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Libra Esoterica

A treatise of witchcraft

VVherein sundry propositions are laid downe, plainely discouering the wickednesse of that damnable art, with diuerse other speciall points annexed, not impertinent to the same, such as ought diligently of euery Christian to be considered. With a true narration of the witchcrafts which Mary Smith, wife of Henry Smith glouer, did practise: of her contract vocally made between the Deuill and her, in solemne termes, by whose meanes she hurt sundry persons whom she enuied: which is confirmed by her owne confession, and also from the publique records of the examination of diuerse vpon their oathes: and lastly, of her death and execution, for the same; which was on the twelfth day of Ianuarie last past. By Alexander Roberts B.D. and preacher of Gods Word at Kings-Linne in Norffolke.

by Alexander Roberts & Nicholas Okes

  • First published:
  • 17th century
  • Language: English
  • Content type: Primary source
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Description

Description from Project Gutenberg (opens in a new tab)

"A Treatise of Witchcraft" by Alexander Roberts is a historical account written in the early 17th century. The work addresses the realities and dangers of witchcraft, providing a detailed discourse on witchcraft practices and a specific case involving a witch named Mary Smith, who was executed for her deeds. The treatise is posted as a warning to Christians about the moral and spiritual dangers of engaging with witchcraft and sorcery. The opening of the text begins by establishing the context of a world threatened by hidden evil, particularly focusing on witchcraft as a manifestation of the devil's work. Alexander Roberts emphasizes the urgent need for Christians to recognize and understand this wicked art through a true account of Mary Smith, who verbally contracted with the devil and caused harm to others. The discussion extends to a broader theological reflection on the existence of witches, the influence of Satan, and the moral implications of these dark practices, setting a foreboding tone that recognizes the dangers to both societal and individual integrity. (This is an automatically generated summary.)

Provenance

Why this book is in the catalog

Included because retained bibliographic metadata links this work to Witchcraft and folk magic.

  • Witchcraft and folk magic

    Controlled discovery queries from internet-archive, openlibrary-historical, project-gutenberg, and wellcome matched “Witchcraft” and “witchcraft”. Retained metadata contains “Witchcraft” in the title, “Witchcraft” in the description, “witches” in the description, and 2 additional metadata match(es).

    • “Witchcraft”· via Internet Archive
    • “Witchcraft”· via Open Library
    • “witchcraft”· via Project Gutenberg
    • “witchcraft”· via Wellcome Collection
    • “Witchcraft”· in title
    • “Witchcraft”· in description

Membership records how this book met the catalog’s discovery criteria — relevance to a tradition, not a judgment of the book’s claims.

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No ISBN on record, so the Amazon link searches by title and author. WorldCat shows libraries near you that hold a copy.

Editions

3 editions cataloged here.

VVherein sundry propositions are laid downe, plainely discouering the wickednesse of that damnable art, with diuerse other speciall points annexed, not impertinent to the same, such as ought diligently of euery Christian to be considered. With a true narration of the witchcrafts which Mary Smith, wife of Henry Smith glouer, did practise: of her contract vocally made between the Deuill and her, in solemne termes, by whose meanes she hurt sundry persons whom she enuied: which is confirmed by her owne confession, and also from the publique records of the examination of diuerse vpon their oathes: and lastly, of her death and execution, for the same; which was on the twelfth day of Ianuarie last past. By Alexander Roberts B.D. and preacher of Gods Word at Kings-Linne in Norffolke.

Open Library record

1616Printed by N[icholas] O[kes] for Samuel Man, and are to be sold at his shop in Pauls Church-yard at the signe of the BallEnglish—No ebook

wherein sundry propositions are laid downe, plainely discouering the wickednesse of that damnable art, with diuerse other speciall points annexed, not impertinent to the same, such as ought diligently of euery Christian to be considered. With a true narration of the witchcrafts which Mary Smith, wife of Henry Smith glouer, did practise ...

Internet Archive institutional pre-1900 scan

8 unnumbered pages, 80 pages ; 19 cm (4to)

1616London : Printed by N.O. [Nicholas Okes for Samuel Man ...]; Printed by N.O. [Nicholas Okes for Samuel Man ...]English—Public

Project Gutenberg electronic edition

Project Gutenberg metadata does not identify the source print edition.

2005-12-03Project GutenbergEnglish—Public domain (USA)

Subjects

6 subject headings

Identifiers & provenance

How this record was assembled, and the authority identifiers it carries.

Cataloging notes

  • Contributing institution: Wellcome Library
  • Digitization sponsor: Wellcome Library
  • Discovery required Internet Archive search metadata to report a PDF format; the exact direct-file URL is added only after the item's file listing confirms an unrestricted PDF filename.
  • Internet Archive institutional collection: europeanlibraries; medicalheritagelibrary; wellcomelibrary
  • Open Library reports 2 editions; this snapshot catalogs one representative edition and preserves work-level ISBN, date, and publisher aggregates.
  • Original print publication date and source edition are absent from Project Gutenberg metadata.
  • Scanner: scribe2.euston.archive.org
  • Source-reported rights: <a href="http://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/" rel="ugc nofollow">This work is available under the Creative Commons, Public Domain Mark</a>
  • Source-reported rights: This work is available under the Creative Commons, Public Domain Mark
Catalog id
openlibrary-edition:OL20365625M
Edition coverage
Multi source partial
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