Demonology -- Early works to 1800; Magic -- Early works to 1800; Witchcraft -- Early works to 1800
But to make short worke with the confutation of this bastardlie
queanes enterprise, & cousenage; you shall understand, that upon the
brute of hir divinitie and miraculous transes, she was convented
before M. _Thomas Wotton_ of _Bocton Malherbe_, a man of great
worship and wisedome, and for deciding and ordering of matters in
this commonwealth, of rare and singular dexteritie; through whose
discreet handling of the matter, with the assistance & aid of M.
_George Darrell_ esquire, being also a right good and discreet Justice
of the same limit, the fraud was found, the coosenage confessed,
and she received condigne punishment. Neither was hir confession
woone, according to the forme of the Spanish inquisition; to wit,
through extremitie of tortures, nor yet by guile or flatterie, nor
by presumptions; but through wise and perfect triall of everie
circumstance the illusion was manifestlie disclosed: not so (I say)
as witches are commonlie convinced and condemned; to wit, through
malicious accusations, by ghesses, presumptions, and extorted
confessions, contrarie to sense and possibilitie, and for such actions
as they can shew no triall nor example before the wise, either by
direct or indirect meanes; but after due triall she shewed hir feats,
illusions, and transes, with the residue of all hir miraculous works,
in the presence of divers gentlemen and gentlewomen of great worship
and credit, at _Bocton Malherbe_, in the house of the aforesaid M.
_Wotton_. Now compare this wench with the witch of _Endor_, & you shall
see that both the cousenages may be doone by one art.
♦The Pythonist of west-well convicted by hir owne confession.♦
The third Chapter.
_Bodins stuffe concerning the Pythonist of Endor, with a true
storie of a counterfeit Dutchman._
Upon the like tales dooth _Bodin_ build his doctrine, calling
them _Atheists_ that will not beleeve him, adding to this kind of
witchcraft, the miraculous works of diverse maidens, that would spue
pins, clowts, &c: as one _Agnes Brigs_, and _Rachell Pinder_ of London
did, till the miracles were detected, and they set to open penance.
Others he citeth of that sort, the which were bound by divels with
garters, or some such like stuffe to posts, &c: with knots that could
not be undone, which is an _Aegyptians_ juggling or cousening feat.
And of such foolish lies joined with bawdie tales, his whole booke
consisteth: wherein I warrant you there are no fewer than twoo hundreth
fables, and as manie impossibilities. And as these two wenches, with
the maiden of _Westwell_, were detected of cousenage; so likewise a
Dutchman at _Maidstone_ long after he had accomplished such knaveries,
to the astonishment of a great number of good men, was revealed to be a
cousening knave; although his miracles were imprinted and published at
_London_: anno 1572. with this title before the booke, as followeth.
♦_J. Bodin. lib. de dæmon. 3. cap. 2._♦
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Elsewhere in the archive
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account