The Displaying Of Supposed Witchcraft. Wherein is affirmed that there are many sorts of Deceivers and Impostors. And Divers persons under a passive Delusion of Melancholy and Fancy. But that there is a Corporeal League made betwixt the Devil and the Witch, Or that he sucks on the Witches Body, has Carnal Copulation, or that Witches are turned into Cats, Dogs, raise Tempests, or the like, is utterly denied and disproved. Wherein also is handled, The Existence of Angels and Spirits, the truth of Apparitions, the Nature of Astral and Sydereal Spirits, the force of Charms, and Philters; with other abstruse matters
Wherein is affirmed that there are many sorts of deceivers and imposters. And divers persons under a passive delusion of melancholoy and fancy. But that there is a corporeal league made betwixt the devil and the witch, or that he sucks on the witches body ... or the like, is utterly denied and disproved
Also known as The displaying of supposed witchcraft
by John preacher Webster & John Webster
- First published:
- 17th century
- Languages: English, German
- Content type: Primary source
"The Displaying of Supposed Witchcraft" by John Webster is a treatise on the nature of witchcraft and its misconceptions, written in the late 17th century. The work contemplates the phenomenon of witchcraft, with an emphasis on separating the reality of deceitful practices from the superstitions that have historically surrounded them. Webster seeks to clarify misconceptions surrounding witches, refuting widely held beliefs such as witches' alleged powers to transform and their supposed dealings with the devil. The opening of the treatise establishes Webster's intent to dismantle prevalent myths regarding witchcraft and illustrates his dedication to presenting an informed and logical argument against the superstitions that plagued society. He discusses the unjust accusations faced by learned individuals who challenged the status quo surrounding witchcraft. Through a rational lens, Webster sets out to explore the definitions, beliefs, and the societal implications of these misconceptions, aiming to lend clarity to a subject often clouded by fear and ignorance. His dedication to dispelling these myths aims to provide a more nuanced understanding of witchcraft, highlighting the dangerous consequences of false accusations and the importance of discernment. (This is an automatically generated summary.)
Provenance
Why this book is in the catalog
Included because retained bibliographic metadata links this work to Demonology, angelology, and possession and Witchcraft and folk magic.
Controlled discovery queries from internet-archive, openlibrary-historical, and project-gutenberg matched “Witchcraft” and “witchcraft”. Retained metadata contains “Witchcraft” in the title, “witches” in the title, “witches” in the subtitle, and 5 additional metadata match(es).
- “Witchcraft”· via Internet Archive
- “Witchcraft”· via Open Library
- “witchcraft”· via Project Gutenberg
- “Witchcraft”· in title
- “witches”· in title
- “witches”· in subtitle
Retained metadata contains “Angels” in the title, “Angels” in the edition title, and “Angels” in the edition subtitle.
- “Angels”· in title
- “Angels”· in edition title
- “Angels”· in edition subtitle
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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Project Gutenberg ebook; public domain in the USA. Public domain in the USA.
Publicly accessible item; copyright status was not independently determined.
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Editions
4 editions cataloged here.
| Edition | Date | Publisher | Language | ISBN | Access | Links |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
The displaying of supposed witchcraft. | 1677 | Printed by J.M. | English | — | No ebook | |
wherein is affirmed that there are many sorts of deceivers and impostors, and divers persons under a passive delusion of melancholy and fancy : but that there is a corporeal league made betwixt the devil and the witch, or that he sucks on the witches body, has carnal copulation, or that witches are turned into cats, dogs, raise tempests, or the like, is utterly denied and disproved : wherein also is handled, the existence of angels and spirits, the truth of apparitions, the nature of astral and sydereal spirits, the force of charms, and philters, with other abstruse matters Internet Archive institutional pre-1900 scan | 1677 | London : Printed by J.M. and are to be sold by the booksellers in London; Printed by J. M. | English | — | No ebook | |
The displaying of supposed witchcraft | 1677 | Printed by J.M. and are to be sold by the booksellers in London. | English | — | No ebook |
Subjects
Identifiers & provenance
How this record was assembled, and the authority identifiers it carries.
Identifiers
- OCLC
- Open Library work
- Project Gutenberg
- Open Library work (alias)
Cataloged from
- Internet ArchiveMcGillLibrary-osl_displaying-witchcraft_folioW3799d1677-22071 (opens in a new tab)
- Open LibraryOL32947813W (opens in a new tab)
- Open LibraryOL45669868W (opens in a new tab)
- Open LibraryOL6663816W (opens in a new tab)
- Project Gutenberg72654 (opens in a new tab)
Found via
Cataloging notes
- Contributing institution: McGill University 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: toronto
- Open Library reports 4 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: Internet Archive Python library 3.5.0
- Catalog id
- openlibrary-work:OL32947813W
- Edition coverage
- Multi source partial
- Retrieved




