Oi! Witches! No!

[bunn]

"The justice of a consecrated king is that he condemn no man [unjustly?]* ; and that he defend and protect widows and orphans and foreigners; and forbid theft; and correct adulteries; and separate those who commit incest; and completely forbid witches; destroy spells; drive kin-murderers and perjurers out of the country; feed the needy with alms; have the old and wise and temperate as his counsellors; and appoint righteous men as officers; because, whatever they do unjustly by means of his might, he must give a reckoning on judgement day for all of it."

(Coronation oath for either Edward the Martyr (r. 975-978) or Æthelred II (r. 978-1016) )
http://www.earlyenglishlaws.ac.uk/laws/texts/sacr-cor/view/#edition,1/translation,1

*one would really hope. 

Comments

[lindahoyland.livejournal.com]

Fascinating.