Miscellanies Upon Various Subjects Part 11

i. e. The wild inhabitants, as well as the French, had presages of that dreadful earthquake. See here the depositions of a wild Indian, about twenty-six years of age, who was very innocent, simple, and sincere. On the night of the 4th or 5th of February, in the year 1663, being perfectly awake, and in sound judgment, and setting up as it were in my bed, I heard a distinct and intelligible voice, that said to me, There will happen to day many strange things. The earth will quake and tremble. I found myself seized with an extraordinary fear, because I saw no person from whom the voice could proceed. I, full of terror, with great difficulty, endeavoured to compose myself to sleep.

And as soon as it was day I told my husband what had happened to me.

About nine or ten of the clock the same day, going to a forest a wood- gathering, I was scarce got into the brow of the forest, but I heard the same voice again, which told me the same thing, and in the same manner as it had done the night before. My fear was much greater this time, because I was all alone. She got her burden of wood, and met her sister who comforted her, to whom she told this story, and when she came to her father's caben, she told the same story there; but they heard it without any reflections.

" --- La chose en demeure la, jusquez a 5. ou 6 heures du soir du mesme jour, ou un tremblement de Terre survenant, Ils reconnurent par experience, que cequ'ils m'avoient intendu dire avant Midy, n'estoit que trop vray."

i. e.---The matter rested there, till about five or six of the clock in the evening of the same day, when an earthquake coming suddenly upon us; experience made them recollect and acknowledge that, what they had heard me say before noon, was but too true.

"Envoyee au R. P. Andre Castillon Provincial de la Province de France par les Missioners de Peres de la Compagnie de Jesu. Imprime a Paris, 1664."

i. e. Sent to the reverend father Andrew Castillon, provincial of the province of France, by the missioners of the fathers of the Society of Jesus. Printed at Paris, 1664.

"Livy makes mention, that before the coming of the Gauls to Rome, Marcus Ceditius, a Plebeian, acquainted the Senate, that pa.s.sing one night about twelve o'clock through the Via Nova, he heard a voice (bigger than a man's) which advised him to let the Senate know, the Gauls were on their march to Rome. How those things could be, it is to be discoursed by persons well versed in the causes of natural and supernatural events: for my part I will not pretend to understand them, unless (according to the opinion of some Philosophers) we may believe that the air being full of intelligences and spirits, who foreseeing future events, and commiserating the condition of mankind, give them warning by these kind of intimations, that they may the more timely provide and defend themselves against their calamities. But whatever is the cause, experience a.s.sures us, that after such denunciations, some extraordinary thing or other does constantly happen."

IMPULSES.

Cicero "de Natura Deorum", lib. 2.

"PRaeTEREA ipsorum Deorum saepe praesentiae, quales supra commemoravi, --- declarant, ut ab his, & Civitatibus, & singulis Hominibus consuli.

Quod quidem intelligitur etiam significationibus rerum futurarum, quae tum dormientibus, tum Vigilantibus portentantur. --- Nemo vir magnus sine aliquo afflatu divino unquam fuit".

i. e. Moreover the frequent presence of the G.o.ds themselves, as I have above mentioned, plainly manifest, that they preside, with their good advice, as guardians, not only over cities, but particular men.

This may be likewise certainly understood by the several significations of future events, which are predicted to men both sleeping and waking --- there was never any one single great man, but what has, in some measure, partaken of this divine inspiration.

"Testor Deum me olim ante plures menses melancolia ex adverso casu conceptam, Domini patris mei praesentisse, ac p.r.o.nuncia.s.se mortem, c.u.m tamen ipso valde incolumi, nulla ejus mihi ratio probabilis afferretur: & sic ipse postea momentum sui obitus, septem circiter horas antea p.r.o.nunciavit".

i. e. I call G.o.d to witness, that formerly some months before, having conceived it in a fit of melancholy, from an unlucky event, that I foreknew, and foretold my father's death, when he being quite in health, no probable account of it offered itself to me: and in like manner he himself afterwards p.r.o.nounced the moment of his departure near seven hours before. "Imperialis Musaeum Physic.u.m". 104.

Oliver Cromwell had certainly this afflatus. One that I knew, that was at the battle of Dunbar, told me that Oliver was carried on with a divine impulse; he did laugh so excessively as if he had been drunk; his eyes sparkled with spirits. He obtained a great victory; but the action was said to be contrary to human prudence. The same fit of laughter seized Oliver Cromwell, just before the battle of Naseby; as a kinsman of mine, and a great favourite of his, Colonel J. P. then present, testified. Cardinal Mazarine said, that he was a lucky fool.

In one of the great fields at Warminster in Wilts.h.i.+re, in the harvest, at the very time of the fight at Bosworth field, between King Eichard III. and Henry VII. there was one of the parish took two sheaves, crying (with some intervals) now for Richard, now for Henry; at last lets fall the sheaf that did represent Richard; and cried, now for King Henry, Richard is slain. This action did agree with the very time, day and hour. When I was a schoolboy I have heard this confidently delivered by tradition by some old men of our country.

Monsieur de Scudery in his Poem, ent.i.tuled "Rome Vaincue", fancies an angel to be sent to Alaric, to impel him to overrun the Roman empire with his swarms of northern people. The like may be fancied upon all changes of government; when providence destines the ends, it orders the means.

By way of parallel to this, the Pope by the like instinct, being at Rome in the consistory, did speak of the engagement in the famous battle of Lepanto, and that the Christians were victors. The fight at sea being two hundred miles or more distant from them.

King Charles I. after he was condemned, did tell Colonel Tomlinson, that he believed, that the English monarchy was now at an end: about half an hour after, he told the Colonel, "that now he had a.s.surance by a strong impulse "on his spirit, that his son should reign after him."

This information I had from Fabian Philips, Esq. of the Inner- temple, who had good authority for the truth of it: I have forgot who it was.

The Lord Roscomon, being a boy of ten years of age at Caen in Normandy, one day was (as it were) madly extravagant in playing, leaping, getting over the table-boards, &c.

He was wont to be sober enough: they said, G.o.d grant this bodes no ill luck to him; in the heat of this extravagant fit, he cries out, my father is dead. A fortnight after news came from Ireland, that his father was dead. This account I had from Mr. Knolles, who was his governor, and then with him; since Secretary to the Earl of Stafford, and I have heard his Lords.h.i.+p's relations confirm the same.

A very good friend of mine and old acquaintance, hath had frequent impulses; when he was a commoner at Trinity College, Oxford, he had several. When he rode towards the West one time in the stage coach, he told the company, " We shall certainly be robbed," and they were so. When a brother of his, a merchant, died, he left him with other effects, a share of a s.h.i.+p, which was returning from Spain, and of which news was brought to the Exchange at London of her good condition; he had such an impulse upon his spirit, that he must needs sell his share, though to loss; and he did sell it. The s.h.i.+p came safe to Cornwall, (or Devon) and somewhere afterwards fell upon the rocks and sunk: not a man perished; but all the goods were lost except some parrots, which were brought for Queen Katherine.

The good genius of Socrates is much remembered, which gave him warning. The Ethnick Genij are painted like our Angels; strong impulses are to be referred to them.

The learned Dr. John Pell, hath told me, that he did verily believe, that some of his solutions of difficult problems were not done "Sine Domino auxilio".

Mr. J. N. a very understanding gentleman, and not superst.i.tious, protested to me, that when he hath been over-persuaded by friends to act contrary to a strong impulse, that he never succeeded.

KNOCKINGS.

R. BAXTER'S Certainty of the World of Spirits. "A gentleman, formerly seemingly pious, of late years hath fallen into the sin of drunkenness; and when he has been drunk, and slept himself sober, something knocks at his beds-head, as if one knocked on a wainscot; when they remove the bed, it follows him, besides loud noises on other parts where he is, that all the house heareth".

" It poseth me to think what kind of spirit this is, that hath such a care of this man's soul, (which makes me hope he will recover). Do good spirits dwell so near us ? or, are they sent on such messages ?

or, is it his guardian Angel ? or, is it the soul of some dead friend, that suffereth and yet retaining love to him, as Dives did to his brethren, would have him saved ? G.o.d keepeth yet such things from us in the dark."

Major John Morgan of Wells, did aver, that as he lay in bed with Mr.

Barlow (son of the Dean of Wells) they heard three distinct knocks on the bed; Mr. Barlow shortly after fell sick and died.

Three or four days before my father died, as I was in my bed about nine o'clock in the morning perfectly awake, I did hear three distinct knocks on the beds-head, as if it had been with a ruler or ferula.

Mr. Hierome Banks, as he lay on his death bed, in Bell-yard, said, three days before he died, that Mr. Jennings of the Inner-temple, (his great acquaintance, dead a year or two before) gave three knocks, looked in, and said, come away. He was as far from believing such things as any man.

Mr. George Ent of the Middle-temple, told me, some days before he died, that he had such a "Deceptio Visus", he called it.

" In Germany when one is to die out of one's family, or some friends, there will sometimes likewise happen some token that signifieth the death of one, e. g. some (or one) in the house heareth the noise, as if a meal-sack fell down from on high upon the boards of the chamber; they presently go up thither, where they thought it was done, and find nothing; but all things in order".

" Also at Berlin, when one shall die out of the electoral house of Brandenburgh, a woman drest in white linen appears always to several, without speaking, or doing any harm, for several weeks before". This from Jasper Belshazer Cranmer, a Saxon gentleman.

BLOWS INVISIBLE.

MR. BROGRAVE, of Hamel, near Puckridge in Hertfords.h.i.+re, when he was a young man, riding in a lane in that county, had a blow given him on his cheek: (or head) he looked back and saw that n.o.body was near behind him; anon he had such another blow, I have forgot if a third.

He turned back, and fell to the study of the law; and was afterwards a Judge. This account I had from Sir John Penruddocke of Compton- Chamberlain, (our neighbour) whose Lady was Judge Brograve's niece.

Newark (Sir G. L.'s) has knockings before death. And there is a house near Covent Garden that has warnings. The Papists are full of these observations.

The like stories are reported of others.

PROPHESIES.

CICERO de Divinatione, Lib. 1. "--gentem quidem nullam video, neque tam humanam atque doctam: neque tam immanem tam; barbaram, quae non significari futura, & a quibusdam intelligi, praedicique posse censeat".

i. e. I know of no country, either so polished and learned, or so rude, barbarous and uncivilized, but what always allowed that some particular persons are gifted with an insight into futurity, and are endued with a talent of prediction.

To pa.s.s by the prophesies of holy writ, the prophesies of Nostradamus do foretel very strangely; but not easily understood till they are fulfilled. The book is now common.

Peter Martyr, in his Decades, tells us, that there was a prophet among the Salvages in America, that did foretel the coming in of strangers in s.h.i.+ps, which they had not known.

The prophesies of St. Malachi, are exceeding strange. He describes the Popes by their coats of arms, or their names, or manners: if his prophesies be true, there will be but fifteen Popes more. It is printed in a book in Octavo, ent.i.tuled "Bucelini Historiae Nucleus, 1654, in calce Libri" thus, "Prophetia Malachiae Monachi Bangorensis, & A. Episcopi Ardinensis, Hiberniae Primatis". 1665, in two leaves.