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very ready to yield that many ſuch Miracles are ſeen in theſe Dayes. But I will not further argue the Caſe in this place. Well, let us take Miracles in the ordinary Senſe: I verily believe that many ſuch things do happen in many places; but that through negligence partly, and partly through incredulity, they are not regarded oftentimes, or ſoon forgotten. And wiſer men, ſometimes, though they know or believe ſuch things, yet are not they very forward to tell them, leſt they bring themſelves into contempt with thoſe ſupposed wiſe men, who will ſooner laugh at any thing they do not underſtand, then take the pains to rectifie their ignorance or inform their judgments. I hope I ſhall do no wrong to the Memory of that Venerable, Incomparable Prelate, Bishop Andrewes, for Sound Learning and True Piety whileſt he lived, one of the greateſt Lights of this Land; if I ſet down two Stories, which we may call Miracles, both which he did believe to be true, but for one of them, it ſeemes, he did undertake upon his own knowledge: The one, concerning a noted, or at leaſt by many ſuſpected Witch or Sorcereſs, which the Divel, in a ſtrange ſhape, did wait upon (or for rather) at her death. The other, concerning a man, who after his death was reſtored to life to make Confeſſion of a horrible Murder committed upon his own Wife, for which he had never been ſuſpected; both theſe, as he related them to my F. (in familiar converſation) and my F. did enter them for a remebrance into ſome of his Adverſaria. In the ſubſtance I believe there could be no miſtake, but if there be any miſtake in any Circumſtances, as of Names, or otherwiſe, that muſt be imputed to my F who was a ſtranger, not to the tongue only, but to all buſineſſes (more then what might be known by printed books, and ſuch publick wayes) of England.
The Firſt, thus:
L. Vetula Londinenſis, cui morienti Diabolus affuit.
Mira Hiſtoria quam narrabat ut ſibi compertiſsimam Dom. Epiſcopus. Fuit quædam L. mulier ditiſsima, et curioſis artibus addictiſsima vicina ædibus Fulconis, qui fuit pater Domini Fulconis, totâ Anghâ celeberrimi; atque adeo lectſimæ matrondæ, matri eſuſdem Fulconis, familiariſsima. Hæc per omnem vitam ſortilegiis dedita, & eo nomine infamium muliercularum amica et patrona: (ui anorienti cum adſtarent quà viri, quà fæminæ graviſsimi; animadverſum eſt ſub horam mortis, adſtitiſſe ad pedes lecti hominem vultu terribilem, vulpinis pellibus amictum, quem ipſa contentis oculis intuebatur; ille, ipſam. Quæſitum eſt à janitore, quare illum admiſiſſet ille negaræ ſe vel vidiſſe. Tandem ſecedunt ad feneſtram duo vel tres, conſilium capturi quid illo facerent. Erat quidam Senator ingentis nominis . . . . . qui bis Prætor Londinenſis fuit: item Pater Fulconis, et alii. Placet illis ipſum compellare et rogare quis eſſet. Hoc animo repetunt priora loca ſua ad lectum. Interim L. vocem magnam edit, quaſt animam ageret; omnes illam curare, ſpectare, ſublevare; mox redit ad ſe illi ignotum illum requirunt oculis. Naſquam apparet. Ante boræ ſpatium moritur ægra.
The other thus,
Kalend. Auguſt. Narrabat hodie mihi rem miram Reverendiſſ. Præſul, Domin. Epiſcop. Elienſis quam ille acceptam auribus ſuis à teſte oculato & auctore, credebat eſſe veriſsimam. Eſt vicus in Urbe Londino,qui