The Project Gutenberg eBook, The Discovery of Witches, by Matthew Hopkins

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Title: The Discovery of Witches

Author: Matthew Hopkins

Release Date: November 10, 2004 [eBook #14015]

Language: English

Character set encoding: ISO-646-US (US-ASCII)

***START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE DISCOVERY OF WITCHES***

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Transcriber's note: In Quer. 11, point 3, 'confession of a With'
corrected to 'confession of a Witch'. Note that
all are Queries with the exception of Quest. 13.

THE DISCOVERY OF WITCHES

IN Answer to severall QUERIES, LATELY Delivered to the Judges of
Assize for the County of NORFOLK

And now published by

MATTHEW HOPKINS, Witch-finder

FOR the Benefit of the whole KINGDOME

M. DC. XLVII.

EXOD. 22.18.

Thou shalt not suffer a witch to live.

Certaine _Queries_ answered, which have been and are likely to
be objected against MATTHEW HOPKINS, in his way of finding out
_Witches_.

Querie 1.

_That he must needs be the greatest Witch, Sorcerer, and Wizzard
himselfe, else hee could not doe it._

Answ.

If _Satan's_ kingdome be divided against it selfe, how shall it stand?

Querie 2.

_If he never went so farre as is before mentioned, yet for
certaine he met with the Devill, and cheated him of his Booke,
wherein were written all the Witches names in_ England, _and if
he looks on any Witch, he can tell by her countenance what she
is; so by this, his helpe is from the Devill._

Answ.

If he had been too hard for the devill and got his book, it had been
to his great commendation, and no disgrace at all: and for judgement
in _Phisiognomie_, he hath no more then any man else whatsoever.

Quer. 3.

_From whence then proceeded this his skill? was it from his
profound learning, or from much reading of learned Authors
concerning that subject?_

Answ.

From neither of both, but from experience, which though it be meanly
esteemed of, yet the surest and safest