An antidote against atheisme, or, An appeal to the natural faculties of the minde of man, whether there be not a God by Henry More ...

CHAP. IX.

The Coldnesse of those bodyes that Spirits appear in witnes∣sed by the experience of Cardan and Bourgotus. The na∣turall Reason of this Coldnesse. That the Divell does really lye with VVitches. That the very substance of Spirits is not fire. Spirits skirmishing on the ground. Field-fights and Sea-fights seen in the Aire.

BUt to return into the way, I might adde other stories of your Daemones Metallici, your Guardian Genii, such as that of Socrates, and that other of which Bodinus tells an ample story, which hee received from him who had the society and assistance of such an Angell or Genius, which for my own part I give as much credit to as to any story in Livy or Plutarch: Your Lares familiares, as also those that haunt and vexe families appearing to many and lea∣ving very sensible effects of their appearings. But I will not so farre tire either my self or my Reader. I will only name one or two storyes more, rather then recite them. As that of Cardan, who writes as you may see in Otho Me∣lander, that a Spirit that familiarly was seen in the house of a friend of his, one night layd his hand upon his brow which felt intolerably cold. And so Petrus Bourgotus

confessed that when the Divell gave him his hand to kisse, it felt cold. And many more examples there be to this purpose.

And indeed it stands to very good reason that the bodies of Divels being nothing but coagulated Aire should be cold, as well as coagulated Water, which is Snow or Ice and that it should have a more keen and piercing cold, it consisting of more subtile particles, than those of water, and therefore more fit to insinuate, and more accurately and stingingly▪ to affect and touch the nerves.

Wherefore Witches confessing so frequently as they do, that the Divel lyes with them, and withall complaining of his tedious and offensive coldnesse, it is a shrewd presum∣ption that he doth lie with them indeed, and that it is not a mere Dreame, as their friend Wierus would have it.

Hence we may also discover the folly of that opinion that makes the very essence of Spirits to be fire: for how unfit that would be to coagulate the aire is plain at first sight. It would rather melt and dissolve these consistencies then con∣stringe them and freeze them in a manner. But it is rather manifest that the essence of Spirits is a substance specifically distinct from all corporeall matter whatsoever. But my intent is not to Philosophize concerning the nature of Spirits, but only to prove their Existence. Which the story of the Spectre at Ephesus may be a further argument of. For that old man which Apollonius told the Ephesians was the walking plague of the city, when they stoned him and unco∣vered the heap, appear'd in the shape of an huge black dog as big as the biggest Lion. This could be no imposture of Melanchly nor ••raud of any Priest. And the learned Gro∣tius, a man far from all Levity and vain Credulity, is so se∣cure of the truth of Ty••neus his Miracles, that he does not stick to term him impudent, that has the face to deny them.

Our English Chronicles also tell us of Apparitions; ar∣med men, foot and horse, fighting upon the ground in the

North part of England and in Ireland for many Evenings together, seen by many hundreds of men at once, and that the grasse was troden down in the places where they were seen to fight their Battailes: which agreeth with Nicolea Langbernhard her Story of the cloven-footed Dancers, that left the print of their hoofs in the ring they trod down, for a long time after.

But this skirmishing upon the Earth puts me in mind of the last part of this argument, and bids me look up into the Aire. Where omitting all other Prodigies I shall only take notice of what is most notorious, and of which there can by no meanes be given any other account, then that it is the effect of Spirits. And this is the appearance of armed men fighting and encountring one another in the Sky. There are so many examples of these Prodigies in Historians, that it were superfluous to instance in any. That before the great slaughter of no lesse than fourescore thousand made by An∣tiochus in Jerusalem recorded in the second of Maccabees chap. 5. is famous. The Historian there writes that

through all the city for the space almost of fourty dayes there were seen Horsemen running in the aire, in cloth of Gold, and Arm'd with Lances, like a band of Souldiers, and Troops of Horsemen in array encountring and running one against another, with shaking of shields, and multitudes of pi••••es, and drawing of swords, and casting of darts, and glittering of golden ornaments, and harnesse of all sorts.

And Jo∣sephus writes also concerning the like Prodigies, that hap∣pened before the destruction of the City by Titus▪ prefacing first, that they were incredible, were it not that they were recorded by those that were Eye-witnesses of them.

The like Apparitions were seen before the civill warres of Marius and Sylla. And Melanchthon affirmes that a world of such Prodigies were seen all over Germany from 1524 to 1548. S••ellius amongst other places doth par∣ticularize in A••••rtsfort, where these fightings were seen

not much higher then the house tops; as also in Amster∣dam where there was a Sea-fight appearing in the aire for an houre or two together, many thousands of men looking on. And to say nothing of what hath been seen in England not long ago, there is lately a punctuall narration of such a Sea-fight seen by certain Hollanders, and sent over hither into England, but a Lion appearing alone at the end of that Apparition, though it may be true for ought I know, yet it makes it obnoxious to Suspicion and evasion and so unpro∣fitable for my purpose. But the Phaenomena of this kind, whose reports cannot be suspected to be in subserviency to any Politick designe, ought in reason to be held true, when there have been many profess'd Eye-witnesses of them. And they being resolvable into no naturall causes, it is evident that we must acknowledge supernaturall ones, such as Spirits, Intelligences or Angels, term them what you please.