Devil; Witchcraft -- Great Britain; Witchcraft -- United States
‘Item. there must be subborned some craftie spie, that may seeme to be a
prisoner with hir in the like case; who, perhaps, may, in Conference,
undermine hir, and so bewraie and discouer hir.
‘Item. if she will not yet confesse, she must be told that she is
detected, and accused by other of hir companions; although in truth there
be no such matter; and so, perhaps, she will confesse, the rather to be
reuenged upon hir aduersaries and accusers.
‘If an old woman threaten or touch one, being in health, who dieth shortly
after; or else is infected with the leprosie, apoplexie, or anie strange
disease; it is (saith _Bodin_) a permanent fact, and such an euidence, as
condemnation or death must insue, without further proofe; if anie bodie
haue mistrusted hir, or said before that she was a witch.
‘Item. if anie come in, or depart out, of the chamber or house, the doores
being shut; it is an apparent and sufficient euidence to a Witches
Condemnation, without further triall:
‘Item, if a woman bewitch anie bodies eies, she is to be executed without
further proofe.
‘Item. if anie inchant or bewitch men’s beasts, or come, or flie in the
aire, or make a dog speake, or cut off anie man’s members, and unite them
againe to men or children’s bodies; it is sufficient proofe to
condemnation.
‘Item. presumptions and coniectures are sufficient proofes against
witches.
‘Item. if three witnesses doo but saie, Such a woman is a witch: then it
is a cleere case that she is to be executed with death. Which matter
_Bodin_ saith is not onelie certeine by the canon and civill lawes, but by
the opinion of pope _Innocent_, the wisest pope, (as he saith) that ever
was.
‘Item. the complaint of anie one man of credit is sufficient to bring a
poore woman to the racke or pullie.
‘Item. a condemned or infamous person’s testimonie is good and allowable
in matters of witchcraft.
‘Item a witch is not to be deliuered, though she endure all the tortures,
and confesse nothing; as all other are in anie criminall cases.
‘Item, though the depositions of manie women at one instant are disabled,
as insufficient in lawe; bicause of the imbecillitie and frailtie of their
nature or sex: yet, in this matter, one woman, though she be a partie,
either accuser or accused, and be also infamous and impudent (for such are
Bodin’s words) yea, and alreadie condemned; she may, neverthelesse serue
to accuse and condemne a witch.
‘Item, a witness uncited, and offering himselfe in this case, is to be
heard, and in none other.
‘Item, a Capitall enimie (if the enimitie be pretended to grow by meanes
of witchcraft) may obiect against a witch; and none exception is to be had
or made against him.
‘Item, although the proofe of periurie may put back a witnesse in other
causes; yet in this, a periured person is a good and a lawfull witnesse.
‘Item, the proctors and advocates in this case are compelled to be
witnesses against their clients, as in none other case they are to be
constrained thereunto.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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