A Guide to Grand-jury Men, Book 2 · Chapter 18
CHAP. XVIII. Of the maine point to conuict one of witchcraft, and the proofes thereof.
TO conuict any one of witchcraft, is to proue a league made with the Deuil. In this only act standeth the very reality of a Witch; without which neither she nor he (howsoeuer suspected, and great shewes of probability concurring) are not to be condemned for witches. Without this league, they bee free, though the Deuill hurt mens bodies, kill their ca…tell, and that ill haps fall out, vponupon his or her cursing.
This is the principall point to be enquired after in all enquiries; this must be only aimed at; all presumptions must tend to proue this, and to discouer this league; without which, no word, no touching, no breathing, no giuing nor receiuing, are of force to bewitch any.
If this be not proued, all the strange fits, apparitiōs, naming of the suspected in trances, suddaine falling down at the sight of the suspected, the ease which some receiue when the suspected are executed, bee no good grounds for to find them guiltie of witchcraft, and to hang them.
This league therfore, though neuer so secretly made, is to bee discouered; seeing it is that only which maketh a Witch, & by which all is done, which iustly can be laid to her or his charge.
Now, they that make this league, hauehave a Familiar spirit. For this is true, as soone as the league is made, the spirit, one or moe, is familiar with them, as before is proued. This was proofe sufficient of a Witch in Sauls, and Iosias time.1. Sam. 28. 2. Kin. 23.24. Tthen Witches were knowne to hauehave familiar spirits: and such hauehave they now, by which, after the league made, they worke all their mischiefes.
Now the Witch thus in league and familiarity with the Deuill, is conuicted by these Euidences:
Lib. de Cor…. milit. & Bapt. See Bodin. De Michaelis his desc. of Spirits. Annot. Perkins and others. Delrio, lib. 1. p. 130. l. 2. p. 198.1. By a Witches marke, which is vponupon these baser sort of witches, and this by sucking, or otherwise by the Deuils touching, experiēce proueth the truth of this, and innumerable instances are brought for examples. Tertullian found this true, & saith, It is the Deuils custome to marke his: God hath his marke for his, Ezek. 9. Reu. 7. & 14. The Beast will hauehave his marke, Re. 13. (who is the Deuils Lieutenant) so the Deuil himselfe will hauehave his marke: see the relations of Witches, & the witnes of many learned mē, writing of Witches and witchcraft. Therfore where this marke is, there is a league and a familiar spirit.
Search diligently therefore for it in eueryevery place, and lest one bee deceiued by a naturall marke, note this, from that. This is insensible, and being pricked will not bleede. When the mark therefore is found, try it, but so as the Witch perceiue it not, seeming as not to hauehave found it, and then let one pricke in some other places, & another in the meane space there: its somtimes like a little teate, somtimes but a blewish spot, sometimes red spots like a fleabiting,See the life and death of Lewis Gau…ridus. somtimes the flesh is sunke in and hollow, as a famous witch confessed, who also said, that Witches couer thē, and some hauehave confessed, that they hauehave bin taken away; but, saith that VVitch, they grow againe, and come to their old forme. And therefore, though this marke be not found at first, yet it may at length: once searching therefore must not serue: for some out of fear, some other for fauour, make a negligent search. It is fit therefore searchers should be sworne to search, and search very diligently, in such a case of life and death, and for the detection of so great an height of imp…ety.
II. By Witches words: as when shee or he hath bene heard to call vponupon their spirits, or to speake to them, or to talke of them to any, inticing them to receiue such Familiars, offering one, and counselling to doe something to get one. Also, when they hauehave beene heard telling of the killing of some man or beast, or of the hurting of them, or when they hauehave not onelyonly threatned reuenge vponupon any, or their cattell, but hauehave foretold particularly what shal happen to such an one, and the same sound true, and their boasting afterwards thereof. Furthermore, if they hauehave beene heard to speake of their transportation from home to certaine places of their meetings with others there,Bod…n. his Daemon…. Detrio, lib. 2. q. 16. de d…sq. magicae. of which transportations stories make mention: and also the relations of the Lancashire Witches meeting at Malkin Tower, some 20. together, and were carried by spirits in l…kenesse of Foales, as those Witches confested.
These speeches are to be inquired after, & who can witnes them: for they proue the league and familiarity with the diuell.
III. By the Witches deeds, as when any hauehave seen them with their spirits, or seene to feede some creatures secretly, or where th… Witch hath put such, with the smell of the place, which (as very learned men doe auo…c…, & is found true by experi…nce) w…ll stinke detestably. A…o, when it can be found, that they hauehave made Pictures (as the Lancashi… Witches did) hellish compositions,Delrio, in disq. mag. li. 2. …ar. …. q. 4. s. 4. or any such Witchery Arts, as is before mentioned, cha. 13. Moreouer when they giuegive any thing to any man, or other creature, which immediately causeth either paines, or death.
IV. By the Witches extasies, which some of them hauehave been found in, of which Peter de Loyer, Cap. 1….in his book de spectris. giueth liuely instances, with which the delight hereof Witches are so taken, as they will hardly conceale the same, but will tell it to one or other; and if they do not, it cannot be, but at one time or other they will be found therein.
V. By some one or moe fellow Witches, confessing their owne witchcraft, & bearing witnesse against others, so as they can make good the truth of their witnesse, and giuegive sufficient proofe thereof: as that they hauehave seene them with their spirits, or that they hauehave receiued spirits from them; that they can tell, when they vsed Witcherie tricks to do harme; or that they told to do harme; or that they had done; or that they can shew the marke vponupon them; or that they hauehave bin together in their meetings, and such like, as the Lancashire Witches gaue testimony one against another of these things.
VI. By some witnesse of God himselfe, hapning vponupon the execrable curses of Witches vponupon thēselues, praying God to shew some token, if they be guilty, as fell vponupon Mother Samuel the Warboys Witch, who by bitter curses vponupon her selfe, seeking to cleare her selfe, wishing some signe to be shewed, if she were guilty, presently her chinne did bleed, the very place where her spirits did sucke, as afterwards sh…e confested. So one I…nn…t Pr…st… a York…h…re … was brought to the … one M. Lister bewitched by her to death, which shee no sooner did touch, but the corps bled fresh bloud. Such an euidence sometimes, though not alwaies, is giuen from God, when he is so pleased to detect such malefactors guilty of bloud.
VII. By the Witches owne confession of giuing their soules to the diuell, and of the spirits which they hauehave, and how they came by them.
If any thinke that it is almost impossible to make Witches confess… thus much, they are deceiued; for I find by Histories exceeding many to hauehave confessed, and in our owne Relations of arraigned and condemned Witches, wherein I finde how a Witch hath confessed the fact, to the afflicted, being brought vntounto him, and charged with bewitching him: as Alizon Deuice did to Iohn Law. So to the afflicted friends, as did Mother Samuel to M. Throgmorton. Some to Iustices, when they were examined, as did the Lancashire and Rutland Witches. Some to the Iudges so freely, as made the Iudges and the Iustices to admire thereat, as they did at Lancaster. Some in terrour of conscience, truely apprehending the fearefulnesse of their league made, as did one Magdalen a French Gentlewoman, seduced by Lewis Gaufredy, who also himselfe at length made a large con…ession before his death.
We see therefore, that Witches may be brought to confesse their Witchcraft. And thus much for the sound euidences, more then presumptions, vponupon which they may bee found guilty, and iustly be condemned, and put to death.