Christes witnesses shuld very wel vnderstand that both the Law the Prophets do bear record vnto our Sauiour Chryst that he shuld die for the world come again in the latter day to raise vp the dead bodies to glorifie them to carrie theÌ„ with him into eternal blisse And for this cause God wold haue these two excellent Prophets séene of the Apostles Lazarus soule did not only appeare but he came againe both in bodie soule as Iohn witnesseth in his 11. chap. he is as it were a sure token of our true resurrection which shall be in the last day as also others which our Sauiour Christ the Apostles in auncient time the Prophets haue raysed from the dead You shal neuer read that either Lazarus or any other haue told wher they were while they were deade or what kynde of being there is in the other world for these things are not to be learned and knowen of the dead but out of the word of God. The like may be said to that which is in the 27. chap. of S. Matthew that when Christ suffered on the Crosse the graues wer opened afterwards on the day of his resurrection many dead bodies did arise appeared to many at Hierusalem The soules of the dead did not only appeare neither did they warne the liuing or coÌ„maund them to do this or that for the deads sake to wit either to pray for theÌ„ or to go on pilgrimage to saints c. But the dead with their souls bodies togither came into the earth for héerby god would shew that he by his death hath ouercom destroyed death to the faithful that at the last day their soules bodies shall be knit togither and liue with God for euer Now what thâ—se holy men were that rose again whether they remained any time in this present life or died again or went with Christ into heauen loke the iudgement of S. Augustine in his .99 Epist. to Euodius his 3. booke De mirabilibus scrip ca. 13. To these we may ioyn that which Ruffinus writeth in his ecclesiastical historie .1 boke 5. chap. and which Socrates repeteth in his first boke 12. chap. touching Spiridion byshop of Cyprus He had a daughter called Irene with whoÌ„ a certaine friend of hirs left gorgeous apparel she being more wary than néeded hyd it in the ground within a while died Not long after coÌ„meth this man that owed the apparel hearing say the maideÌ„ was dead goeth to hir father whom somtimes he accuseth somtimes intreateth The old father supposing this maÌ„s losse to be his own calamitie coÌ„meth to his daughters graue ther calleth vpoÌ„ god beseching him that he would shew him before the time the resurrection which is promised And his hope was in vaine for the virgin being reuiued apeared to hir father shewed the place wher she had hid the aparel so departed again I will not deny this thing to be true For the like historie hath Augustine in his 137. epist. A certain yong man which had an euil name accused Boniface Augustines priest that he inticed him to filthinesse Now wheÌ„ the matter could neither be proued nor disproued by sufficient resons both of them were bid to goe to the graue of one Felix a Martyr that by a miracle the truth might be known They had not bin sent vnlesse before this time also some secrete matters had bin knowne by this meanes it may be well answeared that they were good or rather euill Angels which did appeare CHAP. XI VVhether the holy Apostles thought they savve a mans Soule vvhen Chryst sodenly appeared vnto them after his Resurrection WE reade in the 24. Chapter of S. Lukes Gospell that two Disciples which returned from Emaus to Hierusalem tolde the Apostles that they had séene Chryst aliue againe and whyles they yet spake the Lord stoode in the myddest of them and sayd vnto them peace be vnto you but they being amased and afrayd thought they sawe a spirit c. Out of this some go about to proue that the Apostles beléeued that spirits or soules did walke and appeare vnto men and that they themselues did thinke they sawe the spirite of Chryst as certaine of the olde Wryters doe expounde it or else some other mannes spirit This Argument may be answered two wayes First if they thought they sawe a Soule they thought a mysse But they were no lesse deceyued with the common sorte nowe than when they thought Chryst would rayse vppe an outward and earthly kingdome in which they shoulde be chiefe Secondly it may be that they supposed they sawe an euil or good Angell for there are more kyndes of spirites than one There is a spirit that created al thyngs to wit God the Father the Sonne and the Holie Ghost Agayne there be spirites that be created as good and euill Angels as also the soules of men which eyther are in the body or by death seuered from the body and abyde either in euerlasting lyfe or in eternal damnation As touching the state of Soules in Purgatorie where they are prepared to the Heauenly iourney and of Limbus puerorum there is nothing extant in holie Scripture It is manifest in scripture that God appeared vnto the holy patriarches to the prophets to kings and others in diuers visions and formes and that he shewed hym selfe vnto them and spake with them Iacob sawe a ladder reache from the earth vp to Heauen and God leaning on it Isaias sawe the Lord sitting vppon an high throne Daniell sawe an olde maÌ„ sitting and his sonne comming vnto him and receyuing all power of him TertulliaÌ„ and other holy fathers do teache that the sonne of God which at the appointed time shoulde take vppon him humaine fleshe didde appeare vnto the Patriarches in an angelicall shape When Iohn Baptist did baptise our sauioure in Iordan the Holy ghost was séene in the shape of a doue The holy scriptures in many places do testifie that good Angells haue oftentimes appeared to Gods ministers That euill spirits are often séene and that at this day they shewe themselues in diuers formes to inchaunters and coniurers and to other men also as well godly as wicked both histories and daily experience doth witnesse Truely we reade not that soules haue appered on this fashion By these we may easly gather that the Apostles when they thought they sawe a spirit did not beléeue they sawe a soule Could they not thinke I pray you they sawe an euill spirit Or rather that they sawe a good spirit or a good angel For it may be shewed by many examples that euen the faithfull haue bin troubled and feared at the appearing of good Angels In the eyght and tenth chapter of Daniel we read that the Prophet fel into a sicknesse at the sight of Angels The virgin Mary hirselfe was afrayde when she sawe the Angell Gabriel So was Zachary the priest
what he desireth so that hereby thou mayst be honored he comforted and thy faithfull people also holpen and succored In the name of the father the sonne and the holy ghost Amen Yet do they teache that a man may choose to vse this or some other forme of prayer and ceremonies bicause that without these spirites haue often appeared shewed what they required This doon we shold as they teach fall to questioning with them and say Thou spirite we beséech thée by Christ Iesus tell vs what thou art and if there be any amongst vs to whom thou wouldest gladly make answere name him or by some signe declare so much After this the question is to be moued eche man there presente being recited whether he wold aunswere vnto this or that man And if at the name of any hée speake or make a noyse al other demaunds remayning should be made vnto him As these and suche lyke What mans soule he is for what cause he is come and what he doth desire Whether he require any ayde by prayers and suffrages Whether by Massing or almes giuing he may be released Farther by how many Masses that may be compassed by iij. vj.x.xx.xxx c. Furthermore what maner of priests should say Masse for him Monks or secular Priests Then if he aske for any Fasting by what persons howe long and in what sorte he woulde haue it doone If he require almes déedes what almes déedes they should be how many and on what persons bestowed whether on him that lacketh harbour or that is diseased of the leprosie or on some other sort of people Furthermore by what signe it may be perfectly known that he is released and for what cause he was firste shut vp in Purgatorie And yet they hold that no curious vnprofitable or superstitious questiōs shold be demaūded of the spirit except he wold of his own accord reuele open them And that it wer best that sober persons shold thus questiō with him on som holyday before diner or in the night seson as is cōmōly accustomed And if the spirite will shewe no signe at that tyme the matter should be deferred vnto some other season vntill the spirite woulde shewe hymselfe agayne and yet that the crosse and holy water should be left there for that by the secret iudgement of God it was ordeyned that they shold appeare at certeine houres and to certeine persons and not vnto all men And farther they say that we néede not to feare that the spirit would do any bodily hurte vnto that persone vnto whome it doth appeare For if such a spirit would hurte any he might iustlie be suspected that he were no good spirit Moreouer popishe writers teache vs to discerne good spirits from euill by foure meanes First they say that if he be a good spirit he will at the beginning somewhat terrifie men but againe soone reuiue and comforte them So Gabriel with comfortable words did lifte vp the blessed virgin which before was sore troubled by this salutation They also alleage other examples Their second note is to discry them by their outward and visible shape For if they appeare vnder the forme of a Lyon beare dog tode serpent catte or blacke ghoste it may easly be gathered that it is an euill spirit And that on the other side good spirits do appeare vnder the shape of a doue a man a lambe or in the brightnesse and clere light of the sunne We must also consider whether the voice whiche we heare be swéete lowly sober sorowfull or otherwise terrible and full of reproch for so they terme it Thirdly we must note whether the spirit teache ought that doth varie from the doctrine of the apostles and other doctoures approued by the Churches censure or whether he vtter any thing that dothe dissent from the faith good maners and ceremonies of the church according to the canonicall rites or decrées of councels against the lawes of the holy Church of Rome Fourthly we must take diligent héede whether in hys words déeds and gestures he do shew forth any humilitie acknowledging or confessing of his sinnes punishments or whether we heare of him any groning wéeping complaint boasting threatning slaunder or blasphemie For as the begger doth reherse his owne miserie so likewyse doo good spirits that desire any helpe or deliuerance Other signes also they haue to trie the good angels from the bad but these are the chéefe Now touching the suffrages or ways of succour wherby soules are dispatched out of Purgatorie Popishe doctours appoynt foure meanes That is the healthfull offering of the sacrifice in the sacrament of the aultar almose giuing prayer fasting And vnder these membres they comprise al other as vowed pilgrimages visiting of churches helping of the poore and the furthering of Gods worship and glorie c. But aboue all they extoll their masse as a thing of greatest force to redéeme soules out of miserie of whose wonderfull effect and of the rest euen nowe recited by vs they alleage many straunge examples Of these things they moue many questions the whiche who so lust to sée let him search their bookes whiche haue bin written and published of this matter Neither only in their writings but in open pulpit also they haue taught how excellent and noble an acte it is for men touched with compassion with these foresaid works to ridde the soule that appeareth vnto them and craueth their help out of the payns of purgatorie or if they cannot so do yet to ease and assuage their torture For say they the soules after their deliuerance ceasse not in moste earnest maner to pray for their benefactors and helpers On the other side they teach that it is an horrible and heynous offence if a man giue no succoure to suche as séeke it at his hands especially if it be the soule of his parents brethren and sisters For except by them they mighte conueniently be released of so manyfolde miseries they woulde not so earnestly craue their helpe Wherefore say they no man should be so voyde of naturall affection so cruell and outragious that he should at any tyme denie to bestow some small wealth to benefite those by whome hée hath before by diuers and sundry wayes ben pleasured If they were not the soules of the deade whiche craue helpe and succour but diuelishe spirites they woulde not will them to pray fast or giue almes for their sakes for that the diuels doo hate those as also al other good works CHAP. III. VVhat hath follovved this doctrine of the Papists concerning the appearing of mens soules BY these meanes it came to passe that the common sorte were of opinion that those spirites which were séene and heard were the soules of the dead and that whatsoeuer they did say was withoute gaynsaying to be beléeued And so the true simple and sincere doctrine of the calling vpon God in the name of Christe Iesus only of the confidence in Christes merites and redemption
those that are departed from this lyfe in the true faith of the Messias to come in suche sort that they feele no gréefe but yet are depriued of the sight of god This place they call Abrahams bosom and hell for Hell doth not always betoken a place of tormente but also generally the state that soules are in after this lyfe And that our lord Iesus Christ did visite and release them and when he ascended caried them with himselfe into heauen Albeit certain of the fathers as Ireneus Tertullian Hilarie others think that they shal at the last day ascend to heaueÌ„ Some also there be of our tyme which maintaine this fonde opinion that the soules sléep vntil the day of the last iudgement in which they shal be again coupled with their bodies but this assertion hath no grouÌ„d in holy scripture of the which point diuers haue entreated But especially Iohn Caluin that worthy seruaunt of God in a proper treatise that hée wrote of the same matter in which he doth learnedly confute their reasons that maintein the contrary opinion Wherfore sith holy scriptures as the Fathers vnderstand interprete them teache that the soules of men as soone as they departe from the bodies do ascende vp into heauen if they were godly descende into hell if they were wicked and faithlesse and that there is no thirde place in which soules should be deliuered as it were out of prison that soules caÌ„ neither â—e reclaimed out of heauen or hell Hereby it is made euident that they caÌ„not wander on the earth desire aide of meÌ„ For first the soules of the blyssed néed no aide or help y men caÌ„ giue them on the other side the damned sort can no way be releued the which S. Ciprian the martir in his oration against DemetriaÌ„ dothe plainly witnesse in these words wheÌ„ we be once departed out of this world ther is afterward no place left for repeÌ„taÌ„ce no way to make satisfactioÌ„ here life is either woon or lost so forth Albeit the testimonies alredy alleged on this point of doctrin may wel suffise those that loue the truth are desirous to come to the knowledge therof yet to increase the nuÌ„ber I wil recite other testimonies also out of the fathers to proue manifestly that the soules departed do not again return wander on the earth so that all they which haue not yet stopped their cares that the truth myght not pierce enter into them may euideÌ„tly perceiue that those ancient tymes taught a far better doctrine of those spirits ghosts than other later tymes vnder poperiâ— haue coÌ„mended allowed Tertullian a very auncient writer in the end of his booke De anima sayth the soules do not any longer abide on the earth after they be once loosed from their bodies that neither by their own accord nor other mens coÌ„mandement they do waÌ„der at all after they haue descended into hel but he sayth that euil spirits do vse this kinde of deceyt to fayne themselues to be the soules of suche as are deceassed And that Hell is not open to any soule that it should afterward at any time depart thence Christ our Lord in the parable of the poore man that was in rest and the riche glutton that was in torment doth playnely ratifie vnder the person of Abraham that there can be no maÌ„ sent back to shew or tel ought of the state of hell And albeit the fathers haue noted certain errors and scapes in Tertullian yet ther was neuer any that reproued him for this opinion Athanasius in his booke of questioÌ„s the .xiij. question doth giue a reason wherfore God wil not suffer y any soul decessed shuld return vnto vs declare what the state of things is in hel what great misery is there hereby saith he many errors wold easily spring vp among vs for many diuels might so take on them the shape of men be traÌ„sformed into the likenesse of the dead say that they arose froÌ„ the dead and so publish many lying tales false opinions of things there don therby to seduce and hurt vs Weigh these words of Athanasius I pray thée Sainct Chrysostome in his nynetéenth Homilie on the eight chapter of sainct Mathews Gospell hath in maner the same woordes for hée moueth thys question Why suche as were possessed with Spirites lyued in graues Therefore sayeth he they abode there to put this false opinion in mens heads that those persons soules whyche by violent death departed were turned into Dyuels so dyd seruice vnto witches and soothsayers The which opinion the diuell first broughte in thereby to diminishe the Martyrs prayse and glorie that so the Sorcerers mighte â—lea those persons whose wicked trauell help they vsed those matters saith he ar far from truth For he proueth by the Scripture that the spirites of the godly are not vnder the power of the Diuels nor yet do stray abroade after deathe then that they woulde retourne vnto theyr owne bodyes if they myghte wander whether they lusted And further if they dydde any seruice too theyr Murderers by that meanes they should at their handes receyue a reward for an yll déede and displeasure By natural reason also it can not come to passe that a maÌ„s body should be turned into an other body and therfore also the spirite of a man can not be chaunged into a deuill But among other things which proprely belong to our purpose he sayth If we heare a noyse that sayth I am suche a soule we muste thus thinke that thys talke procedeth of some sleight and subtiltie of the deuill and that it is not the soule of the dead body that speketh these things but the Deuill that deuiseth them to deceyue the hearers And by and by he sayeth that these are to be counted olde wiues words or rather doting fooles toyes to mocke children withall For the soule when it is parted from the body cannot walke any longer in these parties For the soules of the iust are in the hands of god And on the other side the soules of the wicked after their departure hence are straightway lead aside and withdrawne froÌ„ vs which may euidently be séene by Lazarus the rich man And in another place also the Lorde sayth This day will they take thy soule from thée wherefore the soule cannot here wander when it is departed from the body A little afterwarde he addeth that it may be proued out of many places of scripture that the soules of the iust doo not here wander after death For Steuen saide Lorde receiue my Spirit and Paule desired to be loosed and to departe hence and to be with Christ. Also the scripture as touching the patriarks death vseth this phrase he is layde vnto his fathers growen vp vnto a good olde age And that the soules of sinners and wicked men cannot after their departure here abide any longer we may
they alledge this that Christs apostles beleued that the spirit or soule either of Christ as some of the fathers vnderstand it or of some other person did appere vnto thē Besides to proue this matter they alledge places out of the fathers decrées of councels the cōmon report that hath ben bruted of those that returned frō the dead To al these resons by Gods assistance we will briefly and orderly answere As touching y first obiection that al things are possible vnto God we denie it not We graunt then that God can bring soules out of heauen or hel vse their trauaile seruice to instruct cōfort admonish rebuke men But for that no text or example is found in holy scripture that euer any soules came from the dead which did so scoole warn men or that the faithful learned or sought to vnderstande any thing of the soules deceassed we cānot allow the sequele of their reason We may not of gods almightie power inferre cōclusions to our plesure For this is a principle holdē in scholes that the reson doth not truly folow that is set frō the power of doing to the dead done For God doth nothing against himself or his word writē to warrāt their reson they shold first haue proued that it was gods wil y soules shold return into the erth for so do holy fathers intreat of gods almighty power Tertulliā against Praxias saith Truly I neuer thought that any thing was hard to be done of God we may faine of God what wée liste as if he had done the same bicause he is able to doo it But we must not beléeue that God hathe therefore done all things because he is able to doo them But first we ought to make inquirie whether he hath done them S. Ambrose in his sixte booke of epistles and 37. epistle writeth vnto Cromatius in this wise Therefore what is there vnpossible vnto him Not that thing whiche is hard to his power but that which is contrary to his nature It is vnpossible for him to lye and this impossibilite in hym procedeth not of infirmitie but of vertue and maiestie For truth receyueth no lye neither doth the vertue of God enterteine the vanitie of errour Reade farther that whiche followeth in the same place Hierom writing to Eustochia of the preseruing of hir virginitie saith I will boldly auouch this one thing that though God can do all things yet can he not restore a virgin after hir fall Augustine in the tenth chapter of his fifth booke De ciuitate dei hath That God is saide to be omnipotent in doing that he will and not in doing that he will not Againe he addeth Gods power is not herby any whit diminished when we say that god cannot die or be deceyued And immediatly therefore he cannot do some things bycause he is omnipotent c. Thodoret also teacheth vs that it may not absolutely without exception be pronounced that all things are possible vnto god For who so doth precisely affirme thys dothe in effecte say this muche that all things both good and bad are possible vnto God c. Wherefore féeble is that obiection of theirs God can sende soules vnto men to teache and admonish them therefore these spirits that praye ayde be soules that come out of Heauen or Hell. In the meane time we do not denie the power of God as some do maliciously report of vs but we wold not haue the same made a denne or couert of errours Heare what the Lorde our God in the .18 of Deuteronomie speaketh When thou shalte come into the lande whiche the Lorde thy God giueth thée doo not thou learne to doo after their abhominable rites and vsages of those nations Let none bée founde among you that maketh hys sonne or his daughter to passe through the fire nor a diuiner that dooth forshew things to come nor a Sorcerer nor a witche nor a charmer nor one that consulteth with spirits nor an inchanter nor a Magitian nor one that raiseth vp the dead For the Lorde dothe abhorre all that doo such things and bicause of these abhominations the Lord thy God hath caste them out before thée Be thou therfore sound and perfecte before the Lorde thy God and by and by he promiseth to send them that great Prophet whome they shoulde heare In the .viij. of Esay it is written If they say vnto you inquire of them which haue a spirite of diuination whiche whisper and murmure softely in youre eares to deceyue you Should not euery people or nation enquire at their God what shall they go from the liuing to the dead Let them goe vnto the lawes testimonie suche as haue no light should they not speake according to this word which who so should contemne shal be hardened and hunger c. Héereby we do vnderstand that vnder a greate penaltie God hath precisely forbidden that we shoulde learne and searche out any thing of the dead He alone woulde be taken for our sufficient schoolemaster In the Gospell wée read They haue Moses and the Prophets let them heare them Unto these may be added testimonies out of the Apostles writings that God doth not send vs soules hither to informe vs The common and ordinarie way whereby it pleaseth God to deale with vs is his word Therwithal should we content our selues and not wayte for newe reuelations or receyue any thing that dooth not in all pointes agrée therwith But as touching this matter we wil speake more in his proper place CHAP. VII That the true Samuell did not appeare to the vvytche in Endor NOwe touching the examples by them commonly alleaged whiche do thinke that the soules of the dead do return again vnto the liuing vpon the earth I wil first intreat of Samuels apparition of which matter now adayes there is greate contention and reasoning And as I trust I shal proue by strong argumentes that very Samuell himselfe did not appeare in soule and body neither that his body was raised vp by the sorcerers which perchaunce then was rotten consumed vnto dust in the earth neither that his soule was called vp but rather some diuelish spirite First the author of the two bookes of Samuel sayeth that Saule did aske counsell of the Lord that he would not answer him neither by visions nor by Urim nor by his Prophets Wherfore if God disdayned by his Prophetes yet liuing and other ordinarie wayes to giue answer vnto him whom he had alredy reiected we may easily coniecture that he would much lesse haue raysed a dead prophet to make him answer And the rather for that as we haue a little before sayde the law of God hathe seuerely by a greate threatening forbidden to learne oughte of the deade and woulde not haue vs to searche for the truth of them nor that any manne should vse dyuination by spyrites and suche other diuelyshe Artes. Secondly yf very Samuell in deede appeared that muste
and knowe the truth c. By the woorde spirite are vnderstoode false teachers whiche vaunt themselues of the spirite of God But what cause is there why it maye not be vnderstoode of suche wandring spirites whiche haue induced men to take in hande many things In the seconde Epistle to the Thessalonians and the seconde Chapter when certayne affirmed the latter daye to be presente at hande Paule foretelleth them that there shall be a defection and that Antichrist shall first come saying Nowe we beséech you brethren by the comming of our Lorde Iesus Chryste by our assembling vnto hym that yée be not sodenly moued from your intent nor troubled neyther by spirite nor by word nor by letter as it were from vs as though the day of Christ were at hande Let no man deceyue you by any meanes c. Which wordes truely in my iudgement may also be verie aptly vnderstood of those wandering spirits Saint Iohn sayth in hys first Epistle and fourth chapter Dearly béeloued beléeue not euery spirit but trie the spirits whether they are of God for many false Prophetes are gone out into the world Héereby shall yée knowe the spirit of god Euery spirit that cōfesseth that Iesus Christ is come in the flesh is of God and euery spirite whiche confesseth not that Iesus Chryst is come in the flesh is not of god c. Héere he speaketh not of spirites which falsly affirme themselues to be mens soules but of those teachers whiche boaste of themselues that they haue the spirite of god But in case we must not beléeue them being aliue much lesse ought we to credite them when they are dead And albeit that neyther Chryste nor hys Apostles had so diligently giuen vs warning not to suffer our selues to be seduced with myracles and with the talke of spirites yet notwithstanding dayly experience teacheth vs to be circumspect and warie in these cases For as soone as false teachers sée that they haue no testimonie of Scripture to defende themselues withall by and by they turne themselues to spirits and visions whereby they may confirme their Doctrine which thing hath opened a large window to many erroures To what inconuenience Ambition couetounesse enuie hath brought many of the clergie it is both well knowne by many examples and it hath also as it were by the waye béene before declared Haue not the orders of Monkes striued amongest themselues for the preheminence haue not they inuented newe miracles haue they not counterfeited Gods Pilgrimages Saintes spirits The holy Uirgin is a famouse notable exāple that we shuld not rashly beléeue euery spirit For at what time the Angel Gabriel apeared vnto hir in a visible shape saluted hir shewing hir before of the Incarnation of the Sonne of God she thought with hir selfe what maner of salutation that shuld be how this thing could come to passe séeing she had knowen no man Then at the last being enfourmed of the means by the Angel she sayd Behold the handmayde of the Lorde be it vnto me according to thy word Why then should we beléeue euery spirite especially those which teach things quite contrarie to the word of God. CHAP. IX After vvhat sorte the faithfull in the primitiue Churche vsed themselues vvhen they mette vvith spirites I Haue declared out of the word of God how good and godly men ought to behaue themselues when soeuer any spirites appeare vnto thē And truely the auncient Christians behaued themselues after this sorte For they were couragious without feare they gaue themselues to godlynesse and all good workes they diligently auoyded all things which were displeasing vnto God and they were also verie circumspect not to attribute too much vnto spirites and visions It was a cōmon custome amongst thē to blesse themselues with the signe of the Crosse when they met with these things which many also vse at this day Tertullian writeth in his booke De corona militis that the auncient Christians did many times marke their foreheades with the signe of the Crosse. S. Hierom exhorteth Demetriades that he often crosse his foreheade least that the destroyer of Egipt finde any place therein Origen also Epiphanius Chrisostome and Augustine write many things of the vertue of the holie Crosse. S. Athanasius writeth in hys booke de Humanitate verbi eiusque corporali aduentu fol. 67. In times past sayth he the deuils by vaine shewes and mockerie ensnared men abiding somtimes in wels somtime in ryuers in stones and woods and so by craftie deceytes brought vnwise men into sottishnesse But nowe since Gods worde hath appeared vnto vs suche sightes and vaine fantasies haue surceased Fol. 56. and .72 and in other places also he handleth the same matter Lanctantius writeth of the same in his fourth boke Diuinarum Institutionum 26. chapter and also thorowout the 27. Chapter He saythe that the deuill can haue no accesse vnto those nor any wayes hurte them whiche signe their foreheades with the crosse He addeth moreouer that the Christians vsed this ceremonie in olde time in casting out deuils and healing diseases Not for that they ascribed such efficacie and force to the externall signe of the crosse for that were supersticious but vnto the crosse that is to the merytes of Chryste whose worthinesse and excellencie they called withall to their remembrance Touching the holy Apostles or Apostolike Churches we reade not that they euer vsed the signe of the crosse in expelling deuils in curing diseases or in any other thing God spared the Iewes in Egipt whiche marked the doore postes with the bloude of the Lambe not that Lambes bloude is able to deliuer men from death but it was a figure of the bloud and passion of Christ Iesus And the Iewes sprinkled not bloud of their owne good deuotion as they terme it but by the commaūdement of god The holy fathers by the ceremonie that they signed themselues wyth the crosse mente to testifie their confidence in the crosse that is in the deth of Christ Iesus which abandoneth all euill and mischiefe The deuill neuer a whit feareth the crosse wherewith we signe our selues nor yet those pieces fragmentes of Christes crosse which are shewed for reliques but he trembleth at the power and force of Chrystes death by the whiche he was conquered and ouerthrowen If any man attribute too muche vnto ceremonies he cannot be excused from supersticion which worthily deserueth blame We read more in the auncient wryters that they vsed exorcismes or coniurations in the primatiu◠Churche against Deuils You may read in Tertullian in his booke De anima that vncleane spirites haue often times deceyued men haue taken on them the persones of others and haue fayned themselues to be the soules of dead men that men should not beléeue that all soules descended into Hell what is to be vnderstood by the worde Hell I haue shewed before and so to bring the beleefe of the latter Iudgemente
last reade least .102.27 for other in reade other name in .103.7 for made full reade made not ful â–ª 128.30 for certifie reade terrifie .130.31 for beate reade chyde .132.1 for ended reade in déede .136.16 for this is that is reade that is this is .143.33 for Delphis reade â—i Delphis .147.24 for was in vayne reade was not in vayne 1â—2.15 for haue lent reade lent .153.7 for late reade later .185 â–ª 14. for prouerb sayth reade prouerb sayth burnt childe dreads fire ¶ To the right excellent and moste wise and vertuous lorde Iohn Steigerus CoÌ„sul of the noble coÌ„mon welth of Berna his good lorde and patron Lewâ—s Lauaterus of Tigurin wisheth health MAny and diuers thinges are resoned vpon both of the learned and vnlearned as well of other matters as also of Spirites which are séene and heard and make men afrayde in the night season and in the daye tyme by sea and by lande in the fieldes woods and houses And lykewise concerning suche straunge things whiche for the most parte happen before the death of certayne men especially greate Princes and before notable innouations of kingdomes and empires Many which neuer sawe or hearde any of these thinges suppose all that is reported of them to be méere trifles and olde wyues tales for so muche as simple men and suche as are fearefull and superstitioâ—s persuade themselues they haue séene this or that when in déede the matter is far otherwise Againe there are some which as soone as they heare of any thing especially if it happen in the nighte they by and by thinke some spirite doth walke and are maruellously troubled in mynde bycause they can not discerne naturall things from spirites And some chéefly those which hunt after gaynes by the soules of dead men affirme that the moste parte of suche things which are hard or séene are the soules of dead men whych craue helpe of them that are liuing to be deliuered out of the tormentes of most cruell payne in Purgatorie Many not only of the common sorte but also menne of excellent knowledge do maruayle whether there bée any spirits or no and what maner of things they are Yea some of my familiar friends haue many times requested me to shewe them my opinion concerning these matters Wherefore me séemeth it shall be worth my laboure if I declare briefly and playnly out of the word of God what we ought to iudge concerning these things For the ministers of Gods Churche can take nothing more profitable in hande than to instructe the people of God purely and plainly in suche necessary matters as come in question out of the word of God whiche is a lanterne as the psalmist saith vnto our féete and a light vnto our pathes and to deliuer them from all erroure and superstition and bring them out of all wauering and dout And verily their study and diligence is to be highly commended who for these fewe yeares ago haue set foorth certayne bookes drawen out of the scriptures writteÌ„ in the Germayne tong against sundry errours theirs likewise who in these our dayes by writing of bookes do teache instructe and confirme the rude and vnlearned people For amongst many other excellent benefits which God our heauenly Father hath bestowed vppon mankinde this also is a great and most liberall gifte that in this latter and as it were olde age of the world he hath brought to light by the arte of imprinting as well many other good authors as also the holy scriptures of the olâ—e and newe testament written in diuers languages wherby he dothe not only teache vs amply and fully what to beléeue and what to doe but also mightyly subuerteth and quite ouerthroweth diuers and sundry errours which by little and little haue crept into the Church Truly all suche are very vngrateful towards God which doe not willingly acknowleage this so notabel a benefite As touching this my treatise concerning Spirits and straunge wonders I haue deuided it into three partes for the more clere vnderstanding therof In the first parte I shewe that there are visions and spirits and that they appeare vnto men sometimes and that many and maruellous things happen besides the ordinarie course of nature In the second I discusse what manner of things they are that is not the souls of dead meÌ„ as some meÌ„ haue thought but either good or euill Angels or else some secrete and hid operations of god In the third I declare why God doth sometime suffer Spirits to appeare and diuers forewarnings to happen and also howe men ought to behaue them selues when they happen to méete with such things In these points or partes the chiefest thing whereon men vse to reason touching this matter are conteined Nowe I meane to handle this matter being very obscure and intricate with many questions I trust so plainly clerely out of the holy scriptures wheron we may surely stay our selues out of the auncieÌ„t fathers allowed historiographers and other good writers that those which are studious and louers of gods truth may well vnderstand what may be denied and thought of those apparitions and other straunge and maruellous matters And I also trust that euen our aduersaries also in case they will lay their affections aside but a litle while will say that I haue truly alleaged all their arguments and confuted them without any rayling or bitternesse For my purposed ende is according to the doctrine of saincte Paule to edifie and not to destroy As touching diuinatioÌ„s blessings iugglings coÌ„iurings and diuers kinds of sorcerie and generally of all other diuelishe practises certayne learned men of our time haue written bookes as Gasper Peâ—cerus Ioannes Viera Ludouicus Mellichius and perchaunce some others also whose works I haue not yet séene It is not long ago since Ioannes Riuius a man learned and eloquent published a booke in the latine tong entreating of spirites and superstition In the which booke albeit very briefly yet doth he as he is wont in all things very finely and eloquently intreat of this matter and of other foolishe superstitions And albeit that I doo write more largely of this yet was it not my minde to gather togither all those things whiche I coulde haue spoken and alleaged touching the same matter but only suche as séeme the chiefest and most especial points partly because I wold not be tedious to the reader partly also least my bookes should growe vnto an ouer greate quantitie I haue great hope that Ioachimus Camerarius that excellent man who readeth the auncient writers both gréeks and latins with exquisite iudgemeÌ„t and hath great experience in all things will shortly write learnedly and at large of this matter and also of others like vnto it For so much he séemeth to promise in his preface to Plutarches booke De defectu oraculorum figura consâ—crata Delphis wherin he handleth the nature and operations of diuels and also in other of his writings I for my parte had once
written thys my treatise in the vulgar tong and now bicause I trust it shal be also profitable to other men I haue translated it into latine adding certayne things thereto This my booke which I haue with greate laboure and study gathered out of many mens writings I present and offer vnto you most noble consul according to the ancient fashion and custome not for that I suppose you haue any néed of my teaching touching these things which are herein haÌ„dled For I am not ignoraunt vnder what teachers you haue attained vnto true learning and how you haue and do continually reade ouer sundry good authors with perfecte knowledge in many tongs But partely that I might purchase credite and authoritie vnto this my booke with those men vnto whome your goodnesse godlines and constancie whche you haue alwayes hitherto euermore shewed and yet do shewe in setting foorth true religion and mainteyning good lawes is throughly knowen and partly that I might shewe my selfe in some respecte thaÌ„kfull vnto you For your honour hath bestowed many benefits on me whom you only knowe by sight and vppon other ministers of the Church wherby ye haue so bouÌ„d me vnto you that I shall neuer be able to make any recoÌ„pence Wherefore I most earnestly beséech you not to refuse this signe and token of my good will be it neuer so simple but rather to voutchsafe when ye haue leisure from the laboure and toile of the common welth to reade ouer this my booke for I haue good hope it will not séeme vnpleasaunt vnto you and others in the reading as well for the playne order I vse therin as also for the sundry and manyfold histories in it recited Almightie God who hath so blessed you with his heauenly gifts that for them albeit very yong you haue aâ—pired vnto the highest degrée in your noble citie and dominioÌ„ of Berna voutchesafe to preserue you in health and increase and multiply his good gifts in you My Lords and brethreÌ„ the ministers of Tigurine and also your olde coÌ„panion master George Grebelius that excellent man in lerning vertue and nobilitie hartily salute your Lordship From Tigurine in the month of Ianuary the yeare of Christs Natiuitie 1570. A TABLE OF the Chapters of the three principall partes touchyng Spirites walking by nyght Of the fyrste parte COncerning certain words which are often vsed in this Treatise of Spirites and diuers other diuinations of things to come Chapter 1. Folio 1. Melancholike persones and madde men imagining things whiche in very deede are not Chapter 2. Folio 9. Fearefull menne imagine that they see and heare straunge things Chapter 3. Fol. 14. Men whiche are dull of seing and hearing imagine many things which in very dede are not so Chapter 4. Fol. 16. Many are so feared by other menne that they suppose they haue heard or seene Spirites Chapter 5. Fol. 21. Priests and Monkes fayned themselues to be Spirites also howe Mundus vnder this coloure defiled Paulina and Tyrannus abused many noble and honest matrons Cha. 6. Fo. 23. Timotheus Aelurus counterfeating himselfe to bee an Angell obteyned a Bishoprike foure Monks of the order of prechers made many vayn apparitions at Berna Cha. 7. Fol. 28. Of a counterfaite and deceyuing spirite at Orleaunce in Fraunce Chapter 8. Fol. 37. Of a certâ—ine parish priest at Clauenna which fayned him selfe to be our Lady and of an other that counterfaited himself to be a Soule as also of a certayne disguised Jesuite Fryer Chapter 9. Fol â–ª 41. That it is no maruell if vayne sights haue ben in olde tyme neyther yet that it is to be maruelled at yf there be any at this day Chapter 10. Fol. 45. That manye naturall thyngs are taken to bee ghostes Chapter 11. Fol 49. A proofe out of the Gentiles histories that ghostes doe oftentymes appeare Chapter 12. Fol. 53. A proofe oute of the histories of the auncient Churche and of the writings of holy Fathers that there are walking Spirites Chapter 13. Fol. 62. That in the Bookes set foorth by Monkes are many ridiculous and vaine apparitions Chapter 14. Fol. 65 A profe by other sufficient writers that Spirits do sometime appeare Chapter 15. Fol. 68. Daily experience teacheth vs that Spirites do appeare to men Chapter 16. Fol. 7â— That there happen straunge wonders and prognostications and that sodayne noises and cracks and suche like are hard before the death of men before battaile and before some notable altâ—rations and chaunges Chapter â–ª 17. Fol. 77. It is proued by testimonies of holy scripture that Spirits are sometime seene and heard and that other strange matters doâ— often chaunce Chapter 18. Fol. 85 To whome when where and after what sort Spirits do appeare and what they do worke Chapter 19. Fol. 88. The Chapters of the second parte The opinion or beleefe of the Gentiles Iewes and Turkes concerning the estate of soules seperated from their bodies Chapter 1. Fol. 92. The Papists doctrine touching the soules of dead men and the appearing of them Chapter 2. Fol. 102. What hath followed this doctrine of the Papists concerning the appering of mens soules Chapter 3. Fol. 110. Testimonies out of the word of God that neither the soules of the faithfull nor of infidels do walke vppon the earth after they are once parted from their bodies Chapter 4. Fol. 114. Testimonies of the auncient Fathers that dead mens soules parted from their bodies doe not wander here vppon earthe Chapter 5. 116 A confutation of those mennes arguments or reasons which affirme that dead mens soules doo appeare And first that is answeared whiche certaine doo alleage to wit that God is omnipotent and therfore that he can worke contrary to the ordinarie course of nature Chapter 6. Fol. 123. That the true Samuell did not appeare to the witche in Endor Chapter 7. Fol. 127. A confutation of their arguments which would haue Samuell himselfe to appeare Chapter 8. Fol. 133. Whether the Diuell haue power to appeare vnder the shape of a faithfull man Chapter 9. Fol. 140. Moses and Elias appeared in the Mount vnto Chryst our Lorde many haue ben raysed from the dead both in body and soule and therfore soules after they are departed may returne on earth againe Chapter 10. Fol. 145. Whether the holy Apostles thought they sawe a mans soule when Chryste sodeynlye appeared vnto them after his Resurrection Chapter 11. Fol. 148. Concerning the holy Fathers Councels Bishops and coÌ„mon people which say that soules do visibly appeare Cha. 12. Fo. 151. Whether soules do returne agayne out of Purgatorie and the place which they call Limbus puerorum Cha. 13. Fol. 155. What those things are whiche men see and heare and firste that good angels 〈◊〉 sometimes appeare Chap. 14. Fol. 159. That sometymes yea and for the moste part euill Angels doâ— appeare Chapter 15. Fol. 163. Of wondrous monsters and suche lyke Chap. 16. Fol. 164. That it is no harde thing for the diuell to appeare in diuers shapes and to bring
companie are so troubled in minde that they thinke their friends enimies and cannot tell in the world where they are and whether they go all the which commeth by feare Plutarche in his booke De sera numinis vindicta reporteth a maruellous and notable historie of one called Bessus who after he had murdered his father hid him selfe a long season But on a time as he went to supper espying a swalowes nest with his speare he thrust it downe and when those which supped togither with him misliked and abhorred his crueltie for we like not those men that trouble litle birdes and other beasts bicause we iudge them austerne and cruell he aunswered haue they not saith he falsly accused me a greate while crying out on me that I haue slayne and murdered my father Those which wer◠present being striken with greate admiration reported these his words to the king who immediatly caused hym to be tormented and examining the matter diligently at the last founde him giltie and punished him as a manquiller of his owne father Hereof ye may gather what fear◠can do the swalowes coulde not speake and yet he perswaded him selfe that they vpbrayed him with murdering his father Euen so many through feare imagine that they heare and sée many thinges whiche in deede are méer◠trifles Procopius in the beginning of the warres of Italie declareth that as Theodoricus sate at meate after he had put to death Boethius and Symmachus his sonne in lawe a fishes head being brought before him he sawe in it the countenance of Symmachus looking horribly which biting the nether lip with lowring eyes séemed to threaten him wherewith the King béeing sore abashed fell into a gréeuous sicknesse wherof he afterwards died Yea feare if it be vnmeasurable maketh vs to abhorre those things whiche otherwise should be comfortable vnto vs The apostles of our lorde Jesu Christ may be examples hereof Who in the night season being in greate daunger in the Sea when they sawe Christe walking on the water approching towards them wer maruelously appalled For they supposed they sawe a Spirit and cried out for feare But the Lorde came to deliuer them out of that present daunger wherein they were After his resurrection they were maruellously affrayde and as S. Luke saith they verily supposed they saw a Spirit when in deede he appeared vnto them in his owne body Therfore the lord comforteth hartneth them saying Behold my hands my féet for I am euē he hādle me and sée for a spirit hath not flesh and bones as ye sée I haue They through great ioy could not beleue it but maruelled at it Héere thou séest by feare it came to passe that the Disciples supposed the lord him self to haue ben a ghost And therefore no man ought to maruell if we hindered by feare mistake one man for an other and perswade our selues that we haue séene spirits whereas no suche were They whiche are of stout and hautie corage frée from all feare seldome tymes sée any spirits It is reported of the Scythiās a warlike natiō dwelling in mountaynes from whom it is thought the Turkes take their originall that they neuer sée any vayne sightes of spirits Authors write that Lions are not feared with any bugs for they are full of stomacke and deuoide of feare CHAP. IIII. Men vvhich are dull of seing and hearing imagine many things vvhich in very deed are not so THey which are weake of sight are many tymes in suche sorte deceyued that they beholde one man in stede of an other Poare blynded men whom the Gréekes call 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which can not sée any thing except it be very néere their eyes as for the most parte students are which night and daye turne ouer their bookes are so muche deceiued in their sight that they are many times ashamed to vtter what they haue thought they haue séene And it standeth by naturall reason that an ore séemeth to be broken in the water and a tower foure cornered a farre off sheweth to be rounde Those whiche drinke wine immoderately in suche sorte that their eyes beginne to waxe dimme and stare out of their heads like hares whiche haue bene caried hanging on a staffe a mile or twaine sée things farre otherwise than sober men doe They suppose they sée two candles on the table whē there is but one desiring to reache the potte they put their hand amisse In Euripides tragedie named Bacchis Pentheus affirmeth that he séeth two sunnes and two cities of Thebes For his braines were maruellously distempered It is a common saying that if wine haue the victorie all things seeme to bée turned vpside downe trées to walke mountaines to be moued riuers to runne against the head c. Salomon exhorteth all men from dronkennesse in his prouerbes cap. 23. shewing what discommodities ensue therof and amongst other things he sayeth thus Thy eyes shall sée straunge to witt visions and maruellous apparitions For as timorous men imagin miraculous things euen so do dronken men who of purpose corrupt and spoile their sight And albeit God shew many wonders in the aire and in the earth to the ende he may stir men vp from idlenesse and bring them to true repentaunce yet notwithstanding we must thinke that dronken men which sit vp vntill midnight do often say they haue séene this or that vision they haue behold this or that wonder when as in déed they are vtterly deceyued For in case they had retourned home in due season and not ouercharged themselues with too much wine no suche thing had appeared vnto them For in dede their eyesight had not bin blinded Doth it not often come to passe that when men are once throughly warmed wyth wine they mistake one for another of whom they thought they were abused in worde or déede and violentlye flye on them with weapon The place before alleaged out of Salomon maye also bée vnderstood to thys purpose Thy eyes shall sée straunge to witte women to luste after them For experience teacheth vs that men being dronk assaie to rauishe matrones and maydens which béeing sober they would neuer once thinke vppon Wine immoderately taken is the nurse of rashe boldnesse and filthy lust Aristotle writeth that some menne through the féeblenesse of their sight beholding in the aire néere vnto them as it were in a glasse a certaine image of them selues suppose they see their owne angels or soules and so as the Prouerbe is they feare their owne shadowe Although men in obscure and darke places can sée nothing yet doo they not I pray you imagine they sée diuers kindes of shapes colors And we many times suppose those things which we sée to be farre otherwise than in déede they are It is well knowne a mans sight maye be so deceiued that he verily thinkes that one deuoureth a sword spitteth out money coales and suche like that one eateth breade and spitteth foorth meale
one drinketh wine which after runneth out of his forehead that one cutteth of his felowes head which afterwardes he setteth on agayne and that a cocke séemeth to drawe after hym a huge beame of tymber c. Moreouer it may be brought to passe by naturall things as by perfumes and suche like that a man woulde sweare in earnest that all men â—itting at the table wyth him haue no heds at al or else that they are like the heads of asses that somtimes a vine spreadeth it self as it were ouer al the house wheÌ„ in deed it is a mere deceit or a plain iuggling cast Of whiche matter there be bookes coÌ„monly set abrode The like reson is in hearing in the other senses Those men whoâ—e hearing is somwhat decayed many tymes séem in their owne imagination to heare the noyse of boystrous winde or violent tempeste the sparkling of fyre the roaring of waters sodenly increased singing and sounding of instruments and also the iangling of belles when as in deede these things are not so but only chaunce by default of hearing for others whiche are conuersant with them hauing the right vse of hearing doo not heare any suche thing at all Somtimes in very deede such things are heard as the crackling of waynscot walles and suche lyke whiche are naturall signes of some tempeste shortly after ensuing There are also certaine hollowe places thorough the whiche the winde whiszing giueth a pleasant sound as it were through a pipe much lyke vnto singing so that men wonder very much therat We reade in writers of Philosophie that the very same also chaunceth in banks of riuers whiche bend a little in compasse Hearing is also deceyued when we thinke we heare thunder and it is in déed but the rumblyng of some carte There be many which thinke they handle some thing and yet are deceyued If men sicke of the ague drinke wine of the â—est and swéetest sorte yet they thinke it is more bitter than Gaâ—l if they eate pottage neuer so good yet they iudge it vnsauorie whiche thyng commeth not of any faulte in the Cooke but of the mouth and stomack which is distempered with sicknesse For vnto them whiche haue abundance of choller all things séeme bitter And euen so it commeth to passe that a man supposeth hée seeth heareth féeleth or is felte of some spirite when in déede it is not so and yet no man can persuade him the contrarie If feare and weaknesse of the syghte and of other sensâ—s méete togyther then men fall into straunge and maruellous imaginations beléeuyng thyngs vtterly false to be very true Neyther wil they bée brought from theyr owne opinions by any meanes or reason We reade that not only perticular and priuate men but also whole armies of soldiours generally haue bin so deceyued that they haue verilye thought their enymies hard at their héeles when as no man followed And hereof haue procéeded many horrible flightes in battaile Cominaeus a knight and diligent writer of hystories in the ende of his firste booke of the Actes of Lewes the .11 King of Fraunce writeth that when Charles Duke of Burgundie with other Princes hadde remoued their armie to Paris they vnderstood by their espials that the next day the king had determined to sette on them with all his power of men Wherfore the next daye Charles sent out certaine horsemen to vewe his enimies who comming foorth by reason that the elemente was somewhat â—arke supposed they sawe a huge number of pikes and speares but when they had passed a little further and that the aire was a little clearer they vnderstood the same place wherein they iudged the king to be with all his armie to be planted and ouergrowne with many high thistles whiche a farre off shewed as it had bin long speares For the night beguileth mens eyes And therefore none ought to maruell if trauellers towardes night or at midnight mistake stones trées stubbes or such like to be sprites or elues We reade in the last booke of the kings the 3. chap. that after the death of king Achab the Moabites reuolted from Ioram hys sonne wherefore he desired Iosaphat to aide him and with all his power he determined to make warre on the Moabites to reduce them to obedience and subiection Which thing when the Moabites heard they prepared to defend themselues so many as were able to beare armoure But when they hadde set foreward verie early in the morning against their enimies supposing in the rising of the sunne the waters whiche GOD had miraculously brought out to bée redde they sayd amongst themselues Surely the two Kings haue encountred togither and each haue destroyed other wherevppon they running on heapes without order to spoile the Israelites Tents were by them vanquished and slaine here you sée all the Armie mistooke water in steade of bloude CHAP. V. Many are so feared by other men that they suppose they haue heard or seene Spirites FUrthermore it commeth to passe many tymes that not only pleasant and merrie conceyted men but also spiteful and malitious men chaunging their apparell make others extreamelie afrayd It is a common custome in many places that at a certaine time of the yeare one with a nette or visarde on his face maketh Children afrayde to the ende that euer after they shoulde laboure and be obedient to their Parentes afterward they tel them that those which they saw were Bugs Witches and Hagges which thing they verily beléeue and are commonly miserablie afrayde Howbeit it is not expedient alwayes so to terrifie Children For sometimes through great feare they fall into dangerous diseases and in the nyght crye out when they are fast asléepe Salomon teacheth vs to chasten children with the rod and so to make them stand in awe he doth not say we must beare them in hande they shal be deuoured of Bugges Hags of the night and such lyke monsters Many times pleasant merrie yong men disguise theÌ„selues like vnto Deuils or else shroud themselues in white shéetes to make other men afrayde with whome if simple men chaunce to meete they make no doubt of the matter but verily thinke they haue séene spirites and straunge sightes And yet it is not alwayes the safest way so to deceyue men with iests and toyes for many examples might be brought to shew how euill some men haue sped hereby It is an vsuall and common thing that yong men merily disposed when they trauell by the way comming to theyr Inne at night tye roapes to the bed side or to the couerlet or garments or else hide them selues vnder the bed and so counterfeating them selues to bee Spirits deceyue and mocke their fellows It chaunced once at Tigurinâ— where we dwell that certayne plesaunt yong men disguising theÌ„selues daunced aboute the Churcheyarde one of them playing on a beere with two bones as it were on a druÌ„me Wich thing when certaine men had espied they noysed it about the
in his book de nobilitate c. 30. that it is to be séen in the historie of Rodulphus king of the Romains that when the sayde Rodulphus had vanquished Othotarus King of Boemia continuing on the place all nyght where tho battell was fought about mydnight certain spirites or Deuils with horrible noyse and tumulte troubled and disordered his whole armie And that those were spirites walkyng by night it appeared hereby that they sodeynly vanyshed away lyke smoake The same Author writeth in his .xxvj. chapter That in the yeare of our Lorde .1280 as one of the Plâ—bans as they call them belonging to the churche of Tigurine preaâ—hed to the people the graue stone of the tumbe or sepulchre of the two martyrs Felix and Regula patrones of the same place violently brake a sunder no man mouyng or touching it giuing a horrible sound lyke vnto thunder so that the people were no lesse astonished and afrayde than yf the vaute of the Churche had fallen downe And he sayth that the same yeare the third day of October the greater part of the citie of Tigurum was brent with fire and more ouer that sedition was moued amongest the Citizens for certaine Ecclesiasticall disciplines and for the Imperiall Banne as they terme it In the yere of our Lord .1440 the twelfth day of December at the dedicatioÌ„ of the foresayd churche about midnight there was the like noyse hearde and immediatly after followed ciuill warres whiche the Tigurins held with vncertaine successe against the other Heluetians for the space of seuen yeares and more The same writer in the .33 Chap. hath that at the same tyme in the yeare of our Lorde .1444 before that valiaunt battayle whiche a fewe Heluetians fought agaynst the innumerable companye of Lewes Dolphine of Fraunce faught by the wall Basill in the tyme of generall the Councell there was hearde certayne nyghtes about those places the alarme of Souldiours the clattering of harneys and the noyse of menne encountring togyther c. Here I purposely omitte many suche lyke examples for there are many Bookes bothe of auncient and also of newe writers touchyng straunge signes and wonders wherin these may be redde CHAP. XVIII It is proued by testimonies of holy scripture that spirits are sometime seene and heard and that other straunge matters do often chaunce YEt perchaunce it wil be obiected vnto vs that wée bring no testimonie oute of holy Scripture touchyng this matter especially to proue that Spirites doo oftentymes appeare vnto menne I aunswere that truthe it is There are fewe things hereof in the Scriptures and yet notwithstanding somewhat is to be redde in them It is read in Saincte Mathewe his fourtéenth chapter of Christes Disciples that when in the night season by reason of a contrary wind they were in greate daunger of drownyng in the lake of Genazareth and that in the dawnyng of the daye the Lorde walked on the water they béeyng afrayde cryed out supposyng they sawe a Spirite Héereof we gather that they knewe well ynoughe that Spirites appeared vnto men vpon sea and lande Lykewise when the Lorde being rysen from death appeared vnto his disciples meaning to assure them of his Resurrection they thought at the firste that they sawe a Spirit In the which place Chryst denieth not but there are Spirits and straunge sightes and that they are sometimes séene but he rather confirmeth the same by putting a difference betwene him selfe spirits or vaine apparitions But as touching these two testimonies we wil speake more in another place It is a notable historie whiche we reade in the seconde Booke of Samuel concerning Saule who at what tyme the Philistians warred vpon hym and that he was in very great daunger of them he came to a woman who was a witche and desired hir to rayse Samuel from deathe that he might knowe his counsell touching the successe of the warres Shée raysed hym vp one whome Saule tooke to be Samuel in déede who also tolde him what euents shoulde come of the warres But whether hée were a true Samuel or a counterfait wée will dispute the matter more at large in his conuenient place As concerning other maruellous things there is somewhat to be read in the Scriptures In the seconde of Samuel the fifth chap. Also in the first of Paralipomenon and the .xiiij â–ª chap. we reade that the Philistins wente vp the seconde tyme into Iurie to make warres on Dauid Hée went vnto the Lord and shewed him the matter who commaunded him that he shoulde embushe himselfe behynde the wood with his armie and when he heard a rustling or noyse in the toppes of the trées he should immediatly sette vpon them This sounde they say was a strange and supernaturall sounde It is written in the second book of the Kings the .vj. and vij chapters that God deliuered the citie of Samariâ— from great famine when it was fiercely besieged by Benhadad king of the Assyrians â–ª for in the night season their enimies dyd heare the noyse of chariots the neyghing of horsses and shréeching of a huge armie as it were in their owne pauillions and tentes supposing therefore that the kyng of Israel had gathered togyther his footemen and horssemen and had nowe sette vpon them they soughte to saue themselues by â—lyghte leauyng theyr victuall and other prouision behynde them in their tentes In the fyrst of Samuel and the seuenth chapter God caused a wonderfull greate noyse to sounde ouer the Philistians and so destroyed them I meane they were so affrighted with a kynde of straunge feare that it was an easy matter to vanquishe them In the fifthe Chapter of Daniell yée may reade that king Balthasar in his roisting banquet espyed ryghte agaynste the candle a hande wryting vpon the wall what his ende shoulde bée It is read in the thirde Chapter of the seconde of the Machabées that there appeared a horsse vnto Heliodorus seruaunt vnto Seleucus Kyng of Asia as hee was aboute to destroye the temple at Hierusalem and vppon the horsse séemed to sitte a terrible man whiche made towardes him to ouerrunne hym On eche syde of hym were two yong men of excellent beautie whyche wyth whippes scourged Heliodorus The seconde of the Machabées and tenth chapter Iudas Machabeus encountred wyth hys enimies and when the battayle was hotte there appeared vnto the enimie oute of heauen fyue men sytting on horsses rayned with notable brydles of golde who ledde the Iewes hoste and two of them defended Machabeus from all his enimies And vnto Machabeus appeared a horsseman in a shinyng garment his Armour all of gold and shaking his speare Whereby it was signified that he shoulde obtayne a notable and famous victorie .2 Macha 11. I alleage not these examples for that I adiudge the bookes of Machabées of as good authoritie as the Canonicall Bookes of the newe and olde Testament but only for that they are ioyned together with them and may be read of euery
one and they were always read of the auncient people For albéeit they neuer wente aboute to approue any doctrine by them yet were they of great authoritie amongst them CHAP. XIX To vvhome vvhen vvhere and after vvhat sort spirits do appeare and vvhat they do vvorke BY all these examples we may plainly perceiue that many straunge things are obiected to mens senses that sometimes spirits are séene and heard not only as some haue thought as Plutarke witnesseth in the life of Dion of children women sicke folkes dottards otherwise very plaine and simple creatures but also to mē of good corage and such as haue bin perfectly in their wits Yet it may not bée denied but that there appeare many more vnto some that vnto other some as vnto trauellers watchemen hunters carters and marriners who leade all their life not only in the day time but also in night in iorneying in the water woods hills and vallies You shal mete with some one who neuer sawe nor heard any of this geare in all his life time and contrariwise there be other some whyche haue séene and hearde very man suche things So there are some which very seldom chaunce vpō serpents agayne many there are which oftentimes méets with them in their iorney The common people say that those whose natiuities chaunce vppon the Auguries for so they terme the foure seasons of the yeare do sée more store of Spirites than those whiche are borne at other tymes but these are méere trifles Those whiche are stedfaste in true faithe see or heare suche thiyngs more seldome than superstitiouse people as in all other things Hée that is superstitiouse vseth some blessing as they call it to heale hys horses disease and it taketh good effecte he inchaunteth a Serpente and it can not once moue out of the place He applyeth a blessyng to straunge bleedyng and it stoppeth presentely He taketh a hollie rod or twisted wand inchāted it wil moue where a mettle mine is but he that is of a sounde fayth and doth despise these things for he knoweth well they are contrary to the word of god also to the Popes decrées albeit perchaunce he practise such things yet notwithstanding he can bring nothing to passe And so also it chaunceth that he séeth spirites and vaine visions a great deale more seldome than superstitious men do for hée knoweth wel what hée ought to déeme and iudge of them There are some kinde of men who thinke it a gay thing if many suche straunge sightes appeare vnto them There were farre many more of these kindes of apparitions and myracles séene amongest vs at suche tyme as we were giuen vnto blindnesse and superstition than since that the Gospell was purely preached amongest vs the cause whereof I will shewe heareafter And moreouer it commeth often times to passe that some one man doth heare or sée some thing most plainly when an other which standeth by him or walketh wyth him neyther séeth nor heareth any such matter We reade in the Historie of Heliseus that he saw chariottes of fire and many horsemen vpon the toppe of the Mountaine and yet hys seruaunt sawe nothing vntil the Prophet prayed vnto the Lord that he woulde voutsafe for hys confirmation and consolation to open hys eyes that he might also beholde this notable miracle So likewise we reade in the 9. chapter of the Actes of the Apostles that Christ ouerthew Paule before Damascus and that he spake vnto hym and his companions also hearde the voyce Afterwardes in the 22. chapter Paule himselfe shewing vnto the people in the presence of Lycias in the Castle at Hierusalem what had hapened vnto them sayth that they heard not the voice of him that talked with him which two places are not repugnant for the meaning is that they heard a voyce or sounde in deede but they vnderstood not what the Lord had sayd vnto him Plato writeth in his Dialogue called Theages that Socrates had a familiar spirit who was woonte to put him in mynde to cease from labouring when that whiche he attempted shuld haue no happie successe This spirit he himselfe sawe not and other men hearde not They say that sometimes Children doe sée certaine things whiche other men sée not and by a certain peculiar operation of nature some men behold that which others in no wise can perceiue As touching the tyme when spirits appeare we reade in hystories that it shall be after a thousand yeares which God hath appoynted in the whiche tyme Sainte Iohn prophesied in the Apocalips that Sathan shoulde be lette loose that is to saye errours and supersticion and al kynd of mischéefe should abound many spirits appeare euery where for men gaue them more creditte than the Scriptures If a spirit apeared or was heard to say in case these or those things be decréed to wit vowed Pilgrimage and erecting Chappelles and that this shall be an acceptable kynde of worship vnto God the Bishoppes and paryshe Priestes weighed not whither those things were agréeable to the word of God or no. c. Spirits appeared in old time and do appeare still in these dayes both day night but especially in the night and before midnighte in our first sléep Moreouer on the frydayes saterdayes fasting daies to confirme superstition Neither may we maruel that they are heard more in the night thā in the day time For he who is the author of these things is called in the holie Scriptures the Prince of darkenesse and therefore hée shunneth the light of Gods worde And albeit these are heard or séene in al places yet are they most especially conuersant in the fieldes where battels haue ben fought or in places where slaughters haue ben made in places of execution in woods into the which they haue coniured deuils being cast out of men in Churches Monasteries and about Sepulchers in the boundes of countries buts of lands in prysons houses towers and somtime also in the ruines and rubbish of Castles God thretneth the Babilonians in the 13. chap. of Esaie that spirits and Satyrs shal daunce where their magnificent houses Pallaces were where they were wont to lead their daūces And in his 34. chap. wher he threatneth destruction vnto al nations enimies of God he saith In the ruinous tottering Pallaces Castles houses horrible spirits shal apeare with terrible cries and the Satyre shal cal vnto hir mate yea the night hags shal take their rest there For by the sufferance of God wicked Deuils worke strange things in those places where men haue exercised pride and crueltie The maner of apearing of spirits is diuers manyfold as it apereth by those things which I haue aleaged before For they shew themselues in sundry sorte sometymes in the shape of a man whome we know who is yet alyue or lately departed otherwhile in the likenesse of one whom we knowe not I heard of a
words when immediately there followed a great groning not of one man but of many being admiâ—t as it were with greate admiration And bicause many were present in the ship they said the same hereof was spéedely spred abroad at Rome Thamus sent for Tiberius the Emperor who gaue so much credite vnto the matter that he diligently enquired asked who that Pan was The learned men whome he had in great number about him supposed that Pan was he who was the Sonne of Mercuriâ— and Penelope â–ª c. These and such like things Eusebius who also reciteth this historie affirmeth to haue chaunced in that time of Tiberius in the which Chryst being conuersant amongst men expelled al maner of deuils from the societie of theÌ„ Other most Godly professours of our Religion affirme as namely Paulus Marsus in his Annotations vppon the first of Ouids Fasti that this voice was heard out of Paxe the very same night ensuing the day wherein our Lorde suffered in the â—9 yeare of Tiberius whiche was the same yeare that Chryst was crucifâ—ed in by the whiche voiâ—e being vttered in a wildernesse of solitarie rockes it was declared that our Lorde and God had suffred for vs For the word Pan in Géeke signifieth all and then the Lord of al the world was Crucified He addeth moreouer that Theodosius doth say that the Archadiâ—â—s do worship this God calling him 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 meaning thereby to signifie a Lord Ruler not of woordes but of al manner of material substances whose power is suche that it is able to create the essence and substance of al bodies whether that they be heauenly or earthly And albeit he refer this vnto the Sunne yet if a man marke diligently his mysteries haue a higher meaning c. Héereunto belongeth those things which are reported touching the chasing or hunting of Diuels and also of the daunces of dead men which are of sundrie sortes I haue heard of some which haue auouched that they haue séene them No man is able to rehearse all the shapes wherein spirites haue appeared for the Diuell who for the moste part is the worker of these things can as the Poets faine of Proteus chaunge himselfe into all shapes and fashions These walking spirits sometimes stoppe the way before men as they trauel and leade them out of their way and put them in suche greate feare that sometimes they become grayheaded in one night I remember I haue heard the like historie of my olde friende Iohn VVilling a godly and learned man of one in the Countie of Hannâ—w who not many yeares ago méeting with a walking spirite in the night season was so much altred that at his returning home his owne Daughters knewe him not Spirits oftentimes awake men out of their sléepe and cause many to forsake their owne houses so that they can not hire them out to any other Sometymes they ouerthrowe somewhat or strike men or cast stones at them and hurt them either in their bodies or in their goodes yea and sometime God dothe suffer them to bereaue men of their liues It often chaunceth that those mens faces and heades do swell which haue séene or heard spirits or haue ben blasted with them and some are taken mad as we sée by experience I remember wel it hath hapned that some supposing they haue séene armed men who were readie to take them haue therefore assayed to slay themselues which thing may be by craft of the Deuil Spirits do also trouble cattell in the night time in the pastures Thus muche concerning the first part of this woorke wherin I trust I haue proued and made it euident that albeit there be many which vainely persuade themselues they haue séene wandring spirits or haue behelde one in stéed of an other yet notwithstanding that ther are walking spirits that other straunge things do sometime happen I haue also shewed vnto whom they appeare especiallie and where when after what sort or in what fourmes they shewe themselues and what things they worke and bring to passe Whosoeuer dare flatlie denie these manyfolde and agréeable testimonies of the olde and newe writers he séemeth vnworthie in my iudgement of any credite whatsoeuer he say For as it is a great token of lightnesse if one by and by beléeue euery man whiche saithe he hath séene spirits so on the other side it is great impudencie if a man rashely and impudâ—ntely contemne all things which are aduouched of so many and so credible Historiographers and aunciente fathers and other graue men of great authoritie ¶ The second part of this Booke doth shewe that those Spirits and other strange sights be not the Soules of Men but be either good or euill Angels or else some secret and hyd operations CHAP. I. The opinion or beleefe of the Gentiles Ievves and Turkes concerning the estate of Soules seperated from their bodies IN the second part of this book we haue to consider what those thyngs be which as we haue before shewed are bothe hearde and séene in the daytime and in the night whether they be the souls of deade men or no also what the olde Wryters haue iudged of them and what the Holie Scriptures do teach vs herein Plato doth thinke that Heroicall and excellent soules as being of the pure sorte do mount aloft but that other base and viler soules that are defiled with the pleasures and lustes of the body do wander belowe on the ground and the same he déemeth to be those spirites whiche are eftsones séene Also other heathen and prophane writers say they are héereby moued to thinke that the soules of men doe lyue after death for that it is most cleare euident that many spirites wander and raunge hither and thyther and are oft times heard and séene and founde to talke with men for they suppose that most of these are mens soules Tertullian a very auÌ„â—ient writer in his boke De anima saith that the wise Heathens whiche dyd define the soule to be mortall for some of them as namely the Epicures thought that the soules dyed with their bodies thought that the soules of the wise if they departed from their bodies hadde their abiding on hygh but the rest were throwne downe into Hel. Furthermore the Heathen thought the Soules should stray continually abroade before they founde rest vnlesse the bodies from which they were seuered were rightly buried in the earth Wherefore as we may reade in Poets it was a gréeuous crime to caste foorth any bodie vnburied Hector in Homere besoughte Achilles that he would not cast foorth his carcasse to bée deuoured of Dogs and birds but that he would deliuer the same to be enterred by olde Priamus his father and Hecuba his mother Patroclus appeared in a vision by night after his deathe vnto Achilles and requested him to bestowe vppon him all funeral solemnities For otherwise he sayde the soules of those that were buried woulde thrust him backe
that he shuld not be able once to enter in at Hel gates Which example Tertullian aledgeth therwithal confuteth this vain opinion of the heathen Palinurus in Virgill besought Aeneas that he woulde cast earth on him when he was dead and erect vnto him an horsse for so did they call those Monuments of the deade in whiche albeit no man was layde yet were they vsed in the honour of the deceassed Vergill writeth that Deiphobus his Ghost wandred abroade vnto the whiche Aeneas erected an Horse For the Gentiles were of suche opinion in those dayes that they thoughte an emptie and counterfeyted buriall profited very much Moreouer the heathen were persuaded that the soules which dyed before their naturall time especially of those which perished by violent death whome they call 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 as by hanging drowning or beheading c. dyd strap abroade so long time as they should haue liued if they had not ben slaine by violent death Which opinion Tertullian also confuteth Plato in his 9. booke De legibus writeth that the soules of those which are slayne do pursue their murtherers so far that they do hurt them the which except it be vnderstoode by way of a Metaphor is likewise to be reiected The Catholik faith amongst the Iewes was that the soules of the dead did not return into this erth but either were at rest which was when they dyed in the faythe of the promised Messias or were condemned if they departed hence in their sinnes withoute repentaunce For Iob in his 7. chapter sayth Euen as the cloude vanisheth and fadeth away so he that goeth downe to the graue shall come vp no more nor returne into his house c. But if thou wilt say that Iob was an Ethnick it may be alleaged of Dauid that when he was in very greate daunger and death euen present before his eyes he prayed in the 31. Psalm Into thy handes O Lord I commend my spirite The Preacher also in his 12. chapter sayth The spirit shall returne to God that giueth it In the boke of Wisedome which of old wryters is attributed to Philo Iudeus the third chapter therof it is written the soules of the righteous are in the hande of God and no torment shal touch them And on the other side the soules of the wicked go downe into hell In the 49. Psalm it is written of those welthy worldlings whiche for lucres sake departe from God and his commaundements They are layd as shéepe in Hel death shal consume them and Hell is their habitation c. If the Iewes had beléeued that the soules after this life were tormented in Purgatorie no doubt amongst so many diuers kyndes of sacrifices whiche they offered for the sinnes of the lyuing they woulde at laste haue some one kynd of sacrifice wherby to redéeme souls or in some part to assuage and mitigate their paines And that soules do returne after deathe do offer themselues to be séene and beheld of men and require ayde of them we find no wher in the old Testament but rather the contrary In the 2. of Samuel 12. Dauid speaketh this of his yong childe that he begat by Bersaba that he could not bring him into life againe that he would go to him and the chyld should neuer returne vnto him againe And Iesus the sonne of Syrach in his .38 chapter sayth there is no returning from death Of the vision whiche was shewed to Samuel we will straightway speake in his proper place And that in latter ages long after Christ came in flesh there were some amongest the Iewes who thought that the soules seperated from their bodies dyd straye and raunge a broade it may hereby be gathered for that certaine of the Rabbines write that the soule of Naboth which was slayne bycause he woulde not sell his Uyneyarde to Achab was that Spirite that promised his helpe to seduce Achab béeing as it were one that coueted his death The Turkes also beléeue that the soule is immortall and that assoone as they are loosed from the body they come eyther into a place of rest or of torment But whether that they dyd think that soules returned agayn into the earth and roue there too and fro I could find no playn mention thereof in their Alcaron CHAP. II. The Papistes doctrine touching the soules of dead men and the appearing of them THe Papists in former times haue publikely both taught written that those spirits which men somtime sée and hear be either good or bad angels or els the soules of those which either liue in euerlasting blisse or in Purgatorie or in the place of damned persons And that diuers of theÌ„ are those soules that craue ayde and deliueraunce of men But that this doctrine of theirs and the whole state therof may be the more euideÌ„tly perceiued we wil more largely repete the same out of their owne bokes Iacobus de Cusa a Carthusian Frier Doctor of diuinitie wrote a book of the Apparition of soules after they were seperated fro the bodies which work of his hath in it many supersticious toyes and was Printed in a town belonging to the dominion of Berna named Burgdroâ—e in the yeare of our Lorde 1475. Popish writers commenting on the 4. boke of the Maister of Sentences do appoint foure places to receyue soules after they are departed from the bodies Thrée of the which places they say are perpetuall one which lasteth but for a tyme already lymitted The first place or receptacle is Caelum Empireum the firie heauen so termed of his passing gret brightnesse and glorie which they say is the seate ordeined for the blyssed sort this place by an other in Scripture is called Paradise The second place is Hel vnder the earth being the Mansion of Deuils and Infidels departing hence in deadely sinne without repentance The third place they tearme Limbus puerorum whiche is prouided as wel for the Children of the faythful as of the vnfaythfull who they say shal continually abyde there without any sense of payne being only depriued from the fruition of Gods presence And therefore they say that after their death they ought not to be buried in holy buriall The fourth place is Purgatorie whiche is prepared for them that departe hence without deadly sin or if they committed any such sinnes dyd some penance for them but yet made full satisfaction for theÌ„ or else went hence only stayned with venial sinne Of this place to wit Purgatorie Popish writers teach maruellous things Some of them say that Purgatorie is also vnder the earth as Hel is Some say that Hell and Purgatorie are both one place albeit the paines be diuers according to the deserts of soules Furthermore they say that vnder the earth there are more places of punishment in which the soules of the dead may be purged For they say that this or that soule hath ben séene in this or that
mountaine floud or valley where it hath committed the offence that these are particuler Purgatories assigned vnto them for some special cause before the day of Iudgement after which time all maner of Purgatories aswell general as particuler shal cease Some of them say that the paine of Purgatorie is al one with the punishment of hel that they differ only in this that the on hath an end the other no ende and that it is far more easie to endure all the paynes of this worlde which al men since Adams time haue susteined euen vnto the day of the last Iudgement than to beare one dayes space the least of those two punishmentes Further they holde that our fire if it be compared with the fire of Purgatorie doth resemble only a painted fire Séeke their Doctours in this poynte on the fourth booke of Sentences the â—0 distinction This question also they moue by whome the Soules in Purgatorie are tormented Wherefore their opinion are very diuers and disagréeable among themselues Richardus de Media villa a Franciscan frier writeth vpon the Maister of Sentences sayth he verily beléeueth that soules are caried by good Angels into the places of torment but yet that they themselues do not torment them bycause they shall become at length fellow citizens with them Neyther yet are they punished by Deuils who after this life do no longer tempte men but only by the méere iustice of god And yet saith he it may so come to passe that the Deuils be present at the doing thereof and reioyce at their tortures I thought good to repeate these things of Purgatorie somewhat at large the rather for that the reader might sée that their Doctours do disagrée in a matter of great weight by which they haue both robbed men of their wealth and plunged them into very great myserie Héervnto they adde that the spirites aswel of the good as the yl do come and are sent vnto men lyuing from hel And that by the common lawe of iustice all men at the day of Iudgement shall come to their trial from hell and that none before that time can come from thence Farther they teach that by Gods licence dispensation certaine yea before the day of Iudgement are permitted to come out of hell and that not for euer but only for a season for the instructing and terrifying of the lyuing Héervppon they recite diuers kinde of visions that certaine Clarkes and Laye persons being damned bothe men and women haue appeared to their ghostly fathers and others and haue opened vnto them the causes of their daÌ„nation all which to rehearse héere were lost laboure And that the soules which be in euerlasting ioye or in Purgatorie do often appeare it may be séene in Gregories Homelies Gregories Dialogues who writeth that Peter and Paule and other Saintes dyd not onely appeare vnto holie men but dyd also conducte theyr Soules vnto Celestiall ioye Moreouer that God dothe licencâ— soules to returne from those two places partely for the comfort and warning of the liuing and partly to pray aide of them And yet that those soules doo not here represent themselues to be séene of men when and how often soeuer they list themselues No doubt these men shew them selues to haue a sharpe wit and profounde knowledge These doctours moreouer moue this question whether we may request without offence that the soules of suche as are departed may shewe themselues to be behelde and séene of the liuing To ryue asunder this crabbed knotte they bring thys wedge that if this request procéede of some good intent without the spot of lightnesse and vanitie that a maÌ„ might vnderstand the state of some frend neighbor benefactour or of his parents or some other therby to help relieue them spéedily of their torments it is no offence at all bicause dead mens soules doo of their owne accorde shewe themselues vnto the lyuyng to receyue helpe of them and therfore nothing can let vs to aske this thing at gods hande Of this opinion is Thomas of Aquine But as concernyng the tyme and place when and where Spirites doe proffer them selues to bée séene they saye no certayne rule can be giuen for this standeth wholly in Gods pleasure who if he list to deliuer any suffereth him to make his appearaunce foorthwith euen in such places as he may be well heard in And that spirits do not alwaies appeare vnder a visible shape but sometimes inuisibly in so much that sometime nothing els is heard of them but snéesing spitting syghing clapping of hands c. Of which point I haue noted somewhat before when I spake generally of ghosts bycause they appeare in sundry sorts And whersoeuer these spirits be they say that they endure punishment Besides that soules do not appeare nor answeare vnto euery mans interrogatories but that of a great number they scantlie appeare vnto one And therefore they teache Whensoeuer suche visions of spirits are shewed men should vse fasting and prayer or euer they demaund any question of them which say they in the x. and xj chapters of Daniell is read to haue ben done by Daniell him selfe Besides this shrift and massing shoulde bée vsed ere we question with them farther that we should not giue credite assoone as we heare but one signe but waite to heare the same thrice repeated whiche in the first booke of Samuel and 3. chapter is reade to haue bin done by Samuell being yet a childe for otherwise the Diuell may delude and deceyue vs as he doth very often And so soone as these things are dispatched and performed that foure or fiue deuoute priests are to be sent for whych should come to the place where the spirite was woont to shewe him selfe and that they should vse certeine ceremonies as to take a candle that hath bin halowed on Candlemasse day light it also holy water the signe of the crosse a censor in their hande and when they light their candle should pray ouer it as I remember the seuen penitential psalmes or reade the gospell of S. Iohn And when they come to the place they shoulde sprinkle it with holy water pâ—rfume it with Frankincense casting about their neckes a holy stoale and then that one of them knéelyng on his knées should reherse this prayer folowing O Lord Iesu Christ the sercher of al secrets which art always woont to reueale healthfull and profitable things vnto thy faithful people little ones which haste permitted some certain spirite to shew himselfe in this place wée humbly beséech thée of thy great mercy by thy death passion and by the sheding of thy most precious bloud for our sinnes that thou wilt vouchesafe to giue in charge to this spirite that he may declare and open what he is without any fraying or hurting of vs or of any other creature besides shewing vnto vs thy seruaunts or to other sinners as we be who he is why he is come and
possessioÌ„ of life euerlasting they that depart in vnbeléef do streight way becoÌ„ partakers of eternal damnation The souls do not vanish away die with the body as the Epicures opinion is neither yet be in euery place as som do imagin touching this matter I wil allege pithie manifold testimonies out of the holy scripture out of which alone this question may ought to be tried discussed Our sauior Christ Iesus which could well iudge of these misteries in the .3 of Iohn saith So God loued the world that he wold giue his only begotteÌ„ son that who so beleueth on him shold not perish but haue life euerlastiÌ„g For god seÌ„t not his son into the world to coÌ„demn the world but that the world by him might be saued He that beleueth in him is not coÌ„demned he that beleueth not is coÌ„demned alredy bicause he beleued not in the name of the only begotteÌ„ son of god And in the .5 of Iohn he saith Uerily verily I say vnto you he that heareth my word beleueth on him that sent me hath euerlasting life shal not come into iugemeÌ„t or coÌ„demnation but hath passed alredy froÌ„ deth to life he doth not say that his sins shold first be purged in purgatorie And in the .6 cha he saith This is the wil of him that sent me that euery one that séeth the son and beléeueth on him should haue life euerlasting and I will raise him vp at the last day againe verily I say vnto you he that beleueth on me hathe life euerlasting In the .14 of Iohn also our Lord sauior Christ Iesus saith that he wil take vs vp to himself that where he is there shuld we be also c. When Christe sent forth his disciples to publish his gospel in the .x. of Math. he said vnto theÌ„ Go ye into the whole world preach the gospel to euery creature he that beleueth is baptized shal be saued and he that beleueth not shal be coÌ„demned in the 5. ch of the 2. to the Corin. the apostle S. Paule saith we knowe that if the earthly house of this tabernacle be destroyed we haue a building of god that is a house not made with haÌ„ds but eternal in the heaueÌ„s c. By these places it may be euidently gathered that the soules of the faithfull are taken vp into eternall ioy the soules of the vnfaithfull assoone as they are departed froÌ„ their bodies are condeÌ„ned to perpetual tormeÌ„t And that this is done streightway after death may be perceyued by the words that Christ spake to the théefe on the crosse when he hoong on his right hand This day shalt thou be with me in paradise And in the 14 chap. of the apocalips it is writteÌ„ I hard a voice that said vnto me write blessed are the dead that dye in the lord 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 .i. amodo as the old traÌ„slatioÌ„ redeth that is by by out of haÌ„d without delay SteueÌ„ in the very point wheÌ„ he loked to be stoned cried lord Iesu receiue my spirit He douted nothing but was assuredly persuaded that his soul shold straightway be traÌ„slated to eternal ioy Paule in the .j. chap. of his epist. to the Philip. sayth I desire to be losed or I couet to depart hence to be with christ Here is no meÌ„tioÌ„ at al made of purgatory in which the soules shold be first purged If thou wilt here obiect that the persons afore aleged wer saints martirs we say farther the Paradyse was opened also to the théef assoone as he became repentant And that the soules both of the faithfull vnfaithful which presently after their death are translated to heaueÌ„ or hel do not returne thence into the earth before the day of the last iudgement may wel be perceiued by the parable of the rich man clothed in purple Lazarus as we read in the .xvj. of Luke For wheÌ„ the rich man prayed Abraham that he would sende Lazarus vnto him to cooâ—e his tong Abraham gaue him this aunswer Betwixt thée and vs there is a great gulfe set so that they which wold goe hence from Abrahams bosome to you in Hell can not neyther can they come from thence to vs And when he be sought him that he would sende Lazarus to his fathers house to admonishe his fiue brethren least they also should come into that place of torment he sayd vnto him They haue Moses and the Prophets let them hear them And again If they heare not Moyses the Prophets neither wil they beleue though one rose agayne froÌ„ the dead CHAP. V. Testimonies of the auncient fathers that deade mens soules parted from theyr bodyes dooe not vvander here vpon earth THis matter was also thus vnderstoode by the holy and auncient Fathers For Augustine in his .xviij. Sermon De verbis Apostoli hathe that there bée two mansions the one in euerlasting fyre the other in the euerlasting kyngdome And in his .xxviij. chapter of his first booke De peccatorum meriâ—is remissione contra Pelagianos in the seueÌ„th tome of his works he sayth Neyther can any man haue any middle or meane place so that he maye be any other where than with the diuell who is not with Christ. And in his notable worke de ciuitate Dei the .xiij. booke and .viij. chapter he sayth The soules of the godly so soone as they be seuered from their bodies be in rest the soules of the wicked in torment vntill the bodies of the one bée raysed vnto lyfe and the other vnto euerlastyng deathe which in scripture is called the second death Iustine also an auncient father writeth in Responsione ad Orthodoxos quest 75. that the difference of the iust vniust doth appeare euen as soone as the soule is departed from the body For they are caried by the angels into such places as are fit for them that is the soules of the iust are brought vnto Paradyse where they haue the fruition of the sighte and presence of Angels and Archangels and moreouer the â—ight of our sauior Christ as it is conteined in that saying whiles we are straungers from the body we are at home with god And the soules of the vnrighteous on the other side are caried to Hell as it is sayde of Nabuchodonosor the king of Babylon Hell is troubled vnder thée being ready to méete thée c. And so till the day of resurrection and rewarde are ethy reserued in suche places as are méetest for them Saint Hillarie in the ende of his exposition of the second Psalme writeth that mens soules are straight way after death made partakers of rewards or punishments And touching the soules of the old Patriarks that dyed before the natiuitie of Christ Austin Hierom Nazianzen and other holy Fathers teache that God in certain places by him chosen out for that purpose hath preserued the soules of all
the name of that Lorde hymselfe that giueth those Armes We saye this is Iulius Cesar Nero Saint Peter Saint Paule or here thou mayest sée the Cities of Tigurine and Argentorat also the Duke of Saringe whereas in deed they are onely theyr Counterfeicts or Armes and Signes of Honor. In a Commedie or Tragedie wée call thys manne Saule that Samuel an other Dauid whereas they do but betoken and represent their Personages So saythe Vergill in his fyrst booke of Aeneidos They wonder at Aeneas gyftes and haue Iulius in admiration And yet was it not Iulius or Ascanius but Cupide feining himselfe to bée Iulius whereby hée myght the easâ—yer pearce the heart of the ignorant Quéene with hys Darte of Loue. Saynte Augustine in his seconde booke and nynth chap. De mirabâ—libus Scripturae sayth that holie Scripture dothe sometymes applye the verie names of things to the Images and similitudes of the same Hée alleageth there this example that the foule spirit is called Samuel bycause hée dyd falsely beare Saule in hande that hée was Samuell whyche fraude of the Deuill coulde no ways turne too Samuels reproch For who would say that it should bée a reproche for an honest manne if some knaue would terme hymselfe by his name as if hée were hée himselfe The false Prophetes sayde they were true Prophets and Goddes Seruauntes yea which is more they fained themselues too bée the verie Messias the Sonne of god And that Scripture doth not so muche as in one woorde make mention that this was verie Samuell in déede but rather some spirite we must think that it so came to passe for this cause that all men by the Lawe of God might vnderstand that Magike and enquirie of things at the dead dyd much displease god Saule himselfe before by the counsell and motion of Samuell slewe all the Magitians that he could any where finde And God is not accustomed in this wise to interprete Figuratiue speaches for many of them are soone descried by suche as giue diligent héed to them A vaine superfluous speach it were if a man wold say this is Peter this is that is the Image of Peter whiche by a figure is called by the name of Peter Furthermore holie Scripture dothe vse to speake of things rather according to the opinion and iudgement of men than accordyng to the substance and true béeing which they haue in déede So Iesus is called the Sonne of Ioseph and Iosephe named his father whereas notwithstanding our Sauiour Chryst Iesus was borne of a chast and vnspotted Uirgin without any helpe of man And yet neuerthelesse many of the Iewes imagined that he was the Sonne of Ioseph In the 1. Cor. 1. the Gospel it selfe is named foolishnesse bicause that men did account the great wisdom of God but as méere foolishnesse So in the first epistle to the Corinthians .x. chap. the Scripture termeth them gods which be nothing lesse thaÌ„ so in dede And that for this cause onely for that the Heathen tooke them for Gods and so dyd worshippe them Euen so the Scripture doth terme the Deuil Samuel bycause Saule thought him to â—e Samuel in very déede An other reason they vse that Samuel forshewed vnto 〈◊〉 such things as afterwardes should come to passe as that the Philistians should in baâ—tayle ouerthrow hys 〈◊〉 and he and his sonnes together be slaine And all these thyngs comâ— to passe according to his Prophesie And say they the Deuil knoweth not neither can he foretell of things to come sith it is onely in Gods power so to do But as Christ in the eyght of Iohn saith he is a lyer the father of lyes Here vnto a man may easily answere The Diuell knewe howe things stode with the Iewes and the Philistines he vnderstode euen the very secrete consultations priuy practises and warlike preparation on both sides He sawe that the Israelits were slenderly addressed vnto battaile and vtterly daunted of courage Besides this Samuel had a little before thretned Saul with gods heauie wrath and vengeaunce and that Dauid shold be aduaunced to the kingly throne wherby he might easely gather what would ensue and that Saule must nedes giue place to Dauid And if the euent had bin otherwise yet he knewe that Saule with this prophesie woulde be quite dismayde and driuen to dispaire which thing muste néedes well content and please Sathan who layeth hys baits day and night to intrappe men The Diuell doth not presently vnderstande things to come and therefore he giueth doubtfull aunswers to such as séeke oracles of him As when he saide Croesus perdet Halin transgresâ—us plurima regna That is Cresus passing ouer the riuer Halis shal ouerturne many kingdomes And yet oftentimes he gathereth one thing no otherwise than by an other Hereof writeth Augustine in the 26.27 and 28. chapters of his booke De Anima The Diuell is one which hath bin long beaten in experience the which thing in all affaires and matters is of very great force For olde and practised souldiours 〈◊〉 by and by foresée to what issue things will come but yong men and suche as want experience do not forthwith espye out the euent of eche enterprise Moreouer the Diuels are very actiue and can soone dispatch their matters The marriners knowe when winds and stormes will arise Husbandmen also are not destitute of their prognostications The skilful astronomer can many yeares before exactly foretell when there will happen an Eclipse of the Sunne and Moone The Phisitian by the critical dayes pulse and vrine can lightly iudge whether his patient shal liue or no builders sée before hand when an house wil fal and a practised souldioure can straight wayes iudge who shall winne the victory And what maruaile then may it be if the Diuell an olde trained souldiour can sometimes foreshew some certain thing Shall we be of this minde that so many yeares experience hathe broughte them no knowledge at all Otherwhiles he telleth things which be true in déede and yet to no other ende but that he may therby purchase a certaine credite vnto his lying to seduce the ignoraunt For euen that counterfeit Samuell made wise as if he had taken it in very ill parte that Saule did so molest and disquiet him and that he shold be forced to talke with him he vseth farther the words as it were of Samuel him selfe And hereof it commeth that many gather he was the true Samuell in déede But what doth not Sathan deuise to deceyue men and to force them vnto desperacion Here I could alleage examples of suche as haue bin perswaded that they sawe and heard this and that man and moreouer knewe them perfectly by their spéeche whereas they haue afterwards had euident intelligence that they were at that time many miles distaunt from them So craftie is the Diuell and knoweth howe to worke these and many other feates There are farther diuers places alleaged out of the auncient fathers that séeme too
citie of Ramoth Gilead whiche the Assirians had taken from hym Iosaphat allowed well this deuise notwythstanding hée woulde in any wyse aske counsayle herein of god Achab therefore gathereth togither a councell of .400 priests of Baall who all with one voice exhorted him to goe on with his enterprise assuring him of most certeyne victorie One of them named Sedechias was so vainly bold that putting hornes of yron on his head he sayde with these hornes shalt thou pushe the Assirians But Iosaphat suspecting the matter asked if there were any one Prophet of God to be found of whom they might séeke councell Achab answeared There is quoth he yet a certeine man by whom we might enquire of the Lorde but I hate him for he doth not prophecie good vnto me but euill his name is Micheas Iosaphat thought good in any wise to heare him Wherfore the king presently sent for him by one of his chamberlaines And thus the messanger spake vnto him All the Prophets with one voice prophecie good lucke vnto the king I pray thée therfore that thou speake nothing to the contrary When he was nowe brought before the two kings sitting in their thrones clad with sumptuous apparell and before the other Prophets which stoode in their presence king Achab asked him whether they should make warres against Ramoth Gilead or no Unto whom he scoffingly answered go saith he thou shalt haue prosperous successe The king who by the manner of his vtterance vnderstoode he spake not in earnest instantly required hym to tell hym the truth Whervppon he sayde that he had séene all Israell dispersed in the mountaines as shepe without a shepherd and that the Lorde had sayde These men haue no Lord let euery one returne home to his owne house in safetie Then sayde Achab did I not tell thée that this fellowe doth prophecie me no good The Prophete went on saying heare the word of God I sawe the Lord sitting in his seate of maiestie and all the host of Heauen stand about him on his righte hande and on his lefte hande And the Lorde sayde who shall entice Achab that he may go and fall at Ramoth Gilead And one sayde on this manner and an other sayde on that manner Then there came foorth a spirit and stoode before the Lorde and sayde I will entice him And the Lorde sayde vnto him wherewith And he sayde I will go out and be a false Spirit in the mouth of all his Prophets Then he sayde thou shalt entise him and shalt also preuaile go foorth and do so Nowe therefore behold the Lorde hath put a lying Spirit in the mouth of all these thy Prophets and the Lorde hathe appointed euill agaynst thée Then Sedechias came nere and smote Micheas on the chéeke and sayde when went the spirit of the Lorde from me to speake vnto thée And Micheas prophecied what should happen also vnto him So the king commaunded him to be cast into prison and to be fed with bread and water vntil he returned frō the warres Then sayde Micheas if thou returne in peace the Lorde hathe not spoken by me and therewith he willed all the people to hearken what he spake Notwithstanding the kings went forewarde with their enterprise and prepared themselues and led foorth their armes against their enimies Achab was slayne in the battaile Iosaphat because he ioyned him selfe with the wicked was in very great daunger c. I haue handled thys historie somewhat at large that we might vnderstand howe God by his iust iudgement sendeth spirits vnto those which despise his word whereby they may be beguiled and deceyued The very same happened vnto the Christians after the Apostles tyme For when the word of God began to be lesse estemed than it shoulde haue bin and men preferred their owne affections before the hearing thereof and when as they would incurre no manner of daunger for the defence of their faith and of the truth but accounted of all religions alike God so punished them that nowe they began to giue eare vnto false teachers whiche framed them selues vnto theyr veine affections they learned of images whom they called lay mennes bookes they kissed these mens boanes and shrined them in golde if happely they were their boanes whose doctrine before they disdained to receyue they gaue credite vnto false apparitions and diuelishe visions and so suffered they worthy punishment for their greate ingratitude Euen as yong men which will not be ruled by their maisters are after compelled to obey other men with great shame so also happened it vnto those men for they fell dayly more and more from the word of God in so muche that when they had once lost the truthe some ranne one waye and some an other to fynde a meanes for the remission of their sins and one man beleued this spirite an other that which no man can deny The like chaunced vnto the Gentiles in times past as it appereth by the first chap. to the Romans also by their own writings They worshipped many gods many miracles were shewed amongst them they had many visiōs of gods and many oracles which when the Apostles began to preach al cessed S. Athanasius in his booke De humanitate verbi Fol. 55. 64. writeth that in auncient time ther were oracles at Delphos in Beeotta Lycia other places whiche he nameth but nowe since Chryste is preached euery where vnto all men this madnesse hath ceassed c. In the like manner writeth Lactantius and others But in these our daies since we haue refused mens traditions and willingly imbraced the doctrine of the Gospell all appearings of Soules and Spirites haue quite vanished away Who I pray you heareth now of any soule or Spirit which doth wander and as they call it craue mens deuotions Those rumblings of Spirits in the night are now muche more seldome heard than they haue bin in times past CHAP. II. VVhat the cause is that in these our dayes so fevve spirits are seen or heard THe clere light of Gods worde driueth away al such spirits which vse to worke their feates in the darke The cleare light approching the shaddowe and darknes vanisheth The prince of darknesse shunneth light and hath nothing to do where men worship God the father only through Iesu Christ beleuing only on him and committing them selues wholy vnto his protection If men esteme the word of God and haue it in price he will in no wise suffer them to be so ouerséene and deceyued as they are whiche do all things without the warrant of his word Here I cannot ouerpasse with silence a certeine merry iest when once there chanced to bée talke in a certayne place of visions and Spirits a certayne professor of the Gospell sayd vnto a Papist in this maner You ought quoth he euen by thys to gather that our religion is true and youres false for that since the Gospell was preached vnto vs very fewe spirits haue ben sene of any man. To whome
were persuaded that it was good to stop all spirits from méeting with them in a visible forme But tell me I pray thée who soeuer thou art which doest so by what places of scripture canst thou coÌ„firme those ceremonies Where doth Christ and his disciples teache vs to expell the Diuell which is a Spirit and therefore without any body by bodyly things shewe but one example that they haue cast forthe the Diuell by this way or meanes If you bring out of the bookes of Tobie that the harte and liuer of the fish being layed on the coales droue away the Diuell with the smell we say that the same booke is not accounted amongst the canonicall scriptures and moreouer that the same Diuell was rather vanquished by the prayers of Tobias and his wife than by any fumigation Did Chryste ordayne the holye Supper to thys ende that thereby Deuils shoulde be caste out Albeit that an euill Spirite doo fayne to giue place bycause of these thynges yet he bringeth to passe in the meane season that Superstition is more déepely rooted in the heartes of menne CHAP. XI That spirits are not to be driuen avvay by cursing and banning HEre I cannot ouerpasse that certeine doo vainly persuade them selues that Spirits may easily be driuen away with cursing banning for that as they say Spirits approche néere vnto such as pray and do more egerly disturbe and vexe them Our Lord Iesus Chryste who can best tell how we should fight against the crafte and subtiltie of the Diuell teacheth vs in many places to pray continually he biddeth vs to pray in the Lords prayer that we may be deliuered from euil calling Sathan by the figure 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Euill it selfe bicause he excelleth therein Nothing can be more acceptable and pleasing to the Diuel than when any man vseth cursing and banning He feyneth that he is hereby driuen away but in the meane season he crepeth inuisibly into their bosoms If you liste ye may driue away the Diuel in saying that he hathe no place with you but his place is in Hell and that he hathe nothing to do with those whiche put their only trust and confidence in Christ Iesus For in the eyght chapter to the Romans in the beginning it is sayde Nowe there is no condemnaâ—ion vnto them that are grafted in Christe Iesu who walke not according to the fleshe but according to the spirit A man may commaund the diuel to departe from him without any cursing or banning And that is also to be blamed that certaine wicked and rashe men talke very beastly and filthily with spirits if they appere at any time vnto them Some others when spirits appeare vnto them will by and by set on theÌ„ driue them away with naked swords and sometimes throwe them out of the windowes not coÌ„sidering with themselues that spirites are nothing hurte with weapons In the Grecian histories we reade that a certayne Lacedemonian passing by a sepulchre in the night season when a spirit séemed to appeare vnto him ran towardes it thinking to run it through with his speare saying whether flyest thou O thou soul wich shalt twice dye Surely it is praise worthy when a maÌ„ meâ—ing with a spirite is not afrayde but yet boldnesse and rashnesse can not be commended If thy enimy albeit he be very weake be not to be despised muche lesse ought an enimy so mighty so crafty to be neglected There haue bin some who when they would haue striken a Spirit with their sword haue thought they haue striken the fetherbed the Diuel so mocked them Others supposing they had throwen a spirit out of the window by and by thought they heard shingles falling and ratling amongst the trées It is reported that there haue bin some who supposing with their weapons to hurte spirites haue wounded them selues for their armes and other members of theyr body haue neuer serued theÌ„ after We must not vse a materiall sword against spirits and vayne shewes for it profyteth nothing but we must vse the sword of the Spirit They which will strike spirits and ghosts with a sword in dede 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that is fight with their owne shadow In the booke of Iob the diuell is signified by Leuiathan which careth not for the speare for he apeareth in diuers shapes caÌ„ not be put to flight with pikes The diuel is a spirit he hath not boanes fleshe but he only taketh on him a shape for a time But in case spirits which haue bodies do waÌ„der that is coÌ„iurers priests whores whoremoÌ„gers which faine theÌ„ selues to be spirits â–ª there caÌ„ be no better coÌ„iuratioÌ„ inueÌ„ted thaÌ„ to bang theÌ„ wel with a cudgel For thou shalt not so much preuaile with this kind of diuels with words as with stripes Hytherto I haue shewed howe they ought to behaue themselues which méete with spirits As touching them which neuer heard or sawe any thing for there be many which neuer chaunced on such things let them be thankfull vnto God for so greate a benefite let them not be rash and bolde nor desirous to sée suche thyngs but rather let them praye vnto God for them whyche are vexed wyth suche euyls Let them not doo as they many tymes vse whiche were neuer greatly sicke for they féele not other mens griefes and therfore they thinke they are little sick or that they counterfaite their sicknesse vntill suche tyme as they them selues fall into some greate and dangerous disease euen so God can cause them to see spirites which neuer sawe any before that afterwardes they may be the more touched with other mens gréefs and diligently pray for them CHAP. XII After vvhat sort vve ought to behaue oure selues vvhen vve heare straunge crackes or vvhen other forevvarnings happen BUt nowe as concernyng other matters as in case any straunge crackes and noyses be heard or any rare and maruellous things happen before the alteration of kingdomes whiche wée spake of before what shall we then doo Surely we must not attribute too much vnto such things for they somtimes yea and most commonly chaunce by the disceyte of the diuell who hath a great pleasure to haue men muse nighte and daye on suche matters and to imagine before theyr eyes and myndes many horrible things that therby they may fall into some gréeuous sickenesse and neuer bée at rest When such things happen in déede they ought to put vs in mynd that we casting from vs al these things which displease God should wholly consecrate oure selues vnto God and so frame our selues that at what houre soeuer he come and please to call vs out of this lyfe we shoulde be ready for him euen as he himselfe teacheth vs and also endure patiently all vnfortunate chaunces howe many soeuer happen vnto vs knowing that they come not by chaunce but by the prouidence of God. Plutarch albeit he be an Heathen writer is of a sounde iudgement as me séemeth coÌ„cerning Monsters and wonders
the other made aunswere by waye of reasoning called violentum Nay sayth hée hereby ye may gather that your religion is naught and oures good for the diuell assaulteth those whome he feareth will shortly reuolte from him It is not much vnlike which Aeneas Siluius who was afterwardes made Pope called Pius 2. reciteth in his Historie of the Councell of Basill out of the lyfe of holy Benedict father of the Monkes called after his name Hée sometymes visityng a certayne Monasterie of holy men espyed an infinite route of diuels who as it were fighting with the holy fathers labored to disturbe the good workes which they went about And he foorthwith going to a faire full of marchandise and buying and selling saw there but one diuell and he also idle and sad sitting vppon a watchtoure wherat saint Benedict maruelling that he saw the place whiche was holy and dedicate to prayer full of dyuels and that he founde the prophane place which was occupied with periurie and other offences garded but with one Diuell hée coniures the same Diuell to declare and shewe vnto him the true cause therof who streight answered him that it was néedefull the holy place shoulde be assaulted by many diuels but those whiche sinned of their voluntarie accorde had no néede to bée deceyued by the Diuell But I aske thée thys question O thou Papist myghte not the Gentils in ancient tyme haue obiected the same to the Christians when they demaunded of them why their Oracles ceassed and why there were so fewe Uisions If those Spirites or bugges be Diuels why doe you then saye and beléeue that they are the soules of dead menne whiche desyre helpe of you I wyll shewe you the verye true cause why those visyons are nowe so seldome tymes séene forsoothe bycause the Dyuell perceyueth that wée vnderstande hys subtleties and craft therefore hée hunteth after other men and seeketh to deceyue them As for example when thou wilt cramp some man by the toes in the night time as sometimes pleasant fellowes vse to do to recreate themselues when they trauel and so draw him out of his bed if thou perceyue he be acquainted with thy sleyght by and by thou leauest him and goest vnto an other which is fast asleep and cannot perceiue the deceyt There be other causes also why these things happen nowe more seldome If any man deceiue thée once twice or thrice afterwardes thou openest thy eyes and espiest what he doth and what he goeth about so when we haue béene often beguiled with false apparations we will not easily be persuaded if any man tel vs that a soule or spirit hath appeared as the prouerb saith Moreouer whereas nowe adayes fewe stand in feare of spirites many might be easily found who would séeke them feele them yea and also handle them This is wel known therfore no man will gladly put on a visour or otherwise counterfeit himselfe to be a ghost A man may soone persuade a childe that ther is is a black man a tall woman which wil put chyldren that crie in their budget c. but after they are come to maturitie of yeares they will no more be feared with visours and such like persuasions they will laugh at thy follie if afterwards thou go about to make them so afraid Euen so when we were children in the Scriptures that is when we vnderstood them not we might be easily seduced to beleeue many things But nowe that we reade them in all manner of tongs and do dayly profit in them we do not suffer our selues to be so mocked neither do we beléeue euery vaine apparition How many sightes of spirites did the knauerie of the Monkes of Berna driue away after it was once detected Things are set vp in the fieldes to feare awaye the birdes whiche at the last also they perceyue to be but trifles and are not dryuen away any longer with suche toyes What maruel is it then if after so great a shipwracke of godlynesse and truth men albeit they are simple do at the last open their eyes CHAP. III. VVhy God doth suffer straunge noyses or extraordinarie rumblings to be heard before some notable alterations or othervvise IN that there happeneth certayne straunge things before the death of men and also before notable alterations and destructions of countries as maruellous crackes terrible roaring surely it turneth to good vnto the iust to further damnation to the wicked For by these means God sheweth that nothing commeth to passe by chaūce or by aduenture but that the life and deth the prosperous or vnfortunate estate of al men is in the power and hand of god It is nothing so as the Epicures affirme that God hath no regard whether any man lyue or be borne or do well or euill or otherwise or whether common welthes do florish or be made wast Chryst himselfe techeth vs that not so much as a sparrow falleth vnto the ground without the wil of god Salomon Daniel say that the hearts of kings are in Gods hands and that he appoynteth or deposeth kings at his pleasure Wherfore if we happely do heare any noises or such like they ought rather to put vs in good comfort than to make vs afrayd And againe God héereby admonisheth vs that we be not idle and secure for he hath in al ages stirred vp his seruants not only with words but also with rare and strange apparitions The very Gentiles accounted these myraculous things as the admonitions and warnings of their gods as it may be séen euery wher in ther histories And albeit it be very likely that most of these things happen by the deuils procuremēt yet neuerthelesse we héerin perceiue Almightie God his fatherly care loue preseruation of vs against the deuises of the deuil For albeit the deuil take no rest but is alwayes in redynesse to destroy vs yet can he not hurt vs so long as God kepeth watch defendeth vs The wicked who despise the preaching of Gods worde are sore terrified with these things in so much that they not knowing whether to turne thēselues are constrained to confesse that god doth gouern al mens actions that there are good and euil spirites Otherwise they coulde in no case be repressed but that they woulde do greater mischiefe vnto the faithful except God by these meanes dyd cast feare vppon them and as it were with a snaffle or brydle did hale and drawe them backe CHAP. IIII. After vvhat sort they should behaue themselues vvhiche se good or euil spirits or mete vvith other strange aduentures and first hovve Ievves and Gentiles behaued themselues in the like cases THat we may rightly vnderstand how we ought to behaue our selues if any thing eyther good or euill appeare vnto vs we wil first declare how the gentiles and Iewes vsed themselues in like cases Amongest the Gentiles not only those wandring spirits beare men in hande that they were mens soules but also shewed what were good and