men from their nativity, and to protect or punish them as they see
cause: and are called boni et mali Genii by the Romans. Heroes, lares,
if good, lemures or larvae if bad, by the stoics, governors of
countries, men, cities, saith [1124]Apuleius, Deos appellant qui ex
hominum numero juste ac prudenter vitae curriculo gubernato, pro
numine, postea ab hominibus praediti fanis et ceremoniis vulgo
admittuntur, ut in Aegypto Osyris, &c. Praestites, Capella calls them,
which protected particular men as well as princes, Socrates had his
Daemonium Saturninum et ignium, which of all spirits is best, ad
sublimes cogitationes animum erigentem, as the Platonists supposed;
Plotinus his, and we Christians our assisting angel, as Andreas
Victorellus, a copious writer of this subject, Lodovicus de La-Cerda,
the Jesuit, in his voluminous tract de Angelo Custode, Zanchius, and
some divines think. But this absurd tenet of Tyreus, Proclus confutes
at large in his book de Anima et daemone.
Psellus [1125], a Christian, and sometimes tutor (saith Cuspinian) to
Michael Parapinatius, Emperor of Greece, a great observer of the nature
of devils, holds they are corporeal [1126], and have aerial bodies,
that they are mortal, live and die, (which Martianus Capella likewise
maintains, but our Christian philosophers explode) that they [1127]are
nourished and have excrements, they feel pain if they be hurt (which
Cardan confirms, and Scaliger justly laughs him to scorn for; Si
pascantur aere, cur non pugnant ob puriorem aera? &c.) or stroken: and
if their bodies be cut, with admirable celerity they come together
again. Austin, in Gen. lib. iii. lib. arbit., approves as much, mutata
casu corpora in deteriorem qualitatem aeris spissioris, so doth
Hierome. Comment. in epist. ad Ephes. cap. 3, Origen, Tertullian,
Lactantius, and many ancient Fathers of the Church: that in their fall
their bodies were changed into a more aerial and gross substance.
Bodine, lib. 4, Theatri Naturae and David Crusius, Hermeticae
Philosophiae, lib. 1. cap. 4, by several arguments proves angels and
spirits to be corporeal: quicquid continetur in loco corporeum est; At
spiritus continetur in loco, ergo. [1128]Si spiritus sunt quanti, erunt
corporei: At sunt quanti, ergo. sunt finiti, ergo. quanti, &c. Bodine
[1129]goes farther yet, and will have these, Animae separatae genii,
spirits, angels, devils, and so likewise souls of men departed, if
corporeal (which he most eagerly contends) to be of some shape, and
that absolutely round, like Sun and Moon, because that is the most
perfect form, quae nihil habet asperitatis, nihil angulis incisum,
nihil anfractibus involutem, nihil eminens, sed inter corpora perfecta
est perfectissimum; [1130]therefore all spirits are corporeal he
concludes, and in their proper shapes round. That they can assume other
aerial bodies, all manner of shapes at their pleasures, appear in what
likeness they will themselves, that they are most swift in motion, can
pass many miles in an instant, and so likewise [1131]transform bodies
of others into what shape they please, and with admirable celerity
remove them from place to place; (as the Angel did Habakkuk to Daniel,
and as Philip the deacon was carried away by the Spirit, when he had
baptised the eunuch; so did Pythagoras and Apollonius remove themselves
and others, with many such feats) that they can represent castles in
the air, palaces, armies, spectrums, prodigies, and such strange
objects to mortal men's eyes, [1132]cause smells, savours, &c., deceive
all the senses; most writers of this subject credibly believe; and that
they can foretell future events, and do many strange miracles. Juno's
image spake to Camillus, and Fortune's statue to the Roman matrons,
with many such. Zanchius, Bodine, Spondanus, and others, are of opinion
that they cause a true metamorphosis, as Nebuchadnezzar was really
translated into a beast, Lot's wife into a pillar of salt; Ulysses'
companions into hogs and dogs, by Circe's charms; turn themselves and
others, as they do witches into cats, dogs, hares, crows, &c. Strozzius
Cicogna hath many examples, lib. iii. omnif. mag. cap. 4 and 5, which
he there confutes, as Austin likewise doth, de civ. Dei lib. xviii.
That they can be seen when and in what shape, and to whom they will,
saith Psellus, Tametsi nil tale viderim, nec optem videre, though he
himself never saw them nor desired it; and use sometimes carnal
copulation (as elsewhere I shall [1133]prove more at large) with women
and men. Many will not believe they can be seen, and if any man shall
say, swear, and stiffly maintain, though he be discreet and wise,
judicious and learned, that he hath seen them, they account him a
timorous fool, a melancholy dizzard, a weak fellow, a dreamer, a sick
or a mad man, they contemn him, laugh him to scorn, and yet Marcus of
his credit told Psellus that he had often seen them. And Leo Suavius, a
Frenchman, c. 8, in Commentar. l. 1. Paracelsi de vita longa, out of
some Platonists, will have the air to be as full of them as snow
falling in the skies, and that they may be seen, and withal sets down
the means how men may see them; Si irreverberatus oculis sole
splendente versus caelum continuaverint obtutus, &c., [1134]and saith
moreover he tried it, praemissorum feci experimentum, and it was true,
that the Platonists said. Paracelsus confesseth that he saw them divers
times, and conferred with them, and so doth Alexander ab
[1135]Alexandro, that he so found it by experience, when as before he
doubted of it. Many deny it, saith Lavater, de spectris, part 1. c. 2,
and part 2. c. 11, because they never saw them themselves; but as he
reports at large all over his book, especially c. 19. part 1, they are
often seen and heard, and familiarly converse with men, as Lod. Vives
assureth us, innumerable records, histories, and testimonies evince in
all ages, times, places, and [1136]all travellers besides; in the West
Indies and our northern climes, Nihil familiarius quam in agris et
urbibus spiritus videre, audire qui vetent, jubeant, &c. Hieronymus
vita Pauli, Basil ser. 40, Nicephorus, Eusebius, Socrates, Sozomenus,
[1137]Jacobus Boissardus in his tract de spirituum apparitionibus,
Petrus Loyerus l. de spectris, Wierus l. 1. have infinite variety of
such examples of apparitions of spirits, for him to read that farther
doubts, to his ample satisfaction. One alone I will briefly insert. A
nobleman in Germany was sent ambassador to the King of Sweden (for his
name, the time, and such circumstances, I refer you to Boissardus, mine
[1138]Author). After he had done his business, he sailed to Livonia, on
set purpose to see those familiar spirits, which are there said to be
conversant with men, and do their drudgery works. Amongst other
matters, one of them told him where his wife was, in what room, in what
clothes, what doing, and brought him a ring from her, which at his
return, non sine omnium admiratione, he found to be true; and so
believed that ever after, which before he doubted of. Cardan, l. 19. de
subtil, relates of his father, Facius Cardan, that after the accustomed
solemnities, _An._ 1491, 13 August, he conjured up seven devils, in
Greek apparel, about forty years of age, some ruddy of complexion, and
some pale, as he thought; he asked them many questions, and they made
ready answer, that they were aerial devils, that they lived and died as
men did, save that they were far longer lived (700 or 800 [1139]years);
they did as much excel men in dignity as we do juments, and were as far
excelled again of those that were above them; our [1140]governors and
keepers they are moreover, which [1141]Plato in Critias delivered of
old, and subordinate to one another, Ut enim homo homini sic daemon
daemoni dominatur, they rule themselves as well as us, and the spirits
of the meaner sort had commonly such offices, as we make horse-keepers,
neat-herds, and the basest of us, overseers of our cattle; and that we
can no more apprehend their natures and functions, than a horse a
man's. They knew all things, but might not reveal them to men; and
ruled and domineered over us, as we do over our horses; the best kings
amongst us, and the most generous spirits, were not comparable to the
basest of them. Sometimes they did instruct men, and communicate their
skill, reward and cherish, and sometimes, again, terrify and punish, to
keep them in awe, as they thought fit, Nihil magis cupientes (saith
Lysius, Phis. Stoicorum) quam adorationem hominum. [1142]The same
Author, Cardan, in his Hyperchen, out of the doctrine of Stoics, will
have some of these genii (for so he calls them) to be [1143]desirous of
men's company, very affable and familiar with them, as dogs are;
others, again, to abhor as serpents, and care not for them. The same
belike Tritemius calls Ignios et sublunares, qui nunquam demergunt ad
inferiora, aut vix ullum habent in terris commercium: [1144]Generally
they far excel men in worth, as a man the meanest worm; though some of
them are inferior to those of their own rank in worth, as the
blackguard in a prince's court, and to men again, as some degenerate,
base, rational creatures, are excelled of brute beasts.
That they are mortal, besides these testimonies of Cardan, Martianus,
&c., many other divines and philosophers hold, post prolixum tempus
moriuntur omnes; The [1145]Platonists, and some Rabbins, Porphyrius and
Plutarch, as appears by that relation of Thamus: [1146]The great God
Pan is dead; Apollo Pythius ceased; and so the rest. St. Hierome, in
the life of Paul the Hermit, tells a story how one of them appeared to
St. Anthony in the wilderness, and told him as much. [1147]Paracelsus
of our late writers stiffly maintains that they are mortal, live and
die as other creatures do. Zozimus, l. 2, farther adds, that religion
and policy dies and alters with them. The [1148]Gentiles' gods, he
saith, were expelled by Constantine, and together with them. Imperii
Romani majestas, et fortuna interiit, et profligata est; The fortune
and majesty of the Roman Empire decayed and vanished, as that heathen
in [1149]Minutius formerly bragged, when the Jews were overcome by the
Romans, the Jew's God was likewise captivated by that of Rome; and
Rabsakeh to the Israelites, no God should deliver them out of the hands
of the Assyrians. But these paradoxes of their power, corporeity,
mortality, taking of shapes, transposing bodies, and carnal
copulations, are sufficiently confuted by Zanch. c. 10, l. 4. Pererius
in his comment, and Tostatus questions on the 6th of Gen. Th. Aquin.,
St. Austin, Wierus, Th. Erastus, Delrio, tom. 2, l. 2, quaest. 29;
Sebastian Michaelis, c. 2, de spiritibus, D. Reinolds Lect. 47. They
may deceive the eyes of men, yet not take true bodies, or make a real
metamorphosis; but as Cicogna proves at large, they are
[1150]Illusoriae, et praestigiatrices transformationes, omnif. mag.
lib. 4. cap. 4, mere illusions and cozenings, like that tale of Pasetis
obulus in Suidas, or that of Autolicus, Mercury's son, that dwelt in
Parnassus, who got so much treasure by cozenage and stealth. His father
Mercury, because he could leave him no wealth, taught him many fine
tricks to get means, [1151]for he could drive away men's cattle, and if
any pursued him, turn them into what shapes he would, and so did
mightily enrich himself, hoc astu maximam praedam est adsecutus. This,
no doubt, is as true as the rest; yet thus much in general. Thomas,
Durand, and others, grant that they have understanding far beyond men,
can probably conjecture and [1152]foretell many things; they can cause
and cure most diseases, deceive our senses; they have excellent skill
in all Arts and Sciences; and that the most illiterate devil is Quovis
homine scientior (more knowing than any man), as [1153]Cicogna
maintains out of others. They know the virtues of herbs, plants,
stones, minerals, &c.; of all creatures, birds, beasts, the four
elements, stars, planets, can aptly apply and make use of them as they
see good; perceiving the causes of all meteors, and the like: Dant se
coloribus (as [1154] Austin hath it) accommodant se figuris, adhaerent
sonis, subjiciunt se odoribus, infundunt se saporibus, omnes sensus
etiam ipsam intelligentiam daemones fallunt, they deceive all our
senses, even our understanding itself at once. [1155]They can produce
miraculous alterations in the air, and most wonderful effects, conquer
armies, give victories, help, further, hurt, cross and alter human
attempts and projects (Dei permissu) as they see good themselves.
[1156]When Charles the Great intended to make a channel betwixt the
Rhine and the Danube, look what his workmen did in the day, these
spirits flung down in the night, Ut conatu Rex desisteret, pervicere.
Such feats can they do. But that which Bodine, l. 4, Theat. nat. thinks
(following Tyrius belike, and the Platonists,) they can tell the
secrets of a man's heart, aut cogitationes hominum, is most false; his
reasons are weak, and sufficiently confuted by Zanch. lib. 4, cap. 9.
Hierom. lib. 2, com. in Mat. ad cap. 15, Athanasius quaest. 27, ad
Antiochum Principem, and others.
_Orders_.] As for those orders of good and bad devils, which the
Platonists hold, is altogether erroneous, and those Ethnics boni et
mali Genii, are to be exploded: these heathen writers agree not in this
point among themselves, as Dandinus notes, An sint [1157]mali non
conveniunt, some will have all spirits good or bad to us by a mistake,
as if an Ox or Horse could discourse, he would say the Butcher was his
enemy because he killed him, the grazier his friend because he fed him;
a hunter preserves and yet kills his game, and is hated nevertheless of
his game; nec piscatorem piscis amare potest, &c. But Jamblichus,
Psellus, Plutarch, and most Platonists acknowledge bad, et ab eorum
maleficiis cavendum, and we should beware of their wickedness, for they
are enemies of mankind, and this Plato learned in Egypt, that they
quarrelled with Jupiter, and were driven by him down to hell.
[1158]That which [1159]Apuleius, Xenophon, and Plato contend of
Socrates Daemonium, is most absurd: That which Plotinus of his, that he
had likewise Deum pro Daemonio; and that which Porphyry concludes of
them all in general, if they be neglected in their sacrifice they are
angry; nay more, as Cardan in his Hipperchen will, they feed on men's
souls, Elementa sunt plantis elementum, animalibus plantae, hominibus
animalia, erunt et homines aliis, non autem diis, nimis enim remota est
eorum natura a nostra, quapropter daemonibus: and so belike that we
have so many battles fought in all ages, countries, is to make them a
feast, and their sole delight: but to return to that I said before, if
displeased they fret and chafe, (for they feed belike on the souls of
beasts, as we do on their bodies) and send many plagues amongst us; but
if pleased, then they do much good; is as vain as the rest and confuted
by Austin, l. 9. c. 8. de Civ. Dei. Euseb. l. 4. praepar. Evang. c. 6.
and others. Yet thus much I find, that our schoolmen and other
[1160]divines make nine kinds of bad spirits, as Dionysius hath done of
angels. In the first rank are those false gods of the gentiles, which
were adored heretofore in several idols, and gave oracles at Delphos,
and elsewhere; whose prince is Beelzebub. The second rank is of liars
and equivocators, as Apollo, Pythius, and the like. The third are those
vessels of anger, inventors of all mischief; as that Theutus in Plato;
Esay calls them [1161]vessels of fury; their prince is Belial. The
fourth are malicious revenging devils; and their prince is Asmodaeus.
The fifth kind are cozeners, such as belong to magicians and witches;
their prince is Satan. The sixth are those aerial devils that
[1162]corrupt the air and cause plagues, thunders, fires, &c.; spoken
of in the Apocalypse, and Paul to the Ephesians names them the princes
of the air; Meresin is their prince. The seventh is a destroyer,
captain of the furies, causing wars, tumults, combustions, uproars,
mentioned in the Apocalypse; and called Abaddon. The eighth is that
accusing or calumniating devil, whom the Greeks call Διαβολος, that
drives men to despair. The ninth are those tempters in several kinds,
and their prince is Mammon. Psellus makes six kinds, yet none above the
Moon: Wierus in his Pseudo-monarchia Daemonis, out of an old book,
makes many more divisions and subordinations, with their several names,
numbers, offices, &c., but Gazaeus cited by [1163]Lipsius will have all
places full of angels, spirits, and devils, above and beneath the
Moon,[1164]ethereal and aerial, which Austin cites out of Varro l. 7.
de Civ. Dei, c. 6. The celestial devils above, and aerial beneath, or,
as some will, gods above, Semi-dei or half gods beneath, Lares, Heroes,
Genii, which climb higher, if they lived well, as the Stoics held; but
grovel on the ground as they were baser in their lives, nearer to the
earth: and are Manes, Lemures, Lamiae, &c. [1165]They will have no
place but all full of spirits, devils, or some other inhabitants;
Plenum Caelum, aer, aqua terra, et omnia sub terra, saith
[1166]Gazaeus; though Anthony Rusca in his book de Inferno, lib. v.
cap. 7. would confine them to the middle region, yet they will have
them everywhere. Not so much as a hair-breadth empty in heaven, earth,
or waters, above or under the earth. The air is not so full of flies in
summer, as it is at all times of invisible devils: this
[1167]Paracelsus stiffly maintains, and that they have every one their
several chaos, others will have infinite worlds, and each world his
peculiar spirits, gods, angels, and devils to govern and punish it.
Singula [1168]nonnulli credunt quoque sidera posse
Dici orbes, terramque appellant sidus opacum,
Cui minimus divum praesit.———
Some persons believe each star to be a world, and this earth an opaque
star, over which the least of the gods presides.