12. As our Religion oblidges us not to make a peremptory and curious Search into thee Obtruenees, o that the Hitories of all Ages give as many plain Examples of extraordinary
[paragraph continues] Occurrances as make a modet Inquiry not contemptable. How much is written of Pigme's, Fairies, Nymphs, Syrens, Apparitions, which tho not the tenth Part true, yet could not pring of nothing! Even Englih Authors relate (of) Barry Iland, in Glamorganhire, that laying your Ear into a Clift of the Rocks, blowing of Bellows, tricking of Hammers, clahing of Armour, fyling of Iron, will be heard ditinctly ever ince Merlin inchaunted thoe ubterranean Wights to a olid manuall forging of Arm's to Aurelius Ambroius and his Brittans, till he returned; which Merlin being killed in a Battell, and not coming to looe the Knot, thee active Vulcans are there ty'd to a perpetuall Labour. But to dip no deeper into this Well, I will nixt give ome Account how the Seer my Informer comes to have this ecret Way of Correpondence beyond other Mortalls.
THERE be odd Solemnities at inveting a Man with the Priviledges of the whole Mitery of this Second Sight. He mut run a Tedder of Hair (which bound a Corps to the Bier) in a Helix [?] about his Midle, from End to End;
then bow his Head downwards, as did Elijah, 1 Kings, 18. 42. and look back thorough his Legs untill he ie a Funerall advance till the People cros two Marches; or look thus back thorough a Hole where was a Knot of Fir. But if the Wind change Points while the Hair Tedder is ty'd about him, he is in Peril of his Lyfe. The uewall Method for a curious Peron to get a tranient Sight of this otherwie inviible Crew of Subterraneans, (if impotently and over rahly ought,) is to put his [left Foot under the Wizard's right] Foot, and the Seer's Hand is put on the Inquirer's Head, who is to look over the Wizard's right Shoulder, (which hes ane ill Appearance, as if by this Ceremony ane implicit Surrender were made of all betwixt the Wizard's Foot and his Hand, ere the Peron can be admitted a privado to the Airt;) then will he ee a Multitude of Wight's, like furious hardie Men, flocking to him haitily from all Quarters, as thick as Atoms in the Air; which are no Nonentities or Phantams, Creatures proceiding from ane affrighted Apprehenione, confued or crazed Sene, but Realities, appear-
ing to a table Man in his awaking Sene, and enduring a rationall Tryall of their Being. Thes thorow Fear trick him breathles and peechles. The Wizard, defending the Lawfullnes of his Skill, forbids uch Horror, and comforts his Novice by telling of Zacharias, as being truck peechles at eeing Apparitions, Luke, 1. 20. Then he further maintains his Airt, by vouching Eliha to have had the ame, and diclo'd it thus unto his Servant in 2 Kings, 6. 17. when he blinded the Syrians; and Peter in Act, 5. 9. foreing the Death of Saphira, by perceaving as it were her Winding-heet about her before hand; and Paul, in 2nd Corinth. 12. 4. who got uch a Viion and Sight as hould not, nor could be told. Eliha alo in his Chamber aw Gehazi his Servant, at a great Ditance, taking a reward from Naaman, 2d Kings, 5. 26. Hence were the Prophets frequently called SEERS, or Men of a 2d or more exhalted Sight than others. He acts for his Purpoe alo Math. 4. 8. where the Devil undertakes to give even Jeus a Sight of all Nations, and the finet Things in the World, at one Glance, tho in
their naturall Situations and Stations at a vat Ditance from other. And 'tis aid exprely he did let ie them; not in a Map it eems, nor by a phantatick magicall jugling of the Sight, which he could not impoe upon o dicovering a Peron. It would appear then to have been a Sight of real olid Subtances, and Things of worth, which he intended as a Bait for his Purpoe. Whence it might eem, (compairing this Relation of Math. 4. 8. with the former,) that the extraordinary or Second Sight can be given by the Minitery of bad as weill as good Spirits to thoe that will embrace it. And the Intance of Balaam and the Pythenis make it nothing the les probable. Thus alo the Seer trains his Scholler, by telling of the Gradations of Nature, ordered by a wie Provydence; that as the Sight of Bats and Owls trancend that of Shrews and Moles, o the viive Faculties of Men are clearer than thoe of Owls; as Eagles, Lynxs, and Cats are brighter than Mens. And again, that Men of the Second Sight (being deigned to give warnings againt ecret Engyns) urpas the ordinary Viion of other
[paragraph continues] Men, which is a native Habit in ome, decended from their Ancetors, and acquired as ane artificiall Improvement of their natural Sight in others; reembling in their own Kynd the uuall artificiall Helps of optic Glaes, (as Propectives, Telecopes, and Microcopes,) without which acititious Aids thoe Men here treated of do perceive Things that, for their Smallnes, or Subtility, and Secrecy, are inviible to others, tho dayly converant with them; they having uch a Beam continuallie about them as that of the Sun, which when it hines clear only, lets common Eyes ee the Atomes, in the Air, that without thoe Rayes they could not dicern; for ome have this Second Sight tranmitted from Father to Sone thorow the whole Family, without their own Conent or others teaching, proceeding only from a Bounty of Providence it eems, or by Compact, or by a complexionall Quality of the firt Acquirer. As it may eem alike trange (yet nothing vicious) in uch as Mater Great-rake, 1 the Irih Stroaker, Seventh-ons, and others that cure the King's Evill,
and chae away Deeaes and Pains, with only troaking of the affected Pairt; which (if it be not the Reliques of miraculous Operations, or ome ecret Virtue in the Womb, of the Parent, which increaeth until Seventh-ons be borne, and decreaeth by the ame Degrees afterwards,) proceids only from the anitive Balome of their healthfull Contitutions; Virtue going out from them by pirituous Effluxes unto the Patient, and their vigorous healthy Spirits affecting the ick as uewally the unhealthy Fumes of the ick infect the ound and whole.
30:1 Note ( e1), p. 88.