Non-attendance was
severely punished by the culprits being beaten on the soles of the feet,
whipped with iron rods, "pinched and sucked by their familiars till
their heart's blood come--till they repent them of their sloth, &c."
Many regulations were, however, to be observed after the above
initiatory ceremony, which we have given at length in consequence of its
singularity. There existed a community or commonwealth, of "fallen
angels" or spirits, with the various titles of kings, dukes, &c.,
prelates and knights, of which the head was _Baal_, "who, when he was
conjured up, appeared with three heads, one like a man, one like a toad,
and one like a cat." The title of king conferred no extra power; indeed,
_Agares_, "the first duke, came in the likeness of a faire old man,
riding upon a crocodile, and carrying a hawk on his fist"--_Marbas_, who
appeared in the form of a "mightie lion"--_Amon_, "a great and mightie
marques, who came abroad in the likeness of a wolf, having a serpent's
taile, and breathing out and spitting flames of fire," and was one of
the "best and kindest of devills," with sixty-five more of these
master-spirits, enumerated in _Scot_, "appeared to be entirely and
exclusively appropriated to the service of witches," were alike
possessed of nearly similar power, and had many hundreds of legions of
devils (each legion 6,666 in number) at their command.
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