The sixt Chapter.
A disproofe of their assemblies, and of their bargaine.
HAT the joining of hands with the divell, the kissing of his bare buttocks, and his scratching and biting of them, are absurd lies; everie one having the gift of reason may plainlie perceive: in so much as it is manifest unto us by the word of God, that a spirit hath no flesh, bones, nor sinewes, whereof hands, buttocks, claws, teeth, and lips doo consist. For admit that the constitution of a divels bodie (as TatianTatianus contra Græcos. and other affirme) consisteth in spirituall/48. congelations, as of fier and aire; yet it cannot be perceived of mortall creatures. What credible witnesse is there brought at anie time, of this their corporall, visible, and incredible bargaine; saving the confession of some person diseased both in bodie and mind, wilfullie made, or injuriouslie constrained? It is mervell that no penitent witch that forsaketh hir trade, confesseth not these things without compulsion. Mee thinketh their covenant made at baptisme with God, before good witnesses, sanctified with the word, confirmed with his promises, and established with his sacraments, should be of more force than that which they make with the divell, which no bodie seeth or knoweth. For God deceiveth none, with whom he bargaineth; neither dooth he mocke or disappoint them, although he danse not among them.
Their oth, to procure into their league and fellowship as manie as they can (whereby everie one witch, as Bodin affirmeth, augmenteth the number of fiftie) bewraieth greatlie their indirect dealing. Hereof I have made triall,The author speaketh upon due proofe and triall. as also of the residue of their coosening devices; and have beene with the best, or rather the woorst of them, to see what might be gathered out of their counsels; and have cunninglie treated with them thereabouts: and further, have sent certeine old persons to indent with them, to be admitted into their societie. But as well by their excuses and delaies, as by other circumstances, I have tried and found all their trade to be meere coosening.
I praie you what bargaine have they made with the divell, that with their angrie lookes beewitch lambs, children, &c? Is it not confessed, that it is naturall, though it be a lie? What bargaine maketh the soothsaier, which hath his severall kinds of witchcraft and divination expressed in the scripture? Or is it not granted that they make none? How chanceth it that we heare not of this bargaine in the scriptures?/
The seventh Chapter.49. 41.
A confutation of the objection concerning witches confessions.
T is confessed (saie some by the waie of objection) even of these women themselves, that they doo these and such other horrible things, as deserveth death, with all extremitie, &c. Whereunto I answer, that whosoever consideratelie beholdeth their confessions, shall perceive all to be vaine, idle, false, inconstant, and of no weight; except their contempt and ignorance in religion: which is rather the fault of the negligent pastor, than of the simple woman.
First, if their confessionConfession compulsorie; as by Hispanicall inquisition: Looke Mal. malef. & Jo. Bodin.
Confession persuasorie; as by flatterie: Looke Bry.
Darcie against Ursu. Kempe. be made by compulsion, of force or authoritie, or by persuasion, and under colour of freendship, it is not to be regarded; bicause the extremitie of threts and tortures provokes it; or the qualitie of faire words and allurements constraines it. If it be voluntarie, manie circumstances must be considered, to wit; whether she appeach not hir selfe to overthrow hir neighbour, which manie times happeneth through their cankered and malicious melancholike humor: then; whether in that same melancholike mood and frentike humor, she desire not the abridgment of hir owne daies. Which thing Aristotle saith dooth oftentimes happen unto persons subject to melancholike passions: and (as BodinJohn. Bod.
Mal. Malef. and Sprenger saie) to these old women called witches, which manie times (as they affirme) refuse to live; thretning the judges, that if they may not be burned, they will laie hands upon themselves, and so make them guiltie of their damnation.
I my selfe have knowne, that where such a one could not prevaile, to be accepted as a sufficient witnesse against himselfe, he presentlie went and threw himselfe into a pond of water, where he was drowned. But the lawe saith; L. absent. de poenis. Volenti mori non est habenda fides, that is; His word is not to be credited that is desirous to/50. die. Also sometimes (as L. 2. cum glos. de iis, qui ante sentent. mortui sunt, sibi necem consciscentes.else-where I have prooved) they confesse that whereof they were never guiltie; supposing that they did that which they did not, by meanes of certeine circumstances. And as they sometimes confesse impossibilities, as that they flie in the aire, transubstantiate themselves, raise tempests, transfer or remoove corne, &c: so doo they also (I saie) confesse voluntarilie, that which no man could proove, and that which no man would ghesse, nor yet beleeve, except he were as mad as they; so as they bring death wilfullie upon themselves: which argueth an unsound mind.
If they confesse that, which hath beene indeed committed by them, as poisoning, or anie other kind of murther, which falleth into the power of such persons to accomplish; I stand not to defend their cause. Howbeit, I would wish that even in that case there be not too rash credit given, nor too hastie proceedings used against them: but that the causes, properties, and circumstances of everie thing be dulie considered, and diligentlie examined.Absurdities in witches confessions. For you shall understand, that as sometimes they confesse they have murthered their neighbours with a wish, sometimes with a word, sometimes with a looke, &c: so they confesse, that with/42. the delivering of an apple, or some such thing, to a woman with child, they have killed the child in the mothers wombe, when nothing was added thereunto, which naturallie could be noisome or hurtfull.
In like maner they confesse, that with a touch of their bare hand, they sometimes kill a man being in perfect health and strength of bodie; when all his garments are betwixt their hand and his flesh.
But if this their confession be examined by divinitie, philosophie, physicke, lawe or conscience, it will be found false and insufficient. First, for that the working of miracles is ceased. Secondlie, no reason can be yeelded for a thing so farre beyond all reason. Thirdlie, no receipt can be of such efficacie, as when the same is touched with a bare hand, from whence the veines have passage through the bodie unto the hart, it should not annoie the poisoner; and yet reteine vertue and force enough, to pearse through so manie garments and the verie flesh incurablie, to the place of death in another person. Cui argumento (saith Bodin) nescio quid / responderi possit.J. Bod. de dæmon. lib. 2. cap. 8.51. Fourthlie, no lawe will admit such a confession, as yeeldeth unto impossibilities, against the which there is never any lawe provided; otherwise it would not serve a mans turne, to plead and proove that he was at Berwicke that daie, that he is accused to have doone a murther in Canturburie; for it might be said he was conveied to Berwicke, and backe againe by inchantment. Fiftlie, he is not by con- science to be executed,In a little pamphlet of the acts and hanging of foure witches, in anno. 1579. which hath no sound mind nor perfect judgement. And yet forsooth we read, that one mother Stile did kill one Saddocke with a touch on the shoulder, for not keeping promise with hir for an old cloake, to make hir a safegard; and that she was hanged for hir labour.