The Witch-cult in Western Europe: A Study in AnthropologyMurray, Margaret Alice
Religion
The Witch-cult in Western Europe: A Study in Anthropology
Murray, Margaret Alice
Ethnology; Witchcraft -- Great Britain
'Satan calleth them togither into a Diuelish Sinagoge, and that he may
also vnderstand of them howe well and diligently they haue fulfilled
their office of intoxicating committed vnto them, and whõ they haue
slaine.'[795] 'Such as are absent, and have no care to be assoygned,
are amerced to this paenalty, so to be beaten on the palms of their
feete, to be whipt with iron rods, to be pincht and suckt by their
Familiars till their heart blood come, till they repent them of their
sloath, and promise more attendance and diligence for the
future.'[796] '_Taking account also of the proceedings_ of his other
Schollers, and so approuing or condemning accordingly.'[797] Sometimes
at their solemn assemblies, the Devil commands, that each tell what
wickedness he hath committed, and according to the hainousness and
detestableness of it, he is honoured and respected with a general
applause. Those on the contrary, that have done no evil, are beaten
and punished.'[798]
The usual punishment was beating, which was inflicted for various offences,
chiefly disrespect or neglect of duty. At Arras in 1460 Jean Tacquet, a
rich eschevin, 'had endeavoured to withdraw his allegiance from Satan who
had forced him to continue it by beating him cruelly with a bull's
pizzle.'[799] In Lorraine (1589) the Grand Master seems to have been
peculiarly brutal:
'Jana Gerardina, Catharina Russa, und Francisca Fellaea bezeugten,
dass sie mehr als einmal schwerlich mit harten Streichen hätten büssen
müssen, wenn sie keinen Schaden oder Unglück angestifft hätten. Und
wie Nicolaea Morelia sagt, hat er sie dermassen zerschlagen, dass ihr
der Athem davon ausgeblieben, und sie bey nahe gestorben wäre; Uber
welches sich dann nicht zu verwundern sey, sintemahl er eiserne Hände
habe, mit denen er ihnen so unbarmhertzig die Köpffe zerschlagen, dass
sie deren nicht mehr empfinden.'[800]
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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