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interreſſed in this ſtory, I will give you ſome account of him out of Mr. Cambden his Annals.
Anno Dom. 1583. E Polonia, Ruſsiæ vicinâ hac æſtate venit in Angliam ut Reginam inviſeret, Albertus Alaſco, Palatinus Siradienſis vir eruditas, corporis lineamentis barbâ promiſiſsimâ, veſtitu decoro, & pervenuſto; qui perbenignè ab ipſa nobilibuſque magnoque honore & lautitiis, et ab Accademia Oxonienſi eruditis oblectationibus, atque variis ſpectaculis exceptus, poſt 4. menſes ære alieno oppreſſus, clam receſsit.
But of all Letters here exhibited, I am moſt taken, I muſt confeſs, with the Biſhops Letter that was Nuncius Apoſtolicus: he ſeemes to me to ſpeak to the caſe very pertinently (take Puccius his account along in his long letter to Dr. Dee, of his conference with the ſaid Biſhop concerning the ſame buſineſs) and to have carryed himſelf towards Dr. Dee very moderately and friendly.
II. Now to Objections:
The firſt shall be this: Although 'tis very probable that Dr. Dee himſelf dealt ſimply and ſincerely; yet ſince he himſelf ſaw nothing (for ſo himſelf acknowledgeth in ſome places) but by Kelley's eyes, and heard nothing but with his ears. Is it not poſsible that Kelley being a cunning man, and well practiſed in theſe things might impoſe upon the credulity of Dr. Dee (a good innocent man) and the rather, becauſe by this office under the Doctor he got 50 l, by the year, as appeareth. Truly this is plauſible as it is propoſed; and like enough that it might go a great way with them that are ſoon taken, and therefore ſeldom ſee any thing in the truth or true nature of it, but in the outward appearance of it only. But read and obſerve it diligently and you will find it far otherwiſe: It is true indeed, that ordinarily, Dr. Dee ſaw not himſelf; his buſineſs was to write what was feen (but in his preſence though) and heard by Kelley. Yet that himself heard often immediately appeareth by many places; I ſhall not need any quotations for that himſelf ſeeleth as well as Kelley. In the relation of the Holy Stone, how taken away by one that came in at a window in the ſhape of a man, and how reſtored; both ſaw certainly. In the ſtory of the Holy Books, how burned and how reſtored again (part of them at leaſt) which Dr Dee made a great Miracle of, as appeareth by ſome of thoſe places; there alſo both ſaw certainly. And Albert Lasky, the Polonian Palatine ſaw as well as Kelley. Beſides, it doth clearly appear throughout all the book that Kelley (though ſometimes with much adoe perſwaded for a while to think better of them) had generally no other opinion of theſe Apparitions but that they were meer illuſions of the Divel and evil Spirits, ſuch as himſelf could command by his art when he lifted, and was acquainted with, inſomuch that we find him for this very cauſe forſaking, or deſirous to forſake Dr. Dee, who was much troubled about it; and is forced in a place to Pawn his Soul unto him (to uſe his own words) that it was not ſo, and that they were good Spirits ſent from God in great favour unto them. But for all this Kelley would not be ſatisfied, but would have his Declaration or Proteſtation of his ſuſpition to the contrary entred into the book; which you ſhall find, and it will be worth your reading. I could furtheral-