A true & faithful relation of what passed for many yeers between Dr ...

'The 'P\EFACB,
generally, boch by their nature as Spirits, and by the advantage of loijg
experience Tavjery great advantage indeed in point of knowledgj cannot but
have perfed knowledg of all natural things, and all fecrets of Nature, which
do not require an infinite underftanding; which by that meafureofknoWc-r>
ledge that even men have attained unto in a little time, is not likely to bf
foneceflary in moft things. But left any man fhould quarrel at the word
^erfeB becaufe all perfedion belongs unto God properly, it fhall fuificq^
t« fay, That the knowledge Divels have of things Natural and Humane-
is incomparably greater then man iscapableof. If fo, how comes it tc>^
pafs that in many places of this Relation we find him ading his part rathe,^
as a Sophifter ( that I fay npt a Juggler) then aperfed Philofopher,- as -a
Quack, or anEmpirick lometiimes, then a True, genuine Naturahft. And
for language (nottofpeak oi his Divinity, which he might difguiie of pui-.
pofc to his own ends) rather as one that had learned Latin by reading of bai;-:'
barous books, of the middle age, for the moft part, then of one chat had beer^^
oi Augufiui his^ time, and Iq^ng before that. But that which is ftrangeft of all
is, that as in one place the Spirits were difcovered by Ed. IQlley to fteal out of.
Jqrippa or rnr/^ew«M4 (fo he thought at leaftj fo in divers other places, by thf;
phrafe, and by the doctrine and opinions a man may trace noted Chymicat
and Cabahftical Authors of later times j yea, (if Ibe not muchmiftaken)
and fardceljus him(elf,that prodigious creature, for whom and againft whom
fo much hath been written fince he livedj thefe things may lecmftrange, but
I think they may be anfwered. Forfirft, we lay, ThcDivdis notambicious
to fhew himfelf and his abilirie? before men, but his way is (fo obferved by
many) tofithimfelf (for matter and words) to the genius and capacity of
thofe that he dcalech with. Dr.D^?, of himfelf, long before "any Apparition,
was a Cabali ftical man , up to the ears, .
I may lay 5 .as may appear to any
as
man by his i\fo/Wi Hmogly^hka^ a book much valued by himfelf, and by him
Dedicated at thefirft to Maxmilwit]it Emperor, and iince prefented (as here
related by himlelf)to (]{odolphe as a choice piece. It may be thought fo by thofe
who efteem luch books as Dr. FW, Dr. Jlabafier, and of late Gafarell^ and the
liRe. For my part I have read him 5 itisfoon don, itisbutahttlebook : but
I muft profefs that I can extrad no fcnfe nor reafon (found and folid) out of
it: neither yet doth it feemto me very dark or myftical. Sure we are that
thofe Spirits did a6l their parts fo well with Dr.Dcf, that for the moft part(in
moft At^ions) they came off with good credit; and we find the Dr. every
where almoft extolling his Spiritual teachers and inftruders, and prayfing
God for them. Little reafon therefore have we to except againft any thing(in
this kind) that gave him content, which was their aim and bufinel^s.
Secondly ^l^zy^ Ifany thing relifh here oiTrithenmsoifaracdfusfix:iny^nc\\^
well may we concludc*from thence, that the Divel is like himfelf. This is the
jrucft inference. It is he that infpired Tritbemius and Taracelfus^Scc. that (peak-
cth here; and wonder yc if he fpeaks like them ? I do not exped that all
men will be of my opinion; yet I fpeak no 'Paradoxes : I have both reafon
and authority good and plaufible, I chink, for what I lay ; but to argue the
cafe at large would be tedious. Of Irithmm fomewhac more atterwards will
be faid. But we rauft go far beyond that time. A thoufand years and above,
before
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