Page:A Collection of Several Philosophical Writings of Dr. Henry More.djvu/144

 102 seven shillings in it, for which he suspected one in the family where he lived, he saith that on a Friday, while he was making hay-bottles in the barn, and swore and curs'd and rag'd, and wish'd to himself that some wise body would help him to his purse and money again, there appear'd unto him a Spirit in the shape of a Bear, but not so big as a Coney, who promis'd, upon condition that he would fall down and worship him, he would help him to his purse. He assented to it; and the Spirit told him, to morrow about this time he should find his purse upon the floor where he made bottles, and that he would then come himself also; which was done accordingly: and thus at the time appointed recovering his purse, he fell down upon his knees to the Spirit, and said, My Lord and God, I thank you. This Spirit brought then with him two other, in the shape the one of a white Cat, the other of a Coney, which at the command of the Bear-Spirit he worshipped also. The Bear-Spirit told him he must have his Soul when he died, that he must suck of his body, that he must have some of his Blood to seal the Covenant. To all which he agreed; and so the Bear-Spirit leaping up to his shoulder, prick'd him on the head, and thence took blood. After that they all three vanished, but ever since came to him once every twenty four hours, and suck'd on his body, where the Marks are found. And that they had continually done thus for this twenty nine years together." That all these things should be a mere dream is a conceit more slight and foolish then any dream possibly can be. For that receiving of his purse was a palpable and sensible pledge of the truth of all the rest. And it is incredible that such a series of circumstances, back'd with twenty nine years experience of being suck'd and visited daily, sometimes in the day-time, most commonly by night, by the same three Familiars, should be nothing but the hanging together of so many Melancholy Conceits and Phansies,

7. Nor doth the sealing of Covenants and writing with Blood make such Stories as these more to be suspected: for it is not at all unreasonable that such Ceremonies should pass betwixt a Spirit and a Man, when the like palpable Rites are used for the more firmly tying of Man to God. For whatsoever is crass and external leaves stronger Impress upon the Phansie, and the remembrance of it strikes the Mind with more efficacy. So that assuredly the Devil hath the greater hanck upon the Soul of a Witch or Wizard that hath been perswaded to compleat their Contract with him in such a gross sensible way, and keeps them more fast from revolting from him, then if they had onely contracted in bare words.

Rh