The third Chapter.
That women have used poisoning in all ages more than men, and of the inconvenience of poisoning.
S women in all ages have beene counted most apt to conceive witchcraft, and the divels speciall instruments therin, and the onelie or cheefe practisers therof: so also it appeareth, that they have been the first inventers, and the greatest practisers of poisoning, and more naturallie addicted and given thereunto than men: according to the saieng of Quintilian; Latrocinium faciliùs in viro, veneficium in fœmina credam. From whom PliniePlin. lib. 25. cap. 2. differeth nothing in opinion, when he saith, Scientiam fœminarum in veneficiis prævalere. To be short, Augustine, Livie, Valerius, Diodorus, and manie other agree, that women were the first inventers and practisers of the art of poisoning. As for the rest of their cunning, in what estimation it was had, may appeare by these verses of Horace, wherein he doth not onelie declare the vanitie of witchcraft, but also expoundeth the other words, wherewithall we are now in hand.
Somnia, terrores magicos, miracula, sagas,
Nocturnos lemures, portentáq; Thessala rides://
These dreames and terrors magicall,117. 88.
these miracles and witches,
Night-walking sprites, or Thessal bugs,
esteeme them not twoo rushes.
Here Horace (you see) contemneth as ridiculous, all our witches cunning: marrie herein he comprehendeth not their poisoning art, which hereby he onelie seemed to thinke hurtfull. Pythagoras and Democritus give us the names of a great manie magicall hearbs and stones, whereof now, both the vertue, and the things themselves also are unknowne: as Marmaritin, whereby spirits might be raised: Archimedon, which would make one bewraie in his sleepe, all the secrets in his heart: Adincantida, Calicia, Mevais, Chirocineta, &c: which had all their severall vertues, or rather poisons. But all these now are worne out of knowledge: marrie in their steed we have hogs turd and chervill, as the onelie thing whereby our witches worke miracles.
Trulie this poisoning art called Veneficium, of all others is most abhominable; as whereby murthers maie be committed, where no suspicion maie be gathered, nor anie resistance can be made; the strong cannot avoid the weake, the wise cannot prevent the foolish, the godlie cannot be preserved from the hands of the wicked; children maie hereby kill their parents, the servant the maister, the wife hir husband, so privilie, so inevitablie, and so incurablie, that of all other it hath beene thought the most odious kind of murther; according to the saieng of Ovid:
——————————non hospes ab hospite tutus,Ovid. metamorph. lib. 1.
Non socer à genero, fratrum quóq; gratia rara est:
Imminet exitio vir conjugis, illa mariti,
Lurida terribiles miscent aconita novercæ,
Filius ante diem patrios inquirit in annos./
Englished by Abraham Fleming.
118.
}
———The travelling ghest opprest
Dooth stand in danger of his host,
the host eke of his ghest:
The father of his sonne in lawe,
yea rare is seene to rest
Twixt brethren love and amitie,
and kindnesse void of strife;
The husband seekes the goodwifes death,
and his againe the wife.
Ungentle stepdames grizlie poi-
son temper and doo give:
The sonne too soone dooth aske how long
his father is to live.
The monke that poisoned king John, was a right Veneficus; to wit, both a witch and a murtherer: for he killed the king with poison, and/[Misp. 86] 89. persuaded the people with lies, that he had doone a good and a meritorious act: and doubtlesse, manie were so bewitched, as they thought he did verie well therein. Aeneid. 4. lib 4.Antonius Sabellicus writeth of a horrible poisoning murther, committed by women at Rome, where were executed (after due conviction) 170. women at one time; besides 20. women of that consort, who were poisoned with that poison which they had prepared for others./
The fourth Chapter.119.
Of divers poisoning practises, otherwise called veneficia, committed in Italie, Genua, Millen, Wittenberge, also how they were discovered and executed.
NOTHER practise,Veneficæ in Italie. not unlike to that mentioned in the former chapter, was doone in Cassalis at Salassia in Italie, Anno 1536. where 40. Veneficæ or witches being of one confederacie, renewed a plague which was then almost ceased, besmeering with an ointment and a pouder, the posts and doores of mens houses; so as thereby whole families were poisoned: and of that stuffe they had prepared above 40. crocks for that purpose. Herewithall they conveied inheritances as it pleased them, till at length they killed the brother and onelie sonne of one Necus (as lightlie none died in the house but the maisters and their children) which was much noted; and therewithall that one Androgina haunted the houses, speciallie of them that died: and she being suspected, apprehended, and examined, confessed the fact, conspiracie, and circumstance, as hath beene shewed. The like villanie was afterwards practised at Genua, and execution was doone upon the offenders. At MillenVeneficæ in Genua & Millen. there was another like attempt that tooke none effect. This art consisteth as well in poisoning of cattell as of men: and that which is doone by poisons unto cattell, towards their destruction, is as commonlie attributed to witches charms as the other. And I doubt not, but some that would be thought cunning in incantations, and to doo miracles, have experience in this behalf. For it is written by divers authors, that if wolves doong be hidden in the mangers, racks, or else in the hedges about the pastures, where cattell go (through the antipathie of the nature of the woolfe and other cattell) all the beasts that savour the same doo not onlie forbeare to eate, but run about as though they were mad, or (as they say) bewitched.
But Wierus telleth a notable storie of a Veneficus, or destroier/ 120. of cattell, which I thought meete heere to repeat.Of a butcher a right veneficall which [? witch.] There was (saith he) in the dukedome of Wittingberge, not farre from Tubing, a butcher, anno 1564. that bargained with the towne for all their hides which were of sterven cattell, called in these parts Morts. He with poison privilie killed in great numbers, their bullocks, sheepe, swine, &c: and by his bargaine of the hides and tallowe he grew infinitlie rich. And at last being suspected, was examined, confessed the matter and maner thereof, and was put to death with hot tongs, wherewith his flesh was pulled from his bones. We for/90. our parts would have killed five poore women, before we would suspect one rich butcher.