Discover the Truth Behind Witchcraft Stories - William Godwin

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quite modern times, for Mr. E. J. Wood, writing in Notes and Queries, October 25, 1862, says:

      ‘In a certain hollow, or “bottom,” not many miles from Sevenoaks, lived an old woman (now deceased) who had the local reputation of being a witch, and who could, according to the vulgar belief, convert herself into a hare at will. Her cottage had a drain-hole, or aperture, through which hole the so-called witch used to pass when she had metamorphosed herself into a “puss.”’

      To the outside world, a witch, be she young or old, looked like another woman, but to the cognoscenti there were certain marks about her which proclaimed her as a servant to the devil. All authorities agree that a witch had certain marks upon her which no one could mistake, and Scot sums it up very tersely:

      ‘Item, if she haue anie priuie mark under hir arme pokes, under hir haire, under hir lip, or in hir buttocke, &c., it is a presumption for the iudge to proceed and giue sentence of death upon hir.’

      But perhaps we find the fullest details of these marks in the abominable book ‘The Discovery of Witches,’ by the wretch Matthew Hopkins, the professional ‘witch-finder.’

      ‘Answer. The parties so judging can justifie their skill to any, and shew good reasons why such markes are not meerly naturall, neither that they can happen by any such naturall cause as is before expressed, and for further answer for their private judgements alone, it is most false and untrue, for never was any man tryed by search of his body, but commonly a dozen of the ablest men in the parish or else where were present, and most commonly as many ancient skilfull matrons and midwives present when the women are tryed, which marks, not only he and his company attest to be very suspitious, but all beholders, the skilfulest of them, doe not approve of them, but likewise assent that such tokens cannot, in their judgements proceed from any of the above-mentioned Causes.

      ‘Query 6. It is a thing impossible for any man or woman to judge rightly on such marks, they are so neare to naturall excressencies, and they that finde them, durst not presently give Oath they were drawne by evill spirits, till they have used unlawfull courses of torture to make them say anything for ease and quiet, as who would not do? but I would know the reasons he speakes of, and whereby to discover the one from the other, and so be satisfied in that.

      ‘Answer. The reasons, in breefe, are three, which, for the present, he judgeth to differ from naturall marks; which are

      ‘1. He judgeth by the unusualnes of the place where he findeth the teats in or on their bodies, being farre distant from any usuall place, from whence such naturall markes proceed; as, if a witch plead the markes found are Emerods, if I finde them on the back bone, shall I assent with him? Knowing they are not neere that veine, and so, others, by child-bearing, when it may be, they are in the contrary part?

      ‘2. They are most commonly insensible, and feele neither pin, needle, aule, &c., thrust through them.

      ‘3. The often variations and mutations of these marks into severall formes, confirmes this matter; as, if a Witch hear a month or two before that the Witch-finder, (as they call him) is comming, they will, and have, put out their Imps to others to suckle them, even to their owne young and tender children; these upon search are found to have dry skinnes and filmes only, and be close to the flesh. Keepe her 24 houres with a diligent eye, that none of her Spirits come in any visible shape to suck her; the women have seen, the next day after, her Teats extended to their former filling strength, full of corruption, ready to burst; and, leaving her alone then one quarter of an houre, and let the women go up againe, and shee will have them drawn, by her Imps, close againe: Probatum est.’

      This seems hard enough upon the poor friendless witch, but it is nothing to what Scot writes on the subject, giving his authorities, which, at the time he wrote, on behalf of the witch, was good law. As it is a very curious bit of history, and one, as far as I know, that has never been reproduced, I make a long extract bearing thereon:

      ‘Excommunicat persons, partakers of the salt, infants, wicked servants, and runawaies are to be admitted to beare witness against their dames in the mater of witchcraft, bicause, (saith Bodin, the champion of witch mongers) none that be honest are able to detect them. Heretikes, also, and witches shall be received to accuse, but not to excuse a witch. And, finallie, the testimonie of all infamous persons in this case is good and allowed. Yea, one lewd person, (saith Bodin) may be received to accuse and condemne a thousand suspected witches. And although by lawe, a capitall enimie may be challenged; yet James Sprenger and Henry Justitor (from whom Bodin, and all the writers that euer I haue read, doo receiue their light, authorities and arguments) saie, (upon this point of lawe) that The poore frendlesse old woman must proue that hir capitall enemie would haue killed hir, and that hee hath both assalted and wounded hir; otherwise she pleadeth all in vaine. If the iudge aske hir, whether she haue anie capitall enemies; and she rehearse other, and forget her accuser, or else answer that he was hir capitall enemie, but now she hopeth that he is not so; such a one is neuertheles admitted for a witnes. And though by law, single witnesses are not admittable; yet, if one depose she hath witched hir cow, another hir sow; and the third hir butter; these saith, are no single Witnesses bicause they agree that she is a witch.

      ‘Women suspected to be witches, after their apprehension may not be suffered to go home, or to other places, to seek suerties; for feare least at their returne home, they worke reuenge upon them. In which respect Bodin commendeth much the Scottish custome and order in this behalfe; where, (he saith) a hollowe piece of wood, or a chest is placed in the church, into the which anie bodie may freelie cast a little scroll of paper, wherein may be conteined the name of the witch, the time, place and fact &c. And the same chest being locked by three inquisitors or officers appointed for that purpose; which keepe three seuerall kaies. And then the accuser need not be knowne, nor shamed with the reproch of slander or malice to his poore neighbour.

      ‘Item. there must be great persuasions used to all men, women and children, to accuse old women of witchcraft.

      ‘Item. there may alwaies be promised impunitie and fauour to witches that confesse and detect others; and for the contrairie, there may be threatnings and violence practised and used.

      ‘Item. the little children of witches, which will not confesse, must be attached; who (if they be craftilie handled saith Bodin) will confesse against their owne mothers.

      ‘Item. witches must be examined as suddenlie, and as unawares as is possible; the which will so amaze them, that they will confesse anything, supposing the diuell hath forsaken them; whereas, if they should first be committed to prison, the diuell would tamper with them, and informe them what to doo.

      ‘Item. the inquisitor, iudge, or examiner, must begin with small matters first.

      ‘Item. they must be examined whether their parents were witches or no; for witches (as these Doctors suppose) came by propagation. And Bodin setteth downe this principle in witchcraft, to wit, Si saga sit mater, sic etiam est filia: howbeit the lawe forbiddeth it Ob sanguinis reuerentiam.

      ‘Item. the examiner must looke stedfastlie upon their eies: for they cannot looke directlie upon a man’s face, (as Bodin affirmeth in one place, although in another he saith, that they kill and destroie both men and beasts by their lookes).

      ‘Item. she must be examined of all accusations, presumptions and faults, at one instant: least sathan should afterwards dissuade hir from confession.

      ‘Item. a witch may not be put in prison alone, least the diuell dissuade her from confession, through promises of her indemnitie. For (saith Bodin) some that haue been in the gaole haue proued to flie awaie, as they were woont to doo when they met with Diana and Minerua &c., and so brake their

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