and learner, to study others, and the best. For the mind and memory are more sharply exercised in comprehending another man's things than our own; and such as accustom themselves, and are familiar with the best authors, shall ever and anon find somewhat of them in themselves, and in the expression of their minds, even when they feel it not, be able to utter something like theirs, which hath an authority above their own. Nay, sometimes it is the reward of a man's study, the praise of quoting another man fitly: and though a man be more prone and able for one kind of writing than another, yet he must exercise all. For as in an instrument, so in style, there must be a harmony and consent of parts. P. 30, 1. 2. Timber, or Discoveries, made upon To" as to," to be construed with “opinion,” not “touching." Resolution, explanation or answer, a sense neglected in modern English, though "resolve" retains it as a verb. P. 30, 1. 5. P. 30, L. 11. Compositions constitutions." P. 31, l. 9. "Hardly hears of." To translate this sense of audio we now chiefly use "listen to," though oddly enough “hear of " maintains its use with the auxiliary "will not" and "would not." P. 32, 1. 4. To do. Notice the way in which Jonson varies between imperative and infinitive, according to his classical models. P. 32, l. 10. Consequence. Sequence" " is now more exact to the sense. A TE ROBERT BURTON. Robert Burton was born at Lindley in Leicestershire in 1576, and died at Oxford in 1640. The Anatomy of Melancholy by Democritus Junior appeared in 1621. It has been constantly pillaged, sometimes imitated, never equalled. Burton held preferment in the Church, and lived all his days at Oxford. That his melancholy or his conceit as an astrologer induced him to shorten his life is a mere legend TERRESTRIAL DEVILS. `ERRESTRIAL devils are those Lares, Genii, Fauns, Satyrs, Wood nymphs, Foliots, Fairies, Robin Goodfellows, Trulli, etc. which as they are most conversant with men, so they do them most harm. Some think it was they alone that kept the heathen people in awe of old, and had so many idols and temples erected to them. Of this range was Dagon amongst the Philistines, Bel amongst the Babylonians, Astarte amongst the Sidonians, Baal amongst the Samaritans, Isis and Osiris amongst the Egyptians, etc. Some put our fairies into this rank, which have been in former times adored with much superstition, with sweeping their houses, and setting of a pail of clean water, good victuals, and the like, and then they should not be pinched, but find money in their shoes, and be fortunate in their enterprizes. These are they that dance on heaths and greens, as Lavater thinks with Tritemius, and as Olaus Magnus adds, leave that green circle, which we commonly find in plain fields, which others hold to proceed from a meteor falling, or some accidental rankness of the ground, so Nature sports herself; they are sometimes seen by old women and children. Hierom. Pauli. in his description of the city of Bercino in Spain, relates how they have been familiarly seen near that town, about fountains and hills; Nonnunquam, saith Tritemius, in sua latibula montium simpliciores homines ducant, stupenda mirantibus ostentes miracula, nolarum sonitus, spectacula, etc. Giraldus Cambrensis, gives instance in a monk of Wales that was so deluded. Paracelsus reckons up many places in Germany, where they do usually walk in little coats some two foot long. A bigger kind there is of them, called with us Hobgoblins, and Robin Goodfellows, that would in those superstitious times grind corn for a mess of milk, cut wood, or do any manner of drudgery work. They would mend old irons in those Æolian Isles of Lipara, in former ages, and have been often seen and heard. Tholosanus calls them Trullos and Getulos, and saith, that in his days they were common in many places of France. Dithmarus Bleshenius in his description of Iceland, reports for a certainty, that almost in every family they have yet some such familiar spirits; and Felix Malleolus in his book De Crudel. Dæmon. affirms as much, that these Trolli, or Telchines, are very common in Norway, “and seen to do drudgery work;" to draw water, saith Wierus lib. 1. cap. 22., dress meat, or any such thing. Another sort of these there are, which frequent forlorn houses, which the Italians call Foliots, most part innoxious, Cardan holds; "They will make strange noises in the night, howl sometimes pitifully, and then laugh again, cause great flame and sudden lights, fling stones, rattle chains, shave men, open doors, and shut them, fling down platters, stools, chests, sometime appear in the likeness of hares, crows, black dogs, etc." of which read Pet. Thyræus the Jesuit in his Tract, de locis infestis, part I et cap. 4. who will have them to be devils, or the souls of damned men that seek revenge, or else souls out of Purgatory that seek ease; for such examples peruse Sigismundus Scheretzius lib. de spectris, part 1. c. I. which he saith he took out of Luther most part; there be many instances. Plinius Secundus remembers such a house at Athens, which Athenodorus the Philosopher hired, which no man durst inhabit for fear of devils. Austin de Civ. Dei. lib. 22. cap. 1. relates as much of Hesperius the Tribune's house at Zubeda near their city of Hippo, vexed with evil spirits to his great hindrance, Cum afflictione animalium et servorum suorum. Many such instances are to be read in Niderius Formicar. lib. 5. cap. 12. 3. etc. Whether I may call these Zim and Ophim, which Isaiah cap. 13. 21. speaks of, I make a doubt. See more of these in the said Scheretz. lib. 1. de spect. cap. 4. he is full of examples. These kind of devils many times appear to men, and affright them out of their wits, sometimes walking at noon day, sometimes at nights, counterfeiting dead men's ghosts, as that of Caligula, which, saith Suetonius, was seen to walk in Lavinia's garden, where his body was buried, spirits haunted, and the house where he died, Nulla nox sine terrore transacta, donec incendio consumpta; every night this happened, there was no quietness, till the house was burned. About Hecla in Iceland ghosts commonly walk, animas mortuorum simulantes, saith Joh. Anan. lib. 3. de nat dæm. Olaus. lib. 2. cap. 2. Natal. Tallopid. lib. de apparit. spir. Kornmannus de mirac. mort. part 1. cap. 44: such sights are frequently seen circa Sepulchra et Monasteria, saith Lavat. lib. I. cap. 19, in Monasteries and about Churchyards, loca paludinosa, ampla ædificia, solitaria, et cæde hominum notata, etc. Thyreus adds, ubi gravius peccatum est commissum, impii, pauperum oppressores et nequiter insignes habitant. These spirits often foretell men's deaths, by several signs, as knocking, groanings, etc. though Rich. Argentine c. 18. de præstigiis dæmonum, will ascribe these predictions to good angels, out of the authority of Ficinus and others; prodigia in obitu principum sæpius contingunt, etc. as in the Lateran Church in Rome, the Popes' deaths are foretold by Sylvester's tomb. Near Rupes Nova in Finland, in the Kingdom of Sweden, there is a lake, in which, before the Governor of the Castle dies, a spectrum, in the habit of Arion with his harp appears, and makes excellent music, like those blocks in Cheshire, which, they say, presage death to the master of the family; or that oak in Lanthadran Park in Cornwall, which foreshows as much. Many families in Europe are so put in mind of their last, by such predictions, and many men are forewarned, if we may believe Paracelsus, by familiar spirits in divers shapes, as cocks, crows, owls, which often hover about sick men's chambers, vel quia morientium fæditatem sentiunt, as Barcellus conjectures, et ideo super tectum infermorum crocitant, because they smell a corse ;-or for that, as Bernardinus de Bustis thinketh, God permits the devil to appear in the form of crows, and such like creatures, to scare such as live wickedly here on earth. A little before Tully's death, saith Plutarch, the crows made a mighty noise about him, tumultuose perstrepentes, they pulled the pillow from under his head. Rob. Gaguinus hist. Franc. lib. 8. telleth such another wonderful story at the death of Johannes de Monteforti, a French lord, Anno 1345. tanta Corvorum multitudo ædibus morientis insedit, quantam esse in Gallia nemo judicasset. Such prodigies are very frequent in authors. See more of these in the said Lavater, Thyreus de locis infestis, part 3. cap. 58. Pictorius, Delrio, Cicogna, lib. 3. cap. 9. Necromancers take upon them to raise and lay them at their pleasures: And so likewise those which Mizaldus calls Ambulones, that walk about midnight on great heaths and desert places, which, saith Lavater, "draw men out of the way, and lead them all night a by-way, or quite bar them of their way;" these have several names in several places; we commonly call them Pucks. In the deserts of Lop in Asia, such illusions of walking spirits are often perceived, as you may read in M. Paulus the Venetian his travels; If one lose his company by chance, these devils will call him by his name, and counterfeit voices of his companions to seduce him. Hieronym Pauli in his book of the hills of Spain, relates of a great mount in Cantabria, where such spectrums are to be seen; Lavater and Cicogna have variety of examples of spirits and walking devils in this kind. Sometimes they sit by the highway side, to give men falls, and make their horses stumble and start as they ride, if you will believe the relation of that holy man Ketellus in Nubrigensis, that had an especial grace to see devils, Gratiam divinitus collatam, and talk with them, Et impavidus cum spiritibus sermonem miscere, without offence, and if a man curse or spur his horse for stumbling, they do heartily rejoice at it; with many such pretty feats. The Anatomy of Melancholy. |