There are a lot more witches in this book than I thought there would be.
Some witchy quotes:
Erricus, King of Sweden, had an enchanted cap, by virtue of which, and some magical murmur or whispering terms, he could command spirits, trouble the air, and make the wind stand which way he would, insomuch that when there was any great wind or storm, the common people were wont to say, the king now had on his conjuring cap. But such examples are infinite.
Many subdivisions there are, and many several species of sorcerers, witches, enchanters, charmers, etc. They have been tolerated heretofore some of them; and magic hath been publicly professed in former times, in Salamanca, Krakow, and other places.
They can make friends enemies, and enemies friends by philters; Turpes amores conciliare, enforce love, tell any man where his friends are, about what employed, though in the most remote places; and if they will, bring their sweethearts to them by night, upon a goat’s back flying in the air.
But to my purpose, they can, last of all, cure and cause most diseases to such as they love or hate, and this of melancholy amongst the rest.
To sum up Part I, Section 2, Member I, Subsection 3: if you’re feeling melancholic, get yourself a conjuring cap. And a goat.
This post is part of a long, tedious, and very illustrated read-along of Robert Burton’s The Anatomy of Melancholy. More info here and follow along on Facebook here. Illustrations posted via devon_isadevon on Instagram.