Washington sentinel., 1899-10-07
IT, - SENTINEL
Medieval wItchcraft in EnglAnd
and Scotland.
ENPHShu'OuaN,

hrSt arose. a SSVenJSenIn century
writer gives US the following def
nitron:-"A witch is one that
worketh by the Devil, or by some
devilish or curious Art, either hurt
ing or healing, revealing Things
secret or foretelling Thingsto come
which the Devil hath devised to
entangle and snare Mems Souls
withal unto Damnation." Tue
medieval idea with regard to
witches was as follows: II was
supposed that an internal compact
was drawn up between the witch
and the devil. In return for the
gift Of her soul, he bestowed upon
her certain magical powers. which
she might use either for good or
tor evil. By her spells she coulc
raise tempests, blight crops, and
bring down pestilence upon man
and beast. Forming a waxen i'm
age in the shape of her enemy, she
could cause his life to ebb away as
the efigy melted before a slow fire,
or, she could make him endure
agonizing pam, as she stuck pins
into the vital parts OF the figure.
She could cure diseases, il she so
willed it; but such diseases had
usually been caused by the evil
spirits with whom she was allied;
and hence no gratitude was due
to her for banishing them. II was
believed that at various WE'LL
known meeting places, the devil
presided over the Black Mass, with
Its inverted ritual, obscene con-
lurations and dances and all the
mysterious rites OF the Witches
Sabbath. According to tradition,
~ f"A 'Aat an altar was erected
TO the deVll on hill, ana thithar
the witches few on broomsticks.
Here, masquerading as a he-goat,
he presided over a protane ritual;
Christ was denied, and offerings
were made to the Spirit OF the
Earth and the God of Freedom.
The Mass was rehearsed upside
down, and the worshipPers jumped
through fires, by way OF indicating
their scorn for the flames OF hell.
The absence OF contemporary eVi
dence makes it impossible for US
to tell whether the Black Mass as
described above, really existed.
1t seems probable that the whole
alleged system Of deVil-worship
was Ito begin with, at all eVents)
merely a secret midnight celebra-
tion Of pagan rites, and that the
lofty structure OF diabolical SUPER
stition which characterized mediH-
val times was built upon an ex-
tremely small and doubtful founda-
ton OF fact.
In the thirteenth century, many
books were written on Witchcraft.
and various convenient ways were
devised, whereby heretics might
be burnt as witches and wizards.
Those who owned 20 the crime Of
sorcerY were punished for their
admitted guilt; those who would
not confess were condemned as
hardened sinners. In the univer-
sal panic that atten ded the terrible
visitation of the Black Death, in
the middle Of the fourteenth cen
tury, belief in Satanic power in
creased, some attributing the
plague 70 the. Vaccinations of
witches; and an awful season of
persecution set in. II was held
that woman united her evil forces
with those Of the fallen angels who
we're perpetuallY wandering round
the world, seeking to do evil: it
was from them that she learned
her arts OF poisoning and love
compelling; it was with their aid
that she brought famine and pes
thence upon mankind. SO strongly
were the minds OF men imbued
with the belief IN evil spirits, that
they saw the agency OF the devil in
everything, and the world seemed
dominated by regular epidemic
OF diabolical possession. Prior to
I48A trials for witchcrait were
conducted by the secular author
itIes. In this year a change took
place, when Innocent VIII. Dub
lIshed his celebrated bull, giving a |
formal sanction tor the persecution
OF witches. Following UPON this,
in 1850 was published the Hex. |
enhammer," which systematically
determined the whole idea OF
witchcrait, and served as a hand.
book for the succeeding prosecu.
tions,
The witch trials in Scotland !
scarcely fall behind the Continen-
tai prosecutions in their ingenious
cruelty, and the reason of this is
not far to seek. Lecky SAYS:
"Scotch withchcralt was but the /
result Of Scotch Puritanism, and it
reflected the character OF
its parent" A religion oiterrorism,
dark and 'ntolerant, produced a
multitude Of victims, The Calvin.
lists. while objecting 10 exorcism
on the score that it was the means
OF casting out devils by the power
of the devil, by no means erred on
the side OF humanity when infict-
ing their secular punishments. -
The most celebra ed trials which
took place under the act OF 1904,
drawn up by Bacon and Coke,
were those of the Lancashire
witches in I6Ia and 1884. Thomas
Potts, clerk in court, who was pres
ent at the trial Of I6ra, gives a cir.
account Of il. It tseemS
that in Pendle Forest, which has
always been home Of witches and
warlocks, lived two old women,
Elizabeth Southerne and Ann
Whittle (known as Mother Dem
dixie and Mother Chattox), who,