To see his woonders manifold.
Now, if a witch or a divell can so alter the shape of a man, as contrarilie to make him looke downe to hell, like a beast; Gods works should not onelie be defaced and disgraced, but his ordinance should be woonderfullie altered, and thereby confounded.
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.
