An essay on the history and reality of apparitions: Being an account of what they are, and what they are not; whence they come, and whence they come not. ...

CHAP. X. Of the different Nature of Apparitions; how we should behave to them; when to be afraid of or concern'd about them, and when not.

DANGER may be the Reason of Caution; but Guilt only is the reason of Fear. Caution is the Mind's just Regard to the Evil in view; but Fear is a Horror of the Soul, in apprehension of some farther Evil yet out of view; unseen, and therefore terrible; merited, and therefore dreadful.

IF there were no Guilt in the Mind, Death it self would be no Evil, and therefore not the Sub∣ject of our Fear; nor is Death it self our Fear now as it is in it self a meer passing out of life, otherwise than as it is an inlet of some terrible State beyond it•• It is not what we pass out of, that is the bitterness, but what we pass into; not what we part with, but what the Exchange will be; not the leap out of Light, but the leap into the Dark: and to come nearer to it, the Thought of what is beyond Death is only made better or worse by what we know on this side of it; the Dread of what is to come, is founded on our conscious sense of what is past.

THIS State beyond Death is made our Terror, as we expect in it the Punishment of Offences, a

Retrbitution for an ill-spent Life, and as we have upon our Minds a Sense of Guilt; that is to say, a Conscience of having ill-spent our past time, and dreading the Justice of the Superior Hand, in whom is the Power of Rewards and Punishments. Now to bring it to the case in Hand.

ALL Apparition is look'd upon as a something coming, or sent to us, from that State of Beingwhich is beyond Death, and therefore is look'd upon with the same Terror and Fright, which we are seiz'd with at the Thoughts of Death it self.

HENCE, if we could consider calmly the Nature of the Apparition which we s••e, we might pre∣sently know whether we ha•• reason to be terrified at the Apparition, yea or no: If the Apparition comes with a Message of Peace, if it reprehends with Kindness and Tenderness, if it admonishes with Gen∣tleness, and gives Advice to amend and reform, it certainly comes from a good Hand, and we need be under no concern at all about it, because it has no Evil in it self.

IF it come in all its threatning Postures, ghastly as the Devil can make it, horrible as himself in Per∣son; yet were there no Guilt there would be no fear from the Apparition, or even from the Devil ap∣pearing in Person; because we should know our¦selves to be out of his Power.

AS then the Good or Evil of the Message, which the Apparition brings, distinguishes the Ap∣parition it self, and tells us of what kind it is; so as our Minds are, or are not intimidated by our own Guilt, so we have or have not reason to be sur∣priz'd at the Appearance of a Messenger, or Messen∣gers, from the invisible World, or at whatever he ••hall say.

Hic murus aheneus esto, Nil conscire sibi nulla palescere culpa.

MR. Aubery gives us the Story in his Miscellanea of the Apparition to Cashio Burroughs, Esq; in the time of King Charles I, and which I hinted at just now on another occasion; the Story is as follows:

SIR John Burroughs being sent Envoy to the Emperor by King Charle•• I. did take his Eldest Son Cashio Burroughs along with him; and taking his Journey through Italy le••t his said Son at Florence, to learn the Language; where he having an Intrigue with a beautiful Courti∣san, Mistress to the Grand Duke, their Fami∣liarity became so publick, that it came to the Duke's Ear, who took a Resolution to have him murder'd; but Cashio having had timely notice of the Duke's Design, by some of the English ther••, immediately left the City without acquaint∣ing his Mistress of it, and came to England. Whereupon the Duke being disappointed of his Revenge fell upon his Mistress in most reproach∣ful Language: She, on the other, side resenting the sudden departure of her Gallant, of whom she was most passionately enamour'd, killed her self. At the same Moment that she expired she did appear to Cashio at his Lodgings in London. Colonel Remes was then in Bed with him, who saw her as well as he, giving him an account of her Resentments of his Ingratitude to her, in leaving her so suddenly, and exposing her to the Fury of the Duke; not omitting her own Tra∣gical Exit; adding withall, that he should be slain in a Duel; which accordingly happen'd: And thus she appear'd to him frequently, even when his younger Brother (who afterwards was Sir John) was in Bed with him. As often as she did appear he would cry out with great Shricking and Trembling of his Body, as well as Anguish of Mind, saying, O GOD! h••re she comes, she comes! and at this rate she appear'd 'till he was

kill'd. She appeared to him the Morning before he was killed. Some of my Acquaintance (says Aubery) have told me, that he was one of the handsomest Men in England, and very Valiant.

THE Appearance of this Devil, for I can call it no other, had nothing in View but to harrass, plague and affright the Gentleman: Perhaps ex∣pecting it should bring him into some fit of Despe∣ration; so to destroy himself, as the Woman who appear'd had done before.

THE Gentleman whom it appear'd to, was con∣scious of Crime; the Woman in whose shape the Devil thus harrass'd him was a Courtesan, that is in English a Common Woman, with whom he had had an Intrigue in Italy: He had not only been dishonest with her, but it seems had been dishonest to her; and the last, with the assistance of the Devil, had it seems work'd so upon her Rage as to cause her to be her own Executioner; and I take the Apparition to be the Devil pursuing the same Management, and endeavouring to produce the same Effect upon him.

NOW see the Consequence of Crime: the sense of Guilt makes this Apparition dreadful to him; when it appear'd, he trembles, falls into Convul∣sions, cries out, O GOD! here she comes! and in a word, is in an Agony of horror and affright.

HAD he only convers'd with the Lady as a com∣mon Acquaintance, had he neither been concern'd with her, or had done any dishonourable thing by her, he had natural Courage to have look'd the Devil in the Face, and boldly have ask'd what bu∣siness she could have with him.

I HAVE read of a Story of a very religious La∣dy, who the Devil, it seems, had some particular Picque at, and set all his Stratagems at work to ruin her, both Soul and Body. He attack'd her in a hundred several ways in Covert, as I may call it,

that is to say by Attempts to draw her into Crime, alluring her, and laying Snares for her of several kinds. But when he found himself steadily resisted by the Lady's resolv'd Virtue, Modesty and Tem∣perance, he attack'd her in Person with frightful Apparitions, assuming ugly and terrible Shapes; and once appearing all in Fire, with a frightful threat∣ning Voice, he told her he was come to fetch her away: The Lady had a secret Spirit of Courage and Resolution came upon her at the very Moment, and, as we say in other cases, brisking up to him as if she would fight him: Resist the Devil, says she, and he shall flee from us! come for me! added she, I'll venture that! for I am sure thou liest, Sa∣tan, thou hast nothing to do with me.

THE Devil call'd her Whore, and told her she lov'd such a Man, who was a marry'd Man, and therefore she had intentionally committed Whore∣dom with him, and should be damn'd.

N. B. It seems the Lady had lov'd that Gentleman before he was otherwise engag'd, by marrying; but had never had any Thought towards him, or the least Acquaintance with him, afterwards.

THOU showest thyself, says she, to be full of Subtilty, a real Devil, and even Malice itself: it is true, I did love that Gentleman, says she, and thou settedst him to work to persuade me that he lov'd me, and to court me with honourable Pretensions, and so far gain'd upon me, that I really loved him; but—

HERE he interrupted her, and told her, Such a time, says the Devil, you wish'd you were a-bed with him, and you are as guilty by wishing to Sin, as if you had done it.

THOU art the Father of Lies, Satan, says she, and the Father of Lyars, and thou liest in this; nay, thou liest like a Devil, that is maliciously, for thou knowest that it is not true.

YOU will be damn'd, says he, and I will take you away this minute.

THOU canst not take me away without God's Permission, says she, and he will not give me into thy Hands; therefore touch me at this Peril: and with that she fell down on her Knees, and cry'd, LORD, preserve me from the evil Spirit: with which the Devil left her, and walk'd off.

THESE are Apparitions that may be call'd Ap∣paritions of Devils indeed, and by his Works you may know him, for this is acting like himself; but where there is no Guilt we need not be afraid of the Devil, in whatever Shape or frightful Figure he thinks to attack us in.

THIS Lady had never been able to reproach Satan with Lying, if what he said had been true; but she knew herself innocent, and that put Courage into her Soul, that she indeed Bully'd the Devil, defy'd him, and bad him do his worst.

IT seems the Devil rumag'd hard to find a Crime out to charge this Lady with, and came up to her very close; but he was put to his shifts for Evidence; for even in collecting all the Actions of her Life, he could not find any thing of real Guilt to load her with.

HE attack'd her after this in several Shapes, and one time he told her she wou'd be damn'd for a Hypocrite; for, says he, for all your pretended Sanctity you was in a violent Passion at such a time, and you curst your Cousin—naming her Name to her.

SHE answer'd, as before, boldly; And Satan. says she, tho' you are a Devil, and cannot be asham'd, yet you are too cunning and too knowing to act like a Fool; I was angry, but in no Passion; and for my Anger I had just cause; but thou wast the cause of the Crime, and so of the Anger too: For she own'd the Devil tempted my Kinswoman to rob

me, so thou hast been the Occasion both of her Sin, and of my Anger.

BUT you curs'd her, and wish'd the Devil (mean∣ing me, says he) might take her.

THAT'S like thee again, Devil, says the Lady; I was far from wishing thou shouldst take her, I am not so much thy Friend to wish thou shouldst be gra∣tified in any one's Ruin. But I told her, indeed, if she did such things, thou wouldst take her a∣way.

BUT you ly'd in that, says he, for I won't hurt her.

I AM sorry, says she, thou art so much her Friend.

SHE is mine already, adds the Devil, I shall not do her any harm.

VERY well, Devil, says she; then I hope I am out of your List, or why else are you raging at me?

YES, yes, says he, you shall be mine quickly, as well as she.

I DEFY thee, says she again, and I'll tell the poor Girl what you say of her. I hope she will get out of your Hands again.

THEN I'll break her Neck that Minute, says he.

THAT'S not in your Power, says the Lady.

WELL, but, says he, you play'd at Cards on Sunday Morning last.

SHE was a little surpriz'd at the Charge, and stop'd a-while; but recovering her Courage, 'Tis strange, Devil, says she, thou canst bring nothing but Lyes against me; why I have Faults enough, that are real Faults, and true, and that I could not deny. Why I think Satan's turn'd Fool, adds she, as if she jeer'd him. Why don't you fall upon me in those Things I am guilty of? and not make Lyes

for the sake of lying? I did play at Cards a Sa∣turday Night, but not a Sunday Morning.

BUT, said he, you play'd at Cards against your Conscience too, when you believ'd it was a Sin to play, and you will be damn'd for that.

WHY truly, Devil, says she, you go nearest the Truth in this of any thing you have said; for after our Minister's talking against Play, one Evening, he so far persuaded me that it was not lawful, that I did resolve to leave it off.

BUT you broke your Word, and play'd again; and did it, I tell you, against your Conscience.

I DID not tie myself by any Promise, but I did question a little, indeed, whether I should play a∣ny more or no.

YES, and did it against your Conscience, I tell you, and you shall be damn'd for that.

HERE the Lady could not refrain Tears; but still she answer'd the Devil boldly: As thou art a Lyar, Satan, I hope I shall not, because thou sayest I shall. However, thou shalt never have it to up∣braid me with again; for tho' I did not pro∣mise to Man, I now promise it to the Devil, I will never play more.

IT'S too late now, says he, and threatned her again.

NO, Satan, says she, never too late for any one to Repent, but Thee; and thou shalt never Repent, or be Forgiven.

WITH this, says my Story, the Devil left her. I have taken this, by Abridgement, from a very large Account of the several Disputes this coura∣geous Lady had with the Devil for some Years; which if I could assert the Particulars so as to be sure of the Truth of every Part, and of my own Knowledge too, I should make farther use of here; but thus far they are to the present Occasion, namely,

1. THAT where the Devil appears, he always does it like a Devil, for some wicked Purpose or other.

2. WHERE he cannot prevail and excite to do Mischief, he assaults with Rage, and threatens with suffering Mischief.

THE good Spirits or good Angels are quite of another Kind; and as they come, or are sent from other Hands, so they come of other Errands and in another manner, as I shall give a more parti∣cular Account of presently.

BUT let us from hence enquire into an Opini∣on which I have met with, and that of some Men of Learning and Judgment, viz. That take the Apparitions in general, whether of good or bad Spirits, they never, or very rarely, do any harm. As for the good Spirits, we know, as above, they will do none; and if the bad do not, 'tis be∣cause they can't.

THE good Spirits, 'tis certain, will do no harm; it is by their general appearing for good, that we determine them to be good Spirits; and that kind of Judgment is certainly very just: but if the evil Spirits, which do appear, do no harm neither, it is because they are under some extraor∣dinary restraint of Divine Power; so that tho' they may come about in the Air, they are not suffer'd to do any considerable Mischief in the World. In both which cases all the Occasion of our Terror about them is taken away; for whether they are good Spirits, or evil Spirits restrain'd, 'tis much the same; one will do you no hurt, and the other cannot; and there remains no room then for the Pannick, which is so much upon us, when we hear of them.

IT is true that Angels have sometimes been sent in Judgment from Heaven, and have execu∣ted God's terrible Threatnings upon Men in an

apparent Shape; as the Angel call'd the Destroy∣ing Angel, which David saw in the Air, with his Sword drawn and stretch'd over Jerusalem to de∣stroy it, 1 Chron. xxi. 15. So the Angel of the Lord that slew 180000 of the Assyrians in one Night; and it is not improbable that an Host of Angels or Apparitions appear'd in the Assyrian Camp, and cut in Pieces the Assyrian Army, with a Terror that they were not able to resist.

THESE are extraordinary and miraculous Cases; so likewise is that when the Angel appeared to Balaam with a flaming Sword, and told him that if the Ass had not turn'd away from him, he (the Angel) had slain him, Numb. xxii. 33. But we are not now speaking of Angels sent out with especial Commissions to execute God's Vengeance, but of the Apparition of good Spirits or Angels from the invisible World of Spirits, who frequent∣ly appear, and sometimes upon small and very tri∣fling Occasions, and who visit People as well by Night as by Day; this we call Walking, and Ap∣parition, and this is such as is the Subject of our present Enquiry.

OF these it is that I say, however they may disturb us, and however terrified we are about them, they very rarely do any harm.

I HAVE heard of an Apparition which came to a Farmer in Surry, and threatned him that he would burn his House and his Barn, and all his Corn and Hay; what his Pretences were the Story does not relate, or what the poor Farmer had done to disoblige him; but the Man was, it seems, in the utmost Consternation, and expostulated with the Apparition a great while; but at last he pluck'd up his Spirits, and spoke with a little more Courage to it.

WHAT art thou, says he, that threatnest me thus without a cause, and sayest thou wilt ruin me,

notwithstanding I never did thee any wrong? thou shouldst be the Devil, by thy usage of me, for good Spirits never do any Injustice.

TO this the Devil answer'd in a long, and to appearance, a threatning Speech, but in a Language the poor Man did not understand one Word of.

I KNOW not what thou sayest, says the Farmer, but I tell thee again thou seem'st to me to be the Devil, or one of his Angels, and I suppose those are Words understood in the bottomless Pit; but ••hreaten me no more with thy Rage, and with burning my House and Corn; thou art a great Dra∣gon indeed, but thou art chain'd, and canst do no∣thing but what thou art permitted to do by thy Maker, and I fear thee not. Upon which the poor Man pray'd Mentally that he might be deliver'd from the Power of the Devil, and away run the Spectre, and did him no harm.

THIS was certainly a commendable Courage, and had something of the Christian in it too; and such a Courage, and upon the like Foundation, would, for ought I know, lay all the Devils that ever walk'd, and drive away all the Apparitions and Spirits that People are so terribly haunted with, and so terrify'd about.