Oh Popular Illujionsi, 6 



** 



*' of what we faid was but a confenting to what 

 " they faid. Some time after, when we had 

 ** been better compofed, they telling us what we 

 ** had confefled, we did profefs that we were 

 " innocent and ignorant of fuch things*." Se- 

 veral other confeffions, recorded by authors^ 

 are the language of total imbecility, or madnefs. 

 An old woman, mentioned in Hutchinfon's 

 Chronological View, confelTed that flie had 

 killed feveral perforis, even when interrogated, 

 purpolely, whether Itie had killed fome who 

 were then alive and in good health f. Wierus' 

 relates that a judge demanded of a famous 

 witch, then in chains, by what means a rhan 

 could be preferved from the force of forcery ; to 

 which fhe ferioufly replied, by keeping toge- 

 ther all his old fhoes j:. The unhappy lunatic 

 was burnt alive. By fimilat confefTions, the 

 doftrine of the lycanthropia was fupported : it 

 was not furprizing that hypochondriacal perlbris 

 Ihould believe themfelves transformed into 

 wolves, and mould dream of eating youn^ 

 children, but what Ihall we think of the judges 

 who burnt them, on the ftrength of thofe coii- 

 feflions, and regift'ered their trials as fotefifin 

 precedents ? On this occafion, the unwary 

 avowal of Bodinus fhould not be forgotten :' 

 \Ve muft be fevere in punifhing witches, lays he,' 



* Hutchinfon, p. no, in. 



■^ P. q8. X Wier p. ^i?- 



F ? to! 



