The baptized Turk, or, A narrative of the happy conversion of Signior Rigep Dandulo, the onely son of a silk merchant in the Isle of Tzio, from the delusions of that great impostor Mahomet, unto the Christian religion and of his admission unto baptism by Mr. Gunning at Excester-house Chappel the 8th of Novemb., 1657 / drawn up by Tho. Warmstry.

CHAP. VII. An occasional Discourse concerning Dreams.

THE Relation of this Dream raised some hope in us, that God had been pleased to own and second our endea∣vours; So great compliance was then be∣tween it and the holy designe we had in hand, which God was pleased as it seems to act over in the praeludium of this Dream, as afterwards he brought it to pass in a waking performance; And indeed though many and most Dreams may go for the idle and impertinent issues of the wandring and extravagant fantasies of men, and of the impressions which they receive either from predominant humors in the body, or vein, and evill affections in the mind, or from the representations that are made in the time of sleep, by the subtile operati∣ons of wicked Spirits; and so are either not to be much regarded, or else to be thought upon with humiliation and sorrow, as those Evidences and fruits which break forth in our very sleeps, of our corrupt, vain, and sinfull inclinations; yet some of them are of such excellent harmony in their

frame and Method, and have such a stamp of sobriety and holiness upon them in their design and drift, that they ought not to be slightly passed over or forgot∣ten, but to be diligently weighed and thought upon, that we may receive in∣structions and admonitions from them; especially since we find t••••t this hath been one way whereby God hath been pleased in very eminent maner, to make known his holy will and pleasure to his people, and to admonish and direct them, both for the avoiding that which is Evill, and for the pursuance and embracement of that which is good and profitable unto them, and well pleasing unto him; as is manifest in the notable and weighty Dreams record∣ed in the Scriptures, as of Abimelech, Gen. 20. The Dream of Jacob, Gen. 28. of Jo∣seph, Gen. 37. of Pharoah, Gen. 41. of Nebuchadnezzar, Daniel 2. Daniel 4. of Daniel, Daniel 7. see Daniel. 8. &c. Of the man of Israel, Judges 7.13. of Solomon 1 Kings 3.5.15. of Joseph, the husband of the Mother of Christ, Matth. 2.12.22. And that this is a way wherein God hath heretofore promised to manifest himself unto his people, you may learn by that which is written, Numb. 12.6. Job 33.15. Jer. 23.28. Joel 2.28. Act. 2.17. Nor

dare I condemn that which is said to be re∣lated by Antoninus that famous Emperor concerning cures by Dreams,* 1.1 not only (saith a learned Writter of our Church) approved unto himself by his own, but unto others al∣so by frequent experience. Galen is said of∣ten to have had a Dream to write such or such a Book, to go, or forbear such a Jour∣ney; which puts me in mind of that which befell St. Paul, Act. 16.9. unto whom a man of Macedonia appeared in a Vision or Dream by night, and prayed him, saying, Come over into Macedonea and help us.

Ecclesiastical History, and other Monu∣ments that are left us of the various and wonderful passages of the world, afford us many and frequent examples of very re∣markable things of this nature.

Alexander the Great, when he was upon an Expedition against Tyre, thought in his Dream that he saw a Satyre, which upon consultation had, this Interpretati∣on, 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉, Tyre is thine; The very syllables of the name of that Monster which he thought he saw, importing in their signification the Victory that he ob∣tained; and the Success was answerable thereunto.

Another Dream of his is more famous and remarkable, as that which God seemeth

to have made use of as an instrument of great and gracious Providence; and it was this: He thought he saw in a Dream or Vision, the form of a man presenting it self unto him in rich and awful Attire, even those very Robes which were used by Gods appointment by the High Priest of the Jews; and shortly afterwards, as he was riding toward Jerusalem, he met Jadus in a Habit directly answerable to his Dream, which struck such an awful∣ness into him, that he lighted from his Steed or Chariot, and did him great re∣verence, and by this means his fury was diverted from the Jews.

It is related of Julius Caesar,* 1.2 that the night before his destruction he dreamed that he was placed by the Throne of Ju∣piter, and that by and by after he was tumbled down out of Heaven.

Simonides having exercised his huma∣nity and mercy,* 1.3 in burying of a dead man, and being afterwards determined to take a journey by Sea, thought he saw the same dead man whom he had buried, ap∣pearing unto him, and admonishing him to forbear that Voyage, declaring unto him that if he should undertake it, he should miscarry therein, and lose his life. He took this admonition, and so escaped that ship∣wrack;

whereby all that went perish∣ed.

The Mother of Gregory Nazianzen* 1.4 (as Baldwinus relateth out of the History of his life) having petitioned God, in her prayers for a Sor, with a vow to destinate him to the holy service of God, had it re∣vealed to her in a Dream, That she should have a Son born of her, and had his Visage presented unto her, and his name declared in her Dream or Vision.

St. Augustine relateth in his Third Book of Confessions,* 1.5 that whilst he was yet a Manichee, his Mother Monica had a Dream that she was standing upon a wooden Rule, and being very sad, saw a glorious young man very joyful, and of a chearful countenance coming unto her, and that he asked her the cause of her sadnes; and when she had declared that it was by reason of the sorrow that she had for her Son, who was then in the way of destruction; he bid her be of good chear, and wished her to mark and ob∣serve, and that she should see her Son to be with her where she was, and so she saw her Son standing with her upon the same Rule.

The same Angustine hath a story of one Curmas that lived near unto Hippo where he was Bishop, who in his sleep thought

he saw himself Baptised by Augustine,* 1.6 and that afterwards he was led into Para∣dise, and as he was dismissed from thence, he thought he heard a voyce saying unto him, Go and be baptised, if thou wilt be in this place of the blessed; and that after∣wards being admonished to be baptized by Augustine, and returning answer that that was already done (as his Dream had be∣fore presented it to him) he that spake un∣to him in his Dream or Vision replied thus, Go (saith he) and be baptized indeed for that was but a Vision; Whereupon he went to Hippo, and was amongst others baptized by Augustine that knew nothing of the Vision or Dream.

Sozomen in the Sixth Book of his Ec∣clesiastical History, and Second Chapter,* 1.7 telleth us, that the death of Julian the A∣postate, was fore-discovered to Didymus Alexandrinus in a Dream; and in the Fifth Chapter of the same Book, that the Tumults of the Arrians in the Church were discovered to Antonius in a Dream.

Lessius in his Book,* 1.8 De justitia & jure caeterisque virtutibus cardinalibus, lib. 2. cap. 45. dubit. 8. the title whereof is, Quous∣que divinatio ex somnis sit licita, makes mention of the Dream of Theodosius,

wherein he being yet a private man, thought he saw himself; crowned by Meleti∣us a Bishop, when as yet he had not thought of any stich thing, nor had any knowledg of the said Bishop.* 1.9 See Theodor. Hist. lib 5. c. 6. & 7.

The same Lessius also, in the same Chap∣ter rem embers the Dream of St. Folicar∣pus, who thought in his sleep that his pil∣low was all on fire,* 1.10 whereby was signified the manner of his Martyrdom.

It is also written in the life of Paraeus, that before the destruction of the Pala∣tinate, he saw in his Dream Heidleberg on fire.

In the life of Sir Henry Wotton lately set forth, we have mention of two Dreams; one of Nicholas Wotton, Dean of Canter∣bury Uncle to Sir Thomas Wotten; and the other of Sir Thomas Wotton himself,* 1.11 Sir Henries Father.

The first was this, Nicholas Wotton Dean of Canterbury, being Ambassador in France in the year, 1555. in the time of Queen Mary, had a Dream wherein he was admonished that Thomas Wotton his Nephew was inclined to be a party in such a Project, which (if he were not speedily di∣verted) wonld turn to the loss and ruine both of his life and Family. Whereupon he

remembring the Dream of Monica con∣cerning St. Augustine her Son; and con∣sidering that Almighty God hath even in latter times by a certain illumination of the Soul in sleep, discovered in Dreams many things that humane wisdom could not foresee, resolved to use some prudent remedy; to this end he wrote to the Queen and besought her, That she would cause his Nephew Tho. Wotton to be sent for out of Kent and that the Lords of her Council might interrogate him in some such feigned questions as might give a colour for his com∣mitment into a favorable Prison; declaring that he would acquaint her Majesty with the true reason of his request, when he should next become so happy as to see and speak to her Majesty. This was done according to his desire, and Thomas Wotton committed to prison. And by this means he was pre∣vented from an engagement with Wyat and the Kentish Rebells; wherein (as he afterwards acknowledged to his Uncle, when he returned into England) he was like∣ly to have been involved and so they both joyned in praising God for that admoniti∣on which was given in the Dream for the prevention thereof.

The other Dream was one that befel Sir Thomas Wotton himself, who (as it is re∣lated) had many that did usually prove

true, both in fore-telling things to come, and discovering things past: That which we now desire to mention was this; Sir Thomas Wotton a little before his death dreamed, That the Treasury of the Ʋni∣versity of Oxford was robbed by Townsmen and poor Schollars, and that the number of them was Five; And being the day fol∣lowing to write unto his Son Henry (be∣ing then at Oxford) he gave him a slight notice thereof in a Postscript of his Letter, which came to his Sons hands the very morning after the night in which the Rob∣bery was committed (being sent to him out of Kent) and when the City and Ʋ∣niversity were both in a perplexed inquest of the Theeves, Sir Henry Wotton produ∣ced his Fathers Letter, and by it such light was given that the Five Guilty persons were discovered and apprehended.

Take one more,* 1.12 with which we will conclude our examples of remarkable Dreams; it is that of the learned and fa∣mous Salmasius, related in his Life, set forth by Antonius Clementius, before the volume of the Epistles of the said Sal∣masius.

Salmasius having a desire to see Rome, and the Monuments that were there, and having provided himself for the journey,

and entered himself into the company of some Merchants for that Voyage, the very night before he was to have taken it, was troubled with a terrible Dream, and thought he heard a voice, most earnestly dis∣swading him from his purpose therein, and withal threatning him, that if he went on, he should never return alive: Whereupon he desisted from his intended Travel, and so prevented that great danger that might very probably have befallen him amongst those people, from whom his great fame and learning would not likely have suffer∣ed him to have been concealed, and whom he had so much provoked by his learned Labors in the maintenance of that truth which lies so opposite unto their evil inte∣rest, and especially by the care that he had taken for the publishing and polishing of Nilus and Barlaam, those most eager E∣nemies of the Papal Monarchy.

He that desires to see more of this kind, may have recourse for his further satis∣faction to Sarozzio de spiritibus & incan∣tationibus, Wierus de praestigiis daemonum, Percerus de divinatione, Cicero de divina∣tione, and others; as likewise to the se∣veral Histories of the World; amongst the rest, there is an History that I have seen of Henry the Fourth of France, that

makes mention of divers remarkable Dreams that ushered in the violent death of that Great Prince, and amongst the rest one of them, as I remember, was this, That his Queen a little before his death dreamed, that all her Jewels were turned into Pearls; which are the usual Emblems of Tears.

All these Examples, with many other that the Records of the times will afford us, may lead us safely unto this Conclusion; That God may and doth sometimes admonish, not onely his own people, but others also, as Laban, Abimelech and Balaam by Dreams, and then it will easily follow, That all Dreams are not to be despised, but that some are seriously to be weighed, and made use of, as admonitions from God.

Notes

• * 1.1

  Casaub. of En∣thus. ch. 5
• * 1.2

  V. Plut∣in vita Caesar. & Valer. Maxim. l. 1. c 7.
• * 1.3

  See Stro-zio de spirit. & incan∣tat.
• * 1.4

  Baldwin. l. 3. c. 6. de cas. consc. circ. divi∣nationem
• * 1.5

  Aug. l. 3. Conf. Bald. ib.
• * 1.6

  Baldw. l. 3. c. 7. de cas. cons. circa spectra, cas. 2.
• * 1.7

  Sozom. hist. l. 6. c. 2. c. 5.
• * 1.8

  Lessius de justitiâ, l. 2. c. 45 dub. 8.
• * 1.9

  Theodor. Hist. l. 5. c. 6, & 7.
• * 1.10

  Less. ubi supra.
• * 1.11

  The Life of Sir H, Wotton.
• * 1.12

  Vita Cl. Salmasii per Anto. Clement.