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water_n	air_n	element_n	fire_n	13,062	5	7.1789	4	true

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ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A27337	The world bewitch'd, or, An examination of the common opinions concerning spirits their nature, power, administration and operations, as also the effects men are able to produce by their communication : divided into IV parts / by Balthazar Bekker ... ; vol. I translated from a French copy, approved of and subscribed by the author's own hand.; Betoverde weereld. English	Bekker, Balthasar, 1634-1698.	1695 (1695)	Wing B1781; ESTC R4286	207,500	352

alledged but to set off with some likelihood the private Opinions with which we are taken up Sect. 9. I hope that what I have just now said will easily be credited if attention be given to what follows I say that the Character of Philosophy such as is learned in the Schools pours it self upon all the Interpretations and Translations that are of the Holy Writ It was the Opinion of Aristotle that the four Elements Earth Water Air and Fire were included within one another as by Circles reaching from the Center to the highest place of the Universe So as that the Earth was the lowest being mixed with Water in its Superficies and the Air above it surrounding the Terraqueous Globe These Propositions are granted by all But that Philosopher also believes that Fire surrounds the Air as the Celestial Heavens divided into several Vaults do Fire These Vaults to which the Sun Moon and Stars are fastned and are of a subtile and incorruptible matter in themselves surround one another and turn about us every year every month and every day by the vertue of some certain Spirits call'd Assisting Forms Those that hold that Opinion for probable are very apt to be persuaded that the wicked Spirits dwell in the Air because the superiour Spheres are too pure for them When therefore those sort of Men hear St. Paul mentioning the Prince of the Power of the Air Ephes 2.1 Or the Spiritual Wickedness in high Places Ch. 6.12 they doubt not but St. Paul was of the Opinion of Aristotle and that by these words of the Holy Scripture the wicked Spirits must be understood Thus those who by reading Plato have fill'd their heads with his Demons fancy that t●is word is used in the Scripture in a Platonick Sense without considering that this Philosopher lived not in the time that the Holy Writ was published in which the former signification of these Terms might be chang'd as it daily happens and without so much as examining in what Sense they were taken by other Authors contemporary with the Sacred Writers whether 't is probable that other Authors whose Books are lost understood 'em in the same Sense or lastly whether the Jews in whose Tongue the Holy Scripture was written and who consequently ought to understand it best put the same signification upon them Sect. 10. What I say of the ill use made of Philosophy as to this Point must not appear strange for it extends to every thing When Copernicus began to assert by Reasons that seem'd very strong to him that the Sun is fast and unmoveable and that the Terraqueous Globe moves Those that held the Hypothesis of Ptolomey pretended to explode that Opinion by clear and formal Texts of the Holy Scripture but those that maintained it contrived Explications to those passages and wanted not plausible Reasons to set them off Thus those that after Descartes believe Man has an Idea of God in his Understanding found the same Doctrine in St. Paul and understood in that Sense these Words of his Epistle to the Romans Ch. 1.19 That which may be known of God is manifest in them for God has shewed it unto them Even some of Descartes's Followers have explained the History of the Creation in the first Chapter of Genesis according to the principles of that Philosopher that is quite contrary to the right meaning of this Narration as the Author himself confesses in his little Book Intituled Cartesius Mosaisans Sect. 11. It is the same with Divinity as with Philosophy Those that are call'd the Fathers of the Church that is her First or chief Doctors in the Primitive times the Authority of whom the Papists equal to that of the Word of God having been at first imbued with that false Philosophy did not so much as think upon freeing themselves of their prejudices by a true Interpretation and Translation of the Holy Scripture On the contrary they have pour'd their preventions over whatever they have writ for whether they treated of such Articles of Faith as were most controverted or whether they interpreted passages of the Holy Writ they have adher'd to bare speculations and apply'd them to subjects quite different from those the Sacred Writing aimed at St. Austin in the 4th and 5th Century has been fruitful in speculations and Origen in the 3d has surpass'd all the others in mis-applications remote from the scope of the Holy Pen-men as may have been observed by what has been alleag'd from them and several others concerning Spirits in the 15th Chapter Their Homilies that is their Sermons contain but few Expositions of the Holy Scripture and still fewer Translations 'T is true that Origen and St. Jerom have taken more pains than the others and been also more puzled having translated the Sacred Writings in those Ages in which the knowledge of Tongues was not much look'd after nor improv'd In the mean while what those Doctors hape propos'd upon many separate passages dispers'd thro' their Writings upon which instead of a serious examination they have put the Sense that was most favourable to their private Opinions has ever been received and taught afterwards Thus 't is happen'd long after the knowlege of Tongues not being better improv'd that their Interpretations have been admitted without contradiction only upon their own credit and look'd upon with that veneration that is commonly paid to Antiquity as tho' the World in process of time was grown younger than before By these means it is that their Doctrines concerning Spirits and especially the bad have insensibly been bequeathed as an inheritance to posterity Sect. 12. Since therefore every one is so much taken up with this Sect and pays so great a deference to those that are call'd the eminent Fathers 't is no wonder that the Papists who above all others put a high value upon them should use their Language and consecrate all their Expressions And 't is long since the Protestants have observ'd that these their Adversaries have founded the Prayers for the dead the worshiping of Saints and the like Doctrines upon some expressions of the Fathers that seem to favour them When afterwards they were compell'd to give some proof out of the Holy Scripture they found the first together with Purgatory in the 1st Epistle of St. Paul to the Corinthians Chap. 3.13 That fire shall try every Man's work 'T is almost the same with those that are bred amongst the Lutherans how great a Philosopher and how learned soever any one may be he will find no reason and much less a necessity to believe that Christ is locally and visibly ascended to Heaven but it will appear to him a necessary proposition that our Lord after his Resurrection penetrated thro' doors shut up and that his Humanity is omnipotent How learned soever one may be in the Tongues there are however frequent occasions in which it can neither be seen or conjectur'd upon what ground the learned have given to some certain words a signification that favours the

it fall which gave occasion to the Diviners to foretell the happiness of Augustin's life if we may believe Suetonius To the 2d way or the Divination by Singing this Verse of Virgil may be applyed Saepe sinistra cava praedixit ab ilice Cornix Th' ominous Crow foretold it on an Oak For the 3d sort they used the Tripudia solstima which were a sort of Skipping and Dancing during which if the Chicken fell upon the Meat that was fall'n from his Bill on the ground called Solum and swallow'd it greedily it was a happy Omen whereas if he let it stand an ill success was to be feared Thus was foreseen the defeat of Hostilius Mancinus by the Numantines because the Chickens had refused to eat and were fled from their Coops Sect. 8. Sortilegium or Casting of lots was a disposition of some Letters mixed together and drawn at adventure by the first Child to be met with those Letters were engraven on the Bark of an Oak according to the antient Custom and disposed as many different ways as was possible to see whether they should render some Sense or none Whence the good or bad fortune of the Inquirer was inferr'd When Tiberius says Suetonius in his Life undertook a journey into Dalmatia and at Pavia consulted the Oracle of Geryon by Lots he was obliged to make use of another way for he was answered that he should cast Golden Dice in the Spring of the Fountain Apona which having done it was the greatest point that appeared to his Eye which is still to be seen under water at this day Sect. 9. There is yet another way of Divination famous even in the Holy Scripture viz. by expounding of Dreams I shall be obliged to speak of it more at large another time because the Omirocritici or expounders of Dreams are nor yet banish'd out of the World and that some especially of the French Court begin to revive that Art As to the Heathens as often as the Demons Geniuses and Larvae medled with their Dreams it was to offer them something particular by which according to the usual Rules of their Art they might know the good or bad success of future things Sect. 10. Our Ancestors in the time of Paganism had amongst them a Custom of that nature as Tacitus relates Divinations and casting of Lots says he are as much in fashion amongst them as any where else They cast their Lots in a very simple way for they cut the branch of a Fruit-tree in several little Lots on each of which they make a particular mark and then Confusedly throw them on a piece of white Cloth There the Priest if matters of State are treated of or the Father of the Family when it concerns him or his house looking to he Heavens lifts up thrice each little Lot and gives the explication of the marks printed on them if they disswade no farther consultation is made that day but if they allow to proceed they go to the Diviners for an Answer There is yet another particular way of predicting amongst that people by the means of white Horses that were never back'd and are kept together in a Forest at the Publick Cost They hunt them and the Priest King or Governor sitting on a consecrated Chariot observes their Neighing and Foam There is no Divination more esteemd than this not only by the People but even by the Great Men and the Priests the latter are look'd upon as the Ministers of the Gods and the Great Men as those that are nearer and better known to them Sect. 11. But 't is not sufficient to have explained ' the names of those 3 or 4 ways of making the Heathen Gods speak for tho' they be the chief yet I find that several others have been in use called by the Greeks ●egromancy Pyromancy Aeromancy Hydr●mancy Geoma●cy and Chiromancy the 1st relates to the dead the 2d to the Fire the 3d. to the Air the 4th to the Water the 5th to the Earth the 6th to the Hands Polydore Virgil gives us a description of each of these Arts in the 23 Chapter of his 1st Book Sect. 12. Necromancy or the Divination by dead Bodies is made by something perceived on a Corps which gives occasion to the foretelling The ignorance of the Greek Tongue has made some believe that 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which signifies dead was derived from the Latine as tho' it had been Negros from Niger Black which mistake caused Necromancy to be called the Black Art which name is used at present to signifie all sorts of Witchcraft Inchantments and Diabolical Illusions Under this sort is comprehended Sciomancy or Divination by the shadows in which they conjured up the Ghosts or Shadows of the dead to foretell future things It would be a great proof of the power of this Art if what Lucan relate in his 6th Book were true that a Ghost conjured up foretold the whole success of the Battle of Pharsalia Sciomancy differed from Necromancy herein that the latter requires Blood and made the dead Bodies appear whereas the other conjured up only Ghosts Sect. 13. Pyromancy was according to Polydor a Divination by Fire when they supposed to know something by the means of Fire for which purpose Observations were made upon Lightning or some other extraordinary Fire Instances of it are to be read in Livy and in the First Book of Dionysius Halicarnass where 't is related that the Wise of Tarquinius the Ancient seeing a Flame surround the Head of Seruivs Tullius foretold that he should become King of Rome Sect. 14. Acromancy or the Divination by the Air consisted observing Tempests and extraordinary Clouds as when Pliny relates in his Second Book that there Rain'd Iron in Lucania which in his Opinion signified the Defeat of Ceassus by the Parthians He likewise relates in his First Book of the Second Punick War that their Rained Stones in Picenium which he takes for a forerunner of the Evils that Hanibal was bringing to Italy Those Divines are called in the Hebrew Bible 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Jidnoni Diviners by the Clouds amongst this sort may be ranck'd the Capnomancy which consisted in observing the motions of the Smoke of Sacrifices Sect. 15. Hydromancy or the Divination by Water arose from somthing particular which they fancyed to see in the Water Varro relates upon this occasion that a Youth saw in the Water the Image of Mercury who declared to him in 150 Verses the whole course and all the events of the War against Mithridates St. Austin in the 9th Book of the City of God says that Numa Pompilius the Second King of the Romans was the Inventer of that Art and that by the illusion of the Demons he made appear upon the Water the Images of the Gods who gave him Laws for governing his People with goodness and Justice Sect. 16. Geomancy or the Divination by the Earth was made by the Observation of the Clefts and Chasms of an Earth quake I

whom has a share in the Government of the World They say that Brama has power over all the Souls and distributes them to Men and Beasts as he pleases that Baffiuna teaches Men the Commandments of Permiseer and provides with all things in this life those that are obedient to him and that Mais calls to Judgment before Permiseer the Souls separated from the Bodies who sends them according to their deserts into the Bodies of Men or Beasts to be afterwards with them purified of their Fits in a certain purging Fire The Gentives in the Kingdom of Goleonda believe also one only God who has been from all Eternity but in process of time has associated himself to some inferior Gods chosen from amongst Men which notion is agreeable with the Semidii Indigetes or Heros of the Ancient Romans Sect. 7. Those Ancient Persians who have remained in their Religion since Mahometism has setled in their Country deserve to be taken notice of Some remained in Persia and live for the most part at Ispuhum the Capital of that Empire Others have retired into the Indies especially into the Kingdom of Gusuratte where they are in great numbers Here you have the belief of the people in the very words of Carolinus extracted from de Laat Varenius and Tuist They believe that there is one God present every where who Governs all things a● pleasure without needing the assistance of any one tho' in the mean time he has seven Ministers by him almost of the same Dignity with himself who have each their particular Office of which they are accountable to him The 1st is Hamalda the Governour of Men. The 2d is Baman who has inspection over the Beasts and the Creatures of the Sea The 3d. is Ardi Best who preserves Fire and hinders it from going out The 4th is Sariuard on whom Metals and Minerals depend The 5th is Espendaar who takes care lest the Earth should be fill'd with filthiness and grow wild The 6th is Arendaar who has the direction of the Waters and who takes care that they be not soiled with nastiness The last is Amadaat who has the inspection of the Trees and Fruits of the Earth and of Herbs All these Gods are only Inspectors and Directors it being not in their power to inflict death upon any thing or to give it a new Life for they are solely established to give an account to the Sovereign God and to inform against those that have ill used corrupted or violated the things that are under their keeping Sect. 8. Besides those 7 Ministers there are yet 26 of an inferior Order each of which has his particular district Sorach is the first whose Office it quickly to bring the Souls separated from the Bodies before their Judges viz. Mees Resna and Saros The 4th is Beram Carrasedaats who directs War at his pleasure The 5th is the Sun The 6th is Anoa who has dominion over the Waters The 7th is Ader who is established over Fire The 8th is Maho who governs the Moon The 9th is Tiera that is the Rains 10th Gos governs and preserves Cattle 11. Tavardi takes care of the S●uls who are in Heaven 12th Aram brings Joy to t●e World and banishes Pains and Sorrows from thence 13th Goada rules the Winds tho' he be not the Wind himself 14th Dien gives to Nations information and understanding of the Laws and inclination to keep them 15. Appersone affords Riches 16th Astaat gives Vnderstanding and Memory 17 th Assamaan has the inspection of Wares 10. Gimninaat has the conduct of the Earth 19. Marisipant is the God of Goodness which he communicates to those that have recourse to him 20. Armira is the director of Money 21. Hoem is the Author of the conception of Women and gives life to their Fruit. 22 23. Dimnia and Base are established to succor those that stand in need of them The three last Befadeer Defemeer and Defyn stand by God to serve him and are always ready to perform his Orders These are the Names of those 26 Ministers whom the Country men of Persia honour with the Title of Gestio or Saint and whom they believe to have Authority and Power all the things that are under their direction For which reason they also adore them trusting that they will be their Intercessors to God and obtain from him whatever shall be necessary for their good Sect. 9. Having thus sufficiently spoken as to the Gods we 'll now treat of the Spirits tho' we find but little information upon this point in Authors saving in what concerns China and the East-Indies on this side the River Ganges I only find mention made that the Japanders in a place not farr from Osacca venerate a God or Spirit named Tiedebaie lest he should hurt them and that another God called Goquis frequently appears to them in a humane Shape In the Town of Micao They worship in a Statue of a frightful Figure another Spirit to whom the Christians give the name of King of the Devils There is no Pagod in all Japan saith Carolinus which is so frequented nor enriched with so great Presence because thereby they think to redeem their sins Sect. 10. Martinius Kircher and Trigaltius three Jesuits have written large Histories of China but very little insisted upon this matter However considering what they observe of the Worship of that People it may be concluded that they believe the existence of Spirits as we shall show hereafter The Siamese likewise venerate some wicked Gods though against the sentiment of many of their Doctors under pretence of charging those bad Spirits of such evils of which they will not make God the Author It is said of the same Nation that they give two Spirits to every Man one of which makes them to be good and the other evil Sect. 11. But the greatest knowledge we have of the Opinions of those Countries comes from the Coast of Choromandel Carolinus who has gatherd what Rogerius says of it in many places says That they believe good and bad Spirits that is Angels and Devels They name the Angels Deuetas and the Devils Ratsiasias They hold that both were begotten by Men and that their common Father was Cassiopa the first Bramaine or Priest and Legislator The Mother of the Deuetas was Diti and that of the Ratsiasias was Aditi both Wives of Cassiopa Sect. 12. There are two sorts of Deuetas For such Men as go after their Decease into the Happiness of the Worlds under the Sun and above the Earth are also called Deuetas but those places are not for them an eternal abode since after the succession of some Ages they must come back into the World and be Born again As to the other Deuetas who are in great numbers they never depart from their Abode The Sun Moon and Stars are in that number they ascribe unto them both Soul and Life Sect. 13. The Ratsiasias are also of two sorts some of them are Wicked Men who are condemn'd

Cassavies upon a Matouton or little Table having them there all the Night if in the Morning they find if untouch'd they nevertheless perswade themselves that the Zemean has fed upon it but has only Eaten and Drunken the Spiritual part whereas if all be consum'd for which the Priest never fails to provide as much as lies in his power 't is the Zemean that has Eaten it up They likewise never make a Feast but the Zemean has his portion Sect. 21. Going over into the Continent of Northern America we meet with the Mexicons the most considerable People of the Country Thomas Gage an Englishman who became a White-Fryar in Spain and is a judicious and credible Author saving in what concerns the superstitions of Popery says in the 20th Chap. of his First Book That there are above 2000 Gods in the Town of Mexico the chief of whom were called Visilopuchli and Tescatlipuca A little after the Author adds They believed that those two Idols were two Brothers that Tescatlipuca was the God of Providence and Visilopuchli that of the the War for which Reasons they worshiped and honoured them both above all the others He also mentions another God whom they extreamly venerated he had spoken in the foregoing Chapter of Quetavatlei the God of Light I know not whether this last is Quetsaolcoalt whom Montanus calls the Gods of Merchants Sect. 22. Going thence to Guatimale and Amatitlum under the Dominion of Spain The same Author speaks much of the Magick of the Inhabitants which they have neither forgotten nor forsaken thô they make an outward profession of Christianity to show that they meddle with Divination he relates that they observe whether they are the First that see the Beasts going before them in their way That they likewise observe the flight of Birds and whether they sing out of their season about their abode they also believe that their Life depends on that of some Beasts which they keep in their Houses as a Familiar Spirit so far that they are seized with terror and shake whence 't is pursued by Hunters and fall into a Swoon when 't is caught Sect. 23. Going over from New-Spain into New-England we shall be sufficiently inform'd by the Relation of Richard Blome who says that the Inhabitants of that Country thô the dulest and most Savage People in the World have nevertheless Gods Priests and a certain form of worship The First and most venerated of their Gods is that who does them most hurt whom they call Okea they converse with him and he transforms himself into their shape they likewise adore whatever they think able to cause them an unavoidable damage as Water Fire Thunder Lightning great and small Guns Horses the Hedghog at whose sight they were most frighted the First time the English brought one thither They believe it to be the God of Swines and that they had undoubtedly incens'd him When they design to make War they consult with the Priests and Diviners before they undertake it Sect. 24. The same Author relates almost the same things of New-York formerly call'd the New-Netherlands he especially reports the manner of their Inchantments and discovers their Cheat of which we shall speak in the last part of this work but we may put here what he says of the Marylanders They believe a Soveraign God who has made all things from all Eternity and even Inferior Gods of different dignities to make use of their Ministry such are the Sun the Moon and the Stars they believe that all things have been formed of Water but that Men had their Original from four Children whom the First Woman in the World conceived from one of these Gods Sect. 25. As to the Souls they believe that those of the Virtuous are taken up to the Gods to enjoy an Eternal happiness but that the Souls of those who have led a wicked Life go to burn for ever in the Popogusso or that extremity of the World where the Sun sets down Upon this subject they recite That they perceived a Man to move in his Grave a day after he had been Buryed whence at last he went out and came to Life again he declared to them that he had been almost precipitated into the Popogusso but that one of their Gods had preserved him from it and given him leave to return to the World to warn his Friends they should beware of that frightful place Another being likewise risen related That his Soul had remain'd alive whilst his Body was in the Coffin that she was gone into a spacious place planted on both sides with fine Trees cover'd with excellent Fruits that at last she was come to a place full of Magnificent Buildings where he had found his Father Deceased some time before who had enjoyned him to come back and tell his Friends what happiness was prepared for them if they put themselves in a State of obtaining it by a Virtuous Life whereupon he was come back into the World Thence we may plainly perceive the Opinion of that People upon the State of the Soul separated from the Body and that they are more polite and enlightened than those mentioned before Sect. 26. The Inhabitants of Virginia hold also Okea for the supream God thô they confess the God of the Christians to be above him because the Christians can do more Execution with their Guns than they with their Bows and Arrows for their Religion and that of the most part of the Neighboring Nations is all turned to the War and to obtain a happy success of it A Counsellor of one of their Kings being in England in King James the First time says That Okea often appears in his Pagode whereupon 4 Priests enter into it uttering strange Words and making Gestures and Postures no less surprizing These call others again whom they cause to come in after the same manner and the God declares his Will to them Vpon this Declaration they take their measures in all their Affairs either journey or any thing else If they desire to go a Hunting he precisely teaches them where the Beast will be found they receive his Advices with great satisfaction and never fail to follow them which often succeeds He appears to them in the shape of a comly Indian and after he has shewed himself for some time to his 12 Confederates he goes up into the Air whence he came Sect. 27. The same Author gives us the sentiments of the Inhabitants of Carolina which is part of Florida bordering upon Virginia as we have heard him before relating those of the Inhabitants of the Island St. Vincent They likewise hold Okea to be the Supream God Good and bad Spirits are look'd upon to be inferior Gods and they offer Sacrifices to the least as well as to the greatest Gods They also believe the Transmigration of Souls and when any body dies they bury with him sufficient provision for his maintenance and all sorts of Cloaths for his use when he shall