Of the Nature of Sprits. I % $
hogs are thereby defended from the injury of wolves ; inhering to me with afalfe fuperjlition ; where when he hath been by me called again and again, and hath not appeared, I have taken this cuflody upon myfe/f in/lead ef S, Blaze : for I always freely /land in fiead of Cod and his Saints : fo alfo now rnojl freely do / keep his fwineforSt. Blaze, that J may tnagntfe and confirm the foolifh man in his vain confidence ; and thereby I mayfeiuce himfo y that he may efleem of this Schedule more then Cod.
Poll. This is a pleafant ftory : but I do not wonder thac the devil fhould impole fo much upon fo fimplc a Paflor, when he doth in many things prevail over the more wife, if they do at thcmfelves to his opportunities ; which the Church contradið.
Poll. But are all things wrought and brought to pafs by means of the devil which men call Miracles ?
Cafr. No: for we muft give unto Nature that which feem- Somcmi- eth to belong unto her, who is fai.d to be the greatcft worker ™ cIes a ^' of Miracles ; as that which we have experienced in the ftone t „ r an». n Asbestos, which, as 5o//»«5witneffeth, being once fet on fire, cannot be quenched : and the root Baara, defcribed by Jo- fephm in the hiftory of Jerufalcm , which he teftifieth to be of the colour of a flame of fire, fplcndent and fhining in the night ; but fo difficult to be taken , that it always flies from under the hand of him that would take ir, and deceivcth his eyes fo long , until it be fprinkled with the urine of a men- ftruous woman : and when it is retained by this means , ic may not be gathered or plucked up without danger; for pre- fent death followeth him thac gathereth or plucketh it up, unlefs he fhall be fortified with a Prelervativc abouc his neck, of the fame root. For which caufe, they who want the fame root, dofcarifieit round about ; and having bound the root about with a bond, they tie the fame to a dog, and fuddenly depart away. Whereupon,the dog, too much endeavouring to follow after him, draweth up the root ; and, as if the dog were to perform the torn of his mafier, he forthwith dies;and afterwards the fame root may be taken and handled without any danger to any man. And the fame J^W teachetb,thac
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