Queene that bringeth with her many Princesses and Ladies in her traine and as in a chaine one ring followeth and dependeth vpon another so doth humility vpon obedience the ground-worke of true perfection is humility and the end is obedience Great God for this cause wast thou borne for this cause didst thou die thou wert borne in a manger and died'st naked vpon the Crosse and hast endured death it selfe yea a most cruell and ignominious death Cursed be those that shall fight in single cumbate for hereby they transgresse the Commandement of God and of their King and doe contemne the Excommunication of the Church Many children are so il-aduised that they beleeue neither father nor mother and doe well deserue the miseries which doe afterward ouertake them Absolon may be a true witnes of the same In the world all things goe by friendship and partiality but it is not so with God the Monarch and the begger the faire and the foule the lame and the perfect are all alike if they be in grace alike You of the laity keepe the Commandements of God and his Church and you shall be saued Heauen was not made meerely and solely for religious persons bee you onely carefull to loue God and to serue and obey him Such and so admirall is the power of God that he stinteth not himselfe to the praises of Angels or of his creatures but goeth further and commandeth the Deuill himselfe by compulsion and not out of loue to glorifie him and to put his good pleasure in execution Though all Angels all men and all Hell should incessantly enlarge and extend their speaches to relate at full the glory and perfections of God yet could they neuer attaine vnto the same it is an abisme whose bottome is inscrutable and cannot be diued into by the greatest Seraphins or the Mother of God her selfe God is onely he who can comprehend it Many curious persons conceiue their iudgments so able that they can comprise within the same all Gods power all his sapience and goodnesse and all his other perfections Ha! how short commeth their vnderstanding of these mysteries they must humble themselues if they will goe to
obstinate soules is not such a kind of impatiency as may any way darken or preiudice his perfections but it is rather an argument in him of vnblemished goodnesse for God in iustice should dart downe lightning from heauen to destroy them or suffer the earth to gape and swallow them vp who haue better deserued this punishment then Dathan and Abiran whom the earth deuoured vp for their rebellion O Lord God he cannot flie from thee whether he descend to hel for according to thy essence thou art there or whether he doth imagine to stray from thee by wandring like a vagabond vp and downe the world for thou seest all and art euery where or if he would ascend vnto heauen for there the gates are shut against him So that if he be not repentant hee may perchance flie but he cannot euade Great God thou hast made reseruation of three things to thy selfe and wouldest not that sinners should intermeddle or dip their fingers in them to wit thy glorie iudgement and vengeance And because the guidance and gouernement of things is most proper vnto him you must let him alone in his course of gouernement for he knoweth wel when to take the cause of innocencie into his owne protection What thinke ye that God will suffer this iniquitie to branch vp higher I tell you he is wearied with his long sufferance and therefore wil see the end of this inditement and howsoeuer this busines shal fal he wil be sure to fashion and shape it to his glory the saluation of soules I say further that if he be not conuerted he shal be burned aliue if he wil needs perish God will leaue him to himself for this good God for his part was not wanting to him in any thing God resembleth a father of many children who are all stubborne and rebellious against him and will not obey him neither by allurements nor by threats then doth this father say vnto them that they deserue to be punished because they are disobedient to their father and will not harken vnto him neither for hope of inheritance nor for any other admonitions or inducements that may bee laid before them but doe continue on in their contempt against him It is a thing full of astonishment that God should prouide this great remedy for you miserable and accursed sinners and yet the number of those that lay hold vpon it should be so small There are some that conceiue that God is indebted vnto them thinking with themselues that hee hath promised Paradise vnto them and that heauen was not destinated to intertaine beasts or Infidels but for Christians It is true God is vexed with a holy kind of impatience when he considereth the mischieuous and malitious purposes of men he hath purchased their soules at an high and inestimable rate for the satisfying of which paiment it was expedient that diuinitie should be vnited vnto a humane nature Thou also who art the powerfull mother of God did'st suffer much for their sakes and wert vnder the Crosse and neere vnto thy Sonne yet for all this do they renounce thy Passion O God the nailes and al other instruments of thy torments and doest thou still hearken after them and willingly subiect thy selfe to death to saue them Why art thou so fond ouer them is not thy blessed Mother in heauen with an infinite number of Saints and Angels If all the drops of water in the sea all the leaues of trees all the Starres of heauen were capable to sound forth thy praises they would all blesse thee O God and giue thee thanks for those manifold benefits which thou hast conferred vpon men yea the blessing of their creation alone doth challenge euerlasting giuing of thanks Besides this he hath giuen his Angels charge ouer you who doe euer intercede on your behalfe and say they will be conuerted they will be conuerted you must haue a little patience The Virgin Marie is also euer mediating for you yet are you regardlesse of all this especially this wretch who shall either be burned or be conuerted for God can no longer suffer or looke on villanies of so soule a nature and this will be the end of this businesse The messengers of the King haue been at his gate and haue diuers times knocked there I my selfe also was present but not any way to further the proiect of Belzebub Then he spake to Belzebub and said Accursed feind thou diddest imagine that I would combine with thee but thou art deceiued for I cannot swarue from the commission of my Master I did indeed suffer my seruants to giue thee assistance but for my selfe I tooke part against thee and made that iourney of set purpose to declare vnto him that as the Diuel had seduced him so the Diuell should bee an occasion to set him right in the true way Then hee tooke a solemne oath that whatsoeuer hee had now vttered was agreeable vnto truth The same day when Verrine was dictating that which hee had formerly deliuered touching the immaculate conception of the blessed Virgin Marie the Mother of God he was asked what he meant in saying that the humanitie of the Sonne of God did repose it selfe in the bosome of his Father and that then God did forme his blessed Mother out of one of his ribs To this Verrine answered You may here cauill and say that then this proposition must bee true the Sonne is before his Mother I tell you that the humanitie of Christ Iesus as all other things whatsoever are was alwaies present with his celestiall Father for with him nothing can bee said to bee past or to come but all is present the Sonne is before his Mother because the Father did first behold the humanitie of his Sonne before hee beheld his mother yet for all this you cannot properly say that the one precedeth the other for in God all things are present The Acts of the 23. of December THis day Verrine began to make a furious inuectiue against the Magician saying with great out-cries Accursed wretch thou deseruest to haue thy life restored vnto thee tenne thousand times that thou mightest so many times suffer death yea thou shouldest die as oft as thou hast sacrilegiouslie offended Notwithstanding God would yet deale fauourable with thee if thy selfe giue no stop thereunto Ha you Capuchins you shall bee punished with temporall calamities because you did vary from the forme which was prescribed vnto you You might well conceiue that Almighty God hath communicated power vnto his Church to bee able to command Diuels and your charity that you should beare vnto your neighbours might haue perswaded you hither that you might take information of all things but hee is not alwaies absolute that conceiteth hee is already sufficiently informed Then said Verrine to the Dominican Father who euer wrote what hee deliuered I must goe thither the third time consider how God loueth this soule Before Christmas you shall see the bottome
must not now grudge and repine at labour Knowest thou not that it will bee said vnto me Soule render me an account of what thou hast done thou wert ' the mistrisse and shouldest therefore manage thy gouernment with discretion A man that chanceth vpon a sober discreet wife is in reason to intrust her and not his seruant with the domesticke and home-businesses of his family but thou hast done cleane contrary You that are men are iust of the same humour and say Wee are tender and of a delicate composition and must a little cherish and make much of our selues Others will say let vs bee frolicke I can liue without working I haue many goodly possessions I am noble in my blood and am descended from such a race I am able to keepe thus many horses maintaine thus many gentlemen in my attendance and bee waited on with thus many Pages and Lackeies Another will complaine of his old age and how vnable hee is to vndergoe the burthen of penance at those yeeres For this cause do those families perish and lie buried in their ruines where this cursed chambermaid beareth sway Do not you resemble those that as the Prouerbe noted of them are facete and pleasant abroad but sullen in their owne houses Then Verrine speaking to the assembly said you promise Paradise vnto your selues but thinke you not to attaine vnto it without much sufferance and aduersities in this world for the seruant is not greater then his master And if God was first to suffer and then to haue admittance into glory would you expect to enter into heauen on horse-backe or in your Caroach I tell you nay but you are to come thither on foot and to bee besides loden with store of good workes otherwise it will be told you I know you not you cannot come in for I and my children are in bed Whereby you are not to conceiue that these beds are beds of doune and delicacy as some lazy persons might apprehend it No these words shall be spoken to the stuborne and obstinate sinner that hateth to be conuerted If you will bee saued you must not abandon your selues vp to wantonnesse which doth emasculate and weaken all vertuous desires in you You all stand charged with the heauie burthen of your sinnes prostrate your selues before this little childe which lieth in the manger and come vnto him with the full burthen of your transgressions that hee may vnload you If you say vnto mee you haue no sinne I must tell you that it is false for all men are sinners Sinne is like vnto wood pile it vp and lay it on a heape that when the holy Ghost commeth hee may set fire to the same I meane the fire of his loue which searcheth still for stubble and other such combustible matter that it may consume and burne it What man can heere excuse himselfe hath not euery one a staffe in his hand whereon to leane and support himselfe which is the will whatsoeuer you haue besides you owe vnto God but this will is your owne since God hath made it ouer vnto you and therefore take this staffe vnto you For God is the shepheard and you are the sheepe of his pasture whom if the woolfe come to rauin vpon and to deuoure hee will take the staffe of your will and will swinge him so soundly that hee shall neuer returne for his prey but to his owne confusion Then did Verrine inuite all the creatures of Heauen all the Quires of Angels all Saints especially the blessed mother of God as also the whole Church triumphant and militant to praise God for the repentance of sinners especially of those that were obstinate as Magicians and Witches Sorcerers and Sorceresses in these words Verrine in the name of al Magicians Witches Sorcerers and Sorceresses and by the appointment of that Soueraigne God saith O yee foure elements praise yee the Lord all creatures reasonable and vnreasonable praise the Lord whatsoeuer hath grouth or motion laud the name of God Earth Sea Aire and Fire trees and starres praise ye all the Lord c. I tell you that if all the creatures of the world could make their eies gush foorth with teares of bloud they would bewayle as much as in them lyeth the impieties of Magicians and Witches so abominable are their courses before God All these things were pronounced by him whilest the Priest held the blessed Sacrament in his hands to giue the Communion to Louyse and Magdalene After this he renounced those abiurations of Magicians and Witches Sorcerers and Sorceresses as he had formerly done at midnight Masse Gresill and Sonneillon did also the same three seuerall times once when the Crede was said in the Masse another time at the eleuation and the third time at the Communion In like manner these three Diuels confirmed by oath all that was aboue mentioned in the same manner as at the midnight before The same day the Dominican Father wrote a letter to father Michaelis in answere vnto one of his written the 13. of this moneth wherein hee intreateth him to come to S. Baume The same day Verrine said vnto the Dominican Father command mee in the Name of God and by the authority of the Church triumphant and militant to goe foorth about an imployment which God hath imposed vpon mee then hee called father Romillon and father Andrew Godan of the Order of S. Dominick to be witnesses hereunto and then departed Moreouer there happened a very memorable accident on the same day for Belzebub began to speake in this strange manner as followeth Verrine not long agoe cryed out that all Hell was constrained by God to renounce whatsoeuer the Magicians and Witches had proiected and I Belzebub cheefe of the Diuels that are in the body of Magdalene am compelled by the Almighty to make the like abiuration in effect contrary to my resolution and the greatnesse of my pride Yes yes yes in despight of my selfe and against my customary pride and rebellion in the name of all my companions I renounce I renounce I renounce I say whatsoeuer I haue suggested vnto Magdalene as well for the time past as for thetime to come both against her God and conscience Yes yes yes I reuoke it all I condemne and disclaime it now at this very instant The same day at high Masse were the two women that were possessed exorcised by the Dominican father and Verrine began to speake in this manner Thou God of power cause now an Angell to descend from Heauen vpon this Altar that these men may beleeue what meanest thou to doe Wilt thou vse the ministry of a Diuell in a businesse of this importance Thou hast here Doctors able and ready to say the same that I say men will euer bee saying that Louyse is not possessed cursed be her folly I could endure Hell better then her Then the said Verrine began to scoffe at Belzebub and his Princes in this manner What Belzebub art
Iesus which two last points are comprehended in these words In nomine meo Daemonia eijcient But Sorcerers and Magicians doe not vse to resist the Diuell and bruse his head but they flatter him and call him vnto them by a certaine bargaine or agreement which directly importeth a subiection and dependancy and to be briefe they doe first worship him before hee will come vnto them Againe in steed of repelling him they come vnto him for aduise aide or fauour whereas Christ Iesus would not so much as suffer him to speake and this is not as Origen obserueth to force the Diuell by inuocation vpon the name of God it rather argueth a familiarity and intercourse which they haue together So that if wee doe seriously consider all circumstances they doe crosse and goe a contrary course vnto Christ Iesus and the Apostles It cannot bee gaine-said but that sometimes they will make a semblance as if they wept although in truth it be nothing so S. Augustine reciteth the history of a certaine Magician who boasted much what a command hee had ouer Diuels saying that when they were lasie to doe that he commanded them he threatned to pull the heauens with such violence that they should fall vpon the earth and thereupon the Diuels would readily execute what he had enioyned them for feare least they should be brused betweene heauen and earth as corne is brused betweene two milstones But who seeth not that this is the craft and counterfaite weeping of Crocodiles that is to say Diabolical fictions framed for deceit and cousonage For first it is not the power of Angels to make the heauen descend and touch the earth because vnto them as S. Paul saith God hath not subiected the round frame of the world Non enim saith he Angelis suis subiecit Deus orbem Nay it is so farre from being so that it is not in the naturall power of all wicked spirits that are to wheele about the orbe of the Moone which is the least of all the rest for as God hath appropriated the natural operations of mans body vnto a reasonable soule so that it is not in the power of an Angell to make this body to liue the life of plants the life of beasts or the life of man although he can enter at his pleasure into the same as we see by experience in those that are possessed euen so God hath limited the passiue power of the motions of the heauens vnto certaine Angels whom hee hath destinated thereunto so that it is a ridiculous thing to conceiue that Spirits may be brused or crushed in peeces But they doe herein take the aduantage of mens simplicity and their owne craft by infusing these fables into them wherein they resemble naughty seruants that wait for an occasion to cut their masters throates The fifth error that blindeth those Sorcerers is because they haue a conceite that the Diuell is very ready to doe them seruice but how is it possible that the Diuell should inuassall himselfe vnto man that is but a worm of the earth since that thorow the excessiiuenes of his pride which brooketh no equals hee scorneth to bee the seruant of God whom he knoweth to be his Creator How can he debase himselfe to be mans Lackey when hee did rather choose to relinquish his portion in Paradise and to burne euerlastingly in hell fire then he would acknowledge Christ Iesus for his better For when it was laid before him that hee should become man the Diuel said in his heart no before I will acknowledge a man and a worme of the earth I will first be damned as that deuoute and auncient father S. Bernard hath well expressed it He doth indeed make shew of seruice vnto man but to this end that he may be his master for if hee be delighted corporally to possesse a man when hee hath gotten the mastery of his body how much more is hee pleased when by his subtilties and by taking from him the knowledge of God hee getteth possession of his soule For when hee possesseth the body this affliction is many times the instrument of saluation as S. Paul saith Traedidi huiu smodi Sathanae vt spiritus eius saluus fiat But when hee possesseth the soule and withdraweth it from the grace of God hee is then the instrument of damnation And therefore the Scripture doth euer figure out Satan vnto vs by things that are both dangerous and dreadfull vnto men as by a Serpent by a Dragon and by a roaring Lyon for feare least wee should say as Athiests doe that the Diuell is not so black as men doe paint him whereas contrariwise he is so terrible and so dangerous that all the comparisons of Centaures doggs with three heads and the like monsters described vnto vs by Poets fall farre short of his vglinesse If then any one should be familiar with such furious beasts might hee not well bee accounted mad and depriued of common sense Yet Witches and Magicians do ordinarily expose themselues to these things And this horridnesse of Diuels was declared vnto Iob who had partly experimented the rage and bloody malice of Satan but hee tryed not all his forces because God suffered him not to doe all that he was willing to inflict vpon Iob. God then described Satan vnto him by the similitude of the most great and horrible monster of the world called Behemoth This beast saith God is the most fearfull and cruell monster of the world his body is armed as it were with iron his flesh is harder then stone so that hee cannot be crushed or hurt by the violent strokes of hammers neither can the sharpest launces enter into him nor pierce him more then so many strawes if men should goe about to strike him downe with tumbling vpon him great stones from a rock it would be but lost labour and hee would be no more endāgered thereby then if they threw balls of flax against him God further speaketh vnto Iob of this monster dost thou thinke to put a hooke into his nostrills as men take fishes or when hee is before thee dost thou conceiue that he is affraide of thee Nunquid multiplicabit tibi preces aut loquetur tibi mollia Will he behaue himselfe like a dogg that flattereth his master and lyeth at his feet for feare of being beaten or if hee come to some agreement with thee doest thou imagine that he doth it to any other end then to deuoure thee Nunquid feriet tecum pactum accipies eum quasi seruum sempiternum Wilt thou play with him as a bird and tye a thread about his legg to keep him in or to let him fly at thy pleasure Nunquid illudes ei quasi aui Last of all God saith Memento belli nec vltra addas loqui remember that hee is a murtherer from the beginning that hee is thy arch-enemy and doth continually wage warre against thee Doe not hurt thy selfe by these foolish speeches
Verrine so that therewith he strucke Louyse on the head Notwithstanding these brauadoes of Belzebub Verrine addressed his speach vnto the said Magdalene and said O Magdalene how blest is S. Baume in thee It is true Magdalene blessed for euer is this S. Baume because in this place if thou wilt thou shalt become a second Magdalene but hitherto thou remainest arrogant vnthankfull obdurate I tell the Magdalene that thy Creatour is yet readie to die for thee This is true Magdalene Marie intercedeth for thee and pleadeth for thee before her sonne and euer saith vnto him My sonne Magdalene will be conuerted vnto thee But O cursed polluted detestable woman as thou art thou still shuttest vp the dore of thy heart Magdalene take heed vnto thy selfe take heede take heede take heede Magdalene I tell thee neuer was Iudas neuer was Herode so tormented as thou shalt bee except thou amend thy life and conuersation Magdalene forsake these Diuels Belzebub Leuiathan Balberith Asmodee Astaroth forsake this infernall societie Magdalene they all doe thirst after nothing else but after thy damnation Louyse is but the instrument of this discourse shee is possessed out of loue to thee God giueth the touch vnto this instrument to make thee listen after his melodious harmonie It is true Magdalene this good God will receiue thee to grace if thou doe repent thou wilt proue another Thais Humiliate thy selfe Magdalene and returne and obey S. Vrsula A miracle an vn-heard of miracle and which will neuer happen againe that the Diuell should conuert soules and be in steed of a Physitian an Apothecarie â—nd a Surgeon After all these discourses Magdalene still remained obstinate and in her first desperate estate at which all â—he compassionate spectators were much amazed not onely for the hardnesse of her heart but also to heare â—uch high and mysterious discourses and pronounced after more then a customarie manner It was then held sit to offer her vnto God by the 7. penetentiall Psalmes and other prayers When this was accomplished the Dominican father said vnto her Magdalene where are thy teares where are those gnawings and remorses of conscience where are those sighes which a penitent woman ought to haue At this Magdalene began to weep and bitterly bewailing her selfe she fell downe at the feete of those that were present and asked forgiuenesse with this protestation that she knew her selfe to be a cursed and disconsolate sinner so that euery one remained well edified thereby and conceiued good hope of her conuersion The Acts of the 9. of December ON which day in the morning Louyse and Magdalene were by the said Dominican father exorcised and at the entrance of the same Verrine began to speake in this manner Accursed woman listen and bee attentiue vnto what I shall now say vnto thee I call thee accursed because in the world there is none so impure as thou it is true thou art most wicked and shalt bee most vnfortunate vnlesse thou bee conuerted Neuer was Cain neuer was Iudas neuer was Pilat neuer was the rich Glutton so horribly tortured as thou shalt bee Louyse is no Philosopher Louyse hath no indowments of literature Louyse neuer was a student and thou well knowest that Louyse vnderstandeth not the secrets of thy heart but almightie God who knoweth thy most reserued cogitations compelleth me to say that thou hast againe harkened vnto Belzebub with stronger attention dissembling and gracelesse Witch as thou art then vnto thy Creatour and this thou couertly doest bay by day Gracelesse and accursed woman I do here lay it vnto thy heart that he is fearfully incensed against thee And though it be an vncontroulable truth that thou art a thanklesse and proud wretch yet doth the mother of God stand for thee shee is euer euer euer speaking for thee she is euertelling her sonne to morrow Magdalene will be obedient to morrow Magdalene will be humbled to morrow she wil turne to goodnesse to morrow shee will be conuerted O heart of stone O heart of marble and of Diamond nothing can soften or make thee tender but the blood of the Lamb. Looke to thy selfe Magdalene and be no more wilfull else art thou euerlastingly vndone O thou a thousand and a million of times accursed damned shalt thou be and that more deepely then any other the Diuels shall carrie thee body and soule to hell I say vnto thee neuer was there nor shall be such a wonder as God hath now wrought for thy sake It is true thou vngracious and flint-hearted woman that God could doe no good vpon thee neither by his inspirations nor by preaching nor by reading nor by Angels nor by all those that are in heauen nor by so many good men as haue prayed for thee What must thou haue a Diuell to conuert thee must thou haue a Diuell to be thy Physitian Apothecarie and Surgeon This is more strange then to see a hundred and a hundred and a hundred dead bodies raised and enlifened againe The defect is no where but in thee to be if thou wilt another Magdalene another Thais another Mary of Aegypt and another Pelagia Magdelene I aduise thee resist no longer open the dore which thou hast locked against thy God and he will compassion thy youth and giue pardon to thy â—ransgressions Verrine continued on and said Magdalene Thou knowest well that Louyse is very scrupulous and daintie of an oath and will not sweare for any good I then doe sweare by your God and by your Redeemer that it is most true which I haue formerly spoken And till this present thou diddest conceiue it was Louyse is not this true The all-powerfull God who seeth thy in-most imaginations constraineth me to speake it Then hee cried Ha woe is me Ha Belzebub thou doest threaten me but I must not regard thy threates for a maister more potent then thou and all hell besides doth command me Then turning to Magdalene hee said Magdalene renounce Belzebub Leuiathan Baal-berith Asmodee Astaroth say but I renounce thee cursed Belzebub and thee wretched Leuiathan thee Baalberith and thee Astaroth and thee Asmodee Then he willed the Exorcist that hee would force him to make this abiuration which hee did by the mouth of Louyse After the end of this discourse and of so terrible an inuectiue the Father Dominican turned to Magdalene and commanded her to say Conuerte me Domine conuertar ad te Then began she to weepe very tenderly and in external appearance shewed maruellous great contrition for her life past and oftentimes kissed a Crucifix which she held in her hand The Dominican when he perceiued in her so much compunction after the terrible batteries of such a hammer that did so beate at the gate of her heart asked her how she found her selfe Magdalene answered Ha! my father I am at the brink of desperation To which the said Father replied No Magdalene God doth not call thee
they haue to say wee also thinke vpon many things but it is for wicked purposes Be yee deuout and obseruant vnto Mary and vnto Magdalene vnto Dominicke and vnto all the Saints in Paradise and the Diuell shall haue no power to huâ—â— you The word of the Diuell is in this respect as good aâ— the word of a great Philosopher Doctor or Preacher The Diuell is alwaies in extreames be it in despaire or be it in presumption but here I am forced to keep the middle when God commandeth me It is a great matter that the Masse of a wicked Priest should bee as auaileable as the Masse of a holâ— man If you should see a malefactor punished and yet hiâ— Iudge to yeeld obedience vnto him you would be much abashed at it for it were a strange case Thus doth God obey a wicked Priest in descending on the Altar at his command the Creatour obeyeth the creature the Father his childe the Redeemer his slaue and the Iudge his malefactour Hereupon the Priest held forth the blessed Host that Louyse and Magdalene might communicate and said Ecce Agnus Dei Which Verrine straight takes hold of and saith True he is a Lambe for you but a Lion for vs it is the innocent Lambe the true God and your father but our Iudge a Lambe sacrificed for you and not for vs. Then the Priest presented the blessed Host vnto Magdalene and said Receiue thy spouse Magdalene the sonne of thy good mother Vpon which Belzebub began to torture and tosse all her body making her to knocke her head against the ground yet without wounding her and made her to wreath and bend her body in diuers manners sometimes backward and sometimes with her head doubled downe to the earth Saying to those that were present Thus doe we practise in hell learne how we torment soules If we now torment them thus when the edge of our power is blunted and abated thinke how we plague them in hell when we are enabled to imploy all our fury thereunto Aye me God doth enforce me to torment her thus to present vnto your view the punishments of hell Then the Priest said vnto him Belzebub worship thou God with thy face on the earth At this Belzebub began to yell and cry as if hee were enraged and said Ha miserable and accursed caitise speaking to Magdalene I am enforced to worship Christ for the contempt which at midnight I receiued from thee In the meane space Verrine spake to these that were present saying Beleeue that your Redeemer is heere with his flesh and bones and with all his diuine essence really and truly Wee worship him although hee be our Iudge you worship him as your Sauiour and Redeemer and yet doe you serue him but badly We put his commandements in execution by compulsion and you haue no respect vnto them at all Preachers make Sermons either for loue or for reward and God will plenteously reward them but we preach by force It is no wonder that a man preacheth vnto another man that so they may attaine vnto a place whither all men desire to come But the wonder is that Diuels should preach to men that they may haue accesse vnto that place where they themselues haue no meanes to be It is no small matter that the Diuels should occasion the Angels to reioyce who in times past were their brethren but are now their mortall enemies Then speaking to Magdalene he said Cursed be thy desire which wrought in thee a liking to enter into the Order of S. Vrsula Vrsula Vrsula thou hast cost mee deare But no man is exalted vnlesse he be first humbled We were all set loose to ruine this company we haue tempted them all to goe into Monasteries would God they had all gone thither then should we not haue beene put to this paine O you of that company you haue beene mis-prised and set at naught yet were you abashed at nothing Therefore shal you hereafter be exalted and that by the meanes of Diuels to our infinite sorrow and confusion Lucifer thou hast no power left thee nor thou Belzebub O great confusion that Diuels to our exceeding griefe should preach against Diuels Then said Belzebub to Magdalene God confound thee and all hell swallow thee For thou art the occasion of my downe-fall At which words Belzebub and Verrine began to cry as though they were outragiously mad Confundetur infernus Confundetur by our selues Louyse cursed be thy force and him that gaue it vnto thee And Verrine speaking to God said Thou couldest not be God if thou wert not stronger then vs and all hell besides Lucifer it must bee so thou art to be obedient Then the Priest commanded Verrine that in testimonie of the truth of that which he had said he should suffer Louyse to communicate to which Verrine answered In confirmation of all which I haue said I obey the blessed Host let her communicate Then did Belzebub and Verrine agree both together to take an oath And Belzebub beginning said to the Priest I sweare vnto thee my Soueraigne maketh me to sweare that I doe shew you the truth how wee cruciate and torment soules from time to time without any intermission After Belzebub Verrine spake I sweare that God hath enforced mee to say all these things in the vsuall tongue and language of Prouince for the instruction of the ignorant in which the full bounty of your God towards his creatures doth make cleare manifestation of it selfe The same day towards euening Louyse and Magdalene were exorcised by father Francis Billet and presently Verrine began to make relation of the eternall glory of the Angels and discoursed of many other matters in this sort Cursed cursed cursed be the Charme and he that gaue it But should it not haue beene giuen to her it had beene giuen to some body else Wee are bound vp from doing mischiefe but let loose to doe good We desired to be loosed to tell you your sinnes in another fashion but we cannot resist the Almighty Lucifer and all hell are but flies hand-wormes Pismires Gnats and wee haue no more power then what God pleaseth to giue vs he bestoweth vpon vs so much as will try who are his that are to be placed in Paradise Witnesse Iob who is the Patrone of patience as is Magdalene of repentance and Francis of humility You are all vnthankfull to your good Angels whom your Redeemer hath giuen vnto you they attend alwaies vpon you they doe euer preserue you from a thousand dangers from fire from water and other like perils and without them you would many times bee choaked in your sleepe Speaking this he added withall in a great fury and said It is to our exceeding griefe and to our confusion and deepe damnation that I say this Great goodnesse of God! Hee giues vnto you creatures of that transcendencie in perfection to waite vpon you and those who are
Adam had transgressed God was highly â—â—spleased against him yet would he not by and by inâ—ct his vengeance and indignation vpon the soule â—hich was so goodly a creature although it had receiâ—ed a taint and blemish by the pollution of sinne and â—as growne refractarie and mutinous against him who â—d showred downe so many blessings vpon the same â—at had shaped and created the whole world for man â—d did assubiect all creatures vnto him to vse them as â—e thought good euen downe to the very beasts This â—ould man haue excused when he said Eue did cause me to doe this but in this he did bewray the impotencie of his iudgement that would so facilely beleeue the counsell of a woman Yet if hee had humbled himselfe without excusing his faults he should not haue felt so much displeasure as he did God loueth not that men should endeuour to euade by excuses If that Adam had craued pardon God would presently haue forgiuen him yea the very Angels that fell if they had humbled themselues should haue tasted of his mercy Now the blessed Trinity held their counsell vpon this point concerning man The eternall Father according to true iustice would haue him punished but presently did the diuine word giue himselfe vp to be your pledge saying that hee would be incarnated and take your flesh vpon him and would be euer readie to endure whatsoeuer the father would thinke fit to be inflicted Then presented themselues the two daughters of the eternall Father to wit Iustice and Mercie and made them readie for the encounter Iustice as the younger daughter said that they were to be punished for their disobedience and that they did very well deserue it Mercie as the elder said My Father I am thy eldest daughter and my sister here is much younger then my selfe it therefore standeth with reason that I be beleeued and that for many causes As first to what end haue you created a creature thus beautifull to cast him headlong into hell There is a remedie to saue him For there will come a woman called Mary that will be more humble then Eue hath beene proud after her transgression and will bee more replenished with simplicity then euer Eue was with curiositie Mary will be more obedient then euer Eue was rebellious and more prompt to say I am the handmaid of the Lord then euer Eue was to take and taste the apple From thence shall proceede that great pay-maister of debts that shall giue satisfaction more then a hundreth fold On the contrary part Iustice pleaded that they did well deserue sharpest castigation who doe yet stand vpon their iustification although they are guilty of the highest treason in rebelling against their Prince yea such a Prince as their God is That they knew the Edict of their King yet would not obserue the same and sinned not through ignorance but through their too much knowledge that brought them to their destruction To this the diuine Word made replication Father Father you are to pardon them you are to pardon them repeating the same often not in words but by the power of vnderstanding and euer saying that hee would take vpon him your flesh for your sakes The eternall Father according to the rigour of Iustice and as being iustly prouoked against them would not haue â—t so but alwaies the diuine Word did oppose himselfe vnto it and said Father I will endure for their sakes a more ignominious death then euer any creature shall be able to suffer The eternall Father hauing regard vnto the person which was to suffer and giue plenarie satisfaction and that by no other meanes then this could a thing of that nature be accomplished as also knowing how much hee was to suffer for in God all things are present and there is nothing past or to come did yeeld vnto this ouerture yet what Father would haue consented to giue vp his Sonne as he did For he fore-saw â—he ingratitude and disesteeme which you would beare vnto him yet was he contented to agree vnto this because his sonne alwaies said Father some or other will be conuerted The Holy Ghost gaue assistance vnto the Word for he is the God of loue the Father is the God of power and of vengeance the Sonne the God of wisedome and the Holy Ghost the God of bountie But the Diuels themselues doe confesse that there is but one God in three persons and haue made confession of the same at Baume the place of S. Magdalens penitence in the presence of the whole assemblie Then spake Mercie and said Father it is expedient that the voyd seates of the cursed Angels that fell should be filled vp and why was this goodly fabricke and frame of the world created and the heauen so varied with diuersities of beauties Was it for your selfe alone let them liue let them liue they will be repentant and haue vertuous children and iust Abel will proceed from them Hereunto Iustice replied that there should be a Cain as wicked as the other was iust But Mercie did alwaies ingeminate that many of them would proue good as Mary who should make reparation of the fault committed by Eue. And in truth Mary hath been more vertuous then euer Eue was wicked and gaue more reputation vnto good then euer Eue gaue aduantage vnto sinne The Serpent held diuers discourses with Eue to cause her to fall but Gabriel spake but a few words and Mary presently obeyed saying Ecce ancilla Then the Word said to his Father that as the person offended was diuine so a diuine person should giue satisfaction since no other could make reparation of the same the person offended being infinite might iustly expect satisfaction from a person infinite That there was no creature neither men nor Angels that could make vp this offence which was committed by a man that at the time of his tentation was altogether innocent And as this sinne was committed in a garden so reparation thereof should be made in a garden at what time he should say fiat voluntas tua and this should be the act of his giuing himselfe vp vnto death To conclude this transgression came by eating of an apple and â—hould be remitted by the fruite of life issuing from the â—arden of Mary Vpon this mention of the Virgin â—errine tooke occasion to say This was a garden hedâ—ed in where that goodly fruite of her puritie remaiâ—ed excellently qualified with beautie sent and taste which make representation of the properties of the â—lessed Trinitie In this garden there were all sorts of goodly trees whose roots were humilitie whose leaues were vertuous desires and whose fruites were good workes that might deseruedly bee placed vpon the taâ—le of the King of glorie And vpon this table are euer â—trowed all kinds of flowers which signifie her vertues â—nd these she hath kept fresh by her humilitie acknowâ—edging that all the good which euer she had receiued did streame from her
leaue their vocation Wee suggested that their order of Religion was meere brocage and their vocation vnapproueable This wee said to discourage them from that course and distilled diuers other temptations into them against their Superiour but principally against Cassandra their Superiour at Aix Wee haue filled them with grudging and murmuring against their Superiours perswading them not to obey or beleeue them and haue baited both men and women with our temptations the men gaue best heede vnto vs as those that were the prouder We also hatched a conspiracie against Romillon and the Order of the Doctrine that they might be forsaken of euery one Whilest the Diuell was thus discoursing there came to S. Baume Sister Catherine of Isle with another of the same Companie Whereupon one that was present said vnto the Dominican Father whether hee thought the Diuell could presage of their arriuall who being asked thereof without seeing or hearing of her answered it was she Then being demanded whether there came but one or no he answered there is none but Catherine of France which was not true and when one of the Assemblie did reproach his ignorance Verrine said Doe you wonder at that this is not the first lie that I haue told Then the Dominican Father softly rounded Father Romillon in the eare and said It is no wonder though he intermingle something of his owne when men out of meere curiositie doe aske him questions Scarce had the Father finished these words when Verrine said It is true I am not bound in that case to speake the truth for I neuer doe it but by constraint or for some sinister and malicious purpose About the same time the Diuell Verrine was obserued against his customarie manner to be very still and silent and being demanded why he thus held his peace he answered Because some think that the things which I doe vtter are not worthie to be written And indeede some were of opinion that they ought not to giue heed to these discourses but onely to the deliuerance of these poore creatures at the least that it was not necessarie to booke-downe what he spake Yea some conceiued thaâ— it was no Diuell that spake in Louyse but as soone aâ— they reuoked that their opinion Verrine then began to discourse as he was accustomed The acts of the 14. day of December VPon that day Father Francis Billet Priest of the Christian Doctrine saying Masse at the eleuation of the blessed Sacrament Verrine began hideously to yell as if hee had been mad and desperate saying thaâ— he adored the God of the Christians and confessed him to be his Creator and Iudge Hee further said that hee was in the Chalice blood and bones clothed with hiâ— Humanitie and Diuinitie as when hee was crucified oâ— the tree of the Crosse and was there as great and as fulâ— of dimensions as when hee was vpon the same tree yeâ— was his bodie couered vnder a morsell of bread and hiâ— blood vnder a little wine really and substantially Heâ— made also repetition of the same at the Masse which was said by Frier Francis Domptius of the reformed Order of S. Dominicke Verrine also added I said in mâ— rage that thou wert of the reformed Order Cursed bâ— the inspiration of Michaelis who began this Reformation which will be an occasion to correct the disorder of many Monasteries as well of men at of women Thiâ— is it that maketh vs to despaire I say besides that somâ— will giue out that Romillon hath taught Louyse c. Alâ— this hee repeated againe at the eleuation of the blessed Sacrament Father Iames de Rets Priest of the Doctrine saying Masse The same day in the morning was Sister Louyse anâ— Sister Magdalene exorcised by the Dominican Fatherâ— And there happened a long dispute betweene God of the one part and the Diuell of the other whether God â—ught to make the Companies of S. Vrsula and of the â—octrine as also the Sister Louyse his instruments to â—ut that in execution which he intended to accomplish â—ow because I had no leisure to write it downe Verâ—ine did afterwards will me to write that which then â—ad bin disputed but first would haue me to command â—im to doe this by vertue and power of the Exorcismes â—s they alwaies vse to doe As soone as I had commanâ—ed him he began to speake in this manner I haue spoâ—en formerly meaning in his discourse the day past in â—he honour of Martha and of the Angels This I did â—pon good reason for Virgins are the sisters of Anâ—els and shall be exalted because Mary would haue it â—o yet alwaies without any preiudice to Magdalene â—or in Paradise there is no ambition I also said that the Sonne did much esteeme of Magâ—alene by reason of her affection and the Mother of God did exceedingly loue Martha in that she vowed â—irginitie which she did in imitation of the Mother of God she also loued Martha because she was the Hoâ—esse of her Sonne I said that yesterday I had spoken of Lucia and of â—irginitie and that Virgins were sisters vnto the Anâ—els and that they did sing a new hymne which none â—ould sing but themselues I also said that married women might bee happie â—nough and go to heauen but that Virgins did attaine â—nto it with more facilitie then they Besides I entred into disputation with God sayâ—ng Why hast thou instituted the Sacrament of Mariâ—ge if thy intendment were not that all should be marâ—ied His replie was that they who were vnmaried were all espoused vnto him To which I reioyned that â—uch Pismires as they could not deserue so great a King â—or their husband God answered me that they had forsaken all for his â—oue and that for a lumpe of earth thereby meaning man they did bequeath and betroth themselues to him And in liew of those momentarie blessings and riches which for his sake they had abandoned he would open vnto them the treasures of Paradise and for a little pleasure which passeth away as the winde hee would glut them with the delights of Paradise which endure for euer Furthermore I did obiect that hee did prepare Crownes for them as if they were Queenes and had well deserued it but said I they haue merited nothing He answered me that they were true Queenes I replied that they were Chamber-maides and that I should not haue wondered at Vrsula which was a Queene at Margaret the Queene of Hungary at Catherine of Alexandria at Gertrude at Margaret the Martyr who haue performed many memorable exploites for the loue of him and of many others He answered mee that his custome was that from basenesse and from things of the meanest condition hee vsed to worke matters of great moment for his glorie and for the conuersion of soules To this I replied that I should not haue wondred if in a matter of this nature hee had made election of some great Philosopher or Doctor or of some great Queene or of some
and snatch them from the fire to throw them on ice What say ye will you goe into this countrey And speaking vnto Magdalene hee said Cursed be the houre wherein thou wert first possessed which will cost me so deare that I shall haue cause to remember it for euer O wisedome of God too great O infinite incomprehensible admirable wisedome O what space and distance haue the iudgements of God and the iudgements of men O wonder O iudgemēt of God! whom God is disposed to saue nothing can doe him annoyance whom God will retaine Hell cannot take from him Then Belzebub spake to the Diuels which were in the bodie of Catherine of Isle who began a little to grumble and to make a noyse come come let vs march into the field we must awake and rouse vp our people Then said Verrine Responde maledicte obedi Ecclesiae Doest thou hope to bee greater then thy Maister To which Belzebub replied It is not the manner of seruants to speake before their Maister Verrine said yet doe I speake before thee although I am of lesse authoritie then thou Belzebub answered but it is full sore against thy will Verrine saide that is true for I am constrained vnto it Is it fit that Diuels should fall out with Diuels and turning to sister Catherine hee said they will not suffer thee to eate or sleepe yet doest thou beleeue that all this proceedeth from naturall causes Is it not so Catherine Catherine doe not thou hinder or giue a checke hereunto beleeue thou art possessed And speaking to the Priest he said Come your waies adiure him in the name of Iohn Peter and Bernard what must the Diuels acquaint you with the verie meanes And speaking to Sabbathon whose name Belzebub had formerly discouered he said Lucifer could not resist and doest thou that art but as a petty Cooke in Hell make shew of an abilitie of resistance Obedmaledicte But thou shewest that a Pesant is more fierce and rugged in his disposition then a Gentleman Whilst the Priest was Exorcising and saying these words Sacro-sancti baptismatis vnda regeneratus there are many said Verrine that are baptised but few that are saued there are those that would goe to Heauen i◠a feather-bed but shall be censured with the iudgemen◠of fire Then he began to cry that he was to speake bu◠it was vpon compulsion of the workes of mercie Virginitie is not sufficient of it selfe to leade vs to Heauen as the foolish virgins conceited other things ar◠also requisite such as are the workes of mercie For God hath said that he will not take an account whether men haue read much or said ouer their Beads often but they must do good works because whē the day of Iudgemēt shall come God will not reckon with our soules what knowledge they haue but what works they haue done For he will say speaking vnto the reprobate whē I was an hungry you gaue me not to eate when I was thirstie you gaue me not to drink when I was sicke you visited me not when I was in prison you redeemed mee not when I was naked you clothed me not when I was a stranger you receiued me not when I died you buried me not By the like reason will he also say when I wandred went astray you reprehended me not for my sin when in my members I liued ignorantly you taught me not when I was in doubt misaduised you counselled me not when I was in affliction you comforted mee not when I would suffer in you you haue not borne patiently the iniuries that were offered vnto you when any one offended mee in you you haue not pardoned these offences when I was persecuted in you either in the paines of Purgatory or in this world you tooke no pitie vpon those that persecuted me either for the good of your neighbours or for the good of those that were dead Hereupon it is that God saith Whatsoeuer you shall doe vnto the least of mine speaking of the poore I shall take it as done vnto my selfe And alleaging that place of the Gospel when your Lord reproueth Iudas of his auarice in blaming of Magdalene he said The poore you haue alwayes with you but mee you shall not haue alwayes And he bare record that Magdalen had done a good worke saying vnto her that she should be had in memory throughout the world wheresoeuer this Gospel shold be preached I further say that he shal set apart those that are damned shal say vnto thē Ite maledicti in ignē aeternū which is prepared for you and for the deuils Then shal he turne to the right side shal say vnto the good Come ye blessed when I was hungry c I say the foolish Virgins reposed too much confidence in themselues imagining as many doe in these dayes that Baptisme Faith and Virginitie were sufficientlie powerfull to bring them to heauen No it not so for your Lord did obiect that they had no oyle in their lampes vnderstanding thereby good works And when they came to be admitted vnto the Supper whereby is signified the day of Iudgment and to be presented before their spouse he said vnto them Neseio vos I am a bed you cannot come in That is to say obstinate sinners you come too late you will repent you of your lazinesse Then shall he turne to the elect and say Come ye blessed of God my Father possesse the kingdome of heauen which is prouided for you and my Angels It is meete that the emptie seats of the euill Angels should be filled vp with men who though they are nothing but lumpes of clay yet shall they be installed into their places Then I said that the Angels were very beautifull and demāded the reason why such goodly creatures should for one sinne be throwne downe from heauen It was answered mee because they had more knowledge then men to vnderstand what was good and auoyde what was euill but ignorant and fraile sinners although they commit thousands of offences shal yet be receiued into mercy whensoeuer they will returne Then hee began to cry againe as loud as hee could saying I know not what to doe I am constrained to tell thee Magdalene that thou art a Witch It is true Magdalene thou hast beene deceiued God will that I reueale it It is true Magdalene thou wast deceiued by a Priest who was thy Confessor It is not to be wondred if there be a lost sheepe when the sheepeheard is starke naught This is true Magdalene hee is of Marseille and is called Lewis he is of the Church of Acoules Francis knoweth him but Louyse that heere speaketh neuer saw him True it is Magdalene that Louyse would haue resisted this and was not willing at the beginnig that this should be published Thou hast giuen and bequeathed thy selfe vnto the Diuell Magdalene and hast renounced thy God and his Mother thy baptisme and all heauen thou hast giuen
a schedull to the Diuel Magdalene which Louyse neuer saw It is a truth Magdalene that when thou wert first seduced thou wert in thy Fathers house and as true is it that thou hast giuen leaue and licence vnto the Diuell to enter into thy body Take heede Magdalene take heede take heede least thou incurre some dreadfull iudgement thou being now confessed as thou art if it were not so I had no reason to speake it Thy Confessours are wise and haue not reuealed thy sinnes vnto me This is most true Magdalene Louyse knoweth nothing of it beware therefore beware beware how thou doest coniecture that this should come either from thy Confessours or from Louyse This is true Magdalene this is true neuer striue and struggle for the matter it is for the glory of God and thou shalt receiue benefit by it It is true Magdalene that hee stands not in neede of thee for he should not be God if he had neede of thee or of any other creature All shall redound vnto thy profit doe not vexe at it God is so gracious that his end is not to publish any mens disgrace to the world but to conuert them Then hee â—aid to those that were present if you doe not make inquirie after him you shall all stand charged with him thereby meaning Lewis He further said with a high voice you Priests be not you troubled at any thing euill Priests cannot preiudice those that are good neither are the good to be despised or disesteemed because there are some that are euill If Lewis will not be conuerted hee well deserueth to be burned aliue It is true Magdalene hee first seduced thee to renounce thy God thy Baptisme and thy part in Paradise Thou hast chosen Hell for thy Mansion place yet shalt thou not goe thither because God will assist thee It is true Magdalene the Magician hath those schedules trouble not thy selfe he shall be forced to restore them It is true Magdalene the Priests haue watched with thee and happie was it for thee that they did so if they had not the Diuels would haue carried thee away It is true Magdalene thou art a Witch and hast performed whatsoeuer belongeth thereunto in great solemnitie Thou hast renounced God at three seuerall Masses one at mid-night another at the dawning of the day and the third was at high Masse It is true Magdalene God hath pardoned thee resist cursed Belzebub the Diuels haue no more force then is allotted vnto them It is true Magdalene thou hast alwaies withstoode thy God his inspirations and all other admonitions as well of the Angels of heauen as of the men of this world so that they could preuaile nothing in thy behalfe yet is thy God so gracious Magdalene that hee hath harkened vnto many soules that haue beene acceptable vnto him when they made intercession for thee It is true Magdalene many haue said Masses many haue done pennance and giuen almes many haue wrought good workes for thy sake and all this hath beene done by thy Fathers and Mothers as well corporall as spirituall Magdalene if the Starres of heauen were capable to thanke God for thee or the leaues of trees or the very stones of this Baume they would willingly do it for thy sinnes in number doe surmount the sand of the Sea O Magdalene the goodnesse of God doth not shine so bright in Peter Paul Dauid William the hermite in Theophilus or in Cyprianus as it shineth in thee It appeareth not so bright in Magdalene the sister of Martha nor in Pelagia nor in Thais nor in Marie of Aegypt nor in the woman of Samaria as it shineth in thee Yet Magdalene art thou a greater sinner then they Then Verrine cried to all the Assembly that they should haue compassion of her soule and that if God did not protect them with his grace they would bee farre worse then she Then he said humble thy selfe Magdalene and acknowledge that thou art lesse then nothing It were no wonder to see a little Innocent goe to heauen but O great wonder to see a soule that hath renounced her Maker Baptisme and Heauen to returne to God Hell it selfe is confounded thereat Lucifer now doe all thou canst call together all the Princes which are in the body of Magdalene for this is done against thee Then he began to talke in this manner What a wonder would it be to see a King take a Pismire and exalt it vnto honour Men would be amazed to see him thus honour a Pismire and this amazement would be encreased if he should take it and set it in his Chamber to honour it the more His Princes would mocke at him and say there were Ladies enough for him to honour without exalting a Pismire or if hee should take a Country wench to wife they will say that Kings ought to wed with equals and those of their owne ranke Yet for all this the Pismire should not haue eares to vnderstand when it was honoured nor words to vaunt and boast it selfe nor a proud body to swell at it and continuing still a Pismire it would neuer come to be a Lyon a Leopard or an Horse but would alwaies remaine a Pismire So Louyse because thou art a Pismire thou shouldest the more admire the puissance wisedome bounty and humilitie of thy King that hath made election of thee and would haue thee to be prouident as is the Pismire fore-casting in the Summer how to liue in Winter So must thou Pismire doe thou must amasse and treasure vp much good workes in the Summer of this world against the Winter which is the houre of thy death From this Pismire will God glorifie himselfe and make vse of her although she be but a Pismire for hee is able to make a Pismire speake if he please This will he doe to gaine soules vnto himselfe and she shall doe well to conceiue that all proceedeth from God and that she her selfe is but as a leafe of a tree nay lesse nay that she is nothing thereby to declare that all this commeth from God Then turning againe to Magdalene he said Magdalene thy soule is like a common-wealth thou must put to death the Princes that are within that a peace may bee there established It is true Magdalene disarme them all their weapons are thy consents cut off their heads and thy common-wealth will be free from danger Doest thou not know that God doth alwaies worke order out of disorder Courage Magdalene humble thy selfe and subiect thy selfe vnder the feete of euery one Then speaking to Belzebub Verrine said humble thy selfe cursed Belzebub and Verrine was the first that made him to humble himselfe who setting his foot vpon his head said Accursed miserable and proud Spirit Thou wouldest on Sunday last haue plucked God from his Throne if thou haddest been able and wouldest not worship him yet now thou art debased vnder my feete Then he cried to the Assembly Come heere and
helpe to humble this cursed Belzebub let euery one of you set his foote on his head and in contempt of him say three times Ite maledicti in ignem aeternum Then he commanded on Gods behalfe that euery one should deiect Magdalene and humble her by putting their feete on her head and said Take courage vnto thee Magdalene this iâ— behoofefull for thee for the remission of thy sins and the confusion of Lucifer Belzebub and all hell O great confusion that the Diuels should be at ods and combat against diuels and take part with God it was neuer before heard of Hold thy selfe Magdalene to bee the most vile and detested creature that is vpon the earth and thou shalt proue another Magdalene and shalt die a penitent O Magdalene thou shalt be a helper vnto S. Vrsula and shalt be much honoured A great sinner shall find great mercy witnesse the Prophet Dauid and a lesse sinner â—esse mercy O great great great mercy let euery one pray for it Then the Priest tooke the blessed Sacrament at Verrines owne instance to make him sweare who said Magdalene I say this in thy behalfe Adoramus te Christum miserere ei miserere ei And as those that were there preseÌ„t were saying miserere mei Deus vpoÌ„ a suddeÌ„ he began to howle and cry like a galli-slaue and as if he were framed out of rage and despaire saying Miserere tui miserere tui miserere tui Magdalene to shew how God doth reioyce at the conuersion of this soule O Magdalene the Angels of heauen would triumph at it and Lucifer with the whole kingdome of hell would grow sad and dumpish vpon the same It is true Magdalene thou art in a desert very happie for thee Cursed be S. Baume O how fortunate is it vnto thee O how disasterous vnto hell This is the sheepe which the Prophet saw deuoured by the wolfe whereof nothing but the peeces of the eares was remnant which signifieth the soule of an obstinate sinner for men in an agonie lose their hearing last That you may therefore be conuerted you must haue the eares of your hearts open thereby to receiue in the inspirations of God O Magdalene worship the right hand of thy God worship also his left hand worship his side Magdalen where all thy sins lie buried worship his head that was couered with thornes for thy sake Magdalene and beg from him one thorne of true compunction It is true Magdalene thou hast offended him in thy fiue senses and Magdalene his fiue wounds haue made reparation of the same A braue miracle Magdalene that the diuels should say Miserere tui and should beg mercy for thee And then Verrine sware according to the meaning of God and his Church vpon the blessed sacrament confessing in the said sacrament the reall presence with his humanitie diuinity and all his glory that Louyse knew nothing of this neither vnderstood shee that Magdalene was a witch or of the schedule All which said he is true and hee that would denie this must denie the power of God the authoritie of his Church and the vertue and efficacy of Exorcismes God hauing told Peter that the gates of hell should not preuaile against his Church Tu es Petrus super hanc Petram They should further denie all bookes of Exorcismes if they denie that the diuell cannot speake truth when God forceth him thereunto And turning againe vnto Magdalene hee said vnto her Thy father gaue thee not vnto the diuell Magdalene It is true Magdalene thou diddest indeed abide in thy fathers house at that time Magdalene and yet tookest not thy bane with S. Vrsula It is no wonder that a yong girle should bee led astray as a sheep when her shepheard is the meanes hereof but this was no shepheard of the Gospell but of the number of those that fly away when they see the wolfe nay worse he is the wolfe himselfe and hell is well stuffed with such as hee It is true Magdalene thou wert and art possessed and it was expedient that the Priests should watch with thee for otherwise the diuels had carried thee away such power had they ouer thee both here and abroad and wheresoeuer thou wentest Then he discoursed of Lewes and said O Lewes if thou be not conuerted thou shalt bee burned aliue but if thou be then shalt thou proue a Theophilus and a Cyprian Mary will endeauour to conuert thee therefore beware Lewes how thou resist her I am the executioner of that high iustice and am constrained by force vnto obedience If I were capable of heauen you would peraduenture pray vnto God for me but your prayers will not be auaileable vnto me I am debaâ—'d from Paradice the sentence is gone forth against me The sentence of the highest is not as an earthly senteÌ„ce obnoxious vnto change and repealeable for money Ite maledicti venite benedicti shall stand for euermore Iurauit dominus non poenitebit he shall neuer repent himselfe thereof If the Kings of the earth make good the performance of what they haue promised who are in comparison but as gnats much more will the King of glory and God of Israel auow his denuntiations Then hee said O great miracle full of rarenesse and nouelty destinated to Gods glory and to the conuersion of sinners there is nothing in it preiudiciall to God or his Church it is for the reputation and honour of the fathers of your doctrine the Diuels hauing conspired to root them and the companie of S. Vrsula out of the Church but it is a greater wonder that a diuell should adore God and should confesse and say vnto the blessed sacrament behold my God and my Iudge then if all the Christians in the world should without intermission call vpon all the names of God and should returne backe to goe them ouer againe till the day of iudgement It is no wonder if those doe well that haue a power thereunto that is if they doe often call vpon and worship their God but this is an exceeding great wonder that those who of themselues haue no capacity vnto goodnesse should yet doe the thing that is good when it is commanded them from God This the Diuels doe without any expectance or hope of compensation And whiles that Pange lingua was said to the honour of the blessed Sacrament which the Priest held vpon the rehearsall of this verse Sola fides sufficit Verrine cryed O this is most true sola fides sufficit faith a-alone is sufficient How can it bee that so great a God should be contained in such a little Host and he cryed out saying yet is it true hee is present here worship you him for hee is here really and truly cursed bee the curious Curiositie will let them drop into a pit from whence they shall not bee able to issue forth at their pleasure We our selues are constrained to worship him and to beleeue his
are to bow your knees as oft as you shall heare the name of Iesus wee are a great deale better then you for although wee obey not God for loue yet doe wee yeeld vnto his pleasure by constraint and in the vertue of Exorcismes If a Harbinger of Court should come and tell thee behold the King is desirous to come and lodge in thy house thou wouldest make many excuses because thou dost esteeme thy selfe vnworthie of such honour and wouldest labour to garnish thy house with whatsoeuer might be pleasing or might adde any beawty vnto thy habitation So should you take the broome of true contrition and repentance to brush and sweepe the chambers and roomes of your soule that when the King shall come to reside there hee may make it his Palace You that are poore and ignorant people you must not say when you kneele to the Priest in Confession Father declare vnto me my sinnes this is no good forme of proceeding for if in matters of slight importance concerning the body euery man hath his vnderstanding quick and able much more should their conceptions bee free from dulnesse and earthinesse in those things that appertaine vnto the benefite of their soules and which are of a higher consequence yet contrariwise men for the most part are insensible and dull in the apprehension of them There are those that doe daily confesse themselues and doe yet forget many of their offences how then shall they giue an exact account of them that confesse themselues but from yeare to yeare or from six moneths to six moneths Thou wilt not shame to say Father I doe not remember my sinnes let me heare you to aske and examine mee O deafe and blinde caitife art thou able to giue audience vnto the Diuell and to fall into those sinnes which hee inticeth thee to plunge into and dost thou refuse to harken vnto the voice of God who desireth to breath into thee the remembrance of thy misdeeds Others say To what purpose should I confesse my selfe Is not the Priest a sinner as I am Haue I nothing to doe but to expose my sinnes to his knowledge Beware of these contempts I tell you they are instigations of Sathan framed purposely to bring Priest-hood into disgrace which is a calling more high and noble then is the dignity of Angels for the Angels doe indeed contemplate the face of their God but he discendeth from Heauen vpon the Altar at the consecration made by a Priest Your processe that is entred in the high Court of Heauen is full of difficultie and doubt so that the euent thereof is not knowne to the Saints themselues yet is the Mother of God a party with you who together with your guide-Angels is euer pleading on your behalfe and saying Lord take compassion on them Before the time of Confession prooue your selues examine your owne consciences pray vnto God with teares and make your intercessions vnto Peter Magdalene and the good theefe The good theefe of his owne accord confessed his sinne and reproued his companion What hast thou no feare of God He was also pricked in heart by contrition saying Domine memento mei Lord remember me he also did in a sort satistisfie by dying for hee linked and mingled his death and torments with the death and torments of Christ Iesus Your God doth endeuour to draw you vnto him by many admirable meanes he will diuide the contrition and acknowledgment of your sinnes amongst you and will stirre you vp to recall them into remembrance if you will giue eare vnto him You should be patient in whatsoeuer aduersity may befall you you should euer stand before your iudge like vnto men that are guilty of high treason and should thinke that the paines of Hell are not of equall proportion vnto your demerits and that you are not worthy to suffer them God is better knowne vnto them that cast downe their eies on the earth then to those that stare vp to heauen For what are you but a compound of dust and ashes meate for wormes and a pitcher of hansome earth apt to breake and subiect to a thousand miseries and mischances You are therefore to abstract your cogitations and to place them aboue vpon the goodnesse of God who for your sakes hath created the Heauens and filled vp the number of Angels yet are you still hardned in your iniquities God pardoneth mans offences easily if so bee that hee lendeth his helpe and forwardnesse vnto it for God is hee that doth operate and man doth co-operate with him If you should dwell in a darksome house and would faine enioy the benefit of the light you ought to open the doore vnto him that bringeth his torch lighted vnto you for hee is not worthie to bee enlightned by the torch that will refuse to open the doore to him that bringeth it And if hee should afterwards complaine that hee sitteth in darknesse and by meanes of being depriued of this light hee is not able to worke hee will bee answered that himselfe is the cause of his owne misery and that hee iustly looseth the light of the day because he shutteth his doores against it Thus when God speaketh to the soule that is ouercast with mists and darknesse open thou poore blinde soule open the gates of thy will vnto mee I am that Sunne of Iustice which will illuminate and shine vpon thee yet will not the soule open vnto mee but chuseth rather to bee wrapped vp in darknesse And why because if I should enter in I should discouer by the cleernesse of my light whatsoeuer lieth buried in obscurity and should chase thence that palpable darksomnesse wherein the soule is so dangerously muffled But alas it rather laboureth to be shadowed with darknes and to wallow stil in voluptuousnesse and delights which are lost in their very fruition then by paines and industry to bee blest with the full possession of a perfect light Confession followeth contrition and before Confession euery one ought to examine himselfe and say O my God! what am I that I should receiue such manifold blessings at thy hands Thou hast redeemed mee from the clawes of Sathan and hast retired mee vnder the couerture of thy wings Good God I esteemed my selfe a malefactour waiting to heare the sentence of death pronounced against mee and yet hast thou in goodnesse repriued mee from this prison which is narrow darke and full of horrour and besides the free donation of my life thou hast infranchised mee with the seruants of God Good God I was a malefactour and stood conuicted of grieuous and master-sinnes yet was it thy good pleasure to remit them vnto mee After Confession euery one is to looke vnto satisfaction but how many are there that hold not themselues endebted to God but that God is a debtour vnto them Who so demeaneth himselfe in this sort let him know that Heauen is barred against him except hee labour to strengthen himselfe
quickly for Belzebub calleth for thee and forthwith Carreau flew forth from her like lightening She also said that Belzebub was departed from her body all that day and had neuer stayed from her so long And that she saw Belzebub to returne while she was reading a letter that made mention of the mother of God The same day also father d'Ambruc sub Prior of the Couent of S. Maximin came to S. Baume to informe himselfe touching Louyse because many gaue out that she was not possessed And the same day towards euening were the two women exorcised by Father Francis Billet whereupon Verrine began to speake in this manner What Belzebub art thou returned Belzebub answered whence had'st thou notice of my returne Verrine said the seruant knoweth his master and added The head draweth after it the whole body so that if it fall into a pit the body must of necessity follow after The flocke of sheepe goeth after the shepheard witnesse vs accursed spirits who haue beleeued Lucifer as our head and as our shepheard I haue been desirous to gaine thus much vpon the beleefe of Louyse that shee would conceit her selfe not to be possessed and that I am heere by the appointment of Lucifer for this day haue wee compassed her in with these tentations telling her that shee of her selfe gaue life to all these actions and gestures and that a woman might of her selfe deliuer all such discourses as these There are those that say put case that God would conuert a soule or reueale some truth vnto his Church is it probable that hee would make the Diuell his agent in an employment of so high a nature But I auerre that the Church hath receiued the Inuestiture of authority from God whereby it is enabled to command Diuels and to enforce them in the vertue of Exorcismes to deliuer truth and that the Diuell by his oath may giue assurance of the truth if so be hee bee forced thereunto by the power of God communicated vnto his Church and by the vertue of Exorcismes and that all the conditions and ceremonies of a solemne oath be performed yet for all this there is a religious person who faith that I am not able to speake a truth I answere him that as I am a Diuell I cannot speake truth indeed but am herein of his opinion yet as I am sent from God who is able to draw good out of euill I am constrained to deliuer truth and to take an oath for the further ratification thereof He must deny the first Article of his faith and in stead of Credo say Non credo if it be false that the Diuell may be forced to vtter a truth for God hath giuen all his authority to the Church to command Diuels and to constraine them to obey the charge which is laid vpon them But I am not a whit abashed if this woman stand doubtfull whether shee bee possessed or no when the religious persons themselues make question of the same Then he spake to God and said I could endure with more ease the torments of hell 50 yeeres together then to pronounce thy name onely one time yet doest thou force from my mouth speeches of reuerence vnto thy Saints which is much against the nature and custome of Diuels Giue this charge to thy children who looke for a share in thy heritage and expect a recompence for their obedience vnto thee They haue so many famous and notable Preachers and many bookes furnished and fraught with al variety of learnings and wilt thou haue me then to speake to men of all sorts both wise and foolish who waite for no other retribution but the torments of hell It is no wonder if the Diuels seeke to withstand God when his very children who haue a portion in Paradise declare themselues heady and refractary against him Was it euer knowne that Diuels should aduise men to inuocate the Saints yet am I constrained to perswade you to pray vnto them especially vnto S. Dominicke Cursed be thy deuotion Dominicke which thou diddest beare towards the Virgin Mary the mother of God Cursed bee those religious persons that haue entred into thy Order I would rather be tortured in hell then to found forth thy praises and the commendations of Bernard Let me possesse you with this truth that the Saints make intercession for you and that Dominicke is one of the intimate friends to the Virgin as also is Bernard It is thou great God that constrainest me to exalt Dominicke my greatest enemy and wouldest make it cleere vnto all how blessed and good a thing it is to honour and loue thy mother and hast enforced me to make thus much familiar vnto men that they may with the greater feruency of deuotion serue her Dominicke I hate thee as I doe the plague and I should take more contentment in that externall darkenesse of the bottomlesse pit of hell then in these discourses which I lauish thus vpon thy praises Thou wert euer very deuout vnto the Virgin as were also Bernarnardus Stanislaus Anselmus and thou Stephanus who hast contracted great familiarity with her He that will bee beloued by the blessed mother of God must serue Dominicke in feruency of spirit you are first to craue the mediation of the mother and then to make your redresse vnto the Sonne There are many who are deuout to their Creator but few vnto the Virgine yea there are not many amongst women themselues that consecrate their deuotions vnto her and yet hee that will gaine eternall life must make his approch vnto this Mary Mary is the ladder of heauen the Saints are the steps of this ladder so that hee who will enter into the Pallace of the King must first ascend by these staires You are all guilty of high treason and there is not any that can coniecture what will bee the state and issue of your cause but God onely therefore present your selues before Mary with all humble and submissiue behauiour before you approch vnto her Sonne and first take the aduise of Dominicke before you prostrate your selues to the mother of God For it would sauour of intrusion and much presumption to thrust into the conference of a Queene and not to prepare her vnto the same by a Mediatour Bee you therefore regardfull to gaine the good opinion of some one of her familiars and fauourites by meanes of whom you may more confidently get accesse and admittance into her chamber and haue spaedier audience when you are presented vnto her whereby your request shall bee with greater expedition granted vnto you for this is the will of him who is the fountaine of all grace Dominicke though thou be my sworne enemy aboue all that are in heauen yet am I compelled to depainâ— thy praises and haue already made worthy mention of thy Order vpon the day of the conception of the Virgin and it is Gods pleasure that men should now bee more deuout addicted vnto thy
Order then euer formerly they haue been because thou art the Virgins darling and art able to preuaile much with her in mens behalfe You will tell me that God hath created heauen not for beasts nor for Turkes but for Christians I grant it yet for all this your deuotion must not coole within you neither must your life bee bestiall nay worse then the conuersation of Infidels The Saints who are full of charity and all perfection will obtaine sanctification for you if you direct your prayers to them for that purpose and doe not make intercession for these temporall and momentary commodities By performance where of you shall fulfill the will of the Saint of Saints You may peraduenture conceit that God will come downe from heauen and take you by the hand and so leade you with him to his kingdome hee doth indeed behold you a great way off and goes before you with open armes but before you bee entertained with his embracements you must haue recourse vnto Dominick Stanislaus â—ernardus Anselmus Stephanus and to your guard-Angell and entreat them to conuey you into the Palace of his Maiesty Also those that are desirous to speak vnto the Queene must run the same course for it is she aboue all that maketh intercession for you neither is there any better acquainted with the pangs and torments which her deare Son suffered for your sakes then is her selfe Honour the Angell that is your guardian for hee is one of the Pages of your Soueraigne King and alwaies beholdeth the face of God in his full of Maiesty and glory Be euer carefull of your saluation and say vnto him O my good Angell that takest charge of me lend me thy hand and bring me the directest way vnto the Court of this King and doe me this fauour as to make my introduction vnto some grace with your Prince I tell you that all Saints are Kings and Princes and haue great authority and power in the Court of that Soueraigne King The body of a man is not more different from the soule then is the Court of this world from that celestial mansion If you had but tasted the delicacy of the wine of loue which was broached in the Mount of Tabor without doubt you would despise all things in coÌ„parison of it This wine is at one time both delicate and pure but the wine of voluptuousnesse is mingled and sophisticated with water and retaineth no sweetnesse or sauour Who so drinketh of the wine of heauen shall quench his thirst as Magdalene did who dranke at the feet of our Sauiour The Court gates of the King of glory are very narrow and euery one that will cannot enter in thereat For first a man must knocke at the gate of mercy taking an Angell for his guide and humility and obedience for his two companions for you can haue no admittance into the kingdome of heauen if you bee not associated with these two vertues The Sonne of God is the protector thereof who died obediently vpon the Crosse nay more in being obedieÌ„t vnto his executioners he was obedient vnto the instrument of the Diuell may therefore in right now challenge obedience froÌ„ him He who shall deuoutly serue the mother of God and Dominick shall bee sure to obtaine plenary remission for his sins After all this Verrine confirmed all with an oath which he tooke very solemnly imprecating the wrath of God vpon himselfe and all hell Then hee said three seuerall times but with a great deale of resistance Aue Maria and in saying of Ora he added Orapro illis miseris peccatoribus nunc in hora mortis to the honour of the mother of God and of Dominicke And then hee cried O Dominicke neuer diddest thou receiue so much honour from a Diuell but thou dost merit this and much more and turning to the Sub-prior he said cursed bee thy comming hither which hath brought such shame and confusion vnto Diuels The Acts of the 22. day of December This day in the morning the Dominican father did exorcise in the beginning whereof there happened a disputation between father Peter d'Ambruc Sub-prior of the Couent royall of S. Magdalene at S Maximin of the order of S. Dominicke and the Diuell Verrine who was one of those that possessed Louyse Capeau The said Sub. prior affirmed that hee could conceiue no true proofe or demonstration to induce him to beleeue that the said Louyse was possessed Verrine answered him Thou pleasest me well in not beleeuing it and in affirming that all these extraordinary actions and gestures doe expresly proceed from her selfe The said Father said I will neuer beleeue her possession I perceiue well answered Verrine what thou beleeuest thou saiest Credo and non Credo and art indeed irresolute and doubtfull Thou maiest tell mee that thou art bound to beleeue it because it is an Article of faith but what commendation is this vnto thee when thou doest not beleeue it The said father replyed thou art not able to speake Latine to which Verrine answered God will not haue it so but constraineth me to speake in the vulgar tongue Then said the father Thou lyest in saying so I lie not said Verrine I tell thee againe God will not haue it so that Louyse may be the more abundantly humbled and that wee might haue the greater power to tempt her concerning this point that so shee might for a time giue easie credit vnto those who tell her that either this which shee doth proceedeth from God or from the Diuell alone or that all these strange deportments and discourses are made and counterfaited by her selfe No no Gods pleasure is that she should be deiected for it is no matter of difficulty to beleeue that which a man beholdeth Then replyed the said father It is false and thou giuest my ielousies no satisfaction Verrine answered What desirest thou to build and firme in thee a beleefe that Louyse is possessed Doest thou beleeue it or doest thou not I doe very well perceiue that thou are not hasty to beleeue yet is this a very vnusuall accident neither is shee possessed after the ordinary fashion of many who striue to expresse themselues with eloquent and affected phrases and so make a cheate vpon mens beleefe and vpon their soules also but I am heere on Gods behalfe to conuert soules and not to deceiue them Then the Exorcist holding the Booke of Exorcismes in his hand commanded him in the Name of God to answere vnto such things as hee would demand of him But Verrine snatched away the booke by violence and threw it to the ground saying What Wilt thou exorcise Louyse when shee is not possessed Then hee said vnto her that was possessed No Louyse doe not suffer thy selfe to be exorcised any longer thou art a foole and art not possessed If thou permit them to exorcist thee I will cry aloud that thou art giuen over vnto the Diuell but I will take heed how I sweare this
thou the master of Pride and doest thou now slinke away in this sort Thou art he that doest suggest vnto the Nobility What sir will you yeeld to him you are noble and of an ancient stock why will you abase your selfe before a fellow of such cheapenesse You must not doe it it doth detract from your nobility Miserable Belzebub was it not thou that wouldest haue throwne God from his seate of Maiesty How art thou now abased hauing nothing to reply and being swallowed vp in shame and confusion And thou Leuiathan the Arch-Doctor of Hereticks art thou not hee that bestowest vpon them the apparance and shew of light But thy light is nothing else but darknesse for no man can giue that which hee hath not Thou bringest an itch vpon the curious to dispute of this place and of that place of Scripture because it is not interpreted as it ought to bee and seing them to bee proud beyond measure thou diddest by this course hinder them from humbling themselues I tell thee that the proud and curious shall not enter into Paradise vnlesse they become humble and lay aside their curiosity What answerest thou vnto this thou art a iolly doctor and very pregnant in replyes but I see thou hast litle to say for thy selfe and giuest sufficient proofe of thy insufficiency There bee heere very able men that would gladly heare thee argue but it appeareth that thou art confounded as much as thy companion And thou Balberith that doest secreetly whisper in the eares of Gentle-men and doest tell them that what they loue in their hart they should ofteÌ„times vse in their mouth and by this meanes thou makest them to deny and foresweare God from the head to the soale of the foote Thou doest also suggest vnto them what sir doe you not meane to defend your reputation Can you endure such an affront Remember such and such speaches and how he thus and thus belyed you hee is a base fellow and in an vnder-ranke vnto you I tel you you must reuenge yourselfe vpon him and call him into single combate Thus though they be forbidden by God excommunicated by the Church and prohibited by the Kings Edicts yet are they transported beyond their temper and reason and doe desire nothing but to come to blowes neither lyeth it in the power of man to giue preuention vnto these mischances Then Verrine iested at Asmodee and said and thou accursed fiend doest perswade yong folke that it is no sinne to offend God and so doest spread a vaile over their eies that they cannot haue the light to bee their guide but are forced to stumble in the darke And thou Astaroth master of the slouthfull be thou their speaker defend thy cause for thou art a powerfull Prince and doest excuse no man Kings and Clergy men are allured by thy blandishments and thou hast accesse euery-where euen when the gates and windowes of mens hearts are locked vp And thou Carreau art he that maintainest that Lazarus could not be raised vp to life by Lazarus meaning the obstinate sinner but I doe hold it as a truth that he may bee raised againe not of himselfe but by the assistance of the Church and of God who said Lazare veniforas and so commanded the stone to be taken away Hee it is that is able without paine vnto him to doe whatsoeuer seemeth pleasing in his sight I affirme that God is able to take away the stone from the heart of an vnrepenting sinner but hee must confesse himselfe receiue absolution from the Priest according vnto that authority which God hath giuen vnto his Church and in this manner is the dead raised vp to life Then he said hee that wants charity is not truely noble for true nobility commeth from aboue All the Citizens of heauen did reioyce at the birth of the Sonne of God neither is there any difference there put betweene the soule of a King and of a begger if it stand in the state of grace Vnto you a child is borne and to you a son is giuen he is both a King a Iudge yet but litle in his natiuity that it might be published vnto all how tractable he is and how easie to be appeased euen with an apple The apple signifieth the soule with the three powers thereof the Memory pointeth out vnto vs the Father the Vnderstanding the Son and the Will the holy Ghost Dâ—dicate and bequeath your thoughts your desires and your workes to this Childe whereby you shall also offer vp vnto him the odour sweetnesse and bewty of this apple this is the present that will appease and still him and for this cause was hee made contemptible that you might bee bold to tender the same vnto him He is co-eternal with his Father which Marie and none but shee did at the first vnderstand yet had he not where to lay his head giue therefore now vnto him the stone of your heart that hee may make a pillow of the same whereupon to repose himselfe If the deceased King of glorious memory should haue giuen his Sonne the Dauphin vnto you it is to be conceiued that you would haue receiued him with great ioy and applause the celestiall Father hath giuen vnto you the Dauphin of heauen equall to himselfe in Maiesty the Kings of the East came from a farre to seeke after him and to worship him and doth it not become you to adore him in like manner The time is at hand that God will fill the voide seates of heauen that great day of the Lord approacheth wherein hee will place you in Paradise for euermore Then Verrine said I Verrine doe renounce c. as is before mentioned at midnight Masse After that he inuited againe all creatures to praise God for his vnexpresseable bounty and infinite mercy as is afore written When he had finished his abiurations Gresill followed with the like and last of all Sonneillon did the same who further added Almighty God mai'st thou be pleased to create a thousand hells anew for all those that will not be conuerted giue vnto them a thousand liues and as many as there bee starres in the firmament for all this is very possible vnto thee that they may suffer as many seuerall deaths as they had seueral liues bestowed vpon them The same day in the euening the two possessed women were exorcised by Father Francis Billet Priest of the Doctrine and Verrine began to discourse thus The heate of hell is not more vnsupportable vnto mee then are thy Exorcismes and would God I had beene dease when I was first exorcised Then he said Belzebub thou tormentest Magdalene yet let it not trouble thee Magdalene for it is now our custome to doe thus because wee were guided neither by reason nor counsell The Exorcist said vnto him Recede maledicte who answered him in latine Non est tempus And when the Exorcist said Angeli decantanerunt Gloria Verrine spake these
Mother Vncle and Aunt and almost all the kindred of Louyse were damned that it was thought fit that shee should speake this with her owne mouth and that he himself was constrained to reueale that they were damned saying Louyse of a truth thy father and mother are damned in Hell Who would euer haue told Iohn Cappeau and Louyse de Baume that their daughter would openly publish vnto the world their eternall damnation I doe not conceiue Louyse that thy heart is made of stone Then Louyse wept very bitterly so that the Assembly was so melted with compassion that they all fell a weeping also After that Verrine had for a season keept silence vpon the sudden he cryed out againe the father of thy father the father of thy mother the father of thy grandfather and the father of thy grand-mother and all thy kindred be damned then hee said the King of France of happy memory was an Heretick but died in the state of grace father Romillon the superiour of Louyse was also an heretick but now he is her spirituall father also Louyse her selfe was at the first brought vp after the fashion of hereticks Then Verrine began to cry that God might do well to vse the seruice of a Queene or a Princesse in a worke of this nature in the which if hee had made choice of Vrsula who was a Queene or some such as shee was it were not to be wondred And directing his speech vnto God hee said Why diddest thou not rather chuse a Queene or an Empresse then this worme here But thou wilt reply that thou hast no need of thy creatures but that they haue neede of thee that thou art alwaies ready to bestow vpon theÌ„ if they wil further co-operate with thy heauenly pleasure that it sufficeth thee to finde a soule framed disposed vnto that which thou wouldest impose vpon it Of a truth Louyse thou hast begged at Gods hands to suffer the paines of hell if it might be agreeable vnto him and this thou hast desired for the enlarging of his glory yet that this might bee without any finall depriuation of the sight of God according to thy request God hath yeelded vnto thy petition because thou diddest put thy selfe vpon his pleasure and diddest not indent with him to suffer after such such a fashion but diddest make a free offer of thy selfe to be disposed by him as hee pleased And the truth is all shall redound to the glory of God to the exaltation of his Church and to the aduancement of thy calling yet art thou to expect nothing but confusion and shame hereby which thou doest confesse thou hast well deserued to wit all sorts of iniuries and reproachfull contempts which thou canst suffer for his loue It is true Michaelis thou diddest indeed affirme that thou haddest an inspiration infused into thee to put such an intended reformation in practise I tell thee it is rather a reuelation but thy humility was pleased to giue it that modest appellation for those that are humble had rather call it by that name I tell you that the Reuelation of Michaelis the inspiration of Romillon and the will of God doe make a Trinitie that is one thing in three for the other two are dissolued into the will of God If two different persons do meet in the concurrence of friendship I affirme that there is but one heart and one soule so when the creatures conforme their wil vnto the wil of God they haue then the same will with God After many other discourses hee swore in behalfe of the sacred Trinity and of all the church triumphant and militant to the confusion of all Diuels and to his owne vtter disgrace and shame which oath he tooke in great solemnity vpon the blessed sacrament disauoâ—ing all double and sinister intention Moreouer he called Belzebub and all his companions saying vnto them speake now if you haue any thing to reply if I haue keept in any thing that is fit to be reuealed I promise you to deliuer it for all this not one of them dared so much as to grumble Then Verrine began to cry in the presence of the blessed Sacrament how admirable is thy power great God who hast permitted yea and commanded the Diuels to bring hither to his Church Magicians and witches to bee informed of that which from thee I am constrained to speake against them Hell is diuided and in distraction it waxeth feeble and the cousonages and subtleties thereof are dismasked Lewes the Magician shall exorcise the witchcrafts of the house of S. Vrsula are at an end and all the sisters shall be deliuered except Louyse and Magdalene who are to goe to Rome where Verrine by the mouth of Louyse with Magdalene shall make his declarations The same day Verrine said to Magdalene giue the keyes of thy house to God who is the father of thy family as the soule is the mistresse and the body the seruant of the same giue the keyes to God the Father the staffe of command vnto the Sonne and the fewell that is in thy house vnto the holy Ghost for they will setle a good order there which is beyond the spheare of thy power to accomplish The same day also Verrine was asked how hee meant that Moses was in the terrestriall Paradise because the Scripture mentioneth his death Hereunto he answered Hee may well be dead and yet be in the terrestriall Paradise too according to his body for God might raise him vp to life because he is one of the foure trumpets who are appointed in the last daies of the world to denounce the iudgements of God to the foure parts of the earth and it is certaine that neither his body nor the body of Iohn the Euangelist could euer be found But some man may heere cauill that the Apocalypse mentioneth but two witnesses to wit Enoch and Elias whom Antichrist shal put to death Verrine answered that which Iohn hath said of the two witnesses is a firme truth yet doth hee not exclude others but maketh mention onely of them that were to giue testimony of God by their death and not of Iohn or Moses who had already tasted of the same Then he said that his ranke was amongst the number of Thrones and that hee had command ouer three legions of Angels That the greatest ruine and downfall that was in heauen was the fall of Thrones that all the Princes and heads of all the orders were fallen that the greatest breach was made by the ruine of Thrones and that therefore God would fill vp his breach by the meanes and labours of Thrones He further added that Belzebub had tempted Adam and himselfe Eue and spake to her in the shape of the Serpent but in all his temptations which hee vsed towards her hee euer retained the face of a gitle The same day in the euening the Dominican father exorcised in the beginning whereof Verrine began to gibe and to
others Being demanded how Lucifer could vnderstand all the occurences of things if he bee thus chained vp hee began to laugh and said you are deuoid of sense and ordinary apprehension doth not a King that abideth in his Palace know whatsoeuer passeth in his kingdome by meanes of Ambassadors messengers and Postes So the Deuils go to hell for they are there very speedily and take instructions from Lucifer who is more knowing and of greater command then them all The Acts of the 17. of Ianaary which was Munday being the Feast of S. Anthony WHiles Masse was saying there grew a great contestation betweene Belzebub and Verrine Belzebub did intellectually and by an intrinsicke conference with Verrine make impression in his vnderstanding standing to desire him to go with his associates to Marseille and to lend him his helping hand to harden the Magicians and Witches that were now at a stand and very shreudly shaken in their former resolutions because their Prince was detected and named Vnto whom Verrine audibly made answere that hee would not go saying that hee had sworne alleageance vnto God and did not therefore feare the paines which they threatned him withall that hee might go thither himselfe if hee had any fancy thereunto and that since hee would needs boast his greatnesse and command hee should do well to try his forces But as for mee and my companions said hee God hath hired vs yesterday morning as a man will hire a labouring man to dresse and trimme his Vineyard so that thou commest to late to hire vs to thy seruice thou wert lazy and diddest slip thy time I do not meane to worke at thy request for when I haue industriously wrought for thee what reward canst thou giue me but the paines of hell thou hast no other thing to bestow But God hath promised vnto me an asswagement and lessening of my paines and therefore I will labour for him in this businesse tempt not mee nor my companions any more O what braue Princes you are that do neither defend nor gouerne your people any better It is very obseruable that Verrine being the night before tempted in the same nature tooke on and plained himselfe like a child saying They will force me to go to Marseille to strengthen the Magician God will punish mee if I do it And after some distances he would often repeate these words no no so that it seemed that God had restored some part of his former force to Belzebub that hee might labour Verrine and almost constraine him to his pleasure and he did once in a manner consent vnto him as wee haue formerly obserued for the which he was well beaten After Masse Belzebub being departed from the body of Magdalene as it seemed to go to Marseille for the aboue named purposes the Exorcist demanded which of the Deuils did then beare sway in her body One of them answered that it was Balberith And being asked of what order he was he made very dainty to vtter it yet at last he spake these words I am constrained by God vpon the intercessions of the Virgin Mary of Magdalene of Michael and of Francis to declare this and other things of the like nature vnto you 1. Belzebub was Prince of the Seraphins and next vnto Lucifer for all the Princes that is to say all the cheefe of the nine quiers of Angels are fallen and of the quire of Seraphins there fell the three first to witt Lucifer Belzebub and Leuiathan who did all reuolt but the fourth who was Michael was the first that resisted Lucifer and all the rest of those good Angels followed him so that now hee is the cheefest amongst them all Lucifer when Christ descended into hell was there chained vp where hee commandeth all and euery one of them knoweth how to traficke in his owne trade Belzebub tempteth men with pride And as Iohn Baptist holdeth Lucifers place in Paradise because hee was the greatest amongst men and had obtained this great fauour by his singular humility opposite vnto the pride of Lucifer so Belzebub hath Frauncis for his aduersary in heauen who was father and founder of the Friars minorites and a great example of humility 2. Leuiathan is a Prince of the same order and is the ring-leader of the Hereticks tempting men with sins that are directly repugnant vnto faith hee hath Peter the Apostle who is Vicar of Christ Iesus and chiefe Bishop in the Church for his aduersary vnto whom the promise was made Portae inferi non praeualebunt 3. Asmodee is of the same order hee continueth a Seraphin to this day that is he burneth with the desire to tempt men with his sinne of luxuriousnesse and is the Prince of wantons Iohn Baptist is his aduersary in heauen who liued and died a perfect Virgin 4. Balberith is Prince of the Cherubins hee tempteth men to commit homicides and to be quarrelsome contentious and blasphemous His enemy in heauen is Barnabas the Apostle because of his great modesty 5. Astaroth Prince of the Thrones is alwaies desirous to sit idle and bee at ease hee tempteth men with idlenesse and slouth Bartholomew the Apostle is his enemy in heauen who prayed to God a hundred times a day and a hundred times a night kneeling in great humility vpon the earth Hee did also vanquish that idole Astaroth 6. Verrine is also one of the Thrones next in place vnto Astaroth and tempteth men with impatience His aduersary in heauen is Dominick your father who was singularly patient in all iniuries and aduersities 7. Grâ—ssib is the third in the order of Thrones and tempteth men with impurity and vncleannesse and his aduersary in heauen is Bernard whose conuersation was vnblameable and full of purity 8. Sonneillon is the fourth in the order of Thrones and tempteth men with hatred against their enemies His aduersary in heauen is Stephen who prayed for his enemies 9. Carreau Prince of Powers tempteth men with hardnesse of hart his aduersaries in heauen are the two Vincents the ouâ— a Martyr the other surnamed Ferrier of the order of preaching Friers whose hearts were full of tendernesse and softnesse And this Diuell is euer about Magdalene laying the nets of his temptations to make her obstinate 10. Carniueau is also a Prince of Powers and doth tempt men to obscenitie and shamelesnesse His aduersary in heauen is Iohn the Euangelist who was a virgin 11. Oeillet is a Prince of Dominations he tempteth men to break the vow of pouerty His aduersary in heauen is Martin who gaue halfe his cloake to a begger 12. Rosier is the second in the order of Dominations and by his sweet sugered words he tempteth men to fall in loue His aduersary in heauen is Basil who would not listen to amorous and inchanting language 13. Verrier is Prince of Principalities and tempteth men against the vow of obedience and maketh the neck stiffe and hard as iron and vncapeable to stoope vnder the
himselfe was sorely tormented in so much that he cried out aloud for very paine and being demanded why he did so he answered that the Angell Michael and Cleare-sight the gard Angell of the Exorcist and Fortitude the gardian of Magdalene tormented him and added force to the flames in which hee fried because some daies since hee had hindered Magdalene from her confessions and had made her insufferable to her superiour and all that resorted vnto her whereof although he had receiued expresse prohibition from God yet did he rather desire to obey the Magician then the Almighty Being demanded wherefore the night before the wicked spirits would haue choaked father Francis Billet he answered because he prayed and strongly assisted Magdalene against vs. Not long after Magdalene craued pardon of Louyse for those malicious wrongs whereby shee had offended her and so reconciled her selfe vnto her whereat the Diuels began to cry out We haue spunne a webb to catch this flie tempting her to hate Louyse but shee hath now broken the webb and we haue lost our labour The same afternoone Belzebub and his companions expressed a great rage whiles Magdalen demanded pardon of father Romillon for her stubbornnesse and obstinacy against him The acts of the 31. of Ianuary being Monday AT the morning Exorcisme Belzebub did maruel lously torment Magdalene making her to bow her head downe wards rubbing the earth within but not striking it against the ground Hee continued â—he said motions by the space of an houre during the Exorcismes and the like shee did with her hands Then the woman that was possessed began to complaine and Belzebub told her it was to accomplish her punishments Afterwards taking her by the throte hee would haue strangled her but hauing an hundred thousand degrees of punishments imposed on him if hee forsoke not his hold he let goe his gripe and mounted into her tongue Being adiured to tell why he tormented her so vehemently after many refusals he answered it is to gaine that from her by torments which cannot be compassed by other meanes and besides the chiefe of the Magicians commands me to doe so who is heere present in the Church but not to bee seene of you hee now presents to Magdalene so filthie a thing that shee is forced to turne her eies aside yea euen at this instant hee commandeth vs to torment her yet more grieuously And turning himselfe to the Magician hee said what wilt thou that I doe Her body is so weakned already as she can indure no more A while after hee got him vp againe into her throte but hauing inuocated the name of Iesus Christ and the assistance of the holy Virgin and imposed as many degrees of punishment on Belzebub and the Magician as there are Angels in heauen Belzebub forsoke his holde but said loe heere the Magician who mocketh at Michaelis and the Exorcist for that they see him not After this Belzebub began to blowe and to shew by manifest tokens that himselfe was sorely tormented being adiured to tell why It is Fortitude quoth he Magdalens good Angell who torments both mee and my companions because wee tempted her to indeuotion and blasphemie Being demanded whether those Sorcerers and Witches which Magdalene named in the afternoone the day before were such indeed hee answered yes and swore vpon the booke of Exorcismes reseruing to himselfe no sinister or secret intention to their vtter confusion and damnation Being adiured to tell and to name the good Angel of Frier Peter Fournez Vicar of S. Baume he answered hee is called the Vision of God and is the thousandth of the order of Vertues Being demanded if they knew one another both the good and the bad hee set himselfe to laugh and said I beleeue it well wee were all created together Being adiured to name the good Angell of father Michaelis he answered hee hath three his good Angell from his natiuitie is the hundreth of the Powers and is called Iesia as he is Inquisitor he hath an Arch-angell which is the 2000. of the same Order as Superiour and Prelate of the rest hee hath for his guardian the hundreth of the order of Throes The Angell of father Frier Anthonie Boilletot is the 15. of th' Arch-angels and is called Simplicity The Angell of father Romillon is the 4000. of the Archâ—angels called Burning-inflammation The Angell of father Francis Billet is the 4001. of the Arch angels named Cleere-sight Magdalene being demanded if shee patiently indured all those paines answered yes and that shee suffered all in hope of the remission of her sinnes and told vs that the same day after dinner Lewes the Magician according to his wont came vnto her together with diuers others telling her that hee was exceedingly tormented notwithstanding he willingly indured all those torments for her sake howbeit she refused him At euening during the time of the second Exorcisme Belzebub tormented her that was possessed in like manner as hee had done in the morning affirming that the Magician was there present and inioyned him to do as he did and as if he had compassion on her he said she can indure no more if this last but one halfe houre all this tragedie will be ended Being demanded in what state the Magician then was he answered with indignation goe looke hee is tormented in all his body particularly in his head his reines and his heart and yet not visibly before men but secretly in his chamber from 10. at night vntill the morning and would keepe his bed were it not for feare of discouering his griefe Then said Verrine the Magicians are worse then Diuels for the Diuels adore God and tremble specially when the possessed receaue the Communion hiding and retiring themselues or getting vnder the tongue to let their Mr. passe ouer and if God should create a thousand hell 's the Magician were worthie of more punishment then they all could inflict vpon him Being demanded by what meanes hee might be conuinced to be the man by this meanes quoth he if he be apprehended and imprisoned by the Bishop of Marseille you shall finde that hee is marked on the head with the marke of the Diuel as Priests and religious persons carry shauen crowns for the marke of Iesus Christ. Then said he there is one come hither vnder the pretence of deuotion but indeed to see Magdalene with whom he is sottishly fallen in loue since her possession yet at length it may be out of despite he will be drawen to accuse the Magician The Acts of the first of February being Tewsday BElzebub at the morning Exorcisme tormented Magdalene in the same fashion as he had done the day before saying This is enough to make an end of thee and being adiured he said that he was commanded to doe so and that the Magician was there present and so tormented her still more vehemently by reason whereof they brought him into the holy house where Belzebub vttered these speeches Thou
left vnto posterity they haue stolne or borrowed the same from the customs of the people of Israel S. Chrysostome commendeth the inuention of Poets in describing the sonne drawne in a burning Chariot by foure horses running at full speede this is not a meere fable saith he if it be rightly vnderstood because the Sunne in Greeke is called Helios For finding that Helias was carried to heauen in a firy Chariot drawne with foure horses they applied this vnto the Sunne conceiting that the Scripture spake metaphorically and by Helias meant Helion that is the Sunne The Cherubins also are said to be drawne in a Chariot and Abacuc calleth them the horses of God saying Qui ascendis super equos tuos This the Poets would expresse when they say that the heauens are wheeled and rowled about by Angels as if they were drawne by swift horses Moreouer whereas the Iewes had within their Temple two manner of Oracles the one vocall the other mute and without a voyce the first was when God spake out of the midle of the Tabernacle to Moyses the other when from the precious stones of the high Priests Ephod their beamed forth a certaine splendor that betokned good fortune which is mentioned in the 1. of Kings The Gentiles herein endeauoured to imitate the Iewes and had also two manner of Oracles the one which spake and was called Oraculum Dodoneum the other which spake not and was called Oraculum Hammonium which word Oracle signifieth in the Hebrew nothing else but a place of speaking and where answeres are commonly giuen for it is called Debir in Greeke it may be called 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in Latine Loquuterium as Saint Ierome hath obserued And as it is commanded in the Law that they should offer cakes vnto God in their sacrifices but that no sacrifice should be without salt so doth Pliny also note of the Gentiles omnibus sacrificijs adhiberi solitam molam salsam which is also witnessed by Ouid Ante deos homini quod conciliare valebat far erat puri lucida mica salis Hence haue the customes of the Gentiles there beginning and this Plato hath more excellently and accurately followed then any other whereupon he gained the surname of Diuine being commonly styled Diuinus Plato We are not then to wonder though Plato do affirme that Angels haue bodies of fire or ayre since that the Scripture doth so cleerely and frequently make repetition of the same and it may be that he vnderstood those speeches according to the sense and meaning of the Scripture that is to say metaphorically because either they are not so grosse and heauy as humane bodies which indure wearinesse in their motion or rather because they are like birds or clouds in the ayre or else because they appeare to men in such formes and fashions For if it bee lawfull for Moyses to say that God is a fire Deus noster inquit ignis consumens est because he was thus represented vnto him in the bush and vpon the mountaine why may it not be lawfull for vs to say that Spirits are made of aire or fire because in their apparitions they euer take an airie or a firie body vpon them And thus wee are to vnderstand S. Augustine when he seemeth to affirme that spirits haue bodies and thus S Bernard also is to bee interpreted that is that spirits are then said to haue bodies when they would appeare vnto vs for they can haue no other meaning since our eye hath no proportion with spirituall substances It may well be that some haue thus spoken of them thereby to intimate that spirits are not pure qualities but essences subsisting of themselues which maketh much against the error of the Sadduces who reduced all the apparitions recited in the fiue bookes of Moyses to the imaginations and fancies of men whereas indeed Angels doe vnderstand conferre and direct men managing and gouerning Prouinces and kingdomes and as our Sauiour saith they doe alwaies behold the face of God the Father which is in heauen Thus ought Tertullian to be vnderstood when he saith that God hath a bodie not that he hath the least composition of matter but he is a body that is to say a thing really subsisting accommodating his manner of speaking to the weakenes of ruder apprehensions and it may bee to the vnderstandings of certaine Anthropomorphites who as Cassianus saith by reason of their great dulnesse and simplicitie could not conceiue that any thing could bee reallie subsisting vnlesse it had a body not being able as wee are vsed to say to iudge further then their nose Notwithstanding the experieÌ„ce of the soules working may be sufficient to sublime mens thoughts from such earthie conceptions touching Spirits since the soule doth discourse and worke although the body be fallen into a sound sleepe Adam when he sleeped very profoundly saw God when he tooke from him one of his ribbes thereof to make the woman and when the soule at the houre of death is diuorsed from the body it cannot bee seene by any because it is a spirit as Christ himselfe vpon such an occasion did say Pater in manus tuas commendo spiritum meum and afterward inclinate capite emisit spiritum That we may vse these phrases of speaking in a good sense it appeareth by that which wee haue formerly said for wee cannot doe amisse in vsing Scripture-phrases if so bee they bee taken according to the meaning of the Scripture as Christ Iesus himselfe declareth in S. Iohn chap. 10. where he argueth against the Pharisies who in those daies stood nicely vpon words as wee haue many of that captious bâ—ood amongst vs in these times Againe it is not to be conceiued that so great and learned personages should be so ignorant as not to be conuersant in the texts of the new Testament which doe cleerely declare that they haue no bodies In the third place they doe for the most part expresse and interpret themselues as S. Atbanasius amongst the rest who in his definition of Angels doth briefly say Angelus est animal rationale but because the word Animal doth signifie a bodily substance he doth therefore afterwards explane himselfe and say Est autem expers materia Wherein although he seemes to contradict himselfe yet his meaning is that since the holy Scripture doth stile these spirits Animalia in Exodus and Abacuc In medio duorum animalium it is no absurditie to giue vnto them the same appellations but these places are to bee vnderstood metaphorically and then there can be no inference of bodily substance fastened vpon them Thus doth Didymus S. Ieromes Master say that an Angell can bee but in one place at one time and lest any man should misconceiue him as though he should maintaine them to be corporeall because it is the propertie of a body to be circumscribed in a place hee addeth in that very passage that they
into that from whence they were exhaled and drawne faith Tertullian Eadem ratione species illa intercepta est qua edita fuerat si non fuit initium visibile nec finis By which it appeareth that the Doue that descended from heauen and lighted vpon Christ Iesus was fashioned of aire and not of earth for it is said Descendit spiritus sanctus corporali specie sicut columba in ipsum The like may be said of the firy tongues that sate vpon the Apostles at the feast of Whitsontide Factus est repente de coelo sonus tanquam aduenientis spiritus vehementis So that it is cleere that these apparances are framed of aire as the cloud out of which God the Father spake to his Sonne in his transfiguration which vanished into aire as did Moyses also whose body in that apparition was composed of the same element and whiles the Apostles eyes were fixed on these obiects it vanished and they saw none but Christ Iesus alone So when the Angell appeared to Manoah the father of Samson he mounted vp into heauen in a flame of fire and in his ascent was visibly seene of him but by little and little Manoah and his wife lost the sight of him because his body began to dissolue into the first matter whereof it was framed Thus did the Angell that accompanied Tobias in his iourney It is now time said hee for me to returne to him that sent me and presently hee vanished from them And for addition vnto the truth hereof some alleage experience saying that if a man should cut such airie bodies it would fare with them as it doth with the Sun-beame which doth runne together and presently vnite it selfe without any signe of such separation which very well agreeth with the nature of aire and is fit to confute the error of Psellus who in the seuenth chapter of his booke maintaineth that they haue a naturall body yet in the 23. chapter he granteth that such bodies being smit asunder doe ioyne againe as doth the aire when it is diuided whence he might easily haue collected that these bodies must bee made of aire and not proper vnto Angels For touching the reason which he bringeth that if they had not bodies they could not be tormented with fire it is certaine that the diuine prouidence may easily bring to passe that a body may really worke vpon a spirit and likewise the contrary which no Christian can deny to bee by diuine prouidence wrought in the Sacrament of Baptisme where the water as the instrument of the diuine bountie doth really and truly wash and purge the soule that is a spirit and experience teacheth vs this truth in nature for imaginations which are corporall things doe depresse the soule and make it heauie euen vnto death as Christ Iesus himselfe said Besides by this reason we should say that the soules of the damned being departed from this world are not cast into hell-fire because they haue no bodies and must therefore bee impassible And so wee shal fall into their heresie that maintaine that the soules lie sleeping till the day of iudgement which doth directly oppose the holy Scriptures which shew vnto vs that the soules of good men returne vnto God who hath created them to be at quiet in his hands and vnder his protection as S. Stephen saith Domine suscipe spiritum meum and S Paul wished for death to no other end but to be with Christ Cupio inquit dissolui esse cum Christo which is confirmed by S. Iohn in the Reuelation saying Henceforth doe the soules rest from their labours for their good workes follow them and death saith S. Paul shall be a gaine vnto me on the other side they teach that the soules of the reprobate are tormented in the flames of hell as appeareth in the Gospell by the rich Glutton and by the saying of Saint Iohn Baptist who told the Pharisies that the axe was alreadie applied vnto the roote of the tree and euery tree that brought not foorth good fruite should bee hewen downe and cast into the fire This S. Iude affirmeth is already happened to the Sodomites as also to Chorah Dathan and Abiron with their complices and that they went quicke downe to hell But here may an obiection be made how Spirits are able to frame vnto themselues such bodies at their own pleasure S. Augustine answereth that Spirits by a certaine agilitie and naturall power can bring to passe whatsoeuer may be done in nature for they doe perfectly know not onely the effects of nature but the causes also which proceedeth from the refinednesse and subtilitie of spirit wherewith they are indowed which they so well know how to manage and applie that whatsoeuer nature maketh successiuely and at leisure they doe the same in an instant We see the aire diuers times being disposed thereunto by certaine causes is variously depainted with colours and diuers semblances and in the sommer wee sometimes see toades and frogs fall with the raine which proceedeth frō the corruption of the aire from whence also butter-flyes and catterpillers and the like vermine are ingendred all which is produced from the successiue operations of nature The like effects may bee produced by Spirits by vniting of causes whereupon the effects doe necessarily follow Thus we reade that the Diuell tooke vpon him the forme of a Serpent which cannot be denied as also that Pharaohs Magicians by the assistance of Satan did make serpents and frogs appeare before the people and surely they may in the like manner shape and counterfeit any other figure yea of a man himselfe as is cleere by the apparitions recited in the book of Genesis From whence we must draw this necessarie conclusion that it is contrary both to naturall reason and to Scrip that Spirits should haue bodies but that they are incorporeall and inuisible The resolution of all this discourse may bee had in the booke intituled De Ecclesiastic is dog matibus which is amongst the workes of S. Augustine where in the 11. chapter he saith We beleeue that God is inuisible and incorporeall because hee is euery where and is present in all places yet not bounded in by any place but we beleeue that intellectuall substances are corporeall because they are circumscribed in a place as the soule within the body and hence it is that they are called corporeall because they are limited in their substances It remaineth that wee endeuour to know when they were created since Moyses maketh no mention of it and from whence it proceedeth that there is a difference betwixt Spirits so that some are good and some bad CHAP. III. Of the Creation goodnesse or maliciousnesse of Angels SAint Athanasius when he was to giue his full resolution and opinion concerning Spirits vnto Prince Antiochus demandeth in the first place whether Angels were created or no for Moses maketh no mention thereof in the first chap. of Genesis
where hee purposely laboureth to magnifie the power and goodnesse of God in the worke of Creation And in good reason doth he take his beginning from this question since the weightiest argument that Saduces and Atheists can alleage for themselues is that Moses speaking of all the creatures of God and of the heauens themselues doth yet make no mention of Angels whereupon the ancients haue endeauoured to giue a satisfying resolution heereunto as S. Chrysostome S. Athanasius Theodoret and others S. Chrysostome particularly in two passages doth determine this point I know well saith hee speaking vnto the people that you are accustomed to demand why it is not said In principio creauit Deus Angelos Archangelos as well as it is written In principio creauit Deus coelum terram especially since Angels and Archangels are vndoubtedly compositions of more noblenesse and puritie then heauen or earth You are to know saith hee that the holy Scripture is nothing else but a letter missiue which God by his Ministers doth send vnto vs no lesse then when wee read that Helias was sent from God vnto Ioram king of Israell with a letter missiue to reclaime him from his faults and to instruct him in the will of God Now when a great Lord writeth his letters missiue hee doth accommodate the stile and matter of them vnto the qualitie and capacitie of the person vnto whom he doth addresse them for hee must write to a Prince after one fashion and after another fashion vnto a Philosopher and in a different maner from these when hee writeth to his wife or to his children Now the first letter missiue which God in his goodnes sent vnto man was the fiue bookes of Moses which hee directed to the people of Israel This people of Israel vnto whom the letter was addressed was a rude and an ignorant people because they were newly infranchised from the slauery and seruitude of Egypt where they had been for the space of 400 yeares very cruelly oppressed being all of them constrained to apply themselues to manuall trades and workes as to gather straw and clay to carry great baskets vpō their shoulders ful of such stuffe wherof they were afterwards to make bricks and then to carry them where the Cities and Pyramides of Aegypt were a building and this they daily did not hauing leasure to breath or to serue their God one day as may be easily seene in the beginning of Exodus so that whatsoeuer was said of Ioseph may very appositly be applied vnto this people Diuertit ab oneribus dorsum eius manus eius in cophino seruierunt Which was the cause that they were a rude nation altogether vnacquainted with good literature And this is the peculiar slight of tyrants as Aristotle writeth in his Politicks who will not permit their subiects to study and attaine vnto learning which was the practise of Iulian the Apostata against the Christians They were all then very ignorant except Moses who was exempted from such rudenesse because he had his education in the Kings Palace and was the adopted sonne of King Pharaoes daughter and this S. Stephen well obserueth saying Erat Moses doctus in omni scientia Aegyptiorum for he had skill in Astronomy Geometry and the Mathematicks but the rest of the people were exceedingly ignorant and could not conceiue of any thing but what they could see with their eyes which is the ordinary fashion of illiterate people who are not able to eleuate their spirites higher then the earth and laugh at Philosophers when they dispute of the roundnesse of the Sunne of the height of heauen and of the sphericall forme of the sea and earth and heereupon it is that Moses saith to God alas Lord I assure my selfe that they will not beleeue that which I shall say vnto them for when I shall speak of thee Lord what fashion shall I hold in my discourse to make thy Maiesty knowen vnto them since their apprehensions doe sauour so much of earth and dulnesse But God answered him it shall be sufficient for thee to tell them that hee who is hath spoken vnto thee for hee would not that hee should speake vnto them in a higher straine then of his being onely which is a thing common and agreeable to the least creature of the world although if these words bee vnderstood by nature not by participation they haue a high and mysterious meaning but this distinction was not mentioned vnto them because he would fit his discourse to their vnderstandings And this is the very opinion of S. Dydimus who sheweth that according to the diuersitie of tymes and persons there came Prophets and others in the name of God some with the name of him that was Almighty others with the name of him that was replenished with all goodnes and others with the name of vnappeasable rigour and iustice And thus saith hee was Moses sent vnto this rude people with the name of him That is for God would at that time exact nothing from them but that they should vnderstand that the God of their fathers is and was not like the false Gods of Egypt who indeed were not because they had not so much as an existence which is the least that any thing may haue In like manner when Christ Iesus did addresse himselfe vnto the seauen Churches of Asia hee set downe diuers attributes of his Maiestie in the beginning of those letters according to the diuersitie of persons And S. Paul preaching at Athens among the Philosophers did purposely decline to make particular mention of the Trinity but thought it sufficient to expresse vnto them that there was a God who created heauen and earth Deus inquit qui fecit mundum omniae quae in eo sunt coeli terrae ' Dominus non in manu factis Templis habitat S. Peter also in his first sermon to the Iewes doth not at the first cast plainely expresse that Christ Iesus was the true God but accommodating himselfe vnto them hee is contented if at the first he may winne thus much vpon their beleefe that Christ Iesus was a holy and innocent man sent from God Iesum inquit Nazarenum virum approbatum a Deo signis virtutibus but afterwards he speaketh vnto them in a higher straine hauing once prepared them for more diuine instructions And so heere likewise in processe of time did God manifest vnto this people that there were Angels and that they had their creation from him as wee shall presently see Which is also more expresly vnfoulded in the new Testament at what time men grew more familiar and better acquainted with the secrets of God This is S. Chrysostoms reason which is very probable and fit to be admitted S. Athanasius yeeldeth another reason saying that this people was exceeding ready to beleeue and admit plurality of Gods which in processe of time they tooke from the superstitions of the Egyptians
which conceite being once growne into an habite and custome it did at length become almost naturall vnto them and brake out openly in the desert when they saidâ—n the plurall number Hi sunt dij tui Israel quite eduxerunt de terra Aegypti And hereupon God tooke occasion to insist vpon the explication of this in the first commandement of the Law which saith Dominus Deus tuus Deus vnus est longer then vpon all the rest of the commandements because the people were so much inclined to this plurality of Gods and had then lately made and worshipped a Calfe Which they may doe well to obserue who because it is afterwards said Thou shalt not make any likenesse of any thing that is in heauen or in earth doe conceite that this is the second commandement and aske the cause why Curats doe not so pronounce the same in their seruice not vnderstanding that the Curate doth pronounce but a short summary of the commandements of God and that this whereof they complaine is not properly a commandement but a more ample exposition of the first commandement against which the people had for a long time most transgressed Therefore doth S. Athanasius well obserue that it was not safe to mention Angels vnto them because they would presently haue thought them Gods which Carpocrates Basilides and other disciples of Simon Magus also did as S. Ireneus and Tertullian haue written Whereunto we may adde a third reason drawne from the more moderne diuines and that is that Christ Iesus was the end and scope of the law who was to take vpon him the flesh of Adam and not the nature of Angels as S. Paul noteth Finis legis Christus nusquam Angels apprehendit sed semen Abrahae apprehendit Since then Christ Iesus was not to be the Redeemer of Spirits but of men Moses did with good reason passe ouer Angels in silence and bounded his discourse with the mention of visible creatures ouer whom man had dominion that in conclusion hee might inferr that man alone had the priuiledge to bee made after Gods image and likenesse that in the end hee might be deifyed and made a partner in the diuine nature thorow Iesus Christ. By which hee thought to leade and conduct man the more easily vnto the knowledge of the grace of God towards him since that he had more remembrance of him then of the Angels themselues who were iustly passed ouer without mentioning if wee consider hou much our humane nature was honoured by the diuine word so that hee who is God adored by all is a man as wee are being as absolutely man as I am and being as truely man as he is truely God And this is the conclusion which S. Paul maketh against the Iewes when he speaketh of Angels Nusquam Angelos apprehendit sed semen Abrahae It is also manifest that the old Testament maketh no mention of the sinne of Lucifer and his adherents but indirectly and by glances as when the haughty minded men are compared vnto him so in Esai the 14. chap. where mention is made of Nabuchodonosor King of Babilon and in Ezechiel 18. where the King of Thir is described both of them being meruailous proud and presumptuous against God they are saith the Scripture like vnto Lucifer But of set purpose there is no relation made hereof except it bee incidentally and as wee say per accidens For Christ Iesus did pay no ransome for wicked Spirits as he had done for men but he hath clearly declared himselfe that hell fire is from all eternity prepared Diabolo Angelis eius But although Moses did not make direct mention of them yet did hee tacitly insinuate the same when hee saith of the seauen daies that they followed one the other and that the heauens went on in their course making day night euening and morning which could not possibly be without the ministry and helpe of Angels Moreouer when he concludeth Igitur perfecti sunt coeli terra omnis ornatus eorum by the perfect ornament of heauen he meaneth Angels For that excellent ornament which addeth such grace vnto the heauens is their motion without which as Aristotle himselfe well knew the heauen could beame downe no influence vpon the earth as is intimated by S. Iohn when hee saith Iurauit per viuentem in secula quod non erit ampllus tempus For if wee should say behold a perfect man this speech doth import that hee hath a soule and that his body is disposed and fitted for those motions which are naturall vnto man Whereupon S. Chrysostome admonisheth that by this ornament wee are not to vnderstand the light or starrs onely but many other perfections both of higher and baser consideration But because this manner of speaking is very obscure S. Athanasius Theodoret and S. Chrysostom moue the question whether the Scriptures doe directly say that the Angels were created by God or no and their resolutions are that they doe so say First King Dauid maketh vs an expresse Psalme touching the creation of the world where hee speaketh generally of all creatures Spirituall rationall sensible terrestriall as also those creatures who haue their being in the water and aire in the 103. Psalme where he beginneth to speake of the Maiestie of God in this manner Confessionem siue maiestatem decorem induisti amictus lumine siout vestimento next hee speaketh of the heauens saying Thou hast stretched them our ouer vs like a tent then doth hee adioyne the Angels Qui facis Angelos tuos Spiritus who makest saith he thy Angels Spirits Where by the way wee may obserue for our better information in this and the like places of Scripture that the Hebrews haue but three tenses in their verbes the Praeter-perfect tense the present and future tense and haue not the vse as the Greeks and Latins haue of the praeter-imperfect and praeterpluperfect tenses whence it ariseth that the present tense with the Hebrewes may as the sentence will beare it bee translated by the praeterimperfect tense as also by the praeterperfect and by the praeterpluperfect tense And this is practised by the Hebrewes in this very passage of Scripture as if they should say in latine Quifaciebas Angelos Spiritus that is to say Lord in the time of creation thou diddest make and fashion these Spirits to bee the messengers and ministers of thy good pleasure By which place Dauid doth not onely shew that God created Angels but also contrary to the opinion of the Greekes and Latins that the Angels were created when God made heauen and earth and not as some would say many thousands of yeares before so that it is not chancefully done that he first made mention of the essence of God and then of Angels and last of all of other creatures The same methode he obserueth in the 148. Psalme where he inuiteth all things to praise their Creator and doth
not omit the Angels but placeth them in the first rank laying Laudate eum omnes Angeli eius laudate eum omnes virtutes eius and concludeth that God fashioned and created them as hee hath done all other creatures quoniam ipse dixit facta sunt ipse mandauit creata sunt The same order is obserued by the three men that were cast into the firy furnace at Babilon who in their thanksgiuing doe inuite all the workes of Gods hand to blesse their Creator and descending to particulars they bring in the Angels as the excellentest creatures of all harmoniously to sing and say Benedicite omnia opera Domini Domino cantate superexaltate eum in secula Benedicite Angeli Domini Domino Benedicite coeli Domino Where it is very remarkable that we may not digresse from the argument in hand against those who conceite that the creation of Angels was long before the creation of heauen that therefore in this place and some others the heauen is said to bee set after the Angels thereby to figure out vnto vs the transcendency of Angels aboue all other creatures but why the heauens should be mentioned and not the Angels there can be no other probable and literall reason rendered then that which wee haue formerly alleaged S. Chrysostome affirmeth that S. Iohn made mention of the creation of Angels where he saith Omnia per ipsum facta sunt sine ipso factum est nihil And S. Paul doth as it were comment vpon this sentence of S. Iohn as hauing bin rapt vp to heauen after him in his Epistle to the Colossians Quoniam in ipso condita sunt vniversa in coelis in terra visibilia inuisibilia siue Throni siue dominationes siue principatus siue potestates omnia per ipsum in ipso creata sunt And this doth vndoubtedly confute al the Manicheans Marcionists and other sectaries and disciples of Simon Magus So that wee may from hence conclude that God did create all Angels good at first that is perfect in all goodnesse both of nature and grace for whatsoeuer God made he saw that it was passing good as Moses expresseth it and towards the end of his Bookes hee giueth a reason of the same vnto the people saying Dei perfecta sunt opera Whereunto agreeth the wise-man who giueth vs to vnderstand that God made all things in number waight and measure in which the most captious can not finde the least discord or blemish And Christ Iesus himselfe doth assure vs that the Diuell did not persist in the truth that is in his first integrity wherein hee was created and that hee was once in heauen but was fallen from thence like lightning S. Peter and S. Iude doe giue the reason of this fall because say they hee sinned against God which sinne being folded vp in the pleates of malice and obstinacy was without the proportion of remission and pardon The same meaning hath Iob in the 4. chapter In Angelis suis reperit pravitatem And although there were no other text sutable vnto this purpose then that which is alleaged in Saint Matthew where Christ Iesus doth foretell that he will cast the Diuell and his Angels into hell fire yet would this bee an argument sufficient as Theodoret well inferreth to prooue that he was created in perfection and goodnesse but that from his owne desire and malice he made choice of euill by his rebellion against God Non est enim saith hee iusti Dei proprium eum punire quinecessitate malus sit And certainely it is repugnant vnto the nature goodnesse and iustice of God who neuer condemneth any that doe not through malice deserue such punishment Hence it is that S. Augustine doth worthily reprooue Porphiry the Philosopher because his assertion was that there were a kinde of Spirits who from their first nature were originally euill and deceitfull This proceeded not from their nature saith he but from their will It remaineth now that we declare what manner of sinne it was whereof they were conuicted S. Augustine giueth vs the resolution heereof saying Since they are Spirits wee are not to conceiue that they were fornicatours drunkards or addicted to any of those grosse vices which haue their sting in the flesh but we are to obserue that there are two sorts of sinnes the first are spirituall because they are proper to spirituall substances such as are pride and enuy the other are carnall and proceed from the flesh S. Augustine spake not this of his owne head but grounded it vpon the Scripture which specifying the sinnes that are peculiar vnto Satan maketh mention of these as Esay and Ezechiel when they would exaggerate the great ouer-weening and pride of the Kings of Babylon and Thir he maketh a comparison betwixt Lucifer and them And our Sauiour when he saw his Apostles to be a little pussed vp and swolne in spirit because at their words and commandement the Diuels were cast out Reioyce not saith hee in this for I saw Satan fall from heauen like lightning by which words hee insinuated thus much that the downe fall of the Diuell proceeded from pride S. Paul also in his admonition vnto Bishops that they should be humble doth charge the Bishop not to bee pussed vp with pride least hee should fall into the same condemnation with the Diuell Touching the sinne of enuy it is also written Inuidia Diaboli mors intrauit in orbem terrarum And the reason why mention of mankinde is made heerein is to giue vs to vnderstand that the Diuell fell not into the sinne of enuy till after the creation of man and that pride was his peculiar sinne for the which he was thrust out of heauen Now whether it were that by reason of his great endowments of nature hee did so farre ouerballance his owne worth that hee might conceite that hee was able to make himselfe an associate and partaker in the diuine nature which is the highest degree whereunto an intellectuall substance may aspire and that by his owne naturall and peculiar forces as Esai and Exechiel doe seeme to imply or whether he would not acknowledge Christ Iesus the Mediatour of men and Angels for his head which mystery might by reuelation be proposed vnto him as it was afterwards also vnfolded vnto Adam and all the fathers of the old Testament it is most certaine that from his owne will and in the pride of his heart he rebelled against God so that there was a battell fought in heauen after the manner that Spirites combat one against another by a strong renitency and resistance of the ones will against the others euen as wee also fight against them But the good Angels would by no meanes adhere or fauour that damnable attempt but resisted it with all their forces accomplishing that which is written of them Benedicite Domino omnes Angeli eius potentes virtute
qui facitis verbum eius ad audiendani vocem sermonum eius Thus were the euill Spirits thrust out of heauen for their pride whereas the good Spirits were still made blessed in the participation of the vision and presence of God This did Christ signifie vnto his Apostles when out of pride they demanded of him who among them should bee the greatest in the kingdome of heauen hee tooke a litle childe by the hand saying if you become not like vnto this litle childe yee cannot enter into that kingdome and beware how you offend one of these litle ones for their Angels doe alwayes see the face of my Father which is in heauen whereby he giueth to vnderstand that children by reason of their naturall humility are like vnto Angels which Angels by this meanes doe see the face of God Since this great reuolte in heauen there hath euer been a contrariety and warre betweene the will 's of good and bad spirits and betweene good and bad men also as between Abel and Cain Isaac and Ismael Iacob and Esau. And this is it which S. Iohn speaketh of in the Apocalypse that there was a great battell in heauen between Michael and his Angels the Dragon with his Angels and S. Iude bringeth in the same Michael disputing and chiding with Satan Since therefore hee is full of wickednesse and altogether depriued of the grace of God he can doe nothing but what is naught and because hee cannot wreake his malice vpon the Saints in Paradise hee conuerteth his fury against man that is made after the image of God and is heere seated vpon the earth that hee may worship his Creator and acknowledge and serue him with his whole heart that so he may at length participate of that diuine glory and felicity which the Diuell by reason of his pride is vtterly depriued of as we haue already alleaged And this is the next pointe which offereth it selfe to consideration in the ensueing chapter CHAP. IIII. The meanes which Diuels haue to appeare and come vnto vs in what part of the world they reside how they are bound and their sundrie waies to tempt men TOuching the meanes which Spirits haue to performe this the scripture teacheth vs that in their downe-fall from heauen some remained in the middle region of the aire which is darksome obscure because the Sun-beames passe through the same without refraction of any solid body which by repercussion might double their force and light and without which they shine not at all as is euidently seene in a caue where there is no light at all perceiued but in the place where the sunne-beame doth fall And although we had no other proofe then that generall rule of Saint Ierome it might sufficiently euince the same for these are his very words Omnium doctorum opinio est quod aër iste qui coelum terram medius diuidens inane appellatur plenus sit contrarys fortitudinibus Since then there was neuer any Doctor of the Church which made scruple of the truth hereof wee must thinke that they had good warrant for the same from the Scripture They did no doubt consider that our Lord in the parable of the seede did by the birds of heauen which deuoured the corne vnderstand and also interpret it to be the Diuels whom he calleth the birds of heauen thereby meaning the aire according to the vsuall Hebrew phrase and agreeable vnto our maner of speech also who commonly say the raine falleth from heauen when the meaning is from the aire For as S. Ierome hath well obserued all Philosophers doe agree in their opinions that the clouds by the dissoluing of which the raine is engendred are not drawne vp aboue two miles at the most from the earth whereas the distance betwixt heauen and earth is incomparably greater And this is S. Pauls meaning when hee telleth the Ephesians that our fight is not chiefly against men but against the princes of this world which are the wicked spirits that haue their abode aboue in high places and as himselfe explaneth all these authorities in the second chapter of the same Epistle by these high places he meaneth the aire Secundum seculum mundi huius saith hee secundum principem potestatis aëris huius spiritus qui nunc operaetur in filios diffidentiae Which is also declared by S. Iude in his Canonicall epistle shewing that these wicked spirits are abiding in that darksome aire are there reserued for the day of iudgement when they shall heare these words Goe yee cursed into hell fire which is from the beginning prepared for the Diuell and his angels His words are these Angelos qui non seruauerunt suum principatum sed dereliquerunt suum domicilium in indicium magni diei vinculis aeternis sub caligine reseruauit And here may be fitly alleaged that which is written in S. Luke where it is related that the Diuels besought Christ Iesus not to send them out into the deepe but rather into the heard of swine and they doe likewise complaine vnto our Sauiour saying Vt quid venisti ante tempus torquere nos As if they should haue said we are assured of our totall and vtter damnation but the time thereof is not yet come for this shall bee put in execution at the last day of iudgement which being not yet present thou maist doe well to leaue vs in these parts vntill that time approch The like may be said of that place in the Reuelation Vah mari terrae quia descendit diabolus ad vos habens iram magnam and it is againe declared in the same booke that our aduersarie the diuell was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone And that wee may resolue what the difference is betweene the diuels that are in hell and those whose abode is in the aire although S. Ierome maketh daintie to meddle with it because he conceiued it to be from the matter whereof he intreated as also for that hee feared as himselfe excuseth it lest hee should trespasse too farre vpon the readers patience in dwelling so long vpon this argument yet will we speake somewhat of the same because this present discourse doth demaund it It is an infallible truth that there are great multitudes of wicked spirits who abide in that gloomie region of the aire and come also lower and neerer vnto vs which God in his prouidence hath and doth permit First because himselfe imployeth these his creatures although it be in base and seruile offices as a King or ciuill Iustice are accustomed to condemne certaine malefactors not vnto death but vnto the performance of some worke which aduantageth these offenders nothing at all but is onely charged with laboriousnesse and toyle and tendeth meerely to the publike good Thus were many in times past banished or confined to some Isle or mountaine to labour and digge in the Quarries of Marble for the Princes
were truly that which they seemed to bee It also declareth that what the Diuell wrought against Iob was not seemingly done but really acted with a great deale of malice witnesse the death of his children and seruants and the downefall of the house vpon them This rule we are to practise in the charmes of Witches and to see if there be any reality in that which they giue out they haue done which falling out so frequently true we are no longer to question the verity of the same There is a reality in their murthering of Infants for it is confirmed by the report of their parents that the children which they said they had strangled were found strangled indeed as they had themselues deposed In like manner the dis interring of their bodies was a truth because their bones were not found lying in their graues There is a reality in the mark which they beare in their bodies the which of all other parts is leprous and deuoid of sense and which can bee found vpon none but vpon such as are said to be Witches There is also a reality in the peece of their garment which in signe of homage they present vnto the Diuell and wee haue seene with our eyes that such a like peece was wanting in their garment as they themselues had reported There is a manifest reality in the charmes which they cast vpon man and beast making them dull and almost dead and by their words reuiuing and setting them in as good plight as they were before not saith Lactantius that they can heale diseases for this is not in the compasse of the Diuels power although it be in their naturall power to infuse an infirmity into any part of a liuing body as appeareth in the history of the Demoniaek that was both dumbe and deafe and of the woman that was crooked so that shee could not lift vp her eyes to heauen and therefore by taking away this impediment they doe not really cure a disease but withdraw the stop that hindered those operations of nature God somtimes permitting him by his iust though hidden iudgement to doe this although further then this hee cannot passe as S. Augustine often inserreth So that it is apparant by the first rule that the confessions made by Sorcerers are not alwaies dreames but doe oftentimes containe facts that haue been really practised The second rule drawne both from S. Augustine and from S. Thomas is to obserue whether all that is spoken in this argument doth lie in the naturall power of the Diuell This S. Augustine obscurely noteth when in the history of Diomedes hee saith that this transmutation was by a secret substraction and conueying away of their bodies because it doth transcend the naturall power of Diuels to change one body into another according to their substance and therefore it must needs bee that this collusion was by transporting and placing one body into the roome of another S. Augustine would not yeeld vnto the first because as hee had already declared it was aboue the naturall power of the Diuell but he granteth the second in regard that it is within the compasse of his force and working Neque enim saith he daemonibus iudicio dei permissis huiusmodi praestigia difficilia esse possunt And as hee expresseth it else where the Diuell can do this when he will how he will if so be that God doth expresly command him or doth leaue him to his owne nature Quando volunt quomodo volunt Deo vel iubente vel sinente S. Thomas betaketh himselfe to this rule when he saith that if the Diuell should busie himselfe in the resurrection of the dead or in any other supernaturall workings wee must be strong that all these things are meere illusions for although God by his vniuersal prouidence doth imploy wicked Spirits vpon many occasions yet doth hee neuer vse them in working of miracles which he reserueth vnto himselfe and to his because Diuels haue no capacity to receiue such supernaturall endowments This rule did distinguish the magicall workes of Simon Magus from those of S. Peter and the other Apostles as S. Clement and S. Ireneuâ— doe witnesse and this rule shall make the workes of Antichrist to bee discerned from those of the Christians And this rule gaue Saint Augustine occasion to say that not onely the admirable workes of the Diuell comprehended in the old and new Testament were to bee beleeued but also many other things were to be credited which prophane histories and Poets themselues doe mention of them and which were in former ages accounted fables although S. Augustine out of the great subtility of his spirit and his deepe knowledge in holy Writ would not venture to say that they were fables hee rather sheweth that this might bee true either really or in outward apparance For as Tertullian said Daemones soli nouere Christiani From whence could the Christians better know this then from the Scriptures Whereupon it followeth that none can truly and iudicially determine this point vnlesse he bee conuersant in the holy Scriptures and in the ancient Fathers from whence the true resolution hereof may be drawne To conclude this point touching the extent of the Diuels naturall power and how farre it teacheth it is not my intendment to enlarge my discourse thereof to the full I will onely say with Saint Thomas who had the soule of S. Augustine as a maÌ„ may say doubled vpon him that it is in the Diuels naturall power to doe as much as the vtmost strength of nature can reach vnto for he is able to vse those meanes which nature accustometh to serue her selfe withall and applieth one thing vnto another iust as nature doth as when a man by applying a torch vnto char-coale doth presently fire the same which nature would also produce but at more leisure and this appeareth in the causes of lightning which are longer ere they produce their effect whereas wee shoot off our Artillery suddenly and without premeditation And this we are taught by experience for the Angels who wheele about the heauens by the application of their motions vnto these iâ—feriour elements doe cause naturall things to bee produced euer presupposing a matter and forme whereupon to worke which were immediately created by God himselfe Hence it is that they are called both in the Psalmes and in the Gospel Virtutes Coelorum for without them the heauens would haue no more efficacie or power in the production of things then the body hath to worke without a soule which S. Augustine wel glanceth at in the third Booke against Maximin the Arrian the seuenteenth chapter So that those things which Sorcerers depose are within the natural power of SataÌ„ as may be seene in the whole frame of this Booke especially in the Annotations vpon the ensuing Sentence Therefore it is plaine that the second rule doth positiuely conclude that all these workings are not
Diuels haue hindered the first Monks of the deserts p Both the Diuels did much resist that the two women should receiue the blessed Sacrament And it was needfull to be very patient for by that meanes at length they were ouercome They would say It is too hot for vs we will taste none and this happened euery day which we tried often from the moneth of Nouember till the moneth of May. q The oth of Belzebub and Verrine r They were bound there to discouer the Prince and Princesse of Magicians and to exhort others And beyond this bound they could not passe s Ingratitude of men to their good Angels t This is a new torment vnto them when they thinke thereupon because they doe enuie and malice the elect of God who are iâ—ucsted with their places in heauen u The humilitie of the Mother of God x S. Magdalene the chiefest amongst sinners y Dominicke is the Saint that is aduersarie vnto Verrine whom therefore he ranketh first as if he were superiour to his two coÌ„ panions He doth then first place his Saint that is aduersarie vnto him z The charity of the Saints is greater then the diuels malice towards men a The beautie of Paradise b The deformitte of the diuels and soules of the damned c We must say with Dauid Et obseruabâ— mè ab iniquitate mea d There were seuen there in ordinarie as they declared afterwards but many times they weÌ„t forth and returned very sensibly neighing as it were and saying to Belzebub See I am here Belzebub possessed her fore-part Leuiathan the middle of her head and Astaroth the hinder part The part of the head where they were did beate and moue perpetually contrarie to nature but when they depaâ—ted forth that part stirred not And when at any time wee commanded Bâ—lzebub to leaue her for the space of a Miserere hee went out of her very sensibly and maâ—e a noyse in the mouth of her that was possessed And the prefixed time being past he presently returned that iâ— might be well perceiued as we haue said And being departed the Physicians and othâ—rs thaâ— felt her head found it in moueable but vpon his returne they felt and saw the motions And this was also proued by Leuiathan and Astaroth This hath been tried at S. Baume and at Aix many weekes together to the great astonishment of the beholders especially of those who wouâ—d not beleeue it e This Nonnus was Bishop of Edesso of whom mention is made in the Romane Martyrologe the 2. of December * Magdalenes first letter corrected See the answere to the doubts the 8. obiection after the Epistle to the Reader f The wonderous miracle of the compulsion of Diuels to speake the truth g He had not beene subiect to so much miserie as he was for the excuse did aggrauate the fault h The counsell of God is eternall but the Scripture stileth the execution of his eternall counsell after this manner It is also a phrase of Scripture to say that God holdeth his Counsel when he would execute his will As in the 1. of Genesis in the creatioÌ„ of man The metaphore is borrowed froÌ„ the custome of meÌ„ when they would execute any thing i Mercy and Iustice are equally twinnes with God aâ—â— all other perfections are Yet in the putting of them in execution one sometimes gaineth vpon another according to the good sentence and pleasure of God And vpon this is the metaphore drawne from two Aduocates each pleading their righâ—â— one against another Now although the determination and sentence abideth in the Iudge yet doth not this hinder but that either the one or the other might alledge iust and ponderous reasons in diuers sorts Diuines maintaine the Idea of things in God a The mercie of Christ Iesus These are the attributes of the diuine persons c The knowledge of God foreseeth all things d The Virgin Mary likened vnto a beautifull garden a She had not confessed this sinne either froÌ„ obliuion or out of shame b The martyrdome of S. Lucia and the Virgins c That Victoria is registred in the Romane Martyrologe 27. December who was put to death because she would not take Eugenius the Paynim for her husband * The praises of the Companie of S. Vrsula d Experience doth teach that in matters of curiositie they doe laugh and make a lest of men e We haue often made triall that when Verrine spake according to his commission that tended to the conuersion of the two Witches he alwaies told the troth and neuer failed but being put from that he declared himselfe to be a true Diuell oftentimes interrupting Confession and a long space endeuouring to hinder the receiuing of the Communion The reason whereof is set downe in the acts of the 15 of Ian. in the marâ—eÌ„r f The prosecution of the praise of Virgins g The conference of Verrine with God or with the good Angell sent from God h The desire of Louyse to suffer patiently i Louyse baptized in a kitcheÌ„ by a Minister k Touching the Companie of S. Vrsula l Godpermitted this for his glorie and the exaltation of that company m In confession and out of coÌ„fession she still said that she regarded not to be possessed since it was Gods pleasure for the manifestation of his glory n In the Scripture phrase as we haue formerly cited out of the booke of Iosua the 10. chapter o WheÌ„ it pleaseth God all things accomplish his will He commanded the Rauen of Helias and the Worme that withered Ionas his gourd p Discourse of Hell q The discourse of Belzebub coÌ„plaining to God of his ouer great mercie to sinners euen to the Magician himselfe in whose custodie remained the scheduls of Magdalene r The Gloue of the Girle was too little for her and could not be pulled on but by violence s Exclamation against sinners t Belzebub constrained to sweare and to tell the truth u These are the Patrones of the Country of Prouince together with Saint Magdalene where their bodies lie interred x The Diuels are euer very daintie and squeamish to discouer them selues or to tell their names for feare of being exorcised commanded and by punishments imposed on them tormented y This was in that houre wherein the Sermon of the Aduent was ended at Aix where he preached about eleuen a clock in the forenoone z He speaketh according to the capacitie of the simple people that were there present because these two did vse to preach in the Townes of Prouince a That mortifications are â—equâ—sâ—te toward the attainement of Paradise b In the Martyrologe the third of March. c In Ribadineira 25. Ianuar. d In the Martyrologe 1. Nouemb a If God were not powerfull to compell the Diuels it must be so b An admirable inuectiue and complaint of Belzebub to God where he setteth downe a Briefe of the cuâ—sed abiuâ—ations and execrations made by the Magicians when thâ—y receiued the marke
i Verrines exhortation to Lewes k That is to say there is no hope of men after they are dead l The Magician told vs that if we did vnderstand his condition wee would be amazed at it for he had no memory But in this he did co-operate with the Diuell gaue his consent there unto which being by the Diuels oftentimes practized vpon Magdalen they could neuer by any charmes bring the same about as shall be seene heereafter because she would neuer consent there-unto m Belzebub accuseth Lewes the Magician n Louyse related vnto vs that she vnderstood wel al that Verrine had prompted vnto her and did readily co-operate and gaue her assistance to all the praiers that were powred forth for the conuersion of the Magician o Touching Antichrist see the Apology vnto the doubts p The hardnesse of the Magicians hart q The aduice for the seperation of the women possessed r The Exorcist changed s Leuiathans answeres t He said this because hee was put to silence vpon the accusations against Lewes for a season u The Diuels exclamation and inuectiue against the obduratenesse of the Magician x The hypocrisie of the Magician y This is very obseruable for he made repetition diuerse times of the same z The death of Louyse a Touching Antichrist see the doubts after the Epistle to the Reader b Two Capuchin fathers go to Marseille c Witches are carried inuisibly d Verrine barketh like a dogge e The superiour Diuels doe tye and binde vp those that are inferiour and in subordination vnto them as amongst men the stronger bindeth him that is weaker and maketh him to hold his peace So amongst liuing creatures one by the instinct of nature doth master another f We were yet in indifferency and were at that time making inquiry after these things g The difference of Diuels h By this often reprouing of the Diuell they gaue intimation vnto him that they did not beleeue him i The adoration of a Goat in their Synagogues k Verrine barketh against Lewes l The prediction that Lewes should bee burnt and the two women exorcised at Aix as it afterward happened m He was degraded by the Bishop of Marseille who was also deputed a Commissary at the hearing of his cause n The prediction of the execution death of the MagiciaÌ„ ratified by a solemne oath which prediction the Diuel gaue as a signe o The difficulty which the father 's made of the truth hereof p The prediction that the Magician should be enlarged vpon supposition of his innocence which was verified the 14. 15. of Ianuary q These departures were very sensible as well by the blast which brake forth froÌ„ her mouth as by their names which in their issuing â—orth they gaue themselues r Magicians are not possessed s This is to be seene t There were schedules rendered to Theophilus the Magician and to S. Basil for an other Magician as is set downe at large in their liues u Being in a Church of his iurisdiction x Verrines complaint vnto God y The prophesie of Ezechiel accidentally lighted on and read z These Canons did alleage that Lewes was a Priest appertaining to the Dioceâ—â—e of the Bishop of Marseille to whom we answered that hee was come thither not vpon command but by aduice a Inquisition into the verity of the writings b Lewes the Magician went away to Auignon with some others to make declaration of his innocency but he was remitted backe againe c Father Domptius sent backe vnto his superiour d This was a Priest of the Doctrine Confessor in ordinary to the sisters of S. Vrsula and particularly to Magdalene since her possâ—ssion A man godly and learned and at this present Superiour in the house of the Priests of the Doctrine in the city of Aix in Prouince who did Exorcise Magdalene in his Church c She named all the wicked spirits in their order as readily as any one could reade them in a booke f This was her vsuall prayer when she was among the sisters of her Order which she said by heart g Belzebub strangely shaketh Magdalane h This was said after the Exorcismes were past i Belzebub vaunteth that he had tempted Adam and Christ Iesus k The distinct places and Office of Diuels l Some Doctors are of opinion that he was fastned with foure nailes m Some schoole-men do hold that he did not deliuer all the soules that were in Purgatory but all those that were in Lymbo otherwise called Abrahams bosome n The horrible gestures of Belzebub in the body of Magdalene o Great cries heard on the top of the Church p Tharasque was a monstrous Dragon that deuoured men in Tharascon in Prouince q The filthy gestures caused by Asmodee r Six Knights came from Marseille to lead with them the Magician whom they fauoured and gaue countenance vnto as their speciall friend s Out of his commission we might easily conceaue him to bee a true Deuill when hee was left to his owne nature the iudgement of God permitting this to happen least otherwise men might mistake and beleeue him to be no Deuil t They try the Deuils whether they would contradict themselues u Charmes cast into the eyes of Magdalene Saint Clement in his recognitions reciteth the like of his mother who thought that she had euer Simon Magus before her eyes x The difference of the knowledge of God y The accidentall paines of the Deuils z From whence the names of Deuils haue their originall Tertullian saith Ibi nomen vbi pignus a Lucifer chained vp in hell b See the Apology vnto the 10. doubt after the Epistle to the Reader b See the Apology vnto the 10. doubt after the Epistle to the Reader c God bindeth and vnbindeth the Deuils how and when it pleaseth him yet he doth this but at times permitting them sometimes to do whatsoeuer their naturall power can accomplish at other times he weakneth this power of theirs as seemeth good vnto him Examples heereof are in the 1. of Iob in the 7. and 20. of the Apocalypse and elsewhere d Michael the cheifest of the Angels e What the temptations of Deuils are and who are their aduersaries in heauen f Balberith Iudg. 9. a Obserue the order which he here keepeth in numbring of them in the same place ranke as when hee first deliuered them b Verrine denyeth that he is a preacher See the 1. doubt after the Epistle to the reader c The absolute power of God d A charmed ring e Magdalens throte seased on by the Diuel f The tortures which Magdalen suffered g Charmes cast into Magdalene which she reuealeth h Either to beat vp and downe in the aire with them or to defend themselues against such attempters i O the goodnesse of God that will not so much as suffer the Diuell to force through a casement of paper What ought the christian to conceaue of his wil which