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BUT it is clearly proved that there exist in unclean spirits as many
desires as there are in men. For some of them, which are commonly called
Plani, are shown to be so seductive and sportive that, when they have
taken continual possession of certain places or roads, they delight
themselves not indeed with tormenting the passers by whom they can deceive,
but, contenting themselves merely with laughing at them and mocking them,
try to tire them out rather than to injure them: while some spend the night
merely by harmlessly taking possession of men, though others are such
slaves to fury and ferocity that they are not simply content with hurting
the bodies of those, of whom they have taken possession, by tearing them in
a dreadful manner, but actually are eager to rush upon those who are
passing by at a distance, and to attack them with most savage slaughter:
like those described in the gospel, for fear of whom no man dared to pass
by that way. And there is no doubt that these and such as these in their
insatiable fury delight in wars and bloodshed. Others we find affect the
hearts of those whom they have seized with empty pride, (and these are
commonly called Bacucei) so that they stretch themselves up beyond their
proper height and at one time puff themselves up with arrogance and
pomposity, and at another time condescend in an ordinary and bland manner,
to a state of calmness and affability: and as they fancy that they are
great people and the wonder of everybody, at one time show by bowing their
body that they are worshipping higher powers, while at another time they
think that they are worshipped by others, and so go through all those
movements which express true service either proudly or humbly. Others we
find are not only keen for lies, but also inspire men with blasphemies. And
of this we ourselves can testify as we have heard a demon openly confessing
that he had proclaimed a wicked and impious doctrine by the mouths of Arius
and Eunomius. And the same thing we read that one of them openly proclaimed
in the fourth book of Kings: "I will go forth," he said, "and will be a
lying spirit in the mouth of all his prophets." On which the Apostle,
when reproving those who are deceived by them, adds as follows: "giving
heed to seducing spirits and doctrines of devils speaking lies in
hypocrisy." And that there are other kinds of devils which are deaf and
dumb the gospels testify. And that some spirits incite to lust and
wantonness the prophet maintains saying: "The spirit of fornication
deceived them and they went astray from their God." In the same way the
authority of Scripture teaches us that there are demons of the night and of
the day and of the noonday: But it would take too long to search through
the whole of Scripture and run through the different kinds of them, as they
are termed by the prophets onocentaurs, satyrs, sirens, witches, howlers,
ostriches, urchins; and asps and basilisks in the Psalms; and are called
lions, dragons, scorpions in the gospel, and are named by the Apostle the
prince of this world, rulers of this darkness, and spirits of
wickedness. And all these names we ought not to take as given at random
or haphazard, but as alluding to their fierceness and madness under the
sign of those wild beasts which are more or less harmful and dangerous
among us, and by comparing them to the poisonous wickedness or power which
among other beasts or serpents, some pre-eminence in evil confers on them,
they are called by their names, in such a way that to one is assigned the
name of lion because of the fury of his rage and the madness of his anger,
to another that of basilisk because of his deadly poison, which kills a
person before it is perceived, and to another that of onocentaur or urchin
or ostrich because of his sluggish malice.
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