ABSTRACT
In the aftermath of John Darrell’s High Commission and his public polemical conflict with Samuel Harsnett, the Darrell Controversy appeared to have finally lost momentum. However, the emergence of two new players into this exorcism controversy would thrust Darrell back into the fray. In 1601, John Deacon and John Walker—ministers of Puritan or nonconformist convictions—launched a polemical attack on Darrell with the publication of two texts: Dialogicall Discourses and A Summarie Ansvvere. These two ministers encapsulated the discontent of a vocal faction within the mainstream Godly who were opposed to the type of evangelical spirituality that Darrell’s exorcism ministry advocated. In 1602, Darrell responded in kind with two of his own publications: A Suruey of Certaine Dialogical Discourses and The Replie of Iohn Darrell.
This chapter addresses the polemical exchange between Darrell, John Deacon, and John Walker. These textual exchanges highlight the proliferation of different scriptural readings into English Protestant demonology, illustrating how these figures redefined the boundaries of the natural, preternatural, and supernatural categories. In this case, the metaphysical mechanics of spirit manifestation and possession emerge as central themes, particularly in relation to the concept of “demonic obsession”. Significantly, this chapter demonstrates that the Darrell Controversy was opposed by individuals “outside” of the Church establishment and had developed into a major point of interest within English Protestantism itself.
