Samuel Harsnett's A Discovery of the Fraudulent Practises of John Darrel, 1599

When was the Discovery of Fraud published?

1599

What dubious trials might Harsnett have witnessed?

Boy of Burton and work of John Darrell and George More

What religious appointments did he hold?

1583, ordained as minister

1609, Bishop of Chichester

1619, Bishop of Norwich

1629, Archbishop of York

Worked as chaplain to Richard Bancroft, Bishop of London

How does Harsnett blame Catholics for many magical tricks?

Catholics are quick to perform tricks/miracles, e.g. holy water and sign of cross to perform blessing, they believe rituals can solve any problem

Catholics claim to cast out devils and can only be done by God and thus they are heretics and frauds

Give 5 points that Harsnett makes criticising Darrel’s conduct in the Pendle Swindle:

• Darrell immediately questioned the reliability of witnesses, only guilty people would do so - Darrell convinced people William Somers was possessed and Darrell was immoral/sinful because he played blasphemous songs

• Darrell instructed Somers to feign possession and conspired together to fake an exorcism

• Darrell and More argued Somers was forced to make a confession, were misinterpreted

• Harsnett claimed the ‘superhuman strength’ Somers showed in his fits and was not extraordinary, and no evidence Somers was fluent in Latin, Greek or Hebrew

• Darrell instructed Thomas Darling in Boy of Burton to act possessed, discredits suspected possession of Katherine Wright (exaggerated symptoms to avoid further beatings from her father-in-law)

How did Darrel respond?

Begun pamphlet war

Wrote A detection of that sinful, shaming, lying, and ridiculous discours of Samuel Harsnett in 1600

How did Darrel’s response broaden the debate?

John Deacon and John Walker questioned whether exorcism was a miracle, or even possible, in their pamphlet Dialogicall discourses of spirits and divels (1601) - demanded proof from Darrell that he had power to carry out exorcisms

1602, John Darrell wrote response in The Replie of John Darrell to the answere of John Deacon and John Walker

Why was the pamphlet war important?

Pamphlet war was important for questioning possibility of demonic possession and its cure by prayer and fasting

Why were Darrell and Harsnett ideologically opposed?

Harsnett was accused as a young minister of being sympathetic to the Catholic Church and in 1596 Harsnett supported Pater Baro who showed Arminian tendencies

Darrell was a Puritan

Bancroft was acknowledged as a member of the Arminian faction

Harsnett was deeply anti-Catholic and laid sole blame for accusations on the Catholic Church

What religious issues did Harsnett have with Darrell’s methods?

Darrell was Puritan and Harsnett was Church of England conformist

Keith Thomas (historian) - argues controversy centres about whether prayer and fasting were accepted methods for exorcising spirits

To what extent was Harnsnett’s critique based on religion rather than rationality?

Is there any connection to other works, earlier or later?

Is there any connection to fraudulent cases or legal figures?

Boy of Burton, John Darrell and George More

What important intellectual principle have been highlighted that could lead to a decline in witchcraft?