shed tears (threaten and torture them as you please) while first they repent (God not permitting them to dissemble their obstinacie in so horrible a crime). Albeit the women-kind especially, be able otherwise to shed tears at every light occasion when they will, yea, although it were dissembling like the crocodiles"." James, we see, was well qualified for a witch-finder; he knew their marks, and could discover them by swimming, and refraining tears. And accordingly, he permitted persons to be executed who were found guilty thereof. In 1597, "there was a great business in the trial of witches; amongst others, one Margaret Atkins, being apprehended upon suspicion, and threatened with torture, did confess herself guilty. Being examined concerning her associates in that trade, she named a few, and finding she gained credit, made offer to detect all of that sort, and to purge the country of them, so she might have her life granted. For the reason of her knowledge, she said, that they had a secret mark, all of that sort, in their eyes, whereby she could surely tell, how soon she looked upon any, whether they were witches or not. In this she was so readily believed, that for the space of three or four months she was carried from town to town, to make discoveries in that kind. She accused many, and many innocent women were put to death. In the end she was found to be a mere deceiver." And most of the winter of the year 1591, was spent in the discovery and examination of witches and sorcerers. "In this year the famous Agnes Samson (commonly called the wise wife of Keith) was examined, who confessed she had a familiar spirit, who had no power over the king, but said, as she took the words to be, il est homme de

* James's Works, p. 136.

b Spotswood, p. 448.

b

or

Dieu." This speech, I doubt not, flattered James's vanity, and made him the more stedfast in the belief of the doctrine of witches. For believe it, I suppose, he did, or otherwise he would not have passed such a bloody statute, formed out of compliment (as has been well conjectured) to him, by both houses of parlia ment, soon after his accession to the English throne. By this statute it was enacted, " that if any person persons shall use, practise, or exercise any invocation, or conjuration of any evil and wicked spirit, or shall consult, covenant with, entertain, employ, feed or reward any evil and wicked spirit, to or for any intent and purpose: or take up any dead man, woman, or child, out of his, her, or their grave, or any other place where the dead body resteth, or the skin, bone, or any part of any dead person, to be employed or used in any manner of witchcraft, sorcery, charm, or inchantment; or shall use, practise, or exercise any witchcraft, inchantment, charm or sorcery, whereby any person shall be killed, destroyed, wasted, consumed, pined or lamed in his or her body, or any part thereof; that then every such offender or offenders, their aiders, abettors, and counsellors, being of any the said offences duly and lawfully convicted and attainted, shall suffer pains of death as a felon or felons; and shall lose the privilege and benefit of clergy and sanctuary." Upon this statute great numbers have been condemned and executed, to the reproach of common sense and humanity. And even great and good men have been the instruments hereby of con demning miserable innocent creatures.

a

A caution to law-makers this, not (in order to please

Spotswood, p. 383.

b Hutchinson's Historical Essay concerning Witchcraft, p. 180. Lond. 1718, 8vo. regis, c. 12. sect. 2.

Stat. anno primo Jacobi

a prince) to enact statutes, especially on the penalty of death, unless upon the most solid, weighty reasons.— For though the general opinion then was, that there were witches, and that they did much hurt and damage, yet ought the parliament to have weighed well the foundation on which it was built, and the consequences of it. Whereas they took the opinion on trust, and enacted a most dreadful punishment for an imaginary crime.James tells us," that witches ought to be put to death, according to the municipal law of all Christian nations." He spoke as he knew; but had his learning been as universal as it was proclaimed, he could not with truth have said so. For Dr. Hutchinson assures us, that 'tis so far from being true, that all nations have always had such laws as ours, that he had some reason to doubt, whether any nation in the world hath, unless it be Scotland. And with great pleasure I find that there was a law in Ethiopia, which prohibited the people to believe that there is any such thing as witches; the belief whereof, they say, is founded upon the error of the Manichees, that there are two independent gods, a good one, and a bad one"." But I will leave this subject, after having observed that we have reason to be thankful to almighty God, and to acknowledge the wisdom and goodness of our government, for repealing the statute aforesaid, and "enacting, that no prosecution, suit, or proceeding shall be commenced, or carried on against any person or persons for witchcraft, sorcery, inchantment, or conjuration, in any court whatsoever in Great Britain." This is a statute as much in honour to our legislators

a Historical Discourse of Witchcraft, p. 158.

b Geddes Church History of Ethiopia, p. 361. 8vo. Lond. 1696.

his Trew law of free monarchy"; but especially his piece so highly extolled, entitled

as any ever enacted, and will transmit their fame down to posterity; it being founded on reason and justice, and productive of the safety of the people, whose welfare is the end of all government. I have said above, that I supposed James did believe the doctrine of witches. But, in justice to his character, I must here add, that after his being in England, having met with a number of forgeries and cheats, they wrought such an alteration upon his judgment, that at first he grew diffident of, and then flatly denied the workings of witches and devils2.

18 His Trew law of free monarchy.] This was printed in September 1598, without his name. "The bent of it, says Calderwood, was directed against the course of God's work, in the reformation of our kirk, and elsewhere, as rebellious to kings." And it must be confessed, if the doctrine contained in this treatise is true, the Scotch and many other of the reformers, will with difficulty be cleared from rebellion. For he asserts the regal power strongly; allows resistance or disobedience to it upon no account whatsoever; and reflects on the "seditious preachers of whatsoever religion, either in Scotland or in France, that had busied themselves most to stir up rebellion under cloke of religion." In short, he plainly says, "the king is above the law, and that he is not bound thereto, but of his good will, and for good example-giving to his subjects." This is the doctrine contained in the law of

* Fuller's Church Hist. cent. 17. book 10. p. 74. and Osborn's Works, b Calderwood's Church Hist. p. 426. James's Works,

p. 551. p. 199.

* Id. p. 203.

ΒΑΣΙΛΙΚΟΝ ΔΩΡΟΝ", for the use of his son prince Henry; which being published

free monarchy, than which nothing can be more vile and abominable.

* ΒΑΣΙΛΙΚΟΝ ΔΩΡΟΝ.] This book is dedicated to his dearest son and natural successor, prince Henry. "Tis divided into three parts. "The first teacheth your duty towards God as a Christian; the next your duty in your office as a king; and the third informeth you how to behave yourself in indifferent things, says he to the prince. It was wrote for an exercise of his own ingenie and instruction of him, who, he hoped, was appointed of God to sit on his throne after him."

"Seven copies only were permitted to be printed, the printer being first sworn to secresie; but, contrary to his intention and expectation, the book was vented, and set forth to public view." This was in the year 1599. This book contains some tolerable things, but intermixed with strange passages; those relating to the clergy, whom he opprobriously terms puritans, I have had occasion before to mention: what follows, I think, is not less remarkable. "Suffer not your princes and your parents to be dishonoured by any the infaming and making odious of the parent, is the readiest way to bring the son into contempt. I never yet found a constant biding by me in all my streights, by any that were of perfit age in my parents days, but only by such as constantly bode by them; I mean, specially by them that served the queen my motherd." So that princes, even after their death, are not to have much truth spoken con