A goodly gallerye with a most pleasaunt prospect, into the garden of naturall contemplation, to behold the naturall causes of all kynde of meteors, as wel fyery and ayery, as watry and earthly, of whiche sort be blasing sterres, shooting starres, flames in the ayre &c. tho[n]der, lightning, earthquakes, &c. rayne dewe, snowe, cloudes, springes &c. stones, metalles, earthes &c. to the glory of God, and the profit of his creaturs.

¶ Of lights that goeth before men, and follow¦eth thē abrode in the fields by the night season.

THere is also a kind of light, y^t is séen in the night season, & séemeth to goe before men, or to followe them, leading them out of their waye vnto waters, & other daungerous places It is also very often séen in the night, of thē that sayle in the Sea, & sometyme will cleaue to y^e mast of the shyp, or other highe partes, somtyme slyde round about the shyppe, and either rest in one part till it go out, or els be quenched in the water. This impression séen on the lande, is called in latin, Ignis fatuus, foolish fyre, that hur∣teth not, but only feareth foules. That whiche is séen on y^e Sea, if it be but one, is named Helena, if it be twoo, it is called Castor and Pollux.

The foulishe fyre is an Exhalation

kendled by meanes of violent mouing, when by cold of the night, in the lowest region of the ayre, it is beaten downe, & then commonly, if it be light, séeketh to ascende vpward, & is sent down againe, so it danseth vp & downe. Els if it moue not vp and downe, it is a great lompe of glueysh or oyly matter, that by mouing of the heate in it selfe, is enflamed of it selfe, as moyst haye wyll be kyndled of it selfe. In whote and fenny countries, these lyghtes are often séen, and where as is abondaunce of suche vnctuus and fat matter, as about churchyardes wher through the corruptiō of the bodies ther buried, y^e earth is ful of suche substance, wherfore in churchyardes, or places of cōmon buriall, oftentimes ar such ligh∣tes séen, which ignorant & superstitious fooles, haue thought to be soules tormē∣ted in the fyre of purgatorie. In dede y^e deuill hath vsed these lightes (although they be naturally caused) as strong delu¦sions to captiue the myndes of men, w^c feare of the Popes purgatorie, wherby he did opē iniury to the bloud of Christ, which only purgeth vs frō al our sinnes and deliuereth vs from al tormēts, both

temporall and eternal, according to the saying of the wyse mā, the soules of the ryghteous are in the hands of God, and no torment toucheth them. But to re∣turne to the lightes in whiche, there ar yet twoo thinges to be considered. First, why they leade men out of their waye. And secondly, why they séeme to follow men and go before thē. The cause why they leade men out of the waye, is, that mē whyle they take hede to such lights, and are also sore afrayde, they forgett their waye, and then being ones but a litle out of their waye, they wāder they woote not whether, to waters, pyttes, & other very daungerous places. Which, when at lengthe they happe the waye home, wyll tell a greate tale, how they haue béen lead about by a spirite in the lykenes of fyre. Nowe the cause why they séeme to goe before men, or to fol∣lowe them, some men haue sayde to be the mouing of the ayer by the goyng of the man, which ayre moued, shold driue them forward if they were before, and drawe them after, if they were behynd. But this is no reason at all, that the fire which is oftētimes, thre or fowre miles

distaunt from the man that walketh, shold be moued to and froo by that ayre which is moued through his walkinge, but rather the mouing of the ayre & the mans eyes, causeth the fyre to séeme as though it moued, as the Moone to chyl∣dren séemeth, if they are before it, to run after them: if she be before them, to run before them, that they can not ouertake her, though she séeme to be very neare them. Wherfore these lyghtes rather séeme to moue, then that they be moued in deade.

Notes

• Light that goeth be∣fore men and folow¦eth thē in the night.