Reginald Scot

Reginald Scot (or Scott; c. 1538 – 9 October 1599) was an English parliamentarian. In The Discoverie of Witchcraft, first published in 1584, he argues against the belief in witches, partly by explaining how their (apparently miraculous) feats of magic were done.

Quotes

• The fables of Witchcraft have taken so fast hold and deepe root in the heart of man, that fewe or none can (nowadaies) with patience indure the hand and correction of God.
  • The Discoverie of Witchcraft (1584), Ch. 1

• If our witches' phantasies were not corrupted, nor their wits confounded with this humour, they would not so voluntarilie and readilie confesseth that which calleth their life into question.
  • The Discoverie of Witchcraft (1584), Ch. 11

• It is a common saieng; A lion feareth no bugs. But in our childhood our mothers maids have so terrified us with an ouglie divell having hornes on his head, fier in his mouth, and a taile in his breech, eies like a bason, fanges like a dog, clawes like a beare, a skin like a Niger, and a voice roring like a lion, whereby we start and are afraid when we heare one crie Bough: and they have so fraied us with bull beggers, spirits, witches, urchens, elves, hags, fairies, satyrs, pans, faunes, sylens, kit with the cansticke, tritons, centaurs, dwarfes, giants, imps, calcars, conjurors, nymphes, changlings, Incubus, Robin good-fellowe, the spoorne, the mare, the man in the oke, the hell waine, the fierdrake, the puckle, Tom thombe, hob gobblin, Tom tumbler, boneles, and such other bugs, that we are afraid of our owne shadowes: in so much as some never feare the divell, but in a darke night; and then a polled sheepe is a perillous beast, and manie times is taken for our fathers soule, speciallie in a churchyard, where a right hardie man heretofore scant durst passe by night, but his haire would stand upright.
  • The Discoverie of Witchcraft (1584), Ch. 15
  • Cp. Aesop's fable, "The Gnat and The Lion"

External links

• The Discoverie of Witchcraft, ed. Brinsley Nicholson (London: Elliot Stock, 1886)