A clothier’s widow of Pembridge in Herefordshire, desired Dr. Sherborne (one of the canons of the church of Hereford, and Rector of Pembridge) to look over her husband’s writings after his decease:  among other things he found a call for a crystal.  The clothier had his cloths oftentimes stolen from his racks; and at last obtained this trick to discover the thieves.  So when he lost his cloths, he went out about midnight with his crystal and call, and a little boy, or little maid with him (for they say it must be a pure virgin) to look in the crystal, to see the likeness of the person that committed the theft.  The doctor did burn the call, 1671.

VISIONS WITHOUT A GLASS OR CRYSTAL.

About the latter end of the reign of King James I. one —–­ a taylor in London, had several visions, which he did describe to a painter to paint, and he writ the description himself in an ill taylor-like hand, in false English, but legible:  it was at least a quire of paper.  I remember one vision is of St. James’s park, where is the picture of an altar and crucifix.  Mr. Butler’of the toy-shop by Ludgate, (one of the masters of Bridewell) had the book in anno 1659; the then Earl of Northampton gave five pounds for a copy of it.

CONVERSE WITH ANGELS AND SPIRITS.

Dr. Richard Nepier was a person of great abstinence, innocence, and piety:  he spent every day two hours in family prayer:  when a patient or querent came to him, he presently went to his closet to pray:  and told to admiration the recovery, or death of the patient.  It appears by his papers, that he did converse with the angel Raphael, who gave him the responses.

Elias Ashmole, Esq. had all his papers, where is contained all his practice for about fifty years; which he, Mr. Ashmole, carefully bound up, according to the year of our Lord, in —–­ volumes in folio; which are now reposited in the library of the Musseum in Oxford.  Before the responses stands this mark, viz.  R. Ris. which Mr. Ashmole said was Responsum Raphaelis.

In these papers are many excellent medicines, or receipts for several diseases that his patients had; and before some of them is the aforesaid mark, Mr. Ashmole took the pains to transcribe fairly with his own hand all the receipts; they are about a quire and a half of paper in folio, which since his death were bought of his relict by E. W. Esq.  E.S.S.

The angel told him if the patient were curable or incurable.

There are also several other queries to the angel, as to religion, transubstantiation, &c. which I have forgot.  I remember one is, whether the good spirits or the bad be most in number ?  R. Ris.  The good.

It is to be found there, that he told John Prideaux, D.D. anno 1621, that twenty years hence (1641) he would be a bishop, and he was so, sc. bishop of Worcester. ’