A Guide to Grand-jury Men, Book 2 · Chapter 16
CHAP. XVI. That Witches may be discouered, though there be many difficulties therein, and the causes thereof.
IT is not to bee doubted, but that Witches may be detected; this is certaine.
1. From God, in the giuing of his Law against Witches, Exo. 22.18. Thou shalt not suffer a Witch to liue. Which implyeth a discouery of them, or else it could neuer be put in execution, and so should bee a law to no purpose.
2. From History: First diuine: for Saul found our Witches, and executed the Law vponupon them, 1. Sam. 28. And so did good Iosias, 2. Kin. 23.24. Secondly, wee hauehave Chronicles and many relations made of the euident discourse of Witches.
3. How tryals in our owne countrey at many Assises.
So as it is cleere that Witches may be discouered, though it cannot bee denied, but that there are some difficulties therin, and that for these reasons:
I. Because of the secrecy of the grounds of Witchcraft so close and hidden, as being one of the greatest works of darknes committed this day vnderunder the Sun.
II. For that from naturall causes may arise very strange tortures, pangs and torments, as if the afflicted were bewitched in the iudgement of most ordinary apprehensions.
III. Because of cunning counterfeits, who can so liuely expresse the outward & visible apparances of such as are bewitched, as if they were indeed really possessed & bewitched.
IV. For that witnesses may feigne their accusations, yea and confirme them by oath to be true: of which wee hauehave a notable example of one Grace, or rather gracelesse, Sowerbutts, inticed by a Priest or Iesuite called Tomson, alias Southworth, In the tryall of the Witches of Lancaster.to accuse her owne Grand mother, her Aunt, and another woman, all three Protestants, of Witchery, and that she had by them been afflicted, and seene them in their practices of Witchery, in the night, somtimes in one place, & sometimes in another, naming when, where and how, and the ground of all this was, because they wold not become, forsooth, Romane Catholiques: a bloudy practice, fit for a Romanist, and very vnnatural.
V. Because of the strong imagination of such as suspect themselues to bee bewitched, which will make them thinke verily that they see strange apparitions; and for feare will dreame of the suspected, and so may cry out and talke of him or her in their fearefull dreames, the fantasie being oppressed. And if the disease called the Mare, happen to such an one, then their sweating, their mouing, and struggling, with an imagination of one creeping vponupon them, from the feete to their brest, (they awaking in feare and trembling) will make them say and sweare too, that they are bewitched.
VI. For that vaine persons many times are the pursuers of the suspected, who are so transported with rage and vncharitable desire of reuenge, (they still fearing some harme by them, except they can rid them out of the way) that they will ouer-diligently gather matter to strengthen their suspicions: some out from meere imagination; some from words & deeds taken in the worst sense; some from the sight of some creature on a sudden, as a Cat, Weasell, Polcar, or such like, late in the euening, where they saw not any before; some from idle relations of superstitious neighbours; some from accidents hapning vponupon others, vponupon a suspected person, and (their falling out; & if the pursuers be of some abilitie, to these shall bee added the too confident auouching of some flatterers, that such an one is a Witch, and all tending to further the rage of the pursuer, to bring the suspected to his or her end.
VII. Because there may concurre many seeming probabilities, which commonly mis lead many for want of iudgement, and for want of throughly weighing the weight of them in such a case, taking such presumptions for sufficient proofe, when they are nothing so.
VIII. And lastly, for want of deepe search into the subtilty of Satan, who (as is proued) often worketh without any association, or league with the Witch: yea (as is also before declared,) the diseases or death of men or beasts may be meerely naturall, and no work of Satan therein at all, and yet euen in these things he hath his mischieuous deuices, to make them to be cast vponupon some man or woman, altogether innocent of the same and thus he doth it.
He knoweth when his power is granted him of God to doe hurt to man or beast, also hee knoweth the growing of a naturall disease in man or beast: he knoweth the ripening thereof, & at what time it will breake out. Now marke, before his owne act, or that in nature breake out, he stirreth vp some occasion to make the party, man or woman, to be afflicted in their persons, or cattel, to fall out with some angry neighbor, man or woman, either immediately, or some smal time before; that so this act of his owne, or of nature may be imputed vntounto that angry waspish-natured & shrewd-tongued neighbours, so come to bee reputed a Witch: which hee hauing gained by two or three such pestilent practices, he setteth wicked people on to follow such an one to death, that innocent blou… may be shed, & many become guilty thereof, which he thirsteth after. A mischi…uous subtiltie of all the wise-hearted Grand-Iury Gentlemen seriously to be considered of. And this should make angry malicious natures, such as be giuen to cursing, railing and bitter speeches, to be reformed, euen in this respect, lest God punish them, by giuing them ouer vntounto this bloudy practise of Satan, to their shame and destruction.
For these reasons it happeneth, that it is an hard thing to discouer the practices of Witchcraft, without more diligen… search, then is commonly vsed to detect Witches.