The Discoverie of Witchcraft

The Discoverie of Witchcraft (1584) is a book by Reginald Scot. It treats witchcraft with skepticism. Scot's purpose in writing the book was to prevent the persecution of the poor, the aged, and the simple for witchcraft. Scot blames the Roman Catholic church for keeping alive the belief in witches.[1]

The Discoverie of Witchcraft
Title page of the 1651 edition
AuthorReginald Scot
CountryEngland
LanguageEnglish
GenreExposé
Publication date
1584
Media typePrint

Shakespeare found a description of Puck in the book while he was writing A Midsummer Night's Dream.[2] The book created much controversy. King James I of England believed in witches. He ordered all copies of the book to be burnt.[3]

References
  1. The Progress of Social Literature in Tudor Times: Scot’s Discoverie of Witchcraft
  2. "A Midsummer Night's Dream". Archived from the original on 2013-06-26. Retrieved 2013-05-25.
  3. "Dangerous Ideas: The Discoverie of Witchcraft". Archived from the original on 2013-01-25. Retrieved 2013-05-25.


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