Here _Horace_ (you see) contemneth as ridiculous, all our witches cunning: marrie herein he comprehendeth not their poisoning art, which hereby he onelie seemed to thinke hurtfull. _Pythagoras_ and _Democritus_ give us the names of a great manie magicall hearbs and stones, whereof now, both the vertue, and the things themselves also are unknowne: as _Marmaritin_, whereby spirits might be raised: _Archimedon_, which would make one bewraie in his sleepe, all the secrets in his heart: _Adincantida_, _Calicia_, _Mevais_, _Chirocineta_, _&c_: which had all their severall vertues, or rather poisons. But all these now are worne out of knowledge: marrie in their steed we have hogs turd and chervill, as the onelie thing whereby our witches worke miracles. Trulie this poisoning art called _Veneficium_, of all others is most abhominable; as whereby murthers maie be committed, where no suspicion maie be gathered, nor anie resistance can be made; the strong cannot avoid the weake, the wise cannot prevent the foolish, the godlie cannot be preserved from the hands of the wicked; children maie hereby kill their parents, the servant the maister, the wife hir husband, so privilie, so inevitablie, and so incurablie, that of all other it hath beene thought the most odious kind of murther; according to the saieng of _Ovid_: ——————————————————————_non hospes ab hospite tutus, Non socer à genero, fratrum quóq; gratia rara est: Imminet exitio vir conjugis, illa mariti, Lurida terribiles miscent aconita novercæ, Filius ante diem patrios inquirit in annos._ ♦_Ovid. metamorph. lib. 1._♦ —————_The travelling ghest opprest } Dooth stand in danger of his host, } the host eke of his ghest: } The father of his sonne in lawe, } yea rare is seene to rest Twixt brethren love and amitie, and kindnesse void of strife; The husband seekes the goodwifes death, and his againe the wife. Ungentle stepdames grizlie poi- son temper and doo give: The sonne too soone dooth aske how long his father is to live._ ♦_Englished by Abraham Fleming._♦ The monke that poisoned king _John_, was a right _Veneficus_; to wit, both a witch and a murtherer: for he killed the king with poison, and persuaded the people with lies, that he had doone a good and a meritorious act: and doubtlesse, manie were so bewitched, as they thought he did verie well therein. _Antonius Sabellicus_ writeth of a horrible poisoning murther, committed by women at _Rome_, where were executed (after due conviction) 170. women at one time; besides 20. women of that consort, who were poisoned with that poison which they had prepared for others. ♦[Misp. 86]♦ ♦_Aeneid. 4. lib 4._♦ The fourth Chapter.