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<DATE>2013-02-08</DATE>
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<NAME>Mona Logarbo</NAME>
<RESP>MURP</RESP>
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<ITEM>Proofed and reviewed as part of batch B130010.pdcc.</ITEM>
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<STC T="C">R172698</STC>
<BIBNO T="oclc">52211691</BIBNO>
<VID>175421</VID>
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<TEXT LANG="eng">
<FRONT>
<DIV1 TYPE="title page">
<PB REF="1" MS="y">
<P>The Tryal of WITCHCRAFT OR, WITCHCRAFT Arraign'd and Condemn'd.</P>
<P>In &s;ome An&s;wers to a few Que&s;tions anent <HI>Witches</HI> and <HI>Witchcraft.</HI></P>
<P>Wherein is &s;hewed, how to know if one be a <HI>Witch,</HI> as al&s;o when one is bewitched: with &s;ome Ob&s;ervations upon the <HI>Witches</HI> Mark, their compact with the Devil, the White <HI>Witches</HI> &amp;c.</P>
<P><ADD>by: M^r^. John Bell.</ADD></P>
<Q><BIBL>Exod. 22.18.</BIBL> <P>Thou &s;halt not &s;uffer a Witch to live.</P></Q>
<Q><P>It is advantagious to have many engaged in writing on the &s;ame Subject, even though they &s;hould &s;ay little more then what is &s;aid by others.</P> <BIBL><HI>Mr. Durham</HI> on the <HI>Revelation.</HI> Digre&s;s. 3. Page 63.</BIBL></Q>
</DIV1>
</FRONT>
<BODY>
<DIV1 TYPE="letter">
<PB REF="2">
<PB REF="2">
<HEAD>Le<GAP DESC="illegible" EXTENT="4 letters"> <GAP DESC="illegible" EXTENT="1 span">Friend.</HEAD>
<OPENER><SALUTE>Sir,</SALUTE></OPENER>
<P>HAving heard &s;trange things reported of Witch-craft and Witches: I de|&s;ire to know from you, what &s;a|tisfaction you can give me in an|&s;wer to the following <HI>Queries,</HI> wherewith the mouths of People are on that occa&s;ion &s;o much filled: take them thus.</P>
<P><HI>Query</HI> 1. How &s;hall one know if a di&s;ea&s;e be the effect of Witch-craft, &s;eeing all grant, that &s;trange di&s;ea&s;es may happen either to Man or Bea&s;t, which yet are neither the pro|duct of Devils or Witches.</P>
<P><HI>Query</HI> 2. What meanes are be&s;t to be u&s;ed for help to the&s;e thus bewitched. And here I would know 1. what is to be thought of cau|&s;ing the &s;u&s;pected <HI>Witch,</HI> touch the afflicted Party, 2. If this be not, then what other mean is be&s;t.</P>
<P><HI>Query</HI> 3. I would further know, what will
<PB N="4" REF="3"> prove one to be a <HI>Witch?</HI> and here 1. If bi<GAP DESC="illegible" EXTENT="1 letter">+ter cur&s;ing and imprecations with malefices fol|lowing thereupon, will prove it? and if not that, then 2d. If a per&s;ons often enquiring into the di&s;ea&s;e of the tormented, or their coming to vi&s;ite them un&s;ent for; yea, after they have been di&s;charg'd the hou&s;e as being &s;u&s;pected per&s;ons, will do the bu&s;ine&s;s? Or 3d. if the af|flicted per&s;on his or her &s;eeing, in time of th<GAP DESC="illegible" EXTENT="3 letters"> tormenting fits, &s;o as to know and name parti+cular Per&s;ons; will prove the Per&s;on thus &s;een known and nominate, to be a <HI>Witch.</HI> Or 4th If none of tho&s;e, then (pray) what will do it? your an&s;wers agreeably to the mind of the be&s;t Writers you have &s;een, is earne&s;tly intrea|ted by,</P>
<CLOSER><SIGNED>Your Humble Servant.</SIGNED></CLOSER>
</DIV1>
<DIV1 TYPE="letter">
<HEAD>An an&s;wer to the Letter.</HEAD>
<OPENER><SALUTE>Sir,</SALUTE></OPENER>
<P>THo I am &s;en&s;ible, that to &s;peak on this head of witchcraft, is a very hard Task; con|&s;idering e&s;pecially the difficulty of di&s;covering <HI>Wiiches;</HI> (the &s;ecrecy of the grounds of witch|craft; and the cunningne&s;s of &s;ome juggling counterfits, being &s;o great and many) as al&s;o con&s;idering how Satan &s;eeks to imitate God i<GAP DESC="illegible" EXTENT="1 letter"> his actions; as Scripture, and many &s;trange
<PB REF="3"> (tho true) relations about <HI>Witches</HI> do abun|dantly make appear: for example, 2 <HI>Kings</HI> 5.27. we read that God by the Prophet makes <HI>Naamans</HI> lepro&s;ie cleave to <HI>Gehazi;</HI> &s;o Satan does by the help of <HI>Witches</HI> at &s;ometimes, take the di&s;ea&s;e from off one per&s;on, &amp; layes it upon another. Al&s;o, we read <HI>Acts</HI> 8.39. of <HI>Philips</HI> being carried bodily out of the <HI>Eunuchs</HI> fight; &s;o al&s;o can the Devil tran&s;port bodies from one place to another, as we find he took our ble&s;|&s;ed Saviour up unto the pinacle of the Temple, <HI>Mat.</HI> 4. And he often carries his own &s;ervants into the aire, as he did <HI>Dr. Fau&s;tus,</HI> or over into forraign places; as is u&s;ual for him to do with the&s;e <HI>Witches.</HI> Tho, I &s;ay, the&s;e with many moe things concurre to render the un|dertaking hard; yet I think it needs not be ill look't upon if an e&s;&s;ay be made of this nature; con&s;idering e&s;pecially how much light may be borrowed from the Writings of learned men both of old and of late, the direful experience of former ages, as well as of this, having af|forded occa&s;ion for &s;uch que&s;tions as be pro|po&s;ed by you, and which are current with the common people. Adventuring therefore to obey your de&s;ire, take the An&s;wers in the following Method.</P>
<DIV2 N="1" TYPE="section">
<PB N="6" REF="4">
<HEAD><HI>SECTION I.</HI> How to know if one be <GAP DESC="illegible" EXTENT="1 letter">ewitched.</HEAD>
<P>IN an&s;wer to your fir&s;t <HI>Quer<GAP DESC="illegible" EXTENT="1 letter"></HI> I would &s;ay; that no doubt mo&s;t people may be thought too ra&s;h in attributing to Witchcraft every di&s;|ea&s;e that &s;eems &s;trange and beyond ordinary, as is rightly in&s;inuated, in your ground given for your fir&s;t <HI>Qu<GAP DESC="illegible" EXTENT="1 letter">ry:</HI> famous writers in&s;tancing in their books many &s;trange and wonderful di&s;ea&s;es, yet no work of witchcraft, as are the <HI>Apoplexy, Carum, Catalep&s;is, Cramp,</HI> with many moe mentioned by <HI>Dr. Cotta</HI> in his <HI>Em|periks,</HI> and <HI>Dr. Ma&s;on</HI> in his practice of phi|lo&s;ophy, and <HI>R Bernard</HI> in his Guide to Grand jury men. All which Authors do yet &s;till affirm the&s;e to proceed from natural cau&s;es, and to be curable by natural remedies; tho &s;carce would a common per&s;on look on the party thus di&s;tempered, without concluding witchcraft to be there.</P>
<P>However, where the di&s;ea&s;e is more then natural, and no le&s;s then the effect of witchcraft
<PB N="7" REF="4"> it may be known by &s;uch &s;igns as <HI>Witches</HI> them|&s;elves in their confe&s;&s;ions, and learned Phy&s;ici|<GAP DESC="illegible" EXTENT="1 letter">ians have conde&s;cended upon as &s;ymptoms of Witchcraft. I only name a few which we may <GAP DESC="illegible" EXTENT="1 letter">ake thus. 1. When the di&s;ea&s;e is &s;uch as that wi&s;e and skilful Phy&s;icians can find no probable <GAP DESC="illegible" EXTENT="1 letter">ea&s;on of any natural cau&s;e for it, as it was with <HI>M. Throgmortons</HI> child, who would often have a great heaving &amp; &s;welling of the belly, then a pa&s;&s;ing to the throat ready to &s;top the breath: as al&s;o thru&s;ting out her leg or arm &s;o as non could bow it, with other &s;uch like motions 2. When y^e tormented Party in time of &s;uch fits vomite up crooked pins, coals, nails, needles, knoted hair, &s;traw, &amp;c. 3. When the tormented party in <GAP DESC="illegible" EXTENT="1 letter">ime of their fits tell truly many things; &s;ome pa&s;t, others in doing, as, where the Witch is, what &s;he is doing, &s;aying, &amp;c. as hapened in the ca&s;e of <HI>Mr. Throgmorton's</HI> elder daughter, <HI>Mrs <GAP DESC="illegible" EXTENT="1 letter">ean,</HI> who could al&s;o tell &s;ome things to come, as how many in the hou&s;e were to be bewitched, and who they were. 4. When there is &s;uperna|tural &s;trength, &s;o as that a very &s;trong man &s;hould not be able to keep down a child of about 12. years of age as it was with one of <HI>M. Throgmor|ton</HI>'s children. Other &s;igns are given by Authors, but we pa&s;s them.</P>
</DIV2>
<DIV2 N="2" TYPE="section">
<PB N="8" REF="5">
<HEAD><HI>SECTION II.</HI> Of Means to be u&s;ed for helpin<GAP DESC="illegible" EXTENT="1 letter"> the bewitched.</HEAD>
<P>VArious are the methods fallen upon for e<GAP DESC="illegible" EXTENT="1 letter">+&s;ing the afflicted: among which is th<GAP DESC="illegible" EXTENT="2 letters"> made mention of in the &s;econd <HI>Query</HI> of cau&s;i<GAP DESC="illegible" EXTENT="2 letters"> the &s;u&s;pected Witch touch the afflicted per&s;o<GAP DESC="illegible" EXTENT="1 letter"> as if their touch could cure them: Which y<GAP DESC="illegible" EXTENT="2 letters"> &s;eems not to be a mean on which we are to re<GAP DESC="illegible" EXTENT="2 letters"> (though I find not the u&s;e of it &s;imply conde<GAP DESC="illegible" EXTENT="1 letter">+ned) as having neither a divine appointment, n<GAP DESC="illegible" EXTENT="2 letters"> a natural rea&s;on for it. Add to this (whi<GAP DESC="illegible" EXTENT="2 letters"> &s;ome have well taken notice of) that the &s;u&s;p<GAP DESC="illegible" EXTENT="1 letter">+cted <HI>Witches</HI> either pre&s;ence or ab&s;ence, is a ve<GAP DESC="illegible" EXTENT="2 letters"> uncertain thing. for 1. Their pre&s;ence or ab&s;en<GAP DESC="illegible" EXTENT="2 letters"> as <HI>Witches</HI> takes it force only from their leagu<GAP DESC="illegible" EXTENT="1 letter"> and covenant with the Devil: which as they c<GAP DESC="illegible" EXTENT="2 letters"> renew at plea&s;ure, &s;o can they make their pr<GAP DESC="illegible" EXTENT="1 letter">+&s;ence or <HI>Touch</HI> effectual accordingly; So a<GAP DESC="illegible" EXTENT="1 letter"> the tormented party be bad, and take fits, th<GAP DESC="illegible" EXTENT="3 letters"> pre&s;ent, by indenting with the Devil over aga<GAP DESC="illegible" EXTENT="2 letters">
<PB N="9" REF="5"> (God permitting) they may procure that in their pre&s;ence they may take no more fits; and on the contrary, if in their pre&s;ence and at their <HI>Touch</HI> they be well, &s;o that their pre&s;ence there will prove nothing, either for curing the di&s;ea&s;|ed, or making them yet wor&s;e, and &s;o thereby founding a pre&s;umption for By-&s;tanders to con|clude them <HI>Witches,</HI> 2. Their touching is an un|certain thing, becau&s;e (as writers on this head have &s;ufficiently in&s;tructed) by <HI>Touching</HI> they even &s;ometimes bewitch the afflicted party. Thus <HI>Danaeus</HI> in <HI>Dialogis &s;uis de Sortiariis,</HI> wit|ne&s;&s;eth, that a <HI>Witch</HI> touched but the brea&s;ts of a woman that gave &s;uck, and her milk dried up: and the forcited Rector of <HI>Batcomb, R. Bernard</HI> reports of one <HI>Mary Suton</HI> a <HI>Bedford &s;hire Witch,</HI> that having but touched the neck of one of <HI>Mr. Engars</HI> &s;ervants, w^t her finger, he was pre&s;ently after her departure mi&s;erably vexed, how then can thir touch cure the di&s;ea&s;ed?</P>
<P>So then, the be&s;t mean is fa&s;ting and prayers, for God only can be&s;t free us from Divels, and in the u&s;e of his means alone it is, that we are to expect a ble&s;&s;ing: So that if we would pre|vent <HI>Witches,</HI> and whatever el&s;e the Devil can do, let us always rely on God, who hath promi|&s;ed to &s;uch, that he will cover them under his wings. &amp;c. <HI>P&s;alms</HI> 91.4.</P>
</DIV2>
<DIV2 N="3" TYPE="section">
<PB N="10" REF="6">
<HEAD><HI>SECTION III.</HI> What will prove one to be a Witch&punc;</HEAD>
<P>GReat is the My&s;tery of iniquity, and its hard to di&s;cover the Members of that King+dom of darkne&s;s, where the King is Satan, the fiery Dragon, the roaring Lyon, and deceive<GAP DESC="illegible" EXTENT="1 letter"> of the Nations; and where the &s;ubjects are fag+gots of hell, Deceivers and deceived: Yet thorough the Lords ble&s;&s;ing on the means and methods fallen upon for detecting &s;uch, they may be known, let us then touch at the&s;e, and fir&s;t negatively what will not prove one to be <GAP DESC="illegible" EXTENT="1 word"> <HI>Witch,</HI> and then po&s;itively, what will.</P>
<P>To begin then and go throw with the &s;eve+ral particulars contained in the third <HI>Query</HI> le<GAP DESC="illegible" EXTENT="1 letter"> us con&s;ider the fir&s;t particular which is if bitte<GAP DESC="illegible" EXTENT="1 letter"> cur&s;ings &amp; imprecations, evil following there upon, will prove one to be a <HI>VVitch,</HI> and to thi<GAP DESC="illegible" EXTENT="1 letter"> it is an&s;wered, that tho <HI>VVitches</HI> have bee<GAP DESC="illegible" EXTENT="1 letter"> known thus to bewitch people by <HI>Cur&s;ing</HI> the<GAP DESC="illegible" EXTENT="1 letter"> whereupon pre&s;ently evil followed to the pe<GAP DESC="illegible" EXTENT="1 letter">+&s;on
<PB N="11" REF="6"> thus <HI>Cur&s;ed,</HI> yet it is no more then a pre|&s;umption of ones being a <HI>VVitch,</HI> for fir&s;t &s;uch <HI>Cur&s;ings</HI> and <HI>Imprecations</HI> are in &s;ome no other then the effect of a <HI>natural con&s;titution,</HI> and &s;o may be acted oftner than once or twice: Con|&s;titutions (in the Judgment of the learned) differing from habits mo&s;tly in name, when they come to any perfection; and habits being got by acts frequently repeated. 2. Becau&s;e, as Sa|tan may get a permi&s;&s;ion from God, to work <HI>natural di&s;ea&s;es</HI> which do break forth upon cur|&s;ing, &s;o doubtle&s;s he improves it &s;ubtily, of which &s;ome do thus conceive. They &s;ay, the Devil he knows when his power to do hurt is granted him of God; as al&s;o, he knows the growing, ripening, and breaking forth of a di&s;ea&s;e upon man or bea&s;t. Again, ere natures act thus break out, he &s;tirs up &s;ome occa&s;ion to make the party again&s;t whom his de&s;ign is, to fall out with &s;ome angry neighbour, which being gain'd, Satan &s;tirs up people hereupon, becau&s;e of one or two &s;uch practi&s;es, to pur&s;ue the neighbour to death, as becoming by her ill tongue a <HI>VVitch;</HI> when as, tho &s;he be otherwi&s;e pe&s;tilentious enough, yet po&s;&s;ibly is no <HI>VVitch.</HI> So then we conclude, that however this may be an <HI>Item</HI> to &s;uch ill na|tur'd cur&s;ers and railers to forbear further pro|vocking of God by &s;uch practices to give them
<PB N="12" REF="7"> over to Satans power; yet I &s;ee not why cu<GAP DESC="illegible" EXTENT="1 letter">+&s;ings with harm following them are any oth<GAP DESC="illegible" EXTENT="2 letters"> then a pre&s;umption (however great it be) th<GAP DESC="illegible" EXTENT="2 letters"> one is a <HI>VVitch.</HI></P>
<P N="2">2. As to a per&s;ons often enquiring into th<GAP DESC="illegible" EXTENT="1 letter"> di&s;ea&s;e of the tormented, or their coming to v<GAP DESC="illegible" EXTENT="1 letter">+&s;ite them un&s;ent for, yea perhaps after they hav<GAP DESC="illegible" EXTENT="1 letter"> been di&s;charg'd the hou&s;e, as per&s;ons under &s;u<GAP DESC="illegible" EXTENT="1 letter">+picion, its an&s;wered in one word, that this is n<GAP DESC="illegible" EXTENT="1+ letters"> other then a pre&s;umption, &amp; that for this rea&s;o<GAP DESC="illegible" EXTENT="1 letter"> among others, that revengeful &s;pirits (thoug<GAP DESC="illegible" EXTENT="1 letter"> they be no <HI>VVitches</HI>) having once cur&s;ed, an<GAP DESC="illegible" EXTENT="1 letter"> hearing of &s;ome &s;udden mi&s;chance followin<GAP DESC="illegible" EXTENT="1 letter"> in order of time thereupon, may inquire afte<GAP DESC="illegible" EXTENT="1 letter"> the afflicted party, yea vi&s;ite him or her, whil<GAP DESC="illegible" EXTENT="1 letter"> under this fit of cur&s;ed joy conceived in them at the hearing of &s;uch news, when yet for al<GAP DESC="illegible" EXTENT="1 letter"> this there is perhaps no league with the Devil and as for their vi&s;iting unde&s;ir'd, yea, whe<GAP DESC="illegible" EXTENT="1+ letters"> prohibite and di&s;charg'd &s;ome have rightly im|puted the &s;ame to the confidence, or rather im|pudence of the poorer, and unmannerly &s;ort of people.</P>
<P N="3">3. As to the afflicted per&s;ons &s;eeing, know+ing and naming diver&s;e per&s;ons in time of thei<GAP DESC="illegible" EXTENT="1 letter"> fits, as their tormentors; as it was with <HI>Mr Throgmortons</HI> Children (as the Author of the Relation of <HI>VVarboys VVitches</HI> does atte&s;t) ye<GAP DESC="illegible" EXTENT="1 letter">
<PB N="13" REF="7"> will not y^t prove y^e per&s;on or per&s;ons &s;o known, &amp; nominate, to be all <HI>VVitches,</HI> for 1. as to their being <HI>&s;een,</HI> doubtle&s;s tho the Devil cannot cre|ate any inward <HI>&s;pecies</HI> or repre&s;entation, this being a work of <HI>Omnipotencie</HI> (as <HI>Holy</HI> and <HI>lear|ned Mr. Durham</HI> hath ob&s;erved) yet God per|mitting him; he by working upon what is al|ready within the per&s;on, may mi&s;repre&s;ent ob|jects, by di&s;turbing inwardlie the Faculties &amp; Organs: &s;o that he can pre&s;entiate to the <HI>Phana+ta&s;ie</HI> &s;uch per&s;ons, as he knows the tormented party abhors to &s;ee, and u&s;eth to fear: for if he could repre&s;ent a &s;eeming <HI>Samuel,</HI> much more a Gracele&s;s man or woman, to deceive the Fan|cy of di&s;turbed minds of afflicted Per&s;ons; and yet the&s;e gracele&s;s per&s;ons may be no <HI>VVitches,</HI> for doubtle&s;s in this the Devil may lie, as well as &s;peak true. 2. As to their being named, its but the Devils Te&s;timonie, which is not to be laid weight on, <HI>in the matter of life and death;</HI> &s;eing he may accu&s;e an innocent, as hi&s;tories abundantly declare</P>
<P><HI>Sir,</HI> I per&s;wade my &s;elf you take up my mind in this matter better then to think any favour to be intended or allowed, by what I have &s;aid of thir <HI>Negative marks</HI> (as I called them for di&s;tinctions &s;ake) to any of the&s;e members of Satans Kingdom the <HI>VVit hes:</HI> God forbid any
<PB N="14" REF="8"> (far le&s;s I) &s;hould in the lea&s;t Favour &s;uch for whom God hath told us in his word he hath no favor they continuing &s;uch; for however I have all along&s;t called the&s;e but <HI>Pre&s;umptions,</HI> in &s;o do|ing; I &s;ay no other then what pious and learn'd Writers on this head have &s;poken, who withal are of opin on (as I al&s;o am) that &s;uch preg|nant and &s;hrewd pre&s;umptions &s;ufficiently wit|ne&s;&s;ed are ju&s;t cau&s;e of impri&s;onment, and are worthy (after tryal) of mo&s;t &s;evere and con|dign puni&s;hment&punc; but ere the life can be taken away from them, it will perhaps be found need|ful, that a league with the Devil be once proven, for under&s;tanding of this, let us premi&s;e the&s;e 4. or 5. things. 1. that the Devil &s;eeks not to make any a <HI>Witch</HI> whom he finds not &s;ome way pre|par'd either by impenitency and obduredne&s;s, di&s;temperedne&s;s of pa&s;&s;ion, prophane&s;s, and the like: for he will not readily nor willingly at|taque and &s;urprize, where he thinks not to gain ground. 2. Finding man or woman thus prepa|red, he waits his opportunity of appearing to them vi&s;ibly, &s;ometimes in one &s;hape, &s;ometime in another, varying according to the nature, quality, and condition of the per&s;ons to whom he thus appears: thus he is &s;aid to have appear|ed to <HI>Dr Fau&s;tus</HI> in the habite of &s;ome religio<GAP DESC="illegible" EXTENT="2 letters"> per&s;on; and now it is, that he works upon the
<PB N="15" REF="8"> poor creature, whom he at one time allures by many per&s;wa&s;ives, at other times &s;urprizing them, frights them into a complyance with his overtures, according as he finds them igno|rant or witty: for he's a cunning Engineer, who attacks towns according to their fortifica|tion, &s;ituation, or garri&s;on: he under&s;tands who among men and women are weak, and on what &s;ide; and agreeably, &s;ome are min'd, others bomb'd, &s;ome won by &s;torm, others by com|po&s;ition, others again are &s;tarved into a &s;urren|der, 3 That which he aims at in all thir a&s;&s;aults, and in order whereunto he appears once, or oftner, as he finds need is, to draw the poor, impenitent, and obdured creature into a league with him&s;elf, which League or Covenant, Di|vines makes to be twofold: the one implicite, &s;ecret and clo&s;s; wherein is a mutual con&s;ent, but without any expre&s;s terms on either &s;ide; <HI>Mr. Perkins</HI> in his di&s;cour&s;e of Witchcraft. chap. 2. Explains this, while he &s;ays that when a per&s;on de&s;ires in heart to have &s;uch or &s;uch a thing effected by &s;uper&s;titious forms, <HI>&amp;c.</HI> And the Devil con&s;ents thereunto, if he then do the bu&s;ine&s;s, there is a &s;ecret compact: thus &s;uch as by certain forms of words and prayers, call upon the Devil; and when tho they know it to be unwarantable, yet will do it, becau&s;e they
<PB N="16" REF="9"> find an effect an&s;werable to their expectation in u&s;ing &s;uch charms and &s;pells, they are in Co|venant with the Devil, though they will not let them&s;elves know or think it. Now this &s;ecret compact Satan &s;ometimes, and as to &s;ome per|&s;ons, re&s;ts &s;atisfied with, as when the man or woman is of con&s;iderable knowledge, and hath much <HI>Mother VVit</HI> (as we commonly call it) and &s;o is &s;uch as he knows will not be ea&s;ily drawn into a more formal and expre&s;s league with him; or when he is content they &s;hould be &s;hinning profe&s;&s;ors and &s;uch of whom he de|&s;igns to &s;erve him&s;elf mo&s;tly, if not only, in mat|ters &s;eemingly good. The other &s;ort of league is that which is more expre&s;s and formal, and when there be mutual conditions: the <HI>VVitch</HI> on his or her, part giving over their Soul (and &s;ometimes al&s;o the body) into Sathans power, he on the other part, promi&s;es great things t<GAP DESC="illegible" EXTENT="1 letter"> them, knowledge to the ignorant, revenge to the envious, and wrathful, <HI>&amp;c.</HI> though he often breaks his promi&s;e to them, as he did to a <HI>Hu<GAP DESC="illegible" EXTENT="1 letter">+garian VVitch,</HI> of whom <HI>I</HI> have read, who being put in pri&s;on, and wanting food, &s;he did eat he own fl &s;h and &s;o peri&s;hed: Satan her Ma&s;ter never once helping her, if it was not to de&s;tro<GAP DESC="illegible" EXTENT="1 letter"> her &s;elf, &s;ooner then otherwi&s;e &s;he might have done. But then 4. the Covenant thus made, he
<PB N="17" REF="9"> proceeds to confirm it, which (&s;ome &s;ay) mu&s;t be done by blood: therefore, &s;ome offer him a Sacrifice; perhaps of a cat, dog, <HI>&amp;c.</HI> po&s;&s;ibly he conde&s;cends thus far to &s;ome <HI>VVitches</HI> of a more then ordinary &s;tation: but however I will not be po&s;itive in this; only I find it a&s;&s;er|ted by &s;ome, that he will not part thus with your ordinary <HI>VVitches,</HI> but mu&s;t needs <HI>Suck Blood</HI> of them which is done by <HI>Spirits,</HI> and that in &s;everal parts of the body, as the crown of the head, under the ear, the chin, <HI>&amp;c,</HI> as witches of whom I have read, have confe&s;&s;ed before the Judges. Next follows the <HI>VVitch Mark,</HI> &s;ome|times like a blew &s;pot, or a little tate, or reid &s;pots like flea-biting, &s;ometimes al&s;o the fle&s;h is &s;unk in, and hallow, and this is put in &s;ecret pla|ces, as among the hair of the Head, or eye|brows, within the lips, under the arm-pits, and even in the mo&s;t &s;ecret parts of the Body. 5. Thus the Devil &amp; they becoming familiar, they get from him <HI>Familiar Spirits,</HI> &s;ome one, &s;ome moe, with whom they con&s;ult, and act, and o|ver which Spirits he makes them believe they have all power, and can command them at plea&s;ure: and in this they a&s;&s;ume to them&s;elves a kind of Glory, to think that they have <HI>Spirits</HI> at their nodd, to &s;end forth for the torment of others; and herein they rejoyce, that they can
<PB N="18" REF="10"> keep others in awe by &s;uch thoughts of them or words to them, whereupon follows hurt and mi&s;chief. Some have &s;o far run on in maintain|ing this point of it, anent the <HI>Witches</HI> getting fa+miliar Spirits, at that they think, that <HI>Witch<GAP DESC="illegible" EXTENT="1 letter">s</HI> d<GAP DESC="illegible" EXTENT="1 letter"> work all their malice and mi&s;chief by tho&s;e cur|&s;ed <HI>Caytiffes;</HI> and &s;o they make three things concure to the bewitching of a Per&s;on; <HI>viz.</HI> a Divine permi&s;&s;ion, a Devili&s;h operation, or the evil Spirits working: and la&s;tly, the <HI>Wit|ches</HI> con&s;ent; So that the Devil does all, and they con&s;ent to all, which to wit, is done in their behalf, for no doubt, Satan can go of, and for him&s;elf, where he hath no league with the Witch, thus &s;ome define a <HI>Witch</HI> to be &s;uch <HI>as do act beyond the ordinary power of Nature, by the help of wicked Spirits.</HI> Athen. Merc. V. 1. N. 3. Q. 6.</P>
<P>Now, before we proceed further, we &s;hall take notice of this one <HI>Collorary</HI> that may be drawn from what we have now &s;aid anent the Covenant with the Devil. From hence po&s;&s;i|bly we may gather a rea&s;on, <HI>why Witches them &s;elves are not afraid to met with the Devil?</HI> Fo<GAP DESC="illegible" EXTENT="1 letter"> one would think that <HI>Humane Nature</HI> migh<GAP DESC="illegible" EXTENT="1 letter"> ju&s;tly fright at the appearance, if not the <HI>am<GAP DESC="illegible" EXTENT="1 letter">+&s;ing</HI> name of <HI>DEVIL.</HI> We would &s;ay there|fore, that we doubt nothing, but at &s;ometime<GAP DESC="illegible" EXTENT="1 letter"> the Devil appears even to his own in frightful
<PB N="19" REF="10"> &s;hapes, to their great terror, e&s;pecially if he be angry at them, and de&s;igns violence unto them, upon their refu&s;ing to do as he bids them, as <HI>Bernard</HI> reports he did to old <HI>Demb|dike,</HI> whom he pu&s;ht into a Ditch, becau&s;e &s;he would not go help <HI>Chattox</HI> another <HI>VVitch,</HI> (whom &s;he could not abide) to make Picturs. The &s;ame Author &s;ays, the Devil came &s;ome|times to <HI>Witch Chattox</HI> gaping upon her in the Form of a <HI>Beare,</HI> with open month as if he would have worried her, yet I think the rea|&s;on why for ordinary they are not &s;o much a|fraid to meet, &s;peak to and keep Caballs with him; is, that they being now in Cove|nant with him, dream of no hurt in the bu&s;i|ne&s;s: yea, they fancy they have him at Com|mand. And if it be &s;aid, its &s;trange they have no checks of Con&s;cience in the mean time be|cau&s;e of their League w^t the Devil: We an&s;wer, that it is not &s;o &s;trange as &s;ad, and to be lamen|ted; For they being readily before that given up of God to a reprobate mind, have their Con&s;ciences &s;eared, &s;o as that they want all &s;en&s;e and feeling of &s;in.</P>
<P>But now to come to the que&s;tion more clo&s;ely, and to &s;hew how one may be convic|ted of this their league with the Devil; this compact how &s;ecretly &s;o ever made, is to be &s;earcht into, and all the pre&s;umptions hitherto &s;poken of, mu&s;t tend to prove and di&s;cover
<PB N="20" REF="11"> this compact, which &s;ome think may be got|ten done by a narrow &s;crutiny and &s;earch into the&s;e among other evidences of this Covenant. 1. By a <HI>Witches Mark.</HI> We told already where this is to be found, it mu&s;t therefore be again &amp; again diligently &s;earched for; and lea&s;t it b<GAP DESC="illegible" EXTENT="1 letter"> mi&s;taken for a Natural mark, it is to be ob&s;er|ved, that this is In&s;en&s;ible, &s;o that being pric+ked it will not bleed, as Natural marks wil<GAP DESC="illegible" EXTENT="1 letter"> do, But what if they hide them? Or what i<GAP DESC="illegible" EXTENT="1 letter"> they find a way to remove them? We an&s;we<GAP DESC="illegible" EXTENT="1 letter"> that God in his providence will &s;carce &s;uffer i<GAP DESC="illegible" EXTENT="1 letter"> to be &s;o; or if it &s;o fall out, then it grows a+gain, and comes to its old Form, if we ma<GAP DESC="illegible" EXTENT="1 letter"> credit the <HI>Grand Witch Lewis Gaufridus</HI> a ric<GAP DESC="illegible" EXTENT="1 letter"> and learn'd Prie&s;t, as <HI>Bernard</HI> calls him: S<GAP DESC="illegible" EXTENT="1 letter"> that, tho this mark be not found at fir&s;t, it may be di&s;covered at length. 2d. By <HI>Witche<GAP DESC="illegible" EXTENT="1 letter"></HI> words, as their fortelling what &s;hall happen to others the &s;ame found true, and their boa&s;tin<GAP DESC="illegible" EXTENT="1 letter"> thereof afterwards; as al&s;o, their &s;peaking o<GAP DESC="illegible" EXTENT="1 letter"> tran&s;portation from home to forraign places <HI>&amp;c.</HI> 3d. <HI>Witches deeds;</HI> as their feeding crea+tures &s;ecretly, which &s;ome &s;ay they &s;end their errands; their making of pictures, giving an<GAP DESC="illegible" EXTENT="1 letter">+ thing to any Man which cau&s;es pains or death<GAP DESC="illegible" EXTENT="1 letter"> as is, the peru&s;ing one &s;hirt or cloaths, retur+ning the &s;ame again, and the owner upo<GAP DESC="illegible" EXTENT="1 letter">
<PB N="21" REF="11"> wearing them, and all the time of his or her wearing them, pained or tormented. 4th. <HI>The confe&s;&s;ion of Fellow-Witches,</HI> e&s;pecially if appearing penitent, and being called one by one yet all agree in their Te&s;timony; as their having &s;een, and been with them at their &s;u&s;|pected Devili&s;h meetings, plotings. <HI>&amp;c.</HI> And here comes in the report of the <HI>Good or white Witch</HI> (as they call him or her) whereby is meant, the&s;e <HI>Healers</HI> or <HI>Ble&s;&s;ers</HI> (as &s;ome call them) who pretend to know who are bad <HI>Witches,</HI> and where they dwell; and how to heal bla&s;ting, for &s;peaking <HI>&amp;c.</HI> The&s;e being them&s;elves <HI>Witches</HI> and in league with the De|vil, be&s;t know who the&s;e are, and what be their practi&s;es. 5. <HI>A Divine witne&s;s.</HI> where God conde&s;cends to give it, as, when they pray for a token from God of di&s;plea&s;ure again&s;t them if they be guilty; and it accordingly falls out. As it is reported to have been with one <HI>Mother Samuel the Warhoys Witch</HI> that tormented <HI>Mr. Throgmortons</HI> children, who by bitter cur&s;es on her &s;elf if &s;he were guilty; pre&s;ently her <HI>Chin</HI> did <HI>bleed,</HI> the place (as afterwards &s;he con|fe&s;t) where the <HI>Spirits</HI> did <HI>Suck blood,</HI> 6th. And la&s;tly, <HI>The confe&s;&s;ion of the Witches them|&s;elves.</HI> Sometimes the arraign'd <HI>Witches</HI> con|fe&s;s their being in Covenant with the Devil,
<PB N="22" REF="12"> partly upon being charg'd with the guilt, <GAP DESC="illegible" EXTENT="1 word"> of their own accord, or finally, being draw<GAP DESC="illegible" EXTENT="1 letter"> thereto through terror of Con&s;cience.</P>
<P>But now <HI>Sir,</HI> after all that is &s;aid, I de&s;i<GAP DESC="illegible" EXTENT="2 letters"> not to be &s;o under&s;tood, as if hereby I d<GAP DESC="illegible" EXTENT="1 letter">+&s;ign'd to force any into a complyance with th<GAP DESC="illegible" EXTENT="1 letter"> Conclu&s;ions already laid down, further th<GAP DESC="illegible" EXTENT="2 letters"> the rea&s;ons brought by grave Authors alre<GAP DESC="illegible" EXTENT="3 letters"> hinted will per&s;wade; nor do I think the Opi+nions or Practi&s;es of others which may <HI>&s;e<GAP DESC="illegible" EXTENT="2 letters"></HI> to run cro&s;s to &s;omething hitherto a&s;&s;erted are to be taxed by any; &s;o that what is he<GAP DESC="illegible" EXTENT="2 letters"> &s;aid is only to &s;hew you what hath given th<GAP DESC="illegible" EXTENT="1 letter"> <HI>An&s;werer</HI> to your Que&s;tions mo&s;t &s;atisfactio<GAP DESC="illegible" EXTENT="1 letter"> in the&s;e Points. For a conclu&s;ion therefore I would &s;ay, that tho I have adventured on the&s;e few lines in an&s;wer to your <HI>Queries,</HI> therein I do not, nor ineeed can I expect to &s;atisfie all even of the more Judicious, but am apprehen|&s;ive on the contrary, that I may di&s;plea&s;e &s;om<GAP DESC="illegible" EXTENT="1 letter"> of them (for which I &s;hould yet be &s;orry) who may po&s;&s;ibly think that the greatne&s;s o<GAP DESC="illegible" EXTENT="1 letter"> the Task might have forc'd me to a more aw+full di&s;tance, and a giving way to better an<GAP DESC="illegible" EXTENT="1 letter"> greater Undertakers; but finding none hither|to forward for allaying vulgar rude notions <GAP DESC="illegible" EXTENT="1 letter">+bout your momentuous que&s;tions, I have (ye<GAP DESC="illegible" EXTENT="1 letter">
<PB N="23" REF="12"> with all &s;ubmi&s;&s;ion) adventur'd on this &s;hort e&s;&s;ay the que&s;tions handled therein, ra|ther then the an&s;wers, being &s;uch as may pu&s;h others forward to &s;e|cond and much better cares about them; which &s;hould much <GAP DESC="illegible" EXTENT="1 word"></P>
<CLOSER><SALUTE>Sir,</SALUTE>
<SIGNED>Your Friend and Servant.</SIGNED></CLOSER>
</DIV2>
</DIV1>
<TRAILER>FINIS.</TRAILER>
</BODY>
</TEXT>
</EEBO>
</ETS>
