What is The Discoverie of Witchcraft?
{{Italic title}} {{infobox Book | name = The Discoverie of Witchcraft | title_orig = | translator = | image = The Discoverie of Witchcraft (1651).jpg | image_caption = Title page of the 1651 edition | author = [[Reginald Scot]] | illustrator = | cover_artist = | country = [[England]] | language = [[English language|English]] | series = | genre = Exposé | publisher = | release_date = 1584 | english_release_date = | media_type = Print | pages = | isbn = | preceded_by = | followed_by = }} '''''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 [[witch]]es.<ref>[http://www.bartleby.com/213/0521.html The Progress of Social Literature in Tudor Times: Scot’s Discoverie of Witchcraft]</ref> Shakespeare found a description of Puck in the book while he was writing ''[[A Midsummer Night's Dream]]''.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.bl.uk/treasures/shakespeare/midsummer.html |title=A Midsummer Night's Dream |access-date=2013-05-25 |archive-date=2013-06-26 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130626010723/http://www.bl.uk/treasures/shakespeare/midsummer.html |url-status=dead }}</ref> The book created much [[controversy]]. King [[James I of England]] believed in witches. He ordered all copies of the book to be burnt.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.clements.umich.edu/exhibits/online/bannedbooks/entry2.html |title=Dangerous Ideas: The Discoverie of Witchcraft |access-date=2013-05-25 |archive-date=2013-01-25 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130125003305/http://www.clements.umich.edu/exhibits/online/bannedbooks/entry2.html |url-status=dead }}</ref> ==References== {{reflist}} {{DEFAULTSORT:Discoverie of Witchcraft}} [[Category:1580s books]] [[Category:Witchcraft]]