The Displaying of Supposed Witchcraft, chapter 6: That divers places in Scripture have been mis-translated thereby to uphold this… (part 4 of 5)

But to make this more plain and certain, we shall add a Story of a notable Impostor, or Ventriloquist, from the testimony of Mr. Ady; which we have had confirmed from the mouth of some Courtiers that both saw and knew him, and is this: It hath been (saith he) credibly reported, that there was a Man in the Court, in King James his days, that could act this imposture so lively, that he could call the King by name, and cause the King to look round about him wondering who it was that called him, whereas he that called him stood before him in his presence, with his face towards him: but after this Imposture was known, the King in his merriment would sometimes take occasion by this Impostor to make sport upon some of his Courtiers, as for instance; There was a Knight belonging to the Court, whom the King caused to come before him in his private room (where no Man was but the King, and this Knight, and the Impostor) and feigned some occasion of serious discourse with the Knight; but when the King began to speak, and the Knight bending his attention to the King, suddenly there came a voice as out of another room, calling the Knight by name, Sir John, Sir John, come away Sir John; at which the King began to frown that any Man should be so unmannerly as to molest the King and him: And still listning to the Kings discourse, the voice came again, Sir John, Sir John, come away, and drink off your Sack; at that Sir John began to swell with anger, and looked into the next rooms to see who it was that dared to call him so importunately, and could not find out who it was, and having chid with whomsoever he found he returned again to the King. The King had no sooner begun to speak as formerly, but the voice came again, Sir John, come away, your Sack stayeth for you. At that Sir John began to stamp with madness, and looked out, and returned several times to the King, but could not be quiet in his discourse with the King, because of the voice that so often troubled him, till the King had sported enough.

I my self also have seen a young man about 16 or 17 years of age, who having learned at School, and having no great mind to his Book, fell into an Ague; in the declination of which he seemed to be taken with convulsion-fits, and afterwards to fall into Trances, and at the last to speak (as with another small voice) in his Breast or Throat, and pretended to declare unto those that were by, what sinful and knavish tricks they had formerly acted, or what others were doing in remote places and rooms. So that presently his Father and the Family with the neighbourhood were perswaded that he was possest, and that it was a spirit that spoke in him, which was soon heightned by Popish reports all over the Countrey. But there being a Gentleman of great note and understanding his Kinsman caused him to be sent over unto me, to have mine opinion whether it were a natural distemper or not. The Father and the Boy with an old cunning Woman (the made creature to cry up the certainty of his possession, and the verity of a spirit speaking in him) came unto me, who all appeared to my judgment and best reason fit persons to act any designed Imposture. The Father having been one that had lived profusely, and spent the most of his means, being sufficiently prophane and irreligious: The Boy by his face appearing to be of a melancholy complexion, and of a subtile and crafty disposition; the Woman cunning, who would have forced me to believe whatsoever she related, thinking to impose upon me as she had done upon others. I presently judged it to be neither natural disease, nor supernatural distemper, but only knavery and Imposture, and so made the Woman silent, and told her she was a cheater, and deserved due punishment, and that what she told, were the most of them lies of her own inventing; and told the Father and the Son that I could soon cast forth all the Devils that he was possessed with; but then I must have him in mine own custody, and none of them to come near him nor to speak with him. A long time I expected to have seen him in one of his fits, but his Devil was too timerous of my ster[…] countenance and rough carriage. Well after they three had consulted together, the Lad by no means could be gotten to stay with me, no not for that night, nor be prevailed with again to be brought into my presence; but away they went the Lad riding behind his Father, and when about a quarter of a mile from the Town the Father turned the Horse to come back again unto me, the Lad leapt from off the Horse, and run away crying from the Townwards as fast as he could. They went that night to a Popish House where were concourse of people sufficient, and many tales told of the Divinations of the spirit in the Boy, but not one word either of me or against me. Soon after the Gentleman that was of kin to the Boy came over, and I gave him satisfaction that it was a contrived cheat, and after he returned, he would have prevailed with them to have sent the Boy to me, but by no means could effect it; and so he never after gave any regard unto them, and soonafter it vanished to nothing.

I my self also knew a person, in the West-riding of Yorkshire, who about some forty years or above, to have made sport, would have put a Coverlet upon him, and then would have made any believe (that knew not the truth) that he had a child with him, he would so lively have discoursed with two voices, and have imitated crying and the like. And also the said person under a Coverlet, and coming upon all four would so exceeding aptly, even to the life, have acted a skirmish betwixt two Mastiffs, both by grinning, snarling and all other motions and noise, that divers understanding persons have been deceived and verily believed that there were two Mastiffs under the Coverlet, until their eyes have convinced them of their error: So delusive may art or cunning be, being seconded by use and agility.

I also have sometimes seen a person that lived in Southwark near London, who holding his lips together, and making no sound or noise at all, would notwithstanding have, by the motion of the muscles of his face, and the agitation of his head and hands and other gesticulations of his Body, made any of the beholders understand, what tune he had modulated in his fancy, which was very strange and pleasant to behold, and that which I could not have believed if I had not seen it.

We might hereunto add the Story of the pretended sleeping preacher, who had drawn many into admiration and belief that he did it either by Divine inspiration or vision, and yet was but a voluntary cheat and a delusive Imposture, as may be seen at large in Stowes Chronicle. We have been thus tedious in giving these examples, that it may appear how improperly Men fly to supernatural causes to solve effects by, that are and may be performed by natural means; and that Men need neither fetch a Devil from Hell nor a Soul from Heaven to solve these effects that mens cunning, art and craft are able to perform.

4. Next the more fully to explain this we may consider the place in the Acts which is rendred thus, [non-Latin script] of which the learned and judicious Isaac Casaubon saith thus: An ancient interpreter readeth [non-Latin script], and the Syrian version rendereth spiritum divinationis. It may be quere'd, seeing Apollo is understood, why S. Luke doth use the Epithete of him rather than the proper name: And the reason is because the ancients did call the Ventriloquists [non-Latin script] Pythonists. And it is plain that it was Divination, that was telling of secret things, whether past, present or to come, that the Maid pretended and undertook: for the text saith, Which brought her masters much gain by soothsaying, [non-Latin script], that is, by Vaticination. Beza in his Latine translation saith in his Marginal Notes, That that Spirit of Oracling, was only an expression alluding to the Idol Apollo, which was called Python, and gave answers unto them that asked, namely, by the Priests that belonged unto it, of which Idol the Poets feigned many things; so that they that had the Imposture of Divination were said by the Heathen to be inspired by the spirit of Apollo. And in this place of the Acts, S. Luke speaketh after the common Phrase of the Heathen, because he delivereth the error of the common people, but not by what instinct the Maid gave Divinations; for it is certain that under the Mask of that Idol, the Devil plaid his deluding pranks, and this spirit of Apollo was nothing, but as much as to say, an Imposture, or deluding trick of the Devil practised by the Priests of Apollo. So much saith Beza, who plainly expoundeth, That that Spirit of Divination or Oracling, was only a Devilish deluding Imposture, and not a familiar Devil as many do fondly imagine: And whereas it is said in the verse following, that S. Paul did cast that Spirit out of the Maid, it was, that he by the power of the Gospel of Jesus rebuked her wickedness: so that her Conscience being terrified, she was either converted, or else at the least dared not to follow that deluding craft of Divination any longer: as when Christ did cast out seven Devils out of Mary Magdalen, it is to be understood that he did convert her from many devilish sinful courses in which she had walked. Thus far learned Beza and Mr. Ady, who both seem to understand no other Demon in the case than only a crafty and devilish Imposture and Cheat, and most certainly it could be nothing else.

5. But to come to the stress of the business, these things are to be considered. 1. Some thought that they were really, and essentially possessed with an evil spirit that did speak in them and gave forth answers, and this is the most common, though most false opinion: which if it were true, it maketh nothing for those familiars that are ascribed to our Witches, for by that they mean a visible Devil without them in the shape of a Dog, a Cat or the like, and both these are equally absurd and false, as we shall shew anon. 2. Some thought that an evil spirit ab extra did but work upon their minds, and so inspired them with these Divinations, and this seems to have been the opinion of Plutarch and some others of the Heathen. 3. But others (which is that which we affirm) did hold that they were but counterfeiting deluding Impostors, and what they did was only by Ventriloquy, Jugling and confederacy, and that all their pretended Divinations and predictions, were nothing but lying conjectures and ambiguous equivocations. But to open it fully we must conceive that they did pretend and take upon them to foretel and declare things to come, which notwithstanding were but false forgeries and lies: for if they had really had any certain foreknowledge of things to come, then when Jehu was made King, and in subtilty pretended to sacrifice to Baal, and so got together all the Priests to sacrifice, if these base, lying, cheating Impostors had really had any skill in Divination, then they might have known, that their calling together was not truly to advance their Idolatry, but to take away their lives; and it may safely be concluded that those that could not foresee the danger threatning their own lives, could not truly foretel contingent effects to others; and though the Scripture give us many such examples as these, yet to eschew prolixity this may suffice to evince that all their pretended predictions were nothing but conjectures, or lying forgeries.

And as they did take upon them to foretel things to come, so this Woman of Endor, and in likelihood the rest, did pretend to do it by raising up, or causing to ascend those that were dead to give answers of the things demanded.

Now therefore the state of the question will be, whether this Woman had really a familiar or supernatural spirit that gave her answers, or that she raised such an one, or that only she was a deceiver and Impostor that could cast her self into a Trance, and so speak in her Breast, or that she had a place contrived for the purpose (as they had at the Oracle at Delphos) by which means she could speak, as in a Bottle or hollow cavity, and had other Confederates sutably fitted to accomplish her design. Here we shall only speak as to the significancy of the words relating to this matter, and shall handle the History of the matter of fact elsewhere: And in the first place we allow and grant that she had the cooperating power of the Devil, in her mind and will, leading her to take upon her to foretel things to come, of which she was utterly ignorant: so that we grant her under a spiritual league with the Devil, as all wicked persons are, but we deny that she had any other familiar spirit, but only the spirit of delusion and Imposture, as we shall make good by these arguments.

1. Because the word sometimes signifieth the persons pretending to be skilful in this sort of Divinations; for so the Woman saith unto Saul: Behold thou knowest what Saul hath done, how he hath cut off [non-Latin script] Pythones, that is, the persons that pretended, and practised that kind of Divination. And so again in that of Isaiah: And thy voice shall be [non-Latin script] sicut Pythonis as the voice of one that useth this kind of Divination. So that it is clear that the act is ascribed unto, and was performed by the persons practising this couzening craft, and not unto a familiar or Devil.

2. Sometimes it is taken for the means that they pretended they performed it by, as in Sauls deluded and despairing sense; for he saith, Divina quaeso mihi [non-Latin script] in Pythone, vel per Pythonem, and cause to ascend whom I shall name unto thee. So that he vainly thought that she could call up, and make to ascend whomsoever he should name, so blind and deluded was he when the spirit of the Lord was departed from him, and was justly delivered up to believe lies, because he had not received the love of the truth.

3. It doth not appear that she had any familiar spirit, or called up any; for the name that is there given her is [non-Latin script] Dominam Pythonis vel utris; the Mistriss of the Bottle, or of the Oracle, for Saul saith, seek me a Woman that is Mistriss of the Bottle, or of the Oracle, for so it must signifie, if it be genuinely and fitly translated; and his servants tell him, that at Endor there is a Woman that was Mistriss of Ob, the Bottle or Oracle. For though some translate it mulier habens Pythonem, or as Tremellius, mulier praedita Pythone, it will but reach thus much, that she was possessed of or had in her power, this Ob, Bottle, or Oracle, that could be nothing but the fit contrived place to give answers, as they did at the Oracle. For if they meant that she had a familiar spirit in her Belly, then it was possest of her, more than she could be said to be possest of it. But there is another Text that doth fully agree with this, and will help to explicate it, and is this, speaking of the destruction of Nineveh or the Jewish Nation, and the causes of it: Because of the multitude of the whoredoms of the welfavoured harlot, the Mistriss of Witchcrafts, [non-Latin script], Domina vel patrona, the Mistriss, or Patroness of Juglings and delusions. So that in propriety of language she of Endor is called the Mistriss of Python or Oracle, because she could play the couzening feats that belonged unto it.

4. Amongst all the several ways of Idolatry that Manasseh set up, or caused to be set up, this is one [non-Latin script], & fecit Pythonem, or fecisset q; Pythonem, he made Ob, or Pytho; and though Translators have been much perplexed, and hard put to it, to give a signification agreeable to their preconceived opinion, yet have they, were it right or wrong, brought it to their minds, though it be utterly false and erroneous; for Tremellius renders it, instituit q; Pythonem, which though pretty near, yet is altogether short of the propriety, and the most of the rest have run quite Counter; but our English Translators the worst of all others, who give it, and dealt with a familiar spirit. When it is plain that this word must be taken in this place, as it is in the third verse of this Chapter, he made groves, fecit q; lucos, because the words are both from the same root which is [non-Latin script] fecit, confecit, per[…]ecit, and so it is, and must be taken in other places; and is especially manifest in these. God said to Noah, make thee an Ark of Gopher wood, and after, a window shalt thou make to the Ark. The Psalmist saith: But our God is in heaven, he hath done whatsoever he pleased, and again, To him who alone doth great wonders. We might add forty places more, where the word is used that cometh from this root and hath the same punctual signification; so that from hence we may conclude, 1. That Manasseh could not make a Devil nor a Spirit, and therefore that the word Ob doth not intend nor bear forth any such matter in true and genuine signification. 2. That he could not make a Man or Woman, and therefore the word properly doth signifie neither. 3. That he only could make, and cause to be contrived the Groves, in such as order, ar the Idol-Priests might direct, as most fit for them to play their couzening and Jugling feats and delusions in. So he might make or cause to be contrived the [non-Latin script] or place for the Oracle, and prepare those knacks and implements, wherewith and in which place the Diviner might either by him, or her self, or with the help of confederates bring to pass strange things, which they made the blind and ignorant people believe were performed by the God worshipped in and by those Idols, or by Demons and Spirits, or the calling up of the dead. When in truth there was nothing at all performed, but either in raptures, feigned and forced Furies, Trances; and thereby lying predictions and ambiguous equivocations were uttered, whereby the people were deluded and drawn unto Idolatry: or by giving dark and obscure responsions by Ventriloquy, speaking in Bottles, or through hollow Pipes and cavities, whereby they did peep and mutter; or lastly by having knavish confederates hidden in secret, and cunningly contrived places, and suitably habited to personate those that were desired to be raised up, as is most probable in this Woman of Endor and the forged and pretended Samuel: So that there was no Devil nor familiar but a couzening Knave or a Quean, more crafty than the Demons themselves.