It is confessed (saie some by the waie of objection) even of these women themselves, that they doo these and such other horrible things, as deserveth death, with all extremitie, &c. Whereunto I answer, that whosoever consideratelie beholdeth their confessions, shall perceive all to be vaine, idle, false, inconstant, and of no weight; except their contempt and ignorance in religion: which is rather the fault of the negligent pastor, than of the simple woman. First, if their confession be made by compulsion, of force or authoritie, or by persuasion, and under colour of freendship, it is not to be regarded; bicause the extremitie of threts and tortures provokes it; or the qualitie of faire words and allurements constraines it. If it be voluntarie, manie circumstances must be considered, to wit; whether she appeach not hir selfe to overthrow hir neighbour, which manie times happeneth through their cankered and malicious melancholike humor: then; whether in that same melancholike mood and frentike humor, she desire not the abridgment of hir owne daies. Which thing _Aristotle_ saith dooth oftentimes happen unto persons subject to melancholike passions: and (as _Bodin_ and _Sprenger_ saie) to these old women called witches, which manie times (as they affirme) refuse to live; thretning the judges, that if they may not be burned, they will laie hands upon themselves, and so make them guiltie of their damnation. ♦Confession compulsorie; as by Hispanicall inquisition: Looke _Mal. malef. & Jo. Bodin._♦ ♦Confession persuasorie; as by flatterie: Looke _Bry. Darcie_ against _Ursu. Kempe._♦ ♦_John. Bod._ _Mal. Malef._♦ I my selfe have knowne, that where such a one could not prevaile, to be accepted as a sufficient witnesse against himselfe, he presentlie went and threw himselfe into a pond of water, where he was drowned. But the lawe saith; _Volenti mori non est habenda fides_, that is; His word is not to be credited that is desirous to die. Also sometimes (as else-where I have prooved) they confesse that whereof they were never guiltie; supposing that they did that which they did not, by meanes of certeine circumstances. And as they sometimes confesse impossibilities, as that they flie in the aire, transubstantiate themselves, raise tempests, transfer or remoove corne, &c: so doo they also (I saie) confesse voluntarilie, that which no man could proove, and that which no man would ghesse, nor yet beleeve, except he were as mad as they; so as they bring death wilfullie upon themselves: which argueth an unsound mind. ♦_L. absent. de poenis._♦ ♦_L. 2. cum glos. de iis, qui ante sentent. mortui sunt, sibi necem consciscentes._♦