as Eusebius l. contra Philosophos c.48. informeth us, out of the authority of Zenophanes; or little Clouds, ad motum nescio quem volantes; which never appear, saith Cardan, but they signify some mischief or other to come unto men, though some again will have them to pretend good, and victory to that side they come towards in Sea fights,

St. Elmes fires they commonly call them, & they do likely appear after a Sea storme; Radzivilius the Polonian Duke cals this apparition, Sancti Germani sydus; and saith moreover that he saw the same after in a storme, as he was sayling, 1582, from Alexandria to Rhodes.

Our Stories are full of such apparations in all kinds. Some think they keep their residence in that Hecla, a mountain in Island, Ætna in Sicely, Lypera, Vesuvius, &c. These Devils were worshiped heretofore by that superstitious Πυρομαντεία, and the like.

Aerial Spirits or Devils, are such as keep quarter most part in the aire, cause many tempests, thunder, and lightnings, tear Oakes, fire Steeples, Houses, strike men and beasts, make it raine stones, as in Livies time, wool, Frogs, &c.

Counterfeit Armies in the air, strange noyses, swords, &c. as at Vienna, before the coming of the Turks, and many times in Rome, as Scheretzius l. de spect. c. 1. part. 1. Lavater de spect. part. 1. c. 17. Julius obsequens, an old Roman, in his book of prodigies, ab urb. cond. 505. Machiavel hath illustrated by many examples, and Josephus in his book de bello Judaico, before the destruction of Jerusalem.

All which Guil. Postellus in his first book c. 7. de orbis concordia useth as an effectual argument (as indeed it is) to perswade them that will not believe there be Spirits or Devils. They cause whirlewindes on a sudden, and tempestuous stormes; which though our Meteorologists generally refer to natural causes, yet I am of Bodines minde Theat. Nat. l. 2. they are more often caused by those aerial devils, in their several quarters;

for Tempestatibus se ingerunt, saith Rich. Argentine; as when a desperate man makes away himself, which by hanging or drowning they frequently do, as Kornmannus observes, de mirac. mort. part. 7. c. 76. tripudium agentes, dancing & rejoycing at the death of a sinner.

These can corrupt the Aire, and cause plagues, sickness, stormes, shipwracks, fires, inundations. At Mons Draconis in Italy, there is a most memorable example in Jovianus Pontanus: And nothing so familiar (if we may believe those relations of Saxo Grammaticus, Olaus Magnus, Damianus A. Goes) as for Witches & Sorcerers, in Lapland, Lituania, and all over Scandia, to sell windes to Marriners, and cause tempests, which Marcus Paulus the Venetian relates likewise of the Tartars.

These kinde of Devils are much delighted in Sacrifices, (saith Porphyry) held all the world in awe, and had several names, Idols, Sacrifices, in Rome, Greece, Ægypt, and at this day tyrannize over, and deceive those Ethnicks, and Indians, being adored and worshipped for gods.

For the Gentiles gods were Devils (as Trismegistus confesseth in his Asclepius) and he himself could make them come to their Images by Magick spels: and are now as much respected by our Papists, (saith Pictorius) under the name of Saints.

These are they which Cardan thinks, desire so much carnal copulation with Witches, (Incubi and Succubi) transform bodies, and are so very cold, if they be touched; and that serve Magicians. His father had one of them (as he is not ashamed to relate) an aerial devil bound to him for twenty and eight years.

As Agrippa’s dog had a devil tyed to his coller; some think that Paracelsus (or else Erastus belies him) had one confined to his sword pummel; others wear them in Rings, &c.

Jannes and Jambres did many things of old by their help; Simon Magus, Cinops, Apollonius Tianeus, Jamblicus, and Tritemius of late, that shewed Maximilian the Emperor his wife, after she was dead: Et verrucam in collo ejus (saith Godolman) so much as the Wart in her neck. Delrio lib. 2. hath divers examples of their feats: Cicogna lib. 3. cap. 3. and Wierus in his book de præstig. dæmonum. Boissardus de magis & veneficis.

Water-devils are those Naiades or water Nymphs which have been heretofore conversant about waters and rivers. The water (as Paracelsus thinks) is their Chaos, wherein they live; some call them Fairies, and say that Habundia is their Queen;

these cause Inundations, many times shipwracks, and deceive men divers wayes, as Succuba, or otherwise, appearing most part (saith Tritemius) in womens shapes. Paracelsus hath several stories of them that have lived and been married to mortal men, and so continued for certain years with them, and after upon some dislike, have forsaken them.

Such a one as Ægeria, with whom Numa was so familiar, Diana, Ceres, &c. Olaus Magnus hath a long narration of one Hotherus a King of Sweden, that having lost his company, as he was hunting one day, met with these water Nymphs or Fairies, and was feasted by them;

and Hector Boethius, or Mackbeth, and Banco, two Scottish Lords, that as they were wandring in the Woods, had their Fortunes told them by three strange women. To these heretofore they did use to Sacrifice, by that ὑδρομαντεία, or divination by waters.

Terrestrial devils, are those Lares, Genii, Faunes, Satyrs, Wood-nymphs, Foliots, Fairies, Robin Goodfellowes, Trulli, &c. which as they are most conversant with men, so they do them most harme.

Some think it was they alone that kept the Heathen people in awe of old, and had so many Idols and Temples erected to them. Of this range was Dagon amongst the Philistines, Bell amongst the Babylonians, Astartes amongst the Sydonians, Baal amongst the Samaritans, Isis and Osyres amongst the Ægyptians, &c.

some put our Fairies into this rank, which have been in former times adored with much superstition, with sweeping their houses, and setting of a pail of cleane water, good victuals, and the like, and then they should not be pinched, but finde money in their shoos, and be fortunate in their enterprizes.