try their Prophets by who notwithstanding were Impostors and false Prophets So much for the Fourth term of description of a Witch in the text Conjector a Conjecturer The Fifth Description The Fifth Appellation or term of description of a Witch in the Text is Prestigiator that is a Jugler THe interpretation of this word is plain in the Scriptures that is one that worketh false or lying Wonders or lying Miracles in opposition of the true Miracles that were wrought by God by his Prophets such were Iannes and Iambres 2 Tim. 3.8 9. As Jannes and Jambres withstood Moses so also do these resist the truth now how Iannes and Iambres withstood Moses it appeareth Exod. 7.5.8.9 God would have his Prophets Moses and Aaron to be known by their Miracles that the people might beleeve that God had sent them they wrought the Miracles that God had commanded them Exod. 7.13 but it appeareth in vers 14. that these Juglers withstood them and when the Messengers of God wrought true Miracles those Witches wrought lying Miracles in opposition of them Fecerunt similiter they did the like The Latin translation is thus Tum vocavit Pharo sapientes Prestigiatores ut facerent ipsi quoque magi Aegyptii suis incantationâ—bus similiter and Pharoah called the Wise men and Juglers that the Magicians of Aegypt might also do the like with their inchantments so likewise vers 25. Fecerunt similtier magis suis incantationibus the Magicians did the like with their Inchantments this word Similiter the like or in like manner is of great importance least some ignorant reader of the Scriptures should suppose that the Magicians did the same Miracles that the Prophets did whereas those acts of the Magicians were only delusions although enough to blind Pharaohs eyes because God would harden his heart And as it appeareth in 2 Tim. 3.9 their actions were only mad fooleries that came to light and were proved ridiculous as the words import for the craft of Jugling to them that are not acquainted with it breedeth great admiration in the beholders and seemeth to silly people to bâ— miraculous and yet being known is but deceit and foolery so that the beholder himself cannot but blush and be ashamed to think he was so easily cousened and did so much admire a ridiculous Imposture that craft of Jugling consisteth First In slight of hand or cleanly conveyance Secondly In confederacy and Thirdly In the abuse of Natural Magick The first is profitably seen in our common Juglers that go up and down to play their Tricks in Fayrs and Markets I will speak of one man more excelling in that craft than others that went about in King Iames his time and long since who called himself The Kings Majesties most excellent Hocus Pocus and so was he called because that at the playing of every Trick he used to say Hocâ—â— pocus tontus talontus vade celeriter jubeo a dark composure of words to blinde the eyes of the beholders to make his Trick pass the more currantly without discovery because when the eye and the ear of the beholder are both earnestly busied the Trick is not so easily discovered nor the Imposture discerned the going about of this Fellow was very useful to the wise to see how easily people among the ancient Heathen were deceived in times and places of ignorance for in these times many silly people yea and some also that think themselves wise will stand like Pharaoh and his Servants and admire a Jugling Imposture or like the silly Samaritans Acts 8.10 who did so much admire a seducing Jugler as they said He was the great power of God until they saw the true and real Miracles of Philip vers 6. And others again on the contrary will stand affrighted or run out of the room scared like fools saying The Devil is in the room and helpeth him to do such Tricks and some saying absolutely He is a Witch and ought to be hanged when as he did only act the part of a Witch to enlighten and not to deceive that people might see and discern the Impostures by which the Idols of the Heathen were made famous by their jugling Priests and might laugh at their vanities they that would see the manner of this part of Jugling or cleanly conveyance more fully may read Master Scots discovery of Witchcraft where it is set down at large to the satisfaction of all those that are not wilfully ignorant as also briefly afterward in this Fifth description after pag. 34. And now for illustrating of the History of Pharaohs Magicians I will parallel this Hocus Pocus or English Jugler a little with them they are called Prestigiatores Juglers Exod. 7.14 and yet in the same verse and also in vers 25. it is said they did in like manner by their inchantments Why with their Inchantments Not that Jugling and Inchanting are one and the same imposture but the reason is because when they wrought a Jugling Trick or lying Miracle they always spake a Charm or Inchantation immediately before it like to that of our English Jugler aforesaid to make the delusion the stronger by busying the senses of Hearing and Seeing in the Spectator both at once for a Charm or Inchantation was only a composure of words to delude people who thought that words spoken in a strange manner had vertue and efficacy in them as may be seen more fully in the Sixth description following therefore are they said to work their false Miracles by their Inchantments because they seemed to silly beholders to do them by their inchantations or words when as indeed they did them only by slight of hand or cleanly conveyance called Legerdemain and they that are well acquainted with this craft of Jugling may easily conceive how these Magicians did their Feats without so much admiring them when they read the History as if they had done great Wonders which were only delusions The second and third Miracle that they dissembled do plainly appear in the letter of the History Exod. 7.2 they seemed to 〈◊〉 water into bloud Focerunt similiter and yet mark well the History and yee shall see there was no water in Aegypt for Moses had turned it all into bloud before vers 20.21 24. 25. so then they could finde no River or Pond to do that feat in it must needs follow then that they sent for water where it was to be had which was no nearer than Gosheâ— and so shewed a petty Jugling Trick before Pharaoh in a room with a Bowl or Tray of water setting it upon the ground and by slight of hand conveying bloud into it to colour it so likewise for the Third Miracle which they dissembled Chap. 8.7 it was necessarily done by a such vessel of water for they could not finde any other water free in all Aegypt which were not already full of the abundance of Frogs vers 3.5 and what common Jugler might not easily dissemble that Miracle by setting a bowl of water down
writing upon that subject hath pretended to shew himself Theological but betrayeth himself to be very silly blinde and ignorant It being fully demonstrated what a Jugler is in the Scripture sence let every one consider seriously who be the Juglers of this and former Ages that ought to be put to death by the Law of Moses we might think that no man were so silly and foolish to think that it is meant common Juglers who play their Tricks in Fayers and Markets nor Gentlemen who sometimes in imitation of them do in sport play Tricks of slight of hand or legerdemain with confederates or without for it is most certain and true that if it bee rightly understood that these do a great deal of good that recreation tending rightly to the illumination of people of all sorts to shew them the vanity and ridiculousness of those delusions and lying Wonders by which men were so easily deluded in old times by Pharaohs Magicians by Simon Magus and Elimas the Sorcerer and now adays by our professed Wizzards or Witches commonly called Cunning Men or good Witches who will undertake to shew the face of the Thief in the Glass or of any other that hath done his Neighbour wrong privily when as they do all by Jugling delusions and are themselves right Witches that cause men to seek to the Devil for help that will undertake and promise to unwitch people that are as fools commonly say bewitched these common sporting Juglers also may illuminate people to see the Jugling Witchcraft of Popish Priests in causing Rhoods to move their eyes and hands in compassion to peoples prayers of which you may read more fully afterward Yet in Queen Elizabeths time as appeareth in Mr. Scots Discovery of Witchcraft in the fifteenth Book Chap. 42. there was a Master of Arts condemned only for using himself to the study and practise of the Jugling craft how justly I will not controvert but this I say That if a man may not study and practise the discovery of Cheats without being a Cheater nor the discovery of Witchcraft without being accounted a Witch it is the way for Witches and Cheaters to play their pranks and no man able to tax them or accuse them or to say who they are that are Witches and this foolish nice censuring and ignorant condemning hath bred great and general ignorance of this subject of Witchcraft which God himself describeth so often in the Scriptures for people to know and avoyd the practise of seducing or being seduced by it but for that Master of Arts before named the Lord of Leicester having more wisdom in some things than some had did protect him for a time after he was condemned but what became of him is not mentioned but yet if he had been a Jugler or practiser of that Craft to this end to withstand the Prophets when they wrought true Miracles as Pharaohs Juglers withstood Moses or if he were one that practised it to seduce the people after lying delusions to magnifie himself as a false Prophet like Simon Magus in the Acts or to cause people to ascribe miraculous power to him or to seek to the Devil as our common Deceivers called good Witches do he was deservedly condemned but to study Witchcraft and actually to demonstrate it by practise to shew how easily people were and may be deluded by it seeing God hath commanded Witches to be put to death and what they were or are is not now adays fully understood no not by the Learned is no more deserving death than for Master Scot to write a book in the discovery of it or for a Minister to discover to the people the danger of an Idol to which Witchcraft is necessarily joyned as an upholder and companion or for a Minister to shew the secret and dangerous nature and several windings of Sin and Satan for the essence of a Witch is not in doing false Miracles or any other Witchcraft by demonstration or discovery but in seducing people from God and his Truth As for example Pharaohs Magicians in that they did throw down their staffe and made it seeme to be turned into a Serpent to the end to withstand Moses and to seduce the Aegyptians they were absolute Witches but if any man now do the very same or had then done it to discover the Jugling deceit of it hee is no Witch but a teacher and instructer of the people So again for another example he that goeth behinde a Rhood or other Popish Image and draweth the secret Wiers that causeth the eyes and hands of the Image to move to the end to delude and seduce the people to Idolatry by admiration of it as Popish Priests do he is an absolute Witch but he that goes behind it and acteth the same part and then cometh out and sheweth people the Imposture and sheweth them the Wyers and secret delusions is not a Witch but a discoverer of a Witch that did it to the end to seduce and a Teacher and illuminator of the people See more in the Sixth description But we must know that in Queen Elizabeths time the Protestant Religion being then in its minority when as Popery was but only suppressed and not worn out of the memory nor out of the hearts and affections of men that yet in outward shew were Protestants it was a brief tenent in the Universities that he that did but study and contemplate upon this subject of Witchcraft was a dealer with unlawful and vain Science and ought to be censured for a Witch and by this subtill tradition they feared all Students that no man dared to search into the bowels and secrets of that Craft least as they knew full well thereby he should discover to the World the secret Impostures of the Popish Religion which is altogether upheld by Witchcraft of which Religion many stood daily in expectation to have it set on foot as brief as ever when as they hoped the times would change Hath God given nine several descriptions of Witchcraft at once Deut. 18.10 1â— and reiterated them in many places of Scripture that we might take notice who and what they are with the Mystery of iniquity and delusions that they practised and shall not we study and contemplate upon it by this vain tradition were many of their devillish Witchcrafts concealed and came not to light for many years to the view of the world example of that Popish Idol Cheapside Crosse which stood for many years like the Golden Image of Nebuchadnezzar few men knowing the jugling Witchcraft that was therein untill at the command of the Parliament it being pulled down there were found therein the severall slights to move the Arms Eyes and Heads of the Images and the Pipes to convey the water to make the Images shed tears in compassion to the peoples prayers and to convey Milk into the breasts of the Image of the Virgin Mary that the poor deluded people seeing such lying Wonders as Images of Gold to move to
a familiar spirit by whose help they kill and act strange Wonders tell me where is a place in all the Scripture that saith so shew me in all the Scriptures such a word as Striges lamiae Incubus and Succubus or any word of such signification or importance what were Pharaoh his Magicians but deluders of Pharaoh and the People could they by the help of Satan do any thing truly were they real Miracles did not their madness come to light 2 Tim. 3.9 what spirit had the Maid that followed Paul Act. 16.16 which is said to have the spirit of Python was it more than a cousening spirit of Divination for gain yet still you will say the word Python hath been interpreted by many one that had a familiar spirit imagine they had a familiar spirit although it is but a weak Argument to ground an opinion upon the bare signification of a word except you will have it a seducing lying spirit such a one as was in Ahabs Prophets yet I say answer me these Four Questions First Tell we where a Witch did or could kill a man in Scripture What did Saul go to the Pythonist of Endor for was it that she might help him kill the Philistians or meerly for Augury or Divination what did Pharaoh call his Witches the Magicians before him for was it to kill any Man or Beast by their cunning or meerly to work lying Wonders and dissemble the Miracles that God wrought by Moses so that they might withstand Moses and the truth and blinde Pharaohs eyes because God would harden his heart tell me where you finde in all the Scriptures that a Witch did or could kill a man by Witchcraft shew me in all the Law of Moses concerning the condemning of men or women for Murther that a Murtherer was called a Witch or a Witch a Murtherer Deut. 19. and other places of Scripture are there not several Rules set down for the trying of Murther shew me one that intimateth the Witching of Men or Cattel to death Secondly Shew me in all the Scriptures where Witches are spoken of that a Witch was a secret person or unknown to the World that should need to be tried by blinde circumstances and presumptions and suspicious or by privie Marks or by Teats or Biggs by sinking or swimming or by confessions were not Pharaohs Witches called Praestigiatores magi openly known did not Pharaoh call them together without privie search or inquiry did not Saul banish all the Witches as people openly known and professing the Art of Augury and their several cousening practices when Saul inquired for a Witch did not his servants presently tell him there was one at Endor was she not known without privie search or prime marks Did not the Maid in the Acts that was said to have the spirit of Python or to be a Pythonist follow Paul crying openly did not Simon Magus act his Delusions openly to seduce the people as likewise Elimas the Sorcerer were not the Witchcrafts of Iezabel known to be her delusions that she wrought by the Priests of Baal to seduce the people were not the Witchcrafts of Manasses open actions that made Iuda and Ierusalem to go astray where then do we read of a Witch by suspicion or to be tried by presumptions or suspicions or privie marks or other signs that are mans invention whence came this darkness and blinde errour but from the Pope that grand Witch that hath bewitched all Nations we search for Witchcrafts and abominations in a poor womans wooden dish and Christ telleth us they are all in a cup of Gold in the hand of the great Whore Revel 17.4 Thirdly Shew me in all the Scriptures where Witchcraft went without Idolatry Isa. 19.3 and had not a necessary dependance on Idolatry Nahum 3.4 Look again Deut. 18.10 11. where all sorts of Witches are spoken of why were they to be cut off and destroyed the reason is immediatly given vers 14. because they defiled the Nations in seducing them unto Spiritual VVhoredom and the Nations were destroyed for seeking and making inquiry after their Divinations or South-sayings or Oracles whereas inquiries ought to be to Gods Prophets vers 15. Was not this Sauls Idolatry when he sought to the Witch of Endor 1 Chro. 10. 13 14. was not this the sin of Manasses where he is blamed for using Witchcrafts when he made Iuda and Ierusalem go astray to Idols 2 Chron. 33.9 were not the Witchcrafts and VVhoredoms of Iesabel set down as two inseparable companions her Witchcraft being the upholding of the Idol Priests of Baal that by Witchcraft seduced the people to Idolatry were not Pharaohs Magicians seducers of Pharaoh and the people from God was not Simon Magus the like but alas how and where have those poor souls that are commonly hanged for Witches seduced the people to Idolatry who hath been led after them for Divinations and Southsayings many indeed have been led after Southsayers but they are termed good Witches and whereas they as Witches ought to dye many have been put to death by their devillish false accusations and if the Witch of Endor were now living amongst us we should call her a good VVitch so blinde are the times Fourthly Shew me in all the Law of God against Adulterous uncleaneness where Moses writeth of several kindes of uncleaneness as man with man man with beast woman with beast and many more the least intimation of uncleanness by Incubus or Succubus what did Moses forget this Yet because this opinion hath been so upheld by reports and imaginations and by the extorted confession of people that have been condemned in that kinde and sometime by the voluntary confession of despairing melancholly people that have been troubled in minde and wish rather to dye than to live although Volenti mori non est adhibenda fides Yet I intreat you to run over these several places of Scripture with me a little and see how his opinion of VVitches power agreeth with the Scriptures yea how flat contrary it is to Gods Word and the grounds of our Christian faith Yet first because some men will not understand the Scriptures in any other sense than as their own Expositors have done be it right or wrong therefore I refer them that will seek farther than the Scriptures to the words of a general Counsel which Mr. Scot in his Discovery hath alleged as followeth Concil Acqui in decret 26. the words of the Council It may not be omitted that certain wicked VVomen following Satans provocations being seduced by the illusion of the Devil beleeve and profess that in the night time they ride abroad with Diana the Goddess of the Pagans or else with Herodias with an innumerable multitude upon certain Beasts and pass over many Countries and Nations in the silence of the night and do whatsoever these Ladies or Fairies command c. let all Ministers therefore in their several Cures preach to Gods people so as they may know all those things to