July 1892 - The Emma Hardinge Britten Archive

160 Historical Sjir£tualt'sm ..
In the wri.tings of Horst, Ennemoser, the Howitts,.
Glanvill, Upham, and other historians, who have dealt
with this subject, full accounts are to be found of scenes,
personages, and doings, which will amply justify my
assertion that in the records of witchcraft we have the
darkest periods of human history-that is, considering the
boasted civilization of the time, and the fact that all its
horrors were perpetrated chiefly at the instigation of the
leaders and members of the Christian Church.
Perhaps one of the most succinct and unprejudiced
summaries of the witch mania that we can quote from, is
given by that eminent writer, the late Charles Mackay, who,
in his" History of Popular Delusions," thus describes the
weird and wild superstitious beliefs prevailing on the subject
under consideration. Mackay says :-
"Europe for a period of two centuries and a half brooded upon the idea
not only that departed spirits walked the earth to meddle in the affairs
of men, but that mortals had power to summon evil spirits to aid them
in working evil upon their fellow creatures, or those whom they wished
to injure. An epidemic of terror seized upon the nations. No man
thought himself secure either in person or possessions from the machinations
of the devil and his agents.
"Every calamity that happened was attributed to a' witch.' If a
storm arose 'and blew down a barn, it was witchcraft did it. If a man's
cattle died, or disease fastened upon him, even in cases of early death,
sickness, or misfortune, these things were not visitations of Providence,
but the work of some neighbouring hag, whose poverty, wretchedness,
or imbecility, caused her to become branded as a witch. The word was
in every mouth. France, Germany, Italy, England, Scotland, and the
far North, "rim mad upon this subject, and for centuries furnished their
tribunals with so many trials for witchcraft that other crimes were
seldom or ever spoken of. Thousands and tens of thousands fell victimsto
this cruel and absurd delusion.
"In many cities of Germany the average number of executions for this
pretended crime was six hundred annually, or two every day except
Sundays. . . . ."
I t must be observed also that it was not the agedr
helpless, and, for the most part, uncomely old women who
were the victims of this horrible superstition. Young and
old, high and low, whoever became obnoxious either by