The Displaying of Supposed Witchcraft, chapter 2: Of the Notion, Conception, and Description of Witches and Witchcraft (part 3 of 3)

5. And though by the Laws of our own Nation these kind of people were to be severely punished, as appeareth by the Statute 1 Jac. cap. 12. yet had they respect in that Act, not only to the punishment in respect of what these persons could or did do, but also in regard of their being Impostors and Deceivers of the people; for so the Lord Chief Justice Sir Edward Cook, the best Expositor of Law that hath written in our Language, doth expound it in these words. The mischiefs before this part of this Act were: That divers Impostors, men and women, would take upon them to tell or do these fine things here specified, in great deceit of the people, and cheating and cousening them of their money or other goods: therefore was this part of the Act made, wherein these words [take upon him or them] are very remarkable. For if they take upon them, &c. though in truth they do it not, yet are they in danger of this first branch.

6. And whereas in the objection Mr. Glanvil mentioneth converse with Devils, if he mean mental, internal, and spiritual converse, such as Murtherers, Adulterers, Thieves, Robbers, and all wicked persons have with Satan, we grant it; for so had the Jews and the High Priests in conspiring and acting to put our blessed Saviour to death: it was their hour, and the power of darkness. But if he mean a visible and corporeal converse, then we plainly affirm that there is not, nor can be any such, whereby any such strange things (as Witchmongers fondly and falsely believe) can be performed or effected. Therefore by way of conclusion in this particular, we grant that there are many sorts of such kind of Witches, as for gain and vain-glory do take upon them to declare hidden and occult things, to divine of things that are to come, and to do many wonderful matters, but that they are but Cheaters, Deceivers, and Couseners.

2. And as there are a numerous crew of active Witches, whose existence we freely acknowledge; so there are another sort, that are under a passive delusion, and know not, or at least do not observe or understand, that they are deluded or imposed upon. These are those that confidently believe that they see, do, and suffer many strange, odd, and wonderful things, which have indeed no existence at all in them, but only in their depraved fancies, and are meerly melancholiae figmenta. And yet the confessions of these, though absurd, idle, foolish, false, and impossible, are without all ground and reason by the common Witchmongers taken to be truths, and falsely ascribed unto Demons, and that they are sufficient grounds to proceed upon to condemn the Confessors to death, when all is but passive delusion, intrinsecally wrought in the depraved imaginative faculty by these three ways or means.

1. One of the Causes that produceth this depraved and passive delusion, is evil education; they being bred up in ignorance, either of God, the Scriptures, or the true grounds of Christian Religion, nay not being taught the common Rules of Morality, or of other humane Literature; but only imbibing and sucking in, with their mothers and nurses milk, the common gross and erroneous opinions that the blockish vulgar people do hold, who are all generally inchanted and bewitched with the belief of the strange things related of Devils, Apparitions, Fayries, Hobgoblins, Ghosts, Spirits, and the like: so that thereby a most deep impression of the verity of the most gross and impossible things is instamped in their fancies, hardly ever after in their whole life time to be obliterated or washt out: so prevalent a thing is Custom and Institution from young years, though the things thus received, and pertinaciously believed, and adhered unto, are most abominable falsities and impossibilities, having no other existence but in the brains and phantasies of old, ignorant, and doting persons, and are meerly muliercularum & nutricum, terriculamenta & figmenta, and therefore did Seneca say: Gravissimum est consuetudinis imperium. And that this is one main cause of this delusion, is manifest from all the best Historians, that where the light of the Gospel hath least appeared, and where there is the greatest brutish ignorance and heathenish Barbarism, there the greatest store of these deluded Witches or Melancholists are to be found, as in the North of Scotland, Norway, Lapland, and the like, as may be seen at large in Saxo Grammaticus, Olaus Magnus, Hector Boetius, and the like.

2. But when an atrabilarious Temperament, or a melancholick Complexion and Constitution doth happen to those people bred in such ignorance, and that have suckt in all the fond opinions that Custom and Tradition could teach them, then what thing can be imagined that is strange, wonderful, or incredible, but these people do pertinaciously believe it, and as confidently relate it to others? nay even things that are absolutely impossible, as that they are really changed into Wolves, Hares, Dogs, Cats, Squirrels, and the like; and that they flye in the Air, are present at great Feasts and Meetings, and do strange and incredible things, when all these are but the meer effects of the imaginative function depraved by the fumes of the melancholick humor, as we might shew from the Writings of the most grave and learned Physicians; but we shall content our selves with some few select ones. 1. That distemper which Physicians call Lycanthropia, is according to the judgment of Aetius and Paulus, but a certain species of Melancholy, and yet they really think and believe themselves to be Wolves, and imitate their actions: of which Johannes Fincelius in his second Book de Mirac. giveth us a relation to this purpose. That at Padua in the year 1541. a certain Husband-man did seem to himself a Wolf, and did leap upon many in the fields, and did kill them. And that at last he was taken not without much difficulty, and did confidently affirm that he was a true Wolf, only that the difference was in the skin turned in with the hairs. And therefore that certain, having put off all humanity, and being truly truculent and voracious, did smite and cut off his legs and arms, thereby to try the truth of the matter; but the innocency of the man being known, they commit him to the Chirurgions to be cured, but that he dyed not many days after. Which instance is sufficient to overthrow the vain opinion of those men that believe that a man or woman may be really transformed or transubstantiated into a Wolf, Dog, Cat, Squirrel, or the like, without the operation of an omnipotent power, as in Lots Wife becoming a Pillar of Salt; though St. Augustine was so weak as to seem to believe the reality of these transformations: of which we shall have occasion to speak more largely hereafter.

2. Another story we shall give from the Authority of that learned Physician Nicolaus Tulpius of Amsterdam to this effect. A certain famous Painter was for a long time infected with black Choler, and did falsely imagine that all the bones of his body were as soft and flexible, that they might be drawn and bended like soft wax. Which opinion being deeply imprinted in his mind, he kept himself in bed the whole Winter, fearing that if he should rise, they would not bear his weight, but would shrink together by reason of their softness. That Tulpius did not contradict him in that fancy, but said that it was a distemper that Physicians were not ignorant of, but had been long before noted by Fernelius, that the bones like wax might be softned and indurated, and that it might be easily cured, if he would be obedient: and that within three days he would make the bones firm and stable, and that within six days he would restore him to the power of walking. By which promises it was hard to declare, how much hope of recovering health it had raised up in him, and how obedient it made him. So that with Medicines proper to purge the atrabilarious humour within the time appointed, he was at the three days end suffered to stand upon his feet, and upon the sixth day had leave given to walk abroad: and so found himself perfectly sound afterwards; but did not perceive the deceit in his phantasie, that had made him lye a whole Winter in bed, though he was no stupid, but an ingenious person in his Art, and scarce second to any.

3. Thomas Bartholinus the famous Anatomist, and Physician to Frederick the Third King of Denmark, tells us these things: That it is the property of melancholy persons to fear things not to be feared, and to feign things quae nec picta usquam sunt, nec scripta. A Plebeian (he saith) with them abounding with melancholy blood did imagine that his Nose was grown to that greatness, that he durst not go abroad, for fear it should be hurt or justled upon by those he met. And that a famous Poet at Amsterdam did believe that his Buttocks were of glass, and feared their breaking, if he should sit down. Another Old man of prime Dignity did suspect that he had swallowed a nail, which being lost, he could no where find, and thought himself much tortured by its being fixed in him. But was restored to his health, by having a Vomit given, and the Physician conveying a nail into the matter that he cast up. And that a certain man in England would not make water, for fear that all the blood in his body should have passed forth by that passage, and therefore straitly tyed the yard with a thred for some days, which swelling he was not far from death, but that his Brother by force untyed it. The Books of Physicians are very full with such relations, and we in our Practice have met with divers as strange as these, and cured them. Also he tells us this: A certain Student of a melancholick Constitution, distracted with grief for the death of a Sister, and wearied with lucubrations, did complain to (Bartholinus) of the Devil haunting of him: and did affirm that he felt the evil Spirit enter by his fundament with wind, and so did creep up his body until it possessed the head, lest he might attend his Prayers and Meditations with his accustomed devotion, and that it did descend and go forth the same way, when he bent himself to Prayers, and reading of Sacred Books. Before these things he used to be filled with unheard of joy from his assiduous Prayers and watching, that also he had heard a celestial kind of Musick, and therefore despising all mortal things, he had distributed all things to the poor; but that now piety waxing cold by too much appetite after meat, and his brain troubled with that wind, that he had heard a voice of one in his brain upbraiding him with Blasphemy, and that he felt hands beating, and a stink passing before his nose. By all which Bartholinus guessed, that it was Hypochondriacal Melancholy, and by good Counsel, proper Physick, merry Company, and rightly ordering of him, he was perfectly cured.

4. To these we will only add this that is related by Marcellus Donatus, Physician to the Duke of Mantua and Montferrat, to this purpose. That he knew a Noble Countess of their City, that did most earnestly affirm, that she was made sick by the Witchery and Incantation of a certain ill-minded Woman; which was apprehended by a learned Physician to be, notwithstanding her fancy, nothing else but Hypochondriacal Melancholy, which he cured by giving her proper Medicaments to purge that humour, and ordering her Waiting-maid to put into the matter she voided Nails, Feathers, and Needles; which when with a glad countenance she had shewed to her Mistress, she presently cryed out that she had not been deceived, when she had referred the cause of her disease to Witchcraft, and afterwards did daily recover more and more.

3. And as ignorance and irreligion meeting with a melancholick Constitution, doth frame many persons to strange fancies both of fear and credulity: so when to these is added the teachings of those that are themselves under a most strong passive delusion, then of all others these become most strongly confident that they can perform admirable things. As when a person hath by education suckt in all the grossest fables and lyes of the power of Witches and familiar Devils, and therein becometh extremely confident, heightned with the fumes of black Choler, and so thinks, meditates, and dreameth of Devils, Spirits, and all the strange stories that have been related of them, and becometh maliciously stirred up against some Neighbour or other: And so in that malicious and revengeful mind seeketh unto, and inquireth for some famed and notorious Witch, of whom they believe they may learn such craft and cunning, that thereby they may be able to kill or destroy the persons or goods of those that they suppose have done them injuries. Then meeting with some that are strongly deluded, and confidently perswaded, that they have the company and assistance of a familiar Spirit, by whose help they believe they can do (almost) any thing, especially in destroying men or cattel, they are presently instructed what vain and abominable Ceremonies, Observances, Unguents, Charms, making of Pictures, and a thousand such fond, odd fopperies they are to use, by which they believe they can do strange Feats. And from this do proceed their bold and confident confessions of lyes and impossibilities, that notwithstanding have abused so many to take them for certain truths: so that according to the Proverb, Popery and Witchcraft go by Tradition: and we shall find none of these deluded Witches (if they must be so called) but they have been taught by others, that thought themselves to be such also. And this is a truth, if we may trust the confession of Alizon Denice at the Bar at Lancaster, who saith thus: That about two years agone her Grandmother called Elizabeth Sotheres, alias Dembdike, did (sundry times in going or walking together, as they went begging) perswade and advise this Examinate to let a Devil or a Familiar appear to her, and that she this Examinate would let him suck at some part of her, and she might have and do what she would.

But besides these two sorts of Witches, whose Existence we deny not, there is an acceptation of the word Witch in another sense, the Existence of which I absolutely deny, and that is this according to Mr. Perkins. A Witch is a Magician, who either by open or secret League wittingly and willingly consenteth to use the aid and assistance of the Devil in the working of Wonders.

But the full Description and Notion that the common Witchmongers give a Witch is this. That a Witch is such a person to whom the Devil doth appear in some visible shape, with whom the Witch maketh a League or Covenant, sometimes by Bond signed with the Witches blood, and that thereby he doth after suck upon some part of their bodies, and that they have carnal Copulation together, and that by virtue of that League the Witch can be changed into an Hare, Dog, Cat, Wolf, or such like Creatures; that they can flye in the air, raise storms and tempests, kill men or cattel, and such like wonders. This notion of a Witch may be gathered from the Writings of these persons, Delrio the Jesuit, Bodinus, Jacobus Springerus, Johannes Niderus, Bartholomeus Spineus, Paulus Grillandus, Lambertus Danaeus, Hemmingius, Erastus, Sennertus, and many others. As also from the Writings of our own Country-men, Mr. Perkins, Mr. Bernard of Balcombe, the Author of the Book called Demonology, Mr. Ga[…]le, Mr. Giffard, and divers others, who have from one to another lickt up the Vomit of the first Broacher of this vain and false opinion, and without due consideration have laboured to obtrude it upon others. Yet was it in a manner rejected by the most of the Learned, who had duly weighed the matter, and read the strong and convincing arguments of Wierus, Tandlerus, Nymannus, Biermannus, Gutierrius, Mr. Scot, and the like, until of late years Dr. Casaubon and Mr. Glanvil have taken up Weapons to defend these false, absurd, impossible, impious, and bloody opinions withal, against whose arguments we now principally direct our Pen, and after the answering of their groundless and unjust scandals, we shall labour to overthrow their chief Bulwarks and Fortifications.