and their deliuerance promised Their blessed estate in the meane time in the fift The day of Iudgement and the terriblenesse thereof in the sixt AFter this I looked to see when the Lambe opened the first Seale and loe I heard one of the foure beasts for they were appointed to assist me in the time of these Visions as the most excellent creatures of God and his voice was like a thunder making me awake with terrour to take heede to these great and terrible Prophesies which God was to declare vnto me and hee said Come and see 2 Then I looked and did see a white horse and he that sate on him had a bow in his hand Zach. 1.8 Zach. 6.2 3. and a Crowne giuen vnto him and hee came foorth a Victour to winne and ouercome This man comming on the white horse was the comming and incarnation of our Bright and Innocent Sauiour armed with a bow for euer since his comming till now and a space hereafter the dart and arrow of God to wit the holy Spirit by the preaching of the Gospel doeth subdue and bring the world vnder his subiection and taketh vengeance of his enemies His crowne is giuen to him by his Father in token of his victory ouer the second death and as King of the Catholike Church to crowne the faithfull Conuersion of the Gentiles and so he commeth foorth a Victour ouer Satan and to ouercome by once conuerting a great part of the world to the trew knowledge of God This mysterie is already begunne but is not yet accomplished 3 And when he opened the second Seale 4 Loe there came forth a red horse and there was power giuen to him that sate on him to take away peace from the earth that euery one might slay one another and there was giuen him for that purpose a great sword for with the spreading of the Euangel and rooting of the trueth in the hearts of the nations Persecution of the body by the Ciuill sword in the second Seale Continuation of trew pastors after the Martyres shall a bloody persecution of Tyrants by the ciuil sword be ioyned which is meant by the rider on the red horse but notwithstanding the Euangel shall spread and flourish for such is the power of God resisting the pride of man that vnder the Crosse the puritie of the trueth most flourisheth in the Church 5 And when he opened the third Seale the third Beast said vnto me Come and see and loe I did see a blacke horse and hee that sate vpon him had balances in his hand 6 And I heard a voice from among the foure Beasts saying A measure of Wheat for one peny and three measures of Barley for one peny but wine and oyle harme thou not for after that this first mysterie shall be accomplished not onely dearth and famine shall ensue the contempt of the trueth but God shall permit Satan to tempt and vexe his Church with a cloud of diuers and dangerous heresies which may be meant by the rider on the blacke horse for the blackenesse and darkenesse of them Heresies ment in the third Seale shall obscure the light of the Gospel but yet God to assure vs that hee will neuer forget his owne speakes from his Throne comforting vs thereby that although as the balances and measure signifies good men shall bescant who are the fine wheat and barley of his haruest Luke 3. yet some shall there be that shall not bow their knee to Baal no not in straighter times that shall come after and alwayes giues vs assurance that the word and trueth of God which is an eternall Oyle and comfortable Vine shall neuer be destroyed nor any wayes corrupted in spight of all the malice of Satan in his instruments 7 And when hee opened the fourth Seale the fourth Beast said vnto me Come and see 8 Then I beheld and loe I did see a pale horse and the name of him that sate vpon him was Death This is the greatest and heauiest plague for after that the persecutions and heresies shall take an ende and that infirmitie and coldnesse haue cropen into the Church The Popedom is meant by the pale horse in the fourth Seale of heresie and ciuil tyranny then shall God redouble his former plagues by permitting Satan to erect a tyrannie composed of both these former plagues for it shall be full of heresie like the one and full of ciuill and temporall tyrannie like the other and therefore because it brings with it al maner of death both of body and soule the rider is iustly called Death as the fountaine of all the sorts of the same and the palenesse of the horse is correspondent in all points to the qualitie of the rider for as the rider is called Death so the colour of palenesse represents the same and as the riders qualities are composed of heresies and tyrannie so the colour of pale is composed chiefly of blacke and red And hell followed after him to the vtter damnation of him and his followers And power was giuen him ouer the fourth part of the earth to wit the rest who are not ouercome by the other three riders for all they who were not marked by the white horse nor killed in body by the red nor killed in soule by the blacke are killed both in body and soule by this last And as he hath power of destroying thus giuen him ouer the fourth part of the earth so by foure plagues specially doeth he execute the same to wit by Sword Hunger Death and the Beasts of the earth These plagues allude to the plagues mentioned in the Canticle of Moses for this tyrannie shall begin with persecution Scarcitie of trew Pastors and worshipping The cruelty of the Popes tyranny this persecution shall cause a hunger and great scarcitie of the true worship of God this hunger shall breed a second and eternall death and this tyranny shall then end with a crueller and bloodier persecution of the bodies then euer was before which shall be so barbarous that it is compared in this Vision to the execution vsed by wilde beasts vpon offenders and shall spare no degree sexe nor aage no more then beasts doe 9 But when he opened the fift Seale I did see vnder the Altar the soules of them that were slaine for the word of God and for his Testimonie which they maintained 10 And they cryed with a lowd voice saying How long wilt thou delay O Lord since thou art holy and trew to reuenge iudge our blood vpon them that dwel on the earth for this last persecution did enter so fiercely into the world and did make so great a number of Martyrs that their soules lying vnder the Altar to wit in the safegard of IESVS CHRIST who is the only Altar Hose 14.3 whereupon and by whom it is onely lawfull to vs Hebr. 13.15 to offer the sacrifice of our hearts and lips to wit our humble prayers to God
comming to wit instructed and inspired by Satan to bee his embassadour and to teach his false doctrine to the counterfeit church as well as the true Pastours are the Embassadours of God to the true Church He is called Abaddon or Apollyon because as hee is both a spirituall and ciuill Monarch so he destroyes and killes both body and soule as I tolde you in the fourth seale where hee is called Death for the same cause that hee is called heere Destroyer 12 One woe is past and loe two come after for this which by the fift Trumpet is declared is the first of the three last and greatest plagues whereunto I wished you to take speciall heed and therefore take good heed to the other two blasts of the trumpets that follow 13 Then the sixt Angel blewe and I heard a voice comming from among the foure hornes of the golden Altar that stands euer before the eyes of God saying these words to the next Angel that had a Trumpet Loose these foure Angels bound at the great water Euphrates 14 Now the summons and warning being giuen by the sixt blast of the trumpet of the sixt and fearefull plague that was to come this command of Christ which is the voice here mentioned comes to the sixt Angel commanding him to doe as ye now haue heard For although the trumpet was alreadie blowen yet the execution followes not while Christ command and permit it for these foure Angels mentioned here are the same who were standing before vpon the foure airths of the earth ready to destroy the same who were then as you heard stayed by Christ while first he had sealed his owne who now being all sealed because this is the last plague that is to come vpon the world except that of the consummation Christ therefore commands them to be loosed for they were before stayed as it were bound to the effect they might now put in execution these things which they were ready to doe When they were stayed it is said they were bound at the great riuer Euphrates alluding hereby to the history of Balthasar in Daniel for as Euphrates diuided Babylon from the Persians and the Assyrians which they crossed when they slew Balthasar so this command of stay giuen to these Angels by Christ was that great riuer Euphrates beyond the which they were bound for they had no power to crosse it and to plague the world while first all his chosen were sealed and that hee had loosed and permitted them as by this command here is done 15 And so these foure Angels were loosed who were readie at the houre the day the moneth and the yeere to slay the third part of men to wit they were ready at the very moment prescribed to them by God to destroy all men except such as were sealed ouer whom they had no power and such as were reserued to the destruction of the last plague to wit the consummation and so the third part was left to them to destroy Now followes the plague of the sixt trumpet 16 And first I saw an armie of horsemen the number whereof were two hundred thousand thousand for I heard the number reckoned this double great number signifies that there shall be raised vp at one time two great Monarchies and seats of Tyrants one ruling in the East and another in the West who shal cruelly persecute the Church 17 And in this vision likewise I saw horses whose riders had brestplates of fire of Hyacinth and brimstone and the heads of the horses were like the heads of Lions and from their mouthes came fire smoke and brimstone noting that with fiery rage smokie pride and pretences and loathsome and wicked courses these two Monarches the one secular the other Ecclesiasticall shall conquer and possesse the greatest part of the world These horses are a part yet not the least part of the forces of one of these Monarches in whose description it is most insisted because he is the Destroyer of whom it is spoken in the fift Trumpet where hee is named Abaddon These horses and their riders are the last order and sect of his Ecclesiasticall swarme Their brestplates to wit their worldly defence is composed of fire that is persecution of the body for they shall haue greater credit at the hands of Princes then all these grashoppers spoken of in the fift Seale and so shall vse their forces to defend themselues therewith They are composed of the Hyacinth for as this herbe is darke and of a smoking colour and bitter to the taste so shall they be defended and maintained by the craft of their darke and bitter heresies which in the third Trumpet are called Wormewood as here they are called Hyacynth and they are composed of brimstone which signifieth the loathsomnesse and stench of sinne and the flame and force of hell fire to wit Satan the authour of the one and ruler of the other shall by all maner of craft defend them as his speciall instruments and the last vermine bred and come vp from the smoke of the bottomlesse pit And they shall not onely haue power to defend themselues by these three meanes but they shall also pursue and persecute the faithfull which is meant by their horses heads like to the heads of Lions that is able to deuoure The meanes whereby they deuoure are the same whereby they defend themselues to wit by the power of Princes to persecute the bodies by false and hereticall bragges and sleights which are here called Smoake and by the drifts and frauds of Satan in diuers fashions to deceiue and inflame the soule which craft of Satan is here resembled to brimstone 18 By these three plagues are slaine the third part of men to wit by fire smoake and brimstone which came out of their mouthes to wit their malice and strength shall be so great as they shall vse all meanes wherewith the third part of men shal be destroyed although these meanes shall not be vsed by them onely to worke this great destruction with 19 For their strength is not in their mouthes onely as ye haue presently heard but it is also in their tailes for their tailes are like the tailes of serpents hauing stings whereby they doe harme In this they shall be like vnto the grashoppers 20 But not the lesse the wicked shall be so hard hearted as the rest of them who were not destroyed by the plagues of this trumpet shall not repent nor desist from the workmanship of their hands to wit from Idolatry and adoring of deuils and of images of golde of siluer of brasse of stone and of wood who neither can see heare nor goe whereof this hereticall Monarch is the punishment 21 Nor yet will they repent them nor desist from breaking the second Table by slaughters sorceries fornications thefts whereof that other Monarch who onely persecutes the body is the reuenge scourge and plague CHAP. X. ARGVMENT Iohn heares the explication of these mysteries which was written
by this that the persecution of this Destroyer shall last the halfe to wit it shall reigne about the midst of the last aage of this whole weeke which begins at his incarnation and first comming and ends at his last comming againe which because it is the last period it is here compared to a weeke 3 But I shall giue that holy towne to two witnesses of mine who clothed with sackecloth shall prophesie the space of one thousand two hundred and threescore dayes for these my successours he shall raise vp as witnesses to wit a sufficient number of them for out of the mouth of two or three witnesses euery word is confirmed to witnesse that their doctrine is false who persecute the Church which he shal giue vnto them for he shall make them their patrons to defend and feed them by the power of the true word and they shall preach repentance to that counterfeit Church and therefore they are said to be clothed in sackecloth And to assure vs to our great comfort that in all the time of blindnesse God shall euer be raising vp some of these two witnesses against the hypocriticall Destroyer and to comfort and confirme his true Church it is said They shall prophesie the number of dayes that yee haue heard which is correspondent iustly to the moneths before mentioned to wit they shall not leaue off to witnesse all the time of the Antichristian kingdome 4 These witnesnesses are two greene Oliues who anoint the Elect with that holy oyle and two Candlestickes as Christ said to enlighten the world with their brightnesse who are set downe and doe their office in the presence of him who is Lord and ruler of the earth 5 And if any shal presse to harme them fire shall come out of their mouthes and deuoure their enemies for whosoeuer will doe them any hurt himselfe must be slaine so to wit the holy Spirit who is the fire in their mouth shall accuse and cause to be destroyed with the second death all them that either persecute them or will not heare or obey their doctrine 6 These witnesses haue power to shut heauen that it raine not in the dayes of their prophesie and they haue power ouer the waters to turne them into blood and to strike the earth with euery kinde of plague so often as they please for hee shall authorize them and their message with as sure testimonies as the shutting of the heauen and stay of the raine was vnto Elias so long as he forespake it should be so and as vnto Moyses the turning of the waters into blood and the striking of the earth of the land of Egypt with diuers and sundry plagues 7 But these shall be witnesses by their death as well as by their life For how soone any of them shall haue runne that course in the earth which God hath appointed them they shall be persecuted ouercome and slaine by that beast the Angel of that bottomlesse pit and king of the locusts and that great towne seat of the Monarchy shal publikely put them down as malefactours 8 So as their dead bodies or carkeises shall lie in the streets thereof And this towne is spiritually called Sodom because of the spirituall adultery to wit Idolatrie that it shall commit and maintaine and spiritually Egypt because it shall oppresse and intollerably burthen the soules of the chosen euen as Egypt captiuated the bodies and burthened the backes of the people of Israel and in that towne also was our Lord crucified for where Christs members are put to death for their Masters cause as this towne and Kings therof shal do there is Christ himselfe crucified in effect and his crucifying shal be as wel imputed to them as to Iudas who betrayed him 9 And men of all tribes peoples tongues and nations shall see their carkeises the space of three dayes and a halfe and they shall not be suffered to be buried in sepulchres 10 And the inhabitants of the earth shall be glad and reioyce for their slaughters and shall send gifts one to another in token of ioy because they are made quit of these two prophets who tormented the indwellers of the earth for the whole world who are not in Sancto Sanctorum shall not onely suffer but allow that these witnesses be not onely slaine but also be so cruelly vsed an contemned as not to be suffered to be buried amongst others And the whole earth shall reioyce at their death because that euen as Achab blamed Elias for troubling of Israel so shall the world thinke these witnesses troublesome vnto them because they discouer vnto them their shamefulnesse and call them to the repentance thereof 11 And thus shall they be contemned for the space of three dayes and a halfe to wit of three yeeres and a halfe which signifies that during the space of the Antichrists reigne they shall be thus vsed but after the space of three dayes and an halfe the Spirit of life comming from God shall enter into them and they shall be set vpon their feete and a great feare shall fall vpon them that did see them before 12 And they heard a great voice from the heauen saying vnto them Come vp bither then they ascended vp into heauen and their enemies saw them doe so for although that during the flourishing of this hereticall and bypocriticall Monarchie the trew Pastours no sooner appeared then they were put to death yet at the last this Monarchie shall begin to decay when the three yeeres or the three dayes and an halfe thereof shall be expired and then shall the Spirit of life from God to wit the holy Spirit sent from God worke mightier in the latter Pastours of these dayes so as in them shall the by-past Martyrs be reuiued and their doctrine shall take roote in the hearts of many and their reasons shal be so pithie as the Antichristian sect and the rest of the world shall know as perfectly that they shall preuaile as if they heard God call them to heauen to reward them there for their victory Neither shall they haue power of their liues for God shall mooue the hearts of many to defend them in such glory and safetie as if they were mounting vp to heauen in a cloud and they not able to hinder them 13 And then at that time shall be a great earthquake to wit great tumults among nations and the tenth part of the citie shall fall This citie is diuided in tenne parts to shew it is the same Monarchie that shall afterwards be described by a beast with ten heads And by the falling of the tenth part thereof is meant that diuers nations shall shake off the yoke of that Monarchie and so a part of the strength of that citie shall decay and there was slaine in that earthquake seuen thousand men to wit a great number of men shal be slaine in these tumults and the rest were afraid and gaue glory vnto the God of Heauen for these tumults
their constancie and patience in the time of their persecution they shall as it were reigne ouer the earth and by their Martyrdome be Iudges therof for it is called Christs reigning and the Saints vpon the earth when his word and trew professours thereof shine visibly therein as I haue said and these were they who adored not the beast to wit they are the elect who were predestinate before all beginnings to be preserued from all infections and heresies which is generally represented by this part of them that the beast or Babylon shal raise and maintaine as the greatest and most perillous that euer shall be raised by Satan And the honourable sitting of the Saints and soules of Martyrs was shewed to me to assure me that how soone the soule of any faithfull man is parted from the body it ascendeth immediatly vnto heauen there abiding in all glory the reioyning againe of his glorified body at the latter day coniunctly to possesse all glory in heauen eternally like as by the contrary the reprobate soule how soone it parteth from the body of the wicked goes down immediatly to hell there abiding in all torment the knitting again with his cursed body at the latter day there iointly to be subiect to eternall paine neither is there any resting place by the way for any of them and the rest of the dead to wit all the wicked shal not be reuiued while this space be complete for the wicked shall neither during this space nor at any time thereafter taste of the regeneration which is the first resurrection and second birth as Christ said to Nicodemus and therfore as I said already Blessed and happy are they who are partakers of the first resurrection for the second death to wit hell shall haue no power of them but they shall be Priests of God and Christ and reigne with him these thousand yeeres to wit they shal eternally in heauen offer vp that Eucharisticall Sacrifice of praise to God and so be ioyned in fellowship with the chosen which were vpon the earth in that aforesaid time This first part of this vision is begun alreadie now followeth the next part 7 And when these happy dayes are expired then shal the deuill be loosed out of his prison 8 And he shal go forth with greater liberty to seduce the nations which are in the four airths of the earth to wit he shal not only after the spreding of many heresies cause a general blindnes defection but also make a great persecution vpon the faithful Church by gathering Gog and Magog to battell against them whose number is like the sand of the sea to wit after innumerable troubles at last he shall gather to the great day of the battell of the Lord of the which ye heard in the sixt Trumpet and sixt phiale and last immediately before this Vision Gog and Magog to wit two great seates of Monarchies and Tyrannies ouer the Church who both at one time shall rise in the latter dayes and both at another time shal be destroyed by the blast of Christes breath as ye shall heare whereof the one is the auowed and professed enemie of GOD and his CHRIST but the other is Babylon the hypocriticall and most dangerous aduersary Of these two ye heard in the sixt Trumpet and so these two although pride and enuie shall still keepe a rooted malice betwixt them yet they shall both with innumerable forces make warre against the trew Church as Herod and Pilate did band themselues against Christ notwithstanding the particular dislikes which were betwixt them It is these and their forces that must fight against the Saints at Arma-geddon as ye heard in the sixt phiale and the special drawers on of this battell shal be the three frogs who are the last vermin bred of the smoake of the bottomlesse pit as ye also heard in the said phiale 9 These great forces then went vp vpon the earth for the diuel raised them out of the bottomlesse pit and they spread themselues vpon the breadth of the earth so great was their number and compassed the Tents or dwellings of the Saints and the holy Citie for they were prepared to inuade the trew Church on all sides and by all meanes but the fire came downe from heauen and deuoured them for God by his Almighty power euen when their power was greatest and nothing so like as an apparant rooting out of all the faithfull in rebus desperatis did miraculously confound all the aduersaries of his Church And now comes in the third and last part of this Vision to wit the description of the Consummation 10 For I did see the diuel who seduced these wicked cast into a lake of fire and brimstone to wit in hell out of the which he shall neuer come againe where also the beast and the false prophet were as ye heard before Here now I saw the diuel punished eternally to my greater comfort for troubling the Church where before I saw onely his instruments punished as I said in the beginning of this Vision and he and his instruments shall be tormented there day and night to wit incessantly for euer and euer 11 Then I saw a great white Throne and one sitting thereupon in all glory and brightnesse to wit IESVS CHRIST now comming from heauen to iudge the earth and from his sight fled the earth and the heauen and their place was not found for the whole earth and much of the heauen shall be destroyed and renewed at his last comming 12 And I saw all the dead great and small standing in GOD his sight for then is the resurrection of the dead who at that time must be iudged And the bookes were opened to wit the counsels and secrets of all mens hearts and another booke to wit the booke of Life was opened to the effect that all those whose names were written into it to wit predestinated and elected for saluation before all beginnings might there be selected for eternall Glory And the dead were iudged out of these things which were written in the bookes according to their workes for as God is a Spirit so iudgeth he the thoughts of man and so by faith onely iustifies him which notwithstanding is done according to his workes because they as the fruits of faith cannot be separated from it and beare witnesse of the same to men in the earth 13 And the Sea gaue vp all the dead she had for all the dead must then rise as I haue shewed already And death and hell gaue vp all they had for not onely the bodies but euen the soules of the wicked shal be iudged there and euery one was iudged according to his workes as I presently did shew you 14 And hell and death were casten in the Lake of fire which is the second death to wit hell and death shall then be closed vp for euer within themselues and shall neuer againe come forth to trouble the Saints for death which is the last
Thummim gaue he not his responses by the intralles of beasts by the singing of fowles and by their actions in the aire As God by visions dreames and extasies reuealed what was to come and what was his will vnto his seruants vsed hee not the like meanes to forewarne his slaues of things to come Yea euen as God loued cleanenesse hated vice and impuritie and appointed punishments therefore vsed he not the like though falsly I grant and but in eschewing the lesse inconuenience to draw them vpon a greater yet dissimuled he not I say so farre as to appoint his priests to keepe their bodies cleane and vndefiled before their asking responses of him And fained he not God to be a protectour of euery vertue and a iust reuenger of the contrarie This reason then mooues mee that as he is that same diuell and as crafty now as he was then so will he not spare as pertly in these actions that I haue spoken of concerning the Witches persons but further Witches of times confesse not only his conueening in the Church with them but his occupying of the Pulpit Yea their forme of adoration to be the kissing of his hinder parts Which though it seeme ridiculous yet may it likewise be trew seeing we reade that in Calicute he appearing in forme of a Goat-bucke hath publikely that vn-honest homage done vnto him by euery one of the people So ambitious is he and greedy of honour which procured his fall that he will euen imitate God in that part where it is said that Moyses could see but the hinder parts of God Exod. 33. for the brightnesse of his glory And yet that speech is spoken but 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 CHAP. IIII. ARGV What are the wayes possible whereby the Witches may transport themselues to places farre distant And what are impossible and meere illusions of Satan And the reasons thereof PHILOMATHES BVt by what way say they or thinke yee it possible they can come to these vnlawfull conuentions EPI There is the thing which I esteeme their senses to be deluded in and though they lie not in confessing of it because they thinke it to be trew yet not to be so in substance or effect for they say that by diuers meanes they may conueene either to the adoring of their Master or to the putting in practise any seruice of his committed vnto their charge one way is naturall which is naturall riding going or sailing at what houre their master comes and aduertises them and this way may be easily beleeued another way is some what more strange and yet it is possible to bee trew which is by being caried by the force of the spirit which is their conducter either aboue the earth or aboue the Sea swiftly to the place where they are to meete which I am perswaded to bee likewise possible in respect that as Habakkuk was carried by the Angel in that forme to the den where Daniel lay so thinke I the diuell will be readie to imitate God as well in that as in other things Apocrypha of Bel and the Dragon which is much more possible to him to doe being a Spirit then to a mighty wind being but a naturall Meteore to transport from one place to another a solide body as is commonly and daily seene in practise But in this violent forme they cannot be caried but a short bounds agreeing with the space that they may retaine their breath for if it were longer their breath could not remaine vnextinguished their body being caried in such a violent and forcible maner as by example If one fall off a small height his life is but in perill according to the hard or soft lighting but if one fall from an high and stay rocke his breath will be forcibly banished from the body before he can win to the earth as is oft seene by experience And in this transporting they say themselues that they are inuisible to any other except amongst themselues which may also be possible in my opinion For if the deuill may forme what kinde of impressions he pleases in the aire as I haue said before speaking of Magie why may hee not farre easilier thicken and obscure so the aire that is next about them by contracting it straite together that the beames of any other mans eyes cannot pierce thorow the same to see them But the third way of their comming to their conuentions is that wherein I thinke them deluded for some of them say that being transformed in the likenesse of a little beast or foule they will come and pierce through whatsoeuer house or Church though all ordinarie passages be closed by whatsoeuer open the aire may enter in at And some say that their bodies lying still as in an extasie their spirits will be rauished out of their bodies and caried to such places and for verifying thereof will giue euident tokens as well by witnesses that haue seene their body lying sencelesse in the meane time as by naming persons whom-with they met and giuing tokens what purpose was amongst them whom otherwise they could not haue knowen for this forme of iourneying they affirme to vse most when they are transported from one countrey to another PHI. Surely I long to heare your owne opinion of this for they are like old wiues trattles about the fire The reasons that mooue me to thinke that these are meere illusions are these First for them that are transformed in likenesse of beasts or foules can enter through so narrow passages although I may easily beleeue that the diuell could by his workmanship vpon the aire make them appeare to be in such formes either to themselues or to others yet how he can contract a solide body within so little roome I thinke it is directly contrary to it selfe for to be made so little and yet not diminished to be so straitly drawen together and yet feele no paine I thinke it is so contrary to the qualitie of a naturall bodie and so like to the little transubstantiate god in the Papists Masse that I can neuer beleeue it So to haue a quantitie is so proper to a solide body that as all Philosophers conclude it cannot be any more without one then a spirit can haue one Actes 12. For when Peter came out of the prison and the doores all locked it was not by any cōtracting of his body in so little roome but by the giuing place of the doore though vnespied by the Gaylors And yet is there no comparison when this is done betwixt the power of God and of the diuel As to their forme of extasie and spirituall transporting it is certaine the soules going out of the body is the onely definition of naturall death and who are once dead God forbid we should thinke that it should lie in the power of all the diuels in hell to restore them to their life againe although he can put his owne spirit in a dead body which the Necromancers commonly practise
the whole Dialogue CHAP. I. ARGV The diuision of Spirits in foure principall kindes The description of the first kinde of them called Spectra vmbrae mortuorum What is the best way to be free of their trouble PHILOMATHES I Pray you now then goe forward in telling what ye thinke fabulous or may be trowed in that case EPI That kind of the diuels cōuersing in the earth may be diuided in foure different kindes whereby he affraieth and troubleth the bodies of men For of the abusing of the soule I haue spoken alreadie The first is where spirits trouble some houses or solitarie places The second where Spirits follow vpon certaine persons and at diuers houres trouble them The third when they enter within them and possesse them The fourth is these kinde of Spirits that are called vulgarly the Fairie Of the three former kinds ye heard already how they may artificially be made by Witchcraft to trouble folke now it restes to speake of their naturall comming as it were and not raised by Witchcraft But generally I must forewarne you of one thing before I enter in this purpose that is that although in my discoursing of them I deuide them in diuers kinds ye must notwithstanding thereof note my phrase of speaking in that For doubtleslie they are in effect but all one kinde of Spirits who for abusing the more of mankinde take on these sundrie shapes and vse diuers formes of outward actions as if some were of nature better then other Now I returne to my purpose As to the first kinde of these spirits that were called by the ancients by diuers names according as their actions were For if they were Spirits that haunted some houses by appearing in diuers and horrible formes and making great dinne they were called Lemures or Spectra If they appeared in likenesse of any defunct to some friends of his they were called vmbraemortuorum And so innumerable stiles they got according to their actions as I haue said alreadie as we see by experience how many stiles they haue giuen them in our language in the like maner Of the appearing of these Spirits we are certified by the Scriptures Esay 13. Iere. 50. where the Prophet Esay 13. and 34. Chap. threatning the destruction of Ierusalem declares that it shall not onely be wracked but shall become so great a solitude as it shall be the habitacle of Howlets and of Zijm and Ijm which are the proper Hebrew names for these Spirits The cause why they haunt sollitarie places it is by reason that they may affray and brangle the more the faith of such as them alone hauntes such places For our nature is such as in companies we are not so soone moued to any such kind of feare as being sollitarie which the diuel knowing well enough he will not therefore assaile vs but when wee are weake And besides that God will not permit him so to dishonour the societies and companies of Christians as in publicque times and places to walke visiblie amongst them On the other part when he troubles certaine houses that are dwelt in it is a sure token either of grosse ignorance or of some grosse and slanderous sinnes amongst the inhabitants thereof which God by that extraordinarie rod punishes PHI. But by what way or passage can these Spirits enter into these houses seeing they alledge that they will enter doore and window being steiked EPI They will choose the passage for their entresse according to the forme that they are in at that time For if they haue assumed a dead bodie whereinto they lodge themselues they can easily enough open without dinne any doore or window and enter in thereat And if they enter as a Spirit onely any place where the aire may come in at is large enough an entrie for them For as I said before a Spirit can occupie no quantitie PHI. And will God then permit these wicked Spirits to trouble the rest of a dead bodie before the resurrection thereof Or if hee will so I thinke it should be of the reprobate onely EPI What more is the rest troubled of a dead bodie when the diuell caries it out of the graue to serue his turne for a space nor when the Witches take it vp and ioynts it or when as Swine wortes vp the graues The rest of them that the Scripture speakes of is not meaned by a locall remaining continually in one place but by their resting from their trauailes and miseries of this world while their latter coniunction againe with the soule at that time to receiue full glorie in both And that the diuel may vse as well the ministrie of the bodies of the faithfull in these cases as of the vnfaithfull there is no inconuenience for his haunting with their bodies after they are dead can no-waies defile them in respect of the soules absence And for any dishonour it can be vnto them by what reason can it be greater then the hanging heading or many such shamefull deaths that good men will suffer For there is nothing in the bodies of the faithfull more worthie of honour or freer from corruption by nature nor in these of the vnfaithfull while time they be purged and glorified in the latter Day as is daily seene by the vilde diseases and corruptions that the bodies of the faithfull are subiect vnto as ye will see clearely proued when I speake of the possessed and Daemoniacques PHI. Yet there are sundry that affirme to haue haunted such places where these spirits are alledged to be and could neuer heare nor see any thing EPI I thinke well for that is onely reserued to the secret knowledge of God whom he will permit to see such things and whom not PHI. But where these spirits haunt and trouble any houses what is the best way to banish them EPI By two meanes may onely the remeid of such things be procured The one is ardent prayer to God both of these persons that are troubled with them and of that Church whereof they are The other is the purging of themselues by amendment of life from such sinnes as haue procured that extraordinarie plague PHI. And what meane then these kindes of spirits when they appeare in the shadow of a person newly dead or to die to his friends EPI When they appeare vpon that occasion they are called Wraithes in our language Amongst the Gentiles the diuell vsed that much to make them beleeue that it was some good spirit that appeared to them then either to forewarne them of the death of their friend or else to discouer vnto them the will of the defunct or what was the way of his slaughter as it is written in the booke of the histories prodigious and this way he easily deceiued the Gentiles because they knew not God and to that same effect is it that he now appeares in that maner to some ignorant Christians for hee dares not so illude any that knoweth that neither can the spirit of the defunct
violent and bloody death or some other mischiefe more intolerable then death it selfe What are we the better that parricides of Kings are neither set on nor approued by the Church in their abominable actions when shee layeth such plots and taketh such courses as necessarily doe inferre the cutting of their throates In the next place be it noted that his Lordship against all reason reckons the absoluing of subiects from the oath of alleagiance in the ranke of penalties awarded and enioyned before the Ecclesiasticall tribunall seate For this penaltie is not Ecclesiasticall but Ciuill and consequently not triable in Ecclesiasticall Courts without vsurping vpon the Ciuill Magistrate But I wonder with what face the L. Cardinall can say The Church neuer consenteth to any practise against his life whom she hath once chastised with seuere censures For can his Lordship be ignorant what is written by Pope Vrbanus Can. Excommunicatorum Can. excoâ— Caus 23. Quaest 6. Wee take them not in any wise to bee man-slayers who in a certaine heat of zeale towards the Catholike Church their Mother shall happen to kill an excommunicate person More if the Pope doth not approoue and like the practise of King-killing wherefore hath not his Holinesse imposed some seuere censure vpon the booke of Mariana the Iesuite by whom parricides are commended nay highly extolled when his Holinesse hath beene pleased to take the paines to censure and call in some other of Mariana's bookes Againe wherefore did his Holinesse aduise himselfe to censure the Decree of the Court of Parliament in Paris against Iohn Chastell Wherefore did hee suffer Garnet and Oldcorne my powder-miners both by bookes and pictures vendible vnder his nose in Rome to be inrowled in the Canon of holy Martyrs And when hee saw two great Kings murdered one after another wherefore by some publike declaration did not his Holinesse testifie to all Christendome his inward sense and trew apprehension of so great misfortune as all Europe had iust cause to lament on the behalfe of France Wherefore did not his Holinesse publish some Law or Pontificiall Decree to prouide for the securitie of Kings in time to come Trew it is that he censured Becanus his booke But wherefore That by a captious and sleight censure he might preuent a more exact and rigorous Decree of the Sorbone Schoole For the Popes checke to Becanus was onely agenerall censure and touch without any particular specification of matter touching the life of Kings About some two moneths after the said booke was printed againe with a dedication to the Popes Nuntio in Germany yet without any alteration saue onely of two articles conteining the absolute power of the people ouer Kings In recompence and for a counterchecke whereof three or foure articles were inserted into the said booke touching the Popes power ouer Kings articles no lesse wicked iniurious to Regall rights nay more iniurious then any of the other clauses whereof iust cause of exception and complaint had bene giuen before If I would collect and heape vp examples of ancient Emperours as of Henrie IV. whos 's dead corps felt the rage and furie of the Pope or of Frederic II. against whom the Pope was not ashamed to whet and kindle the Sultane or of Queene Elizabeth our Predecessour of glorious memorie whose life was diuers times assaulted by priuie murderers expresly dispatched from Rome for that holy seruice if I would gather vp other examples of the same stampe which I haue layd forth in my Apologie for the oath of alleagiance I could make it more cleare then day-light how farre the L. Cardinals words are discrepant from the trewth where his Lordship out of most rare considence is bold to auow Page 97. That neuer any Pope went so farre as to giue consent or counsell for the desperate murdering of Princes That which already hath bene alleadged may suffice to conuince his Lordship I meane that his Holinesse by deposing of Kings doeth lead them directly to their graues and tombes The Cardinall himselfe seemeth to take some notice hereof The Church as he speaketh abhorreth sudden and vnprepensed murders aboue therest Pag. 95. Doth not his Lordship in this phrase of speech acknowledge that murders committed by open force are not so much disauowed or disclaimed by the Church A little after he speakes not in the teeth as before but with full and open mouth that hee doeth not dislike a King once deposed by the Pope should be pursued with open warre Whereupon it followes that in warre the King may be lawfully slaine No doubt a remarkeable degree of his Lordships clemencie A King shall bee better entreated and more mildly dealt withal if he be slaine by the shot of an harquebuse or caleeuer in the field then if hee bee stabd by the stroke or thrust of a knife in his chamber or if at a siege of some city hee be blowne vp with a myne then by a myne made and a traine of gunpowder laid vnder his Palace or Parliament house in time of peace His reason Forsooth because in sudden murders oftentimes the soule and the body perish both together O singular bountie and rare clemencie prouokers instigators strong puffers and blowers of parricides in mercifull compassion of the soule become vnmercifull and shamefull murderers of the body This deuice may well claime and challenge kinred of Mariana the Iesuites inuention For he liketh not at any hand the poisoning of a Tyrant by his meat or drinke for feare lest he taking the poison with his owne hand and swallowing or gulping it downe in his meate or drinke so taken should be found felo de se as the common Lawyer speaketh or culpable of his owne death But Mariana likes better to haue a Tyrant poysoned by his chaire or by his apparell and robes after the example of the Mauritanian Kings that being so poysoned onely by sent or by contact he may not be found guiltie of selfe-fellonie and the soule of the poore Tyrant in her flight out of the body may be innocent O hel-hounds O diabolical wretches O infernall monsters Did they onely suspect and imagine that either in Kings there is any remainder of Kingly courage or in their subiects any sparke left of ancient libertie they durst as soone eat their nailes or teare their owne flesh from the bones as once broach the vessell of this diabolicall deuice How long then how long shall Kings whom the Lord hath called his Anointed Kings the breathing Images of God vpon earth Kings that with a wry or frowning looke are able to crush these earth-wormes in pieces how long shall they suffer this viperous brood scotfree and without punishment to spit in their faces how long the Maiestie of GOD in their person and Royall Maiestie to be so notoriously vilified so dishonourably trampled vnder foot The L. Cardinall borads vs with a like manifest ieast and notably trifles first distinguishing betweene Tyrants by administration and Tyrants by vsurpation then
the Father did pray and their blood did cry to heauen and craue at the hands of their Father a iust reuenge of their torments vpon the wicked and therewith a hastening of the generall dissolution for the deliuerie of their brethren who did remaine yet aliue 11 Then white robes were giuen to euery one of them and it was said vnto them and they were willed to rest and haue patience for a short space vnto the time the number of their fellow seruants to God and brethren companions in the Crosse were fulfilled who were also to be slaine as they were already This surely ought to be a wonderfull and inestimable comfort to all the Church militant since by this Seale wee are assured that both the soules of the Martyrs so soone as their bodies are killed shall immediatly be rewarded with perpetuall and bright glory in heauen not going into any other place by the way which is signified by the White robes as also that so soone as their number shall be complete which shall be within a short space God shall then craue a full account at their persecutors hands and then as the one number shall receiue a full and eternall glory in body and soule the other shall receiue a full torment in soule and body to the cleere shining of his Iustice in the one and his mercy in the other 12 Then I tooke heed when he opened the sixt and loe there was a great earthquake Matth. 24.29 and the Sunne-beame blacke like sackecloth made of haire and the Moone became all bloody 13 And the Starres fell from the heauens vpon the earth euen as the figgetree lets her vnripe figges fall being beaten by a mightie winde 14 And the heauen went away like a scrole that is rolled together and all the hilles and Iles were remooued from their places 15 And the Kings of the Earth the Nobles the rich men the Tribunes or commanders of the people the mighty men and all the slaues aswell as free-men did hide themselues in cauerns and vnder rockes of hills Luke 23.30 16 And they said to the hilles and the rocks Fall vpon vs and hide vs from the sight of him that sits vpon the Throne and from the wrath of the Lambe 17 For that great day of his wrath is come and who then may stand This is the accomplishment of that dissolution craued and promised in the fift Seale These terrible things mentioned in the sixt Seale are the alterations and signes in the last time the very same did our Master Christ prophesie when he was walking on this Earth CHAP. VII ARGVMENT A proper and comfortable digression interiected of Gods care ouer the Elect in the times of greatest temptations signified by the Visions of the foure Angels the Election and happie estate of the elected BVt lest I or any other should doubt of the safegard and saluation of the Elect thinking that these terrible plagues should haue lighted vpon both good and bad indifferently he represented vnto my sight foure Angels standing on the foure corners of the earth and retayning the foure winds in their hands and stopping them either to blow vpon the earth the sea or any tree 2 And I did see one Angel going vp from the rising of the Sunne hauing the Seale of the liuing God and hee cried with a loud voice to the foure Angels that had power giuen them to harme the earth and the sea 3 Saying Harme not the earth nor the sea nor the trees vntill we haue marked the seruants of God on the forehead These Angels foure in number because they sit vpon the foure corners of the earth ready to execute Gods iudgements vpon euery part of the World although they already had stayed the winds to blow to wit the progresse of the Euangel vpon the earth which is the world vpon the Sea which is the numbers of people vpon the Trees which are the Magistrates Ciuill or Ecclesiasticall Yet one Angel came from the rising of the Sunne to wit 2. Peter 1. Luke 1.7 Malach. 4. directed by CHRIST who is comfortable like the Sunne-rising to his Elect and is that Orient day-spring and Sunne of Righteousnes rising ouer all the faithfull which is mentioned in the Scriptures Who cries and forbids these foure Angels to doe any further temporall harme while first the chosen be sealed on the forehead by that Seale which he beares with him for that effect that these Angels might know them being marked in so eminent a place in the generall destruction and so spare them assuring vs thereby that he hath such a care ouer his Elect as he hath prouided for them before hand euen as he did for Noah and Loth and their families in the time of the deluge and destruction of Sodome 4 And I heard the number of them that were sealed in Israel reckoned to be one hundred fourtie and foure Thousand for twelue thousand were sealed of euery one of the Tribes which makes iustly that number Out of euery one of the Tribes was a certaine number chosen to assure vs that a number of euery one of them shal be saued 9 And that I might be assured that a number aswell of the Gentiles as of the Iewes shal be saued Loe he shewed me a number so great as I could not reckon the same and it was composed of certaine out of euery Nation Tribe people and tongue And they stood before the Throne and in presence of the Lambe clothed with white robes hauing palmes in their hands in token of the victorie they obteined of their longsome battaile 10 And they cried all with one voice saying Our health and our saluation commeth from our God that sits on the Throne and from his Lambe to wit their health came from God the Father by the Mediation of his Sonne 11 Then all the Angels stood round about the Throne the Elders and the foure beastes and bowed themselues downe vpon their faces and adored God with thankesgiuing for his mercy to the chosen both of Iew and Gentile and his Iustice vpon all the rest 12 Saying Amen in allowance of the things done with full confession that Blessing Glory Wisedome Thankesgiuing Honour Vertue and Power belongs only and most iustly to GOD for euer and euer 13 Then one of the Elders spake vnto me and said What are these and from whence are they come who are clothed with white robes 14 And I answered and said Thou knowest my Lord. Then he said vnto me These are they who are preserued and come from that great affliction which was represented to thee in some of the Seales and they haue washed their garments and made them white in the blood of the Lambe for they by vertue of his death are made righteous by imputation whose blood is the onely and full purgation of vs from our sinnes 15 And therefore they are before the Throne of GOD and serue him day and night in his Temple to wit they without any
creatures in the sea was slaine and the third part of the ships therein did perish for after that this former plague shall haue an end and yet the world not turne themselues from their iniquities then the second shall follow which is the corporall plague of persecution signified by the red horse in the second Seale more amply dilated heere This great heape of fiery persecution like a mountaine of fire shall make the third part or a certaine number of people and nations which is signified by the seas or many waters to ouerflow in blood for as it is said of the same in the second Scale they shall slay one another for euen among themselues to wit among the wicked shal be great bloodshed and warres for the third or a certaine number of all sorts of liuing things shall die to wit no sort of men shall be exempted from this trouble But especially a number and not the greatest part of the faithfull shal be persecuted which is signified by the ships for euen as ships on a stormie Sea seeke a hauen so the faithfull among the wicked of the world tossed here and there resisting euery waue striue in despight of many contrarious windes to attaine to that hauen where at last casting their Anchor they are freed from all worldly tempests and dwell there eternally in a perpetuall calmenesse 10 Then the third Angel blew and there fell from heauen a great Starre burning like a torch and it fell vpon the third part of riuers and fountaines of waters and the name of the starre was Wormewood and the third part of the riuers and fountaines were turned into wormewood and many men died for the bitternesse of the waters This is that same plague which is signified by the blacke horse and his rider to wit a cloud of defections and Apostatical heresies here signified by a great starre burning like a torch for it shall haue a great light but like the light of a torch for as the torch and candle-light is false to the eye and makes the colours to appeare otherwise then they are and is made dimme by the brightnes of the Sunne so shall this light of false doctrine maske iniquitie for a space and make it seeme to be the trueth vnto the time the trew light of God obfuscat and blinde it These heresies shall be stronger in deceit then those before for they shall seduce the very pastours and spirituall Magistrates which is signified by the Starres falling in a part of the fountaines of waters for these men are the worldly fountaines whereout the rest of the faithfull by the buckets of their eares draw that spring of heauenly liquor 11 This starre is called Wormewood for as wormewood is a bitter hearbe what greater bitternesse can be to the soule of man then to procure the wrath of the Almightie through such an horrible fall and as it turned a part of the pastours and made them to become of bitter qualitie like it selfe so their bitternesse did slay with the second death a great number of men to wit their disciples and followers 12 Then the fourth Angel blew and the third part of the Sunne the third part of the Moone and third part of the Starres was stricken so that the third part of them to wit of their light was obscured and the third part of the day and the third part of the night was obscured to wit the third part of their light was darkened For after that one part of the pastours shall make horrible defection it shall fall out that the whole Church visible shal be blinded with some errours but not yet make a full defection which is signified by the obscuring of a part of the light of the Sunne Moone and starres to wit of all degrees of spirituall Magistrates so that by their generall weaknesse in some points a part of the meaning of the Gospel shal be falsly interpreted which is meant by the light of the day and of the night for as the cloud by day and the pillar of fire by night did guide the people of Israel through the desart to the land of Promise so will this light shining both day and night in our soules conduct vs out through the wildernesse of this world to that spirituall land of promise where we with our God shall gloriously reigne in all Eternitie This fourth blast is also a part of the third Seale 13 And I saw and heard an other Angel flying through the middest of heauen and saying with a lowd voice Woe woe woe to the inhabitants of the earth for the harme that shal be done vnto them by the last three blasts of the Angels Trumpets for the last three plagues shall be exceeding great which that I might the better note and take greater heed vnto God wakens me vp and makes me see an Angel flying through the middest of heauen with celeritie aswell to forewarne the holy Angels and Saints of these three plagues so farre in greatnesse aboue the rest as to signifie by his swift flying that they are hastily and within short space to be put in execution And the number of Woes to wit which he cries are answerable to the number of plagues which are hereafter to be declared CHAP. IX ARGVMENT In the fift Trumpet the heresies cause a great blindnesse and ignorance whereof commeth the Ecclesiasticall Papisticall orders signified by the grashoppers breeding out of the smoake and their power and qualities Their King and head the Pope and his style In the next Trumpet the beginning of his decay signified by the loosing of the foure Angels at Euphrates The remedy he vseth for the same by hounding out the Iesuits signified by the horse in the Vision Their qualities signified by their breast-plates The Popes and Turkes his gathering to destroy the Church signified by a great armie of horse The Pope is the plague for breaking of the first Table and the Turke for breaking of the second THen the fift Angel blew and I saw the starre that fell out of heauen vpon earth for it is to be noted that all these plagues did fall out of heauen vpon the earth to teach vs Quòd nullum malum est in ciuitate quod non faciat Dominus by his Iustice permitting Amos 3.6 Esay 45.7 directing ordering and restrayning it I did see it get the key of the bottomlesse pit which was giuen vnto it for this cloud of heresies spoken of in the third Trumpet and third Seale by processe of time did breed this bastard tyrannie whereof I spoke in the fourth Seale and so it brought from hell by the opening of the bottomlesse pit whereof it gate the keyes to wit by the assistance and deuice of Satan it bred such plagues as follow 2 First by opening of the pit came foorth a great smoke like the smoke of a furnace to wit it did breed such a darkenesse and ignorance in the minds of men as the Sunne and the Aire were obscured to
in the head as ye heard already and legged like a beare because in the Beares legges consists his greatest strength and durablenesse this proportion signifies that this Monarchie is farre greater then all the rest and all their powers are reuiued in it as I said before 3 And I perceiued that one of the heads of the beast had bene deadly wounded but the wound thereof was healed and the whole earth followed this beast with a great wondering this was to signifie vnto me that it was not of this beast that I was ordained to forewarne you for the worst of this beast is almost past already and this Monarchie shall be within short space destroyed but this beast or Monarchie is shewen vnto me because out of the ruines thereof shall rise in that same Seate where it was that hereticall Monarchie whereof I am to forewarne you which is signified by the deadly wound it gat on the head which was healed againe for as the Phaenix reuiues of her owne ashes as prophane stories make mention so out of the ashes of this Empire shall rise and be reuiued an other which shall grow so mighty that the whole earth that is without Sanctum Sanctorum shall with amasement reuerence obey and follow it as ye heard presently declared 4 And they adored the Dragon who gaue power to the Beast for they shall giue themselues ouer to the workes of darkenes which is to serue and adore the diuel who raised vp this beast to make warre against the seed of the woman Chap. 12. as ye heard before And they also adored the diuel in his instrument by reuerencing that Beast and Monarchie erected by him and they said Who is like vnto the Beast or who may fight with him for this Monarchie shall be so strong in worldly power as the world shall thinke it so farre in strength aboue all other powers that it is impossible to ouercome it especially that the little stone which was cut without hands out of the mountaine mentioned by Daniel Daniel 2. shall euer destroy it which notwithstanding at the last shall bruise it in pieces 5 And there was a mouth giuen vnto it to speake great things and blasphemies It is said in Daniel Daniel 7.11 that his mouth shall speake in magnificencie and vtter words against the Soueraigne to wit this Monarchie and King thereof shall extoll himselfe farre aboue all liuing creatures and shal vsurpe farre higher Styles then euer were heard of before by the which and by his false doctrine together he shall so derogate from the honour of GOD and vsurpe so all power onely proper vnto him as it shall bee great wordes against him and blasphemie of his Name And there was power giuen him to doe to wit GOD shall permit his Tyrannie to encrease and persecute the Saints the space of two and fourtie moneths This space was mentioned vnto me to let me know thereby that this Monarchie risen out of the ruines of the other Chap. 11. is the same which is meant by that Citie whereof ye heard alreadie in the sixt Trumpet which persecuted the two Witnesses for the same space is assigned to her there and consequently it is that same seate and Monarchie which is meant by the angel of the bottomlesse pit Chap. 9. called Apollyon in the fift Trumpet by the Rider on the pale horse Chap. 6. called Death in the fourth Seale and also obscurely meant in the sixt Trumpet by the halfe of that great hoste of horsemen Chap. 9. of the which halfe the armed horse which I saw in the vision was a part of the power whose head and Monarchie was the plague for idolatry as ye heard which Monarchie together with the other of whom yee also heard obscurely in that place as the plague of the sinnes against the second Table to wit this great beast here mentioned and the other reuealed a vowed and open enemie of Christs Church shall both gather their forces to fight against it in that battell of the great day of the Lord Chap. 16. whereof ye shal heare in the owne place Then this beast according to the power which was giuen him opened his mouth in blasphemies against God and spake iniurious words against his Name his Tabernacle to wit his Sanctum Sanctorum which is the Church militant and them that dwell in heauen for his reigne shall be so great that hee shall not onely blaspheme the Name of God in such sort as ye heard alreadie and persecute the members of Christ that shall be on the earth in his dayes but likewise vpbraid with calumnies the soules of the Saints departed 7 And for that effect he was permitted by God to make warre against the Saints and hee gaue him power to ouercome them corporally and to rule ouer all tribes tongues and nations so great shall his Monarchie and power be 8 And so all the in-dwellers of the earth shal adore him to wit a great part of them shall reuerence him whose names are not writen in the booke of life which is the Lambes that was slaine which booke was written before the foundation of the world was laide for these are alwayes excepted from bowing their knees to Baal who were predestinate by Christ to saluation before all beginnings 9 He who hath an eare let him heare and take heede vnto this sentence that followeth to wit 10 If any man leade in captiuitie in captiuitie shall he be led againe if any man slay with the sword with the sword shall hee be slaine againe then since ye are assured that God in his good time shall iustly mete to their tyrannie the same measure that they shall mete to his Church let not your hearts in your affliction through despaire of Gods reuenge because of his long suffering swarue from the bold and plaine professing of his trueth for in this shall the patience and constant faith of the Saints or the chosen be tried 11 And then I saw another beast rise vp vpon the earth and it had two hornes like vnto the Lambe but it spake like the dragon for lest this Monarchie should be taken to be a ruler onely ouer the body and that I might vnderstand the contrary to wit that he was specially a spirituall tyrant ouer the soules and consciences of men this other beast was shewen vnto me which representeth the hereticall kingdome of the grashoppers whereof Apollyon was made King in the fift Trumpet Chap. 9. and it vseth the coloured authoritie of Christ by pretending two swords or two keyes as receiued from Christ which is signified by the two hornes like the Lambes but the end whereof it vseth that authoritie is to get obedience to that false doctrine which it teacheth signified by speaking like the dragon or deuil 12 It is this false and hypocriticall Church then which doeth exercise all the power of the former beast to wit teacheth the Kings of this Monarchy and seat by what
lest ye be participants of her sinnes and of the plagues which are to fall vpon her for them For if but outwardly ye haunt with her and seeme to beare with her abominations yee shall bee accounted guiltie of her sinnes for if ye will haue Christ to professe you publikely at the latter day before his Father and his Angels and reward both your body and soule with eternall felicitie yee must not bee ashamed to serue him both in body and soule before men And this warning I giue you before-hand to make you inexcusable who will otherwise doe 5 For her sinnes are come to such a height as they haue touched the heauen and God is mindfull of them then not onely haunt not with her as I haue said for it is not enough not to doe euil but 6 Rayse your selues vp against her and render the like that she hath done to you yea pay her with the double of her owne workes and in the cup which she propined vnto others render her the double to wit trouble and destroy her by all meanes and in all things euen as she troubled and destroyed others before and according to her pride and wantonnesse recompence her with torment woe and wailing 7 For she sayes in her mind I fit a Queene or am a stabled Monarch neither am I a widow or shall euer bee desolate nor shall euer see dolour or taste destruction 8 And therefore because she thus builds her felicitie vpon her worldly strength by worldly instruments shall shee bee plagued with death with dolour with hunger and burnt with fire to wit after suffering all sorts of torments shee shall in the end be vtterly destroyed for strong is the Lord God who shall condemne her 9 And then shall the kings of the earth who were her hornes and had committed whoredome and riotousnesse with her before weepe and lament for pittie when they see the smoake of her burning for although some of themselues shall be the destroyers as ye heard before yet shall her destruction be so great as their hearts shall pittie the worke of their hands when they shall see the great smoake of her destruction 10 And they shall stand farre off from her torment to wit her torment shall put them in memorie of their guiltinesse of her sinnes which shall afray them wonderfully and shall say in great admiration Alas Alas for that great Citie Babylon that strong Citie whose iudgement and destruction is all come in one howre and at once 11 And the Merchants of the earth shall weepe and mourne for her because their merchandise wil no more bee bought for her pompe shall make the Merchants rich by getting readie sale of all fine wares 12 Such as gold siluer precious stones pearles fine linnen purple silke and scarlet for her garments and all kind of vessels to doe her idolatrous seruice of Iuorie costly wood brasse iron or marble stone 13 Cynamome and all kind of odours for her Church with oyntments and incense for the same purpose and the fine flower of wheat and all kind of victuals and cattell and sheepe for her sumptuous banquets and horse and Chariots and slaues for her triumphes and processions and soules of men for shee shall haue many that shall be Merchants vnto her of the soules of men by selling for mony Pardons giuen by that Monarch which shall bee thought to haue power to saue redeeme and free mens soules but ye shal heare more shortly of this hereafter 14 And the fruits of the desire of thy soule O Babylon shall goe from thee to wit thy ioyes and delights shall all turne to sorrow and all fat and faire things are gone from thee to wit thou shalt leaue all profit and pleasure neither shalt thou euer find them any more for thou shalt be destroyed for euer 15 And so the Merchants of these stuffes being made rich by the buying and selling of them they shall stand afarre off from thy torments and weepe and waile 16 saying Alas Alas for that great Citie that was clothed with fine linnen purple and scarlet and was of so glistering a pompe as was gilded with gold and decked with pretious stones and pearles 17 For loe now how in one houre all her riches and pompe is evanished and all the gouernours and owners of ships and all the multitudes of men in the ships and all the marriners in them and all these who gaine their liuing vpon the sea shal stand afarre off for feare 18 And cry seeing the smoke of her burning saying with a great admiration Who was like in power or shining glorie to this Citie 19 And for pittie of her decay and sorow for wanting by that meanes the carrying to her from all other countries all sorts of merchandise they shall cast dust and ashes vpon their heades and say Alas Alas for that great Citie wherein was made rich all these that had shippes vpon the sea by the prices and trade shee made vs haue and now she is made desolate in one houre 20 But although the earthly men bee sorrowfull for her fall as yee haue heard because they want their earthly commodities and pleasures thereby which she whose religion was earthly to wit founded vpon mens traditions and inuentions and maintained by earthly pompe and power did make them enioy yet reioyce yee heauens for her fall and ye holy Apostles and Prophets be glad thereof for God in punishing her hath reuenged your cause 21 Then for confirmation of this Prophesie of her destruction I sawe a strong Angel take a great stone like a milstone and cast it in the sea saying Euen with such a force shall Babylon that great Citie be casten downe and the very place thereof shall no more be found as Ieremy prophesied of corporall Babylon 22 And the sound of harpers and musitians and players on pipes and trumpets shall no more be heard in thee for no ioy nor mirth shall any more bee in that Monarchie or the seate thereof nor no craftes-man of any craft shall bee found in thee neither shall the grinding of the mill be heard any more in thee for that Citie or seate and Monarchie shall no more bee inhabited 23 And the light of a candle shal be no more found in thee and the voice of the husband and the wife shall no more be heard in thee for as it shall not be inhabited any more by the wicked so neither shall the godly dwell therein so accursed shall it be so as the lampes of the fiue virgins shall not burne there neither shall Christ and his spouse the true Church any more be there although that during the standing of that Monarchie some chosen though few and secret were and at all times shall be euen within that City the seate thereof whose merchants were the great men of the earth and with whose witchcrafts all nations wereseduced 24 And the blood of the Prophets and of the Saints was found in her and of all them
word of God as I did shew you in the beginning of my Euangel 14 And the hostes of Angels and Saints in heauen followed him vpon white horses clothed in white and pure linnen whereof yee heard alreadie 15 And from his mouth came foorth a sharpe sword as ye heard in the beginning of this Epistle that he might strike the Gentiles therewith for hee shall rule them with a rod of yron as Dauid sayth and he treadeth to wit giueth command and power to tread the lake or sea of the vine of the fury and wrath of God Almightie as ye heard in the seuenth Trumpet 16 And he hath vpon his garment and vpon his thigh as the strongest part of his body this name written The King of kings and Lord of lords 17 And I saw an Angel standing in the Sunne that there he might be seene publikely of all and that the Whole world might take heed to that which he was to proclaime and he cried with a loude voice to all the fowles flying through the middest of heauen Come and gather your selues to the supper of the Lord 18 To eate the flesh of Kings of Tribunes of mightie men of horses and of their riders in short come eate the flesh of all free-men and slaues great and small This was to declare that the day of Iudgement was come wherein should that destruction ensue signified by fowles eating their flesh because fowles vse to eate the flesh of dead men vnburied which should ouerwhelme all sorts of men excepting alwayes these that were marked who were sundry times excepted before as ye heard 19 Then I saw that beast to wit Babylon together with the kings of the earth who tooke her part and their armies gathered together to make warre with him that sate vpon the white horse and with his armie 20 But the Beast was taken together with the false prophet or false Church which by her false miracles seduced the nations that did beare the Character of the Beast and adored his image as ye heard before and they were both cast quicke in the lake of fire burning with brimstone 21 And the rest were slaine by the sword which came out of his mouth that sate vpon the horse and the fowles were filled with their flesh for how soone Christ shall come to Iudgement then shall all the enemies of God be destroyed and so full victory obtained of this battell whereof yee heard in the sixt Trumpet and sixt phiale and shall heare farther hereafter And chiefly Babylon and the false Church shall be cast into hell because they merit double punishment for the abusing of men although they shall not also want their damnation that followeth them as is signified by their slaughter with the sword of his mouth whereof yee heard in the beginning of this Epistle and by the fowles eating their flesh as ye presently perceiue CHAP. XX. ARGVMENT The summe and recapitulation of all the former visions to wit the first estate of the Church in all puritie after Christ The heresies and specially the Popedome that followed The destruction thereof in their greatestrage The latter day The saluation of the Elect and condemnation of all others THe Spirit of God hauing now shewen vnto me the estate of the Church militant with the speciall temptations and troubles of the same from the death of Christ to the consummation of the world and their ioyfull deliuerance and victory at that time by the first sixe Seales and next more amply by the seuenth Seale wherin were the seuen trumpets and thirdly her greatest temptations and troubles more cleerely and at large by the vision of the woman persecuted by the Dragon and lastly the cleere and ample description and damnation of Babylon that great persecuter the sorrow of the earth and ioy of heauen therefore This vision now that ye shall presently heare was next shewen vnto me to serue for a summe as it were and a short recapitulation of the whole Prophecie so often reiterated before which is here diuided in three parts First the happy estate of Christes Church though not in the eyes of the world from his first comming to a long time after as was declared by the first Seale Next the grieuous troubles and temptations vnto the which shee shall be subiect thereafter as was declared by the third and fourth Seale and by the third fourth fift and sixt blastes of the Trumpets And thirdly the destruction of all her enemies her ioyfull deliuerance and the consummation as was declared by the sixt Seale the seuenth Trumpet the seuenth phiale and the comming downe of the white horse which in my last words before these yee heard described But specially in this vision is declared the punishment at the latter day of the deuill himselfe before the destruction onely of his instruments being mentioned as ye formerly heard The vision then was this 1 I saw an Angel come downe from heauen and he had the key of the bottomlesse pit and a great chaine in his hand 2 And hee tooke the dragon to wit the ancient serpent who is the deuill and Satan to wit the Tempter and bound him for the space of a thousand yeres 3 And did cast him in the bottomlesse pit and closed him in there that it should not be opened that he might come foorth and seduce the nations till the space of a thousand yeeres were completed and past for thereafter he must be loosed for a short space 4 Then I saw seats and persons sitting vpon them and iudgment or power of iudging was giuen vnto them And I also saw the soules of them who were beheaded or otherwise put to death for the testimonie of Christ and the word of God and adored not the Beast nor tooke his image neither his character on their foreheads nor on their hands These shal liue and reigne with Christ the space of the thousand yeres ye heard 5 But the rest of the dead shal not reuiue till the space of these yeres be complete This is the first resurrectiō 6 Blessed and holy is he that is partaker of the first resurrection for ouer such the second death shal haue no power but they shal be Priests of God and Christ shal reigne with him for euer This is the first part of the diuision wherof I presently told you to wit Christ by his passion did bind the deuill who before was raging in the world and closed him in hell by the remouing of the vaile of blindnes from the whole earth which remained so the space of a thousand yeres to wit a long space all that time the deuil remained bound and casten into hell by Christ who only hath power of it so as in all that space the nations were not seduced for the efficacie of heresies was not yet cropen in and the Saints and Church visible shal so increase albeit in the midst of persecution all this time and so retaine the purity of the trewth as by the glory of
that I haue spoken of PHI. Then it appeares that there are more sorts nor one that are directly professours of his seruice◠and if so be I pray you tell me how many and what are they EPI There are principally two sorts whereunto all the parts of that vnhappy Art are redacted whereof the one is called Magie or Necromancie the other Sorcerie or Witch-craft PHI. What I pray you and how many are the meanes whereby the diuell allures persons in any of these snares EPI Euen by these three passions that are within our selues Curiositie in great ingines thirst of reuenge for some tortes deepely apprehended or greedy appetite of geare caused through great pouertie As to the first of these Curiositie it is onely the inticement of Magicians or Necromanciers and the other two are the allurers of the Sorcerers or Witches for that old and craftie serpent being a Spirit he easily spies our affections and so conformes himselfe thereto to deceiue vs to our wracke CHAP. III. ARGV The significations and etymologies of the words of Magie and Necromancie The difference betwixt Necromancie and Witchcraft What are the entressis and beginnings that bring any to the knowledge thereof PHILOMATHES I Would gladly first heare what thing it is that ye call Magie or Necromancie EPI This word Magi in the Persian tongue imports as much as to be a contemplatour or Interpretour of Diuine and heauenly sciences which being first vsed among the Chaldees through their ignorance of the true diuinitie was esteemed and reputed amongst them as a principall vertue And therfore was named vniustly with an honourable stile which name the Greekes imitated generally importing all these kindes of vnlawfull artes And this word Necromancie is a Greeke word compounded of 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which is to say the prophecie by the dead This last name is giuen to this blacke and vnlawfull science by the figure Synechdoche because it is a principall part of that arte to serue themselues with dead carcases in their diuinations PHI. What difference is there betwixt this arte and Witch-craft EPI Surely the difference vulgare put betwixt them is very merry and in a maner true for they say that the Witches are seruants onely and slaues to the diuel but the Necromanciers are his Masters and commanders PHI. How can that be true that any men being specially addicted to his seruice can be his commanders EPI Yea they may be but it is onely secundum quid For it is not by any power that they can haue ouer him but ex pacto allanerlie whereby he obliges himselfe in some trifles to them that he may on the other part obteine the fruition of their body and soule which is the onely thing he huntes for PHI. A very in-aequitable contract forsooth But I pray you discourse vnto me what is the effect and secrets of that arte EPI That is an ouer large field ye giue me yet I shall doe my good-will the most summarly that I can to runne through the principall points thereof As there are two sorts of folkes that may be entised to this art to wit learned or vnlearned so is there two meanes which are the first steerers vp and feeders of their curiositie thereby to make them to giue themselues ouer to the same Which two meanes I call the diuels schoole and his rudiments The learned haue their curiositie wakened vp and fed by that which I cal his schole this is the Astrologie iudiciar For diuers men hauing attained to a great perfection in learning and yet remayning ouer-bare alas of the Spirit of regeneration and fruits thereof finding all naturall things common aswell to the stupide pedants as vnto them they assay to vendicate vnto them a greater name by not onely knowing the course of things heauenly but likewise to clime to the knowledge of things to come thereby Which at the first face appearing lawfull vnto them in respect the ground thereof seemeth to proceed of naturall causes onely they are so allured thereby that finding their practise to proue trew in sundry things they study to know the cause thereof and so mounting from degree to degree vpon the slipperie and vncertaine scale of curiositie they are at last entised that where lawfull artes or sciences faile to satisfie their restlesse minds euen to seeke to that blacke and vnlawfull science of Magie Where finding at the first that such diuers formes of circles and coniurations rightly ioyned thereunto will raise such diuers formes of spirits to resolue them of their doubts and attributing the doing thereof to the power inseparably tied or inherent in the circles and many wordes of God confusedly wrapped in they blindly glory of themselues as if they had by their quicknesse of ingine made a conquest of Plutoes dominion and were become Emperours ouer the Stygian habitacles Where in the meane time miserable wretches they are become in very deed bondslaues to their mortall enemie and their knowledge for all that they presume thereof is nothing increased except in knowing euill and the horrors of hell for punishment thereof Gene. 3. as Adams was by the eating of the forbidden tree CHAP. IIII. ARGV The description of the rudiments and Schoole which are the entresses to the arte of Magie And in speciall the differences betwixt Astronomie and Astrologie Diuision of Astrologie in diuers parts PHILOMATHES BVt I pray you likewise forget not to tell what are the diuels rudiments EPI His rudiments I call first in generall all that which is called vulgarly the vertue of word herbe and stone which is vsed by vnlawfull charmes without naturall causes as likewise all kinde of practicques freites or other like extraordinary actions which cannot abide the trew touch of naturall reason PHI. I would haue you to make that plainer by some particular examples for your proposition is very generall EPI I meane either by such kinde of Charmes as commonly daft wiues vse for healing offorspoken goods for preseruing them from euill eyes by knitting roun trees or sundriest kinde of hearbes to the haire or tailes of the goods by curing the worme by stemming of blood by healing of Horse-crookes by turning of the riddle or doing of such like innumerable things by words without applying any thing meete to the part offended as Mediciners doe Or else by staying married folkes to haue naturally adoe with other by knitting so many knots vpon a point at the time of their marriage And such like things which men vse to practise in their merrinesse For fra vnlearned men being naturally curious and lacking the trew knowledge of God finde these practises to proue trew as sundrie of them will doe by the power of the diuell for deceiuing men and not by any inherent vertue in these vaine words and freites and being desirous to winne a reputation to themselues in such like turnes they either if they be of the shamefaster sort seeke to be learned by some that are experimented in that Arte not knowing it
likewise to make himselfe so to be trusted in these little things that he may haue the better commoditie thereafter to deceiue them in the end with a tricke once for all I meane the euerlasting perdition of their soule and body Then laying this ground as I haue said these coniurations must haue fewe or moe in number of the persons coniurers alwayes passing the singular number according to the qualitie of the circle and forme of apparition Two principall things cannot well in that errand be wanted holy-water whereby the deuill mockes the Papists and some present of a liuing thing vnto him There are likewise certaine seasons dayes and houres that they obserue in this purpose These things being all ready and prepared circles are made triangular quadrangular round double or single according to the forme of apparition that they craue But to speake of the diuers formes of the circles of the innumerable characters and crosses that are within and without and out-through the same of the diuers formes of apparitions that that craftie spirit illudes them with and of all such particulars in that action I remit it to ouer-many that haue busied their heads in describing of the same as being but curious and altogether vnprofitable And this farre onely I touch that when the coniured Spirit appeares which will not be while after many circumstances long prayers and much muttring and murmuring of the coniurers like a Papist Priest dispatching a hunting Masse how soone I say he appeares if they haue missed one iote of all their rites or if any of their feet once slyde ouer the circle through terrour of his fearefull apparition hee payes himselfe at that time in his owne hand of that due debt which they ought him and otherwise would haue delayed longer to haue payed him I meane hee carries them with him body and soule If this be not now a iust cause to make them weary of these formes of coniuration I leaue it to you to iudge vpon considering the long somnesse of the labour the precise keeping of dayes and houres as I haue said the terriblenesse of apparition and the present perill that they stand in in missing the least circumstance or freite that they ought to obserue And on the other part the deuill is glad to mooue them to a plaine and square dealing with him as I said before CHAP. VI. ARGV The Deuils contract with the Magicians The diuision there of in two parts What is the difference betwixt Gods miracles and the Deuils PHILOMATHES INdeed there is cause enough but rather to leaue him at all then to runne more plainely to him if they were wise hee dealt with But goe forward now I pray you to these turnes fra they become once deacons in this craft EPI From time that they once plainely begin to contract with him The effect of their contract consists in two things in formes and effects as I began to tell already were it not ye interrupted me for although the contract be mutual I speake first of that part wherein the diuel obliges himselfe to them By formes I meane in what shape or fashion he shall come vnto them when they call vpon him And by effects I vnderstand in what speciall sorts or seruices he binds himselfe to bee subiect vnto them The qualitie of these formes and effects is lesse or greater according to the skill and art of the Magician For as to the formes to some of the baser sort of them he obliges himselfe to appeare at their calling vpon him by such a proper name which he shewes vnto them either in likenes of a Dog a Cat an Ape or such-like other beast or else to answere by a voice onely The effects are to answere to such demands as concerne curing of diseases their owne particular menagerie or such other base things as they require of him But to the most curious sort in the formes hee will oblige himselfe to enter into a dead bodie and there out of to giue such answeres of the euent of battels of matters concerning the estate of commonwealths and such like other great questions yea to some he will bee a continuall attender in forme of a Page Hee will permit himselfe to bee coniured for the space of so many yeeres either in a tablet or a ring or such like thing which they may easily cary about with them Hee giues them power to sell such wares to others whereof some will be dearer and some better cheape according to the lying or true speaking of the Spirit that is coniured therein Not but that in very deed all deuils must be lyars but so they abuse the simplicitie of these wretches that become their scholers that they make them beleeue that at the fall of Lucifer some Spirits fell in the aire some in the fire some in the water some in the land in which Elements they still remaine Whereupon they build that such as fell in the fire or in the aire are trewer then they who fell in the water or in the land which are all but meere trattles and forged by the authour of all deceite For they fell not by weight as a solide substance to sticke in any one part but the principall part of their fall consisting in quality by the falling from the grace of God wherein they were created they continued stil thereafter and shall doe while the latter day in wandring through the world as Gods hang-men to execute such turnes as hee employes them in And when any of them are not occupied in that returne they must to their prison in hell as it is plaine in the miracle that CHRIST wrought at Gennezareth therein at the latter day to be all enclosed for euer Matth. 8. and as they deceiue their Schollers in this so doe they in imprinting in them the opinion that there are so many Princes Dukes and Kings amongst them euery one commanding fewer or moe Legions and impiring in diuers artes and quarters of the earth For though that I will not deny that there be a forme of order amongst the Angels in Heauen and consequently was amongst them before their fall yet either that they bruike the same sensine or that God will permit vs to know by damned diuels such heauenly mysteries of his which he would not reueale to vs neither by Scripture nor Prophets I thinke no Christian will once thinke it But by the contrary of all such mysteries as he hath closed vp with his Seale of secrecie it becommeth vs to be contented with an humble ignorance they being things not necessary for our saluation But to returne to the purpose as these formes wherein Satan obliges himselfe to the greatest of the Magicians are wonderfull curious so are the effects correspondent vnto the same For he will oblige himselfe to teach them artes and sciences which he may easily doe being so learned a knaue as he is to carry them newes from any part of the world which the agilitie of a Spirit
of the Pictures as I spake of before which likewise is verie possible to their master to performe for although as I said before that instrument of waxe haue no vertue in that turne doing yet may he not very well euen by the same measure that his coniured slaues melts that waxe at the fire may hee not I say at these same times subtily as a spirit so weaken and scatter the spirits of life of the patient as may make him on the one part for faintnesse to sweat out the humour of his bodie and on the other part for the not concurrence of these spirits which causes his digestion so debilitate his stomacke that this humour radicall continually sweating out on the one part and no new good sucke being put in the place thereof for lacke of digestion on the other he at last shall vanish away euen as his picture will doe at the fire And that knauish and cunning workeman by troubling him onely at sometimes makes a proportion so neere betwixt the working of the one and the other that both shall end as it were at one time They can raise stormes and tempests in the aire either vpon Sea or land though not vniuersally but in such a particular place and prescribed bounds as GOD will permit them so to trouble Which likewise is very easie to be discerned from any other naturall tempests that are Meteores in respect of the sudden and violent raising thereof together with the short induring of the same And this is likewise very possible to their master to doe hee hauing such affinitie with the aire as being a spirit and hauing such power of the forming and moouing thereof as yee haue heard me alreadie declare Ephes 2. For in the Scripture that stile of the Prince of the aire is giuen vnto him They can make folkes to become Phrenticque or Maniacque which likewise is very possible to their master to doe since they are but naturall sicknesses and so he may lay on these kindes as well as any others They can make spirits either to follow and trouble persons or haunt certaine houses and affray oftentimes the inhabitants as hath bene knowne to bee done by our Witches at this time And likewise they can make some to bee possessed with spirits and so to become very Daemoniacques and this last sort is very possible likewise to the diuel their master to doe since he may easily send his owne angels to trouble in what forme he pleases any whom God will permit him so to vse PHI. But will God permit these wicked instruments by the power of the deuill their master to trouble by any of these meanes any that beleeue in him EPI No doubt for there are three kindes of folkes whom God will permit so to be tempted or troubled the wicked for their horrible sinnes to punish them in the like measure the godly that are sleeping in any great sinnes or infirmities and weaknesse in faith to waken them vp the faster by such an vncouth forme and euen some of the best that their patience may be tried before the world as Iobs was For why may not God vse any kinde of extraordinary punishment when it pleases him as well as the ordinarie rods of sickenesse or other aduersities PHI. Who then may be free from these deuilish practises EPI No man ought to presume so farre as to promise any impunitie to himselfe for God hath before all beginnings praeordinated as well the particular sorts of plagues as of benefites for euery man which in the owne time he ordaines them to be visited with and yet ought we not to be the more afraide for that of any thing that the diuell and his wicked instruments can doe against vs for we daily fight against the diuell in a hundreth other wayes And therefore as a valiant captaine affraies no more being at the combate nor stayes from his purpose for the rummishing shot of a Canon nor the small clacke of a Pistolet suppose he be not certaine what may light vpon him Euen so ought we boldly to goe forward in fighting against the diuell without any greater terrour for these his rarest weapons nor for the ordinary whereof we haue daily the proofe PHI. Is it not lawfull then by the helpe of some other Witch to cure the disease that is casten on by that craft EPI No wayes lawfull for I gaue you the reason thereof in that axiome of Theologie which was the last words I spake of Magie PHI. How then may these diseases be lawfull cured EPI Only by earnest prayer vnto God by amendment of their liues and by sharpe pursuing euery one according to his calling of these instruments of Satan whose punishment to the death will be a salutarie sacrifice for the patient And this is not onely the lawfull way but likewise the most sure For by the deuils meanes can neuer the deuill be casten out Marke 3. as Christ sayth And when such a cure is vsed it may well serue for a short time but at the last it will doubtlesly tend to the vtter perdition of the patient both in body and soule CHAP. VI. ARGV What sort of folkes are least or most subiect to receiue harme by Witchcraft What power they haue to harme the Magistrate and vpon what respects they haue any power in prison And to what end may or will the deuill appeare to them therein Vpon what respects the deuill appeares in sundry shapes to sundry of them at any time PHILOMATHES BVt who dare take vpon him to punish them if no man can be sure to be free from their vnnaturall inuasions EPI Wee ought not the more of that restraine from vertue that the way wherby we clime thereunto be straight and perillous But besides that as there is no kinde of persons so subiect to receiue harme of them as these that are of infirme and weake faith which is the best buckler against such inuasions so haue they so small power ouer none as ouer such as zealously and earnestly pursue them without sparing for any wordly respect PHI. Then they are like the Pest which smites these sickarest that flies it farthest and apprehends deepliest the perill thereof EPI It is euen so with them for neither is it able to them to vse any false cure vpon a patient except the patient first beleeue in their power and so hazard the tinsell of his owne soule nor yet can they haue lesse power to hurt any nor such as contemne most their doings so being it comes of faith and not of any vaine arrogancie in themselues PHI. But what is their power against the Magistrate EPI Lesse or greater according as he deales with them for if hee be slothfull towards them God is very able to make them instruments to waken and punish his slouth but if he be the contrary hee according to the iust Law of God and allowable law of all nations will be diligent in examining and punishing of them God will
returne to his friend or yet an Angel vse such formes PHI. And are not our war-woolfes one sort of these spirits also that haunt and trouble some houses or dwelling places EPI There hath indeede beene an olde opinion of such like things for by the Greekes they were called 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which signifieth men-wolfes But to tell you simply my opinion in this if any such thing hath beene I take it to haue proceeded but of a naturall super-abundance of Melancholy which as we reade that it hath made some thinke themselues pitchers and some horses and some one kinde of beast or other so suppose I that it hath so viciat the imagination and memory of some as per lucida interualla it hath so highly occupied them that they haue thought themselues very Woolfes indeed at these times and so haue counterfeited their actions in going on their hands and feete preassing to deuoure women and barnes fighting and snatching with all the towne dogges and in vsing such like other brutish actions and so to become beasts by a strong apprehension as Nebuchad-nezzar was seuen yeeres Daniel 4. but as to their hauing and hiding of their hard and schelly sluiches I take that to be but eiked by vncertaine report the author of all lies CHAP. II. ARGV The description of the next two kinds of Spirits whereof the one followes outwardly the other possesses inwardly the persons that they trouble That since all prophecies and visions are now ceased all spirits that appeare in these formes are euill PHILOMATHES COme forward now to the rest of these kinds of spirits EPI As to the next two kindes that is either these that outwardly trouble and follow some persons or else inwardly possesse them I wil conioine them in one because as well the causes are alike in the persons that they are permitted to trouble as also the wayes whereby they may be remedied and cured PHI. What kinde of persons are they that vse to be so troubled EPI Two kindes in speciall either such as being guiltie of grieuous offences God punishes by that horrible kinde of scourge or else being persons of the best nature peraduenture that ye shall finde in all the countrey about them God permits them to be troubled in that sort for the triall of their patience and wakening vp of their zeale for admonishing of the beholders not to trust ouer-much in themselues since they are made of no better stuffe and peraduenture blotted with no smaller sinnes as Christ said Luke 13. speaking of them vpon whom the Tower of Sylo fell And for giuing likewise to the spectators matter to praise God that they meriting no better are yet spared from being corrected in that fearefull forme PHI. These are good reasons for the part of GOD which apparantly moonues him so to permit the Diuell to trouble such persons But since the Diuell hath euer a contrarie respect in all the actions that GOD imployes him in which is I pray you the end and marke he shootes at in this turne EPI It is to obtaine one of two things thereby if he may The one is the tinsell of their life by inducing them to such perillous places at such time as he either followes or possesses them which may procure the same and such like so farre as GOD will permit him by tormenting them to weaken their bodie and cast them into incurable diseases The other thing that he preasses to obtaine by troubling of them is the tinsell of their soule by intising them to mistrust blaspheme God either for the intolerablenesse of their torments Iob 1. as hee assayed to haue done with Iob or else for his promising vnto them to leaue the troubling of them in case they would so doe as is knowen by experience at this same time by the confession of a young one that was so troubled PHI. Since ye haue spoken now of both these kinds of spirits comprehending them in one I must now goe backe againe in speering some questions of euery one of these kindes in speciall And first for these that follow certaine persons ye know that there are two sorts of them One sorte that trouble and torment the persons that they haunt with Another sort that are seruiceable vnto them in all kind of their necessaries and omit neuer to forewarne them of any suddaine perill that they are to bee in And so in this case I would vnderstand whether both these sorts be but wicked and damned spirits or if the last sort be rather Angels as should appeare by their actions sent by God to assist such as hee specially fauours For it is written in the Scriptures Gene. 32. 1. Kings 6. Psal 34. that God sends legions of Angels to guard and watch ouer his elect EPI I know well inough where fra that errour which ye alledge hath proceeded For it was the ignorant Gentiles that were the fountaine thereof Who for that they knew not God they forged in their owne imaginations euery man to be stil accompanied with two spirits whereof they called the one genius bonus the other genius malus the Greekes called them 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 whereof the former they saide perswaded him to all the good hee did the other entised him to all the euill But praised bee GOD wee that are Christians and walke not amongst the Cymmerian coniectures of man know well inough that it is the good Spirit of GOD onely who is the fountaine of all goodnesse that perswades vs to the thinking or doing of any good and that it is our corrupted flesh and Satan that intiseth vs to the contrarie And yet the Diuell for confirming in the heades of ignorant Christians that errour first maintained among the Gentiles he whiles among the first kind of spirits that I speake of appeared in time of Papistrie and blindnesse and haunted diuers houses without doing any euill but doing as it were necessarie turnes vp and downe the house and this spirit they called Brownie in our language who appeared like a rough-man yea some were so blinded as to beleeue that their house was all their sonsier as they called it that such spirits resorted there PHI. But since the diuels intention in all his actions is euer to doe euill what euill was there in that forme of doing since their actions outwardly were good EPI Was it not euill inough to deceiue simple ignorants in making them to take him for an Angel of light and so to account of Gods enemy as of their particular friend where by the contrary all we that are Christians ought assuredly to know that since the comming of Christ in the flesh and establishing of his Church by the Apostles al miracles visions prophecies appearances of Angels or good spirits are ceased which serued only for the first sowing of faith and planting of the Church Where now the Church being established and the white Horse whereof I spake before hauing
of sixe of the wightest and wodest of any other men that are not so troubled The next is the boldening vp so farre of the patients breast and belly with such an vnnaturall sturring and vehement agitation within them and such an ironie hardnesse of his sinewes so stiffely bended out that it were not possible to pricke out as it were the skinne of any other person so farre so mightily workes the diuell in all the members and senses of his body hee being locally within the same suppose of his soule and affections thereof hee haue no more power then of any other mans The last is the speaking of sundry languages which the patient is knowen by them that were acquainted with him neuer to haue learned and that with an vncouth and hollow voice and all the time of his speaking a greater motion being in his breast then in his mouth But fra this last symptome is excepted such as are altogether in the time of their possessing bereft of all their senses being possessed with a dumbe and blind spirit whereof Christ relieued one in the 12. of Matthew And as to your next demand it is first to be doubted if the Papists or any not professing the onely true Religion can relieue any of that trouble and next in case they can vpon what respect it is possible vnto them As to the former vpon two reasons it is grounded first that it is knowen so many of them to be counterfeit which wyle the Clergie inuents for confirming of their rotten Religion The next is that by experience we finde that few who are possessed indeed are fully cured by them but rather the diuell is content to release the bodily hurting of them for a short space thereby to obtaine the perpetuall hurt of the soules of so many that by these false miracles may be induced or confirmed in the profession of that erroneous Religion euen as I told you before that he doeth in the false cures or casting off of diseases by Witches As to the other part of the argument in case they can which rather with reuerence of the learned thinking otherwise I am induced to beleeue by reason of the faithfull report that men sound of Religion haue made according to their sight thereof I thinke if so be I say these may be the respects whereupon the Papists may haue that power Christ gaue a commission and power to his Apostles to cast out diuels which they according thereunto put in execution the rules he bade them obserue in that action was fasting and prayer and the action it selfe to be done in his name This power of theirs proceeded not then of any vertue in them but onely in him who directed them as was clearely prooued by Iudas his hauing as great power in that commission as any of the rest It is easie then to be vnderstood that the casting out of diuels is by the vertue of fasting and prayer and in calling of the Name of God suppose many imperfections be in the person that is the instrument as Christ himselfe teacheth vs of the power that false prophets shall haue to cast out diuels It is no wonder then these respects of this action being considered that it may be possible to the Papists though erring in sundry points of Religion to accomplish this if they vse the right forme prescribed by Christ herein For what the worse is that action that they erre in other things more then their Baptisme is the worse that they erre in the other Sacrament and haue eiked many vaine freittes to the Baptisme it selfe PHI. Surely it is no little wonder that God should permit the bodies of any of the faithfull to be so dishonoured as to be adwelling place to that vncleane spirit EPI There is it which I told right now would proue and strengthen my argument of the diuels entring into the dead bodies of the faithfull For if he is permitted to enter into their liuing bodies euen when they are ioyned with the soule how much more will God permit him to enter into their dead carions which is no more man Marke 7. but the filthie and corruptible caise of man For as Christ saith It is not any thing that enters within man that defiles him but onely that which proceedes and commeth out of him CHAP. V. ARGV The description of the fourth kinde of Spirits called the Phairie What is possible therein and what is but illusions How farre this Dialogue entreates of all these things and to what end PHILOMATHES NOw I pray you come on to that fourth kinde of Spirits EPI That fourth kinde of Spirits which by the Gentiles was called Diana and her wandering court and amongst vs was called the Phairie as I told you or our good neighbours was one of the sorts of illusions that was rifest in the time of Papistrie for although it was holden odious to prophesie by the diuel yet whom these kinde of Spirits caried away and informed they were thought to be sonsiest and of best life To speake of the many vaine trattles founded vpon that illusion How there was a King and Queene of Phairie of such a iolly court and traine as they had how they had a teynd and duetie as it were of all goods how they naturally rode and went eate and dranke and did all other actions like naturall men and women I thinke it liker Virgils Campi Elysij nor any thing that ought to be beleeued by Christians except in generall that as I spake sundrie times before the diuell illuded the senses of sundrie simple creatures in making them beleeue that they saw and heard such things as were nothing so indeed PHI. But how can it be then that sundrie Witches haue gone to death with that confession that they haue bene transported with the Phairie to such a hill which opening they went in and there saw a faire Queene who being now lighter gaue them a stone that had sundrie vertues which at sundrie times hath bene produced in iudgement EPI I say that euen as I said before of that imaginar rauishing of the Spirit foorth of the bodie For may not the diuel obiect to their fantasie their senses being dulled and as it were asleepe such hilles and houses within them such glistering courtes and traines and whatsoeuer such like wherewith he pleaseth to delude them and in the meane time their bodies being senselesse to conuey in their hand any stone or such like thing which he makes them to imagine to haue receiued in such a place PHI. But what say ye to their foretelling the death of sundrie persons whom they alleage to haue seene in these places that is a sooth-dreame as they say since they see it walking EPI I thinke that either they haue not bene sharpely enough examined that gaue so blunt a reason for their prophesie or otherwise I thinke it likewise as possible that the diuel may prophesie to them when he deceiues their imaginations in that sort as well as
good Subiects and such terrible firebrands of hell as would maintaine the like maximes which these Powder-men did Nay could there be a more gracious part in a King suppose I say it towards Subiects of a contrary Religion then by making them to take this Oath to publish their honest fidelitie in temporal things to me their Soueraigne and thereby to wipe off that imputation and great slander which was laide vpon the whole professours of that Religion by the furious enterprise of these Powder-men And whereas for illustration of this strong argument of his hee hath brought in for a similitude the historie of 1 Nazianzen in Iulian. â—â—ectiuâ primâ Iulian the Apostata his dealing with the Christians when as he straited them either to commit idolatrie or to come within the compasse of treason I would wish the authour to remember that although a similitude may be permitted claudicare vno pede The disproportion of the Cardinals similitude yet this was a very ill chosen similitude which is lame both of feete and hands and euery member of the body For I shall in fewe wordes prooue that it agreeth in no one point saue one with our purpose which is that Iulian was an Emperour and I a King First Iulian was an Apostata one that had renounced the whole Christian faith which he had once professed and became an Ethnike againe or rather an Atheist whereas I am a Christian who neuer changed that Religion that I dranke in with my milke nor euer I thanke GOD was ashamed of my profession Iulian dealt against Christians onely for the profession of CHRISTES cause I deale in this cause with my Subiects onely to make a distinction betweene trew Subiects and falese-hearted traitours Iulians end was the ouerthrow of the Christians my onely end is to maintaine Christianitie in a peaceable gouernement Iulians drift was to make them commit Idolatrie my purpose is to cause my Subiects to make open profession of their naturall Allegiance and ciuill Obedience Iulians meanes whereby he went about it was by craft and insnaring them before they were aware my course in this is plaine cleare and voyd of all obscuritie neuer refusing leaue to any that are required to take this Oath to study it at leisure and giuing them all the interpretation of it they can craue But the greatest dissimilitude of all is in this that Iulian pressed them to commit idolatrie to Idoles and Images but as well I as all the Subiects of my profession are so farre from guilt in this point as wee are counted heretiques by you because we will not commit idolatrie So as in the maine point of all is the greatest contrarietie For Iulian persecuted the Christians because they would not commit idolatrie and ye count me a persecutour because I will not admit idolatrie So as to conclude this point this old sentence may well be applied to Bellarmine in vsing so vnapt a similitude Perdere quos vult Iupiter hos dementat And therefore his vncharitable conclusion doeth not rightly follow That it seemeth vnto him that some such thing should be subtilly or fraudulently included in this Oath as if no man can detest Treason against the King or professe ciuill subiection except hee renounce the Primacie of the Apostolique Sea But how he hath suckt this apprehension out at his fingers ends I cannot imagine for sure I am as I haue oft said hee neuer goeth about to prooue it and to answere an improbable imagination is to fight against a vanishing shadow It cannot be denied indeed that many seruants of CHRIST as well Priests as others haue endured constantly all sorts of torments and death for the profession of CHRIST and therefore to all such his examples as hee bringeth in for verifying the same I need not to giue him any other answere saue onely to remember him that he playeth the part of a sophister in all these his examples of the constancie of Martyrs euer taking Controuersum pro confesso as if this our case were of the same nature But yet that the Reader may the better discouer not onely how vnaptly his similitudes are applied but likewise how dishonestly hee vseth himselfe in all his citations I haue thought good to set downe the very places themselues cited by him together with a short deduction of the trew state of those particular cases whereby how little these examples can touch our case nay by the contrary how rightly their trew sense may bee vsed as our owne weapons to be throwen backe vpon him that alledgeth them shall easily appeare And first for 1 2. Maccab. chap. 6. ver 18. Eleazar If the Arch-priest his ground of refusing the Oath were as good as Eleazars was to forbeare to eate the swines flesh it might not vnfitly be applied by the Cardinal to this purpose An answere to the Card example of Eleazar For as Eleazar was a principall Scribe so is he a principall Priest As Eleazars example had a great force in it to animate the yonger Scribes to keepe the Lawe or in his colourable eating it to haue taught them to dissemble so hath the Arch-priests either to make the inferiour Priests to take the Oath or to refuse it but the ground failing the building cannot stand For what example is there in all the Scripture in which disobedience to the Oath of the King or want of Allegiance is allowed If the Cardinall would remember that when the Church maketh a Lawe suppose to forbid flesh on certaine dayes he that refuseth to obey it incurreth the iust censure of the Church If a man then ought to die rather then to breake the least of Gods Ceremoniall Lawes and to pine and starue his body rather then to violate the Church his positiue Law will he not giue leaue to a man to redeeme his soule from sinne and to keepe his body from punishment by keeping a Kings politike Law and by giuing good example in his Person raise vp a good opinion in me of like Allegiance in the inferiour of his order This application as I take it would haue better fitted this example But let mee remember the Cardinall of another 2 1. Sam. 14.25 Oath inioyned by a King to his people whereby he indangered his owne life and hazarded the safetie of the whole armie when hee made the people sweare in the morning not to taste of any meate vntill night which Oath he exacted so strictly that his eldest sonne and heire apparant Ionathan for breaking of it by tasting a little hony of the top of his rodde though he heard not when the King gaue that Oath had well-nigh died for it And shall an Oath giuen vpon so vrgent an occasion as this was for the apparant safetie of me and my posteritie forbidding my people to drinke so deeply in the bitter cup of Antichristian fornications but that they may keepe so much hony in their hearts as may argue them still espoused to me
Papal power whatsoeuer and yet saith withall the Pope winketh at the French by his toleration to hold this dogmaticall point for problematicall And by this meanes the Martyrdome that hee affecteth in this cause will prooue but a problematicall Martyrdome whereof question might grow very well whether it were to be mustered with grieuous crimes or with phreneticall passions of the braine or with deserued punishments Fiftly he denounceth Anathema dischargeth maledictions like haile-shot against parricides of Kings and yet elsewhere hee layes himselfe open to speake of Kings onely so long as they stand Kings But who doeth not know that a King deposed is no longer King And so that limme of Satan which murthered Henry the III. then vn-king'd by the Pope did not stabbe a King to death Sixtly he doeth not allow a King to be made away by murder and yet he thinks it not much out of the way to take away al meanes whereby he might be able to stand in defence of his life Seuenthly Pag. 95.97 hee abhorreth killing of Kings by apposted throat-cutting for feare lest body and soule should perish in the same instant and yet he doth not mislike their killing in a pitcht field and to haue them slaughtered in a set battaile For he presupposeth no doubt out of his charitable mind that by this meanes the soule of a poore King so dispatched out of the way shall instantly flie vp to heauen Eightly he saith a King deposed retaineth stil a certaine internal habitude and politike impression by vertue and efficacie whereof he may being once reformed and become a new man be restored to the lawfull vse and practise of Regalitie Whereby hee would beare vs in hand that when a forraine Prince hath inuaded and rauenously seised the kingdome into his hands he will not onely take pittie of his predecessour to saue his life but will also proue so kind-hearted vpon fight of his repentance to restore his kingdome without fraud or guile Ninthly he saith euery where in his Discourse that he dealeth not in the cause otherwise then as a problematicall discourser and without any resolution one way or other and yet with might and maine hee contends for the opinion that leaues the States and Crownes of Kings controulable by the Pope refutes obiections propounds the authoritie of Popes and Councils by name the Lateran Councill vnder Innocent III. as also the consent of the Church And to crosse the Churches iudgement is in his opinion to bring in schisme and to leaue the world without a Church for many hundred yeeres together which to my vnderstanding is to speake with resolution and without all hesitation Tenthly he acknowledgeth none other cause of sufficient validitie for the deposing of a King besides herefie apostasie and infidelitie neuerthelesse that Popes haue power to displace Kings for herefie and apostasie hee proueth by examples of Kings whom the Pope hath curbed with deposition not for heresie but for matrimoniall causes for ciuill pretences and for lacke of capacitie Eleuenthly hee alledgeth euery where passages as well of holy Scripture as of the Fathers and moderne histories but so impertinent and with so little trewth as hereafter wee shall cause to appeare that for a man of his deepe learning and knowledge it seemeth not possible so to speake out of his iudgement Lastly whereas all this hath bene hudled and heaped together into one masse to currie with the Pope yet hee suffereth diuers points to fall from his lips which may well distast his Holinesse in the highest degree As by name where he prefers the authoritie of the Councill before that of the Pope and makes his iudgement inferiour to the iudgement of the French as in fit place hereafter shal be shewed Againe where he representeth to his hearers the decrees of Popes and Councils already passed concerning this noble subiect and yet affirmes that he doth not debate the question but as a Questionist and without resolution As if a Cardinal should be afraid to be positiue and to speake in peremptory straines after Popes and Councils haue once decided the Question Or as if a man should perorate vpon hazard in a cause for the honour whereof he would make no difficultie to suffer Martyrdome Adde hereunto that his Lordship hath alwayes taken the contrary part heretofore and this totall must needs arise that before the third Estate his lips looked one way and his conscience another All these points by the discourse which is to follow and by the ripping vp of his Oration which by Gods assistance J will vndertake tending to the reproch of Kings and the subuersion of kingdomes J confidently speake it shal be made manifest Yet doe J not conceiue it can any way make for my honour to enter the lists against a Cardinall For J am not ignorant how farre a Cardinals Hat commeth vnder the Crowne and Scepter of a King For well J wot vnto what sublimitie the Scripture hath exalted Kings when it styles them Gods Whereas the dignitie of a Cardinall is but a late vpstart inuention of man In the Preface to my Apologie as J haue elsewhere prooued But J haue imbarqued my selfe in this action mooued thereunto First by the common interest of Kings in the cause it selfe Then by the L. Cardinall who speaketh not in this Oration as a priuate person but as one representing the body of the Clergie and Nobilitie by whom the cause hath bene wonne and the garland borne away from the third Estate Againe by mine owne particular because he is pleased to take me vp for a sower of dissention and a persecutour vnder whom the Church is hardly able to fetch her breath yea for one by whom the Catholikes of my Kingdome are compelled to endure all sorts of punishments and withal he tearmes this Article of the third Estate a monster with a fishes taile that came swimming out of England Last of all by the present state of France because France being now reduced to so miserable tearmes that it is now become a crime for a Frenchman to stand for his King it is a necessary duetie of her neighbours to speake in her cause and to make triall whether they can put life into the trewth now dying and ready to be buried by the power of violence that it may resound and ring againe from remote regions J haue no purpose once to touch many prettie toyes which the ridges of his whole booke are sowen withall Such are his allegations of Pericles Agesilaus Aristotle Minos the Druides the French Ladies Hannibal Pindarus and Poeticall fables All resembling the red and blew flowers that pester the corne when it standeth in the fields where they are more noy some to the growing crop then beautifull to the beholding eye Such pettie matters nothing at all beseemed the dignitie of the Assembly and of the maine subiect or of the Orator himselfe For it was no Decorum to enter the Stage with a Pericles in his mouth but with the
to seeke out newe cities and to disconer newe nations ouer whom to beare Soueraigne sway and rule there had remained more enemies to the State then subiects and friends Cypr. cont Demetr Cyprian also against Demetrianus None of vs all howsoeuer we are a people mighty and without number haue made resistance against any of your vniust and wrongfull actions executed with all violence neither haue sought by rebellious armes or by any other sinister practises to crie quittance with you at any time for the righting of our selues Certaine it is that vnder Iulianus the whole Empire in a manner professed the Christian Religion yea that his Leiftenants and great Commanders as Iouinianus and Valentinianus by name professed Christ Which two Princes not long after attained to the Imperiall dignitie but might haue solicited the Pope sooner to degrade Iulianus from the Imperiall Throne For say that Iulians whole army had renounced the Christian Religion as the L. Cardinall against all shew and appearance of trewth would beare vs in hand and contrary to the generall voice of the said whole army making this profession with one consent when Iulian was dead Socr. lib 3. cap 19. Theod. lib. 4. cap. 1. Sozom. lib. 6. cap. 1. Wee are all Christians yet Italie then persisting in the faith of Christ and the army of Iulian then lying quartered in Persia the vtmost limit of the Empire to the East the Bishop of Rome had fit opporunitie to draw the sword of his authoritie if hee had then any such sword hanging at his Pontificall side to make Iulian feele the sharpe edge of his weapon and thereby to pull him downe from the stately pearch of the Romane Empire I say moreouer that by this generall and sudden profession of the whole Caesarian armie Wee are all Christians it is clearely testified that if his armie or souldiers were then addicted to Paganisme it was wrought by compulsion and cleane contrary to their setled perswasion before and then it followes that with greater patience they would haue borne the deposing of Iulian then if hee had suffered them to vse the libertie of their conscience To bee short in the matter S. Augustine makes all whole and by his testimony doth euince that Iulians armie perseuered in the faith of Christ August in Psal 124. The souldiers of Christ serued a Heathen Emperour But when the cause of Christ was called in question they acknowledged none but Christ in heauen When the Emperor would haue them to serue and to perfume his idols with frankincense they gaue obedience to God rather then to the Emperour After which words Page 82. the very same words alleadged by the L. Cardinall against himselfe doe follow They did then distinguish betweene the Lord Eternal and the Lord temporall neuerthelesse they were subiect vnto the Lord temporall for the Lord Eternall It was therefore to pay God his duetie of obedience and not for feare to incense the Emperour or to draw persecution vpon the Church as the L. Cardinal would make vs beleeue that Christians of the Primitiue Church and Bishops by their censures durst not anger and prouoke their Emperours But his Lordship by his coloured pretences doeth manifestly prouoke and stirre vp the people to rebellion so soone as they know their own strength to beare out a rebellious practise Whereupon it followes that in case their conspiracie shall take no good effect all the blame and fault must lie not in their disloyalty and treason but in the bad choice of their times for the best aduantage and in the want of taking a trew sight of their owne weakenesse Let stirring spirits be trained vp in such practicall precepts let desperate wits be seasoned with such rules of discipline and what need we or how can wee wonder they contriue Powder-conspiracies and practise the damnable art of parricides After Iulian his Lordship falles vpon Valentinian the younger who maintaining Arrianisme with great and open violence might haue bene deposed by the Christians from his Empire and yet say wee they neuer dream'd of any such practise Heere the L. Cardinall maketh answere Pag. 82. The Christians mooued with respect vnto the fresh memory both of the brother and father as also vnto the weake estate of the sonnes young yeeres abstained from all counsels and courses of sharper effect and operation To which answere I replie these are but friuolous coniectures deuised and framed to ticle his owne fancie For had Valentinianus the younger beene the sonne of an Arrian and had then also attained to threescore yeeres of aage they would neuer haue borne themselues in other fashion then they did towards their Emperour Then the Cardinall goeth on The people would not abandon the factious and seditious party but were so firme or obstinate rather for the faction that Valentinian for feare of the tumultuous vproares was constrained to giue way and was threatened by the souldiers that except hee would adhere vnto the Catholikes they would yeeld him no assistance nor stand for his partie Now this answere of the L. Cardinall makes nothing to the purpose concerning the Popes power to pull downe Kings from their stately nest Let vs take notice of his proper consequence Valentinian was afraid of the popular tumult at Milan the Pope therefore hath power to curbe Hereticall Kings by deposition Now marke what distance is betweene Rome and Milan what difference betweene the people of Milan and the Bishop of Rome betweene a popular tumult and a iudicatorie sentence betweene fact and right things done by the people or souldiers of Milan and things to be done according to right and law by the Bishop of Rome the same distance the same difference if not farre greater is betweene the L. Cardinals antecedent and his consequent betweene his reason and the maine cause or argument which we haue in hand The mad commotion of the people was not heere so much to bee regarded as the sad instruction of the Pastour of their good and godly Pastour S. Ambrose so farre from hartening the people of Milan to rebel that being Bishop of Milan he offered himselfe to suffer Martydome If the Emperour abuse his Imperiall authority for so Theodoret hath recited his words to tyrannize thereby heere am I ready to suffer death And what resistance he made against his L. Emperor was onely by way of supplication in these termes Wee beseech thee O Augustus as humble suppliants we offer no resistance we are not in feare but we flie to supplication Epist. lib. 5. Epist 33. Againe If my patrimony be your marke enter vpon my patrimony if my body I wil goe and meet my torments Shall I be drag'd to prison or to death Epist lib. 5. I will take delight in both Item in his Oration to Auxentius I can afflict my soule with sorrow I can lament I can send forth grieuous groanes My weapons against either of both souldiers or Goths are teares A Priest hath none
adiudged by the Councill of Constance to expresse damnation For in these words the L. Cardinall preferreth a bill of inditement to cast his Holinesse who vpon the commencing of the Leaguers warres in stead of giuing order for the publishing of the said Ecclesiasticall Lawes for the restraining of all parricidicall practises and attempts fell to the terrour of his fulminations which not long after were seconded and ratified by the most audatious and bloody murder of King Henry III. In like manner the whole Clergy of France are wrapped vp by the L. Cardinals words and inuolued in the perill of the said inditement For in stead of preaching the said Ecclesiasticall Lawes by which all King-killing is inhibited the Priests taught vented and published nothing but rebellion and when the people in great deuotion came to powre their confessions into the Priests eares then the Priests with a kind of counterbuffe in the second place when their turne was come and with greater deuotion powred blood into the eares of the people out of which roote grewe the terrour of those cruell warres and the horrible parricide of that good King But let vs here take some neere sight of these Ecclesiasticall Lawes whereby subiects are inhibited to kill or desperately to dispatch their Kings out of the way The Lord Cardinall for full payment of all scores vpon this reckoning layeth downe the credit of the Councill at Constance which neuerthelesse affoardeth not one myte of trew and currant payment The trewth of the history may bee taken from this briefe relation Iohn Duke of Burgundy procured Lewis Duke of Orleans to be murthered in Paris To iustifie and make good this bloody acte he produced a certaine petimaster one called by the name of Iohn Petit. This little Iohn caused nine propositions to be giuen foorth or set vp to bee discussed in the famous Vniuersitie of Paris The summe of all to this purpose It is lawfull iust and honourable for euery subiect or priuate person either by open force and violence or by deceit and secret lying in waite or by some wittie stratagem or by any other way of fact to kil a Tyrant practising against his King and other higher powers yea the King ought in reason to giue him a pension or stipend that hath killed any person disloyal to his Prince The words of Petits first proposition be these It is lawfull for euery subiect Gerson without any command or commission from the higher powers by all the Lawes of nature of man and of God himselfe to kill or cause to be killed any Tyrant who either by a couetous and greedie desire or by fraud by diuination vpon casting of Lots by double and treacherous dealing doeth plot or practise against his Kings corporall health or the health of his higher powers In the third proposition It is lawfull for euery subiect honourable and meritorious to kill the said Tyrant or cause him to be killed as a Traitor disloyall and trecherous to his King In the sixt proposition The King is to appoint a salarie and recompence for him that hath killed such a Tyrant or hath caused him to bee killed These propositions of Iohannes Paruus were condemned by the Councill of Constance as impious and tending to the scandall of the Church Now then whereas the said Councill no doubt vnderstood the name or word Tyrant in the same sense wherein it was taken by Iohannes Paruus certaine it is the Councill was not of any such iudgement or mind to condemne one that should kill a King or Soueraigne Prince but one that by treason and without commandement should kill a subiect rebelling and practising against his King For Iohn Petit had vndertaken to iustifie the making away of the Duke of Orleans to be a lawfull acte and calls that Dukea Tyrant albeit hee was no Soueraigne Prince as all the aboue recited words of Iohn Petit doe testifie that he speaketh of such a Tyrant as being in state of subiection rebelleth against his free and absolute Prince So that whosoeuer shall narrowly search and looke into the mind and meaning of the said Council shal easily perceiue that by their decrees the safetie of Kings was not confirmed but weakened not augmented but diminished for as much as they inhibited priuate persons to kill a Subiect attempting by wicked counsels and practises to make away his King But be it granted the Councill of Constance is flat and altogether direct against King-killers For I am not vnwilling to be perswaded that had the question then touched the murdering of Soueraigne Princes the said Councill would haue passed a sound and holy decree But I say this granted what sheild of defence is hereby reached to Kings to ward or beat off the thrust of a murderers weapon and to saue or secure their life seeing the L. Cardinall building vpon the subtile deuise and shift of the Iesuites hath taught vs out of their Schooles that by Kings are vnderstood Kings in esse not yet fallen from the supreame degree of Soueraigne Royaltie For being once deposed by the Pope say the Iesuites they are no longer Kings but are fallen from the rights of Soueraigne dignitie and consequently to make strip and wast of their blood is not forsooth to make strip and wast of Royall blood The Iesuiticall masters in the file of their words are so supple and so limber that by leauing still in their speech some starting hole or other they are able by the same as by a posterne or backdoore to make an escape Meane while the Readers are here to note for well they may a tricke of monstrous and most wicked cunning The L. Cardinall contends for the bridling and hampering of King-killers by the Lawes Ecclesiasticall Now it might be presumed that so reuerend and learned a Cardinal intending to make vse of Ecclesiasticall Lawes by vertue whereof the life of Kings may be secured would fill his mouth and garnish the point with diuine Oracles that wee might the more gladly and willingly giue him the hearing when hee speakes as one furnished with sufficient weight and authoritie of sacred Scripture But behold in stead of the authenticall and most ancient word hee propounds the decree of a lateborne Councill at Constance neither for the Popes tooth nor any way comming neere the point in controuersie And suppose it were pertinent vnto the purpose the L. Cardinall beareth in his hand a forke of distinction with two tines or teeth to beare off nay to shift off and to auoid the matter with meere dalliance The shortest and neerest way in some sort of respects to establish a false opinion is to charge or set vpon it with false and with ridiculous reasons The like way to worke the ouerthrow of trew doctrine is to rest or ground it vpon friuolous reasons or authorities of stubble-weight For example if we should thus argue for the immortalitie of the soule with Plato In Phaedone The swan singeth before her death ergo
the soule is immortall Or thus with certaine seduced Christians The Pope hath ordained the word of God to be authenticall ergo all credit must be giuen to diuine Scripture Vpon the spurkies or hookes of such ridiculous arguments and friuolous reasons the L. Cardinall hangs the life and safetie of Kings With like artificiall deuises hee pretendeth to haue the infamous murders and apposted cutting of Kings throats in extreame detestation and yet by deposing them from their Princely dignities by degrading them from their supreame and Soueraigne authorities hee brings their sacred heads to the butchers blocke For a King deposed by the Pope let no man doubt will not leaue any stone vnremooued nor any meanes and wayes vnattempted nor any forces or powers of men vnleuied or vnhired to defend himselfe and his Regall dignitie to represse and bring vnder his rebellious people by the Pope discharged of their alleagiance In this perplexitie of the publike affaires in these tempestuous perturbations of the State with what perils is the King not besieged and assaulted His head is exposed to the chances of warre his life a faire marke to the insidious practises of a thousand traitours his Royall person obuious to the dreadfull storme of angry fortune to the deadly malice to the fatall and mortall weapons of his enemies The reason He is presupposed to be lawfully and orderly stripped of his Kingdome Wil he yet hold the sterne of his Royall estate Then is he necessarily taken for a Tyrant reputed an vsurper and his life is exposed to the spoile For the publike lawes make it lawful and free for any priuate person to enterprise against an vsurper of the Kingdome Euery man saith Tertullian is a souldier In reos Maiestatis 〈◊〉 publâ—cos hostes omnis hom omiles est Tertul. apol cap. 2. to beare armes against all traitors and publike enemies Take from a King the title of lawfull King you take from him the warrant of his life and the weapons whereby he is maintained in greater securitie then by his Royall Guard armed with swords and halberds through whose wards and ranks a desperate villaine will make himselfe an easie passage being master of another mans life because he is prodigall and carelesse of his owne Such therefore as pretend so much pity towards Kings to abhorre the bloody opening of their liuer-veine and yet withall to approoue their hoysting out of the Royall dignity are iust in the veine and humour of those that say Let vs not kill the King but let vs disarme the King that he may die a violent death let vs not depriue him of life but of the meanes to defend his life let vs not strangle the King and stop his vitall breath so long as he remaineth King O that were impious O that were horrible and abominable but let him be deposed and then whosoeuer shall runne him through the body with a weapon vp to the very hilts shall not beare the guilt of a King-killer All this must be vnderstood to be spoken of Kings who after they are despoiled of Regalitie by sentence of deposition giuen by the Pope are able to arme themselues and by valiant armes doe defend their Soueraigne rights But in case the King blasted with Romane lightning and stricken with Papall thunder shall actually and speedily bee smitten downe from his high Throne of Regality with present losse of his Kingdome I beleeue it is almost impossible for him to warrant his owne life who was not able to warrant his owne Kingdome Let a cat be throwen from a high roofe to the bottome of a cellour or vault she lighteth on her feet and runneth away without taking any harme A King is not like a cat howsoeuer a cat may looke vpon a King he cannot fall from the loftie pinacle of Royalty to light on his feet vpon the hard pauement of a priuate state without crushing all his bones in pieces It hath bene the lot of very few Emperors and Kings to outliue their Empire For men ascend to the loftie Throne of Kings with a soft and easie pace by certaine steps and degrees there be no stately staires to come downe they tumble head and heeles together when they fall He that hath once griped anothers Kingdome thinks himselfe in little safetie so long as he shall of his courtesie suffer his disseised predecessour to draw his breath And say that some Princes after their fall from their Thrones haue escaped both point and edge of the Tyrants weapon yet haue they wandred like miserable fugitiues in forreine countreys or else haue bene condemned like captiues to perpetuall imprisonment at home a thousand-fold worse and more lamentable then death it selfe Dionysius the Tyrant of Syracusa from a great King in Sicilie tur'nd Schoolemaster in Corinth It was the onely calling and kind of life that as he thought bearing some resemblance of rule and gouernment might recreate his mind as an image or picture of his former Soueraigntie ouer men This Dionysius was the onely man to my knowledge that had a humour to laugh after the losse of a Kingdome and in the state of a Pedant or gouernour of children merily to ieast and to scorne his former state and condition of a King In this my Kingdome of England sundry Kings haue seene the walls as it were of their Princely fortresse dismantled razed and beaten downe By name Edward and Richard both II. and Henrie the VI. all which Kings were most cruelly murdered in prison In the reigne of Edward III. by Acte of Parliament Whosoeuer shall imagine that is the very word of the Statute or machinate the Kings death are declared guiltie of Rebellion and high Treason The learned Iudges of the Land grounding vpon this Law of Edward the third haue euer since reputed and iudged them traitors according to Law that haue dared onely to whisper or talke softly betweene the teeth of deposing the King For they count it a cleare case that no Crowne can be taken from a Kings head without losse of Head and Crowne together sooner or later The L. Cardinal therefore in this most weightie and serious point doth meerely dally and flowt after a sort Page 95. when hee tells vs The Church doeth not intermeddle with releasing of subiects and knocking off their yrons of obedience but onely before the Ecclesiasticall tribunall seat and that besides this double censure of absolution to subiects and excommunication to the Prince the Church imposeth none other penaltie Vnder pretence of which two censures so farre is the Church as the L. Cardinall pretendeth from consenting that any man so censured should bee touched for his life that she vtterly abborreth all murder whatsoeuer but especially all sudden and vnprepenced murders for feare of casting away both body and soule which often in sudden murders goe both one way It hath bene made manifest before that all such proscription and setting forth of Kings to port-sale hath alwaies for the traine thereof either some
generall and maine grounds the principall things that haue bene agitated in this Parliament and whereof I will now speake First the Arrand for which you were called by me And that was for supporting of my state and necessities The second is that which the people are to mooue vnto the King To represent vnto him such things whereby the Subiects are vexed or wherein the state of the Common wealth is to be redressed And that is the thing which you call grieuances The third ground that hath bene handled amongst you and not onely in talke amongst you in the Parliament but euen in many other peoples mouthes aswell within as without the Parliament is of a higher nature then any of the former though it be but an Incident and the reason is because it concernes a higher point And this is a doubt which hath bene in the heads of some of my Intention in two things First whether I was resolued in the generall to continue still my gouernment according to the ancient forme of this State and the Lawes of this Kingdome Or if I had an intention not to limit my selfe within those bounds but to alter the same when I thought conuenient by the absolute power of a King The other branch is anent the Common Law which some had a conceit I disliked and in respect that I was borne where another forme of Law was established that I would haue wished the Ciuill Law to haue bene put in place of the Common Law for gouernment of this people And the complaint made amongst you of a booke written by doctour Cowell was a part of the occasion of this incident But as touching my censure of that booke I made it already to bee deliuered vnto you by the Treasurer here sitting which he did out of my owne directions and notes and what he said in my name that had he directly from me But what hee spake of himselfe therein without my direction I shal alwayes make good for you may be sure I will be loth to make so honest a man a lyer or deceiue your expectations alwayes within very few dayes my Edict shall come forth anent that matter which shall fully discouer my meaning There was neuer any reason to mooue men to thinke that I could like of such grounds For there are two qualities principally or rather priuations that make Kings subiect to flatterie Credulitie and Ignorance and I hope none of them can bee iustly obiected to mee For if Alexander the great for all his learning had bene wise in that point to haue considered the state of his owne naturall body and disposition hee would neuer haue thought him selfe a god And now to the matter As it is a Christan duety in euery man Reddere rationem fidei and not to be ashamed to giue an account of his profession before men and Angels as oft as occasion shall require So did I euer hold it a necessitie of honour in a iust and wise King though not to giue an account to his people of his actions yet clearely to deliuer his heart and intention vnto them vpon euery occasion But I must inuert my order and begin first with that incident which was last in my diuision though highest of nature and so goe backward THe State of MONARCHIE is the supremest thing vpon earth For Kings are not onely GODS Lieutenants vpon earth and sit vpon GODS throne but euen by GOD himselfe they are called Gods There bee three principall similitudes that illustrate the state of MONARCHIE One taken out of the word of GOD and the two other out of the grounds of Policie and Philosophie In the Scriptures Kings are called Gods and so their power after a certaine relation compared to the Diuine power Kings are also compared to Fathers of families for a King is trewly Parens patriae the politique father of his people And lastly Kings are compared to the head of this Microcosme of the body of man Kings are iustly called Gods for that they exercise a manner or resemblance of Diuine power vpon earth For if you wil consider the Attributes to God you shall see how they agree in the person of a King God hath power to create or destroy make or vnmake at his pleasure to giue life or send death to iudge all and to bee iudged nor accomptable to none To raise low things and to make high things low at his pleasure and to God are both soule and body due And the like power haue Kings they make and vnmake their subiects they haue power of raising and casting downe of life and of death Iudges ouer all their subiects and in all causes and yet accomptable to none but God onely They haue power to exalt low things and abase high things and make of their subiects like men at the Chesse A pawne to take a Bishop or a Knight and to cry vp or downe any of their subiects as they do their money And to the King is due both the affection of the soule and the seruice of the body of his subiects And therefore that reuerend Bishop here amongst you though I heare that by diuers he was mistaken or not wel vnderstood yet did he preach both learnedly and trewly annent this point concerning the power of a King For what he spake of a Kings power in Abstracto is most trew in Diuinitie For to Emperors or Kings that are Monarches their Subiects bodies goods are due for their defence and maintenance But if I had bene in his place I would only haue added two words which would haue cleared all For after I had told as a Diuine what was due by the Subiects to their Kings in general I would then haue concluded as an Englishman shewing this people That as in generall all Subiects were bound to relieue their King So to exhort them that as wee liued in a setled state of a Kingdome which was gouerned by his owne fundamentall Lawes and Orders that according thereunto they were now being assembled for this purpose in Parliament to consider how to helpe such a King as now they had And that according to the ancient forme and order established in this Kingdome putting so a difference betweene the generall power of a King in Diuinity and the setled and established State of this Crowne and Kingdome And I am sure that the Bishop meant to haue done the same if hee had not bene straited by time which in respect of the greatnesse of the presence preaching before me and such an Auditory he durst not presume vpon As for the Father of a familie they had of olde vnder the Law of Nature Patriam potestatem which was Potestatem vitae necis ouer their children or familie I meane such Fathers of families as were the lineall heires of those families whereof Kings did originally come For Kings had their first originall from them who planted and spread themselues in Colonies through the world Now a Father may dispose of his
as ye haue heard For that is the office properly belonging to God and besides that the soule once parting from the body cannot wander any longer in the world but to the owne resting place must it goe immediately abiding the coniunction of the body againe at the latter day And what Christ or the Prophets did miraculously in this case it can in no Christian mans opinion be made common with the diuel As for any tokens that they giue for prouing of this it is very possible to the diuels craft to perswade them to these meanes for he being a spirit may he not so rauish their thoughts and dull their senses that their body lying as dead he may obiect to their spirits as it were in a dreame and as the Poets write of Morpheus represent such formes of persons of places and other circumstances as he pleases to illude them with Yea that he may deceiue them with the greater efficacie may he not at that same instant by fellow angels of his illude such other persons so in that same fashion whom-with hee makes them to beleeue that they mette that all their reports and tokens though seuerally examined may euery one agree with another And that whatsoeuer actions either in hurting men or beasts or whatsoeuer other thing that they falsly imagine at that time to haue done may by himselfe or his marrowes at that same time be done indeed so as if they would giue for a token of their being rauished at the death of such a person within so short space thereafter whom they beleeue to haue poisoned or witched at that instant might he not at that same houre haue smitten that same person by the permission of GOD to the farther deceiuing of them and to mooue others to beleeue them And this is surely the likelyest way and most according to reason which my iudgement can finde out in this and whatsoeuer other vnnaturall points of their confession And by these meanes shall we saile surely betwixt Charybdis and Scylla in eschewing the not beleeuing of them altogether on the one part lest that draw vs to the errour that there is no Witches and on the other part in beleeuing of it make vs to eschew the falling into innumerable absurdities both monstrously against all Theologie diuine and Philosophie humane CHAP. V. ARGV Witches actions towards others Why there are more women of that craft then men What things are possible to them to effectuate by the power of their master The reasons thereof What is the surest remedy of the harmes done by them PHILOMATHES FOrsooth your opinion in this seemes to cary most reason with it and since ye haue ended then the actions belonging properly to their owne persons say forward now to their actions vsed towards others EPI In their actions vsed towards others three things ought to be considered First the maner of their consulting thereupon Next their part as instruments And last their masters part who puts the same in execution As to their consultations thereupon they vse them oftest in the Churches where they conueene for adoring at what time their master enquiring at them what they would be at euery one of them propones vnto him what wicked turne they would haue done either for obtaining of riches or for reuenging them vpon any whom they haue malice at who granting their demaund as no doubt willingly he will since it is to doe euill hee teacheth them the meanes whereby they may doe the same As for little trifling turnes that women haue adoe with he causeth them to ioynt dead corpses and to make powders thereof mixing such other things there amongst as he giues vnto them PHI. But before ye goe further permit me I pray you to interrupt you one word which ye haue put me in memorie of by speaking of Women What can be the cause that there are twentie women giuen to that craft where there is one man EPI The reason is easie for as that sexe is frailer then man is so is it easier to be intrapped in these grosse snares of the diuell as was ouer-well prooued to be trew by the Serpents deceiuing of Eua at the beginning which makes him the homelier with that sexe sensine PHI. Returne now where ye left EPI To some others at these times he teacheth how to make pictures of waxe or clay that by the roasting thereof the persons that they beare the name of may be continually melted or dried away by continuall sickenesse To some he giues such stones or ponders as will helpe to cure or cast on diseases And to some hee teacheth kindes of vncouth poysons which Mediciners vnderstand not for he is farre cunninger then man in the knowledge of all the occult proprieties of nature not that any of these meanes which he teacheth them except the poysons which are composed of things naturall can of themselues helpe any thing to these turnes that they are employed in but onely being GODS ape as well in that as in all other things Euen as God by his Sacraments which are earthly of themselues workes a heauenly effect though no wayes by any cooperation in them And as Christ by clay and spettle wrought together Iohn 9. opened the eyes of the blinde man suppose there was no vertue in that which he outwardly applied so the diuel will haue his outward meanes to be shewes as it were of his doing which hath no part or cooperation in his turnes with him how farre that euer the ignorants be abused in the contrarie And as to the effects of these two former parts to wit the consultations and the outward meanes they are so wonderfull as I dare not alleadge any of them without ioyning a sufficient reason of the possibilitie thereof For leauing all the small trifles among wiues and to speake of the principall points of their craft for the common trifles thereof they can doe without conuerting well enough by themselues these principall points I say are these They can make men or women to loue or hate other which may be very possible to the diuel to effectuate seeing he being a subtile spirit knowes well enough how to perswade the corrupted affection of them whom God wil permit him so to deale with They can lay the sicknesse of one vpon another which likewise is very possible vnto him For since by Gods permission he laide sickenesse vpon Iob why may he not farre easilier lay it vpon any other For as an old practitian hee knowes well enough what humour domines most in any of vs and as a spirit he can subtillie waken vp the same making it peccant or to abound as hee thinkes meet for troubling of vs when God will so permit him And for the taking off of it no doubt he will be glad to relieue such of present paine as he may thinke by these meanes to perswade to be catched in his euerlasting snares and fetters They can bewitch and take the life of men or women by roasting