The Discoverie of Witchcraft

by Reginald Scot

Chap. III.45.

Of the Astral Spirits of men departed: What they are: And why they appear again: And what Witchcraft may be wrought by them.

1.AS The spirits of men return again. the Astral Spirits separate, which belong not to any deceased person, do for many years survive, or continue; so if the party deceased hath departed in discontent, and melancholy, it is often known that they return again, and causing terrour to families and houses, do wait for opportunity to disburthen themselves, that at length they may come into their desired rest.

2. The opinionAll men have starry Spirits. of many is, That the Devill in their likenesse is all that appears: But the more Learned have sufficiently demonstrated, through Example, and Experience; That the apparition is really proper to the person deceased. Nor can it easily be denyd, That to every man, and woman, while they live the natural Life, there belongs a Syderial, or starry Spirit; which takes its original wholly from the Elemental property: And according to the weaker, or stronger capacity of the party, it hath the longer, or shorter continuance, after the bodyes decease.

What sort of persons most frequently re-appear. 3. Such persons as are secretly murthered, and such as secretly murthur themselves, do most frequently appear again, and wander near the place where their Carcase is, till the radical moisture be totally consumed: according to the opinion of Paracelsus, after the consumption whereof, they can re-appear no longer, but are resolv’d into their first being, or Astrum, after a certain term of months, or years, according to the vigour, or force of that first attraction which was the only cause of their returning.

The manner and time of their appearance. 4. The manner and seasons of their appearing are various: Sometimes before the person, unto whom they do belong, depart this life, they do by external presentations forewarn him, near the time, that the day of death approacheth. As it is reported of Codrus Laænus, to whom an empty, meager Ghost appeared at midnight, signifying unto him, how sad and lachrymable a Tragedy was shortly to attend him; and also adding, that he would visit him in the Execution thereof: which proved not contrary to the words of the apparition; for at the very instant, when his Treacherous Wife had stab’d him at the heart, on a suddain he beheld the same, with preparations for his interment, whilst he yet survived, after the fatall wound was given.

The reason thereof.5. Sometimes the starry spirit of a person appears to his beloved Companion, many hundred of miles asunder, who was ignorant of the death of the party: And it hath often been heard, that when none of the kindred or family of the said party deceased, have ever been disturbed by it, or in the least been sensible of its appearing; yet to some of its most intimate acquaintance, it discovers it self, and importunes them to perform some ceremony, or other, that it may be returned into rest; or else discovers some treasure, which was hid by the party whilest alive, or else some murther which it had commited: But the most frequent cause of their returning, is when the party hath himself been privately murthered.

The power of Magitians over them.6. For such is the poysonous malice, and bloudy spirit of the murtherers, that it sufficeth them not to have privately bereaved them of their Lives; but also by certain earnest Wishes, Curses, and Conjurations, they do afterwards adjure them, that for such a term of years, they shall never have power to appear again: Which wishes, being earnestly given forth, from the hellish root in the murtherer, do exceedingly torment the murthered parties spirit, taking deep impression thereon; so that it is alwayes in continual sorrow, and anguish, till the term of years be expired, and till the murther be made manifest to the world: after which discovery, it returns to perfect rest; This is well known to those that are exercised in Witchcraft, and cruell Murthers, though not common to those that murther but once./

46.7. There be many Ancient families, in Europe, to whom the Ghost of their first Progenitor, or Ancestor appears immediately before the departure of some Heir, or chief in the same family: which assertion is confirmed by Cardan,Example. in an Example of “an Antient family, in the Dukedome of Parma, called the Tortells, to whom there belongs an ancient Castle, with a spatious Hall; near the Chimney of the said Hall an old decrepit Woman, for these hundreds of years, is wonted to appear, when any of the Family is about to dye: And it is reported amongst them that the same is the Ghost of one belonging to the same name, and family, who for her Riches, was murthered by some of her Nephews, and thrown into a pit.”

The cause of the difficulty and paucity of appearances.8. Many such apparitions do for many years continue to be seen in one particular place; ever watching for opportunity, to discover some murther, or Treasure hid: And the cause of the difficulty of the said discovery, consists in the nature of their substance; for could they make use of the organ of the Tongue, they might quickly discover it: or if they had the outward benefit of Hands, they might produce the said Treasure, or Carcase murthered, but this they are seldome able to accomplish; being destitute of the outward Organs, and mediation of Hands to hold withall, or Tongue to vent their grievances: And that this is true, the manner of their appearance doth confirm it: For all that they are able to effect, if they have been murthered, is commonly to appear near the very place, where their body lies, and to seem as if they sunk down, or vanished in the same; or else to appear in the posture of a murthered person, with mangled, and bloudy wounds, and hair disshevel’d: But it is rarely known, that any such apparitions have plainly spoken, or uttered by words, the time of their murther, with the cause, the persons name, or place; unless the murther, by circumstances hath been more then ordinary, horrid, and execrable: then the remembrance of the same doth sometimes enable the apparition to frame a voice, by the assistance of the Air, and discover the fact.