Cicero "de Natura Deorum", lib. 2.
"PRAETEREA ipsorum Deorum saepe praesentiae, quales supra commemoravi,
--- declarant, ut ab his, & Civitatibus, & singulis Hominibus consuli.
Quod quidem intelligitur etiam significationibus rerum futurarum, quae
tum dormientibus, tum Vigilantibus portentantur. --- Nemo vir magnus
sine aliquo afflatu divino unquam fuit".
i. e. Moreover the frequent presence of the Gods themselves, as I
have above mentioned, plainly manifest, that they preside, with their
good advice, as guardians, not only over cities, but particular men.
This may be likewise certainly understood by the several
significations of future events, which are predicted to men both
sleeping and waking --- there was never any one single great man, but
what has, in some measure, partaken of this divine inspiration.
"Testor Deum me olim ante plures menses melancolia ex adverso casu
conceptam, Domini patris mei praesentisse, ac pronunciasse mortem,
cum tamen ipso valde incolumi, nulla ejus mihi ratio probabilis
afferretur: & sic ipse postea momentum sui obitus, septem circiter
horas antea pronunciavit".
i. e. I call God to witness, that formerly some months before, having
conceived it in a fit of melancholy, from an unlucky event, that I
foreknew, and foretold my father's death, when he being quite in
health, no probable account of it offered itself to me: and in like
manner he himself afterwards pronounced the moment of his departure
near seven hours before. "Imperialis Musaeum Physicum". 104.
Oliver Cromwell had certainly this afflatus. One that I knew, that was
at the battle of Dunbar, told me that Oliver was carried on with a
divine impulse; he did laugh so excessively as if he had been drunk;
his eyes sparkled with spirits. He obtained a great victory; but the
action was said to be contrary to human prudence. The same fit of
laughter seized Oliver Cromwell, just before the battle of Naseby; as
a kinsman of mine, and a great favourite of his, Colonel J. P. then
present, testified. Cardinal Mazarine said, that he was a lucky fool.
In one of the great fields at Warminster in Wiltshire, in the harvest,
at the very time of the fight at Bosworth field, between King Eichard
III. and Henry VII. there was one of the parish took two sheaves,
crying (with some intervals) now for Richard, now for Henry; at last
lets fall the sheaf that did represent Richard; and cried, now
for King Henry, Richard is slain. This action did agree with the very
time, day and hour. When I was a schoolboy I have heard this
confidently delivered by tradition by some old men of our country.
Monsieur de Scudery in his Poem, entituled "Rome Vaincue", fancies an
angel to be sent to Alaric, to impel him to overrun the Roman empire
with his swarms of northern people. The like may be fancied upon all
changes of government; when providence destines the ends, it orders
the means.
By way of parallel to this, the Pope by the like instinct, being at
Rome in the consistory, did speak of the engagement in the famous
battle of Lepanto, and that the Christians were victors. The fight
at sea being two hundred miles or more distant from them.
King Charles I. after he was condemned, did tell Colonel Tomlinson,
that he believed, that the English monarchy was now at an end: about
half an hour after, he told the Colonel, "that now he had assurance
by a strong impulse "on his spirit, that his son should reign after him."
This information I had from Fabian Philips, Esq. of the Inner-
temple, who had good authority for the truth of it: I have forgot who
it was.
The Lord Roscomon, being a boy of ten years of age at Caen in
Normandy, one day was (as it were) madly extravagant in playing,
leaping, getting over the table-boards, &c.
He was wont to be sober enough: they said, God grant this bodes no ill
luck to him; in the heat of this extravagant fit, he cries out, my
father is dead. A fortnight after news came from Ireland, that his
father was dead. This account I had from Mr. Knolles, who was his
governor, and then with him; since Secretary to the Earl of
Stafford, and I have heard his Lordship's relations confirm the same.
A very good friend of mine and old acquaintance, hath had frequent
impulses; when he was a commoner at Trinity College, Oxford, he had
several. When he rode towards the West one time in the stage coach,
he told the company, " We shall certainly be robbed," and they were
so. When a brother of his, a merchant, died, he left him with other
effects, a share of a ship, which was returning from Spain, and of
which news was brought to the Exchange at London of her good
condition; he had such an impulse upon his spirit, that he must needs
sell his share, though to loss; and he did sell it. The ship came safe
to Cornwall, (or Devon) and somewhere afterwards fell upon the rocks
and sunk: not a man perished; but all the goods were lost except some
parrots, which were brought for Queen Katherine.
The good genius of Socrates is much remembered, which gave him
warning. The Ethnick Genij are painted like our Angels; strong
impulses are to be referred to them.
The learned Dr. John Pell, hath told me, that he did verily believe,
that some of his solutions of difficult problems were not done "Sine
Domino auxilio".
Mr. J. N. a very understanding gentleman, and not superstitious,
protested to me, that when he hath been over-persuaded by friends to
act contrary to a strong impulse, that he never succeeded.