.NDI.MjIzNjc

46 bodyes, when hands & feet are tyed, not to Sinke under ye water. Besides, they yt plead for this Superstition, Say, yt if Witches happen to be Condemned for Some other Crime & not for witchcraft, they will not Swim Like a Corke above water, which Sheweth that ye Cause of this Natation is not Physical And if not then Either it must proceed from a divine miracle, but no man can thinke yt Heaven will worke a miracle to Save a Witche from drowneing, or Lastly it must be a Diabolicall wonder. This Superstitious Experiment is Comonly knowne by the Natmes of ye Vulgar Probation, because it was never appointed by any Lawful Authority, but by ye Suggestion of the Devill taken up by ye rude Rabble. And Some (e) Learned Men are of Opinion, yt ye first Explorator ^being a white witch did Explicitly Covenant w^th ye Devill that he should discover Latent Crimes in this way. And yt is i by vertue of yt first Contract yt ye Devill goeth to works to keep his servants fro Sinkeing. W^n ye Ceremony of his ordaining is used. Moreover, we know, ye Diaboliss est Deisimia, ye Devill seeks to imitate divine miracles. We read in Ecclesiastical History, yt some of ye Martyrs, w^n they were by their Persecutors ordered to be drowned proved imersible. This miracle would ye Devill imitate in causeing witches who are his Martyrs not to Sinke, w^n they are cast into ye water. 3. This way of Purgation is of ye same Nature w^th ye old Ordeals of ye Pagans. If men were accused w^th any Crime, to cleare their Innocency they were to take a hot iron into their hands or to Suffer Scalding water to be poured downe their throats, & if they received no hurt thereby, They were acquitted. This was ye Devills In- vention, & many times (as ye Devill would have it) they yt Sub- mitted to these Tryalls Suffered no Inconvience. Neverthelesse it is astonishing to thinke [] Innocent blood hath bin shed in ye world by this Satanicall device Witches have often (as (e) Sprenger observes) desird yt they might stand of fall by this Tryall of hot Iron & have somtimes Come of well. Inderd this Ordeal was used in other Cases & not in Cases of witchcraft only

[Margin notes:] (theta) Delrio, of Matior. 9 (e) In Malleo Malificaru p. 421