Spirits, their beastly Homages and Conversations. I should hate to be guilty of so much incredulity, as to charge so many grave Judges and credible Historians with lyes.” These Objections at the first view seem very plausible, and to carry with them a great splendour and weight of truth and reason; but if they be looked into, and narrowly weighed in the balance of sound reason, and unbiassed judgment, they will be found too light, and will soon vanish into Rhetorical fumes and frothy vapours: which that it may be more clearly performed, we shall rank them into the number of three, in which all their seeming strength lyes, and these are they. 1. They pretend that these things are sufficiently proved by Historians of unquestionable credit and reputation. 2. That the Confessions of Witches themselves, in divers Regions, at several times and places, who have all acknowledged these particulars, are sufficient evidence of the truth of these performances. 3. That so many wise and grave Judges and honest Juries could not have been deceived, to put to death such great numbers of these kind of people, called or accounted Witches, without sufficient proof of the matters of fact. To all which we shall give a full response, in respect of the four particulars, mentioned in the beginning of this Chapter, and shall commix and adjoyn such positive Arguments as will be cogent to all rational persons, whose corrupt wills have not perverted their judgments. 1. It is much to be admired, that Mr. _Glanvil_ (but especially Bishop _Hall_, a very Reverend and Learned person) should lye any great stress upon such a weak foundation: For there is none of these three Objections that will amount to a necessary Proposition, but only to a contingent one, which will infer no certain and necessary Conclusion, nor bring forth any certitude or science, but only bare opinion and probability. _Propositio contingens est, quæ sic vera est, ut falsa esse possit_: and at the best the strength of all these are but _testimonia humana_, which are but weak, and no sufficient ground for a rational man to believe them to be true, because _humanum est errare_. And the weight of these matters is not a contention _de lana caprina, vel de umbra asini, sed de pelle humana_, for the lives and estates of many poor Creatures, and they professed Christians too, and therefore doth require stronger Arguments than contingent Propositions, to establish a firm ground for the belief of this opinion. [Sidenote: Prov. 12. 22.]