The xxii. Chapter.
Lawfull charmes, or rather medicinable cures for diseased cattell. The charme of charmes, and the power thereof.
UTDirect and lawfull meanes of curing cattell, &c. if you desire to learne true and lawfull charmes, to cure diseased cattell, even such as seeme to have extraordinarie sicknesse, or to be bewitched, or (as they saie) strangelie taken: looke in B. Googe his third booke, treating of cattell, and happilie you shall find some good medicine or cure for them: or if you list to see more ancient stuffe, read Vegetius his foure bookes thereupon: or, if you be unlearned, seeke some cunning bullocke leech. If all this will not serve, then set Jobs patience before your eies. And never thinke that a poore old woman can alter supernaturallie the notable course, which God hath appointed among his/284. creatures. If it had beene Gods pleasure to have permitted such a course, he would no doubt have both given notice in his word, that he had given such power unto them, and also would have taught remedies to have prevented them.
Furthermore, if you will knowe assured meanes, and infallible charmes, yeelding indeed undoubted remedies, and preventing all maner of witchcrafts, and also the assaults of wicked spirits; then despise first all cou/sening200.[2] knaverie of priests, witches, and couseners: and with true faith read the sixt chapter of S. Paule to the Ephesians, and followe his counsell, which is ministred unto you in the words following, deserving worthilie to be called by the name insuing:
The charme of charmes.
A charme of charmes taken out of the sixt chapter of S. Paule to the Ephesians.Finallie my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might. Put on the whole armour of God, that you may stand against the assaults of the divell. For we wrestle not against flesh and bloud, but against principalities and powers, & against worldlie governors the princes of the darkenes of this world, against spirituall wickednes, which are in the high places. For this cause take unto you the armour of God, that you may be able to resist in the evill daie; and having finished all things, stand fast. Stand therefore, and your loines girded about with veritie, and having on the brestplate of righteousnes, &c: as followeth in that chapter, verses 15. 16. 17. 18. 1 Thes. 5. 1 Pet. 5, verse. 8. Ephes. 1. and elsewhere in the holie scripture.
¶ Otherwise.
IF you be unlearned, and want the comfort of freends, repaire to some learned, godlie, and discreet preacher. If otherwise need require, go to a learned physician, who by learning and experience knoweth and can discerne the difference, signes, and causes of such diseases, as faithlesse men and unskilfull physicians impute to witchcraft.//
The xxiii. Chapter.285. 201.
A confutation of the force and vertue falselie ascribed to charmes and amulets, by the authorities of ancient writers, both divines and physicians.
Y meaning is not, that these words, in the bare letter, can doo anie thing towards your ease or comfort in this behalfe; or that it were wholesome for your bodie or soule to weare them about your necke: for then would I wish you to weare the whole Bible, which must needs be more effectuall than anie one parcell thereof. But I find not that the apostles, or anie of them in the primitive church, either carried S. Johns gospell, or anie Agnus Dei*[* Ital.] about them, to the end they might be preserved from bugges: neither that they looked into the foure corners of the house, or else in the roofe, or under the threshhold, to find matter of witchcraft, and so to burne it, to be freed from the same; according to the popish rules.Mal. Malef. part. 2. qu. 2. cap. 6. Neither did they by such and such verses or praiers made unto saints, at such or such houres, seeke to obteine grace: neither spake they of anie old women that used such trades. Neither did Christ at anie time use or command holie water, or crosses, &c: to be used as terrors against the divell, who was not affraid to assault himselfe, when he was on earth. And therefore a verie vaine thing it is to thinke that he feareth these trifles, or anie externall matter.1. Tim. 4, 7.
Origin. lib. 3. in Job. Let us then cast awaie these prophane and old wives fables. For(as Origen saith) Incantationes sunt dæmonū irrisiones idololatriæ fæx, animarum infatuatio, &c.
ChrysostomeJ. Chrysost. in Matth. saith; There be some that carrie about their necks a peece of a gospell. But** Marke that here was no latine service. is it not dailie read (saith he) and heard of all men? But if they be never the better for it, being put into their eares, how shall they be saved, by carrieng it about their necks? Idem. Ibid.And further he saith; Where is the vertue of the gospell? In the figure of the letter, or in the understanding of the sense? If in the figure, thou dooest well to weare it about thy/286. necke; but if in the understanding, then thou shouldest laie it up in thine heart. AugustineAugust. 26. quæ. ultim. saith; Let the faithfull ministers admonish and tell their people, that these magicall arts and incantations doo bring no remedie to the infirmities either of men or cattell, &c.
The heathen philosophers shall at the last daie confound the infidelitie and barbarous foolishnes of our christian or rather anti-christian and prophane witchmongers. For as Aristotle saith, that Incantamenta sunt muliercularum figmenta: so dooth Socrates (who was said to be cunning herein) affirme, that Incantationes sunt verba animas decipientia humanas. Others saie; Inscitæ pallium sunt carmina, maleficium, & incantatio. GalenGalen. in lib. de comitiali morbo. also saith, that such as impute the falling e/vill,285. [=203.] and such like diseases to divine matter, and not rather to naturall causes, are witches, conjurers, &c. HippocratesHippocrat. lib. de morbo sacro. calleth them arrogant; and in another place affirming that in his time there were manie deceivers and couseners, that would undertake to cure the falling evill, &c: by the power and helpe of divels, by burieng some lots or inchantments in the ground, or casting them into the sea, concludeth thus in their credit, that they are all knaves and couseners: for God is our onlie defender and deliverer. O notable sentence of a heathen philosopher!/
