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(a) Preface phy (a) (R); his trew law of free mo

to James's

works.

narchy;

James was a paraphraft, to thefe meditations; but the connexion between that annexed to that book, and the reft, I hope will be deemed a fufficient excuse.

(R) His Dæmonologie.] This was printed at Edinburgh, cum privil. reg. 4to. 1597. It is in form of a dialogue, divided into three books. The occafion and end of this piece, to do James justice, I fhall give in his his own words. "The fearful abounding (fays he).

at this time, in this country, of these deteftable flaves "of the devil, the witches or enchanters, hath moved "me, beloved reader, to dispatch in poft this following "treatise of mine, not in any wife (as I proteft) to "ferve for a fhew of my learning and ingene, but only (moved of confcience) to prefs thereby fo far as I can, to refolve the doubting hearts of many; that fuch affaults of Satan are moft certainly prac"tifed, and that the inftrument thereof merits most feverely to be punished, against the damnable opini

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ons of two principally in our age, whereof the one "called Scot, an Englifhman, is not afhamed in pub"lick print to deny, that there can be fuch a thing as "witchcraft; and fo maintains the old errors of the Sadducees in denying of fpirits; the other called Wierus, a German phyfician, fets cut a public apology" for all these crafts-folks, whereby, procuring for their "impunity, he plainly bewrays himself to have been one

of that profeffion. And for to make this treatise "the more pleasant and facile, I have put it in form

of a dialogue, which I have divided into three books; "the first speaking of magic in general, and necro

mancie in fpecial: the fecond of forcerie and witch"craft: and the third contains a difcourfe of all these "kinds of fpirits, and fpectres that appear and trouble "perfons: together with a conclufion of the whole. (a) Works, "work." (a.) From this account 'tis plain James believed that there were witches, &c. and that they

P. 91.

deferved

deferved a most severe punishment. And afterwards he tells us," that witches ought to be put to death ac"cording to the law of God, the civil and imperial law, " and the municipal law of all christian nations. Yea, ❝he declares, that to fpare the life, and not to strike "when God bids ftrike, and fo feverely punish in fo "odious a fault and treason against God, it is not only "unlawful, but doubtless no less fin in the magistrate, "nor it was in Saul's fparing Agag." (b) Yea, fo zeal-(6) Works, ous was he for punishing thefe poor wretches, that heP. 134. declares it to be his opinion" that barnes or wives, or "never so defamed perfons, may ferve for fufficient "witnesses against them." (c) But left innocent perfons (c) Id. p. "should be accufed, and suffer falfely, he tells us there 135. "are two good helps that may be used for their trial: the 66 one is the finding of their mark, and the trying the "infenfibleness thereof: the other is their fleeting on the "water: for, as in a fecret murther, if the dead car"kafs be at any time thereafter handled by the mur"therer, it will gush out of blood, as if the blood "were crying to the heaven for revenge of the mur"therer: God having appointed that fecret fupernatu"ral fign, for trial of that secret unnatural crime: fo "that it appears that God hath appointed (for a fuper"natural fign of the monftrous Impiety of witches) "that the water fhall refuse to receive them in her bo"fom, that have fhaken off them the facred water of "baptism, and wilfully refused the benefit thereof: no, "not so much as their eyes are able to fhed tears "(threaten and torture them as you please) while first "they repent (God not permitting them to differ "their obftinacie in fo horrible a crime). Albei "women-kind especially, be able otherwife to shed "tears at every light occafion when they will, yea, al"though it were diffembling like the crocodiles." (d) (d) Id. p James, we fee, was well qualified for a witch-finder; 136. he knew their marks, and could difcover them by fwimming, and refraining tears. And accordingly, he permitted perfons to be executed who were found guilty thereof. In 1597, "there was a great bufinefs in the "trial of witches; amongst others, one Margaret At

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(e) Spotfwood, p. 448.

"kins, being apprehended upon fufpicion, and threat"ened with torture, did confefs herself guilty. Being "examined concerning her affociates in that trade, fhe "named a few, and finding fhe gained credit, made "offer to detect all of that fort, and to purge the "country of them, fo fhe might have her life granted. "For the reafon of her knowledge, fhe faid, that they had a fecret mark, all of that fort, in their eyes, "whereby he could furely tell, how foon fhe looked <6 upon any, whether they were witches or not. In this "fhe was fo readily believed, that for the space of three "or four months fhe was carried from town to town, "to make discoveries in that kind. She accufed many, "and many innocent women were put to death. In "the end the was found to be a mere deceiver." (e) "And most of the winter of the year 1591, was spent "in the discovery and examination of witches and "forcerers." In this year the famous Agnes Samfon "(commonly called the wife wife of Keith) was exa"mined, who confeffed the had a familiar spirit, "who had no power over the king, but faid, as she "took the words to be, il eft homme de Dieu.” (ƒ) This fpeech, I doubt not, flattered James's vanity, and made him the more ftedfaft in the belief of the doctrine of witches. For believe it, I fuppofe, he did, or other wife he would not have paffed fuch a bloody ftatute, formed out of compliment (as has been well con(g) Hutch jectured) (g) to him, by both houfes of parliament, foon inton's hif after his acceffion to the English throne. By this ftatute torical effay concerning it was enacted," that if any perfon or persons shall use, withcraft, practife, or exercife any invocation, or conjuration p.180.Lond. of any evil and wicked fpirit, or fhall confult, co"venant with, entertain, employ, feed or reward any "evil and wicked fpirit, to or for any intent and pur"pose: or take up any dead man, woman, or child, "out of his, her, or their grave, or any other place "where the dead body refteth, or the fkin, bone, or

(f) Id. p.

383.

1718, 8vo.

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any part of any dead perfon, to be employed or used "in any manner of witchcraft, forcery, charm, or inchantment; or fhall ufe, practise, or exercife any "witchcraft, inchantment, charm or forcery, where

"by any perfon fhall be killed, destroyed, wasted, con* fumed, pined or lamed in his or her body, or any "part thereof; that then every fuch offender or of "fenders, their aiders, abettors, and counsellors, being "of any the faid offences duly and lawfully convicted and attainted, fhall fuffer pains of death as a felon or "felons; and fhall lofe the privilege and benefit of

clergy and fanctuary." (b) Upon this ftatute great (¿) Stat. annumbers have been condemned and executed, to the no primo Jacobi regis, reproach of common sense and humanity. And even great and good men have been the inftruments hereby of condemning miferable innocent creatures.

12. fect. 2.

A caution to law-makers this, not (in order to please a prince) to enact ftatutes, especially on the penalty of death, unless upon the most solid, weighty reasons.— For though the general opinion then was, that there were witches, and that they did much hurt and damage, yet ought the parliament to have weighed well the foundation on which it was built, and the confequences of it. Whereas they took the opinion on truft, and enacted a moft dreadful punishment for an imaginary crime.. -James tells us, "that witches ought "to be put to death, according to the municipal law "of all chriftian nations." He spoke as he knew; but had his learning been as univerfal as it was proclaimed, he could not with truth have faid fo. For Dr. Hutchinfon affures us, that 'tis fo far from being true, that all nations have always had fuch laws as ours, that he had some reason to doubt, whether any nation in the world hath, unless it be Scotland (i). And with great (¡) Hiftorical pleasure I find that there was a law in Ethiopia, difcourfe of "which prohibited the people to believe that there is witchcraft, any fuch thing as witches; the belief whereof, they P. 158. "fay, is founded upon the error of the Manichees,

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that there are two independent gods, a good one, "and a bad one." (k) But I will leave this fubject, (*) Geddes after having obferved that we have reason to be thank- church hif ful to almighty God, and to acknowledge the wisdom tory of Ethiopia, p. 361. and goodness of our government, for repealing the fta- 8vo. Lond. tute aforefaid, and enacting, that no profecution, 1696. "fuit, or proceeding fhall be commenced, or carried

1

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11. regis, c.

narchy (s); but especially his piece fo highly extolled, entitled ΒΑΣΙΛΙΚΟΝ ΔΩΡΟΝ (Τ), for

"on against any perfon or perfons for witchcraft, for❝cery, inchantment, or conjuration, in any court (Stat.anno whatsoever in Great Britain." () This is a ftatute as nonoGeorgii much in honour to our legiflators as any ever enacted, 5. feet. 3. and will transmit their fame down to pofterity; it being founded on reason and justice, and productive of the fafety of the people, whofe welfare is the end of all government. I have faid above, that I fuppofed James did believe the doctrine of witches. But, in juftice to his character, I must here add, that after his being in England, having met with a number of forgeries and cheats, they wrought fuch an alteration upon his judgment, that at first he grew diffident of, and then flatly (m) Fuller's denied the workings of witches and devils (m).

church hift.

cent. 17.

book 10. p. 74. and Of

born's works, p. 551.

(a) Calderwood's

church hift.

P. 426.

(s) His trew law of free monarchy.] This was printed in September 1598, without his name. "The

bent of it, fays Calderwood, was directed against the "courfe of God's work, in the reformation of our "kirk, and elsewhere, as rebellious to kings." (a) And it must be confeffed, if the doctrine contained in this treatise is true, the Scotch and many other of the reformers, will with difficulty be cleared from rebellion, For he afferts the regal power ftrongly; allows refiftance or difobedience to it upon no account whatsoever; and reflects on the "feditious preachers of whatsoever "religion, either in Scotland or in France, that had "bufied themselves moft to ftir up rebellion under cloke (6) James's" of religion." (b) In fhort, he plainly fays, "the works, p. "king is above the law, and that, he is not bound "thereto, but of his good will, and for good example, "giving to his fubjects." (c) This is the doctrine contained in the law of free monarchy, than which nothing can be more vile and abominable.

199.

(c) Id. p. 203.

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(Τ) ΒΑΣΙΛΙΚΟΝ ΔΩΡΟΝ.] This book is dedicated to his dearest fon and natural fucceffor, prince Henry.

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