the devil, is assisted by him to work mischief. The
good witch is he or she who useth diabolical means to
do good--as to heal persons, loose or undo
enchantments, and to discover who are bewitched, and
by whom. But this term of a good witch is very
improper, for all who have commerce with Satan are
certainly bad.

"Some works of witches are really what they seem to
be; others are mere diabolical juggling, or a delusion
of the eyes of spectators with some strange sleight of
Satan. (To which last I may refer their imaginary
passing through shut doors, and transforming
themselves and others into the shape of cats, dogs,
hares, and other creatures.) Some of their actions
respect themselves, and their behaviour towards their
infernal master; such as their coming to appointed
meetings called their Sabbaths, where they pay homage
to him, and are taught to act all manner of
wickedness, and give an account of their horrid past
proceedings. Witches are chiefly employed in plain
mischief, by hurting persons or their goods, or by
bringing some actual evil or calamity upon them. But
they sometimes work mischief under a pretence or
colour of doing good--as when they cure diseases,
loose enchantments, and discover other witches. All
their designs are brought about by charms, or
ceremonious rites instituted by the devil, which are
in themselves of no efficacy, and serve only as
signals and watchwords to admonish Satan, as it were,
when, where, and upon whom to do mischief, or perform
cures, according to his compact with the witches."

"Under necromancy," says Mr. Forbes, "are comprehended
chiromancy, predictions, and responses by the sieve
and the shear, and all other hellish arts of
divination. It hath been sustained to bring in a
woman guilty of witchcraft, that she threatened to
do some mischief to a person who immediately or not
long after suffered a grievous harm in his body or
goods, by sorcery or witchcraft, without any apparent
or natural cause, though the manner or enchantment
used to work such mischief was not particularly
expressed, and the threat was only general, and did
not specify the ill turn to be done, in respect the
means used by witches are best known to