Witchcraft -- England; Witchcraft -- Great Britain; Witchcraft -- Scotland
After her, in 1478, comes "the high and noble princesse Jaquet," Duchess
of Bedford, charged with having, by the aid of "an image of lede, made
lyke a man of arms, conteyning the length of a mannes fynger, and broken
in the myddes, and made fast with a wyre," turned the love of King Edward
IV. from one Dame Elianor Butteler daughter of the old Earl of Shrewsbury,
to whom he was affianced, unto her own child, Elizabeth Grey, sometime
wife to Sir John Grey, knight; and in 1483 poor Jane Shore was bound to do
penance, walking bareheaded and barefooted, clad only in her kirtle,
carrying a wax taper, and acknowledging her sins, because Richard of
Gloucester had a withered arm, and wanted to put a few enemies out of the
way of that arm and its desires. He employed the same accusation against
many of those enemies, but so patently for political motives and without
even the semblance of reason, that these attainders can scarcely be set
down in any manner to the charge of witchcraft. Then in 1484 came the bull
of Innocent VIII., which gave authority to the inquisitors to "convict,
imprison, and punish" the unfortunate servants of the Devil, who thus
found themselves a mark for every one's shaft.
In Henry the Eighth's time treasure-seeking was the most fashionable phase
of necromancy. There was Neville of Wolsey's household, who consulted
Wood--gentleman, magician, and treasure-seeker extraordinary--but only for
a charm or magic ring which should bring him into favour with his prince,
saying that his master the Cardinal had such an one, and he would fain
participate; and he did at last get Wood to make him one that would bring
him the love of women. Wood could find treasures wherever hidden, and was
sure of the philosopher's stone; nay, he would "chebard" (jeopard) his
life but that he could make gold as he listed, and offered to remain in
prison till he had accomplished it, "twelve months on silver and twelve
and a half on gold." In this same reign, too, was arrested William
Stapleton for sorcery. William[96] was a monk of St. Benet in the Holm,
Norfolk, and William loved not his monkish life; so he got out, seeking
money to buy his dispensation. And not having the money at hand himself,
nor knowing how to get it, he took to treasure-seeking as the easiest
manner open to him of making a fortune. But his conjurations and his magic
staff only led him to some Roman remains, and nothing more; so he borrowed
of a friend instead, then settled in Norfolk, and turned to
treasure-seeking again, uselessly; got into intrigues that did him no
good; and had three spirits, Andrea Malchus, Inchubus, and Oberion--the
last a dumb devil who would not speak, being in the service of my Lord
Cardinal.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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