V. 9). Piseis enim Callionymus, qui vocatur

Italice bocca in capo, et quo usus est To- bias, /el habet pro celeberrimo remedio ad detegendas albugines oculorum, ut scribunt concorditer Dioscorides, 1. i. c. g6., Gale- nus, De Simpl. Medicam., Plinius, 1. 32. c. 7., Aclanius, De Ver. Histor., /. i3. c. 14., et Vallesius, De Sacr. Philos., c. 47. Tex- tus Grcecus Tobire, c. ii. v. i3,, habet: a Inspersit fel super oculos patris sui, di- » cens : Confide, Pater ; ut autem erosi » sunt, detrivit oculos suos, et disquamatae » sunt ab angulis oculorum albugines. » Cum igitur eodem contextu Angelus ape-
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and, if the Demon was not put to flight without the assistance of the Angel, Ra- phael would have lied when ascribing that virtue to the liver. If, on the contrary, that effect was only to be brought about in that particular case, Raphael would again have lied when assigning to that fish, universally and absolutely, the virtue of expelling the Demon : now, to say that the Angel lied is not possible.
76. The whiteness was withdrawn from the eyes of the elder Tobit, and his blind- ness healed, through the native virtue of the gall of that same fish, as Doctors aver. In fact, that the gall of the callionymous fish, which the Italians call bocca in capo, and of which Tobias made use, is a highly renowned remedy for removing the white- ness from the eyes, all are agreed, Dios- corides, Galen, Pliny, Aclanius, Vallesius, etc. The Greek Text of Tobit, c. 1 1, v. i3, says ; a He poured the gall on his father ’s eyes, saying : Have confidence, father; but, there being erosion, the old man rubbed his eyes, and the scales of the whiteness came out at the corners. » Now, since, according to the same text, the Angel had disclosed to Tobias the virtue of the liver and gall of the fish, and since, through its native vir-
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merit Tobice virtutem jecoris, et fellis pis- cis, et hoc sua naturali virtute coecitatem Tobies senioris curaverit, concludendum est, quod etiam fumus jecoris sua naturali vi Incubum fugaverit : quod concludenter con- firmatur a Textu Grceco, qui ad Tobice c. 8. V- 2., ubi Vulgata habet ; « Partem je- » coris posuit super carbones vivos », sic habet : « Accepit cinerem, sivc prunam » thimiamatum, et imposuit cor piscis, et » hepar, fumumque fecit, et quando odo- » ratus est Daemon odores, fugit. » Et Tex'tus Hebraicus ita cantat : h Pcrcepit » Asmodeus odorem, et fugit. nExquibus textibus apparet, quod Dannonfugit ad per- ceptionem /umi, sibi contrarii, ac nocentis, non autem a virtute Angeli supernaturali. Quod si in tali liberatione Sara’ ab impeti- tione Incubi Asmodei, ultra fumum jecoris intervenit operatio Raphaelis, hoc fuit in alligatione Desmonis in deserlo superioris yEgj'pti, ut dicitur c. 8. v. 3. Tobiae;/«- mus quippe jecoris nequibat in tanta di- stantia agere in Desmonem, aut ilium alli- gare. Quod inservire potest pro concordia supracitatorum Doctorum (qui volucrunt Saram perfecte liberatam a Deemone vir- tute Raphaelis) cum sententia, quam tue- mur : dico enim, quod ipsi senserint quod per/ecta curatio Sarce a Desmone fuerit in
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tue, the gall cured the elder Tobit ’s blind- ness, it must be inferred that it was likewise through its native force that the smoke of the liver put the Incubus to flight; which inference is conclusively confirmed by the Greek text, which, Tobit, c. 8, v. 2, instead of the reading in the Vulgate : « He laid a part of the liver on burning coals », says explicitly : « He took the ashes of the per- fumes, and put the heart and the liver of the fish thereupon, and made a smoke therewith; the which smell when the evil spirit had smelled, he fled. » The Hebrew text says : « Asmodeus smelled the smell, and fled. » From all those texts it appears that the Demon took to flight on smelling a smoke which was prejudicial and hurtful to him- self, and nowise from the supernatural virtue of the Angel. If, in ridding Sarah from the assaults of the Incubus Asmodeus, the operation of the smoke of the liver was followed by the intervention of Raphael, it was in order to bind the Demon in the wilderness of High-Egypt, as related, To- bit, c. 8, V. 3 ; for, at such a distance, the smoke of the liver could neither operate on the Demon, nor bind him. And here we have the means of reconciling our opinion with that of the above-mentioned Doctors, who ascribe to Raphael’s power Sarah’s
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alligatione ejus in deserto, qucefuit ab An- gelo, quod et nos concedimus ; sed extrica- tio, sive fugatio ejusdem a cubiculo Sarce fuerit a vi innativa jecoris piscis, quod nos tuemur.
77. Probatur tertio principaliter nostra conclusio de existentia talium animalium, seu de Incuborum corporeitate, ex auctori- tate D. Hieronymi, in vita S. Pauli primi Eremitae. Refer t is D. Antonium iter per desertum arripuisse, ut ad visendum D. Pallium perveniret, et post nonnullas dice- tas itineris Centaurum reperiisse, a quo cum fuisset percontatus mensionem D. Pauli, et ille barbarum quid infrendens potius, quam preloquens, dextrce protensione manus iter D. Antonio demonstr asset, in sylvam se abdidit cursu concitatissimo. Prosecutus iter S. Abbas in quadam valle invenit baud grandem quemdam homunculum, aduncis manibus, fronte cornibus asperata, cujus extrema pars corporis in caprarum pedes desinebat. Ad ejus aspectum substitit Anto- nius, et timens Diaboli artes signo Sanctce Crucis se munivit. Ad tale signumnecfugit.
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complete riddance from the Demon : for, I say with them, that the cure of Sarah was completed by the binding of the Demon in the wilderness, the deed of the Angel ; which I concede ; but I maintain that the deliverance properly called, that is to say, the ejection from Sarah’s bed-room, was the direct effect of the virtue of the liver of the fish.
77. A third principal proof of our con- clusion regarding the existence of those animals, in other words, respecting the corporeity of Incubi, is adduced by the testimony of St Hieronymus, in his Life of St Paul, the first Hermit. St Anthony, says he, set on a journey to visit St Paul. After travelling several days, he met a Centaur, of whom he inquired the hermit’s abode; whereupon the Centaur, growling some uncouth and scarcely intelligible answer, shew the way with his out-stretched hand, and fled with the utmost speed into a wood. The Holy Abbot kept on his way, and, in a dale, met a little man, almost a dwarf, with crooked hands, horned brow, and his lower extremities ending with goat’s feet. At the sight of him, St Anthony stood still, and fearing the arts of the De- vil, comforted himself with a sign of the
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nec metuit homuncio ille, immo ad sanctum senem actu humili appropinquans, pahna- rum fructus ad viaticum quasi pads obsides illi offerebat. Turn B. Antonius quisnam esset interrogans, hoc ab eo responsum ac- cepit : t Mortalis ego sum, et unus ex ac- » colis Eremi, quos vario errore delusa » Gentilitas Faunos, Satyros, et Incubos » vocans colit ; legatione fungor gregis » mei; precamur, ut pro nobis comm unem » Deum depreceris, quem pro salute mundi » venisse cognovimus, etuniversam terram » exiit sonus ejus. » Ad quce gaudens D. Antonius de gloria Christi, conversus ad Alexandriam, et baculo terram percutiens, ait : a Veh tibi, Civitas meretrix, quae pro » diis animalia veneraris 1 » Hcec D. Hie- ronymus, qui late prosequitur hoc factum, ipsius virtutem longo comprobans sermone.
78. De hujus historian veritate dubitare temerarium est, cum earn constanter refer at SS. Ecclesice Doctorum maximus D. Hie- ronymus, de cujus auctoritate nullus Catho- licus dubitabit. Addit fol. 21. 25. Notandee proinde veniunt illius circumstantii, quce
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Cross. But, far from running away, or even seeming frightened at it, the little fellow respectfully approached the old man, and tendered him, as a peace offering, dates for his journey. The blessed St Anthony having then inquired who he was : « 1 am a mortal, » replied he, « and one of the inha- bitants of the Wilderness, whom Gentility, under its varied delusions, worships under the names of Fauns, Satyrs and Incubi; I am on a mission from my flock : we request thee to pray for us unto the common God, whom we know to have come for the salva- tion of the world, and whose praises are sounded all over the earth. » Rejoicing at the glory of Christ, St Anthony, turning his face towards Alexandria, and striking the ground with his staff, cried out : » Woe be unto thee, thou harlot City, who worshipest animals as Gods ! » Such is the narrative of St Hieronymus, who expatiates at length on the fact, explaining its import in along discourse.
78. It were indeed rash to doubt the truth of the above recital, constantly re- ferred to by the greatest of the Doctors of the Holy Church, St Hieronymus, whose authority no Catholic will ever deny. Let us therefore investigate the circumstances
164 Djemonialitas
sententiam nostram evidentissime confirm mant.
79. Primo notandum est, quod si ullus Sanctorum artibus Dcemonis impetitus fuit; si ullus diversas ejus artes nocendi calluit ; si ullus victorias, ac illustria de eodem tro phea reportavit, is fuit D. Antonius, ut constat ex ejus vita a D. Athanasio de- scripta. Dum igitur D. Antonius homuncu- lum ilium non tanquaA Diabolum agnovit, sed animal intitulavit, dicens : Veh tibi, Civitas meretrix, quas pro Diis animalia veneraris ! convincitur, quod ille nullo modo fuit Diabolus, seu purus spiritus de coslo dejectus, ac damnatus, sed aliquod aliud ani- mal. Et confirmatur, quia D. Antonius eru- diens suos monachos, eosque animans ad metuendas Dcemonis violentias, aiebat.prout habetur in lectionibus Breviarii Romani in festo S. Antonii Abb. /. i., quce recitantur in festo ipsius : « Mihi credite, Fratres, » pertimescit Satanas piorum vigilias, ora- » tiones, jejunia, voluntariam paupertatem, » misericordiam, et humilitatem; maxime » vero ardentem amorem in Christum » Dominum, cujusunico SanctissimasGru- » cis signo debilitatus fugit. » Dum igitur homunculus ille, contra quern D. Antonius Crucis signo se munivit, ad ejus aspectum
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thereof which most clearly confirm our opinion.
79. Firstly, we must observe that if ever a Saint was assailed by the arts of the De- mon, saw through his infernal devices, and carried off victories and trophies from the contest, that Saint was St Anthony, as is shown by his life written by St Athana- sius. Now, since in.that little man St An- thony did not recognize a devil but an animal, saying : « Woe be unto thee, thou harlot City, who worshipest animals as Gods ! 3, it is clear that it was no devil or pure spirit ejected from heaven and damned, but some kind of animal. Still more : St Anthony, when instructing his friars and cautioning them against the assaults of the Demon, said to them, as related in the Roman Breviary (Festival of St Anthony, Abbot, b. I) .• « Believe me, my brethren, Satan dreads the vigils of pious men, their prayers, fasts, voluntary poverty, compas- sion and humility; but, above all, he dreads their burning love of our Lord Christ, at the mere sign of whose most Holy Cross he flies disabled. » As the little man, against whom St Anthony guarded himself with a sign of the Cross, neither took fright nor fled, but approached the Saint confidently
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1 66
nec pavii, nec fugit, imtno confidenter, hti- 77iiliter que accessit ad eiim dactalos illi offerens, signum est, ilium nullo modo Dia- boltim fuisse.
8o. Secundo notandum, quod homunculus ille dixit : Mortalis et ego sum; ex quibus verbis docemur, quod ille erat animal morti obnoxium, et proinde, quod per generatio- nem esse accepit : spiritus enitn inimateria- lis immortalis est, quia simplex, et idea non accipit esse per generationem ex prce- jaccnte materia, sed per creationem ; unde nec amittit esse per corruptionem, qua’ dici- tur mors, sed per annihilationem tantum potest desinere esse. Quod si ille se morta- Icm esse dixit, professus est se esse animal.
8i. Tertio notandum, quod ait se cogno- visse communem Deum in came huniana fuisse passtim. £x his verbis convincitur illud fuisse animal rationale : siquidem bruta nihil agnoscunt, nisi sensibile etprce- sens, unde ab ipsis Deus nullo tnodo co- gnosci potest. Quod si homunculus ille ait, se cum aliis suis cognovisse Deum in came humana possum, hoc probat, quod aliquo revelante habuit notitiam de Deo, sicut etiam
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and humbly, offering him some dates, it is a sure sign that he was no Devil.
80. Secondly, we must observe that the little man said : « / also am a mortal », whence it follows that he was an animal subject to death, and consequently called into being through generation; for, an immaterial spirit is immortal, because sim- ple, and consequently is not called into being through generation from preexistent matter, but through creation, and, conse- quently also, cannot lose it through the corruption called death ; its existence can only come to an end through annihilation. Therefore, when saying he was mortal, he professed himself an animal.
81. Thirdly, we must observe that he said he knew that the common God had suffered in human flesh. Those words show him to have been a rational animal, for brutes know nothing but what is sensible and present, and can therefore have no knowledge of God. If that little man said that he and his fellows were aware of God having suflFeredJn human flesh, it shows that, by means of some revelation, he had
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Daenionialitas
nos habemus de illo fidem revelatam ; pari- ter que Deum carnem hiimanam assump- sisse, et in ea passum : quce duo sunt arti- culi nostrce Fidei principales, nempe Dei unius, et trini existentia, et ipsius Incar- natio, Passio, et Resurrectio; ex quibus omnibus habetur, ut dicebam, illud fuisse animal rationale capax divince cognitionis, per revelationem, ut nos, et proinde pollens anima rationali,“et ex consequenti immor- tali,
82. Quarto nolandum, quod oraverit no- mine omnium gregis sui, cujus legatione fungi se profitebatur, D. Antonium, ut com- tnunem Deum pro illis deprecaretur. Ex his deducitur, quod homunculus ille capax erat beatitudinis, et damnationis, etquod non erat in termino, sed in via : ex hoc enim, quod, ut supra probatum est, se prodidit rationalem, et anima immortali consequen- ter donatum, consequens est, quod et bea- titudinis, et damnationis capax sit : hcec enim propria passio est Creatures rationa- lis, ut constat ex natura angelica, et hu- mana. Item deducitur, quod ipse erat in via, et proinde capax meriti, et demeriti : si enim fuisset in termino, fuisset vel bea- tus, vel damnatus; neutrum autem potuit esse, quia orationes D. Antonii, quibus se
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t
acquired the notion of God, as we have ourselves the revealed faith. That God as- sunaed human flesh and suffered in it, is the essence of the two principal articles of our Faith : the existence of God one and three- fold, His Incarnation, Passion and Resur- rection. All that shows, as I said, that it was a rational animal, capable of the know- ledge of God through revelation, like our- selves, and endowed with a rational, and consequently, immortal soul.
82. Fourthly, we must observe that, in the name of his whole flock whose dele- gate he professed to be, he besought St An- thony to pray for them to the common God. Wherefrom I infer that that little man was capable of beatitude and damnation, and that he was not in termino but in via ; for, from his being, as has been shown above, rational and consequently endowed with an immortal soul, it flows that he was capable of beatitude and damnation, the proper share of every rational Creature, Angel or man. I likewise infer that he was on the way, in via, that is, capable of merit and demerit ; for, if he had been at the goal, in termino, he would have been either blessed or damned. Now,'he could be neither the one nor the other ; for, St An-
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commendabat , ipsi nullo modo prodesse potuissent, si fuisset finalitcr damnatus ; et si beatus fuisset, illis non eguisset. Quod ipsi se commendavit, signum est eas sibi prodesse potuisse, et proinde ipsum fuisse in statu vice, et meriti.
S3. Quinto notandum, quod homunculus ille pro/essus est, se esse legatum aliorum suce speciei, dum dixit legatione fungor gregis mei, ex quibus verbis plura dedu- cuntur, Unum est, quod homunculus ille non solus erat, unde potuisset credi mon- strum raro contingens, sed quod plures erant ejusdem spcciei ; turn quiasimul con- gregati gregem faciebant ; turn quia no- mine omnium veniebat : quod esse non pos- set si multorum voluntates in ilium non convenissent. Aliud est, quod isti profiten- tur vitam socialem : ex quo nomine mul- torum unus ex ipsis missus est. Aliud est, quod quamvis dicantur habitare in Eremo, non tamen in eo fxa est eorum permanen- tia : siquidem cum D. Antonius in ilia eremo alias non fuisset {distabat enim ilia per multas dietas ab eremo D. Antonii), scire non potuerunt quisnam ille esset cu- jusve sanctitatis; necessarium igitur fuit.
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thony’s prayers, to which he commended himself, could have been of no assistance to him, if finally damned, and, if blessed, he stood in no need of them. Since he commended himself to those prayers, it shows they could be of avail to him, and, consequently, that he was on the way to salvation, in statu vies et meriti.
83. Fifthly, we must observe that the little man professed to be delegated by others of his kind, when saying ; « 1 am on a mission from my flock », words from which many inferences may be deduced. One is, that the little man was not alone of his kind, an exceptional and solitary monster, but that there were many of the same species, since congregating they made up a flock, and that he came in the name of all ; which could not have been, had not the will of many centred in him. Another is, that those animals lead a social life, since one of them was sent in the name of many. Another again is, that, although living in the Wilderness, it is not assigned to them as a permanent abode ; for St An- thony having never previously been in that desert, which was far distant from his her- mitage, they could not have known who he was nor what his degree of sanctity ; it was
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quod alibi eum cognoverint , et ex conse- quenti extra desertum ilium vagaverint.
84. Ultimo notandum, quod homunculus ille ait esse ex iis, quos caeco errore de- lusa Genlilitas Faunos, Satyros et Incubos appellant; et ex his verbis convincitur no- strum intentum principale, Incubos nempe esse animalia rationalia beatitatis, et dam- nationis capacia.
85. Talium homuncionum frequens est apparitio in metallorum fodinis, ut scribit Gregorius Agricola, lib. De Animal, sub- terran.. prope finem. Isti nempe coram fossoribus minerarum comparent induti habitu, qualem habent fossores ipsi, et jo- cantur inter se, tripudiantque, ac rident et cachinnantur , parvosque lapides joco mit- tunt in metallarios, et tunc signtim est, ait Auctor prcedictus, optimi proventus, ac in- ventionis alicujus rami, aut trunci princi- palis arboris mineralis.
86. Tales homunculos subterraneos ne- gat Petrus Thyrceus Novesianus, lib. De Terrificatio. Noctur,, c. 2., per totum, nixus argumentis sane puerilibus. quce
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therefore necessary that they should have become acquainted with him elsewhere, and, consequently, that they should have travelled beyond that wilderness.
84. Lastly, we must observe that the little man said he was one of those whom the Gentiles, blinded by error, call Fauns, Satyrs and Incubi : and by these words is shown the truth of our principal proposi- tion : that Incubi are rational animals, capable of beatitude and damnation.
85. The apparition of such little men is of frequent occurrence in metallic mines, as is written by Gregorius Agricola in his