Chap. HI. through S w i s 
feffor, that the poor Fryer was fully poiTefTed of the 
Reality of the Apparition. In two of thefe Reprefenta-- 
tions, that were both managed in the fame Manner, the 
Fryer in the Mafque talked much of the Dominican Or- 
der, which he faid was exceffively dear to the bleifed 
Virgin, who knew herfelf to be conceived in original 
Sin, and that the Doftors who taught the contrary, were 
in Purgatory ; That the Story of St. Bernards appear- 
ing with a Spot on him, for having oppofed himfelf to 
the Feaft of the Conception, was a Forgery ; but that 
it was true, that feme hideous Flies appear’d on St, Bo- 
mventure'% Tomb, who had taught the contrary : That 
the Blefied Virgin abhorr’d the Cordeliers for making 
her equal to her Son : That Scotus was damned, whole 
Canonization the Cordeliers were then foliciting at Rome ; 
and that the Town of Bern would be deftroy’d for har- 
bouring fuch Plagues within their Walls. When the 
injoined Difeipline was fully performed, the Spirit ap- 
peared again, and faid, he was delivered our of Purga- 
tory •, but before he could be admitted to Heaven, he 
mull receive the Sacrament, having died without it ; 
and after that he would fay Mals for thofe, who had by 
their Charities refeued him out of his Pains. The Fryer 
fancied the Voice refembled the Prior’s a little •, but 
he was then fo far from fufpeding any Thing, that he 
gave no great Heed to this Sufpicion. Some Days af- 
ter this, the fame Fryer appeared as a Nun all in Glory, 
and told the poor Fryer that Ihe was Saint Barbara^ for 
whom he had a particular Devotion ; and added, that 
the Blelfed Virgin was fo much pleafed with his Cha- 
rity, that flie intended to come and vifit him. He im- 
mediately call’d the Convent together, and gave the 
reft of the Fryers an Account of this Apparition, which 
was entertained by them with great Joy ; and the Fryer 
languifh’d for the Accomplifhment of the Promife that 
St. Barbara had made him. After fome Days the 
long’d for Delufion appear’d to him, cloathed as the 
Virgin ufed to be on the great Feafts, and indeed in 
the fame Habits. There were about her fome Angels, 
which he afterwards found were the little Statues of An- 
gels, which they fet on the Altars on the great Holi- 
days. There was alfo a Pulley faftened in the Room 
over his Head, and a Cord tied to the Angels, that 
made them rife up in the Air, and float about the Vir- 
gin, which encreafed the Delufion. The Virgin, after 
fome Endearments, extolling the Merit of his Charity 
and Difeipline, told him that fhe was conceived in ori- 
ginal Sin, and that Pope Julius II. that then reign’d, 
was to put an End to the Difpute, and was to abolifli 
the Feaft of her Conception, which Sixtus IV. had in- 
Ilituted ; and that he was to be the Inftrument of per- 
fuading the Pope of the Truth in that Matter. She 
gave him three Drops of her Son’s Blood, which were 
three Tears of Blood that he had flied over Jerufalem ; 
and this fignified, that Ihe was three Hours in original 
Sin, after which fhe was by his Mercy delivered out of 
that State. For it feems the Dominicans were refolved 
fo to compound the Matter, that though they fhould 
gain the main Point, of her Conception in Sin, yet 
they would comply fo far with the Reverence for the 
Virgin with which the World was then pofleffed, that fhe 
fhould be believed to have remained a very fhort while 
in that State. She gave him alfo five Drops of Blood 
in the Form of a Crofs, which were Tears of Blood that 
fhe had fhed while her Son was on the Crofs. And to 
convince him more fully, fhe prefented an Hoftie to 
him, that appeared as an ordinary Hoftie, and of a 
fudden it appeared to be of a deep red Colour. The 
Cheat of thofe fuppofed Vifits was often repeated •, at 
Jaft the Virgin told him, that fhe was to give him fuch 
Marks of her Son’s Love to him, that the Matter 
fhould be paft all Doubt. She faid, that the five 
Wounds of St. hucia and St. Catherine were real Wounds, 
and that fhe would alfo imprint them on him ; fo fhe 
bid him reach his Fland. He had no great Mind to 
receive a Favour in which he was to fuffer fo much ; 
but fhe forced his Hand, and ftruck a Nail through it. 
This Hole was as big as a Grain of Peafe, and 
he faw the Candle clearly through it. This threw 
him out of a fuppofed Tranfport into a real Agony : 
But fhe feem’d to touch his Hand, and he thought 
V o L, II. N U M B. CX. 
lERLAND, 8 cC. 597 
he fmelt an Ointment with which fhe anointed itj 
though his Confeffor perfuaded him that that was only 
an Imagination j fo the fuppofed Virgin left him for 
that Time. 
The next Night the Apparition return’d, and brought 
fome Linnen Clothes, which had fome real or imagi- 
nary Virtue to allay his Torment and the pretended 
Virgin faid, they were fome of the Linnen in which 
Chrift was wrapped *, and with that fhe gave him a 
foporiferous Draught, and while he was faft afleep, the 
other four Wounds were imprinted on his Body in fuch 
a Manner, that he felt no Pain. 
But in order to this, the Fryers betook themfelves to 
Charms 5 and the Sub-prior fhewed the reft a Book full 
of them ; but he faid, that before they could be effec- 
tual, they muft renounce God ; and he not only did 
this himfelf, but by a formal Ad in Writing, figned 
with his Blood, he dedicated himfelf to the jDevii : It 
is true, he did not oblige the reft to do this, but only 
to renounce God. The Compofition of the Draught 
was a Mixture of fome Fountain Water and Chrifm, 
the Hairs of the Eyebrows of a Child, fome Quick- 
filver, fome Grains of Incenfe, fomewhac of m Eajler 
Wax-candle, fome confecrated Salt, and the Blood of 
an unbaptized Child. This Compofition w'as a Secret, 
which the Sub-prior did not communicate to the reft. 
By this the poor Fryer Jetzer was made almoft infen- 
fible. When he was awake, and came out of this deep 
Sleep, he felt this wonderful ImprefTion on his Body 5 
and now he was ravifh’d out of Meafure, and came to 
fancy himfelf to be afting all the Farts of our Saviour’s 
PafTion : He was expofed to the People on the great 
Altar, to the Amazement of the whole Town, and to 
the Mortification of the Francifeans. The Dominicans 
gave him fome other Draughts, that threw him into 
Convulfions j and when he came out of thofe, a Voice 
was heard, which came through thaf Hole, which yet 
remains, and runs from one of the Cells, along a great 
Part of the Wall of the Church ; For a Fryer fpoke 
through a Pipe, and at the End of the Hole there was 
an Image of the Virgin’s, with a little Jefus in her 
Arms, between whom and his Mother the Voice feem- 
ed to come.. The Image alfo feem’d to fhed Tears ; 
and a Painter had drawn thofe on her Face fo lively* 
that the People were deceived by it. The little Jefu] 
asked, why flie wept .? And fhe faid, it was becaufe his 
Honour was given to her, fince it was faid that fhe was 
born without Sin. In Conclufion, the Fryers fo over- 
afled this Matter, that at laft even the poor deluded 
Fryer himfelf came to difeover it, and refolved to quit 
the Order, 
It was in vain to delude him with more Apparitions 
for he well-nigh kill’d a Fryer that came to him per- 
fonating the Virgin in another Shape with a Crown on 
her Head. He alfo over-heard the Fryers once taikincr 
among themfelves, of the Contrivance and Succefs ol" 
the Impofture, fo plainly, that he difeover’d the whole 
IVTatter j and upon that, as may be eafily imagined, he 
was filled with all the Horror with which fuch a Difeo- 
very could infpire him. 
The Fryers fearing that an Impofture, which was car- 
ried on hitherto with fo much Succefs, fhould be quite 
fpoil’d, and turn’d againft them, thought the fureft 
Way was to own the whole Matter to him, and to en- 
,gage him to carry on the Cheat. They told him in 
what Efteem he would be, if he continued to fupport 
the Reputation that he had acquired j that he would 
become the Chief of the Order ; and in the End they 
perfuaded him to go on with the Impofture. But at 
laft, fearing left he fhould difeover all, they refolved to 
poifon him ; of which he was fo apprehenfive that 
once a Loaf being brought him, that was prepared 
with Spices, he kept it for fome Time, and it o-rowino- 
green, he threw it to fome young Wolf’s Whdps thal 
were in the Monaftery, which died immediately. His 
Conftitution was fo vigorous, that though they gave him 
Poifon five feveral Times, he was not deftroyed by it 
They alfo prefs’d him earneftly to renounce God, which 
they judged necefTary, that their Charms might have 
their Effed: on him j but he would never confent to 
that. At laft they forced him to take a poilbned 
7 N Hoftie, 
/ 
