James & the Daemonologie

Demonology, classically, has been defined as the study of evil spirits, demons, or the
theology of evil; it has also been defined by Ankarloo, Clark and Monter as the literature of witchcraft. James I uniquely among monarchs considered himself a demonologist and when writing his own treatise there was more than one hundred years of literature which supported his statements.


 
His work is primarily a refutation of Reginald’s Scot’s The Discoverie of Witchcraft which James, on his accession in 1603, ordered that all accessible copies to be burnt. Scot who was skeptical of the claims made against witches published The Discoverie of Witchcraft soon after the witch trials of St Osyth in 1584 where fourteen women were charged with witchcraft, of these fourteen, ten were charged with ‘bewitching to death’ which carried the death penalty.

Subsequently George Gifford published his Discourse of the Subtill Practices of the Devil in 1587 and a dialogue concerning witches and witchcrafts in 1593 which also demonstrated considerable skepticism, arguing that the devil did not need old women to do his work”
The Discoverie of Witchcraft has been described by scholars such as Rosen as, “so reasonable as to be almost unreadable in its own day.” For example , while it was widely believed that witches had control of the weather Scot writes; “if all the divels in Hell were dead and all the witches in England burnt or hanged; I warrant you we should not faile to have raine, haile and tempests”
Scot acknowledges the existence of good and evil spirits but values common sense over hysteria, often displaying views well ahead of his time. James however, in the Preface of the Daemonologie describes Scot as; “an Englishman, not ashamed in public print to deny that there can be such a thing as witchcraft; and so maintains the old error of the Sadducees.”

It is interesting that James likens Scot to a Jewish sect as the views of the Jewish in the era were not so very different from the views on witches, the widespread belief being that Jews had powers gained from worshiping and making a pact with the devil, this suggests that James is likening Scot himself to a demon for daring to defend the people accused of witchcraft. He also alludes to a chemical imbalance possibly causing Scot’s doubts in the second book as well as anyone in agreement with Scot as having a “melancholic humour” this referring to the four  bodily fluids blood, phlegm, choler and bile.
The Daemonologie is divided into three parts. The first part deals with magic, the second with witches and the third with demons and other spirits. 

When it comes to defining James’s views within the Daemonologie it is the Bible which was probably the most important source for James where he derives the existence of demons, their ability to appear to humans and appear in human form. Since the Reformation abandoned most of the teachings of the Catholic Church, the Bible remained the only steadfast source for James. This is especially true when considering that the post Reformation church in Scotland was very much Calvinistic at the time. The 16th century Calvinists saw the Bible as the only certain means of knowing anything about God. Additionally, James would have been comprehensively aware of the classical teachings of ancient Rome and Greece that were known at the time, also Scotland itself had a rich history of mythical folklore, with which James would have been at least somewhat familiar and drawn on as sources in the Daemonologie.

In the second book James mentions on several occasions that it is only by the permission of God that the devil can harm mankind, in this context, through his agents of the devil, the witches. This is also a direct allusion to the Malleus Maleficarum which opens with the three points which come together in witchcraft. Firstly the devil, secondly a witch, and thirdly, God’s permission. This assertion of God’s omnipotent wisdom which limits and controls the devil’s power is typical of both Catholic and Protestant demonologists. Furthermore, asserting the supremacy of God would have an applied purpose, as it was believed in the Renaissance that James I would have been appointed as ruler by the grace of God and as King had divine rule over his kingdom. Therefore, citizens would have to accept that there were no supernatural beings other than those dictated by James. Those which are confirmed to exist in the Demonology also could not be questioned as this would weaken the very basis of James’s rule. The divine right turned the act of questioning the King’s decisions from a matter of opinion to high treason.

This omnipotent wisdom of the king is supported in The Newes from Scotland pamphlet which also stresses that the witches could not harm the King because he an agent of God. James repeats the same proposition in his Daemonologie, for it was an important part of the image that he wished to project as the divinely-appointed Protestant leader of Europe. The Newes from Scotland according to Roberts is the “most propagandistic of all the texts”, it is the first work printed in Scotland or England which focused solely on witchcraft in Scotland. The Newes is described as a classic sixteenth century pamphlet however, Roberts describes it as, “far more colorful, sensational and violent” than the average pamphlet. He also adds that “the Daemonologie, is suffused with a particular ideology, involving rheology”, which is emphasised by its apparent openness of dialogue but still regards it as propaganda. The woodcut below is from the cover of the pamphlet;

The author was most likely to be James Carmichael, minister of Haddington, who advised King James on the writing of the Daemonologie. The pamphlet was published in London in 1591, and contains essentially the only contemporary illustrations of Scottish witchcraft. The woodcut relates to the various scenes in the pamphlet. For example, to the centre and left, witches listen to the devil preaching a sermon. Also in the top left of the picture a ship is sunk by witchcraft and in the top right three witches stir a cauldron which is a characteristic pamphlet image. At the right and bottom right there is an example of a scene from a story told in the pamphlet preface, a peddler who discovers witches and is transported to a wine cellar in Bordeaux which can display the great powers possessed by a witch. The ship illustrates the potential fate of the King James reminding people immediately that witches are a threat to the nation. Roberts points out that this sensationalist pamphlet and the Daemonologie are both examples of propagandistic text is probably correct as it is these texts which would most likely shape the opinions of the average Jacobean citizen the most. Furthermore, in appendix two which shows the frontispiece of The Witch of Edmonton (1623), there can be found the title of the play and then the statement ‘a known true story’ , therefore, the play itself could be an example of witchcraft propaganda. Simply, a method of delivering the message that is contained in all three of these texts that witchcraft exists, is a genuine threat to society and must be eradicated. Therefore, Roberts’s point is undoubtedly highly relevant.

 The frontispiece of The Witch of Edmonton also illustrates a hag like woman with the traditional familiar dog. It is noted by Lawrence Normans that James is not as harsh on the female sex as his predecessors, while James shows no high respect for women in the Demonology he is not as aggressively misogynistic as Kramer where he discusses at length in the Malleus Maleficarum the notion of ‘the more women the more witches’ whereas James offers familiar arguments of the greater fragility of the female sex and the devil’s acquaintance with it since his deception of Eve.

 “P. What can be the cause that there are twenty women given to that craft where there is one man? E. Easy, for as that sex is frailer than man so it is easier to be entrapped in these gross snares of the devil.”

His emphasis is placed on the mental and physical weakness of women rather than their malice, untrustworthiness or sexual depravity.

James, in the second book also debates the notion of the ‘white witch’; it was widely known that a witch could cause diseases but how about those witches who cured diseases? Often the presence of a good witch was valued by villages for curing ailments and supplying simple potions so the question is raised of whether we may employ witchcraft to our advantage. James answers this question simply, that if the body is cured of disease by the use of magic then the soul will pay the price for this. Disease can only by cured through modification of lifestyle and prayer to God. Therefore emphasizing that witchcraft is not to be tolerated in any form. James in the penultimate chapter addresses the issue of whether witches have any influence over those who are trying them, James was particularly interested in this topic but comes to the conclusion that “God will not permit their master to trouble or hinder so good a work.” Furthermore he argues that a witch’s power must be reduced when she is approached and apprehended by a magistrate although she can be visited by the Devil in prison. He also places great emphasis on the bodily marks which define a witch as mentioned earlier in this paper, those marks caused by a familiar suckling on the witch. Finally in the second book of Daemonologie, James makes a bridge to the final book concerning the nature of spirits using a common Protestant philosophy that times of papistry are comparable to the pagan times before Christ’s manifestation since both these times were troubled with false wonders, apparitions, oracles and visions. Reginald Scot claims that the oracles ceased in the times of Henry VIII and his daughter Elizabeth. James takes this further by saying that since the reformation witchcraft and magic have flourished. Therefore, Henry’s reformation, aside from giving James the authority to judge witchcraft without consul and led the way for a new outlook on the source of evil.

There will be more on this wide subject to follow but should you wish to read the intriguing Daemonologie for yourself , please follow the link below.

King James I - Daemonologie