Of Ghostes and Spirites, Walking by Night And of Straunge Noyses, Crackes, and Sundrie Forewarnings, Which Commonly Happen Before the Death of Men: Great Slaughters, and Alterations of Kingdoms

Wherefore sith holy scriptures, as the Fathers vnderstand and interpret them, teache that the soules of men, as soone as they departe from the bodies, do ascende vp into heauen...

A certaine Deane when he had giuen ouer his Deanrie, went into the Wildernesse to doe penaunce: after his deathe he appeared to his Bishop, and tolde him that the same houre in...

And yet not being able by these means to moue her constant mind, bicause he could not endure the rage of his loue, he determined, by abstinence and hunger to make an ende both o...

And here we may in no wise ouerpasse in silence, that notable historie which =Plutarch= in his booke _De fectu oraculorum_, (translated by that learned man =Adrianus Turnebus=)...

By these words we do not only sée that God doth suffer suche lewde fellowes to worke maruellous thinges, but also to what ende and purpose he permitteth it, that is, to trie his...

When Christ first sent abroad his Disciples to preach the Gospell, he said vnto them, =Matthew= 10. Be yée wise as Serpents, and simple as Doues, beware of men: howe much more t...

In the second warres of _Carthage_, the standerd-bearer of the first battaile of pikemen, could not remoue his ensigne out of his place, neither yet whē many came to helpe, they...

=Phillip Melancthon=, writeth in his booke _De anima_, that he himselfe hath séene some Spirits, and yͭ he hath knowne many men of good credit, which haue auouched not only to h...

There was in _Athens_ a goodly and a very large house, but euill reported, and counted as an infortunate and vnluckie house. For about midnight, there was heard the noyse of iro...

In the moneth of May, there was holden a feast in the night time, which at the beginning they called _Remuria_, and afterwardes _Lemuria_. This did not differ much from the feas...

Fourthely, if very =Samuel= himselfe had appeared, hée would not haue bene worshipped of =Saule=. For we reade in the 19. and 22. chapter of the Reuelation, that =Iohn= would ha...

=Tertullian= in his booke _De Anima_ mentioneth, that there were some euen in his dayes, which professed they could raise vp and reclaime soules from the hellishe habitation. An...

Yet do they teach, that a man may choose to vse this or some other forme of praier, and ceremonies: because that without these, spirites haue often appeared, & shewed what they...

There was a certaine Magistrate within the liberties of _Tigurine_, not long before I wrote this, whome certaine of his friendes tarried for to breake their fast with him before...

=Paulus Aegineta= writeth in his thirde booke and xv. chap. that those that are taken with _Licanthropia_ (which is a kynde of madnesse) leape out of their houses in the night,...

It was commonly reported, that in case the noble Senate of _Berna_ hadde not prosecuted the matter with great constancie, and courage, the Cleargie woulde haue cloaked all the k...

Transcriber's Notes: Italic text is denoted by _underscores_ and change of font text by =equal signs=. There is no Bold text to convert in this project. The caret character (^)...

And perchance for this cause also, Priests and Monkes could not bee so well blamed, for their so often deceiuing plaine meaning folkes with craft and subtiltie, in so much as so...

To the intent, that those men which occupie themselues in reading of this my Booke, and especially in perusing of other auncient writers, may the better vnderstand euery thing,...

Here I cannot ouerpasse, that certaine doo vainly persuade themselues, that spirites may easily be driuen away with cursing and banning, for that (as they say) spirits approach...