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ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A03468	A treatise against vvitchcraft: or A dialogue, wherein the greatest doubts concerning that sinne, are briefly answered a Sathanicall operation in the witchcraft of all times is truly prooued: the moste precious preseruatiues against such euils are shewed: very needful to be knowen of all men, but chiefly of the masters and fathers of families, that they may learn the best meanes to purge their houses of all vnclean spirits, and wisely to auoide the dreadfull impieties and greate daungers which come by such abhominations. Hereunto is also added a short discourse, containing the most certen meanes ordained of God, to discouer, expell, and to confound all the Sathanicall inuentions of witchcraft and sorcerie.; Treatise against witchcraft.	Holland, Henry, 1555 or 6-1603.	1590 (1590)	STC 13590; ESTC S104153	71,772	90

reade and vnderstand them the Law of God is this You shall not regard them that worke with spirits neither soothsayers yea shal not seeke them to be defiled by them I am the Lord the God Againe anon after to make the greatnes of this sinne the better to appeare he repeateth the same wordes in more fearefull manner If any turne after such as worke with spirites and after soothsayers to goe a whoaring after them then will I set my face against that person and will cut him of from his people And againe that God people might be sufficiently warned they haue a third charge against this sinne in Deut. 18. where they are commaunded in all there necessities to seeke vnto God and the ministerie of his worde which place Es. commendeth to the Church of his time on this manner VVhen they shall say vnto you enquire at them that haue a spirite of diuination and at the soothsaiers which whisper and murmur should not a people enquire at their God from the liuing to the dead to the law and to the testimonie if they speake not according to this worde it is because there is no light in them And thus Mysodaemon the Lord hath most louingly warned and most sharply charged his people to auoyde this sinne Mysodaemon But some vnderstand the Law of God Theophilus as the Emperours ciuill Law expoundeth it Eorum est scientia punienda c. qui magicis artibus contra salutem hominum c. nullis verò criminibus implicanda suntremedia humanis quaesita corporibus Hereby it is manifest that hurtfull magitians and witches which kill and hurt mens bodies and goods are onely to be auoyded and so they doe amongst vs but such of these practitioners as can and will cure the sicke finde thinges loste haue a good neere gesse in praedictions are not in any wise to be blamed saieth this Lawe and therefore these are often sought after in necessities vnto this day and they seeme to doe no man harme but much good and they speake the very truth often and men will doe much Theophilus in extremities Theophilus First for that Lawe it is a moste wicked and prophane law and if it be one of Constantines constitutions it was published no doubt before his conuersion to the faith and as for the good that miserable men receiue of the sorcerers assure thy selfe Mysodaemon the more they seeme to benefite mens bodies the more harme they doe both soule and bodie for who would receiue gold at an enemies hande without feare and good assurance for his safetie and is not Sathan the bloodiest enemie that man hath liuing and lastly where as they would be credited for their trueth one counselleth vs in these wordes Si vera quandoque dixerint non ideo credendum eis sed imitare Christum qui reprehendebat damones quamvis vocitarent ipsum filium Dei Albeit witches speake trueth nowe and then wee must not therefore beleeve them but followe thou Christ saith he who reprehended the deuills when they named him often the very Sonne of God And because wee be impatient in extremities he addeth St non illico sentis auxilium divinum quid tum patientia opus est If in thy great necessities thou findest not present helpe from God what then thou muste vse patience Mysodaemon And how doeth God wame vs of this sinne by examples Theophilus Thou maiest finde a multitude of examples which God layeth before vs in the Scripture by them to reclaime vs from this sinne but I will here name but Saule onely hee alone can teach all men vvith vvhat coardes of sinne all these witchmakers are fettered aboute and howe that they are in trueth most prophane in life and Athistes in religion for first hee had reiected the worde of God in heart and all sincere obedience thereunto 1. Sam. 15. 23. Againe hee was a very murderer for howe often sought hee to murder David and rested not till hee had slaine a great number of the moste religious and innocent Priestes of the lande 1. Sam. 22. 18. And hee was also a verie hypocrite in profession 1. Sam. 26. 21. Vnto all these sinnes hee added this fearefull contempt of GOD 1. Chron. 10. 13. Hee asked counsell of a familiar spirite and in the ende in great desperation he murdered him selfe 1. Sam. 31. 4. Mysodaemon But thinke you that al these sinners are as wicked or any thing like that desperate Saule Theophilus I will not say that the measure of their sinnes is growne to that height that his was but that they be most blinde in their mindes and wicked in their liues experience deilie tellethvs For who but Papistes and rebellious Athistes ride and goe dailie to this market And vnto such God doeth iustly sende strong delusions that they should beleeue lyes that they might be damned because they beleeued not the trueth but had such pleasure in vnrighteousnes Mysodaemon Surely the greater part of them which make this trafficke with witches haue in deede but a small deale of any good religion but these were Gentiles and therefore were worthelie plagued for infinite more sinnes let me heare howe God punished this sinne among his owne people Theophilus Farre more fearefully for whereas the Lorde loued them aboue all nations vnder heauen this sinne was one of the principall causes of that long diuorcement which was betweene him and that people for the Prophet saith Surely thou hast for saken thy people the house of Iacob because they are full of the East manners and are sorcerers as the Philistines and abound with strange children And of the destruction of both the kingdoms of Israel and Iudah 1. Of Israel 2. King 17. 17. They made their sonnes and daughters to passe through the fire and vsed witchcraft and inchauntments c. therefore the Lord was wroth with Israel and put them out of his sight 2. Of Iudah 2. King 24. 3. Surely the commaundement of the Lord came vpon Iudah that he might put them out of his sight Propter peccata similia ijs quae fecerat Manasche For sinnes like vnto those which Manasses committed and his sinnes are numbred 2. King 21. 6. He caused his sonnes to passe through the fire he gaue him selfe to witchcraft and vsed them that had familiar spirites and were soothsayers c. Achaziah would not enquire of Gods word but sought after the god of Ekron in his extremities 2. King 13. 16. Maxentius in like manner the Romane Emperour consulted with his witches before his destruction and so did the vnhappie Iulian and they had both an vnhappie end Mysodaemon Surely the Lord I see hath giuen vs in these daies more testimonies of his hatred against this sinne then hee did the old Church for all these examples iudgements are written as the Apostle speaketh for our learning therfore such in these times as commit spirituall whoredom with Sathan are worthie to drinke more deepely of the cup of the

of God put vnder a bushell and contemned immediately Sathan thrust into the kingdome idolatrie and witchcraft which continued in that land vnto Hosheas time vnder whome these sinnes brought destruction vnto the kingdome of Israel as it is written 2. King 17. where the holy Ghost rehearsing the sinnes of Ieroboam and his successors vnto Hosheas time and shewing the iust causes of the destruction of that kingdome he concludeth on this manner 1. Finally they left all the commaundements of the Lord their God 2. they made them molten images euen two calues and made a groue and worshipped all the host of heauen and serued Baal 3. They made their sonnes and daughters passe through the fire and vsed witchcraft and inchauntments yea sould them selues to doe euill in the sight of the Lord to anger him The same euills came in like manner vpon the kingdome of Iudah for the contempt of Gods word his religion his Prophets and his ministerie as vnder Manasseh of whome it is saide hee went backe that is from all good thinges which his father did and then followeth this sinne vers 6. Hee caused his sonnes to passe through fire and gaue him selfe to witchcrafte and ●orcerie and hee vsed them that bad familiar spirites and were soothsaiers did much euill in the sight of the Lord to anger him And the lord assureth vs that these sinnes of this mā were the cause of the destruction also of this kingdom of Iudah for thus it is written Surely by the commandement of the Lord came vpon this Iudah that he might put them out of his sight for the sinnes of Manasseth according to all that hee did And thus like as we haue seene that when good kings Iudges and Magistrates gouerned the Church of the Iewes were carefull to preserue a pure ministerie pure religion the sacred Scriptures among them these Sathanical artes of magick sorcerie and such like abhominations were soone banished that lande so likewise in all Christendom both before poperie began to darken the face of Gods Church after that rotten mist in sundrie places had vanished was scattered by the beams of the Gospel this Sathanicall kinigdome was cast down his ministers confounded his delusions were continually discouered Wherfore I conclude thus with Bodin Beatus est populus cui sapientes moderatores boni magistratus bonipastores p●aesunt qui benè institunnt ipsum non sunt in eomalign● spiritus diu habituri sedem Blessedis that people ouer whom wise gouernours good magistrates and godly pastors are placed which doe well instruct and gouerne them euill spirits are not like to haue any long aboad or continuance in that place CHAP. IIII. What the Christian Iudges and Magistrates haue done and may doe for the discouerie and extirpation of Witchcraft FIrst if any man doe imagine that I purpose in this place to frame any speech counsell or direction for the Honourable wise Iudges and Magistrates of the land how to proceede in iustice against these abhominations let such vnderstand that I meane no such thing for their Honours c. are wise I know right well to see into these euills willing with all diligence to discouer them God I trust will more and more inflame their hearts with such measure of the loue of his glorie and the saluation of his Saints that they will most carefully redresse them where when they finde them Againe I confesse my selfe to be moste vnexpert and vnacquainted with their profession Notwithstanding it may be in some sort lawfull for me and most expedient for this cause in hād to teach others in sober maner rudely as I can what magistrates are wherefore ordained of God how they haue done may do to preuent discouer confound these abominations wherfore I hope I shal giue no iust cause of offence vnto any but an occasion rather vnto some to remember in what place the Lord hath set ouer vs these honourable iudges and magistrates to batter and beat downe our common enemy his kingdome and all his Inuentions and munition which he daily practiseth for the destruction of our bodies soules and therefore I offer to al men good cause to cōmend thē to God most earnestly in their praiers The magistrates saith the Lord must be men of courage men fearing god men dealing truly mē hating couetousnes for they supply after a sort Gods own place resemble his maiestie therfore are often called Gods in scripture a name of great importāce Fathers Pastors in the Prophets in sundry places And Solomon saith that when kings raigne counsellers decree righteouslie when Princes beare principality the iudges of the earth execute iudgement it is Gods good will his own worke good pleasure And for this cause Moses Iehosaphat said to the iudges whom they appointed in euery seuerall city that they shoulde sit in iudgement not for man but for God Againe all authours ecclesiasticall prophane agree with the word of God affirming that their office is extended to both the tables of the law most ecclesiasticall writers call them cust odes vtriusque tabulae preseruers keepers of hoth the tables of Gods law the very heathens for nulla gens sine lege sine rege sine Deo all nations haue their king their law their God the heathens I say in making lawes they haue alway begon at religion and the worship of god so proceed to politick lawes and lastly commend all their lawes and religion to the care and custody of their Princes Iudges magistrates and gouernours And the good gouerners kings princes magistrates in the Church of God haue euer had their first principal care to maintaine defend the laws of the first table of God that is the religiō the seruice the word the honor glorie of God for so God cōmandeth the forenamed holy princes Moses Dauid Hezekiah Iosiah lehosaphat and others haue so done as we haue partly before shewed for they accounted themselues Gods vicegerents here on earth and thereefore they were most mindfull of his glorie Among al other sinnes of the first table there is none more horrible more fearfull that more dishonoureth God impareth his glory then the most detestable sins of magike and sorcerie wherfore I may conclude that it is the duty of al Christian princes iudges and magistrates to bend all the powers of their mindes most religious●ie and carefully for the discouerie seuere punishment of all the practisioners and fauoures of all Sathanicall magick and deuilish diuinations Such men therfore as forbid the honourable iudges magistrates c. to intermeddle or comber themselues in the behalfe of Gods glorie the good state of Gods Church in the discouerie of these deuilish practises of Satan and his ministers they do as much as in them lyeth resist Gods glory prophane his seruice set vp Satan

Theoph. This kind also is one of the foure diabolicall sciences which Manasses fauoured and set vp in his time and multiplyed in the land vntill the noble King Iosiah came who is said to haue found among the dunghill gods sterchoreos deos saith Tremel these two kind of witches pythones pythonists and ijdgnonim wise men he caused their braines to be beaten out with stones according to the wordes of the law of God Mys. And what Theoph. doe you thinke that these witches had any sight in the secret myste●ies of Sathans sciences Palmisters expounders of dreames are but poore simple fellowes our common Egyptian vagabonds as we call them can tell vs some points of this profession Surely then those witches were like to be but plaine cooseners Theoph. That these witches some also of the former practised more then common coosenage c. I can shew it by sufficient proofe out of the Scripture on this manner 1. All sinnes which the Scripture calleth abhominations are greater and more dreadfull then any sleights of iugling or cōmon coosenage but this kind is so named 2. King 23. 24. therfore this sinne is not coosenage c. 2. That sinne against the which the holy Ghost sheweth like or greater detestation then against the vilest idolatrie is farre more dreadfull more wicked then common coosenage c. The Lord sheweth such detestation against this sinne in that place Ergo. 3. That sinne which is one great cause of the destruction of a whole kingdome is a most dreadfull impietie This kind of witchcraft was one of the foure which Manasses liked and fauoured for the which that kingdom was destroied therefore it is one most dreadfull sinne 4. That kinde of witchcraft which the law of God so abhorreth against the which it pronounceth death without mercie is no doubt a most deuelish and as Sathanicall a practise as all the rest but the law of stoning to death which was the cruellest death amōg the Iewes was directly giuen against this kind If a man or woman be pytho or ijdgnoni a wise man they shall die the death they shall stone them to death there blood shall be vpon them 5. That sinne which the noble prince Iosiah by the aduise of his wise Iudges and Magistrates c. directed by the law of God so sharply punished and sought after so dilligently that his Church might be clean purged c. must not be thought a light impietie but rather the contrarie and that Iosiah did so against these witches and others it is recorded by the holy Ghost for his euerlasting praise God put into the hartes of our Honourable Iudges to doe the like in these times where and when occasion is offered And to this end Strilegius writeth against these witches and to the commendation of Iosias on this manner His seuerissimis mandatis Iosias obtemperans non tantum exscindit sed etiam evellit omnes vates incantatores diabolicos ne rursus fruticentur eandem severitatem omnes magistratus sequantur in tollendis èmedio magis c. alijs qui se ministros diabolorum praebent Iosiah obeying the most seuere rules of Gods law Lev. 20. 27. did not onely cut downe but rooted vp all diviners and deuelish enchanters least they should bud or seede any more let all magistrates saith he vse the like severitie to take away witches and all such as giue them selues to the ministerie of Sathan Mysodaemon And what was the last kinde of witches named in that place of Deut. 1 8. v. 11. Th. The last words there are doreshel hammuthim one that enquireth or seeketh counsel at the dead but it is to be doubted whether the Lord meaneth in these words an other special kind or rather sheweth by thē by what meanes som of the rest there nūbred practised these artes namly by cōsultation with the spirits of dead mē as was thought but with deuils indeed howbeit some affirm that Necromancie another and speciall kinde of witchcraft is here to be vnderstoode but Samuel Esay say plainely that Aobooth pythonistes and ijdgnomim wizards practised this Necromansie for Esay saith that such as consult with Aobooth and ●dgnonim goe from the liuing elh●mmuth●m that is to ask counsel of dead soules as some supposed but of the deuills indeed Maister Luth. saith that Necromantici spiritus nocturnos obamb●lantes consulunt Necromancers cōsult with night walking spirits c. or as Esay saith They lye and remaine among the graues Chap. 65. 4. Howsoeuer it be whether these words contei●e an other speciall kind or no I know not but one thing we are sure of that these witches also had there marchandize with Sathan him selfe for the spirit of the righteous returne vnto God that gaue them Eccles. 12. 7. and the soules of the vnrighteous are as our Sauiour Christ saith in hell torments Wherefore they must be Sathanicall spirits and not soules departed which come to conference and to trafficke with witches here vpon earth But some intending to finde an essentiall difference haue thought it best to call that practize of pythonistes Sciomant●a to discern it from this last kinde of witchcraft as if there did appeare but shadowes onely in the one but reall bodies in the other Wherefore this difference is but to smal purpose in my iudgement CHAPTER II. Of the witches of our time and of their bargaines societie and acquaintance with Sathan Theophilus Mysodaemon SVrely Theophilus I loue not sophistically to cavill in this controuersie but soberly to come if God so please vnto the knowledge of the trueth Seeing that the light of Gods word is so manifest that these magical artes mentioned in the Scripture were such horrible impieties abhominations c. and so detestable before almightie God that they caused his wrath to be kindled in such manner against his people for fauouring following and practising them I must and will willingly subscribe Theophilus that these artes were more indeed then coosenage poisoning naturall magike or any other such like invention onely practised by humane industrie Theophilus Neuer doubt of it they were Sathanicivenefici Sathanicimagi Sathanicall magitians and Sathanicall poisoners indede and so call them Mysodaemon as learned men haue done and thus I trust thou seest what the witches were which are mentioned in Scripture Mys. I doe so Theophilus I thanke you But shall we imagine that our poore doating old women which are commonly called witches at this day are like in any point vnto those 7. which are mentioned in Scripture Surely I haue no light of reason or Scripture as yet wherefore we should so thinke Theophilus Thou art here also caried away with some fabulous volumes of withcraft or thou markest the follie of the multitude or both For what Mysodaemon shall Sathan in this age be lesse cruell or infidels more holy then they haue beene some are not ashamed to say indeede saith Hemingius that