[ii.] Vide Aquinatem egregie de hac materia disputantẽ Summa contra Gentes, lib. 43. cap. 105. & tuis Commentatorem Franciscum de Syluestris.
[kk.] Caietanus in summula in titulo: Incantatio. Toletus in summa causuum conscientiæ; sine instructione sacerdotum lib. 4. cap. 17.
[ll.] Godelmannus in tractatu de magis, Veneficis &c. lib. 1. cap. 8. nº 25 & 27. vide Simonem Maiolum colloquiorum siue dierum caniculorum parte 2, colloquio 3.
[mm.] Cato de rè rustica, cap. 5.
[nn.] Columella lib. 1. cap. 8.
[oo.] Libro de morbo sacro (siue illius sit, siue alterius, nam de authore apud eruditos dubitatio est) statim ab initio. & quædã huc pertinentiæ habet Theophrastus de plantis lib. 9. cap. 21.
[pp.] Procopius Gazeus in Leuiticum.
The ninth Proposition, and second Corrolary.
THere hath alwayes beene some wanton, or peruerse wits, who only to make triall of their skill, would take in hand to defend absurd positions, and commend both such things and persons, which were infamous, and contemptible as [a]Phauorinus writ the praise of the Quartane Ague, one of the gout, blindnesse, and deafness, [b]Lucian of a flye, [c]Erasmus of folly, [d]Synesius of baldnesse, [e]Glaucus in Plato of iniustice. And among the exercises of the [f]ancient Orators, wee finde those who strained all their vnderstanding to blaze the honour of that witlesse and deformed Coward Thersites. And this they haue performed with great Art and eloquence, onely to shew their faculty, but neuer in good earnest took such a matter in hand. And therefore more deeply is hee to be censured, who hath made himselfe an aduocate to plead the cause of [g]Witches, and defend thẽ as innocent. And because this is a dangerous example, and doth draw those who are euill affected to offend, hoping for patronage of their impiety, I adde for conclusion this last proposition: Wisards, Witches, and the whole rabble of Sorcerers (no kinde excepted) are iustly liable[h] to extreame punishment. The arguments alleaged for proofe hereof, are many: I will make choyce of a few (with reference to such authors in whose writings more may bee found) and those which are most[i] demonstratiue.
First, God himselfe hath enacted that pœnall statute, Thou shalt not suffer a witch to liue. Exod. 22 18. and nameth here a [k]woman practising this damnable Art for two reasons: First, they are more inclinable hereunto then man. Secondly, that though their fault may seeme, as being the weaker, excuseable, and is in this respect extenuated by some, yet is not therefore to bee spared, whether of that sort which they call [l]good, or bad (for so are they distinguished) & there be some who neuer brought[m] harme vpon any in body, goods, or minde. The cause of this so sharpe a doome, is their compacting with the Diuell, openly or secretly, whereby they couenant to vse his helpe, in fulfilling their desires, and by this meanes make themselues guilty of horrible impiety: for in this they renounce the Lord, who hath created them; make no account of his fauour and protection, cut themselues off from the couenant made with him in baptisme, from the communion of Saints, the true fellowship and seruice of God; and on the contrary yeeld themselues by this confederacy, to Sathan, as their God (and therefore nothing more frequent and vsuall in their mouthes, then my God will do this and that for me) him they continually feare and honour. And thus do at the last become professed enemies both to God and Man. You may adde to this former law, that which is Leuit. 19. 26. & cap. 6. You shall vse no inchantment: the soule that turneth after such as haue familiar spirits, and are Wisards, to goe a whooring after them, I will set my face against that soule, and will cut him off from among his people, &c. Againe, Deut. 18. 10. There shall not bee found among you any that vseth Diuination, nor an obseruer of times, or an inchanter, or a Witch, or a Charmer, or a consulter with familiar spirits, a Wisard, or Necromancer. And that God might shew how[n] much Manasses had prouoked him to wrath, through his transcendent and outragious sinnes in the Catalogue thereof, his conspiring with Diuels is mentioned 1. King 21. 8. And therefore is depriued of his kingdome, bound in fetters, and carried captiue vnto Babel, 2. Chron. 33. 6.11. and though he repented of these outragious and enormious transgressions, yet God would not bee appeased for them fiftie yeares after he was dead, Ierem. 15. 4.