allow but laughed thereat lightly regarding it and in the end sent him home saith he as accused of a frivolous matter And yet for all that the magistrates of Orleance were so bold with him as to hang him up within a short time after for the same or the very like offence In which example is to be seen the nature and as it were the disease of this cause wherein I say the simpler and undiscreeter sort are alwaies more hasty and furious in judgements than men of better reputation and knowledge Neverthelesse Eunichius saith that these three things to wit what is to be thought of witches what their incantations can do and whether their punishment should extend to death are to be well considered And I would saith he they were as well known as they are rashly beleeved both of the learned and unlearned And further he saith that almost all divines physicians and lawyers who should best know these matters satisfiing themselves with old custome have given too much credit to these fables and to rash and unjust sentence of death upon witches But when a man pondreth saith he that in times past all that swarved from the church of Rome were judged heretikes it is the lesse marvell though in this matter they be blind and ignorant And Surely if the Scripture had been longer suppressed more absurd fables would have sprung up and been beleeved Which credulity though it is to be derided with laughter yet this their cruelty is to be lamented with teares For God knoweth many of these poor wretches had more need to be releeved than chastised and more meet were a preacher to admonish them than a Jailer to keep them and a physician more necessary to helpe them than an executioner or tormentor to hang or burn them For proof and due triall hereof I will requite Danaeus his tale of a man-witch as he termeth him with another witch of the same sex or gender Cardanus from the mouth of his own father reporteth that one Bernard a poor servant being in wit very simple and rude but in his service very necessary and diligent and in that respect deerly beloved of his master prosessing the art of witch-craft could in no wise be disswaded from that profession perswading himselfe that he knew all things and could bring any matter to passe because certain country-people resorted to him for helpe and counsell as supposing by his own talke that he could do somewhat At length he was condemned to be burned which torment he seemed more willing to suffer than to loose his estimation in that behalfe But his master having compassion upon him and being himselfe in his princes favour perceiving his conceipt to proceed of melancholie obtained respit of execution for twenty daies In which time saith he his master bountifully fed him with good fat meat and with four egs at a meale as also with sweet win which diet was best for so grosse and weake a body And being recovered so in strength that the humor was suppressed he was easily won from his absurd and dangerous opinions and from all his fond imaginations and confesling his error and folly from the which before no man could remove him by any perswasions having his pardon he lived long a good member of the Church whom otherwse the cruelty of judgement should have cast away and destroyed This history is more credible than Sprengers fables or Bodins bables which reach not so far to the extolling of witches omnipotency as to the derogating of Gods glory For if it be true which they affirme that our life and death lyeth in the hand of a witch then is it false that God maketh us live or die or that by him we have our being our terme of time appointed and our daies numbred But surely their charmes can no more reach to the hurting or killing of men or women than their imaginations can extend to the stealing and carrying away of horses and mares Neither hath God given remedies to sicknesse or griefs by words or charmes but by hearbs and medicines which he himself hath created upon earth and given men knowledge of the same that he might be glorified for that therewith he doth vouch safe that the maladies of men and cattle should be cured c. And if there be no affiction nor calamity but is brought to passe by him then let us defie the devil renounce all his works and not so much as once think or dream upon this supernatural power of witches neither let us prosecute them with such despight whom our fansie condemneth and our reason acquitteth our evidence against them consisting in impossibilities our proofes in unwritten verities and our whole proceedings in doubts and difficulties Now because I mislike the extreame cruelty used against some of these silly souls whom a simple advocate having audience and justice might deliver out of the hands of the inquisitors themselves it will be said that I deny any punishment at all to be due to any witch whatsoever Nay because I beâ—ray the folly and impiety of them which attribute unto witches the 〈◊〉 of Gods these witchmongers will report that I deny there are any witches at all and yet behold say they how often is this word Witch mentioned in the Scriptures Even as if an idolater should say in the behalfe of images and idols to them which deny their power and godhead and inveigh against the reverence done unto them How dare you deny the power of image seeing â—here names are so often repeated in the Scriptures But truly I deny not that theâ—e are witches or images but I detest the idolaters opinions conceived of them referring that to Gods work and ordinance which they impute to the power and malice of witches and attributing â—haâ— honour to God which they ascribe to idols But as for those that in very deed are either witches or conjurors let them hardly suffer such punishment as to their fault is agreeable and as by the grave judgement of law is provided The forreign Authors used in this Book AELiamus Actius Albertus Crantzius Albertus Magnus Albumazar Alcoranum Franciscanorum Alexander Trallianus Algerus Ambrosius Andradias Andraeas Gartnerus Andraeas Massius Antonius Sabelliens Apollonius Tyanaeus Appianus Apuleius Archelaus Argerius Ferrarius Aristoreles Arnoldus de villa nova Artemidorus Athanasius Averroës Augustinus episcopus Hip. Augustinus Niphus Avicennas Aulus Gellius Barnardinus de bustis Bartholomaeus Anglicus Berosus Anianus Bodinus Bordinus Brentius Calvinus Cametarius Campanns Cardanus pater Cardanus filins Carolus Gallus Cassander Caro. Chrysostomus Cicero Clemens Cornelius Agrippa Cornelius Nepos Cornelius Tacitus Cyrillus Danaeus Demetrius Democritus Didymus Diodorus Siculus Dionysius Areopagita Dioscorides Diurius Dodonaeus Durandus Empedocles Ephesius Erasmus Roterodamus Erasmus Sarcerius Erastus Eudoxus Eusebius Caesariensis Fernelius Franciâ—cus Petrarcha Fuchsius Galenus Gerropius Galasius Gemma Phrysius Georgius Pictorios Gofridus Goschalcus Boll Gratianus Gregorius Grillandus Guido Bonatus Gulielmus de fancto Clodoaldo Gulielmus
the devill that committed the murther and that he compelled them to do it and must make them beleeve that they thinke them to be innocents Item if they will confesse nothing but upon the racke or torture their apparell must be changed and every hair in their body must be shaven off with a sharpe razor Item if they have charmes for taciturnity so as they feel not the common tortures and thefore confesse nothing then some sharpe instrument must be thrust betwixt every nail of their fingers and toes which aâ— Bodin saith was king Childeberts devise and is to thia day of all others the most effectuall For by meanes of that extreame paine they will saith he confesse any thing Item Paulus Grillandus being an old doer in these matters wisheth that when witches sleepe and feel no pain upon the torture Domine labia mea aperies should be said and so saith he both the torments will be felt and the truth will be uttered Et sic ars deluditur arte Item Bodin saith that at the the time of examination there should be a semblance of great a do to the terrifying of the witch and that a number of instruments gives manacles ropes halters fetters c. be prepared brought forth and laid before the examinate and also that some be procured to make a most horrible and lamentable cry in the place of torture as though he or she were upon the rack or in the tormentors hands so as the examinate may hear it whiles she is examined before she her selfe be brought into the prison and perhaps saith he she will by this meanes confesse the matter Item there must be subborned some crafty spy that may seem to be a prisoner with her in the like case who perhaps may in conference undermine her and so bewraie and discover her Item if she will not yet confesse she must be told that she is detected and accused by other of her companions although in truth there be no such matter and so perhaps she will confesse the rather to be revenged upon her adversaries and accusers CHAP. III. Matters of evidence against witches IF an old woman threaten or touch one being in health who dieth shortly after or else is infected with the leprosie apoplexie or any other strange disease it is saith Bodin a permanent fact and such an evidence as condemnation or death must insue without further proofe if any body have mistrusted her or said before that she was a witch Item if any come in or depart out of the chamber or house the doores being shut it is an apparent and sufficient evidence to a witches condemnation without further tryall which thing Bodin never saw If he can shew me that feaâ— I will subscribe to his folly For Christ after his resurrection used the same not as a ridiculous toie that every witch might accomplish but as a speciall miracle to strengthen the faith of the elect Item if a woman bewitch any bodies eyes she is to be executed without further proofe Item if any inchant or bewitch mens beasts or corne or fly in the air or make a dog speak or cut off any mans members and unite them again to men or childrens bodyes it is sufficient proofe to condemnation Item presumptions and conjectures are sufficient proofes against witches Item if three witnesses do but say Such a woman is a witch then it is a clear case that she is to be executed with death Which matter Bodin saith is not onely certain by the canon and civill lawes but by the opinion of Pope Innocent the wisest Pope as he saith that ever was Item the complaint of any one man of credit is sufficient to bring a poor woman to the rack or pully Item a condemned or infamous persons testimony is good and allowable in matters of witch-craft Item a witch is not to be delivered though she endure all the tortures and confesse nothing as all other are in any criminall cases Item though in other cases the epoâ—iâ—ions of many women at one instant are disabled as sufficient in law because of the imbecillity and frailty of their nature or sex yet in this matter one woman though she be a party either accuser or accused and be also infamous and impudent for such are Bodins words yea and already condemned she may neverthelesse serve to accuse and condemne a witch Item a witnesse uncited and offering himselfe in this case is to be heard and in none other Item a capitall enemy if the enmity be pretended to growe by meanes of witch-craft may object against a witch and none exception is to be had or made against him Item although the proofe of perjury may put back a witnesse in 〈◊〉 other causes yet in this a perjured person is a good and lawfull witnesse Item the proctors and advocates in this case are compelled to be witnesses against their clients as in none other case they are to be constrained thereunto Item none can give evidence against witches touching their assemblies but witches onely because as Bodin saith none other can do 〈◊〉 Howbeit Ri. Ga. writeth that he came to the God-speed and with his sword and buckler killed the devill or at the least he wounded him sore that he made him stinke of brimstone Item Bodin saith that because this is an extraordinary matter theâ— must herein be extraordinary dealing and all manner of waies are to 〈◊〉 used direct and indirect CHAP. IIII. Confessions of witches whereby they are condemned Some witches confesse saith Bodin that are desirous to dy not 〈◊〉 glory but for despair because they are tormented in their life-time But these may not be spared saith he although the law doth 〈◊〉 them The best and surest confession is at strife to her ghostly father Item if she confesse many things that are false and one thing 〈◊〉 may be true she is to be taken and executed upon that confession Item she is not so guilty that confesseth a falshood or ly and dâ—enieth a ruâ—h as she that answereth by â—ircumstance Item an equivocall or doubtfull answer is taken for a confession against a witch Item Bodin reporteth that one confessed that he went out or rather up in the air and was transported many miles to the fairies dance only because he would spy unto what place his wife went to hagging and how she behaved her selfe Whereupon was much ado among the inquisitors and lawyers to discusse whether he should be executed with his wife or no. But it was concluded that he must die because he bewrayed not his wife the which he forbare to do Propter reverentiam honoris familiae Item if a woman confesse freely herein before question be made and yet afterward deny it she is neverthelesse to be burned Item they affirme that this extremity is herein used because not one among a thousand witches is detected And yet it is affirmed by Sprenger in M. Mal. that there is not so
miracle done at Lions c. What Bodin is I know not otherwise than by report but I am certain this his tale is a fond fable and Bodin saith it was performed at Lions and this man as I understand by profession is a civill lawyer CHAP. VI. A disproofe of their assemblies and of their bargain THat the joyning of hands with the devill the kissing of his bare buttocks and his scratching and biting of them are absurd lies every one having the gift of reason may plainly perceive insomuch as it is manifest unto us by the word of God that a spirit hath no flesh bones nor sinews whereof hands buttocks claws teeth and lips do consist For admit that the constitution of a devills body as Tatian and other affirme consisteth in spiritual congelations as of fire and aire yet it cannot be perceived of mortall creatures What credible witnesse is there brought at any time of this their corporall visible and incredible bargain saving the confession of some person diseased both in body and mind willfully made or injuriously constrained It is marvell that no peniteâ—t witch that forsaketh her trade confesseth not these things without compulsion Me thinketh their covenant made at baptisme with God before good witnesses sanctified with the word confirmed with his promises and established with his sacraments should be of more force then that which they make with the devill which no body seeth or knoweth For God deceiveth none with whom he bargaineth neither doth he mocke or disappoint them although he dance not among them The oath to procure into their league and fellowship as many as they can whereby every one witch as Bodin affirmeth augmenteth the number of fifty bewrayeth greatly their indirect dealing Hereof I have made triall as also of the residue of their cosening devises and have been with the best or rather the worst of them to see what might be gathered out of their counsels and have cunningly treated with them thereabouts and further have sent certain old persons to indent with them to be admitted into their society But as well by their excuses and delaies as by other circumstances I have tried and found all their trade to be meer cosening I pray you what bargain have they made with the devill that with their angry lookes bewitch lambs children c Is it not confessed that it is naturall though it be a ly What bargain maketh the sooth-sayer which hath his severall kinds of witch-craft and divination expressed iâ— the Scripture Or is it not granted that they make none How chanceth it that we hear not of this bargain in the Scriptures CHAP. VII A confutation of the objection concerning witches confessions IT is Confessed say some by the way of objection even of these women themselves that they do these and such other horrible things aâ— deserveth death with all extremity c. Whereunto I answer that whosoever considerately beholdeth their confessions shall perceive all to be vain idle false inconstant and of no weight except their contempt and ignorance in religion which is rather the fault of the negligent pastor than of the simple woman First if their confession be made by compulsion of force or authority or by perswasion and under colour of friend-ship it is not to be regarded because the extremity of threats and tortures provokes it or the quality of fair word and allurements constraines it If it be voluntatary many circumstances must be considered to wit whether she appeach not her selfe to overthrow her neighbour which many times happeneth through their cankered and malicious melancholike humor then whether in that same malancholike mood and frantick humor she desire not the abridgement of her own dayes Which thing Aristotle saith doth oftentimes happen unto persons subject to malancholike passions and as Bodin and Sprenger say to these old women called witches which many times as they affirme refuse to live threatning the judges that if they may not be burned they will lay hands upon themselves and so make them guilty of their damnation I my self have known that where such a one could not prevaile to be accepted as a sufficient witnesse against himselfe he presently went and threw himselfe into a pond of water where he was drowned But the law saith Volenti mori non est habenda fides that is His word is not to be credited that is desirous to dy Also sometimes as else-where I have proved they confesse that whereof they were never guilty supposing that they did that which they did not by meanes of certain circumstances And as they sometimes confesse impossibilities as that they fly in the air transubstantiate themselves raise tempests transferre or remove corne c. so do they also I say confesse voluntarily that which no man could prove and that which no man would guesse nor yet beleeve except he were as mad as they so as they bring death wilfully upon themselves which argueth an unsound mind If they confâ—sse that which hath been indeed committed by them as poysoning or any other kind of murther which falleth into the power of such persons to accomplish I stand not to defend their cause Howbeit I would wish that even in that case there be not too rash credit given nor to hasty proceedings used against them but that the causes properties and circumstances of every thing be duly considered and diligently examined For you shall understand that as sometimes they confesse they have murthered their neighbours with a wish sometimes with a word sometimes with a look c. so they confesse that with the delivering of an apple or some such thing to a woman with child they have killed the child in the mothers wombe when nothing was added thereunto which naturally could be noysome or hurtfull In like manner they confesse that with a touch of their bare hand they sometimes kill a man being in perfect health and strength of body when all his garments are betwixt their hand and his flesh But if this their confession be examined by divinity philosophy physick law or conscience it will be found false and insufficient First foâ— that the working of miracles is ceased Secondly no reason can be yielded for a thing so farre beyond all reason Thirdly no receipt can be oâ— such efficacy as when the same is touched with a bare hand from whence the veines have passage through the body unto the heart it should not annoy the poyson and yet retain vertue and force enough to pearce through so many garments and the very flesh incurable to the place of death in another personr Cui argumento saith Bodin nescio quid responderi possit Fourthly no law will admit such a confession as yeeldeth unto impossibilities against the which there is never any law provided otherwise it would not serve a mans turne to plead and prove that he wâ—â— at Berwick that day that he is accused to have done a murther in Cantâ—â—bury for it might
the person of the deity I mean the spirit of sanctification to oppose mans power mans wit mans policy c. which was well signified by that poeticall fiction of the giants who were termed Anguipedes Snakefooted which as Ioachimus Cameravius expoundeth of wicked counsellours to whose filthy perswasions tyrants doe trust as unto their feet and Iames Sadolet interpreteth of philosophers who trusting over much unto their own wits become so bold in challenging praise for their wisdome that in fine all turneth to folly and confusion so I expound of heretikes and schismatikes who ' either by corrupt doctrine or by maintaining precise opinions or by open violence c. assay to overthrow the true religion to break the unity of the church to deny Caesar his homage and God his duty c. and therefore let Iovis fulmen wherewith they were slain assure these that there is Divina ultio due to all such as dare in the ficklenesse of their fancies arrear themselves against the holy spirit of whom sith they are ashamed hereupon earth otherwise they would confidently boldly confesse him both with mouth and pen he will be ashamed of them in heaven where they are like to be so farre from having any society with the saints that their portion shall be even in full and shaken measure with miscreants and infidels And therefore let us if we will discerne and try the spirits whether they be of God or no seek for the illumination of this inlightning spirit which as it bringeth light with it to discover all spirits so it giveth such a fiery heat as that no false spirit can abide by it for fear of burning Howbeit the holy spirit must be in us otherwise this prerogative of trying spirits will not fall to our lot But here some will peradventure move a demand and do aske how the holy spirit is in us considering that Infiniti ad infinitum nulla est proportio neque loci angustia quod immensum est potest circumscribi of that which is infinite to that which is finite there is no proportion neither can that which is unmeasurable be limited or bounded within any précinct of place c. I answer that the most excellent father for Christs sake sendeth him unto us according as Christ promised us in the person of his apostles The comforter saith he which is the holy spirit whom my father will send in my name And as for proportion of that which is infinite to that which is finite c. I wil in no case have it thought that the holy spirit is in us as a body placed in a place terminably but to attribute thereunto as duly belongeth to the deity an ubiquity or universall presence not corporally and palpably but effectually mightily mystically divinely c. Yea and this I may boldly adde that Christ Jesus sendeth him unto us from the father neither is he given us for any other end but to inrich us abundantly with all good gifts and excellent graces and among the rest with the discerning of spirits aright that we be not deceived And here an end FINIS The summe of every chapter contained in the sixteene books of this discovery with the discourse of divels and spirits annexed thereunto The first Booke AN impeachment of witchespower in meteors and elementary bodies tending to the rebuke of such as attribute too much unto them Pag. 1. The inconvenience growing by mens credulity herein with a reproofe of some churchmen which are inclined to the common conceived opinion of witches oâ—nipotency and a familiar example thereof pag. 3. Who they be that are called witches with a manifest declaration of the cause that moveth men so commonly to thinke witches themselves to beleeve that they can hurt children cattell c. with words and imaginations and of cousening witches pag. 5. What miraculous actions are imputed to witches by witchmongers papists and poets pag. 6. A confutation of the common conceived opinion of witches and witchcraft and how detestable a sinne it is to repaire to them for counsell or helpe in time of affliction pag. 8. A further confutation of witches miraculous and omnipotent power by invincible reasons and authorities with dissuasions from such sond credulity pag. 9. What meanes the name of witches becommeth so famous and how diversly people be opinioned concerning them and their actions pa. 10. Causes that move as well witches themselves as others to thinke that they can work impossibilities with answers to certaine objections where also their punishment by law is touched pag. 11. A conclusion of the first book wherein is foreshewed the tyrannicall cruelty of witchmongers and inquisitors with a request to the reader to peruse the same pag. 12. The second Booke WHat testimonies and witnesses are allowed to give evidence against reputed witches by the report and allowance of the inquisitors themselves and such as are speciall writers herein Pag. 13. The order of examination of witches by the inquisitors ibid. Matters of evidence against witches pag. 15. Confessions of witches whereby they are condemned pag. 16. Presumptions whereby witches are condemned pag. 17. Particular interrogatories used by the inquisitors against witches pa. 18. The inquisitors triall of weeping by conjuration pag. 19. Certaine cautions against witches and of their tortures to procure confession pag. 20. The 15. crimes laid to the charge of witches by witchmongers specially by Bodin in Demonomania 22. A confutation of the former surmised crimes patched together by Bodin and the only way to escape the inquisitors hands pag 23. The opinion of Cornelius Agrippa concerning witches of his pleading for a poore woman accused of witchcraft and how he convinced the inquisitors pag. 24. What the feare of death and feeling of torments may force one to do and that it is no marvell though witches condemne themselves by their owne confessions so tyrannically extorted pag. 33. The third Book THe witches bargaine with the divell according to M. Mal. Bodin Nâ—der Daneus Psellus Brastus Hemingius Cumanus Aquinas Bartholomeus Spineus c. Pag. 35. The order of the witches homage done as it is written by lewd inquisitors and peevish witchmongers to the divell in person of their songs and danses and namely of Lavolta and of other ceremones also of their excourses pag. 36. How witches are sommoned to appeare before the divell of their riding in the air of their accompts of their conference with the divell of his supplies and their conference of their farewell and sacrifices according to Daneus Psellus c. 37 That there can no real league be made with the divell the first author of the league and the weake proofes of the adversaries for the same 38. Of the private league a notable table of Bodin concerning a French lady with a confutation pag. 39. A disproofe of their assemblies and of their bargaine pag. 40. A confutation of the objection concerning witches confessions pag. 41. What folly it were for witches
trifling vanity as in most horrible executions as the revenger of a doting old womans imagined wrongs to the destruction of many innocent children and as a supporter of her passions to the undoing of many a poor soul. And I see not but a witch may as well inchant when she will as a lier may lie when he list and so should we possesse nothing but by a witches licence and permission And now forsooth it is brought to this point that all devils which were wont to be spiritual may at their pleasure become corporal and so shew themselves familiarly to witches and conjurors and to none other and by them only may be made tame and kept in a box c. So as a malicious old woman may command her devil to plague her neighbor he is afflicted in manner form as she desireth But then cometh another witch and she biddeth her devil help and he healeth the same party So as they make it a kingdome divided in it self and therefore I trust it will not long endure but will shortly be overthrown according to the words of our Saviour Omne regnum in se divisum desolabitur Every kingdome divided in it self shall be desolate And although some say that the devil is the witches instrument to bring her purposes and practises to passe yet others say that she is his instrument to execute his pleasure in any thing and therefore to be executed But then methinks she should be injuriously dealt withall and put to death for anothers offence for actions are not judged by instrumental causes neither doth the end and purpose of that which is done depend upon the mean instrument Finally if the witch do it not why should the witch die for it But they say that witches are perswaded and think that they do indeed those mischifs have a will to perform that which the devil committeth and that therefore they are worthy to dy By which reason ev'ry one should be executed that wisheth evil to his neighbor c. But if the will should be punished by man according to the offence against God we should be driven by thousands at once to the slauterhouse or butchery For whosoever loatheth correction shall die And who should escape execution if this lothsomnesse I say should extend to death by the civil lawes Also the reward of sin is death Howbeit every one that sinneth is not to be put to death by the Magistrate But my Lord it shall be proved in my book and your Lordship shall trie it to be true as well here at home in your native country as also abrode in your several circuits that besides them that be Veneficae which are plaine poisoners there will be found among our witches only two sorts the one sort being such by imputation as so thought of by others and these are abused and not abusors the other by acceptation as being willing so to be accounted these be meer couseners Calvine treating of these magicians calleth them couseners saying that they use their juggling knacks only to amase or abuse the people or else for fame but he might rather have said for gain Erastus himself being a principal writer in the behalf of witches omnipotency is forced to confes that these Greek words 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 are most commoly put for illusion false packing cousenage fraud knavery and deceipt is further driven to say that in ancient time the learned were not so blockish as not to see that the promises of magicians and inchanters were false and nothing else but knavery cousenage old wives fables yet defendeth he their flying in the aire their transferring of corn or gras from one field to another c. But as Erastus disagreeth herein with himself and his friends so is there no agreement among any of those writers but only in cruelties absurdities impossibilies And these my Lord that fall into so manifest contradictions and into such absurd asseverations are not of the inferior sort of writers neither are they all papists but men of such account as whose names give more credit to their cause then their writings In whose behalfe I am sorry and partly for reverence suppress their fondest errors foulest absurdities dealing specially with them that most contend in cruelty whose feet are swift to shed blood striving as Iesus the son of Sirach saith hasting as Solomon the son of David saith to pour out the blood of the Innocent whose heat against these poor wretches cannot be allaied with any other liquor then blood And therfore I fear that under their wings will be found the blood of the souls of the poor at that day when the Lord shall say Depart from me ye bloud-thirsty men And because I know your Lordship will take no councel against innocent bloud but rather suppres them that seek to imbrew their hands therein I have made choise to open their case to you to lay their miserable calamity before your feet following herein the advise of that learned man Brentius who saith Si quis admonuerit Magistratum â—e in miseras illas mulierculas saeviat eum ego arbitror divinitus excitatum that is If any admonish the Magistrate not to deale too hardly with these miserable wretches that are called witches I think him a good instrument raised up for this purpose by God himself But it will perchance be said by witchmongers to wit by such as attribut to witches the power which appertaineth to God only that I have made choise of your Lordship to be a Patrone to this my book because I think you favor mine opinions and by that means may the more freely publish any error or conceit of mine own which should rather be warranted by your Lordships authority then by the word of God or by sufficient argument But I protest the contrary and by these presents I renounce all protection and despise all friendship that might serve to help towards the suppressing or supplanting of truth knowing also that your Lordship is far from allowing any injury done unto man much more an enemy to them that go about to dishonor God or to embeazel the title of his immortal glory But because I know you to be perspicuous and able to see down into the depth and bottome of causes are not to be carried away with the vain perswasion or superstition either of man custome time or multitude but moved with the authority of truth only I crave your countenance herein even so far forth no further then the law of God the law of nature the lawe of this land the rule of reason shall require Neither do I treat for these poore people any otherwise but so as with one hand you may sustaine the good and with the other suppresse the evill wherein you shall be thought a father to orphanes an advocate to widowes a guide to the blind a stay to the lame a comfort countenance to
Parisiensis Hemingius Heraclides Hermes Trismegistus Hieronymus Hilarius Hippocrates Homerus Horatius Hostiensis Hovinus Hypertus Jacobus de Chusa Caâ—thusianus Jamblichus Jaso Pratensis Innocentius 8 papa Johannes Anglicus Johannes Baptista Neapolitanus Johannes Cassianus Johannes Montiregrus Johannes Rivius Josephus ben Gorion Josias Simlerus Isidorus Isigonus Juba Julius Maternus Justinus Martyr Lactantius Lavaterus Laurentius Ananias Laurentius a villavicentio Leo II. Pontifex Lex Salicarum Lex 12. Tabulaum Legenda aurea Legenda longa Coloniae Leonardus Vairus Livius Lucanus Lucretius Ludovicus Caelius Lutherus Macrobius Magna Charta Malleus Maleficarum Manlius Marbacchius Marbodeus Gallus Marsilius Ficinus Martinus de Arles Mattheolus Melancthonus Memphradorus Michael Andraeas Musculus Nauclerus Nicephorus Nicholaus 5. Papa Nider Olaus Gothus Origenes Ovidius Panormitanus Paulus Aegineta Paulus Marsus Persius Petrus de Appona Petrus Lombardus Petrus Martyr Peâ—ceâ— Philarchus Philastrius Brixicuâ—u Philodorus Philo Judaeus Pâ—kmaâ—rus Plariuâ— Plato Plinius Plotinus Pluâ—archus Polydorus Virgilius Pomoetium sermonum quadragesimalium Pompanatius Pontificale Ponzivibiâ—â— Porâ— hyrius Proclus Propertius Psellus Ptolomeus Pythagoras Quintilianus Rabbi Abraham Rabbi ben Ezra Rabbi David Kâ—â—hi Rabbi Josuah ben Levi. Rabbi Isaac Natar Rabbi Levi. Rabbi Moles Rabbi Sedaias Haias Robertus Carocullus Rupertuâ— Sabinus Sadoletus Savanoâ—ola Scotus Seneca Septuaginta interpreres Serapio Socrates Solinus Speculum exemplorum Strabo Sulpitius Severus Syneffus Tatianus Teâ—tullianus Thomas Aquinas Themiltius Theodoreâ—uâ— Theodorus Bizantius Theophrastus Thucidydes Tibullus Tremelius Valerius Maximus Varro Vegetius Vincentius Virgilius Viâ—ellius Wieâ—us Xanrus historiographus These English BArnaby Googe Beehive of the Romish church Edward Deering Geffrey Chaucer Giles Alley Guimelf Maharba Henry Haward Jâ—hn Bale John Fox John Malborn John Record Pâ—imeâ— after Yorke use Richard Gallis Roger Bacon Testament printed at Rhemes T. E. a nameles Author 467. Thomas Hilles Thomas Lupron Thomas Moore Knight Thomas Phaer T. R. a nameles Author 393. William Lambard W. W. a namelesse Author 542. The discovery of Witchcraft The first Book CHAP. I. An impeachment of Witches power in meteors and elementary bodies tending to the rebuke of such as attribute too much unto them THe Fables of Witch-craft have taken so fast hold and deep root in the heart of man that few or none can now adaies with patience indure the hand and correction of God For if any adversity greefe sicknesse losse of children corn cattell or liberty happen unto them by and by they exclaime upon witches As though there were no God in Israel that ordereth all things according to his will punishing both just unjust and with greefes plagues and afflictions in manner and forme as he thinketh good but that certain old women here on earth called witches must needs be the contrivers of all mens calamities and as though they themselves were innocents and had deserved no such punishments Insomuch as they stick not to ride and go to such as either are injuriously tearmed witches or else are willing so to be accounted seeking at their hands comfort and remedy in time of their tribulation contrary to Gods will and commandement in that behalfe who bids us resort to him in all our necessities Such faithlesse people I say are also perswaded that neither haile nor snow thunder nor lightning rain nor tempestuous winds come from the heavens at the commandement of God but are raised by the cunning and power of witches and conjurers insomuch as a clap of thunder or a gale of winde is no sooner heard but either they runne to ring bels or cry out to burne witches or else burne consecrated things hoping by the smoak thereof to drive the devill out of the aire as though spirits could be fraid away with such externall toies howbeit these are right inchantments as Brentius affirmeth But certainly it is neither a witch nor devil but a glorious God that maketh the thunder I have read in the Scriptures that God maketh the blustering tempests and whirle-winds and I find that it is the Lord that altogether dealeth with them and that they blowe according to his will But let me see any of them all rebuke and still the sea in time of tempest as Christ did or raise the stormy wind as God did with his word and I will beleeve in them Hath any witch or conjurer or any creature entred into the treasures of the snowe or seen the secret places of the haile which GOD hath prepared against the day of trouble battell and warre I for my part also thinke with Jesus Sirach that at Gods onely commandement the snow falleth and that the wind bloweth according to his wil who onely maketh all stormes to cease and who if we keep his ordinances will send us rain in due season and make the land to bring forth her increase and the trees of the field to give their fruit But little think our witch-mongers that the Lord commandeth the clouds above or openeth the doors of heaven as David affirmeth or that the Lord goeth forth in the tempests and stormes as the Prophet Nahum reporteth but rather that witches and conjurers are then about their businesse The Marcionists acknowledged one God the author of good things and another the ordainer of evill but these make the devill a whole God to create things of nothing to know mens cogitations and to do that which God never did as to transubstatiate men into beasts c. Which thing if devils could do yet followeth it not that witches have such power But if all the devils in hell were dead and all the witches in England burned or hanged I warrant you we should not fail to have rain haile and tempests as now we have according to the appointment will of God according to the constitution of the elements and the course of the planets wherein God hath set a perfect and perpetuall order I am also well assured that if all the old women in the world were witches and all the priests conjurers we should not have a drop of rain nor a blast of wind the more or the lesse for them For the Lord hath bound the waters in the clouds and hath set bounds about the waters untill the day and night come to an end yea it is God that raiseth the winds and stilleth them and he saith to the rain and snowe Be upon the earth and it falleth The wind of the Lord and not the wind of witches shall destroy the treasures of their pleasant vessels and dry up the fountaines saith Oseas Let us also learn and confesse with the Prophet David that we our selves are the causes of our afflictions and not exclaim upon witches when we should call upon God for mercy The Imperiall law saith Brentius condemneth them to death that trouble and infect the aire but I affirme saith he that it is neither in the power of witch nor devill so to do but in God only Though
into mans shape and that thereby witch-craft was naturally ingraffed into this child as a disease â—at commeth by inheritance C. Agrippa replying against the inquisitors folly and superstitious blindnesse said O thou wicked Priest Is this thy divinity Dost thou use to draw poor guiltlesse women to the rack by these forged devises Dost thou with such sentences judge others to be heretikes thou being a more heretike than either Faustus or Donatus Be it as thou sayest doest thou not frustrate the grace of Gods ordinance namely baptisme Are the words in baptisme spoken in vaine Or shall the devill remaine in the child or it in the power of the devill being there and then consecrated to Christ Jesus in the name of the Father the Son and the Holy Ghost And if thou defend their false opinions which affirme that spirits accompanying with women can ingender yet dotest thou more than any of them which never beleeved that any of those devils together with their stolne seed do put part of that their seed or nature into the creature But though indeed we be borne the children of the devill and damnation yet in baptisme through grace in Christ Satan is cast out and we are made new creatures in the Lord from whom none can be separated by another mans deed The inquisitor being hereat offended threatned the advocate to proceed against him as a supporter of hereticks or witches yet neverthelesse he ceased not to defend the silly woman and through the power of the law he delivered her from the clawes of the bloody monke who with her accusers were condemned in a great summe of money to the charter of the church of Meniz and remained infamous after that time almost to all men But by the way you must understand that this was but a petty inquisitor and had not so large a commission as Cumanus Sprenger and such other had nor yet as the Spanish inquisitors at this day have For these will admit no advocate now unto the poor soules except the tormentor or hangman may be called an advocate You may read the summe of this inquisition in few words set out by M. Iohn Fox in the acts and monuments For witches and hereticks are among the inquisitors of like reputation saving that the extremity is greater against witches because through their simplicity they may the more boldly tyrannize upon them and triumph over them CHAP. XII What the fear of death and feeling of torments may force one to do and that it is no marvell though witches condemne themselves by their own confessions so tyrannically extorted HE that readeth the ecclesiasticall histories or remembreth the persecutions in Qeen Maries time shall find that many good men have fallen for fear of persecution and returned unto the Lord again What marvell then though a poor woman such a one as is described elsewhere and tormented as is declared in these latter leaves be made to confesse such absurd and false impossibilities when flesh and bloud is unable to endure such triall Or how can she in the middest of such horrible tortures and torments promise unto her selfe constancy or forbeare to confesse any thing Or what availeth it her to persevere in the deniall of such matters as are laid to her charge unjustly when on the one side there is never any end of her torments on the other side if she continue in her assertion they say she hath charmes for taciturnity or silence Peter the Apostle renounced cursed and forsware his master and our Saviour Jesus Christ for fear of a wenches menaces or rather at a question demanded by her wherein he was not so circumvented as these poor witches are which be not examined by girles but by cunning inquisitors who having the spoile of their goods and bringing with them into the place of judgement minds to maintain their bloody purpose spare no manner of allurements threatnings nor torments untill they have wrung out of them all that which either maketh to their own desire or serveth to the others destruction Peter I say in the presence of his Lord and master Christ who had instructed him in true knowledge many years being forewarned noâ— passing four or five houres before and having made a reall league and â— faithfull promise to the contrary without any other compulsion than as hath been said by a question proposed by a girle against his conscience forsooke thrice denyed and abandoned his said Master and yet he was a man illuminated and placed in dignity aloft and neerer to Christ by many degrees than the witch whose fall could not be so great as Peters because she never ascended halfe so many steps A pastors declination is much more abominable than the going astray of any of his sheepâ— as an ambassadors conspiracy is more odious than the falshood of a common person or as a captains treason is more mischeevous than a private souldiers mutiny If you say Peter repented I answer that the witch doth so likewise sometimes and I see not in that case but mercy may be imployed upon her It were a mighty temptation to a silly old woman that a visible devill being in shape so ugly as Danaeus and others say her is should assault her in manner and forme as is supposed oâ— rather avowed specially when there is promise made that none shall be tempted above their strength The poor old witch is commonly uâ—â—learned unwarned and unprovided of counsell and friend-ship void 〈◊〉 judgement and discretion to moderate her life and communication heâ— kind and gender more weak and fraile than the masculine and mucâ— more subject to melancholy her bringing up and company is so baâ—â— that nothing is to be looked for in her specially of these extraordinary qualities her age also is commonly such as maketh her decrepite which is a disease that moveth them to these follyes Finally Christ did cleerly remit Peter though his offence were committed both against his divine and humane nature yea afterwards he 〈◊〉 put him in trust to feed his sheep and shewed great countenance friendship and love unto him And therefore I see not but we may shew compassion upon these poor soules if they shew themselves sorrowful for their misâ—â—ceipts and wicked imaginations The thrid Book CHAP. I. The witches bargain with the devill according to M. Mal. Bodin Nider Danaeus Psellus Erastus Hemingius Cumanus Aquinas Bartholomaeus Spineus c. THat which in this matter of witch-craft hath abused so many and seemeth both so horrible and intolerable is a plain bargain that they say is made betwixt the devil and the witch And many of great learning conceive it to be a matter of truth and in their wiritings publish it accordingly the which by God grace shall be proved as vaine and false as the rest The order of their bargain or profession is double the one solemne and publike the other secret and private That which is called solemne or publike is where witches
in cause which are both false and impossible why should an old witch be thougâ—â— free from such fantasies who as the learned Philosophers and Physitiaâ— say â—pon the stopping of their monehtly melancholike flux or issueâ— blood in their age must needs increase therein as through their weakneâ—â— both of body and braine the aptest persons do meet with such melanchâ—like imaginations with whom their imaginations remaine even whâ—â— their senses are gone Which Bodin laboureth to disprove there â— shewing himâ—elfe as good a Physitian as else-where a divine But if they may imagine that they can transforme their owne bodieâ— which neverthelesse remaine in the former shape how much more câ—â—â—dible is it that they may falsely suppose they can hurt and infeeble otheâ— mens bodyes or which is lesse hinder the coming of butter c. Bâ— what is iâ— that they will not imagine â—and consequently confesse that theâ— can do specially being so earnestly perswaded thereunto so sorely tormented so craftily examined with such promises of favour as whereby they imagine that they shall ever after live in great credit and wealth c. If you read the executions done upon witches either in times past in other countryes or lately in this land you shall see such impossibilities confessed as one having his right wits will beleeve Among other like false confessions we read that there was a witch confessed at the time of her death or execution that she had raised all the tempests and procured all the frosts and hard weather that happened in the winter 1565. and that many grave and wise men beleeved her CHAP. X. That voluntary confessions may be untruly made to the undoing of the confessors and of the strange operation of melancholy proved by a familiar and late example BUt that it may appear that even voluntary confession in this case may be untruly made though it tend to the destruction of the confessor and that melancholy may move imaginations to that effect I will cite a notable instance concerning this matter the parties themselves being yet a live and dwelling in the parish of Sellenge in Kent and the matter not long sithence in this sort performed One Ade Davie the wife of Simon Davie husband-man being reputed a right honest body and being of good parentage grew suddenly as her husband informed me and as it is well known in these parts to be somewhat pensive and more sad than in times past Which thing though it greevâ—d him yet he was loth to make it so appear as either his wife might be troubled or discontented therewith or his neighbours informed thereof least ill husbandry should be laid to his charge which in these quarters is much abhorred But when she grew from pensivenesse to some perturbation of mind so as her accustomed rest began in the night season to be withdrawne from her through fighing and secret lamentation and that not without teares her could not but demande the cause of her conceipâ— and extraordinary mourning But although at that time she covered the same acknowledging nothing to be amisse with he soon after notwithstanding she fell downe before him on her knees desiring him to forgive her for she had greevously offended as she said both God and him Her poor husband being abashed at this her behaviour comforted her as he could asking her the cause of her trouble and greef who told him that she had contrary to gods law and to the offence of all good christians to the injury of him and specially to the losse of her own soul bargained and given her soul to the devill to be delivered unto him within short space Whereunto her husband answered saying Wife be of good cheer this thy bargain is void and of none effect for thou hast sold that which is none of thine toâ— sell sith it belongeth to Christ who hath bought it and deerly paid for it even with his blood which he shed upon the crosse so as the devill hath no interest in the. After this with like submission teares and penitence she said unto him Oh husband I have yet committed another fault and done you more injury for I have bewitched you and your children Be coâ—tent quoth he by the grace of God Jesus Christ shall unwitch us for none evill can happen to them that fear God And as truly as the Lord liveth this was the tenor of his words unto me which I know is true as proceeding from unfained lips and from one that feareth God Now when the time approched that the devill should come and take possession of the woman according to his bargain he watched and prayed earnestly and caused his wife to read psalmes and prayers for mercy at Gods hands and suddenly about mid-night there was a great rumbling below under his chamber window which amazed them exceedingly For they conceived that the devill was below though he had no power to come up because of their servent prayers He that noteth this womans first and second confession freely and voluntarily made how every thing concurred that might serve to adde credit thereunto and yeeld matter for her condemnation would not think but that if Bodin were foreman of her inquest he would cry Guilty and would hasten execution upon her who would have said as much before any judge in the world if she had been examined and have confessed no lesse if she had been arraigned thereupon But God knoweth she was innocent of any of these crimes howbeit she was brought low and pressed down with the weight of this humor so as both her rest and sleep were taken away from her and her fansies troubled and disquieted with despair and such other cogitations as grew by occasion thereof And yet I beleeve if any mishap had insued to her husband or his children few witch mongers would have judged otherwise but that she had bewitched them And she for her part so constantly perswaded her self to be a witch that she judged her selfe worthy of death insomuch as being retained in her chamber she saw not any one carrying a faggot to the fire but she should say it was to make a fire to burn her for witchery But God knoweth she had bewitched none neither insued there any hurt unto any by her imgination but unto her selfe And as for the rumbling it was by occasion of a sheep which was stayed and hung by the wals so as a dog came and devoured it whereby grew the noise which I before mentioned and she being now recovered remaineth a right honest woman far from such impiety and ashamed of her imaginations which she perceiveth to have grown through melancholy CHAP. XI The strange and divers effects of melancholy and how the same humor abounding in witches or rather old women filleth them full of marvellous imaginations and that their confessions are not to be credited BUt in truth this malancholike humor as the best Physitians affirme is the cause oâ— all their strange
impossible and incredible confessions which are so fond that I wonder how any men can be abused thereby Howbeit these affections though they appear in the mind of man yet are they bred in the body and proceed from this humor which is â—he very dregs of blood nourishing and feeding those places from whence proceed feares cogitations superstitions fastings labours and such like This maketh sufferance of torments and as some say foresight of things to come and preserveth health as being cold and dry it makeâ—h men subject to leannesse and to the quartane ague They that are vexed therewith are destroyers of themselves stout to suffer injuries fearfull to offer violence except the humor be hot They learne strange tongues with small industry as Aristotle and others affirme If our witches phantasies were not corrupted nor their wils confounded with this humor they would not so voluntarily and readily confesse that which calleth their life in question whereof they could never otherwise be convicted I. Bodin with his lawyers physick reasoneth contrarily as though melancholy were furthest of all from those old women whom we call witches deriding the most famoâ—s and noble Physitian Iohn Wier for his opinion in that behalfe But becâ—use I am no Physitian I will set a Physitian to him namely Erastus who hath these words to wit that these witches through their corrupt phantasie abounding with melancholike humors by reason of their old age do dreame and imagine they hurt those things which they neither could nor do hurt and so think they knew an art which they neither have learned nor yet understand But why should there be more credit given to witches when they say they have made a reall bargain with the divell killed a cow bewitched butter infeebled a child forespoken her neighbour c. than when she confesseth that she transubstantiateth her self maketh it rain or hail flieth in the air goeth invisible transferreth corn in the grasse from one field to another c. If you think that in the one their confessions be found why should you say that they are corrupt in the other the confession of all these things being made at one instant and affirmed with like constancy or rather audacity But you see the one to be impossible and therefore you think thereby that their confessions are vain and false The other you think may be done and see them confesse it and therefore you conclude A Posse ad essé as being perswaded it is so because you think it may be so But I say both with the divines and philosophers that that which is imagined of witch-craft hath no truth of action or being besides their imagination the witch for the most part is ocâ—upied in false causes For whosoever desireth to bring to passe an impossible thing hath a vain and idle and childish perswasion bred by an unsound minde for Sana mentis voluntas voluntas rei possibilis est The will of a sound mind is the desire of a possible thing CHAP. XII A confutation of witches confessions especially concerning theâ—â— league But it is objected that witches confesse they renounce the faith and as their confession must be true or else they would not make it so must their fault be worthy of death or else they should not be executed Whereunto I answer as before that their confessions are extorted or else proceed from an unsound mind Yea I say further that we our selves which are sound of mind and yet seek any other way of salvation than Christ Jesus or break his commandements or walk not in 〈◊〉 steps with a lively faith c. do not onely renounce the faith but God himselfe and therefore they in confessing that they forsake God and imbrace Satan do that which we all should do As touching that horrible part of their confession in the league which tendeth to the killing of their own and others children the seething of them and the making of their potion or pottage and the effects thereof â—heir good fridayes meeting being the day of their deliverance their incests with their returne at the end of nine moneths when commonly women be neither able to go that journy nor to returne c. it is so horrible unnaturall unlikely and impossible that if I should behold such things with mine eyes I should rather think my selfe dreaming drunken or some way deprived of my senses than give credit to so horrible and filthy matters How hath the the oyle or pottage of a sodden child such vertue as thaâ— a staffe annointed therewith can carry folk in the air Their potable liquor which they say maketh masters of that faculty is it not ridiculous And is it not by the opinion of all philosophers Physitians and divines void of such vertue as is imputed thereunto Their not fasting on fridayes and their fasting on sundayes their spitting at the time of elevation their refusall of holy-water their despising of superstitious crosses c. which are all good steps to true Christianity help me to confute the tesidue of their confessions CHAP. XIII A confutation of witches confessions concerning making of tempests and raine of the naturall cause of raine and that witches or devillâ— have no power to do such things ANd to speak more generally of all the impossible actions refâ—rred uâ—to them as also of their false confessions I say that there is none which acknowledgeth God to be onely omnipotent and the onely workeâ— of all miracles nor any other iâ—dued with meane sense but will deny thaâ— the elements are obedient to wiâ—ches and at their commandement or that they may at their pleasure send râ—n hail tempests thunder lightning when she being bâ—â— an old doing woman casteth a flint-stone over her let shoulder towards the west or hurleth a little sea-sand up into the element or wetteth a broom-sprig in water and sprinkleth the same in the air or diggeth a pit in the earth and putting water therein stirreth it about with her finger or boileth hogs bristles or laieth sticks acrosse upon a banke where never a drop of water is or burieth sage till it be rotten all which things are confessed by witches and affirmed by writers to be the meanes that witches use to move extraordinary tempests and rain c. We read in M. Maleficarum that a little girle walking abroad with her father in his land heard him complaine of drought wishing for raine c. Why Father quoth the child I can make it raine or haile when and where I list He asked where she learned it She said of her mother who forbad her to tell any bodie thereof He asked her how her mother taught her She answered that her mother committed her to a master who would at any time do any thing for her Why then said he make it rain but onely in my field And so she went to the streame and threw up water in her masters name and made it rain presently And proceeding further
in christendome even of â—ate daies to be one of those kind of witches so as he could when â—e â—ist turne himselfe to a wolfe affirming that he was espyed c oftentimes seen to performe that villany because he would be counted the king of all witches He saith that this transubstantiation is most common in Greece and through out all Asia as marchant strangers have reporteed to him For Anno Domini 1542 when Sultan Solimon reigned there was such force and multitude of these kind of wolves in Constantinople that the Emperour drave together in one stock 150. of them which departed out of the city in the presence of all the people To perswade us the more throughly herein he saith that in Livonâ—a yearly about the end of December a certaine knave or devill warneth all the witches in the countrey to come to a certain place if they faile the devill commeth and whippeth them with an iron rod so as the print of his lashes remainâ— upon their bodies for ever The captain witch leadeth the way through a great poole of water many millions of witches swim after They are no sooner passed through that water but they are all transformed into wolves and fly upon and devoure both men women cattell c. After twelve daies they returne through the same water and so receive humane shape again Item that there was one Bajanuâ— a Iew being the sonne of Simeoâ— which could when he list turne himselfe into a wolfe and by that meanes could escape the force and danger of a whole army of men Which thing saith Bodin is wonderfull but yet saith he it is much more marvelous that men will not beleeve it For many Poets affirme it yea and if you look well into the matter saith he you shall find it easie to do Item he saith that as naturall wolves persecute beasts so do these magicall wolves devoure men women and children And yet God saâ—â—â— to the people I trowe and not to the cattle of Israel If you observe noâ— my commandements I will send among you the beasts of the fâ—eld which shall devoure both you and your cattle Item I will send the teeth 〈◊〉 beasts upon you Where is Bodins distinction now become He neâ—â—â— saith I will send witches in the likenesse of wolves c. to devoure you or your cattle Neverthelesse Bodin saith it is a clear case for the mâ—â—â—ter was disputed upon before Pope Leo the seventh and by him all the matters were judged possible and at that time saith he were the transformations of Lucian and Apuleius made canonicall Furthermore he saith that through this art they are so cunning that 〈◊〉 man can apprehend them but when they are a sleep Item he named another witch that aâ— M. Mal. saith could not be caught because he would transforme himselfe into a mouse and runne into every little holes till at length he was killed coming out of the hole of a â—amme in a windoâ— which indeed is as possible as a camell to go through a needles eye Iteâ— he saith that divers witches at Vâ—rnon turned themselves into cats anâ— both committed and received much hurt But at Argentine there was â— wonderfull matter done by three witches of great wealth who transformâ—ing themselves into three cats assaulted a faggot-maker who having 〈◊〉 them all with a faggot-sticke was like to have bin put to death But he was miraculously delivered and they worthily punished as the story saith from whence Bodin had it After a great many other such beastly fables he inveyeth against such Physitians as say that Lycanthropia is a disease and not a transformation Item he maintaineth as sacred and true all Homers fables of Circes anâ— Vlysses his companions inveying against Chrysostome who rightly interpreteth Homers meaning to be that Vlysses his people were by the harlot Circes made in their brutish manners to resemble swine But least some Poets fables might be thought lies whereby the witch-mongers arguments should quaile he maintaineth for true the most part of Ovids Metamorphosis and the greatest absurdities and impossibilities in all that book marry he thinketh some one tale therein may be fained Finally he confirmeth all these toies by the story of Nabuchadnezzar And because saith he Nabuchadnezzar continued seven years in the shape of a beast therefore may witches remain so long in the forme of a beast having in all the mean time the shape haire voice strength agility swiftnesse food and excrements of beasts and yet reserve the minds and soules of women or men Howbeit S. Augustine whether to confute or confirme that opinion judge you saith Non est credendum humanum corpus daemonum arte vel potestate in bestialia lineamenta converti posse We may not beleeve that a mans body may be altered into the lineaments of a beast by the devils art or power Item Bodin â—aith that the reason why witches are most commonly turned into wolves is because they usually eate children as wolves eate cattle Item that the cause why other are truly turned into asses is for that such have been desirous to understand the secrets of witches Why witches are turned into cats he alledgeth no reason and therefore to help him forth with that paraphrase I say that witches are curst queanes and many times scratch one another or their neighbours by the faces and therefore perchance are turned into cats But I have put twenty of these witch-mongers to silence with this one question to wit Whether a witch that can turn a woman into a cat c. can also turn a cat into a woman CHAP. II. Absurd reasons brought by Bodin and such others for confirmation of transformations THese Examples and reasons might put us in doubt that every Asse wolfe or cat that we see were a man a woman or a child I marvel that no man useth this distinction in the definition of a man But to what end should one dispute against these creations and recreations when Bodin washeth away all our arguments with one word confessing that none can create any thing but God acknowledging also the force of the canons and imbracing the opinions of such Divines as write against him in this behalfe Yea he doth now contrary to himself elsewhere affirme that the devil cannot alter his form And lo this is his distinction Non essentialis forma id est ratio sed figura solum permutatur The essentiall form to wit reason is not changed but the shape or figure And thereby he proveth it easie enough to create men or beasts with life so as they remain without reason Howbeit I think it is an easier matter to turn Bodins reason into the reason of an asse then his body into the shape of a sheep which he saith is an easie matter because Lots wife was turned into a stone by the Devil Whereby he sheweth his grosse ignorance As though God that commanded Lot upon pain of death not
another of fishes 〈◊〉 other of birds And therefore it is absolutely against the ordinance 〈◊〉 God who hath made me a man that I should fly like a bird or 〈◊〉 like a fish or creep like a worme or become an asse in shape 〈◊〉 much as if God would give me leave I cannot do it for it were conâ—ry to his own order and decree and to the constitution of any body which he hath made Yea the spirits themselves have their lawes and limits prescribed beyond the which they cannot passe one haires breadth otherwise God should be contrary to himselfe which is farre from him Nâ—â—â—ther is Gods omnipotency hereby qualified but the devils impotency manifested who hath none other power but that which God from 〈◊〉 beginning hath appointed unto him consonant to his nature and substance He may well be restrained from his power and will but beyond theâ—â— he cannot passe as being Gods minister no further but in that which hath from the beginning enabled him to do which is that he being spirit may with Gods leave and ordinance viciate and corrupt the 〈◊〉 and will of man wherein he is very diligent What a beastly assertion is it that a man whom GOD hath made according to his own similitude and likenesse should be by a witch turn into a beast What an impiety is it to affirme that an asses body is 〈◊〉 temple of the Holy Ghost Or an asse to be the child of God and 〈◊〉 to be his father as it is said of man Which Paul to the Corinthiaâ— divinely confuteth who saith that our bodies are the members of Christ. In the which we are to glorifie God for the body is for the Lord. 〈◊〉 the Lord is for the body Surely he meaneth not for an asses body by this time I hope appeareth in such wise as Bodin may go hide him 〈◊〉 shame especially when he shall understand that even into these our bodies which God hath framed after his own likenesse he hath also breathed that spirit which Bodin saith is now remaining within an asses body which God hath so subjected in such servility under the foot of man of whom God is so mindfull that he hath made him little lower than angels yea than himselfe and crowned him with glory and worship and made him to have dominion over the works of his hands as having put all things under his feet all sheep and oxen yea wolves asses and all other beasts of the field the foules of the air the fishes of the sea c. Bodins Poet Ovid whose Metamorphosis makes so much for him saith to the overthrow of this phantasticall imagination Os homini sublime dedit coelumque videre Iussit erectos ad sydera tollere vultus The effect of which verses in this The Lord did set mans face so hie That he the heavens might behold And look up to the starry skie To see his wonders manifold Now if a witch or a devill can so alter the shape of a man as contrarily to make him look down to hell like a beast Gods works should not only be defaced and disgraced but his ordinance should be wonderfully â—tered and thereby confounded CHAP. VI. The witchmongers objections concerning Nabuchadnezzar answered and their error concerning Lycanthropia confuted MAlleus Maleficarum Bodin and many other of them that maintain witchcraft triumph upon the story of Nabuchadnezzar as though Circes had transformed him with her sorceries into an oxe as she did others into swine c. I answer that he was neither in body nor shape transformed at all according to their grosse imagination as appeareth both by the plaine words of the text and also by the opinions of the best interpreters thereof but that he was for his beastly government and conditions throwne out of his kingdome and banished for a time and driven to hide himselfe in the wildernesse therein exile to lead his life in aâ—beastly sort among beasts of the field and foules of the air for by the way I tell you it appeareth by the text that he was rather turned into the shape of a fowle than of a beast untill he rejecting his beastly conditions was upon his repentance and amendment called home and restored unto his kingdome Howbeit this by their confession was neither devils nor witches doing but a miracle wrought by God whom alone I acknowledge to be able to bring to passe such workes at his pleasure Wherein I would know what our witch-mongers have gained I am not ignorant that some write that after the death of Nabuchadnezzar his son Evilmorodath gave his body to the ravens to be devoured least afterwards his father should arise from death who of a beast became a man againe But this tale is meeter to have place in the Cabalisticall art to wit among unwritten verities than here To conclude I say that the transformations which these witchmongers do so rave and rage upon is as all the learned sort of Physitians affirme a disease proceeding partly from melancholy whereby many suppose themselves to be wolves or such ravening beasts For Lycanthropia is of the ancient Physitians called Lupina melancholia or Lupina insania I. Wierus declareth very learnedly the cause the circumstance and the cure of this disease I have written the more herein because hereby great princes and potentates as well as poor women and innocents have been deâ—amed and accounted among the number of witches CHAP. VII A speciall objection answered concerning transportations with the consent of diverse writers thereupon FhOr the maintenance of witches transportations they object the words of the Gospell where the devill is said to take up Christ and to set him on a pinnacle of the temple and on a mountain c. Which if he had done in manner and forme as they suppose it followeth not therefore that witches could do the like nor yet that the devil would do it for them at their pleasure for they know not their thoughts neither can otherwise communicate with them But I answer that if it were so grossely to be understood as they imagine it yet should it make nothing to their purpose For I hope they will not say that Christ had made any ointemnts or entred into any league with the devil by vertue thereof was transported from out of the wildernesse unto the top of the temple of Jerusalem or that the devill could have masteries over his body vvhose soul he could never lay hold upon especially when he might with a beck of his finger have called unto him and have had the assistance of many legions of angels Neither as I thinke will they presume to make Christ partaker of the devils purpose and sinne in that behalfe If they say This was an action wrought by the speciall providence of God and by his appointment that the scripture might be fulfilled then what gain our witchmongers by this place First for that they may not produce a
or did God any wrong when he laid it to his charge but we dishonour God greatly when we attribute either the power or propriety of God the creator unto â— creature Calvine saith We derogate much from Gods glory and omnipotency when we say he doth but give Satan leave to do it which is saith he 〈◊〉 mocke Gods justice and so fond an assertion that if asses could speak they would speak more wisely than so For a temporall judge saith not to the hangman I give thee leave to hang this offender but commandeth him to do it But the maintainers of witches omnipotency say Do you not see how really and palpably the devill tempted and plagued Iob I answer first that there is no corporall or visible devill named nor seen in any part of that circumstance secondly that it was the hand of God that did it thirdly that as there is no community between the person of a witch and the person of a devill so was there not any conference or practise between them in this case And as touching the communication betwixt God and the devill behold what Calvine saith writing or rather preaching of purpose upon that place whereupon they think they have so great advantage When Satan is said to appear before God it is not done in some place certaine but the scripture speaketh so to apply it selfe to our rudenesse Certainly the devill in this and such like cases is an instrument to worke Gods will and not his own and therefore it is an ignorant and an ungodly saying as Calvine judgeth it to affirme that God doth but permit and suffer the devill For if Satan were so at his own liberty saith he we should be overwhelmed at a sudden And doubtlesse if he had power to hurt the body there were no way to resist for he would come invisibly upon us and knock us on the heads yea he would watch the best and dispatch them whilest they were about some wicked act If they say God commandeth him no body impugneth them but that God should give him leave I say with Calvine that the devill is not in such favour with God as to obtaine any such request at his hands And whereas by our witch-mongers opinions and arguments the witch procureth the devill and the devill asketh leave of God to plague whom the witch is disposed there is not as I have said any such corporall communication between the devill and a witch as witch-mongers imagine Neither is God moved at all at Satans sute who hath no such favour or grace with him as to obtaine any thing at his hands But M. Mal. and his friends deny that there were any witches in Iobs time yea the witchm-ongers are content to say that there were none found to exercise this are in Christs time from his birth to his death even by the space of thirty three years If there had been any say they should have been there spoken of As touching the authority of the book of Iob there is no question but that it is very canonicall and authentike Howbeit many writers both of the Jews and others are of opinion that Moses was the author of this book and that he did set it as a looking glasse before the people to the intent the children of Abraham of whose race he himselfe came might know that God shewed favour to others that were not of the same line and be ashamed of their wickednesse seeing an uncircumcised Painime had so well demeaned himselfe Upon which argument Calvine though he had written upon the same saith that forsomuch as it is uncertaine whether it were Res gesta or Exempli gratia we must leave it in suspense Neverthelesse saith he let us take that which is out of all doubt namely that the holy ghost hath indited the book to the end that the Jews should know that God hath had a people alwaies to serve him throughout the world even of such as were no Jews not segregated from other nations Howbeit I for my part deny not the verity of the story though indeed I must confesse that I think there was no such corporall interlude between God the devill and Iob as they imagine neither any such to all presence and communication as the witch-mongers conceive and maintaine who are so grosse herein that they do not onely beleeve but publish so palpable absurdities concerning such reall actions betwiâ—â— the devill and man as a wise man would be ashamed to read but much more to credit as that S. Dunstâ—n lead the devill about the house by the nose with a pair of pinsors or tongs and made him â—ore so lowd 〈◊〉 the place rung thereof c. with a thousand the like fables without which neither the art of popery nor of witchcraft could stand But you may see more of this matter elsewhere where in few words which I thought good here to omit least I should seem to use too many repetitions I answer effectually to their cavils about this place CHAP. IX What severall sorts of witches are mentioned in the Scriptures and how the word witch is there applied BUt what sorts of witches soever M. Mal. or Bodin say there are 〈◊〉 spake onely of four kinds of impious coseners or witches whereof 〈◊〉 witch-mongers old women which dance with the fairies c. are none The first were Praestigiatores Pharaonis which as â—ll divines both â—â—â—brews and others conclude were but coseners and jugglers deceiving the Kings eyes with illusions and sleights and making false things to appear as true which neverthelesse our witches cannot do The â—â—â—cond is Mecasapha which is she that destroyeth with poison The 〈◊〉 are such as use sundry kinds of divinations and hereunto pertaine 〈◊〉 words Kasam Onen Ob Idoni The fourth is Habar to wit when magicians or rather such as would be reputed cunning therein 〈◊〉 certain secret words wherein is thought to be great efficacy These are all coseners and abusers of the people in their severall kindâ—â— But because they are all termed of our translators by the name of witch in the Bible thefore the lies of M. Mal and Bodin and all our old 〈◊〉 tales are applied unto these names and easily beleeved of the common people who have never hitherto been instructed in the understanding 〈◊〉 these words In which respect I will by Gods grace shew you coâ—â—cerning the signification of them the opinion of the most learned in oâ—â— age specially of Iohannes Wierus who though he himselfe were similarly learned in the tongues yet for his satisfication and full resolution in the same he sent for the judgement of Andrâ—us Massius the most â—â—â—mous Hebrician in the world and had it in such sense and order as I meâ—â—â— to set down unto you And yet I give you this note by the way the witch-craft or inchantment is diversly taken in the scriptures sometimeâ— nothing tending to such end as it is commonly thought
to do For â—â— Samuel 15.23 it is all one with rebellion Iesabel for her idolatrous 〈◊〉 is called a witch Also in the new testament even S. Paul saith the Galathians are bewitched because they were seduced and lead from the true understanding of the Scriptures Item sometimes it is taken in good part as the magicians that came to worship and offer to Christ and also where Daniel is said to be an inchanter yea a principall inchanter which title being given him in divers places of that story he never seemeth to refuse or dislike but rather intreateth for the pardon and qualification of the rigor towards other inchanters which were meer coseners indeed as appeareth in the second chapter of Daniel where you may see that the king espyed their fetches Sometimes such are called conjurers as being but rogues and lewd people would use the name of Jesus to worke miracles whereby though they being faithlesse could work nothing yet is their practise condemned by the name of conjuration Sometimes jugglers are called witches Sometimes also they are called sorcerers that impugne the gospell of Christ and seduce others with violent perswasions Sometimes a murtherer with poison is called a witch Sometimes they are so termed by the very signification of their names as Elimaâ— which signifieth a sorcerer Sometimes because they study curious and vaine arts Sometimes it is taken for wounding or grieving of the heart Yea the very word Magus which is Latine for a magician is translated a witch and yet it was heretofore alwaies taken in the good part And at this day it is indifferent to say in the English tongue She is a witch or She is a wise woman Sometimes observers of dreames sometimes sooth sayers sometimes the observers of the flying of fowleâ— of the meeting of todes the falling of salt c. are called witches Sometimes he or she is called a witch that take upon them either for gaine or glory to do miracles and yet can do nothing Sometimes they are called witches in common speech that are old lame curst or melancholike as a nick-name But as for our old women that are said to hurt children with their eyes or lambs with their lookes or that pull down the moon out of heaven or make so foolish a bargain or do such homage to the devill you shall not read in the bible of any such witches or of any such actions imputed to them The sixt Book CHAP. I. The exposition of this Hebrew word Chasaph wherein is answerâ—â— the objection contained in Exodus 22. to wit Thou shalt not 〈◊〉 a witch to live and of Simon Magus Acts. 8 CHasaph being an Hebrew word is latined Venefiâ—â—â— and is in English poisoning or witch-craft if you will so have it The Hebrew sentence written in Exodus 22. is by the 70. interpreters translated thus in Greek 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which in Latine is Veneficos sive veneficas non retinebitis in vita in Englishâ— You shall nor suffer any poisoners or as it is translatedâ— witches to live The which sentence Iosephus an Hebrew borne and man of great estimation learning and fame interpreteth in this 〈◊〉 Let none of the children of Israel have any poyson that is deadly or prâ—â—pared to any hurtfull use If any be apprehended with such stuffe let 〈◊〉 be put to death and suffer that which he meant to do to them for whâ—â— he prepared it The Rabbins exposition agreeth herewithall Lex Corâ—â—â— differeth not from this sense to wit that he must suffer death which other maketh selleth or hath any poison to the intent to kill any 〈◊〉 This word is found in these places following Exodus 22.18 Deut. 18. â—â— 2 Sam 9.22 Dan. 2.2 2 Câ—r 33.6 Esay 47.9.12 Malach. 3.5 Ierem. 27. Mich. 5.2 Nab. 3.4 bis Howbeit in all our English translations Chasaph translated witch-craft And because I will avoid prolixity and contention both at once I 〈◊〉 admit that Veneficae were such witches as with their poisons did 〈◊〉 hurt among the children of Israel and I will not deny that there 〈◊〉 such untill this day bewitching men and making them beleeve 〈◊〉 by vertue of words and certaine ceremonies they bring to 〈◊〉 such mischiefs and intoxications as they indeed accomplish by poisoâ—â— And this abuse in cosenage of people together with the taking of Goâ—â— name in vaine in many places of the scripture is reproved especialâ—â— by the name of witch-craft even where no poysons are According 〈◊〉 the sense which S. Paul used to the Galathians in these words where â—â— sheweth plainly that the true signification of witch-craft is cosenage ye foolish Galathians saith he who hath bewitched you to wit cosened or abused you making you beleeve a thing which is neither so 〈◊〉 so Whereby he meaneth not to ask of them who hath with charmeâ— c. or with poysons deprived them of their health life cattle or chilâ—dren c. buâ— who hath abused or cosened them to make them beleeâ—â— lies This phrase is alsoused by Job 15. But that we may be througly resolved of the true meaning of this phrase used by Paul Gal. 3. let us examined the description of a notable witch called Simon Magus made by S. Luke There was saith he in the city of Samaria a certain man called Simon which used witch-craft and bewitched the people of Samaria saying that he himselfe was some great man I demand in what other thing here do we see any witch-craft than that he abused the people making them beleeve he could worke miracles whereas in truth he could do no such thing as manifestly may appear in the 13. and 19. verses of the same chapter where he wondered at the miracles wrought by the apostles and would have purchased with money the power of the Holy Ghost to work wonders It will be said the people had reason to beleeve him because it is written that he of long time had bewitched them with sorceries But let the bewitched Galathians be a warning both to the bewitched Samaritans and to all other that are cosened or bewitched through false doctrine or legierdemaine least while they attend to such fables and lies they be brought into ignorance and so in time be led with them away from God And finally let us all abandon such witches and coseners as with Simon Magus set themselves in the place of God boasting that they can do miracles expound dreames foretell things to come raise the dead c. which are the workes of the Holy Ghost who onely searcheth the heart and reines and onely worketh great wonders which are now stayed and acomplished in Christ in whom who so steadfastly beleeveth shall not need to be by such meanes resolved or confirmed in his doctrine and gospell And as for the unfaithfull they shall have none other miracle shewed unto them but the signe of Ionas the prophet And therefore I say whatsoever they be that with Simon Magus take
because God can indue his messe 〈…〉 with bodies at his pleasure therefore the devil and every spirit can 〈◊〉 the like How the eleven Apostles were in this case deceived appearâ—â—â— in Luk. 24. and in Mark 16 as also in Matth. 14. where the Apostles aâ—â— disciples were all deceived taking Christ to be a spirit when he walked on the sea And why might not they be deceived herein as vvell as in that they thought Christ had spoken of a temporal kingdome when he preached of the kingdome of heaven Which thing they also much misconceived as likewise when he did bid them beware of the leaven of the Pharisees they understood that he spake of material bread CHAP. V. Why Apollo was called Pytho whereof those witches were called Pythonists Gregory his letter to the devil BUt to return to our oracle of Apollo at Delphos who was called Pytho for that Apollo slue a serpent so called whereof the Pythonists take their name I pray you consider well of this tale which I will truely rehearse out of the Ecclesiastical history written by Eusebius wherein you shall see the absurdity of the opinion the cosenages of these oracles and the deceived mind or vaine opinion of so great a doctor bewraied and deciphered altogether as followeth Gregory Neocaesariensis in his journy and way to passe over the Alpes came to the temple of Apollo where Apollo's priest living richly upon the revenues and benefit proceeding from that idoll did give great intertainment unto Gregory and made him good chear But after Gregory was gone Apollo waxed dumbe so as the priest's gaines decaied for the idol growing into contempt the pilgrimage ceased The spirit taking compassion upon the priest's case and upon his grief of mind in this behalfe appeared unto him and told him flatly that his late guest Gregory was the cause of all his misery For saith the devil he hath banished me so that I cannot returne without a speciall license or pasport from him It was no need to bid the priest make haste for immediately he took post horses and galloped after Gregory till at length he overtook him and then expostulated with him for this discourtesie proffered in recompence of his good cheare and said that if he would not be so good unto him as to write his letter to the devil in his behalfe he should be utterly undone To be short his importunity was such that he obtained Gregory his letter to the devill who wrote unto him in manner and forme following word for word Permitto tibi redire in locum â—uum agere quae consuevisti which is in English I am content thou returne into thy place and do as thou wast wont Immediately upon the receipt of this letter the idol spake as before And here is to be noted that as well in this as in the execution of all their other oracles and cosenages the answers were never given Ex tempore or in that day wherein the question was demanded because forsooth they expected a vision as they said to be given the night following whereby the cosenage might the more easily be wrought CHAP. VI. Apollo who was callâ— Pytho compared to the Roe of grace Gregories letter to the devil confuted WHat need many words to confute this fable For if Gregory 〈◊〉 been an honest man he would never have willingly 〈◊〉 that the people should have been further cosened with such alying spiritâ— if he had been halfe so holy as Eusebius maketh him he would not are consented or yeelded to so lewd a request of the priest nor have write such an impious letter no not though good might have come thereâ—â— And therefore as well by the impossibility and folly conteined therein of the impiety whereof I dare excuse Gregory you may perceive it to 〈◊〉 a ly Me thinks they which still maintain that the devil made answer the idol of Apollo c. may have sufficient perswasion to revoke their â—â—roneous opinions in that it appeareth in record that such men were skilful in Augurie did take upon them to give oracles at Delphâ—â— the place of Apollo of which number Tisanius the sonne of 〈◊〉 was one But vain is the answer of idols Our Rood of grace with 〈◊〉 helpe of little S. Rumbal was not inferior to the idol of Apollo for 〈◊〉 could not work eternall miracles but manifest the internall thoughtâ— the heart I beleeve with more lively shew both of humanity and 〈◊〉 of divinity than the other As if you read M. Lamberts book of 〈◊〉 perambulation of Kent it shall partly appear But if you talke 〈◊〉 them that have been beholders thereof you will be satisfied herein 〈◊〉 yet in the blind time of popery no man might under pain of damaâ—â— on nor without danger of death suspect the fraud Nay what 〈◊〉 will yet confesse they were idols though the wiers that made their â—â—gogle the pins that fastened them to the postes to make them seem 〈◊〉 were seen and burnt together with the images themselves the knavery of the priests bewraied and every circumstance thereof detected and manifested CHAP. VII How divers great clerkes and good authors have been abused in the matter of spirits through false reports and by meanes of their â—â—dulity have published lies which are confuted by Aristotle and Scriptures PLutarch Livy and Valerius Maximus with many other grave â—â—â—thors being abused with false reports write that in times past beâ—â— spake and that images could have spoken and wept and did let 〈◊〉 drops of blood yea and could walke from place to place which thâ— say was done by procuration of spirits But I rather think with Aristole that it was brought to passe Hominum sacerdotum deceptionibus to wit by the cosening art of crafty knaves and priests And therefore let us follow Esaies advise who saith When they shall say unto you enquire of them that have a spirit of divination and at the soothsayers which whisper and mâ—mble in your eares to deceive you c. enquire at your own God c. And so let us do And here you see they are such as runne into corners and cosen the people with lies c. For if they could do as they say they could not aptly be called liers neither need they to go into corners to whisper c. CHAP. VIII Of the witch of Endor whether she accomplished the raising of Samuel truly or by deceipt the opinion of some divines hereupon THe woman of Endor is comprised under this word Ob for she is called Pythonissa It is written in 2 Sam. chap. 28. that she raised up Samuel from death and the other words of the text are strongly placed to inforce his very resurrection The mind and opinion of Jesus Syrach evidently appeareth to be that Samuel in person was raised out from his grave as if you read Eccl. 46.19 20. you shall plainly perceive Howbeit he disputeth not there whether the story be true
holdeth and writeth that the bones which stick in ones throate are avoided and cast out with the violence of charmes and inchanting words yea and that thereby the stone the chollick the falling sicknesse and all feavers gowts fluxes fistula's issues of blood and finally whatsoever cure even beyond the skill of himselfe or any other foolish physician is cured and perfectly healed by words of inchantment Marry M. Ferrarius although he allowed and practised this kind of physick yet he protesteth that he thinketh it none otherwise effectuall than by the way of constant opinion so as he affirmeth that neither the character nor the charme nor the witch nor the devill accomplish the cure as saith he the experiment of the toothach will manifestly declare wherein the cure is wrought by the confidence or diffidence as well of the patient as of the agent according to the poets saying Nos habitat non tartara sed nec sider coeli Spiritus in nobis qui viget illa facit a Not hellish furies dwell in us Nor starres with influence heavenly The spirit that lives and rules in us Doth every thing ingeniously This saith he commeth to the unlearned through the opinion which they conceive of the characters and holy words but the learned that know the force of the mind and imagination worke miracles by miracles by means thereof so as the unlearned must have external helps to do that which the learned can do with a word onely He saith that this is called Homerica medicatio because Homer discovered the blood of the word suppressed and the infections healed by or in mysteries CHAP. XIII Of the effects of amulets the drift of Argerius Ferrarius in the commendation of charmes c. foure sorts of Homericall medicines and the choice thereof of imagination AS touching mine opinion of these amulets characters and such other bables I have sufficiently uttered it else-where and I will bewray the vanity of these superstitious trifles more largely hereafter And therefore at this time I onely say that those amulets which are to be hanged or carried about one if they consist of herbs rootes stones or some other metall they may have diverse medicinable operations and by the vertue given to them by God in their creation may worke strange effects and cures and to impute this vertue to any other matter is witchcraft And whereas A. Ferrarius commendeth certaine amulets that have no shew of physicall operation as a naile taketh from a crosse holy water and the very signe of the crosse with such like popish stuffe I think he laboureth thereby rather to draw men to popery than to teach or perswade them in the truth of physick or philosophie And I think thus the rather for that he himselfe seeth the fraud hereof confessing that where these magical physicians apply three seeds of three-leaved grass to a tertian ague and foure to a quartaine that the number is not material But to these Homerical medicines he saith there are foure sorts whereof amulets characters and charmes are three howbeit he commendeth and preferreth the fourth above the rest and that he saith consisteth in illusions which he more properly calleth stratagems Of which sort of illusions he alleadgeth for example how Philodotus did put a cap of lead upon ones head who imagined he was headlesse whereby the party was delivered from his disease or conceipt Item another cured a woman that imagined that a serpent or snake did continually gnaw and teare her entrailes and that was done onely by giving her a vomit and by foisting into the matter vomited a little serpent or snake like unto that which she imagined was in her belly Item another imagined that he alwaies burned in the fire under whose bed a fire was privily conveyed which being raken out before his face his fansie was satisfied and his heat allayed Hereunto pertaineth that the hickot is cured with sudden feare or strange newes yea by that meanes agues and many other strange and extreame diseases have been healed And some that have lien so sick and sore of the gowt that they could not remove a joint through sudden feare of fire or ruin of houses have forgotten their infirmities and greefs and have run away But in my tract upon melancholy and the effects of imagination and in the discourse of natural magick you shall see these matters largely touched CHAP. XIV Choice of Charmes against the falling evill the biting of a mad dog the stinging of a Scorpion the tooth-ach for a woman in travel for the kings evil to get a thorne out of any member or a bone out of ones throte charmes to be said fasting or at the gathering of hearbs for sore eyes to open locks against spirits for the bots in a horse and specially for the Duke of Alba's horse for sower Wines c. THere be innumerable charmes of conjurers bad physitians lewd Chirurgians melancholike witches and couseners for all diseases and griefs specially for such as bad Physitians and Chirurgians know not how to cure and in truth are good stuffe to shadow their ignorance wherof I will repeate some For the falling evill TAke the sick man by the hand and whisper these words softly in his ear I conjure thee by the sun and moon and by the gospel of this day delivered by God to Hubert Giles Cornelius and John that thou rise and fall no more Otherwise Drink in the night at a spring water out of a skull of one that hath been slaine Otherwise Eat a pig killed with a knife that flew a man Otherwise as followeth Ananizapta ferit mortem dum laedere quaerit Est mala mors capta dum dicitur Ananizapta Ananizapta Dei nunc miserere mei Ananizapta smiteth death Whiles harm intendeth he This word Ananizapta say And death shall captive be Ananizapta O of God Have mercy now on me Against the biting of a mad dog PUt a silver ring on the finger within the which these words are graven ✚ Habay ✚ habar ✚ hebar ✚ and say to the person bitten with a mad dog I am thy saviour lose not thy life and then prick him in the nose thrice that at each time he bleed Otherwise take pilles made of the skull of one that is hanged Otherwise write upon a peece of bread Irioni khiriora esser khuder ferâ—s and let it be eaten by the party bitten Otherwise O Rex gloriae Iesu Christe veni cum pace 〈◊〉 nomine patris max in nomine filii max in nomine spiritus sancti prax â— Gasper Melchior Balthasar ✚ prax ✚ max ✚ Deus I max ✚ But in troth this is very dangerous insomuch as if it be not speedily and cunningly prevented either death or frensie insueth through infection of the humour left in the wound bitten by a mad dog which because bad Chirurgians cannot cure they have therefore used foolish coâ—sening charms But Dodonaeus in his hearball saith that the hearb
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
which being exercised by jugglers add credit to their Art There are also besides them which I have set down in this title of Hartumim sundry strange experiments reported by Pliny Albert Ioh. Bap. Port. Neap. and Thomas Lupton whereof some are true and some false which being known to Iames and Iambres or else to our jugglers their occupation is the more magnified and they thereby more reverenced Here is place to discover the particular knaveries of casting of lots and drawing of cuts as they term it whereby many cousenages are wrought so as I dare not teach the sundry devises thereof left the ungodly make a practise of it in the common-wealth where many things are decided by those means which being honestly meant may bee lawfully used But I have said already somewhat hereof in generall and therefore also the rather have suppressed the particularities which in truth are meer juggling knacks whereof I could discover a great number CHAP. XXXIII Desperate or dangerous juggling knacks wherein the simple are made to think that a silly juggler with words can hurt and help kill and revive any creature at his pleasure and first to kill any kind of pullen and to give it life again TAke a hen a chick or a capon and thrust a nail or a fine sharp pointed knife through the midst of the head thereof the edge towards the bill so as it may seem impossible for her to escape death then use words and pulling out the knife lay oats before her c. and she will eaâ— and live being nothing at all grieved or hurt with the wound because the brain lyeth so farre behind in the head as it is not touched though you thrust your knife between the combe and it and after you have done this you may convert your speech and actions to the grievous wounding and present recovering of your own selfe To eat a knife and to fetch it out of any other place TAke a knife and contain the same within your two hands so as no part be seen there of but a little of the point which you must so bite at the first as noise may be made therewith Then seem to put a great parâ— thereof into your mouth and letting your hand slip down there will appear to have been more in your mouth then is possible to be contained therein Then send for drink or use some other delay untill you have let the said knife slip into your lap holding both your fists close together as before and then raise them so from the edge of the table where you sit for from thence the knife may most privily slip downe into your lap and instead of biting the knife knable a little upon your nail and theâ— seem to thrust the knife into your mouth opening the hand next unto â— and thrust up the other so as it may appear to the standers by that you have delivered your hands thereof and thrust it into your mouth theâ— call for drink after countenance made of pricking and danger c. Lastly put your hand into your lap and taking that knife in your hand you may seem to bring it out from behind you or from whence you list * But if you have another like knife and confederate you may do twenty notable wonders hereby as to send a stander by into some garden or orchard describing to him some tree or herbe under which it sticked or else some strangers sheath or pocket c. To thrust a Bodkin into your head without hurt TAke a bodkin so made as the hast being hollow the blade thereof may slip thereinto assoon as you hold the point upward and let the same to your forehead and seem to thrust it into your head and so with a lime sponge in your hand you may bring out bloud or wine making the beholders think the bloud or the wine whereof you may say you have drunk very much runneth out of your forehead Then after countenance of pain and grief pull away your hand suddenly holding the point downward and it will fall so out as it will seem never to have been thrust into the hast but immediately thrust that bodkin into your lap or pocket and pull out another plain bodkin like the the same saving in that conceipt To thrust a Bodkin through your tongue and a knife through your arme a pitifull sight without hurt or danger MAke a bodkin the blade thereof being sundred in the middle so as the one part be not near to the other almost by 3. quarters of an inch each part being kept asunder with one small bought or crooked piece of iron of the fashion described hereafter in place convenient Then thrust your tongue betwixt the foresaid space to wit into the bought left in the bodkin blade thrusting the said bought behind your teeth and biting the same and then shall it seem to stick so fast in and through your tongue that one can hardly pull it out Also the very like may be done with a knife so made and put upon your arme and the wound will appear the more terrible if a little bloud be powred thereupon To thrust a piece of lead into one eye and to drive it about with a flick between the skin and flesh of the forehead untill it be brought to the other eye and there thrust out PUt a piece of lead into one of the neather lids of your eie as big as a tag of a point but not so long which you may do without danger and with a little juggling stick one end thereof being hollow seem to thrust the like piece of lead under the other eie lid but convey the same indeed into the hollownesse of the stick the stopple or peg thereof may be privily kept in your hand untill this feâ—t be done Then seem to drive the said piece of lead with the hollow end of the said stick from the same eie and so with the end of the said stick being brought along upon your forehead to the other eie you may thrust out the piece of lead which before you had put thereinto to the admiration of the beholders * Some eat the lead and then shove it out of the eie and some put it into both but the first is best To cut half your nose asunder and to heal it again presently without any salve TAke a knife having a round hollow gap in the middle and lay it upon your nose and so shall you seem to have cut your nose half asunder Provided alwaies that in all these you have another like knife without a gap to be shewed upon the pulling out of the same and words of inchantment to speak bloud also to bewray the wound and nimble conveyance To put a ring through your cheek THere is another old knack which seemeth dangerous to the cheek For the accomplishing whereof you must have two rings of like colour and quantity the one filed asunder so as you may
because thou hast denyed thy faith thy health and salvation For thy great disobedience thou art worthy to be condemned Therefore let the divine trinity thrones dominions principats potestats virtutes cherubim and seraphim and all the soules of saints both of men and women condemn thee for ever and be a witnesse against thee at the day of judgement because of thy disobedience And let all creatures of our Lord Jesus Christ say thereunto Fiat fiat fiat Amen And when he is appeared in the crystall stone as is said before bind him with this bond as followeth to wit I conjure thee spirit N. that an appeared to me in this crystall stone to me and to my fellow I conjure thee by all the royall words aforesaid the which did constrain thee to appeare therein and their vertues I charge thee by them all that thou shall not depart out of this crystall stone untill my will being fulfilled thou be licensed to depart I conjure and bind thee spirit N. by that omnipotent God which commanded the angell S. Michaâ—ll to drive Lucifer out of the heavens with a sword of vengeance and to fall from joy to paine and for dread of such paine as he is in I charge thee spirit N. that thou shalt not goe out of the crystall stone nor yet to alter thy shape at this time except I command thee otherwise but to come unto me at all places and in all houres and minutes when and wheresoever I shall call thee by the vertue of our Lord Jesus Christ or by any conjuration of words that is written in this book and to shew me and my friends true visions in this crystall stone of any thing or things that we would see at any time or times and also to goe and fetch me the fairy Sibylla that I may talk with her in all kinde of talk as I shall call her by any conjuration of words contained in this book I conjure thee spirit N. by the great wisdome and divinity of his Godhead my will to fulfill as is aforesaid I charge thee upon pain of condemnation both in this world and in the world to come Fiat fiat fiat Amen I conjure thee spirit N. in this crystall stone by God the father by God the son Jesus Christ and by God the Holy Ghost three persons and one God and by their vertues I conjure thee spirit that thou do goe in peace and also to come again to me quickly and to bring with thee into that circle appointed Sibylia fairie that I may talk with her in those matters that shall be to her honour and glory and so I change thee declare unto her I conjure thee spirit N. by the bloud of the innocent lamb the which redeemed all the world by the vertue thereof I charge thee thou spirit in the crystal stone that thou do declare unto her this message Also I conjure thee spirit N. by all angels and archangels thrones dominations principats potestates virtues cherubim and seraphim and by their vertues and powers I conjure thee N. that thou do depart with speed and also to come again with speed and to bring with thee the fairie Sibylia to appeare in that circle before I doe read the conjuration in this booke seven times Thus I charge thee my will to be fulfilled upon pain of everlasting condemnation Fiat fiat fiat Amen Then the figure aforesaid pinned on thy brest rehearse the words therein and say ✚ Sorthie ✚ Sorthia ✚ Sorthios ✚ then begin your conjuration as followeth here and say I conjure thee Sibylia O gentle virgine of fairies by the mercy of the Holy Ghost and by the dreadfull day of doom and by their vertues and powers I conjure thee Sibylia O gentle virgin of fairies and by all the angels of ♃ and their characters and vertues and by all the spirits of ♃ and ♀ and their characters and vertues and by all the characters that be in the firmanent and by the king and queen of fairies and their vertues and by the faith and obedience that thou bearest unto them I conjure thee Sibylia by the bloud that ran out of the side of our Lord Jesus Christ crucified and by the opening of heaven and by the renting of the Temple and by the darknesse of the Sunne in the time of his death and by the rising up of the dead in the time of his resurrection and by the Virgin Mary Mother of our Lord Jesus Christ and by the unspeakable name of God Tetragrammaton I conjure thee O Sibylia O blessed and beautifull Virgine by all the riall words aforesaid I conjure thee Sibylia by all their vertues to appeare in that circle before me visible in the form and shape of a beautifull woman in a bright and white vesture adorned and garnished most fair and to appeare to me quickly without deceit or tarrying and that thou faile not to fulfill my will and desire effectually For I will choose thee to be my blessed virgin and will have common copulation with thee Therefore make hast and speed to come unto me and to appear as I have said before To whom be honor and glory for ever ever Amen The which done and ended if thee come not repeat the conjuration till they doe come for doubtlesse they will come And when shee is appeared take your censers and incense her with frankincense then bind her with the bond as followeth I doe conjure thee Sibylia by God the Father God the Son and God the Holy Ghost three persons and one God and by the blessed virgine Mary mother of our Lord Jesus Christ and by all the whole and holy company of heaven and by the dreadfull day of doome and by all angels and archangels thrones dominations principates potestates virtutes cherubim and seraphim and their vertues and powers I conjure thee and binde thee Sibylia that thou shalt not depart out of the circle wherein thou art appeared nor yet to alter thy shape except I give thee licence to depart I conjure thee Sibylia by the bloud that ran out of the side of our Lord Jesus Christ crucified and by the vertue hereof I conjure thee Sibylia to come to me and to appeare to me at all times visibly as the conjuration of words leadeth written in this book I conjure thee Sibylia O blessed Virgine of fairies by the opening of heaven and by the renting of the Temple and by the darknesse of the Sun at the time of his death and by the rising of the dead in the time of his glorious resurrection and by the unspeakable name of God ✚ Tetragrammaton ✚ and by the king and queen of fairies and by their vertues I conjure thee Sibylia to appeare before the conjuration be read over four times and that visibly to appeare as the conjuration leadeth written in this book and to give mee good counsell at all times and to come by treasures hidden in the earth and all other things
the divell with all their popish conjurations why there were no conjurors in the primitive Church and why the divell is not so soon cast out of the bewitched as of the possessed THe reason why some are not remedied for all their conjurations the papists say is for seven canses First for that the faith of the standers by is naught secondly for that theirs that present the party is no better thirdly because of the sins of the bewitched fourthly for the neglecting of meet remedies fiftly for the reverence of vertues going out into others sixtly for the purgation seventhly for the merit of the party bewitched And â—o the first four are proved by Matthew the 7. and Marke the 4. when one presented his sonne and the multitude wanted faith and the father said Lord help mine incâ—edulity or unbeleef Whereupon was said Oh faithlesse and perverse generation how long shall I be with you and where these words are written And Jesus rebuked him c. That is to say say they the possessed or bewitched for his sinnes For by the neglect of due remedies it appeareth that there were not with Christ good perfect men For the pillars of the faith to wit Peter Iames and Iohn were absent Neither was there fasting and prayer without the which that kind of divels could not be cast out For the fourth point to wit the fault of the exorcist in faith may appeare for that afterwards the disciples asked the cause of their impotency therein And Iesus answered it was for their incredulity saying that if they had as much faith as a graine of mustard seed they should move mountaines c. The fift is proved by Vitas patrum the lives of the fathers where it appeareth that S. Anthony could not do that cure when his scholar Paule could do it and did it For the proofe of the sixt excuse it is said that though the fault be taken away thereby yet it followeth not that alwayes the punishment is released Last of all it is said that it is possible that the divell was not conjured out of the party before baptisme by the exorcist or the midwife hath not baptized him well but omitted some part of the sacrament If any object that there were no exorcists in the primitive church it is answered that the church cannot now erre And saint Gregorie would never have instituted it in vaine And it is a generall rule that who or whatsoever is newly exorcised must be rebaptized as also such as walke or talke in their sleepe for say they call them by their names and presently they wake or fall if they clime whereby it is gathered that they are not truly named in baptisme Item they say it is somewhat more difficult to conjure the divell out of one bewitched then out of one possessed because in the bewitched he is double in the other single They have a hundred such beggerly foolish and frivolous notes in this behalfe CHAP. XXVI Other grosse absurdities of witchmongers in this matter of conjurations SUrely I cannot see what difference or distinction the witchmongers doe put betweene the knowledge and power of God and the divell but that they think if they pray or rather talk to God till their heartsake he never heareth them but that the divell doth know every thought and imagination of their minds and both can and also will do any thing for them For if any that meaneth good faith with the divell read certaine conjurations he commeth up they say at a trice Marry if another that hath no intent to raise him reade or pronounce the words be will not stirre And yet 1. Bodin confesseth that he is afraid to read such conjurations as Iohn Wierus reciteth lest belike the divell would come up and scratch him with his fowle long nailes In which sort I wonder that the divell dealeth with none other then witches and conjurors I for my part have read a number of their conjurations but never could see any divels of theirs except it were in a play But the divell belike knoweth my mind to wit that I would be loth to come within the compasse of his clawes But lo what reason such people have Bodin Bartholomeus Spineus Sprenger and Institor c do constantly affirme that witches are to be punished with more extremity than conjurors and sometimes with death when the other are to be pardoned doing the same offense because say they the witches make a league with the divell and so do not conjurors Now if conjurors make no league by their owne confession and divels indeed know not our cogitations as I have sufficiently proved then would I weet of our witchmongers the reason if I read the conjuration and performe the ceremony why the divell will not come at my cal But oh absurd credulity Even in this point many wise and learned men have been and are abused whereas if they would make experience or duly expend the cause they might be soone resolved specially when the whole art and circumstance is so contrary to Gods word as it must be false if the other be true So as you may understand that the papists do not only by their doctrine in bookes and sermons teach and publish conjurations and the order thereof whereby they may induce men to bestow or rather cast away their money upon masses and suffrages for their soules but they make it also a parcell of their sacrament or orders of the which number a conjuror is one and insert many forms of conjurations into their divine service and not only into their pontificals but into their masse bookes yea into the very canon of the masse CHAP. XXVII Certaine conjurations taken out of the pontificall and out of the missall BUt see yet a little more of popish conjurations and conferre them with the other In the Pontificall you shall find this conjuration which the other conjurours use as solemnely as they I conjure thee thou creature of water in the name of the fa ✚ ther of the so ✚ nne and of the Holy ✚ ghost that thou drive away the divell from the bounds of the just that he remaine not in the darke corners of this church and altar * You shall find in the same title these words following to be used at the hallowing of churches There must a crosse of ashes be made upon the pavement from one end of the church to the other one handfull broad and one of the priests must write on the one side thereof the Greeke alphabet and one the other side the Latin alphabet Durandus yeeldeth this reason thereof to wit It representeth the union in faith of the Jewes and Gentiles And yet well agreeing to himselfe he saith even there that the crosse reaching from the one end to the other signifieth that the people which were in the head shall be made the taile ¶ A conjuration written in the masse booke Fol. 1. I conjure thee O creature of
and estimation many years having cousened and abused the whole realm in so much as there came to her witchmongers from all the furthest parts of the land she being in divers books set out with authority registred and chronicled by the name of the great witch of Rochester and reputed among all men for the chief ringleader of all other witches by good proof is â—ound to be a meer cousener confessing in her death bed freely without compulsion or inforcement that her cunning consisted only in deluding deceiving the people saving that shee had towards the maintenance of her credit in that cousening trade some sight in physick and surgery and the assistance of a friend of hers called Heron a professor thereof And this I know partly of mine owne knowledge and partly by the testimony of her husband and others of credit to whom I say in her death bed and at sundry other times she protested these things and also that she never had indeed any materiall spirit or divell as the voice went nor yet knew how to work any supernaturall matter as she in her life time made men beleeve shee had and could doe The like may be said of one T. of Canterbury whose name I will not literally discover who wonderfully abused many in these parts making them think he could tell where any thing lost bâ—came with divers other such practises whereby his fame was far beyond the others And yet on his death bed he confessed that he knew nothing more then any other but by sleight and devices without the assistance of any divell or spirit saving the spirit of cousenage and this did he I say protest before many of great honesty crediâ— and wisdome who can witnesse the same and also gave him good commendations for his godly and honest end Again who will maintaine that common witchcrafts are not cousenages when the great and famous witchcrafts which had stolne credit not only from all the common people but from men of great wisdome and authority are discovered to be beggerly sleights of cousening varlots Which otherwise might and would have remained a perpetuall objection against me Were there not three images of late years found in a dunghill to the terrour and astonishment of many thousands In so much as great matters were thought to have been pretended to be done by witchcraft But if the Lord preserve those persons whose destruction was doubted to have been intended thereby from all other the lewd practises and attempts of their enemies I feare not but they shall easily withstand these and such like devises although they should indeed be practised against them But no doubt if such bables could have brought those matters of mischief to passe by the hands of traitors witches or papists we should long since have been deprived of the most excellent jewell and comfort that we enjoy in this world Howbeit I confesse that the fear conceipt and doubt of such mischievous pretenses may breed inconvenience to them that stand in awe of the same And I wish that even for such practises though they never can or doe take effect the practisers be punished with all extremity because therein is manifested a traiterous heart to the Queen and a presumption against God But to return to the discovery of the foresaid knavery and witchcraft So it was that one old cousener wanting mony devised or rather practised for it is a stale devise to supply his want by promising a young Gentleman whose humor he thought would that way be well served that for the sum of forty pounds he would not fail by his cunning in that art of witchcraft to procure unto him the love of any three women whom he would name and of whom he should make choice at his pleasure The young Gentleman being abused with his cunning devices and too hastily yeelding to that motion satisfied this cunning mans demand of money Which because he had it not presently to disburse provided it for him at the hands of a friend of his Finally this cunning man made the three puppets of wax c. leaving nothing undone that appertained to the cousenage untill he had buried them as you have heard But I omit to tell what adoe was made hereof and also what reports and lies were bruited as what white dogs and black dogs there were seene in the night season passing through the watch mawgre all their force and preparation against them c. But the young Gentleman who for a little space remained in hope mixed with joy and love now through tract of time hath those his felicities powdered with doubt and despaire For in stead of atchieving his love he would gladly have obtained his mony But because he could by no means get either the one or the other his money being in hucksters handling and his sure in no better forwardnesse hee revealed the whole matter hoping by that means to recover his money which he neither can yet get again not hath payed it where he borrowed But till triall was had of his simplicity or rather fully herein he received some trouble himselfe hereabout though now dismissed CHAP. IIII. Of one that was so bewitched that he could read no Scriptures but canonicall of a divell that could speak no Latine a proof that witchcraft is flat cousenage HEre I may aptly insert another miracle of importance that happened within the compasse of a childes remembrance which may induce any reasonable body to conceive that these supernaturall actions are but fables and cousenages There was one whom for some respects I name not that was taken blind deaf and dumb so as no Physitian could help him That man forsooth though he was as is said both blind dumb and deaf yet could he read any canonicall Scriptures but as for apocrypha hee could read none wherein a Gods name consisted the miracle But a leaf of apocrypha being extraordinarily inserted among the canonicall scriptures he read the same as authentick wherein his knavery was bewrayed Another had a divell that answered men so all questions Mary her divell could understand no Latine and so was shee and by such meanes all the rest may be bewrayed Indeed our witching writers say that certaine divels speake onely the language of that countrey where they are resiant as French or English c. Furthermore in my conceipt nothing proveth more apparently that witchcraft is cousenage and that witches instruments are but ridiculous bables and altogether void of effect than when learned and godly Divines in their serious writings produce experiments as wrought by witches and by divels at witches commandements which they expound by miracles although indeed meer trifles Whereof they conceive amisse being overtaken with credulity CHAP. V. Of the divination by the sive and sheers and by the book and key Hemingius his opinion thereof confuted a bable to know what is a clock of certain jugling knacks manifold reasons for the overthrow of witches and conjurors and
a whit nice of their cunning yea greater matters are said to be in one of their powers than is in all the other saints And these are they S. mother Bungiâ— S. mother Paine S. Feats S. mother Still S. mother Duâ—ten S. Kytrell S. Ursula Kempe S. mother Newman S. doctor Heron S. Rosimund a good old father and diverse more that deserve to be registred in the popes kalendar or rather the divels rubrick CHAP. XXV A comparison between the heathen and the papists touching their excuses for idolatry ANd because I know that the papists will say that their idols are saints and no such divels as the gods of the Gentiles were you may tell them that not only their saints but the very images of them were called Divi. Which though it signifie gods and so by consequence idols or friends yet put but an â—â— thereunto and it is Divill in English But they will say also that I do them wrong to gibe at them because they were holy men and holy women I grant some of them were so and further from allowance of the popish idolatry employed upon them than grieved with the derision used against that abuse Yea even as silver and gold are made idols unto them that love them too well and seek too much for them so are these holy men and women made idols by them that worship them and attribute unto them such honour as to god only appertaineth The heathen gods were for the most part good men and profitable members to the commonwealth wherein they lived and deserved fame c. in which respect they made gods of them when they were dead as they made divels of such emperours and philosophers as they hated or as had deserved ill among them And is it not even so and worse in the common wealth and church of popery Doth not the pope excommunicate curse and condemne for hereticks and drive to the bottomlesse pit of hell proclaiming to the very divels all those that either write speak or think contrary to his idolatrous doctrine Cicero when he derided the heathen gods and inveyed against them that yeelded such servile honour unto them knew the persons unto whom such abuse was committed had well deserved as civill citizens and that good fame was due unto them and not divine estimation Yea the infidels that honoured those gods as hoping to receive benefits for their devotion employed that way knew and conceived that the statues and images before whom with such reverence they powred forth their prayers were stocks and stones and only pictures of those persons whom they resembled yea they also knew that the parties themselves were creatures and could not doe so much as the papists and witchmongers think the Roode of grace or mother Bungie could doe And yet the papists can see the abuse of the Gentiles and may not hear of their owne idolatry more grosse and damnable than the others CHAP. XXVI The conceipt of the heathen and the papists all one in idolatry of the councell of Trent a notable story of a hangman arraigned after he was dead and buried c. BUt papists perchance will deny that they attribute so much to these idols as I report or that they think it so meritorious to pray to the images of saints as is supposed affirming thay they worship God and the saints themselves under the formes of images Which was also the conceipt of the heathen and their excuse in this behalf whose eyesight and insight herein reached as farre as the papisticall distinctions published by popes and their councels Neither doe any of them admit so grosse idolatry as the councel of Trent hath done who alloweth that worship to the Rood that is due to Jesus Christ himselfe and so likewise of other images of saints I thought it not impertinent therefore in this place to insert an example taken out of the Rosarie of our Lady in which book do remain besides this ninety and eight examples to this effect which are of such authority in the church of Rome that all scripture must give place unto them And these are either read there as their speciall homilies or preached by their chief doctors And this is the sermon for this day verbatim translated out of the said Rosarie a book much esteemed and reverenced among papists A certain hangman passing by the image of our Lady saluted her commending himself to her protection Afterwards while he prayed before her he was called away to hang an offendor but his enemies intercepted him and slew him by the way And loe a certain holy priest which nightly walked about every church in the city rose up that night and was going to his Lady I should say to our Lady church And in the churchyard he saw a great many dead men and some of them he knew of whom he asked what the matter was c. who answered that the hangman was slain and the divel challenged his soul the which our Lady said was hers and the judge was even at hand comming thither to hear the cause and therefore said they we are now come together The priest thought he would be at the hearing hereof and hid himselfe behind a tree and anon he saw the judiciall seat ready prepared and furnished where the judge to wit Jesus Christ sate who took up his mother unto him Soon after the divels brought in the hangman pinnioned and proved by good evidence that his soul belonged to them On the other side our Lady pleaded for the hangman proving that he at the hour of death commended his soul to her The judge hearing the matter so well debated on either side but willing to obey for these are his words his mothers desire and loath to do the divels any wrong gave sentence that the hangmans soul should returne to his body untill he had made sufficient satisfaction ordaining that the pope should set forth a publick forme of prayer for the hangmans soul. It was demanded who should doe the errand to the popes holinesse Maâ—y quoth our Lady that shall yonder priest that lurketh behind the tree The priest being called forth and injoined to make relation hereof and to desire the pope to take the paines to do according to tâ—is decree asked by what token he should be directed Then was delivered unto him a rose of such beauty as when the pope saw it he knew his message was true And so if they do not well I pray God we may CHAP. XXVII A confutation of the fable of the hangman of many other feigned and ridiculous tales and apparitions with a reproofe thereof BY the tale above mentioned you see what it is to worship the image of our lady For though we kneel to God himself and make never so humble petitions unto him without faith and repentance it shall do us no pleasure at all Yet this hangman had great friendship shewed him for one point of courtesie used to our
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
with her father she made it haile in another field at her fathers request Hereupon he accused his wife and caused her to be burned and then he new christened his child again which circumstance is common among Papists and witch mongers And howsoever the first part hereof was proved there is no doubt but the latter part was throughly executed If they could indeed bring these things to passe at their pleasure then might they also be impediments unto the course of all other naturall things and ordinances appointed by God as to cause it to hold up when it should raine and to make midnight of high noon and by those meanes I say the divine power should become servile to the will of a witch so as we could neither eat nor drink but by their permission Me thinks Seneca might saâ—isfie these credulous or rather idolatrous people that runne a whore-hunting either in body or phansie after these witches beleeving all that is attributed unto them to the derogation of Gods glory He saith that the rude people and our ignorant prededecessors did beleeve that rain and showers might be procured and stayed by witches charmes and inchanâ—ments of which kind of things thaâ— thâ—re can nothing be wrought it is so manifest that we need not go to any philosophers school to learn the confutation thereof But Jeremy by the word of God doth utterly confound all that which may be devised for the maintenance of that foolish opinion saying Are theâ—â— any among the gods of the gentiles that send raine or give showers from heaven Art not thou the selfe same our Lord God We will trust in thee for thou doest and maketh all these things I may therefore with Brentius boldly say that is neither in the power of witches nor devils to accomplish that matter but in God onely For when exhalations are drawne and lifted up from out of the earth by the power of the Sun into the middle region of the air the coldnesse thereof constraineth and thickeneth those vapours which being become clouds are dissolved again by the heat of the sunne whereby rain or hail is ingendred rain if by the way the drops be not frosen and made hail These circumstances being considered with the course of the whole Scripture it can neither be in the power of witch or devill to procure raine or fair weather And whereas the story of Iob in this case is alledged against me wherein a witch is not once named I have particularly answered it else-where And therefore thus much onely I say here that even there where it pleased God as Calvine saith to set down circumstances for the instruction of our grosse capacities which are not able to conceive of spirituall communication or heavenly affaires the devill desireth God to stretch out his hand and touch all that Iob hath And though he seemeth to grant Sâ—tans desire yet God himself sent fire from heaven c. Whereby it is to be gathered that although God said He is in thine hand it waâ— the Lords hand that punished Iob and not the hand of the devill who said not Give me leave to plague him but Lay thine hanâ— upon him And when Iob continued faithfull notwithstanding all his afflictions iâ— his children body and goods the devill is said to come again to God and to say as before to wit Now stretch out thine hand and touch hâ—s bones and his flesh Which argueth as well that he could not do it as thâ—â— he himselâ—e did it not before And be it here remembred that M. Mâ—â— and the residue of the witch-mongers deny that there were â—hy wiâ—châ—â— in Iobs time But see more hereof else-where CHAP. XIIII What would ensue if witches confessions or witch-mongers opinion were true concerning the effects of witch-crafâ— inchantments IF it were true that witches confesse or that all writers write or thâ— witch-mongers report or that fools beleeve we should never have bâ—ter in the chearne nor cow in the close nor corne in the field nor 〈◊〉 weather abroad nor health within doors Or if that which is contaiâ—â— in M. Mal. Bodin c. or in the pamphlets late set forth in English 〈◊〉 witches executions should be true in those things thaâ— witches are 〈◊〉 to confesse what creature could live in security Or what needed foâ— preparation of warres or such trouble or charge in that behalfe Nâ— Prince should be able to raigne or live in the land For as Danaeus said that one Martin a witch killed the Emperour of Germany with witch 〈◊〉 so would our witches if they could destroy all our magâ—strates One 〈◊〉 witch might over-throw an army roiall and then what needed w◠〈◊〉 guns or wild-fire or any other instruments of warre A witch migâ—â— supply all wants and accomplish a Princeâ— will in this behalfe eâ—â— without charge or blood-shed of his people If it be objected that witches worke by the devill and christiâ—â— princes are not to deale that way I answer that for princes disposed to bâ— tell would make conscience therein specially such as take unjust waâ—s hand using other helps devises and engines as lawfull and devilish that in whose campe there is neither the rule of religion or christiâ—â— order observed insomuch as ravishments murthers blasphemies 〈◊〉 thefts are there most commonly and freely committed So that the devill is more feared and better served in their campes than God Almighty But admit that souldiers would be scrupulous herein the Pope hath authority to dispense therewith as in like case he hath done by the testimony of his own authors and friends Admit also that throughout all christendome warres were justly maintained and religion duly observed in their camps yet would the Turke and other infidels cut our throats or at least one anothers throat with the helpe of their witches for they would make no conscience thereof CHAP. XV. Examples of forreign nations who in their warres used the assistance of witches of eybiting witches in Ireland of two archers that shot with familiars IN the warrs between the kings of Denmarke and Sueveland 1563. the Danes do write that the king of Sueveland carryed about with him in campe foure old witches who with their charmes so qualified the Danes as they were thereby disabled to annoie their enemies insomuch as if they had taken in hand any enterprise they were so infeebled by those witches as they could performe nothing And although this could have no credit at the first yet in the end one of these witches was taken prisoner and confessed the whole matter so as saith he the threads and the line and the characters were found in the high way and water-plashes The Irishmen addict themselves wonderfully to the credit and practise hereof insomuch as they affirme that not onely their children but their cattell are as they call it eybitten when they fall suddenly sick and â—earme one sort of their witches eybiters onely in that respect yea
and they will not sticke to affirme that they caâ— rime either man or beast to death Also the West Indians and Muscovits do the like and the Hunnes as Gregory Turonensis writeth used the helpe of witches in time of warre I find another story written in M. Mal. repeated by Bodin that one souldier called Pumher daily through witchcraft killed with his bowe and arrows three of the enemies as they stood peeping over the walls of a castle besieged so as in the end he killed them all quite saving one The triall of the archers simister dealing and a proof thereof expressed is for that he never lightly failed when he shot and for that he killed them by three a day and had shot three arrowes into a rod. This was he that shot at a peny on his sonnes head and made ready another arrow to have slaine the Duke Remgrave that commanded it And doubtlesse because of his singular dexterity in shooting as he reputed a witch as doing that which others could not do nor think to be in the power of man to do though indeed no miracle no witch-craft no impossibility nor difficulty consisted therein But this latter story I can requite with a familiar example For 〈◊〉 Towne Malling in kent one of Q. Maries justices upon the complaint of many wise men and a few foolish boyes laid an archer by the heeles because he shot so neer the white at buts For he was informed and perswaded that the poor man played with a fly otherwise called a devill or familiar And because he was certified that the archer aforesaid shot better than the common shooting which he before had heard of or seen he conceived it could not be in Gods name but by inchantment whereby this archer as he supposed by abusing the Queenes liege people gained some one day two or three shillings to the detriment of the common-wealth and to his owne inriching And therefore the archer was severely punished to the great encouragement of archers and to the wise example of justice but specially to the overthrow of witch-craft And now again to our matter CHAP. XVI Authorities condemning the fantasticall confessions of witches and how a popish doctor taketh upon him to disprove the same CErtaine generall councells by their decrees have condemned the confessions and erroneus credulity of witches to be vain fantasticall and fabulous And even those which are parcell of their league whereupon our witch-mongers do so build to wit their night-walkings and meetings with Herodias and the Pagan gods at which time they should passe so farre in so little a space on cockhorse their transubstantiation their eating of children and their pulling of them from their mothers sides their entring into mens houses through chinks and little holes where a flie can scarcely wring out and the disquieting of the inhabitants c. all which are not onely said by a generall councell to be meet fantasticall and imaginations in dreames but so affirmed by the ancient writers The words of the councell are these It may not be omitted that certain wicked women following Satans provocations being seduced by the illusion of devils beleeve and professe that in the night-times they ride abroad with Diana the goddesse of the Pagans or else with Herodias with an innumerable multitude upon certain beasts and passe over many countries and nations in the silence of the night and do whatsoever those faiâ—ies or ladies command c. And it followeth even there Let all ministers therefore in their severall cures preach to Gods people so as they may know all these things to be false c. It followeth in the same counsell Therefore whosoever beleeveth that any creature may be either created by them or else changed into better or worse or be any way transformed into any other kind or likenesse of any but of the creator himselfe is assuredly an infidell and worse than a Pagan And if this he credible then all these their bargaines and assemblieâ— c. are incredible which are onely â—â—â—ified by the certaine foolish and extorted confessions and by a fable of S. Germane who watched the fairies or witches being at a reer banquet and through his holinesse stayed them till he sent to the houses of those neighbours which seemed to be there and found them all in bed and so cried that these were devils in the likenesse of those women Which if it were as true as it ifalse it mighâ— serve well to confute this their meeting and night-walkings For if the devils be only present in the likenesse of witches then is that false which is attributed to witches in this behalfe But because the old hammer of Sprenger and Institor in their old Malleo maleficarum was insufficient to knock down this counsel a young beetle-head called Frier Bartholomaeus Spineus hath made a new leaden beetle to beat down the counsell and kill these old woman Wherein he counterfeiting Aesops asse claweth the pope with his heeles affirming upon his credit that the counsell is false and erroneous because the doctrine swarveth from the Popish church and is not authenticall but apocryphall saying though uâ—truly that that counsel was not called by the commandement and pleasure of the Pope nor ratifâ—ed by his authoriâ—y which saith he is sufficient to disannul all councels For surely saith this â—rier which at this instant is a cheef inquisitor if the words of this counsell were to be admitted both I and all my predecessors had published notorious lies and committed many injurious executions whereby the Popes themselves also might justly be detected of error câ—ntrary to the catholique beleef in that behalfe Marry he saith that although the words and direct sense of this counsell be quite contrary to truth and his opinion yet he will make an exposition thereof that shall somewhat miâ—igate the lewdnesse of the same and this he saith is not onely allowable to do but also meritorious Marke the mans words and judge his meaning CHAP. XVII Witch-mongers reasons to prove that witches can worke wonders Bodins tale of a Friseland priest transported that imaginations proceeding of melancholy do cause illusions OLd M. Malificarum also saith that the counsels and doctors were all deceived herein and alledging authority therefore confuteth that opinion by a notable reason called Petitio principii or rather Ignotum per ignotius in this manner They can put changelings in the place of other children Ergo they can tranferre and tranâ—forme themselves and others c. according â—o their confession in that behalfe Item he saith and Bodin justifieth it that a priest in Friseland was corporally transferred into a faâ—re country as witnessed aâ—oâ—her priest of Oberdorf his companion who saw him aloft in the air Ergo saith M. â—al they have all been deceived hitherto to the great impunity of horrible witches Wherein he opposeth his folly against God and his church against the truth and against all possibility But surely â— is