The sixth book of Practical physick Of occult or hidden diseases; in nine parts Part I. Of diseases from occult qualities in general. Part. II. Of occult, malignant, and venemous diseases arising from the internal fault of the humors. Part III. Of occult diseases from water, air, and infections, and of infectious diseases. Part IV. Of the venereal pox. Part V. Of outward poysons in general Part VI. Of poysons from minerals and metals. Part. VII. Of poysons from plants. Part VIII. Of poysons that come from living creatures. Part IX. Of diseases by witchcraft, incantation, and charmes. By Daniel Sennertus, N Culpeper, and Abdiah Cole, Doctors of Physick

Chap. 5. The Controversie is decided, and it is shewed whence Diseases are made that are from Witches.

TO decide this Controversie in short, we must do it by some conclusions.

The first is, It is the Witches purpose to hurt men by diseases, and many men have been so hurt. The Histories in Chap. 3. prove this conclusion: and Sprengerus hath many more in his hammer against Witches. And though Vuierus takes these for fables, yet History is not so rashly to be delu∣ded: that the Witches do act therein is manifest, because the instrumēts of Witchcraft being takē away, or the Witches burnt or dead, the patients

grow sound, and the charmes cease.

The second Conclusion, Although Witches de∣termine to hurt men, yet neither do it, nor can they do it. The Witches are not the first causes of such operations, but the Devil: the Witches are his work-fellows, at whose request by Gods permis∣sion, he afflicts men with such diseases. There∣fore the Devil and the Witch must agree to cause Witchcraft formally. We deny not but the De∣vil may in dreams suggest what the Witches may think true when awake, as appears by many hi∣stories in Baptista porta and Vuierus, as that of a woman which anointed her self and slept, and a∣waking, affirmed that she had been at Sea, and flew over mountains. There are many the like of women, which stirr'd not out of their bed that night, yet affirmed that they did wonders in strange places.

Moreover, it is pleasing to the Devil to have Witches obedient to him, and he perswades them that they may do good or hurt to whom they please: To this end he gives them instru∣ments, as pouders which may cause diseases or death, by putting them into meat or drink, or rubbing their bodies therewith; which if they cannot do, it will be sufficient to sprinkle them only upon their cloaths. To kill, it is a black pouder; to cause a disease, it is ash-coloured, sometimes red, to cure it is white, either to be sprinkled upon them, or to be given in meat or drink.* 1.1 Nicolaus Remigius proves this by divers Histories.

The third Conclusion, The Devil by Gods permission bringeth diseases by natural Cause••. For he well understands all the force of Sy••pathy, and what is good or bad for a mans ••ea••••h. But

how are these diseases brought upon men? If the disease be in the humors, the Devil by the command of the Witch moveth the internal cau∣ses, especially melancholy, and so causeth melan∣choly diseases; therefore ••he rejoyceth at the disposition of Epilepticks, and gets into them: for first he gathers all the black choller together, and then moves it, and sends the smoak of it in∣to the cells of the internal senses, and if they be sharp as usually they are, it causeth the Falling-sickness, when he gathers a thick slimy matter into the inward substance of the nerves he cau∣seth a Palsie, deafness and blindness, by putting evil excrements into the Organs.: oftentimes ha∣tred and love and other passions. Hence the Poet.

Thou makest the dearest brothers for to jarr.

That he may hurt speedily, he taketh the spi∣ritual substance of the blood, and purgeth it, and separateth it from the gross. Or he makes a quin∣tessence of poysons, as Chymists do of Gold, and with that infects the vital spirits, which works so strongly that it cannot be overcome by natu∣ral means and causeth death certainly.

It is wonderful what he doth by Witches to disturb wedlock, to hinder propagation of man∣kind, to which he is a deadly enemy, this is cal∣led, the tying of the point, this he doth by pro∣hibiting the breeding of seed, or hindering of erection of the yard, while it drieth and wil not be spent. He doth the same to women by ma∣king a preternatural disease in their privities, so that they cannot receive a man.

To this are referred the Philtres or Love po∣tions which may cause Lechery, but cannot cause the love of any particular man, but instead of

love causeth madness, * 1.2 of which see Martin Del∣rio, and of which the Poet.

In threefold colours knit three knots, and cry (O Amarillis) Venus knots I tie.

The fourth conclusion. Somtimes the Devil without causes and natural means in mans body, hurts men only by his own power and sudden vio∣lence at the request of the Witch.

For the Witch wil not do it her self for fear of discovery or the like, but commits the whole matter to the Devil, and what she commands he presently doth. This is plain from a story in Nicolas Remigius, that one cursed another that wronged him,* 1.3 and he was taken up with a wind, and thrown down again, and made lame of one leg, so that he could not go; this he told the Shepheards that brought him home. He mentions two other Stories which clear the truth of this.

The ••ifth conclusion. Somtimes the Devil de∣ludes men and perswades them to diseases they have not. This is proved Chap. 3. out of Baptista Co∣dronchius concerning the taking off of the privi∣ties; for it is not in the Devils power to restore members when taken off.

The sixth Conclusion. Although diseases and o∣ther evils which Witches think they lay upon men come from the Devil as the imediate cause, and the Witch doth nothing; yet are they in fault, by rea∣son of their covenant with the Devil, that hurts men at their request, and by reason of their will to hurt, they are gulty of it. This is contrary to Uverius who defending Witches, as in Chap. 4. we shew∣ed, saith That what the Witches do is but a phansie and meer delusion, and whatsoever is

spoken of contracts with the Devil from the best Authors. It is a wonder I cannot conceive how a christian should so cast off all piety, that he should forget his Creator and Redeemer, and his Covenant with them in Baptism and go into the Devils waies, and profess himself an open e∣nemy to his Creator and Lord who can present∣ly destroy him in Hell fire, and joyn himself to the enemy of mankind the Devil: This hath been and is yet done, as appears by many Hi∣stories and confessions of Witches without tor∣ments.

And how can these be meer Phantasms when the Witches have marks of their slavery which they willingly sufferred to be made by the Devil upon their bodies, visible to all mens eyes. And it is plain that the Devil made them, for if you prick them with needles they feel no pain, nor do they bleed the least drop, as Nicolas Remigi∣us affirms by Histories.

* 1.4The sixth Conclusion. Though the power of the Devil be great, yet he can hurt none by the Witches power with him but by Gods permission. This is manifest from the history of Iob, whom the Devil never afflicted without Gods consent and permission. 2. The Gospel shews that he could not enter into the Swine or hurt them without Gods permission, nor doth a hair fall frō the head without Gods will and permission. Therefore the Devil promiseth to do what th•• Witch commands him, they cannot have their desire except God permit.* 1.5 And Bodinus writes there are not two in a hundred that witchcraft can hurt. And it is known to be true from the voluntary confe••sion of Witches.

Notes

• * 1.1

  Daemono∣sag. lib. 1. lib. 1. c. 2.
• * 1.2

  Lib. dis∣guis magi••. 3.
• * 1.3

  Lib. dem••∣nola. saga. c. 12.
• * 1.4

  Demono¦sag. lib. l. cap. 5.
• * 1.5

  Mag. de∣mon. lib. 2. c. 28.