Of Ghostes and Spirites, Walking by Night: And of Straunge Noyses, Crackes, and Sundrie Forewarnings, Which Commonly Happen Before the Death of Men: Great Slaughters, and Alterations of KingdomsLavater, Ludwig
Religion
Of Ghostes and Spirites, Walking by Night: And of Straunge Noyses, Crackes, and Sundrie Forewarnings, Which Commonly Happen Before the Death of Men: Great Slaughters, and Alterations of Kingdoms
Lavater, Ludwig
Apparitions -- Early works to 1800
That we may rightly vnderstand how we ought to behaue our selues, if
any thing either good or euill, appeare vnto vs, we wil first declare
how the Gentiles and Iewes vsed themselues in like cases. Amongst the
Gentiles, not only those wandring spirits beare men in hand that they
were mens soules, but also shewed what were good and expedient for
them to doo for their sake, to wit, that they should do sacrifices
for their soules, obserue their obsequies, burie their bodies, erect
Temples, make holy dayes, and such like stuffe. =Suetonius= writeth,
that the Emperor =Caligule= his bodie was priuily conueyed into the
gardeins called _Lamiam_, and there with a hastie fire being but
halfe consumed, was cast into a pit, and couered with a litle earth.
But afterwards, whē his sisters returned from exile, it was taken vp,
and thorowly burnt, and afterward solemnly buried. But before they
had so done, the gardē kéepers were very much troubled with appearing
of spirites. And moreouer, no man could passe any night in the same
house where he was slaine, without some great feare, vntil such time
as the house was vtterly destroyed with fire.
[Sidenote: Septimæ Tricessimæ Anniuersaria.]
[Sidenote: Lilius Giraldus.]
[Sidenote: Cicero.]
We read also in other writers, that the ghostes of them which were
not orderly buried, or whose accustomed rites and ceremonies in the
time of warres were omitted, did appeare either to their friendes
or vnto others, complayning and intreating that their funerals, and
all other ceremonies might be obserued for their sake: whereof came
the hearses, wéekemindes, monthmindes, and anniuersaries, whereof
we reade many things in the Ethnike writers, and many things are
recited out of the olde Poets, and in =Lilius Giraldus=, in his
booke _De sepultura_, and also in =Polid. Virgilius= _De Inuentione
rerum.lib.6.cap.10_. We haue shewed before in the second part and
first Chapter, that some haue desired others, that they might bee
buried after that they were dead. =Cicero= writeth in his 1. booke
_De legibus_, that =Romulus= the first founder of _Rome_, walking
after his death not farre from =Atticus= house, appeared vnto =Iulius
Proculus=, and told him that he was now a god, and that his name was
=Quirinus=, and therwith commanded that there should be a Temple
erected and dedicated vnto him in the same place.
[Sidenote: Ouid.]
[Sidenote: Feralia.]
[Sidenote: Parentalia.]
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Elsewhere in the archive
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account