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ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A19798	A dialogue of witches, in foretime named lot-tellers, and novv commonly called sorcerers VVherein is declared breefely and effectually, vvhat soueuer may be required, touching that argument. A treatise very profitable ... and right necessary for iudges to vnderstande, which sit vpon lyfe and death. Written in Latin by Lambertus Danæus. And now translated into English.; De venificis quos olim sortilegos, nunc autem vulgo sortarios vocant, dialogus. English	Daneau, Lambert, ca. 1530-1595?; Twyne, Thomas, 1543-1613, attributed name.	1575 (1575)	STC 6226; ESTC S109219	58,911	164

contract And to conclude this is the summe of al their wickednesse But Satan distrusting the constancie of his seruauntes shortly after calleth them togither into a Diuelish Sinagoge and that he may also vnderstand of them howe well and diligently they haue fulfilled their office of intoxicating committed vnto them whō they haue slaine wherefore they méete togither in certen apointed places not al of them togither nor at once but certen of them whom he pleaseth to call so that he apointeth where they shall méete and at what houre of the day or of the night wherein they haue no surenes nor certentie For these méetinges are not weekely nor monthly nor yéerely but when and how often it shall séeme good to this their maister And many times himself warneth them to méete sometimes hée apoynteth others to warne them in his stéede But when he doth it himself he appeareth vnto them in likenesse of a man or in some other fourme whereby they may know him in so much that it hapneth many tymes that among a great company of men the Sorcerer only knoweth Satan that is present when other doo not know him although they see another man but who or what he is they know not But when he citeth them to appeare by any of his other disciples and Sorcerers vnto which appearance both tyme and place is apointed in which they must resort to their miserable méetinges and impious Synagoges which they call Satanicall Sabbathes then doo they méete And if any chance to pretend that the iourny is long or themselues weake and féeble and that they stand in feare and dread of men hee answeareth them sufficiently to all their excusations For he promiseth that himself wil conuay them thither that are so weak that they cannot trauaile of themselues which many tymes he doth by meanes of a staffe or rod which he deliuereth vnto thē or promiseth to doo it by force of a certen oyntment which he will geue them and sometimes he offreth them an horse to ride vpon But if they be yet affraid he sheweth them a meanes how they shall goe and not be seene during all the time of the iorney and come safely thither In the ende he cutteth away all pretences and excuses of absence and he sheweth thē these meanes bicause he woulde seeme to be more louing and carefull ouer them thereby to make them more bounde and beholding vnto him Thus whē they méete together he appeareth visibly vnto them in sundrie fourmes as the head chiefe of that congregation Sometime he talketh with them in shape of a man sometime like a most filthy bucke goate and sometime in other licknesses Then doe they all repeate the othe which they haue geuen vnto him in acknowledging him to be their God thē fal they to dauncing wherin he leadeth the daunce or els they hoppe and daunce merely about him singing most filthy songes made in his prayse Whiche beeing all finished then he demaundeth agayne of them what they woulde require of him and what poysons they lacke to intoxicate any man And as any of them vttereth the cankred request of their poysoned stomack against any man so doth he shew them a meanes to reuenge For vnto some he geueth poysons ready made and others he teacheth howe to make and mingle new Unto others he geueth certay●● tokens and charecters and wordes or oyntments by vertue whereof he promiseth them they shall foreknowe moste surely thinges to come and bring to effect whatsoeuer they would worke Finally if in any thing they néede his presence and helpe by couenant he promiseth to be present with them So that the meanes whereby Sorcerers doe intoxicate are partly manifest and starke poisons whose ingredience as they terme them are deadly and mortiferous and condemned by the learned Phisitions for thinges that kil presently partly they are without poison that we or the Sorcerers themselues can vnderstande of howbeit they mingle some with them partly also they put no visible poyson to hurte into them which is much more maruelous thā any of the other twayne aboue specified Wherfore if they haue mingled any of the manifest known poisons they are sone perceiued of the Phisitions and are found to be suche after that they vnderstand by their cōfession of what stuffe they consist and are made And those which they geue not themselues knowing what they bee or of what thinges they bee compounded notwithstanding they contineue in hurting Lyke as although they seeme not to haue myngled any hurtfull poyson yet cease they not to intoxicate dooing it either only with the ayre or breath of their mouth or else holding a certen roote within their téeth which Satan deliuereth vnto them which they chawe so doo kill and destroy men with only talking with them And whereas many tymes they intoxicate them whom they touch not it may not séeme straunge vnto vs For then the intoxication is done by Satan himself priuily casting forth or blowing the powder or roote vpon them at the Sorcerers request which Satan doth according to couenant as I haue sayd by reason wherof in certen thinges he is their seruant and supplyeth vnto them his wicked and cruell attendaunce Anthony Truely Theophilus I was al in a quaking colde when you tolde euen now those horrible and diuelish thinges So God helpe me I trembled and shooke they were so woundrous straunge These then be Satans artes whereby he bindeth the Sorcerers vnto him Theophil They are so Anthony Anthony But I pray you sir where haue you learned them Theophil Out of their confessions almost infinite and very like to be true out of iudgements pronounced agaynst them innumerable out of whiche a man may commonly gather them Anthony Howbeit there be thrée points whiche in your former discourse séemed vnto me very obsurde and impossible which no man will graunt you lightly Theophil What be they Anthony First I agrée with you in this that Satan can appeare vnto men in the shape of a man which if we should say can not be done then must we denie the méeting and talking togither of Christe with the Diuell whereof the Scripture maketh mention in the .iiii. of Mathew where it is written how Satan appeared visibly and in the shape of a man vnto christ Secondly I wil easely graunt you that Sorcerers can learne no good thing of Satan but suche counsels and precepts as proceede from a vile and naughtie disposition suche as is to reuenge himselfe to intoxicate straungers to slay men at vnwares and to minister all these thinges priuelie none knowing or witting of it Some also there bée that reuenge them selues eyther suche as hate their brothers beeing the children of the Diuell as sayth Sainct Iohn the first of Iohn the thirde chapter and tenth verse as we are on the other side commaunded all by the expresse commaundement of God to loue all men Mathew the .v. chapter .xliiij. verse Wherfore I suppose these two poyntes to

they learne of the Diuel to do it and haue made a league and agréement with the diuel as the aboue named Lottellers to be short haue wholy addicted them selues to Satan lyke as those Lottellers haue ▪ it is so come to passe that the common sort of people not beyng very scrupulous or precise in wordes do tearme al such Lottellers and Sorcerers which by lots do tel things to come through instruc●ion of the Diuel or such as kil men or beastes with poyson or sorceries which the Diuell deliuereth vnto them because both sortes haue geuen themselues ouer to Satan and vse his help Thus of one part the whole kinde tooke his name and of one word wel knowne the other was deriued So that the whole nation and rablement of witches that they might béecome more odious among m●n as it is worthie were chiefly called by the name of Sorcerers For so were they tearmed after that the gospell began to be knowne to the world at which time the whole rable of Satanicall deuinours became very odious as it deserued among all men as it is declared the first of Sam. y xv chapter xxiii verse Moreouer in the applying of this name there is no puritie or proprietie of the latine tongue to bée loked for For these witches began first at that time to be called by the names of Sortilegi or Sortiarij when the Gothes inuaded Italy and the proprietie of the Latine tongue was wholy growen out of vse So that it is thought that the Italians frequented this woord first before all other in that signification when as Italy became barbarous and not vsing more the Latine tongue which by the tytle De Sortilegis in the Decretals appeareth albeit S. Augustine séemeth to vse it in some place folowing the custome of his tyme and the signification knowne to the Christians The same may also bée gathered out of the last Canon thrée th●●tie the first question where though barbarously yet plainly they bée called Sortia●i● ●orcerers Otherwise no man doubteth that it is one thing to intoxicate a man another thing to inchaunte another thing which the Grecians call 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 another 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 although both bée done by the craft of Diuel Through all the region of Sauoy Daulphin witches are called Eryges either of the gréeke word Erynius which signifieth madnes of mind and a greedie desire to slea men or rather as some suppose of this word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which in the Poet ●heocritus signifieth certen deadly and vnluckie birdes Anthony By what names then I pray you did the auntient auctours of the pure latine toongue tearme these witches Theoph●l They called men witches Maleficos and the women that were geuen to such artes they tearmed Veneficas Sagas ●hessalas Magas ●amias and Striges al which wordes may bée obserued out of the good and pure writer of the Latine tongue Horatius Flaccus in the first booke of verses the xxvii Ode in his ●podes the xvii Ode the first booke of Sermons the viii satyre Such an one in his tyme was one Canidia such an one was Circe of whom Homer writeth in the tenth booke of Odissea such an one was Medea of whō Ouid speaketh in the seuenth booke of Metamorphosis To be short such an one was shée of whom Lucane writeth in the sixth booke of Pharsalidos with many mo of whom mencion is made in sundry histories whiche writers last before cited although they bée Poetes yet in this point faigned they or deuised nothing beside the truth but such thinges as they sawe were knowne and frequented in their time But to passe ouer Poets Caesar in the first booke of the cōmentaries of the French warres maketh mencion of the Germane Uirgines and Cornelius Tacitus in the second booke of Chronacles mencioneth one Martinae which killed the Emperour Germanicus by such kinde of witchcraft intoxication Anth. Now do I vnderstand Theophilus who are called sorcerers why they so be called by what name they be properly termed if we will speake true latine But forasmuch as we must follow the custome of the multitude let vs call these diuellish witches Sorcerers their witchcraft let vs call enchauntment and them which by them are hurt let vs call enchaunted that our disputation may bée vnderstood of all men concerning all which thinges I demaunde of you whether this sort of men were before the natiuitie of Christ or whether they first began and came to knowledge since the passion of Christ Theophil The word Sorcerer was first found and inuented since the byrth of Christ but the thing it self and those kynd of witches were knowne long before the birth of christ Neyther may you thinke friend Anthony that Christ that came to destroy the workes of the Diuell gaue vnto him more power ouer men then he had before or that these kindes of most detestable witchcraft were before that tyme vnknowne or else since that tyme were first brought into the world Such thinges can not be thought much lesse spoken without horrible blasphemie against christ And if it should chaunce that any were of that opiniō he might be refuted with an argument more cléere thē noone light For both Moises also the whole olde testament which was before the birth of Christ doth beare most euident record that there were witches as in the xviii of Deut. the xii chapter of the booke of wisdom For Satan hath alwayes bin like himself and as we fynde him at this day so all ages haue seene and fealt him who inflamed and enforced the children of vnbeleefe to reuenge their priuate iniuries and one brother to commit vniust slaughter vpon another bicause as S. Iohn writeth in the viii chapter and xliiii verse He was a murtherer from the beginning And thus much touching the origina●l and vnderstanding of this word Sortiarius Sorcerer The second Chapter VVhether there be any Sorcerers that is to say of this sort of satanicall vvitches Anthony BUt you promised Theophilus that you would proue by sure and firme reasons that there are Sorcerers in the world that is to say of the order and kinde of diuelish witches Theo. I promised in deed so to do I am redy if it please you to performe the same Anthony Doo so then for I could neuer think it to be so vnto this presēt neither yet can beleue it vnlesse you persuade mée Theophil I will doo myne endeuour for the foundaciō wherof this I say There are thrée only meanes places to proue any thing yea although it seeme altogether incredible which thrée thinges be these Aucthoritie of men experience of the thing reason founded vpon vpright iudgement of mynd which places wil all confirme our opinion not one only although one were sufficient And first as touching aucthoritie there are playne and euident testimonies to be gathered out of holy scriptures and also out of other aucthours most euidently cōfirming that there are

therefore it hapneth vnto them that they be deliuerd ouer into so reprobate sense of mynde that God punisheth them most iustly who as I haue declared doe most obstinately and vnthankfully eyther despise Christes gospel which is offred vnto them or when they haue receiued it and vnderstood it they taste thereof very coldly and lightly In which twoo poyntes the most greatest and gréeuous contempt of God is perceiued Howbeit frende Anthony mée thinketh I may truely say this much the like as our Lord God purposed to ennoble and celebrate the first comming of his only begotten sonne Iesus Christ and minding to make the same famous and renowmed throughout all the world would haue that there should be at that present many possessed with Diuels limatick persons blinde dumbe deafe whom Christ should restore to health and whom the father did in such wise prepare for the sunne therehence for him to reape glorie so in this our age wherein by his great and incomprehensible benefites towardes mankinde as a special gift he hath restored vnto vs the light of his holy gospell of very iustice he will haue it that moe despisers of this reuealed light rather at this day then before fall into the snares of Satan and become Sorcerers that is to say addicted vnto Satan and that they which despise God may be the more terrefied by example of these wretches and the Godly which with true faith embrace the gospel may more earnestly praise god and in consideration of so great a benefit bestowed vpon them yéeld vnto god the greater thankes iudging their owne state to be blessed since by the singular benefit of God they are deliuered from so great a mischéefe and so great power of the Diuel Doe you now vnderstand frende Anthony why there be now a dayes moe witches and Sorcerers then were heretofore Anthony Yea verely Theophilus and I geue you thankes for telling it vnto me But now to thintent I may be throughly confirmed in your opinion adde hereunto your third argument which as you sayd ▪ consisteth in the reason of vpright iudgement Theophil You put me well in mynde thereof for I had almost let that passe But now I will take it in hand Reason of vpright and sincere iudgement willeth vs to beleue that there be Sorcerers The same is this wheresoeuer is the true and efficient cause of any thing there is it necessary also that the effect doe follow For example sake wheresoeuer the Sunne is there is both light day bicause the Sunne is true and efficient cause of both Wheresoeuer the Northerne winde bloweth there it is cold bicause the winde is ingenderer of coldnesse And to apply this generall assumption to our present argument thus doe the Philosophers teach vs which are conuersant in searching declaring the causes of thinges such causes as are endued with soule will if wil power doo there meete togither to doo any thing necessarily and immediately theron ensueth the effect For example If a man be hungrie and haue bread lying by him he will eate if he be a thirst and haue drinke nere he wil drinke if he be a colde and he be brought to a fyre he will warme himself For by this meanes he hath both a will and abilitie wherefore we must necessarely conclude that he will doe it Doubtlesse Satan is the cause of these witches and intoxicatiōs He hath both a desire and abilitie ioinct to doo that mischief to drawe men vnto him and to lincke them vnto him this power being geuen vnto him by the iust iudgement of God ouer rebellious men wherefore it is not to be doubted but that he would win enforce them to that kinde of wickednes On which point that I may the more largely discourse this much I think you will graunt me Anthony that there haue alwayes bin vnbeleuing men in the world that is to wit not knowing God out of his word or not regarding him when they knew him Anthony You may well presume so much séeing we sée to many of that sort Theophil Neither will you also deny this that Satan since the time he renounced his first originall and was made a Diuell alwayes applyed this and as much as in him lay indeuored to plucke away men from knowledge of the true god frō their assured hope of saluatiō finally to make thē cōtēne refuse the promises of god persuading thē to yéeld geue ouer thēselues vnto him whō he sawe to be cold in the worshipping of god necligent in embracing his promises Anthony You say trueth for Satan is like a roaring Lyon who alwayes runneth about seking whom he may deuoure and pul from God as sayeth S. Peter The first of Peter the v. chapter and viii verse Theophil You well remember the place Anthony and the same is the cause why he is also in the Reuelation called the olde Serpent in the xx chapter and second verse which is to say the cōmon sworne enemy of mankinde as our sauiour Christ sayeth in the xiii chapter of Mathew the xxviii verse working and bringing to effect chiefly in the children of vnbeleefe whatsoeuer he will or lifteth as sayth S. Paule the second chapter to the Ephesians the ii verse For the wrath of God commeth vpon stubburne men Now therefore since by all these places it is euident that Satan hath a will and desire to drawe men away from the feare and faith of God it remayneth now that we see whether he haue power also to pull them away Anthony Then shall your whole reason be concluded and ended But I pray you Theophilus hath Satan so great power ouer men that he can plucke them frō God and pull them to himselfe being the creatures of God made according to his Image and specially seruing vnto his onely glory Theophilus Truely Anthony I confesse that Satan coulde neuer haue had that power vnlesse it were geuen vnto him by almighty God which by this most iust meanes doth punish them which most vnthankefully and wickedly dooe forsake him Howbeit we are not able to shew the reasō why God deliuereth this man more then that man vnto Satan and wyll haue him be myslead more then to say that this is the iust wyl of God which hath so determined Notwithstanding there was neuer yet any Sorcerer but he was lead amisse through his owne fault and vnlesse wittingly and willingly he had renounced God his creatour and maker the aucthour of his lyfe and geuer of all good thinges whom he forsaketh and most impudently and most trayterously refuseth to take him for his God if he betake himselfe to Satan and become a Sorcerer Anthonie Is this credible which you say Theophilus that any man would renoūce his God not onely geue eare become obediēt vnto Satan whom he knoweth surely to be Satan but also become his seruant and bondslaue Theophil This is to true for so doo they al of thē whosoeuer become sorcerers For after

playnely as I can Anthony I pray you say on then Theophil The first kinde of day nable deuination which may be gathered out of the forenames places taketh name of those which of the Hebrewes are c●lled Cosemim and of the Latines Diui●● deuinours Those are they which by secret and priuie conference with the Di●ell ▪ do deuine and prophesie of thinges that 〈◊〉 happen being of all others the most craftiest and s●btellest For in any ca●e they wyll not be des●ryed or knowne ●isse●bling as though the● came to knowledge thereof by some wyse coni●●ture or by inspiration f●om God and not foret●lling what shall ●appen by any damnable doctrine 〈◊〉 couering their secret enter●ourse which they haue with the Diuell Whereuppon it commeth to passe that this word ●osemim is taken in the Scripture in the better part for wyse and skilfull men as it appeareth in the third Chapter of Esai The seconde kynde of Deuinours are called of y Hebrues Aobot of the Latines or rather Gretians Lythomei we Frenchmen suppose those men to bee of that sort which are thought to haue of their owne some domestical or familiar diuell The same openly and without dissimulation do talke and conferre with the Diuell vsing him as it were a seruant in fulfilling their commaundementes so that they be altogither conuersant with hym And they were called Aobot for that through instinct and motion of their Diuel they deuine what shall follow yéelding foorth of their belly as it were out of a pot or bottle an obscure confused voyce like as the Lhythomissa did out of the place of the Oracle at Delphos very lothsomely and horribly The other six sortes of Deuination doe in this poynt differ from the residue that albeit they be accomplished by the help and meanes of Satan yet in these folowing Satan himself in person neyther dealeth nor talketh with them which do deuine as we sayd he d●th in the first twayne but by the mediation of some other thing or else by vsing certen signes and tokens which notwithstanding hée commaundeth to bée done and sheweth how to do them The third kynd of Deuinours are they whom the Latines term● Necromantici Necromancers who by the dead by helpe means of the Deuil do desire to know thinges to come Which kynd although most absurd and impossible was frequented in Homers time wherof he maketh mencion in the xi booke of his Odis●ea ▪ Wherin although Satan beare all the stroke yet coloureth hee his owne name therin working his feats vnder pretence and by meanes of some other person The fourth kynde are those which of the Hebrues are called Megonin from wh●̄●● perhaps the Magi or Magicians ma● seeme to haue taken their name howbeit those whom we call Magi are o● another sort and of the latines Astrologians Mathematicians The same suppose that they can foretel thinges to come by obseruation of certen signes places and starres and by their position and aspectes as they call them Lyke as in foretyme the Augures or Soothsayers of Roome describing diuiding the ayre into certen quarters and regions gathered their profecies therof euen as the Iudiciarie Astrologians do at this day The first kinde the Hebriciās name Menachesim and the Latines Magi Magicians who haue also learned their deuination of the Diuel by certen figures charecters and lines d●awen by mumbling certen superstitious wordes touching the matter they enquire of Thus practize they their A●te by certen secret signes and priuie woordes which theyr wicked maister the Diuell hath taught them Such are the Hydromantij or water sorcerers and of this sort was that deuination by a cuppe or pot whereof there is made mencion in the .v. verse of the xliiii Chapter of Genesis The sixt kinde the Hebricians terme Idegonim and in Latine are called Ariolj which tell men what good fortune shal betide them These promise to foretell out of thinges that happen by chaunce not sought or fayned by theyr owne industrie which neuerthelesse procéedeth out of the same schoole of Satan Such are at this day dreame readers palmesters taking vppon them to tell whatsoeuer shall chaunce by the deliniamen●s and lines of the hand Such in olde time were the interpretours of lightning and Thunder and such as profesied by the intrayles of beastes offered in Sacrifice or els of the singing or féeding of Byrdes who were also termed Extispues intraill pri●rs and Osciues that is telling what shal come by ●●nging of byrds These all would séeme to leane vnto a probable cōiecture not to depēd vpō any vaine superstitiō The .vii. kind the Hebriciās name Mecasephin the latines cal thē Prestigiatores et Fascinat●●●s that is iuglers witches Th●se work by enchaūtmēts mere ligierd●main deceuing the eiesight bewitch men sem●ng to repr●sēt shew vnto them such things as they promise yet deceuīg thē such were Pharaos enchaūters which are also called by the same name in the .vii. chap. .xi. verse of Exodus Finally the .viii. last kind of deuinours are those which the Hebrewes cal Chobarim Deuteron the .18 chap. the .11 verse the latines cal thē Sortilegi fortunetellers which somtime in certen places méete with Satan woorke much wickednes Thus you sée how aūcient all these kinds of diuilish diuinors be whēce those which we cal now Sortiarij sorcerers procéeded and were first so named Anthony But Theophilus who so listeth examine it to the vttermost shall perceiue that there is very great differēce betwéene Sortilegi fortunetellers and Sortiarij sorcerers euen in their very vsual and proper significations For I remember very well when I was yet a childe and went to scoole I learned of my maister that they were called in Latine Sortilegi which dyd not hurt with any poyson but rather by casting certen lottes gathered the euent of future thinges as namely with Beanes Dice or square sticks marked or by some verse of a Poet not turned vnto but offring it self and read by chaunce which as hee wonted to report hapned once to ●eptimius Seuerus Emperour of the Romanes For being in hand to vsurpe the Empire and desirous to know what should be the euent of his attempt he sought his lot out of Virgil where by chaunce he lighted vpon this verse which is in the sixt booke of Aeneidos Remember Romane thou thy Realms to rule with empire iust as Lampridius writeth in his lyfe But those whom wée call Sorcerers for the more parte do not deuine but only intoxicate and priuily s●ea with poison being therto instructed by Satanical artes Yet if somtyme they chaunce to foretell thinges to come they do it not by lottes as they did in old tyme but only by the Diuels reuealing Theophil These things which you tell Anthony are most true and in dede if wee will say the verie truth those whom wee call Sorcerers cannot be called lottellers but rather diuellish witches and enchaunters But forasmuch as when they do any harme after such manner

fréende Anthony First God that is most iust by that meanes doth punish the sinnes of his childrē For those whom we terme godly true Christians they are many tymes not onely not without their infirmities and imperfections but subiect also vnto gréeuous sinnes and offences as Sainct Iohn teacheth in the first Epistle the first Chapter the ix and x. verse If wee say that wee haue no sinne wee make God a lyar Wherefore these are iustly by God punished besides that by this kinde of crosse and affliction God tryeth the patience of his chosen For lyke as hée prooued his seruaunt Iob by the iniuries of the most vngodly men the Caldes so doth hee also prooue his beloued people by the witchcraft and poysoning of Sorcerers which redoundeth vnto the profit and commoditie of the faithfull For as Sainct Paule sayth to the Romans the fift Chapter and third verse Affliction bringeth patience patience bringeth probation probation bringeth hope which neuer confoundeth for the loue of God is sowen in our hartes through the holy Ghost So that the godly ought patiently to abide these afflictions so to submit themselues to God and confirme themselues wholy vnto his will and pleasure Anthony I stucke fast in the water as the Prouerbe sayeth and I made a doubt where was none or which as I perceyue is easily resolued And since you haue aptly aunswered mée vnto those thrée poinctes which I demaunded namely what this worde Sortiarius signifieth whither there be in déed any such finally ouer what kindes of thinges these Sorcerers haue power and can exercise their artes I beseech you Theophilus that you will hereto adde the fourth poynte and declare vnto mée after what manner sort means they can intoxicate and put in practize their poysons The fourth Chapter After what sort and meanes Sorcerers doe intoxicate and poyson thinges Theophilus WHat Anthony doe you thinke that I am so expert and conuersaunt in their art that I can tell you all that belongeth therto you remember what protestatiō I made at the enteraunce beginning of our discourse that I neuer was acquainted with Satan or any of these sorcerers nor neuer minde to be neither looke I for any prayse for the knowledge of these matters Howbeit so farre as myne abilitie shall extend I wyll satisfie your honest request This therfore is that which you require of me by what meanes Sorcerers doe worke and infect thinges with their poyson wherein I will answere that which is most true that they doe all these thinges by meanes instinct and craft of the most miserable wicked Satan the Diuell For this much I dare affirme vnto you that there is no sorcerer but he maketh a league couenant with the Diuel and voweth himselfe vnto him In confirmation of which vowing he receaueth in his body some note or marke made and imprinted by Satan in some parte which he alwayes beareth aboute him some vnder theyr eye liddes others betwene their buttockes some in the roofe of their mouth and in other places where it may be hid cōcealed from vs Although some be of opinion that all Sorcerers are not priuily pricked and marked by Satan but those onely of whose constancie towardes him hée standeth in doubt and those of whom he do●bteth not are left vnmarked yet may I say thus more certenly and truely that there is none of them vpon whom he hath not set some note or token of his power prerogatiue ouer them which to thintent the iudges and such as are set in aucthoritie of life and death and to enquire of such matters may the better perceiue let them specially prouide that when any of these shal be conuented before them to poulle and shaue them where occasion shall serue al the body ouer least haply the marke may lurke vnder the heare in any place For they haue made a couenāt with Satan themselues for their part agayne haue made him such a promise Satan in this wise that they shall acknowledge and worship him for their God and they on the other side that Satan shall helpe and defend them So according to couenaunt satan helpeth them and according to theyr prayers so worketh and doth he for them and they agayne obey his preceptes and commaundementes Anthony Yea but forasmuch as Satan of his owne nature is a great lyer yea the father of lyes will hée kéepe touch and fulfill his promise as you haue sayd Theoph. Satan is not alwayes a lyer though he be alwayes a deceyuer For oftentimes he speaketh truth that he may deceyue those that heare him and oftentimes he perfourmeth his promise bicause he will not seeme to be a deceyuer but rather a teller of truthe When Satan sayd of our Sauiour Christ in Marke the .ij. Chapter the .xxiiij. verse Thou arte that holy one of God He sayd true and lyed not But what was his mynde then Forsoothe that they whiche hearde that should afterwarde be deceyued And when he sayd as much of Paul and Sillas in the .xvj. chapter of Actes the .xvij. verse in these wordes These men are the seruantes of the great God whiche shewe vnto you the way of saluation he sayd true yet notwithstanding he was a deceyuer and by that meanes he sought a way to deceyue men So when Satan kéepeth promise performeth those thinges which he hath couenāted with the Sorcerers he doth it to the intent that afterward he may more easely readely seduce thē also the more assure●ly binde and allye them vnto him Antho. Procéede then I pray you declare the meanes whereby they doo work Theo. This is almost the maner of making their couenant First Satā requireth of thē that they do wholly fully renounce the true God creator of al thinges the lord of heauen hell that henceforward they serue him who there professeth him selfe without dissimulation to be Satan and that hereafter they depend at his becke and cōmaūdemēt séeking al their helpe of him Which renouncing denying of the true God with the most abhominable forswering of him is the first step entrance to make frendship agréemēt betwene these wicked men Satan and the first bargain of all this busines Unto these in this detestable maner being receiued into seruice slauery to Satā he then geueth a marke either with his téeth or hand then willeth euery one to demaunde of him what they would haue him do for thē teaching them the safest priuiest wayes to reuenge thēselues vpon those whō they hate Then geueth he pouders rootes poysons vnto thē ether by himself or by others that are there in a redines that they may fréely safely intoxicate whō they list Then this vngracious new seruāt of satan euery day afterward something of his goods to his patrone some his dogge some his hen and some his cat In which dooing there is a greater ratifying of their déede and deniall of the true God then in their first