Master; yet such a thing may possibly come to pass. There is a fearful Story to this purpose, in the account of the Bucuneers of America,27 wherein my Author relates that a Servant, who was Spirited or Kidnapt (as they call it) into America, falling into the Hands of a Tyrannical Master, he ran away from him, but being taken and brought back, the hard-hearted Tyrant lashed him on his naked Back, until his Body ran in an entire stream of Blood; to make the Torment of this miserable Creature intolerable, he anointed his Wounds with Juice of Lemon mingled with Salt and Pepper, being ground small together, with which torture the miserable Wretch gave up the Ghost, with these dying Words, I beseech the Almighty God, Creator of Heaven and Earth, that he permit a wicked Spirit, to make thee feel as many Torments before thy Death, as thou hast caused me to feel before mine: Scarce four days were past after this horrible Fact, when the Almighty Judge gave Permission to the Father of Wickedness to possess the Body of that cruel Master, and to make him lacerate his own Flesh until he died, belike surrendring his Ghost into the Hands of the infernal Spirit, who had tormented his Body: But of this Tragical Story enough.
To proceed, Is it not usual for Persons after their Death to appear unto the Living: But it does not therefore follow, that the great God will not suffer this to be: For both in former and latter Ages, Examples thereof have not been wanting: No longer since than the last Winter, there was much discourse in London concerning a Gentlewoman, unto whom her dead Son (and another whom she knew not) had appeared: Being then in London, I was willing to satisfie my self, by enquiring into the Truth of what was reported; and on Febr. 23. 1691. my Brother (who is now a Pastor to a Congregation in that City) and I discoursed the Gentlewoman spoken of; she told us, that a Son of hers, who had been a very civil young Man, but more airy in his Temper than was pleasing to his serious Mother, being dead, she was much concerned in her Thoughts about his Condition in the other World; but a Fortnight after his Death he appeared to her, saying, Mother you are solicitous about my Spiritual Welfare; trouble your self no more, for I am happy, and so vanished; should there be a continual Intercourse between the Visible and Invisible World, it would breed Confusion. But from thence to infer, that the great Ruler of the Universe will never permit any thing of this nature to be, is an inconsequent Conclusion; it is not usual for Devils to be permitted to come and violently carry away persons through the Air, several miles from their Habitations: Nevertheless, this was done in Sweedland about twenty Years ago, by means of a cursed Knot of Witches there. And a learned Physician now living, giveth an account of several Children, who by Diabolical Frauds were stollen from their Parents, and others left in their room: And of two, that in the night-time a Line was by invisible Hands put about their Necks, with which they had been strangled, but that some near them happily prevented it. V. Germ. Ephem. Anno 1689. pag. 51. 516.
Let me further add here; It has very seldom been known, that Satan has Personated innocent Men doing an ill thing, but Providence has found out some way for their Vindication; either they have been able to prove that they were in another place when that Fact was done, or the like. So that perhaps there never was an Instance of any innocent Person Condemned in any Court of Judicature on Earth, only through Satans deluding and imposing on the Imaginations of Men, when nevertheless, the Witnesses, Juries, and Judges, were all to be excused from blame.
Arg. 4. It is certain both from Scripture and History, that Magicians by their Inchantments and Hellish Conjurations, may cause a false Representation of Persons and Things. An inchanted eye shall see such things as others cannot discern; it is a thing too well known to be denied, that some by rubbing their eyes with a bewitched Water, have immediately thereupon seen that which others could not discern; and there are Persons in the World, who have a strange Spectral sight. Mr. Glanvil28 speaks of a Dutchman that could see Ghosts which others could perceive nothing of. There are in Spain a sort of men whom they call Zahurs, these can see into the Bowels of the Earth; they are able to discover Minerals and hidden Treasures; nevertheless, they have their extraordinary sight only on Tuesdays and Fridays, and not on the other days of the Week. Delrio saith, that when he was at Madrid, Anno Dom. 1575. he saw some of these strange sighted Creatures. Mr. George Sinclare, in his Book Entituled, Satans Invisible World discovered,29 has these Words, 'I am undoubtedly informed, that men and women in the High-lands can discern Fatality approaching others, by seeing them in the Waters or with Winding Sheets about them. And that others can lecture in a Sheeps shoulder-bone a Death within the Parish seven or eight Days before it come. It is not improbable but that such Preternatural Knowledge comes first by a Compact with the Devil, and is derived downward by Succession to their Posterity: Many such I suppose are Innocent, and have this sight against their Will and Inclination.' Thus Mr. Sinclare, I concur with his supposal, that such Knowledge is originally from Satan, and perhaps the Effect of some old Inchantment. There are some at this day in the World, that if they come into a House where one of the Family will die within a Fortnight, the smell of a dead Corpse offends them to such a degree, as that they cannot stay in that House. It is reported that near unto the Abby of St. Maurice in Burgundy30 there is a Fishpond in which are Fishes put according to the number of the Monks of that place; if any one of them happened to be sick, there is a Fish seen to Float and Swim above Water half dead, and if the Monk shall die, the Fish a few days before dieth. In some parts in Wales Death-lights or Corps Candles (as they call them) are seen in the night time going from the House where some body will shortly die, and passing in to the Church-yard. Of this, my Honoured and never to be forgotten Friend Mr. Richard Baxter,31 has given an Account in his Book about Witchcrafts lately Published: what to make of such things, except they be the effects of some old Inchantment, I know not; nor what Natural Reason to assign for that which I find amongst the Observations of the Imperial Academy for the Year 1687, viz. That in an Orchard where are choice Damascen Plumbs, the Master of the Family being sick of a Quartan Ague, whilst he continued very ill, four of his Plumb-trees instead of Damascens brought forth a vile sort of yellow Plumbs: but recovering Health, the next Year the Tree did (as formerly) bear Damascens again; but when after that he fell into a fatal Dropsie, on those Trees were seen not Damascens, but another sort of Fruit. The same Author32 gives Instances of which he had the certain knowledge, concerning Apple-trees and Pear-trees, that the Fruit of them would on a sudden wither as if they had been baked in an Oven, when the owners of them were mortally sick. It is no less strange that in the Illustrious Electoral33 House of Brandenburg before the Death of some one of the Family Feminine Spectres appeared: 34and often in the Houses of Great men, Voices and Visions from the Invisible World have been the Harbingers of Death. When any Heir in the Worshipful Family of the Breertons in Cheshire is near his Death, there are seen in a Pool adjoyning, Bodies of Trees swimming for certain days together, on which Learned Cambden35 has this note, These and such like things are done either by the Holy Tutelar Angels of Men, or else by the Devils, who by Gods Permission mightily shew their Power in this Inferiour World. As for Mr. Sinclare's Notion that some Persons may have a second Sight, (as 'tis termed) and yet be themselves Innocent, I am satisfied that he judgeth right; for this is common amongst the Laplanders, who are horribly addicted to Magical Incantations: They bequeath their Dæmons to their Children as a Legacy, by whom they are often assisted (like Bewitched Persons as they are) to see and do things beyond the Power of Nature. An Historian who deserves Credit, relates,36 that a certain Laplander gave him a true and particular Account of what had happened to him in his Journey to Lapland; and further complained to him with Tears, that things at great distance were represented to him, and how much he desired to be Delivered
