The persons that give themselves to witchcraft, are of two sorts, rich and of better accompt, poore and of baser degree. These two degrees answere to the passions in them, which the divell uses as meanes to entice them to his service; for such of them as are in great miserie and povertie, he allures to follow him, by promising unto them great riches and worldly commoditie. Such as though rich, yet burne in a desperate desire of revenge, he allures them by promises to get their turne satisfied to their hearts contentment. It is to be noted now, that that olde and craftie enemie of ours assailes none, though touched with any of these two extremities, except he first finde an entresse ready for him, either by the great ignorance of the person he deales with, joyned with an evill life, or else by their carelessnesse and contempt of God. And finding them in an utter despaire, he prepares the way by feeding them craftely in their humour, and filling them further and further with despaire, while hee finde the time proper to discover himself unto them. At which time, either upon their walking solitarie in the fieldes, or else lying pausing in their bed, but alwaies without the company of any other, hee, either by a voyce, or in likenesse of a man, inquires of them what troubles them, and promiseth them a suddaine and certaine way of remedie, upon condition, on the other part, that they follow his advise, and doe such things as he will require of them. Their mindes being prepared beforehand, they easily agree unto that demand of his, and syne sets another tryist where they may meete againe. At which time, before hee proceede any further with them, hee first perswades them to addict themselves to his service, which being easily obtained, he then discovers what he is unto them, makes them to renounce their God and baptisme directly, and gives them his marke upon some secret place of their bodie, which remaines soare unhealed while his next meeting with them, and thereafter ever insensible, howsoever it be nipped or pricked by any, as is daily prooved, to give them a proofe thereby, that as in that doing he could hurt and heale them, so all their ill and well doing thereafter must depend upon him; and, besides that, the intolerable dolour that they feele in that place where he hath marked them, serves to waken them, and not to let them rest, while their next meeting againe; fearing lest otherwaies they might either forget him, being as new prentises, and not well enough founded yet in that fiendly follie; or else remembering of that horrible promise they made him at their last meeting, they might skunner at the same, and presse to call it backe. At their third meetinge, hee makes a shew to be carefull to performe his promises, either by teaching them waies how to get themselves revenged, if they be of that sort, or else by teaching them lessons how by most vile and unlawfull meanes they may obtaine gaine and worldly commoditie, if they be of the other sort.
The Witches actions divided into two parts—The actions proper to their own persons—The forme of their Conventions and adoring of their Master.
Their actions may be divided into two parts; the actions of their owne persons, and the actions proceeding from them towards any other; and this division being well understood, will easily resolve what is possible to them to doe. For although all that they confesse is no lie upon their part, yet doubtlesly, in my opinion, a part of it is not indeede according as they take it to be, for the divell illudes the senses of these schollers of his in many things.
To the effect that they may performe such services of their false master as he employs them in, the devill, as God's ape, counterfeits in his servants this service and forme of adoration that God prescribed and made his servants to practise; for as the servants of God publikely use to conveene for serving of him, so makes he them in great numbers to conveene (though publikely they dare not), for his service. As none conveenes to the adoration and worshipping of God, except they be marked with his seale, the sacrament of baptisme; so none serves Satan, and conveenes to the adoring of him, that are not marked with that marke whereof I alreadie spake. As the minister sent by God teacheth plainely at the time of their publike conventions, how to serve him in spirit and trewth, so that unclean spirit, in his owne person, teacheth his disciples at the time of their conveening, how to worke all kind of mischiefe, and craves coumpt of all their horrible and detestable proceedings passed for advancement of his service: Yea, that hee may the more vilely counterfeit and scorne God, he oft times makes his slaves to conveene in these very places which are destinate and ordained for the conveening of the servants of God, (I meane by churches.) But this farre which I have yet said, I not onely take it to be trew in their opinions, but even so to be indeed; for the forme that he used in counterfeiting God amongst the Gentiles, makes me so to think; as God spake by his oracles, spake he not so by his? As God had as well bloodie sacrifices, as others without blood, had not he the like? As God had churches sanctified to his service, with altars, priests, sacrifices, ceremonies, and prayers, had he not the like polluted to his service? As God gave responses by Urim and Thummim, gave he not his responses by the intralles of beasts, by the singing of fowles, and by their actions in the aire? As God by visions, dreames, and extasies, revealed what was to come, and what was his will unto his servants, used hee not the like meanes to forewarne his slaves of things to come? Yea, even as God loved cleanenesse, hated vice and impuritie, and appointed punishments therefore, used he not the like, (though falsly I grant, and but in eschewing the lesse inconvenience, to draw them upon a greater), yet dissimulated he not, I say, so farre as to appoint his priests to keepe their bodies cleane and undefiled, before their asking responses of him? And fained he not God, to be a protectour of every vertue, and a just revenger of the contrarie? This reason then mooves me, that as he is that same divell, and as crafty now as he was then, so will he not spare as pertly in these actions that I have spoken of concerning the witches' persons; but further, witches oft times confesse, not only his conveening in the church with them, but his occupying of the pulpit: Yea, their forme of adoration to be the kissing of his hinder parts, which, though it seeme ridiculous, yet may it likewise be trew, seeing we reade that in Calicute he appeared in forme of a goat-bucke, hath publikely that unhonest homage done unto him by every one of the people. So ambitious is he, and greedy of honour, (which procured his fall) that he will even imitate God in that part where it is said, that Moyses could see but the hinder parts of God for the brightnesse of his glory.
What are the wayes possible whereby the Witches may transport themselves to places farre distant?—And what are impossible and meere illusions of Satan?
Phi.—But by what way say they, or thinke yee it possible, they can come to these unlawfull conventions?[7]
Epi.—There is the thing which I esteeme their senses to be deluded in, and though they lie not in confessing of it, because they thinke it to be trew, yet not to be so in substance or effect; for they say, that by divers meanes they may conveene, either to the adoring of their master, or to the putting in practise any service of his committed unto their charge; one way is naturall, which is naturall riding, going, or sailing, at what houre their master comes and advertises them; and this way may be easily beleeved; another way is somewhat more strange, and yet it is possible to bee trew, which is, by being caried by the force of the spirit, which is their conducter, either above the earth, or above the sea, swiftly to the place where they are to meet; which I am perswaded to bee likewise possible, in respect, that as Habakkuk was carried by the angel in that forme to the den where Daniel lay, so I thinke the divell will be readie to imitate God as well in that as in other things; which is much more possible to him to doe, being a spirit, then to a mighty wind, being but a naturall meteore to transport from one place to another a solide body, as is commonly and daily seene in practise; but in this violent forme they cannot be caried but a short bounds, agreeing with the space that they may retain their breath, for if it were longer, their breath could not remain unextinguished, their body being caried in such a violent and forcible manner; as by example, if one fall off a small height, his life is but in perill, according to the hard or soft lighting; but if one fall from an high and stay rocke, his breath will be forcibly banished from the body before he can win to the earth, as is oft seene by experience; and in this transporting they say themselves, that they are invisible to any other, except amongst themselves, which may also be possible in my opinion; for if the devill may forme what kinde of impressions he pleases in the aire, why may he not farre easilier thicken and obscure so the aire that is next about them, by contracting it straite together, that the beames of any other man's eyes cannot pierce throw the same to see them? But the third way of their comming to their conventions is that wherein I thinke them deluded; for some of them say, that being transformed in the likenesse of a little beast or foule, they will come and pierce through whatsoever house or church, though all ordinarie passages be closed, by whatsoever open the aire may enter in at; and some say, that their bodies lying still, as in an extasie, their spirits will be ravished out of their bodies, and caried to such places; and for verifying thereof, will give evident tokens, as well by witnesses that have seene their body lying senseless in the mean time, as by naming persons with whom they met, and giving tokens what purpose was amongst them, whom otherwise they could not have known; for this forme of journeying they affirme to use most, when they are transported from one countrey to another.