of Plinies Naturall Hiftorie,. 295 
A beenmemorable examples knowne of ftrange accidents enfuing both waies, namely,as often 
~ matively of the maine queftion, Certes,our aunceftours from time to time haye evermore be- 
‘D 
E 
as either the unluckiefonles by their untoward noife * have difturbed and done hurr, or if at any *Whichis cat- 
time there have been error committed in the prefcript praier & exorcifme :for by this meanes ix ed 04712" 
diCayvUn, a3 WES 
falleth out oftentimes,thatall on afuddaine as the beaft {tandeth there in place tobe facrificeds may readin 
. the maifterveine in theliver, named the head thereof, is found miffing among other entrailes, “-7#!!4eD-- 
vinalione,t- 
and the heart likewife wanting : orcontrariwife , both thefeto béedouble and: appeare twaine 
for one, And evenat this day there remaineth a moft notable precedent and example toall po- 
fteritie, in thar: prefcript forme of exorcifine,whereby the two Dee#, both the father and fonne, 
betooke themfelves to all the hellith furies and fiends infernall ; Moreover, the imprecation : 
of the veftall Nun Twecéa, when fhee was put to proove her virginitie, continueth extant up~ | 
onrecord ; by vertue of which charme fhee carried water in a fieve without (hedding one drop 
which happened inthe yeare after the foundation of Rome citic 609. And verely, no longer | 
agoe than of latetimeinour owne age; wee faw two Grecians, to witaman and a woman, yea, | 
and fome of other nations, with whome in thofe daics wee maintained warres, buried quicke | 
within the beaft market in Rome: in which manner of facrifice, whofoever readeth the prai- 
er‘or exorcifme that is ufed, and which the Warden or ptincipall of the Colledge of the 
eos iswont toread & pronounce to theexorcift; he would no doubt conteffe, that 
fuch charmes & execrations be of great importance:and namely,fecing they have ben all appro- 
ved'and found effectuall bythe experience andevents obferved for the fpace of * eight hundred *In which yeas 
and thirtic yeares. As for our veftall virgins in thefe our daies wee are certainely perfuaded and it feemeth P.- 
beleeve, that by the vertue of certaine {pels and charmeswhich they have, they be able to arrett ¥* 7°" " 
and {tay any fugitive flaves for running one foot farther, provided alwaies,that they be not gone 
alreadie without the pourprife and preciné of the citie walls. Nowifthisbe received onceasan ° 
undoubted and confefled truth and if we admit that the gods doe heare {ome praiers,orbe mo- 
ved by any words ;then furely we may refolve at once of thefeconjectures, and conclude affir- 
leeved and delivered fuch principles, yea, and that which of all other feemeth moft incredible, 
they have affirmed conftantly, That by the power of fuch charms and conjurations, thunder and 
lightening might bee fetched downe from above (according as I have shewed in place conveni- 
ent.) L. Piforeporteth in the firft booke of his Annales or yearly Chronicles, that Tullius Hoffilizs 
king of Rome,was ftricken dead with lightening, forthat when hee went in hand to call Jupiter 
‘downe out of heaven, by vertue ofa facrificewhichking Nv7awas wontto ufeinthat cafe, hee 
had not obferved exaétly all the exorcifines and ceremoniall words contained in thofe books of 
king Newea,butiwerved fomewhatfrom them, And many other writers doe teftifie, that by the 
power of words and offes,che deftinies and prodigies of greatimportance prefaged to one place, 
have beene cleane alrezed and transferred to another: as it was like to have happened to the Ro- 
manes,at what time as they laid the foundation of Jzpzters temple upon the mount or rock Tar- 
peius. Forwhen they digged there forthe foundation of thefaid temple,and chaunced to find 
withia the grottad a mans head;the Senat of Rome fentcertain embafladours of purpofe to the 
Sages and WVifards of Tofcane,toknow the fignification of this ftraunge fight and miraculous 
occurrent. VV hereof Olenws Calenus (who was reputed the moft famous devinor and prophet .of 
allthe Fufcanes)having fome intelligence, and forefeeing the great felicitie and happineffe that 
itimported and prefaged, intended by a fubtile interrogative to tranflate the benefit thereof to 
his ownenativecountrey of Tufcane.Having therefore firft with a ftaffe fer ouc and defcribed(as 
it were)the modell and form of atemple,upon the ground which lay before him;he came about 
the Romane embafladoursbeforefaid,and queftioned with them in this wilie manner:Is it foRo- 
manes as you fay? And are thefe yourwords indeed? There muft bea temple here of /wpiter that 
moft gracious and mightie god: We have light here upon a mans head. Vnto which interroga- 
tion of his,the faid Roman embafladours according to the inftructions which they had received 
betorehand from the Wifard or Divinors{fonne, anfwered in thismanner : No, not here in this 
very place,bur at Rome(wefay)the head was fouod.And verely our auncient Chronicles doe all 
of them moftconftantly affirme,that had they not been thus forewarned and taught what to fay, 
but had fimply anfwered Yea,here we have found a head,&c. The fortune of the Romane State | 
and Empire had gone quiteaway tothe Tufcanes,and been eftablifhed among them. The fame ae | 
had likero have happeneda fecond time, as wee may fee inthe records and monuments se old 4 
ates 
