Scot's Discovery of vvitchcraft proving the common opinions of witches contracting with divels, spirits, or familiars ... to be but imaginary, erronious conceptions and novelties : wherein also, the lewde unchristian all written and published in anno 1584, by Reginald Scot, Esquire.

CHAP. XXVII.

Certaine conjurations taken out of the pontificall and out of the missall.

BUt see yet a little more of popish conjurations, and conferre them with the other. In the Pontificall you shall find this conjuration, which the other conjurours use as solemnely as they: I conjure thee thou creature of water in the name of the fa✚ther, of the so✚nne, and of the Holy✚ghost, that thou drive away the divell from the bounds of the just, that he remaine not in the darke corners of this church and altar. * You shall find in the same title, these words following, to be used at the hal∣lowing of churches. There must a crosse of ashes be made upon the pave∣ment, from one end of the church to the other, one handfull broad: and one of the priests must write on the one side thereof the Greeke alphabet, and one the other side the Latin alphabet. Durandus yeeldeth this reason thereof; to wit, It representeth the union in faith of the Jewes and Gen∣tiles. And yet well agreeing to himselfe he saith even there, that the crosse reaching from the one end to the other, signifieth that the people, which were in the head, shall be made the taile.

¶ A conjuration written in the masse booke. Fol. 1.

I conjure thee O creature of salt by God, by the God ✚ that liveth, by the true ✚ God, by the holy ✚ God, which by Elizaeus the prophet com∣manded, that thou shouldest be throwne into the water, that it thereby might be made whole & sound, that thou salt [here let the preist looke up∣on the salt] maist be conjured for the health of all beleevers, and that thou

be to all that take thee, health both of body and soule: and let all phan∣tasies and wickednesse, or diabolicall craft or deceipt, depart from the place whereon it is sprinkled; as also every uncleane spirit, being con∣jured by him that judgeth both the quick and the dead by fire. Resp. Amen. Then followeth a prayer to be said, without Dominus vobiscum; bet yet with Oremus; as followeth:

¶ Oremus.

Almighty and everlasting God, we humbly desire thy clemency [here let the p••eist looke upon the salt] that thou wouldest vouchsafe, through thy piety, to bl✚esse and sanc✚tifie this creature of salt, which thou hast given for the use of mankind, that it may be to all that receive it, health of mind and body; so as whatsoever shall be touched thereby, or sprinkled therewith, may be void of all uncleannesse, and all resistance of spirituall iniquity, through our Lord, Amen.

What can be made but a conjuration of these words also, which are written in the canon, or rather in the saccaring of masse? This holy com∣mixtion of the body and bloud of our Lord Jesus Christ, let it be made to me, and to all the receivers thereof, health of mind and body, and a whole∣some preparative for the deserving & receiving of everlasting life, through our Lord Iesus, Amen.

Notes

• Tu. de ecclesiae dedicatione.
• In Missali. fol. 1.

  The manner of conjuring salt.
• A prayer to be applyed to the former exor∣cisme.