Part I, chapters 15–17: A proofe by other sufficient vvriters, that Spirits doe sometime appeare; and following chapters

CHAP. XV. A proofe by other sufficient vvriters, that Spirits doe sometime appeare.

AS touching other notable wryters, they also make mention of spirits whiche doe often times appeare. Alexander ab Alexandria, an excellent Lawier, born at Naples in his second booke Gemaliuns […]ierum, and ninth chapter, writeth that a certaine familiar friend of his, of good credite, dyd celebrate the funeral of one of his acquaintance, and as he returned towardes Rome, he entred into an Inne fast by the waye, bicause it was nyght, and there layde himselfe downe to rest. As he laye there alone broade awake, sodenly the Image of hys friende lately deceased, came before him maruellous pale and leane, euen as he was when he saw him last on his death bed, whome when he behelde, being almost besides himselfe with feare, he demaunded of him who he was? But the gost making no answere, but slipping of his clothes layde him downe in the same bed, and drewe neare, as if he woulde haue embraced him. The other gaue him place, and kéeping him of from him, by chaunce touched his fote, which séemed so extreamly cold, as no ice in the world might be compared vnto it. Wherat the other looking very lowringly vppon him, tooke vp his clothes againe, and rose out of the bed, and was neuer afterwardes séene. He reporteth other histories in the same place, whiche hapned in his time. He liued aboue foure score yeares ago, or neare that time.

Baptista Fulgosus, Duke of Genua, in his booke of worthy sayings & doings of Emperors, Princes, Dukes. &c. (which he wrote being in exile to auoyde idlenesse: Touching straunge and monstrous things) wryteth that in the Courte of Mattheus, surnamed the great Shyrife of ye Citie, in the Euening after sunne sette, there was séene a man farre excéeding common stature, sitting on a horse in complete armour: who when he had ben ther seen of many, by the space of an hour, in the end vanished away to ye great terrour of those that beheld hym. About thrée dayes after in like maner, two men on horsebacke of the same stature, were séene in the same place, about thrée houres within night, fighting togither a long season, and in the ende vanished away as the other dydde before. Not long after, Henry the seuenth Emperor, departed this life, to the vtter vndoing of all the Shirifes.

Immediatly after this Hystorie, he putteth an other more worthie memorie than the formost. Lodouicus father to Alodisius, ruler of Immola, not long after he died, appeared vnto a Secretarie, whom Ludouicus had sente to Ferraria, as he was on his iourney, ryding on a horse with a Hauke on his fist, as he was wonte when he liued, and willed the secretarie (albeit wonderfully afraid) to bid his Sonne the nexte daye to repaire vnto the same place, for he had matter of greate importance to declare vnto him. Which when Ludouicus heard, partly bycause he could not beléeue it, partly for that he douted som body laye in waight for him, he sent an other to answere in his roome. With whome the same soule méeting as it did before, lamented very much that his Sonne was not come thither, for if he had so doone, he saide, he would haue opened many other things vnto him. But as then he willed the messanger to tell him, that twentie two yeares, one month and one day being passed, he should loose the rule & gouernment whiche he nowe possessed. As soone as the time forshewed by the ghost was expired, albeit he were very circumspect and careful, yet the same night, the souldiours of Phillip Duke of Millen, with whom he was in league & therfore stood in no féare of him) came ouer the ditches hard frosen with ice vnto the walles, and raysing vp ladders, toke both Citie and Prince togither.

Phillip Malancthon writeth in his booke de anima, that he himselfe hathe seene some spirites, and that he hath knowne many men of good credite, whiche haue auoutched not only to haue séene ghostes them selues, but also yt they haue talked a great while with them. In his booke which he intituleth Examen Theologicum, he reherseth this historie. Which was, that he had an aunt, who as she sat very heauily by the fire, after hir husband was deade, two men came into hir house, whereof the one being verie like, saide he was hir husband deceased, the other being very tall, had the shape of a Franciscan Frier. This that séemed to be the husband, came néere the chimney saluting his heauie wife, bidding hir not to be afrayde, for (as he saide) he came to commaunde hir certaine things: then he bid the long Monke to goe aside a while into the stoue hard by. And there beginning his talke, after many wordes, at the last he earnestly beséecheth, and most hartily desireth hir, to hire a Priest to say Masse for hys soule, and so being readie to departe, he biddeth hir giue him hir right hande: which thing (she being sore afraide) abhorring to do, after he hadde faythfully promysed she shoulde haue no harme, she giueth hir hande, which albeit in déede it had no hurte, yet did it seeme to be so scortched, that euer after it remained blacke. This being doone hée calleth foorth the Franciscane, and hastily going foorth togither, they vanysh away. Ioannes Manlius, in his collectanies of common places, wryteth concerning other spirits which he and other men also did sée, the first tome in the chapter De malis spiritibus et ipsorum operibus, and also in the chapter De satisfactione.

Ludouicus Viues, saythe in his firste booke De veritate fidei that in the newe world lately found out, ther is nothing more common, than, not that only in the night time but also at noone in the midday, to sée spirits aparātly, in the cities & fields, which speake, cōmaund, forbyd, assault men, feare them & strike thē. The very same do other report which describe those nauigations of the gret Ocean.

Hieronimus Cardanus of Millen, excellently séene in philosophie & phisicke, remembreth a great many of these apparitions in his bookes De subtilitate, et varietate rerum: which who so lysteth to reade, I refer hym to his bookes, for I am desirous to be bréefe.

Olaus Magnus Archbishoppe of Vpsalia in Sueuelande, declareth in his historie De Gentibus Septentrionalibus, the 2. booke and 3. chap that spirits apeare in Iseland, in ye shape & likenesse of such, as men are acquainted withall: whom the inhabitants take by the hande in stead of their acquaintance, before they haue heard any worde of those their acquaintance death, whose similitude and likenesse they take on thē, neither do they vnderstand that they are deceiued before they shrink & vanish away. These things haue I brought togither both out of the olde & also newe wryters, yt it myght plainly apeare, that spirits do often times walke and shewe themselues vnto men.

CHAP. XVI. Daily experience techeth vs that spirits do appear to mē.

TO al the premisses before handled, this also is to be added, which no man cā deny, but ye many honest & credible persons of both kinds, aswel men as women, of whom som ar liuing, & some alredy departed, which haue & do affirm, that they haue somtimes in the day, & somtimes in the night séen & hard spirits. Some mā walketh alone in his house, & behold a spirit apéereth in his sight, yea & somtimes ye dogs also perceue thē, & fal down at their masters fete, & wil by no means depart fro thē, for they ar sore afraid thēselues too. Some man goeth to bed, and laieth him down to rest, and by and by there is some thing pinching him, or pulling off the clothes: sometimes it sitteth on him, or lyeth downe in the bed with him: and many times it walketh vp and downe in the Chamber. There haue bene many times men séen, walking on foote, or riding on horseback, being of a fierie shape, knowen vnto diuers men, & suche as died not long before. And it hath come to passe lykewise, that some eyther slayn in the warres, or otherwise deade naturally, haue called vnto their acquaintance béeing aliue, and haue bene knowen by their voice.

Many times in the nyght season, there haue béene certaine spirits hearde softely going, or spitting, or groning, who being asked what they were, haue made aunswere that they were the soules of this or that man, & that they nowe endure extreame tormentes. Yf by chaunce any man did aske of them, by what meanes they might be deliuered out of those tortures, they haue aunswered, that in case a certaine numbre of Masses wer[…] soong for them, or Pilgrimages vowed to some Saintes, or some other such like déedes doone for their sake, that then surely they shoulde be deliuered. Afterwardes appearing in greate lyght and glorie, they haue said that they were deliuered, and haue therefore rendred greate thankes to their good benefactours, and haue in like manner promised, that they will make intercession to God and our Ladye for them. And hereby it may be well proued, that they were not alwayes Priestes, or other bolde and wicked men, whiche haue fayned themselues to be soules of men deceased, as I haue before saide, in so muche that euen in those mennes chambers when they haue bene shut, there haue appeared such things, when they haue with a candle diligently searched before, whither any thing haue lurked in som corner or no. Many vse at this day to serch and sifte, euery corner of the house before they go to bed, yt they may sléep more soundly: & yet neuerthelesse, they heare some s[…]rying out, and making a lamētable noise. &c.

It hath many times chaunced, that those of the house haue verily thought, that some body hath ouerthrowne the pots, platters, tables and trenchers, and tumbled thē downe the stayres: but after it waxed day, they haue found all things orderly set in their places againe.

It is reported, that some spirits haue throwne the dore of from the hookes, and haue troubled and set all things in the house out of order, neuer setting thē in their due place againe, and that they haue maruellously disquieted men with rumbling and making a great noise.

Sometimes there is heard a great noise in Abbeis, and in other solitarie places, as if it were coupers hooping and stopping vp wine vessels, or some other handicraftes men occupied about their labour, when it is most certayn, that all in the house are gone to bed, and haue betaken themselues to rest.

When houses are in building, the neighbours many times heare the carpenters, masons, and other artificers handling all things in such sorte, as if they were busily labouring in the day time. And this straunge wonder is ioyfully receiued as a sure token of good lucke.

There be some which iudge it commeth to passe naturally, that we suppose we heare these things in the nighte, which we heard before in the day time. Which question I leaue to be discussed of better learned than my selfe.

Pioners or diggers for mettal, do affirme, that in many mines, there appeare straunge shapes and spirites, who are apparelled like vnto other laborers in the pit. These wander vp and down in caues and vnderminings, & séeme to besturre them selues in all kinde of labour, as to digge after ye veine, to carrie togither oare, to put it into baskets, and to turne the winding whele to drawe it vp, when in very déede they do nothing lesse. They very seldome hurte the laborers (as they say) except they prouoke them by laughing and rayling at them: for then they threw grauel stones at them, or hurt them by some other means. These are especially haunting in pittes, where mettall moste aboundeth.

A certayn godly and lerned man wrote once vnto me, of a siluer mine at Dauosium in the Alpes, vpon the which Peter Buol a noble man, the Schultish of the same place, (whom they cal Landammanus,) had bestowed great cost a fewe yeres before, and had gathered therby good store of riches. In the same myne was a spirite or Diuell of the mountayne, who when the laborers filled the stuffe they had digged into their vessels, he séemed, for the most parte, euery Fryday, to be very busie, pouring the mettals of his owne accord out of one basket into an other. Wherewith the Schultishe was not offended: and when he would eyther descende into the pit, or come vp agayne, blessyng him selfe with the signe of the Crosse, he neuer receyued hurt. It chaunced on a tyme that whyle the sayde spirit was too busie intermedlyng himselfe with euery thing, one of the myners being offended therewith, began to rayle at hym very bitterly, and with terrible cursing wordes, byd him get him thence in the diuels name. But the spirit caught him by the pate, and so writhed his necke about, that his face stoode behynde his backe, yet notwithstanding he was not slaine, but liued a long time after, well knowne vnto diuers of his familiar friends, whiche yet liue at this day, howbeit he died within a fewe years after.

Georgius Agricola, whose learned works whiche he wrote of mettalles be yet extant in the end of his booke of creatures liuing vnder the earth, he maketh two kinds of Diuels haunting in certayne Mynes abroade. For hée sayth, there are some cruell and terrible to beholde: whiche for the moste parte, doo very much annoy and hurt the labourers digging for mettall.

Suche a one was hée whiche was called Annebergius, who only with his breath, destroyed aboue .xij. laborers at once, in the caue called Corona Rosacea The wynde wherewith he slewe them, he lette flée out of his mouth: for he appéered in the similitude and lykenesse of an horse.

Suche an other was Snebergius, who wearyng a black roll about his necke, tooke vp a labourer aloft from the grounde, and sette him in the brinke of a certayne excéeding déepe place, where had sometyme bene great store of siluer, not without gréeuous brusing of his body.

And againe he saith, there be some very milde and gentle, whome some of the Germans call Cobali, as the Grecians do, bycause they be as it were apes and counterfeiters of men: for they leaping, and skipping for ioy do laughe, and séeme as though they did many things, when in very déede they doo nothing. And some other call them Elues, or Dwarfes of the Mountaynes, thereby notyng theyr small stature, wherein they commonly appeare. They séeme to bée hoare, wearyng apparayle lyke the mettall fyners, that is, in a petycote laced, and an apron of lether about their loynes. These hurte not the laborers, excepte they misuse them, but do imitate them in all their doings. And he sayth, they are not much vnlike vnto those whom the Germans call Guteli, bycause they séeme to beare good affection towards men, for they kéepe horses, and do other necessary businesse. They are also lyke vnto them whom they cal Trulli, who taking on them the fayned shapes of men and women, do serue as it is sayd, like seruants, both amongst other nations, & specially amongst the Suetians.

Touching these spirits haunting mynes of mettal, ther is somwhat to be read in Olaus Magnus de Gentibus Septentrionalibus, the 6. booke and .x. chapter.

They whiche sayle on the greate Ocean sea, make reporte, that in certayne places, where the Anthropophagi doo inhabite, are many spirites, whiche doo the people there very muche harme.

Héere many straunge things might be brought concerning visions appearing vnto men in their sléepe: and also of them, which being in a traunce, haue lyen a whole day and more without mouing, lyke vnto dead men: and after béeing restored to them selues agayne, haue tolde many miraculous things which they haue séene.

Cicero writeth of maruellous things in his booke of diuination, or soothsaying. And so do many other men also. Augustine himselfe reciteth in many places of his bookes, that some after they were dead, haue warned many their frendes of diuers matters, and haue disclosed vnto them secrete things, which were to come, and haue shewed sicke folkes good remedies for their diseases, and haue done many suche like things.

Auenzoar Albumaro, a physition of Arabia, writeth, that he receiued an excellent medicine for his sore eyes, of a physition lately deceased, appering vnto him in his slepe: as Marsilius F[…]cinus doth testifie, writing of the immortalitie of the soule. Lib. 16. cap. 5.

The holy Scriptures also teache vs, that God hath reuealed many things vnto men by dreames. S. Mathew in his first and second Chapter writeth, that the angell of God appered many tymes vnto Ioseph, our Sauior Christes foster father in a dreame, and cōmaunded him to beware of those which lay in wayt to destroy Christ Iesus.

Wée reade in the tenth chapter of the Acts of the apostles, that saint Peter fell into a traunce, saw the heauens open, and saw a vessel, as it were a greate shéete, descende downe vnto him from heauen, knit togither at the foure corners, wherin were all maner of foure footed beasts of the earth, and wylde beasts, and créeping things, and foules of the heauen. And there came a voyce vnto him: Rise Peter, kill and eate.

And in the .xvj. chapter, as S. Paule was yet in Asia, cō ming downe towardes Troada, this vision appeared vnto him: There stode a man of Macedonia and prayed him, saying: Come into Macedonia and help vs. Hereby Paul gathered, it was the will of God, that he should passe the sea, and should preache the Gospell in Macedonia.

But I purpose not to write of Spirites and visions appearing vnto men in their sléepe, least my Booke growe vnto an huge volume: but only of those which we sensibly sée when we are awake.

CHAP. XVII. That there happen straunge vvonders and prognostications, and that sodeyn noises and cracks and such like, are hearde before the death of men, before battaile, and before some notable alterations and chaunges.

IT happeneth many times, that when men lye sicke of some deadly disease, there is some thing heard going in ye chamber, like as the sicke men were wonte, when they were in good health: yea & the sicke parties them selues, do many times hear the same, and by and by gesse what wil come to passe. Oftentimes a litle before they yeld vp the ghost, and some time a little after their death, or a good while after, either their owne shapes, or some other shaddowes of men, are apparantly séene. And diuers times it commeth to passe, that whē some of our acquaintaunce or friends lye a dying, albeit they are many miles off, yet there are some great stirrings or noises heard. Sometimes we thinke the house will fall on our heads, or that some massie and waightie thing falleth downe throughout all the house, rendring and making a disordered noise: and shortlie within fewe monthes after, we vnderstande that those things happened, the very same houre that our friends departed in. There be some men, of whose stocke none doth dye, but that they obserue and marke some signes and tokens going before: as that they heare the dores and windowes open and shut, that some thing runneth vp the staires, or walketh vp and downe the house, or doth some one or other such like thing.

But here I cannot passe this in silence: that there are many superstitious men, which vainly persuade thēselues that this cousin, and this or that friend of theirs wil shortly dye. For in the end, the falling out of the matter it selfe sheweth it was a vayne and folishe persuasion, that they vnderstod suche things by any signes.

Cardanus in his booke De veri[…]ate rerum, writeth, that there was a certeine noble familie at Parma in Jtaly, out of the which so often as any one died, there was séene an olde woman in the chimney corner. On a certaine tyme shée appeared, when a mayden of the same familie laye very sicke, and therefore they cleane dispayred of hir life: but soone after she recouered againe, and in the meane while, an other, which was thē in good helth, sodainly dyed.

There was a certaine parishe priest, a very honest and godly man, whom I knewe well, who in the plague time, could tell before hand, when any of his parishe should dye. For in the night time he heard a noise ouer his bed, like as if one had throwne downe a sacke full of corne from his shoulders: which when he heard, he would say: Nowe an other biddeth me farewell. After it was day, he vsed to inquire who died that night, or who was taken with the plague, to the end he might comfort and strengthen them, according to the duty of a good pastour.

It hath bin often obserued in Guilde halles where Aldermen sit, that when one of those Aldermen was at the point of death, there was hearde some ratling about hys seate, or some other certeine signe of death. The same thing happeneth beside pewes and stalles in Churches, or in other places where men are often conuersaunt or accustomed to exercise their handy labour.

In Abbeys, the Monks seruaunts or any other falling sicke, many haue heard in the night, preparation of chests for them, in such sorte as the coffinmakers did afterwards prepare in déede.

In some country villages, when one is at deaths dore, many times there are some heard in the Euening, or in the night, digging a graue in the Churcheyarde, and the same the next day is so found digged, as these mē did heare before.

There haue bin séene some in the night whē the moone shined, going solemnlie with the corps, according to the custome of the people, or stāding before the dores, as if some bodie were to be caried to the Church to burying. Many suppose, they sée their owne image, or as they saye, theyr owne soule, and of them diuers are verily persuaded, that except they dye shortlie after they haue séene them selues, they shall liue a very great time after. But these things are superstitious. Let euery man so prepare him selfe, as if he shoulde dye to morrowe, left by being too secure, he purchase himselfe harme.

There happen other straunge things also. For when some lye in the prison in chaynes, readie to suffer punishmēt for their offēces, many times in the night season there is heard a great noise and rumbling, as if some body were breaking into the gayle to deliuer ye prisoners. When mē come to vnderstand ye matter, they can neither heare, nor sée any body, and the prisoners likewise say they heard no manner thing.

Some executioners or hāgmen do report, yt for the most part they knowe before hand whether any mā shall shortly be deliuered into their hands to suffer: for their swords will moue of their owne accord. And there are other that saie, they can tell before, after what sorte the prisoners shall suffer.

Many wonderfull and straunge things happen about those which wilfully cast away thēselues. Somtime their corpses must be caryed a great way off, before they béeing thrust in a sacke can be throwne into the sea: and béeing layd in a waggon or cart, the horse could scant draw them downe the hill, but vp the hill they néed not labour at all, for the carte woulde runne very fast of his owne accorde.

Some men béeing slayne by théeues, when the théeues come to the dead body, by and by there gusheth out freshe blood, or else there is declaration by other tokens, that the théefe is there present. Plato writeth in the firste booke of his lawes, that the soules of suche as haue ben slayne, doo oftentymes cruelly molest and trouble the soules of those whiche slewe them. For whiche cause Marsilius Fiscinus doth thinke it chaunceth, that the wounde of a man being slayn, while the carkas lyeth on the ground, dooth send out bloud against him, whiche wounded him, if hée stand nere looking on his wounde. Whiche thing bothe Lucretius affirmeth to come to passe, and also Iustices haue diligently obserued. Dido in Vergile thus threatneth Aeneas.

And when the cold of death is come, and body voyde remayns,
Eche where my haunting spirite shal pursue thee to thy payns.

The like place is in Horace & in other Poets. As a théef sitteth at the Table, a cuppe béeing ouerthrowne, the wyne perceth through the whole and sounde wodde of the table, to all mens admiration.

Touching these and other such maruellous things there might be many histories and testimonies alleaged. But whosoeuer readeth this booke, may call to their remembraunce, that they haue séene these and suche like things them selues, or that they haue heard them of their friends and acquaintaunce and of such as deserue sufficient credit.

Before the alterations and chaunges of kingdomes and in the time of warres, seditions, and other daungerous seasons, ther most cōmonly happē very strāge things in ye aire, in the earth, & amōgst liuing creatures clean cōtrary to the vsuall course of nature. Which things mē cal, wonders, signes, monsters, and forewarnings of matters to come. There are séene in the aire, swords, speares, & suche like innumerable: there are heard and séene in the aire, or vppon the earth whole armies of men encountring togither, and whē one part is forced to flye, there is heard horrible cries, and great clattering of armour. Gunnes, launces and halberdes, with other kindes of weapons and artillerie, do often times moue of their owne accord as they lye in the armories. When as souldiers marche towards their enimies, and their ensignes will not displaie abroade but folde about the stander bearers heads: if the souldiours be therewith amazed, they surely persuade themselues there is some greate slaughter towards. It is sayde also, that horses will be very sad and heauie, and will not lette their masters sit on their backs, before they go to the battaile wherin they shall haue the ouerthrowe: but whē they are coragious and iustilie neighing, it is a sure token of victorie. Suetonius writeth, that the company of horses which Iulius Cesar let run at libertie, neuer to be put to labour againe, did wéepe aboundantly when Cesar was slayne.

When Miltiades addressed his people against the Persians, there were heard terrible noises before the battaile, and certaine spirits were séene, which the Athenians afterwards affirmed to be the shaddow[…] of Pan, who cast suche a feare on the Persians, that they turned their backs and fled. Therof Terrores Panici tooke their name, being spoken of sodayn feares vnloked for, and terrours, suche as Lymphatici metus are, which driue men out of their wits being taken therwith.

Before the Lacedemonians were ouerthrowne in ye battaile at Leuct[…]s, the armour moued, & made a great noise in the tēple of Hector. At the same time the dores of Hercules temple at Thebes being fast shut with barres, opened sodainly of their owne accord: and the weapons and armour which hoong fastned on the wall, were found lying vppon the grounde. These things are to be read in Cicero his firste booke De diuinatione.

In the second warres of Carthage, the standerd bearer of the first battaile of pykemen, coulde not remoue his ensigne out of his place neither yet whē many came to helpe, they could any thing preuayle. These and suche other signes of euill lucke, Caius Flaminius the Consul nothing regarded, but soone after his army was discomfited, and he him selfe slayn. Concerning which matter, Titus Liuius writeth at large. In the beginning of the warres waged with the people called Marsi, there was heard out of secrete places, certaine voices, and noyse of harnesse, whiche foreshewed the daunger of the warres to come.

Plinie writeth in his .2. booke and 59. chapter, that in the warrs with the Danes, and many times before, there was heard the clashing of armour, and the sound of trumpets out of Heauen.

Appianus declareth what signes and wonders went before the ciuill warres at Rome: what miserable cries of men, clashing of armoure, & running of horses were heard no man séeing any thing.

Valerius Maximus in his firste booke and .6. chapter of straunge wonders, writeth how C[…]eius Pompeius hadde warning before, not to fight the fielde with Iulius Cesar: for as he launced off, at Dirrachium, his souldiours were taken with a sodayne feare: and in the night likewise before the battaile, their harts and courages sodaynly failed them. And after the same author addeth, that which Cesar him selfe reherseth in his 3. booke De bello ciuili: how that the very same day wherin Cesar faught his fortunate battaile, the crying of the armie, and the sound of trumpets was herd at Antioche in Syria, so sensibly, that the whole city ranne in armour to defende their walles. The very same thing he sayth, happened at Ptolemais, and that at Pergamus in the most priuie and secret parts of the temple where none may enter, saue only priests, which place the Grecians call [non-Latin script], there were hearde the sounde of drummes and timbrels.

The historiographers reporte, that Castor and Pollux haue bin often séene in battailes sitting on white horses, & valiātly fighting against ye enimies campe. Plutarch writeth in Coriolanus life, that they were seene in the battaile against Tarquinius, and that immediatly after, they bare tidings to Rome of ye victorie. The selfe same writeth Titus Liuius also in his 8. booke of his first decade. We may read in the history of the siege of the noble citie of Magd[…] burge in Saxonie, that the enimie which laide siege to the towne, so often as the citizens issued out to skirmish with them, supposed that one vpō a white horse came riding before the citizens battaile, when as the citizens them selues saw no such man. Iosephus in his bookes of the warres in Iurie, recordeth what strange signes hapned before the destructiō of Ie[…]usalem: which were, that a brasen gate being fast rampierd with barres, opened in the night time of his owne accord. And that before ye sunne sette, there were séene chariots in the aire, and armies of men well furnished, enuironing the citie round about. And that at Whitsontide, as ye priests entred the temple to celebrate diuine seruice, they heard a great noise, & by and by a voice crying Migremus hinc. Let vs departe hence. He reckeneth vp […] ther like things, which we neede not repeate in this place. The same night that Leo of Cōstantinople was slayne in ye tēple, the trauelers by sea heard a voice in ye aire which saide: that Leo had roared out euen to the same place.

Felix Malleolus doctor of both ye laws, master of Sclodor, & canon at Tigurū, a mā of great reding, as it may easily apere by his lerned writings which ar yet extāt. (For he liued about y[…] time whē ye coūcel of Basil was hold[…]) writeth in his book de nobilitate, c. 30. yt it is to be séen in ye historie of Rodulphus king of the Romains, that when the sayde Rodulphus had vanquished Othotarus, King of Boemia, continuing on the place all nyght, where tho battell was fought, about mydnight, certain spirites or Deuils, with horrible noyse and tumulte, troubled and disordered his whole armie. And that those were spirites walkyng by night, it appeared hereby, that they sodeynly vanyshed away lyke smoake.

The same Author writeth in his .xxvj. chapter, That in the yeare of our Lorde .1280. as one of the Pl[…]bans (as they call them) belonging to the churche of Tigurine prea[…]hed to the people, the graue stone of the tumbe or sepulchre of the two martyrs Felix and Regula, patrones of the same place, violently brake a sunder, no man mouyng or touching it, giuing a horrible sound lyke vnto thunder, so that the people were no lesse astonished and afrayde, than yf the vaute of the Churche had fallen downe. And he sayth, that the same yeare, the third day of October, the greater part of the citie of Tigurum was brent with fire, and more ouer, that sedition was moued amongest the Citizens, for certaine Ecclesiasticall disciplines, and for the Imperiall Banne (as they terme it.) In the yere of our Lord .1440. ye twelfth day of December, at the dedicatiō of the foresayd churche, about midnight, there was the like noyse hearde, and immediatly after followed ciuill warres, whiche the Tigurins held with vncertaine successe against the other Heluetians, for the space of seuen yeares and more.

The same writer in the .33. Chap. hath, that at the same tyme in the yeare of our Lorde .1444. before that valiaunt battayle, whiche a fewe Heluetians fought agaynst the innumerable companye of Lewes Dolphine of Fraunce, faught by the wall Basill, in the tyme of generall ye Councell, there was hearde certayne nyghtes about those places, the alarme of Souldiours, the clattering of harneys, and the noyse of menne encountring togyther. &c.

Here I purposely omitte many suche lyke examples, for there are many Bookes, bothe of auncient and also of newe writers, touchyng straunge signes and wonders, wherin these may be redde.