Under Idolatry.12. Yet notwithstanding, the coming of Christ hath prevented the Devils force in general. Such Nations as have never embraced the Christian Faith, are still deluded and bewitched by him; because the center hath never been actually awakened in any of them, so that the Devils power prevails over them mightily, to seduce them to worship things visible, and not the true God: For where the most darkness is in Religion and Worship, or in natural understanding, there his power is most predominant; As in Tartary, China, and the East-Indies; also in Lapland, Finland, and the Northern Islands.
How power in new-discovered Lands.13. In the West-Indies or America, his access is very facil and freequent to the Inhabitants, so that by custom and continuance they were at the first discovery thereof, become so much substitute and obsequious to his power, that though they knew him to be a power of Darkness, yet they adored him lest he should destroy them and their Children. And unto such a height were they come at the Landing of Cortes, Drake, and Vandernort, that they could familiarly convert themselves into Wolves, Bears, and other furious Beasts; in which Metamorphosis their Enthusiasms and Divinations were suggested, and such were held in greatest esteem.
His power in America.14. Till upon the Invasion of the Spaniards, the greater evil drove out the less, and the cruel Murthers of that Antichristian tradition, did both depopulate the Islands and most of the Continent; and also by accident, though not through any good intention, extirpate the race of such as addicted themselves to this infamous sort of Divination. In which devastation, and bloody inquisition, their Idols were discovered with their Oracles and Inchantments, far different from the European Conjurers, and any of their Ceremonies.
The variety of Conjurations according to the Countries.15. But that which is the most remarkable in the Infernal proceedings, is this, That there is not any Nation under the Sun, but the Devil hath introduced himself amongst them through their Ceremonies and Worship, though quite opposite to one another: For in the Kingdom of China, by the sacrifice of Blood and Panaak, he is Conjured and Exorcized through the repetitions of several Superstitious Invocations to the Sun and Moon. In Tartary the Magicians go quite another way to work, with Offerings to the Ocean, to the Mountains, and the Rivers, fuming Incense, and divers sorts of Feathers; by which means the Devils are compelled to appear. So that we see how this Proteus can dispose himself in the divers Kingdoms of this World; being called by other names in Tartary, China, the East and West-Indies, &c. then amongst the European Conjurers. Likewise the Greeks and Romans could Invocate Spirits by Prayers unto the Moon, and divers Sacrifices of Milk, Honey, Vervine, and Blood. And those that are addicted to Conjurations in Christianity, have attained to a more lofty and ample manner of Incantation and Conjuring with Magical Garments, Fire, Candles, Circles, Astrological Observations, Invocations, and holy Names of God, according to the Kaballa of the Jews./
59.Why few are able to raise Spirits. 16. So that every distinct Nation hath conformed its Conjuration unto the Ceremonies of that Religion which it professeth: And it is to be observed, That from a natural cause every Nation hath its Conjurations and Names of Devils, from the Constellation under which the Countrey lyeth, and from the Air or Wind to which such particular Dominations do belong; so that no effect would follow, if one Countrey should traditionally inure themselves to the Forms and Exorcisms that are used by another Nation. And therefore is it that so many attempts are offered in vain amongst professed Christians to raise Spirits, because they have little or nothing from their own Constellation, but make use of what they have borrowed from the Greeks and Romans, or the ancient Imbecillity of the Ægyptians Priests; I mean, their simple forms of Invocation.
The Names of Devils in the Time of the Law.17. But because we are rather upon the discovery of the Infernal Kingdom, as it hath no dependence upon the doings of mortal Men; therefore we will proceed to discover what the Antients have said concerning it: So the next which we fall upon after the description of their Habitations, and the manner of their Appearances, is their Names and Appellations diversly considered. First, from the Creation of the World to the coming of Christ, they retained the Hebrew names, as Belial, Baal, Baalzebub, Lelah, Ador, Abaddon, &c. according to the seculum under which they were Invocated; assuming names according to the present occasion about which they were imployed.
Their Names in China.18. Under the Constellation of China, they are Invocated by the Names Kan, Sinoam, Nantam, Bal, Baltal, Sheall, the six Governours or Presidents: Chancangian, the chief of the Devils: Po, Paym, Nalkin, Nebo, the Devils of the four Winds: Lean, Lan, Pan, Adal, the Devils of the four Elements. And according to the nature of their language or words which do all consist of no more then one syllable, so are the Devils named. Yea, as it is conjectured by many learned Magicians, this language of the Chinenses is more Magical and adapted to Conjurations, then all the Oriental Tongues, because of the consonancy and copiousness thereof, together with the numerous and various Characters used by them.
In the East-Indies
Tartaria.
Greece.
Italy.
West Indies.19. In the East-Indies, and in Tartary, the Names are the same with those of China, though the Ceremonies differ. In Persia, Arabia, Natolia, Ægypt, Æthiopia, the Names are the same with the Jewish Rabbins. But the Greeks and Romans have different from the rest, according to their Language and Superstitions. The Turks, Muscovites, Russians, Lapponians, and Norwegians, make use of the Sclavonian tongue in all their Conjurations. The West-Indians have very strange and antick Names and Ceremonies of their own, nothing depending on the Traditions and Practices of the old World; for, as is related before, the Devil is sufficiently capable of introducing himself through the Religious Superstitions of any Nation whomsoever, according to the Constellations, although strangers to the Rites and Ceremonies of others.
The nature of their Names.20. But though their Names be conformable to the Language and Climate of that Nation where they are raised or called; yet have they divers Names, suppose twenty or thirty to one Devil, according to the several ministrations they have had from the Creation to this day, leaving a several name behinde them at each of their appearances upon the earth; for, according to the testimony of the Devil himself, if credit may be given to Devils, they, as they are abstractively considered in their own Kingdom, have no imposed Names of distinction, but are forced to assume them when they rise up in the external principle of this World: although in some measure it must be granted, that there be some principal Kings and Dukes in the Infernal Hierarchy, that have Names establish’d upon them which cannot be transferr’d or altered.
The names of [sic] Devils in Scot. 21. As for the Names that are recorded in this precedent Discovery of Witchcraft by Reginald Scot Esq; being a Catalogue of Devils in their Rancks/60. and Hierarchies, they are supposed to be fictitious and totally imaginary, being taken out of Bodin or Wyerus, which they recorded from the mouth of Tradition, and obscure Manuscrips:*[* sic] And indeed were there any certainty in this List of Devils, it were to be preferred as the most ample and exact delineation that is extant. But it is the rather to be suspected, because of the little coherence it hath with the former received Names of Devils eitheir in Europe, Asia, Africa, or America.