Afterwards certaine Monkes and Priests well séen in Magicall sciences (for they were neuer without such trim men) tooke vpon them to coniure and driue away euill spirits out of houses into woods & desart places. They wroght maruellous and straunge things, and they said that a spirit in the name of Saints, and by the vertue of their coniuring and characters, was constrained to giue place whether he would or not. Indéede the diuel giueth place, but he doth it as enemies doo, which by flying chuse a more fit place to fight in, or more apte to embushe themselues. That which Sathan doth, he doth it willingly and of his owne accorde, that he might withdrawe men from trusting in God onely, and driue them headlong into Idolatrie. Christ and his Disciples cast out diuels, but they were loth and vnwilling to depart. Moreouer they vsed to hang Saint =Iohns= Gospell about their neckes, and carried about with them hallowed waxe inclosed in a purse, which they call an _Agnus Dei_, There are certaine bookes abroade, especially one written by =Iacobus de Clusa=, a Carthusian, concerning the appearing of soules separated from their bodies, wherein amongst other things we reade, after what sort men should prepare themselues, when any spirits appeare, howe they shall behaue themselues in comming to them, in departing from them, in the place where they appeare, and what questions are to be proposed vnto them: touching which things I spake before, in the second part of this Booke and second Chapter, where if you list you may finde them. I haue heard men which haue confessed themselues to haue bene so superstitious, that when the priest lifted vp the host (as they call it) in saying masse, they woulde presently wipe their face with their hands, because they were perswaded, that it was good to stop all spirits from méeting with them in a visible forme. But tell mée I pray thée whosoeuer thou art whiche doest so, by what places of Scripture canst thou confirme those ceremonies? Where doth Christ and his Disciples teach vs to expell the diuell (which is a spirit, and therefore without any bodie) by bodily things? shewe but one example, that they haue cast forth the diuel by this way or means. If you bring out of the bookes of =Tobie=, that the heart and liuer of the fish being laide on the coales, droue away the diuel with the smell, we say that the same booke is not accounted amongst the Canonicall scriptures: and moreouer that the same diuel was rather vanquished by the praiers of =Tobias= and his wife, than by any fumigation. Did Christ ordaine the holy Supper to this ende, that thereby diuels should be cast out? Albeit that an euil spirit doo faine to giue place, because of these things, yet he bringeth to passe in the meane season, that superstition is more déeply rooted in the hearts of men. CHAP. XI. That spirites are not to bee driuen away by cursing and banning. [Sidenote: _Rom._ 8.]