Page:A Collection of Several Philosophical Writings of Dr. Henry More.djvu/153



1. Two memorable Stories, with the credibility of them. 2. The first of a Shoemaker of Breslaw, Who cut his own throat. 3. His appearing after death in his usual habit, and his vexatious haunting the whole Town. 4. That he being dug up after he had been eight moneths buried, his body was found intire and fresh, and his joynts limber and flexible. 5. That upon the burning thereof the Apparition ceased. 6. Which also hapned in a Maid of his, when she had vext and disturbed people for a whole moneth together. 7. That the Relator of the Story lived in the Town at what time these things fell out.

Have insisted so long upon the foregoing Narration, partly because it is very fresh, so that any man may satisfie himself concerning the truth thereof that has any doubt of such things; and partly because it is so notorious, that it is hardly to be parallel'd by any we meet with in Writers, considering all circumstances. And yet if they were as new, I know not but those Relations of Martinus Weinrichius, a Silesian Physician and Philosopher, which by way of Preface are prefixt to Picus Mirandula his Strix or De ludificatione Dæmonum, may seem as convincing as that.

The Stories are two and very memorable, and the more credible, because the things hapned in the age of the Narrator, some few years before he wrote them, and in his own Countrey; and he doth avouch them with all imaginable confidence to be most certainly true. The former of them is this.

2. A certain Shoemaker in one of the chief Towns of Silesia, in the year 1591. Septemb. 20. on a Friday betimes in the morning, in the further parts of his house, where there was adjoyning a little Garden, cut his own throat with his Shoemakers knife. The Family, to cover the foulness of the fact, and that no disgrace might come upon his widow, gave out that he died of an Apoplexie, declined all visits of friends and neighbours, in the mean time got him washed and laid linens so handsomely about him, that even they that saw him afterwards, as the Parson and some others, had not the least suspicion but that he did dye of that disease; and so he had honest Burial, with a funeral Sermon and other circumstances becoming one of his rank and reputation. Six weeks had not past but so strong a rumour broke out that he died not of any disease, but had laid violent hands upon himself, that the Magistracy of the place could not but bring all those that had seen the corps to a strict examination. They shuffled off the matter as well as they could at first, with many fair Apologies in the behalf of the deceased, to remove all suspicion of so hainous an act: but it being pressed more home to their Conscience, at last they confessed he died a violent death, but desired their favor and clemency to his widow and children, who were in no fault; adding also, that it was Uncertain but that he might be slain by some external mishap,