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Between the late sixteenth and early seventeenth century, the crime of witchcraft was viewed with grave concern. A series of acts were passed with the aim of reinforcing the law; however, this did not mitigate the social alarm, but if anything, increased the number of denunciations, trials and convictions. Finding proof was complex, and this led to many doubts as to the genuineness of the phenomena and the reliability of justice. Many books, pamphlets and narratives regarding these issues were published, satisfying popular curiosity and triggering dramatic creativity. Considering these findings, this article investigates the impact of early criminography on the representation of witchcraft, demonic possession due to bewitching and exorcism in Shakespeare’s plays. The focus is on the scenes of the dark room in Twelfth Night and the mock trial in King Lear, two examples of the theatricalization of the search for proof closely interwoven with religious, medical and political discourses that circulated in early modern England.

This chapter evaluates Reginald Scot's The Discoverie of Witchcraft (1584). Early in book 12 of The Discoverie of Witchcraft, Scot says that the words of incantations and charms have no magical power. Although he insists that charms and incantations have no magical power, Scot recites ad nauseam most of the charms and incantations he knows. The chapter argues that Scot's recitation of charms and incantations functions in part to exorcise from his own way of thinking habits of mind which have a potential grip on him and which share a fundamental similarity with those of the “witchmongers” he exposes. In this way he expels them as irrational. At stake in such a claim is the attendant one that “statemental” ideals of language are often achieved by deeply performative means. The chapter looks at the verbal performance of the Discoverie, as well as the kinds of influences that have been seen as formative for Scot.

In the middle of II.iii of The Winter’s Tale, Leontes throws Paulina out of his chambers, calling her a “mankind witch” (67) and threatens to have her burnt (113). “I care not,” Paulina tells him, “It is an heretic that makes the fire, / Not she which burns in’t” (114–15).¹ Paulina argues, in effect, that the crime is in the mind of the beholder, the one who makes the accusation and sets the fire, not the body or the actions of the burnt. Leontes implies, by contrast, that the crime of witchcraft is real and in the actions of

He \"damned\" Reginald Scot over The Discouverie of Witches, which was written in 1584. Scot, a Kentish squire, justice of the peace and descendant of the 13th-century Scottish king, John Baliol, suggested that persecuting \"witches\" was daft. Scot's family settled in England in the 13th century after the Baliol - Toom Tabard, \"empty coat\" - fell from grace. Scot argued that persecution of witches was the result of an overactive imagination and pointed the finger at the king and the Roman Catholic Church.

ON A hot day in Glasgow, in the cool interior of his large Victorian home, Gordon Bruce, a magician, is flipping through Reginald Scot's Discoverie Of Witchcraft, a 426-year-old book of conjuring tricks. He points to one particular illusion and reads aloud the title: \"To thrust a knife through your arm and cut half your nose asunder.\" He chuckles. \"That's great, innit? You'd be lucky to see a 'nail-through-finger' these days.\" Discoverie Of Witchcraft set him back GBP 1,600 at auction. He had expected it might go for tens of thousands and that he wouldn't be able to afford it. \"I had thought about remortgaging the house. I wasn't eating and I grew a beard. It was awful.\" A wealthy friend arranged to loan him the money. Having secured Discoverie, he went across the road to the Art Club, toasted his success in champagne bought at the off license, and performed tricks from the book, though not, presumably, \"To thrust a bodkin into your head and through your tongue\". BYOB, even in Glasgow, doesn't stand for Bring Your Own Bodkin. \"It's not something I would ever do,\" says Ian Kendall, a professional magician in Edinburgh. \"But magic has a really bad image, mainly because most people have only ever seen it at a kid's party, or they've got this image of a socially inept guy forcing card trick after card trick on you. Dancing dogs get more respect. It's frustrating, because I've spent an average of five hours a day for 25 years on this.\"

Holmes reviews England's First Demonologist: Reginald Scot and 'The Discovery of Witchcraft' by Philip C. Almond.

49-4083 BF1581 MA R C Almond, Philip C. England's first demonologist: Reginald Scot & 'The discoverie of witchcraft.' Palgrave Macmillan, 2011. 246p bibl index ISBN 1848857934, $90.00; ISBN 9781848857933, $90.00

This competent but underwhelming portrait of the 70s/80s rock star sticks to the usual wave-graph structure of a thousand other rock bio-docs: the subject starts from humble origins, rises to the top, declines due to substance abuse and ego issues, and ends up finding fame and happiness at last through sobriety,...

The film certainly is about as definitive as a rock documentary-it claims to be a \"doc opera\"-gets: the majority of the generous voice-over narration (there are virtually no \"talking head\" interviews) is provided by Alice Cooper himself, along with all of the major players in the story- bandmates, managers, family members- plus a laundry list of rock royalty, offering ringing endorsements of Cooper's influence and legacy.

James Dixon Jr., 22, whose last known address was 106 Anderson St., in Fort Mill, received a 15-year prison sentence with no parole for shooting of Jacquese Underwood, Assistant Solicitor Erin Joyner said. Danny Antonio Accor, 42, of 623 Cantwell Court in Charlotte was arrested and charged with shoplifting in connection with the incident, according to a York County Sheriff's Office report. Around 12:13 p.m. Wednesday, officials responded to a shoplifting incident at Food Lion, 825 Crossroads Plaza in Fort Mill. A store employee said Accor jumped over the counter and filled a bag with cigarettes, including two cartons of Camel cigarettes and five cartons of Newports. He then headed to the door with them, according to the report.