The Witchcraft in New England. Calef Robert

Чтение книги онлайн.

      FOOTNOTES:

      [71] The same "Master William Perkins," I suppose, who wrote the three stout Folios of Puritan Theology, published in 1606, besides many smaller Works. The earliest Notice I find of him is by another equally famous and voluminous Puritan, the Rev. Samuel Clark, in his Marrow of Ecclesiastical History, published in 1650. Mr. Clark informs us that William Perkins was born at Marston in Warwickshire, in 1558, was educated at "Christ's College in Cambridg," and that in the 24th of Elizabeth, he was chosen a Fellow of that College, and that "hee was very wilde in his Youth." From his Professorship, "hee was chosen to Saint Andrews Parish in Cambridg, where he preached all his Life after. His Sermons were not so plain, but the piously learned did admire them; nor so learned, but the plain did understand them: Hee brought the Schools into the Pulpit, and unshelling their Controversies out of their hard School-tearms, made thereof plain and wholsom Meat for his People: He was an excellent Chirurgion at the jointing of a broken Soul, and at stating of a doubtful Conscience. In his Sermons hee used to pronounce the Word Damn with such an Emphasis, as left a dolefull Echo in his Auditor's Ears a good while after: and when hee was Catechist in Christ's College, in expounding the Commandments, hee applied them so Home to the Conscience as was able to make his Hearers Harts fall down, and their Hairs almost to stand upright."

      On Reference to the Works of famous Thomas Fuller, it will be found, that in his Life of Perkins he has substantially the same Account. From that Author Mr. Clark doubtless borrowed the Expressions used by him, as Fuller's Work was published several Years before, and they seem peculiar to that highly talented Writer. Clark is followed because he was of the same religious Denomination as Mr. Perkins. Mr. Clark continues: "In his Life hee was so pious and spotless, that Malice was afraid to bite at his Credit, into which shee knew that her Teeth could not enter: Hee had a rare Felicitie in reading of Books, and as it were but turning them over would give an exact account of all that was considerable therein: hee perused Books so speedily that one would think that hee read nothing, and yet so accurately that one would think he read all: Besides his frequent Preaching, hee wrote manie excellent Books, both Treatises, and Commentaries, which for their Worth were manie of them translated into Latine, and sent beyond Sea, where to this Daie they are highly prized, and much set by, yea some of them are translated into French, High-Dutch, and Low-Dutch: and his reformed Catholick was translated into Spanish; yet no Spaniard ever since durst take up the Gantlet of Defiance cast down by this Champion."

      But there is one Fact mentioned by Fuller which Mr. Clark omits: "There goeth," he says, "an uncontrolled Tradition, that Perkins, when a young Scholar, was a great Studier of Magic, occasioned perchance by his Skill in the Mathematics. For, ignorant People count all Circles above their own Sphere to be Conjring; and presently cry out, 'those Things are done by Black Art' for which their dim Eyes can see no Colour in Reason. And in such Case, when they cannot fly up to Heaven to make it a Miracle, they fetch it from Hell to make it Magic, though it may lawfully be done by natural Causes."

      Mr. Perkins died "in the fourtieth Year of his Age, Anno 1602, being born the first, and dying the last Year of [the Reign of] Elizabeth: He was of a ruddie Complexion, fat and corpulent: Lame of his right Hand, yet this Ehud with a left-handed Pen did stab the Romish Caus—as one faith: [Hugh Holland]

      'Though Nature thee of thy right Hand bereft.

      'Right well thou writest with thy Hand that's left.'

      "Hee was buried with great Solemnity at the sole Charges of Christs College, the Universitie, and Town striving which should express more Sorrow thereat: Doctor Montague, afterwards Bishop of Winchester preached his Funeral Sermon."—Marrow of Ecclesiastical Historie, 414–417, and Fuller's Holy and Profane State, 80–84.

      The well known Rev. Mr. Job Orton speaks of the Folios of Perkins with Delight, and adds: "What led me more particularly to read him was, that his Elder Brother was one of my Ancestors, from whom I am in a direct Line, by my Mother's Side descended."—Orton, in Brook's Lives, ii, 135. In his Will, dated 16 Oct., 1602, he mentions, among others, Nathaniel Cradock, his Brother-in-law, Wife Timothye, Father and Mother Thomas and Anna Perkins, Son-in-law, John Hinde, and Brethren and Sisters, but not by Name.—Ibid.

      I have been more particular in this Notice of Perkins for two Reasons; first, because of his Puritanism he was selected as a prime Authority in Matters of Witchcraft by our Author; and second, because he seems to have been a Man possessing that Precocity of Mind, and in other respects was similarly gifted. To those desirous of learning more of that noted Puritan Leader will find Gratification in the excellent and elaborate Life of him in Brook's Lives of the Puritans.

[72] On perusing these Articles for the Detection of Witches, one cannot escape the Conviction that on their being sifted by the ordinary Rules of Common-sense, they actually amount to nothing at all. Thus in Article VI it is laid down, that "Witchcraft is an Art, that may be learned, and conveyed from Man to Man." This Postulate follows of course, previously assuming that the Occult Sciences originate in Mathematics; and further, that Mathematical Calculations are inseparable from the Laws that govern the whole System of the Universe, and hence emanate from, or are a Part of the Creator himself. Whence then, with this inevitable Conclusion, does the "Art" originate? Nothing can be clearer, therefore, than this—if those learned Plodders of Master Perkins's Time had followed out the most simple Rules of Logic, they would have had neither Witch nor Devil wherewith to addle their own Brains, or to confound those of the unlearned Multitude. This Question being disposed of, all others having Dependence on it, or traceable to it, effectually dispose of the whole Question of Witchcraft.

[73] John Gaule has not, so far as ascertained, been stumbled on by any Makers of Biographical Dictionaries, and Bibliographers are almost equally silent. How many Works he was Author of is not known. The Title of one is Distractions, or Holy Madness, 12mo, 1629. He wrote other theological Works, but their Titles have not come to the Annotator's Knowledge.

[74] As there is more than one Batcomb in England "Judicious Bernard's" being of that Place is not much of a Guide to any looking after his Biography. Fortunately, or unfortunately for him, his Portrait was engraved, and that caused him to be noticed by Granger. His Name was Richard, and he was Pastor of "Batcombe" in Somersetshire. The Work extracted from by our Author was published in 1627. He was Author of a Concordance to the Bible, though it was not so entitled; also of a Work called the Threefold Treatise of the Sabbath, in 1641, in which Year he died. His Portrait by Hollar first appeared in this Work.—Biog. Hist. England, ii, 369. He was perhaps the Author of The Isle of Man; or the Legal Proceedings in Man-Shire against Sinne, 12mo, 1635.

[75] Here the paging begins anew, in the Edition followed.