Either for himself to satisfie his own lust; for another, if he be hired thereto, or both at once, having such excellent means. For under colour of visitation, auricular confession, comfort and penance, they have free egress and regress, and corrupt God knows how many. They can such trades some of them, practice Physick, use exorcisms, &c.

That whereas was wont to walk an Elf, There now walks the limiter himself, In every bush and under every tree, There needs no other Incubus but he.

In the Mountains betwixt Dauphine and Savoy, the Friers perswaded the good wives to counterfeit themselves possessed, that their husbands might give them free access, and were so familiar in those days with some of them, that, as one observes, wenches could not sleep in their beds for Necromantick Friers: and the good Abbess in Bocace may in some sort witness, that rising betimes, mistook and put on the Friers breeches instead of her vail or hat.

You have heard the story, I presume of Paulina, a chast matron in Ægesippus, whom one of Isis Priests did prostitute to Mundus a yong knight, and made her believe it was their God Anubis.

Many such pranks are played by our Jesuits, sometimes in their own habits, sometimes in others, like souldiers, courtiers, citizens, Schollars, Gallants, and women themselves. Proteus like in all forms, and disguises, that go abroad in the night, to inescate and beguile yong women, or to have their pleasure of other mens wives: And if we may believe some relations, they have wardrops of several suits in their Colledges for that purpose.

Howsoever in publike they pretend much zeal, seem to be very holy men, and bitterly preach against adultery, fornication, there are no verier Bawds or whoremasters in a country, Whose soul they should gain to God, they sacrifice to the Divel. But I spare these men for the present.

The last battering engins, are Philters, Amulets, Spells, Charms, Images, and such unlawful means; if they cannot prevail of themselves by the help of Bawds, Panders, and their adherents, they will flye for succour to the Divel himself.

I know there be those that deny the Divel can do any such thing, (Crato, epist. 2. lib. med.) and many Divines, there is no other fascination then that which comes by the eys, of which I have formerly spoken; and if you desire to be better informed, read Camerarius oper. subcis. cent. 2. c. 5. It was given out of old that a Thessalian wench had bewitched King Philip to dote upon her, and by Philters enforced his love; but when Olympia the Queen saw the maid of an excellent beauty, well-brought up, and qualified: these, quoth she, were the Philters which inveagled King Philip; those the true charms, as Henry to Rosamund,

One accent from thy lips the blood more warms, Then all their Philters, exorcisms and charms.

With this alone Lucretia brags in Aretine, she could do more then all Philosophers, Astrologers, Alchymists, Necromancers, Witches, and the rest of the crew. As for hearbs and Philters, I could never skill of them, The sole philter that ever I used, was kissing and embracing, by which alone I made men rave like beasts stupified, and compelled them to worship me like an Idol.

In our times ’tis a common thing saith Erastus in his book de Lamiis, for Witches to take upon them the making of these Philters, to force men and women to love and hate whom they will, to cause tempests, diseases, &c. by Charms, Spels, Characters, Knots.

—— hic Thessala vendit Philtra.

St. Hierom proves that they can do it, (as in Hilarius life, epist. lib. 3.) he hath a story of a yong man, that with a Philter made a maid mad for the love of him, which maid was after cured by Hilarion. Such instances I find in John Nider, Formicar. lib. 5. cap. 5. Plutarch records of Lucullus that he died of a Philter; and that Cleopatra used Philters to inveagle Anthony, amongst other allurements. Eusebius reports as much of Lucretius the Poet. Panormitan. lib. 4. de gest. Alphonsi, hath a story of one Stephan a Neapolitan Knight, that by a Philter was forced to run mad for love.

But of all others, that which Petrarch epist. famil. lib. 1. ep. 5. relates of Charls the Great, is most memorable: He foolishly doted upon a woman of mean favour and condition, many years together, wholly delighting in her company, to the great grief and indignation of his friends and followers. When she was dead, he did embrace her corps, as Apollo did the bay-tree, for his Daphne, and caused her Coffin (richly embalmed and decked with Jewels) to be carried about with him, over which he still lamented.

At last a venerable Bishop that followed his Court, pray’d earnestly to God (commiserating his Lord and Masters case) to know the true cause of this mad passion, and whence it proceeded; it was revealed to him in fine, that the cause of the Emperors mad love lay under the dead womans tongue. The Bishop went hastily to the carkass, and took a small ring thence; upon the removal the Emperour abhorr’d the Coarse, and instead of it, fell as furiously in love with the Bishop, he would not suffer him to be out of his presence: which when the Bishop perceived, he flung the ring into the midst of a great Lake, where the King then was.

From that houre the Emperour neglecting all his other houses, dwelt at Ache, built a fair house in the midst of the Marsh, to his infinite expence, and a Temple by it, where after he was buried, and in which city all his posterity ever since use to be crowned.

Marcus the Heretick is accused by Irenæus to have inveagled a yong maid by this means; and some writers speak hardly of the Lady Katharine Cobham, that by the same Art she circumvented Humphrey Duke of Glocester to be her husband. Sycinius Æmilianus summoned Apuleius to come before Cneius Maximus, Proconsul of Africk, that he being a poor fellow, had bewitched by Philters Pudentilla an ancient rich Matron to love him, and being worth so many thousand sesterces, to be his wife.