The art of curing sympathetically, or magnetically, proved to be most true by its theory and practice exemplified by several cures performed that way: with a discourse concerning the cure of madness, and an appendix to prove the reality of sympathy : also an account of some cures perform'd by it in London / written originally in Latin by H.M. Herwig ...

CHAP. XI. (Book 9)

Of the false conjectures of those that think this Art diabolical. (Book 9)

§ 1. BUt we ought here by the way to consider, whether the Devils have any such power, as some attribute to them in this Magnetick cure. The power of the Devils is great and tremen∣dous, yet they could not so much as enter into the Swine without divine command or permission. Moreover, there is no power granted them over the will or understanding of man, but only over the Senses and Fancy; it is certain that they work great and stupen∣dous things without Man, not imme∣diately by the motion of generation and alteration, which is beyond their power to effect, but only by local motion. So they can cause Thunder, Lightning, raise the Wind and Storms, and mix the Elements together, but they cannot imi∣tate any thing that is peculiarly proper to God. Therefore they cannot create

new species, nor work real miracles, but those that are such in shew and ap∣pearance only, which are called lying signs, while they deceive the eyes by their tricks, imposing upon the sight, and stirring up false species in the fancy, or doing such things as are produced by natural causes, therefore they cannot claim the name of Miracles. But pray were there any that before Hippocrates his time raised the dead, by incorpo∣real Medicines only, or the power of the Soul. Did Moses, Elias, Elisha, or any other of the Prophets work Mira∣cles? They did indeed raise the dead, the Elements obeyed them, but it was not by any dexterity of art, not by their own power. There was no Magical Impiety, no Cabalistical Vanity, no Fantastical Imaginations in these persons; but the arm of God. Those things that are re∣ported of Orpheus, or any other of the Hea∣thens, who preceeded or followed Hip∣pocrates, were either false or Diabolical, but almost all of them are fabulous. The Poets tell of Hypolitus, that being dismembred, was brought back from Hell, and restored to Life by Aescula∣pius; but this was either spoken Hyper∣bolically,

or invented and feigned by the Painters and Poets. To this we have Plato's testimony, who in his Cratylus saith this is a fiction. Philostratus relates that the Ghost of Achilles, that is, rather the Devil, was raised by Apollonius, which the Soothsayers at this time per∣form. But what are these but fabulous and monstrous pretensions? Or if the Heathens did any thing in Antient times, that caused admiration they were lying signs.

§ 2. Those things, that the Devil wrought by the Egyptian Magicians in Moses's time, were either the effect of natural causes or meer trifling delusi∣ons. Of this kind were what the An∣tients admired in their Idols, Caves, and Groves, amongst all of which there was nothing that could properly deserve the name of a miracle. We read in the 20th Chap. Book 6. of Iosephus, that Magick was never more in vogue than in his time, and Pliny says, There were never more Magicians than in Nero's time, and (he adds) never was their folly more known; to wit, at that time, when Iose∣phus and many others were astonished with wonder at the miracles of Christ;

then they say it was the Devil (if he had any) exercised his utmost power, by the Magicians, that by his works he might eclipse the then flourishing name of Christianity. But what was then done by his Emissaries, that could even affect the minds of the vulgar? Iulian as much as he could cultivated Natural and Diabolical Magick, that he might imitate the works of Christ's Disciples. But who did we hear he re∣stored to life? When do the winds obey him? When did he cure the blind? Is there any thing like this said to be per∣formed by the Modern Magicians, or the Iews, who are continually turning over the Cabala; or by others, who to the disgrace of the Christian Religion, are now maintained by great men? What besides meer vain pretensions, mock impostures, childish trifles, deceits and cheats? Who therefore will believe those that lived before Hippocrates his time wrought such miracles. All these things were done either by the assistance and help of the Devil, or by natural causes, and therefore not to be accounted Miracles, or proceeding from incorpo∣real Physick, or any faculty of the

Soul: for example, to turn Water in to Ice, to produce Rain, Hail and Snow, or such like delusions. But to cure Paralyticks, and other sick persons by a word, to raise the Dead, to create new substances, to make the Earth transpa∣rent to the very Center, to change the nature of Fire, is not the work of a Creature but the Creator, who is the Lord of Nature, and is not confined by its Laws. Although Menecrates of old successfully cured many of the Falling Sickness, and never appeared in publick, but like a Deity, cloathed like Iove himself in Purple, with a Crown on his head, carrying a Scepter in his hand, and honoured like a God by those he had cured, as one who if he pleased could remove even Iove himself from Heaven. Who is ignorant what the Ghosts and such like follies of Simon Magus were? There are so many Absurdities and Impieties in all these things, that they deserve totally to be obliterated, to say no worse of them.