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Daemonologie.

1597

King of England James I

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Daemonologie.

King of England James I

1597

History - Early Modern (c. 1450-1750), History - Religious, Philosophy & Ethics, Religion/Spirituality

In 1597, the future King James I of England composed one of the most notorious texts in the history of supernatural belief: a systematic defense of witchcraft persecution written in the form of a philosophical dialogue. As a Scottish monarch obsessed with demonology, James had personally overseen the North Berwick witch trials, and Daemonologie emerged from this dark obsession, a meticulous argument for the reality of witchcraft, the power of the devil, and the divine right of kings to exterminate practitioners of dark arts. The text takes the form of a conversation between Philomathes (a curious student) and Epistemon (a learned scholar), dividing its inquiry into three sections: necromancy and divination, witchcraft and sorcery, and the nature of spirits. James wrote in explicit response to skeptic Reginald Scot's Discoverie of Witchcraft, determined to stamp out what he saw as dangerous doubt. The book would become infamous as both a primary source for Shakespeare's Macbeth and a justification for executions across Scotland and England. Today it stands as a chilling artifact of early modern paranoia, a window into a world where a king's personal fears became doctrine.

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A treatise on witchcraft and the supernatural, composed in the late 16th century. This work, presented in the form of a...

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Daemonologie—in full Dæmonologie, In Forme of a Dialogue, Divided into three Books: By the High and Mightie Prince, Jame...

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“This word of sorcery is a Latin word, which is taken from casting of the lot and therefore he that uses it is called sortiarius a sorte. As to the word of witchcraft, it is nothing but a proper name given in our language. The cause wherefore they were called sortiary, proceeded of their practices seeming to come of lot or chance, such as the turning of the riddle, the knowing of the form of prayers, or such like tokens, if a person diseased would live or die. And in general, that name was given to them for using of such charms and freights as that craft teaches them.””

— King of England James I

“Now as to the magician’s part of the contact, it is in a word that thing, which I said before, the Devil hunts for in all men.””

— King of England James I

“Epi: There are two things which the learned have observed from the beginning, in the science of the heavenly creatures, the planets, stars, and such like. The one is their course and ordinary motions, which for that cause is called astronomy, which word is a compound of (nomos) and (asteron) that is to say, the law of the stars. And this art is indeed one of the members of the mathematics, and not only lawful, but most necessary and commendable. The other is called astrology, being compounded of (asteron) and (logos) which is to say, the word and preaching of the stars,””

— King of England James I

“(contra negantem principia non est disputandum””

— King of England James I

“Epi: Even by these three passions that are within ourselves. Curiosity in great imaginings, thrift of revenge for some tortes deeply apprehended, or greedy appetite of gear caused through great poverty. As to the first of these, curiosity, it is only the enticement of magicians or necromancers, and the other two are the allures of the sorcerers or witches, for that old and crafty serpent, being a spirit, he easily pays our affections, and so conforms himself thereto, do deceive us to our wrath.””

— King of England James I

“Nunquam faciendum est malum vt bonum inde eueniat.””

— King of England James I

“Nam homo pictus, non est homo.””

— King of England James I

“pars fortunæ.””

— King of England James I

“αστερων & λογος””

— King of England James I

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