Witchcraft is the product of a covenant between a human, usually a woman, and Satan. It lends her unnatural powers and devilish tendencies; upon making such a pact, she has damned herself to Hell. The only recourse is to prevent her from spreading Satan’s influence through public execution; like a contagion, witchcraft must not be allowed to spread, and young, impressionable girls must be made to see the consequences of succumbing to Satan.
As witchcraft is the product of a covenant between the Devil and a woman, the only truly certain way to recognize a witch is to witness the making of such a Hellish pact. Unfortunately, it is the nature of Hell to hide covertly in the shadows, so we must rely on the following traits to make our judgements. No combination of the following guarantees, with perfect certainty, that a woman is a witch, but there may be some combinations that allow a reasonable guarantee.
Women are more susceptible to Satan’s influence; this has been true since the dawn of mankind in the Garden of Eden. For every four witches, you may expect three at least to be women. A woman with a husband is less likely to be swayed by Satan due to his stronger character, but beware unmarried women. Without a man to ground them, they may be swept away by silver-tongued lies. Likewise, a truly God-fearing woman will be more likely to hold fast against Satan, but practitioners of other faiths, even if they have converted to Puritanicalism. One who has not grown up with a fear of God will never understand the full evil of Satan, and ex-practitioners of baser faiths may even welcome the Devil as a remnant of their unholy past. Most obviously, the frequency of church attendance will prove or disprove Satanic corruption; a witch cannot stand being in a house of God and will attend infrequently if ever. The most tenacious of witches may force themselves to attend more frequently, however.
You may recognize witches by certain physical attributes. The plainest is to seek the point at which the covenant was made; Satan must drink the blood of the witch to complete the pact, leaving behind a telltale birthmark or mole. While simple in theory, these may be difficult to find, as they are often in places that God-fearing women keep covered. Thorough examination is often necessary.
Beauty is of God; once under Satan’s influence, a woman may become marred by warts or bulbous features. Physical disfigurements without a known cause are reason for suspicion. If the reason for disfigurement is known, such as a childhood accident, there is less cause for concern. Beware also extreme beauty, however, which is the sign of a temptress. Extremely beautiful women are tasked by the Devil to seduce men; this is how men are tempted to witchcraft.
Witches are often closely affiliated with familiars, who serve as their link with their master. These are often cats or other pests: frogs, newts, rats, and the like. These animals may present with a strange prescience or boldness; they will not behave like common beasts. They will certainly show an unnatural bond with their witch. This is a stronger sign of witchcraft; the bond between woman and beast is akin to the bond between woman and the Devil. Beware, however, that some households host cats to combat rats in the granaries; in these instances, the presence of male influence may be the determining factor of witchcraft. An unmarried woman with a cat and no household is under infinitely more suspicion than a good farmer’s wife.
A covenant with the Devil may bring about confusement over one’s identity. A woman with such a bond may believe herself emboldened and act or dress in a masculine manner; likewise, a man bonded to Satan, having succumbed to temptation like Eve, may present in ways attributable to the fairer sex.
Beyond traits observable with the eye, one must consider the actions of an accused witch. It is the nature of witchcraft to attempt to corrupt other girls; if women around the accused suffer fits of insanity unattributable to epileptic incidents, then that is clear evidence. As discussed before, she may also be a temptress, seeking out men, married or not, in attempts to violate the covenant of marriage. Unmarried women often in the company of men must be held in the highest suspicion, and even a married woman may be under suspicion if she is seen often without her husband. Women who are proven liars are of great concern; the more believable her lies, the deeper the bond with Satan runs.
The most insidious witches perform acts that may be misconstrued as good deeds. Beware medicine women, especially those who rely on concoctions of herbs and smoke. A healing by these witches may save a life in the short term, but the patient is damned to eternal damnation. The more miraculous a healing, the more likely it was done by a witch; there have even been cases of witches bringing men back from the dead, a feat only attributable to the Lord Jesus. Those who claim such extreme feats must be put immediately to death.
Likewise, a witch may claim to foretell the future. It is common knowledge to beware false prophets; such is one of Satan’s simplest temptations. Be cautious in this, however; it may be possible to predict certain aspects of the future via the present, such as predicting rain based on the taste of the air. Such predictions are no cause for concern and are to be encouraged.
Long-term grudges may give way to falling for Satan’s temptation. One must understand the relationships between families; if a child of a prominent family suffers inexplicable fits, then one must consider grudges held against that family. It is common for a desire for revenge to open the path to the Devil; one may succumb to his influence in exchange for the power to act on her grudge. The first course in these cases is to search for scorned women.
This hardly bears writing, as this is well-known by most everyone, but as witches burn, they must be made of wood, which floats in water; ducks, too, float in water, ergo, if a woman weighs the same as a duck, she must be a witch. In a similar vein, if one has been hexed by a witch but henceforth cured (as in the case of being turned into a newt but getting better,) this recovery does not exonerate the accused of witchcraft.