Psal. 58. 6.
2. It is also ascribed unto Charmers or Inchanters as in the Psalm,That doth not hearken unto the voice of the charmers: Where it is plain that all Charmers were whisperers and mutterers, but not on the contrary, that all whisperers or mutterers are Charmers.
Eccles. 10. 11.
3. And whereas our English translation readeth it,Surely the serpent will bite without inchantment, and a babler is no better; It may as well be read, asArias Montanustranslates it,Si mordeat serpens in non susurro, vel absq: susurro, If the Serpent bite without hissing, or sibilation. AndSchindlerusto the same purpose:Si mordebit serpens absq; incantatione, vel murmure, id est sibilo. And soAvenarius:Si mordeat serpens absq; susurratione, id est absq; sibilo. And thoughTremellius, and the whole troop of Translators do render it, as our English Translators do, yet that will not make sense: for it would inferr that as a Serpent will bite except it be charmed, so will a babler do also. But who ever heard of a bablers being charmed? So that truly considered that cannot be the sense of the place.
But if it be taken exactly according to the Hebrew, then the sense runs thus, If the Serpent bite without, or in not hissing, and excellency is not to him that hath a tongue; that is, The Serpent doth hurt with his biting, without making a noise with his tongue; but a babler doth make a noise, but effecteth nothing, or speaketh to no purpose.
Jerem. 8. 17.
4. There is another Text inJeremywhich is commonly rendered thus:For behold I will send serpents, cockatrices among you, which will not be charmed, and they shall bite you, saith the Lord. But it may be as fitly read, To whom there is no hissing, and they shall bite you. And whether way soever it be read, the sense is good; that is, their enemies shall be so fierce and cruel, that no words can stay or appease their fury; or that they shall be so sly and cunning, that they shall destroy you, before they speak, or give you warning: And whether way soever it be, there is a pronoun in the Hebrew which is superfluous, a thing that is usual in that language.
5. But if in both places it be taken for charming, yet will it not prove the being and existence of such a kind of Witch, as we have denied and confuted; nor doth it shew any fit appellation for such a one.
Psal. 104. 4.
Malach. 4. 1.
12. Moreover there is another word as much mistaken, and as falsly translated as any of the rest, and that isלָהַט,Inflammatus est, flammescebat, and is understood a shining brightness, as in the Psalm:Who maketh his Angels spirits: his ministers flaming fire. And in another place,& inflammabit eos dies veniens; The day cometh that shall burn as an oven. From whence we may note these things.
Gen. 3. 24.
Nahum 3. 3.
1. From this root doth comeלַהַטFlamma, Metaphorically (asSchindlerussaith) a polished and shining piece of Metal, as a Sword or the like. ButAvenariustells us, it is,Flamma rutilans, lamina fulgens & vibrans; as,And he placed at the East of the garden of Eden, Cherubims, and a flaming or bright shining sword which turned every way, to keep the way of the tree of life. And in another place,The horseman lifteth up the bright sword, and the glittering spear. Both places plainly shewing that it signifieth Metal so polished, that when it is shaken in the light, or shining of the Sun, and moved quickly, it doth then glitter like a red and shining flame.
2. There is also the wordלאטInvolvit, velavit, arcanum, and the like which the vulgar Latin do attribute toPharaohsMagicians, when our translation saith,And they did in like manner with their inchantments: It is& fecerunt similiter per sua arcana, thinking the word there had been derived fromלאטarcanum, when it is fromלַהַט,Flamma, lamina; a polisht and bright piece of Metal.
3. In all the places of Exodus where mention is made of the Magicians,that they did in like manner with their inchantments, the word isבְּלַהֲטֵיהֶםwhich if truly rendered, is this: And they did in likemanner with their bright, glittering lamens, or plates of Metal. And how the Translators could hale it by head and shoulder to signifie Inchantment, cannot be conjectured; but because the Magicians are there called,sapientes & præstigiatores, Wise Men and Juglers, they vainly thought that they wrought by a secret compact with the Devil, and so all must be done by their imaginary Witchcraft and inchantment, when it is plain that what they did was by natural Magick, and sleight of hand, and not by Diabolical Magick at all. But let them shew us any one place in all the Old Testament, where any of the derivatives from this root, are translated Inchantments, but only in these places ofExodus, and we will yield the whole cause.
Isai. 19. 3.
13. There is also another Text which we have omitted of purpose until now, which our English Translators do, according to their usual manner, thus render:And they shall seek to the Idols, and to the Charmers, and to them that have familiar spirits, and to the Wizards: In which there is a word not used in that sense in all the Old Testament besides; of which place we may note these things.
1. The word there in doubt isאָט,Lenis, lenitas, and it oft becometh an Adverb,leniter, pedetentim. The rootאָטַט,leniter incessit,Avenariussaith it is not used in the plural number, and signifieth Inchanters or Diviners, and isהָאִטִּיםwhich he renderethIncantatores; because as some think they do easily and gentilely pronounce their charms.
2. ButTremelliusdoth translate it thus:Consulent sua Idola, & præstigiatores Pythonesq; & ariolos: And giveth this note, Their Idols, that is to say Devils, that give them answers, especially the Idol ofLatonain the Town calledButunover against the Sebenitick mouth ofNilus, of whichHerodotusspeaketh: where he expoundeth also divers consultations of these Idols. But how or in what sense he holdeth that the Devils gave answers, except by the lying Impostures of the Priests, he doth not shew, norHerodotushis Author neither.
3. But this place according toArias Montanusis rendered thus: And they shall seek unto their vain things or Idols, and to their Diviners (that is this wordHaattim) and to the Pythonists, or Oraclers, and to Wizards. But those we call the Septuagint do render this place very odly, as they seldom do elsewhere, which is this:Καὶ ἐπερωτήσουσι τοὺς θεοὺς αὐτων, καὶ τὰ ἀγάλματα αὐτῶν, καὶ τοὺς ἐκ τῆς γῆς φωνοῦντας, καὶ τοὺς ἐγγαστριμύθους, that is,And they shall ask their gods, and their images, or painted statues, and those that give their voice forth of the earth, and those that speak in their breasts or bellies.
Strab. Geograph.l.16.
14. There is also another word which isאַשָּׁף, and signifieth (asAvenariussaith)Sophus, sapiens in Astrologia & in auspiciis, augur, aruspex.Rabbi Abrahamthinketh it signifieth a Physician, who knoweth the alteration of the body, by the pulse of the arm, or by the urine. AndSchindlerustranslateth it, a Philosopher, an Astronomer and a Physician, and saith that such wereAstronomers and Physicians amongst theChaldeans, of whomStrabosaith: “There was a certain habitation appointed inBabylonfor their home-bred Philosophers, who were much conversant about Philosophy, and were calledChaldeans.” And further, “that they were Physicians that could judge of the passions of the Body, which dreams did imitate, by the Pulse and urine.” AndPolanustells us that it is aChaldeeword because it is found no where else but inDaniel.
1 Kings 4. 30.
15. Lastly there is one word we shall touch more, and that isחָכְמָה,sapientia, the wisdom of Divine and Humane things, Magick or skil in naturall things; and cometh from the rootחָכַם,sapuit mente, sapiens fuit, sapientia præditus est. And this is that wisdom that is ascribed to Solomon, of whom it is said:And Solomons wisdom excelled the wisdom of all the children of the East countrey, and all the wisdom of Ægypt.
So have we run over all the words in the Old Testament, that can any way concern this subject, and yet amongst them all there is not one that properly and genuinely, without stretching, wresting or mistranslating, doth, or can signifie any such Witch or Diviner, that can kill or destroy Men or Beasts, or that maketh a visible compact with a Devil, or on whose Body he sucketh, or that they have Carnal Copulation together; or such a Witch as is or can be really changed into a Cat, Dog, or such like, which was the task we undertook in this Chapter. And for the words that are in the New Testament, we shall handle them when we answer the objections made from thence. And therefore we would admonish Mr.Glanvil, and all other candid, and sober persons to beware of false or mistranslations, and not to labour to establish dangerous and erroneous tenents upon such slippery and sandy foundations: For one falsity once supposed or taken for good, doth bring a numerous train of absurdities at the heels of it.