N00531:75
Cases of conscience concerning evil spirits personating men, witchcrafts, infallible proofs of guilt in…
Cases of conscience concerning evil spirits personating men, witchcrafts, infallible proofs of guilt in such as are accused with that crime. All considered according to the Scriptures, history, experience, and the judgment of many learned men. / By Increase Mather, president of Harvard College, at Cambridge, and teacher of a church at Boston in New-England. ; [Six lines of quotations]
Boston printed, : and sold by Benjamin Harris at the London Coffee-House., 1693
Modern spelling is a reading aid: the words are the author’s, only the spelling is modernized. Original shows the page as printed, with the transcription marks.
Non Amo te Sabidi, nec possum dicere quare.
That some Persons at the sight of Brute-Creatures Cats, Spiders, &c. Nay, at the sight of Cheeses, Milk, Apples, will fall into Fits, is too well known to be denied. De••singius in his Learned Discourse De Pulvere Sympat••tico. P. 128. Saith, there was one in the City of Groaning that could not bear the sight of a Swines Head. And that he knew another who was not able to look on the Picture thereof. Amatus Lusitanus speaks of one that at the sight of a Rose would swoon away. This proveth that the Falling into a Fit, at the Sight of another is not always a sign of Witchcraft. It may proceed from Nature and the Power of Imagination.
That some Persons at the sight of Bruit-Creatures Cats, Spiders, &c. Nay, at the sight of Cheeses, Milk, Apples, will fall into Fitts, is too well known to be denied. De••singius in his Learned Discourse De Pulvere Sympat••tico. P. 128. Saith, there was one in the City of Groning that could not bear the sight of a Swines Head. And that he knew another who was not able to look on the Picture thereof. Amatus Lusitanus speaks of one that at the sight of a Rose would swoon away. This proveth that the Falling into a Fitt, at the Sight of another is not always a sign of Witchcraft. It may proceed from Nature and the Power of Imagination.
To conclude; judicious Casuists (†)have determined, that to make use of those Media to come to the knowledge of any matter, which have no such power in them by Nature, nor by Divine Institution, is an Implicit going to the Devil to make a Discovery: Now there is no Natural Power in the look or touch of a Person to bewitch another. Nor is this by Divine Institution the means whereby Witchcraft is Discovered. Therefore it is an unwarrantable practise.