The Discoverie of Witchcraft and the Witch Trials of Early Modern England

"The discoverie of witchcraft" is a book written by Reginald Scot in 1584. This book was one of the earliest skeptical works about witchcraft, challenging the prevailing beliefs of the time. The main idea behind Scot's book was to debunk the notion of witchcraft and expose the tricks, deceptions, and superstitions that were associated with it. During the Elizabethan era, witchcraft was widely believed and feared, with many people being accused and persecuted for practicing it. Scot, however, took a different stance and argued that witchcraft was nothing more than a product of imagination and delusion. He aimed to demonstrate that the claims of witchcraft were baseless and rooted in ignorance.

To celebrate Halloween, our October Object of the Month is a curious little book from the Bute Library at Mount Stuart called The Discoverie of Witchcraft by Reginald Scot (1538-1599). First printed in 1584, Scot’s The Discoverie of Witchcraft was the first treatise on witchcraft written by an English author. Scot was born into a prominent Kent family in 1538, and it was the 1582 executions of several witches in nearby St. Osyth which inspired the Member of Parliament to write his infamous treatise. Scot’s Discoverie was written in response to the bloody witchcraft trials which plagued Scotland and England throughout the early modern period, after the 1542 Witchcraft Act regulated the penalties for witchcraft. This culminated with the Great Scottish Witch Hunt of 1661-2, a series of trials and burnings which spread from London all the way to Rothesay on the Isle of Bute.

Whether deliberately or not, Scot s work was the first book in English to explain how conjuring tricks worked and he helped popularize magic for the early modern masses. The 4th Marquess of Bute is well-known for his numerous building restoration projects, but he was also an avid bibliophile with an interest in early modern history.

He aimed to demonstrate that the claims of witchcraft were baseless and rooted in ignorance. In "The discoverie of witchcraft," Scot offered a comprehensive examination of various magical practices, such as conjuring, divination, and illusions. He argued that these practices were not supernatural but could be explained through natural means and simple tricks.

The Discoverie of Witchcraft

They sacrifice their owne children to the divell before baptisme, holding them up in the aire unto him, and then thrust a needle into their braines … They use incestuous adulterie with spirits … They eate the flesh and drinke the bloud of men and children openlie … They kill mens cattell … They bewitch mens corne … They ride and flie in the aire, bring stormes, make tempests … They use venerie with a divell called Incubus and have children by them, which become the best witches …
In 1584, when there were few who would even defend witches against these charges, Reginald Scot went one step further. He actually set out to prove that witches did not and could not exist! King James later found Scot's opinion so heretical that he ordered all copies of his book to be burned. But so rich and full of data on the charges against witches, on witch trials and on the actual practice of the black arts was Scot's Discoverie of Witchcraft that it remained a much-used source throughout the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries and is still one of the few primary sources for the study of witchcraft today.
At the heart of Scot's book are stories and charges pulled from the writers of the Inquisition about the supposed nature of witches. Scot believed that the utter absurdity of the facts would be enough to stop belief in witchcraft forever. But he also goes on to give opinions of medical authorities, interviews with those convicted of witchcraft, and details about the two-faced practices of those in charge of the inquisitions to show even further why the charges of witchcraft were simply not true. In later chapters Scot details the other side of the question through a study of the black arts that are not purely imaginary. He discusses poisoners, jugglers, conjurers, charmers, soothsayers, figure-casters, dreamers, alchemists, and astrologers and, in turn, sets down the actual practices of each group and shows how the acts depend not upon the devil but upon either trickery or skill. In the process, many of the magician's secrets and much other folk and professional lore of the time is made available to the reader of today.
Shortly after the Spanish Inquisition, directly in the wake of Sprenger and Kramer's Malleus Maleficarum, during the great upsurge of witch trials in Britain, Scot was a direct witness to the witchmonger in one of witch-hunting's bloodiest eras. Whatever your interest in witchcraft — either historical, psychological, or sympathetic — Scot, in his disproof, tells you much more about the subject than the many, many contemporary writers on the other side of the question.

Reprint of the John Rodker, 1930 edition.

Despite Scot’s work gaining popularity when it was first published, the Discoverie was condemned by many influential figures, one being none other than King James VI of Scotland. In his 1597 publication Daemonologie, James attacked “Scot, an Englishman, who is not ashamed in publike print to denie that there can be such a thing as witchcraft”. Legend has it that on his ascension to the throne as King James I of England in 1603, James ordered for every copy of Scot’s work to be burnt and destroyed. While there is no surviving contemporary evidence for this, we do know that the Discoverie was continuously denounced by fellow authors on witchcraft throughout King James VI & I’s reign.

By exposing the methods behind these illusions, Scot sought to dispel the fear and belief in witchcraft. The book also criticized the legal system for its role in perpetuating the belief in witchcraft. Scot argued that innocent people were being wrongfully accused and persecuted based on flimsy evidence and superstition. He believed that witchcraft trials were unjust and encouraged the persecution of innocent individuals. Despite the controversial nature of "The discoverie of witchcraft," it gained popularity and went through several editions. The book contributed to the changing attitudes towards witchcraft and played a significant role in the decline of witch trials in subsequent years. It challenged the prevailing beliefs and paved the way for a more rational and skeptical approach to the supernatural..

Reviews for "Witchcraft, Science, and Rationality: Exploring the Ideas of The Discoverie of Witchcraft"

1. John - 1/5

I found "The Discoverie of Witchcraft" by Reginald Scot to be a complete waste of time. The author claims to debunk witchcraft and magic, but his arguments are weak and unconvincing. Throughout the book, Scot relies heavily on anecdotal evidence and superstition, instead of providing any scientific or logical explanations. It is clear that he was more interested in promoting his own skepticism than in presenting a well-reasoned argument. I would not recommend this book to anyone seeking reliable information on witchcraft or magic.

2. Sarah - 2/5

While "The Discoverie of Witchcraft" by Reginald Scot may have been groundbreaking in its time, it did not stand the test of time very well. It is clear that the author had a strong bias against witchcraft and magic, and his writing is filled with ridicule and mockery. Furthermore, the book is filled with errors and misinformation, which makes it difficult to take any of Scot's arguments seriously. If you are interested in the history of witchcraft, there are better and more reliable sources available.

3. Mark - 2/5

I was disappointed with "The Discoverie of Witchcraft" by Reginald Scot. While it is an interesting work that provides insight into the witch trials of the 16th century, it is important to remember that the author was writing during a time when belief in witchcraft was rampant. As a result, Scot's arguments against witchcraft are not very convincing and often rely on faulty reasoning. Additionally, the book is poorly organized and lacks a cohesive structure, making it difficult to follow Scot's train of thought. Overall, I found this book to be more of a curiosity than a valuable resource.

Reginald Scot's The Discoverie of Witchcraft: A Precursor to Enlightenment Thinking