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48. im[m]ersible, how came they to dy by drowneing in _Bohemia_? besides it hath been knowne yt persons who have floated on ye water, wn the hangman has made ye Experiment on ym have sunk downe like a stone wn others have made ye Tryall. [6] The Reasons Com[m]only alledged for ys superstitio[n] are of no moment. It is said they hate ye water, wn as they have many times desird yt they might be cast on ye water in order to their Purgatio[n]. It is alledged yt water is used in Baptisme, therefore Witches Swim; A weake phansy. All ye water in ye world is not Consecrated water. But (say some) ye Devills by sucking of them makes ym so light yt ye water bares them. Whereas some witches are twice as heavy as many an innocent pson. Wel, but yn they are possest by ye Devill, suppose so, Is ye Devill afraid if they sinke, he should be drownd wth them, but why yn were ye Gadarens hogs drowned, wn ye Devill was in them. These things being premised, I Answer ye Question Affirmatively _There are proofs for ye Conviction of Witches, wch jurors may wth a safe Conscience proceed upon so as to bring them in Guilty_ The scripture wch saith, _Thou shalt not suffer a Witch to Live_ cleerly implyes yt some in ye world may be knowne and proved to be witches. For untill they be so they may & must be suffered to Live. Moreover, wee find in ye Scripture, yt some have bin convicted & Executed for Witches. For _Saul cut of those yt had familiar spirits & ye Wizards out of ye Land._ 1 Sam. 28:9. It may be wondered at, yt Saul who did like him yt said, _Flectere Si nequeo Superos, Acheronta Movebo_, should cause ye wizzards in ye Land to be put to death The Jewish Rabbies say, ye Reason was because those Wizzards foretold yt David should be King. It is (as Mr _Gaul_ (k) observes) ye opinio[n] of some Learned Protestants yt Saul in his zeal did overdo; And yt under ye (L) Pretext of Witches he slew ye Gibeonites, for wch yt Judgment followed 2: Sam[el]. 21:1. Neither (saith Mr _Gaul_) _want we ye storied Examples of Gods judgments upon those, yt defamed, persecuted, & executed them for witches, that indeed were none & But we have in ye Scripture ye

[Margin note: (k) in his Cases about Witchcraft p: 281.

(L) So Dr Willet Con= jectures on 2. Sam[el]. 21:1.]