Of the Nature of Spirits (Pictorius’ Isagoge), part 3 of 4

Pollux. If the last where true, who could compare the end of their hurtings? but it is manifest, that their authority from on high is of so great existancy, that John the Evangelist doubteth not to name the Devils the princes of the earth.

Castor. In what manner therefore do they hurt?

Pollux. Although they be most mighty and powerful spirits, yet they can do no hurt unless it be by permission; or as Damacenus saith, by dispensation. And Chrysostome saith, they have a limited power; for truely without the will of God, they cannot touch a hair of any mans head. The Devil could not have deceived the Prophets of Ahab, if he had not received power from God; neither could he have brought any detriment upon Job, either unto his body or his goods, but by the power God had given him. In the 7 of Exodus the Magicians made frogs and serpents by the power of the Devil permissively: but lice they could not bring forth, by reason of the greater power of God prohibiting them, Neither in the Gospel could the Devils hurt the swine until Christ had given them leave.

Castor. Therefore the Devil is not so much to be feared, but the Lord our God, that either he would not suffer him to rage against us; or if at any time by his own determinate counsel he let loose his chains, that then he would defend and mercifully preserve us.

Pollux. Thou sayest well; for even as a wild boar is not to be feared if he be bound, and held with a strong chain by a powerful strong man, & who is able by his strength to restrain the fierceness of the boar; but the man is to be feared, and requested, that he would not let loose the boar: so also Satan is not to be feared, being bound with the cords of the Almighty; but the Almighty rather, who holdeth him with a cord, lest at any time he should let loose his cord, for to execute his will against us.

Castor. We know that the Devils, after the incarnation of the word, were called the Lords of the earth; but I wonder, where the word is not yet incarnate, whether they have power also over men.

Pollux. If it pleaseth God, they have very much; but take a demonstration thereof Castor, from the Caldeans, amongst whom the Devil raged with so much power and dominion, that they made no esteem of the true God, but worshiped the elements. There needeth not […] demonstration of the Greeks; for the fury of the Devil did so much reign amongst them, that by his arguments, they accounted Saturn for a very great God, devouring their own proper children; and Jupiter, an adulterer and father of all filthiness, they named to be the father of Gods and men; Bacchus, the most wicked example of all servitude and bondage, they called a free father: Venus a strumpet, they termed a pure virgin: and they worshiped Flora an harlot, as a type or example of virginity. There is no man that is ignorant, that the Egyptians have been worse than the Greeks, when they made peculiar Gods to themselves, by the inanimate perswasions of the Devil; for one worshiped a sheep, another a goat, another a calf, very many did worship hogs, crows, hawks, vultures, eagles, crocodiles, cats, dogs, wolves, asses, dragons; and things growing also, as onions, garlick, and thorns: as every one that is coveteous of reading, shall find in Damascenus, in his history of Josaphat and Barlaas, and in Eusebius, in the fourth book, and first Chapter of Evangelical Preparations; neither do I account the […] (who glory in being the off-spring of their f[…]ther Abraham) to have been better than the former, when also by the instinct of the devil, after their coming up out of Egypt, with cruel hands they violently assaulted the Prophets and holy men of God, whom at length they also slew: that I may hold my peace, how diligently they have brought into their religion the Gods, or rather devils of the Gentiles.

Castor. I perceive by these thy assertions, that one Devil, and another Devil, hath been adored for Gods; for thou hast now said, that the Greeks, by the madness wherewith the Devil possessed them, have made unto themselves, Saturn, Jupiter, Bacchus, Venus and Flora, for Gods; which Lactantius in his fourth book De vera Sapientia, also accounted for Devils.

Pol. Declare I pray thee the words of Lactantius.

Castor. Mark them; they are thus: The same Devils are the Gods of the Gentiles; but if any one will not believe these things of me; then let him credit Homer, who joineth the great Jupiter to the great Devils; and the other Poets and Philosophers do call them sometimes Gods, and sometimes Devils whereof there is one true, and another false: for the most wicked spirits when they are conjured, do confess themselves to be Devils; but where they are worshiped, they declare themselves to be Gods, that they may thrust men into errors, and draw them from the worship of the true God; through whom alone eternal death can be escaped.

Pollux. It is expedient for me now to be more inquisitive in this discourse; whether there be power given to the Devils to foretell things to come? concerning which thing hitherto I have not been able to dart at the right mark; for this question seemeth sufficiently doubtful unto me.

Castor. St. Augustine in his book De Natura Daemonum, dissolveth this Gordoneus knot, & saith, that the damned spirits being filled full of all manner of impiety and wickedness, do sometimes challenge to themselves power of foreseeing things to come, because in the sense of their airy bodies, they have a far more strong & prevalent power of foreknowing, than men of earthly bodies can have; or because of the incomparable swiftness of their airy bodies, which wonderfully exceedeth not only the celerity of men and wild beasts, but also the flying of birds: by which means, they are able to declare things long before they come to be known; which we, by reason of the earthly slowness of our sense, cease not to wonder at and admire: or because of the benefit of their continual life, they obtain this wonderful experience of things, which we cannot attain to, because of the shortness of our momentaneous life, which is but as it were a bubble.

Poll. This last assertion of St. Augustine seemeth unto me to be more true than the rest, because the series of many years doth cause great experience.

Cast. If any one shall deny these opinions of Augustine, as erroneous, Damascenus setteth a greater witnes[…] of these things, without all exception, before our eyes; who in his second book of Orthodox faith saith thus: That the devils cannot foreknow things to come, for that belongs only unto God: but so much as they are able to know, they have from the disposition of the celestial and inferior bodies.

Poll. Why therefore do the Devils so willingly and of their own accord undertake Prophecies, and to answer Oracles? what benefit have they from hence?

Cast. Nothing, but that hereby they seek to get great estimation, and covet to be counted worthy of admiration, and to be adored instead of Gods.

Poll. We know that the devil is the father of lyes, Castor: from whence we are piously to believe, that those things which he foretelleth, he extracteth from his own lyes.

Cast. Furthermore the Prophet Esaias saith thus, Shew the things that are to come hereafter, and tell us, that we may know that ye are Gods. And the Apostle Peter also saith, The prophecie came not in old time by the will of man, but holy men of God spake as they were moved by the holy Ghost.

Poll. No man therefore will deny that they do sometimes fortel things to come.

Cast. No man certainly; but for what cause that it attained to, Crysostome doth most clearly teach, in these words: It is granted, he saith, that sometimes the devil doth speak truth, that he might commend his own lying with verity: whereas, if he should never tell the truth, he could deceive no man, neither would his lying suffice him to tempt with. Thus far Chrysostome. Notwithstanding, If he understand that he hath not grace granted unto him of himself to foretel the truth, he fortelleth things nevertheless, but so obscurely, saith St. Augustine, that he always layeth the blame of the things by him so foretold, upon the interpreter thereof. Porphyrius, in his book of Oracles, although he be the greatest maintainer of Devils, and the most expert teacher of diabolical Arts, nevertheless he saith with the aforesaid Doctors, that the foreknowledge of things to come, is not only intricate to men, but uncertain to the gods; and full of many obscurities.

Poll. Thou hast said, that the predictions of the devils are done in this manner, that they may gain authority to themselves amongst the credulous people, and be worshiped instead of Gods, for what end do the evil spirits work miracles?

Cast. What is a Miracle, Pollux?

Poll. A new and unwonted accident, which cometh to pass contrary to its course and custom and draweth men into admiration thereof.

Cast. But do they work Miracles?

Poll. They do: for whereby dost thou believe that Aesculapius was honoured in his consecration for a God, but only by the means of a miracle, when he conveyed a serpent from Epidaurus to Rome,? What gave so great authority to Juno, but only the working of a miracle? when her Image of wood was asked by Furius Camillu[…] whether it would be carried to Rome, and it answered with a human voice, It would. Also from thence Fortune was made a Goddess, because her Statua, in the way of Latium, in the hearing of many people, not once, but oftentimes spoke with a human voice. In the 8 Chapter of the Acts of the Apostles, we read of miracles done by Simon the son of Rachel; and in Exod. 8. of the Magicians of Pharaoh, who in the sight of many people brought forth frogs and serpents, and turned the waters into blood. Apuleus doth testify the power of men to be so great in Inchantments, that the Devils do not only work miracles by the means of men, but they are able also to subvert nature, and, with a Demoniacal Incantation, make violent streams to stay their course to turn the winds, to make the sun stand still, to break the course of the moon, to lay impediments upon the stars, to prolong the day, and to shorten the night; as Lucanus excellently sheweth.

Cessaverre vices rerum, dilata q; longa,
Haesit nocte dies, legi non paruit aether,
Torruit & praeceps audito Carmine mundus.

The course of things did cease, obstructed light
Opprest, stuck fast in dusky shades of night:
Amazed skies their usual laws forbear,
The world was scorch'd when it her charms did hear.

And Tibullus of a certain Demoniacal Charm.

Hanc ego de coelo ducentem sydera vidi,
Fulminus ac rapidi Carmine vertit iter,
Haec cantu fundit q; solum manes q; sepulchris
Elicit, & tepido devorat ossa rogo.
Cum libet haec tristi depellit lumina coelo,
Cum libet aestivo convocat orbe nives.

Her have I seen draw down nights sparkling eyes,
With a dead Palsie swiftest streams surprize;
Turn earth to water, from a desart tomb
Make the departed drowsy Manes come.
With charms she'll muffle the sad skies in mist,
In Summer Winters snow bring when she list.

Cast. I do not any more wonder that Moses called God Wonderful, that he doth so connive at this sink of wickedness, and most wicked seducers, that he granteth them power to act such things so freely.

Poll. Firmianus excellently sheweth why God doth so, in his last book but one of the works of God, De opificio Dei: for he saith, that virtue is not virtue, unless it have some like, in ruling whereof it may shew and exercise its power: for he saith, As Victory cannot stand without virtue, so neither can virtue subsist without an Enemy; which virtue no sooner had the Almighty indued man withal, but he forthwith added unto him an enemy, lest that virtue should lose its nature, being stupified with idleness. He saith, that a man cannot otherwise attain to the highest step, unless he have always an active hand; and that he shall establish and build up his salvation with a continual warfare and contention: for God will not that mortal men shall come to immortal blessedness with an easy journey, but he must wrestle and strive with sails and oars against the author and inventor of all evils and errors, who causeth and worketh execrable things and miracles.

Cast. But sometimes it cometh to pass, that by reason of the subtil snares and stratagems of the devil, which he so craftily prepareth against us, and especially against simple persons, whom he intangleth with vain religions, so that we cannot resist him; or if we suppose our selves to be very able to withstand him, yet nevertheless we shall be very much deceived by him; as we read he oftentimes did to the good, but almost foolish pastor, of whom Tritemius maketh men[…]ion.

Poll. But what happened to this good Pastor, and whom thou termest simple?

Cast. Tritemius saith, Insomuch that he was not strong in faith, therefore he made more account of the name of Saint Blaze, and attributed more power and custody unto it. than unto the name of God, the best and greatest good.

Poll. In what manner?

Cast. He had in his walking staff, or pastoral crook, a Schedule inscribed with the name of St. Blaze; by the power and virtue of which staff, he did believe his swine were safely defended from the ravening of the wolves: and he did attribute so great a deity to this Schedule, that he would leave his herd of swine to feed in the fields alone: notwithstanding, a certain time coming when the pastor was absent from his flock, and a certain man coming in the mean time, saw the devil keeping them; and he asked him what he kept here, who is the worst persecutor of the salvation of men? he answered, I keep these swine. The other replied By whose command? the devil saith, By the foolish confidence of the pastor: for he included a certain Schedule in his staff, unto which he ascribeth divine virtue, or to the inscription of the name of St. Blaze; and now, contrary to his own law, he believeth that his hogs are thereby defended from the injury of wolves; inhering to me with a false superstition; where when he hath been by me called again and again, and hath not appeared, I have taken this custody upon myself instead of St. Blaze: for I always freely stand instead of God and his saints: so also now most freely do I keep his swine for St. Blaze, that I may magnify and confirm the foolish man in his vain confidence; and thereby I may seduce him so, that he may esteem this Schedule more than God.

Poll. This is a pleasant story: but I do not wonder that the devil should impose so much upon so simple a pastor, when he doth in many things prevail over the more wise, if they do fit themselves to his opportunities; which the Church contradicteth.

Poll. But are all things wrought and brought to pass by means of the devil which men call miracles?

Cast. No: for we must give unto nature that which seemeth to belong unto her, who is said to be the greatest worker of miracles; as that which we have experienced in the stone Asbestos, which as Solinus witnesseth, being once set on fire, cannot be quenched: and the root Baara, described by Josephus in the history of Jerusalem, which he testified to be the colour of a flame of fire, splendent & shining in the night; but so difficult to be taken, that it always flies from under the hand of him that would take it, and deceiveth his eyes so long, until it be sprinkled with the urine of a menstruous woman; and when it is retained by this means, it may not be gathered or plucked up without danger; for present death followeth him that gathereth or plucketh it up, unless he shall be for[…]ifi[…]d with a pres[…]rvative about his neck, of the sam[…] root. For which cause, they who want the same root, do scarify it round about; and having bound the root about with a bond, they tye the […]ame to a dog, and sudenly depart away. Whereupon, the dog, too much endeavouring to follow after him, draw[…]th up the root, and, as if the dog where to perform the turn of his master, he forthwith dies; and afterward[…] the same root may be taken and handled without any danger to any man. And the same Josephus teacheth, that the same root is of such present force for expiations, that also those who are vexed and tormented with unclean spirits, are immediately delivered, if they carry this root about them Notwithstanding there is nothing hindereth, but that art also may imitate nature in the working of miracles; as we may read in Aristotle, of the Greek fire that would burn in water: of which the said author, in his singular treatise concerning this, hath described very many compositions. And concerning the fire which is extinguished with oil, and kindled with cold water, when it is besprinkled over therewith.

Poll. It sometimes happened that the devils do cloath themselves, sometimes in more slender, and sometimes in more gross habits, that thereby they may very much affright and molest men with horrible phantasies, and terrible sights; with ghosts appearing in divers and several shapes & aspects. What, cannot we be fortified with any thing to force and compel them to fly from us?