residence in that Hecla, a mountain in Iceland, Aetna in Sicily,
Lipari, Vesuvius, &c. These devils were worshipped heretofore by that
superstitious Pyromanteia [1179]and the like.
Aerial spirits or devils, are such as keep quarter most part in the
[1180] air, cause many tempests, thunder, and lightnings, tear oaks,
fire steeples, houses, strike men and beasts, make it rain stones, as
in Livy's time, wool, frogs, &c. Counterfeit armies in the air, strange
noises, swords, &c., as at Vienna before the coming of the Turks, and
many times in Rome, as Scheretzius l. de spect. c. 1. part 1. Lavater
de spect. part. 1. c. 17. Julius Obsequens, an old Roman, in his book
of prodigies, _ab urb. cond._ 505. [1181]Machiavel hath illustrated by
many examples, and Josephus, in his book de bello Judaico, before the
destruction of Jerusalem. All which Guil. Postellus, in his first book,
c. 7, de orbis concordia, useth as an effectual argument (as indeed it
is) to persuade them that will not believe there be spirits or devils.
They cause whirlwinds on a sudden, and tempestuous storms; which though
our meteorologists generally refer to natural causes, yet I am of
Bodine's mind, Theat. Nat. l. 2. they are more often caused by those
aerial devils, in their several quarters; for Tempestatibus se
ingerunt, saith [1182] Rich. Argentine; as when a desperate man makes
away with himself, which by hanging or drowning they frequently do, as
Kommanus observes, de mirac. mort. part. 7, c. 76. tripudium agentes,
dancing and rejoicing at the death of a sinner. These can corrupt the
air, and cause plagues, sickness, storms, shipwrecks, fires,
inundations. At Mons Draconis in Italy, there is a most memorable
example in [1183]Jovianus Pontanus: and nothing so familiar (if we may
believe those relations of Saxo Grammaticus, Olaus Magnus, Damianus A.
Goes) as for witches and sorcerers, in Lapland, Lithuania, and all over
Scandia, to sell winds to mariners, and cause tempests, which Marcus
Paulus the Venetian relates likewise of the Tartars. These kind of
devils are much [1184]delighted in sacrifices (saith Porphyry), held
all the world in awe, and had several names, idols, sacrifices, in
Rome, Greece, Egypt, and at this day tyrannise over, and deceive those
Ethnics and Indians, being adored and worshipped for [1185] gods. For
the Gentiles' gods were devils (as [1186]Trismegistus confesseth in his
Asclepius), and he himself could make them come to their images by
magic spells: and are now as much respected by our papists (saith
[1187] Pictorius) under the name of saints. These are they which Cardan
thinks desire so much carnal copulation with witches (Incubi and
Succubi), transform bodies, and are so very cold, if they be touched;
and that serve magicians. His father had one of them (as he is not
ashamed to relate), [1188]an aerial devil, bound to him for twenty and
eight years. As Agrippa's dog had a devil tied to his collar; some
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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