The Displaying Of Supposed Witchcraft

John Webster’s work is a skeptical examination of claims of witchcraft, aimed at exposing errors in diagnosis, testimony, and interpretation. It is historically significant as an early critique of witchcraft prosecutions, and readers will find arguments against superstition, examples from contemporary cases, and a strong call for rational inquiry.

John Webster (1610–1682) was an English clergyman and polemical writer who also contributed to alchemical and Paracelsian literature. His best-known esoteric work, The Displaying of Supposed Witchcraft (1677), combined skepticism about witch trials with a broad critique of received authority in natural philosophy and theology.