§7Daemonum eam esse naturam, ut aerii corporis sensu terrenorum corporum sensum facile praecedant, celeritate etiam propter eiusdem aerii corporis superiorem mobilitatem non solum cursus quorumlibet hominum uel ferarum, uerum etiam uolatus auium inconparabiliter uincant.
Such is the nature of demons that, by the sense of an airy body, they easily surpass the sense of earthly bodies, and also in speed, because of the superior mobility of that same airy body, they incomparably defeat not only the running of any men or wild beasts, but even the flight of birds.
quibus duabus rebus, quantum ad aerium corpus attinet, praediti, hoc est acrimonia sensus et celeritate motus, multo ante cognita praenuntiant uel nuntiant, quae homines pro sensus terreni tarditate mirentur.
Endowed with these two things, as far as pertains to the airy body—that is, sharpness of sense and speed of movement—they foretell or announce things known long before, which men, because of the sluggishness of their earthly sense, marvel at.
accessit etiam daemonibus per tam longum tempus. quo eorum uita protenditur, rerum longe maior experientia, quam potest hominibus propter breuitatem uitae prouenire.
There is also added to the demons, through so long a time during which their life is extended, a far greater experience of things than can come to men because of the shortness of life.
per has efficacias, quas aerii corporis natura sortita est, non solum multa futura praedicunt daemones, uerum etiam multa mira faciunt.
Through these efficacies, which the nature of the airy body has obtained, demons not only predict many future things, but also perform many wonderful deeds.
quae quoniam homines dicere ac facere non possunt, eos dignos quidam, quibus seruiant et quibus diuinos honores deferant, arbitrantur instigante maxime uitio curiositatis propter amorem felicitatis falsae atque terrenae excellentiae temporalis.
Since men cannot say and do these things, some deem them worthy of being served and of being offered divine honors, prompted especially by the vice of curiosity because of the love of a false and temporal earthly excellence of happiness.
qui autem se ab his cupiditatibus mundant nec eis se ferendos rapiendosque permittunt, sed inquirunt et amant aliquid, quod eodem modo semper est, cuius participatione beati sint, primum considerant non ideo sibi praeponendos esse daemones, quod acriore sensu corporis praeualent. aerii scilicet, hoc est subtilioris elementi, quia nec in ipsis terrenis corporibus bestias sibi praeponendas putant, quae acrius multa praesentiunt; uelut sagacem canem, quia latentem feram olfactu acerrimo sic inuenit, ut ad eam capiendam ducatum quendam homini praebeat, non utique prudentiore intellectu animi, sed acutiore corporis sensu; uel uulturem. quia proiecto cadauere ex inprouisa longinquitate aduolat: nec aquilam, quia sublimiter uolans de tanto interuallo natantem sub fluctibus piscem dicitur peruidere et grauiter aquis inlisa exertis pedibus atque unguibus rapere; nec alia multa animantium genera, quae inter herbas saluti suae noxias pascendo circumerrant nec aliquid earum, quo laedantur, adtingunt, cum eas homo uix experiendo cauere didicerit et multa innoxia, quod sint inexperta, formidet.
But those who cleanse themselves from these desires, and do not permit themselves to be carried away and seized by them, but seek and love something that is always in the same way, by participation in which they may be blessed, consider first that the demons are not to be preferred to themselves for the reason that they excel in a sharper sense of the body—namely, of the airy, that is, of a more subtle element—since they do not think that even among earthly bodies themselves, the beasts are to be preferred to them, which perceive many things more sharply beforehand; as, for example, a sagacious dog, which by its extremely sharp sense of smell finds a hidden wild beast in such a way as to provide a kind of guidance to a man for catching it, certainly not by a more prudent understanding of the mind, but by a sharper sense of the body; or a vulture, which flies from an unforeseen distance when a corpse has been cast out; or an eagle, which, flying on high, is said to see from so great a distance a fish swimming under the waves, and, striking heavily upon the waters with its feet and talons extended, to seize it; or many other kinds of living creatures, which wander about feeding among herbs harmful to their safety, and touch none of them by which they might be harmed, although a man has scarcely learned to beware of them by experience, and dreads many harmless things because they are untried.
unde conicere facile est, quanto possit in aeriis corporibus sensus esse acrior.
From this it is easy to conjecture how much sharper the sense can be in airy bodies.
nec ideo tamen daemones, qui eo praediti sunt, bonis hominibus praeponendos prudens quisque censuerit.
And yet, no prudent person would judge that the demons, who are endowed with this, are to be preferred to good men.
hoc et de corporum celeritate dixerim.
I would say this also concerning the speed of their bodies.
et hac enim praestantia non solum a uolucribus homines, uerum etiam a multis quadrupedibus ita superantur, ut in eorum conparatione plumbei deputandi sint; nec tamen ideo sibi haec animantium genera existimant praeponenda, quibus capiendis, mansuefaciendis atque in suae uoluntatis usum commodumque redigendis non ui corporis, sed rationis imperant.
For in this excellence, men are so surpassed not only by birds but also by many quadrupeds, that in comparison with them they must be considered leaden; and yet they do not therefore think that these kinds of living creatures are to be preferred to themselves, over which they rule, not by force of body, but of reason, in catching, taming, and bringing them into the service and convenience of their own will.
Illam uero tertiam daemonum potentiam, quod diuturna rerum experientia quemadmodum praenoscant atque praenuntient multa didicerunt, ita contemnunt, qui haec uigilanter curant a uerissimae lucis ueritate discernere, ut nec malos senes plura expertos et ob hoc quasi doctiores ideo probi adulescentes sibi antecellere existiment nec medicos nec nautas nec agricolas,, quos prauae uoluntatis et iniquis moribus uiderint, ideo putent sibi esse praeferendos, quod illi de ualitudinibus, illi de tempestatibus, illi de arbustorum fructuumque generibus multa ita praenuntiant, ut harum rerum inexperto diuinare uideantur.
But as for that third power of the demons, that by long experience of things they have learned how to foreknow and foretell many things, those who watchfully care to distinguish these things from the truth of the truest light so despise it, that neither do upright young men think that wicked old men, who have experienced more things and for this reason seem as if more learned, excel them, nor do they think that physicians, nor sailors, nor farmers, whom they see to be of a depraved will and of unjust morals, are to be preferred to themselves, for the reason that those foretell many things about illnesses, these about storms, and those about the kinds of trees and fruits, in such a way that to one inexperienced in these matters they seem to divine.