The Discoverie of Witchcraft by Reginald Scot

"The Discoverie of Witchcraft" by Reginald Scot is a book published in 1584, intended as an exposé of early modern witchcraft. Scot argued that prosecuting accused witches was irrational and un-Christian, blaming the Roman Church for perpetuating these beliefs. The work also contains the first published material on stage magic, revealing how charlatans deceived the public. This controversial book influenced Shakespeare's "Macbeth" and sparked decades of heated theological debate, with King James VI calling Scot's opinions "damnable." (This is an automatically generated summary.)

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About this eBook

Author Scot, Reginald, 1538?-1599
Editor Nicholson, Brinsley, 1824-1892
LoC No. 19020291
Title The Discoverie of Witchcraft
Note Wikipedia page about this book: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Discoverie_of_Witchcraft
Credits Produced by David Starner, Robert Tonsing, and the Online
Distributed Proofreading Team at www.pgdp.net (This
file was produced from images generously made available
by The Internet Archive)
Reading Level Reading ease score: 61.1 (8th & 9th grade). Neither easy nor difficult to read.
Language English
LoC Class BF: Philosophy, Psychology, Religion: Psychology, Philosophy, Psychoanalysis
Subject Witchcraft -- Early works to 1800
Subject Demonology -- Early works to 1800
Subject Magic -- Early works to 1800
Category Text
EBook-No. 60766
Release Date
Most Recently Updated Jul 1, 2025
Copyright Status Public domain in the USA.
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