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. XL.

How Conjurors have beguiled Witches; what books they carry about to procure credit to their Art; wicked assertions against Moses and Joseph.

THus you see that Conjurors are no small fools: For whereas Witches being poor and needy, go from door to door for relief, have they never so many Toads or Cats at home, or never so much Hogs-dung and Charvil about them, or never so many Charmes in stone; these Conjurors (I say) have gotten them offices in the Church of Rome, whereby they have obtained authority and great estimation.* 1.1 And further to add credit to that Art, these Conjurors carry about at this day, books entituled under the names of Adam, Abel, Toby, and Enoch; which Enoch they repute the most divine fel∣low in such matters. They have also among them books of Zachary, Paul, Ho∣norius, Cyprian, Jerome, Jeremy, Albert, and Thomas: also, of the Angels, Riziel, Razael, and Raphael; and doubtless these were such books as were said to have been burnt in the lesser Asia.* 1.2 And for their further credit they boast, that they must be and are skilful and learned in these Arts, to wit, ars Almadel, ars Notoria, ars Bulaphiae, ars Arthephii, ars Pomena, ars Revelationis, &c. Yea,

these Conjurors in corners stick (with Justine) to report and affirm,* 1.3 That Joseph who was a true figure of Christ that delivered and redeemed us, was learned in these arts, and thereby prophesied and expounded Dreams; and that those arts came to him from Moses, and finally from Moses to them:* 1.4 which thing both Pliny and Tacitus affirm of Moses. Also Strabo in his Cosmographie maketh the very like blasphe∣mous report; and likewise Apollonius Molon, Possidonius, Lysimachus and Appian term Moses both a Magician and a Conjuror, whom Eusebius confuteth with ma∣ny notable arguments: For Moses differed as much from a Magician, as truth from falshood, and piety from vanity; for in truth, he confounded all Magick, and made the world see, and the cunningest Magicians of the earth confess, That their own doings were but illusions, and that his miracles where wrought by the finger of God. But that the poor old Witches knowledge reacheth thus far, (as Danaus affirmeth it doth) is untrue;* 1.5 for their furthest fetches that I can com∣prehend, are but to fetch a pot of milk, &c. from their neighbours house, half a mile distant from them.

Notes

• * 1.1

  A soul offence to backbite the absent, and to belye the dead.
• * 1.2

  Act. 19.19.
• * 1.3

  Just. lib. 16.
• * 1.4

  Plin. lib. 30. c 2. Strab. lib. 16.
• * 1.5

  Dan. in dialog. de sortiariis.