But, before the Church took up this good work, it would seem that there were more or less effective agents for the purpose in existence, for Reginald Scot tells us, in ‘A Discourse upon Diuels and Spirits,’ chap. xv.: ‘But when Saule was releeued with the sound of the harpe, they say that the departure of the diuell was by meanes of the signe of the Crosse imprinted in _Dauid’s_ veines. Whereby we maie see how absurd the imaginations and deuises of men are, when they speake according to their own fansies, without warrant of the word of God. But methinks it is verie absurd that _Josephus_ affirmeth: to wit, that the diuell should be thrust out of anie man by virtue of a root. And as vaine it is that _Ælianus_ writeth of the magicall herbe _Cynospastus_, otherwise called _Aglaphotis_; which is all one with _Salomon’s_ root, named _Baaros_, as hauing force to driue out anie diuell from a man possessed.’ Nowadays we put some of those possessed with devils into prison, and we endeavour to purify them by work, diet, good counsel, and the absence of temptations--a course which is sometimes, but not always, effective; but, then, the character of devils has certainly changed during the last four or five centuries. The reading of cases of possession is somewhat dreary work, and some are evidently catch-pennies, extremely goody-goody, consisting of long-winded theological discussions between the possessed and the Devil, in which the former invariably gets the best of the argument, so that I shall not tarry long on this branch of my subject, giving only three or four cases in illustration. ‘A TRUE NARRATION OF THE STRANGE AND GRIEVOUS VEXATION BY THE DEVIL OF 7 PERSONS IN LANCASHIRE, BY JOHN DARRELL, MINISTER OF THE WORD OF GOD. 1600.