Witchcraft in America. Charles Wentworth Upham
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of Persons and Things. An inchanted eye shall see such things as others cannot discern; it is a thing too well known to be denied, that some by rubbing their eyes with a bewitched Water, have immediately thereupon seen that which others could not discern; and there are Persons in the World, who have a strange Spectral sight. Mr. Glanvil28 speaks of a Dutchman that could see Ghosts which others could perceive nothing of. There are in Spain a sort of men whom they call Zahurs, these can see into the Bowels of the Earth; they are able to discover Minerals and hidden Treasures; nevertheless, they have their extraordinary sight only on Tuesdays and Fridays, and not on the other days of the Week. Delrio saith, that when he was at Madrid, Anno Dom. 1575. he saw some of these strange sighted Creatures. Mr. George Sinclare, in his Book Entituled, Satans Invisible World discovered,29 has these Words, 'I am undoubtedly informed, that men and women in the High-lands can discern Fatality approaching others, by seeing them in the Waters or with Winding Sheets about them. And that others can lecture in a Sheeps shoulder-bone a Death within the Parish seven or eight Days before it come. It is not improbable but that such Preternatural Knowledge comes first by a Compact with the Devil, and is derived downward by Succession to their Posterity: Many such I suppose are Innocent, and have this sight against their Will and Inclination.' Thus Mr. Sinclare, I concur with his supposal, that such Knowledge is originally from Satan, and perhaps the Effect of some old Inchantment. There are some at this day in the World, that if they come into a House where one of the Family will die within a Fortnight, the smell of a dead Corpse offends them to such a degree, as that they cannot stay in that House. It is reported that near unto the Abby of St. Maurice in Burgundy30 there is a Fishpond in which are Fishes put according to the number of the Monks of that place; if any one of them happened to be sick, there is a Fish seen to Float and Swim above Water half dead, and if the Monk shall die, the Fish a few days before dieth. In some parts in Wales Death-lights or Corps Candles (as they call them) are seen in the night time going from the House where some body will shortly die, and passing in to the Church-yard. Of this, my Honoured and never to be forgotten Friend Mr. Richard Baxter,31 has given an Account in his Book about Witchcrafts lately Published: what to make of such things, except they be the effects of some old Inchantment, I know not; nor what Natural Reason to assign for that which I find amongst the Observations of the Imperial Academy for the Year 1687, viz. That in an Orchard where are choice Damascen Plumbs, the Master of the Family being sick of a Quartan Ague, whilst he continued very ill, four of his Plumb-trees instead of Damascens brought forth a vile sort of yellow Plumbs: but recovering Health, the next Year the Tree did (as formerly) bear Damascens again; but when after that he fell into a fatal Dropsie, on those Trees were seen not Damascens, but another sort of Fruit. The same Author32 gives Instances of which he had the certain knowledge, concerning Apple-trees and Pear-trees, that the Fruit of them would on a sudden wither as if they had been baked in an Oven, when the owners of them were mortally sick. It is no less strange that in the Illustrious Electoral33 House of Brandenburg before the Death of some one of the Family Feminine Spectres appeared: 34and often in the Houses of Great men, Voices and Visions from the Invisible World have been the Harbingers of Death. When any Heir in the Worshipful Family of the Breertons in Cheshire is near his Death, there are seen in a Pool adjoyning, Bodies of Trees swimming for certain days together, on which Learned Cambden35 has this note, These and such like things are done either by the Holy Tutelar Angels of Men, or else by the Devils, who by Gods Permission mightily shew their Power in this Inferiour World. As for Mr. Sinclare's Notion that some Persons may have a second Sight, (as 'tis termed) and yet be themselves Innocent, I am satisfied that he judgeth right; for this is common amongst the Laplanders, who are horribly addicted to Magical Incantations: They bequeath their Dæmons to their Children as a Legacy, by whom they are often assisted (like Bewitched Persons as they are) to see and do things beyond the Power of Nature. An Historian who deserves Credit, relates,36 that a certain Laplander gave him a true and particular Account of what had happened to him in his Journey to Lapland; and further complained to him with Tears, that things at great distance were represented to him, and how much he desired to be Delivered from that Diabolical Sight, but could not; this doubtless was caused by some Inchantment. But to proceed to what I intend; the Eyes of Persons by reason of Inchanting Charms, may not only see what others do not, but be under such power of Fascination, as that things which are not, shall appear to them as real: The Apostle speaks of Bewitched Eyes, Gal. 3.1. and we know from Scripture, that the Imaginations of men have by Inchantments been imposed upon; and Histories abound with very strange Instances of this Nature: The old Witch Circe by an Inchanted Cup caused Ulysses his Companions to imagine themselves to be turned into Swine; and how many Witches have been themselves so bewitched by the Devil, as really to believe that they were transformed into Wolves, or Dogs, or Cats. It is reported of Simon Magus,37 that by his Sorceries he would so impose on the Imaginations of People, as that they thought he had really changed himself into another sort of Creature. Opollonius of Tyana could out do Simon with his Magick: The great Bohemian Conjurer Zyto38 by his Inchantments, caused certain Persons whom he had a mind to try his Art upon, to imagine that their Hands were turned into the Feet of an Ox, or into the Hoofs of a Horse, so that they could not reach to the Dishes before them to take any thing thence; he sold Wisps of Straw to a Butcher who bought them for Swine; that many such prestigious Pranks were played, by the unhappy Faustus, is attested by Camerarius, Wyerus, Voetius, Lavater, and Lonicer.
There is newly Published a Book (mentioned in the Acta Eruditorum) wherein the Author 39(Wiechard Valvassor) relates, that a Venetian Jew instructed him (only he would not attend his Instructions) how to make a Magical Glass which should represent any Person or thing according as he should desire. If a Magician by an Inchanted Glass can do this, he may as well by the help of a Dæmon cause false Idæas of Persons and Things to be impressed on the Imaginations of bewitched Persons; the Blood and Spirits of a Man, that is bitten with a Mad-Dog, are so envenomed, as that strange Impressions are thereby made on his Imagination: let him be brought into a Room where there is a Looking-Glass, and he will (if put upon it) not only say but swear that he sees a Dog, tho' in truth there is no Dog it may be within 20 Miles of him; and is it not then possible for the Dogs of Hell to poyson the Imaginations of miserable Creatures, so as that they shall believe and swear that such Persons hurt them as never did so? I have heard of an Inchanted Pin, that has caused the Condemnation and Death of many scores of innocent Persons. There was a notorious Witchfinder in Scotland, that undertook by a Pin, to make an infallible Discovery of suspected Persons, whether they were Witches or not, if when the Pin was run an Inch or two into the Body of the accused Party no Blood appeared, nor any sense of Pain, then he declared them to be Witches; by means hereof my Author tells me no less then 300 persons were Condemned for Witches in that Kingdom. This Bloody Jugler after he had done enough in Scotland, came to the Town of Berwick upon Tweed; an honest Man now living in New-England assureth me, that he saw the Man thrust a great Brass Pin two Inches into the Body of one, that some would in that way try whether there was Witchcraft in the Case or no: the accused Party was not in the least sensible of what was done, and therefore in danger of receiving the Punishment justly due for Witchcraft; only it so happened, that Collonel Fenwick (that worthy Gentleman, who many years since lived in New-England) was then the Military Governour in that Town; he sent for the Mayor and