 Bertrand Russell Quotes 366 |
Consider, for example, the text: “Thou shalt not suffer a witch to live” (Exodus xxii, 18 ). As a result of this text, in Germany alone, some 100,000 witches were put to death during the century from 1450 to 1550 . Belief in witchcraft was peculiarly prevalent in Scotland, and was encouraged in England by James I. It was to flatter him that “Macbeth” was written, and the witches are part of the flattery.
Source: Bertrand Russell: Human Society in Ethics and Politics, (1954), chapter 1
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