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The Feates or prankes of Witches, are nothing else, but an applying of unnaturall and unapt meanes, and un∣appointed by God, to bring some strange, odde or infre∣quent, some prodigious, stu∣pendous or wondrous things
to passe; and present them to the outward senses. The more light and Triviall of them are done by the Witchmaking; having an Imp (as an Ape) ready to play such tricks at a becke, or a nodde. But the more prodigious or stupen∣dous are effected meerly by the Devill; the witch all the while either in a Rapt, ecsta∣sie, a charmed sleepe, or a melancholy Dreame: and the Witches imagination, phanta∣sie, common sense, only delu∣ded with what is now done, or pretended.
All which Feats might be referred to the Witches Com∣pacts, Conventicles, or com∣mon
practises. And though Learned men (that write vo∣lumes of this subject) be much upon them, yet I (that intend but an Abstract) list not to belong upon the Legend of Witches. And therefore for∣beare to order them: and shall onely give a Tast of them con∣fusedly, and one amongst ano∣ther. They tel us (and the vul∣gar second them with num∣berles Traditions) of their reading in the moon, al things that shall come to passe for a Thousand Generations. Of their reading by star-light, what another has writtē in his Closet a Thousand miles off. Of causing the voyces of two
in Conference to be mutually heard although as distant one from another as the East is from the West. Of their being metamorphosed, or turned in∣to Beasts, Bears, Dogs, Wolves, Goats, Catts, Hares, &c. of their cutting one anothers heads off, and setting them on again; suffering their Limbs to be pluck tasunder and knit∣ting thē to again immediatly. Of their flying in the Aire: and walking invisible. Of their ri∣ding long and tedious Four∣neys upon Broomes and Di∣staffes? and their sayling over seas in Eggshells. Of their car∣nall Copulation with the De∣vill; and what feat Elses and
Changelings of such a Coiti∣on; now as bigge as Gyants, and anon as little as Pigmeyes. Of their Eating up whole Fields of Corn or hay, & drin∣king up whole rivers in seives. Of presenting a Curious Ban∣quet upon the Table; and inviting thereto their Guests out of Fairy Land. Of making a garden of delicat flowers to spring up in your Parlour in the dead of winter. Of raising Stormes and showres out of Tubs, turning Streams back∣ward; haling Ships laden a∣gainst Wind and water, with Haires or twined Threads. Of making a Cock or a Flye to draw the hugest Beame. Of
giving Potions to make peo∣ple love or hate as they please. Making the strength of youth impotent, and dead Bodies viripotent. Of making bodies impenetrable or shot-free; annoynting the Weapon, and curing the wound, without the least virtuall Contiguity: And turning all Metalls into Gold, Drinking off a glasse of Clarret, and make it to spout out of the forehead presently. Shewing you such and such Faces in Glasses &c. Causing to daunce naked &c. What should I tell of their Feates wrought by Figures, Chara∣cters, Spells, Ligatures, Circles, Numbers, Barbarismes, Images
of wax or clay, Crystalls, looking-glasses, Baso••s of wa∣ters, herbs, powders, urguments, sawes, knives, pins, needles, Candles, rings, garters, gloves, &c. I feare I have even cloyd, while I talked but of giving a Tast.
A wise Christian and Con∣scientious wil leave the faith of all or most of these matters, with the Authors. No prodi∣gious Acts (though avouched and attested by hundreds and Thousands) must impose upon his Beleife: If they ut∣terly thwart his eternall and infallible Rules of Truth, which are,
1. To beleve, that all the De∣vills
stupendous Actions in this kind, are praestigious De∣lusions. That is, either meerly Delusive, where all else is im∣possible, but the Delusion it selfe: or mixtly delusive, where peradventure amongst some reality of meanes, matter, e∣vent, there is nothing but prae∣stigiousnesse of Forme, End, Effect.
2. To believe nothing of all these, that (in the least) do u∣surp or trench upon the divine Attributes; omniscience, om∣nipotence, &c. For though Devills be intelligential crea∣tures, and of admirable Inge∣ny and sagacity in comparison to reasonable Souls; yet while
(their Intellect was unobscu∣red by their Fall) all their per∣spicacity never reached to a shadow of Omniscience: much lesse can all their long Experi∣ence, Observation, or Revela∣tion, now attain to it. And therfore if they foresee of thē∣selves, or foretel some kind of Futures; it is but as they are contain'd in their natural cau∣ses, or dispositions: And if they ghess at some secret intentions or affectiōs of the heart, it is no more then from certaine out∣ward motions. So that wee may well conclude, they are ignorant, and erre in very ma∣ny things; whereof the Am∣biguity of their propositions
and predictions, are a sufficient Confession.
Likewise, though Devils be called Principalities and pow∣ers, & that no power on earth may be compared to them; yet was all their power (ere debili∣tated by their fall) of no force to that power that belongeth unto God; Wonders they may worke, but those lying ones, Deut. 3. 2. Mat. 24. 24. 2 Thes. 2. 9. And yet not those, but as permitted by God, not Impe∣dited by Angels, and having the matter hereunto somwhat praedisposed. And even then it is (for the most part) praesti∣gious too. Illuding humane senses, abusing their Fancies,
and (which is worse) decei∣ving their hearts. Their ut∣most is but to produce phan∣tasmaticall or false species of things; and if any thing bee now verily done, it is but by applying Actives to Passives: which if wee were as cunning in as they; we might also doe without them, and need never be beholding to them. But as for Miracles (of a true name and thing) they are as strange and as admirable to them, as they are to us. And indeede neither for them, nor us, nor for Angells to do, but for God alone, Psal. 72. 18. He only can work miracles, to whom no∣thing is a Miracle. And it were
easie (were it not too long) to distinguish betwixt divine Miracles, and Diabolical Pro∣digies; both from the dignity and vertue of the doere; the Quality, Excellency of the thing done, with the admira∣ble and advantagious manner and end of doing.
3. To believe nothing of these, that (being granted) must of necessity work the u∣niversall disorder and confusi∣on of nature. For though the Devill may haply bee able to perturbe some particular course of Nature: yet (Devils themselves, being part of the Universe) have no power to worke to the Confusion and
destruction of the whole.
4. To beleeve nothing of them, that utterly impugn the dictates of right Reason. For that would directly imply contradictions; and then im∣possibilities are necessarily to be concluded.
5. Not to beleeve any thing of these, contrary to the infal∣lible Rules of Gods word. For what Faith can bee of those things, that crosse the grounds of Faith? Against which eter∣nall Rules of truth (whether of precept, promise, or pra∣ctise) Devills and men, in all their Operations or Testimo∣nies must needes bee found Lyars.
6. Nothing must be believed of all these, as tending to truth or to God. For the Devill is false, and can speak no trueth, but to deceive; and the Devil is naught, and will do nothing like to Good, but to hurt and endamage so much the more.