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. XV.

Of the Possessed with Devils.

* 1.1HEre I cannot omit to shew, how fondly divers Writers, and namely, James Sprenger, and Henry Institor do gather and note the cause, why the Devil maketh choice to possess men at certain times of the Moon; which is (say they) in two respects: first, That they may defame so good a crea∣ture as the Moon; secondly, Because the brain is the moistest part of the body. The Devil therefore considereth the aptnest and conveniency thereof (the * 1.2 Moon having dominion over all moist things) so as they take advantage thereby, the better to bring their purposes to pass. And further they say, That Devils being conjured and called up, appear and come sooner in some certain constellations, than in other some: thereby to induce men to think that there is some godhead in the Starrs. But when Saul was releived with the sound of the Harp, they say, That the de∣parture of the Devil was by means of the sign of the cross imprinted in David's veins: whereby we may see how absurd the imaginations and devices of men are, when they speak according to their own fancies, without warrant of the Word of God.* 1.3 But methinks it is very absurd that Josephus affirmeth; to wit, That the Devil should be thrust out of any man by vertue of a root. And as vain it is, that A••∣llanus writeth of the magical hearb Cynospastus, otherwise called Aglaphotis; which is all one with Solomon's root named Baaros, as having force to drive out any De∣vil from a man possessed.

Notes

• * 1.1

  Mal. malef. quaest. 5. pag. 1.
• * 1.2

  A maxime in Philosophy, as the Sun in ari∣dis & siccis.
• * 1.3

  Joseph de anti∣quitat. Jud. i∣tem de bello Iud. lib. 7. c. 35.