It is reported that there haue bin some, who supposing with their weapons to hurt spirits, haue wounded themselues, for their armes and other members of their bodie haue neuer serued them after. We must not vse a materiall sword against spirits and vaine shewes (for it profiteth nothing) but we must vse the sword of the spirit. They which will strike spirits and ghosts with a sword, indéed σκιαμαχουσι, that is, fight with their owne shadow. In the booke of =Iobe= the diuel is signified by =Leuiathan=, which careth not for the speare, for he appeareth in diuers shapes, and cannot be put to flight with pikes. The diuel is a spirit, he hath not bones and flesh, but he only taketh on him a shape for a time. But in case spirits which haue bodies do wander (that is, coniurers, priests, whores, & whoremongers, which faine themselues to be spirites) there can be no better coniuration inuented, than to bang them well with a cudgell. For thou shalt not so much preuaile with these kindes of diuels with words as with stripes. Hitherto I haue shewed howe they ought to behaue themselues which méete with spirits. As touching them which neuer heard or sawe any thing (for there bee many which neuer chaunced on such things) let them be thankful vnto God for so great a benefit, let them not be rashe and bolde, nor desirous to sée such things, but rather let them pray vnto God for them which are vexed with such euils. Let them not doo, as they many times vse which were neuer greatly sicke: for they féele not other mens griefes, and therefore they thinke they are litle sicke, or that they counterfeit their sicknesse, vntill such time as they themselues fall into some great and daungerous disease: euen so God can cause them to sée spirites, which neuer sawe any before, that afterwards they may be the more touched with other mens griefes, and diligently pray for them. CHAP. XII. After what sort we ought to behaue our selues, when we heare straunge crackes, or when other forewarnings happen.