Consort of loud Musick, or the biting of a Flea does a man tortured on a Rack.
But suppose we say,They are so many Substances as independent on the Soul of the world as the Matter it self is (though all depend on God) there is no difficulty at all nor inconvenience in that position; nor need we trouble our selves where they are, or what becomes of them then, either before they actuate this or that part of the Matter, or after they have done actuating the same, no more then of the parts of the Matter actuated by them. For as every particle of the Matter is safely kept within the compass of the corporeall world, whether it be acted upon by any Soul or Archeus or not; so every Archeus or Soul is as safe in the World of life, and as secure from being exterminated out of the comprehension of Immaterial Beings, whether it act upon any part of the material world or no. For Substance, be it of what nature it will, it cannot perish without a Miracle. And why God should annihilate that which in succession of Time may again have opportunity to act its part, and prove serviceable to the world, no man, I think, can excogitate any Reason.
Chap. XII.
1. Objections against the Story of the Charmer of Saltzburg, 2. And of the betwitched Children at Amsterdam, with same others of that kinde; 3. As also against that of John of Hembach and John Michael Pipers to the Antick dancings of Devils. 4. Also against the disappearing of the Conventicle of Witches at the naming of God; 5. And against a certain passage of that Story of the Guardian Genius which Bodinus relates.
1. The Passages excepted against in my Third Book are either Historical or Philosophical. The Historical are chiefly these: First, against the Narration concerning the Charmer of Saltzhurg it is objected, That that last & greatest Serpent might not be the Devil, but a mere Serpent. To which I answer, That it is very probable that that Serpent (he reserving himself so for the last, and bringing so sad a fate upon the Charmer, as if he would either imitate a revenge of the death of so many of his own kinde, or spitefully slurre the glory and victory of their now almost triumphant enemy) had more in it then an ordinary natural Serpent; that is, that it was either the Devil so transformed, or a Serpent actuated and guided by him: which we shall the easilier believe, if we consider that the whole business of Charming is of no natural efficacy, but supernatural, if it take any effect at all.
2. The second Objection is against those Stories of several possessed parties that have seemed to have vomited strange stuff out of their stomacks, as if it might be done by some sleight and cunning, onely to get money. In answer whereto I must needs confess, that there are no real strange effects or events in the world but some or other, if it be possible,
