Witchcraft farther display'd. Containing I. An account of the witchcraft practis'd by Jane Wenham of Walkerne, in Hertfordshire, since her condemnation ... II. An answer to the most general objections against the being and power of witches: ... To which are added, the tryals of Florence Newton, a famous Irish witch, at the assizes held at Cork, anno 1661; as also of two witches ... at Bury St. Edmonds in Suffolk, anno 1664.

  • Bragge, Francis, 1664-1728.
Date:
1712
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Witchcraft farther display'd. Containing I. An account of the witchcraft practis'd by Jane Wenham of Walkerne, in Hertfordshire, since her condemnation ... II. An answer to the most general objections against the being and power of witches: ... To which are added, the tryals of Florence Newton, a famous Irish witch, at the assizes held at Cork, anno 1661; as also of two witches ... at Bury St. Edmonds in Suffolk, anno 1664. Source: Wellcome Collection.

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    Aide feus, attho’ Dr. Moore faith from Aben Ezjta, That the proper Signification of that Word, is one qui mutat & transfer mat Res natural es ad AfpcEhsm Oculi. Take it in ei¬ ther of thefe Significations, or in both, it comes within the Definition of a Witch juft laid down, as do all thofe other Words for a Sorcerer, which you find put together in the iSth Chapter of Deuteronomy, Ver. 10, 11. There (ball not be found among you any one that ufeth Divination, or an Obferver of 7mesy or an Enchant or, or a Witch, or a Charmer, or a Confulter with a familiar Spirit, or a Necroman¬ cer'. All thefe Words imply doing or telling fomething wonderful, by Virtue of a Confederacy with an evil Spi¬ rit. The Word pap/nawto* does alfo imply the making Ufe of natural Means, iuch as, Herbs, Ointments, &c. to do ftrange Things withal, by the Affiftance of their confede¬ rate Spirit. All thefe, I fay, are fo many Names for a Witch, who may have feveral Properties more than any one of thefe Names intimates $ for which Reafon they feem to be put all together in tfiis Command of God to his People, not to fuffer any fuch Perfons among them. Having thus fix’d the Meaning of the Word, I come to the firft general Objection made againft the Being of Witches, which is, this : Obj. 1. That the A6iions aferib’d to Witches, are im- poffible in their own Nature to be done by Man, and ve¬ ry ridiculous. Anfw, That there are indeed many Circumftanees in the Stories of Witches, very ftrange and unaccountable, I readily allow; and farther, that they are impoffible to be perform’d by Man, without the Affifiance of fome other Power: But then this very Thing is a ftfong Argument, that there is really the Affiftance of feme Spirit a&ually employ’d in doing thefe Wonders. If I fee, for Inftance, as in the Cafe of Anne Thorn, a poor lame Creature, that the Minute before could fcarce creep on the Ground ; if I fee her on the Sudden ftart up, and run with a moft pro¬ digious Swiftnefs, and nimbly vault over a Five-Bar Gate, When I lee this, I fay, 1 am ready enough to believe it could not ordinarily be done ; but then, for that very Rea¬ fon I a fen be it to the Power of the Devil * fo that the feeming Impoffibility of the Thing, proves it to'be done by Witchcraft : And in fuch Cafes all depends on the Strength and Credibility of the Evidence, as to Matter of