Reginald Scot

Reginald Scot ( * before 1538 † October 9, 1599, and Reginald Scott or Scotte ) was an English writer, doctor and skeptic of Witchcraft and Wizardry. In his most famous work, The Discoverie of Witchcraft from 1584, he describes the magic tricks of the alleged sorcerers. It is considered the first modern-day book on the education of sorcery.

Reginald Scot was an opponent of the witch craze in the 16th century. He believed that the accusation of witchcraft accused was irrational and unchristian and held the Roman Catholic Church responsible for it. Women who confessed without torture, that they were witches, Scot described as " deplorable suffering from melancholia patient who imagine something." Furthermore, he wrote: " ... [they] believe [Witches ] can put the grain of the neighbors on their own piece of land. They are a constant need beggars not able to enrich themselves, with neither money nor a different way Who is so stupid and continues to believe in supernatural powers? "With his book" The Discoverie of Witchcraft " he had it taken to task to put an end to the erroneous belief. He describes, among other things, sleight, coin and card tricks and rope tricks and special magic tricks, such as the so-called " Enthauptungsexperiment " (also " The Beheading of John the Baptist" ) of the magician Kingfield 1582, which one of these on the Bartholomew Fair in London vorführte. All copies available were burned in 1603 after the inauguration of James I.. Suspected reason is that James VI. of Scotland, later James I, in 1597 even wrote a book on demonology. The remaining copies are rare today.

To date, his book is a "bible" for magicians as one of the first English-language publications, are shown and explained in the magic tricks.

Reginald Scot died on October 9, 1599, even before the burning of his books. His alleged grave is located in the English village of Brabourne in the Church of the Virgin Mary. The local copper plate bears the notation Reginald Scott, what also was correct, used by his ancestors spelling according to Lewis Jones, author of The Discoveries of Reginald Scott ( 2000). Also used in legal documents Reginald Scot this spelling.