The sixt Chapter.
In what kind of confections that witchcraft, which is called Venificium, consisteth: of love cups, and the same confuted by poets.
S touching this kind of witchcraft, the principall part thereof consisteth in certeine confections prepared by lewd people to procure love; which indeed are meere poisons, bereaving some of the benefit of the braine, and so of the sense and understanding of the mind. And from some it taketh awaie life, & that is more common than the other. These be called Philtra, or Pocula amatoria, or Venenosa pocula, or Hippomanes; which bad and blind physicians rather practise, than witches or conjurers, &c. But of what value these bables are, towards the end why they are provided, may appeere by the opinions of poets themselves, from whence was derived the estimation of that stuffe. And first you shall heare what Ovid saith, who wrote of the verie art of love, and that so cunninglie and feelinglie, that he is reputed the speciall doctor in that science:
Fallitur Æmonias si quis decurrit ad artes,Ovid. lib. 2. de arte amandi.
Dátq; quod à teneri fronte revellit equi.
Non facient ut vivat amor Medeides herbæ,/
Mistáq; cum magicis mersa venena sonis.91.
Phasias Æsonidem, Circe tenuisset Ulyssem,
Si modò servari carmine posset amor:
Nec data profuerint pallentia philtra puellis,
Philtra nocent animis, vímq; furoris habent./
Who so dooth run to Hæmon arts,122. Englished by Abraham Fleming.
I dub him for a dolt,
And giveth that which he dooth plucke
from forhead of a colt:
Medeas herbs will not procure
that love shall lasting live,
Nor steeped poison mixed with ma-
gicke charms the same can give.
The witch Medea had full fast
}
held Jason for hir owne,
So had the grand witch Circe too
Ulysses, if alone
With charms mainteind & kept might be
the love of twaine in one.
No slibbersawces given to maids,Philtra, slibbersawces to procure love.
}
to make them pale and wan,
Will helpe: such slibbersawces marre
the minds of maid and man,
And have in them a furious force
of phrensie now and than.
Viderit Aemoniæ si quis mala pabula terræ,Ovid. lib. de remedio amoris, 1.
Et magicas artes posse juvare putat.
If any thinke that evill herbsAb. Fleming.
in Hæmon land which be,
Or witchcraft able is to helpe,
let him make proofe and see.
These verses precedent doo shew, that Ovid knew that those/123 beggerlie sorceries might rather kill one, or make him starke mad, than doo him good towards the atteinement of his pleasure or love; and therefore he giveth this counsell to them that are amorous in such hot maner, that either they must enjoy their love, or else needs die; saieng:
Sit procul omne nefas, ut ameris amabilis esto:
Englished by Abraham Fleming.Farre off be all unlawfull meanes
thou amiable bee,
Loving I meane, that she with love
may quite the love of thee./
The seventh Chapter.92.
It is proved by more credible writers, that love cups rather ingender death through venome, than love by art: and with what toies they destroie cattell, and procure love.
UT bicause there is no hold nor trust to these poets, who saie and unsaie, dallieng with these causes; so as indeed the wise may perceive they have them in derision: let us see what other graver authors speake hereof. Eusebius CæsariensisHieronym. in Ruff.
Plin. lib. 25. cap. 3.
Joseph lib. 11. de Judæorum antiquit.
Aristot. lib. 8. de natura animal. cap. 24.
Jo. Wier. de venef. cap. 40. writeth, that the poet Lucretius was killed with one of those lovers poisoned cups. Hierome reporteth that one Livia herewith killed hir husband, whome she too much hated; and Lucilla killed hirs, whome she too much loved. Calisthenes killed Lucius Lucullus the emperor with a love pot, as Plutarch and Cornelius Nepos saie. Plinie & Josephus report, that Cæsonia killed hir husband Caligula Amatorio poculo with a lovers cup, which was indeed starke poison. Aristotle saith, that all which is beleeved touching the efficacie of these matters, is lies and old wives tales. He that will read more arguments and histories concerning these poisons, let him looke in J. Wier De Veneficiis./
124.The toies,Toies to mocke apes. which are said to procure love, and are exhibited in their poison looving cups, are these: the haire growing in the nethermost part of a woolves taile, a woolves yard, a little fish called Remora, the braine of a cat, of a newt, or of a lizzard: the bone of a greene frog, the flesh thereof being consumed with pismers or ants; the left bone whereof ingendereth (as they saie) love; the bone on the right side, hate. Also it is said, that a frogs bones, the flesh being eaten off round about with ants, whereof some will swim, and some will sinke: those that sinke, being hanged up in a white linnen cloth, ingender love, but if a man be touched therewith, hate is bred thereby. Another experiment is thereof, with yoong swalowes, whereof one brood or nest being taken and buried in a crocke under the ground, till they be starved up; they that be found open mouthed, serve to engender love; they whose mouthes are shut, serve to procure hate. Besides these, manie other follies there be to this purpose proposed to the simple; as namelie, the garments of the dead, candels that burne before a dead corps, and needels wherwith dead bodies are sowne or sockt into their sheetes: and diverse other things, which for the reverence of the reader, and in respect of the uncleane speach to be used in the description thereof, I omit; which (if you read Dioscorides, Dioscorid. de materia medicin. or diverse other learned physicians) you maie see at large. In the meane while, he that desireth to see more experiments concerning this matter, let him read Leonardus Vairus de fascino,L. Vairus de fascin. lib. 2. cap. 11. prope finem. now this present yeare 1583. newlie published; wherein (with an incestuous mouth) he affirmeth directlie, that Christ and his apostles were Venefici; verie fondlie prosecuting that argument, and with as much popish follie as may be; labouring to proove it lawfull to charme and inchant vermine, &c.//
The eight Chapter.125. 93.
John Bodin triumphing against John Wier is overtaken with false Greeke & false interpretation thereof.
ONSIEUR BODINJ. Bodin. triumpheth over doctor Wier herein, pronouncing a heavie sentence upon him; bicause he referreth this word to poison. But he reigneth or rather rideth over him, much more for speaking false Greeke; affirming that he calleth Veneficos Φαρμακεύσυς, which is as true as the rest of his reports and fables of witches miracles conteined in his bookes of divelish devises. For in truth he hath no such word, but saith they are called Φαρμακεύεις, whereas he should have said Φαρμακεῖς, the true accent being omitted, and εὔ being interposed, which should have beene left out. Which is nothing to the substance of the matter, but must needs be the Printers fault.
But Bodin reasoneth in this wise, Φαρμακεῖς is sometimes put for Magos or Præstigiatores: Ergo in the translation of the Septuaginta, it is so to be taken. Wherein he manifesteth his bad Logicke, more than the others ill Greeke. For it is well knowne to the learned in this toong, that the usuall and proper signification of this word, with all his derivations and compounds doo signifie Veneficos, Poisoners by medicine. Which when it is most usuall and proper, why should the translators take it in a signification lesse usuall, and nothing proper. Thus therefore he reasoneth and concludeth with his new found Logicke, and old fond Greeke; Sometimes it signifieth so, though unproperlie, or rather metaphoricallie; Ergo in that place it is so to be taken, when another fitter word might have beene used. Which argument being vaine, agreeth well with his other vaine actions. The Septuaginta had beene verie destitute of words, if no proper word could have beene found for this purpose. But where they have occasion to speake of witchcraft in their translations, they use Magian, Maggagian, &c: and therfore belike they see some difference betwixt them and the other, and knew some cause that mooved them to use the word Φαρμακεία, Veneficium.//
