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. XIII.

A Confutation of Witches Confessions, concerning making of Tempests and Rain: of the natural cause of Rain, and that Witches or Devils have no power to do such things.

ANd to speak more generally of all the impossible actions referred unto them, as also of their false Confessions; I say, that there is none which acknowledgeth God to be only Omnipotent, and the only worker of all Miracles, nor any other indued with mean sense, but will deny that the Ele∣ments are obedient to Witches, and at their Commandement; or that they may at their pleasure send Rain, Hail, Tempests, Thunder, Lightning; when she being but an old doting woman, casteth a flint-stone over her left shoulder, to∣wards the West, or hurleth a little Sea-sand up into the Element,* 1.1 or wetteth a Broom-sprig in water, and sprinkleth the same in the air; or diggeth a pit in the earth, and putting water therein, stirreth it about with her finger; or boil∣eth Hogs bristles, or layeth sticks across upon a bank, where never a drop of water is; or buryeth Sage till it be rotten; all which things are confessed by Witches, and affirmed by writers to be the means that Witches use to move ex∣traordinary Tempests and Rain, &c.

We read in M. Maleficarum, that a little Girl walking abroad with her Fa∣ther in his land, heard him complain of drought, wishing for rain, &c. Why Father, quoth the child, I can make it rain or hail, when and where I list? He asked where she learned it: She said, of her Mother, who forbad her to tell any body thereof: He asked her how her Mother taught her? She answered, that her Mother committed her to a Master, who would at any time do any thing for her: Why then, said he, make it rain but only in my field: And so she went to the stream, and threw up water in her Masters name, and made it rain present∣ly: And proceeding further with her father, she made it hail in another field, at her fathers request: Hereupon he accused his wife, and caused her to be burn∣ed; and then he new christened his child again: which circumstance is com∣mon among Papists, and Witch-mongers: And howsoever the first part hereof was proved, there is no doubt, but the latter part was throughly executed. If they could indeed bring these things to pass at their pleasure, then might they also be impediments unto the course of all other natural things, and Ordinances appointed by God: as, to cause it to hold up, when it should rain;* 1.2 and to make midnight, of high noon; and by those means, I say, the Divine power should become servile to the will of a Witch, so as we could neither eat nor drink, but by their permission.

Me thinks Seneca might satisfie these credulous or rather idolatrous people, that run a whore-hunting, either in body or phansie, after these Witches; be∣lieving all that is attributed unto them, to the derogation of Gods glory. He saith, that the rude people, and our ignorant predecessors did believe, that rain

and showers might be procured and stayed by Witches charms and inchant∣ments: of which kind of things, that there can nothing be wrought, it is so ma∣nifest, that we need not go to any Philosophers School, to learn the confutati∣on thereof.

* 1.3But Jeremy. by the Word of God, doth utterly confound all that which may be devised for the maintenance of that foolish opinion, saying: Are there any among the gods of the Gentiles, that send rain, or give showers from Heaven? Art not thou the self same our Lord God?* 1.4 We will trust in thee, for thou doest and maketh all these things. I my therefore with Brentius boldly say, that it is neither in the power of Witches nor Devils, to accomplish that matter; but in God on∣ly: For when exhalations are drawn and lifted up from out of the earth, by the power of the Sun, into the middle region of the air, the coldness thereof constraineth and thickeneth those vapours: which being become clouds, are dissolved again by the heat of the Sun; whereby Rain or Hail is ingendred; Rain, if by the way, the drops be not frozen and made hail. These circumstances being considered with the course of the whole Scri∣pture, it can neither be in the power of Witch or Devil to procure rain or fair weather.

And whereas the story of Job in this case is alledged against me (wherein a Witch is not once named) I have particularly answered it else-where: And therefore thus much only I say here; that even there, where it pleased God (as Calvin saith) to set down circumstances for the instruction of our gross ca∣pacities, which are not able to conceive of spiritual communication, or heaven∣ly affairs, the Devil desireth God to stretch out his hand, and touch all that Job hath:* 1.5 And though he seemeth to grant Satans desire, yet God him∣self sent fire from heaven, &c. Whereby it is to be gathered, that although God said, He is in thine hand: it was the Lords hand that punished Job, and not the hand of the Devil, who said not, Give me leave to plague him; but, Lay thine hand upon him. And when Job continued faithful, notwithstanding all his afflictions, in his children, body and goods; the Devil is said to come again to God,* 1.6 and to say, as before, to wit; Now stretch out thine hand and touch his bones and his flesh. Which argueth as well that he could not do it, as that he himself did it not before.* 1.7 And be it here remembred, that M. Mal. and the residue of the Witchmongers deny, that there were any Witches in Jobs time. But see more hereof elsewhere.

Notes

• * 1.1

  The ways that Witches use to make rain, &c.

  Nider. Mal. Malef. J. Bod. Fryer Barth. Heming, Danae∣us, &c.

  Mal. Males. par. 2. quaest. 1. c. 12.
• * 1.2

  He that can ly, can steal, as he that can work can play.
• * 1.3

  Jer. 16.22. Dii gentium dae∣monia.
• * 1.4

  The gods of the Gentiles are Devils. The natural generation of hail and rain.
• * 1.5

  Job 11. 1b. vers. 16.
• * 1.6

  Job 2.5.
• * 1.7

  Mal. Males. par. 1. quaest. 2.