Select cases of conscience touching vvitches and vvitchcrafts. By Iohn Gaule, preacher of the Word at Great Staughton in the county of Huntington.

2. Case. How many kindes of Witch∣es may there be conceived?

A Right beliefe of Witches cannot bee without some distinct conception of their kinds, holy Scripture (to set forth their severall kinds) reckons up 8. severall names

of them at once. Deut. 8. 10. 11. Some say nine; making the first paraphrasticall descripti∣on (that of causing the sonne or the daughter to passe tho∣row the fire) to bee a certaine species of Witch-craft: which I conceive rather to be a gene∣rall Act or Rite, of consecra∣ting or devoting themselves & theirs to the Divells service; answerable to that which wee commonly call the Witches Covenant, Compact, or Con∣foederation with the Divell. Because it is still set before those other particular Acts, as if it were but some kind of preparation or disposition to them, Lev. 20. 5, 6. 2 King. 21. 6.

All the rest of the Words, or Names (were it not that ple∣nary Enumerations cannot be without distinctions) are so promiscuously used, variously translated, and indifferently interpreted, that it is hard to observe any specifique diffe∣rence between them. Give me leave to ghesse at them as di∣stinctly as I may. 1. Wee thus translate the first, One that u∣seth divination. But the He∣brew speakes somewhat more Emphatically, One divining divinations. To shew, that such his divinations were of his own divining, or devising; who presumed, or undertook to teach or tell of things con∣tingent

and fortuitous, whe∣ther future, or absent; and what hereafter might happen to such a person, such a State; And such a one I may not a∣misse call the Gipsie, or for∣tune-telling Witch. 2. An Observer of Times. The Ra∣dicall derivation of this Word or Name is thought so va∣rious, that I know not well how to determine here, what kinde of Witch. Some con∣ceive it from an Hebrew root that signifies to answer, being interrogated in dubious mat∣ters; and so I may say it is the Oracle Witch. Some from casting a mist before the eyes, and then is it the jugling or

praestigious Witch. Some from a word of the Clouds; then is it the Astrologian, Starre-ga∣zing, Planetary, Prognostica∣ting Witch. Some from a word that notes a Time, and that de∣stinate or determinate to such a purpose, as lucky, or unluc∣ky; then is it the superstitious season-searching, or (if you will) the Time-serving Witch. 3. An Enchanter, or a chaun∣ting Witch, using to that pur∣pose certaine Odes, Songs, Verses, Tones, Numbers, and may signifie either the Can∣ting or Calculating Witch. But there is a word of fuller and nearer sound to the originall, that signifies the Serpent: so

may it bee the Serpentine, the venesick or Poysonous Witch. 4. Or a Witch. The Originall Word is used so promiscuously, for all man∣ner of Witches, that makes our Translators to render it in the common English word onely. Yet doth it more narrowly import, such a kind of Witch that works partly after a poy∣sonous, partly in a praestigious way. 5. A Charmer, and that is an Exorcist or conjuring Witch. But the Hebrew ex∣presses it thus, one joyning So∣ciety, viz. either with the De∣vill, or with other Witches: and so it is the assembling or the associating Witch. 6. A

Consulter with Familiar Spi∣rits. The Hebrew intimates, one that carried the Spirit in a Bottle, a Bag, a Pitcher, and so kept it as a familiar; or ra∣ther whose Belly heaved, and swelled, and sounded like a Bottle, whence the Devill spake or replyed: and thus is it the Gastromanticke, the Ventriloquist, or if you will, the Bottle-bellyed Witch. 7. A Wizzard, or Sciolist, that is the Magicall, Speculative, Scientiall, or Arted Witch. 8. A Negromancer; that is one that sought to the Dead, and consulted them, to know what should become of the Living. Or, that haun∣ted

Graves and Sepulchers, as well praedigiously to raise the dead, as to be praestigiously re∣solved by them. You may call such an one, the Mortal or the deadly Witeh.

To all these Names, more then ten times might be added from other Languages, ex∣pressing the severall sorts of Witches and Witcherafts; ei∣ther from their Nature, Art, power, practice, matter, form, end, author, meanes, instru∣ment, or effect. But (because I labour all I may to bring the whole business to a Previate) I shall onely treat of such kindes or sorts of them, wherein they are more universally both

comprized and distinguished.

1. According to the vulgar conceit, distinction is usually made betwixt the White and the Blacke Witch: the Good, and the Bad Witch. The Bad Witch, they are wont to call him or her, that works Male∣fice or Mischiefe to the Bodies of Men or Beasts: The good Witch they count him or her, that helps to reveale, prevent, or remove the same. But such consider not, that devils (with as certaine a Science and as safe a Conscience) may be di∣stinguished into Good, and Bad, as Witches. Rather, that the accounted Good Witch, is indeed the worse and more

wicked of the two. For as Sa∣tan, being a Fiend of darknes, is then worst when hee trans∣formes himselfe into an An∣gel of Light: so likewise are his Ministers. Now both these working by the Devill, whereas the worst hurt that the one does, proves but to be∣witch the Body, or outward man: the best helpe that the other can doe, tends and turns to bewitch the inner man or Soule. In as much as it begets in the party to be thus holpen; either a Petition, or at least an inquisition: either a perswasi∣on, or at least an expectation; which is a faith or assent of the same nature that the Witch

now workes by. Notwithstan∣ding all this it is objected, that the Good Witch does good, & opposes the Bad Witch, and the Devill, and therefore cer∣tainly can be none of his, nor have any dealings with him. For if Satan cast out Satan, he is divided against himselfe, how shall then his Kingdome stand? Matth. 12. 26. Are not these now the Patrons of Wit∣ches themselves that can make Scripture plead for them? To whose mis-applying it is thus replyed: That if Satan should cast out Satan spiritually, or out of the soule, here were a division indeed, and now his Kingdome could in no wise

stand: But for Satan to cast out Satan corporally, or out of the Body onely; this may be done by a combination, and so his Kingdome may grow the more. For thus he agrees, and willingly yeelds to his owne Children and Instru∣ments to be (even by them) ejected out of the Body: that so by the faith (both of the doer and receiver) he may the more easily be admitted into the Soule.

2. Witches may universal∣ly be thus distinguished into either the Arted or the Pacted Witch. The Arted Witch, or one onely speculative upon the abstruse Mirables of Na∣ture:

who by searching into her occult Qualities, her hid∣den powers, and secret ver∣tues, her Sympathies and An∣tipathies; and by applying fit∣ly Actives unto Passives; now urges nature so Artificially, that he makes her conclude & assent to work wonders: (And happily thus far may proceed both with true Sciēce, & good conscience.) But what through vanity of Science, error of Conscience, lability of inno∣cence; what through curiosi∣ty, Credulity, vain Glory, &c. is at length taken in the snare of praestigious and Diabolicall delusion. And now applies the Creature to those ends and

uses; to which, either by its owne propensity, or by Gods Institution, it was never incli∣ned. The pacted Witch is one only Operative, about some prodigious or Praestigious things, and that only by ver∣tue of a superstitious Compact or Contract made with the Divell, without, or against all Rules and orders of Nature, Art, or Grace.

3. A generall distinction (as touching kinds) may be of the Active, and the Passive Witch. The Active Witch I conceive to Act together with the Di∣vell; but the Passive Witch to be Acted rather by him. One by way of Confoederation; the

other by reason of some obses∣sion, One as it were tempting the Divell; the other rather tempted by him. One as it were the Author, and the Divel the Instrument; the other but the bare Instrument, and the Di∣vell the sole Author. One ma∣liciously rejoycing and glory∣ing in prodigious prankes and Exploits; the other somewhat irking and ashamed. One not infesting onely, but infecting also, by seeking to make o∣thers Witches; the other wil∣ling or wishing rather to bee unmade it selfe. Of the one kinde I reckon the Witch of Endor▪ I Sam. 28. of the other, the Damsell in the Acts, Acts

16. Yet ought even the Passive Witches to bee distinguished into the meerly, and the mixt∣ly Passive. The meerly Passive be simply daemoniacks, but not Energumenists. That is mainly suffering, rather then Acting by the Divell: more ex∣cruciated and afflicted, then occupied or exercised by him. The mixtly Passive be not the Obsessed only, but the Opera∣tive likewise. Of more Active at first in giving up their Wills to Satans slavery, now become more Passive and led Captive by him at his will. First offe∣ring themselves freely and vo∣luntarily; after forced, and as it were necessitated to doe his

drudgery. The Divell now in∣festing them, if they grow slacke to infest others.