ing in their churches all day and all night, lights at funerals and in their graves; lucernæ ardentes ex auro liquefacto for many ages to endure (saith Lazius), ne dæmones corpus lædant; lights ever burning as those vestal virgins, Pythonissæ, maintained heretofore, with many such, of which read Tostatus in 2 Reg. cap. 6, quæst. 43. Thyreus, cap. 57, 58, 62, &c., de locis infestis, Pictorius, Isagog. de dæmonibus, &c., see more in them. Cardan would have the party affected wink altogether in such a case, if he see aught that offends him, or cut the air with a sword in such places they walk and abide; gladiis enim et lanceis terrentur, shoot a pistol at them, for being aerial bodies (as Cælius Rhodiginus, lib. 1, cap. 29, Tertullian, Origen, Psellas, and many hold), if stroken, they feel pain. Papists commonly enjoin and apply crosses, holy water, sanctified beads, amulets, music, ringing of bells, for to that end are they consecrated, and by them baptized, characters, counterfeit relics, so many masses, peregrinations, oblations, adjurations, and what not? Alexander Albertinus à Rocha, Petrus Thyreus, and Hieronymus Mengus, with many other pontifical writers, prescribe and set down several forms of exorcisms, as well to houses possessed with devils, as to demoniacal persons; but I am of 1 Lemnius's mind, 'tis but damnosa adjuratio, aut potius ludificatio, a mere mockery, a counterfeit charm, to no purpose, they are fopperies and fictions, as that absurd 2 story is amongst the rest, of a penitent woman seduced by a magician in France, at St. Bawne, exorcised by Domphius, Michaelis, and a company of circumventing friars. If any man (saith Lemnius) will attempt such a thing, without all those juggling circumstances, astrological elections of time, place, prodigious habits, fustian, big, sesquipedal words, spells, crosses, characters, which exorcists ordinarily use, let him follow the example of Peter and John, that without any ambitious swelling terms, cured a lame Acts iii. "In the name of Christ Jesus rise and walk." 2 Done into English

man.

1 Non desunt nostrâ ætate sacrificuli, infectâ abierunt. qui tale quid attentant, sed a cacodæm- by W. B., 1613. one irrisi pudore suffecti sunt, et re

His name alone is the best and only charm against all such diabolical illusions, so doth Origen advise; and so Chrysostom, Hæc erit tibi baculus, hæc turris inexpugnabilis, hæc armatura. Nos quid ad hæc dicemus, plures fortasse expectabunt, saith St. Austin, Many men will desire my counsel and opinion what is to be done in this behalf; I can say no more, quam ut verâ fide, quæ per dilectionem operatur, ad Deum unum fugiamus, let them fly to God alone for help. Athanasius in his book, De variis quæst. prescribes as a present charm against devils, the beginning of the lxviii. Psalm: Exurgat Deus, dissipentur inimici, &c. But the best remedy is to fly to God, to call on him, hope, pray, trust, rely on him, to commit ourselves wholly to him. What the practice of the primitive church was in this behalf, Et quis dæmonia ejiciendi modus, read Wierus at large, lib. 5, de Cura. Lam. meles. cap. 38, et deinceps.

Last of all: if the party affected shall certainly know this malady to have proceeded from too much fasting, meditation, precise life, contemplation of God's judgments (for the devil deceives many by such means), in that other extreme he circumvents melancholy itself, reading some books, treatises, hearing rigid preachers, &c. If he shall perceive that it hath begun first from some great loss, grievous accident, disaster, seeing others in like case, or any such terrible object, let him speedily remove the cause, which to the cure of this disease Navarrus so much commends, avertat cogitationem a re scrupulosa, by all apposite means, art, and industry, let him laxare animum, by all honest recreations, "refresh and recreate his distressed soul;" let him direct his thoughts, by himself and other of his friends. Let him read no more such tracts or subjects, hear no more such fearful tones, avoid such companies, and by all means open himself, submit himself tc the advice of good physicians and divines, which is contraventio scrupulorum, as 2 he calls it, hear them speak to whom

1

1 Tom. 2, cap. 27, num. 282. "Let him avert his thoughts from the painful object." 2 Navarrus.

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the Lord hath given the tongue of the learned, to be able to minister a word to him that is weary, whose words are as flagons of wine. Let him not be obstinate, headstrong, peevish, wilful, self-conceited (as in this malady they are), but give ear to good advice, be ruled and persuaded; and no doubt but such good counsel may prove as prosperous to his soul, as the angel was to Peter, that opened the iron gates, loosed his bands, brought him out of prison, and delivered him from bodily thraldom; they may ease his afflicted mind, relieve his wounded soul, and take him out of the jaws of hell itself. I can say no more, or give better advice to such as are any way distressed in this kind, than what I have given and said. Only take this for a corollary and conclusion, as thou tenderest thine own welfare in this and all other melancholy, thy good health of body and mind, observe this short precept, give not way to solitariness and idleness. "Be not solitary, be not idle."

SPERATE, MISERI-UNHAPPY, HOPE.

CAVETE, FELICES-HAPPY, BE CAUTIOUS.

Vis a dubio liberari? vis quod incertum est evadere? Age pœnitentiam dum sanus es; sic agens, dico tibi quod securus es, quod pænitentiam egisti eo tempore quo peccare potuisti. Austin. "Do you wish to be freed from doubts? do you desire to escape uncertainty? Be penitent whilst rational; by so doing I assert that you are safe, because you have devoted that time to penitence in which you might have been guilty of sin."

1 Is. 1. 4.

INDEX.