the idea of alliance, stated connection, confederacy, or compact, which is characteristic and distinctive of a witch.  The expression in the original signifies “a consulter with spirits,”—­especially, as was the case with the “Witch of Endor,” a consulter with departed spirits.  It was a shocking perversion of the word of God, for the purpose of flattering a frail and mortal sovereign!  King James lived to see and acknowledge the error of his early opinions, and he would gladly have counteracted their bad effect; but it is easier to make laws and translations than it is to alter and amend them.

[Footnote B:  For a thorough discussion of the several Hebrew words that relate to Divination and Magic, see Wierus de Praestigiis, L. 2, c. 1.]

While the law of the land required the capital punishment of witches, no blame ought to be attached to judges and jurors for discharging their respective duties in carrying it into execution.  It will not do for us to assert, that they ought to have refused, let the consequences to themselves have been what they would, to sanction and give effect to such inhuman and unreasonable enactments.  We cannot consistently take this ground; for there is nothing more certain than that, with their notions, our ancestors had at least as good reasons to advance in favor of punishing witchcraft with death, as we have for punishing any crime whatsoever in the same awful and summary manner.  We appeal, in defence of our capital punishments, to the text of Moses, “Whoso sheddeth man’s blood, by man shall his blood be shed.”  The apologist of our fathers, for carrying into effect the law making witchcraft a capital offence, tells us in reply, in the first place, that this passage is not of the nature of a precept, but merely of an admonition; that it does not enjoin any particular method of proceeding, but simply describes the natural consequences of cruel and contentious conduct; and that it amounts only to this:  that quarrelsome, violent, and bloodthirsty persons will be apt to meet the same fate they bring upon others; that the duellist will be likely to fall in private combat, the ambitious conqueror to perish, and the warlike nation to be destroyed, on the field of battle.  If this is not considered by us a sufficient and satisfactory answer, he advances to our own ground, points to the same text where we place our defence, and puts his finger on the following plain and authoritative precept:  “Thou shalt not suffer a witch to live.”  Indeed we must acknowledge, that the capital punishment of witches is as strongly supported and fortified by the Scriptures of the Old Testament—­at least, as they appear in our present version—­as the capital punishment of any crime whatever.