with a manifest declaration of the cause that moveth men so commonly to think and witches themselves to beleeve that they can hurt children cattell c. with words and imaginations and of cosening witches ONe sort of such as fare said to be witches are women which be commonly old lame blear-eyed pale fowle and full of wrinckles poor sullen superstitious and papists or such as know no religion in whose drousie minds the devill hath gotten a fine seat so as what mischief mischance calamity or slaughter is brought to passe they are easily perswaded the same is done by themselves imprinting in their minds an earnest and constant imagination thereof They are leane and deformed shewing melancholy in their faces to the horror of all that see them They are doting scolds mad devillish and not much differing from them that are thought to be possessed with spirits so firme and steadfast in their opinions as whosoever shall only have respect to the constancy of their words uttered would easily beleeve they were true indeed These miserable wretches are so odious unto all their neighbours and so feared as few dare offend them or deny them any thing they aske whereby they take upon them yea and sometimes think that they can do such things as are beyond the ability of humane nature These go from house to house and from door to door for a pot full of milke yest drinke pottage or some such releefe without the which they could hardly live neither obtaining for their service and paines nor yet by their art nor yet at the devils hands with whome they are said to make a perfect and visible bargaine either beauty mony promotion wealth worship pleasure honour knowledge learning or any other benefit whatsoever It falleth out many times that neither their necessities nor their expectation is answered or served in those places where they beg or borrowe but rather their lewdnesse is by their neighbours reproved And further in tract of time the witch waxeth odious and tedious to her neighbours and they again are despised and despited of her so as sometimes she curseth one and sometimes another and that from the master of the house his wife children cattell c. to the little pig that lieth in the stie Thus in processe of time they have all displeased her and she hath wished evill luck unto them all perhaps with curses and imprecations made in forme Doubtlesse at length some of her neighbours die or fall sick or some of their children are visited with diseases that vex them strangely as apoplexies epilepsie convulsions hot fevers wormes c. Which by ignorant parents are supposed to be the vengeance of witches Yea and their opinions and conceits are confirmed and maintained by unskilful physitians according to the common saying Inscitiae pallium maleficium incantatio Witchcraft and inchantment is the cloke of ignorance whereas indeed evill humors and not strange words witches or spirits are the causes of such diseases Also some of their cattell peâ—ish either by disease or mischance Then they upon whom such adversities full weighing the fame that goeth upon this woman her words displeasure and curseâ— meeting so justly with their misfortune do not onely conceive but also are resolved that all their mishaps are brought to passe by her onely meanes The witch on the other side expecting her neighbors mischances and seeing things sometimes come to passe according to her wishes curses and incantations for Bodin himselfe confesseth that not above two in a hundred of their witchings or wishings take effect being called before a Justice by due examination of the circumstances is driven to see her imprecations and desires and her neighbours harmes and losses to concurre and as it were to take effect and so confesseth that she as a goddess hath brought such things tâ— passe Wherein not onely she but the accuser and also the Justice are foully deceived and abused as being through her confession and other circumstances perswaded to the injury of Gods glory that she hath done or can do that which is proper onely to God himselfe Another sort of witches there are which he absolutely coseners These take upon them either for glory fame or gaine to do any thing which God or the devil can do either for foretelling of things to come bewrayring of secrets curing of maladies or working of miracles But of these I will talke more at large hereafter CHAP. IIII. What miraculous actions are imputed to witthes by witchmongers papists and poets ALthough it be quite against the haire and contrary to the divels will contrary to the witches oath promise and homage and contrary to all reason that witcheâ— should helpe any thing that is bewitched but rather set forward their masters businesse yet we read in Malleo Maleficarum of three sorts of witches and the same is affirmed by all the writers hereupon new and old One sort they say can hurt and not helpe the second can helpe and not hurt the third can both helpe and hurt And among the hurtfull witches he saith there is one sort more beastly than any kind of beasts saving wolves for these usually devoure and eat young children and infants of their own kind These be they saith he that raise haile tempests and hurtfull weather as lightning thunder c. These be they that procure barrennesse in man woman and beast These can throw children into waters as they walke with their mothers and not be seen These can make horses kick till they cast the riders These can passe from place to place in the air invisible These can so alter the minde of judges they can have no power to hurt them These can procure to themselves and to others taciturnity and insensibility in their torments These can bring trembling to the hands and strike terror into the minds of them that apprehend them These can manifest unto others things hidden and lost and foreshew things to come and see them as though they were present These can alter mens minds to inordinate love or hate These can kill whom they list with lightning and thunder These can take away mans courage and the power of generation These can make a woman miscarry in child-birth and destroy the child in the mothers wombe without any sensible meanes either inwardly or outwardly applied These can with their looks kill either man or beast All these things are avowed by Iames Sprenger and Henry Institor In Malleo Maleficarum to be true and confirmed by Nider and the inquisitor Cumanus and also by Danaeus Hyperius Hemingius and multiplyed by Bodin and Frier Bartholomaeus Spineus But because I will in no wise abridge the authority of their power you shall have also the testimonies of many other grave authors in this behalfe as followeth And first Ovid affirmeth that they can raise and suppresse lightning and thunder rain and haile clouds and winds tempests and earthquakes Others do write that they can pull down the moon
and they will not sticke to affirme that they caâ— rime either man or beast to death Also the West Indians and Muscovits do the like and the Hunnes as Gregory Turonensis writeth used the helpe of witches in time of warre I find another story written in M. Mal. repeated by Bodin that one souldier called Pumher daily through witchcraft killed with his bowe and arrows three of the enemies as they stood peeping over the walls of a castle besieged so as in the end he killed them all quite saving one The triall of the archers simister dealing and a proof thereof expressed is for that he never lightly failed when he shot and for that he killed them by three a day and had shot three arrowes into a rod. This was he that shot at a peny on his sonnes head and made ready another arrow to have slaine the Duke Remgrave that commanded it And doubtlesse because of his singular dexterity in shooting as he reputed a witch as doing that which others could not do nor think to be in the power of man to do though indeed no miracle no witch-craft no impossibility nor difficulty consisted therein But this latter story I can requite with a familiar example For 〈◊〉 Towne Malling in kent one of Q. Maries justices upon the complaint of many wise men and a few foolish boyes laid an archer by the heeles because he shot so neer the white at buts For he was informed and perswaded that the poor man played with a fly otherwise called a devill or familiar And because he was certified that the archer aforesaid shot better than the common shooting which he before had heard of or seen he conceived it could not be in Gods name but by inchantment whereby this archer as he supposed by abusing the Queenes liege people gained some one day two or three shillings to the detriment of the common-wealth and to his owne inriching And therefore the archer was severely punished to the great encouragement of archers and to the wise example of justice but specially to the overthrow of witch-craft And now again to our matter CHAP. XVI Authorities condemning the fantasticall confessions of witches and how a popish doctor taketh upon him to disprove the same CErtaine generall councells by their decrees have condemned the confessions and erroneus credulity of witches to be vain fantasticall and fabulous And even those which are parcell of their league whereupon our witch-mongers do so build to wit their night-walkings and meetings with Herodias and the Pagan gods at which time they should passe so farre in so little a space on cockhorse their transubstantiation their eating of children and their pulling of them from their mothers sides their entring into mens houses through chinks and little holes where a flie can scarcely wring out and the disquieting of the inhabitants c. all which are not onely said by a generall councell to be meet fantasticall and imaginations in dreames but so affirmed by the ancient writers The words of the councell are these It may not be omitted that certain wicked women following Satans provocations being seduced by the illusion of devils beleeve and professe that in the night-times they ride abroad with Diana the goddesse of the Pagans or else with Herodias with an innumerable multitude upon certain beasts and passe over many countries and nations in the silence of the night and do whatsoever those faiâ—ies or ladies command c. And it followeth even there Let all ministers therefore in their severall cures preach to Gods people so as they may know all these things to be false c. It followeth in the same counsell Therefore whosoever beleeveth that any creature may be either created by them or else changed into better or worse or be any way transformed into any other kind or likenesse of any but of the creator himselfe is assuredly an infidell and worse than a Pagan And if this he credible then all these their bargaines and assemblieâ— c. are incredible which are onely â—â—â—ified by the certaine foolish and extorted confessions and by a fable of S. Germane who watched the fairies or witches being at a reer banquet and through his holinesse stayed them till he sent to the houses of those neighbours which seemed to be there and found them all in bed and so cried that these were devils in the likenesse of those women Which if it were as true as it ifalse it mighâ— serve well to confute this their meeting and night-walkings For if the devils be only present in the likenesse of witches then is that false which is attributed to witches in this behalfe But because the old hammer of Sprenger and Institor in their old Malleo maleficarum was insufficient to knock down this counsel a young beetle-head called Frier Bartholomaeus Spineus hath made a new leaden beetle to beat down the counsell and kill these old woman Wherein he counterfeiting Aesops asse claweth the pope with his heeles affirming upon his credit that the counsell is false and erroneous because the doctrine swarveth from the Popish church and is not authenticall but apocryphall saying though uâ—truly that that counsel was not called by the commandement and pleasure of the Pope nor ratifâ—ed by his authoriâ—y which saith he is sufficient to disannul all councels For surely saith this â—rier which at this instant is a cheef inquisitor if the words of this counsell were to be admitted both I and all my predecessors had published notorious lies and committed many injurious executions whereby the Popes themselves also might justly be detected of error câ—ntrary to the catholique beleef in that behalfe Marry he saith that although the words and direct sense of this counsell be quite contrary to truth and his opinion yet he will make an exposition thereof that shall somewhat miâ—igate the lewdnesse of the same and this he saith is not onely allowable to do but also meritorious Marke the mans words and judge his meaning CHAP. XVII Witch-mongers reasons to prove that witches can worke wonders Bodins tale of a Friseland priest transported that imaginations proceeding of melancholy do cause illusions OLd M. Malificarum also saith that the counsels and doctors were all deceived herein and alledging authority therefore confuteth that opinion by a notable reason called Petitio principii or rather Ignotum per ignotius in this manner They can put changelings in the place of other children Ergo they can tranferre and tranâ—forme themselves and others c. according â—o their confession in that behalfe Item he saith and Bodin justifieth it that a priest in Friseland was corporally transferred into a faâ—re country as witnessed aâ—oâ—her priest of Oberdorf his companion who saw him aloft in the air Ergo saith M. â—al they have all been deceived hitherto to the great impunity of horrible witches Wherein he opposeth his folly against God and his church against the truth and against all possibility But surely â— is
longer they be preserved the worse they are And till you have perused my book pondeâ— this in your mind to wit that Sagae Thessalae Striges Lamiae which words and none other being in use do properly signifie our witches are noâ— once found written in the old or new Testament and that Christ himself in his Gospel never mentioned the name of a witch And that neither he nor Moses ever spake any one word of the witches bargaine with the devil their hagging their riding in the aire their transferring of corn or grasse from one field to another their hurting of children oâ— cattel with words or charmes their bewitching of butter cheese ale c. nor yet their transubstantiation insomuch as the writers hereupon are not ashamed to say that it is not absuâ—d to â—ffirm that there were no witches in Jobs time The reason is that if there had been such witches then in being Job would have said he had been bewitched But indeed men took no â—eed in those daies to this doctrine of devils to wit to these fables of witchcraft which Peter saith that shal be much regarded and hearkened unto in the latter daies Howbeit how ancient so ever this barbarous conceipt of witches oâ—â—nipotencie is truth must not be measured by time for every old opinion is not sound Veritie is not impaired how long soever it be suppressed but is to be searched out in how daâ—ke a corner soever it lye hidden for it is not like a cup of ale that may be broched too ratheâ— Finally time bewraieth old errors and discovereth new matters 〈◊〉 truth Danaeus himself saith that this question hitherto hath never beeâ— handled nor the Scriptures concerning this matter have never bin exâ—pounded To prove the antiquity of the cause to confirme the opinion of the ignorant to inforce mine adversaries arguments to aggravate the punishments and to accomplish the confusion of these old women is added the vanity and wickednesse of them which are called witches the arrogancy of those which take upon them to worke wonders the desire that people have to hearken to such miraculous matters unto whom most commonly an impossibility is more credible than a verity the ignorance of naturall causes the ancient and universall hate conceived against the name of a witch their ill-favoured faces their spitefull words their curses and imprecations their charmes made in time and their beggery the fear of many foolish folke the opinion of some that are wise the want of Robin good-fellow and the fairies which were wont to maintain that and the common peoples talke in this behalfe the authority of the inquisitors the learning cunning consent and estimation of writers herein the false translations and fond interpretations â—sed specially by Papists and many other like causes All which toâ—es take such hold upon mens fansies as whereby they are led and enticed away from the consideration of true respects to the condemnation of that which they know not Howbeit I will by Gods grace in this my booke so apparently decipher and confute these cavils and all other their objections as every witch monger shall be abashed and all good men thereby satisfied In the mean time I would wish them to know that if neither the estimation of Gods omnipotency nor the tenor of his word nor the doubtfulnesse or rather the impossibility of the case nor the small proofes brought against them nor the rigor executed upon them nor the pitty that should be in a christian heart nor yet their simplicity impotency or age may suffice to suppresse the rage or rigor wherewith they are oppressed yet the consideration of their sex or kind ought to move some mitigation of their punishment For if nature as Plinie reporteth have taught a lion not to deale so roughly with a woman as with a man because she is in body the weaker vessell and in heart more inclined to pitty which Jeremy in his lamentations seemeth to confirme what should a man do in this case for whom a woman was created as an helpe and comfort unto him In so much as even in the law of nature it is a greater offence to slay a woman than a man not because a man is not the more excellent creature but because a woman is the weaker vessell And therefore among all modest and honest persons it is thought a shame to offer violence or injury to a woman in which respect Virgil saith Nullum memorabile nomen foeminea in poena est God that knoweth my heart is witnesse and you that read my book shall see that my drift and purpose in this enterprise tendeth onely to these respects First that the glory and power of God be not so abridged and abased as to be thrust into the hand or lip of a lewd old woman whereby the workâ— of the Creator shoul be attributed to the power of a creature Secondly that the religion â—f the gospell may be seen to stand without such peiâ—ish trumphery Thirdly thaâ— lawfull favour and christian compassion be rather used towards these your soules than â—igor and extremity Because they which are commonly accused of witch-craft are the least sufficient of all other persons to speake for themselves 〈◊〉 having the most base and simple education of all others the extremity of their age giving them leave to dote their poverty to beg their wrongs to chide and threaten as being void of any other way of revenge their humor melancholicall to be full of imaginations from whence chiefly proceedeth the vanity of their confessions as that they can transforme themselves and others into apes owles asses dogges cats c. that they can flie in the aire kill children with charmes hinder the coming of butter c. And for so much as the mighty helpe themselves together and the poor widowes cry though it reach to heaven is scarce heard here upon earth I thought good according to my poor ability to make intercession that some part of common rigor and some points of hasty judgement may be advised upon For the world is now at that stay as Brentius in a most godly sermon in these words affirmeth that even as when the heathen persecuted the Christians if any were accused to beleeve in Christ the common people cried Ad leonem so now if any woman be she never so honest be accused of witch-craft they cry Ad ignem What difference is between the rash dealing of unskilfull people and the grave counsell of more discreet and learned persons may appear by a tale of Danaeus his own telling wherein he opposeth the rashnesse of a few townsmen to the counsell of a whole senate preferring the folly of the one before the wisdome of the other At Oâ—leance on Loyre saith he there was a man-witch not only taken and accused but also convicted and condemned for witch craft who appealed from thence to the high court of Paris Which accusation the senate saw in sufficient and would not
Parisiensis Hemingius Heraclides Hermes Trismegistus Hieronymus Hilarius Hippocrates Homerus Horatius Hostiensis Hovinus Hypertus Jacobus de Chusa Caâ—thusianus Jamblichus Jaso Pratensis Innocentius 8 papa Johannes Anglicus Johannes Baptista Neapolitanus Johannes Cassianus Johannes Montiregrus Johannes Rivius Josephus ben Gorion Josias Simlerus Isidorus Isigonus Juba Julius Maternus Justinus Martyr Lactantius Lavaterus Laurentius Ananias Laurentius a villavicentio Leo II. Pontifex Lex Salicarum Lex 12. Tabulaum Legenda aurea Legenda longa Coloniae Leonardus Vairus Livius Lucanus Lucretius Ludovicus Caelius Lutherus Macrobius Magna Charta Malleus Maleficarum Manlius Marbacchius Marbodeus Gallus Marsilius Ficinus Martinus de Arles Mattheolus Melancthonus Memphradorus Michael Andraeas Musculus Nauclerus Nicephorus Nicholaus 5. Papa Nider Olaus Gothus Origenes Ovidius Panormitanus Paulus Aegineta Paulus Marsus Persius Petrus de Appona Petrus Lombardus Petrus Martyr Peâ—ceâ— Philarchus Philastrius Brixicuâ—u Philodorus Philo Judaeus Pâ—kmaâ—rus Plariuâ— Plato Plinius Plotinus Pluâ—archus Polydorus Virgilius Pomoetium sermonum quadragesimalium Pompanatius Pontificale Ponzivibiâ—â— Porâ— hyrius Proclus Propertius Psellus Ptolomeus Pythagoras Quintilianus Rabbi Abraham Rabbi ben Ezra Rabbi David Kâ—â—hi Rabbi Josuah ben Levi. Rabbi Isaac Natar Rabbi Levi. Rabbi Moles Rabbi Sedaias Haias Robertus Carocullus Rupertuâ— Sabinus Sadoletus Savanoâ—ola Scotus Seneca Septuaginta interpreres Serapio Socrates Solinus Speculum exemplorum Strabo Sulpitius Severus Syneffus Tatianus Teâ—tullianus Thomas Aquinas Themiltius Theodoreâ—uâ— Theodorus Bizantius Theophrastus Thucidydes Tibullus Tremelius Valerius Maximus Varro Vegetius Vincentius Virgilius Viâ—ellius Wieâ—us Xanrus historiographus These English BArnaby Googe Beehive of the Romish church Edward Deering Geffrey Chaucer Giles Alley Guimelf Maharba Henry Haward Jâ—hn Bale John Fox John Malborn John Record Pâ—imeâ— after Yorke use Richard Gallis Roger Bacon Testament printed at Rhemes T. E. a nameles Author 467. Thomas Hilles Thomas Lupron Thomas Moore Knight Thomas Phaer T. R. a nameles Author 393. William Lambard W. W. a namelesse Author 542. The discovery of Witchcraft The first Book CHAP. I. An impeachment of Witches power in meteors and elementary bodies tending to the rebuke of such as attribute too much unto them THe Fables of Witch-craft have taken so fast hold and deep root in the heart of man that few or none can now adaies with patience indure the hand and correction of God For if any adversity greefe sicknesse losse of children corn cattell or liberty happen unto them by and by they exclaime upon witches As though there were no God in Israel that ordereth all things according to his will punishing both just unjust and with greefes plagues and afflictions in manner and forme as he thinketh good but that certain old women here on earth called witches must needs be the contrivers of all mens calamities and as though they themselves were innocents and had deserved no such punishments Insomuch as they stick not to ride and go to such as either are injuriously tearmed witches or else are willing so to be accounted seeking at their hands comfort and remedy in time of their tribulation contrary to Gods will and commandement in that behalfe who bids us resort to him in all our necessities Such faithlesse people I say are also perswaded that neither haile nor snow thunder nor lightning rain nor tempestuous winds come from the heavens at the commandement of God but are raised by the cunning and power of witches and conjurers insomuch as a clap of thunder or a gale of winde is no sooner heard but either they runne to ring bels or cry out to burne witches or else burne consecrated things hoping by the smoak thereof to drive the devill out of the aire as though spirits could be fraid away with such externall toies howbeit these are right inchantments as Brentius affirmeth But certainly it is neither a witch nor devil but a glorious God that maketh the thunder I have read in the Scriptures that God maketh the blustering tempests and whirle-winds and I find that it is the Lord that altogether dealeth with them and that they blowe according to his will But let me see any of them all rebuke and still the sea in time of tempest as Christ did or raise the stormy wind as God did with his word and I will beleeve in them Hath any witch or conjurer or any creature entred into the treasures of the snowe or seen the secret places of the haile which GOD hath prepared against the day of trouble battell and warre I for my part also thinke with Jesus Sirach that at Gods onely commandement the snow falleth and that the wind bloweth according to his wil who onely maketh all stormes to cease and who if we keep his ordinances will send us rain in due season and make the land to bring forth her increase and the trees of the field to give their fruit But little think our witch-mongers that the Lord commandeth the clouds above or openeth the doors of heaven as David affirmeth or that the Lord goeth forth in the tempests and stormes as the Prophet Nahum reporteth but rather that witches and conjurers are then about their businesse The Marcionists acknowledged one God the author of good things and another the ordainer of evill but these make the devill a whole God to create things of nothing to know mens cogitations and to do that which God never did as to transubstatiate men into beasts c. Which thing if devils could do yet followeth it not that witches have such power But if all the devils in hell were dead and all the witches in England burned or hanged I warrant you we should not fail to have rain haile and tempests as now we have according to the appointment will of God according to the constitution of the elements and the course of the planets wherein God hath set a perfect and perpetuall order I am also well assured that if all the old women in the world were witches and all the priests conjurers we should not have a drop of rain nor a blast of wind the more or the lesse for them For the Lord hath bound the waters in the clouds and hath set bounds about the waters untill the day and night come to an end yea it is God that raiseth the winds and stilleth them and he saith to the rain and snowe Be upon the earth and it falleth The wind of the Lord and not the wind of witches shall destroy the treasures of their pleasant vessels and dry up the fountaines saith Oseas Let us also learn and confesse with the Prophet David that we our selves are the causes of our afflictions and not exclaim upon witches when we should call upon God for mercy The Imperiall law saith Brentius condemneth them to death that trouble and infect the aire but I affirme saith he that it is neither in the power of witch nor devill so to do but in God only Though
besides Bodin and all the popish writers in generall it please Danaeus Hyperius Hemingius Erastus c. to conclude otherwise The clouds are called the pillars of Gods tents Gods chariots and his pavillions And if it be so what witch or devill can make masteries thereof S. Augustine saith Non est putandum ist is transgressoribus angelis servire hanc rerum visibilium materiem sed soli Deo We must not think that these visible things are at the commandement of the angels that fell but are obedient to the only God Finally if witches could accomplish these things what needed it seem so strange to the people wheâ— Christ by miâ—acle commanded both seas and winds c. For it is written Who is this for both wind and sea obey him CHAP. II. The inconvenience growing by mens credulity herein with a reproofe of some church-men which are inclined to the common conceived opinion of witches omnipotencie and a familiar example thereof BUt the world is now so bewitched and over-run with this fond error that even where a man should seek comfort and counsell there shall he be sent in case of necessity from God to the devil and from the Physitian to the cosening witch who will not stick to take upon her by words to heal the lame which was proper only to Christ and to hem whom he assisted with his divine power yea with her familiar and charmes she will take upon her to cure the blind though in the tenth of S. Johns Gospell it be written that the devil cannot open the eyes of the blind And they attaine such credit as I have heard to my grief some of the ministery affirme that they have had in their parish at one instant 17 or 18. Witches meaning such as could worke miracles supernaturally Whereby they manifested as well their infidelity and ignorance in conceiving Gods word as their negligence and errror in instructing their flocks For they themselves might understand and also teach their parishoners that God only worketh great wonders and that it is he which sendeth such punishments to the wicked and such trials to the elect according to the saying of the Prophet Haggai I smote you with blasting and mildew and with haile in all the labours of your hands and yet you turned not unto me saith the Lord. And therefore saith the same Prophet in another place you have sowen much and bring in little And both in Joel and Leviticus the like phrases and proofes are used and made But more shall be said of this hereafter S. Paul fore saw the blindnesse and obstinacy both of these blind shepherds and also of their scabbed sheep when he said They will not suffer wholsome doctrine but having their eares itching shall get them a heap of reachers after their own lusts and shall turne their eares from the truth and shall be given to fables And in the latter time some shall depart from the faith and shall give heed to spirits of errors and doctrines of devils which speak lies as witches and conjurers do but cast thou away such prophane and old wives fables In which sense Basil saith Who so giveth heed to inchanters harkeneth to a fabulous and frivilous thing But I will rehearse an example whereof I my selfe am not only Oculatus testis but have examined the cause and am to justifie the truth of my report not because I would disgrace the ministers that are godly but to confirme my former assertion that this absurd error is growne into the place which should be able to expell all such ridiculous folly and impiety At the assizes holden at Rochester Anno 1581. one Margaret Simons the wife of Iohn Simons of Brenchly in Kent was arraigned for witchcraft at the instigation and complaint of divers fond and malicious persons and specially by the meanes of one Iohn Ferrall vicar of that parish with whom I talked about that matter and found him both fondly assorted in the cause and enviously bent towards her and which is worse as unable to make a good account of his faith as she whom he accused That which he for his part laid to the poore womans charge was this His son being an ungracious boy and prentise to one Robert Scotchsord clothier dwelling in that parish of Brenchly passed on a day by her house at whome by chance her little dog barked Which thing the boy taking in evil part drew his knife and pursued him therewith even to her door whom she rebuked with some such words as the boy disdained and yet neverthelesse would not be perswaded to depart in a long time At the last he returned to his masters house and within five or six daies fell sick Then was called to mind the fray betwixt the dog and the boy insomuch as the vicar who thought himself so priviledged as he little mistrusted that God would visit his children with sicknesse did so calculate as he found partly through his own judgement and partly as he himself told me by the relation of other witches that his said sonne was by her bewitched Yea he also told me that this his son being as it were past all cure received perfect health at the hands of another witch He proceeded yet further against her affirming that alwaies in his parish-church when he desired to read most plainly his voice so failed him as he could scant be heard at all Which he could impute he said to nothing else but to her inchantment When I advertised the poor woman hereof as being desirous to hear what she could say for her selfe she told me that in very deed his voice did much faile him specially when he strained himself to speake lowdest Howbeit she said that at all times his voice was hoarse and low which thing I perceived to be true But sir said she you shall understand that this our vicar is diseased with such a kind of hoarsenesse as divers of our neighbours in this parish not long since doubted that he had the French-Pox and in that respect utterly refused to communicate with him untill such time as being thereunto injoined by M. D. Lewen the ordinary he had brought from London a certificat under the hands of two Physitians that his hoarsenes proceeded from a disease in the lungs Which certificate he published in the church in the presence of the whole congregation and by this meanes he was cured or rather excused of the shame of his disease And this I know to be true by the relation of divers honest men of that parish And truly if one of the Jury had not been wiser then the other she had been condemned thereupon and upon other as ridiculous matters as this For the name of a witch is so odious and her power so feared among the common people that if the honestest body living chance to be arraigned thereupon she shall hardly escape condemnation CHAP. III. Who they be that are called witches
and the stars Some write that with wishing they can send needles into the livers of their enemies Some that they can transferre corn in the blade from one place to another Some that they can cure diseases supernaturally flie in the air and dance with devils Some write that they can play the part of Succubus and contract themselves to Incubus and so young prophets are upon them begotten c. Some say they can transubstantiate themselves and others and take the formes and shapes of asses wolves ferrets cows apes horses dogs c. Some say they can keep devils and spirits in the likenesse of todes and cats They can raise spirits as others affirme drie up springs turne the course of running waters inhibit the sun and stay both day and night changing the one into the other They can go in and out at awger-holes and saile in an egge shell a cockle or muscel-shell through and under the tempestuous seas They can go invisible and deprive men of their privities and otherwise of the act and use of venery They can bring soules out of the graves They can teare snakes in peeces with words and with lookes kill lambes But in this case a man may say that Miranda canunt sed non credenda Poetae They can also bring to passe that cherne as long as you lift your butter will not come especially if either the maids have eaten up the creame or the good-wife have sold the butter before in the market Whereof I have had some triall although there may be true and naturall causes to hinder the common course thereof as for example Put a litle sope or sugar into your cherne of creame and there will never come any butter cherne as long as you list But M. Mal. saith that there is not so little a village where many women are not that bewitch infect and kill kine and dry up the milke alledging for the strengthening of that assertion the saying of the Apostle Nunquid Deo cura est de bobus doth God take any care of oxen CHAP. V. A confutation of the common conceived opinion of witches and witchcraft and how detestable a sinne it is to repaire to them for counsell or helpe in time of affliction BUt whatsoever is reported or conceived of such manner of witchcrafts I dare avow to be false and fabulous cosenage dotage and poysoning excepted neither is there any mention made of these kind of witches in the Bible If Christ had known them he would not have pretermitted to inveigh against their presumption in taking upon them his office as to heale and cure diseases and to work such miraculous and supernaturall things as whereby he himselfe was specially knowne beleeved and published to be God his actions and cures consisting in order and effect according to the power by our witch-mongers imputed to witches Howbeit if there be any in these dayes afflicted in such strange sort as Christs cures and patients are described in the new testament to have been we fly from trusting in God to trusting in witches who do not only in their cosening art take on them the office of Christ in this behalfe but use his very phrase of speech to such idolaters as come to seeke divine assistance at their hands saying Go thy waies thy son or thy daughter c. shall do well and be whole It will not suffice to disswade a witch-monger from his credulity that he seeth the sequele and event to fall out many times contrary to their assertion but in such case to his greater condemnation he seeketh further to witches of greater fame If all faile he will rather thinke he came an hour too late than that he went a mile too far Truly I for my part cannot perceive what it is to go a whoring after strange gods if this be not He that looketh upon his neighbours wise and lusteth after her hath committed adultery And truly he that in heart and by argument maintained the sacrifice of the masse to be propitiatory for the quick and the dead is an idolater as also he that alloweth and commendeth creeping to the crosse and such like idolatrous actions although he bend not his corporall knees In like manner I say he that attributeth to a witch such divine power as duly and onely appertaineth unto GOD which all witch-monger do is in heart a blasphemer an idolater and full of grosse impiety although he neither go nor send to her for assistance CHAP. VI. A further confutation of witches miraculous land omnipotent power by invincible reasons and authorities with disswasions from such fond credulity IF witches could do any such miraculous things as these and other which are imputed to them they might do them againe and againe at any time or place or at any mans desire for the devill is as strong at one time as at another as busy by day as by night and ready enough to do all mischief and careth not whom he abuseth And insomuch as it is confessed by the most part of witch-mongers themselves that he knoweth not the cogitation of mans heart he should me thinks sometimes appear unto honest and credible persons in such grosse and corporall forme as it is said he doth unto witches which you shall never heare to be justified by one sufficient witnesse For the devill indeed entreth into the mind and that way seeketh mans confusion The art alwaies presupposeth the power so as if they say they can do this or that they must shew how and by what meanes they do it as neither the witches nor the witch-mongers are able to do For to every action is required the faculty and ability of the agent or doer the aptnes of the patient or subject and a convenient and possible application Now the witches are mortall and their power dependeth upon the analogy and consonancy of their minds and bodies but with their minds they can but will and understand and with their bodyes they can do no more but as the bounds and ends of terrene sense will suffer and therefore their power extended not to do such miracles as surmounteth their own sense and the understanding of others which are wiser than they so as here wanteth the vertue and power of the efficient And in reason there can be no more vertue in the thing caused than in the cause or that which proceedeth of or from the benefit of the cause And we see that ignorant and impotent women or witches are the causes of incantations and charmes wherein we shall perceive there is none effect if we will credit our own experience and sense unabused the rules of phylosophy or the word of God For alas What an unapt instrument is a toothles old impotent and unweildy woman to flie in the aire Truely the devill little needs such instruments to bring his purposes to passe It is strange that we should suppose that such persons can worke such feates and it is more strange that
we will imagine that to be possible to be done by a witch which to nature and sense is impossible specially when our neighbours life dependeth upon our credulity therein and when we may see the defect of ability which alwaies is an impediment both to the act and also to the presumption thereof And because there is nothing possible in law that in nature is impossible therefore the judge doth not attend or regard what the accused man saith or yet would do but what is proved to have been committed and naturally falleth in mans power and will to do For the law saith that to will a thing unpossible is a signe of a mad-man or of a soole upon whom no sentence or judgement taketh hold Furthermore what jury will condemne or what Judge will give sentence or judgement against one for killing a man at Berwicke when they themselves and many other saw that man at London that very day wherein the murther was committed yea though the party confesse himselfe guilty therein and twenty witnesses depose the same But in this case also I say the judge is not to weigh their testimony which is weakened by law and the judges authority is to supply the imperfection of the case and to maintain the right and equity of the same Seeing therefore that some other things might naturally be the occasion and cause of such calamities as witches are supposed to bring let not us that professe the Gospel and knowledge of Christ be bewitched to beleeve that they do such things as are in nature impossible and in sense and reason incredible If they say it is is done through the devils helpe who can worke miracles why do not theeves bring their businesse to passe miraculously with whom the devil is as conversant as with the other Such mischiefes as are imputed to witches happen where no witches are yea and continue when witches are hanged and burnt why then should we attribute such effect to that cause which being taken away happeneth neverthelesse CHAP. VII By what meanes the name of witches becometh so famous and how diversly people be opinioned concerning them and their actions Surely the naturall power of man or woman cannot be so inlarged as to do any thing beyond the power and vertue given and ingrafted by God But it is the will and mind of man which is vitiated and depraved by the devill neither doth God permit any more than that which the naturall order appointed by him doth require Which naturall order is nothing else but the ordinary power of God powred into every creature according to his state and condition But hereof more shall be said in the title of witches confessions Howbeit you shall understand thâ— few or none are throughly perswaded resolved or satisfied that witches can indeed accomplish all these impossibilities but some one is bewitched in one point and some are cosened in another untill in fine all these impossibilities and many more are by several persons affirmed to be true And this I have also noted that when any one is cosened with a cosening toie of witch-craft and maketh report thereof accordingly verifiing a matter most impossible and false as it were upon his own knowledge as being overtaken with some kind of illusion or other which illusions are right inchantments even the selfe same man will deride the likely proceeding out of another mans mouth as a fabulous matter unworthy of credit It is also to be wondered how men that have seen some part of witches cosenages detected and see also therein the impossibility of their own presumptions and the folly and false-hood of the witches confessions will not suspect but remaine unsatisfied or rather obstinately defend the residue of witches supernatural actions like as when a jugler hath discovered the slight and illusion of his principal seats one would fondly continue to thinke that his other petty jugling knacks of legierâ—emaine are done by the helpe of a familiar and according to the folly of some papists who seeing and confessing the Popes absurd religion in the erection and maintenance of idolatry and superstition specially in Images pardons and reliques of saints will yet persevere to think that the rest of his doctrine and trumpery is holy and good Finally many maintain and cry out for the execution of witches that particularly beleeve never a whit of that which is imputed unto them if they be therein privately dealt withall and substantially opposed and tryed in argument CHAP. VIII Causes that move as well witches themselves as others to think that they can work impossibilities with answers to certain objections where also their punishment by law is touched CArdanus writeth that the cause of such credulity consisteth in three points to wit in the imagination of the melancholike in the constancy of them that are corrupt therewith and in the deceit of the Judges who being inquisitors themselves against hereticks and witches did both accuse and condemne them having for their labour the spoile of their goods So as these inquisitors added many fables hereunto least they should seem to have done injury to the poor wretches in condemning and executing them for none offence But fithens saith he the springing up of Luthers sect these priests have tended more deligently upon the execution of them because more wealth is to be caught from them insomuch as now they deale so loosly with witches through distrust of gaines that all is seen to be malice solly or avarice that hath been practised against them And whosoever shall search into this cause or read the chief writers hereupon shall find his words true It will be objected that we here in England are not now directed by the Popes laws and so by consequence our witches not troubled or convented by the inquisitors Haereticae pravitatis I answer that in times past here in England as in other nations this order of discipline hath been in force and use although now some part of old rigor be qualified by two severall statutes made in the first of Elizabeth and 33 of Henry the eight Neverthelesse the estimation of the omnipotency of their words and charmes seemeth in those statutes to be somewhat maintained as a matter hitherto generally received and not yet so looked into as that it is refuted and decided But how wisely soever the Parliament-house hath dealt therein or how mercifully soever the Prince beholdeth the cause if a poor old woman supposed to be a witch be by the civill or canon law convented I doubt some canon will be found in force not onely to give scope to the tormentor but also to the hangman to exercise their offices upon her And most certain it is that in what point soever any of these extremities which I shall rehearse unto you be mitigated it is through the goodnesse of the Queens Majesty and her excellent magistrates placed amongst us For as touching the opinion of our writers therein in our age yea in our
the devill that committed the murther and that he compelled them to do it and must make them beleeve that they thinke them to be innocents Item if they will confesse nothing but upon the racke or torture their apparell must be changed and every hair in their body must be shaven off with a sharpe razor Item if they have charmes for taciturnity so as they feel not the common tortures and thefore confesse nothing then some sharpe instrument must be thrust betwixt every nail of their fingers and toes which aâ— Bodin saith was king Childeberts devise and is to thia day of all others the most effectuall For by meanes of that extreame paine they will saith he confesse any thing Item Paulus Grillandus being an old doer in these matters wisheth that when witches sleepe and feel no pain upon the torture Domine labia mea aperies should be said and so saith he both the torments will be felt and the truth will be uttered Et sic ars deluditur arte Item Bodin saith that at the the time of examination there should be a semblance of great a do to the terrifying of the witch and that a number of instruments gives manacles ropes halters fetters c. be prepared brought forth and laid before the examinate and also that some be procured to make a most horrible and lamentable cry in the place of torture as though he or she were upon the rack or in the tormentors hands so as the examinate may hear it whiles she is examined before she her selfe be brought into the prison and perhaps saith he she will by this meanes confesse the matter Item there must be subborned some crafty spy that may seem to be a prisoner with her in the like case who perhaps may in conference undermine her and so bewraie and discover her Item if she will not yet confesse she must be told that she is detected and accused by other of her companions although in truth there be no such matter and so perhaps she will confesse the rather to be revenged upon her adversaries and accusers CHAP. III. Matters of evidence against witches IF an old woman threaten or touch one being in health who dieth shortly after or else is infected with the leprosie apoplexie or any other strange disease it is saith Bodin a permanent fact and such an evidence as condemnation or death must insue without further proofe if any body have mistrusted her or said before that she was a witch Item if any come in or depart out of the chamber or house the doores being shut it is an apparent and sufficient evidence to a witches condemnation without further tryall which thing Bodin never saw If he can shew me that feaâ— I will subscribe to his folly For Christ after his resurrection used the same not as a ridiculous toie that every witch might accomplish but as a speciall miracle to strengthen the faith of the elect Item if a woman bewitch any bodies eyes she is to be executed without further proofe Item if any inchant or bewitch mens beasts or corne or fly in the air or make a dog speak or cut off any mans members and unite them again to men or childrens bodyes it is sufficient proofe to condemnation Item presumptions and conjectures are sufficient proofes against witches Item if three witnesses do but say Such a woman is a witch then it is a clear case that she is to be executed with death Which matter Bodin saith is not onely certain by the canon and civill lawes but by the opinion of Pope Innocent the wisest Pope as he saith that ever was Item the complaint of any one man of credit is sufficient to bring a poor woman to the rack or pully Item a condemned or infamous persons testimony is good and allowable in matters of witch-craft Item a witch is not to be delivered though she endure all the tortures and confesse nothing as all other are in any criminall cases Item though in other cases the epoâ—iâ—ions of many women at one instant are disabled as sufficient in law because of the imbecillity and frailty of their nature or sex yet in this matter one woman though she be a party either accuser or accused and be also infamous and impudent for such are Bodins words yea and already condemned she may neverthelesse serve to accuse and condemne a witch Item a witnesse uncited and offering himselfe in this case is to be heard and in none other Item a capitall enemy if the enmity be pretended to growe by meanes of witch-craft may object against a witch and none exception is to be had or made against him Item although the proofe of perjury may put back a witnesse in 〈◊〉 other causes yet in this a perjured person is a good and lawfull witnesse Item the proctors and advocates in this case are compelled to be witnesses against their clients as in none other case they are to be constrained thereunto Item none can give evidence against witches touching their assemblies but witches onely because as Bodin saith none other can do 〈◊〉 Howbeit Ri. Ga. writeth that he came to the God-speed and with his sword and buckler killed the devill or at the least he wounded him sore that he made him stinke of brimstone Item Bodin saith that because this is an extraordinary matter theâ— must herein be extraordinary dealing and all manner of waies are to 〈◊〉 used direct and indirect CHAP. IIII. Confessions of witches whereby they are condemned Some witches confesse saith Bodin that are desirous to dy not 〈◊〉 glory but for despair because they are tormented in their life-time But these may not be spared saith he although the law doth 〈◊〉 them The best and surest confession is at strife to her ghostly father Item if she confesse many things that are false and one thing 〈◊〉 may be true she is to be taken and executed upon that confession Item she is not so guilty that confesseth a falshood or ly and dâ—enieth a ruâ—h as she that answereth by â—ircumstance Item an equivocall or doubtfull answer is taken for a confession against a witch Item Bodin reporteth that one confessed that he went out or rather up in the air and was transported many miles to the fairies dance only because he would spy unto what place his wife went to hagging and how she behaved her selfe Whereupon was much ado among the inquisitors and lawyers to discusse whether he should be executed with his wife or no. But it was concluded that he must die because he bewrayed not his wife the which he forbare to do Propter reverentiam honoris familiae Item if a woman confesse freely herein before question be made and yet afterward deny it she is neverthelesse to be burned Item they affirme that this extremity is herein used because not one among a thousand witches is detected And yet it is affirmed by Sprenger in M. Mal. that there is not so
mother the most glorious Virgin Mary spâ—inkled upon his wounds late in the evening and by all the teares which every saint and elect vessell of God hath powred out here in the world and from those eyes he hath wiped away all teares that if thou be without fault thou mayest powre down teares abundantly and if thou be guilty that thou weep in no wise In the name of the Father of the sonne and of the Holy Ghost Amen And note saith he that the more you conjure the lesse she weepeth CHAP. VIII Certain cautions against witches and of their tortures to procure confession BUt to manifest their further follies I will recite some of their caution which are published by the ancient inquisitors for perpetual lessons of their successors as followeth The first caution is that which was last rehearsed concerning weeping the which say they is an infallible note Secondly the judge must beware she touch no Part of him specially of his bare and that he alwaies weare about his neck conjured salt palme herbes and wax hallowed which say they are not only approved to be good by the witches confessions but also by the use of the Romish church which halloweth them onely for that purpose Item she must come to her arreignment backward to wit with her taile to the judges face who must make many crosses at the time of her approching to the barre And least we should condemne that for superstition they prevent us with a figure and tell us that the same superstition may not seem superstitious unto us But this resembleth the perswasion of a theef that disswadeth his sonne from stealing and never thelesse telleth him that he may pick or cut a purse and rob by the high way One other caution is that she must be shaven so as there remaine not one hair about her for sometimes they keep secrets for â—aciturnity and for other purposes also in their hair in their privities and between their skinne and their flesh For which cause I marvell they flea them noâ—â— for one of their witches would not burne being in the middest of the flame as M. Mal. reporteth untill a charme written in a little scroll was espied to be hidden between her skin and flesh and taken away And this is so gravely and faithfully set down by the inquisitors themselves that one may beleeve it if he list though indeed it be a verity The like citeth Bodin of a witch that could not be strangled by the executioner do what he could But it is most true that the inquisitor Cumanus in one year did shave one and fourty poor women and burnt them all when he had done Another caution is that at the time and place of torture the hallowed things aforesaid with the seven words spoken on the crosse he hangâ—ed about the witches neck and the length of Christ in wax be knit about her bare naked body with reliques of saints c. All which stuffe say they will so worke within and in them as when they are racked and tortured they can hardly stay or hold themselves from confession In which case I doubt not but that Pope which blasphemed Christ and cursed his mother for a peacoke and cursed God with great despighâ— for a peece of porke with lesse compulsion would have renounced the trinity and have worshipped the devill upon his knees Another caution is that after she hath been racked and hath passed over all tortures devised for that purpose and after that she hath been compelled to drink holy water she be conveied again to the place of torture and that in the middest of her torments her accusations be read unto her and that the witnesses if they will be brought face to face unto her and finally that she be asked whether for triall of her innocency she will have judgement Candentis ferri which is To carry a certain weight of burning iron in her bare hand But that may not say they in any wise be granted For both M. Mal. and Bodin also affirm that many things may be promised but nothing need be performed for why they have authority to promise but no commission to performe the same Another caution is that the judge take heed thar when she once beginneth to confesse he cut not ofâ— her examination but continue it night and day For many times whiles they go to dinner she returneth to her vomit Another caution is that after the witch hath confessed the annoying of men and beasts she be asked how long she hath had Incubus when she renounced the faith and made the reall league and what that league is c. And this is indeed the cheef cause of all their incredible impossible confessions for upon the rack when they have once begun to ly they will say what the torment or list The last caution is that if she will not confesse she be had to some strong castle or goale And after certain daies the jayler must make her beleeve he goeth forth into some farre country and then some of her friends must come in to her and promise her that if she will confesse to them they will suffer her to escape out of prison which they may well do the keeper being from home And this way saith M. Mal. hath served when all other meanes have failed And in this place it may not be omitted that above all other times they confesse upon frydaies Now saith Iames Sprenger and Henry Institor we must say all to wit If she confesse nothing she should be dismissed by law and yet by order she may in no wise be bailed but must be put into close prison and there be talked withall by some crafty person those are the words and in the mean while there must be some eves-dropers with pen and inke behind the wall to harken and note what she confesseth or else some of her old companions and acquaintance may come in and talke with her of old matters and so by eves-droppers be also bewraied so as there shall be no end of torture before she have confessed what they will CHAP. IX The fifteen crimes laid to the charge of witches by witch-mongers specially by Bodin in Daemonomania THey deny God and all religion Answer Then let them dy therefore or at the least be used liked infidâ—â—s or apostaâ—â—'s They curse blaspheme and provoke God with all despite Answer Then let them have the law expressed in Levit. 24. and Deut. 1â— 17 They give their faith to the devill and they worship and offer sacrifice unto him Ans. Let such also be judged by the same law They do solemnely vow and promise all their progenie unto the devill Ans. This promise proceedeth from an unsound mind and is not 〈◊〉 be regarded because they cannot performe it neither will it be proved true Howbeit if it be done by any that is sound of mind let the cause of Ieremie 32.36 light upon them to wit
in cause which are both false and impossible why should an old witch be thougâ—â— free from such fantasies who as the learned Philosophers and Physitiaâ— say â—pon the stopping of their monehtly melancholike flux or issueâ— blood in their age must needs increase therein as through their weakneâ—â— both of body and braine the aptest persons do meet with such melanchâ—like imaginations with whom their imaginations remaine even whâ—â— their senses are gone Which Bodin laboureth to disprove there â— shewing himâ—elfe as good a Physitian as else-where a divine But if they may imagine that they can transforme their owne bodieâ— which neverthelesse remaine in the former shape how much more câ—â—â—dible is it that they may falsely suppose they can hurt and infeeble otheâ— mens bodyes or which is lesse hinder the coming of butter c. Bâ— what is iâ— that they will not imagine â—and consequently confesse that theâ— can do specially being so earnestly perswaded thereunto so sorely tormented so craftily examined with such promises of favour as whereby they imagine that they shall ever after live in great credit and wealth c. If you read the executions done upon witches either in times past in other countryes or lately in this land you shall see such impossibilities confessed as one having his right wits will beleeve Among other like false confessions we read that there was a witch confessed at the time of her death or execution that she had raised all the tempests and procured all the frosts and hard weather that happened in the winter 1565. and that many grave and wise men beleeved her CHAP. X. That voluntary confessions may be untruly made to the undoing of the confessors and of the strange operation of melancholy proved by a familiar and late example BUt that it may appear that even voluntary confession in this case may be untruly made though it tend to the destruction of the confessor and that melancholy may move imaginations to that effect I will cite a notable instance concerning this matter the parties themselves being yet a live and dwelling in the parish of Sellenge in Kent and the matter not long sithence in this sort performed One Ade Davie the wife of Simon Davie husband-man being reputed a right honest body and being of good parentage grew suddenly as her husband informed me and as it is well known in these parts to be somewhat pensive and more sad than in times past Which thing though it greevâ—d him yet he was loth to make it so appear as either his wife might be troubled or discontented therewith or his neighbours informed thereof least ill husbandry should be laid to his charge which in these quarters is much abhorred But when she grew from pensivenesse to some perturbation of mind so as her accustomed rest began in the night season to be withdrawne from her through fighing and secret lamentation and that not without teares her could not but demande the cause of her conceipâ— and extraordinary mourning But although at that time she covered the same acknowledging nothing to be amisse with he soon after notwithstanding she fell downe before him on her knees desiring him to forgive her for she had greevously offended as she said both God and him Her poor husband being abashed at this her behaviour comforted her as he could asking her the cause of her trouble and greef who told him that she had contrary to gods law and to the offence of all good christians to the injury of him and specially to the losse of her own soul bargained and given her soul to the devill to be delivered unto him within short space Whereunto her husband answered saying Wife be of good cheer this thy bargain is void and of none effect for thou hast sold that which is none of thine toâ— sell sith it belongeth to Christ who hath bought it and deerly paid for it even with his blood which he shed upon the crosse so as the devill hath no interest in the. After this with like submission teares and penitence she said unto him Oh husband I have yet committed another fault and done you more injury for I have bewitched you and your children Be coâ—tent quoth he by the grace of God Jesus Christ shall unwitch us for none evill can happen to them that fear God And as truly as the Lord liveth this was the tenor of his words unto me which I know is true as proceeding from unfained lips and from one that feareth God Now when the time approched that the devill should come and take possession of the woman according to his bargain he watched and prayed earnestly and caused his wife to read psalmes and prayers for mercy at Gods hands and suddenly about mid-night there was a great rumbling below under his chamber window which amazed them exceedingly For they conceived that the devill was below though he had no power to come up because of their servent prayers He that noteth this womans first and second confession freely and voluntarily made how every thing concurred that might serve to adde credit thereunto and yeeld matter for her condemnation would not think but that if Bodin were foreman of her inquest he would cry Guilty and would hasten execution upon her who would have said as much before any judge in the world if she had been examined and have confessed no lesse if she had been arraigned thereupon But God knoweth she was innocent of any of these crimes howbeit she was brought low and pressed down with the weight of this humor so as both her rest and sleep were taken away from her and her fansies troubled and disquieted with despair and such other cogitations as grew by occasion thereof And yet I beleeve if any mishap had insued to her husband or his children few witch mongers would have judged otherwise but that she had bewitched them And she for her part so constantly perswaded her self to be a witch that she judged her selfe worthy of death insomuch as being retained in her chamber she saw not any one carrying a faggot to the fire but she should say it was to make a fire to burn her for witchery But God knoweth she had bewitched none neither insued there any hurt unto any by her imgination but unto her selfe And as for the rumbling it was by occasion of a sheep which was stayed and hung by the wals so as a dog came and devoured it whereby grew the noise which I before mentioned and she being now recovered remaineth a right honest woman far from such impiety and ashamed of her imaginations which she perceiveth to have grown through melancholy CHAP. XI The strange and divers effects of melancholy and how the same humor abounding in witches or rather old women filleth them full of marvellous imaginations and that their confessions are not to be credited BUt in truth this malancholike humor as the best Physitians affirme is the cause oâ— all their strange
impossible and incredible confessions which are so fond that I wonder how any men can be abused thereby Howbeit these affections though they appear in the mind of man yet are they bred in the body and proceed from this humor which is â—he very dregs of blood nourishing and feeding those places from whence proceed feares cogitations superstitions fastings labours and such like This maketh sufferance of torments and as some say foresight of things to come and preserveth health as being cold and dry it makeâ—h men subject to leannesse and to the quartane ague They that are vexed therewith are destroyers of themselves stout to suffer injuries fearfull to offer violence except the humor be hot They learne strange tongues with small industry as Aristotle and others affirme If our witches phantasies were not corrupted nor their wils confounded with this humor they would not so voluntarily and readily confesse that which calleth their life in question whereof they could never otherwise be convicted I. Bodin with his lawyers physick reasoneth contrarily as though melancholy were furthest of all from those old women whom we call witches deriding the most famoâ—s and noble Physitian Iohn Wier for his opinion in that behalfe But becâ—use I am no Physitian I will set a Physitian to him namely Erastus who hath these words to wit that these witches through their corrupt phantasie abounding with melancholike humors by reason of their old age do dreame and imagine they hurt those things which they neither could nor do hurt and so think they knew an art which they neither have learned nor yet understand But why should there be more credit given to witches when they say they have made a reall bargain with the divell killed a cow bewitched butter infeebled a child forespoken her neighbour c. than when she confesseth that she transubstantiateth her self maketh it rain or hail flieth in the air goeth invisible transferreth corn in the grasse from one field to another c. If you think that in the one their confessions be found why should you say that they are corrupt in the other the confession of all these things being made at one instant and affirmed with like constancy or rather audacity But you see the one to be impossible and therefore you think thereby that their confessions are vain and false The other you think may be done and see them confesse it and therefore you conclude A Posse ad essé as being perswaded it is so because you think it may be so But I say both with the divines and philosophers that that which is imagined of witch-craft hath no truth of action or being besides their imagination the witch for the most part is ocâ—upied in false causes For whosoever desireth to bring to passe an impossible thing hath a vain and idle and childish perswasion bred by an unsound minde for Sana mentis voluntas voluntas rei possibilis est The will of a sound mind is the desire of a possible thing CHAP. XII A confutation of witches confessions especially concerning theâ—â— league But it is objected that witches confesse they renounce the faith and as their confession must be true or else they would not make it so must their fault be worthy of death or else they should not be executed Whereunto I answer as before that their confessions are extorted or else proceed from an unsound mind Yea I say further that we our selves which are sound of mind and yet seek any other way of salvation than Christ Jesus or break his commandements or walk not in 〈◊〉 steps with a lively faith c. do not onely renounce the faith but God himselfe and therefore they in confessing that they forsake God and imbrace Satan do that which we all should do As touching that horrible part of their confession in the league which tendeth to the killing of their own and others children the seething of them and the making of their potion or pottage and the effects thereof â—heir good fridayes meeting being the day of their deliverance their incests with their returne at the end of nine moneths when commonly women be neither able to go that journy nor to returne c. it is so horrible unnaturall unlikely and impossible that if I should behold such things with mine eyes I should rather think my selfe dreaming drunken or some way deprived of my senses than give credit to so horrible and filthy matters How hath the the oyle or pottage of a sodden child such vertue as thaâ— a staffe annointed therewith can carry folk in the air Their potable liquor which they say maketh masters of that faculty is it not ridiculous And is it not by the opinion of all philosophers Physitians and divines void of such vertue as is imputed thereunto Their not fasting on fridayes and their fasting on sundayes their spitting at the time of elevation their refusall of holy-water their despising of superstitious crosses c. which are all good steps to true Christianity help me to confute the tesidue of their confessions CHAP. XIII A confutation of witches confessions concerning making of tempests and raine of the naturall cause of raine and that witches or devillâ— have no power to do such things ANd to speak more generally of all the impossible actions refâ—rred uâ—to them as also of their false confessions I say that there is none which acknowledgeth God to be onely omnipotent and the onely workeâ— of all miracles nor any other iâ—dued with meane sense but will deny thaâ— the elements are obedient to wiâ—ches and at their commandement or that they may at their pleasure send râ—n hail tempests thunder lightning when she being bâ—â— an old doing woman casteth a flint-stone over her let shoulder towards the west or hurleth a little sea-sand up into the element or wetteth a broom-sprig in water and sprinkleth the same in the air or diggeth a pit in the earth and putting water therein stirreth it about with her finger or boileth hogs bristles or laieth sticks acrosse upon a banke where never a drop of water is or burieth sage till it be rotten all which things are confessed by witches and affirmed by writers to be the meanes that witches use to move extraordinary tempests and rain c. We read in M. Maleficarum that a little girle walking abroad with her father in his land heard him complaine of drought wishing for raine c. Why Father quoth the child I can make it raine or haile when and where I list He asked where she learned it She said of her mother who forbad her to tell any bodie thereof He asked her how her mother taught her She answered that her mother committed her to a master who would at any time do any thing for her Why then said he make it rain but onely in my field And so she went to the streame and threw up water in her masters name and made it rain presently And proceeding further
in christendome even of â—ate daies to be one of those kind of witches so as he could when â—e â—ist turne himselfe to a wolfe affirming that he was espyed c oftentimes seen to performe that villany because he would be counted the king of all witches He saith that this transubstantiation is most common in Greece and through out all Asia as marchant strangers have reporteed to him For Anno Domini 1542 when Sultan Solimon reigned there was such force and multitude of these kind of wolves in Constantinople that the Emperour drave together in one stock 150. of them which departed out of the city in the presence of all the people To perswade us the more throughly herein he saith that in Livonâ—a yearly about the end of December a certaine knave or devill warneth all the witches in the countrey to come to a certain place if they faile the devill commeth and whippeth them with an iron rod so as the print of his lashes remainâ— upon their bodies for ever The captain witch leadeth the way through a great poole of water many millions of witches swim after They are no sooner passed through that water but they are all transformed into wolves and fly upon and devoure both men women cattell c. After twelve daies they returne through the same water and so receive humane shape again Item that there was one Bajanuâ— a Iew being the sonne of Simeoâ— which could when he list turne himselfe into a wolfe and by that meanes could escape the force and danger of a whole army of men Which thing saith Bodin is wonderfull but yet saith he it is much more marvelous that men will not beleeve it For many Poets affirme it yea and if you look well into the matter saith he you shall find it easie to do Item he saith that as naturall wolves persecute beasts so do these magicall wolves devoure men women and children And yet God saâ—â—â— to the people I trowe and not to the cattle of Israel If you observe noâ— my commandements I will send among you the beasts of the fâ—eld which shall devoure both you and your cattle Item I will send the teeth 〈◊〉 beasts upon you Where is Bodins distinction now become He neâ—â—â— saith I will send witches in the likenesse of wolves c. to devoure you or your cattle Neverthelesse Bodin saith it is a clear case for the mâ—â—â—ter was disputed upon before Pope Leo the seventh and by him all the matters were judged possible and at that time saith he were the transformations of Lucian and Apuleius made canonicall Furthermore he saith that through this art they are so cunning that 〈◊〉 man can apprehend them but when they are a sleep Item he named another witch that aâ— M. Mal. saith could not be caught because he would transforme himselfe into a mouse and runne into every little holes till at length he was killed coming out of the hole of a â—amme in a windoâ— which indeed is as possible as a camell to go through a needles eye Iteâ— he saith that divers witches at Vâ—rnon turned themselves into cats anâ— both committed and received much hurt But at Argentine there was â— wonderfull matter done by three witches of great wealth who transformâ—ing themselves into three cats assaulted a faggot-maker who having 〈◊〉 them all with a faggot-sticke was like to have bin put to death But he was miraculously delivered and they worthily punished as the story saith from whence Bodin had it After a great many other such beastly fables he inveyeth against such Physitians as say that Lycanthropia is a disease and not a transformation Item he maintaineth as sacred and true all Homers fables of Circes anâ— Vlysses his companions inveying against Chrysostome who rightly interpreteth Homers meaning to be that Vlysses his people were by the harlot Circes made in their brutish manners to resemble swine But least some Poets fables might be thought lies whereby the witch-mongers arguments should quaile he maintaineth for true the most part of Ovids Metamorphosis and the greatest absurdities and impossibilities in all that book marry he thinketh some one tale therein may be fained Finally he confirmeth all these toies by the story of Nabuchadnezzar And because saith he Nabuchadnezzar continued seven years in the shape of a beast therefore may witches remain so long in the forme of a beast having in all the mean time the shape haire voice strength agility swiftnesse food and excrements of beasts and yet reserve the minds and soules of women or men Howbeit S. Augustine whether to confute or confirme that opinion judge you saith Non est credendum humanum corpus daemonum arte vel potestate in bestialia lineamenta converti posse We may not beleeve that a mans body may be altered into the lineaments of a beast by the devils art or power Item Bodin â—aith that the reason why witches are most commonly turned into wolves is because they usually eate children as wolves eate cattle Item that the cause why other are truly turned into asses is for that such have been desirous to understand the secrets of witches Why witches are turned into cats he alledgeth no reason and therefore to help him forth with that paraphrase I say that witches are curst queanes and many times scratch one another or their neighbours by the faces and therefore perchance are turned into cats But I have put twenty of these witch-mongers to silence with this one question to wit Whether a witch that can turn a woman into a cat c. can also turn a cat into a woman CHAP. II. Absurd reasons brought by Bodin and such others for confirmation of transformations THese Examples and reasons might put us in doubt that every Asse wolfe or cat that we see were a man a woman or a child I marvel that no man useth this distinction in the definition of a man But to what end should one dispute against these creations and recreations when Bodin washeth away all our arguments with one word confessing that none can create any thing but God acknowledging also the force of the canons and imbracing the opinions of such Divines as write against him in this behalfe Yea he doth now contrary to himself elsewhere affirme that the devil cannot alter his form And lo this is his distinction Non essentialis forma id est ratio sed figura solum permutatur The essentiall form to wit reason is not changed but the shape or figure And thereby he proveth it easie enough to create men or beasts with life so as they remain without reason Howbeit I think it is an easier matter to turn Bodins reason into the reason of an asse then his body into the shape of a sheep which he saith is an easie matter because Lots wife was turned into a stone by the Devil Whereby he sheweth his grosse ignorance As though God that commanded Lot upon pain of death not
dilatáque longâ Haesit nocte dies legi non paruit aeâ—ber Torpuit praeceps audito carmine mundus The course of nature ceased quite The aire obeyed not his lawe The day delay'd by length of night Which made both day and night to yawe And all was through that charming geare Which caus'd the world to quake for feare Carmine Thessalidum dura in praecordia fluxit Non fatis adductus amor flaminÃsque severi Illicitis arsere ignes With Thessall charmes and not by fate Hot love is forced for to flowe Even where before hath been debate They cause affection for to grow Gens invisa diis maculandi callida coeli Quos genuit terra mali qui sidera mundi Iuráque fixarum possunt perverâ—ere rerum Nam nunc stare polos flumina mittere nôrunt Aethera sub terras adigunt montésque revellunt These witches hatefull unto God And cunning to defile the aire Which can disorder with a nod The course of nature every where Do cause the wandering starres to stay And drive the winds below the ground They send the streames another way And throw downe hills where they abound linguis dixere volucrum Consultare fibras rumpere vocibus angues Solicitare umbras ipsúmque Acheront a movere In noctémque dies in lucem vertere noctes Omnia conando docilis solertia vincit They talked with the tongues of birds Consulting with the salt sea coasts They burst the snakes with witching words Solliciting the spirituall ghosts They turne the night into the day And also drive the light away And what ' its that cannot be made By them that do apply this trade CHAP. VIII Poetry and popery compared is inchantments popish witchmongers have more advantage herein than protestants YOu see in these verses the poets whether in earnest or in jest I know not ascribe unto witches and to their charmes more than is to be found in humane or diabolical power I doubt not but the most part of the readers hereof will admit them to be fabulous although the most learned of mine adversaries for lack of scripture are â—aine to produce these poetries for proofes and for lack of judgement I am sure do think that Actaeons transformation was true And why not As well as the metamorphosis or transubstantiation of Ulysses his companions into swine which S. Augustine and so many great clerkes credit and report Neverthelesse popish writers I conâ—esse have advantage herein of our protestants for besides these poeticall proofes they have for advantage the word and authority of the pope himselfe and others of that holy crew whose charmes conjurations blessings cursings c. I mean in part for a taste to set down giving you to understand that poets are not altogether so impudent as papists herein neither seeme they so ignorant prophane or impious And therefore I will shew you how lowd also they lie and what they on the other side ascribe to their charmes and conjurations and together will set down with them all manner of witches charmes as conveniently as I may CHAP. IX Popish periapts amulets and charmes agnus Dei a wastecote of proofe a charme for the falling evill a writing brought to S. Leo from heaven by an angell the vertues of S. Saviours epistle a charme against theeves a writing found in Christs wounds of the crosse c. THese vertues under these verses written by pope Urbane the fifth to the emperour of the Grecians are contained in a periapt or tablet be continnally worne about one called Agnus Dei which is a little cake having the picture of a lambe carrying of a flag on the one side and Christs head on the other side and is hollow so as the gospel of Iohn written in fine paper is placed in the concavitie thereof and it is thus compounded or made even as they themselves report Balsamus munda cera cum chrismatis unda Conficiunt agnum quod munus do tibi magnum Fonte velut natum per mystica sanctificatum Fulgura de sur sum depellit omne malignum Peccatum frangit ut Christi sanguis angit Praegnans servatur simul partus liâ—eratur Dona refert dignis virtutem destruit ignis Portaâ—us mundè de fluctibus eripit undae Balme vigine wax and holy water An Agnus Dei make A gift than which none can be greater I send thee for to take From fountain clear the same hath issue In secret sanctified 'Gainst lightning it hath soveraigne vertue And thunder crackes beside Each hainous sinne it weares and wasteth Even as Christs precious blood And women whiles their travel lasteth It saves it is so good It doth bestowe great gifts and graces On such as well deserve And borne about in noisome places From peril doth preserve The force of fire whose heat destroyeth It breaks and bringeth down And he or she that this enjoyeth No water shall them drowne A Charme against shot or a wastecote of proof BEfore the coming up of these Agnus Dei's a holy garment called a wastecote for necessity was much used of our forefathers as a holy relique c. as given by the pope or some such arch-conjuror who promised thereby all manner of immunity to the wearer thereof insomuch as he could not be hurt with any shot or other violence And otherwise that woman that would weare it should have quick deliverance the composition thereof was in this order following On Christmas day at night a threed must be spunne of flax by a little virgine girle in the name of the devil and it must be by her woven and also wrought with the needle In the brest or fore-part thereof must be made with needle-worke two heads on the head at the right side must be a hat and a long beard the left head must have on a crowne and it must be so horrible that it may resemble Beelzebub and on each side of the wastecote must be made a crosse Against the falling evill MOreover this insuing is another counterfeit charme of theirs whereby the falling evill is presently remedied Gaspar fert myrrham thus Melchior Balthasar aurum Haec tria qui secum portabit nomina regum Solvitur à morbo Christi pietate caduco Gasper with his mirth beganne These presents to unfold Then Melchior brought in frankincense And Balthasar brought in gold Now he that of these holy kings The names about shall bear The falling ill by grace of Christ Shall never need to fear THis is as true a copy of the holy writing that was brought downe from heaven by an angell to S. Leo pope of Rome and he did bid him take it to king Charles when he went to the battel at Ronceval And the angell said that what man or woman beareth this writing about them with good devotion and saith every day three Pater nosters three Aves and one Creede shall not that day be overcome of his
foot should be and the foot where the hand and the face downward Otherwise For a greater mischiefe the like image is made in the forme of a man or woman upon whose head is written the certain name of the party and on his or her ribs these words Ailif casyl zaze hit mel meltat then the same must be buried Otherwise In the dominioâ— of Mars two images must be prepared one of wax the other of the earth of a dead man each image must have in his hand a sword wherewith a man hath been slain and that he must be slain may have his head thrust through with a foin In both must be written certain peculiar characters and then must they be hid in a certain place Otherwise To obtain a womans love an image must be made in the hour of Venus of virgine wax in the name of the beloved whereupon a character is written and is warmed at a fire and in doing thereof the name of some Angell must be mentioned To be utterly rid of the witch and to hang her up by the haire you must prepare an image of the earth of a dead 〈◊〉 to be baptized in another mans name whereon the name with a character must be written then must it be perfumed with a rotten bone and then these psalmes read backward Domine Dominus noster Dominus illuminatio mea Domine exaudi orationem meam Deus laudem meam 〈◊〉 tacueris and then bury it first in one place and afterwards in another Howbit it is written in the 21. article of the determination of Paris thâ—â— to affirme that images of brasse lead gold of white or red wax or of any other stuffe conjured baptized consecrated or rather execrated through these magical arts at certaine daies have wonderful vertueâ— or such as are avowed in their bookes or assertions is error in faith 〈◊〉 philosophy and true astronomy yea it is concluded in the 22. article of that councell that it is as great an error to believe those things as to do them But concerning these images it is certain that they are much feareâ— among the people and much used among cousening witches as party appeareth in this discourse of mine else-where and as partly you may see by the contents of this story following Not long sithence a young maiden dwelling at New Romny here in Kent being the daughter of one â— L. Stuppeny late Jurat of the same town but dead before the execution hereof and afterwards the wife of Thom. Eps who is at this instant Maâ—or of Romny was visited with sicknesse whose mother and father in 〈◊〉 being abused with credulity concerning witches supernatural power repaired to a famous witch called mother Baker dwelling not farre from thence at a place called Stonstreet who according to witches couseâ—ing custome asked whether they mistrusted not some bad neighbour 〈◊〉 whom they answered that indeed they doubted a woman neer unto them and yet the same was of the honester and wiser sort of her neighbour reputed a good creature Neverthelesse the witch told them that these was great cause of their suspition for the same said she is the very partâ— that wrought the maidens destruction by making a heart of wax priâ—â—ing the same with pins and needles affirming also that the same neighbor of hers had bestowed the same in some secret corner of the house This being beleeved the house was searched by credible persons but nothing could be found The witch or wise woman being certified hereof continued her assertion and would needs go to the house where she herself as she affirmed would certainly find it When she came thither she used her cunning as it chanced to her own confusion or at leastwise to her detection for herein she did as some of the wiser sort mistrusted that she would do laying down privily such an image as she had before described in a corner which by others had been most diligently searched and looked into and by that meanes her cousenage was notably bewrayed And I would wish that all witchmongers might pay for their lewd repaire to inchanters and consultation with witches and such as have familiar spirits as some of these did and that by the order of the high Commissioners which partly for respect of neighbourhood and partly for other considerations I leave unspoken of CHAP. XVII Sundry sorts of charms tending to diverse purposes and first certain charms to make taciturnity in tortures IMparibus meritis tria Pendont corpora ramis Dismas Gestas In medio est divina potestas Dismas damnatur Gestas ad astra levatur Three bodies on a bough do hang For merits of inequality Dismas and Gestas in the midst The power of the divinity Dismas is damn'd but Gestas lifted up above the starres on high Also this Eructavit cor meum verbum bonum veritatem nun quam diâ—am regi Otherwise As the milk of our lady was lussious to our Lord Jesus Christ so let this torture or rope be pleasant to mine armes and members Otherwise Iesus autem transiens per medium illorum ibat Otherwise You shall not breake a bone of him Counter-charms against these and all other witchcrafts in the saying also whereof witches are vexed c. ERuctavit cor meum verbum bonum dicam cuncta opera mea regi Otherwise Domine labia mea aperies os meum annunciabit veritatem Otherwise Contere brachia iniqui rei lingua maligna subvertet ur A charm for the choine cough TAke three sips of a chalice when the priest hath said masse and swallow it down with good devotion c. For corporall or spiritual rest In nomine patris up and downe Et filii spiritus sancti upon my crowne Crux Christi upon my brest Sweet lady send me eternal rest Charmes to find out a theefe THe meanes how to find out a theefe is thus Turne your face to the east and make a crosse upon christall with oile alive and under the crosse write these two words Saint Helen Then a child that is innocent and a chaste virgine borne in true wedlock and not base begotten of the age of ten yeares must take the christall in his hand and behind his back kneeling on thy knees thou must devoutly and reverently say over this prayer thrice I beseech thee my lady S. Helen mother of king Constantine which diddest find the crosse whereupon Christ died by that thy holy devotion and invention of the crosse and by the same crosse and by the joy which thou conceivedst at the finding thereof and by the love which thou bearest to thy sonne Constantine and by the great goodnesse which thou doest alwaies use that thou shew me in this christall whatsoever I aske or desire to know Amen And when the child seeth the angel in the christal demand what you will and the angel will make answer thereunto Memorandum that this be done just at the sunne-rising when
fingers the party shall feel no pain whereas if they draw their finger downwards thereupon the party wounded shall feel intolerable pain With a number of other cures done altogether by the vertue and force of words uttered and spoken Where by the way I may not omit this special note given by M. Mal. to wit that holy water may not be sprinkled upon bewitched beasts but must be powred into their mouthes And yet he and also Nider say that It is lawful to blesse and sanctifie beasts as well as men both by charmes written and also by holy words spoken For saith Nider if your cow be bewitched three crosses three Pater nosters and three Aves will certainly cure her and likewise all other ceremonies ecclesiasticall And this is a sure Maxime that they which are delivered from witchcraft by shrift are ever after in the night much molested I believe by their ghostly fathers Also they lose their money out of their purses and caskets as M. Mal. saith he knoweth by experience Also one general rule is given by M Mal. to all butter-wives anh dairy-maides that they neither give nor lend any butter milk or cheese to any witches which alwaies use to beg thereof when they mean to work mischief to their kine or white-meats Whereas indeed there are in milk three substances commixed to wit butter cheese and whaie if the same be kept too long or in an evil place or be sluttishly used so as it be stale and sower which hapneth sometimes in the winter but oftner in the summer when it is set over the fire the cheese and butter runneth together and congealeth so as it will rope like birdlime that you may wind it about a stick and in short space it will be so dry as you may beate it to powder Which alteration being strange is wondered at and imputed to witches And herehence sometimes proceedeth the cause why butter commeth not which when the countrey people see that it commeth not then get they out of the suspected witches house a little butter whereof must be made three balls in the name of the holy Trinity and so if they be put into the chern the butter will presently come and the witchcraft will cease Sic ars deluditur arte But if you put a little sugar or sope into the cherne among the creame the butter will never come which is plaine witchcraft if it be closely cleanly and privily handled There be twenty several waies to make your butter come which for a brevity I omit as to bind your chern with a rope to thrust thereinto a red hot spit 〈◊〉 but your best remedie and surest way is to look well to your dairy-maid or wise that she neither eat up the cream nor sell away your butter A charme to find her that bewitched your kine PUt a paire of breeches upon the cowes head and beat her out of the pasture with a good cudgel upon a fryday and she will run right to the witches door and strike thereat with her hornes Another for all that have bewitched any kind of cattel WHen any of your cattel are killed with witchcraft hast you to the place where the carcase lieth and traile the bowels of the beast unto your house and draw them not in at the door but under the thresthold of the house into the kitchin and there make a fire and set over the same a grediron and thereupon lay the inwards or bowels and as they wax hot so shall the witches entrails be molested with extreame heate and pain But then must you make fast your doors lest the witch come and fetch away a cole of your fire for then ceaseth her torments And we have known saith M. Mal. when the witch could not come in that the whole house hath been so darkned and the aire round about the same so troubled with such horrible noise and earthquakes that except the door had been opened we had thought the house would have fallen on our heads Thomas Aquinas a principall treater herein alloweth conjurations against the changelings and in diverse other cases whereoft will say more in the word lidoni A speciall charm to preserve all cattel from witchcrafs AT Easter you must take certaine drops that ly uppermost of the holy paschal candle and make a little wax-candle thereof and upon some sunday morning rath light it and hold it so as it may drop upon and between the hornes and ears of the beast saying In nomine patri◠filii duplexss c burn the beast a little between the horns on the ears with the same wax and that which is left therof stick it in crossewise about the stable or stall or upon the threshhold or over the door where the cattel use to go in in and out and for all that year your cattel shal never be bewitched Otherwise Jacobus de Chusa Carthusianus sheweth how bread water and salt is conjured and saith that if either man or beast receive holy bread and holy water nine daies together with three Paster nosters three Aves in the honour of the Trinity and of S. Hubert it preserveth that man or beast from all diseases and defendeth them against all assaults of witchcraft of Satan or of a mad dog c. Lo this is their stuffe maintained to be at the least effectuall if not wholesome by all papists and witchmongers and specially of the last and proudest writers But to prove these things to be effectual God knoweth their seasons are base and absurd For they write so as they take the matter in question as granted and by that meanes go away therewith For L. Vairus saith in the beginning of his booke that there is no doubt of this supernaturall matter because a number of writers agree herein and a number of stories confirme it and many poets handle the same argument and in the twelve tables there is a law against it and because the consent of the common people is fully with it and because immoderate praise is to be approved a kind of witchcraft and because old women have such charmes and superstitious meanes as preserve themselves from it and because they are mocked that take away the credit of such miracles and because Solomon saith Fascinatio malignitatis obscurat bona and because the apostle saith O insensati Galatae quis vos facinavit And because it is written Qui timent te videbunt me And finally he saith lest you should seeme to distrust and detract any thing from the credit of so many grave men from histories and common opinion of all men he meaneth in no wise to prove that there is miraculous working by witchcraft and fascination and proceedeth so according to his promise CHAP. XXII Lawfull charmes or rather medicinable cures for diseased cattel The charme of charmes and the power thereof BUt if you desire to learne true and lawfull charmes to cure diseased cattel even such as seeme to have
Ore aliud tacitoque aliud sub pectore claudunt I hate even even as the gates of hell Those that one thing with tongue do tell And notwithstanding closely keep Another thing in heart full deep To leave these hypocrites I say in the dregs of their dishonesty I will conclude against them peremptorily that they with the rable above rehearsed and the rout hereafter to be mentioned are rank couseners and consuming cankers to the common wealth and therefore to be rejected and excommunicated from the fellowship of all honest men For now their art which turneth all kind of metals that they can come by into mist and smoak is no lesse apparent to the world than the clear sunny rayes at noon sted in so much that I may say with the poet Hos populus videt multumque torosa juventus Ingeminat tremulos naso crispante cachinnos All people laugh them now to scorne each strong and lusty bloud Redoubleth quavering laughters loud with wrinkled nose a good So that if any be so addicted unto the vanity of the art Alchymisticall as every foole will have his fancy and that beside so many experimented examples of divers whose wealth hath vanished like a vapor whiles they have beene over rash in the practise hereof this discourse will not move to desist from such extreame dotage I say to him or them and that aptlie dicitque facitque quod ipse Non sani esse hominis non juret Orestes He saith and doth that every thing which mad Orestes might With oath averre became a man bereft of reason right The xv Booke The exposition of Iidoni and where it is found whereby the whole Art of conjuration is deciphered CHAP. I. THis word Iidoni is derived of Iada which properly signifieth to know it is sometimes translated Divinus which is a diviner or soothsaier as in Deut. 18. Levit. 20. sometimes Ariolus which is one that also taketh upon him to foretell things to come and is found Levit. 19. 2 Kings 23. Esai 19. To be short the opinion of them that are most skilfull in the tongues is that it comprehendeth all them which take upon them to know all things past and to come and to give answers accordingly It alwayes followeth the word Ob and in the scriptures is not named severally from it and differeth little from the same in sense and doe both concerne oracles uttered by spirits possessed people or couseners What will not couseners or witches take upon them to doe Wherein will they professe ignorance Aske them any question they will undertake to resolve you even of that which none but God knoweth And to bring their purposes the better to passe as also to winne further credit unto the counterfeit art which they professe they procure confederates whereby they work wonders And when they have either learning eloquence or nimblenesse of hands to accompany their confederacy or rather knaverie then forsooth they passe the degree of witches and intitle themselves to the name of conjurors And these deale with no inferiour causes these fetch divels out of hell and angels out of heaven these raise up what bodies they lift though they were dead buried and rotten long before and fetch soules out of heaven or hell with much more expedition than the pope bringeth them out of purgatory These I say among the simple and where they feare no law nor accusation take upon them also the raising of tempests and earthquakes and to doe as much as God himselfe can doe These are no small fooles they go not to work with a baggage tode or a cat as witches doe but with a kind of majesty and with authority they call up by name and have at their commandement seventy and nine principall and princely divels who have under them as their ministers a great multitude of legions of petty divels as for example CHAP. II. An inventarie of the names shapes powers governement and effects of divels and spirits of their severall segniories and degrees a strange discourse worth the reading THeir first and principall king which is of the power of the east is called Baell who when he is conjured up appeareth with three heads the first like a tode the second like a man the third like a caâ— He speaketh with a hoarse voice he maketh a man go invisible he hath under his obedience and rule sixty and six legions of divels The first duke under the power of the east is named Agares he commeth up mildly in the likenes of a faire old man riding upon a crocodile and carrying a hawk on his fist he teacheth presently all manner of tongues he fetcheth backe all such as run away and maketh them run that stand still he overthroweth all dignities supernaturall and temporall hee maketh earthquakes and is of the order of vertues having under his regiment thirty one legions Marbas alias Barbas is a great president and appeareth in the forme of a mighty lion but at the commandement of a conjuror commeth up in the likenes of a man and answereth fully as touching any thing which is hidden or secret he bringeth diseases and cureth them be promoteth wisdome and the knowledge of mechanicall arts or handicrafts he changeth men into other shapes and under his presidency or govenment are thirty six legions of devils contained Amon or Aamon is a great and mighty marques and commeth abroad in the likenesse of wolfe having a serpents taile spetting out and breathing flames of fire when he patteth on the shape of a man he sheweth out dogs teeth and a great head like to a mighty raven he is the strongest prince of all other and understandeth all things past and to come he procureth favour and reconcileth both friends and foes and ruleth fourty legions of divels Barbatos a great county or earle and also a duke he appeareth in Signo sagittarii sylvestris with foure kings which bring companies and great troopes He understandeth the singing of birds the barking of dogs the lowing of bullocks and the voice of all living creatures He detecteth treasures hidden by magicians and inchanters and is of the order of vertues which in part beare rule he knoweth all things past and to come and reconcileth friends and powers and governeth thirty legions of divels by his authority Buer is a great president and is seene in this signe he absolutely teacheth philosophy morall and naturall and also logicke and the vertue of herbes he giveth the best familiars he can heale all diseases specially of men and reigneth over fifty legions Gusoin is a great duke and a strong appearing in the forme of a Xenophilus he answereth all things present past and to come expounding all questions He reconcileth friendship and distributeth honours and dignities and ruleth over fourty legions of divels Botis otherwise Otis a great president and an earle he commeth forth in the shape of an
that is to do me pleasure and to fulfill my will without any deceit or tarrying nor yet that thou shalt have any power of my body or soul earthly or ghostly nor yet to perish so much of my body as one haire of my head I conjure thee Sibylia by all the riall words aforesaid and by their vertues and powers I charge and binde thee by the vertue thereof to be obedient unto me and to all the words aforesaid and this bond to stand between thee and me upon pain of everlasting condemnation Fiat fiat fiat Amen CHAP. IX A license for Sibylia to goe and come by at all times I Conjure thee Sibyliae which art come hither before me by the commandement of thy Lord and mine that thou shalt have no powers is thy going or comming unto me imagining any evill in any manner of wayes in the earth or under the earth of evill doings to any person or persons I conjure and command thee Sibylia by all the riall work and vertues that be written in this Book that thou shalt not goe to the place from whence thou camest but shalt remaine peaceably invisibly and look thou be ready to come unto me when thou are called by any conjuration of words that be written in this book to come I say at my commandement and to answer unto me truly and duly of all things my will quickly to be fulfilled Vade in pace in nomine patris filii spirtus sancti And the holy ✚ crosse ✚ be between thee and me or between us and you and the Lion of Iuda the root of Iesse the kindred of David be between thee and mee ✚ Christ commeth ✚ Christ commandeth ✚ Christ giveth power ✚ Christ defend me ✚ and his innocent bloud ✚ from all perils of body and soul sleeping or waking Fiat fiat Amen CHAP. X. To know of treasure hidden in the earth WRite in paper these characters following on the saturday in the 〈◊〉 of ☽ and lay it where thou thinkest treasure to be if there be any the paper will burn else not And these be the characters This is the way to goe invisible by these three sisters of Fairies In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Ghost First goe to a fair parlor or chamber and an even ground and in no lost and from people nine dayes for it is the better and let all thy clothing be clean and sweet Then make a candle of Virgine wax and light it and make a faire fire of charcoles in a fair place in the midle of the parlour or chamber Then take fair clean water that runneth against the east and set it upon the fire and yet thou wathest thy selfe say these words going about the fire three times holding the candle in the right hand ✚ Panthon ✚ Craton ✚ Muriton ✚ Lisecognaton ✚ Seston ✚ Diaton ✚ Maton ✚ Tetâ—agrammaton ✚ Agla ✚ Agarion ✚ Tegra ✚ Pentessaron ✚ Tendicata ✚ Then rehearse these names ✚ So thie ✚ Sorthia ✚ Sortheos ✚ Milia ✚ Achilia ✚ Sibylia ✚ In nomine patris filii spiritus sancti Amen I conjure you three sisters of fairies Milia Achilia Sibylia by the Father by the Son and by the Holy Ghost and by their vertues and powers and by the most mercifull and living God that will command his angell to blow the trump at the day of Judgement and he shall say Come come come to judgement and by all angels archangels thrones dominations principats potestaâ—es virtutes cherubim and seraphim and by their vertues and powers I conjure you three sisters by the vertue of all the riall words aforesaid I charge you that you doe appeare before me visibly in form and shape of faire women in white vestures and to bring with you to me the ring of invisibility by the which I may goe invisible at mine owne will and pleasure and that in all houres and minutes In nomine patris filii spiritus sancti Amen * Being appeared say this bond following O blessed virgins ✚ Milia ✚ Achili◠✚ I conjure you in the name of the Father in the name of the Son and in the name of the Holy Ghost by their vertues I charge you to depart from me in peace for a time And Sibylia I conjure thee by the vertue of our Lord Jesus Christ and by the vertue of his flesh and pretious bloud that he took of our blessed Lady the Virgine and by all the holy company in heaven I charge thee Sibylia by all the vertues aforesaid that thou be obedient unto me in the name of God that when and in what time and place I shall call thee by this foresaid conjuration written in this book looke thou be ready to come unto me at all houres and minutes and to bring unto me the ring of invisibility whereby I may goe invisible at my will and pleasure and that at all houres and minutes Fiat fiat Amen And if he come not the first night then doe the same the second night and so the third night untill they doe come for doubtlesse they will come and lie thou in thy bed in the same parlor or chamber And lay thy right hand out of the bed and look thou have a faire silken kercher bound abound thy head and be not afraid they will doe thee no harm For there will come before thee three fair women and all in white clothing and one of them will put a ring upon thy finger wherewith thou shalt goe invisible Then with speed bind them with the bond aforesaid When thou hast this ring on thy finger looke in a glasse and thou shalt not see thy self And when thou wilt goe invisible put in on thy finger the same finger that they did put it on and every new ☽ renew it again For after the first time thou shalt ever have it and ever begin this work in the new of the ☽ and in the houre of ♃ and the ☽ in ♋ ♠♓ CHAP. XI An experiment following of Citrael c. angeli diei dominici Say first the prayers of the angels every day for the space of seaven dayes O Ye glorious angels written in this square be you my coadjutors and helpers in all qâ—estions and demands in all my businesse and other causes by him which shall â—ome to judge both the quick and the dead and the world by fire O angeli gloriosi in hac quadra scripti estote câ—adjutores auxiliatores in omnibus quaestionibus intervogationibus in omnibus negotiis caeterisque causis per eum qui venturus est judicare vivos mortuos mumdum per ignem Say this prayer fasting called Regina linguae ✚ Lemae ✚ solma ac ✚ elmay ✚ gezagra ✚ raamaasin ✚ ezierego ✚ mial ✚ egziephiaz Iosamin ✚ sabach ✚ ha ✚ aem ✚ re ✚ be ✚ esepha ✚ sephar ✚ â—â—mar ✚ semoit ✚ lemajo ✚ pheralon ✚ amic ✚
be by a witch made corporal being by God ordained to a spiritual proportion The cause of this grosse conceipt is that we hearken more diligently to old wives and rather give credit to their fables than to the word of God imagining by the tales they tell us that the divel is such a bulbegger as I have before described For whatsoever is proposed in scripture to us by parable or spoken figuratively or significatively or framed to our grosse capacities c. is by them so considered and expounded as though the bare letter or rather their grosse imaginations thereupon were to be preferred before the true sense and meaning of the word For I dare say that when these blockheads read Iothans parable in the ninth of Judges to the men of Sichem to wit that the trees went out to annoint a king over them saying to the olive tree Reigne thou over us who answered and said Should I leave my fatnesse c. they imagine that the wooden trees walked and spake with a mans voice or else that some spirit entred into the trees and answered as is imagined they did in the idols and oracles of Apollo and such like who indeed have eyes and see not ears and hear not mouthes and speak not c. CHAP. XIII The equivocation of this word spirit how diversly it is taken in the scriptures where by the way is taught that the scripture is not alwayes literally to be interpreted nor yet allegorically to be understood SUch as search with the spirit of wisdome and understanding shal finde that spirits as well good as bad are in scriptures diversly taken yea they shal well perceive that the divel is no horned beast For sometimes in the scriptures spirits and divels are taken for infirmities of the body sometimes for the vices of the minde sometimes also for the gifts of either of them Sometimes a man is called a divel as Iudas in the sixt of Iohn and Peter in the xvi of Matthew Sometimes a spirit is put for the Gospel sometimes for the mind or soul of man sometimes for the will of man his minde and counsell sometimes for teachers and prophets sometimes for zeal towards God sometimes for joy in the Holy-ghost c. And to interpret unto us the nature and signification of spirits we find these words written in the scripture to wit The spirit of the Lord shal rest upon him The spirit of counsel and strength The spirit of wisdome and understanding The spirit of knowledge and the fear of the Lord. Again I will pour out my spirit upon the house of David c. The spirit of grace and compassion Again Ye have not received the spirit of bondage but the spirit of adoption And therefore Paul saith To one is given by the spirit the word of wisdome to another the word of knowledge by the same spirit to another the gift of healing to another the gift of faith by the same spirit to another the gift of prophesie to another the operation of great works to another the discerning of spirits to another the diversity of tongues to another the interpretation of tongues and all these things worketh one and the self same spirit Thus farre the words of Paul And finally Esay saith that the Lord mingled among them the spirit of errour And in another place The Lord hath covered you with a spirit of slumber As for the spirits of divination spoken of in the scripture they are such as was in the woman of Endor the Philippian woman the wench of Westwell and the holy maid of Kent who were indued with spirits or gifts of divination whereby they could make shift to gain money and abuse the people by sleights and crafty inventions But these are possessed of borrowed spirits as it is written in the book of Wisdome and spirits of meer cousenage and deceipt as I have sufficiently proved elsewhere I deny not therefore that there are spirits and divels of such substance as it hath pleased God to create them But in what place soever it be found or read in the scriptures a spirit or divel is to be understood spiritually and is neither a corporall nor a visible thing Where it is written that God sent an evil spirit between Abimelech and the men of Sichem we are to understand that he sent the spirit of hatred and not a bulbegger Also where it is said If the spirit of jealousie come upon him it is as much to say as If he be moved with a jealous minde and not that a corporal divel assaulteth him It is said in the Gospel There was a woman which had a spirit of infirmity 18. years who was bowed together c. whom Christ by laying his hand upon her delivered of her disease Whereby it is to be seen that although it be said that satan had bound her c. yet that it was a sicknesse or disease of body that troubled her for Christs own words expound it Neither is there any word of witchcraft mentioned which some sâ—y was the cause thereof There were seven divels cast out of Mary Magdalen Which is not so grossely understood by the learned as that there were in her just seven corporal divels such as I described before elsewhere but that by the number of seven divels a great multitude and an uncertain number of vices is signified which figure is usual in divers places of the scripture And this interpretation is more agreeable with Gods word than the papisticall paraphrase which is that Christ under the name of the seven divels recounteth the seven deadly sins only Others allow neither of these expositions because they suppose that the efficacy of Christs miracle should this way be confounded as though it were not as difficult a matter with a touch to make a good Christian of a vicious person as with a word to cure the ague or any other disease of a sick body I think not but any of both these cures may be wrought by means in processe of time without miracle the one by the preacher the other by the physitian But I say that Christs work in both was apparently miraculous for with power and authority even with a touch of his finger and a word of his mouth he made the blinde to see the halt to goe the lepers clean the deaf to hear the dead to rise again and the poor to receive the Gospel out of whom I say he cast divels and miraculously conformed them to become good Christians which before were dissolute livers to whom he said Go your wayes and sin no more CHAP. XIV That it pleased God to manifest the power of his Sonne and not of witches by miracles JEsus Christ to manifest his divine power rebuked the winds and they ceased and the waves of water and it was calme which if neither our divines nor physicians can do much
M. Mal. and the residue of that crew doe expound this word Diabolus for Dia say they is Duo and Bolus is Morsellus whereby they gather that the divell eateth up a man both body and soul at two morsels Whereas in truth the wicked may be said to eat up and swallow down the divell rather then the divell to eat up them though it may well be said by a figure that the divell like a roaring lion seeketh whom he may devoure which is meant of the soul and spirituall devouring as very novices in religion may judge CHAP. XXXIII Against fond witchmongers and their opinions concerning corporall divels NOw how Brian Darcies he spirits and she spirits Titty and Tifâ—â— Suckin and Pidgin Liard and Robin c. his white spirits and blacke spirits gray spirits and red spirits divell tode and divell lambe 〈◊〉 cat and divels dam agree herewithall or can stand consonant with the word of God or true philosophy let heaven and earth judge It 〈◊〉 mean time let any man with good consideration peruse that book 〈◊〉 by W. W. and it shall suffice to satisfie him in all that may required touching the vanities of the witches examinations confessions and executions where though the tale be told only of the accusers part without any other answer of theirs than their adversary â—â—teth down mine assertion will be sufficiently proved true And 〈◊〉 it seemeth to be performed with some kind of authority I will say 〈◊〉 more for the confutation thereof but referre you to the book it selfe whereto if nothing be added that may make to their reproach I 〈◊〉 warrant nothing is left out that may serve to their condemnation 〈◊〉 whether the witnesses be not single of what credit sex and age they â—â— namely lewd miserable and envious poor people most of them 〈◊〉 speak to any purpose being old women and children of the age of 4 5 6 7 8 or 9. years And note how and what the witches confesse and see of what weight and importance the causes are whether their confessions be not wonne through hope of favour and extorted by flattery or threats without proof But in so much as there were not past seventeen or eighteen condemned at 〈◊〉 at S. Osees in the county of Essex being a whole parish though of no great quantity I will say the lesse trusting that by this time there remain not many in that parish If any be yet behind I doubt not but 〈◊〉 Darcie will find them out who if he lack aid Richard Gallis of Windsor were meet to be associated with him which Gallis hath set forth another book to that effect of certain witches of Windsor executed at Abiâ—â—ton But with what impudency and dishonesty he hath finished it with what lies and forgeries he hath furnished it what folly and frenzy he hath mered in it I am ashamed to report and therefore being but a two penny book I had rather desire you to buy it and so to peruse it than to fill my book with such beastly stuffe CHAP. XXXIIII A conclusion wherein the Spirit of spirits is described by the illumination of which spirit all spirits are to be tryed with a confutation of the Pneumatomachi flatly denying the divinity of this Spirit TOuching the manifold signification of this word Spirit I have elsewhere in this brief discourse told you my minde which is a word nothing differing in Heb. from breath or wind For all these words following to wit Spiritus Ventus Flatus Halitus are indifferently use by the Holy Ghost and called by this Hebrew word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in the sacred scripture For further proof whereof I cite unto you the words of Isay For his spirit or breath is as a river that overfloweth up to the neck c. in which place the prophet describeth the comming of God in heat and indignation unto judgment c. I cite also unto you the words of Zaccharie These are the four spirits of the heaven c. Likewise in Genesis And the spirit of God moved upon the waters Moreover I cite unto you the words of Christ The spirit or wind bloweth where it listeth Unto which said places infinite more might be added out of holy writ tending all to this purpose namely to give us this for a note that all the sayings above cited hath many more that I could alleadge where mention is made of spirit the Hebrew text useth no word but one to wit 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which signifieth as I said Spiritum ventum flatum halitum which may be Englished Spirit wind blast breath But before I enter upon the very point of my purpose it shall not bee misse to make you acquainted with the collection of a certaine Schoole divine who distinguisheth and divideth this word Spirit into six significations saying that it is sometimes taken for the air sometimes for the bodies of the blessed sometimes for the souls of the blessed sometimes for the power imaginative or the minde of man and sometimes for God Again he saith that of spirits there are two sorts some created and some uncreated A spirit uncreated saith he is God himselfe and it is essentially taken and agreeth unto the three persons notionally to the Father the Son and the Holy Ghost personally A spirit created is a creature and that is likewise of two sorts to wit bodily and bodilesse A bodily spirit is also of two sorts for some kinde of spirit is so named of spiritualnesse as it is distinguished from bodilinesse otherwise it is called Spiritus a spirando id est a stando of breathing or blowing as the winde doth A bodilesse spirit is one way so named of spiritualnesse and then it is taken for a spirituall substance and is of two sorts some make a full and compleat kind and is called compleat or perfect as a spirit angelicall some doe not make a full and perfect kind and is called incompleat or unperfect as the soule There is also the spirit vitall which is a certaine subtill or very fine substance necessarily disposing and tending unto life There be moreover spirits naturall which are a kind of subtill and very fine substances disposing and tending unto equall complexions of bodies Again there be spirits animall which are certain subtill and very fine substances disposing and tempering the body that it might be animated of the form that is that it might be perfected of the reasonable soul. Thus far he In whose division you see a philosophicall kinde of proceeding though not altogether to be condemned yet in every point not to be approved Now to the spirit of spirits I mean the principall and holy spirit of God which one defineth or rather describeth to be the third person in trinity issuing from the Father and the Son no more the charity dilection love of the Father and the Son than the Father is the charity dilection and love of the Son and Holy
the person of the deity I mean the spirit of sanctification to oppose mans power mans wit mans policy c. which was well signified by that poeticall fiction of the giants who were termed Anguipedes Snakefooted which as Ioachimus Cameravius expoundeth of wicked counsellours to whose filthy perswasions tyrants doe trust as unto their feet and Iames Sadolet interpreteth of philosophers who trusting over much unto their own wits become so bold in challenging praise for their wisdome that in fine all turneth to folly and confusion so I expound of heretikes and schismatikes who ' either by corrupt doctrine or by maintaining precise opinions or by open violence c. assay to overthrow the true religion to break the unity of the church to deny Caesar his homage and God his duty c. and therefore let Iovis fulmen wherewith they were slain assure these that there is Divina ultio due to all such as dare in the ficklenesse of their fancies arrear themselves against the holy spirit of whom sith they are ashamed hereupon earth otherwise they would confidently boldly confesse him both with mouth and pen he will be ashamed of them in heaven where they are like to be so farre from having any society with the saints that their portion shall be even in full and shaken measure with miscreants and infidels And therefore let us if we will discerne and try the spirits whether they be of God or no seek for the illumination of this inlightning spirit which as it bringeth light with it to discover all spirits so it giveth such a fiery heat as that no false spirit can abide by it for fear of burning Howbeit the holy spirit must be in us otherwise this prerogative of trying spirits will not fall to our lot But here some will peradventure move a demand and do aske how the holy spirit is in us considering that Infiniti ad infinitum nulla est proportio neque loci angustia quod immensum est potest circumscribi of that which is infinite to that which is finite there is no proportion neither can that which is unmeasurable be limited or bounded within any précinct of place c. I answer that the most excellent father for Christs sake sendeth him unto us according as Christ promised us in the person of his apostles The comforter saith he which is the holy spirit whom my father will send in my name And as for proportion of that which is infinite to that which is finite c. I wil in no case have it thought that the holy spirit is in us as a body placed in a place terminably but to attribute thereunto as duly belongeth to the deity an ubiquity or universall presence not corporally and palpably but effectually mightily mystically divinely c. Yea and this I may boldly adde that Christ Jesus sendeth him unto us from the father neither is he given us for any other end but to inrich us abundantly with all good gifts and excellent graces and among the rest with the discerning of spirits aright that we be not deceived And here an end FINIS The summe of every chapter contained in the sixteene books of this discovery with the discourse of divels and spirits annexed thereunto The first Booke AN impeachment of witchespower in meteors and elementary bodies tending to the rebuke of such as attribute too much unto them Pag. 1. The inconvenience growing by mens credulity herein with a reproofe of some churchmen which are inclined to the common conceived opinion of witches oâ—nipotency and a familiar example thereof pag. 3. Who they be that are called witches with a manifest declaration of the cause that moveth men so commonly to thinke witches themselves to beleeve that they can hurt children cattell c. with words and imaginations and of cousening witches pag. 5. What miraculous actions are imputed to witches by witchmongers papists and poets pag. 6. A confutation of the common conceived opinion of witches and witchcraft and how detestable a sinne it is to repaire to them for counsell or helpe in time of affliction pag. 8. A further confutation of witches miraculous and omnipotent power by invincible reasons and authorities with dissuasions from such sond credulity pag. 9. What meanes the name of witches becommeth so famous and how diversly people be opinioned concerning them and their actions pa. 10. Causes that move as well witches themselves as others to thinke that they can work impossibilities with answers to certaine objections where also their punishment by law is touched pag. 11. A conclusion of the first book wherein is foreshewed the tyrannicall cruelty of witchmongers and inquisitors with a request to the reader to peruse the same pag. 12. The second Booke WHat testimonies and witnesses are allowed to give evidence against reputed witches by the report and allowance of the inquisitors themselves and such as are speciall writers herein Pag. 13. The order of examination of witches by the inquisitors ibid. Matters of evidence against witches pag. 15. Confessions of witches whereby they are condemned pag. 16. Presumptions whereby witches are condemned pag. 17. Particular interrogatories used by the inquisitors against witches pa. 18. The inquisitors triall of weeping by conjuration pag. 19. Certaine cautions against witches and of their tortures to procure confession pag. 20. The 15. crimes laid to the charge of witches by witchmongers specially by Bodin in Demonomania 22. A confutation of the former surmised crimes patched together by Bodin and the only way to escape the inquisitors hands pag 23. The opinion of Cornelius Agrippa concerning witches of his pleading for a poore woman accused of witchcraft and how he convinced the inquisitors pag. 24. What the feare of death and feeling of torments may force one to do and that it is no marvell though witches condemne themselves by their owne confessions so tyrannically extorted pag. 33. The third Book THe witches bargaine with the divell according to M. Mal. Bodin Nâ—der Daneus Psellus Brastus Hemingius Cumanus Aquinas Bartholomeus Spineus c. Pag. 35. The order of the witches homage done as it is written by lewd inquisitors and peevish witchmongers to the divell in person of their songs and danses and namely of Lavolta and of other ceremones also of their excourses pag. 36. How witches are sommoned to appeare before the divell of their riding in the air of their accompts of their conference with the divell of his supplies and their conference of their farewell and sacrifices according to Daneus Psellus c. 37 That there can no real league be made with the divell the first author of the league and the weake proofes of the adversaries for the same 38. Of the private league a notable table of Bodin concerning a French lady with a confutation pag. 39. A disproofe of their assemblies and of their bargaine pag. 40. A confutation of the objection concerning witches confessions pag. 41. What folly it were for witches
to enter into such desperate perill to endure such intolerable torments for no gaine or commodity how it comes to passe that witches are overthrowne by their confessions 42 How melancholy abuseth old women and of the effects thereof by sundry examples pag. 43. That voluntary confessions may be untruly made to the undoing of the confessors and of the strange operation of melancholie proved by a familiar and late example p. 45. The strange and divers effects of melancholy and how the same humor abounding in witches or rather old women filleth them ful of marvellous imaginations and that their confessions are not to be credited 46. A confutation of witches confessions especially concerning their league pag. 48. A confutation of witches confessions concerning making of tempests and raine of the natural cause of raine that witches or divels have no power to do such things ibid. What would ensue if witches confessions or witchmongers opinions were true concerning the effects of witchcraft inchantments c. 50 Examples of forein nations who in their warres used the assistance of witches of eybiting witches in Ireland of two archers that shot with familiars pag. 51. Authors condemning the fantasticall confessions of witches and how a popish doctor taketh upon him to disprove the same pag. 52. Witchmongers reasons to prove that witches can worke wonders Bodins tale of a Friseland priest transported that imaginations proceeding of melancholie do cause illusions pag. 53. That the confession of witches is insufficient in civill and common 〈◊〉 to take away life What the sounder divines and decrees of councels determine in this case pag. 54. Of foure capitall crimes objected against witches all fully answered and confuted as frivolons p. 55. A request to such readers as loath to heare or read filthy bawdy matters which of necessity are here to be inserted to passe over eight chapters pag. 56 The fourth Book OF witchmongers opinions concerning evill spirits how they frame themselves in more excellent sort than God made us Pag. 58. Of bawdy Incubus and Succubus and whether the action of venery may be performed betweene witches and divels and when witches first yeelded to Incubus ibid. Of the divels visible and invisible dealing with witches in the way of lechery pag. 60. That the power of generation is both outwardly and inwardly inpeached by witches and of divers that had their genitals taken from them by witches and by the same meanes againe restored ibid. Of bishop Sylvanus his leachery opened and covered againe how maids having yellow haire are most combred with Incubus how maried men are bewitched to use other mens wives and to refuse their owne pag. 62. How to procure the dissolving of bewitched love also to enforce a man how proper so ever he be to love an old hag and of a bawdy tricke of a priest in Gelderland ibid. Of divers saincts and holy persons which were exceeding bawdy and lecherous and by certain miraculous meanes became chast pag. 63. Certaine popish and magicall cures for them that are bewitched in their privities ibid. A strange cure done to one that was molested with Incubus pag. 64. A confutation of all the former follies touching Incubus which by examples and proofes of like stuffe is shewed to be flat knavery wherein the carnall copulation with spirits is overthrowne pag. 65. That Incubus is a naturall disease with remedies for the same besides magicall cures herewithall expressed pag. 69. The censure of G. Chancer upon the knavery of Incubus pag. 67. The fift Book OF transformations ridiculous examples brought by the adversaries for the confirmation of their foolish doctrine Pag. 66. Absurd reasons brought by Bodin such others for confirmation of transformations pag. 71. Of a man turned into an asse and returned againe unto a man by one of Bodins witches S. Augustines opinion thereof pag. 72. A summarie of the former fable with a refutation thereof after due examination of the same pag. 74. That the body of a man cannot be turned into the body of a beast by a witch is proved by strong reasons scriptures and authorites pag. 75. The witchmongers objections concerning Nebuchadnezzar answerred and their error concerning Lycanthropia consuted pag. 77. A speciall objection answered concerning transportations with the consent of diverse writers thereupon pag. 78. The witchmongers objection concerning the history of Iob answered 79. What severall sorts of witches are mentioned in the scriptures how the word witch is there applied pag. 82. The sixt Book THe exposition of this Hebrue word Chasaph wherein is answered the objection contained in Exodus 22. to wit Thou shalt not suffer a witch to live and of Simon Magnus Acts. 8. pag. 84. The place of Deuteronomy expounded wherein are recited all kind of witches also their opinions confuted which hold that they can worke such miracles as are imputed unto them pag 85. That women have used poisoning in all ages more then men and of the inconvenience of poisoning pag. 87. Of divers poisoning practises otherwise called veneficia committed in Italy Genua Millen Wittenberge also how they were discovered and executed pag 88. A great objection answered concerning this kind of witchcraft calâ—ed Veneficium pag. 89. In what kind of confections that witchcraft which is called Veneficium consisteth of love-cups the same confuâ—ed by poets ibid. It is proved by more credible writers that love-cups rather ingender death through venome than love by arâ— and with what toies they destroy cattell procure love p. 92. J. Bodin triumphing against I. Wier is over taken with false â—reeke and false interpretation thereof p. 93. The seventh Booke OF the Hebrue word Ob what it signifieth where it is found of Pythonisses called Ventriloquae who they be and what their practises are experience and examples thereof shewed Pag. 94. How the lewd practise of the Pythonist of Westwell came to light and by whom she was examined and that all her diabolicall speach was but ventriloquie and plaine cousenage which is proved by her owne confession pag. 96. Bodins stuffe concerning the Pythonist of Endor with a true story of a counterfeit Dutchman pag 98. Of the great oracle of Apollo the Pythonist how men of al sorts have been deceived and that even the apostles have mistaken the nature of spirits with an unanswerable argument that spirit can take no shapes pag. 99. Why Apollo was called Pytho wherof those witches were called Pythonists Gregory his letter to the divell pag. 101. Apollo who was called Pytho compared to the Rood of grace Gregories letter to the divell coÌ„fused 102 How diverse great clarkes and good authors have beene abused in this matter of spirits through false reports and by means of their credulity have published lies which are confuted by Aristotle and the scriptures Ibid. Of the witch of Endor and whetler she accomplished the raising of Samuel truly or by deceipt the opinion of some Divines hereupon p. 103. That Samuel was not raised indeed and how
Chard and Will. Brome booksellers Iac. de Chusa in lib. de appariâ—â—onib quorundam spirituum Observations for the exorcising priest Memorandum that he must be the veriest knave or fool in all the company The spirits are not so cunning by day as by night * For so they might be bewrayed For so the cousenage may be best handlrd A cousening conjuration * Of this order read noble stuffe in a book printed at Frankeford under the title of Alcoran Franciscanorum Note how the Franciscans cannot conjure without a confederate O notorious impudency with such shamelesse faces to abuse so worshipfull a company * The confederate spirit was taught that lesson before For so might the confederate be found An obstinate and wilfull persisting in the denying or not confessing of a fault committed A parecbasis or transition of of the author to matter further purposed In 4. dict 23. sent Et glos super i-l â—o ad coll 2. Mendaces debent esse memores multo magis astuti exorcisâ—ae Tho. Aquin. super Marc. ultim Mark 16.17 A trimme consequent Mal. Malef. par 2. que 2. Rites ceremonies and reliques of exorcism in rebaptizing of the possessed or bewitched Memorandum that this is for one bewitched Note the proviso Tho. Aquin. supr dist 6. Proper proofs of the seven reasons Why there were no conjurors in the primitive church with other subtill points A conjuror then belike must not be timerous or fearefull Where a witch cureth by incantation and the conjuror by conjuration * Tu. de ecclesiae dedicatione In Missali fol. 1. The manner of conjuring salt A prayer to be applyed to the former exorcisme A conjuration â—f frankincense set forth in forme Papists and conjurors cousening compeers 1 Sam. 16.7 1 Reg. 8.39 Jere. 17.10 Psal. 44.21 Psal. 72.18 Sap. 1.14 Ecclesi 9. Gen. 1. Act. 19. Mark 16.17 a Isa 43.11 b verse 13. cap. 44. ver 7. verse 25. Isai. 46.10 cap 47. verse 12 13 c. Luke 11.20 Matt. 12.28 Acts 8.49 Mony is the marke whereat all witches and conjurors do aime S. Martins conjuration In die sancti Martini lect 1. * To wit Vincent Dominica in albis in octa pasch.sermone 25. Durand de exorcist A foul offence to backbite the absent and to belye the dead Acts 19. Iust. lib. 16. Plin. lib. 30. cap. 2. Strab. lib. 16. Dan. in dialog desortiariis Tiridates the great magician biddeth the Emperor Nero to a banket c. Nero made laws against conjurors and conjurations C. Agrip. lib. de vanitat scient Probatum est upon a patient before witness Ergo no lie Lib. 4. dist 14. Decret aureum dist 21. Rub. de exorcist Lect. 5. 6. Lect. in die sanctissimae Marg. vir 5. Lect. 6. Look in the word Iidoni pag. 270. * For the priests profit I warrant you This is common they say when a witch or conjuror dieth Kacozâ—lia Mutuall error by means of sudden sight S. Vincent raiseth the dead woman to life S. Vincent maketh the dumb to speak Dist. 8. exempl 17. ferm 59. ca. 20. Secundum Bordinum Corrigens Quaesit Matth. tract 1. sect 77. Psellui de operatione daemonum Inspeculo exemplorum dist 6. ex lib. exemplorum Caesariis exempl 69. Memorandum it is confessed in popery that true miracles cannot be joined with false doctrine Ergo neither papist witch nor conjuror can work miracles Lect. in die sanctae Luci 7. 8 Against the counterfeit visions of popish priests and other cousening devices This doctrine was not only preached but also proved note the particular instances following H. Card. lib de var. rer 15. c. 92. Pope Celestinus cousened of his popedome by pope Boniface Visions 〈◊〉 stinguishâ—â— H. Card. lib de subtilitat 18. Idem ibid. Of Winchester noise Appendents unto the supposed divine art of Theurgie Marke the sum and scope of this letter Sr. Iohn Malbornes booke detecting the devises of conjuration c. The author his conclusion Andreas Gartnerus Maeriâ—montanus Eng by Ab. Fle. Matt. 10 26. Mark 4.22 Luke 8.17 and 12.2 The compilers or makers of the booke called a Mallet to braine witches No marvell that they were so opinionative herein for God gave them over into strong delusions The definition or description of witchcraft The formall cause The finall cause The materiall cause A necessary sequel Probatum est by mother Bungies confession that all witches are couseners * I. Bodin in the preface before his book of Daemonomania reporteth this by a conjuring priest late curat of Islington he also sheweth to what end read the place you that understand Latine Note this devise of the waxen images found of late neer London A strange miracle if it were true There the hypocrite was overmatcht for all his dissembled gravity Heming in lib. de superst magicis The greatest clarkes are not the wisest men A naturall reason of the former knack C. Agripp in lib. de vanit scient in epistola ante librum de occult philosophia Plin. lib. natural hist. 30. ca. 1. Pet. Mart. in lucis communibus Note that during all Christs time upon earth which was 33. yeares witches were put to silence c. But Christs argument was undoubted Ergo c. I marvell for what purpose that magistrate went to that fellows house Alberâ—us Crantzius in lib. 4. mertopolis cap. 4. Prov. 6. Mal. malef par 2. que 1. cap. 9. He should rather have asked who gave him orders and licence to preach Iohn Bodin Yet many that bear the shew of honest men are very credulous herein Witches are commonly very beggers A general conclusion against them whom the subject of this book concerneth Isigonus Memphradorus Solon c. Vairus I. Bodinus Mal. malef With the like property were the old Illyrian people indued if we wil credit the words of Sabinus grounded upon the report of Aul. Gell. I. Bap. Neapol in lib. de naturale magia This is held of some for truth Non est in speculo ves quae speculatur in illâ— Nescio quis oculus tâ—neros mibi sascinat agnos saith Virgil and thus Englished by Abraham Fleming I wore not I What watching eye Doth use to hant a My tender lams Sucking their dâ—â—â— And them inchant Englished by Abraham Fleming H. Card. lib. de var. rer 16. cap. 93. The Platonists and Stoicks The Epicureans and Peripateticks Summum bonum cannot consist in the happinesse of the body or minde Moral temperance Moral prudence Morall justice Morall fortitude Rom. 2. The question about spirits doubtfull and difficult Plotinus The Greeks Laur. Ananias The Manichees Plutarch Psellus Mal. malef Avicen and the Cabalâ—ists The Thalmudists Psellus c. The Platonists The Papists Apoc. 19.10 ibid. 22.8.9 The Sadduces Psâ—llus de operatione daemonum cap. 8. Such are spirits walking in white sheetes c. Psellus ibid. cap. 9. Idem cap. 10. Idem ibid. cap. 11. Oh heathenish nay oh papisticall folly The opinions of all papists A cousening knavery H. Card. lib. de var.