Elizabethan Demonology

Elizabethan Demonology

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Alfred Spalding
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Title: Elizabethan Demonology
Author: Thomas Alfred Spalding
Release Date: July 12, 2004 [eBook #12890]
Language: English
Character set encoding: ISO-8859-1
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ELIZABETHAN DEMONOLOGY***
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ELIZABETHAN DEMONOLOGY
An Essay in Illustration of the Belief in the Existence of Devils, and the
Powers Possessed By Them, as It Was Generally Held during the
Period of the Reformation, and the Times Immediately Succeeding;
with Special Reference to Shakspere and His Works
by
THOMAS ALFRED SPALDING, LL.B. (LOND.)
Barrister-at-Law, Honorary Treasurer of The New Shakspere Society
London
1880

TO
ROBERT BROWNING,
PRESIDENT OF THE
NEW SHAKSPERE SOCIETY,
THIS VOLUME IS DEDICATED.

FOREWORDS.
This Essay is an expansion, in accordance with a preconceived scheme,
of two papers, one on "The Witches in Macbeth," and the other on "The
Demonology of Shakspere," which were read before the New
Shakspere Society in the years 1877 and 1878. The Shakspere
references in the text are made to the Globe Edition.
The writer's best thanks are due to his friends Mr. F.J. Furnivall and Mr.
Lauriston E. Shaw, for their kindness in reading the proof sheets, and
suggesting emendations.
TEMPLE, October 7, 1879.

"We are too hasty when we set down our ancestors in the gross for
fools for the monstrous inconsistencies (as they seem to us) involved in
their creed of witchcraft."--C. LAMB.
"But I will say, of Shakspere's works generally, that we have no full
impress of him there, even as full as we have of many men. His works
are so many windows, through which we see a glimpse of the world
that was in him."--T. CARLYLE.

ANALYSIS.
I.
1. Difficulty in understanding our elder writers without a knowledge of
their language and ideas. 2. Especially in the case of dramatic poets. 3.
Examples. Hamlet's "assume a virtue." 4. Changes in ideas and law
relating to marriage. Massinger's "Maid of Honour" as an example. 5.
Sponsalia de futuro and Sponsalia de praesenti. Shakspere's marriage.
6. Student's duty is to get to know the opinions and feelings of the folk
amongst whom his author lived. 7. It will be hard work, but a gain in
the end. First, in preventing conceit. 8. Secondly, in preventing
rambling reading. 9. Author's present object to illustrate the dead belief

in Demonology, especially as far as it concerns Shakspere. He thinks
that this may perhaps bring us into closer contact with Shakspere's soul.
10. Some one objects that Shakspere can speak better for himself. Yes,
but we must be sure that we understand the media through which he
speaks. 11. Division of subject.
II.
12. Reasons why the empire of the supernatural is so extended amongst
savages. 13. All important affairs of life transacted under
superintendence of Supreme Powers. 14. What are these Powers? Three
principles regarding them. 15. (I.) Incapacity of mankind to accept
monotheism. The Jews. 16. Roman Catholicism really polytheistic,
although believers won't admit it. Virgin Mary. Saints. Angels.
Protestantism in the same condition in a less degree. 17. Francis of
Assisi. Gradually made into a god. 18. (II.) Manichaeism. Evil spirits as
inevitable as good. 19. (III.) Tendency to treat the gods of hostile
religions as devils. 20. In the Greek theology. [Greek: daimones].
Platonism. 21. Neo-Platonism. Makes the elder gods into daemons. 22.
Judaism. Recognizes foreign gods at first. _Elohim_, but they get
degraded in time. Beelzebub, Belial, etc. 23. Early Christians treat gods
of Greece in the same way. St. Paul's view. 24. The Church, however,
did not stick to its colours in this respect. Honesty not the best policy.
A policy of compromise. 25. The oracles. Sosthenion and St. Michael.
Delphi. St. Gregory's saintliness and magnanimity. Confusion of pagan
gods and Christian saints. 26. Church in North Europe. Thonar, etc., are
devils, but Balda gets identified with Christ. 27. Conversion of Britons.
Their gods get turned into fairies rather than devils. Deuce. Old Nick.
28. Subsequent evolution of belief. Carlyle's Abbot Sampson. Religious
formulae of witchcraft. 29. The Reformers and Catholics revive the old
accusations. The Reformers only go half-way in scepticism. Calfhill
and Martiall. 30. Catholics. Siege of Alkmaar. Unfortunate mistake of a
Spanish prisoner. 31. Conditions that tended to vivify the belief during
Elizabethan era. 32. The new freedom. Want of rules of evidence.
Arthur Hacket and his madnesses. Sneezing. Cock-crowing. Jackdaw in
the House of Commons. Russell and Drake both