Meric Casaubon’s preface, part 4 of 9

But to conclude this part; upon due consideration of the premises, and what else I have in readinesse upon the same Subject (if God give me life and health) I cannot satisfie my self how any Learned man, sober and rational, can entertain such an opinion (simply and seriously) That there be no Divels nor Spirits, &c. But upon this account which I give my self (leaving all men to their own judgments herein) that if there be any such truly and really, it must needs be because being at first prepossessed upon some plausible ground, and being afterwards taken up with other thoughts and employments, they are more willing to stick to their former opinion without further trouble, then to take the pains to seek further. [non-Latin script] as Thucydides doth very well observe. And when we say, A Learned man, there is much ambiguity in that word. For a man may be (not to speak of the ignorance of the common people, in those climates especially, who think all Learning concluded in preaching; and now in these times too, them best Preachers that in very deed have least Learning, but preach by Instinct and Inspiration, as they call it) but a man, I say, may be a Learned Man, a very Learned man in some one kind or profession, even to Excellency and Admiration, who neverthelesse is and may be found ignorant enough in other kinds: but a general Learned man is a thing of a vast extent, and not often seen. It is a businesse of an infinite labour, besides that it requireth Natural parts answerable; without which (judgment specially) the more pains sometimes the more ignorance. I aim not by this at any particular man or men (Deum testor) I would much rather submit to the censure of others my self, then take upon me to censure any; but the observation is of very good use, I know it, and may give much satisfaction in many cases, and have given an instance of it in Tertullian, and some others elsewhere.

I have done for this time; I come now to the Objections, wherein I shall not need to be very long, because they run much upon one thing, Imposture, which hath already been spoken of and answered. But yet somewhat more particularly shal be answered.

First, Of Miracles. It cannot be denyed but the world is full of horrible Impostures in that particular: Yet I believe, that some supernatural things, as cures, &c. do happen in every age, for which no reason can be given, which also for the strangenesse may be called Miracles. But if we limit (with most) the word to those things that proceed immediately from God or divine power: I shall not be very ready to yield that many such Miracles are seen in these Dayes. But I will not further argue the Case in this place. Well, let us take Miracles in the ordinary Sense: I verily believe that many such things do happen in many places; but that through negligence partly, and partly through incredulity, they are not regarded oftentimes, or soon forgotten. And wiser men, sometimes, though they know or believe such things, yet are not they very forward to tell them, lest they bring themselves into contempt with those supposed wise men, who will sooner laugh at any thing they do not understand, then take the pains to rectifie their ignorance or inform their judgments. I hope I shall do no wrong to the Memory of that Venerable, Incomparable Prelate, BISHOP ANDREWES, for Sound Learning and True Piety whilest he lived, one of the greatest Lights of this Land; if I set down two Stories, which we may call Miracles, both which he did believe to be true, but for one of them, it seemes, he did undertake upon his own knowledge: The one, concerning a noted, or at least by many suspected Witch or Sorceress, which the Divel, in a strange shape, did wait upon (or for rather) at her death. The other, concerning a man, who after his death was restored to life to make Confession of a horrible Murder committed upon his own Wife, for which he had never been suspected; both these, as he related them to my F. (in familiar conversation) and my F. did enter them for a remebrance into some of his Adversaria. In the substance I believe there could be no mistake, but if there be any mistake in any Circumstances, as of Names, or otherwise, that must be imputed to my F. who was a stranger, not to the tongue only, but to all businesses (more then what might be known by printed books, and such publick wayes) of England.

The First, thus:

L. vetula Londinensis, cui morienti Diabolus affuit.

Mira Historia quam narrabat ut sibi compertissimam Dom. Episcopus. Fuit quaedam L. mulier ditissima, et curiosis artibus adaictissima: vicina aedibus Fulconis, qui fuit pater Domini Fulconis, totâ Angliâ celeberrimi; atque adeo lectissimae matronae, matri ejusdem Fulconis, familiarissima. Haec per omnem vitam sortilegiis dedita, & eo nomine infamium muliercularum amica et patrona: Cui morienti cum adstarent quà viri, quà faeminae gravissimi; animadversum est sub horam mortis, adstitisse ad pedes lecti hominem vultu terribilem, vulpinis pellibus amictum, quem ipsa contentis oculis intuebatur; ille, ipsam. Quaesitum est à janitore, quare illum admisisset ille negarae se vel vidisse. Tandem secedunt ad fenestram duo vel tres, consilium capturi quid illo facerent. Erat quidam Senator ingentis nominis..... qui bis Praetor Londinensis fuit: item Pater Fulconis, et alii. Placet illis ipsum compellare et rogare quis esset. Hoc animo repetunt priora loca sua ad lectum. Interim L. vocem magnam edit, quasi animam ageret; omnes illam cutare, spectare, sublevare; mox redit ad se illi ignotum illum requirunt oculis. Nusquam apparet. An[…]orae spatium moritur aegra.

The other thus,

Kalend. August. Narrabat hodie mihi rem miram, Reverendiss. Praesul, Domin. Episcop. Eliensis: quam ille acceptam auribus suis à teste oculato & auctore, credebat esse verissimam. Est vicus in Urbe Londino, qui dicitur, Vicus Longobardorum. In eo vico Paraecia est, & aedes paraecialis, in qua fuit Presbyter, homo summae fidei, et notae Pietatis,..... An. 1563. quo anno, si unquam aliàs, pestis grassata est per hanc Urbem Londinum. Narravit igitur hic Parrochus et passim aliis, et ipsi quoque Dom. Episcopo sibi hoc accidisse. Erat illi amicus in suâ Paraeciâ insignis; vir, ut omnes existimabant, probus et pius. Hic peste correptus advocavit Presbyterum illum suum amicum, qui et aegrotanti affuit, et vidit morientem nec deseruit nisi mortuum; ita Demum repetiit domum suam. Post horas satis multas à morte hujus, cùm ipse pro mortuo esset relictus in cubiculo; uxor illius idem cubiculum est ingressa, ut ex arcâ promeret Lodicem, sine linteamen ad ipsum [non-Latin script] ut est moris. Ingressa audit hanc vocem, operi intenta. Quis hic est? terreri illa, et velle egredi, sed auditur iterum vox illa: Quis hic est? Ac tandem comperto esse mariti vocem, accedit ad illum: Quid, ait, marite; tu igitur mortuus non es? et nos te pro mortuo compositum deserveramus. Ego verò, respondit ille, verè mortuus fuit sed ita Deo visum, ut anima mea rediret ad corpus. Sed tu uxor, ait, Si quid habes cibi parati, da mihi esurio enim. Dixit illa veruecinam habere se, pullum gallinaceum, et nescio quid aliud: sed omnia incocta, quae brevi esset paratura. Ego, ait ille, Moram non fero; panem habes, ait, et caseum? quum annuisset, atque petiisset afferri, comedit spectante uxore: deinde advocato Presbytero, et jussis exire è cubiculo omnibus qui aderant; narrat illi hoc: Ego, ait, verè mortuus fui; sed jussa est anima redire ad suum corpus, ut scelus apperiram ore meo, manibus meis admissum, de quo nulla unquam cuiquam nota est suspicio. Priorem namque uxorem meam ipse occidi manibus meis, tantâ vafritie, ut omnes res lateret: deinde modum perpetrati sceleris exposuit; nec ita multò post expiravit, ac verè tum mortuus est.

There is no necessity that any body should make of either of these relations an Article of his Faith; yet I thought them very probable, because believed by such a man, and therefore have given them a place here. So much of Miracles.

Of Exorcismes we must say as of Miracles. One notable example of a counterfeit Possession, and of great stirs likely to have insued upon it in France, we have out of Ihuanus, in our late Treatise of Enthusiasme. The History of the Boy of Bilson is extant, who by the Wisdom and Sagacity of the R R F. in God Thomas, Lord Bishop of Lichfield and Coventry, was discovered to be an Impostor on purpose set up and suborned to promote the Romish cause, An. Dom. 1620. Such examples and stories most Countries have afforded good store, which are extant in divers Languages. Neither must it be concealed (by them that seek truth without partiality) that some, once called Disciplinarians, now more known by another name, have attempted to deal in those things, hoping thereby to gain great advantage to their cause. It was a famous Story in Q. Elizabeth's Reign, though now perchance out of the knowledg of many, and beyond the remembrance of any living, how one Mr. D. a very zealous man of that Sect, did take upon him by long prayers to cast out Divels, so maintained and asserted with great vehemency by him and some others that […]oured that cause, though upon legal examination they proved otherwise, which occasioned many books on both sides in those dayes, but two, melioris notae, as we say, written by Dr. H. concerning Exorcismes; the one against Papists, the other against P. I have them both somewhere yet, I hope, but can not come at them at this time, which is the cause that I cannot particularize that businesse with circumstances of times, and names or persons as I would. But there were many other books written (some very big, which I have seen) about it, as I said before; so that the whole businesse, with very little inquisition, if any have a mind, may quickly be found out. One Bookseller in Little Britain did help me to the sight of six or seven at once; yet one of the books then written, and as I was told, upon this occasion much commended unto me by some very Learned, to wit, Dr. Jordan, of the Suffocation of the Matrix, I long sought before I could meet with it. And such was the ignorance of some Booksellers, that I could not perswade them there was any such book extant: but now at last I have got it. All the use I shall make of it at this time is, that whereas the whole dirft of the book tends unto this, to shew the error of many in ascribing natural diseases to supernatural causes, which might be thought by some to favour their opinion that believe not Witches, &c. The Author doth very prudently and piously make this profession in the Preface, I do not deny but that God doth in these dayes work extraordinarily for the deliverance of his children, and for other ends best known to himself; and that among other there may be both possessions by the Divel, and obsessions, and Witch-craft, &c. and dispossession also through the Prayers and Supplications of his servants, which is the only means left unto us for our relief in that case, but such examples being very rare now adayes, &c. Yet for all this I do not conclude that Mr. D. was guilty of any Imposture: he might do it through ignorance being cozened by others. I have heard he was an honest man, and dyed piously, and disclaimed to the very last that he did any thing in that businesse otherwise then Bonâ Fide. I would judge charitably, even of those men that are not guilty of much charity towards others, whose judgments and consciences will not suffer them (though men of approved worth and piety otherwise) to say as they say, and to do as they do in all things. Be it granted therefore, that this businesse of Exorcismes is lyable to much Imposture: however, no man that hatho read the relations of men and women possest, in several places, with due observation of circumstances, some of which relations, besides other persons of credit, have been attested; yea, some penned and published by learned Physicians and Naturalists, who have been employed about the Cure, observed their carriage, heard some of them speak strange Languages: silly women possest, discourse of highest points of Phylosophy, or the Mathematicks and the like. No man, I say, that is not a stranger to these things (besides what some Travellers, no way interessed in the cause, can aver upon their own knowledge) will make any question either of the real possession of divers, according to relations that have been made, or of the Divels speaking in them and by them when they have been Exorcised; and sometimes upon bare conference. And though some Protestants are of opinion, That it is not lawful or warrantable for any man to take upon him to Exorcise upon such occasions, that is, (as I conceive) by way of absolute power and authority, and by superstitious wayes and means, as is ordinarily done: Yet where a man hath a Calling, as if he be lawfully Called to the Ministry, and set over such a Parish where any happen to be possessed (as indeed my self have a Parish, that is, right to a Parish as good as the Laws of the Land can give me, which hath been grievously haunted, though not altogether in the same kind, this many years, to the undoing of many there; but I must not come near it, nor have the benefit of the Law to recover my right, though never told why) and he find himself zealously moved, yet without presumption, I would not despair, but his prayers, with other performances of devotion, and the assistance of some others of the same calling, might prove available before God: but still presupposed, as most expedient and necessary, that the opinion and resolution of some Learned and conscionable Physician, one or more, be had in the case; and their presence also in all actions, if it may be had, obtained. Some, it may be, will thank me, and I hope it will offend none, it I impart unto them what I have found in my F. his Ephemeris (or, Daily account of his life) tending to this purpose.

Anno Dom. 603. Kal Junii. Quem memsem, et reliquos omnes velis ô Deus, &c. […] q. hetum egimus, cum matre, uxore, affine, et viro nobili, Dom. de Couns. et nobili item matrona, D de St. Pons: qui omnes in re pietatis [non-Latin script] Ecclesiam hujus loci assiduè celebravimus. Inter alios Sermones quos habui cum D. de St. Pons, de ministro provinciae Vivaretii sumus locuti, cui nomen Mercero. Regit ille in eo tractu plutes parvas Ecclesias; habitat a. in loco, qui dicitur, Chasteau-double. Acceperam de eo ex valgi rumoribus, quod vim Daemonas ejiciendi haberet: quaefivi, [non-Latin script] de D. de St Pons quid rei esset. Illa seriò affirmavit, plures Daemoniacos (decem aut circiter) in Ecclesiam auductos, eo concionante primùm, dein orante, […], et Confesstone omnium fuisse sanatos. Quosdam Demonas it a eum certis signis […], ut res apud omnes fieret testatissima. Porró autem omnes qui sanati sunt, […] Catholicam Romanam ante semper professos. Mercerum verò impatientissum ferre, si qnis inter loquendum, ut fit, diceret, Mercerum Diabolos ejicere, non […] se, […] Ecclesiam Dei esse nominandam, cujus precibus ardentissimis Dei aures […]. Dom et illi et universo gregi suorum benedicat. Amen.

In English (for their sakes that understand no Latine, and that it be not required alwayes, for it would be very tedious) this is the effect, At such a time, in such a place, he had the opportunity to meet with a grave (whether Lady or Gentlewoman) Matron, one he had a very good opinion of; her name M. de St. Pons, and having often heard by common report of a certain Protestant Minister that was said to cast out Divels, he did accurately inform himself by her (she living, it seems, very near, if not in the same parish) of all particulars concerning that businesse; who did averre it to be most true, and that ten, or thereabonts, Demomoniacks, or possessed men (all making profession of the Roman Catholick Religion) had been brought to the Church (at several times, as I take it) and that publickly, and by the generall confession of all then present, and by some notable signes (sometimes) at the going out of the Devils; they were, upon his Praying after Sermon, all delivered. But that he took it very hainously if any said, that he had cast out Devils; For, not I, said he, but the earnest Prayers of the Church, have prevailed with Almighty God to work this wonderful thing.

As for Oracles: It is true, Heathens themselves acknowledg, that some were the jugglings of men. Sometimes Princes; sometimes private men: (as now of Religion, of Preaching, and Praying, and Fasting; of Masses and Processions: most Princes and States in all places) made good use of them to their owne ends; and made them speak what themselves had prompted. But a man might as probably argue; because some have been so freely acknowledged to have been by compact and subornation, it is the more likely, that those of which never any suspicion was, should be true. We read of many in Herodotus: of one, which was contrived by fraud; but there we read also, that when it came to be known (though care had been taken that it might not:) the chief Contriver, a great man, was banished, or prevented worse, by a voluntary Exile; and the Sacred Virgin or Prophetesse, deposed. But not to insist upon particulars, which would be long, it is most certain, and it will cleerly appear unto them that are well read in anciedest Authors and Histories, That all Heathens, generally the wisest and learnedest of them, those especially, that lived when Oracles were most frequent, did really believe them to be, which they pretended unto: and that they were so indeed, for the most part (taking it for granted that their Gods were Divels or Evil Spirits) by many circumstances of Stories, and by other good proofs, may be made as evident: neither was it ever doubted or denyed (alwayes granted and presupposed, that, as in all worldly things, much imposture did in tervene and intermingle) by ancient Christians acknowledged, I am sure, by most, if not all. But I have spoken of them elsewhere already, and therefore will be the shorter here.

Our last Objection was: If there be Devils and Spirits, Why do they not appear unto them, who do what they can, as by continual curses, so by profane curiosity to invite them? First, We say, [non-Latin script] When we have good ground for the [non-Latin script] to stick at the [non-Latin script] because we do not understand the reason, is as much as to say, that we think we should be as wise as God. Aristotle did not meddle with things that he could give no reason of; yet he did not deny them (as we have shewed) and it is one thing to require a reason of things meerly natural; and another of those that happen by a meer secret Providence. But this will give them no great satisfaction who perchance believe a God (some) as much as they believe a Devil. Secondly, Therefore we say, There may be some natural reason too, upon Aristotles grounds. Aristotle (as hath been shewed elsewhere) compares the effects of Melancholy, from whence he deriveth all kind of Enthusiasm, to the known effects of Wine. What is the reason, that some men with little wine will quickly be drunk, and become other Creatures, being deprived for the time of the use of reason? Others though they drink never so much, will sooner burst then reel, or speak idly. as some in their excess grow merry, others sad: some calm and better natured; others furious: some talkative, others stupid. The Devil knowes what tempers are best for his turn; and by some in whom he was deceived, he hath got no credit, and wished he had never meddled with them. Some men come into the world with Cabalistical Brains; their heads are full of mysteries; they see nothing, they read nothing, but their brain is on work to pick somewhat out of it that is not ordinary; and out of the very ABC that children are taught, rather then fail, they will fetch all the Secrets of Gods Wisdom; tell you how the world was created, how governed, and what will be the end of all things. Reason and Sense that other men go by, they think the acorns that the old world fed upon; fools and children may be content with them but they see into things by another Light. They commonly give good respect unto the Scriptures (till they come to profest Anabaptists) because they believe them the Word of God and not of men; but they reserve unto themselves the Interpretation, and so under the title of Divine Scripture, worship what their own phansie prompts, or the devil puts into their heads. But of all Scriptures the Revelation and the obscure Prophesies are their delight; for there they rove securely; and there is not any thing so prodigious or chimerical, but they can fetch it out of some Prophesie, as they will interpret it. These men, if they be upright in their lives and dealings, and fear God truly, it is to be hoped that God will preserve them from further evil; but they are of a dangerous temper; Charitable men will pity them, and sober men will avoid them. On the other side, some there are whose brains are of a stiff and restive mould; it will not easily receive new impressions. They will hardly believe any thing but what they see; and yet rather not believe their eyes; then to believe any thing that is not according to the course of nature, and what they have been used unto. The devil may tempt such by sensual baits, and catch them; but he will not easily attempt to delude them by magical Shews and Apparitions. And what sober man, that believeth as a God, so a divel, doth doubt, but they that make it their daily practice to damn themselves, by such horrid oaths and curses, are as really possest, yea far more in the possession of the devil, then many that foam at the mouth, and speak strange languages?

But 3dly Some have tried and used the means, but could never see any thing but what if others that never desired it really, but in some wanton curiosity, unadvisedly, that they might be the better able to confute the simplicity of some others as they thought, rather then that their faith wanted any such confirmation, have tryed some things, or have been present at some experiments and have seen (with no small astonishment) more then they expected or desired? Some persons of credit and quality, I am sure, have made it their confession unto me, that it hath so hapned unto them; who have been so affected with it, that they would not for a world be so surprized again.