A Guide to Grand-jury Men, Book 2 · Chapter 5
CHAP. V. Of the league betweene the Diuell and the Witch, with the sealing and confirmation.
WHen the Diuell hath once appeared vntounto them, hee leaueth them not, till he get them to make an expresse league with him.See the testimony of many, in Detrio lib. 5. Sect. 16. pag. 659. l. 2. q. 4. pa 99.
This he procuteth of some, sometimes at the first comming, sometimes of others, not before the second, or third comming; for all yeeld not so readily to this alike: but howsoeuer; hee is so importunate for this, that he at length preuaileth withall to make them yeeld.
The league on the man or womans part is,In Lavesshire, Bodin. l. 2. cap. 4. to giuegive their soules to him (which hee most commonly asketh, as Witches hauehave confessed) and to renounce God, as hath beene also acknowledged by Gaufredy and others: sometimes the Diuell asketh not onelyonly the soule (as he asketh it o… the sottish sort, which care not for it, so they may thinke their bodies safe) but hee also asketh the whole person, and sometime his goods spirituall and temporall, as the Diuell dealt with Gaufredy, In his life and death.as he plain…ly confessed before he was burnt, who gaue himselfe body and soule, and all to Lucifer. The Couenant on the Diuels part, is his promise, to helpe the poore to foode, the sicke to health, the ref…ll to bee …, the curious to knowledge, the ambitious to honour, as hee did the forenamed Popes, and the satisfying of lust to the lecherous, as he did to Gaufredy, to whom the diuell gaue a seedule signed by himselfe, comprehending the vertue and power of his breath, to inflame any woman or maid with lust, if he could but breathe on them.
This league is vttered either by word of mouth, of such as cannot write; or in writing by others, and that by their owne bloud: so did Faustus also the young m…n spoken of by Master Fox: so hauehave others done (as Bodin relateth) and hauehave subscribed the band with their owne hands;Lib 2. cap. 4. in Co…f…. Wuri. thus many hauehave confessed. And Bodinus deliuereth it for a most certain truth, that such as exercise the Art of Witchcraft, of what kinde so euer (if the Diuell hauehave visibly appeared) do make an expresse league with Satan.
This league being thus made and sealed, hee hath a sacrifice offered vntounto him of some, & of others some (as of their ordinary Witches) hee desireth to sucke bloud: for hee will hauehave his Couenant sealed with bloud one way or other.
He sucketh in diuers parts of the body, as on the crowne of the head,Lancashire Witch. as the boyes of Bradley, on the brests vnderunder the paps, as Alison De…ices, on the thighes,In Bedfordshire. as Mother Suttons and Mary her daughters, vnderunder the right eare,In Lancashire. as Ioane Willimots: vnderunder the left flanke, as Hellen Greenes: the necke, as Philip Flowers: in the secret parts, as Margaret Flowers: the chinne, as Mother Samuels of Warboys. Warboy Witch.Thus the diuels chuse their sucking places, as they please; which they doe, as some hauehave confessed at the change,Ellen G…. or full of the Moone, or when they are set on worke by the Witches.
Besides this sucking, they leaue markes vponupon them, sometimes like a blue spot, as it was on Alizon Deuice, or like a little teate, as it was on Mother Sutton and her daughter, of Milton Milles in Bedfordshire.
These markes are not onelyonly, nor alwayes in the sucking place, for the marke was not on Mother Samuels chinne of Warboys, but they bee often in other very hidden places, as vnderunder the eye-browes, within the lips, vnderunder arme-pits, on the right shoulders, thigh, flanke, in the secret parts,Bodin. de Damon. l. 2. cap. 4. and seate.
Now after all these assurances made betweene them, that Satan may claime them for his owne, then commeth he to be familiar with them. All hauehave not one familiar spirit, but some hauehave moe then others. Some indeed hauehave but one, as old Denob dike: some hauehave two, as Chattox, Ionne Flower, Witches in Northhamptonshire.& Willimot: some three, as one Arthur Bill: some nine, as Mother Samuels of Warboys.
To these they giuegive names; such as I hauehave read of are these: Mephastophilus, Lucifer, Warboys Witch. Leices…gshire. Lancashire Witches. In Gifford Dial. of Witchcraft.Little Lord, Fimodes, Dauid, Inde, Little Robin, Smacke, Lightfoote, Non-such, Lunch, Makeshift, Swart, Pluck, Blue, Catch, White, Callico, Hard name, Tibb, Hiff, Ball, Puss, Rutterkin, Dick, Prettie, Griffet and Iacke. And they meet together to Christen the spirits (as they speake) when they giuegive the spirit a name.
By these familiar spirits they doe what they doe; these they aske counsell of, they send abroad to … their desires, if God giuegive leaue, and they doe verily thinke, that they hauehave these spirits at command, vponupon the making of this damnable and most abominable league, to doe whatsoeuer they please to serthem about.