mus: [1146]"The great God Pan is dead;
Apollo Pythius ceased; and so the rest." St. Hierome, in the life of Paul
the Hermit, tells a story how one of them appeared to St. Anthony in the
wilderness, and told him as much. [1147]Paracelsus of our late writers
stiffly maintains that they are mortal, live and die as other creatures do.
Zozimus, _l. 2_, farther adds, that religion and policy dies and alters
with them. The [1148]Gentiles' gods, he saith, were expelled by
Constantine, and together with them. _Imperii Romani majestas, et fortuna
interiit, et profligata est_; The fortune and majesty of the Roman Empire
decayed and vanished, as that heathen in [1149]Minutius formerly bragged,
when the Jews were overcome by the Romans, the Jew's God was likewise
captivated by that of Rome; and Rabsakeh to the Israelites, no God should
deliver them out of the hands of the Assyrians. But these paradoxes of
their power, corporeity, mortality, taking of shapes, transposing bodies,
and carnal copulations, are sufficiently confuted by Zanch. _c. 10, l. 4._
Pererius in his comment, and Tostatus questions on the 6th of Gen. Th.
Aquin., St. Austin, Wierus, Th. Erastus, Delrio, _tom. 2, l. 2, quaest.
29_; Sebastian Michaelis, _c. 2, de spiritibus_, D. Reinolds _Lect. 47._
They may deceive the eyes of men, yet not take true bodies, or make a real
metamorphosis; but as Cicogna proves at large, they are [1150]_Illusoriae,
et praestigiatrices transformationes_, _omnif. mag. lib. 4. cap. 4_, mere
illusions and cozenings, like that tale of _Pasetis obulus_ in Suidas, or
that of Autolicus, Mercury's son, that dwelt in Parnassus, who got so much
treasure by cozenage and stealth. His father Mercury, because he could
leave him no wealth, taught him many fine tricks to get means, [1151]for he
could drive away men's cattle, and if any pursued him, turn them into what
shapes he would, and so did mightily enrich himself, _hoc astu maximam
praedam est adsecutus_. This, no doubt, is as true as the rest; yet thus
much in general. Thomas, Durand, and others, grant that they have
understanding far beyond men, can probably conjecture and [1152]foretell
many things; they can cause and cure most diseases, deceive our senses;
they have excellent skill in all Arts and Sciences; and that the most
illiterate devil is _Quovis homine scientior_ (more knowing than any man),
as [1153]Cicogna maintains out of others. They know the virtues of herbs,
plants, stones, minerals,