THE PROFANE STATE. BEFORE we THE WITCH. come to describe her, we must premise and prove certain propositions, whose truth may otherwise be doubted of. 1. Formerly there were witches. Otherwise God's law had fought against a shadow, "Thou shalt not suffer a witch to live." Yea, we read how King Saul, who had formerly scoured witches out of all Israel, afterwards drank a draught of that puddle himself. 2. There are witches for the present, though those night-birds fly not so frequently in flocks, since the light of the Gospel. Some ancient arts and mysteries are said to be lost; but sure the devil will not wholly let down any of hist gainful trades. There be many witches at this day in Lapland, who sell winds to mariners for money, (and must they not needs go whom the devil drives?) though we are not bound to believe the old story of Ericus, King of Swedeland, who had a cap, and as he turned it, the wind he wished for would blow on that side. 3. It is very hard to prove a witch. Infernal contracts are made without witnesses. She that in presence of others will compact with the devil, deserves to be hanged for her folly as well as impiety. 4. Many are unjustly accused for witches: sometimes out of ignorance of natural, and misapplying of supernatural causes; sometimes out of their neighbors' mere malice, and the suspicion is increased if the party accused be notoriously ill-favored; whereas deformity alone is no more argument to make her a witch than handsomeness had been evidence to prove her a harlot; sometimes out of their own causeless confession: being brought before a magistrate, they acknowledge themselves to be witches, being themselves rather bewitched with fear or deluded with fancy. But the self-accusing of some is as little to be credited as the selfpraising of others, if alone without other evidence. 5. Witches are commonly of the feminine sex. Ever since Satan tempted our grandmother Eve, he knows that that sex is most lickerish to taste, and most careless to swallow his baits. Nescio quid habet muliebre nomen semper cum sacris: If they light well, they are inferior to few men in piety; if ill, superior to all in superstition. 6. They are commonly distinguished into white and black witches. White, I dare not say good, witches (for woe be to him that calleth evil good) heal those that are hurt, and help them to lost goods. But better it is to lap one's pottage like a dog than to eat it mannerly with a spoon of the devil's giving. Black witches hurt, and do mischief. But in deeds of darkness there is no difference of colors: the white and the black are both guilty alike. in compounding with the devil. And now we come to see by what degrees people arrive at this height of profaneness. At the first, she is only ignorant and very malicious. She hath usually a bad face and a worse tongue, given to railing and cursing, as if constantly bred on Mount Ebal; yet speaking perchance worse than she means, though meaning worse than she should. And as the harmless wapping of a cursed cur may stir up a fierce mastiff to the worrying of sheep, so, on her cursing, the devil may take occasion by God's permission to do mischief, without her knowledge, and perchance against her will. Some have been made witches by endeavoring to defend themselves against witchcraft; for fearing some suspected witch should hurt them, |