CHAP. 1. ¶ The occasion of publishing these wonders, by the com­ming to light of the penned booke of Miracles.

ABout some three, or foure yeeres since, there was found in the hands of one Ma. Barnes a Popish Recusant, an English Treatise in a written hand, fronted with this Latine sentence, taken out of the Psalmes, Venite, et narrabo, quanta fecit Dominus ani­mae meae, come and I wil shew you, what great things the Lord hath done for my soule. Which treatise when we had perused vppon this holy inuitation, we found it a holie fardell of holy reliques, holy charmes, and holy consecrated things, applied to the casting out of many thousands of deuils, out of six young persons, 3. young men, and three proper young maides, accomplished by the meanes of Fa: Edmunds, alias Weston, a principall Ie­suit of his order in those times, & twelue secular Priests, his reuerend assistants.

The names of the parties supposed to be possessed, vvere these, Marwood, seruaunt (as hath beene enfor­med) to Ma. Anthony Babington, Will: Trayford, atten­dant at that time vppon Ma: Edmund Peckham, Robert Maynie Gentleman, lately before come out of Fraunce: Sara Williams, Friswood Williams, two sisters, and Anne Smith, all three meniall seruaunts to Maister Peckham a­foresaid. The names of the Actors in this holy Come­die, were these, Edmunds, alias Weston, rector chori, of [Page 2] whō you haue heard afore, Ma: Cornelius, Ma: Dìbdale, Ma: Thomson, Ma: Stemp, Ma: Tyrrell, Ma: Dryland, Ma: Tulice, Ma: Sherwood, Ma: Winkefield, Ma: Mud, Ma: Dakins, Ma: Ballard, and some other besides, that were daily commers, and goers.

This play of sacred miracles, was performed in sundry houses accōmodate for the feate, in the house of the L. Ʋaux at Hackney, of Ma: Barnes at Fulmer, of Ma: Hughes at Vxbridge, of Sir George Peckham at Denham, and of the Earle of Lincolne in Chanon Row in London. The time chosen to act, & publish these wonders, were the yeeres 85, and 86, ending with the apprehension, and execution of Ballard, and Babington, and the rest of that impious consort.

And because the gentle Invitator of vs to come, and see his wonders, when wee come to see them, himselfe, and his actors doe play least to be seene, it hath beene thought meet, to send for him, and as many of his play-fellowes, as Tiburne will giue leaue to come, to conferre further with them, touching this mysticall play; whe­ther the partes haue beene handled handsomlie, and cunningly, or no: what the scope of the Author Ed­munds, and his associates was in this wonderful pageant, and whether good decorum haue beene kept in acting the same. Wherein (I must tell you) some paines haue beene taken by some in authoritie, for the finding out of such agents, patients, and assistants, as haue furnished the stage, and in bringing them to say their parts so per­spicuously on the stage, as that euery young child may see, who hee is, what hee meanes, and whether his part tends.

Marwood, and Trayford, cannot yet be found, it is thought they are conueyed beyond seas, (as some other of theyr play-fellowes should haue beene) for telling of tales. The other foure possessed haue come to light, and vppon gentle conference, haue frankly, and freely [Page 3] advowed, and haue sealed it with their voluntary oathes, taken vppon the holy Euangelists, that all in effect, that passed between them, & the Priestes, in this wonderous possession, and dispossession, was naught else saue close packing, cunning iugling, feate falshood, and cloked dissimulation. One of the reuerend Priests, who was himselfe a principall actor in this holy legerdemaine, be­ing examined, hath contested with the confession of the other examinats, touching the vnfolding of this sacred packe. All whose seuerall examinations, confessions, and relations, touching the beginning, proceeding, and finishing of this tragicall comaedie, wee haue thought meete ad verbum to publish in print, that all men may see wee haue dealt truly, and sincerely heerein, and that all may likewise see, quanta fecit Dominus, (according to the saying of that Latine sentence praefixed to the dis­course) how great things the Lord in his mercie dooth by course of times reueale, of that man of sinne, of the mysterie of iniquitie, and of those reuerend iugling Priests, his disguised comaedians.

Wherein, that euery person may appeare in his owne proper colours, the deuill in his, and the deuils char­mers in theyrs, that euery part may be considered, how well it hath been plaied, and what actor hath best deser­ued the plaudite, or suspendite, for his good action, and wit, venite, et narrabo, come and see it set out, in the sa­cred robes out of the holy wardrop frō Rome, their ho­ly attire, theyr holy reliques, their consecrated creatures, theyr own speech, action, & fashion, & thus it begins.

CHAP. 2. ¶ The time when the Popish Exorcists chose to act these miracles.

THe Politikes maxime of vsing, and plying of time, hath beene so well practised, & plyed by his Holines of Rome, and his holy crue, as that little time hath been [Page 4] lost, wherein something hath not beene attempted a­gainst her Maiestie, and the kingdome, since her first comming to the crowne, to this present time. I will one­ly point, at those former times, as I come along to our time of this tragedie of deuils.

Her Highnesse was no sooner come to the Crowne, but Marie then wife to the K. of Fraunce, was decla­red in Paris to be the lawfull Q. of England, and the armes of both her Maiesties kingdoms,ann. 1558. England, & Ire­land, were commaunded to be set, in vasis, et tapetibus re­gijs, et reliquis vtensilibus. The popish Bishops, lately be­fore depriued in the second yeere of her Maiesties raigne, purposed to lose no time, when presently after their said deposition:1559. plerique eorū excōmunicationis cen­suram, aduersus reginam alios (que) nonullos ad hibendam censu­erunt. It was no long time after this, whē it should haue been a Canon set down, in the Counsell of Trent, by the instigation of his Holines Agents there present: de Eli­zabetha haeretica declaranda, 1562. if the Emperor had not in­terposed to stay that course. It was time well plyed, whē the same his Holines contriuing her Maiesties vtter de­struction,1567. (as appeares in the life of Pius 5. published in Italian) and drawing the king of Spaine into the same, hee sent ouer one Robert Godolphi a Florentine, vnder the colour of Merchandise, hether into England, to ex­cite a rebellion, & furnished him with 15000. Crownes towards the same: by whose cunning perswasion, the Noble men in the North parts beeing risen in Armes, forth commeth the Popes Bull, blanched with a fayre goodly face of pastorall zeale, and loue to the Catho­lique religion, excōmunicating of pure deuotion (God wot) the Queenes Maiestie, and discharging her sub­iects from their allegeance vnto her: beeing indeede naught els, saue a deuilish Engine, to strengthen the re­bellion:1569. which beeing dissolued, and the heads thereof dispersed, the time was plied on still with consolatorie [Page 5] Letters, written from the Pope, containing matter of new comfort, and encouragement to the Duke of Nor­folke, the close designed head of that rebellion, by his intended mariage with the Scottish Queene. Forces were promised to be sent ouer with all speede from beyond seas, to the ayde of the saide Duke, vnder the leading of Vitelli, appointed to that office by name from the king of Spaine, the comming of which forces,1572. the Duke him selfe did stay, by losing his head. And least the King of Spaine should quaile in his princely designements a­gainst this kingdome, in regard of his infortunate suc­cesse, Saunders, (the Popes darling) eggs him on with a fresh assault, to keepe the Spanish Engines in worke, al­ledging this,1577. as his maine battery to cause the King to be dooing, that the whole state of Christendome stoode vpon the hote assayling of England.

Neither was it long time ere this vigilant champion had gained time againe, by obtaining of his Holinesse, men, mony, and munition, with which hee came with open armes into Ireland, like a Furie from Hell: and in his vaine hopes had deuoured that kingdome, for the vse of his holy Father the Pope forsooth, and for his young Maister the Popes Nephew. Where he brea­thing out his furious Ghost,1579. as a pledge of his wicked attempt, Parsons the Popes Minion entertaines the time, with a new coyned plot, comming into England vpon no meaner errand, then to continue the deposing of her Maiestie, and the setting vp of another Prince.1580.

The wise espying, and circumspect implying of the aduantage of these times: you see from what heads and fountaines of holinesse they came, yet none of these is the time, that doth consort with our casting out of deuils, we haue now in hand. Ours is the time, when his Holi: the King of Spaine, and Parsons theyr Entelechie, were plotting beyond the seas, for the deliuery out of prison of the Q. of Scots, by forcible attempt. Which action, [Page 6] after mature deliberation beeing cast vpon the Duke of Guise, he the said Duke, was thē busily preparing his for­ces for England, for the suddaine effecting of the said attempt.

I omit how Charles Paget played his time, in com­ming secretly into England, to sollicite the Earle of Northumberland to diuers trecherous attempts. How Frauncis Throgmorton plyed his time at the instigation of Mendoza, in busily sounding of Hauens, for the safe arriuall of the Guisian forces. How Doctor Parry plyed his time, in enforming his conscience, for the suddaine, and desperate murthering of the Queene: (for there was no time spared, no meanes vnassaied, no deuise vn­thought vpō, no person vnattempted, euery one of that holy hellish association, striuing to win the garland from other, by hauing his hands soonest, and deepest dyed in her Maiesties blood) and I come to the time when the Guisian exploit, grewe towards the prime, and was on foote for England.

Which stratageme, beeing inspired by the Pope in­to Parsons, by Parsons into Edmunds, alias Weston, a Pro­uinciall of the order of Iesuits for that time, residing heere in England: betweene Parsons, and whom, as be­tweene two Intelligences, in a superior, and an inferior sphaere, there was a mutuall communication of all mat­ters of import, and by the same Edmunds beeing brea­thed into the breastes of all theyr subordinates, and de­pendants heere in the Land, it cannot be cōceiued, what a spirit, life, and alacritie, the whole Popish bodie of Traytors (halfe dead before) did suddainly conceiue, how euery limb, member, and ioynt of that holy bo­die did bestir it selfe, to be seruiceable to this holie de­signe. But Fa: Weston aboue all, whose head and hart, were so bigge with the Guisian attempt, as hee thought his time come, to aduaunce the banner of Ignatius for euer heere in England, by making himselfe, & his order [Page 7] famous by some notable exploit: and it beeing Gods permissiue prouidence, that this popish body, cōpiled of so many horrible & detestable treasons, should be who­ly inspired from the spirit of his Holi: & of hell, Weston, as a limb of the same body, mooued with the same spi­rit, chooses to eternize himselfe from the power of hell, by casting out deuils. Wherein hee bestirs himselfe so spritely, and playes such a deuill-prize at the L. Ʋaux his house in Hackney, with such a wonderfull applause, as Array, Parsons Ape, a runnagate Priest, and a notable Polypragmon heere in our state, meetes with Ma: Tyrrell newly come from beyond seas, and vaunts with a bigge looke, that Fa: Weston had shewed such soueraigne authority ouer hell, as the deuils themselues should con­fesse theyr kingdom was neere at an end. And the same Array, was so full fraught with hope, and confidence, in the Spanish, and Guisian attempt then in hand, as his first congee was in Maister Tirrels eare at theyr entring into Paules, bidding him to be of good cheere, for that all things now went very well forwards.A loyall ge­neration of Priestes. The King of Spaine (quoth he) is now almost in readinesse with his forces for England, it standeth vs now in hand that be Priests, to fur­ther the Catholique cause, as much as possibly in vs lyeth.

Paget, and Morgan, two principall limbs of this po­pish body, being acquainted with the aforesaid plot, & fearing that the Guises attempt, by deliuering the Scot­tish Queene by open Armes, would sparkle abroad be­fore it were ripe, and so receiue a check by our English forces, before it came to the push, cast about in theyr braines for a shorter way at home: Ballard the bloodie Priest is dealt withall to pricke on Babington, Tilney, As is lately confessed by Fa: P. in his Apolog. and the rest of that aspiring popish band to attempt a despe­rate truculent act, by laying violent handes vppon her Maiesties sacred person. Which whilst it was in hamme­ring, the Catholique Priests, not caring by what meanes they effected theyr trecherous designes, set themselues [Page 8] on worke on all hands, with working of wonders by dispossessing of deuils: vnto the acting of whose mira­cles, Babington and his consorts, doe diuers times repaire to Sir George Peckhams house at Denham, with foure or fiue Coaches full at once. And this new tragedie of de­uils had his time of rising, and his fatall time of fall, with the true tragedie performed vpon Bab: and his compli­ces, for theyr detestable treason. The pestilent drift, & pernicious course of this deuill-worke you shall heare of heereafter.

CHAP. 3. ¶ The places wherein these miracles were plaid.

IT hath been alwaies the ill fortune of this holy order of Exorcists, that the professors of it haue been repu­ted errand Iuglers and Impostors, yea sometimes, by the greatest protectors of theyr owne religion. A great man told Mengus, that if there were fiftie Exorcists at once standing before him, hee should deeme nine and fortie of them for no better then Impostors, and Men­gus (as seemes) was afraid himselfe should haue made vp iust tale. Wherefore the Maisters of the Art, haue so warily deuised theyr rules, and canons, as a man may see they labour to preoccupate mens minds for feare of suspition, which giues the greater occasion to suspect them the more.

Mengus his caueat of declaring places not meete for exorcisme is this: Praecauere debet Exorcista quantum potest, Cap. 15. flag: dae­mon. ne abs (que) graui necessitate exerceat hoc officium adiu­randi daemones in domibus priuatis, ne detur occasio scan­dali pusillis. His positiue rule for the place appointed is, Sed debet exorcizare in Ecclesia, vel in alio loco Deo dicato vel alicui sancto. His reasons against priuate houses, and for Churches, or at least consecrated places are first, that beeing doone publiquely, the weaker sort may haue no [Page 9] occasion to suspect the action of fraude. 2. Tum quia in domibus priuatis, vt in pluribus, ad sunt mulieres, quarum consortium debet summopere ab exorcistis vitari, ne inci­dant in laqueum diaboli: that is, because in priuate houses, there are commonly some women, whose company the Exor­cists ought to decline, least happilie they fall into the snares of the deuill. 3. Tum quia ibifiunt multa turpia, tacenda po­tius, quam hîc inserenda: that is, because in such houses, turpitudes be committed, meeter to be silenced, then heere to be named. 4. Tum quia Ecclesia propriè est locus deputatus vbi Euergumeni debent exorcizari: that is, because the Church is properly the place appointed to that action, where­in the possessed ought to be exorcised. And what need these cautious rules, to auoyde suspition of iugling, turpitude, and women, if nothing were amisse? Auricular confes­sion, is an holie action of more priuacie, solitude, & fa­miliarity with women, yet because no man (vvithout reason) may suspect, but that all is wel between a ghost­ly father, and his ghostly child, there be no rules made of iugling, turpitude, or women in that mysticall function. Sure all is not well in this exorcising craft, that iugling, turpitude, and women, must be so precisely auoided.

Indeed wheras in his 17. chapter fa: Mengus disputes, that though exorcising ought to be done in the church, yet the doores of the Church may be close shut about them: his fatherhood giues vs iust cause to suspect, that though he would seeme to haue it publique, touching the place, for a seeming shew of auoyding iugling, tur­pitude, and women, yet he can be content by shutting the doores, to haue it priuately done: or such onely let in, as the Exorcist best liketh.

See the practise heereof in the iugling Exorcists at Paris, anno 1599, who to make a shew of auoyding of that, which they onely intended, iugling deceit,Page. 6. of that booke. they must haue theyr Minion Martha Brossier exorcised in a Chappell forsooth: but yet with such a warie eye cast [Page 10] vpon the spectators, as there comming in amongst the rest one Marescot a Physician, a man they did not af­fect, Seraphin the holy Exorcist cries out with a loude voice, if there be any heere that is incredulous, & will trou­ble Martha Brossier, the deuill will carry him away in the ayre. Wherefore yee see it was very wisely prouided of Mengus, to haue an eye to the doore: the like ill-fauou­red accident fell out amongst our holy crew, at theyr principall Theatre, Sir George Peckhams house at Den­ham, where for want of hauing a watch at the doore, there comes in one Ma: Hambden of Hambden, who, be­ing one of the incredulous persons, that F. Seraphin cō ­plaines of afore, and espying theyr bungling, and vsing these wordes in detestation of theyr iugling: I see this dealing is abhominable: See Fris­woods Cō ­fess: & I maruaile that the house sinketh not for such wickednes committed in it: and so departing vtterly discontent: this incredulous spectator so skared our holy actors with feare, that they slunke out of the house euery man his way, as a dogge that had been bit­ten by the tayle, and leauing theyr patients alone, gaue the deuils an otium, or leaue to play for that night.

Now let vs looke in a little amongst our twelue holy Exorcistes, or rather twelue holy disciples, and Fa: We­ston theyr holy head: who though they be not a work­ing, yet by this time they are whetting theyr tooles: and let vs see, how warily they haue put in vre theyr Maister Mengus his canon, of choosing a Chappell, or holy publique place to exorcise in, for feare of suspition of iugling, turpitude, and women. First, it doth not appeare that they acted any of theyr wonderous dispossessions in any Church, Chappell, or consecrated place, as F. Men­gus had appointed them: except happily they slipped into some Noble mans voide house in London: which houses, in regard of theyr owners callings, being aboue reach of authority, are commonly now adayes the sanc­tuaries for Popish treason, consistories for plots of re­bellion, [Page 11] and Chappels for all Romish loathsome abho­mination: not that the Noble men themselues are pri­uie to such meetings, but theyr corrupt house-keepers much in fault for entertayning such guests: and yet the owners themselues not altogether free from blame, for making no better choise of those, to whom they commit that charge.

But it appeares not (as I said) that they met in any chappel, or holy place at all: but the chief places of their solemne meetings, were the L. Ʋaux his house at Hack­ney, neere London, Maister Gardiners house at Fulmer, Ma: Hughes his house at Ʋxbridge, and Sir George Peck­hams house at Denham: places very fitly accommoda­ting theyr holy intentions. First for theyr capacitie, bee­ing able to receiue the holy troupe, & theyr traine (for they remoued bagge, and baggage, as your wandring Players vse to doe.) Next, for theyr security, the owners beeing trustie tried sure cardes, and commaunders of theyr neighbours adioyning, if any suspition should a­rise: and then for their situation, beeing remote and se­cluse from ordinary accesse.

At the L. Vaux his house at Hackney, was the prime grand miracle performed, by the grand Maister of the craft, Fa: Weston himselfe, vppon one Marwood, ser­uant to Babington the traytor: where a wonderful thing fell out. Fa: Weston, at the very first encounter with the deuill, stunted the deuils wits, and the deuill being once put out, could neuer hit in againe, but vntrusses, and cries out, O me stultum, insanum, et infaelicem: O foolish, In his owne tract. vpon record. page 2. mad, and miserable deuill that I am: which put all the whole company of spectators into such astonishment, as there was a confused shout made of weeping, & ioy, for this foyle of the deuill. And the Epilogue was this, O Catholicam fidem, ô insensatos haereticos: O the Catholick faith, ô sencelesse haereticks, that could neuer learne the feate, to skare a deuill from his wits.

[Page 12]At Fulmer house there were no great miracles done, onely the groundes of theyr Art layde sure, and a little trying of their tooles, whether their tew would holde or no.

At Vxbridge they lay but two or three nights at the most, and yet the place was graced with a punie mira­cle, or two. Dibdale the Priest had his wench set so close vnto him in the way thether, (for auoyding turpitude & women) as she felt her selfe to burne, & could hardly en­dure the heate of the holy man. Trayford cryes out by the way water, water, as the Frier did that by Absolon in Chawcer was scalded in the toote. And thus were theyr Journalls towards Denham, where the Court stayed: the hangings were tricked vp, the houses made ready, and the greatest part of the wonders of this comaedie was performed. Their harbinger, and host both, in all these iournies (for the owners of houses, and theyr families, still left theyr owne houses, and made all cleere for these holy comaedians, as is vsed to be done towards the com­ming of a Court) was one Edm: Peckham; an excellent purueior for such a campe; one of a very ruinate estate, an intemperate disposition, an vncleane conuersation, & a man so deeply engaged to this holy band, as that him­selfe, his wife, his concubine, and his whole familie liued wholy at their charge. This is the man that stil furnished the camp with all kind of luggage, and pleasing prouisi­on: that scoures the coasts, to see that all be cleere, that lookes to the trusses, and fardels, that no iugling sticks be left out: the sacrist of these holy mysteries, playing himselfe fiue or six parts in this comaedie: the harbinger, the host, the steward, the vaunt courrier, the sacrist, and the Pandar. And this shall suffice touching their places in generall: more speciall considerations of the same, you shall heare in the chapter ensuing.

CHAP. 4. ¶ More speciall considerations, touching their choise of places.

VIno vendibili non opus est hedera. Weston, in regard of his owne fame, needed nothing more then ordi­narie, to commend him in this admirable science: but his 12 disciples being but punies, and newly entred by him into the schoole of legerdemaine, stoode in neede of some grace, and commendation, to bring themselues into custome: therefore, like wise retaylers, they chose vnto themselues places of aduantage, to aduaunce their profession. Where it is to be obserued, that whilest the chiefe of the Popish holy body heere in England had their heads, harts, and hands full of practises of treason; some other Priests there were that bestirred themselues. as fast in imploying all their wit, and skill, about getting into their hands huge mines, and masses of gold, siluer, and treasure (called by the Artisans in that mysterie Treasure Trouvé) supposed to be hidden, in diuers hou­ses, woods, & plots of ground heere in England: vvhe­ther to furnish the heads and leaders of the conspirators for their holy seruice, they had in hand against her Ma­iestie, and the state, or to enrich their owne cofers, I leaue it to coniecture.

For compassing of this treasure, there was a consocia­tion betweene 3 or 4 priests, deuill-coniurers, and 4 disco­uerers, or seers, reputed to carry about with them, their familiars in rings, and glasses, by whose suggestion they came to notice of those golden hoards. The names of the discouerers, or seers, were these: Smith, Rickston, Goodgame, and Iames Phiswick. The names of the deuill-coniuring priests, for some reasons I forbeare: and two of the places (amongst many) wherein they dealt were Denham, and Fulmer.

[Page 14]Touching Denham the Gentleman, chiefe owner of the Manor, testifieth that the 4 seers, or impostors, had borne him in hand, that there was great store of Trea­sure Trouvè, hidden in his said Manor, and appointed him a night certaine, when to digge for the same, which time they kept: and that himselfe with diuers of his ser­uants being present, there was nothing found, but olde empty earthen pots. And concerning Fulmer, the same Gentleman tells vs also, that the impostors afore-said, departed from his house to Fulmer. But the penner of these miracles, remembers more distinctly, both the yeere, moneth, and day, when they went thither. The 22 of October, anno 84. there came 3 coniurers to Ful­mer, vpon a Thursday (saith he) and there remained wor­king in their Arte, vntill the Tuesday following.

Vpon occasion of the practitioning of these coseners, and deuill coniuring priests for money, was phancied a conceite, and from phancie grew rumours, and tales, a­mongst the common sort (as vpon any sleight occasion of such matters, haue vsed to be) of spirits, deuils, and bug-beares, walking, and haunting those places, and houses where the coniuring had beene. Sara Williams, one of their patients, saith, That shee had not beene long at Fulmer, but she heard say, that the house was troubled with spirits. The penner of the miracles, as if he meant to scare vs with the very noyse, reports vs the manner of the Hobgoblins in a very tragicall stile. The whole house (saith he) was haunted in very terrible manner, molesting all that were in the same, See the booke of miracles. Page, 26. by locking, and vnlocking of dores, tinckling amongst the fier-shouels, and the tonges, ratling vp­on the boards, scraping vnder their beds, and blowing out the candels, except they were halowed. And further, that these ill mannered vrchins, did so svvarme about the priests, in such troupes, and thronges, that they made them sometimes to sweat, as seemes, with the very heate of the fume, that came from the deuils noses. Ma: Maynie [Page 15] a pittifull possessed, doth affirme, that within a day, or two after his comming to Denham, the maid-cooke told him, that there was great walking of spirits about the house, and that diuers had beene greatly affrighted by them. And if you will not beleeue these, beleeue the deuill himselfe in his Dialogue with Dibdale, Page, 25, of the book of miracles. crying in his deuils roaring voyce, that he came thither for Money, Money.

And if you happen to wonder, why I called these houses of Denham, and Fulmer, in the beginning of this chapter, aduantagious vnto our holy impostors, consi­dering Fa: Mengus his rule of places for exorcising, ci­ted before, that they must be consecrated, halowed, or holy places at least, you will wonder somewhat more, when you heare Fa: Thyraeus prescribing, that at any hand before the holy workes of exorcising, the ill affec­ted party be begun, first, and aboue all, to purifie, and exorcise the place, that the house being cleansed from those troublesome haunting companions, that doe make men sweate, the holy worke may proceede the more fa­cile, and with better successe.

Where by the way you are to obserue out of learned Thyraeus his 70 Chapter De locis infestis: the whole course heereof, that is, of exorcising the places. Which must be performed by these 5 holy works: Diuini aux­ilij imploratione: psalmorum gradualium recitatione: lectio­ne Euangelij: thurificatione: et conclusione. By calling vpon God, the blessed virgin Mary, and the Saints: by say­ing ouer the 15 graduall Psalmes: by reading ouer the Gos­pell of S. Iohn, concerning Zacchaeus climing vp into a tree: by holy fumigations: and the Epilogue of the whole worke. These be the fiue holy scare-deuils, which our Exorcists should haue vsed, to haue driuen the deuils from the house. And heere I must needes shame my selfe, and lay open vnto you, the shallownesse of my wit, that is not able to diue into the bottom of this sacred mysterie: [Page 16] why aboue all other Gospels, the Gospell of S. Iohn, touching Zacchaeus climbing into a tree, should haue such a potency to fright a deuill out of a house. Whe­ther there be any hidden antipathie between the nature of deuils, and a Sycamore tree, as was between Scaliger and a Rat: or that the deuill bare a spight to the tree, for helping low Zacchaeus to see our Sauiour passe by: or that the deuill had himselfe some mischance out of the tree: or that our Sauiours dinner at Zacchaeus house was dressed with the wood of that tree: or els his crosse for hast made of that tree, Oedipo opus est, I am at a full point. And if I send you to Thyraeus, to vnridle the ri­dle, I doubt you will laught at him, as you doe at me.

Howsoeuer it be, our holy Exorcists vsed neyther that, nor any other of the fiue terrors, to flight the de­uils from Fulmer, nor Denham, but were content vvith theyr companie, and fell to theyr worke. And heerein they shewed a part of theyr greatest skill of legerde­maine. First, this fabulous rumor of the houses haun­ted with deuils, did blanch ouer, and blaze theyr Art the more of casting deuills out, and so brought them into credit. Secondly, if they had read the Gospell touching Zacchaeus, and skared them away, they had wanted de­uils to furnish out the pageant. Thirdly, it bred a re­uerend opinion, and an admiration in all that came to see wonders, at the vertue, and holinesse of the Priests, that durst walke vp and downe amongst the thickest swarme of deuils, and neuer a deuill so hardy as to touch an haire of their beards. Fourthly, it serued their pur­poses excellent well to couer their bungling, iugling, & legerdemaine, in that the seruants of the houses hauing their phancies oppressed with the conceit of spirits, and deuils haunting in euery corner of the house, they were so distracted with feare, as they had vse of neither wit, nor will, to doubt, or looke into their packing.

And by this you see our punie Exorcists, as young as [Page 17] they be, shewed more wit, and skill, then either Mengus their Maister, or Thyraeus their prompter, in picking out these places of Hobgoblins, to make the stages for their Comaedy, and not offering first by holy fumigati­ons, to scare the vrchins away. One doubt I haue more, wherein I must craue your gentle assistance.

Some curious head, more nice then needes, may pick at a moate, and aske mee two or three questions out of this narration. First, whether a man may be a coniurer, sorcerer, or Enchaūter; that is, enter into league, friend­ship, and familiarity with the deuill, as the priestes that coniured for mony at Denham did, and yet be accoun­ted a ghostly Confessor, a reuerend father, and an holy priest still? A simple doubt God wote. Syluester, Boni­facius, and some other Popes, haue beene errand deuill-coniurers, and yet theyr holinesse not an halfepeny the worse. This simple questionist must vnderstand, that God hath tied the spirit of holines with so sure a chaine to S. Peters chayre, as that let the Pope, or any popeling, be an Ethnick, a Turke, a Saracen, or a deuill, hee can­not auoide it, but by sitting in that chaire he must weare out his holinesse, and be holy still.

Secondly, if he would know how it cōmeth to passe, that the famous Thyraeus hauing laboured, and sweat so much to set downe all the causes, waies, & meanes, how wicked spirits doe come to haunt houses, and hauing by the dexteritie of his wit found out twelue waies, this way of haunting houses after coniuration, is none of his twelue: vve must tell him, that our Exorcists are not of his old plodding fashion, but of the new cut, & such, as you shall find, (by that time you haue them a little hote in theyr worke) will set Mengus, Thyraeus, and Sprenger to schoole.

Thirdly, if hee tell vs by the rules of that blacke Ma­gicke Art, concerning coniuring vp of spirits, that the Coniurers great art, and industrie, is not so much in rai­sing [Page 18] vp a spirit, as in commaunding him downe againe, and that if hee cannot lay him downe quiet, the Artist himselfe, and all his companie, are in danger to be torne in peeces by him; and that hee is so violent, boystrous, and bigge, as that he will ruffle, rage, and hurle in the ayre, worse then angry God Aeolus euer did, and blow downe steeples, trees, may-poles, and keepe a fell coyle in the world. And vppon this will be questioning, how it happened heere, that our haunting spirits at Denham, and Fulmer, raysed by the blacke Art, did not ruffle and rage in the world, as those coniured spirits vse to do, but did put theyr heads in a bench-hole for a twelue month together, till these holy good men came to theyr work? I must tell him, that our haunting spirits were of a more mild, calme, and kinde disposition, louing the compa­nie of wenches, and holy priestes; and for theyr staying so long about the house, as Rats about a Barne, wee say they did that kindly, expecting the priests theyr holie Maisters to come to set them a worke. And so these quiddities being satisfied, I hope I may proceed.

CHAP. 5. ¶ The persons pretended to be possessed, and dispossessed.

AFter that our holy order were resolued of their ho­lie wonders of casting out deuils, & had both time and place fit for theyr purpose, a meane-witted man would aske the question, that young Isaac did of his fa­ther in a much holier cause, Loe heere are all things ready, but where is the sacrifice? The time is heere fitting, and the places prepared, but where are the possessed par­ties, vpon whom these miracles must be shewed? The young gallant in the comaedy thought it an impossible matter, that his Sycophant should be furnished at a daies warning, both with money, & a Merchant to cosen the [Page 19] Baude: and his Sycophant cheeres him vp thus: consi­lij, doli (que) copiam structam gesto in pectore mecum. And so was it with our cunning Comaedians; they had a world of deuises, to get themselues patients, readie coyned in their budget. Trustie Roger the Leno, Edm: Peck­ham. had his hookes so sweetly bayted, and his sprindges so artificially set in euery haunt, and glade, that he was alwaies sure of either a Gudgin, or a Woodcocke, to furnish out a seruice. It is a common ground with them (as with all other con­spirants, in any badde practise or science) not to deale with any, that are not in some degree, or other obliged vnto them. Marwood, Ma: Anthony Babingtons man the traytor, the first subiect, whereon the grand miracle at Hackney was playd, is not now forth cōming, as I gesse, for feare of his telling tales out of schoole. And if one should kindly aske Fa: Weston in his eare, what is be­come of him, that hee might be spoken withall, I sup­pose of his modestie hee would sooner blush, then tell. This actor played his part extempore there on the stage with a verie good grace; and if hee had now the good hap to be conferred with-all, I doubt not but he could, and would relate (as other his cue-fellowes haue done) how hee came to that facility in his part, who were his prompters, his directers, his teachers, and who did help him put on the deuils vizard on his face. It may suffice, that it is said, he was Anthony Babington his man.

Trayford the young Gentleman forsooth, was of Ma: Peckhams priuities, or priuie counsell if ye will, the Leno his owne Hypodromos, sworne true to the Pantofle, young maister of the Maydens, seruing in the nature of a refresher, to furbush ouer his maisters brayed wares: one that couth his actions, and motions so readily, and expressed them so liuely in the sceane of possession, as Sara Williams his play-fellow,In her exa­mination. had almost forgotten her part, and marred the play; sure I am she confesseth, that she loued the young deuill too well.

[Page 20]Ma: Mainie, by birth a Gentleman, by education a Catholique, one that had suckt frō his mother the taint of Romish contagion, was by her conuayed beyond Seas, ere he was 14 yeeres old, and for his deeper ground­ing in Popish superstition, being maintained 2 yeeres in the Seminarie at Rhemes, entred himselfe into the or­der of the Bonhommes. But shortly leaft his fraternity, & came ouer into England: where his brother Ma: Iohn M. hauing married Ma. Peckhams sister, & he accom­panying his brother, somtimes to Ma. Peckhams house at Denham, fell eft-soones in acquaintance with this ho­lie league there: and seeing amongst their societie no Bonhomes at al, but wares of a much lighter, and pleasan­ter glosse, was the more easily allured into the holy com­bination, and being once entangled, could not get out againe, but of a metamorphozed Bonhomme, became an excellent deuill-comaedian:See his exa­min: though now ye may per­ceaue the Gentleman doth rue, that euer he did set his foote on the stage. This man had bonds enow about him, to make good his trust, and fidelity to the holy as­sociation: education, religion, affiance, and besides, to some kinde she-deuils of that order, no vnkind affec­tion.

Anne Smith, attending at times vpon Mistris Peck­ham (a maid when she came to the league) of 18 yeeres of age, nusled vp in the true rites, and ceremonies of the Popish fascination, and so an affectionate proselyte to that Mimick superstition (it being the onely religion to catch fooles, children, and women, by reason it is naught else,Ed: Peck­ham. saue a conceited pageant of Puppits, and gaudes) shee was first seazed vppon by olde Harpax, the Leno, graund probationer of the deuils female in the play, by the meanes of her sister, one Alice Plater, his sweet Mi­stris forsooth: shee was directed downe to Denham, for her better instruction in mysterie of possession, and thence after an acte, or hope of probation, she returned [Page 21] to London: whence she became Stamp the Priests pe­culiar, to be conuayed againe to Denham.

Sara Williams (a mayd when she came to the league borne at Denham, not aboue 15 yeeres olde, when shee entred these sacred mysteries) an appendant to the fa­milie of Sir George Peckham of Denham, one of a very good personage, fauour, and wit: shee was a long time managed to be brought to the lure, and for her better aduauncement in her maisters eye, shee was made mi­stris Peckhams chamber-mayd pardie: the pleasing parts she brought with her to the campe were much enuied, and eyed by those naughty haunting deuils, that would blow out her candel, except it were hallowed. The poore wench was so Fayrie haunted, as she durst not goe, espe­cially to Ma: Dibdale his chamber alone.See her ex­amina: But you shall heare her owne confession.

Friswood Williams, sister to Sara, (a mayde when shee came to the league) about 16 yeeres old: a plant of the same soyle, and a hanging to the same house, her father hauing beene Sir George Peckhams man. Shee was sent downe to Denham vnder colour of visiting her sister Sara, whom she heard to be ill at ease, as also to be help­full to mistris Peckham about the possessed: Vnder whom shee was admitted to be attendant in a place of reuersion; who had not been long within the compasse of that holy circle, but shee was discouered to haue a tang of possession. Shee kept her scene at her cue with her fellow play-deuils, so long as at the last she got such a pinch of Tom Spanner in the darke (one of the haunting crue) that the markes of it, were many dayes after to be seene.

Here you may perceiue, in what termes the patients on both sides with their holy Maisters stood, how the deuils of both kindes, hees, and shees, became combi­ned together, by the cunning Leno his meanes, and were so farre engaged each to other, and to the whole band, [Page 22] that they had as good play their parts well, and haue good cheere, good store of gold, much making of, and other gentle pleasing curtesies for their paines, as by stepping aside, to spoyle the play, & to blot their owne reputations besides.

We might now proceede towards the presenting of some of our Actors vpon the stage, but that old doating Mengus, vppon pure spight to hinder our sport, hath dropped out a dry thred-bare rule, forged in his own braine: A caueat of auoyding suspition forsooth: telling vs, that we haue marred all in our holy play of deuils at first dash, for taking vpō vs to exorcise young wenches, beeing flatly against the Canon of that sacred Science, which is this in his booke, Si mulier sit, quae exorcizatur, sit valde senex: We must not exorcise a woman, except she be old. To this Canon wee aunswer, that Mengus speakes like an olde worne Exorcist, whose marke is out of his mouth: his rule hath many faults and infirmities in it. First, it is against the maxime of charitie, that biddes vs doe good vnto all: and what greater good can be to a young maide, then to ease her of a deuill? Secondlie, we finde by experience, and the confession of our young demoniacks, as you heard, that our exorcising priests, be of a very hote temper, and fierie complexion, so as but touching the young wenches, they cry out that they burne, this were verie dangerous for an olde dry wo­man, least shee should take fire. Thirdly, this would much abate the credit, and custome of Mengus his own profession, for we find not an old woman in an age to be possessed by the deuill: the deuils of our time in this Horizon louing more tender daintie flesh. And indeed it would be a Quaere, handsomly interlarded with Obs, and sols, why all both Popish, and other deuils which begin to swarme prety well in these dayes, beare such a spite to young Lads, but especially to young girles, and maides, that they ordinarily, or not at all vexe any, but [Page 23] such. But I leaue that to the profound Maisters, & pro­fessors of this holy hellish science. Fourthly, Mengus shewed no wit in teaching this rule: for there be certain actions, motions, distorsions, dislocations, writhings, tū ­blings, and turbulent passions fitting a deuils part, (to make it kindly expressed) not to be performed but by supplenesse of sinewes, pliablenesse of ioynts, and nim­blenesse of all parts, which an old body is as vnapt, and vnweldie vnto, as an old dog to a daunce. It would (I feare mee) pose all the cunning Exorcists, that are this day to be foūd, to teach an old corkie woman to writhe, tumble, curuet, & fetch her Morice gamboles, as Mar­tha Brossier did. These anus decrepitae, be asinae ad lyram to this geare: and therefore their Patron Mengus, may weare the eares himselfe, and leaue these stagers out.

CHAP. 6. ¶ Theyr waies of catching, and inueigling theyr disciples.

THe gift of discerning of spirits spoken of by S. Paul, being (as it is supposed) ceased in Gods Church, it becommeth a point of highest difficultie in the old, and new exorcising craft, by what meanes a man shall come to be certaine, whether the partie affected be pos­sessed, or no.

Learned Thyraeus discourseth touching the signes of possession in three large chapters de doemoniacis. Chap, 22.23, 24. First he saith, that neither the confession of the partie, nor his fierce behauiour, nor his brutish, and barbarous voice, nor his terrible countenaunce, nor the priuation almost of all his vitall functions, nor his diseases, and pangs in­curable in physick, nor the hauing the deuill oft in ones mouth, nor for a man to consecrate himselfe to the de­uil, to be presently snatcht away by him, nor the reuea­ling of secret matters, nor the knowledge of strange [Page 24] languages, nor extraordinary strength, nor all the signes, that appeared in such, as were spoken of in the Gospell to be possessed, are sufficient, and vndoubted signes, & rules, that the partie, in whom they appeare, is indeed possessed. And then going along, and naming other signes vnto vs, he puzzels himselfe pittifully, and leaues his Reader in a wood.

Our late popish Exorcists, haue certaine new deuised signes of their owne obseruation, more fitting the times, and effectuall for the gracing their gracelesse professi­on. Theyr Empericall signes be these. 1, If the partie affected, cannot for burning abide the presence of a Catholique priest. 2, If shee will hardly be brought to blesse herselfe with the signe of the Crosse. 3, If a cas­ket of reliques beeing brought her, shee turne away her face, and cry that they stinke. 4, If S. Iohns Gospel be­ing put in a Casket, and applied vnto her, she rubbe, or scratch any part of her body, and cry it burnes, it is an e­uident demonstration, that the enemie dooth lurke in that part. 5, If she can hardly be brought to pronoūce these words, Aue Maria, the mother of GOD, and most hardly the Catholique Church. 6, If a Casket of reliques couered with red, doe seeme white vnto her. 7, If shee tumble, and be vexed, whē any goe to confession. 8, If shee haue a shiuering at Masse. 9, If shee fleere, and laugh in a mans face.

But our holy Tragaedians heere had hast of theyr sport, and therefore they would not stay the trying of a­ny such curious signes, but tooke a shorter cut. Mar­wood, Westons patient, beeing pinched with penurie, & hunger, did lie but a night, or two, abroad in the fieldes, and beeing a melancholicke person, was scared vvith lightning, and thunder, that happened in the night, & loe,Weston Tractat. an euident signe, that the man was possessed. The priests must meet about this pittifull creature. Edmunds must come, the holie Chaire must be fetcht out, the holy [Page 25] budget of sacred reliques must be opened, and all the enchaunting mysteries applied about the poore man.

Ma: Maynie had a spice of the Hysterica passio, as seems from his youth, hee himselfe termes it the Moother (as you may see in his confession) and saith, that hee vvas much troubled with it in Fraunce, and that it was one of the causes that mooued him to leaue his holy order whereinto he was initiated, & to returne into England. For this, & for leauing the order of Bonhommes, see here an euident signe, that Maynie had a deuil: vvhatsoeuer hee did or spake, the deuil did, and spake in him: the horse that he rid vpon to Denham, was no horse, but the deuil: Maynie had the deuils in liuery-coates attending vpon him: and all this tragicall out-cry, for leauing his order, and a poore passion of the Mother, which a thou­sand poore girles in England had worse, then euer Ma: Maynie had.

Before I come to their women patients, I must tell you a tale, that I haue heard, which happily hath but too authenticall records for the nature of a tale. There was an holy man, who had more then a months minde to a daintie peece of flesh, that was oft in his eye, and by gloses and gifts, and Court-tricks, had as much as hee desired. This holy man was a setter to an exorcising crue, and to make his game as sure to the holy associati­on, as he had done vnto himselfe, he tels his sweet Cres­sida, that himselfe was much troubled in minde in her behalfe, and should get no quiet to his conscience, till they had both confessed themselues to an holy Catho­lique priest; which when she had done, the silly Conie was caught: she was seazed vpon for brayed wares, and was enforced to become a priuada, and to follow the ho­lie Campe. Heere is no morrall (gentle Reader) and therefore let vs haue no application.

Anne Smith was somewhat more affected with that hystericall humor of the Mother, and came to London [Page 26] out of Lancashire to her sister for physick: where mee­ting with the common badger, or kiddier for deuils, Ma: Peckham, at the L: Staffords house in London, she was marked out for the Court of possession, and by de­uise was sent downe to the holy hote-house at Denham, where after she had tasted a little of the discipline of the holy chaire, her heauing of the Mother proued a mon­strous shee-deuill, and she was chaire-haunted so long, till shee was faine, for her better ease, to vse swathing bands for three yeeres after.

Miracle booke. Pag. 20. Sara Williams, had a little paine in her side (and in an other place beside) but because that was not enough to discouer a deuill, she was Cat-bitten too. That is, once seeking for egges, in a bush by a Woods side, and a Cat leaping out of a bush, where she had lyen a-sleepe, Sara was scared with the sodaine leaping of the Cat, and did a little tremble, as persons sodainly moued with feare vse to doe: Loe heere a plaine case, Saraes Cat was a de­uill, and she must be Cat-hunted, or Priest-hunted for this sight.

Looke her Confess. Fidd: Williams was deuill-caught, by a very strange meanes. Shee dwelling with Mistris Peckham, and be­ing one day in the Kitchin, wringing out a bucke of cloathes, Dibdale the Priest came into the Kitchin, where she was a washing, and tapping her on the shoul­der told her, that her Mistres looked for her, to whom she aunswered, that she had almost done washing, and then she would goe.

Presently after this, she lifting at a tub of water, which stoode there ready filled, to be vsed in her washing, her feete slipped from vnder her, the Kitchin being paued, and hauing a shrewd fall, did hurt her hippe, with the griefe whereof, she was constrained for 2 or 3 dayes to keepe her bed. Here begins the deuil from the Kitchin. Into her chamber comes the louing crue of pittifull de­uill-catching Priests, they bemoane the mishap of her [Page 27] hippe forsooth, and after some other kinde ceremonies, they fish out of her at length, that she had beene some­time past troubled with a paine in her side. Ah Sir the case is plaine: these two put together, her hip, and her side make vp a iust deuill, & a monstrous one too, com­pounded of two such dissimilar partes I weene. But wil you see how? It was the deuill that tripped vp Fidds heeles in the Kitchin, and gaue her the shrewd fall. And why, would you guesse? The wicked spirit could not endure her, because she had washed amongst her buck of cloathes a catholique priests shirt. Iesu Maria. And a worse thing in it then so: but I will giue the records leaue to speake it for me. I trust you will not looke for any other, after this dangerous fall on the hippe, but that this should proue a reall possession, as in deede it did.

Young Trayford the sixth patient, being a boon-com­panion, as seemes, and louing wine, and women well, (as appeares by the declaration) had enflamed his toe, and at some times felt a spice of the gowt: a plaine case (as the nose on a mans face) the young man had a deuill, and must be coniured all ouer for his wicked toe. Now what a wofull taking are all those poore creatures in, that haue about them by birth, casualty, or mishap any close imper, ache, or other more secret infirmity? when a paine in a maides belly, a stitch in her side, an ache in her head, a crampe in her legge, a tinckling in her toe, (if the good Exorcist please) must needes hatch a deuil, and bringforth such chaire-worke, fier-worke, and de­uill-worke, as you shall heare heereafter? And what a deliration is this in our graue, learned, and famous Col­ledge of auncient renowmed Physicians, to vndertake a long, costly, and painfull course of study in those ex­cellent worthies of learned times Galen, Hippocrates, and the rest, and to spend their money, strength, and spirits, in searching the treasurie of Nature: let them cassier [Page 28] those olde monuments of Ethnick prophane learning, and turne Wisard, Seer, Exorcist, Iugler, or Witch: let them turne ouer but one new leafe in Sprenger, Ni­der, Mengus, or Thyraeus, and see how to discouer a de­uill in the Epilepsie, Mother, Crampe, Convulsion, Sci­atica, or Gowt, and then learne a spell, an amulet, a periapt of a priest, and they shall get them more fame, and money in one week, then they doe now by all their painfull trauaile in a yeere.

It is a very poore bayte, as you may see by Trayfords gowtie toe, where-out our hungry Exorcists will not, rather then faile, nibble a deuill. And if I be not much deceaued, I haue heard it credibly reported by some, that haue cause to know, that the Popes Holines him­selfe may be deuill-caught by this trick. For it is credi­bly auouched, that this sweet natured Clement the 8, with vsing too much some sweet sawce, is molested with the gowt. Now what a Quaere would this proue, if a Lyn­ceus Exorcist should discouer a deuill in his Holines toe? How would the Scotists, and Thomists belabour, and trick the deuill with questions in the Popes toe? First, whether his Hol: being necessarily inuested with the holy spirit of God, can possibly admit of a deuill, no. Then graunting by way of admittance, that his Hol: may be possessed, whether his resolutions be to be taken for the Canons of Gods holy spirit, or the maximes of the deuill: and lastly, if the deuill may lurk in the Popes toe, whether his wise, holy, sweet babes with beards, that haue kissed his toe, haue kissed the deuill, yea or no in his toe: but my wit is too shallow, to sound these deepe profundities: I must goe on, and tell you, what farther newes from Denham.

CHAP. 7. ¶ Their holy pretences to make their Disciples sure vnto them.

YOu will wonder, that these visards being so bare, and made all of browne paper, should euer serue the turne to make a maske for a deuill, vntill you heare how handsomly the glew of holy church doth make it hang together, and how it is stitched vp with packthreed of holy deuotion. If their patients be Catholiques, whom they set their hooke for, a lime-twigge of a rush wil serue the turne to catch them, hold them, and fasten them to their tackling: but if their Conies be Protestants, and such as goe to Church, then some holy ceremonies for good fashion sake, must be solemnly vsed, to combine them the neerer vnto their holy Fathers, that the band and knot may be the surer betweene them for vntying againe, and to bring them to lye betweene the sweete breasts of their holy Mother, the Romish Church: that the mammaday, which shall be giuen them, may doe them the more good.

Heere you are to vnderstand, that all, or the most of vs Protestants, are forsooth in a most wofull case: for the most of vs already, without the helpe of either passi­on of the Mother, Sciatica, Gowte, Cat-biting, or hip­ping, according to the Romish Kalender, are plainly, & really possessed with deuils. In so much as the reuerend Thyraeus disputes it very profoundly,De Daemo: Cap. 18. pro, & con. and foyles a whole chap: with this learned probleme: Ʋtrum heretici sint verè á daemonibus obsessi? Whether Protestants (whom he termes Haeretiques) be truly possessed with deuills. Where first he sayes for vs, that wee haue magnam con­iunctionem, vel comunionem cum Daemonibus: Great fel­lowship, and neere friendship with the deuil. 2 Quam plu­rimi cum diabolo egerunt, vel ab eodem tanquam magistro [Page 30] sua dogmata acceperunt. That very many of vs haue dealt with the deuill, and haue receaued our principles of no other maister, then the deuill: And these reasons, he sayth, will easily perswade some to thinke, we haue actually deuils in deede. But he for his part, of pure good will vnto vs, will thinke that wee are not to be accounted properly possessed. Propterea quod vera in ipsis signa, quae obsessos produnt, desiderantur. His reasons, that mooue him to thinke so well of vs, are, because wee doe not tumble, wallow, foame, howle, scricke, and make mouthes, and mops, as the popish possessed vse to doe. Loe, doth not the good man deserue you should giue him a bribe, for so mildly concluding his aphorisme on your sides, that you are not to be said to be really possessed: but onely to deale, talke, make league, friendship, and familiarity with the deuill. But our 12 Apostolicall Exorcists, and Weston their head, in their deeper in-sight, and experi­ence of vs Protestants, haue long since set olde Thyraeus to schoole, and bidden him turne ouer his booke to an other leafe: for they plainly see, teach, and auouch, that the greatest part of vs Protestants, are possessed in deed. Sara Williams saith in her deposition, that it was an vsuall saying with the Priests, that many Protestants were posses­sed. But Friswood goes further, & sayes in plaine termes, That the Priests in talking of the Protestants, haue affirmed of them in her hearing, that the greatest share of them were possessed with deuils. I could wish, that whilst our Exor­cists are in this good mood to say, and auouch, that you haue deuils: and you in your good moode, for hearing them so say, that you had some 12 of their holiest Exor­cists amongst you, and Weston their champion, to trie whether they could coniure a deuill out of you, or you coniure them, for saying you haue the deuil. But I pray you in the meane while help them out of their muse, for they are sorely perplexed, to think vpon that day, when England shall become Catholique againe, how the Ca­tholiques [Page 31] shal be pestered with worke in casting out deuils, by reason of the infinite number of vs prote­stants, that hauing deuils in vs, must come into theyr handling. Our hands (say they) shall then be full of chaire-worke indeed. And verily as many, as be young women, and maides, and marke in the course of this storie the kind handling of Anne, Fid, and Sara (three proper young maids) by the Doctors of the Chayre, and withall, shall obserue well the manner of the Chayre, theyr holy brimstone, holy potion, and the rest of that holy geere, wil (I doubt not) be much delighted with the contem­plation of that day, and rather then faile, hartily both wish and pray, that all theyr holy works may grace Ti­burne, as they haue worthily deserued, with new holy re­liques, before that day come.

Well, howsoeuer you like them, or theyr holy chaire, this is theyr theoreme sure, and sound, that the greatest part of Protestants be possessed: and so they proceeded with Anne, Fid, and Sara. Who before they becam en­tangled in their holy ginnes, were protestant maydes, & went orderly to Church. Mary after that they, and their Leno had caught them with cat-biting, hipping, and crosbiting (as you haue heard) & that they had brought them with their Syren-songs to belieue, that some wic­ked spirit had lyen a long time lurking in theyr bellies, and theyr sides, why then they enchaunt them a fresh with this lamentable dolefull dittie: That theyr harts doe bleede for sorrow, to see them in this pittifull wofull plight, being in Satans possession, that they burne with bowels of cō ­miseration, and compassion of theyr distressed estate, that they would spend theyr best spirits, and liues to doe them any good: onely one little thing is a barre, that hinders the influence of all diuine grace, and fauour vpon them, and that is theyr re­ligion, which they must first abandon, and be reconciled to the Pope, or otherwise all theyr holy ceremonies are of no a­uaile. And heere beginnes their holy pageant to peepe [Page 32] into the stage. First, they tell Friswood, and Sara, (as you may see in their confessions) that theyr baptisme they had receiued in the Church of England, must be a­mended, in regard it wanted many rites, ceremonies, & ornaments, belonging to the baptisme of the Church of Rome.

Heere Allen and Parsons will con you little thanke for so little setting by their resolution in cases for Eng­land. Their words are these: Ceremoniae omissae baptismi in pueris, In their booke of Cases for England. cum possunt commodè suppleri, debent, non autem id faciendum consulimus in ijs, qui sunt prouectioris aetatis, ne inde nascatur scandalum, aut opinio, priorem baptismum non valuisse. Your Ceremonies (say your two Gods) may be fitly played vpon the baptisme of children, but vpon an adultus not so: least a conceit, or scandale arise thereby, that the former baptisme should not be of it selfe good. Allen and Parson, determine Friswood and Saras English baptisme good enough, without your goodly ceremonies florished ouer their heads, and yet you must be dooing in spight of them both. Your im­plements were ready for the purpose, and it fitted your deuill-worke better, and so you esteemed not Allen or Parsons a pinne. And in good sooth, you might aswell haue kept these goodly Ceremonies in your budget, ex­cept you cleerly meant, to mocke almighty God, and to make the sacrament naught els, saue a rattle for fooles, babes, and women, to make sport withall. In my opini­on, there was neuer Christmas-game performed, vvith moe apish, indecent, slouenly gawdes, then your bapti­sing, and super-baptising ceremonies are. Your puffe, your crosse-puffe, your expuffe, your inpuffe vppon the face of a tender infant, beeing the impure stinking breath of a foule impure belching swaine, your enchaū ­ted salt, your charmed grease, your sorcerised chrisme, your lothsome driuell, that you put vppon theyr eyes, eares, noses, and lyppes, are fitting complements for [Page 33] hynch pynch, and laugh not: coale vnder candlesticke: Frier Rush: and wo-penny hoe. Which are more ciuilly acted, and with lesse foule soyle, and lothsome indecorum, then your spattring, and greasing tricks vpon the poore in­fant: and yet old doting Bellarmine blurres three whole leaues of paper, in displaying the banner of this ridicu­lous trumpery, telling vs a long tale, that they came from tradition of the Church: when we can aswel tell, as hee can his Aue Marie, from what sniueling Pope, what drunken Frier, what Heathenish imitation they did all proceede.

But see these popish guegawes acted vpon Friswood herselfe. First out comes the holy chaire, and Friswood the new babe is placed very demurely in it, with a cloth vpon her head, and a crosse vpon it. Then in comes the priest attired in an Albe, or a Cope with a candle in his hand, (or else he is Anathema by the Counsell of Trent) and after the performance of a whole anticke-sute of Crosses, hee approches very reuerently to Friswood in the chayre. Then, as herselfe in her confession describes it, he first charmes her in Latine, then he puts salt in her mouth, spittle vppon her eares, and eyes, and annoints her lippes and her nose with oyle, and so God and Saint Frauncis saue the young childe: in steade of Friswood, christening her by the name of Frauncis, because that Saint had such a soueraigne commaund ouer the birds of the ayre, that his name for it was made communicable both to hee, and shee: and Sara was christened by the name of Mary.

Suppose now (gentle Reader) that Friswoods Mother had come sodainly in, and seene the Priest with his can­dell in his hand, and his Cope vpon his backe, busie in his enchaunting Latine charme, and with-all had espied her daughter Friswood musled in her chaire of estate, with a cloath, and a Crosse, and her other sacred geare, I wonder what she would sodainly haue thought: whe­ther [Page 34] she would not haue beene much amazed at this in­fernall incantation, and haue imagined that a ghost in steede of Friswood, had beene coniured out of hell. But if shee had had the hart to haue spoken vnto Friswood, and to haue called her by her name, and she should so­dainly haue stepped out of her enchaunted chaire, and haue said, that her name had not beene Friswood, but Frauncis, verily they would haue taken her for a ghost in deede, or haue feared that the Priest had enchaunted her out of her wits.

But stay, what hast? For after these new transformed creatures had their ceremonies, and rites done vppon them, and were framed, fashioned, and attired for their parts, and were ready for the chaire, & the stage, no man abroad could be admitted to either sight, or speech with them: intus res agitur, they were now mysticall crea­tures, and must attend their sacred close mysteries with­in. All must be mum: Clum, quoth the Carpenter, Clum quoth the Carpenters wife, and Clum quoth the Friar. You shall be more thoroughly confirmed by Friswood her selfe, touching this poynt, who saith in her exami­nation,See her ex­amina: That neither shee, nor her sister Sara did see either father or mother, being in the same Towne, all the while that they were in theyr hands: neyther would they suffer their father or mother to speake with them, though they desired it many times: and that her mother growing into some earnest­nesse, and hard speech with the Exorcists, because she could not be permitted to see her daughters, the priests did shake her of with angry words, saying, that shee had as much neede to be exorcised as her daughters had. A man would now verily perswade himselfe, that there game was sure set, and needed no more watching; and yet yee shall see a nayle, or two driuen in more, to riuet the frame more sure.

After her new christendome, Fris: in her examination saith, that before she should come to receiue the sacrament, [Page 35] they told her, that shee must first vow, and promise by the vertue of that holy sacrament, that shee would euer after­wards hold the religion of the Church of Rome, and neuer goe againe to any of the Protestants Churches, nor neuer reade the English seruice, or the English Bible, or any other English bookes written by the Protestants, in matters of reli­gion. And this vow (as shee saith) is ordinarily made by all that are reconciled.

CHAP. 8. ¶ Their meanes and manner of instructing theyr schollers.

WHen they haue brought in theyr Conies, and made them as sure, as flesh and blood can make them, haue enchaunted them with their compassionate deuotion, haue engaged them vnto their ghostlie Fa­thers, haue fascinated them with their solemne incanta­tion, haue initiated them into theyr Church by their new mock-Christendome, haue confirmed them with their sacraments, and haue bound them by vow, neuer to forsake theyr ghostly communion: then begin they to reade them Lectures by rote, in their schoole of le­gerdemaine, and to acquaint them with their parts, they haue in hand to play. Wherein the good cōceit of their scholler to apprehend her lesson well, to carry in minde what her Master hath said ouer, to apply it to her owne case, and to put it handsomly in vre, is a little required.

First, they omit no occasion, at all times, in all places, when they be together, & their schollers by their sweet side, to talke of the strangenesse of possession, of the wonders they haue seene in possession, of the many mar­uelous possessions they haue been at: and the Echo in all meetings is still possession. Then they tell ouer, and ouer, how wonderous strangely the parties possessed, whom they haue dealt withall, haue been affected: and [Page 36] they say ouer very treatably, particularly, and distinctly, the whole Catalogue of the actions, motions, passions, perturbations, agitations, gestures, tumblings, discorti­ons, deformations, howlings, skrikings, visions, appa­ritions, changes, alterations, speeches, & railings, that the parties possessed haue vsed, and practised in theyr seuer­all fits.

Heare Sara Williams theyr scholler report her owne lesson in these words. It was the ordinary custome of the Priestes, to be talking of such, as had been possessed beyond the seas, and to tell the manner of theyr fits, and what they spake in them: also what vglie sights they saw somtimes, and at other times what ioyfull sights: and how, when reliques were applyed vnto them, the parties would roare: how they could not abide holy water, nor the sight of the sacrament, nor the annointed Priests of the Catholique church, nor any good thing: how they would greatly commend hereticks: how the deuills would complaine, when the Priests touched the par­ties, that they burnt them, and put them into an extreame heate: how sometimes they could smell the Priests. Heere is her lesson read ouer: and marke the scholler how well she conned it, and made application thereof. By the said tales, (said shee) shee well perceiued, how shee might please them, and did frame herselfe accordingly, at such times as she well perceiued, it was theyr intent that she should so doe.

Heare Friswood, Saras sister repeate her lesson by hart, that her good Maisters had said ouer to her, when shee came first to schoole.See her ex­amina: Her words are thus. That the priests would be often talking in her hearing, of certaine vvomen that were possessed beyond the seas: how the deuill in them could not abide the holy potion, nor the burning of hallowed brimstone, nor the applying vnto thē of holy reliques, nor the presence, or touching of Cath: priests, nor holy water, nor the holy candle, nor the blessed sacrament: but would start at it, and say they burned, rage, and raile against the Priestes, & commend vpon euery occasion those, that were the Prote­stants. [Page 37] See how in time she could her lesson by hart, and profited in this godly schoole. By this meanes she learned, (as she saith) what to say, and doe when the priests had her in hand: that is, to start sometimes, when they brought re­liques vnto her, to pretend that she could not endure the pre­sence of the sacrament. Marrie Friswood beeing a schol­ler, not of the quickest apprehension, did not con her lesson by hart the first day, (which cost her the setting on in the holy chaire for her dulnesse) but it was some six or seauen weekes, ere she found their meaning, and then (quoth shee) I began to find theyr iugling, and how that my selfe saying this or that, spake nothing, but what I had lear­ned of the Priests.

Heare Anne Smith report, how shee learned her eue, to come into her fits. These are her words. She had been told by diuers (as she confesseth) how others had been troubled, viz: how in theyr fits they were greatly tormented: how they could not endure the priestes to come neere them: how when a Priest did lay his hand vppon any part of them, the said partie would be so hote, as though it would burne thē to the bone: how the deuill in them would raile vpon the Ca­tholiques, and greatly commend the Protestants: and many other such things.

Heare Ma. Maynie theyr chiefe scholler, relate how by degrees hee grew to his perfection in the iugling schoole. First (saith he) beeing at my L. Vaux his house at Hackney at dinner, in the dinner time there was much communication of the late possession, and dispossession of one Marwood by certaine Priests, and chiefely (if I do not for­get my selfe) by Ma. Edmunds: the tales which were told of that matter seemed strange vnto mee, as what extraordi­nary strength he had in his fits, how he roared like a Bull, & many other such things. After this beeing at Denham, the women of the house came vnto me, and reported vnto me the manner of the fits of the two possessed in the house, descri­bing them in such sort, as I was much amazed therewith. [Page 38] Then they permitted me to haue accesse vnto Sara Wil: whē she was in her fits, and enformed mee likewise of the manner how she, and others had been troubled: and when I had lear­ned theyr humour, and perceiued as well by the rest, as by mine owne experience, what would content them, I framed my selfe accordingly.

Loe here the Captaine of this holy schoole of leger­demaine tells you, what was the highest point to be learned in this schoole, and what was the perfection of a scholler, of the highest forme: to wit, to frame them­selues iumpe and fit vnto the Priests humors, to mop, mow, iest, raile, raue, roare, commend, & discommend, and as the priests would haue them, vpon fitting occa­sions (according to the difference of times, places, and commers in) in all things to play the deuils according­lie, as Ma: Maynie heere saith, and his other play-deuils afore. As euery scholler in this schoole had the wit, and good grace to frame himselfe betimes, to the bent of his holy Maister, and to act his feates kindly, roundly, and artificially at a beck, so was theyr proceeding with him, or her more gentle, and mild. For if he could once read his lesson in his Maisters eyes and face, what needed any other hard horne-booke to beate about his head: but if he were dull, and slow, vnto this framing himselfe, and must heere his lesson many times said ouer by hart by the Priest, and yet could not learne his cue, or else not perfectly remember his seuerall changes, and keyes, why then hee must tast of the discipline of the schoole, to rouze vp his spirits better, & cause him entend his geare well; & that was the discipline of the holy chaire, (wher­of ye shall heare anon) such a discipline, as by that time it had been tasted soundly but once, or twice, I suppose the deuill himselfe (if he could haue had the sence of it, that these poore schollers had) would rather haue cho­sen, to haue roared, fomed, & wallowed, and haue tur­ned him into all shapes, as the priests would haue him, [Page 30] then euer to haue endured, the course of the same. But his chayre could not be spared, for many good offices, and therefore of that more at large heereafter.

CHAP. 9. ¶ Of the secrets, and strange operation of the holy Chaire, and holy Potion.

SAlue prìsca fides tripodis, saith the Poet to the enchan­ted feate at Delphos, which was so famous for the holy inspiration of the God Apollo, that his Prophetesse could giue no Oracle, except shee were placed ouer that sacred stoole. We haue heere in hand, a more sa­cred enchaunted seate, which was so potent, and of so various vses, and offices, to our holy Impostors, as with­out it they could shew few, or no wonders, or miracles at all. And that is the blessed chayre, which I eft-soones mentioned vnto you, which serued them to more good purposes, for their holy legerdemaine, then euer the chayre, or sword at Delphos did Apolloes priests. I should doe you wrong, if I should not first describe this blessed Engine barely, and nakedly vnto you, and there repeate you the manifold commodities, and delights of the same.

You shal haue Fidd: and Sara the reporters of it vnto you, who by reason of their wofull experience, haue best skill to doe it.

At the end of the first Masse, (saith Fidd: Willi:) that e­uer she saw, which was said by Ma: Dibdale: hee told her, See her ex­amin: that now they would make triall, what was in her. And there­vpon she being perfectly well, and telling Ma: Dibdale, and the rest as much, yet they would needes haue her sit downe in a chayre, which she did. Then they began to binde her with towells, whereat she greatly meruailed, and was there-with cast into a great feare, as not knowing, what they meant to doe with her: being in this case, Ma: Dibdale began to reade [Page 40] in his booke of Exorcising: and after a good while, seeing no other alteration in her, then the tokens of feare, which en­creased by reason of his words, and dealings, then they vrged her to drinke aboue a pinte of Sacke, and Sallet-oyle, being hallowed, and mingled with some kinde of spices: when shee tasted this drinke, which they termed, an holy potion, it did so much dislike her, that shee could drinke but a little of it at once, her stomacke greatly loathing it, and then the Priest said: all that came from the deuil, who hated nothing worse, then that holy drinke: so as she was held, and by very force caused to drinke it vp at diuers draughts. Heere-vpon shee grew to be very sicke, and giddy in her head, and began to fall into a cold sweat: verily then beleeuing, that (as the Priest said) it was a wicked spirit, that caused her to be in such case: whereas afterwards, when she better had conside­red of their dealing with her, shee easily perceaued, that the drinke they gaue her was such, as might haue made a horse sicke. This was the first part of the chayre-worke, and the second was sweeter then this. When her stomacke, head, and veines, were full of the holy drinke, then to take brimstone, and burne it in a chafingdish of coales, and by force to hold downe her face ouer the fume. Which broyling with brimstone Ma: Maynie confes­seth he saw so butcherly practised vpon Sara Will: as hee had seene her face after it, looke more blacker, and swart, with the fume, then any chimney-sweepers did.

Now I present vnto your imaginations, Sara Will: sit­ting bound in a chayre (as poore wench shee often did) with a pinte of this holy potion in her stomacke, working vp into her head, and out at her mouth, and her eyes, nose, mouth, and head, stuffed full with the smoake of holy perfume, her face being held down ouer the fume, till it was all ouer, as blacke as a stocke, and think if you see not in your minde, the liuely Idaea of a poore deuill-distressed woman in deede.

And heere, least good Father Mengus should take it [Page 41] in ill part, that we leaue him out of this deuillish worke, who had his greatest part in prescribing the perfume for the chayre, you shall first heare his Dos touching the bill for the holy perfume: and then I shall be able to giue you a perfect receite, to make an horse posses­sed.

After his holy benediction, Page, 173. Flag: Daemon: this is his perfume. Accipiatur Sulphur, Galbanum, & caet. Take brimstone, Assa faetida, Galbanum, S. Iohns Wort, and Rue. All these things being hallowed, according to their owne proper, and peculiar benediction, must be cast vpon the fire, and the smoake thereof applied to the nosethrills of the possessed. Now you haue your full number of simples, take your whole bill, to possesse a horse with a deuill. Take a lusty young stond horse, and tye him with a big rope to a Smiths forge, take the holy potion compoun­ded of Rue, Sacke, Drugges, and Sallet-oyle Ana more then a pinte, put it with an horne downe into the horses throat, that done, take Brimstone, Assa faetida, Galbanum, S. Iohns Wort, and Rue, burne them all toge­ther, vpon a chafing-dish of coales, apply the smoake so long to the nosethrils of the horse, till you haue made his face with the smoake, looke as blacke as the Smith: and if the horse doe not snort, flyng, fome, curuet, and take on like a deuill, you may pay the Smith, for his ho­ly drinke, and take the horse with you for your paines. There is neither Horse, nor Asse, nor Dogge, nor Ape, if he had beene vsed, as these poore seely creatures were, but would haue beene much more deuillishly affected then they. Neither is any man liuing (as I suppose) of that mortified patience, who would not be much mo­ued with indignation, to heare the seely maides com­plaine of the vsage of that holy infernall crue.

First, Fidd: Williams complaines, as ye haue heard in her relation, That it made her giddy, and cast her into a cold sweat. 2, That it cast her into a rage, and caused her [Page 42] to speake, shee wist not what. 3, It did so intoxicate, and benum her sences, as in one of her fits, where-into they had cast her by their holy potion, and brimstone, there were two needles thrust into her legge, by one of the Priests (whereof in an other place) and she wist it not, till after shee had reco­uered her sences. 4, For her complaining to them of their inciuill, & inhumane vsage of her by their potion and perfume: They had her to the chayre, and so pla­gued her with both, as being there-with wonderfully sicke, she fell into a swound. 5, It was so loathsome a thing to the beholders, to see the holy potion giuen vnto them, that diuers Gentlewomen present, did weepe for pitty, to see them goe to their geare. 6, She was so haunted heere­with, and grew so weary of her life by this meanes: as shee cried aloude vnto her vncle, whom shee heard by chaunce on the other side of a garden wall: O good Vncle, helpe me from hence, for I am almost killed amongst them heere already, and shall not liue, if I continue heere long. 7, Being grown to great weakenes, and almost desperate, shee told the priests plainly, at the end of one of her fits, where-into they had cast her, by their drinks, slibber-sawces, and brimstone, that if shee had a deuill in her, they had best to cast him out: For (quoth she) if euer you torment me so a­gaine, dispatch me, if you list: otherwise I will certainly by one meanes, or other, get away from you, and will tell my friends of all your proceedings, and dealings heere, both with me, and others. Thus farre Fidd Williams: and was Sara her si­ster, lesse beholding to their holy potion, holy brimstone, and the chayre? let her selfe tell you, who hath best cause to remember.

First, she saith, shee dooth not remember euery seuerall time, when they bound her in the chayre, but they troubled her very often, (praying God to forgiue them) and affir­meth, that when she came to the chayre, she was so vsed, as that euery time, if she might haue had her choyse, shee would rather haue chosen to haue ended her life, then to haue gone [Page 43] into it. Secondly, that if at any time shee was past the vse of her sences, it was by reason of the holy potion, they com­pelled her to take. Thirdly, that shee fell into the passion of the trembling of the hart, onely vpon griefe of their bad v­sage of her, & that thorough that passion, she did diuers times swound. Fourthly, that they vsed their holy brimstone so much, as the stinke of it neuer went out of the chamber. Fift­lie, that foule holy potion, made such an impression in her phancie: and the loathsomnes of it did so sticke in her mind, as yet to this day she cannot endure the tast, nor sauour of any thing that was in the same. In so much, as about three yeeres since, she feeling a pangue of sicknes in the Market at Oxford, some of her neighbours at vnawares, gaue her a little Sacke: which as soone as she perceaued, shee fell to be very sicke vpon it, and was constrained to lye there all night. The offence of the Sacke being the onely griefe that she had, after shee was recouered of her saide pangue. Sixtly, they would holde her nose, and face perforce, so neere ouer the smoake of brimstone, feathers, and such other stinking geare, that the very paine she felt, caused her to crie, and scritche very lowde, and to struggle as much, as possibly she could, till her strength failed her. At one time she was so extreamely afflicted with the said drinke, that her sences went from her, and she remained in a swound: and after that, her head was so giddie with the potion, and her sences so troubled with the brimstone smoake, as she spake, and babled many idle foolish words. Seauenthly, their chaire, potion, and brimstone perfume grew so hatefull to her sister Fidd, and so vn­tolerable to her selfe, as vpon her sisters suggestion, she attempted to runne from the house, and to wade through a brooke, halfe a yard deepe of water.

Thus much Sara Williams. And did Ma: Maynie, their prime professour escape, the chayre, the brimstone, and the blessed potion? That had beene great pitty, the de­uill, alias Weston, loued him much better then so. Of whom Ma: Maynie complaineth, That he was constrai­ned [Page 44] by him to drinke most loathsome draughts of such con­fections, as he had ready for him. And that sometimes they burnt such abhominable stinking, and violent things, hol­ding his nose by force ouer the smoake, as I think (quoth he) would haue made an horse mad. But in another place, he tells vs a shrewder tale of Weston, that holy deuill, tou­ching this deuillish potion. God knoweth (saith he) whe­ther Weston supposed I would haue taken some course, to haue shortned mine owne time, as constrained by some sort there-vnto, by the great weakenes, and wearines of my life. Is this an effect of your blessed loathsome potion, to driue Fidd, Sara, and Ma: Maynie, into a loathing of their owne liues: and to enter into a desperate resolu­tion, touching shortning the same? Then holy gentle deuils, the Maisters of this deuil-tragedy, let me aske you a question, but it shall be in your eare, that the Catho­liques, who hold you for holy ghostly fathers, may not heare: How many drammes of this holy potion had you giuen to the wench, that you wote of, whom you ex­orcised so long, till shee fell from off a paire of stayres, and brake her necke, whether for telling of tales, or that you feared after-claps; it is very probable, you had filled her head full of your holy perfume.

Anne Smith, was yet in a farre better case, then these: for she confesseth, she was so gently tyed, and hampe­red, in the holy chaire, that she was compelled, for three yeeres space after she was released, to swadle her body, for the very sorenes she felt of their holy hands.

Gentle spectators, we haue held you som-what long, ere our play begin: but now you see the deuils are come vpon the stage in their proper colours, Belzebub, alias Weston, and his 12 gracious assistants: For if the deuils themselues should haue deuised a deuillish potion, to haue intoxicated poore creatures, & cause them to play the deuils, they could not haue inuented a more potent potion then this. Lucian tells a tale, that the passengers [Page 45] to hell are made to drinke a draught of a potion, that makes them to forget all they haue said, or done in their life: our stygian Impostors goe farre beyond that stygian lake, for they haue composed a potion, that brings not only a priuation of wit, memory, and sences, but makes their patients to scritch, tumble, and roare, like the de­uils in hell. And this (good man deuill-whipper Men­gus) as seemes, is the mysterie of your sweet compose, to fume a deuill out at a mans nose, like the smoake of Tobacco?

Whereas your prescript is compounded of these de­licate simples, Brimstone, Assa faetida, Galbanum, S. Iohns Wort, and Rue; Porphyrie, & Iamblichus, men acquain­ted with the nature, and disposition of deuils, afore your whip had ere a string to it, doe affirme, that those forci­ble violent sauours, and stinking odours, are the very delicacies for deuils, and allectiues to their noses. And that the deuill would not vouchsafe to come giue his Oracle at the statua at Dodona, vntill he were wooed by these delicious perfumes. Those deuils of that clime, are belike of an other temper, then these vnder your lash, or else let me tell your riddle: you neuer meant (good man) to scare out a deuill by these filthy fumes, but to scare poore soules into the fashion of deuils, by these pestilent fumigations.

CHAP. 10. ¶ The strange names of their deuils.

NOw that I haue acquainted you with the names of the Maister, and his twelue disciples, the names of the places wherein, and the names of the persons vpon whom these wonders were shewed: it seemes not incō ­gruent that I relate vnto you the names of the deuils, whom in this glorious pageant they did dispossesse. [Page 46] Wherein, we may call vnto Porphyrius, Proclus, Iambli­cus, and Trismegistus, the old Platonicall sect, that con­uersed familiarly, and kept company with deuils, and desire their help to expound vs these new deuils names: and to tell vs at what solemne feast, and meeting in hell, these deuils were dubbed, and halowed with these new strange names. It cannot be but our holy deuill-crue had surely met with Menippus, proclaiming himselfe new come out of hell: ad sum profoundo Tartari emissus specu: Else they could neuer haue beene so deeply sighted, and acquainted with the Muster-booke of hell. Or else it may seeme that our vagrant deuils heere did take theyr fashion of new names from our wandring Iesuits, who to dissemble themselues, haue alwaies three, or foure odde conceited names in their budget: or els they did so plague the poore deuils with theyr holy charmes, and enchaunted geare, and did so intoxicate them with their dreadful fumigations, as they made some so giddy-hea­ded, that they gaue themselues giddy names, they wist not what. Or else there is a confederation between our wandring Exorcists, and these walking deuils, and they are agreed of certaine vncouth non-significant names, which goe currant amongst themselues, as the Gipsies are of gibridge, which none but themselues can spell without a paire of spectacles. Howsoeuer it is, it is not amisse that you be acquainted with these extrauagant names of deuils, least meeting thē otherwise by chance, you mistake them, for the names of Tapsters, or Iug­lers.

First then, to marshall them in as good order, as such disorderly cattell will be brought into, you are to vn­derstand, that there were in our possessed 5. Captaines, or Cōmaunders aboue the rest: Captaine Pippin, Mar­woods deuill,See the booke of Miracles. Captaine Philpot, Trayfords deuil, Captaine Maho, Saras deuil, Captaine Modu, Maynies deuill, and Captaine Soforce, Anne Smiths deuil. These were [Page 47] not all of equall authoritie, & place, but some had more, some fewer vnder theyr commaund. Pippin, Marwoods deuill was a Captaine, (marry either cassierd for some part of bad seruice hee had done, or else a male-content standing vpon his worth) like some of our high Punti­lios, scorned to sort himselfe with any of his ranke, and therefore like a melancholick Priuado, he affects Mar­wood to lie in the fields, and to gape at the Moone, and so of a Caesars humor, he raignes in Marwood alone.

Captaine Philpot, Trayfords deuill, was a Centurion, (as himselfe tels you) and had an hundred vnder his charge. Mary he was (as seemes) but a white-liuered de­uill, for he was so hastie to be gone out of Trayford, for feare of the Exorcist, that hee would scarce giue him leaue, beeing a bed, to put on his breeches. The names of ther punie spirits cast out of Trayford were these, Hil­co, Smolkin, Hillio, Hiaclito, and Lustie huffe-cap: this last seemes some swaggering punie deuill, dropt out of a Tinkers budget. But Hiaclito may not be slipped ouer without your obseruation: for he scorning a great while (as the Author saith) to tell his name, at last he aunswe­red most proudly, my name is Hiaclito, a Prince, Booke of Miracles. & Mo­narch of the world. And beeing asked by the Exorcist, what fellowes he had with him: hee said that hee had no fellowes, but two men, and an vrchin boy. It was little besee­ming his state (I wis) beeing so mighty a Monarch, to come into our coasts so skuruily attended, except hee came to see fashions in England, and so made himselfe priuate till the Exorcist reueald him: or els that he was of the new Court cut, affecting no other traine thē two crasie fellowes, and an vrchin butter-flie boy.

Soforce, Anne Smiths possedent, was but a musty de­uill; there was neither mirth, nor good fellowship with him, affecting so much sullennesse, as he would hardlie speake. Yet as all melancholike creatures vse to haue, he had a restie tricke with him. For whether Alexander the [Page 48] Apothecarie had put too much Assa Faetida in the fu­migation for the deuill, or had done the deuill some o­ther shrewd turne with his drugges, sure it is that A­lexander the Apothecarie, riding one day towards Lon­don, to fetch more Priests to Denham, his horse fell a plunging, and Alexander came downe: and returning to Denham, hee constantly affirmed, that it was Anne Smiths deuill, that playd the Iade with him.

Modu, Ma: Maynies deuill, was a graund Commaun­der, Muster-maister ouer the Captaines of the seauen deadly sinnes: Cliton, Bernon, Hilo, Motubizanto, & the rest, himselfe a Generall of a kind and curteous disposi­on: so saith Sara Williams, touching this deuils acquain­tance with Mistres Plater, and her sister Fid.

Booke of Miracles. page, 42. Sara Williams had in her at a bare word, all the deuils in hell. The Exorcist askes Maho, Saras deuil, what cō ­pany he had with him, and the deuil makes no bones, but tels him in flat termes, all the deuils in hell. Heere was a goodly fat otium this meane while in hell: the poore soules there had good leaue to play: such a day was ne­uer seene since hell was hell: not a doore-keeper left, but all must goe a maying to poore Saras house. It vvas not kindly done of the deuils, to leaue the poore soules behind, especially going to make merry amongst theyr friends. But what if the soules had fallen a madding, or maying as fast, as the deuils, and had gone a roming a­broade amongst their good friends, had not this (trow we,) made a pretie peece of worke in hell?

And if I misse not my markes, this Dictator Modu saith, hee had beene in Sara by the space of two yeeres, then so long hell was cleere, and had not a deuill to cast at a mad dogge. And soothly I cannot much blame the deuils for staying so long abroade, they had taken vp an Inne, much sweeter then hell: & an hostesse that wanted neither wit, nor mirth, to giue them kinde welcome.

Heere, if you please, you may take a suruay of the [Page 49] whole regiment of hell: at least the chiefe Leaders, and officers, as we finde them enrolled by theyr names.

First Killico, Hob, and a third anonymos, Booke of Miracles. page, 34. are booked downe for three graund Commaunders, euery one ha­uing vnder him 300. attendants.

Coronell Portirichio had with him two Captaines, & an hundred assistants, and this he affirmes to be true vp­pon his oath taken vpon the blessed sacrament, & then you must belieue him: an admirable new way to make the deuil true, and cock-sure of his word, to offer him an oath vpon the blessed sacrament, and then dog with a fiddle. But the deuill is like some other good fellowes in the world, that will not sweare, except he allow theyr Commission that tenders him his oath: and Commissi­oners for the deuill, are onely holy Exorcists, and then it must be the sacrament of the Masse to, else I wis it is not all worth a beane.

Frateretto, Fliberdigibbet, Hoberdidance, Tocobatto were foure deuils of the round, or Morrice, whom Sa­ra in her fits, tuned together, in measure and sweet ca­dence. And least you should conceiue, that the deuils had no musicke in hell, especially that they would goe a maying without theyr musicke,Page cod. the Fidler comes in with his Taber, & Pipe, and a whole Morice after him, with motly visards for theyr better grace. These foure had forty assistants vnder them, as themselues doe con­fesse.

Lustie Iollie Ienkin, (an other of Saras Captaine deuils names) by his name should seeme to be foreman of the motly morrice: hee had vnder him, saith himselfe, forty assistants, or rather (if I misse not) he had beene by some old Exorcist allowed for the Master setter of Catches, or roundes, vsed to be sung by Tinkers, as they sit by the fire with a pot of good Ale betweene theyr legges: Hey iolly Ienkin, I see a knaue a drinking, et caet.

Delicat, an other Captaine, or vicenarie in Sara, ha­uing [Page 50] vnder him twenty assistants, seemes by his English name to be yeoman of the Sprucery, to see the deuils mot­ly visards, after they were soiled with Brimstone, and sweat, to be brusht vp, and kept sweet, neate, & cleane. These were the Officers, or Commaunders names, that had taken vp theyr lodging in Sara Williams, now the many, rascality, or black-guard of hell, were God knows how many in her: for all were there tag, and ragge, cut and long-tayle, yet diuers of them it pleaseth the holie Exorcist to commaund theyr names to doe them some grace, others he lets goe out, leauing no names, but an ill sauour behind thē. The names of such as the Exorcist thought good to fauour, were these, Puffe, and Purre, the two fat deuils, that had beene coniurd vp for mony, anno 84, and would not home to hell againe, till good company came for them. Lustie Dickie, Cornerd-cappe, Nurre, Molkin, Wilkin, Helcmodion, Kellicocam. These were like the Sporades in via lactea, hauing neither of­fice, order, nor ranke; all these were Saras deuils.

Maho was generall Dictator of hell: & yet for good manners sake, hee was contented of his good nature to make shew, that himselfe was vnder the check of Mo­du, the graund deuil in Ma: Maynie. These were all in poore Sara at a chop, with these the poore soule trauai­led vp and downe full two yeeres together; so as during those two yeeres, it had beene all one to say, one is gone to hell, or hee is gone to Sara Williams: for shee poore wench had all hell in her belly. And had had it still to this day for any thing we know, if it had not pleased Fa: Weston, and his twelue holy disciples, to haue deliuered her of that deuil-childe. But of this you shall heare heereafter: now I may proceed.

CHAP. 11. ¶ The reasons why sometime one deuill alone, sometimes an 100, sometimes a thousand are, cast out at a clap.

YOu haue formerly heard of the names of the Priests, graund rectors of this Comaedie, and lately of the names of the deuils, their Cue-fellowes in the play: good order seemes to require, that I should marshall them together, as birds of a feather: but I choose rather to violate good method, & put my selfe vpon my Rea­der, then to offend our deuill-mastix by such an vn­pleasing combination. Now because some may won­der how it commeth to passe, that hell in this Iubile was broken vp, & that such millions of deuils, like Herrings in a barrell, were packed vp in Sara Williams, and the rest, and sometimes one alone, sometimes sixe, some­times 900 were cast out together, and yet Maho with a million of assistants left still behind: this containes many mysteries, as fit to be learned, as the rest. We will consider these two heads a sunder, for the worthines of the matter: first, why these deuils are said to be so ma­nie; next, why sometimes one, sometimes many are said to be cast out at a time.

In the first, our holy deuill-charmers haue the vantage of Tinkers, and Surgeons by much: For these, the one hath his certaine number of holes to mend, and the o­ther his certaine number of sores to salue, and when he hath done, except by some prety knack in his budget, he can multiply one hole in foure, and the other draw one sore into sixe, he is in danger to be out of worke: but our holy budgetters hauing to deale with deuils, in na­ture inuisible, and in number innumerable, doe wisely prouide so many to be packed vp in one patient toge­ther, as except hell it selfe be drawne dry, they can ne­uer [Page 52] want worke.

Sara Williams was a patient, that pleased their hand­ling well, and therefore shee was furnished with all the deuils in hell at a clap; so as if Hercules himselfe had beene in this hell, there had beene worke enough, both for him, and his club. The casting a deuill out of Sara, was like the drawing of a bucket of water out of a Well, it made the deuill spring the quicker, and like to cutting of one of Hydraes heads, which made seauen more to a­rise in his place.

This ground must be well layd, and this principle wel conned by all the professours of this black Art, that they be sure of hell, and deuils cnow in the party at first: which being not well aduised of by some simple witted men of ours, late probationers in this science, they were enforced for enlarging their worke, to bungle it out wofully, and to say that the deuils they had cast, did re­bound backe againe, and so made them new worke to begin againe; which by this prouision of thrumming in deuils at the first, might most easily haue been auoyded.

Secondly, this deuice of an huge many of deuils to be in one party, serued them, as a shelter against what wind or weather so euer. If the parties they had in handling, grew weary of their occupation, as loathing their drugs, fearing their tortures, and hating their cosenage and so were like to breake from them, and to tell tales out of Schoole, they had (by this deuise) their euasion at hand. There were yet many deuils in the party forsooth, and it was not he, or she, that so said, but the deuill: so as if he saith any thing in opening their legerdemaine, hee shall be possessed as long as he liues; and then may he say, and sweare what he will, for hee shall be no more credited, then Pippin their deuill, and that which would anger any poore soule at the hart, what so euer he doth, or saith, it must not be he, that so doth, or saith, but the deuill.

[Page 53]Let poore Sara Williams giue you instances of this.Reade her examin: She grew so farre discontented with their holy potion, and their chayre, as she begins to speake bugs words, and tell them, she would complaine: the priests had their ward-word ready: it was not Sara, but the deuill, that so spake, because he could abide no Catholique priests.

She attempts to take her heeles, and runne away from them, the common voyce was, it was not Sara, but the deuill: she did not runne, but was caried by the deuill. She smiles, and it must not be she that smiles, but the de­uill. She weepes, and she was borne downe, that it was not her selfe, that wept, but the deuill: so as she said, she was at her wits end, fearing (as seemes) so much as to mut­ter, hum, or spit, for feare the priests should make it not of her owne spitting, but the deuils. This deuise is in steede of all the Orators in the world, to free them from imputation, and to secure their iugling: for say a­nie thing distasting to them, and to their holy crue, ye shall be sure to haue the deuill put vpon you for your labour; & they haue seueral spirits to command for their bayards, to beare their seuerall fardles of crimes. Tell them that they are Impostors, and deserue to be bran­ded on the foreheads with the Character noting their trade: Loe, say they, it is not you, but the spirit of male­diction. Put them in minde of their deuill daliance, with Fidd, and Sara Williams: it is not you, but the spirit of lust. Note their factious ambition in seeking soueraign­tie, & commaund: it is not you that so speake of them, but the spirit of pride: and not onely words, and spee­ches, such as they liked not well, but euen actions, moti­ons, iestures, and cariage of the body, if it make any thing against their lewd iugling, shall be branded with no other stampe, then the deuill.

You may see a prety peece of this puppet-play, (and so iudge of the rest) acted betweene Ma: Maynie, See Maynies confess. the dumbe Actor, and Weston his Interpreter.

[Page 54]Ma: Maynie the Actor, comes mute vpon the stage, with his hands by his side, and his haire curled vp. Loe heere (cries Weston the Interpreter) comes vp the spirit of pride. Sodainly the mute Actor cries out, Ten pounds in the hundred, that voyce (cries Weston) is the voyce of the spirit of auarice. Maynie makes a scornfull face, and that is the spirit of Enuie. He bends, & knits his browes, and that is the spirit of Wrath: he yawnes, & gapes, and that is the spirit of Sloth. Thus Weston in Ma: Maynies face rea­des you the deuils, that are the seauen Authors of the seauen deadly sinnes: and as many deuils (if he list) can he shew in any Protestants face at any time he pleases; all, or most of vs in his opinion, being really possessed with deuils.

For the second point: why sometimes, a deuill alone, sometimes an 100, sometimes a thousand, are blowne out at a clap; there are two waighty reasons attending that deuise. One is to aduaunce heereby the reputation of some man of especiall note, and credite amongst them, who must be their Hercules, to controle with his club the monster maister-deuils of greatest potencie, and commaund. Euery plodding priest could cast out an vrchin, or boy deuill, the rascall guard that attended Prince Hiaclito: but Modu the Generall of Styx, with his seauen Colonels vnder him, the seauen maisters of the seauen deadly sinnes, must be a monster reserued for Westons owne club, and none but his. And whereas euery fidling Exorcist in his holy coniuration, did vse the holy amice; Weston for the solemnity of the action, and his better grace, must come vpon the stage more solemnly adorned with the holy Albe, or an holy Cope, and other consecrated geare. And the deuill many times of his owne good nature, or else vpon some speci­all acquaintance betweene him, and the priest, expresly tells by whom, and by no other he will be cast out: and then he alone must be gotten to come, and (to make the [Page 55] deuill no lyer) he must gippe the Gudgin, and hit the Woodcocke on the bill, and the other scuruie crue of Exorcists must hold him the candell. Learned Thyraeus tells vs, page, 67, de Daemon: that the foule deuill that possessed one Malachia, had vowed he would not out, till Fa: Benardine were gotten to come, who no sooner appeared, but the deuil shewed himselfe a man of his word: for hee slinkes closely away, like a dogge at the sight of a whip.

A second vse they haue of this huge difference of ca­sting out sometime one alone, sometime a whole milli­on of deuils, farre more passing, and precious, then the former. And that is, to grace by this drift, and to blaze the vertue of some new Saint, and new greene reliques, as yet not growne into credite in the world: Marie it must be especially of such a Martyr, or Saint, of whose vertue and sanctitie, there is greatest cause of suspition abroad, whether the good man were a slye Iugler, or a holy man in deede. And this suspitious Saint, or his cast relique, shall worke you a wonder beyond God his for­bid cleane.

It was sufficient for the gracing of Campion amongst the Catholiques in England, with whom he was in espe­ciall reputation, that his girdle, which came from Ieru­salem, & was worne at Tyburne, should at the first touch of the party possessed, stunt the deuils wits. Where-vp­pon Westons acclamation to the Spectators, was this: Testes estote clarissimi patris Campiani Martyrij, cuius hic vel minutissimus funiculus tantus illi faces miserat: Beare witnes, I charge you, of the most worthy Martyrdome of good Fa: Campion, whose simple girdle hath cast the deuill into such a heate. Marie for that Ignatius their founder hath many enemies in the world, and is lately called into que­stion for a graund cheater: to grace this Monsignior, and to bring him into credite, he must doe transcendent mi­racles, strained vpon such a key, as our blessed Sauiour, [Page 56] and his holy Ap: neuer came neere. And for this pur­pose to divulge this Founders deitie, there is composed a Diarie of all his diabolicall (I meane hyperbolicall) wonders, done by that worthy Mountebanke, both a­liue, and dead?

First for his better credit, the deuill himselfe pro­claimes him to Fa: Baptista Peruso for a Saint in hea­uen, and I trust you will not doubt of it, since it comes from so holy an Oracle, as the deuils own mouth, and therefore I wonder the Pope doth so long stand out. At Maurisca hee lay 8 dayes in a traunce, without all signe of life, saue the beating of his hart: in his prayer, he saw Almighty God, and his sonne, standing by him with his Crosse vpon his shoulders, and hee heard Al­mighty God commend him, and his company, to the protection of his Sonne. Thus farre agree Fa: Ignatius, and the deuil.

At Sena the deuils durst not looke vppon his picture, but hung theyr heads in theyr bosomes for very pure shame. His picture in Malacia scared away a deuill: his picture in paper at Madena, pinned closely vppon a wall, skared away a whole troupe of deuils out of foure women possessed: the bare pronouncing his name at Rome, skared out 2 legions of deuils. A peece of his coife that hee wore, heales a woman of the phrensie: a peece of leather, that he vsed at his stomack, cures the plague: a peece of his hayre-cloth, purges an holy Nunne in the space of a yeere, of 100. stones: a peece of a relique of his, close shut in a boxe, burnes a deuill, and makes him to roare the bredth of a chamber of: a peece of a relique cast into the sea calmes the waues, and stills the windes. But the bare subscription of his name in a morsel of pa­per passeth all the rest. This written in a patch of paper, & brought vnto the partie, heales the tooth-ache, the crampe, the gowte, the Sciatica, the Leprosie, the skur­uies, and beeing layd vppon the belly of a woman, that [Page 57] hath endured her paine of trauaile two, three, or foure dayes, and is past all hope of life, takes away her paine, facilitates the birth, and recouers her life. A sweet pro­tecting Saint to that sweet sex, the syllables of vvhose name are of more potencie, and sauing health, then the sacred syllables of the blessed name of our euer blessed Sauiour was euer read to be of. Spectatum admissi risum teneatis. Is it not a wonder aboue all wonders, that a­ny man should looke vpon these Antick wonders, with­out a wonderous laughter: hic nebulo magnus est, ne me­tuas, this foule wonder-maister is too full of wonders, e­uer to be good.

CHAP. 12. ¶ Of the secret of lodging, and couching the deuill in any part of the body that the Exorcist pleaseth.

THe great skar-buggs of old time, as Hercules and the rest, had a great humour (as the Poets faigne) to goe downe to Styx, and to visit hell, to see Pluto, and his vg­lie ghosts, and to behold the holes, and dennes, where hee lodged his blacke guard. Our holy skar-deuils, if they had liued with thē, would haue eased them of that paines: for they would haue shewed them hell, and de­uils heere aboue, and haue carried them with a wet fin­ger to their cabines and lodges: and you shall find very deepe, and waighty reasons of this.

Mercurie prince of Fairies had a rodde giuen him by Iupiter his Father, whereby he had power, not onelie to raise vp, and driue afore him, what ghosts hee pleased, but also to remaund, and still with the same rod, as ma­ny as hee list. The holy Romane Church hath as po­tently armed her twelue Worthies of hell, and Weston their Blacke prince, as euer Iupiter did arme his sweet sonne, giuing them a power not onely to call vp, driue, and puffe out with theyr breath, as many deuils as they [Page 58] pleased, but also to controll, cap, lodge, & couch them as stil as a curre at the sound of his Maisters whippe is couched vnder a table. By that time I haue opened you the causes and secrets of this, and haue shewed you their seuerall lodges and formes, I doubt not, but you wil be able to tel me more newes from hell.

It is a poynt in the blacke art of deepest skill, and power, not to raise a spirit, but to be able to rule, and couch him safely and well: and in this holy infernal sci­ence of casting out deuils Thyraeus tells vs, that deuils be not all of a nature, quality, & sise, some be watry, some ay­rie, some fierie, and some sauour of the earth: the watry and ayrie, doe tast of theyr element, and be easily mooued, the fie­rie, are more fierce, and the earthy, like melancholicke men, more sullen, not easily controld. See this exemplified as cleerly in our patients, as the nose on a mans chin.

Soforce, Anne Smiths deuill, was a sullen, and silent spirit (so she herselfe records him) and could hardly be gotten by all dreadful cōiurations so much as to speake. Captaine Maho in Sara, was of a fel, & furious moode, and many times, when he was hunted vp into her body, grew there so vnruly, and outragious, that the Exorcists seemed to feare least her bowels would burst. Then was all hast made to get him downe againe, which somtime was done with good seeming toile, difficultie, & sweat, that when it fel out pat, as the deuil, & the priest would haue it, it bred in the poore sillie spectators a wonderful admiration of the dignitie of the priesthood, and power of the Catholique Romish Church.

Sara their apt scholler, acted this scene commendably well: where after a sore skirmish between the Exorcist, and the deuill, or Sara, and the Priest: the deuill was with much a-doe commaunded downe into her foote: but in an another scene shee hit the needles eye, where after a hote, and sore encounter, all the spirits with much adoe being commaunded to goe downe into her left [Page 59] foote, they did it with vehement trembling, and sha­king of her leg, to the great admiration of many of the standers by, seeing the power of the Catho: Romish Church: the partie crying that her shooe would not be a­ble to hold them all: heere this act of lodging the deuil had a plaudite in the midst of the play.

Secondly, who can but mate his wit with wonder, hauing no more wits then one, and stare out his eyes with amazement, hauing but two, to see the poore de­uil brought into such a taking, and to sauour so rankly, lying at vntrusse, that he would faine be gone out; and shal see the tyrannical dreadful power of an enchaun­ting Priest, by his remaunding might, to keepe him in stil in spight of his nose, and to commaund him, for his more disgrace, to take vp his lodge in a homely place, of which you shal heare heereafter, if it be not too foule. Would not some tender-harted body, in pure pittie of the deuils cry, take of the priest, and let the poore deuil be gone: as I haue heard of a good natured gentleman at Parish-garden, that cryed, take off the dog for shame, and let the poore Beare alone. Pittiful Hiaclito, vvould rather then his life, for pure feare of the priest, haue slunke out of Trayford behinde, but it would not be, he must be stayed vntil hee had his payment. Yea Maho himselfe was taken downe so low with the deuil-squir­ting potion, that he would haue giuen all the poynts at his hose to be gone: and Dibdale would none, but cō ­maunds him to his lodge, vntil the Brimstone by some dreadful enchaūtment were made hote enough, to scald his breech soundly: heere this lodging-power was more dreadful to the deuil, and astonishable to the people by ods then the dispossessing was.

Thirdly, this commaund to lodge would at no hand be spared, for by this they made sure to haue a deuil rea­die at a trice at all assaies, to furnish out the stage: whō, beeing safe lodged, they caried about with them from [Page 60] place to place, as the Iuglers vse to carry a Bee in a box, or an ape in a string, or puppits in a pageant, to squeale, skip, and tumble, wheresoeuer they pitch downe theyr trusse.

You shal heare an act of this puppet-play performed betweene a priest, and a wench, as it is deposed vppon oath, for a tast of the rest. There was a priest not many yeeres since in Lancashire in the habit of a gentleman, who carried about with him (as Tynkers doe their bit­ches) a wench, pretended by the priest to be possessed: this wench at euery safe station (where there was con­course of simple people, the founders of miracles) hee presents to play her pranks, and his fashion was this. When it was a full Court, out brings he his Mattachina, and places her in a chayre, and then approching de­murely to her, takes her by the toe, and then dialoguizes with the deuil according to his pleasure. The end of the dialogue between the priest, and the deuil, is a remaund of the deuil to his lodge; which (to auoyde inquam, and inquit) I haue presented you in both theyr persons, speaking sweetly together.

See the re­cord. I commaund thee to goe to the place appointed, and that thou doe not hurt her in thy going downe, nor make her sicke in body, nor minde.

Fie vpon thee, hee is in my knee.

I commaund thee to thy place appointed, thou dam­ned fiend.

Oh, hee is in my great toe.

Goe to the place appointed thou damned fiend.

Oh, he is in my toe next to my little toe.

Goe to the place appointed thou damned fiend.

Oh fie vpon him, he is in the toe next the great toe.

I commaund thee to goe into the dead of her nayle:

With that the deuil gaue a rush vp into the womans body, as though hee would haue torne her in peeces: then the priest commaunded him to goe downe damned [Page 61] fiend as he was, otherwise his Iudge would damne him into the bottomlesse pit of hell: and with that the woman con­fessed, that the deuill was in the place appointed. Then the priest charged him that he should he there, till the next exorcisme to be holden by him, or some of his brethren.

I doe verily suspect this wonder was acted somewhat neere Gotham, and that the spectators were the posteri­tie of them, that drowned the Eele: that neuer an vn­happy fellow in the company shewed so much vnhap­pie wit, as to offer to take a knife, and pare away the de­uil, lying in the dead of the nayle, and throw him into the fire, for acting his part so baldly: but I nothing doubt, but the deuil-maister priest would haue had an eye to this, least he, or some of his brethren, at the next exorcisme holden, should for want of a deuil, haue spoi­led a good play. And would not this haue spighted any deuil, to be thus hardly handled by a priest, to be turned out of his warme nest, where hee cabined in the wench, and to be lodged at little ease in the edge of her nayle, next to wind, and weather, where hee must lye for a skout, like the Sentinel in a watch, and suffer euery boy to play bo-peepe with his deuilship, and he not able to stirre eyther out or in. O that Will Sommer had come to this pleasant bargaine betweene the Exorcist and the deuil, how handsomly would he haue belaboured them both with his bable, for playing theyr parts so handsom­lie.

But this was but a pedling Exorcist of the rascal crue, who wandered like a chapman of smal wares, with a wench, and a trusse, beeing neuer free of his companie. Our wardens of the science had a little more art to lodge theyr deuils. Such an art of lodging they had, and some of theyr lodges so obscure, and retrayte, as none but a priest, or a deuil could euer haue sented it out. Some of these deuil-lodgers, in Sara, and Fid, without a praeface of deprecation to your modesty I must not [Page 62] once name, for feare of check from your chast eares, and a change of colour in mine inke and paper, at such vn­couth termes. I will onely leape ouer this kennell of turpitude, with a note of vnsauorie smels, and remit you to that clause of Sara Williams relation, who as a woman hath touched it as modestly, as she can, giuing vs to vn­derstand, by her timorous declaration, that our holy order haue a ticket from his Hol: of Rome, to harrow hell it selfe, and be neuer the worse.

It was wisely cauteled by the penner of these sauory miracles, in the end of his booke, why Sara being a seely young innocent wench of 16 yeeres, should be more deuil-haunted, then any of the possessed men: there was a pad in the straw, the poore man would faine haue out. But a Sceptike will make an other Quaere to our holy order to soile: how it comes to passe, that wee reade in auncient possessions of old, of moore men to be possessed, then women, and now in these no­uell vpstart miracles from Rome, still it is the ill hap of more women to be haunted, then men. This sore be­ing salued with a little blessed oyle from Rome; an o­ther doubt wil arise, what the cause is, why our holy or­der hauing vnder their holy hands, not onely Fid, Sara, and Anne Smith, women, but Trayford, Marwood, and Ma. Maynie, that were men, there is no mention at all of common lodging, and couching the deuil in a pecu­liar part of the body, but onely in the wenches.

Let vs goe to old Lockwood, Mengus their maister, & loke vpon his Canon, for couching, & lodging of the deuil, and happily we may thence pick out some Eng­lish to this purpose.Mengus, Flag. Daem: In the seauenth formidable exor­cisme of his deuil-whip: his Canon lyes thus. Si ener­gumenus non fuerit liberatus, et tamen vrgente necessitate dimittenda sit coniuratio, tunc praecipe omnibus spiritibus re­manentibus in corpore, eos cogendo vt recedant á capite, et corde, et stomacho, et descēdant ad partes inferiores corporis. [Page 63] Heere you haue the Canon for lodging the deuil, that you be sure to lodge him not in the head, nor stomack, but in the inferiour parts. An excellent prouiso, tea­ching vs, that the deuil is of the nature of a cup of new strong Sack, that cannot hurt a man, if it be kept out of his stomack, and head. But old Lockwood knew, what he did, in assigning the inferiour parts for a peculiar lodge for the deuil. This was the traynd sent, he knew his dogges were old suers-by at this, this was the haunt they would not be halowed of. Let Sara Williams be my Interpreter for the rest: Sometime (she saith) they lodged the deuill in her toe, sometime in her legge, sometime in her knee. Sometime, &c. Let the deuil,See her ex­examin: and his holy charmers make vp the rest.

Fie holy Fathers fie, is this the trailed sent you so gree­dily pursue with full crie, and open mouth? Is this the game you hunt, called gayning of soules? Is this the haūt you quest on in Italy, Spain, & England? Is this the foile you sent so hotely, that neither Sea, nor Land will make you at a fault, but that you call vpon it still, ouer hill, & dale, through thick, and thin, and make good the chase through Colledges, Cloysters, Palaces, houses: yea euen into hell it selfe, & thence start the deuil, and hunt him a fresh, and lodge him with Sara Williams, in such muses, conny-beries, and holes, as the poore deuil, but for your hote pursuite, would neuer haue come in? It is wel that you quit the deuil with gaining of some store of soules for hell, else can I not easily see, how you could readily make him amends. It is high time to call of from this vnsauory trayle. A lack poore honest deuil, in this case farre more honest, then the priest, that would not downe into his lodge, without much adiuration, toy­ling, and sweat: was it any meruaile, considering he was to be commaunded into so vnseemely a lodge.

CHAP. 13. ¶ Of dislodging, rouzing, and hunting the deuill, by the dreadfull power of the presence, approach, and bodily touch of a Priest.

THey that delight in hunting, being men of quality, and sort, when they would entertaine their friends with that pleasing sport, doe vse to haue an Hare-finder, who setting the Hare before, doth bring them speedily to their game. The company was many times great, and the strangers of note, that resorted to see, & won­der at this coursing of the deuill, and it was accordingly prouided by the Hunt-maisters of the game, that they had a deuil ready lodged against any solemne hunting day, that the spectators might not be delayed with te­diousnes, before they came to their pastime. Thus all being seated, and standing at gaze for the game, the next office was to stirre, and rouze the deuill, that the people might behold, how he would bestirre himselfe. Vnto this they haue many potent Engines, & meanes, some whereof had the ability both to course, and expell the deuill: but of the fearefull act of expelling I meane not heere to speake, but onely of their various power­full vertues of rouzing, chasing, and chafing the de­uill.

These dreadfull super-infernall powers doe flow ei­ther from the priests owne person, or his adiuncts. In his person we consider his bodily presence, & approach towards the possessed, his breath, his touch, his parts. His adiuncts are either belonging to his person, as his hose, his gloues, his girdle, his coyfe, his rags; or cōmon to his office, as holy water, holy oyle, the holy candell, hallowed brimstone, the holy potion, Auemaries, inuo­cation of Saints, the holy Crosse, the stole, the amice, the blessed Sacrament, and the corporall presence of [Page 65] our blessed Lady. Of these infernall whips, according to their seuerall dignities, and worth.

For the first, we are to vnderstand, that it is otherwise betweene a Priest, and a deuill, then it is betweene an Hound, and an Hare: For an Hare, if she be formed, will sit sure, though the Hound doe trayle neere her, and call hotly on the sent: but the deuil stands in such bo­dily feare of the presence of a Cath: priest, that as soone as he comes in to the roome, where the possessed is, he begins sometime to startle, and if hee approach neere, he rages as he were mad. Nay, many times hee will not endure his presence at all, (notwithstanding we reade that the deuill is so bold, as he dares to come into the presence of Almighty God) but he skuds out of the possessed, as soone as euer he heares but tydings of the priests comming.

Gordianus the Emperour had a daughter possessed with a deuill, and hearing that they had sent for Tryphon to come, and exorcise the mayd,Thyrae: 181. the deuill did not en­dure forsooth to looke him in the face, but trusses vp, and away, ere the holy man could come. Some stay till the Exorcist be come within view, fearing (as seemes) cosenage, least for one an other should come: and as soone as he sees by his nose, that it is his good Maister in deede, he slips closely away, without taking any leaue. Thus did a whole legion in a young man serue Bishop Arnolphus: Quae mox viso Arnolpho episcapo discessit, Ibid: saith Thyraeus: no sooner had the deuil descried his good face, but he was gone.

Some punie rash deuil doth stay till the holy priest be come some-what neere, as into the chamber where the daemoniack doth abide, purposing, as seemes, to try a pluck with the priest, and then his hart sodainly failing him (as Demas, when hee saw his enemie Clinias ap­proach) cries out, he is tormented with the presence of the priest, and so is fierd out of his hold, to his greater [Page 66] disgrace.

This is an huge vertue in a priest, that casts so farre off: we doe not reade that the daemoniacks in the Gospel, did euer thus skud from our Sauiour Christ; but that is to little purpose. God needed not so much to grace his sonne, who by the power of his Diuinity, was able to manifest himselfe, to be the power of God: but our Exorcists being deemed in most places of the world, for no better then iugling mates, there is great reason pardy, they should be graced with more gracefull mi­racles, then euer were accomplished by our Sauiour Christ.

This frighting, and tormenting power in presence of a priest, is not giuen equally to al a-like, as the deuils them­selues are not all of a pitch. If he be an old sturdy deuill, & stand out the priests presence, then as the priest hath this tormenting power in more especiall measure, and approaches in person neerer to the possessed, the more is the deuil in the party afflicted, and tormented. Tray­fords deuil being a tough weather-beaten spirit, was not much moued at the presence of Stamp the priest, who had this tormenting power as seemes but remissis gradi­bus. But when Edmunds came, and had inuested him­selfe in his holy roabes; heare how the deuil fared, in Edmunds owne termes: Iubet sacerdos ita vbi erat sacris indutus vestibus, ante se infirmum constitui. Edmunds commanding in his sacred geare to bring in the daemo­niack, and set him in his presence. And marke what followed: Hic ille toto corpore contremiscere, et horrere, et aestuare caepit. Instantly began the possessed to trem­ble, to haue horrour, and rage thorough out his whole body. This the deuil suffered, at the meere presence of Edmunds, not onely before any dreadfull Exorcisme were thundred against him, but before any word was spoken by the Iesuit.

Dibdale the priest remoues from Hackney to Fulmer [Page 67] in the night, and caries his trincket Sara behind him on a horse: shee felt her selfe so tormented with heate, sit­ting behind him, as she had much adoe to be kept from falling from her seate.

Heere the obiect was neere, the power wrought the stronger, but you shall see this power extended it selfe much farther, then thus. Trayford comes behind plod­ding vpon a Iade, and this tormenting heate from the person of the priest reaches vnto him: hee felt such an exceeding burning in his head (saith the Authour of the miracles) as he cryed all the way as he rode water, water, and yet we find this remoue was the 8, or 9, of Nouem­ber, when men doe not commonly surfet of heat. This sprite-tormenting vertue, is so top ful in the body of a priest, and of so potent an actiuity, as many times it runnes ouer, and many times issues from his person, as beames doe from the sunne, without his owne priuitie, or sence. And it hath not the qualities of Stygian fire a­lone, to scoreh, burne, torment, and fugate the deuil, but it hath a power Antiperistian besides, to repel, and bandie backe the deuil into his kenel againe: and this without any action, motiō, or intendement of the priest: so as a priest may baffle a deuil standing stone stil, with­out stirring hand, or moouing a foote. This befel to Hilcho, Trayfords sneaking deuil: who finding his cor­ner grew too hote by the bodily approch of the Exor­cist, would faine to refresh himselfe haue come out at Trayfords mouth, but peeping out, & finding the priests mouth approching somewhat neere, suddainly bolted backe againe, as a cony from a net, and was faine to slip out closely at his right eare, in the fashion of a Mouse. This Dibdale the priest neither knew, nor dreamed, that he had reuerberated the deuil with the direful power of his holy hellish mouth, but Sara, Trayfords deuil-felow, saw the attempt of the deuil to come forth, saw his ban­die backe againe, and saw his going out at Trayfords [Page 68] eare in the shape of a Mouse, and discouered the true cause, why hee came not foorth, for the neerenesse of the priests mouth, to the mouth of the possessed.

Now if any man wil aske me, how it comes to passe, that any deuil could stay in the body of any party pos­sessed, whom the priests did visit, cōsidering this fright­ful scorching heate, that issuing out of the bodie of the priest, did scald, and torment the deuil, when the priest drew neere, and did make him to tremble, quake, and rage, as you heard in Marwoods deuil: I aunswer, that the deuils, as you haue heard out of Thyraeus, were not all of a temper, and constitution alike, but some could endure these scorching flames of the priests, better then some. Next, the priests had not this hel fire all in a de­gree, but some burned the deuil neere at hand, some a farre off, according to the proportion of hell fire, that was in the priest: and thirdly the priests did many times by their soueraigne power of priesthood, hold the deuil in by force, for his greater torment, and ma­nifestation of the power of the Romish Cath: Church, and first did toast, and broyle him wel with theyr owne hel fire within the body of the possessed, and then did lay cart-loades of fire, and Brimstone vppon his backe, and sent him to be broyled 1000. yeeres in the pit of hell.

The Lancashire deuil in the wandering wench, of whom you heard afore, cries out, that hee was scalded, and tormented by the priest, and desires hee might be gone: the priest tells him he shal not, but that he would torment him stil: and when he had so done, lodged him (as you haue heard) in a most dangerous desperat place. Now it may be wondered by some plaine witted folkes, how the body of an holy priest doth catch such a fire, that all the parties possessed did stil complaine they burned: and this burning was so sore in Fid, and Sara, as the marks thereof are at this day to be seene.

[Page 69]These questionists must be sent to the Cath: Church to schoole, to learne to beleeue, and to make no curious speculations: and sure it is without doubt, that a fell-burning heate they had in theyr bodies indeede, and the neerer they did approch to Fid, and Sara, the more they felt theyr heate: yet not to let any reasonable man goe away vnsatisfied, wee wil take a little paines to open the case. True it is, that this deuil-burning heat in the priests, could not be any elementary fire: for that no element can effectuate beyond his owne Sphaere, and a deuill hauing in his nature no elementarie combination, it is not possible hee should receiue from any element any sensible impression. Much lesse can it be in the power of any naturall innate heate, to torment a deuil, for it fits not to calor natiuus, to scald, or broyle at all. A caele­stial heate least of all can it be conceited, for that his in­fluence is sweet, and helpful, tending to generation. There is but a fourth fire left, and that is the fire of hel, which beeing disputed, and resolued by deepe Diuines, to be neither natural, nor mixt of elementary conditi­on, but the coales of Gods wrath, and feareful indigna­tion, if they cary in theyr bodies an heate, that doth vex, and torment a deuil, wheresoeuer they finde him, it can be no other, then the heat of hel: for what other fire can vexe, and torment the deuil? I would be sorie they should be concluded of so hellish a disposition: it is far better to take it, as Sara, and all the rest of her fellow Comaedians doe contest: that all was a Stygian comedy to make silly people afraid. A fier indeede she felt, from the spritly power of the Priest, but it was of a more gentle, & pleasing impression. And for that other part, that she played, feigning that she was burned, and tor­mented at the presence of a Catholique priest: that had she learned from the wise prompting of her skilful mai­sters the priests, who did stil harpe of that string in their ordinary narrations of strange possessions beyond seas, [Page 70] that the possessed could not endure the presence of a Catho­lique priest, which she as an apt scholler obserued for her cue, and acted it as comly, and gracefully, as you haue heard. Thus much of the power of theyr bodily pre­sence.

CHAP. 14. ¶ Of the strange power of a Cath: Priests breath, and of the admirable fier that is in a Priests hands, to burne the deuill.

PLinie in his naturall storie, tells vs of certaine people, that doe anhelitu oris enecare homines: Kill men with the breath that comes from their mouthes. Scaliger re­counts a whole linage of men, that could oculis fascinare: bewitch with their eyes, though they did not touch. The Leno in the Comaedy, is noted to be of so strong a breath, that hee had almost blowne downe the young gallant, that stoode in his way: but the Poets tell vs, that hell hath a more deadly breathing then all; so as if a bird doe by chaunce flie ouer the Stygian flood, she is quel­ed with the smell, and falls downe stark dead. We haue heere to acquaint you with a breathing company of priests, that for potency of breath, doe put downe Pli­nie, Scaliger, the bawde, hell, the deuill and all: For the deuill, who can wel enough endure the loathsome o­dours, and euaporations of hell, is not able to endure the vapour issuing from the mouth of a priest, but had rather goe to hell, then abide his smell.

Now what a monstrous coyle would sixe or seauen igniuomous priests keepe in hell, if they should let loose the full fury of their blasts, as Aeolus did vpon the Sea, and distend their holy bellowes in consort amongst the poore ghosts, were it not a plaine danger, that they were likely to puffe all the deuils out of hell? Mengus the Canonist for hel, giues vs a rule, that if the deuil be stub­burne, [Page 71] & wil not obey the formidable exorcisme of the priest, then that the priest shal os suum quam-proximè ad energumenum admouere: bring his mouth as neer to the possesseds mouth, as he can, and by that time the deuil hath tasted on his breath, if there be any life in him, hee wil be glad to stirre.

Heere now you see the reason, why Trayfords deuil rebounded at the dint of the Priests breath, and was so glad to get him out at Trayfords right eare like a Mouse, rather then he would come out iump against the priests mouth. The little children were neuer so afrayd of hell mouth in the old plaies painted with great gang teeth, staring eyes, and a foule bottle nose, as the poore deuils are skared with the hel mouth of a priest.

Take an example from Sara Williams of the vigorous­nesse of their breath, shee lay (saith the penner of their miracles) past all sence in a traunce, beeing vtterly berea­ued of all her sences at once, the priest no sooner came neere her, but she discerned him by the smell. Was not this (trow you) a iolly ranke smel, that was able to awake a poore wench out of a traunce? Verily these doe out-smel the deuil by farre. For though the deuil hath (as is com­monly reputed) a fel ranke smel, yet I neuer heard of a­ny, that could discerne a deuil by his smel.

The like soueraigne smel is in the sacrament of theyr Masse, for Sara could alwaies (saith our Authour) verie exactly reckon vp how many had communicated, by discer­ning them by theyr smell. But for this they may haue an easie euasion, happily they had beene so deepe in the Challice, as a quick sented man might haue sauoured them a far off without helpe of the deuil. Their breath which is nothing, but ayre exhaled from theyr lunges, beeing as you see of this affrighting power ouer the de­uil: what may wee deeme of the power of theyr holie hands, if they come once to be applyed to the deuil?

First, theyr holy fingers had in them the same diuine [Page 72] power, if not in an higher measure, that wee read to haue beene in our Sauiour Christ, with a bare touch of theyr finger without any other ceremonie vsed by our blessed Sauiour in like case, they restored hearing, and sight to theyr patients beeing blind and deafe. So hath the Miracle-Maister cleerely set downe, that Sara be­ing bereaued of all her sences, as in a traunce, the Exor­cist toucheth her eares, and eyes with his finger, and she sees and heares.

This is but a flea-biting to that vvhich (Ignatius his great grand-childe) Edmunds exploited vvith his holy hand. Iupiter armed with his dreadful thunder, neuer made hel so to crack. Heare it thorough the Iesuits own trumpet, as himselfe hath proclaimed it to the world. Vix dum exorcismos in choare manus (que) imponere capiti, cum ille statim furere, in altum erigi, manibus pedibusque elabo­rare, sacerdotis manum depellore, omnia complere vocibus, iuramentis, maledictis blasphemis. Edmunds had scarcely begun his adiuration, & layd his hand on Marwoods head, but he presently falls into a furie, stretches out his body, beats with his feete, and hands, snatches at the priests hand, makes all to ring with crying, swearing, & blaspheming. This vvas wel roared of a young deuil for a praeludium to the play, vppon the bare touch of Edmunds hand. But marke when the deuil grew hote with the continuing of this holy tricke, and of hell (Edmunds hand) on his head still, Sacerdos officium reparat manum in capite tenens, the priest falls a fresh to his worke, holding stil his hand on the possesseds head. Now begins hel to worke. Hic nouae tragoediae, inusitatae voces, & verba in omnium auribus inso­nant. Quid non venitis, daemones (inquit) et tu Pippine (quod nomen erat infestantis daemonis) non vindicas? nihil opis, nihil auxilij in inferno reliqui est? auferte oitò miserum, flammis tradite, sin minus communem hanc contumeliam vos non vultis, aut non potestis vindicare, tum iacula, gladij, cul­tri confodite me, ignis, pestis, canes, malū confumite. Do­mus [Page 73] non corruis? neque dehiscens me vult terra absorbere nec de caelo fulmen aliquod pessundare? Quis hoc tolerare, quis tantum incendium pati, quis ita (vti mille vnguibus) dis­cerpi vnquā visus est? that is: Heere strange tragicall excla­mations filled all our eares. (Deuils why come yee not? and thou Pippin (which was the name of the tormenting deuill) doost thou not reuenge my quarrell? is there no ayde, no suc­cour left in hel? Take mee miserable caytife, and hurle mee into the infernall flames: but if eyther you will not, or cannot right this disgrace, then you launces, swords, and kniues dash thorough me: fire, dogs, plague, mischiefe consume me, house fall vpon me, earth swallow mee, lightning from heauen de­uoure mee: who can beare my burden? who can endure my heate? who can be thus torne in peeces, beeing rent with a thousand nayles? Who would not think that hee heard Hercules furens, or Aiax flagellifer newly come from hell? Was euer Prometheus with his Vulture, Sisyphus with his stone, Ixion with his wheele in such a case? Did euer the God-gastring Giants, whom Iupiter ouer­whelmed with Pelion and Ossa, so complaine of theyr loade? Or Phaeton so bellow when he was burned with Iupiters flames, as poore Marwood heere bellowes, and roares vnder Edmunds fierie flames, and all with the one­ly touch of his head with his Ignatian hand? Was it not by diuine Oracle, that his maisters name should be Ig­natius, when his disciple caried such an vnsupportable waight of hel fier in his hand? Will not his hand be an excellent instrument for Lucifer in hel, to plague, broile, and torment his infernall fiends, that hath such a fiend-tormenting power heere on earth? Now here pittifull Marwood goe on in his direful notes.

A page (inquit) manum illam cum omnibus daemonijs. Take away that dreadfull hand, in the name of all the deuils in hell. Ʋt me vexas et torques, nunquam sine cruciatibus sine incendio esse patiens? How doost thou vexe, how doost thou wring me? thou art neuer but plaguing me with tor­ment [Page 74] and fire: Then cries he out of his head, his heart, his bowels, his bones. Manum tamen non dimittit sacerdos: Yet Edmunds would not be moued to remit his hand: but be­gins a new chase. In sequitur manu per tergum, & cet. He pursues the deuill downe along his backe, his reines, his close parts, his thighes, his legges, vs (que) ad talos, downe to his ankle-bone: Thence he fetches him backe againe, with a Su­surrare, downe his knee, his belly, his breast, his neck, and there graspes him round about the neck, with both his holy hands, which cast the deuil into so strange an ago­nie, and passion: as Edmunds himselfe breakes forth in­to an exclamation: Deus imortalis quanta tum ille passeus fuit? nec mille hominum linguas explicare posse existimo. Good God! into what a passion was he then cast? not the tongues of a thousand men (I imagine) can expresse it.

A little tast of the inexplicable agony he giues vs by this, that the sweat that flowed from Marwoods face, was in such current streames, as it was the office of one man, to stand, and dry them vp. Digitus Ignatij est hic: this was the finger of Ignatius deuil indeede, to teach a yong Popish Rakehell so cunningly to act, & feigne the pas­sions, and agonies of the deuil; that the whole compa­nie of spectators shal by his false illusions be brought into such commiseration, and compassion, as they shal all weepe, crie, and exclaime, as loude as the counterfet deuil; and the end and plaudite of the act, must be this. O Catholicam fidem! O fidem Catholicam, vereé fidem, sanc­tam, castam, operatricem fidē: tu daemonibus terribilis, inferno formidabilis, tibi cedunt cateruae, legiones daemonum contre miscunt ad tuas voces, tuas voces insuperabiles fugiunt, hor­rent, & te audire nolunt. That is: O the Catholique faith, O the faith Catholique, truly faith, holy, pure, powerfull faith: Thou art terrible to deuils, formidable to hell, troupes submit to thee, legions of deuils doe tremble at thy voyce, they flie from thy vnresistable commaund, they quake, and dare not abide thy sound. Now by that time Sara, and her play-fellowes [Page 75] be come vpon the stage, & haue told you, how they were burned, and handled likewise, I doubt not, but you will helpe their plaudite with an O to: O diabo­licam fraudem! O fraudem diabolicam! O diros actores! O ineptos spectatores!

Sara was content to play the she-deuil, touching your presence, and approach, and to grace you with an Oh I burne, oh I cannot abide the presence of a Catholique: mary when you came neerer, then in manhood you should offer, or she in modesty suffer, as to hunt her with your holy hote hands, shee could in her woman-hood haue beene content you would haue forborne: but that way lay your game, and therefore there was no remedy, but you would haue your hunting sport. Your game being by hote chase embossed, did commonly take soyle, and there you let him lodge, and hunted him a fresh vpon the old foyle, and counter too, which none but Curres of an impure sent wil doe.

Sara saith, you began with your fiery hands at her foot, and so vp all along her leg; so her knee, her thigh, and so along all parts of her body: And that you followed the chase so close, that it could neither double, nor squat, but you were ready to pinch.

VVas this a fayre chase for holy anointed priests to make, especially with those holy hands, that had instant­lie before celebrated the holy Masse, blessed the chalice, made (as they suppose) a new God, eleuated the Hoast, handled, and deuided the very body of Christ, to bring the same holy hands piping hote from the Altar to the chayre, where Sara sate at Masse, to seize with the same hands vpon her toe, slip them vp along her legge, her knee, her thigh, and so along all parts of her body, till you came neere her neck, and by the way with the same holy hands, to handle, pinch, and gripe, where the de­uil in his blacke modesty did forbeare, till you made her crie oh: and then you to crie, O, that oh is the deuill. Now [Page 76] the great deuil pinch you all for me, and that I may say without malignity; for I wel know he dares not: you are so deuil holy all ouer, head, hart, and hands, that the deuil dares not come neere you: and therefore you neede not to care a rush for either deuil, or hell, for you wil either with your holines make holy both the deuil, and hell, or make him crie oh, when you come there with your holy pinch.

Fid Williams doth complaine (looke in their owne confessions) that with your holy hote burning hands, you did hunt the deuil counter in her too: and did toe-burne, shin-burne, knee-burne her, and so forth, till you made her crie oh: for they were the sweet paire of your holy deuils, that were alwayes in chase.

And heere we see the cause, why Trayford was soone dispatched of his deuil after a bout, or two, and was ne­uer deuil hunted from toe to top, with your holy hote hands: nor Ma: Maynie was neuer troubled with this pinching sport: but Sara, and Fid stuck long in your fingers, or your fingers about them; and euer & anone they were at the holy chayre, and this dislodging, cour­sing, and pinching, the deuil was still in their Parkes. Alack, the poore soules had no worse deuils, then Tray-ford and Maynie had: for Maynie had the soueraigne Dictator of hell in him; but their walke was faire for your course, their game pleasing, their sute hote, your sent fuller: and therefore no meruaile, though your dogges being curres, did hunt ryot so often after this fallow Deare.

And heere I must remember you, that you were so fierie hote, and so sharpe set vpon this game, that you forgat your Maisters, Mengus, Thyraeus, Sprenger, Nider, and all; and did as schoole-boyes doe, when they haue an otium to play, giue a showt, and for hast of their sport, cast satchel, bookes, and paper, behind at their heeles. For in your graund probato, when Sara at my L. Ʋaux [Page 77] his house, was to receaue her solemne graund exor­cisme, and so be quit the Court, this high day being held for her finall quietus est: where you should haue had speciall regard to haue dignified, and graced euery holy Engine in his due order, and place, seruiceable to this great worke, (as the Amice, the Albe, holy water, holy candell, the Crosse, Brians bones, and your Ma: Men­gus his formidable deuil-whip aboue the rest) you ha­uing Sara your game set faire in her forme, for ioy, and showt of your sport, could not abstaine, but like Lycur­gus his Hound, that hauing an Hare, and a kitchin pot set both before him, left the Hare, and ranne to the pot, and thrust in his head vp to the eares: so you hauing in your hand your Ma: Mengus his dreadfull booke of Exor­cisme, entituled worthily Fustis, fuga, flagellum daemo­num: the cudgel, the whip, and the flight of rhe deuil: (loe the furious force of your fierie heate) threw Men­gus your deuil-whipper away, and ranne vnto Sara, and with your burning hands catched Sara by the foot, and so fired the deuill along, till you made him slip out, where on man must name.

Now a few questions I must soyle,See the booke of miracles. and then I wil pro­ceede to your holy geare. 1. It may be asked, how your hands came so holy, as to shine at the top of your fin­gers, like vnto the sunne. Wherin you shal heare a peece of a Dialogue betweene Fid, and Ma: Maynie, theyr Captaine scholler: who sitting by Fid his pue-fellow, and a priest hard by them: did affirme, that vnto his sight the priests finger, and thumb, did shine with brightnes, espe­cially on the inner sides: where-vnto the priest aunswe­red, that it might well be so, because (quoth he) they were anointed with holy oyle, when I was made priest. At which words Fid laughing, and calling Ma: Maynie dissem­bling hypocrit; the priest said, It was not Fid, but the de­uill, that did so laugh, and rayle. Heere you see a plaine reason, how the priests hand comes shining, and holy, [Page 78] & hath this pinching holy quality in it, to cause a wench cry oh, and hee that wil laugh at this reason, may hap to catch a deuil. 2, If any curious merry head wil de­maund, what needs the Amice, the Albe, holy candle, holy crosse, holy brimstone, Brians bones, the sacrament the crosse, Salue Regina, S. Barbara, Mengus his de­uil-whip, his deuil-club, his fray-deuil, and the rest of that infernal rable, since the onely holy hands of Ed­munds the Iesuit alone, hath power alone to rouse, hunt, chase, baffle, broyle, & toste the deuil, and to make him to roare, that hel it selfe did quake, and tremble, skudde, and flye from his holy hand alone, more fearefully, and ghastfully then euer poore Mouse did tremble, and flie from the sight of a glaring Cat.

To this I aunswer, that as all starres doe not partici­pate alike the light of the sunne, so all holy priests doe not receiue alike the influence of this hel-tormenting fire, but as they come neerer to that Fons caloris, Origo luminis, Oculus caeli Ignatius, the fountaine of this holie-deuil-driuing heate, as his name dooth import, (as Ed­munds his grand-child did) so are there more potent, and abundant beames of that miraculous fire communica­ted vnto them, able to fry, and broyle all the deuils in hell: and as they stand farther off from the pure raies of his hell-fiering face, so they are as the Moone, but spot­ted, and sprinckled with this satanicall flame. 3, If this wil not content you, but you wil pursue me with questi­ons stil, and know why Edmunds, Dibdale, and some o­ther, who had the deuils plenty of this deuil-frying heat in theyr holy hands, did not dispatch the deuil quite, and fire him out of his denne at once with theyr holy hands alone: but elongated their worke, & tooke in the Albe, the amice, holy candle, holy host, and all the lousie ho­ly wardrop to assist in the holy worke: I aunswer, this was theyr good nature, to take in those petty imple­ments, and to doe them some grace, that theyr mother [Page 79] holy Church, whose hangings they are, may thanke them for theyr labour, especially considering they grow now adaies somewhat fully for want of cleane vse. And lastly, if they should haue dispatched hastily, much good hūting sport had been lost, the pleasure had been short, the action by facility would not haue been so admirably esteemed; the holy Church had lost theyr applause, and the grace of the action by sodaine quick passage, would haue receiued much eclipse, and diminution. And so I proceed to view their holy implements.

CHAP. 15. ¶ Of the admirable power in a Priests gloues, his hose, his girdle, his shirt, to scorch the deuill.

GEntle Reader, thou must not meruaile to heare those supernaturall powers, spoken of before, to haue beene lodged in the bodies of holy priests: considering that as the plague doth infect, and hang in implements and garments, and the leprosie vpon walls, and beames of houses; so wee finde those powerful vertues, which shewed themselues apparantly in the constitution of the Priests, to transfuse themselues, and inhaere as effec­tually, in the priests gloues, theyr hose, theyr girdle, their shirts, their ragges, their patches, yea in the water that some of their powerful hands had been washed withall. So as these holy companions, if they had beene meta­morphosed into Fishes, as Vlysses folowers were turned into swine, they would haue proued notable good Cod­fish, of whō the Fishermen report there is no part with­in them, nor without, that is bad.

A little I doubt mee old Thyraeus is to blame, vvho painting a whole chapter with the glorious parts, and qualities of an Exorcist, intituling his discourse De con­ditionibus Exorcistarum, hee is silent in this Maister-qua­litie [Page 80] infixed in the temper, and mould of a Priest, or re­ceiued from his splendent vnction, that he should haue this dreadful fire, to burne out a deuil, and so by conui­uencie doth smother it in his garments, and implements too. Thyraeus was of some watry, and earthy constituti­on, and likely dooth cantle all Exorcists by himselfe. Sure I am, we finde them as liuely, quick, and mightie in operation in theyr exteriour ornaments, as in theyr in­teriour complexion, & therefore we must not do them that wrong, to bury them in obliuion.

Maho, Saras chiefe deuil, with much adoe was com­pelled to tel his name: and the first word hee spake, was out of Saras hand; then was one of the priests gloues ta­ken, and put vppon her hand, Maho durst not abide it,Page, 12. of the booke of miracles. but went his way straight: and hee was so skared, as we do not finde, that euer he came there after. It seemes he had stepped thether only to grace the priests gloues: for you haue obserued, that her hand was none of his ordinary haunt: or els, if he could not endure the gloue by reason of some senting quality, the priests hand had left behind him, wee may imagine the priest had beene vsing his hand holily, and well: when it sauoured so strongly that the deuil could not abide it. And now it is not without great cause as you may see, that our Catho: Gentlewomen heere in England doe hold in such deere esteeme our wandring Cath: priests, enriching them with guilt rapiers, hangings, girdles, Ierkins, and coyfes more beseeming a noble man, then a iugling Impostor to weare, if they receiue no other possessiue kindnesse (whereof wee all see they be no niggards of theyr store) yet this recompence at their pleasure they may enter­taine, to haue a precious payre of priested gloues, so sprightly perfumed, with the pure odour-spicing from the hands of a hote ghostly father, as they may vse for a sure preseruatiue against any sparrow-blasting, or sprite-blasting of the deuil. This precious odour against a [Page 81] deuil, that dooth continually issue from their annointed complexion, dooth not onely ascend, into theyr vpper, and extend it selfe into theyr vtter ornaments, as into their gloues; but it descends also, and distils into theyr inferiour habit, and for want of a fit receptacle, is readie many times to drop out at their heeles. Dibdale Saras ghostly Father, had of his fatherly kindnesse lent his ghostly child a payre of his old stockins, that happilie had seene Ʋenice, & Rome; Page, 5, mi­racle booke. she as a spiritual token of his carnall kindnes, doth weare them on her legs: see thys odoriferous vertue, in what exceeding measure, it had discended downe, and filled the very seames of Dibdales hose. Saras deuil had been very turbulent, and stirring in her body, and was to be deliuered downe to his baser lodge, he passed quietly downe til he came at her knee, and comming downe hil too fast, slipt ere he was aware into Saras legge, where finding himselfe caught within the priests hose beeing on her legge, he plunges & tum­bles like a Salmon taken in a net, and cries barro ho, out alas, pul off, pul off; off in all hast with the priests hose, or els he must marre all, for there he could not stay: & all hast was made accordingly to ease the poore deuil of his paine, and let him lie at his repose: and was not this a goodly ginne to catch a Woodcocke withall, & cause him to shoote out his long bil, and cry, O the vertue of the priesthood, ô the power of the Catholique Church, when they saw with their owne eyes the hose hastily snatched off, heard with their owne long cares Saras deuil cry oh, beheld her legge quiet, when it was bare without the house: & obserued how reuerently the priests touched, handled, and bestowed the hose, when it was of, and with what eleuation of their eyes to heauen, they fini­shed the wonder.

I cannot but wonder that in the heate of theyr zeale, loue, and admiration of the holinesse of the priests, the spectators did not runne vppon them at once, as the [Page 82] daughters of Scaeua the Iew, did vpon the Exorcists; and of pure holy zeale, rend, snatch, and teare off all their holy apparel from off their backs, euen vnto their bare, and catch, and carrie away some a peece of the Priests coate, some a ragge of the amice, some a patch of his breeches, some a corner of his shirt, and lay them vp in an holy casket for reliques, against a raynie day. The priests themselues, doe full deuoutly casket vp as home­lie,Page, 5, i­bidem. and brayed wares, as these God wote. Heere make you no doubt, but all more then comely hast was made, to pull off Dibdales hose, that the deuil might quickly cabin in his lodge; for there was the deuils couert, where they were said to rouze him, when they came to the next hunt, with their fiery holy hands, which was not long intermitted (as the wenches doe wofully complaine) the priests hauing a ranke itch in their fingers, to be fidling at that sport.

You are next to be informed, that this deuil-killing vertue did not lye in the priests head onely, as the poy­son of an Adder doth; nor yet in his taile alone, as the light of a Glow-worme: but was vniuersally diffused o­uer all, and euery part of his body, and so transfused in­to all, and euery part of the apparel, that came neere his body.See Edm: practat. Campians girdle that he wore (as seemes) at Ti­burne, (and I wonder how they missed the roape, that embraced his holy necke) being enritched with an out­landish grace, that it came from Ierusalem, (as Fa: Ed­munds tells vs,) and had there girded about the sepulcher of our Sauiour Christ, shal tell you stranger newes, then Dibdales stockins did.

Marwoods deuil being a stiffe resty spirit, of kin (as seemes) to a malt-horse of Ware, that wil not out of his way: had beene coniured at Hackney by Stemp, and o­ther priests, by the space of a moneth. Mengus his club, his whip, his scare-deuil, had beene many, and sundry times assayed, the inuocation of the blessed Trinity, ma­ny [Page 83] times vsed, Missa de spiritu sancto, (Edmunds owne words) celebrata: A choise Masse of the holy Ghost had beene celebrated, dreadfull infernall Exorcismes had been thundered abroad, Hic tamen nihil quicquam sentire visus est: The sullen spirit, seemed not to care for it a rush. But when Edmunds came in accepto bissino quodam funi­culo, quem ipse Edmundus Campianus semper secū gesta­bat, & in sacrificijs vtebatur (quem Saluatoris sepulchrum vinxisse Hierosolymis solebat dicere,) hunc Sacerdos ad latus applicuit: Ad cuius contactum hic statim trepidare, et conturbari coepit, dolorem (que) eius presentia in aliam corporis partē concessisse, qua ille re perspecta energumenum esse ma­nifestò deprehendit. Taking in his hand, a certaine silken twist, which Fa: Campion did alwayes cary about with him, and vsed it at the celebration of the Masse; and which he often said, had beene at Ierusalem, and girded our Sauiours tombe: applied the same gently to Mar­woods side; at the touch whereof, he presently began to tremble, and turmoile, and the paine of his side shifted into a new place, whereby Edmunds discerned, that Mar­wood was a Daemoniack in deede.

What a wonderfull Saint-maker is Tyburne by this, that in a quarter of an houre shall miscreate a Saint, whose girdle, or twist (prouided it be worne by the old Saint at the gallowes) shal put downe at scaring of a de­uil, Mengus his club-deuil, whip-deuil, scare-deuil, the Masse, the inuocation of God our Sauiour Christ, the holy Ghost, and all? I doe very much meruaile there were neuer strange miracles performed by the wood of those trees, considering it hath beene blessed by some of their sacred bodies, & bedewed with their last spritefull breath, which haue power to infuse their soueraigne vertue into more remote obiects, and into things of as hard, and repugnant a consistence. It seemes they haue changed courses with the transfusion of miraculous vertue, imagined by their idle braines, to issue from our [Page 84] blessed Sauiour, at time of his death: whose coates, that he wore at his blessed passion, thy leaue as bare, and na­ked, without any powerfull miraculous vertue at all, & bestow all his diuine influences vpon the holy Crosse: Contrariwise, these communicate all the riches of their miraculous graces vpon their girdles, and cloutes: and leaue nothing for the poore gallowes, to grace them withall.

But this holy potent girdle is not thus barely left: You shal heare Edmunds gracing it in an higher straine. Pa­tris etiam Camp: sacrum illum funiculum ad latus, & os vnus ex circumstantibus admouit: quin ille iterum vehe­menter execratur, et detestatur omnes eiusmodi res, ore dis­cerpit, mandit dentibus, conspuit, daemoni commendat illam rem, quae tantam ei molestiam faceret, tantum excruciaret, corpori, & animae ad omnia extrema perpetienda causa esset. One of the by-standers takes father Campian his sacred girdle, and with it touches the mouth, and side of the possessed, he againe curses, and detests all manner such geare, he teares it with his mouth, bites it with his teeth, spits vpon it amaine; wishes the deuil take that ill-fauo­red thing, that troubled him so much, vexed him so sore, and was the cause of his extreame torments, both in body, and minde.

Now take with you, I entreate you, a short, and sweet Dialogue, betweene the Iesuit, and the deuil. Sed quid nam (inquit Sacerdos) pessime daemon, fatêre veritate (non quod ego abs te, qui mendax ab initio fuisti, veritatem volo discere) quid isto funiculo ita torqueris, qui vel fortissima quae (que) mundi tam facilè contemnis? vnde ergo venit? Wic­ked fiend (saith Edmunds) come on, goe to now, & tell true (not that I desire to learne truth of thee, that hast beene a lyer from the beginning) what is the cause thou art so cruelly tormented with this girdle, who doost not care for the potentest thinges that are in the world? whence then proceedeth this? Thus farre Edmunds the [Page 85] deuil senior: now heare Edmunds deuil Iunior, or Mar­wood, Edmunds ghost? Hierosolyma (inquit) bene nouit, ad quem pertinuit; Tiburnus non ignorat (qui locus erat, vbi pater ipse Camp: martyrio coronatus erat.) Tum Sacerdos astantes compellat: testes inquit estote, patris Camp. claris­simi martyrij, cuius hic vel minutissimus funiculus, quem ipsi prius in vita nunquam viderant, tantas illi faces miserat. Ierusalem (quoth the deuil) knowes whose girdle it is. Tiburne (the place where Fa: Camp: receaued his crowne of martyrdome) is wel acquainted with it. H [...]re Ed­munds calls aloude to all the standers by; beare witnes my maisters of Fa: Campians most glorious martyrdom, whose smallest cord, which before that time, they had neuer seene with their eyes, hath cast the deuil into such an heate.

See heere three most graue, and authentike witnesses of a Romish Saint: Ierusalem, Tyburne, and the deuil. And the poore gulls, that held the candell to the deuil, called in for the fourth, to make vp a messe. Campians Saintship had been in a faire taking, but for the gallows, and the deuil; and would it not doe any man good, to be thus Sainted from hel?

And now the deuil was a Sainting, and that his hand was in, it was much ouer-seene of Edmunds the Presen­ter, that he did not name him, Story, Felton, Sommeruile, Arden, Parrie, & Lopez, & the rest of that Saint-Tray­torly crue, whom Tiburne, and the deuil were as famili­ar with-all, as with S. Campian I wis; and knew as wel the causes, motiues, and end of their Saint-ships alike: the deuil himselfe hauing beene the Author, & inspirer to them all, and therefore no doubt but he would haue beene as kinde to them, as to S. Campian; and the more the merier, & the greater shout, & applause would haue beene of the holy Traytorly rout, that were loo­kers on, and the Echo the shriller when they cried: O Catholicam fidem! O fidem Catholicam! and if they be not [Page 86] already sainted with the deuil, (as I trust if they be dead, God gaue them better grace,) but if they be liuing, and stand as lewdly affected to these diabolical cosenages, as heere they did, when they held the deuil, alias Edmunds the candel: it is to be hartily wished, they were sent to the Creator of the Romish Saints, Tiburne their Coro­nator, by him to be conuayed, where Gods mercy shal designe.

But the close of this Dialogue betweene Edmunds, & the deuil, or the deuil Edmunds, and Edmunds the deuil, for he played both parts himselfe, is the pretiest of all. Campians dreadful girdle had so heat the deuil, and in­toxicated his braine, as it made the deuil to cry out, as you haue heard. O me stultum et infelicem, qui ista dice­rem! O foole, and wretch that I am, for saying thus much! Heere you see the deuil was cleane gone, and confesseth himselfe to be out of his wits. And this was but an admotion, or touch of the girdle; what would this sacred twist haue done, if it had girt the deuil about, as it girt our Sauiours Tomb at Ierusalem: verily it can­not be imagined, what hel-work it wold haue wrought: the deuil had certainly become a bedlamit at the least, and then his keeper would haue had some-what adoe; the club, and the whip, and all must haue walked.

Meane while Campians Saint-ship comes of a faire house, and hangs by a goodly three-fold threed. For the deuil heere now when he dubbed him, and proclaimed him a Saint, is in Edmunds censure a lier, in his own con­fession a foole, and by imputation a deuil: and so he was created by a deuil, a foole, and a liar: and these three in one was none, but Edmunds alone, the Author, Actor, and penner of this play, who deserues as worthily to be crowned at Tiburne, for this foolish, fond, impious dia­bolical fascination, and to be proclaimed from hell for an infernal Saint, as euer Campian, & his complices did.

I haue their shirt behind, as the last seruice to the de­uils [Page 87] nunchion. Which because it is not so cleanly, as I could wish, Fid (the Laundresse to these deuils incarnat) shal serue in this dish. Fid was washing in mistris Peck­hams kitchin, a bucke of foule cloathes:See her examin: amongst the which, was one of the priest-Exorcists shirts: the deuil comes sneaking behind her, trips vp her heeles, and pit­ches her on her hip, and vpon that aduantage, takes pos­session of her (as it seemes by the story,) for from that fall she grew to be possessed: And wote you why the deuil playd her this vnmannerly sneaking tricke. The Miracle-maker tels vs, it was because shee was washing out a foule shirt of one of the priests, and what further matter, their examinations may with lesse offence to your modesty report, then my selfe. I proceede to their priestly attire.

CHAP. 16. ¶ Of the wonderfull power, in a Priests Albe, his amice, his maniple, his stole, to whip, and plague the deuill.

THe Heathen, who saw not God, and things intelli­gible with a cleere eye, but with the owle-light of nature, and glimse of theyr owne discourse, did deeme of spirits, and deuils, that they were aëreae substantiae, of an ayrie patible substance, or els that they were the spi­rits of naughty men departed this life. According to theyr dimme conceit they had superstitious deuises, by sacrifices, and charmes, placandi manes, and imperandi both; sometime to please them, somtime to commaund them, as you may see by Ʋirgil, and other Poets, in Ae­neas, and Theseus descensions into hel. Their pleasing, and soothing their angry daemones was by sacrifice: their controling, checking, and commaunding them, was by charmes, fumigations, execrations, lights, sacred vest­ments, and scepters of their consecrated priests.

Our Papisme, the corruption of the sincere worship [Page 88] of Christ, beeing naught els but a perfect apisme, and imitation of Gentilisme, & Hethenish superstition, doth naught els but play ouer all the toyes, tricks, and trum­peries, of Ethnick superstition againe: especially in this matter of scaring, tormēting, & afflicting of the deuil, not only with the body, breath, smel, touch, but with the or­dinary apparel, as hose, gloues, girdle, shirt, & as you shal now hear, with the exterior ornaments of a sacred priest, as his amice, his albe, his stole, and the like.

The difference betweene a Pagan, & a Popish priest, as I take it, is this, that the one doth seriously, and in good sadnesse perswade himselfe, that his halowed per­son, charmes, and consecrate attire, as his scepter, his crowne, and Albe, doth awe, terrifie, and depel the de­uil indeed: the other doth not in earnest so thinke, or dreame, but doth know the cleane contrary, that there is neither vertue, ability, nor proportion in any of these gewgawes, to moue or stil the deuil no more, then there is in a white sheet to scare a sober man; but dooth onely of impious policie act, fashion, and play them, ad terro­rem incutiendum, & fucum faciendum populo, to gull, ter­rifie, and amaze the simple ignorant people, and by bringing them into an admiration of the power of their priest-hood, the sanctitie of theyr attire, and the diuine potencie of theyr Romish Cath: church, by this meanes to enchaunt, & bewitch their innocent simple soules, & so to offer thē vp for a pray to their great Idole at Rome.

See Tirrell, Stemp, and Thomson, three Rectors of this deuil tragaedie doe put off theyr Romane visards,See Tirrels exam: and Fids. & tel vs iumpe as much. It was theyr good nature, or rather Gods good grace, they should deale so plainly with vs: but we need not be beholden to them, for this necessa­rie kindnesse one iote: for by that time all the parts of this tragaedie haue been acted on the stage, you haue ne­uer a child of tenne yeeres, that is a looker on, but will see, and discerne their grosse packing, rude bungling, [Page 89] and palpable iugling so apparantlie, as hee wil dare to take the deuil by the visard, & play with the fooles nose, and cry: away with the priest, and the deuil, they haue marred a good play.

We are now come to their hunting, and chasing the deuil with their holy attire. In a wel sorted cry of hoūds, the dogs are not all of a qualitie, and sise: some be great, some of a midle, some of a low pitch: some good at a hote chase, some at a cold sent: some swift, and shalow, some slow and sure: some deepe and hollow mouthed, some verie pleasant, and merrie at traile. So is it in this consorted kennel of hell, and in these direful engines, & Machines of the Romish Church, to rouse, chase, and torment the deuil. The bodie, & hand of a sacred priest, yee see are greater torments to the deuil, then hel. His girdle, gloues, and hose, they are the deuils scorpions, & whyps (as neerest vnto the origen, and fountaine it selfe) but his exterior ornaments (though ornaments of his of­fice, as his Amice, his Albe, his stole: yet beeing more remote, and so participating the vertue of the priest, but in weake degrees) be in this deuil-hunting sport, in stead of little beagles to fill vp the cry; and yet by your leaue, sometime they giue the deuil a shrewd pinch, and ther­fore they be worth the whistling out, and not to be left in the Popes kennel at home.

It is not a light argument of the sacred power of an Amice against a spirit, that the reporter of the Miracles tells vs; that a priest layd it vppon Saras face to preuent illusions: and that a spirit puffed at it,Pag. 32. and could not en­dure to let it alone. It had as seemes a choaking quality to suffocat a deuil: and indeede Lustie Dicke, that deuil, for all his lustier parts, had endured a shrewd chase by a long exorcisme a little afore, and shewed himselfe a lustie stout deuil of a large winde, and lasting breath, that hee sunke no sooner, and nowe beeing cleane spent and lying at bay, it was but an hard part of the [Page 90] priest, when he found him panting, & gasping for ayre, after so hote, and sore a chase, not to breathe the deuil a little, but to come vpon him with a suffocating Amice, to quel him out-right.

Now Sara tels vs, that it was she her selfe, that puffed at the holy Amice, as beeing none of the sweetest. But who was likest to know best, whether shee, or the deuil puffed? I hope the priest, who knew the deuil as readi­ly by his puffe, as the deuil did him by his smel. The priest shewed a good wit in taking the deuil so soone. This holy relique lay pent for want of a grace from the deuil, and the deuil beeing brought so low, had nothing but a puffe, or a worse ayre to vent vpon it.

The holy Stole was brought three or foure times vp­pon the stage, and shewed it selfe an Antidaemoniack of special account, manifesting it selfe to be a true imple­ment,See Ed­munds tract. and hanging of the deuil-quelling church. First it serued in the nature of a stop-deuil, in Fa: Edmunds own hand, who after he had belabored the deuil with his holy hands into Marwoods head, and finding his hands heauy with the massie waight of vertue, that was compacted in them: he took the sacred Stole, & wound it about Mar­woods neck, and so begirt the deuil in Marwoods head, where the deuil lay so pent, by the vertue issuing out of the blessed Stole, as he stared, fumed, & fomed, as he had beene starke mad, and in the end was squeased out with pure violence, as water out of a squirt.

Page, 14.The Miracle-master, tels vs of an heroical combat per­formed betweene Maho, and the priest, during seauen houres long, when Maho the deuil standihg vppon his guard, would not come in. He was summoned by the priest first with Mengus club, then with his whip, with holy water, Salue regina, Aue maria, the great Heralds for hell. Maho stoode out, till the priest prepared him selfe (saith the Author) to afflict him with the Stole, and then he came in, and yeelded to parly, or dialogue with [Page 91] the priest, in a milde, and temperate voyce. See the po­wer of the Catholique Romish church, whose seeliest ragge hath power to change the deuils roaring note, & to cause him to speake, in a milde moderate key.

This blessed implement hath in it, as you see, a sting­ing cord for a deuil, more then Mengus whip: and how was the poore deuil then rent, battered, and torne, may we deeme: when for not telling his name, he was enioyned vntrusse, and to take quietly fiue lashes with the Stole, & (that which was worst of al, & I am sure went most against his stomacke, being an haughty spirit) was commaunded to kisse the rod, and to say ouer, with a lamentable trembling voyce 15 Aue maries, fiue for our Ladies fiue sorrowes, fiue for her fiue ioyes, & fiue for her fiue glories. And all this the deuil most dutifully performed, like a dutiful obedient sonne to his curst ho­lie Mother, the holy church of Rome. But heare you fellow Comaedians: heere you had like to haue spoi­led the play, for you be laboured your Fid, your fellow she-deuil, with your Stole so hard, as she whined indeed, and in choler had like to haue pulled off her deuils vi­zard, and shewed her owne face, and to haue told the Spectators, that she was Fid, your kinde fidler in deed, and no he-deuil, God wote, & that she knew the time, when you would haue laboured her more kindly; for she felt this stole-whipping, three or foure dayes after:See her exam: and had the marks of it vppon her armes longer to be seene. But she remembred, you would finde time, and place, with kinder vsage to make her amends, therefore she was content for once to beare it.

Latet anguis in herba: a man would little suspect, when he meetes with the Amice, the Stole, and the Maniple, wound vp in a little casket, that there were such blacke hel-mettal within them, to excoriat, and lancinate a de­uil: and it grieues me, I confesse, when I see our little children, when they haue them, how they in a natural [Page 92] childish instinct, doe take thē for fit gawdes to trick vp their babies with-all: and themselues doe put them for sport, some vpon their owne fingers, some vpon their breasts, some vpon their foreheads: and a little I muse when I see it (considering the infused diuine vertue, in­herent in this sacred geare, to discouer, manifest, and torment the deuil) how it commeth to passe that we, & our children being in Edmunds, and the Catholiques o­pinions all of vs possessed, that these potent Engines, doe not shew forth their manifesting, tormenting ver­tue in none of our little children, & cause them to tum­ble, foame, and speake fustian, as they doe in theyr owne.

To this may be aunswered, that we, and our children be out of their church, and so out of the sphaere of the actiuitie of these holy Iewels: and then that this is not a seated fixed vertue in these nouels, but a mouing tran­sitiue grace, that goes out, and in, in them, like a shittle in a Weauers loome. But Sara, and Fid doe furnish vs with an apter, and fuller aunswer, then both: that is, that we are not idonea subiecta, not fit matter for these deuil-powers to work vpon, till we haue been at their schoole, and haue learned to spel our horne-booke, & the Crosse rowe with them: For they themselues at first, were no more moued with an Amice, and a Stole, then they were with a dish-clout, and a malkin, til they had taken out an holy lesson out of the priests play bookes, and then they felt an heate, that they wist not of before.

It is a currant tale of Achilles, that his mother Thetis dipped him in the Sea, all but his heele, & so made him impenetrable against the point of any weapon. Our ho­lie Exorcists haue surely beene plunged in the Riuer Styx, in their holy attire: for they haue neither speck of their body, nor ragge belonging vnto them, but it is hel-proofe, and deuil-proofe altogether; and that which Achilles had not, it hath besides a power destructiue, [Page 93] and triumphant ouer hel, and the deuil. The Priests poore Maniple that an ignorant Landresse would scarce haue bestowed the wrincing vpon, put about Trayfords neck (saith the miracle-founder) baricadoed vp the de­uil in Trayfords head, that he durst not stirre, and there he stoode so distressed for want of prouant, that with a penny Mouse-trap you might haue caught him with­out a bayt at Trayfords right eare.

These priests ditements being seuerally so many in­fernal serpents and Scorpions, to sting, and bite the de­uil: what would you say, if you see the poore deuil en­snared in them altogether, and entangled in this sacred geare, as Mars was in Vulcans net? How pittifully, ima­gine you, would he look, to see himselfe so priest-bitten, as Aesops Foxe was flie-bitten:Page. 45. and how would hee winch, skip, and curuet, hauing so many fiery needles in his skin at once? In this woful plight the (wonder-wri­ter) presents him to your view, telling you, that for en­crease of his torment, they stripped Sara of her gar­ments, and put vppon her body, all the priests imple­ments at once; and then how they tricked Saraes deuil, being adorned with their priestly robes, let the deuil,See her exam: or Sara tell: I haue other Cod-fish in water, that must not be forgotten.

CHAP. 17. Certaine questions aunswered, concerning the Church of Rome her making, and accumulating yet more dreadfull tooles, and engines for the deuill.

THere is no good natured man (as I thinke) that should heare of these various, and dreadfull whyps spoken of before, to be inflicted vpon the deuils backe in a fierie consort at once, but would haue some feeling remorse of the paines of the deuil, and say with the wo­full [Page 94] man, nunc non est nouae plagae locus: there is no free place left vppon the deuils skinne for any new lash. But when this good natured man shal heare of the more va­rious, and more direful not whips, but scorpions, stings, and fiery serpents of the holy Church: the blacke gloo­mie armour, embellished with the thicke smoake, & va­pour of hell; the swords, darts, and speares of fire, poin­ted with grisly death, that the Church doth arme her in­fernall souldiers (the Exorcists) withall, against the princedome and power of hell, hee will cry out with Marwoods tormented deuil, terra dehisce, ne sentiam illas plagas, earth swallow mee vp, before I come neere the scorch of those flames.

And these are in a blacke row, as they stand in the blacke Miracle booke, holy water, holy candle, halo­wed frankensence, halowed brimstone, the potion, the crosse, the sacrament, Tiburne reliques: the picture of an Asse burnt in fire, nicknames to the deuil, the picture of our Lady, Aue Maries, salue Reginaes, the presence of S. Barbara, and the presence of our Lady: which you must read ouer very silently, least the deuil hearing the names, you heare him presently roare vppon you for feare.

The Poets, to strike vs with a terror of the torments of Styx, doe present before our eyes, the three Eumeni­des sisters, the Furies, and tormentors of hell, with black vgly visages, grisly with smoake, with whips of blood, and fire in theyr hands, theyr armes gored with blood: and a huge bunch of a thousand snakes crawling down theyr haire. Let me present you an Exorcist, armed by the Church at all poynts, to encounter hell, and the de­uil, you wil laugh the Eumenides from of the stage. First I must set him before your view (as hee is in shew) a thumbe-annointed priest, accomplished in his holy geare, in his albe, his amice, his maniple, and his stole: now imagine him as he is indeed, and as you haue heard [Page 95] of him for hel: his body a piller of burning brasse, his hands flames of fire, his gloues, his girdle, his hose, his shirt, lumps of sea-coales of hell: his amice, his maniple, and his stole, streamers of scorching smoke, the sacra­ment of gore-blood in one hand, the crosse of tormen­ting coales in the other: sprouting out holy-water with his mouth, breathing out fire, and brimstone at his no­strils, euaporating frankinsence at his eyes, the picture of an asse burning brimly at his eares, his head crawling with dead-mens bones: the picture of our Lady flash­ing at his breast: nicknames of fire, and blood running vpon his backe, aue-maries, and salue Reginaes sparkling downe to his heeles: what a little hel doe you imagine walking vppon the earth? And ere you stirre your ima­gination, doe but imagine him a little further, walking in our London streets a little before day light, what time the Chimny-sweepers vse to make theyr walke, and cry­ing in his hellish hollow voyce, hay ye ere a deuil to driue? hay yee ere a wench to fire? hay yee ere a boy to dispossesse? What a feare trow yee would the spirit be in to heare young hell thus roare, and how would he labour to get out at the parties breech, a Hiaclito did at Trayfords, be­fore hee would dare to looke this hell-mouth on the face?

Heere now comes in a bundle of Quaeres, that steppe ouer our way, and will needes haue parlie with vs ere we go any further: first, whence deriue these fierie weapons theyr vigor, and strength of goring the deuil; which you call the publique armes, and ensignes of the Church? To this I aunswer, that these publique weapons of holy Church, that you haue heard, some haue their strength, and power of themselues, as the sacrament, and the Crosse: some of the institution of holy Church, as ex­orcismes, aue-maries, salue Reginaes, & caet. some from the conseruation, and halowing of the Church to these potent ends, and effects: as holy water, holy candle, ho­ly [Page 96] brimstone, holy Frankensence, and the holy potion, nick-names, and the Asses eares.

And if heereuppon a Quaerist wil demaund, ad quid perditio haec? vvhat needes the holy Church to open her Armorie for hel, and muster out her fiery weapons in such troupes, and throngs, considering, that euery one of theyr thumb-annointed priests (as yee haue heard) doth at his holy vnction, receiue this heate, and fire into his hand and his body, by the oyle of his thumbe, wher­by he is able with all his holy implements, that hang vp­pon his backe, to fire out the strongest deuil in hel, with his owne proper hands, & his hote holy geare: as Ed­munds did Marwoods deuil, and Dibdale did fire Maho out of Sara with his fiery engines: this Quaerist I see doth not wel obserue.

I haue touched before, that though euery priest be indeed annoynted with holy oyle on his thumbe, and by that oyle doth receiue in that deuil-burning heate, that doth dilate it selfe through his body, garments, and all: yet because euery priest doth not bring his thumb pre­pared, and qualfied alike, but some haue a Millers, some a souters, some a Coliers thumb, that wil not take in oyle wel, and then some stand remote, and a squint, from the sunne of light, and miraculous heate of Fa: Ignatius, the Miracle-maister; it falls out, that theyr burning glasses doe not so readilie take fire, and their deuil-worke by their holy hands, & holy geare, doth not alwaies fortu­natly succeed. Yea, it falls out many times by your leaue, that the subiect where-vppon they should worke being indisposed, as not well managed, and prepared by the priest (as what fire can burne where the matter is not combustible, and of touch) the priests fire is striken, & no great combustion dooth ensue: and this seemes the cause there was so little fire-worke between Anne Smith, and them: and sometime the priests powder it selfe, for want of good looking to, is danke, and then though the [Page 97] stroke be good, no great sparkles doe arise.

It was therefore wisely foreseene by the prouidence, and deepe insight of theyr kinde Mother theyr holy Church, to prouide them copias succedaneas, seconding and fresh supplies of fire-workes; that if their owne fire doe faile, they may light, and fire it againe at the Chur­ches holy candle. Yea sometimes they light vppon such a laxe, watry, and reumaticke deuil, that hee squirts out the priests fire, the holy brimstone, holy candle, and all: and goes laughing away. This is when they are too bu­sie, and imprudently apply theyr fire-worke to oppo­sitely, and directly against the deuils spouting place: & then there is no way but to winde vp all their holy trin­kets in a capcase, and to ayre them handsomly againe at the next pitch for a deuil.

If the Sceptick wil pry higher, & demaund, whence the Pope, & his consistory doe borrow that diuine power, to consecrate water, candle, brimstone, Frankincense, potions, Exorcismes, nick-names, and asses eares, and to sublimate theyr nature, & put into them such a fiery scorching flame, as shal turne thē into serpents, and scor­pions, to bite and sting the deuil, and to fire him out of his hold, as men smoke out a Foxe out of his burrow: these beeing of theyr owne nature, and in shew, silly poore stuffe to hold such diuine facultie in them? This is a saucie question, and deserues to be aunswered with scorne. But because wee wil giue reason of all that pro­ceeds from that sacred head; wel may his holines, and his Chapter, doe as much as S. Peter did: for as for our Sa­uiour, and his holy Apostles, wee neuer read that they halowed candle, nor dealt with nick-names, and Asses eares, in casting out deuils, but of Peter, by your leaue, there lies a tale, and that is this, as Thyraeus doth tel it out of one Martinus a Saint.

Simon Magus the Sorcerer, sent vnto Peter the Apo­stle certaine deuils in the likenes of dogges, to deuoure [Page 98] the blessed Apostle S. Peter being taken on a suddaine, not looking for such currish guests, (as beeing belike at dinner) consecrates on a suddaine certaine morsels of bread, and throwes them to the dogge-deuils, and by the power of that bread, they were all put to flight. And is not this a faire tale of Simon and his hel-dogges, that would haue snapt vp S. Peter, but onely for a soppe of bread? and is it not a faire strong thred to hang a whole castle of fire-works vpon? Martin hath a black braine, conceiting bul-beares, and black band-dogges of Saint Peter, Ergo the Pope, and his Church haue authority, and power, to consecrate and hallow water, oyle, salt, wax, brimstone, frankensence, potions, Exorcismes, nicknames, and asses eares, and to put in them a scor­ching fire to sindge the deuils beard. Because the conse­quence is so validous, we wil looke a little into these ho­ly fire-works, but very sparingly, and cursorily, for hol­ding you too long, in these vnsauory perfumes.

CHAP. 18. ¶ Of the dreadfull power of holy water, halowed candell, Frankincense, Brimstone, the booke of Exorcismes, and the holy potion, to scald, broyle, and to sizle the deuill.

IF you look vpon the bare face of these holy Engines, you wil take them for very trifles, and toyes: but I must say vnto you in good sadnes, as the wise Orator of Rome said of omission of like trifles in another sence; Istis minutijs concidit resp: Romana: the common-weale of Rome fell by omitting, and neglecting those pettie thinges: so istis minutijs constitit Eccles: Romana: the Church of Rome hath beene founded, pillard, & prop­ped vp, onely by these gawdes, trifles, and toyes: so as Anthony told Crassus, when hee had caried a cause by affecting the people with his gesture, and teares, nisi pu­eris, [Page 99] et lachrymis vsus esset, paenas dedisset. But for little boyes, and he Orators fained teares, his Client had lost the day: wee may truly, and plainly tell the Church of Rome, nisi naenijs, tricis, & puppis vsa esset, paenas iam diu dedisset: If it were not for puppets, apes-faces, & gaudes, with which she allures, maskes, and disguises the poore seely people, she had long since sung the doleful song, mentioned in holy writ: Desolatione magna desolata est, & turpitudo eius gentibus reuelata: That is she had lien cleane desolate, & her turpitude had beene opened, to the eyes of all the world.

It is a point of high sapience in the Church of Rome, to choose, and select out these poore base, and impotent Elements, as water, oyle, candel, and the rest; for her champions, tormenters, and monster-beaters of de­uils. First, for that these elements be obuious, easie, and common, so as deuil-Comaedy may be plaid in a chim­nies end, with an halfe peny worth of cost. Next, for that euery kitchin-maide, Hob, and Iohn, doth wel see, and know, that a spoonful of water, a cursie of oyle, and a candels end can haue of themselues no power, and strength; to scald, broyle, or torture a deuil: now when this good Hob, Iohn, or Sisse shal bring a spoonful of water, a cursie of oyle, or a candels end to the priest, and he shal crosse, blesse, and chaunt ouer it a few broken words: and then presently after, Hob, Iohn, and Sisse shal see the very same water, and candels end applied towards the nose of a supposed Daemoniack wench, and then shal thinke, they heare the deuil to roare, fume, & tremble, is it any meruaile that the poore Conies doe wonder, and crie out. O Catholicam fidem! O fidem Ca­tholicam! O the Catholique faith! O the power of the faith Catholique! Many deuises they haue to grace these pup­pets, and toyes, for the gayning, and winning this ap­plause, and acclamation of the people, which is one of the chiefe ends, where-vnto the actors, and Comaedians [Page 100] ayme. First, it must be so acted, and handsomly con­ueyed, that it may seeme, and appeare, that as the deuil cannot abide the name, the approach, the sight, the smel, the breath, the touch, the apparel, or the orna­ment of a Catholique priest (which is one of the de­monstratiue signes of a deuil in the party:) no more must the deuill abide the sprinkling of holy water, nor the approch of an halowed candle.Booke of miracles, page. 24. This, Saras she-deuil acted wel in the beginning of her part, crying. Away with holy water, holy candle, and the Crosse, they make mine eyes sore.

The next grace we find of this holy element, is to al­lay, and mitigate the force of the deuil, and to bring the partie out of an extasie to her selfe. This Sara perfor­med very laudably to, being in a very strange fit, past hearing, seeing, smelling, and all, after three draughts of holy-water,Page. 23. she came vnto her selfe: and therefore the Author tels vs, that the ordinary remedies to be applied in a fit, were holy water, reliques, and the Crosse.

And see the wonderous Antipathie betweene this sa­cred element, and the deuil, if it come neere the deuils nose, he findeth it straight, first by the smel: for you must remember, that all this consecrate holy geare haue one, and the selfe same smel; as the church, the priests body, his neather-stocks, and all: that is, such a ranke senting sauour,Page. 5. that as soone as they come neere, the deuil sents them straight, and cries out oh. So saith the miracle-blazer that there being so smal a drop of holy water put into Saras drinke, as no mortal man could discerne the tast; as soone as it came neere Sara, she writhed her face, and bad, Haue it away. And two glasses being brought her, one of consecrate, the other common water, this ranke sauour was so validous, and strong, that it sented through the glasse, and stroke her on the nose, so as she pointed directly to the halowed glasse. 2, Whereas water of it owne nature is refreshing, and comfortable [Page 101] to the eyes: your holy water, hath a piercing pernicious quality, so as the deuil complaines at first sight, as you heare, that it makes his eyes sore: and indeede you wa­tered him so much, that you made him starke blind, so as hee could not finde the way out of Sara, but foyled himselfe like a beetle, where he should not haue come. And the noter of these gay miracles saith, that Sara, or her deuil, became a sprinkler too, (she had been so long amongst priests, as she was entered into their holy or­ders) and that she, or her deuil, by the pure vertue of holy water, made a deuil let goe his hold vpon Trayfords lege, where he was fast seased,Page. 27. in the likenes of a Toade and that shee, or her deuil likewise, with a few sprinckles of the same, made the deuil that came to Trayford into his chamber, in the likenes of an Ehglish Minister, and was disswading him from the Catholique Romish church, to betake him to his heeles, and for hast to leap out at the window, without taking his leaue. I see your church wil entertaine he-Exorcists, and she-Exorcists both, & Saras deuil for a neede, for an exorcist too: and yet the poore wench, or the deuil, that by the vertue of holy water, could scare away two deuils from Trayford, (one in the likenes of a Minister, the other of a Toad:) had not the grace to besprinckle herselfe, but kept her deuils stil. Marie this was of no ill meaning, be sure, they were reserued for your owne fingring, kinde indi­giting holy priests.

And is it not great pitty, that all this faire water should be spoild, & tainted, with one crap of a word, dropt out Sara since: that all this holy water grace, was (as all the rest) bare coggery, & deuised ad ornandam scenam, to fur­nish out the play, and to bring into request againe these old water glasses of the church, that for want of sale, had stoode so long on their shelues, as they grew fusty, and naught.

Let not good father Edmunds be discouraged for all [Page 102] this, for he shal be beleeued neuer the worse; who in his learned treatise, prefixed to this Diarie of miracles (tou­ching the power, and custome of the Romish Church, for dispossesing of deuils,) in enucleating the diuine ver­tues, powers, and dignities of things, consecrated by holy Church, for commaund ouer deuils, sets out holy water for his graund champion, to encounter all com­mers: telling vs that worthy memorable story of Saint Macarius, for demonstration of all: who by the onely sprinckling of holy water did remorphize an olde wo­man, that had been turned into a Mare. The miracle had beene stronger, if she had been turned into a horse.

And yet I trust you wil not say, but that this holy wa­ter was strong enough thus: for Circes drench could doe little more, that turned Ʋlysses men into Swine: and yet that was faine to be taken downe, ere it could doe the feate; this onely besprincked, did turne a Mare into a woman againe.

Lucians oyntment I confesse (that he got a little of by peeping in at a creuise, and spying the Witch annoynt her body withall,) came neere the force of this forcible water of Rome. For Lucian tels vs himselfe, that by that time hee had annointed himselfe all ouer with that en­chaunted oyle, he was turned into an Asse, and that hee so liued by the space of six, or seauen yeeres in the shape of an Asse, vnder very cruell maisters that whipped him sore, as vnder a Gardiner, a tyle man, a Corier, and such like: and that at last hee was metamorphosed into the shape of a man by eating of Roses. What would a little of that Asse-making oyle doe, if it had the good hap to be blessed, and super-charmed by his Blessednesse at Rome?

Well, this holy water of Rome had as fayre a discent, as that Lucian oyle, for that did come from a Witch of Thessalia, and this holy water doth come from the witch of Delphos, of whom the Roman Poet saith thus, Spar­git [Page 103] aqua captos lustrali Graia sacerdos: whence Numa Pompilius the grand sorcerer, & the Popes grand foun­der of holy trinckets tooke it: and of him the Romane Wisard Pope Sixtus, or Pope Alexander begged it, & hath left it for an holy deuil-whippe to his deere mother Church.

And heere I must needes confesse a slippe of my me­mory, (as who can beare all this dreadful hel-geare in his head without a surcharge) that before I had recoun­ted you the wonderful powers of this Aqua fortis to scald out a deuil, and make a woman of a mare, I should haue acquainted you how the Miracle-minter in his mi­racle booke doth solemnly tell vs, that the deuil himselfe did solemnly proclaime from hel, that there were foure dreadful deuil-scourges in the priests holy budget: holy water, halowed candle, frankensence, and the booke of Exorcismes: whereby you may plainly see, that vvith theyr intoxicating potions, they had confounded the deuils wits, and made him as wise as goodman Buttons boy of Waltham, who hauing beene vsed to be beaten, sometime with birch, sometime with apple-tree twiggs, sometime with Willow, tells his Maister wisely, that of all three apple-tree was the worst, whereby his Maister knew how to sting him the more soundly. And vvhat needs now any more wier-drawing, and prophaning of holy scripture, for the founding, & crediting of your enchaunted water? it hath the same warrant of his soue­raigntie, as Campian had of his martyrdome, hel, & the deuil, ipse dixit, who you know doth not vse to faile.

But Sara Williams tels vs, that she said no such thing, and that the priests themselues, for the better gracing of those foure holy scourges, were the deuils Heralds, and did proclaime them in her name, or the name of the de­uil, and so put it downe in theyr Miracle-booke as the deuils owne words. As they were faine at euery turne, in her fits, pageants, and traunces, to help out the deuil [Page 104] in her part beeing oft non plus, and many things falling in better extempore, to grace the play withall, then that which was meditated and set downe in her part. And therefore they would often say, and write downe, that Saras deuil said thus, and so, where none but the priest-deuil himselfe, who played three parts in one, somtime the priest, sometimes the deuil, sometimes the deuils prompter, or Interpeter (as the puppets haue alwaies a mimicall prolocutor to tel what they meane) said one word.

And why might not they to keepe the stage ful, cog in a deuil when they listed, as gamesters cogge in a Die: vvhen Agazarius the Iesuit tels vs, that hee hauing brought from Rome certaine halowed, holy graines, & hauing giuen them to his holy children for their seuerall necessities and wants, they by misfortune lost the said graines, and he comforts his holy shriuelings, his ghost­ly good children, telling them in honest termes, that a little prety peble stone taken vp out of a gutter, would serue the turne euen as well, so it were receiued & kept, with humility, and deuotion. But our holy tragaedians were, as seemes, afraid, that these old brayed geare (holy water, halowed candle, and frankensence) would not hold out, and play their parts wel, and therefore they thought good to cry them out of hand, as they vse to cry Mackerels, when they are afraide of smelling. This feare was very needlesse, for as you see holy water in this deuil-pageant hath acquit it selfe wel, especially in the miracle of the Mare: so you shal see holy candle, fran­kincense, and the rest, play theyr parts no worse: for they were all deuil-whippes of the maker, of a staight stocke, cleane corde, & sure twist, as true and wel-knot­ted stuffe, as euer Wades myll did afford.

You shal haue holy candle play his part, in the Au­thour his owne phrase and penning, for his better grace. The whole house at Denham, saith the Miracle-maker, [Page 105] was so haunted with spirits, that a mayde could not ca­rie a candle lighted in her hand, except it were halowed. No meruaile though the candles went out so thicke at Denham: for there the deuils kept theyr acts in tene­bris so thicke with the poore maids, as Sara confesseth she durst not goe to Dibdales chamber alone, for feare of deuil-puffing, as little gessing by his vnholy handling, he had beene an holy priest. Yet the baudy Poet tells them, that somtime a little candle-light doth not amisse at that deuil-worke, and therfore not amisse inserted by the Author, that an halowed candel should sometime burne before the deuil.

But in an other passage, the miracle-noter tels vs, that the deuil puffed at the holy candel, as hard as he could, and could not get it out: this Sara saith, was puffed in by the penner, to puffe vp a part for the holy candel to play: But I am verily of opinion, that the deuil puffed indeede, and that the priests had a iust scantling, & size of the deuils breath, to know how strong, and deepe the deuil was able to puffe, and when hee puffed his best: themselues hauing often out-breathed, and out-puffed him, as you haue formerly heard: and therefore they knew, how to hallow a candle so high, and to such a pitch, as the deuil with all the breath in his belly, should not be able to puffe it out. And why not as easily, and with as good a grace, as to hallow a candel, to such a sublimitie, abstract, & quintessential nature, as doth this day burne before the blessed shrine of our Lady at Ar­ras, without wasting or diminution, without receauing any adition of matter, to feede, and preserue the light, except nutriment onely. It was no great disgrace to the deuils puffe, that could not blow out the holy candel, being happily supported, by the holy candlestick of the priest.

But you must be enformed, of a farre greater foyle, su­stained by the deuil, at the hands of a young child, by [Page 107] the vertue of this holy candel, holden in his hand. Heare the Miraclist report it, in his owne gracious Idiome. Sara being set in a chaire, shee raged more then ere shee did before, especially at the presence of an infant, holding a holy candell, crying oft with terrible voyce, and countenance, I will eate thee, but the child nothing abashed thereat, was brought to hold the candell to her nose, and to put him to silence. O Catholicam fidem! O fidem Cathoticam! that hast such a check, and soueraignty ouer all the power of hell, as that thy priests leade about deuils after them, as men leade Beares by the nose, or Iack an Apes in a string, and en­duest thy young Infants, with such heroical magnani­mitie, as they dare play with the deuils nose, and crie Iack deuill, ho deuill, blow out the candell deuill: and the poore deuil stands like a mute in a blacke sanctus, with a bone in his mouth, and dares not speake one word.

The two next deuil-scourges proclaimed from hel, were Frankincense, and the booke of Exorcismes: the former whereof though it pleased you not to grace with any special miracle accomplished alone, hauing many new initiats to aduaunce, that stood you in more stead: yet to shew that your deere Mother-church did not be­stow her blessing vppon such a iewel for naught, you gaue him his due time, order, and place, and marshalled him very honourably according to his discent, somtime with the powerful potion, sometime with brimstone, sometime wirh holy water, sometime with holy candle, shewing vs by the worthines of his companion, that hee was none of the rascal crue.

Indeede you needed be the lesse careful for this, by reason it is alwaies of worth very sufficient to grace, and aduaunce it selfe, both in regard of the antiquity, as also of the honourable discent thereof, as springing from no meaner stemme then the three Kings of Cullen, that brought it with gold, and Mirrhe, for a present vnto our Sauiour Christ. And therefore it hath beene worth the [Page 106] keeping, & esteeme in your Mother-church euer since, and hath receiued her deere motherly blessing, by con­secration, and benediction.

And so wee find that your holy Mother hath layd her holy hands vppon gold likewise, and consecrated, and blessed that amiable mettall to, whereby it hath had, and shewed as much power, ouer deuils haunting houses, walking in Churchyeards, and speaking out of images, as Frankincense, holy candle, and holy water haue. But little did those three good Kings of Cullen know, what a powerful rich present they had brought vnto our Saui­our, whē they presented him with Frankincense, as little deeming of fuming any deuil in theyr way, or profuga­ting a deuil from the body of our blessed Sauiour. But your eyes pierced farther thē these 3. Kings could, (not­withstanding it is generally accoūted they had eye-sight enough, as comming from the head, and fountaine, of wisedome, vnderstanding, and wit,) and you cleerely saw, that the Egyptian priests, perfuming theyr two grand Idols, Isis, and Osiris, with this holy smoake, and hearing Tully proclaime of theyr Images at Rome, in omnibus vicis statuae factae, ad eas thus & cerei, that they halowed them, and theyr Altars with frankinsence, and candle: you haue very wisely, deuoutly, and heathenish­ly, smoaked your Altars, your images, your Churches, your vestments, your reliques, your beades, your bookes, your breeches with this perfume, for feare of deuil-bla­sting; and therefore you needed not vppon our deuil Theater to grace it with any new wonder.

The fourth feareful whip halowed out of hel, was the booke of Exorcismes: which though Stemp the priest shewed Sara a little corner of out of his pocket, when he was new come from London to Denham, telling her he had brought her Maister a whip, and that Sara knew it as wel by the crosses, & figures, as a begger knew his dish, or an old curre a kitchin whippe by a corner of the [Page 108] steale, it had beene so often thundred vpon: yet we find in our tragaedie, that this plaid not the most tragicall monster-part, nor did not the greatest wonders, and that vppon very wise, and important considerations. First this booke was sicut fortis equus, spatio qui saepe supremo ve­cit Olympia. It had playd so many worthy parts, and ca­ried away the garland so oft, in all the Lists, Turnaments, and Iusts, with the deuil, that it needed no new Io paean, to be honoured with-all.

Secondly, it hath hanging on it all the seales, and stamps of holy popes, for many hundred yeeres, with all their potent benedictions: and it hath had the deere, and louing mothers blessing, with priuiledge of birth­right, and priority of honour besides, and therefore it might wel stand, and breath a while without any new addition, or title of aduauncement. Thirdly, it serued wonderous aptly, ad terrorem, et stuporem incutiendum populo: in steede of thunder, and lightning to bring Iu­piter vpon the stage, by these dreadful frightful Exor­cismes, thundring, clapping, and flashing out the asto­nishing of Gods names, Iehouah, Tetragrammaton, Ado­nai, and the rest: to amaze, and terrifie the poore peo­ple, and to possesse them with an expectation of some huge monster-deuil to appeare. Who standing at gaze, with trembling, and feare: hearing the huge thunder cracke of adiuration flie abroad, and no deuils to roare; and then seeing the Exorcist, in a rage to throw away his thunder booke behind him, and hunt the deuil with his owne holy hands, and instantly hearing the deuil rouze out of his cabin, as a Lyon out of his denn; & bellow out with his roaring voyce, Oh, oh, oh, I burne, I burne, I scald, I broyle, I am tormented: This must needes make the poore Madge Owlets cry out, in admiration of the po­wer of the potent priesthood. O Catholicam fidem! O fi­dem Catholicam. O the Catholique faith! O the power of the faith Catholique.

[Page 109]Brimstone, and the holy potion, needed no Herrauld from hell, to proclaime their potency, and might: for where so euer they went, they caried hel before them, both for vgly blacknes, smoake, scorching, broyling, and heate: As you may see in the poore she-deuil Sara, that bore in her face the very Idaea of hell imprinted, & bran­ded in her, by these dreadful fumigations. For the force, vse, and application of this Engine, I referre you to the tenth chapter: not that you must think, that the loath­some hellish potion of Sacke, Sallet-oyle, and Rue ma­shed together, and by force poured downe into her sto­macke a full pint at a time; did of their owne natural qualities, fume vp, and intoxicate her braine, as Tobac­co, Giniper, and Henbane mingled together would doe: or that the owne vnkind fulsomnes of Sack, Oyle, and Rue, did distemper her stomacke, and enforced her to straine, vomite, and crie: or the pestilent, choaking, stuffing, pernicious fume of Brimstone, filling her eyes, mouth, nose, and scorching her with the coales, & fire, til she looked as blacke as hel mouth; did of their owne proper force, cause her to crie, scritch, and howle: for what hellish Butchers would euer put a poore wench to such paine: but you are to imagine, that these loa­thing, intoxicating, piercing, broyling, choaking, qua­lities were suspended in their proper subiects, by the so­ueraigne consecrating power of the kinde mother church of Rome, that these consecrate Engines made the poore deuil in Sara, to tremble, fume, vomit, straine, scritch, and roare, by the pure vertue of the kind chur­ches sweet benediction. And hoping you wil be thus kindly affected for their sakes, who wish you as wel, as they did Sara, and would vse you as kindly, if they had you in their fingrings, as being perswaded, that you are all, & euery each one possessed with deuils: I wil spend no time to entreate you, but proceede to my farther taske.

CHAP. 19. ¶ Of the astonishable power of Nicknames, Reliques, and Asses eares, in afflicting, and tormenting the deuill.

WHen a Lyon, a Fox, and an Asse were met toge­ther in pilgrimage, it was much wondered at by the common-wealth of beasts, what that consociation meant, considering the dissimilitude and disparitie of the beasts. So when a man shal meete with these three in a ranke, Reliques, Nicknames, and Asses eares, hee may perhaps muse at this vnequall combination, but when hee shall vnderstand quò iter vna capiunt, whether they bend theyr course so louingly together, and shal be aduertised, that they march hand in hand in an aequi­page to set vpon a deuil, to afflict, torment, and cast him out of his hold, he wil muse much more. This gentle muser must be put out of his dumpes, by taking out his first primer lesson, Ignorantia causarum genuit admi­rationem; It is nothing but ignorance of causes, that is the mother of admiration; and therefore when we haue instructed this admirator in the secret causes, and prin­ciples of this vnseemely connexion, we shal ease him of his labour, & cause his wonderment to cease.

The maine ground pillar, and principle of all, is the bottomlesse deitie of the holy Church of Rome, who as she is able to make Gods of bread, Saints of deuils, and to place them in heauen, so is she as able to change flies into Serpents, fleas into Scorpions, Nicknames into whips, Asses eares into scourges, to chastise, and chase away all the deuils in hel. So as that these two Nick­names, and Asses eares, are indeede but two crystal loo­king glasses, wherein you may behold liuely represen­ted vnto you, the authority, and diuine prudence of the holy Romish Church: Authority in choosing out such [Page 111] shadowes, and [...]hilëities, to controll the principalities, and powers [...]nes; prudence in selecting the base, and ridiculou [...] [...]gs of the world, to confound all the wisedome, and policy of the deuil.

I am therefore in gentle, and kind wise, to aduise, and entreate you, that you vse these looking glasses careful­lie, and aright, thorough-out the whole course of this our admirable blacke Arte, and that you measure not our proceedings heerein, by the scale of sence, vnder­standing, or wit, iudging of things according to their owne nature, qualities, and formes, for so wee may be thought to haue dealt, not onely childishly, and ridicu­lously, but many times impiously, and blasphemously to; but to esteeme of things vsed, and imployed in this admirable science, according as they are improued, su­blimate, and aduaunced by the authority of holy church of Rome, and according to the secrets, and mysteries of the Arte.

As for example, what man iudging according to wit, vnderstanding, or sence, can imagine that a Witch can transforme her selfe into the likenes of a Cat, a Mouse, or an Hare: and that shee being hunted with Hounds, in the forme of an Hare, and pinched by the breech, or whipped with scourges, in the similitude of a Cat, the same pinch or marke, shal be found in the breech of the Witch, that was before made by the Hounds in the breech of an Hare, and yet shal you see this sencelesse, witlesse, and brainlesse conceite, verified, & made sooth in the practise of our holy coniuring crue, the thing be­ing really acted, and performed indeed.

Looke in Fid Williams Deposition, and there you shal finde, that the whole Quier of our twelue holy priests, had a solemne assembly at the whipping of a Cat, and did whip the Cat so long in a Parlor at Denham, til shee vanished out of their sight; and sending next day to Bushie, to see in what case the Witch was, whose spirit [Page 112] they had Cat-hunted ouer night, the Witch was found in child-bed, and her childe newly dead. Whereby it plainly appeares, that the whipping of the Cat, so it be done by Catholique priests, is no iest, nor the hunting of the Witch heere, no fabulous apprehension; but a good Catholique sooth, agreeable to the maiestie, gra­uitie, and wisedome of that venerable holy Church.

And so wil you iudge likewise, of nicknames, & Asses eares, by that time I haue shewed how grauely, and re­uerendly, the holy Church hath set them vpon the de­uils head: and how by her soueraigne authority, and commaund, she hath made him to weare, & beare them in spite of his fuming nose. First, you shal haue the Ca­non, and constitution, as I finde it set out in Mengus, the Licentiate, & authorized Maister for Hel; and next the practise of the Canon, by our 12. holy legates, accor­ding to the constitution of their deere mother Church.

The Canon for nick-naming, and rayling on the de­uil,Mēgus fust: daemon: exorcis: runnes thus in Mengus his fourth Exorcisme, of his dreadful deuil club. If after the Masse celebrated of the holy Ghost, signing the possessed with fiue signes of the Crosse, sprinkling him with holy water, inuocating ouer him the name of the Father, Sonne, and holy Ghost, which Aue maria, and thundering out the potent Exorcisme, armed with all the dreadfull, and astonishable tytles of God; the deuill shew him selfe refractarie, and will not depart, nor expresse his name, tum sunt in eum dicenda improperia: then you must come vpon him with as many nick-names, as you can possiblie deuise. Now if you wil learne to nick-name the deuil in print, and cum priuilegio, vnder the signet, and seale of the holy Church at Rome: take heere a messe of nick­names, as they are dressed, and serued in from the Popes Maister-Cooke, and scalder for hel: and let hel it selfe be raked, you shal neuer finde the like: Audi igitur in­sensate, false, reprobe: daemonum magister, miserrima crea­tura, tentator hominum, deceptor malorum angelorum, fallax [Page 113] animarū, dux haereticorū, pater mendacij, fatue, bestialis, in­sipiens, ebriose, praedo infernalis, serpens iniquissime, lupe ra­pacissime, sus macra, famelica, immundissima, bestia Scabiosa, bestia truculentissima, bestia crudelis, bestia cruenta, bestia omniū bestiarū bestialissima, spiritus Acherontine, spiritus fuli­ginose, spiritus Tartaree: That is, Heare therfore thou sence­lesse false lewd spirit, maister of deuils, miserable creature, tempter of men, deceauer of bad Angels, defrauder of soules, Captaine of Heretiques, father of lyes, fatuous, bestial, Ninnie, drunkard, infernall theefe, wicked serpent, rauening Wolfe, leane hunger-bitten impure Sow, seely beast, truculent beast, cruell beast, bloody beast, beast of all beasts, the most bestiall, Acherontall spirit, smoakie spirit, Tartareous spirit. Is not this pretily wel rayled of an olde Mother Church, that hath nere a tooth for age in her head; but hath liued these seauen hundred yeeres, and more, of pure milke of our Lady? Clap on heere the Canon, for the long Asses eares, and seare them to the deuils head, with a little ho­lie fire, and brimstone, and let vs see how the seely hun­ger-bitten Sowe-deuill wil looke. Hic exorcista proijciat imaginem pictam in ignem: Heere take the picture of the deuill, that you haue drawne in paper, and cast it into the fire: and what turmoyle these wrought in hel, our holy Exorcists by their practise, are prest to tel you.

Heare the Miraclist report it, who himselfe was an Actor. The Priest hauing placed Sara in a chayre: he cō ­maundeth the deuill to tell his name: the deuill aunswered Bon-iour and began to make a shew of speaking French: the Exorcist then reuiling the deuil, and calling him Asse in the French tongue, he sayd, I am no Asse, I will not be mocked. This was a sober reply to the Asse, without much adoe. But when Maho trifled, & mocked the priest in Sara, and would by no dint of adiuration, be brought to tel his name, heare the Miracle-teller againe. The Exorcist seeing the deuill thus to trifle, and that hee would not tell his name, for abating his pride; caused to be drawne vppon a [Page 114] peece of paper, the picture of a vice in a play, and the same to be burned with halowed brimstone, whereat the deuil cryed out as beeing grieuously tormented. No meruaile, when hee had a paire of vices eares clapt red hote to his head, with the soader of holy brimstone.

Heere haue you both rule and practise of this tormen­ting the deuil with nicknames, and glowing eares: now we must a little for our benefit, obserue the sweet docu­ments, that doe flow out of this nicknaming vaine. First we see by Mengus her proloquutor, that our holy mo­ther church beeing in her last breath, hath not lost her lungs, but hath both breath, and stomacke at will, and dares speake more lustily, and swaggering-like to the deuil, then euer Michaell the Archangel durst. For hee hauing an opposition, and contention with the deuil, & the deuil playing (as seemes) the part of our swaggering old Mother with rayling, and reuiling termes, durst not reuile againe, but onely prayed GOD to rebuke the foule-mouthed fiend.

Secondly wee see, that our Catholique priests deuils, stood in more awe of Nicknames, and the paper-vice then they did of the dreadful names of our blessed Sa­uiour, or the high and astonishable titles of almightie God: whereby it is apparant, that the old, and aunci­ent way of calling vppon the Name of Iesus ouer the possessed, at whose blessed Name wee read the deuils in the possessed did tremble and quake, is an obsolete, an­tiquated way with our holy Mother-church, and not woorth the naming: and that her deuils be new vpstart spirits, of the queynt cut, that stand vpon theyr reputa­tion, for feare least theyr fellow deuils in a quarrell should take them by theyr long eares in hel.

It was a prety part in the old Church-playes, when the nimble Vice would skip vp nimbly like a Iacke an Apes into the deuils necke, and ride the deuil a course, and belabour him with his woodden dagger, til he made [Page 115] him roare, wherat the people would laugh to see the de­uil so vice-haunted. This action, & passiō had som sem­blance, by reason the deuil looked like a patible old Cori­don, with a payre of hornes on his head, & a Cowes tayle at his breech; but for a deuil to be so vice-haunted, as that he should roare, at the picture of a vice burnt in a pece of paper, especially beeing without his hornes, & tayle, is a passion exceeding al apprehensiō, but that our old deere mother the Romish church doth warrant it by Canon. Her deuils be surely some of those old vice-haunted cassiered woodden-beaten deuils, that were wont to fre­quent the stages, and haue had theyr hornes beaten of with Mengus his clubbe, and theyr tayles cut off with a smart lash of his stinging whip, who are so skared with the Idaea of a vice, & a dagger, as they durst neuer since looke a paper-vice in the face.

Or if you wil needes hunt vs into a demonstration to let you plainly see, how a morsel of paper burnt, with a vices long eares, should enforce a deuil to roare: re­member I beseech you Aesops couragious Lyon, lying in the Hunters-nets, after his fresh wounds, how he roa­red at the nipping of silly ants, biting him on the bare. Was there euer Lion in our deuils case, before he comes to be vice-bitten with a peece of burnt paper, scalded all ouer with holy water, burnt with the crosse, seared with Aue maries, rent with reliques, torne with the stole, bat­tered with the amice, stung with the maniple, whipped from top to toe with exorcismes, and beeing thus ex­coriated, and all ouer raw, a burning vice, with the least drop of brimstone falling vpon his bare, would make a stout Lionly deuil, I weene, for to roare.

For his ill bearing of Nicknames, I must needs take the deuils part: for though that I could haue wished, he had borne those contumelies, and indignities with a bet­ter aequanimity & grace, for that none but children, and fooles, are distempered with nicknames, and taunts: yet [Page 116] considering the deuil looked into Denham house, as Prestons dogge looked into his neighbours doore, of no malicious intent to eate any Christmas-pie, but to see how Christmas went: and seeing a play towards, & that they wanted a deuil, was content to make one in the play, and to curuet, foame, & tumble with a very good deuils grace. Now when he was surbatted, or weary, and could no more woe penny ho, to be come vppon vvith such strange nicknames for his good-wil, as Bedlam could neuer spit out worse, and be called Ninny, drun­kard, scabby beast, beast of all beastes, & hungerbitten sow, especially the Exorists beeing pleased for want of better recreation, to play all Christmas games with those sowes, as laugh, and lye downe, and my sow hath pigd, and the de­uil beeing but a prompter, and candle-holder to that sport; would haue mooued impatience in a right vvell-stayed deuil.

And withall to deale plainly with the deuils to, and to tell them of theyr ouer-sight with their deuilships good leaue: it is a folly to be laughed at by some, and to be wondered at by many, that any deuils in hel should be so starke mad, as to come in the Exorcists way, to ap­peare within his circuit, or to crosse his walke; conside­ring that Aeacus, Minos, and Radamanthus, the three Iudges of hel, be nothing so inexorable, nor in any part so cruell, tyrannicall, and tormenting ouer the deuils, as our Exorcists are, who carry about vpon theyr backs the whole Panoplie of hel, Styx, Phlegeton, Cocytus; clubs, bats, whips, scourges, serpents, scorpions, brimstone, coales, flames, besides the bottomlesse power, that eue­ry Exorcist hath, (euery one hauing (as seemes) a priuie key to the bottomlesse burning pit, to let out, & in, ac­cording to theyr liking) to multiply the torments of hel­fire vpon any deuil, vnto immensity of weight, and infi­nity in perduration: take but a little say of this from the parlie betweene Dibdale and the deuil.

[Page 117]The deuil was a little Colli-mollie, & would not come off. Dibdale laies vpon him by his soueraigne cōmaund, and his priuie key to hell, 20000. yeeres torment in the deepest pit of hel, with fire, and brimstone on his back, and for the multiplication of his paine, and torment which hee had in hel before, hee tels the deuil it shal be fifteene hundred times as much. Now then let vs make vp our audite but at gesse, & cast in a grosse sum, how many legions of deuils haue been thus serued by all the Exorcists in the Romane Church, since theyr first crea­tion, and commission for hel, and what an huge heape of millions wil this make, of poore tormented deuils, stacked vp top-ful in hel, with twenty thousand yeeres torment, and that fifteene hundred times doubled vp­on them, and all these lye yelling, and grinding theyr teeth in hel, vnder this immensity of weight of torments, and these innumerable chaines of darknes, that the Ex­orcists haue layd vpon them.

And these theyr fellow deuils, friends, and compani­ons, our Christmas deuils heere in Sara, Fid, and Anne Smith, must needes know, & daily see, and behold with theyr eyes, and heare with theyr eares, their most lamen­table estate: and for them for all this, to come out of hel, where they were fifteene hundred, and twentie thou­sand times in better case, and to stand in our Exorcists walke, and meete them at Fulmer, Hackney, or Denham, are they not iustly serued, to haue a volley of nicknames discharged vppon them, and to be tricked vp in the vi­ces coate with long eares, and so to be sent backe into hel to theyr fellowes, to be tormented equally with thē, and this torment of aduantage aboue all the rest, to be mocked, flouted, and ieared at by theyr fellowes, and to be taken by the coat, & eares, for not hauing thus much wit, as by other deuils harmes, to learne to beware?

I come now to the third champion mustered in this worthy ranke, with nicknames, and Asses eares, & that [Page 118] is holy reliques, which march last of the three, not in re­gard of theyr vnworthinesse, but in respect of theyr worth. For these three woorthies in this blacke field a­gainst hel, nicknames, &c. are the last, and final ranke, of our infernal campe, excepting the two maine Stan­dards for all, the holy Crosse, and the blessed sacrament, which are yet to display, and then you haue your Army royall for hel. And the order of our infernall battaile, is the old auncient order, obserued by the Romans, who placed their Triarios last, vnto whose lot it neuer came to fight, till the day grew dangerous, and the victorie very doubtful. Semblably the worthiest, and most ap­proued ranke of our Triarij against hel, are nicknames, asses eares, and holy reliques, which are drawne vp into the vant-gard, and front of the battaile, at a dreadfull pinch, when holy water, holy candle, the amice, the ma­niple, the stole, exorcismes, Auemaries, and all haue retired, and in some sort haue abandoned the field: and the deuil stands strong at shock, and giues not an inch of ground.

These dreadful tormenters for hel, we haue heere in hand, are not the auncient, famous, renowmed, glori­ous reliques, iewelled vp in the Popes Propitiatorie at Rome (as the sacred violl of our Ladies milke, a peece of S. Paules breeches, and chaire, the tayle of the Asse, whereon our Sauiour rode to Ierusalem, and the rest) but our reliques heere vsed for the most dreadful, and tyrannical tormenters of the deuil, were natiue home­bred reliques, sprung out of our soyle, and so most like­lie to be of greatest force, and commaund, against the deuils of our owne Horizon. Which (as wee finde them recorded, and aduaunced, in the golden legend booke) are the thumbs, bones, and ioynts, of the three worthy Champions sent from his Hol: and from Hel, for fire­worke heere in England, about anno 82, Cottam, Brian, and Campian: who for haynous, and vnnatural treasons [Page 119] against our Soueraigne, and the state, were executed at Tiburne, canonized at Rome, and Sainted by the de­uils owne mouth from Hel: as you haue formerly heard of Campian, and now shal heare of Brian in the deuils owne voyce: as the Miracle-father hath recorded it.

Exor: I charge thee to tell me whose bone this is. Deuil. It is Brians bone: hee is a Saint indeede, hee neuer came in Purgatorie. Loe heere Brian as fully sainted from hel by the deuil, as S. Campian was: and what timorous, scru­pulous Catholique can now make any doubt, but these be infernal Saints, considering Maho, the Prince of hel, hath heere dubbed them with his owne mouth? Now for the grace that the deuil shewed vnto these new Hel-created Saints, of the deuils owne making, and to their hellish reliques, you may be sure it was not meane. Let the Recorder of hel report you, who was both mouth, and Notarie, for the priests, & the deuils.

By often inuocation of the blessed Trinitie, of our Sauiour there present in the blessed Sacrament: by often calling vpon the blessed virgin, with salue Regina: and by calling on all holy Martyrs, especially blessed Fa: Campian, with the rest of the Martyrs, that had suffered at Tiburne, and by apply­ing of their holy reliques, vnto the afflicted body: Frateretto, Fliberdigibet, Hoberdicut, Cocabatto, with fourtie assi­stants, were expelled. Heere you see our blessed Sauiour, and the Trinitie, are winged out afore, in the forelorne Hope, as of little value, and account. And the dreadful kilcowes come behinde, with especially Tiburne, and reliques blased in their banner, and these doe the dread­ful feate vpon the deuils of the round. We neuer read in all the Miracle-booke, that the deuil trembled at the name of our blessed Sauiour: but Brians bone being ap­plied (saith the Author) and S. Cottam being called vpon: the deuil aunswered in a trembling quiuering voyce; thou shalt not haue thy prayer. And he was scarcely to be vnder­stoode, the poore deuil chattered his teeth so sore. What [Page 120] then should I tel you of Campians thumble, put into Fids mouth; Brians bone pinched hard to Saras bare legge, as hard as a priest could hold it, the great old rusty nayle crammed into Fids mouth, amongst an handful of o­ther choaking reliques, what wonders they wrought with these poore she-deuils: how these made them to vomite, scritch, and quackle, like Geese that had swalo­wed downe a gagge?

Heare Fa: Edmunds for all: like Iulius Caesar, the com­menter of his owne worthy exploites, in his monster-miracle, acted vpon Marwood.

Hic patris etiam Camp: corporis quaedam relìquìae mirifice vsserunt: vt omnia omnium sensuum organa dissolui sibi, et dissipari viderentur: modó enim oculos, modó aures, tum linguam sibi diuelli, & abripi exclamat, inter quos etiam cru­ciatus insolito vomitu, ita vt etiam viscera de ore eijcere pu­taretur, vexatus est. That is: Heere certaine peeces of father Camp: body, did wonderfully burne the deuill. All the organs of all his sences, seeming to be broken, and rent a­sunder, crying out one while his eyes, one while his eares, one while his tongue was rent out, and rent into peeces, and be­sides other excruciations, hee was tormented with such a strange vomite, as though he would haue spued out his very entralls, and guts.

Heere the deuil was on the racke, by the vertue of Camp: relique: now heare his comming downe. Extre­ma tamen omnium (quae laus deo sit) omnibus miserantibus & prae mi sericordia lachrymatibus, ipso etiam, Edmunde, Edmunde, clamante, liberatus est. That is: Last of all, (thanks be to God) all of vs pittying, and weeping for re­morse, Marwood crying out, Edmunds, Edmunds, he was quit of the deuill.

The sound had beene harsh, and the period not worth a point; if it had runne thus: O Christe, Christe, O Saluator, Saluator. O Christ, ô Sauiour, but ô Edmund, ô Edmund falls with a goodlyer grace. Very wisely sure: [Page 121] As who would say, that our Exorcists euer meant to doe God, our Sauiour Christ, or the holy Ghost so much honour, as to cause any one deuil, amongst all the deuils in hel, that they had in hammering, once to name eyther God, the Father, the Sonne, or the holy Ghost. These (I trust) neede no grace, nor honour from the deuil: but these Tiburne semideuils, sainted from hel (Brian, Cottam, and Campian) were the Gods, that stood in need of their holy helping hand.

And heerein I commend their wisedome, in choyse of their reliques very much. First, in that they tooke fresh greene new reliques, that were not antiquated, and out of date. For reliques (for oft wee see) worke like an Apothecaries potion, or new Ale: they haue best strength, and verd at the first; and therefore Campians girdle, now like old Rubarb, begins to allay. Secondly, for that if they had brought of the olde renowmed re­liques frō Rome, som vnstayed body would haue made question, whether they had beene Saints bones indeed, or rather the bones of dogges, Cats, or Rats, or else of an old Sow: especially now we haue learned Agazarius holesome rule. Thirdly, our deuils being home-deuils, and our Saints, sainted heere from hel: it was no reason that forraine reliques, should obtrude themselues into others possessions, & rob them of the honour, that they worthily deserued. But the last, and best point of their wisedom, is this: that we should haue had some scruple of the Saintship of Brian, Cottam, and Campian, if wee had not heard them thus solemnly, lowdly, and ceremo­niously sainted from Tiburne, hel, and the deuil.

Heere I had concluded this part of the Pageant, but that Sara nips me by the eare, and tells me, that I haue forgotten a special point of relique-seruice, and points me to her deposition, which when I had turned my booke, and reade ouer, I pointed at her againe, and wil­led her to pen that point her selfe; and therefore thus [Page 122] she tels her owne tale.

See her exam: At one time (saith she) when it began to be with me, af­ter the manner of women, the Priests did pretend, that the deuill did rest in the most secret part of my body: where­vppon they deuised to apply the reliques vnto that place? Good God, what doe we heare? or is it but a dreame? or haue we eares to heare such impious vnnatural villa­nie?

S. Campian, S. Brian, S. deuil, or sainting deuil helpe out with this, for I am at a stand. Reliques to that place? It is able to possesse a man, with Marwoods fury, to crie out, terra dehisce, infernum absorbe. Earth gape, and hell swallow such deuil-saints, such deuil-reliques, such de­uil-priests and all. Was it euer heard, that any heathen durst euer abuse, the vilest thing consecrated to their I­dol deuils, in such execrable manner? Holy Saints, ho­lie reliques, holy priests, holy deuil that made them, and moued them to this. It was no meruaile they made so much hast with the deuil, to Saint their Champions, Campian, and his crue from hell, and to deifie, or hellifie their reliques; since they were to be applied to such a diabolical seruice, as the deuil himselfe without such a relique, could neuer haue accomplished: nay, wee ne­uer reade, that the deuil durst abuse any thing conse­crated but in shew, to any so despicable imployment. Tiburne doth blush, that bare thē, the deuil doth shame, that made such deuil-saints, and hellish reliques; and yet the priests, the consecrators, deuisers, and appliers, doe shew their bare hel-burnt faces, without blushing at all. Diris deuoueo, & actores, & spectatores. So I pro­ceede.

CHAP. 20. ¶ Of the dreadfull power of the Crosse, and Sacrament of the Altar, to torment the deuill, and to make him roare.

AS farre as the holy Fathers doe deeme of the Crosse, so farre doe we affectionatly embrace, and esteeme of the same, as an honourable, and reuerend monument in our Christian profession. But the common enemy of mankind, not brooking any moderation, taking aduan­tage, of the procliuity of our nature vnto superstition, hath so farre bewitched the minds of some, as they haue brought into the Christian Church, that which Tertul­lian dooth so much protest against, in the name of all Christians staurolatrian, a performing of diuine honor before a peece of wood: then which the Heathen neuer did performe more before the statue of Iupiter: and an­other branch likewise springing frō the same roote, that is, stauropoïsan, a feigning, counterfeiting, & stamping of signes, miracles, and wonders to be done, not onely by the Crosse, but by the expression, and signification of the same: after the very same fashion, that the Heathen did fabulously imagine, and deuise, strange fountaines of delicacies to flow from the horne of Iupiters Goat.

These two superstitious delirations haue made vs partly odious, partly ridiculous to the prophane Hea­then people. Lucian found this doting humor betimes, in some Christians of his time, and makes himselfe, and the world sport with it, as he did at the fancies, and ex­orbitancies of all other religions: telling vs a tale of one Eucrates, who had a ring, made of a peece of old Iron, which had sometime beene a peece of an Iron crosse, & that ring was an amulet against all malignant spirits. And blind Thyraeus the Iesuit, repeats the same rustie tale of the ring, as if scoffing Lucian had meant nothing [Page 124] but sooth. But hee may as good cheape affoord vs the tale of Eucrates, as hee dooth the story of S. Margaret: who with the bare signe of the Crosse afrighted a de­uil, that was comming vnto her in the forme of a great Dragon. Or that of Martian, and Iulian, who with the signe of the Crosse, went vp and downe killing of ser­pents, as Hercules did Monsters: or that of the old man, who spying an Aspe in the bottom of a fountaine, did front the entrance to the fountaine with so many signes of the Crosse, as hee went downe to the bottom, filled his pot with water, and returned from the Aspe without any harme: or that of Bishop Sabin, who hauing poy­son mingled in his cup by an Archdeacon, who meant to make him away, signed himselfe with the Crosse, drunk off the poysond cup, & felt not the least grudg­ing or distemper after the same. I doubt the Pope his Maister would hardly belieue him in this, who would giue some good store of crownes, to be secured by cros­ses from the danger of poyson. I doe not see poysoning any where so rife as in Italy, and especially at Rome, where Crosses are not dainty.

And what becomes of that goodly auncient Poem made, and sung in honour of the Crosse?

That is,

It is very great reason they should doe it diuine ho­nour, called Latria, and sweat, and spit, and clamor in theyr Sorbone for the same, since they giue it the diuine [Page 125] supreame power of our blessed Sauiour. For what did our Sauiour heere on earth, or what could he do more, or what did he adorne his owne style withall to S. Iohn, sending his disciples vnto him, to know whether hee were Christ: he said no more then this: Goe backe vnto Iohn, and tell him what you haue seene, and heard: how that the blind see, the lame goe, the deafe heare, and vnto the simple is the gospell preached. And dooth not this bring vs plainly within compasse of the heathen challenge, that we be lignei dei cultores, worshippers, and seruaunts to a woodden god?

Our deuill-comaedians, whose ayme was (as you see) by playing ouer all the trinkets, toyes, & pedlars ware of the Popes holy budget, and by gracing them vvith some seeming quality against the deuil, to aduaunce the credit, of the Catholique church, and to bring into ad­miration theyr owne persons, and priestly power, that so they might catch the poore Gudgins, they fished so industriously for; left out no old ceremonie, nor Engine of the Romane Church, that had any name, or reputed faculty that way: and therefore they mustered the Church standard amongst theyr fierie troupes, but they did aduaunce, and adorne with moe miracles, their new reliques, and theyr owne proper persons, theyr hands theyr gloues, theyr stockings, theyr priestly ornaments, as theyr amice, stole, maniple, and albe, then they did the old approoued coate-armour of the Church: and that vpon a right wise ground; in regard, that these did more properly, neerely, and effectually worke for the magnifying of themselues, and theyr priestly authority.

Therefore the holy Crosse was often presented on the stage, but neuer with that acclamation, and plaudite, that their other forenamed holy implements were. The first honour the Miraclist doth bestow vppon it, is this: that it serued to discouer Sara to haue a deuil, in that shee could hardly be brought to signe herselfe with the [Page 126] signe of the Crosse. Next it, holy water at a pinch, when it would not goe downe, past Saras mouth into her throat, but stucke in the way, her throat was signed with the crosse, & then it slipped down, as easily as a draught of Ale. It seemes that holy water was old; for you see when it was fresh, the deuil himselfe was not able to come within the smell, but leapt out at a window for hast to be gone. Thirdly, it restored speech to Sarah, when it was lost. Sara could not speake (saies the Recor­der) till the priest had signed her throat with the crosse. Sara was now a scholler of some standing (as shee saith) and knew, when her cue came to say ouer her geare.

Fourthly, Sara knew a peece of the crosse by the smell, and that might she doe right wel, for they kept it so sweet in a boxe,See her ex­amina. (saith Sara) that she must haue had a shrewd pose, that should not haue found it. Fiftly, it brought Sara to her selfe when shee was in a traunce, or opened her eyes when shee was broade awake. Yet old Edmunds bestowes more grace vppon it alone then all these: for when he had hunted vp the deuil into Mar­woods head with his holy hands, meaning to barricado him there, that the people might see him looke out at Marwoods eyes, eares, and nose, as a prisoner doth vse to looke out at an yron grate: hee signes Marwoods throat with the signe of the Crosse, with this holy ad­iuration, hîc Christi limen est, hos limites ne transcende: this is Christes owne limit, see that yee step not ouer this line: and yet as seemes, for feare the deuil should haue aduen­tured, to put his foote ouer the line, hee claps on the sa­cred maniple to, & winds it about his neck, that if there were neede, the Crosse might call to his good neigh­bour, to helpe stop the thiefe. For these holy hunting Engines were better managed, then our ordinary cry of hounds, that wil flie out, euery one striuing to leade a­way the chase, and leaue his fellowes behind: our hun­ting dogges had beene managed to stay for each other, [Page 127] that the cry might be ful, and that one might help out another at a dead fault. And thus they dismissed the ho­ly crosse the stage, without any great alarum, or sound of the common drum: Enters the holy Sacrament vp­pon their stage, deformed by these hell-monsters into a most detestable Idoll of the masse, with a farre more so­lemne grace, (worthy of a far better place, if these mis­creants had not playd so long with hel-smoake, that it had put out theyr eyes cleane) but they that haue playd with God, Christ, and the holy Ghost, the deuill must giue them leaue to play with Christes blessed institution to. I say they present it with great pompe, in regard of the thrise glorious state, impiously, blasphemously, and chimerically conceited by them to be in royall person within. Such a monstrous metamorphosis, as Homer, Pindarus, Hesiode, nor all the fabulous Graecian wits put in a mash durst neuer faine, forge, or dreame of any their despicable gods, that any God should be made of a morsell of bread.

This new molded masse-Idoll, laughed at by some, loathed by many, detested of all pious, and ingenious spirits, that haue not intoxicated their wits with that en­chaunted Babylonian chalice; wanting witnesse in hea­uen, and beeing hissed at on earth, must be brought vp­pon our deuil-stage, to be graced, honoured, and con­firmed from hell. And the same deuil, that sainted Cam­pian, and Brian, must with the same blacke breath, and foule mouth, deïfie this bread-Idoll, and make it a God. And that it may be a perfect Chimaera, compounded all of fiction, and fantasticall imagination; the smoake, the fire, the stench, the roare, hell, and the deuill must be cogged, feigned, and playd, to help out with this infer­nall, and diabolicall fascination.

Would it not cause men, and Angels to wonder, at the desperate boldnes of the Ethnick Romish Church, that should dare so impiously, and blasphemously to [Page 128] prophane the most sacred reuerend Supper of our bles­sed Sauiour, whose end, and Essence is, to be taken, re­ceaued, & eaten, as the bread of life, the strength, health, and sweete comfort of our soule: all whose diuine ener­gie, power, and vertue, is to the receauer onely; the promise of life to the worthy receauer, the menace of death to the vnworthy receauer; all matter, forme, effect, and end, directed to the receauer. To disguise, difforme, and monster-like to mishape the nature of this thrice blessed communion, as to make it a Monster-Engine of all prodigious signes, cogged miracles, and grosse Hea­thenish conceited wonders, and to blaze this their hel­lish impiety, before the eyes of all the world: they haue compiled a booke, containing no lesse then foure and fortie seueral chapters,Tilman: De mirac: Eucharist: treating onely De miraculis veri Sacramenti. Sci. Eucharistiae. That is: Of the Miracles, that the venerable Sacrament of the sacred Eucharist hath performed: transforming the nature of the blessed sup­per, into a prodigious monster of wonders. Some of the heads of which Chimaera, for a sample of the rest, I wil point out vnto you, Cap. 1. De praedio ab infestatione malignorum spirituum liberato, per oblationem sacrificij cor­poris Christi. Of a Farme house freed from the haunting of bad spirits, by celebrating the Masse. Cap. 2. De Sax­oniae Duce, qui sub sacrificio Missae vidit speciem elegantis pueruli in Eucharistia. Of a Duke of Saxonie, who at the time of the celebration of the Masse, saw the forme of an elegant young child, in the Eucharist. Cap. 5. De quodam cuius vincula soluebantur tempore, quo pro illo offe­rebatur sacrificium missae. Of one whose shackles fel off, at the time when a masse was said for him. Cap. 6. De Baraca Nauta per salutarem hostiam Eucharistiae a nau­fragio liberato. Of one Baraca a Mariner, that by the Eucharist escaped a tempest. Cap. 20. Quomodo Saty­rus diui Ambrosij frater, Eucharistiam collo appensam ha­bens, in naufragiò incolumis seruatur. How one Satyrus, [Page 129] S. Ambrose his brother was saued in a ship-wrack, by hauing the Eucharist hanging about his necke. Cap. 29. De Eucharistia, quae a terra suapte virtute sublimata per aera ferebatur ad altare, ibidem (que) in specie venustissimi pueri apparuit. Of the Eucharist flying in the ayre vnto the Altar, and there appearing in the forme of a most beau­tiful child. Cap. 36. De hostia tertiô ab altari diuinitús pro­iecta, eo quod cimice esset contaminata. Of an Oast thrice skipping from off the Altar, by reason it was defiled by a little flie. Enough for a tast, the whole tunne is of the same liquor, colour, and tang. And who would after this deeme Mahomet an Impostor, for carying the Moone in his pocket, and mounting vp, when hee was dead, thorough the ayre, vnto the roofe of a Chap­pell?

Heare our owne Miracle-monger, and his crue, how handsomly they act the masse-monster from hel. First, Saras deuil findes the Communicants that had beene at masse, by the smel. The Romaine Church, and her im­plements are of one, and the same perfume, that doe out-smel the fuming lake, spoken of in the Apocalips, nay hel, the deuil, & all. Next the blessed Sacrament, was presented in a Pix: heere Saras deuill roared like a Bull: It should haue beene: bellowed like a Cow, for hers was a she deuil. Heere the real presence is roared out by Sa­ras deuil. Then Saras deuil was brought vnto the Al­tar, at the time of eleuation, and could not behold the Sacrament, for the brightnes, that shined about it. Heere the glorious presence of our Sauiour in the Sacrament is spied out by the deuil. At an other eleuation Saras deuil could not abide to looke vpon the Sacrament, and when shee looked vp, shee could see nothing, but the priests fingers. Heere is an euident daemonstration, that our Sauiour was there present, in that he made the hoast to vanish out of Saras deuils sight.

When nothing would doe, the presence of the Sacra­ment [Page 130] made Maho tel his name, controlled him, calmed him, couched him, as quiet, and gentle, as a dogge vn­der a bench, Maho Saras deuil, being commaunded to kisse the blessed Sacrament, durst not disobey, but kissed it very reuerently, as children kisse the rod. The deuil being commaunded to take his oath, vppon the blessed Sacrament, he durst not refuse, but swore very deuoutly, that he would tel his name, and be gone: and yet like a false rake-hel, periured himselfe, and stayed stil: and when hee should be brought to his booke a­gaine, he swore he would breake his owne necke, ere he would sweare the second time, and for feare (as seemes) that the deuil should make away himselfe, & so the play be mard afore the plaudite, they let him alone.

These are demonstrations, by deduction from the de­uil, of our Sauiour his real presence: but wil you heare the deuil put you out of doubt, by his owne authentical asseueration, Dibdale the priest, put his finger into Sa­ras mouth, and bid the deuil bite it, if he durst: the de­uil aunswered, saith the Miraclist, that it had touched the Lord. See her exam: But Sara tels vs, now she hath put off her deuils vizard, that had she not stoode more in feare of a boxe on the eare, then of any Lord there, shee would haue made so bold, as to haue had a snap at the priest finger. Saras deuil was brought by a new commaund, to kisse the Sacrament more sure: And being asked, what hee had kissed, he aunswered, The body Christ, and that it had eyes in it. Heere you haue the deuils owne testimo­nie, what needes any more witnes, and yet if you wil haue it fuller: heare Saras deuil againe, when the priest holding him the blessed Sacrament, and bidding him to adore his Lord, and God: the deuil aunswered ma­le partly, He is thy God indeede: and if thou doe not beleeue, cut it with a knife, and thou shalt see it bleede. Was not this part wel played, to proue the eyes, the body, the blood of our Sauiour in the Sacrament, from out of hell. [Page 131] Were it not great pitty, this deuil, hel, and oath, should be cogged, and not a true deuil indeede? For what a great deale of labour, expence of candel, beating of braines, forging of fathers, counsels, & authorities, wre­sting of Scripture, falsifying of Authors, coyning of wonders, would this one Comaedy spare? If you wil not beleeue, that our Sauiour is in the Sacrament, goe to Sir George Peckhams house at Denham, or my L. Ʋaux his house at Hackney, and aske the deuil, who saw our Sa­uiours eyes (as hee sayes) with his owne eyes, touched him with his finger, kissed him with his mouth, and to make it past doubt, tooke his oath vpon the Sacrament, that it was true. Or else trie if the argument wil not run in better moode, and figure thus. The very same deuil, that Sainted Brian, and Campian at Tiburne: that pro­claimed himselfe a Dotrel, a Ninnie, and a mad foole at Hackney: that had the Asses eares clapt close to his head at Denham: hath said, roared, and sworne so, therefore it is true. Or else thus. The same Edmunds, & his twelue holy disciples, that haue feigned a deuil Tragaedies, sor­ted it into actes, and scenes, furnished it with hangings, set vp a stage of forgerie, replenished it with personated actors, adorned it with fictious deuises, dreames, ima­ginations, and ridiculous wonders, haue cogged a new hel, new deuils, new roarings, new oathes, new kisses to cogge our Sauiour into the Sacrament: therfore you may be cock-sure to finde him there.

CHAP. 21. ¶ Of the strange formes, shapes, and apparitions of of the deuills.

IT is a question moued by Scaliger: Why men of a me­lancholick constitution be more subiect to feares, fancies, and imagination of deuils, and witches, then other tempers be? His aunswer is, quia ab atra bile, atri & fuliginosi ge­nerantur [Page 132] spiritus, qui cerebrum pingunt turbulentis phantas­matibus, because from their blacke & sooty blood, gloo­mie fuliginous spirits do fume into their braine, which bring blacke, gloomy, and frightful images, representa­tions, and similitudes in them, wherwith the vnderstan­ding is troubled, and opprest. Men of this duskie, tur­bulent, and fantasticall disposition, as they are very stiffe in their conceit, absolute in their owne apprehension, extreame violent, and peremptory in their resolution, (which al grow from the earthy dry stiffenesse of the di­scursiue melancholicke spirits, that doe possesse theyr braine) so are they so full of speculations, fansies, and imaginations of spirits, and deuils, and those so Chimae­ricall and strange, as the Philosophers old aphorisme is, cerebrum Melancholicum est sedes daemonum, a melancho­licke braine is the chaire of estate for the deuil. And an other aphorisme they haue founded on experience, nul­lum magnum ingenium sine dementia, there is no great wit, without some mixture of madnesse. Iohn Bodin the Frenchman, is a perfect Idaea of both these, who beeing in his younger yeeres of a most piercing, quicke, specu­latiue wit, which grew of a light, stirring, and discursiue melancholie in him, fell (as Hermogenes the mirror of wit did) in the midle of his age to be a pure sot. The cause whereof is the cooling, and thickning of his melancho­licke blood, and the spending, or going out of that lightsome, actiue, and stirring spirit, which the heat of blood in his youth did better maintaine.

This man, though during the prime of his wit he was of a most, pregnant, ripe, and subtile discourse, yet his wit beeing deepe woaded with that melancholick blacke dye, had his braine veram sedem daemonum, the theater, and sporting house for deuils to daunce in: for he hath in his braine, such strange speculations, fantas­mes, and theoremes for deuils, as a man may see a great deale of madnes mixed with his great wit. For he holds [Page 133] that deuils may transforme themselues into any shape of beasts, or similitude of men, and may eate, drinke, and conuerse familiarly with them, and may haue the act of generation with women, as they please. And not that onely, but that a Witch by oyntments, & charmes, may transforme herselfe into the shape of any beast, bird, or fish: that she may flie in the ayre, that she may depriue men of their generatiue power, that she may transferre corne out of one field into another, and may cause haile, thunder, and winde at her pleasure. And hee defends lycanthropia, and the change of Ʋlysses men into swine by the Witch Circe, to be reall, and true: and aboue all tels that vnsauory, melancholicke, ridiculous tale of an Egge, which a Witch fold to an Englishman, and by the same transformed him into an Asse, and made him her Market-mule three yeeres, to ride on to buy butter: and how that at last, shee remorphized him into the na­tiue shape of a man againe.

This mans cerebrum melancholicum, is a notable forge for our popish Ethnicks, to hammer a motly deuil out of. But they haue more auncient, and authenticke re­cords for their Night-owles, then this: as namely, that canonicall story in Virgill, of Creüsa, Aeneas his wife: how Aeneas, flying with Anchises his father, and Creüsa his wife, thorough the streets on Troy, being all on a light flame, lost his wife Creüsa in a crowde, as he posted tho­rough the Citty, and how that Creüsa appeared to him in her ghost, as Aeneas went out at the gate, & told him that she was dead, and was become one of the walking night-ghosts, bidding him to take his father Anchises, and shift for himselfe. This is a most redoubted record of the walking of womens ghosts. And for the appea­ring of bad, and hurtful spirits in vgly, and monstrous formes, they haue their president, and originall in the history of Mar: Brutus, who hauing put all his Army in a readines, for the last fatall fielde to be fought betwixt [Page 134] him and Augustus, and beeing alone at his booke in the deepe, and silent night, suddainly he heares a great ru­shing in the roome, where hee sate, and casting vp his head, sees a foule, ougly, monstrous shaped ghost stan­ding afore him: and asking it angerly, Quis tu? Deus aut daemon? what art thou? a God or a deuil? The ghost answers, sum malus tuus genius, I am thine euil angel: the Capt: askes fiercely again, & quid me vis? & what doost thou heere? the ghost sayes, cras Philippis me videbis, to morrow I wil meet thee at the fields of Philippi: the cap­taine answers resolutely, videbo, Ile meet thee: & so falls constantly to his booke againe, not bidding it God night. Brutus recounts this spectrum to Cassius, his fel­low in Armes, and Cassius perswades him, that it was but a dreame. But out of this, and such like Heathenish dreames, what a world of hel-worke, deuil-worke, and Elue-worke, had we walking amongst vs heere in Eng­land, what time that popish mist had befogged the eyes of our poore people? How were our children, old wo­men, and maides afraid to crosse a Churchyeard, or a three-way leet, or to goe for spoones into the Kitchin without a candle? and no marueile. First, because the deuil comes from a smoakie blacke house, he, or a lewd frier was still at hand, with ougly hornes on his head, fire in his mouth, a cowes tayle in his breech, eyes like a bason, fangs like a dogge, clawes like a Beare, a skinne like a Neger, and a voyce roaring like a Lyon; then boh, or oh, in the dark was enough to make their haire stand vpright. And if that the bowle of curds, & creame were not duly set out for Robin good-fellow the Frier, & Sisse the dairy-maide, to meete at hinch pinch, and laugh not, when the good wife was a bed, why then, either the pot­tage was burnt to next day in the pot, or the cheese would not curdle, or the butter would not come, or the ale in the fat would neuer haue good head. But if a Pee­ter-penny, or an houzle-egge were behind, or a patch of [Page 135] tyth vnpaid to the Church (Iesu Maria) thē ware where you walke for feare of bull-beggers, spirits, witches, vr­chins, Elues, hags, fairies, Satyrs, Pans, Faunes, Syluans, See Scots booke of Witches. Kit with the candlesticke, Tritons, Centaurs, Dwarffs, Giants, impes, Calcars, coniurers, Nymphs, changlings, scritchowles, Incubus the spurne, the mare, the man in the oake, helwayne, the fire-drake, the puckle, Tom thumbe, hobgoblin, Tom-tumbler, Boneles, and the rest: and what girle, boy, or old wisard would be so hardy to step ouer me threshold in the night for an half-penny worth of mustard amongst this frightfull crue, without a dosen auemaries, two do­sen of crosses surely signed, and halfe a dosen Pater no­sters, and the commending himselfe to the tuition of S. Vncumber, or els our blessed Lady?

These be the Popes, and his holy Legats, and those of his holy mission, and commission from hell their frightful crue, theyr black-guard, with which they work wonders, amongst a faithlesse, fencelesse generation: these shoute about them, attend them, and are of theyr guard, and trayne, wheresoeuer they goe, or walke, as Styx, Phlegeton, and the Eumenides doe guard Aeacus in hell: with these they worke their wonders, making I­mages to speake, vautes to sound, trunks to carry tales, Churchyeards to swarme, houses to rush, rumble, and clatter with chaynes, high-waies, old graues, pittes, and woods ends to be haunted with lights, owles, and poa­kers; and with these they adrad, and gaster sencelesse old women, witlesse children, and melancholike dot­trels, out of their wits.

These Monster-swarmes his Hol: & his helly crue haue scraped, and raked together out of old doating heathen Historiographers, wisardizing Augurs, imposturizing South-sayers, dreaming Poets, Chimaerial conceiters, & coyners of fables, such as puffe vp our young gallants with bigge lookes, and bombast phrases, as the booke of Lancelot du Lake, Guy of Warwicke, The Mirrour of [Page 136] Knighthoode, Amadis de Gaule, and such like their Le­gends; out of these they conceit their monstrous shapes, vgly bug-beares, hydeous apparitions of ghosts: out of these they conforme, their charmes, enchauntments, pe­riapts, amulets, characters, wast coates, and smockes of proofe, against hayle, thunder, lightning, biting of mad dogges, gnawing of Rats, against botches, biles, cros­biting, sparrow-blasting, Owle-hunting, and the like.

Out of these is shaped vs the true Idaea of a Witch, an olde weather-beaten Croane, hauing her chinne, & her knees meeting for age, walking like a bow leaning on a shaft, hollow eyed, vntoothed, furrowed on her face, hauing her lips trembling with the palsie, going mum­bling in the streetes, one that hath forgottē her pater no­ster, and hath yet a shrewd tongue in her head, to call a drab, a drab. If shee haue learned of an olde wife in a chimnies end: Pax, max, fax, for a spel: or can say Sir Iohn of Grantams curse, for the Millers Eeles, that were stolne: All you tbat haue stolne the Millers Eeles, Laudate dominum de caelis: And all they that haue consented there­to, benedicamus domino: Why then ho, beware, looke about you my neighbours; if any of you haue a sheepe sicke of the giddies, or an hogge of the mumps, or an horse of the staggers, or a knauish boy of the schoole, or an idle girle of the wheele, or a young drab of the sul­lens, and hath not fat enough for her porredge, nor her father, and mother, butter enough for their bread; and she haue a little helpe of the Mother, Epilepsie, or Cramp, to teach her role her eyes, wrie her mouth, gnash her teeth, startle with her body, hold her armes and hands stiffe, make anticke faces, girne, mow, and mop like an Ape, tumble like a Hedgehogge, and can mutter out two or three words of gibridg, as obus, bobus: and then with-all old mother Nobs hath called her by chaunce, idle young huswife, or bid the deuil scratch her, then no doubt but mother Nobs is the Witch: the young girle [Page 137] is Owle-blasted, and possessed: and it goes hard, but ye shal haue some idle, adle, giddie, lymphaticall, illumi­nate dotrel, who being out of credite, learning, sobriety, honesty, and wit, wil take this holy aduantage, to raise the ruines of his desperate decayed name, and for his better glory wil be-pray the iugling drab, and cast out Mopp the deuil.

They that haue their braines baited, and their fancies distempered with the imaginations, and apprehensi­ons of Witches, Coniurers, and Fayries, and all that Lymphatical Chimaera: I finde to be marshalled in one of these fiue rankes, children, fooles, women, cowards, sick, or blacke, melancholicke, discomposed wits. The Scythians being a warlike Nation (as Plutarch reports) neuer saw any visions.

The frightful fancies, and fond gastful opinions, of all the other dotrels arise out of one of these two rootes; weakenes of wit, or vnstayednes in religion. Horace the Heathen spied long agoe, that a Witch, a Wizard, and a Coniurer were but bul-beggers to scare fooles: wri­ting thus to one that had so much wit, as to discerne a poled sheepe, from a parlous beast.

That is,

And Geoffry Chaucer, who had his two eyes, wit, and learning in his head, spying that all these brainlesse i­maginations, of witchings, possessings, house-hanting, and the rest, were the forgeries, cosenages, Imposturs, and legerdemaine of craftie priests, and leacherous Fri­ers, either to maske their venerie, or to enritch their pur­ses, [Page 138] by selling their Pope-trumpery (as Medals, agnus dei, Blessed beades, holy water, halowed Crosses, periapts, amu­lets, smocks of proofe, and such) at a good rate; as who would not giue soundly for a Medal defensiue against the deuil? writes in good plaine termes of the holy Co­uent of Friers thus:

Now see our holy Comaedians, if they haue not dres­sed their Denham deuils, after the old Romaine fashion, fit to amaze Will Sommers with-all. Heare the graue Mi­raclist, how aunciently hee attires the deuil for Sara. Shee had beene diuers times affrighted with vglie visions. You shal neuer heare a prologue to a Popish possession, but it begins with that style. As she sate by the fire some­what late with an other mayde of the same house, Seeth [...] beginning of her ex­amin: being both in a readines to goe to bed, they fell into a slumber, and drou­sing thus by the fire, there approached neere vnto them three Cats, making a terrible noyse, and sprawling about this young mayde, one of them leapt ouer her head, and an other crept betwixt her legges: (by Melleus, and Mengus his rules, this might be a priest in the likenes of a Cat: their hunt was all that way) whereat shee sodainly looking behind her: (as hauing beene vsed to such creeping Cats,) she beheld a strange huge Cat, of the bignes of a Mastiffe-dogge, staring in her face, with eyes very great, and bright, to the bignes of a sawcer. Heere is a right priests Hobgoblin, or Tom Spanner in the darke. And wil you heare Sara her selfe vncase you this bugge: Looke in her deposition. Shee was looking for egges in a bush by her Maisters house, and sodainly a Cat leapt out, whereat she gaue a startle: and this Cat, by this priestly power (O Catholicam fidem) is sodain­lie Hobgoblinizd, and hath gotten a shape, as bigge as [Page 139] a Mastiffe, and eyes as bigge as a sawcer: O monstrous Catholique faith, that canst turne ordinarie Cats in a moment into Mastiffes. You shal haue them rancked together, as they came from the Popes tyring-house: that ye may see, which deuil you like best, to set the As­ses eares vpon. At supper the Cat afore-said, was turned into a dogge, of two colours, blacke, and greene, and there­with-all, a Spaniel bayed, (and therefore Maho was cer­tainly come.) At another time the deuill came downe the chimney, in a Winde, and blew the ashes about the chamber: Page. 20. Sometime he appeared in the likenes of a Man: sometime of a Bright thing, that sate vpon our Ladies image: sometime in the likenes of an Irish boy, with a blacke curled head: sometime of a great Black dogge: sometime he came flying like a Sparrowe, with a Woodcocks bill: sometime like a Toade, with a nose like a Moale: sometime like a Mouse: sometime like a Minister: sometimes like an Ey, without a head: sometimes like a Ruffian, with curled haire: som­times like an Old man, with a long beard: and aboue all, he came in with a drumme, and seauen motly vizards, daun­cing about the chamber. This was at the L. Ʋaux his house at Hackney, to conclude their holy Christmasse, with the deuils motly mummerie.

And which of all these shal we choose to weare Men­gus his Asses eares? The Hedge-sparrow is furnished al­ready with the Woodcocks bill: the Toade is preferd to weare the Moales nose: the Ruffian with the curled haire, would swagger, the Irish curled pated boy, would likely runne away with them: wee had best reserue them for Edmunds the Miraclists owne wearing; for fancying, cogging, & faigning such comly cases, and faces for the deuil, wherof Sara saw neither hide nor haire, top, taile, nor shadow; except the motly vizards, which happily she dreamed of in a Christmasse night, hauing seene Maskers in the day, and feasted the priests highly next day with this faigned relation. The rest are all of the [Page 140] deuil-priests owne deuising, and therefore he may take his Maister Mengus long eares, to make vp a ful suit.

CHAP. 22. ¶ Of the admirable finall act of expelling the deuils, and of their formes in theyr departing.

IT is a rule in Mengus, the deuill-mastix, and Thyraeus the deuill-varnisher, that the deuill which is to be dis­possessed, must be commaunded to goe out in a visible forme, & for the euidence of his departing be enioynd, to cracke a quarrie in the glasse window, or to blow out a candle: which beeing two such supernaturall actions, as by a consorted conspirator with the Exorcist, with­out the helpe of a cherry-stone, or the suddaine puffe of a wenches breath, or the swinge of her sleeue, cannot cleanly be conueied, it is no maruell though they be made a demonstration, that the deuil is surely gone. The penner of our deuil-tragaedy hath not forgottē to keepe good decorum in this, for hee hath fancied, and feigned diuers well seeming formes, and similitudes, for his stage deuils to weare at their taking their leaue.

The first deuill that was disseised was Smolkin, Tray­fords spirit, whom Sara espied (saith the Miraclist) to goe out at Trayfords right eare in the forme of a Mouse, and it made the poore wench at the fight of the Mouse almost out of her wits. The next deuil dispossessed was Hilcho at Ʋxbridge, who appeared (saith our Authour) to the possessed parties at his going our, like a flame of fire, and lay glowing in the fire in Trayfords sight, till he had a new charge. The third was Haberdidance, Saras dauncing deuil: who appeared to the patient, like a whirlwind, turning round like a flame of fire, & his voyce was heard by a Cooke, as hee flew ouer the Larder. Captaine Filpot went his way in the likenes of a smoke, turning round, and so tooke his way vp into the chim­ney. [Page 141] Lusty Dicke (as seemes) did slippe a button in one of his turnes aboue ground: for he went out in a foule vn­sauory stench. Delicate, and Lusty Iolly Ienkin went out, one whirling like a snake, the other in a vapor not verie sweet. Lusty Huffcappe went out in the likenes of a Cat. Killico, Hob, and the third Anonymos, all Captaines, went out in a wind. Purre went out in a little whirlewind. Fra­teretto in a smoke.

Maister Maynie had in him (as you haue heard) the Maister-deuils of the seauen deadly sinnes, and there­fore his deuils went out in the forme of those creatures, that haue neerest resemblance vnto those sinnes: as for example; the spirit of Pride went out in the forme of a Peacocke (forsooth) the spirit of Sloth in the likenesse of an Asse: the spirit of Enuy in the similitude of a Dog: the spirit of Gluttony in the forme of a Woolfe. But it is to be wondered at, that Generall Maho, at the last, and most dreadfull exorcisme of all, when hee was expelled with 22000. yeeres torment layd vppon his backe, hee slunke out without any similitude at all. And more, an ordinary Reader will wonder, that Maho, beeing Dic­tator of hell, is said in the Legend of Miracles, and so noted by Sara, to haue chosen such a strange part in Sa­ra for his passage out, as I dare not name: and yet de­uils, comaedians, and their reporters may haue licence in all Courts to call all things by their name. And indeede heere lyes the wonders of all, considering that that name­lesse part, the deuils port-gate in Sara, was the priests quest and haunt, which they had hunted sore, had cros­sed, recrossed, and surcrossed with their holy hands, had sacred, or seared vvith application of their reuerend strong reliques, and other their potent holy parts, (as you haue heard poore Sara herselfe confesse:) the deuill should once dare to come neere that part, that had been harowed, (I would say halowed) and enriched with so many precious Iewels from Rome: but you shall finde [Page 142] the Authour noted that part, and assigned it for Maho the deuils passage, vppon very sage, and prudent consi­deration. For they had kept such reuel rout thereabouts, as they themselues gaue out to such as were suters to Sa­ra, (as you reade in her deposition) that they, and the deuil, (O fidem Catholicam!) had taken such order, as marry her who would, she should neuer haue child.

But to returne to our similitudes, and deuil visages a­gaine, the Miracle-minter deales heere with these formes, and faces of deuils, as Sosia in Amphitryo dealt with the battaile at Teliboüs, who ranges two maine Ar­mies, deuides them into squadrons, wings, and flanks, and makes them meete, and encounter, and none but himselfe alone is vpon the stage. And indeed it is good decorum in a Comaedie, to giue vs emptie names for things, and to tell vs of strange Monsters within, where there be none. When a man heares of these frightful similitudes, wherein the deuils are conceited to depart, as flames, whirlewinds, snakes, cats, fire, and smoake, hee would imagine the spectators should be much gastred, and skared at the going out of the deuils in these feare­ful formes, and that the chambers and roomes, where the daemoniacks and the company are, should be sha­ken with the whirlewind, scorched with the flames, and soiled with brimstone and smoake, and that the assem­bly should tremble, to see the deuill whirle about in the similitude of a snake, as a fire-dragon spoutes, & whirles in the ayre: but at our gentle deuils departure, there was neither shape seene, nor wind heard, nor motion felt, nor flames, nor smoake, nor whirling fire-snake perceiued at all, and therefore you must heedfullie ob­serue, the Authours clause alwaies annexed, (as Amen to a masse) vnto the end of the sentence: As seemed, or appeared to the possessed.

So as the out-casting of these vgly deuils visards, lyes thus. The priests doe report often in their patients hea­ring, [Page 143] the dreadful formes, similitudes, and shapes, that the deuils vse to depart in, out of those possessed bodies, which they haue dealt with-all beyond Seas: and this they tell with so graue a countenance, pathetical termes, and accommodate action, as it leaues a very deepe im­pression in the memory, and fancie of their actors: so as when it comes to their cue, to play the same part ouer, (as namely, when after dreadful adiuration the deuil is said to goe out) then doth the Exorcist very soberly aske the party, in what forme or similitude, the deuil appea­red vnto him at his departing: and he hauing conned his lesson of formes, and shapes before from the priest, lights vpon some such forme, and shape, as he hath re­ceaued from the priest. And then the Echo is: Thanks to the blessed virgin, and the whole Quier of heauen. And if the Exorcist doe suspect the wit, or memory of his scholler, as being nothing perfect in his Kalender of formes, he wil not stick, to prompt him by his question (being afore an Auditory of Romish guls, whose braines swarme with bul-beggers) as to aske him, if the deuil did not depart in such, or such a forme; and then the actor either for feare, or flatterie of his good maister dares not but say yea.

Another rule you must learne in a Comaedie wel ac­ted, and conuaied for the deuil: that the daemoniacks be so neerely placed (yet in seueral roomes) each to o­ther, that one may heare without benefit of Midas long eares, what is said vnto, or by the other; and so the se­cond may be yare and ready, to take his cue and turne of the former, and put to a little of his owne wit, for the better gracing the wonder. Or else if propinquitie, and fitnes of the roomes wil not serue, for one to be the o­thers Parrat, and Echo, touching the shape; let the shape be handsomly agreed of by the deuil-actors be­fore, or else prouide a mistris Plater, for an intelligencer, or intercursitor betweene them, that may in a trice relate [Page 144] to one, what the other hath done, and said.

Lusty Iolly Ienkin was conceited, & giuen out by the Exorcist to goe out of Sara in the similitude of a whir­ling snake: Marwood was in another roome, yet so neere as he caught the snake by the tayle, and cryes out, where he lay, at the dreadful sight, adding that hee saw it come whirling by his window, with a wind in most terrible wise. Heare Maister Maynie for all report you this de­uise, the daintiest actor, that euer came vppon deuil-stage. And as I aunswer to this poynt, so doe I vnto that other, as touching the deuils supposed similitudes, in theyr pretended departing out of me. Eytber it is altogether false, and deuised by thēselues, or else they led me to say so by theyr questions, as if they asked mee whether Pride did not depart from me in the likenes of a Peacock, it is very probable that I sayd, he did, and so of all the rest. Or otherwise they tolde some in my hearing, that such deuils did vse to depart from such, as they possessed, in such kinde of formes. I pray GOD forgiue them for all theyr bad dealing with me.

Thus you haue these Romish deuil-vizards of formes, similitudes, and shapes of the deuils departing, layd o­pen vnto you, by their owne schollers and actors, to be naught els, saue squibs, crackers, and fire-works forged out of the priests owne fancie: and that there was no deuil, but Edmunds, or Dibdale the Priest. Now let vs a little looke vpon the last, and most artificial act of this infernal Tragaedie (namely, the final dispossessing, and extruding the deuils) by which of their ghastly dreadful Engines, this conclusion was best, and most cunningly performed.

The first honour of this great, and admirable act of finall dispossessing the deuil, did by great prouidence fall vpon a little casket of reliques; wherein there falls out wonder vpon wonder. For Trayford, the possessed party, espying a casket of reliques in Saras hand, snat­ches them sodainly from her, and applying the casket [Page 145] to his owne, did expel Smolkin his owne Mouse-deuil. Where the super wonder is, that a man should without Exorcist, Albe, Aue marie, or Salue Regina dispossesse himselfe of a deuil, as wee finde Trayford did: or rather the deuil dispossesse himselfe. For Trayford, the pos­sessed, was moued, ruled, and caried by the deuil, as a wheele is by a turnspit curre, that is put into it: so as it was not Trayford, that snatched the casket, but the deuil, nor Trayford that applied them to his mouth, and expel­led the deuil at his right eare, in the likenes of a Mouse, but the deuil.

This doth plainly instruct you in these two excellent points: first, the dreadful power of reliques, when they lie pent, and packed close together in a little roome, that they worke like bottle-ale, that is close kept from vent, ready as soone as they be stirred to spout deuils, dragons, and all in a mans face: next, it reades you a plaine Lec­ture of the bodily feare of the deuil at the approach of an holy priest, who chooses rather to make his owne squib, fill it with Gunne-powder, and setting it on fire, to burne, and blowe vp himselfe, as Sardanapalus did, then to attend the comming of a scalding Catholique priest.

The next expulsion of the deuil was by holy water alone; wherein the power of the holy relique is the more aduaunced, in that it came not from the hand of any anointed priest, but was taken by Sara, and sprinck­led vpon the deuil, in the likenes of a Toad, and towards the deuil-minister, that came into Trayfords chamber, and they both vanished away. So as by these powerful in­struments a deuil may not onely dispossesse himselfe, (which a man must imagine he had neede of great help to doe) but also put to flight any other deuil that stands in his way, or wil presume to come within his walke, without his good leaue. For else what reason had Saras deuil to be displeased at his fellow deuils comming into [Page 146] Trayfords chamber, and to sprinckle him away, but that it seemes he came rudely in, without by your leaue.

The holy Crosse put to flight a whole Quier of Pup­pets, that appeare dauncing the Morrice at the end of a gallerie; and dissolued them so cleane, as there appeared neither flame, smoake, nor ill odor from them: and this wonder was accomplished by Sara, for Sara (saith the Miraclist) signing her selfe with many signes of the Crosse, the deuils in the likenes of Puppets, vanished out of sight.

Heere our wonder like Amphitryos goblet, begets an other wonder stil. Sara by Crosses puts to flight a whole troupe of Puppet-deuils, and yet the deuil within Sara cared not for the Crosses one iote. These (as seemes) were but punie vrchin spirits, that for want of good cheere at Denham house were pined, and made feeble, before the Exorcists came thither. But Purre was a spi­rit of a tough mold, and in reasonable good plight: hee held the Exorcist good tacke, til at length (saith the Re­porter) by often inuocation of our blessed Lady, and the whole company of heauen, with Aue maries, and other Anthemes, of our blessed Lady, especially Salue Regina, Purre was cast out. Here Church Anthemes, as you see, caried away the bucklers, in expelling the deuil. Sara, the deuils sweet dauncing schoole, had chosen amongst all the heauenly Quier S. Barbara, for her patronesse, and Saint: who pittying her poore Client, seeing all the deuils of hel in the poore wench, and Maho theyr commaunder, came downe her selfe from heauen, to shew her grace she had there, and that Saints may come from heauen a deuil-hunting, if it stand with their good pleasure, and assuming the office of an Exorcist into her owne hands, casts out Maho, the black Prince.

Maho takes this as no faire play: and therefore him­selfe complaines of it in his Dialogue with Dibdale: that a woman had cast him out before, Page 5. booke of Miracles. vpon her owne feastiuall day.

[Page 147]This is no meane office, you may be sure, nor of little moment, and waight, when the glorious Saints of hea­uen come downe to discharge it: nay you shal see, that for the dignifying of this coniuring profession, and to stop the mouthes of all carping obloquutors, our bles­sed Lady her selfe vouchsafed to grace it with her pre­sence in her owne proper person, and to come in state, with a princely trayne of caelestial virgins attending vp­pon her: whom the deuil in scorne calls by a by-name, Saffron-bagge; Loe yonder (cries the deuil to the Exorcist) comes Saffron-bagge, with her company of tripping-mayds, thou canst doe nothing without her. And the Miracle-mai­ster sticks not to tell vs, that shee played the Exorcists part too, in helping of Sara. After a long, and painfull combat (saith he) Sara sayd somewhat cheerefully: now our blessed Lady hath knowne my neede, and hath holpen me: for the deuil was gone out. And it shal, I trust, be no disparagement to our Lady in this case, to haue a sim­ple word in shew matched vnto her highnesse, which with the very sound, pronunciation, and name had the same vertue in expelling a deuil, that her owne graci­ous presence in proper person had: and that is in the Creede, neither the name of God the Father, God the Sonne, nor God the holy Ghost, nor the name of the virgin Mary (which as you see, is notwithstanding dreadful to the deuil) but the bare naming, and pro­nouncing of this word Catholique alone: with the soun­ding of which sillables onely, Sara (sayth our Author) did put to flight all her pernicious deuils. So as this word Catholique in the Creede is as deepe a deuil-coniurer, as euer Mengus was.

These seueral Champions (as you see) doe seuerally triumph, and erect their seueral Trophies, with spoiles of seueral deuils. But it falls out sometimes, that the graund Prince of darknes doth combine, and vnite his forces, calling to his ayde his Leaders, Colonels, and [Page 148] Captaines for hel, as Hiaclito, Helcmodian, and the rest, and pitches a maine field: so as his forces stand strong against any one of these alone. Then heare the Gene­ral of our ghostly Camp, how he marshals his bands, & troupes, against the front of hel. But the blessed Sacra­ment being brought, inuocation made to our blessed Lady, and all the Quier of heauen, by the helpe of Aue maries, Salue Reginaes, and calling vpon the blessed Martyrs, and apply­ing their holy reliques, especially of Fa: Camp: Fa: Brian, and the rest, that had beene martyred at Tiburne, hell it selfe quailes, the deuils roare, and the Prince with all his assistants, and commaunders, are finally cast out. These are the troupes, that preuaile against principalities, powers, dominions, and all the kingdome of darknes: these la­ded Maho, and Modu (the two Generals of the infernal furies) with fire, and brimstone, and banished them, for a final doome, to be tormented in the bottomlesse pit of hell.

And thus closed vp our worthy Author his woorthy tragaedie, with the confusion of the great Maister-de­uils, and the consolation of his pittifull possessed cap­tiues, and that loude famous acclamation of the spec­tators, O Catholicam fidem! O fidem Catholicam! But the lamentable Chorus, and Nuntios of this tragaedie (Mai­ster Maynie gentleman, Fid Williams, Sara Williams, Anne Smith, and Maister Tirrell) doe tell vs another tale, ending this deuill tragaedie, with their own teares, sighes, exclamations, and hideous out-cries, against the deuill-priests, the coggers, coyners, mynters, and actors of this wicked lewd play. Who were not content to play Ma­ho, and Modu, the grand deuils themselues, to play at bo peepe with Almighty God, our blessed Sauiour, his holy Angels, and blssed Saints in heauen, presenting them on this feigned Theater, and making them to squeale, pype, & tumble, like puppits in a pageant after their owne impious fashion, and to prophane, and pro­stitute [Page 149] the blessed Sacrament, making it a Pandar to their foule and monstrous lust, but partly by flattery, partly by feare, partly by the bond of violated chastitie, partly by their lothsome potions, and vnnaturall fumi­gations, brought them into the same dissimulation with themselues, and to act the chiefe, and principall parts in their diabolicall legerdemaine: and when they had once masked them in theyr popish nets, and gotten them in­to theyr holy ginnes, they did so vnmanly, so vn­priestly, and so vnnaturally vse them, as the deuil him­selfe, if he had beene indeed in presence, could not haue vsed them worse.

And these misguised bewitched creatures, now of better remorse, doe tell vs that the trussing vp of theyr iugling sticks, winding vp theyr Pope-budget, & pac­king vp their Romane pedlarie grew from another cause: which was, because they vnderstood by some of their Sentinels, that their iugling, packing, and legerde­maine did peepe out abroade in the Country, & occa­sioned diuers opinions, and constructions of the same, whereby present danger to theyr persons, and stage-robes was like to ensue. This mooued them, to let Ma­ho the deuil slinke out of Sara in that homly manner as you haue heard, that they might (though vncleanlie) ridde theyr hands of him. And now I pray you obserue how sutably to theyr former affaires they sorted them­selues thence.

It is the fashion of vagabond players, that coast from Towne to Towne with a trusse and a cast of fid­dles, to carry in theyr consort, broken queanes, and Ga­nimedes, as well for their night pleasance, as their dayes pastime: our deuil-holy consort at theyr breaking vp house at Denham, departed euery priest suted with his wench after the same good custome.See the last end of Fide examin: Edmunds the Ie­suit (saith one of their owne couey) had for his darling Mistris Cressy, Anne Smith was at the disposition of [Page 150] Ma: Dryland, Sara Williams of Ma: Dibdale, Mistrisse Altham of Cornelius, and Fid Williams of Ma: Leigh. And was not this a very seemely Catholicke comple­ment trow you, to see a Fidler and his case, a Tinker & his bitch, a Priest and his Leman, a deuil & his damme, combined sweetly together? I trust our deuils would neuer make sute to goe into any herd of swine, so long as they had such kinde tender cattell to possesse, dispos­sesse, repossesse, and surpossesse at theyr pleasure. And this in the holy dialect is called gaining of soules: scilicet for the deuill.

CHAP. 23. ¶ Of the ayme, end, and marke, of all this pesti­lent tragaedy.

THe end of a Comaedie is a plaudite to the Authour, and Actors; the one for his inuention, the other for his good action: of a Tragaedie, the end is mouing of affection, and passion in the spectators. Our Daemono­poiïa, or deuil-fiction, is Tragico-comaedia, a mixture of both, as Amphitryo in Plautus is: and did by the good inuention, and cariage, obtaine both these ends. First it had a plaudite often; O Catholicam fidem! and O that all the Protestans in England did see the power of the Catholick Church: and it mooued affection with expression of teares. Marwood did tumble, foame, and rage so liue­ly, when hee was touched with Campians girdle, as the gulld spectators did weepe to see the iugling knaue, in such a supposed plight. But our Romane Authors, Ed­munds, and his holy crue (his twelue holy disciples) the plotters of this deuil-play, had a farther and deeper end: which by this impious deuise they had atchieued pre­tie well, and that was (after the Popes dialect) the gaining of soules for his Holines, and for Hell, the bewitching of the poore people, with an admiration of the power of [Page 151] theyr Romish Church, and priesthood, by these cogd miracles, and wonders; and thereby robbing them of theyr fayth towards God, and theyr loyaltie to theyr Prince, and reconciling them to the Pope, the Monster of Christianitie. And for the obtayning of this maine marke and end, they vsed two chiefe subordinate ends. The one was to bring in the deuill on the stage (tho­rough the whole course of theyr tragaedie) as the father of vs all, and as the founder, protector, and fauourer of vs, and of our most Christian profession. The other, by causing theyr deuils to speake, act, and behaue them­selues, as an hostile and sworne enemy to them, and to theyr Romish superstition. Which the besotted people conceiuing as the very true voyce of the deuill indeede, were brought to phancie and imagine of vs all, as of the grand children, and heires of Satan, and of hell, and to esteeme of them, as of the children of light, and the vn­doubted heires apparant to the celestiall kingdome of heauen. In this theyr bewitched conceit, they vvere brought to renounce theyr duty, loue, and allegeance to theyr naturall Soueraigne, and to sweare theyr fealty and obedience, to the vnnaturall monster of hell.

Vnto the atchieuing of this impious, and trecherous designe (namely, the reuolt of the besotted people from their Prince, and the most Christian Religion, by the pure profession, and swearing theyr obedience vnto the Pope of Rome) they spared no person, no condition, no calling, no profession in either our Church, or com­mon weale, but abandond them all in theyr deuil-comae­die to the bottomlesse pit of hell.Page, 42. And that the 7. hor­ned Babylonian beast might appeare in his liuely orient colours, to be he that durst opē his blasphemous mouth against the Almightie, & his Saints, his accursed brood heere doe that in the assumed feigned person of the de­uil, which the deuil himselfe (though a spirit of blasphe­mie) neuer dared to doe: that is, to curse, & blaspheme, [Page 152] (ô hellish impietie, my hart doth tremble at the sound) the most beloued, thrice-blessed annointed of the Lord, the sacred person of our dread Soueraigne, making her no other in this deuillish tragaedie, then the deuils prin­cipal darling.Booke of Miracles. Page, 43. Heare the deuil, or Edmunds in the deuils person (who yet draweth his breath from the beames of her princely mercy, whō himselfe accursed to the pit of hel) in his owne dialect, if your Christian eares dare to heare that, which those Popish miscreants dare pro­claime vpon their stage.

Beholde your loyall Priests. Page, 43. Oh (cries Maho the deuil in Sara) yonder commeth Saffron-bagge (meaning our blessed Lady) shee is come to helpe thee: but shee cannot away with a principall person in this Realme, and therefore I cannot away with her. Heere the play-deuil is conceited so to loue the Queene, as he must needes hate our Lady, for not louing her Maie­stie. And to expresse his deuilships good wil (forsooth) vnto her Maiestie: on S. Hughes day hee threatens the Exorcist,Page, 34. See Saras examin: that he would goe ring for the Queene: and in another fit tels Dibdale in a rage, that he would goe to the Court, and complaine of him to the Queene, and cause his head to be set vpon London bridge. In another fit hee cryes out of Sara in a loude voyce, God saue the Queene, Page, 7. and her Ministers, expressing his deuilships not onely good affection, but zealous deuotion to her Ma­iestie, and her Clergie. But that which shewes their dia­bolicall impietie, and opens the treasury of their hearts, fraught with treachery, and treason, they solemnly pre­sent the deuil in Sara vpon theyr stage, roaring out an oath touching her Maiestie in this wise, by my troth she is mine, and the Queene of heauen beeing called vppon, hee sayd aloude,Page 7. ibi: another Queene is my Queene. O dete­stable Romish villany! et tamen viuunt, and are at this day plotting a new inuasion to set vp a new Queene, who haue and doe thus desperatly blaspheme God, and the King.

[Page 153]And is her Maiesties Court more beholden to this Romish hellish Consort, then her Maiesties sacred per­son? Heare Modu, Maynies deuil, vaunting in his deuils voyce, vpon S. Georges day,Page, 43. that he would goe braue it out at the Court: for they were all his friends. This is the gentle quittance, your holy renegadoes doe returne you, for the fauour, or conuiuencie which they finde, in that her Maiesties Lawes are no more seuerely execu­ted against them. They bring you home a placard from his hellishnes at Rome, to assure you, that you are all in league, and amity with the deuil. For so the deuil, or Edmunds doth proclaime you from hel, or Rome.

Those famous renowmed Worthies of her Maiesties priuie Counsel, whose bodies sleepe in peace, and their soules (as I trust) repose in Abrahams blessed bosome; how our infernal tragaedians haue disturbed their rest, prophaned their happy memory, violated their tombs, and called forth their spirits, like the Witch of Endor, making them tennis-bals, for their deuils to bandy on their stage; take a true view of, in the passage of a Di­alogue betweene the Exorcist, and the deuil.

Yonder (cries the deuil in Sara) nodding her head to­wards one part of the chamber) stands such a one (whom he had named before) full of deuils: Page. 32. and Leicester at this present houre; euen now, now, vnder the right arme of that one (before mentioned) and all the Court are my friends. Then went he forward with his speech, naming certaine persons, and said, that they are now gone to the deuil: and amongst the rest, named Bedford already departed, and that his soule is euen now with me in this chamber, Page. 43. and so passed on his talke, and passed on to matters of treason, and therefore they are not to be mentioned. Thus farre theyr owne Recorder, in his owne sweet termes. And were not those matters of treason, vttered by the deuil, strange matters from hel trow ye, that the penner durst not cō ­mit them to writing, hauing written so much, touching [Page 154] our most sacred Prince, her Court, and Counsel before, as the deuil himselfe durst not inspire more into his pen? And who doth not feele this palpable legerdemaine, at his fingers ends? The deuil speakes treason against the Prince, and state, for the winning, and gaining of Sub­iects from her Maiestie to the Pope, and making them become traytors, by his treasonable perswasions; and this stands for good Romish Rhetorick, and popish Di­uinitie, whilest it was spoken, and acted by the Popes Orator the deuil: and the deuil shewed himselfe an absolute powerful speaker, for his graund maister the Pope:See Fids & Maynies exam: enchaunting by his sweet eloquence 500, or as their owne disciples confesse vpon record, foure, or fiue thousand soules in a short time, whom hee wonne from the Queene, and reconciled them to the Pope by this wel acted tragaedie. And might the deuil speake trea­son so aptly, distinctly, and elegantly on the stage, that it enchaunted the harts, and affections of the poore be­witched people, and chained them to the Pope: and is not this sweet enchaunting treason to be mentioned in wryting?Page 23. Quis causam nescit? You were afraid, good deuil-tragaedians, to be sainted at Tiburne, for this sweet enchaunting treason, vttered by your proloquutor the deuill: and it must be committed to none, but your sworne new proselytes, that knew how to keepe it from stragling abroad: whom you haue by this one sentence of your wise Orator the deuil manteled in the same de­gree of horrible vnspeakeable treasons with your selues, not onely for concealing, and entertaining treason not to be mentioned, or spoken for the abhomination of it; but for yeelding themselues, their faith, and fealty to the Pope; the true end, and ayme of all those vnspeakable treasons. Et quis hic daemon? And who was the deuil, the brocher, herald, and perswader of these vnuttera­ble treasons, but Weston the Iesuit, the chiefe plotter, and the arch-impostor, Dibdale the priest, or Stemp, or [Page 155] all the holy Couey of the twelue deuilish comaedians in their seueral turnes: for there was neither deuil, nor vr­chin, nor Elfe, but themselues, who did metamorphoze themselues in euery scene, into the person, eyther of the deuil himselfe, or of his Interpreter, and made the deuils names their Puppet, to squeake, pipe, and fume out what they pleased to inspire. And thus,Page 43. as the deuil would haue it, by a deuilish inconsiderate clause inser­ted, that the deuill spoke treasons, not once to be mentioned: haue you proclaimed your selues, and your 5000 new adhaerents, for vnspeakeable, vnutterable, detestable Traytors.

The estate of our Cleargie,Page 29. they haue adorned with a special grace: The deuill appearing vnto Trayford (sayth the Miraclist) in the likenes of an English Minister, and disswading him to leaue the Catholique Romish Church, &c. This was a signe (say they) of our especial fauour with the deuil, in that he pleased rather to put on our habite, then the vestments of a Catholique Romish Priest: and yet all circumstances considered, this was no great fauor done vnto our profession, in regard their holy geare was too hote for the deuils wearing. A sute of purgatorie fire had beene much easier for the deuil, then an Albe, or vestment of that consecrate attire. But a greater ar­gument of loue, and mutual good affection is the libe­ral commendation, which Saras deuil doth very frankly bestow vpon our Ministers, affirming by his deuils ho­nestie, that hee likes them well, and that they be much better then the Catholique Romish priests. Which the poore Ideot spectators tooke to be sooth indeede, and deemed vs to be too great in the deuils bookes, euer to be good. And aboue all, General Maho being straight­lie charged by the Exorcist, to tel his name, he standing vpon his dictatorship, tels the Exorcist plainly, that hee cannot commaund him, Page 44. but that the English Ministers may. What, and their wiues too? quoth the Exorcist: [Page 156] Marry thou a wife too, quoth the deuil. Loe here (good gentle Conies, that come to weare the Woodcocks bil) you heare the deuil, alias Dibdale plainly tel you, that the English Ministers, and their marrying of wiues come both out of hel, and are the deuils, alias Dibdales owne counsel to the priest, and so cannot be good. But hun­ting, nipping, & cros-biting a prety wench on the bare: crossing, recrossing, surcrossing her with priestly hote holy hands, per honesta, & in honesta: giuing her such a Catholique close pinch, that you make her crie oh, and possessing her with a shee deuil vppon the same: after­wards dispossessing, repossessing, and super-possessing her againe, til the poore wench is so handled amongst you,See Saras examina: as the deuil, and you giue out, Marrie her who will, she can neuer haue child: This is but his Holines owne hunt and chase, for his holy hellish disciples, in which Catholique sport the deuil himselfe making one, he can take no iust exception there-vnto.

After the deuils gracing our seueral callings by his de­uillish commendation, he must needes, of his good na­ture, speake something in fauour of our religion to, e­specially in behalfe of those points, wherein we haue op­position with the Church of Rome.

Page, 17.First, therefore for his, and our better credit the deuil tels the priest, that himselfe is an heretique, and that here­sie came first into England, in the raigne of King Henry the eight. That he teaches the Protestants, to call themselues Catholiques: Page, 23. His good deuilship, caused Sara to weepe for her father, and mother, because they went to the English Churches, and tels the Exorcist very kindly, that young children, though they want vnderstanding, must be kept from the Church: because they may be plagued for so going, for their parents faults, that suffer them to goe. Heere we must suppose, that the deuil had taken so much of the priests blessed potion, (Sacke, Galbanum, and Rue) that he was Maudelen-drunke, and in his kinde drunkennes, of pure [Page 157] compassion, and good nature, doth reueale thus much against himselfe, to haue children, and good folkes sa­ued: For being sober, and in his right wits, you shal by and by finde him in another key.

Sara was tempted (forsooth) to say first that there was no Purgatory. This was a sore temptation indeede,Page, 2. to wish Sara to say that fire was not, whereof there is not one sparkle to be seene in all the booke of God: which fire the pillers of Gods Church haue alwaies held for an Heathenish dreame, & a Platonick fiction, whose coles, brands, & skorching flames haue beene purgatiues for mens purses, houses, & lands, & haue annihilated more mettall, and euaporated it into smoake, then all the con­ceited fire-works of our Chymicall Impostors haue done. And here I feare the deuils braine was a little too much heated with the smoke of holy brimston, & grew somewhat adle, in aduising Sara to goe about to put this enchaunted fire out of peoples heads: for that the con­ceited opinion of this imaginarie fire hath brought more sooty-soiled soules into hell, in a fancied hope of a purge after this life, which they can neuer meete with­all, then any one cheating deuise besides in all the Popes budget.

Saras second temptation was to say,Pag, 3. the priest saide naught in saying of Masse, A Christmas temptation after the deuil was wel whitled. This was a pretty gul of your merry Christmas deuil, as your selues had gulled & im­postured the world. For what can be greater glee, and pleasance to the deuil, then to behold you the Archiug­lers, and Impostors of the world, to put downe in this craft the Sorcerers of Aegypt, the Heathen, Mahomet and all. To see you first iugle with Almighty God, and our blessed Sauiour, and then with all his saints, tur­ning his most blessed institution into a masse-monster, a Chimera of puppets, & gaudes. Approching vnto the holy celebration like Bacchanall priests, with a stole, an [Page 158] albe, maniple, an amice, a tunicle, and such phantasti­call attire: putting vppon the blessed institution of our Sauiour, a forraine Babylonian name of a masse: making it a night catch, or round to be chopped vp betweene a boy & a priest: peruerting the nature of the holy com­munion, to a priuate nunchion for a priest alone: seue­ring those two maine pillers of our soules comfort, the body and blood of our Sauiour, and renting them in sunder, which God had so neerely conioyned: making the reuerend celebration a pageant of moppes, mowes, eleuations, crouches, and ridiculous gesticulations: eua­cuating the power of that perfect, and absolute oblati­on of the body, and blood of our Sauiour, by a quotidi­an imaginarie oblation of a sacrifice without blood: offe­ring vp in a blasphemous conceit the body of our Saui­our, which sitteth for euer at the right hand of GOD, giuing it for the dead, which our Sauiour did to and for the liuing receiuers onely: and aboue all sacriledge, and heathenish blasphemie, offering vp our Sauiour vnto God his father thus; beseeching him that he, with a merci­full pleasant countenance, See the missall. will behold the offering vp of his onely begotten, and liuing sonne Christ Iesus, and that he will accept the same, euen as he accepted Abels offering, and the sacrifice of Abraham, and of Melchisedech the high priest. Heereby sacrilegiously making your selues not onelie the true Melchisedech (an honour appropriat vnto our Sauiour; by the saying of the holy Ghost) but most blasphemously intruding your selues as Mediators, not onely betweene God and man, but also betweene Al­mightie God, and his sonne; beseeching him to accept of the oblation of his sonne with a pleasant countenaunce (O hellish blasphemy) at your intercession! Page. 2.

Thirdly, Sara was tempted by the deuil to say, the blessed sacrament was bread, and not to be adored. This was an old potent temptation indeed. The blessed Apostle was thus tempted 1500. yeeres agoe, to call it expreslie [Page 159] by the name of bread, and to will vs to remember by the breaking of it, that it was none other but bread, Platoes Idaea of an essence subsisting in nature, without exi­stence in indiuiduall substances (long since hissed out of the schooles for a fantasticall fiction) is nothing vnto this Popish brainsick imaginatiō: that the colour, forme, tast, sauour, and dimensions of bread should subsist, & exist reall obiects to our sences, without the substance, & na­ture of bread: that all these sensible accidents should be made pendulous in the ayre, like Archimedes Doue, or els stript from their proper substance, and adhaere to an indeterminate, vagrant, vnbounded beeing: which all the subtile wits of all the Eagle-eyed Schoolemen in the world, could yet neuer christen with a name. These are the Italian Monsters, hatched of the egges of schoole Crocodiles; the winding serpentine wits of prophane vncircumcised spirits, that take libertie to themselues to descant vpon Almightie God, vpon his beloued sonne, and his blessed institution, as they descant vpon haecceï­tie, nihileïtie, and all those conceited schoole-tricks.

Our Sauiour Christ I suppose would haue had some­what adoe, to haue instructed his twelue holy disciples, at the first celebration of the supper, in this Lecture of flying formes, and vagrant substances: and if our Saui­our had told S. Peter, that the bread which he brake & gaue him, was no true bread indeed, but the accidents of bread, (who could not conceiue of leuen, that our Sa­uiour mentioned, but he thought of houshold bread) it would haue caused him to mooue many odde questi­ons, and haue troubled his braines, and hindered his de­uotion much in that reuerend, and sacred action. But our Sauiours blessed disciples were but grossa capita to our subtiliated, sublimated new spirits of the Sorbon. The blessed Apostle Saint Iohn, did thinke hee had brought an argument of good assurance to the Iewes, when he beganne his Epistle thus; That which wee haue [Page 160] seene with our eyes, handled with our hands, and beene con­uersant withall, the Lord of life: which if he had written, to a quirking Sorbonist, or a scoffing Lucianist, that had his braine puffed vp with this theorie of formes, hee would say, the Apostle wrote like a good plaine Iohn a nods: for those accidents of speech, fauour, proporti­on, and feeling might be in indiuiduo vago, in a wande­ring Hobgoblin, that had no similitude of nature vvith the Lord of life. Verily, neither this new coyne of con­ceited formes, nor the imagination of any Idolatrous adoration was once in theyr vnderstanding, who recei­ued the blessed sacrament, leaning one vppon anothers breast, and therefore this temptation was as auncient as the originall institution, that the sacrament was bread, & not to be adored.

Fourthly, Sara was tempted by the deuill to thinke that our English Ministers were as good, as the priests. If the deuil had not tempted Sara to this, hee had beene much too blame: for he beeing one of their chorus, and a principal actor in their play, & so familiar with all their legerdemaine, did well see, that if hell it selfe had beene raked (as they say) and 13 of the deuils most deuilish Ministers fetched from thence, they could not haue pas­sed Weston, and his twelue deuilish tragaedians, in any degree. Dissemblers, iuglers, impostors, players with God, his Sonne, his angels, his saints: deuisers of new deuils, feigned tormentors of spirits, vsurpers of the key of the bottomlesse pit, whippers, scourgers, batfoulers of fiends, Pandars, Ganimedaeans, enhaunsers of lust, deflowrers of virgins, defilers of houses, vnciuil, vnman­lie, vnnaturall venereans, offerers of theyr owne masse to supposed deuils, deprauers of theyr owne reliques, applying them to vnspeakable, detestable, monstrous deformities: prostituters of all the rites, ornaments, and ceremonies of theyr Church to impure villanies: pro­phaners of all parts of the seruice, worship, and honour [Page 161] of God: violators of tombes, sacrilegious, blasphe­mers of God, the blessed Trinitie, and the virgin Ma­rie, in the person of a counterfet deuill: seducers of sub­iects, plotters, conspirators, contriuers of bloody & de­testable treasons, against their annointed Soueraigne: it would pose all hell to sample them with such another dosen.

Fiftly, Page 4. Sara was tempted by the deuil not to say her prayers in Latine, because God had not so commaunded, but in English, as she had learned of the Minister, in her mo­thers house: Deerely beloued brethren, the Scripture mo­ueth vs in sundry places, humbly to acknowledge, and confesse our manifold sinnes, and wickednes: God saue the Queene, and her Ministers.

Are not these mens faces sorely scorched with the flames of hel fire, and their consciences seared with those hote burning coales, that dare publish this desperate im­pietie to the world, that the confession of our sinnes, ac­cording to Gods holy wil, and fatherly admonitions in the Scripture, (which is the first beginning of our wor­ship, and seruice of almighty God, appointed and esta­blished in our publique forme of prayer in the Church) is the deuils temptation? Was it euer heard of before, from eyther Heathenist, or diuine, that the deuil did tempt any, humbly to acknowledge, and confesse his sinnes, before almighty God. Which are the expresse words of our seruice booke, derided by these hellish Impostors, and fathered vppon the deuil? What are our faith, our hope, our charity, our zeale, our worship of almightie God, but Pharisaical cloudes, and wandring starres, ac­cursed of God, without true, and vnfaigned humiliation going afore? And what shal become of their much-commended mortification, penance, affliction, and ta­ming of the body, to bring it into due obedience, vnder the gouernment of Gods holy spirit, or in what order, and ranke, shal wee place these, if deiection of minde, [Page 162] and humiliation of spirit, the acceptable sacrifices vnto God, be the cognisances of the deuil? Blinde, and de­sperate malice cares not, what it speakes, so it may speak. For that addition, in scorne and superbious contempt annexed by you, vnto our publique prayer, God saue the Queene, wee doe glory in it, and pray vnto God, from the bottome of our harts, that wee long so pray. It demonstrateth plainly to the world, with what spirit you are led, namely by the spirit of Satanical pride, and desperate disobedience, that dare referre that pious loyal prayer to the deuil.

Thus hath the deuil (forsooth) spoken in fauor of our Prince, her worthy Counsailors, her renowmed Cour­tiers, her learned Ministers: in fauor of the Sacraments, and publique seruice of almighty God, established in our Church: now let vs heare the same deuil, as you haue presented him on the stage, pleading for your Church, and patronizing your heathenish superstition, and diabolical inuentions in the same. Dibdale to the deuil.Booke of Miracles page. 16. What sayest thou to the virgin Mary? Deuil. Oh shee had no originall sinne, I had not a bit of her, neither within, nor without. Heere you see a plaine blasphemy of the Church of Rome, that could neuer before be warran­ted by Scripture, reason, nor auncient Father, that any (except the vnspotted sonne of God) should be borne without original sinne, now warranted, and stamped with the signet of the deuil for good, namely, that the virgin Mary was borne without sinne.

Page, 15,Dibdale: What sayest thou to Gregory the thirteenth? Deuil. Oh, he is a Saint in heauen, he neuer came in Pur­gatorie. This fauour the deuil bestowes on that Pope, because he had beene a bountiful founder, and benefac­tor, to the English renegadoes, and a most pestilent deuiser against the life of our Soueraigne: who for this good seruice, was caried on the deuils backe, as seemes, ouer Purgatorie into heauen.

[Page 163]Dibdale. What sayest thou to Brian? Came he into Pur­gatorie? Deuil. Oh no, he is a Saint in deede, Page. 43. he is in hea­uen. This man was one of the arch-traytors, that came ouer with Parsons, and Campian, with special designes of treason from the Pope: and therefore the deuil ought him a special good turne, & could not requite him bet­ter, then to enroll him amongst his Saints.

Dibdale. What sayest thou to the blessed Sacramant of the Altar? Deuil. It is the very body of Christ cut it, Page 17. and thou shalt see it bleede. It had beene an easie expe­riment to haue tried, whether that the deuil would haue beene true of his word: but Dibdale had an euasion rea­die twined for this: and that was; Hee would not cut it, for tempting his Creator. It was no tempting of God, to aske counsel of the deuil touching the Sacrament: but it had beene a sore temptation, to haue made proofe of the bleeding, and yet there was no man of good sence, but would rather haue giuen credit to his eyes, if he had seene it to bleede, then to the deuils bare affirmation in so waighty a case. But whom should the children of lyes, coggeries, and Impostures beleeue, if they should not beleeue their father, the graund father of lyes?

Weston. What sayest thou to Campians girdle, Westons Tractat of Marwood. whence hath it this vertue, being a seely twist, to afflict, intoxicate, and amaze thee? Deuil. Ierusalem nouit, Tiburnus nouit. Ierusalem, and Tiburne can tell you.

Thus farre the worthie dialogue betweene Dibdale and the deuill, wherein are many points of high & pru­dent consideration. If we may be so bold with his deuil­ships good leaue, wee would gladly aske a question or two: first, why cutting should make the sacrament to bleed, and not breaking doe the same, if the body of our Sauiour be really there? For veines beeing the ves­sels of blood, there is fluxe of blood caused as well by rupture of a veine caused by violence, (and for the most part in greater aboūdance) as by dissection of the same. [Page 164] And againe I imagine, that (according to theyr most monstrous opinion) our Sauiour had been in the Sacra­ment, as the soule is said to be in the body: that is, to­tus Ch: in toto sacramento, et totus in qualibet parte sacra­menti. So as whether you cut, or breake the sacrament after consecration, the part that you distribute, doth cō ­taine whole Christ, and euery part of him; then can no incision deuide our Sauiours body, and cause it to bleed, no more then cutting of an arme can deuide the soule. I feare his deuilship was too suddaine in this resolution of bleeding, or els that his wits were troubled with smoake.

Secondly I wonder (considering the deepe wit, and policy of the deuil) how it standeth with his wisedome, to resolue so cleare & easily on the Romish Catholicks side, all the deepest matters depending betweene vs and them: considering (as Edmunds, the deuils priuado, affir­meth) that Protestants be all friend to the deuil, & Ca­tholicks his sworne enemies. This is to weaken himselfe and his forces, and to cause his friends to forsake his colours, and flie vnto his enemies; as wee find, by these his temerarious resolutions, hee lost 4 or 5000. long-bild birds at a clap. Either all is not well with the deuill in his wits, or els the priests had so scalded him in the breech, as hee durst doe no other. And what a strange aduantage haue the Romists of vs Protestants, that haue gotten them two heads, whereof neither can erre, a Pope, and a deuill?

The deuils aunswers & resolutions here to cases pro­pounded by the priests, are diuine Oracles, farre pas­sing the old Oracles hee was wont to make in Apollos Temple at Delphos, or the Trophonian denne: for they were mixed with aequiuocation (the new Iesuitical, and old diabolicall tricke) but these are cleere, direct, and plaine. Dibd: What sayest thou to the Sacrament of the Altar? Deuil. It is the very body of Christ, cut it and [Page 165] thou shalt see it bleede. And heerein the deuils headship surpasseth the Popes headship by farre: for the Popes head-peece may ake with strong wine, stirring choller, or strong poyson; and his Holines must haue a counsel called, and he must be placed in his Consistorian chaire (as Caiphas in the seate of the High priest) ere hee can prophecie certaine and right; and it must be in causis fū ­damentalibus fidei to: and then he shal speake truth whe­ther he wil or no, like Balams Asse: but the deuils head­ship needes none of these molestations, solemnities, nor exceptions. His censure is in actu vltimo, ready, quick, certaine, sound, infallible, cleere, admitting no interpre­tation. Who being alwaies ready at hand to cōmaund, by Mengus his whip, his club, or his deuil-bugge, or an Exorcists holy hands, more potent then all these, and hauing his taile wel sizled with brimstone, or scalded soundly with holy water afore, what a good-yeere needs all this leuel coyle, & stirre, for determinations of coun­sels, resolutions of Popes, allegations of Fathers, dispu­tations of subtilissimus, angelicis, Seraphicus doctor ex or­dine minorum, that doe cramp mens wits, & turne them out of their sockets. Ecce your subtilissimus, angelicissimus, Seraphicissimus Doctor the deuil: and tis no more then thus. Exor: Deuill, what sayest thou to the Pope? Is hee Antichrist, or head of the Church, yea or no? Deuil. Oh no, he is the head of the Church. Exor: May hee excom­municate Princes, and diuest them from theyr crownes? De: Oh he may, he may. Exor: Hath hee the temporall sword directly or no? and is hee Rex regum of the world, and all the Emperors, Kings, and Princes his Lieutenants, to place, and displace at his pleasure? De: Oh they be all his vassals. Exo: May the Iesuits (his spirits) in ordine ad De­um cog, lye, aequiuocate, adulterate, murther, stab, poyson Christian Princes, for aduauncing the Popes Monarchie, & the King of Spaine, or no? De: Oh they may doe what they list in ordine ad deum. This is a short cut, tis but an Oh [Page 166] for a preface, and the rest is an Oracle: and so all the grand cases for either Church, or Common-wealth are dispatched.

And if they want deuils in Italy, to exorcise, and aske Oracles of: let them come but ouer into London in England: and wee haue ready for them, Darrells wife, Moores Minion, Sharpe, Skelton, Euans, Swan, & Lewis; the deuil-finders, and deuil-puffers, or deuil-prayers: and they shal start them a deuil in a lane, as soone as an Hare in Waltham forrest, that shal nick it with aunswers, as dead as Westons, and Dibdales deuils did. And wee shal as easily finde them a route, rable, and swarme of giddy, adle, lunaticke, illuminate holy spectators of both sexes, but especially a Sisternity of mimpes, mops, and idle holy women, that shal grace Modu the deuil, with their idle holy presence, and be as ready to cry out, at the mowing of an apish wench, and the lowing, or bellow­ing of a brainlesse empty fellow: O the glory of God: O the power of prayer: as the Romish guls did troupe a­bout Sara, Fid, and Anne Smith, and cry out at the con­iuration of the Exorcist: O the Catholique fayth! O the power of the fayth Catholique. Haec tempora, hi mores. These are the times, wherein we are sicke, and mad of Robin good fellow, and the deuil, to walke againe amongst vs: and (I feare) the latter times, wherein lying signes, faigned wonders, cogged miracles, the companions of Antichrist, shal preuaile with the children of pride, gid­dines, and misbeleefe.

We doe not asseuer, that the deuil cannot say a troth, or that he hath not some-time proclaimed the truth: we know he cried, and said to our Sauiour Christ, We know thee, who thou art, the holy one of God: wherein he sayd, and cried truly: but this was vpon coaction, from the mighty hand of God, and not vppon questioning, and dialoguizing with the deuil, which we neuer read, that eyther our Sauiour, or his holy disciples did. Nay, wee [Page 167] see that our Sauiour checked the deuil, so saying truly of him, and commaunded him to hold his peace, as not accepting of any witnes, or testimony from the deuils. If Edmunds, and his twelue deuilish tragaedians could in deede haue coniured a deuil: (as the deuil of deuil there was, but the cogging, coniuring knaues them­selues) that would haue giuen testimonie to the prayers, Sacraments, and seruice of God, established in our Church, (as they faigned Modu their deuil to doe:) we would haue disdained, and reiected his testimonie, as our Sauiour Christ did.

But see Westons great wit, the Author and contriuer of this deuill-sport. When the cogge-deuill speakes of vs: O that is our disgrace, & confusion: when he speakes of the Romish church, and the bleeding of the Sacra­ment: O that is Gods oracle, and their triumphant exal­tation. O despicable heathenish beggerie, to goe a beg­ging good wordes and credit from the deuil. And loe heere (good Christian Reader) plaine Gentilisme, with­out welt or couer. The Gentiles beeing forsaken of God, and giuen vp into a reprobate minde, did resort vnto theyr Oracles, to aske other counsels, and resolu­tions from the deuil; and what doe our Romish Impo­stors lesse, or in other sort, then Croesus, Alexander, Pyr­rhus, and the rest of the heathen Captaines did? Let some subtile Sorbonist giue mee an essentiall difference betweene them. They asked the deuil questions; so doe our priests: they asked about matters of their common­weale; our priests doe more: they aske about matters of God, and the Church, they tooke the deuils word for a graceful diuine fauour vnto them; so doe our priests: they accounted the deuils answer as the oracles of God; so doe our priests: It is the body of Christ, (cries the de­uill) cut it, and thou shalt see it bleede. Why now tis cock, or deuil-sure, against all the Protestants in the world: except the difference be this: the deuill neuer aunswe­red [Page 168] the heathen Captaines in any matter of import, but in amphibologies and clowdes, for feare of beeing taken tripping in a lye: our Romish deuils, doe giue their an­swers bare-faced, without any circuition, or aequiuocati­on at all: and therefore our Romish deuils are sure the sonnes of theyr sweet Sire the Pope, and the darlings of theyr deere mother the holy Church of Rome. But ô lamentable desperation of the church of Rome! When King Saule for his disobedience, was depriued of the good spirit of God, and had a bad spirit sent from God, to haunt and afflict him, and that Almighty God in his heauy displeasure, would neither aunswer him by Ʋrim, Thummim, nor reuelation from heauen: he then in a de­sperate mood goes to the Witch at Endor, to aske coun­sel of her. Quid dicis? What sayest thou to my state? The loathsome abhominations, and Ethnike Impostures of the Church of Rome, where-with they haue gulled, and made drunken the Kings of the Nations, being by the piercing glorious light of the Gospel displayed, and vn­couered to the open view of the world; and that church for her whoredome being depriued of the holy spirit of Almighty God, and giuen ouer to the spirit of dark­nes, giddines, and iugling deceite; hauing now ney­ther testimonie from Gods diuine Oracles, nor brea­things from that heauenly cleare fountaine, nor presence of holy Fathers, to countenance their monstrous defor­mations; doe in a desperate fury, and hellish resolution, resort vnto the Oracles of the deuil, and would con­iure vp from hel the Prince, and power of darknes, to be their proloquutor, and to grace them with a won­der.

Heare their lamentable voyce, fraught with despaire, quid dicis? Prince of darknes, what sayest thou for our Masse? What sayest thou for our Sacrament of the Al­tar? And now (good Reader) obserue the top of hel­lish resolution, and the gulfe of dispaire: wherein the [Page 169] Romish church is plunged: when neither God, Angel, nor deuil, can be gotten to speake for them (for heere was neither Angel, S. Mary, S. Barbara, nor deuil, nor spirit, in all this faigned tragaedie, as we haue let you to see, thorough the whole course of the same) O lamen­table desolation! Weston, and his twelue Priests, doe play the deuils themselues, & all to grace from hel, (be­ing now forsaken of heauen) their pope, their Masse, their Sacraments, their Medalls, their agnus Dei, their charmes, their enchauntments, their coniurations, their reliques, their hellish sorceries: et praeualuit hec potestas tenebrarum: This power of darknes, played by the chil­dren of darknes preuailed, to the gayning vnto his ho­lines, and to hel, foure or fiue thousand soules, and that in a very little, and short time. VVhose heart wil not bleede for pitty, and his eyes gush out with teares, for compassion, of our blinded, besotted, bewitched poore Nation? The rather, when he shal cast his eye vpon the maine worke, shape, and end, of all this deuillish de­uise, which was this. One of the chiefe impediments, that haue hindered from time to time, the designments of the Pope, the King of Spaine, and their agents, a­gainst her Maiestie, and this Kingdome, hath beene the want of a sufficient number of Catholiques heere in England, to assist them: for the supplying whereof, his Holines hath from time to time set on worke all his instruments of hell.

When the Lords in the North, were to take vp armes against her Maiestie, and the state, the Pope denounced his Excommunication against her, and against all that should take her part: and sent his Priests hither, not on­lie to intimate vnto thē, what the Pope had done there­in; but likewise to sollicite as many Catholiques, as they could, to vnite themselues in strengthening that rebelli­on; assuring them, that they were absolued from their duty, and allegeance, and that they were bound, vnder [Page 170] paine of the Popes displeasure, and of incurring the like censure, if they should refuse so to doe. And Saunders is confident, that if there had beene sufficient notice in time of the said excommunication, the number of the Catholiques, that would haue taken part with the said Earle, would haue beene so great, as that her Maiestie, with all the forces she could make, could not haue been able to haue withstoode them.

At what time the second attempt (as I haue touched in the beginning) by force, was in plotting betwixt the Pope, and the King of Spaine, for the sending ouer into England of the Duke of Guise: (Saunders being gone about that time into Ireland, to animate, and assist the Traytor Desmond, and likewise to incite, and allure her Maiesties subiects there, to take his part) the feare of want of sufficient assistance heere at home, did greatly perplex them: where-vpon, about the yeere 1580, and a little after, many more priests (and some Iesuits also) were sent into this Realme, then at any time before, to labour by all meanes possible, for the with-drawing of her Maiesties subiects from their duty, and allegeance, by reconciling, & vniting their harts to her mortal ene­mie, the Pope. To which purpose, it were hard to re­count their false, and alluring enticements, by exclai­ming without all ciuil modesty, and truth, against the doctrine of the Church of England, now established: by deprauing her Maiesties gouernment, and the whole estate of the Realme, in most barbarous, and outragious inuectiues, and libels, and by terrifying of some, & per­uerting of others, with strange reports of the strength, and preparation of the King of Spaine, and the Pope, ready to inuade this Land. About this time also their traffique, & merchandizing, by pardons, medals, graines, Crosses, Agnus deies, was exceeding all measure, where­with they deluded, and inueigled many of the simpler sort. But all these deuises notwithstanding, either for [Page 171] that the number they laboured for, did not so encrease, as they desired, or that the Iesuits had an ambitious de­sire, to carie away the garland from the rest of their bre­thren, and companions in this seruice. Fa: Weston, then the Prouinciall of all the Iesuits in England, deuised this hellish trick of casting out deuils: by the which they so preuailed, as they gayned in a very short space, foure or 5000 to be reconciled to the Pope. And such was at that time the zeale, or rather fury of these new gayned Proselytes, and the elder sort of Pharisaical hypocrites, so kindled, and enflamed with the admiration of the di­uine power, which they supposed to be in these priests, as (besides the large contributions, which they gaue thē) no meruaile if they would haue followed them through thick, and thin, fire, and water, purgatorie, and hel, to assist any forraine, or domestical power against her Ma­iestie, and her Kingdome. I wish, and earnestly pray for these, gulled, deluded, bewitched poore soules, that they may now at last lay their hand on their harts, or that God would open their harts, to loath those despicable Impostures, and returne vnto the truth: assuring them selues, that neuer any true religion, did assist, and credite it selfe by such diabolical dissimulation.