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cause_n	body_n	natural_a	nature_n	2,983	5	5.5283	4	true

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ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A09118	A guide to grand-iury men diuided into two bookes: in the first, is the authors best aduice to them what to doe, before they bring in a billa vera in cases of witchcraft, with a Christian direction to such as are too much giuen vpon euery crosse to thinke themselues bewitched. In the second, is a treatise touching witches good and bad, how they may be knowne, euicted, condemned, with many particulars tending thereunto. By Rich. Bernard.	Bernard, Richard, 1568-1641.	1627 (1627)	STC 1943; ESTC S101683	81,487	300

and indeede with a lowd and shrill inarticulate sound of two sillables Ipha Ipha 2. Shee had diuers tortures of her mouth and face with staring and rowling her eyes sprawling and tumbling vpon the ground grating and gnashing of her teeth 3. Sometimes shee fell into a deadly trance therein continuing the space of a day representing the shape and image of death without all sense and motion sauing breathing and her pulse neither was she moued with pinching or the like 4. When shee came out of the same she would as if fearefully affrighted cast her eyes looking backward then on either side and ouer her head as seeing something and then her eyes would be staring open and her mouth gaping wide with her hands armes strongly stretched out aboue her head with a generall starknesse and st●ffenesse 5. When shee was out of her fits and seemed to sleepe and slumber then her imagination ledde her hands to diuers actions and m●tions arguing folly and defect of reason with her hands onely feeling without the help of any other sense she would dresse and a●tire the heads of such women as were by her so strong was her imagination to leade her feeling These and other particulars are mentioned yet the causes naturall and na●urall meanes were vsed by him and at leng●h by the benefit of the Baths she was cured Another story he records of a poore boy of ●ichley in Northamptonshire who was sudd●nly surprised with a vehement conuu●sion drawing his head and heeles violently backward carrying his whole body into a roundnesse tumbling vp and downe with much paine and inward groaning The p●rents held him bewitched and therefore sent for a wise woman who played her witchery trick●s but could doe nothing The Doctor shewed the naturall cause to be Worms which in some time after the Boy did void and was perfectly well In another book of his called th● t●yall of Witchcraft chap. 2. pag. 15 16 17. he mak●th mention of diuers sorts of persons tormented with diseases wit● their terrible accidents and afflictions to the body of men women and children the reason whereof could not bee discerned till after death but their bodies being opened the reasons in nature were very euident in sight Amongst the rest one story he relates to shew the pestilent euil of seeking to a white Witch and Wizard of a Gentlewoman strangely affl●cted with varietie of strange tormenting diseases together and being almost cured it was by a Wizard whispered and thereupon beleeued that shee was meerely bewitched which supposed Witches were thereupon attached accused arraigned found guilty and executed and yet saith he in true reason and iudicious discerning it is as cleere as the brightest day that no accident befalling her was other then naturall An accursed crediting then of a Wizard vniustly occasioned the taking away of the liues of these so suspected But thogh the diseases ceased for some sixe yeeres yet some of her fits returned againe in the seuenth yeere following and continued longer vpon her then the other and now if they will beleeue a Wizard againe they must goe conceit other Witches and hang them too But now to leaue diseases it is good to obserue the force of Fancie and Feare whereby may bee found Witches But where only in a foolish sconce as he speaketh And to shew this hee instanceth the force thereof in two women going to a Physicion one after another To the one hee said shee was like to bee vexed with the Sciatica whereof he saw the apparant signes which shee affirmed neuer to haue had the motion of in all her life now the same night returning home shee was painefully and grieuously afflicted with it To the other comming some two or three dayes after besides the paine she made knowne hee by signes told her of the Crampe which she before sensibly neuer had felt yet that night also it came to her Now the first party knowing how it hapned to her selfe and hearing the like of her neighbour presently concluded that shee surely was bewitched by the Physician But after her husband an vnderstanding man to satisfie his wiues minde being impatient during her paines had gone and returned from the Physician shee was altered in her opinion and then prayed her husband to go once more to aske him forgiuenesse and if hee so would then should shee be well and indeed so her imagination wrought that at her husbands returne shee met him at the doore and told him that she was well How did a lusty young man at the Assi●es presently faint in reading a conference of two spi●●ts whilest the suspected Witch was at the Barre meerely vpon feare to be in danger to be bewitched as was euid●nt by hi● words saying O thou Rogue wilt thou bewitch me too Feare and imag●nation make many Witches among countrey people being superstitiously addicted and led with foolish obseruations and imaginarie signes of good and bad lucke Therefore seeing there may be such naturall causes truely alledged for those things which seemed to be infl●cted by Satan and the prouocation of Witches I. Let such as suspect themselues to bee bewitched consider whether the cause of their v●xation be not naturall and enquir● not of a diuellish W●zard but of learned and iudicious Physicians to know their disease lest they suspect their neighbours vniustly and for a iu●t punish●ent God giue them ouer into the hands of those that they doe feare So likewise should they in the losse of their cattel looke to the na●urall causes of their death ●or a beast and horse may die suddenly and not be bewitched as an horse of one Master Dorington in Huntingtonshire suddenly falling downe dead was opened there was found in his heart a strange worme round together like a Toade but being spred had 50. branches and was seuenteene inches long II. The Gentlemen of the Grand-Iury in case of Witchcraft when cōplaints are made should 1. Be ●●quisitiue of the grounds leading the Complainant why he thinketh himselfe or any of his to be bewitched whether it bee not rather from his owne feare then from any other cause or whether the affliction bee not from some naturall cause 2. To inquire whether hee hath taken aduice of some learned Physicians and hath also vsed their best helpes for remedie before they enter into consideration of the practices of Witcherie because vnlesse the Witchcraft be very cleere they may bee much mistaken and better it were till the truth appeare to write an Ignoramus then vpon oath to set down Billa vera and so thrust an intricate case vpon a Iury of simple men who proceed too often vpon relations of ●eere presumptions and these sometimes very weake ones too to take away mens liues It is vndoubtedly true that there is a very great likenesse and also a deceiueable likenesse betweene some diseases naturall and those that be really and truely supernaturall comming by the D●uell and Witchery and therefore neede the iudgement of some

out of all these his or her fraud may be disco●ered as vndoubtedly it may in conuenient time though not on a suddaine not in the concourse of an ignorant wondring talking and amazed multitude necessarily to bee remoued in trying a cunning Counterfei●e II. Hauing thus considered the first thing for the discouerie the next is to know what he goeth about to counterfeite not professedly as Stage-Players doe the actions manners conditions places and states of men but one of these two either the naturall but violent diseases or supernaturall workes of the Deuill If he or she counterfeite naturall diseases as the Apoplexie the Epilepsie the Convulsion the Frensie Histerica passio the Suffocation of the Matrix or the Mother the motion of Trembling and Pan●ing the Crampe and Stifnesse or the diseases mingled of these the learned iudicious and experienced Physicians must discouer him or her so counterfeiting But in absence of these for the present if any be otherwise learned and haue bookes let him or them I. Consider the nature of any disease and the accidents thereof which is to haue their times of beginning of increasing of full force and so of declination Now this being so the nature of naturall diseases and ●ccidents thereof as Physici●ns doe teach enquiry must be made whether they began by little and and little increasing in time to full force or that at the first when they seemed to take beginning they at once then mounted to the vtmost extr●mitie and doe likewise cease all in a moment then the disease and accidents thereof are either counterfeit or supernaturall ●s were the Boyles on the Egyptians and blaynes suddenly breaking out as did the sore boyles on Iobs body and were not naturall II. Consider the fits and to what speciall disease those fits may be resembled and if any haue such bookes as doe describe the nature of such dis●eases let them looke thereinto and compare them together to see the ●ddes and differences betweene them III. Consider how that naturall diseases and motions thereof especially violent which these vndertake to counterfeite leaue the bodies wea●●●●● the vsage pa●e the breath panting the pulse changed the spirits infeebled with such other effects as violent diseases from naturall causes doe produce and leaue as true testimonies of the truth thereof If therefore after the violent fits the parties be strong can walke about talke with merry company tosse the pot whiffe the Tobacco pipe and such like the disease if it be not supernaturall it is counterfeite for it is not naturall But before I leaue this one thing more may be noted that euen a Counterfeite may haue some naturall disease vpon him or her and make aduantage thereof adding their owne iuggling tricks therto As Mahomet the Turkish false prophet made benefit of the falling sicknesse with which disease hee was afflicted So some with mealancholy affected may become pale and meager and being subtile in their inuention will thereof make vse to play their prankes Many before named had the Hysterica passio and added thereto counterfeit trances Care therefore must be had to difference the counterfeiting from that which is naturall wich requireth iudgement And therefore albeit I haue set downe these ●s some helpes where the Physician cannot be had to informe the Gentlemen of the Iewry yet if it be possible let them vse the learned mens helpe and aduice in these things And thus much for the discouering of a counterfeit in naturall diseases But now if he or shee counterfeit Diabolicall practices of persons bewitched and possessed then are the Gentlemen to acquaint themselues with the true signes of such as bee poss●ssed so to discouer the dissembler and according as I finde in holy Scripture they be these I. An extraordinary strength accompanyed with exceeding fiercenesse to be able to pull chaines in sunder and to breake fetters in pieces to cut themselues with stones to teare off their cloathes to go naked to runne into solitary and hideous places and not to be tamed Here is a Deuil Mar. 5.4.5 Luk. 8.29 II. When one is suddenly taken vp and throwne with violence among and in the 〈◊〉 of a c●mp●ny and not be ●ur Luk. 4.35 III. When one is Lunaticke taken often and cast into the fire or water to be d●stroyed Math. 17.15 M●r 9 22. IV. When one walloweth foameth gnasheth with his teeth is rent and throwne to and fro and withall pineth away in body as in Mar. 9.18 20. and that for a very long time to be so tormented V. When sight hearing and speech is taken from one strangely as in Math. 12.22 Mar. 9.25 VI. When one is violently tormented the spirit bruising the partie making him or her with tearings to foame againe and suddenly to crie out Luk. 9.39 VII When one speaketh in his or her fits in an extraordinary manner not after their owne naturall or ordinary course of vnderstanding as did Saul 1. Sam. 18.10 speaking such truths as possible they by no naturall apprehension or by instruction could attaine vnto as did diuers possessed concerning Christ who they said was the holy one of God Mar. 1.24 The Son of God Mar. 3.11 The Sonne of the most high God Mar. 5.7 and as the Pythonysse said of Paul and Sylas These are the seruants of the euer liuing God and teach vnto you the way of Saluation Act. 16. This knowledge they had not by naturall reason for flesh blood reuealed it not Mat. 16 Neither did they learne it of men for the Iewish Teachers opposed these truths Math. 27.43 26.64 It was then the Deuill in them that knew him who made them so speake Mar. 1.34 We may reade in learned relations of such as in their fits would speake strange languages Fernelius an vndoubted testimony mentioneth how he saw an ignorant and franticke boy and heard him in his madnesse to speake Greeke Melanchton saith that hee saw a Damoniacke woman in Saxony who could neither write nor reade and yet spake both Greeke and Latine VIII When one diuineth as the Pythonisse did Act. 16. foretelleth 〈◊〉 such as come to demand questions of things to come or doeth reueale hidden things As Sleiden in his Commentary telleth of Anabaptisticall Maides when some hid their monies they would ●ell where they hid the same IX When holy means is vsed as Christ did by his Word and power thē the party to cry with a lowd voice to be sore torne 〈◊〉 spirits departing to be 〈◊〉 or d●ad in the iudgement of the beholders Mar. 1.26 9.26 Luk. 4 34 15.42 Thus it tell out w●●h t●e p●ssessed recorded in holy Scriptures Let the pract●ces of Counterfeits be tryed hereby and also by the signes of those that are bewitched Of which in the next booke and 12. Chapter hereafter CHAP. IV. That the Diuell and euill spirits through Gods permission may doe much euill vnto the godly for their tryall and vnto the wicked for their punishment

they notably deceiued as also when they thinke themselues to haue him at command to doe their pleasures for 1. The spirit will do more sometimes then the VVitch would haue him For Agnes Samuel a VVitch of VVarboys i●treated the spirit Blue that Mistresse Ioane Throgmorton might not haue any such extreme ●its but shee could not preuaile with him 2. He will not vndoe that sometimes which the Witch wisheth to be vndone againe as the Witches of VVarboise all three endeauoured to vnwitch the Lady Cromwell but could not 3. Hee will threa●en the Witch and offer some violence vnto her if shee will not doe what he would haue her as the spirit did old Dembdike who shoued and pushed her into a ditch because she would not goe and helpe Chattox the Witch whome Dembdike could not abide to make pictures So Chattox spirit threw her downe because when hee appeared shee would not speake vnto him Yea Bodinus telleth vs that when one called his spirit and then did not set him on worke he presently killed him 4. Hee will annoy them as he did Mother Samuel tormenting her in her body grieuously as he did Chattox taking her eye-sight from her yea and would sometimes come gaping vpon her in the forme of a Beare with open mouth as if he would haue worried her as shee confessed 5. Hee will discouer the Witches practices and will endeuour to bring them to their confusion and end as the spirit told Master Throgmortons children in their fits 6. And lastly hee will faile them and breake promise with them in their greatest neede as he did a famous Witch in Hungarie after shee was in prison where wanting food did then eate her owne flesh and perished Thus wee may see how little command they haue ouer spirits but as the spirits lift for their owne aduantage CHAP. XII To know whether one bee bewitched and the signes thereof GOd permitting and the Deuill working at the Witches command man or woman beasts or other creatures may be bewitched Now to know who are bewitched what course better can bee taken then to gather the signes frō such as certainly haue beene knowne to haue beene bewitched and that by the confession of Witches arraigned and condemned for the same as When learned and skilfull Physicions can find no distemper in the body or any probable reason of any naturall cause of such griefe pangs and violent vexations as the patient in the iudgement of all the beholders doth endure as Master Throgmortons child did when neither Doctor Barrow nor Master Butler learned Physicions could yeeld any sound reason of as to neeze lowde and thicke almost halfe an houre together till blood come out of the nose and mouth to haue a great swelling and heauing in the belly then a passing to the throate ready to stoppe her breath to make one speechlesse and set the teeth together to shake sometimes the legge sometimes the arme sometimes the head as it were a feuer or some running palsie to thrust out ones arme so stiffe and straight as not possible to bow it and such like motions as befell those children When some parts of a man now fingers now toes doerot and no rules of Art or experience can doe any good but rather the worse by the best meanes or if seeming in the Euening to bee healing in the morning to be found to haue gone backward as it did with one Iohn Orkton bewitched by one Mary Smith of Linne When a very healthy body on a suddaine shall feele violent torture pinching at the heart bereauing him of sense and so distract the patient as hee or shee is ready to teare the haire of their head as it befell one Elizabeth Hancock bewitched by the forenamed Mary Smith or being in health strong and trauelling by the way to be suddainely taken and to fall down lame become speechlesse lose the vse of one side saue the eye to haue the head drawne awry the face and countenance deformed hammes lame and turned out of course feeling within prickings as with Elsons and Sickles as did one Abraham Law bewitched by one Alizon Deuice meeting him by the way When two or moe in the same family or dwelling asunder one or moe in one towne and othersome in another are taken in the like strange fits in most things as were Master Throgmortons children the Lady Cromwell who had visited those children and burnt some haire of the suspected Witch So was Master Auery and his sister one Mistresse Belcher dwelling in seuerall places for such violent strange fits cannot come vpon naturall causes so suddainly alike to diuers persons in so seuerall places except some infectious disease should happen among them to take it one of another When the afflicted partie or parties in their fits do tell truly many things some things past as the elder daughter of Master Throgmorton did who told what the Witch had beene doing Some things in doing as shee told where her vncle and others were in the Towne where the Witch was and whither going what they said and did when they met her These sisters could tell in their fits in what case and state one and another were at the same instant being 8.10 or 12 miles asunder and also when the Witch fed her spirits and what shee said vnto them as Mistris Ioane could tell some things to come as in her first fit how many in that house should be bewitched and named the number and persons Also the other as well as this sister told what the Witch Agnes Samuel would doe if M. Throg would go and speake with her they foretold their fits in their fits how many afterwards and how long they should hold them that Mother Samuel should willingly confesse her fault and the time whē All these proued very true yet these things are no effects of naturall diseases When one shall doe many things neeze scritch groane pittifully start fearefully heaue vp the belly bounce vp with the body stran●ely become senselesse not hearing seeing or feeling to speak also many things to purpose and yet out of the fit to know not any thing hereof as it hapned with these children When there is strength supernaturall as that a very strong man shall not bee able to keepe downe a child of nine yeeres old vpon a bed So it was with one of Master Throgmortons When the diseased doe vomit vp crooked Pinnes Iron Coales Brimstone Nayles Needles Leade Waxe Haire Strawe or some such like things such haue beene seene to haue been vomited vp as Doctor Cotta witnesseth and produceth the witnesses for the same and those learned men When with other things concurring else this is no sure signe any doe see not in a fancie or dreame but visibly some apparition and thereupon some mischiefe to befall them as it did to one Master Young of London the apparance of a Water-dogge to runne ouer his bed and at

skilfull Physician to helpe to discerne and to make a cleere difference betweene the one and the other that men may proceed iudiciously and so rightly with comfort of conscience that they be not guilty of bloud Sometimes with a naturall disease Satan may also intermix his supernaturall worke to hid● his and the Witches practices vnder such naturall ●iseases when they at one time work● together This requireth great vnderstanding to make a true decision and right distinction of one from the other by reason of the illusion as one saith of their d●ceiueable likenesses But though to the simple the likenesse be●weene both may seeme one and the same yet the truth is the Diuell cannot so m●xe his worke with a naturall disease but the same may be detect●d in the m●ni●●st oddes and that in two thing● very cleerely as I haue read out of a learned Physician I. By the Symptomes and effects which shew themselues beyond the natu●e of the disease The naturall disease with the true causes and proper e●fects being first knowne the other effects must needs be fro● the secret working of some supernaturall power As for exampl● in a Conuulsion with w●ich a Noble young man was extraordinarily for a long time tormented according to the ordinarie causes thereof in nature it bereaueth the Patient of motion for his limbes are starke and stiffe also it depriueth him of sense and vnderstanding Therefore in a Conuulsion to haue as the young man had an incredible swiftnesse of motion and withall vnderstanding and sense perf●ct it must needs be supernaturall II. By naturall remedies discre●tly and fi●ly applyed according to Art● for there are tw● wayes by these to detect the finger of Satan 1. When these naturall meanes do lose their manifestly known● nature and certainly approoue● vse and operation alwayes i● their due application to the disease whereto they properly belong 2. Withall when the vse o● these remedies doe produce effects cleane contrary to thei● proper and naturall oper●●ion as when one laboureth of a vehement burning ●hirst and sha●● receiue some mo●st and cooling thi●g to allay the heat the same shall not one●y lose his na●ure but also cause a greater thirst immediately and withall the hard closing vp the mouth therupon This must needs be supernaturall This second is to bee added to the former because medicines may for want of Gods blessing lose their operation and because that God will perhaps haue sometime the ●●sease to be incurable CHAP. 3. The supposed to be bewitched and tormented by the Diuell may be a very counterfeit THere may bee neither any naturall disease nor any ●upernaturall worke of the Di●ell in the seemingly afflicted ●arty but a meere counter●●iting of actions motions passions distortious perturbations agitations writhings tumblings tossings wallowings ●oamings alteration of speech and voice with gastly staring with ●he eyes trances and relation of visions afterwards For there is nothing almost in things of this nature so really true but some can so li●ely resemble the same as the spectators shall iudge the parties to be so indeed as they seeme to bee in outward apparance There was one Marwood a confederate with Weston Dibdale and other Popish P●iests who did so cunningly act his part in trembling foaming and raging when he was touched with Campions girdle forsooth as made the gull'd lookers ●n to weepe in beholding t●e cogging and iuggling companion in such a seeming miserable plight The like I saw of a lewd girle at Wells who to be reuenged of a poore Woman which had iustly complained against her to her Mistresse counterfeited to be bewitched by her and so plaide her part as shee made many to wonder and some to weepe as if she had been possessed The Boy of Bilson his counterfeiting discouered is notorious throughout the land which Boy seemed to bee bewitched and cryed out of a woman to haue bewitched him and when she was brought in very secretly he could discerne it He had strange fi●s and seemed therein deafe and dumbe hee could writhe his mouth aside roule his eyes as nothing but the white would appeare and his head shake as one distracted Hee vsually would cast vp his meate vomit pinnes ragges strawe wrest and turne his head backward grate with his teeth gape hideously with his mouth cling and draw in his belly and guts groane and mourne pittiously tell of the apparition of a spirit after his fits seeming like a blacke bird He made water like inke sometimes which some tried and wrote with it At the mentioning of the beginning of Saint Iohns Gospell In the beginning was the Word c. he would fall into his fits as if he could not indure to heare these words Hee became with f●sting very weake and his limbes by induring extremities were benummed And to conclude so resolued was hee to beare out his counterfeiting as when hee was pinched often with fingers pricked with needles tickled on the sides and once whipped with a rodde being but thirteene yeeres old hee could not bee discerned by either shrinking or shrieking to bewray the least passion or feeling And yet was hee discouered to be a counterfeit and openly confessed the same and bow he came to learne these trickes and by whom and wherefore At the Assises hee cryed God mercy craued pardon of the poore Woman and lastly prayed the whole Countrey to admit of his hearty confession and satisfaction To this may bee added another example deliuered by Master Scot in his discouerie of Witchcraft booke 7. chap. 1. and 2. The story is of one Mildred a Bastard of one Alice Norrington seruant to one William Spooner of Westwell in Kent Anno 1574. Shee feigned the voice of a Diuell within her distinct from her owne voice This counterfeit Diuell made answer to a great number of questions propounded by Ministers Hee named one old woman for a Witch one old Alice who kept him twenty yeeres in two bottles on the backe side of her house and elsewhere and that he came in the likenes●e of two birds and was called Partener and that at her instigation hee had killed three and named who they were with many other things Of all which there were many witnesses the names set down by Master Scot and yet all this was counterfeited and found out by one Master Wotton and one Master Darrel Iustices she confessed and for the same receiued due punishment In this strange counterfeiting it may yet verily bee thought that Satan might therein help him and her to play so cunningly this part as they did for Satan is euer ready to further wickednesse especially tending to the shedding of bloud and to further Popish Idolatry which the Boy of Bilson was enti●ed to doe and the Pop●sh Priests sought for to establish in exorcising the Boy and professing to dispossesse him of three Diuels if his parents would turne forsooth Cathol●ques Did not our late King Iames by his wisedome learning and exp●rience discouer diuers