Part II: introduction, and the proof of apparitions, spirits and witches from Scripture, part 1 of 4

[Figure: Saducismus Triumphatus. Part the Second]

Saducismus Triumphatus, Or Full and Plain EVIDENCE CONCERNING Witches and Apparitions.

The Second Part.

PROVING Partly by Holy Scripture, partly by a choice Collection of Modern Relations, The real EXISTENCE of APPARITIONS, SPIRITS and WITCHES.

By Jos. Glanvil, late Chaplain to His Majesty, and Fellow of the Royal Society.

LONDON, Printed for J. Collins, and S. Lowdns. 1681.

THE PREFACE.

I Know it is matter of very little Credit to be a Relator of Stories, and I of all Men living, have the least reason to be fond of the Imployment. For I never had any faculty in telling of a Story, and have always had a particular indisposition and backwardness to the writing any such. But of all Relations of Fact, there are none like to give a Man such trouble and disreputation, as those that relate to Witchcraft and Apparitions, which so great a party of Men (in this Age especially) do so railly and laugh at, and without more ado, are resolved to explode and despise, as meer Winter Tales, and Old Wives Fables. Such they will call and account them, be their Truth and Evidence what it will. For, they have unalterably fixt and determined the point, that Witches and Apparitions are things ridiculous, incredible, foppish, impossible; and therefore all Relations that assert them are Lies, Cheats and Delusions, and those that afford any credit to them, are credulous Gulls and silly easie Believers.

Which things, if they should not be so, it would spoil many a jest, and those who thought themselves great Wits, must have the discomfort of finding they are mistaken. They must fall back into common and vulgar Belief, and lose the pretence to extraordinary Sagacity, on which they valued themselves so much, and be brought to be afraid of another World, and be subjected to the common terrours which they despised before, as the juggles and contrivances of Priests and Politicians, and so must see themselves under a necessity of altering their lives, or of being undone. These are very hard and grievous things, and therefore the Stories of Witches and Apparitions must be exploded and run down, or all is lost.

This is the case with multitudes of brisk confident Men in our days, so that to meddle on this Subject, is to affront them greatly, to provoke their rage and contempt, and to raise the Devil of their Wit and Buffoonry. All which considered, it must be confest to be a very bold and adventurous thing to undertake the Province in which I have engaged. And besides the provocation which it must needs give to the Huffers and Witlings, there is another sort whose good Opinion I greatly value; some sober and ingenious Spirits, who upon other grounds doubt of the Existence of Witches, who may be apt to judge me guilty of Credulity, for the pains I take in this matter. This also hath been some trouble and discouragement.

And upon the whole, I am assured before-hand, that no Evidence of Fact possible is sufficient to remove the obstinate prejudices of divers resolved Men, and therefore, I know I must fall under their heavy censures; of which I have considered the worst, and am I hope pretty well prepared to bear the severest of them. But no Man would expose himself to all this for nothing, nor have I. There were reasons for this engàgement, and they were briefly these that follow.

Having bèen at Mr. Mompessons house in the time of the disturbance, seen, and heard somewhat my self, and received an account from Mr. Mompesson, and other credible Persons of the whole trouble; I was perswaded to Publish, and to Annex the full account of it to the Second or Third Edition of my Considerations concerning Witchcraft, to which the Story had near Relation. 'This I did, and they passed Two or Three Editions together, without much further trouble to me. But of late, I have heard from all parts, and am amazed at it, that that so strongly attested Relation is run down in most places as a Delusion and Imposture, and that Mr. Mompesson and my self, have confessed all to be a cheat and contrivance.

Concerning this, I have been asked a thousand times, till I have been weary of answering, and the Questionists would scarce believe I was in earnest when I denied it. I have received Letters about it from known friends and strangers out of many parts of the Three Kingdoms, so that I have been haunted almost as bad as Mr. Mompesson s house. Most of them have declared that it was most confidently reported, and believed in all the respective Parts, that the business was a cheat, that Mr. Mompesson had confessed so much, and I the same: So that I was quite tired with denying and answering Letters about it. And to free my self from the trouble, I at last resolved to re-print the Story by it self with my Confutation of the Invention that concerned me, and a Letter I received from Mr. Mompesson (now Printed in this Book) which cleared the matter as to him.

This accordingly I committed to my Booksellers hands some years since to be Printed. But it being not done, I was continually importuned by new Solicitations and Questions, and at length out comes Mr. Websters confident Book, in which he saith, That my Story of the Drummer, and the other of Witchcraft, are as odd and silly, as any can be told or read, and as fictitious, incredible, ludicrous and ridiculous as any can be, p 11. And again, p. 278. Must not all Persons that are of sound understanding, judge and believe that all those strange tricks related by Mr. Glanvil of his Drummer at Mr. Mompessons house, which he calls the Daemon of Tedworth, were abominable Cheats and Impostures, as I am informed by Persons of good Quality, they were discovered to be.

But neither did this Confidence, nor his Book (I confess) much move me; for I was very loth to be troubled any more in this matter. But at last divers Eminent Men, and Learned friends of mine having taken notice of it, and being troubled to see so considerable an evidence against Saducism, as Mr. Mompesson s Story is, so impudently run down by purposely contrived lyes, they urg'd me very much to re-print the Relation, with my Considerations about Witchcraft; and so give some check to the Insultation and Confidence of Mr. Webster.

To this I stood long dis-inclined, but being prest by the consideration that such a Re-enforcement might be a very considerable and seasonable service to Religion, against the stupid Saducisme and Infidelity of the Age, I was perswaded: And having signified my being now inclined to the design, I received great encouragement from some of the greatest Spirits of our Age and Nation, who earnestly animated me to it. Having resolved, I bethought me of making a small Collection of the most credible and best attested Stories of this kind that were near and modern, to accompany the Second I had Printed, and to confirm and prove the main Subject.

ADVERTISEMENT.

This is the whole of the Preface, that was found amongst Mr. Glanvil's Papers, saving five or six words, which being superfluous to the sense of this last Clause, and beginning something else not perfected, I thought better left out. But as for Mr. Mompesson's Letter to Mr. Glanvil, which is mentioned in this Preface, and designed to be Printed in this intended Edition; it is out of the Original Copy as follows.

Mr. Mompesson's LETTER to Mr. Glanvil, Dated Nov. 8. Anno 1672.

Worthy Sir,

MEeting with Dr. Pierce accidentally at Sir Robert Buttons, he acquainted me of something that passed between my Lord of R— and your self about my troubles, &c. To which (having but little leisure) I do give you this account, that I have been very often of late askt the Question, whether I have not confessed to His Majesty or any other, a cheat discovered about that affair. To which I gave, and shall to my Dying day give the same answer, That I must bely my self, and perjure my self also to acknowledge a cheat in a thing where I am sure there was nor could be any, as I, the Minister of the […]lace, and two other Honest Gentlemen deposed at the Assizes, upon my Impleading the Drummer. If the world will not believe it, it shall be indifferent to me, praying God to keep me from the same, or the like affliction. And although I am sure this most damnable lye does pass for current amongst one sort of people in the World, invented only, I think, to suppress the Belief of the Being either of God or Devil; yet I question not but the Thing obtains credit enough amongst those, whom I principally desire should retain a more charitable Opinion of me, than to be any way a devisor of it, only to be talk't of in the World, to my own disadvantage and reproach; of which sort I reckon you one, and rest in hast,

SIR, Your Obliged Servant, Jo. Mompesson. Nov. 8. 72.

ADVERTISEMENT.

Concerning the Attestation of Mr. Mompesson and others upon Oath at the Assizes, the same is mentioned also, and their Names expressed in a Letter to Mr. James Collins, which Letter from the Original Copy is as follows.

Mr. Mompesson's LETTER to Mr. Collins, Dated Aug. 8. Anno 1674.

Sir,

I Received yours, and had given you an earlier answer, had I not been prevented by some journeys. I now give you this; That as to any additional part of the Story, I shall not trouble you with at present, not knowing what is either already published or omitted, in regard I have not any of Mr. Glanvi's Books by me. I never had but one, which was the last year borrowed of me for the use of the Lord Hollis, and is not yet returned. But as to the business of the Assizes (which is likely to work most on the Incredulous, because the Evidence was given on Oath) I shall here enlarge it to you.

When the Drummer was escaped from his Exile, which he was Sentenced to at Glou[…]ester for a Felony, I took him up, and procured his Committment to Salisbury Gaol, where I Indicted him as a Felon', for this supposed Witchcraft about my House. When the fellow saw me in earnest, he sent to me from the Prifon, that he was sorry for my affliction, and if I would procure him leave to come to my House in the nature of an Harvest-man, he did not question but he should do me good as to that affair. To which I sent answer, I knew he could do me no good in any honest way, and therefore rejected it. The Assizes came on, where I Indicted him on the Statute Primo Jacobi cap. 12. where you may find, that to feed, imploy, or reward any evil spirit is Felony. And the Indictment against him was, that he did quendam malum Spiritum negotiare, the Grand Jury found the Bill upon the Evidence, but the Petty Jury acquitted him, but not without some difficulty.

The Evidence upon Oath were my self, one Mr. William Maton, one Mr. Walter Dowse, all yet living, and I think of as good Repute, as any this Country has in it, and one Mr. Jo, Cragg, then Minister of the Place, but since dead. We all deposed several things that we conceived impossible to be done by any natural Agents, as the motion of Chairs, Stools and Bedstaves, no body being near them, the Beating of Drumms in the Air over the House in clear nights, and nothing visible; the shaking of the Floor and strongest parts of the House in still and calm nights, with several other things of the like nature: And that by other Evidence it was applied to him.

For some going out of these parts to Gloucester whilst he was there in Prison, and visiting him, he ask't them what News in Wilts. To which they replyed, they knew none. No, says the Drummer, did you not hear of a Gentlemans House that was troubled with the Beating of Drums? They told him again, if that were News, they heard enough of that. Ay, says the Drummer, it was because he took my Drum from me; if he had not taken away my Drum, that trouble had never befallen him, and he shall never have his quiet again, till I have my Drum, or satisfaction from him.

This was deposed by one Thomas Avis Servant to one Mr. Thomas Sadler of North-Wilts, and these words had like to have cost the Drummer his Life. For else, although the things were never so true, it could not have been rightly applyed to him more than to another. I should only add, that the before mentioned Witnesses were Neighbours, and deposed, that they heard and saw these things almost every day or night for many Moneths together. As to the Sculpture you intend, you best understand the advantage, I think it needless. And those Words [you shall have Drumming enough] is more than I heard him speak: I rest

Your Loving Friend, Jo. Mompesson. Tedworth Aug. 8. 1674.

An Introduction to the Proof of the Existence of Apparitions, Spirits and Witches.

SECT. I. The great usefulness and seasonableness of the present Argument, touching Witches and Apparitions, in subservieney to Religion.

THe Question, whether there are witches or not, is not matter of vain Speculation, or of indifferent Moment; but an Inquiry of very great and weighty Importance. For, on the resolution of it, depends the Authority and just Execution of some of our Laws; and which is more, our Religion in its main Doctrines is nearly concerned. There is no one, that is not very much a stranger to the World but knows how Atheisme and Infidelity have advanced in our days, and how openly they now dare to shew themselves in Asserting and Disputing their vile Cause. Particularly the distinction of the Soul from the Body, the Being of Spirits, and a Future Life are Assertions extreamly despised and opposed by the Men of this sort, and if we lose those Articles, all Religion comes to nothing. They are clearly and fully Asserted in the Sacred Oracles, but those Wits have laid aside these Divine Writings. They are proved by the best Philosophy and highest Reason; but the Unbelievers, divers of them are too shallow to be capable of such proofs, and the more subtle are ready to Scepticize away those grounds.

But there is one Head of Arguments that troubles them much, and that is, the Topick of Witches and Apparitions. If such there are, it is a sensible proof of Spirits and another Life, an Argument of more direct force than any Speculations, or Abstract reasonings, and such an one as meets with all the sorts of Infidels. On which account they labour with all their might to perswade themselves and others, that Witches and Apparitions are but Melancholick Dreams, or crafty Impostures; and here it is generally, that they begin with the young-men, whose understandings they design to Debauch.

They expose and deride all Relations of Spirits and Witchcraft, and furnish them with some little Arguments, or rather Colours against their Existence. And youth is very ready to entertain such Opinions as will help them to phansie, they are wiser than the generality of Men. And when they have once swallowed this Opinion, and are sure there are no Witches nor Apparitions, they are prepared for the denial of Spirits, a Life to come, and all the other Principles of Religion. So that I think it will be a considerable and very seasonable service to it, fully to debate and settle this matter, which I shall endeavour in the following sheets, and I hope so, as not to impose upon my self or others, by empty Rhetorications, fabulous Relations, or Sophistical Reasonings, but treat on the Question with that freedom and plainness, that becomes one that is neither fond, fanciful nor credulous.

SECT. II. The true stating of the Question by defining what a Witch and Witchcraft is.

I Know that a great part of the Labour in most Controversies, useth to be bestowed on things impertinent to the main business, and by them the Minds of both sides are so confounded, that they wander widely from the point in difference, and at last lose it quite. It would quickly be thus in the Question of Witchcraft, and usually is so, without previous care to avoid it. But I shall take the best I can, that my pains on this Subject be not so mis-bestowed, but closely applyed to the purpose: And in order thereunto shall briefly define the terms of the Question, and then set down what I grant to mine Adversaries, and what I demand from them. And when these Preliminaries are well adjusted, we shall proceed with more distinctness, and still see whereabout we are, and know how far what is affirmed or proved, reaches the main matter in debate.

The Question is, whether there are Witches or not. Mr. Webster accuseth the Writers on the Subject of defect, in not laying down a perfect Description of a Witch or Witchcraft, or explaining what they mean, p. 20. What his perfect Description is, I do not know; but I think I have described a Witch or Witchcraft in my Considerations, sufficiently to be understood, and the Conception which I, and, I think, most Men have is, That a Witch is one, who can do or seems to do strange things, beyond the known Power of Art and ordinary Nature, by vertue of a Confederacy with Evil Spirits.] Strange Things, not Miracles; these are the extraordinary Effects of Divine Power, known and distinguished by their circumstances, as I shall shew in due place. The strange things are really performed, and are not all Impostures and Delusions. The Witch occasions, but is not the Principal Efficient, she seems to do it, but the Spirit performs the wonder, sometimes immediately, as in Transportations and Possessions, sometimes by applying other Natural Causes, as in raising Storms, and inflicting Diseases, sometimes using the Witch as an Instrument, and either by the Eyes or Touch, conveying Malign Influences: And these things are done by vertue of a Covenant, or Compact betwixt the Witch and an Evil Spirit. A Spirit, viz. an Intelligent Creature of the Invisible World, whether one of the Evil Angels called Devils, or an Inferiour Daemon or Spirit, or a wicked Soul departed; but one that is able and ready for mischief, and whether altogether Incorporeal or not, appertains not to this Question.

SECT. III. That neither the Notation of the Name that signifies indifferently, nor the false Additions of others to the Notion of a Witch can any way dissettle the Authors definition.

THis I take to be a plain Description of what we mean by a Witch and Witchcraft: What Mr. Webster and other Advocates for Witches, talk concerning the words whereby these are exprest, that they are improper and Metaphorical, signifying this, and signifying that, is altogether idle and impertinent. The word Witch signifies originally a Wise Man, or rather a Wise Woman. The same doth Saga in the Latine, and plainly so doth Wizzard in English signify a Wise Man, and they are vulgarly called cunning Men or Women. An Art, Knowledge, Cunning they have that is extraordinary; but it is far from true Wisdom, and the word is degenerated into an ill sense, as Magia is.

So then they are called, and we need look no further, it is enough, that by the Word, we mean the Thing and Person I have described, which is the common meaning; and Mr. Webster and the rest prevaricate when they make it signify an ordinary Cheat, a Couzener, a Poysoner, Seducer, and I know not what. Words signify as they are used, and in common use, Witch and Witchcraft, do indeed imply these, but they emply more, viz. Deluding, Cheating and Hurting by the Power of an Evil Spirit in Covenant with a wicked Man or Woman: This is our Notion of a Witch.

Mr. Webster I know will not have it to be a perfect Description. He adds to the Notion of the Witch he opposeth, carnal Copulation with the Devil, and real Transformation into an Hare, Cat, Dog, Wolf; the same doth Mr. Wagstaffe. Which is, as if a Man should define an Angel to be a Creature in the shape of a Boy with Wings, and then prove there is no such Being. Of all Men I would not have Mr. Webster to make my Definitions for me; we our selves are to have the leave to tell what it is that we affirm and defend. And I have described the Witch and Witchcraft, that sober Men believe and assert. Thus briefly for Defining.

SECT. IV. What things the Authour concedes in this controversie about Witches and Witchcraft.

I Shall let the Patrons of Witches know what I allow and grant to them;

First, I grant, That there are some Witty and Ingenious Men of the opposite Belief to me in the Question. Yea, it is accounted a piece of Wit to laugh at the Belief of Witches as silly Credulity. And some Men value themselves upon it, and pride them in their supposed Sagacity of seeing the Cheat that imposeth on so great a part of Believing Mankind. And the Stories of Witches and Apparitions afford a great deal of Subject for Wit, which it is pity that a witty Man should lose.

Secondly, I own that some of those who deny Witches have no design against, nor a disinclination to Religion, but believe Spirits, and a Life to come, as other sober Christians do, and so are neither Atheists, Sadducees, nor Hobbists.

Thirdly, I allow that the great Body of Mankind is very credulous, and in this matter so, that they do believe vain impossible things in relation to it. That carnal Copulation with the Devil, and real Transmutation of Men and Women into other Creatures are such. That people are apt to impute the extraordinaries of Art, or Nature to Witchcraft, and that their Credulity is often abused by subtle and designing Knaves through these. That there are Ten thousand silly lying Stories of Witchcraft and Apparitions among the vulgar. That infinite such have been occasioned by Cheats and Popish Superstitions, and many invented and contrived by the Knavery of Popish Priests.

Fourthly, I grant that Melancholy and Imagination have very great force, and can beget strange perswasions. And that many Stories of Witchcraft and Apparitions have been but Melancholy fancies.

Fifthly, I know and yield, that there are many strange natural Diseases that have odd Symptomes, and produce wonderful and astonishing effects beyond the usual course of Nature, and that such are sometimes falsly ascribed to Witchcraft.

Sixthly, I own, the Popish Inquisitours, and other Witch-finders have done much wrong, that they have destroyed innocent persons for Witches, and that Watching and Torture have extorted extraordinary Confessions from some that were not guilty.

Seventhly and Lastly, I grant that the Transactions of Spirits with Witches, which we affirm to be true and certain, are many of them very strange and uncouth, and that we can scarce give any account of the reasons of them, or well reconcile many of those passages to the commonly received Notion of Spirits, and the State of the next World.

If these Concessions will do mine Adversaries in this Question any good, they have them freely. And by them I have already almost spoiled all Mr. Webster's and Mr. Wagstaffe's, and the other Witch-Advocates Books, which prove little else, than what I have here granted. And having been so free in Concessions, I may expect that something should be granted me from the other party.

ADVERTISEMENT.

Those that are mentioned in the second Concession, though they are not Atheists, Sadducees nor Hobbists; yet if they deny Witches, it is plain they are Antiscripturists, the Scripture so plainly attesting the contrary.

SECT. V. The Postulata which the Authour demands of his Adversaries as his just right.

THe demands that I make are; First, That whether Witches are or are not, is a question of Fact: For it is in effect, whether any Men or Women have been, or are in Convenant with Evil Spirits, and whether they by the Spirits help, or he on their account performs such or such things.

Secondly, That matter of Fact can only be proved by immediate Sense, or the Testimony of others, Divine or Humane. To endeavour to demonstrate Fact by abstract reasoning and speculation, is, as if a Man should prove that Julius Caesar founded the Empire of Rome, by Algebra or Metaphysicks. So that what Mr. Webster saith, p. 43. That the true and proper mediums to prove the actions of Witches by, are Scripture and sound Reason, and not the improper way of Testimony (which we use in the opposition that Testimony stands to Scripture and sound Reason) is very Non-sense.

Thirdly, That the History of the Scripture is not all Allegory, but generally hath a plain literal and obvious meaning.

Fourthly, That some Humane Testimonies are credible and certain, viz. They may be so circumstantiated as to leave no reason of doubt. For our Senses sometimes report truth, and all Mankind are not Lyars, Cheats and Knaves, at least they are not all Lyars, when they have no Interest to be so.

Fifthly, That which is sufficiently and undeniably proved, ought not to be denyed, because we know not how it can be, that is, because there are difficulties in the conceiving of it. Otherwise Sense and Knowledge is gone as well as Faith. For the Modus of most things is unknown, and the most obvious in Nature have inextricable difficulties in the Speculation of them, as I have shewn in my Scepsis Scientifica.

Sixthly and lastly, we are much in the dark, as to the Nature and Kinds of Spirits, and the particular condition of the other World. The Angels, Devils and Souls happiness and misery we know, but what kinds are under these generals, and what actions, circumstances and ways of Life under those States we little understand. These are my Postulata or demands, which I suppose will be thought reasonable, and such as need no more proof.