Previous  - next

Ghosts, and Goblins; and of the power of Witches. For as for Witches,
I think not that their witch craft is any reall power; but yet that
they are justly punished, for the false beliefe they have, that they can
do such mischiefe, joyned with their purpose to do it if they can;
their trade being neerer to a new Religion, than to a Craft or Science.
And for Fayries, and walking Ghosts, the opinion of them has I think been
on purpose, either taught, or not confuted, to keep in credit the use
of Exorcisme, of Crosses, of holy Water, and other such inventions
of Ghostly men. Neverthelesse, there is no doubt, but God can make
unnaturall Apparitions. But that he does it so often, as men need
to feare such things, more than they feare the stay, or change,
of the course of Nature, which he also can stay, and change,
is no point of Christian faith. But evill men under pretext
that God can do any thing, are so bold as to say any thing
when it serves their turn, though they think it untrue; It is the part
of a wise man, to believe them no further, than right reason makes
that which they say, appear credible. If this superstitious fear
of Spirits were taken away, and with it, Prognostiques from Dreams,
false Prophecies, and many other things depending thereon, by which,
crafty ambitious persons abuse the simple people, men would be much
more fitted than they are for civill Obedience.

And this ought to be the work of the Schooles; but they rather nourish
such doctrine. For (not knowing what Imagination, or the Senses are),
what they receive, they teach: some saying, that Imaginations rise
of themselves, and have no cause: Others that they rise most commonly
from the Will; and that Good thoughts are blown (inspired) into a man,
by God; and evill thoughts by the Divell: or that Good thoughts are
powred (infused) into a man, by God; and evill ones by the Divell.
Some say the Senses receive the Species of things, and deliver them to
the Common-sense; and the Common Sense delivers them over to the Fancy,
and the Fancy to the Memory, and the Memory to the Judgement,
like handing of things from one to another, with many words making
nothing understood.

Understanding.
The Imagination that is raysed in man (or any other creature indued
with the faculty of imagining) by words, or other voluntary signes,
is that we generally call Understanding; and is common to Man and Beast.
For a dogge by custome will understand the call, or the rating of
his Master; and so will many other Beasts. That Understanding which
is peculiar to man, is the Understanding not onely his will; but his
conceptions and thoughts, by the sequell and contexture of the names
of things into Affirmations, Negations, and other formes of Speech:
And of this kinde of Understanding I shall speak hereafter.



CHAPTER III

OF THE CONSEQUENCE OR TRAYNE OF IMAGINATIONS


By Consequence, or Trayne of Thoughts, I understand that succession
of one Thought to another, which is called (to distinguish it from

Previous  - next