The fascination with witches and devils—so evident in Shakespeare’s Macbeth—was a result of changes in the religious and economic environment in England. The controversial and spectacular practice of exorcism initially brought fame to John Darel for his exploits. Yet he was later exposed as a fraud by writers such as Samuel Harsnett, who revealed the events as nothing more than elaborate performances. Shakespeare read Harsnett when writing King Lear, in which Edgar goes mad and utters the names of devils (such as “Fliberdigibbet”) found in the Declaration of Egregious Popish Impostures. Scholars such as John Cotta and Reginald Scott examined witchcraft with a rational skepticism that drew on scientific and social issues. Scott’s Discovery also demonstrated the appealing theatrical nature of witches by revealing their tricks.