144.Saule seeing the host of the Philistines come upon him (which thing could not be unknown to all the people) fainted, bicause he sawe their strength, and his owne weaknesse, and speciallie that he was forsaken: so as being now straught of mind, desperate, and a verie foole, he goeth1. Sam. 28, 7. to certeine of his servants, that sawe in what taking he was, and asked them for a woman that had a familiar spirit, and they told him by and by that there dwelt one at Endor. By the waie you shall understand, that both Saule and his servants ment such a one as could by hir spirit raise up Samuell, or any other that was dead and buried. Wherein you see they were deceived, though it were true, that she tooke upon hir so to doo. To what use then served hir familiar spirit, which you conceive she had, bicause Saules servants said so? Surelie, as they were deceived and abused in part, so doubtlesse were they in the rest. For to what purposeS. Cicilies familiar. (I saie) should hir familiar serve, if not for such intents as they reported, and she undertooke? I thinke you will grant that Saules men never sawe hir familiar: for I never heard any yet of credit saie, that he was so much in the witches favour, as to see hir divell; although indeed we read among the popish trumperie, that S. Cicilie had an angell to hir familiar, and that she could shew him to whom she would, and that she might aske and have what she or hir/107. friend list: as appeareth in the lesson read in the popish church on saint Cicilies daie. Well, I perceive the woman of Endors spirit was a counterfeit, and kept belike in hir closet at Endor, or in the bottle, with mother Alices divell at Westwell, and are now bewraied and fled togither to Limbo patrum, &c. And though Saule were bewitched and blinded in the matter; yet doubtlesse a wise man wold have perchance espied her knaverie. Me thinks Saule was brought to this witch, much after the maner that doctor Burcot was brought to Feats,D. Burcot. Feats. who sold maister Doctor a familiar, wherby he thought to have wrought miracles, or rather to have gained good store of monie. This fellowe by the name of Feats was a jugler, by the name of Hilles a witch or conjurer, everie waie a cousener: his qualities and feats were to me and manie other well knowne and detected. And yet the opinion conceived of him was most strange and woonderfull; even with such and in such cases, as it greeveth me to thinke of; speciallie bicause his knaverie and cou/senage145. reached to the shedding of innocent bloud. But now forsooth Saule1. Sam. 28, 8 covereth himselfe with a net; and bicause he would not be knowne, he put on other garments. But to bring that matter to passe, he must have beene cut shorter1. Sa 10, 23. by the head and shoulders, for by so much he was higher than any of the people. And therfore whatsoever face the craftie quene did set upon it, she knew him well enough. And for further proofe thereof, you may understand, that the princes of the Jewes were much conversant with the people. And it appeereth manifestlie, that SauleIbidem. dwelt verie neere to Endor, so as she should the rather knowe him; for in the evening he went from his lodging unto hir house: neither should it seeme that she was gone to bed when he came. But bicause that may be uncerteine, you may see in the processe of the text, that in a peece of the night he went from his house to hirs, and with much adoo intreated her to consent to his request. She finished hir conjuration, so as both Saules part, the witches part, and also Samuels part was plaied: and after the solemnization therof, a calfe was killed, a batch of bread baked, and a supper made readie and eaten up; and after all this, he went home the same night: and had need so to doo, for he had some businesse the next daie. By these and manie other circumstances it may bee gathered, that she dissembled, in saieng she knew him not, and consequentlie counterfaited, and made a foole of him in all the rest.
It appeereth there, that he,Ibidem. with a couple of his men, went to hir by night, and said; Conjecture unto me by thy familiar spirit, and bring me up whom I shall name unto thee. The godlie learned knowe that this was not in the power of the witch of Endor, but in the God of heaven onelie to accomplish. Howbeit, Saule was bewitched so to suppose: and yet is he more simple that will be overtaken with the devises of our old witches, which are produced to resemble hir. And why should we thinke, that GOD would rather permit the witch to raise Samuel, than that Dives could obteine Lazarus to come out of Abrahams bosome, upon more likelie and more reasonable conditions? Well now dooth this strumpet (according to the guise of our cousening witches and conjurers) make the matter strange unto Saule,1 Sam. 28, 9. saieng that he came to take hir in a snare, &c./108. But witches seldome make/146. this objection, saving when they mistrust that he which commeth to them will espie their jugling: for otherwise, where the witchmonger is simple and easie to be abused, the witch will be as easie to be intreated, and nothing dangerous of hir cunning; as you see this witch was soone persuaded (notwithstanding that objection) bicause she perceived and sawe that Saule was affraid and out of his wits. And therfore she said unto him;1. Sa. 28. 12. Whom shall I raise up? As though she could have brought unto him Abraham, Isaac, or Jacob; who cannot heare us, therefore cannot rise at our call. For it is written;Isa. 63, 15. 16 Looke thou downe from heaven and behold us, &c: as for Abraham he is ignorant of us, and Israel knoweth us not.
The twelfe Chapter.
The 12. 13. & 14. verses of 1. Samuel 28. expounded: wherin is shewed that Saule was cousened and abused by the witch, and that Samuel was not raised, is prooved by the witches owne talke.
HE manner and circumstance of their communication, or of hir conjuration, is not verbatim set downe and expressed in the text; but the effect thereof breeflie touched: yet will I shew you the common order of their conjuration, and speciallie of hirs at this time used. When SauleThe maner of the witch of Endors cousening of Saule. had told hir, that he would have Samuel brought up to him, she departed from his presence into hir closet, where doubtles she had hir familiar; to wit, some lewd craftie preest, and made Saule stand at the doore like a foole (as it were with his finger in a hole) to heare the cousening answers, but not to see the cousening handling thereof, and the couterfetting of the matter. And so goeth she to worke, using ordinarie words of conjuration, of which there are sundrie varieties and formes (whereof I shall have occasion to repeat some in another place) as you see the juglers (which be inferior conjurors) speake certeine strange words of course to lead awaie the eie from espi/eng147. the maner of their conveiance, whilest they may induce the mind to conceive and suppose that he dealeth with spirits; saieng, Hay, fortune furie, nunq; credo, passe, passe, when come you sirra. So belike after many such words spoken, she saith to hir selfe; Lo now the matter is brought to passe, for I see woonderfull things. So as Saule1. Sa. 28, 13. hearing these words, longed to knowe all, and asked hir what she sawe. Whereby you may know that Saule sawe nothing, but stood without like a mome, whilest she plaied hir part in hir closet: as may most evidentlie appeere by the 21. verse1. Sa. 28, 21. of this chapter where it is said; Then the woman came out unto Saule. Howbeit, a little before she cunninglie counterfaited that she sawe Samuel, and thereby knewe it was Saule that was come unto hir. Whereby all the world may perceive the cousening, and hir dissimulation. For by that which hath beene before said, it must needs be that she knew him. And (I praie you) why should she not have suspected aswell him to be Saule before, when in expresse words he required hir to bring unto him Samuel, as now, when Samuel appeered unto hir?/
109.Well, to the question before proposed by Saule, 1. Sa. 28, 4. she answereth and lieth, that she saw angels or gods ascending up out of the earth. Then proceedeth she with her inchanting phrases and words of course: so as thereby Saule gathereth and supposeth that she hath raised a man. For otherwise his question dependeth not upon any thing before spoken. For when she hath said; I sawe angels ascending, &c: the next word he saith is; What fashion is he of? Which (I saie) hangeth not upon hir last expressed words. And to this she answered not directlie, that it was Samuel; but that it was an old man lapped in a mantell: as though she knew not him that was the most notorious man in Israell, that had beene her neighbour by the space of manie yeeres, and upon whom (while he lived) everie eie was fixed, and whom also she knew within lesse than a quarter of an houre before, as by whose meanes also she came acquainted with Saule.1. Sa. 28, 12. Read the text and see.
But she describeth his personage, and the apparell which he did usuallie weare when he lived: which if they were both buried togither, were consumed and rotten, or devoured with wormes before that time. Belike he had a new mantell made him in hea/ven:148. and yet they saie Tailors are skantie there, for that their consciences are so large here. In this countrie, men give awaie their garments when they die: if Samuel had so doone, hee could not have borrowed it againe; for of likliehood it would have beene worne out in that space, except the donee had beene a better husband than I: for the testator was dead (as it is supposed) two yeares before.
The xiii. Chapter.
The residue of 1. Sam. 28. expounded: wherin is declared how cunninglie this witch brought Saule resolutelie to beleeve that she raised Samuel, what words are used to colour the cousenage, and how all might also be wrought by ventriloquie.