The sixt Chapter.
The witchmongers objections, concerning Nabuchadnez-zar answered, and their errour concerning Lycanthropia confuted.
ALLEUS MALEFICARUM, Bodin, and manie otherTheir groundworke is as sure as to hold a quick eele by the taile. of them that mainteine witchcraft, triumph upon the storie of Nabuchadnez-zar; as though Circes had transformed him with hir sorceries into an oxe, as she did others into swine, &c. I answer, that he was neither in bodie nor shape transformed at all, accor/ding102. to their grosse imagination; as appeareth both by the plaine words of the text,Dan. 4. and also by the opinions of the best interpretors thereof: but that he was, for his beastlie government and conditions, throwne out of his kingdome and banished for a time, and driven to hide himselfe in the wildernesse, there in exile to lead his life in beastlie sort, among beasts of the field, and fowles of the aire (for by the waie I tell you it appeareth by the text, that he was rather turned into the shape of a fowle than of a beast) untill he rejecting his beastlie conditions, was upon his repentance and amendment called home, and restored unto his kingdome. Howbeit, this (by their confession) was neither divels nor witches dooing; but a miracle wrought by God, whom alone I acknowledge to be able to bring to passe such workes at his pleasure. Wherein I would know what our witchmongers have gained./78.
I am not ignorant that some write, that after the death of Cor. Agrip. de vanit. scient. cap. 44. Nabuchadnez-zar, his sonne *Eilumorodath[* tr. of Euil] gave his bodie to the ravens to be devoured, least afterwards his father should arise from death, who of a beast became a man againe. But this tale is meeter to have place in the Cabalisticall art, to wit: among unwritten verities than here. To conclude, I saie that the transformations, which these witchmongers doo so rave and rage upon, is (as all the learned sort of physicians affirme) a disease proceeding partlie from melancholie, wherebie manie suppose themselves to be woolves, or such ravening beasts. For LycanthropiaPaul. Aeginet. li. 3. c. 16.
Aetius. lib. 6. cap. 11.
J. Wier. de præst. dæm. lib. 4. cap. 23. is of the ancient physicians called Lupina melancholia, or Lupina insania. J. Wierus declareth verie learnedlie, the cause, the circumstance, and the cure of this disease. I have written the more herein; bicause hereby great princes and potentates, as well as poore women and innocents, have beene defamed and accounted among the number of witches./
The seventh Chapter.103.
A speciall objection answered concerning transportations, with the consent of diverse writers thereupon.
OR the maintenance of witches transportations, they object the words of the Gospell,Matth. 4, 8.
Luk. 3, 9. where the divell is said to take up Christ, and to set him on a pinnacle of the temple, and on a mountaine, &c. Which if he had doone in maner and forme as they suppose, it followeth not therefore that witches could doo the like; nor yet that the divell would doo it for them at their pleasure; for they know not their thoughts, neither can otherwise communicate with them. But I answer, Answer to the former objection. that if it were so grosselie to be understood, as they imagine it, yet should it make nothing to their purpose. For I hope they will not saie, that Christ had made anie ointments, or entred into anie league with the divell, and by vertue thereof was transported from out of the wildernes, unto the top of the temple of Jerusalem; or that the divell could have maisteries over his bodie, whose soule he could never laie hold upon; especiallie when he might (with a becke of his finger) have called unto him, and have had the assistance of manie legions of angels.Matt. 26, 53. Neither (as I thinke) will they presume to make Christ partaker of the divels purpose and sinne in that behalfe. If they saie; This was an action wrought by the speciall providence of God, and by his appointment, that the scripture might be fulfilled: then what gaine our witchmongers by this place? First, for that they maie not produce a particular example to prove so generall an argument. And againe, if it were by Gods speciall providence and appointment; then why should it not be doone by the hand of God, as it was in the storie of Job? Or if it were Gods speciall purpose and pleasure,Job. 1, 11.
Job. 2, 5. that there should be so extraordinarie a matter brought to passe by the hand of the divell; could not God have given to the wicked angell extraordinarie power, and cloathed him with extraordinarie shape; where/by104. he might be made an instrument able to accomplish that matter, as he did to his angell that carried Abacuck to Daniell, and to them that he sent to destroie Sodome? But you shall understand, that/79. this was doone in a vision, and not in veritie of action. So as they have a verie cold pull of this place, which is the speciall peece of scripture alledged of them for their transportations.
Heare therefore what CalvineJ. Calvine in harmon. Evang. in Matth. 4. & Luk. 4. saith in his commentarie upon that place, in these words; The question is, whether Christ were carried aloft indeed, or whether it were but in a vision? Manie affirme verie obstinatlie, that his bodie was trulie and reallie as they saie taken up: bicause they thinke it too great an indignitie for Christ to be made subject to sathans illusions. But this objection is easilie washed awaie. For it is no absurditie to grant all this to be wrought through Gods permission, or Christes voluntarie subjection: so long as we yeeld not to thinke that he suffered these temptations inwardlie, that is to saie, in mind or soule. And that which is afterwards set downe by the Evangelist, where the divell shewed him all the kingdoms of the world, and the glorie of the same, and that to be doone (as it is said in Luke) in the twinkling of an eie, dooth more agree with a vision than with a reall action. So farre are the verie words of Calvine. Which differ not one syllable nor five words from that which I had written herein, before I looked for his opinion in the matter. And this I hope will be sufficient to overthrow the assertions of them that laie the ground of their transportations and flieng in the aire hereupon.
He that will saie, that these words; to wit, that Christ was taken up, &c: can hardlie be applied to a vision, let him turne to the prophesie of Ezechiell,Ezec. 3, 12. and 14. and see the selfe-same words used in a vision: saving that where Christ is said to be taken up by the divell, Ezechiell is taken up, and lifted up, and carried by the spirit of God, and yet in a vision. But they have lesse reason that build upon this sandie rocke, the supernaturall frame of transubstantiation; as almost all our witching writers doo. For Sprenger & InstitorMal. malef. saie, that the divell in the likenesse of a falcon caught him up. Danæus saith, it was in the similitude of a man; others saie, of an angell painted with wings; others, invisiblie: Ergo the di/vell105. can take (saie they) what shape he list. But though some may cavill upon the divels transforming of himselfe; yet, that either divell or witch can transforme or transubstantiat others, there is no tittle nor colour in the scriptures to helpe them. If there were authoritie for it, and that it were past all peradventure, lo, what an easie matter it is to resubstantiate an asse into a man. For Bodin saith upon the word of Apuleius, J. Bod. lib. de dæm. 3. cap. 5. that if the asse eate new roses, anise, or baie leaves out of spring water, it will presentlie returne him into a man. Which thing SprengerIn Mal. mal. saith maie be doone, by washing the asse in faire water: yea he sheweth an instance, where, by drinking of water an asse was turned into a man.