Body: | A Discourse of the Damned Art of Witchcraft
William Perkins
1608 AD
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Introduction:
In 1608 AD, William Perkins believed that the Devil caused madness
in people who were in a physically weakened melancholy state. The resulting
actions that manifested madness were delusion, self deception, "conceits,
and imaginary fancies". Insanity was caused partly from the devil's
temptations and partly from the choices of the persons themselves. This was
not demon possession, but demonic temptation that weak people yielded to.
He stressed that madness was not caused by physical diseases, but spiritual
choices. "This man hath a crazie braine, and is troubled with melancholy
... Witches of our times (say they) are aged persons, of weake braines, and
troubled with abundance of melancholie, and the devill taketh advauntage of
the humor, and so deludes them, perswading that they have made a league
with him, when they have not, and consequently mooving them to imagine,
that they doe, and may doe strange things, which indeed are done by
himselfe, and not by them." (A discourse of the damned art of witchcraft,
William Perkins, 1608 AD)
Like many treatises on witchcraft this book contains much of
psychiatric interest. Perkins divided 'the devill's wonders' into 'two
sorts . . . either of the outward senses, or of the minde', and his
descriptions are easily recognised as those of the two leading psychiatric
symptoms, today called hallucinations and delusions : `An illusion of the
outward senses, is a worke of the devil, wherby he makes man to thinke that
he heareth, seeth, feeleth or toucheth such things as indeede he doth not .
. . The second kind of illusion, is of the minde, whereby the devill
deceives the minde, and makes a man thinke that of himselfe which is not
true'. Perkins' list of things which could only be the work of the devil
amounts to a phenomenology of mental illness and in this light his
statement that 'Witches through Europe, are of like cariage and behaviour'
may be read in the sense of the observation usually attributed to Kraepelin
in the twentieth century that mental illness is much the same wherever it
occurs. In the same vein Perkins discussed partial insanity in terms of
partial possession and denied its admissibility as a defence in criminal
cases. (300 years of Psychiatry, Richard Hunter, 1963, p66)
A discourse of the damned art of witchcraft, William Perkins, 1608 AD
William Perkins (1558-1602)
MA Cantab., fellow of Christ's College, Cambridge; theological writer
A discourse of the damned art of witchcraft; so farre forth as it is
revealed in the scriptures, and manifest by true experience. Framed and
delivered by M. William Perkins, in his ordinarie course of preaching, and
now published by Tho. Pickering Batchelour of divinitie, and minister of
Finchingfield in Essex, 1608 Cambridge, Legge pp. 190-4
DEVILS NOT HUMORS
Witches of our times (say they) are aged persons, of weake braines, and
troubled with abundance of melancholie, and the devill taketh advauntage of
the humor, and so deludes them, perswading that they have made a league
with him, when they have not, and consequently mooving them to imagine,
that they doe, and may doe strange things, which indeed are done by
himselfe, and not by them.
This reason is a meere melancholike conceit, without ground. And the
contrarie is a manifest truth, that they are not so, as is affirmed,
parties deceived by reason of their humors. For first, our Witches are as
wise and politike, yea as craftie and cunning in all other matters, as
other men be; whereas brainsicke persons troubled with melancholy, if their
understanding be distempered in one action, it will be faultie likewise in
others, more or lesse. Againe, our Witches know that they sinne in their
practises of Witchcraft, and therefore they use subtill meanes to cover
them, and he that would convict them, must have great dexteritie to goe
beyond them. Now if they were persons deluded, through corruption of any
humors; Tooke what humour caused them to doe a thing, the same would urge
them to disclose it. Thirdly; they are also of the same stamp, they take
the same courses in all their practises, their consent in word and action
is universall. Men of learning have observed, that all Witches through
Europe, are of like cariage and behaviour in their examinations, and
convictions: they use the same answers, refuges, defenses, protestations.
In a word, looke what be the practises and courses of the Witches in
England, in any of these particulars, the same be the practises of the
Witches in Spaine, Fraunce, Italie, Germanie, &c. Wherefore the case is
cleare, they are not deluded by Sathan, through the force of humour, as is
avouched; for such persons, according as they are diversly taken, would
shewe themselves diversly affected, and varie in their speeches, actions,
and conceipts, both publike and private. Fourthly, our Witches are wont to
communicate their skill to others by tradition, to teach and instruct their
children and posteritie, and to initiate them in the grounds and practises
of their owne trade, while they live, as may appeare by the confessions
recorded in the Courts of all countries. But if they were persons troubled
with melancholie, their conceipts would die with them. For conceits, and
imaginarie fancies, which rise of any humour, cannot be convayed from
partie to partie, no more then the humour it selfe. Lastly, if this sleight
might serve to defend Witches under pretence of delusion through corrupted
humours, then here were a cover for all manner of sinnes. For example : a
fellon is apprehended for robberie or murther, and is brought before the
Judge : Upon examination he confesseth the fact, beeing convicted the law
proceeds to condemnation. The same mans friends come in, and alledge before
the Judge in this manner; This man hath a crazie braine, and is troubled
with melancholy, and though he hath confessed the fact, yet the truth is,
it was not he, but the devill, who himselfe committed the murther, and made
him thinke he did it, when he did it not, & hereupon he hath confessed.
Would any man thinke, that this were a reasonable allegation, and a
sufficient meane to moove the Judge to acquite him ? Assuredly if it were,
upon the same ground might any sinne be laid upon the devills backe, and
all good lawes and judiciall proceedings be made voide.
Therefore howsoever the patrons of Witches be learned men, yet they are
greatly deceived in fathering the practises of Sorcerie upon a melancholike
humour.
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