Part 6

Sixtly, they deserue death as inhumane and barbarous tyrants, for lingringly vt sentiant se mori, that they may feele how they doe decay by degrees, seek the vtter ouerthrow of those whom they doe maligne: and as a further appendix to this, oftentimes by the helpe of their grand teacher, sowe discord betweene husband and wife, sollicite maydens, yea enforce both them, and married women to vncleane, and vnlawfull lusts, and heerein implore the helpe of the diuell, to accomplish their malicious designes, which trangression is capitall.

Seuenthly, the exercise of this act or vanity is punishable by death, although it be practised but onely in sport and ieast, which appeare thus, because God hath seriously forbidden (and vnder no lesse forfeiture of life it self) to aske counsell of a Soothsayer or Coniurer; if this then be a crime of such nature, in those, who it may bee heerein thought not to doe euill, ther is no reason to induce any to thinke that hee will spare the wilfull, and purposed authors thereof, and Magitians, who worke onely iuggling trickes, and illusions, and fore-tell some future things, as yet vnknowne vntill they doe so fall out, are not freed from the sentence condemnatorie, much more then those who willingly, and vpon premeditated malice, murther or impaire the life and good estate of other, deserue to stand paralell with them. And there can no reson be yielded of this so sharp a censure, but onely because they haue learned, and accordingly exercise vnlawfull arts, for whosoeuer endeuoureth to bring that thing to passe, by pretending naturall meanes, which exceedeth the power of Nature, and is now thereunto enabled eyther by God, or the ministery of good Angells at his appoyntment, hee must of necessity haue this faculty communicated by some combination and inter league with the diuell.

Eightly, the Iudge or ciuil Magistrate is bound by vertue of that office, and superioritie he sustaineth in the common-wealth, to purge and free that place, in, and ouer which he hath command, of all malefactors, which if he doe neglect, then is a double offender, against the Law both of Iustice and Charity; for hee is obliged by duety to foresee (so much as in him lyeth) that the publike state should be secured, which it concerneth to haue offenders punished, otherwise hee maketh himselfe partner with them in their outrages and offences, and standeth answerable for those damages sustained by the whole bodie of the people in generall, or vndergone by any particular of the same, for sparing of the wicked is hurting the good, and hee that doth not represse and forbid euill (when it is in his power) doth countenance and maintaine it.

Much more might be added, and many examples produced, to manifest, how in all Nations these odious company of witches, and the like haue euer beene accounted detestable; and for their impious deedes requited with neuer dying shame, aud vtter confusion, and iustly by law executed; for among the Romans, Mathematitians, and Magitians by the Decree of the Senate were expelled out of all Italy: and amongst these Pituanus was throwne downe from the rock Tarpeius, and crushed apeeces. Martius by the Consuls put to death with the sound of a Trumpet without the gate Exquilina: Publicia and Licinia women, and seauenty more witches hanged. The speedy judgement of the Athenians, witnesse of their hatred against these kinde of malefactors, is much commended, who without any other solemnity of proceeding at the onely accusation of a Maide, without delay put one Lemnia a witch to death: and it is memorable which Ammianus Marcellinus hath left in record, that one Hilarius, because hee committed his sonne yong, and not of mature yeares, to be taught and instructed vnto a Coniurer, was adjudged to die, and escaping from the hands of the executioner, who had negligently bound him, drawne by force out of the next church of the Christians to which hee fled as vnto a Sanctuary, and executed.

The end of Varasolo, a famous Inchantresse in Hungarie is dreadfull, who for her sundry witcheries was cast into prison, and there constrayned through extremity of hunger, to reare off and eate the flesh of her owne legges and armes, and at the last, impatient of further delay, there murthered herselfe, and shortned the span of her life.

But here I stay my hand, take it from the table, and the rather, because much hath already beene spoken to this purpose. Wherefore, for conclusion, I shut vp this whole Treatise with a remarkeable speech of a noble King; Let the streight rigor of law bee inflicted vpon all, both practisers and partakers with wisards, by putting any confidence in them; for it is vngodly for man to be remisse and fauourable vnto those whom diuine piety, and our duety to God will not suffer vnpunished. For what folly were it to forsake the Creator and Giuer of life, and to follow the author of death? this dishonest fact, vnbeseeming, and vtterly repugnant to the credite and reputation of a Iudge, be farre from him. Let none countenance that which the Lawes doe condemne, for all are by the Regall Edicts to bee punished with death, who intermeddle with such forbidden and vnlawfull Artes.

FINIS.

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"Witchcraft" / "Witch-craft" The word occurs nine times with a hyphen, four times without, and three times at line breaks. The three line-break occurrences have been rendered here with hyphen. Capitalization is similarly varied.

Dæmonomania, lib. 2 cap. * Irenæus contra hereses. lib. * cap. 9. Aug de Ciuit. Dei, lib. * cap. 35 Remigius Dæmonolog. // l. 3. c. * These text citations are either missing or illegible.

Introduction --and voluntarily acknowledged after conference had with me text reads wit hme

First Proposition Footnote a: dangerous text reads dangerons Footnote n: ...ta phrarmaka so in text Footnote hh: Cicero ... de orato primo text reads de de

Third Proposition Footnote a: Iaquerius flagelli Hereticorum fascinariorum text reads fafcinariorum Footnote e: Ioh. Nider in præceptorio, præcepto 1. cap. 11. text reads ...præcepto 1. ca. p11. Footnote f: Weirus de præstigijs dæmonum so in original: elsewhere spelled Wierus --that it not onely sufficed the thirst of his distressed Souldiers text reads dstiressed --and altogether / incredible, as of Ericus text reads incredible (as of with no close parenthesis --would seeme to be meere fictions text reads fictious --But through the cooperation of the Diuell text reads thorugh Footnote aa: Iaquerius in flagello hereticorum fascinariorum text reads fafcinariorum

Fourth Proposition --both de esse, and de posse, that there may be text reads that that Footnote g: Godelmannus de magia ... lib. 1. cap. 2. xº.8.9.10 &c. number illegible

Fifth Proposition Footnote e: Multa exempl[e,] habet Bodinus so in original

Sixt(h) Proposition --the continuance, and the effect text reads coutinuance Footnote g: Ceolcenus so in original: misreading of handwritten "Cedrenus"?

Seventh Proposition --who commaunded that Epicharis text reads commannded spellings "command" and "commaund" are equally common in text Footnote a: In Perkei ababboth. so in original --such things as be not fitting and conuenient text reads couenient --vnto the Philistines catchword on previous page has "-stims" --Hitherto in some Propositions I haue set downe text reads Popositions

Narrative of Mary Smith --being sent for to conferre with some learned and reuerend Diuines text reads Diuiues --warrant a* foule sinne among Christians _illegible letter: possibly "as foule sinne"

Eight(h) Proposition --he had direction for the fit time and oportunity text reads opoortunity word occurs only once elsewhere; it is spelled "oportunity" Footnote aa: Aquinas in summa secundæ quest. 96. articulo 4. text reads secundæ secundæ --but either to signifie and expresse the conceits of the minde text reads bnt either --As when Paul reasoned before Flix and Drusilla his wife so in original: normal form of the name and word is "felix" Footnote hh: Aug. confessionum text reads confessinum

Ninth Proposition --then my God will do this and that for me text reads this aud that , footnote locations are conjectural: references missing from text]

The html version of this text addresses these problems in greater detail, and includes screen images of the more illegible passages.

Preface Footnote d: inuentas esse has artes +pros ap..ên eleeinôn anthrôpôn tôn rhadiôs hupokleptomenôn eis tauta hupo tou diabolou.+ affirmat Cedrenus in historiæ compendio. Reading unclear: +eleeinôn+ may be +helesin ôn+. The original text was unavailable to me.

First Proposition Footnote f: eam aut[~e] +pentekên+ vocat Balsamon Correct form is +penthektên+ Footnote t: +kathaper empsuchou sômatos tôn spheôn exairetheisôn akreionas to holon: houtôs ex historias ean arês tên alêtheian, to kataloipomenon autês, anateles gignetai diêgêma+ A more recent text (the 1893 Teubner) has +tôn opseôn exairetheisôn achreioutai+ in place of +tôn spheôn exairetheisôn akreionas+ and +anôpheles+ in place of +anateles+ Footnote u: +Kaionos idiotês eutheia+ Reading unclear: +Kaiones+ may be meant for a contraction of +kai aiones+. The original text was unavailable to me.

Third Proposition Footnote m: hippomenes fætæ semina legit equæ. A more recent text (the 1898 Teubner) has "hippomanes fetæ semina legit equæ." Footnote u: Nubilaque iudico... Modern texts such as the 1907 Teubner give VII. 202 as "Nubilaque indico..." The word "iudico" does not fit the metre, and may be typographic error. +ouranothen katagontes...+ The wording was reconstructed with the aid of the Loeb text, which had no significant incompatible points

Fourth Proposition Footnote f: ...enormiter instigante si eius ob*quijs & arti magica obligauit... Reading unclear: may be abbreviation for 'obsequiis' or 'obloquiis'. The text could not be identified.

Fifth Proposition Footnote i: Hesiodus +ergôn kai hêmerôn+ lib. 1. D[e,]monas ait esse +aera essamenous+. The text cited, Hesiod's Works and Days, is not divided into books. The words occur in l. 125, bracketed in the Loeb edition. Footnote s: Sophocles in Trachinijs vocat +drun poluglôsson+, quia ut eius Scholiastes interpretatur... The words occur in l. 1168. The scholia were unavailable to me.

Eighth Proposition Footnote t: Stromateon libr. 1. gestauit +duo daktôlious gegoêteumenous ouk apothanô de homôs dolophonêtheis kai toi prosêmênantos tou psophou.+ Reading unclear. The text (Clement of Alexandria, Stromata bk. 1) was unavailable to me. Footnote u: Odissea 19. vulnus Vlyssis +Autolukou philoi paides dêsan epistamenôs epaoidê de haima kelainon echethon.+ The passage occurs at 19.455-458. The words are differently arranged but are essentially the same. Footnote gg: +arxamenos legein ho kikerôn huperphuôs ekoinei+ Plutarchus in Cicerone A more recent text (the 191 Loeb) has +huperphuôs ekinei+. The last word is largely illegible; +ekoinei+ is the best guess. ]