D E M O N O L O G Y

FESCH.TV INFORMIERT:

Demonology is a treatise on witchcraft and the occult written by King James VI of Scotland (later James I of England), first published in 1597. The book was a major influence on the Puritan witch hunters of the 17th century, including Matthew Hopkins (the infamous „Witchfinder General“ of the English Civil War) and the prosecutors of the Salem Witch Trials.

James frames his argument in a Socratic dialogue between Epistemon, a wholehearted believer in witchcraft, and Philomathes, a skeptic. In this video, an actor will play both parts and present the abridged text of Demonology in the form of a theatrical performance.

As always on this channel, the Early Modern English dialogue will be spoken in Original Pronunciation, a reconstructed accent which approximates with reasonable certainty the dialect of southern England in the Jacobean era. Subtitles are included to aid in comprehension, and James‘ original spelling has been modified to make the text more accessible to modern audiences.

King James believed he was the target of an international Satanic conspiracy – he was personally involved in the infamously lethal North Berwick Witch Trials of the 1590s, an experience which had a profound impact on him and inspired him to write Demonology. If you’d like to learn more about the book’s historical context, check out this companion video by Dr. Justin Sledge, an expert on western occultism, over on ESOTERICA:

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Original Music by Dillon DeRosa ►

~TABLE OF CONTENTS~

0:00 A Note on the Text
1:02 Foreword by Dr. Justin Sledge

– DEMONOLOGY –

4:15 The Preface to the Reader

BOOK I – MAGIC AND NECROMANCY

9:02 I,I: Scriptural Proof of Black Magic
15:14 I,II: Sins of the Magicians
17:34 I,III: Necromancy
21:27 I,IV: Charms and Astrology
25:20 I,V: Circles and Conjurations
30:33 I,VI: The Devil’s Contract
34:20 I,VII: Unlawfulness of Magic

BOOK II – SORCERY AND WITCHCRAFT

38:05 II,I: Natural and Unnatural Ailments
42:48 II,II: Sorcery
45:47 II,III: Devil Worship
49:39 II,IV: Astral Travel
52:36 II,V: Witches’ Powers
58:28 II,VI: Capturing Witches
1:02:16 II,VII: Theology of Witchcraft

BOOK III – GHOSTS AND SPIRITS

1:05:13 III,I: Poltergeists and Werewolves
1:12:09 III,II: Evil Spirits and Muses
1:17:11 III,III: Incubi and Succubi
1:21:20 III,IV: Possession and Exorcism
1:25:07 III,V: Fairies
1:28:43 III,VI: Trial and Punishment of Witches

1:33:23 Afterword / Credits