Samuel Harsett A Discovery of the Fraudulent Practises of John Darrel 1599

Career

Deeply suspicious of Boy of Burton case and John Darrell

First hand expereince of case and present at Darrels examination

Born in Essex, aware of dubious Chelmsford cases, deeply religious as young man

Ordained as minister 1583, Bishop of Chichester 1609, Bishop of Norwich 1619 and Archbishop of York 1629 but when involved in case chaplain to Richard Bancroft Bishop of London

Arguments

Intro

Practice of misleading people through magic ancient

Criticises Catholic Church

Catholic priests claim to carry out miracles as easily as a squirrel can crack a nut

Believe rituals can solve any problem

Chief trick done when they clai to cast out devils through prayer and exorcism, also a form of ritual

Can only be really done by God and anyone who attempts to take credit for God’s work is a heretic and a fraud

Sections

First - survey of those Darrell claimed to have exorcised and account of Harsnett’s investigation of Darrell

Claims Darrell immoral and sinful as in hobby as amateur musician has played blasphemous songs

Outlines how Darrell able to cinvince people William Somers possessed

Second - conspiracy to fake exorcism

Third - Somers’ confession, Darrell’s role in initial revocation, fits not extraordinary, misinterpreted

Fourth - Discredits fits, superhuman strength nothing extraordinary and no evidence he became fluent in Greek, Latin and Hebrew, fell into supposed fit in front of Harsnett and asked questions in Grek but laughed in response, gave a few basic words when asked in Latin

Pamphlet War

Provoked a wider debate about witchcraft and possession

Darrell responded - A detection of that sinful, shaming, lying and ridiculous discours of Samuel Harsnett

John Deacon and John Walker two ministers with Puritan sympathies questioned whether exorcism possible or a miracle in pamplet Dialogical discourses, claimed only God had power to posess people and new bodies could not be created to do Devil’s work as God would not allow it, demanded proof from Darrell of power to exorcise

Darrell responsed, insisted had witnesses possessions

Revealed disagreements about Darrell’s honesty as well as the entire possibility of demonic posession and its cure

Darrell still had much support - Hall who became bishop of Exeter and Norwich wrote in support of him - godly devotion, critics motivated by jealousy

Scepticism minority opinion

Harsnett’s beliefs

Arminian sympathies, accused as young minster of Catholic sympathies

Dislike for Puritan Darrell

Bancroft an Arminian

In criticism of Darrell still clear he was deeplu anti-Catholic, also wrote A Declaration of Egregious Popish Impostures 1603, lays blame for accusations on Catholic Church

Factional church fighting? Or conflict centred on whether prayer and fasting accepted methods of exorcising spirits, widely used in Puritan circles but rejected by senior clergy