ity, nay, actual existence of witchcraft
and sorcery, is at once flatly to contradict the word of God in various
passages both of the old and new testament; and the thing itself is
a truth to which every nation in the world hath in its turn borne
testimony, either by examples seemingly well attested, or by prohibitory
laws, which at least suppose the possibility of a commerce with evil
spirits."

In Brown's Dictionary of the Bible, published at Edinburgh Scotland, in
1807, it is said that: "A witch is a woman that has dealings with Satan.
That such persons are among men is abundantly plain from scripture, and
that they ought to be put to death."

This work was re-published in Albany, New York, in 1816. No wonder the
clergy of that city are ignorant and bigoted even unto this day.

In 1716, Mrs. Hicks and her daughter, nine years of age, were hanged
for selling their souls to the devil, and raising a storm by pulling off
their stockings and making a lather of soap.

In England it has been estimated that at least thirty thousand were
hanged and burned. The last victim executed in Scotland, perished in
1722. "She was an innocent old woman, who had so little idea of her
situation as to rejoice at the sight of the fire which was destined
to consume her. She had a daughter, lame both of hands and of feet--a
circumstance attributed to the witch having been used to transform her
daughter into a pony and getting her shod by the devil."

In 1692, nineteen persons were executed and one pressed to death in
Salem, Massachusetts, for the crime of witchcraft.

It was thought in those days that men and women made compacts with the
devil, orally and in writing. That they abjured God and Jesus Christ,
and dedicated themselves wholly to the devil. The contracts were
confirmed at a general meeting of witches and ghosts, over which the
devil himself presided; and the persons generally signed the articles of
agreement with their own blood. These contracts were, in some instances,
for a few years; in others, for life. General assemblies of the witches
were held at least once a year, at which they appeared entirely naked,
besmeared with an ointment made from the bodies of unbaptized infants.
"To these meetings they rode from great distances on broomsticks,
pokers, goats, hogs, and dogs. Here they did homage to the prince of
hell, and offered him sacrifices of young children, and practiced all
sorts of license until the break of day."