f the ancient panites, fauns, and satyrs; and of this
form we read of one that appeared to Anthony in the wilderness. The
same is also confirmed from exposition of Holy Scripture. For
whereas it is said, 'Thou shalt not offer unto devils,' the
original word is _Seghuirim_, i.e., 'rough and hairy goats,'
because in that shape the Devil most often appeared, as is
expounded by the rabbis, as _Tremellius_ hath also explained; and
as the word _Ascimah_, the God of Emath, is by some explained."

It will be noted that the word "Devil" is invariably capitalized by the
mediaeval writers, and to them he must have been a very real personage,
and these curious beliefs terrible truths. Indeed, if true, what could
be more terrible? Even so learned a man as Bacon, we are told--whose
soul was promised to the devil, no matter "whether he died in or out of
the church"--endeavoured to cheat the devil out of his due, and had his
body buried in the _wall_ of the church--thus being neither in nor out
of it--and so he hoped to cheat the devil of his due!

With the coming of Reginald Scott there arose a certain scepticism
throughout Europe, which was later echoed in America. Scott wrote a
monumental work entitled _The Discoverie of Witchcraft_, in which he
bitterly attacked the credulity of the people, and showed himself
entirely incredulous of any of the alleged phenomena. Some years before,
had he published such a book, it was likely that he would have been
burned himself; but the times were probably ripe for just such a
publication; there was already much unrest and uneasiness afoot, and his
book appeared in the nick of time. Scott attempted to account for the
phenomena of witchcraft on a rational basis, and showed himself
completely sceptical of the reality of most of the manifestations. He
even went so far as to attack many of the older "miracles," which
apparently supported the newer, even taking the very bold course (in
that day) of attacking some of the Biblical miracles. Thus we read:

"The Pythoness (speaking of the Witch of Endor) being
_ventriloqua_, that is, speaking as it were from the bottom of her
belly, did cast herself into a trance, and so abused Saul in
Samuel's name in her counterfeit hollow voice."

Indeed, something was necessary to check the rank credulity of the
times. If an old woman scolded a carter, and later on in the day his
cart got stuck in the mud or ove