The discovery of witchcraft proving that the compacts and contracts of witches with devils and all infernal spirits or familiars are but erroneous novelties and imaginary conceptions : also discovering, how far their power extendeth in killing, tormenting, consuming, or curing the bodies of men, women, children, or animals by charms, philtres, periapts, pentacles, curses, and conjurations : wherein likewise the unchristian practices and inhumane dealings of searchers and witch-tryers upon aged, melancholly, and superstitious people, in extorting confessions by terrors and tortures, and in devising false marks and symptoms, are notably detected ... : in sixteen books / by Reginald Scot ... ; whereunto is added an excellent Discourse of the nature and substance of devils and spirits, in two books : the first by the aforesaid author, the second now added in this third edition ... conducing to the compleating of the whole work, with nine chapters at the beginning of the fifteenth [sic] book of The discovery.

CHAP. V.

That the body of a Man cannot be turned into the body of a Beast by a Witch, is proved by strong Reasons, Scriptures, and Authorities.

BUt was this Man an Asse all this while? or, was this Asse a Man? Bodin saith (his reason only reserved) he was truly transubstantiated into an Asse; so as there must be no part of a man, but reason, remaining in this Asse:* 1.1 And yet Hermes Trismegistus thinketh he hath good authority and rea∣son to say, Aliud corpus quam humanum non capere animam humanam; nec fas esse in corpus animae ratione carentis animam rationalem corruere; that is, An humane soul cannot receive any other than an humane body, nor yet can light into a body that wanteth reason of mind. But S. James saith,* 1.2 The body without the spirit

is dead. And surely, when the soul is departed from the body, the life of man is dissolved;* 1.3 and therefore Paul wished to be dissolved, when he would have been with Christ. The body of man is subject to divers kinds of Agues, sick∣nesses, and infirmities, whereunto an Asses body is not inclined; and mans body must be fed with bread, &c. and not with hay. Bodins Asse-headed man must either eat hay or nothing; as appeareth in the story. Man's body also is subject unto death, and hath his dayes numbred. If this fellow had died in the mean time, as his hour might have been come, for any thing the Devils, the Witch, or Bodin knew; I marvel then what would have become of this Asse, or how the Witch could have restored him to shape, or whether he should have risen at the day of Judgement in an Asses body and shape: For Paul saith,* 1.4 that that very body which is sown and buried a natural body, is raised a spiritual body. The life of Jesus is made manifest in our mortal flesh, and not in the flesh of an Asse.

God hath endued every man and every thing with his proper nature, sub∣stance, form, qualities, and gifts, and directeth their wayes. As for the wayes of an Asse, he taketh no such care; howbeit, they have also their properties and substance several to themselves.* 1.5 For there is one flesh (saith Paul) of men, another flesh of beasts, another of fishes, another of birds: And therefore it is absolutely against the ordinance of God (who hath made me a man) that I should flie like a Bird, or swim like a fish, or creep like a worm, or become an Asse in shape; insomuch, as if God would give me leave, I cannot do it; for it were contrary to his own order and decree, and to the constitution of any body which he hath made.* 1.6 Yea, the spirits themselves have their laws and limits prescribed, beyond the which they cannot pass one hairs breadth; otherwise God should be contrary to himself, which is far from him. Neither is Gods omnipotency hereby qualified, but the Devils impotency mani∣fested, who hath none other power, but that which God from the begin∣ning hath appointed unto him, consonant to his nature and substance. He may well be restrained from his power and will, but beyond the same he cannot pass, as being Gods minister, no further but in that which he hath from the begin∣ning enabled him to do: which is, that he being a spirit, may with Gods leave and ordinance viciate and corrupt the spirit and will of man; werein he is very diligent.

What a beastly assertion is it, that a man, whom God hath made according to his own similitude and likeness, should be by a Witch, turned into a beast? What an impiety is it to affirm, that an Asses body is the temple of the holy Ghost? Or, an Asse to be the child of God, and God to be his Father, as it is said of man? Which Paul to the Corinthians so divinely confuteth, who saith, That our bodies are the members of Christ:* 1.7 in the which, we are to glorifie God, for the body is for the Lord, and the Lord is for the body. Surely he meaneth not for an Asses body, as by this time I hope appeareth; in such wife as Bodin may go hide him for shame; especially when he shall understand, that even into these our bodies, which God hath framed after his own likeness, he hath also breathed that spirit, which Bodin saith, is now remaining within an Asses body, which God hath so subjected in such servility under the foot of man;* 1.8 of whom God is so mindful, that he hath made him little lower then Angels, yea than himself, and crowned him with glory and worship, and made him to have dominion over the works of his hands, as having put all things under his feet, all Sheep and Oxen, yea Wolves, Asses, and all other beasts of the field, the fouls of the air, the fishes of the sea, &c. Bodins Poet, Ovid, whose Me∣tamorphosis makes so much for him; saith, to the overthrow of this phantastical imagination:

Os homini sublime dedit, coelum{que} videre Jussit, & erectos ad sydera tollere vultus.

The effect of which verses is this:

The Lord did set mans fade so hie, That he the heavens might behold, And look up to the starry skie, To see his wonders manifold.

Now, if a Witch or a Devil, can so alter the shape of a man, as contrarily to make him look down to hell, like a beast; Gods works should not only be de∣faced and disgraced, but his ordinance should be wonderfully altered, and there∣by confounded.

Notes

• * 1.1

  Hermer Tris∣meg. in suo Pe∣riandro.
• * 1.2

  Jam. 2.26.
• * 1.3

  Phil. 1.23.
• * 1.4

  1 Cor. 15.44.
• * 1.5

  1 Cor. 15.39.
• * 1.6

  Psal. 119.
• * 1.7

  1 Cor. 6.19. ver. 15. &c. ver. 2. ver. 13.
• * 1.8

  Psal. 8.5, 7, 8.