p.038Chap. IIII.
ARGUMENT.
What are the waies possible, wherby the witches may transport themselves to places far distant, And what ar impossible & mere illusiones of Sathan. And the reasons therof.
PHILOMATHES. But by what way say they or think ye it possible that they can com to these unlawful cõuentiõs?
EPI. There is the thing which I esteeme their senses to be deluded in, and though they lye not in confessing of it, because they thinke it to be true, yet not to be so in substance or effect: for they saie, that by diverse meanes they may conveene, either to the adoring of their Master, or to the putting in practise any service of his, committed unto their charge: one way is natural, which is natural riding, going or sayling, at what houre their Master comes and advertises them. And this way may be easelie beleved: an other way is some-what more strange: and yet is it possible to be true: which is by being carryed by the force of the Spirite which is their conducter, either above the earth or above the Sea swiftlie, to the place where they are to meet: which I am perswaded to be likewaies possible, in respect that as Habakkuk was carryed by the Angell in that forme, to the denne where Daniell laie; Apocrypha of Bell and the Dragon so thinke I, the Devill will be reddie to imitate God, as well in that as in other thinges: which is much more possible to him to doe, being a Spirite, then to a mighty winde, being but a naturall meteore, to transporte from one place to an other a solide bodie, as is commonlie and dailie seene in practise: but in this violent forme they cannot be carryed, but a shorte boundes,p.039 agreeing with the space that they may reteine their breath: for if it were longer, their breath could not remaine unextinguished, their bodie being carryed in such a violent & forceable maner, as be example: if one fall off an small height, his life is but in perrell, according to the harde or soft lighting: but if one fall from an high and stay rocke, his breath wilbe forceablie banished from the bodie, before he can win to the earth, as is oft seen by experience. And in this transporting they say themselves, that they are invisible to anie other, except amongst themselves; which may also be possible in my opinion. For if the devil may forme what kinde of impressiones he pleases in the aire, as I have said before, speaking of Magie, why may he not far easilier thicken & obscure so the air, that is next about them by contracting it strait together, that the beames of any other mans eyes, cannot pearce thorow the same, to see them? But the third way of their comming to their conventions, is, that where in I think them deluded: for some of them sayeth, that being transformed in the likenesse of a little beast or foule, they will come and pearce through whatsoever house or Church, though all ordinarie passages be closed, by whatsoever open, the aire may enter in at. And some sayeth, that their bodies lying stil as in an extasy, their spirits wil be ravished out of their bodies, & caried to such places. And for verefying therof, wil give evident tokens, aswel by witnesses that have seene their body lying senseles in the meane time, as by naming persones, whom-withp.040 they mette, and giving tokens what purpose was amongst them, whome otherwaies they could not have knowen: for this forme of journeing, they affirme to use most, when they are transported from one Countrie to another.
PHI. Surelie I long to heare your owne opinion of this: for they are like old wives trattles about the fire. The reasons that moves me to thinke that these are meere illusiones, ar these. First for them that are transformed in likenes of beastes or foules, can enter through so narrow passages, although I may easelie beleeve that the Devill coulde by his woorkemanshippe upon the aire, make them appeare to be in such formes, either to themselves or to others: Yet how he can contract a solide bodie within so little roome, I thinke it is directlie contrarie to it selfe, for to be made so little, and yet not diminished: to be so straitlie drawen together, and yet feele no paine; I thinke it is so contrarie to the qualitie of a naturall bodie, and so like to the little transubstantiat god in the Papistes Masse, that I can never beleeve it. So to have a quantitie, is so proper to a solide bodie, that as all Philosophers conclude, it cannot be any more without one, then a spirite can have one. For when PETER came out of the prison, and the doores all locked:[noted]Act. 12[/note] it was not by any contracting of his bodie in so little roome: but by the giving place of the dore, though un-espyed by the Gaylors. And yet is there no comparison, when this is done, betuixt the power of God, and of the Devill. As to their forme ofp.041 extasie and spirituall transporting, it is certaine the soules going out of the bodie, is the onely difinition of naturall death: and who are once dead, God forbid wee should thinke that it should lie in the power of all the Devils in Hell, to restore them to their life againe: Although he can put his owne spirite in a dead bodie, which the Necromancers commonlie practise, as yee have harde. For that is the office properly belonging to God; and besides that, the soule once parting from the bodie, cannot wander anie longer in the worlde, but to the owne resting place must it goe immediatlie, abiding the conjunction of the bodie againe, at the latter daie. And what CHRIST or the Prophets did miraculouslie in this case, it cannot in no Christian mans opinion be maid common with the Devill. As for anie tokens that they give for prooving of this, it is verie possible to the Devils craft, to perswade them to these meanes. For he being a spirite, may hee not so ravishe their thoughtes, and dull their sences, that their bodie lying as dead, hee may object to their spirites as it were in a dreame, & (as the Poets write of Morpheus) represente such formes of persones, of places, and other circumstances, as he pleases to illude them with? Yea, that he maie deceive them with the greater efficacie, may hee not at that same instant, by fellow angelles of his, illude such other persones so in that same fashion, whome with he makes them to beleeve that they mette; that all their reportes andtokens, though severallie examined,p.042 may everie one agree with an other. And that whatsoever actiones, either in hurting men or beasts: or whatsoever other thing that they falselie imagine, at that time to have done, may by himselfe or his marrowes, at that same time be done indeede; so as if they would give for a token of their being ravished at the death of such a person within so shorte space thereafter, whom they beleeve to have poysoned, or witched at that instante, might hee not at that same houre, have smitten that same person by the permission of GOD, to the farther deceiving of them, and to moove others to beleeve them? And this is surelie the likeliest way, and most according to reason, which my judgement can finde out in this, and whatsoever uther unnaturall poyntes of their confession. And by these meanes shall we saill surelie, betuixt Charybdis and Scylla, in eschewing the not beleeving of them altogether on the one part, least that drawe us to the errour that there is no Witches: and on the other parte in beleeving of it, make us to eschew the falling into innumerable absurdities, both monstruouslie against all Theologie divine, and Philosophie humaine.