Selected quad for the lemma: master_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
master_n	abbot_n	bishop_n	dean_n	90	3	9.4774	5	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A16950	A true discourse, vpon the matter of Martha Brossier of Romorantin pretended to be possessed by a deuill. Translated out of French into English, by Abraham Hartvvel.; Discours veritable sur le faicte de Marthe Brossier. English.	Marescot, Michel, 1539-1605, attributed name. aut; Pietre, Simon, ca. 1525-1584, attributed name. aut; Le Bouthillier, attributed name. aut; Hartwell, Abraham, b. 1553.	1599 (1599)	STC 3841; ESTC S113238	24,481	52

the sinew of true wisedome and the Apostle forbiddeth vs to beleeue euery Spirit The faith of Christians is greatly commended but the credulitie of Magicians is much reprehended as being so great that it taketh away beliefe from all things and is the cause that by beleeuing euery thing though neuer so absurd in the end men will no more beleeue any thing at all Credulous Antiquitie hath bin deceiued by the delusions of Deuils and drawne to superstition and idolatrie but Christian Religion hath been alwaies contrarie to such deceits to the end that the honor of the true God and sinceritie of faith might be preserued And this was the cause that by the craft and subtiltie of the Deuill Christians had an euill report and were by these Sorcerers and Deceiuers expelled when they went about to work any of their delusions for then would they cause to bee proclaimed 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that is to say Foorth Christians Faith is a sure and certeine way to come to veritie saluation and wisedome but too great credulitie is the path that leadeth headlong to falsehood fraud follie and superstition This difference of faith and credulitie may bee shewed by many examples of ancient times but there is none of them more worthie to bee written and knowne in these daies then the Historie of Martha Brossier of Romorantin pretended to bee possessed with a Spirit Many Prelates Diuines and Phisitians all of them acknowledging according to the Christian Faith that wicked Spirits doe enter into the bodies of men and that by the commaundement and word of God they are cast out haue by a diligent obseruation of all her signes and actions discouered the cousonage and counterfeiting of this woman and haue made their report thereof to the Parliament the true Protector and Defender of Pietie and Iustice. Other Diuines Religious persons and Phisitians there were which either through credulitie or to follow the opinion of the people or for some other reason haue said and assured that there was a wicked Spirit in the bodie of this woman challenging al others for Infidels and Atheists which should thinke or say that this woman was not a Daemóniake The Parliament by a solemne Decree of the Court hath confirmed the iudgement of the better and wiser sort and set downe an order that this credulitie and superstition should proceede no further to the detriment and hinderance of the Catholike Religion But to the end that there may rest no scruple or doubt in weaker mindes and that such a cousinage may be knowne to all the world we haue briefly and truly written the whole Historie we haue proued the said Martha not to haue been a Daemóniake wee haue faithfully described the opinion and reasons of those which thought the contrarie following therein the Original-writing of their owne hands word for word and haue withall confuted their arguments as being grounded vpon too light coniectures We doe hope that those which shall reade this discourse will receiue pleasure and profit thereby and con them thankes that without fearing the slaunder of euill speakers and looking to none other marke but onely to the trueth it selfe haue resisted and made warre against the Author of lyes and that they will likewise giue thankes to God who hath discouered this cousonage whereupon there might otherwise haue followed not onely false miracles but also great diuision and parts-taking among the people as by the discourse ensewing all men of vnderstanding may know On Tuesday the xxx of March 1599. at the commandement of the right Reuerend the Bishop of Paris there met together Marescot Ellain Hautin Riolan and Duret within the Abbie of Saint Geneuesua in the hall of my Lord Abbat where was brought before them one Martha Brossier who they said was possessed of a wicked Spirit and this was in the presence also of the said Lords the Bishop and the Abbat and many other persons of Note By the commandement of the said Lord Bishop Marescot as the ancientest of the rest questioned with her in Latin for the rumour went that she spake all manner of languages but she answered not a word Then said the Abbat She will not answer vnlesse my Lord Bishop commaund her Then the Bishop commaunded the Deuill to speake saying Adiuro te per Deum viuum vt respondeas Dommo Marescoto I adiure thee by the liuing God that thou answere Master Marescot But both the woman and the Deuill were mute She was againe questioned withall in Latin by Marescot the Phisitian and in Greeke by Master Marius Doctor of Diuinitie and the Kings Reader of Greeke Philosophie but she answered not a word Then the Bishop being very desirous and curious to discouer the trueth because the said Martha had said that this was no place to answere in commaunded that she should be caried into a Chappell Wherein a number of Tapers being lighted one Priest accompanied with two others all apparelled in decent and Priestly garments in the presence of the said Lord Bishop and the Abbat and many other persons of qualitie all being together in great deuotion and at their praiers began to exorcise her She being vpon her knees praying to God and making the signe of the Crosse presently tumbled her selfe backward first vpon her buttocks then vpon her backe and vpon her shoulders and then softly vpon her head Whilest she lay vpon her back fetching her breath very deepe and quaking in her flankes like a horse after he hath runne she turned her eyes in her head blared out her tongue and tolde the Bishop that he had not his Miter and bid him that he should goe and fetch it Then they caused certen Reliques of the very true Crosse to bee brought vnto her which she indured to be put in her mouth They presented also vnto her a Doctors whood which shee stoutly reiected as though the whood of a Diuine or the Miter of a Bishop had more vertue and more Diuinitie in them then the Reliques of the very Crosse. These things being done and many other which would bee to no purpose to rehearse the Lord Bishop commaunded that the Phisitians would tell him what they thought of it Who after that they had maturely deliberated together and considered all that they thought fit to bee considered reported to the Bishop with the consent of them all and by the mouth of the said Marescot the ancientest of them all what their opinion was and that in few words Nihil à Daemone Multa ficta Amorbo pauca Nothing of the Deuill Many things counterfeited and a few things of sicknesse And indeed all these actions were counterfeit as hereafter shall be shewed But in trueth her tongue was red and they perceiued some little rumbling vnder her short ribs on the left side proper to those that are subiect to the Spleene The day following which was Wednesday the last day of March Ellain and Duret met together and when the Exorcismes or Coniurations were againe repeated

inclined made a Decree That Martha Brossier should be committed into the hands of Monsieur Lugoly the Lieutenant Criminall Hereat the Ecclesiasticall persons repined and said that this cause of a woman pretended to be possessed belonged vnto thē The Preachers cried out alowd at the matter And the King being then at Founteyne-Bell'-eau and fearing also that of this sparke there might be kindled a great flame commanded the like And for the performance thereof Martha was caried into the Chastelet where she continued and liued almost for the space of two moneths not as a prisoner but being entertained very mildly and well lodged viewed and visited by Bishops Abbats and other Ecclesiasticall persons Councellors of the Court Aduocates Gentlemen and many Ladies and Gentlewomen as many times and as often as any was desirous to see her Besides she was viewed by many Phisitians that is to say by my Masters De la Riuiere the chiefe Phisitian Laurence the Kings ordinarie Phisitian Laffilé the auncient Deane of the Facultie in Paris Le Feure Marescot Ellain Hautin Lusson Pietre Renard Heroüard Cousinot D' Amboise Palmier and Marcés all which did say and signed it with their hands that they had not seene nor obserued any thing that was aboue the common lawes of Nature And yet many there were who being still infected with the old Leauen had scattered it abroad throughout the Citie that in the Chastelet she had plaied many of her Deuillish trickes which was afterward found to be false The said Martha being shriuen on the morow after Easter-day and absolued by the Curate of Saint Germaines or the Vicar there receiued the Holy Sacrament without making any stirre or signe or apparance of a person possessed by a wicked Spirit In the end when al sorts of informations were most diligently searched and all things well considered the Great Parliament of Paris set downe a Decree with great prudence and clemencie which wee will deliuer you in the end of this discourse We haue declared vnto you the whole Historie as in trueth it was and now wee must shew by what reasons we were induced firmely to beleeue that Martha Brossier neither was nor is possessed of a wicked Spirit and afterwards wee will signifie vnto you how sleight their reasons are which held the contrary opinion to the end we may cleere a matter of so great weight and of such consequence But first we would haue euery man to vnderstand that we were not any way assistant in this action but only being called and commanded thereunto by the right Reuerend the Bishop of Paris and that wee had none other scope therein saue only God and our Conscience not regarding what many might say thereof nor the harme that might redound to vs thereby And touching the Thesis and Generall Proposition there was neuer any doubt of it For we doe beleeue according to the Christian Faith that there are Deuils that they enter into mens bodies and that they torment them in sundrie sorts and all whatsoeuer the Catholike Church hath determined of their creation Nature Power effects and Exorcismes wee hold to bee true firme and stable as the Pole of Heauen But touching the Hypothesis that is to say that Martha Brossier is or hath been possessed of a Deuill we say it is absurd false and without any likelihood And to proue it we will conclude by this generall Syllogisme Maior Nothing ought to be attributed to the Deuill that hath not something extraordinarie aboue the lawes of Nature Minor The actions of Martha Brossier are such as haue nothing extraordinarie aboue the lawes of Nature Conclusio And therefore the Actions of Martha Brossier ought not to be attributed to the Deuil Those that are exercised in the knowledge of the signification and equipollence of propositions and in the Art of Syllogismes will confesse that it is concluded very well in secundo Modo prima Figurae that is in the second Moode of the first Figure The Maior or the Proposition is very euident and Plato in his Apologie is of opinion that there are Deuils because there be many things where of a man can giue none other reason but that it is the Deuill as being extraordinary effects and surpassing the forces of Nature The Minor or the Assumption may bee knowne by an Induction of all the Actions of the said Martha Brossier For what hath she done Mary she hath blared foorth her tongue she hath roled her eyes in her head she hath shewed diuers motions like to Conuulsions and being laid vpon her backe she hath shaken her flankes There is neuer a one I do not speake of these tumblers but euen of the very Lackies of the Court that cannot doe so much And by this reason that excellent Dancer vpon the rope was rather to bee counted a Daemóniake and possessed with a Deuill then she is Martha therefore hath done no Action that wee ought to attribute to the Deuill as hereafter shall be more at large declared Moreouer is it likely that after fifteene moneths being so often vexed and tormented she should remaine fat and in good liking considering that euen in the Gospell it is noted that such as were possessed with Deuils waxed drie and very slender We are yet at this day all of vs of one minde and opinion that the motions like to Conuulsions in Martha proceeded not of any sicknesse or disease because while she was in them keeping her eyes halfe shut and halfe open she perceiued and saw whatsoeuer was done and did of her owne free will and power moue her eye and by consequence all her body Againe such as haue a true Conuulsion indeede vse to bite those which come vnto them and put their fingers into their mouthes yea if a man put a cudgell betweene their teeth they will crack it and withall haue their limmes so starke and stiffe that they cannot be bended Martha seeing her selfe staied and holden by any or hearing certaine words of the Priest wherewith she was before instructed lifted her self vp lustily as though she had had not fit at al. These motions then proceeded not of any disease and therefore they were counterfeit as wee haue alwaies maintained or else they proceeded from the Deuill as some held opinion grounded vpon verie sleight reasons which we will throughly examine after wee haue set downe the Originall report thereof word for word and inserted the same in this place as followeth THE REPORT OF CERTAINE Phisitians of Paris touching the matter of Martha Brossier WE the vnder-named Doctors Regents in the Facultie of Phisicke in the Vniuersitie of Paris touching the matter of Martha Brossier a maide of the age of two and twentie yeres or there abouts borne at Romorantin in Berry who diuerse times to some of vs but specially vpon Friday and Saturday the second and third of Aprill to all of vs in common sauing and excepted one of vs who was not there but only on the Saturday was brought