ASCIUS CARDANUS Fasc. Card. operat. de dæmon.had (as he himselfe and his sonne Hierome Cardanus report) a familiar divell, consisting of the fierie element, who, so long as he used conjuration, did give true answers to all his demands: but when he burned up his booke of conjurations, though he resorted still unto him, yet did he make false answers continuallie. He held him bound twentie & eight yeares, and loose five yeares. And during the time that he was bound, he told him that there were manie divels or spirits. He came not alwaies alone, but sometimes some of his fellowes with him. He rather a/greed358. with Psellus than with Plato: for he said they were begotten, borne, died, and lived long; but how long, they told him not: howbeit as he might conjecture by his divels face, who was 42. yeares old, and yet appeared verie yoong, he thought they lived two or three hundred yeares; and they said that their soules/498. and ours also died with their bodies. They had schooles and universities among them: but he conceived not that anie were so dull headded, as Psellus maketh them. But they are verie quicke in credit, that beleeve such fables, which indeed is the groundworke of witchcraft and conjuration. But these histories are so grosse and palpable, that I might be thought as wise in going about to confute them, as to answer the stories of Frier Rush, Adam Bell, or the golden Legend.
The sixt Chapter.
The opinion of Plato concerning spirits, divels and angels, what sacrifices they like best, what they feare, and of Socrates his familiar divell.
LATO and his followers hold, that good spirits appeare in their owne likenesse; The Platonists opinion.but that evill spirits appeare and shew themselves in the forme of other bodies; and that one divell reigneth over the rest, as a prince dooth in everie perfect commonwelth over men. Item, they obteine their purposes and desires, onelie by intreatie, of men and women; bicause in nature they are their inferiors, and use authoritie over men none otherwise than priests by vertue of their function, and bicause of religion, wherein (they saie) they execute the office of God. Sometimes they saie that the fierie spirits or supreme substances enter into the puritie of the mind, and so obteine their purpose; sometimes otherwise, to wit, by vertue of holie charmes, and even as a poore man obteineth for Gods sake anie thing at a princes hand as it were by importunatnesse.
The other sort of divels and defiled soules are so conversant on earth, as that they doo much hurt unto earthlie bodies, speciallie in lecherie. Gods and angels (saie they)What kind of sacrifices each spirit liketh best. bicause they want all materiall and grosse substance, desire most the pure sacrifice of the mind. The grosser and more terrestriall spirits desire the grosser sacrifices; as beasts and cattell. They in the middle or/499. meane region delight to have frankincense, and such meane stuffe offered unto them: and therefore (saie they) it is necessarie to sacrifice unto them, all maner of things, so the same be slaine, and die not of their owne accord: for such they abhorre. Some saie that spirits feare woonderfullie vaine threats, and thereupon will depart; as if you tell them that you will cut the heavens in peeces, or reveale their secrets, or complaine of them to the gods, or saie that you will doo anie impossibilitie, or such things as they cannot understand; they are so timerous, as they will presentlie be gone: and that is thought the best waie to be rid of them. But these be most commonlie of that sort or companie,/359. which are called Principatus, being of all other the most easie to be conjured.
They saie SocratesOf Socrates his private divell or familiar spirit. had a familiar divell: which Plato relieth much upon, using none other argument to proove that there are such spirits, but bicause Socrates (that would not lie) said so; and partlie bicause that divell did ever dissuade and prohibit, not onelie in Socrates his owne cases, but sometimes in his freends behalfe; who (if they had beene ruled) might through his admonition have saved their lives. His disciples gathered that his divell was Saturnall, and a principall fierie divell; and that he, and all such as doo naturallie know their divels, are onlie such as are called Dæmonii viri, otherwise, Couseners. Item, they saie that fierie spirits urge men to contemplation, the aierie to busines, the waterie to lust; and among these there are some that are Martiall, which give fortitude; some are Joviall, giving wisedome; some Saturniall, alwaies using dissuasion and dehorting. Item, some are borne with us, and remaine with us all our life; some are meere strangers, who are nothing else but the soules of men departed this life, &c./
The seventh Chapter.500.
Platos nine orders of spirits and angels, Dionysius his division thereof not much differing from the same, all disprooved by learned divines.