by the quotation of the act of parliament which repealed the ancient laws by which thofe crimes were punishable, and thus expreffed the fenfe of the legislature that no such crimes existed.

Yet it is certain, that many of the wisest and beft-informed among our forefathers had a firm belief in the exiftence of witchcraft and forcery, and one of the most learned of our Monarchs actually wrote a treatise on the fubject. To this fome of the lefs affuming of our modern fceptics anfwer, that though, at the time of paffing the old laws now repealed, and of writing that royal and learned treatife above mentioned, fuch a diabolical art and mystery might really and truly prevail; yet now, in the 18th century, it is no longer practifed, and that witchcraft, conjuration, and forcery, are entirely abolished and unknown.

I, for my part, have more reverence for the penetration of our forefathers, than to fuppofe they could have been deceived as to what happened in their own time; and further, I am not afhamed to confefs my belief that even yet there exifts fuch an art as that of witchcraft; nor do I defpair of bringing over my readers to this opinion, if they will listen with candour to the proofs 1 propofe in this paper to bring in support of it.

I

I conceive the faireft way of doing this to be, to cite, from the beft authority among the old writers, the appearances they particularly remarked, and the facts they specifically set forth, of the practice of this unchriftian and diabolical art in their time; and then to appeal to the experience and obfervation of every unprejudiced perfon, whether fuch appearances and facts are not at this day frequently and commonly feen and known. If this be allowed, it may, I think, fairly be prefumed, that the fame caufes produce the fame effects, that thefe extraordinary phaenomena are now, as formerly, the effect of unnatural means, to wit, of witchcraft, forcery, or conjuration.

The treatise of King James, I should certainly chufe as the highest authority on this fubject, were it not, from its dialogiftic form, rather dif fufe, and not easily compreffible into the short limits of your paper. I fhall therefore extract, from another writer, a contemporary of that wife and learned Monarch, a more brief account of the different forts of witchcraft, which, however, is chiefly taken from, and in most particulars entirely agrees with the Dialogues of the King on that fubject.

"I think it good," fays that writer, "in this place, to fet down the divers forts and claffes of

thofe

thofe unlawful and accurfed dealers in witchcraft, conjuration, enchantment, and forcery, on whom the late wife and wholesome law (anno fecundo, vulgo primo, Jacob. cap. 12.) doth specially at

tach.

"1. There are who, moulding images of perfons on whom they mean to practise, and making up the fame to fomething of human fimilitude, with wax, paint, hair, and other materials, do stick into the same, fciffars, long pins, and other piercing weapons, and at the laft laying the fame before a ftrong fire, as the wax of the image melteth away, fo doth the flesh of the poor wight whom it reprefenteth (which was at firft tortured and torn as with the wounding of fuch fharp inftruments as aforefaid) burn and confume with ftrange pains and pinings.

"2. Others there be, exceeding rife in Lapland, Finland, and other wild parts of the world, who at their nightly meetings, by incantations and uncouth form of words, calling the arch fiend to their aid, and being fometimes armed with charms, and amulets of strange shape and divers colours, these withered and devilish hags do raise ftorms, tempefts, and angry appearances of the sky, to the wreck of many goodly fhips, and rich merchandize.

3. A third kind is of those who being more ftirred with the greed of lucre, than pricked on (as the two laft-mentioned forts) with anger and revenge, do, by compact with the devil, procure to themselves much wealth in gold, filver, and precious ftones, which they find in chefts, cafkets, and other places, into which no man could But herein put the fame by any natural means. oft-times is manifeft the notable deceit of the great father of lies, that the faid gold and other precious things fhall, in a short space, be turned again into ftones, drofs, or other unvalued fubftances, whereof Satan (as may be conjectured) did first by his power and art make and fashion the fame.

4.

There is likewife to be noted a power which fuch wizards and forcerers do poffefs, of tranfporting themselves invisibly, so that no man knoweth whence they came, nor whither they go, and of entering houses, though the fame be barred against them in all manner of usual paffage and accefs, difquieting and affraying the inhabitants thereof; though generally, (as our Royal Mafter well obferveth in his most learned Dialogue on Demonologie, book 3. chap. 1.) when those wizards or fpirits (for their kind and fpecies feemeth not well determined) haunt certain houses that are dwelt in, it is a fure token

of

of groffe ignorance, or of fome groffe and flanderous finnes amongst the inhabitants thereof."

Now, to bring examples of the various kinds of witchcraft fimilar to the above, which still continue to be practifed in modern times. Is not Mifs to whofe health I have drank so many bumpers, plainly a witch of the first clafs? Does The not make up an image like a human one, with wax (otherwife pomatum) and paint (as is fometimes alledged), hair, and other materials, ftick into the fame fciffars, long pins, and other piercing weapons, and which caufeth those on whom the intends to practise to burn and confume with strange pains and pinings? I must further obferve here, that my author, on this part of his fubject, differs from his Royal Master on the question, "Whether it is lawful, by the help of another witch, to cure the disease that is caften on by the craft of the firft ?" which question the King had answered in the negative; but this later writer argues for the lawfulness of that mode of cure. Our modern bewitched accordingly seem almoft univerfally to agree in the latter opinion.

The nightly meetings of the older fpecies of witch, mentioned by the above author in the fecond place, have furely come within the knowledge of most of my readers. In the inner room of fome very great ladies houfes, on what is VOL. II. called

E