But to this last, frier Bar. Spin. qu. de strigib. c. 30.Bartholomæus saith, that the witches themselves, before they annoint themselves, do heare in the night time a great noise of minstrels, which flie over them, with the ladie of the fairies, and then they addresse themselves to their journie. But then I marvell againe, that no bodie else heareth nor seeth this troope of minstrels, especiallie riding in a moone light night. It is marvell that they that thinke this to be but in a dreame, can be persuaded that all the rest is anie other than dreames.New matter & worthie to be marvelled at. It is marvell that in dreames, witches of old acquaintance meet so just togither, and conclude upon murthers, and receive ointments, roots, powders, &c: (as witchmongers report they doo, and as they make the witches confesse) and yet lie at home fast asleepe. It is marvell that such preparation is made for them (as Sprenger, Bartholomew, and Bodin report) as well in noble mens houses, as in alehouses; and that they come in dreames, and eate up their meate: and the alewife speciallie is not wearied with them for non paiment of their score,/137. or false paiment; to wit, with imaginarie monie, which they saie is not substantiall, and that they talke not afterwards about the reckoning, and so discover the matter. And it is most marvell of all, that the hostesse, &c: dooth not sit among them, and take part of their good cheere. For so it is, that if any part of these their meetings and league be true, it is as true and as certeinlie prooved and confessed, that at some alehouse, or sometime at some Gen/tlemans187. house, there is continuall preparation made monethlie for thisLegend. aur. in vita S. Germani. assemblie: as appeereth in S. Germans storie.
The tenth Chapter.
That most part of prophesies in the old testament were revealed in dreames, that we are not now to looke for such revelations, of some who have drempt of that which hath come to passe, that dreames proove contrarie, Nabuchadnez-zars rule to knowe a true expositor of dreames.
T is held and mainteined by divers, and gathered out of the 12. of Numbers, that all which was written or spoken by the prophets, among the children of Israel (Moses excepted) was propounded to them by dreames. And indeed it is manifest, that manie things, which are thought by the unlearned to have beene reallie finished, have beene onlie performed by dreams and visions. As where Salomon1. Re. 3, 5. 15. required of God the gift of wisdome: that was (I say) in a dreame; and also where he received promise1. Reg. 9. of the continuance of the kingdome of Israel in his line. So was EsaisIsai. 6.
Ezech. 12.
Jerem. 13. vision in the 6. of his prophesie: as also that of Ezechiel the 12. Finallie, where Jeremie was commanded to hide his girdle in the clift of a rocke at the river Euphrates in Babylon; and that after certeine daies, it did there putrifie, it must needs be in a dreame; for Jeremie was never (or at leastwise not then) at Babylon. We that are christians must not now slumber and dreame, but watch and praie, and meditate upon our salvation in Christ both daie and night. And if we expect revelations in our dreames, now, when Christ is come, we shall deceive our selves: for in him are fulfilled all dreames and prophesies. Howbeit, BodinJ. Bodin. lib. de dæmon. 1. cap. 5. holdeth that dreames and visions continue till this daie, in as miraculous maner as ever they did.
If you read Artemidorus, you shall read manie stories of such as drempt of things that afterwards cam to passe. But he might have cited a thousand for one that fell out contrarie: for as for/188. such dreamers among the Jews themselves, as had not extraordinarie visions miraculouslie exhibited unto them by God, they were counted couseners, as may appeere by these words of the prophet Zacharie;Zach. 10, 2. Surelie the idols have spoken vanitie, and the soothsaiers have seene a lie, and the dreamers have told a vaine thing. According to SalomonsEccles. 5, 6.
Jerem. 23. saieng; In the multitude of dreames and vanities are manie words. It appeereth in Jeremie 23. that the false prophets, whilest they illuded the people with lies, counterfetting the true prophets, used to crie out; Dreames, dreames; We have dreamed a dreame, &c. Finallie, Nabuchadnez-zar teacheth all men to knowe a true expositor of dreames; to wit, such a one as hath his revelation from GOD. For he can (as DanielDaniel. 2. did) repeate your dreame before you discover it: which thing if anie expounder of dreames can doo at this daie, I will beleeve him.//
