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of practiced minds, and could give instruction to the unpracticed: the same has often urged me, both through others and in person, to have it printed. Meanwhile, never being without work (as printed books bear witness, both of others whom I helped bring into the world, and from my own hand), although I did not refuse it, yet it did not proceed so quickly. Since then, however, having preached twice more on such matter, of Saul's Female Seer the Witch of Endor in the New Church, and of Job's Devil in the West Church: that gave new occasion to more others to urge me to publish some of my reflections on that matter. Once more it came to pass that toward the end of the year 1689, handling the text of Galatians 5:19 in some successive lessons in the Hospital church, I had something to mention of this matter regarding the Greek word pharmakeia sorcery or poisoning, which our Translators have translated as poison-giving original: "venijngevinge". However, to not expand upon it at the greatest length, I referred to that which was to come to light on it in a short time; as this work was then already under hand. Why not earlier, I have already said: but how it comes to pass that it remains underway for so long, I have further to inform my Reader. When sixteen years ago I moved from Friesland, with my calling from Franeker to Loenen; I made this promise to my Printer H. Nauta as a farewell, that he should have the printing of the first work, large or small, that I might come to publish now upon coming to Holland, to maintain our old acquaintance. I did not come to that sooner than when the Comet, which appeared in the year 1680 and 1681, gave me material for writing: which I comprised in a little book called Inquiry into the Comets, which came to light in the year 1683. But because he wished it to be somewhat larger, and it was inconvenient for me to have much printed across the sea and far from hand: so I promised him further that I would enlarge the same work in reprinting, or increase it with an appendix of some other work. For the first I found no reason: since no one, orally nor in writing, has brought to me or cast at me any new material, either for further explanation, or for confirmation, or also for improvement. Therefore I have wished to discharge my promise by adding something else to the previous, which might not fit poorly with it, and had long been seriously considered by me. So

had I then prepared an Inquiry into the matter of Witchcraft and Ghost-lore original: "Tovery en Spokery" that covered about as many pages as that of the Comets: and let him reprint this in the autumn of the past year with the intention of adding the other to it then. But having (as said) for some time before, and most recently on the 27th of November original: "Slagtmaand" 1689, publicly contradicted the common opinion from the pulpit, so just two days afterward an Account of discovered Witchcraft (as it was called) from England came into my hands, just as it had been published there in print as something special. Finding it to be of such content that the reprinting thereof in our language, because of the curiosity of men, was to be expected unavoidably before long, and my opinion however was directly contrary to what was considered proven therein: so I foresaw that easily some prejudice against my thoughts, so recently declared in preaching and so boldly spoken out, would be taken from it; with an inability to resist the power of the proof which seemed to present itself here in that work. Therefore I decided to bring it to light in our language myself before someone else did: provided that I added some of my Observations, useful to open the Reader's eye, with which he, considering all such stories to the foundation, might no longer have any need to be strengthened in the common error by them. With that Notice I then requested the Reader to be willing to make do for the time being, until the printing of the aforementioned work regarding Witchcraft was finished; for which I thought I would need no longer time than until the next month. But the inconvenience of the winter time, and the location across the sea, as well as the work of Ainsworth, printed on the same press, brought some hindrance to it: with which the time steadily lengthening, my work, being constantly before my eyes, grew under my hand, and far surpassed that of the Comets. At the same time, through the spread of the previously sent English Account, several letters from practiced minds arrived, and I was addressed everywhere it was suitable, also orally by learned people about this matter, both those who held against and those who held with me. Thereby so much material was given to me, whether for further inquiry, or for confirmation or explanation, also for further extension of my opinion, to the...