From Weekend Edition Saturday, Scott Simon talks with William
Kalush about the history of magic. For the history of the
regulation of magic, start with Reginald Scot, The Discoverie of
Witchcraft, first published in 1584. Full text here. Scot wanted
to disabuse his contemporaries of the notion that witches really
existed, and that instead what they believed was the result of
witchcraft was actually tricks, illusion, or misapprehension
brought on by mental disability or disease. Scot actually
pointed out that many "witches" were also "women which be
commonly old, lame, blear-eyed, pale, foul, and full of
wrinkles; poor, and sullen, superstitious, and papists; or such
as know no religion: in whose drowsy minds the devil hath gotten
a fine seat..." (thus, people who are marginalized in the
community and likely to be demonized by others). However, James
VI of Scotland (I of England) believed in witches (and burned a
fair number) and rejected Scot's view. He wrote the Daemonologie
in response and after he came to