N00531:34
Cases of conscience concerning evil spirits personating men, witchcrafts, infallible proofs of guilt in…
Cases of conscience concerning evil spirits personating men, witchcrafts, infallible proofs of guilt in such as are accused with that crime. All considered according to the Scriptures, history, experience, and the judgment of many learned men. / By Increase Mather, president of Harvard College, at Cambridge, and teacher of a church at Boston in New-England. ; [Six lines of quotations]
Boston printed, : and sold by Benjamin Harris at the London Coffee-House., 1693
Modern spelling is a reading aid: the words are the author’s, only the spelling is modernized. Original shows the page as printed, with the transcription marks.
Cotton was so affected with the Report, as to take a Journey on purpose to the Town where this happened, that so he might obtain a satisfactory Account about it, which he did. Some Authors say that a Demon appeared in the Form of Silvanus (Hiero•'s Friend) attempting a dishonest thing, the Devil thereby designing to blast the Reputation of a famous Bishop. I have in another Book mentioned that celebrated Instance concerning an honest Citizen in Zurick (the Metropolis of Helvetia) in whose Shape the Devil appeared committing an abominable Fact (not fit to be named) very early in the morning, seen by the Prefect of the City, and his Servant. They were amazed to Behold a man of good Esteem for his conversation, perpetrating a thing so vile and abominable: but going from the Spectre in the Field, to the Citizens House in the Town, they found him at home, & in his bed, nor had he been abroad that morning, which convinced them that what they saw was an Illusion of the Devil. This Passage is mentioned as a thing known and certain by Lavater in his Treatise of Spectres, (z)who was a most learned and judicious Preacher in that City. Our Juel faith of him that he must ingeniously confess, that he never understood Solomons Proverbs, until Lavater expounded them to him. That Book of his De Spec•ris ⟨p. 14⟩hath been published in Latin, high and low Dutch French, Italan. The Leaned Zanchy †speaks highly of it, professing that he had read it both with Pleasure and Profit. Voetius (a)takes notice of that Passage which we have quoted out of Levater as a thing Memorable.
Cotton was so affected with the Report, as to take a Journey on purpose to the Town where this happened, that so he might obtain a satisfactory Account about it, which he did. Some Authors say that a Demon appeared in the Form of Sylvanus (Hiero•'s Friend) attempting a dishonest thing, the Devil thereby designing to blast the Reputation of a famous Bishop. I have in another Book mentioned that celebrated Instance concerning an honest Citizen in Zurick (the Metropolis of Heluetia) in whose Shape the Devil appeared committing an abominable Fact (not fit to be named) very early in the morning, seen by the Prefect of the City, and his Servant. They were amazed to Behold a man of good Esteem for his conversation, perpetrating a thing so vile and abominable: but going from the Spectre in the Field, to the Citizens House in the Town, they found him at home, & in his bed, nor had he been abroad that morning, which convinced them that what they saw was an Illusion of the Devil. This Passage is mentioned as a thing known and certain by Lavater in his Treatise of Spectres,