Читать книгу The Discovery of Witchcraft - Reginald Scot - Страница 47

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How witches are summoned to appeere before the divell, of their riding in the aire, of their accompts, of their conference with the divell, of his supplies, and their conference, of their farewell and sacrifices: according to Danæus, Psellus, &c.

ITHERTO, for the most part, are the verie words conteined in M. Mal. or Bodin, or rather in both; or else in the new M. Mal. or at the least-wise of some writer or other, that mainteineth the almightie power of witches. But Danæus¹⁶⁴ saith, the divell oftentimes in the likenes of a sumner, meeteth them at markets and faires, and warneth them to appeere in their assemblies, at a certeine houre in the night, that he may understand whom they have slaine, and how they have profited. If they be lame, he saith the divell delivereth them a staffe, to conveie them thither invisiblie through the aire; and that then they fall a dansing and singing of bawdie songs, wherein he leadeth the danse himselfe. Which danse, and other conferencies being ended, he supplieth their wants of powders and roots to intoxicate withall; and giveth to everie novice a marke, either with his teeth or with his clawes, and so they kisse the divels bare buttocks, and depart:/44. not forgetting every daie afterwards to offer to him, dogs, cats, hens, or bloud of their owne.¹⁶⁵ And all this dooth Danæus report as a troth, and as it were upon his owne knowledge. And yet else-where ¹⁶⁶ he saieth; In these matters they doo but dreame, and doo not those things indeed, which they confesse through their distemperature, growing of their melancholike humor: and therefore (saith he) these things, which they report of themselves, are but meere illusions.

Psellus addeth hereunto, that certeine magicall heretikes, to wit; the Eutychians, assemblie themselves everie good fridaie at night; and putting out the candles, doo commit incestuous adulterie, the father with the daughter, the sister with the brother, and the sonne with the mother; and the ninth moneth they returne and are delivered; and cutting their children in peeces, fill their pots with their bloud; then burne they the carcases,¹⁶⁷ and mingle the ashes therewith, and so preserve the same for magicall purposes. Cardanus writeth (though in mine opinion not verie/38. probablie) that these excourses, dansings, &c: had their beginning from certeine heretikes called Dulcini, who devised those feasts of Bacchus which are named Orgia, whereunto these kind of people openlie assembled; and beginning with riot, ended with this follie. Which feasts being prohibited, they nevertheles hanted them secretlie; and when they could not doo so, then did they it in cogitation onelie, and even to this daie (saith he) there remaineth a certeine image or resemblance thereof among our melancholike women.