e than to live.'" As a proof of the singular obstinacy and
blindness of the believers in witches, it may be stated that the minister
who relates this story only saw in the dying speech of the unhappy woman
an additional proof that she was a witch. True, indeed is it, that "none
are so blind as those who will not see."

[31] _Satan's Invisible World Discovered_, by the Rev. G.
Sinclair.

It is time, however, to return to James VI., who is fairly entitled to
share with Pope Innocent, Sprenger, Bodinus, and Matthew Hopkins the glory
or the odium of being at the same time a chief enemy and chief encourager
of witchcraft. Towards the close of the sixteenth century, many learned
men, both on the continent and in the isles of Britain, had endeavoured to
disabuse the public mind on this subject. The most celebrated were Wierus,
in Germany; Pietro d'Apone, in Italy; and Reginald Scot, in England. Their
works excited the attention of the zealous James, who, mindful of the
involuntary compliment which his merits had extorted from the devil, was
ambitious to deserve it by still continuing "his greatest enemie." In the
year 1597, he published in Edinburgh his famous treatise on Demonology.
Its design may be gathered from the following passage in the introduction:
"The fearful abounding," says the king, "at this time and in this country
of these detestable slaves of the devil, the witches or enchanters, hath
moved me, beloved reader, to despatch in post this following treatise of
mine, not in any wise, as I protest, to serve for a show of mine own
learning and ingene [ingenuity], but only (moved of conscience) to press
thereby, so far as I can, to resolve the doubting hearts of many, both
that such assaults of Satan are most certainly practised, and that the
instrument thereof merits most severely to be punished, against the
damnable opinions of two, principally in our age; whereof the one called
Scot, an Englishman, is not ashamed in public print to deny that there can
be such thing as witchcraft, and so maintains the old error of the
Sadducees in denying of spirits. The other, called Wierus, a German
physician, sets out a public apology for all these crafts-folks, whereby
procuring for them impunity, he plainly betrays himself to have been one
of that profession." In other parts of this treatise, which the author had
put into the form of a dialogue, to "make it more pleasant and facile," he
says: "Witches ought to be p