The following is a Quote from Montaigne, I did not change the English as it was used at the time. It is a beautiful writing in itself.
"It is a sottish presumption to disdaine and condemne that for false, which unto us seemeth to beare no shew of likelihood or truth: which is an ordinarie fault in those who persuade themselves to be of more sufficiency than the vulgar sort. So was I sometimes wont to doe, and if I heard any body speake, either of ghosts walking, or fortelling future things, of enchantments, of witchcrafts, or any other thing reported, which I could not well conceive, or that was beyond by reach -
Dreames, magike terrors, witches, uncouth wonders, Night Walking sprites, Thessalian conjur'd thunders -
I could not but feele a kind of compassion to see the poore and seely people abused with such follies. And now I perceive that I was as much to be moaned myselfe: Not that experience Hath since made ot discerne any thing beyond my former opinions : yet was not my curiositie the cause of it, but reason hath taught me, that so resolutely to Condemne a thing for false and impossible, is to assume unto himselfe the advantage, to have the bounds and limits of Gods will, and of the power of our common mother Nature tied to his sleeve : And that there is no greater folly in the world than to reduce them to the measure of our capacitie and bounds of our sufficiencie. If we terme those things monsters or miracles to which our reason cannot attaine, how many such doe daily present themselves unto our sight?"
This post first appeared on An Encyclopaedia Of Occult Sciences, please read the originial post: here
