An Antidote Against Atheism/Book III/Chapter II
Chap. II.
1. The Moving of a Sieve by a charm. Coskinomancy. 2. A Magical Cure of an Horse. 3. The Charming of Serpents. 4. A strange Example of one Death-strucken as he walked the Streets. 5. A Story of a sudden wind that had like to have thrown down the Gallows at the hanging of two Witches.
1. And now that I have premised thus much, I will briefly recite some few of those many Miraculous passages we meet with in Writers; beginning first with the bare and simple Effects of Spirits, as I will aforehand adventure to pronounce them, and then afterwards we shall come to the Apparitions of Spirits themselves.
And of those bare Effects we will not care to name what may seem slightest first. ** Mag. Dæmonoman. lib. 2. c. 1 Bodinus relates how himself and several others at Paris saw a young man with a Charm in French move a Sieve up and down. And that ordinary way of Divination which they call Coskinomancy, or finding who stole or spoiled this or that thing by the Sieve and Shears, *De Speciebus Magiæ Ceremonialis, c. 21. Pictorius Vigillanus professeth he made use of thrice, and it was with success.
2. A friend of mine told me this Story concerning Charms: That himself had an Horse which, if he had stood found, had been of a good value. His Servants carried him to several Farriers, but none of them had the skill to cure him. At last, unknown to their Master, they led him to a Farrier that had, it should seem, some tricks more then ordinary, and dealt in Charms or Spells, and such like Ceremonies: in virtue of these he made the Horse sound. The Owner of him after he had observ'd how well his Horse was, asked his Servants how they got him cured: whence understanding the whole matter, and observing also that there was an S. branded on his buttock, which he conceited Stood for Satan, chid his Servants very roughly, as having done that which was unwarrantable and impious. Upon this profession of his dislike of the fact, the Horse forthwith fell as ill as ever he was, insomuch that for his unserviceableness he was fain to be turned up loose in the pasture. But a kinsman of the Owners coming to his house, and after chancing to see the Horse in the Grounds, took the advantage of a low price for so fair a Gelding, and bought him. The Horse had no sooner changed his Master, but presently changed his plight of body also, and became as sound as ever.
3. Charming also of Serpents is above the power of Nature. And ** De Præstig. Dæmon. lib. 2. cap. 4. Wierus tells us this Story of a Charmer at Saltzburg, That when in the sight of the people he had charmed all the Serpents into a ditch and killed them, at last there came one huge one far bigger then the rest, that leapt upon him, and winded about his waste like a girdle, and pulled him into the ditch, and so killed the Charmer himself in the conclusion.
4. That also I will adventure to refer to the Effects of Spirits which I heard lately from one Mris Dark of Westminster concerning her own Husband, who being in the flower of his Age, well in health and very chearful, going out of his house in the morning with an intent to return to Dinner, was, as he walked the streets, sensibly struck upon the thigh by an invisible hand, (for he could see no man near him to strike him.) He returned home indeed about dinner-time, but could eat nothing, only he complain'd of the sad Accident that befell him, and grew forthwith so mortally sick, that he died within three dayes. After he was dead, there was found upon the place where he was struck the perfect figure of a mans hand, the four fingers, palm and thumb, black and sunk into the flesh, as if one should clap his hand upon a lump of dow.
And hitherto there is nothing related which will not abide the exactest trial, and be cleared from all suspicion of either Fraud or Melancholy. But I shall propound things more strange, and yet as free from that suspicion as the former.
5. And to say nothing of Winds sold to Merchants by Laplanders, and the danger of loosing the Third knot (which was very frequent, as ** De Gentibus Septentrional. lib. 3. subtit. De Magis & Maleficis Finorum. Olaus affirms, before those parts of the world were converted to Christianity) I shall content my self for the present with a true Story which I heard from an eye-witness concerning these preternatural Winds. At Cambridge, in the reign of Queen Elizabeth, there were two Witches to be executed, the Mother and Daughter, The Mother, when she was called upon to repent and forsake the Devil, said, there was no reason for that, for he had been faithfull to her these threescore years, and she would be so to him so long as she lived; and thus she died in this obstinacy. But she hanging thus upon the Gallows, her Daughter being of a contrary minde, renounced the Devil, was very earnest in prayer and penitence; which, by the effect, the people conceived the Devil to take very hainously. For there came such a sudden blast of wind (whenas all was calm before) that it drave the Mother's body against the Ladder so violently, that it had like to have overturn'd it, and shook the Gallows with such force, that they were fain to hold the posts for fear of all being flung down to the ground.