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What miracles withmongers report to have been done by witches words, &c. contradictions of witchmongers among themselves, how beasts are cured hereby, of bewitched butter, a charme against witches, and a counter-charme, the effect of charmes and words pro∣ved by L. Vairus to be wonderfull.
IF I should go about to recite all charmes, I should take an infinite work in hand. For the witching writers hold opinion, that any thing al∣most
may be thereby brought to passe; and that whether the words of the charm be understandable or not, it skilleth not: so the charmer gave a steddy intention to bring Lis desire about. And then what is it that cannot be done by words?* 1.1 For L. Vairus saith, that old women have in∣feebled and killed children with words, and have made women with child miscarry; they have made men pine away to death, they have killed horses, deprived sheep of their milk, * 1.2 transformed men into beasts, flown in the aire, tamed and stayed wild beasts, driven all noisom cat∣tel and vermine from corne, vines and herbs, stayed serpents, &c. and all with words. Insomuch as he saith, that with certain words spoken in a bulls eare by a witch, the bull hath fallen down to the ground as dead. Yea some by vertue of words have gone upon a sharpe sword, and walked upon hot glowing coles, without hurt; with words (saith he) very hea∣vy weights and burthens have been lifted up; and with words wild hor∣ses and wild bulls have been tamed, and also mad dogs; with words they have killed wormes and other vermine, and staied all manner of bleed∣ings and fluxes: with words all the diseases in mans body are healed, and wounds cured; arrowes are with wonderful strangenesse and cunning plucked out of mens bones. Yea (saith he) there be many that can heal all bitings of dogs, or stingings of Serpents, or any other poison: and all with nothing but words spoken. And that which is most strange, he saith, that they can remedy any stranger, and him that is absent, with that very sword wherewith they are wounded. Yea and that which is beyond all admiration, if they stroke the sword upwords with their fin∣gers, the party shall feel no pain: whereas if they draw their finger down∣wards thereupon, the party wounded shall feel intolerable pain. With a number of other cures, done altogether by the vertue and force of words uttered and spoken.
Where,* 1.3 by the way, I may not omit this special note given by M. Mal. to wit, that holy water may not be sprinkled upon bewitched beasts, but must be powred into their mouthes. And yet he, and also Nider say, that It is lawful to blesse and sanctifie beasts, as well as men; both by charmes written, and also by holy words spoken. For (saith Nider) if your cow be bewitched, three crosses, three Pater nosters, and three Aves will certainly cure her; and likewise all other ceremonies ecclesiasticall. And this is a sure Maxime, that they which are delivered from witchcraft by shrift, are ever after in the night much molested (I believe by their ghost∣ly fathers.) Also they lose their money out of their purses and caskets; as M. Mal. saith he knoweth by experience. Also one general rule is gi∣ven by M Mal. to all butter-wives,* 1.4 anh dairy-maides, that they neither give nor lend any butter, milk, or cheese, to any witches, which al∣waies use to beg thereof, when they mean to work mischief to their kine or white-meats. Whereas indeed there are in milk three substances com∣mixed; to wit, butter, cheese and whaie; if the same be kept too long or in an evil place, or be sluttishly used, so as it be stale and sower, which hapneth sometimes in the winter, but oftner in the summer, when it is set over the fire, the cheese and butter runneth together, and congealeth, so as it will rope like birdlime, that you may wind it about a stick, and
in short space it will be so dry, as you may beate it to powder. Which alteration being strange, is wondered at and imputed to witches. And herehence sometimes proceedeth the cause, why butter commeth not, which when the countrey people see that it commeth not, then get they out of the suspected witches house, a little butter, whereof must be made three balls, in the name of the holy Trinity; and so if they be put into the chern, the butter will presently come, and the witchcraft will cease; Sic ars deluditur arte. But if, you put a little sugar or sope into the cherne, among the creame, the butter will never come; which is plaine witchcraft, if it be closely, cleanly, and privily handled. There be twenty several waies to make your butter come, which for a brevity I omit▪ as to bind your chern with a rope, to thrust thereinto a red hot spit, 〈◊〉〈◊〉 but your best remedie and surest way is, to look well to your dairy-maid or wise, that she neither eat up the cream, nor sell away your butter.
* 1.5PUt a paire of breeches upon the cowes head, and beat her out of the pasture with a good cudgel upon a fryday, and she will run right to the witches door, and strike thereat with her hornes.
WHen any of your cattel are killed with witchcraft, hast you to the place where the carcase lieth, and traile the bowels of the beast unto your house, and draw them not in at the door, but under the threst∣hold of the house into the kitchin; and there make a fire, and set over the same a grediron, and thereupon lay the inwards or bowels; and as they wax hot, so shall the witches entrails be molested with extreame heate and pain. But then must you make fast your doors, lest the witch come and fetch away a cole of your fire: for then ceaseth her torments. And we have known saith M. Mal. when the witch could not come in, that the whole house hath been so darkned, and the aire round about the same so troubled, with such horrible noise and earthquakes; that except the door had been opened, we had thought the house would have fallen on our heads. Thomas Aquinas, a principall treater herein, alloweth con∣jurations against the changelings, and in diverse other cases: whereoft will say more in the word lidoni.
* 1.6AT Easter you must take certaine drops, that ly uppermost of the ho∣ly paschal candle, and make a little wax-candle thereof: and upon some sunday morning rath, light it, and hold it, so as it may drop up∣on and between the hornes and ears of the beast, saying: In nomine patri••▪ & filii, & duplexss. &c burn the beast a little between the horns on the ears with the same wax, and that which is left therof, stick it in crossewise about the stable or stall, or upon the threshhold, or over the door, where the cat∣tel use to go in in and out, and for all that year your cattel shal never be be∣witched.
Otherwise: Jacobus de Chusa Carthusianus sheweth how bread, water and salt is conjured, and saith, that if either man or beast receive holy bread and holy water nine daies together, with three Paster nosters, & three Aves, in the honour of the Trinity, and of S. Hubert, it preserveth that man or beast from all diseases, and defendeth them against all assaults of witchcraft, of Satan, or of a mad dog, &c.
Lo this is their stuffe, maintained to be at the least effectuall, if not wholesome, by all papists and witchmongers, and specially of the last and proudest writers. But to prove these things to be effectual, God know∣eth their seasons are base and absurd. For they write so, as they take the matter in question as granted, and by that meanes go away therewith. For L. Vairus saith in the beginning of his booke,* 1.7 that there is no doubt of this supernaturall matter, because a number of writers agree herein, and a number of stories confirme it, and many poets handle the same argument, and in the twelve tables there is a law against it, and because the consent of the common people is fully with it, and because immoderate praise is to be approved a kind of witchcraft, and because old women have such charmes and superstitious meanes as preserve themselves from it, and be∣cause they are mocked that take away the credit of such miracles, and because Solomon saith; Fascinatio malignitatis obscurat bona, and because the apostle saith; O insensati Galatae, quis vos facinavit? And because it is written, Qui timent te, videbunt me. And finally he saith, lest you should seeme to distrust and detract any thing from the credit of so ma∣ny grave men,* 1.8 from histories, and common opinion of all men: he meaneth in no wise to prove that there is miraculous working by witchcraft and fascination; and proceedeth so, according to his promise.
L Vair. lib. de fascin 1. cap. 5.
According to Ovids say∣ing of Proteus and Medea, which he in∣deed alleadg∣eth therefore, Nunc aqua, nunc ales, mo∣do bos, modo cervus abibat.
M. mal. par. 2. quae. 2. cap. 7. Nider in prae•• ceptorio, praece. 1. c. 11. Nider in fornicario. Mal. malef. pa. 2 cap. 8.
A good devise to starve up poor women. Mal. malef. par. 2. quae. 2. cap. 7.
A ridiculous charme.
In any case observe the festival time, or else you marre all.
L Vair. lib. de fascin. 1. cap 1.
Sapi. 4. Gal. 3. Psal 119.