CHAP. III.
The opinion of Psellus touching Spirits; of their several Orders; and a Confutation of his Errors therein.
PSellus being of authority in the Church of Rome, and not impugnable by any Catholick, being also instructed in these supernatural or rather Diabolical matters by a Monk called Marcus, who had been familiarly conversant a long time, as he said, with a certain Devil, reporteth upon the same Devils own word, which must needs understand best the state of this question; That the bodies of Angels and Devils consist not now of all one element, though perhaps it were otherwise before the fall of Lucifer; and, That the bodies of Spirits and Devils can feel and be felt, do hurt and be hurt: in so much as they lament when they are striken; and being put to the fire are burnt, and yet that they themselves burn continually, in such sort as they leave ashes behind them in places where they have been; as manifest tryal thereof hath been (if he say truly) in the borders of Italy. He also saith upon like credit and assu∣rance; That Devils and Spirits do avoid and shed from out of their bodies, such seed or nature, as whereby certain vermin are ingendered, and that they are nou∣rished with food, as we are, saving that they receive it not into their mouths, but suck it it up into their bodies, in such sort as sponges soke up waser. Also he saith, They have names, shapes, and dwelling places, as indeed they have, though not in temporal and corporal sort.
Furthermore, he saith, That there are six principal kind of Devils, which are not only corporal, but temporal and worldly. The first sort consist of fire, wandering in the Region neer to the Moon, but have no power to go into the Moon. The second sort consisting of air, have their habitation more low and neer unto us: These (saith he) are proud and great boasters, very wise and deceitful, and when they come down are seen with streams of fire at their tail. He saith, That these are commonly conjured up to make Images laugh, and Lamps burn of their own accord; and that in Assyria they use much to prophesie in a Bason of Water. Which kind of Incantation is usual among our Conjurors: but it is here commonly performed in a Pitcher or Pot of water; or else in a Vial of Glass filled with water, wherein they say at the first a little sound is heard without a voyce, which is a token of the Devils coming. Anon the water seemeth to be troubled, and then there are heard small voyces, wherewith they give their answers, speaking so softly as no man can well hear them: because (saith Cardan) they would not be argued or re∣buked of lyes. But this I have elsewhere more largely described and con∣futed. The third sort of Devils are earthly; the fourth, watery, or of the Sea. The fift, under the Earth. The sixt sort are Lucifugi, that is, such as delight in darkness, and are scant indued with sense, and so dull, as they can scarse be moved with Charms or Conjurations.