A discovery of the impostures of witches and astrologers by John Brinley.

CHAP. III.

Several strange Diseases happen only from natural Causes in which neither Divels nor any of his Instruments have any hand.

THere is nothing (as we have formerly hinted) more usual with the Common people, than to ascribe to Witchcraft, all Disasters, Mischances, or Diseases whatever, seeming strange to vulgar sense. I shall therefore in this Chapter give a brief account of some Diseases, which though proceeding from Natural Causes, I have observed that the peo∣ple attribute to Sorcery; and forth∣with a Messenger in any of these Cases is dispatched, either to a Cunning∣man for a Blessing, or else the next Old-woman is suspected for a Witch, and the Curses of all the Neighbour∣hood

hood are mustered against her.

1 st. For example, in a Catalepsis, the whole body is, as it were, in a mi∣nute suddenly taken in the midst of some ordinary Gesture or Action, as Standing, Sitting, Lying, Writing, or Looking up to Heaven, and is continued in this posture for some space together, as if Frozen, generally stark and stiff, in all parts without Sense or motion. Now this disease, being not so common as the Measles, or the Small-Pox, the Tooth-ach, or the Ague, the Countrey people forth with cry out there's Sorcery in the Case; cut off some of his hair, and bring it to the Wiseman.

2dly. The Apoplexy, wherein the Sick are also suddenly taken, and sur∣prised with a senseless Trance, and general astonishment, or sideration and benumming of all the Limbs, void of all sense and moving, many hours together, only the breath striveth against the danger of Suffocation, and

still the Pulse beateth.

3dly. Others are swiftly surprised with so profound and deadly a sleep, that no call, nor cry, nor noise, no pinching, or stimulation can in many hours awake or raise them. Of this Disease, as Bodin affirmeth in his Dae∣monomania, lib. 2. cap. 6. That Iohan∣nes Scotus lying as if he had been dead, was buried before he really was so.

4thly. Phrenitis, which the Greeks derive from the word 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉, is a disease of the mind, with a continual Mad∣ness and Dotage, which hath an ac∣cute Feaver annexed to it, or else an inflamation of the Brain, or the Membranes or Kells of it.

5thly. Hydrophobia is a kind of mad∣ness wel known in every Village, which comes by the biteing of a Mad-dog. The reason of the name is, because the persons thus affected cannot en∣dure the sight of water, or any liquor, supposing still they see a Mad-dog in it. The part affected is the Brain; the

cause Poyson, that comes from the Mad-dog, which is so hot and dry, that it consumes all the moisture in the body. Hildeshiem in Spicil. 2. Re∣lates of some that died so Mad; and being Cut up, had no water, scarce any blood left in them. To such as are affected with it, the fear of water begins at fourteen days after they are bitten, to some again not till Forty or Sixty days. Some say not only bite∣ing, but touching or smelling a Dog infected, may cause this disorder; and then if any one chance to fall into such a condition, and the cause not known, straight-way half of the Parish is suspected of Witchery.

☞ What would the people imagine of Lycanthropie, when they are so strangely startled at these Diseases? For in this, as some Physicians tell us, men run howling about Graves and Fields in the night, and will not be per∣swaded but that they are Wolves, or such like beasts. Forrestus in his Ob∣servat.

de morbis cerebri. lib. 10. cap. 15. tells of some persons thus distract∣ed, to one of which himself was an eye-witness at Alcmaer in Holland, a poor Husbandman that still hunted about Graves, and kept in Church∣yards, of a pale, black, fearful and ugly look. Such belike were the Daughters of King Praetus, who fan∣cied themselves to be Kine. And Ne∣buchadnezzar in Daniel, was only trou∣bled with this kind of Madness; and not really Metamorphosed into an Ox: For the soul of man could not possibly dwell in so unsutable an habitation as the body of an Ox; but the proud King might be seized with so deep a Lycanthropie, as to fancy himself to be so.

Besides this, we often see men la∣boring of very sad and violent Diseases, as Convulsions, Madnesses, and such like, and some will bite their Tongues and Flesh, some make fearful Outcries, and most hideous Shriekings, some

toss themselves violently from one place to another, some Froth, Gnash with their Teeth, and draw their faces into strange and Ghastly Figures. All which though proceeding from natural causes; yet the vulgar is ready to be∣lieve there is something more in the Case. And that which doth more con∣firm them in this Creed, is either the want of able Physicians, or their in∣ability to employ them; for they are seldom so Charitable as to make any more Recipe's, than they receive Gui∣nies. And so the poor people are for∣ced to go to some sorry Emperick, who 'tis certain, will do them no good, and upon that disappointment, to some Cunning man, who will do them less. Nay, it has sometimes happen'd, that honest persons have been apprehended, Arraigned, and Condemned, through the advices of such men; for in these Cases, it is observable, that a small matter will beget suspicion, and upon this multitudes of Proofs shall be

muster'd up, and so by a ready Climax, the poor people are hurried up to the Gallows it self. Such are the miseries on the one hand, and the delusions on the other hand, of the Superstitious, and ignorant Multitude.