E-text prepared by Feòrag NicBhrìde, Andrea Ball,
and the Project Gutenberg Online Distributed Proofreading Team
| Transcriber's Note: In Quer. 11, point 3, 'confession of a With' corrected to 'confession of a Witch'. Note that all are Queries with the exception of Quest. 13. |
EXOD. 22.18.
Thou shalt not suffer a witch to live.
Certaine Queries answered, which have been and are likely to beobjected against MATTHEW HOPKINS, in his way of finding out Witches.
That he must needs be the greatest Witch, Sorcerer, and Wizzardhimselfe, else hee could not doe it.
If Satan's kingdome be divided againstit selfe, how shall it stand?
If he never went so farre as is beforementioned, yet for certaine he met with theDevill, and cheated him of his Booke, whereinwere written all the Witches names in England, and if he looks on anyWitch, he can tell by her countenance what she is; so by this, his helpeis from the Devill.
If he had been too hard for the devill and got hisbook, it had been to his great commendation, and no disgraceat all: and for judgement in Phisiognomie, he hath no morethen any man else whatsoever.
From whence then proceeded this his skill? was it fromhis profound learning, or from much reading of learned Authors concerningthat subject?
From neither of both, but from experience, whichthough it be meanly esteemed of, yet the surest and safest way tojudge by.
I pray where was this experience gained? and whygained by him and not by others?
The Discoverer never travelled far for it, but in March1644 he had some seven or eight of that horrible sect of Witchesliving in the Towne where he lived, a Towne in Essex calledManingtree, with divers other adjacent Witches of other towns,who every six weeks in the night (being alwayes on the Fridaynight) had their meeting close by his house and had their severallsolemne sacrifices there offered to the Devill, one of which thisdiscoverer heard speaking to her Imps one night, and bid themgoe to another Witch, who was thereupon apprehended, and searched,by women who had for many yeares knowne the Devillsmarks, and found to have three teats about her, which honestwomen have not: so upon command from the Justice they wereto keep her from sleep two or three nights, expecting in that timeto see her familiars, which the fourth night she called in by theirseverall names, and told them what sha