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. XIV. Of Sham Apparitions, and Apparitions which have been the Effect either of Fraud or Fear.

BY sham Apparitions I am to be understood such as have been put upon People by the Fraud and Craft of subtle Knaves, in order to bring about their wicked Designs, or such as Fear and weak Apprehension have presented to, and imposed upon the Imagination. In short,

FIRST, Apparitions with which People are cheated by others.

SECONDLY, Apparitions with which they cheat themselves.

FIRST, Apparitions form'd by the Knavery of others, to cheat, abuse and impose upon the Cre∣dulity of the People. Such was the Fable of Jupiter descending in a Golden Shower, and falling into the Lap of Danaae, whom he had a mind to Debauch. And indeed, whose Virtue could we think would in those Days, (not to say a Word of our more modest and sanctified Ladies) resist a shower of Gold, falling into their Lap? with a God in the middle of it too; But that by the way.

THE like Apparition that Immortal Ravisher of Virgins, call'd Jupiter, made, when he stole the Lady Europa in the shape of a Milk-white Bull, invi∣ting the Lady to get up upon his Back, and im∣mediately jumps into the Sea with her, and swims over the Hellespont; from whence the other side where she landed is call'd Europe to this Day. In∣deed when Ladies come to ride upon Bulls, what can they expect? Such was the horrid Cheat put upon that poor virtuous, but bigotted Roman Lady, persuading her that the God—desir'd to en∣joy her, which she in blind Devotion submitted to with Raptures of divine Joy and Elevation; caused her Bed to be laid in the Sacristie of the Temple, deck'd it with Flowers and Perfumes, and caused the debauch'd Priest to be dress'd up with Robes of State, and offering rich Odours all the Night; when at length, instead of the God, instead of the Apparition which she expected, she was betray'd, and was violated by the Traytor that lay in wait for her in the Temple. Such again was the Appari∣tion of Apollo which Lucian speaks of, which was seen su••pended in the Air, and carry'd or mov'd a∣bout from place to place in the Temple of Apollo at Hierapolis. Lucian de Dea Syra.

SUCH was the sordid Imposture of Mahomet, who having brought up a tame Pidgeon to come to his Ear, where he fed her always with Pease or Tares, so that she constantly came thither at his Call; persuaded his Followers that it was an Appa∣rition of the Angel Gabriel sent from GOD to whisper divine Oracles into his Soul; and that he received the heavenly Inspirations by that means. Such was the Voice which pronounc'd him to be the Prophet of the most high GOD, which Voice sounding in the Air, no Person appearing to speak, was concluded to be the Voice of an Angel, ap∣pearing to him, whereas it was spoken by his own

Direction by a poor Fellow who he had placed on purpose at the bottom of a Well; and when he found the Imposture take with the People, he sent a Detachment of his Followers to fill up the Well with Stones, pretending it was that it should no more be prophan'd by any Man or Cattle drinking of its holy Waters, from whence the Voice of an Angel had been heard; but really to bury the poor Wretch at the bottom of it, that he might not betray the Secret, and discover the contriv'd Delu∣sion.

SUCH likewise was the Story of the Ass that carry'd him up into Paradise, and that not only to one, but through seven or eight Paradises or Hea∣vens, where he saw two and thirty thousand Visi∣ons: And such were all the Apparitions which that ridiculous Impostor feigned to see upon every Oc∣casion, 'till his blinded Followers believed him to be an Apparition himself.

SUCH was the Image of St. George, rightly call'd Miraculous, which the Greeks to this Day play horrible Pranks with at the Isle of Skyros in the Archipelague, and which they put upon the People as an Apparition indeed; exercising particular Seve∣rities upon People in several Cases: But as it is ma∣nag'd by the Priests, so 'tis especially very furious upon all those that neglect to fulfil the Vows made to the said Saint George, or in general to all those that do not pay their Debts to the Clergy.

MONSIEUR Tournefort in his Voyage into the Levant gives a diverting Account of the Conduct of this Devil of Skyros; how they worry the Ig∣norant People to Death with it, and impose upon them by it in the grossest and absurdest manner possible. As there are not greater Impostors in the World than the Greeks, and especially the Greek Clergy; so there are not a more ignorant, easily∣impos'd-upon People in the World than the Greek

Layety; and especially those whom the Greek Clergy have to do with: Hence it is, that the most absurd Reasonings go down with them; and indeed they may be truly said to be Believers in the literal sense, for they take all things by the lump, and without reasoning at all upon them: if not, it would be im∣possible to possess them, as the Priests do, with a Be∣lie•• that the Image of St. George moves the Priest, not the Priest the Image, tho' he carries it about upon his Shoulders.

YET this is the fact: The Image of St. George is no more than a Picture, and that of very course Painting representing St. George upon a log of Wood; 'tis plac'd over the great Altar of the Ca∣thedral at Skyros, which is dedicated to that Saint: when the Church is full of People, the Image is seen to move of it self. This they call, and were the fact true, it might well be call'd, the Apparition of St. George; but be the Fact true or not, 'tis be∣liev'd to be so, and that's as well to all the intents and purposes of an Apparition, as if the Image were invigorated.

BUT to speak it in their own words, the Image is seen to move of it self, and to show it self in Apparition to all the People; for notwithstanding its Bulk and Weight, it will transport it self through the Air into the midst of the Assembly; there it hovers about, as it were viewing every Face and ex∣amining every Heart; if it finds any one that has fail'd to perform any Vow to him (the Saint,) the Image immediately fixes it self on the Shoulders of the Delinquent, singles him out, and not only he is expos'd to the whole Assembly, but the Image plies him with furious and continued Buffettings, 'till he becomes penitent, and promises again in the Face of the Assembly to pay what he owes to the Church.

BUT this is not all: but when the Assembly is thus purg'd by the Justice of this Ghost in an I∣mage, it is then taken up and plac'd upon the Shoulders of a blind Monk, who carries it out of the Church into the Town; the Monk being blind and not knowing whither he goes, is guided by the occult impression of the Image, who guides him as a Rider guides a blind Horse; and thus he carries him directly to the House of such as are Delinquent in the case of Debt to the Altar of St. George.

NOR is it enough that the Debtor seeing the Apparition or Image coming to him, flies from it, and escapes from House to House; for the Image causes the Monk to follow him by the Foot, as a Hound does a Hare; so that, in a word, there's no escaping St. George, no flying from him, the Monk is steddy in his pursuit, ascends, descends, passes, repasses, enters all places, 'till the poor Wretch, who may be truly said to be hunted down, or Hounded down as they express it in the North, is oblig'd to pay the utmost Farthing.

THIS Story fully confirm'd my thoughts in a Remark which I made from the beginning of this Work, that really Church Apparitions are the most frightful, most teizing, and terrible in their way, of all the real Devils that walk about in the World.

BUT what need we wander thus among the Ancients, and hunt among the Greek Schismaticks for artificial Apparitions, and for Ecclesiastic Delu∣sions of this kind? The Roman Church, that true Catholick Establishment, built upon the solid Rock of St. Peter himself, how full is it of glorious Frauds of this kind? and how has the whole Scheme of Papal Tyranny been supported among the People in this very manner, ever since the great defection of the Roman Hierarchy, from its true Primitive Pu∣rity, and original holy Institution?

NOT that I purpose to make this Work a Col∣lection of Church Apparitions, whether Popish or Protestant; any more than I shall enter upon a re∣citing the Universalia of State Apparitions; 'tis well for this Age, both in Church and State, that my Doctrine of the Rest of Souls is establish'd; for certainly, if the Souls of the Departed could be di∣sturb'd either in Heaven or Hell, by the mad things, or the simple things, the good things, or the wicked things transacted by their Posterity in these Days, there must be as great an Uneasiness in those eternal Mansions on account of the present Age, as ever there was since History gives us any Account of things: Never did any Generation make such Fools of their Fathers, and such wise Men of themselves, and both so unaccountable; sure it must be, that the Dead cannot come to the Quick, and that they know nothing of us, or the whole World would be one Apparition, and we should, as Sir W—B—said above, have all come up again that was under Ground, the dead World would be too many for the living World, and we should meet ten Apparitions in every Street for one living Creature.

BUT to come to the Case in hand, the first Christian Apparition I meet with deserves our par∣ticular Remark; first indeed, because of the Impor∣tance of the Occasion, namely, for the Confirma∣tion of the Faith of all true Catholicks in that great disputed, yet unsettled Point, viz. Whether ever St. PETER was at ROME or no? a Point so essen∣tial, and which the Hereticks take so much Pains to make doubtful, that if we Catholicks do not establish it past all the Cavils of our Enemies, we do nothing; and for this we bring the miraculous Apparition of Jesus Christ to St. Peter just without the City, and which carried Peter back again into the City; so that as he came out of Rom••, and return'd

to Rome, Christ himself being Witness to it, sure it can never be disputed any more.

THIS being of so great Importance to the Ca∣tholick Church, it is meet I should bring you good Authority for the Relation; and therefore thinking my self not competent, not a sufficient Evidence, being perhaps suspected of Heresy, I shall give it you out of the Labours of an ancient Father of the Roman Church, and you shall have the Story from his own Mouth, and in his own Words, as follows: It is the famous Doctor Smith, a Popish Preacher in Queen Mary's Days, who boasted that he had overcome both Bishop Ridley, and Bishop Latimer, in a Dispute against them about St. Peter's having been at Rome. Take a piece of the Reverend Doctor's Sermon.

THE Doctor's Business was to take upon him to run down the poor oppress'd Confessors, Cranmer, Ridley and Latimer, and make them odious to the People; and being to preach a Sermon upon this Subject at Whitti••gton College in London, (the same, or near it, that is now call'd St. Martin Vintry) He begins thus,

MY Masters, you are in great E rror concern¦ing the blessed Sacrament, and all your Trust was in Cranmer, Ridley, and Latimer; as for La∣timer, he said in open Disputation at Oxford, that he had no Learning in that Matter, but out of Cranmer's Book. Before this I disputed with Latimer twenty Years ago, and then he had no Learning: As for Cranmer, he said that his Learn∣ing came from Ridley; and as for Ridley, I dis∣puted with him my self now at Oxford the other Day, and I proved my Argument thus, Ille cui Christus obviavit Romae fuit Romae; ac Christus obviavit Petro Romae: Ergo Petrus fuit Romae. That is, He whom Christ met at Rome was at Rome;

but Christ met Peter at Rome, ERGO Peter was at Rome.

BY this Argument I prove two things, and singular Mysteries of our Faith.

FIRST, That Peter was at Rome, against those who clatter that Peter never was at Rome

SECONDLY, That if Peter met Christ bodily, as Abdias reporteth, and which I am sure is true, or else such an ancient and holy Father would never have written it; then consequently he may as well be in the Blessed Sacrament, as he was met bodily. To this Ridley stood like a Block, and feeling himself convinc'••, answer'd nothing. Then said I, cur non respondes Haeretice, Haereticorum, Haereticissime? did I not handle him well?

THEN he deny'd the Minor, which I proved thus. Christ met Peter going out of Rome, and said Good-morrow Peter! whether goest thou? Peter answer'd, Good-morrow good Man, whither goest thou? Then said Christ, I go to Rome to suffer. What! saith Peter: I trow, unless I take my Marks amiss, ye be JESUS CHRIST: Good Lord, how do you? I am glad I have met you here. Then said Jesus Christ to Peter, Go back and suffer, or else I must; & pro te & me.

WHEN Ridley had heard this my Proof, and Abdias's Authority, a Doctor ancient and ••rre∣fragable, he answer'd never a word; and thus I confuted Ridley in the Audience of a thousand; and yet ye say, that Jesus Christ was never bodily on Earth since his Ascension.

HERE'S an Apparition of good Fame, and of extraordinary Authority; and if any Objection can lye against it, 'tis only whether it be true or not; but I am not to answer for that, 'tis certainly true, that the Learned Doctor preach'd this excel∣lent Sermon, and that's enough for me.

BUT having thus given you an Apparition of such great Authority, namely of Jesus Christ him∣self, I shall quote you a few others of a more mo∣dern kind to confirm you in this Principle, namely, that Apparitions did not cease in the Church: Tho' Miracles are said to cease, and Prophesies cease, tho' Oracles are dumb, and the Dead do not return; yet that Apparition is not wanting, and the Artifices of the Fathers remain; namely, that they can show you wonders in Vision every Day for the Confir∣mation of that great Catholick Verity.

I MIGHT descend here to the famous Appariti∣on of Loudon, commonly call'd the Devil of Lou∣don; and the yet more famous Apparition of Jetzer at Bern in Switzerland. These are indeed Orthodox Delusions, and both carried on with the utmost Assurance, I had almost said Villany, by the Priests: But I am not come so far down yet on our way to Modern Roguery.

ONE of our Popes I think insisted, that he had had an Apparition of the Devil to him; whereas St. Francis, and St. Ignatius each in their turn put the Bite of Apparition upon the World, in so many particular cases, that if they had not, as we may say, left it off in time, as the World took them for mad Men and Fools, they would have taken them for what they really were, viz. Knaves and Cheats, and have used them accordingly; and indeed it was once within an Ace with St. Francis of his being whipt through the Streets at Naples for an Impostor; and he had but one way to get off, which was to add some things to his Conduct so extremely silly and ridiculous, that he was taken for an Idiot, and let run loose in the Streets with a crowd of Boys at his Heels following and shouting at him, and throwing Dirt and rotten Eggs upon him. This he turn'd into a species of Martyrdom, valued himself upon it, and would not suffer the Filth to

be s••raped off from him; because it was the Orna∣ment and Crown of his Sufferings for preaching the Gospel.

IT was doubtful, for some time, whether this holy Enthusiast had more Apparitions of the Bles∣sed Virgin, or of the Devil, following him: It is true, some of our Hereticks affirm'd he had no Apparitions at all, either of the Virgin or of the Devil; but that it was all a devilish Cheat, which he had the Face to put upon the World. But this, they tell us, is too uncharitable; because 'tis supposing the Wretch himself, (who, it is allow'd, was a very weak and silly, tho' an impudent Fellow) was able to Impose upon all the World at that time, who Universally believ'd that he had seen some Apparitions which elevated his Mind to that degree of Euthusiasm which he appear'd acted by.

BUT then, if we must allow he was visited with Apparitions, it must be of the Devil, not the Bles∣sed Virgin; because we have no Scripture Autho∣rity to support the Notion that she ever did, or can appear at all, either to him or any body else•• and that all the pretended Apparitions of the Vir∣gin Mary, of what kind soever, which the Le∣gends are full of, are the meer Impostures of the Priests, as really and openly as if they had been seen to be perform'd: Such was her speaking to St. Bernard, when he came up the Nave of the great Church at Millan, at four steps, twen••y Yards at a step; at the first step he said O Faelix! at the second step, O Pia! at the third step, O Santa! and at the fourth step, Maria! to which the Image answer'd, Salve Bernardi. The Marks of the four steps, Dr. Burnet, in his Letters, tells us are to be seen in the Church still, cover'd with little Plates of Brass, having the Words severally cut upon them: and yet in spite of the Relique we cannot

for our Lives believe that the silent Image spoke to him, any more than that he stept twenty Yards at a stride.

UPON the whole, we are at a Point with St. Francis, that if any Apparition did haunt him, it was that of the Devil; and they tell us this was so frequent, that at last he pray'd to the Virgin, that the Devil might not be allow'd to appear to him but upon extraordinary Occasions; and that whenever he did, he should have the better of the Devil, if he contended with him: after which the Devil never appear'd to him at all in his own Shape, as it seems he used to do, but always un∣der some Disguise, or in other Persons Shapes, tempting him in those Apparitions, as he found Occasion; but that he was always too hard for him, and drove him away. Who had the Victory at last, History is silent: but some are apt to doubt that the Devil had the better of him then, for that we do not read much of his Triumph over the Devil, in Articulo Mortis.

ST. IGNATIUS, the Patron of the Jesuits, pretended to make St. Francis, who was before him, his Patron, and to Mimick him in all his most ridiculous Extravagancies; and these of Ap∣paritions amongst the rest: and his Life indeed is full of Histories of Apparitions, either of one Saint or other, or of the Devil, or of the Virgin, upon all Occasions, and some of them the most trifling and frivolous in the World.

ST. FRANCIS being very melancholly, ear∣nestly desir'd to hear some Musick, being told that Musick would exhilerate the Soul; and immediate∣ly an Apparition of Angels surrounded him, and making a Concert of most harmonious Musick play'd admirably for his Consolation, for a very considerable while.

ST. IGNATIUS had like Apparitions of An∣gels playing sweet Lessons of heavenly Musick to him when he was writing his Book of Constitu∣tions; likewise af••er his Death a Concert of An∣gels made most excellent Musick at his Grave, and several Stars were seen plac'd upon his Sepulchre.

N. B. The first Stars that were ever seen in Apparition upon Earth; nor indeed did I ever hear that the Stars walk'd before.

SOME Apparitions have been form'd by the Po∣licy, or rather the meer Face of the Priests, to prove their absurd Doctrines. Surius, a zealous Writer for Invocation of Saints, says, that what∣ever Hereticks may prate, (he should have said, what∣ever the Scripture may prate) it is abundantly prov'•• that the departed Saints know our Concerns on Earth, and hear our Petitions, and so he determines the Question in Controversy, viz. Invocation of Saints.

Surius Not. ad Bonavent. in Vit. St. Francisci.

HE does not indeed offer any thing to prove the Fact, but several miraculous Apparitions of the Blessed Virgin to the devout Priests praying to her, one of which may be as true as the other.

TO prove the Possibility of a Person being in two Places at once, we are assur'd of the follow∣ing Apparition of St. Ignatius.

LEONARD KESEL, a Jesuit of Cologne, passionately desir'd to see this extraordinary Person; of whom he had heard such wonderful Things re∣lated, and whose Fame spread far and wide for a most wonderful Man: Kesel, an honest well-mean∣ing Man, knowing very well the best way to see a Man was to be brought to the Place where he was, and having no Notion of his being a Worker of Impossibilities, tho' he thought him a strange Person too; yet, I say, not dreaming of Miracles,

he writes to Ignatius what a desire he had to see him, and begs his Leave, (for Kesel being a Priest of his Order, he could not stir without License) I say, begs his Leave to come to Rome to receive his Blessing.

IGNATIUS forbids him; positively assuring him that if such an Enterview was necessary, GOD would provide a way for it, without giving him the trouble of so long a Journey.

KESEL did not understand the meaning of the Answer, and was extreamly dissatisfy'd to be so far under the Displeasure of his Superior, as to be de∣ny'd coming to see him, which he so passionately desir'd; however he was oblig'd to submit, and waited the Event.

UPON a Day, says the Story, when he least thought of it, behold Ignatius comes up into his Cell, or Chamber, and having talk'd with him a very considerable while, suddenly disappear'd; lea∣ving the Jesuit exceedingly comforted with such a prodigious wonderful Visit.

ST. FRANCIS did these things frequently, it seems, and rid thro' the Air in a fiery Chariot; which I dare say is as true as that St. Dunstan, while he was a Boy, flew down from the top of Glastenbury Tor, or Tower, a Place well known in Somersetshire.

THE Conversion of St. Ignatius, they tell us, was brought to pass by an Apparition of St. Peter to him, who came and touch'd his Wounds re∣ceiv'd in Battle, and healed them immediately; and yet it seems as if St. Peter was but a lame Doctor, for that St. Ignatius halted, and that his Leg was crooked as long as he liv'd, cannot be deny'd; whereas when St. Peter healed the impotent Man at Jerusalem, the Text says he made him every whit whole, Acts iii. 7, 8.

ST. FRANCIS is said to have done innume∣rable Cures for sick and diseased Persons, by ap∣pearing to them after his Death, and I could fill a Volume with the History of them; but it seems to be needless, all true Catholicks acknowledge it.

PASCALL, Ignatius's Chamber-Fellow and Companion, being reduced to great Necessities af∣ter his Death, implores the Assistance of his Col∣legue in the Church of St. Laurence, or some other Church at Rome; immediately he heard a melodious Sound, and saw Ignatius appearing to him, attended with a numerous and beautiful Train of the Servants of God; but what Relief the Ap∣parition gave him in his extream Necessity, this Deponent saith not.

BUT I may close the Discourse of impos'd Ap∣paritions with that memorable Story of Jetzer, a Dominican in the Monastry or House of Domini∣cans at Bern, in Swisserland: The Forgery is ma∣nifest, and the Reason of it; 'twas an Imposition upon the Franciscans, and contriv'd to carry on the Contention which was between the two Societies to a compleat Victory.

THE Franciscans insist upon the Blessed Virgin's being Immaculate, and born without original Sin, sanctify'd from the Womb; and therefore they can∣nonize Blessed St. Ann, who was the Virgin's Mo∣ther, and make her a triumphant Saint; almost as glorious as her Daughter, and have a Service for her, call'd, the Prerogatives of St. Ann, Mother of the Mother of God: wherein they declare she con∣ceiv'd the Blessed Virgin without the Knowledge of a Man, and that it was upon an Apparition of two Angels to her, which she relates to her Hus∣band Joachim. There's an Apparition too for the Confirmation of the Franciscans. (That's by the way.)

THE Dominicans, on the other hand, deny that the Virgin is Immaculate; they allow that she is conceiv'd in Sin, but that she continu'd un∣der the Culpa or Defilement but three Days; and they bring in an Apparition of the Blessed Virgin to this Friar Jetzer, lamenting to him that they should go about to make her equal to her Son in Holiness, and confessing, in the Words of the Text, that she was shapen in Iniquity, Psal. li. 5.

SO here is one Miracle to confute another, and perhaps both alike authentick.

BUT the Story of Jetzer is full of Miracles, all contriv'd by the Prior, and three of the Fa∣thers: first, the Apparition of a Soul in Purgatory comes to Jetzer with a Box near his Mouth, so con∣triv'd, that when he breath'd upon it, it appear'd to be all Fire coming out of his Mouth; he had also three Dogs hanging upon him, and gnawing him as his Tormentors.

IN this Posture he comes to the poor Friar Jet∣zer in the dark, and when he was in his Bed, tells him his deplorable Condition, but that he might be taken out of Purgatory by his Means, and by his Mortifications; and this Story he backs with most horrible Groans, as in the utmost Misery by his Sufferings.

N. B. You are to understand that this Friar Jet∣zer was a Fellow pick'd out to make a proper Tool for these Impostures, being very silly, and very devout; and had they not over-acted the thing, the Design might have gone a great way.

IN Consequence of the first Apparition, they made the poor Friar undergo severe Discipline, Whipping and Mortifications, and then the Appa∣rition came and thank'd him, and told him he was deliver'd out of Purgatory by his Means; so that

Part ended, to the infinite Satisfaction of the poor macerated Friar.

THE next was the Apparition of the same Per∣son, but in the Habit of a Nun, representing St. Bar∣bara, and all in Glory; telling him, ••••at the blessed Virgin was so delighted with his Zeal and Devotion, that she would visit him the next Day in Person, and give him her Benediction for Con∣solation in his Sufferings and Mortifications; at which the Fool (the Friar I mean) was ravished with Joy, and prepar'd himself and the whole Conv••nt to receive her.

AT the appointed time, the expected Delusion appeared: The blessed Virgin, clothed with the utmost Magnificence, dress'd up with Jewels, as she used to be on Occasion of the most sol••mn Festi∣vals; attended by Angels which were seen to be flying about her, as her Pages.

N. B. They were the little carv'd Angels which were placed in the Church upon extraordinary Days, and now placed as Machines about the Apparition, and lifted up in the Air, with Pul∣lies fasten'd in the Room above.

IN this Equipage, the Lady Queen of Heaven, Mother of God, was brought in Apparition to her poor mortify'd and humble Servant; she carest him with high Expressions of Affection to him, extol∣ling the Merit of his Charity, in suffering such S••∣verities for the meer Love of delivering a poor tormented Soul out of Purgatory; own'd to him, that she was conceived in original Sin; and told him Pope Julius, who then held the Chair, should put a final End to all those Disputes, and should abolish the Feast of her Conception. After much more to the same purpose, she promised him a Mission to go to the holy Father in her Name, to assure him of the Truth of the Vision, and that it was her Pleasure it should be so; and in Confirmation of it

all, she gave him three Drops of Blood, which she told him were the Tears Christ shed, when he wept over Jerusalem; with abundance of such like.

HERE was a true sham Apparition now, form'd to establish a particular Sect or Society; and a parti∣cular Profession, concerning the immaculate Concep∣tion; here could the impatient Friars have set Bounds to their Revenge, they had had a compleat Victory over the Franciscans. Nay, had St. Francis himself come up in Apparition on the other side, it would not have balanc'd the Cheat; for all the World began to give Credit to the Apparition.

BUT the Priests knew no Bounds; nothing would serve them but new Apparitions to the Friar, and new Mortifications to the Franciscans; 'till in short J••tzer himself, as foolish and simple as he was, saw through it, detected the Cheat, and escaping out of the Monastery, discover'd it all to the Magi∣strates, having twice escaped being poison'd by them; so the whole Fraud ended at the Gallows, or rather at the Stake, for the four Friars were condemned to be burnt, and were executed accor∣dingly.

THE History of the Discovery is not to my Purpose, it may be seen in many Authors, as also the Tryal, Sentence, and Execution of the Crimi∣nals at Bern, May 31, 1509, where they were all burnt together. But this Part is effectually to my Purpose, viz. that there has been, and I doubt not still is, a great deal of sham Apparition impos'd upon the World by the Delusions of others; and as it lies chiefly among the Clergy, where must we look for it, but where it is to be found?

NOR are the Pagan Clergy free from the same vile Practices, namely, to forge Apparitions to con∣firm their Delusions; and the History of all Coun∣tries are full of Accounts of it, too many to repeat here.

THE Possessions and Exorcisms in the dismal Story of the Devils of Loudon, are full of Appari∣tions and Visions, by which the wretched Fraud was carried on, and by which so much Villany was practis'd, as is almost without Example; a Story which has already fill'd a Book, and is extant in many Languages; a Fraud not out-done by the Brachmans and Priests of the Pagans in China, or in Japan.

I MIGHT next entertain you with sham Appa∣ritions put in Practice by the Devil himself, in those Countries where he has made himself be worship∣ped as a God, and where he supports all the Devil∣worship by Apparition; showing himself now one way, now another, as he finds it for his Purpose; appearing one Day in Fire and Flame, at another time in Storm and Tempest, at a third time in Humane and Familiar Shape; and in all the End is to keep up the Dread of his Person in the Minds of his Worship∣pers, and to preserve a Reverence to his Institutions, whatever they are.

IF we may believe our Writers of Travels, and Observers of Things, the Devil not only assumes Humane Shape, but insinuates himself in the real Person of a Devil to the Women, and so possesses them, (to say no more of it) as to commit horrid nameless Wickednesses with them, such as are not to be suggested without Horror. In other Places, the Apparition of the Devil is the Fund of all their religious Worship, and he has Altars ere∣cted, and Sacrifices, nay, which is worse, Human Sacrifices offered to him.

IN these horrid Performances, he appears in ter∣rible Shapes, and the poor Natives are so frighted at him, that the Fear only excites the Homage which they pay to him, and secures to him an en∣tire Sovereignty: for Fear, may, for ought I know, be the Characteristick of a Pagan Worship, as Love is that of a Christian.

THE Great Temple of Montezuma at Mexico was little else but a horrible Butchery of Humane Carcasses, the Blood of which lay sprinkled or dash'd against the Walls, 'till it lay there har∣dened and congeal'd, if Report may be believ'd, a∣bove a Foot thick, and that they sacrifiz'd at least twentythousand People a Year, in that one Pagode or Temple.

THE Indians confess'd, that they had frequent Apparitions among them of the Spiritis, which they called by several Names; and that the Great Spirit, that is the Devil, also appeared to them up∣on their Great Festivals, in bright and extraordi∣nary Apparition; to approve and accept of their Worship and Homage, and no doubt of their Sa∣crifices too.

IN Cochin China we are told the Devil goes far∣ther; for he not only shows himself in Apparition, but he utters lying Oracles, even himself in his pro∣per Person, and also whispers such Answers to the Priests, as serve to keep up a Decorum in their Worship, and a secret Reverence to his Person. And Father Borri says, the Devil walks about there so frequently, and so familiarly in Humane Shapes, that they are not at all disturb'd at him.

AT other times, as the same Author affirms, they associate themselves with particular Persons, upon various Occasions, and especially with the Women, as abov••; so that, in short, in some Cities, which are very populous, it would be something hard to distinguish between the real People and the Ap∣paritions. How far, if it were examin'd into, it would not be the like among us, I won't pretend to say.

WHO knows, in our Throngs of divided Chri∣stians, whether he meets with a Saint or an Appa∣rition; whether he talks with a Counsellor or a Devil? and the art of discerning would indeed be well

worth having; indeed, it would be worth buying, if Money would purchase it. The Devil's Disguises are very many, and Apparition is one of the best of them, because he can soon change Shapes, and change Postures, which in other Cases he may find less advantageous to his Interest. Nor is it easy for Mankind to come to the Certainty, even when he sees an Apparition, whether it be a Good or an Evil Appearance; and the best way of finding it out, except that of judging by the Errand he comes on, and which I have mention'd already, is to ask it the Question directly; if it equivocates and shuffles, conclude 'tis the Devil; for he is a Sharper, and a Dissembler from the Beginning: if 'tis a good Spirit, it will answer you directly and honestly, and tell you its Business at once; and this is what I mean, where I say, SPEAK TO IT.

IF you find it is a good Spirit hearken to it; if the Devil, defie it; and whether it be a good or evil Spirit, fear it not; for both are under the spe∣cial Direction and Authority of him that made the World, and will govern it, in whose Hands you are; and 'tis well it is so; For as Good is above Evil, so God is above the Devil. Tell him so, and bid him Defiance, and if you can but do it with a good Heart he's gone; depend upon it, he'll never stand you, Probatum est. But I must leave off the religious Cheats, for they are endless; 'tis time to talk of Apparitions of another nature, less serious, and less tiresome to hear of.