Culture Shock

Abstract

In modern times the Church of England’s lack of an official exorcism rite became so intolerable that it was effectively forced to issue its own version of the Roman Ritual.

[W]hat sort of women more than others are found to be superstitious and infected with witchcraft; it must be said … that three general vices appear to have special dominion over wicked women, namely, infidelity, ambition, and lust. Therefore they are more than others inclined towards witchcraft, who are more than others given to these vices. Again, since of these three vices the last chiefly predominates, women being insatiable, etc., it follows that those among ambitious women are more deeply infected who are more hot to satisfy their filthy lusts; and such are adulteresses, fornicatresses, and the concubines of the Great.

(Heinrich Kramer and James Sprenger, The Malleus Maleficarum, 1484)