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Some Modern Books on Witchcraft

Sona Rosa Burstein

To cite this article: Sona Rosa Burstein (1961) Some Modern Books on Witchcraft, Folklore, 72:3,
520-534, DOI: 10.1080/0015587X.1961.9717297

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 Some Modern Books on Witchcraft
by SONA ROSA BURSTEIN
A N issue of Folklore in h o n o u r of D r M a r g a r e t M u r r a y , our
Society's revered a n d beloved veteran, w o u l d hardly b e complete
w i t h o u t some reference to t h e literature of witchcraft, a department
of theory a n d writing o n w h i c h she has set h e r o w n characteristic
mark.
F r o m t h e later fifteenth century, which b r o u g h t forth t h a t monu­
mental vade mecum of t h e witch h u n t e r , t h e Malleus Maleficarum,
t o o u r o w n day, writings o n witches a n d witchcraft have b e e n of &
sort to bewilder t h e curious inquirer, w h o is beset b y t h e conflict­
ing presentations of jurists, theologians, doctors, historians, anthro­
pologists a n d popular-writers ranging from honest description to
t h e horrific a n d sensational. Delving deeper into t h e writings of the
authorities, h e m a y b e further confused by a n incredible variety or
aspects of occultism, of devils a n d d e m o n s , of i n c u b u s a n d succu-
b u s , of believers a n d sceptics. T h e expressed attitudes to witch­
craft vary from holy indignation or superior incredulity to openly
asserted belief. I n t h e various accounts t h e declared practitioners ot
a 1 1
witchcraft range from ancient, m u m b l i n g beldames t h r o u g h
ages a n d types to t h e belle dame sans merci of ballad a n d romance,
e
from t h e surreptitious dealer i n love potions or death b y i m a g
magic to today's overt — a n d indeed p r o u d — claimant of member­
1
ship in a currently existing witch c o v e n . M o s t baffling of all to
0
any q u e s t for precision in definition, history or interpretation
witchcraft is t h e strength of emotional excitement frequently
6
aroused b y this subject, F r o m early t o m o d e r n times, this t h e m
has been a s t o r m - c e n t r e for polemical literature, often subjective
a n d personally acrimonious to an inordinate degree. .
F o r t y years ago, in 1921, D r M u r r a y t h r e w a p e b b l e in the po°
a n d stirred t h e waters of scholarly a n d popular speculation with n ,
6
book, The Witch Cult in Western Europe. I n this she p r o p o u n d ^
t h e thesis, based on less-known chronicles a n d v e r b a t i m reports
1
Cf. The People, 11 January, 1959.
520
 SOME MODERN BOOKS O N WITCHCRAFT

trials, t h a t t h e witches h a d preserved a n ancient fertility cult. T h i s ,

a pre-Christian Dianic cult, D r M u r r a y maintained, survived
vigorously in rural C h r i s t e n d o m , in E n g l a n d a n d Scotland, from
Palaeolithic days, n o t only into t h e earlier centuries of m o d e r n h i s ­
tory b u t far into m o d e r n times. I n h e r later book, The God of the
Witches, p u b l i s h e d in 1934, she re-stated a n d amplified h e r thesis,
dealing in detail w i t h t h e god a n d t h e worshippers, priesthood a n d
rites of t h a t p a g a n religion, a n d t h e 'covens' of t h i r t e e n m e n a n d
women into which it was organized.
T h e s e theories were rather startling t o b o t h authoritative a n d
Popular interest a n d received b o t h vigorous refutation a n d e n ­
8
thusiastic s u p p o r t .
Perhaps D r M u r r a y ' s m o s t effective, as well as provocative, c o n ­
tribution t o t h e s t u d y of witchcraft in particular a n d of folklore
generally is h e r s t u r d y rationalism. Firmly p u s h i n g h e r way t h r o u g h
the
mists of emotion a n d d o g m a a n d obscurantism that envelop so
much of t h e writing on witchcraft, 6he insists t h a t w e look w i t h
her on real people, villagers w h o go o n foot to a n actual witch
meeting. S h e will have n o t h i n g of miraculous transvections or
mystical experiences. W h e r e v e r s h e sees h e r way t o factual explana­
tion of mysterious fears or unexplained traditions, she p u t s h e r
considerable persuasive energy into establishing it. I think it m a y
he safely claimed t h a t m a n y a s t u d e n t of witchcraft or folklore,
even w h e n in s t u b b o r n disagreement w i t h D r M u r r a y ' s major
theories, h a s b e e n consciously or unconsciously influenced b y h e r
to keep his feet o n t h e g r o u n d in his investigations and speculations.
8
NEW BOOKS; ENGLISH: 1957-

T u r n i n g to recent witchcraft literature, it is interesting to n o t e

that the last half-decade h a s p r o d u c e d a small h a r v e s t of books of
the sober, informative, non-sensational kind.
T h e first o n o u r list, A Mirror of Witchcraft (1957), b y Christina
A* Two works written in direct refutation were: The Personnel of the Aberdeen-
'fr* Witchcraft Covens by Alexander Keiller, joaa and Some Witchcraft Crm-
"tmt by c. L/Estrange Ewen, 1938. In direct support may be cited Arne Rune-
"*rg s Witches, Demons and Fertility Magic, 1947, Pennethome Hughes H^Acro/*,
. ^ • J " ^ . of course, the two books of G. B. Gardner, Witchcraft Today, 1955
V
T/ie Meaning of Witchcraft, 1959. Or Gardner describes surviving witch
S R n d t h c
I? »1
r
e u » °f the 'old religion" at the present day. The popularity which
" Murray's theory gained is witnessed to by the fact that she was invited to
contribute the article on 'Witchcraft' in the 14th edition of the Encyclopaedia

531
 SOME MODERN BOOKS ON WITCHCRAFT
H o l e , supplies a felt w a n t . T h e aim of t h e book is best described in
t h e a u t h o r ' s o w n w o r d s : T n this book an a t t e m p t has b e e n m a d e to
show, b y m e a n s of extracts from c o n t e m p o r a r y writings a n d trial-
reports, w h a t w a s in fact t h o u g h t a n d felt b y illiterate people
d u r i n g t h e hey-day of t h e witch-creed. Limitations of space have
m a d e it necessary to confine t h e picture to G r e a t Britain, since to
deal adequately w i t h t h e belief t h r o u g h o u t E u r o p e a n d America
w o u l d n e e d m a n y volumes m u c h larger t h a n this. F o r t h e same
reason, only a few extracts a m o n g s t m a n y t h a t w o u l d have been
b o t h suitable a n d valuable could b e included in each section. Oi
these, b y far t h e greatest n u m b e r are taken from the sixteenth- and
seventeenth-century a u t h o r s or trial-reporters for t h e simple
reason t h a t m u c h m o r e was written on t h e subject t h e n t h a n at any
other t i m e , a n d trials for sorcery occurred m o r e frequently in this
country.'
T h e extracts, admirably chosen, are gathered into chapters, 'each
dealing,' again t o use Miss H o l e ' s o w n w o r d s , 'with a particular
aspect of witchcraft, aarit appeared either t o t h e witches themselves
or t o their accusers.' I t is this well-balanced presentation of view­
points of accusers a n d accused, t h r o u g h judicial a n d medical
statement, confessions a n d denials, p o p u l a r opinion, literary con­
troversy, t h a t gives t h e book its special quality of objectivity and
t r u t h . T h e c o n t e m p o r a r y sources speak for themselves, with no
m o r e c o m m e n t a r y t h a n a brief a n d succinct introduction to each
chapter a n d a n occasional footnote. T h e introductions, for instance,
t o C h a p t e r s I X a n d X , h e a d e d ' S i g n s of G u i l t ' a n d 'Confession
a n d Evidence' respectively, are admirable examples of simplicity
a n d clarity.
M i s s H o l e h a s cast h e r net wide, so t h a t even t h e reader w h o has
r e a d fairly widely i n t h e witchcraft literature will surely find neW
m a t t e r here. Witch-finding, for example, so often linked only with
t h e n a m e of t h e notorious M a t t h e w H o p k i n s a n d p e r h a p s the
nearly as well-known n a m e of J o h n Kincaid of Scotland, is shown
b y these extracts t o have b e e n a m e t h o d used by m a n y w h o kne^f
h o w to exploit a c u r r e n t fear-situation t o t h e i r o w n profit^
particularly interesting case is q u o t e d (p. 176) from a Scottish
m a n u s c r i p t , of a witch-finder with a brisk t e c h n i q u e of shaving
pricking, whose 'findings' b r o u g h t m a n y t o prison a n d death. W ^
a b u s y a n d prosperous career, which b r o u g h t h i m wealth art
522
 SOME MODERN BOOKS ON WITCHCRAFT

servants, ' t h i s villain . . . at last was discovered t o b e a w o m a n d i s ­

guised in m a n ' s clothes.' T h e ambivalent attitude of belief a n d
doubt is well b r o u g h t o u t b y o n e sentence in t h e passage q u o t e d :
It is sure s o m e witches were discovered, b u t m a n y honest m e n a n d
Women w e r e blotted a n d b r o k e b y this trick.'
For t h e serious s t u d e n t or general reader, h e r e is a book w h i c h
^ a y b e read straight t h r o u g h , d i p p e d into a n d laid d o w n , or used
a s
a p e r m a n e n t reference book with guidance t o further sources.
Moreover t h e book is a n excellent object lesson in h o w authentic
P u r e e s are to b e used. A l t h o u g h inevitably t h e material is mainly
drawn from t h e sixteenth a n d seventeenth centuries, t h e orienta­
tion of t h e subject is completed by m o d e r n newspaper references,
8 u
c h a3 t h e Leigh Chronicle of 19 April, 1879, t h e Times of 3 April,
t8s7 a n d 24 S e p t e m b e r , 1863 a n d t h e Daily Mirror of 13 F e b r u ­
ary, 1954. W i t h a very t h o r o u g h i n d e x a d d e d to t h e chapter-
headings a n d s u b - h e a d i n g s , hardly any aspect of witchcraft is left
u
nconsidered.
Geoffrey P a r r i n d e r ' s Witchcraft (1958) provides, within t h e con­
fined scope of a Pelican Book, eight chapters outlining the history of
belief, activity a n d opinion relating t o witchcraft in E u r o p e in its
dominant centuries, a chapter briefly touching o n witchcraft 'in t h e
«ible a n d t h e N e a r E a s t ' , a n d eight chapters o n witchcraft in
tnodern Africa.
T h e second half of t h e book m a y p e r h a p s b e dealt w i t h first,
being concerned w i t h D r P a r r i n d e r ' s o w n special domain. H e has
spent about t w e n t y years in Africa a n d has published several books
n
° the subject of African religion. H i s a c c o u n t of the practical
Witchcraft of Africa, t h e indications, n a t u r e a n d activities of a witch
a n
d the accessories, t e c h n i q u e s a n d objectives of t h e practice of
Witchcraft, is clearly based on close knowledge, T h e chapter o n
Confessions of M o d e r n W i t c h e s ' is a n extremely interesting one.
u
" t to t h e reader w i t h s o m e knowledge of anthropology a n d c o m ­
parative religion, t h e picture of t h e cult a n d practice seems to b e
given in vacuo, T h e w o r d 'modern* is misleading without m o r e
C r n
p h a s i s t h a n t h e a u t h o r has given to t h e still prevailing back­
ground of traditional, primitive belief. W h e r e it is n o t folklore b u t
currently accredited faith t h a t t h e accidents a n d disasters that
n a
P p e n to people are d u e to t h e malicious influence of magical
P°Wer or spirits, capable of being compelled or cajoled b y certain

523
 SOME MODERN BOOKS ON WITCHCRAFT
individuals or g r o u p s of individuals t o heal a n d h e l p or to injure
a n d destroy, one w o n d e r s w h e t h e r t h e practitioners a n d their
practices stand o u t in s u c h s h a r p relief.
T h e first half of t h e book, dealing with E u r o p e a n witchcraft,
makes a useful s u m m a r y of t h e story. Unfortunately, h e r e and
t h e r e t h e a u t h o r has fallen into a n old danger w h e n dealing with
historical material t h r o u g h literary sources, t h a t of leaping the
centuries, O n p . n o h e observes, T h e Renaissance, t h e n e w birth
of E u r o p e a n learning, was at first n o better t h a n t h e preceding age
for t h e persecution of witches.' I n actual fact, t h e preceding age
h a d b e e n relatively mild in this direction. T h e primitive religion
a n d p o p u l a r magic u n d e r l y i n g witch-beliefs took on t h e more
sinister aspect of heresy n o t long before t h e o p e n i n g of t h e six­
teenth century, a n d t h e crescendo of persecution a n d fear grew
alongside t h e n e w science a n d t h e revival of letters. Paracelsus,
Agrippa a n d above all W e y e r w e r e t h e advance g u a r d of t h e humane
revolution, b u t m a n y of its later protagonists w e r e half a century or
a c e n t u r y apart.
T h e t r u t h is, D r P a r r i n d e r has set himself a colossal task which is
9
heavily h a m p e r e d b y t h e small size of t h e book. H i s objective seem
to b e t o show t h e d a n g e r o u s social consequences of t h e witchcraft
belief a n d practice in present-day Africa. T o c o m p r e s s t h e history
of t h e centuries of E u r o p e a n witchcraft, with all its ramifications,
into less t h a n half of a Pelican Book is a task formidable e n o u g h ; to
m a k e this condensation carry t h e moral for t h e second half of the
book is well-nigh impossible. T o accomplish s u c h a mission the
work w o u l d need considerably enlarging.
I n t h e historical material, one could w i s h h e h a d resorted to
s o m e of t h e original reports a n d d o c u m e n t s s u c h as provided the
sources of M i s s H o l e ' s book. O n l y b y first-hand u s e of verbatim
0
reports a n d close s t u d y of cases can a n y valid comparison b e m * *
with first-hand accounts of c u r r e n t African situations. Conversely!
while w e m u s t perforce see all historical cases in t h e setting of then*
r
time, s o m u s t t h e historical a n d social b a c k g r o u n d b e filled in » °
8
c o n t e m p o r a r y cases. P e r h a p s s o m e such enlargement is t h e a u t h o r
fl
intention in d u e course. M e a n w h i l e this h a n d y pocket-sized editi°
is e m i n e n t l y readable a n d informative a n d m a y well b e record*
m e n d e d as a useful introduction t o t h e whole subject. T h e effort *
linking historical a n d c o n t e m p o r a r y situations in t h e i r social an

524
 SOME MODERN BOOKS ON WITCHCRAFT
psychological implications is altogether laudable. While one hopes
th
-e author will amplify and readjust the balance of his evidence,
J
th s first presentation of his case should give the serious reader food
tor thought towards the orientation of human experience.

RE-ISSUES: AMERICAN; 1957-8-9

_ The period that produced these two books in England shows a
similar trend across the Atlantic towards sober orientation of the
data on witchcraft and the handling of original documentary evi­
dence. In America it has taken the form of re-issuing some earlier
classic contributions on the subject, viz. Materials Towards a
History of Witchcraft (1939,1957). with an introduction by George
Lincoln Burr and edited by Arthur Howland; Witchcraft in Old
and New England (1929, 1958) by George Lyman Kittredge;
b
Narratives of the Witchcraft Cases 1648-1706 (1914, 1959) y
George Lincoln Burr.
ft is difficult to deal with these books in the chronological order
°f first or second publication. The names of Lea and Burr are so
closely linked that their work can hardly be considered apart. Lea's
Materials originally appeared ten years later than Kittredge's book,
out was a posthumous publication thirty years after his death. I n
congratulating the present publisher for appreciating that it is a
Work for all time, I feel justified in keeping it for the last.
Kittredge's Witchcraft in Old and New England is arranged in
chapters, many of which are to some extent independent of each
°ther. Some had already appeared as articles in journals. About
h
alf of them, under such headings as 'Image Magic', 'Curses and
the Elfshot', 'Wind and Weather', 'The Witch in the Dairy' and
Metamorphosis' are a straightforward record of English custom
^ d belief from earliest times. T h e record is delightfully written,
giving vivid picture of people consulting their local practitioner
a

*n magic in order to get remedies for love or hate, to relieve pain or

to recover lost property. T h e author quotes one such service as
b e i n
g paid for with *a piece of red cloth, seven pounds of wax, sixty
needles and a halfpenny's worth of pins'. Another appealing item is
the rite prescribed for a woman who, having lost all her previous
children, wished to ensure that her next child should live. She was
mstructed to take earth from the grave of the dead children, wrap
525
 SOME MODERN BOOKS ON WITCHCRAFT
it i n wool a n d sell it t o a m e r c h a n t , repeating t h e w o r d s , ' I sell it?
a n d m a y ye sell i t ; this black wool a n d t h e grains of this sorrow.'
Despite t h e i n d e p e n d e n t n a t u r e of t h e chapters, K i t t r e d g e has
certain well-defined theoretical t r e n d s . T h e s e appear from differ­
e n t angles u n d e r t h e different subject-headings a n d inform the
illustrative material for q u i t e diverse topics. W r i t i n g in 1929, Kit­
t r e d g e found a m o n g witchcraft historians a n d theorists four main
opinions which h e set himself to c o m b a t . T h e y w e r e : (1) that
witchcraft was introduced into E n g l a n d from t h e Continent of
E u r o p e b y t h e r e t u r n i n g M a r i a n exiles at t h e beginning of the
reign of Elizabeth I ; (2) that English witchcraft cults w e r e organ­
ized survivals of aboriginal paganism ( D r M u r r a y ' s thesis); (3) that
J a m e s I was t h e p r i m e instigator of English witchcraft excitement
i n his t i m e ; (4) t h a t t h e Salem witch-craze was a u n i q u e a n d excep­
tional m a n i a . H i s t e c h n i q u e for dealing w i t h these contentions is
t h e careful, scholarly examination of t h e traits of c u s t o m , cult and
belief, t h e facts of report a n d narrative, a n d their distribution m
place a n d in t i m e . *
K i t t r e d g e is fundamentally a folklorist. Legal a n d historical
evidence to h i m is n o t merely evidence of w h a t h a p p e n e d b u t of
w h a t was believed t o h a v e h a p p e n e d . T h e facts of t h e case would
b e t h e beliefs of t h e folk. T h e essential feature of witchcraft he
considers t o b e maleficium, t h e act of ill-will. T h u s any misfortune,
accident or u n t o w a r d event, especially if preceded b y a threat, »*
l
held to b e t h e doing, by magical m e a n s , of an individual wishing H
to t h e victim. H i s specific answers t o t h e opinions which h e com*
bats m u s t b e discovered b y reading t h e book — n o laborious task
for it is full of picturesque material a n d h a s s o m e beautiful writing-
Special m e n t i o n m u s t b e m a d e of t h e d o c u m e n t a t i o n which is *
m o n u m e n t of scholarship. T h e last t h i r d of t h e v o l u m e is occupied
b y n o t e s garnered from all q u a r t e r s — parish records, canonica
r e p o r t s , c o n t e m p o r a r y a n d m o d e r n literature relating t o t h e rele­
v a n t periods, medical a n d psychological works. T h e theorist m
a g r e e m e n t or dissent finds all t h e evidence honestly set o u t before
h i m ; t h e industrious s t u d e n t finds a b u n d a n c e of directions an
p o i n t e r s t o follow u p research along whatsoever line h e will. ,
0
G e o r g e Lincoln B u r r (1857-1938), librarian a n d professor
•c
history, w a s one w h o sometimes crossed swords w i t h Kittredg'
over s o m e of his views o n witchcraft history, t h o u g h respect seem
526
 SOME MODERN BOOKS ON WITCHCRAFT

to have b e e n strong a n d m u t u a l . I t is therefore a p p r o p r i a t e t o

B
Peak next of B u r r ' s Narratives of the Witchcraft Cases 1648-1706.
This, which first appeared in 1914, is a selection m a d e a n d edited
by a master h a n d from authentic, original d o c u m e n t s a n d con­
temporary books o n t h e Salem witch trials of 1692, t h a t strange
legacy of t h e old country t o P u r i t a n N e w E n g l a n d . Professor B u r r
Was for long the librarian, at Cornell University, of t h e o u t s t a n d ­
ingly large a n d exhaustive collection of books on witchcraft as­
sembled b y Cornell's first president, A n d r e w Dickson W h i t e ,
author of t h a t classic work, A History of the Warfare of Science with
Theology ( N e w York, 1896, 1955). F r o m his s t u d e n t days at t h e
same University, Burr was caught into its liberal spirit a n d d e ­
veloped a special interest in freedom a n d tolerance, especially in
their negative aspects in t h e witchcraft persecutions. H i s scholarly
'eputation rests o n this last d e p a r t m e n t of study, t h o u g h it is to be
r
egretted t h a t h e published so little. T h e b r e a d t h of his scholarship
and the sureness of his knowledge of his subject, however, shine
0 u
t unmistakably in a long series of book reviews, mostly in t h e
American Historical Review, a n d a n u m b e r of essays, including t h e
masterly Introduction, critical a n d illuminating, to t h e t h r e e
volumes of Lea's notes o n witchcraft.
H e n r y Charles L e a (1825-1909), t h e great Philadelphian w h o s e
band gathered and, even in his eighties, still wrote t h e i m m e n s e
mass of notes a n d c o m m e n t s p u b l i s h e d in t h e t h r e e v o l u m e s e n ­
v i e d Materials Towards a History of Witchcraft, is best k n o w n as
the historian of the medieval C h u r c h a n d of t h e Inquisition. H i s
earlier studies in legal history o n t h e wager of law a n d the wager of
battle, t h e ordeal a n d t o r t u r e , which in 1886 were gathered into a
v
° l u m e entitled Superstition and Force, p a v e d t h e w a y for his p r o ­
found interest in t h e history of witchcraft. H i s studies for his great
Works o n t h e history of t h e Inquisition plunged h i m deeply i n t o a
great part of the witchcraft story and it became his set determina­
t e t o assemble all t h e relevant data h e could g a t h e r a n d at last
Cr
e a t e from it a reasoned, balanced history. I n his own h a n d h e h a d
r
^ >tten t h o u s a n d s of pages of m a n u s c r i p t notes in preparation for
the task w h e n death overtook h i m in medias res, at the age of
ejghty.four. I t was appropriate t h a t h i s friend, Professor B u r r ,
8 h
o u l d b e his literary executor a n d t h e latter, looking r o u n d for
s
° m e o n e to h e l p h i m save Lea's literary remains for posterity,

527
 SOME MODERN BOOKS ON WITCHCRAFT

found someone equally appropriate in Professor A r t h u r C. HoW*

land, librarian of Lea's fine library of books a n d manuscripts which
h e b e q u e a t h e d to the University of Pennsylvania. T h u s t w o people
steeped i n t h e right knowledge of subject, philosophy a n d of the
m a s t e r ' s m i n d set lovingly a n d reverently a b o u t w h a t m u s t have
b e e n an i m m e n s e task a n d achieved a fine result.
I t is, of course, useless t o t r y t o review this work in t h e light of
1957, w h e n it was re-issued, or even of 1939, t h e d a t e of its first
publication. I t is equally futile t o speak of t h e material gathered by
L e a u p t o four days before his d e a t h in 1909 as ' d a t e d ' . W h i l e the
notes w e r e evidently found in a considerable degree of order, 0 °
s
o n e can know what any individual research worker regards a
'finished'. Circumstances often forced h i m t o accept t h e source
book or m a n u s c r i p t — nearest to h a n d a n d leave s o m e vitally im*
p o r t a n t w o r k for later o p p o r t u n i t y of access. T h e s e volumes afford
a n admirable, a n d in view of his age, m o v i n g example of the
scholar's m e t h o d s of patient gathering, comparing, classifying!
waiting to fill in gaps.*"CIearly h e still felt far from ready to begin
writing his treatise, for all t h e wealth of notes h e h a d amassed when
h e died.
A s they stand, finally arranged b y H o w l a n d , t h e collection gives
u s a n illuminating insight into t h e p r o b l e m s in t h e history of witch­
craft w h i c h m o s t interested L e a . H e sought, for instance, to deter­
m i n e t h e relation between witchcraft a n d H e b r e w a n d Christian
demonology a n d t o trace a connexion between these concepts and
later formulations of the theory of witchcraft. Diffusion was clearly
regarded b y h i m as i m p o r t a n t a n d a large section of t h e notes is
devoted to t h e geography of t h e witch trials. A n o t h e r section con-'
siders t h e interrelations of treatises o n witchcraft; their accept­
ance, rejection or neglect of theological p r i n c i p l e s ; their influence
o n learned o r p o p u l a r opinion. Inevitably L e a ' s special interest
t u r n e d to legal procedures against witches a n d the court from which
t h e y derived their authority. A n interesting titbit in t h e third
v o l u m e is d r a w n from a juridical disputation regarding t h e law °*
l t l
spectres, w h i c h was s u b m i t t e d as a thesis for a doctorate of l a w
t h e University of Halle in 1700. T w o p r o b l e m s are c i t e d : t h e first
as to w h e t h e r a purchaser m a y cancel his contract if h e finds the
9
h o u s e to b e h a u n t e d . T o this t h e answer was t h a t h e m a y , if it w^
D
h a u n t e d w i t h o u t his knowledge before t h e sale. T h e second p r o *

528
 SOME MODERN BOOKS ON WITCHCRAFT

lem was w h e t h e r t h e apparition of someone inaccessibly far away

may b e considered g r o u n d s for p r e s u m p t i o n of death. T h e answer
was in t h e affirmative, except to allow of re-marriage. L e a ' s in­
clusion of these examples in his witchcraft notes is p r e s u m a b l y in
relation to t h e validity of accusation b y a ghost.
Lea was a n historian a n d a legalist, a n d his materials w e r e d r a w n
from the sources of w h i c h h e was an outstanding master. H e m u s t
also have b e e n a n o u t s t a n d i n g linguist. B u r r in his introduction to
the work w a r n s u s , ' I t is only for a scholar, a scholar exercising
careful discernment, t h a t these materials can b e a safe h u n t i n g -
ground,' ( p . xliii). Nevertheless, it w o u l d b e a pity if this w a r n i n g
should p u t off t h e serious general reader, especially t h e folklorist.
Here is a treasure trove which is t h e only one of its k i n d . I t left off
I n
1909. W h a t a n o p p o r t u n i t y for future s t u d e n t s , after careful
study of his materials a n d m e t h o d s , of B u r r ' s I n t r o d u c t i o n , a n d of
Rowland's chapter-headings a n d lists of contents — a crystallized
history in themselves — to go o n from t h e r e !

A NEW ENCYCLOPAEDIA; 1959

A work which m a y make s o m e justifiable claim to 'go o n from

there' is The Encyclopedia of Witchcraft and Demonology b y Russell
" o p e R o b b i n s . I n appropriate succession t o t h e books already d i s ­
cussed in this essay, t h e a u t h o r of this work has h a d a n d u s e d t h e
°Pportunity t o absorb influences a n d traditions from b o t h sides of
the Atlantic. A graduate of Liverpool University, with a doctorate
°^ C a m b r i d g e , specialist i n topics pertaining t o medieval a n d
Renaissance E n g l a n d , author of s t a n d a r d works a n d m a n y authori*
tative articles o n M i d d l e English literature, D r R o b b i n s n o w holds
h'gh academic positions at Columbia University, U . S . A . F r o m t h e
text of t h e encyclopaedia entries themselves, from h i s detailed c o m ­
ments in his classified bibliographical index a n d from his prefatory
acknowledgements, it is evident t h a t D r R o b b i n s has m a d e
amazingly wide a n d deep reading in t h e literature of witchcraft a n d
demonology over a long period. H e has m a d e intensive u s e of t h e
almost legendary W h i t e collection of witchcraft materials at C o r ­
nell. F u r t h e r original sources h e has also found in university, t h e o ­
logical, public a n d private specialist libraries in t h e U n i t e d States.
To the work of B u r r a n d L e a h e acknowledges his lasting d e b t . F o r
Stench materials h e has used t h e Bibliotheque Nationale in Paris
1 0
529
 SOME MODERN BOOKS ON WITCHCRAFT

a n d in this country has c o m b e d w i t h a fine c o m b t h e resources of

t h e British M u s e u m , t h e Bodleian a n d L a m b e t h Palace Libraries
a n d availed himself wherever possible of personal communication.
O p e n i n g w i t h a concise historical s u m m a r y b y way of introduc­
tion, t h e encyclopaedia proceeds w i t h definitive articles of varying
lengths u n d e r subject-headings arranged in alphabetical order. A
r a n d o m s a m p l e of a succession of headings will give s o m e idea of
t h e topics covered: Cat (see Familiars); C h a m b r e A r d e n t e Affair;
C h a n n e l Islands, Witchcraft in t h e ; C h a r m s ; Chelmsford W i t c h e s ;
C h i l d r e n as Accusers. O r w e m a y take another sequence of initials:
P o t i o n s ; Pricking; P u t n a m , A n n ; Quaker Witchcraft; Question
(see T o r t u r e ) ; Rais, Gilles d e ; R c m y , Nicholas. T h e descriptive
definitions of 6uch t e r m s as s u c c u b u s a n d i n c u b u s , lycanthropy,
poltergeist, pact, sabbat, spells, vampire, etc., are s o u n d a n d solid,
t h e accounts of history a n d practice authoritative a n d s u p p o r t e d by
judiciously chosen quotation. F a m o u s cases a n d trials are covered
a n d i m p o r t a n t figures of accusers a n d accused in t h e fifteenth,
sixteenth a n d seventeenth centuries. Special articles are devoted to
witchcraft in England, F r a n c e , G e r m a n y , N o r w a y , Sweden and
t h e U n i t e d States, as well as to o u t s t a n d i n g individual cases or
characters in these a n d other countries.
Like most writers, past a n d present, o n this subject of witchcraft,
D r R o b b i n s has his o w n monogenetic theory of origins a n d cate­
gory. O n t h e first page of his Preface, h e w r i t e s : 'Witchcraft is not a
8
d e p a r t m e n t of anthropology, folklore, mythology or l e g e n d ; i t
relations to magic are very limited; to m o d e r n Satanism, n i l ; its
links t o demonology subordinated t o witchology: in a word, witch­
craft lies in t h e province of theology.' O r t h o d o x theologians have
found a n d even written thoughtful works o n folklore elements in
their province of theology a n d , although R o b b i n s theoretically
deprecates t h e claims of research into primitive origins a n d foil'"
traditions, folklorists will n o t look in vain for the basic folk-belief
implicit in his honest narratives of local cases. If t h e a u t h o r ' s bias
has m e a n t a rather disproportionate a m o u n t of space given to sucn
90
topics as T o r t u r e , T h u m b - s c r e w s , S t r a p p a d o a n d Ordeal, it al ,
brings h o m e t h e fact t h a t this remarkable tour de force is t h e work 0*
1 9
one m a n ' s h a n d . Robbins, like W h i t e , L e a a n d B u r r before h i m ,
obsessed with t h e terrors of t h r e e centuries as a c h a p t e r i n the his­
9
tory of m a n ' s i n h u m a n i t y t o m a n ; unlike his predecessors, he h a

530
 SOME MODERN BOOKS ON WITCHCRAFT
the added sensitivity of knowing of t h e r e - e n a c t m e n t , in political
and racial t e r m s , of horrors over t h e last thirty years. I n his Preface
3
(P« 2) h e disarmingly refers to his reaction t o a m a n u s c r i p t s h o w n
him by B u r r : 'After reading so m a n y similar accounts, all faithfully
described in this present volume, it is difficult t o preserve t h e
equanimity scholarship expects; n o r d o I apologize if very occa­
sionally a w o r d of m y o w n personal shock has slipped into these
Pages.'
A n encyclopaedia informed with compassion is surely s o m e ­
thing original! However, neither a u t h o r n o r reader need fear t h a t
the scholarship of t h e work is t h e r e b y diminished. I n addition t o
557 pages of e n t r i e s ' — r e a s o n e d digests in pleasantly written
Prose-—there are 250 illustrations, mostly contemporary, well-
ehosen a n d very clearly p r o d u c e d . M a n y of t h e illustrations are
V e
r y r a r e ; some of these, as well as m u c h of t h e textual matter,
derive from t h e treasures of t h e W h i t e collection a n d are h e r e
Presented t o t h e public for t h e first t i m e . Also inserted in t h e pages
are relevant literary excerpts a n d tabulations m a d e b y t h e author,
with sub-headings a n d parallel c o l u m n s for comparative purposes,
° f s u c h topics as 'penalties for witchcraft in E n g l a n d , 1543-1736',
a r i
d 'some notable books o n t h e witch controversy in E n g l a n d ' . T h e
11
4Q titles of t h e 'Select Bibliography' are right u p t o date (1959)
a ° 4 well selected. Preceding it are 'Books for further reading', a n d
Classified subject bibliographies', b o t h of which headings cover
group categories a n d subject-headings which provide useful sign-
Posts t o t h e whole subject. O n e could wish t h a t , for t h e r e a d e r ' s
convenience, t h e a u t h o r h a d been less m o d e s t a n d h a d a d d e d t o
these guides to t h e writings of others an index to his own book. F o r
the vast field covered b y this volume, t h e r e is n o agreed subject
classification like t h a t for libraries. T h e headings w h i c h seem
°hvious to oneself appear arbitrary to others. I n this encyclopaedia
as it stands, one sometimes has t o do quite a lot of hit-or-miss

•-•'.The manuscript in question comprised the documents (245 pages) of the

D r
thri °I 6
Dietrich Flade. discovered by Burr in I8QI after lying hidden for
. j / " hundred years. Flade held high office under the Prince-Archbishop of

n
acr, * if backing down witches. Becoming thus an obstacle to policy, he waa
o f
*589 witchcraft and, after a lengthy trial and severe torture, was burnt in

S3i
 SOME MODERN BOOKS O N WITCHCRAFT

searching t o find t h e object of a particular quest of one's own

special interest. If t h e r e is a criticism to b e m a d e , it is that a well-
reasoned index, with adequate cross-referencing, is a desideratum.
I t is to be h o p e d that D r Robbins will perfect his work b y adding
3
s u c h a n index t o t h e later editions w h i c h his Encyclopaedia i
certain t o attain.

PAPERBACK REPRINTS: 1958-60

T h a t the paperback revolution i n publishing h a s c a u g h t u p with
witchcraft literature w o u l d in itself b e n o cause for alarm. I n these
days w h e n t h e s u p p l y of s e c o n d - h a n d books h a s so greatly dimin­
ished a n d t h e scarcity of texts or their prohibitive cost condemns
t h e s t u d e n t t o dreary h o u r s of transcription i n libraries, w e wel­
c o m e t h e appearance in bookshops of paperbacks w i t h t h e im­
p r i n t of the university presses of Oxford a n d C a m b r i d g e . From
America, too, some faithful classics have appeared in paperbacks
with a dignified i m p r i n t . Unfortunately these are b u t 6mall drops
in a n ocean of s h o d d y paperbacks which still prevail. M a n y books
well w o r t h reading b e a r misleading, l u r i d jackets which m a y well
r e
deter t h e intelligent reader from even considering t h e m . Still m °
unfortunately, witchcraft is a subject peculiarly vulnerable to the
sensation-monger.
I n t h e course of p r e p a r i n g this essay, i n a n a t m o s p h e r e of op­
t i m i s m induced b y o u r authors* steady a n d reliable handling °*
witchcraft studies, I was considerably dashed to find in a shop not
far from t h e British M u s e u m a b u n c h of paper-backed books on
witchcraft a n d allied subjects. T h e y included such books af
Christina Hole's Mirror of Witchcraft, G . B. G a r d n e r ' s WitchcrW
Today, H . T , F . R h o d e s ' The Satanic Mass a n d A . R. AUinson's
1
translation of Michelet's classic, La SorcUre, u n d e r t h e title Satani* "
and Witchcraft. O n e w o u l d b e glad to see s u c h books in cheap
editions to reach a n d interest a wider public, b u t these h a v e covers
1
illustrated with hooded, cowled a n d h o r n e d figures a n d splashe'
w i t h headlines relating t o Black M a s s a n d weird rites of t h e M i d o ^
Ages, in complete disregard of t h e matter or period of t h e books
3
contents. Michelet'a La Sorciere, first published in 1862, i * j
m o s t striking of all t h e great historian's m i n o r works. D e v e l o p s
o u t of an episode in h i s m o n u m e n t a l Histoire de France, it has in­
d e e d qualities of nightmare — b u t a n i g h t m a r e of extraordinary

532
 SOME MODERN BOOKS ON WITCHCRAFT

Poetical power a n d certainly w i t h n o t h i n g of the cheap g r u e s o m e -

ness suggested on t h e paper cover. I t is, to say t h e least, dishearten­
ing and alarming to find these catchpenny tactics fostering t h e love
°f horror a n d sensation with books of serious content. O n e can only
hope t h a t s o m e sensation-seeker, having bought, say, M i s s H o l e ' a
Mirror, will b e c a u g h t into t h e h u m a n interest of the book a n d
learn some t r u t h s a b o u t h u m a n relations.
It is refreshing to t u r n to Charles Williams' Witchcraft, first
Published in 1941 a n d reprinted in p a p e r covers in 1959. T h e t y p e
1 8
good a n d t h e cover sober, t h e only concession t o the needs of a
small edition being t h e narrowness of the margin. T h i s is a wel­
come re-appearance of a book with an original approach t o its
subject. I t is n o pedestrian history n o r is it top-heavy w i t h theory.
Charles Williams (1886-1945) was deeply religious b u t h a d a
refreshing tolerance for the scepticism of others. H a t i n g vagueness
°f thought a n d pretentiousness of expression, h e insisted o n t h e
close, first-hand study of texts. T h i s standard of scholarship a n d
Writing is evident in his witchcraft study. T o Williams t h e w i t c h ­
craft beliefs were part of a total system of philosophy a n d h e s o u g h t
to relate t h e m t o t h e valuations of t h e c o n t e m p o r a r y prevailing
religious beliefs. H e writes in his preface: ' N o - o n e will derive any
knowledge of initiation from this b o o k ; if h e wishes t o m e e t " t h e
tall, black m a n " or find t h e p r o p e r m e t h o d of u s i n g the Reverse
"entagram, h e m u s t rely on his o w n heart, which will, n o d o u b t , b e
°ne way or other sufficient. I have not wished t o titillate or thrill;
far as I can manage it, this is history, a n d . . . accurate history.'
T h e effect of his philosophy has b e e n to make h i m get right above
his material a n d p r o d u c e a sort of aerial perspective of times a n d
Places a n d events. T h e book has a beautiful u n i t y a n d should
C
j read once t h r o u g h very quickly a n d t h e n more slowly for
detail.
Finally i 9 6 0 has b r o u g h t u s , in two volumes, a paper-covered
^ i t i o n of A n d r e w Dickson W h i t e ' s History of the Warfare of
Science with Theology, first published in 1896. A large portion of
this work deals w i t h witchcraft history, explicitly a n d implicitly. I n
v
' e w of W h i t e ' s profound influence on c o n t e m p o r a r y a n d later
Workers in t h e field a n d of the (already mentioned) vast collection
°f Witchcraft materials which h e collected a n d left to Cornell U n i -
y
ersity generally agreed to b e the greatest of its kind in t h e

533
 SOME MODERN BOOKS ON WITCHCRAFT

world — this r e p r i n t m a y b e hailed as of considerable importance

for the orientation of witchcraft studies today.

BIBLIOGRAPHY
New Books
Christina Hole, A Mirror of Witchcraft, London, 1957.
Geoffrey Parrinder, Witchcraft, London, 1958.
Re-issues
Henry Charles Lea, Materials Towards a History of Witchcraft, Phila­
delphia, 1939; New York, 1957. Edited by Arthur C. Howland.
Introduction by George Lincoln Burr.
George Lyman Kittredge, Witchcraft in Old and New England, Cam­
bridge, Mass., 1929; New York, 1958.
George Lincoln Burr, Narratives of the Witchcraft Cases, New York
1914,1959.
Encyclopaedia
Rossell Hope Robbins, *The Encyclopedia of Witchcraft and Demonology*
New York and London, 1959.
Paperback Reprints
G . B. Gardner, Witchcraft Today.
C, Hole, A Mirror of Witchcraft.
I Pedigree Books,
J. Michelet, Satanism and Witchcraft (trans, by
*" London 1959-*"'
A. R. Allinson from La Sorciire).
I I . T . F . Rhodes, The Satanic Mass.
Charles Williams, Witchcraft, Meridian Books Inc. 1959.
Andrew Dickson White, History of the Warfare of Science with Theology'
Dover Publications, New York, 1960.

534