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peared to them as an Angel of light. Any thing to maintain his intereft there, and their good opinion of him; for he had great hopes from that plot. But that he should purfue fo ridgedly particular men and women whom he had ufed fo long, to death, and do the part of an informer againft them, may feem more like unto a Kingdom divided againft it felf, but it is not our cafe here; neither am I very well fatisfied, that whatfoever the Divel faith or layes to the charge of them by whole mouth he fpeaketh, ought to be received for good teftimony. Here it may be Wierius had fome reafon; for I doubt fome have been too credulous. But this by the way fhall fuffice.
That the Divel fhould lie often, or be miftaken himſelf, in his Prophecies, as by many particulars of this Relation will appear, I will not look upon that, as if any objection could be made of it. But it may be wondred, perchance, Dr. Dee being often in fo great want of monies, that he did not know which way to turn, what fhitt to make; at which time he did alwayes with much humility addrefs himself to his Spirits, making his wants known unto them; and the Divel on the other fide, both by his own boafting, and by the teftimonie of thofe who could not lie, having the goods of this world (though ftill under God) much at his difpofing, and alwayes, as he feemed, very defirous to give Dr. Dee all poffible fatisfaction that in this cafe, once or twice perchance excepted, when the Dr. was well furnished (for which the Spirits had his thanks) at all other times he was ftill, to his very great grief and perplexity, left to himſelf to fhift as he could, and fome pretence, why not otherwife fupplyed, cunningly devised by them that were fo able, and to whom he was fo dear. But I maft remember my felf: I faid fo able; but in fome places his Spirits tell him plainly, It was not in their power, becaufe no part of their Commission, or becauſe it did not belong unto them (fuch as dealt with him) to meddle with the Treafures of the earth and fometimes that they were things beneath their cognizance or intermedling. Of the different nature of Spirits, we fhall fay fomewhat by and by, that 'may have fome relation to this alfo, perchance. But granting that the Divel generally hath power enough both to find mony and to gratifie with it where he feeth caufe. Yet in this cafe of Witches and Magicians, direct or indirect, it is certain and obferved by many as an argument of Gods great Providence over men, that generally he hath not: It is in very deed a great Argument of a fuperiour over-ruling power and Providence. For if men of all profeffions will hazard (their Souls) fo far as we fee daily to get money and eftates by indirect unconscionable wayes, though they are not alwayes fure, and that it be long oftentimes before it comes, and oftentimes prove their ruine, even in this world, through many cafualties; as alterations of times, and the like: what would it be if it were in the power of the D. to help every one that came unto him, yielding but to fuch and fuch conditions, according as they could agree?
Hitherto I have confidered what I thought might be objected by others. I have one objection more, which to me was more confiderable (as an objection, I mean, not fo readily anfwered) then all the reft: Devils, we thinkgene