''£' national library of medicine Bethesda, Maryland ft t S .>i ■*..• %'* :** C*^ ,i,V, t nd Saul p ere emeu ouved with his face to the aroutpd. ant ist.ScunuA. l>hat>:2,8. i W 'A himself. W. Faith orn-c._feat. Saducifmus Triwnpkatm: OR, Full and Plain EVIDENCE Concerning WITCHES hf and ;r wn APPARITIONS In Two Parts. The Firft treating of their POSSIBILITY, The Second of their Real EXISTENCE. By JofephGlanvil late Chaplain in Ordinary tp < his Majefty, and Fellow of the Royal Society. With a Jxtter of Dr. HENRT MORE. on the lame Subject.. And an Authentick^but wonderful ftory of certain Smv dtfh Witches» done intoJingli(h by Antb. Hormek^ Preacher at the Savoy. LONDON: Printed for /• Collins at his Shop under the rempfo - Church, and S. Lownds at his Shop by the Savoy-gaze, i$# j, / TO THE Right Reverend Father in God SETH Lord Bifliop of SARUM, Chancellor of the Garter. This New and Compleated EDITION O F Saducifmm Triumpbatus Is moil humbly Dedicated to your Lordihip, By, v My Lord, Your Lordfliips moft Obliged and Humble Servant (The PUBLISHER) fames Collins. THE PUBLISHER T O T H E READER. Reader, THat thou haft no fooner enjoyed this long-expi- fted Edition, thou canft not juftly blame ei- ther the Author or my felf Not myfelf for I could mtpublifh the hook before 1 had it; nor the Author, becatofe many unexpected occajions drove off his mind to other matters, and interrupted him in his prefent defgn, htfomuchthat he was jnatcht away by Death before he had quite finifhedit. But though the lear- ned World may very well lament the lofi offo able and ingenious a Writer,yet as to this prefent point, if that may mitigate thy for row, in all likelihood this Book had not Jeen tfx light fo foon if he had lived, fi many emergent occajions giving him new interrupti- on's,and offering him new temptations to further delay. Indeed it had been At fit"able that it might have had the polijhing of his lafl hand< as the perufer of his Papersfignifies in his lafl Advertifement. But to compenfate this lofi, thefaid Perufer, a friend as well to his Defign as to ^wPerfon, has digefled thofe Materials he left,in to that order and diftintlnefi,and hasfo tied things together, andfupplied them in his Advertifements, that, to the judicipus Reader, no- A j thing The Publillier to the Reader. thing can feem wanting that may ferve the ends oj his intended Treatife. Not to intimate what conji- derable things are added, more than it is likely had been, if he had finijhed it himfelf: For, befid.es the Advertifements of the careful Perufer of his Papers, and that notable late Story of the Swedifh Witches translated out of German into the Engliih Tongue, there is alfo addedafhort Treatife of the true and genuine Notion of a Spirit, taken outofDr.More's Enchiridion Metaphy ileum, to entertain thofe that are more curious fe archers into the nature of thefe things. I he Number alfo of the Stories are much increa- fed above what was dejignedby Mr. Glanvil, though none admitted, but Juch as feemed very well at- tefted and highly credible to his abovefaid Friend, andfuch, at rightly underftood, contain nothing but what is confonant to right Reafon and found Philofo- phy, as I have heard him earnejlly avouch, though it had been too tedious to have explained all';' and it may be more grateful to the Reader to be left to ex- ercife his own wit and ingeny upon the reft. Thefe are the advantages this Edition of Mr. GlanviPs Dae- mon 0/Tedworth, and his Confiderations about Witchcraft have, above any Edition before, though the lafl of them wasfo bought up, that there was not a Copy of them to be had in ^London andCam- bridge, but the Perufer of his Papers was fain to break his own to ferve the Frefiwith ; If thefe inti- mations may move thy Appetite to the reading fo pleafant and ufeful a Treatife. The Publiflier to the Reader. And yet I can add one thing more touching the ftory of the Daemon of Tedworth which is very con- jiderakle.. It is not for me indeed to take notice of that meanneis offpirit in the Exploders 0/Appari- tions and Witches, which very flrangely betrayed it felf in the decrying of that welf-attefted Narrative touching the Stirrs in Mr. MompeflbnV houfe. Where, although they that came to be Spetlators of the marvelous things there done byfome invifiblc Agents, had all the liberty imaginable. ( even to the ripping of the Bolfters open ) tofearch and try if they could difcover any natural caufe or cunning Artifice whereby fuch ft range feats were done; and numbers that had free accefifrom day to day, were a- bundantly fatisfied of the reality of the things that the houfe was haunted and difturbed by Daemons or Spirits; yet fome few years after the Stirrs had ceafedj the truth of this ftory lying fo wteafie in the minds of the difgujters of fuch things, they raifed a Report, ( when none of them, no not the moft diligent and curious could deteft any trick or fraud themfehes in the matter ) that both Mr. Glanvil himfelf, who put lifted the Narrative , and Mr. Mompeflon, in ivhofe houfe thefe wonderful things happened, had confeffed the whole matter to be a Cheat andImpo- fture. And they were fo diligent in fpreading a- broad this groft untruth, that it went currant in all the three Kingdoms of England, Scotland, and Ire- land. An egregious difcovery of what kind of Spirit tins fort of men are I which, as Ifaid, though it be not forme to take notice of, yet I will not flick to figmfie The Publisher to the Reader. fignifie (it being both for mine own Inter efl and the Inttrefl of Truth ) that thefe Reports raifed touch- ing Mr. Glanvil and Mr. Mompeilbn, are by the prefent Edition of this Book demonftrated to befalfe to all the world. That concerning Mr. Glanvil, by his Preface to tlx fecond Part of the Book-, That touching Mr. Mompeilbn, by two Letters of his own, the one to Mr. Glanvil, the other to myfelf which arefuhjoyned to the faid'Preface: Which thing alone may juftly be deemed to add a very great wei&bt to the value, as of that Story,foof this prefent Edition. But I will not, upon pretence of exciting thy Ap- petite, keep thee from the fatisfying it by an overlong Preface: which yet if it mayfeem to be defective in any thing, the Doclors Letter ( where among/1 o- ther things you fhall meet with that famous and well- attefted ftory of the Apparition of Anne WalkerV Ghoft to the Miller ) will, I hope make an abundant fupply. I (hall add nothing more my felf but that I am Your humble Servant J. C. [ Dr. H. Ad. his LETTER WITH THE POSTSCRIPT, To Mr. 7. G. Minding him of the great Expedience and Ufefulnefs of his new intended Edition of the Damon of Tedrvortb9 and briefly reprefenting to him the marvellous weakneis and gullerie of Mr. Webflers Difplay of Witch" craft, SIR, Hen I was laft at London, / called on your Book-feller, to know in what for war dneft this new intended Imprefjion of the ftory of the Daemon of Ted worth was , which will undeceive the world touching that Fame generally fpread abroad, as if Mr. Mompeilbn and your felf had acknowledged the B huftneft i The Letter of D. H. Af. &c. buftneft to have been a meer Trick or Impoflure. But the Story, with your ingenious Confidera- tions about Witchcraft, being fo often printed already, hefaid, it behoved him to take carp how he ventured on a new Impreffion , unleft he had fome new matter of that kind to adde, which might make this new Edition the more certainly falable; and therefore he expelled the iffue of that noifid ftory of the Spellre at Exeter, Jeenfo oft for the difcovering of a Murther committed fome thirty years ago. But the event of this buftneft, as to juridical procejl, not anfwering expetlatldn, he was dijcouraged from making ufe of it, many things being reported to him from thence in fa- vour to the party mqfl concerned. But I told him a ftory of one Mrs. Britton her appearing to her Maid after her death , very well attefled, though not of fuch a Tragical kind as that of Exeter, which he thought confiderable. But of Difcoveries of Murther I never met with any ftory more plain and unexceptionable than that in Mr. John Webfter his Difplay of fuppofed Witchcraft. The Book indeed it felf Iconfeft, is but a weak and impertinent piece; but that ftory weighty and convincing, and fuch as himfelf ( though other wife an ajfecled Caviller a- gainft almoft allftories cf Witchcraft and Appa- ritions) is conftrained to affent to, as you fhall fee from his own confeffton. I fhall for your bet- ter eafe, or becaufe you haply may not have the Book, tranfcribe it out of the Writer himfelf, though The Letter of Dr. K M ice 3 though it be fomething long, Chap. 16. Page 298. About the year of our Lord 1632 > (asnear' as lean remember, having loft my Notes and the Copy of the Letter to Serjeant Hutton, but am fure that Idomoft perfectly remember the fub- ftance of the ftory ) near unto Chefter in the Street, there lived one Walker a Teoman-mdn of good eft ate, and a Widower, who had a youngWo- man to his Kinfwoman that kept his Houfe, who was by the Neighbours fufpetled to be with Child, and was towards the dark of the Evening one night fent away with one Mark Shzrp,who was a Collier, or one that digged Coals under grounded one that had been born in Bhkebmn-Hundred'inLanca- ihire; andfofhe was not heard of a long time, and no noife or little was made about it. In the Win- ter-time after, one James Graham or Grime (for fo in that Countrey they call them ) being a Miller, and living about Two miles from the place where Walker lived, was one night alone ve- ry late in the Mill grinding Corn ; and as, about twelve or one a Clock at night, he came down the Stairs from having been putting Corn in the Hop- per, the Mill-doors being Jhut, there flood a Wo- man upon the midH of the Floor with her Hair about her Head hanging down and all bloody, with five large Wounds on her Head. He being much affrighted and amazed, began to bleft him, and at lajl asked her who fhe was , and what fhe wanted? To which fhe faid, I am the Spirit of B * fueb 4 The Letter of Dr. H. M &c. fuch a Woman, who lived with IP bilker ; and being got with Child by him, he promiled to fend me to a private place, where I ihould be well lookt to until I was brought in bed and well again, and then I ihould come again and keep his Houfe. And accordingly,/?/*/ the Apparition, I was one night late fent away with one Mark Sharp, who, upon a Moor ( naming a place that the Miller knew) flew me with a Pick, (fuch as men dig Coals withal) and gave me thefe five Wounds, and after threw my Body into a Coal-pit hard by, and hid the Pick under a Bank: and his Shoes and Stockings being blou- dy, he endeavoured to waih ; but feeing the bloud would not waih forth, he hid tliem there. And the Apparition further told the Miller, that he muft be the man to reveal it, or elfe that fhe muB ft ill appear and haunt him. The Miller re- turned home very fad and heavy, but fpoke not one word of what he had feen, but efchewed as much as he could to ft ay in the Mill within night without company, thinking thereby to efcape the feeing again of that frightful Apparition. But notwithftanding, one night when it began • to be dark, the Apparition met him again, and jeemed very fierce and cruel, and threatned him, ■That if he did not reveal the Murder, fhe would continually purfue and haunt him. Tet for aV t)m he ft ill concealed it until St. Thomas-Eve before Chriftmas , when being fion after Sunfet walking The Letter of Dr. H. M. &c 5 walking in his Garden,/he appeared again , and then Jo" threatned him and affrighted him, that he faithfully promifed to reveal it next mor- ning. In the morning he went to a Magiftrate, and made the whole matter known, with all the cir- cumftances; and diligent fearch being made, the Body was found in-a Coal-pit with five Wounds in the Head, and the Pick, and Shoes , and Stoc- kings yet bloody, in every circumflance as the Ap- parition had related unto the Miller. Whereup- on Walker and Mark Sharp we re both apprehen- ded, but would confeft nothing. At the Affixes following ( I think it was at Durham ) they were arraigned, found guilty, condemned, and executed, but I could never hear that they confejfed the Fall. There were fome that reported that the Apparition did appear to the Judge, or the Fore- man of the Jury, ( who was alive in Chefter in the Street about Ten years ago, as I have been credibly informed) but of that I know no cer- tainty. There are many perfonsyet alive that can re- member this ft range Murder, and the Difcovery of it; for it was, andfometimes yet is, as much dif courfed of in the North-Countrey, as any thing that almoft hath ever been heard of, and the Re- lation Printed, though now not to be gotten. I relate this with the greater confidence, ( though I may fail in fome of the Circumflances) becaufe If aw and read the Letter that was fent to Serjeant B 3 Hut- 6 The Letter of Dr. H. Af. Sec. Hutton, who then lived at Goldsbrugh in York- fhire, from the Judge before whom Walker and Mark Sharp were tried, and by whom they were condemned; and had a Copy of it until about the year 1658, when I had it and many other Books and Papers taken from me. And this I confefito be one of the moH convincing Stories ( being of undoubted verity ) that ever I read, heard, or knew of, and carrjeth with it the moH' evident force to make the mosi incredulous fpirit to be fatisfied that there are really fometimes fuch things as Apparitions. Thus far He. This Story isfo cpnftderable, that I make men- tion of it in my Scholia on my Immortality of jthe Souljnwy Volumen Philofophicum, Tom. z. which I acquainting a Ifriendof mine with, a pru- dent intelligent perfon, Dr. J. D. he of his own accord offered me, it being a thing of fuch confe- rence , to fend to a friend of his in the North for greater affurance of the truth of the Narra- tion ; which motion I willingly embracing, he did accordingly. The Anfwer to his Letter from his friend Mr. Shepherdibn, is this. I have done what I can to inform my felf of the paflage pf Sharp and Walker. There arc very few men that I could meet, that were then pen, or at the Tryal, faving thefe two in the inclofed Paper, both men at that time, and both at the Tryal. And for Mr. Lumley, he hveefnext cioor to Walker-, and what he hath given The Letter of Dr. H. M. &c. 7 given under his hand, candepofe if there were occafion. The other Gentleman writ his At- teftation with his own hand; but I being not there, got not his Name to it. I could have fent you twenty hands that could have laid thus much and more by hearfay, but I thought thefe moil proper that could fpeak from their own Eyes and Ears. Thus far Mr. Shepherd- (on,the Doctors difcreet and faithful Intelligencer. Now for Mr. Lumley 's Teftimony, it is this. Mr. William Lumley of Lumley, being an ancient Gentleman., and at the Tryal of Walker and Sharp upon the Murder of Anne Walker, faith, that he doth very well remember that the faidAnne was Servant ft? Walker, and that fie was fuppofed to be with Child, but would nor difclofe by whom. But being removed to her Aunts in the fame Town, called Dame Carie, told her Aunt that he that had got her with Child, would take care both for her and it, and bid her not trouble her felf After fome time fhe had been at her Aunts, it was obferved that Sharp came to Lumley one night, being a fworn Bro- ther of the faid WalkerV; and they two that night called her forth from her Aunts Houfe, which night fie was murdered. About fourteen days after the murder, there appeared to one Graime a Fuller, at his Mill, fix miles from Lumley, the likeneft of a Woman, with her Hair about her head, and the appear- B 4 awe 8 The Letter of Dr. H. M. 8cc. ance of five Wpunds in her Head, as the find Graime rax^ it in Evidence. That that appear- ance bid him go to a Juflice of Peace, and relate to him how that Walker and Sharp had murthered her, in fuch a place as fie was murthered: But he fearing to difclofe a thing of that nature againH a perfon of credit as Walker was, would not have done it; but fie continually appearing night by night to him, and pulling the Clothes off his Bed, told him, he Jhould never res~l till he had difclofe d it. Z/pon which he the faid Graime did go to a Juflice of Peace, and related the whole matter. Whereupon the Juflice of Peace granted Warrants againffi Walker and Sharp, and committed them to prifon. But they found Bail to appear at the next Ajfizes. At which time they came to their Tryal, and upon evidence of the Circumftances with that of Graime of the Appearance , they were both found guilty, and executed. Will. Lumley. The other Teftimony is of Mr. James Smart of the City 0/Durham; who faith, That the Trial cf Sharp and Walker was in the moneth of Au- guil 1631, before Judge Davenport. One Mr. Fairhair gave it in Evidence upon Oath, that he fee the likeneft of a Child ft and upon Walker'* Shoulders during the time of the Trial .• At which time the Judge was very much troubled, and gave Sentence that night the Trial was; ivfrkb was a thing never ufed in Durham before nor after. Qut The Letter of Dr. H. M. Sec. ~ p Out of which Two Teftimonies feveral things may be corrected or fuvplied in Mr. Webflers Sto- ry , though it be evident enough that in the main they agree: For that is but a fmall difagreement as to the lear, when Mr. Webfler fays about the year of our Lord 1632. and Mr. Smart, i6->i Butunleft at Durham they have Ajfizes but once in the year , I underftand not fo well how Sharp and Walker fiould be apprehended fome little while after St. Thomas day, as Mr. Webfler has it, and be tried the next Affixes at Durham, and yet that be in Augufl according to Mr. Smarts Teftimony. Out of Mr. Lumley>s Teflimony the Chriften Name of the young Woman isfupplied, as alfo the Name of the Town »• Cheiler in the Street, namely Lumley. The Circumftances alfo of Walker's fending away his Kinfwoman with Mark Sharp., are J applied out of Mr. Lumley'* Narrative; and the time reclified, by telling it was about fourteen days till the Spettre appeared after the Murther, whenas Mr. Webfler makes it a long time. Two Errours alfo more are corrected in Mr. Webfler* Narration, by Mr. Lumley'* Teftimo- ny: The diftance of the Miller from Lumley where Walker dwelt, which was Six miles, not Two miles, as Mr. Webfler has it. And alfo, that it was not a Mill to grinde Corn in, but a FullersA Mill. The Apparition night by night pulling the Clothes off Graime'* Bed, omitted in Mr. Web-' fierVftory,may befuppliedout of Mr. Lumley*. And i o The Letter of Dr. H. M. &c. And Mr. Smart'* Teftimony puts it out of contro- verfie that the Trial was at Durham, and before Judge Davenport, which is omitted by Mr. Web- fler. And whereas Mr. Webfler^*, there were feme that reported that the Apparition did appear to the Judge, or the Fore-man of the Jury, but of that he knows no centainty: This confejfwn of his, as it is afign he would not write any thing in this ftory of which he was not certain for the main, fo hereisaveryfeafonablefupplyfor this out of Mr. Smart, who affirms that he heard one Mr. Fair- hair give Evidence upon Oath, that he faw the likeneft of a Child ftand upon Walker'* Shoul- ders during the time of the Trial. It is likely this Mr. Fairhair might be the Fore man of the Jury ; and in that the Judge was fo very much troubled, that himfelf alfo might fee the fame Ap- parition as Mr. Webfler fays report went, though the miftake in Mr. Webfler is, that fr was the Apparition of the Woman. But this of the Child was very fit and appofite , placed on his Shoul- ders, as one that was juflly loaded or charged with that Crime of getting his Kinfwoman with Child, as well as of complotting with Sh ar p to mur-> der her. The Letter alfo which he mentions writ from the Judge before whom the Trial was heard, to Serjeant Hutton, it is plain out of Mr. Smart'* Teftimony, that it was from Judge Davenport; which in all likelihood was a very full and puntlu- al Narrative of the whole bufmeft, and enabled Mr. The Letter of Dr. H. M. &c. 11 Mr. Webfler, in fome confiderable things, to be more particular than Mr. Lumley. But the a< greement isfo exact" for the main, that there is no doubt to be made of the truth of the Apparition. But that this, forfooth, mufl not be the Soul of Anne Walker, but her Aflral Spirit, this is but afantaftick conceit of Webfler and his Paracel- fians, which I have fufficiently fiewn the folly of in the Scholia on my Immortality of the Soul, Volum, Philofi Tom. z. p. 3 8 4. This Story 0/Anne Walker / think you will do well to put amongd your Additions in the new Impreffwn of your Daemon of Tedworth, it be- ingfo excellently well attefted, andfo unexceptio- nably in every rejpett; and to haften as fa sfasyou can that Impreftton, to undeceive the halfwitted World, whofo much exult and triumph in the ex- tinguishing the belief of that Narration, as if the crying down the truth of that ftory of the Daemon of Tedworth, were indeed the very, flaying of the Pevil, and that they may now with more gaiety andfecurity than ever fing in a loud note that mad drunken Catch, Hay ho! the Devil is dead, &c. which wild Song , though it may feem a piece of levity to mention, yet believe me, the application thereof bears afoier and weighty intimation along with it, viz. that thefe fort of People are very hor- ribly afraid there Jhould be any Spirit, left there 1 i. The Letter of Dr. H. M. &c. jhould be a Devil, and an account after this life; and therefore they are impatient of any thing that implies it, that they may with a more fullfwing,and with allfecurity from an after-reckoning, indulge their own Lufts and Humours in this. And I know by long experience, that nothing rouzes them fo out of that dull Lethargy of Atheifm andSaddu- cifm,as Narrations of this kind. For they being of a thick and groft fpirit , the mosi fubtile and folid deductions of reafon does little execution up- on them; but this fort of fenfible Experiments cuts them and flings them very fore, andfoftartles them, that by a lejiconfider able ftory by far than this of the Drummer of Tedworth, or ^/Anne Walker, a Etoclor of Phyfick erf d out prefently, If this be true, I have been in a wrong Box all this time, and mufl begin my account anew. And I remember an old Gentleman in the Coun- try of my acquaintance, an excellent Juflice of Peace, and apiece of a Mathematician; but what kind of Philofopher he was , you may underftand from a Rhyme of his own making, which he com- mended to me at my taking horfe in his yard; which Rhyme is this, Ens is nothing till Senfe finde it out: Senfe ends in nothing, fo nought goes about. Which Rhyme of hi/Was fo rapturous to himfelf that at the reciting&of the fecondVeife , the old Gentleman turned himfelf about upon his Toe as nimbly The Letter of Dr. H. M. &c. i ? nimbly as one may obferve a dry Leaf whisked round in the corner, of an Orchard-walk by fome little Whirlwind. With this Philofopher I have had many Difcourfes concerning the Immortality of the Soul, and its diftinclion from the Body, and of the ex- igence of Spirits. When I have, run him quite down by Reafon, he would but laugh at me, and fay, This is Logick, H. calling me by my Chriflen- Name. To which I replied, This is Reafon, Father L. (for fo lufed, and fome others, to call him) but itfeemsyou are for the New Lights,and immediate Infpiration. Whichjconfefi, he was as little for as for the other; but Ifaidfo onely in way of drol- lery to him in thofe times. But truth is, nothing but palpable experience would move him: And be- ing a bold man, and fearing nothing, he told me he had ufed all the Magical Ceremonies of Conjura- tion he could to raife the Devil or a Spirit, and had a moft earnefl define to meet with one, but ne- ver could do it. But this he told me, when he did not fo much as think of it, while his Servant was pullingoff his Boots in the Hall, fome invifible, Hand gave him fuch a clap upon the Back, that it made all ring again. So, thought he , now lam invited to tlje converfe of fome Spirit; and there- fore fofoon as his Boots were off and his Shoes on, cut goes he into the Tard and next Field, to finde out the Spirit that had given him this familiar clap on the back, but found none, neither in the Tard nor Field next to it. But though he did not, this ftroak , albeit he thought 14 The Letter of Dr. H. M. Sec. thought it afterwards (finding nothing come of it) a mere delufion; yet not long before his death it had more force with him than all the Philofophkal Arguments I could ufe to hint, though I could winde him and nonplus him as I pleafed; but yet all my Arguments t howfolidfoever, made no im- preftton upon him- Wherefore after feveral re a- fonings of this nature, whereby I would prove to him the Souls diflinclion from the Body and its im- mortality, when nothing of fuch fubtile conftdera- tion did any more execution on his mind , than fome Lightning isfaid to do, though it melt the Sword, on the fuzzy confiftency of the Scabbard: Well, jaidl, Father L. though none of thefe things move you, I have fomething ft ill behind , and what your felf has acknowledged to me to be true, that may do the bufineft. Do you remember.the clap on your back when your Servant was pulling off your Boots in the Hall? Affureyour felf, faid I, Father L. that Goblin will be the fir ill that will bid you wel- come into the other World. Vpon that his Counte- nance changed moft fenfibly, and he was more con- founded with this rubbing up his memory, than with all the Rational or Philofophkal Argumentations that I could produce. Indeed, if there were any modefty left in man- kind , the Hijlories of the Bible might abundantly affure men of the exiftence cf Angels and Spirits. But thefe Wits, as they are taken to be, are fo jea- lous, forfooth, and fo fagacious. thatwhatfoever is offered to them by way ofeftablifhed Religion, is fu- fptfled The Letter of Dr. H. M. &c. 15 fpetledfor apiece of politick Circumvention; which is as filly notwithftanding,andas childijh,as that con- ceit of a Friend of yours when he was a School buy in the loweft Form of a Country Gramarfchool, who could not believe fearce that there were any fuch men as Cato, and/Efo\>, andOvid, and Vir- gil, andTully, much left that they wrote any fuch Books, but that it was a trick of our Parents to keep us up fo many hours of the day together, and hinder us from the enjoying our innocent paftime in the open Air, and the pleafure of planting little Gardens of Flowers, and of hunting of Butter'-flies and Bumble-bees. Befides, though what is once true never becomes falfe, fo that it may be truelyfaid it was not once true ; yet thefe firewd Wits fufpeel the truth of things for their antiquity, and for that very reafon think them the left credible : Which is as wifely done as of the Old Woman the Story goes of, Who being at Church in the week before Eaf ter, and hear- ing the tragical Defeription of all the circumflances of our Saviours Crucifixion, was in greatflorrow at the reciting thereof; andfo follicitous about the bufineft, that fie came to the Prieft after Service with tears in her Eyes, dropping him a Court fie, and asked him how long ago this J ad accident hapned; to whom he anfwering about Fifteen or Sixteen hun- dred years ago, fieprefently began to be comforted, andfaid, Then in grace of God it may not be true. At this pitch of wit in Cnild: en WOid Wives is the Reafon of our profeffed Wit-would-be'* of this 16 The Letter of Dr. H. M. &c. prefent Age, who will catch at any flight occafion or pretence of misbelieving thofe things that they can- not endure Jhould be true. v Andforafmuch as fuch courfe-grairi d Philofophers as thofe Hobbians WSpinozians, and the refl of that Rabble, flight Religion and the Scriptures, be- caufe there is fuch expreft mention of Spirits and Angels in them, things that their dull Souls are fo inclinable to conceit to be impofftble; I look upon it as afpecial piece of Providence that there are ever and anon fuch frejh examples of Apparitions andWitchcrafts as may rub up and awaken their be- nummed and lethargick Mindesinto a fufpicion at leaft, if not affurance that there are other in- telligent Beings befides thofe that are clad in heavy Earth or Clay. In this, I fay, methinks the Divine Providence does plainly outwit the Powers of the dark Kingdom, in permitting wicked men and women and vagrant Spirits of that Kingdom to make Leagues or Covenants one with another, the Confeffion of Witches againft their own Lives beingfo palpable an evidence, (befides the miraculous feats they play) that there are bad Spirits, which will neceffarily open a Door to the be- lief that there are good ones, andlaftly that there is a God. Wherefore let thefmallPhilofophick Sir Foplings of this -prefent Age deride them as much as they will, thofe that lay out their pains in committing to writing certain well-attefted Stories, of Witches and Apparitions, do realfervice to true Religion The Letter of Dr. H. M. &c. 17 and found Philofophy, and the moft effetlual and accommodate to the confounding of Infidelity and Atheifm, even in the Judgement of the Atheifls themfelves, who are as much afraid of the truth of thefe (lories as an Ape is of a Whip ; and therefore force themfelves with might and main to disbelieve them by reafon of the dreadful con- fequence of them as to themfelves. The wick- ed fear where no fear is, but God is in the ge- neration of the Righteous. And he that fears God and has Faith in Jefus Chrifl, need not fear how many Devils there be, nor be afraid of him- felf or his own Immortality. And therefore it is nothing but afoul dark Confidence within, or a very groft and dull conftitution of Blood,that makes men Jo averfie from thefe Truths. But however, be they as averfie as they will, being this is the -moft accommodate Medicine for this Difeafe, their diligence and care of Man- kind is much to be commended that make it their bufineft to apply it, and are refdved, though the peeyffinefi and perverfneft of the Patients makes them pull off their Plaifter, ( as they have this excellent one of the Story of theDaemon No cer- tainly they confult Witches or Wizzards, and Diviners , as Anne Styles&A Anne Bodenham. Wherefore here is evidently a fecond name of a Witch. The Third word in the Text, is WH3Q [Me- C 4 nachefli] 2 4 The Poftfcript. nachefi} which our Englifh Tranflation ren, ders, an Enchanter. And with Mr. Webfler s leave, (who infulteth fo over their fuppofed ignorance) I think they have tranflated it very learnedly and judicioufly: For Charming and Enchanting, as Webfler himfelf acknowledges, and the words intimate, being all one, the word Wr\2Q [Menachefk~\ here, may very well fig- nifie Enchanters or Charmers; but fuch pro- perly as kill Serpents by their charming, from WD2 [Nachafh] which fignifies a Serpent, from whence comes U/ru [Nichefb] to kill Serpents or make away with them. For a Verb in Tihel, fometimes (efpecially when it is formed from a Noun) has a contrary fignification. Thus from WMJ radix is WW radices evulfit, from ]W1 Cinis \m removit Cineres , from xvn peccavit Nton expiavit apeccato ; and fb laftly from WW Serpens,is made Wniliberavit aferpen- tibus, nempe occidendo velfugandoper incqntatio- nem.-' And therefore there leems to have been a great deal of skill and depth of judgment in our Englifh Tranflators that rendred ttmjQ [ Menachefi ] an Enchanter, efpecially when that of Augur or South-fayer, which the Se- ptuagint call 'Oioav^qimyov (there being fo ma- ny fiarmlefs kinds of it) might feem lefs fui- table with this black Lift: For there is no fuch abomination in adventuring to tell, when the wild Geefe fly high in great companies and cackle much , that hard weather is at hand. The Poftfcript. 25 Put to rid Serpents by a Charm, is above the power of Nature; and therefore an indication of one that has the affiftance of fome invifible Spirits to help him in this exploit, as it hap- pens in feveral others; and therefore this is a* nothernameof one that is really a Witch. The Fourth word is, *]WDO [Mecafeph] which our Engliih Tranflators render, a Witch; for which I have no quarrel with them, unlefs they ihould fb underftand it that it mufl ex- clude others from being fo in that fence I have defined, which is impoiTible they mould. But this, as the foregoing , is but another term of the fame thing; that is, of a Witch in general, but fo called here from the preftigious impo- fing on the fight of Beholders. Buxtorf tells us, that AbenEzra defines thofe to be CTBttfDQ [ Mecaffephim ] qui mutant & transformant res naturales ad afpeclum oculi. Not as Jugglers and Hocus-Pocufies, as Webfler would ndicu- loufly infinuate , but fo as I underflood the thing in the fecond name: For thele are but feveral names of a Witch , who may have fe, veral more properties than one name intimates, Whence it is no wonder that Tranflators ren- der not them always alike. But fo many names are reckoned up here in this claufe of the Law of Mofes, that, as in our common Law, the fence may be more fure, and leavp no. room to evafion. And that here this name }S pot from any tricks of Legerdemain as in coirjmoq 4 2£ The Poftfcript. common Jugglers that delude the fight of the people at a Market or Fair, but that it is the name of fuch as raife Magical Spectres to de- ceive mens fight, andfo are moft certainly Witches, is plain from Exod. 22.18. Thoufialt wtfuffer FEW?® [Mecajfephah] that is, a Witch to live. Which would be a Law of extream feverity, or rather cruelty, againft a poor Ho- cus-pocus for his tricks of Legerdemain. The Fifth name is "OH "Din [Chobher Cheb- her'] which our Englifh Tranflators render Charmer, which is the fame with Enchanter. Webfler upon this name is very tedious and flat, a many words, and fmall weight in them. I mall difpatch the meaning briefly thus : This •an "mrr [Chobher• Chebher] that is to fay, Socians Societatem is another name of a Witch, lb called fpecially either from the confociating together Serpents by a Charm, which has made men ufually turn it ( from the example of the Septuagints 1-mJW e^aoi^lw ) a Char- mer, or an Enchanter: or elfe from the fociety or eompadt of the Witch with fome evil Spi- rits; which Webfler acknowledges to have been the opinion of two very learned men, Martin Luther, and Perkins ; and I will adde a third, Aben-Ezra, ( as Martinius hath noted ) who gives this reafon of the word '"DTI [Chob- her] an Enchanter, which fignifies Socians or Jungens, viz. Quod malignos Spiritus fibi affoci- at. And certainly one may charm ddng e- nough, % The Poftfcript. 27 nough, even till his Heart ake, e're he make one Serpent aflemble near him, unlefs helpt . by this confederacy of Spirits that drive them to the Charmer. He keeps a pudder with the fixth verfe of the fifty eighth Pfalrh to no purpofe: Whenas from the Hebrew, annn -am cra/n^o ^p your-^ ntyK i=Dna> if you repeat km w™ h^fh before "Qin you may with eafe and exactnefs render it thus; That hears not the voice of muttering Char- mers , no not the voice of a confederate Wizzard or Charmer that is skilful. But feeing Charms, unlefs with them that are very mallow andfil- lily credulous , can have no fuch effects of themfelves, there is all the reafon in the world ( according as the very word intimates, and as Aben-Ezra has declared ) to afcribe the effect to the aftiflance, confederacy, and co-operation of evil Spirits, and fo annn "Din [ Chobher Chabharim ] or "On imn [Chobher Chebher J will plainly fignifie a Witch or a Wizzard ac- cording to the true definition of them. But for J. Webfter^s rendring this verfe/. 119. thus, Qua; non audiet vocem muffttantium incantatio- nes docli Incantantis , ( which he faith is doubt- lefs the moft genuine rendring of the place) let any skilful man apply it to the Hebrew Text, andhewillprefentlyfmdit Grammati- cal Nonfence. If that had been the fence , it ihould have been CDDna "Oin nan. The Sixth word is, m** hxw [ Shoel Obh ] which 38 The Poftfcript. which our Englifh Tranflation renders, a Con- fult er with familiar Spirits; but the Septua- gint ^yyoore}^©" Which therefore mufl needs figmfie him that has this familiar Spirit: And thereforeattt *?*w [ Shoel Obh~] I con- ceive, (confidering the reft of the words are h to be underftood) is to be underftood of the Witch or Wizzard himfelf that asks coun- fel of his Familiar, and does by vertue of him give Anfwersunto others. The reafon of the name of ma [Obh ] 'tis likely was taken firft from that Spirit that was in the Body of the party, and fwelled it to a protuberancy like the fide of a Bottle. But after, without any re- lation to that circumflance , OBH fignifies as much as Pytho ; as Pytho alfo, though at firft it took its name from the Pythii Fates, figni- fies no more than Spiritum Divinatioms, in ge- neral, a Spirit that tells hidden things or things to come. And OBH and Pytho alfo agree in this, that they both fignifie either the divina. tory Spirit itfelf, or the party that has that Spirit. But here in niK^iOtf/ [Shoel Obh ] it being rendred by the Septuagint 'Eyy* that is, by that Spi- rit that fometimes goes into the body of the party, and thence gives anfwers ; but here it onely fignifies a Familiar fpirit. And laftly, awnfya [Bagnalath Obh] 1 Sam.zS. v. 7. Qua habet Pythonem ; there OBH muft needs fignifie the Spirit it felf, of which fhe of Endor was the owner or poffefTbr; that is to fay, it was her Familiar fpirit. But fee what brazen and ftupid impudence will do, here awnfya [ Bagnalath Obh ] with Webfler muft not fig- nifie one that has a Familiar fpirit, but the Mi- ftrifs of the Bottle. Who but the Mafter of the Bottle, or rather of whom the Bottle had become Mafter, and by guzling had made his wits exceffively muddy and frothy, could e- ver ftumble upon fuch a foolifh Interpretation? But becaufe aw[0^]in one place of the Scrips ture fignifies a Bottle, it muft fignifie fo here, and it muft be the Inftrument, forfooth, out of which this cheating Quean of Endor does whi- Jper,peep, or chirp like a Chicken coming out of the Shell, p. 129, 165. And does fhe not, I befeech you, put her Neb alio into it fome- times, as into a Reed, as it is faid of that Bird, and cry like a Butter bump ? certainly he might as The Poftfcript. 31 as well have interpreted awnVya [Bagnalath Obh'] of the great Tun of Heydleberg, that Tom. Coriat takes fuch fpecialnottee of, asof the Bot- tle. And truly fo far as I fee,it muft be fome fuch huge Tun at length, rather than the Bottle, that is, fuch a fpacious Tub as he in his deviceful imagination fancies Manaffes to have built; a HSt>vf*ov forfooth , or Oracular i&iifice, for cheating Rogues and Qupans to play their cou- zening tricks in; from that place 2 Chron. 33.6. awnu/yi Et fecit Pythonem. Now, fays he, how could Manaffes make a Familiar Spirit, or make one that had a Familiar Spirit ? There- fore he made a Bottle, a Tun or a large Tub, 3 ri&vTmv, or Oracular ^Edifice for cheating Rogues and Queans to play their couzening tricks in. Very wifely argued and out of the very depth of his ignorance of the Hebrew Tongue! when- as if he had lookt but into Buxtorfz Dictiona- ry, he might have underftood that rwy figni- fies not onely fecit, but alfo paravit, compara* vit,acauifivit, magni fecit, none of which words imply the making of OBHin his fence, but onely the appointing them to be got, and countenancing them. For in Webflerys fence he did not make ^Jyr [Jidegnoni] neither, that is Wizzards , and yet Manaffes is faid to make them both alike, \3ynawntyy1 Et fecit Py- thonem & Magos. So plain is it that aw [Obb] fignifies Pytho, and tliat adequately in the fame fence 32 The Poftfcript. fence that Pytho does, either a Familiar Spirit, or him that has that fpirit of divination. But in aw n*?ya [ Bagnalath Obh ] it neceflarily fignifies the Familiar fpirit itfelf, which aflifted the Witch of Endor; whereby it is manifeft ihe is rightly called a Witch. As for his Stories Of counterfeit Ventriloauifts, (and who knows but fome of his counterfeit Ventriloquifts may prove true ones) that is but the threadbare Sophiftry of Sadducees and Atheifts to elude the faith of all true ftories by thofe that are of counterfeits or feigned. The Seventh word is^iyT [JidegnoniJwbLch our Englifh Tranflators render a Wizzard. And Webfler is fo kind as to allow them to have tranflated this word aright. Wizzards then Webfler will allow, that is to fay, He witches, but not She-witches. How tender the man is of that Sex! But the word invites him to it* \3iyT [Jidegnoni] coming from yvfcire, and anfwering exactly to Wizzard or Wife-man. And does not Witch, from wit and weet, fignifie as well a wife woman, as I noted above > And as to the fence of thofe words from whence they are derived, there is no hurt therein; and therefore if that were all, \JiyT [ Jidegnoni ] Iwd not been in this black Lift. Wherefore it is here underftood in that more reftrict and worft fence: fo as we underftand ufually now adays Witch and Wizzard, fuch wife men and Wftmeti whofe skill is from the confederacy of evil The Poftfcript. 33 evil Spirits , and therefore are real Wizzards and Witches. . In what a bad fence 'UiyT [jfz- degnoni ] is underftood, we may learn from Levit. 20. 27. A man alfo or woman that hath a familiar Spirit, or that is a Wizzard [ Jidegno- ni ] fhall be put to death, they fiall ft one them withftones, &c. The laft word is crnnn ttnn [Dorefh Ham- methim,~\ which our Tranflators rightly render Necromancers; that is, thofe that either upon their own account,or defired by others, do raife the Ghofts of the deceafed to confult with • which is a more particular term than aw fya [BagnalObh: ] But he that is BagnalObh, may be alfo Dorefi Hammethim a Necromancer, as ap- pears in the Witch of Endor. HereWebfter by onon [ Hammethim ] the Dead, would underftand dead Statues; but let him,if he can, any where fhew in all the whole Scripture where the word D^non [Hammethim] isufed of what was not once alive. He thinks he hits the nail on the head in that place of Ifaias, ch. S.v. 19. And when they fiall fay unto you, Seek unto (masn, that is,to aw mtyD, fuch as the Witch of Endor was ) them that have fa- miliar Spirits, and to Wizzards that peep and that mutter; ( the Hebrew has it cannon and Q^XSXQH ; that is, that fpeak with a queru- lous murmurant or muflitant voice,when they either conjure up the Spirit, or give refponfes. If this be to peep like a Chicken, Ifaiah himfelf D peept 34 The Poftfcript, peept like a Chicken, ch. 5 S.i 4.) flould not a peo- ple feek unto their God.for the living,[OnQn 7W] to the dead} where Hammethim is fo for from fig^ aifyirtg dead Statues, that it muft needs be un- derftood of the Ghpfts of dead men, as here in Deuteronomy. None but one that had ei- ther ftupidly, or wilfully forgot the ftory of Samuel's being raifed by that a>N ntya [ Bag- nalath Qbh ] the Witch of Endor, could war have the face to affirm that CTnon [Havmt- thim 3 here in Ifaiah is to be underftood of dead Statues, when Wizzards or Necromancers Were fo immediately mentioned before* efpe- cially not Webfler, who acknowledges thtt aiK xwm { She? Qbh ] fignifies a Necroman- cer in this Deuteronomical Lift of abominable names. . And therefore, forfooth, would have it a Tautblogie that Dorefi Hammethim ffeould fignifie fb too. But I fay it is no Tautologie, this lafl term being moreexprefs andreftrict. And oefides, this enumeration is not intended as an accurate Logical divifion of Witches or Witchcraft into fo many diftinct kinds, but a reciting. of feveral names of that ill Trade, though they will interfere one with another, and have no fignificatiofiis fo precifely diftinct. But, as I faid before, this fuller recounting of them is made, that the prohibition in this form might be the furer fence againft the fin. And now therefore what will J. Webfler get by this, if Dorefi Hammethim will not fignifie a Witch The Poftfcript. 35 Witch of Endor, when it muft neceflarily fig- nifie a Necromancer , which is gs much againft his Tooth as the other ? tyay jndeed this Ne- cromancer is alfo a Witch or Wizzard,according to the definition produced above. The reft of the Chapter being fo inconfide- rable, and I having been folong already upon it, Ilhall pafs to the next, after! liavedefired you to take notice frow weak and childifh, or wild and impudent, Mr. Wjelfter has been in the Interpretation of Scripture hitherto, in the behalf of his fgge Dames, to fence ofTtheir reproach of being termed Witches; whenas there is force one word in this place of Deute- ronomy that does not imply a Witch or Wizzard according to the real definition thereof. And truly he feems himfelf to be eonfcious of the weakflefs of his own performance, when after all this ado, the fum at lafl amounts but to this; That there are no Names in all the old Teftament that fignifie fuch a Witch that de- ftroys Men or Beafts, that makes a vifible com- pact with the Devil, or on whofe body he fucketh, or with whom he hath carnal Copu- lation , or that is really changed into a Cat, Hare, Dog, or fuch like. And to fhew it a- mounts to no more than fo, was the task we undertook in this Chapter. But affure your felf, if you perufehis Book carefully, you fhall plainly find that the main drift thereof is to prove, as I above noted, that D 2 there $6 The Poftfcript. there is no fuch Witch as with whom the De- vil has any thing more to do than with any other finner; which notwithftanding, this Conclufion of his a little before recited, comes infinitely fhort of: And therefore tins fixth Chapter, confiding of about Thirty pages in Folio, is a mere piece of impertinency. And there will be Witches for all this, whether thefe particularities be noted in them or no:For it was Sufficient for Mofes to name thofe ill founding terms in general, which imply a Witch accor- ding to that general notion I have above de- livered ; which if it be prohibited, namely the having any thing to do with evil Spirits, their being fuckt by them, or their having any luft- ful or venereous tranfadtions with them,is much more prohibited. But for "fome of thefe particularities alfo they may feem to be in fome manner hinted at in fome of the words, efpecially as they are rendred fometimes by skilful Interpreters: for *]WDa [ Mecaffeph 3 is tranflated by Vatablus and the vulgar Latine Maleficus, by the Septua- gint (pctfpaiys, that is, Veneficus-, which words fignifie mifchievoufly enough both to man and beaft, Befides that Mecaffeph carries alon^ with it the fignification of Transformation a? fo; and haply this may be the difference be- twixt s)WDa [Mecaffeph'] and piyo [Megno- nen 3 that! the former ufes preftigious Tranf- formations to fome great mifchief, as where Olaus The Poftfcript. 37 Olaus Magnus tells of thofe that have tranf- formed themfelves into Wolves to mens think- ing, and have prefently fall'n upon worrying of Sheep. Others transformed in their Aflral Spirit, into various fhapes, get into Houfes,and do mifehief to men and children , as I remem- ber Remigius reports. And therefore it is lefs wonder that that fharp Law of Mofes is againft thenstODO [Mecaffephah~\ fuch a Witch as this is, Thoufialt not fuffer a Witch to live; this may be a more peculiar fignification of that word. And now for making a compact with the De- vil, how naturally does that name "ian lain [Chobher Chebher] fignifie that feat alfo ? But for fucking and copulation, though rightly fta- ted it may be true, yet I confefs there is no- thing hinted towards that, fo far as I fee, as indeed it was neither neceflary that the other fliould be. But thefe are the very dregs, the Fax Magorum & Sagarum that fink into thofe abominations, againft which a fufficient Bar is put already by this prohibition of Witchcraft in general by fo many names. And the other is fo filthy, bafe, and nafty, that the mention thereof was neither fit for the facred Style of Mofes his Law, nor for the Ears of the People. In my pafling to the eighth Chapter I will onely take notice by the way of the fhamelefs impudence of J. Webfler, who in favour to his beloved Hags, that they may never be D 3 thought 3S The Poftfcript. thought to do ariy thing by the affiftance of the Devil, makes the victory of Mofes, with whom the mighty hand of God was, or of Ghrift, ( who was the Angel that appeared firft to Mofes in the Bufli, and conducted the Children of Ifrael out of /Egypt to the pro- mifed Land) to be the victory onely over fo many Hocus-pocuffes, h many Jugglers that were, as it feerris, old excellent at the tricks of Legerdemain ; which is the bafeft derogation to the glory of that Victory , and the vifeft reproach againft the God of Ifrael and the perfon of Mofes, that either the malicious wit of any Devil can invent, or thedulnefs of any funk Soul can Humble upon. Afturedly there was a real conflict here betwixt the Kingdom of Light arid the Kingdom of Da¥khefs and the eVU Spirits thereof, which a#ifted the Q^QUlrt [ Hartummim 3 the Magicians of /Egypt; who before that name is named, that no tmh mzf miftake, are called CTSMISa [Mecajfephim] fuch kind of Magicians as can exhibit to the fight manifold preftigious Transformations through diabolical affiftance, and are rendred Malefici-bygood Interpreters, as I noted above• that is, they were Wizzards Or He-witches. The felf fame word being ufed in that fevere Law of Mofes, Thou fialt not fuffer a Witch to live. Are not thefe Magicians then examples plain enough that there are Witches; that is to fay, fuch wrctehed Wights as do ftrange miraculous The Poftfcript. 3p miraculous things by the affiftance or confocia- tion of evil Spirits. O no, fays Mr. Webfler, thefe are onely CZPQDn [Chacamim~] Wife men, and great Na- turaUfts , who all what they did, they did orvortVa, by their bright glittering Lamina, for fo E3*0n7 forfooth muft fignifie. But what neceffity thereof that Bit? fhould figni- fie Lamina > there is onely the pretence of that one place, Qen. 3. 24. ain tflH7, where it is ain onely that fignifies the Lamina, and that of a long form,fcarce ufual in thofe magical Laminae with Signatures celeftial upon them, which J. Webfler would be at; but OH7 figni- fies meerly Flamma ; fo that OTttrfra by this account muft fignifie by their flames, if it be from ton1? ardere, flammare: And therefore Buxtorfius judicioufly places the word under 817 abfcondit,obvolvit, reading not orrtonVa but carrotfVa, which is as much as to fay, occultisfuis rationibus Magtcis, which is briefly rendred in Englifh, by their Enchantments-, which agrees marvelloufly well with crstf/DQ [Mecaffephimfl which is as much as Praftigia- tores Magici, or fuch as do ftrange wonderous things in an hidden way by the help of evil Spirits. But that the Egyptian Magicians fhould do thofe things that are there recorded of them in Exodus, by vertue of any Lamels or Plates of metal with certain Sculptures or Figures under fuch or fuch a Conftellation, D 4 is 40 The Poftfcript. is a thing fo fottifh and foohfh, that no man that is not himfelf bewitched by fome old Hag or Hobgoblin, can ever take Sanctuary here to fave himfelf or his old Dames from being in a capacity, from this Hiftory in Exo- dus, of being accounted Witches. For if there may be^-«?//c^*,thatis, Magicians, fuch as , thefe of dEgyft were, I leave J. Webfler to fcratch his head to find out any reafon why there may not be She-witches alfo. And indeed that of the Witch of Endor, to pafs at length to the eighth Chapter, is as plain a proof thereof as can bedefired by any man whofe mind is not blinded with prejudi- ces. But here J. Webfler, not impertinently, I confefs, for the general, (abating him the many tedious particular impertinencies that he has clogged his Difcourfe with ) betakes him- felf to thefe two ways, to fliew there was no- thing of a Witch in all that whole Narration. Firft, by pretending that all the tranfaction on ' the woman of Endor's part was nothing but coUufionand a Cheat, Saul not being in the fame Room with her, or at leaft feeing nothing if he was. And then in the next place, That Samuel that is faid to appear, could neither be Samuel appearing in his Body out of the Grave, nor in his Soul; nor that it was a Devil that appeared: and therefore it muft be fome col- luding Knave fuborned by the Witch. Por the difcovering the weaknefs of his former Allega- The Poftfcript. a\ tion, we need but to appeal to the Text, which is this, t Sam. 28.1/. 8. And Sm\faid, I pray thee, divine unto me by thefamiliarfpirit, and bring me up whom I fiall name unto thee, h xraiDp ; that is, do the office of a Divinerefs or a Wife woman, I , pray thee, unto me, aixa [Beobh~\ by vertue of the familiar Spirit,whofe affiftance thou haft, not by vertue of the Bottle, as Mr. Webfler would have it. Does he think that Damfel in t\\tAfts which is faid to have had ™rtfyt« <7wdw(&, that is, to have had aiK [Obh~] carri- ed an Aquavitae-bottle about with her, hung at her Girdle, whereby fhe might divine and mut- ter, chirp, or peep out of it, as a Chicken out of an Egg-Jhell, or put her Neb into it to cry like a Bittern,or take a dram of the Bottle to make her wits more quick and divinatory ? Who but one that had taken too many drams of the Bottle could ever fall into fuch a fond conceit ? Where- fore ais [Obti] in this place does not, as indeed no where elfe, fignifie an oracular Bottle or f^vreiov, into which Saul might defire the wo- man of Endor to retire into, and himfelf expect anfwers in the next Room ; but fignifies that familiar Spirit by vertue of whofe affiftance fhe was conceived to perform all thofe won- drous offices of a Wife woman. But we pro- ceed to verfe n. Then faid the woman, Whom fiall I bring up unto thee? Arid he faid, Bring me up Samuel. Surely 42 The Poftfcript. Surely as yet Saul and the woman are in the fame Room; and being the woman aslct, Whom fiall I bring up unto thee > and he anfwering, Bring up unto me Samuel, it implies tfaat Samuel was fo to be brought up that Saul might fee him, and not the Witch onely. But we go on, Verfei2. And when the woman faw Samuel, fhe ctied with a loud voice: and the woman fpake to Saul, faying, Whyhafl thou deceived me ? for thou art Saul. Though the woman might have fome fufpicions before that it was Saul, yet fhe now feeing Samuel did appear, and in another kind of way than her Spirits ufed to do, and in ano- ther hue, as it is moft likely fo holy a Soul did, fhe prefently cried out with a loud voice, (not muttered, chirpt, and peept as a Chicken coming out of the Shell) that now fhe was fure it was Saul: For fhe was not fuch a Fool as to think her Art could call up real Samuel, but that the prefence of Saul Was the caufe thereof: And Jofephus writes exprefly, "On ^ccad^ov to yuJavpv tLvfrej?. czpvov xj •Swsrp&Bnj TctpdrJeraf, xj <7rQps rlw o-^iv exiduzybv, « ou, p#Wj 6 BotcrihAjs S««A©*; i.e. The woman feeing agpave God like man, is ft artied at it, and thus aftonifhed at the Vifion, turned her felf to the King, and faid, Art not thou King Saul ? Verfe 13. And the King faid unto her, Be not afraid: for whatfawefl thou.} And the woman faid unto Saul, / Jaw Gods ajcending out of the Earth. The The Poftfcript 43 The King here aflurei the woman, that though he Was Saul, yet no hurt fhould come to her, and therefore bids her not be afraid: But fhe turning her face to Saul, as fhe fpake to him, and he to her, and fo her fight being off from the object, Saul asked her, What fawefl thou ? and fhe in like manner anfwered, / faw Gods, &c. For Gods I fuppofe any free Translator in Greek, Latine and Englifh would fay, ^oa^voa, Genios, Spirits. And cthtk fignifies Angels as well as Gods; and it is likely thefe Wile wo- men take the Spirits they converfe with to be good Angels, as Anne Bodenham the Witch told a worthy and Learned Friend of mine, That thefe Spirits, fuch as he had, were good Spirits, and would do a man all good offices all the days of his life; and it is likely this wo- man of Endor had the fame opinion of hers> and therefore we need not wonder that fhe calls them czrn7K [Elohim] efpecially Samuel appearing among them, to fay nothing of the prefence of Saul. And that more than one Spirit appears at a time, there are repeated ex- amples in Anne Bodenham's Magical Evocations of them, whofe Hiftory, I muft confefs, I take to be very true. The cafe ftartds therefore thus: The Wo- man and Saul being in the fame Room , fhe turning her-face from Saul, mutters to her felf fome Magical form of evocation of Spirits; whereupon they beginning to appear and rife up, » 44 Tfe Poftfcript. up, fecmingly out of the Earth, upon the fight of Samuels Countenance, fhe cried out to Saul, and turning her face towards him fpoke to him. Now that Saul hitherto faw nothing, though in the fame Room, might be either becaufe the body of the woman was interpofed be- twixt his eyes and them , or the Vehicles of thofe Spirits were not yet attempered to that confpiftation that they would ftrike the eyes of Saul, though they did of the Witch. And that fome may fee an Object others not feeing it, you have an inftance in the Child upon Walkers Shoulders appearing to Mr. Fairhair, and, it may be, to the Judge, but invifible to the reft of the Court; and many fuch exam- ples there are: But I proceed to Verfe 14. And he faid unto her, What form is he of' ? and fie faid, An old man cometh up, and is covered with a mantle. He asks here in the Singular number, becaufe his mind was onely fixt on Samuel. And the womans anfwer is exactly according to what the Spirit appeared to her, when her eye was upon it, viz. H7J; |pt t^K An old man coming up; for he was but coming up when flie looked upon him, and according- ly defcribes him : For H7y there is a Participle of the prefent Tenfe, and the woman de- fcribes Samuel from his Age, Habit, and mo- tion he was in, while her eye was upon him. So that the genuine fenfe and Grammatical in this anfwer to, What form is he oft is this, an old The Poftfcript. 45 old man coming up, and the fame covered with a mantle, this is his form and condition I faw him in. Wherefore Saul being fo much con- cerned herein, either the woman or he chan- ging their poftures or ftandings, or Samuel by this having fufficiently confpifTated his Vehicle and fitted it to Saul's fight alfo, it foflowsin the Text, And Saul perceived it was Samuel, andhe ftooped with his face to the ground and bowed him- felf .:.::■ Othe impudent profanenefs and fottifhnefs of perverfe fhufTIers and whifflers , that upok the hearing of this pafiage can have the face to deny that Saul faw any thing, and merely be- caufe the word [perceived'3 isufed, and not [faw;] when the word [perceived] plainly implies that he faw Samuel, and fomefching more, namely, that by his former familiar con- verge with him, he was afTured it was he. So ex- quifitely did he appear and overcomingly to his fenfes , that he could not but 'acknowledge (for fo the Hebrew word yi* fignifies > that it was he, or elfe why did he ftoop with his Face to the very Ground to do him ho- nour ? No no, fays J. Webfler, he faw nothing him- felf, but flood waiting like a drowned Puppet ( fee of what a bafe rude fpirit this Squire of Hags is , to ufe fuch language of a Prince in his diftrefs ) in another Room , to hear what would be the iffue; for all that he underftood' was 46 Th* Poftfcript. was from her cunning and lying relations. That .this Qajiant of Witches fhould dare to abufe a Prince tjbus, and feign him as much jjopjjifher and fottiftjer in his Intellectuals as he was talfcr in Stature than the reft of the people tfvenbyh^acland fhoulders, and merely, for- footh* to fecure Jds ojd Wives from being fo much as in a capac&y of ever being fufpected for Witches,is a ihingextreamlyeojaffe,*^ in- tolerably fordid. And indeed upon the confi- 4erationof Sayfc being faid to how himfelf to Swivel, (wJHeji plainly implies that there was therea&W!?/ tlaat. was the object of his fight and of the reverence he ma4e) his own heart Ojjfe£vTgp7rw, \£C50x.gAv6(jfyjov Xj $£?; xj ^olvj^voa xj ^J^s reftvYiyr/Ttov* (which is, E 3 1 54 The Poftfcript. I confefs, very appofite to this ftory; nor do cjoubt but that in many of- thefe Necroman- tick Apparitions, they are ludicrous Spirits,not the Souls of the deceafed that appear ) yet I am clear for the appearing of the Soul of Sa* muel in this ftory, from the reafons above al- fedged, and as clear that in other Necroman- cies it may be the Devil, or fuch kind of Spirits as Porphyrius above defcribes, that change them- felves into omnifarious forms andfhapes, and one while,act" the parts of Demons, another while-of Angels or Gods, and another while of the Souls of the deceafed: And I confefs fuch a fpirit as this might perfonate^^w^/here, for any thing Webfler has alledged to the contrary. For his Arguments indeed are wonderfully weak and woodden, as may be underftood out of what I have hinted concerning the former opinion. But I cannot further particularize now. For I have made my Poftfcript much longer than my Letter,before I was aware; and I neecj not enlarge to you, who are fo well verfed in thefe things already, and can by the quicknefs of your parts prefently collect the whole mea- sure of Hercules by his Foot, and fufficiently underftand by this time it is no rafh cenfure of mine in my Letter, That Webfler's Book is but a weak impertinent piece of work, the very Mafter-piece thereof being fo weak and im- pertinent, and falling fo fhort of the fcope he 2J1??? \h ^ich was really to prove that there was The Poftfcript. 55 was no fuch thing as a Witch or Wizzard , that is, not any mention thereof, in Scripture, by any name of one that had more to do with the Devil^r the Devil with him, than with other wic- ked men ; that is to fay, of one who in vertue of Covenant either implicit or explicit did ftrange things by the help of evil Spirits, but that there are many forts of Deceivers and Impoflors, and diverfe perfons, under a paffive delufion of Melancholy and Fancy, which is part of his very Title-page. Whereby he does plainly infinuate,there is no- thing but Couzenage or Melancholy in the whole bufmefs of the teats of Witches.But a little to mitigate or fmother the groflhefs of this falfe Aflertion, he adds, And that there is no cor- poreal League .betwixt the Devil and the Witch ; and that he does not fuck on the Witches body, nor has carnal Copulation with her, nor the Witches are turned into Dogs or Cats, &c. All which things, as you may fee in his Book, heunder- ftands in the grofleft manner imaginable, as if the Imps of Witches had Mouths of fiefli to fuck them , and Bodies of fiefli to lye with them. And at this rate he may underftand a corporeal League, as if it were no League or Covenant, unlefs fome Lawyer drew the in- ftrument, and engrofled it in Vellum or thick Parchment, and there were fo many WitnefTes with the Hand and Seal of the party: nor any Transformation into Dogs or Cats, unlefs E 4 it ijc? The Poftfcript. it were real and corporeal, or grofly carnal; which none of his Witchmongers, as he rudely and flovenly calls that learned and ferious per- fbn Dr. Cajaubon and the reft, do believe. One- ly it is a difputable cafe of their bodily Tranf formation, betwixt Bodinus andRemigius; of which more in my Scholia. But that without this carnal tranfmutation a woman might not be accounted a Witch, is fo foolifh a fuppofi- tion, that Webfler himfelf certainly muft be afhamed of it. . Wherefore if his Book be writ onely to prove there is no fuch thing as a Witch that covenants in Parchment with the Devil by the advice of a Lawyer, and is really and carnally turned into a Dog, Cat, or Hare, &c. and with carnal lips fucked by the Devil, and is one with whom the Devil lies carnally; the fcope thereof is manifeftly impertinent, when nei- ther Dr. Cafaubon nor any one elfe holds any fuch thing. But as for the true and adequate notion of a Witch or Wizzard, fuch as at firft I defcribed, his Arguments all of them are too too weak or impertinent, as to the difproving the exiflence of fuch a Witch as this, who be- twixt his Deceivers, Impofloms, and Melancho- lifls on one hand , and thofe grofi Witches he defcribes, on the other hand, goes away fhere as a Hare in a green balk betwixt two Lands of Corn, none of his Arguments reaching her or getting the fight of her, himfelf in the mean An Advertifeinent. t y mean time Handing on one fide amongft the Deceivers and Impoflours, his Book, as to the main defign he drives at, being a mere Cheat and Impojtour. C. C. C. May 25-. 1678. ADVERTISEMENT. THis Letter of Dr. Moor being left amongft other Papers appertaining to this new- intended Edition by Mr. Glanvil, and I per- ceiving in a Letter of his to the Doctor that he had a mind this Letter fhould be publifhed together with his Book, it is done accordingly, and prefixed at the beginning thereof, as na- tural Method requires , the Letter being hor- tatory to quicken Mr. Glanvil to difpatch his intended new jEclition for the undeceiving of the World, and the Poftfcript containing many things of a general influence upon the whole Book. But that the Doctor may fufTer no pre- judice through this publifliing of his Letter and Poftfcript, from the fharpnefs and fatyri- calnefs of them in fome places, I fhall for the more rightly underflanding his meaning in the ufing that mode of waiting upon this oc- cafion , tranfcribe a paflage of a Letter of his to 5 8 An Advertifeftimt. to his friend Mr. Glanvil, relating thereto. I pray you fend me word whether that Poftfcript will not meet with all the elufory cavils of that profane Buffoon , upon thofe places of holy Scri- pture: his unworthy ufageof the Holy Writ, and his deriforious Interpretations of it in the be- half of his beloved Hags, provoked my indigna- tion to fuch Schemes of deriding and expofing him, as otherwife I fhould never have condefcen- dcdto. This is a fufficient Teftimony of the Doctor's averfhefs from fuch manner of wri- ting. But as Divines tell us , that Anger and Punifhmentare God's Opus alienum, hisllrange work, as being more abhorrent from his na- ture ; but yet for the good of the Univerfe he fteps out fometimes into that difpenfation : fol think it not misbecoming good men, fome- times to condefcend, as the Doctor calls it, to the chaftifing prophane drolls and Abufers of holy things, by a juft derifion and fatyrical re- prehenfion for their freakifh and impious fau- cinefs, provided it be done fincerely, and for die publick good. Sadu- Saducifmns Triumpbatus : o R, Fullandplain EVIDENCE Concerning WITCHES AND APPARITIONS. The Firft PART thereof containing Philpfbphical Confederations Which defend their POSSIBILITY. Whereunto is added, The true and genuine NOTION, and confiftcnt Explication of the Nature O F A SPIRIT, for the more full Confirmation of the POSSIBILITY of their EXISTENCE. LONDON,- Printed, 1681. Y> To the Illuflrious CHARLES DUKE of Richmond and Lenox. my l Y My LORD, OVR Grace having beenpleafed to com- mand the firft , and more imperfeft, Edition of this Difcourfe, I have pre- fumed that your Candour will accept the Draught that hath had my lafl hand upon it. And though I am not fond enough tophancy any Art or Orna- ment in the compojure to recommend it; yet, I know, the Eflay is feafonable , and contains things which relate to our biggeft Interefls; the defign being to fecure fome of the Out-works of Religion , and to regain a parcel of ground which bold Infidelity hath invaded. And, my Lord, I cannot but obferve fadly, that while the Seels are venting their Animofities againft each other, andfcrambling for their Conceits, and the particular advantages of their way, they per-. ceive The EpiiUc Dedicatory. ceive not that Atheifm comes on by large flrides, andtnters the Breaches they have made. Sober and confederate men fee the formidable danger, and fome of them have ftrenuoufty endeavoured to maintain the Walls, while the factions within arefo bufie andfo divided, that they cannot at- tend the defperate hazard, and wmnotjoyn in a Common ;Defeoce. Among thofe generous De- fendants Ideftre to pitch, and have undertaken to make good me of the Forts upon which the Enemy W;>W«? impetuous Affaults, and I hope with no contemptible fuccefi. For my part, my Lord, lam very little concern- ed for the fmall pedlaries that fome mens fond- nefs calls Religion, by which that facred thing hath been t:xpvfed to a great deal of conjenapt ^/ddfeonottr. But yet I think it my duty to have a-zeal for thofe great and certain matters upon which onrhopes in an other world are groun- ded; And that our expectations of a future Being, are not imaginary and fantaftick , we %ave reafonable evidence enough frem the Attri- butes of God, the Phenomena of Providence, and the nature -of our Souls, to convince any, kit thofe wfyowill ftupidly .believe that they fhall dye Me sBeafts , that they may live like them. Iconfefl the Philofophick Arguments thai are produced for the deftrable Article, though very cogent, are many of them fpeculative Wdeep, requiring fo great an attention and fagacity, that they take no hold.upon the whiffling fpirits, that The Epiftle Dedicatory. that are notufed to confider; nor upon the com- mon fort, that cannot reach fuch heights ^Ar- gument : But they are both befl convinced by the proofs that come nearefl the fence, which in* deed ftrike our minds fulleft, and leave the moft lafting impreffions; whereas high Speculations being more thin and fubtile, eafily flide off even from underflandings that are moft capabk to re- ceivethem. For this reafon, among Jome others, I appear thus much concerned for the juftification of the belief of Witches, itfuggefling palpable and current evidence of our Immortality, which I am exceedingly foilicitous to have made good. For really, my Lord, if we make our computes like Men, and do not fuffer our felves to be abu~ fed by the flatteries of fenfe, and the deceitful gayeties that fled us away from God, and from our felves, there is nothing can render the thoughts of this odd life tolerable, but the expectation of another. And wife men have faid, that they would not live a moment, if they thought they were not to live again. This perhaps fome may take to be the difeontentedParadox of a melan- cholick , vext and of mean condition, that is pinched by the ftraitneft of fortune, and envies the heights of others felicity and grandeurs ; But by that time thofe that judge fo, havefpent the heats of frolick youth , and have paft over the feveral flages of vanity; when they come to fit down, and make fiber reflexions upon their The Epiftle Dedicatory. pleafures and purfuits, andjum up the accompt of all that is with them, and before them,'1 doubt not but their confidering thoughts willmake Solo- mon's Conclufion, and find, that 'tis but a mife- ry to five , if we were to live for nothing elfe. So that if the content of the prefent life were all I were to have for the hopes of Immortality, / fhould even upon that account be very unwilling to believe that I was mortal: For certainly the pleafures ^7/- rcfultfrom the thoughts of 'another world in thofe that not onely fee it painted in their imaginations, but feel it begun in their Souls, are as far beyond all the titillations of fenfe, as a real lafting happinefs is beyond the delufive Images of a Dream. And therefore they that think to fecure the injoyment of their pleafures by the infamy of our natures in the overthrow of our future hopes , indeavour to dam up the Fountain of the fulleft and cleaneft delights; and feek for limpid waters in the finks and pud- dles of the Jheets. Toufee, my Lord, how my zeal for this mighty inter-efl tranjports me to a greater length in this addreft, than perhaps may confift with flri£t de- corum ; and I indulge my Pen the rather in this licence, becaufe poffibly your Grace's name may draw fome eyes hither that have need of fuch fuggeftions, and thofe that have not need a great deal more. It cannot be proper to add here thofe large accounts which would be reauifite in a defign of full conviction : But for the prefent, if they fhall The Epiftle Dedicatory. fhall pie afe to look forward, they may likely meet fome things not unfit for their ferious thoughts; and I intend to take a feafon to prefent them others, more particularly fuitable to what I know is as much their intereft, as I doubt, it is their want. But, my Lord, I fear 1 am importunate, and befeechyour Grace to pardon the boldnsfi of My LORD, Your Grace's Moft obedient Servant, fof. Qlanitil. F PRE- ' . ..„ A V, ', .4 . ; i .'. \J . .. .. ' ; ''; - ' \' -\ ';V. , ^ , \ w; V* \ «& ,'___ w; Aw. .. :'\{ Si' .? ".\ \ \ i- . ) ' A Preface. THere are a fort of narrow and conffnd Spi- rits, who account allDifcourfesneedlefi* that are not for their particular purpofes ; and judge all the world to be of the fize~ and Ge- nius of thofe within the Circle of their Know- ledge and Acquaintance; fo that with a peri and pragmatique Infolence, they cenfure all the braver Defigns and Notices that lie beyond their Ken, as nice and impertinent Speculations: an ignorant and proud Injuftice; as if this fort were the onely perfbns, whofe humour and needs mould be confulted. And hence it comes to pafe, that the greateft and worthieft things that are written or faid, do always meet with the moft general neglecl andftorn, fince thelejfer people, for whom they were not intended, are quick to fhoot their bolt, and to condemn what they do not underftand, and becaufe they do not. Whereas on the other fide, thofe that are able to judge and would incourage, are commonly refervd and modefl in their fentences; or, if they fhould feek to do right to things that are worthy, they are fure to be out-voiced by the rout of ignorant contemners. § Upon which accounts 1 have often thought that he that courts and valuespop^r eftimation, takes not F % the Preface. the right way if he endeavour any thing that is really excellent: but he muft fludy the lit- tle plaufibilities, and accommodate the humour of the MANX, who are attive Miniflers of 'Fame, being zealous and loud in their applaufes, as they are clamorous and impetuous in their oppofitions. As for thefe, 'tis one of my chief cares to make my felt as much unconcern'd at their Cenfures, as I am at the cacklings of a flock ofGeeJe, or at the eager difpfeafure of thofe little fnarling Animals , that are angry when I go along the ftreets. Nor can any man be either wife or happy, till he hath arrived to that greatnejS of mind, that no more confiders the tattling of the multitude than the whiftling of the wind. Not that I think the common people are to be contemned for the weakneft of their un- derftandings; 'tis an infolent meanneft of fpirit that doth that: but when conceited ignorance fits down in the Judgment feat, and gives pe- remptory Verdicls upon things beyond its Line, the wife man fmiles and pajfeth by. For fuch (if that may fignifie any thing to keep them from troubling themfelves about the following CONS ID E.R ATIONS) I defire they would take notice from me , that I writ not thofe things for fuch as they ; and they will do .well to throw up the Book upon this Adver- tifement, except they will flay to hear, That though Philofophical Difcourfes to juftifie the common belief about Witcjies, are nothing at all Preface. all to them, or thofe of their meafure; yet they are too feafonable and neceffary for our Age , in which Atheifm is begun in Sadducifm: And thofe that dare not bluntly fay, There is NO GOD, content themfelves ( for a fair ft ep and Introduction ) to deny there are SPIR ITS, or WITCHES. Which fort of Infidels, though t^iey are not ordinary among the meer vulgar, yet are they numerous in a little higher rank of under/landings. And thofe that know any thing of the world, know, that moft of the loofer Gentry, and the fmail pretenders to Philofophy and Wit, are generally deriders of the belief of Witches and Apparitions. And were this a flight or mere fpeculative miftakc, I fhould not trouble my felf or them about it. But I fear this errour hath a Core in it that is worfe than Henefie : and therefore how^ lit- tle foever I care what men believe or teach in matters of Opinion, I think I have reafon to be concern d in an affair that toucheth fo near up- on the greateft interefts of Religion. And really I am aftonifht fometimes to think into * what a kind of Age we are fallen, in which fome of the greateft impieties are accounted but Bugs, and terrible Names, invifible Tittles, Peccadillo's, or Chimera's. The fad and great- eft inftances, are SACRILEDG E, RE- BELLION , and WITCHC R AFT. For the two former , there are a fort of men ( that are far from being profeft Enemies to F 3 Religion ) Preface. Religion) who, I do not know whether they own any fuch vices. We find no mention of them in their moft particular Confefftons, nor have I obferved them in thofe Sermons that have contained the largeft Catalogues of the Sins of our Age and Nation. 'Twere dangerous} tofpeak of them as fins , for fear who Jhould be found guilty. But my bufinefs at prefect is not with thefe, but the other, WITC HCRAFT, which I am fure was a Sin of elder times ; and how comes it about that our Age, which fo much outdoes them in all other kinds of wic- kedneft, fhould be wholly innocent in this .-> That there MA T be WlTC HE S and Ap- paritions in our days, notwithstanding the Ob- jections of the modern Sadduce, I believe I have made appear in the C O N S I D E R A T I- O N S following; in which I did not prima- rily intend direct Proof, but D EFENC B, as the Title of the firft Edition, which is re- ftor'd in thefe later mention'd. And if it fhould be objetled, That I have for the moft part ufed onely fuppofals and con- jetlural things in the vindication ot the common belief, and fpeak with no point-blank afjurance in my particular Anfwers, as 1 do in the general Conclufion ; I need onely fay, That the Pro- pofition I defend is matter of fatl, which the disbelievers impugne by alledging that it can- not be, or it is not likely : In return to which, if I fhew how thofe things may be, and proba- Preface. ~Uy, notwithftanding their allegations, though I fay not downright that they are in the par- ticular way I offer, yet 'tis enough for the defign of Defence,thow^n not for that of Proof: for when one faith a thing tannot be , and 1 tell him how poffibly it may, though I hit rtot the juft manner of it, I yet defeat the Obje- clion againft it, and make way for the evidence of the thing de Fafto ; which now I have ad- ded from the Divine Oracles, and two Mo- dern Relations that are clear and unexceptiona- ble. I have no humour nor delight in telling Stories, and do not publifh thefe for the gra- tification of thofe that have; but I record them as Arguments for the confirmation of a Truth which hath indeed been attefted by multitudes of the like Evidences in all places and times. But things remote, or longpaft, are either not believed ox forgotten : whereas thefe being fre/h and near, and attended with all the circumftances of credibility, it may be expe- cted they fhould have the more fuccefs upon the obftinacy of Vnbelievers. But after all this , I muft confefs , there is one Argument againft me , which is not to be dealt with, viz. a mighty confidence grounded upon nothing , that fwaggers, and huffs , and fwears there are no (R[lttCf)0$» For fuch Phi- lofopher s as thefe , let them enjoy the Opinion of their own Superlative Judgements, and en- F 4 teiv Preface. ter me in the firft rank of Fools for crediting my Senfes, and thofe of all the World, before their fworn Dictates. If they will believe in Scott, Hobbes , and Osborne, and think them more infallible than the Sacred Oracles , the Hiftory of all Ages , and the full experience of our own, who can help it ? They muft not |be contradicted, and they, are refolved not to beperfwaded. For this fort of men, I never go about to convince them of any thing. If I can avoid it, I throw nothing before then), left they fhould turn again, and rend me. Their Opinions came into their Heads by chance, when their little reafons had no notice of their en- trance ; andfthey muft be let alone to go out lagain of themfelves, the fame way they en- tred. Therefore not to make much noife to difturb thefe infallible Huffers ( and they can- not hear a little for their own) I foftly flep by them , leaving onely this whifper behind jme; That though their worfhipful ignorance andfottifhnefi can rejifli nothing of a Difcourfe that doth not minifter to Seyifuality and Ztn- belief, yet my CONSIDERATIONS have had the good fortune of a better recef£ tion from the firavfr and more generous Spi- rits , than my foncieft hopes could have ex- pected; and perfons whofe good thoughts I have reafon to value', have allured me that .their kindnefi to my Book hath improved up- on fecond and more careful perufals : whicji I Preface. I mention for this purpofe, that thofe that need my Remarques, and cannot feel them in a run- ning reading, may pleafe to turn their eyes back, and deliberately think over what I have offered; from which courfe I dare promife them more fapisj■ action than from their hafte. Bath lunc 8. 166I. f-Q- SOME v. ^ ,\\ >: t, MiS\W-v •. Vj.'V.iV^ —'------:---T----:--------------------—------------''-----------r S O M"E CONSIDERATIONS "' ABOUT Witchcraft. In a LETTER to Robert Hunt, Efq,- sec T. i SIR, v THE frequent and late dealings you have had in the Examination of Wiu ches, and the regards of one that hath a very particular honour tor you, have brought you the trouble of fome CONSIDERA- TIONS on the Subject. And though what I have to fay , be but the unaccurate product of a little leifure; yet I hope it may afford you fome, not unreafonable, accounts of the odd Phenomena of Witchcraft and Fafcination , and contribute to the D EFENCE of the Truth, n y Truth and certainty of matters, which you fwar by Experiments that could not deceive, in fpite of the petty exception* of thofe that are refol- ved to believe nothing in affairs of this na- ture. And if any thing were to be much admired in an Age of Wonders , not onely of Nature, ( which is a conflant Prodigie ) but of Men and Manners; it would be to me matter of aflo- nifhment, that Men, otherwiHb witty and inge- nious, are fallen into the conceit that there is no fuch thing as a Witch or Apparition, but that thefe are the creatures of Melancholy and £«/>fr- flition, fofter'd by ignorance and ^/fe»; which comparing the confidence of their disbelief with the evidence of the //?/#g\f denied, and the weak- nefs of their grounds, would almoft fuggeft that themfelves are an Argument of what they */ which if it be granted pojfible, 'tis fufficient for my purpofe. And (2) The Transformations of Witches into theJhapesof"other Animals, upon the fame fup- pofalis very conceivable, fince then 'tis eafie enough to imagine, that the power of imagi- nation may form thofe pa five and pliable vehi- cles into thofe jhapes, with more eafe than the fancy of the Mother can the ftubborn matter of the Foetus in the womb, as we fee it fre- quently doth in the inftances that occur of Si- gnatures and monftrous Singularities; and per- haps fometimes the confederate Spirit puts tricks upon the fenfes of the Spedators, and thofe jhapes are onely illufions. But then ( 3 ) when they feel the hurts in their grofs bodies , that they receive in their airy vehicles ,' they muft be fuppofed to have been really prefent, at leaft in thefe latter ; and'tis no more difficult to apprehend how the hurts of thofe fliould be tranflated upon their other bodies, than how difeafes fliould be infiided by the imagination, or how the fancy of the Mother fhould wound the Foetus, as feveral credible relations do atteft. " And (4) for their raifing Storms and Tem- pefts %6 Confederations pefls, They do it not, be fure, by their own, but by the power of the Prince of the Air, their Friend and Allie; and the Ceremonies that are enjoyn'd them are doubtlefs nothing elfe but entertainments for their imaginations, and are likely defign'd to perfwade them, that they do thefe ftrange things themfelves. And (laftly) for their being fucltd by the Familiar, I fay (i) we know fo little of the nature of Damons and Spirits, that 'tis no won- der we cannot certainly divine the reafon of fo ftrange an adion. And yet (2) we may conjedure at fome things that may render it hfs improbable. For fome have thought that the Genii (whom both the Platonical and Chriftian Antiquity thought embodied) are re- created by the reeks and vapours of humane Hood, and the fpirits that proceed from them; Which fuppofal (if we grant them bodies ) is not unlikely, every thing being refrejHd and nourijtid by its like. And that they are not perfedly abflrad from all body and matter, he? fides the reverence we owe to the wifeft anti- quity , there are feveral confiderable Argu7 rnents I could alledge to render it exceeding probable. Which things fuppofed, the Devil's fucking die Sorcerefi is no great wonder, nor difficult to be accounted for. Or perhaps (3) this may be onely a diabolical Sacrament and Ceremony to confirm the hellijh Covenant. To which I add, {4) That which to me feems moft about Witchcraft, 17 moft probable, viz. That the Familiar doth not onely fuck the Witch, but in the adion in- fufeth fome poyfonous ferment into her, which gives her Imagination and Spirits a magical tin- cture, whereby they become mifchievoufly in- fluential-, and the word venefica intimates fome fudi matter. Now that the imagination hath a mighty power in operation, is feen in the juft now mention'd Signatures and Difeafes that it caufeth; and that the fancy is modified by the qualities of the blood and Jpirits, is too evident to need proof. Whidi things fuppofed, 'tis plain to conceive that the evil fpirit having breath'd fome vile vapour into tlie body of die Witch, it may taint her blood and fpirits with a noxious quality, by which her infeded imagina- tion , heightned by melancholy and this worfe caufe , may do much hurt upon bodies that are impreffible by fuch influences. And 'tis very likely that this ferment difpofeth the ima- gination of the Sorcerefl to caufe the mentioned dyaupedx, or fiparation of the Soid from the Body, and may perhaps keep the Body in fit temper for its re-entry; as alfo it may facilitate transformation, which, it may be, could not be efie&edby ordinary and unafffted imagina- tion. Thus we fee, 'tis not fo defperate to form an apprehenfion of the manner of thefe odd per- formances ; and though they are not done the way I have defcribd, yet what I have faid may help 18 Confederations help us to a conceit of the poffibility, which fufficeth for my purpofe. And though the Hypothefislhave gone upon will feem as un- likely to fome, as the things they attempt to explain are to others; yet I muft defire their leave to fuggeft, that moft things feem impro- bable ( efpecially to the conceited and opiniona- \ five) at firftpropofal: and many great truths are ftrange and odd, till cuftome and acquaintance :have reconciled them to our^ncies. And Fie prefume to add on this occafion , (though I love not to be confident in affirming) that there is none of the Platonical fuppofals I have ufed, but what I could make appear to he fair and reafonable, to the capable and unprejudic'd. SECT. IV. Ill, BUT (III.) I come to another prejudice againft the being of Witches , which is, That 'tis very improbable that the Devil, who is a wife and mighty Spirit, jhould be at the beck of a poor Hag, and have fo little to do, as to attend the Errands and impotent Lulls of a filly Old wo- man. TO which I might anfwer, (i) That 'tis much more improbable that all the world about Witchcraft. i c; world fhould be deceived in matters of fad, and circumftances of the cleareft evidence and convidion; than that the Devil, who is wic- ked , fliould be alfo unwife; and that he that perfwades all his fubjeds and accomplices out of their wits, fliould himfelf ad like his own Temptations and Perfwafions. In brief, there is nothing more ftrange in this Objedion, than that wickednefi is bafenefi and fervility; and that the Devil is at leifure to ferve thofe, he is atleifure to tempt, and induftrious to ruine. And again, (2) I fee no neceflity to believe that the Devil is always the Witches Confederate ; but perhaps it may fitly be confidered , whe- ther the Familiar he not fome departed humane Sfirit, forfaken of God and goodnefs, and (wallowed up by the unfatiable defire of mif- chief and revenge, which poffibly by the Laws and capacity of its ftate it cannot execute im- mediately. And why we fliould prefume that the Devil fliould have the liberty of wandring up and down the Earth and Air , when he is faid to be held in the Chains of darkmfl; and yet that the feparated Souls of the wicked, of whom no fuch thing is affirm'd in any facrzd Record, fliould be thought fo imprifon'd, that they cannot poffibly wag from the place of their confinement, I know no fhadow of conjedure. This conceit I'm confident hath prejudic'd many againft the belief of Witches and- Apparitions $ they not being able to conceive that the Devil fliould 2o Confederation* Ihould be fo ludicrous as appearing fpirits are fometimes reported to be in their frolicks; and they prefume,thaty£«/f departed never revifit the free and open Regions; which confidence, I know nothing to juftifie: For fince good men in their ft ate of feparation are faid to be lady- ye\oii why the wicked may not be fuppofed to be iov£aifjLoves in the worft fenfe of the word, I know nothing to help me to imagine. And if it be fuppofed that the Imps of Witches are fometimes wicked fpirits of our own kind and nature, and poffibly the fame that have been Sorcerers and Witches in this life: This fup- pofal may give a fairer and more probable ac- count of many of the adions of Sorcery and Witchcraft>than the other Hypothecs, that they are always Devils. And to this conjedure lit adventure to fubjoyn another, which alfo hath its probability, viz. (3) That 'tis not impoifi- ble but the Familiars of Witches are a vile kind of fpirits, of a very inieriour Conftitution and nature, and none of thofe that were once of the higheft Hierarchy, now degenerated into the fpirits we call Devils. And for ray part I muft confefs, that I think the common divifion of fpirits much too general; conceiving it likely there may be as great a variety of intelleduat Creatures in the invifibte world, as there is of Animals m the vifible : and that all the fuperi- eur, yea, and inferiour Regions, have then* fe- veral kinds of J/irits differing in their natural per- about Witchcraft. 21 per fed ions, as well as in the kinds and degrees of their depravities ; which being fuppofed, 'tis very probable that thofe of the bafeft and meaneft Orders are they, who fubmit to the mention'd fervilities. And thus the fagefi and grandeur of the Prince of darknefl need not be brought into queftion. SECT. V. IV. BZtt (IV) the opinion ofWitchesjeems to fome, to accufe Providence, and to fuggeft that it hath expofed Innocents to the fury and malice of revengeful Fiends 5 yea, andfuppofeth thofe mosJ ohnoxious,for whom we might moft reafona- lly exped a more fpecial tutelary care and pro- tedion ; moft of the cruelpradices of thofe pre- funid Inftruments of Hell, being upon Children, who as they leaft deferve to be deferted by that Providence that fuperintends all things, fo they, moft need its guardian influence. TO this fo fpecious an Objedion I have thefe things to anlwer. (1) Providence is an unfathomable Depth; and if we fliould not believe the Phenomena of our fenfes, before we can reconcile them to our notions of Providence, we muft be groffer Sce- pticks 12 Confederations pticks than ever yet were extant. The miferies of the prefent life, the unequal diftributions of good and evil, the ignorance and barbarity of the greateft part of Mankind, the fatal difadvan- tagesweaxe all under, and the hazard we run of being eternally miferable and undone; thefe, I fay, are things that can hardly be made con- fiftent with that Wifdom and Goodnefi that we are fure hath made and mingled it felf with all things. And yet we believe there is a beauty and harmony, and goodnefi in that Providence, though we cannot unriddle it in particular in- ftances; nor, by reafon of our ignorance and imperfedion, clear it from contradiding appear- ances ; and confequently, we ought not to deny the being of Witches and Apparitions, becaufe they will create us fome difficulties in our no- tions of Providence. But to come more clofe, (2) Thofe that believe that Infants are Heirs of Hell, and Children of the Devil as foon as they are difclofed to the world, cannot certainly of- fer fuch an Objedion; for what is a little tri- fling pain of a moment,to thofe eternal Tortures, to which, if they die affoon as they are born, according totheTenour of this Dodrine, they are everlaftingly expofed> But however the cafe flands as to that, 'tis certain, (3 ) That Pro* vidence hath not fecured them from other vio- lences they are obnoxious to, from cruelty and accident; and yet we accufe // not when a whole Townful of Innocents fall a Vidim to the about Witchcraft. 23 the rage and ferity of barbarous Executioners in Wars and Majfacres. To which I add (4) That 'tis likely the mifchief is not fo often done by the evil fpirit immediately, but by the ma- lignantinfluence of the Sorcereft, whofe power of hurting confifb in the fore-mentron'd fer- ment, which is infufedinto her by the Familiar. . So that I am apt to think there may be a power of real fafcination in the Witches eyes and ima- gination, by which for the moft part fhe ads upon tender bodies. Nefcio quis teneros ocu- lus----------For the peftilential fpirits being darted by a fpightful and vigorous imagination from the eye, and meeting with thofe that are weak and paffive in the bodies which they enter, will not fail to infed them with a noxious quality that makes dangerous and ftrange alte- rations in die perfon invaded by this poifonous influence: which way of ading by fubtile and invifible inftruments, is ordinary and familiar in all natural efficiencies. And 'tis now paft que- ftion,that nature fox the moft part ads hy fub- tile ftreams and aporrhosds of minute particles* which pafs from one body to another. Or however that be, this kind of agency is as con- ceivable as ariy of thofe qualities ignorance hath Call'd Sympathy and Antipathy, the reality of which we doubt not, though the manner of ad ion be unknown. Yea, the thing I fpeak of is as eafie to be apprehended, as how infedion fliould pafs in certain ienuious ftreams through H the 24 Confederations the Air from one houfe to another; or, as how the biting of a mad Dog fliould fill all the Bloodand Spirits with.a venomous and malign ferment; the application of the vertue doing the fame in our cafe, as that of contad doth in this. Yea, fome kinds of fafcination are per- form'd in this groffer and more fenfible way, as hyftriking, giving Apples, and the like, by. whjch the contagious quality may be tranfmit- ted, as we fee Difeafes often are by the touch. Now in this way of cpnjedure a good account may bp given why Witches axe moft powerful upon Children and timorous perfons, viz. be- caufe their fpirits and imaginations being weak and pajfive, are not able to refill the fatal in- vafion ; whereas men pf bold minds, who have plenty of ftrong and vigorous-fpirits, ate fecure from the contagion; as m peftilential Airs clean bodies are not fo liable to infedion as other tempers. Thus then we fee, 'tis likely enough, that very often the Sorcerefi her felf doth the Wifihief; and we know, de fado , that Provi- dence doth nof always fecure us from one ano- thers injuries : And yet I muft confefs,, that many times alfp the evil fpiritis the mifchievous 4gent; though this confeffion draw on me a- nother Objedion, which I next propofe. SECT. abott Witchcraft. 25 SECT. V L V. (V.)np HEN it may be faid, that if kicked I fpirits can hurt us by the diredion, and at the defire of a Witch, one would think they fhould have the fame power to do us injury toi/Zwtf inftigation or compad ; and if this be granted, ytis a wonder that we are not always an' nofd and infefled by them. To which I RETURN, (1) That the Laws, Liber- ties, and Reftrainis of the Inhabitants of the other world axe to us utterly unknown ; and this way we can onely argue our felves into con- feffions of our ignorance, which every man muft acknowledge that is not as immodeft as ignorant. It muft be granted by all that own the being, power, and malice of evil Spirits, that the fecu- rity we enjoy is wonderful, whether they ad by Witches or not; and by what Laws they are kept from making us a prey , to fpeak like Philofophers, we cannot tell: yea, why they fliould be permitted to tempt and ruine us in our Souls, and reftrain'd from touching or hur- ting us in our Bodies, is a myflery not eafily accountable. But yet (2) though we acknow- ledge their power to vex and torment us in H x our 0.6 Confederations our Bodies alfo; yet a reafon may be given why they are lefs frequent in this kind of mif- chief, viz. becaufe their main defigns are le- vell'd againft the intereft and happinefs of our Souls; which they can befl promote, when their adions are moft fly and fecret; whereas did they ordinarily perfecute men in their Bo- dies, their agency and wicked influence would be difcover'd , and make a mighty noife in the world, whereby men would be'awaken'dtoa fuitable and vigorous oppofition, by the ufe of fuch means as would engage Providence to refcue them from their rage and cruelties; and at lafl defeat them in their great purpofes of undoing us eternally. Thus we may conceive that the fecurity we enjoy may well enough confifl with thepowerand malice of thofe evil Spirits; and upon this account we may fup- pofe that Laws of their own may prohibit their unlicensed injuries, not from any goodnefi there is in their Conflitutions, but in order to the moxe fuccefiful carrying on the projeds of the dark Kingdom; as Generals forbid Plunder, not out of love to their Enemies, but in order to their own Succefl. And hence (3) we may fuppofe a Law of permiffion to hurt us at the inflance of the Sorcerefl, may well ftand with the polity of Hell, fince by gratifying the wic- ked perfon, they encourage her in malice and revenge , and promote thereby the main ends of -their black confederacy, which are to propa- gate about Witchcraft. if gate wickednefl, and to ruine us in our eternal interefls. And yet (4) 'tis clear to thofe that believe the Hiftory of the Gofpel, that wicked fpirits have vexed the bodies of men, without any inftigation that we read of; and at this day 'tis very likely that many of the ftrange acci- dents and difeafes that befal us, may be the inflidion of evil fpirits, prompted to hurt us onely by the delight they take in mifchief So that we cannot argue the improbability of their hurting Children and others by Witches, from our own fecurity and freedom from the effeds of their malice, which perhaps we feel in more inftances than we are aware of j ____u , . ■■ ■ - SECT. VI I. VI. BV T (VI) another prejudice againft the be- lief of Witches, is, a prefumption upon the enormous force of melancholy and imagina- tion , which without doubt can do wonderful things, and beget ftrange perfwafions; and to thefe caufes fome afcribe the prefum'd effeds of Sorcery and Witchcraft. To which I reply briefly; and yet I hope fufficiently, (1)' |"*HAT to refolve all the clear circum- JL ftances of Fad, which we find in H 3 well- 2 8 Confederations well-attefted and confirm'd Relations of this kind, into the power of deceivable imagination, is to make fancy the greater prodigie; and to foppofe, that it can do flranger feats than are believed of any other kind of fafcination. And to think that Pins and Nails, forinftance, can by the power of imaginationbe convey'd with- in tfceskin; or that imagination fhould deceive fofnany as have been witnefles in Objeds of fenfe, in all the circumftances of difcovery; this, I fay, is to be infinitely more credulous than the aflertors of Sorcery and Demoniack Con- tracts. And by the fame reafon it may be be- liev'd, that all the Battles and flrange events of the world, which our felves have not feen, are but dreams and fond imaginations, and like thofe that are fought in the Clouds, when the Brains of the deluded Spedators axe the onely Theatre of thofe fanciedtranfadions. And (2) to deny evidence of ad, becaufe their imagina- tion may deceive the Relators, when we have no reafon to think fo but a bare prefumption that there is no fuch thing as is related, is quite to deftroy the credit of all humane teftimony, and to make all men liars in a larger fence than the Prophet concluded in his hafte. For not onely the melancholick and the fanciful, but the grave and t^ejbhr, whofe judgements we have no reafon to fufped to be tainted by their ima- ginations, liavefrom their own knowledge and experience made reports of this nature. But to about Witchcraft. 29 to this it will poffibly be rejoyn'd, and the Re- ply will be another prejudice againft the belief for which I contend, viz. SECT. VIII. VII. (VII.)' | l HA ftis afufpicious circumflance I that Witchcraft is but a fancy, fince the perfons that are accufed are commonly poor and miferable old women, who are overgrown with difcontent and melancholy, which are very imaginative ; and the perfons faid to be be- witch'd are for the mofl part Children, or people very weak, who are eafily impofed upon, and are apt to receive ftrongimpreffions from nothing: whereas were there any fuch thing really, 'tis not likely,but that the more cunning andfubtft defpe- rado*s, who might the more fuccefifully carry on the mifchievous defigns of the dark Kingdom, Jhould be oftner engaged in thofe black confederacies, and alfo one would exped effeds of the hellifh combination upon others than the innocent and ignorant. TO which Objedion it might perhaps be enough to return ( as hath been above liiggefted ) that nothing can be concluded by this and fuch like arguings, but that the policy H 4. and 30 Confederations and menages of the Inflruments of darknefi are to us altogether unknown , and as much in the dark as their natures; Mankind being no more acquainted with the reafons and methods of adion in the other world, than poor Cottagers and Mechanicks axe with the Intrigues of Govern- ment, and Reafons of State. Yea peradven- ture (2) 'tis one of the great defigns , as 'tis certainly the interefl of thofe wicked Agents and Mach'mators , induftrioufly to hide from us their influences and ways of ading, and to work, as near as is poffible, incognito: upon which fuppofal 'tis eafie to conceive a reafon, why .they moft commonly work by, and upon the weak and the ignorant, who can make no cunning obfervations, or tell credible tales to deted their qrtifice. Befides (3) 'tis likely a ftrong imagination , that cannot he weaken d or difturtid by a bufie and fubtile ratiocination, is a neceflary recjuifite to thofe wicked perfor- mances; and without doubt an heightned and obftinate fancy hath a great influence upon im- prefftble fpirits; yea, and as I have conjedurtf before, on the more paffive and fufceptible bo- dies. And I am very apt to believe, that there are as real communications and intercourfes be- tween our Spirits, as there are between mate- rial Agents; which fecret influences , though they are unknown in their nature and ways of ading, yet they are fufficiently felt in their 0etl- : fof exPfrience attefts, that fome by the very about Witchcraft. ? i very majefly and greatnefi of their Spirits, dif- covered by nothing but a certain noble air that accompanies them, will bear down others lefi great and generous, and make them fneak before them; and fome, by I know not what flupifying vertue, will tie up the tongue, and confine the fpirits of thofe who are otherwife brisk and voluble. Which thing fuppofed , the influences of a Spirit pofiefs'd of an adive and enormous imagination, may be malign and fatal where they cannot be refilled ; efpecially when they are accompanied by thofe poyfonous reaks that the evil fpirit breathes into the Sorcereft, which likely axejbot out, and applied by a fancy height- ned and prepared by melancholy and difcontent. And thus we may conceive why the melanchp- lick and envious are ufed upon fuch occafions, and for the fame reafon the ignorant, fince know- ledge checks and controuls imagination-, and thofe that abound much in the imaginative faculties, do not ufually exceed in the rational. And perhaps (4) the Damon himfelf ufeth the imagination of the Witch fo qualified for his purpofe, even in thofe adions of mifchief which are more properly his; for it is moft probable, that Spirits ad not upon bodies immediately, and by their naked effe nee, but by means pro- portionate, and futable inftruments that they ufe; upon which account likely 'tis fo ftridly re- quired, that the SorcereR fliould believe , that fo her imagination might be more at the devo- tion 3 2 Confederations tion of the mifchievous Agent. And for the fame reafon alfo Ceremonies axe ufed in Inchant- ments, viz. for the begetting this diabolical faith, and heightoing the fancy to a degree of flrength and ^ig<7«r fumcient to make it a fit inftrument for the defign'd performance. Thofe I think are reafons of likelihood and probability, why the hellifh Confederates are moftly the ignorant and the melancholick. To pafs then to another prejudice. SECT. IX. VIII. (VIII.)J I v HE.frequentiw$oRx\xes that are I met with in this kind, beget in fome a belief, that all fuch Relations are Forgeries and Tales; and if we urge the evidence of a ftoryr for the belief of"Witches or Apparitions, they will produce two as feemingly ftrong and ]>\au.fible,whichfiall conclude in miftake or defign; inferring thence, that all others are of the fame quality and credit. But fuch arguers may pleafe to confider, 00 nr^ H A T a fugle relation for an Affirma- l tive, fufficiently confirmed and at- tefted, is worth a thoufand tales of forgery and impofture, from whence an univerfal Negative cannot about Witchcraft. 2 3 cannot be concluded. So that, though all the Objedors ftories be true, and an hundred times as many more fuch deceptions; yet one rela- tion, wherein no fallacy or fraud could be fu- fpeded for our Affirmative , would fpoil any Conclufion could be ereded on them. And (2) It feems to me a belief fufficiently bold and precarious, that all thefe relations of forgery and miflake fhould be certain, and not one a- mong all thofe which atteft the Affirmative reality, with circumftances as good as could be expeded, or wifh'd, fliould be true-, but all fabulous and vain. And they have no reafon to objed credulity to the afiertors of Sorcery and Witchcraft, that can fwallow fo large a morfel. And I defire fuch Objedors to con- fider, (3) Whether it be fair to infer, that becaufe there are fome Cheats and Impoflures, that therefore there are no Realities, Indeed fre- quency of deceit and fallacy will warrant a greater care and caution in examining; and fcrupulefity and flinefi of affeni to tilings where- in fraud hath been pradifed, or may in the leaft degree befufpeded.- But, to conclude, be- caufe that an old woman's fancy abufed her, or fome knavijh fellows put tricks upon the ignorant and timorous, that therefore whole Affifes have been a thoufand times deceived in judgements upon matters of fad, and numbers- of fober perfons have been forfworn in things wherein 34 Confederations wherein perjury could not advantage them; I fay, fuch inferences are as void of reafon, as they are of charity and good manners. SECT. X. IX. BV T (IX) it may befluggefledfurther, That it cannot be imagind what defign the De- vil Jhould have in makingthofe folemn compads, fince perfons of fuch debauchdand irreclaimable difpofitions as thofe with whom he is fuppofed to confederate, are pretty fecurely his, antecedently to the bargain, and cannot be morefo by it, fince they cannot put their Souls out of poflibility of the Divine Grace, but by the Sin that is unpar- donable ; or if they could fo difpofe and give away themfelves, it will to fome feem very unlike- ly, that a great and mighty Spirit jhould oblige himfelf to fetch obfervances, and keep fuch ado to fecure the Soul of a filly Body, which 'twere odds but it would be His, though He put himfelf to no further trouble than that of his ordinary tempta- tions. TO which fuggeftions 'twere enough to fay, that 'tis fufficient if the thing be well prov'd, though the defign be not known. And to argue negatively a fine, is very uncon- clufive i about Witchcraft. o ^ clufive in fuch matters. The Laws and Af- fairs of the other world (as hath been intima- ted ) are vaftly differing from thofe of our Regions, and therefore'tis no wonder we can- not judge of their defigns, when we know no- thing of their menages, and fo little of their natures. The ignorant looker-on can't imagine what the Limner means by thofe feemingly rude Lines and fcrawls which he intends for the Rudiments of a Pidure; and the Figures of Mathematick operation are nonfence, and dajhes at a venture, to one uninftruded in Mechanicks. We are in the dark to one anothers purpofes and intendments; and there are a thoufand in- trigues in our little matters, which will not prefently confefs their defign even to fagacious inquifitors. And therefore 'tis folly and inco- gitancy to argue any thing one way or other from the defigns of a fort of Beings, with whom we fo little communicate; and poffibly we can take no more aim, or guefs at their projeds and defignments, than the gazing Beafts can do at ours, when they fee the Traps and Gins that are laid for them, but underftand nothing what they mean. Thus in general. ^ - But I attempt fomething more particularly, in order to which I muft premife, that the De- vil is a name for a Body Politick, in which there are very different Orders and Degrees of Spirits, and perhaps in as much variety of place and ft ate, as among our felves; fo that 'tis g 6 Confederations 'tis not one and the fame perfon that makes all the compads with thofe abufed and feduced Souls, but they are divers, and thofe 'tis like of the meaneft and bafeft quality in the King- dom of darknefl: which being fuppofed , I o£ fer this account of the probable defign Of thofe wicked Agents, viz. That having none to rule or tyrannize over within the circle of their own nature and government, they affe& a proud Empire over us, (the defire of Dominion and Authority being largely fpread through the whole circumference of degenerated nature, e* fpecially among thofe, whofe pride was their original tranfgreffion ) every one of thefe then def ires to get him Vaflals to pay him homage, and to be employ'd like Slaves in the fervices of his Lulls and Appetites ; to gratifie which defire, 'tis like enough to be provided and al- lowed by the conftitution of their State and Government, that every wicked fpirit fhall have thofe Souls as his property , and particular fer- vants and attendants, whom he can catch in fuch compads ; as thofe wildBeafts that we can take in hunting, are by fhe allowance of the Law our own ; and thofe Slaves that a man hath pur chasd, are his peculiar Goods, and the Vaflals of his will. Or rather thofe deluding Fiends are like the feducing fellows we call Spirits, who inveigle Children by their falfe and flattering promifes, and carry them away to the Plantations of America, to be fervilely em- about Witchcraft. 37 employed there in the works of their profit and advantage. And as thofe bafe Agents will humour and flatter the fimple unwary Youth, till they are on Shipboard, and with- out the reach of thofe that might refcue them from their, hands: In like manner the more mifchievous Tempter ftudies to gratifie, pleafe, and accommodate thofe he deals with in this kind,till death hath lanch'd them into the Deep, and they are paft the danger of Prayers, Re- pentance, and Endeavours; and then He ufeth them as pleafeth Him. This account I think is not unreafonable, and 'twill fully anfwer the Objedion. For though the matter be not as I have conjedur'd, yet 'twill fuggeft a way how it may be conceived ; which nulls thi pretence, That the Defign is unconceivable. SECT. XI. X. BV T then (X) we areftill liable to be que- ftiond, how it comes about, that thofe proud and infolent T)ef\gnexspradife in this kind upon fo few, when one would exped, that they fliould be ft illtrading this way, and every where be dri- ving on the projed, which the vilenefi of men makesfofeifable, and would fo much ferve the in- tereft of their lufls. To 38 Confederations TO which, among other things that might be fuggefted, I return, (1) That we are never liable to be fo be- trayed and abufed, till by our vile dijpofitions and tendencies we have forfeited the tutelary care, and overfight of the better Spirits; who, though generally they are our guard and de- fence againft the malice and violence of evil Angels, yet it may well enough be thought, that fometimes they may take their leave of fuch as are fwallowed up by Malice, Envie, and defire of Revenge, qualities moft contrary to their Life and Nature; and leave them expo- fed to the invafion and folicitations of thofe wicked Spirits, to whom fuch hateful Attri- butes make them very fat able. And if there be particular Guardian Angels, as 'tis not ab- furd to fancy, it may then well be fuppofed, that no man is obnoxious to thofe projeds and attempts, but onely fuch whofe vile and mifchievous natures have driven from them theirproteding Genius. And againft this dere- lidion to the power of evil Spirits, 'tis likely enough what fome affirm, that the Royal Pfal- mifl direds that Prayer, Pfal. LXXL ix, x. Caft me not off in the time of old age; forfake me not when my flrength faileth. For—They that keep my Soul [ (puhdao-ovTis rlu> ^o^loj (jlv , as the LXX and the Vulgar Latine , Qui cufiodiunt animam me am ] they take counfel together, fay- about Witchcraft. 3P ing, God hath forfaken him , perfecute him and take him ; for there is none to deliver him. But I add, (2) That 'tis very probable ,' that the (late wherein they are, will not eafily permit palpable intercourfes between the bad Genii and Mankind, fince'tis like enough that their own Laws and Government do not allow their fre- quent excurfions into this World. Ory it may with as great probability be fuppofed t that 'tis a very hard and painful thing for them, to force their thin and tenuious Bodies into a vi- fible confiflence, and fuch fhapes as are neceflary for their defigns in their correfpondencies with Witches. For in this adion their Bodies muft needs be exceedingly comprefi'd, which cannot well be without a painful fenfe. And this is perhaps a reafon why there a^e fo few Appari- tions, and why appearing Spirits are common- ly in fuch hafte to begone, viz. that they may be deliver^ from the unnaturalpreffure of their tender vehicles; which I confels holds more, in the apparitions of good than evil Spirits; moft Relations of this kind, defcribing their difco- veriesof themfelves, as very tranfient, (though for thofe the holy Scripture records, there may be peculiar reafon, why they are not fo) where- as the wicked ones are not altogether fo quick, and hafly in their vifits: The reafon of which probably is, the Confederations ly of pain, to make them vifible 3 whereas the latter are more feculent and groft, and fo nearer allied to palpable confiftencies, and more eafily reduceable to appearance and vifibili- At this turn, Sir, you may perceive that I have again made ufe of the Platonick Hypothe- fis, That Spirits are embodied, upon which in- deed a great part of my Difcourfe is groun- ded : And therefore I hold my felf obliged to a fhort account of that fuppofal. // feems then to me very probable, from the nature of Senfe, and Analogy of Nature. For (1) we perceive in our felves, that all Senfe is caufed and excited by motion made in matter; and when thofe motions which convey jenfeble im- prefftons to the B^iin, the Seat of Senfe, are in- tercepted, Senfe is loft : So that, if we fup- pofe Spirits perfedly to be disjoynd from all matter, 'tis not conceivable how they can have the fenfe of any thing ; For how material Ob- jeds fliould any way be perceived, or felt, with- out vital union with matter, 'tis not poffible to imagine. Nor doth it (2) feem fuitable to the Analogy of Nature, which ufeth not, to make precipitious leaps from one thing to ano- ther, but ufually proceeds by orderly fteps and gradations: whereas were there no rrder of Beings between Vs, who are fo deeply plunged into the groffeft matter, and pure unbodied Spi- rits, 'twere a mighty jump in Nature. Since then about Witchcraft. 41 then the greateft part of the world confifts of the finer portions of matter, and bur own Souls are immediately united unto thefe, 'tis infinitely probable to conjedure, that the nearer Orders of Spixits axe vitally joyned to hch Bodies; and fo Nature by degrees afcending ftill by the more refirid and fubtile matter, gets at lafl to the pure Noes or immaterial minds, which the Platonifts made the higheft Order of created Be- ings. But of this I have difcouried elfewhere, and have faid thus much of it at prefent, be- caufe it will enable me to add another Reafon of the unfrequency of Apparitions and Compads, viz. (3) Becaufe 'tis very likely, that thefe Re- gions are very unfuitable, and difproportiorfd to the frame and temper of their Senfes and Bo- dies ; fo that perhaps, the courfer Spirits can no more bear the Air of our World, than Bats and Owls can the bnghteft Beams of Day. Nor can the purer and better any more endure the noifom fleams, and poyfonous reeks of this Dung- hil Earth, than the delicate can bear a confine- ment in nafty Dungeons, and the foul fqualid Caverns of uncomfortable Darknefs. So that 'tis no more wonder, that the better Spirits no oftner appear, than that men are not more frequently in the dark Hollows under ground. Nor is't any more ftrange that evil Spirits fo rarely vifit us, than that Fijhes do not ordi- narily fly in the Air, as 'tis laid one fort of I 2 4^ Confederations them doth; or that we fee not the Batt daily fluttering in the Beams of the Sun. And now by the help of what I have fpoken under this Head, lam provided with fome things where- with to difable another Objedion, which I thus propofe. SECT. XII. XI. (XI.) T F THE R E be fuch an intercourfe be- 1 tween Evil Spirits and the Wicked, How comes it about that there is no correfpondence between Good Angels and the Vertuous ? fince without doubt thefe are as defirous to propagate the Spirit and defigns of the upper and better World, as thofe are to promote the Intereft of the Kingdom ofDarknefs. HIC H way of arguing is ftill from out Ignorance of the State and Govern- ment of the other World, which muft be con- feft, and may, without prejudice to the Propo- fition I defend. But particularly.I fay, (i) That we have ground enough to believe, that good Spirits do interpofe in, yea, and govern our Affairs. For that there is a Providence reach- ing from Heaven to Earth, is generally ac- knowledged ; but that this fuppolcth all things to w about Witchcraft. 43 to be ordered by the immediate influence, and interpofal of the Supream Deity, fome think, is not very Philofophical to fuppofe; fince, if we judge by the Analogy of the natural World, all tilings we fee are carried on by the Mmiftery of, fecond Caufes, and intermediate Agents. And it doth not feem fo magnificent and becom- ing an apprehenfion of the Supream Numen, to fancy his immediate hand in every trivial Management. But 'tis exceeding likely to conjecture, that much of the Government of us, and our Affairs, is committed to the letter Spirits, with a due fubordination and fubfer- viency to the Will of the chief Redor of the Vniverfe. And 'tis not abfurd to believe, that there is a Government runs from higheft to low- ejt, the letter and more ferfed Orders of Being flill ruling the inferiour and left perfed. So that fome one would fancy that perhaps the Angels may manage us, as we do the Creatures that God and Nature have placed under our Empire and Dominion. But however that is, That God rules the lower World by the Mini- fiery of Angels, is very confonant to thefacred Oracles , Thus, Deut. XXXII. 8, 9. When the moH High divided the Nations their Inhe- ritance, when he feparated the fins of Adam, he Jet the bounds of the people, Kar* d&to/jyv dyfi' hwv 0g3, according to the number of the Angels of God, as the Septuagint renders it; the Au- thority of which Tranflation, is abundantly I 3 credi- 44 Xonfederations credited and tfierted, by its being quoted in the New Teftament, without notice of the Hebrew Text; even there where it differs from it, as Learned men have obferved. We know alfo, that Angels were very familiar with the Patriarchs of old ; and Jacob's Ladder is a Myflery* .which imports their miniflring in the affairs of the Lower World. Thus Origen and otfeers underftand that to be fpoken by the Pnefidential Angpls, Jerem. LI. 9. We would have, 'healed B ABTLON, but fhe is not hea- led: for fake her, and let us go. Like the Voice heard in the temple before the taking of Je- 'rufalem by jfituf, M.eilfyj Iv-nZ^v. And before Nebuchadnezzar was lent to learn Wif- dom and Religion among jhe Beafls, He fees s;Wrft\her, axfacdrding to the 70. an Angel, and m'holy One catf* dawn front Heaven, Dan. IV. 13. whopronounceththe fad Decree againft Him, and calls it the Decree of the Watchers, who very probably were the Guardian-Genii of Himfelf and his Kingdom. And that there are particular Angels that have the fpecial Rule and Government of particular Kingdoms, Provinces, Cities, yea and of Perfons , I know notlung that can make improbable: The inftance is notorious in Daniel, of the Angels of Perfia arid />y Antepafl. That /w/y men in ancient times have fought and gloried in /&$ enjoyment, and never complain fb forely as when it was uv/£- te/z/, and interrupted. That the exprejftons of Scripture run infinitely /&$ jiwy, and the &y? of Modern good men, do from their own ex- perience atteH it. That this fpiritualizeth Re- ligion, and renders its enjoyments moxe comforta- ble and delicious. That it keeps the Soul under a vivid fenfe of God, and is a grandfecurity a- gainft Temptation. That it holds it fteady amid the flatteries of a profperous ftate , and gives it the moft. grounded anchorage and y^>- ^w^ amid the Waves of an adverje condition. That 'tis the nobleft encouragement to vertue, and the &ggtf/? afiurance of an foag&y Immor- tality. I fay, I confidered thefe weighty things, and wondred at the carelefneJl&nd prejudice of thoughts that occafio.n'd my fuipeding the 50 Confederations reality of fo glorious a Priviledge; I faw how little reafon there is in denying matters of in* ward fenfe, becaufe our felves do not feel them, or cannot form an apprehenfion of them in our minds. I am convinced that things of guff and relifh muft be judg'd by the fentient and vital faculties, and not by the noetical ex- ercifes of fpeculative underftandings : And up- on the whole, I believe infinitely that the Divine Spirit affords its fenfible prefence , and immediate beatifick Touch to fome rare Souls, who are divefted of carnal felf, and mundane pleafures , abflraded from the Body by Prayer and holy Meditation ;fpiritual in their Dejires, and calm in their Affedions; devout Lovers of God, and vertue, and tenderly affedionate to all the world; fincere in their aims , and circum- fped in their adions; inlarged in their Souls, and clear in their Minds : Thefe I think are the difpofitions that are requifite to fit us for Divine Communion; and God tranfads not in this near way, but with prepared fpirits who are thus difpofed for the manife/lation of his prefence, and his influence : And fuch, I believe, he never fails to blefs with thefe happy foretaftes of Glory. But for thofe that are paffionate and conceited, turbulent and notional, confident and immodeft, imperious and malicious; That doat upon trifles, and run fiercely in the ways of a Sett, thai axe lifted up in the apprehenfion of the glorious prerogatives about Witchcraft. 31 prerogatives of themfelves and their party, and fcorn all the world befides; For fuch, I fay, be their pretenfiens what they will, to divine Com- munion, IHapfes, and Dijcoveries, I believe them not; Their fancies abufe them , or they would us. For what communion hath Light with £>*>•&• « But the other excellent Souls I defcribed, will as certainly be vifited by the Divine Prefence, and Converfe, as the Cryftalline ftreams are, with the beams of Light, or the fitly prepar'd Earth whofe to^/is.in itfelf, will beaduated by the fpirit ofNature. So that there is no reafon to objed here the want of Angelical Communications, though there were none vouchfafed us, fince good men enjoy the Divine, which are infinitely more fatisfafl&- ry and indearing. And now I may have leave to proceed to the nextO//V#/ Can Fire freeze, and Water burn ? Can Natures, fo infinitely contrary, communi- cate , and jump in projeds that are deftrudive to each others known Interefls ? Is there any Balfom in the Cockatrice s Egg? ox, Can the Spirit of Life flow from the Venome of the Afp > Will the Prince of Darknefl ftrengthen the Arm that is/rf/ckouttopluck his Vfurpt Scepter, and his Spoils from him ? And will he lend 54 Confederations lend his Legions, to affift the Armies of his Enemy againft him ? No, thefe are impoffible Suppofals; No intelligent Being will induftri- oufly and knowingly contribute to the Con- tradidion of its own Principles, the Defeature of its Purpofes, and the Ruine of its own dear- eft Interefls. There is no fear then, that our Faith fhould receive prejudice from the acknow- ledgement of the Being of Witches, and power of evil Spirits, fince 'tis not the doing wonderful things that is the onely Evidence that the Holy JESVS was from God, and his Dodrine true; but the conjundion of other circumftan- ces, the holineft of his Life, the reafonablenefi of his Religion , and the excellency of his De- figns, added credit to his Works, and ftrength- ned the great Conclufion, That he could be no other than the Son of God, and Saviour of the world. But befides, I fay, (2) That fince infinite Wifdom and Goodneft rules the World , it cannot be conceived, that they fhould give up the greateft part of men to unavoidable deception. And if evil Angels by their Confederates are permitted to perform fuch aflonifhing things, as feem fo evidently to carry Gods Seal and Power with them, for the confirmation of Faljhoods, and gaining credit to Impoftors, without any counter-evidence to difabufe the World; Mankind is expofed to fad and fatal delufeon. And to fay that Provi- dence will fuffer us to be deceived in things of about Witchcraft. 55 the greateft concernment, when we ufe the befl of our care and endeavours to prevent if, is to fpeak hard things of God; andineffed to affirm, That He hath nothing to do in the Government of the World, or doth not con- cern himfelf in the affairs of poor forlorn men. And if the Providence and Goodnefl of God be not a fecurity unto us againft fuch Deceptions, we cannot be afTured, but that we are always abufed by thofe mifchievous Agents, in the 0b~ jeds of plain fenfe , and in all the matters of bur daily Converfes. If 0 NE that pretends he is immediately fent from God, to overthrow the ancient Fabrick of Eftablifhed Worjhip, and to ered a New Religion in His Name, fhall be born of a Virgin, and honour'd by a miraculous Star; proclaimed by a Song of feeming An- gels of Light, and worjhippedhy the wife Sages of the World; Revered by thofe of the grea- teft aufterity, and admired by all for a miracu- lous Wifdom, beyond his Education and his Tears: If He fhall feed multitudes with almoft nothing, and faft himfelf beyond all the pojfibi- lities of Nature: If He fhall be transformed into the appearance of extraordinary Glory, and converfe with departed Prophets in their vifible Forms : If He fhall Cure all Difeafes without Phyfick or Endeavour, and raife the Dead to Life after they have flunk in their Graves: If He fhall be honoured by Voices from Heaven, and attrad the universal wonder K of 5 6 Confederations of Princes and People: If He fhall allay Tem- pefts with a beck, and caft out Devils with a word: If He fhall foretei his own Death par- ticularly, with its Tragical Circumftances, and his Refurredion after it: If the Veil of the moft famous Temple in the world fhall be rent, and the Sun darkned at his Funeral: If He fhall, within the time foretold, break the bonds of Death, and lift up his Head out of the Grave: If Multitudes of other departed Souls fhall arife with Him, to attend at the Solemnity of his Refurredion: Xf He fhall after Death , vifibly converfe , and eat and drink with divers per- fons, who could not be deceived in a matter of clear fenfe, and afcend in Glory in the pre- fence of an aftonifhtand admiring Multitude: I fay, if fuch a one as this fliould prove a dia- bolical Impoflor, and Providence fhould permit him to be fo credited and acknowledged; What poflibility were there then for us to be allured, that we are not always deceived > yea, that our very faculties were not given us onely to delude and abufe us > And if fo, the next Conclufion is, That there is no God that judgeth in the earth; and the befl, and moft likely Hy- poihefis will be, That the world is given up to the 'Government of the Devil But if there be a Providence that fupervifeth us, ( as nothing is more certain ) doubtlefs it will never fuffer poorhelplefs Creatures to be inevitably decei- vedby the craft mdfubtilty of their mifchievous about Witchcraft. 57 Enemy , to their undoing; but will without queftion take fuch care, that the works wrought by Divine Power for the Confirmation of Divine Truth , fhall have fuch vifible Marks and Signatures , if not in their Nature, yet in their Circumftances, Ends, and Defigns, as fhall difeover whence they are, and fufficiently diftin- guijh them from all Impoflures andDelufions.And though wicked fpirits may perform fome ftrange things that may excite wonder for a while, yet He hath, and will fo provide, that they fhall be baffled and difcr edited; as we know it was in the cafe of Mofes and the /Egyptian Magicians. Thefe things I count fufhcient to be faid to this lafl, andjhrewdeft Objedion; Thou^tifome, I underftand, except, that I have made itflron- ger than the Anfwer I have applied. That I have urged the argument of unbelievers home, and reprefented it in its full flrength, I fuppofe can be no matter of juft reproof: For to tri- umph over the weaknejS of a Caufe, and to over- look its flrength, is the trick of jhallow and in- t ere fedDijputers, and the worft way to defend a good Caufe, or confute a bad one. I have therefore all along urged the moft cogent things I could think of, for the intereft of the Obje- dors, becaufe I would not impofe upon my Rea- der ox my felf; and the ftronger I make'their premifes, the more fhall I weaken their Conclufion, if I anfwer them; which whether I have done, or not, I refer my felf to the judgments of I\ 2 the 5° Confederations the ingenious and confiderate; from whom I fhould be very glad to be informed in what par- ticular points my Difcourfe is defedive. Gene- ral Charges are no proofs, nor are they eafily capable of an anfwer. Yet, to the mention d exception I fay That the flrength of the Obiedion is not my fault, for the reafons allcdg'd ; and for the fup- pofed incompetency of my return, I propofe,that if the circumftances of the Perfons, Ends, and Iffues be the best Notes of Diftindion between true Miracles and Forgeries, Divine and £>/^ lical ones, I have then faid enough to fecure the Miracles of our Saviour, and the //ves, endeavoured the convidion and reformation of a ftubborn and unbelieving World. But though Few believed their Report-, and men would not be preVaifd on by what they did, or what they faid; yet their Infidelity was not hitherto incurable, be- caufe further means were provided in the mini- ftry of John the Baptift, whofe Life was more fevere, whofe Dodrines were more plain, pref- fing, and particular; and therefore 'twas poffi- ble that He might have fucceeded. Yea, and where He failed, and could not open mens hearts and their eyes, the effed was ftill in pofi about Witchcraft. 61 fibility, and it might be expeded fxom Him that came after, to whom the Prophets and John were but the Twilight and the Dawn. And though His miraculous Birth, the Song of An- gels, the Journey of the Wife Men of the Eaff, and the correfpondence of Prophecies, with the Circumftances of the///? appearance of the uw- derful Infant: I fay, though thefe had not been taken notice of, yet was there a further pro- vifion made for the cure of Infidelity , in his aftonifhing Wifdom, and moft excellent Dodrines'; For, Hefpake as never man did. And when Thefe were defpifed and negleded, yet there were other means towards Convidion, and cure ofVnbelief, in thofe mighty works that bore Teftimony of Him, and wore the evident marks of Divine Power in their Foreheads. But when after all, Thefe; clear and unqueftionable Mira- cles which were- wrought by the Spirit of God, and had eminently his Superfcription on them, fhall be afcribed to the Agency of evil Spirits, and Diabolical Compad, as they were by the malicious and fpightful Pharifees in t:he periods above-mentioned ; when thofe great and lafl Teftimonies againft Infidelity, fhall be faid to be but the tricks of Sorcery , and Complotment with Hellifh Confederates, This is Blafphemy in the higheft, againft the Power and Spirit of God, and fuch as cuts off all means of Convidion, and puts the UnbeUever beyond all poffibilities of Cure. For Miracles axe God's Seal, and the K 4 great 6s Confederations great and lafl evidence of the truth of any Dodrine. And though, while thefe are onely disbelieved as to the Fad, there remains a pofi fibility of perfwafion ; yet, when the Fad fhall be acknowledge., but the Power blafphemed, and the effeds of the adorable Spirit maliciouf ly imputed to the Devils; fucli a Blafphemy, fuch an Infidelity is incurable, and confequentfy unpardonable. I fay, in fum, the Sin againft the Holy Ghoft feems to be a malicious imputa- tion of the Miracles wrought by the Spirit of God in our Saviour, to Satanical Confederacy, and the power of Apofl ate Spirits; Than which nothing is more blafphemous, and nothing is more like to provoke the Holy Spirit that is fo abufed, to an EternalJDerelidion of fo vile and fo incurable an Unbeliever. This account, as 'tis clear and reafonable in itfelf, fo it is plainly lodg'd in the mention'd Difcourfeof our Saviour. And moft of thofe that fpeak other things about it, feem to me to talk at random, and perfedly without Book. But to leave them to the fondnefs of their own conceits, I think it now time to draw up to a Conclufion of the whole. S EC T. XVI. HEREFORE briefly, Sir, I have endea- voured in thefe Papers, which my re- fped about Witchcraft. fa fped and your concernment in the fubjed have made yours, to remove the main prejudices I could think of, againft the exiftence of Witches and Apparitions: And I'm fure I have fugge- fted much more againft what I defend, than ever I heard or faw in ariy that oppofed it; whofe Difcourfes, for the moft part, have feem- ed to me infpired by a lofty fcorn of common be- lief and fome trivial Notions of Vulgar Philo- fophy. And in .defpifing the common Faith a- bout matters of fad , and fondly adhering to it in things of Speculation , they very grofly andabfurdly miftake: For in things of Fad, the People are as much to be believed, as the moft fubtile Philofophers and Speculators; fince here, Senfe is the Judge. But in matters of Notions and Theory, they are not at all to be heeded, becaufe Reafon is to be Judge of thefe, and this they know not how to ufe. And yet thus it is with thofe wife Philofophers, that will deny the plain evidence of the Senfes of Mankind, becaufe they cannot reconcile ap- pearances with the fond Crotchets of a Philor fophy, which they lighted on in the High-way by chance, and will adhere to at adventure. So that I profefs, for mine own part, I never yet heard any of the confident Declaimers againft fVitchcraft and Apparitions,fpeak any thing that might move a mind, in any degree inftruded in the generous kinds of Philofophy and Nature of things. And for the Objedions I have re- citecj c?4 Confider at ions cited, they are moft of them fuch as rofe out of mine own thoughts, which I obliged to con- fider what was poffible to be faid upon this occafion. For though I have examined SCOT's DISCO VE Jl T, fancying that there I fliould find the ftrong reafons of mens disbelief in this matter ; yet I profefs I met not with the leaft fuggeftion in all that Farrago, Iput what it had been ridiculous for me to have gone about to anfwer : For the Author doth little but tell odd Tales, and filly Legends, which he confutes and laughs at, and pretends this to be a Con- futation of the Being of Witches and Appari- tions. In all which, His Reafonings are trifling and Childifh;. and when He ventures at Philo- fophy, He is littje; better than abfurd: So that 'twill be a wonder to me, if any but Boyes and Buffoons imbibe any prejudices againft a*B% lief fo infinitely confirmed, from the Loofe and Impotent Sygtgeftions of fo weak a Difcour- fer. But however, obferving two things in that Difeourfe that would pretend to be more than ordinary Reafons, I fhall do them the civility to examine them. It is faid then, (i) T^Hat th&Gofpel isfllent, as to the Being 1 of WITCHES; and 'tis not likely, if there were fuch,but that out Saviour ox his Apoftleshad given intimations of their exift&nce. The other is, (2) about Witchcraft. 6$ (2) "A Miracles are ceafed, and therefore IV1 the prodigious things afcribed to ©LlttCljCttlft are fuppofed Dreams and Impo- flures. FOR ANSWER to the FIRST in order, I confider (1) That though the Hiftory of the New Teftament were granted to be filent in the bufinefs of Witches and Compads, yet the Re- cords of the Old have a frequent mention of them. The Law, Exod. XXII. 18. againft per- mitting them to live (which I mention'd in the beginning) is famous. And we have ano- ther remarkable Prohibition of them , Deut. XVIII. 10,11. There jhall not be found among you any one that maketh his Son or his Daughter pafl through the Fire, or that ufeth Divination, or an Obferver of Times, or an Enchanter, or a WITC H, or a Charmer, or a Confulter with Familiar Spirits, or a Wizzard, or a Necroman- cer. Now this accumulation of Names, (fome of which are of the fame fence and import) is a plain indication that the HEBREW WITC H was one that pradifed by corn- pad with evil Spirits. And many of the fame expreffions are put together in the Charge a- gainft Manaffes, IT Chron. XXXIII. viz. That he caufed his Children to pafl through the Fire, pbferved Times, ufed Enchantments, and £2IttC&* £taftj and dealt with Familiar Spirits, and with 68 Confiderdtions with Wl'ZZARDS. So that though the Original woxd which we render WITC Hand WItCHCRAFT, fhould, as our Saddu- c'eesurge , fignifie onely a CHE AT and d POTS ONER; yet thofe others mention'd, plainly enough fpeak the thing; and I have given an account irl the former Confider at ions, how a Wit C If in the common notion is a Pbyfoner. But why mexepoyfoning fhould have ii diflmd Law againft it, and not be concluded under the general one againft Murder; why mere Legerdemain and Cheating fhould be fo fevefely animadverted on, as to be reckon'd With Enchantments , tonverfe with Devils, and Idolatrous pradides .* I belieVe the denier of WITCHES will find it hard to give a rea- fbri. To which I may add fome other paflages of Scripture that yield fuffi&ent evidence in Ihe cafe. The Nations are forbid to hearken fo the Diviners , Dreamers, Enchanters, and Sorcerers, Jer. XXVII. 9, the Chaldeans are deeply threatned for their Sorceries and En- chantments, Ifa. XLVII. 9. And we read that Nebuchadnezzar called the Magicians, Aflrolo- Mrsy SoHtrers , arid Chaldaaris, to tell his Dream. My mention of which lafl, minds me to fay, that for ought I have to the contra- ry, there may be a fort of CtlftCfteS and pagfttaftg that have no Familiars, that they ftndw, ndr ariy exprefl compad with Apoftate spirits; who yet may perhaps ad ftrange things about Witchcraft. 6j things by diabolick Aids, which they procure by the ufe of thofe Forms , and wicked Arts that the Devil did firft impart to his Confede- rates : And we know not but the Laws of that dark Kingdom may enjoyn a particular atten- dance upon all thofe that pradife their Myfle- ries, whether they know them to be theirs, or not. For a great intereft of their Empire may be ferved by this projed, fince thofe that find fuch fuccefs in the unknown Conjurations, may by that he tollxi on to more exprefl tranfadiqns with thofe Fiends, that have aflifted them ip? cognito: Or, if they proceed not fo far, yejt they run upon a Rock by ading in the dark, and dealing in unknown and unwarranted Arts, in which the ejfed is much beyond tne proper efficiency of the things they ule, and affords ground of more than fupicion that fome evil Spirit is the Agent in thofe wondrous perfor- mances. Upon this account I fav, it is not to me unr likely but that the Devils may by their own Conftitution be bound to attend upon all that ufe their Ceremonies and Fqrms, though ignq- rantly, and witao.it defign 'r, evil; and fo Con- juration may have feen pe formed by thofe who are none of the Covenant &Qltttti$ and ftdlitCfjeg. Among thofe pen. ps wemayjuftjy reckon Balaam, and the Diviners. For Balqqnfr Moncazas hath undertaken to iear him from the guilt of th°greater Sorcery. An J the Diviners a$e ufually 6% Confider ations ufually diflhtdly mentioned from thofe that had Familiar Spirits. The Aflrologers alfo X)f Elder times,and thofe of ours, I take to have been of this fort of Magicians, and fome of them under the colour of that myftical Science, worfe. And I queftion not, but that things are really done, and foretold by thofe pretended Artifts, that are much beyond the regular poffibilities of their Art; which in this appears to be excee- dingly uncertain and precarious, in that there are no lefs than/* ways of ereding a Scheme, in each of which the predidion of Events fliall be different, and yet every one of them be juftifiable by the Rules of that Science. And the Principles they go upon , are found to be very arbitrary and unphilofophical, not by the ordinary Declaimers againft it, but by the moft profound inquirers into things , who perfedly underftand the whole Myftery, and .are the onely competent Judges. Now thofe Myftical Students may in their firft addreffes to this Science, have no other defign, but the fatisfadion of their curiofity to know remote and hidden things ; yet that in the progrefs being not fatisfied within the bounds of their Art, doth many times tempt the cu- rious Inquirer to ufe worfe means of Informa- tion ; and no doubt thofe mifchievous Spirits that are as vigilant as the Beafts of Prey, and watch all occafions to get us within their envious reach , are more conftant Attenders, and about Witchcraft. 69 and careful Spyes upon the Adions and Incli- nations of fuch, whofe genius and defigns pre- pare them for their Temptations. So that I look on attHlCfal gfftflingp as a fa^r introdu- ction to Sorcery and Witchcraft. And who knows but that it was firft fet on foot by the Infernal Hunters, as a Lure to draw the Curi- of6s into thofe fnares that lie hid beyond it. And yet I believe alfo, it may be innocently e- nough ftudied by thofe, that aim onely to underftand what it is, and how far it willhoneftly go; and are not willing to condemn any thing which they do not comprehend. But that they muft take care to keep themfelves within the bounds of fober enquiry, and not indulge irregular foliSudes about the Knowledge of things which Providence hath thought fit to conceal from us; Which whoever doth, lays himfelf open to the defigns and felicitations of evil Spirits ; and I believe there are very few among thofe who have been addided to thofe ftrange Arts of wonder , and pradidion, but have found themfelves attacqued by fome unknown Solicitors, and inticed by them to the more dangerous Adions and Correfpondencies. For as there are a fort of bafe and fordid Spi- rits that attend the envy and malice of the ig- norant, and viler fort of perfons , and betray them into Compads by promifes of Revenge : So, no doubt, there are a kind of more airy, and fpeculative Fiends, of an higher Rank and Order jo Confederations Order than thofe wretched Imps , who apply themfelves to the Curious; and many times prevail with them by offers of the more recon- dite knowledge. As we know it was in the firft Temptation. Yea, and fometimes they are fb cautious, and wary in their Conventions with more refined'perfons, that they never offer to make any expreB Covenants with them. And to this purpofe I have been informed by a very Learned and Reverend Dodor, that one Mr. Edwards a Mafter of Arts of Trin. Coll. in Cambridge being reclaimed from Conjuration, declared in his Repentance, That the Damon al- ways appeared to him like a man of good Fafhion, and never required any Compad from him. And no doubt, they fort themfelves a- greeably to the ft ate, port, and genius of thofe with whom they converfe: Yea, 'tis like, as I cdnjedured ', axe affiftant fometimes to thofe, to whom they dare not fhew themfelves in any opennefl of appearance, left they fhould fright them from thofe ways of Sin and Tem- ptation. So that we fee, that Men. may ad by evil Spirits without their own knowledge that they do fo. And poffibly Nebuchadnezzar's Wifemen might be of this fort of Magicians ; which fup- poial I mention the rather, becaufe it may ferve irie againft fome things that may be objeded : For, it rriaybe faid, If They had been in Con- federacy with Deitils, it is not probable, that Daniel about Witchcraft. yt Daniel would have been their Advocate, or in fuch inojfenfive terms have diftinguifht their skill, from Divine Revelation; nor fliould he* one would think, have accepted the Office of being Provoft over them. Thefe Circumftan- ces may be fuppofed to intimate a probability, that the Magi of Babylon were iri no profeH Diabolical Complotment, and I grant it. But yet they might, and in all likelihood did, ufe the Arts and Methods of /#?/*», which Obtain 2>- monaick Co-operation and Affiftance , though without their privity, and fo they were a lefc criminal fort of Conjurers; For thofe Arts were conveyed down along to them from one hand to another, and the Succeflburs ftill took them up from thofe that preceded without a Philofo^ phical Scrutiny, ox Ex amen. They faw ftrange things were done, and Events predided by fuel! forms , and fuch words; How, they could not tell, nor 'tis like, did not inquire ; but conten- ted themfelves with this general account, That 'twas by the power of their Arts,and were riot follicitous for any better reafon. This I fay was probably the cafe of moft of thofe Pre- did or s, though, it may be, others of them ad- vanced further into the more defperate part of the Myftery. And that fome did immediate^ 2 y tranfad with appearing evil Spirits in thofe times, is apparent enough from exprefs men- tion in the Scriptures I have aliedg'd. And the ftory of the WITC H of E & L DOR, J 2 Conjiderations DOR, i Sam. XXVIII. is a remarkable de- monftration of the main Conclufion; which will appear when we have confidered and re- moved the fancy , andglojfis of our Author a- bout it, in his DIS C0 PER T: whereto avoid this evidence, he affirms, This WITC H to be but a Cozener, and the whole Tranfadion a Cheat and Impofture, managed by hex felf and a Confederate And in order to the perfwading this, he tells a fine Tale, viz. That fhe depar- ted from Saul into her Clofit, " Where doubt- "iefs, fays he, fhe had a Familiar, fome lewd " crafty Prieft, and made Soul ftand at the door " like a Fool, to hear the cozening Anfwers. He "faith,fhe there ufed the ordinary words of "Conjuration; and after them, Samuel appears, "whom he affirms to be no other than either "the Witch her felf, or her Confederate. By this pretty knack and contrivance he thinks he hath difabled the Relationfromfignifying to our purpofe. But the DISCOVEREH might have confidered, that aii this is an Invention, and without Book. For there is no mention of the Witches Clofit T or her retiring into another Room, or her Confederate, or her form of Con- juration : I fay, nothing of all this, is as much as intimated in the Hiftory; and if we may take this large liberty in the interpretation of Scripture, there is fcarce a ftory in the Bible but may be made a Fallacy r and Impofture, or any about Witchcraft. 73 thing that we pleafe. Nor is this fancy of his onely arbitrary, but indeed contrary to the circumftances of the Text. For it fays, Saul perceived it was Samuel, and bowed himfelf and this Samuel truly foretold his approaching Fate, viz. That Ifrael fhould be delivered with him into the hands of the Philiftines ; and that on the morrow He and his Sons fhould be in the ftate of the Dead, which doubtlefsis meant by the expreffion, that [ they Jhould be with him. ] Which contingent particulars, how could the Cozener and her Confederate foretel, if there were noching in it extraordinary and preterna- tural ? It hath indeed been a great difpute among Interpreters, whether the real Samuel was rai fed, or the Devil in his likenefs ? Moft later Writers fuppofe it to have been an evil Spirit, upon the fuppofition that good and happy Souls can never return hither from their Coeleftial a- bodes; and they are not certainly at the beck and call of an impious Hagg. But then thofe of the other fide urge , that the Piety of the words that were fpoke , and the feafonable re- proofgiven to defpairing Saul, are indications fufficient that they come not from Hell; and efpecially they think the Prophecie of Circum- ftances vexy accidental to be an argument, that it was not utter'd by any of the infernal Pre- didors. And for the fuppofal that is the ground of that interpretation, 'tis judged exceedingly L % pr$- 74 Confider ations precarious; for who faith that happy departed Souls were never employed in any minifteries here below? And thofe diffenters are ready to ask a reafon, why they may not be fent in Meflagesto Earth, asweYiasthofeof the^ar- gelical Order > They are nearer allied to our Natures, and upon that account more intimate- ly concerned in our affairs; ,and the example of returning Lazarus is evidence of the tiling de fado. Befides which, that it was the real Sa- muel they think made probable by the opinion :of Jefus the fon of Syr ac, Eccluf. XL VI. 19, io* who faith of him, That after his death he pro' phefied and Jhewed the King his end: which alfo is likely from the circumltance of the womans aftonijhment, and crying out when fhe faw him, intimating hexfurprize, in that the power of God had over-ruled her Enchantments, and fent another than fhe expeded. And they conceive there is no more incongruity in fup- pofing God fliould fend Samuel to rebuke Saul for this his lafl folly, and to predid his inftant ruine, than in his interpofing Elias to the Mef- fengers of Ahazias when he fent to Beelze- bub. Now if it were the real Samuel, as the Letter expreffeth, ( and the obvious fence is .to be followed when there is no cogent reafon to decline it) he was not raifed by the power of the Witches Enchantments, but came on that occafion in a Divine* Errand. But yet attempts -and endeavours to raife her Familiar Spirit, (though about Witchcraft. 75 ' (though at that time over-ruled ) are Argu-. ments that it had been her cuftom to do fo. Or if it were as the other fide concludes, the Devil in the fhape of Samuel, her diabolical Confederacy is yet more palpable. SECT X VII I. TH A V E now. done with SCOT, and his preemptions; and am apt to fancy, that. there is nothing more needful to be faid to dip. cover the Difcoverer. But there is an Author infinitely more valuable, that calls me to con- fider him , 'Tis the great Epifcopius , who,' though he grants a fort of Witches and Ma-, gicians, yet denies Compads. His Authority, I confefs, is confiderable , but let us weigh his Reafons. His Firft is, That there is no example of any of the prophane Nations that were in liich Corn- pad ; wlience he would infer, that there are no expreft Covenants with evil Spirits in parti- cular inftances. But I think that both propo- fition and confequence , are very obnoxious and defedive. For that there were Nations that did •adually worfhip the Devil is plain enough in the Records of ancient times, and fome fo read that place in the Pfalms, The Gods of the Hea- then are Devils ; and Sathan weknow is call'd the God of this World, Yea* our Author him- L 3 felf j6 Confederations felf confefTeth that the Nation of the Jews were fo ftridly prohibited Witchcraft, and all tranfadion with evil Spirits ; becaufe of their pronenef to worfhip them. But what need more ? There are at this day that ipayfacrifice, and all facred homage to the tMCkeU £>tte in a vifible appearance; and 'tis well known to thofe of our own that traffick, and refide in thofe Iparts, that the Caribbians worfhip the Devil under the name of Maboya, who frequently lhews himfelf, and tranfads with them ; the like Travellers relate concerning divers other parts of the barbarous Indies: and 'tis confi- dently reported by fober intelligent men that have vifited thofe places, that moft of the Laplanders, and fome other Northern people, are Witches. That 'tis plain that there are National Confederacies with Devils ; or, if there were none, I fee not how it could be inferred thence, that there are no perfonal ones, no more, than that there were never any Dcemoniacks, becaufe we know of no Nation univerfalty pofi feffed; nor any Lunaticks in the world, becaufe there is no Country of Madmen. But our Au- thor reafons again, (2) To this purpofe ; " That the profligate " perfons who axe obnoxious to thofe groft tern* "ptations, axe fail enough before ; and there- fore fuch a Covenant were needleft, and of no " auailto the Tempters projeds. This Objedion I have anfwered already , in my *-■ about Witchcraft. 77 my Remarques upon the IX Prejudice; and mind you again here, that if the defigns of thofe evil Spirits were onely in general to fe- cure wicked men to the dark Kingdom, it might better be pretended that we cannot give a rea- fon for their temptations, and endeavours in this kind; But it being likely, as I haveconjedur^, that each of thofe infernal Tempters hath a particular property in thofe he hath feduced, and fecuredhy fuch compads, their reTpedive pride and tyrannical defire of flaves, may reafona- bly be thought to engage them in fuch At- tempts in which their fo peculiar intereft is con- cerned. But I add what is more dired, viz. That fuch defperate Sinners are made more fafeto the infernal Kingdom at large, by fuch HeUifh Covenants and Combinations; fince thereby they confirm, and harden their Hearts againft God, and put themfelves at greater diftance from his Grace, and his Spirit; give the deepeft wound to Confcience, and refolve to wink a- gainft all its light and convidions ; throw a Bar in the way of their own Repentance, and lay a Train for defpair of Mercy. Thefe certainly are fur-e ways of being undone, and the Devil we fee, hath great intereft in a projed, the fuc- cefs of which isfo attended. And we know he made the afiault defado upon our Saviour, when he tempted him to fall down, and worfhip. So that this learned Author hath bat little rea- fon to objed L 4 (3) T 78 Confider at ions (3) That to endeavour fuch an exprefs Co* venant is contrary to the interefts of Hell; which indeed are this way fo mightily promo- ted. And whereas he fuggefts, that a thing fo horrid is like to ftartle Confidence, and awaken the Soul to Confideration and Repentance: I fieply, That indeed confidering man in the gene- ral, as a rational Creature, aded by hopes, and fears, and fenfible of the joyes and miferies of another World, one would exped it Jhould be fo: But then, if we caft our eyes upon man .as really he is, funk into flejh and prefent fenfe ; darkned in his mind, and governed by his imagi- nation ; blinded by his paffions, and befitted by /« and _/»/5y; hardned hy evil Cuftoms, and /W- ried away by the torrent of his inclinations and ^ Thus, 80 Confiderations Thus, I fuppofe, I have anfwered alfo the Arguments of this great man, againft the Cove- nants of Witches; and fince a perfon of fuch fagacity and learning, hath no more to fay againft what 1 defend, and another of the fame Chara- der, the ingenious Mr. S. Parker, who direded me to him, reckons thefe the ftrongeft things that can be objeded in the Cafe, I begin to ar- rive to an higher degree of confidence in this belief; and am almoft inclined to fancy , that there is little more to be faid to purpofe, which may not by the improvement of my CONSI- DER AT 10 NS be eafily anfwered ; and I am yet the more fortified in my conceit, be- caufe I have fince the former Edition of this Book , fent to feveral acute and ingenious perfons of my acquaintance, to beg their Objedions , or thofe they have heard from others, againft my Difcourfe or Relations, that I might confider them in this: But I can pro- cure none fave onely thofe few I have now dif- cufs'd, moft of my Friends telling me, that they have not met with any that need, or deferve my notice. ■—mm* -------------1 - , - ., SECT. XIX. BY all this it is evident, that there were WITCHES in ancient times under the Difpenfation 61'the LAW; and that there were about Witchcraft. 8 i were fuch in the f/w*y of the GOSPEL al- fo, will not be much more difficult to make good. I had a late occafion to fay fomething about this, in a Letter to a perfon of the high- eft honour , from which I fhall now borrow fome things to my prefent purpofe. }S A Y then (II) That there were Compads with evil Spirits in thofe times alfo, is me- thinks intimated ftrongly in that faying of the Jews concerning our Saviour, That he caft out Devils by Beelzebub. In his return to which, he denies not the fuppofition or poffibility of the thing in general; but clears himfelf by an ap- peal to the adions of their own Children, whom they would not tax fo feverely. And I cannot very well underftand why thofe times fliould be priviledged from WITCHCRAFT, and Diabolical Compads, more than they were from Foffejfions, which we know were then xnoxe frequent ( for ought appears to the con- trary ) than ever they were before or fince. But befides this, There are intimations plain enough in the Apoftles Writings of the being of Sorcery and WITCHCRAFT. St. Paul reckons Witchcraft next Idolatry, in his Cata- logue of the works of the flejh, Gal. V. 20. and the Sorcerers are again joy n'd with Idolaters in that fad Denunciation, Rev. XXI. 8. and a little after, Rev. XXII. 1 f. they are reckoned again among Idolaters, Murderers, and thofe others 82 Confider at ions that are without. And methinks the ftory of Simon Magus, and his diabolical Oppofitions of the Gofpel in its beginnings, fliould afford clear con- vidion. To all which, I add this more gene- ral confideration, (3) That though the New Teftament had mention d nothing of this matter, yet itsfilence in fuch cafes is not argumentative. Our Sa- viour jpake as he had occafion, and the thou- fandth part of what he did, and faid, is not recorded, as one of his Hiftorians intimates. He faid nothing of thofe large unknown Trads of America , nor gave he any intima- tions of as much as the Exijlence of that nu- merous people; much lefs did he leave inftru- dions about their converfion. He gives no Re- count of the affairs and ftate of the other world, but onely thar general one of the happineft of fome, and the mifery of others. He made no difcovery of the Magnalia of Art or Nature; no, not of thofe, whereby the propagation of the Gofpel might have been much advanced, viz. the Myftery of Printing, and the Magnet; and yet no one ufeth his filence in thefe inftances as an argument againft the being of things, which are evident objeds of fenfe. I confefs, the dmiffion of fome of thefe particulars is pretty ftrange, and unaccountable , and con- cludes our ignorance of the reafons, and mena- ges of Providence; but I fuppofe , nothing elfe. 1 thought, I needed here to have laid no more, but about Witchcraft. 85 but I confider, in confequence of this Objedion, it is pretended; That as CHRIST JESZ/S drive the Devil from his Temples, and his Al- tars, ( as is clear in the Cejfation of Oracles, which dwindled away, and at lafl grew filent fliortly upon his appearance ) fo in like man- ner, 'tis faid, that he banijht Him from his lef fer holds in Sorcerers, and Witches; which ar-. gument is peccant both in what it affirms, and in what it would infer. For (1) The coming of the H. JESVS did not expel the Devilfrom all the greater places of his refidence and worjhip ; for a considera- ble part of barbarous Mankind do him publick, folemn homage, to this day : So that the very foundation of the pretence fails, and the Confe- quence without any more ado comes to nothing, And yet befides, (2) If there be any credit to be given to Ecclefiaftick Hiftory , there were perfons pof- fefled with Devils fome Ages after Chrift, whom the Difciples caft out by Prayer, and the invocation of his Name : So that Sathan was not driven from his lejfer habitations, aflbon as he was forced from his more famous abodes. And I fee no reafon (3) Why, Though Divine Providence would not allow him publiquely to abufe the Nations, whom he had defigned in a fliort time after, forSubjedsof his Sons Kingdom, and to ftand up in th,e face of Religion in an open affront to 84 Confiderat ions the Divinity that planted it, to the great hin- drance of the progreft of the Gojpel, and difcouragement of Chriftian hopes ; I fay, Though Providence would not allow this height of infolent oppofition ; yet I fee not why we may not grant, that God however permitted the Devil to fneak into fome private skulking holes, and to trade with the particular more devoted vaffals of his wicked Empire : As we know that when our Saviour had chafed him from the man that was pojfejfed, he per- mitted his retreat into the herd of Swine. And I might add, (4) That 'tis out a bad way of arguing, to fet xxpphancied congruities againft plain experi- ence, as is evidently done by thofe arguers, who, becaufe they think that Chrift chafed the Devil from all his high places of worfhip when he came ; that 'tis therefore jfo he fliould have forced him from all his other lefs notorious Haunts: and upon the imagination of a decen- cy, which they frame, conclude a fad, contrary to the greateft evidence of whicti the thing is capable. And once more (5) The confequence of this imagined Deco- rum, if it be purfued, would be this, that Sa- than fhould now be deprived of all the ways, and tricks of Cozenage , whereby he abufeth us ; and mankind fince the coining of Chrift, fhould have been fecure from all his Tempta- tions ; for there is a greater congruity in belie- ving, about Witchcraft. 85 ving, that, when he was forced from his haunts in Temples and publick places, he fliould be put alfo from thofe nearer ones, about us and with- in us in his daily temptations of univerfal Man- kind ; than, that upon relinquifliing thofe, he fhould be made to leave all profeft communica- tion and correfpondence with thofe profligate per- fons, whofe vitenefthad fitted them for filch com- pany. So that thefe Reafiners axe very Fair for the denial of all internal Diabolical Temptations. And becaufe I durft not truft them, He crave your leave here to add fome things concerning thofe. In order to which , that I may obtain the favour of thofe wary perfons, who are fo coy, and Jhy of their a (fent, I grant; That men fre- quently out of a defire to excufe themfelves, lay their own guilt upon the Devil, and charge him with things of which in earneft he is not guilty : For, I doubt not but every wicked man hath Devil enough in his own nature to prompt him to Evil, and needs not another Tempter to incite him. But yet, that Sathan endeavours to further our wickedneft, and our ruine by his inticements, and goes up and downfeeklng whom he may devour, is too evident in the holy Ora- cles , to need my endeavours particularly to make it good ; Only thofe diffident men can- not perhaps apprehend the manner of the ope- ration, and from thence are tempted to believe, 86 Confiderat ions that there is really no fuch thing. Therefore 1 judge it requifite to explain this, and 'tis not unfutable to my generalTubjed. In order to it I confider, That fenfe is prima- rily caufed by motion in the Organs, which by continuity is conveyed to the brain, where fen- fation is immediately performed; and it is no- thing elfe, but a notice excited in the Soul by the impulfe of an external objed. Thus it is in fimple outward fenfe. But imagination, though caufed immediately by material motion alfo, yet it differs from the external fenfes in this , That 'tis not from an impreft diredly from without, but the prime, and original motion is from with- in ourfelves: Thus the .Wit felf fometimes ftiikes upon thofe firings, whofe motion be- gets fuch , and fuch phantafms; otherwhile, the loofe Spirits wandring up and down in the brain, cafuallyhit upon fuch fitments and firings whofe motion excites a conception , which we call a Fancy , or Imagination ; and if the evi- dence of the outward fenfes be fliut out by fieep or melancholy, in either cafe, we believe thofe reprefentations to be rai/ and external tranfadions, when they are onely within our heads; Thus it is in Enthufiafms, and Dreams. And befides /&/£ c^j- of the motions which ftir imagination, there is little doubt, but that Spirits good, or bad can fo move the inftrument s ot _/b/£ in the fow», as to *ti;^ fuch imagina- tions, as they have a mind to .*.vc/te •. and the imagina- about Witchcraft. 87 imagination having a mighty influence upon the affedions, and they upon the wiU and ex- ternal adions, 'tis very eafie to conceive how good Angels may ftir us up to Religion and Ver- tue, and the Evil ones tempt us to Lewdneft and vice, viz. by reprefentments that they make upon the ft age of imagination, which invite our affedions, and allure, though they cannot com- pel, our wills. This I take to be an intelligible account of temptations, and alfo of Angelical encourage- ments ; and perhaps this is the onely way of immediate influence that the Spirits of the o- * ther-world have upon us. And by it, 'tis eafie to give an account of Dreams both Monitory, and Temperamental, Enthufiafms, Fanatick Ec- ftafies, and the like, as I fuggefted. Thus Sir, to the FIRST. But the other pre- tence alfo muft be examined. SECT. XX. (1) \ iff IRACLES are ceaft, therefore the IVJL prefumed adions of Witchcraft are tales, and illufions.~\ To make a due return to this, we muft con- fider a great and difficult Problem, which is, What is a real Miracle ? And for anfwer to this weighty Queftion, I think, M (,) 88 Confider at ions (i) /"T"S l^AT it is not theftrangeneft, or un- J. account ableneft of the thing done fim- ply, from wlience we are to conclude a Miracle. For then, we are fo %o account of all the Mag- palia of Nature, and all the Myfteries of tliofe honeft Arts, which we do not underftand. Nor, (z) is this the Criterion of a Miracle, That it is an adion or event beyond all natu- ral powers ; for we are ignorant of the extent and bounds of Natures fphere, and poffibilities : And if this were the charader, and effential mark of a Miracle , we could not know what wasyrove not an un- ufeful Supplement, to tranflate moft of the two lafl Chapters of T)x.H. M. his Enchiri- dion Metaphyficum into fcnglifh, and add it to this Firft Part, as a fuitable Appendage thereto. Which is as, follows. -, V.'.;, 'W>.\' '' .x J . % AN A N APPENDAGE To this Firft PART, Concerning the POSSIBILITY APPARITIONS AND Witchcraft. Containing The eafie, true, and genu- ine NOTION, and confident Explication of the Nature SPIRIT, Whereby The POSSIBILITY of the EXISTENCE of SPIRITS, APPARITIONS, and WITCH- CRAFT is further confirmed. LONDON: Printed, i$8i. ttVftrrfi 99 The Eafie, True, and Genuine NOTION And Confident EXPLICATION Of the NATURE of a SPIRIT. SECT. I. The Opinions of the NV LLIBISTS and HOLENMERIANS propofed. THat we may explicate the Ejfence or No* tion of Incorporeal Beings or Spirits, with the greater fatisfadtion and fuccefs, we are firft to remove two vaft Mounds of Darknefs, wherewith the ignorance of fome hath encum- bred and obfcured their nature. And the firft is of thofe who though they readily acknowledge there are fuch things as Incor- too The true Notion of a Spirit. Incorporeal Beings or Spirits, yet do very pe- remptorily contend that they are no where in the whole World. Which opinion, though at the very firft fight it appears ridiculous, yet it is ftiffly held by the fnaintainers of it, and that not without fome Faftuofity and Superci- lioufnefs, or at leafl fomt more fly and tacite •contempt of fuch Philofophers as hold the contrary, as of men lefs intelle&ual and too too much indulging to their Imagination. Thofe other therefore becaufe they fo boldly affirm that a Spirit is NuHibi, that is to fay, Nowhere, have defervedly purchafed to themiblves the Name ox Title of Nvdlibifts. r The other Mound of Darknefs laid upon the nature of a Spirit, is by thofe who wil- lingly indeed acknowledge that Spirits axe fomewhere; but add further, That they are not onely entirely or totally in their whole Vbi or place, (in the moft general fence of the word) but are totaHy in every part or goint thereof, and defcribethe peculiar nature of a Spirit to be fuch, that it muft be Totus in toto & totus in qualibet fui parte. Which therefore the Greeks would fitly and briefly call yoktv oMv- Y&fn, [ an EJfence that is alt of it in each part ] and this propriety thereof (^fS dcca^roav * let us examine the Principles of this Opinion by parts, and confider how well they make good each member. The firft is, Whatever thinks is Immaterial> and on the contrary. The converfion of this Axiome I will not examine, becaufe it makes little to the prefent purpofe. 1 will onely note by the byythatl doubt not but it may be falfe, although I eafily grant the Axiome itfelf to be true. But it is this new Method of de- monftrating it I call into queftion, which front hence, that we can conceive Cogitation, in the N mean w 104 The true Notion of a Spirit. mean time not conceiving Matter, concludes that Whatever thinks u Immaterial Now that we can conceive Cogitation without conceiving Matter, they fay is manifcft from hence, That although one mould fuppofe there w'eTe no Body in the Univerfe , and fliould not flinch from that pofition, yet notwithstanding he would not ceafe to be certain , that there was Res cogitans, a thinking Being* in the World,, he finding himfelf to be fuch. But I further add, though he fliould fuppofe there Was no Ifmrra- terial Being in nature, ( nor indeed Material) and fliould not flinch from that pofition, yet he would not ceafe to be certain that there was at thinking Being , ( no not if l*e fliould fup- pofe himfelf not to be a thinking Being ) be- caufe lie can fuppofe nothing without Cogita^ tion. Which I thought woith the while to note by the by , that the great levity of the NuUibifts might hence more clearly ap* pear. But yet I add further, that fuch is the na- ture of the Mind of man, that it is like the Eye, better fitted to contemplate other things than itfelf; and that therefore it is no wonder that thinking nothing of its own Eflence, it does fixedly enough and intently confider in the mean time and contemplate all other things, yea, thofe very things with which fhe has the neareft affinity, and yet without any reflection that herfelf is of the like, nature. Whence The true Notion of a Spirit. 105 Whence it may eafily come to pafs, when fhe is fo wholly taken up in contemplating other things without any reflection upon herfelf, that either carekfly fhe may confider herfelf in general as a mere thinking Being, without any other Attribute, or elfe by reiolvednefs after- wards, and by a force on purpofe offered to her own faculties. But that this reafoning is won- derfully weak and trifling as to the proving of the Mind of man to be nothing elfe; that is to fay, to have no other Attributes but mere Cogitation, there is none that does not difcern. SECT. IV. The true Method that ougfit to be taken for the proving that MA TTE R \annot think. LAftly, if Cartefius with his NuUibifts would , have dealt bona fide, they ought to have o- mitted all thofe ambagious windings and Me- anders of feigned AbftraBion, and with a direct ftroke to have fain upon the thing itfelf, and fo to have fifted Matter, and fearched the na- ture of Cogitation, that they might thence have evidently demonftrated that there was fome infeparable Attribute in Matter that is repugnant to the Cogitative faculty, or in Co- gitation that is repugnant to Matter. But out N 2 of 106 The true Notion of a Spirit! of the mere diverfity of Idea's or Notions of any Attributes, to collect their feparability or real diftinction, yea their contrariety and re- pugnancy, is moft foully to violate the indi- fpenfable Laws of Logick , and to confound Diverfa with Oppvfita, and make them all one. Which miftake to them that underftand Lo- gick muff; needs appear very coarfe and ab- liird. But that the weaknefs and vacillancy of this Method may yet more clearly appear, let us fuppofe that which yet Philofophersof no mean name ferioufly ftand for and aflert, viz. That Cogitative fubftance is either Material or im- material-, does it not apparently follow thence, that a thinking fubftance may be precifely con- ceived without the conception of Matter, as Matter without the conception of Cogitation, when notwithstanding in one of the members of this diftribution they are joyned fufficiently clofe together ? How can therefore this newfangled Method of Cartefius convince us that this Suppofition is falfe, and that the diftribution is illegiti- mate? Can it from thence, that Matter may be conceived without Cogitation , and Cogita- tion without Matter > The firft all grant, and the other the diftribution itfelf fuppofes; and yet continues fufficiently firm and fure. There- fore it is very evident, that there is a neceffity of our having recourfe to the known and ra- tified The true Notion of a Spirit. 107 titled Laws of Logick, which many Ages be- fore this new upftart Method of Des Cartes appeared, were eftabliflied and approved by the common fufTrage of Mankind; Which teach us that in every legitimate diftribution the parts ought -confentire cum toto, & difentire interfe, to agree with the Whole, butdifagree one with another. Now in this Diftribution that they do fufficiently difagree, it is very manifeft. It remains onely to be proved, that one of the parts, namely that which fuppofes that a Cogitative fubftance may be Material, is repugnant to the nature of the Whole. This is that clear, folid and manifeft way or method according to the known Laws of Logick-, but that new way, a kind of Sophiftry and pleafant mode of trifling and prevaricating SECT. V. That all things are in fome fo^ extended, demon- ftrated out of the Corollary of the third Prin- ciple of the NuUibifts, AS for the fecond Axiome or Principle, viz. That whatfoever is extended is Material; for the evincing the falfity thereof, there want no new Arguments, if one have but recourfe to the Sixth, Seventh, and Eighth Chapters of Enchiridium Metaphyficum , where by unan- N 3 fwerable I oS The true Notion of a Spirit. fwerabk reafonings it is demonftrated, That there is a certain Immaterial and Immovable Extenfum diftinct from the movable Matter. But however, out of the Confedtary of their third Principle, we fhall prove at once , that all Spirits are Extended as being fomewhere, againft the wild and ridiculous Opinion of the NuUibifts. Whofe third Principle, and out of which immediately and precifely they conclude Spi- rits to be nowhere, is, Whatfoever is unextended is -nowhere. Which I very willingly grant; but on this condition , that they on the other fide concede (and I doubt not but they will) That whatfoever is fomewhere is alfo extended; from which Confectary I wiU evince with Ma- thematical certainty, That God and our Soul, and all other Immaterial Beings, are in fome fort extended: For the NuUibifts themfelves acknowledge and affert, that the Operations wherewith tlje Soul ads on the Body, are in the Body; and that Power or Divine Vertue wherewith God acts on die Matter and moves it, is prefent in every part of die Matter. Whence it is eafily gathered, That the Opera- tion of the Soul and the moving Power of God is fomewhere, viz. m the Body, and in the Matter. But the Operation of die Soul where- with it acts on the Body and the Soul itfelf, and the Divine Power wherewith God moves the Matter and God himfelf, are together, nor can • The true Notiontfa Spirit, top fo much as be imagined feparate orie from the other ; namely, the Operation from the Soul, and the Power from God. Wherefore if the Operation' of the Soul is fomewhere, the Soul Is fomewhere, viz. there where the Operation. And if the Power of Godbe fomewhere, God is fomewhere, namely, there where the Di- vine Power is; "He in every part of the Mat- ter, #ie Soul in the humane Body. Whofoever can deny this, by the fame reafon he may deny that common Notion in Mathematicks, Quantities that are fingly ecjual to one thirdiare equal to one another. SECT. VI. •w '■■■ Tlie apert confeffion of the NuUibifts that the ESSENCE of a Spirit is where its OP E- R A T10 N is; and how they contradift them- felves, and are forced to aApowledge a Spirit extended. ANd verily that which we contend for, the NuUibifts feem apertly to aflert, even in their own exprefs words, as it is evident in Lambertus Velthufius in his De Initiis Prima Philofophia, in the Chapter De Vbi. Who though he does man.ifeftly affirm that God and the Mind of man by their Operations are in every part or fome one part of the Matter; N 4 and HO The true Notion of a Spirit. and that in that fence, namely, in rcfpecf. of their Operations, the Soul may be truly faid to he fomewhere, Godeverywhere; as if that were the onely mode of their prefence: yet he does exprefly grant that the Effence is nowhere feparate from that whereby God or a created Spirit is faid to be, the one everywhere, the o- ther fomewhere; that no man may conceit the Effence of God jto be where the reft of his At- tributes are not. That the Effence of God is jn Heaven, £ut that his Vertue diffufes itfelf ^eyond Heaven. No by no means, faith he, Wherefoever Gods Power or Operation is, there is the Nature of God; forafmuch as God is a Subftance devoid of all compofition. Thus far Velthufius. Whence I affume, But the Pow- er or Operation of God is in or prefent to the Matter, Therefore the Effence of God is in or prefent to the Matter, and is there wjiere the Matter is, and therefore fomewhere. .Can there be any dedu&iorkpr illation more clofe and co- herent with the TOmifes ? And yet that other moft devoted follower pf the Cartefian Philpfqphy, Ludovicus De- la-Forge, cannot abfiain from the offering us the fame .ac} vantage pf arguing, or rather from the inferring the fame conclufion with us, in his Treatife De Mente Humana , Chap. 1%. where occur thefe words: Laftly, when I fay {hat God is prefent to all things by his Omnipo- fWy* (arK! confequendy to all the parts of the The true Notion of a Spirit. 11T the Matter) I do not deny but that alfo by his Effence or Subftance he is prefent to them: For all thofe things in God are one and the tame. Doft thou hear, my Nullibift, what one of the chiefeft of thy Condifciples and moft re- ligious Symmifts of that ftupendious fecret of Nullibifm plainly prdfe/Tes, namely, that God is prelent to all the parts of Matter by his Effence alfo, or Subftance ? And yet you in the mean while blufh not to aflert,that neither God nor any created fpirit is any where; than which nothing more contradictious can be fpoke or thought, or more abhorring from all reafon. Wherefore whenas the NuUibifts come fo near to thetrudi, it feems impoffible they fliould, foall of a fuddain, ftart from it, unlefs they were blinded with a fuperftitious admiration of Des Cartes his Metaphyficks, and were delu- ded, effafcinated and ISefoolecl with his jocular Subtilty and preftigious Abstractions there: For who in his right wits can acknowledge that a Spirit by its Effence may be prefent to Mat- ter and yet be nowhere, unlefs the Matter Were nowhere alfo ? And that a Spirit may pene- trate, poffefs, and actuate fome determinate gady, arid yet not be in that Body > In wliich if it be, it is plainly necelTary it be fome- where. And yet the fame Ludovicus De la-Forge idoes manifeftly affert, that the Body is. thus poflelt 11V The true Notion of a Spirit. pofieft and actuated by the Soul, in his Preface to his Treatife De Mexte Humana, while he declares the ^Opinion of Marcilius Ficinus con- cerning the manner how the Soul actuatesthe Body in Marfilw his own words, and does of ' his own acizoxd aflent to his Opinion. What therefore do thefe Forms to the Body wfen they communicate to it their Effe} They throughly penetrate it with their Effence, they bequeath the Vertue of their Effence to it. But now whereas tjie Effe is deduced from the Ef- fence, and the Qpemtien flows from the Vertue, by -conjoyning the Effence they impart the Effe, by bequeathing the Vertue they com- municate the Operations; fo that out- of the congrefs of Soul and Body, there is made one" Animal Effe, one Operation. Thus he. The Soul with her Efience penetrates and pervades the whole Body, and yet is not where the Body is, but nowhere in the Univerfe I With what manifeft repugnancy therefore to their other Affertions the NuUibifts hold this ridiculous Conclufion, we have fufficiently feen, and how weak their chiefeft prop is, That whatever is Extended is Material; which is not onely confuted by irrefragable Arguments, Chap. 6, 7, and 8. Enchirid. Metaphyf but we have here alfo, by fb clearly proving that all Spirits are fomewhere, utterly fubverted it, even from that very Conceflion or Opinion of the NuUibifts themfelves, who concede or aver that The true Notion of a Spirit, u 3 that whatfoever is fomewhere is extended. Which » spirits are and yet are not Material. S EC T. VII. The more light reafonings of the NuUibifts where- by they would confirm their Opinion. The firft if which is, That the Soul thinks of thofe things which are nowhere. BUt we will not pafs by their more flight reafonings in fo great a matter, or rather fo monftrous. Of which the firft is, That the Mind of man thinks of fuch things as are nowhere, nor have any relation to place, no not fo much as to Logical place or Vbi. Of which fort are many truths as well Moral as Theological and Logical, which being of fuch a nature that they are nowhere, the Mind pf man which conceives them is neceflarily tw^ where alfo. But how crazily and inconfe- quently they collect that die humane Soul is nowhere, for that it thinks of thole things that are nowhere, may be apparent to any one from lience, and efpecially to the NuUibifts them- felves ; becaufe from the fame reafon it would follow that the Mind of man is fomewhere, be- caufe fometimes, if not always in a manner, it thinks of thofe things which are fomewhere, as aU Material things are. Which yet they 114 T^e tme Motion of a Spirit. dare not grant, becaufe it would plainly fol- low from thence, according to their Doctrine, that the Mind or Soul of man were extended, and fo would become corporeal and devoid of all Cogitation. But befides, Thefe things which they fay are nowhere, namely, certain Moraly Logical', and Theological Truths, are re- ally fomewhere, viz. in the Soul -itfelf which conceives them ; but the Soul is in the Body, as we proved above. Whence it is manifeft that the Soul and thofe Truths which fhe con- ceives are as weW fomewhere as the Body itfelf I grant that fome Truths as they are Reprefen- t at ions, neither refpect Time nor Place in what- ever fence. But as they are Operations, and therefore Modes of fome Subjetl or Subftance, they cannot be otherwife conceived than in fome fubftance. And forafmuch as there is no fubftance which has not fome amplitude, they are in a fubftance which is in fome fort extended; and fo by reafon of their Subjetl they are neceflarily conceived to be fome- where , becaufe a Mode is infeparable from a Subjecl. Nor am I at afl moved with that giddy and rafh tergiverfation which fome betake them- felves to here, who fay we do not well in di- ftinguifliing betwixt Cogitation ( fuch as are all conceived verities) and the Subftance of the Soul cogitating : For Cogitation itfelf is the ve- ry Subftance of the Soul, as Extenfion is of Matter, The true Notion of a Spirit. 11 $ . Matter; and that therefore the Soul is as well nowhere as any Cogitation , which refpedts nei- ther time nor place, would be, if it were found in no Subjetl. But here the NuUibifts, who would thus efcape, do not obferve that while they acknowledge the Subftance of the Soul to be Cogitation, they therewithal acknow- ledge the Soul to have a Subftance, whence it is neceflary it have fome amplitude. And be- fides, This Affertion whereby they aflert Co- gitation to be the very fubftance of the Soul, is manifeftly falfe. For many Operations of the Soul, are, as they fpeak, fpecificaUy diffe- rent ; Which therefore fucceeding one after another, will be fo many Subftances fpecificaUy different. And fo the Soul of Socrates will not always be the fame fpecifical Soul, and much lefs the fame numerical; Than which what can be imagined more delirant,and more remote from common fenfe ■> To which you may adde, That the Soul of man is a permanent Being, but her Cogitations in a flux orfucceffion; How then can the very fubftance of the Soul be its fucceffive Opera- tions ? And when the fubftance of the Soul does fo perpetually ceafe or perifh, what I befeech you will become of Memory ? From whence it is manifeftly evident, that there is a certain permanent Subftance of the Soul, as much diftinct or different from her fuccee- ding Cogitations, as the Matter itfelf is from its fucceflive figures and motions. Sect. 116 The true Notion of a Spirit. SECT. VIII. The fecond reafon of the NuUibifts, viz. That COGITATION is eafily conceived without* EXTENSION. THe fecond Reafon is fomewhat coinci- dent with fome of thofe we have al* ready examined; but it is briefly propofed by them thus: There can be no conception,no not of a Logical Place, or Vbi, without Extenfion. But Cogitation is eafily conceived without con- ceiving any Extenfion: Wherefore the Mind cogitating, exempt from all Extenfion, is ex- empt alfo from all Locality whether Phyfical or Logical; and is fo loofened from it, that it has no relation nor applicability thereto; as if thofe things had no relation nor applicability to other certain tilings without which they might be conceived. The weaknefs of this argumentation is ea- fily deprehended from hence, That the Intenf- *efe of heat or motion is confidered without any refpect to its extenfion , and yet it is re- ferred to an extended Subject, viz. To a Bullet fliot, or red hot Iron. And though in intent and defixed thoughts upon fome either diffi- cult or pleafing Object, we Uo not at all ob- ferve how the time pafTeth, nor take the ' flighteft The true Notion of a Spirit. txy flighteft notice of it, nothing hinders not- withftanding but thofe Cogitations may be applied to time, and k be righdy fcid, that about., fix a clock, fuppofe, in the Morning they began, and continued till eleven; and in like manner the place may be defined where they were conceived, viz. wkhin the Walls of fuch an ones Study,, although perhaps all that time this fo fixt Contemplator did not take notice whether he was in his Study or in tjje Fields. And to fpeak out the matter at once, From the precifion of our thoughts to infer the real precifion or feparation of the things themfelves, is a very putict and puerile Sophifm ; and ftiU. the more enormous and wilde, to collect alfo thence,that they have no relation nor applicabi- lity one to another. For we may have a clear and diftinct apprehenfion of a thing which may be connected with another by an effential Tye, that Tye being not taken notice of, (and much more when chey are connected onely with a circumftantial one) but not a full and adequate apprehenfion, and fuch as fees through and pe- netrates all the degrees of its Effence with their properties; Which unlefs a man reach to, he cannot rightly judge of the real feparabilky df any nature from other natures. . From whence it appears how foully Carte- fius has impofed, if not upon himfelf, at leaft upon others, when from this mental precifion of I 118 The true Notion of a Spirit. of Cogitation from Extenfion, he defined a Spi- rit ( fuch as the humane Soul ) by Cogitation onely, Matter by Extenfion, and divided all Subftance into Cogitant and Extended, as into their firft fpecies or kinds. Which diftribu- tion notwithftanding is as abfonous and ab- furd, as if he had diftributed Animal into Sen- fitive and Rational. Whenas all Subftance is extended as well as all Animals fenfitive. But he fixed his Animadverfion upon the fpecifick nature of the humane Soul; the Generical nature thereof, either on purpofe or by inad- vertency, being not confidered nor taken no- tice of by him, as hath been noted in Enchiri- dion Ethicum, lib. 3. cap. 4.'fect. 3. S E C T. I X. The third and loft Reafon of the NuUibifts, viz. That the Mind is confcious to herfelf, that fhe is nowhere, unleft fhe be difturbed or jogged by the Body. THe third and lafl Reafon, which is the moft ingenious of them all, occurs in Lambertus Velthufius, viz. That it is a truth , which God has infufed into the Mind itfelf, That fhe is nowhere, becaufe wc know, by ex- perience that we cannot tell from our fpiritual Operations whore the Mind is. And for that ws The true Notion of a Spirit. \\$ we know her to be in our Body, that we onely perceive from the Operations of Senfe and Imagination, which without the Body or the motion of the Body the Mind cannot perform. The fence Whereof, if I guefs right, is this; That the Mind by a certain internal fertfe is confcious to herfelf that fhe is nowhere, un- lefs fhe be now and then difturbed by the motions or joggings of the Body; which is, as I faid, an ingenious prefage, but not true : For it is one thing to perceive herfelf to be nowhere, another not to perceive herfelf to be fomewhere. For fhe may not perceive herfelf to be fomewhere, though fhe be fomewhere,as fhe may not take notice of her own Individuality, or numerical Diftintlion, from all other minds, although fhe be one Numerical or Individual mind diftinct from the reft : For, as I intima- ted above,'fuch is the nature of the mind of man , that like the eye , it is better fitted for the contemplating all other things, than for contemplating itfelf. And that indeed which is made for the clearly and fincerely feeing o- ther things, ought to have nothing of itfelf actually perceptible in it, which it might min- gle with the perception of thofe other things. From whence the Mind ofman is not to have any ftable and fixt fertfe of its own Effence; and fuch as it cannot eafily lay afide upon oc- cafion : And therefore it is no wonder, whenas the Mind of man can put off the fenfe and O con- 13 0 Tfo frueW&tiovitfa Spirit. exin&ioufiiefs to itfelf pf its own Effence and Individuality, that it can put of! alfo there- with the feafe^of its beingfornephere, or not perceive it; whenas it does not perceive its own Effence j§nd Individuality, (, of which Hie 6£ Nunc arethe rknown Ch&riacters :) And the chief Objects of the .Mind are Univer- 61s. bfj.n . , t-a But as the Mind, although it perceives not its Individuality * yet can by reafon prove to herfelf that 4he isfome one Numerical or Indi- vidual Mind, fo ihe can by the fame means, although fhe by inward fenfe perceives not where ihe is, evince notwitiiftanding that ihe is fomewhere, from the general account of things, which have that of their own nature, that they are extended, fingular, andfomewhere. And hefides, Velthufius himfelf does plainly grant, thatirom the Operations of Senfe and Imagination, we know our Mind to be in our Body. How then can we be ignorant that jhe is fomewhere, unlefs the Body itfelf be no- where r ■' "[ ? The true Notion of a Spirit. 121 SECT. X. An 4ppeat to the internal fenfe of the Mipd, if fhe he npt environed with a certain infinite Ex- tenfion ; together with an excitation of the NuUibifts/ of his Dream, by the found cf . Trumpeters fur rounding him. THe Reaforis of the NuUibifts whereby they endeavour to maintain their Opi- nion, are fufficiently enervated and fubverted. Nor have we need of any Arguments to efla- blifh the contrary Dodtine. I will onely de- fire by the by , that he that thinks his Min4 is nowhere , would make trial of his faculty of Thinking ; and when he has abflracted him- felf from all thought or fenfe of his Body, and fixed his Mind onely on an Idea of an indefi- nite or infinite Extenfion, and alfo perceives himfelf to be fome particular cogitant Being, let him make trial, I fay, whether he can any way avoid it, but he muft at the fame time perceive that he is fomewhere, namely, within this immenfe Extenfion, and that he is environ d round about with it. Verily, I muft ingenu- oufly confefs, that: I cannot conceive other- wife, and that I cannot but conceive an Idea of a certain Extenfion infinite and immovable, and of neceffary and atlual ExiJlence: Which I O z moft 17 7 The true Notion of a Spirit. moft clearly deprehend, not to have been drawn in by the outward fenfe, but to be innate and ellentially inherent in the Mind it- felf; and fo to be the genuine objeft not of Imagination, but of Intellect-, and that it is but perVerfly and without all judgment determi- ned by the NuUibifts, or Cartefians, that what- ever is extended, is alfo ya.v['as?&vn or the Ob- jell of Imagination ; When notwithftanding there is nothing imaginable, or the Object of Imagination., which is not fenfible: For aH Phantafms are drawn from the fenfes. But this infinite Extenfion: has no more to do with tilings that are fenfible-and fall under Imagina- tion, than that which is moft Incorporeal. But of this haply it will be more opportune to fpeak elfewhere. In the mean time I will fubjoyn onely one Argument, whereby I may manifeftly evince that the Mind of man is fomewhere, and then I will betake my felf to the difcuffing of the Opinion of the Holenmerians. Briefly there- fore let us fuppofe fome one environed with a Ring of Trumpeters , and that they all at the fame time found their Trumpets. Let us now fee if the circumfonant clangor of thofe furrounding Trumpets founding from all fides will awake thefe NuUibifts out of their Le- thargick Dream. And let us fuppofe, which they will willingly concede, that the Conarion oxGlandula Pinealis, A, is the feat of the com- mon The true Notion of a Spirit. 123 men fenfe, to which at length all the motions from external Objects arrive. Nor is it any matter whether it be this Conarion , or fome other part of the Brain, or of what is contai- ned in the Brain : But let the Conarion, at leaft for this bout, fupply the place of that matter .which is the common Senforium of the Soul. F/s.t. And whenas it is fuppofed to be furrounded with Eight Trumpeters, let -there be Eight Lines drawn from them, namely, from B, C, D,E, F, G, H, I; I fky that the clangour or found of every Trumpet is carried from the Ring of the Trumpeters to the extream part O 3 of 12 4 The true Notion 6f d Spirit. of every one of thofe Line's, arid all thofe* founds are heard as coming from the Ring B, C, D, E, F, G, H, I, and perceived in the Co- narion A; and that; the perception is in that part to which all the Lines of motion, as to* common Centre, do concur: and therefore the extrearh parts of them, and the perceptions of the Clangours or Sounds , are in the middle of the Ring of Trumpeters, viz. where the Conarion is: Wherefore the Percipient itfelf, namely the Soul, is in the midfl of this Ring as well as^he Conariori, and therefore is fome- where. AfTuredly he that denies that he con- ceives the forceN?f this Denionftration , and acknowledges thatthe Pe/ception indeed is at the extream parts of the faid Lines, and in the middle of the-Ringjof Tmmpetersr but con- tends in the mean t{me that the Mind herfelf is not there, forafmuch as fhe is nowhere; this man certainly-is either delirant and crazed, or elfe plays, tricks, and flimly and obliquely in- finuates that the perception which is niide in the Conarion is to be attributed to the Conarion it- felf ; and that the Mind, fo far as it is concei- ved to be. an Incorporeal Subftance, is to be ex- terminated out of the tjniverfe, as an ufelef§ Figment and Chimera. - : i sect. The true Notion of* Spfrit. i S £ '—"------------------—^—.-----y± S E Ct X I The Explication" of ihe Opinion of the» Holenme: rians, together mth tb&ir Two Reafons thereof propofed. ANd thus '• much of the Opinion of the NuUibifts. Let us how examine the O- pinionof the Hdenmerians, whofe Explication is thus; Let there be what Body you pleafe, fuppofe C, D, E, which the Soul or a Spirit may poffefs and pene- trate. The Holenme- rians affirm, that the whole Soul or Spirit does occupy and pof- fefs the whole Body C, D, E, by its Effence; and that it is alfo wholly or all of it in every part or point of the faid Body C, D, E, as in A, for example, and in B, and the reft of the leaft parts or points of it. This is a brief and clear Explication of their Opinion. But the Reafons that induce them to em- brace it, and fo ftiffly to maintain it, are thefe two onely, or at leaft chiefly, as much as re- fpects the Holenmerifm of Spirits. The firft is, That whereas they grant that the whole O 4 Soul 12 6 The true Notion of a Spirit. Soul does pervade and poflefs the whole Body, they thought it would thence follow that the Soul would be divifible, unlefs they fhould correct again this Affertion of theirs, by fay- ing, that it was yet fo in the whole Body, that "it was totaUy in the mean time in every part thereof: For thus they thought themfelves fure, that the Soul could not thence be argued many fort divifible, or corporeal, but ftiff re- main purely fpiritual. Their other Reafon is, That from hence it might be eafily underftood, how the Soul be- ing in the" whole Body C,D, E, whatever hap- pens to it in C, or B, it prefently perceives it in A; Becaufe the whole Soul being perfectly and entirely as weU in C,or B, as in A, it is neceflary that after what fafhion foever C or B is affected, A fliould be affected after the fame manner; forafmuch as it is entirely and per- fectly one and the fame thing, viz. the whole Soul, as well in C or B, as in A. And from hence is that vulgar faying in the Schools, That if the Eye were in the Foot, the Soul would fee in fhe Foot. SECT, The true Notion of a Spirit. 12 SECT. XII. The Examination of the Opinion of the Holen- merians. BUt now, according to our cuftome, let us weigh and examine aU thefe things in a free and juft Balance. In this therefore that they affert, that the whole Soul is in the whole Body, and is all of it penetrated of the Soul by her Effence, and therefore feem willingly to acknowledge a certain effential amplitude of the Soul; in this, I fay, they come near to. us, who contend there is a certain Metaphyseal and Effential Extenfion in all Spirits , but fuch as is dpeyedns xj dfxufihs, devoid of bulk or parts, as Ariftotle defines of his feparate fubftances : For there is no magnitude or bulk which may not be phyfically divided, nor any parts pro- perly where there is no fuch divifion. Whence the Metaphyfical Extenfion of Spirits, is rightly underftood. not to be capable of either bulk or parts. And in that fence it has no parts, it cannot juftly be faid to be a Whole. In that therefore we plainly agree with the Holenme- rians, that a Soul or Spirit may be faid by its Eflence to penetrate and poffefs the whole Body C, D, E; but in this again we differ from them, that we dare not affirm that the whole Spirit or 128 The true Notion of a Spirit. or whole Soul does penetrate and poffefs the faid Body , becaufe that which has not parts cannot properly be called a Whole; though I wiU not over-ftiffly contend, but that we may ufe that word for a more eafie explication of our mind, according to that old trite Proverb, Af4g&ec?€£pv tcos a'Tre *} aafpf^e^pv X*yi, Speak a little more unlearnedly that thou may eft fpeak more intelligibly or plainly. But then we are to remember that we do not fpdak properly, though more accommodately to the vulgar ap- prehenfion, but improperly. But now when the Holenmeriahs add fur- ther, That the whole Soul is in every part or "s\ r re Pky^1 Pointof the Body D, C, E, 2%eSi^u m tne point A andB, and all the reft of the points of which the Bo- dy D, C, E, does confift, that feems an harfh expreflion to me, and fuch as mayjuftly be deemed next door to an open Repugnancy and Contradiction: For when they fay the whole Soul is in the whole Body D, C, E, if they underftand the Effence of the Soul to be com- menfurate, and as it were equal to the Body D, C, E, and yet at the fame time, the whole Soul to be contained within the point A or B, it is manifeft that they make one and the fame thing many thoufand times greater or lefs than itfelr at the fame time; which is impoffible. But if they will affirm, that the effential Am* plitude of the Soul is no bigger than what is con- The true Notion of a Spirit. 129 contained within the Phyfical point A, or B; but that the Effential Prefence of the Soul is diflufed through the whole Body D, C, E> the thing will fucceed not a jot the better. For while they plainly profefs that the whole Soul is in the point A, it is manifeft that there re- mains nothing of the Soul which may be in the point B, which is diftant from A: For it is as if one fhould fay, that there is nothing of the Soul which is rtot included within A ; and yet in the fame moment of time, that not onely fomethingof the Soul, (whichperhaps might be a more gentle Repugnancy) but that the whole Soul is in B, as if the whole Soul Were totaUy and entirely out of itfelf; which furely is impoflible in any fingular or individual thing. And as for Vniverjals, they are not Things, but Notions we ufe in contem- plating them. Again, if the Effential Amplitude of the Soul is no greater than what may be contained within the Hmits of a Phyfical point, it can- not extend or exhibit its Effential Prefence through the whole Body, unlefs We imagine in it a ftupendious velocity, fuch as it may be carried with in one moment into all the parts of the Body, and fo be prefent to them: Which when it is fo hard to conceive in this fcant compages of an humane Body, and in the Soul occupying in one moment every fart thereof, What an outragious thing is it, 130 The true Notion of a Spirit. and utterly impoffible to apprehend touching that Spirit which perpetually exhibits his Ef- fential Prefence to the whole world, #id what- ever is beyond the world ? To which laftly, you may add that this Hypothecs of the Holenmerians , does necef- farily make all Spirits the moft minute things that can be conceived: For if the whole Spi- rit be in every Phyfical point, it is plain that the Effential Amplitude itfelf of the Spirit ( which the two former Objections fuppofed ) is not bigger than that Phyfical point in which it is, ( which you may call, if you will, a Phy- fical Monad) than which nothing is or can be fmaller in univerfal Nature: Which if you re- fer to any created Spirit, it cannot but feem very ridiculous;but if to the Majefty and Ampli- tude of the divine N«w^,intolerable,that I may not fay plainly reproachful and blafphemous. SECT. X I I I. . A Confutation of the firft Reafon of the Holen- merians. BUt now for the Reafons for which the Ho- lenmerians adhere to fo* abfurd an Opini- on ; verily they are fuch as can noways com- penfate thofe huge difficulties and repugnancies the Opinion itfelf labours under. For, for the firft, The true Notion of a Spirit. 131 firft, which fo folkitoufly provides for the In- divifibility of Spirits, it feems to me to under- take a charge eidier Superfluous or Ineffectual. Superfluous, if Extenfion can be without Divi- fibility, as it is clearly demonftrated it can, in that infinite immovable Extenfion diftinct from the movable Matter, Enchirid. Metaphyf cap, 6, 7, 8. tint Ineffectual, if aU Extenfion be divifible, and the Effential Prefence of a Spi- rit which pervades and is extended through the whole Body C, D, E, may for that very rea^ fon be divided; for fo the whole Effence which oc- cupies the whole Body C,D,E,willbe divided in- to parts. Nojby no means, wiUyou fay, foraf- much as it is wholly in every part of the Body. Therefore it will be divided,if I may fofpeak, into fo many Totalities. But what Logical ear can bear a faying fo abfurd and abhorrent from all reafon, that a Whole fliould not be di- vided into parts but into Wholes? But you will fay at leaft we fhall have this granted us, that an Effential Prefence may be diftributed or divided according to fo many diftinctly ci- ted Totalities which occupy at once the whole Body C, D, E, Yes verily, this fhall be gran- ted you, after you have demonftrated that a Spirit not bigger than a Phyfical Monad can oc- cupy in the fame inftant all the parts of die Body C, D, E; but upon this condition, that you acknowledge not fundry Totalities, but one onely total Effence-, though the leaft that can be 13 2 The true Notion ofd Spirit. be imagined, can occupy that whole fpace, and *\»hen there is need, occupy, in an inftant, an infinite one : Which the Holenmerians muft of neceffity hold touching the Divine Eflence, becaufe according to their Opinion taken in the fecond fence, ( which pinches the whole JBffence pf a Spirit into the fmaUeft point) the piyine-5flence,itfejf is not bigger than any Phy? fical Monad. From whence it is apparent .the three Objections which we brought in the be- ginning do again recur here, and utterly over- whelm the firft reafon of the Holenmerians - So that the remedy is far more intolerable tlian the difeafe. SECT. XIV. A Confutation of the fecond Reafon of the Holen- merians. ANd truly the other reafon which from this Holenmerifm of Spirits pretends a more eafie way of concei- IV^' ^SLs. v*n§ now lt comes to ^T^^^k ■ Pa& that the Soul,fup- W* * •% po^e in A'can ^r' **W%A? ♦IB ceive what happens to m* * § ^ m C, or B/and alto- ^LJ* Or gedier in the fame **£w*""^ circumftances as if it- felf The true Notion of a Spirit. 133 felf were perfectly and entirely in C, or B, when yet it is in A; although at firft fhew this feems very plaufible, yet if we look throughly into it, we fhall find it far chough from performing what it fo fairly promi- fes. For befides that nothing is more diffi- cult or rather impoffible to conceive, than that an Effence not bigger than a Phyfical point fhould occupy and poflefs the whole Body of a man at the fame inftant, this Hy- pothefis is moreover plainly contrary and re- pugnant to the very Laws of the Souls per- ceptions : For Pjhyficians and Anatomifts with one confent profefs, that they have found by very folid experiments, that the Soul perceives onely within the Head, and that without the Head there is no perception: Which could by no means be, if the Soul herfelf were wholly in the point A , and the very felf-fame Soul again wholly in the point B, and C, nor any where as to Effential Amplitude bigger than a Phyfical Monad: For hence it would follow, that one and the fame thing would both per- ceive and not perceive at once ; That it would perceive this or that Object, and yet perceive nothing at aU ; which is a perfect contradi- ction. And from hence the falfity of that common faying is detected , That if the Eye was in the Foot, the Soul would fee in the Foot; whenas it does not fo much as fee in thofe Eyes which it 134 The true Notion of a Spirit. it already hath, but fomewhere within the Brain. Nor would the Soul by an Eye in the Foot fee, unlefs by fitting Nerves , not unlike the Optick ones, continued from the Foot to the Head and Brain , where the Soul fo far as perceptive, inhabiteth. In the other parts of the Body the Functions thereof are onely vi- tal. Again, fuch is the nature of fome perceptions of the Soul, that they are fitted for the moving of the Body; fo that it is manifeft that the very felf-fame thing which perceives, has the power of moving and guiding of it; Which feems impoffible to be done by this Soul, which, according to the Opinion of the Holenmerians, exceeds not the ampfitude of a fmall Phyfical point, as it may appear at firft fight to arty one whofe reafon is not blinded with preju- dice. And laftly, If it be lawful for the Mind of man to give her conjectures touching the Im- mortal Genii, ( whether they be in Vehicles, or deftitute of Vehicles ) and touching their Perceptions and Effential Prejences whether in- vifible or thofe in which they are faid fome- times to appear to mortal men, there is none forely that can admit that any of thefe things are competible to fuch a Spirit as the Holen- merians defcribe. For how can a Metaphyfical Monad, that is to fay , a Spiritual fubftance not exceeding a Phyfical Monad in Ampli* tude, The true Notion of a Spirit. 13 ^ tude, fill out an Effential Prefence bigger than a Phyfical Monad, unlefs it be by a very fwift vibration of itfelf towards all parts; as Boys by a very fwift moving of a Fire-ftick, make a fiery Circle in the air by that quick motion. But that Spirits, deftitute of Vehicles, fliould have no greater Effential Prefence than what is occupied of a naked and unmoved Metaphy- fical Monad, or exhibited thereby , feems fo abfonous and ridiculous a fpectacle to the Mind of man, that unlefs he be deprived of all fagacity and fenfibility of fpirit, he cannot but abhor fo idle an Opinion. And as for thofe Effential Prefencis, accor- ding to which they fometimes appear to men, at leaft equalizing humane ftature, how can a folitary Metaphyfical Monad form fo great a part of Air or Otlier into humane fhape, or govern it being fo formed ? Or how can it perceive any external Object in this fwift mo- tion of itfelf, and quick vibration , whereby this Metaphyfical Monad is underftood of the Holenmerians, to be prefent in all the parts of its Vehicle at once ? For there can be no per- ception of the external Object, unlefs the Ob- ject that is to be perceived act with fome ftay upon that which perceiveth. Nor if it could be perceived by this Metaphyfical Monad thus fwiftly moved and vibrated towards all parts at once, would it be feen in one place, but in ma- ny places at once, and thofe, as it may happen, very diftant. P Sect. 136 The true Notion of a Spirit* SECT. XV. The egregious falfity of the Opinions of the Holen- merians and NuUibifts, as alfo their ufelefnefi for any Philofoptncal ends. BUt verily, lamafhamed to wafte fo much time in refuting fuch mere trifles and do- tages which indeed are fuch, (that I mean pf the NuUibifts, as well as this other of the Ho- lenmerians} that we may very well wonder how fuch diftorted and ftrained conceits could ever enter into the minds of men, or by what artifice they have fo fpread themfelves in the World; but that the prejudices and enchant- ments of Superftition and ftupid admiration of mens Perfons are foftrong, that they may utterly blind the minds of men, and charm them into dotage. But if any one, all preju- dice and parts-taking being laid afide, will at- tentively confider the thing as it is , he fhall clearly perceive and acknowledge, unlefs aU belief is to be denied to the humane fa- culties , that the Opinions of the NuUibifts and Holenmerians, touching Incorporeal Beings, are mskxah\y falfe ; and not that onely, but as to any Philofophical purpofe altogether ufe- left. Forafmuch as out of neither Hypothe- cs there does appear any greater facility of con- Tfje true Notion of a Spirit. 137 conceiving how the Mind of man, or any o- ther Spirit, performs thofe Functions of Pen ception and of Moving of Bodies, from their being fuppofed nowhere, than from their being fuppofed fomewhere ; or from fuppofing them wholly in every part of a Body, than from fup* pofing them onely, to occupie the whole Body by an Effential or Metaphyseal Extenfion; but on the contrary, that both the £Iypothefes do entangle and involve the Doctririe of Incorpo- real Beings with greater Difficulties and Repu* gnancies. Wherefore, there being neither Truth nor Ztfefulneftin the Opinions of the Holenmerians and NuUibifts, I hope it will offend no man if we fend them quite packing from our Philofopha- tions touching an Incorporeal Being or Spirit, in our delivering the true Idea or Notion there- of. SECT. XVI. That thofe that contend that the Notion of a Spirit isfo difficult and imperfcrutable, do not this becaufe they are of a morefharp and pier- cing Judgement than others , but of a Genius more rude and plebeian. NOw I have fo fuccefsfully removed and diflipated thofe two vaft Mounds of P x Night 138 The trite Notion of a Spirit. Night and Miftinefs, that lay upon the nature of Incorporeal Beings , and obfcured it with fuch grofs darknefs ; it remains that we open and illuftrate the true and genuine nature of them in general, and propoie fuch a definition of a Spirit, as will exhibit no difficulty to a mind rightly prepared and freed from preju- dice : For the nature of a Spirit is very eafily underftood, provided one rightly and skilfully fhew the way to the Learner, and form to him true Notions of the thing. Infomuch that I have often wondred at the fuperftitious confternation of mind in thofe men, (or the profanenefs of their tempers and innate aver- fation from the contemplation of Divine things ) who if by chance they hear any one profeffing that he can with fufficient clearnefs and diftinctnefs conceive the nature of a Spi- rit, and communicate the Notion to others, they are prefently aftartled and amazed at the faying, and ftraightway accufe the man of in- tolerable levity or arrogancy, as thinking him to affume fo much to himfelf, and to promife to others, as no humane Wit, furnifhed with never fo much knowledge, can ever perform. And this I underftand even of fuch men who yet readily acknowledge the Exiftence of Spirits. But as for thofe that deny their Exiftence, whoever profefles this skill to them, verily he cannot but appear a man above all meafure vain The true Notion of a Spirit. 139 vain and doting. But I hope that I fliall fo bring it about, that no man fliall appear more ftupid and doting, 110 man more unskilful and ignorant,than he that efteems the clear Notion of a Spirit fo hopelefs and defperate an at- tempt ; and that I fliall plainly detect, that this big and boaftful profeflion of their igno- rance in thefe things does not proceed from hence, that they have any thing more a fharp or difcerning Judgment than other mortals, but that they have more grofs and weak parts, and a fliallower Wit, and fuch as comes neareft to- the fuperftition and ftupidity of the rude vulgar, who eafilier fall into admiration and aftonifliment, than pierce into the reafons and notices of any difficult matter. SECT. XVII. The Definition of Body in general, with fo clear an Explication thereof that even they that complain of the obfcurity of a Spirit, cannot but confeft they perfectly underftand the nature of Body. BUt now for thofe that do thus defpair of any true knowledge of the nature of a Spirit, I would entreat them to try the abili- ties of their wit in recognizing and throughly confidering the nature of Body in general. And P 3 • let 140 The true Notion of a Spirit. let them ingenuoufly tell me whether they can- not but acknowledge this to be a clear and perfpicuous definition thereof, viz. That Body is Subftance Material, of itfelf altogether defti- tute of aU Perception, Life, and Motion. Or thus: Body is a Subftance Material coalefcent or accruing together into one , by vertue of fome other thing, from whence that one by coalition, has or may have Life alfo, Perception and Mo- tion. I doubt not but they will readily anfwer, that they underftand all this (as to the terms) clearly and perfectly ; nor would they doubt of the truth thereof, but that we deprive Bo- dy of all Motion from itfelf, as alfo of Vnion, Life, and Perception. But that it is Subftance, that is, a Being fubfiftent by itfelf, not a mode of fome Being, they cannot but very willing- ly admit, and that alfo it is a material Sub- ftance compounded ofph\fical Monads,or at leaft of mo&minuteparticles of Matter, into which it is divifible ; and becaufe of their Impene- trability, impenetrable by any other Body. So that the Effential and Pofitive difference of a Body is, that it be impenetrable, and PhyficaUy divifible into parts: But that it is extended, that immediately belongs to it as it.is a Being. Nor is there any reafon why they fliould doubt of the other part of the Differentia , whenas it is folidly and fully proved in Philofopliie, That Matter of its own nature, or in itfelf, is endued The true Notion of a Spirit. 141 endued with no Perception, Life, nor Motion: And befides, we are to remember that we here do not treat of the Exiftence of tilings, but of their intelligible Notion and Effence. SECT. XVIII. The perfect Definition of a Spirit, with a full Explication of its Nature through all De- grees. ANd if the Notion or Effence is fo eafily un- derftood in nature Corporeal or Body, I do not fee but in the Species immediately oppofite to Body, viz. Spirit, there may be found the fame facUity of being underftood. Let us try therefore, and from the Law of Oppofites let us define a Spirit, an Immaterial Subftance intrinfecally endued with Life and the faculty of Motion. This flender and brief De- finition that thus eafily flows without any noife, does comprehend in general the whole nature of a Spirit; Which left by reafon of its exility and brevity it may prove lefs per- ceptible to the Underftanding, as a Spirit is to the fight, I will fubjoyn a more full Explica- tion, that it may appear tq all, that this Defi- nition of a Spirit is nothing inferiour to the Definition of a Body as to clearneis and per- fpicuity. And that by this method which we P • now 142 The true Notion of a Spirit. now fall upon , a full and perfed knowledge and underftanding of the nature of a Spirit may be attained to. Go to therefore, let us take notice through all the degrees of the Definitum, or. Thing de- fined, what precife and immediate properties each of them contain, from whence at length a moft diftinct and perfect knowledge of the whole Definitum wdl difcover itfelf; Let us begin then from the top of all, and firft let us take notice that a Spirit is Ens, or a Being, and from this very fame that it is a Being; that it is alfo One, that it is True, and that it is Good; which are the three acknowledged Properties of Ens in Metaphyfieks, that it exifts fome time, and fomewhere, and is in fome fort exten- ded, as is fhewn Enchirid. Metaphyf cap. 2. feet. 10. which three latter terms are plain of themfelves. And as for the three former, that One fignifies undiftinguiihed or undivided in and from itfelf, but divided or di^linguiflied from all other, and that True denotes thean- fweraLlenefs of the thing to its own proper Idea, and implies right Matter and Form due- ly conjoyncd, and that laftly Good refpects tne-fitneis for the end in a large fence, fo that it will take in that faying of Theologers, That God ish:s own Ead,are tilings vulgarly known to Logicians and Metaphyficians. That thefe Six are the immediate affections of Being, as Being is r^de apparent in the above-cited En- "* chiridicn The true Notion of a Spirit. 140 djiridion Metaphyficum ; nor is it requifite to repeat the fame things here. Now every Be- ing is either Subftance, or the Mode of Subftance, which fome call Accident: But that a Spirit is not an Accident or Mode of Subftance, all in a manner profefs; and it is demonftrable from manifold Arguments, that there are Spirits which are no fuch Accidents or Modes; Which is made good in the faid Enchiridion and other TreatifesofDr. HM. Wherefore the fecond Effential degree of a Spirk is, that it is Subftance. From whence it is underftood to fubfift by itfelf, nor to want any other thing as a Subjetl (in which it may inhere, or of which it may be the Mode or Ac- cident ) for its fubfifting or exifting. The third and laft Effential degree is, that it is Immaterial, according to which it immedi- ately belongs to it, that it be a Being not one- ly One, but one by itfelf, or of its own intimate nature , and not by -another; that is, That, though as it is a Being it is in fome fort exten- ded, yet it is utterly Indivifible and Indifcer- pible into real Phyfical parts. And moreover, That it can penetrate the Matter, and ( which the Matter cannot do) penetrate things of its own kind ; that is, pafs through Spiritual Subftances. In which two Effential Attributes ( as it ought to be in every perfect and legiti- mate Diftribution of any Genius) it is fully and accurately contrary to its oppofite Species, namely, 144 The true Notion of a Spirit. namely, to Body. As alfo in thofe immediate Properties whereby it is underftood to have Life intrinfecally in itfelf, and the faculty of moving; which in fome fence is true in all Spi- rits whatfoever, forafmuch as Life is either Vegetative,Senfitive, or Intelleclual. One where- of at leaft every Spiritual Subftance hath: as alfo the faculty of moving; infomuch that e- very Spirit either moves itfelf by itfelf, or the Matter, or both, or at leaft the Matter either mediately or immediately ; or lafty, both ways. For fo all things moved are moved by God, he being the Fountain of all Life and Motion. SECT. XIX. Tljatfrom hence that the Definition of a Body is perfpicuous, the Definition of a Spirit is alfo neceffarily perfpicuous. WHerefore I dare here appeal to the Judg- ment and Confcience of any one that is not altogether iUiteratc and of a dull and obtufe Wit, whether this Notion or Definition pf a Spirit in general, is not as inteUigible and perfpicuous, is not as clear and every way di- ftinct as the Idea or Notion of a Body, or of any thing elfe whatfoever which the mind of man can contemplate in the whale compafs The true Notion of a Spirit. 145 of Nature. And whether he cannot as eafily or rather with the fame pains apprehend the nature of a Spirit as of Body , forafmuch as they both agree in the immediate Genus to them, to wit Subftance. And the Differentia do illuftrate one another by their mutual op- pofition; infomuch that it is impoffible that one fhould underftand what is Material Sub- ftance, but he muft therewith prefently under- ftand what Immaterial Subftance is, or what it is not to have Life and Motion of itfelf, but he muft ftraitway perceive what it is to have both in itfelf, or to be able to communicate them to others. SECT. XX. Four Objections which from the perfpicuity of the terms of the Definition of a SPIRIT in- fer the Repugnancy of them one to another. NOr can I divine what may be here oppo- fed, unlefs haply they may alledge fuch things as thefe, That although they cannot deny but that all the terms of the Definition and Explication of them, are fufficiently intel- ligible, if they be confidered fingle , yet if they be compared one with another they will mutuaUy deftroy one another. For this Ex- tenfion which is mingled with, or inferted into iq.6 The true Notion of a Spirit. the nature of a Spirit, feems to take away the Penetrability and Indivifibility thereof, as alfo its faculty of thinking , as its. Penetrability likewife takes away its power of moving any Bo- dies. I. Fjrft, Extenfion takes away Penetrability ; becaufe if one Extenfion penetrate another, of neceffity either one of them is deftroyed, or two equal Amplitudes entirely penetrating one another, are no bigger than either one of them taken fingle, becaufe they are clofed within the fame limits. II. Secondly, It takes aw^ay Indivifibility; becaufe whatfoever is extended has partes ex- tra partes, one part out of another, and there- fore is Divifible: For neither would it have parts, unlefs it could be divided into them. To which you may further add, that forafmuch as the parts are fubft ant ial, nor depend one of ano- ther, it is clearly manifeft that at leaft by the Divine Power they may be feparate, and fubfift feparate one from another. III. Thirdly, Extenfion deprives a Spirit of the faculty of thinking, as deprefling it down into the fame order that Bodies are. And that there is no reafon why an extended Spirit fliould be more capable of Perception than Matter that is extended IV. Lallly, Penetrability renders a Spirit unable to move Matter; becaufe, whenas by reafon of this Penetrability it fo eafily Aides through The true Notion of a Spirit. 147 through the Matter, it cannot conveniently be united with the Matter whereby it may move the fame: For without fome union or inheren- cy ( a Spirit being deftitute of all Impenetra- bility ) 'tis impoflible it ftiould protrude the Matter towards any place. The fum of which Four difficulties tends to this, that we may underftand, that though this Idea or Notion of a Spirit which we have ex- hibited be fufficiently plain and explicate, and may be eafily underftood; yet from the very perfpicuity of the thing itfelf, it abundantly appears, that it is not the Idea of any poJJible thing, and much lefs of a thing really exifting, whenas the parts thereof are fb manifeftly re- pugnant one to another. SECT. XXI. An Anfwer to the firft of the Four Objections. I.OUt againft as well the NuUibifts as the J3 Hobbians, who both of them contend that Extenfion and Matter is one and the fame thing, we will prove that the Notion or Idea of a Spirit which we have produced, is a No- tion of a thing pojfible. And as for the NuUi- bifts, who think we fo much indulge to corpo- real Imagination in this our Opinion of the Extenfion of Spirits, I hope on the contrary, that 148 The true Notion of a Spirit. that I fhall fhew that it is onely from hence* that the Hvbbians and NuUibifts have taken aU Amplitude from Spirits , becaufe their Ima- gination is not fufficiently defecated and depu- rated from the filth and unclean tinctures of Corporeity , or rather that they have their Mind over-much addicted and enflaved to Material things, and fo difordered, that fhe knows not how to expedite herfelf from grofs Corporeal Phantafms. From which Fountain have fprung all thofe difficulties whereby they endeavour to over- whelm this our Notion of a Spirit; as we fliall manifeftly demonftrate by going through them all, and carefuUy perpending each of them. For it is to be imputed to their grofs Imagina- tion, That from hence that two equal Ampli- tudes penetrate one another throughout, they conclude that either one of them muft there- with perifh, or that they being both conjoyn- ed together, are no bigger than either one of them taken fmgle. For this comes from hence that their mind is fo Ulaqueated or lime- twigged, as. it were, with the Idea's and Pro- perties of corporeal things, that they cannot but infect thofe things alfo which have nothing corporeal in them with this material Tincture and Contagion,and fo altogether confound this Metaphyfical Extenfion with that Extenfion which is Phyfical. I fay, from this difeafe it is that the fight of their mind is become fo dull and The true Notion of a Spirit. 14^ and obtufe, that they are not able to divide that common Attribute of a Being, I mean Exten- fion Metaphyfical from fpecial Extenfion and Material, and aflign to Spirits their proper Extenfion, and leave to Matter hers. Nor ac- cording to that known method , whether Lo- gical or Metaphyfical, by intellectual Abftra- ction prefcind the Generical nature of Extent fion from the abovefaid Species or kinds there- of. Nor laftly, < which is another flgn of their obtufenefs and dulnefs ) is their mind a- ble to penetrate with that Spiritual Extenfion into the Extenfion Material-, but like a ftu- pid Beaft ftands lowing without, as if the mind itfelf were become wholly corporeal; and if any thing enter they believe it perifhes rather and is annihilated, than that two things cart at the fame time coexift together in the fame V'bii Which areSymptomes of a mind defperately fick of this Corporeal Malady of Imaginati- on, and not fufficiently accuftomed or exer: cifed in the free Operations of the Intellectual Powers. And that alfo proceeds from the fame fource, That fuppofing two Extenfions penetrating one another , and adequately occupying the fameVbi ^ they thus conjoyned are conceived not to be greater than either one of them ta- ken by itfelf. For the reafon of this miftake is, that the ^//Wincraflated and fwayed down by the Imagination, cannot together with the Spiritual 150 The true Notion of a Spirit. Spiritual Extenfion penetrate into the Materi- al, and follow it throughout, but onely pla- ces itfelf hard by, and ftands without like a grofs ftupid thing, and altogether Corporeal. For if fhe could but, with the Spiritual Exten- fion, infinuate herfelf into the Material, and fo conceive them both together as two really diftinct Extenfions, it is impoflible but that fhe fliould therewith conceive them focon- joyned into one Vbi, to be notwithftanding not a jot lefs than when they are feparated and occupy an Vbi as big again: For the Extenfion in neither of them is diminifhed, but their Si- tuation onely changed. As it alfo fometimes comes to pafs in one and the fame Exten^ fion of fome. particular Spirits which can di- late and contract their Amplitude into a grea- ter or leffer Vbi without any Augmentation or Diminution of their Extenfion, but onely by the expanfion and retraction of it into ano- ther fite. SECT. The true Notion of a Spirit. 151 SECT. X X11. That befides thofe THREE Dimenfions which belong to all extended things, a FOVRTH alfo is to be admitted, which belongs properly to SPIRITS. ANd that I may not diffemble or conceal any thing, Although all Material things, confidered in themfelves , have three Dimen- fions onely; yet there muft be admitted in Nature a Fourth, which fitly enough, I think, may be called Effential Spijfttude; Which, though it moft properly appertains to thofe Spirits which can contract their Extenfion in- to a lefs Vbi; yet by an eafie Analogie it may be referred alfo to Spirits penetrating as well the Matter as mutually one another: So that where-ever there are more Effences than one, or more of the fame Effence in the fame Vbi than is adequate to the Amplitude thereof, there this Fourth Dimenfion is to be acknow? ledged, which we call Effential Spijfttude. Which afTuredly involves no greater repu- gnancy than what may feem at firft view, to him that confiders the thing lefs attentively, to be in the other three Dimenfions. Namely, unlefs one would conceive that a piece of Wax ftretched out, fuppofe, to the length of an Eln, Q^ and ityl The true Notion of a Spirit. and afterwards rolled together into the form of a Globe, lofes fomething of its former Ex- tenfion, by this its conglobation , he muft con- fefs that a Spirit, neither by the contraction of itfelf into a lefs fpace has loft any thing of its Extenfion or Effence, hut as in the above- faid Wax the diminution of its Longitude is compenfated with the augmentation of its Latitude and Profundity ; fo in a Spirit con- tracting itfelf, that in like manner its Longi- tude, Latitude, and Profundity being leffened, are compenfated by Effential Spifiitude, which the Spirit acquires by this contraction of it- felf. - And in both cafes we are to remember that the Site is onely changed , but that the Effence and Extenfion are not at all impair- ed. Verily thefe things by me are fo perfectly every way perceived, fo certain and tried, that I dare appeal to the mind of any one which is free from the morbid prejudices of Imagina- tion, and challenge him to trie the ftrength of his Intellectuals, whether he does not clearly perceive the thing to be fo as I have defined, and that two equal Extenfions, adequately oc- cupying the very fame Vbi, be not twice as great as either of them alone, and that they are not clofed with the fame terms as the I- magination faifly fuggefts, but onely with e- ejual. The true Notion of a Spirit. 155 Nor is there any need to heap up more words for the folving this firft difficulty ; whenas what has been briefly faid already abundant- ly fufficeth for the penetrating their under- ftanding who are prepoffeft with no preju- dice : But for the piercing of theirs who are blinded with prejudices, infinite wiU not fuf- fice. SECT. XXIII. An Anfwer to the fecond Objection, where the fundamental Err our of the NuUibifts, viz. That whatfoever is extended is the Object of Imagination, is taken notice of. II. |" Et us try now if we can difpatch the | , fecond difficulty with like fuccefs, and fee if it be not wholly to be afcribed to Imagi- nation, that an Indifcerpible Extenfion feems to involve in it any contradiction. As if there could be no Extenfion which has not parts real and properly fo called into which it may be actually divided, viz. for this reafon , that that onely is extended which has partes extra partesy which being fubftantial, may be fepa-r rated one from another, and thus feparate fub- fift. This is the fummary account of this dif- ficulty, which nothing but corrupt imagination fupporteth. Qjl Now 154 n^3e tme Notion of a Spirit. Now the firft fource or Fountain of this er- rour of the NuUibifts, is this; That they make every thing that is extended the Object of the Imagination, and every Object of the Imagi- nation Corporeal. The latter whereof un- doubtedly is true, if it be taken in a right fence; namely,if they underftand fuch a per- ception as is either fimply and adequately drawn from external Objects; or by increa- fing, dimHfhing, tranfpofing, or transform- ing of parts (as in Chimera's and Hippocen- taurs) is compofed of the fame. I acknow- ledge all thefe Idea's, as they were fometime fome way Objects of Senfation , fo to be the genuine Objects of Imagination, and the per- ception of thefe to be rightly termed the ope- ration of Fancie, and that all thefe things that are thus reprefented, neceflarily are to be look'd upon as corporeal, and confequendy/>as atlually divifible. But that all perception of Extenfion is fuch Imagination, that I confidently deny. Foraf- much as there is an Idea of infinite Extenfion drawn or taken in from no external fenfe, but is natural and Effential to the very faculty of perceiving; Which the mind can by no means pluck out of herfelf, nor caft it away from her ; but if fhe will rouze herfelf up, and by earneft and attentive thinking, fix her animadverfion thereon, fhe will be conftrained, whether fhe will or no, to acknowledge, that although The true Notion of a Spirit. 155 although the whole matter of the world were exterminated out of the Univerfe, there would notwithftanding remain a certain fub- tile and immaterial Extenfion which has no agreement with that other Material one, in any thing, faving that it is extended, as being fuch that it neither falls under fenfe, nor is impenetrable, nor can be moved, nor difcer- ped into parts ; and that this Idea is not onely pojfible, but neceffary, and fuch as we do not at our pleafure feign and invent, but do find it to be fo innate and ingrafted in our mind, that we cannot by any force or artifice remove it thence. Which is a moft certain demonftra- l ion that all Perception of Extenfion is not Ima- gination properly lb called. Which in my Opinion ought to be efteemed one of the chiefeft and molt fundamental Er- rours of the NuUibifts, and .to which efpecial- ly this difficulty is to be referred touching an Indifcerpible Extenfion. For we fee they con- fefs their own guilt, namely, that their Mind is fo corrupted by their Imagination, and fo inv merfed into it, that they can ufe no other facul- ty in the contemplation of any extended thing. And therefore when they make ufe of their Imagination inftead of their Intellect in contem- plating of it, they necefiarily look upon it as an Object of Imagination ; that is, as a cprpo- real thing, and difcerpihle into parts. For, as I noted above, the fight of jtheir niind by rea- ct 3 fon I $6 The true Notion of a Spirit. fon of this Morbus Jao«^w, this materious Dif- eafe, if I may fofpeak, is made fo heavie and dull, that it cannot diftinguifli any Extenfion from that of Matter, as allowing it to ap- pertain to another kind, nor by Logical or Metaphyfical Abftraction prefcind it from ei- ther. SECT. XX IV. That Extenfion as fuch includes in it neither Di- vifibility nor Impenetrability, neither Indivi- fibility nor Penetrability, but is indifferent to either two of thofe properties. ANd from hence it is that becaufe a thing is extended they prefently imagine that it has partes extra partes, and is not Ens unum perfe & non per aliud,. a Being one by itfelf, and not by vertue of another, but fo framed from the juxtapofition of parts. Whenas the Idea of Extenfion precifely confidered in itfelf includes no fuch thing, but onely a trinalDi- ftance or folid Amplitude, that is to fay, not linear onely and fuperficiary, ( if we may here tife thofe terms which properly belong to ma- gnitude Mathematical) but every way run- ning out and reaching towards every part. This Amplitude furely, and nothing befide, does this bare and fimple Extenfion include, The true Notion of a Spirit. 157 not Penetrability nor Impenetrability, not Divi- sibility nor yet Indivifibility, but to either af- fections or properties, or if you will Effential Differences , namely, to Divifibility and Im- penetrability , or to Penetrability and Indivifi-. bility, if confidered in itfelf, is it altogether in- different, and may be determined to either two of them. Wlierefore, * whereas we acknowledge that there is a certain Extenfion namely Material, which is endued with fo flout and invincible an 'AvnTUTno. or Impenetrability , that it necefla- rily and by an infuperable Renitencie expels and excludes all other Matter that occurs and attempts to penetrate it, norfuffers it at all to enter, although in the fimple Idea of Exten- fion, this marvellous virtue of it is not con 'tained, but plainly omitted, as not at aU be- longing thereto immediately and of itfelf; why may we not as eafily conceive that ano- ther Extenfion, namely , an Immaterial one, though Extenfion in itfelf include no fuch thing, is of fuch a nature, that it cannot by any other thing whether Material or Immate- rial be difcerped into parts; but by an indiflb- luble neceflary and effential Tie be fo united and held together with itfelf, that although it can penetrate all things and be penetrated by all things, yet nothing can fo infinuate itfelf into it as to disjoyn any thing of its Effence any where, or perforate it or make any hole 0^4 or 158 The true Notion of a Spirit. or Pore in it ? that is, that I may fpeak briefly, What hinders but there may-be a Being that is immediately One of its own nature, and not held together into one by vertue of fome o- ther,either Quality or Subftance? although eve- ry Being as a Being is extended, becaufe Ex- tenfion irt its precife Notion does not include any Phyfical Divifion, but the Mind infected with corporeal Imagination, does falfly and un- skilfully feign it to be neceflarily there. SECT. XXV. That every, thing that is extended has not parts Phyficallydijcerpible, though Logically or In- telletlually divifible. FOr it is nothing which the NuUibifts here alledge, while they fay, That all Exten- fion inferreth parts, and all parts Divifion. For befides that the firft is falfe, forafmuch as Ens mumper fe, a Being one of itfelf or of its own immediate nature', although extended yet inT eludes no/>#m in its Idea, but is conceived according fo its proper Effence as a thing as fimple as may be, and therefore compounded of no parts •. We anfwer moreover, that it is not at all prejudicial to our caufe though we fliould grant that this Metaphyfical Extenfion pf Spirits is alfo divifible," but Logically onely, not The true Notion of a Spirit, t ep not Phyfically; that is to fay, is not difcerpible. But that one fliould adjoyn a Phyfical divifibiU- ty to fuch an Extenfion, furely that muft ne- ceflanly proceed from the impotencie of his Imagination, whichhis Mind cannot curb , nor feparate herfelf from the dreggs and corpo- real foulneffes thereof; and hence it is that fhe tin&ures and infects this pure and Spiritual Extenfion with Corporeal Properties. But that an extended thing may be divided Logically or Intellectually, when in the mean time it can by no means be difcerped, it fufficiently appears from hence , That a Phyfical Monad which has fome Amplitude, though the leaft that poffible can be, is conceived thus to be divided in a Line confifting of any uneven number of Monads, which notwithftanding the Intellect divides into two equal parts. And verily in a Meta- phyfical Monad, fuch as the Holenmerians con- ceit the Mind of man to be, and to poffefs in the mean time and occupie the whole Body, there may be here again made a Logical Diftri- bution, fuppofe, e fubjetlis, as they call it, fo far forth as this Metaphyfical Monad, or Soul of the Holenmerians is conceived to poflefs the Head, or Trunk, or Limbs of the Body. And yet no man is fo'delirant as to think that it fol- lows from thence, that fuch a Soul may be difcerped into fo many parts, and that the parts fo difcerped may fubfift by themfelves. SECT. itto The true Notion of a Spirit. SECT. XXVI. An Anfwer to the latter part of the Second Ob-. jeBion, which inferreth the feparabilitie of the parts of a Subftantid Extcnfom, from the faid parts being Subftantial and independent one of another. FRom which a fufficiently fit and accom- modate Anftver may be fetched to the latter part of this difficulty»namely, to that, which becaufe the parts of Subftance are Sub- fiantial and independent one of another, and fubfifting by, themfelves ( as being Subftances ) would infer that they can be difcerped, at leaft by the Divine Power , and disjoyned, and be- ing fb disjoyned, fubfift by themfelves. Which I confefs to be the chief edge or fting of the whole difficulty, and yet fuch as I hope I fhall with eafe file oft" or blunt. For firft, I deny that in a thing that is abfolutely One and Sim- pie as a Spirit is, there are any Phyfical parts, or parts properly fo called, but that they are onely falfly feigned and fancied in it, by the impure Imagination. But that the Mind it felf being fufficiently defecated and purged from the impure dreggs of Fancie, although from fome extrinfecal refpect fhe may confi- der a Spirit as having parts, yet at the very fame The true Notion of a Spirit. i6t fame time does fhe in herfelf, with clofe atten- tion, obferve and note, that fuch an Extenfion of itfelf has none. And therefore whenas it has no parts it is plain it has no fubftantial parts, nor independent one of another, nor fuhfi- ftent of themfelves. And then as much as concerns thofe parts Which theftupid and impotentImagimtienfan- cieth in a Spirit, it does not follow from thence, becaufe they are Subftantial, that they may fubfift feparate by themfelves. For a thing to fubfift by itfelf, onely fignifies fo to fubfift, that it wants not the Prop of fome other Subjeft in which it may inhere as Accidents do. So that the parts of a Spirit may be faid to fub- fift by themfelves though they cannot fubfift feparate, and fo be fubftance ftiU. SECT. let 2 The true Notion of a Spirit. SECT. XXVII. that the mutual Independencie of the parts of an extended Subftance may be underftood in a twofold fence; with an Anfwer thereto, taken in the firft fence thereof. BUt what they mean by that mutual Inde- pendencie of parts I do not fully under- ftand : But I fufficiently conceive that one of thefe two things muft be hinted thereby, viz. Either that they are not mutual and effectual caufes to one another of their Exifting, or that their Exiftence is underftood to be connected by no neceffary condition at all. And as for the former fenfe, I willingly confefs thofe parts which they fancie in a Spi- rit are not mutual caufes of one anothers Ex- iftence ; but fo, that in the mean time I do moft firmly deny, that it will thence follow that they may be difcerped, and thus difcerpfc be feparately conferved, no more than the In- telligible parts of a Phyfical Monad which is di- vided into two by our Reafon or Intellect; which furely are no mutual caufes of one ano- thers Exiftence: or the Members of the Diftri- bution of a Metaphyfical Monad according to the Doctrine of the Holenmerians ( viz. The Soul totally being in every part of the Body ) which The true Notion of a Spirit, i S2 which no man in his wits can ever hope that they may be difcerped, although the faid Members of the divifion are not the mu- tual caufes of one anothers Exiftence: For they are but one and the fame Soul which is not the caufe of itfelf, but was wholly and en- tirely caufed by God. But you will fay that there is here manifeft- ly a reafon extant and apparent why thefe Members of the Diftribution cannot be difcer- ped, and difeerpt feparately conferved, becaufe one and the fame indivifible Monad occurs in every Member of the Diftribution, which therefore fince it is a fingle one, it is impoffible it fliould be difcerped from itfelf. To which I on the other fide anfwer,That it is as manifeft- ly extant and apparent how frivoloufly there- fore and ineptly Arguments are drawn from Logical or Intellectual Divifions, for the conclu- ding a real feparability of parts. And I add fur- ther, That as that fictitious Metaphyfical Mo- nad cannot be difcerped or pluckt in pieces from itfelf, no more can any real Spirit, be- caufe it is a tiling moft fimple and motfabfo* lutely One , and which a pure Mind darkened and poffeffed with no prejudices of Imagina^ tion does acknowledge no real parts at ail to be in. For fo it would ipfofatlo be a compound Thing. SECT. 16± The true Notion ofd Spirit. SECT. XXVIII. An Anfwer to the Independency of parts taken in the fecond fence. FRom whence an eafie entrance is made to the anfwering this difficulty under- ftood in the fecond fence of the mutual Inde- pendency of the parts of a Spirit, whereby their toexiftence and union are underftood to be connected by no neceffary Law or Conditi- on. For that this is falfe, I do moft conftant- ly affirm without all demur : For the coexi- ftencesof the parts, as they call them , of a Spirit, are connected by a Law or Condition ahfolutely neceffary and plainly effential; For- afmuch as a Spirit is a motf fimple Being, or a Being unum perfe & non per aliud', that is, one of itfelf or of its own nature immediately fo, and not by another either Subftance or Quality. For none of thofe parts, as the Nuh liiifts call them, can exift but upon this con- dition, that all jointly and unitedly exift to- gether ; which Condition or Law is contained in the very Idea or nature of every Spirit. Whence it cannot be created ot any way pro- duced unlefs upon this condition, that all its parts be infeparably and indifcerpibly ©ne; as neither a Rectangle Triangle, unlefs upon this condi- The true Notion of a Spirit. 16$ condition , that the powers of the Cathetiu and Bafis, be equal to the power of the Hypo* tenufa. Whence the Indifcerpibility of a Spi- rit cannot be removed from it, no notvirtute Divina, as the Schoolmen fpeak, no more than the above-faid Property be disjoyned from a Rectangle Triangle. Out of all which I hope it is at length abundantly clear, that the Extenfion of a Spirit does not at ail hinder the Indifcerpibility thereof. SECT. XXIX An Anfwer to the third Objection touching the Imperceptivity of an extended Subftance, viz. That whatever is, is extended, and that the NV LLIB IS TS and H 0 - LE N ME R I AN S themfelves cannot give a Reafon of the perceptive Faculty in Spirits, from their Hypothefes. III. |^"j Or is it any lett ( which is the third I \l thing ) to the faculty of Perceiving and Thinking in Spirits: For we do not thruf t down a Spirit by attributing Extenfion to it, into the rank of Corporeal Beings, forafmuch as there is nothing in all Nature which is not in fome fenfe extended. For whatever of Ef- fence there is in any tiling, it either is or may be actually prefent to fome part of the mat- ter, 166 The true Notion of a Spirit. ter, and therefore it muft either be extended or be contracted to the narrownefs of a point, and be a mere 'nothing. For, as for the NuUi- bifts and Holenmerians. the Opinions of them both are above utterly routed by me, and quite fubverted and overturned from the very root, that no man may feek fubterfuges and lurking holes there. Wherefore there is a neceffity that fomething that is extended have Cogita- tion and Perception in it, or elfe there will be nothing left that has. But for that which this Objection further urges, that there occurrs no reafon why an ex- tended Spirit fliould be more capable of Per- ception than extended Matter, it is verily, in my judgment, a very unlearned and unskil- ful argutation. For we do not take all this pains in demonftrating the Extenfion of a Spi- rit, that thence we might fetch out a reaibn or account of its faculty of perceiving ; but that it may be conceived to be fome real Be- ing and true Subftance, and not a vain Fig- ment, fuch as is every thing that has no Am- plitude and is in no fort extended. But thofe that fo ftickle and fweat for the proving their Opinion, that a Spirit is nowhere, or is totally in every part of that Vbi it oc- cupies, they are plainly engaged of all right, clearly and diftinctly to render a reafon out of their Hypothefis of the Perceptive faculty that is acknowledged in Spirits, Namely that they plainly The true Notion of a Spirit. i6y plainly and precifely deduce from hence, be- caufe a thing is nowhere or totally in every part of the Vbi it occupies, that it is neceflarily endued with a faculty of perceiving and think- ing ; fo that the reafon of the conjunction of properties with the Subjetl, may be clearly thence underftood. Which notwithftanding I am very confi- dent, they can never perform ; And that Per- ception and Cogitation are the immediate Attri- butes of fome Subftance; and that therefore, as that Rule of Prudence^c&r/^. Ethic, lib.- 3. cap. 4. fed. 3. declares, no Phyfical reafon thereof ought to be required, nor can be given, why they are in the Subject wherein they are found. SECT. XXX. That from the Generical nature of any Species, no reafon is to be fetch t of the conjuntlion of the Effential Difference with it, it being imme, diate. BUt fo we are to conclude, that as Subftance is immediately divided into Material and Immaterial, or into Body and Spirit, where no reafon can be rendred from the Subftance in Spirit, as it is Subftance, why it fhould be Spi- rit rather than Body; nor from Subftance in 168 The true Notion of a Spirit. a Body, as it is Subftance, why it fhould he Bo- dy rather than Spirit ; But thefe Effential Dif- ferences are immediately in the Subject in which they are found: So the cafe ftands in the fubdivifion of Spirit into merely Plaftical and Perceptive , fuppofing there are Spirits that are merely Plaftical; and then of a Per- ceptive Spirit into merely Senfitive and Intel- lectual. For there can be no reafon rendred touching a Spirit as a Spirit in a Spirit merely Plaftical, why it is a Spirit merely Plaftical rather than Perceptive : Nor in a Perceptive Spirit, why it is a Perceptive Spirit rather than merely Plaftical. And laftly, in a Perceptive Spirit InteUeftual, why it is Intellectual rather i than merely Senfitive; and in the merely Sen- fitive Spirit, why it is fuch rather than Intel- lectual. But thefe Effential Differences are im- mediately in the Subjects in which they are found, and any Phyfical and intrinfecal reafon ought not to be asked, nor can be given why they are in thofe Subjects, as I noted a little above out of the faid Enchiridion Ethi- cum. SECT. The true Notion of a Spirit, i dp SECT. XXXI. That although the Holenmerians and NuUibifts can give no reafon, why that which perceives fhould be T 0 T A L LT in every part, or fhould be NOW HE R E rather than be in any fort extended or fomewere, yet there are reafons obvious enough, why an extended Spirit, rather Jhould perceive than extended Matter. ^TJUt however, though we cannot render a J3 reafon why this or that Subftance as Subn ftance, be a Spirit rather than Body; or why this or that Spirit be Perceptive rather than merely Plaftical; yet as the reafon is fuffici- ently plain, why Matter or Body is a Subftance rather than Accident, foitis manifeft enough why that which Perceives, or is Plaftical, fhould be a Spirit rather than Matter or Body; which furely is much more than either the Holen- merians or NuUibifts can vaunt of. For they can offer no reafon why that which perceives (fliould rather be nowhere than fomewhere ; or totally in each part of the Vbi it does occupie, (than otherwife, as may be underftood from [what we have faid above. But now fince the Matter or Body which is \difcerpible and Impenetrable is deftitute of it- R z felf i 170 The true Notion of a Spirit. felf of all Life and Motion , certainly it is j confonant to reafon , that the Species oppofite to Body , and which is conceived to be Pene- trable and Indifcerpible, fhould be intrinfecally endued with Life in general and Motion. And whenas Matter is nothing elfe than a certain ftupid and loofe congeries of Phyfical Monads, that the firft and moft immediate oppofite de- gree in this indifcerpible and penetrable Sub- ■ ftance, which is called Spirit, fliould be the faculty of Union, Motion, and Life, in which all the Sympathies and Synenergies which are< found in the world may be conceived to con- fift. From whence it ought not at all to feem j ftrange, that that which is Plajlical fhould be a Spirit. And now as for Perception itfelf, undoub-1 tedly all Mortals have either a certain confu-J fed prefage, or more precife and determinate! Notion, that as that, whatever it is in which! the above-faid Sympathies and Synenergies im-1 mediately are , lb more efpecially that to( which belongs the faculty of Perceiving and., thinking is a thing of all things the mofty^-. tile and moft One that may be. Wherefore I appeal here to the Mind and < judgment of any one, whether he can truly; conceive any thing more Subtile or more One than the Effence or Notion of a Spirit as it is immediately diftinguiflied from Matter, ancf oppofed thereto. For can there be any tiling more The tme Notion of a Spirit. 171 more One than what has no parts, into which it may be difcerped? or more Subtile than what does not onely penetrate Matter, but itfelf, or at leaft other Subftances of its own kind ? For a Spirit can penetrate a Spirit,though Matter cannot penetrate Matter. There is therefore in the very Effence of a Spirit, although it be Metaphyfically extended, no obfcure reafon why all the Sympathies and Synenergies, why all Perceptions and all man- ner of Cogitations fliould be referred rather to it, by reafon of the Vnity and Subtilty of its nature, than to Matter, which is fo crafs, that it is impenetrable ; and is fo far from unity of Effence, that it confifts of juxtapofited parts. But I hope by this I have abundantly fatisfied this third difficulty. SECT. XXXII. An Anfwer to the fourth Objetlion as much as re- fpecls the HOLENME RIANS and NV LLIBISTS, and all thofe that ac- knowledge that the Matter is created of God. IV. T Et us go on therefore to the Fourth and L» laft> which from the Penetrability of a Spirit concludes its unfitnefs for moving of Matter. For it cannot move Matter, but by R 3 impel- ijl The true Notion of a Spirit. impelling it; nor can it impel it, becaufe it does fo eafily, without all refiftence, penetrate it. Here therefore again , Imagination plays her tricks, and meafures the nature of a Spirit by the Laws of Matter, fancying a Spirit like. fome Body paffing through an over-large or wide hole, where it cannot ftick by reafon of the laxnefs of the paflage. But in the mean time, it is to be noted, that neither the Holenmerians nor NuUibifts can of right object this difficulty to us, when* as it is much more incredible that either a Metaphyfical Monad, or any Effence that is no- where , fhould be more fit for the moving Matter, than that which has fome Amplitude, and is prefent alfo to the Matter that is to be moved. Wherefore we have now onely to do with fuch Philofophers as contend that the whole Univerfe confifts of Bodies onely : For as for thofe that acknowledge there is a God, and that Matter was created by him, it is not hard for them to conceive, that there may be a certain faculty in the Soul, which in fome manner, though very fliadowifhly , an- fwers to that Power in God of creating Mat- ter ; Namely, that as God, though the moft pure of all Spirits, yet creates Matter the moft grofs of all tilings; fo created Spirits themfelves may emit a certain Material Ver- tue , either fpontaneoufly or naturally, by wiiich they may intimately inhere in the Sub- ject The true Notion of a Spirit. 172 ject Matter, and be fufficiently clofe united therewith. Which faculty of Spirits in the Appendix to the Antidote againft Atheifm, is called JAo7ra8«a, the Hylopathy of Spirits, or a Power of affecting or being affected by the Matter. But I confefs that Anfwer is lefs fit- ly ufed when we have to do with thofe who deny the Creation of Matter, and much more when with thofe that deny there is a God. SECT. XXXIII An Anfwer to thofe that think there is nothing in the Vniverfe but Matter or Body. WHerefore, whenas we have to do with fuch infenfe Adverfaries, and fo much eftranged from all knowledge and acknow- ledgement of Incorporeal Things, verily we ought to behave ourfelves very cautioufly and circumfpectly, and fomething more precife- ly to confider the Title of the Queftion, which is not, Whether we can accurately difcern and declare the mode or way that a Spirit moves Matter, but whether its Penetrability is re- pugnant with this faculty of moving Matter. But now it is manifeft, if a Spirit could be u- nited and as it were cohere with the Matter, that it might eafily move Matter; forafmuch as R 4 if i 74 The true Notion of a Spirit. if there be at aU any fuch thing as a Spirit, it is" according to the common Opinion of all men to be acknowledged the true Principle and Fountain of all Life and Motion. Wherefore the hinge of the whole controverfie turns up- on this one pin, Whether it be repugnant that any Spirit fliould be united and as it were co- here with Matter, or by whatever firmnefs or fattening ( whether permanent or momen- taneous ) be joyned therewith. Now that it is not repugnant, I hope I fhall clearly demonftrate from hence, that the uni- tion of Spirit with Matter, is as intelligible as the unition of one part of Matter.with ano- ther, For that ought in teafoli to be held an Axiome firm and fiire, That that is poffible to be, in which there is found no greater ( not to fay lefs ) difficulty of fo being , than in that which we really find to be. But we fee one part of Matter really and actually united with ano- ther , and that in fome Bodies with a firmnefs almoft invincible, as in fome Stones and Me- tals, which are held to be the hardeft of aU Bodies. But we will for the more fully un- derstanding the bufinefs, fuppofe a Body abfo- iutely and perfectly hard, conftituted of no particles, but the very Phyfical Monads them- felves, and without all pores. X ask therefore here, By what vertue, or by what manner of way do the parts of fo per- fect a Solid cohere ? Undoubtedly they can alledge The true Notion of a Spirit* tye alledge nothing here befides immediate con- tatl and reft: For if they fly to any other affections which are alked to Life and Senfe, they are more rightly and more eafily under- ftood to be in a Spirit than in Matter ; and we wUl prefently pronounce that a Spirit may adhere to Matter by the fame vertues. But that the parts of Matter cohere by bare though immediate contact, feems as difficult, if not more difficult, than that a Spirit pene- trating Matter fhould cleave together into one with it: For the contact of the parts of Mat- ter is every where onely fuperficial, but one and the fame indifcerpible Spirit penetrates and poffeffes the whole Matter at once. Nor need we fear at all, that it will not in- here becaufe it can fo eafily flide in, and there- fore as it may feem, flide through, and pafsa.- D E F way. For in a Body perfectly folid, fuppofe A, in which we wfll conceive fome particular Super- Ij6 The true Notion of a Spirit. Superficies, fuppofe E, A, C; this Superficies E, A, C, is affuredly fo glib and fmooth, that there can be nothing imagined more fmooth and glib: Wherefore why does not the upper part of this folid Cube C, D, E, by any the flighteft impulfe flide upon the inferiour part of the Cube E, F, C, efpecially if the inferiour part E, F, C, be held faft, whUe the fuperiour is impelled or thruft forward? Surely this eafinefs of the Aiding of Bodies perfectly fmooth and glib, which touch immediately one ano- ther, their eafinefs, I fay, of Aiding one up- on another, does feem at leaft as neceflary to our Imagination, as the proclivity of the paf- fing of a Spirit through the Bodies it pene- trates. Wherefore if two parts of Matter, fuppofe E, D, C, and E, F, C, which our Ima- gination doth moft urgently fuggefi to us that they will always with the leaft impulfe flide one upon another, do yet notwithftan- ding adhere to one another with a moft firm and almoft invincible union, why may not then a Spirit, which our Imagination fufpects willfo eafily pafs through any Body, be uni- ted to a Body with equal firmnefs ? whenas this is not more difficult than the other, yea rather much more eafie*if one would confi- der the thing as it is, laying afide all preju- dice. But now fince the Penetrability of a Spirit is not repugnant with its union with Matter, it is manifeft that its faculty of mo- The true Notion of a Spirit. 177 ling Body is not at all repugnant with its Pe- netrability. Which is the thing that was to be demonftrated. But it half repents me that I have with fo great preparation and pomp attacked fo fmaU a difficulty, and have ftriven fo long with mere Elufions and preftigious Juggles of the Imagination, ( which cafts fuch a Mift of ficti- tious Repugnancies on the true Idea of a Spi- rit ) as with fo many Phantomes and Spectres of an unquiet Night. But in the mean time I have made it abundantly manifeft that there are no other Contradictions or Repugnancies in this our Notion of a Spirit, than what the minds of our Adverfaries, polluted with the impure dregs of Imagination, and unable to abftract Metaphyfical Extenfion from Corporeal affections, do foully and flovenly clart upon it, and that this Idea lookt upon in itfelf does clearly appear to be a Notion at leaft of a thing Pofiible; which is all that we drive at in this place. SECT. 178 The true Notion of a Spirit. SECT. XXXIV. How far the Notion of a Spirit here defended u countenanced and confirmed by the common fufi frage of all Adverfaries. ANd that it may appear more plaufible, we will not omit in the lafl place to take notice, how far it is countenanced and confir- med by the common fuffrage of our Adver- faries : For the Hobbians, and whatever other Philofophers elfe of the fame ftamp, do plain- ly affent to us in this, That whatfoever really is, is of neceflity extended. But that they hence infer that there is nothing in Nature but whatisCorporeal, that truly they do very un- skilfully and inconfequently collect, they by fome weaknefs or morbidnefs of mind tum- bling into fo foul an errour. For it is impof- fible that the mind of man, unlefs it were la- * den and polluted, with the dregs and drofs of Corporeal Imagination, fliould fuffer itfelf to fink into fuch a grofs and dirty Opinion. But that every thing that is, is extended,the Nullibi/ls alfo themfelves feem to me to be near the very point of acknowledging it for true and certain. For they do not diffemble it, but that if a Spirit he fomewhere, it neceflarUy fol- * lows that it is alfo extended. And they more- over The true Notion of a Spirit, jyp over grant, that by its Operation it is prefent to or in the Matter, and that the Effence of a Spi- rit is not feparated from its Operations. But that a thing fliould be, and yet not be any where in the whole Univerfe, is fo wild and mad a vote, and fo abfonous and abhorrent from all reafon, that it cannot be faid by any man in his wits, unlefs by way of fport or fome flim jeft, as I have intimated above; Whence their cafe is the more to be pitied, who cap- tivated and blinded with admiration of the chief Author of fo abfurd an Opinion, do fo- lemnlyand ferioufly embrace, anddfligently endeavour to polifh the fame. And laftly, as for the Holenmerians, thofe of them who are more cautious and confide- rate, do fo explain their Opinion, that it fcarce feems to differ an hairs breadth from ours. For though they affirm that the Soul is in e- very part, yet they fay they underftand it not of the Quantity or Extenfion of the Soul, whereby it occupies the whole Body, but of the perfection of its Effence and Vertue: Which however true it may be of the Soul, it is un- doubtedly moft true of the Divine Numen, whofe Life and Elfence is moft perfect and moft full every where , as being fuch as every where contains infinite Goodneft, Wifdom, and Power. Thus we fee that this Idea or Notion of a Spirit which is here exhibited to the world, is 180 The true Notion of a Spirit. is not onely pofiible in itfelf, but very plaufi- ble and unexceptionable, and fuch as all parties, if they be rightly underftood, will be found whether they will or no to contribute to the difcovery of the truth and foUdity thereof. And therefore is fuch as will not unufefully nor unfeafonably conclude this Firft Part of Saducijmus Triumphatus, which treats of the Pofftbility of Apparitions and Witchcraft, but make the way more eafie to the acknowledge- ment of the force of the Arguments of the Second Part, viz. The many Relations that are produced to prove the Aflual Exiftence of Spi- rits and Apparitions. THE Saducifmus Triumpbatiis • ,» Or Full and Plain EVIDENCE CONCERNING mmti\)ts and apparitions. T7;e Secflwd Tart* PROVING Partly by Holy Scripture, partly by a choice Collection of Modern Relations, The real EXISTENCE of Apparitions, Spirits and Witches. By Jof.Giawil, late Chaplain to His Majefty^ and Fellow of the Royal Society. „ ---------,———---------- * LONDON, Printed for J. Collinsy and S\ Lowhs, i6%u THE preface: IK^noxv it is matter df very link Credit to be a delator of Stories9 and I of all Men living, have the leaft rea- fon to be fond of the Jntphyment. For I ntVtrh&d any faculty in telling of a Story, and haVt always had a particular indifpoji- tion and backwardnefs to the Writing any fuch. But of all (Relations of Fail> then art none like to give a Man fuch trouble and difreputat'iony as thofe that relate to Witchcraft and Apparitions, t>bicb fo grtat a party of Men (in this Jge cfpecial\ iy) do fo railly and laugh at, and Without more adoy are refolved to explode and de* fpife, ** ntetr Winter Tales ^ and Old Wives Fables. Such they Trill call and ac* count tfom, h tteir Truth and Evidence "tohat it Tib/7/. For, they have unalterably fixt and determined the point, that Witches ho upon other grounds doubt of the Exijlena of Witches, TbJta may be apt to judge me guilty of Credulity for the pains I take in this matter. Tliis alfo hath been fome trouble and dfcourage- merit. And upon ihe whole, I am ajfured be- fore-hand^ that no Evidence of Fact pjf Jible is fufficient to remove the obftmate prejudices of divers refolved Men^ and tlyere- fore I know I muft fall under their beaVy cenfurespfivhicb I have confidered the Door ft, and am J hope pretty loell prepared to bear the feVereft of them. But no Man tbould cx- pofe himfelf to all this for nothing, nor A a 3 have The Preface. &«*Ve L Then Ttwe reafons fox this en- gagement, and they "were briefly thefe that follow. Having been at Mr,Mompeflbns houfe in the time of the dfturbance, Jecny and heard fomewhat my felf f and received an account from Mr Mompeffon, and other Credible Perfons of tl>e Tpbole trouble -y 1 Tt>as perfwaded to fublijh^ and to Annex the fuU account of it to the Second or Third gditfan of my Confiderations concern- ing Witchcraft, to Tthich the Story }jad mar Relation. This I did^ and they faf- fed Two or Ti?ree Editions together , with- out much further trouble to me. But of late, J have heard from all parts, and am amazgd at it, that that fo firongly atte- fted Relation is run down in moft places aj a Delufion and lmpofture, and that Af*. Mornpeffoa and my felf have cpw- feffed all to be a cheat and contrivance. Concerning this, I have been asked a pbmfand times? till I have been Tbeary of ajtfwermg, a)i4 the Queftionifts -would fcarce believe I fipas in earneft -when I de- nied The Preface. miit. I have received Litters about it from known friends and ftrangers out of man) farts of the Three Kingdoms, fo that 1 haye been haunted almoft as bad as Mr. Mom- pefloiw houfe. Moft of them have declared that it loos moft' confidently reported, and believed in all the refpefttVe Parts y that the bufinefs it>as a cheat, that Mr. Mom- peffon had confeffed fo much y and I the fame : So that I l}as quite tired V>itb de- nying and anfwering Letter* about it. And to free my felf from the trouble, I at laft refolved to re-print the Story by itfelf with my Confutation of th Invention that con- cerned mey and a Letter I received from Mr. MompelTon ( now Printed in this Book ) TVbicb cleared the matter as to him. Tl)is accordingly I committed to my Book* fellers hands fome years fince to be Print- ed. !But it being not done, I loos continually importuned by new Solicitations and Qtie. ft ions, and at length out comes Mr. Web, flers confident 'Book, in Tbbicb be faithy That my Story of the Vrummer, and A a 4 the The Preface. the other of Witchcraft, are as odd and filly, as any can be told or read, and as fictitious, incredible, ludicrous and .ridiculous as any can be, p. n. And igain, p. 278 Mufl not all Perfons that are of found underftanding, judge and believe that all thofe ftrange tricks related by Mr. Glanvil of his Vrummcr at Mr. Mompejfons houfe , which he calls the T>#mon of Tedworth, were a- fcominable Cheats and Impoflures, as J am informed by Perfons of good Quality, they were difcovered to be- :••■ !But neither did this Confidence, nor his (Book ( / confefs) much move me 5 for I Icai Very loth to be troubled any more in this matter. But at lift divers Eminent Men, and Learned friends of mine having taken notice of it, and being troubled to fee jo confiderable an evidence 4g-iinft Sa- duciirn, as Mr. MompefTon'j Story is, fo impudently run down by purpofely con- trived lyes y ibey urgd nie Very much to reprint the Gelation, with my Ccmfide- rations The Preface, rations about Witchcraft; and fo give fome check to the Infultation and Confidence of Mr. Webfter. To this I flood kng dif-inclined y but being preft by the confideration that fnch d (Re-enforcement might be a Very confider- able and feafonable fervice to Religion, againft the ftupid Saducifine and Infide- lity of the Age , I loos perfwaded : And having figntfied my being now inclined to the defign, I received great encourage- ment from fome of the greateft Spirits of our Age and Nation, who earnejlly ani- mated me to it. Having refohed, I be- thought me of making a fmall Collection of the moft credible and befl attefted Stories of this kind that were near and modern, to accompany the Second I had Printed, and to confirm and prove the main Subjetl. Advertisement. This is the whole of the Preface , that was found amoqgft Mr. OLnvtl*% papers, faving five or fix words, which being fu- perSiious, to the fenfe of this lafl: Claufe , * x' and The Preface. gad btgiftning fomething elfe not perfect* e& I thqu&ht better left out, Bu,t as far Mr. Motnpefforfs Letter to Mr. QUnvil, which is mentioned in this Preface, and defigned to be Printed in this intended Edition, it jt out of the Original Copy as follows. Mv.fylmptffws Letter to kv Mr. Glanvil, Dated Nov. 8. ^ Anno 1672. "; Worthy Sir, M Beting "with Dr. Pierce accidentally at Sir Robert Buttons, he ac- quainted me of fomething thatpaffed between my Lord ofK— and your ft If about my troubles, &c. To Ttbich (having but little kifure) I do give you this accou-nt, that 1 haVe been Very often of Ute &sfo the Qjie- ftion, whether I haVe not confeffed to His Majefty or any QtJ>er,~a cheat difcoVered a- bout that affair. To which I gave, and fhatl to my Dying-day gfpe the fame an- fwer, That I muft bely myfelf, and per- jure myfelf alfo to acknowledge a cheat in 4 The Preface! a thing where I am fure there was nor could be any, as J, tU Minifter of the *Place, and two other Hone ft Gentlemen depofed at the Affixes, upon my Impleading the Drummer, if the world will not believe it, it fhaU be indifferent to mey praying God to keep me from the fame, or the like affliclion. And although J am fure thii mofi damnable lye does pafs for current a- mongH one fort of people in the World, in- Vented only, I think, to fupprefs the Be- lief of the feeing either of God or DeVil- yet I queftion not but the Thing obtains credit enough amongH thofe, whom I prin- cipally defire ftould retain a more charitable Opinion of me ? than to be any way a de- Vifir of it. only to be talk't of in the World to my own difadvantage and reproach; of which fort I reckon you one, and reft in haft, SIR, Nov. 8. Your Obliged Servant, 7?* Jo. Momffffon. Ad- The Preface. Advertisement. Concerning the Attefhtion of Mr. Mom- feffon and others upon Oath at the Aflizes, the fame is mentioned alfo, and their Names expreffed in a Letter to Mr. James CoUim^ which Letter from the Original Copy is as follows. Mr. Mompe([on$ L e t t e r to Mr. Collins, Dated Aug. 8. 1674. Sir, I Received yours, and had given you an earlier anfwer, had 1 not been pre- vented by fome journeys. 1 now gi Ve you this; That as to any additional part of the Story, I fhall not trouble you "with at pre- fent, not knowing "tohat is either already publijhed or omittc4y in regard J haVe not any of Mr. Glanvil'^ Books by me, I never had but one, "which "was the loft year . f borrowed of me for the ufe of the Lord Hollis, Anno The Preface. Hollis, and is not yet returned. 'But a* to the bufinefs of the Affiles ( vbcb is likely to Ttcrk moft on the Incredulous, be- caufe the Evidence was given on Oath) 1 (katt here enlarge it to you. ■ When the Drummer -was cfcapcd from his Exile, which he was Sentenced to at Gloucefter for a Felony, I took him up, and procured his Committment to Salis- bury G<*o/, where 1 Indiiled him as a Felon, for this fuppofed Witchcraft about my Houfe. When the fellow faw me in earneft, he fent to me from the Trifon that bewas forry for my ajfliclion, and if I would procure him kaVe to come to my Houfe in the nature of an HarVeft-man he did not queftion but he fhould dome good as to that affair. To which I fent an- fwer , I knew be could do me no good in any honeft tpay} and therefore rejected it. The Affiles came on, where 1 Indiiled him on the Statute Primo Jacobi cap. i z. where you may find, that to feed, imploy, or reward any evil fpirit is Felony. And the Indiilment againft him was, that he did The Preface. Jid quencUm malum Spiritum nego- tiate, the Grmd Jury found the (BiU upori the Evidence, but the Petty fury acquitted font, but not without fome difficulty. Tl?e Evidence upon Oath were my felf one Mr. William Macon, one Mr. Wal- ter Dowle, all yet living, and I think of as good Repute , as any this Country has in it, and one Mr. Jo. Cragg, then Mi- nifter of the. Place, but fince dead. We aU depofed feveral things that we conceived impofiible to be done by my natural Agents, as tin motion of Chairs, Stools and Bed* ftaves no body being mar them, the Beat- ing of Drnmms. in the Air over the Houfe in dear nights, and nothing Vifible ; tlye fluking of the Floor and ftrongeft parts of the Houfe in ftitt and calm niglrts, mth feveral other things of the like nature: And that by other Evidence it was applied to him. For fome going out of thefe parts to Cloucefter wbilft he was tlyert inTrifon^ $nd Vifititig him, he nsk't them what fiews in Wiles. To which they reflyed, I, they The Preface. they hie&mne. NoJaysdeQtummet^ did you not:bewr,of a Gentlemam Houfe that was troubled with the (Jkatiqg tf* Drums * They told him again , if that wert Nem, % hkrd enough of that. Ay, fays the Drummer, it was ktaiJ* he took my 1>rufh from me; if he had not taken away my Drum, that trouble had never befallen him, and he fhall never haVe his quiet again, till 1 haVe my Drum, or fatisfaftion from him. This was Aepofed by me Thomas Avis Servant to one Mr. Thomas Sadler of North-Wilts , and thefe words had like to have coft the Drummer his Life. For elfe, although the things were never fo true, it could not haVe been rightly apply- ed to him more than to another. I fiould only add, that the before mentioned Wit- nefles were Neighbours, and depofed, that they heard and faw theft things almoft every day or night for many Moheibs to- gether. As to tfo Sculpture you intend, you beft underftand the advantage, 1 think The Preface. it needlefs. And thofe Words [you (hall have Drumming enough ] is more than 1 heard him ftfeak : J reft Your LdvingFriendy Tedworth Aug.8.1674. Jo, Mompeflbn. An (I) An Introduction to the Vroofofthe Exiftence of Apparitions, Spirits and Witches. SECT. I. The great ufefulnefs and feafonaMenefs of the prefent Argument, touching Witches and Apparitions, in fubferviency to Religion, THe Queftiqn, whether there are Witches or not, is not matter of vain Speculation, or of indifferent Moment 5 but an Inquiry of very great and weighty Importance. For, on the, refolution of it, depends the Authority and juft Execution of fome of our Ltrvs; and which is more, our Religion in its main Do- ctrines is nearly concerned. There is no one, that is not very much a ftranger to the World but knows how Atheifme and Infidelity have advanced in our days, and how openly they now dare to fhew themfelves in Afferting and Difputing their vile Caufe. Particularly the difttnttion of the Soul from the Body, the Being ofSpirits,2Lnd a Future Life are AfTertions ex- trcainly defpifed and oppofed by the Men of $ fe this 2 Tlje IntroduElion. this fort, and if we lofe thofe Articles, all Re- ligion comes to nothing. They are clearly and fully Afferted in the Sacred Oracles, but thofe Wits have laid afide thefe Divine Writings. They are proved by the beft Phi- lofophy and higheft Reafon •, but the Unbe- lievers, divers of them are too fhallow to be capable of fuch proofs, and the more fubtle are ready to Scepticize away thofe grounds. But there is one Head of Arguments that troubles them much, and that is, the Topick of witches and Apparitions. . If fuch there are, it is a fenfible proof of Spirits and ano- ther Life, an Argument of more direct force than any Speculations, or Abftraft reafon- ings, and fuch an one as m£ets with all the forts of Infidels. On which account they labour with all their might to perfwade themfelves and others, that Witches and Ap- paritions are but Melancholick Dreams, or crafty Impoflures ; and here it is generally, that they begin with the young-men, whofe understandings they defign to Debauch* They expofe and deride all Relations of Spirits and witchcraft, and rurnifh them with feme little Arguments, or rather Go- lours againft their Exigence* And youth is very ready to entertain fuch Opinions as will help them to phanfie, they are wifer than the generality of Men, And Trnen they 77?e Introduction. 5 they have once fwallowed this Opinion, and are fure there are no Witches nor apparitions, they are prepared for the denial of Spirits, a Life to come> and all the other Principles of Religion. So that I think it will be a con- siderable and very feafonable fervice to it, fully to debate and fettle this matter, which I fhall endeavour in the following fheets, and I hope fo, as not to impofe upon my felf or others, by empty Rhetorications, fa- bulous Relations, or Sophiftical Reafonings, but treat on the Queftion with that free- dom and plainnefs, that becomes one that is neither fond, fanciful nor credulous. SECT. II. The true ftating of the Quef ion by defining what a Witch and Witchcraft is. I Know that a great part of the Labour in moft Controverfies, ufeth to be beftow- ed on things impertinent to the main bufi- nefs, and by them the Minds of both fides are fo confounded, that they wander wide- ly from the point in difference, and at laft lofe it quite. It would quickly be thus in the Queftion of Witchcraft^ and ufually is fb, without previous care to avoid it. But I fhall take thebeft 1 can, that my pains on Bb z this 4 T7;r Introduction. this Subject be not fo mif-beftowed , but clofely applyed to the purpofe: And in or- der thereunto flu.ll briefly, define the terms of the Queftion, and then fet down what I grant to mine Adverfaries, and what I de- mand from them. And when thefe Preli- minaries are well adjufted, we fhall proceed with more diftinctnefs, and ftill fee where- about we are, and know how far what is affirmed or proved, reaches the main mat- ter in debate. The Queftion is, whether there are Witches or not. Mr. webfler accufeth the Writers on the Subject of defect, in not laying down a perfect Defcription of a witch or witchcraft^ or explaining what they mean, p. io. What his perfect Defcription is, I do not know; but I think I have defcribed a witch or Witchcraft in my Confider at ions, fufficiently to be underftood, and the Conception which I, and, I think, moft Men have is, That a witch is one^ who can do or feems to do flrange things, beyond the known Power of Art and ordinary Nature, by vertue of a Confederacy with Evil Spirits^ Strange Things, not Miracles; thefe are the extraordinary Effects of Divine Power, known and diftinguiflied by their circumftances, as I fhall fhew in due place. The flrange things are really performed, and are not all Impoflures and Delufions. The Witch occafions, but is not the Principal Ef- ficient The Introduction. $ ficient, fhe feems to do it, but the spirit performs the wonder, fometimes immedi- ately , as in Tranfpor tat ions and^ Poffejfions, fometimes by applying other Natural Cau- fes, as in raifing Storms, and inflicting Dif- eafes , fometimes ufing the witch as an In- strument, and either by the Eyes or Touch, conveying Malign Influences : And thefe things are done by vertue of a Covenant, or Compact betwixt the Witch and an Evil spi- rit. A Spirit, viz. an Intelligent Creature of the Invifible World, whether one of the Evil Angels called Devils^ or an Inferiour Damon or Spirit, or a wicked Soul depart- ed ; but one that is able and ready for mif- chief, and whether altogether Incorporeal or not, appertains not to this Queftion. SECT. III. That neither the Notation of the Name that fignifies indifferently, nor the falfe Additi- ons of others to the Notion of a Witch can any way diffettU the Authors definition. THis I take to be a plain Defcription of what we mean by a witch and witch- craft : What Mr, webfler and other Advo- cates for witches, talk concerning the words whereby thefe arc expreft, that they are im- Bb 3 proper 6 The Introduction. proper and Metaphorical, fignifying this, and fignifying that, is altogether idle and impertinent. The word witch fignifies ori- ginally a Wife Man, or rather a Wife Wo- man. The fame doth Saga in the Latine, and plainly fo doth Wizzard in Englifh fig- nify a Wife Man, and they are vulgarly cal- led cunning Men or Women. An Art, Knowledge, Cunning they have that is ex- traordinary 5 but it is far from true Wif- dom, and the word is degenerated into an ill fenfe, as M*gi* is. So then they are called, and we need look no further, it is enough, that by the Word, we mean the Thing and Perfon I have de- fcribed , which is the common meaning; and Mr. WehHer and the reft prevaricate when they make it fignify an ordinary Cheat, a Couzener, a Poyfoner, seducer, and I know not what Words fignify as they are ufed, and in common ufe, Witch and witchcraft, do indeed imply thefe, but they emply more, viz. Deluding, Cheating and Hurting by the Power of an Evil Spirit in Covenant with a wicked Man or Woman : This is our No- tion of a witch. Mr. webfler I know will not have it to be a perfect Defcription. He adds to the Notion of the witch heoppofeth, carnal Co^ pulation with the Devil, and rtalTr&nsforma* tion into an Hare, cat, D*g, woif^ the fame doth T%e Introduction. y doth Mr. Wagttaffe. Which is, as if a Man fhould define an Angel to be a Creature in the fhape of a Boy with Wings, and then prove there is no fuch Being. Of all Men I would not have Mr. Webfler to make my Definitions for me 5 we our felves are to have the leave to tell what it is that we af- firm and defend. And I have defcribed the Witch and Witchcraft, that fober Men believe and afTert. Thus briefly for De- fining. SECT. IV. What things the Authour concedes in this con- trover fie about Witches and Witchcraft. I Shall let the Patrons of witches know * what I allow and grant to them 5 Firft, I grant, That there are fome Witty and Ingenious Men of the oppofite Belief to me in the Queftion. Yea, it is accounted a piece of Wit to laugh at the Belief of witches as filly Credulity. And fome Men value themfelves upon it, and pride them hi their fuppofed Sagacity cf feeing the Cheat that impofeth on fo great a part Qf Believing Mankind. And the Stories of Witches and Apparitions afford a great deal of Bb 4 Subject 8 The Introduction. Subject for Wit, which it is pity that a witty Man fhould lofe. Secondly, 1 own that fome of thofe who xdeny witches have no defign againft, nor a difinclination to Religion,but believeSpirits, and a Life to come, as other fober Chrifti- ans do, and fo are neither Atheifts, Sadducees, nor Hobbifls. Thirdly, I allow that the great Body of Mankind is very credulous, and in this mat- ter fo, that they do believe vain impoflible things in relation to it. That carnal Copu* I at ion with the Devil, and real Tranfmutation of Men and Women into other Creatures are fuch. That people are apt to impute the eqtraordinaries of Art, or Nature tQ. Witchcraft, and that their Credulity is often abufed by fubtle and defigning Knaves through thefe. That there are Ten thou- fand filly lying Stories of Witchcraft and Ap- paritions among the vulgar. That infinite fuch have been occafioned by Cheats and Popifh Superftitions, and many invented and contrived by the Knavery of Popifh Priefts. Fourthly, I grant that Melancholy and Imagination have very great force, and can beget ftrange perfwafions. And that ma- ny Stories of Witchcraft and Apparitions have been but Meianchply fancies. Fifthly, T7;e Introduction. p Fifthly, I know and yield, that there are many ftrange natural Difeafes that have odd Symptomes, and produce wonderful and aftonifhing effects beyond the afual courfe of Nature, and that fuch are fometimes falfly afcribed to witchcraft. Sixthly, I own , the Popifh InquifitoursV and other Witch-finders have done much wrong, that they have deftroyed innocent perfons for Witches, and that Watching and Torture have extorted extraordinary Con- feffions from fome that were not guilty. Seventhly and Laftly , I grant that the Tranfactions of Spirits with witches^ which we affirm to be true and certain, are many of them very ftrange and uncquth, and that we can fcarce give any account of the rea- fons of them, or well reconcile many of thofe pafTages to the commonly received Notion of Spirits, and the State of the next World. If thefe Conceffions will do mine Adver- faries in this Queftion any good, they have them freely. And by them I have already almoft fpoiled all Mr. Webfter's and Mr. Wag- ftaffe\, and the other Witch-Advocates Books, which prove little elfe, than what I have here granted. And having been fo free in Conceffions, I may expect that fomething (hould be granted me from the other party, AD- The Introduction. Advertisement. Thofe that are mentioned in the fecond Conceffiony though they are not Atheifts, Sadducees nor Hobbifts; yet if they deny Witches, it is plain they are Antifcriptu- rifts, the Scripture fo plainly attefling the contrary. SECT. V. The Poftulata which the Authour demands of his Adverfaries as his juft right. THe demands that I make are; Firft, That whether Witches are or are not, is a queftion of Fact : For it is in effect, whether any Men or Women have been, or are in Covenant with Evil spirits, and whether they by the Spirits help, or he on their account performs fuch or fuch things. Secondly, That matter of Fact can only be proved by immediate Senfe, or the Te- ftimony The Introduction. n ftimony of others, Divine or Humane. To endeavour to demonftrate Fact by abftract reafoning and fpeculation, is, as if a Man fhould prove that Julius Ctfar founded the Empire of Rome,by Algebra or MetaphyficksSo that what Mr. Webfler faith, p.43. That the true and proper mediums to prove the acti- ons of Witches by, are Scripture and found Reafon, and not the improper way of Tefti- mony (which we ufe in the opDofition that Teftimony ftands to Scripture ana. found Rear (on) is very Non-fenfe. Thirdly, That the Hiftory of the Scripture is not all Allegory, but generally hath a plain literal and obvious meaning. Fourthly, That fome Humane Teftimonies are credible and certain, viz. They may be fo circumftantiated as to leave no reafon of doubt. For our Senfes fometimes report* truth, and all Mankind are not Lyars, Cheats and Knaves-, at ka& they are not all Lyars, when they have no Intereft to befo. Fifthly, That which is fufficiently and undeniably proved, ought not to be deny- ed, becaufe we know not how it can be, that is, becaufe there are difficulties in the conceiving of it. Otherwife Senfe and Know- ledge is gone as well as Faith. For thp Modus of moft things is unknown, and the moft obvious in Nature have inextricable dtffi- i i The Introduction. difficulties in the Speculation of them, as I have fhewn in my Scepfis Scientifica. Sixthly and laftly, we are much in the dark, as to the Nature and Kinds of Spirits, and the particular condition of the other World. The-Angels, Devils and Souls happinefs and mifery we know, but what kinds are under thefe generals, and what actions, circumftances and ways of Life un- der thofe States we little underftand, Thefe are my Poftulata or demands, which I fuppofe% will be thought reafonable, and fuch as < Deed no more proof. Vroof. (13) Prw/fl/Apparitions, Spirits, and Witches from Holy-Scripture. SECT. J. The Authours purpofe rf proving Apparitions and Witchcraft, to fuch as believe Scrip- ture, as firft from the Apparition ^f Angels. ANd having thus prepared my wayi I come to prove that there are witches againft both the forts that deny their Exiftence, viz. Thefe that believe the Scriptures, and the Wits or Witlings that will not admit their Tefti- mony. To the firft I fhall prove the being of Witches by plain Evidence taken from the Divine Oracles, and to the other, and in- deed to both, I lhall evince the fame by as full and clear Teftimonies, as matter of fact is capable of, and then anfwer the oppofite Objections, and thofe particularly of the three late confident Exploders of Witch- craft; * Mr. Webfter, Mr. Wag ft afle, and the Authour of the Dotfrine of Devils. The Proof I intend (hall be of thefe two things, viz. That spirits have fenfibly tranfc a$ed 14 Proof of Apparitions, tsrc. acted with Men, and that fome have been in fuch.Leagues with them^ as to be enabled thereby to do wonders. Thefe fenfible Tranfactions of Spirits with Men, are evident from Apparitions and Pcf feffims. The Apparition of Angels, their difcourfes and predictions, fenfible converfes with Men and Women are frequently re- corded in the Scripture. An Angel appear- ed to Hsgar, Gen. 16. Three Angels in the fhape of Men appeared to Abraham, Gen. 18. Two to Lot in the fame likenefs, Gen, 19. An Angel called to Hagar, Gen. 21.17. and fo did one to Abraham, Gen. 22. An Angel fpake to and converted with Jacob in a Dream, Gen. 31. One of the fame appeared to M*Jes in the Bufh, Exod.3. An Angel went before the Camp of Ifrael, Exod. 14. An An- gel met Balaam in the way, Numb. 22. An Angel fpake to all the People of ifrael, Judgesi. An Angel appeared to Gideon, Judges 6. and to the Wife oiManoah, Judg- es 13. An Angel deftroyed the People, a Sam. 24. An Angel appeared to Eli ah, 1 Kings \$. An Angel fmote in the Camp of the Ajfyrians 184000.2 Kings 3 5. An Angel flood by the Threfhing-floor oiOrnan, 1 chren. 11.15. An Angel talked with Zwhariah the Prophet, Zash. 1. An Angel appeared to the two Marfs at our Lords Sepulchre, Matth. 28. An Angel foretold from Holy Scripture* 15 foretold the Birth of John Baptift to Zachariah the Prieft, Luke 1. Gabriel was fent to the Holy Virgin, Luke 1. 16. An Angel appear- ed to the Shepherds, Luke 2. An Angel open- ed the Prifon Door to Peter and the reft, A&s j. I might accumulate many more in- ftances, but thefe are enough. And many circumftances of fenfible Converfe beloog to moft of them, which may be read at large in the refpective Chapters. And fince the Intercourfes of Angels were fo frequent in former days, why fhould we be averfe to the belief that Spirits fometimes tranfact with Men now ? Advertisement, * I find amongft Mr. Glanvil^ Vi- pers, the firft Lineaments or Strokes of an Anfwer to Mr. Wagftaffe, and to the Au- thour of the Doctrine of Devils, but more fuUy to Mr. Webfler, at leaft Seven- teen Sheets "where he anfwers folidly and fuhftantially where I can read hit Hand y but it reaches hut to the Sixth Chapter* And in truth he has laid about him fo Ttett in thefe Sheets that are publip)ed> ifmt thofe may mil feem tU lefs mcejfaty* SECT. 16 ^roof of Apparitions, ;;/..> -■•;'". ..;;': • :ru:.-'•. ;r!i o*Df;i ."': ": i.?r.'"' -;.. i':,/ji;i r..\.- !-' X • t \?-'.: " -. '.: '« -::IA.:- ,1 y.)t : Cc :<* : SECT i 8 Proof of Apparitions^ <(rc. m. i " ■ i , SECT. III. That the Angels that are faid to have appear- ed in Scripture were not Men-Meffengers, but Inhabitants of the Invifible World, And whether they ate and drank or no, BQt were not thofe Angels that fo ap- peared j fpecial Prophets, Divine Mef- fengers, fometimes in Scripture confefTedly called Angels ? They did eat and drink with Abraham, and with Lot, by which it fhould feem that they were real Men. But who- ever fhall look over the Inftances alledged of the Apparition of Angels, and read them in all the Circumftances of the Text, will plainly fee that they could not be Men. Such could not be tbz<^4ngel that fpake to Abraham and Hagar out of Heaven, that converfed with Jacob in a Dream, that ap- peared to Mofes in the Burning Bufh, that appeared to Manoah, and afcended, in his and his Wife's prefence, in the flame of the Sa- crifice, that went before the Camp ol ifrael, that ftood before Balaam in the way unfeen by him, that fmote the Army of the ajfyri- ans, that appeared to Zacharias in the Tem- ple , and to the Mary i at the Sepulchre. Jbefe / from Holy Scripture.' tf Thefe muft be a fort of Beings fuperiour to Mankind, Angtis in the proper fenfe, who are fometimes in Scripture called Men, be- caufe they appear in our likenefs. * But whether thefe do receive refection or fuftinence in their own World andStattt or not, I will not difpute. It is moft pro- bable, andk hath been the Doctrine botfi of Fathers and Philofophers, tjtat they arc vitally unwed to eAZtherial and &*aveniyBo- dies, which poffibly may need recruits' fome fuch way, and fo Angels- Food may be flftere than a Metaphor. But certainty tiftey can- not eat after our manner, nor fb*d 6tf our grofs Dyet, except in appearance only. Tftey may make ftew of doing it (a$the Angel Raphael told Tobit chat H€f dkf^ fob. M. tfy AM thefe days I did* appear unto jWy buffdM neither eat nor drink, but ym d>ut fie" afrifteH) but really they do it noc. Sc that y*hm Abrahams and Lot's Angela are fei<# to eat* and drink with them, the Scriptttre lpe&ift& as to them it feemed; An$ Coth&J&ufdtto* Targum reads, and they feemed as if they did eat and: drink. And we may fuppofe that Men's Conceptions of Angels were not ve- ry refined in thofe days, nor could they have borne their fenfible and free Converfes, if they had look't on them as Creatures of a Nature fo diftant from their own. Cc i And 2 q t -have faid this in anfwer to the obje- ction , though the main caufe. is not con- cerned. ' For; though I fhould grant that A- braham's and Ws Angels were Men, yet the other ioftaqces in which that could not be faitj or fuppofed, are more than e- npugh to carry my point, \ That real An- gels, Inhabitants of. the iAvifbtle Mr Id, did fometimes fenfibly appear, iv. <. f: ; 1 i\. i-.„•••. y&\ .. >.v. V.™.- vj\ tsv •. ♦.Ah .AtL- : .,,.-iv..T :.'iU C:.-, \\1\ *{ir:i 01/ : A .va.wV. \ .. to '-'•■ r':;; :.*,.. a iia'iiiA '<•; X\uiH'**j{\t 'j Ji\M '''«'» j*. v-,ii; Llii... .■-li <' '».b j!; :'/;-; but.-.-. ■>! \ ' - V.- irJi.otU :■.-; riyAi nc }*>:. ' ' ■ ■) vuli SECT. from Holy Scripture^ &i S E C T. 'IV. That Angels are ftill Miniftring Spirits, aswM as of old. BUt it will be faid, when- they did ap- pear, it was upon Divine Errands, and God fent them to ferve the ends of his Go- vernment and Providence, which I grant. And God Almighty hath the fame ends; to ferve ftill, he governs theWorldnow, and his Provi *jce is as watchful as eveh, and the . ^els are the chief Minifters of that Provi-ence, and Miniftring Spirits for our good. The Gofpel was ufhered in by the Apparitifatf Angfls, :.'*. SECT. -22 Proof of Apparitions, ofIeft. And if there be really no fucb thing as Pojfejffipn by evil spirits^ font only Difeafes by the ignorant and creddnns people taken for fuch, dun the Hiftory im- pofeth on us, and leads Men into a perfwa* fion of things done by the Power of Chrift that never were. And what execution this wjil do upon the truth, and credk of the whole Ijiftory, is very eafie to underftand. SECT VII. That she Witch-Advocates c&nmt elude Strip* tme-TeUimony of Ppffeflion by Evil Spi- rits,^ faying it fpeaks according to the re- ceived Opinions of Men. I Bu* the Scripture doth, weknow,fpeak * often according to the received Opini- ons of Men, though they are errours, which it is not concerned to re#ify0 when they copcern no Morality or Religion. But firft, The podrine of spirits and Devils was not the received Opinion of all th&Jws: The Saddufees a confiderable5eclfe were of another mind. So that the Stories of 2 8 Proof of Apparitions; Oc of ejecting fuch, muft look to them as Im- poflures. And the Scriptures were not written only for the Jews, and for that par- ticular time alone, but for all Places and all Ages. Moft of which have no fuch ufe of calling Difeafes Devils, and among them the Hiftory muft either convey a falfe Opinion, or lofe the Reputation of its Truth. ii Secondly, Though the Scripture doth riot vary from the common forms of Speech, where they are grounded upon harmlefs and leffer miftakes, yet when fuch are great and dangerous, prejudicial to the Glory of God, and Intereft of Religion, it is then much concerned tor reform and rectify fuch er- rours. And according to the Belief of the Witch-Advocates, the Doctrine of Poffejfions is highly fuch. For it leads to the Opini- on of witchcraft, which they make fuch a Difmal arid Tragical Error, Blafphemy, an abominably Idolatrous, yea an Atheiftical Doctrine, the grand Apoftafie, the greateft that ever was or can be, that which cuti off Chrifts Head , and Un-Gods him , re- nounced Chrift and God, and owns the Devil, and makes him equal to.them, &c As the Authour of the Grand Apoftafie rave's. And Mr. webfler faith little lefs of this Opinion in his Preface, w*.:That it tends to advance Superftition and Popery, is de- rogatory to the Wifdom, Juflice and Provi- dence from Holy Scripture] ■ $ 2 9 dence of the Almighty, tending to cry up the Power of the Kingdom of datWs, to queftion the verity of the princirial Articles ot the Chriftian Faith, concerning the Re- flection of Chrift, and generally tends to the obftructing of Godlinefs and Piety ? And Mr. tvagftaffe loads it with as dread- ful imputations in his Preface; As that it doth necefTarily infer plurality of Gods by attributing Omnipotent effects to rnore than one, and that it fuppofeth many Omnipo- tents, and many Ommfcients. If any thing of this be fo, certainly our Saviours infp£ red Hiftorians would not have Connived at, much lefs would they have fpoken iii the Phrafe, that fuppofeth and encourageth a common Error; that lead? to fochan hor- rid Opinion. -'i-o . ; t>i«i .' • - fo e. ■:.,'. ,/if /{ib'/hlT 4-^- ri" S E.CT, VI!!.!,!- v : -.' J'- I i. : .i ' *„ , ,-i'l An Anfwer to an, ObjecJion fecm^ chrifts not {^mentioning his caftmg out Devils to John.* Difciples, amongft ojfar Miracles. _•,<; ^i,:.: '*>l'j • • - :-*fi i ... .'-.iO Jji-O Mi;i i.-j'A BUt faith the Arthur Qlth&GrandApofta- fe> p. 34^'our Saviour himfelf in his Anfwer to theDifdiplesbf fohntheBapttft, iMkej. dfcth riotrpretend to thecafting out ;,;o Devils, j o Troof ©/'Apparitions, &c. Devils, but only the cure of Difeafes, and railing the Dead. To which I fay, Firft, we may not argue negatively from Scrip- ture in fuch matters, and certainly we ought not to argue from filence in one place, a- gainft plain affirmations in many. Secondly, Our Saviour anfwers in refe- rence to the things he was then doing, when the Difciples of John came to him, V. 21. K^ind in that fame hour he cured many of their Infirmities and Plagues. Evil Spirits, it muft be confeffed, are alfo mentioned. Some of thofe Difeafes it is like were occa- sioned by Evil Spirits, as (Matth. ia. 22. ) the blindnefs and dumbnefs of the poffeffed perfon there was. And then the ejection of the Evil Spirit is implyed, when the Difeafe is faid to be Cured. Thirdly, The bufinefs of 'Johns Difciples was to enquire whether he was the Mef fiahb and it was fit our Saviour in his An- fwer fhould give fuch proofe of his being fo, as were plain and palpable. Go your way,faith he, and tell John what things ye have feen and heard, Luke 7.22. They had heard him Preach the Gofpe* k is like, and nad feen him Cure Difeafes. Thefe things were plain and fenfible y and could admit of no dtffcute or doubt. Bat whether the Diftera- pers Cbrift then healed,, were inflicted by Evil Spirits, and whether thofe were caff, out from Holy Scripture. 51 out in the Cure, did not plainly appear at that time. Our Saviour therefore did not bid them mention that Inftance to their Mafter John, becaufe they could not tcftify it on their own knowledge, as they could the things themfelves faw and heard. SECT IX. *yfn Anfwer to tw*o more Objections - the one, that St. John mentions no cafting out Devils in his Gofpel* the other, thattonaw a Devil, and to be mad are SynonymaV. BUt the paflionate W7itch-Advocate goe? on. St. John the Evangelift, who efpe* daily fets himfelf upon thefwoofa>f the God- head of Chrift, hints nothing of his eject- ing Devils. Which one would think fhould be no proof, fince the other three (do j and St. John chiefly fupplyed what they omitted. And fince this Evangelift fo particularl^fets himfelf upon the proof of Chrifts Diivinitv, he mentions no Miracles,, which we're the proof, but fuch as were fenfible and indi- sputable. And our Authour himfelf after p. 41. faith, That the cure of'Difeafes was more for Chrifts Honour,, and the proof of $z Trovfof Apparitions, u.t an extraordinary 4§iiMion from God^ be* caufe of its derivation from Mt*vr,p, 37, Qne would wonder at the confidence of thefe Men, efpecially in their pretended Criti- cifms, by. whipfc djey would impofe whajc fenfe upon w^ijs, they pleafe. a*>* it is nptorioufly knowji fignifies PfwW) take^ often from Holy Scripture* $ y often in the ill fenfe , and Co particularly in the place newly mentioned , de-riving from M* fcio, which degenerates here, as in Sagay mtch, tvizzard and the like, and what then fhould this Authour by this mean P .. .....--------—<^--------------------- " SECT. XL Whether there were no feats performed by the Demoniacks in the Gofpels, but what Mad- men might perform. IT is further Objected by this Writer, that there are no Feats Recorded of thofe fuppofed Demoniacks, but what Mad-meft eould perform and often do. In which, he confidered not the Spirits in the Pojfefl, in the Countrey of the Gergafens, Matth. 8.29. St. Mark and St. Luke write Gadarens, the Countries lye near together. Jofphus reckons Gadara among the Grecian Cities which Pompey took from the Jews, and accord- ing to hira the people were moftly Syri- ans. In this Country where, our Saviout had not been before, nor after, that we read, two poffeft with Devils, who had lived .Dd 2 among 36 Troofof Apparitions, ^c. among the Tombs, out of the Conventi- on of Mankind met him , and prefently cryed out ♦, What have we to do with thee, Jefus, thou Son of God, art thou come to tor- ment u* before the timet Was there nothing now beyond the rate of ordinary Mad-men in this? How did they, who lived in fuch a difmal folitude among the Tombs, in a place where no Man pafTed, come to know this was Jefus, who never had been there- about before, as far as we can hear *. Or how came thofe Mad-men to know, and utter fuch a great truth, which our Saviour did not prefently publifh, That he was the Son of God'. Did any come near to whifper this in their Ear e or was this a raving fan- cy only < St. Mark writes ( who fpeaks but of a fingle Demoniack ) that when he faw Je- fus afar off, he came and worfhipped him. He knew him prefently, and underftood his true condition before moft of the Jews a- bout him ; and even fome of his own Dif- ciples did. Could a meer Mad-man have done fo * But further they expected torment j and from him, in the time to come, though they looked not for it Co foon. Art thou come to torment us before the time «r How applicable is this to the condition of Evil Spirits and their expectations i We have a like acknowledgement of our Saviour from another unclean Spirit, Mark from Holy Scripture. 37 Mark 1. 24. J know thee who thou art, the Holy One of God. And our Saviour in what he faith, in anfwer plainly, implies it was the Evil Spirit, not the Mad-man that fpake, or at leaft caufed the confeffion. Hold thy peace ^ and come out of him, v. 25. And that the Demoniacks did things beyond the force of meer Mad-men is further fufficiently de- clared in the Hiftory, Mark 5. No Man could bind Jiirn, no not with chains • becaufe he had been* often bound with Fetters and Chains, and the Chains had been pluckt in [under by him. I would fain know, whe- ther this be not beyond the force of meer natural madnefs? Advertisement. Hitherto the Paper was the fame, and the Hand the fame, andfo far of the Co- py tranfcribed. Afterward the Hand al- ters y and is Mr. Glanvil V oTbn Handy but with an Hiatus of aboye half a Sheet of unwrit Paper between, but the Num- ber of the Pages is continued. Something there was to intervene, to make a more full Connexion, but yet what follows, is Dd 3 of j 8 Proof of Apparitions, < p. 154. This is his feat: and for the changing. Water into Blood , 3nd the producing of Frogs, he faith, they were frim Holy Scripture. $9 were fo eafie to be done after the fame manner, that they need not any particular explication, p. 155. This is the main an- fwer , after a great deal of Impertinence, and Mr. mbfter hath done his bufinefs. But the Authour of The Doctrine if Devils, hath devifed a more particular way for this Juggle. 'Tisprobable, he faith, that thefe Men having the Art or Knack of Making, Graving, or Carving the Piclures of Men \ Beafis, Serpents, Reptiles, &c. had the Feat alfo of Colouring, Painting and Fitcujfwg of them alfo, and fo might eafily^ efftcialty in 'the dark, or by their Joggling-feats, 4s the Text intimates, make1 a Rod look like a Serpent, &c. p. 114. But befides thefe Knavifh Painters, the Man hath found other Jugglers to help on the Deceit 5 Subtle and politick Or at ours, who with fallacious Arguments, cunning pre* fences, and plaujible Rhetorick could fo difguifi Truth, and flour ijh upon Knavery and ftljbotd, that falfhoodfiould feem Truth, and Truth fatf hooi, p. 115. Wbitever the Magicians of Pharaoh were, any one that confiders thtCt Anfwets, would take the FtamerS of thtm for Golouters, Changers, Pervefters of the Fa Ge of things, as this Authour fpeaks, cunning Oratours, Jugglers, Hocus-pocus, HiceinsWoccins, whip the Serpents, JBlood and Frogs ate gone; But let us look a little nearer to the btiftj Dd 4 tied 40 -frfiof o/Appiririons; &c. nefs, and to thefe fubtle men, Witches of Oratours, and examine what they tell us in the light of the Text and impartial Rea- fon. The Text faith, Aaron caft down his Rod before Pharaoh, and before his Servants, and it became a Serpent, v. 10. And v. n, 12. The Magicians of^Egypt, they alfo did in like manner with their enchantments. For they caft down every Man his Rod, and they became Serpents, but AaronV Rod fwallowed up their Rods. Now, fay the Witch-Advocates, the Magicians were Jugglers h they did not in like manner, they did not caft down their Rods, but made conveighance of them, they were not Serpents but Pictures. Which are plain contradictions to the Text, arbi- trary Figments, that have no ground. And if Men may feign what they will, and put what borrowed fenfe they pleafe upon plain Relations of Fact, all Hiftory will be a Nofe of Wax, and be eafily fhaped as the Inter- preter has a mind to have it. Secondly, If this were fp, and the Ser- pents were but Artificial Pictures 5 'tis flrange, that neither Pharaoh, nor his Ser- vants fhould perceive the difference between fhe Carved or Painted Serpents and the real ones 5 except they fuppofe alfo that Pharaoh contrived the bufinefs in a dark Room on purpofe, as the Authour of The Bcflrine of • -'* ":V; Devils from Holy Scripture. 41 Devils feems to intimate. And 'tis ftran- ger yet, that neither Mofes nor Aaron that were concerned todeteft the Impofture that was fo grofs and thick, fhould not difcern it, or if they did, 'tis as flrange, that they fliould keep the Jugglers counfel, and fay nothing of it. Thirdly, Aarons Serpents are faid to have fwallowed up thofe of the Magicians. What, did they fwallow the Wiars and Pictures? It feems they were very artifici- ally done indeed , that the true Serpents millook them for real ones, as the Birds once did the Painted Grapes. But it would be more wonderful yet, if all were but the Oratory of the Magicians, for then the Ser- pents ate their Words and Rhetorick. Fourthly, Mofes and Aaron turned the Rivers into Blood, v. 20. and the Magicians of &gypt did fo with their enchantments, v.22. They caufed Frogs to come up, and to cover the land, Ch. 8. v. 6. and the Magicians did fo, and brought up Frogs on the Land of J&gypt, v. 7. Now, how did the Jugglers do this, with Painting and Fucufling •, or how, by Legerdemain and Slight of Hand were the Waters made Blood, and the Frogs brought up out of the Rivers on the Land ? To turn 3 little Water into the appearance of Blood, was not the thing that was like to whar «. that of the Witch of Endor. The Sto- ry of her is related, 1 Sam. 28. and is brief- ly thu£. Samuei was dead, v. 3. and the Philiftines gathered themfelves againft Saul, and pitcht in Gilboa, v. 4. Saul on this was much afraid, v. j„ and enquired of the Lord* but had no anfwer from, hirn^ v. 6. Upon this he bid Ins Servants find him out a Woman that had a Familiar Spirit, that he rniglft enquire of her. They told him of one at Endor, v. 7. He difguifed himfelf and: with two Men iry night weijt to her, defied her to divine unto t»im by bet Fa* miliar spirit > ai$ to fcring up hiin whom 48 Troof of Apparitions, Saul. The vulgar Latine, fngrejfa eft, fhe came in, which implies that (he went cut of doors rather, than into her Clofet. The Septuagint read udv.Kdiv» y>vnt being the fame fenfe with the vulgar Latine. The Chal- dee Paraphrafe limply fhe came. So the Syriack and the Arabick : But we find no- thing of coming out any where but in the Difcoverer. So that here is a Text made too, as well as many a groundlefs Com- ment. But whether fhe only came to Saul, or in or out to him, it matters not much, for it implies only that (he withdrew, while Saul Communed with Samuel, out of re- Ee a ipecV 5 2 Proof of Apparitions, &-c. fpect, and after the Communication, fhd returned and found the King in great dis- order, and what is this to a Clofet.* SECT. XVI. Two of Mr. Webfters Arguments for the Witches Clofet propofed and anfwered. BUt Mr. Webfler purfues the bufinefs in the behalf of the Difcoverer; Firft, If they were in the fame Room, and Samuel a vifible Object, how comes it to pafs that Saul faw him not i Mr. Glanvil, faith he, mufl pump to find it out, p. 169* But doth not Mr. Webfler know , that it is ufual in Apparitions ( and he owns there are fuch) for the Spirit to appear to one, when it is not vifible to another, though in the fame Roomfhmd every ways capable of feeing? In the Famous Story of walker and Sharp, recited by him, />. 299,300. whieh hecon- fefTeth to be of undoubted verity, he faith, it was reported that the Apparition did ap- pear in Court to the Judge, or Fore-man of the Jury (and I have from other hands very credible atteftation that it was foj but from Holy Scripture. y 5 but the reft faw nothing! Many other well attefted Relations of this kind fpeak of the like, and there are Innumerable Stories of people that have their fecond fight as they call it, to wit, a faculty of feeing Spectres when others cannot difcern them. In which there is nothing, either impoflible, or unlikely. And why then fhould there be need of fo much pumping to anfwer this Objection? Samuel it feems appeared to the Woman a little before Saul faw him, fhewing him- felf fo, it may be, to prepare Saul for the terrible fight by degrees, left the fudden- nefs of it might have affrighted him into an incapacity of hearing what he had to fay to him. Or it may be the Body of the Woman, or fome other thing in the Room might interpofe between Saul, and the firft appearance of Samuel, or he might be at an unfit diftance, or out of due light to fee prefently as fhe did. So that there is no need of fuppofing them to be in two Rooms on this account. But Secondly, He argues further for the Clofet or another Roem; The Woman cryed out with a loud Voice when (he faw Samuel; What need of that, faith he , if they were in one Room, might not an or- dinary tone make him to have heard her 1 'Tis like it might; but that was not the Ee 3 caufe 54 f roof of Apparitions, &c. caufe of her crying out, but her furprife to fee Samuel ( if it were the real Samuel) when flie expected only her Familiar, ap- pearing in fome refemblance of him. And 'cis like there were circumftances in this Apparition, which fhe had never feen be- fore, that might on the fudden affright and amaze her. And if it were Samuel in- deed, which is very probable, the fight of him affured her that the Inquirer was Saul, for though ihe might not conclude it pre- fently from his requiring her to raife Sa- muel) yet when he really and unexpected: ly appeared, it was plain that he was come upon fome great Errand, and with whom could he probably have fuch bufinefs as with Sauli So that fhe feeing him, the im- portance of his appearance, and the Rela- tion he had to Saul, brought the King pre- fently to her mind , and with him her fears, and that this was one caufe of her crying out, is plainly intimated in the next words. And the Woman fpake to Saul, faying , why haft thou deceived me^ for thou art Saul, v.\i. And that fhe was affright- ed at that knowledge, is implied in Sauls alluring her again, againft frer fears in his jmmediate aniwer. And the King faid unto her^Be not afraid, V.I3. Befides this, there is another thiog that rnay be collected from the Text, which ' ; Y~' ' might from Holy Scripture. yj might occafion her aftonifhment and cry- ing out. For as foon as Saul had faid, Bring me up Samuel, v. n. it immediate- ly follows, v. 12. And when the Woman faw Samuel, fie cryed with a loud voice. It feems he appeared before fhe had performed her ufual Conjurations (fo little ground is there for what Mr. Scot talks of her words of Conjuration, and thofe fhe fpake to her felf) and upon that fhe was furprifed and affrighted. SECT. XVII. Other Arguments of Mr. Webfler for a Room diflincl from that Saul was in, propofed and anfwered. MR. webflers third Argument to prove a Clofet, is that it had been incon- gruous for Saul to have askt what faweft thou, if they had been in one Room. But what is the incongruity, or what the won- der , if one in his condition fhould fpeak incongruoufly? His Fourth and Fifth Arguments, are to prove that Saul bad yet feen nothing, when he askt the Woman upon her Out-cry, Ee 4 what $6 Proof of Apparitions, &c. what fhe had feen. They prove that fhe faw the apparition firft, which is granted, but her being in another Room , cannot thence be inferred, as 1 have fhe wn, though that be the thing he fhould make out, or all is impertinent. The Sixth Argument is, that after all, Samuel was but coming up. An Old Man cometh up, which proves nothing for Mr. Webfler but againft him; For now, (lie fhews him to Saul. She faw the firft be- ginning of his appearing, which Saul did not. When he was rifen higher out of the Earth, fhe fhews him to the King, who, * •tis faid, perceived then it was Samuel, and bowed himfelf, v. 14. which is very eafie and congruous, applied to one and the fame Room. And what then makes Mr. Webfler infult in the Conclufion of this Argument in thefe words • Now let Mr. Glanvil confi- der , and anfwer whether it be not only inti- mated, but clearly holden forth in the Text, that either they were in- two Rooms, or that nothing vifible did appear before Saul,/'. 1*71. His feeing nothing at firft I grant, but the Two Rooms there is no ground for, and he doth not prove it. Whether he did not fee Samuel after, I fhall now inquire. Hi- therto I have nothing to do, but with the £oncejr, of the Clofet, or the other Room, which. from Holy Scripture. 57 which Mr. Scot made for the Woman, and Mr. webfler endeavours to uphold, with much good will, but little fucceft. SECT. XVIII. Convincing Argmuments brought, to prove that Saul faw Samuel, which fruflrates the Figment of two Rooms. AFter all, if he really faw the Appari- tion, the Figment of the two Rooms is gone, or at leaft fignifies nothing to their f>urpofe. This the Text intimates plain- y. She faid, An Old Man cometh up, and he is covered with a Mantle, and it follows, And Saul perceived that it was Samuel, and he flooped with his face to the groiind, and bowed himfelf, v. 14. He perceived it was Samuel, he perceived- it, faith Mr. webfler, by the Defcription of the Woman. But fhe had only faid/ An Old Man cometh up covered with a Mantle; This is but a very General Defcription, and why muft that needs notify Samuel? Could the Devil reprefent rfo other Old Man in a Mantle, or could none of the dead 58 Troofof Apparitions, t?c. dead appear fo but Samuel only ? By thefe words alone Saul could not certainly per- ceive that it was he. But he perceived this fo, that he could not but know and acknow* ledge it as the Hebrew word feems to im- ply. I fay this word [perceived] implies more than bare feeing. Tis that and fome* what elfe, viz. that he faw him fo, as to be convinced that it was he indeed , the judgment was added to the fenfe. So that Mr. webfler s Objection, that the word was not he [ faw ] it was Samuel^ is of no weight, he [ perceived ] implies that he faw it fo as to be afTured. If the faying of the Woman had been all, the affurance had been none at all, and Saul could not have perceived ox underftood any certainty of the thing from it. * But fecondly, it appears yet further, that his perceiving did imply feeing 3 For he (looped with his Face to the ground, and bowed himfelf. Now, what did Saul make this refpe&ful reverence to, if he faw nothing i Was it to a Samuel in his fancy * Mr. Webfler faith, Surely in rational conje- fuenee it could be nothing elfe, p. 171. This is fomething an unufual courtefie to bare ideas and Imaginations. But Mr. Webfler gives a reafon: All that the Woman had done and faid, being undeniably lyes and cheats, this alfo 1 from Holy Scripture. 59 alfo in juft and right reafon muft be judged to he fo alfo. Which is affuming the thing r,o be proved. SECT. XIX. That it was a real Apparition^ not a confede- rate Knave, as Mr.Webfler fancies, that SttAfaw and did obey fame to. BUt did fhe not turn out her confederate Knave to aft the part of Samuel i and was not this he to whom Saul bowed.? This Mr. Webfler offers as part of his an- fwer. The Woman v. 14. defcribes Samuel in the form of an Old Man covered with a Mantle, Such a fhape fhe muft have put the confederate Knave into. It may be it was an Old fellow, or fhe made him look Old, but let that pafs. But where got fhe the Mantle < A Sacerdotal Habiliment it was, according to Jofephus. Had the Woman a Wardrobe of all Habits for all purpofes? pr was it fome fhort Cloak of her own , that fhe threw on him? We will fuppofe either that will ferve Mr. webflers turn beft. But how did the fellow himfelf, or the Old Quean 60 Proof of Apparitions, Crc. Quean for him change his Vifage into the likenefs of Samuel, or how alter his voice fo, as to make Saul, who fo well knew Sa- muel, to believe it was even he i Thefe are hard Queftions. But if we fhould fo far gratify Mr. scot, Mr. webfler and the refl, as not tj prefs with fuch untoward Queries • yet one can- not chufe but ask how the confederate Knave came toforetel truly fuch contingent things, as that the Ifraelites fhould be vanquilhed by the Philiflines, and Saul and his Sons flain on the morrow, as v. 19. How could the Cheat, or the woman in another Room tell this? Why/ faith Mr. wagHafe, he fpake it at a venture, and He or the Witch' gave a fhrewd guefs to the fequel, faith Mr. Scot. But what ground was there for conjecture? and fince there was none, the Confederate might as well have chofe to have told Saul, that he and his Sons fhould Jive and be victorious 5 and this, if he were fo cunning a fellow, as thefe cun- ning Men make him, he would have done. For the Witches bufinefs and his, was to get by their practice, and the likelier way to a good reward, had been to have Pro- phefied grateful and pleafant things to the troubled King- and if the Prophefier knew nothing of the event, he might as well have chofen the good , as the evil fide. Which from Holy Scripture. 61 Which as it had been for his Intereft, it had been alfo for the better faving of the credit of his predictions. For if he had foretold the Kings good fuccefo and victo- ry, the Woman and He, the Confederate, in confequence had been fure of reputati- on and favour, and further rewards, if it had happened fo; but no evil could have befaln them from the contrary fuccefs. For if Saul were killed, the falfhood of the prediction would be buried with him (for we read not ihu the two Servants were at this Communication, which in all like- lihood was private) and no other evil like to enfue. So that if it were a Confederate Knave, as the Witch-Advocates have contrived that made the anfwers, he was not fo cun- ning as Mr. Scot, Mr. Webfler and the reft pretend, but indeed a very filly "juggler. He fpeaks very fevere and difobliging things, and fuch as were not like to redound to his advantage, and indeed fuch things they were, as do not at ail look as if they pro- ceeded from a confederate Couzener. They have that Gravity, Majefty, Religion and Vertue in them that became the true Sa- muel, and are very unlike the words' of a vicious cheating Knave. To which may be added, that this Wo- man , though otherwife an ill one, feems to 6 z f roof of Apparitions, {?c. to have been of a kind and benign nature^ by the courteous entertainment fhe gave the afflicted Prince, and Jofephus extoUs her much for her good Nature. So that it is very improbable, that fhe would by her felf or her Confederate, lay fuch an heavy Load of Trouble and Defperation upon the King, that was in fuch diftrefs before. I think all thefe things put together, are a* bundantly fufficient to difprove, and fhame the ungrounded fanfie of the Witch-Ad- vocates, that all was done by a Confede- rate. And confequendy it was a real Ap- parition that Saul faw, and did civil obey- fance to. SECT. XX, That it was not the Witch her felf that ail- ed aU ( as Scot and webfler for another ftiift would fuppofe) putting ber felf into a Trance^ and deluding Saul by yen* triloquy^ BUt was it not the Witch her felf that acted all? Mr. Scot faith, that if the Expofition of the Confederate like us not, he can eafily frame himfelf to the Opini- on; from Holy Scripture. 6$ on, That this Pythonefs being a Vtntriloqut, that is , fpeaking as it were from the bot- tom of her Belly, did caft her felf into a Trance, and fo abufed Saul, anfwering to Saul in Samuel's name in her counterfeit hollow Voice, p. in. To the fame pur- pofe Mr. Webfler alfo fuppofeth, That what fie did or pretended to do, was only by Ven- triloquy , or cafling her felf into a feigned Trance, lay groveling on the Earth with her face downwards, and fo changing her Voice, did mutter and murmur, and peep, and chirp like a Bird coming forth of the fiett, or that fie fpake in fome hollow Cave or Vault through fome Pipe, or in a Bottle, and fo amufed and deceived poor timorous and defpairing Saul, p. \6%,\66. What fluff is this? and how fhall one deal with fuch Men, as fet their Wits up- on the rack to invent evafions, and are ready to afTert any Non-fenfe or Abfurdity to pervert the fenfe of a plain and fimple Hiffory ? What I have already fpoke againft the Dream of a Confederate^ viz. Saul's per- ceiving it was Samuel, his bowing himfelf upon it; his taking the Voice for the Pro- phet's, the fuitablenefs and gravity of the words, and the contrivance of the predi- ction, and the truth of it, are as ftronga- gainft this Whim, as againft the other idle fanfie, and in fome particulars of more force,' as 64 Proof of Apparitions. <&c. as will appear to any one that confiders the matter duly. For Ventriloquy, or fpeaking from the bottom of the Belly, 'tis a thing I think as ftrange and difficult to be conceived as any thing in Witchcraft, nor can it5 I believe, be performed in any diftinctnefs of articulate founds, without fuch affiftance of the Spi- rits , that fpoke out of the Damoniacks. I would fain have any of the Witch-Advo- cates fhew how it is naturally poflible. So that this that they fuppofe, will infer the thing they would avoid. It cannot certain- ly in any reafon be thought, that the Wo- man could by a natural knack, fpeak fuch a Difcourfe as is related from Samuel, much lefs that fhe could from her Belly imitate his Voice, fo as to deceive one that knew him as Saul did. As for Mr. webflers peeping, chirping and muttering, they are nothing to the pur- pofe, and his hollow Cave, Pipe and Vault, are as arbitrary Figments as the Clofet,1 and fall under the fame confutations that dif- prove the reft of the ChimgraV. SECT. from Holy Scripture. 6$ SECT. XXI. That it was Samuel himfelf that appeared, not the Devil , nor a Confederate Knave. BUt the Witch-Advocates have another Argument to prove an Impofture in this bufinefs. For, fay they, the perfon denouncing the fate of Saul could not be the true Samuel, nor the Devil in his like- nefs 5- therefore it muft be either the Wo* mm, or fome cheating Confederate. Which conclufion follows not, for it is poffible it might be a good Spirit perfonating Samuel. Thefe the Scripture affures usr are often imployed in Errands and Minifteries here below, and on thofe occafions they cloath themfelves in humane fhape and appear- ance. So that it is not abfurd to think it might be thus here 5 but this I affirm not. Who actually it was hath been great mat- ter of debate among Interpreters, and con- siderable Authours have been on either fide.. My ciufe doth not require that I fhould pofuively determine who the appearing F f perfon 66 Proof of Apparitions, f Apparitions, t?c. SECT. XXIII. that it was the $ou I of Samuel that appear- ed, without his Terrefirjal Body, and that it if an indifferent Opinion, in which are divided as well Papefls as Prot efl ants. Btlt there is at fecond Opinion yet to be confuted,'viz. That it was SamtleH Sotil in his wonted fhape and habit, p. 173. He muft mean his Soul without the Body, or elfe 'tis the fame again; and if he means without any body, I am none of thofe that mean with; him. It is moft fully and plainly proved by thofe excellent Men', Dr. c— and Dr. M-—, that Souls-depart- ed are embodyed in Aerial or Jitherial Ve- hicles j and they have largely (hewn that this was the Doctrine of the greateft Phi- lofophers , and moft Ancient and Learned Fathers. Anc^ agreeable it is to the Holy Scripture and higheft Reafon and Philofo- phy, as I may have another occafion to fhew: Now Samuel appeared here to Saul jrt this his more pure Aerial or /Etherial Body, which he could form into fuch an appearance from Holy Scripture: 71 appearance and habit as he had in the.T'** reflrial. /. Againft the Opinion of Samuel's Seul appearing, Mr. webfler urgeth cogent Ar- guments , as ftill he calleth his 5 they are all manifefl, cogent, irrefragable, unanfwerable, even then when they are fcarce fenfe. He prefaceth to them, by an intimation, that the Doctrine is Popifh 5 maintained,he faith, it is by the Popifh party. His hard words ufe to be his ftrongeft Arguments. But this is only to raife odium and prejudice to the opinion. For there "are Papifls and Profe- ftants on both fides of this Queftion. 'As alfo Rabbins and Fathers have divided up* on it. Some of the lafl fort, and thofe perhaps of the greateft and moft confide- rable having been for it, as R. Bleaker, R. Saadiav, The Writers of the Midrafi, Jo* - fephtts alfo, Juflin, Origen, Augufline, Bafil, Ambrofe, &c. as fome others have been a* gainftit. So that, I fuppofe, a Man may freely and without offence declare his Judg- ment, though it happen to be dirTereot from Mr. Webfiers. V Ff 4 SECT, 71 Proof of Apparitions, />. 174. I anfwer, Miracles are not al- ways wrought to confirm truth* but fbme* times to declare it. And thefe fort are often for that purpofe. Such was this* to pronounce the final Sentence and Doom on Saul, as to the concerns of this World. And the Prophet's appearing fo contrary to the Romans expectation, and before fhe had y6 Proof o/Apparitions, &c. had performed her fpells, (truck her into dread and amazement, and fo fhe could draw no incouragement thence, to countenance her trade of Witchcraft; Sixthly, He faith it is not credible, but that Samuel would have reproved the Sor- cerefs. But that was not his bufinefs, and it is like fhe being one of that vile and Diabolical profeflion was forfaken of God and good Spirits, and given up to thofe evil ones that were her Agents and Fami- liars. Such derelictions we fometimes reatf of. And certainly if any courfe of finning occafions and brings fuch a judgment ( as (pme no doubt do ) this of Witchcraft and Confederacy with evil Spirits, is one that moft juftly may. Seventhly, But God hid refufed to an- fwer Saul by-any living Prophet , and Eighthly would not vouchfafe him his Spi- rit in the ordinary way , and therefore it is not probable he would do it by fending a Prophet from the dead. Which argu- ings can only difcover our ignorance in the Reafons of the Divine Counfels and Actions. But yet it. may be faid, God had indeed withdrawn all comfortable and di- rective Communications from him, but this was of another fort, a further inftance of the Divine Difpleafure, and Declarative of the forfaken Kings Doom. Which was no from Holy Scripture. 77 no favour, but indeed a judgment to which the Divine Juflice was probably fur- ther provoked by this his fin of dealing with the Sorcerefs. But Ninthly, Abraham would not fend Lazarus upon the Rich Mans defire to his furviving Brethren, p. 175. Nor can any one think it follows that, becaufe one came from the .dead to an extraordinary perfon, and upon an occafion that was fuch; that therefore Prophets, or other Souls fhall be fent from thence, ordinarily to warn thofe that have other fufficient means of conviction and amendment. The Tenth is to fill up tale. Where doth Mr.Glanvil,faith~ he, find it in Scripture , or Orthodoxal Divines, that ever any Bleffed Soul was fent on a Divine Errand to any here be- low ? Which he objected, and I anfwered before. SECT. f% Proof 0/Apparitions, . 15. why haft thou dif- quieted me i Samuel, fay they, whether fent by God , or coming of his own accord, could not be difquieted by appearing. Nor was there any real difturbance in it, but the Spirit of the Prophet fpeaks our Lan- guage, who are apt to fancy the dead to ffom Holy Scriptura 8 i reft in their Graves, and to be difturbed of thtir repofe, when upon any occafion they appear among the living. fifthly, But he faith, that Saul and his Sons (hould be with him, viz, in Thalamo jujtorum, which fome think riot unlikely, believing that Saul was reprobate only in Type. But more probably the meaning is , that he fliould be in the State of the dead in another World, as he the Prophet was. Sixthly and Laftly, The Spe&re faid, that to morrow he fliould be with him, which was not true, for feveral days intervened before the Battle. But the word to mor- row need not be taken in ftrictnefs, but in a Latitude of interpretation for a (hort time. He was to dye in or upon the Fight, and the enemies were now ready for it, and Co the event was to be within.a very little while. The prediction' of which , was a Prophecy of a thing very contingent, and fhews that the Predictor was the real Samuels r i h - ' !• ■' i * '•'!.■ hjijli mil JfiJi: ' • \ ,\ .v.,' ■; Og SECfrf 8 2 Proof of Apparitions, cutour found, them, but then only pluckt them by the Hair and Night-deaths with- out any other difturbance* fc of Relations. 95 It was noted, that when the noife was loudeft, and came with the moft fud- den and furprifing violence, no Dog a- bout the Houfe would move, though the knocking was oft fo boifterous and rude, that it ha.th been heard at a confiderabje diftance in the Fields, and awakened th,6 Neighbours in the Village, none of which live very near this Houfe. The Servants fometimes were lift up with their Beds, and then let gently down again without hurt, at other times it would lye like a great weight upon their Feet. About the latter end of Decemk 1667. the Drummings were lefs frequent, and then they heard a" noife like the gingling of Money, occafipned, as it was thought, by fomewhat Mr. Mompeffons Mother had fpoken the day before to a Neighbour, who talkt of Fayries leaving Money, w*. That fhe fhould like it well, if it would leave them fome to mafre ameojds. for their trouble. The night after the fpeafcing o( which, there was a great chinking of Money over all the Houfe. After this it defiftedfrorn the ruder noifes; and employed it felf in little Apifh and lefs troublefome Tricks. On Chrijlptas Eve a little before day, one of the little Bpys arifing out of his Bed, was hit on a fore place upon his |}ed, with the. Latch of 96 The ColleSi'ton the Door, the Pin that it was faftehed with, was fo fmall that it was a difficult matter to pick it out. The night aftetf Chrijlmas day, it threw the Old Gentle- womans cloaths about the Room, and hid her Bible in the Allies. In fuch filly tricks it was frequent. After this, it was very troubleforrte to a Servant of Mr* Mompeffonh, who was a ftout Fellow, and of fober Converfation. This Man lay within, during the greateft difturbanCe, and for feveral nights fbme- thing would endeavour to pluck his cloaths off the Bed, fo that he was fain to tug hard to keep them on, and fometimes they Would be pluckt from him by main force, and his fhooes thrown at his head. And now and then he fhould find himfelf for- cibly held, as It were bound Hand and Foot, but he found that-whenever he could make ufe of his Sword, and ftruck with it,- the Spirit quitted its hold* A little after thefe eontefts, a Sort of Sir Thomas Sennet ? whofe Workman the' Drummer had fometimes been, eame to the Houfe, and told Mr. Mompcffon fome words that he had fpoken, which it feems was not well taken. For ^as Toon as they were in Bed, the Drum was beat up very violently and loudly, the Gentleman arofe and called Shis Man to him, who lay with of Relations. 97 Mr.; Mompeffonh Servant juft now-fpoken, of, whofe name was John. As foon as Mr. Bennett Man was gone, John heard a rufling noife in his Chamber, and fome- thing came to his Bedfide, as if it fyad been one in filk. The Man prefently reachn eth after his Sword, which he found held from him, and 'twas with difficulty and much tugging that he got it into his power, which as foon as he had done, the Speftre left him , and it was always obferved that it ftill avoided a Sword. About the beginning of January 1662. they were wont to hear a Singing in the Chimney before it came down. And one Night about this time, lights were feen in the Houfe. One of them came into Mr. \JMompejfc»*s Chamber which feemed blue and glimmering, and caufed great ftiffnefs in thj Eyes of thofe that faw it. After the light fomething was heard coming up the Stairs, as if it had been one without Shooes. The light was feen alfo four or five times in the Childrens Chamber-, and the Maids confidently affirm that the Doors were at leaft ten times opened and fhut in their fight, and when they were opened they heard a noife as if half a dozen had entred together. After which fome were heard to walk about the Room, and one H h rufled 9 8 The Collection tutted as if it had been in filk. The like Mr. Momfeffon himfelf once heard. During the time of the knocking, when many wete prefertt,' a Gentleman of the Cpmpariy faid, Satan, if the Drummer fet thee to work, give three knocks and no more, which it aid very diftinclly and ftopt. Then the Gentleman knockt, to fee rf it wouW anfwer him as it was wont, but k did not. For further trial, he bid it for Confirmation, if it were the Drummer, to give five knocks and no more that night, which it did, and left the Houfe quiet all the night after. This was done in the pre- fence OP Sir Thomas Chamberlain of Oxford' fbire, and divers others. On Saturday Morning j an hour before day, Jan. to. a Drum was heard beat up- on the out-fides of Mr. Mempejfon's Cham- ber, from whence it went to the other end of the Houfe, where fome Gentlemen ftran- gers lay, playing at their door and with- out, four or five feveral Tunes, and fb went off into the air. The next night, a Smith in the Village lying with John the Man, they heard a noife in the room, as if one had been fhoc- ing of an Horfe, and fomewhat came, as it were with a pair of Pincers, fnipping at the Smiths Nofe moft part of the Night. One of Reforiofl£ 90 One Morning .Mr; Mempeffon.fifing e/ar- Iy to go a journey, heard a greacnoife he*,- low, where the Children lay, and running down with a Piftol in his hand* he heard a voice* crying a Hitch* a mtck, ;as thejT had alfo heard it once before. Upon hft entrance ail wal quiet. tfavitog jane Nkht- played fbme little tricfoat Mr. Mi^effms Beds feu, it went into another Bed, where one of his Daugh- ters lay v There it parted from fide to fide; lifting her.up as it piffed under. Ait that time there were three kinds of noifes in the Bed. They endeavoured to.thruft at it with a Sword., but it ftill fhrfted and carefully avoided the-thruft, ftill getting under the Child when* they offered at it. The Might after it came panting like a Dog out of breath, Upon which one took a Bedftaff to knock, which was caught out of her hand, and thrown away, and com- pany coming upy Che room was prefently filled with a bkrtwty noifome ftrlcll > and was very hot > though without fire, in a very fharp and fevote Winter. It continu- ed in the Bed panting and fcratching an hour and half, and then went into the next Chamber, where it knockt a little, and feemed td ratde a Chain 5 thus it did for two or three nights together. Hh % After ioo The Colleilion After this, the old Gericlewomans Bible was found in the Afhes, the Paper fide be- ijfig downwards. Mr. Mimpefion took it tip, and obferved that it lay open at the Third Chapter of St. Mark, where there is mention of the unclean Spirits falling down before our Saviour, anduif his giving pow- er to the Twelve to caft out Devils, and of the Scribes Opinion, that he caft them out through Beelzebub. The next night they ftrewed Arties over the Chamber, to fee what impreflions it would leave. In the morning they found in one place, the refemblance of a great Claw, in another of a lefTer, fome Letters in* another, which they could make nothing of, befides ma- ny Circles and Scratches in the Arties. About this time I went to the Houfe, on purpofe to inquire the truth of thofe paffages, of which there was fo loud a report. It had ceafed from its Dramming and ruder noifes before I came thither, but moft of the more remarkable circumftances before related, were confirmed to me there, by feveral of the neighbours together, who had been prefent at them. At this time it ufed to haunt the Children, and that as foon as they were laid. They went to Bed that night I was there, about Eight of the Clock, when a Maid-fervant coming down from them, told us it was come. The neigh- of Relations: v ioj neighbours that were there., an4two Mi- niflers who had feen and heard divers times went away, but- Mr. Momprjfon, and I, and a Gentleman that came with me went up. J heard a ftrange Scratching as I went up the Stairs, and wften we came, into the Room, I perceived, it, was juft behind the Bolfter of the Childrens Bed, and feemed to be againft the Tick. It was as loud a Scratching, as one with long Nails could make upon a Bolfter* There were two little modeft Girls in the Bed, between Se- ven and Eleven, years ojd as I gueft. I faw their hands out Over the Cloaths, and they could not contribute to the noife that ,was behind their jheads. They had been uftd to,it, and had ftill foms- body or o* ther in;the Chamber with them, and there- fore feemed not to be much affrighted. ( i ftanding at the Bedstead, thruft n?y hand behind the Bolder* directing it tp the place whence the noife.feemed to come. Where- upon, the noife ceafed there, and was'heard in another part of the Bed. .^But when I had taken out my Hand it returned, and was heard in tfre fame place as. before. I had been told that; it would imifate noifes, and made tria^by fcratching feveral times upon the Sheet, as 5, and 7, and 10, which it followed and ftill ftopt at my numbsr. I fearcht under and behind the Bed, turn^ ....... Hh x ed ....... -. + f o& The -Colkf^ion ed up afr ter which tiey found feveral drops of Blood on the Hard), and in divers places of chc Stairs. i ■. ■ For two or three nights after the dif* charge «B*he Piftoi, there was a calm in the Houfe, bat [then it came again, apply* tog it felf to a tittle Child newly taken from Nurfe. i. Which it fo ir#rfecitfjed, that it would not let the poor Infant reft for two nights together, nor fuffer a Candle in the Room, but carry them away lighted up the Chimney., or throw them under tb$ Bed. Ic fi> feared this Child by leaping upon it, that {or feme hours it eoukl not be. recovered out of the fright. So that they were forced again to remove the Chil- dren out of the houfe. The next night after which fomething about Mid-night came up the Stairs, and knockt at Mr. Mom- pejfons door, but he lying ftmV it went up another pair of Stairs, to his Mans Cham- ber, to whom it appeared ftanding at his Beds foot, The e&& fhape and proporti- on he could not discover, but he faith he faw a great Body with twofred and glaring Eyes, which for fome time were fixed ftea. dilyupon him, and at length disappeared. Another night ftrangers being prefent J it purr'd in the Childrens Bed uke a Cat, ,:U at *f Haitians. 107 at which time aWb. the Cloaths and Chil- dren were lift up ffom' the Bed, and fix Men could not keep them down. Here- upon they removed the Children, intend- ing to h*ve ripjTup the Bed. But they were no fooner laid in another, but the fe- cond Bed was more troubled than the firft. It continued thus fiw hourv and fb beat the Childrens Leggs againft the Bed-pofts, that they were forced to ariTe ;' and fa up all night. After this, it would empty Cham- jberpots into their Beds , ajad ftrew them with Afhes, though they were never fo carefully watcht. It pur a iong piked Iron into Mr. M^mpteffm's Bed, and into his Mothers a naked Knife upright.' It would fill Porrengers with Afhes, throw every thing about and keep a norfe aU day. About the beginning of Aprils 166$. a Gentleman that lay in the houfe, had all his money turned black in his Pockets1; and Mr.^/fimpejfondotma^'one Morning in> to his Stable, found the Horfe he *>as wont to 'Ride, on the Ground, having one of his hinder Leggs in his Mouth? andfo fatten- ed there, that it was difficult for feveral Men to get it out vwitri a'Leaver. After this, there were fome other remarkable things, but my account goes no further. Only Mr. Mompeffon writ me word, that afterwards the Houfe was feveral nights be- io8 The CoMfipn fet with feVen or eighjjjn the fhape of Men, who, as foon as a Gun was difchar- ged', would.fhuffie away together into an Arbour. .riLli/: :. jy. ^n* i: The Drummer was tryed at the Aflizes at Salisbury .upon this occafion. He was committed firft to GlauceUer Gaol for fteal* ing, and imltjbirt Man coming to fee him, he askt what news in wiltfhire. TteVift- tant faid, he knew of none. . No, faith the Drummer 1 do not you hear of the Drum- ming at a Gentlemans. houfe at Tedworth, That I do.enough, faid y\\e other. I, quoth the Drummer, 1 have.plagued him (or to that purpofe) and he fha.ll, never be at qui- et, till he hath made me fatisfa&ion for taking away my Drum. - Upon Inforrnar tion .of this,, the fellow, was tryed for-a Witch at Sartim, andall the nnin circum- ftances I, have ^elated, were fworn at the Affiles by the Minifter of the Pariflfo £U)<| divers others of the moft intelligent and fubftantial Inhabitants, who.had beep,Eye and Ear witnefles of thejm, time after tirns for divers * "years together, f;, . .^r. I: The fellow was cond&mned to Tranfpor- tation, and accordingly:fent away, but I know not how f?tis faijd fey railing ftorms, and affrighting the Seamen-?) he madea fliift to come back again. And 'tis obfer* vable, that during all the time of his &* ftraint ofRelations. 109 ftraint and abfenee the houfe was quiet, but as foon as ever he came back at liber- ty, the difturbance returned. He had been a Souldier under Cromwel^ and ufed to talk much of Gallant Books he had of an odd fellow, who was counted a Wizzard. Upon this ocGafion, I fhall here add a pafTage, which I had not from Mr. KjMornpcfiony bur yet relates to tfJQmain pur- pofe. * *•*■ ■ The Gentleman, who was with me at the Houfe, Mr.tf/tf, being in company with one Compton of Summerfetjbire, who practi- fcth Phyfick, and pretends to ftrange mat- ters, related to him this ftory of Mr. Mom- peffon's difturbaoce. The Phyfician told him, he was fure it was nothing but a Ren- dezvouz of Witches, and that for an hun- dred pounds, he would undertake to rid the Houfe of all difturbance. In purfuitof this difcourfe, he talkt of many high things, and having drawn my friend into another Room apart from the reft of the company, faid, he would make him fenfible he could do fomething more than ordinary, and askt him who he defired to fee. Mr. Hill had no great confidence in his talk, but yet being carncftly preft to name fome one, He faid, he defired to fee no one fo much as his Wife, who was then many miles di- ftant from them at her home. Upon this, Comfton i to The CoBeBioH Compton took up a Lookingrglafs that wai in the Rooai, and fetting it down again, bid my friend look in it? which he did, and there, as he moft folemn ly and ferionfly profeffeth , . he faw the enacl Image of his Wife in that habit which fhe then wore, and working ai her Needle ini fuch a part off;Cher Rootn f there reprefented alfo} in which anxMtout which time fhe really was as hqgfotfnT upon inquiry when he came horncTnThe Gentleman hwflfdf averred this to me, and he is- a very fober> intelligcnti andcrcddWe/perfod. Compton had no know- ledge of him before, and was an utter ftran- ger to the perfon of his Wife, The fame Man we fhall meet again in the ftory of the Witchcrafts of Elizabeth Style, whom he difcovered to be a Witch by foretelling her coming into an houfe, and going out a- gain without fpeakirig, as is fet down in the third Relation** tie was by all counted a very odd perfon. Thus I have written the futrtcn of Mr. JMmpeffm's difturbance, which I had part* ly from his own mouth related before di- vers, who had been witnefles of all ? and confirmed his relation, and partly from his awn Letter*, from which the order and feiies of things is taken. The feme parti- airfare he writ alfo to Dr. CrttA, then Do* 3d* of ibs Chair in Oxford. Mr: o/Relation** nf Mr. Mompeffon- k a Gentleman, of whofe truth in this account* 1 have not the leaft 'groundof fufpicwn, he being; neither vain nor credulous, but adifcreet, fagacious|aad manly per ion. Now the credit of matters of Fact depends much upon the Relatours, who, if they cannot be deceived themfelves nor fuppofed any ways intereffed to impofe upon others, ought to be cifedited. For up- on thefe circumftances, all harnane Faith is gtoundecs and matter of FacY is not capa- ble of any proof befides, but that of imme- diate fenfible evidence. Now this Gentle- man cannot be thought ignorant, whether that he relates be true or no, the Scene of all being his own houfe, himfelf a witnefs and that not of a circumftance or two, but of an hundred, nor for once or twice on- ly* but for the f^wwe of feme years, during which he wast a concerned, and inquifitive Obferver. So that it cannot with any fhew of reafon be fuppofed that any of his Ser- vants abufed him, fince in all that rime he muft needs have dete&ed the deceit. And what intereft could any of his family have had ( if it had been pofTtbie to have ma- naged it without difcovery) to continue fo long fo troublefeme, and fo injurious an Jmpofture '. Nor can it with any whit of more probability be imagined, that his own melancholy deluded him, fince (befides that lit Tfye Colletiion he is no crafcy rior imaginative perfon) that humour could not have been fo laft- irig and pertinacious. Or if it were fo in him, can we think he infected his whole Family, and thofe multitudes of neighbors and others, who had fo often been witnef- fes of thofe paftages ? Such fuppofals are wild, and not like to tempt any, but thofe whofe'Wills are their Reafons. So that upon the whole, the principal Relatour Mn Mqmpeffon himfelf knew, whether what he reports was true or not, whether thofe things acted in his houfe were contrived Cheats, or extraordinary Realities. And if fo, what intereft could he ferve in carrying on, or conniving at a juggling Defign and Impofture ? He fuffered by it in his Name, in his E- ftate, in all his Affairs, and in the general peace of his Family. The Unbelievers in the matter of Spirits and Witches took him for an Impoftour. Many others judged the permiffion of fuch an extraordinary evil to be the judgment of God upon him, for fome notorious wickednefs or impiety. Thus his name was continually expofed to cenfure, and his eftate fuffered, by the concourfe of people from all parts to his houfe, by the diverfion it gave him from his affairs, by the difcouragement of Servants, by reafon of which he could hardly get any to live of Relatidrts. i i $ with him. To which if I add the. conti- nual hurry that his Family was in, the affrights, Vexations and toffings up anc! down of his Children, and the watchings and difturbance of his whole houfe ( in alt which, himfelf muft needs be the moft con- cerned perfon ) I fay, if thefe things are confidered*, there will be little*realbn to think he could have any intereft to put a cheat upon the World, in which he would moft of all have injured and abufed himfelf. Or if he fliould have defigned and managed fo incredible, fo unprofitable a Delufion, 'cis ftrange that he- IBould have troubled himfelf fo long in fuch a bufinefs, only to deceive, and to be talkt of. And it is yet more fb, that none of thofe many inquifi- tive perfons that came thither purpofely to criticize and examine the truth of thole matters, could make any difcoveries of the Juggling, efpecially fince many came preju- diced againft the belief of fuch things in general, and others refolved.before-hand a-. gainft the belief of this, and all were per- mitted the utmoft freedom of fearch and inquiry. And after things were weighed and examined, fome that were before great- ly prejudiced, went away fully convinced. To all which t add, that There are divers particulars in the ftory, in which no aj>ufe or deceit"could have been tl pracli- 114. The ColleElion pracYifed, as the motion of Boards and Chairs of themfelves, the beating of a Drum in the midft of a Room, and in the Air, when nothing was to be feen 5 the great heat in a Chamber that had no Fire in exceflive cold weather , the fcratching and panting, the violent beating and fhak* j ing of the Bedfteads, of which there was * no perceivable caufe or occafion: In thefe and fuch like inftances, it is not to be con- j ceived how tricks could have been put up- on fo many, fo jealous, and fo inquifitive * perfons as were witneffes of them. Tis true, that when the Gentlemen the King fent were there, the Houfe was quiet, and nothing feen nor heard that night, which was confidently and with triumph urged by many, as a confutation of the fto- ry. But 'twas bad Logick to conclude in matters of Faff from a fingle Negative and fuch a one againft numerous Affirmatives, and fo affirm that a thing was never done, becaufe not at fuch a particular time, and that no body ever faw what this Man or that did not. By the fame way of reafon''( ing, I may inferr that there were never a- ny Robberies done on SalisburyVhm,Houn/lm freath, or the other noted places, becaufe I have often Travelled all thofe ways, and yet was never Robbed^ and the Spaniard in- ferred well that faid, There was no Sun m ' England^ of Relations. 115 England, becaufe he had been fix Weeks here and never faw it. T his is the common ar- gument of thofe that deny the Being of Ap- paritions, they have Travelled all hours of the night, and never faw any thing worfe than themfelves ( which may well be) and thence they conclude , that ail pretended "^apparitions are Fancies or Impoflures. But why do not fuch arguers conclude, that there was never a Cut-purfe in London, be- caufe they have lived there many years without being met with by any of thofe Pradtifers xmon was not willing to give fo publick It 2 * 116 The Collection a Teftimony of thofe Tranfadions, which poffibly might convince thofe, who he had rather fliould continue in the unbelief ofhis exiftence. But however it were, this cir- cumftance will afford but a very flender in- ference againft the credit of the ftory, ex- cept among thofe who are willing to take any thing for an Argument againft things which they have an intereft not to acknow- ledge. I have thus related the fum of the ftory, and noted fome circumftances that afTure the truth of it. I confefs the pafTages reci- ted are not fb dreadful, Tragical and ama- zing, as there are fome in ftory of this kind, yet are they never the lefs probable or true, for their being not fo prodigious and afto- nifliing. And jhey are ftrange enough to prove themfelves effects of fb me invifible ex- traordinary Agent, and fo demonftrate that there are spirits, who fometimes fenfibly in- termeddle in our affairs. And I think they do it with clearnefs of evidence. For thefe things were not done long ago, or at far diftance, in an ignorant age, or among a barbarous people, they were not feen by two or three only of the Melancholick and fuperftitious, and reported by thofe that made them ferve the advantage and inte- reft of a party. They were not the pafTa- ges of a Day or Night, nor the vanifhing glances of Relations. \ij glances of an Apparition; but thefe Tranfa- cttons were near and late, publick, frequent, and of divers years continuance, witnefTed by multitudes of competent and unbyaffed At- teftors, and a&ed in a fearching incredu- lous Age : Arguments enough one would think to convince any modeft and capable reafon. Advertisement. This Narrative of the Daemon of Ted- wot th is publijbed in an Epiflolar Form in the former lmprcjjions. But the enlargement thereof, that is to fay, the faid Narrative en- larged for this intended Edition, is not in that form, and therefore is thus publijbed according to Air. GlanvilV M. S. in this bare fimple form it was found. As for Mr. Glanvil*/ Let- ter to Dr. More, which was in the former im- prcffions, though for the firft parts fake it might feem fit here to be interfered, it con- taining Objections and Queries touching the ftirrs at Mr. MompefTon'/ houfe , yet the greater part by far being of another fubjeot, and the moft material of thofe Objections and Que- ries being fo well fatisfied in this more prrfctf Narrative it felf, J thought it more aavi fable to omit that Letter in this prefent -Edition, that there might be left more room for what is I i 3 more Ii8 The Colle&ion more congenerous to the Argument in hand. And therefore we will immediately proceed to the fecond Relation. R E L A T. 11. Which is concerning witchcraft prattifed by Jane Brooks upon Richard Jones, Son if Henry Jones of Shepton Mallet. ON Sunday 15. of Novemb. 1657. about Three of the Clock in the Afternoon, Richard 'Jones then a fprightly youth about Twelve years old, Son of Henry Jones of Shepton Mallet, in the County of Somerfet, being in his Fathers houfe alone, and per- ceiving one looking in at the Windows, went to the Door, where one Jane irooks of the fame Town ( but then by name un- known to this Boy) came to him. She de- fired him to give her a piece of clofe Bread," and gave him an Apple. Alter which (lie alfo ftroked him down on the right fide, fhpok him by the hand, and fo bid him gooYT night. The youth returned into the houfe, 'where he had been left well, when his Father and one Gibfon went from him, but at their return,, which was within an of Relations. 119 hour or thereabout, they found him ill, and complaining of his right fide, in which the pain continued the moft part of that night. And on Munday followfng in the Evening, the Boy rolled the Apple he had of Jane Brooks, and having eaten about half of it, was extreamly ill, and fometimest fpeechlefs, but being recovered, he told his Father, that a VYoman of the Town on the Sunday before, had given him that Apple» and that fhe ftroked him on the fide. He* faid he knew not her name, but fliould her perfon, if he faw her. Upon this Jones was advifed to invite the Women of shepton to come to his Houfe > upon the occafion of his Sons illnefs, and the Child told him , that in cafe the Woman fhould come in when he was in his Fit, if he were not able to fpeak, he would give him an intimation by a Jogg, and defired that his Father would then lead him through the room, for he faid he would put his hand Upon her, if fhe were there. After this he continuing very ill, many Women came daily to fee him. And Jane Brooks the Sunday after, came in with Two of her Sifters, and feve- ral other Women of the Neighbour-hood were there. Upon her coming in, the Boy was taken fo ill, that for fome time he could not fee nor fpeal$, but having recovered his fight, It 4 he 120 The CoflctTion he v gave his Father the Item, and he led him about the Room. The Boy drew to- wards J*ne Brooks, who was behind her two Sifters among the other Women, and put his hand upon her, which his Father perceiving, immediately fcratcheth her Face and drew Blood from her. The youth then prefently cryed out that he was well, and fo hie continued feven or ei£ht days. But rhen .meeting with Ahce Coward ? Sifter to Jjtne tirirofo , who pafttttg by faid to him L: Wow do you my HonyJ he prefently fell ill again. And after that, the faid Coward £nd tirocfa often appeared to him. The Boy would dtfetibe the Clothes and Habit they' Were in at the time eXa£ly, as the Con- futable and others have found upon repair- ing to them, though Brooks\ houfe was at a gobyr diftance frorh Jmes's. This they often tryed, and always found the Boy right in his Deferiptions. On a certain Sunday about Noon , the Child being in a.Room with his Father and one Grbfon, and in his fit, he on the Ridden called out, that he faw Jane Brooks on the Wall, and pointed to the place, where immediately Gibfon ftruck with a Knife. Upon which the Boy cryed out, [0 Father, C002, Gibfon hath cut Jane Brooks's hand , and 'tis Bloody J The Father and Qibfon immediately repaired to the Confta- ble > of Relations. 111 * bk a difcreet Perfon, and acquainting him with what had pafTed , defired him to go with them to Jane Brooks's houfe, which he did. They found her fitting in her room on a ftool with one hand over the other. The Conftable askt her how fhe did ? fhe an- fwered, not well. He askt again why fhe fat with one hand over the other ? fhe re? plied, fhe was wont to do fo. He enquired if any thing were amifs with her hand { her anfwer was, it was well enough. The Conftable defired he might fee the hand that was under , which fhe being unwilling to fhew him, he drew it out and found it bloudy according to what the Boy had faid. Being askt how it came fo, fhe faid 'twas. fcratched with a great Pin. On the Eighth of December, i6$j. The Boy, Jane Brooks, and Alice Coward, appeared at Caftle-Cary before the Juft ices, Mr. Hunt and Mr. Cary. The Boy having begun to give his Teftimony, upon the coming in of the two Women and their looking on him was inftantly taken Speechlefs; and fo remained till the Women were removed out of the room , and then in a fhore time upon examination he gave a full rer lation of the mentioned particulars. On the Eleventh of January following; the Boy was again examined by the fame Juftices at Shepton Mallet, and upon the fight 122 Tlx Collctlion fight of Jane Brooks was again taken Speech- lefs , but was not fo afterwards when Alice Coward came into the room to him. On the next appearance at shepton, which was on the Seventeenth of February, there were prefent many Gentlemen , Miniflers and others. The Boy fell into his fit upon the fight of Jane Brooks, and lay in a Man's Arms like a dead Perfon; the Woman was then wiUed to lay her hand on him, which media1, and he thereupon ftarted and fprang out in a very ftrange and unufual manner. One of the Juftices to prevent all poftibilities of Legerdemain, caufed Gibfon and the reft to ftand off from the Boy, and then that Juftice himfelf held him; the Youth being blindfolded, the Juftice called as if Brooks fhould touch him, but winked to others to do it, which two or three fucceflively did, but the Boy appeared not concerned. The Juftice then called on, the Father to take him, but had privately before defired one Mr. Geoffry Strode , to bring Jane Brouks to touch him at fuch a time as he mould call for his Father, which was done, and the Boy immediately fprang out after a very odd and violent fafhion. He was after touched by feveral Perfons and moved not, but Jane Brooks being again caufed to put her hand upon him, he ftarted and fprang out twice or thrice as before. All this while of Relations. 125 while he remained in his fit and fame time after • and being then laid on a bed in the fame room, the People prefent could not for a long time bow either of his Arms or Leggs. Between the mentioned 15. of Nov. and the 11. of Jan. the two Women appeared often to the Boy, their Hands cold, their Eyes flaring, and their Lips and Cheeks looking pale. In this manner on a Thurfday about Noon, the Boy being newly laid into his bed, Jane Brook sand Alice Coward appeared to him, and told him that what they had begun they could not perform. But if he would fay no more of it, they would give him Money, and fo put a Two-pence into his Pocket. After which they took him out of his bed, laid him on the ground, and vaniflied, and the Boy was found by thofe that came next into the room lying on the flour, as if he had been dead. The Two-pence was feen by many, and when it was put into the fire and hot, the Boy would fall ill •- but as foon as it was taken out and cold , he would be again as well as before. This was feen and obferved by a Minifter a difcreet Perfon, when the Boy was in one room and the Two-pence (with- out his knowledge) put into the fire in another, and this was divers times tried in the prefence of feveral Perfons. Be- 124 The Colletlion Between the 8.of JD^.and the i j.of Feb. in the Year rnentioned,divers Perfons at fuadry times heard in the Boy a noife like the croak* ing of a Toad, and a voice within him faying) Jane Brooks, Alice Coward, twelve times in near a quarter of an hour. At the fame time fome held a Candle before the Boys face, and earneftly looked on him, but could not perceive the leaft motion of his Tongue, Teeth or Lips, while the voice was heard. On the 25. of Feb. between two and three in the Afternoon , the Boy being at the houfe of Richard lfles in shepton Mallet , went out of the room into the Garden, lfles his Wife followed him, and was within two Yards when fhe faw him rife up from the ground before her, and fo mounted higher and higher till he paffed in the Air over the Garden wall, and was carried fo above ground more than 30 Yards, falling afrlaft at one Jordan's Door at shepton, where he was found as dead for a time. But com- ing to himfelf told Jordan, that Jane Brooh had taken him up by the Arm out of lfles his Garden, and carried him in the Air as is related. The Boy at feveral other times was gone on the fnddain , and upon fearch after him found in another room as dead, and at fome- times ftrangely hanging above the ground, his hands being flat againft a great Beam in of Relations. 125 in the top of the room, and all his Body two or three foot from ground. There he hath hung a quarter of an hour together, and being afterwards come to himfelf, he told thofe that found him,thzt Jane Brooks had carried him to that place and held him there. Nine People at a time faw the Boy fb ftrange* ly hanging by the Beam. From the 15. of Nov. to the 10. of March following, he was by reafon of his fits much wafted in his body and unfpirited, but after that time, being the day the two Women were fent to Gaol, he had no more of thofe fits. Jane Brooks was Condemned and Execu- ted at Charde Affizes, March 26. 1658. This is the fum of Mr. Hunts Narrative, which concludes with both the Juftices at- teftation, thus : The aforefaid paffages were fome of them feen by us: and the reft and fome other re- markable ones, not here fet down, were upon the examination of feveral credible witnelTes taken upon Oath before us. Subfcribed, Rob. Hunt, John Cary. This 126 The Coltetlion This I think is good evidence of the being of Witches •, if the Sadducec be not fatisfied with it, I would fain know what kind of Proof he would expect. Here are the Tefti- monies of fenfe, the Oaths of feveral credible attefters , the nice and deliberate fcrutiny of quick-fighted and judicious examiners, and the judgment of an Afiize upon the whole. And now the fecurity of all our lives and fortunes depends upon no greater circumQances of evidence than thefe. If fuch proof may not be credited , no Fact can be proved, no wickednefs can be pu- nifhed, no right can be determined , Law is at an end, and blind Juftice cannot tell how to decide any thing. Advertisement. The moft fit Advertifement here is Mr. Glarf- vills Tranfition to frefh Evidences , out of il*r. Hunts examinations, which is this. Thus far, faith he, the Evidence of Faff went in the former Editions, but having refolved upon this Reenforcement, / writ again to my Ho- noured Friend Mr. Hunt, knowing that he had more materials for my purpofe, and fuch as would afford proof fufficient to any modejl doubter. In Anfwer he was pieafed to fend me his Book of Examinations of Witches, which he kept Iff of Relations. 127 by him fairly written. It contains the difcovery of fuch an heUijh Knot of them , and that dif- covery fo clear and plain , that perhaps there hath not yet any thing appeared to us withftronger Evidence to confirm the belief of Witches. And had not his difcoveries and endeavours met with great oppofition and difcouragements from fome then in Authority, the whole Clan of thofe hetiifh Confederates in thefe parts had been juftly expofed and punifhed. Out of that Book I have Collected fome main inftances, the clearnefs of which I think will be enough to overcome and filence any indifferent prejudice. But fome are fo fettled and obdurate, that no proof in the world is fufficient to remove them. I begin with the Witchcrafts of Elizabeth Style. R E L A T. III. which containeth the Witchcrafts of Elizabeth Style of Bayford,. widow, THis Elizabeth Style of Stoke Trifter, in the County of Somerfet, was accufed by divers Perfons of Credit upon Oath be- fore Mr. Hunt, and particularly and largely 6onfefTed her guilt her felf, which was found 128 The ColieBion found by the Jury at her Trial at Taunton. But fhe prevented Execution by dying in Gaol, a little before the expiring of the term her Confederate Damon had fet for her en- joyment of Diabolical pleafures in this life, I have fhortned the examinations, and call them into fuch an order, as I think fitteft for the rendring the matter clear and in- . telligible. i. Exam. Rich, Hill of Stoke Trifler , in the County of Somerfet Yeoman, being ex- amined upon Oath, Jan.23. 1664. before. Rob. Hunt, Efq- one of His Majefties Juftices for that County, concerning the bewitch-. ..• ing of his Daughter by Eliz. style, declareth, ; That his Daughter Eliz. Hill, about the Age, of 13 Years, hath been for about two Months , laft paft taken with very ftrange fits which have held her an hour, two, three and . more 5 and that in thofe fits the Child hath ; told her Father, the Examinant and others, that one Eliz. style of the .fame Parifh ap- peared to her, and is the Perfon that Tor- . ments her. She alfo in her fits ufually tells what Clothes Eliz. style hath on at the time, \ which the informant and others have feen and found true. He faith further, that about a Fortnight before Chriftmas laft, be told Style that his Daughter fpoke much of her in her fits, and did believe that (he w*s bewitched by , her, of Relations.' 129 her. Whereupon Francis white, and waiter, and Robert Thick being prefent, willed her to complain to the Juftice againft him for accufing of her. But fhe having ufed feveral put-offs, faid fhe would do worfe than . fetch a Warrant. After which the Girl grew worfe than before, and at the end of a fit fhe tells the Examinant when fhe fhall have another, which happens accordingly, and affirms, that Style tells her when the next fit fhall come. He informs further, that Monday Night after Chriftmas day about Nine of the Clock, and four or five times fince about the fame hour of the Night * his Daughter hath been more Tormented than formerly , and that though held in a Chair by four or five People , fometimes fix, by the Arms, Legs, and Shoulders, fhe would rife out of her Chair, and raife her body about three or four foot high. And that after, in her fits, fhe would have holes made in her Hand-wrifts, Face, Neck, and other parts of her Body, which the Infor- mant and others that faw them conceived to be with Thorns. For they faw Thorns in her Flefh, and fome they hooked out. That upon the Childs pointing with her Finger from place to place, the Thorns and Holes immediately appeared to the Informant and others looking on. And as foon as the Child can fpeak after the fit, fhe faith that K k Widow l^o The CotleSlion Widow Style did prick her with Thorns in thofe feveral places, which was horrible Torment, and fhe feemed to the Informant and others ftanding by , td be in extream pain and torture. The Child hath been fo tormented and pricked with Thorns four feveral Nights, at which times the Infor- mant and many other People have feen the flefh rife up in little bunches in which Holes did appear. The Pricking held about a quarter of an hour at a time during each of the four fits, and the Informant hath feen the Child take out fome of thofe Thorns. The fame Rich. Hill Examined Jan. 26. 1664. informs, that when he rode from the Juftices houfe with a Warrant to bring Styles before him, his Horfe on a fuddain fate down on his breech and he could not after ride him , but as foon as he attempted to get up, his Horfe would fit down and paw with his feet before. He faith further, that fince Styles was Examined before the Juftice and made her Confeflion to him, ihe hath acknowledged to the Informant that fhe had hurt his Daughter, and that one Anne Bifhop, and Alice Duke, did joyn in bewitching of her. Taken upon Oath before me, Rob. Hunt. 2. Exam. William Parfons Re&or of Stoke Tri/ler,in the County of Somerfet, Examined the of Relations. 151 the 26. of Jan. 1664. before Rob. Hunt, Efa- concerning the bewitching of Rich. Hill $ Daughter faith, That on Monday Night after Chriftmas day then laft paft, he came into the room when Eliz. Hill was in her fit, many of his Parifhioners being prefent and looking on. He there faw the Child held in a Chair by main force by the People^ plunging far beyond the ftrength of nature, foaming and catching at her own Arms and Clothes with her Teeth. This fit he conceives held about half an hour. After fome time, fhe pointed with her finger to the left fide of her Head, next to her left Arm, and then to her left Hand, ejrc. and where fhe pointed he perceived a red fpbt to arife with a fmall black in the midfl of it like a fmall Thorn. She pointed alfo to her Toes one after another, and expreft great fenfe of Torment. This latter fit he gueffes continued about a quarter of an hour,.during moft or all of which time her ftomach feemed to fwell, and her head where fhe feemed to be prickt did fb very much. She fate foa- ming much of the time, and the next day after her fit^ fhe fhewed the Examinant the places where the Thorns were ftuck iri, and he faw the Thorns in thofe places. Taken upon Oath before me Subfcribed, Rob. Hunt. William Parfons Re&or of Stoke Trifter. K k 2 3. Exam; iji The Collection 3. Exam. Nicholas Lambert of Bayford, in the County of Somerfet Yeoman, Examined upon Oath before Rob. HuntffLfo^fJ an.$0,166^. concerning the bewitching of Rich. Hilt's Daughter by Elizabeth Style, teftifieth, That ^Monday after Chriftmas day laft , being with others in the houfe of Rich. Hill, he faw his Daughter Elizabeth taken very ill, and in fits that were fo ftrong that fix Men could not hold her down in a Chair in which fhe was fate, but that fhe would raife the Chair up in fpight of their utmoft force. J That in her fits being not able to fpeak, fhe would reft her body as one in great Torment, and point with her Finger to her Neck,' Head, Hand-wrifts, Arms and Toes. And he, with the reft looking on the places to which fhe pointed, faw on thefuddain little red fpots arife with little black ones in the j midfl, as if Thorns were ftuck in them, 1 but the Child then onely pointed without touching her flefh with her Finger. Taken upon Oath before me Rob. Hunt, 4. Exam. Richard Vining of Stoke Trifter Butcher, Examined Jan. 26. 1664. Derore Rob. Hunt, Efq; concerning the bewitching of his Wife by Eliz. style, faith, That about two or three days before S. James's day three years fince or thereabout , his late Wife Agnes of Relations. 1^5 i^ignes fell out with Eliz. Style, and within two or three days after fhe was taken with a grievous pricking in her Thigh, which pain continued for a long time, till after fome Phyfick taken from one Hallet, fhe was at fome eafe for three or four weeks. About the Chriftmas after the mentioned S. James's day, Style came to the Examinants houfe, and gave Agnes his Wife two Apples, one of them a very fair red Apple, which Style defired her to eat , which fhe did, and in a few hours was taken ill and worfe than ever fhe had been before. Upon this, the Examinant went to one Mr. Compton , who lived in the Parifh of Ditch Eate, (the fame Perfon that fhe wed my Friend his Wife in a Glafs , as I have related in the ftory of Mr. Mompeffon ) for Phyfick for his Wife. Compton told him he could do her no good, for that fhe was hurt by a near Neighbour, who would come into his houfe and up into the Chamber where his Wife was, but would go out again without fpeak- ing. After Fining came home , being in the Chamber with his Wife, style came up to them, but went out again without faying a word. ^Agnes the Wife continued in great pain till Eafter Eve following, and then fhe dyed. Before her Death her Hip rotted and one of her Eyes fwelled out, fhe declared to him then and at feveral times be- K'k3 fore, 1^4 The Colletlion fore, that fhe believed Eliz. Style had be- witched her, and that fhe was the caufe of- Jier Death. Taken upon Oath before me, , V Rob. Hunt,: Whilft the Juftice was Examining style QtWincaunton, (which is not above a Mile and a half from stoke Trifter) upon the for- mer evidence againft her, he obferved that Rich, fining looked very earneftly upon him. Whereupon he askt Fining if he had any thing to fay unto him. He anfwered that | Style had bewitched his Wife, and told the- manner how, as is in his depofition related/ i The Woman Style upon this feemed appafed and concerned, and the Juflice faying|p her, You have been an old finner, &c. You deferve little mercy: fhe replied, I have askt, <3od raercy for it. Mr. Hunt askt her, why then fhe would continue in fuch ill courfes? fhe faid the Devil tempted her : and then began to make fome Confeflion of his ac"fcv ings with her. Upon this the Juftice fentu her to the Conftables houfe at Bafford, which" is in the Parifh of Stoke Trifter, (the Conftable* was one Mr. Gapper) and the next Morning^ went thither, himfelf, accompanied with* two Perfons of quality MiBuIl, and Mr Court, now Juftices of the Peace in this County. < Now of Relations. 135 Now before I proceed further in the fto- ry, I fhall take notice that here are Three credible witnefles 5 fwearing to the fame particulars, in'that the Child Elizabeth Hill ••was fometimes in ftrange fits, in which ' her ftrength was encreafed beyond the pro- portion of Nature, and the force of divers Men 5 that then fhe pointed to the parts of her Body, where they faw red fpots a- rifing, and black fpecks in the midft of them, that fhe complained fhe was prickt with Thorns, and two of them faw Thorns •in the places of which fhe complained. Some of which Thorns, one fwears that he and o- thersfaw hooked out, and that the Girl her felf pulled out others; that in her fits fhe declared Style appears to her (as Jane Brooks *$\o\ to Richard Jones, in the former Relati- on) and tells her when ihe fliall have ano- ther fit, which happens accordingly; that fhe defcribes the Clothes the Woman hath "' on, exactly as they find. But notwithftand- ing, all this fhall be Melancholy and Fancy, , or Legerdemain, or natural Diftemper, or any thing but Witchcraft, or the Fad: fhall be denied, and the three WitnefTes perjured, „ though this confidence againft the Oaths of fober Men, tend to the overthrow of all Teftimony and Hiftory, and the rendring ail Laws ufelefs. I fliall therefore proceed to further proof, and fuch as will abundantly Kk 4 ftrength- 1^6 The Colletlion ftrengthen this. It is the confeflion of Style her felf. I left Mr. Hunt, and the other two Gen- tlemen at theConftables houfe, where Style was, upon bufinefs of further Examination, where fhe enlarged upon the Confeflion fhe had before begun to make, and declared the whole matter at that and two other times after in the particulars that follow. 5. Exam. Elizabeth Styles her Confeflion , pf her Witchcrafts, Jan. 26. and 30. and feb. 7.1664. before Rob. Hunt Efq. She then confeffed, that the Devil about Ten years fince, appeared to her in the fhape of a hand- fome Man, and after of a black Dog. That he promifed her Mony, and that fhe fhould live gallantly, and have the pleafure of the ! World for Twelve years, if fhe would with her Blood fign his Paper, which was to give her Soul to him, and obferve his Laws, and that he might fuck her Blood. This after four felicitations, the Examinant pro- mifed him to do. Upon which he prickt' the fourth Finger of her right hand , be- tween the middle and upper joynt ( where the fign at the Examination remained ) and with a drop or two of her Blood, fhe figned the Paper with an £0J. Upon this the peyil gave her Sixpence, and vanifhed with ^he Paper. Tfhat fince he hath appeared to her in the ; fhape of Relations. 137 fhape of a Man, and did fo on wednefday fer ven-night paft, but more ufually he appears in the likenefs of a Dog, and Cat, and a Fly like a Millar, in which laft he ufually fucks in the^oll about four of the Clock in the Morning, and did fo Jan. 27. and that it u- fually is pain to her to be fo fuckt. That when (he hath a defire to do harm, fhe calls the Spirit by the name of Robin, to whom when he appeareth, fhe ufeth thefe words, 0 Sathan give me my purpofe. She then tells him what fhe would have done. And that he fhould fo appear to her, was part of her Contract with him. That about a Month ago he appearing , fhe defired him to torment one Elizabeth Hill, and to thruft Thorns into her fiefli, which he promifed to do, and the next time he appeared, he told her he had done it. That a little above a Month fince this Ex- aminant, Alice puke, Anne Bifljop&nd Mary Penny, met about nine of the Clock in the Night, in the Common near Trifter Gate, where they met a Man in black Clothes with a little Band, to whom they did Courtefie and due obfervance, and the Examinant ve- rily believes that this was the Devil. At that time Alice Duke brought a Picture in Wax, which was for Elizabeth Hill. The Man in black took it in his Arms, anoint- ed 158 The Collection ed its Fore-head, and faid, / Baptize thee with this Oyl, and ufed fome other words. He was Godfather, and the Examinant and Anne Bifhop Godmothers. They called it £- liz,abeth or Befs. Then the Man in $lack , this Examinant, Anne Bifhop, and Alice Duke ftuck Thorns into feveral places of the Neck, Hand-wrifts, Fingers, and other parts of the faid Picture. After which they had Wine, Cakes and Roaftmeat ( all brought by the Man in black ) which they did eat and drink. They danced and were merry, were bodily there, and in their Clothes. She further faith, that the fame perfons met again, at or near the fame place about a Month fince, when Anne Bifhop^ brought a Pidure in Wax, which was Baptized John, in like manner as the other was, the Man in black was Godfather, and Alice Duke and this Examinant Godmothers. As foon as it was Baptized, Anne Bijhop ftuck two Thorns into the Arms of the Picture, which was for one Robert Newmans Child of Win- ' caunton. After they had eaten, drank, dan^ ced and made merry, they departed. That flie with Anne Bifhop, and Alice Duke j met at another time in the Night, in a ground near Marnhul, where alfo met feve- ral other perfons. The Devil then alfo there in the former fliape, Baptized a Picture by the name of ^inne or Rachel Hatcher. The of Relations. 130, The Picture one Durnford's Wife brought, and ftuck Thorns in it. Then they alfo made merry with Wine and Cakes, and fo departed. * She faith, before they are carried to their meetings, they anoint their Foreheads, and Hand-wrifts with an Oyl the Spirit brings them (which fmells raw) and then they are carried in a very fhort time, ufing thefe words as they pafs, Thout, tout a tout, tout, throughout and about. And when they go off from their Meetings, they fay, Rentum Tor- mentum. That at their firft meeting, the Man in black bids them welcome, and they all make low obeyfance to him, and he delivers fome Wax Candles like little Torches,which they give back again at parting. When they anoint themfelves, they ule a long form of words, and when they ftick in Thorns in- to the Picture of any they would torment they fay, A Pox on thee, fie fpite thee. That at every meeting before the Spirit vaniflieth away, he appoints the next meet- ing place and time, and at his departure there is a foul fmell. At their meeting they have ufually Wine or good%Beer, Cakes, Meat or the like. They eat and drink re- ally when they meet in their bodies, dance alfo and have Mufick. The Man in black fits at the higher end, and Anne Bifhop ufu-. 140 The Collection ally next him, He ufeth fome words before meat, and none after, his voice is audible, but very low. m ... That they are carried fometimes in their Bodies and their Clothes, fometimes with- out, and as the Examinant thinks their Bo- dies are fometimes teft behind. When on- ly their Spirits are prefent, yet they know one another. When they would bewitch Man,Woman or Child, they do it fometimes by a Picture made in Wax, which the Devil formally Baptizeth. Sometimes they have an Apple, Difi, spoon ot' other thing, from their evil Spirit, which they give the party to whom they would do harm. Upon which they. have power to hurt the perfon that eats or receives it. Sometimes they have power to do mifchief by a touch or curfe, by thefe they can mifchief Cattle , and by curfing without touching •, but neither without the Devils leave. That fhe hath been at feveral general meetings in the night at High Common, and a Common near Metcombe, at a place near Marnhall, and at other places where have met Johi Combes, John Vining, Richard Dickes, Thmas Bofter or Bolfter, Thomas Dun- ning, James Bufh a lame Man, Rachel King, Richard Lannen, a Woman called Durnford, Alice Duke, Anne Mi/hop, Mary Penny and Chriftopher of Relations. 141 chriftopber Ellen, all which did obeyfance to the Man in black, who was at every one of their meetings. Ufually they have at them fome Picture Baptized. The Man in black, fometimes playes on a Pipe or Cittern, and the compa- ny dance. At laft the the Devil vanifli- etb, and all are carried to their feveral homes in a fhort fpace. At their part- ing they fay [ A Boy / merry meet, merry part. ] That the reafon why (he caufed Eliza- beth Hill to be the more tormented was, becaufe her Father had faid, fhe was a Witch. That fhe has feen Alice Dukes Fa- miliar fuck her, in the fliape of a Cat5 and Anne Bifhops fuck her in the fhape of a Rat. That fhe never heard the name of God or Jefus Chrift mentioned at any of their meetings. That Anne Bifhop , about five years and a half fince, did bring a Picture in Wax to their meeting, which was Baptized by the Man in black, and called Peter. It was for Robert Newman's Child at Wincaun- ton. % That fome two years ago, fhe gave two Apples to Agnes riving, late Wife of Richard Fining, and that (he had one of the Apples from the Devil, who then appeared to her and 141 The Collection and told, That Apple would do V'ming's wive t bufinefs Taken in the prefence of feveral grave and Orthodox Divines before me Robert Hunh 6. Exam. William Parfons Rector of Stoke Trifter, Examined Feb. 7.1664. before Rob. Hunt Efq-, concerning Elizabeth Style's con- feflion, faith, That he heard Style before the Juftice of Peace, at the time of her Exami- nation confefs, as fhe hath done alfo to the Examinant feveral times fince, that fhe was .in Covenant with the Devil, that fhe had figned it with her Blood, that llie had been , with the Devil at feveral meetings in the night, that at one time of thofe meetings, there was brought a Picture in blackifh Wax, which the Devil in the fliape of a Man in blackifh Clothes, did Baptize by the . name of Eliz. Hill, that fhe did ftick in one M Thorn into the Hand-wrifts of the Picture, , that Alice Duke ftuck Thorns into the fame, and that ^inne Bifhop and Mary Penny were prefent at that meeting with the Devil. Tfjbn upon Oath before me Robert Hunt. Subfcribed, William Patforis Rector of Stoke Trifter. [this of Relations. 143 This Confeffion of Styles was free and un- forced, without any torturing or watching, drawn from her by a gentle Examination, meeting with the Convictions of a guilty Confcience. She confeffeth that fhe defired the Devil to torment Eliz. Hill, by thrufting Thorns into her flefh, which he promifed, and faid he had done it. That a Picture was Baptized for her the faid Elizabeth, and that She, the Familiar, and Alice Duke ftuck Thorns into feveral places of the Neck, Hand-wrifts, Fingers and other parts there- of, which exactly agrees with the ftrange effects related, concerning the torments the Child fuffered, and this mifchief fhe confef- *y feth fhe did, becaufe her Father faid fhe was a Witch. She confeffeth fhe gave two Apples to Vinings Wife , one of which fhe had from the Devil, who faid it would do the bufinefs, which lutes alfo with the Te- ftimony of Fining concerning his Wife. She confeffeth further, That the Devil ufeth to fuck her in the Poll, about four a Clock in the Morning , in the Form of a Fly like a Millar, concerning which, let us hear Teftimony (the other particulars of her Confeffion we fhall confider *as occafion offers.) 7. Exam. Nicholas Lambert Examined a- gain Jan. 26.166^. before Rob. Hunt E(q5 concerning what happened after Styles con- feffion, 144 r^7e Cofotttort feffion, teftifyeth, That Eliz. Style having been Examined before the Juftice, made her Confeflion, and committed to the Oflicer, the Juftice required this Examinant, William Thick and William Read of Bay ford to watch her, which they did ; and this Informant fitting near Style by the fire, and reading in the Practice of Piety, about Three of the Clock in the Morning, there came from her Head a glittering bright Fly, about an Inch in length, which pitched at firft in the Chimney, and then vanifhed. In lefs than a quarter of an hour after, there appeared two Flies more of a lefs fize, and another colour, which feemed to ftrike at the Ex- aminants hand, in which he held his Book but miffed it, the one going over, the o- ther under at the fame time. He looking fledfaftly then on Style, perceived her countenance to change, and to become very black and gaftly, the fire alfo at the fame time changing its colour; where- upon the Examinant, Thick and Read con- ceiving that her Familiar was then about her, looked to her Poll, and feeing her Hair make very ftrangely took it up, and then a Fly like a great Millar flew out from the place, and pitched on the Table-board, and then vanifhed away. Upon this the Exa- minant, and the other two perfons looking again in styles Poll, found it very red and of Relations. "145 like raw Beef. The Examinant askt her what it was that went out of her Poll, fhe faid it was a Butterfly, and askt them why they had not caught it. Lambert faid, they could not; I think fo too, anfwered (he. A little while after, the Informant and the o- thers looking again into her Poll , found the place to be of its former colour. The Examinant demanding again what the Fly was, (he confeffed it was her Familiar, and that fhe felt it tickle in her Poll, and that was the ufual time when her Familiar came to her. Taken upon Oath before me Robert Hunt. 8. Exam. Eliz.Torwood of Bay ford, Exa- mined Feb. 7. 1664. before Rob. Hunt Efq5 concerning the mark found about Ehz. Style after her Confeffion, Depofeth, That fhe to- gether with Catharine White-, Mary Day, Ma* ry Bolder, and Bridget Prankard, did a little after chriftmas laft, fearch Eliz. Style, and . that in her Poll they found a little riling which felt hard like a Kernel of Beef, where- upon they fufpecting it to be an ill mark, thruft a Pin into it, and having drawn « out, thruft it in again tfie fecond time, leaving it flicking in the flefh for fome time, that the other Women might alfo fee it. L1 Not- 146 Tk Cotteltion Notwithftanding which, style did neither at the firft or fecond time make the leaft fhew that fhe felt any thing. But after, when the Conftable told her he would thruft in a Pin to the place, and made a fhew as if he did, O Lord, faid fhe, do you prick me, whenas no one then touched her. The Examinant further faith, that Style hath fince confeffed to her, that her Fami- liar did ufe to fuck her in the place men- tioned? in the fhape of a great Millar or But- terfly. Catharine white, Mary Day, Mary Bolfter and Bridget Prankard do fay, that the above- faid Examination of Eliz. Torrvood is truth. Taken upon Oath before me Rob. Bunt. RELAT. of Relations. 147 RELAT. IV. which is the Examination and Confeffion ^Alice Duke , alias Manning ( another Witch of Styles Knot) of Wincmntori, in the Conn- iy of Somerfet widdcw, taken Jan. 27. and Feb. 2.7.10. 21. An. 1664. before Robert Hunt fe'/f. THe Examinant faith, That when fhe li- ved with Anne Bifhop of wincaunton, a- bout Eleven or Twelve years ago, Anne fifbop perfwaded her to go with her into the Church-yard in the night-time, and being come thither, to go backward round the Church, which they did three times. In their firft round, they met a Man in black Clothes, who went round the fecond time with them, and then they met a thing in the fhape of a great black Toad, which leapt up againft the Examinants Apron. In their third round they met fomewhat in the fhape of a Rat, which vanifhed away. After this the Examinant and Anne Bifhop went home, but before Anne Bifhop went on, the Man id black faid fomewhat to her foftly, which the Informant could not hear. A few1 days after, Anne Bifhop fpeaking LI t about 14S The Coltetlion about their going round the Church , told the Examinant, that now fhe might have her defire, and what fhe would wifh for. And fliortly after, the Devil appeared to her in the fhape of a Man, promifing that fhe fhould want nothing, and that if fhe curfed ariy thing with 0/ Pox take it, fhe fhould have her purpofe, in cafe fhe would give her Soul to him, fuffer him to fuck her Blood, keep his Secrets, and be his in- ftrument to do fuch mifchief as he would fet her about. AU which, Upon his fecond appearing to her, fhe yielded to, and the Devil having prickt the fourth finger of her right hand between the middle and upper joynt(where the mark is yet to be feen) gave her a Pen, with which fhe made a crofsof mark with her Blood on Paper or Parch- ment, that the Devil offered her for the con- j firmation of the Agreement, which was done in the prefence of Anne Bifhop. And. as foon as the Examinant had figned it, the Devil gave her Sixpence, and went away with the Paper or Parchment. Further fhe confeffeth, That fhe hath been at feveral meetings in Lie Common, and other places m the night, and that her Forehead being firft anointed with a Feather dipt in Oyl, fhe hath been fuddenly carried to the place of their meeting. That about five or fix Weeks fince ( or more) fhe met in of Relations. 149 in the faid Common in the night ] where were prefent Anne Bifhop , Mary Penny of Wincaunton, Elizabeth Style of Bayford0 and a Man in black Clothes with a little Band, whom fhe fuppofeth to have been the De- vil. At the meeting there was a Picture in Wax, which the Man in black took in his Arras, and having anointed its Forehead with a little greenifh Oyl, and ufing a few words, Baptized it by the name of Elizabeth or Befs Hill, for.the Daughter of Richard HiB. Then the Devil, this Examinant, Anne Bifhop, and Elizabeth Style ftuck Thorns in the Neck, Head, Hand-wrifts, Fingers anc) other parts of the Picture, Saying, A Pox on thee, fie Jpite tbee. This done, all fate down, a white Cloth being fpread on the ground, and did drink Wine, and eat Cakes and Meat. After all was ended, the Man in black vaniftied, leaving an ugly fmell at parting. The reft were on a fudden con- veighed to their homes. On Monday night after Chriftmas day laft, fhe met the fame Company again, near a- bout the fame place, and then ^Anne Bifhop (who was there in a green Apron, a French Waftcoat and a red Petticoat) brought in her Apron a Picture in blackifh Wax, whkh the Devil Baptized as before, by the name of John Newman, for the Son of Rob. New- man of Wincaunton, and then the Devil firft, L 1 3 after 150 The Collection after Anne Bifhop and this Examinant thruft in Thorns into the Picture , Anne Bifbtp (licking in two Thorns into the Arms of it. The Picture Anne Bifhop carried away with her. They were all there prefent in their Clothes, and the Pevil in the fhape of a Man in black. About Five years and a half fince, the fame perfons were at the Baptizing of ano- ther Image, by the name of Peter Newman, another Son of Robert Newman, both which are fince dead, and thep Anne Bifhop defired the Examinant to joyn with her in bewitch- ing of Peter and John Newman. At another time fhe was carried to a meeting in the night, to a green place near M&rnhull as fhe was then told, where were prefent Anne Bifhop, Eliz. Style, Mary Penny, and fome unknown to her. Then alfo an Image in Wax was Baptized by the Devil, in the fore-related manner, by the name of Anne or Rachel Hatcher one of Marnbutl^z fhe was then informed. After the Ceremony was ended, they had Wine, Cakes, ejrc She likewife confeffeth, that fhe was at another fuch meeting, where twelve per- fons were prefent, many of whom were un- known to her, but fhe took notice of one lame Man in blackifh Hair among them, and of the Devil as before. She of Relations. 151 She faith that after their meetings, they all make very low obeyfances to the Devil, who appears in black Clothes and a little Band. He bids them welcome at their com- ing, and brings Wine or Beer, Cakes, Meat, or the like. He fits at the higher end, and ufually Anne Bifhop fits next him. They cat, drink, dance, and haveMufick. At their parting they ufe to fay, Merry meet merry part, and that before they are carried to their meetings, their Foreheads are anointed with greenifh Oyl that they have from the Spi- rit which fmells raw. They for the moft part are carried in the Air. As they pafs, they fay, Thout, tout a tout, tout, throughout and about. Paffing back they fay, Rentum Tormentum,zn& another word which fhe doth not remember. She confeffeth that her Familiar doth com- monly fuck her right Breaft about feven at night, in the fhape of a little Cat of a dun- nifh colour, which is as fmooth as a Want, and when fhe is fuckt, fhe is in a kind of a Trance. That (lie hurt Thomas Garret's Cowes, becaufe he refufed to write a Petition for her. That fiie hurt Thomas Conway, by putting a Difh into his Hand, which Diili fhe had from the Devil, fhe gave it him to give his Daughter for good hanfel. LI 4 That i$i The Collection That fhe hurt Dorothy the Wife of George Fining, by giving an Iron flate to put into her fteeling Box. That being angry with Edith Watts, the Daughter of Edmond watts for treading on her Foot, fhe curfed Edith with a Pox on you, and after touched her, which hath done the faid Edith much harm, for which fhe is forry. That being provoked by Swantons firft Wife , fhe did before her death curfe her, with a Pox on you, believes (lie did thereby hurt her, but denies fhe did bewitch Mr. Swantonh Cattle. She faith, That when the Devil doth any thing for her, (lie calls for him by the name of Robin, upon which he appears , and when in the fhape of a Man,fhe can hear him fpeak, but his voice is very low. He pro- mifed her when fhe made her contract with him, that fhe fhould want nothing, but ever fince file hath wanted all things. Jaken before me Rob. Hunt. I. Exam. Thomas Conway of wine aunt on, in the County of Somerfet, Examined Feb. 12. 1664. before Robert Hunt Efquire, con- cerning Alice Duke, informeth, That about Twelve Months fince Alice Duke alias Man- ping, brought a little Pewter Difli to this Infor- of Relations. I $ 5 Informant, and told him it was good han- fel for his Daughter. The Examinant wil- led the faid Alice to carry it to her, fhe be- ing within by the fire, but (he forced the Difh into his hand and went away. Shortly after he was taken extreamly ill in all his Limbs. Of which illnefs the Phyficians, whom he applied himfelf to, could give no account. When (he went from him, fhe was very angry and muttered much, becaufe he would not fign a Petition on her behalf. She hath confeffed to him fince that fhe had theDifh from the Devil, and gave it to him on purpofe to hurt him. He hath been , and is fince in great torment , and much weakned and wafted in his Body, which he imputes to the evil practices of Alice puke, Taken upon Oath before me Rob. Hunt. 2. Exam. Mary the Wife of The Conway, Examined March 6. 1664. before: Rob. Hunt Efq; concerning malice Duke, faith, That her Husband The. Conway about a year ago cjelivered her a little Pewter Difh, telling her he had it from Alice Duke for good han- felfor his Daughter, who had lately lain in. In this Dilh fhe warmed a little Deer-fewet and Rofe-water, anointing her Daughters Nipples 154 Tl?e Cofottio*1 Nipples with it, which put her to extream pain. Upon which fufpecting harm from the difh, fhe put it into the fire, which then prefently vanifhed and nothing of it could afterwards be found. After, when fhe anointed her Daughters Nipples with the fame Dcepfewet and Rofe-water, warmed in a fpoon, fhe complained not of any pain. She further faith, That her Husband after he had received the difh from the hands of Alice Duke,\vas taken ill in all his Limbs,and held for a long time in a very ftrange manner. . ^ l. i c Taken upon Oath before me Rob. Hunt, 3. Exam. Edward watts of mncaunton, in the County of Somerfet, Examined Mar. 6. 1664: before Robert Hunt, Efq-, concerning Alice Duke, faith, That he hath a Child called Edith, about Ten years of Age, who for the .fpace of half a year hath languifhed and pined away, and that fhe told him that treading one day on the Toe of Alice Dukey flie in great anger curfed her with a Pox on thee, and that from that time the Child began to be ill and to pine away, which (he hath done ever fince. [Taken upon Oath before me Rob, Hunt. AD: e/* Relations, 155 Advertisement, Befides the plain agreement betwixt the Witneffes, and the Witches own Confeffion, it may be worth the taking notice here, how well her confefjfon cf having her familiar fuck her in the fhape of a Cat, agrees with Eliz. StyleV Confeffion, that fhe had feen Alice Dukes Fa. miliar fuck her in that fhape. ^As alfo how the bewitching of Edward WattsV Child by Alice Duke her faying, a Pox on her, agrees with the prcmife of the Devil to her, which is exprefy, That if fhe curfed any thing with a Pox take it, fhe fhould have her purpofe. She alfo teftifying ef the Baptizing the Image of Eliz. Hill, and of thofe forms of 'words, Thout, tout a tout, and Rentum Tormentum at their going to their meetings and departing, plainly fhews that thefe things are not tranfaSled in dreams but in reality. The Devil alfo as in other fori es leaving an ill fmell behind himx feems to imply the reality of the bufinefs, thofe afcitithm particles he held together in his vifible vehicle, being loofened at his vanifhing, and [o offending the nofirils by their footing and dijfu- fmg themfelves in the open Air. R E L A T. 156 The Colletlion R E L A T. V. which is the Examination and Confeffion of Chriftian Green , Aged about thirty three years, wife of Rob. Green of Bre wham, in the County of Somerfet, taken before Rob. Hunt, Efq- March 2. 1664. THis Examinant faith, That about a year and a half fince (fhe being in great poverty) one Catharine Green of Brew* ham, told her, that if fhe would fhe might be in a better condition, and then perfwaded her to make a Covenant with the Devil. . Being afterwards together in one Mr. Huffefs Ground in Brewham Forreft about Noon , Catharine called for the Devil, who appeared in the fhape of a Man in blackifh Clothes, and faid fomewhat to Catharine which Chriftian could not hear. After which the Devil (as fhe conceived him) told the Exami- nant that fhe fhould want neither Clothes, Victuals, nor Money , if fhe would give her Body and Soul to him, keep his fecrets, and fuffer him to fuck her once in twenty four hours , which at laft upon his and 1 Catharine Greens perfwafion fhe yielded to ; then the Man in black prickt the fourth finger of Relations. . i 5? finger of her Right-hand between the middle and upper joints, where the fign yet re- mains , and took two drops of her blood on his finger , giving her fourpence halfpenny, with which fhe after bought Bread in Brew- ham. Then he fpake again in private with Catharine and vanifhed, leaving a fmell of Brimftone behind. Since that time the Devil (fhe faith) hath and doth ufually fuck her left Breft about five of the Clock in the Morning in the likenefs of an Hedg-hog, bending, and did fo on wednefday Morning laft. She faith it is painful to her, and that fhe is ufually in a trance when fhe is fuckt. She faith alfo , that Catharine Green, and Margaret Agar of Brewham, have told her that they are in Covenant with the Devil, and confeffeth that fhe hath been at feveral meetings in the Night in Brewham Common, and in a Ground of Mr.Huffefs, that fhe hath there met with Catharine Green and Margaret Agar,, and three or four times with OHary Warberton of Brewham, That in all thofe meetings the Devil hath been prefent in the fhape of a Man in black Clothes. At their firft coming he bids them welcome, but always fpeaks very low. That at a meeting about three weeks or a Month fince at or near the former place, Marparet Agar brought thither an Image in 6 * JVax, I $8 The Collection Wax, for Elizabeth the Wife of Andrew Cornifh of Brewham, and the Devil in the fhape of a Man in black Clothes did Baptize it, and after ftuck a Thorn into its Head 5 that Agar ftuck one into its Stomach, and Catharine Green one into its fide. She fur- ther faith, that before this time, Agar faid toiler this Examinant, that fhe would hurt Eliz. Cornifh, who fince the Baptizing of the Picture hath been taken and continues very ill. She faith, that three or four days before Jof. Talbot of Brewham dyed, Margaret Agar told her that fhe would rid him out of the World , becaufe being Overfeer of the Poor he made her Children go to Service, and re- filled to give them fuch good Clothes as fhe defired. And fince the Death of Talbot, fhe confeffed to the Examinant, that fhe had bewitcht him to Death. He dyed about a year fince, was taken ill on Friday, and dyed about Wednefday after. That her Mother-in-Law Catharine Green^ about five or fix years ago was taken in a ftrange manner. One day one Eye and Cheek did fwell, another day another, and fo fhe continued in great pain, till fhe dyed. Upon her Death fhe feveral times faid in the hearing of the Examinant, that her Sifter- in-Law Catharine Green had bewitched her^ and the Examinant belicVes that fhe bewitcht her to Death. That of Relations. 159 That a little before Michaelmas laft, the faid Catharine curfed the Horfes of Rob. waiter of Brewham , faying, A Murrain on them Horfes to Death. Upon which the Horfes being three, all dyed. Taken before me Rob. Hunt. R E L AT. VI. Containing further Teftimonies of the villainous feats of that rampant hagg Margaret Agar of Brewham, in the County ^f Somerfet. j. Exam.T7 Lizabeth Talbot of Brewham, j\ Examined March 7. 1654. before Rob. Hunt, Efq; faith, That about three weeks before her Father Jof. Talbot dyed, Margaret Agar fell out with him, becaufe he being Overfeer for the Poor, did require Agarh Daughter to go to Service, and faid to him, that he was proud of his .living, but fwore by the blood of the Lord,that he fhould not long enjoy it. Within three weeks of which he was fuddainly taken in his body as if he had been ftabb'd with Daggers, and fo continued four or five days in great pain and then dyed. Rob. Hunt. 2. Ex- 160 Tlie Collection z. Exam. Jof. Smith of Brewham, Huf- bandman , Examined March 15. 1664. before Rob. Hunt, Efq; faith, That fome few days before Jof. Talbot dyed, he heard Mar- garet K^4gar rail very much at him, becaufe he had caufed her Daughter to go to Service, and faid, that he fliould not keep his living but be drawn out upon four Mens fhoulders. That fhe fhould tread upon his jaws, and fee the grafs grow over his head, which fhe fwore by the blood of the Lord. Taken upon Oath before Rob. Hunt, 3. Exam. CMary the Wife of William Smith of Brewham , Examined CMarch 8. 1664. before Rob. Hunt, Efq5 faith, That about two years fince CWargaret ^Agar came to her and called her Whore, adding, 0/ Plague take you for an old whore, I (hall live to fee thee rot on the Earro before I die, and thy Cows fhall fall and die at my feet. A fhort time after whichjfhe had three Cows that died very ftrangely, and two of them at the door of ^Margaret \~Agar. And ever | fince the Examinant hath confumed and pined away, her Body and her Bowels rot- ting, and fhe verily believes that her Cattle and her felf were bewitcht by ^4gar. Taken upon Oath before Rob. Hunt. 4. Exam.. of Relations. i£r 4. Exam. Catharine Green alias Cornifh bf Brewham, Widow, Examined caret Agar took out of her lap a little Picture in blackiQi Wax, which fhe delivered to the Man in black, who ftuck a Thorn into the Crown of the Picture, and then dehvered it back to Agar. Upon which me ftuck a Thorn towards the heart of the Pi&u*j Curfing and laying, dPUgueonyou; whicti fhe told the Examinant was done to hurt Eliz. Cornifh , who as fhe hatli been told hath been very ill ever fince that time. That a little above a year fince Jof. Talbot late of Brewham, being Overfeet# for the Poor, did caufe two bf Agar's Children to co to Service. Upon which (he was very anery and faid in the Examinartts hearing a tew days before he fell fick and died, that (he had trod upon the jaws of three or her Enemies, and that fhe Ihould fhortlylee • Talbot rot and tread on his jaws. And when this Examinant defired her not to hurt Talboti fhe fwore by the blodd of the Lord * fhe M m would 162 The Colletlion would confound him if fhe could. The day before he dyed , fhe faid to the Examinant, Gods wounds Tie go and fee him, for I (hall never fee him more 5 and the next day Talbot dyed. That fhe heard CMargaret Agar curfe CMary Smith, and fay, fhe fhould live to fee her and her Cattle fall and rot before her face. Taken upon Oath before Rob. Hunt, 5. Exam. Mary Green of Brewhim, tingle Woman, Examined June 3. 1665. before Rob. Hunt, Efq-, faith, That about a Month before 'jof..Talbot late of Brewham dyed, \Margaret Agar felj out with him about the putting out of her Child to Service. After that fhe faw a Picture in Clay or Wax in the hands of Agar , which fhe faid was for Talbot, the Picture fhe faw her deliver in Redmore, to the Fiend in the fhapeof a Man in black about an hour in the Night, who ftuck a Thorn in or near the Heart of it, i^Agar ftuck another in the Breaft, and Ca- tharine Green, cilice Green, Mary warberton, Henry Walter and Chriftian Green, all of Brew- ham , were then and there prefent, and did aU ftick Thorns into the Picture. At of Relations. i6j At that time Catharine Green fpake to Agar not to hurt Talbot , becaufe fhe received fomewhat from him often times, bmAgar replied, by the Lords blood fhe would con- found him , or words to that purpofe. That a little before Talbot was taken fick ] Agar being in the houfe where the Exami- nant lived, fwore that fhe fhould e're long tread upon his jiws. And that if Talbot made her Daughter go to Service for a year * yet if (he came home in a quarter it would be time enough to fee him carried out upoii four Mensfhoulders and to tread upon his jaws. That on the day Talbot dyed, fhe heard ^Agar fyvear that fhe had now plagued Talbot 5 and that being in company with herYome time before, and feeing a dead Horfe of Talbot's drawn along by another of his Horfes, fhe fwore that that Horfe. fhould be alio drawn out to morrow ,. and. the next day fhe faw the well Horfe alio drawn out dead. That above a Month before Margaret Agar was fent to Gaol, fhe faw her, Henry Walter^ Catharine Green, Jone Syms , chriftian Green, Mary warberton and others, meet at a place called Huffeys-knap in the Forreft in the Nighttime, where met them the Fiend in the fhape of a little Man in black Clothes with alittleband,toliirtiall made obeyfances, Mm 2 and 164 Tl* ColleBion and at that time a Picture in Wax or Clay was delivered by Agar to the Man in black 3 who ftuck a Thorn into the Crown of it, KMargaret K^igar one towards the Breaft, Catharine Green in the fide 5 after which Agar threw down the Picture and faid, there is Cornifhes Picture with a Murrain to it, or Plague on it. And that at both the meetings there was a noifom fmell of Brim- ftone. That about two years fince in the Night there met in the fame place Agar , Henry Walter, Catharine Green, Jone Syms, Alice Green and Mary warberton. Then alfo Margaret Agar delivered to the little Man in black a Picture in Wax, into which he and Agar ftuck Thorns, and Henry Walter thruft his Thumb into the fide of it. Then they threw it down and faid , there is Dick Greens Picture with a Pox in*t. A fhort time after which Rich. Green was taken ill and dyed. Further he faith, That on Thurfday Night before Whitfunday laft , about the fame place met Catharine Green , Alice Green, J one Syms, Mary Warberton, Dinah and Doroth) warberton and Henry Walter, and being met they called out Robin. Upon which inftantly appeared a little Man in black Clothes to whom all made obeyfance , and the little Man put his hand to his Hat, faying, How of Relations, j 165 do ye i fpeaking low but big. [Kfren all made low obeyfances to him again. That fhe hath feen Margaret Clark twice at the meet- ings , but fince Margaret t^gar was fent to Pnfon fhe never faw her there. Taken before me Rob, Hunt. Advertisement, Before we paft to other Relations, // will not be ami ftfurther to remark upon thefe taken out of the Examinations of Mr. Hunt: From the pot'fined apples that Jane Brooks gave to Rich. Jones, and Eliz. Style to Agnes Vining, and the poifoned Pewter-dijh that Alice Duke put into the hands of Thomas Conway, (which difh and apples they had from the Devil) we may obferve in what a peculiar fenfe Witches and Wizzards are called ?*ff**xoi, Venefici and Veneficse, Poyfoners. Not that they mifchieve People ordinarily by natural Poifons, as t^Arfenick and the like, but rather by fome hellifh malig- nancy infufed into things by the art and malic-e of the Devil, or by the fleams of their own Body which the Devil fucks. For the hand of Jane Brooks ftroaking down Rich. Jones his fide impreffedapain thereon. M m 3 w* 166 , The Colteftion tt'e may dferve alfo what an cximiom Ex- ample of Mofes his MecafTephah (the word which he ufes in that Law, Thou fhalt not fuffer a Witch to live) Margaret Agar is, and howftly fome interpreters render MecafTc- phim, MaJefici, from the great mifchief they do and delight in. <^4nd what a great credit this Agar is to J. Webfter, and the reft of the Hogg-advocates, which would make them to be meer couzening Queans or JlJelancholick Fopps that had nothing to do with the Devil. k^As if Phe Man in black and a little band were but fuch another as J. Webfter, or any other Hogg- advocate.that in waggery allied the part of the Devil in HufTeys Knap, or any fuch like place of a Forreft, andfo after all quickly and fuddainly recoiling behind a bufh and letting fly into the wind, the deluded Haggs took it for the vanish- ing of the very Fiend and his perfuming the Air with the fmeU ofBrimftoae. One that can re- folve ali thefeats of the Hartummim ?/"Egypt into tricks of Legerdemain,cannot he eafily delude the company with fuch a feat as this , the old Wives being thick of hearing and carrying their fpeUacles not on their nofes but in their pockets ? ^And laftly from the Devils covenanting with the Witches for their Souls , it may be obferved that the old Haggs dealing bon4 fidde , and thinking they have Souls furviving their bodies, are better Philofophers than the huffy wits of our L^ge that deny diflincJion of Soul and Body. But of Relations* \6j But if they have not (as thefe Huffers would have it)and the Haggs think fo themfelves,it is a pretty Paradox that thefe old Fopps fhould be able to out- wit the very Devil$ who does not in bartering for their Bodies and Souls buy a Pig in a poke, as the Proverb is, but a poke without a Pig. But I rather believe that thefe huffing Wits, as high as they are , may learn one true point of Philo- fophy from thefe Haggs and their Familiars 5 thefe evil Spirits certainly making their bargains wifely enough in covenanting for the Witches Soul, which elaufe if it were not expreft , the Soul were free from the Familiars jurisdiction after death. Wherefore it is no contemptible argument thefe evil Spirits covenanting for the Soul of the Witch , that they know the Soul furvives the Body, and therefore make their bargain fure for the poffeffion of it as their Pe- culium after death. Otherwife if the Soul were mortal they would tell the Witches fo, the more eafily to precipitate them into all wickednefl, and make them more eager by their miniftry to enjoy this prefent life. But this Doctrine is inconfftent with the form of his Covenant, where* by they are affured to him after de&ih. Mm4 RELAT. l68 The Collection & E L A T. VII. fouching Florence Newton an Irifh witch of Youghal, taken out of her Trial at the Af- fizes held for the County of Corke, Sept. n, Ann. 1661* THis Florence Newton was committed tp Toughall Prifon , by the Major of the Town, March 24. 1661. for bewitching Ma- ry tongdon, who gave evidence againft her af Cork Affixes, as follows. Mary Longdon !>eing fworn and examined what fhe could ay againft the faid Florence Newton for any practice of Witchcraft upon herfelf, and | being bidden to look on the Prifoner, her countenance changed pale, and fhe was ve- ry fearful to look towards her, but at laft fhe did. And being askt whether fhe knew her, Ihe faid fhe did, and wifht fhe never had. Beinj* askt how long fhe had known her, fhe faid for three or four years. And that at Chriftmas laft the faid Florence came to the peponent, at the Houfe of John Pyne in youghall, where the Deponent was a Servant. $nd askt the Deponent to give her a piece Of Peef out of th,e Ppwdering-Tub. And tbf Pep°P?«t anfwering her, that fhe could of Relations. 169 not give away her Mafters Beef, fhe faid Florence feemed to be very angry, and faid, thou hadft as good have given it me, and fo went away grumbling. - That about a week after, the Deponent being going to the Water with a Pail of Cloth on her head, fhe met the faid Florence Newton, who came full in her face, and threw the Pail oft her Head, and violently kill her, and faid, Mary, I pray thee, let thee and ! be friends, for I bear thee no ill will, and I pray thee do thou bear me none. And that fhe the Deponent went afterwards home, and that within a few days after, fho faw a Woman with a Vail over her face, ftand by her Bed-fide, and one Handing by her like a little Old Man in filk Clothes, and that this Man which fhe took to be a Spirit, drew the Vail from off the Womans Face , and then fhe knew it to be Goody Newton, and that the Spirit fpake to the De- ponent , and would have had her promife him to follow his advice, and fhe fhould have all things after her own heart, to which fhe fays,flae anfwered, that fhe would have nothing to fay to him, for her truft was in the Lord. That within a Month after the faid Flo- rence had kift her, fhe this Deponent fell yery ill of Fits or Trances , which would take her on the fudden, in that violence that 170 The Collection that three or four Men could not hold her. And in her Fits fhe would often be taken with Vomitings , and would Vomit up Needles, Pins, Horfe-nails, Stubbs, Wooll and Straw, and that very often. And be- ing asked whether fhe perceived at thefe times what fhe Vomited ? fhe faid fhe did. For then fhe was not in fo great diffraction as in other parts of her fits fhe was. And that a little before the firft beginning of her fits , feveral (and very many ) fmallftones would fall upon her as fhe went up and down, and would follow her from place to place, and from one room to another, and would hit her on the head , fhoulders, and arms, and fall to the ground and vanifh away. And that fhe and feveral others would fee them both fall upon her, and on ] the ground , but could never take them, fave onely fome few, which fhe and her Mafter caught in their hands. Amongft which one that had a hole in it fhe tied (as fhe was ad vifed) with a Leather thong to her Purfe , but it was vanifht immediately though the Leather continued tied on a faft Knot. That in her fits fhe often faw this Florence Newton, and cryed out againft her for tor- menting of her, for fhe fays that fhe would feveral times ftick Pins into her Arms, and fome of them fo faft that a Man muft pluck three */" Relations. .171 three or four times to get out the Pin, and they were ftuck betwixt the skin and the flefh. That fometimes fhe fhould be removed out of her bed into another room, fometimes (he fhould be carried to the top of the houfe laid on a board betwixt two Sollar Beams , fometimes put into a Cheft, fometimes un- der a parcel of wool, fometimes betwixt two Feather-beds on which fhe ufed to He, and fometimes betwixt the Bed and the Mat in her Mafters Chamber in the day time. And being asked how ihe knew fhe was thus carried about and difpofed of, feeing in her fits fhe was in a violent diffraction i fhe anfwered, fhe never knew where fhe was till they of the Family and the Neighbours with them would be taking her out of the places whither fhe was fo carried and re- moved. And being asked the reafon where- fore fhe cryed out fo much againft the faid Florence Newton in her fits t fhe anfwered, becaufe fhe faw her and felt her torturing. And being asked how fhe could think it was Florence Newton that did her this pre- judice i fhe faid , firft becaufe fhe threatned her, then becaufe after fhe hadirift her fhe fell into thefe fits, and that fhe both faw and felt her tormenting. And laftly, that when the People of the Family by advice of the Neighbours and content of the Major, had fent tor Florence Ncwtm to come to the De- 'iyi The Collection Deponent, (he was always worfe when (he was brought unto her, and her fits more violent than at another time. And that after the faid Florence was committed at Toughall, the Deponent was not troubled, but was very well till a little while after the faid Florence was removed to Corke, and then the Deponent was as ill as ever before And the Major of Toughall one Mr. Mayre, then fent to know whether the faid Florence were bolted (as the Deponent was told) and finding fhe was not, order was given to put the bolts on her, which being done the Deponent faith fhe was well again, and fo hath continued ever fince. And being afked whether fhe had fuch like fits before the faid Florence gave her the kifs, fhe faith fhe never had any, but believes that with that kifs fhe bewitcht her , and the rather becaufe fhe hath heard from Nicholas Pyne and others, that the faid Florence had confeffed as much. This \Mary Longdon having clofed up her Evidence, Florence Newtonpeep'd at her as it were betwixt the heads of the byftanders that interpofed betwixt her and the faid tMary, and lifting up both her hands toge- ther as they were manacled caft them in an angry violent kind of motion ( as was feen and obferved by w. Afton,) towards the faid CMary, as if fhe intended to ftrike at her if fhe could have reacht her, and faid Now of Relations. 175 Now (he is down. Upon which the maid fill fuddainly down to the ground like a ftone, and fell into a moft violent fit, that all the People that could come to lay hands on her could fcarce hold her, fhe biting her own Arms and fhreeking out in a molt hi- deous manner to the amazement of all the beholders. And continuing fo for about a quarter of an hour (the faid Florence Newton fitting by her felf all that while pinching her own Hands and Arms as wasfworn by fome that obferved her) the maid was or- dered to be cairied out of Court and taken into a houfe. Whence feveral Perfons af- ter that, brought word that the Maid was in a Vomiting fit, and they brought in fe- veral crooked Pins and Straws and Wool, in white foam like fpittle in great propor- tions. Whereupon the Court having taken notice that theMaid had faid fhe had been very well when the faid Florence was in bolts, and ill again when out of them, till they were again put on her, demanded of the Gaoler if fhe were in bolts or no, to which he faid fhe was not, but onely manacled. Upon which order was given to put on her bolts, and upon putting them on fhe cryed out, fhe was killed, fhe was undone, fhe was fpoiled, why do you torment me thus * and fo continued complaining grievoufly for half a quarter of an hour. And then came 1*74 Tk* ColleEtion came in a MefTenger from the Maid and informed the Court the Maid was well. At which Florence immediately and cholerickly uttered thefe words, she is not well yet. And being demanded how fhe knew fhe was not well yet ? fhe denied (he faid fo, though many in Court heard her fay the words, and fhe faid, if fhe did, fhe knew not what fhe faid , being old and difquieted and diffracted with her fufferings. But the Maid being reafonably well come to her felf, was, before the Court knew any thing of it, fent out of Town to Toughall, and fo was no fur- ther Examined by the Court. The fit of the' Maid being urged by the -Court with ail the Circumftances of it upon Fjprente, to have been a continuance of her Devilifh pra^lice, fhe denied it, and like- wife the motion of her hands, or the frying, JSlmfbe is dawn, though the Court faw the firft, and the words were fworn by one Roger Moor. And Thomas Harrifon fwore that he had obferved the faid Florence peep at her and ufe that motion with her hands , and faw the Maid fall immediately upon that motion, and heard the words, Now fhe is down, uttered. Nicholas stmt was next produced by Mr. Attorney General, who being fworn and Examined faid , That he had oft tried her, having heard fay that Witches could iiot Guy the' ©/"Relations. 175 the Lords Prayer, whether fhe could fay that Prayer or no * and found (he could not. Whereupon fhe faid fhe could fay it, and had oft faid it. And the Court being defired by her to hear her fay it, gave her leave. And four times together after thefe words £ give us this day our daily bread ] fhe continually faid as we forgive them, leaving always out the words [and forgive us our trefpaffes] upon which the Court appointed one near her to teach her thefe words fhe fo left out. But fhe either could not or would not fay them, uflng only thefe or the like words when thefe were repeated, \-Ay Ay trefpaffes, that's the words. And being oft prefted to utter the words as they were repeated to her, fhe did not. And being asked the reafon, fhe faid fhe was old and had a bad memory 5 and being asked how her memory ferved her fo well for other parts of the Prayer, and only fail her for that, fhe faid fhe knew not, neither could fhe help it. 'john Pyne being likewife fworn and Ex- amined, faid that about January laft the faid Mary Longdon being his Servant was much troubled with little Stones that were thrown ather where ever fhe went, and that he hath feen them come as if they were thrown at her, others as if they dropped on her, and that he hath feen very great quantities of them, and that they would, after they had 1*7 6 The Collection hither, fall on the ground, and then vaniih, fo that none of them could be found. And further, that the Maid once caught one of them, and he himfelf another, and one of them with a hole in it, fhe tyed to her purfe, but it vanifhed in a little time, but the knot of the Leather that tyed it remained unal- tered. That after the flones had thus haunt- ed her, fhe fell into moft grievous fits, wherein fhe was fo violently diftracled, that four Men would have very much ado to hold her, and that in the higheft extremi- ty of her fits, fhe would cry out againft Gam- mer Newton for hurting and tormenting of her. That fometimes the Maid would be reading in a Bible, and on a fudden he hath feen the Bible ftruck out of her Hand into the middle of the Room, and fhe immedi- ately caft into a violent fit. That in the fits he hath feen two Bibles laid on herBreaft, and in the twinkling of an Eye they would be caft betwixt the two Beds the Maid lay upon, fometime thrown into the middle of the Room, and that Nicholas Pyne held the Efible in the Maids Hand fo faft, that it being fuddainly fnatcht away two of the leaves were Torn. That in many other fits the Maid was removed ftrangely^ in the twink- ling of an Eye, out of the bed, fometimes into the bottom of a Cheft with Linnen, under all the Linnen, and the Linnen not at of Relations* ijf at all difordered, fometimes betwixt the two; Beds fhe,lay on, fometimes under a parcel of Wool j fometimes, betwixt his Bed and the Mat of it in another Room, arid once fhe was laid on a fmall deal Board, which! lay on the top of the Houfe betwixt two Sollar feeams, where he was forced to rear up Ladders to have her fctcht down* That in her fits fhe hath often Vomited up Wool, Pins, Horfe-Hails, Stubs, Straw,Needles and MofSj with a kind of white Foam or Spittle,^ and hath had feveral Pins ftuck into her Arms and Hands < that fometimes a Man mufl pull three or four times before he could pull, one of them out, and fome have been ftuck between the flefh and the Skin, where tney might be perfeclly feen, but not takert out, nor any place feen. where they were put in. That when the Witch was brought into the Room, where fhe was, fhe would be in more violent and longer Jaftihg fits than at other times. That all the time th& Witch was at liberty, the Maid was ill, and as foon as fhe was committed and bolted, fhe recovered and was well, and that when the Witch was removed to Corke, the Maid fell ill. And thereupon the Major of Toughall fent to fee if fhe were bolted or no, and to acquaint them the Maid was ill, and defire them if the Witch were not bolted, they would boh her. That fhe immediately mend- No ed iyS The Collection ed and was as well as ever fhe was: and when the Meffenger came from Corke, and fold them when the Witch was bolted, it fell out to be the very time the Maid amend- ed at Toughall. Nicholas Pyne being fworn, faith, That the fecond night after that the Witch was in Prifon, being 24 of March laft, he and Jofeph Thompfon, Roger Hawkins^ and fome others went to fpeak with her concerning the Maid, and told her that it was the general Opini- on of the Town that fhe had bewitched her, and defired her to deal freely with them, whether fhe had bewitched her or no. She faid fhe had not bewitched her, but it may be fhe had over-locked her , and that ttiere was a great difference betwixt bewitching and overlooking, and that fhe couJd not have done her any harm if fhe had not toucht her, and that therefore fhe had kift her. And fhe faid that what mifchief fhe thought of at that time fhe kift her, that would fall upon her, and that fhe would not but con* fels fhj had wronged the Maid, and there- VifOn fell down upon her Knees, and pray- ed God to forgive her for wronging the poor Wench. They wifht that fhe might not be wholly deftroyed by her. to which file faid, it muft be another that rauft help her, and not they; that did the harm. And then fllefaidj there were others, as Goody Half pennyt j«f Rebttions. 179 febhy , and Goody Dod in Town, tha£ -could do thefe things as well as fhe, and that it might be one of them that had done the Maid wrong. That towards Evening, the Door of the Prifon fliook, and fhe arofe up haftiiy and iaid, What makeft thou here this time a night i and there was a very great noife,as if fome body with Bolts and Chains had been running up and down the Room, and they asked her what it was fhe fpoke to, and what it was made the noife. and fhe faid fhe faw nothing, neither did fhe fpeak, and if fhe did, it was fhe knew not what. But the next day fheconfeft it was a Spirit, and ner Familiar in the fhape of a Grey-hound. He faith further, That he and Mr. Edward Terry and others, for Trial of her took a Tyle off the Prifon, next to the place where the Witch lay, and carried it to the Houfe where the Maid lived, and put it into the fire till it was red hot, and then dropt fome .. of the Maids Water upon it, and the Witch was then grievoufly tormented, and when the Water was confumed, ihe was well a- gain. A _ And as to the ftones falling on and can: at the Maid, as to the Maids fits, her remo- val into the Cheft under the Wool, be- twixt the Feather-beds, on die top of the deal Board betwixt two Sollar beams, eon- Mn 2 cermng 180 Tk Collection cerning the Bibles and their remove, his holding one of them in the Maids hands till two Leaves were torn, concerning the Maids Vomiting, and her calling out againft the Witch, he agreeth perfedly throughout with John Pyne as before. Edward Perry being likewife fworn depo-' feth, That he, Mr. Greatrix and Mr. Black- wall went to the maid,and M.Creatrix and he had read of a way to difcover aWitch,which he would put in practice. And fo they fent for the Witch, and fet her on a Stool, and a Shoemaker with a ftrong Awl endeavored to ftick it in the Stool, but could not till the third time. And then they bad her come off the Stool, but fhe faid fhe was ve- ry weary and could not ftir. Then two of them pulled her off, and the Man went to pull out his Awl, and it dropt into his hand with half an Inch broke off the blade of it, and they all looked to have found where it had been ftuck, but could find no place where any entry had been made by it. Then they took another Awl and put it into the Maids hand, and one of them took the Maids hand, and ran violently at the Witches hand with it, but could not enter it, though the Awl was fo bent that none of them could put it ftreight again. Then Mr. Blackwall took a Launce and launc't one of her hands an Inch and a half long, and a quarter of an Inch of Relations. 181 deep; but it bled not at all. Then he launc't the other hand, and then they bled. He further faith, That after fhe was in Prifon, he went with Roger Hawkins and o- thers to difcourfe with the Witch about the Maid, and they askt what it was fhe fpake to the day before, and after fome denyal, fhe faid it was a Greyhound which was her Fa- miliar, and went out at the Window,- and then fhe faid if I have done the Maid hurt, I am forry for it. And being then asked whe- ther fhe had done her any hurt, fhe faid fhe never did bewitch her, but confeffed fhe had overlooked her that time fhe kift her, but that fhe could not now help her, for none could help that did the mifchief, but others. And further the Deponent faith, That after at the Aflize at Cafhal, he meeting with one William Lap, and difeourfing about thefe paffages with him, the faid Lap told the De- ponent , that if he would but take a Tyle off the Houfe near the place where the Witch lay, and heat it red hot in the fire, and then take fome of the Maids Water and drop up- on it, that fo long as this was doing, he fhould find the Witch moft grievoufly tor- mented: That afterwards he, Edward Perry, Nicholas Pyne and others put this in pra&ice, and found that the Witch was extreamly tormented and vexed, and when the expe- riment was over, fhe came to her felf, and Nn i then iSl The Collection then they askt her how fhe came to hurt, the Maid { and fhe faid, that what evil fhe thought againft the Maid that time fhe kift her, that would fall upon her, and that fhe. could not have hurt her except fhe had toucht her, and then fhe. fell on her kneqs and confeft flie had wronged the Maid, and defired God tofosfgive her. And then they. put her upon faying the Lord Prayer, but flie could not fay the words, and forgive m our trefpaffes. ^ Mr. wood a Minifter being likewife fworn, and Examined depofeth, That having heard oftheftones drop* and thrown at the Maid> and of her fits, and meeting with the Maids Brother, he went along with, him to the M^id, and found her in her fit crying out \ againft Gammer Newton, that flie prickt her and hurt her. And when flie came to her felf he asked her what had troubled her, and flie faid Gammer Newton. ;And the De- ponent faid, why, flie was not there. Yes, faid fhe, 1 fawner by my bed fide. The Peponentthen a^ted ner the original of all^ which fhe related from the time of her beg- ging the Beef, and after Kitting and fo to. tjiat time. That then they caufed the Maid to be got up and fent for Florence Newton» but fhe refufed to come, pretending flie was fick, though indeed it appeared fhe was - - well. Then the Major of Toughall came in and of Relations,, 185 and fpoke with the Maid,and then fent again and caufed Florence Newton to be brought in, and immediately the Maid fell into her fit far more violent, and three times as long as at any other time , and all the time the Witch was in the Chamber the Maid cryed out continually of being hurt here and there, but never named the Witch, but as foon as fhe was removed, then fhe cryed out againft her by the name of Gammer Newton, and this for feveral times. And ftill when the Witch was out of the Chamber the Maid would defire to go to Prayers, and he found good affections in her in time of Prayer, but when the Witch was brought in again, though never fo privately, al- though fhe could not poffibly, as the De- ponent conceives, fee her, fhe would be immediately fenflefs and like to be ftrangled, and fo would continue till the Witch were taken out, and then though never fo private- ly carried away fhe would come again to her fenfes. That afterwards Mr. Greatrix, Mr. Blackwall and fome others, who would need fatisfy themfelves in the influence of the Witches prefence, tried it and found it feve- ral times. Although he did it with all poffible privacy , and fo as none could thicik it poffible for the Maid to know either of the Witches coming in or going out. N n 4 Richard i$?4 -The Collection Richard Mayre Major of Toughall, being likewife fworn faith, That about the 24th of March laft, he fent for Florence Newton, ^nd Examined her a|x>ut the Maid , and flie at firft denied it, and accufed Good wife halfpenny and Good wife Dod, but at length when he had caufed a Boat to be provided, and had thought to fiaye tried the Water Experiment on them all three , then Flo- rence jVewton confeffed (he had overlooked the Maid and done her wrong with a kifs. For which me was heartily forry and defired God to forgive heir. That then he likewife pxamjned tjie other two Women Halfpenny and Dod, but they utterly deny'd,it and were contept to abide any Trial. Whereupon fie caufed both Florence, Halfpenny, and Dod, to be carried to the Maid, And he told her thefe"two ^Vomen, or one of them were faid by Gammer Newton to fyaye done her hurt,, but fhe anfwered No no, they are Jiofieft Vyonien, but it is' Gammer Newton that hurts me, and \ believe fhe is not far off. That then they afterwards brought iri Newton privately, and then flie fell into q moft violept fit, ready to be ftrarigled, till the \yitch was removed , and then fhe was well again , and this for three feveral times. J^e further depofeth, that there were three Aldermen in Toughall* whofe Children fhe had of Relations^ i8y had kift as he had heard them affirm, and all the Children died prefently after. And as to the fending to Cork to have the bolts put on, fwears as is formerly depofed. Jofeph Thomfon being likewife fworn faid; That he went in March laft with Roger Haw- kins , Nicholas Pyne, and others to the Prifon to confer with Florence Newton about the Maid. But fhe would confefs nothing that time.' But towards Night there was a noife at the Prifon door as if fomething had fhak't the door, and Florence ftarted up and faid, What aileth thee to be here at this time of the Night i and there was much noife. And they asked her what fhe fpoke to, and what made fhe great noife if But fhe denied that fhe fpake or that fhe knew of any noife, and faid, if I fpoke I faid I knew not what. And they went their ways at that time and went to her again the next Night, and asked her very ferioufly about the laft Nights paflage and the noife. And then fhe confeffed to them that it was a Grayhound that came to her, and that fhe had feen it formerly, and that it went out at the Win- dow. And then me confeft fhe had done the Maid wrong, for which fhe was forry and defired God to forgive her. Hitherto we have heard the molt con- fiderable Evidence touching Florence New- tons yvitchcraft upon May Longdon, tot 186 The Collection which fib wascom-mitted to r^^^Priibn, March 24. i66\. But April following {he bewitcht one David Jones to death , by killing his hand through the grate of the Prifon, for which fhe was indicted at Corke Afli&es,. and the Evidence is as follows, Etenor Jones Relict of the faid David Jones, being fworn and Examined in open Court what the knew concerning any practice of Witchcraft by the faid Florence Newton upon the faid David her Husband i gave in the Evidence That in April laft, the laid David her late Husband having been out all the Night, came home early in the.Morn ing , and faid to the faid Elemr his Wife % where doft thou think I have been all Night 1 To which Ihe anfwered fhe knew not. Where- upon he replied,! and frank\%efeley have been ftariding Cenfiaelover the Witch all Nighu To which fhe the faid £Unor faid why what hurt is that< Hurt, quoth he? rnarry, I doubt it's never a jot the better for ire. For fhe hath kift; my hand through the grate, and even fince fhe kift my hand, I have had a great pain in that Arm, and I verily be- lieve fhe hath bewitched roe if ever flie be- witched any Man. To which fhe anfwered, the Lord forbid. That all the Night and continually from that time he was rtftlefs and ill, complaining exceedingly of a great pain in his Arm for feven days together a «/ Relations. 187 and at the feven days end he oomplained that the pain was come from his Arm to his Heart, and then kept his Bed Night and Day grievoufly afflicled and crying out againft Florence Newton, and about fourteen Days after he dyed. Francis Befeley, being fworn and Examined faid, That about the time aforementioned meeting with the faid David Jones, and dif- courfing with him of the feveral reports then ftirring concerning this Florence New- ton (who was then in Prifon at Toughall for bewitching Mary Longdon) viz,, that fhe had feveral Familiars reforting to her in fundry fhapes, the faid David Jones told him the laid Francis Befeley, that he had a great mind to watch her the faid Florence Newton one Night to fee whether he could obferve any Cats or other Creatures refon to her through the grate, as 'twas fufpe&ed they did, and defired the faid Francis to go with him, which he did. And that when they came ■thither David Jones called to Florence, and told her that he heard fbe could not fay the Lords Prayer : To which flie anfwered fhe could. He then defired her to fay it: But fhe excufed her felf by the decay of Memory through old Age. Then David Jones began to teach her, but fhe could not or would not fay it, though often taught it. Upon 188 The Cottetlion Upon which the faid David Jones and Befeley being withdrawn a little from her, and difcourfing of her, not being able to learn this Prayer, fhe called out to David Jones, and faid, David! David /come hither, I can fay the Lords Prayer now. Upon which David went towards her, and the laid Deponent would have pluckt him back, and perfwaded him not to have gone to her. But he would not be perfwaded, but went to the Grate to her, and fhe began to fay the Lords Prayer, but could not fay, £ Forgive us our Trefpajfes ] . So that David again taught her. Which fhe Teemed to take very thankfully, and told him fhe had a great mind to have kift him, but that the Grate hindred, but defired fhe might kifs his hand. Whereupon he gave her his hand through the Grate, and fhe ^ift it, and to- wards break of day, they w^ent away and parted, and foon after the Deponent heard that David Jones was ill. Whereupon he went to vifit him, and found him about two or three days after ve- ry ill of a pain in the Arm. Which he ex- ceedingly complained of, and told the De- ■ ponent that ever fince he parted w:th him he had been feized on with that pain, and that the Old Hag had bewitched him when fhe kift his hand, and that fhe had him now by the hand, and was pulling off his Arm. of Relations^ 189 And he faid, Do you not fee the Old Hag how (he pulls me? Well, I lay my Death on her, fhe has bewitcht me. And feveral times after would complain, that fhe had tormented him, and had bewitched him, and that he laid his Death on her. And after fourteen days languishing, he the faid David Jones dyed. Advertisement. This Relation is taken out of a Copy of an A$£ thentick Record, as 1 conceive, every half fheet having W. Afton writ in the Margin, and then again W. Afton at the end of all, who in all likelihood muft be fome publick Notaif or Record-Keeper. But this Witch of Youghall is fo famous, that J have heard Mr. Greatrix [peak of her at my Lord Conway's 4/Ragley, and remember very well he told the ftory of the Awl to me there. There is in this Relati- on an eximious example of the Magical ve- nome of Witches {whence they are called Ve- nefica?) in that all the mifchief this Witch did} was by kiffing, or fome way. touching the party fhe bewitched, and fhe confeft unlefs fhe touch- ed her, fhe could do her no hurt. Which may be called a Magical venome or contagion. But how Over-looking and Bewitching are diftin- guifhed with thofe of this Hellifh Fraternity, 1 knew 190 The Cotlttlkn know not. Mitt that M iry Longdon was be- witch'd hy her over-looking her it manifeft. Whether this Over-looking relates to hH\(a\ $* and the third ring 19* The ColleSlion ring hunted her in view, till at laft the Huntfman perceiving the Hare almoft fpent, and making towards a great Bufh, he ran On the other fide of the Bufh to take her up, and preferve her from the Dogs. But as foon as he laid hands on her, it proved to be Julian Cox, who had her head groveling on the ground, and her globes (as he ex- preft it) upward. He knowing her, was affrighted, that his Hair on his Head flood on end5 and yet fpake to her, and askt her what brought her there. But (he was fo far out of Breath, that fhe could not make him any anfwer. His Dogs alfo came up with full cry to recover the game, and fmelt at her, and fo left off hunting any further. And the Huntfman with his Dogs went home prefently,fadly affrighted. Secondly, Another Witnefi fwore, that as he paffed by Cox her Door, fhe was tak: ing a Pipe of Tobacco upon the Threfhold of her Door, and invited him to come in and take a Pipe, which he did. And as he ■was taking Julian faid to him, Neighbour look what a pretty thing there is. He look't down, and there was a monftrous great Toad betwixt his Leggs, flaring him in the face. He endeavoured to kill it by fpurn- ing it, but could not hit it. Whereupon Julian bad him forbear, and it would do him no hurt. But he threw down his Pipe af Relations^ f^j and went home, f which was abotfi twtj Miles off of Julian Cox( her houfe) and told his Family what had happeneduaiod that ho believed it was one o^ Julian Cox her'Devils. After, he was taking a Pipe of Tobacco; at home, and the fame Toad appeared betwix^ his leggs. He took* the Toad out to kill ir, and to his thinking cut it in feveral pie^ ces, but returning to his Pipe,.the Toad ftill appeared. He endeavored to burn it, but could not. At length he took a Switch; and beat it. The Toad ran feveral: times about the Room to avoid him,j heftvllpur? fuing irwith correction. At length the Toad, cryed and vaniuYt, and he Wias never after troubled with it. "'> ~'Jr' fy ' _; Thirdly, Another fwore that %*#*? palt by his Yard whilehis Beafts were in Milk- ing , and ftooping down fcored upon the ground for (bine fniall time. During which time his Cattle ran mad, and feme ran their heads againft the Trees, and moft.of them dyed fpeedily. Whereupon! concluding they i were bewitched, he was after advited to» this Experiment, Ho find out the. Witehj: viz,, to' cut off the Ears of the bewitched Beafts1 and burn them, and that the -Witch: would ;be in mifefy and could not .reft till they were plucked outV • Which be tryed, and while they were burning, Julian Cox came into the Houfe, raging and . folding O o N ■ that *94 Tbe ColkWdn that they had abufed her without canfe, but me went prefently to the fire and took out fee Bars that were burning, and then fhe was quiet, >. -:n \ = ■ Fourthly, Another Witnefs fwore that flie had feen Julian Cox fly into her own Chamber Window in her full proportion, and that fhe very well knew her, and was fure it-was (he. > o> :: ?-• "Fifthly, Another evidence was the con- feflion of fulian Cox her felf upon her Exa- mination before a Juftice of Peace, which was to this purpofe0 That (h- !*ad been oit- en tempted by cbe Defjl to be a Witch, but never confectedMjj That; one .evening fhe walkt out about a Mile from her own Houfe, and there came- riding towards her three perfons .upon three jBroOm-ftaves, born Up about a yard and', an half from the ground. Two of them Ihe formerly knew, Which was a. Witch and a Wizzard thatj were hanged:for Witchcraft feveral years before. The ..third perfon fhe knew not. He came in.the fhape of a black Man, and tempted herto. give him her Soul, or to that effecT:, and to exprefs it by .pricking her fin- ger, and giving her name in her Blood in token of it, and told her that flie had re- venge againft feveral perfons that had. wronged her, but could not bring her pur- pofe to pafs without his help, and that up- ojf Relations. 195 on theaterms aforefaid he would aftift her t9 be revenged againft them. But fhe'faid^ fhe did not confent to it. This was the fum, of the general Evidence to prove her a Witch. But now for the fecond particular , to prove her guilty of the Witchcraft upon the Maid whereof me was indicted, this Evidence was offered: , It was proved that Julian Cox came for an Alms to the houfe where this, Maid was a Servant, and that the Maid told her, fhe fhould have none > and gave her a crofs anfwer thatdi/pleafedj/*//^. Whereupon Julian was angry and told the Maid uSe ihould repent it before Night, and fo fhe did. For before Night nie was taken with a Convulfion fit, and after that left her, fhe faw Julian Cox following her and cryed out to the People in the houfe to fave her from Julian. But none faw Julian but the Maid, and all did impute it to her imagination onely. And in the Night (he cryed out of Julian Cox, and the black Man, that they came upon her bed and tempted her to drink fomething they offered her. But fhe cryed out, fhe de- fied the Devils Frenches. This alfo they imputed to her imagination, and bad her be quiet, becaufe they in the fame Chamber with her did not fee or hear any thing, O 0 2 and t<)6 -Tt^titthioh and theVthousht it had been her Vrjnteit onely. ,. " . '■ - r The Maid the ne,xt Night exp:'the 'Night' before, brought up with her a^Kn^fe ,^ .}and lard it "at n'er beds head." About the fbpetime of the Night as before, J/fMJa^d'inei)lack Man tiame again1 upon theMaifJrrled apd tempted her to drink that which, they brought^, "but the refufed, cryingin thteautjience of the, reft rof the family i. that' ijfie'd^ejJlhe' DcVlls Frenches > and took the fttiife and ft$h$ Julian, and, as fhe fair} ,f irip'.wbuii^td he* ft 'rt\iQ ;Leg 'and ,was ^n^bfni'narfe;:wrtlr the Witnefs fo Kde.taW^Y^,s?n°u^'Pre" ferjtlyto-fe^if itWft ij|(S!Wi nThe Withcfc Venrind took the'Xnlfe^itfv him. Julia* W*.\vnuf4 nbUet-tiimin'v'bpt they forced -the Door open and fqun'd a frefh wouqd in •^&Ps:Le£, asthe Maid frad faiid , which ,did fuit with the Knife, and Julian had been 'foft dreffing'it when the?'Witn'efs 'came. •There: was blood alfo found, upon the Maids 'bed. 1 v- '^The next Morning the Maid cqntlnuccl ^er out- cries that jW/*tf Cw appeared to her in the houfe wall i and offeree; her great Pins'which fhe was forced to fwallow.; And 'ail the pay the Maid \ya$ obferved to cori- yeigh her hand to the houfe wall, and from ; the wall to her Mouth, "and Ihe feemed by of Relations; L 197 the motion of her Mouth as if ffcedid eat; fomething^ feut none faw any, thing bujf the Maid , and therefore thought ftill it might be her phar>fy?and did not-much mind it. But towards Night, this Maid began tq be very ill ancj compiained , that-the Pins that Julian forced her ip. eat out of the wall, did torment her in aH parts of her Body that fhe could norepdjufe it, and made lamen- table oUt-cries' for pain* Whereupon feve- ral Perfons being 'prefent the Maid .was ufl^ drefied , and in feveral parts of the Maids, £jdy feveral great fwellings appeared., and out of the head.of the fwellings feveral grea* Pins points appeared. Which the Witneffes took out, and, upon.the Trial,there were about Thirty great Pins produced in Court (which I my felf handled) all wl)ich were fworn by feveral Witneffes that they were taken out of the Maids Body in manner as is aforefaid. ; ' ." , T » i - V Judge Archer who tryed the Prifoner, told the Jury that he had heard that & Witcn could not repeat that petition hi the Lords Prayer , viz,.- {_<^4nd lead us not into temptation] and having this occafion lie would try the Experiment , and told the jury that whether fhe could or could riot, they were not. in the leaft meafure to guide ffieir Verdict according to it, becaufe it was not legal fiyidence, but,that they rjiutt Q03 be ■ • v * loS T7* Cotle&ion be guided in their Verditt by the former Evidences given in upon Oat rr onely. The Prifoner was called for up to the next Bar to the Court, and demanded if fhe could fay the Lords Prayer i - She faid fhe could , and went over the Prayer readily till fhe came to that petition. Then fhe laid [And lead us into temptation] or [And lead us not into no temptation] but could not fay \_And lead us not into temptation ] though fhe was directed to-fay it after one that repeated it to her diftinclly. But fhe could not repeat it otherwife than is expreffed already, though tried to do it near half a fcore times in open Court. After all which the Jury found her guilty, and Judgment having been given within three or four days, fhe was Executed without any Confeflion of the Fact. Advertisement. this is a Cofy of the Narrative fent bv Mr. Pool , Qftob. 24. 1672. to Mr. Archer of Emanuel Colledge, Nephew to the Judge upon the defire of Dr. Bright. But I remember here at Cambridge, / heard the main parages of this Narrative when they firft werefpread abroad After the Ajfizes , and particularly by G. Ruft after Bifhop of Dromore in Ireland. Nor do I doubt but it is a true account of what wm attefted of Relations. *99 he fore Judge Archer ** the Affile si for it i& a thing to me altogether incredible , that hcthat. Was an Officer or Servant of the Judge and pre- fent in the Court at the Examination and Trial\ and there took Notes, fhould write a Narrative, when there were fo many Ear-witneffes befides himfelf of the fame things , that would be ob-, noxious to the difproof of thofe who were prefent and a fhew hf'Sarthperpetually fuited to that where the Harepaffed. x^As I have heard of fome Painters that have drawn the Sky in an huge large Land- skip, fo lively that the Birds have flown againft it, thinking it free Air, and fo have fallen down* ksind if Painters and Juglers by the tricks of Zegerdemain can do fuch ftrange feats to the de- ceiving of the fight, it is no wonder that thefe Ai/yinvifibte Spirits as far furpafs them in all fuch prtftigiom doings as the Air furpaffes the &ahhfor fubtilty. v i^And the Me Praeftigia? may be in the Toad. It might be; a reil Toad. ( though actuated and * ^ guided of Relations. 20,1 guided by a Dtmon ) which was cut in pieces', and that, alfo which was whipt about, and at laft fratcht out of fight (as if it had vanifhed) by thefe Aerial Hocus- PocusV. y^indiffomc Juglers have tricks to take hot Coals into their . Mouth without hurt, certainly it is noftrang^ thing that fome fmall attempt did not fuffice to burn that Toad. That fuch a Toad, fent by a Witch andrcrawling up the Body of the CM an of the houfe as he fate by the fire's fide, was over* mafter ed by him and his Wife together, and burnt in the fire * I have heard fometime ago credibly reported by one of the ifte of Ely. Of thefe V&moniack Vermin, 1 have heard other ftories alfo, as of a Rat that followed a Man fome fcore of Miles trudging through thick and thin along with him. So little difficulty is there in that of. the Toad. x^ind that ^Julian CoxV being feen to fly in at her own Chamber Window, there is no difficulty in it, if it be underftood of her Familiar, the black Man, that had transformed himfelf into her fhape. For this is no fuch unufuat thing for , witches to appear either in their Aftral Spirits or by their Familiars, as if it were their very bodily Perfons. But when fhe appeared to the Maid together with the black Man and offered her to drink\ it is likely it was her Aftral Spirit, and Julians being, wounded in her body by the wound on her Aftral Spirit is juft fuch another 2b i The Cotteclion another cafe, as that of Jane Brooks, which you your felf note in your Book of Witchcraft. The moft incredible thing is her eating of Tins, fhe knowing them to be fuch. But they that are bewitched are not themfelves , and being poffeffed are actuated in the parts of their body, and their mind driven by that ugly inmate in them, to what he will^ which is notorious in the ftory of Mrs. Frogmorton*/ Children. syindfor the Pins thus fw allowed, their come* ing out into the exterior parts of her body, Examples of this fort are infinite- and far more ftrange than thefe are recorded ^Baptifta Van Helmont, de InjecYis. Thefe are the moft incredible paffages in this Narrative, and yet you fee how credible they are i if rightly under ftood. But thofe that be- lieve no spirits will believe nothing never fi. credible of this kind, and others that have fome natural averfionfroni thefe things will prefently interpret them in the vulgar fenfe, and then fweetly fnear at their own ignorance. But I muft confefs if this be d true Relation of what faffed in the Court, I do not queftion but the things that were fworn didfo appear to them that fwore them. Or elfe there is nothing to be credited in human affairs. But conterning the truth of the Relation , befides what I hinted in my laft to yon, you would de -well id write to fome or other in Taunton, &a Thus far Vrt M. of Relations. 20$ y^And if any one he fo curious as to defire an account of Mr. G. his further inquiry into thii bufinefs I can tell him that he wrote to Mr. Hunt who then bufy in fome Court j yet made fhift to read the Narrative and wrote two or three lines to him back to this ejfeft. That one principal Evidence was omitted in the Narrative , but th/tt is nothing againft the truth of the reft. But he adds alfo, that fome things were falfe, which would fumble one and make him think that the credit of this Narrative-is. quite blafted thereby. But this Riddle is eafily un- riddled by him that confiders, that Mr. Hunt may refpett thofe things that are faid to be con- feft by her in her examination before a Juftice of Peace. For he alfo having fome time Ex- amined her, and fhe making no fuch confeffon to him (as Mr. G. himfelf fays in a Letter to Dr. M. that he perufed that Examination in Mr. Hunts Book, and there was not any thing confider able therein ) might fpeak this in refe- rence to the Examination which he had taken, fhe then not conf effing fo freely as to fome other juftice, whofe Examination therefore was made ufe of in the Court. But this cannot concern at all the reft of the Narrative , which was given upon Oath in the Court in the hearing of all. 7his 1 thought fit not to omit as being defirom to deal with aS faithfulneft in concealing no- thing, and not to impofe upon the Reader, but that he may mxkc. his judgment upon the whole matter, \*As t©4 JTb* ColkStion LAs for the Witches being hurried along wjth that fiare-like Spectre, her being out of breath C as fhe tfuntfman tcftifed) makes it moft pre* \able ; or at leaft that fhe was hurried from, fome other place on the earth, or in the air (to meet thereat length with the Hare-like SpecJre) but *M invlftblybythxt *\s4«*>'*» or Preftigiato- ry art\or faculty of thefe ludicrous Demons, whereby, they can fo modifte the Air immedi^ at elf'next to they party they would conceal^ that it looks there like, the free $kie, or what Lands kip they pleafe ., as when they fhew in a Shew-ftone cr Glafi, the very Room in which the party is} theJ>&monby the power of his Imagination, fo modifying at leaft his own Vehicle, .which pow- er fffme of thofe ,of the ^Athetftick Brotherhood cannot with any face deny, fuppofing there are V^mons^ they giving a greater power to the l- magination of .a- LMan, as if it were able to transform the K^iir into real Birds or Mice^ or fuch like Creatures livingly fuch for the prefent. But any thing muft be believed, rather than the Exiftence of Witches and Damons; , It will not be $mij fhere to take notice what an eminent example this Julian Cox is of Mofes his Megnonenah <>r Mecaffephah taken iq the fame fenfe, that is> of fuch a Witch as is thought bra *^Wi or preftigiatory power (tlmtgh it is the pevil that does thefe feats^ not^fhe ) to transform her felf into ftrange jhapes? and ufe other like deceptions of the fight i Wo of Relation^ ioj Lfsalfo it is a notable inftance of the Aftral Spirits of Witches, howftrongfy, though at a de- fiance of place- they are tyed together in a fa- tal Sympathy with their Bodies, ct'he Body cfju^ lian being wounded by a flab at her Aftral Spi- rit* as it fared alfo in Jane lprooks, and an. <5fd woman /tfCambridge-fhire^ whofe'Aftral Spirit coming into a Mans honfe, {as he was fitting alone At'the fire) in the fhape of an fiugeCaP, and fitting her felf before the fire \ not far from. him , he ftole" a fir oke at the hack of it with a Tire-fork, and feemed to break fhe back of it, but it fcambled from him, and vanijht he knew not how. But fuch an Old Wo- man, a reputed Witch, was found dead in her tyed that v^erymght, with her Back broken, as I have heard fome years .ago credibly report* ci .-'■■:. .- That alfo is a marvellous Magical Sympa- thy in this ftory of Julian Cox, that the burn- hg of the Ears of the Be aft bewitched by her, fhould put her into fuch rage and torment. Like '"the heating of the Tile red hot in the ftory of Florence Newton , and pouring fome of the bewitched Maids water upon it. which puts me in mind of a very remarkable ftory of this kind, told me by fMr, pearly ,,-;once Fellow-of Chrilh Colledge in Cambridge, who boarded in 4n houfe in Suffolk, where his Landlady had been ill handled by Witchcraft. . for anOld'Man that Travelled up and down the to6 The ColleSiion the Country, and had fome acquaintance at that houfe, calling in and asking the Man of the houfe how he did and his Wife. Be told him that himfelf was well, but his Wife had been a long time in a languifhing condition, and that fhe was haunted with a thing in the fhape of a Bird;, that would fturr near to her face , and that fhe could pot enjoy her natural reft well. yhe Old Man {bid him and his Wife be of good courage. Jt was but a dead Spright, he f'aid^ and he would put him in a courfe to rid his Wife if this languifhment-and. trouble. He there- fore advifed him to take a pottle, and put his Wives Vrine into it, together with fins and Jtfeedfes andj^ails, a,nd Cork them #/>, and fet the Bottle to the fire, but be fure the Cork tie faft in it, that it fly not out. The Man fol- lowed the preferiptipn, and fet the Bootle to the fire w.eU corkt, iwhich when it h*d felt, a-whife .the heat of the fire, began to move ami joggle a little; but he. for furenefs took the- Firejhovel, and held it hard upon the Cork. 4nd as he thought • he felt fame thing one while on this fide, another . while on that, fhove the Eirefhoyel off, which he ftill quickly put on again, but at laft at one fhoving the Cork bounced out, and th,e Urine, • fins, Nails, and Needles -all flew up9 ajn^gavt .a report like a Pjfkl, and his Wife continued, int the fame trouble and Tanguifhment ftillt Not long after, the Old. Man came to the , houfe Again, and inquired of the Man of the houfe of Relations. 207 houfe how his Wife did. who anfwered as ill as ever, if not worfe. He askt him if he had foU lowed his direction. Yes, fays he, and told him the event as is above faid. Ha, quoth he, it feems it was too nimble for you. But now 1 will put you in a way, that will make the bufinefs fure. Take your (five's Urine as before, and Cork it in a Bottle with Nails, Pins and Needles, and bury it in the Earth; and thaiwilldothe feat. The Man did accordingly. And his Wife began to mend fenfibly, and in a competent time, was finely well recovered. But there came a Woman from a Town fome miles off jo their houfe f with a lamentable Out-cry, that they bad killed, her Husband, ihey askt her what fhe meant and thought her diffract ed, telling her they knewneu ther her nor her husband. Tes, faith fhe, you have killed my husband, he told me fo on his Death-bed. But at las! they underftood by her> that her Husband was a wizzard, and had be- witched this CMans Wife, and that this Coun- ter-pr aft ice preferibed ly the Old Man, yvhich faved the (Jiians W'ife from languifhment, wa$ the death of that Wizzard that hadhewitcht her. This ftory did Mr. BtQZtly-hear from the Alan and Womans own Mouth who were concerned, and at whofe Houfe he for a time Boarded, nor is there any doubt of the truth thereof. But it will be more eafie for any rational Man to believe ftories of this kind, than to find out 4 fatisfac7ory account of the operation and ef- io§ :Tbe: CotteEtion fec~$s or to affure the lawfulnefs of fuch count er* praUice againft Witchcraft, unlefs they can be refolved into the Sympathy and Synenergy of the Spiritus Mundanus, ( which Plotinus calls * (Jytv pm*, the grand \JMagiciah ) fuch as the operation of the Weapon-falve, and other Magneiick Cures are refolded into. And for* afmuchas the power of a truly Divine Magick, fuch as Prophets and Holy Law-givers are en- dued with, is too'great andAuguft to be found in ordinary good Men, that are to bring in no new Law or Religion info the World, ibi:bcnig* tiityof Ft• evidence is to be acknowledged in that the prfflanies of witchcraft lye obnoxious to fuch a natural or ratified way of Difcoveries and Counter-practices as thefe.. But how this ob- noxioufnefs of Witches is complicated with their Familiars fucking their Bodies, is d point too nice, and prolix to enter upon here. ' But it is moft fafe not to tamper at all with thefe things , and moft happy to hai)e no occafion for if. Laftly, as for Julian Cox her not being able to fay one of the Petitions in the Lords Prayer, the cafe is like that of Florence Newton the Irifli Witch, but unlike in this, that it was not fhe fame Petition Florence Newton lluck at. And I remember when I had the curioftty with a friend of mine, of examining certain Witches at Caftle-hill in Cambridge, the moft notorious of them, who alfo was hanged for a Witch, offe- red to fay the Cree\ and Lords Prayer ,-as an s^4rgu-f of Relations* iod Argument (he was no Witch, and fo far as I remember, fhe faid the Lords Prayer right, but was out at ihe Creed • nor do I think this any certain fign of their guilt or inmcenty, and there- fore Judge Archer did .well to lay no ftrefs on it. But thefe things are. of lefs moment, and therefore I pafs to the next Relation, which looks not fo much like Witchcraft, as the Apparition of the Ghoft of one deceafed. R E L A T. IX. Which is a Relation of Thomas Goddard of Marlbrough , in the County of Wilts, wea- ver, made the 23. Nov. 1674. X TXJHo faith, that on tMoridaji the V V Ninth of this Inftant, as he was" going to Ogborn at a Style on the Highway near Mr. Goddards ground, about ftine in the Morning, he met the Apparition of nis Fa* ther in Law* one Edward ^Avoh or tnig Town Glover, who dyed in ^Ify laft, ha- ving on, to his appearance,the fame Clothes*' Hat, Stockings and Shoes he did ufually wear when he was livings ftanding by, and leaning over that Style. Which when he came near i, the Apparition fpake to him with in audible voice thefe words, Are you P p afraid 4 210 7b* CotteSlidn afraid ! To which he anfwered, I am, think- ing on one who is dead and buried, whom you are like. To which the Apparition re- vived with the like voice, I am he that yoti i were thinking on, I am Edward Avon your Father in Law, come near to me, I will do you no harm. To which Goddard anfwe- red, Itruft in him who hath bought my Soul with his precious Blood, you fhall do mejioharm. Then the Apparition faid, How TtaFcfcafes; at hom&'Goddardzsktwhzt cafes i Then it askt him how do William and Mary, meaning as-lie conceived, his Son William K^ivon a Shoemaker here, and CM try his 'Daughter the faid Goddards Wife. Then, it 'faid,What/ Taylor is dead, meaning, as he. thought, one-Taylof of London, who Married his Daughter Sarah, which Taylor dyed a- bout Michaelmas laft. Then the apparition held out its hand, and in it, as Goddard con- ceived, twenty or thirty fhillings infilver, and then fpake with a loud voice ; Take this Money andTend it to Sarah, for I fhut Linp rhy Bowels of compaflion toward her in "''the time of rny life, and now here is fome- whar for her. And then faid, Mary (mean- ing his the faid Goddards Wife as he con- ceived ) ■ is troubled for me. But tell her, God hattrfhewed mercy to trie contrary to ray deferts. ' But the faid Goddard anfwered, In the Name of JefusChriftj I refufe alhfuch 0/ Relations. lit Money. Then the Apparition faid, I perceive -you are afraid. I will meet you fome other time. And immediately it went up the Lane to his appearance. So he went over the fame Style, but faw it no more that day. . r He faith, The next night about feven of the Clock, it came and opened his fhop Window, and ftood in the lite Clothes, looked him in the face, but faid nothing; to him. And the next night after, as Goddard went forth into his Backftde with a Candle light in his hand, it appeared to him again in the fame fhape,. but he being in fear ran iinto his houfe, and faw it no more then. ; But he faith, That on Thurfday.the twelfth jnftant, as he came from Chilton, riding down; the Hill between the Mannor-houfe and A$~ ford-Vixm-field, he faw fomewhat like a Hare croffed his way, at which his Horfe frighted threw him in the dirt, and as foon as he could recover on his feet, the fame Apparition there met him again in the fame jhabit, and there ftanding a,bout eight foot direclly before him in the way, fpake again to him with a loud voiced Source (a word -he commonly ufed when living ) you have flayed long, ana" then faid to him, Thomas, jbid William ^Avon take the Sword that he ,had of me, which is now in his houfe, and carry it to the Wood as we go to ^Alton, io the upper end of the Wood bythe ways Pp 2 fide. ' 112 T7?e ColkElion fide. For with that Sword I did wrong a- bove Thirty years ago, and he never prolpe- red fince he had that Sword. And bid h il~ Ham x^tvon give his Sifter Sarah twenty fal- lings of the money which he had of me. And do you talk with Edward Lawrence, for I borrowed twenty millings of him feveral years ago, and did fay I had paid him, but ■ I did not pay it him, and I would defire you to pay him twenty fhillings out of the mo- sney which you had from James Ellict at two payments. Which money the faid Goddard now faith Was five pounds, which James Elliot a Baker here owed the faid ^Avon on Bond, and which he the faid Goddard had re- ceived from the faid Elliot fince Michaelmas at two payments, viz. 35 s. atone , and 3 /. 5 s. at another payment. And it fur- ther faid to him, Tell Margaret (meaning his own Wife as he conceived) that I would de- fire her to deliver up the little which I gave to little Sarah Taylor to the Child, or to any one flie will truft for it. But if fhe will not, fpeak to Edward Lawrence to perfwade her. But if fhe will hot then, tell her that Twill fee her very fuddenly. And fee that this be done within a Twelve-moneth and a day after my deceafe, and peace be with you. And fo it went away over the Rails into the Wood there in the like manner as any Man would go over a Style to his ap- pre- of Relations. if? prehenfion, and fohe faw it no more at that time. And he faith, that he paid the twenty (hillings to Edward Lawrence of this Town, who being prefent now doth remember he lent the faid Avon twenty frilling? about twenty years ago, which none knew but himfelf and Wife, anJ^w and his Wife, and was never paid it again before now by this Goddard. And this faid Goddard further faith, That this very day by Mr. Majors order, he with his Brother in Law William Avon went with the Sword , and about Nine a Clock this Morning, they laid down the Sword in the Copfe near the place the Apparition had appointed Goddard'to carry it, and then com- ing away thence, Goddard looking back, faw the fame Apparition again in the like habit as before. Whereupon he called to his Bro- ther in Law, and faid, Here is the Apparition of our Father, Who faid I fee nothing. Then Goddard fell on his Knees and faid, Lord open his Eyes that he may fee it. But he replyed, Lord grant I may not fee it, if it be thy blef- fed Will. And then the Apparition to Gcdr ^reappearance, beckned with his hand to him to come to it. And then Goddard faid, In the Name of the Father, Son and Holy Ghoft,what would you have me to do^Then the Apparition faid to bim, Thomas, Take up the Sword and follow me. To which he P p 3 faid, if4 ^?e ColleSlion faid, fliould both of us come, or but one of lis? To which it anfwered, Thomas, do you take up the Sword. And fo he took up the Sword and followed the Apparition about Ten Lugs (that is Poles) further into the Copfe, and then turning back, he ftood ftill about a Lug and a half from it, his Brother inLawftaying behind at the place where they firft laid down the Sword. Then God. 'dard laying down the Sword upon the jground, J^aw fomething ftand by the Appa- rition like a Maftiff Dog of a brown colour. Then the Apparition coming towards God- dard, he ftept back about two fteps, and the Apparition faid to him, I have a permiflion to you, and commiflion not to.touch you, and then it took up theSword,and went back to the place at which before it ftood, with a Maftiff Dog by it as "before, and pointed the top of the Sword'into'the ground and faid. In this place lyes buried the Body of him which Tmurdered in the year 1635. which is now rotten and turned tpduft. Where- upon Goddard faid, I do adjure you in the Name of the Father, Son and Holy Ghoft, wherefore did you do this murder f. And it laid, I took money from the Man, and he Contended with me, and fo I murdered him. Then Goddard askt him, who was confede- rate with him in the faid murder < and it laid, none but my felf. Then Goddard faid, What of Relation^' 215 What would you have me to do in this thing? And the Apparition faid , This is th$t the World, may know that I murdered a Man, and buried him in this place in the year Then the Apparition laid down the Sword on the bare ground there, where- on grew nothing, but feemed to Goddard to be as a Grave funk in. And then the Apparition ruffling further into the Copfe vanifhed, and he faw it no more. Where- upon Goddard and his Brother in Law Avon, leaving the Sword there and coming away. together, Avon told Goddard he heard his voice, and underftood what he faid, and* heard other words diftincl; from his, but could not underftand a word of it, nor faw any Apparition at all. Which he now alfo prefent affirmeth, and all which the faid Goddard then attefted under his hand, and affirmed he will depofe the fame when he fhall be thereto required. In the prefence of chrift. Lypyatt Major,1 Rolf Bayly Town-Clerk, Jofhuah Sache- verell Rector of St. Peters in Malebrough, Examined by me . Will. Bayly. Pp 4 AD- 216 Tl>e CofleEl'w . i • !• - Advertisement, That Tho. Gqddard faw t(>is Apparition,' pirns to be a thing indubitable 5 but whether it. was his pather in Law*s Ghoft, that is more que- ftionable. The former is confirmed from an hand at leaft impartial ? if not disfavour able to the ftory. The party in his Letter to CMr. G—■ writes briefly to this effect, i. That he does verily think that this Tho. Goddard does be- lieve, the ftory moft ftrongly himfelf. 2. That he cannot imagine what intereft he fhould have In raifing fuch a ftory, he bringing Infamy on, his Wives Father, and obliging himfelf to pay twenty jhillings debt., which his poverty could very ill fpare. 3. That his Father in Law Ed- Ward Avon, was a re'fo/utefturdy fellow in his young years-? and many years a Bailiff'to Arreft people f 4. That Tho. Goddard had the re: pute of an hone ft Man, knew as much in Reli- gion as moft of his rank and breeding, and< was a conftant frequenter of the Church, till about 'a year befqre this happened to him, he fell cff wholly to the Non-Conformifts. All this hitherto, fave this laft of all, tends to, the Confirmation of the ftory. There- fore this laft fhall be the firft Allegation againft the credibility thereof, £. It is further alledg- #if, that poffibly thi defign of the ftory may be to make, ©/Relations. t\j make him to be accounted an extraordinary fome* body amongft the diffenting party. 3. 1 hat he is / fometimes troubled with Epileptic alfits. 4. That the Major fent the next Morning to digg the place where the Spetire faid the Murdered Man was Buried, and there was neither bones founa\ nor any difference of the Earth in that place from the reft. . But we anfwer briefly to the firft, That his falling off to the Non-Conformifts though it may argue avacillancy of his judgment, yet it does not any defect of his external fenfes, as if he were lefs able to difcern when he faw or heard any thing than before: To the fecond, That it is a perfect contradiction to his ftrong belief of the truth of his own ftory, which plainly implies that he did not feign it to make himfelf an ex- traordinary fome-body; To the third, That an Epileptic al Perfon when he is out of his fits , hath his external fenfes as true and entire, as a Drunken Man has when his Drunken fit is over, 'or a Man awake after a night offieep and dreams. So that this argument has not the leaft (hew of force with it, unlefs you will take away the au- thority of all Mens'fenfes, becaufe at fometimes they have not a competent ufe of them, namely infleep, druukennefs or the like,. But now laftly for the fourth which is moft confider able, it is yet of no greater force than to make it que ft ion able whether this Spectre was the Ghoft of his Father, or Come ludicrous Goblin that would put 4 trick ■ r upon 2i 8 !The ColleHion upon Thomas Goddard, by perfonating his Eather-in-Law, and by a falfe pointing at the pretended grave of the Murdered make him ridiculous. For what Porphyrius has noted, j doubt not but is true, That Daemons fome- times perfonate the Souls of the deceafed. But if an uncoffined body being laid in a ground ex- pofed to wet and dry, the Earth may in 30 years (pace confume the very bones and affimilate all to to the reft of the mold, when fome Earths will do it in lefs than the fifteenth part of that fpace : Or if the Ghoft of Edward Avon might have forgot the certain place {it being no grateful object of his memory) where he buried the murdered Man, and only gueffed that to be it becaufe it was fomething funk, as if the Earth yielded upon the wafting of the Buried body, the reft of the ftory will ftill naturally import that it was the very Ghoft of Edward Avon. Befides, himfelf ex- prefty declares, as that the body was Buried there, fo that by this time it was all turn d into duft. But whether it was a ludicrous Daemon or Edward Avons Ghoft, concerns not our fcope. It is fufficient that it is a certain inftance of a real Apparition, and I thought fit as in the forma ftory, fo here to be fo faithful as to conceal nothing that any might pretend to leffen the, credibility /hereof. Stories of the appearing of Souls depar- ted are not for the tooth of the Non-conformifts, who, as it is faid, if they generally believe this, it muft be from the undeniable evidence thereof, 1nor ^Relations. zi$ nor could Thomas Goddard gratifie them by in* venting of it. *~And that it was not a phanfy the knowledge of the 20 Shillings debt imparted to Thomas Goddard ignorant thereof before t and his Brother Avon'/ hearing a voice diftinGt from his in his difcourfe with the Apparition; does plainly enough imply. Nor was it Goddard** own phanfy, but that real Spectre that opened his fhop-window. Nor his imagination, but fomething in the fhape of an Hare that made his Horfeft art and caft him into the dirt 5 The Apparition of Avon being then accompanied with that Hare^ as after with the Maftiff Dog. usind laftly the whole frame of the ftory , provided the Relator does verily think- it true himself {as Mr.S.teftifier for him in his Letter to Afr.Glarnrit, and himfelf profeft he was ready at any time to fwear to it) is fuch, that it being not a voluntary invention, cannot be an impofing phanfy. R E L A T. X. The Apparition of the Ghoftl'of CMajor George Sydenham, to captain William Dyke, taken out of a Letter of Mr. James Douch of Mongton, to Mr. Jof. Glanvil. Concerning the Apparition of the Ghoft of Major George Sydenham (late of Cul- vert on in the County of Somerfet f) to Captain William 2i© The CoUeftlon William Dyke (late ofskilgate in this County alfo, and now likewife deceafed) be pleafed to take the Relation of it as I have it from the Worthy and Learned Dr.Tho.Dyke,* near Kinfmanof the Captains, Thus: Shortly after the Major's Death , the Doctor was defired to come to the Houfe to take care of a Child that was there fick , and in his wny thither he called on the Captain , who was very willing to wait on him to the place, becaufe he muft , as he faid , have gone thither that Night , though he had not met with fo encouraging an oppor- tunity. After their arrival there at the Houfe and the civility of the People fhewn them in their Entertainment, they were feafonably conducted to their Lodging , which they defired might be together in the fame bed, Where , after they had lain a while, the Captain knockt and bids the Servant bring him two of the largeft and biggeft Candles lighted that he could get. Whereupon the Doctor enquires what he meant by this ? The Captain anfwers, you know Coufin what difputes my Major and I have had touching the being of a God, and the Immortality of the Soul. In which points we could never yet be refolved, though we fo much fought for and defired it. And therefore it was at length fully agreed between us., That he of us that dyed of Relations. 221 firft fhould the third night after his Funeral, between the hours of Twelve and One come to the little houfe that is here in the Garden and there give a full account to the furviver touching thefe matters, who fhould be fure to be prefent there at the fet time and fo receive a full fatisfaction. And this, fays the Captain, is the very Night,and I am come on purpofe toiulfill ray promife. ^ The Doctor diffwaded him, minding him of the danger of following thofe ftrange Counfels, for which we could have no warrant, and that the Devil might by fome cunning device make fuch an advantage of this rafh attempt, as might work his utter ruine. The Captain replies, that he had folemnly engaged, and that nothing fhould difcourage him: and adds,That if the Doctor would wake a while with him, he would thank him, if not, he might compofe him- felf to his reft; but for his own part he was refolved to watch, that he might be fure to be prefent at the hour appointed. To that purpofe he fets his Watch by him, and as foon as he perceived by it that it was half an hour paft Eleven, he rifes, and taking a Candle in each hand, goes our by a back Door of which he had before gotten the Key, and walks to the Garden-houfe, where he continued two hours and an half, and at his return declared that he neither faw nor heard 2 22 T7;e ColleEtion heard anything more than was ufual. Bt$t I Jjnow, faid he, that my Major would furely have come,had he been able. About fix weeks after the Captain rides to Eato» to place his Son a Scholar there, when the Doctor went thither with him. They Lodged there at anion, the Sign was :the Chriftopber, and tarried two or three Nights, not lying together now as before atDittverton, but in two feveral Chambers. The Morniiigbefore they went thence the Captain ftayed in his Chamber longer than *.he was wont to do before he called upon the Doctor. At length ihe comes into the -Doctors Chamber, but in a vifage and form imuch differing from himfelf, wn\\ his Hainand Eyes flaring, and hiswhule body -making and trembling. Whereat the iX>octor wondering , prefently demandedj What is the matter, Couftn Captain { The sCaptain replies, I have feen my Major. At .which the Doctor feemingto fhule,the Cap- tain immediately confirms it, faying,, If ever I faw him in my life Lfaw him but now. And then he related to the Doctor what had ^pafled, Thus: This Morning after it was ilight, fomeone comes to my beds fide and tfuddainly drawing back the Curtains calls t€ap..Cap^(which was the term of familiarity :that the Major nfed to call the Captain by) te* whom I replied, Whatjny Major i To which of Relations. 225 which he returns, I could not come at the time appinted, but I am now come to tell you , that there is a God and a very juft and terrible one, and if you do not turn over a new leaf (the very expreflion as is by the Doctor punctually ttmembx^fyouwittinditfo. (the Captain proceeded ) On the Table by, there lay a Sword which the Major had for- merly given me. Now after the Apparition had walked a turn or two about the Cham- ber he took up the Sword, drew it out, and finding it not fo clean and bright as it ought, Cap. cap* fays he, this Sword did not ufe to be kept after this manner when it was mine. After which words he fuddainly difappeared. The Captain was not only throughly perfwaded of what he had thus feen and heard, but was from that time obferved to be very much affected with it. And the humour that before in him was brisk and jovial,1 was then ftrangely altered. Infomuch as very little meat would pafs down with him at Dinner, though at the taking leave of their Friends there was a very handfome Treat provided .Yea it was obferved that what the Captain had thus feen and heard had a more laftinginfluence upon him, and it is . judged by thofe who were well acquainted with .his Convention, that the remem- brance of this paffage ftuck clofe to him, and that thofe words of his dead Friend were 224 *^}e ColleBldh were frequently founding frefh in his Ears, during the remainder of his Life, which was about two years. Advertisement. For a further affurance of the truth of the fto- ry , it will not be amifs to take notice what Mr. DoUCh writes in his fecond Letter to Mr. Glanvil, touching the Character of the Major and the Captain. They were both, faith he, of my good acquaintance1, CM en well bred, and of a brisk humoUr and jolly bonverfatidn, of very quick and keen parts, hiving alfo been both of themUniverfity and inns of Court Gentlemen. The Major 1 conceive was about forty five years old when he dyed, and I believe the Captain might then be fifty or forhtwhat more. I cannot Underftand that the Doctor and the Captain had any difcourfe concerning the former engagement to meet, after the difappointment at that time and place, or whether the Captain had after that any expectation of the performance ofthepromife which the Major had made him. Thus far Mr. Douch. And truly one would naturally think^ that he failing the folemn appointed time, the { Captain would confequently let go all hopei and \ expectation of his appearing afterward. Or if - he did, that it would be at fuch a time of the night as was firft determined ef^ and not .at the 6f Relatione iij the morning light. Which feafonyet is lefs obnd* xiohs to the Impoftures of Fancy and Melancholy* and therefore adds fome weight to the affurance of the truth of the Apparition. I will only add one claufe more out of that fecond Letter that makes to the point. This ftory, faith he, has and doth Hill obtain credit from all that knew the Captain, who it feems was not at all fhieor fcrupulous to relate it to any one that askt him Concerning it, though it was obferved he never mentioned it, but with great terrottr and tre* pidation. R E L A T. XL Biting a Poftfcript of the firft Letter of Mr] Douch, concerning the appearing of the Ghoft of sir George Villiers, Father to the firft Duke ^Buckingham; Since the writing of the premuTes, a pat fage concerning an Apparition of Sir George rilliers, giving warning of his Son's (the Duke of Buckingham's ) Murther is come into my Mind, which hath been affured by a Servant of the Dukes to be a great truth; Thus: SoMe few days before the Dukes go- ing to tortfmouth (where he wasftabbed by CJq felton) , Zi6 Tfx ColleHion Velton) the Ghoft of his Father Sir George VilUers appeared to one Barker (formerly his own Servant, but then Servant to the Duke) in his Morning Chamber Gown 5 charged • Worker to tell his Son that he fhould decline that Employment and defign he was going upon, or elfe he would certainly be murthe- red. Barker promifed the Apparition to do k, .but neglected it. The Duke making pre- parations for his Expedition, the Apparition came again to Barker, taxing him very fe- verely for his breach of Promife, and requi- red him not to delay the acquainting his Son of the danger he was in. Then Barker the next day tells the Duke, that his Fathers Ghoft had twice appeared to him, and had commanded him to give him that warning. The Duke flighted it, and told him he was an old Doting Fool. That night the Appa- rition came to Parker a third time, faying, Parker thou haft done well in warning my Son of his danger, but though he will not yet believe thee, Go to him once more how- ever, and tell him from me by fuch a TokeH (naming a private Token) which no body knows, but only he and I, that if he will not decline this voyage, fuch a Knife as this is (pulling a long Knife out from under his Gown) will be his death. This Meflage Parker alfo delivered the next day to the Duke, who when he heard the private To- o/^RelitkBs. £27 kert believed that he h&&i*, I fay.this; Gentleman and his Daughter ( Mrs. Pearfons Mother a very pious foul) made a compact at his intreaty that the firft of them that dyed, if happy, fhould.after death appear to the'furvivfer, if it were poflible ; the Daughter with fome difficulty confentinjgtheoetoJ ~ >', Some time after, the Daughter who lived at Gi&ngham-Lodge two MtleS from Salisbury >, fellin labour, and by ami&ake being-given. a of Relations^ *ji a noxious potion inftead of another prepared- for her, fuddainly dyed. Her Father lived in London, and that very Night fhe dyed fhe opened his Curtains and looked upon him. He had before heard nothing of her ilnefs,but upon this Apparition*. confidently told his Maid, that his Daughter was dead, and two days after received the news,Her Grandmother told Mts.Pearfon this, as alfo an Uncle of hers, and the abovefaki Maid, and this Mrs. Pearfonl know, and flie is a very prudent and good Woman. R E L A T. XIV. The appearing of the Ghoft of one Mr. Bower of Guilford, to an Highway-man in Prifon , m it is fet down in a Letter of Dr. Ezekias Burton, to Dr. H. More. A Bout Ten years ago one Mt. Bower an antient Man living at Guilford in Sur- rey, was upon the Highway not far from that place found newly Murdered very bar- baroufly , having one great Cut crofs his Throat, and another down his Breaft. Two Men were feized upon fufpicion", and put into Gaol at Guilford to another, who had before been committed for Robbing as t Oil 4 fop. fji The Cotlcttion fuppofe. That Night this third Man was awakened about one of the Clock and great- ly terrified with an Old Man, who had a great gafh crofs his Throat almoft from Ear to Ear, and a wound down his Breaft. He alfo came in ftooping and holding his hand on his back. Thus he appeared but faid nothing. The Thief calls to his two new Companions, they grumbled at him but Blade no anfwer. In the Morning he retained fo lively an impreflion of what he had feen, that he fpoke to them to the fame purpofe again , and they told him it was nothing but his phantafy. But he was fo fully perfwaded of the reality ,of this Apparition, that he told others of it, and it came to the pars of 3>y Friend Mr. Reading Juftice of Peace in Surrey, and Coufin to the Gentleman that was Murdered. He immediately fent for the Prjfoner and asked him in the firft place whether he was born or had lived about Guilford ? To which he anfwered, No. Secondly, He enquired if lie knew any of the Inhabitants of that Town or of the Neighbourhood i He replied that he was a ftranger to all thereabout. Then be enquired, if he had ever heard of one fyt.fmer? He faid No. After this he ex- amjned him for what caufe thofe other two £4en were imprifoned f Toj which he an- fwered j of Relations* ij| fwered, he knew not, but fuppofed for feme Robbery, After thefe preliminary Interrogatories he defired him to tell him what he had feen in the Night? Which he immediately did , exactly according to the Relation he had heard, and I gave before. And withal de- fcribed the Old Gentleman fo by his picked beard , and that he was , as he called it, rough on his Cheeks, and that the Hairs of his Face were Black and White, that Mr. Reading faith he himfelf could not have given a more exact defcription of Mr. Bower, than this was. He told the Highway-man that he muft give him his Oath (though that would fignifie little from fuch a Rogue) to which the Man readily confented, and took Oath before the Juftice of all this. Mr. Reading being a very difereet Man concealed this ftory from the Jury at the Aflizes, as knowing that this would be no evidence according to our Law. However the Friends of the Murdered Gentleman had been very inquifitive, and difcovered feveral fufpicions circumftances. One of which was, that thofe two Men had wafhed their Clothes, and that fome ftains of blood re- mained. Another, that one of them had denied he ever heard that Mr. Bower was dead, when as he had in another place con- feft it two hours before. Upcn thefe and 2}4- The Colle&ibn fuch like evidences thofe two were Con- demned and Executed, but denied it to the laft. But one of them faid, theother could clear him if he would, which the By-ftanders underftood: not. After fome time a Tinker was hanged (where, the Gentleman has forgot) who at his death faid, that the Murder of Mr.Bower of Guilford was hisgrsateft trouble. For he had a hand in it; he confeffed he ftruck him a blow on the back which fetcht him from his Horfe, and when he was down, thofe other Men that were Arraigned and Executed for it cut his Throat and rifled him. This is the firft ftory which I had from Mr. Reading himfelf, who is a very honeft prudent perfon and not credulous. I know you defire to have the Names of all the perfons referred to in this Relation, and thaexacl: time and place, but Mr; Reading cannot recoiled them now, though he tells me hefent an exact and full Narrative of all to one Mr. Onflow a Juftice of Peace in that Neighbourhood, with whom I; have fome acejuaiifltance, and I will endeavour to re- trieve it. t\ D- of Relatipjis. $35 Advertisement, The Names of all theTerfons and exact time and place of afi the actions, /find not amongft Mr. ClanviYs Papers, but the ftory is fo perfe ft as it is, andfo credible, that I thought it worthy of a place amongft the reft. And this appearing of Mr. Bower is juft fuch another thing as tlfo appearing of Anne Walker, vye proceed to t^e fecond ftory which Mr. Reading imparted to the Do&or. R E L A T. XV. {^Another appearing of a Ghoft of a /tfanefGxiiU ford, for the recovery of a Field for his child . unjuflly detained by his Brother, out of the a- bovefaid Letter of Dr. Ezekias Burton to Dr. H, More. AN Inhabitant of the before-named * Town of Guilford, who was pofleft of fome Copy-hold Land, which was to de- fcend to his Children, or in default of fuch iffue to his Brother, dies having no Child born. And his Wife apprehending her felf not to be with £hild (which her Husbands Brother irfj The CoOeftlon Brother asked her immediately after his Brothers death) fhe told him fhe believed fhe was not, but afterward proved to be. Which when fhe knew (he went, by the inftigation of Neighbours, to her Brother, and told him how it was with her. He rated her, called her Whore, and told her that fhe had procured fome body to get her with Child , knowing that fuch a Field muft be inherited by the pofterity of her Husband, but her Whoring fhould not fool him out of that Eftate. The poor Woman went home troubled, that not only fher Child fhould lofe the Land, but which was worfe, that fhe fhould be thought a Whore. However ihe quieted her felf,and refolved to fit down with the lofs. When her time came fhe was delivered of a Son, he grew up and one Summers Night as fhe was undrcffing him in her yard, her Husband appeared, and bid her go to his Brother and demand the Field. Which fhe did, but was treated very ill by him. He told her that neither fhe nor her Devil ( for fhe had told him her Husband appeared and bid her fpeak to him ) fliould make him forgoe his land. Whereupon fhe went home again. But fome tirns after as her Brother was going out of this Field home- ward, the dead Man appears to him at the (tile, and bids him give up the Land to of Relations:. 257 the Child, for it was his right. The Brother being greatly frighted at this, runs away, and not long after comes to her and tells her, (he had fent the Devil to him, and bids her take the Land, and fo gave it up, and her Son is now pofleft of it. His Name is Mat, he lived in the Service of Mr. Readings Bro- ther for fome years, but he has forgot his Sir-name though he knows him very welL Advertisement. Though the Sir-name of the party be wanting, yet he is determinated fo by other circumftances, and the slory fo frefh, and told by fo credible a perfon, that the Narrative is fufficiently confide- rable as it is. But of Recovery of Land to the right Owners, the (lory of Mrs. Brettons Ghoft appearing is an eximious example, which is a* follows. RELAT- IjS The CotieBhn Mi,.) II 11 'I B»l ll 1 1 i . i. i I ——», I '»■'■ RELAt. tyt He appiaHn'gof the Ghoft of Mrs. Bfetton, fof the recovery offoHic Lands into the hands of the Poor, taken from them by fome miftake in 'Law or Right, as it is in a Narrative fent tb Dr. H. More from Mr. Edward Fowler, Prebendary 0^ Glocefter. Tp\ R. Bretton late Re&or of Ludgate and JL*J Dedford, lived formerly in Hereford- jftire, and Marryed the Daughter of Dr. S— This Gentlewoman was a perfon of extraor- dinary piety, which fhe exprefled as in her life, fo at her death. She-had a Maid that fhe had a great kindnefs for, who was Married to a near Neighbour, whofe name, as! re- member, was Alice. Not long after her death, as Alice was rocking her Infant in the night, fhe was called from the Cradle by a knocking at her door, which opening flie was furprifed at the fight of a Gentle- woman not to be diftinguhnt from her late Miftrefs, neither in Perfon nor habit. She was in a Morning-Gown, the fame in ap- pearance with that fhe had often feen her ^fhrefs wear. At firft fight fhe exprefled very great amazement, and faid, Were not my of Relations. ^.jp my Miftrefs dead, I fhould not queftion but that you are fhe. She replied I am the fame that was your Miftrefs, and took her by the hand. Which cilice affirmed was as cold as a Clod. She added, That (he had bufinefs of great Importance to imploy her in, and that flie muft immediately go a little way with her. Alice trembled, and befeecht her to excufe her, and intreated her very importunately to go to her Mafter, who muft needs be more fit to be imployed. She anfwered, that he who was her Husband was not at all con- cerned, but yet flie had had a defire rather to make ufe of hirn^ and in order thereunto had feveral times been in his Chamber, but he was ftill afleep, nor had fhe power to do more than once uncover his feet towards the awakening of him. And the DocTor faid, that he had heard walking in his Chamber in the night,which till now he could give no account pf. Alice next objected that her hus- band was gone a journey, and fhe had no one to look to her Child, that it was very apt to cry vehemently, and fhe feared if it awaked before her return, it would cry it felf to death, or do it felf mifchief. The Spectre re- plied, The Child fhall fleep till you return. Alice feeing there was no avoiding if, forely againft her will, followed her over a ftyle into a large Field, who then fa'^d to her, 14b I7;e Cottettidn her, obferve how much of this Field i mea- fure with my Feet. And when fhe had ta- ken a good large and leifurely compafs, fhe faid, all this belongs to the Poor, it being gotten from them by wrongful means, ana charged her to go and tell her Brother, whofe it was at that time, that he fhould give it up to the Poor again forthwith as he loVed her and his deceafed Mother. This Brother was not the Perfon who did this Un- juft ad, but his Father. She added, that fhe was the more concerned, becaufe her name was made ufe of in fome writing that related to this Land. Alice askt her how fhe mould fatisfy her Brother that this was no Cheat or delufion of her Phanfy. She replied, tell him this fecret, which he knows that Only himfelf and I are privy to, and he will believe you. \Aliee having promifed her to go on this Errand, fhe proceded to give her good ad- vice, and entertained her all the reft of the Night with moft Heavenly and Divine difcourfe. When the Twilight appeared they heard the whiffling of Carters and the noife of Horfe-Bells. Whereupon the Spcu Bretton lived. They told me as foon as I had -concluded it, th^t the ftory was very true in the main, only I was out as to tfie place, For 'twas not Dcptfordi but as I remember they told, fne i^i Tlte Cdtlcttwt fembridge near Hereford, where the Do&Or ivas Minifter before tffc Return of the King. And the^ affured me upon their own know- ledge, that to that day the Poor enjoyed the piece of ground. They added, That Mrs. Brertons Father could'nevertndure to hear any thing mentioned of h?s Daughters ati- pcanrig after her cteath, hut Would ftill reply in great anger, that it 'was rtot his Daughfet, but It was the Devil. So that he acknow- ledged that'foniethins appeared in the like- nefs of his Daughter^ ^rL This is attefted by me this 16th. or*-*;.' 1 - :i-ofi;^.i68t., ;, -V.^V:.£ihl Oho <,1 flu f Edward fowleru ,-.lT\ .,; ... vj a.nii . I. :.A ' . —--------------.-----,--------^ ivh \ '■■ .-—-** : i'i '&)■■■ ■ ■ ' 3nr>< R E LA T. XVII. •> yir ;t.'O'j Oils ■. Of a ftutch Man that mid fee fahofts, and if -*- the Ghoft he fdw in the Toihn ofWoodbridge in Suffolk. ' if Jk X R. Broom the MinifteV ^tW\>odbrMge$i\ IVl Suffolk, meeting 6ne day, in a Barbers - (hop in that Town,Ha Dutch Lietitenant fwhb was blown up with#^&, and taken ali^e out of the Water, and carried to that Town Where he wasa Prifoner at farge ) upon, the ; ♦■■ occa- of: Jlel^tiprKi 24 £ occafion of force difcourfe was told by hinfy that lie could fee Ghofts, and that he had. fech divers. Mr. Br em rebuking turn for- talking lb idly, heperfifted in it very ftiflly. Sonne days after lighting jupon him again i heafckt him whether he had feen any Ghoft fince his coming, to that Town. To .which hcreplyed, No. >t.A ;rfc- . ~> But not long after this, as they wftre walk* ing together up the Town, he (aid tp Mr* Brown, YbndercomesaGhoft, Hefteingno* thing,.aslct him whereabout it was i The 0+ ther (aid, it is over againft fuch a hpufe, and it walks looking upwards towards fuch a fide , flinging one ,aroi with a Glove' initg. handw tie laid njjaweoiyer* that when it came near them, tihey muft give way to it. That hejev-er did fo, and fooie that have not dqn$ fo, have fufferedffor it. Anon he faid,'tis juft upon us, lee's out of the way* Hu Broofy believing all to be a fiction, as foon as he Gtidohofe worck, jtook hQld of his Arm, and kept him by force in the way. But as he held hint, *-i - '■ ■ —.....-: - iU-*V r"t,i'i'\i » !.j;n'- R E L A T, XIX. The miraculous Cure of Jefeh Claes a Dutch IVema&f AtiiRstdtm, accompanied with an Apparition. . ciil/ THe Narrative taken by a Dutch Mer- chant from her own Mouth begins thus. A miraculous Cure upon Jefchctaes, a Woman about fifty years of Age: For this many years well known to myrfeif and the Neighbours. This Woman for fourteen years had been lame of both Legs, one of them being dead and without feeling, fo that flie could not go but creep upon the ground, or was carried in Peoples Arms as a Child, but now through the power of God Al- mighty fhe hath walked again. Which came to pare after this manner, as I have taken it from her own Mouth. In the year \6j6. about the 13th or 14th of this Month October, in the Night between one and two of the Clock, this Jefeh Claes being in bed with her Husband who was a Boatman, fhe was three times pulled by her Arm, with which flie awaked and cryed out, O Lord ! What may this be ^ Here- upon fhe heard an anfwer in plain word's: Be o- Tte CoBettton Be not afraid, I come •»«. the Name of the Father, Son and Holy Ghoft. Your malady which hath for many years been upon you fhall ceafe, and it fhall be given you from God Almighty to walk again. But keep this to yourfelf till further anfwer. Where- upon fhe cried aloud, O Lord! That I had alight, that I might know what this is. Then had fhe this anfwer, There needs no light, the light (ball be given you frorn God. Then came light all over the room, and fhe faw a beautiful Youth about Ten years of Age, with Curled Yellow Hair Clothed in White to the Feet, who went from the Beds-head to the Chimney with a light which a little after vanifhed. Here- upon did there fhoot fomething or gufh from her Hip, or diffufe it felf through her Leg as a Water into her great Toe, where fhe djid find life rifing up, felt it with her hand, crying out, Lord give me now again my feeling which I have not had in fo many years. And further flje continued crying and praying to the Lord according to her weak meafure. Yet fhe continued that day wednefday, and the next day Thurfday, as.beforetill Evening at fix a Clock. At which time fhe fate at the fire dreffing the food. Then came as like a rufhing noife in both her Ears, with which it was faid to her Stand. Your going bf Relations. 253 is given you again. Then did fhe imme- diately ftand up that had fo mangjuyears crept, and went to the door. Her ffSband meeting her being exceedingly afraid drew back. In the mean while fhe cryed out, My dear Husband I can go again. The Man thinking it was a Spirit drew back, faying, you are not my Wife. His Wife taking hold of hira faid, My dear Husband I am the felf fame that hath been Married thefe Thirty years to you*- The Almighty God hath given my going again. But her Husband being amazed drew back to the fide of the room, till at laft (he clafpt her hand about his rieck,4and yet he doubted and faid to his Daughter, is this your Mo- ther < She anfwered, yes Father, this we plainly fee. I had feen her go alfo before you came in. This Perfon dwells upon Princes lfland in ^mfterdam. Advertisement. This account was fent from a Dutch CMer* chant procured by a Friend for Dr.K.Cu&vuQnh) and contains the main Particulars that occur in the Dutch Printed Narrative, which Monfieur Van Helmont brought over with him to my Lady Conway at Ragley, who having inquired upon the Spot when he was there at Amfterdam. 1$4 The ColleBioti though of a Genius mt at all credulcut tf fitch Zelatififf, found the thing tt> be really txue. ^As atfi Phmppus Limbergius in a. Letter t§ Dr. H. More, fent this Teftimsny ttudring thi party sured, 1 hat fife mas ak*ays. reputed a vtrf honeft goodtVeman, and that hi beiiezied ther A was no fraud at atlfnthehufinjefs. .iirfj i. ■'- ■ ■ ■ —' *■ ■ - -il .nfi - R€ L AT. XX. K^An houfe haunted fome Thirty years agtw-morA sit or near Bow, 0«# fa fr*m London > and ftrangely difturbed by Daemons and Witches. -<- -l *"> »> A Certain (5ent!eman atoUt Th-if ty years ago or fnore,{ being to Travel from London into Lffcx, and to pafs-thfoigh Sow H at therequeft of a Friend he called at a houfe there,, which Jbegao then to be a li|fle dif- quieted. Butnot-anythingmttcn renterkable yetj_ unjefs of a young Girl who was pluckt by the Thigh by a cold hand in h«rbed who dyed wWhtf* a few days after* - -^;.;' i Some weeks after this his oocafiGins calling hirnvbackliepafled by the fame fataineagainj but na8 no defign to giwe thecn a ifteiv vifit, he havxng done that not longfoefbrei But it happening fhattba Woman of the .houi(* ^ ftood of Relations. 255 ftood at the Door, he thought himfelf en- gaged to ride to her and ask how fhe did t To whom fhe anfwered with a forrowful Countenance; That though fhe was in tole- rable health, yet things went very ill with them , their houfe being extreanaly haunted efpecially above flairs, fo that they were forced to keep in the low rooms, there was fuch flinging of things up and down, of Stones and Bricks through the Windows and putting all in diforder. But he could fcarce forbear laughing at her, giving fo little credit to fuch ftories himfelf, and thought it was the tricks onely ofifbme un- happy Wags to make fport to themfelves and trouble to their Neighbours. Well fays fhe, if you will but ftay a while you may chance to fee fomething with your. own Eyes. And indeed he nad not flayed any considerable time with her in the ftreety but a Window of an upper room opened 'of? it felf { for they of the Family took it for granted no body was above flairs ) and out comes a piece of an old Wheel through it. Whereupon it prefently clapt to again. A little while after it fuddainly flew open again and out come a Brick-bat, which in- flamed the <3entleman with a more eager defire to fee what the matter was, and to difcover the Knavery. And therefore he boldly refolved if any one would go up with 256 The Collettiw him, he would in to the Chamber. BuC none prefent durft accompany him. Yet the keen defire of difeovering the cheat, made him adventure by himfelf alone into that Room. Into which when he was come, he faw the Bedding, Chairs and Stools, and Candlefticks, and Bedftaves, and all the furniture rudely fcattered on the floor, but upon fearch found no mortal in the Room. Well / he flays there a while to try con- qlufions, anon a Bedftaff begins to move, and turn it felf round a good while together upon its Toe, and at laft fairly to lay it felf down again. The curious Spectator, when he had obferved it to lye ftill a while, ftepsdJt to it, views iE wheiher any fmall firing or hair were tyed to it, or whether there were any hole or button to faften any fuch firing to, or any hole or firing in the Ceiling a- bove- but after fearch> he found not the leaft fufpicion of any fuch thing. He retires to the Window again, and ok ferves a little longer what may fall out. A- non, another Bedftaff rifes off from the ground of its own aceoird higher into the air, and feems to make towards him. He now begins to think there was fomething more than ordinary in the bufinefs, and pre- fently makes to the door with all fpeed, and for better caution fliuts it after him. Which was prelently opened again, and fuch a clatter of Relation^ 157* clatter of Chairs, and Stools, and Candle- fticks, and Bedftaves, fent after him down Stairs, as if they intended to have maimed him, but their motion was fo moderated, that he received no harm, but by this time he was abundantly affured , that it was not mere Womanifh fear or fuperftition that fo affrighted the Miftrefs of the houfe. And while in a low Room he was talking with the Family about thefe things, he faw a To- bacco-pipe rife from a fide Table, no body being nigh, and fly to the other fide of thp Room, and break it felf againft the wall for his further confirmation, that it waS neither the tricks ofWaggs, nor the fancy of a Woman, but the mad frolicks of Witch- es and Demons. Which they of the houf? being fully perfwaded of, roafted a Bedftaff, * upon which an Old Woman a fufpedled Witch came to the Houfe, and wasappre* hended, but efcaped the Law. But the Houfe was after fo ill haunted in all the Rooms, upper and lower, that the houfe ftood empty for a long time after. S f AO« aj3 The ColleSiion Advertisement* This Story is found amongft Mr. Glanvil's Papers, written to him from Dr. H. More, who fays, fome three months before, he had recei- ved it from the parties own fnouth , that was at the haunted houfe in Bow, and faw the mo- tion of the Bedftaves and Tobacco-pipe, &c. And I'very well remember, that about Thirty ir Forty years ago, there was a great fame of an houfe haunted at Bow, and fuch like feats as this Spectator faw, was rumoured of it, and the time agrees with that of this Spectator or, "Eye-witnefs of the above recited Feats. And a Book was then faid to be Printed, though 1 tiever faw any but one of late without any date ef the year, the things then being in Fieri, when it was Printed. And they feem to rt- ferr to the fame haunted place , though the Pamphlet names Plaifto for Bow. But the haunting of which the fame went fo many years ago 1very well remember was Bow. But whether how was talked of inftead of Plaifto, it being a place near, and of more note, I know not. And Paul Fox a Weaver, was the Man whofe houfe was haunted in Plaifto according fo that Pamphlet. I.if the Gentleman that fo well remembers the ftrange things he faw^ had not forgot the Mans name bf Relations^ i^A name whofe houfe was haunted (and the ftrange* nefs of thofe thingr would fix themfelves in his memory , even whether he would or no, whert the name of the Mafter of the houfe might eafily in Thirty or Forty ytars time flide out of it) we might be fure whether it were Plaiftd jr Bow. But I am fure the fame went of Bow, though the pamphlet name Plaifto, and that might make the abovefaid Party, who* told Dr. More the ftory, fine the Scene without all fcruple in Bow. But methinks 1 hear the Reader complain] that it was a great omijffldn in Mr. Glanvilj , that he did not inquire of Dr. More who this party was that told him the ftory, it feemihg ,ats headtefs piece without that parti tvhere* fore I find in a Paper ( whofe Title is Doctor MoreV Particulars about the Stories) thefe words in anfwer to Mr. Glanvil. That if is Dr. Gibbs a Prebendary of Weftminfter, and a fober intelligent perfon* And fonie dozen lines after, Dr. More fays, t>r. Gibbs told the sJory to my felf, and to Dr. Outranl, rph4 brought me to him. And I have told you al- ready, that he is a perfon of under Banding and integrity i lie has alfo fome Sermons in Print i as j take it. But forafmtich as it was about three months after fir. More had received this account of the ftsri font Eir. Gibbs, that he wrote to Mr, Glanvil, it is Hot U be expe&ed that he- ry- $ f i " Ufed 260 We ColleBlon lated it in the very fame words, and in eve- ry punctilio as he heard it. But I dare un- dertake for him that for the main, and that which makes to the evincing of Witchcraft, and the ludicrous Feats of Damons, that he bath committed no err our therein, nor fet down any thing whofe fubftance was not related to him by the Reverend Dr. Gibbs. RELAT, XXI. IjMr. Jetm'm's ftory of an houfe haunted, and what difturbance himfelf was a JVitnefs of there at a vifit of his Wife's Sifter. ONe Mr. Jermin Minifter of Bigner in Sujfex , going to fee a Sifter of his Wife's, found her very Melancholy, and ask- ing her the reafon, fhe replyed, You fhall know to morrow morning. When he went to Bed there were two Maids accompanied him in his Chamber, and the next day he underftood that they durft not go into any Room in the houfe alone. In the night, while he was in his Bed, he heard the trampling of many feet upon the Leads over his head, and after that the going off of a Gun, upon which followec of Relations^ 161 a great filence. Then they came fwiftly down Stairs into his Chamber, where they fell a wreftling and tumbling each other down,and fo continued a great while. After they were quiet, they fell a whifpering and made a great buzz, of which he could un- derftand nothing. Then one called at the door, and faid, Day is broke, come away. Upon t which they ran up Stairs as faft as they could drive, and fo he heard no more of them. In the morning his Brother and Sifter came in to him, and fhe faid, Now Brother you know why I am fo melancholy, after (he had askt him how he had flept, and he had anfwered, I never refted worfe in my I life, having been difturbed a great part of I the night with tumblings and noifes. She complained that her Husband would force her to live there, notwithftanding their be- ing continually feared. Whereto the Huf- band anfwered, Their difturbers never did them any other mifchief. At Dinner they had a Phyfician with them, who was an acquaintance. Mr. Jer- min difcourfing about this difturbance, the Phyfician alfo anfwered that never any hurt was done, of which he gave this inftance: That Dining there one day , there came a Man on Horfeback into the yard in mourn- ing. His Servant went to know what was S f 3 his %(>% Tl)t CoHeSlkn Jjis bufinefs, and found him fitting very melancholy, nor could he get any anfwer from him. The Mafter of the Houfe and tne Phyfician went forth to fee who it was. Jlpon winch the Man clapt Spurs to his Horfe, and rode into the houfe up Stairs into a long Gallery whither the Phyfician followed nim, and faw him vanifh in a fire at the upper end of the Gallery. Bitf though none of the Family received hurt at any time • yet Mr. Jermin fell into a Fea- rer with the difturbance {ie experienced t-hat indangered his Life. ADVERTISEMENT. CUr. Scot and his Wife heard this Narra- tive from Mr. JerminV own mouth. And I aU fo have heard it from Mr. Scot, who is a Mi~ nifter 0/" London, and the Authour of a late excellent good Treatife^ ,whichis entitled, Jhe Chriftian Life, &c. RELAT. 4 of Relations, itf5 R E L A T. XXIL Contained in a Letter of Mr. G. Clark , to Mr. M. T. touching an houfe haunted in Welton near Daventry. SIR, I Send you here a Relation of a very me- morable piece of Witchcraft as I fup- pofe, which would fit Mr. More gallantly. I firft heard the ftory related to Sir Juftini- an iffjam by a Reverend Minifter, of his own experience. Sir Juftinian would have had me gone to the place, which I could not then do. But a little after going to vifit a friend, and not thinking of this, my friend told me the ftory, the place being near him, and the principal man concerned in the ftory being a Relation of his, and one that I my felf had fome acquaintance with. He had occafion to go to this Mans houfe for fome deeds of Land , and I went with him for fatisfaction touching this ftory, which I had to the full, and in which I could not butacquiefce, though other wife I Sf 4 am t61 The CoUeilion am very chary, and hard enough to be- lieve paffages of this nature. The Story is this, At mlton within a lAdtofDaventryln Northampton/hire, where live together widdow Cowley, fhe Grand- mother, Widdow Stiffthe Mother, and her two Daughters. At the next houfe but one, live another widdow Cowley, Sifter to the former Widdow Cowley, Mofes Cowley my acquaintance her Son, and Mofes his Wife, having a good Eftate in Land of their own, and very civil and orderly people. Thefe three told me, that the younger of the two Daughters, ten years of age, Vomited in lefs than three days, three Gallons of Water to their great Admiration. After t-his the elder Wench comes running, and tells them, that now her Sifter begins to Vomit Stones and Coals. They wfent and were Eye-witneffes, told them till they came to Five hundred. Some weighed a Suarter of a pound, and were fo big, as ley had enough to do to get them out of her mouth, and he profeffed to me, that Jie could fcarce get the like into his mouth, andl do not know how any one fliould, \l they were fo big as he ftiewed the like to me. I have fent ya>u one, but not a quarter fo big as fome of them were. It wa§ one of the biggeft of them that were left and kept in a bag. This Vomiting laft- of Relations; 26$ fd about a fortnight, and hath Witneffes good ftore. Jn the mean time they threw hards pf Flax upon the fire, which would not blaze though blown, but dwindled away. The Bed-clothes would be thrown off the Bed, Mofes Cowley told me, that he laid them on again feveral times, they all cocning out of the Room, and go but into the Parlour again, and they were off again. And a ftrike of Wheat ftanding at the Beds feet, fet it how they would, it would be thrown down again. Once the Coffers and things were fo tranfpofed , as they could fcarce ftir about the Room. Once he laid the Bible upon the Bed, but the Clothes were thrown off again, and the Bible hid in another Bed. And when they were all gone into the Parlour, as they ufed to go together, then things would be tranfpofed in the Hall, their Wheel taken in pieces, and part of it thrown under the Table. In their Buttery their Milk would be taken off the Table, and fet on the ground, and once one Panchton was broken, and the Milk . fpilt. A feven pound weight with a ring was hung upon the Spigot, and the Beet mingled with Sand and all fpoiled, thtir Salt mingled moft perfectly with Bran. Mofes %66 The Cotiettim KMofes his Mother faid that their Flax was thrown out of a Box , fhe put it in again, it was thrown out again ; fhe put it in again and iockt the Box, trying by the hafp or lid (as they ufe to do ) whe- ther it was faft, it was fo. But as foon as her back was turned the Box was unlocked, and the Flax was thrown out again. Mofes faid that when he was coming out of the Parlour, he faw a loaf of Bread tumbled off the form, and that was the firft thing he faw. After a Womans Patten rofe up in the houfe, and was thr6wn at them. He heard the Comb break in the Window, and prefently it flew at them in two pieces, A Knife rofe up in the Window, and flew at a Man, hitting him with the baft. An Ink-glafs was thrown out of the Window into the floor, and by and by the ftopple came after it. Then every day abundance of ftones were thrown about the houfe which broke the Windows, and hat the People, but they were the lefs troubled, becaufe all this while no hurt was done to their Perfons, and a great many People be- ing in the room the wheat was thrown about amongft them. I was in the houfe where I faw the Win- dows which were ftill broken , and the People of Relations. %6y People themfelves fhewed me where the feveral particulars were done. The Grand- mother told me that fhe thought fhe had loft half a ftrike of Wheat, and the like happened to fome Fitches in the Barn. One Mr. Robert dark a Gentleman being hat with the ftones, bad the Baker at the Door look to his Bread well, and by and by a handful of crums were thrown into his lap. They could fee the things as they came, but no more. At laft fome that had been long fufpec'tecl for Witches were Examined, and one fent to the Gaol, where it is faid fhe plays her pranks, but that is of doubtful credit. I asked the Old Woman whether they were free now. She faid that one Night fince, they heard great knockings and cruel noife, which feared them worfe than all the reft, and once or twice that week her cheefe was crumbled into pieces and fpoiled. I was there about May-day, 1658. This is all that I remember at prefent. I have heard feveral other ftories , and two or three notable ones lately from Mens own Ex- perience , which in reafon I was to believe as I did. But in my Judgment this outgoes all that I know of, it having fo much of fenfe and of the day time, fo many and fo credible Witneffes beyond all cavil and exception. % 6 8 Tlye Colletlioii exception. I will trouble you no further,' but commending you to the protection of God Almighty, I take my leave and reft Yours, Loddington May 22 th. 1^58. O. Clark. RELAT, XXIII. The Relation of James Sherririg, taken conr cerning the matter at Old GaftV houfe of little Burton, June 23. 1677.asfollows. THe firft Night that I was there with Hugh CMellmore and Edward Smith, they heard as it were the warning in water over their heads. Then taking a Candle and going up the ftairs there was a wet Cloth thrown at them, but it fell on the ftairs. They going up farther then, there < was another'thrown as before. And when they came up into the Chamber there ftood a of Relation^ 26^ a bowl of water, fome of it fprinkled over,1 and the water looked white as if there had been Sope ufed in it. The Bowl juft be- fore was in the Kitchin, and could not be carried up but through the room where they were. The next thing that they heard the fame Night was a terrible noife as if it had been a flat of Thunder, and fhortly after they heard great fcratching about the Bedfted , and after that a great knocking with a Hammer againft the Beds-head, fb that the two Maids that were in the Bed cryed out for help. Then they ran up the flairs, and there lay the Hammer on the Bed and on the Beds-head, there were near a Thoufand prints of the Hammer which the violent ftrokes had made. The Maids faid that they were feratehed and pinehed with a hand that was put into the Bed which had exceeding long Nails. They faid that the Hammer was locked faft up in the Cupboard when they went to Bed. This was that which [was done the firft Night, with many other things of the like na- ture. The fecond Night that James sherring and Tho. Hillary were there, James Sherring fat down in the Chimney to fill a pipe of Tobacco. He made ufe of the fire-tongs to take up a Coal to fire his Pipe, and by £f6 The Cotteftion and by the Tongs were drawn up the flairs , and after they were up in the Chamber , they were played withall as many times Men do, and then thrown down upon the Bed* Although the Tongs were fo near him, he never per- ceived the going of them away. The fame Night one of the Maids left her fhoos by the fire , «md they were carried up into the Chamber, and the Old Mans brought down and fet in their places. The fame Night there was a Knife carried up into the Chamber, and it did feratch and fcrape the Beds-head ail the Night, but when they went up into the Chamber the Knife was thrown into the Loft. As they were going Up the flairs there were things thrown at them, which were juft before in the low room, and when they went down the flairs the Old Mans Breeches were thrown down after them. Thefe were the moft re- markable things done that Night, onely there was continual knocking and pinching the Maids, which was ufually done every Night. The third Night, when Janies sherring and Thomas Hillery were there , as foon as the People were gone to bed, tlieir Clothes were taken and thrown at the Candle and putt it out , and immediately after they eried of Relations^ 271 Cried out with a very hideous cry and faid,' they fhould be all choaked if they were not prefently helped. Then they ran up the flairs and there was abundance of Feathers plucked out of the Bolfter that lay under their Heads , and feme thruft into theic Mouths that they were almoft choaked* The Feathers were thrown all about the Bed and room. They were plucked out at a hole no bigger than the top of ones little finger. Some time after they were vexed with a very hideous knocking at their heads as they lay on the Bed. Then James Sherring and Thomas Hillery took the Candle and went up flairs and ftood at the Beds feet, and the knocking continued* Then they faw a Hand with an Arm-wrift hold the Hammer which kept on knocking againft the Bedfted. Then James sherring going towards the Beds-head, the Hand and Hammer fell down behind the Bolfter and could not be found. Fcr they turned up the Bed-clothes to fearch for the Ham- mer. But as foon as they went down the flairs the Hammer was thrown out into the middle of the Chamber. Thefe were the moft rematkable things that were done that Night. Jhe fourth and fifth Nights, there was but 3,7* The ColleBlon but little done more than knocking and fcratching as was ufually. The fixth and feventh Nights , there was nothing at all but as quiet as at other Jioufes. Thefe were all the Nights that they were there. The things that do follow are what James sherring heard the People of the houfe report. There was a Saddle in the houfe of their Uncle Warrens of Leigh, (which it fhould feem they detained wrongfully from the right owner) that as it did hang upon a Pin in the entry would come off and come into the houfe, and as they termed it, hop about the houfe from one place to another, and npon the Table, and fo to another, which ftood on the other fide of the houfe. Jane Gaft and her Kinfwoman took this Saddle and carried it to Leigh, and as they were going along in the broad Common, there would be flicks and ftones thrown at them, which made them very much afraid , and going near toge- ther their Whittles which were on their fhoulders were knit together. They car- ried the Saddle to the houfe which was Old Warrens , and there left it and returned home very quiet. But being gone to Bed at bf Relation^ ij\ at Night the Saddle was brought back. from Leigh, (which is a Mile and half at the leaft from Old Cafts Houfe) arid thrown upon the Bed where the Maids lay. After that, the Saddle was Very troublefome to them, until they broke it in fmall pieces and threw it out intoj the Highway. There was a Coat of the fame Par- ties , who was owner of the Saddle $ which did hang on the door in the Hall,- and if, came off from the place and flew5 into the fire and lay there feme confide- rable time, before they could get it out* For it was as much as three of thent Could do to pluck it out of the fire, becaufe of the ponderous weight that fay on it, as they thought. Nevertheless* there was no imprtflion on it of the fire; Old Gaft fat at Dinner with a Hat of this Old Warrens on his Head, and there, was fomething came and ftruck it off into the Difh where his Meat was. There was a Pole which ftood in the back-fide about Fourteen or Fifteen Jroot in length , which was brought into the Houfe, arid carried up into the gharri- Tt ber* 274 The* Co&Etion ber, and thrown on the Bed 5 but all the Wit they had could not get it out of the Chamber , becaufe of its length , until they took down a light of the Window. They report that the things in the Houfe was thrown about and broken, to their great dammage. One Night there were two of this Old Ga-H his Grand daughters in Bed toge- ther , they were aged, One of them a- bout Twelve or Thirteen years, and the other about Sixteen or Seventeen. They faid* that they felt a Hand in Bed with them, which they bound up in the Sheet, and took Bed-ftaves and beat it until it were as foft as Wobl, then they took a Stone which lay in the Chamber, about a quarter of an Hundred weight, and put on it, and were quiet all the Night. In the Morning, they found it as they left it the Night before. Then the eldeft of the Maids fware that fhe would burn the Devil, and goes and fetches a Fuz Faggot to burn it, but when fhe came a- gain , the Scone was thrown away, and the Cloth was found wet. There were many other things which isrtoo long and tedious to write, it would take up a great deal of time. .' . , ; . This , ■ This which follow,* is the Relation of Jwte jtinfir of tang*^** fhe.ftejpg t.her< Thm Nights3.'.talKcn the Jhiid 4ajf of juipMtj. _^;.(;,: . i;n/, :; She heard -or faw hotnin^ as tofig as the Candle did burn, hut as foqtt as it ^vatsi cw% thefe Was fornething wjiich did feem ^o fall down by "the Bed-fide, artcj by and by it began to lay on; the Beds- head with a S4zarYe, ,aad did ftrike;Jofie mnfor.on the Headt 'She put forth hqf Hand and caught it, .but was not able to. hold it faft. . §& got &t of. the Bed tQ light a Caridie > and. there was $ gfeat Stone thrown after, her, hut; if miffed her. When tlw Candle was/ Kghtetf j they arofe ana* went down to the Firea One of tl#ra >vfent up to fetch the Bed- clothes to roake 1 fted by the Fire, arid there Jay jrbW:,0* StQn:es dn tne $e(J whereon they lay juft before; As foon as the Bed was made, and they laid down to take their reft, there was i fcratching on the Form that ftood by then* in an extreani manner*^ Jfheii it came, and did heave up the Bolftetf whereon they laid their Heads, and did endeavour to throw theril out. At laft it got hold on one end of the Pillow * i •<• T t i and ij6 Tl>e CofleETiqn and fet it quite on end, ^and-there it ftood for fome confiderable time 5 at laft falling down in its place, they felj faft afleep, and fo continued all that Night. The Staff that was fpoken of before was lone winfors, and fhe fays, (he left it below in the Kitchin. She fays, that which troubled , did endeavour to kill fhe people, if it had power. She put them to it, to know the reafon why they were fo troubled, and they faid they knew nothing, unlefs it was about the bufinefs of 6ld Warren. She was there Three Nights, and the trouble was much after the fame manner, nothing that was more remarkable. This is the truth of what I heard them fpeak from their own Mouths, and they will atteft it if called thereunto. ^Relations, $77 Advertisement, A Very cohjiderable Story this is> ami fufficiently circumftantiated for time and place, facing that the County is not named. The reafon whereof I conceive, to be, that it was in the Very Comity mv>hich M\ Gl&nvil lived, to tt>Un% the Information "wis fent , namely in Somerfetihire. And there are Bur* tons more than one there, and al- fo Leighs, but this Burton is deters mined by the fpace of fomething more than a, Mile and an halfs diflance from Leigh. So that the Topographical ac- count is fufficiently exaft. : And the manner of the Narrative is fo Jimpky plain and ruraly that it prevents all fu- fficion of fraud or Impojlure in.the (Relet* tour. The transporting of things out of one §(oom into another , and Jinking and ihe'likjyrMffl^&sP** m**s m pj }jf. LioydV fary ? as 'tis cafed in Mr. Glanvil'f fapers, whom in a Let- ter heicVhcw® rely Wu '* for truth, m hemg fety fmn a ?*rfm of £#ty md ^intemty in stffxfe p'atfu ■ It p. ^ ti&*fihpmted- tf.WK ^^r 'Mey- rick tf&f 'Qm-ifh /^thvai^h, m the^QUkty,hf Radnor;,yjome %w md Twtpy&ars ago. Wb^befides pang? tinlQfTuwkk Wrings in the tfyoms, wbe&'non? mis few to Whiflk, there mte>Jfaiesflmg is^-out of aloft of *Wjp%bty*ht-Xtorji bolted or bar- red agmfi^hem on the mfide,, wU* mumedfm the0mnhf no body he- ink within. \\J*d at prayers -at lorn ^mfor^ tftkW&m out of fear Mi me ayoxiw M *& ^W \ fome InVifible $^ermutt ^phtck ^unfcr thvir Arms, whether they would or no. By fuch an hVifMe force y one as he\ wa* fitting at **- : - V Supper^ of Relations. 17$ Supper, was ftruck flat to the ground, and a Trencher ftruck out of the Mads Hand that waitedy and a finarf Box on the Ear given to another, no Vifible thing being near that 4J tf. : A Turfe kft with Two GoldHiings3 and Six and Four-pence in it, tU party complaining thereof, the futfe dropt down from the top of the %oom y wbich<^ad no <%oom over it 9 and Four-pence only init.'TJ>at Men were ftruck d0™1 Wb Stones, ith a St:ck by Vay^ -While he tended the Goofe roafttng, ti>bicb that InVifible Striker feemed to have a flot upon*, as alfo by his kneckmg a Tc 4 Pick- ?$P The CoHetlion PkUxe againft the Lid of a Coffer] to have a Defign upon a Bag of Mo- pey. Thefe arid the like Feats, that Narrative relates, Tt>hich Mr. Glanvil calls Mr. LloydV Story,^o affures him he may rely on the Truth thereof he pro- ving it from a Juftice of Teace, who took the parties Teftimonies that dwelt in the Houfe, or upon occafions Veere • prefent there, and Dpere Bye Witneffes of the ftrange franks that were plaid in the place. And there being that Con- generacy betwixt James Sherrings Sto- 'ry and this, they mutually corroborate one another. - RftLAT. b/>Kela6oftsT iff RELAT.' XXIV: Y?., %JMr. Andrew Vtfchall once fellow cf QttrM Colledge in Cambridge, his Narrative of three Nights difturbance at his fathers houfe in London in Soper-Lane >4 i* Auguft 1661. .vprr) «.' ■ • . •..-•• r ■ » , ■■*■• THE firft Nights difturbance., There was in Family my Father and-Mo- ther , my Eldeft brother, and one of rny Sifters with a young Maiden Gentlewo- man her Bedfellow (who feemed to be principally concerned ) befides a Maid that lay in the fame Chamber. w ^ *'» < The Gentlewoman before mentioned i being in bed with my Sifter in a £haaV ber within that where my Fatherland Mother lay, (the Maid lying in anothet bed alone by) there feemed to her then lying awake, to be one walking in the Chamber , by a noife made as of a long Gown or fome Trailing Garment brufti- ing and Tweeping up and down the Room. By and fay j tfore was a Noife of Clattering their Shoes under the Bed, with a fcratching and tugging of the Mat under the ^bed likewise. This con- tinued for fome time, my Sifter being awakened heard it , fo did the Maid. After this my Mother being called out fcf thfc next Chamber- where (he was up (to prepare a Chymical water which required their being up all Night) came in, they being in a great fright. My Brotircr went -Up alfo, who not gone to,!bed fete \f\vw. A Candle was fcneught, and the noife ceafed while they were in the Ch&niber. Prefently after they were gone out again, and the Jiglit removed, :*he/Cfewn*ber door (which fhuts with difficulty) flew to with agreat bounce, it being wide open before, it ikwk iti»e Room wJae*e myrMother was -twfitri about the jaforefaid preparation. jftfter? .tikis one -pf the fhoos tfoat .was by the bed fide was iftung over the bed with ttofoightyJfotGs againft a Prefejttet ftood jr;: /I on < vf Relations. js8g on the other fide. This nut xb&m xo ( fuch a fright again that.the Gentlewo- man rife. My Brother went into the Room again and fate up with thsn* M Night. .... In ■ - * This I received from >niy Brother, nvtio came to Bed to me, ( who by leafon pf fome iloefs had gone to bed firft: in the Family) early the next Morning. I was confirmed in it afterward by niy Mother, upon whofe bare ^alfertion J dare confidently believe suay thing ifoat (hall be related* ,"• * ^ ' ,.. ^ The fecond Nights difturbance $ The -next Evening as we late at Supper, we all heard a great noife above in the Cham- ber , at the end of the,,Jjoufe, as it were flinging of Chairs and Stools about the Room or removing of great Trunks. ,And going up to fee, all was ftill till we came down again : . However t^e Gentlewoman refolvedtogo,to bed again that Night in the fame Chamber, My Sifter went to bed with ber, and the reft 'to their lodgings , onely my Brother and I refolved to fit up fome time .and .fl$pe& the cyent. WUlu>i a while after we heard ^hemlaiociearneltly above, we %?4 '"The' CoUettlon (we went both up, they told us there had "been the fame difturbance#as the Night * ^fjefdre aad fomething more. For befides ■the tugging of the Mat under the bed, the Bedclothes upon them were often tugged and pulled , infomuch as they 'were fain to hold them hard with their bands to keep them from being pulled off. 'AH was quiet for a little time while we were in the Chamber with a light, but ,we were no fooner out of the Chamber 'with the Candle, but the noife under the bed j • tugging' of the Mat, pulling of the Bedclothes began again. Moreover fome- thing came into the. bed, which the 1 Gentlewoman faid ran up on her by de- grees, and feemed little and foft like a Mole. Upon this fhe skreekt out, and " we came in sigain with the Candle, then "all was ftill again.' .*'. * ;^ We retired often with the Candle; "and prefently the fame Difturbance r6- \turned, together with a low whifper- jng Noife iri many places about the Bed,' but chiefly towards the beds head, ; which we all heard flaying in the Cham- ber,'and removing the Candle into the " next Room. My Father and Mother rife, ffnd there-were ntme of us bat heard ali or of Relations; i2§ or moft part of this, but nothing ap~ peared to us. The thing was continually: moving and ftirring in fome part or 6 other of the bed, and moft commonly at the feet, where it ufually came up £rft. At laft it came to that boldnefs that ic would make the fame difturbance while- the Candle was in the Chamber, if but a little fhaded behind the door, fo that we could fometimes fee the Clothes pull'd and tugg'd, and we frequently faw it heave and lift up the Clothes upon.the bed towards the feet, in a little .hill or rifing, which both my Brother and I often clapt our hands upon, perceiving it to move, and withali to make a little clacking noife, which cannot any more than the former whifpering be expreft in Writing. We could not perceive any thing more than the Clothes, as often as we law them fo moved and heaved up»; The fhoos were laid up upon the beds Tefter, the fecond Night, to prevent the * clattering which was made with them the Night before , and whilft we were ftanding talking in the Chamber, as I was fome diftance from the bed, one of < the fhoos flew off and hit me ligfitly on the head, my Hat being on. And ano- ther came prefently tumbling down after 'i§£ Ithe CotlecVmt h none fttrrtngthe bed. Afterwards the aforsfaid httte thing came upon the Gen- ©dewoman fo frequently, that if we were but the leaft reiiWiTed, fhe could not lift quiet in her bed. Then fhe fate up in her bed with a Mantle about her, which when we were retired was pulled at as if it would hap been plucked from her. Wheretipon jlie cried out again, and I came into the Chamber again> and was defired to hoki fait upon the Mantle about her, which,notwithftanding upon- rwnbvaj of the Candle was tugged hard again, which I very fenfibly perceived Whereupon we perceiving no Ceffati- on r my Brother and 1 continued in the Chamber all that Night till break of day. With a Candle in the Room. The tug- grog of the Matt under the Bed, the heaving of the Clothes about the Feet, and the other vvhifpering noife continu- ing ly fits, till Light appeared. There was fcarcely any of us ,. efpecially fit* her felf, that did not Conjure that Whimperer by the moft Sacred Names to fpeak out and-tell us its intent, but: nothing W3S to be icon, nor any anfwtt made* •i Jta rhiri Nights iiifturbanoe; The n Gentle- of Relations.' 28/ Gentlewoman refolved now to change her Chamber, to try if the difturbance Would follow, fhe did fo, my Sifter ftill accompanying of her. My Brother and I fate up as before below expecting again what would follow, f he fame noife was heard this third Night as the Night be- fore above in the Chamber,* We had not fate long below before we were Summoned up with loud knockings again , tliey were in the fame cafe as before, if not worfe. A while after they were in bed in this other Chamber there was a clat- tering heard at the door 5 prelently after the fame noife under the bed y the fame heaving of the Ctothes, and the fame whifpering as before. But towards Mid- night that thing which came into the bed before, came now fo often with fuch ungrateful skippings up and down upon her , that (he often skreefet and cried out. It feemed cold and very fmooth as fhe related , and would commonly come in at her feet, and run all up on her by her fide to her fhoulder. Once flie de- fired me to clap my hand upon her back near- Jier fhoulder blade, as feeling it juft then come up thither. I did fo on a fuddain , and there feemed a cold blaft or puff of Wind to blow upon my hand juft as I clapt ■ aJJJb ,Tl?e Cotleclion clapt it on her. And one thing more remarkable was this, when the whifper- ing was heard at her Beds-head, after we had.many times in vain conjured it to (peak and tell us the intent of its whif- peririgs and difturbance , I fpake to it very earneftly to fpeak. out or whifper louden Hereupon it ruffed out much louder than before, but nothing intelligible to be heard* At laft this difturbance with the thing in the bed being no longer tolerable to the Gentlewoman, my Mo- ther rife (lying in the next Chamber and hearing their perplexity) came into her Chamber ancf prayed fometime at her Bedfide juft by her. Whereupon it pleafed God within a very (hort time; after to remove all thofe noifes and that \vhich difturbed her. After that Night L cannot tell certainly that there hathf been any thing of that nature heard in the houfe* of Relations. 26? ADVERTISEMENT. THis Narrative though it was not among Mr. Glawvih Papers, but I found it by chance in mine own Study, yet it being made by an Eye-witnefs whom I knew to be one of Judgement and Integrity, I thought fit to in- fert it. And the rather,becaufe of that paflage* . that when he clapt his Hand upon the Shoul- der of the Gentlewoman where the Ghoft was, a cool blaft or pufTof Air feemed to bear or blow againft his Hand; Which is like Mr. Glanvils Experiment of prefling the Linnen Bag in which fome Spirit was moving as a living Animal. Which are notable inftances' of their eafie percribration through porous Bodies. This troublefome Spirit I fufpecl: to have been the Ghoft of fome party deceafed who would have uttered fomething, but had not the knack of fpeaking fo articulately as to be underftood. And when they can lpeak intelligibly, it is ordinarily in a hoarfe and low Voice, as is obfervable in many ftories, and particularly in a very frefh ftory of the Ghoft of one deceafed that fpoke to Jatob Brent fome two years ago, an Apprentice then to one Mr, Lawrence in the Little Minories; of which to give fome brief account, I think fitting for the very fame reafons that 1 have inferred this of Mr. TafchaU namely,that it is from an Eye- Vv witnefs 2jo The ColteSlien witnefs, and a difcreet and well-difpofed young man, as they that know him doteftifie : and I will fet down no more, nor fo much as he himfelf declared or acknowledged, not onely to Dr. Cudworth, Mr. Fowler, and Mr. Glanvil, but very lately to my felf alfo, viz. That he had conference with the Ghoft of fome deceafed party for about a quarter of an hour: That he had a glimpfe of the fhape thereof, being called into the Room where it was, by a Voice , faying, Here , Here; but that he prefently cried out, Good God, let me fee nothing, he being fo affrighted with the fight. But however, he entertained difcourfe with it for about the time above-mentioned, received feveral things in charge from it to be done, and was commanded fecrecy in fome fpecial Matters ; but it gave fuch inftrucTrions, and made fuch dhcoveries, as right might be done to fome that had been wronged by the party deceafed. Upon which performance of Jacob Brent, the difturbance of the houfe ceafed: But for about fix Weeks before, Mr. Lawrence his houfe was miferably difturbed, they being moft nights affrighted with Thumpings and loud Knockings at the Chamber-doors, fome- times with a ftrange whirling noife up and down the Rooms , and clapping upon the Stairs. And that night Jacob Brent fate up in the Kitchin expecting fome conference with the Spirit for the quiet of the Houfe, he heard the 0/KeIations. 271 the Door of the Room above him that was faft lockt, fly open , while he was reading in Eufebim, and immediately a fwift running down the Stairs , and a great knock at the Kitchin-door which ftood a jarr, and a chink- ing of Money on the Stairs, as he pafled frorn the Kitchih towards the Dining-room over a- gainft it, whofe Door was Jockt when they went to bed, but now opened as the Poor of the other Room above the Kitchin. Into this Dining-room he was invited, a£ is abovefaid , by a Voice faying, Here, Here; and there he received, and after executed, fucjj directions as gave quiet afterwards to the Houfe; and he received thanks from the Ghoft after he had made his Journey abroad to fiuV fil its defire, at his returning home, with a pro- mife it would never trouble the houfe rnorq. And of the troubles of the houfe before, the whole Family were Witnefles, as alfo of the Conference of J. B. and the Spirit, that they heard two fpeaking in the Dining-room,thoug# they were not fo near as to underftand whaf they faid; onely they heard J. £. pray to QocJ that he might fee nothing. That the houfe was really Haunted, befides what has been faid already, is further confix med by Mr. Bamfield, who was defired to lie in the houfe ibme days before this Con- ference of J. B. with the Spirit; who though he heard no noifes, yet felt his Clothes tuckt Yv j abouf 272 The ColleStion about him, and his Hand kindly ftroaked, he being awake all night. And that this could be no trick of J. B. is further evident from that great emotion of mind he was in after this tor fome two-hours, even almoft to diffra- ction, and was fain afterwards to be let Bloud. But for his conftant temper, he is obferved to be,- and I take him to be fuch, of a fober ho- neft and fenfible Genius; nor is he any Sefta- rian , but an orderly Son of the Church of England. And if the Injunctions of the Ghoft he con- verfed with, and common rules of Prudence, did not forbid the declaring of fome particu- lars, this is an experiment that might convince the moft incredulous touching fuch things. But Mr. Glanvil complains in a Letter of his to Dr. H. More, that this fhynefs and tender refpeft of perfons has hindered him of many a confide- rable ftory; as I have alfo taken notice long fince how mutilate the ftory of the Shoemaker of Breflaw is made , by reafon of Martinus Weinrichhis his concealing the Shoemaker's Name. But the mentioning of lockt Doors flying open of their own accord, reminds me of Mr. ATmiCs ftory of a Cheft with three Locks unlocking itfelf, and flying wide open, and then locking itfelf again. Which is as fol- lows. : RELAT. o/Relations. 273 RELAT. XXV. the Story of Mr. John Bourne of Durley in Ireland, about a mile from Bridgwater, Coun- fellor at Law. MB.. John Bourne, for his skill, care, and honefty, was made by his Neighbour; John Mallet Efq; of Enmore, the chief of his Truftees for his Son John Mallet, ( Father to. Elizabeth now Countefs Dowager of Roche-. fter ) and the reft of his Children in minority. He had the reputation of a worthy good man, and was commonly taken notice of for an ha- bitual faying by way of Interjedion almoft to any thing/wz. Tou fay true, Toufay trui,Tou are in "the right. This Mr. Bourne tell fick at his houfe at Durley in the year 16$ 4, and Dr. Ray- mond pi Oake was fent for to him, who after fome time gave the faid Mr. Bourne over. And he had not now fpake in Twenty four hours, when the faid Dr. Raymond and Mrs. Carlifle (Mr Bourne's Nephews Wife, whofe Husband he made one of his Heirs) fitting by his Bedfide, the Doctor opened the Curtains at the Beds-feet, to give him air ; when on a fuddain,to the hor- rour and amazement of Dr. Raymond aad Mrs. Carlifle, the greatjron Cheft by the Window at his Beds feet with three Locks to it (in which Vv 3 were 274 TkeCdtle&iott were ali the Writings and Evidences of the faid Mr. Mallet's Eftate) began to open , firft one Lock, then another, then the third. After- Wards the Lid of the faid iron Cheft lifted up itfelf, and ftood wide open. Then the Patient fvir. Bourne, who had not fpoke in Twenty four hours, lifted himfelf up alfo, and looking up- on the Cheft, cryed, Tou fay true, Tou fay true, "tou are in the right, Pie be with you by and by. Sb the Patient ky down and fpake no more. lllfen the Cheft fell again of itfelf, and lockt itfelf oite Lock after another, as the three Locks opened; and they tried to knock it open and could not, and Mr. Bourne died within an hour tffter. ADVERTISEMENT THis Narrative was fent in a Letter to j. C. for Dr. H. More, from Mr. Thomas Atcotk of Shear Hampton; of which in a Let- ter to the faid Doctor he gives this account. I am, faith he, very confident of the truth of the ftory: for I had it from a very good Lady, the eldfeft Daughter of the faid John Mallet, \ whofe Truftee Mr. Bottrne was ) and onely 'Aunt to tJie-Gountefs of Rochefter, who knew all the parties; and have heard Dr. Raypiontl iniMr. Carliferelate it often1 with amazement, feng both perfons Of credit. "The curious may be inquifitiye what the mea--- 0/Relations. 575 meaning of the opening of the Cheft may be, and o{ Mr. Bourne his fay, Tou fay true, &c. lie be with you by and by. As for the former, it is noted by Paracelfus efpeciafly, and by o- thers, that there are figns often given of the departure of fick men lying on their Death- beds , of which this opening of the Iron Cof- fer or Cheft and clofing again, is more than ordinary fignificant, efpecially if we confider thenearnefs of found and fence betwixt Coffer wACoffin, and recal to mind that of Virgil'; Olli dura quies vculos & ferreus urget S omnia------■ though this quaintnefs is more than is requifite in thefe Prodigies prefaging the Sick man's death. As for the latter, it feems to be no- thing elfe but the faying Amen to the prefage, uttered in his accuftomary form of fpeech: As if he fliould fey, You of the invjfible King- dom of Spirits have given the token of my fuddaift departure: And you fay true , I fhall be with you by and by. Which he was ena- bled fo affuredly to aflent to, upon the advan- tage of the relaxation of his Soul now depar- ting from the Body. Which Diodorus Skulw, lib. 18. notes to be the opinion of Pythagoras and his followers, That it is the priviledge of the Soul near her departure to exercife a fatidical faculty, and to pronounce truely V v 4 touching 7j6 The Collection touching things future, YI&yiyyuax.av t*$ \|a/- lev ar£ly thinking he fliould not be credited but lpofct on as deluded, long neglected to do his Menage * till having teen every night for a- bout a Months fpace haunted with this Ap- parition in feveral forms every night more and more terrible, ( which was ufually pre- r<3ededbyan unufual trembling over his whole Jfoply, and great change of countenance mani- feft-to his Wik, in whofe prefence frequently .the Apparition was, though not vifible to her) fit length he went to Malone to Davis s Wife, and askt whether her Maiden-name was not Elevor Weljh ; if it was, he had fomething to iayto her. She replied, There was another Elenor Weljhbefides her. Hereupon Taverner returned without delivering his Meflage. The 6me night being faftafleepin his Bed, (for cfReladons. 379 the former Apparitions were as he fate by the Fire with his Wife ) by fomething preffing up- on him, he was awakened, and faw again the Apparition of James Haddock in a white Coat as at other times, who asked him if he had delivered his Meflage ? He anfwered, he had been there with Elenor Weljh. Upon which the Apparition looking more pleafantly up- on him,bid him not be afraid, and fo vanifhed in'aflafh of brightnefs. *But fome nights after (he having not de- livered his Meflage ) he came again, and ap- pearing in many formidable fhapes, threatneci to tear him in pieces if he did not do it. This made him leave his houfe where he dwelt in die Mountains, and betake himfelf to the Town of Belfaft, where he fate up all night at one Pierce's houfe a Shoemaker, accompa- nied with the faid Pierce and a Servant or two of the Lord Chichefter, who weredefirous to fee or hear the Spirit. About midnight as they were all by the Fire-fide they beheld Ta- Werner's Countenance to change, and a trem- bling to fall on him, who prefently efpied the Apparition in a Room oppofite to him where fee fate, and took up the Candle and went to it, and refolutely askt it in the Name of God wherefore it haunted him? It replied, becaufe he had not delivered the Menage, and withal threatned to tear him in pieces if he did not ^oitfpeedily ; and fo, changing itfelf into ma- 28 o TheColle&ion ny prodigious fhapes, it vanilht in white like a Ghoft. Wheceupon Francis Taverner be- came much dejected and troubled, and next day went to the Lord Chichefters houfe , and with tears in his Eyes, related to fome of the Family the fadnefs of his condition. They told it to my Lord's Chaplain Mr. James South, who came prefently to Taverner, and being acquainted of his whole Story , advifed him to go this prefent time to Malone to deliver punctually his Meflage , and promifed to go along with him. But firft they went to Dr. Lewis Downs then Minifter of Belfajl, who upon hearing the Relation of the whole mat- ter, doubted at firft of the truth of it, attri- buting it rather to Melancholy than any thing of reality. But being afterwards fully fatii- fied of it, the onely fcrupfe remaining was, Whether it might be lawful to go on iuch a bufinefs, not knowing whofe errand it was; .Since, though it was a real Apparition of fome Spirit, yet it was queftionable whether of a good or a bad Spirit. Yet the juftice of the Caufe, (it being the common report the Youth was wronged) and other confiderations pre- vailing, he went with them. So they three went to Davi/s houfe, where the Woman be- ing defired to< come to them, Taverner did effectually do his Meilage, by telling her, that .■te.could not be at quiet for the Ghoft of her former Husband James Haddock, who threat- ned flf Relations. a8i ned to tear him in pieces if he did not tell her flie muft right John Haddock her Son by him, in a Leafe wherein flie and Davis her now Husband had wronged him. This done, he prefently found great quietnefs in his mind; and, thanking the Gentlemen for their Com- pany , Advice, and Affiftance, he departed thence to his Brother's Houfe at Drum-bridge: Where, about two nights after, the aforefaid Apparition came to him again, and more plea- fantly than formerly, askt if he had delivered his Meflage ? He anfwered, he had done it ful- ly. It replied, that he muft do the fame Mef- lage to the Executors alfo, that the bufinefs might be perfefted. At this meeting Taver- ner asked the Spirit if Davis would do him any hurt; to which it anfwered at firft fome- what doubtfully; but at length threatned Davis if he attempted any thins to the in- jury of Taverner, and fo vanilht away in white. The day following, Dr. Jeremie Taylor Bifhop o? Down,Connor&nd Dromorews to go to keep Court at Dromore, and commanded me, who was then Secretary to him , to write for Ta- verner to meet him there, which he did. And there in the prefence of many people he exa- mined Taverner ftridly of this flrange Scene of Providence, as my Lord ftyl'd it; and by the account given him both by Taverner, and others who knew Taverner and much of the former a 82 The Colle&ioH former particulars, his Lordihip was fatisfied that the Apparition was true and real; but laid no more there to him, becaufe at Hilbrough, three miles from thence on his way home, my Lord was informed that my Lady Conway and other perfons of Quality were come pur- pofely to hear his Lordihip examine the Mat- ter. So Tarverner went with us to Hilbrough, and there, to fatisfie the curiofity of the frefh company, after asking many things anew, and fome over again, my Lord advifed him the next time the Spirit appeared to ask him thefe Queftions. Whence are you ? Are you a good or a bad Spirit ? Where is your abode > What ftation do you hold > How are you regimented in the other World ? And what is tne reafon that you appear for the relief of your Son in fo fmall a matter, when fo many Widows and Orphans are opprefled in the World , being defrauded of greater matters, and none from thence of their Relations appear, as you do, to right them ? That night Taverner was fent for to Lif burne to my Lord Conway's three miles from Hilbrough on his way home to Belfaft, where he was again ftrictly examined in the prefence of many good men and women of the afore- faid matter, was ordered to lie at my Lord Conway's all night; and about Nine or Ten a clock at night, ftanding by the Fire-fide with his Brother and many others, his Countenance changed, ofRelations. 083 changed, and lie fell into a trembling, the ufu- al prognoftick of the Apparition ; and, being loath to make any difturbance in his Lord* fhips houfe, he and his Brother went out into the Court, where he faw the Spirit coming over the Wall; which, approaching nearer, askt him if he had done his Meflage to the Executor alfo ? He replied, he had, and won- dered it fhould ftill haunt him. It replied, he need not fear, for it would do him no hurt, nor trouble him any more, but the Execu- tor if he did not fee the Boy righted. Here his Brother put him in mind to ask the Spirit what the Bifhop bid him, which he did prefent- ly. But it 'gave him no anfwer, but crawled on its Hands and Feet over the Wall again, and fo vanifht in white , with a moft melodious Harmony. Note, (1) That Pierce, at whofe houfe, and in whofe prefence the Apparition was, being askt whether he faw the Spirit, faid, he did not, but thought at that time he had a Mift all over his eyes. (2) What was then fpoke to Taverner was in fo low and hollow a.voice, that they could not underftand what it faid. (3) At Pierce's houfe it ftood juft in the entry of a Door ; and as a Maid pafled by to go in at the Door, Taverner faw it go afide and give way to the Maid, though flie faw it not. (4) That the Leafe was hereupon difpofed on to the Boys ufe. (5) The Spirit at the laft ap- 284 The ColleEtion apparition at my Lord Conway's houfe, revea- led fomewhat to Taverner, which he would not difcover to any of us that askt him. This Taverner, with all the Perfpns and Pla- ces mentioned in the Story, I knew very well, and all wife and good men did believe it, efpe- cially the Bifhop, and Dean of Connor Dr. Ruff: Witnefs Your humble Servant Thomas Alcock. ADVERTISEMENT IT will not be amifs to fet down here what Mr. Alcock addes by way of Poftfcript in his Letter. There is an odd ftory, faith he, de- pending on this, which I cannot chufe but tell you. The Boys Friends put the Truftees and Executor en this. Apparitions account into our Courts, where it was pleafant to hear my Lord talk to them on the whole matter. The Vncle and Trujlee, one John Coftlet, forfwore the thing, railed on Ta- verner, and made Jl range imprecations, and wijht Judgments might fall on him if he knew of any fuch Leafe ; but the fear of the Apparitions me- naces by Taverner Jcard him into a promife of juftice at leaft. About four or five years after, when my Lord died, and the noife of the Appa- rition was over, Coftlet began again to threaten the Boy with Law, &c. Bat being drunk at Hill- hall ^Relations. 38$ hall />yLisburne, coming home he fell from fjis Horfe, and'never fpake more. This is a fad truth, to my knowledge. RELAT. XXVII. fbe Story of David Hunter tfeat-herd to the Bifhop of Down and Connor, at Portmore in Ireland, 1663. from the fame hand. DAvid Hwter Neat-herd at the Bifhop's houfe at Portmore , there appeared tp him one night, carrying a Log of Wood into the Dairie, an Old Woman, which amazed him, for he knew her not • but the fright made him throw away his Log of Wood and run into the houfe. The next night flie appeared again to him, and he could not chufe but fol- low her all night; and fo almoft every night for near three quarters of a Year. Whenever flie came, he muft go with her through the Woods at a good round rate; and the poor fellow lookt as if he was bewitcht and tra- velled off his legs. And when in bed with his Wife, if fhe appeared, he muft rife and go. And becaufe his Wife could not hold him in his bed, fhe would go too, and walk after hjm till day, though flie fee nothing: But his little Dog was fo well acquainted with the Appari- tion , that he would follow her as well as his X 'x Matter-. 18 6 The ColleStion Mafter. If a Tree ftood in her walk, he ob* ferved her always to go through it. In all this while fhe fpake not. But one day the faid David going over a Hedge into the High-way, fhe came juft a- gainft him, and he cried put, Lord blef me, would I was dead; fhall I never be delivered frtfm this mifery > At which , And the Lord blefi me too, fays fhe : // was very happy yon fpake firft, for till then I had no power to fpeak, though I have followed you fo long. My Name, fays fhe, is Margaret----/ lived here before the War, and had one Son by my Husband. When he died I married a Souldier, by whom I hadje? veral Children,which that former Son maintained, elfe we muft have all ftarved. He livens beyond the Baun-water; pray go to him and bid him dig under fuch a Harth, andtherehe fhall find28 s. Let him pay what I owe in fuch a place, and the reft to the charge unpayed at my Funeral; and go to my Son that lives here, which I had by my latter Husband, and tell him that he lives a wicked, and a diffolute life, and is very unnatu- ral and ungrateful to his Brother that maintain- ed him; and if he does not mend his life, God Al- wighty will deftroy him. David Hunter told her he never knew her. No, fays fhe, I died Seven years before you came into the Countrey: But for all that, if he would do her Meflage, flie would never hurt him. .But he deferred doing as the Apparition bid ^/Relations. 287 him, and fhe appeared the night after as he lay in bed, and ftruck him on the fhoulder ve- ry hard; at which he cried out, and askt her if fhe did not promife fhe would not hurt him ? She faid,that was if he did her Meflage; if not, fhe would kill him. He told her he could not go now by reafon the Waters were out. She faid fhe was content he fhould ftay till they were abated ; but charged him after- wards not to fail her. So he did her errand, and afterwards fhe appeared and gave him thanks. For now, faid fhe, / fhall be at reft, therefore pray you lift me up from the ground, and I will trouble you no more. So David Hunter lifted her up from the ground, and, as he faid, flie felt juft like a bag of Feathers in his arms. So fhe vanifht, and he heard moft delicate Mufick as flie went of£ over his head; and he never was more troubled. This account the poor fellow gave us every day as the Apparition fpake to him, and my Lady Conway came to Portmore, where fhe askt the fellow the fame queftions and many more. This I know to be true,beingall the while with my Lord oiDowri, and the fellow a poor Neat- herd there. Thomas Alcock. Xx 2 AD" 388 The Celk&hn ADVERTISEMENT IT is no fmall confirmation to my felf of the truth of thefe two laft Stories, in both which my Lady Conway is mentioned, in that I received two Letters from that incompara- ble Lady out of Ireland touching them both. The former is dated, Usburne, March i. 166z. wherein fhe writes thus: / have jpoken lately with two fimple Country^people who have been much perplexed with two feveral perfons who have died lately. The ftori&s are too long to relate-, but the circumftances are fuch, as I know not how to misbelieve the ftories. The perfons cannot be fufpecledto have any defign, and were altogether unacquainted in the Families of them that ap- peared, and wholly ignorant of thofe things in them that they now relate, and have charge U foUicite ihe amendment of fome mifcarriages by fome perfons intrufted, which they could never ' hear of, as is fuppofed, by any other means. There are many other probabilities, but all evaded by feveral perfons here. And to give you a tafte of their goodly Evafions, I will tranfcribe a paflage out of the other Letter of the faid ex- cellent Lady, dated, Lisburne, April 29. 1663. wherein fhe writes thus : The Relation I fent you of two in this Country is certainly liable to as ' little exception ( there. was mention of the ^Drtfmmer of Tedworthbdore ) as any one fhall meet meet with ; As may appear iy the d$gfnt.fearch fome have made for a flaw andQijctlion againft the parties , who, after aU, they confefi, muft needs appear perfectly winter effeds andimpojfibte, to have had from any concerned what they have delivered. But they believe that, either Drun- kennejS or defperate Melancholy did by chance en- able them to light upon, greater truths than them- felves thought of. Thus far that excellent per- fon. Ancf it was enough for this noble Lady onely to recite their folution of the Phenome- non into Melancholy and Drunkennefi, it being fo trifling and filly, that it wanted no further refutation than the mere recital. That Drink may di(cov& the fecrets of hint that isdrunk, as the Poet obferves , is reafona- ble enough: but that a man by being drunk is better capacitated to underftand the fecrets of another man, or of his Family, is fo wildc a Paradox, that no fober man can admit it. And what is Melancholy but a natural Drunken- nefi when it ferments ? And moreover, it be- ing but by chance that Melancholy or Drunken- nefi enables them to light upon fuch things, why may not Sanguine and Sobriety chance as well to do the fame, and not rather better, if there be any betternefs in things by chance ? But if there be any advantage in fermenting Melancholy or ftrdng Drink , it is becaufe the Soul is more excited, and made more ready to difcover its own more inward furniture , as Xx 3 men 2 po The ColleS'ion men in drink reveal their own Secrets. But the Soul has no innate Idea's o£particular things, and therefore the greateft effervefcency of Drink or Melancholy will not a jot better di- fpofe her to the knowledge of Particulars, but indifpofe her for the reception of them from without. So blindly do thefe Witlings Pkilo- fophize touching things of this nature. And yet, I dare fay , this was the very befl of their Evafions : Which being no better a- gainft thefe two Stories, and the Stories fo fif- ted and examined (to fay nothing of others) by a perfon of fo quick a Wit, impartial Judg- ment and Sagacity , as I know that excellent , Lady to have been , I muft confefs, that to me it is a confirmation as ftrong as I can defire for the main ftrokes of the Stories, of which I retain fome memory, having heard a more particular account of them from her Lady- fliip prefently upon her return from Ireland fome fixteen years ago. Nor do doubt but Mr. Alcock has approved himfelf a faithful Reciter of them as to the main; nor can there any one rightly be cjeemed more fit and able, he being prefent at the Examination of Taverner, and dwelling at Portmore with the Bifhop of Down, whofe Servant Hunter was. flELAT. 0/Relations. i$i R E L A T. XX VIII. The Confejfwns of certain Scotch Witches, taken out of an authen tick' Copy of their Trial at the Ajfizes held at Paifley in Scotland,Feb. i $. 1678. touching the bewitching of Sir George Maxwel. THe Tenour of the Confeftions taken be- fore Juftices : As firft of Annabil Stu art of the age; of Fourteen years, or thereby; who declared that fhe was brought in the pre- fence of the Juftices' for the crime of Witch- craft ; and declared, that on Harveft laft, the Devil in the fliape of a Black man came to her Mothers Houfe ,'and required: the Declarant to give her felf up to him; arid that: the Devil promifed her that fhe fhould not want any thing that was good. Declares, that fhe being enticed by her Mother Jannet Mathie, and Bejfte Weir, who was Officer to their feveral meetings, fhe put her Hand to the crown of her Head, and the other to the fole of her Foot, and did give herfelf up to the Devil. Declares, that her Mother promifed her a new Coat for doing of it. Declares, that her Spi- rits name was Enippa, and that the Devil took her by the Hand and nipped her Arm, which continued to be fore for half an hour. Declares, X x 4 that 392 The%Colle£tioit that the Devil in the fhape of a black marl lay with her in the Bed under the Clothes, and that fhe found huri cold. Declares, that there- after he placed her neareft himfelf. And de- clares, fhe was prefent in her Mothers houfe when the Effigies of Wax was made; and that it was made to reprefent Sir George Max- wet. Declares, that the black man, Janet Ma- * ihie, the Declarant's Mother (whofe Spirit's name was Landlady;) Bejfie Weir, whofe Spi- rit's name is Sopha; Margaret Craige, whofe Spirits name is Bjgerum; and Margaret Jack- fan, whofe Spirit's name is tocos, were all pre- fent at the making of the faid Effigies; and that they bound it on a Spit, and turned it be- fore the Fire; and that it was turned by Bejfie Weir , faying, as they turned it, Sir George Maxwe% Sir Geovge Maxwd; and that this was exprefled by all of them, and by the Decla- rant. ^Declares, that this Pi&ure was made in October laft. And further declares, that up- on the third day of January Inftaht, Bejfie Weir came to her Mother's houfe, and adver- tifed her to come to her Brother John Stuarfs upon the night following. And that accor- dingly fhe came to the place, where fhe found Bejfte Weir, Margery Craige, Magaret Jackfon, and her Brother John Stuart, and a man with black Clothes , a blue Band, and white Hand- : cuffs with hogers, and that his Feet were do- yen. And the Declarant fate down by the bfRelations* i$% Firc-iide with them, when they made a Pi- cture of Clay, in which they placed Pins in the Breft and Sides: And declares, that they pla- ted one in every Side, and one in the Breaft. Declared, that the black man dia* put the Pins in the Picture of Wax; but is not fure who put in thePirts in the Picture of Clay. De- " clares, that the Effigies produced are the Effi- gies flie faw made. Declares, that the black mans name is HjoaU. This Declaration was emitted before J a mes bunlpp of HufiUWillidm Gr£mlaye,&c. Jan. 1.7. 1677. It a eft. Rober- tas Park Noiarius Publicus, &c The fecond Confeffion is of John Stuart^ who being interrogate arient this crime of Witchcraft, declared, That upon Wednefday the third day of January Inftant, Bejfie Weif in Poffotton came to the Declarant late at night* who being without doors near his own houfe* the faid Be fie Weir did intimate to him, that there was a meeting to be at his houfe the next day: And that the Devil under the fliape of a black man, Margaret Jackfon, Margery Craige, and the faid Bejfie Weir, were to be prefent. - And that Be fie Weir required the Declarant to be there, which he promifed. And that the next night, after the Declarant had gone to bed, the black man came in and called the De- clarant quietly by his name. Upon which he arofe from his Bed, and put on his Clothes, and lighted a Candle. Declares, that Margaret 294. The Collection Jackfon, Bejfie Weir f and Margery Craige did enter in at a Window in the Gavil of the De- clarant's houfe. And that the firft thing that the black man required, was, that the Decla- rant fhould renounce his Baptifm, and deliver himfelf up wholly to him : Which the Decla- rant did, by putting one hand on the crown of his Head, and the other on the fole of his Foot. And that he was temptedi to it by the Devil's promifing that he fhould not want any pleafure, v and that he fhould get his heart filled on all that fhall do him wrong. De- clares, that he gave him the name of Jonas for his Spirits name. .Declares, that thereafter the Devil required every one of their confents for the making of the Effigies of Clay for the taking away the life of Sir George Maxwel of Pollock,to revenge the taking of the Declarants Mother Jannet Mathie. Declares, that every one of the perfons above named gave their confent to the making of the faid Effigies, and that they wrought the Clay , and that the black man did make the figure of the Head and Face and two Arms to the faid Effigies. Declares, that ths Devil fet three Pins in the feme, one in each fide, and one in the Breaft: And that the Declarant did hold the Candle to them all the time the Picture was making. And that he obferved one of the black man's Feet to be cloven: and that the black man's Apparel was black : and that he had a bluifh Band ^Relations, spe; Band and Handcuffs; and that he had Ho- gers on his Legs without Shoes; and that the black man's Voice was hough and goufti* And further declares, that after they had be- gun the forming of the Effigies, his Sifter An- nabil Stuart, a Childe of thirteen or fourteen years of age, came knocking at the Door, and being let in by the Declarant, flie ftaid with them a confiderable time, but that fhe went away before the reft, he having opened the Door to her. Declares, that the reft went out at the Window at which they entred. Declares, that the Effigies was placed by Bejfie Weir in his Bedftraw. He further declares, he himfelf did envy againft Sir George Maxwel for appre- hending Jannet Mathie his Mother: And that Bejfie Weir had great malice againft this Sir George Maxwel; and that her quarrel was, as the Declarant conceived, becaufe the faid Sir George had not entred her Husband to his Har- veft-lervice; and alfo declares, that the faid Effigies was made upon the fourth day o{ Ja- nuary Inftant, and that the Devil's name was Ejoall. Declares that his Spirits name was Jonas, and Bejfie Weir's Spirits name, who was Officer, was Sopha ; and that Margaret Jack- fon's Spirit's name was Locos; and that Anna- bilStuart's, the Declarant's Sifter's was Enippa; but does not remember what Margery Craige's Spirit's name was. Declares, that he cannot write. This Confeflion was emitted in the pre- %$$ TheCoUeStfon prefence of the Witnefles to the other Confef- fion, and on the fame day. ha eft. Robertus Park Notarius Publicus, &c. The Confeffion of Margaret Jackfon Relicl: cf tho. Stuart in Shows, who being examined joy the Juftices anent her beingguilty of Witch- craft, declares, That fhe was prefent at the making of the firft Effigies and Picture that was made in ?***# Mathie s houfe in October, ana1 that the pevil in the fliape of a black man, Jannet Mathie, Bejfie Weir Margery Craige, and Annabil Stuart, was prefent at tae making of tfcie faid Effigies, and that it was made to reprefent Sir George Maxwel of Pollock, for the taking away his life. Declares, that fourty 3?ears ago, or thereabout, flie was at PoUock- jhaw-croft, with fome few fticks on her back, and that the bUck man came to her, and that fhe slid give up herfelf unto the black man from the top of her Head to the fole of her Foot; and that this was after the Declarants .renouncing of her Baptifm; and that the Spi- rit's name which he defigned her was Locos. And that about the third or fourth of January Inftant,or thereby, in the night-time when fhe . awaked, fhe found a man to be in bed with her, whom flie fuppofed to have been her Huf- band, though her Husband had been dead twenty years or thereby, and that the man immediately difappeared: and declares that this man who difappeared was the Devil. De- of Relations. 297 Declares, that upon Thurfday the fourth of January Inftant, flie was prefent in the houfe of John Stuart at night when the Effigies of Clay was ttiade^ and that fhe faW the black man there, fometimes fitting, fometimes Han- ding with John Stuart; and that the black man's Clothes were black, and that he had white HandcutTs. And that Bejfie Weir m Pollockton, Annabil Stuart in Shows, and Mar- gery Craige were at the aforefaid time and place of making the faid Effigies of Clay; and de- clares, that fhe gave her confent to the ma- king of the fame; and declares that the De- vils name who compeired in the black man's fliape was Ejoall. SicjubjcribiturJtaeB. Rober- tus Park Notarius Publicus, &c. Now follow the Depofitions of certain perfons agreeing with the Confefwns of the abovefaid Wit- ches. Andr. Martin Servitour to the Lord of Pol- lock, o? the age of Thirty years or thereby. Depones, That he was prefent in the houfe of Jannet Mathie^nml when thePifture ofWax Produced was found in a little hole in the Wall at the back of the Fire. Depones, that Sir Georvehis Sicknefs did fall upon him about the eighteenth of October or thereby. Depones, that the Piaure of Wax was found on the * * of December, and that Sir George his Sick- 298 The ColleSiion nefs did abate and relent about the time the Pi- j cture of wax was found and difcovered in Jannet j Mathie's houfe. Depones, that the Pins were | placed in the right and left fides, and that Sir George Maxwel of Pollock his pains, as he under- ftood by Sir George's complaining of thefe pains, lay moft in his right and left fides. And depones, that Sir George his pains did abate and relent after the finding of the faid Picture of Wax and taking out of the Pins as is faid. And depones, that the Pannal Jannet Mathie has been by fame and bruite reputed a Witch thefe feveral years by paft. And this is the truth as he fhall anfwer to God. Sic Subfcrib. Andr. Martin. Laurence Pollock Secretary to the Lord of Pollock, fworn and purged of partial Counfel, depones as follows, -That on the ** day of De- cember he was in the Pannal Jannet Mathiis houfe when the Picture was found ; and that he did not fee it before it was brought to the Pannal's door. Depones, that Sir George Max- welof Pollocks fickncfs did feize upon him a- bout the fourteenth of October or thereby, and he did continue in his Sicknefs or Diflemper for fix Weeks or thereby. Depones, that Sir George his Sicknefs did abate and relent after the finding of the faid Picture of Wax and taking out of the Pins that were in the Effigies. Depones, that by open bruit and common fame, Jannet Mathie, and Bejfie Weir, and of Relations. -299 and Margery Craige, are brandit to be Witcnes. Depones, that the truth is this as he fliall an- fwer it to God. Sic Subfcrib: Laurence Pol- lock. Lodovic Stuart of Auchunhead being fworn and purged of partial Counfel, depones, That Sir George his Sicknefs fell upon him the four- teenth or fifteenth of October or thereby. De- pones, that he was not prefent at the finding of the Picture of Wax; but that he had feen Sir George Maxwel of Pollock after it was found; and having feen him in his Sicknefs oftentimes before , he did perceive that Six George had fenfibly recovered after the time that the faid Picture was faid to be found, which was upon the 1 ith or \rth of December. Depones,that Jannet Mathieand Margery Craige two of the Pannals are by report of the Country faid to beWitches. Depones, that he having come to Pollock he did fee Sir George Maxwel, whofe pains did recur, and that his pains and torments were greatly encreafed in refpect of what they were before the finding of the Picture of Wax. Depones, that upon the 8 th of January when they left the faid Sir George Maxwel of Pollock, the Deponent James Dunlop of Houfil, Allan Douglace, and feveral others, did go to the houle of John Stuart Warlock in Pollock-jhaw, and there he found a Picture of Clay in the faid John Stuart's Bedftraw. Depones, that there was three Pins in the faid Picture of Clay, 20O The Colle&ftn Clay, and that there was one in each fide, and one in the Breaft. And depones, that being returned to Sir (Seorge his houfe, Sir George told the Deponent that ne found great eafe of his pains, and that it was before the Deponent Houfil and the reft did reveal to him that they had found the (aid Picture of Clay; and fur- ther depones, that to his own observation he did perceive that Sir Qeorge had fenfibly reco- vered. Depones, that they tookthe faid John £/«ar* Pannal Prifoner with them at the find- ing of the faid Effigies. And depones, that this is truth as he fliall anfwer it to God. Sic fiubfcrib. Lodowick Stuart. There follow more Depofitions in the Copy, put thefe are the moft for our purpofe, and enough to difcover that the Confeflion of thofe Witches are no Fables nor Dreams. ADVERTISEMENT THefe Confeffions and Depofitions are tranfcribed out of the Copy in the 4me Scottijh Dialect that I found them; and feveral words there are which I profefs I un- derftand not, as thofe for example concerning the black mans Voice, that it was hough and gouft/e: But if the voice of this black man be dike that of his who appeared to the Witches whom Mr. Hunt examined, they may figni- fie a big and low voice. There pf Relations. 301 There is another Scottijh Trial of Witches amongft Mr. Glanvih Papers, with the fame general fubfcription that this has, viz. Rohrt Martin Clerk to the Juftice Court. But that is of too old a date, it being in the year 2 590, to comply with the title of our Stories. But it being a true Copy of Record fo Authentic^, though not fo frefh, it may haply not be a- mifs briefly to name fome Effects, Kinds, or Circumftances of Witchcraft therein mentio- ned ; fuch efpecially as have not occurred in the foregoing Stories; as, the giving and ta- king away power from fundry mens Genital- members, For which Jannet Clark was ac- cufed. That which is obfervable in John Fitm is, that the Devil appeared to him not in black, but in whfte raiment; but propofed as hellifh a Covenant to him as thofe Fiends that appear in black. As alfo lying dead two or three hours, and his Spirit tane, (as the Phrafe in the Record is) his being carried or tranfported to many Mountains , and, as lie thought, through the world,according to his own Depo- fitions! His hearing the Devil preach in a Kirk in the Pulpit in the night by candferlight, the Candle burning blue. That in a Conven- ticle of Witches, whofe names are fpecified -iq the Record, he with the reft at parting kiffed the Devil's Breech; the Record fpeaks more broadly. His shimming on the Sea in a Boat Yy witlj 302 *The Colle&ion with thofe of his gang, and his foretelling the leak in the Queens Ship by the help ot the Devil. His raifing Winds with the reft at the tKing's paffage into Denmark, by cafting a Cat into, the Sea, which the Devil delivered to them, and taught them to cry Hola when they caft it in. His raifing a Milt at the King's return from Denmark,.by getting Satan to caft a thing like a Foot-ball (it appea- red to John like a Wifp ) into the Sea, which made a vapour or reek to arife, whereby the King's Majefty might be caft upon fhe Coaft -of England. His hearing the Devil again preach in a Pulpit in black, who after pointed them to Graves, to open and difmember the Corpfe therein; which done , incontinently they were tranfported without words. His opening Locks by Sorcery, as one by mere blowing into a womans hand while he fate by the Fire. His raifing four Candles on the Luggs of an Horfe , and another on the top of the Staff of his Rider in the night,that he made it as light as day ; and how the man fell down dead at the entring within his houfe at his return home. His embarquing in a Boat with other Witches, and failing over Sea, and entring within a fhip , and drinking good Wine and Ale there, and finking the Shipwhen they had done, with the perfons in it. His kif- fing Satan's Breech again after another Con- venticle. His being fwiftly carried above in iafRclatioiw. 303 the chafing of a Cat to catch her to caft into the Sea* thereby to raife Winds, according to the prefcriptiort of Satan. His pretending to tell any man how long he fhould live if .he told him but the day of his birth. There are alfo feveral things in Agnes Symp- jon's Witchcraft, fuch as there fcarce occur the like in the foregoing ftories. As her skill in Difeafes. That the ficknefs of Will. Black was an Elf-fhot. Her heating alfo of them by Sorcery, and foretelling the party whether he fliould live or die, and others how long they fhould live. Her taking the fick parties pains and ficknefs upon herfelf for a time, and then tranflating it to a third perfon. " Her ufe of long fcrlptural Prayers and Rhymes containing the main points of Chriftianity , fo that fhe may feem to have been not fo much a white Witch as an holy woman. And yet it is upon Record that flie made a Covenant with the Devil in the fliape of a man, and in fuchlike hellifh manner as other Witches do. But when fhe fought for anfwers from the Devil upon any occafion, he appeared to her in the fhape of a Dog ; but the formula of her difmiffing of him, was, The charging him to depart on the Law he lives on, as fhe did when fhe difmift him after her confulting him about the old Lady Edmonftoris ficknefs; but her invocation was, Elva, come andjpeak to me, who came in the likenefs of a Dog. Her failing with her Y y i fellow- go/j. The ColleSlion fellow-Witches in a Boat to a Ship, where the Devil caufed her to drink good Wine, fhe nei- ther feeing the Mariners, nor the Mariners her, But after all, the Devil raifed a Wind whereby the fhip perifhed. Her baptizing, and ufing other Ceremonies upon a Cat, with other Wit- ches, to hinder the Queen's coming into Scot- land. Her raifing of a Spirit to conjure a Pi- cture of Wax for the deftroying of Mr. John Mfofcrope. Hitherto I have brought but fmall fhreds out of this ancient Record, but I will conclude with a full Paragraph, it containing the Con- feffion of Agnes Sympfon to King James then King of the Scots: Which is this. , Item, Fyied and convict for fameckle as fhe cbnfeft before his Majefty, that the Devil in mans likenefs met her going cut in the Fields from her own houfe at Keith betwixt five and fix at Even, teing alon^, and comman- dit her to be $t North beyvick-Kvck the next night. And fhe paft then on Horfeback, con- veyed by her good-fon called John Couper, and lighted at the Kirk-yard, or a little before fhe came to it, about eleven hours at Even. They danced along the Kirk-yard, Geilie Duncan plaid to them on a Trump, John Fien muffiled led all the reft ; the faid Agnes and her Daughter followed next. Befides, there were Kate Grey, George Moilis Wife, Robert Greirfon, Katharine Duncan, Bejfie Right, Ifabel Giknore, John Gray- maill, pfRelations. 305 maill, Duncan Buchanan, Thomas Barnhil and his Wife, Gilbert Macgil, John Macgil, Katha- rine Macgil, with the reft of their Complices above an hundred perfons, whereof there were fix Men, and all the reft Women. The Wo- men made firft their homage, and then the Men. The Men were turned nine times widderfliins about, and the Women fix times. John Fien blew up the Doors and blew in the Lights, which were like mickle black Candles flicking round about the Pulpit. The Devil ftartit up himfelf in the Pulpit like a mickle black man, and every one anfwered Here. Mr. Robert Greirfon being named, they ran all hirdie girdie, and were angry: for it was pro- mifed he fhould be called Robert the Comp- troller, alias Rob the Rowarjox expriming of his name. The firft thing he demandit was, if they keept all promife, and been good Ser- vants, and what they had done fince the laft time they had conveined. At his command they opened up three Graves, two within and ane without the Kirk, and took off the joynts of their Fingers, Toes, and Neife, and parted them amongft them : and the faid Agnes Sym- pfon got for her part a Winding-fheet and two Joynts. The Devil commandit them to keep the Joynts upon them while they were dry, and then to make a powder of them to do evil withal. Then he commandit them to keep his Commandments, which were to do Yy 3 aU 3 o 6 The Collection all the evil they could. Before they departed they kifs'd his Breech; the Record fpeaks more broad, as I noted before. He had on him ane Gown and ane Hat, which were both black : and they that were aflembled part ftood and part fate: John Fien was ever neareft the Devil at his left Elbock, Graymaill keeped the door. I have retained the Scotch Dialect here alfo, for the more Authenticknefs of the matter, and have adjoyned this large Paragraph, the Confeflion therein contained being in all pro- bability a more fpecial occafion of King James his changing his opinion touching the Exiftence of Witcnes, which he was, as is reported, in- clinable to think to be but a mere conceit be- fore. For he was then but young, not paffing five or fix aiad Twenty years of agp when this Examination was had before him. And part of the Third Chapter of his Second Book of his Datmonologie feems to be a Tranfcript of this very Confeffion. Wherefore this bejing fo con- fiderable an occurrence touching a bufinefs of fuch moment, the bringing in here fo old a Story amongft thofe of frefher memory, will, I hope, bring along with it its own ex- cufe. Thus have we contrived all the Relations in Mr. Glanvih Papers which were thought con- fiderable, into this fecond Part of his Saducif ftus Triumphatus. He once intended to fub- joyn of Relations. 307 joyn thereto an Anfwer to Webfter, Wagflaf, and the Author of the Doclrine of Devils, as. you may obferve from the firft Section of his. Proof of Apparitions, &c. from holy Serif ture: but partly by bringing in already the chief things in that rude draught begun, into what is here publifhed , and partly by ftating the Queftion truly and with right judgement, he has prevented himfelf, and made that labour needlefs. As indeed in a manner it ever was, their Objections againft Mr. Glanvih Opinion on thefe points, being wondrous weak, forry and fophiftical, and fuch as it were pity that any man of parts who can beftow his time better fliould fquander it away in confuting fuch trifles. There is nothing that makes any leaft fhew of ftrength, but that touching the palpability of the confiftency of the Bodies of the Fami- liars of Witches, as if it weakened our Sa- viour's Argument to his Difciples for his Re- furrection , where he bids them handle him and fee, for a Spirit has not Flefh and Bones as they fee him have. And he bids Thomas thruft his Hand into his Side, that they might be fure he was no Spectre or Spirit, but the very Chrift with his Flefh, Bloud, and Bones as he had before his Crucifixion ; and they were as well afcertained of this, as fenfe, nay the fureft fenfe, that of Touch or Feeling, could make them, that he had really Flefh and Bones, Y y 4 and 308 The Coile&ion and fuch a temperament as humane Bodies have. Nor can any cavil avail againft this from the Familiars of Witches, that will not as well weaken the affurance that We converfe with fuch or fuch a Friend, but with fome Spe- ctre like him; So that the Allegation is as weak as peevifh and malicious. And if he fliould doubt whether it was his real friend, or fome Spectre, if his friend fhould offer him- felf, as our Saviour did, to be touched, fearch- ed and felt, would not anybody think it were fufficient aflurance > put for a pervexfe Cavil- ler or crazy Sceptick, what is it that will fa- tisnethem? But it may bie it will be faid, that there be concomitant confiderations that will afliire the party it is his Friend and not a Spectre. And are there hot concomitant confideratiohs here alfo? The ancient Prophecies, and thrift's own Prediction that he mould rife from the dead out of the Grave. And that God is a God of truth, and not of unfaithfulnefs and impofture: .Which affurance is of a more high and divine Tenour than that of feeling his Body. And therefore our Saviour faith to Tho- mas-, THO MA S, lecaufe thou haft feen me thou haft believed, Bleffed are they that havt not feen and yet have believed: For it is a fign that a more noble and heavenly principle is awakened iri them, that difpels that thick Mift of Sceptical ftupbr and dulnefs. It is a fign &jf Relations. 3 op they are of a more holy; pure, and refined temper. And befides all this, What Spectre ever challenged any one to make fuch a Trial as this, to feel whether he was not very Flefh and Bone as real men are, when he would in> pofe upon any ? Or how is it proved, though Spirits can bring their Vehicle to a palpable confiftency, that they can turn it into fuch as fliall feel of the fame articulate palpablehefs of Fiefli and Bone and Temperament that are in living men ? Till this appear by confeft ex- perience to bis in the palpable confiftency of Familiars or Spirits that tranfact with Witches, the Allegation is infinitely weak upon that account dfo, as weak as fpightful and perverfe. But the Hag-Advocates Will alledge any foo- lifh thing, rather than feem to be able to fay nothing. In the mean time I think it here feafonable to declare, that.though this intended Edition of Saducifmus Trimphatus had not the happinefs to be perfected by the ingenious Author's own hand before his death, yet fuch Materials he left behind him, and the work in fuch a for- wardnefs, that things being put together in that order and diftinctnefs which they are, the Difcourfe may prove as ufeful for the reclaim- ing men from Saducijm, though perhaps not altogether fo delightful, as if his own hand had had the laft polifliing of it. And the publifli- ing of it will alfo do him that right in the eyes 0 of 31 o The Collection of the world, that (whereas he was fufpected haply for fome complaifance towards fome perfons that were over-inclinable to Hobbia- nifm, to have fhrunk from the fenfe of fuch no- ble Theories, with which his mind was en- lightned in the morning of his days) it from hence may appear that thefe things ftuck clofe to him, and that he entertained them with a fincere warmth all along, as is evident from thefe Papers then private within his own Stu- dy-walls. As the profeffion of them broke out from him moft exprefly when he lay on his Death-bed, as his intimate friend Mr. Thomas Alcock largely fets down in a Letter written to Dr. H. More. And I think that is the time, if ever that men will fpeak their thoughts freely, as the Poet hath obferved in the like cafe, Nam vere voces turn demum petlore ab imo Ejiciuntur, & eripitur perfma, manet res. To this Senfe, Then 'tis men from their Hearts their Mind declare, Caft off their Vizards, fhew their faces bare. AN A N ACCOUNT Of what happened in the KINGDO M SWEDEN In the Years i66p7znd i6jo. In Relation to the Perfons that were accufed For Witches: AND TRIED and EXECUTED By the King's Command. Printed at firft in the Swedijh Dialed by Autho- rity, and then Tranflated into divers other Languages; and now, upon the rcquoft of fome Friends, done into Englifh. By Anthony Horneck Preacher at the Savoy. LQNQON? Printed, 1681. \- THE PREFACE TO THE READER. Shewing, what Credit may be given to the Matter of Fact related in the enfuing Nar- rative. NOt to believe any thing we have not feen, is a Rule fo falfe, that we dare not own our felves rationalCreatures,andavow it ;yet as irra- tional as the Maxime is, it's become prepoflerous to believe it: And though men are loth to de- ny it in general terms, yet when it comes to par- ticulars, let the reafons of the thing in contro- verfie be never fo pregnant, they rejolutely deny it, and laugh at all \ thofe credulous Wretches that are fo eafily chous'd into an Effeminate Con- fidence ; and this pitiful Stratagem we find pra* clifedin no affair fo much as that of Spirits and Witches, and Apparitions, which muft all be Fan- cies, The Preface. ties, and Hypocondriack Dreams, and the effetts of" diftempered Brains, becaufe their own are fo dull as not to be able to pierce into thofe Myfte- ries. I do not deny but the Imagination may be, and isfometime, deluded-, and melancholy People may fancy they, hear Voices, and fee very ftrange things, which have no other foundation but their own wedkjteff, and like Bubbles break into Air, and nothing, by thYit own vanity. Tet as no man doth therefore take Diamonds to be Pebbles,Ikcaufe they do look like them, jo neither muft all paffages of this nature we hear or read of, be traduced as felf conceit, Or derided as Old Wives Fables , becaufe fome fmell ftrong of Deceit and Sophiftication. We believe men of Reafon and Experience, and free from Fumes, when a perfon of ordinary Intellectuals finds no great credit with us; and if we think our felves Wife for doing fo, why foould any man jo much fofket himfelf. as to be an Infidel in point of fuch fffatnomends, when even the mofl judicious men have had experience of fuch paffages, feems to me no lef than madnefi to contradict what both' wife and unwife men do unanimously agree in-, and how Jews, Heathens, Mahometans, andChri- jtiarts, both learned and unlearned, jhould come to confpire into this Cheat, as yet feems to me un- accountable. If fome few melancholy Monks, or Old Women had feen fuch Ghofts and Appari- tions, we might then fifp eel that what they pre- tend to have feen might fas nothing, but the effeel The Preface. of a difordered Imagination; but when the whole World, as it were, and men of all Religions, men of all Ages too, have been forced, by ftrong evi-. dences, to acknowledge the truth of fuch occur- rences, I know not what flrength there can be irr the Argument drawn from the fonfent of Na- tions in things of a fublimer nature, if here it be of no efficacy. Men that' have attempted to evade the places of Scripture ' which fpeak of Ghofts and Witches, we jee how they are forced to turn and wind the Texts, and make, in a man- ner, Ncfes of Wax of them , and rather faueeze than gather the fence, as if the holy Writers had fpoke like Sophifters, and not like men who made it their bufinefi to condefcend to the capacity of the Common people. Let a man put no force at all on thofe pafjages of holy Writ, and then fee what fence they are like to yield. It's ftrange to ' jee how fome men have endeavoured to elude the ftory of the Witch of Endor ; and a* far as I can judge , they play more Hocus-Pocus tricks in the explication if thatpaffage, than the Witch. herfelf did in raifing the deceafed Samuel. To thofe Straits is Faljhood driven', while Truth loves Plains, and undifguifed Exprejftons ; and Err our will feek out Holes and Labyrinths to hide itfelf, while Truth plays above board, and fcornsthefubterfuges of the.Sceptick Interpreter. Men and Brethren, Why jhould it feem a thing incredible with you that God fhould permit Spi- rits to appeart and the Devil to exert his Power awrw The Preface. among men on Earth > Hath God ever engaged his word to the contrary; or is it againjt the nature of Spirits to affume airy Vehicles and Bodies of condenfed Air, or to animate groffer fubftances to fhew themfelves tq mortals npon certain occafions ? lam fo much a Prophet as to forefee what will h the fate of the enfuing ftory, nor can I fup- pofe that upon the reading of it, mens verdicts wilt be muck changed from what they were, if they have fet up this resolution, to believe nothing that looks like the jhadow of an Apparition, though the things mentioned here cannot be unknown to any that have been converfant with forrain af- fairs of late years. And though fare cannot be a greater evidence than the teftimony of a whole Kingdom, yetymr nicer men will think it a di- fparagement to them to believe it; nor will it ever extort Affent from any that build the repu- tation of their wit upon contradicting what hath been received by the vulgar. The paffages here related wrought fo great d Confter-nation , :not onely on the Natives , but Strangers too, that the Heer Chriftian Rumpf, then Refident for the States General at Stock- holm, thought himfelf obliged to fend away his little Son for Holland, left he jhould be endan- gered by thefe viHamus practices, which feem'd to threaten all the Inhabitants of the Kingdom. An4 a friend of mine in Town, being then in Holftein, remembers very well that ihe Duke of Holftein fnt The Preface- fent an Exprefito the King of Sweden to know the truth of this famous Witchcraft: To whom the King modeftly replied, That his Judges and CommifTloners had caujed divers Men, Women, and Children to be Burnt and Executed upon fuch pregnant Evidences as were brought before them ; but whether the Aclions they confeffed, and which were proved 'againft them, were real, or onely effecls of ftrong Imagination, he was not as yet able to determine. Add to all this, that the Circumftances men- tioned in the enjuing Narrative, are at this day to be feen in the Royal Chancery at Stockholm; and a perfon of my acquaintance offered me to pro- cure a Copy of them under the hands of publick Regifters, if I defired it: Not to mention that in the year y%. Baron Sparr, who was fent Embafi fadour from the Crown of Sweden to the Court of England , did upon his word aver the mat- ter of Fall recorded here to be undoubtedly true, to feveral perfons of Note and Eminency, with other particulars, ft ranger than thofe fet down in theje Papers. And to this purpofe divers Let- ters were jent from Sweden and Hamburgh to feveral perfons here in London; infomuch, that fhould a man born in , or acquainted with thofe parts, hear any perfon difpute the truth of it, he would wonder where people have lived, or what fallen humour doth poffefithem, to disbelieve that which fo many thoufands in that Kingdom have felt the fad effect of Zz That The Preface. That a Spirit can lift up Men and Women, andgroffer Bodies, into the Air, I queftion m more, than I doubt that the Wind can overthrow Houfes, or drive Stones upward from their Cen- tre. And though I cannot comprehend the Phi-. hjbphie of her committing Venereal alls, and ha- vingChildren, and thofe Children bringing forth Toads and Serpents; yet I can very rationally conceive that he can animate dead Bodies, and by the help of them commit thofe villanies which modefty bids us to conceal; and he that was per- mitted, as we fee in the Gofpel, to poffefi and actu- ate living men, and do with them almoft what he pleajed, why may not he commit wickednefl by fuch Inftruments, and caft Mifts before the Wit- ches eyes, that they may not know who they are > And he that could in ALgypt produce Frogs, ei- ther real or counterfeit ones, Why may not he be fuppofed to be able to produce juch Toads and Serpents out of any mijhapen Creatures, and of his own making ? Spirits that know the nature of things better than man, and underftand better how things are joy ned and compounded, and what the Ingredients of terreftrial Produclions are, and fee things in their firft principles, and have power over the Air, and other Elements, and have a thoujand ways of /hoping things and re- prefenting them to the fenfual minds of men, what may not they be juppofed to be able to do, if they have but Gods permijfion to exert their power > and that God doth fometimes permit fuch things, we The Preface. we have reafon to believe, that fee men jink inn moft fottijh wickednefl, which very often produces that fatal Sentence we read of in the Evangelifl ; He that is filthy, let him be filthy ftill. And certainly there is fuch a Judgement, that men are given up to believe a Lye, and that God fendj them ftropg Delufions as punifhments for their wilful obftinacy and refifting of the Truth. Spi- rits by being Devils do not lofi their nature; and let any man in fober fadnefl confider what Spirits are faid to be able to do in Scripture, and what they have done, and compare them with what is faid in the following Relation , and he will not think thofe things the Witches confeffed altogether impoflible. I could add a known paflage that happened in the year 1659. at Craffen in Philefia, of an Apothecaries Servant, one Chriftopher Manigh, who after his death returned to his Mafter's Shop, and jeemedto be mighty bufie there, walked a- bout in the open Streets, but fpoke to no creature but to a Maid-fervant, and then vanijhed; q. thing which abundance of people , now living, will take their Oath upon, that they faw him after his deceafe, at leaft his jhape, and which occafioned publick Difputations in the Vniver- fity of Wittemberg: but it's needlefl. If the Stories related in the foregoing Book afe not fufficient to Convince men, I am fure an Ex- ample from beyond fea will gain no Credit. l/s enough that I have jhewn RcajonS which Zz % p^y The Prefaced may induce my Reader to believe, that he is not impojed upon by the following Narrative, and that if' is not in the nature of thofe Pam- phlets they cry about the Streets , containing very dreadful News from the Country of Ar- mies fighting in the Air. Farewel. A Re- 3II A Relation of the ftrange Wiuhraft dif covered in the Village• Mohra in Swedeland , taken out of the publick Regifter of the Lords- Commiffioners appointed by His Majefty the King 0/Sweden'/0 examine the whole iufinefs, in the years of our Lord 166 and after this ran to the crofs- way, and called the Devil thrice , firft with a ftill voice, the fecond time fomewhat louder* and the third time very loud,with thefe words, Anteceffor come and carry us to Blockula. Where- upon, immediately he ufed to appear, but in different Habits ; but for the moft part we faw him in a gray Coat, and red and blue Stock- ings : he had a red Beard, a high-crown'd Hat, with Linnen of divers colours wrapt about it, and long Garters upon his Stockings. Then he asked us whether we would ferve him with Soul and Body. If we were content to do fo , he fet us on a Beaft which he had there ready, and carried us over Churches and high walls; and after all, we came to a green Meadow where Blockula lies. We muft pro- cure w ^Relations; 217 cure fome fhavings of Altars * and Church* Clocks; and then he gives us a horn with a Salve in it,wherewithwedo anoint our felves; and then he gives us a Saddle, with a Hammer and a wooden nail, thereby to fix the Saddle; whereupon we call upon the Devil, and away We go. Thofe that were at the Town of Mohra, made in a manner the fame Declaration: being asked whether they were fure of a real perio- ral Tranfportation, and whether they were awake then when it was done; they all anfwe- red in the Affirmative, and that the Devil fometimes laid fomething down in the place that was very like them.* But one of them confeffed, that he did onely takeaway her ftrength, and her body lay ftill upon the ground; yet fometimes he took even her bo dy with him. Being asked how they could go with their Blodies through Chimneys and broken panes of Glafs, they faid, that the Devil did firft remove all that might hinder them in their flight, and fo they had room enough to go; Others were asked how they Were able to carry fo many Children with them; and they anfwered, that when the Children were afleep they came into the Chamber, laid hold of the Children\ whichftraightway did awake, and asked them whether tbey would go to a Feaft with thereto which fome anfwerUYes,others Twin. 318 The ColleElioH No; yet they were all forced to go. They on- ly gave the Children a Shirt, a Coat and a Doublet, which was either red or blue, andfo they did fet them upon a beaft of the Devils providing, and then they rid away. The Children confeffed the fame thing; and fome added , that becaufe they had very fine cloaths put upon them, they were very willing to go. Some of the Children concealed it from their Parents, but others difcover'd it to them pre- fently. The Witclies declared moreover, that till of late they never had that power to carry away Children, but onely'this year and the laft, and the Devil did at this time force them to it; that heretofore it was fufficient to carry but one of their Children , or a ftrangers Child with them,- which yet hapned feldom, but now he did plague them and whip them if they did not procure him Children, infomuch that they had no peace nor quiet for him; and whereas formerly one journey a week would ferve turn, from their own Town to the place aforefaid, now they were forced to run to o- ther Towns and places for Children, and that fome of them did bring with them fome fif- teen, fome fixteen Children every night. For their journey they faid they made ufe of all forts of Inftruments, of Beafts, of Men, of Spits and Pofts, according as they had op- por- of Relations. 31c? portunity.: if they do ride upon greater, and have many Children with them, that all may have room, they ftick a fpit into the backfide of the Goat, and then are anointed with the aforefaid ointment. What the manner of their Journey is, God alone knows. Thus much was made out, That if the Children did at any time name the Names of thofe that had carried.them away, they were again car- ried by force either to Blockula, or to the Crofs way, and there miferably beaten, infomuch that fome of them died of it: and this four of the Witches confeffed ; and added, That now they were exceedingly troubled and tor- tured in their minds for it. The Children thus ufed looked mighty black and wan. The marks of the Lafhes the Judges could not perceive in them, except in one Boy, who had fonpe wounds and holes in his Back that were given him with Thorns ; but the Witches faid they jwould quickly vanifh. After this ufage the Children are exceeding weak ; and if any be cajrried over-night, they cannot recover themfelv es the next day; and this happens to them py fits: And if a fit comes upon them, they lean on their Mothers Arms, who fit with theim up fometimes all night;and when they obferve thePalenefs com- ing,they fhake the Children,but to nopurpofe. They obferve further, that their Childrens Breafts grow cold at fuch times; and they take 320 the ColleStion take fometimes a burning Candle and prick it in their Hair, which yet is not burnt by it. They fwoun upon this palenefs, which fwoun lafteth fometimes half an hour, fometimes an hour, fometimes two hours; and when the Children come to themfelves again, they mourn, and lament, and groan moft mifera- bly, and beg exceedingly to beeafed: This two old men declared upon Oath before the Judges, and called all the Inhabitants of the Towntowitnefs> as perfons that had moft of them experience of this ftrange Symptome of their Children. A little girl of Elfdale confeffed, That na- ming the name of Jefus as flie was carried away, fhe fell fuddenlly upon the Ground, and got a great hole in her Side, which the Devil prefently healed up again, and away he carried her; and to this day the girl confeffed flie had exceeding great pain in her fide. Another Boy confeffed too, That one day he was carried away 1 by his Miftrifs, and to perform the Journey lie took his own Father's Horfe out of the Meadow where it was, and upon his return flie le c the Horfe go in her own ground. The next morning the Boys Father fought for his Horfe, and not finding it, gave it over for loft; but the Boy told him the whole ftory, and fo his Father fjetcht the Horfe back again; and this one of the Witches confeffed. z. Of tff Relations. 321 2. Of the place where they ufed to affemble, cal- led Blockula, and what they did there. THey unahimoufly confeffed that Blockula is fcituared in a delicate large Meadow whereof you can fee no end. The place or houfe they met at, had before it a Gate painted with divers colours; through this Gate they went into a little Meadow diftinct from the other, where the Beafts went that they ufed to ride on : But the Men whom they made ufe of in their Journey, ftood in the Houfe by the Gate in a flumbering pofture, fleeping againft the Wall. In a huge large Room of this Houfe, they faid, there ftood a very long Table, at which the Witches did fit down : And that hard by this Room was another Chamber where there were very lovely and delicate Beds. The firft thing they faid they muft do at Blockula was , That they muft deny all, and devote themfelves Body and Soul to the De- vil, and promife to ferve him faithfully, and confirm all this with an Oath. Hereupon they cut their Fingers, and with their bloud writ their Name in his Book. They added, that he caufed them to be Baptized too by fuch Priefts as he had there, and made them confirm their Baptifm with dreadful Oaths and Impreca- tions. Hereupon 322 the Collection Hereupon the Devil gave them a Purfe, wherein there were fhavings of Clocks with a Stone tied to it, which they threw into the Water, and then were forced to fpeak thefe words ; As thefe Shavings of the Clock do never return to the Clock from which they are taken, fo may my Soul never return to Heaven. To which they add Blafphemy and other Oaths and Curfes. The mark of their cut Fingers is not found in all of them : But a Girl who had been fiaflied over her Fingers, declared, That hecaufe me would not ftretch out her Fingers, the Devil in anger had fo cruelly wounded it. After this they fate down to Table ; and thofe that the Devil efteemed moft, were pla- ced neareft to him; but the Children muft / ftand at the door, where he himfelf gives them meat and drink, The diet they did ufe to have there, was, they faid, Broth with Colworts and Bacon in it, Oatmeal, Bread fpread with Butter, Milk and Cheefe. And they added, that fometimes it tailed very well, and fometimes very ill. After meals they went to Dancing, and in the mean while Swear and Curie molt dreadfully, and afterward they went to fighting one with another. Thofe of Elfdale confeffed, That the Devil ufed to play upon an Hai'p before them , and j afterwards to go with them that, he liked beft into of Relatione 323 into a Chamber, where he committed venere- ous Afts with them; and this indeed all con- feffed, That he had carnal knowledge of them, and that the Devil had Sons and Daughters which he did marry together, and they did couple, and brought forth Toads and Ser- pents. One day the Devil feemed to be dead, whereupon there was great lamentation at Blockula; but he foon awaked again. If he hath a mind to be merry with them, he lets them all ride upon Spits before him; takes afterwards the Spits and beats them black and blue, and then laughs at them. And he bids them believe that the day of Judgement will come fpeedily , and therefore fets them on work to build a great Houfe of Stone, prd- mifing , that in that Houfe he will preferve them from God's Fury, and caufe them to enjoy the greateft delights and pleafures: but while they work exceeding hard at it, there fidh a great part of the Wall down a- gain, whereby fome of the Witches are com- monly hurt, which makes him laugh, but pre- fently he cures them again. They faid they had feen fometimQs a very great Devil like a Dragon with fire round a- bout him, and bound with an Iron Chain; and the Devil that converfes with them tells them, that if they confefs any tiling, he will let that Great Devil loofe upon them, wherc- A a a bv 3 2 4. • The ColleStion by all Swedeland ..:v. ,m*. r. \ ■ I