Читать книгу The Discovery of Witchcraft - Reginald Scot - Страница 43

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What the feare of death and feeling of torments may force one to doo, and that it is no marvell though witches condemne themselves by their owne confessions so tyrannicallie extorted.

E that readeth the ecclesiasticall histories, or remembreth the persecutions in Queene Maries time, shall find, that manie good men have fallen for feare of persecution, and returned unto the Lord againe. What marvell then, though a poore woman, such a one as is described else-where, & tormented as is declared in these latter leaves, be made to confesse such absurd and false impossibilities; when flesh and bloud is unable to endure such triall? Or how can she in the middest of such horrible tortures/34. and torments, promise unto hir selfe constancie; or forbeare to confesse anie thing? Or what availeth it hir, to persevere in the deniall of such matters, as are laid to her charge unjustlie; when on the one side there is never anie end of hir torments; on the other side,/38. if she continue in hir assertion, they saie she hath charmes for taciturnitie or silence?

Peter¹⁵³ the apostle renounced, curssed, and forsware his maister and our Saviour Jesus Christ, for feare of a wenches manaces; or rather at a question demanded by hir, wherein he was not so circumvented, as these poore witches are, which be not examined by girles, but by cunning inquisitors, who having the spoile of their goods, and bringing with them into the place of judgement minds to maintaine their bloudie purpose, spare no maner of allurements, thretenings, nor torments, untill they have wroong out of them all that, which either maketh to their owne desire, or serveth to the others destruction.

Peter (I saie) in the presence of his Lord and maister Christ, who had instructed him in true knowledge manie yeares, being forewarned, not passing foure or five houres before, and having made a reall league and a faithfull promise to the contrarie, without anie other compulsion than (as hath beene said) by a question proposed by a girle, against his conscience, forsooke, thrise denied, and abandoned his said maister: and yet he was a man illuminated, and placed in dignitie aloft, and neerer to Christ by manie degrees, than the witch, whose fall could not be so great as Peters; bicause she never ascended halfe so manie steps. A pastors declination is much more abhominable that the going astraie of anie of his sheepe: as an ambassadors conspiracie is more odious than the falshood of a common person: or as a capteins treason is more mischeevous than a private soldiers mutinie. If you saie, Peter repented; I answer that the witch dooth so likewise sometimes, and I see not in that case, but mercie may be emploied upon hir. It were a mightie temptation to a seelie old woman, that a visible divell (being in shape so ugglie, as Danæus¹⁵⁴ and others saie he is) should assalt hir in maner and forme as is supposed, or rather avowed; speciallie when there is promise made that none shall be tempted above their strength.¹⁵⁵ The poore old witch is commonlie unlearned, unwarned, and unprovided of counsell and freendship, void of judgement and discretion to moderate hir life and communication, hir kind and gender more weake and fraile than the masculine, and much more subject to melancholie; hir bringing up and companie is so base, that nothing is to be/39. looked for in hir speciallie of these extraordinarie qualities; hir age also is commonlie such, as maketh her decrepite, which is a disease that mooveth them to these follies.

Finallie, Christ did cleerelie remit Peter, though his offense were committed both against his divine and humane person: yea afterwards he did put him in trust to feed his sheepe, and shewed great countenance, freendship and love unto him. And there- fore I see not, but we may shew compassion upon these poore soules; if they shew themselves sorrowfull for their misconceipts and wicked imagina- tions./