▁as ▁his ▁pe ers ▁believe ▁him ▁to ▁be . ▁ ▁Through out ▁recorded ▁history , ▁mag icians ▁have ▁often ▁faced ▁s cept ic ism ▁regarding ▁their ▁pur port ed ▁powers ▁and ▁ab ilities . ▁For ▁instance , ▁in ▁six teenth - century ▁England , ▁the ▁writer ▁Regin ald ▁Scot ▁wrote ▁The ▁Disc over ie ▁of ▁W itch craft , ▁in ▁which ▁he ▁argued ▁that ▁many ▁of ▁those ▁accused ▁of ▁w itch craft ▁or ▁otherwise ▁claim ing ▁mag ical ▁capabilities ▁were ▁fool ing ▁people ▁using ▁ill usion ism . ▁ ▁Sus pic ions ▁and ▁accus ations ▁of ▁w itch craft ▁ ▁Those ▁regarded ▁as ▁being ▁mag icians ▁have ▁often ▁faced ▁susp icion ▁from ▁other ▁members ▁of ▁their ▁society . ▁This ▁is ▁particularly ▁the ▁case ▁if ▁these ▁perce ived ▁mag icians ▁have ▁been ▁associated ▁with ▁social ▁groups ▁already ▁considered ▁mor ally ▁suspect ▁in ▁a ▁particular ▁society , ▁such ▁as ▁foreign ers , ▁women , ▁or ▁the ▁lower ▁classes . ▁In ▁contrast ▁to ▁these ▁negative ▁associations , ▁many ▁pract ition ers ▁of ▁activities ▁that ▁have ▁been ▁label led ▁mag ical ▁have ▁emphas ised ▁that ▁their ▁actions ▁are ▁bene vol ent ▁and ▁benef icial . ▁This ▁conflic ted ▁with ▁the ▁common ▁Christian ▁view ▁that ▁all ▁activities ▁categor ised ▁as ▁being ▁forms ▁of ▁magic ▁were ▁intr ins ically ▁bad ▁regardless ▁of ▁the ▁intent ▁of ▁the ▁mag ician , ▁because ▁all ▁mag ical ▁actions ▁re lied ▁on ▁the ▁aid ▁of ▁dem ons . ▁There ▁could ▁be ▁conflic ting ▁att itudes ▁regarding ▁the ▁practices ▁of ▁a ▁mag ician ; ▁in