Читать книгу The Discovery of Witchcraft - Reginald Scot - Страница 59

Table of Contents

Examples of forren nations, who in their warres used the assistance of witches; of eybiting witches in Ireland, of two archers that shot with familiars.

N the warres²¹⁷ between the kings of Denmarke and Sueveland, 1563. the Danes doo write, that the king of Sueveland caried about with him in his campe, foure old witches, who with their charms so qualified the Danes, as they were thereby disabled to annoie their enimies: insomuch as, if they had taken in hand anie enterprise, they were so infeebled by those witches, as they could performe nothing. And although this could have no credit at the first, yet in the end, one of these witches was taken prisoner, and confessed the whole matter; so as (saith he) the threds, the line, and the characters were found in the high waie and water plashes.

The Irishmen addict themselves wonderfullie to the credit and practise hereof; insomuch as they affirme, that not onelie their children, but their cattell, are (as they call it) eybitten,²¹⁸ when they fall suddenlie sicke, and terme one sort of their witches eybiters; onelie in that respect: yea and they will not sticke to affirme, that they can rime either man or beast to death. Also the West Indians and Muscovits doo the like: and the Hunnes (as Gregorie Turonensis writeth) used the helpe of witches in time of war.

I find another storie written in M. Mal. repeated by Bodin; that one souldier called Pumher,²¹⁹ dailie through witchcraft killed with his bowe and arrowes three of the enimies, as they stood peeping over the walles of a castell besieged: so as in the end he killed them all quite, saving one. The triall of the archers sinister/65. dealing, and a proofe thereof expressed, is; for that he never lightly failed when he shot, and for that he killed them by three a daie; and had shot three arrowes into a rood. This was he that shot at a pennie on his sonnes head, and made readie another arrow, to have slaine the duke Remgrave that commanded it. And doubtlesse, bicause of his singular dexteritie in shooting, he was reputed a witch, as dooing that which others could not doo, nor thinke to be in the power of man to doo: though indeed no miracle, no witchcraft, no impossibilitie nor difficultie consisted therein./52.

But this latter storie I can requite with a familiar example. ²²⁰ For at Towne Malling in kent, one of Q. Maries justices, upon the complaint of many wise men, and a few foolish boies, laid an archer by the heeles; bicause he shot so neere the white at buts. For he was informed and persuaded, that the poore man plaied with a flie, otherwise called a divell or familiar. And bicause he was certified that the archer aforesaid shot better than the common shooting, which he before had heard of or seene, he conceived it could not be in Gods name, but by inchantment: whereby this archer (as he supposed by abusing the Queenes liege people) gained some one daie two or three shillings, to the detriment of the commonwealth, and to his owne inriching. And therefore the archer was severelie punished, to the great encouragement of archers, and to the wise example of justice; but speciallie to the overthrowe of witchcraft. And now againe to our matter.