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. XII.

1 Sam. 28.12, 13, 14. expounded, wherein is shewed, That Saul was cosened and abused by the Witch; and that Samuel was not raised, is proved by the Witches own talk.

THe manner and circumstance of their communion, or of her conjura∣tion, is not verbatim set down and expressed in the text; but the effect thereof briefly touched: yet will I shew you the common order of their conjuration,* 1.1 and specially of hers at this time used. When Saul had told her, that he would have Samuel brought up to him, she departed from his pre∣sence into her Closet, where doubtless she had had her familiar, to wit, some lewd crafty Priest, and made Saul stand at the door like a fool (as it were with his finger in a hole) to hear the cosening answers, but not to see the cosening handling thereof, and the counterfeiting of the matter: And so goeth she to work, using ordinary words of Conjuration, of which there are sundry varieties and forms (whereof I shall have occasion to repeat some in another place) as you see the Juglers (which be inferior Conjurors) speak certain strange words of course, to lead away the eie from espying the manner of their conveyance, whilest they may induce the mind to conceive and suppose that he dealeth with Spirits, saying, Hay, fortune fury, nun{que} credo, passe, passe, when come you sirra! So belike after many such words spoken, she said to her self, Lo now the matter is brought to pass, for I see wonderful things: So as Saul hearing these words, longed to know all, and asked her what she saw: whereby you may know that Saul saw nothing,* 1.2 but stood without like a mome, whilest she played her part in her closet, as may most evidently appear by the 21 ver. of this Chap. where it is said,* 1.3 Then the woman came out unto Saul. Howbeit, a little before she cunningly counter∣feited that she saw Samuel, and thereby knew that it was Saul that was come unto her: whereby all the world may perceive the cosening, and her dissimulation; for by that which hath been before said, it must needs be that she knew him. And (I pray you) why should she not have suspected as well him to be Saul before, when in express words he required her to bring unto him Samuel, as now when Samuel appeared unto her?

Well, to the question before proposed by Saul, she answereth and lyeth, that she saw Angels or Gods ascending up out of the earth.* 1.4 Then proceedeth she with her inchanting phrases and words of course, so as thereby Saul gathereth and supposeth that she hath raised a man; for otherwise his question dependeth not upon any thing before spoken: For when she hath said, I saw Angels ascending, &c. the next word he saith is, What fashion is he of? which (I say) hangeth not upon her last expressed words: And to this she answered not directly, that it was Samuel; but that it was an old man lapped in a mantle: as though she knew not him that was the most notorious man in Israel, that had been her neighbour by the space of many years, and upon whom (while he lived) every eye was fixed, and whom also she knew within less then a quarter of an hour before;* 1.5 as by whose means also she came acquainted with Saul. Read the text and see.

But she describeth his personage, and the apparel which he did usually wear when he lived; which if they were both buryed together, were consumed and rotten, or devoured with worms before that time. Belike he had a new mantle made him in heaven; and yet they say Taylors are skanty there, for that their consciences are so large here. In this Countrey men give away their garments when they dye; if Samuel had so done, he could not have borrowed it again; for, of likelihood, it would have been worn out in that space, except the donor had been a better husband than I; for the testator was dead (as it is supposed) two years before.

Notes

• * 1.1

  The manner of the Witch of Endors cose∣ning of Saul.
• * 1.2

  1 Sam. 28.13.
• * 1.3

  Vers. 21.
• * 1.4

  Vers. 13.
• * 1.5

  Vers. 12.