"Saepe etiam & in praeliis Fauni auditi, & in rebus turbidis veridicae
voces ex occulto missae esse dicuntur. Cujus generis duo sunt ex
multis exempla, sed maxima. Nam non multo ante Urbem captam exaudita
vox est a Luco Vestae, qui a Palatii radice in novem viam devexus est,
ut muri & portae reficerentur: futurum esse, nisi provisum esset, ut
Roma caperetur. Quod neglectum cum caveri poterat, post acceptam illam
maximam cladem explicatum est. Ara enim Aio loquenti, quam septam
videmus, & adversus eum locum consecrata est."
i. e. Often even in battles have the Gods of the woods been heard to
speak, and in troublesome times, when the affairs of governments have
gone wrong, and been in disorder and turmoil, voices have been known
to steal upon the ears of persons, that came as it were from a corner,
but they knew not whence, and told them important truths. Of which
kind there are out of a great many, two examples, and those indeed
very rare and extraordinary. For not long before the city was taken,
a voice was heard from the grove of Vesta, which went from the foot,
and basis of the palace, sloping and bending into a new road, that the
city walls and gates should be repaired: and that unless care was
taken of it, the consequence would be, that Rome would be taken. This
being omitted, when provision might have been made, was explained
after that most signal and dreadful overthrow. For the altar, which we
see enclosed, and that fronts that place, was a consecrated altar.
"--- Negue solum deorum voces Pythagorei observaverunt, sed etiam
hominum, quae vacant omina --- ."
i. e. Neither did the Pythagorean Philosophers observe the voices of
Gods only, but also those of men, which they called Omens.
"Nero --- & lo'n dit qu'on entendoit un son de trumpette dans les
collines d'alentour, des gemissemens sur le tombeau de sa mere."
Nero, they say, heard the sound of a trumpet among the hills and the
rocks round about him, and groans over the tomb of his mother.
In the life of King Henry IV. of France, written by the Arch-Bishop of
Paris, it is recorded, that Charles IX. (who caused the massacre) was
wont to hear screaches, like those of the persons massacred.
St. Augustin heard a voice, saying, TOLLE, LEGE, take, read. He took
up his bible, and dipt on Rom. 13. 13. "Not in rioting and
drunkenness, not in chambering and wantonness," &c. And reformed his
manners upon it.
One Mr. Smith, a practitioner of physic at Tamworth in Warwickshire,
an understanding sober person, reading in Hollinshead's Chronicle,
found a relation of a great fight between Vortigern and Hengest, about
those parts, at a place called Colemore: a little time after, as he
lay awake in his bed, he heard a voice, that said unto him, "You
shall shortly see some of the bones of those men and horses slain,
that you read of:" he was surprized at the voice, and asked in the
name of God, who it was that spoke to him. The voice made answer,
that he should not trouble himself about that; but what he told him
should come to pass. Shortly after, as he went to see Colonel Archer
(whose servants were digging for marle) he saw a great many bones of
men and horses; and also pot-sherds; and upon the view it appeared to
be according to the description in Hollinshead' s Chronicle; and it
was the place where the fight was; but it is now called Blackmore.
This was about the year 1685, and I had the account from my worthy
friend and old acquaintance Thomas Marriet of Warwickshire, Esq., who
is very well acquainted with Mr. Smith aforesaid.
Extracts out of the book entitled "Relation de la Nouvelle France",
1662, and 1663, 12.
" Les Sauvages avoient eu de presentiments aussi bien que les
Francois, et de cet horrible Tremble-terre. Voicy la deposition d'une
sauvage age 20. fort innocente, simple, & sincere. La nuict du 4 ou 5
de Febr. 1663 estant entirement eveillee, & en plein jugement, assise
comme sur mon seant, j'ay entender une voix distincte & intelligible,
qui m'a dit, Il doit arrive aujourdhuy de choses extrangees, la Terre
doit tremble. Je me trouveray pour lors saisie d'une grand frayeur,
parce que je ne voyois personne d'ou peut provinir cette voix:
Remplie de crainte, ja taschay a m'endormir auec assez de peine: Et
le jour estant venu, je dis a mon mary cequi m'estoit arrive. Sur le
9, ou le 10 heure de mesme jour, allant au bois pour buscher, a peine
j'estois entree en la Forest que la mesme voix se fit --- entendre, me
disent mesme chose, & de la mesme facon que la nuicte precedente: La
peur fuit bien plus grande, moy estant tout seule."
i. e. The wild inhabitants, as well as the French, had presages of
that dreadful earthquake. See here the depositions of a wild Indian,
about twenty-six years of age, who was very innocent, simple, and
sincere. On the night of the 4th or 5th of February, in the year 1663,
being perfectly awake, and in sound judgment, and setting up as it
were in my bed, I heard a distinct and intelligible voice, that said
to me, There will happen to day many strange things. The earth will
quake and tremble. I found myself seized with an extraordinary fear,
because I saw no person from whom the voice could proceed. I, full of
terror, with great difficulty, endeavoured to compose myself to sleep.
And as soon as it was day I told my husband what had happened to me.
About nine or ten of the clock the same day, going to a forest a wood-
gathering, I was scarce got into the brow of the forest, but I heard
the same voice again, which told me the same thing, and in the same
manner as it had done the night before. My fear was much greater this
time, because I was all alone. She got her burden of wood, and met her
sister who comforted her, to whom she told this story, and when she
came to her father's caben, she told the same story there; but they
heard it without any reflections.
" --- La chose en demeure la, jusquez a 5. ou 6 heures du soir du mesme
jour, ou un tremblement de Terre survenant, Ils reconnurent par
experience, que cequ'ils m'avoient intendu dire avant Midy, n'estoit
que trop vray."
i. e.---The matter rested there, till about five or six of the clock
in the evening of the same day, when an earthquake coming suddenly
upon us; experience made them recollect and acknowledge that, what
they had heard me say before noon, was but too true.
"Envoyee au R. P. Andre Castillon Provincial de la Province de France
par les Missioners de Peres de la Compagnie de Jesu. Imprime a Paris,
1664."
i. e. Sent to the reverend father Andrew Castillon, provincial of the
province of France, by the missioners of the fathers of the Society of
Jesus. Printed at Paris, 1664.
"Livy makes mention, that before the coming of the Gauls to Rome,
Marcus Ceditius, a Plebeian, acquainted the Senate, that passing one
night about twelve o'clock through the Via Nova, he heard a voice
(bigger than a man's) which advised him to let the Senate know, the
Gauls were on their march to Rome. How those things could be, it is to
be discoursed by persons well versed in the causes of natural and
supernatural events: for my part I will not pretend to understand
them, unless (according to the opinion of some Philosophers) we may
believe that the air being full of intelligences and spirits, who
foreseeing future events, and commiserating the condition of mankind,
give them warning by these kind of intimations, that they may the more
timely provide and defend themselves against their calamities. But
whatever is the cause, experience assures us, that after such
denunciations, some extraordinary thing or other does constantly
happen."