Part I, chapters 4–6: Men vvhich are dull of seing and hearing imagine many things vvhich in very…; and following chapters

CHAP. IIII. Men vvhich are dull of seing and hearing imagine many things vvhich in very deed are not so.

THey which are weake of sight are many tymes in suche sorte deceyued, that they beholde one man in stede of an other. Poare blynded men whom the Gréekes call [non-Latin script], which can not sée any thing, except it be very néere their eyes (as for the most parte students are, which night and daye turne ouer their bookes) are so muche deceiued in their sight, that they are many times ashamed to vtter what they haue thought they haue séene. And it standeth by naturall reason, that an ore séemeth to be broken in the water: and a tower foure cornered, a farre off sheweth to be rounde. Those whiche drinke wine immoderately, in suche sorte that their eyes beginne to waxe dimme, and stare out of their heads, like hares whiche haue bene caried hanging on a staffe a mile or twaine, sée things farre otherwise than sober men doe. They suppose they sée two candles on the table, whē there is but one: desiring to reache the potte, they put their hand amisse. In Euripides tragedie named Bacchis, Pentheus affirmeth that he séeth two sunnes and two cities of Thebes: For his braines were maruellously distempered. It is a common saying, that if wine haue the victorie, all things seeme to bée turned vpside downe: trées to walke, mountaines to be moued, & riuers to runne against the head. &c. Salomon exhorteth all men from dronkennesse, in his prouerbes. cap. 23. shewing what discommodities ensue therof, and amongst other things he sayeth thus: Thy eyes shall sée straunge (to witt) visions and maruellous apparitions. For as timorous men imagin miraculous things, euen so do dronken men, who of purpose corrupt and spoile their sight. And albeit God shew many wonders in the aire, and in the earth, to the ende he may stir men vp from idlenesse and bring them to true repentaunce, yet notwithstanding we must thinke that dronken men which sit vp vntill midnight do often say, they haue séene this or that vision, they haue behold this or that wonder, when as in déed they are vtterly deceyued. For in case they had retourned home in due season, and not ouercharged themselues with too much wine, no suche thing had appeared vnto them. For in dede their eyesight had not bin blinded. Doth it not often come to passe, that when men are once throughly warmed wyth wine, they mistake one for another, of whom they thought they were abused in worde or déede, and violentlye flye on them with weapon? The place before alleaged out of Salomon, maye also bée vnderstood to thys purpose: Thy eyes shall sée straunge (to witte,) women, to luste after them. For experience teacheth vs that men being dronk, assaie to rauishe matrones and maydens, which béeing sober they would neuer once thinke vppon. Wine immoderately taken is the nurse of rashe boldnesse and filthy lust.

Aristotle writeth that some menne through the féeblenesse of their sight, beholding in the aire néere vnto them (as it were in a glasse) a certaine image of them selues, suppose they see their owne angels or soules: and so as the Prouerbe is, they feare their owne shadowe. Although men in obscure and darke places can sée nothing, yet doo they not (I pray you) imagine they sée diuers kindes of shapes & colors. And we many times suppose those things which we sée, to be farre otherwise than in déede they are.

It is well knowne, a mans sight maye be so deceiued, that he verily thinkes that one deuoureth a sword, spitteth out money, coales, and suche like: that one eateth breade, and spitteth foorth meale: one drinketh wine, which after runneth out of his forehead: that one cutteth of his felowes head, which afterwardes he setteth on agayne: and that a cocke séemeth to drawe after hym a huge beame of tymber. &c. Moreouer it may be brought to passe by naturall things, as by perfumes and suche like, that a man woulde sweare in earnest, that all men […]itting at the table wyth him, haue no heds at al, or else that they are like the heads of asses: & that somtimes a vine spreadeth it self as it were ouer al the house, whē in deed it is a mere deceit, or a plain iuggling cast Of whiche matter there be bookes cōmonly set abrode. The like reson is in hearing, & in the other senses. Those men who[…]e hearing is somwhat decayed, many tymes séem in their owne imagination, to heare the noyse of boystrous winde, or violent tempeste, the sparkling of fyre, the roaring of waters sodenly increased, singing and sounding of instruments, and also the iangling of belles, when as in deede these things are not so, but only chaunce by default of hearing: for others whiche are conuersant with them, hauing the right vse of hearing, doo not heare any suche thing at all. Somtimes in very deede such things are heard, as the crackling of waynscot walles, and suche lyke, whiche are naturall signes of some tempeste shortly after ensuing.

There are also certaine hollowe places, thorough the whiche the winde whiszing, giueth a pleasant sound, as it were through a pipe, much lyke vnto singing, so that men wonder very much therat. We reade in writers of Philosophie, that the very same also chaunceth in banks of riuers, whiche bend a little in compasse. Hearing is also deceyued when we thinke we heare thunder, and it is in déed but the rumblyng of some carte. There be many which thinke they handle some thing, and yet are deceyued: If men sicke of the ague, drinke wine of the […]est and swéetest sorte, yet they thinke it is more bitter than Ga[…]l: if they eate pottage neuer so good, yet they iudge it vnsauorie: whiche thyng commeth not of any faulte in the Cooke, but of the mouth and stomack which is distempered with sicknesse. For vnto them whiche haue abundance of choller, all things séeme bitter. And euen so it commeth to passe, that a man supposeth hée seeth, heareth, féeleth, or is felte of some spirite, when in déede it is not so, and yet no man can persuade him the contrarie.

If feare and weaknesse of the syghte and of other sens[…]s méete togyther, then men fall into straunge and maruellous imaginations, beléeuyng thyngs vtterly false, to be very true: Neyther wil they bée brought from theyr owne opinions by any meanes or reason.

We reade that not only perticular and priuate men, but also whole armies of soldiours generally haue bin so deceyued, that they haue verilye thought their enymies hard at their héeles, when as no man followed. And hereof haue procéeded many horrible flightes in battaile.

Cominaeus, a knight and diligent writer of hystories, in the ende of his firste booke of the Actes of Lewes the .11. King of Fraunce, writeth, that when Charles Duke of Burgundie, with other Princes hadde remoued their armie to Paris, they vnderstood by their espials, that the next day the king had determined to sette on them with all his power of men. Wherfore the next daye Charles sent out certaine horsemen to vewe his enimies: who comming foorth, by reason that the elemente was somewhat […]arke, supposed they sawe a huge number of pikes and speares, but when they had passed a little further and that the aire was a little clearer, they vnderstood the same place wherein they iudged the king to be with all his armie, to be planted and ouergrowne with many high thistles, whiche a farre off shewed as it had bin long speares. For the night beguileth mens eyes. And therefore none ought to maruell, if trauellers towardes night or at midnight, mistake stones, trées, stubbes, or such like to be sprites or elues. We reade in the last booke of the kings the 3. chap. that after the death of king Achab, the Moabites reuolted from Ioram hys sonne, wherefore he desired Iosaphat to aide him, and with all his power he determined to make warre on the Moabites, to reduce them to obedience, and subiection. Which thing when the Moabites heard, they prepared to defend themselues, so many as were able to beare armoure. But when they hadde set foreward verie early in the morning against their enimies, supposing in the rising of the sunne, the waters whiche GOD had miraculously brought out to bée redde, they sayd amongst themselues: Surely the two Kings haue encountred togither, and each haue destroyed other, wherevppon they running on heapes without order, to spoile the Israelites Tents, were by them vanquished and slaine: here you sée all the Armie mistooke water in steade of bloude.

CHAP. V. Many are so feared by other men, that they suppose they haue heard or seene Spirites.

FUrthermore it commeth to passe many tymes that not only pleasant and merrie conceyted men, but also spiteful and malitious men, chaunging their apparell, make others extreamelie afrayd. It is a common custome in many places, that at a certaine time of the yeare, one with a nette or visarde on his face maketh Children afrayde, to the ende that euer after they shoulde laboure and be obedient to their Parentes, afterward they tel them that those which they saw, were Bugs, Witches and Hagges, which thing they verily beléeue, and are commonly, miserablie afrayde. Howbeit, it is not expedient alwayes so to terrifie Children. For sometimes through great feare they fall into dangerous diseases, and in the nyght crye out, when they are fast asléepe. Salomon teacheth vs to chasten children with the rod, and so to make them stand in awe: he doth not say, we must beare them in hande they shal be deuoured of Bugges, Hags of the night, and such lyke monsters.

Many times, pleasant & merrie yong men, disguise thē selues like vnto Deuils, or else shroud themselues in white shéetes to make other men afrayde: with whome if simple men chaunce to meete, they make no doubt of the matter, but verily thinke they haue séene spirites, and straunge sightes. And yet it is not alwayes the safest way, so to deceyue men with iests and toyes, for many examples might be brought to shew how euill some men haue sped hereby. It is an vsuall and common thing that yong men merily disposed, when they trauell by the way, comming to theyr Inne at night, tye roapes to the bed side, or to the couerlet or garments, or else hide them selues vnder the bed, and so counterfeating them selues to bee Spirits, deceyue and mocke their fellows It chaunced once at Tigurin[…] where we dwell, that certayne plesaunt yong men disguising thē selues, daunced aboute the Churcheyarde, one of them playing on a beere with two bones, as it were on a drūme. Wich thing when certaine men had espied, they noysed it about the citie, how they had séene dead men daunce, and that there was greate daunger, least there should shortly ensue some plague or pestilence.

Moreouer it is well knowen to all men, that harlots, and whooremongers, haue practised their wickednesse a long season vnder this cloake and pretence, persuading their family, that walking Spirites haunt the house, least they shoulde be taken with the déede dooing, and that they might enioy their desired loue. Many times such bugges haue ben caught by the magistrats, and put to open shame. Theues likewise vnder this colour haue many times robbed their neighboures in the night time, who supposing they heard the noyse of walking Spirites, neuer went about to driue the théeues away. Touching this point, that an euill Spirit, by meanes of naturall things which haue straunge vertues, can do maruellous things, by deceyuing mens senses, I will at this present speake nothing.

CHAP. VI. Preestes and Monckes fained themselues to be Spirites: also hovve Mundus vnder this colour defiled Paulina, and Tyrannus abused many noble and honest matrones.

TO these things may be added that ther haue bene in al ages certain priests, which practising straunge deuises, & giuing themselues to Necromancie, haue bewitched foolishe men that highlie estéemed them, to the ende they might thereby encrease their riches, and followe their lustful pleasures. Touching which matter, to the ende godly disposed men may be the more heedfull, I will rehearse a fewe histories.

Iosephus a writer of histories, in his 18 booke and 4. chap. of Antiquities, remembreth a notorious déede which hapned at Rome in the tyme of Tyberius Cesa[…], vnder the pretence of sacrificing to the goddesse Isis. I will recorde the historie as it is translated by Galenius a very learned mā.

There dwelled at Rome a woman named Paulina, no lesse renoumed for honestie of lyfe, than for the nobilitie of parentage: She was also very riche and excéeding beautiful, as one that was now in the floure of hir age, & especially adorned with the great vertue of chastitie: and maried she was to one Saturnius, a man worthie of such a wyfe. It chaunced that Decius Mundus, a famous yong knight, became very muche enamored with hir: & bicause she was a woman of greater welth thā that she might be won with rewardes and money, so muche the more was this louers madnesse inflamed, in so much that he stuck not to proffer hir for one night .200000. groates. The Atticke groate & the Romain penie are by cōmon valuation all one. […]udeus accoūteth one of them worth .viij Crusados: so this summe according to his reckening amounteth to .26000. Florens.

And yet not being able by these meanes to moue hir cō stant mind, bicause he could not endure the rage of his loue, he determined, by abstinence and hunger to make an ende both of lyfe and loue together. This determination was not vnknowen to Ide, Mundus Fathers bondseruant, a mayde cunning in many artes, but suche as were not to bée lyked. She maruellously gréeued with the yong mans wilfulnesse in absteining frō meat, talking with hym, by swéet & flattering words began to encourage him, assuring him yt she would bring to passe, that he should at his pleasure embrace Paulina. After that he had gladly condiscended to hir entreatie, she telleth him she must néedes haue fiftie thousande groates to ouerthrowe the Gentlewomans chastitie. So putting the yong man in good hope, and receyuing asmuch money as she required, bycause she well knewe Paulina coulde not be wonne with money, she deuiseth a newe way to deceiue hir. Understanding therfore yt she was maruellously addicted to the worshipping of Isis, she inuenteth these meanes: She talketh with some of Isis Priestes, and hauing receyued sure promise of them to kéepe all things secrete, and (which is most effectuall) hauing shewed their rewarde, promising presentlye 25000. groats, and when they had done the déede, other 25000. she openeth vnto them the yong mans loue, beséeching them to helpe by all meanes possible, that she mighte enioy the same. They touched at the harte with desire of the money, gently promised their helpe. Wherefore the eldest of them speedelie goeth to Paulina, and being admitted to hir spéech, after he had obtained to talke with hir in secrete, he declareth that he is come vnto hir being sent by the greate God Anubis (this Anubis hauing a heade lyke to a Dogge, was worshipped togither in one Temple with Isis) who is maruellously in loue with hir beautie, and doth cōmaund hir to repaire vnto him. She ioyfully receyued the message, and forthwith vaunteth among hir familiar acquain[…]aunce, that the God Anubis hath vouchsaued to loue hir: And she telleth hir husbande, that she must suppe and lye with him. Which thing was so muche the more easelye graunted vnto hir, for that hir husbande had had good experience and knowledge of hir chastitie. Whervpon she goeth to the temple, and after supper when time of rest drew néere, being shut in by the priest, she méeteth with Mundus, who had priuilye hidden himselfe there, the darkenesse bringing them together, without any suspition. And so all that night she satisfied the yong mans desire, supposing she had done pleasure vnto the God. Afterwards he departing from hir, Paulina early in the morning, before the priests (who were priuie to this deceyt) were stirring, returned home to hir husband, to whome she recounteth hir méeting with Anubis, & also with great words setteth out the same amongst hir gossips and friends. They could not beléeue hir, considering the nature of the thing, and yet could they not chuse but maruell, waying the greate chastitie of the woman. Thrée dayes after the déede done, Mundus méeting by chaunce with his beloued, saide vnto hir: O well done Paulina, thou hast saued me 200000 groats wherewith thou mightest haue encreased thy riches, and yet notwithstanding thou hast fulfilled my desire, for I way it not that thou hast despised Mundus, sith vnder the title of Anubis, I haue enioyed my disired lust, which words sayde, he departed. But the woman then first perceiuing this villany, began to teare hir garments, and opening the whole matter vnto hir husband, beséecheth him that he suffer not such a notorious mockerie to go vnpunished. Hir husbande then declareth the whole matter to the Emperoure Tiberius: who after he had learned all things by diligent examination, trusseth vp these iugling priests on the gallowes, togither with Ide, the authour of al this mischiefe, by whose meanes chiefly the chastitie of this noble gentlewoman was defiled: and ouerthrowing their temple, he commaunded the Image of Isis to be sunk in the riuer Tibris. But i[…] pleased him to chasten Mundus with banishment, a more gentle kynd of punishmēt, ascribing his fault to ye weaknes of his immoderat loue. By this history it may easily be gathered how Sathan in times past be witcht the Gentils, & how their priests persuaded them yt their Gods appearing in visible form spake this or yt vnto them, which notwithstāding were very false. Under the pretēce of worshipping their gods, thei gaue thēselues to wicked deuises. For how often may we wel think they cōmitted abhominable mischief (although in déed ye matter it self neuer cam to light.) If they brought it to passe, y[…] Mundus by their means enioyed his desired loue, surely there is no doubt, but yt they thēselues vnder the color of holinesse defloured other mē […] daughters & wiues: for otherwise this deuise coulde neuer haue bin so redy in mind. This matron would neuer hau[…] bin so wel cōtent, vnlesse y[…] very same had bin practised wt other dames before. Neither yet wold hir husbād haue suffered hir t[…] lodge in the Church al night. What néed was ther for ye gods to haue beds prepared for thē in ye Church, whē it was most aparāt they neuer lodged in thē. Princes also may lern by the exāple of Tiberius, although he were a wicked tyrant, how such varlets are to be restrained. T[…] thys purpose maketh ye historie which Ruffinus a priest of Aquilia reporteth in Li. 11. ca. 25. of his ecclesiastical history.

There was a priest in Alexādria in Egipt, vowed to Saturn whose name was Tyrānus. This mā as it had bin frō the mouth of god, vsed to say vnto al such noble & principal mē, whose ladies he liked & lusted after, that Saturne had cōmaunded, yt such a ones wife shuld lie al night in the tē ple. Then he which herd ye message, reioycing much yt the god vouchsafed to cal for his wife, decking hir vp brauely, & giuing hir great gifts (forsooth lest she shuld be refused bicause she came emptie) sent hir foorth vnto ye temple, wher[…] the woman being shut vp in the presence of al men, Tirannus whē he had fast locked the dores, surrēdring the keys departed his wayes. Afterwards in great silence passing through priuie caues vnder the grounde, he issued foorthe out of the open holes into the image of Saturne: whiche image was made hollow in the backe, and cunningly fastned to the wall. And as the candles burned within the Church, be spake sodeinly vnto the woman (giuing great […]are, & praying deuoutly) through the image made of hollowe brasse, in such sorte that the vnhappy woman, trembled betwene feare and ioy, because she thought hir selfe worthy of the speach of so great a god. Now after the […]audy god had talked his pleasure to bring hir in great feare, or to prouoke hir to lust and wantonnesse, sodeynly all the lightes were put out with the spreading abrode of shéets, by a certein cunning deuise. And then descēding out of the image he committed adulterie with the woman muche abashed and afrayde, vsing most profane and wicked gloses vnto hir. Whē he had thus delt a long season, almost with al the wiues of these sely gentlemē, it chaunced in the ende that a certein chast gētlewoman began to abhorre & loath the déede, & marking ye matter more héedfully, knew it to be Tyrannus voice: & thervpō returning home agayne declared ye […]lye conueyance of this horrible déede vnto hir husbande. He being set on fier with rage for the iniurie done vnto his wife, or rather vnto himself, apprehēded Tyrannus, & brought him to ye place of tormēts, where being conuicted he cōfessed al ye mater, & thē other deceits being likewise detected, al shame & dishonor was spred throughout ye houses of the Pagās: ye mothers were founde adulterers, fathers incestuous persōs, & their childrē illegittimate and bastards. Which thing so soone as it was brought to light and noysed abrode, togither both Church and image, and wickednesse and all was vtterly subuerted and destroyed. We reade that Numa Pompilius bare the people of Rome in hande that he hadde familiar companye with Egeria a Goddesse of the waters, to the ende he might purchase credite and authoritie to his lawes.