That sundrie kindes of superstition haue crept in, whereby
men haue attempted to driue away spirits.

IN proces of time, superstitions encreased more & more. 2.Thess.2. Paule complaineth, that in his time Antichrist beganne to practise his ministerie of iniquitie, that many opinions 1.Iohn.4. and sects beganne to spring vp. Saint Iohn writeth, that in his time, there were many Antichristes. What maruel is it then, if afterwards, yea and that verie quickly, diuers errours croape into the Churche, and multiplyed excÉedingly?

Sainte Augustine in his 22. booke De ciuitate Dei, and eighte Chapter, after that hee hadde recited certaine miracles, whiche were therefore shewed that men might belÉeue in Christ, he setteth foorthe this historie. Hesperius a man of good worshippe and calling amongest vs, hath a piece of land in the territorie of Fussalum called Cubedi, in the which, perceiuing by the languishing of his cattell and seruauntes, that his house was infected with the force and rage of euill spirites, he desired our fellow Priestes, (I being then absent,) that some one of them would take the paines to go thither, that the spirit by his good praiers might giue place: one of them went thither, and there offred the sacrifice of the bodie of Christ, praying very earnestly, that the same disquieting of spirites might cease, and by and by God had compassion, and it ceased. He had giuen him of a friend of his, some parte of holy lande brought from Hierusalem, where Christ being buried, rose againe the third day: that earth he hung vp in his chamber, least any euill might happe vnto him. But when his house was deliuered fro that trouble, he deuiseth with himselfe what he might do with the saide earth, which for reuerence sake, he would not kÉepe any longer in his chamber. &c. HÉereby it is manifest, that superstition began immediatly, and (as it hapneth alwaies) grewe bigger with great increase, as if one shoulde roll foorthe snowe clodded togither, or as when huge lumpes of snowe begin to fall down from the Alpes, all things on euery side are filled with snowe. Shortly after menne began to praye, and offer sacrifice for dead mennes soules, yea and that with a good intention, as it may euidently appeare in many of the auncient fathers.

Afterwards when Bishops and parish Priests, did not onely not correct olde superstitions, but also vppon a good meaning increase them, at the last they grew to an infinite number. For when spirits appeared, men called not vpon God through Christ only, but also vpon Saints, forgetting that which S. Paule saith to the Romanes the tenth. (For I wil let passe at this time all other arguments,) how shall they call vpon him in whom they haue not belÉeued? The Papists themselues cannot deny, but that we must belÉeue onely in God, and therefore he onely is to be worshipped through his sonne.

Some write that it is a soueraign remedie to driue away diuels, if we pray Aue Maria. Where by the way is to bee noted, that the same salutation of the Angell is no prayer, but onely a grÉeting, and historicall narration, to witte, howe the Archangell Gabriell tolde the Virgin Mary before of the Incarnation of Christ. But I pray thÉe weigh the sense of the words, and whether though wilt or no, thou must nÉedes say that these words conteine in them neither asking, nor thankesgiuing, which are the parts of prayer. When the Angell came vnto her, he saluted her, saying: ?a??e?, i. salue, that is, God spÉede, or reioyce (for as Festus saith, the GrÉeke and the Latin word haue one signification.) Then he addeth further, full of grace, which is to be vnderstood passiuely, as they terme it in the schooles) for because God bestowed his grace vpon her: for so the Angell himselfe expoundeth it, when he saith afterwardes, that she had founde grace, that is, that God is mercifull and louing towardes her. Those words may not be so vnderstoode, as if she were the fountaine of grace (as some haue expounded it) and that she hath grace of her selfe, and bestoweth it vpon such as call vppon her, or speake vnto her with the salutation of the Angell. For neyther the GrÉeke worde, nor any other places of the Scriptures admit this sense. The Apostle saieth to the Ephe.1. Ephesians the first Chapter, that God hath made vs his faithfull seruants, deare by his grace through his beloued, that is, through Iesus Christ. In the which saying, the same word is put, which the Angell vsed in saluting the holy Virgine. It is written in the first Chapter of saint Iohn.2. Iohns Gospell in plaine wordes, that Iohn Baptist bare witnesse of Christ with a loude voyce, and saide, that we all haue receiued of his fulnesse, grace for grace. For the lawe was giuen by Moses, but grace and truth sprang vp by Christ. Many other suche places I omit for breuities sake. The Virgin Mary her selfe saith, the Lord hath done maruellous things vnto me. She setteth foorth the grace of God, giuen vnto her from God, without any of her deserts. For he neuer bestowed greater grace on any woman. And there is a very great difference betwÉen him that conferreth grace, and them which receiue or obtaine grace. Grace is only to be sought at his hands, who giueth grace, and not of them which themselues receiue grace. A fewe yeares past, all men besought the Virgin for helpe, hoping for more grace and succour of her than of Christ himselfe. The Angell addeth further: Blessed art thou amongst women, that is, God hath conferred more grace vnto thÉe, than vnto any other woman. The words which are ioyned herevnto, Blessed is the frute of thy wombe, are not the words of the Angell, but of her cousin Elizabeth, who also saluted her. Vnto these words some religious men added, Iesus Christ, Amen. Therefore the Angell vttered not all those words of the Aue Marie (as it may manifestly be gathered out of the very text of Saint Luke, Chapter 1.) not because we deny these words to be good and holy, for the text saith of Elizabeth, that she was full of the holy ghost: but that which the Angell spake not, is not to be attributed vnto her. You shall not finde in any allowed Authors, that in the time of the Apostles and many dayes after, this greeting was accounted as a prayer, or that any godly men did salute, and call vpon the holy Virgin. Which thing I write not, because I would bereaue the holy Virgin of hir honor, but least that against hir will, we giue hir that honour which is only due to God the Father, and to his sonne Iesu 1. Timo. 2. Christ. For he is our onely mediatour and redÉemer. 1. Timoth. 2. Otherwise the Aue Marie, and other such places of holy Scripture full of consolation and comfort, touching the humanitie of Christ, his punishment, death, and merites, are to be often read, and diligentely considered: neither are the Scriptures to be pulled out of the handes of the lay people, in whiche they may sÉe all these things with their owne eyes. IndÉede I denie not but Spirites haue many times vanished away vpon the saying of Aue Marie, but it was so doone, that men might therby be confirmed in their superstition.

But these men procÉeding further, did coniure or consecrate water with certain peculiar ceremonies, and kept it in vessels in their churches, houses and elsewhere: amongest many other vertues, ascribing this force vnto it, that it chaseth away spirites, and vaine sights. They also consecrated saulte, and taught, that whether soeuer it were cast, it draue away spirites, and all deceites of the diuil, yea and the diuel himselfe also. Moreouer, they coniured with certain cerimonies and words, candles, palme, herbes, and other creatures, to driue away fantasies (as they terme them.) They laide these and such like things, as also the relikes of Saintes, in those places wheras Spirits had bin sÉene or heard. They also bare men in hande, that greate belles and sancebelles by their noise fraied spirites out of the ayre. All these things are founde more at large in the Papists bookes whiche are written of the consecration of suche things, and are publikely extant. If belles be roong on S. Iohns day, or S. Agathes day, they say it is a most excellet remedie against spirits. Some vsed to burne a bundell of consecrated herbes, that with the smoke therof they might chase away diuels. Many haue their peculiar and straunge blessings against spirites. There haue bene also many holy rites instituted by the commaundement of wandring soules, as Masses for the dead, vigils, prayers, and tweluemonths minds: as though the soules of godly men, being deliuered from all trouble, were not immediately translated into eternall rest. And it is also plaine by reading the Poets and Historiographers, that the Gentiles had their sacrifices for the dead, as their rites called Nouendialia, which were obserued the ninth day, and their yearely feastes. &c. Howbeit those counterfait ghostes craued nothing so earnestly, as that many Masses might be sung for their sakes, for they bare men in hand, that those had great and maruellous force to redÉeme them out of Purgatorie.

Iohn Tritenhemius writeth in his Cronicles of the Monasterie of Hirsgauium, about the yeare of our Lorde 1098. Henricus the fourth then being Emperour, that at The order of Cistertians. such time as the order of the Cistertians first began, there appeared many dayes and nights, not far from the citie of Wormes, great troupes of horsmen and footmen, as if they were now going foorth to battail, running now here & now there in troupes, and that about .ix. of the clock at night they returned again to the hill nere at hand, out of y? which they vsed to come forth. At last a certaine Monke of the Abbey of Limpurge, which stood not far from y? hil whence they issued, associating certain other vnto him, came on a certain night to y? place of the hil, & blessing himselfe with y? signe of y? holy Crosse, adiured them in the name of the holy and vnseparable Trinitie, as they came out of the hil, to declare vnto him who they were: vnto whom one of the company made answer: we are (quoth he) no vain things, neither yet liuing souldiers, but y? soules of earthly men, seruing in this world vnder our prince, who not log since was slain in this place. The armour, furniture, & horses, which were vnto vs instruments of sinne while we liued, are euen now after our death, certaine signes and tokens of tormentes. Whatsoeuer ye sÉe about vs, is all firie vnto vs, although you nothing discerne our fire. When the Monkes enquired whether they might be holpen by men, the spirit answered: we may (saith he) be holpen by fasting and praiers: but chiefly by the oblation of the bodie and blood of Christ, which thing we besÉech you do for vs. Assoone as he had so saide, all the whole rout of spirits cried thrÉe times with one voyce: pray for vs, pray for vs, pray for vs. And sodeinly withal, they sÉemed to be all resolued into fire, yea and the hill it self, as if it had bin on fire, cast forth as it were a great crashing and rushing of trÉes. They had in Churches a peculiar order of Exorcists. them whom they called Exorcists, or Coniurers, whose dutie was to coniure and driue away diuels, but they were not so endued with that gifte, as the auncient Christians were, and therfore they did but vaunt & boast of themselues.

Afterwards certaine Monkes and Priests well sÉen in Magicall sciences (for they were neuer without such trim men) tooke vpon them to coniure and driue away euill spirits out of houses into woods & desart places. They wroght maruellous and straunge things, and they said that a spirit in the name of Saints, and by the vertue of their coniuring and characters, was constrained to giue place whether he would or not. IndÉede the diuel giueth place, but he doth it as enemies doo, which by flying chuse a more fit place to fight in, or more apte to embushe themselues. That which Sathan doth, he doth it willingly and of his owne accorde, that he might withdrawe men from trusting in God onely, and driue them headlong into Idolatrie. Christ and his Disciples cast out diuels, but they were loth and vnwilling to depart. Moreouer they vsed to hang Saint Iohns Gospell about their neckes, and carried about with them hallowed waxe inclosed in a purse, which they call an Agnus Dei, There are certaine bookes abroade, especially one written by Iacobus de Clusa, a Carthusian, concerning the appearing of soules separated from their bodies, wherein amongst other things we reade, after what sort men should prepare themselues, when any spirits appeare, howe they shall behaue themselues in comming to them, in departing from them, in the place where they appeare, and what questions are to be proposed vnto them: touching which things I spake before, in the second part of this Booke and second Chapter, where if you list you may finde them.

I haue heard men which haue confessed themselues to haue bene so superstitious, that when the priest lifted vp the host (as they call it) in saying masse, they woulde presently wipe their face with their hands, because they were perswaded, that it was good to stop all spirits from mÉeting with them in a visible forme.

But tell mÉe I pray thÉe whosoeuer thou art whiche doest so, by what places of Scripture canst thou confirme those ceremonies? Where doth Christ and his Disciples teach vs to expell the diuell (which is a spirit, and therefore without any bodie) by bodily things? shewe but one example, that they haue cast forth the diuel by this way or means. If you bring out of the bookes of Tobie, that the heart and liuer of the fish being laide on the coales, droue away the diuel with the smell, we say that the same booke is not accounted amongst the Canonicall scriptures: and moreouer that the same diuel was rather vanquished by the praiers of Tobias and his wife, than by any fumigation. Did Christ ordaine the holy Supper to this ende, that thereby diuels should be cast out? Albeit that an euil spirit doo faine to giue place, because of these things, yet he bringeth to passe in the meane season, that superstition is more dÉeply rooted in the hearts of men.