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Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
head_n	arm_n	belly_n	leg_n	2,979	5	10.3355	5	false

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ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A29517	A discovery of the impostures of witches and astrologers by John Brinley.	Brinley, John.	1680 (1680)	Wing B4698; ESTC R24764	37,372	135

likewise of another man in Arabia that was restored to Life by the Efficacy of Herbs It is to be observed that it is not my Design to ascribe every thing that happens praeter vulgaria to the working of the Devil and his Ministers since Nature is so prevalent as to shew Miracles but to inculcate to my Reader that since Nature is so strong of it self the Votaries of Satan may play such Feats as makes them both admired and feared being aided by him who has for many Thousand years made Remarks and Collected the Experiments of this so Self-powerful Nature Hence have Witches power to hurt not only in outward Goods or in our Bodies but they can work alterations in the Mind too by Spells Medicines and Fumigations stir up to Love Hatred Mirth Sorrow vex to Madness it self Many instances might be brought to confirm what I say but I think it needless to produce Examples I shall therefore only endeavour to speak something of the manner how the Devil at the Instigation of Witches enters into the Bodies of men or women and of the Symptoms usually attending the Possest First then for the manner The Devil is wont before he enter into a man to appear to him in some Frightful Deformed Shape uttering some strange and uncouth Noises whereby he Discomposes the mind of the man to whom he appears and disturbs his reason working a Confusion and Disorder in his Intellectuals and after having so done enters into the Soul now made a Chaos fit for the Reception of him who is the grand Author of Irregularity This he most what does in the Night or in Dark Shady places frightful by reason of their horrid solitariness He enters into the Possest thorough the Nose or Mouth or Ears like a thin subtle Wind or a Mouse or some such little Animal sometimes in their sleep producing in their Imagination terrible Dreams and so continuing those Devilish Phansies in them when the Vitals are Disentangled from the Bonds of sleep sometimes his Entrance is accompanied with a Chilness and stupifying Cold through the whole Body The effects which unclean Spirits produce in these Demoniacks are noted unto us by Holy Writ which are as follows They sometimes make them Obstinate and Disobedient backward to all that is good and very desirous of doing Mischief to them whom the Devil stirs them up to hate as appears by Saul in the First Book of Kings Chap. 18. who continued obstinate in persecuting innocent David all the days of his life Sometimes they make them Lunatick as in Matthew 17. he did his son who came and prostrated himself to our Blessed Saviour saying Lord have mercy on my Son for he is Lunatick Some are made Dumb as appears from the 8 th Chap. of St. Matthews Gospel where 't is mentioned how one spoke to our Saviour saying Master I have brought my Son unto thee who is possest with a Dumb Spirit as likewise from St. Luke Chap. 11. others they deprive of Sight as Mat. Chap. 12. others are Torn and Tortured in their Bodies and Pine away are brought into Fury so as to fall violently upon any they can come to some are struck with Infirmities uncurable by any Natural means and of this sort was that Woman held with a Spirit of Infirmity Eighteen years healed by the Great Physician of our Souls Christ Iesus Luke Chap. 13. Thus may be observed both from Sacred and Profane Authors the frequent and lamentable Mischiefs inflicted upon poor Man by the Devil both in entring into and possessing their Bodies as these before alledged and in the external Assaults made upon their Temporal goods of which the History of Iob is a sufficient Testimony as also by his mediate practices performed by his Vassals the Votaries afore-mentioned whom indeed he more frequently imploys to execute his fierce Wrath upon Men. What power these have to do Mischief Isidore tells us in lib. 8. Etymologiarum Cap. 9. where he says Malefici dicuntur ob Facinorum magnitudinem Hi Elementa concutiunt mentes hominum turbant sine ullo veneni haustu violentiâ tantum Carminis animas interimunt CHAP. X. The Signs whereby one may Discover whether a Party be Possest or Bewitched THat wicked Spirits have power to vex and disturb men we have proved before by divers Examples as also Cursorily shown the manner and most notable effects of such Practices I now intend to say something of the Symptoms whereby it may be known whether the distresses wherewith a person is Afflicted ought or can be ascribed to Natural Causes or proceed from the Supernatural Operations of the Devil and his Ministers These Supernatural Operations are reducible to two Heads either to the immediate working of Satan or to the mediate of Witches For the first as it is unusually so is it the more discernable when it happens the Parties thus effected being Tormented with such Paroxysms and violent motions in their Bodies as cannot but give us to understand what is the Lord of that Misrule of those stupendous Gambols As to the Second Those Perturbations and Mischiefs occasioned by Witchcraft are not so pernicious as being more twisted and assimulated to natural effects Hence many Diseases and Calamities which do owe their Original really and truly to the Impiety and Revengeful Dispositions of Witches are mistaken to be nothing but the Disorder of the Natural humours of the Body or the Casualties of Fortune or rather Crosses designed to befall by foreseeing Fate But to go on with our intended Discourse when Learned Physicians can find no probable reason or Natural Cause of such Grief Pangs and violent Vexations as the Patient does endure it may lawfully be Concluded that the Devils Finger is there Persons Bewitched have sometimes a great swelling and heaving in the Belly thence passing to the Throat ready to stop their Breath set their Teeth together shake sometimes the Leg sometimes the Arm sometimes their Head will hold their Arms or Legs so stiff that they cannot be bowed As also when no Rules of Art or Experience can do good but that the Disease grows worse thereby When the Distressed Vomit up Crooked Pins Iron Coales Brimstone Nails Needles Wax lumps of Hair Knives and such like which are Noted to come from several persons as Witnesseth one Doctor Cotta and produces Witnesses for the same so Delrio lib. 3. par 1. quest 4. Sect. 6 pag. 410. Other Symptoms I find set down by Hieronymus Mengus in a Treatise called Fustis Daemonum lib. 1. cap. 12. Potissima inquit signa demonstrantia hominem esse maleficiatum sunt cordis oris Stomachalis constrictio Aliqui puncturas in corde sentiunt acsi acubus pungerentur quibusdam cor eis corrodi videtur alij in collo renibus magnum dolorem sentiunt aliquibus ligata est vena generationis Quidam ex indispositione stomachi quicquid ad sustentationem comedunt vel bibunt per vomitum emittunt Aliquibus ventus frigidissimus tanquam