The first Chapter.

The interpretation of this Hebrue word Onen, of the vanitie of dreames, and divinations thereupon.

ONEN differeth not much from Kasam, but that it is extended to the interpretation of dreames. And as for dreames, whatsoever credit is attributed unto them,Ecclus. 24. proceedeth of follie: and they are fooles that trust in them, for whie they have deceived many. In which respect the ProphetJerem. 27.
Eccle. 5. giveth us good warning, not to followe nor hearken to the expositors of dreames, for they come through the multitude of busines. And therefore those witches, that make men beleeve they can prophesie upon dreames, as knowing the interpretation of them, and either for monie or glorie abuse men & women therby, are meere couseners, and worthie of great punishment: as are such witchmongers, as beleeving them, attribute unto them such divine powerJerem. 23. 25. 26. 27.
Read the words. as onelie belongeth to God: as appeereth in Jeremie the Prophet/

The second Chapter.178.

Of divine, naturall, and casuall dreames, with their differing causes and effects.

MACROBIUS recounteth five differences of images, or rather imaginations exhibited unto them that sleepe, which for the most part doo signifie somewhat in admonition. There be also many subdivisions made hereof, which I thinke needlesse to reherse. In Jasper PeucerPeucer in divinat. ex somniis. they are to be seene, with the causes and occasions of dreames. There were woont to be delivered from God himselfe or his angels, certeine dreames and visions unto the prophets and holie fathers: according to the saieng of Joel;Joel. 2. I will powre my spirit upon all flesh, your yoong men shall dreame dreames, and your old men shall see visions. These kind of dreames (I say)Matth. 1. 20. were the admonishments and forewarnings of God to his people: as that of Joseph, to abide with Marie his wife, after she was conceived by the Holie-ghost,Matth. 2, 13. as also to conveie our Saviour Christ into Aegypt, &c: the interpretation whereof are the peculiar gifts of God, which Joseph the patriarch,Gen. 39. & 40. & 41.
Dani. 2. and Daniel the prophet had most speciallie.

As for physicall conjectures upon dreames, the scriptures *improove[* ? reproove] them not: for by them the physicians manie times doo understand the state of their patients bodies. For some of them come by meanes of choler, flegme, melancholie, or bloud; and some by love, surfet, hunger, thirst, &c. Gallen and Boetius were said to deale with divels, bicause they/131. told so justlie their patients dreames, or rather by their dreames their speciall diseases. Howbeit, physicall dreames are naturall, and the cause of them dwelleth in the nature of man. For they are the inward actions of the mind in the spirits of the braine, whilest the bodie is occupied with sleepe: for as touching the mind it selfe, it never sleepeth. These dreames varie, according to the difference of humors and vapors. There are also casuall dreames, which (as SalomonEccles. 5. saith)/179. come through the multitude of businesse. For as a looking glasse sheweth the image or figure thereunto opposite: so in dreames, the phantasie & imagination informes the understanding of such things as haunt the outward sense. Whereupon the poet saith:

The third Chapter.

The opinion of divers old writers touching dreames, and how they varie in noting the causes thereof.

SYNESIUS, Themistius, Democritus, and others grounding themselves A dissonancie in opinions about dreames. upon examples that chance hath sometimes verified, persuade men, that nothing is dreamed in vaine: affirming that the hevenlie influencies doo bring foorth divers formes in corporall matters; and of the same influencies, visions and dreames are printed in the fantasticall power, which is instrumentall, with a celestiall disposition meete to bring foorth some effect, especiallie in sleepe, when the mind (being free from bodilie cares) may more liberallie receive the heavenlie influencies, wherby many things are knowne to them sleeping in dreames, which they that wake cannot see. Plato attributeth them to the formes and ingendred knowledges of the soule; Avicen to the last intelligence that moveth the moone, through the light that lighteneth the fantasie in sleepe; Aristotle to the phantasticall sense; AverroËs to the imaginative; Albert to the influence of superior bodies//

The fourth Chapter.180. 132.

Against interpreters of dreames, of the ordinarie cause of dreames, Hemingius his opinion of diabolicall dreames, the interpretation of dreames ceased.

THERE are bookes carried about concerning this matter, under the name of Abraham, who (as Philo In lib. gigantum saith) was the first inventor of the exposition of dreames: and so likewise of Salomon and Daniel. But Cicero In lib. de diviniatione confuteth the vanitie and follie of them that give credit to dreames. And as for the interpretors of dreames, as they knowe not before the dreame, nor yet after, any certeintie; yet when any thing afterwards happeneth, then they applie the dreame to that which hath chanced.

Certeinlie men never lightlie faile to dreame by night, of that which they meditate by daie: and by daie they see divers and sundrie things, and conceive them severallie in their minds. Then those mixed conceits being laid up in the closset of the memorie, strive togither; which, bicause the phantasie cannot discerne nor discusse, some certeine thing gathered of manie conceits is bred and contrived in one togither. And therefore in mine opinion, it is time vainelie emploied, to studie about the interpretation of dreames.The pleasant art of the interpretation of dreames. He that list to see the follie and vanitie thereof, maie read a vaine treatise, set out by Thomas Hill Londoner, 1568.

Lastlie, there are diabolicall dreames, which Nicolaus Hemingius N. Hemin. in admonitionib. de superstitionib. magicis vitadis. divideth into three sortes. The first is, when the divell immediatlie of himselfe (he meaneth corporallie) offereth anie matter of dreame. Secondlie, when the divell sheweth revelations to them that have made request unto him therefore. Thirdlie, when magicians by art bring to passe, that other men dreame what they will. Assuredlie these, and so all the rest (as they maie be used) are verie magicall and divelish dreames. For although we maie receive comfort of mind by those, which are called divine/181. dreames, and health of bodie through physicall dreames: yet if we take upon us to use the office of God in the revelationThe end & use of prophesie, interpretatio of dreames, operation of miracles, &c. or rather the interpretation of them; or if we attribute unto them miraculous effects (now when we see the gifts of prophesie, and of interpretation of dreames, and also the operation of miracles are ceased, which were speciall and peculiar gifts of God, to confirme the truth of the word, and to establish his people in the faith of the Messias, who is now exhibited unto us both in the testament, and also in the bloud of our Saviour Jesus Christ) we are bewitched, and both abuse and offend the majestie of God, and also seduce, delude and cousen all such as by our persuasion, and their owne light beleefe, give us credit.

The fift Chapter.133.

That neither witches, nor anie other, can either by words or hearbs, thrust into the mind of a sleeping man, what cogitations or dreames they list; and whence magicall dreames come.

I GRANT there maie be hearbs and stones foundSeeke for such stuffe in my booke of Hartumim. and knowne to the physicians, which maie procure dreames; and other hearbs and stones, &c: to make one bewraie all the secrets of his mind, when his bodie sleepeth, or at least wise to procure speech in sleepe. But that witches or magicians have power by words, herbs, or imprecations to thrust into the mind or conscience of man, what it shall please them, by vertue of their charmes, hearbs, stones, or familiars, &c: according to the opinion of Hemingius, I denie: though therewithall I confesse, that the divell both by daie and also by night, travelleth to seduce man, and to lead him from God; yea and that no waie more than this, where he placeth himselfe as God in the minds of them that are so credulous, to attribute unto him, or unto witches, that which is onlie in the office, nature, and power of God to accomplish.

Doth not DanielDan. 2. the prophet saie, even in this case; It is the/182. Lord onelie that knoweth such secrets, as in the exposition of dreames is required? And doth not JosephGen. 11, 8.
Gen. 37, & 11.
Isai. 11.
Dan. 2. repeat those verie words to Pharaos officers, who consulted with him therein? Examples of divine dreames you maie find a great number in the scripture, such (I meane) as it pleased God to reveale his pleasure by. Of physicall dreames we maie both read in authors, and see in our owne experience dailie, or rather nightly. Such dreams also as are casuall, they are likewise usuall, and come (as hath beene said) through the multitude of affaires and businesse. Those which in these daies are called magicall or diabolicall dreames, maie rather be called melancholicall. For out of that blacke vapor in sleepe, through dreames, appeareth (as Aristotle Aristot. de somnio. saith) some horrible thing; and as it were the image of an ouglie divell: sometimes also other terrible visions, imaginations, counsels, and practises. As where we read of a certeine man, that dreamed there appeared one unto him that required him to throwe himselfe into a deepe pit, and that he should reape great benefit thereby at Gods hands. So as the miserable wretch giving credit thereunto, performed the matter, and killed himselfe. Now I confesse, that the interpretation or execution of that dreame was indeed diabolicall: but the dreame was casuall, derived from the heavie and blacke humor of melancholie/

The sixt Chapter.134.

How men have beene bewitched, cousened or abused by dreames to dig and search for monie.

HOW manie have beene bewitchedSuch would be imbarked in the ship of fooles. with dreames, and thereby made to consume themselves with digging and searching for monie, &c: whereof they, or some other have drempt? I my selfe could manifest, as having knowne how wise men have beene that waie abused by verie simple persons, even where no dreame hath beene met withall, but waking dreames. And this hath beene used heretofore, as one of the finest cousening feates: in so much/183. as there is a verie formall art thereof devised, with manie excellent superstitions and ceremonies thereunto belonging, which I will set downe as breeflie as maie be. Albeit that here in England,An english proverbe. this proverbe hath beene current; to wit, Dreames proove contrarie: according to the answer of the priests boy to his master, who told his said boy that he drempt he kissed his taile: Yea maister (saith he) but dreames proove contrarie, you must kisse mine.

The seventh Chapter.

The art and order to be used in digging for monie, revealed by dreames, how to procure pleasant dreames, of morning and midnight dreames.

T HERE must be madeNote this superstitious dotage. upon a hazell wand three crosses, and certeine words both blasphemous and impious must be said over it, and hereunto must be added certeine characters, & barbarous names. And whilest the treasure is a digging, there must be read the psalmes, De profundis, Missa, Misereatur nostri, Requiem, Pater noster, Ave Maria, Et ne nos inducas in tentationem, sed libera nos À malo, Amen. A porta inferi credo videre bona, &c. Expectate Dominum, Requiem Æternam. And then a certeine praier. And if the time of digging be neglected, the divell will carie all the treasure awaie. See other more absolute conjurations for this purpose, in the word Iidoni following.

You shall find in J. Bap. Neap. in natural. mag. lib. 2 cap. 26. fol. 83. & 84.Johannes Baptista Neapolitanus, diverse receipts by hearbes and potions, to procure pleasant or fearefull dreames; and perfumes also to that effect: who affirmeth, that dreames in the dead of the night are commonlie preposterous and monstrous; and in the morning when the grosse humors be spent, there happen more pleasant and certeine dreames, the bloud being more pure than at other times: the reason whereof is there expressed//

The eight Chapter.184. 135.

Sundrie receipts and ointments, made and used for the transportation of witches, and other miraculous effects: an instance therof reported and credited by some that are learned.

IT shall not be amisse here in this place to repeate an ointment greatlie to this purpose, rehearsed by the foresaid John Bapt. Neap. wherein although he maie be overtaken and cousened by an old witch, and made not onelie to beleeve, but also to report a false tale; yet bicause it greatlie overthroweth the opinion of M. Mal. Bodin, and such other, as write so absolutelie in maintenance of witches transportations, I will set downe his words in this behalfe. The receipt is as followeth.

R. Confections or receipts for the miraculous transportation of witches. The fat of yoong children, and seeth it with water in a brasen vessell, reserving the thickest of that which remaineth boiled in the bottome, which they laie up and keepe, untill occasion serveth to use it. They put hereunto Eleoselinum, Aconitum, Frondes populeas, and Soote.

Another receipt to the same purpose.

R. Sium, acarum vulgare, pentaphyllon, the bloud of a flitter-mouse, solanum somniferum, & oleum. They stampe all these togither, and then they rubbe all parts of their bodies exceedinglie, till they looke red, and be verie hot, so as the pores may be opened, and their flesh soluble and loose. They joine herewithall either fat, or oile in steed thereof, that the force of the ointment maie the rather pearse inwardly, and so be more effectuall. By this means (saith he) in a moone light night they seeme to be carried in the aire, to feasting, singing, dansing, kissing, culling, and other acts of venerie, with such youthes as they love and desire most: for the force (saith he) of their imagination is so vehement, that almost all that part of the braine, wherein the memorie consisteth, is full of such conceipts. And whereas they are naturallie prone/185. to beleeve anie thing; so doo they receive such impressions and stedfast imaginations into their minds, as even their spirits are altered thereby; not thinking upon anie thing else, either by daie or by night. And this helpeth them forward in their imaginations, that their usuall food is none other commonlie but beets, rootes, nuts, beanes, peaze, &c.

NowVetule, quas À strigis similitudine, striges vocant, quÆq; noctu puerulorum sanguinem in cunis cubantium exsorbent. (saith he) when I considered throughlie hereof, remaining doubtfull of the matter, there fell into my hands a witch, who of hir owne accord did promise me to fetch me an errand out of hand from farre countries, and willed all them, whome I had brought to witnesse the matter, to depart out of the chamber. And when she had undressed hir selfe, and froted hir bodie with certeine ointments (which action we beheld through a chinke or little hole of the doore) she fell downe thorough the force of those soporiferous or sleepie ointments into a most sound and heavie sleepe: so as we did breake open the doore, and did beate hir exceedinglie; but/136. the force of hir sleepe was such, as it tooke awaie from hir the sense of feeling: and we departed for a time. Now when hir strength and powers were wearie and decaied, shee awooke of hir owne accord, and began to speake manie vaine and doting words, affirming that she had passed over both seas and mountaines; delivering to us manie untrue and false reports: we earnestlie denied them, she impudentlie affirmed them. This (saith he) will not so come to passe with everie one, but onlie with old women that are melancholike, whose nature is extreame cold, and their evaporation small; and they both perceive and remember what they see in that case and taking of theirs.

The ninth Chapter.

A confutation of the former follies, as well concerning ointments, dreames, &c. as also of the assemblie of witches, and of their consultations and bankets at sundrie places, and all in dreames.

BUT if it be true that S. Augustine saith, and manie other writers, that witches nightwalkings are but phantasies and dreames: then all the reportes of their bargaine, transporting, and mee/tings with 186.Diana, Minerva, &c: are but fables; and then do they lie that mainteine those actions to be doone in deed and veritie, which in truth are doone no waie. It were marvell on the one side (if those things happened in dreames, which neverthelesse the witches affirme to be otherwise) that when those witches awake, they neither consider nor remember that they were in a dreame. Barthol. SpinÆus, q. de strigib. c. 31.It were marvell that their ointments, by the opinions having no force at all to that effect, as they confesse which are inquisitors, should have such operation. It were marvell that their ointments cannot be found anie where, saving onelie in the inquisitors bookes. It were marvell, that when a stranger is annointed therewith, they have sometimes, and yet not alwaies, the like operation as with witches; which all the inquisitors confesse.

But to this last, frier Bar. Spin. qu. de strigib. c. 30.BartholomÆus saith, that the witches themselves, before they annoint themselves, do heare in the night time a great noise of minstrels, which flie over them, with the ladie of the fairies, and then they addresse themselves to their journie. But then I marvell againe, that no bodie else heareth nor seeth this troope of minstrels, especiallie riding in a moone light night. It is marvell that they that thinke this to be but in a dreame, can be persuaded that all the rest is anie other than dreames.New matter & worthie to be marvelled at. It is marvell that in dreames, witches of old acquaintance meet so just togither, and conclude upon murthers, and receive ointments, roots, powders, &c: (as witchmongers report they doo, and as they make the witches confesse) and yet lie at home fast asleepe. It is marvell that such preparation is made for them (as Sprenger, Bartholomew, and Bodin report) as well in noble mens houses, as in alehouses; and that they come in dreames, and eate up their meate: and the alewife speciallie is not wearied with them for non paiment of their score,/137. or false paiment; to wit, with imaginarie monie, which they saie is not substantiall, and that they talke not afterwards about the reckoning, and so discover the matter. And it is most marvell of all, that the hostesse, &c: dooth not sit among them, and take part of their good cheere. For so it is, that if any part of these their meetings and league be true, it is as true and as certeinlie prooved and confessed, that at some alehouse, or sometime at some Gen/tlemans187. house, there is continuall preparation made monethlie for thisLegend. aur. in vita S. Germani. assemblie: as appeereth in S. Germans storie.

The tenth Chapter.

That most part of prophesies in the old testament were revealed in dreames, that we are not now to looke for such revelations, of some who have drempt of that which hath come to passe, that dreames proove contrarie, Nabuchadnez-zars rule to knowe a true expositor of dreames.

IT is held and mainteined by divers, and gathered out of the 12. of Numbers, that all which was written or spoken by the prophets, among the children of Israel (Moses excepted) was propounded to them by dreames. And indeed it is manifest, that manie things, which are thought by the unlearned to have beene reallie finished, have beene onlie performed by dreams and visions. As where Salomon1. Re. 3, 5. 15. required of God the gift of wisdome: that was (I say) in a dreame; and also where he received promise1. Reg. 9. of the continuance of the kingdome of Israel in his line. So was EsaisIsai. 6.
Ezech. 12.
Jerem. 13. vision in the 6. of his prophesie: as also that of Ezechiel the 12. Finallie, where Jeremie was commanded to hide his girdle in the clift of a rocke at the river Euphrates in Babylon; and that after certeine daies, it did there putrifie, it must needs be in a dreame; for Jeremie was never (or at leastwise not then) at Babylon. We that are christians must not now slumber and dreame, but watch and praie, and meditate upon our salvation in Christ both daie and night. And if we expect revelations in our dreames, now, when Christ is come, we shall deceive our selves: for in him are fulfilled all dreames and prophesies. Howbeit, BodinJ. Bodin. lib. de dÆmon. 1. cap. 5. holdeth that dreames and visions continue till this daie, in as miraculous maner as ever they did.

If you read Artemidorus, you shall read manie stories of such as drempt of things that afterwards cam to passe. But he might have cited a thousand for one that fell out contrarie: for as for/188. such dreamers among the Jews themselves, as had not extraordinarie visions miraculouslie exhibited unto them by God, they were counted couseners, as may appeere by these words of the prophet Zacharie;Zach. 10, 2. Surelie the idols have spoken vanitie, and the soothsaiers have seene a lie, and the dreamers have told a vaine thing. According to SalomonsEccles. 5, 6.
Jerem. 23. saieng; In the multitude of dreames and vanities are manie words. It appeereth in Jeremie 23. that the false prophets, whilest they illuded the people with lies, counterfetting the true prophets, used to crie out; Dreames, dreames; We have dreamed a dreame, &c. Finallie, Nabuchadnez-zar teacheth all men to knowe a true expositor of dreames; to wit, such a one as hath his revelation from GOD. For he can (as DanielDaniel. 2. did) repeate your dreame before you discover it: which thing if anie expounder of dreames can doo at this daie, I will beleeve him//