Me thinks the divell would have used another order, encouraging _Saule_ rather than rebuking him for his evill. The divell is craftier than to leave such an admonition to all posterities, as should be prejudiciall unto his kingdome, and also be void of all impietie. But so divine a sentence maketh much for the maintenance of the witches credit, and to the advancement of hir gaines. Howbeit, concerning the veritie of this prophesie, there be many disputable questions: first, whether the battell were fought the next daie; secondlie, whether all his sonnes were killed with him; item, whether they went to heaven or hell togither, as being with _Samuel_, they must be in heaven, and being with sathan, they must be in hell. But although everie part of this prophesie were false, as that all his sonnes were not slaine (_Ishbosheth_ living and reigning in Israel two yeares after _Saules_ death) and that the battell was not on the morrow, and that wicked _Saule_, after that he had killed himselfe, was not with good _Samuel_; yet this witch did give a shrewd gesse to the sequele. Which whether it were true or false, perteins not to my purpose; and therfore I will omit it. But as touching the opinion of them that saie it was the divell, bicause that such things came to passe; I would faine knowe of them where they learne that divels foreknow things to come. If they saie he gesseth onelie upon probabilities, the witch may also doo the like. But here I may not forget the decrees, which conclude, that _Samuel_ appeered not unto _Saule_; but that the historiographer set foorth _Saules_ mind and _Samuels_ estate, and certeine things which were said & seene, omitting whether they were true or false: and further, that it were a great offense for a man to beleeve the bare words of the storie. And if this exposition like you not, I can easilie frame my selfe to the opinion of some of great learning, expounding this place, and that with great probabilitie, in this sort; to wit, that this _Pythonist_ being _Ventriloqua_; that is, Speaking as it were from the bottome of hir bellie, did cast hir selfe into a transe, and so abused _Saule_, answering to _Saule_ in _Samuels_ name, in hir counterfeit hollow voice: as the wench of _Westwell_ spake, whose historie I have rehearsed before at large, in pag. 127 and this is right _Ventriloquie_. ♦2. Reg. 4.♦ ♦_Canon. 26. quæst. cap. 5. nec mirum._♦ ♦Right Ventriloquie.♦ The xiiii. Chapter. _Opinions of some learned men, that Samuel was indeed raised, not by the witches art or power, but by the speciall miracle of God, that there are no such visions in these our daies, & that our witches cannot doo the like._