The fourth Chapter.
That there can no reall league be made with the divell the first author of the league, and the weake proofes of the adversaries for the same.
F the league be untrue, as are the residue of their confessions, the witchmongers arguments fall to the ground: for all the writers herein hold this bargaine for certeine, good, and granted, and as their onelie maxime. But surelie the/45. indentures, conteining those covenants, are sealed with butter; and the labels are but bables. What firme bargaine can be made betwixt a carnall bodie and a spirituall? Let any wise or honest man tell me, that either hath beene a partie, or a witnesse; and I will beleeve him. But by what authoritie, proofe, or testimonie; and upon what ground all this geere standeth, if you read M. Mal. Mal. Malef. par. 2. quæ. 7. cap. 2. you shall find, to the shame of the reporters (who doo so varie in their tales, and are at such contrarietie:) and to the reproch of the beleevers of such absurd lies.
For the beginning of the credit hereof,Upon what ground this real league began to growe in credit. resteth upon the confession of a baggage yoong fellow condemned to be burnt for witchcraft; who said to the inquisitors, of likelihood to prolong his life, (if at leastwise the storie be true, which is taken out of Nider;) If I wist (quoth he) that I might obteine pardon, I would discover all that I knowe of witchcraft. The which condition being accepted, and pardon promised (partlie in hope thereof, and partlie to be rid of his wife) he said as followeth.
The novice or yoong disciple goeth to some church, togither with the mistresse of that profession, upon a sundaie morning, before the conjuration of holie water, & there the said novice renounceth the faith, promiseth obedience in observing, or rather omitting of ceremonies in meetings, and such other follies; and finallie, that they doo homage to their yoong maister the divell, as they covenanted.
But this is notable in that storie, that this yoong witch, doubting that his wives examination would bewraie his knaverie, told the inquisitor; that in truth his wife was guiltie as well as he, but she will never, I am sure (quoth he) though she should be burned a thousand times, confesse any of these circumstances.
And this is in no wise to be forgotten, that notwithstanding his contrition, his confession, and his accusation of his owne wife (contrarie to the inquisitors/39. promise and oth) he and his wife were both burned at a stake, being the first discoverers of this notable league, whereupon the fable of witchcraft is mainteined; and whereby such other confessions have beene from the like persons, since that time, extorted and augmented. /
The fift Chapter.46.
Of the private league, a notable tale of Bodins concerning a French ladie, with a confutation.
HE maner of their private leagueThe maner of witches private league with the divell. is said to be, when the divell invisible, and sometimes visible, in the middest of the people talketh with them privatelie; promising, that if they will followe his counsell, he will supplie all their necessities, and make all their endevors prosperous: and so beginneth with small matters: whereunto they consent privilie, and come not into the fairies assemblie.
And in this case (mee thinks) the divell sometimes, in such externall or corporall shape, should meete with some that would not consent to his motions (except you will saie he knoweth their cogitations) and so should be bewraied. They also (except they were idiots) would spie him, and forsake him for breach of covenants. But these bargaines, and these assemblies doo all the writers hereupon mainteine: and Bodin confirmeth them with a hundred and odd lies; among the number whereof I will (for diverse causes) recite one.
There was (saith he)J. Bod. lib. 2. de dæmonomania. cap. 4. a noble Gentlewoman at Lions, that being in bed with a lover of hirs, suddenlie in the night arose up, and lighted a candle: which when she had done, she tooke a box of ointment, wherewith she annointed her bodie; and after a few words spoken, she was carried awaie. Hir bedfellow seeing the order hereof, lept out of his bed, tooke the candle in his hand, and sought for the ladie round about the chamber, and in everie corner thereof. But though he could not find hir, yet did he find hir box of ointment: and being desirous to know the vertue thereof, besmeered himselfe therewith, even as he perceived hir to have done before.This agreeth not with their interpretation, that saie, this is onlie done by vertue of the legue; nor yet to them that referre it unto words: quoth nota. And although he were not so superstitious, as to use anie words to helpe him forward in his busines, yet by the vertue of that ointment (saith Bodin) he was immediatlie conveied/47. to Lorreine, into the assemblie of witches. Which when he sawe, he was abashed, and said; In the name of God, what make I heere? And upon those words the whole assemblie vanished awaie, and left him there alone starke naked; and so was he faine to returne to Lions. But he had so good a conscience (for you may perceive by the first part of the historie, he was a verie honest man) that he accused his true lover for a witch, and caused hir to be burned. But as for his adulterie, neither M. Mal. nor Bodin doo once so much as speake in the dispraise thereof.
It appeareth throughout all Bodins booke, that he is sore offended with Cornelius Agrippa, and the rather (as I suppose) bicause the said C. Agrippa recanted that which Bodin mainteineth, who thinketh he could worke wonders by magicke, and speciallie by his blacke dog. It should seeme he/40. had prettie skill in the art of divination. For though he wrote before Bodin manie a yeare, yet uttereth he these words in his booke De vanitate scientiarum: A certeine French protonotarie (saith he)C. Agrippa. cap. 51. a lewd fellow and a coosener, hath written a certeine fable or miracle done at Lions, &c. What Bodin is, I knowe not, otherwise than by report; but I am certeine this his tale is a fond fable: and Bodin saith it was performed at Lions; and this man (as I under- stand) by profession is a civill lawier.