Book VII, chapters 13–16: Samuel, vain apparitions, and witches’ miracles compared with Christ’s

CHAP. XIII. The residue of 1 Sam. 28. expounded; wherein is declared, how cunningly this Witch brought Saul resolutely to believe that she raised Samuel: what words are used to colour the cosenage, and how all might also be wrought by Ventriloquie.

NOw cometh in Samuel to play his part; but I am perswaded it was performed, in the person of the Witch her self, or of her confederate. He saith to Saul, Why hast thou disquieted me, to bring up? As though without guile or packing, it had been Samuel himself. Saul answered, that he was in great distress; for the Philistines made war upon him. Whereby the Witch, or her confederate Priest might easily conjecture that his heart failed, and direct the Oracle or Prophesie accordingly: especially, understanding by his present talk, and also by former Prophesies and doings that were past, that God had forsaken him, and that his people were declining from him. For when Jonathan (a little before) overthrew the Philistines, being thirty thousand chariots, and six thousand horsemen: Saul could not assemble above six hundred souldiers. Then said Samuel (which some suppose was Satan, and as I think, was the Witch, with a confederate; for what need so far fetches as to fetch a Devil supernaturally out of hell, when the illusion may be here by natural means decyphered? And if you note the words well, you shall perceive the phrase not to come out of a spiritual mouth of a Devil; but from a lying corporal tongue of a Cosener, that careth neither for God nor the Devil; from whence issueth such advice and communication, as greatly disagreeth from Satans nature and purpose.) For thus (I say) the said Samuel speaketh, Wherefore dost thou asks of me, seeing the Lord is gone from thee, and is thine enemy? Even the Lord hath done unto him as he spake by my hands; for the Lord will rent thy Kingdom out of thine hand, and give it to thy neighbour David; because thou obeyedst not the voyce of the Lord, &c. This (I say) is no phrase of a Devil, but of a Cosener, which knew before what Samuel had Prophesied concerning Sauls destruction. For it is the Devils condition to allure the people unto wickedness, and not in this sort to admonish, warn, and rebuke them from evil. And the Popish writers confess, That the Devil would have been gone at the first naming of God. If it be said, That it was at God's special commandement and will, that Samuel or the Devil should be raised, to propound this admonition, to the profit of all posterity. I answer, that then he would rather have done it by some of his living Prophets, and that Satan had not been so fit an instrument for that purpose. After this falleth the Witch (I would say Samuel) into the vein of Prophecying, and speaketh to Saul on this wise, The Lord will rent thy Kingdom out of thine hand, and give it to thy neighbour David; because thou obeyedst not the voyce of the Lord, nor executedst his fierce wrath upon the Amalekites, therefore hath the Lord done this unto thee this day. Moreover, the Lord will deliver thee into the hands of the Philistines, and to morrow shalt thou and thy sons be with me, and the Lord shall give the host of Israel into the hands of the Philistines. What could Samuel have said more?

Me thinks the Devil would have used another order, encouraging Saul rather than rebuking him for his evil. The Devil is craftier than to leave such an admonition to all posterities, as should be prejudicial unto his Kingdom, and also be void of all impiety. But so divine a sentence maketh much for the maintenance of the Witches credit, and to the advancement of her gains. Howbeit, concerning the verity of this Prophesie, there be many disputable questions: First, Whether the battel were fought the next day? Secondly, Whether all his sons were killed with him? Item, Whether they went to heaven or hell together; as being with Samuel, they must be in heaven; and being with Satan, they must be in hell. But although every part of this Prophesie were false, as that all his sons were not slain (Ishbosheth living and reigning in Israel two years after Sauls death) and that the battel was not on the morrow, and that wicked Saul, after that he had killed himself, was not with good Samuel, yet this Witch did give a shrewd guess to the sequel: Which, whether it were true or false, pertains not to my purpose, and therefore I will omit it. But as touching the opinion of them that say it was the Devil, because that such things came to pass; I would fain know of them where they learn that Devils foreknow things to come? If they say, he guesseth only upon probabilities, the Witch may also do the like. But here I may not forget the Decrees, which conclude, That Samuel appeared not unto Saul; but that the Historiographer set forth Sauls mind and Samuels estate, and certain things that were said and seen, omitting whether they were true or false: and further, that it were a great offence for a man to believe the bare words of the story. And if this exposition like you not, I can easily frame my self to the opinion of some of great learning expounding this place, and that with great probability, in this sort, to wit, that this Pythonist being Ventriloqua, that is, speaking, as it were, from the bottom of her belly, did cast her self into a trance, and so abused Saul, answering to Saul in Samuels name, in her counterfeit hollow voice: as the Wench of Westwel spake, whose history I have rehearsed before at large, in pag. 71, 72. and this is right Ventriloquie.

CHAP. XIV. Opinions of some learned men, that Samuel was indeed raised, not by the Witches art or Power, but by the special miracle of God: that there are no such visions in these our dayes; and that our Witches cannot do the like.

AJas and Sadajas write, That when the Woman saw the miracle indeed, and more then she looked for, or was wont to do, she began to cry out, that this was a vision indeed, and a true one, not done by her art, but by the power of God. Which exposition is far more probable than our late writers judgements hereupon, and agreeth with the exposition of divers good Divines. Gelasius saith, It was the very spirit of Samuel: and where he suffered himself to be worshipped, it was but in civil salutation and courtesie: and that God did interpose Samuel, as he did Elias to the messenger of Ochosias, when he sent to Belzebub the God of Acharon. And here is to be noted, that the Witchmongers are set up in this point: for the Papists say, that it cannot be a Devil, because Jehovah is thrice or five times named in the story. Upon this piece of Scripture, arguments are dayly devised, to prove and maintain the miraculous actions of Witchcraft, and the raising of the dead by Conjurations, And yet, if it were true, that Samuel himself were raised, or the Devil in his likeness; and that the Witch of Endor by her art and cunning did it, &c. it maketh rather to the disproof than to the proof of our Witches, which can neither do that kind of miracle, or any other, in any such place or company, where their jugling and cosenage may be seen and laid open. And I challenge them all (even upon the adventure of my life) to shew one piece of a Miracle, such as Christ did truly, or such as they suppose this Witch did diabolically, be it not with art nor confederacy, whereby some colour thereof may be made; neither are there any such visions in these dayes shewed.

Heretofore God did send his visible Angels to men; but now we hear not of such apparitions, neither are they necessary. Indeed it pleased God heretofore, by the hand of Moses, and his Prophets, and specially by his Son Christ and his Apostles, to work great Miracles for the establishing of the faith; but now, whatsoever is necessary for our salvation, is contained in the Word of God: our faith is already confirmed, and our Church established by Miracles; so as now to seek for them is a point of Infidelity. Which the Papists (if you note it) are greatly touched withal, as in their lying Legends appeareth. But in truth their Miracles are knaveries most commonly, and specially of Priests, whereof I could cite a thousand. If you read the story of Bell and the Dragon, you shall finde a cosening Miracle of some antiquity. If you will see newer devices, read Wierus, Cardanus, Baleus, and specially Lavaterus, &c. There have been some walking spirits in these parts, so conjured, not long since, as afterwards they little delighted to make any more apparitions.

CHAP. XV. Of vain Apparitions: how people have been brought to fear Bugs; which is partly reformed by the Preaching of the Gospel: the true effect of Christs Miracles.

BUt certainly, some one knave in a white sheet hath cosened and abused many thousands that way; specially when Robin Good-fellow kept such a coil in the Countrey. But you shall understand, that these Bugs specially are spyed and feared of sick folk, children, women, and cowards, which through weakness of mind and body, are shaken with vain dreams and continual fear. The Scythians, being a stout and a warlike Nation (as divers writers report) never see any vain sights, or spirits. It is a common saying, A Lyon feareth no Bugs. But in our childhood, our Mothers maids have so terrified us with an ugly Devil having horns on his head, fire in his mouth, and a tail in his breech, eyes like a bason, fangs like a Dog, claws like a Bear, askin like a Niger, and a voyce roaring like a Lyon, whereby we start and are afraid when we hear one cry Bough: and they have so frayed us with Bul-beggers, Spirits, Witches, Urchens, Elves, Hags, Fairies, Satyrs, Pans, Faunes, Sylens, Kit with the canstick, Tritons, Centaures, Dwarfes, Gyants, Imps, Calcars, Conjurers, Nymphes, Changelings, Incubus, Robin Goodfellow, the Spoorn, the Mare, the man in the Oak, the Hell-wain, the firedrake, the Puckle, Tom-thombe, Hob-goblin, Tom-tumbler, Boneless, and such other Bugs, that we are afraid of our own shadows: insomuch that some never fear the Devil, but in a dark night; and then a polled Sheep is a perilous beast, and many times is taken for our Fathers soul, specially in a Churchyard, where a right hardy man heretofore scant durst passe by night, but his hair would stand upright. For right grave writers report, that spirits most often and specially take the shape of women appearing to Monks, &c. and of Beasts, Dogs, Swine, Horses, Goats, Cats, Hares; of Fowles, as Crowes, night Owles, and shreek Owles; but they delight most in the likeness of Snakes and Dragons. Well, thanks be to God, this wretched and cowardly infidelity, since the Preaching of the Gospel, is in part forgotten: and doubtless, the rest of those illusions will in short time (by Gods grace) be detected and vanish away.

Divers writers report, that in Germany, since Luthers time, Spirits and Devils have not personally appeared, as in times past they were wont to do. This argument is taken in hand or the ancient Fathers, to prove the determination and ceasing of Oracles. For in times past (saith Athanasius) Devils in vain shapes did intricate men with their illusions, hiding themselves in waters, stones, woods, &c. But now, that the word of God hath appeared, those sights, Spirits and mockeries of Images are ceased. Truly, if all such Oracles, as that of Apollo, &c. (before the coming of Christ) had been true, and done according to the report, which hath been brought through divers ages, and from far Countries unto us, without Priestly fraud or guil, or as the spirits of Prophesie, and working of Miracles, had been inserted into a Idol, as hath been supposed; yet we Christians may conceive, that Christs coming was not so fruitless and prejudicial in this point unto us, as to take away his spirit of Prophesie and Divination from out of the mouth of his elect people, and good Prophets, giving no answer of any thing to come by them, nor by Urim nor Thummim, as he was wont, &c. And yet to leave the Devil in the mouth of a Witch, or an Idol to Prophesie or work Miracles, &c. to the hinderance of his glorious Gospel, to the discountenance of his Church, and to the furtherance of Infidelity and false religion; whereas the working of Miracles was the only, or at least, the most special means that moved men to believe in Christ, as appeareth in sundry places of the Gospel, and specially in John, where it is written, That a great multitude followed him, because they saw his Miracles which he did, &c. Nay, is it not written, That Jesus was approved by God among the Jews, with miracles, wonders and signes? &c. And yet, if we confer the Miracles wrought by Christ, and those that are imputed to Witches; Witches miracles shall appear more common, and nothing inferior unto his.

CHAP. XVI. Witches Miracles compared to Christs; that God is the creator of all things; of Apollo, and of his names and portraiture.

IF the Witch of Endor had performed that, which many conceive of the matter, it might have been compared with the raising up of Lazarus. I pray you, is not the converting of water into milk, as hard a matter as the turning of water into wine? And yet, as you may read in the Gospel, That Christ did the one, as his first miracle; so may you read in M. Mal. and in Bodin, that Witches can easily do the other; yea, and that which is a great deal more, of Water they can make Butter. But to avoid all cavils, and least there should appear more matter in Christs miracle, then the others, you shall finde in M. Mal. that they can change water into Wine: and, What is it to attribute to a Creature, the power and work of the Creator, if this be not? Christ saith, Opera quae ego facio nemo potest facere. Creation of substance was never granted to Man nor Angel; Ergo, neither to Witch nor Devil; for God is the only giver of life and being, and by him all things are made, visible and invisible.

Finally, this woman of Endor is in the Scripture called Pythonissa; whereby it may appear that she was but a very cosener: for Pytho himself, whereof Pythonissa is derived, was a counterfeit. And the original story of Apollo, who was called Pytho, because he killed a Serpent of that name, is but a Poetical fable; for the Poets say, he was the God of Musick, Physick, Poetry and Shooting. In heaven he is called Sol, in earth Liber Pater, in hell Apollo. He flourisheth alwayes with perpetual youth, and therefore he is painted without a beard; his picture was kept as an Oracle-giver; and the Priests that attended thereon at Delphos were coseners, and called Pythonists of Pytho, as Papists of Papa; and afterwards all Women that used that trade, were named Pythonissae, as was this Woman of Endor. But because it concerneth this matter, I will briefly note the opinions of divers learned men, and certain other proofs, which I finde in the Scripture touching the ceasing of Miracles, Prophesies and Oracles.