--·--- ·Ch.5. I C!.AVifcourjeo}IFirchCJ.ajt. , ___ I caufcMofcs in this place fctting downe a Iudi- 1A . ~ -'-·"-~I ! 63i ci1ll Law againH Witch~s, v!Cth a word of the feminine gcndcr[mecafbephah]..,·hidl ·m cngldh properly llgniticch,a woman Witch: v ..•hc1 r;upon lomc n11ghc gather, chat Vlomcn only were Wit~hcs. Howbeit }.·1ofcs in this word cxcmp– tcth not the male, but oncly v(cch a notion rc– fcning eo chc femlle, !or good caufcs; princi– pally tor rhc!c two. FirH, to giuc vs to vndcdland, tlllt tl~e we– nun bceing the weaker fcxc, is fooncr int:mg- j led by the dcuills il!uGons with this damnaiJJc an, then the man. And in all ages it is found true by experience , that che deuill hath more c:lfily :md ofrncr prcuailcd with women, then with men. Hence it was tlut the Hcbrcwcs of ancient times, vfed it for a~r<?uerbe, Th~mD:e . B wqmm, tht moreI-f/itches•. Hts firH tcmpt:u:on lll rhc beginning wls with Euc a-woLn<m, and fim:c he pud'ucth his-pr3Clife accordingly, 3S making mo!l for his aduantage. For where he findeth c:llidl: cntr3ncc, &: bcficmcnainm,nt, thither wtll he ofrncll retort. Secondly, to rake away all exceptionof pu– nifhmcnt from any partic that fnal praCli(c this trad:,and to 01cwc chat.weakcndfe cannot ex– empt the Witch from death. For in all r~afon, ifany might allcodge infir.mi~ic,& pieJd for fa– uour,it weyc the wom:i,who is weaker then the m3n. Butthe Lord faith, ifany perfon.ofcither (cxc among his pcople,bcJound to h:1uccntrcd coucnant with $3tan,and become apr.aCtifer of Sorcery. though it be a woman and the weaker C vdfcll, {he {hall not cfcapc,ihe. ihallnot be fi.C- ~ fred to liue,ihe mull die the death.And though wcakcncs ln other cafes , m!y lcff<.·n both the crime and the puniChment ;yq in thh·it lhall take no place. . The fccond point in the defcripdotl , is con– fonting to vfo the htlpe •f the deui/1, <iiherb7 open or fop·tt/(ague, witting!J,andn•il!ingly: wherein llattdcth the very thihg, that makctha Wirch to be aWitCh: The yeclding of con(cnc vp'on coucnanr. By which clauiC, t<.'\'? Cons of pco.. pie arc cxprdfcly excluded from bceiog Wit– ches. Firfl, fuch a.s be tainted with pluenzv or madncffe, or 1rc through weakcnclfe·o( the fJ btaincdeluded by the deuilLFor tbdC, t.hough they n1ay bee faid ati:cr a fort to hauc focictic D \Nith Sat:m, or rath~r hce with them, yet they cannotgiue their confcn.t to v(c his aide rruely, but oncly intmagination; with the true Witch it is fJrrc otherwiiC. s·c-condly,1ll (uch fupcrtH– tiousperfons, men or women , as vfc Charmcs ;md Inchamruenr for thecffeCti1·1g of any thing vpon a fitpedlitiou?and erroneous pcrlwalion, .thn the Ch:umcs hnuC vcrtuc ind1e1n to doe I fi1ch thinss.not k1~owing char it is the. aCtion of the dcuil\ l>y tho(e me3nrs; but thinking: dut God hath put venue in them, as he harh done ipto hearbs for Phylickc. Of ru eh pcr(ons \\'CC j l h:mc (.no doabt) 3boundancc in this our L::tnd, who though they dca\c v-.'ickcdly 3nd.fin grie– ttollnv in v(1ng Ch:trmes .ycr becat:fc they inrend not to ioyne league with thC' dn:ill,either 1 fCcrcdy, or fOrmally, they :lrc nor eo be coun. ( red VVHches. Nem:rtheles, thty arc t<.> bee aJ..,.:! ucnifcd in the mcane d1he, 1h.at th~:ir cfl:ne i.~ !l fcarcfull, For their prc(cnt vngod!y pradii"Cs l banc prcp3rcd thC :tlre:ldy to this n11ied rradt·, jl and may bf)ng them itl rimcro b('e tbt• ranckcH Witches that can be. WherdOrc I adui(c otll~lg- ~ 110ram pcrfons, th:tt knovv no( God, no.r the·, Scriptures, to take hccdc and bcv<.:are of thh ; d:mgcrous cudl, the vie ofCharmes.. For i{they i be once convinced in their coni( icncts, and i knowe that God horh giucn no power to fuch ; mc:u.lcs, :nd yet ~1:1\1 v!C them, ~dfuredly they J doe ltl eficel con lent to the deuill to be helped l by him, and d1crClLpon arc iPyncd in ccmfcde.. racic with him in the conhdc-n·cc of their m':nc: heans,and 10 arc becomeVVitchcs. · . 1 The third :mJ !all thing :n the defcription,is theend of'vVirchcraft; Thfwod;jng of wondrrs. Wonders :lrc wrought thr<.·e wayes (as hatlll ;beene fhc'vYed,)e"ithcr ?Y Diuination, or by In-. chantmcnr, or by. Iuglmg: ~pd ro ooc ofthefc:;r three heads,~ll tC3ts & pradi(c~ of \Vitchci-aft 1 arc to be rdCrrcd. , : J ~ I Now if<1ny'nun doubt, whether there bee· fuch \Vitches Jlldced as haue b~eac dc_fCriPcd;' , let him remember 1 that bdld<.-s,c:.:pqnenc.c 1n ! a~l ages and countries, we havc·al(o iundry ex-.... amples ofthem in the Scrip.tu.rc. · \ l In rhc oldcTclbmcnt ..,.c re::~de of Bala:uil , I Num.~1, \O..'ho though he be called a Propher,'\ becaulC he was (o reputed ofmen, yet inde~dc·i' hcc was JnotoriousWitch, bothby -profe!Jioti· andpradi(c, and would hauc (hewed his-cuo~. I ning in that kindcvpon the Ili·oelite.s, if God I 1 had nor hindered him againH- his will. Of th$: fame kinde wei"et)lc Inchanters ofEgyptiE:Ko't, 7· the Witches ofPcdi•, Dan. z. and the Py., thoneffe of Endor, knowne for a reno\\'ltH:<i' Sorcerer oucr all. Ifrad,and rh.creforc Satihfe<I.– uants bccing aSked, could prdCntly ~ell of hen– aswere~de, 1.Sam.28. ~ · :-· ·'-') ., .In the newe Tcfbmcnr, menrion 'is made of · Simon,who(cnome declared his profdTioJ~:bi'$ name "''as Magus; and the text faith .,.that~b~~ . Ml1:d·Witchiraft, and bcwiJcbcd the people of Samaria, calltnt:; himff'lfc a gr<'at man; .ACl.S·. 9· Whence ir w3S1hat :1ft er his death., ther-e 1 -W3s afbtuc:fcrvp in Rome in honoucof:h-im in .the daies ofClaudius Ccfar;\'\it.h this in(cripti... on; Simoni Dco fantfQ. And it is not vnlike, but Bar·irfm the f:dfe Prophc.r at Paphus, wts a man addiCted to the pra8ifes ofv~ritchcrafr, an.d for thrtt cau(e \'\'as called by akind of.d:eci– l"ncLC> EIJm:tJ rhe ~ /Kiagi.cian, AC!.J. j .6:8. th3t is, the gre:lt and famous Sorcher. Lallly, 'tO~ Pythoniffc at Philippi, thAt gat hn·mafler much adHantagehJ diui11ing-, ACt· I6., l6. And alhbcfc vied the helpc·ofthc deuill-, for the working of wonders. Of y\'itches there be !WO forts: 7)Je b.JJe W1tcb, and thegoodWitch: for (o they arc cOm– monly C3lltd . . 1 The \ ------·---- Jull.Marr. Apolog.~d Anton.Pi~.tm.
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