A Discourse of the Damned Art of Witchcraft
William Perkins
1608 AD

1. In 1608 AD, William Perkins believed that the Devil caused madness in people who were in a physically weakened melancholy state. The resulting actions that manifested madness were delusion, self deception, "conceits, and imaginary fancies". Insanity was caused partly from the devil's temptations and partly from the choices of the persons themselves. This was not demon possession, but demonic temptation that weak people yielded to. He stressed that madness was not caused by physical diseases, but spiritual choices. "This man hath a crazie braine, and is troubled with melancholy ... Witches of our times (say they) are aged persons, of weake braines, and troubled with abundance of melancholie, and the devill taketh advauntage of the humor, and so deludes them, perswading that they have made a league with him, when they have not, and consequently mooving them to imagine, that they doe, and may doe strange things, which indeed are done by himselfe, and not by them." (A discourse of the damned art of witchcraft, William Perkins, 1608 AD)
2. Like many treatises on witchcraft this book contains much of psychiatric interest. Perkins divided 'the devill's wonders' into 'two sorts . . . either of the outward senses, or of the minde', and his descriptions are easily recognised as those of the two leading psychiatric symptoms, today called hallucinations and delusions : `An illusion of the outward senses, is a worke of the devil, wherby he makes man to thinke that he heareth, seeth, feeleth or toucheth such things as indeede he doth not . . . The second kind of illusion, is of the minde, whereby the devill deceives the minde, and makes a man thinke that of himselfe which is not true'. Perkins' list of things which could only be the work of the devil amounts to a phenomenology of mental illness and in this light his statement that 'Witches through Europe, are of like cariage and behaviour' may be read in the sense of the observation usually attributed to Kraepelin in the twentieth century that mental illness is much the same wherever it occurs. In the same vein Perkins discussed partial insanity in terms of partial possession and denied its admissibility as a defence in criminal cases. (300 years of Psychiatry, Richard Hunter, 1963, p66)

William Perkins (1558-1602)

MA Cantab., fellow of Christ's College, Cambridge; theological writer

A discourse of the damned art of witchcraft; so farre forth as it is revealed in the scriptures, and manifest by true experience. Framed and delivered by M. William Perkins, in his ordinarie course of preaching, and now published by Tho. Pickering Batchelour of divinitie, and minister of Finchingfield in Essex, 1608 Cambridge, Legge pp. 190-4

DEVILS NOT HUMORS

This reason is a meere melancholike conceit, without ground. And the contrarie is a manifest truth, that they are not so, as is affirmed, parties deceived by reason of their humors. For first, our Witches are as wise and politike, yea as craftie and cunning in all other matters, as other men be; whereas brainsicke persons troubled with melancholy, if their understanding be distempered in one action, it will be faultie likewise in others, more or lesse. Againe, our Witches know that they sinne in their practises of Witchcraft, and therefore they use subtill meanes to cover them, and he that would convict them, must have great dexteritie to goe beyond them. Now if they were persons deluded, through corruption of any humors; Tooke what humour caused them to doe a thing, the same would urge them to disclose it. Thirdly; they are also of the same stamp, they take the same courses in all their practises, their consent in word and action is universall. Men of learning have observed, that all Witches through Europe, are of like cariage and behaviour in their examinations, and convictions: they use the same answers, refuges, defenses, protestations. In a word, looke what be the practises and courses of the Witches in England, in any of these particulars, the same be the practises of the Witches in Spaine, Fraunce, Italie, Germanie, &c. Wherefore the case is cleare, they are not deluded by Sathan, through the force of humour, as is avouched; for such persons, according as they are diversly taken, would shewe themselves diversly affected, and varie in their speeches, actions, and conceipts, both publike and private. Fourthly, our Witches are wont to communicate their skill to others by tradition, to teach and instruct their children and posteritie, and to initiate them in the grounds and practises of their owne trade, while they live, as may appeare by the confessions recorded in the Courts of all countries. But if they were persons troubled with melancholie, their conceipts would die with them. For conceits, and imaginarie fancies, which rise of any humour, cannot be convayed from partie to partie, no more then the humour it selfe. Lastly, if this sleight might serve to defend Witches under pretence of delusion through corrupted humours, then here were a cover for all manner of sinnes. For example : a fellon is apprehended for robberie or murther, and is brought before the Judge : Upon examination he confesseth the fact, beeing convicted the law proceeds to condemnation. The same mans friends come in, and alledge before the Judge in this manner; This man hath a crazie braine, and is troubled with melancholy, and though he hath confessed the fact, yet the truth is, it was not he, but the devill, who himselfe committed the murther, and made him thinke he did it, when he did it not, & hereupon he hath confessed. Would any man thinke, that this were a reasonable allegation, and a sufficient meane to moove the Judge to acquite him ? Assuredly if it were, upon the same ground might any sinne be laid upon the devills backe, and all good lawes and judiciall proceedings be made voide.

Therefore howsoever the patrons of Witches be learned men, yet they are greatly deceived in fathering the practises of Sorcerie upon a melancholike humour.

 By Steve Rudd: Contact the author for comments, input or corrections.

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