A detection of that sinnful, shamful, lying, and ridiculous discours, of Samuel Harshnet. entituled: A discouerie of the fravvdulent practises of Iohn Darrell wherein is manifestly and apparantly shewed in the eyes of the world. not only the vnlikelihoode, but the flate impossibilitie of the pretended counterfayting of William Somers, Thomas Darling, Kath. Wright, and Mary Couper, togeather with the other 7. in Lancashire, and the supposed teaching of them by the saide Iohn Darrell.

Darrell.

Because these men were either blind, or seeing would not see, shall wee therfore put out the eyes of others, of the 17 deposed first, and of sundrie others deposed since: as also of hundreds besides readie to depose the same, if they were thervnto called by authoritie? All men are not like to Peter and Iohn who said vnto the faces of the hie prists and Elders, that they could not but speake the things which they had seene & heard. 2. wher almost al thes 10 witneses which saw So. in many fits depose, that they themselues could do the like, others, that any body might doe the same, yea easily: how can it be but that they be periured if they haue so deposed indeede? for their be almost 30 which haue deposed to about 20 thinges impossible to be done by any naturall or artificiall power. Besid, by the depositions of So. & others deposed & examined by the B: and the Disc, and alledged in this booke to proue counter∣feiting, and so by the Discouerie it selfe, it is manifest, that it is not so very easie a matter for one, much lesse for any body naughtily disposed, to doe the same So. did. Seven came to carrie me (saith Somers) whom, as I thinke, I did very much trouble: wherevpon it was giuen ou••, that I was so heavie in my fittes as 7 were scarce able to carie me. By this reporte it should seeme that 7 could hardly carry him, not because of his strug¦ling, and yet euery boye can not so struggle, but for the exceedinge great weaight of his body (which is by some deposed) whervpon this report did rise. It is also confessed and deposed, that he made his belly to swell and did hide his tongue vz: so as no parcell of it could be seene

with a candle, for not longe before and in the presence of the Maior with some 50 others, his mouth was by 12 persons or their aboutes looked into with a candle, but no tongue nor parcell therof was their to be seene, saue the roote in his throate: Againe, Som: thrust his tonge backwarde into his throate, speake with his mouth wyde open, pricked with pinnes, endured it, foamed exceedingly, that the foame ran downe on both the sides of his mouth, and about his chinne, & roaped downe into his necke: These thinges (confessed by the Disco. himselfe and the frendes of counterfeiting, yea deposed by his owne deponents,) can not any bo∣dy naughtely disposed easily doe: yea hereby it is euidēt that no body can by art doe the like, and theirfore So: hath not counterfeited. Let the Disc. then and frendes of counterfeiting be iudged out of there owne mouthes. And this is the 12. time the Discouerer is convinced by his Discouery, Before we haue hearde that the Disc. in his Discouerie hath discouered my innocencye: & heere we playnly see that he hath done as much for the cause it selfe. Yf now hereby the impossibilitie of So. counterfeitiug doe appeare: how much more, when herevnto we shall add the rare and supernaturall accidents mentioned in my answeare to the last chapter of the third booke.

Notes

• 〈◊〉〈◊〉 1••
• act. 4. 20.
• pag. 180. & 18••.
• pag. 23. 5 pag 215. pag 201. pag 233. pag 189.
• pag 2••3.