God sometimes sendeth a man great trouble in his mind, and great tribulation about his worldly goods, because he would of his goodness take his delight and confidence from them.  And yet the man withdraweth no part of his foolish fancies, but falleth more fervently to them than before, and setteth his whole heart, like a fool, more upon them.  And then he betaketh him all to the devices of his worldly counsellors, and without any counsel of God or any trust put in him, maketh many wise ways—­or so he thinks, but all turn at length to folly, and one subtle drift driveth another to naught.

Some have I see even in their last sickness, set up in their deathbed, underpropped with pillows, take their playfellows to them and comfort themselves with cards.  And this, they said, did ease them well, to put fancies out of their heads.  And what fancies, think you?  Such as I told you right now, of their own lewd life and peril of their soul, of heaven and of hell, that irked them to think of.  And therefore they cast it out with cards, playing as long as ever they might, till the pure pangs of death pulled their heart from their play, and put them in such a case that they could not reckon their game.  And then their gamesters left them and slyly slunk away, and it was not long ere they galped up the ghost.  And what game they came then to, that God knoweth and not I. I pray God it were good, but I fear it very sore.

Some men are there also that do as did King Saul, and in their tribulation go seek unto the devil.  This king had commanded all those to be destroyed who used the false abominable superstition of this ungracious witchcraft and necromancy.  And yet fell he to such folly afterwards himself, that ere he went to battle he sought unto a witch and besought her to raise up a dead man to tell him how he should fare.  Now God had showed him by Samuel before that he should come to naught, and he went about no amendment, but waxed worse and worse, so that God would not look to him.  And when he sought by the prophet to have answer of God, there came no answer to him, which he thought strange.  And because he was not heard by God at his pleasure, he made suit to the devil, desiring a woman by witchcraft to raise up the dead Samuel.  But he had such success thereof as commonly they have who in their business meddle with such matters.  For an evil answer had he, and an evil fortune thereafter—­his army discomfited and himself slain.  And as it is rehearsed in Paralipomenon, the tenth chapter of the first book, one cause of his fall was for lack of trust in God, for which he left off taking counsel of God and fell to seek counsel of the witch, against God’s prohibition in the law and against his own good deed by which he punished and put out all witches so short a time before.  Such fortune let them look for, who play the same part!  I see many do so, who in a great loss send to seek a conjurer to get their belongings again.  And marvellous things there