Phi.—But the reasons that moove me to thinke that these are meere illusions, are these—first, for them that are transformed in likenesse of beasts or foules, can enter through so narrow passages, although I may easily beleeve that the divell could by his workmanship upon the aire, make them appeare to be in such formes, either to themselves, or to others; yet how can he contract a solide body within so little room? I think it is directly contrary to itselfe; for to be made so little, and yet not diminished; to be so straitly drawn together, and yet feele no paine, I thinke it is so contrary to the qualitie of a naturall bodie, and so like to the little transubstantiate god in the Papists masse, that I can never beleeve it. So to have a quantitie, is so proper to a solide body, that as all philosophers conclude, it cannot be any more without one, then a spirit can have one; for when Peter came out of the prison, and the doores all locked, it was not by any contracting of his body in so little roome, but by the giving place of the doore, though unespied by the gaylors; and yet is there no comparison, when this is done, betwixt the power of God and of the divel. As to their forme of extasie and spirituall transporting, it is certaine the soules going out of the body, is the onely definition of naturall death; and who are once dead, God forbid we should thinke that it should lie in the power of all the divels in hell to restore them to their life again, although he can put his owne spirit in a dead body, for that is the office properly belonging to God; and, besides that, the soule once parting from the body, cannot wander any longer in the world, but to the owne resting place must it goe immediately, abiding the conjunction of the body again at the latter day. And what Christ or the prophets did miraculously in this case, it can in no Christian man's opinion be made common with the divel. As for any tokens that they give for proving of this, it is very possible to the divel's craft to perswade them to these meanes; for he being a spirit, may he not so ravish their thoughts, and dull their senses, that their body lying as dead, he may object to their spirits, as it were in a dreame, and represent such formes of persons, of places, and other circumstances, as he pleases to illude them with? Yea, that he may deceive them with the greater efficacie, may he not, at the same instant, by fellow angels of his, illude such other persons so in that same fashion, with whom hee makes them to beleeve that they mette, that all their reports and tokens, though severally examined, may every one agree with another? And that whatsoever actions, either in hurting men or beasts, or whatsoever other thing that they falsly imagine at that time to have done, may by himselfe or his marrowes at that same time be done indeed; so as if they would give for a token of their being ravished at the death of such a person within so short a space thereafter, whom they beleeve to have poisoned or witched at that instant, might he not at that same houre have smitten that same person, by the permission of God, to the farther deceiving of them, and to moove others to beleeve them? And this is surely the likelyest way, and most according to reason, which my judgement can finde out in this and whatsoever other unnatural points of their confession.
Witches actions towards others—Why there are more Women of that Craft then Men—What things are possible to them to effectuate by the power of their Master—What is the surest remedy of the harmes done by them.
Phi.—Forsooth your opinion in this seems to cary most reason with it; and since ye have ended then the actions belonging properly to their owne persons, say forward now to their actions used towards others.
Epi.—In their actions used towards others, three things ought to be considered; first, the manner of their consulting thereupon; next, their part as instruments; and, last, their master's part, who puts the same in execution. As to their consultations thereupon, they use them oftest in the churches, where they conveene for adoring; at which time their master enquiring at them what they would be at, every one of them propones unto him what wicked turne they would have done, either for obtaining of riches, or for revenging them upon any whom they have malice at; who granting their demaund, as no doubt willingly he will, since it is to doe evill, hee teacheth them the meanes whereby they may doe the same. As for little trifling turnes that women have adoe with, he causeth them to joynt dead corpses, and to make powders thereof, mixing such other things thereamongst as he gives unto them.
Phi.—But before ye goe further, permit me, I pray you, to interrupt you one word, which ye have put me in memorie of by speaking of women; What can be the cause that there are twentie women given to that craft where there is one man?
Epi.—The reason is easie, for as that sexe is frailer than man is, so is it easier to be intrapped in these grosse snares of the divell, as was over-well prooved to be trew, by the serpent's deceiving of Eve at the beginning, which makes him the homelier with that sexe sensine.
Phi.—Returne now where ye left.
Epi.—To some others at these times he teacheth how to make pictures of waxe or clay, that by the roasting thereof, the persons that they beare the name of may be continually melted or dried away by continuall sicknesse. To some he gives such stones or pouders as will helpe to cure or cast on diseases; and to some hee teacheth kindes of uncouth poysons, which mediciners understand not; not that any of these meanes which he teacheth them (except the poysons, which are composed of things naturall), can of themselves helpe any thing to these turnes that they are employed in, but onely being God's ape, as well in that, as in all other things. Even as God by his sacraments, which are earthly of themselves, workes a heavenly effect, though no waves by any cooperation in them; and as Christ by clay and spettle wrought together, opened the eyes of the blinde man, suppose there was no vertue in that which he outwardly applied, so the divel will have his outward meanes to be shewes as it were of his doing, which hath no part or cooperation in his turnes with him, how farre that ever the ignorants be abused in the contrarie. And as to the effects of these two former parts, to wit, the consultations and the outward meanes, they are so wonderfull, as I dare not alledge any of them without joyning a sufficient reason of the possibilitie thereof; for leaving all the small trifles among wives, and to speake of the principall points of their craft, for the common trifles thereof, they can doe without converting well enough by themselves, these principall points, I say, are these—they can make men or women to love or hate other, which may be very possible to the divel to effectuate, seeing he being a subtile spirit, knowes well enough how to perswade the corrupted affection of them whom God will permit him to deal with,—they can lay the sicknesse of one upon another, which likewise is very possible unto him; for since by God's permission he laide sicknesse upon Job, why may he not farre easilier lay it upon any other? For as an old practitian, hee knowes well enough what humour domines most in any of us, and as a spirit he can subtillie waken up the same, making it peccant, or to abound, as hee thinkes meet, for troubling of us, when God will so permit him. And for the taking off of it, no doubt he will be glad to relieve such of present paine as he may thinke by these meanes to perswade to be catched in his everlasting snares and fetters. They can bewitch and take the life of men or women, by roasting of the pictures, as I spake of before, which likewise is verie possible to their master to performe; for although that instrument of waxe have no vertue in that turne doing, yet may he not very well, even by the same measure that his conjured slaves melts that waxe at the fire, may he not, I say, at these same times, subtily as a spirit, so weaken and scatter the spirits of life of the patient, as may make him on the one part, for faintnesse, to sweat out the humour of his bodie, and on the other part, for the not concurrence of these spirits, which causes his digestion, so debilitate his stomacke, that this humour radicall continually, sweating out on the one part, and no new good sucke being put in the place thereof, for lacke of digestion on the other, he at last shall vanish away, even as his picture will doe at the fire? And that knavish and cunning workeman, by troubling him onely at sometimes, makes a proportion so neere betwixt the working of the one and the other, that both shall end as it were at one time. They can raise stormes and tempests in the aire, either upon sea or land, though not universally, but in such a particular place and prescribed bounds, as God will permit them so to trouble. Which likewise is very easy to be discerned from any other naturall tempests that are meteores, in respect of the sudden and violent raising thereof, together with the short induring of the same. And this is likewise very possible to their master to doe, hee having such affinitie with the aire, as being a spirit, and having such power of the forming and mooving thereof; for in the Scripture, that stile of the prince of the aire, is given unto him. They can make folkes to become phrenticque or maniacque, which likewise is very possible to their master to doe, since they are but naturall sicknesses, and so he may lay on these kindes as well as any others. They can make spirits either to follow and trouble persons, or haunt certaine houses, and affray oftentimes the inhabitants, as hath been knowne to be done by our witches at this time. And likewise, they can make some to bee possessed with spirits, and so to become very demoniacques; and this last sort is very possible likewise to the divel their master to doe, since he may easily send his owne angels to trouble in what forme he pleases any whom God will permit him so to use.
Phi.—But will God permit these wicked instruments, by the power of the devill their master, to trouble by any of these meanes any that beleeve in him?