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Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
death_n	witness_n	woman_n	year_n	28	3	4.0142	3	false

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ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A62395	Scot's Discovery of vvitchcraft proving the common opinions of witches contracting with divels, spirits, or familiars ... to be but imaginary, erronious conceptions and novelties : wherein also, the lewde unchristian all written and published in anno 1584, by Reginald Scot, Esquire.; Discoverie of witchcraft	Scot, Reginald, 1538?-1599.	1651 (1651)	Wing S943; ESTC R19425	465,580	448

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 a● 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 fea● 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 epo●i●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 the● 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 d●enieth a ru●h as she that answereth by ●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

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 ● 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 betwi●● the devill and man as a wise man would be ashamed to read but much more to credit as that S. Dunst●n lead the devill about the house by the nose with a pair of pinsors or tongs and made him ●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 ●ll divines both ●●●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 ●●●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 kind●● 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 co●●cerning the signification of them the opinion of the most learned in o●● 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 Andr●us Massius the most ●●●mous Hebrician in the world and had it in such sense and order as I me●●● 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 sometime● nothing tending to such end as it is commonly thought

salutem humani generis maxima quaeque sacramenta in aquarum substantia condidisti adesto propitius invocationibus nostris elemento buic m●ltimodis purificationibus praeparato virtutem tuae bene ✚ dictionis insunde ut creatura tua mysteriis tuis servicas ad abigendos daemones ma●bosque pellendos divinae gratiae sumat effectum ut quicquid in domibus vel inlocis fidelium haec unda resperserit careat omni immunditia liberetur a noxa non illic residea● spiritus pestilens non aura corrumpens discedant omnes insidi● latentis inimici si quid est quod aut incolumitati habitantium invidet aut quieti asper sione hujus aquae effugiat ut salubritas per invocationem sancti tui nominis expetita ab omnibus sit impugnationibus desensa per Dominum nostrum Iesum Christum filium tuum qui tecum vivil regnat in unitate spiritus sancti Deus per omnia saecula saeculorum Amen Then take the salt in thy hand and say putting it into the water making in the manner of a Cross. Commixtio salis aquae pariter fiat in nomine patris filii spiritus sancti Amen Dom●aus v●biscum Et cum spiritu tuo Oremus Deus m●cte virtutis author insuperabil●s imperit ●ex a● semper magnificus ritum● bator qui ad ●●●ae dominationis v●●●s rep●●mis qui inimici rugi●u● sa vitiam superas qui hostiles nequittas potens ●a pugnas te Domine trementes su plices d●p●●●a●u● a● potimus ut hanc ●r●●●t●am salis aquae aspi●ias bemguus 〈…〉 es putails tuae rore sanct ✚ fices ubicunque fu●●ll aspersa per invocationem sancti tui nominis omnis infestatio in mundi spiritus ab●●tatur terrorque venenosi se pantis procul pellatur praesevita sancti spiritus nobis 〈◊〉 tuam poscentibus ubique adesse dignetur per Dominum nostrum Ipsum ● brisium filium ●●●un qui ●●cum vivit regnat in unitate spiritus sancti Deus per omnia soecula saeculerum Amen Then sprinkle upon any thing and say as followeth Asperges me Domine ●yssopo mundabor lavabis me supra niven dealbabor Miscrere mei Deus secundum magnam misericordiaum tuam supra nivem deal●abor Gloria patri filio spiritus sancto Sicut 〈◊〉 in principio nunc semper in saecula saeculorum Amen Et supra nivem dealbabor aspergesme c. Oslende nobis domine mis●rcordiam tuam salutare tuum da nobis exaudi nos Domine sancte pater omnipoteus aete●●● Deus mittere dignere sanctum angelum tuum de coelis qui custodiat so●●● visitet defendat omnes habitantes in hoc ●abitaculo per Christum Dominus nostrum Amen Amen CHAP. XVI To make a spirit to appeare in a crystall I Do conjure thee N. by the father and the sonne and the Holy ghost the which is the beginning and the ending the first and the last an by the latter day of judgement that thou N. do appeare in this crystall stone or any other instrument at my pleasure to me and my fellow gently and beautifully in faire forme of a boy of twelve yeares of age without hurt or damage of any of our bodyes or soules and certainly to informe and to shew me without any guile or craft all that we do desire or demand of thee to know by the vertue of him which shall come to judge the quicke and the dead and the world by fire Amen Also I conjured and exorcise thee N. by the sacrament of the altar and by the substance thereof by the wisdome of Christ by the sea and by his vertue by the earth and by all things that are above the earth and by their vertues by the ☉ and the ☽ by ♄ ♃ ♂ and ♀ and by their vertues by the apostles martyrs confessors and the virgins and widowes and the chast and by all saints of men or of women and innocents and by their vertues by all the angels and archangels thrones dominations principats potestats virtutes cherubim and seraphim and by their vertues and by the holy names of God Tetragrammaton El O●sion A●la and by all the other holy names of God and by their vertues by the circumcision passion and resurrection of our Lord Iesus Christ by the heavines of our lady the virgine and by the joy which she had when she saw her sonne rise from death to life that thou N. do appeare in this crystall stone or any other instrument at my pleasure to me and to my ●e low gently and beautifully and visibly in faire forme of a child of twelve yeares of age without hurt or damage of any of our bodyes or soules and truly to informe and shew unto me and to my fellow without fraud or guile all things according to thine oath and promise to me whatsoever I shall demand or desire of thee without any hindrance or ca●rying and this conjuration be read of me three times upon paine of eternall condemnation to the last day of judgement Fiat fiat fiat Amen And when he is appeared bind him with the hand of the dead above written then say as followeth I charge thee N. by the father to shew me true visions in this crystall stone if there be any treasure hidden in such a place N and wherein it lieth and how many foot from this peece of earth east west north or south CHAP. XVII An experiment of the dead FIrst go and get of some person that shal be put to death a promise and sweare an oath unto him that it he will come to thee after his death his spirit to be with thee and to remaine with thee all dayes of thy life and will do thee true service as it is contained in the oath and promise following Then lay thy hand on thy booke and sweare this oath unto him I N. do sweare and promise to thee N. to give for thee an almesse every moneth and also to pray for thee once in every weeke to say the Lords prayer for thee and so to continue all the dayes of my life as God me helpe and holy doome and by the contents of this booke Amen Then let him make his oath to thee as followeth and let him say after thee laying his hand upon the booke * I N. do sweare this oath to thee N. by God the father omnipotent by God the son Jesus Christ and by his precious bloud which hath redeemed all the world by the which bloud I do trust to be saved at the generall day of judgment and by the vertues thereof I N. doe sweare this oath to thee N. that my spirit that is within my body now shall not ascend nor descend nor go to any place of rest but shall come to thee N. and be very well pleased to remaine with thee N. all the dayes of thy life and so to be bound

the time of popery a usuall matter to desire sicke people in their death beds to appeare to them after their death and to reveale their estate The fathers and ancient doctors of the church were too credulus herein c. Therefore no marvell though the common simple sort of men and least of all that women be deceived herein God in times past did send downe visible angels appearances to men but now he doth not so Through ignorance of late in religion it was thought that every churchyard swarmed with soule and spirits but now the word of God being more free open and known those conceits and illusions are made more manifest and apparent c. The doctors councels and popes which they say cannot 〈◊〉 have confirmed the walking appearing and raising of soules 〈◊〉 where find they in the scriptures any such doctrine And who certified them that those appearances were true Truly all they cannot bring to passe that the lies which have beene spread abroad herein should 〈◊〉 beginne to be true though the pope himselfe subscribe seale and sweare thereunto never so much Where are the soules that swarmed in times past Where are the spirits Who heareth their noyses Who seeth their visions Where are the soules that made such moane for tren●●s where by to be eased of the palmes in purgatory Are they all gone into Italy because masses are growne deere here in England Marke wel● this illusion and see how contrary it is unto the word of God Consider how all papists beleeve this illusion to be true and how all 〈◊〉 driven to say it is was popish illusion Where be the spirits that 〈◊〉 to have buriall for their bodies For many of those walking soules 〈◊〉 about their b●stnes Do you not thinke that the papists shew nor 〈◊〉 selves Godly divines to preach and teach the people such doctrine 〈◊〉 to insert into their divine service such fables as are read in their 〈◊〉 church all scripture giving place thereto for the time You shall see 〈◊〉 lessons read there upon S. Stevens day that Gamaliel Nichodemus 〈◊〉 man and Abdias his sonne with his friend S. Steven appeared 〈◊〉 priest called Sir Lucian requesting him to remove their bodies and to bury them in some better place for they had lien from the time of their death untill then being in the raigne of Honorius the emperors to 〈◊〉 foure hundred yeares buried in the field of Gamaliel who in that 〈◊〉 said to Sir Lucian Non insi selummodo causa solicitus sum sed potius 〈◊〉 illis qui me●um sunt that is I am not only carefull for my selfe but chiefely for those my friends that are with me Whereby the whole course may be perceived to be a false practise and a counter-felt vision or rather a lewd invention For in heaven mens soules remaine not in sorrow and care neither studie they there how to compasse and get a worship full buriall here in earth If they did they would not have foreflowed it so long Now therefore let us not suffer our selves to be abused any longer either with conjuring priests or melancholicall witches but be thankfull to God that hath delivered us from such blindnesse and error CHAP. XL. Cardanus opinion of strange noises how counterfeit visions grow to be credited of popish appearances of pope Boniface CArdanus speaking of noises among other things saith thus A noise is heard in your house it may be a mouse a cat or a dog among dishes it may be a counterfeit or a theafe indeed or the sault may be in your eares I could recite a great number of tales how men have even forsaken their houses because of such apparitions and noises and all hath beene by meere and ranke knavery And wheresoever you shall heare that there is in the night season such rumbling and fearefull noises be you well assured that it is flat knavery performed by some that seemeth most to complaine and is least mistrusted And hereof there is a very art which for some respects I will not discover The divell seeketh dayly as well as nightly whom he may devour and can do his feats as well by day as by night or else he is a young divell and a very bungler But of all other couseners these conjurors are in the highest degree and are most worthy of death for their blasphemous impiety But that these popish visions and conjurations used as well by papists as by the popes themselves were meere cousenages and that the tales of the popes recited by Bruno and Platin●● of their magicall devices were but plaine cousenages and knaveries may appeare by the history of Bonifacius the eight who used this kinde of inchantment to get away the popedome from his predecessor Coelestinus He counterfeitted a voyce through a cane reed as though it had come from heaven persvading him to yeeld up his authority of popeship and to institute therein one Bonifacius a worthy man otherwise he threatened him with damnation And therefore the foole yeelded it up accordingly to the said Bonifacius An. 1264. of whom it was said He came in like a fox lived like a woolfe and died like a dog There be innumerable examples of such visions which when they are not detected goe for true stories and therefore when it is answered that some are true tales and some are false untill they be able to shew forth before your eyes one matter of truth you may reply upon them with this distinction to wit visions tryed are false visions undecided and untryed are true CHAP. XLI Of the noise or sound of eccho of one that narrowly escaped dro●●ning thereby c. ALas how many naturall things are there so strange as to many seeme miraculous and how many counterfeit matters are there that to the simple seem yet more wonderfull Cardane telleth of one Comansis who comming late to a rivers side not knowing where to passe over cried out alowd for some body to shew him the foord● who hearing an eccho to answer according to his last word supposing it to be a man that answered him and informed him of the way he passed through the river even there where was a deepe whirlepoole so as he hardly escaped with his life and told his friends that the divell had almost persuaded him to drowne himselfe And in some places these noises of eccho are farre more strange than other specially at Ticinum in Italy in the great hall where it rendereth sundry and manifold noises or voyces which seeme to end so lamentably as it were a man that lay a dying so as few can be persuaded that it is the eccho but a spirit that answereth The noise at Winchester was said to be a very miracle and much wondering was there at it about the yeare 1569 though indeed a meere naturall noise ingendered of the wind the concavity of the place and other instrumentall matters helping the sound to seeme strange to the