A Candle in the Dark SHEWING The Divine Cause of the distractions of the whole Nation of ENGLAND and of the Christian WORLD That is the Lord doth Avenge the blood of the Innocent upon the Inhabitants of the Earth Iustitia Thronam firmat The King that faithfully judgeth the poor his Throne shall be established Prov. 29.14 This Book is profitable to bee read by all Iudges of Assizes before they passe the sentence of Condemnation against poor People who are accused for Witchcraft It is also profitable for all sorts of people to read who desire Knowledge By THOMAS ADY M. A. LONDON Printed for Robert Ibb'tson dwelling in Smithfield neer Hosier Lane End 1655. The Reason of the Book THe Grand Errour of these latter Ages is ascribing power to Witches and by foolish imagination of mens brains without grounds in the Scriptures wrongfull killing of the innocent under the name of Witches unto which Idolatry and bloud-guiltiness being as bad or worse than the Idolatry of the ancient Heathen men are led as violently by fond imagination as were the Ephesians to the worshipping of Diana and of the Image which as they blindly thought fell down from Jupiter Acts 19.35 It is reported by Travellers that some People in America do worship for a day the first living Creature they see in the morning be it but a Bird or a Worm this Idolatry is like the Idolatry of this part of the World who when they are afflicted in Body or Goods by Gods hand they have an eye to some Mouse or Bugg or Frog or other living Creature saying It is some Witches Impe that is sent to afflict them ascribing the Work of God to a Witch or any mean Creature rather than to God Mr. Scot published a Book called his Discovery of Witchcraft in the beginning of the Reign of Queen Elizabeth for the instruction of all Iudges and Iustices of those times which Book did for a time take great impression in the Magistracy and also in the Clergy but since that time England hath shamefully fallen from the Truth which they began to receive wherefore here is again a necessary and illustrious discourse for the Magistracy and other People of this Age where I intreat all to take notice that many do falsly report of Mr. Scot that he held an Opinion that Witches are not for it was neither his Tenent neither is it mine but that Witches are not such as are commonly executed for Witches A Candle in the Dark The First Book shewing what Witches are in the Scripture-sence throughout the Old and New Testament The Second Book shewing how grosly the Scriptures have been mis-interpreted by Antichrist concerning Witches by which interpretation he hath made the Nations go astray With a confutation of those Errours The Third Book touching some erroneous English Writers who have upheld the same Errours which Antichrist hath broaâ—hed to the world Also the Works of a Scotch-man called The VVorks of King Iames. With an addition of fifteen Causes also a reference to Scot and also the opinion of Luther concerning Devils Also an instruction to Lawyers Errata PAge 11. line 3. for Magnus read Magus p. 15. 1. 2â— for 6 Chron. r. 2 Chro. p 22. 1. 1. for Prophâ—ts r. Prophetâ—ss p 28. 1. 23 for magis r. magi p. 30. 1. 11. for inchâ—ntation r. incantation p. 38 1. 15. for little r. liâ—he 1. 19. for tax r. tap thrice in the same page in p 48. 1. 8. for Charms â— Charmer p. 76. 1. 33. for equivocâ—ely r equivocally p. 77. 1. 8. for Scopula r. Scapula over p 79. for Oracle giver r. â—outh sayer so over p. 87. Necromancer should not be The Second Book Pag. 92. 1. 5. for drew r. grew p. 96. 1. 10 for inquisitions r. inquisitors p. 106. 1. 8. tor superstitions r. suspicions p. 122. 1. 35 for quem r. quum p. 124. 1. 15. for an r. and p 129 1. 15. or preteâ—natual r preternatural p. 136. 1. 28. for any sort r. every other sort p. 145 1. 30 for discovered r. discoursed p. 146. 1. 36. for and by them cast on câ—n cure r. and by them can cast on or inflict and cure diseases p. 147. 1. 4. for send r. teach p. 170. 1 17 for endicat r. indicat Reader take notice that most of these faults are mended with Pen and Inke already TO THE Prince of the Kings of the Earth IT is the manner of men O heavenly King to dedicate their Books to some great men thereby to have their Works protected and countenanced among men but thou only art able by thy holy Spirit of Truth to defend thy Truth and to make it take impression in the heart and understanding of men Unto thee alone do I dedicate this Work intreating thy most High Majesty to grant That whoever shall open this Book thy holy Spirit may so possess their understanding as that the spirit of errour may depart from them and that they may read and try thy Truth by the touchstone of thy Truth the holy Scriptures and finding that Truth may embrace it and forsake these darksome inventions of Antichrist that have deluded and defiled the Nations now and in former Ages Enlighten the World thou that art the Light of the World and let Darkness be no more in the World now or in any future Age but make all people to walk as Children of the Light for ever and destroy Antichrist that hath deceived the Nations and save us the residue by thy self alone and let not Satan any more delude us for the Truth is thine for ever To the Reader SIR IF you be a courteous Reader I intreat you that what weaknesse and imperfections you shall think you espie in this Book from the Author thereof you passe them by for the Truths sake whereupon this Book treateth Secondly if you be so discourteous as to carp and censure then I intreat you to carp only at me and not at the Truth lest you resist the truth Thirdly I intreat you to Read my Book thorow before you cast it by for otherwise Sir it may argue weaknesse in your self to slight the Book before you see the Argument It is one of the vanities of the World to write many Books and when a man hath taken pains to write few men will take the pains to read which Solomon intimateth Eccle. 12.12 but Sir if you find no leasure to read and consider then I pray find no leasure to gainsay or to argue against Fourthly for all places of Scripture alledged in this Book if you shall search our English Translations and not find them to carry the sense which I drive at in my discourse I intreat you either to search the Originall or else to look upon the Latin Translations of Iunius and Tremellius which carry the true sense of the Originall as it was written by the Spirit of God Your Friend T. A. Non quis sed quid To the more Iudicious and Wise and Discreet part
sorts of witches are nominated by nine terms of description 10 Where is it written that there are any other sorts of Witches than such as are there described Deut. 18.10 11. 11 Where do we read of a he devill or a she devill called incubus or succubus that useth generation or copulation with Witches or VVitches with them 12 It is written Woe unto such as devour widdows houses and in a pretence make long prayers Matth. 23.14 13 It is written the Lord hateth the hand that sheddeth innocent blood and the fals witness that speaketh lies and the feet that are swift to do mischeif and a heart that deviseth wicked imaginations Pro. 6.17 18 19. 14 It is written shall there be evill in a City and the Lord hath not done it Amos. 3.6 15 It is written there is no God with me I kill and I make alive I wound and heal Deut. 32.39 and again the Lord killeth and maketh alive hee bringeth down to the grave and bringeth up the Lord maketh poore and maketh rich 1 Sam. 2.6 7. 16 It is written If ye were blind yee had had no sinne but now ye say ye see therefore your sinne remaineth Iohn 9.41 17 It is written Because they received not the love of the Truth that they might be saved therefore God shall send them strong delusions that they should beleeve lies that they might be damned that beleeved not the Truth but had pleasure in unrighteousness 2 Thes. 2.10 11 12. 18 It is written Thou shalt not raise a false report put not thy hand with the wicked to be an unrighteous witnesse Exodus 23.1 19 It is written If ye any way afflict the widdow or the fatherlesse and they cry at all unto me I will surely hear their cry and my wrath shal wax hot and I will kill you with the sword and your wives shall be widdows and your children fatherlesse Exodus 22.23 24. 20 It is written God saw that the imaginations of the thoughts of mens hearts were only evill continually it repented the Lord that he had made man therefore he destroyed the old world Gen. 6.5 6 7. Therefore you that are of the sacred order of the ministry that do use to cry to the people give ear with fear and reverence to the word of God as it is written in the text how dare ye teach for doctrin the traditions of Antichrist that are not written in the Book of God Whether do not some preferre the mad imaginations of Cornelius Agrippa and others before the Scriptures for the defending their opinions So much for my Dilemma now for the Text. A Candle in the Dark SHEVVING The Divine Cause of the distractions of the whole Nation of ENGLAND and of the Christian World Deuteronomy 18.10 11. LEt the Reader take notice that in all the Scriptures there is not any kind of Witch spoken of but such as are mentioned in these two verses which that every one may understand I will expound punctually not according to our English obscure translations but according to the true meaning and signification of the originall text as it was written by Moses in the Hebrew tongue and as it is truely translated for the better and easier satisfaction of many that have not knowledge in the Hebrew tongue by Iunius and Tremellius in their Latin Bible whether also I referre the Reader for all places of Scripture alledged in this Book and here I do in Gods name and in Zeal for his truth desire and intreat him that thinketh himself the learnedst Clerk to shew mee in all the Scriptures such a word as Striges or lamiae or any word of that signification importing such doctrins as have a long time defiled the Nations Deut. 18.10 11. Let there not be found among you any that maketh his sonne or his daughter to passe thorow the fire a user of divinations a planetarian or a Conjecturer or a Jugler Also a user of charmes or one that seeketh an Oracle or a South-sayer or one that asketh counsell of the dead The Latin translation is this Ne invenitor in te qui traducat filium suum aut siliam suam per ignem utens divinationibus planetarius aut conjector aut praestigiator Item utens incantatione aut requirens pythonem aut ariolus aut necromantis The Hebrew Text. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 And here is the Hebrew Text written in the Roman character with the construction of every word Lo jimatzae ne invenitor beca in te magnabir qui traducat beno filium suum uubitto aut filiam suam baese per ignem kosem kesamim divinans divinationes megnonen planetarius uumenachese aut conjector umechascscph aut praestigiator vechobhir chabher incantans incantatione vessoel ob requirens pythonem vejiddegnoni aut ariolus vedhorese el hamethim aut consulens mortuos so much for the Text. Exodus 22.18 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Mechascscepha lo thechajeh praestigiatricem non sines vivere There is also another word Hartumim in Exodus 4.17 Gen. 41 8. and in other places which is taken in the generall sense for Magnus a Magician that hath one or all these crafts or impostures yet by many it is restrained to the particular and often translated Ariolus being the most allowed signification for Arioli were called Magi being counted wise men and therefore the word is used for all sorts of Magicians these and all other words in the Scriptures concerning Witches are consonant to the words in the Text. The Text opened THe Text is verbatim according to the Originall as it was written by Moses in the Hebrew tongue which I will expound orderly and here is to be noted that in these two verses are nine sorts of Witches nominated by God unto Moses and the people to this end and purpose that whereas God hath chosen the people of Israel to be a peculiar church and people to himself he would be their only Counsellor to keep them in the way of wisdome and holinesse and therefore commandeth them in no wise to aske counsell of any but the true prophets and messengers of God as appeareth in the 14. and 15. verses of this chapter and because there were so many sorts of people in the world that did commonly abuse and usurp the office of Gods Prophets God describeth them in the 10. and 11. verses of this chapter by nine severall nominations or descriptions commanding them to shun and avoyd them as false Prophets and deceivers of the people for it was the manner of the heathen to seek unto such for counsell the Lord having cast out those heathen people for such abominable ways giveth his own people warning of all such ways to avoid them not to hearken to them namely to those nine sorts of witches or deceivers or false prophets or seducers of the people from God and his prophets to lying Idolatrous waies giveth them warning in the three last verses of the same chapter of all false Prophets whatsoever
heat of your body and it will make any mad Bull or other Cattel of that kinde to fly from you and to run very farre away from their pasture to the admiration of the beholders Take a peece of paper and rub one part of it with fresh Lemmon peele and dry it again a little and then dip your Pen in Inke that is made of stone blew steeped two or three days in cold water and write upon the place that had the tincture of the Lemmon peele and it will write a pure bright red and then with the same Pen and Inke write upon another place of the paper and it writeth blew whereby there is caused great admiration in the beholders to see a man with one Pen and one and the same Inke write red and blew Albartius Magnus and also Misaldus do write of many wonderful things that may be done by the knowledge of Natural causes or the secrets of Nature which although many of them be false yet for such as are true they may bee lawfully done and therein we may glorifie God in beholding the wonderful Works of his hands in the secret causes of things But now for the abuse of these things as namely by the doing of these things to seduce the people by making silly people beleeve we do them by a miraculous power thereby pretending our selves to be Prophets as did Simon Magus in the Acts this is right Jugling Witchcraft or to make the people beleeve that they are done by the power of some Idol thereby to seduce the people or any way to affront the Prophets by comparing them with true Miracles to withstand the truth as Pharaohs Magicians did were right Witchcraft So likewise for the Oyntment called Unguentum armarium or Weapon salve that is an Oyntment made of such ingredients as by anointing the Weapon wherewith a man or beast is wounded it healeth the Wound if it be true by certain experience as many Phisitians and Chyrurgions do affirm it may lawfully be used and we may glorifie God in the use of it who hath given such excellent secret qualities to the Creatures which are made for the use of man Also Iacob used the peeled rods which by their secret operation being set before the sheep in the heat of their Generation caused them by beholding them in their conceiving to conceive and bring forth party coloured Lambs but if any man shall use these secrets to this end to make the people beleeve they are Prophets and do them by a miraculous power that so they may seduce the people to errour under a. colour of working Miracles such men are seducing Witches Thus a Planetarian abusing the lawful Science of Astrologie may become a Witch not only under the notion of a Planetarian but of a Jugler as for instance Pedro Mexia a Spanish Historian writeth of one Columbus who coming to an Island in the new-found World called Hispaniola desired Traffick with the Natives for Victuals which they denying he told them they should all dye of the Plague and for a sign hereof they should see the Moon as red as bloud at such a time and contrary to her former condition afterward they beholding the Moon eclipsed at the same time fore-told by Columbus and knowing no rules of Astrologie they beleeved his words and craved pardon and brought him supply of Victuals This was but a remiss degree of deceiving Witch-craft or rather a Cheat because it tended not to Idolatry but yet in the act it self pretending falsly a miraculous power it was Jugling Witch-craft It is now fully demonstrated what a Jugler is in the Scripture sence but yet Moses mentioneth both Sexes in the Scriptures 〈◊〉 it is written Exod. 22.18 Praestigiatricem◠ne sinito vivere suffer not a Jugling Woman to live This is not any thing different in Nature from Praestigiator a Jugling man but only in Sex as if he had said As you ought not to suffer Jugling seducing men to live so likewise if there be a Woman found among you that useth this craft of working false Miracles to delude and seduce the people to Idolatry although she be the weaker Sex to whom mercy might seem to be due yet suffer her not to live all one in sence with that Levit. 20.27 where Witches of both Sexes are mentioned in one verse If a man or woman be a giver of Oracles or Divinations or a South-sayer they shall be put to death yet whereas Moses in all the Law speaketh more fully of Witches in the Masculine than in the female Sex it confuteth that common tradition of people that Witches are most of the female Sex Here I am compelled for the satisfaction of some that are so weak in capacity that they will rather stand to cavil in a disputative way than to understand things that are not in themselves disputative but demonstrative to demonstrate some few of the most admired Tricks of common Jugling First A Jugler knowing the common tradition and foolish opinion that a familiar Spirit in some bodily shape must be had for the doing of strange things beyond the Vulgar capacity he therefore carrieth about him the skin of a Mouse stopped with feathers or some like Artificial thing and in the hinder part thereof sticketh a small springing Wire of about a foot long or longer and when he begins to act his part in a Fayr or a Market before Vulgar people he bringeth forth his Impe and maketh it spring from him once or twice upon the Table and then catcheth it up saying would you be gone I will make you stay and play some Tricks for me before you go and then he nimbly sticketh one end of the Wire upon his waste and maketh his Impe spring up three or four times to his shoulder and nimbly catcheth it and pulleth it down again every time saying Would you be gone in troth if you be gone I can play no Tricks or Feats of Activity to day and then holdeth it fast in one hand and beateth it with the other and slily maketh a squeeking noyse with his lips as if his Impe cried and then putteth his Impe in his breeches or in his pocket saying I will make you stay would you be gone Then begin the silly people to wonder and whisper then he sheweth many slights of activity as if he did them by the help of his Familiar which the silliest sort of beholders do verily beleeve amongst which he espyeth one or other young Boy or Wench and layeth a tester or shilling in his hand wetted and biddeth him hold it fast but whilst the said Boy or silly Wench thinketh to enclose the peece of silver fast in the hand he nimbly taketh it away with his finger and hasteneth the holder of it to close his hand saying Hold fast or it will be gone and then mumbleth certain words and crieth by the vertue of Hocus Pocus hay passe prestor be gone now open your hand and the silly Boy or Wench and the
the truth of God contained in the Scripture and this is the cause why men a long time have been deceived by the Man of Sin who still prevaileth to lead the World in darkness because they love not the truth but have pleasure in unrighteousness 2 Tâ—es 2.10 11 12. for this man of sin that Whore of Rome being the grand Witch of the Christian world pointed at Revel 18.23 that hee might still have freedom to deceive the Nations hath broached this Doctrin wherewith he hath defiled the world that a Witch is not a false Prophet or a Deceiver but one that can send the Devil to kill men and women and children and to make the ground barren and men and women barren in Generation and kill the children in the Wombe and can with looks kill Lambs and Cattel and can fly in the Air and can do many things by the help of the Devil which things are not possible to be done by any power but by the mighty power of God We may read of the Priests of the Idol Astaroth that were indeed real Witches in the Scripture sense who professed to do such things by the power of their Idol but were discovered by Bartholomaeus the Apostle to be deceivers of the people by the Devils subtil delusions who ruled in their hearts so they with their Idol were destroyed and many people converted to the Christian Faith Hendorfius in the fifth page of his Theater of History his words are these Bartholomâ—eus Idolum Astaroth evertit fraudes Satanae qui miraculis homines effacinatos morbis jam premebat jam pressos levabat detexit c. And where do we read in Holy Writ or common History that saver of truth that men by Devils could do such things really and to uphold such errours contrary to Scripture what is this but meer prevarication with the truth and resisting Gods holy Spirit of truth Where do we finde any such thing in Scriptures or any such description of a VVitch or that a VVitch was such a one as hath made a League with the Devil and sealed it with his bloud or hath Imps sucking him or Biggs or privie Marks or that lyeth with Incubus or Succubus or any such phrase or expression in all the Scriptures VVhat least inkling have we of these things in all the Scriptures VVhence received the Church of England this Doctrin O foolish England who hath bewitched you that you should not obey the truth Surely it was the Pope This groundless impious and fantastical Doctrin was never taught by Gods Prophets but that VVitch the Pope knowing in his Conscience that he is the very VVitch the Deceiver of the Nations pointed at in the Revelations and that the Scriptures were so plain that by the light thereof his devillish delusions must needs come to light if the VVorld should have true insight into the Scriptures and so that by that means all Nations would rise up on him and destroy him he not only laboured to hide the Scriptures from the common people which he did for a long time but also hath been so bold as to prevaricate with the Scriptures and to publish through the Nations that VVitches were to be understood no Deceivers but such as practised such wonderful things as the Scripture teacheth us that the doing thereof ought to be attributed to no Creature but only to the Creator as Pope Innocent the eighth to the Inquisitors of Almain and Pope Iulius the second to the Inquisitors of Bergoman sent those words It is come to our ears that many lewd persons of both kinds as well male as female using the company of the Devils Incubus and Succubus with Incantations and Conjurations do destroy the birth of VVomen with childe the young of all Cattel the Corn of the field the Grapes of the Vine the fruit of the Trees Men and VVomen and all kinde of Cattel and beasts of the field and with their said Inchantments do wholly extinguish suffocate and spoyl all Vine-yards Orchyards Meadows Pastures Grass green Corn ripe Corn and all other provisions men and women are by their imprecatioâ—s so afflicted with external and inward pains and diseases that men cannot beget nor women bring forth nor accomplish the duty of VVedlock denying the faith which in Baptism they profess to the destruction of their souls Our pleasure therefore is That all inpediments that may hinder the Inquisitors Office be removed from among the people lest this blot of Heresie proceed to defile them that be yet innocent and therefore we do ordain by vertue of the Apostical authority that our Inquisitors of high Almain may execute the Office of Inquisition by all Tortures and Afflictions in all places and upon all persons VVhat Scripture had the Pope for this we read indeed of such Fictions in the Poets as in Ovids Metamorph. 7. Cum volui ripis ipsis mirantibus amnes In foâ—tes redire suos concussaque sisto Stantia concutio cantu freta nubila pello Nubilaque induco ventos abigoque vocoque Vipereas rumpo verbis carmine fauces Vivaque saxa sua convulsaque roboraterra Et sylvaâ—â—ovea â—ubeoque tremiscere montes Et â—â—ngire solum manesque exire Sepulchris Te quoque Luna trabo The Rivers I can make retire into the Fountains whence they flow Whereat the banks themselves admire I can make standâ—ng waters go With Charms I drive both Sea and Cloud I make it calm and blow aloud The Vipers jaws the rockie stone with Word and Charm I break in twain The force of earth congeal'd in one I move the Woods th' Hills tremble plain I make the souls of men arise I pluck the Moon out of the skies Also Ovid de Medea Epist. 4. Et miserum tenues in jecur urget acus She sticketh also Needles fine In livers whereby men do pine Also Virgil Nescio quis teneros oculus mihi fascinat agnos I know not whence some fierce bewitching eye With looks doth kill my Lambkins as they lye These are the Popes Scriptures whereon he groundeth his groundless inventions to torment the Christian VVorld and upon these grounds being inventions and pastimes of Poets hath he sent out Inquisitors in all places to torment from thence is the Spanish Inquisition which maketh search for Hereticks and VVitches all as one and now lest the world should take notice that his daily practice is to torment and kill Reformists and so his Villany ring the more in the ears of the world he hath joyned as equivocal with the word Heretiques VVitches a more ignominious name thereby to instigate people the more against them and so by this means will not be seen to kill men for matter of Religion for then men would resist and help one another but under the name of VVitches he melteth away every one that hath but a smell of the reformed Religion and the world perceiveth it not this is that Grand Witch the VVhore of Rome the Pope and his train And these
to get the mastery of the Spirit of truth and whether this Work was either composed by King Iames or by the Bishop may be very well suspected or rather by some Scotish man blinded by some Scotish Mist who desired to set forth his own Tenents for the upholding of Popish errours and Popish Writers sufficiently confuted before by Scot in his Discovery of Witchcraft he not being able any whit to answer Scot in his Discourse laboureth to uphold false Tenents and Doctrins by the authority of a King because he could not finde any thing in the Scriptures to uphold them or to answer Scot as wee may read in the Preface that his whole aime is at Scot whom he falsly chargeth with the Tenent and Affirmation That there is no such thing as Witchcraft whereas Scot in all his whole Book saith no such thing but only that Witchcraft is a craft of deceiving and seducing the people and not of killing and making barren and raising Winds and such like Inventions he that readeth that Preface and seeth how Scot is first and chiefly aimed at in the whole Work might presently expect that in the Work he should finde Scot notably confuted or at the least in some way answered but reading over the VVork he shall finde not one thing or other answered at all but only a bare affirmation of such Tenents without any ground or warrant of the Scripture which Tenents were confuted by Scot by the Scriptures so that for any man to answer that Work of the Author at large were only to do that which Scot hath already done in confuting Bodinus and others and whereas this Author pretendeth a refutation of Scot he hath done nothing else but written again the same Tenents that Bodinus and others had before written and were by Scot confuted like an obstinate Disputant that rather than he will not hold his Argument though never so foolish he will deny the Conclusion One Disputant wisely and plainly proveth that a thing is and the other foolishly saith still it is not or one proveth that a thing is not and the other foolishly still saith it is by which way of arguing a childe may hold an Argument against a learned Doctor though never so false Yet for the answering of the Tenents of this Author in that Work First he saith in his first Book as also in the Preface That Witches can by the help of the Devil cause to be brought unto them all kindes of dainty Dishes for their delicious maintenance and yet say I how many poor lean starved people have been executed in several places for Witches and for the truth of this Doctrin he bringeth no place of Scripture to prove it but only affirmeth it to bee true for these reasons First The Devil is a Thief and delighteth to steal Secondly He is a Spirit and therefore can subtilly and suddenly transport the same from whence and whither hee will by which way of argument rejecting the Scriptures a man may affirm for truth any vain imagination be it as absurd as this former as that the Devil is a Thief and therefore hath a Mountain of Gold which he hath taken out of every mans Purse and heaped up in Hell which he being a Spirit hath easily transported from the earth and therefore are so many men hastening to Hell because there is abundance of Gold But if such foolish Arguments as these were of any force what need then any Scripture to teach us the truth But if we examine the truth of this Doctrin by the Scriptures it will prove for want of ground in Scripture very phantastical and in opposition to the truth of the Scriptures very blasphemous for hereby we should yeeld still that what was done by the Angel of God in miraculous manner bringing food to Elijah 1 King 19.6 may be done by the Devil bringing variety of food to them that serve him and whereas God by a Miraculous hand brought his people through a barren Wilderness and fed them in that Wilderness the same thing might as well have been done by the Devil who saith he can bring his servants all manner of dainty dishes This that is already written were enough to disable and make voyd all the three Books of Daemonologie written by this Author but yet for the satisfaction of such as will expect a Methodical answer I will begin with his Works in order as they stand and in brief shew the vanity of them as for example he saith in his Epistle to the Reader Sorcery and VVitchcraft are different from Magick and Necromancy and yet in the first Chapter of the Second Book he saith the Maid spoken of in the sixteenth of the Acts was a VVitch because she had the spirit of Python and yet we finde in the Scripture that they that had the spirit of Python were also Necromancers how then can this distinction hold that VVitchcraft differeth from Necromancy for by that distinction a Pythonist were a VVitch and a Necromancer not a VVitch yet what was the Pythonist of Endor but a Necromancer pretending to consult with the dead and Necromancy was the pretence of all that were said to have the spirit of Python that was that they consulted with the Souls of the dead as in Plutarch and also in holy VVrit as in Isa. 8.19 it is manifest in any Tongue but our English which in Tremellius translation is to this sense for when they shall say unto you Ask counsel of those that have the spirit of Python or the imposture of Oracling and of South-sayers should not a people ask counsel of their God Shall they ask counsel of the dead for them that are living so then it is plain this distinction is wholly dissonant from Scripture and that this Author wrote not according to Scripture but by phantasy and imagination And now for his First Book and the whole discourse of it he layeth this foundation he produceth these places of Scripture to prove that there is such a thing as Witchcraft and Witches Exod. 22.18 1 Sam. 15.23 Acts 8. Acts 16. and here he never searcheth the sense and meaning of these Scriptures but proveth that Witches are which thing no man denyeth and yet mark but his proofs Exod. 22.18 which is taken for a Jugler or one that worketh false Miracles to deceive and seduce in the same sense is to be understood Acts 8.9 10. concerning Simon Magus who was a Jugler and Magician Jugling being one main part of Magick in the Scripture discourse such were Pharaohs Magicians which Magicians this Author distinguisheth from Witches and yet would prove by these places that there is such a thing as Witchcraft and Witches so likewise 1 Sam. 15.23 Rebellion is as the sin of Divination from hence hee would prove Witchcraft also and yet his distinction denieth that Necromancers whose main drift was to give Divinations by consulting with the dead are Witches and this is the sum of his first Chapter where any wise man