The Discoverie of Witchcraft
BY REGINALD SCOT, Esquire
BEING A REPRINT OF THE FIRST EDITION PUBLISHED IN 1584
Edited WITH EXPLANATORY NOTES, GLOSSARY, AND INTRODUCTION BY BRINSLEY NICHOLSON, M.D. DEPUTY INSPECTOR GENERAL
LONDON ELLIOT STOCK, 62 PATERNOSTER ROW, E.C.
This edition of Scot’s Discoverie consists of 250 copies only.—E. S.
DR. NICHOLSON’S SUBSCRIBERS.
DEDICATION.
To the Memory OF H.R.H. PRINCE LEOPOLD, DUKE OF ALBANY, UNTIMELY TAKEN FROM US, THIS WORK OF AN ELIZABETHAN ENGLISHMAN, AND OF A KINDRED SPIRIT, WHOSE HONESTY, INTELLIGENCE, AND COMPASSION FOUGHT AGAINST THE CRUEL SUPERSTITION AND IGNORANCE OF HIS AGE, IS, BY ROYAL PERMISSION AND WITH REGRETFUL ESTEEM, DEDICATED BY THE EDITOR.
THIS reprint is not a facsimile of the edition of 1584, for that was in black letter, and its page smaller and of quarto size. Being also for modern readers, and for use, the i of the original has become, where necessary, the j of the second edition; the u and v have been altered according to modern usage, that is, generally interchanged; while the short s replaces the ſ . Such modernisations render it more readable by the historical and philosophical student, by the man of science, and by the psychological physician, willing to learn all that may instruct himself and benefit others. Neither would this reprint have been undertaken, unless the work itself had appeared to my friend and fellow-student, W. T. Gairdner, M.D., LL.D., Professor of Medicine in the University of Glasgow,—and led by him—to myself and others, worthy on the above-mentioned grounds, of being reproduced, and as being both in matter and style a valuable English classic.
In the biographical portion of this Introduction, besides a supposition or two of my own, which from his writings seem to me highly probable, there have been given notices of his pedigree, age, and marriages, matters hitherto unknown or misstated, and for which I would at once record my indebtedness to Edmund Ward Oliver, Esq. This gentleman having taken an interest in investigating these questions, and being a perfect stranger to me, wrote and offered the results of his inquiries so soon as he had learnt that I was engaged with this reprint, and has since most obligingly answered the various questions that I have had occasion to put to him. A copy of Scot’s Will has been also for the first time published, and some Notes and a Glossary added. Were I to have imitated the learned editors of former days, I should have added, not some, but exhaustive notes on every point, gathered from every known and unknown source; but I have confined myself to explanation, or to making a few remarks on the text, giving also the author’s agreement with, or obligations to Wier, so far as I knew them, and Shakespeare’s and Middleton’s obligations to himself; my reason for not entering into greater details being that I am no student of the pseudo-science of witchcraft, but a student only of what is useful, and true, and good.
Reginald Scot
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PREFACE
INTRODUCTION.
WILL OF RAYNOLD SCOT.
ABSTRACT OF INQUIS. POST MORTEM, 18 ELIZ. p. 1, No. 84.
ABSTRACT OF INQUIS. P.M., 45 ELIZ., pars. 1, No. 71.
The first Chapter.
The second Chapter.
The fourth Chapter.
The fift Chapter.
The sixt Chapter.
The seventh Chapter.
The eight Chapter.
The ninth Chapter.
The first Chapter.
The second Chapter.
The third Chapter.
The fourth Chapter.
The fift Chapter.
The sixt Chapter.
The eight Chapter.
The Ninth Chapter.
The tenth Chapter.
The eleventh Chapter.
The twelfe Chapter.
The first Chapter.
The second Chapter.
The third Chapter.
The fourth Chapter.
The sixt Chapter.
The eight Chapter.
The ninth Chapter.
The tenth Chapter.
The eleventh Chapter.
The twelfe Chapter.
The xiii. Chapter.
The xiiii. Chapter.
The xv. Chapter.
The xvi. Chapter.
The xvii. Chapter.
The xviii. Chapter.
The xix. Chapter.
The xx. Chapter.
The first Chapter.
The sixt Chapter.
The eight Chapter.
The ninth Chapter.
The eleventh Chapter.
The twelfe Chapter.
The first Chapter.
The third Chapter.
The fourth Chapter.
The fift Chapter.
The sixt Chapter.
The eight Chapter.
The first Chapter.
The second Chapter.
The third Chapter.
The fift Chapter.
The sixt Chapter.
The first Chapter.
The fourth Chapter.
The fift Chapter.
The seventh Chapter.
The eight Chapter.
The ninth Chapter.
The tenth Chapter.
The eleventh Chapter.
The twelfe Chapter.
The xiii. Chapter.
The xv. Chapter.
The xvi. Chapter.
The first Chapter.
The second Chapter.
The third Chapter.
The fourth Chapter.
The fift Chapter.
The sixt Chapter.
The first Chapter.
The fourth Chapter.
The fift Chapter.
The sixt Chapter.
The seventh Chapter.
The first Chapter.
The third Chapter.
The seventh Chapter.
The ninth Chapter.
The tenth Chapter.
The first Chapter.
The second Chapter.
The fourth Chapter.
The fift Chapter.
The seventh Chapter.
The tenth Chapter.
The eleventh Chapter.
The twelfe Chapter.
The xiii. Chapter.
The xiiii. Chapter.
The xv. Chapter.
The xvi. Chapter.
The 19. Chapter.
The xxi. Chapter.
The first Chapter.
The second Chapter.
The third Chapter.
The fift Chapter.
The sixt Chapter.
The eight Chapter.
The eleventh Chapter.
The xiiii. Chapter.
The xv. Chapter.
The xvi. Chapter.
The xvii. Chapter.
The xviii Chapter.
The xx. Chapter.
The xxi. Chapter.
The xxii. Chapter.
The first Chapter.
The second Chapter.
The third Chapter.
The fourth Chapter.
The sixt Chapter.
The seventh Chapter.
The eight Chapter.
The tenth Chapter.
The eleventh Chapter.
The twelfe Chapter.
The xv. Chapter.
The xvi. Chapter.
The xvii. Chapter.
The xviii. Chapter.
The xx. Chapter.
The xxi. Chapter.
The xxiiii. Chapter.
The xxvii. Chapter.
The xxviii. Chapter.
The xxx. Chapter.
The xxxiii. Chapter.
The first Chapter.
The fift Chapter.
The sixt Chapter.
The seventh Chapter.
The eight Chapter.
The first Chapter.
The second Chapter.
The third Chapter.
The fourth Chapter.
The eight Chapter.
The tenth Chapter.
The first Chapter.
The second Chapter.
The seventh Chapter.
The eight Chapter.
The ninth Chapter.
The first Chapter.
The third Chapter.
The fift Chapter.
The sixt Chapter.
The eight Chapter.
The tenth Chapter.
The eleventh Chapter.
The xv. Chapter.
The xvi. Chapter.
The xvii. Chapter.
The xxii. Chapter.
The xxiiii. Chapter.
The xxv. Chapter.
The xxvi. Chapter.
The xxix. Chapter.
The xxx. Chapter.
The xxxii. Chapter.
The xxxiii. Chapter.
The xxxiiii. Chapter.
Chap. I.
Chap. III.
Chap. IV.
Chap. V.
Chap. VII.
Chap. VIII.
Chap. IX.
Chap. I.
Chap. II.
Chap. IV.
Chap. V.
Chap. VII.
SHAKESPEARE NOTINGS.
MIDDLETON’S “WITCH”.
EXTRACTS FROM WIER.
I.
Additions to Part I, p. 558.
GENERAL NOTINGS ON SCOT’S TEXT.
GLOSSARY.
