ALbeit many melancholicke, madde, fearefull, and weake sensed men, doo oftentimes imagine many things which in very déed are not, and are likewise deceiued, sometime by men, or by brute beasts: and moreouer mistake things which procéede of naturall causes, to be bugges and spirites, as I haue hitherto declared by many examples, yet it is most certaine and sure, that all those things which appeare vnto men are not alwayes naturall things, nor alwayes vaine terrors to affray men: but that spirites doo often appeare, and many straunge and maruellous things doo sundry times chance. For many such things of this sort, are to be red in diuers graue and auncient Historiographers: and many men of no small credite, haue affirmed, that they haue séene spirites both in the day and in the night also. And here I will orderly declare a fewe histories out of diuers allowed authors, touching spirites which haue appeared and shewed themselues.
Triton appeared to Iulius Cæsar.
Suetonius Tranquillus writeth, that when Iulius Cæsar marching out of Fraunce into Italie with his army, and comming to the riuer Rubico, which diuideth Italie from the hether Fraunce, staying there a while, and reuoluing with himselfe howe great an enterprise hee had taken in hand, as he was wauering in mind whether he shuld passe the water or not, suddeinly there appeared a man of excelling stature and shape sitting hard by, pyping on a réede. (Melancthon in his Phisickes calleth him Triton) vnto whom when not only shepheards, but also very many souldiers from the campe, and amongst them diuers trumpetters had flocked to heare him, he sodeinly snatched a trumpet from one of them, and leaped to the riuer, and with a lustie breath blowing vp the alarum, went to the farther side. Then sayd Cæsar, good lucke mates, let vs goe whither the gods warnings leade vs, and whither our enemies iniquitie calleth vs: The dice are throwne. And so he transported ouer.
Theseus seene in the battaile of Maratho.
Plutarke writeth in Theseus life, that many which were in the battaile of Marathonia, against the Medians, did affirme, that they sawe the soule of Theseus armed, (who long time before died of a fall) before the vauntgard of the Grecians, running and setting on the barbarous Medians. For which cause the Athenians afterward were moued to honor him as a demigod.
Pausanias writeth in Atticis, That in the field of Maratho. 400. yeares after the battaile there foughten, there was heard the neying of Horses, and the encountring of souldiers, as it were fighting euery night: And that they which of purpose came to heare these things, could heare nothing, but those that by chaunce came that way, heard it very sensibly.
The same Plutarke writeth in the life of Cimon, that when the citizens of Cherouesus, had by faire words called home their captaine Damon, (who before for diuers murthers departed the citie) afterwards they cruelly slew him in a Hotehouse, as he was bathing himselfe, and from that time foorth, there were many strange sightes séene in the same place, & many times also most gréeuous gronings were there heard, insomuch that they were euer after constreined to stop vp the hotehouse doores.
Also in yͤ life of Dion, he reporteth that the saide Dion being a stoute & a couragious man without any feare, sawe notwithstanding a great and maruellous horrible sight. For when he chaunced to sit alone in the entry of his house in the euening (those are Plutarks owne words, as Xiliander interpreteth them) musing & discoursing many things with himselfe, being sodeinly moued with a great noyse, he arose and looked backe to the other side of the gallerie, and there he espied a monstrous great woman, who in apparell and countenaunce nothing differing from a Tragi, call furie, swept the house with a broome. With the which sight being amazed & terribly afraide, he called his friends and acquaintance vnto him, and declaring vnto them what he had séene, desired thē to remaine with him al that night: for béeing as it were stricken dead with feare, he doubted least it would appeare vnto him againe, if he were alone, which indéede neuer hapned after. But a fewe daies after, his sonne threwe himselfe headlong from the top of the house, and died, and he himselfe being stabbed through the bodie, ended his miserable life.
The same author writeth in the life of Decius Brutus, how when Brutus was determined to transporte his army out of Asia into Europe, being in his tent about midnight, the candle burning dimly, and all the host quiet and silent, as he was musing and reuoluing with himselfe, he séemed that he hearde one entring the Tente into him, and looking backe vnto the doore, he sawe a terrible and monstrous shape of a bodie, which farre excéeded the common stature of men, standing faste by him without any words, wherewith he was sore afraid: and yet he ventured to aske it this question. What art thou (saieth hée) either a God, or a man? and why commest thou vnto me? Whereto the image answered: I am (quoth he) O Brutus, thy euill ghoast, at Philippos thou shalt sée mée. Then saith Brutus, being nothing amazed: I will sée thée. When the sight was vanished, he called his seruants, who tolde him, that they neither sawe any such thing, neither heard any voyce at all. All that night Brutus could not sléep one winke. In the morning very early, he goeth vnto Cassius and sheweth him his straunge vision. Cassius who despised all such things (for he was an Epicure) ascribed the whole matter to naturall causes. For his disputation hereof, is yet extant in Plutarke. Afterwards Brutus (being vanquished by Augustus, and Anthony, in the field of Philippi) slew himselfe because he would not bee deliuered into the hands of his enemies.
Caius Cassius sawe Iulius Cæsar.