Say, can you laugh indignant at the schemes
Of magic terrors, visionary dreams,
Portentous wonders, witching imps of Hell,
The nightly goblin, and enchanting spell?
They laugh at all such stories; but on the contrary are most lawyers,
divines, physicians, philosophers, Austin, Hemingius, Danaeus,
Chytraeus, Zanchius, Aretius, &c. Delrio, Springer, [1253]Niderius,
lib. 5. Fornicar. Guiatius, Bartolus, consil. 6. tom. 1. Bodine,
daemoniant. lib 2. cap. 8. Godelman, Damhoderius, &c. Paracelsus,
Erastus, Scribanius, Camerarius, &c. The parties by whom the devil
deals, may be reduced to these two, such as command him in show at
least, as conjurors, and magicians, whose detestable and horrid
mysteries are contained in their book called [1254]Arbatell; daemonis
enim advocati praesto sunt, seque exorcismis et conjurationibus quasi
cogi patiuntur, ut miserum magorum genus, in impietate detineant. Or
such as are commanded, as witches, that deal ex parte implicite, or
explicite, as the [1255]king hath well defined; many subdivisions there
are, and many several species of sorcerers, witches, enchanters,
charmers, &c. They have been tolerated heretofore some of them; and
magic hath been publicly professed in former times, in [1256]Salamanca,
[1257]Krakow, and other places, though after censured by several
[1258]Universities, and now generally contradicted, though practised by
some still, maintained and excused, Tanquam res secreta quae non nisi
viris magnis et peculiari beneficio de Coelo instructis communicatur (I
use [1259]Boesartus his words) and so far approved by some princes, Ut
nihil ausi aggredi in politicis, in sacris, in consiliis, sine eorum
arbitrio; they consult still with them, and dare indeed do nothing
without their advice. Nero and Heliogabalus, Maxentius, and Julianus
Apostata, were never so much addicted to magic of old, as some of our
modern princes and popes themselves are nowadays. Erricus, King of
Sweden, had an [1260]enchanted cap, by virtue of which, and some
magical murmur or whispering terms, he could command spirits, trouble
the air, and make the wind stand which way he would, insomuch that when
there was any great wind or storm, the common people were wont to say,
the king now had on his conjuring cap. But such examples are infinite.
That which they can do, is as much almost as the devil himself, who is
still ready to satisfy their desires, to oblige them the more unto him.
They can cause tempests, storms, which is familiarly practised by
witches in Norway, Iceland, as I have proved. They can make friends
enemies, and enemies friends by philters; [1261]Turpes amores
conciliare, enforce love, tell any man where his friends are, about
what employed, though in the most remote places; and if they will,
[1262]bring their sweethearts to them by night, upon a goat's back
flying in the air. Sigismund Scheretzius, part. 1. cap. 9. de spect.
reports confidently, that he conferred with sundry such, that had been
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