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Thould have as much Credit when they deliver any thing that makes for them.

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Lavater of Walking Spirits, (for it is the English Tranflatition that I have by me) 1ft Part, 19th Chapter, fpeaks thus. I heard a grave wife Man, which was a Magiftrate in the Territory of Tigurie, who affirmed, That as he and his Servant went through the Paftures * in the Summer very early, he fpied one whom he knew very well, wickedly defiling himself with a Mare'; wherewith being amazed, he returned back again, and knocked at his House whom he fuppofed he had feen, and there understood for Certainty, that he < went not one Foot out of his Chamber that Morning, &c. I rehearse (faith be) this History for this End, That Judges fhould be very circumfpect in thefe Cafes; for the Devil by thefe means doth often circumvent the Innocent.

Mr. Clark, in his 1ft Vol. of Examples, p. 150. reports how an evil Spirit appeared to Mr. Earl at one Time in the Form of Mr. Lyddal, and at another under the Form of the famous Mr. Rogers of Dedham. To be fure that evil Spirit appeared to Mr. Earl for fome evil Purpofe; and if inftead of appearing to him, he had appeared to fome melancholy Perfon, that had been thought to be under the Power of Witchcraft, Muft those two good Men have come under the Sufpicion of being Wizzards?

C

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Papifts have many Relations of this fort. I will give you one, that was either true in Fact, or which from the Obfervation of fuch like Facts, was contrived to give the Readers needful Caution. It is in Barth. de Spina, in his Queftiones de Strigibus. ---There he tells us, that S. German lodging in an Inn in the Night-time, faw a Rendezvous of Witches feafting and dancing; and calling up the People of the Houfe, he ask'd them, if they knew thofe Perfons: They faid, yes, they were their Neighbours, that lived in the fame Town; whereupon to con

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vince

vince them of the Devil's Wiles, he commanded the Spirits to keep their Places; and fent the Peo-. ple to the Houses of thofe Neighbours that they faw, and they found them all in their Beds at home. Upon this St. German adjured the Devils, and they' confefs'd, that they had taken thofe Shapes to impofe upon credulous Men.' Very likely that Legend was contrived by fomebody or other who knew that bare Arguments of Reafon would not be ftrong enough to cope with a rooted Error of that Nature; and therefore thought it would be no Sin, but a need-> ful Service, to drive out one Superftition with another And fince it was only to teach People the Snares of the Devil, and fave the Lives of innocent People, after fo many bloody Executions as they had feen, it will be very neceffary that we fhould receive the Doctrine, tho' we neglect the Tale.

Thefe good People in New England have had, perhaps, as large Experience of thefe Matters as any; and in the midst of their Confufions, their Clergy had a Meeting at the Defire of their Magiftrates, to give their Opinion in feveral Cafes propofed to them: And the Question was, Whether Satan may not adpear in the Shape of an innocent and pious, as well as of a nocent and wicked Perfon, to afflict fuch as fuffer by Diabolical Moleftation? And they returned it as their Opinion, That he might; and confirmed it not only by Examples of other Times and Places, but by what they had feen amongst themselves. And it is particularly obfervable, how in the latter Part of their Tragedy, Mr. Cotton Mather changed his Mind in this Point from what he had been of in the Beginning For in the 27th Page of his Memorable Prov. he advised the afflicted young Woman in his House, if fhe could not tell the Names of thofe that the faw at the Witches Meetings, to defcribe them by their Cloaths. But in the Year 1693, when he visited another in a like Cafe, he faith, He and his Father gave

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her folemn Charges, that he should rather die, than tell the Names of any whom she might imagine that fhe faw. See Mr. Mather's Letter in Mr. Calef, p. 20. I fpeak not this in way of Reproach; for we are not the Men that may upbraid one another for altering our Minds, when God teaches us Wisdom by his Providence; but when others fee an Error, let not us continue in it.

Since I have collected and drawn up thefe Things, I fee the Author of The Compleat Hiftory of Witchcraft, &c. hath printed the First Facts and Depofitions that deceived thefe good People in New England, and hath ftopt there, without giving any manner of Notice of the Mischief that follow'd, and the Sorrow they had for what they had done: And who can be able to give a rational Answer to fuch a Cafe, where the Fact is laid before him fo partially? How certainly muft our People fall into the fame Follies, if their Minds are poifoned with fuch falfe Hiftory, and no one troubles himfelf to answer them, and let the Truth be feen. I hope therefore ingenious Men will not only justify me with refpect to the Pains that I have taken in this Subject, but will take part in fuch Labours as are neceffary to decry fuch ill Books, and prevent the Mischief they muft neceffarily do, if fuffered to pafs as true History unanswer'd.

CHAP.

95

CHAP. VI.

The pretended Witchcrafts at Mohra in

Adv.

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SWEDEN.

ET us leave this Cafe of New England. You fee they are fenfible of their Error, and are much to be commended for their honeft Confeffion of it. Few have had Virtue enough to do what they have done, for preventing the ill Effect of their Example; and fince we learn Truth and Wisdom from their Miftaké, we ought not to reproach them for it. But what do you think of the Witchcrafts at Mohra in Sweden? The Narrative of their Cafe is faid to be taken out of the Records of the Court foon after the Time, and is fince tranflated out of High Dutch by Dr. Horneck, and is printed at the End of Mr. Glanvil, and Dr. More's Relations of Witches and Spirits. There were condemned at that one Time of Judgment, no longer fince than 1670, Fourfcore and five Perfons, fifteen of which were Children; and moft, if not all of them, were burnt and executed. There were befides, Six and thirty Children that ran the Gantlet, and Twenty were whipt on the Hands at the Church-door every Sunday for Three Weeks together. Now what Judgment will you make of this? Was this a Flame kindled by credulous Men? Were there only fome odd Difeafes amongst the Children; and did fuperftitious Principles and Profecutions blow it up into fuch a fad Calamity? In a word, Do you think, this Cafe was like that in New England.

Clerg. I make not the leaft Queftion but it was; and tho' it be a great Difadvantage to answer where one hath little or no Account of the Fact, except that

fhort

fhort Pamphlet that was written on purpose to fupport its Belief, and therefore would leave out fuch things as would help to detect it; yet it confutes itfelf; for I think it hath as broad Signs of a mistaken, but cruel Superstition, as any that is extant.

And firft, you know, the Foundation that I ground upon is, That thefe fuppofed Witchcrafts are much owing to falfe Principles, and imprudent Profecutions. And just fo it was here; for this Power of carrying away Children, for which thefe poor People died, both began and ended with the Accufations. For obferve, Page 8. thefe Witches confefs that till of late, till that Year and the laft, they had little or no Power of carrying them away. This fhows, that their imaginary Power began with the Profecution; for the King's Commiffioners fat in Augufti. and the Accufation must have been carrying on that Piece of the Year before it, and fome part of the laft, before it would come fo high as a Royal Vifitation; and juft fo long, they fay, they had had their great Power. And it ended alfo with it, for thefe Judges did not go on accufing and burning more; I have heard, for the fame Reafon for which they Itopped in New England, becaufe it came to the Wealthy, and becaufe they could fee no End of Executions. And therefore they did ftay their Hands; and five Years after, 1715, I find the very Bruit of thefe Witchcrafts was over, and the Place was in Peace. See a Letter from Sweden to Bekker, in the Fourth Volume of his World bewitched, Ch. 29. §. 11. Now from hence I argue, that as this mighty Power began and ended with the Profecution, fo it owed its very Being to it. They had had no fuch Flame, if their own Superftition had not kindled it.

Then obferve, 2dly, There were Three hundred Children faid to be carried away every Night out of one Town to Blockula. The Children faid, they

were