Complex sentence: Until the early modern period magical powers were accepted as part of the general lifestyle, but witch hunts began on the mainland of Scotland in about 1550, and the Scottish Witchcraft Act of 1563 made witchcraft or consultation with witches a crime punishable by death.
Split into simpler sentences: Until the early modern period magical powers were accepted as part of the general lifestyle, but witch hunts began on the mainland of Scotland in about 1550. The Scottish Witchcraft Act of 1563 made witchcraft a crime punishable by death.