vppon them to
Prophesie by them,) That sorte I say, ought as seuerely to be punished as
any other Witches, and rather the more, that that they goe dissemblingly
to woorke.

PHI. And what makes the spirites haue so different names from others.

EPI. Euen the knauerie of that same deuil; who as hee illudes the
_Necromancers_ with innumerable feyned names for him and his angels, as in
special, making _Sathan_, _Beelzebub_, & _Lucifer_, to be three sundry
spirites, where we finde the two former, but diuers names giuen to the
Prince of all the rebelling angels by the Scripture. As by CHRIST, the
Prince of all the Deuilles is called, _Beelzebub_ in that place, which I
alleaged against the power of any hereticques to cast out Deuils. By IOHN
in the Reuelation, the old tempter is called, _Sathan the Prince of all
the euill angels_. And the last, to wit, _Lucifer_, is but by allegoric
taken from _the day Starre_ (so named in diuers places of the Scriptures)
because of his excellencie (I meane the Prince of them) in his creation
before his fall. Euen so I say he deceaues the Witches, by attributing to
himselfe diuers names: as if euery diuers shape that he trans formes
himselfe in, were a diuers kinde of spirit.

PHI. But I haue hard many moe strange tales of this _Phairie_, nor ye haue
yet told me.

EPI. As well I do in that, as I did in all the rest of my discourse. For
because the ground of this conference of ours, proceeded of your speering
at me at our meeting, if there was such a thing as Witches or spirites:
And if they had any power: I therefore haue framed my whole discours, only
to proue that such things are and may be, by such number of examples as I
show to be possible by reason: & keepes me from dipping any further in
playing the part of a Dictionarie, to tell what euer I haue read or harde
in that purpose, which both would exceede fayth, and rather would seeme to
teach such vnlawfull artes, nor to disallow and condemne them, as it is
the duetie of all Christians to do.

Chap. VI.

ARGVMENT.

_Of the tryall and punishment of Witches. What sorte of accusation ought
to be admitted against them. What is the cause of the increasing so far of
their number in this age._

PHILOMATHES.

Then to make an ende of our conference, since I see it drawes late, what
forme of punishment thinke ye merites these _Magicians_ and Witches? For I
see that ye account them to be all alike guiltie?

EPI. They ought to be