A Guide to Grand-jury Men, Book 2 · Chapter 13
CHAP. XIII. What those things be which Witches doe, by which they doe set their spirits on worke to doe mischiefe, and by which they are said to bewitch.
THough as you hauehave heard,See Cotta, p. 89 90, 91. Delrio, lib. 3. par. 1. q. 1. pa. 354▪ q. 2. q. 3. Witches doe not the harme themselues, yet doe they that which the spirit will hauehave them to doe, before hee will worke the mischiefe.The truth of these things appeares in relations of Witches confessions. Hee sets them on, puts into their hearts euill thoughts: hee inflameth them with rancor, yea and appeareth visibly speaking to them, counselling and vrging them to doe this and that; before hee doth the hurt, they agree; and so the Witch sendeth him, who is ready inough to goe of himselfe, but he will not, in cases of Witchcraft.
That which the Witches doe, are a… Watch-words and Signes, that the Diuell may know, as it were, when, where, and vponupon whom to doe mischiefe. The meanes which they vse, are diuers, and many, by which (as we commonly speake) they bewitch man, or beast.
M. Roberts, pag. 46.By cursing and banning, and bitter imprecations: this is very vsuall with such: and the Diuell encourageth them thereto, as he did one Mary Smith of Linne, the effect whereof fell on Iohn Orkton, whose fingers she wished might rot off, when he was strong and well, and so they did, and his toes too afterward.
By threatnings with curses: as Chattox the Lancashire Witch did one Hugh Moore, Anne Nutter and others, who dyed thereupon.
By Charms & Spels, Lib. 2. cap. 1. Scot, b. 12. ch. 16 & 17. In the summary before the admirable History of the Magician.the words whereof being repeated, the Diu…ll will doe hurt. Bodin mentioneth how a maide could get no butter, when a boy repeated a verse, till he was made to pronounce it backward againe. By a Charme did Gaufredy bewitch one Louyse Chapeau, into whom the Diuell entred.
By certaine formes of words like prayers, vsing the name of God and the Lord Iesus, or the Virgin Mary, whom they call our Lady; seeming hereby to call vponupon them for a blessing, they vse these as a Watchword for their spirits, as when they say, Here is a good horse, God saue him, &c.
By praising and by words of commendations: Li. 2. cap. 4. Lib. 9. cap. 4.this Bodinus confirmeth by many testimonies: and P. de Loyer de spectris, who citeth Au. Gellius his Noctes Atticae for the same: wherevpon the Italians hearing any to praise others very much, say, Di gratia no gli diate mal d'ochio.
Delrio, l. 3. par. 1. q. 4. sect. 1. In the story of the Earle of Rut…an…s children.By their lookes, if with an intent to hurt: thus could one Gamaliel Greete do, into whom whilst he was swearing, a spirit like a white Mouse entred, as Ioane Willimot, the Leicestershire Witch confessed before authoritie.Lib. 2. cap. 4. Bodinus also mentioneth this kinde of hurting, and Virgil, in this verse, Nescio quis oculis, teneros mihi fascinat Agnos.
Bod…n. l. 2. c. 8. In the booke of his life and death.By their breath, as a Witch in the Diocesse of Constance, who blowing, infected the whole body of a man with Leprosie: so did Gaufredy bewitch with his breath.
By touching with the hand or finger, as Ellen Greene, one of the Leicestershire Witches, touched one Iohn Patshets wife and her child in the Midwiues armes, and then sent her spirits to witch them to death.Confessed in his examina…ion. For the spirit Dandy said to the Lancashire Witch Iames Deuice, whē hee went to one Duckworths house, Thou hast touched him, and therfore hauehave I power ouer him. A Witch touched but the brests of a woman that gaue sucke, and d…yed vp her milke: this Danaeus witnesseth,In Dial. de Soruarijs. Mary Sutton, a Bedfordshire Witch, did but touch the necke of one Mr Eng…rs seruants onelyonly with her finger, and he was presently after her departure miserably vexed.
By making pictures of Waxe and Clay of those which they would bewitch,Delrio, l. 4. par. 1. q 4. Sect. 4. lib. 2. and either roast them, or bury them, that as they consume, so wil the parties; a notable story hereof is in Boëtius of one King Duffe, See Scot. b. 12. cha. 16.a Scottish King, which is recorded fully in the Chron. of Scotland, The Lancashire Witch Chattox, and some others were much exercised in this diuellish practice, as their confessions in their examinations doe witnes. Ioane Flower, which bewitched the Earle of Rutlands children, would curse the Lo: Rosse, and take feathers and bloud & boile them together, vsing many diuellish speeches and gestures, as her daughter Philip confessed.
By tying of certaine knots, as Saint Ierome testifieth in vita Hilarionis.
By sacrifices, as Balaam attempted: and as a woman before-named did offer a Cocke, and another a Beetle (as Serres in the French Chronicle witnesseth in Henry the 4. dayes) or some the very paring of nailes, or but a piece of a girdle, as a spirit asked of the forenamed Ioane Flower.
By getting something of those whom they meane to bewitch: So the Witch Flower got the right hand gloue of the Lord Rosses, which shee first rub'd on the backe of her spirit Rutterkin, then put it into hote boyling water, after taking it out, pricking it often, and wished that the Lord Rosse might neuer thriue. There was a Boy at Bradley, which a spirit in for…e of a Toade called Bun; which spirit as he confessed, told him, that to kil a mans horse, which he rode to the water, hee must get the Owner to giuegive him something, as Bread & Cheese,Aust. in Ciu…t. D…. l. 18. or what else, before hee could kill him.
By the Witches giuing something, as inchanted powder, oyntment, hearbs, yea, or apples, or strawberries, bread, cheese, drinke: this hath beene found true many times.
By these (and no doubt many other wayes) they worke to effect their wils, and do bewitch others.