Preface

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WITCH, WARLOCK, AND
MAGICIAN

Historical Sketches of Magic and Witchcraft
in England and Scotland

BY
W. H. DAVENPORT ADAMS


'Dreams and the light imaginings of men'
Shelley


J. W. BOUTON
706 & 1152 BROADWAY
NEW YORK
1889




PREFACE.


The following pages may be regarded as a contribution towards that
'History of Human Error' which was undertaken by Mr. Augustine Caxton.
I fear that many minds will have to devote all their energies to the
work, if it is ever to be brought to completion; and, indeed, it may
plausibly be argued that its completion would be an impossibility,
since every generation adds something to the melancholy
record--'pulveris exigui parva munera.' However this may be, little
more remains to be said on the subjects which I have here considered
from the standpoint of a sympathetic though incredulous observer.
Alchemy, Magic, Witchcraft--how exhaustively they have been
investigated will appear from the list of authorities which I have
drawn up for the reader's convenience. They have been studied by
'adepts,' and by critics, as realities and as delusions; and almost
the last word would seem to have been said by Science--though not on
the side of the adepts, who still continue to dream of the Hermetic
philosophy, to lose themselves in fanciful pictures, theurgic and
occult, and to write about the mysteries of magic with a simplicity
of faith which we may wonder at, but are bound to respect.

It has not been my purpose, in the present volume, to attempt a
general history of magic and alchemy, or a scientific inquiry into
their psychological aspects. I have confined myself to a sketch of
their progress in England, and to a narrative of the lives of our
principal magicians. This occupies the first part. The second is
devoted to an historical review of witchcraft in Great Britain, and an
examination into the most remarkable Witch-Trials, in which I have
endeavoured to bring out their peculiar features, presenting much of
the evidence adduced, and in some cases the so-called confessions of
the victims, in the original language. I believe that the details,
notwithstanding the reticence imposed upon me by considerations of
delicacy and decorum, will surprise the reader, and that he will
readily admit the profound interest attaching to them, morally and
intellectually. I have added a chapter on the 'Literature of
Witchcraft,' which, I hope, is tolerably exhaustive, and now offer the
whole as an effort to present, in a popular and readable form, the
result of careful and conscientious study extending over many years.

W. H. D. A.




CONTENTS.


INTRODUCTION.

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