_Quaere_, Whether if God would have us to proceed any further than bare _Enquiry_, upon what Reports there may come against any Man, from the World of _Spirits_, he will not by his Providence at the same time have brought into our hands, these more evident and sensible things, whereupon a man is to be esteemed a Criminal. But I will venture to say this further, that it will be safe to account the Names as well as the Lives of our Neighbors; two considerable things to be brought under a Judicial Process, until it be found by Humane Observations that the Peace of Mankind is thereby disturbed. We are Humane Creatures, and we are safe while we say, they must be Humane Witnesses, who also have in the particular Act of Seeing, or Hearing, which enables them to be Witnesses, had no more than Humane Assistances, that are to turn the Scale when Laws are to be executed. And upon this Head I will further add: A wise and a just Magistrate, may so far give way to a common Stream of Dissatisfaction, as to forbear acting up to the heighth of his own Perswasion, about what may be judged convictive of a Crime, whose Nature shall be so abstruse and obscure, as to raise much Disputation. Tho' he may not do what he should leave undone, yet he may leave undone something that else he could do, when the Publick Safety makes an _Exigency_. S. VII. I was going to make one Venture more; that is, to offer some safe Rules, for the finding out of the Witches, which are at this day our accursed Troublers: but this were a Venture too _Presumptuous_ and _Icarian_ for me to make; I leave that unto those Excellent and Judicious Persons, with whom I am not worthy to be numbred: All that I shall do, shall be to lay before my Readers, a brief _Synopsis_ of what has been written on that Subject, by a Triumvirate of as Eminent Persons as have ever handled it. I will begin with, AN ABSTRACT OF MR. PERKINS'S WAY FOR THE DISCOVERY OF WITCHES. I. _There are +Presumptions+, which do at least probably and conjecturally note one to be a +Witch+. These give occasion to Examine, yet they are no sufficient Causes of Conviction._ II. _If any Man or Woman be notoriously defamed for a +Witch+, this yields a strong Suspition. Yet the Judge ought carefully to look, that the Report be made by +Men+ of Honesty and Credit._ III. _If a +Fellow-Witch+, or +Magician+, give Testimony of any Person to be a +Witch+; this indeed is not sufficient for Condemnation; but it is a fit Presumption to cause a strait Examination._ IV. _If after Cursing there follow Death, or at least some mischief: for +Witches+ are wont to practise their mischievous Facts, by Cursing and Banning: This also is a sufficient matter of Examination, tho' not of Conviction._ V. _If after Enmity, Quarrelling, or Threatning, a present mischief does follow; that also is a great Presumption._