The discoverie of witchcraft ... Being a reprint of the first edition published in 1584 / by Reginald Scot ; Edited with explanatory notes, glossary and introduction by Brinsley Nicholson.

  • Scot Reginald, 1538?-1599.
Date:
1886
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: The discoverie of witchcraft ... Being a reprint of the first edition published in 1584 / by Reginald Scot ; Edited with explanatory notes, glossary and introduction by Brinsley Nicholson. Source: Wellcome Collection.

Provider: This material has been provided by the Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh. The original may be consulted at the Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh.

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    Mai. Male/, pa. 1, cap. 3. Guli. Pari si. The xvii. Chapter. Wiichmongers reasons, to proove that witches can worke luondefs, Bodins tale of a Friseland preest transported, that hnaginations, proceedmg of melancholie doo cause illusions. PlD M. Maleficarum also saith, that the councels and doctors were all deceived heerein, and alledging authoritie therfore, confuteth that opinion by a notable reason, called Petitio principii, or rather, Ignottim per igno- iius, in this maner: They can put changlings in the place of other children ; Ergo they can transferre and transforme them- selves and others, &c : according to their confession in that behalfe. Item he saith, and Bodin justifieth it, that a preest in Friseland was corporallie transferred into a farre countrie, as witnessed another preest of Oberdorf his companion, who saw him aloft in the aire : Ergo saith M. Mai. they have all beene decei/ved hitherto, to the great impunitie of horrible witches. Wherein he opposeth his follie against God and his church, against the truth, and against all possibilitie. But surelie it is almost incredible, how imagination shall abuse such as are subject unto melancholie ; so as they shall beleeve they see, heare, and doo that, which never was nor shall be; as is partlie declared, if you read Galen De locis affectis, and may more / plainelie appeere also if you read Aristotle De somnio. And thereof S. Augustine saith well, that he is too much a foole and a blockhead, that supposeth those things to be doone indeed, and corporallie, which are by such persons phantasticallie imagined : which phantasticall illusions do as well agree and accord (as Algerus Lib. i. cap. 7. saith) with magicall deceipts, as the veritie accompanieth divine holinesse. 68. 54. August, de spiritu &'anima. The xviii. Chapter. That the confession of witches is insufficient in civill and commoit lawe to take awaie life. What the sounder divines, and decrees of councels determine in this case. LAS ! what creature being sound in state of mind, would (without compulsion) make such maner of con- fessions as they do ; or would, for a trifle, or nothing^ make a perfect bargaine with the divell for hir soule, to be yeelded up unto his tortures and everlasting flames, and that within a verie short time ; speciallie being through age most It is not likelie they would so doo: Ergo a lie.