How a Witch was made--Her Compact with the Devil--Hell Broth--Homage
and Feasting--The Witches’ Sabbat.
But how did a woman become a witch, and attain to the full possession of
her wicked powers? There is no doubt but that she must have been a
_mauvais sujet_ to start with, or else the Devil would not have thought of
meeting her, and introducing himself to her. According to the witches’
confessions, of which we shall have many, they generally first meet the
Devil by chance, and their differing testimonies affirm that he was
somewhat protean in shape, appearing to one as a great black man, to
another in the form of some animal. Others, again, were regularly
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.
[Illustration]
‘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.’
[Illustration]
[Illustration]
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.’
[Illustration]
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.
[Illustration]
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 Ex{t}._’
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.
[Illustration]
‘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.
* * * * *
‘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 denie God, and all religion.
‘They cursse, blaspheme, and provoke God with all despite.
‘They give their faith to the diuell, and they worship and offer sacrifice
to him.
‘They doo solemnelie vow and promise all their progenie unto the diuell.
‘They sacrifice their owne children to the diuell before baptisme, holding
them up in the aire unto him, and then thrust a needle into their
braines.
‘They burne their children when they have sacrificed them.
‘They sweare to the diuell to bring as manie into that societie, as they
can.
‘They sweare by the name of the diuell.
‘They boile infants (after they have murthered them unbaptized) untill
their flesh be made potable.
‘They eate the flesh and drinke the bloud of men and children openlie.
‘They kill men with poison.
‘They kill men’s Cattell.
‘They bewitch men’s corne, and bring hunger and barrennes into the
countrie; they ride and flie in the aire, bring stormes, make tempests,
&c.’
Scot, quoting Sprenger, gives yet a wider range to the wickedness of
witches.[31] ‘Although it be quite against the haire, and contrarie to the
diuel’s will, contrarie to the witch’s oth, promise, and homage, and
contrarie to all reason that witches should helpe anie thing that is
bewitched; but rather set forward their Maister’s businesse; yet we read
_In Malleo Maleficarum_, of three sorts of witches; and the same is
affirmed by all the writers hereupon, new and old. One sort, they say, can
hurt and not helpe, the second can helpe and not hurt, the third can both
helpe and hurt. And, among the hurtful witches, he saith there is one sort
more beastlie than any kind of beasts, saving woolues: for these usuallie
deuoure and eate yong children and infants of their owne kind. These be
they (saith he) that raise haile, tempests, and hurtfull weather; as
lightening, thunder, &c. These be they that procure barrennesse in man,
woman and beast. These can throwe children into waters, as they walke with
their mothers, and not be seene. These can make horses kicke, till they
cast their riders. These can so alter the mind of iudges, that they can
haue no power to hurt them. These can procure to themselves and to others,
taciturnitie and insensibilitie in their torments. These can bring
trembling to the hands, and strike terror into the minds of them that
apprehend them. These can manifest unto others, things hidden and lost,
and foreshow things to come; and see them as though they were present.
These can alter men’s minds to inordinate love or hate. These can kill
whom they list, with lightening and thunder. These can take awaie man’s
courage, and the power of generation. These can make a woman miscarrie in
childbirth, and destroie the child in the mother’s wombe, without any
sensible meanes either inwardlie or outwardlie applied. These can, with
their looks, kill either man or beast.’