The Discoverie of Witchcraft

by Reginald Scot

The names of Damned souls.22. But if we would speak of Damned Souls and their Names or Appellations, they are farr otherwise to be considered then the Devils; for such as their imposed Names were here on earth, such is the Name they have in the Kingdom of Darkness, after a Magical manner, according to the language of nature in the first principle of Darkness; as the Saints in heaven retain their Names in a Cœlestial manner: And also, as the Astral Spirit of a Man deceased, retains its antient Name according to the Astral source in the principle of the one only Element.

Whence the names of Devils are. 23. For as the language of Nature is found in the second Principle, it is likewise manifest in the dark Worlds property, according to the first Principle of Wrath; as also the monstrous shapes of Devils and Damned Souls is correspondent to the Magical postures of their Souls whilst they were alive; of which I shall speak more largely when their Shapes are to be described. According unto which, as also according to the rest of their attributes, viz. their Rancks, Numbers, Times, Powers, Places, &c. their Names are fitted and conformed according to the uniformity of name and thing in the principles of the eternal and external nature.

The names of Devils in the Kingdom of Fiacim.24. And as all other Nations have their various Appellations for Devils and Damned Souls, like their natural tone or language; so we can mention one Kingdom more admirable then the rest, viz. the Kingdom of Fiacim at the Northern Pole, where all the Counsellors are Magicians; and the Names which they use in Invocations, are Mathematically disposed in a wonderful harmony and efficacy, to the performance of Magical operations. So much of the Places and Names of Infernal Beings; the next to be considered is their Shapes and Likenesses.

The Shapes of Devils.25. The Shapes of Devils are answerable to the cause of their Fall, and the Dominions to which they belong. Those that belong to the Supreme Hierarchy, when they are called by Magicians, do at first appear in the form of fierce and terrible Lyons, vomiting fire, and roaring hideously about the Circle; from thence they convert themselves into Serpents, Monkies, and other Animals, till the Magician do repeat the form of Constriction or Confinement to a Trine or Triangle, as before is mentioned in the Fifteenth Book of the Discovery.

As they appear to Magicians in the highest rank. 26. After the Conjuration is repeated, they forsake these bestial shapes, and *indow[* = indue] the humane form at first like troops of Armed Men; till at last by frequent repetitions of other Ceremonies, they appear as naked Men of gentle countenance and behaviour. Yet is the Magician to take care that they deceive him not by insinuations; for their fraudulency is unspeakable in their appearance and dealings with Mankind; because we may be assured they appear not willingly, but are by forceable Conjurations compelled: so that they will ever minde their own ends in medling with man; that is, to deprave his minde, or subvert the Lives and Estates of others through his means and assistance.

In the lower orders.27. The rest of the Infernal Dominions have various appearances. The two next Orders affect to represent the beautiful colours of Birds, and Beasts, as Leopards, Tygers, Pecocks, &c. But by Conjurations they may be likewise reduced to a Manlike form, wherein they will readily answer every demand within the compass of their capacity, answerable to the Order unto which they belong: Yet many of them appear in Monstrous forms, and can hardly be conjured to desert them. Though the Exorcist Charm them never so wisely,/61. they will shew him a pair of Crocodiles jaws, or a Lyons paw, with other dreadful menaces, enough to terrifie any Novice from such Damnable Injunctions as the practice of Magick.

That the Devils are answerable to the unclean Beasts.28. But more especially, the opinion of the antients is, That according to the division of the clean and unclean Beasts in the Law given unto Moses, the Shapes of Devils are disposed in the Infernal Kingdom: So that the most perverse and potent amongst the Devils represent the most ugly and mischievous amongst the Beasts, according to this following division; viz. such Devils as Astaroth, Lucifer, Bardon, Pownok, who incline men and instigate them to pride and presumptuousness, have the shapes of Horses, Lyons, Tygars, Wolves. Such as instigate to Lust and Covetousness have the forms of Hogs, Serpents, and other filthy reptiles or envious Beasts, as Dogs, Cats, Vultures, Snakes, &c. Such as incline to Murther, have the shapes of every Bird and Beast of prey. Such as Answer Questions humane in Philosophy, or Religion, have more tolerable shapes, almost manly, but with crooked Noses, like Mermaids, or Satyres. And of all the rest it is to be observed, that as not one single Lust or Vice hath dominion without mixture in the evil Spirits, so they are not of a distinct shape lik one single Beast, but compounded into Monsters, with Serpents-tails, four eyes, many feet and horns, &c.

The shapes of Damned Souls.29. And as in general, these are the shapes of Devils, so the particular shapes of Damned Souls are to be considered in the same manner with the rest, only with this difference, that they are more addicted to metamorphose themselves and vary their appearances. Though, for the most part, the Damned Souls retain the humane shape after a Magical manner, so that the greatest part of that numberless number are in their antient shapes, especially when they appear in sleep to their surviving acquaintance. Their aspects are very dismal and melancholy like the Ghosts of the Astral source.

Their times and seasons.30. Now to speak of the Times and Seasons of their Appearance. The better sort of Magicians to square their times with Astrological hours, especially of Saturn, Luna, and Venus, in the Moons increase, and the middle of the night, or twelve a clock at noon: In which hours they do likewise compose their Garments, Caps, Candlesticks, Figures, Lamins, Pentacles, and Circles for Conjuration. As for the Times in respect of their Infernal Courses, the fittest are when they spring up in the Wrath, or when they sink in the Dispair, which is a mystery to the learned Conjurers of Europe.

Their places of appearance.31. In respect of this exterior World, they can most easily appear in solitary places, when the Sun is down; for they are naturally at enmity with the Sun, because it stands as a type of the Mediator, or Heart and Centre which they lost utterly in their fall, and now are destitute of, like a wheel without an axletree. And indeed, the want of this is the chief cause of all their torment, and of the rising of the gnawing Worm, when they consider of their irrevocable sentence, and irrecoverable loss.