introduced to him by some perfected witch at one of their meetings, for it was part of their duty to beat up recruits for his Satanic majesty.
Their agreement with the Devil is forcibly described by Reginald Scot,29 who quotes as his authorities such crushing names as the ‘Malleus Maleficarum,’ Bodin, Nider, Danæus, Psellus, Erastus, Hemingius, Cumanus, Aquinas, Bartholomæus Spineus, etc., so that doubtless he is correct.
‘The order of their bargaine or profession is double; the one solemne and publike; the other secret and priuate. That which is solemne or publike, is where witches come togither at certaine assemblies, at the times prefixed, and doo not onelie see the diuell in visible forme; but confer and talke familiarlie with him. In which conference the diuell exhorteth them to obserue their fidelitie unto him promising them long life and prosperitie. Then the witches assembled, commend a new disciple (whom they call a nouice) unto him; and, if the diuell findeth that young witch apt and forward in renunciation of the christian faith, in despising anie of the seuen sacraments, in treading upon Crosses, in spitting at the time of the elevation, in breaking their fast on fasting daies, and fasting on sundaies, then the diuell giveth foorth his hand, and the nouice ioining hand in hand with him, promiseth to obserue and keepe all the diuel’s commandements.
‘This done the diuell beginneth to be more bold with hir, telling hir plainelie, that all this will not serue his turne; and therefore requireth homage at hir hands: yea, he also telleth hir, that she must grant him both hir bodie and soule to be tormented in everlasting fire, which she yeeldeth unto. Then he chargeth her, to procure as many men, women and children also, as she can, to enter into this societie. Then he teacheth them to make ointments of the bowels and members of children, whereby they ride in the aire, and accomplish all their desires. So as, if there be anie children unbaptised, or not garded with the signe of the crosse, or orisons; then the witches may and doo catch them from their mothers sides in the night, or out of their cradles, or otherwise kill them with their ceremonies; and, after buriall, steale them out of their graves, and seeth them in a caldron, untill their flesh be made potable. Of the thickest whereof they make ointments, whereby they ride in the aire; but the thinner potion they put into flaggons, whereof whosoever drinketh, observing certeine ceremonies, immediatlie becommeth a maister, or rather, a mistresse in that practise and facultie.’
But there were other hell broths used by witches, as we may see by the accompanying illustration from Molitor’s ‘Die Hexen’ (1489?), in which a cock and serpent form part of the ingredients of the broth, which is being brewed during a violent hailstorm. In ‘The Witch: a Tragi-comedie,’ by Thomas Middleton, we have good notices of the component parts of these mixtures:
‘Heccat. Goe feed the vessell for the second houre.
Stadlin. Where be the magical herbes?
Hec. They’re downe his throate.
His mouth cramb’d full; his eares, and nosthrills stufft.
I thrust in Eleoselinum—lately
Aconitum, frondes populeus, and soote,
Then Sium, Acharum, Volgaro too,
Dentaphillon, the blood of a flitter-mouse,30 Solanum somnificum, et oleum.’
We all know the Witches scene in ‘Macbeth,’ but few are probably aware to what extent Shakespeare was indebted to this play of Middleton’s for its telling effect and language.
‘Heccat. Give me some lizard’s braine: quickly, Firestone. Where’s grannam Stadlin, and all the rest o’ th’ sisters? Firestone. All at hand, forsooth. Hec. Give me Marmaritin; some Bear-Breech; when? Fire. Heer’s Bear-breech, and lizard’s braine, forsooth. Hec. Into the vessell; And fetch three ounces of the red-haired girle I kill’d last midnight. Fire. Whereabouts, sweet Mother? Hec. Hip; hip or flanck. Where is the Acopus? Fire. You shall have Acopus, forsooth. Hec. Stir, stir about; whilst I begin to charme.
A CHARME SONG, ABOUT A VESSEL.
Black spiritts, and white; Red spiritts and gray;
Mingle, mingle, mingle, you that mingle may.
Titty, Tiffin, keepe it stiff in;
Fire-drake, Puckey, make it luckey;
Liard, Robin, you must bob in.
Round, around, around, about, about.
All ill come running in, all good keepe out!
1 Witch. Heer’s the blood of a bat.
Hec. Put in that; oh put in that.
2 Witch. Heer’s libbard’s bane.
Hec. Put in againe.
1 Witch. The juice of toad; the oile of adder.
2 Witch. Those will make the yonker madder.
Hec. Put in; there’s all, and rid the stench.
Fire. Nay, heer’s three ounces of the red-haired wench.
All. Round, around, around, about, about.
All ill come running in, all good keepe out!
Hec. So, soe, enough: into the vessell with it.
There, ’t hath the true perfection: I am so light
At any mischief; there’s no villany
But is a tune methinkes.
Fire. A Tune! ’tis to the tune of dampnation then, I warrant
You that that song hath a villainous burthen.
Hec. Come my sweet sisters; let the aire strike our tune,
Whilst we show reverence to yond peeping moone.
Here they daunce. The Witches daunce and Ext.’
After this introduction to and instruction from the Devil, the novice has to do homage to her master. Still quoting Reginald Scot:
‘Sometimes their homage, with their oth and bargaine is receiued for a certeine number of yeares; sometimes for euer. Sometimes it consisteth in the deniall of the whole faith, sometimes in part. The first is, when the soule is absolutelie yeelded to the Diuell and hell fier; the other is, when they have but bargained to obserue certeine ceremonies and statutes of the Church; as to conceale faults at shrift, to fast on sundaies, &c. And this is doone, either by oth, protestation of words, or by obligation in writing, sometimes sealed with wax, sometimes signed with bloud, sometimes by kissing the Diuell’s bare buttocks; as did a Doctor called Edlin, who (as Bodin saith) was burned for witchcraft.
‘You must also understand, that after they have delicatlie banketted with the Diuell and the ladie of the fairies; and have eaten up a fat oxe, and emptied a butt of malmesie, and a binne of bread, at some nobleman’s house, in the dead of night, nothing is missed of all this in the morning. For the ladie Sibylla, Minerua, or Diana, with a golden rod striketh the vessell and the binne, and they are fullie replenished againe. Yea, she causeth the bullock’s bones to be brought and laid togither upon the hide, and lappeth the foure ends thereof togither, laieing her golden rod thereon; and then riseth up the bullocke againe, in his former estate and condition: and yet, at their returne home, they are like to starve for hunger; as Spineus saith. And this must be an infallible rule, that euerie fortnight, or at the least, euerie moneth, each witch must kill one child, at the least, for hir part.
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‘And this is to be noted, that the inquisitors affirme, that during the whole time of the witch’s excourse, the Diuell occupieth the roome and place of the witch, in so perfect a similitude, as hir husband in his bed, neither by feeling, speech, nor countenance can discerne hir from his wife. Yea, the wife departeth out of hir husbands armes insensiblie, and leaueth the Diuell in her roome visiblie.’
The novice is now a full-fledged witch, and according to the best authorities may, and must, commit certain crimes, of which the following are some:
‘They