In like manner I saie you may see, that by the prohibition of divinations by augurie, and of soothsaiengs, &c, who are witches, and can indeed doo nothing but lie and cousen the people, the lawe of God condemneth them not, for that they can worke miracles, but bicause they saie they can doo that which perteineth to God, and for cousenage, &c. Concerning other points of witchcraft conteined therein, and bicause some cannot otherwise be satisfied, I will alledge under one sentence, the decretals, the mind of S. _Augustine_, the councell _Aurelian_, and the determination of _Paris_, to wit: Who so observeth, or giveth heed unto soothsaiengs, divinations, witchcraft, &c, or doth give credit to anie such, he renounceth christianitie, and shalbe counted a pagane, & an enemie to God; yea and he erreth both in faith and philosophie. And the reason is therewithall expressed in the canon, to wit; Bicause hereby is attributed to a creature, that which perteineth to God onelie and alone. So as, under this one sentence (Thou shalt not suffer a poisoner or a witch to live) is forbidden both murther and witchcraft; the murther consisting in poison; the witchcraft in cousenage or blasphemie. ♦_26. quæ. 7. non. obser. fact. 1398. act. 17._ _August. de spirit. & anima. cap. 28._♦ The third Chapter. _That women have used poisoning in all ages more than men, and of the inconvenience of poisoning._ As women in all ages have beene counted most apt to conceive witchcraft, and the divels speciall instruments therin, and the onelie or cheefe practisers therof: so also it appeareth, that they have been the first inventers, and the greatest practisers of poisoning, and more naturallie addicted and given thereunto than men: according to the saieng of _Quintilian_; _Latrocinium faciliùs in viro, veneficium in fœmina credam_. From whom _Plinie_ differeth nothing in opinion, when he saith, _Scientiam fœminarum in veneficiis prævalere_. To be short, _Augustine_, _Livie_, _Valerius_, _Diodorus_, and manie other agree, that women were the first inventers and practisers of the art of poisoning. As for the rest of their cunning, in what estimation it was had, may appeare by these verses of _Horace_, wherein he doth not onelie declare the vanitie of witchcraft, but also expoundeth the other words, wherewithall we are now in hand. ♦_Plin. lib. 25. cap. 2._♦ _Somnia, terrores magicos, miracula, sagas, Nocturnos lemures, portentáq; Thessala rides:_ _These dreames and terrors magicall, these miracles and witches, Night-walking sprites, or Thessal bugs, esteeme them not twoo rushes._