There be other causes also why these things happen now more sildome. If any man deceiue thée once, twice, or thrice, afterwards thou openest thy eyes, and espiest what he doth and what he goeth about: so when we haue bene often beguiled with false apparitions, we will not easily be persuaded, if any man tell vs that a soule or spirite hath appeared (as the prouerbe saith,) Burnt childe, dreads fire. Moreouer, whereas now adayes fewe stand in feare of spirits, many might be easily found, who would séek them, féele them, yea and also handle them. This is well knowne, and therefore no man will gladly put on a visor, or otherwise counterfeit himselfe to be a ghost. A man may soone persuade a childe that there is a black man, a tall woman, which will put children that cry in their budget, &c. but after they are come to maturitie of yeares, they will no more bee feared with visours and such like persuasions: they will laugh at thy follie, if afterwards thou goe about to make them so afraide. Euen so when we were children in the scriptures, that is, when we vnderstood them not, we might be easily seduced to beléeue many things: But nowe that we reade them in all manner of tongues, and do daily profit in them, we do not suffer our selues to be so mocked, neither doo we beléeue euery vaine apparition. How many sights of spirits did the knauerie of the Monkes of _Berna_ driue away, after it was once detected? Things are set vp in the fields to feare away the birdes, which at the last also they perceiue to be but trifles, and are not driuen away any longer with suche toyes. What maruel is it then, if after so great a shipwrack of godlinesse and truth, men albeit they are simple, doo at the last open their eyes. CHAP. III. Why God doth suffer straunge noyses, or extraordinarie rumblings to bee heard before some notable alterations or otherwise.