Selected quad for the lemma: sin_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
sin_n	ghost_n	holy_a	retain_v	4,798	5	9.2209	5	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A62395	Scot's Discovery of vvitchcraft proving the common opinions of witches contracting with divels, spirits, or familiars ... to be but imaginary, erronious conceptions and novelties : wherein also, the lewde unchristian all written and published in anno 1584, by Reginald Scot, Esquire.; Discoverie of witchcraft	Scot, Reginald, 1538?-1599.	1651 (1651)	Wing S943; ESTC R19425	465,580	448

almost incredible how imagination shall abuse such as a●● subject unto melancholy so as they shall beleeve they see hear and do that which never was nor shall be as is partly declared if you read Galen de locis affectis and may more plainly appear also if you read Aristotle De somnio And thereof S. Agustine saith well that he is too much a fool and a blockhead that supposeth those things to be done indeed and corporally which are by such persons phantastically imagined which phantasticall illusions do as well agree and accord as Algerus saith with magicall deceipts as the verity accompanieth divine holinesse CHAP. XVIII That the confession of witches is sufficient in civill and common law to take away life What the sounder divines and decrees of councels determine in this case ALas what creature being sound in state of mind would witho●● compulsion make such manner of confessions as they do or would for a trifle or nothing make a perfect bargain with the devil for her soul to be yeelded up unto his tortures and everlasting flames and that withi● a very short time specially being through age most commonly unlike to live one whole year The terror of hell-fire must needs be to them diversly manifested and much more terrible because of their weaknesse nature and kind than to any other as it would appear if a witch we●● but asked Whether she would be contented to be hanged one ye● hence upon condition her displeasure might be wreaked upon her e●emy presently As for theeves and such other they think not to go to hell-fire but are either perswaded there is no hell or that their crime deserveth it not or else that they have time enough to repent so as 〈◊〉 doubt if they were perfectly resolved hereof they would never make such adventures Neither do I thinke that for any summe of money they would make so direct a bargain to go to hell-fire Now then I co●clude that confession in this behalf is insufficient to take away the life of any body or to attain such credit as to be beleeved without furth●● proof For as Augustine and Isidore with the rest of the sounder divines say that these perstigious things which are wrought by witches are fantasticall so do the sounder decrees of councels and canons agree th●● in that case there is no place for cirminall action And the law saith th●● The confession of such persons as are illuded must needs be erroneous and therefore is not to be admitted for Confessio debet tenere verum possible But these things are opposite both to law and nature and therefore it followeth not Because these witches confesse so Ergo it is so For the confession differeth from the act or from the possible of the the act And whatsoever is contrary to nature faileth in his principles and therefore is naturally impossible The law also saith In criminalibus regulariter non statur soli confessioni 〈◊〉 In criminal cases or touching life we must not absolutely stand to the confession of the accused party but in these matters proofes must be brough more clear than the light it selfe And in this crime no body must be co●demned upon presumptions And where it is objected and urged th● Since God onely knoweth the thoughts there is none other way of proo● but by confession It is answered thus in the law to wit Their confession in this case containeth an outward act and the same impossible both in the law and nature and also unlikely to be true and therefore Quod verisimile non est attendi non debet So as though their confessions may be worthy of punishment as whereby they shew a will to commit such mischief yet not worthy of credit as that they have such power For Si factum absit solaque opinione laborent estultorum genere sunt If they confesse a fact performed but in opinion they are to be repu●ed among the number of fooles Neither may any man be by law condemned for criminall causes upon presumptions nor yet by single witnesses neither at the accusation of a capitall enemy who indeed is not to be admitted to give evidence in this case though it please M. M●l and Bodin to affirme the contrary But beyond all equity these inquis●●ors have shifts and devises enough to plague and kill these poor soules for they say their ●ault is greatest of all others because of their carnall copulation with the devill and therefore they are to be punished as he●eticks four nannes of waies to wit with excommunication deprivation losse of goods and also with death And indeed they find law and provide meanes thereby to maintaine this their bloudy humor For it is writ●en in their popish canons that As for these kind of heretikes how much soever they repent and returne to the faith they may not be retained alive or kept in perpetuall prison but be put to extreame death Yea M. Mal. writeth that a witches sinne is the sinne aganist the Holy Ghost to wit irremissible yea further that it is greater than the sinne of the angels that fell In which respect I wonder that Moses delivered not three tables to the children of Israel or at the least-wise that he exhibited not commandements for it It is not credible that the greatest should be included in the lesse c. But when these witch-mongers are convinced in the objection concerning their confessions so as thereby their tyrannicall arguments cannot prevaile to imbrue the magistrates hands in so much blood as their appetite requireth they fall to accusing them of other crimes that the world might think they had some colour to maintain their malicious fury against them CHAP. XIX Of four capitall crimes objected against witches all fully answered and confuted as frivolo us FIrst therefore they lay to their charge idolatry But alas without all reason for such are properly known to us to be idolaters as do externall worship to idols or strange gods The furthest point that idolatry can be stretched unto is that they which are culpable therein are such as hope for and seek salvation at the hands of idols or of any other than God or fix their whole mind and love upon any creature so as the power of God be neglected and contemned thereby But witches neither seek nor beleeve to have salvation at the hands of devils but by them they are onely deceived the instruments of their fantasie being corrupted and so infatuated that they suppose confesse and say they can do that which is as farre beyond t●eir power and nature to do as to kill● man at Yorke before noon when they have been seen at London in that morning c. But if these latter idolaters whose idolatry is spirituall and committed onely in mind should be punished by death then should every covetous man or other that setteth his affection any way too much upon an earthly creature be executed and yet perchance the witch might escape-scot-free

other I doe call upon thee ●● beseech thee O Lord Jesus Christ by thy nativity and baptisme thy crosse and passion by thine ascension and by the comming of the 〈◊〉 ghost by the bitternes of thy soule when it departed from the body thy five wounds by the bloud and water which went out of thy body thy vertue by the sacrament which thou gavest thy disciples the day before thou sufferedst by the holy trinity and the inseparable unity by blessed Mary thy mother by thine angels arch-angels prophets patriarchs and by all thy saints and by all the sacraments which are made in thine honor I doe worship and beseech thee to accept these prayers conjurations and words of my mouth which I will use I require thee O Lord Jesus Christ that thou give me thy vertue and power over all thine ange●● which were throwne downe from heaven to deceive mankind to draw them to me to tie and bind them and also to loose them to gather them together before me and to command them to do all that they can and that by no meanes they contemne my voyce or the words of my mouth but that they obey me and my sayings and feare me I beseech thee by thine humanity mercy and grace and I require thee Adony Amay Horia Vege dova Mita● Hel Suranat Ysion Ysesy and by all thy holy names and by all thine holy he saints and the saints by all thine angels and archangels powers dominations and ver●ues and by that name that Solomon did bind the divels and shut them up Elbrach Ebanher Agle Goth Ioth Othie Venoch Nabrat and by all thine holy names which are written in this booke and by the vertue of them all that thou enable me to congrerate all thy spirits throwne downe from heaven that they may give me a true answer of all my demands and that they satisfie all my requests without the hurt of my body or soule or any thing else that of mine through our Lord Jesus Christ thy sonne which liveth and reigneth with thee in the unity of the Holy ghost one God world without end Oh father omnipotent oh wise sonne oh Holy ghost the searcher of hearts oh you three in persons one true Godhead in substance which drift spare Adam and Eve in their sinnes and oh though sonne which diedst for their sinnes a most filthy death sustaining it upon the holy 〈◊〉 oh thou most mercifull when I flie unto thy mercy and beseech thee by all the means I can by these thy holy names of thy sonne to 〈◊〉 A and Q and all other his names grant me thy vertue and power that I may be able to cite before me thy spirits which where thrown downe from heaven and that they may speak with me and dispatch by and by without delay and with a good will and without the hurt of my body soule or goods c. as is contained in the book called Annulus S. Lomonis Oh great and eternall vertue of the highest which through disposition these being called to judgement Vaich●on Stimulamaton Esphares Tetragrammaton Oliora● Cryon Esytion Existion E●iona Onela Brasim Noym Messias Soter Emanuel Sabbath Adonay I worship thee I invocate thee I imploy thee with all the strength of my mind that by thee my present prayers consecrations and conjurations be hollowed and wheresoever wicked spirits are called in the vertue of thy names they may come together from every coast and diligently fulfill the will of me the exorcist Fiat fiato fiat Amen CHAP. V. A confutation of the manifold vanities conteined in the precedent chapters specially of commanding of divels HE that can be perswaded that these things are true or wrought indeed according to the assertion of conseners or according to the supposition of witch mongers and papists may soone be brought to beleeve that the moone is made of green cheese You see in this which is called Salomons conjuration there is a perfect inventary registred of the number of divels of their names of their offices of their personages of their qualities of their powers of their properties of their kingdomes of their govern●rs of their orders of their dispositions of their 〈◊〉 of their submission and of the wayes to bind or loose them with a note what wealth learning office commodity pleasure 〈◊〉 they can give and may be forced to yeeld in spight of their hearts to 〈◊〉 forsooth as are cunning in this art of whom yet was never seen 〈◊〉 rich man or at least that gained any thing that way or any 〈◊〉 man that became learned by that meanes or any happy man 〈◊〉 could with the helpe of this art either deliver himselfe or his 〈◊〉 from adversity or adde unto his estate any point of felicity yet 〈◊〉 men in all worldly happine●se must need exceed all others 〈◊〉 things could be by them accomplished according as it is presupposed 〈◊〉 if they may learne of Marbas all secrets and to cure all diseases and Furcas wisdome and to be cunning in all mechanicall arts and change any mans shape of Zepar if Bune can make them rich and eloquent if Bero●h can tell them of all things present past and to 〈◊〉 if Asmodie can make them go invisible and shew them all hidden treasure if Salmacke will afflict whom they list and Allocer can procure the 〈◊〉 of any woman if Amy can provide them excellent familiars if 〈◊〉 can make them understand the voyce of all birds and beasts and 〈◊〉 and Bifrons can make them live long and finally if Orias could pro●● unto them great friends and reconcile their enemies and they 〈◊〉 end had all these at commandement should they not live in all world honor and felicity whereas contrariwise they lead there lives in all o●●quy misery and beggery and in fine come to the gallowes as thou they had chosen unto themselves the spirit Valefer who they say 〈◊〉 all them with whom he entereth into familiarity to no better end than the gibbet or gallowes But before I proceed further to the confu●●tion of this stuffe I will shew other conjurations devised more lately and of more authority whe●ein you shall see how fooles are trained to beleeve these absurdities being wonne by little and little to such credulity For the author hereof beginneth as though all the cunning of conjurors were de●●ved and fetcht from the planetary motions and true course of the 〈◊〉 celestiall bodies c. CHAP. VI. The names of the Planets their characters together with the twelve signes of the zodiake their dispositions aspects and government with other observations The disposition of the Planets The aspects of the Planets ☌ Is the best aspect with good planets and the worst with evill ⚹ Is a meane aspect in goodnese or badnesse △ Is very good in aspect to good planets and h●rteth not in evill □ This aspect is of enimity not full perfect ☍ This aspect is of enimity most perfect How the day is divided or

be said he was conveyed to Berwick and back agai● by inchantment Fiftly he is not by conscience to be executed whic● hath no sound mind nor perfect judgement And yet forsooth we read that one mother Stile did kill one Saddocke with a touch on the shoulder for not keeping promise with her for an old cloak to make her● safeguard and that she was hanged for her labour CHAP. VIII What folly it were for withes to enter into such desperate perill 〈◊〉 to endure such intollerable tortures for no gain or commodity and b●● it comes to passe that witches are overthrowne by their confessions ALas if they were so subtill as witch-mongers make them to be the● would espy that it were meer folly for them not onely to make bargain with the devill to throw their soules into hell fire but their bodies to the tortures of temporal fire and death for the accomplishme●● of nothing that might benefit themselves at all but they would at th● leastwise indent with the devill both to enrich them and also to enabl● them and finally to endue them with all worldly felicity and pleasure which is furthest from them of all other Yea if they were sensible the● would say to the devill Why should I hearken to you when you 〈◊〉 deceive me Did you not promise my neighbour mother Dutton to sa● and rescue her and yet lo she is hanged Surely this would appose th● devill very sore And it is a wonder that none from the beginning 〈◊〉 the world till this day hath made this and such like objections where●● the devill could never make answer But were it not more madnesse fo● them to serve the devill under these conditions and yet to endur● whippings with iron rods at the devils hands which as the witch-mongers write are so set on that the print of the lashes remain upon the witches body ever after even so long as she hath a day to live But these old women being daunted with authority circumvented with guile constrained by force compelled by fear induced by error and deceived by ignorance do fall into such rash credulity and so are brought unto these absurd confessions Whose error of mind and blindnesse of will dependeth upon the disease and infirmity of nature and therefore their actions in that case are the more to be borne withall because they being destitute of reason can have no consent For Delictum sine consensu non potest commiti neque injuria sine animo injuriandi that is There can be no sinne without consent nor injury committed without a mind to do wrong Yet the law saith further that a purpose retained in mind doth nothing to the private or publique hurt of any man and much more that an impossible purpose is unpunishable Sanae mentis voluntas voluntas rei possibilis est A sound mind willeth nothing but that which is possible CHAP. IX How malancholy abuseth old women and of the effects thereby by sundry examples IF any man advisedly marked their words actions cogitations and gestures he shall perceive that melancholy abounding in their head and occupying their brain hath deprived or rather depraved their judgements and all their senses I meane not of cosening witches but of poor melancholike women which are themselves deceived For you shall understand that the force which melancholy hath and the effects that it worketh in the body of a man or rather of a woman are almost incredible For as some of these malancholike persons imagine they are witches and by witch-craft can worke wonders and do what they list so do other troubled with this disease imagine many strange incredible and impossible things Some that they are Monarches and Princes and that all other men are their subjects some that they are brute beasts some that they be urinals or earthen pots greatly fearing to be broken some that every one that meeteth them will convey them to the gallowes and yet in the end hang themselves One thought that Atlas whom the poets feigne to hold up heaven with his shoulders would be weary and let the skie fall upon him another would spend a whole day upon a stage imagining that he both heard and saw interludes and therewith made himselfe great sport One Theophilus a Ph●sitian otherwise sound enought of mind as it is said imagined that he heard and saw musitians continually playing on instruments in a certain place of his house One Bessus that had killed his father was notably detected by imagining that a Swallow upraided him therewith so as he himselfe thereby revealed the murther But the notablest example hereof is of one that was in great perplexity imagining that his nose was as big as a house insomuch as no friend nor Physitian could deliver him from this conceipt nor yet either ease his grief or satisfie his fansie in that behalfe till at the last a Physitian more expert in this humor than the rest used this devise following First when he was to come in at the chamber door being wide open he suddenly stayed and withdrew himselfe so as he would not in any wise approach neerer then the door The melancholike person musing hereat asked him the cause why he so demeaned himselfe Who answered him in this manner Sir your nose is so great that I can hardly enter into your chamber but I shall touch it and consequently hurt it Lo quoth he this is the man that must do me good the residue of my friends flatter me and would hide my infirmity from me Well said the Physitian I will cure you but you must be content to indure a little pain in the dressing which he promised patiently to sustain and conceived certain hope of recovery Th●n entered the Physitian into the chamber creeping close by the walles seeming to feare the touching and h●rting of his nose Then did he blindfold him which being done he caught him b● che nose with a pair of pinsors and threw down into a tub which he had placed before his patient a great quantity of bloud with many pi●c● of bullocks livers which he had conveyed into the chamber whilest the others eyes were bound up and then gave him liberty to see and behol● the same He having done thus again two or three times the melancholike humor was so qualified that the mans mind being satisfied his griefe was eased and his disease cured Thrasibulus otherwise called Thrasillus being sore oppressed with the melancholike humor imagined that all the ships which arrived at por● Pyraeus were his insomuch as he would number them and command the mariners to lanch c. triumphing at their safe returnes and mourning for their misfortunes The Italian whom we called here in England the Monarch was possessed with the like spirit or conceipt Danar himself reporteth that he saw one that affirmed constantly that he 〈◊〉 a cocke and saith that through malancholy such were alienated fro● themselves Now if the fansie of a melancholike person may be occupyed