To the Reader.
CHristian Reader, I haue vpon occasion penned this short discourse, and that of such a subject wherewith not being well acquainted, am enforced to craue some direction from those, whose names you shall finde remembred in the same: (that I be not vnthankefull vnto those from whom I receiue instruction) and haue in former time, and latter dayes, taken paines in searching out, both the speculatiue, and practique parts of this damnable Art of Witchcraft, a dangerous and seducing inuention of Sathan, who from the Arcenals, and Magisins store-houses of his ancient and mischieuous furniture, hath not spared to affoord all helpe, and the best Engines for the subuerting of soules, pliable to his allurements: and to this end, beside a plaine narration of fact in this case committed and confessed, (least the Treatise should be too bare and naked) I haue added thereunto a few Propositions, agreeing to such a subiect matter, manifesting some speciall poynts not altogether impertinent in my opinion, nor vnworthy of due consideration: I know mine owne wants, and do as willingly acknowledge them: One more experienced, and of greater leasure, and better health, had beene fitter for the opening and discouering of so deepe a mystery, and hidden secret of Iniquity, as this is; and haply hereafter may be willing to take that taske in hand: yet herein thou shalt finde something not vsuall: A manifest contract made with the Diuell, and by the solemne tearmes of a league, which is the ground of all the pernitious actions proceeding from those sorts of people, who are, haue beene, and shall be practioners in that cursed and hellish Art. And yet no more then she, that Witch of whom in this relation we do speake, hath of her owne accord, and voluntarily acknowledged after conference had with me, and sundry learned and reuerend Diuines, who both prayed for her conuersion, carefully instructed her in the way to saluation, and hopefully rescued her from the Diuell, (to whom she was deuoted, and by him seduced) and regained her to God, from whom she was departed by Apostacie. And in this so Christian and holy action were the continuall paines of
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And of these in the day of execution (which she in no wise would condiscend vnto should be deferred, though offered repriuall vpon hope that more might haue beene acknowledged) being very distemperate, neuerthelesse some accompanied her to the place, and were both eye and eare-witnesses of her behauiour there, seeing and hearing how she did then particularly confesse her confederacy with the Diuell, cursing, banning, and enuy towards her neighbours, and hurts done to then, expressing euery one by name, so many as be in the following discourse, nominated, and how she craued mercy of God, and pardon for her offences, with other more specialties afterward expressed. And thus I end, taking my leaue, and commending thee to the gracious guidance and preseruation of our good God in our blessed Sauiour Christ Iesus.
Thine euer in the Lord,
A. Roberts.
A TREATISE OF THE
CONFESSION AND
EXECVTION OF MARY SMITH,
CONVICTED OF WITCHCRAFT,
and condemned for the same: of her contract vo-
cally & in solemne tearmes made with the Diuell;
by whose meanes she hurt sundry persons whom
she enuied, with some necessary Propositions added
thereunto, discouering the wickednesse of that dam-
nable Art, and diuers other speciall poynts, not
impertinent vnto the same, such as ought
diligently of euery Christian to
bee considered.
THere is some diuersitie of iudgement among the learned, who should be the first Author and Inuenter of Magicall and curious Arts. The most generall occurrence of opinion is, that they fetch their pedigree from the [a]Persians, who searching more deeply into the secrets of Nature then others, and not contented to bound themselues within the limits thereof, fell foule of the Diuell, and were insnared in his nets.
And among these, the publisher vnto the world was Zoroaster, who so soone as he by birth[b] entred the world, contrary to the vsuall condition of other men, laughed (whereas the beginning of our life is a sob, the end a sigh) and this was ominous to himselfe, no warrantise for the enioying of the pleasures of this life, ouercome in battell by Ninus[c] King of the Assirians, and ending his dayes by the stroake of a thunder-bolt, and could not, though a famous Sorcerer, either fore-see, or preuent his owne destinie. And because he writ many bookes of this damnable Art, and left them to posterity, may well be accounted a chiefe maister of the same. But the Diuell[d] must haue the precedencie, whose schollers both he and the rest were, who followed treading in his steps. For he taught them South-saying, Auguration, Necromancie, and the rest, meere delusions, aiming therein at no other marke, then to with draw men from the true worshipping of God. And all these pernitious practises are fast tied together by the tailes, though their faces looke sundry wayes; and therefore the Professors thereof are stiled by sundry names, as Magitians, Necromancers, Inchanters, Wisards, Hagges, Fortune-tellers, Diuiners, Witches, Cunning Men, and Women, &c. Whose Art is such a hidden mystery of[e] wickednesse, and so vnsearchable a depth of Sathan, that neither the secrets of the one can be discouered, nor the bottome of the other further sounded, then either the practisers thereof themselues by their owne voluntary confessions made, or procured by order of Iustice (according to the manner of that Countrey where they be questioned) haue acknowledged, or is manifested by the sundry mischiefes done of them vnto others, proued by impartiall testimonies vpon oath, and by vehement presumptions confirmed, or else communicated vnto vs in the learned Treatises, and discourses of ancient and late Writers gathered from the same grounds. And[f] although this Hellish Art be not now so frequent as heretofore, since the Pagans haue beene conuerted vnto Christianity, and the thick fogges of Popery ouer-mantling the bright shining beames of the Gospel of Iesus Christ (who came to dissolue the workes of the Diuell .1. Ioh. 3. 8.) and were by the sincere and powerfull preaching therof dispersed; yet considering these bee the last times, dayes euill & dangerous, fore-told that should come, 2. Tim. 3. 1. in which iniquity must abound, Mat. 24. 12. and as a raging deluge ouer-runne all, so that Faith shall scarce be found vpon earth, Luk. 18. 8. and the Diuell loosed from his thousand yeares imprisonment, [g]Reuel. 20. 3. enraged with great wrath walketh about, and seeketh whom he may deuoure .1. Pet. 5. 8. Because he knoweth hee hath but a short time, Reu. 12. 12. Before I enter into the particularity of the narration intended, it shall be materiall to set downe some generall propositions, as a handfull of gleanings gathered in the plentifull haruest of such learned men, who haue written of this argument, whereby the erronious may be recalled, the weake strengthened, the ignorant informed, and such as iudge aright already, confirmed: and among many other these as chiefe, all which you shall see exemplified in the following Discourse.
[a.] Augustinus de diuinatione Dæmonum: & de Ciuitate Dei. lib. 7. cap. 35. Plinius historia naturalis lib. 30. cap. 1.
[b.] Augustinus de Ciuitate Dei. lib. 21. cap. 14.
[c.] Iustinus in Epitome Trogi Pompeij. lib. 1.
[d.] Lactantius de origine erroris. lib. 2. cap. 17. And citeth the testimony of Sibilla Erithræa for proofe hereof. Gratianus Decretorum part. 2. causa 26 quæst. 2. Canone sine saluatore, & inuentas esse has artes προς απ..ην ἔλεείνων ἀνθρώπων τῶν ῥᾳδίως ὑποκλεπτομένων εἲς ταύτα ὑπο τοῦ διάβολου. affirmat Cedrenus in historiæ compendio.
[Additional note]
[e.] Probationes ex quibus legitimũ est Iudicia fieri, tres necessariæ planè dici & indubitatæ possunt 1ª veritas notorij & permanentia facti. 2ª confessio voluntaria eius qui reus factus est, atque peractus. 3ª certorum testium firmorumque testimonium: his & 4ª addi potest violentæ præsumptiones de Rodinus de Dęmonomania lib. 4. cap. 2.3.4.
[f.] The Oracles of the Pagans in all places of the world, whẽ Christ was borne, were silenced, and the Diuell became mute: so that Augustus Cęsar demanding of Apollo by his messengers, sent to Delphos, had this answer returned, παῖς ἑβραῖος κελεται &c. in sence thus much, An Hebrue Childe commandeth me to leaue this place, and returne againe to hell. From hence therefore you must depart from our Altars, without resolution of any questions propounded. Eusebius de præparatione Euangelica, lib. 5. cap. 8. Theodoretus de Græcorum affectionum curatione qui est de oraculis μετὰ την τοῦ σωτῆρος ἥμων ἐπιφάνειαν ἀπέδρασαν οἳ τηνδε την ἐξαπάτην τοῖς ἀνθρώποις προσφέροντες, Vide & Suidam in Augusto, & Athanasium de incarnatione verbi.
[g.] De hac ligatione & solutione Diaboli plenissimè August. de Ciuitate Dei, lib. 20 cap. 8.