DEMONOLOGIA : . A DISCOURSEON WITCHCRAFT E IT WAS CTE IN THE FAMI OF MR . W R IR X AS A D LY D A D FA FA , IN THE OF YORK OF FUYSTON, COUNTY , IN THE YEAR 1621 ALO NG WITH THE ONLY TWO ECL OGUES OF THE ME T OR OWN TO BE IN EXI T NC SA AU H K N S E E. B I O G RAPHI CAL I NT RODUC TION , N NOTE TOPOGR P ICA I T TI A D S A H L LLUS RA VE. WILLIAM RAIN E G G , tor nd To o ra h o Han-a ate and the Forest o K Auth or of The His y a p g p y f g f naresborough, HARROGATE L Rm' RR D l t- B . ACI RIL , P r AN PUB LISHER , Hera d On Ion. 1882 . Th n e e orms of an ient o ts e i t lligibl f c p e , man es of old rel on The fairhu iti igi , The ower the eau and the ma es p , b ty, j ty, at a e e r aunts in a e or n m Th h v th i h d l pi y ountain, Or ores s ow stream or e s r n f t , by l p bbly p i g, ’ Or chasms and wat ry depths ; all these have vanished ; They live no longer in the faith of reason I But ti th ar ot nee a lan s il s ll e he t d h d guage, t l n Both the old instinct bri g back the old names . — Colerid e rom chiller g , f S . One of th e most cu rious and capital things I ever met with ” in all my life . ” r e f u t e . I T is a most extraordinary fact in literary history that the Daemonolo ia of war a r ax on f g Ed d F i f , e o the poets of the E za et an era and on essed li b h , c f ly one of the greatest re ners of the n is an ua e h n fi E gl h l g g , as ever been fairly o f ere t n Extra f d o the readi g public . cts have been made rom and ommen s ma e u on t em man wr ers f it c t d p h by y it , yet no one has been found to give it to the public in its n r t I t e ent ro e ti e y . t is qui e vid f m the opening of the dis ourse in w the aut or a resses th re r c hich h dd e ade , and the man o er la es in w i the rea er is men ion y th p c h ch d t ed , that a r a nten e the wor for u ca on an F i f x i d d k p bli ti , d not m re to rema n in manus r t to be o and e ly i c ip , c pied preserved in th rar s of the ur ous for the ra fi at e lib ie c i , g ti c ion or amusement of a se e few for the on er o of 2 l ct , l g p i d 60 ars wh t has one t ere ore we ma a m ye , ich i d ; h f y cl i some sma redi for arr n out the nten ons of the aut or ll c t c yi g i ti h . If the many regard the publication with the same afi ection hat f w a wn f r t e r manus r t o t the e h ve sho o h i c ip c pies, its su i r n s ma b a r sa to the first ccess s ce ta i . Thi y e f i ly id be “ time that this most singular and curious work by a ent eman a s o a of ass a aste an a eau i u g l , ch l r cl ic l t , d b t f l P EF E R C . ii . A t has een o ere to the u the r poe , b ff d p blic ; p evious a on e n a r a e one onfine to the mem r public ti b i g p iv t , c d be s of Philo iblon o e . The o ers of o s the b S ci ty l v bo k , no ma te to w at so et t e e on a e now an o r t r h ci y h y b l g, h v ppo tunity of readi ng what has previously been enjoyed only by the select few . To the student of human nature this work cannot fail to nterest n as it es the m st m be highly i i g, giv o inute and graphic account of the symptoms of witchcraft that has l n ever been written . Simp e a d unimportant as the subject at first a ear it resents one of th m may pp , p e ost singular problems which human nature has offered to the mind of the oso er—the or n onst tut on and phil ph igi , c i i , decay of witchcraft ! The philosophical historian may tell us what he can of the cause or causes of such a dark cloud of credulity and cruelty at any time overspreading the land for it was not confined to any one rank or station in life ; affe e all at the er o to w t s treat se r a it ct d p i d hich hi i el tes, from the royal James on the throne to the humblest easan in the e and as we see in the ase of p t fi ld, , c Edward r a e n earn n and ta ents of a r r Fai f x , ve l i g l high o de did not or out of the s ou o f w lift their possess l gh credulity . Ho much more sho uld we have reverenced our forefathers of that age had they not been such faithful followers of the orthodox fashionable faith in witchcraft ; while we regard the sceptics as the true lights of the age . im s h an nd w ch an e wi h h m c a . T e ge, e g t t e The age in which we live is an age o f investigation and — scrutiny men are no longer disposed to ta ke things upon iii. trust ; they ask the why and the wherefore of all they see and hear and are called upon to believe. They are no longer satisfied with the assertion h ere are more thi n s in h eaven and earth Hora io T g , t , ” Th an are dreamt of in your philosophy ! Observation and experiment must test the value of all ’ things that are intended to pass into the world s mental W urren . e are na ure o ser ers and t re or c cy by t b v , he f e arn r air a was an r t h le e s. F f x obse ver ; b u is observations — did not go to the root of the matter he could not find t the ause t ere ore ass ne a a s n . an w o u c , h f ig d f l e o e C e with all our advanced science and more exact analysis — determine the true cause which he failed to do ? Say — w as it material or mental a disease of the body or the m n ? the ormer the learne anatom st and sic an i d If f , d i phy i ma s a w t e e t . the atter can our meta s a y pe k i h ff c If l , phy ic l philosophers and spiritualists explain it ? The most reasonable account of the origin of witchcraft we a e seen is i en the mer an st r an ancro t h v g v by A ic hi o i B f , who s ea n of wit ra t in th N w n an ta es in , p ki g chc f e e E gl d S t 1 688 sa s e e in w t raf a s run a e rom , y B li f i chc t h s p g lik f the etter of the osa law and from the natura won er l M ic , l d excited by the mysteries of nature . Man feels that he is a e en a t n Th re er n for un r l d p d n bei g . e v e ce ive sa laws is m an in his na ur to m i pl ted t e too deeply be re oved . The n n e i e er w ere and e er w ere man has a n w i fi it s v y h , v y h ck o e e e o n in e er ower the resu t of an l dg d it, b h ldi g v y p l n h me tr r t o n e a r u e .