the threatnings and curses pronounced by God and expressed in his word And thus much touching the word Kasam The tenth Book CHAP. I. The interpretation of this Hebrew word Onen of the vanity of dreams and divinatiâ—ns thereupon ONEN differeth not much from Kasam but that it is extended to the interpretation of dreames And as for dreames whatsoever credit is attributed unto them proceedeth of folly and they are fooles that trust in them for why they have deceived many In which respect the prophet giveth us good warning not to follow nor harken to the expositors of dreames for they come through the mâ—â—titude of businesse And therefore those witches that make men beleeve they can prophesie upon dreames as knowing the interpretation of them and either for money or glory abuse men and women thereby are meere couseners and worthy of great punishment as are such witchmongers as beleeving them attribute unto them sâ—chdivine power 〈◊〉 onely belongeth to God as appeareth in Jeremy the prophet CHAP. II. Of divine naturall and casuall dreames with their differing causes and effects MAcrobius recounteth five differences of images or rather imaginations exhibited unto them that sleepe which for the most part do figniâ—ie somewhat in admonition There be also many subdivisions made hereof which I think needlesse to rehearse In Jasper Peâ—cer they are to be seene with the causeâ— and occasions of dreames There were woâ—â— to be delivered from God himselfe oâ— his angels certaine dreames and visions unto the prophets and holy fathers according to the saying of Joel I will poure my spirit upon all flesh your young men shall dream dreames and your old men shall see visions These kind of dreames I say were the admonishments and forewarnings of God to his people as that of Joseph to abide with Mary his wife after she was conceived by the Holy Ghost as also to convey our Saviour Christ into Aegypt c. the interpretation whereof are the peculiar gifts of God which Joseph the patriarch and Daniel the prophet had most specially As for physical conjectures upon dreames the scriptures improve them not for by them the physitians many times do understand the state of their patients bodies For some of them come by meanes of choler flegme melancholy or blood and some by love surfet hunger thirst c. Galen and Boetius were said to deale with devils because they told so justly their patients dreames or rather by their dreames their special diseases Howbeit physical dreames are natural and the cause of them dwelleth in the nature of man For they are the inward actions of the mind in the spirits of the braine whilest the body is occupied with sleepe for as touching the minde it selfe it never sleepeth These dreams vary according to the difference of humors vapors There are also casual dreams which as Solomon saith come through the multitude of businesse For as a looking-glasse sheweth the image or figure thereunto opposite so in dreames the phantasie and imagination informes the understanding of such things as haunt the outward sense Whereupon the poet saith Somnia ne cures nam mens humana quod optat Dum vigil at sperans per somnum cernit id ipsum Regard no dreames for why the mind Of that in sleepe a view doth take Which it doth wish and hope to find At such time as it is awake CHAP. III. The opinion of divers old writers touching dreames and how they vary in noting the causes thereof SYnesius Themistius Democritus and others grounding themselves upon examples that chance hath sometimes verified perswade men that nothing is dreamed in vaine affirming that the heavenly influencies do bâ—ing forth divers formes in corporal matters and of the same influencies visions and dreames are printed in the fantastical power which is instrumental with a celestial disposition meete to bring forth some effect especially in sleepe when the mind being free from bodily cares may more liberally receive the heavenly influencies whereby many things are knowne to them sleeping in dreames which they that wake cannot see Plato attributeth them to the formes and ingendred knowledges of the soule Avicen to the last intelligence that moveth the moone through the light that lighteneth the fantasie in sleepe Aristotle to the phantastical sense Averroës to the imaginative Albert to the influence of superior bodies CHAP. IV. Against interpreters of dreames of the ordinary cause of dreamer Hemingius his opinion of diabolical dreames the interpretation of dreames ceased THere are bookes carried about concerning this matter under the name of Abraham who as Philo In lib. gigantum saith was the first inventor of the exposition of dreames and so likewise of Solomon and Daniel But Cicero In lib. de divinatione confuteth the vanity and folly of them that give credit to dreames And as for the interpreters of dreams as they know not before the dreame nor yet after any ceatainty yet when any thing afterwards happeneth then they apply the dreame to that which hath chanced Certainly men never lightly faâ—le to dreame by night of that which they meditate by day and by day they see divers and sundry things and conceive them severally in their minds Then those mixed conceits being laid up in the closet of the memory strive together which because the phantasie cannot discerne nor discusse some certaine thing gathered of many conceits is bred and contrived in one together And therefore in my opinion it is time vainly employed to study about the interpretation of dreames He that list to see the folly and vanity thereof may read a vaine treatise set out by Thomas Hill Londoneâ— 1568. Lastly there are diabolical dreames which Nicholaus Hemingius devideth into three sorts The first is when the devil immediately of himselfe he meaneth corporally offereth any matter of dreame Secondly when the devil sheweth revelations to them that have made request unto him therefore Thirdly when magicians by art bring to passe that other men dreame what they will Assuredly these and so all the rest as they may be used are very magicall and devilish dreames For although we may receive comfort of minde by those which are called divine dreames and health of body through physical dreames yet if we take upon us to use the office of God in the revelation or rather the interpretation of them or if we attribute unto them miraculous effects now when we see the gifts of prophesie and of interpretation of dreames and also the operation of miracles are ceased which were special and peculiar gifts of God to confirme the truth of the word and to establish his people in the faith of the Messias who is now exhibited unto us both in the testament and also in the blood of our Saviour Jesus Christ we are bewitched and both abuse and offend the majesty of God and also seduce delude and cousen all such as by our perswasion and their own light beleefe give us
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
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
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
Secondly apostasie is laid to their charge whereby it is inferred that they are worthy to dy But apostasie is where any of sound judgement forsake the gospell learned and well known unto them and do not onely imbrace impiety and infidelity but oppugne and resist the truth erstwhile by them professed But alas these poor women go not about to defend any impiety but after good admonition repent Thirdly they would have them executed for seducing the people But God knoweth they have small store of Rhetorike or arâ— to seduce except to tell a tale of Robin good fellow to be deceived and seduced Neither may their age or sex admit that opinion or accusation to be just for they themselves are poor seduced soules I for my part as else-where I have said have proved this point to be false in most apparent sort Fourthly as touching the accusation which all the writers use herein against them for their carnall copulation with Incubus the folly of menâ— credulity is as much to be wondered at and derided as the others vaine and impossible confessions For the devil is a spirit and hath neither flesh nor bones which were to be used in the performance of this action And since he also lacketh all instruments substance and seed ingendred of blood it were folly to stay overlong in the confutation of that which is not in the nature of things And yet must I say somewhat herein because the opinion hereof is so strongly and universally received and the fables hereupon so innumerable whereby M. Mal. Bodin Hemingiuâ— Hyperius Danaeus Erastus and others that take upon them to write herein are so abused or rather seek to abuse others as I wonder at their fond credulity in this behalfe For they affirme undoubtedly thâ—â— the devil playeth Succubus to the man and carryeth from him the seed of generation which he delivereth as Incubus to the woman who many times that way is gotten with child which will very naturally they say become a witch and such a one they affirme Merline was CHAP. XX. A request to such readers as are loth to hear or read filthy and bawâ— masters which of necessity are here to be inserted to passe over eight chapters BUt insomuch as I am driven for the more manifest bewraying and â—â—â—â—playing of this most filthy and horrible error to stain my paper wiâ—â— writing thereon certaine of their beastly and bawdy assertions and examples whereby they confirme this their doctrine being my selfe both ashamed and loth once to think upon such filthinesse although it be to the condemnation thhereof I must intreat you that are the readers hereof whose chaste eares cannot well endure to hear of such abhominable lecheries as are gathered out of he books of those witch-mongers although doctors of divinity and otherwise of great authority and estimation to turne over a few leaves wherein I say I have like a groome thrust their bawdy stuffe even that which I my selfe loath as into a stinking corner howbeit none otherwise I hope but that the other parts of my writing shall remain sweet and this also covered as close as may be The fourth Book CHAP. I. Of witchmongers opinions concerning evil spirits how they frame themselves in more excellent sort than God made us IAmes Sprenger and Henry Institor in M. Mal. agreeing with Bodin Barth Spineus Danaeus Erastus Hemingius and the rest do make a bawdy discourse labouring to prove by a foolish kind of philosophie that evill spirits cannot onely take earthly formes and shapes of men but also counterfeit hearing seeing c. and likewise that they can eat and devour meats and also retaine digest and avoid the same and finally use diverse kinds of activities but specially excell in the use and art of venery For M. Maâ— saith that the eyes and eares of the mind are farre more subtill than bodily eyes or carnall eares Yea it is there affirmed that as they take bodies and the likenesse of members so they take minds and similitudes of their operations But by the way I would have them answeâ—â—ed this question Our minds and soules are spirituall things 〈◊〉 our corporall ears be stopped what can they hear or conceive of any eâ—ternall wisdome And truly a man of such a constitution of body 〈◊〉 they imagine of these spirits which make themselves c. were of 〈◊〉 more excellent substance c. than the bodies of them that God made in paradise and so the devils workman-ship should exceed the handâ— work of God the father and Creator of all things CHAP. II. Of bawdy Incubus and Succubus and whether the action of venery 〈◊〉 be performed between witches and devils and when witches first yielded to Incubus HEretoâ—ore they say Incubus was fain to ravish women against theâ—â—â—ill untill Anno. 1400. but now since that time witchesconseâ— willing to their desires Insomuch as some one witch exercised that 〈◊〉 of lechery with Incubus twenty or thirty yeares together as was confeâ—sessed by fourty and eight witches burned at Ravenspurge But what goodâ—ly fellowes Incubus be getteth upon these witches is proved by Thoâ—â— of Aquine Bodin M. Mal. Hyperius c. This is proved first by the devill cunning in discerning the difference of the seed which falleth from men Secondly by his understanding oâ— the aptnesse of the women for the receipt of such seed Thirdly by his knowledge of the constellations which are friendly to such corporall oâ—â—iects And lastly by the excellent complexion of such as the devâ—â— maketh choice of to beget such notable personages upon as are the causes of the greatnesse and excellency of the child thus begotten And to prove that such bawdy doings betwixt the devil and witches is not fained S. Augustine is alledged who saith that All superstitious arts had their beginning of the pestiferous society betwixt the divell and man Wherein he saith truely for that in paradise betwixt the devill and man all wickednesse was so contrived that man ever since hath studied wicked arts yea and the devill will be sure to be at the middle and at both ends of every mischief But that the devill ingendreth with a woman in manner and form as is supposed and naturally begetteth the wicked neither is it true nor Augustines meaning in this place Howbeit M. Mal. proceedeth affirming that All witches take their beginning from such filthy actions wherein the devill in likenesse of a pretty wench lieth prostitute as Succubus to the man and retaining his nature and seed conveyeth it unto the witch to whom he delivereth it as Incubus Wherein also is refuted the opinion of them that hold a spirit to be unpalpable M. Mal. saith There can be rendred no infallible rule though a probable distinction may be set down whether Incubus in the act of venery do alwayes powre seed out of his assumed body And this is the distinction Either she is old and barren or young and pregnant If
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
encounter withcraft by witchcraft for saith he there can be none inconvenience therein because the overthrower of witchcraft assenteth not to the works of the devil And therefore he saith further that it is meritorious so to extinguish and overthrow the devils works As though he should say It maketh no matter though S. Paul say Non facies malum ut inde veniat bonum Thou shalt not do evil that good may come thereof Lombertus saith that witchcraft may be taken away by that meanswhereby it was brought But Gofridus inveyeth sore against the oppugners thereof Pope Nicholas the fifth gave indulgence and leave to bishop Miraties who was so bewitched in his privities that he could not use the gift of venery to seeke remedy at witches hands And this was the clause of his dispensation Vt ex duobus malis fugiatur majus that of two evils the greater should be avoided And so a witch by taking his doublet cured him and killed the other witch as the story saith which is to be seene in M. Mal. and divers other writers CHAP. XX. Who are priviledged from witches what bodies are aptest to be bewitched or to be witches why women are rather witches than men and what they are NOw if you will know who and what persons are priviledged from witches you must understand that they be even such as cannot be bewitched In the number of whom first be the inquisitors and such as exercise publique justice upon them Howbeit a Justice in Essex whom for divers respects I have left unnamed not long since thought he was bewitched in the very instant whiles he examined the witch so as his leg was broken thereby c. which either was false or else this rule untrue or both rather injurious unto Gods providence Secondly such as observe duly the rites ceremonies of the holy church worship them with reverence through the sprinkling of holy water and receiving consecrated salt by the lawful use of candle hallowed on Candlemas day and greene leaves consecrated on palme sunday which things they say the church useth for the qualifying of the devils power are preserved from witchcraft Thirdly some are preserved by their good angels which attend and waite upon them But I may not omit here the reasons which they bring to prove what bodies are the more apt effectual to execute the art of fascination And that is first they say the force of celestiall bodies which indifferently communicated their vertues unto men beasts trees stones c. But this gift and naturall influence of fascination may be increased in man according to his affections and perturbations as through anger feare love hate c. For by hate saith Vairus entereth a firy inflamation into the eye of man which being violently sent out by beames and streames c. infect and bewitch those bodies against whom they are opposed And therefore he saith in the favour of women that is the cause that women are oftner found to be witches than men For saith he they have such an unbridled force of fury and concupiscence naturally that by no meanes it is possible for them to temper or moderate the same So as upon every trifling occasion they like brute beasts fix ther furious eyes upon the party whom they bewitch Hereby it cometh to passe that whereas women having a marvellous fickle nature what griefe soever happeneth unto them immediately all peaceablenesse of minde departeth and they are so troubled with evil humours that out go their venemous exhalatinos ingendred thorough their ill-favoured diet and increased by means of their pernicious excrements which they expel Women are also saith he monethly filled full of superfluous humours and with them the melancholike blood boileth whereof spring vapours and are carried up and conveyed through the nostrels and mouth c. to the bewitching of whatsoever it meeteth For they belch up a certaine breath wherewith they bewitch whomsoever they liâ—t And of all other women leane hollow-eyed old beetlebrowed women saith he are the most infectious Marry he saith that hot subtil and thinne bodies are most subject to be bewitched if they be moist and all they generally whose veines pipes and passages of their bodies are open And finally he saith that all beautiful things whaâ—soever are sooâ— subject to be bewitched as namely goodly young men faire women such as are naturally borne to be rich goodly beasts faire horses ranke corn beautiful trees c. Yea a friend of his told him that he saw one with his eye break a precious stone in peeces And all this he telleth as soberly as though it were true And if it were true honest women may be witches in despight of all inquisitors neither can any avoid being a witch except she lock her selfe up in a chamber CHAP. XXI What miracles withmongers report to have been done by witches words c. contradictions of witchmongers among themselves how beasts are cured hereby of bewitched butter a charme against witches and a counter-charme the effect of charmes and words proved by L. Vairus to be wonderfull IF I should go about to recite all charmes I should take an infinite work in hand For the witching writers hold opinion that any thing almost may be thereby brought to passe and that whether the words of the charm be understandable or not it skilleth not so the charmer gave a steddy intention to bring Lis desire about And then what is it that cannot be done by words For L. Vairus saith that old women have infeebled and killed children with words and have made women with child miscarry they have made men pine away to death they have killed horses deprived sheep of their milk transformed men into beasts flown in the aire tamed and stayed wild beasts driven all noisom cattel and vermine from corne vines and herbs stayed serpents c. and all with words Insomuch as he saith that with certain words spoken in a bulls eare by a witch the bull hath fallen down to the ground as dead Yea some by vertue of words have gone upon a sharpe sword and walked upon hot glowing coles without hurt with words saith he very heavy weights and burthens have been lifted up and with words wild horses and wild bulls have been tamed and also mad dogs with words they have killed wormes and other vermine and staied all manner of bleedings and fluxes with words all the diseases in mans body are healed and wounds cured arrowes are with wonderful strangenesse and cunning plucked out of mens bones Yea saith he there be many that can heal all bitings of dogs or stingings of Serpents or any other poison and all with nothing but words spoken And that which is most strange he saith that they can remedy any stranger and him that is absent with that very sword wherewith they are wounded Yea and that which is beyond all admiration if they stroke the sword upwords with their
English word for word HOly Margaret required of God that shee might have a conflict face to face with her secret enemy the divell and rising from prayer she saw a terrible dragon that would have devoured her but she made the sign of the crosse and the dragon burst in the midst Afterwards she saw another man sitting like a Niger having his hands bound fast to his knees she taking him by the hair of the head threw him to the ground and set her foot on his head and her prayers being made a light shined from heaven into the prison where she was and the crosse of Christ was seen in heaven with a dove sitting thereon who said blessed art thou O Margaret the gates of Paradise attend thy comming Then she giving thanks to God said to the divell Declare to me thy name The divell said Take away thy foot from my head that I may be able to speak and tell thee which being done the divell said I am Veltis one of them whom Salomon shut in the brazen vessell and the Babylonians comming and supposing there had been gold therein brake the vessell and then we flew out ever since lying in wait to annoy the just But seeing I have recited a part of her story you shall also have the end thereof for at the time of her execution this was her prayer following Grant therefore O father that whosoever writeth readeth or heareth my passion or maketh memoriall of me may deserve pardon for all his sins whosoever calleth on me being at the point of death deliver him out of the hands of his adversaries And I also require O Lord that whosoever shall build a church in the honour of me or ministreth unto me any candles of his just labour let him obtain whatsoever he asketh for his health Deliver all women in travell that call upon me from the danger thereof Her prayer ended there were many great thunder claps and a dove came down from heaven saying Blessed art thou O Margaret the spouse of Christ. Such things as thou hast asked are granted unto thee therefore come thou into everlasting rest c. Then the hangman though she did bid him refused to cut off her head to whom she said Except thou doe it thou canst have no part with me and then loe he did it c. But sithence I have been and must be tediouss I thought good to refresh my reader with a lamentable story depending upon the matter precedent reported by many grave authors word for word in manner and form following CHAP. XXXV A delicate story of a Lombard who by S. Margarets example would needs fight with a reall divell THere was after a sermon made wherein this story of S. Margaret was recited for in such stuffe consisted not only their service but also their sermons in the blind time of popery there was I say a certain young man being a Lombard whose simplicity was such as he had no respect unto the commodity of worldly things but did altogether affect the salvation of his soule who hearing how great S. Margarets triumph was began to consider with himself how full of sleights the divell was And among other things thus he said O that God would suffer that the divell might fight with me hand to hand in visible form I would then surely in like manner overthrow him and would fight with him till I had the victory And therefore about the twelf houre he went out of the towne and finding a convenient place where to pray secretly kneeling on his knees he prayed a mong other things that God would suffer the divell 〈◊〉 appear unto him in visible form that according to the example of S. Margaret he might overcome him in battell And as he was in the midst of his prayers there came into that place a woman with a hook in her hand 〈◊〉 gather certaine hearbs which grew there who was dumb born And when shee came into the place and saw the young man among the hearbs on 〈◊〉 knees she was afraid and waxed pale and going back she rored in 〈◊〉 sort as her voice could not be understood and with her head and 〈◊〉 made threatning signes unto him The young man seeing such an ilâ—â—voured foul quean that was for age decrepit and full of wrinckles 〈◊〉 a long body lean of face pale of colour with ragged clothes crying very loud and having a voice not understandable threatning him with the hook which she carryed in her hand he thought surely she had been no woman but a divell appearing unto him in the shape of a woman and though God had heard his prayers For the which causes he fell upon her lustâ—ly and at length threw her downe to the ground saying Art thou 〈◊〉 thou cursed divell art thou come No no thou shalt not overâ—â—â— mee in visible fight whom thou hast often overcome in invisible â—â—â—â—tations And as he spake these words he caught her by the hair and drew her about beating her sometimes with his handsâ— sometimes with his 〈◊〉 and sometimes with the hook so long and wounded her so sore that 〈◊〉 left her a dying At the noise whereof many people came running unto them and seeing what was done they apprehended the young man and thrust him into a vise prison S. Vincent by vertue of his holinesse understanding all this matter caused the body that seemed dead to bee brought unto him and thereupon according to his manner he laid his hand upon her who immediately revived and he called one of his chaplains to hear her confession But they that were present said to the man of God that it were altogether in vain so to doe for that she had been from her nativity dumb and could neither hear nor undeâ—stand the priest neither could in words confesse her sins Notwithstanding S. Vincent had the priest hear her confession affirming that she should very distinctly speake all things unto him And therefore whatsoever the man of God commanded the priest did confidently accomplish and obey and as soon as the priest approached unto her to hear her confession she whom all Cathalonia knew to be dumb born spake and confessed her self pronouncing every word as distinctly as though she had never been dumb After her confession she required the eucharist and extream unction to be ministred unto her and at length she commended her selfe to God and in the presence of all that came to see that miracle she spake as long as shee had any breath in her body The young man that killed her being saved from the gallows by S. Vincents means and at his intercession departed home into Italy This story last rehearsed is found in Speculo exemplorum and repeated also by Robert Carocul bishop of Aquinas and many others and preached publikely in the church of Rome CHAP. XXXVI The story of Saint Margaret proved to be both ridiculous and impious in every point FIrst that the story of
never 〈◊〉 shrowds and shelters for the time and be they with never so much â—â—telousnesse and subtill circumspection clouded and shadowed yet will they at length be manisfestly detected by the light according to that old rimed verse Quicquid nix celat solis calor omne revelat What thing soever snow doth hide Heat of the sunne doth make it spide And according to the verdict of Christ the true Nazarite who never told untruth but who is the substances and groundworke of truth it selfe saying Nihil est tam occulium quod non sit detegendum Nothing is so secret but it shall be knowne and revealed THE xvj Booke CHAP. I. A conclusion in manner of an epilogue repeating many of the former absurdities of witchmongers conceipts confutations thereof and of the authority of James Sprenger and Henry Institor inquisitors and compilers of M. Mal. HItherto you have had delivered unto you that which I have conceived and gathered of this matter In the substance and principall parts whereof I can see no difference among the writers hereupon of what country condition estate or religion so ever they be but I find almost all of them to agree in unconstancy fables and impossibilities scratching out of M. Mal. the substance of all their arguments so as their authors being disapproved they must coine new stuffe or go to their grandams maids to learne more old wives tales whereof this art of witchcraft is contrived But you must know that Iames Sprenger and Henry Institor whom I have had occasion to alledge many times were copartners in the composition of that profound and learned booke called Malleus Maleficarum and were the greatest doctors of that art out of whom I have gathered matter and absurditie enough to confound the opinions conceived of witchcraft although they were allowed inquisitors and assigned by the pope with the authority and commendation of all the doctors of the university of Collen c. to call before them to emprison to condemne and to execute witches and finally to seaze and confiscate their goods These two doctors to maintaine their credit and to cover their injuries have published those same monstrous lies which have abused all Christendome being spread abroad with such authority as it will be hard to suppresse the credit of their writings be they never so ridiculous and false Which although they maintaine and stir up with with their owne praises yet men are so bewitched as to give credit unto them For proof whereof I remember they write in one place of their said book that by reason of their severe proceedings against witches they suffered intolerable assaults specially in the night many times finding needles sticking in their biggens which were thither conveyed by witches charmes and through their innocency and holinesse they say they were ever miraculously preserved from hurt Howbeit they affirm that they will not tell all that might make to the manifestation of their holinesse for then should their owne praise stink in their owne mouths And yet God knoweth their whole book containeth nothing but stinking lies and popery Which groundwork and foundation how weak and wavering it is how unlike to continue and how slenderly laid a child may soone discerne and perceive CHAP. II. By what means the common people have been made beleeve in the miraculous workes of witches a definition of witchcraft and a description thereof THe common people have been so assotted and bewitched with whatsoeever poets have faigned of witchcraft either in earnest in jest or else in derision and with whatsoever lowd liers and couseners for their pleasures herein have invented and with whatsoever tales they have heard from old doting women or from their mothers maids and with whatsoever the grandfoole their ghostly father or any other morrow masse priest had informed them and finally with whatsoever they have swallowed up through tract of time or through their owne timerous nature or ignorant conceipt concerning these matters of hags and witches as they have so setled their opinion and credit thereupon that they think it herefie to doubt in any part of the matter specially because they find this word witchcraft expressed in the scriptures which is as to defend praying to saints because Sanctus Sanctus Sanctus is written in â—â— Deum And now to come to the definition of witchcraft which hitherto I did defer and put off purposely that you might perceive the true nature thereof by the circumstances and therefore the rather to allow of the same seeing the variety of other writers Witchcraft is in truth a cousening art wherein the name of God is abused prophaned and blasphemed and his power attributed to a vile creature In estimation of the vulgár people it is a supernaturall work contrived between a corporall old woman and a spirituall divell The manner thereof is so secret mysticall and strange that to this day there bath never been any credible witnesse thereof It is incomprehensible to the wise learned or faithfull a probable matter to children fools melancholick persons and papists The trade is thought to be impious The effect and end thereof to be sometimes evill as when thereby man or beast grasse trees or corn c. is hurâ— sometimes good as whereby sick folks are healed theeves bewrayed and true men come to their goods c. The matter and instruments wherewith it is accomplished are words charmes signes images characters c. The which words although any other creature doe pronounce in manner and form as they doe leaving out no circumstance requisite or usuall for that action yet none is said to have the grace or gift to perform the matter except she be a witch and so taken either by her own a consent or by others imputation CHAP. III. Reasons to prove that words and characters are but bables and that witches cannot doe such things as the multitude supposeth they can their greatest wonders proved trifles of a young gentleman cousened THat words characters images and such other trinkers which are thought so necessary instruments for witchcraft as without the which no such thing can be accomplished are but bables devised by couseners to abuse the people withall I trust I have sufficiently proved And the same may be further and more plainly perceived by these short and compendious reasons following First in that the Turks and infidels in their witchcraft use both other words and other characters than our witches doe and also such as are most contrary In so much as if ours beeâ— bad in reason theirs should be good If their witches can doe anything ours can doe nothing For as our witches are said to renounce Christ and despise his sacraments so doe the other forsake Mahomet and his laws which is one large step to christianity It is also to be thought that all witches are couseners when mother Bungie a principall witch so reputed tryed and condemned of all men and continuing in that exercise
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
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