Auguration, Necromancie, and the rest, meere delusions, aiming therein at no other marke, then to with draw men from the true worshipping of God.  And all these pernitious practises are fast tied together by the tailes, though their faces looke sundry wayes; and therefore the Professors thereof are stiled by sundry names, as Magitians, Necromancers, Inchanters, Wisards, Hagges, Fortune-tellers, Diuiners, Witches, Cunning Men, and Women, &c.  Whose Art is such a hidden mystery of[e] wickednesse, and so vnsearchable a depth of Sathan, that neither the secrets of the one can be discouered, nor the bottome of the other further sounded, then either the practisers thereof themselues by their owne voluntary confessions made, or procured by order of Iustice (according to the manner of that Countrey where they be questioned) haue acknowledged, or is manifested by the sundry mischiefes done of them vnto others, proued by impartiall testimonies vpon oath, and by vehement presumptions confirmed, or else communicated vnto vs in the learned Treatises, and discourses of ancient and late Writers gathered from the same grounds.  And[f] although this Hellish Art be not now so frequent as heretofore, since the Pagans haue beene conuerted vnto Christianity, and the thick fogges of Popery ouer-mantling the bright shining beames of the Gospel of Iesus Christ (who came to dissolue the workes of the Diuell _.1.  Ioh. 3. 8._) and were by the sincere and powerfull preaching therof dispersed; yet considering these bee the last times, dayes euill & dangerous, fore-told that should come, 2.  Tim. 3. 1. in which iniquity must abound, Mat. 24. 12. and as a raging deluge ouer-runne all, so that Faith shall scarce be found vpon earth, Luk. 18. 8. and the Diuell loosed from his thousand yeares imprisonment, [g]_Reuel. 20. 3._ enraged with great wrath walketh about, and seeketh whom he may deuoure _.1.  Pet. 5. 8_.  Because he knoweth hee hath but a short time, Reu. 12. 12. Before I enter into the particularity of the narration intended, it shall be materiall to set downe some generall propositions, as a handfull of gleanings gathered in the plentifull haruest of such learned men, who haue written of this argument, whereby the erronious may be recalled, the weake strengthened, the ignorant informed, and such as iudge aright already, confirmed:  and among many other these as chiefe, all which you shall see exemplified in the following Discourse.

    [Footnote b:  Augustinus de Ciuitate Dei. lib. 21. cap. 14.]

    [Footnote c:  Iustinus in Epitome Trogi Pompeij. lib. 1.]