The xviii Chapter.

IMPARIBUS meritis triaThis charm seemeth to allude to Christ crucified betweene the two theevs.pendent corpora ramis,Dismas & Gestas,in medio est divina potestas,Dismas damnatur,Gestas ad astra levatur:Englished by Abraham Fleming.Three bodies on a bough doo hang,for merits of inequalitie,Dismas and Gestas, in the midstthe power of the divinitie.Dismas is damned, but Gestas lif-ted up above the starres on hie.Also this:Psal. 44.Eructavit cor meum verbum bonum veritatem nunquam dicam regi.❈ Otherwise: As the milke of our ladie was lussious to our Lord Jesus Christ; so let this torture or rope be pleasant to minearmes and members. ❈ Otherwise:Luk. 4.John. 19Jesus autem transiens per medium illorum ibat.❈ Otherwise: You shall not break a bone of him./260.¶Counter charmes against these and all other witchcrafts, in the saieng also whereof witches are vexed, &c.ERuctavitPsal. 44.Scripture properlie applied.cor meum verbum bonum, dicam cuncta opera mea regi.❈ Otherwise:Domine labia mea aperies, & os meum annunciabit veritatem.❈ Otherwise:Contere brachia iniqui rei, & lingua maligna subvertetur.¶A charme for the choine cough.TAke three sips of a chalice, when the preest hath said masse, and swallow it downe with good devotion, &c./¶For corporall or spirituall rest.188.In nomine patris, up and downe,Et filii & spiritus sanctiupon my crowne,Crux Christiupon my brest,Sweete ladie send me eternall rest!*[* Ital. & Rom.]¶Charmes to find out a theefe.THe meanesO most woonderfull vertue hidden in the letters of S. Helens holie name!how to find out a theefe, is thus: Turne your face to the east, and make a crosse upon christall with oile olive, and under the crosse write these two words [Saint Helen].*[* So in text.]Then a child that is innocent, and a chast virgine borne in true wedlocke, and not base begotten, of the age of ten yeares, must take the christall in his hand, and behind his backe, kneeling on thy knees, thou must devoutlie and reverentlie saie over this praier thrise: I beseech thee my ladie S.Helen, mother of kingConstantine, which diddest find the crosse whereupon Christ died: by that thy holie devotion, and invention of the crosse, and by the same crosse, and by the joy which thou conceivedst at the finding thereof and by the love which thou barest to thy sonneConstantine, and by the great goodnes which thou dooest alwaies use, that thou shew me in this christall, whatsoever I aske or desire to knowe; Amen. And when the child seeth the angell in the christall, demand what you will, and the angell will make answer thereunto.Memorandum,†[† Rom.]that this be doone just at the sunne/261.rising, when the wether is faire and cleere.CardanusCard. lib. 16. de var. rer. cap. 93.derideth these and such like fables, and setteth downe his judgement therein accordinglie, in the sixteenth bookeDe rerum var.These conjurors and couseners forsooth will shew you in a glasse the theefe that hath stolne anie thing from you, and this is their order. They take a glasse viall full of holie water, and set it upon a linnen cloth, which hath beene purified, not onelie by washing, but by sacrifice, &c. On the mouth of the viall or urinall, two olive leaves must be laid acrosse, with a litle conjuration said over it, by a child; to wit thus:Angele bone, angele candide, per tuam sanctitatem, meámq; virginitatem, ostende mihi furem: with threePater nosters, threeAves, and betwixt either of them a *crosse* For if the crosse be forgotten all is not woorth a pudding.made with the naile of the thumbe upon the mouth of the viall; and then shall be seene angels ascending and descending as it were motes in the sunne beames. The theefe all this while shall suffer great torments, and his face shall be seene plainlie, even as plainlie I beleeve as the man in the moone. For in truth, there are toies artificiallie conveied into the glasse, which will make the water bubble, and devises to make images appeare in the bubbles: as also there be artificiall glasses, which will shew unto you that shall looke thereinto, manie images of diverse formes, and some so small and curious, as they shall in favour resemble whom so ever you thinke upon. Looke inJohn Bap. Neap.for the confection of such glasses. The subtilties hereof are so detected, and the mysteries of the glasses so common now, and their/189.cousenage so well knowne, &c: that I need not stand upon the particular confutation hereof.Cardanusin the place before cited reporteth, how he tried with children these and diverse circumstances the whole illusion, and found it to be plaine knaverie and cousenage.¶Another waie to find out a theefe that hath stolne anie thing from you.GO to the sea side, and gather as manie pebles as you suspect persons for that matter; carrie them home, and throwe them into the fier, and burie them under the threshhold, where the parties are like to come over. There let them lie three daies, and then before sunne rising take them awaie. Then set a porrenger/262.full of water in a circle, wherein must be made crosses everie waie, as manie as can stand in it; upon the which must be written: Christ overcommeth, Christ reigneth, Christ commandeth. The porrenger also must be signed with a crosse, and a forme of conjuration must be pronounced. Then each stone must be throwne into the water, in the name of the suspected. And when you put in the stone of him that is guiltie, the stone will make the water boile, as though glowing iron were putthereinto. Which is a meere knacke of legier de maine, and to be accomplished diverse waies.¶To put out the theeves eie.REad the seven *psalmes[* penitential]with the Letanie, and then must be said a horrible praier to Christ, and God the father, with a cursse against the theefe. Then in the middest of the step of your foote, on the ground where you stand, make a circle like an eie, and write thereabout certeine barbarous names, and drive with a coopers hammar, or addes into the middest thereof a brasen naile consecrated, saieng:Justus es Domine, & justa judicia tua. Then the theefe shall be bewraied by his crieng out.¶Another waie to find out a theefe.These be meere toies to mocke apes, and have in them no commendable devise.STicke a paire of sheeres in the rind of a sive, and let two persons set the top of each of their forefingers upon the upper part of the sheeres, holding it with the sive up from the ground steddilie, and askePeterandPaulewhether A. B. or C. hath stolne the thing lost, and at the nomination of the guiltie person, the sive will turne round. This is a great practise in all countries, and indeed a verie bable. For with the beating of the pulse some cause of that motion ariseth, some other cause by slight of the fingers, some other by the wind gathered in the sive to be staid, &c: at the pleasure of the holders. Some cause may be the imagination, which upon conceipt at the naming of the partie altereth the common course of the pulse. As may well be conceived by a ring held steddilie by a thred betwixt the finger and the thombe, over or rather in a goblet or glasse; which within short space will strike against the side therof so manie strokes as the holder thinketh it/263.a clocke, and then will staie: the which who so prooveth shall find true.¶A charme to find out or spoile a theefe.OF this matter, concerning the apprehension of theeves by words, I will cite one charme, called S.Adelbertscursse, being both for/190.length of words sufficient to wearie the reader, and for substantiall stuffe comprehending all that apperteineth unto blasphemous speech or curssing, allowed in the church ofRome, as an excommunication and inchantment.¶Saint Adelberts cursse or charme against theeves.BY the authoritie of the omnipotent Father, the Sonne, and the Holie-ghost, and by the holie virgineMariemother of our Lord Jesu Christ, and the holie angels and archangels, and S.Michaell, and S.John Baptist, and in the behalfe of S.Peterthe apostle, and the residue of the apostles, and of S.Steeven, and of all the martyrs, of S.Sylvester, and of S.Adelbert, and all the confessors, and S.Alegand, and all the holie virgins, and of all the saints in heaven and earth, unto whom there is given power to bind and loose: we doo excommunicate, damne, cursse, and bind with the knots and bands of excommunication, and we doo segregate from the bounds and lists of our holie mother the church, all those theeves, sacrilegious persons, ravenous catchers, dooers, counsellers, coadjutors, male or female, that have committed this theft or mischeefe,This is not to doo good to our enimies, nor to praie for them that hurt and hate us; as Christ exhorteth.or have usurped any part therof to their owne use. Let their share be withDathanandAbiran, whome the earth swallowed up for their sinnes and pride, and let them have part withJudasthat betraied Christ, Amen: and withPontius Pilat, and with them that said to the Lord, Depart from us, we will not understand thy waies; let their children be made orphanes. Curssed be they in the field, in the grove, in the woods, in their houses, barnes, chambers, and beds; and curssed be they in the court, in the waie, in the towne, in the castell, in the water, in the church, in the churchyard, in the tribunall place, in battell, in their abode, in the market place, in their talke, in silence, in eating, in watching, in sleeping, in drinking/264.in feeling, in sitting, in kneeling, in standing[,] in lieng, in idlenes, in all their worke, in their bodie and soule, in their five wits, and in everie place. Curssed be the fruit of their wombs, and curssed be the fruit of their lands, and curssed be all that they have. Curssed be their heads, their mouthes, their nostrels, their noses, their lips, their jawes, their teeth, their eies and eielids, their braines, the roofe of their mouthes, their toongs, their throtes, their breasts, their harts, their bellies, their livers, all their bowels, and their stomach.Curssed be their navels, their spleenes, their bladder. Curssed be their thighs, their legs, their feete, their toes, their necks, their shoulders. Curssed be their backs, curssed be their armes, curssed be their elbowes, curssed be their hands, and their fingers, curssed be both the nails of their hands and feete; curssed be their ribbes and their genitals, and their knees, curssed be their flesh, curssed be their bones, curssed be their bloud, curssed be the skin of their bodies, curssed be the marrowe in their bones, curssed be they from the crowne of the head, to the sole of the foote: and whatsoever isbetwixt the same, be it accurssed, that is to saie, their five senses; to wit, their seeing, their hearing, their smelling, their tasting, and their feeling. Curssed be they in the holie crosse, in the passion of Christ, with his five wounds, with the effusi/on191.of his bloud, and by the milke of the virgineMarie. I conjure theeLucifer, with all thy soldiers, by the *father,* Thus they make the holie trinitie to beare a part in their exorcisme, or else it is no bargaine.the son, and the Holie-ghost, with the humanitie and nativitie of Christ, with the vertue of all saints, that thou rest not day nor night, till thou bringest them to destruction, either by drowning or hanging, or that they be devoured by wild beasts, or burnt, or slaine by their enimies, or hated of all men living. And as our Lord hath given authoritie toPeterthe apostle, and his successors, whose place we occupie, and to us (though unworthie) that whatsoever we bind on earth, shall be bound in heaven, and whatsoever we loose on earth, shall be loosed in heaven: so we accordinglie, if they will not amend, doo shut from them the gates of heaven, and denie unto them christian buriall, so as they shall be buried in asses leaze. Furthermore, curssed be the ground wherein they are buried, let them be confounded in the last daie of judgement, let them have no conversation among christians, nor be/houseled*[* be-houseledtext.]at the265.houre of death; let them be made as dust before the face of the wind: and asLuciferwas expelled out of heaven, andAdamandEveout of paradise; so let them be expelled from the daie light. Also let them be joined with those, to whome the Lord saith at the judgement;Matth. 15.Go ye curssed into everlasting fier, which is prepared for the divell and his angels, where the worme shall not die, nor the fier be quenched. And as the candle, which is throwne out of my hand here, is put out: so let their works and their soule be quenched in the stench of hell fier, except they restore that which they have stolne, by such a daie: and let everie one saie, Amen. After this must be soong ** That is, In the midst of life we are in death, &c.In media vita in morte sumus, &c.This terrible cursse with bell, booke, and candell added thereunto, must needs worke woonders: howbeit among theeves it is not much weighed, among wise and true men it is not well liked, to them that are robbed it bringeth small releefe: the preests stomach may well be eased, but the goods stolne will never the sooner be restored. Hereby is bewraied both the malice and follie of popish doctrine, whose uncharitable impietie is so impudentlie published, and in such order uttered, as everie sentence (if oportunitie served) might be prooved both hereticall and diabolicall. But I will answer this cruell cursse with another cursse farre more mild and civill, performed by as honest a man (I dare saie) as he that made the other, whereof mention was latelie made.So it was, that a certeine sirJohn,*[* i.e. a priest.]with some of his companie, oncewent abroad a jetting, and in a moone light evening robbed a millers weire, and stole all his eeles. The poore miller made his mone to sirJohnhimselfe, who willed him to be quiet; for he would so cursse the theefe, and all his confederates, with bell, booke, and candell, that they should have small joy of their fish. And therefore the next sundaie, sirJohngot him to the pulpit, with his surplisse on his backe, and his stole about his necke, and pronounced these words following in the audience of the people.All you that have stolne the millers eeles,*[* Rom.]A cursse for theft.Laudate Dominum de cœlis,And all they that have consented thereto,*/192.Benedicamus Domino./266.Lo (saith he) there is sauce for your eeles my maisters.¶Another inchantment.CErteine preests use the hundred and eight psalme as an inchantment or charme, or at the leastwise saieng, that against whome soever they pronounce it, they cannot live one whole yeere at the uttermost.The xviii Chapter.¶A charme or experiment to find out a witch.IN die dominico sotularia juvenum axungia seu pinguedine porci, ut moris est, pro restauratione fieri perungunt: and when she is once come into the church, the witch can never get out, untill the *seachers* [= seekers]for hir give hir expresse leave to depart.But now it is necessarie to shew you how to prevent and cure all mischeefes wrought by these charmes & witchcrafts, according to the opinion ofM. Mal.Preservatives from witchcraft according to M. Mal. L. Vairus & others.and others. One principall waie is to naile a horsse shoo at the inside of the outmost threshhold of your house, and so you shall be sure no witch shall have power to enter thereinto. And if you marke it, you shall find that rule observed in manie countrie houses. ❈ Otherwise: Item the triumphant title to be written crossewise, in everie corner of the house, thus:Jesus✠Nazarenus✠rex✠Judæorum✠.Memorandum*[* Rom.]you may joine heerewithall, the name of the virgineMarie, or of the foure evangelists, orVerbum caro factum est. ❈ Otherwise: Item in some countries they naile a woolves head on the doore. ❈ Otherwise: Item they hangScilla(which is either a roote, or rather in this place garlike) in the roofe of the house, for to keepe awaie witches and spirits: and so they doo Alicium also. ❈ Otherwise: Item perfume made of the gall of a blake dog, and his bloud besmeered on the posts and walles of the house, driveth out of the doores both devils and witches. ❈ Otherwise: The house/267.whereHerba betonicais sowne, is free from all mischeefes. ❈ Otherwise: It is not unknowne that the Romish church allowed and used the smoke of sulphur, to drive spirits out of their houses; as they did frankincense and water hallowed. ❈ Otherwise:Apuleiussaith, thatMercuriegave toUlysses, when he came neere to the inchantresseCirce, an hearbe calledVerbascum, which in English is called Pullein, orTapsus barbatus, or Longwoort; and that preserved him from the inchantments. ❈ Otherwise: ItemPlinieandHomerboth doo saie, that the herbe called Molie is an excellent herbe against inchantments; and saie[,] all that therebyUlyssesescapedCirceshir sorceries, and inchantments. ❈ Otherwise also diverse waies they went to worke in this case, and some used this defensative, some that preservative against incantations.And heerein you shall see, not onelie how the religion of papists, and infidels agree; but also how their ceremonies and their opinions are all one concerning witches and spirits.For thus writeth Ovid touching that matter:*[*Ital.]Ovid de Medea.Térque senem flamma, ter aqua, ter sulphure lustrat:She purifies with fier thriseEnglished by Abraham Fleming.old horie headed Aeson,/193.With water thrise, and sulphur thrise,as she thought meet in reason.Againe, the same Ovid commeth in as before:*Adveniat, quæ lustret anus, lectúmque locúmque,Deferat & tremula sulphur & ova manu.Let some old woman hither come,By Ab. Fleming.and purge both bed and place,And bring in trembling hand new egsand sulphur in like case.And Virgil also harpeth upon the like string:*Virg. in Bucolicis.————————baccare frontemCingite, ne vati noceat mala lingua futuro:/268.Of berrie bearing baccar bowze [boughs]Englished by Abraham Fleming.a wreath or garland knit,And round about his head and browzesee decentlie it sit;That of an evill talking tungOur future poet be not stung.Furthermore, was it not in times of tempests the papists use, *or[* ? oforin.]superstition, to ring their belles against divels; trusting rather to the tonging of their belles, than to their owne crie unto God with fasting and praier, assigned by him in all adversities and dangers: according to the order of theThracianpreests, which would rore and crie, with all the noise they could make, in those tempests.Olaus GothusOlaus Goth. lib. de gentib. Septentriona-lib. 3. cap. 8.saith, that his countriemen would shoot in the aire, to assist their gods, whome they thought to be then togither by the eares with others, and had consecrated arrowes, calledSagittæ Joviales, even as our papists had. Also in steed of belles, they had great hammers, calledMallei Joviales, to make a noise in time of thunder. In some countries they runne out of the doores in time of tempest, blessing themselves with a cheese, whereupon there was a crosse made with a ropes end upon ascension daie. Also three hailestones to be throwne into the fier in a tempest, and thereupon to be said threePater nosters, and threeAves, S.Johnsgospell, andin fine fugiat tempestas, is a present remedie. Item, to hang an eg laid on ascension daie in the roofe of the house, preserveth the same from all hurts. *Item,* A witches conjuration to make haile cease and be dissolved.I conjure you haile and wind by the five wounds of Christ, by the three nailes which pearsed his hands and his feete, and by the foure evangelists,Matthew,Marke,Luke, andJohn, that thou come downe dissolved into water. Item, it hath beene a usuall matter, to carrie out in tempests the sacraments and relikes, &c. Item, against stormes, and manie dumme creatures, the popish church useth excommunication as a principall charme. And now to be delivered from witches themselves, they hang in their entries an hearbe called pentaphyllon, cinquefole, also an olive branch, also frankincense, myrrh, valerian, verven, palme, antirchmon, &c: also haythorne, otherwise white[t]horne gathered on Maie daie: also the smoke of a lappoints fethers driveth spirits/269.awaie. There be innumerable popish exorcismes, and conjurations for hearbs and other things, to be thereby made wholsome both for the bodies and soules of men and beasts, and also for/194.contagion of weather.Memorandum,*[* Rom.]that at the gathering of these magicall herbs, theCredois necessarie to be said, asVairusL. Vair. lib. de fascin. 2. cap. 11.affirmeth; and also thePater noster, for that is not superstitious. AlsoSprengersaith, thatto throw up a blacke chickenMal. Malef. par. 2. quæ 1. cap. 15.in the aire, will make all tempests to cease: so it be done with the hand of a witch. If a soule wander in the likenesse of a man or woman by night, molesting men, with bewailingNote that you read never of anie spirit that walked by daie, quoth Nota.their torments in purgatorie, by reason of tithes forgotten, &c: and neither masses nor conjurations can helpe; the exorcist in his ceremoniall apparell must go to the toome of that bodie, and spurne thereat, with his foote, saieng;Vade ad gehennam, Get thee packing to hell: and by and by the soule goeth thither, and there remaineth for ever. ❈ Otherwise: There be masses of purpose for this matter, to unbewitch the bewitched. ❈ Otherwise: You must spet into the pissepot, where you have made water. ❈ Otherwise: Spet into the shoo of your right foote, before you put it on: and thatVairussaith is good and holsome to doo, before you go into anie dangerous place. ❈ Otherwise: That neither hunters nor their dogs maie be bewitched, they cleave an oken branch, and both they and their dogs passe over it. ❈ Otherwise: S.AugustineAug. de civit. Dei. lib. 7. cap. 12.saith, that to pacifie the godLiber, whereby women might have fruite of the seeds they sowe, and that their gardens and feelds should not be bewitched; some cheefe grave matrone used to put a crowne upon his genitall member, and that must be publikelie done.To spoile a theefe, a witch, or anie other enimie, and to be delivered from the evill.UPon the Sabboth daie before sunrising, cut a hazell wand, saieng: I cut thee O bough of this summers growth, in the name of him whome I meane to beate or maime. Then cover the table, and saie ✠In nomine patris✠ &filii✠ &spiritus sancti✠ter. And striking thereon saie as followeth (english it he that can)Drochs myroch, esenaroth, ✠betu✠baroch✠ass✠maaroth✠: and then saie; Holie trinitie punish him that hath/270.wrought this mischiefe, & take it away by thy great justice,Eson✠elion✠emaris, ales, age; and strike the carpet with your wand.¶A notable charme or medicine to pull out an arrowhead, or anie such thing that sticketh in the flesh or bones, and cannot otherwise be had out.SAie three severall times kneeling;Oremus, præceptis salutaribus moniti, Pater noster, ave Maria. Then make a crosse saieng: The Hebrew knightThe Hebrue knight was canonized a saint to wit, S.Longinus.strake our Lord Jesu Christ, and I beseech thee,O Lord Jesu Christ ✠ by the same iron, speare, bloud and water, to pull out this iron:In nomine patris✠& filii✠& spiritus sancti✠¶Charmes against a quotidian ague.CUt an apple in three peeces, and write upon the one; The father is uncreated: upon the other; The father is incomprehensible: upon the third; The father is eternall. ❈ Otherwise: Write upon a massecake cut in three peeces; O ague to be worshipped: on the second; O sicknesse to be ascribed to health and joies: on the third;Pax✠max✠fax✠ and let it be eaten fasting. ❈ Otherwise: Paint upon three like peeces of a massecake,Pater pax✠Adonai✠filius vita✠sabbaoth✠spiritus sanctus✠Tetragrammaton✠ and eate it, as is afore said./195.¶For all maner of agues intermittant.A crossed appension, with other appensions.JOine two little stickes togither in the middest, being of one length, and hang it about your necke in the forme of a crosse. ❈ Otherwise: For this disease theTurkesput within their doublet a ball of wood, with an other peece of wood, and strike the same, speaking certeine frivolous words. ❈ Otherwise: Certeine monks hanged scrolles about the necks of such as were sicke, willing them to saie certeine praiers at each fit, and at the third fit to hope well: and made them beleeve that they should thereby receive cure.Periapts, characters, &c: for agues, and to cure all diseases, and to deliver from all evill.For bodie and soule.THe first chapter of S.Johnsgospell in small letters consecrated at a masse, and hanged about ones necke, is an in/comparable271.amulet or tablet, which delivereth from all witchcrafts and divelish practises. But me thinkes, if one should hang a whole testament, or rather a bible, he might beguile the divell terriblie. For indeed so would S.Barnardhave done, whom the divell told, that he could shew him seven verses in the psalter, which being dailie repeated, would of themselves bring anie man to heaven, and preserve him from hell. But when S.Barnarddesired the divell to tell him which they were, he refused, saieng, he might then thinke him a foole so to prejudice himselfe. Well (quoth S.Barnard)S. Barnard overmatcheth the divell for all his subtiltie.I will doo well enough for that, for I will dailie saie over the whole psalter. The divell hearing him saie so, told him which were the verses, least in readingover the whole psalter dailie, he should merit too much for others. But if the hanging of S.Johnsgospell about the necke be so beneficiall; how if one should eate up the same?¶More charmes for agues.TAke the partie by the hand, and saie;Aequè facilis sit tibi hæc febris, atque Mariæ virgini Christi partus. ❈ Otherwise: Wash with the partie, and privilie saie this psalme,Exaltabo te Deus meus, rex, &c.❈ Otherwise: Weare about your necke, a peece of a naile taken from a crosse, and wrapped in wooll. ❈ Otherwise: Drinke wine, wherein a sworde hath beene drowned that hath cut off ones head. ❈ Otherwise: Take three consecrated massecakes, and write upon the first:Qualis est pater talis est vita: on the second;Qualis est filius, talis est sanctus: on the third;Qualis est spiritus tale est remedium.Pretious restorities.*[* ? restorati[v]es]Then give them to the sicke man, enjoining him to eate none other thing that daie wherein he eateth anie of them, nor yet drinke: and let him saie fifteenePater nosters, and as manieAves, in the honour and praise of the Trinitie. ❈ Otherwise: Lead the sicke man on a fridaie before sunne rising towards the east, and let him hold up his hands towards the sunne, and saie: This is the daie, wherein the Lord God came to the crosse. But as the crosse shall never more come to him: so let never the hot or cold fit of this ague come anie more unto this man,In nomine patris✠ &fi✠lii, & spiritus✠sancti✠. Then saie seven and twentiePater nosters, and as manieAves, and use this three daies togither. ❈ Otherwise:/272.Fécana, cagéti, daphnes, gebáre, gedáco,This is too mysticall to be englished quoth Nota.Gébali stant, sed non stant phebas, hecas,* & hedas.[* 1584,pheb as, hec as]Everie one of these words must be written upon a peece of bread, and/196.be given in order one daie after another to the sicke bodie, and so must he be cured. This saithNicholas Hemingiushe chanced to read in the schooles in jest; so as one noting the words, practised the medicine in earnest; and was not onelie cured himselfe, but also cured manie others thereby. And therefore he concludeth, that this is a kind of a miraculous cure, wrought by the illusion of the divell: whereas in truth, it will fall out most commonlie, that a tertian ague will not hold anie man longer than so,Fernelius.though no medicine be given, nor anie words spoken. ❈ Otherwise: This word,Abra cadabrawritten on a paper, with a certeine figure joined therewith, and hanged about ones necke, helpeth the ague. ❈ Otherwise: Let the urine of the sicke bodie made earlie in the morning, be softlie heated nine daies togither continuallie, untill all be consumed into vapor. ❈ Otherwise: A crosse made of two litle twigs joined togither, wherewith when the partie is touched, he will be whole; speciallie if he weare it about his necke. ❈ Otherwise: Take a like quantitie of water out of three ponds of equall bignesse, and tast thereof in a new earthen vessell, and drinke of it when the fit commeth.Notable follies of the Spaniards & Italians.In the yeare of our lord 1568, theSpaniardsandItaliansreceived from the pope, this incantation following; whereby they were promised both remission of sinnes, and good successe in their warres in the lowe countries. Which whether it be not as prophane and impious, as anie witches charme, I report me to the indifferent reader. ✠Crucem pro nobis subiit✠& stans in illa sitiit✠Jesus sacratis manibus, clavis ferreis, pedibus perfossis, Jesus, Jesus, Jesus:Domine libera nos ab hoc malo, & ab hac peste: then threePater nosters, and threeave Maries. Also the same yeere their ensignes were by the authoritie aforesaid conjured with certeine ceremonies, & consecrated against their enimies. And if you read the histories of these warres, you maie see what victorie they gained hereby. Item, they baptised their cheefe standard, and gave it to name S.Margaret, who overthrew the divell. And bicause you shall under/stand273.the mysterie hereof, I have the rather set it downe elsewhere, being indeed worth the reading.¶For a bloudie flux, or rather an issue of bloud.TAke a cup of cold water, and let fall thereinto three drops of the same bloud, and betweene each drop saie aPater noster, and anAve, then drinke to the patient, and saie; Who shall helpe you? The patient must answerS. Marie.He must answer by none other, for she perhaps hath the curing thereof by patent.Then saie you;S. Mariestop the issue of bloud. ❈ Otherwise: Write upon the patients forhead with the same bloud;Consummatum est. ❈ Otherwise: Saie to the patient;Sanguis mane in te, sicut fecit Christus in se; Sanguis mane in tua vena, sicut Christus in sua pœna; Sanguis mane fixus, sicut Christus quando fuit crucifixus: ter. ❈ Otherwise, as followeth.In the bloud of Adam death was taken✠In the bloud of Christ it was all to shaken✠And by the same bloud I doo thee charge,That thou doo runne no longer at large.❈ Otherwise.Christ was borne atBethelem, and suffered atJerusalem, where his bloud was troubled. I command thee by the vertue of God, and through/197.the helpe of all saincts, to staie even asJordandid,whenJohnbaptised Christ Jesus;In nomine patris✠& filii✠ &spiritus |sancti✠ ❈ Otherwise: Put thy nameles finger in the wound, and make therwith three crosses upon the wound, and saie fivePater nosters, fiveAves, and oneCredo, in the honour of the five wounds. ❈ Otherwise:See J. Wier. cap. 11. conf.Touch that part and saie,De latere ejus exivit sanguis & aqua. ❈ Otherwise:In nomine patris✠& filii✠& spiritus sancti✠&c. Chimrat, chara, sarite, confirma, consona, Imohalite.❈ Otherwise:Sepa✠sepaga✠sepagoga✠sta sanguis in nomine patris✠podendi✠& filii✠podera✠& spiritus sancti✠pandorica✠pax tecum, Amen.¶Cures commensed and finished by witchcraft.THere was a jollie fellowe that tooke upon him to be a notable surgion, in the dutchie ofMentz, 1567. to whom there resorted a Gentleman that had beene vexed with sicknesse, named/274.Elibert, having a kerchiefe on his head, according to the guise of sicke folke. But the surgion made him pull off his kerchiefe, and willed him to drinke with him freelie. The sickeman said he durst not; for he was forbidden by physicke so to doo. Tush (said this cunning man) they know not your disease: be ruled by me, and take in your drinke lustilie. For he thought that when he was well tippled, he might the more easilie beguile him in his bargaine, and make his reward the greater, which he was to receive in part aforehand. When they had well droonke, he called the sicke man aside, and told him the greatnes and danger of his disease, and how that it grew by meanes of witchcraft, and that it would be universallie spread in his house, and among all his cattell, if it were not prevented: and impudentlie persuaded the sicke man to receive cure of him.The surgion here most impudentlie setteth his knaverie abroch.And after bargaine made, he demanded of the sicke man, whether he had not anie at home, whom he might assuredlie trust. The sicke man answered, that he had a daughter and a servant. The cousener asked how old his daughter was? The patient said, twentie. Well (said the cousener) that is fit for our turne. Then he made the mother and father to kneele on their knees to their daughter, and to desire hir in all things to obey the physician, and that she would doo in everie thing as he commanded hir; otherwise hir father could not be restored to his health. In which respect hir parents humblie besought hir on their knees so to doo. Then he assigned hir to bring him into his lodging hir fathers haire, and hir mothers, and of all those which he kept in his house, as well of men and women, as also of his cattell. When she came therewith unto him, according to the match made, and hir parents commandement, he lead hir downe into a lowe parlor,where having made a long speech, he opened a booke that laie on the boord, and laieth thereon two knives acrosse, with much circumstance of words.A pretended conjuration.Then conjureth he, and maketh strange characters, and at length he maketh a circle on the ground, wherein he causeth hir to sticke one of those conjured knives; and after manie more strange words, he maketh hir sticke the other knife beside it. Then fell downe the maid in a swoone for feare; so as he was faine to frote hir and put a sop into hir mouth, after the receipt whereof she was sore troubled and amazed. Then he made hir brests to be uncovered, so as when/275.they were bare, he dal/lied198.with them, diverslie and long together. Then he made hir lie right upward, all uncovered and bare belowe hir pappes. Wherein the maid being loth to obeie him, resisted, and in shame forbad that villanie. Then said the knave; Your fathers destruction is at hand: for except you will be ruled, he and all his familie shall susteine greater greefe and inconvenience, than is yet happened unto him. And no remedie, except you will seeke his utter overthrowe, I must have carnall copulation with you, and therewithall fell into hir bosome, and overthrew hir and hir virginitie. So did he the second daie, and attempted the like on the third daie.Ad vada tot vadit urna quòd ipsa cadit.But he failed then of his purpose, as the wench confessed afterwards. In the meane time he ministred so cruell medicines to the sicke man, that through the torments therof he feared present death, and was faine to keepe his bed, whereas he walked about before verie well and lustilie. The patient in his torments calleth unto him for remedie, who being slacke and negligent in that behalfe, made roome for the daughter to accompanie hir father, who asked hir what she thought of the cure, and what hope she had of his recoverie. Who with teares remained silent, as being oppressed with greefe; till at the last in abundance of sorrowe she uttered the whole matter to hir father. This doothJohannes Wierusreport, saieng, that it came unto him by the lamentable relation of the father himselfe. And this is here at this time for none other purpose rehearsed, but that men may hereby learne to take heed of such cousening merchants, and knowe what they be that take upon them to be so cunning in witchcraft; least they be bewitched: as maisterElibertand his daughter were.¶Another witchcraft or knaverie, practised by the same surgion.Three morsels, the first charmed with christs birth, the second with his passion, the third with his resurrection.THis surgion ministred to a noble man, that laie sicke of an ague, offering unto him three peeces of a roote to be eaten at three morsels; saieng to the first: I would Christ had not beeneborne; unto the second: I would he had not suffered; unto the third: I would he had not risen againe. And then putting them about the sicke mans necke, said; Be of good cheere. And if he lost them, whosoever tooke them up, should therewithall take awaie/276.his ague. ❈ Otherwise: Jesus Christ, which was borne, deliver thee from this infirmitie ✠ Jesus Christ which died ✠ deliver thee from this infirmitie ✠ Jesus Christ which rose againe ✠ deliver thee from this infirmitie. Then dailie must be said fivePater nosters, and fiveAves.¶Another experiment for one bewitched.A cousening physician, and a foolish patient.ANother such cousening physician persuaded one which had a timpanie, that it was one old viper, and twoo yoong mainteined in his bellie by witchcraft. But being watched, so as he could not conveie vipers into his ordure or excrements, after his purgations: at length he told the partie, that he should suffer the paines of childbirth, if it were not prevented; and therefore he must put his hand into his breech, and rake out those wormes there. But the mother of the sicke partie having warning hereof, said she could doo that hir selfe. So the cousener was prevented, and the partie died onelie of a timpanie, and the knave ran awaie out of the countrie.¶Otherwise.MOnsieur BodinJohn. Bodin.telleth of a witch, who undertaking to cure a woman bewitched, caused a masse to be soong at midnight in our ladies chap/pell.199.And when she had overlien the sicke partie, and breathed certeine words upon hir, she was healed. WhereinBodinsaith, she followed the example ofEliasKakozelia.the prophet, who raised theSunamitie. And this storie must needs be true: for goodmanHardivin Blesensishis host at the signe of the lion told him the storie.¶A knacke to knowe whether you be bewitched, or no, &c.ITMal. malef. pa. 1. quæ. 17.Barth. Spin. in novoMal. malef.is also expedient to learne how to know whether a sicke man be bewitched or no: this is the practise thereof. You must hold molten lead over the sicke bodie, and powre it into a porrenger full of water; and then, if there appeare upon the lead, anie image, you may then knowe the partie is bewitched./The xix. Chapter.277.That one witchcraft maie lawfullie meete with another.SCOTUS,Hostiensis,Gofridus, and all the old canonists agree, that it is lawfull to take awaie witchcraft by witchcraft,Et vana vanis contundere. AndScotusScotus in 4. distinct. 34. de imperio.saith, It were follie to forbeare to encounter witchcraft by witchcraft; for (saith he) there can be none inconvenience therein; bicause the overthrower of witchcraft assenteth not to the works of the divell. And therefore he saith further, that it is meritorious so to extinguish and overthrow the divels workes. As though he should saie; It maketh no matter, though S.Paulesaie;Non facies malum, ut indè veniat bonum, Thou shalt not doo evill, that good maie come thereof.HumbertusDist. 4.saith, that witchcraft maie be taken awaie by that meanes whereby it was brought. ButGofredusGofred. in summa sua.inveieth sore against the oppugners thereof. PopeNicholasthe fift gave indulgence and leave to bishopMiraties(who was so bewitched in his privities, that he could not use the gift of venerie) to seeke remedie at witches hands. And this was the clause of his dispensation,Ut ex duobus malis fugiatur majus, that of two evils, the greater should be avoided. And so a witch, by taking his doublet, cured him, and killed the other witch: as the storie saith, which is to be seene inM. Mal.and diverse other writers.The xx. Chapter.Who are privileged from witches, what bodies are aptest to be bewitched, or to be witches, why women are rather witches than men, and what they are.NOW if you will know who and what persons are privileged from witches, you must understand, that they be even suchMal. malef. par. 2. quæ. 1. cap. 1.as cannot be bewitched. In the number of whome first be the in/quisitors,278.and such as exercise publike justice upon them. Howbeit,** Whereof looke more in a little booke set foorth in print.a justice inEssex, whome for diverse respects I have left unnamed, not long since thought he was bewitched, in the verie instant whiles he examined the witch; so as his leg was broken therby, &c: which either was false, or else this rule untrue, or both rather injurious unto Gods providence. Secondlie,such as observe dulie the rites and ceremonies of holie church, and worship them with reverence, through the sprinkling of holie water, and receiving consecrated salt, by the lawfull use of candles hallowed on Candelmas daie, and greene leaves consecrated on Palme sundaie (which things they saie the/200.church useth for the qualifieng of the divels power) are preserved from witchcraft. Thirdlie, some are preserved by their good angels, which attend and wait upon them.But I maie not omit here the reasons, which they bring, to prove what bodies are the more apt and effectuall to execute the art of fascination. And that is, first they saie the force of celestiall bodies, which indifferentlie communicate their vertues unto men, beasts, trees, stones, &c. But this gift and naturall influence of fascination maie be increased in man, according to his affections and perturbations; as thorough anger, feare, love, hate, &c. For by hate (saithVairus)L. Vair. lib. de fascin. 1. c. 12.entereth a fierie inflammation into the eie of man, which being violentlie sent out by beams and streames, &c: infect and bewitch those bodies against whome they are opposed. And therefore he saith (in the favour of women) that that is the cause why women are oftener found to be witches than men. For (saith he) they have such an unbrideled force of furie and concupiscence naturallie, that by no meanes it is possible for them to temper or moderate the same. SoMuch like the eiebiting witches, of whom we have elswhere spoken.as upon everie trifling occasion, they (like brute beasts) fix their furious eies upon the partie whom they bewitch. Hereby it commeth to passe, that whereas women having a mervellous fickle nature, what greefe so ever happeneth unto them, immediatlie all peaceablenes of mind departeth; and they are so troubled with evill humors, that out go their venomous exhalations, ingendred thorough their ilfavoured diet, and increased by meanes of their pernicious excrements, which they expell. Women are also (saith he) monethlie filled full of superfluous humors, and with them/279.the melancholike bloud boileth; whereof spring vapors, and are carried up, and conveied through the nosethrels and mouth, &c: to the bewitching of whatsoever it meeteth. For they belch up a certeine breath, wherewith they bewitch whomsoever they list. And of all other women,Who are most likelie to bewitch, and to be bewitched.leane, hollow eied, old, beetlebrowed women (saith he) are the most infectious. Marie he saith, that hot, subtill, and thin bodies are most subject to be bewitched, if they be moist, and all they generallie, whose veines, pipes, and passages of their bodies are open. And finallie he saith, that all beautifull things whatsoever, are soone subject to be bewitched; as namelie goodlie yoongmen, faire women, such as are naturallie borne to be rich, goodlie beasts, faire horsses, ranke corne, beutifull trees, &c. Yea a freendof his told him, that he saw one with his eie breake a pretious stone in peeces. And all this he telleth as soberlie, as though it were true. And if it were true, honest women maie be witches, in despight of all inquisitors: neither can anie avoid being a witch, except shee locke hir selfe up in a chamber.The xxi. Chapter.What miracles witchmongers report to have beene done by witches words, &c: contradictions of witchmongers among themselves, how beasts are cured herby, of bewitched butter, a charme against witches, and a counter charme, the effect of charmes and words proved by L. Vairus to be woonderfull.IF I should go about to recite all charmes, I should take an infinite worke in hand. For the witching writers hold opinion, that anie thing al/most197.[2]maie be therby brought to passe; & that whether the words of the charme be understandable or not, it skilleth not: so the charmer have a steddie intention to bring his desire about. And then what is it that cannot be done by words? ForL. VairusL. Vair. lib. de fascin. 1. ca. 5.saith, that old women have infeebled and killed children with words, and have made women with child miscarrie;/280.they have made men pine awaie to death, they have killed horsses, deprived sheepe of their milke, *transformed* According toOvidssaieng ofProteus&Medea, which he indeed alledgeth therefore,Nunc aqua, nunc ales, modò bos, modò cervus abibat.men into beasts, flowne in the aire, tamed and staied wild beasts, driven all noisome cattell and vermine from corne, vines and hearbs, staied serpents, &c: and all with words. In so much as he saith, that with certeine words spoken in a bulles eare by a witch, the bull hath fallen downe to the ground as dead. Yea some by vertue of words have gone upon a sharpe sword, and walked upon hot glowing coles, without hurt; with words (saith he) verie heavie weights and burthens have beene lifted up; and with words wild horsses and wild bulles have beene tamed, and also mad dogs; with words they have killed wormes, and other vermine, and staied all maner of bleedings and fluxes: with words all the diseases in mans bodie are healed, and wounds cured; arowes are with wonderfull strangenesse and cunning plucked out of mens bones. Yea (saith he) there be manie that can heale all bitings of dogs, or stingings of serpents, or anie other poison: and all with nothing but words spoken. And that which is most strange, he saith, that they can remedie anie stranger, and him that is absent, with that verie sword wherewith they are wounded. Yea and that which is beyond alladmiration, if they stroke the sword upwards with their fingers, the partie shall feele no paine: whereas if they drawe their finger downewards thereupon, the partie wounded shall feele intollerable paine. With a number of other cures, done altogither by the vertue and force of words uttered and spoken.Where, by the waie, I maie not omit this speciall note, given byM. Mal.Mal. Malef. par. 2. quæ. 2. cap. 7.to wit, that holie water maie not be sprinkled upon bewitched beasts, but must be powred into their mouthes. And yet he, and alsoNider,Nider in præceptorio, præcept. 1. ca. 11.saie, that It is lawfull to blesse and sanctifie beasts, as well as men; both by charmes written, and also by holie words spoken. For (saithNider)Nider in fornicario.if your cow be bewitched, three crosses, threePater nosters, and threeAveswill certeinlie cure hir: and likewiseMal. Malef. part. 2. cap. 8.all other ceremonies ecclesiasticall. And this is a sureMaxime,*[*Ital.]that they which are delivered from witchcraft by shrift, are ever after in the night much molested (I beleeve by their ghostlie fathers.) Also they loose their monie out of their pursses and caskets: asM. Mal.saith he knoweth by experience./281.Also one generall rule is given byM. Mal.A good devise to starve up poore women.to all butter wives, and dairie maides, that they neither give nor lend anie butter, milke, or cheese, to anie witches, which alwaies use to beg therof, when they meane to worke mischeefeMal. Malef. part. 2. quæ. 2, cap. 7.to their kine or whitmeats. Whereas indeed there are in milke three substances commixted; to wit, butter, cheese, and whaie: if the same be kept too long, or in an evill place, or be sluttishlie used, so as it be stale and sower, which happeneth sometimes in winter, but oftener in summer, when it is set over the fier, the cheese and butter runneth togither, and congealeth, so as it will rope like birdlime, that you maie wind it about a sticke, and/198.[2]in short space it will be so drie, as you maie beate it to powder. Which alteration being strange, is woondered at, and imputed to witches. And herehence sometimes proceedeth the cause, why butter commeth not, which when the countrie people see that it commeth not, then get they out of the suspected witches house, a little butter, whereof must be made three balles, in the name of the holie trinitie; and so if they be put into the cherne, the butter will presentlie come, and the witchcraft will cease;Sic ars deluditur arte. But if you put a little sugar or sope into the cherne, among the creame, the butter will never come: which is plaine witchcraft, if it be closelie, cleanlie, and privilie handled. There be twentie severall waies to make your butter come, which for brevitie I omit; as to bind your cherne with a rope, to thrust thereinto a red hot spit, &c: but your best remedie and surest waie is, to looke well to your dairie maid or wife, that she neither eat up the creame, nor sell awaie your butter.¶A charme to find hir that bewitched your kine.PUtA ridiculous charme.a paire of breeches upon the cowes head, and beate hir out of the pasture with a good cudgell upon a fridaie, and she will runne right to the witches doore, and strike thereat with hir hornes.¶Another, for all that have bewitched anie kind of cattell.WHen anie of your cattell are killed with witchcraft, hast you to the place where the carcase lieth, and traile the bowels of the beast unto your house, and drawe them not in at/282.the doore, but under the threshhold of the house into the kitchen; and there make a fier, and set over the same a grediron, and thereupon laie the inwards or bowels; and as they wax hot, so shall the witches entrailes be molested with extreame heate and paine. But then must you make fast your doores, least the witch come and fetch awaie a cole of your fier: for then ceaseth hir torments. And we have knowne saithM. Mal.when the witch could not come in, that the whole house hath beene so darkened, and the aire round about the same so troubled, with such horrible noise and earthquakes; that except the doore had beene opened, we had thought the house would have fallen on our heads.Thomas Aquinas, a principall treator herein, alloweth conjurations against the changelings, and in diverse other cases: whereof I will saie more in the wordIidoni.¶A speciall charme to preserve all cattell from witchcraft.ATIn anie case observe the festivall time, or else you marre all.Easter you must take certeine drops, that lie uppermost of the holie paschall candle, and make a little waxe candle thereof: and upon some sundaie morning rath, light it, and hold it, so as it maie drop upon and betweene the hornes and eares of the beast, saieng:In nomine patris, & filii, et duplex s s: and burne the beast a little betweene the hornes on*[* or]the eares with the same wax: and that which is left thereof, sticke it in crossewise about the stable or stall, or upon the threshold, or over the doore, where the cattell use to go in and out, and for all that yeare your cattell shall never be be/witched.199.[2]❈ Otherwise:Jacobus de Chusa Carthusianussheweth, how bread, water, and salt is conjured, and saith, that if either man or beast receive holie bread and holie water nine daies together, with threePater nosters, and threeAves, in the honour of the trinitie, and of S.Hubert, it preserveth that man or beast fromall diseases, and defendeth them against all assaults of witchcraft, of satan, or of a mad dog, &c.Lo this is their stuffe, mainteined to be at the least effectuall, if not wholsome, by all papists and witchmongers, and speciallie of the last and proudest writers. But to proove these things to be effectuall, God knoweth their reasons are base and absurd. For they write so, as they take the matter in question as granted,/283.and by that meanes go awaie therewith. ForL. VairusL. Vair. lib. de fascin. 1. cap. 1.saith in the beginning of his booke, that there is no doubt of this supernaturall matter, bicause a number of writers agree herein, and a number of stories confirme it, and manie poets handle the same argument, and in the twelve tables there is a lawe against it, and bicause the consent of the common people is fullie with it, and bicause immoderate praise is to be approoved a kind of witchcraft, and bicause old women have such charmes and superstitious meanes as preserve themselves from it, and bicause they are mocked that take awaie the credit of such miracles, and bicauseSalomonSapi. 4.Gali. 3.Psal. 119.saith;Fascinatio malignitatis obscurat bona, and bicause the apostle saith;O insensati Galatæ, quis vos fascinavit?And bicause it is written,Qui timent te, videbunt me. And finallie he saith, least you should seeme to distrust and detract anie thing from the credit of so manie grave men, from histories, and common opinion of all men: he meaneth in no wise to proove that there is miraculous working by witchcraft and fascination; and proceedeth so, according to his promise.The xxii. Chapter.Lawfull charmes, or rather medicinable cures for diseased cattell. The charme of charmes, and the power thereof.BUTDirect and lawfull meanes of curing cattell, &c.if you desire to learne true and lawfull charmes, to cure diseased cattell, even such as seeme to have extraordinarie sicknesse, or to be bewitched, or (as they saie) strangelie taken: looke inB. Googehis third booke, treating of cattell, and happilie you shall find some good medicine or cure for them: or if you list to see more ancient stuffe, readVegetiushis foure bookes thereupon: or, if you be unlearned, seeke some cunning bullocke leech. If all this will not serve, then setJobspatience before your eies. And never thinke that a poore old woman can alter supernaturallie the notable course, which God hath appointed among his/284.creatures. If it had beene Gods pleasure to have permitted such a course, he would no doubt have both given notice inhis word, that he had given such power unto them, and also would have taught remedies to have prevented them.Furthermore, if you will knowe assured meanes, and infallible charmes, yeelding indeed undoubted remedies, and preventing all maner of witchcrafts, and also the assaults of wicked spirits; then despise first all cou/sening200.[2]knaverie of priests, witches, and couseners: and with true faith read the sixt chapter of S.Pauleto theEphesians, and followe his counsell, which is ministred unto you in the words following, deserving worthilie to be called by the name insuing:The charme of charmes.A charme of charmes taken out of the sixt chapter of S. Paule to the Ephesians.Finallie my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might. Put on the whole armour of God, that you may stand against the assaults of the divell. For we wrestle not against flesh and bloud, but against principalities and powers, & against worldlie governors the princes of the darkenes of this world, against spirituall wickednes, which are in the high places. For this cause take unto you the armour of God, that you may be able to resist in the evill daie; and having finished all things, stand fast. Stand therefore, and your loines girded about with veritie, and having on the brestplate of righteousnes, &c: as followeth in that chapter, verses 15. 16. 17. 18. 1Thes.5. 1Pet.5,verse.8.Ephes.1. and elsewhere in the holie scripture.¶Otherwise.IF you be unlearned, and want the comfort of freends, repaire to some learned, godlie, and discreet preacher. If otherwise need require, go to a learned physician, who by learning and experience knoweth and can discerne the difference, signes, and causes of such diseases, as faithlesse men and unskilfull physicians impute to witchcraft.//The xxiii. Chapter.285.201.A confutation of the force and vertue falselie ascribed to charmes and amulets, by the authorities of ancient writers, both divines and physicians.MY meaning is not, that these words, in the bare letter, can doo anie thing towards your ease or comfort in this behalfe; or that it were wholesome for your bodie or soule to weare them about your necke: for then would I wish you to weare the whole Bible, which must needs be moreeffectuall than anie one parcell thereof. But I find not that the apostles, or anie of them in the primitive church, either carried S.Johnsgospell, or anieAgnus Dei*[*Ital.]about them, to the end they might be preserved from bugges: neither that they looked into the foure corners of the house, or else in the roofe, or under the threshhold, to find matter of witchcraft, and so to burne it, to be freed from the same; according to the popish rules.Mal. Malef. part. 2. qu. 2. cap. 6.Neither did they by such and such verses or praiers made unto saints, at such or such houres, seeke to obteine grace: neither spake they of anie old women that used such trades. Neither did Christ at anie time use or command holie water, or crosses, &c: to be used as terrors against the divell, who was not affraid to assault himselfe, when he was on earth. And therefore a verie vaine thing it is to thinke that he feareth these trifles, or anie externall matter.1. Tim. 4, 7.Origin. lib. 3. in Job.Let us then cast awaie these prophane and old wives fables. For(asOrigensaith)Incantationes sunt dæmonū irrisiones idololatriæ fæx, animarum infatuatio, &c.ChrysostomeJ. Chrysost. in Matth.saith; There be some that carrie about their necks a peece of a gospell. But** Marke that here was no latine service.is it not dailie read (saith he) and heard of all men? But if they be never the better for it, being put into their eares, how shall they be saved, by carrieng it about their necks?Idem. Ibid.And further he saith; Where is the vertue of the gospell? In the figure of the letter, or in the understanding of the sense? If in the figure, thou dooest well to weare it about thy/286.necke; but if in the understanding, then thou shouldest laie it up in thine heart.AugustineAugust. 26. quæ. ultim.saith; Let the faithfull ministers admonish and tell their people, that these magicall arts and incantations doo bring no remedie to the infirmities either of men or cattell, &c.The heathen philosophers shall at the last daie confound the infidelitie and barbarous foolishnes of our christian or rather anti-christian and prophane witchmongers. For asAristotlesaith, thatIncantamenta sunt muliercularum figmenta: so doothSocrates(who was said to be cunning herein) affirme, thatIncantationes sunt verba animas decipientia humanas. Others saie;Inscitæ pallium sunt carmina, maleficium, & incantatio.GalenGalen. in lib. de comitiali morbo.also saith, that such as impute the falling e/vill,285. [=203.]and such like diseases to divine matter, and not rather to naturall causes, are witches, conjurers, &c.HippocratesHippocrat. lib. de morbo sacro.calleth them arrogant; and in another place affirming that in his time there were manie deceivers and couseners, that would undertake to cure the falling evill, &c: by the power and helpe of divels, by burieng some lots or inchantments in the ground, or casting them into the sea, concludeth thus in their credit, that they are all knaves and couseners: for God is our onlie defender and deliverer. O notable sentence of a heathen philosopher!/

IMPARIBUS meritis triaThis charm seemeth to allude to Christ crucified betweene the two theevs.pendent corpora ramis,Dismas & Gestas,in medio est divina potestas,Dismas damnatur,Gestas ad astra levatur:Englished by Abraham Fleming.Three bodies on a bough doo hang,for merits of inequalitie,Dismas and Gestas, in the midstthe power of the divinitie.Dismas is damned, but Gestas lif-ted up above the starres on hie.

IMPARIBUS meritis triaThis charm seemeth to allude to Christ crucified betweene the two theevs.pendent corpora ramis,Dismas & Gestas,in medio est divina potestas,Dismas damnatur,Gestas ad astra levatur:

I

MPARIBUS meritis triaThis charm seemeth to allude to Christ crucified betweene the two theevs.

pendent corpora ramis,

Dismas & Gestas,

in medio est divina potestas,

Dismas damnatur,

Gestas ad astra levatur:

Englished by Abraham Fleming.Three bodies on a bough doo hang,for merits of inequalitie,Dismas and Gestas, in the midstthe power of the divinitie.Dismas is damned, but Gestas lif-ted up above the starres on hie.

Englished by Abraham Fleming.Three bodies on a bough doo hang,

for merits of inequalitie,

Dismas and Gestas, in the midst

the power of the divinitie.

Dismas is damned, but Gestas lif-

ted up above the starres on hie.

Also this:Psal. 44.Eructavit cor meum verbum bonum veritatem nunquam dicam regi.❈ Otherwise: As the milke of our ladie was lussious to our Lord Jesus Christ; so let this torture or rope be pleasant to minearmes and members. ❈ Otherwise:Luk. 4.John. 19Jesus autem transiens per medium illorum ibat.❈ Otherwise: You shall not break a bone of him./

ERuctavitPsal. 44.Scripture properlie applied.cor meum verbum bonum, dicam cuncta opera mea regi.❈ Otherwise:Domine labia mea aperies, & os meum annunciabit veritatem.❈ Otherwise:Contere brachia iniqui rei, & lingua maligna subvertetur.

TAke three sips of a chalice, when the preest hath said masse, and swallow it downe with good devotion, &c./

In nomine patris, up and downe,Et filii & spiritus sanctiupon my crowne,Crux Christiupon my brest,Sweete ladie send me eternall rest!*[* Ital. & Rom.]

In nomine patris, up and downe,Et filii & spiritus sanctiupon my crowne,Crux Christiupon my brest,Sweete ladie send me eternall rest!*[* Ital. & Rom.]

In nomine patris, up and downe,

Et filii & spiritus sanctiupon my crowne,

Crux Christiupon my brest,

Sweete ladie send me eternall rest!*[* Ital. & Rom.]

THe meanesO most woonderfull vertue hidden in the letters of S. Helens holie name!how to find out a theefe, is thus: Turne your face to the east, and make a crosse upon christall with oile olive, and under the crosse write these two words [Saint Helen].*[* So in text.]Then a child that is innocent, and a chast virgine borne in true wedlocke, and not base begotten, of the age of ten yeares, must take the christall in his hand, and behind his backe, kneeling on thy knees, thou must devoutlie and reverentlie saie over this praier thrise: I beseech thee my ladie S.Helen, mother of kingConstantine, which diddest find the crosse whereupon Christ died: by that thy holie devotion, and invention of the crosse, and by the same crosse, and by the joy which thou conceivedst at the finding thereof and by the love which thou barest to thy sonneConstantine, and by the great goodnes which thou dooest alwaies use, that thou shew me in this christall, whatsoever I aske or desire to knowe; Amen. And when the child seeth the angell in the christall, demand what you will, and the angell will make answer thereunto.Memorandum,†[† Rom.]that this be doone just at the sunne/261.rising, when the wether is faire and cleere.

CardanusCard. lib. 16. de var. rer. cap. 93.derideth these and such like fables, and setteth downe his judgement therein accordinglie, in the sixteenth bookeDe rerum var.These conjurors and couseners forsooth will shew you in a glasse the theefe that hath stolne anie thing from you, and this is their order. They take a glasse viall full of holie water, and set it upon a linnen cloth, which hath beene purified, not onelie by washing, but by sacrifice, &c. On the mouth of the viall or urinall, two olive leaves must be laid acrosse, with a litle conjuration said over it, by a child; to wit thus:Angele bone, angele candide, per tuam sanctitatem, meámq; virginitatem, ostende mihi furem: with threePater nosters, threeAves, and betwixt either of them a *crosse* For if the crosse be forgotten all is not woorth a pudding.made with the naile of the thumbe upon the mouth of the viall; and then shall be seene angels ascending and descending as it were motes in the sunne beames. The theefe all this while shall suffer great torments, and his face shall be seene plainlie, even as plainlie I beleeve as the man in the moone. For in truth, there are toies artificiallie conveied into the glasse, which will make the water bubble, and devises to make images appeare in the bubbles: as also there be artificiall glasses, which will shew unto you that shall looke thereinto, manie images of diverse formes, and some so small and curious, as they shall in favour resemble whom so ever you thinke upon. Looke inJohn Bap. Neap.for the confection of such glasses. The subtilties hereof are so detected, and the mysteries of the glasses so common now, and their/189.cousenage so well knowne, &c: that I need not stand upon the particular confutation hereof.Cardanusin the place before cited reporteth, how he tried with children these and diverse circumstances the whole illusion, and found it to be plaine knaverie and cousenage.

GO to the sea side, and gather as manie pebles as you suspect persons for that matter; carrie them home, and throwe them into the fier, and burie them under the threshhold, where the parties are like to come over. There let them lie three daies, and then before sunne rising take them awaie. Then set a porrenger/262.full of water in a circle, wherein must be made crosses everie waie, as manie as can stand in it; upon the which must be written: Christ overcommeth, Christ reigneth, Christ commandeth. The porrenger also must be signed with a crosse, and a forme of conjuration must be pronounced. Then each stone must be throwne into the water, in the name of the suspected. And when you put in the stone of him that is guiltie, the stone will make the water boile, as though glowing iron were putthereinto. Which is a meere knacke of legier de maine, and to be accomplished diverse waies.

REad the seven *psalmes[* penitential]with the Letanie, and then must be said a horrible praier to Christ, and God the father, with a cursse against the theefe. Then in the middest of the step of your foote, on the ground where you stand, make a circle like an eie, and write thereabout certeine barbarous names, and drive with a coopers hammar, or addes into the middest thereof a brasen naile consecrated, saieng:Justus es Domine, & justa judicia tua. Then the theefe shall be bewraied by his crieng out.

These be meere toies to mocke apes, and have in them no commendable devise.STicke a paire of sheeres in the rind of a sive, and let two persons set the top of each of their forefingers upon the upper part of the sheeres, holding it with the sive up from the ground steddilie, and askePeterandPaulewhether A. B. or C. hath stolne the thing lost, and at the nomination of the guiltie person, the sive will turne round. This is a great practise in all countries, and indeed a verie bable. For with the beating of the pulse some cause of that motion ariseth, some other cause by slight of the fingers, some other by the wind gathered in the sive to be staid, &c: at the pleasure of the holders. Some cause may be the imagination, which upon conceipt at the naming of the partie altereth the common course of the pulse. As may well be conceived by a ring held steddilie by a thred betwixt the finger and the thombe, over or rather in a goblet or glasse; which within short space will strike against the side therof so manie strokes as the holder thinketh it/263.a clocke, and then will staie: the which who so prooveth shall find true.

OF this matter, concerning the apprehension of theeves by words, I will cite one charme, called S.Adelbertscursse, being both for/190.length of words sufficient to wearie the reader, and for substantiall stuffe comprehending all that apperteineth unto blasphemous speech or curssing, allowed in the church ofRome, as an excommunication and inchantment.

BY the authoritie of the omnipotent Father, the Sonne, and the Holie-ghost, and by the holie virgineMariemother of our Lord Jesu Christ, and the holie angels and archangels, and S.Michaell, and S.John Baptist, and in the behalfe of S.Peterthe apostle, and the residue of the apostles, and of S.Steeven, and of all the martyrs, of S.Sylvester, and of S.Adelbert, and all the confessors, and S.Alegand, and all the holie virgins, and of all the saints in heaven and earth, unto whom there is given power to bind and loose: we doo excommunicate, damne, cursse, and bind with the knots and bands of excommunication, and we doo segregate from the bounds and lists of our holie mother the church, all those theeves, sacrilegious persons, ravenous catchers, dooers, counsellers, coadjutors, male or female, that have committed this theft or mischeefe,This is not to doo good to our enimies, nor to praie for them that hurt and hate us; as Christ exhorteth.or have usurped any part therof to their owne use. Let their share be withDathanandAbiran, whome the earth swallowed up for their sinnes and pride, and let them have part withJudasthat betraied Christ, Amen: and withPontius Pilat, and with them that said to the Lord, Depart from us, we will not understand thy waies; let their children be made orphanes. Curssed be they in the field, in the grove, in the woods, in their houses, barnes, chambers, and beds; and curssed be they in the court, in the waie, in the towne, in the castell, in the water, in the church, in the churchyard, in the tribunall place, in battell, in their abode, in the market place, in their talke, in silence, in eating, in watching, in sleeping, in drinking/264.in feeling, in sitting, in kneeling, in standing[,] in lieng, in idlenes, in all their worke, in their bodie and soule, in their five wits, and in everie place. Curssed be the fruit of their wombs, and curssed be the fruit of their lands, and curssed be all that they have. Curssed be their heads, their mouthes, their nostrels, their noses, their lips, their jawes, their teeth, their eies and eielids, their braines, the roofe of their mouthes, their toongs, their throtes, their breasts, their harts, their bellies, their livers, all their bowels, and their stomach.

Curssed be their navels, their spleenes, their bladder. Curssed be their thighs, their legs, their feete, their toes, their necks, their shoulders. Curssed be their backs, curssed be their armes, curssed be their elbowes, curssed be their hands, and their fingers, curssed be both the nails of their hands and feete; curssed be their ribbes and their genitals, and their knees, curssed be their flesh, curssed be their bones, curssed be their bloud, curssed be the skin of their bodies, curssed be the marrowe in their bones, curssed be they from the crowne of the head, to the sole of the foote: and whatsoever isbetwixt the same, be it accurssed, that is to saie, their five senses; to wit, their seeing, their hearing, their smelling, their tasting, and their feeling. Curssed be they in the holie crosse, in the passion of Christ, with his five wounds, with the effusi/on191.of his bloud, and by the milke of the virgineMarie. I conjure theeLucifer, with all thy soldiers, by the *father,* Thus they make the holie trinitie to beare a part in their exorcisme, or else it is no bargaine.the son, and the Holie-ghost, with the humanitie and nativitie of Christ, with the vertue of all saints, that thou rest not day nor night, till thou bringest them to destruction, either by drowning or hanging, or that they be devoured by wild beasts, or burnt, or slaine by their enimies, or hated of all men living. And as our Lord hath given authoritie toPeterthe apostle, and his successors, whose place we occupie, and to us (though unworthie) that whatsoever we bind on earth, shall be bound in heaven, and whatsoever we loose on earth, shall be loosed in heaven: so we accordinglie, if they will not amend, doo shut from them the gates of heaven, and denie unto them christian buriall, so as they shall be buried in asses leaze. Furthermore, curssed be the ground wherein they are buried, let them be confounded in the last daie of judgement, let them have no conversation among christians, nor be/houseled*[* be-houseledtext.]at the265.houre of death; let them be made as dust before the face of the wind: and asLuciferwas expelled out of heaven, andAdamandEveout of paradise; so let them be expelled from the daie light. Also let them be joined with those, to whome the Lord saith at the judgement;Matth. 15.Go ye curssed into everlasting fier, which is prepared for the divell and his angels, where the worme shall not die, nor the fier be quenched. And as the candle, which is throwne out of my hand here, is put out: so let their works and their soule be quenched in the stench of hell fier, except they restore that which they have stolne, by such a daie: and let everie one saie, Amen. After this must be soong ** That is, In the midst of life we are in death, &c.In media vita in morte sumus, &c.

This terrible cursse with bell, booke, and candell added thereunto, must needs worke woonders: howbeit among theeves it is not much weighed, among wise and true men it is not well liked, to them that are robbed it bringeth small releefe: the preests stomach may well be eased, but the goods stolne will never the sooner be restored. Hereby is bewraied both the malice and follie of popish doctrine, whose uncharitable impietie is so impudentlie published, and in such order uttered, as everie sentence (if oportunitie served) might be prooved both hereticall and diabolicall. But I will answer this cruell cursse with another cursse farre more mild and civill, performed by as honest a man (I dare saie) as he that made the other, whereof mention was latelie made.

So it was, that a certeine sirJohn,*[* i.e. a priest.]with some of his companie, oncewent abroad a jetting, and in a moone light evening robbed a millers weire, and stole all his eeles. The poore miller made his mone to sirJohnhimselfe, who willed him to be quiet; for he would so cursse the theefe, and all his confederates, with bell, booke, and candell, that they should have small joy of their fish. And therefore the next sundaie, sirJohngot him to the pulpit, with his surplisse on his backe, and his stole about his necke, and pronounced these words following in the audience of the people.

All you that have stolne the millers eeles,*[* Rom.]A cursse for theft.Laudate Dominum de cœlis,And all they that have consented thereto,*/192.Benedicamus Domino./

All you that have stolne the millers eeles,*[* Rom.]A cursse for theft.Laudate Dominum de cœlis,And all they that have consented thereto,*/192.Benedicamus Domino./

All you that have stolne the millers eeles,*[* Rom.]A cursse for theft.

Laudate Dominum de cœlis,

And all they that have consented thereto,*/

192.Benedicamus Domino./

266.Lo (saith he) there is sauce for your eeles my maisters.

CErteine preests use the hundred and eight psalme as an inchantment or charme, or at the leastwise saieng, that against whome soever they pronounce it, they cannot live one whole yeere at the uttermost.

IN die dominico sotularia juvenum axungia seu pinguedine porci, ut moris est, pro restauratione fieri perungunt: and when she is once come into the church, the witch can never get out, untill the *seachers* [= seekers]for hir give hir expresse leave to depart.

But now it is necessarie to shew you how to prevent and cure all mischeefes wrought by these charmes & witchcrafts, according to the opinion ofM. Mal.Preservatives from witchcraft according to M. Mal. L. Vairus & others.and others. One principall waie is to naile a horsse shoo at the inside of the outmost threshhold of your house, and so you shall be sure no witch shall have power to enter thereinto. And if you marke it, you shall find that rule observed in manie countrie houses. ❈ Otherwise: Item the triumphant title to be written crossewise, in everie corner of the house, thus:Jesus✠Nazarenus✠rex✠Judæorum✠.Memorandum*[* Rom.]you may joine heerewithall, the name of the virgineMarie, or of the foure evangelists, orVerbum caro factum est. ❈ Otherwise: Item in some countries they naile a woolves head on the doore. ❈ Otherwise: Item they hangScilla(which is either a roote, or rather in this place garlike) in the roofe of the house, for to keepe awaie witches and spirits: and so they doo Alicium also. ❈ Otherwise: Item perfume made of the gall of a blake dog, and his bloud besmeered on the posts and walles of the house, driveth out of the doores both devils and witches. ❈ Otherwise: The house/267.whereHerba betonicais sowne, is free from all mischeefes. ❈ Otherwise: It is not unknowne that the Romish church allowed and used the smoke of sulphur, to drive spirits out of their houses; as they did frankincense and water hallowed. ❈ Otherwise:Apuleiussaith, thatMercuriegave toUlysses, when he came neere to the inchantresseCirce, an hearbe calledVerbascum, which in English is called Pullein, orTapsus barbatus, or Longwoort; and that preserved him from the inchantments. ❈ Otherwise: ItemPlinieandHomerboth doo saie, that the herbe called Molie is an excellent herbe against inchantments; and saie[,] all that therebyUlyssesescapedCirceshir sorceries, and inchantments. ❈ Otherwise also diverse waies they went to worke in this case, and some used this defensative, some that preservative against incantations.

And heerein you shall see, not onelie how the religion of papists, and infidels agree; but also how their ceremonies and their opinions are all one concerning witches and spirits.

For thus writeth Ovid touching that matter:*[*Ital.]

Ovid de Medea.Térque senem flamma, ter aqua, ter sulphure lustrat:She purifies with fier thriseEnglished by Abraham Fleming.old horie headed Aeson,/193.With water thrise, and sulphur thrise,as she thought meet in reason.

Ovid de Medea.Térque senem flamma, ter aqua, ter sulphure lustrat:

Ovid de Medea.Térque senem flamma, ter aqua, ter sulphure lustrat:

She purifies with fier thriseEnglished by Abraham Fleming.old horie headed Aeson,/193.With water thrise, and sulphur thrise,as she thought meet in reason.

She purifies with fier thriseEnglished by Abraham Fleming.

old horie headed Aeson,/193.

With water thrise, and sulphur thrise,

as she thought meet in reason.

Againe, the same Ovid commeth in as before:*

Adveniat, quæ lustret anus, lectúmque locúmque,Deferat & tremula sulphur & ova manu.Let some old woman hither come,By Ab. Fleming.and purge both bed and place,And bring in trembling hand new egsand sulphur in like case.

Adveniat, quæ lustret anus, lectúmque locúmque,Deferat & tremula sulphur & ova manu.

Adveniat, quæ lustret anus, lectúmque locúmque,

Deferat & tremula sulphur & ova manu.

Let some old woman hither come,By Ab. Fleming.and purge both bed and place,And bring in trembling hand new egsand sulphur in like case.

Let some old woman hither come,By Ab. Fleming.

and purge both bed and place,

And bring in trembling hand new egs

and sulphur in like case.

And Virgil also harpeth upon the like string:*Virg. in Bucolicis.

————————baccare frontemCingite, ne vati noceat mala lingua futuro:/268.Of berrie bearing baccar bowze [boughs]Englished by Abraham Fleming.a wreath or garland knit,And round about his head and browzesee decentlie it sit;That of an evill talking tungOur future poet be not stung.

————————baccare frontemCingite, ne vati noceat mala lingua futuro:/

————————baccare frontem

Cingite, ne vati noceat mala lingua futuro:/

268.Of berrie bearing baccar bowze [boughs]Englished by Abraham Fleming.a wreath or garland knit,And round about his head and browzesee decentlie it sit;That of an evill talking tungOur future poet be not stung.

268.Of berrie bearing baccar bowze [boughs]Englished by Abraham Fleming.

a wreath or garland knit,

And round about his head and browze

see decentlie it sit;

That of an evill talking tung

Our future poet be not stung.

Furthermore, was it not in times of tempests the papists use, *or[* ? oforin.]superstition, to ring their belles against divels; trusting rather to the tonging of their belles, than to their owne crie unto God with fasting and praier, assigned by him in all adversities and dangers: according to the order of theThracianpreests, which would rore and crie, with all the noise they could make, in those tempests.Olaus GothusOlaus Goth. lib. de gentib. Septentriona-lib. 3. cap. 8.saith, that his countriemen would shoot in the aire, to assist their gods, whome they thought to be then togither by the eares with others, and had consecrated arrowes, calledSagittæ Joviales, even as our papists had. Also in steed of belles, they had great hammers, calledMallei Joviales, to make a noise in time of thunder. In some countries they runne out of the doores in time of tempest, blessing themselves with a cheese, whereupon there was a crosse made with a ropes end upon ascension daie. Also three hailestones to be throwne into the fier in a tempest, and thereupon to be said threePater nosters, and threeAves, S.Johnsgospell, andin fine fugiat tempestas, is a present remedie. Item, to hang an eg laid on ascension daie in the roofe of the house, preserveth the same from all hurts. *Item,* A witches conjuration to make haile cease and be dissolved.I conjure you haile and wind by the five wounds of Christ, by the three nailes which pearsed his hands and his feete, and by the foure evangelists,Matthew,Marke,Luke, andJohn, that thou come downe dissolved into water. Item, it hath beene a usuall matter, to carrie out in tempests the sacraments and relikes, &c. Item, against stormes, and manie dumme creatures, the popish church useth excommunication as a principall charme. And now to be delivered from witches themselves, they hang in their entries an hearbe called pentaphyllon, cinquefole, also an olive branch, also frankincense, myrrh, valerian, verven, palme, antirchmon, &c: also haythorne, otherwise white[t]horne gathered on Maie daie: also the smoke of a lappoints fethers driveth spirits/269.awaie. There be innumerable popish exorcismes, and conjurations for hearbs and other things, to be thereby made wholsome both for the bodies and soules of men and beasts, and also for/194.contagion of weather.Memorandum,*[* Rom.]that at the gathering of these magicall herbs, theCredois necessarie to be said, asVairusL. Vair. lib. de fascin. 2. cap. 11.affirmeth; and also thePater noster, for that is not superstitious. AlsoSprengersaith, thatto throw up a blacke chickenMal. Malef. par. 2. quæ 1. cap. 15.in the aire, will make all tempests to cease: so it be done with the hand of a witch. If a soule wander in the likenesse of a man or woman by night, molesting men, with bewailingNote that you read never of anie spirit that walked by daie, quoth Nota.their torments in purgatorie, by reason of tithes forgotten, &c: and neither masses nor conjurations can helpe; the exorcist in his ceremoniall apparell must go to the toome of that bodie, and spurne thereat, with his foote, saieng;Vade ad gehennam, Get thee packing to hell: and by and by the soule goeth thither, and there remaineth for ever. ❈ Otherwise: There be masses of purpose for this matter, to unbewitch the bewitched. ❈ Otherwise: You must spet into the pissepot, where you have made water. ❈ Otherwise: Spet into the shoo of your right foote, before you put it on: and thatVairussaith is good and holsome to doo, before you go into anie dangerous place. ❈ Otherwise: That neither hunters nor their dogs maie be bewitched, they cleave an oken branch, and both they and their dogs passe over it. ❈ Otherwise: S.AugustineAug. de civit. Dei. lib. 7. cap. 12.saith, that to pacifie the godLiber, whereby women might have fruite of the seeds they sowe, and that their gardens and feelds should not be bewitched; some cheefe grave matrone used to put a crowne upon his genitall member, and that must be publikelie done.

UPon the Sabboth daie before sunrising, cut a hazell wand, saieng: I cut thee O bough of this summers growth, in the name of him whome I meane to beate or maime. Then cover the table, and saie ✠In nomine patris✠ &filii✠ &spiritus sancti✠ter. And striking thereon saie as followeth (english it he that can)Drochs myroch, esenaroth, ✠betu✠baroch✠ass✠maaroth✠: and then saie; Holie trinitie punish him that hath/270.wrought this mischiefe, & take it away by thy great justice,Eson✠elion✠emaris, ales, age; and strike the carpet with your wand.

SAie three severall times kneeling;Oremus, præceptis salutaribus moniti, Pater noster, ave Maria. Then make a crosse saieng: The Hebrew knightThe Hebrue knight was canonized a saint to wit, S.Longinus.strake our Lord Jesu Christ, and I beseech thee,O Lord Jesu Christ ✠ by the same iron, speare, bloud and water, to pull out this iron:In nomine patris✠& filii✠& spiritus sancti✠

CUt an apple in three peeces, and write upon the one; The father is uncreated: upon the other; The father is incomprehensible: upon the third; The father is eternall. ❈ Otherwise: Write upon a massecake cut in three peeces; O ague to be worshipped: on the second; O sicknesse to be ascribed to health and joies: on the third;Pax✠max✠fax✠ and let it be eaten fasting. ❈ Otherwise: Paint upon three like peeces of a massecake,Pater pax✠Adonai✠filius vita✠sabbaoth✠spiritus sanctus✠Tetragrammaton✠ and eate it, as is afore said./

A crossed appension, with other appensions.JOine two little stickes togither in the middest, being of one length, and hang it about your necke in the forme of a crosse. ❈ Otherwise: For this disease theTurkesput within their doublet a ball of wood, with an other peece of wood, and strike the same, speaking certeine frivolous words. ❈ Otherwise: Certeine monks hanged scrolles about the necks of such as were sicke, willing them to saie certeine praiers at each fit, and at the third fit to hope well: and made them beleeve that they should thereby receive cure.

For bodie and soule.THe first chapter of S.Johnsgospell in small letters consecrated at a masse, and hanged about ones necke, is an in/comparable271.amulet or tablet, which delivereth from all witchcrafts and divelish practises. But me thinkes, if one should hang a whole testament, or rather a bible, he might beguile the divell terriblie. For indeed so would S.Barnardhave done, whom the divell told, that he could shew him seven verses in the psalter, which being dailie repeated, would of themselves bring anie man to heaven, and preserve him from hell. But when S.Barnarddesired the divell to tell him which they were, he refused, saieng, he might then thinke him a foole so to prejudice himselfe. Well (quoth S.Barnard)S. Barnard overmatcheth the divell for all his subtiltie.I will doo well enough for that, for I will dailie saie over the whole psalter. The divell hearing him saie so, told him which were the verses, least in readingover the whole psalter dailie, he should merit too much for others. But if the hanging of S.Johnsgospell about the necke be so beneficiall; how if one should eate up the same?

TAke the partie by the hand, and saie;Aequè facilis sit tibi hæc febris, atque Mariæ virgini Christi partus. ❈ Otherwise: Wash with the partie, and privilie saie this psalme,Exaltabo te Deus meus, rex, &c.❈ Otherwise: Weare about your necke, a peece of a naile taken from a crosse, and wrapped in wooll. ❈ Otherwise: Drinke wine, wherein a sworde hath beene drowned that hath cut off ones head. ❈ Otherwise: Take three consecrated massecakes, and write upon the first:Qualis est pater talis est vita: on the second;Qualis est filius, talis est sanctus: on the third;Qualis est spiritus tale est remedium.Pretious restorities.*[* ? restorati[v]es]Then give them to the sicke man, enjoining him to eate none other thing that daie wherein he eateth anie of them, nor yet drinke: and let him saie fifteenePater nosters, and as manieAves, in the honour and praise of the Trinitie. ❈ Otherwise: Lead the sicke man on a fridaie before sunne rising towards the east, and let him hold up his hands towards the sunne, and saie: This is the daie, wherein the Lord God came to the crosse. But as the crosse shall never more come to him: so let never the hot or cold fit of this ague come anie more unto this man,In nomine patris✠ &fi✠lii, & spiritus✠sancti✠. Then saie seven and twentiePater nosters, and as manieAves, and use this three daies togither. ❈ Otherwise:/

272.Fécana, cagéti, daphnes, gebáre, gedáco,This is too mysticall to be englished quoth Nota.Gébali stant, sed non stant phebas, hecas,* & hedas.[* 1584,pheb as, hec as]

272.Fécana, cagéti, daphnes, gebáre, gedáco,This is too mysticall to be englished quoth Nota.Gébali stant, sed non stant phebas, hecas,* & hedas.[* 1584,pheb as, hec as]

272.Fécana, cagéti, daphnes, gebáre, gedáco,

This is too mysticall to be englished quoth Nota.Gébali stant, sed non stant phebas, hecas,* & hedas.[* 1584,pheb as, hec as]

Everie one of these words must be written upon a peece of bread, and/196.be given in order one daie after another to the sicke bodie, and so must he be cured. This saithNicholas Hemingiushe chanced to read in the schooles in jest; so as one noting the words, practised the medicine in earnest; and was not onelie cured himselfe, but also cured manie others thereby. And therefore he concludeth, that this is a kind of a miraculous cure, wrought by the illusion of the divell: whereas in truth, it will fall out most commonlie, that a tertian ague will not hold anie man longer than so,Fernelius.though no medicine be given, nor anie words spoken. ❈ Otherwise: This word,Abra cadabrawritten on a paper, with a certeine figure joined therewith, and hanged about ones necke, helpeth the ague. ❈ Otherwise: Let the urine of the sicke bodie made earlie in the morning, be softlie heated nine daies togither continuallie, untill all be consumed into vapor. ❈ Otherwise: A crosse made of two litle twigs joined togither, wherewith when the partie is touched, he will be whole; speciallie if he weare it about his necke. ❈ Otherwise: Take a like quantitie of water out of three ponds of equall bignesse, and tast thereof in a new earthen vessell, and drinke of it when the fit commeth.

Notable follies of the Spaniards & Italians.In the yeare of our lord 1568, theSpaniardsandItaliansreceived from the pope, this incantation following; whereby they were promised both remission of sinnes, and good successe in their warres in the lowe countries. Which whether it be not as prophane and impious, as anie witches charme, I report me to the indifferent reader. ✠Crucem pro nobis subiit✠& stans in illa sitiit✠Jesus sacratis manibus, clavis ferreis, pedibus perfossis, Jesus, Jesus, Jesus:Domine libera nos ab hoc malo, & ab hac peste: then threePater nosters, and threeave Maries. Also the same yeere their ensignes were by the authoritie aforesaid conjured with certeine ceremonies, & consecrated against their enimies. And if you read the histories of these warres, you maie see what victorie they gained hereby. Item, they baptised their cheefe standard, and gave it to name S.Margaret, who overthrew the divell. And bicause you shall under/stand273.the mysterie hereof, I have the rather set it downe elsewhere, being indeed worth the reading.

TAke a cup of cold water, and let fall thereinto three drops of the same bloud, and betweene each drop saie aPater noster, and anAve, then drinke to the patient, and saie; Who shall helpe you? The patient must answerS. Marie.He must answer by none other, for she perhaps hath the curing thereof by patent.Then saie you;S. Mariestop the issue of bloud. ❈ Otherwise: Write upon the patients forhead with the same bloud;Consummatum est. ❈ Otherwise: Saie to the patient;Sanguis mane in te, sicut fecit Christus in se; Sanguis mane in tua vena, sicut Christus in sua pœna; Sanguis mane fixus, sicut Christus quando fuit crucifixus: ter. ❈ Otherwise, as followeth.

In the bloud of Adam death was taken✠In the bloud of Christ it was all to shaken✠And by the same bloud I doo thee charge,That thou doo runne no longer at large.❈ Otherwise.

In the bloud of Adam death was taken✠In the bloud of Christ it was all to shaken✠And by the same bloud I doo thee charge,That thou doo runne no longer at large.❈ Otherwise.

In the bloud of Adam death was taken✠

In the bloud of Christ it was all to shaken✠

And by the same bloud I doo thee charge,

That thou doo runne no longer at large.❈ Otherwise.

Christ was borne atBethelem, and suffered atJerusalem, where his bloud was troubled. I command thee by the vertue of God, and through/197.the helpe of all saincts, to staie even asJordandid,whenJohnbaptised Christ Jesus;In nomine patris✠& filii✠ &spiritus |sancti✠ ❈ Otherwise: Put thy nameles finger in the wound, and make therwith three crosses upon the wound, and saie fivePater nosters, fiveAves, and oneCredo, in the honour of the five wounds. ❈ Otherwise:See J. Wier. cap. 11. conf.Touch that part and saie,De latere ejus exivit sanguis & aqua. ❈ Otherwise:In nomine patris✠& filii✠& spiritus sancti✠&c. Chimrat, chara, sarite, confirma, consona, Imohalite.❈ Otherwise:Sepa✠sepaga✠sepagoga✠sta sanguis in nomine patris✠podendi✠& filii✠podera✠& spiritus sancti✠pandorica✠pax tecum, Amen.

THere was a jollie fellowe that tooke upon him to be a notable surgion, in the dutchie ofMentz, 1567. to whom there resorted a Gentleman that had beene vexed with sicknesse, named/274.Elibert, having a kerchiefe on his head, according to the guise of sicke folke. But the surgion made him pull off his kerchiefe, and willed him to drinke with him freelie. The sickeman said he durst not; for he was forbidden by physicke so to doo. Tush (said this cunning man) they know not your disease: be ruled by me, and take in your drinke lustilie. For he thought that when he was well tippled, he might the more easilie beguile him in his bargaine, and make his reward the greater, which he was to receive in part aforehand. When they had well droonke, he called the sicke man aside, and told him the greatnes and danger of his disease, and how that it grew by meanes of witchcraft, and that it would be universallie spread in his house, and among all his cattell, if it were not prevented: and impudentlie persuaded the sicke man to receive cure of him.The surgion here most impudentlie setteth his knaverie abroch.And after bargaine made, he demanded of the sicke man, whether he had not anie at home, whom he might assuredlie trust. The sicke man answered, that he had a daughter and a servant. The cousener asked how old his daughter was? The patient said, twentie. Well (said the cousener) that is fit for our turne. Then he made the mother and father to kneele on their knees to their daughter, and to desire hir in all things to obey the physician, and that she would doo in everie thing as he commanded hir; otherwise hir father could not be restored to his health. In which respect hir parents humblie besought hir on their knees so to doo. Then he assigned hir to bring him into his lodging hir fathers haire, and hir mothers, and of all those which he kept in his house, as well of men and women, as also of his cattell. When she came therewith unto him, according to the match made, and hir parents commandement, he lead hir downe into a lowe parlor,where having made a long speech, he opened a booke that laie on the boord, and laieth thereon two knives acrosse, with much circumstance of words.A pretended conjuration.Then conjureth he, and maketh strange characters, and at length he maketh a circle on the ground, wherein he causeth hir to sticke one of those conjured knives; and after manie more strange words, he maketh hir sticke the other knife beside it. Then fell downe the maid in a swoone for feare; so as he was faine to frote hir and put a sop into hir mouth, after the receipt whereof she was sore troubled and amazed. Then he made hir brests to be uncovered, so as when/275.they were bare, he dal/lied198.with them, diverslie and long together. Then he made hir lie right upward, all uncovered and bare belowe hir pappes. Wherein the maid being loth to obeie him, resisted, and in shame forbad that villanie. Then said the knave; Your fathers destruction is at hand: for except you will be ruled, he and all his familie shall susteine greater greefe and inconvenience, than is yet happened unto him. And no remedie, except you will seeke his utter overthrowe, I must have carnall copulation with you, and therewithall fell into hir bosome, and overthrew hir and hir virginitie. So did he the second daie, and attempted the like on the third daie.Ad vada tot vadit urna quòd ipsa cadit.But he failed then of his purpose, as the wench confessed afterwards. In the meane time he ministred so cruell medicines to the sicke man, that through the torments therof he feared present death, and was faine to keepe his bed, whereas he walked about before verie well and lustilie. The patient in his torments calleth unto him for remedie, who being slacke and negligent in that behalfe, made roome for the daughter to accompanie hir father, who asked hir what she thought of the cure, and what hope she had of his recoverie. Who with teares remained silent, as being oppressed with greefe; till at the last in abundance of sorrowe she uttered the whole matter to hir father. This doothJohannes Wierusreport, saieng, that it came unto him by the lamentable relation of the father himselfe. And this is here at this time for none other purpose rehearsed, but that men may hereby learne to take heed of such cousening merchants, and knowe what they be that take upon them to be so cunning in witchcraft; least they be bewitched: as maisterElibertand his daughter were.

Three morsels, the first charmed with christs birth, the second with his passion, the third with his resurrection.THis surgion ministred to a noble man, that laie sicke of an ague, offering unto him three peeces of a roote to be eaten at three morsels; saieng to the first: I would Christ had not beeneborne; unto the second: I would he had not suffered; unto the third: I would he had not risen againe. And then putting them about the sicke mans necke, said; Be of good cheere. And if he lost them, whosoever tooke them up, should therewithall take awaie/276.his ague. ❈ Otherwise: Jesus Christ, which was borne, deliver thee from this infirmitie ✠ Jesus Christ which died ✠ deliver thee from this infirmitie ✠ Jesus Christ which rose againe ✠ deliver thee from this infirmitie. Then dailie must be said fivePater nosters, and fiveAves.

A cousening physician, and a foolish patient.ANother such cousening physician persuaded one which had a timpanie, that it was one old viper, and twoo yoong mainteined in his bellie by witchcraft. But being watched, so as he could not conveie vipers into his ordure or excrements, after his purgations: at length he told the partie, that he should suffer the paines of childbirth, if it were not prevented; and therefore he must put his hand into his breech, and rake out those wormes there. But the mother of the sicke partie having warning hereof, said she could doo that hir selfe. So the cousener was prevented, and the partie died onelie of a timpanie, and the knave ran awaie out of the countrie.

MOnsieur BodinJohn. Bodin.telleth of a witch, who undertaking to cure a woman bewitched, caused a masse to be soong at midnight in our ladies chap/pell.199.And when she had overlien the sicke partie, and breathed certeine words upon hir, she was healed. WhereinBodinsaith, she followed the example ofEliasKakozelia.the prophet, who raised theSunamitie. And this storie must needs be true: for goodmanHardivin Blesensishis host at the signe of the lion told him the storie.

ITMal. malef. pa. 1. quæ. 17.Barth. Spin. in novoMal. malef.is also expedient to learne how to know whether a sicke man be bewitched or no: this is the practise thereof. You must hold molten lead over the sicke bodie, and powre it into a porrenger full of water; and then, if there appeare upon the lead, anie image, you may then knowe the partie is bewitched./

That one witchcraft maie lawfullie meete with another.

SCOTUS,Hostiensis,Gofridus, and all the old canonists agree, that it is lawfull to take awaie witchcraft by witchcraft,Et vana vanis contundere. AndScotusScotus in 4. distinct. 34. de imperio.saith, It were follie to forbeare to encounter witchcraft by witchcraft; for (saith he) there can be none inconvenience therein; bicause the overthrower of witchcraft assenteth not to the works of the divell. And therefore he saith further, that it is meritorious so to extinguish and overthrow the divels workes. As though he should saie; It maketh no matter, though S.Paulesaie;Non facies malum, ut indè veniat bonum, Thou shalt not doo evill, that good maie come thereof.HumbertusDist. 4.saith, that witchcraft maie be taken awaie by that meanes whereby it was brought. ButGofredusGofred. in summa sua.inveieth sore against the oppugners thereof. PopeNicholasthe fift gave indulgence and leave to bishopMiraties(who was so bewitched in his privities, that he could not use the gift of venerie) to seeke remedie at witches hands. And this was the clause of his dispensation,Ut ex duobus malis fugiatur majus, that of two evils, the greater should be avoided. And so a witch, by taking his doublet, cured him, and killed the other witch: as the storie saith, which is to be seene inM. Mal.and diverse other writers.

Who are privileged from witches, what bodies are aptest to be bewitched, or to be witches, why women are rather witches than men, and what they are.

NOW if you will know who and what persons are privileged from witches, you must understand, that they be even suchMal. malef. par. 2. quæ. 1. cap. 1.as cannot be bewitched. In the number of whome first be the in/quisitors,278.and such as exercise publike justice upon them. Howbeit,** Whereof looke more in a little booke set foorth in print.a justice inEssex, whome for diverse respects I have left unnamed, not long since thought he was bewitched, in the verie instant whiles he examined the witch; so as his leg was broken therby, &c: which either was false, or else this rule untrue, or both rather injurious unto Gods providence. Secondlie,such as observe dulie the rites and ceremonies of holie church, and worship them with reverence, through the sprinkling of holie water, and receiving consecrated salt, by the lawfull use of candles hallowed on Candelmas daie, and greene leaves consecrated on Palme sundaie (which things they saie the/200.church useth for the qualifieng of the divels power) are preserved from witchcraft. Thirdlie, some are preserved by their good angels, which attend and wait upon them.

But I maie not omit here the reasons, which they bring, to prove what bodies are the more apt and effectuall to execute the art of fascination. And that is, first they saie the force of celestiall bodies, which indifferentlie communicate their vertues unto men, beasts, trees, stones, &c. But this gift and naturall influence of fascination maie be increased in man, according to his affections and perturbations; as thorough anger, feare, love, hate, &c. For by hate (saithVairus)L. Vair. lib. de fascin. 1. c. 12.entereth a fierie inflammation into the eie of man, which being violentlie sent out by beams and streames, &c: infect and bewitch those bodies against whome they are opposed. And therefore he saith (in the favour of women) that that is the cause why women are oftener found to be witches than men. For (saith he) they have such an unbrideled force of furie and concupiscence naturallie, that by no meanes it is possible for them to temper or moderate the same. SoMuch like the eiebiting witches, of whom we have elswhere spoken.as upon everie trifling occasion, they (like brute beasts) fix their furious eies upon the partie whom they bewitch. Hereby it commeth to passe, that whereas women having a mervellous fickle nature, what greefe so ever happeneth unto them, immediatlie all peaceablenes of mind departeth; and they are so troubled with evill humors, that out go their venomous exhalations, ingendred thorough their ilfavoured diet, and increased by meanes of their pernicious excrements, which they expell. Women are also (saith he) monethlie filled full of superfluous humors, and with them/279.the melancholike bloud boileth; whereof spring vapors, and are carried up, and conveied through the nosethrels and mouth, &c: to the bewitching of whatsoever it meeteth. For they belch up a certeine breath, wherewith they bewitch whomsoever they list. And of all other women,Who are most likelie to bewitch, and to be bewitched.leane, hollow eied, old, beetlebrowed women (saith he) are the most infectious. Marie he saith, that hot, subtill, and thin bodies are most subject to be bewitched, if they be moist, and all they generallie, whose veines, pipes, and passages of their bodies are open. And finallie he saith, that all beautifull things whatsoever, are soone subject to be bewitched; as namelie goodlie yoongmen, faire women, such as are naturallie borne to be rich, goodlie beasts, faire horsses, ranke corne, beutifull trees, &c. Yea a freendof his told him, that he saw one with his eie breake a pretious stone in peeces. And all this he telleth as soberlie, as though it were true. And if it were true, honest women maie be witches, in despight of all inquisitors: neither can anie avoid being a witch, except shee locke hir selfe up in a chamber.

What miracles witchmongers report to have beene done by witches words, &c: contradictions of witchmongers among themselves, how beasts are cured herby, of bewitched butter, a charme against witches, and a counter charme, the effect of charmes and words proved by L. Vairus to be woonderfull.

IF I should go about to recite all charmes, I should take an infinite worke in hand. For the witching writers hold opinion, that anie thing al/most197.[2]maie be therby brought to passe; & that whether the words of the charme be understandable or not, it skilleth not: so the charmer have a steddie intention to bring his desire about. And then what is it that cannot be done by words? ForL. VairusL. Vair. lib. de fascin. 1. ca. 5.saith, that old women have infeebled and killed children with words, and have made women with child miscarrie;/280.they have made men pine awaie to death, they have killed horsses, deprived sheepe of their milke, *transformed* According toOvidssaieng ofProteus&Medea, which he indeed alledgeth therefore,Nunc aqua, nunc ales, modò bos, modò cervus abibat.men into beasts, flowne in the aire, tamed and staied wild beasts, driven all noisome cattell and vermine from corne, vines and hearbs, staied serpents, &c: and all with words. In so much as he saith, that with certeine words spoken in a bulles eare by a witch, the bull hath fallen downe to the ground as dead. Yea some by vertue of words have gone upon a sharpe sword, and walked upon hot glowing coles, without hurt; with words (saith he) verie heavie weights and burthens have beene lifted up; and with words wild horsses and wild bulles have beene tamed, and also mad dogs; with words they have killed wormes, and other vermine, and staied all maner of bleedings and fluxes: with words all the diseases in mans bodie are healed, and wounds cured; arowes are with wonderfull strangenesse and cunning plucked out of mens bones. Yea (saith he) there be manie that can heale all bitings of dogs, or stingings of serpents, or anie other poison: and all with nothing but words spoken. And that which is most strange, he saith, that they can remedie anie stranger, and him that is absent, with that verie sword wherewith they are wounded. Yea and that which is beyond alladmiration, if they stroke the sword upwards with their fingers, the partie shall feele no paine: whereas if they drawe their finger downewards thereupon, the partie wounded shall feele intollerable paine. With a number of other cures, done altogither by the vertue and force of words uttered and spoken.

Where, by the waie, I maie not omit this speciall note, given byM. Mal.Mal. Malef. par. 2. quæ. 2. cap. 7.to wit, that holie water maie not be sprinkled upon bewitched beasts, but must be powred into their mouthes. And yet he, and alsoNider,Nider in præceptorio, præcept. 1. ca. 11.saie, that It is lawfull to blesse and sanctifie beasts, as well as men; both by charmes written, and also by holie words spoken. For (saithNider)Nider in fornicario.if your cow be bewitched, three crosses, threePater nosters, and threeAveswill certeinlie cure hir: and likewiseMal. Malef. part. 2. cap. 8.all other ceremonies ecclesiasticall. And this is a sureMaxime,*[*Ital.]that they which are delivered from witchcraft by shrift, are ever after in the night much molested (I beleeve by their ghostlie fathers.) Also they loose their monie out of their pursses and caskets: asM. Mal.saith he knoweth by experience./281.Also one generall rule is given byM. Mal.A good devise to starve up poore women.to all butter wives, and dairie maides, that they neither give nor lend anie butter, milke, or cheese, to anie witches, which alwaies use to beg therof, when they meane to worke mischeefeMal. Malef. part. 2. quæ. 2, cap. 7.to their kine or whitmeats. Whereas indeed there are in milke three substances commixted; to wit, butter, cheese, and whaie: if the same be kept too long, or in an evill place, or be sluttishlie used, so as it be stale and sower, which happeneth sometimes in winter, but oftener in summer, when it is set over the fier, the cheese and butter runneth togither, and congealeth, so as it will rope like birdlime, that you maie wind it about a sticke, and/198.[2]in short space it will be so drie, as you maie beate it to powder. Which alteration being strange, is woondered at, and imputed to witches. And herehence sometimes proceedeth the cause, why butter commeth not, which when the countrie people see that it commeth not, then get they out of the suspected witches house, a little butter, whereof must be made three balles, in the name of the holie trinitie; and so if they be put into the cherne, the butter will presentlie come, and the witchcraft will cease;Sic ars deluditur arte. But if you put a little sugar or sope into the cherne, among the creame, the butter will never come: which is plaine witchcraft, if it be closelie, cleanlie, and privilie handled. There be twentie severall waies to make your butter come, which for brevitie I omit; as to bind your cherne with a rope, to thrust thereinto a red hot spit, &c: but your best remedie and surest waie is, to looke well to your dairie maid or wife, that she neither eat up the creame, nor sell awaie your butter.

PUtA ridiculous charme.a paire of breeches upon the cowes head, and beate hir out of the pasture with a good cudgell upon a fridaie, and she will runne right to the witches doore, and strike thereat with hir hornes.

WHen anie of your cattell are killed with witchcraft, hast you to the place where the carcase lieth, and traile the bowels of the beast unto your house, and drawe them not in at/282.the doore, but under the threshhold of the house into the kitchen; and there make a fier, and set over the same a grediron, and thereupon laie the inwards or bowels; and as they wax hot, so shall the witches entrailes be molested with extreame heate and paine. But then must you make fast your doores, least the witch come and fetch awaie a cole of your fier: for then ceaseth hir torments. And we have knowne saithM. Mal.when the witch could not come in, that the whole house hath beene so darkened, and the aire round about the same so troubled, with such horrible noise and earthquakes; that except the doore had beene opened, we had thought the house would have fallen on our heads.Thomas Aquinas, a principall treator herein, alloweth conjurations against the changelings, and in diverse other cases: whereof I will saie more in the wordIidoni.

ATIn anie case observe the festivall time, or else you marre all.Easter you must take certeine drops, that lie uppermost of the holie paschall candle, and make a little waxe candle thereof: and upon some sundaie morning rath, light it, and hold it, so as it maie drop upon and betweene the hornes and eares of the beast, saieng:In nomine patris, & filii, et duplex s s: and burne the beast a little betweene the hornes on*[* or]the eares with the same wax: and that which is left thereof, sticke it in crossewise about the stable or stall, or upon the threshold, or over the doore, where the cattell use to go in and out, and for all that yeare your cattell shall never be be/witched.199.[2]❈ Otherwise:Jacobus de Chusa Carthusianussheweth, how bread, water, and salt is conjured, and saith, that if either man or beast receive holie bread and holie water nine daies together, with threePater nosters, and threeAves, in the honour of the trinitie, and of S.Hubert, it preserveth that man or beast fromall diseases, and defendeth them against all assaults of witchcraft, of satan, or of a mad dog, &c.

Lo this is their stuffe, mainteined to be at the least effectuall, if not wholsome, by all papists and witchmongers, and speciallie of the last and proudest writers. But to proove these things to be effectuall, God knoweth their reasons are base and absurd. For they write so, as they take the matter in question as granted,/283.and by that meanes go awaie therewith. ForL. VairusL. Vair. lib. de fascin. 1. cap. 1.saith in the beginning of his booke, that there is no doubt of this supernaturall matter, bicause a number of writers agree herein, and a number of stories confirme it, and manie poets handle the same argument, and in the twelve tables there is a lawe against it, and bicause the consent of the common people is fullie with it, and bicause immoderate praise is to be approoved a kind of witchcraft, and bicause old women have such charmes and superstitious meanes as preserve themselves from it, and bicause they are mocked that take awaie the credit of such miracles, and bicauseSalomonSapi. 4.Gali. 3.Psal. 119.saith;Fascinatio malignitatis obscurat bona, and bicause the apostle saith;O insensati Galatæ, quis vos fascinavit?And bicause it is written,Qui timent te, videbunt me. And finallie he saith, least you should seeme to distrust and detract anie thing from the credit of so manie grave men, from histories, and common opinion of all men: he meaneth in no wise to proove that there is miraculous working by witchcraft and fascination; and proceedeth so, according to his promise.

Lawfull charmes, or rather medicinable cures for diseased cattell. The charme of charmes, and the power thereof.

BUTDirect and lawfull meanes of curing cattell, &c.if you desire to learne true and lawfull charmes, to cure diseased cattell, even such as seeme to have extraordinarie sicknesse, or to be bewitched, or (as they saie) strangelie taken: looke inB. Googehis third booke, treating of cattell, and happilie you shall find some good medicine or cure for them: or if you list to see more ancient stuffe, readVegetiushis foure bookes thereupon: or, if you be unlearned, seeke some cunning bullocke leech. If all this will not serve, then setJobspatience before your eies. And never thinke that a poore old woman can alter supernaturallie the notable course, which God hath appointed among his/284.creatures. If it had beene Gods pleasure to have permitted such a course, he would no doubt have both given notice inhis word, that he had given such power unto them, and also would have taught remedies to have prevented them.

Furthermore, if you will knowe assured meanes, and infallible charmes, yeelding indeed undoubted remedies, and preventing all maner of witchcrafts, and also the assaults of wicked spirits; then despise first all cou/sening200.[2]knaverie of priests, witches, and couseners: and with true faith read the sixt chapter of S.Pauleto theEphesians, and followe his counsell, which is ministred unto you in the words following, deserving worthilie to be called by the name insuing:

A charme of charmes taken out of the sixt chapter of S. Paule to the Ephesians.Finallie my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might. Put on the whole armour of God, that you may stand against the assaults of the divell. For we wrestle not against flesh and bloud, but against principalities and powers, & against worldlie governors the princes of the darkenes of this world, against spirituall wickednes, which are in the high places. For this cause take unto you the armour of God, that you may be able to resist in the evill daie; and having finished all things, stand fast. Stand therefore, and your loines girded about with veritie, and having on the brestplate of righteousnes, &c: as followeth in that chapter, verses 15. 16. 17. 18. 1Thes.5. 1Pet.5,verse.8.Ephes.1. and elsewhere in the holie scripture.

IF you be unlearned, and want the comfort of freends, repaire to some learned, godlie, and discreet preacher. If otherwise need require, go to a learned physician, who by learning and experience knoweth and can discerne the difference, signes, and causes of such diseases, as faithlesse men and unskilfull physicians impute to witchcraft.//

A confutation of the force and vertue falselie ascribed to charmes and amulets, by the authorities of ancient writers, both divines and physicians.

MY meaning is not, that these words, in the bare letter, can doo anie thing towards your ease or comfort in this behalfe; or that it were wholesome for your bodie or soule to weare them about your necke: for then would I wish you to weare the whole Bible, which must needs be moreeffectuall than anie one parcell thereof. But I find not that the apostles, or anie of them in the primitive church, either carried S.Johnsgospell, or anieAgnus Dei*[*Ital.]about them, to the end they might be preserved from bugges: neither that they looked into the foure corners of the house, or else in the roofe, or under the threshhold, to find matter of witchcraft, and so to burne it, to be freed from the same; according to the popish rules.Mal. Malef. part. 2. qu. 2. cap. 6.Neither did they by such and such verses or praiers made unto saints, at such or such houres, seeke to obteine grace: neither spake they of anie old women that used such trades. Neither did Christ at anie time use or command holie water, or crosses, &c: to be used as terrors against the divell, who was not affraid to assault himselfe, when he was on earth. And therefore a verie vaine thing it is to thinke that he feareth these trifles, or anie externall matter.1. Tim. 4, 7.Origin. lib. 3. in Job.Let us then cast awaie these prophane and old wives fables. For(asOrigensaith)Incantationes sunt dæmonū irrisiones idololatriæ fæx, animarum infatuatio, &c.

ChrysostomeJ. Chrysost. in Matth.saith; There be some that carrie about their necks a peece of a gospell. But** Marke that here was no latine service.is it not dailie read (saith he) and heard of all men? But if they be never the better for it, being put into their eares, how shall they be saved, by carrieng it about their necks?Idem. Ibid.And further he saith; Where is the vertue of the gospell? In the figure of the letter, or in the understanding of the sense? If in the figure, thou dooest well to weare it about thy/286.necke; but if in the understanding, then thou shouldest laie it up in thine heart.AugustineAugust. 26. quæ. ultim.saith; Let the faithfull ministers admonish and tell their people, that these magicall arts and incantations doo bring no remedie to the infirmities either of men or cattell, &c.

The heathen philosophers shall at the last daie confound the infidelitie and barbarous foolishnes of our christian or rather anti-christian and prophane witchmongers. For asAristotlesaith, thatIncantamenta sunt muliercularum figmenta: so doothSocrates(who was said to be cunning herein) affirme, thatIncantationes sunt verba animas decipientia humanas. Others saie;Inscitæ pallium sunt carmina, maleficium, & incantatio.GalenGalen. in lib. de comitiali morbo.also saith, that such as impute the falling e/vill,285. [=203.]and such like diseases to divine matter, and not rather to naturall causes, are witches, conjurers, &c.HippocratesHippocrat. lib. de morbo sacro.calleth them arrogant; and in another place affirming that in his time there were manie deceivers and couseners, that would undertake to cure the falling evill, &c: by the power and helpe of divels, by burieng some lots or inchantments in the ground, or casting them into the sea, concludeth thus in their credit, that they are all knaves and couseners: for God is our onlie defender and deliverer. O notable sentence of a heathen philosopher!/

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