Reginald Scot, The Discoverie of Witchcraft (London: William Brome, 1584. Great Britain: John Rodker, 1930) 5.


  
Miracles                                             of Witchcraft                                              CHAP. 4  

  
   
promotion, welth, worship, pleasure, honor, knowledge, learning, or anie other  
benefit whatsoever,  
     It falleth out many times, that neither their necessities, nor their expectation  
is answered or served, in those places where they beg or borrowe; but rather  
their lewdnesse* is by their neighbors reprooved. And further, in tract of time  
the witch waxeth odious and tedious to hir neighbors; and they againe are  
despised and despited of hir: so as sometimes she cursseth one, and sometimes  
another; and that from the maister of the house, his wife, children, cattell, &c.  
to the little pig that lieth in the stie. Thus in processe of time they have all dis-  
pleased hir, and she hath wished evill lucke unto them all; perhaps with cursses  
and imprecations made in forme.* Doubtlesse (at length) some of hir neighbors  
die, or fall sicke; or some of their children are visited with diseases that vex  
them strangelie: as apoplexies, epilepsies, convulsions, hot fevers, wormes, &c.  
Which by ignorant parents are supposed to be the vengeance of witches. Yea  
and their opinions and conceits* are confirmed and maintained by unskilfull  
physicians: according to the common saieng; Inscitiæ pallium maleficium & incan-  
tatio, Witchcraft and inchantment is the cloke of ignorance: whereas indeed evill  
humors,* & not strange words, witches, or spirits are the causes of such diseases.  
Also some of their cattell perish, either by disease or mischance. Then they,  
upon whom such adversities fall, weighing the fame that goeth upon this woman  
(hir words, displeasure, and cursses meeting so justlie with their misfortune) doo  
not onelie conceive, but also are resolved, that all their mishaps are brought  
to passe by hir onelie meanes.  
     The witch on the other side exspecting hir neighbours mischances, and seeing  
things sometimes come to passe according to hir wishes, cursses, and incanta-  
tions (for Bodin* himselfe confesseth, that not above two in a hundred of their I. Bodin. li. 2.
witchings or wishings take effect) being called before a justice, by due examina- de dæmono:
tion of the circumstances is driven to see hir imprecations and desires and hir cap. 8.
neighbors harmes and losses to concurre, and as it were to take effect: and so  
confesseth that she (as a goddes) hath brought such things to passe. Wherein,  
not onelie she, but the accuser, and also the justice are fowlie deceived and  
abused; as being thorough hir confession and other circumstances persuaded  
(to the injurie of Gods glorie) that she hath doone, or can doo that which is  
proper onelie to God himselfe.  
     Another sort of witches there are, which be absolutelie cooseners.* These take  
upon them, either for glorie, fame, or gaine, to doo anie thing, which God or the  
divell can doo: either for foretelling of things to come, bewraieng of secrets,  
curing of maladies, or working of miracles. But of these I will talke more at  
large heereafter.  
   

  
   
CHAPTER IV.  
  
What miraculous actions are imputed to witches by witchmongers, papists, and poets.  
  
ALTHOUGH it be quite against the haire, and contrarie to the divels  
will, contrarie to the witches oth, promise, and homage, and contrarie to  
all reason, that witches should helpe anie thing that is bewitched; but  
rather set forward their maisters businesse: yet we read In malleo maleficarum, of Mal. Malef.
three sorts of witches; and the same is affirmed by all the writers heereupon, par. 2. quæst
new and old. One sort (they say) can hurt and not helpe, the second can helpe I. cap. 2.
and not hurt, the third can both helpe and hurt. And among the hurtfull  
witches he saith there is one sort more beastlie than any kind of beasts, saving  
woolves: for these usuallie devoure and eate yong children and infants of their  
owne kind. These be they (saith he) that raise haile, tempests, and hurtfull  
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