But as Erastus disagreeth herein with himselfe and his freends: so is there no agreement among anie of those writers, but onlie in cruelties, absurdities, and impossibilities. And these (my Lord) that fall into so manifest contradictions, and into such absurd asseverations, are not of the inferior sort of writers; neither are they all papists, but men of such accompt, as whose names give more credit to their cause, than their writings. In whose behalfe I am sorie, and partlie for reverence suppresse their fondest errors and fowlest absurdities; dealing speciallie with them that most contend in crueltie,[a] whose feete are swift to shed bloud, striving (as [b]Jesus the sonne of Sirach saith) and hasting (as [c]Salomon the sonne of David saith) to powre out the bloud of the innocent; whose heat against these poore wretches cannot be allaied with anie other liquor than bloud. And therfore I feare that [d]under their wings will be found the bloud of the soules of the poore, at that daie, when the Lord shall saie; [e]Depart from me ye bloudthirstie men. ♦[a] Isaie. 59, 7. Rom. 3, 15.♦ ♦[b] Eccl. 27, 5.♦ ♦[c] Prov. 1, 16.♦ ♦[d] Jer. 2, 34.♦ ♦[e] Ps. 139, 15. Esai. 33, 15.♦ And bicause I know your Lordship will take no counsell against innocent bloud, but rather suppresse them that seeke to embrue their hands therein; I have made choise to open their case unto you, and to laie their miserable calamitie before your feete: following herein the advise of that learned man Brentius, who saith; _Si quis admonuerit magistratum, ne in miseras illas mulierculas sæviat, eum ego arbitror divinitùs excitatum_; that is, If anie admonish the magistrate not to deale too hardlie with these miserable wretches, that are called witches, I thinke him a good instrument raised up for this purpose by God himselfe. ♦_In epistola ad Jo. Wier._♦