The xv. Chapter.421.303.

//The fashion or forme of the conjuring knife, with the names theron to bee graven or written.420.302.A type or figure of the circle for the maister and his fellowes to sit in, shewing how and after what fashion it should be made.This is the circle for the maister to sit in, and his fellowe or fel- lowes, at the first calling, sit backe to backe, when he calleth the spirit; and for the fairies make this circle with chalke on the ground, as is said before. This spiritBealpharesbeing once called and found, shall never have power to hurt thee. Call him in the houre of ♃ or ♀ the ☽ increasing.//The xv. Chapter.421.303.The making of the holie water.*[* These Rom.]EXORCISO†Absque exorcismo sal non sit sanctus.[†Lat. in small Ital.]te creaturam salis, per Deum vivum✠per Deum✠verum✠per Deum sanctum✠per Deum qui te per Elizœum prophetam in aquam mitti jussit, ut sanaretur sterilitas aquæ, ut efficiaris sal exorcisatus in salutem credentium; ut sis omnibus te sumentibus sanitas animæ & corporis, & effugiat atque discedat ab eo loco, qui aspersus fuerit omnis phantasia & nequitia, vel versutia diabolicæ fraudis, omnisq; spiritus immundus, adjuratus per eum, qui venturus est judicare vivos & mortuos, & sæculum per ignem, Amen. Oremus:Immensam clementiam tuam, omnipotens ceterne Deus, humiliter imploramus, ut hanc creaturam salis, quam in usum generis humani tribuisti, bene✠dicere & sancti✠ficare tua pietate digneris, ut sit omnibus sumentibus salus mentis & corporis, ut quicquid ex eo tactum fuerit, vel respersum, careat omni immundicia, omniq; impugnatione spiritualis nequitiæ, per Dominum nostrum Jesum Christum filium tuum, qui tecum vivit & regnat in unitate spiritus sancti, Deus per omnia sæcula sæculorum, Amen.To the water saie also as followeth.EXorciso te creaturam aquæ in nomine✠patris✠& Jesu Christi filii ejus Domini nostri, & in virtute spiritus✠sancti✠ut fias aqua exorcisata, ad effugandam omnem potestatem inimici, & ipsum inimicum eradicare & explantare valeas, cum angelis suis apostatis, per virtutem ejusdem Domini nostri Jesu Christi, qui venturus est judicare vivos & mortuos, & sæculum per ignem, Amen. Oremus:Deus, qui ad salutem humani generis maxima quæque sacramenta in aquarum substantia condidisti, adesto propitius invocationibus nostris, & elemento huic multimodis purificationibus præparato, virtutem tuæ bene✠dictionis infunde, ut creatura tua mysteriis tuis serviens, ad abigendos dæmones, morbosq; pellendos, divinæ gratiæ sumat effectum, ut quicquid in domibus, vel in locis fidelium hæc unda resperserit, careat omni immundicia, liberetur à noxa, non illic resideat spiritus pestilens, non aura corrumpens, discedant omnes insidiæ latentis inimici, & si quid est, quod aut incolumitati habitantium invidet aut quieti, aspersione hujus aquæ effugiat, ut salubritas per invocationem sancti tui nominis expetita ab omnibus sit impugnationibusdefensa, per Dominum nostrum Jesum Christum filium tuum, qui tecum vivit & regnat, in unitate spiritus sancti Deus per omnia sæcula sæculorum, Amen./304.Then take the salt in thy hand, and saie putting it into the water, making in the maner of a crosse.Oratio ad Deum ut sali exorcisato vires addat.Commixtio salis & aquæ pariter fiat, in nomine patris, & filii, & spiritus sancti, Amen. Dominus vobiscum, Et cum spiritu tuo, Oremus: ¶ Deus invictæ virtutis author, & insuperabilis imperii rex, ac semper magnificus triumphator, qui adversæ dominationis vires reprimis, qui inimici rugientis sævitiam superas, qui hostiles nequitias potens expugnas; te Domine trementes & supplices deprecamur ac petimus, ut hanc creaturam salis & aquæ aspicias, benignus illustres, pietatis tuæ rore sancti fices, ubicunq; fuerit aspersa, per invocationem sancti tui nominis, omnis infestatio immundi spiritus abjiciatur, terrórq; venenosi serpentis procul pellatur, &/422.præsentia sancti spiritus nobis misericordiam tuam poscentibus ubiq; adesse dignetur, per Dominum nostrum Jesum Christum filium tuum, qui tecum vivit & regnat in unitate spiritus sancti Deus per omnia sæcula sæculorum, Amen.Then sprinkle upon anie thing, and saie as followeth.Oratio, in qua dicenda, exorcista sese sacri laticis aspergine debes perrorare.Asperges me Domine hyssopo, & mundabor, lavabis me, & supra nivem dealbabor. Miserere mei Deus, secundum magnam misericordiam tuam, & supra nivem dealbabor. Gloria patri, & filio, & spiritui sancto: Sicut erat in principio, & nunc, & semper, & in sæcula sæculorum, Amen. Et supra nivem dealbabor, asperges me, &c. Ostende nobis Domine misericordiam tuam, & salutare tuum da nobis; exaudi nos Domine sancte, pater omnipotens, æterne Deus, & mittere dignare sanctum angelum tuum de cælis, qui custodiat, foveat, visitet, & defendat omnes habitantes in hoc habitaculo, per Christum Dominum nostrum, Amen, Amen.The xvi. Chapter.To make a spirit to appeare in a christall.IDOO conjure theeN.by the father, and the sonne, and the Holie-ghost, the which is the beginning and the ending, the first and the last, and by the latter daie of judgement, that thouN.doo appeare, in this christall stone, or anie other instrument, at my pleasure, to mee and to myfelow, gentlie and beautifullie, in faire forme of a boy of twelve yeares of age, without hurt or damage of anie of our bodies or soules; and certeinlie to informe and to shew me, without anie guile or craft, all that we doo desire or demand of thee to know, by the vertue of him, which shall come to judge the quicke and the dead, and the world by fier, Amen.Also I conjure and exorcise theeMarke how consonant this is with poperie, &c.N.by the sacrament of the altar, and by the substance therof, by the wisedome of Christ, by the sea, and by his vertue, by the earth, & by all things that are above the earth,/305.and by their vertues, by the ☉ and the ☽ by ♄ ♃ ♂ and ♀ and by their vertues, by the apostles, martyrs, confessors, and the virgins and widowes, and the chast, and by all saints of men or of women, and innocents, and by their vertues, by all the angels and archangels, thrones, dominations, principats, potestats, virtutes, cherubim, and seraphim, and by their vertues, & by the holie names of God,Tetragrammaton, El, Ousion, Agla, and by all the other holie names of God, and by their vertues, by the circumcision, passion, and resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ, by the heavines of our ladie the virgine, and by the joy which she had/423.when she sawe hir sonne rise from death to life, that thouN.doo appeare in this christall stone, or in anie other instrument, at my pleasure, to me and to my felow, gentlie, and beautifullie, and visiblie, in faire forme of a child of twelve yeares of age, without hurt or damage of anie of our bodies or soules, and trulie to informe and shew unto me & to my felow, without fraud or guile, all things according to thine oth and promise to me, whatsoever I shall demand or desire of thee, without anie hinderance or tarrieng, and this conjuration be read of me three times, upon paine of eternall condemnation, to the last daie of judgement:Fiat, fiat, fiat, Amen.And when he is appeared, bind him with the bond of the dead above written: then saie as followeth.For hidden treasure.¶ I charge theeN.by the father, to shew me true visions in this christall stone, if there be anie treasure hidden in such a placeN.& wherin it lieth, and how manie foot from this peece of earth, east, west, north, or south.The xvii. Chapter.An experiment of the dead.FIRST go and get of some person that shalbe put to death, a promise, and sweare an oth unto him, that if he will come to thee, after his death, his spirit to be with thee, and to remaine with thee all the daies of thy life, and will doo thee true service, as it is conteined in the oth and promise following. Then laie thy hand on thy booke, and sweare this oth unto him.Promises & oths interchangeablie made betweene the conjuror & the spirit.IN.doo sweare and promise to theeN.to give for thee an almesse everie moneth, and also to praie for thee once in everie weeke, to saie the Lords praier for thee, and so to continue all the daies of my life, as God me helpe and holie doome, and by the contents of this booke. Amen.Then let him make his oth to thee as followeth, and let him saie after thee, laieng his hand upon the booke. ¶ IN.doo sweare this oth to theeN.by God the father omnipotent, by God the son Jesus Christ, and by his pretious bloud which hath redeemed all the world, by the which bloud I doo trust to be saved at the generall daie of judgment, and by the vertues therof, IN.doo sweare this oth to theeN.that my spirit that is within my bodie now,/424.shall not ascend, nor descend, nor go to anie place of rest, but shall come to theeN.and be verie well pleased to remaine/306.with theeN.all the daies of thy life, and so to be bound to theeN.and to appeare to theeN.in anie christall stone, glasse, or other mirror, and so to take it for my resting place. And that, so soone as my spirit is departed out of my bodie, streightwaie to be at your commandements, and that in and at all daies, nights, houres, and minutes, to be obedient unto theeN.being called of thee by the vertue of our Lord Jesu Christ, & out of hand to have common talke with thee at all times, and in all houres & minuts, to open and declare to theeN.the truth of all things present, past, and to come, and how to worke the magike art, and all other noble sciences, under the throne of God.Note the penaltie of breaking promise with the spirit.If I doo not performe this oth and promise to theeN.but doo flie from anie part thereof, then to be condemned for ever and ever. Amen.Also IN.doo sweare to thee by God the Holie-ghost, and by the great wisedome that is in the divine Godhead, and by their vertues, and by all the holie angels, archangels, thrones, dominations, principats, potestats, virtutes, cherubim and seraphim, and by all their vertues doo IN.sweare, and promise thee to be obedient as isrehearsed. And heere, for a witnesse, doo IN.give theeN.my right hand, and doo plight thee my faith and troth, as God me helpe and holiedoome. And by the holie contents in this booke doo IN.sweare, that my spirit shall be thy true servant, all the daies of thy life, as is before rehearsed. And here for a witnesse, that my spirit shall be obedient to theeN.and to those bonds of words that be written in thisN.before the bonds of words shall be rehearsed thrise; else to be damned for ever: and thereto saie all faithfull soules and spirits, Amen, Amen.Then let him sweare this oth *three* Three times, in reverence (peradventure) of the Trinitie, P. F. S S.times, and at everie time kisse the booke, and at everie time make marks to the bond. Then perceiving the time that he will depart, get awaie the people from you, and get or take your stone or glasse, or other thing in your hand, and saie thePater noster,Ave, andCredo, and this praier as followeth. And in all the time of his departing, rehearse the bonds of words; and in the end of everie bond, saie oftentimes; Remember thine oth and promise. And bind him stronglie to thee, and to thy stone, and suffer him not to depart, rea/ding425.thy bond 24 times. And everie daie when you doo call him by your other bond, bind him stronglie by the first bond: by the space of 24 daies applie it, & thou shalt be made a man for ever.Now the Pater noster, Ave, and Credo must be said, and then the praier immediatlie following.O God†[† This par. in smaller type.]ofAbraham, God ofIsaac, God ofJacob, God ofTobias; the which diddest deliver the three children from the hot burning oven,Sidrac,MisacandAbdenago,‡[‡ sic]andSusannafrom the false crime, andDanielfrom the lions power: even so O Lord omnipotent, I beseech thee, for thy great mercie sake, to helpe me in these my works, and to deliver me this spirit ofN.that he may be a true subject to meN.all the daies of my life, and to remaine with me, and with thisN.all the daies of my life./307.O glorious God, Father, Sonne, and Holie-ghost, I beseech thee to help me at this time, and to give me power by thine holie name, merits and vertues, wherby I may conjure & constreine this spirit ofN.that he may be obedient unto me, and may fulfill his oth and promise, at all times, by the power of all thine holines. This grant O Lord God of hosts, as thou art righteous and holy, and as thou art the word, and the word God, the beginning and the end, sitting in the thrones of thine everlasting kingdoms, & in the divinitie of thine everlasting Godhead, to whom be all honour and glorie, now and for ever and ever, Amen, Amen.The xviii. Chapter.A bond to bind him to thee, and to thy N. as followeth.IN.Note the summe of this obligation or bond.conjure and constreine the spirit ofN.by the living God, by the true God, and by the holie God, and by their vertues and powers I conjure and constreine the spirit of theeN.that thou shalt not ascend nor descend out of thy bodie, to no place of rest, but onelie to take thy resting place with *N.[*i.e.me]and with thisN.all the daies of my life, according to thine oth and promise. I conjure and constreine the spirit ofN.by these holie names of God ✠Tetragrammaton✠Adonay✠Agla✠Saday✠Sabaoth✠planabothe✠panthon✠craton✠neupmaton✠Deus✠homo✠omnipotens✠sempiternus✠ysus✠terra✠unigenitus✠salvator✠via✠vita✠manus✠fons✠origo✠filius✠ and by their vertues and powers I conjure and constreine the spirit ofN.that thou shalt not rest nor remaine in the fier, nor in the water, in the aier, nor in anie privie place of the earth, but onelie with meN.and with thisN.all the/426.daies of my life. I charge the spirit ofN.upon paine of everlasting condemnation, remember thine oth and promise. Also I conjure the spirit ofN.and constreine thee by the excellent name of Jesus Christ, Α and Ω, the first and the last; for this holie name of Jesus is above all names, for †unto† Scripture as well applied of the conjuror, as that of satan in tempting Christ, Matth. 4, 6.it all knees doo bow and obey, both of heavenlie things, earthlie things, and infernalles. Nor is there anie other name given to man, whereby we have anie salvation, but by the name of Jesus. Therefore by the name, and in the name of Jesus ofNazareth, and by his nativitie, resurrection and ascension, and by all that apperteineth to his passion, and by their vertues and powers, I doo conjure and constreine the spirit ofN.that thou shalt not take anie resting place in the ☉ nor in the ☽ nor in ♄ nor in ♃ nor in ♂ nor in ♀ nor in ☿ nor in anie of the twelve signes, nor in the concavitie of the clouds, nor in anie other privie place, to rest or staie in, but onelie with meN.or with thisN.all the daies of my life. If thou be not obedient unto me, according to thine oth and promise, IN.doo condemne the spirit ofN.into the pit of hell for ever, Amen.I conjure and constreine the spirit ofN.by the bloud of the innocent lambe Jesus Christ, the which was shed upon the crosse, for all those that/308.doo obeie unto it, and beleeve in it, shall be saved and by the vertue thereof, and by all the aforesaid riall names and words of the living God by mee pronounced, I doo conjure and constreine the spirit ofN.that thou be obedient unto me, according to thineoth and promise.Note what sore penalties the spirit is injoined to suffer for disobedience.If thou doo refuse to doo as is aforesaid, IN.by the holie trinitie, and by his vertue and power doo comdemne the spirit ofN.into the place whereas there is no hope of remedie, but everlasting condemnation, and horror, and paine upon paine, dailie, horriblie, & lamentablie the paines there to be augmented, so thicke as the stars in the firmament, and as the gravell sand in the sea: except thou spirit ofN.obeie meN.as is afore rehearsed; else IN.doo condemne the spirit ofN.into the pit of everlasting condemnation;Fiat, fiat, Amen. Also I conjure thee, and constreine the spirit ofN.by all angels, archangels, thrones, dominations, principats, potestats, virtutes, cherubim & seraphim, & by the foure evangelists,Matthew,Marke,Luke, andJohn, and by all things conteined in the old lawe and the new, and by their vertues, and by the twelve apo/stles,427.and by all patriarchs, prophets, martyrs, confessors, virgins, innocents, and by all the elect and chosen,*[* ? whichorthat]is, and shall be, which followeth the lambe of God; and by their vertues and powers I conjure and constreine the spirit ofN.stronglie, to have common talke with me, at all times, and in all daies, nights, houres, and minuts, and to talke in my mother toong plainelie, that I may heare it, and understand it, declaring the truth unto me of all things, according to thine oth and promise; else to be condemned for ever;Fiat, fiat, Amen.Also I conjure and constreine the spirit ofN.by the *golden* There is no mention made in the gospels that Christ was woorth a golden girdle.girdle, which girded the loines of our Lord Jesus Christ, so thou spirit ofN.be thou bound, and cast into the pit of everlasting condemnation, for thy great disobedience and unreverent regard that thou hast to the holie names and words of God almightie, by me pronounced:Fiat, Amen.Also I conjure, constreine, command, and bind the spirit ofN.by the two edged sword, whichJohnsaw proceed out of the mouth of God almightie:Bugs words.except thou be obedient as is aforesaid, the sword cut thee in peeces, and condemne thee into the pit of everlasting paines, where the fier goeth not out, and where the worme dieth not;Fiat, fiat, fiat, Amen.Also I conjure and constreine the spirit ofN.by the throne of the Godhead, and by all the heavens under him, and by the celestiall citie newJerusalem, and by the earth, by the sea, and by all things created and conteined therein, and by their vertues and powers, and by all the infernalles, and by their vertues and powers, and all things conteined therein, and by their vertues and powers, I conjure and constreine the spirit ofN.that now immediatlie thou be obedient unto me, at all times hereafter, and to those words of me pronounced, according to thine oth and promise: *else* Is it possible to be greater than S. Adelberts cursse?See in Habar. lib. 12. ca. 17: pag. 263, 264, 265.let the great cursse ofGod, the anger of God, the shadowe and darknesse of everlasting condemnation be upon thee thou spirit ofN.for ever and ever, bicause thou hast denied thine health, thy faith, and salvation, for thy great disobedience thou are worthie to be con/demned.309.Therefore let the divine trinitie, angels, and archangels, thrones, dominations, principats, potestates, virtutes, cherubim and seraphim, and all the soules of the saints, that shall stand on the right hand of our Lord Jesus/428.Christ, at the generall daie of judgement, condemne the spirit ofN.for ever and ever, and be a witnesse against thee, bicause of thy great disobedience, in and against thy promises,Fiat,fiat, Amen.Being thus bound, he must needs be obedient unto thee, whether he will or no: proove this. And here followeth a bond to call him to yourN.and to shew you true visions at all times, as in the houre of ♄ to bind or inchant anie thing, and in the houre of ♃ for peace and concord, in the houre of ♂ to marre, to destroie, and to make sicke, in the houre of the ☉ to bind toongs and other bonds of men, in the houre of ♀ to increase love, joy, and good will, in the houre of ☿ to put awaie enimitie or hatred, to know of theft, in the houre of the ☽ for love, goodwill and concord, ♄ lead ♃ tinne ♂ iron ☉ gold ♀ coppar ☿ quicksilver ☽ silver, &c.The xix. Chapter.This bond as followeth, is to call him into your christall stone, or glasse, &c.ALSO I doo conjure thee spiritN.by God the father, by God the sonne, and by God the holie-ghost, Α and Ω, the first and the last, and by the latter daie of judgement, of them which shall come to judge the quicke and the dead, and the world by fier, and by their vertues and powers I constreine thee spiritN.to come to him that holdeth the christall stone in his hand, & to appeare visiblie, as hereafter foloweth. Also I conjure thee spirit N. by these holie names of God ✠Tetragrammaton✠Adonay✠El✠Ousion✠Agla✠Jesus✠of Nazareth✠ and by the vertues thereof, and by his nativitie, death, buriall, resurrection, and ascension, and by all other things apperteining unto his passion, and by the *blessed* A popish supplement.virgine Marie mother of our Lord Jesu Christ, and by all the joy which shee had when shee saw hir sonne rise from death to life, and by the vertues and powers therof I constreine thee spiritN.to come into the christall stone, & to appeare visiblie, as herafter shalbe declared. Also I conjure theeN.thou spirit, by all angels, archangels, thrones, dominations, principats, potestats, virtutes, cherubim and seraphim, and by the ☉ ☽ ♄ ♃ ♂ ♀ ☿, and by the twelve signes, and by their vertues and powers,/429.and by all things created and confirmed in the firmament, and by their vertues & powers I constreine thee spiritN.to appeare visiblie in that christall stone, in faire †forme† Belike he had the gift to appeare in sundrie shapes, as it is said ofProteus in Ovid lib. metamor. 8. fab. 10: and ofVertumnus; lib. metamor. 14. fab. 16.and shape of a white angell, a greene angell, a blacke angell, a man, a woman, a boie, a maiden virgine, a white grehound, a divell with great hornes, without anie hurt or danger of our bodies or soules, and trulie to informe and shew unto us, true visions of all things in that christall stone, according to thine oth and promise, and that without anie hinderance or/310.tarrieng, to appeare visiblie, by this bond of words read over by mee three times, upon paine of everlasting condemnation;Fiat,fiat, Amen.Then being appeared, saie these words following.I Conjure*[* This par. is in small type.]thee spirit, by God the father, that thou shew true visions in that christall stone, where there be anieN.in such a place or no, upon paine of everlasting condemnation,Fiat, Amen. Also I conjure thee spiritN.by God the sonne Jesus Christ, that thou doo shew true visions unto us, whether it be gold or silver, or anie other metals, or whether there were anie or no, upon paine of condemnation,Fiat, Amen. Also I conjure thee spiritN.by God the Holie-ghost, the which dooth sanctifie all faithfull soules and spirits, and by their vertues and powers I constreine thee spiritN.to speake, open, and to declare, the true waie, how we may come by these treasures hidden inN.and how to have it in our custodie, & who are the keepers thereof, and how manie there be, and what be their names, and by whom it was laid there, and to shew me true visions of what sort and similitude they be, and how long they have kept it, and to knowe in what daies and houres we shall call such a spirit,N.to bring unto us these treasures, into such a placeN.upon paine of everlasting condemnation ✠[.] Also I constreine thee spiritN.by all angels, archangels, thrones, dominations, principats, potestats, virtutes, cherubim & seraphim, that you doo shew a true vision in this christall stone, who did conveie or steale away such aN.and where it is, & who hath it, and how farre off, and what is his or hir name, and how and when to come unto it, upon paine of eternall condemnation,Fiat, Amen. Also I conjure thee spiritN.by the ☉ ☽ ♄ ♃ ♂ ♀ ☿ and by all the characters in the firmament, thatthou doo shew unto me a true vision in this christall stone,Note that the spirit is tied to obediēce under paine of condemnation and hell fier.where suchN.and in what state he is, and how long he hath beene there, and what time he will be in such a place, what daie and houre: and this and all other things to declare plainelie, in paine of hell fier;Fiat, Amen.A licence to depart.DEpart*[* This in still smaller.]out of the sight of this christall stone in peace for a time, and readie to appeare therein againe at anie time or times I shall call thee, by the vertue of our Lord Jesus Christ, and by the bonds of words which are written in this booke, and to appeere visiblie, as the words be rehersed. I constreine thee spiritN.by the divinitie of the Godhead, to be obedient unto these words rehearsed, upon paine of everlasting condemnation, both in this world, and in the world to come;Fiat, fiat, fiat, Amen.//The xx. Chapter.430.311.When to talke with spirits, and to have true answers to find out a theefe.THE daies and houres of ♄ ♂ ☿ and the ☽ is best to doo all crafts of necromancie, & for to speake with spirits, and for to find theft, and to have true answer thereof, or of anie other such like.This is condemned for ranke follie by the doctors: as byChrysos. sup. Matth. Gregor. in homil. sup. Epiphan. Domini; and others.¶ And in the daies and houres of ☉ ♃ ♀ is best to doo all experiments of love, and to purchase grace, and for to be invisible, and to doo anie operation, whatsoever it be, for anie thing, the ☽ being in a convenient signe. ¶ As when thou laborest for theft, see the moone be in an earthie signe, as ♉︎ ♍︎ ♑︎, or of the aier, as ♊︎ ♎︎ ♒︎. ¶ And if it be for love, favor or grace, let the ☽ be in a signe of the fier, as ♈︎ ♌︎ ♐︎, and for hatred, in a signe of the water, as ♋︎ ♏︎ ♓︎. For anie other experiment, let the ☽ be in ♈︎. ¶ And if thou findest the ☉ & the ☽ in one signe that is called in even number, then thou maiest write, consecrate, conjure, and make readie all maner of things that thou wilt doo, &c.To speake with spirits.CAll*[* This par. in the second-sized type.]these names,Orimoth,Belimoth,Lymocke, and say thus: I conjure you up by the names of the angelsSaturandAzimor,that you intend to me in this houre, and send unto me a spirit calledSagrigrit, that hee doo fulfill my commandement and desire, and that also can understand my words for one or two yeares, or as long as I will, &c.The xxi. Chapter.A confutation of conjuration, especiallie of the raising, binding and dismissing of the divell, of going invisible, and other lewd practises.THUSAll the former practises breeflie confuted.farre have we waded in shewing at large the vanitie of necromancers, conjurors, and such as pretend to have reall conference and consultation with spirits and divels: wherein (I trust) you see what notorious blasphemie is committed, besides other blind superstitious ceremonies, a disordered heap, which are so far from building up the endevors of these blacke art practitioners, that they doo altogether ruinate & overthrow them, making them in their follies and falshoods as bare and naked as an anatomie. As for these ridiculous conjurations, last rehearsed, being of no small reputation among the ignorant, they are for the most part made byT. R.(for so much of his name he bewraieth) andJohn/ Cokars,431.invented and devised for the augmentation and maintenance of their living, for the edifieng of the poore, and for the propagating and inlargingSee the title of the booke, with the authors intent, in a marginall note, pag. 393. [of this book.]of Gods glorie, as in the beginning of their booke of conjurations they protest; which in this place, for the further manifestation of their impietie, and of the witchmongers follie and credulitie, I thought good to insert, whereby the/312.residue of their proceedings may be judged, or rather detected. For if we seriouslie behold the matter of conjuration, and the drift of conjurors, we shall find them, in mine opinion, more faultie than such as take upon them to be witches, as manifest offenders against the majestie of God, and his holie lawe, and as apparent violators of the lawes and quietnesse of this realme: although indeed they bring no such thing to passe, as is surmised and urged by credulous persons, couseners, liers, and witchmongers. For these are alwaies learned, and rather abusers of others, than they themselves by others abused.But let us see what appearance of truth or possibilitie is wrapped within these mysteries, and let us unfold the deceipt. They have made choice of certeine words, whereby they saie they can worke miracles, &c. And first of all, that they call divels & soules out ofhellLuk. 16. &c.(though we find in the scriptures manifest proofes that all passages are stopped concerning the egresse out of hell) so as they may go thither, but they shall never get out, forAb inferno nulla est redemptio, out of hell there is no redemption. Well, when they have gotten them up, they shut them in a circle made with chalke, which is so stronglie beset and invironed with crosses and names, that they cannot for their lives get out;An ironicall confutation.which is a verie probable matter. Then can they bind them, and lose them at their pleasures, and make them that have beene liers from the beginning, to tell the truth: yea, they can compell them to doo anie thing. And the divels are forced to be obedient unto them, and yet cannot be brought to due obedience unto God their creator. This done (I saie) they can worke all maner of miracles (saving blew miracles) and this is beleeved of manie to be true:Tam credula mens hominis, & arrectæ fabulis aures,Englished by Abraham Fleming.So light of beleefe is the mind of man,And attentive to tales his eares now and than.But if Christ (onelie for a time) left the power of working mi/racles432.among his apostles and disciples for the confirmation of his gospell, and the faith of his elect: yet I denie altogether, that he left that power with these knaves, which hide their cousening purposes under those lewd and foolish words, according to that whichPetersaith;2. Pet. 2.Ephes. 5.Ps. 72, & 78.With feined words they make merchandize of you. And therfore the counsell is good thatPaulegiveth us, when he biddeth us take heed that no man deceive us with vaine words. For it is the Lord only that worketh great woonders, and bringeth mightie things to passe.Sap. 16.Ecclus. 43.It is also written, that Gods word, and not the words of conjurors, or the charmes of witches, healeth all things, maketh tempests, and stilleth them.But put case the divell could be fetched up and fettered, and loosed againe at their pleasure, &c: I marvell yet, that anie can be so bewitched, as to be made to beleeve, that by vertue of their words, anie earthlie creature can be made invisible. We thinke it a lie, to saie that white is blacke, and blacke white: but it is a more shamelesse assertion to affirme, that white is not,To denie the subsistence or naturall being of a thing materiall and visible is impudēcie.or blacke is not at all; and yet more impudencie to hold that/313.a man is a horsse; but most apparent impudencie to saie, that a man is no man, or to be extenuated into such a quantitie, as therby he may be invisible, and yet remaine in life and health, &c: and that in the cleare light of the daie, even in the presence of them that are not blind. But surelie,he that cannot make one haire white or blacke, whereof (on the other side) not one falleth from the head without Gods speciall providence, can never bring to passe, that the visible creature of God shall become nothing, or lose the vertue and grace powred therinto by God the creator of all things.If they saieEzec. 8. & 9.Isai. 6, & 26 and 30.that the divell covereth them with a cloud or veile, asM. Mal. Bodin, & manie other doo affirme; yet (me thinkes) we should either see the cover, or the thing covered. And though perchance they saie in their harts; Tush, the Lord seeth not, who indeed hath blinded them, so as seeing, they see not: yet they shall never be able to persuade the wise, but that both God and man dooth see both them and their knaverie in this behalfe. I have heard of a foole, who was made beleeve that he should go invisible, and naked; while he was well whipped by them, who (as he thought) could not see him. Into which fooles paradise they saie** John Jauregui servant to Gasper Anastro both Spaniards. Ann. Dom. 1582. March 18. after dinner upon a sundaie this mischeefe was doone. Read the whole discourse hereof printed at London for Tho: Chard and Will: Brome bookesellers.he was brought, that enterprised to kill the prince of Orenge./The xxii. Chapter.433.A comparison betweene popish exorcists and other conjurors, a popish conjuration published by a great doctor of the Romish church, his rules and cautions.ISEE no difference betweene these and popish conjurations; for they agree in order, words, and matter, differing in no circumstance, but that the papists doo it without shame openlie, the other doo it in hugger mugger secretlie. The papists (I saie) have officers in this behalfe, which are called exorcists or conjurors, and they looke narrowlie to other cousenors, as having gotten the upper hand over them. And bicause the papists shall be without excuse in this behalfe, and that the world may see their cousenage, impietie, and follie to be as great as the others, I will cite one conjuration (of which sort I might cite a hundred) published byJacobus de Chusa,Jac. de Chusæ in lib. de apparitionib. quorundam spirituum.a great doctor of the Romish church, which serveth to find out the cause of noise and spirituall rumbling in houses, churches, or chappels, and to conjure walking spirits: which evermore is knaverie and cousenage in the highest degree. Marke the cousening devise hereof, and conferre the impietie with the others.Observations for the exorcising preest.First (forsooth) he saith it is expedient to fast three daies, and to celebrate a certeine number of masses, and to repeate the sevenpsalmes penitentiall: then foure or five preests must be called to the place where the haunt or noise is, then a candle hallowed on candlemas daie must be lighted, and in the light/ing314.thereof also must the seven psalmes be said, and the gospell of S.John. Then there must be a crosse and a censer with frankincense, and therewithall the place must be censed or perfumed, holie water must be sprinkled, and a holie stoale must be used, and (after diverse other ceremonies) a praier to God must be made, in maner and forme following:O Lord Jesus Christ, the knower of all secrets, which alwaies/434.revealest all hoalsome and profitable things to thy faithfull children, and which sufferest a spirit to shew himselfe in this place, we beseech thee for thy bitter passion, &c: vouchsafe to command this spirit, to reveale and signifie unto us thy servants, without our terror or hurt, what he is, to thine honour, and to his comfort;In nomine patris, &c.And then proceed in these words: We beseech thee, for Christs sake, O thou spirit, that if there be anie of us, or among us, whom thou wouldest answer, name him, or else manifest him by some signe. Is itMemorandum that he must be the veriest knave or foole in all the companie.frierP.or doctorD.or doctorBurc.or sirFeats, or sirJohn, or sirRobert:Et sic de cæteris circunstantibus. For it is well tried (saith the glosse) he will not answer everie one. If the spirit make anie sound of voice, or knocking, at the naming of anie one, he is the cousener (the conjuror I would saie) that must have the charge of this conjuration or examination. And these forsooth must be the interrogatories, to wit: Whose soule art thou? Wherefore camest thou? What wouldest thou have? Wantest thou any suffrages, masses, or almes? How manie masses will serve thy turne, three, six, ten, twentie, thirtie, &c? By what preest? Must he be religious or secular? Wilt thou have anie fasts? What? How manie? How great? And by what persons? Among hospitalles? Lepres? Or beggars? What shall be the signe of thy perfect deliverance? Wherefore liest thou in purgatorie? And such like. This must be doone in the night.These spirits are not so cunning by daie as by night.If there appeare no signe at this houre, it must be deferred untill another houre. Holie water must be left in the place. There is no feare (they saie) that such a spirit will hurt the conjuror: for he can sinne no more, as being in the meane state betweene good and evill, and as yet in the state of satisfaction. *If* For so they might be bewraied.the spirit doo hurt, then it is a damned soule, and not an elect. Everie man may not be present hereat, speciallie such as be weake of complexion. They appeare in diverse maners, not alwaies in bodie, or bodilie shapeFor so the cousenage may be best handled.(as it is read in the life of S.Martine, that the divell did) but sometimes invisible, as onelie by sound, voice, or noise. Thus farreJacobus de Chusa.But bicause you shall see that these be not emptie words, norslanders; but that in truth such things are commonlie put in practise in the Romish church, I will here set downe an instance,/435.latelie and truelie, though lewdlie performed: and the same in effect as followeth./The xxiii. Chapter.315.A late experiment, or cousening conjuration practised at Orleance by the Franciscane Friers, how it was detected, and the judgement against the authors of that comedie.INA cousening conjuration.the yeare of our Lord 1534. atOrleanceinFrance, the Maiors wife died, willing and desiring to be buried without anie pompe or noise, &c. Hir husband, who reverenced the memoriall of hir, did even as she had willed him. And bicause she was buried in the church of the *Franciscans,* Of this order read noble stuffe in a booke printed atFrankefordunder the title ofAlcoran. Franciscanorum.besides her father and grandfather, and gave them in reward onelie six crownes, whereas they hoped for a greater preie; shortlie after it chanced, that as he felled certeine woods and sold them, they desired him to give them some part thereof freelie without monie: which he flatlie denied. This they tooke verie greevouslie. And whereas before they misliked him, now they conceived such displeasure as they devised this meanes to be revenged; to wit, that his wife was damned for ever. The cheefe workemen and framers of this tragedie wereColimannus, andStephanus Aterbatensis, both doctors of divinitie; thisColiman.was a great conjuror, & had all his implements in a readines, which he was woont to use in such busines. And thus they handled the matter.Note how the Franciscans cannot conjure without a confederate.They place over the arches of the church, a yoong novice; who about midnight, when they came to mumble their praiers, as they were woont to do, maketh a great rumbling, and noise. Out of hand the moonks beganne to conjure and to charme, but he answered nothing. Then being required to give a signe, whether he were a dumme spirit or no, he beganne to rumble againe: which thing they tooke as a certeine signe. Having laid this foundation, they go unto certeine citizens, cheefe men, and such as favoured them, decla/ring436.that a heavie chance had happened at home in their monasterie; not shewing what the matter was, but desiring them to come to their mattens at midnight.O notorius impudencie! with such shamelesse faces to abuse so worshipfull a companie.When these citizens were come, and that praiers were begunne, the counterfet spirit beginneth to make a marvellous noise in the top of the church. And being asked what he meant, and who he was, gave signes that it was not lawfullfor him to speake. Therefore they commanded him to make answer by tokens and signes to certeine things they would demand of him. Now was there a hole made in the vawt, through the which he might heare and understand the voice of the conjuror. And then had he in his hand a litle boord, which at everie question, he strake, in such sort as he might easilie be heard beneath. First they asked him, whether he were one of them that had beene buried in the same place. Afterwards they reckoning manie by name, which had beene buried there; at the last also they name the Maiors wife: and there by and by the spirit gave a signe that he was hir soule. He was further asked, whether he were damned or no; and if he were, for what cause, for what desert, or fault; whether for covetousnes, or wanton lust, for pride or want of charitie; or whether it were for heresie, or for the sect ofLuther/316.newlie sproong up: also what he meant by that noise and stirre he kept there; whether it were to have the bodie now buried in holie ground to be digged up againe, and laid in some other place. To all which points he answered by signes, as he was commanded, by the which he affirmed or denied anie thing, according as he strake the boord twise or thrise together. And when he had thus given them to understand, that†† The confederate spirit was taught that lesson before.the verie cause of his damnation wasLuthersheresie, and that the bodie must needs be digged up againe: the moonks requested the citizens, whose presence they had used or rather abused, that they would beare witnesse of those things which they had seene with their eies; and that they would subscribe to such things as were doone a few days before. The citizens taking good advise on the matter, least they should offend the Maior, or bring themselves in trouble, refused so to doo. But the moonks notwithstanding take from thence the sweete bread, which they called the host and bodie of our Lord, with all the relikes of saintes, and carrie them to another place, and there saie their masse. The bishops substi/tute437.judge (whome they called Officiall) understanding that matter, commeth thither, accompanied with certeine honest men, to the intent he might knowe the whole circumstance more exactlie: and therefore he commandeth them to make conjuration in his presence; and also he requireth certeine to be chosen to go up into the top of the vawt, and there to see whether any ghost appeered or not.Stephanus AterbatensisFor so might the confederate be found.stiffelie denied that to be lawfull, and marvellouslie persuading the contrarie, affirmed that the spirit in no wise ought to be troubled. And albeit the Official urged them verie much, that there might be some conjuring of the spirit; yet could he nothing prevaile.Whilest these things were dooing, the Maior, when he had shewed the other Justices of the citie, what he would have them to doo, tooke hisjournie to the king, and opened the whole matter unto him. And bicause the moonks refused judgement upon plea of their owne lawes and liberties, the king choosing out certeine of the aldermen ofParis, giveth them absolute and full authoritie to make inquirie of the matter. The like dooth the Chancelor maisterAnthonius Pratensiscardinall and legat for the pope throughoutFrance. Therefore, when they had no exception to alledge, they were conveied untoParis, and there constrained to make their answer.An obstinate and wilfull persisting in the denieng or not confessing of a fault committed.But yet could nothing be wroong out of them by confession, whereupon they were put apart into divers prisons: the novice being kept in the house of maisterFumanus, one of the aldermen, was oftentimes examined, and earnestlie requested to utter the truth, but would notwithstanding confesse nothing; bicause he feared that the moonks would afterwards put him to death for staining their order, and putting it to open shame. But when the judges had made him sure promise that he should escape punishment, and that he should never come into their handling, he opened unto them the whole matter as it was doone: and being brought before his fellowes, avouched the same to their faces. The moonks, albeit they were convicted, and by these meanes almost taken tarde*[* = tarred]with the deed doing; yet did they refuse the judges, bragging and vaunting themselves on their priviledges, but all in vaine. For sentence passed upon them, and they were/317.condemned to be carried backe againe toOrleance, and there to be cast in prison, and so should finallie be/438.brought foorth into the cheefe church of the citie openlie, and from thence to the place of execution, where they should make open confession of their trespasses.Surelie this was most common among moonks and friers, who mainteined their religion, their lust, their liberties, their pompe, their wealth, their estimation and knaverie by such cousening practises. Now IA parecuasis or transition of the author to matter further purposed.will shew you more speciall orders of popish conjurations, that are so shameleslie admitted into the church ofRome, that they are not onelie suffered, but commanded to be used, not by night secretlie, but by daie impudentlie. And these forsooth concerne the curing of bewitched persons, and such as are possessed; to wit, such as have a divell put into them by witches inchantments. And herewithall I will set downe certeine rules delivered unto us by such popish doctors, as are of greatest reputation.The xxiiii. Chapter.Who may be conjurors in the Romish church besides priests, a ridiculous definition of superstition, what words are to be used and not used in exorcismes, rebaptisme allowed, it is lawfull to conjure any thing, differences betweene holie water and conjuration.THOMAS AQUINASIn 4 dist. 23. sent.saith, that anie bodie, though he be of an inferior or superior order, yea though of none order at all (and asGulielmus Durandus glossator Raimundiaffirmeth, a woman so she blesse not the girdle or the garment, but the person of the bewitched) hath power to exercise the order of an exorcist or conjuror, even as well as any preest may saie masse in a house unconsecrated. But that is (saithM. Mal.) rather through the goodnesse and licence of the pope, than through the grace of the sacrament. Naie, there are examples set downe, where some being bewitched were cured (asM. Mal.taketh it) without any conjuration at all. Marrie there were certeinePater nosters,Aves, andCredos/439.said, and crosses made, but they are charmes, they saie, and no conjurations. For they saie that such charmes are lawfull, bicause there is no superstition in them, &c.And it is woorth my labour, to shew you how papists define superstition, and how they expound the definition thereof.Et glos. super illo ad coll. 2.Superstition (saie they) is a religion observed beyond measure, a religion practised with evill and unperfect circumstances. Also, whatsoever usurpeth the name of religion, through humane tradition, without the popes authoritie, is superstitious: as to adde or joine anie hymnes to the masse, to interrupt anie diriges, to to*[*sic]abridge anie part of the creed in the singing thereof, or to sing when the organs go, and not when the quier singeth, not to have one to helpe the priest to masse: and such like, &c.Mendaces debent esse memores, multò magis astuti exorcistæ.These popish exorcists doo manie times forget their owne rules. For they should not directlie in their conjurations call upon the divell (as they doo) with intreatie, but with authoritie and commandement. Nei/ther318.should they have in their charmes and conjurations anie unknowne names. Neither should there be (as alwaies there is) anie falshood conteined in the matter of the charme of conjuration, as (saie they) old women have in theirs, when they saie; The blessed virgine passed overJordan, and then S.Stevenmet hir, and asked hir, &c. Neither should they have anie other vaine characters, but the crosse (for those are the words:) and manie othersuch cautions have they, which they observe not, for they have made it lawfull elsewhere.Tho. Aquin. super. Marc. ultim.ButThomastheir cheefe piller prooveth their conjuring and charmes lawfull by S.Marke, who saith;Signa eos qui crediderunt; And,In nomine meo dæmonia ejicient, &c:Mark, 16, 17whereby he also prooveth that they maie conjure serpents. And there he taketh paines to proove, that the words of God are of as great holinesse as relikes of saints, whereas (in such respect as they meane) they are both alike, and indeed nothing woorth. And I can tell them further, that so they maie be carried, as either of them maie doo a man much harme either in bodie or soule.A trimme consequentBut they proove this byS. Augustine, saieng;Non est minus verbum Dei, quàm corpus Christi: whereupon they conclude thus; By all mens opinions it is lawfull to carrie about reverentlie the relikes of saints;Ergoit is lawfull against evill spirits, to in/vocate440.the name of God everie waie; by thePater noster, theAve, the nativitie, the passion, the five wounds, the title triumphant, by the seven words spoken on the crosse, by the nailes, &c: and there maie be hope reposed in them.Mal. malef. par. 2. quæ. 2.Yea, they saie it is lawfull to conjure all things, bicause the divell maie have power in all things. And first, alwaies the person or thing, wherein the divell is, must be exorcised, and then the divell must be conjured. Also they affirme, that it is as expedient to consecrate and conjure porrage and meate, as water and salt, or such like things.Rites, ceremonies, and relikes of exorcisme in rebaptising of the possessed or bewitched.The right order of exorcisme in rebaptisme of a person possessed or bewitched, requireth that exsufflation and abrenunciation be doone toward the west. Item, there must be erection of hands, confession, profession, oration, benediction, imposition of hands, denudation and unction, with holie oile after baptisme, communion, and induition of the surplis. But they saie that this needeth not, where the bewitched is exorcised: but that the bewitched be first confessed, and then to hold a candle in his hand, and in steed of a surplise to tie about his bare bodie a holie candle of the length of Christ, or of the crosse whereupon he died, which for monie maie be had atRome.Ergo(saithM. Mal.) this maie be said; I conjure theePeterorBarbarabeing sicke, but regenerate in the holie water of baptisme, by the living God, by the true God, by the holie God, by the God which redeemed thee with his pretious bloud, that thou maiest be made a conjured man, that everie fantasie and wickednesse of diabolicall deceipt doo avoid and depart from thee, and that everie uncleane spirit be conjured through him that shall come to judge the quicke and the dead, and the world by fier, Amen:Oremus, &c. And this conjuration, withOremus, and a praier, must be thrise repeated, and at the end alwaiesmust be said;Ergo maledicte diabole recognosce sententiam tuam, &c.And this order must alwaies be/319.followed. And finallie, there must be diligent search made,Memorandum that this is for one bewitched.in everie corner, and under everie coverlet and pallet, and under everie threshhold of the doores, for instruments of witchcraft. And if anie be found, they must streight-waie be throwne into the fier. Also they must change all their bedding, their clothing, and their habitation. And if nothing be found, the partie that is to be exorcised or conjured, must come to the church rath in the morning: and the holier the daie is, the/441.better, speciallie our Ladie daie. And the preest, if he be shriven himselfe and in perfect state, shall doo the better therein. And let him that is exorcised hold a holie candle in his hand, &c.Note the proviso.Alwaies provided, that the holie water be throwne upon him, and a stoale put about his necke, withDeus in adjutorium, and the Letanie, with invocation of saints. And this order maie continue thrise a weeke, so as (saie they) through multiplication of intercessors, or rather intercessions, grace maie be obteined, and favor procured.There is also some question in the Romish church, whether the sacrament of the altar is to be received before or after the exorcisme. Item in shrift, the confessor must learne whether the partie be not excommunicate, and so for want of absolution, endure this vexation.ThomasTho. Aquin. supr. dist. 6.sheweth the difference betwixt holie water and conjuration, saieng that holie water driveth the divell awaie from the externall and outward parts; but conjurations from the internall and inward parts; and therefore unto the bewitched partie both are to be applied.The xxv. Chapter.The seven reasons why some are not rid of the divell with all their popish conjurations, why there were no conjurors in the primitive church, and why the divell is not so soone cast out of the bewitched as of the possessed.THE reason why some are not remedied for all their conjurations,123456, 7the papists say is for seven causes. First, for that the faith of the standers by is naught; secondlie, for that theirs that present the partie is no better; thirdlie, bicause of the sinnes of the bewitched; fourthlie, for the neglecting of meete remedies; fiftlie, for the reverence of vertues going out into others; sixtlie, for the purgation; seventhlie, for the merit of the partie bewitched. And lo, the first foure are proved byMatthewthe 7. andMarkethe 4./442.when one presented his sonne, and the multitudewanted faith, & the father said, Lord help mine incredulitie or unbeleefe.Proper proofes of the former seven reasons.Wherupon was said, Oh faithlesse and perverse generation, how long shall I be with you? And where these words are written; And Jesus rebuked him, &c. That is to saie, saie they, the possessed or bewitched for his sinnes. For by the neglect of due remedies it appeereth, that there were not with Christ good and perfect men: for the pillers of the faith; to wit,Peter,James, andJohnwere absent. Neither was there fasting and praier, without the which that kind of divels could not be cast out. For the fourth point; to wit, the fault of the exorcist in faith maie ap/peare;320.for that afterwards the disciples asked the cause of their impotencie therin. And Jesus answered, it was for their incredulitie; saieng that if they had as much faith as a graine of mustard seed, they should move mountaines, &c. The fift is prooved byVitas patrum, the lives of the fathers, where it appeereth that S.Anthoniecould not doo that cure, when his scholarPaulecould doo it, and did it. For the proofe of the sixt excuse it is said, that though the fault be taken awaie therby; yet it followeth not that alwaies the punishment is released. Last of all it is said, that it is possible that the divell was not conjured out of the partie before baptisme by the exorcist, or the midwife hath not baptised him well, but omitted some part of the sacrament.Why there were no conjurors in yeprimitive church with other subtill points.If any object that there were no exorcists in the primitive church, it is answered, that the church cannot now erre. And saintGregoriewould never have instituted it in vaine. And it is a generall rule, that who or whatsoever is newlie exorcised, must be rebaptised: as also such as walke or talke in their sleepe; for (saie they) call them by their names, and presentlie they wake, or fall if they clime: whereby it is gathered, that they are not trulie named in baptisme. Item they saie, it is somewhat more difficult to conjure the divell out of one bewitched, than out of one possessed: bicause in the bewitched, he is double; in the other single. They have a hundred such beggerlie, foolish, and frivolous notes in this behalfe.The xxvi. Chapter.443.Other grosse absurdities of witchmongers in this matter of conjurations.SURELIE I cannot see what difference or distinction the witchmongers doo put betweene the knowledge and power of God and the divell; but that they think, if they praie, or rather talke to God, till their hearts ake, he never heareth them; but that the divell dooth knowe everie thought andimagination of their minds, and both can and also, will doo any thing for them. For if anie that meaneth good faith with the divell read certeine conjurations, he commeth up (they saie) at a trice. Marrie if another that hath none intent to raise him, read or pronounce the words, he will not stirre. And yetJ. BodinA conjuror then belike must not be timerous or fearefull.confesseth, that he is afraid to read such conjurations, asJohn Wierusreciteth; least (belike) the divell would come up, and scratch him with his fowle long nailes. In which sort I woonder that the divell dealeth with none other, than witches and conjurors. I for my part have read a number of their conjurations, but never could see anie divels of theirs, except it were in a plaie. But the divell (belike) knoweth my mind; to wit, that I would be loth to come within the compasse of his clawes. But lo what reason such people have.Where a witch cureth by incantation, and the conjuror by conjuration.Bodin,Bartholomeus Spineus,Sprenger, andInstitor, &c: doo constantlie affirme, that witches are to be punished with more extremitie than conjurors; and sometimes with death, when the other are to be pardoned doing the same offense: bicause (say they) the witches make a league with the divell, &/321.so doo not conjurors. Now if conjurors make no league by their owne confession, and divels indeed know not our cogitations (as I have sufficientlie prooved) then would I weet of our witchmongers the reason, (if I read the conjuration and performe the ceremonie) why the divell will not come at my call? But oh absurd credulitie! Even in this point manie wise & learned men have beene & are abused:/444.wheras, if they would make experience, or dulie expend the cause, they might be soone resolved; specially when the whole art and circumstance is so contrarie to Gods word, as it must be false, if the other be true. So as you may understand, that the papists do not onlie by their doctrine, in bookes & sermons teach & publish conjurations, & the order thereof, whereby they may induce men to bestowe, or rather cast awaie their monie upon masses and suffrages for their soules; but they make it also a par- cell of their sacrament of orders (of the which number a conjuror is one) and insert manie formes of conjurations into their divine service, and not onelie into their pontificals, but into their masse bookes; yea into the verie canon of the masse.The xxvii. Chapter.Certaine conjurations taken out of the pontificall and out of the missall.BUT see yet a little more of popish conjurations, and conferre them with the other. In the *pontificall*Tit. de ecclesiæ dedicatione.you shall find this conjuration, which the other conjurors use as solemnelie as they: I conjure thee thou creature of water in the name of the fa✠ther, of the so✠nne, and of the Holie✠ghost, that thou drive awaie the divell from the bounds of the just, that he remaine not in the darke corners of this church and altar.Ibidem, fol. 108.❈ You shall find in the same title, these words following, to be used at the hallowing of churches. There must a crosse of ashes be made upon the pavement, from one end of the church to the other, one handfull broad: and one of the priests must write on the one side thereof the Greeke alphabet, and on the otherside the Latin alphabet.DurandusDurand. de ecclesiæ dedicatione lib. 1. fol. 12.yeeldeth this reason thereof; to wit, It representeth the union in faith of the Jewes and Gentiles. And yet well agreeing to himselfe he saith even there, that the crosse reaching from the one end to the other, signifieth that the people, which were in the head, shalbe made the taile./¶A conjuration written in the masse booke. Fol. 1.445.In Missali. fol. 1.I Conjure thee O creature of salt by God, by the God ✠ that liveth, by the true ✠ God, by the holie ✠ God, which byElizæusthe prophet commanded, that thou shouldest be throwneThe maner of conjuring salt.into the water, that it thereby might be made whole and sound, that thou salt [here let the preest looke upon the salt] maist be conjured for the health of all beleevers, and that thou/322.be to all that take thee, health both of bodie and soule; and let all phantasies and wickednesse, or diabolicall craft or deceipt, depart from the place whereon it is sprinkled; as also everie uncleane spirit, being conjured by him that judgeth both the quicke and the dead by fier.Resp: Amen. Then followeth a praier to be said, withoutDominus vobiscum; but yet withOremus; as followeth:¶Oremus.ALmightieA praier to be applied to the former exorcisme.and everlasting God, we humblie desire thy clemency [here let the preest looke upon the salt] that thou wouldest vouchsafe, through thy pietie, to bl✠esse and sanc✠tifie this creatureof salt, which thou hast given for the use of mankind, that it may be to all that receive it, health of mind and bodie; so as whatsoever shall be touched thereby, or sprinkled therewith, may be void of all uncleannesse, and all resistance of spirituall iniquitie, through our Lord, Amen.What can be made but a conjuration of these words also, which are written in the canon, or rather in the saccaring of masse? This holie commixtion of the bodie and bloud of our Lord Jesus Christ, let it be made to me, and to all the receivers thereof, health of mind and bodie, and a wholesome preparative for the deserving and receiving of everlasting life, through our Lord Jesus, Amen./

//The fashion or forme of the conjuring knife, with the names theron to bee graven or written.

This is the circle for the maister to sit in, and his fellowe or fel- lowes, at the first calling, sit backe to backe, when he calleth the spirit; and for the fairies make this circle with chalke on the ground, as is said before. This spiritBealpharesbeing once called and found, shall never have power to hurt thee. Call him in the houre of ♃ or ♀ the ☽ increasing.//

The making of the holie water.*[* These Rom.]

EXORCISO†Absque exorcismo sal non sit sanctus.[†Lat. in small Ital.]te creaturam salis, per Deum vivum✠per Deum✠verum✠per Deum sanctum✠per Deum qui te per Elizœum prophetam in aquam mitti jussit, ut sanaretur sterilitas aquæ, ut efficiaris sal exorcisatus in salutem credentium; ut sis omnibus te sumentibus sanitas animæ & corporis, & effugiat atque discedat ab eo loco, qui aspersus fuerit omnis phantasia & nequitia, vel versutia diabolicæ fraudis, omnisq; spiritus immundus, adjuratus per eum, qui venturus est judicare vivos & mortuos, & sæculum per ignem, Amen. Oremus:

Immensam clementiam tuam, omnipotens ceterne Deus, humiliter imploramus, ut hanc creaturam salis, quam in usum generis humani tribuisti, bene✠dicere & sancti✠ficare tua pietate digneris, ut sit omnibus sumentibus salus mentis & corporis, ut quicquid ex eo tactum fuerit, vel respersum, careat omni immundicia, omniq; impugnatione spiritualis nequitiæ, per Dominum nostrum Jesum Christum filium tuum, qui tecum vivit & regnat in unitate spiritus sancti, Deus per omnia sæcula sæculorum, Amen.

EXorciso te creaturam aquæ in nomine✠patris✠& Jesu Christi filii ejus Domini nostri, & in virtute spiritus✠sancti✠ut fias aqua exorcisata, ad effugandam omnem potestatem inimici, & ipsum inimicum eradicare & explantare valeas, cum angelis suis apostatis, per virtutem ejusdem Domini nostri Jesu Christi, qui venturus est judicare vivos & mortuos, & sæculum per ignem, Amen. Oremus:

Deus, qui ad salutem humani generis maxima quæque sacramenta in aquarum substantia condidisti, adesto propitius invocationibus nostris, & elemento huic multimodis purificationibus præparato, virtutem tuæ bene✠dictionis infunde, ut creatura tua mysteriis tuis serviens, ad abigendos dæmones, morbosq; pellendos, divinæ gratiæ sumat effectum, ut quicquid in domibus, vel in locis fidelium hæc unda resperserit, careat omni immundicia, liberetur à noxa, non illic resideat spiritus pestilens, non aura corrumpens, discedant omnes insidiæ latentis inimici, & si quid est, quod aut incolumitati habitantium invidet aut quieti, aspersione hujus aquæ effugiat, ut salubritas per invocationem sancti tui nominis expetita ab omnibus sit impugnationibusdefensa, per Dominum nostrum Jesum Christum filium tuum, qui tecum vivit & regnat, in unitate spiritus sancti Deus per omnia sæcula sæculorum, Amen./

Oratio ad Deum ut sali exorcisato vires addat.Commixtio salis & aquæ pariter fiat, in nomine patris, & filii, & spiritus sancti, Amen. Dominus vobiscum, Et cum spiritu tuo, Oremus: ¶ Deus invictæ virtutis author, & insuperabilis imperii rex, ac semper magnificus triumphator, qui adversæ dominationis vires reprimis, qui inimici rugientis sævitiam superas, qui hostiles nequitias potens expugnas; te Domine trementes & supplices deprecamur ac petimus, ut hanc creaturam salis & aquæ aspicias, benignus illustres, pietatis tuæ rore sancti fices, ubicunq; fuerit aspersa, per invocationem sancti tui nominis, omnis infestatio immundi spiritus abjiciatur, terrórq; venenosi serpentis procul pellatur, &/422.præsentia sancti spiritus nobis misericordiam tuam poscentibus ubiq; adesse dignetur, per Dominum nostrum Jesum Christum filium tuum, qui tecum vivit & regnat in unitate spiritus sancti Deus per omnia sæcula sæculorum, Amen.

Oratio, in qua dicenda, exorcista sese sacri laticis aspergine debes perrorare.Asperges me Domine hyssopo, & mundabor, lavabis me, & supra nivem dealbabor. Miserere mei Deus, secundum magnam misericordiam tuam, & supra nivem dealbabor. Gloria patri, & filio, & spiritui sancto: Sicut erat in principio, & nunc, & semper, & in sæcula sæculorum, Amen. Et supra nivem dealbabor, asperges me, &c. Ostende nobis Domine misericordiam tuam, & salutare tuum da nobis; exaudi nos Domine sancte, pater omnipotens, æterne Deus, & mittere dignare sanctum angelum tuum de cælis, qui custodiat, foveat, visitet, & defendat omnes habitantes in hoc habitaculo, per Christum Dominum nostrum, Amen, Amen.

To make a spirit to appeare in a christall.

IDOO conjure theeN.by the father, and the sonne, and the Holie-ghost, the which is the beginning and the ending, the first and the last, and by the latter daie of judgement, that thouN.doo appeare, in this christall stone, or anie other instrument, at my pleasure, to mee and to myfelow, gentlie and beautifullie, in faire forme of a boy of twelve yeares of age, without hurt or damage of anie of our bodies or soules; and certeinlie to informe and to shew me, without anie guile or craft, all that we doo desire or demand of thee to know, by the vertue of him, which shall come to judge the quicke and the dead, and the world by fier, Amen.

Also I conjure and exorcise theeMarke how consonant this is with poperie, &c.N.by the sacrament of the altar, and by the substance therof, by the wisedome of Christ, by the sea, and by his vertue, by the earth, & by all things that are above the earth,/305.and by their vertues, by the ☉ and the ☽ by ♄ ♃ ♂ and ♀ and by their vertues, by the apostles, martyrs, confessors, and the virgins and widowes, and the chast, and by all saints of men or of women, and innocents, and by their vertues, by all the angels and archangels, thrones, dominations, principats, potestats, virtutes, cherubim, and seraphim, and by their vertues, & by the holie names of God,Tetragrammaton, El, Ousion, Agla, and by all the other holie names of God, and by their vertues, by the circumcision, passion, and resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ, by the heavines of our ladie the virgine, and by the joy which she had/423.when she sawe hir sonne rise from death to life, that thouN.doo appeare in this christall stone, or in anie other instrument, at my pleasure, to me and to my felow, gentlie, and beautifullie, and visiblie, in faire forme of a child of twelve yeares of age, without hurt or damage of anie of our bodies or soules, and trulie to informe and shew unto me & to my felow, without fraud or guile, all things according to thine oth and promise to me, whatsoever I shall demand or desire of thee, without anie hinderance or tarrieng, and this conjuration be read of me three times, upon paine of eternall condemnation, to the last daie of judgement:Fiat, fiat, fiat, Amen.

And when he is appeared, bind him with the bond of the dead above written: then saie as followeth.For hidden treasure.¶ I charge theeN.by the father, to shew me true visions in this christall stone, if there be anie treasure hidden in such a placeN.& wherin it lieth, and how manie foot from this peece of earth, east, west, north, or south.

An experiment of the dead.

FIRST go and get of some person that shalbe put to death, a promise, and sweare an oth unto him, that if he will come to thee, after his death, his spirit to be with thee, and to remaine with thee all the daies of thy life, and will doo thee true service, as it is conteined in the oth and promise following. Then laie thy hand on thy booke, and sweare this oth unto him.Promises & oths interchangeablie made betweene the conjuror & the spirit.IN.doo sweare and promise to theeN.to give for thee an almesse everie moneth, and also to praie for thee once in everie weeke, to saie the Lords praier for thee, and so to continue all the daies of my life, as God me helpe and holie doome, and by the contents of this booke. Amen.

Then let him make his oth to thee as followeth, and let him saie after thee, laieng his hand upon the booke. ¶ IN.doo sweare this oth to theeN.by God the father omnipotent, by God the son Jesus Christ, and by his pretious bloud which hath redeemed all the world, by the which bloud I doo trust to be saved at the generall daie of judgment, and by the vertues therof, IN.doo sweare this oth to theeN.that my spirit that is within my bodie now,/424.shall not ascend, nor descend, nor go to anie place of rest, but shall come to theeN.and be verie well pleased to remaine/306.with theeN.all the daies of thy life, and so to be bound to theeN.and to appeare to theeN.in anie christall stone, glasse, or other mirror, and so to take it for my resting place. And that, so soone as my spirit is departed out of my bodie, streightwaie to be at your commandements, and that in and at all daies, nights, houres, and minutes, to be obedient unto theeN.being called of thee by the vertue of our Lord Jesu Christ, & out of hand to have common talke with thee at all times, and in all houres & minuts, to open and declare to theeN.the truth of all things present, past, and to come, and how to worke the magike art, and all other noble sciences, under the throne of God.Note the penaltie of breaking promise with the spirit.If I doo not performe this oth and promise to theeN.but doo flie from anie part thereof, then to be condemned for ever and ever. Amen.

Also IN.doo sweare to thee by God the Holie-ghost, and by the great wisedome that is in the divine Godhead, and by their vertues, and by all the holie angels, archangels, thrones, dominations, principats, potestats, virtutes, cherubim and seraphim, and by all their vertues doo IN.sweare, and promise thee to be obedient as isrehearsed. And heere, for a witnesse, doo IN.give theeN.my right hand, and doo plight thee my faith and troth, as God me helpe and holiedoome. And by the holie contents in this booke doo IN.sweare, that my spirit shall be thy true servant, all the daies of thy life, as is before rehearsed. And here for a witnesse, that my spirit shall be obedient to theeN.and to those bonds of words that be written in thisN.before the bonds of words shall be rehearsed thrise; else to be damned for ever: and thereto saie all faithfull soules and spirits, Amen, Amen.

Then let him sweare this oth *three* Three times, in reverence (peradventure) of the Trinitie, P. F. S S.times, and at everie time kisse the booke, and at everie time make marks to the bond. Then perceiving the time that he will depart, get awaie the people from you, and get or take your stone or glasse, or other thing in your hand, and saie thePater noster,Ave, andCredo, and this praier as followeth. And in all the time of his departing, rehearse the bonds of words; and in the end of everie bond, saie oftentimes; Remember thine oth and promise. And bind him stronglie to thee, and to thy stone, and suffer him not to depart, rea/ding425.thy bond 24 times. And everie daie when you doo call him by your other bond, bind him stronglie by the first bond: by the space of 24 daies applie it, & thou shalt be made a man for ever.

O God†[† This par. in smaller type.]ofAbraham, God ofIsaac, God ofJacob, God ofTobias; the which diddest deliver the three children from the hot burning oven,Sidrac,MisacandAbdenago,‡[‡ sic]andSusannafrom the false crime, andDanielfrom the lions power: even so O Lord omnipotent, I beseech thee, for thy great mercie sake, to helpe me in these my works, and to deliver me this spirit ofN.that he may be a true subject to meN.all the daies of my life, and to remaine with me, and with thisN.all the daies of my life./307.O glorious God, Father, Sonne, and Holie-ghost, I beseech thee to help me at this time, and to give me power by thine holie name, merits and vertues, wherby I may conjure & constreine this spirit ofN.that he may be obedient unto me, and may fulfill his oth and promise, at all times, by the power of all thine holines. This grant O Lord God of hosts, as thou art righteous and holy, and as thou art the word, and the word God, the beginning and the end, sitting in the thrones of thine everlasting kingdoms, & in the divinitie of thine everlasting Godhead, to whom be all honour and glorie, now and for ever and ever, Amen, Amen.

A bond to bind him to thee, and to thy N. as followeth.

IN.Note the summe of this obligation or bond.conjure and constreine the spirit ofN.by the living God, by the true God, and by the holie God, and by their vertues and powers I conjure and constreine the spirit of theeN.that thou shalt not ascend nor descend out of thy bodie, to no place of rest, but onelie to take thy resting place with *N.[*i.e.me]and with thisN.all the daies of my life, according to thine oth and promise. I conjure and constreine the spirit ofN.by these holie names of God ✠Tetragrammaton✠Adonay✠Agla✠Saday✠Sabaoth✠planabothe✠panthon✠craton✠neupmaton✠Deus✠homo✠omnipotens✠sempiternus✠ysus✠terra✠unigenitus✠salvator✠via✠vita✠manus✠fons✠origo✠filius✠ and by their vertues and powers I conjure and constreine the spirit ofN.that thou shalt not rest nor remaine in the fier, nor in the water, in the aier, nor in anie privie place of the earth, but onelie with meN.and with thisN.all the/426.daies of my life. I charge the spirit ofN.upon paine of everlasting condemnation, remember thine oth and promise. Also I conjure the spirit ofN.and constreine thee by the excellent name of Jesus Christ, Α and Ω, the first and the last; for this holie name of Jesus is above all names, for †unto† Scripture as well applied of the conjuror, as that of satan in tempting Christ, Matth. 4, 6.it all knees doo bow and obey, both of heavenlie things, earthlie things, and infernalles. Nor is there anie other name given to man, whereby we have anie salvation, but by the name of Jesus. Therefore by the name, and in the name of Jesus ofNazareth, and by his nativitie, resurrection and ascension, and by all that apperteineth to his passion, and by their vertues and powers, I doo conjure and constreine the spirit ofN.that thou shalt not take anie resting place in the ☉ nor in the ☽ nor in ♄ nor in ♃ nor in ♂ nor in ♀ nor in ☿ nor in anie of the twelve signes, nor in the concavitie of the clouds, nor in anie other privie place, to rest or staie in, but onelie with meN.or with thisN.all the daies of my life. If thou be not obedient unto me, according to thine oth and promise, IN.doo condemne the spirit ofN.into the pit of hell for ever, Amen.

I conjure and constreine the spirit ofN.by the bloud of the innocent lambe Jesus Christ, the which was shed upon the crosse, for all those that/308.doo obeie unto it, and beleeve in it, shall be saved and by the vertue thereof, and by all the aforesaid riall names and words of the living God by mee pronounced, I doo conjure and constreine the spirit ofN.that thou be obedient unto me, according to thineoth and promise.Note what sore penalties the spirit is injoined to suffer for disobedience.If thou doo refuse to doo as is aforesaid, IN.by the holie trinitie, and by his vertue and power doo comdemne the spirit ofN.into the place whereas there is no hope of remedie, but everlasting condemnation, and horror, and paine upon paine, dailie, horriblie, & lamentablie the paines there to be augmented, so thicke as the stars in the firmament, and as the gravell sand in the sea: except thou spirit ofN.obeie meN.as is afore rehearsed; else IN.doo condemne the spirit ofN.into the pit of everlasting condemnation;Fiat, fiat, Amen. Also I conjure thee, and constreine the spirit ofN.by all angels, archangels, thrones, dominations, principats, potestats, virtutes, cherubim & seraphim, & by the foure evangelists,Matthew,Marke,Luke, andJohn, and by all things conteined in the old lawe and the new, and by their vertues, and by the twelve apo/stles,427.and by all patriarchs, prophets, martyrs, confessors, virgins, innocents, and by all the elect and chosen,*[* ? whichorthat]is, and shall be, which followeth the lambe of God; and by their vertues and powers I conjure and constreine the spirit ofN.stronglie, to have common talke with me, at all times, and in all daies, nights, houres, and minuts, and to talke in my mother toong plainelie, that I may heare it, and understand it, declaring the truth unto me of all things, according to thine oth and promise; else to be condemned for ever;Fiat, fiat, Amen.

Also I conjure and constreine the spirit ofN.by the *golden* There is no mention made in the gospels that Christ was woorth a golden girdle.girdle, which girded the loines of our Lord Jesus Christ, so thou spirit ofN.be thou bound, and cast into the pit of everlasting condemnation, for thy great disobedience and unreverent regard that thou hast to the holie names and words of God almightie, by me pronounced:Fiat, Amen.

Also I conjure, constreine, command, and bind the spirit ofN.by the two edged sword, whichJohnsaw proceed out of the mouth of God almightie:Bugs words.except thou be obedient as is aforesaid, the sword cut thee in peeces, and condemne thee into the pit of everlasting paines, where the fier goeth not out, and where the worme dieth not;Fiat, fiat, fiat, Amen.

Also I conjure and constreine the spirit ofN.by the throne of the Godhead, and by all the heavens under him, and by the celestiall citie newJerusalem, and by the earth, by the sea, and by all things created and conteined therein, and by their vertues and powers, and by all the infernalles, and by their vertues and powers, and all things conteined therein, and by their vertues and powers, I conjure and constreine the spirit ofN.that now immediatlie thou be obedient unto me, at all times hereafter, and to those words of me pronounced, according to thine oth and promise: *else* Is it possible to be greater than S. Adelberts cursse?See in Habar. lib. 12. ca. 17: pag. 263, 264, 265.let the great cursse ofGod, the anger of God, the shadowe and darknesse of everlasting condemnation be upon thee thou spirit ofN.for ever and ever, bicause thou hast denied thine health, thy faith, and salvation, for thy great disobedience thou are worthie to be con/demned.309.Therefore let the divine trinitie, angels, and archangels, thrones, dominations, principats, potestates, virtutes, cherubim and seraphim, and all the soules of the saints, that shall stand on the right hand of our Lord Jesus/428.Christ, at the generall daie of judgement, condemne the spirit ofN.for ever and ever, and be a witnesse against thee, bicause of thy great disobedience, in and against thy promises,Fiat,fiat, Amen.

Being thus bound, he must needs be obedient unto thee, whether he will or no: proove this. And here followeth a bond to call him to yourN.and to shew you true visions at all times, as in the houre of ♄ to bind or inchant anie thing, and in the houre of ♃ for peace and concord, in the houre of ♂ to marre, to destroie, and to make sicke, in the houre of the ☉ to bind toongs and other bonds of men, in the houre of ♀ to increase love, joy, and good will, in the houre of ☿ to put awaie enimitie or hatred, to know of theft, in the houre of the ☽ for love, goodwill and concord, ♄ lead ♃ tinne ♂ iron ☉ gold ♀ coppar ☿ quicksilver ☽ silver, &c.

This bond as followeth, is to call him into your christall stone, or glasse, &c.

ALSO I doo conjure thee spiritN.by God the father, by God the sonne, and by God the holie-ghost, Α and Ω, the first and the last, and by the latter daie of judgement, of them which shall come to judge the quicke and the dead, and the world by fier, and by their vertues and powers I constreine thee spiritN.to come to him that holdeth the christall stone in his hand, & to appeare visiblie, as hereafter foloweth. Also I conjure thee spirit N. by these holie names of God ✠Tetragrammaton✠Adonay✠El✠Ousion✠Agla✠Jesus✠of Nazareth✠ and by the vertues thereof, and by his nativitie, death, buriall, resurrection, and ascension, and by all other things apperteining unto his passion, and by the *blessed* A popish supplement.virgine Marie mother of our Lord Jesu Christ, and by all the joy which shee had when shee saw hir sonne rise from death to life, and by the vertues and powers therof I constreine thee spiritN.to come into the christall stone, & to appeare visiblie, as herafter shalbe declared. Also I conjure theeN.thou spirit, by all angels, archangels, thrones, dominations, principats, potestats, virtutes, cherubim and seraphim, and by the ☉ ☽ ♄ ♃ ♂ ♀ ☿, and by the twelve signes, and by their vertues and powers,/429.and by all things created and confirmed in the firmament, and by their vertues & powers I constreine thee spiritN.to appeare visiblie in that christall stone, in faire †forme† Belike he had the gift to appeare in sundrie shapes, as it is said ofProteus in Ovid lib. metamor. 8. fab. 10: and ofVertumnus; lib. metamor. 14. fab. 16.and shape of a white angell, a greene angell, a blacke angell, a man, a woman, a boie, a maiden virgine, a white grehound, a divell with great hornes, without anie hurt or danger of our bodies or soules, and trulie to informe and shew unto us, true visions of all things in that christall stone, according to thine oth and promise, and that without anie hinderance or/310.tarrieng, to appeare visiblie, by this bond of words read over by mee three times, upon paine of everlasting condemnation;Fiat,fiat, Amen.

I Conjure*[* This par. is in small type.]thee spirit, by God the father, that thou shew true visions in that christall stone, where there be anieN.in such a place or no, upon paine of everlasting condemnation,Fiat, Amen. Also I conjure thee spiritN.by God the sonne Jesus Christ, that thou doo shew true visions unto us, whether it be gold or silver, or anie other metals, or whether there were anie or no, upon paine of condemnation,Fiat, Amen. Also I conjure thee spiritN.by God the Holie-ghost, the which dooth sanctifie all faithfull soules and spirits, and by their vertues and powers I constreine thee spiritN.to speake, open, and to declare, the true waie, how we may come by these treasures hidden inN.and how to have it in our custodie, & who are the keepers thereof, and how manie there be, and what be their names, and by whom it was laid there, and to shew me true visions of what sort and similitude they be, and how long they have kept it, and to knowe in what daies and houres we shall call such a spirit,N.to bring unto us these treasures, into such a placeN.upon paine of everlasting condemnation ✠[.] Also I constreine thee spiritN.by all angels, archangels, thrones, dominations, principats, potestats, virtutes, cherubim & seraphim, that you doo shew a true vision in this christall stone, who did conveie or steale away such aN.and where it is, & who hath it, and how farre off, and what is his or hir name, and how and when to come unto it, upon paine of eternall condemnation,Fiat, Amen. Also I conjure thee spiritN.by the ☉ ☽ ♄ ♃ ♂ ♀ ☿ and by all the characters in the firmament, thatthou doo shew unto me a true vision in this christall stone,Note that the spirit is tied to obediēce under paine of condemnation and hell fier.where suchN.and in what state he is, and how long he hath beene there, and what time he will be in such a place, what daie and houre: and this and all other things to declare plainelie, in paine of hell fier;Fiat, Amen.

DEpart*[* This in still smaller.]out of the sight of this christall stone in peace for a time, and readie to appeare therein againe at anie time or times I shall call thee, by the vertue of our Lord Jesus Christ, and by the bonds of words which are written in this booke, and to appeere visiblie, as the words be rehersed. I constreine thee spiritN.by the divinitie of the Godhead, to be obedient unto these words rehearsed, upon paine of everlasting condemnation, both in this world, and in the world to come;Fiat, fiat, fiat, Amen.//

When to talke with spirits, and to have true answers to find out a theefe.

THE daies and houres of ♄ ♂ ☿ and the ☽ is best to doo all crafts of necromancie, & for to speake with spirits, and for to find theft, and to have true answer thereof, or of anie other such like.This is condemned for ranke follie by the doctors: as byChrysos. sup. Matth. Gregor. in homil. sup. Epiphan. Domini; and others.¶ And in the daies and houres of ☉ ♃ ♀ is best to doo all experiments of love, and to purchase grace, and for to be invisible, and to doo anie operation, whatsoever it be, for anie thing, the ☽ being in a convenient signe. ¶ As when thou laborest for theft, see the moone be in an earthie signe, as ♉︎ ♍︎ ♑︎, or of the aier, as ♊︎ ♎︎ ♒︎. ¶ And if it be for love, favor or grace, let the ☽ be in a signe of the fier, as ♈︎ ♌︎ ♐︎, and for hatred, in a signe of the water, as ♋︎ ♏︎ ♓︎. For anie other experiment, let the ☽ be in ♈︎. ¶ And if thou findest the ☉ & the ☽ in one signe that is called in even number, then thou maiest write, consecrate, conjure, and make readie all maner of things that thou wilt doo, &c.

CAll*[* This par. in the second-sized type.]these names,Orimoth,Belimoth,Lymocke, and say thus: I conjure you up by the names of the angelsSaturandAzimor,that you intend to me in this houre, and send unto me a spirit calledSagrigrit, that hee doo fulfill my commandement and desire, and that also can understand my words for one or two yeares, or as long as I will, &c.

A confutation of conjuration, especiallie of the raising, binding and dismissing of the divell, of going invisible, and other lewd practises.

THUSAll the former practises breeflie confuted.farre have we waded in shewing at large the vanitie of necromancers, conjurors, and such as pretend to have reall conference and consultation with spirits and divels: wherein (I trust) you see what notorious blasphemie is committed, besides other blind superstitious ceremonies, a disordered heap, which are so far from building up the endevors of these blacke art practitioners, that they doo altogether ruinate & overthrow them, making them in their follies and falshoods as bare and naked as an anatomie. As for these ridiculous conjurations, last rehearsed, being of no small reputation among the ignorant, they are for the most part made byT. R.(for so much of his name he bewraieth) andJohn/ Cokars,431.invented and devised for the augmentation and maintenance of their living, for the edifieng of the poore, and for the propagating and inlargingSee the title of the booke, with the authors intent, in a marginall note, pag. 393. [of this book.]of Gods glorie, as in the beginning of their booke of conjurations they protest; which in this place, for the further manifestation of their impietie, and of the witchmongers follie and credulitie, I thought good to insert, whereby the/312.residue of their proceedings may be judged, or rather detected. For if we seriouslie behold the matter of conjuration, and the drift of conjurors, we shall find them, in mine opinion, more faultie than such as take upon them to be witches, as manifest offenders against the majestie of God, and his holie lawe, and as apparent violators of the lawes and quietnesse of this realme: although indeed they bring no such thing to passe, as is surmised and urged by credulous persons, couseners, liers, and witchmongers. For these are alwaies learned, and rather abusers of others, than they themselves by others abused.

But let us see what appearance of truth or possibilitie is wrapped within these mysteries, and let us unfold the deceipt. They have made choice of certeine words, whereby they saie they can worke miracles, &c. And first of all, that they call divels & soules out ofhellLuk. 16. &c.(though we find in the scriptures manifest proofes that all passages are stopped concerning the egresse out of hell) so as they may go thither, but they shall never get out, forAb inferno nulla est redemptio, out of hell there is no redemption. Well, when they have gotten them up, they shut them in a circle made with chalke, which is so stronglie beset and invironed with crosses and names, that they cannot for their lives get out;An ironicall confutation.which is a verie probable matter. Then can they bind them, and lose them at their pleasures, and make them that have beene liers from the beginning, to tell the truth: yea, they can compell them to doo anie thing. And the divels are forced to be obedient unto them, and yet cannot be brought to due obedience unto God their creator. This done (I saie) they can worke all maner of miracles (saving blew miracles) and this is beleeved of manie to be true:

Tam credula mens hominis, & arrectæ fabulis aures,Englished by Abraham Fleming.So light of beleefe is the mind of man,And attentive to tales his eares now and than.

Tam credula mens hominis, & arrectæ fabulis aures,

Tam credula mens hominis, & arrectæ fabulis aures,

Englished by Abraham Fleming.So light of beleefe is the mind of man,And attentive to tales his eares now and than.

Englished by Abraham Fleming.So light of beleefe is the mind of man,

And attentive to tales his eares now and than.

But if Christ (onelie for a time) left the power of working mi/racles432.among his apostles and disciples for the confirmation of his gospell, and the faith of his elect: yet I denie altogether, that he left that power with these knaves, which hide their cousening purposes under those lewd and foolish words, according to that whichPetersaith;2. Pet. 2.Ephes. 5.Ps. 72, & 78.With feined words they make merchandize of you. And therfore the counsell is good thatPaulegiveth us, when he biddeth us take heed that no man deceive us with vaine words. For it is the Lord only that worketh great woonders, and bringeth mightie things to passe.Sap. 16.Ecclus. 43.It is also written, that Gods word, and not the words of conjurors, or the charmes of witches, healeth all things, maketh tempests, and stilleth them.

But put case the divell could be fetched up and fettered, and loosed againe at their pleasure, &c: I marvell yet, that anie can be so bewitched, as to be made to beleeve, that by vertue of their words, anie earthlie creature can be made invisible. We thinke it a lie, to saie that white is blacke, and blacke white: but it is a more shamelesse assertion to affirme, that white is not,To denie the subsistence or naturall being of a thing materiall and visible is impudēcie.or blacke is not at all; and yet more impudencie to hold that/313.a man is a horsse; but most apparent impudencie to saie, that a man is no man, or to be extenuated into such a quantitie, as therby he may be invisible, and yet remaine in life and health, &c: and that in the cleare light of the daie, even in the presence of them that are not blind. But surelie,he that cannot make one haire white or blacke, whereof (on the other side) not one falleth from the head without Gods speciall providence, can never bring to passe, that the visible creature of God shall become nothing, or lose the vertue and grace powred therinto by God the creator of all things.

If they saieEzec. 8. & 9.Isai. 6, & 26 and 30.that the divell covereth them with a cloud or veile, asM. Mal. Bodin, & manie other doo affirme; yet (me thinkes) we should either see the cover, or the thing covered. And though perchance they saie in their harts; Tush, the Lord seeth not, who indeed hath blinded them, so as seeing, they see not: yet they shall never be able to persuade the wise, but that both God and man dooth see both them and their knaverie in this behalfe. I have heard of a foole, who was made beleeve that he should go invisible, and naked; while he was well whipped by them, who (as he thought) could not see him. Into which fooles paradise they saie** John Jauregui servant to Gasper Anastro both Spaniards. Ann. Dom. 1582. March 18. after dinner upon a sundaie this mischeefe was doone. Read the whole discourse hereof printed at London for Tho: Chard and Will: Brome bookesellers.he was brought, that enterprised to kill the prince of Orenge./

A comparison betweene popish exorcists and other conjurors, a popish conjuration published by a great doctor of the Romish church, his rules and cautions.

ISEE no difference betweene these and popish conjurations; for they agree in order, words, and matter, differing in no circumstance, but that the papists doo it without shame openlie, the other doo it in hugger mugger secretlie. The papists (I saie) have officers in this behalfe, which are called exorcists or conjurors, and they looke narrowlie to other cousenors, as having gotten the upper hand over them. And bicause the papists shall be without excuse in this behalfe, and that the world may see their cousenage, impietie, and follie to be as great as the others, I will cite one conjuration (of which sort I might cite a hundred) published byJacobus de Chusa,Jac. de Chusæ in lib. de apparitionib. quorundam spirituum.a great doctor of the Romish church, which serveth to find out the cause of noise and spirituall rumbling in houses, churches, or chappels, and to conjure walking spirits: which evermore is knaverie and cousenage in the highest degree. Marke the cousening devise hereof, and conferre the impietie with the others.

Observations for the exorcising preest.First (forsooth) he saith it is expedient to fast three daies, and to celebrate a certeine number of masses, and to repeate the sevenpsalmes penitentiall: then foure or five preests must be called to the place where the haunt or noise is, then a candle hallowed on candlemas daie must be lighted, and in the light/ing314.thereof also must the seven psalmes be said, and the gospell of S.John. Then there must be a crosse and a censer with frankincense, and therewithall the place must be censed or perfumed, holie water must be sprinkled, and a holie stoale must be used, and (after diverse other ceremonies) a praier to God must be made, in maner and forme following:

O Lord Jesus Christ, the knower of all secrets, which alwaies/434.revealest all hoalsome and profitable things to thy faithfull children, and which sufferest a spirit to shew himselfe in this place, we beseech thee for thy bitter passion, &c: vouchsafe to command this spirit, to reveale and signifie unto us thy servants, without our terror or hurt, what he is, to thine honour, and to his comfort;In nomine patris, &c.And then proceed in these words: We beseech thee, for Christs sake, O thou spirit, that if there be anie of us, or among us, whom thou wouldest answer, name him, or else manifest him by some signe. Is itMemorandum that he must be the veriest knave or foole in all the companie.frierP.or doctorD.or doctorBurc.or sirFeats, or sirJohn, or sirRobert:Et sic de cæteris circunstantibus. For it is well tried (saith the glosse) he will not answer everie one. If the spirit make anie sound of voice, or knocking, at the naming of anie one, he is the cousener (the conjuror I would saie) that must have the charge of this conjuration or examination. And these forsooth must be the interrogatories, to wit: Whose soule art thou? Wherefore camest thou? What wouldest thou have? Wantest thou any suffrages, masses, or almes? How manie masses will serve thy turne, three, six, ten, twentie, thirtie, &c? By what preest? Must he be religious or secular? Wilt thou have anie fasts? What? How manie? How great? And by what persons? Among hospitalles? Lepres? Or beggars? What shall be the signe of thy perfect deliverance? Wherefore liest thou in purgatorie? And such like. This must be doone in the night.

These spirits are not so cunning by daie as by night.If there appeare no signe at this houre, it must be deferred untill another houre. Holie water must be left in the place. There is no feare (they saie) that such a spirit will hurt the conjuror: for he can sinne no more, as being in the meane state betweene good and evill, and as yet in the state of satisfaction. *If* For so they might be bewraied.the spirit doo hurt, then it is a damned soule, and not an elect. Everie man may not be present hereat, speciallie such as be weake of complexion. They appeare in diverse maners, not alwaies in bodie, or bodilie shapeFor so the cousenage may be best handled.(as it is read in the life of S.Martine, that the divell did) but sometimes invisible, as onelie by sound, voice, or noise. Thus farreJacobus de Chusa.

But bicause you shall see that these be not emptie words, norslanders; but that in truth such things are commonlie put in practise in the Romish church, I will here set downe an instance,/435.latelie and truelie, though lewdlie performed: and the same in effect as followeth./

A late experiment, or cousening conjuration practised at Orleance by the Franciscane Friers, how it was detected, and the judgement against the authors of that comedie.

INA cousening conjuration.the yeare of our Lord 1534. atOrleanceinFrance, the Maiors wife died, willing and desiring to be buried without anie pompe or noise, &c. Hir husband, who reverenced the memoriall of hir, did even as she had willed him. And bicause she was buried in the church of the *Franciscans,* Of this order read noble stuffe in a booke printed atFrankefordunder the title ofAlcoran. Franciscanorum.besides her father and grandfather, and gave them in reward onelie six crownes, whereas they hoped for a greater preie; shortlie after it chanced, that as he felled certeine woods and sold them, they desired him to give them some part thereof freelie without monie: which he flatlie denied. This they tooke verie greevouslie. And whereas before they misliked him, now they conceived such displeasure as they devised this meanes to be revenged; to wit, that his wife was damned for ever. The cheefe workemen and framers of this tragedie wereColimannus, andStephanus Aterbatensis, both doctors of divinitie; thisColiman.was a great conjuror, & had all his implements in a readines, which he was woont to use in such busines. And thus they handled the matter.Note how the Franciscans cannot conjure without a confederate.They place over the arches of the church, a yoong novice; who about midnight, when they came to mumble their praiers, as they were woont to do, maketh a great rumbling, and noise. Out of hand the moonks beganne to conjure and to charme, but he answered nothing. Then being required to give a signe, whether he were a dumme spirit or no, he beganne to rumble againe: which thing they tooke as a certeine signe. Having laid this foundation, they go unto certeine citizens, cheefe men, and such as favoured them, decla/ring436.that a heavie chance had happened at home in their monasterie; not shewing what the matter was, but desiring them to come to their mattens at midnight.O notorius impudencie! with such shamelesse faces to abuse so worshipfull a companie.When these citizens were come, and that praiers were begunne, the counterfet spirit beginneth to make a marvellous noise in the top of the church. And being asked what he meant, and who he was, gave signes that it was not lawfullfor him to speake. Therefore they commanded him to make answer by tokens and signes to certeine things they would demand of him. Now was there a hole made in the vawt, through the which he might heare and understand the voice of the conjuror. And then had he in his hand a litle boord, which at everie question, he strake, in such sort as he might easilie be heard beneath. First they asked him, whether he were one of them that had beene buried in the same place. Afterwards they reckoning manie by name, which had beene buried there; at the last also they name the Maiors wife: and there by and by the spirit gave a signe that he was hir soule. He was further asked, whether he were damned or no; and if he were, for what cause, for what desert, or fault; whether for covetousnes, or wanton lust, for pride or want of charitie; or whether it were for heresie, or for the sect ofLuther/316.newlie sproong up: also what he meant by that noise and stirre he kept there; whether it were to have the bodie now buried in holie ground to be digged up againe, and laid in some other place. To all which points he answered by signes, as he was commanded, by the which he affirmed or denied anie thing, according as he strake the boord twise or thrise together. And when he had thus given them to understand, that†† The confederate spirit was taught that lesson before.the verie cause of his damnation wasLuthersheresie, and that the bodie must needs be digged up againe: the moonks requested the citizens, whose presence they had used or rather abused, that they would beare witnesse of those things which they had seene with their eies; and that they would subscribe to such things as were doone a few days before. The citizens taking good advise on the matter, least they should offend the Maior, or bring themselves in trouble, refused so to doo. But the moonks notwithstanding take from thence the sweete bread, which they called the host and bodie of our Lord, with all the relikes of saintes, and carrie them to another place, and there saie their masse. The bishops substi/tute437.judge (whome they called Officiall) understanding that matter, commeth thither, accompanied with certeine honest men, to the intent he might knowe the whole circumstance more exactlie: and therefore he commandeth them to make conjuration in his presence; and also he requireth certeine to be chosen to go up into the top of the vawt, and there to see whether any ghost appeered or not.Stephanus AterbatensisFor so might the confederate be found.stiffelie denied that to be lawfull, and marvellouslie persuading the contrarie, affirmed that the spirit in no wise ought to be troubled. And albeit the Official urged them verie much, that there might be some conjuring of the spirit; yet could he nothing prevaile.

Whilest these things were dooing, the Maior, when he had shewed the other Justices of the citie, what he would have them to doo, tooke hisjournie to the king, and opened the whole matter unto him. And bicause the moonks refused judgement upon plea of their owne lawes and liberties, the king choosing out certeine of the aldermen ofParis, giveth them absolute and full authoritie to make inquirie of the matter. The like dooth the Chancelor maisterAnthonius Pratensiscardinall and legat for the pope throughoutFrance. Therefore, when they had no exception to alledge, they were conveied untoParis, and there constrained to make their answer.An obstinate and wilfull persisting in the denieng or not confessing of a fault committed.But yet could nothing be wroong out of them by confession, whereupon they were put apart into divers prisons: the novice being kept in the house of maisterFumanus, one of the aldermen, was oftentimes examined, and earnestlie requested to utter the truth, but would notwithstanding confesse nothing; bicause he feared that the moonks would afterwards put him to death for staining their order, and putting it to open shame. But when the judges had made him sure promise that he should escape punishment, and that he should never come into their handling, he opened unto them the whole matter as it was doone: and being brought before his fellowes, avouched the same to their faces. The moonks, albeit they were convicted, and by these meanes almost taken tarde*[* = tarred]with the deed doing; yet did they refuse the judges, bragging and vaunting themselves on their priviledges, but all in vaine. For sentence passed upon them, and they were/317.condemned to be carried backe againe toOrleance, and there to be cast in prison, and so should finallie be/438.brought foorth into the cheefe church of the citie openlie, and from thence to the place of execution, where they should make open confession of their trespasses.

Surelie this was most common among moonks and friers, who mainteined their religion, their lust, their liberties, their pompe, their wealth, their estimation and knaverie by such cousening practises. Now IA parecuasis or transition of the author to matter further purposed.will shew you more speciall orders of popish conjurations, that are so shameleslie admitted into the church ofRome, that they are not onelie suffered, but commanded to be used, not by night secretlie, but by daie impudentlie. And these forsooth concerne the curing of bewitched persons, and such as are possessed; to wit, such as have a divell put into them by witches inchantments. And herewithall I will set downe certeine rules delivered unto us by such popish doctors, as are of greatest reputation.

Who may be conjurors in the Romish church besides priests, a ridiculous definition of superstition, what words are to be used and not used in exorcismes, rebaptisme allowed, it is lawfull to conjure any thing, differences betweene holie water and conjuration.

THOMAS AQUINASIn 4 dist. 23. sent.saith, that anie bodie, though he be of an inferior or superior order, yea though of none order at all (and asGulielmus Durandus glossator Raimundiaffirmeth, a woman so she blesse not the girdle or the garment, but the person of the bewitched) hath power to exercise the order of an exorcist or conjuror, even as well as any preest may saie masse in a house unconsecrated. But that is (saithM. Mal.) rather through the goodnesse and licence of the pope, than through the grace of the sacrament. Naie, there are examples set downe, where some being bewitched were cured (asM. Mal.taketh it) without any conjuration at all. Marrie there were certeinePater nosters,Aves, andCredos/439.said, and crosses made, but they are charmes, they saie, and no conjurations. For they saie that such charmes are lawfull, bicause there is no superstition in them, &c.

And it is woorth my labour, to shew you how papists define superstition, and how they expound the definition thereof.Et glos. super illo ad coll. 2.Superstition (saie they) is a religion observed beyond measure, a religion practised with evill and unperfect circumstances. Also, whatsoever usurpeth the name of religion, through humane tradition, without the popes authoritie, is superstitious: as to adde or joine anie hymnes to the masse, to interrupt anie diriges, to to*[*sic]abridge anie part of the creed in the singing thereof, or to sing when the organs go, and not when the quier singeth, not to have one to helpe the priest to masse: and such like, &c.

Mendaces debent esse memores, multò magis astuti exorcistæ.These popish exorcists doo manie times forget their owne rules. For they should not directlie in their conjurations call upon the divell (as they doo) with intreatie, but with authoritie and commandement. Nei/ther318.should they have in their charmes and conjurations anie unknowne names. Neither should there be (as alwaies there is) anie falshood conteined in the matter of the charme of conjuration, as (saie they) old women have in theirs, when they saie; The blessed virgine passed overJordan, and then S.Stevenmet hir, and asked hir, &c. Neither should they have anie other vaine characters, but the crosse (for those are the words:) and manie othersuch cautions have they, which they observe not, for they have made it lawfull elsewhere.

Tho. Aquin. super. Marc. ultim.ButThomastheir cheefe piller prooveth their conjuring and charmes lawfull by S.Marke, who saith;Signa eos qui crediderunt; And,In nomine meo dæmonia ejicient, &c:Mark, 16, 17whereby he also prooveth that they maie conjure serpents. And there he taketh paines to proove, that the words of God are of as great holinesse as relikes of saints, whereas (in such respect as they meane) they are both alike, and indeed nothing woorth. And I can tell them further, that so they maie be carried, as either of them maie doo a man much harme either in bodie or soule.

A trimme consequentBut they proove this byS. Augustine, saieng;Non est minus verbum Dei, quàm corpus Christi: whereupon they conclude thus; By all mens opinions it is lawfull to carrie about reverentlie the relikes of saints;Ergoit is lawfull against evill spirits, to in/vocate440.the name of God everie waie; by thePater noster, theAve, the nativitie, the passion, the five wounds, the title triumphant, by the seven words spoken on the crosse, by the nailes, &c: and there maie be hope reposed in them.Mal. malef. par. 2. quæ. 2.Yea, they saie it is lawfull to conjure all things, bicause the divell maie have power in all things. And first, alwaies the person or thing, wherein the divell is, must be exorcised, and then the divell must be conjured. Also they affirme, that it is as expedient to consecrate and conjure porrage and meate, as water and salt, or such like things.

Rites, ceremonies, and relikes of exorcisme in rebaptising of the possessed or bewitched.The right order of exorcisme in rebaptisme of a person possessed or bewitched, requireth that exsufflation and abrenunciation be doone toward the west. Item, there must be erection of hands, confession, profession, oration, benediction, imposition of hands, denudation and unction, with holie oile after baptisme, communion, and induition of the surplis. But they saie that this needeth not, where the bewitched is exorcised: but that the bewitched be first confessed, and then to hold a candle in his hand, and in steed of a surplise to tie about his bare bodie a holie candle of the length of Christ, or of the crosse whereupon he died, which for monie maie be had atRome.Ergo(saithM. Mal.) this maie be said; I conjure theePeterorBarbarabeing sicke, but regenerate in the holie water of baptisme, by the living God, by the true God, by the holie God, by the God which redeemed thee with his pretious bloud, that thou maiest be made a conjured man, that everie fantasie and wickednesse of diabolicall deceipt doo avoid and depart from thee, and that everie uncleane spirit be conjured through him that shall come to judge the quicke and the dead, and the world by fier, Amen:Oremus, &c. And this conjuration, withOremus, and a praier, must be thrise repeated, and at the end alwaiesmust be said;Ergo maledicte diabole recognosce sententiam tuam, &c.And this order must alwaies be/319.followed. And finallie, there must be diligent search made,Memorandum that this is for one bewitched.in everie corner, and under everie coverlet and pallet, and under everie threshhold of the doores, for instruments of witchcraft. And if anie be found, they must streight-waie be throwne into the fier. Also they must change all their bedding, their clothing, and their habitation. And if nothing be found, the partie that is to be exorcised or conjured, must come to the church rath in the morning: and the holier the daie is, the/441.better, speciallie our Ladie daie. And the preest, if he be shriven himselfe and in perfect state, shall doo the better therein. And let him that is exorcised hold a holie candle in his hand, &c.Note the proviso.Alwaies provided, that the holie water be throwne upon him, and a stoale put about his necke, withDeus in adjutorium, and the Letanie, with invocation of saints. And this order maie continue thrise a weeke, so as (saie they) through multiplication of intercessors, or rather intercessions, grace maie be obteined, and favor procured.

There is also some question in the Romish church, whether the sacrament of the altar is to be received before or after the exorcisme. Item in shrift, the confessor must learne whether the partie be not excommunicate, and so for want of absolution, endure this vexation.ThomasTho. Aquin. supr. dist. 6.sheweth the difference betwixt holie water and conjuration, saieng that holie water driveth the divell awaie from the externall and outward parts; but conjurations from the internall and inward parts; and therefore unto the bewitched partie both are to be applied.

The seven reasons why some are not rid of the divell with all their popish conjurations, why there were no conjurors in the primitive church, and why the divell is not so soone cast out of the bewitched as of the possessed.

THE reason why some are not remedied for all their conjurations,123456, 7the papists say is for seven causes. First, for that the faith of the standers by is naught; secondlie, for that theirs that present the partie is no better; thirdlie, bicause of the sinnes of the bewitched; fourthlie, for the neglecting of meete remedies; fiftlie, for the reverence of vertues going out into others; sixtlie, for the purgation; seventhlie, for the merit of the partie bewitched. And lo, the first foure are proved byMatthewthe 7. andMarkethe 4./442.when one presented his sonne, and the multitudewanted faith, & the father said, Lord help mine incredulitie or unbeleefe.Proper proofes of the former seven reasons.Wherupon was said, Oh faithlesse and perverse generation, how long shall I be with you? And where these words are written; And Jesus rebuked him, &c. That is to saie, saie they, the possessed or bewitched for his sinnes. For by the neglect of due remedies it appeereth, that there were not with Christ good and perfect men: for the pillers of the faith; to wit,Peter,James, andJohnwere absent. Neither was there fasting and praier, without the which that kind of divels could not be cast out. For the fourth point; to wit, the fault of the exorcist in faith maie ap/peare;320.for that afterwards the disciples asked the cause of their impotencie therin. And Jesus answered, it was for their incredulitie; saieng that if they had as much faith as a graine of mustard seed, they should move mountaines, &c. The fift is prooved byVitas patrum, the lives of the fathers, where it appeereth that S.Anthoniecould not doo that cure, when his scholarPaulecould doo it, and did it. For the proofe of the sixt excuse it is said, that though the fault be taken awaie therby; yet it followeth not that alwaies the punishment is released. Last of all it is said, that it is possible that the divell was not conjured out of the partie before baptisme by the exorcist, or the midwife hath not baptised him well, but omitted some part of the sacrament.Why there were no conjurors in yeprimitive church with other subtill points.If any object that there were no exorcists in the primitive church, it is answered, that the church cannot now erre. And saintGregoriewould never have instituted it in vaine. And it is a generall rule, that who or whatsoever is newlie exorcised, must be rebaptised: as also such as walke or talke in their sleepe; for (saie they) call them by their names, and presentlie they wake, or fall if they clime: whereby it is gathered, that they are not trulie named in baptisme. Item they saie, it is somewhat more difficult to conjure the divell out of one bewitched, than out of one possessed: bicause in the bewitched, he is double; in the other single. They have a hundred such beggerlie, foolish, and frivolous notes in this behalfe.

Other grosse absurdities of witchmongers in this matter of conjurations.

SURELIE I cannot see what difference or distinction the witchmongers doo put betweene the knowledge and power of God and the divell; but that they think, if they praie, or rather talke to God, till their hearts ake, he never heareth them; but that the divell dooth knowe everie thought andimagination of their minds, and both can and also, will doo any thing for them. For if anie that meaneth good faith with the divell read certeine conjurations, he commeth up (they saie) at a trice. Marrie if another that hath none intent to raise him, read or pronounce the words, he will not stirre. And yetJ. BodinA conjuror then belike must not be timerous or fearefull.confesseth, that he is afraid to read such conjurations, asJohn Wierusreciteth; least (belike) the divell would come up, and scratch him with his fowle long nailes. In which sort I woonder that the divell dealeth with none other, than witches and conjurors. I for my part have read a number of their conjurations, but never could see anie divels of theirs, except it were in a plaie. But the divell (belike) knoweth my mind; to wit, that I would be loth to come within the compasse of his clawes. But lo what reason such people have.Where a witch cureth by incantation, and the conjuror by conjuration.Bodin,Bartholomeus Spineus,Sprenger, andInstitor, &c: doo constantlie affirme, that witches are to be punished with more extremitie than conjurors; and sometimes with death, when the other are to be pardoned doing the same offense: bicause (say they) the witches make a league with the divell, &/321.so doo not conjurors. Now if conjurors make no league by their owne confession, and divels indeed know not our cogitations (as I have sufficientlie prooved) then would I weet of our witchmongers the reason, (if I read the conjuration and performe the ceremonie) why the divell will not come at my call? But oh absurd credulitie! Even in this point manie wise & learned men have beene & are abused:/444.wheras, if they would make experience, or dulie expend the cause, they might be soone resolved; specially when the whole art and circumstance is so contrarie to Gods word, as it must be false, if the other be true. So as you may understand, that the papists do not onlie by their doctrine, in bookes & sermons teach & publish conjurations, & the order thereof, whereby they may induce men to bestowe, or rather cast awaie their monie upon masses and suffrages for their soules; but they make it also a par- cell of their sacrament of orders (of the which number a conjuror is one) and insert manie formes of conjurations into their divine service, and not onelie into their pontificals, but into their masse bookes; yea into the verie canon of the masse.

Certaine conjurations taken out of the pontificall and out of the missall.

BUT see yet a little more of popish conjurations, and conferre them with the other. In the *pontificall*Tit. de ecclesiæ dedicatione.you shall find this conjuration, which the other conjurors use as solemnelie as they: I conjure thee thou creature of water in the name of the fa✠ther, of the so✠nne, and of the Holie✠ghost, that thou drive awaie the divell from the bounds of the just, that he remaine not in the darke corners of this church and altar.Ibidem, fol. 108.❈ You shall find in the same title, these words following, to be used at the hallowing of churches. There must a crosse of ashes be made upon the pavement, from one end of the church to the other, one handfull broad: and one of the priests must write on the one side thereof the Greeke alphabet, and on the otherside the Latin alphabet.DurandusDurand. de ecclesiæ dedicatione lib. 1. fol. 12.yeeldeth this reason thereof; to wit, It representeth the union in faith of the Jewes and Gentiles. And yet well agreeing to himselfe he saith even there, that the crosse reaching from the one end to the other, signifieth that the people, which were in the head, shalbe made the taile./

In Missali. fol. 1.I Conjure thee O creature of salt by God, by the God ✠ that liveth, by the true ✠ God, by the holie ✠ God, which byElizæusthe prophet commanded, that thou shouldest be throwneThe maner of conjuring salt.into the water, that it thereby might be made whole and sound, that thou salt [here let the preest looke upon the salt] maist be conjured for the health of all beleevers, and that thou/322.be to all that take thee, health both of bodie and soule; and let all phantasies and wickednesse, or diabolicall craft or deceipt, depart from the place whereon it is sprinkled; as also everie uncleane spirit, being conjured by him that judgeth both the quicke and the dead by fier.Resp: Amen. Then followeth a praier to be said, withoutDominus vobiscum; but yet withOremus; as followeth:

ALmightieA praier to be applied to the former exorcisme.and everlasting God, we humblie desire thy clemency [here let the preest looke upon the salt] that thou wouldest vouchsafe, through thy pietie, to bl✠esse and sanc✠tifie this creatureof salt, which thou hast given for the use of mankind, that it may be to all that receive it, health of mind and bodie; so as whatsoever shall be touched thereby, or sprinkled therewith, may be void of all uncleannesse, and all resistance of spirituall iniquitie, through our Lord, Amen.

What can be made but a conjuration of these words also, which are written in the canon, or rather in the saccaring of masse? This holie commixtion of the bodie and bloud of our Lord Jesus Christ, let it be made to me, and to all the receivers thereof, health of mind and bodie, and a wholesome preparative for the deserving and receiving of everlasting life, through our Lord Jesus, Amen./

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