domain material from the ,google ,print 
project47            ,,the   ,,phantom  
,,world3   ,,the ,,history   ,,and      
,,philosophy ,,of ,,spirits1            
,,apparitions1   c4 c4     ,,from ,,the 
,,french ,,of ,,augustine ,,calmet4     
,,with ,a ,,preface ,,and ,,notes   ,,by
 ,,the   ,,rev4 ,,henry ,,christmas1    
,m4,a41 ,f4,r4,s41 ,f4,s4,a41           
,,librarian ,,and ,,secretary ,,of      
,,sion ,,college4   ,quemadmodm multa   
fieri non posse1 priusquam facta sunt1  
judicantur2 ita multa quoque1 qu        
antiquits facta1 quia nos ea non        
vidimus1 neque ratione assequimur1 ex   
iis esse1 qu fieri non potuerunt1       
judicamus4 ,qu cert summa insipientia   
est4--,,plin4 ,hist4 ,nat4 lib4 vii4 c4 
#a4      ,,two ,,volumes ,,in ,,one4    
,,philadelphia3   ,a4 ,,hart1 ,,late    
,,carey  ,,hart4   #ahej4               
,,philadelphia3   ,t4 ,k4 ,,and ,p4 ,g4 
,,collins1 ,,printers4       ,,to       
,,henry ,,james ,,slack1 ,,esq41        
,f4,g4,s4   c4 c4 c4      ,,my ,,dear   

,,henry--  ,i inscribe these volumes    
with your name to record a friendship   
which has lasted from our infancy1 tain 
suspicion1 and darkened by no shadow4   
,so long as eminent talents can         
challenge admiration1 varied and        
extensive acquirements command respect1 
and unfeigned virtues ensure esteem and 
regard1 so long will you have no common 
claim to them all2 and none will pay the
 tribute more gladly than your          
affectionate            ,friend and     
,cousin1                ,,henry         
,,christmas4    ,,sion ,,college1       
,march1 #ahej4     ,,introduction4      
,among the many phases presented by     
human credulity1 few are more           
interesting than those which regard the 
realities of the invisible world4 ,if   
the opinions which have been held on    
this subject were written and gathered  
together they would form hundreds of    
volumes--if they were arranged and      
digested they would form a few1 but most
 important4 ,it is not merely because   

there is in almost every human error a  
substratum of truth1 and that the more  
important the subject the more important
 the substratum1 but because the        
investigation will give almost a history
 of human aberrations1 that this        
otherwise unpromising topic assumes so  
high an interest4 ,the superstitions of 
every age1 for no age is free from them1
 will present the popular modes of      
thinking in an intelligible and easily  
accessible form1 and may be taken as a  
means of gauging 7if the expression be  
permitted7 the philosophical and        
metaphysical capacities of the period4  
,in this light1 the volumes here        
presented to the reader will be found of
 great value1 for they give a picture of
 the popular mind at a time or great    
interest1 and furnish a clue to many    
difficulties in the ecclesiastical      
affairs of that era4 ,in the time of    
,calmet1 cases of demoniacal possession1
 and instances of returns from the world
 of spirits1 were reputed to be of no   

uncommon occurrence4 ,the church was    
continually called on to exert her      
powers of exorcism2 and the instances   
gathered by ,calmet1 and related in this
 work1 may be taken as fair specimens of
 the rest4 ,it is then1 first1 as a     
storehouse of facts1 or reputed facts1  
that ,calmet compiled the work now in   
the reader's hands--as the foundation on
 which to rear what superstructure of   
system they pleased2 and secondly1 as a 
means of giving his own opinions1 in a  
detached and desultory way1 as the      
subjects came under his notice4 ,the    
value of the first will consist in their
 evidence--and of this the reader will  
be as capable of judging as the         
compiler2 that of the second will depend
 on their truth--and of this1 too1 we   
are as well1 and in some respects       
better1 able to judge than ,calmet      
himself4 ,those accustomed to require   
rigid evidence will be but ill satisfied
 with the greater part of that which    
will be found in this work2 simple      

assertion for the most part             
suffices--often first made long after   
the facts1 or supposed facts1 related1  
and not unfrequently far off from the   
places where they were alleged to have  
taken place4 ,but these cases are often 
the best authenticated1 for in the more 
modern ones there is frequently such an 
evident mistake in the whole nature of  
the case1 that all the spiritual        
deductions made from it fall to the     
ground4  ,not a few instances of        
so-called demoniacal possession are     
capable of being resolved into          
cataleptic trance1 a state not unlike   
that produced by mesmerism1 and in which
 many of the same phenomena seem        
naturally to display themselves2 the    
well-known instance of the young servant
 girl1 related by ,coleridge1 who1      
though ignorant and uneducated1 could   
during her sleep-walking discourse      
learnedly in rabbinical ,hebrew1 would  
furnish a case in point4 ,the           
circumstance of her old master having   

been in the habit of walking about the  
house at night1 reading from rabbinical 
books aloud and in a declamatory manner2
 the impression made by the strange     
sounds upon her youthful imagination2   
their accurate retention by a memory1   
which1 however1 could only reproduce    
them in an abnormal condition--all teach
 us many most interesting psychological 
facts1 which1 had this young girl fallen
 into other hands1 would have been      
useless in a philosophical point of     
view1 and would have been only used to  
establish the doctrine of diabolical    
possession and ecclesiastical exorcism4 
,we should have been told how skilled   
was the fallen angel in rabbinical      
traditions1 and how wholesome a terror  
he entertained of the ,jesuits1 the     
,capuchins1 or the ,fratres ,minimi1 as 
the case might be4 ,not a few of the    
most remarkable cases of supposed modern
 possession are to be accounted for by  
involuntary or natural mesmerism4       
,indeed the same view seems to be taken 

by a popular minister of the church     
7,mr4 ,mac ,niel71 in our own day1 viz41
 that mesmerism and diabolical          
possession are frequently identical4    
,our difference with him is that we     
should consider the cases called by the 
two names as all natural1 and he would  
consider them as all supernatural4 ,and 
here1 to avoid misconception1 or rather 
misinterpretation1 let me at once       
observe1 that ,i speak thus of modern   
and recorded cases only1 accepting      
literally all related in the ,new       
,testament1 and not presuming to say    
that similar cases might not occur now4 
,calmet1 however1 may be supposed to    
have collected all the most remarkable  
of modern times1 and ,i am compelled to 
say ,i believe not one of them4 ,but    
when we pass from the evidence of truth1
 in which they are so wanting1 to the   
evidence of fraud and collusion by which
 many are so characterized1 we shall    
have less wonder at the general spread  
of infidelity in times somewhat later1  

on all subjects not susceptible of      
ocular demonstration4 ,where a system   
claimed to be received as a whole1 or   
not at all1 it is hardly to be wondered 
at that when some portion was manifestly
 wrong1 its own requirements should be  
complied with1 and the whole rejected4  
,the system which required an implicit  
belief in such absurdities as those     
related in these volumes1 and placed    
them on a level with the most awful     
verities of religion1 might indeed make 
some interested use of them in an age of
 comparative darkness1 but certainly    
contained within itself the seeds of    
destruction1 and which could not fail to
 germinate as soon as light fell upon   
them4 ,the state of ,calmet's own mind1 
as revealed in this book1 is curious and
 interesting4 ,the belief of the        
intellect in much which he relates is   
evidently gone1 the belief of the will  
but partially remains4 ,there is a      
painful sense of uncertainty as to      
whether certain things ought not to be  

received more fully than he felt himself
 able to receive them1 and he gladly    
follows in many cases the example of    
,herodotus of old1 merely relating      
stories without comment1 save by stating
 that they had not fallen under his own 
observation4  ,the time1 indeed1 had    
hardly come to assert freedom of belief 
on subjects such as these4 ,theology    
embraced philosophy1 and the ,holy      
,inquisition defended the orthodoxy of  
both2 and if the investigators of       
,calmet's day were permitted to hold1   
with some limitation1 the ,copernican   
theory1 it was far otherwise with regard
 to the world of spirits1 and its       
connection with our own4 ,the rotundity 
of the earth affected neither shrines   
nor exorcisms2 metaphysical truth might 
do both one and the other2 and the cry  
of ,great is ,diana of the ,ephesians1  
was not raised in the capital of ,asia  
,minor1 till the craft by which we get  
our wealth was proved to be in danger4  
,reflections such as these are painfully

 forced on us by the evident fraud      
exhibited by many of the actors in the  
scenes of exorcism narrated by ,calmet1 
the vile purposes to which the services 
of the church were turned1 and the      
recklessness with which the supposed or 
pretended evil1 and equally pretended   
remedy1 were used for political intrigue
 or state oppression4  ,independent of  
these conclusions1 there is something   
lamentable in a state of the public     
mind1 which was so little prone to      
examination as to receive such a mass of
 superstition without sifting the wheat1
 for such there undoubtedly is1 from the
 chaff4 ,calmet's work contains enough1 
had we the minor circumstances in each  
case preserved1 to set at rest many     
philosophic doubts1 and to illustrate   
many physical facts2 and to those who   
desire to know what was believed by our 
,christian forefathers1 and why it was  
believed1 the compilation is absolutely 
invaluable4 ,calmet was a man of        
naturally cool1 calm judgment1 possessed

 of singular learning1 and was pious and
 truthful4 ,a short sketch of his life  
will not1 perhaps1 be unacceptable to   
the reader4  ,augustine ,calmet was born
 in the year #afgb1 at a village near   
,commerci1 in ,lorraine4 ,he early gave 
proofs of aptitude for study1 and an    
opportunity was speedily offered of     
devoting himself to a life of learning4 
,in his sixteenth year he became a      
,benedictine of the ,congregation of    
,st4 ,vannes1 and prosecuted his        
theological and such philosophical      
studies as the time allowed with great  
success4 ,he was soon appointed to teach
 the younger portion of the community1  
and gave in this employment such decided
 satisfaction to his superiors1 that he 
was soon marked for preferment4 ,his    
chief study was the ,scriptures2 and in 
the twenty-second year of his age1 a    
period unusually early1 in an age when  
all benefices and beneficial employments
 were matters of sale1 he was appointed 
to be sub-prior of the monastery of     

,munster1 in ,alsace1 where he presided 
over an academy4 ,this academy consisted
 of ten or twelve monks1 and its object 
was the investigation of ,scripture4    
,calmet was not idle in his new         
position2 besides communicating so much 
valuable information as to make his     
pupils the best biblical scholars of the
 country1 he made extensive collections 
for his ,commentary on the ,old and ,new
 ,testaments1 and for his still more    
celebrated work1 the ,history of the    
,bible4 ,these materials he subsequently
 digested and arranged4 ,the            
,commentary1 a work of immense value1   
was published in separate volumes from  
#agjg to #agaf4 ,his labors attracted   
renewed and increased attention1 and the
 offer of a bishopric was made to him1  
which he unhesitatingly declined4  ,in  
#agah1 he was elected to the abbacy of  
,st4 ,leopold1 in ,nancy2 and ten years 
afterwards1 to that of ,senones1 where  
he spent the remainder of his days4 ,his
 writings are numerous--two have been   

already mentioned--and so great was the 
popularity attained by his              
,commentaries1 that they have been      
translated into no fewer than six       
languages within ten years4 ,it exhibits
 a favorable aspect of the author's     
mind1 and gives a very high idea of his 
erudition4 ,one cause which tended      
greatly to its universal acceptability1 
was its singular freedom from sectarian 
bitterness4 ,protestants as well as     
,romanists may use it with equal        
satisfaction2 and accordingly1 it is    
considered a work of standard authority 
in ,england as much as on the continent4
  ,in addition to these ,commentaries1  
and his ,history of the ,bible1 and     
,fragments1 7the best edition of which  
latter work in ,english1 is by ,isaac   
,taylor17 he wrote the ,ecclesiastical  
and ,civil ,history of ,lorraine2 ,a    
,catalogue of the ,writers of ,lorraine2
 ,universal ,history1 ,sacred and       
,profane2 a small collection of         
,reveries2 and a work entitled1 ,a      

,literal1 ,moral1 and ,historical       
,commentary on the ,rule of ,st4        
,benedict1 a work which is full of      
curious information on ancient customs1 
particularly ecclesiastical4 ,he is     
among the few1 also1 who have written on
 ancient music4 ,he lived to a good old 
age2 and died regretted and much        
respected in #ageg4  ,of all his works1 
the one presented here to the reader1 is
 perhaps the most popular2 it went      
rapidly through many editions1 and      
received from the author's hand         
continual corrections and additions4 ,to
 say that it is characterized by uniform
 judgment1 would be to give it a praise 
somewhat different as well as somewhat  
greater than that which it merits4 ,it  
is a vast repertory of legends1 more or 
less probable2 some of which have very  
little foundation--and some which       
,calmet himself would have done well to 
omit1 though now1 as a picture of the   
belief entertained in that day1 they    
greatly add to the value of the book4   

,for the same reasons which have caused 
the retention of these passages1 no     
alterations have been made in the       
citations from ,scripture1 which being  
translations from the ,vulgate1         
necessarily differ in phraseology from  
the version in use among ourselves4 ,the
 apocryphal books too are quoted1 and   
the story of ,bel and the ,dragon       
referred to as a part of the prophecy of
 ,daniel2 but what is of consequence to 
observe1 is1 that doctrines are founded 
on these translations1 and on those very
 points in which they differ from our   
own4  ,if the history of popery1 and    
especially that form and development of 
it exhibited in the monastic orders1 be 
ever written1 this work will be of the  
greatest importance3--it will show the  
means by which dominion was obtained    
over the minds of the ignorant2 how the 
most sacred mysteries were perverted2   
and frauds1 which can hardly be termed  
pious1 used to support institutions     
which can scarcely be called religious4 

,that the spirits of the dead should be 
permitted to return to earth1 under     
circumstances the most grotesque1 to    
support the doctrines of masses for the 
dead1 purgatory and propitiatory        
penance2 that demons should be exorcised
 to give testimony to the merits of     
rival orders of monks and friars2 that  
relics1 many of them supposititious1 and
 many of the most disgusting and        
blasphemous character1 should have power
 to affect the eternal state of the     
departed2 and that all saints1 angels1  
demons1 and the ghosts of the departed1 
should support1 with great variations   
indeed1 the corrupt dealings of a       
corrupt priesthood--form a creed worthy 
of the darkest and most unworthy days of
 heathenism4  ,there is1 however1 one   
excuse1 or rather palliation1 for the   
superstition of that time4 ,in periods  
of great public depravity--and few      
epochs have been more depraved than that
 in which ,calmet lived--,satan has     
great power4 ,with a ruler like the     

regent ,duke of ,orleans1 with a ,church
 governor like ,cardinal ,dubois1 it    
would appear that the civil and         
ecclesiastical authority of ,france had 
sold itself1 like ,ahab of old1 to work 
wickedness2 or1 as the apostle says1 to 
work all uncleanness with greediness4   
,in an age so characterized1 it does not
 seem at all improbable that portentous 
events should from time to time occur2  
that the servants of the devil should be
 strengthened together with their       
master2 that many should be given over  
to strong delusions and to believe a    
lie2 and that the evil part of the      
invisible world should be permitted to  
ally itself more closely with the men of
 an age so congenial4 ,real cases of    
demoniacal possession might1 perhaps1 be
 met with1 and though scarcely amenable 
to the exorcisms of a clergy so corrupt 
as that of ,france in that day1 they    
would yet justify a belief in the       
reality of those cases got up for the   
sake of filthy lucre1 personal ambition1

 or private revenge4 ,if the public mind
 was prepared for a belief in such      
cases1 there were not wanting men to    
turn it to profitable account2 and the  
quiet student who believed the efficacy 
of the means used1 and was scarcely     
aware of the wickedness of the age in   
which he lived1 might easily be induced 
to credit the tales told him of demons  
expelled by the power of a church1 to   
which in the beginning an authority to  
do so had undoubtedly been given1 and   
whose awful corruptions were to him at  
least greatly veiled4  ,calmet was a man
 of great integrity and considerable    
acumen1 but he passed an innocent and   
exemplary life in studious seclusion2 he
 mixed little with the world at large1  
resided remote from courts1 and camps1  
and strife of war or peace2 and there   
appears occasionally in his writings a  
kind of nervous apprehension lest the   
dogmas of the church to which he was    
pledged should be less capable than he  
could wish of satisfactory              

investigation4 ,when he meets with tales
 like those of the vampires or          
vroucolacas1 which concern only what he 
considered a heretical church1 and with 
which1 therefore1 he might deal         
according to his own will--apply to them
 the ordinary rules of evidence1 and    
treat them as mundane affairs--there he 
is clear-sighted1 critical and acute1   
and accordingly he discusses the matter 
philosophically and logically1 and      
concludes without fear of sinning       
against the church1 that the whole is   
delusion4 ,when1 on the other hand1 he  
has to deal with cases of demoniacal    
possession1 in countries under the rule 
of the ,roman hierarchy1 he contents    
himself with the decisions of the       
scholastic divines and the opinions of  
the fathers1 and makes frequent         
references to the decrees of various    
provincial parliaments4 ,the effects of 
such a state of mind upon scientific and
 especially metaphysical investigation1 
may be easily imagined1 and are to be   

traced more or less distinctly in every 
page of the work before us4  ,to        
conclude3 books like this--the          
,disquisitiones ,magic of ,delrio1 the  
,demonomanie of ,bodin1 the ,malleus    
,maleficarum of ,sprengel1 and the like1
 are at no time to be regarded merely as
 subjects of amusement2 they have their 
philosophical value2 they have a still  
greater historical value2 and they show 
how far even upright minds may be warped
 by imperfect education1 and slavish    
deference to authority4  ,the edition   
here followed is that of #agea1 which   
contains the latest corrections of the  
author1 and several additional pieces1  
which are all included in the present   
volumes4    ,,sion ,,college1 ,,london  
,,wall1        ,april1 #ahej4           
,,contents4                             
,,page  ,,preface                       
xv  ,,chapter  ,i4 ,the ,appearance of  
,good ,angels proved by the ,books of   
the      ,old ,testament                
#cg  ,,ii4 ,the ,appearance of ,good    

,angels proved by the ,books of the     
,new ,testament                         
#ch  ,,iii4 ,under what form have ,good 
,angels appeared8                  #da  
,,iv4 ,opinions of the ,jews1           
,christians1 ,mahometans1 and ,oriental 
,nations1 concerning the ,apparitions of
 ,good ,angels          #dd  ,v4        
,opinion of the ,greeks and ,romans on  
the ,apparitions of     ,good ,genii    
#dg  ,,vi4 ,the ,apparition of ,bad     
,angels proved by the ,holy             
,scriptures--,under what ,form they have
 appeared               #ej  ,,vii4 ,of 
,magic                                  
#eg  ,,viii4 ,objections to the ,reality
 of ,magic                         #fa  
,,ix4 ,reply to the ,objections         
#fc  ,x4 ,examination of the ,affair of 
,hocque1 ,magician                 #fg  
,,xi4 ,magic of the ,egyptians and      
,chaldeans                         #gj  
,,xii4 ,magic among the ,greeks and     
,romans                           #gc   
,,xiii4 ,examples which prove the       

,reality of ,magic                  #ge 
,,xiv4 ,effects of ,magic according to  
the ,poets                     #ha      
,,xv4 ,of the ,pagan ,oracles           
#hc  ,,xvi4 ,the ,certainty of the      
,event predicted1 is not always a       
proof that the ,prediction comes from   
,god                   #hf  ,,xvii4     
,reasons which lead us to believe that  
the greater part        of the ,ancient 
,oracles were only ,impositions of the  
,priests and ,priestesses1 who feigned  
that they were        inspired by ,god  
#hi  ,,xviii4 ,on ,sorcerers and        
,sorceresses1 or ,witches               
#ic  ,,xix4 ,instances of ,sorcerers and
 ,witches being1 as they said1          
transported to the ,sabbath             
#ih  ,,xx4 ,story of ,louis ,gaufredi   
and ,magdalen de la ,palud1 owned       
by themselves to be a ,sorcerer and     
,sorceress              #ajb  ,,xxi4    
,reasons which prove the ,possibility of
 ,sorcerers and       ,witches being    
transported to the ,sabbath             

#ajf  ,,xxii4 ,continuation of the same 
,subject                          #aaa  
,,xxiii4 ,obsession and ,possession of  
the ,devil                    #aad      
,,xxiv4 ,the ,truth and ,reality of     
,possession and ,obsession by        the
 ,devil proved from ,scripture          
#aag  ,,xxv4 ,examples of ,real         
,possessions caused by the ,devil       
#aai  ,,xxvi4 ,continuation of the same 
,subject                          #abc  
,,xxvii4 ,objections against the        
,obsessions and ,possessions of         
the ,demon--,reply to the ,objections   
#abh  ,,xxviii4 ,continuation of        
,objections against ,possessions1 and   
some ,replies to those ,objections      
#acb  ,,xxix4 ,of ,familiar ,spirits    
#ach  ,,xxx4 ,some other ,examples of   
,elves                                  
#adb  ,,xxxi4 ,spirits that keep ,watch 
over ,treasure                     #adi 
,,xxxii4 ,other instances of ,hidden    
,treasures1 which were guarded          
by ,good or ,bad ,spirits               

#aec  ,,xxxiii4 ,spectres which appear1 
and predict things unknown and          
to come                                 
#aef  ,,xxxiv4 ,other ,apparitions of   
,spectres                               
#aei  ,,xxxv4 ,examination of the       
,apparition of a pretended ,spectre     
#afc  ,,xxxvi4 ,of ,spectres which haunt
 ,houses                           #afe 
,,xxxvii4 ,other ,instances of ,spectres
 which haunt certain ,houses  #agj      
,,xxxviii4 ,prodigious effects of       
,imagination in those ,men or           
,women who believe they hold            
,intercourse with the           ,demon  
#agb  ,,xxxix4 ,return and ,apparitions 
of ,souls after the ,death of the       
,body1 proved from ,scripture           
#agf  ,,xl4 ,apparitions of ,spirits    
proved from ,history                    
#ahj  ,,xli4 ,more ,instances of        
,apparitions                            
#ahe  ,,xlii4 ,on the ,apparitions of   
,spirits who imprint their ,hands       
on ,clothes or on ,wood                 

#aij  ,,xliii4 ,opinions of the ,jews1  
,greeks1 and ,latins1 concerning        
the ,dead who are left unburied         
#aie  ,,xliv4 ,examination of what is   
required or revealed to the ,living     
by the ,dead who return to ,earth       
#bja  ,,xlv4 ,apparitions of ,men still 
alive1 to other living ,men1            
absent1 and very distant from each other
                  #bjd  ,,xlvi4         
,arguments concerning ,apparitions      
#baf  ,,xlvii4 ,objections against      
,apparitions1 and ,replies to those     
,objections                             
#bba  ,,xlviii4 ,some other ,objections 
and ,replies                       #bbd 
,,xlix4 ,the ,secrets of ,physics and   
,chemistry taken for        supernatural
 things                                 
#bbi  ,l4 ,conclusion of the ,treatise  
on ,apparitions                    #bcb 
,,li4 ,way of explaining ,apparitions   
#bce  ,,lii4 ,the difficulty of         
explaining the manner in which          
,apparitions make their appearance1     

whatever system may       be proposed on
 the subject                            
#bcg    ,,dissertation ,,on ,,the       
,,ghosts ,,who ,,return ,,to ,,earth    
,,bodily1 ,,the ,,excommunicated1 ,,the 
,,oupires ,,or ,,vampires1              
,,vroucolacas1 ,,etc4      #bda         
,,preface                               
#bdc  ,,chapter  ,i4 ,the ,resurrection 
of a ,dead ,person is the ,work of ,god 
only    #bdg  ,,ii4 ,revival of ,persons
 who were not really ,dead              
#bdi  ,,iii4 ,resurrection of a ,man who
 had been buried ,three ,years1         
resuscitated by ,st4 ,stanislaus        
#bea  ,,iv4 ,can a ,man really ,dead    
appear in his own ,body8                
#bec  ,v4 ,revival or ,apparition of a  
,girl who had been ,dead some           
,months                                 
#bef  ,,vi4 ,a ,woman taken ,alive from 
her ,tomb                           #bei
  ,,vii4 ,revenans1 or ,vampires of     
,moravia                           #bfj 
,,viii4 ,dead ,persons in ,hungary who  

suck the ,blood of the ,living  #bfb    
,,ix4 ,narrative of a ,vampire from the 
,jewish ,letters1 ,letter #acg  #bfc    
,x4 ,other ,instances of                
,revenans4--,continuation of the        
,gleaner  #bfd  ,,xi4 ,argument of the  
,author of the ,jewish ,letters1        
concerning      ,revenans               
#bff  ,,xii4 ,continuation of the       
argument of the ,dutch ,gleaner         
#bgj  ,,xiii4 ,narrative from the       
,mercure ,gallant of #afic and #afid    
on ,revenans                            
#bgb  ,,xiv4 ,conjectures of the        
,glaneur de ,hollandais                 
#bgc  ,,xv4 ,another ,letter on ,ghosts 
#bgf  ,,xvi4 ,pretended ,vestiges of    
,vampirism in ,antiquity                
#bgh  ,,xvii4 ,ghosts in ,northern      
,countries                              
#bhb  ,,xviii4 ,ghosts in ,england      
#bhc  ,,xix4 ,ghosts in ,peru           
#bhd  ,,xx4 ,ghosts in ,lapland         
#bhe  ,,xxi4 ,return of a ,man who had  
been ,dead some ,months                 

#bhe  ,,xxii4 ,excommunicated ,persons  
who went out of ,churches           #bhi
  ,,xxiii4 ,some ,instances of the      
,excommunicated being rejected or       
cast out of ,consecrated ,ground        
#bia  ,,xxiv4 ,instance of an           
,excommunicated ,martyr being cast out  
of        the ,ground                   
#bib  ,,xxv4 ,a ,man cast out of the    
,church for having refused to pay       
,tithes                                 
#bic  ,,xxvi4 ,instances of ,persons who
 have given ,signs of ,life after       
their ,death1 and have withdrawn        
themselves respectfully        to make  
room for more worthy ,persons           
#bid  ,,xxvii4 ,people who perform      
,pilgrimage after ,death                
#bif  ,,xxviii4 ,reasoning upon the     
,excommunicated who go out of           
,churches                               
#big  ,,xxix4 ,do the ,excommunicated   
rot in the ,earth8                      
#cjj  ,,xxx4 ,instances to show that the
 ,excommunicated do not rot1 and        

that they appear to the ,living         
#cja  ,,xxxi4 ,instances of these       
,returns to ,earth of the               
,excommunicated #cjb  ,,xxxii4 ,a       
,vroucolacan exhumed in the presence of 
,m4 de         ,tournefort              
#cjd  ,,xxxiii4 ,has the ,demon power to
 kill1 and then to restore to           
,life8                                  
#cjh  ,,xxxiv4 ,examination of the      
,opinion that the ,demon can restore    
,animation to a ,dead ,body             
#caj  ,,xxxv4 ,instances of ,phantoms   
which have appeared to the ,living      
and given many ,signs of ,life          
#cac  ,,xxxvi4 ,devoting ,people to     
,death1 practised by the ,heathens      
#cad  ,,xxxvii4 ,instances of dooming to
 ,death among ,christians          #cag 
,,xxxviii4 ,instances of ,persons who   
have promised to give each              
other ,news of themselves from the other
 ,world         #cba  ,,xxxix4 ,extracts
 from the ,political ,works of the ,abb 
de ,st4         ,pierre                 

#cbe  ,,xl4 ,divers ,systems to explain 
,ghosts                            #cca 
,,xli4 ,divers ,instances of ,persons   
being ,buried ,alive             #ccc   
,,xlii4 ,instances of ,drowned ,persons 
who have come back to ,life        and  
,health                                 
#cce  ,,xliii4 ,instances of ,women     
thought ,dead who came to ,life again   
#ccg  ,,xliv4 ,can these ,instances be  
applied to the ,hungarian ,revenans8    
#cci  ,,xlv4 ,dead ,people who chew in  
their ,graves and devour their own      
,flesh                                  
#cdj  ,,xlvi4 ,singular ,example of a   
,hungarian ,revenant                    
#cda  ,,xlvii4 ,argument on this matter 
#cdc  ,,xlviii4 ,are the ,vampires or   
,revenans really ,dead8                 
#cdd  ,,xlix4 ,instance of a ,man named 
,curma being sent back to this          
,world                                  
#cea  ,l4 ,instances of ,persons who    
fall into ,ecstatic ,trances when       
they will1 and remain senseless         

#ced  ,,li4 ,application of such        
,instances to ,vampires                 
#cef  ,,lii4 ,examination of the        
,opinion that the ,demon fascinates the 
,eyes of those to whom ,vampires appear 
#cfj  ,,liii4 ,instances of             
,resuscitated ,persons who relate what  
they        saw in the other ,world     
#cfa  ,,liv4 ,the ,traditions of the    
,pagans on the other ,life1 are         
derived from the ,hebrews and ,egyptians
                    #cfd  ,,lv4         
,instances of ,christians being         
,resuscitated and sent back      to this
 ,world4--,vision of ,vetinus1 a ,monk  
of ,augia         #cff  ,,lvi4 ,vision  
of ,bertholdas1 related by ,hincmar1    
,archbishop of       ,rheims            
#cfh  ,,lvii4 ,vision of ,st4 ,fursius  
#cfi  ,,lviii4 ,vision of a ,protestant 
of ,york1 and others               #cga 
,,lix4 ,conclusion of this ,dissertation
                            #cgd  ,,lx4 
,moral ,impossibility that ,ghosts can  
come out of their ,tombs #cgf  ,,lxi4   

,what is related of the ,bodies of the  
,excommunicated who       walk out of   
,churches1 is subject to very great     
,difficulties 7in ,belief and           
,explanation7                  #cgh     
,,lxii4 ,remarks on the ,dissertation1  
concerning the ,spirit which        came
 to ,st4 ,maur des ,fosss               
#chj  ,,lxiii4 ,dissertation of an      
,anonymous ,writer on what should be    
thought of the ,appearance of ,spirits1 
on ,occasion of          the ,adventure 
at ,st4 ,maur1 in #agjf                 
#chg         ,letter of the ,marquis    
,maffei on ,magic                       
#djg         ,letter of the ,reverend   
,father ,dom ,calmet1 to ,m4 ,debure    
#ddj     ,,preface4   ,the great number 
of authors who have written upon the    
apparitions of angels1 demons1 and      
disembodied souls is not unknown to me2 
and ,i do not presume sufficiently on my
 own capacity to believe that ,i shall  
succeed better in it than they have     
done1 and that ,i shall enhance their   

knowledge and their discoveries4 ,i am  
perfectly sensible that ,i expose myself
 to criticism1 and perhaps to the       
mockery of many readers1 who regard this
 matter as done with1 and decried in the
 minds of philosophers1 learned men1 and
 many theologians4 ,i must not reckon   
either on the approbation of the people1
 whose want of discernment prevents     
their being competent judges of this    
same4 ,my aim is not to foment          
superstition1 nor to feed the vain      
curiosity of visionaries1 and those who 
believe without examination everything  
that is related to them as soon as they 
find therein anything marvelous and     
supernatural4 ,i write only for         
reasonable and unprejudiced minds1 which
 examine things seriously and coolly2 ,i
 speak only for those who assent even to
 known truth but after mature           
reflection1 who know how to doubt of    
what is uncertain1 to suspend their     
judgment on what is doubtful1 and to    
deny what is manifestly false4  ,as for 

pretended freethinkers1 who reject      
everything to distinguish themselves1   
and to place themselves above the common
 herd1 ,i leave them in their elevated  
sphere2 they will think of this work as 
they may consider proper1 and as it is  
not calculated for them1 apparently they
 will not take the trouble to read it4  
,i undertook it for my own information1 
and to form to myself a just idea of all
 that is said on the apparitions of     
angels1 of the demon1 and of disembodied
 souls4 ,i wished to see how far that   
matter was certain or uncertain1 true or
 false1 known or unknown1 clear or      
obscure4  ,in this great number of facts
 which ,i have collected ,i have        
endeavored to make a choice1 and not to 
heap together too great a multitude of  
them1 for fear that in the too numerous 
examples the doubtful might not harm the
 certain1 and in wishing to prove too   
much ,i might prove absolutely nothing4 
,there will1 even amongst those ,i have 
cited1 be found some which will not     

easily be credited by many readers1 and 
,i allow them to regard them as not     
related4  ,i beg those readers1         
nevertheless1 to discern justly amongst 
these facts and instances2 after which  
they can with me form their             
opinion--affirm1 deny1 or remain in     
doubt4  ,from the respect which every   
man owes to truth1 and the veneration   
which a ,christian and a priest owes to 
religion1 it appeared to me very        
important to undeceive people respecting
 the opinion which they have of         
apparitions1 if they believe them all to
 be true2 or to instruct them and show  
them the truth and reality of a great   
number1 if they think them all false4   
,it is always shameful to be deceived2  
and in regard to religion1 to believe on
 light grounds1 to remain wilfully in   
doubt1 or to maintain oneself without   
any reason in superstition and illusion2
 it is already much to know how to doubt
 wisely1 and not to form a decided      
opinion beyond what one really knows4   

,i never had any idea of treating       
profoundly the matter of apparitions2 ,i
 have treated of it1 as it were1 by     
chance1 and occasionally4 ,my first and 
principal object was to discourse of the
 vampires of ,hungary4 ,in collecting my
 materials on that subject1 ,i found    
many things concerning apparitions2 the 
great number of these embarrassed this  
treatise on vampires4 ,i detached some  
of them1 and thus have composed this    
treatise on apparitions3 there still    
remains a large number of them1 which ,i
 might have separated for the better    
arrangement of this treatise4 ,many     
persons here have taken the accessory   
for the principal1 and have paid more   
attention to the first part than to the 
second1 which was1 however1 the first   
and the principal in my design4 ,for ,i 
own ,i have always been much struck with
 what was related of the vampires or    
ghosts of ,hungary1 ,moravia1 and       
,poland2 of the vroucolacas of ,greece2 
and of the excommunicated1 who are said 

not to rot4 ,i thought ,i ought to      
bestow on it all the attention in my    
power2 and ,i have deemed it right to   
treat on this subject in a particular   
dissertation4 ,after having deeply      
studied it1 and obtaining as much       
information as ,i was able1 ,i found    
little solidity and certainty on the    
subject2 which1 joined to the opinion of
 some prudent and respectable persons   
whom ,i consulted1 had induced me to    
give up my design entirely1 and to      
renounce laboring on a subject which is 
so contradictory1 and embraces so much  
uncertainty4  ,but looking at the matter
 in another point of view1 ,i resumed my
 pen1 decided upon undeceiving the      
public1 if ,i found that what was said  
of it was absolutely false2 showing that
 what is uttered on this subject is     
uncertain1 and that one ought to be very
 reserved in pronouncing on these       
vampires1 which have made so much noise 
in the world for a certain time1 and    
still divide opinions at this day1 even 

in the countries which are the scene of 
their pretended return1 and where they  
appear2 or to show that what has been   
said and written on this subject is not 
destitute of probability1 and that the  
subject of the return of vampires is    
worthy the attention of the curious and 
the learned1 and deserves to be         
seriously studied1 to have the facts    
related of it examined1 and the causes1 
circumstances1 and means sounded deeply4
  ,i am then about to examine this      
question as a historian1 philosopher1   
and theologian4 ,as a historian1 ,i     
shall endeavor to discover the truth of 
the facts2 as a philosopher1 ,i shall   
examine the causes and circumstances2   
lastly1 the knowledge or light of       
theology will cause me to deduce        
consequences as relating to religion4   
,thus ,i do not write in the hope of    
convincing freethinkers and pyrrhonians1
 who will not allow the existence of    
ghosts or vampires1 nor even of the     
apparitions of angels1 demons1 and      

spirits2 nor to intimidate those weak   
and credulous1 by relating to them      
extraordinary stories of apparitions4 ,i
 do not reckon either on curing the     
superstitious of their errors1 nor the  
people of their prepossessions2 not even
 on correcting the abuses which arise   
from this unenlightened belief1 nor of  
doing away all the doubts which may be  
formed on apparitions2 still less do ,i 
pretend to erect myself as a judge and  
censor of the works and sentiments of   
others1 nor to distinguish myself1 make 
myself a name1 or divert myself1 by     
spreading abroad dangerous doubts upon a
 subject which concerns religion1 and   
from which they might make wrong        
deductions against the certainty of the 
,scriptures1 and against the unshaken   
dogmas of our creed4 ,i shall treat it  
as solidly and gravely as it merits2 and
 ,i pray ,god to give me that knowledge 
which is necessary to do it             
successfully4  ,i exhort my reader to   
distinguish between the facts related1  

and the manner in which they happened4  
,the fact may be certain1 and the way in
 which it occurred unknown4 ,scripture  
relates certain apparitions of angels   
and disembodied souls2 these instances  
are indubitable and found in the        
revelations of the holy books2 but the  
manner in which ,god operated the       
resurrections1 or in which he permitted 
these apparitions to take place1 is     
hidden among his secrets4 ,it is        
allowable for us to examine them1 to    
seek out the circumstances1 and propound
 some conjectures on the manner in which
 it all came to pass2 but it would be   
rash to decide upon a matter which ,god 
has not thought proper to reveal to us4 
,i say as much in proportion1 concerning
 the stories related by sensible1       
contemporary1 and judicious authors1 who
 simply relate the facts without        
entering into the examination of the    
circumstances1 of which1 perhaps1 they  
themselves were not well informed4  ,it 
has already been objected to me1 that ,i

 cited poets and authors of little      
credit1 in support of a thing so grave  
and so disputed as the apparition of    
spirits3 such authorities1 they say1 are
 more calculated to cast a doubt on     
apparitions1 than to establish the truth
 of them4  ,but ,i cite those authors as
 witnesses of the opinions of nations2  
and ,i count it not a small thing in the
 extreme license of opinions1 which at  
this day predominates in the world1     
amongst those even who make a profession
 of ,christianity1 to be able to show   
that the ancient ,greeks and ,romans    
thought that souls were immortal1 that  
they subsisted after the death of the   
body1 and that there was another life1  
in which they received the reward of    
their good actions1 or the chastisement 
of their crimes4  ,those sentiments     
which we read in the poets1 are also    
repeated in the fathers of the church1  
and the pagan and ,christian historians2
 but as they did not pretend to think   
them weighty1 nor to approve them in    

repeating them1 it must not be imputed  
to me either1 that ,i have any intention
 of authorizing4 ,for instance1 what ,i 
have related of the manes1 or lares2 of 
the evocation of souls after the death  
of the body2 of the avidity of these    
souls to suck the blood of the immolated
 animals1 of the shape of the soul      
separated from the body1 of the         
inquietude of souls which have no rest  
until their bodies are under ground2 of 
those superstitious statues of wax which
 are devoted and consecrated under the  
name of certain persons whom the        
magicians pretended to kill by burning  
and stabbing their effigies of wax2 of  
the transportation of wizards and       
witches through the air1 and of their   
assemblies of the ,sabbath2 all those   
things are related both in the works of 
the philosophers and pagan historians1  
as well as in the poets4  ,i know the   
value of one and the other1 and ,i      
esteem them as they deserve2 but ,i     
think that in treating this matter1 it  

is important to make known to our       
readers the ancient superstitions1 the  
vulgar or common opinions1 and the      
prejudices of nations1 to be able to    
refute them1 and bring back the figures 
to truths1 by freeing them from what    
poesy had added for the embellishment of
 the poem1 and the amusement of the     
reader4  ,moreover1 ,i generally repeat 
this kind of thing1 only when it is     
apropos of certain facts avowed by      
historians1 and by other grave and      
rational authors2 and sometimes rather  
as an ornament of the discourse1 or to  
enliven the matter1 than to derive      
thence certain proofs and consequences  
necessary for the dogma1 or to certify  
the facts and give weight to my recital4
  ,i know how little we must depend on  
what ,lucian says on this subject2 he   
only speaks of it to make game of it4   
,philostratus1 ,jamblicus1 and some     
others1 do not merit more consideration2
 therefore ,i quote them only to refute 
them1 or to show how far idle and       

ridiculous credulity has been carried on
 these matters1 which were laughed at by
 the most sensible among the heathens   
themselves4  ,the consequences which ,i 
deduce from all these stories1 and these
 poetical fictions1 and the manner in   
which ,i speak of them in the course of 
this dissertation1 sufficiently vouch   
that esteem1 and give as true and       
certain only what is so in fact2 and    
that ,i do not wish to impose on my     
reader1 by relating many things which ,i
 myself regard as false1 or as doubtful1
 or even as fabulous4 ,but that ought to
 be prejudicial to the dogma of the     
immortality of the soul1 and to that of 
another life1 not to the truth of       
certain apparitions related in          
,scripture1 or proved elsewhere by good 
testimony4  ,the first edition of this  
work having been printed in my absence1 
and upon an incorrect copy1 several     
misprints have occurred1 and even       
expressions and phrases displeasing and 
interrupted4 ,i have tried to remedy    

this in a second edition1 and to cast   
light on those passages which they      
noticed as demanding explanation1 and   
correcting what might offend scrupulous 
readers1 and prevent the bad            
consequences which might be derived from
 what ,i had said4 ,i have even done    
more in this third edition4 ,i have     
retrenched several passages2 others ,i  
have suppressed2 ,i have profited by the
 advice which has been given me2 and ,i 
have replied to the objections which    
have been made4  ,people have complained
 that ,i took no part1 and did not come 
to a decision on several difficulties   
which ,i propose1 and that ,i leave my  
reader in uncertainty4  ,i make but     
little defence against this reproach2 ,i
 should require more justification if ,i
 decided without a perfect knowledge of 
causes1 for one side of the question1 at
 the risk of embracing an error1 and of 
falling into a still greater            
impropriety4 ,there is wisdom in        
suspending one's judgment till we have  

succeeded in finding the very truth4  ,i
 have also been told1 that certain      
persons have made a joke of some facts  
which ,i have related4 ,if ,i have      
related them as certain1 and they afford
 just cause for pleasantry1 let the     
condemnation pass2 but if ,i cited them 
as fabulous and false1 they present no  
subject for pleasantry2 ,falsum non est 
de ratione faceti4  ,there are certain  
persons who delight in jesting on the   
most serious things1 and who spare      
nothing1 either sacred or profane4 ,the 
histories of the ,old and ,new          
,testament1 the most sacred ceremonies  
of our religion1 the lives of the most  
respectable saints1 are not safe from   
their dull1 tasteless pleasantry4  ,i   
have been reproached for having related 
several false histories1 several        
doubtful facts1 and several fabulous    
events4 ,this is true2 but ,i give them 
for what they are4 ,i have declared     
several times1 that ,i did not vouch for
 their truth1 that ,i repeated them to  

show how false and ridiculous they were1
 and to deprive them of the credit they 
might have with the people2 and if ,i   
had gone at length into their           
refutation1 ,i thought it right to let  
my reader have the pleasure of refuting 
them1 supposing him to possess enough   
good sense and self-sufficiency1 to form
 his own judgment upon them1 and feel   
the same contempt for such stories that 
,i do myself4 ,it is doing too much     
honor to certain things to refute them  
seriously4  ,but another objection1 and 
a much more serious one1 is said to be1 
what ,i say of the illusions of the     
demon1 leading some persons to doubt of 
the truth of the apparitions related in 
,scripture1 as well as of the others    
suspected of falsehood4  ,i answer1 that
 the consequences deduced from          
principles are not right1 except when   
things are equal1 and the subjects and  
circumstances the same2 without that    
there can be no application of          
principles4 ,the facts to which my      

reasoning applies are related by authors
 of small authority1 by ordinary or     
common-place historians1 bearing no     
character which deserves a belief of    
anything superhuman4 ,i can1 without    
attacking their person or their merit1  
advance that they may have been badly   
informed1 prepossessed1 and mistaken2   
that the spirit of seduction may have   
been of the party2 that the senses1 the 
imagination1 and superstition1 may have 
made them take that for truth1 which was
 only seeming4  ,but1 in regard to the  
apparitions related in the ,holy        
,scriptures1 they borrow their          
infallible authority from the sacred and
 inspired authors who wrote them2 they  
are verified by the events which        
followed them1 by the execution or      
fulfilment of predictions made many ages
 preceding2 and which could neither be  
done1 nor foreseen1 nor performed1      
either by the human mind1 or by the     
strength of man1 not even by the angel  
of darkness4  ,i am but little concerned

 at the opinion passed on myself and my 
intentions in the publication of this   
treatise4 ,some have thought that ,i did
 it to destroy the popular and common   
idea of apparitions1 and to make it     
appear ridiculous2 and ,i acknowledge   
that those who read this work           
attentively and without prejudice1 will 
remark in it more arguments for doubting
 what the people believe on this point1 
than they will find to favor the        
contrary opinion4 ,if ,i have treated   
this subject seriously1 it is only in   
what regards those facts in which       
religion and the truth of ,scripture is 
interested2 those which are indifferent 
,i have left to the censure of sensible 
people1 and the criticism of the learned
 and of philosophical minds4  ,i declare
 that ,i consider as true all the       
apparitions related in the sacred books 
of the ,old and ,new ,testament2 without
 pretending1 however1 that it is not    
allowable to explain them1 and reduce   
them to a natural and likely sense1 by  

retrenching what is too marvelous about 
them1 which might rebut enlightened     
persons4 ,i think on that point ,i may  
apply the principle of ,st4 ,paul2#a the
 letter killeth1 and the ,spirit giveth 
life4  ,as to the other apparitions and 
visions related in ,christian1 ,jewish1 
or heathen authors1 ,i do my best to    
discern amongst them1 and ,i exhort my  
readers to do the same2 but ,i blame and
 disapprove the outrageous criticism of 
those who deny everything1 and make     
difficulties of everything1 in order to 
distinguish themselves by their         
pretended strength of mind1 and to      
authorize themselves to deny everything1
 and to dispute the most certain facts1 
and in general all that savors of the   
marvelous1 and which appears above the  
ordinary laws of nature4 ,st4 ,paul     
permits us to examine and prove         
everything3 ,omnia probate2 but he      
desires us to hold fast that which is   
good and true3 quod bonum est tenete4#b 
,footnotes3  #a #b ,cor4 iii4 #af4  #b  

#a ,thess4 v4 #ba4     ,,advertisement4 
,every body talks of apparitions of     
angels and demons1 and of souls         
separated from the body4 ,the reality of
 these apparitions is considered as     
certain by many persons1 while others   
deride them and treat them as altogether
 visionary4  ,i have determined to      
examine this matter1 just to see what   
certitude there can be on this point2   
and ,i shall divide this ,dissertation  
into four parts4 ,in the first1 ,i shall
 speak of good angels2 in the second1 of
 the appearance of bad angels2 in the   
third1 of the apparitions of souls of   
the dead2 and in the fourth1 of the     
appearance of living men to others      
living1 absent1 distant1 and this       
unknown to those who appear4 ,i shall   
occasionally add something on magic1    
wizards1 and witches2 on the ,sabbath1  
oracles1 and obsession and possession by
 demons4     ,,the ,,phantom ,,world4   
,,chapter ,i4  ,,the ,,appearance ,,of  
,,good ,,angels ,,proved ,,by ,,the     

,,books ,,of ,,the ,,old ,,testament4   
,the apparitions or appearances of good 
angels are frequently mentioned in the  
books of the ,old ,testament4 ,he who   
was stationed at the entrance of the    
terrestrial ,paradise#c was a cherub1   
armed with a flaming sword2 those who   
appeared to ,abraham1 and who promised  
that he should have a son2#d those who  
appeared to ,lot1 and predicted to him  
the ruin of ,sodom1 and other guilty    
cities2#e he who spoke to ,hagar in the 
desert1#f and commanded her to return to
 the dwelling of ,abraham1 and to remain
 submissive to ,sarah1 her mistress2    
those who appeared to ,jacob1 on his    
journey into ,mesopotamia1 ascending and
 descending the mysterious ladder2#g he 
who taught him how to cause his sheep to
 bring forth young differently marked2#h
 he who wrestled with ,jacob on his     
return from ,mesopotamia1#i--were angels
 of light1 and benevolent ones2 the same
 as he who spoke with ,moses from the   
burning bush on ,horeb1#aj and who gave 

him the tables of the law on ,mount     
,sinai4 ,that ,angel who takes generally
 the name of ,,god1 and acts in his     
name1 and with his authority2#aa who    
served as a guide to the ,hebrews in the
 desert1 hidden during the day in a dark
 cloud1 and shining during the night2 he
 who spoke to ,balaam1 and threatened to
 kill his she-ass2#ab he1 lastly1 who   
contended with ,satan for the body of   
,moses2#ac--;all these angels were      
without doubt good angels4  ,we must    
think the same of him who presented     
himself armed to ,joshua on the plain of
 ,jericho1#ad and who declared himself  
head of the army of the ,lord2 it is    
believed1 with reason1 that it was the  
angel ,michael4 ,he who showed himself  
to the wife of ,manoah1#ae the father of
 ,samson1 and afterwards to ,manoah     
himself4 ,he who announced to ,gideon   
that he should deliver ,israel from the 
power of the ,midianites4#af ,the angel 
,gabriel1 who appeared to ,daniel1 at   
,babylon2#ag and ,raphael who conducted 

the young ,tobias to ,rages1 in         
,media4#ah  ,the prophecy of the        
,prophet ,zechariah is full of visions  
of angels4#ai ,in the books of the ,old 
,testament the throne of the ,lord is   
described as resting on cherubim2 and   
the ,god of ,israel is represented as   
having before his throne#bj seven       
principal angels1 always ready to       
execute his orders1 and four cherubim   
singing his praises1 and adoring his    
sovereign holiness2 the whole making a  
sort of allusion to what they saw in the
 court of the ancient ,persian kings1#ba
 where there were seven principal       
officers who saw his face1 approached   
his person1 and were called the eyes and
 ears of the king4   ,footnotes3  #c    
,gen4 iii4 #bd4  #d ,gen4 xviii4 #a-c4  
#e ,gen4 xix4  #f ,gen4 xxi4 #ag4  #g   
,gen4 xxviii4 #ab4  #h ,gen4 xxxi4 #aj1 
#aa4  #i ,gen4 xxxii4  #aj ,exod4 iii4  
#f1 #g4  #aa ,exod4 iii4 iv4  #ab ,numb4
 xxii4 xxiii4  #ac ,jude #i4  #ad ,josh4
 v4 #ac4  #ae ,judges xiii4  #af ,judges

 vi4 vii4  #ag ,dan4 viii4 #af2 ix4 #ba4
  #ah ,tobit v4  #ai ,zech4 v4 #i1 #aj1 
#aa1 c4  #bj ,psalm xvii4 #aj2 lxxix4   
#b1 c4  #ba ,tobit xii4 ,zech4 iv4 #aj4 
,rev4 i4 #d4     ,,chapter ,,ii4  ,,the 
,,appearance ,,of ,,good ,,angels       
,,proved ,,by ,,the ,,books ,,of ,,the  
,,new ,,testament4   ,the books of the  
,new ,testament are in the same manner  
full of facts which prove the apparition
 of good angels4 ,the angel ,gabriel    
appeared to ,zachariah the father of    
,john the ,baptist1 and predicted to him
 the future birth of the ,forerunner4#bb
 ,the ,jews1 who saw ,zachariah come out
 of the temple1 after having remained   
within it a longer time than usual1     
having remarked that he was struck dumb1
 had no doubt but that he had seen some 
apparition of an angel4 ,the same       
,gabriel announced to ,mary the future  
birth of the ,messiah4#bc ,when ,jesus  
was born in ,bethlehem1 the angel of the
 ,lord appeared to the shepherds in the 
night1#bd and declared to them that the 

,saviour of the world was born at       
,bethlehem4 ,there is every reason to   
believe that the star which appeared to 
the ,magi in the ,east1 and which led   
them straight to ,jerusalem1 and thence 
to ,bethlehem1 was directed by a good   
angel4#be ,st4 ,joseph was warned by a  
celestial spirit to retire into ,egypt1 
with the mother and the infant ,christ1 
for fear that ,jesus should fall into   
the hands of ,herod1 and be involved in 
the massacre of the ,innocents4 ,the    
same angel informed ,joseph of the death
 of ,king ,herod1 and told him to return
 to the land of ,israel4  ,after the    
temptation of ,jesus ,christ in the     
wilderness1 angels came and brought him 
food4#bf ,the demon tempter said to     
,jesus ,christ that ,god had commanded  
his angels to lead him1 and to prevent  
him from stumbling against a stone2     
which is taken from the #ib;d ,psalm1   
and proves the belief of the ,jews on   
the article of guardian angels4 ,the    
,saviour confirms the same truth when he

 says that the angels of children       
constantly behold the face of the       
celestial ,father4#bg ,at the last      
judgment1 the good angels will separate 
the just1#bh and lead them to the       
kingdom of heaven1 while they will      
precipitate the wicked into eternal     
fire4  ,at the agony of ,jesus ,christ  
in the garden of ,olives1 an angel      
descended from heaven to console him4#bi
 ,after his resurrection1 angels        
appeared to the holy women who had come 
to his tomb to embalm him4#cj ,in the   
,acts of the ,apostles1 they appeared to
 the apostles as soon as ,jesus had     
ascended into heaven2 and the angel of  
the ,lord came and opened the doors of  
the prison where the apostles were      
confined1 and set them at liberty4#ca   
,in the same book1 ,st4 ,stephen tells  
us that the law was given to ,moses by  
the ministration of angels2#cb          
consequently1 those were angels who     
appeared on ,sinai and ,horeb1 and who  
spoke to him in the name of ,god1 as his

 ambassadors1 and as invested with his  
authority2 also1 the same ,moses1       
speaking of the angel of the ,lord1 who 
was to introduce ,israel into the       
,promised ,land1 says that the name of  
,god is in him4#cc ,st4 ,peter1 being in
 prison1 is delivered from thence by an 
angel1#cd who conducted him the length  
of a street1 and disappeared4 ,st4      
,peter1 knocking at the door of the     
house in which his brethren were1 they  
could not believe that it was he2 they  
thought that it was his angel who       
knocked and spoke4 ,st4 ,paul1          
instructed in the school of the         
,pharisees1 thought as they did on the  
subject of angels2 he believed in their 
existence1 in opposition to the         
,sadducees1#ce and supposed that they   
could appear4 ,when this apostle1 having
 been arrested by the ,romans1 related  
to the people how he had been overthrown
 at ,damascus1 the ,pharisees1 who were 
present1 replied to those who exclaimed 
against him--,how do we know1 if an     

angel or a spirit hath not spoken to    
him8 ,st4 ,luke says that a ,macedonian 
7apparently the angel of ,macedonia7    
appeared to ,st4 ,paul1 and begged him  
to come and announce the ,gospel in that
 country4  ,st4 ,john1 in the           
,apocalypse1 speaks of the seven angels 
who presided over the churches in ,asia4
 ,i know that these seven angels are the
 bishops of these churches1 but the     
ecclesiastical tradition will have it   
that every church has its tutelary      
angel4 ,in the same book1 the           
,apocalypse1 are related divers         
appearances of angels4 ,all ,christian  
antiquity has recognized them2 the      
synagogue also has recognized them2 so  
that it may be affirmed that nothing is 
more certain than the existence of good 
angels and their apparitions4  ,i place 
in the number of apparitions1 not only  
those of good or bad angels1 and the    
spirits of the dead who show themselves 
to the living1 but also those of the    
living who show themselves to the angels

 or souls of the dead2 whether these    
apparitions are seen in dreams1 or      
during sleep1 or awaking2 whether they  
manifest themselves to all those who are
 present1 or only to the persons to whom
 ,god judges proper to manifest them4   
,for instance1 in the ,apocalypse1#cf   
,st4 ,john saw the four animals1 and the
 four-and-twenty elders1 who were       
clothed in white garments and wore      
crowns of gold upon their heads1 and    
were seated on thrones around that of   
the ,almighty1 who prostrated themselves
 before the throne of the ,eternal1 and 
cast their crowns at his feet4  ,and1   
elsewhere3 ,i saw four angels standing  
at the four corners of the world1#cg who
 held back the four winds and prevented 
them from blowing on the earth2 then ,i 
saw another angel1 who rose on the side 
of the east1 and who cried out to the   
four angels who had orders to hurt the  
earth1 ,do no harm to the earth1 or the 
sea1 or the trees1 until we have        
impressed a sign on the foreheads of the

 servants of ,god4 ,and ,i heard that   
the number of those who received this   
sign 7or mark7 was a hundred and        
forty-four thousand4 ,afterwards ,i saw 
an innumerable multitude of all nations1
 tribes1 people1 and languages1 standing
 before the throne of the ,most ,high1  
arrayed in white garments1 and having   
palms in their hands4  ,and in the same 
book#ch ,st4 ,john says1 after having   
described the majesty of the throne of  
,god1 and the adoration paid to him by  
the angels and saints prostrate before  
him1 one of the elders said to          
him1--,those whom you see covered with  
white robes1 are those who have suffered
 great trials and afflictions1 and have 
washed their robes in the blood of the  
,lamb2 for which reason they stand      
before the throne of ,god1 and will do  
so night and day in his temple2 and ,he 
who is seated on the throne will reign  
over them1 and the angel which is in the
 midst of the throne will conduct them  
to the fountains of living water4 ,and1 

again1#ci ,i saw under the altar of ,god
 the souls of those who have been put to
 death for defending the ,word of ,god1 
and for the testimony which they have   
rendered2 they cried with a loud voice1 
saying1 ,when1 ,o ,lord1 wilt thou not  
avenge our blood upon those who are on  
the earth8 c4  ,all these apparitions1  
and several others similar to them1     
which might be related as being derived 
from the holy books as well as from     
authentic histories1 are true           
apparitions1 although neither the angels
 nor the martyrs spoken of in the       
,apocalypse came and presented          
themselves to ,st4 ,john2 but1 on the   
contrary1 this apostle was transported  
in spirit to heaven1 to see there what  
we have just related4 ,these are        
apparitions which may be called passive 
on the part of the angels and holy      
martyrs1 and active on the part of the  
holy apostle who saw them4   ,footnotes3
  #bb ,luke i4 #aj-ab1 c4  #bc ,luke i4 
#bf1 #bg1 c4  #bd ,luke ii4 #i1 #aj4    

#be ,matt4 ii4 #ac1 #ad1 #bj4  #bf      
,matt4 iv4 #f1 #aa4  #bg ,matt4 xviii4  
#af4  #bh ,matt4 xiii4 #de1 #df4  #bi   
,luke xxii4 #dc4  #cj ,matt4 xxviii4    
,john4  #ca ,acts v4 #ai4  #cb ,acts    
vii4 #cj1 #ce4  #cc ,exod4 xxiii4 #ba4  
#cd ,acts xii4 #h1 #i4  #ce ,rom4 i4    
#ah4 #a ,cor4 iv4 #i2 vi4 #c2 xii4 #g4  
,gal4 iii4 #ai4 ,acts xvi4 #i2 xxiii4   
#i4 ,rev4 i4 #aa4  #cf ,rev4 iv4 #d1    
#aj4  #cg ,rev4 vii4 #a-c1 #i1 c4  #ch  
,rev4 vii4 #ac1 #ad4  #ci ,rev4 vi4 #i1 
#aj4     ,,chapter ,,iii4  ,,under      
,,what ,,form ,,have ,,good ,,angels    
,,appeared8   ,the most usual form in   
which good angels appear1 both in the   
,old ,testament and the ,new1 is the    
human form4 ,it was in that shape they  
showed themselves to ,abraham1 ,lot1    
,jacob1 ,moses1 ,joshua1 ,manoah the    
father of ,samson1 to ,david1 ,tobit1   
the ,prophets2 and in the ,new          
,testament they appeared in the same    
form to the ,holy ,virgin1 to ,zachariah
 the father of ,john the ,baptist1 to   

,jesus ,christ after his fast of forty  
days1 and to him again in his agony in  
the ,garden of ,olives4 ,they showed    
themselves in the same form to the holy 
women after the resurrection of the     
,saviour4 ,the one who appeared to      
,joshua#dj on the plain of ,jericho     
appeared apparently in the guise of a   
warrior1 since ,joshua asks him1 ,art   
thou for us1 or for our adversaries8    
,sometimes they hide themselves under   
some form which has resemblance to the  
human shape1 like him who appeared to   
,moses in the burning bush1#da and who  
led the ,israelites in the desert in the
 form of a cloud1 dense and dark during 
the day1 but luminous at night4#db ,the 
,psalmist tells us that ,god makes his  
angels serve as a piercing wind and a   
burning fire1 to execute his orders4#dc 
,the cherubim1 so often spoken of in the
 ,scriptures1 and who are described as  
serving for a throne to the majesty of  
,god1 were hieroglyphical figures1      
something like the sphinx of the        

,egyptians2 those which are described in
 ,ezekiel#dd are like animals composed  
of the figure of a man1 having the wings
 of an eagle1 the feet of an ox2 their  
heads were composed of the face of a    
man1 an ox1 a lion1 and an eagle1 two of
 their wings were spread towards their  
fellows1 and two others covered their   
body2 they were brilliant as burning    
coals1 as lighted lamps1 as the fiery   
heavens when they send forth the        
lightning's flash--they were terrible to
 look upon4  ,the one who appeared to   
,daniel#de was different from those we  
have just described2 he was in the shape
 of a man1 covered with a linen garment1
 and round his loins a girdle of very   
fine gold2 his body was shining as a    
chrysolite1 his face as a flash of      
lightning2 his eyes darted fire like a  
lamp2 his arms and all the lower part of
 his body was like brass melted in the  
furnace2 his voice was loud as that of a
 multitude of people4  ,st4 ,john1 in   
the ,apocalypse1#df saw around the      

throne of the ,most ,high four animals1 
which doubtless were four angels2 they  
were covered with eyes before and       
behind4 ,the first resembled a lion1 the
 second an ox1 the third had the form of
 a man1 and the fourth was like an eagle
 with outspread wings2 each of them had 
six wings1 and they never ceased to cry 
night and day1 ,holy1 holy1 holy1 ,lord 
,god ,almighty1 who was1 and is1 and is 
to come4  ,the angel who was placed at  
the entrance of the terrestrial paradise
 was armed with a shining sword1#dg as  
well as the one who appeared to         
,balaam1#dh and who threatened1 or was  
near killing both himself and his ass2  
and so1 apparently1 was the one who     
showed himself to ,joshua in the plain  
of ,jericho1#di and the angel who       
appeared to ,david1 ready to smite all  
,israel4 ,the angel ,raphael guided the 
young ,tobias to ,rags under the human  
form of a traveler4#ej ,the angel who   
was seen by the holy woman at the       
sepulchre of the ,saviour1 who overthrew

 the large stone which closed the mouth 
of the tomb1 and who was seated upon it1
 had a countenance which shone like     
lightning1 and garments white as        
snow4#ea  ,in the ,acts of the          
,apostles1#eb the angel who extricated  
them from prison1 and told them to go   
boldly and preach ,jesus ,christ in the 
temple1 also appeared to them in a human
 form4 ,the manner in which he delivered
 them from the dungeon is quite         
miraculous2 for the chief priests having
 commanded that they should appear      
before them1 those who were sent found  
the prison securely closed1 the guards  
wide awake2 but having caused the doors 
to be opened1 they found the dungeon    
empty4 ,how could an angel without      
opening1 or any fracture of the doors1  
thus extricate men from prison without  
either the guards or the jailer         
perceiving anything of the matter8 ,the 
thing is beyond any known powers of     
nature2 but it is no more impossible    
than to see our ,saviour1 after his     

resurrection1 invested with flesh and   
bones1 as he himself says1 come forth   
from his sepulchre1 without opening it1 
and without breaking the seals1#ec enter
 the chamber wherein were the apostles  
without opening the doors1#ed and speak 
to the disciples going to ,emmaus       
without making himself known to them2   
then1 after having opened their eyes1   
disappear and become invisible4#ee      
,during the forty days that he remained 
upon earth till his ascension1 he drank 
and ate with them1 he spoke to them1 he 
appeared to them2 but he showed himself 
only to those witnesses who were        
pre-ordained by the eternal ,father to  
bear testimony to his resurrection4     
,the angel who appeared to the centurion
 ,cornelius1 a pagan1 but fearing ,god1 
answered his questions1 and discovered  
to him unknown things1 which things came
 to pass4  ,sometimes the angels1       
without assuming any visible shape1 give
 proofs of their presence by            
intelligible voices1 by inspirations1 by

 sensible effects1 by dreams1 or by     
revelations of things unknown1 whether  
future or past4 ,sometimes by striking  
with blindness1 or infusing a spirit of 
uncertainty or stupidity in the minds of
 those whom ,god wills should feel the  
effects of his wrath2 for instance1 it  
is said in the ,scriptures that the     
,israelites heard no distinct speech1   
and beheld no form on ,horeb when ,god  
spoke to ,moses and gave him the        
,law4#ef  ,the angel who might have     
killed ,balaam's ass was not at first   
perceived by the prophet2#eg ,daniel was
 the only one who beheld the angel      
,gabriel1 who revealed to him the       
mystery of the great empires which were 
to succeed each other4#eh  ,when the    
,lord spoke for the first time to       
,samuel1 and predicted to him the evils 
which he would inflict on the family of 
the high-priest ,eli1 the young prophet 
saw no visible form2 he only heard a    
voice1 which he at first mistook for    
that of the high-priest ,eli1 not being 

yet accustomed to distinguish the voice 
of ,god from that of a man4  ,the angels
 who guided ,lot and his family from    
,sodom and ,gomorrah were at first      
perceived under a human form by the     
inhabitants of the city2 but afterwards 
these same angels struck the men with   
blindness1 and thus prevented them from 
finding the door of ,lot's house1 into  
which they would have entered by force4 
,thus1 then1 angels do not always appear
 under a visible or sensible form1 nor  
in a figure uniformly the same2 but they
 give proofs of their presence by an    
infinity of different ways--by          
inspirations1 by voices1 by prodigies1  
by miraculous effects1 by predictions of
 the future1 and other things hidden and
 impenetrable to the human mind4  ,st4  
,cyprian relates that an ,african       
bishop1 falling ill during the          
persecution1 earnestly requested to have
 the viaticum administered to him2 at   
the same time he saw1 as it were1 a     
young man1 with a majestic air1 and     

shining with such extraordinary lustre  
that the eyes of mortals could not have 
beheld him without terror2 nevertheless1
 the bishop was not alarmed4 ,this angel
 said to him1 angrily1 and in a menacing
 tone1 ,you fear to suffer4 ,you do not 
wish to leave this world4 ,what would   
you have me do for you8 7or ,what can ,i
 do for you87 ,the good bishop          
comprehended that these words alike     
regarded him and the other ,christians  
who feared persecution and death4 ,the  
bishop talked to them1 encouraged them1 
and exhorted them to arm themselves with
 patience to support the tortures with  
which they were threatened4 ,he received
 the communion1 and died in peace4 ,we  
shall find in different histories an    
infinite number of other apparitions of 
angels under a human form4   ,footnotes3
  #dj ,josh4 v4 #bi4  #da ,exod4 iii4   
#c1 #dd4  #db ,exod4 xiii4 xiv4  #dc    
,psalm civ4 #d4  #dd ,ezek4 i4 #d1 #f4  
#de ,dan4 x4 #e4  #df ,rev4 iv4 #g1 #h4 
#dg ,gen4 iii4 #bd4  #dh ,numb4 xxii4   

#bb1 #bc4  #di #a ,chron4 xxi4 #af4  #ej
 ,tobit v4 #e4  #ea ,matt4 xxviii4 #c4  
#eb ,acts ii4  #ec ,matt4 xxviii4 #a1   
#b4  #ed ,john xix4 #bj4  #ee ,luke     
xxiii4 #ae-ag1 c4  #ef ,deut4 iv4 #ae4  
#eg ,numb4 xii4 #bb1 #bc4  #eh ,dan4 x4 
#g1 #h4     ,,chapter ,,iv4  ,,opinions 
,,of ,,the ,,jews1 ,,christians1        
,,mahometans1 ,,and ,,oriental ,,nations
 ,,concerning ,,the ,,apparitions ,,of  
,,good ,,angels4   ,after what we have  
just related from the books of the ,old 
and ,new ,testament1 it cannot be       
disavowed that the ,jews in general1 the
 apostles1 the ,christians1 and their   
disciples have commonly believed in the 
apparitions of good angels4 ,the        
,sadducees1 who denied the existence and
 the apparition of angels1 were commonly
 considered by the ,jews as heretics1   
and as supporting an erroneous doctrine4
 ,jesus ,christ refutes them in the     
,gospel4 ,the ,jews of our days believe 
literally what is related in the ,old   
,testament1 concerning the angels who   

appeared to ,abraham1 ,lot1 and other   
patriarchs4 ,it was the belief of the   
,pharisees and of the apostles in the   
time of our ,saviour1 as may be seen by 
the writings of the apostles and by the 
whole of the ,gospel4  ,the ,mahometans 
believe1 as do the ,jews and            
,christians1 that good angels appear to 
men sometimes under a human form2 that  
they appeared to ,abraham and ,lot2 that
 they punished the inhabitants of       
,sodom2 that the archangel ,gabriel     
appeared to ,mahomet1 and revealed to   
him all that is laid down in his ,koran3
 that the genii are of a middle nature1 
between man and angel2#ei that they eat1
 drink1 beget children2 that they die1  
and can foresee things to come4 ,in     
consequence of this principle or idea1  
they believe that there are male and    
female genii2 that the males1 whom the  
,persians call by the name of ,dives1   
are bad1 very ugly1 and mischievous1    
making war against the ,peris1 who are  
the females4 ,the ,rabbis will have it  

that these genii were born of ,adam     
alone1 without any concurrence of his   
wife ,eve1 or of any other woman1 and   
that they are what we call ignis fatuii 
7or wandering lights74  ,the antiquity  
of these opinions touching the          
corporality of angels appears in several
 old writers1 who1 deceived by the      
apocryphal book which passes under the  
name of the ,book of ,enoch1 have       
explained of the angels what is said in 
,genesis1#fj ,that the children of ,god1
 having seen the daughters of men1 fell 
in love with their beauty1 wedded them1 
and begot giants of them4 ,several of   
the ancient ,fathers#fa have adopted    
this opinion1 which is now given up by  
everybody1 with the exception of some   
new writers1 who desire to revive the   
idea of the corporality of angels1      
demons1 and souls--an opinion which is  
absolutely incompatible with that of the
 ,catholic church1 which holds that     
angels are of a nature entirely distinct
 from matter4  ,i acknowledge that1     

according to their system1 the affair of
 apparitions could be more easily       
explained2 it is easier to conceive that
 a corporeal substance should appear1   
and render itself visible to our eyes1  
than a substance purely spiritual2 but  
this is not the place to reason on a    
philosophical question1 on which        
different hypotheses could be freely    
grounded1 and to choose that which      
should explain these appearances in the 
most plausible manner1 even though it   
answer in the most satisfactory manner  
the question asked1 and the objections  
formed against the facts1 and against   
the proposed manner of stating them4    
,the question is resolved1 and the      
matter decided4 ,the church and the     
,catholic schools hold that angels1     
demons1 and reasonable souls1 are       
disengaged from all matter2 the same    
church and the same school hold it as   
certain that good and bad angels1 and   
souls separated from the body1 sometimes
 appear by the will and with the        

permission of ,god3 there we must stop2 
as to the manner of explaining these    
apparitions1 we must1 without losing    
sight of the certain principle of the   
immateriality of these substances1      
explain them according to the analogy of
 the ,christian and ,catholic faith1    
acknowledged sincerely that in this     
matter there are certain depths which we
 cannot sound1 and confine our mind and 
information within the limits of that   
obedience which we owe to the authority 
of the church1 that can neither err nor 
deceive us4  ,the apparitions of good   
angels and of guardian angels are       
frequently mentioned in the ,old as in  
the ,new ,testament4 ,when the ,apostle 
,st4 ,peter had left the prison by the  
assistance of an angel1 and went and    
knocked at the door where the brethren  
were1 they believed that it was his     
angel and not himself who knocked4#fb   
,and when ,cornelius the ,centurion     
prayed to ,god in his own house1 an     
angel 7apparently his good angel7       

appeared to him1 and told him to send   
and fetch ,peter1 who was then at       
,joppa4#fc  ,st4 ,paul desires that at  
church no woman should appear among them
 without her face being veiled1 because 
of the angels2#fd doubtless from respect
 to the good angels who presided in     
these assemblies4 ,the same ,st4 ,paul  
reassures those who were with him in    
danger of almost inevitable shipwreck1  
by telling them that his angel had      
appeared to him#fe and assured him that 
they should arrive safe at the end of   
their voyage4  ,in the ,old ,testament1 
we likewise read of several apparitions 
of angels1 which can hardly be explained
 but as of guardian angels2 for         
instance1 the one who appeared to ,hagar
 in the wilderness1 and commanded her to
 return and submit herself to ,sarah her
 mistress2#ff and the angel who appeared
 to ,abraham1 as he was about to        
immolate ,isaac his son1 and told him   
that ,god was satisfied with his        
obedience2#fg and when the same ,abraham

 sent his servant ,eleazer into         
,mesopotamia1 to ask for a wife for his 
son ,isaac1 he told him that the ,god of
 heaven1 who had promised to give him   
the land of ,canaan1 would send his     
angel#fh to dispose all things according
 to his wishes4 ,examples of similar    
apparitions of tutelary angels1 derived 
from the ,old ,testament1 might here be 
multiplied1 but the circumstance does   
not require a greater number of proofs4 
,under the new dispensation1 the        
apparitions of good angels1 of guardian 
spirits1 are not less frequent in most  
authentic stories2 there are few saints 
to whom ,god has not granted similar    
favors3 we may cite1 in particular1 ,st4
 ,frances1 a ,roman lady of the         
sixteenth century1 who saw her guardian 
angel1 and he talked to her1 instructed 
her1 and corrected her4   ,footnotes3   
#ei ,d',herbelot1 ,bibl4 ,orient4       
,perith4 ,dives1 #ghe4 ,idem1 #bdc1 p4  
#he4  #fj ,gen4 vi4 #b4  #fa ,joseph4   
,antiq4 lib4 i4 c4 #d4 ,philo1 ,de      

,gigantibus4 ,justin4 ,apol4 ,turtul4 de
 ,anim4 ,vide ,commentatores in ,gen4   
iv4  #fb ,acts xii4 #ae4  #fc ,acts x4  
#b1 #c4  #fd #a ,cor4 xi4 #aj4  #fe     
,acts xxvii4 #ba1 #bb4  #ff ,gen4 xvi4  
#i4  #fg ,gen4 xxii4 #aa1 #ag4  #fh     
,gen4 xxiv4 #g4     ,,chapter ,v4       
,,opinion ,,of ,,the ,,greeks ,,and     
,,romans ,,on ,,the ,,apparitions ,,of  
,,good ,,genii4   ,jamblichus1 a        
disciple of ,porphyry1#fi has treated   
the matter of genii and their apparition
 more profoundly than any other author  
of antiquity4 ,it would seem1 to hear   
him discourse1 that he knew both the    
genii and their qualities1 and that he  
had with them the most intimate and     
continual converse4 ,he affirms that our
 eyes are delighted by the appearance of
 the gods1 that the apparitions of the  
archangels are terrible2 those of angels
 are milder2 but when demons and heroes 
appear1 they inspire terror2 the        
archontes1 who preside over this world1 
cause at the same time an impression of 

grief and fear4 ,the apparition of souls
 is not quite so disagreeable as that of
 heroes4 ,in the appearance of the gods 
there is order and mildness1 confusion  
and disorder in that of demons1 and     
tumult in that of the archontes4  ,when 
the gods show themselves1 it seems as if
 the heavens1 the sun and moon1 were all
 about to be annihilated2 one would     
think that the earth could not support  
their presence4 ,on the appearance of an
 archangel1 there is an earthquake in   
every part of the world2 it is preceded 
by a stronger light than that which     
accompanies the apparition of the       
angels2 at the appearance of a demon it 
is less strong1 and diminishes still    
more when it is a hero who shows        
himself4  ,the apparitions of the gods  
are very luminous2 those of angels and  
archangels less so2 those of demons are 
dark1 but less dark than those of       
heroes4 ,the archontes1 who preside over
 the brightest things in this world1 are
 luminous2 but those which are occupied 

only with what is material1 are dark4   
,when souls appear1 they resemble a     
shade4 ,he continues his description of 
these apparitions1 and enters into      
tiresome details on the subject2 one    
would say1 to hear him1 that that there 
was a most intimate and habitual        
connection between the gods1 the angels1
 the demons1 and the souls separated    
from the body1 and himself4 ,but all    
this is only the work of his            
imagination2 he knew no more than any   
other concerning a matter which is above
 the reach of man's understanding4 ,he  
had never seen any apparitions of gods  
or heroes1 or archontes2 unless we say  
that there are veritable demons which   
sometimes appear to men4 ,but to discern
 them one from the other1 as ,jamblichus
 pretends to do1 is mere illusion4  ,the
 ,greeks and ,romans1 like the ,hebrews 
and ,christians1 acknowledged two sorts 
of genii1 some good and beneficent1 the 
others bad1 and causing evil4 ,the      
ancients even believed that every one of

 us received at our birth a good and an 
evil genius2 the former procured us     
happiness and prosperity1 the latter    
engaged us in unfortunate enterprises1  
inspired us with unruly desires1 and    
cast us into the worst misfortunes4     
,they assigned genii1 not only to every 
person1 but also to every house1 every  
city1 and every province4#gj ,these     
genii are considered as good1           
beneficent1#ga and worthy of the worship
 of those who invoke them4 ,they were   
represented sometimes under the form of 
a serpent1 sometimes as a child or a    
youth4 ,flowers1 incense1 cakes1 and    
wine were offered to them4#gb ,men swore
 by the names of the genii4#gc ,it was a
 great crime to perjure one's self after
 having sworn by the genius of the      
emperor1 says ,tertullian2#gd ,citius   
apud vos per omnes ,deos1 qum per unicum
 ,genium ,csaris perjuratur4  ,we often 
see on medals the inscription1 ,,genio  
,,populi ,,romani2 and when the ,romans 
landed in a country1 they failed not to 

salute and adore its genius1 and to     
offer him sacrifices4#ge ,in short1     
there was neither kingdom1 nor province1
 nor town1 nor house1 nor door1 nor     
edifice1 whether public or private1     
which had not its genius4#gf  ,we have  
seen above what ,jamblichus informs us  
concerning apparitions of the gods1     
genii1 good and bad angels1 heroes1 and 
the archontes who preside over the      
government of the world4  ,homer1 the   
most ancient of ,greek writers1 and the 
most celebrated theologian of ,paganism1
 relates several apparitions both of    
gods and heroes1 and also of the dead4  
,in the ,odyssey1#gg he represents      
,ulysses going to consult the sorcerer  
,tiresias2 and this diviner having      
prepared a grave or trench full of blood
 to evoke the manes1 ,ulysses draws his 
sword to prevent them from coming to    
drink this blood1 for which they thirst2
 but which they were not allowed to     
taste before they had answered the      
questions put to them4 ,they believed   

also that the souls of the dead could   
not rest1 and that they wandered around 
their dead bodies so long as the corpse 
remained uninhumed4  ,even after they   
were interred1 food was offered them2   
above everything honey was given1 as if 
leaving their tomb they came to taste   
what was offered them4#gh ,they were    
persuaded that the demons loved the     
smoke of sacrifices1 melody1 the blood  
of victims1 and intercourse with women2 
that they were attached for a time to   
certain spots and certain edifices which
 they infested4 ,they believed that     
souls separated from the gross and      
terrestrial body1 preserved after death 
one more subtile and elastic1 having the
 form of that they had quitted2 that    
these bodies were luminous1 and like the
 stars2 that they retained an           
inclination for those things which they 
had loved during their life on earth1   
and that often they appeared gliding    
around their tombs4  ,to bring back all 
this to the matter here treated of1 that

 is to say1 to the appearance of good   
angels1 we may note1 that in the same   
manner that we attach to the apparitions
 of good angels the idea of tutelary    
spirits of kingdoms1 provinces1 and     
nations1 and of each of us in           
particular--as1 for instance1 the       
,prince of the kingdom of ,persia1 or   
the angel of that nation1 who resisted  
the archangel ,gabriel during twenty-one
 days1 as we read in ,daniel2#gi the    
angel of ,macedonia1 who appeared to    
,st4 ,paul1#hj and of whom we have      
spoken before2 the archangel ,st4       
,michael1 who is considered as the chief
 of the people of ,god and the armies of
 ,israel2#ha and the guardian angels    
deputed by ,god to guide us and guard us
 all the days of our life--so we may say
 that the ,greeks and ,romans1 being    
,gentiles1 believed that certain sorts  
of spirits1 which they imagined were    
good and beneficent1 protected their    
kingdoms1 provinces1 towns1 and private 
houses4  ,they paid them a superstitious

 and idolatrous worship1 as to domestic 
divinities2 they invoked them1 offered  
them a kind of sacrifice and offerings  
of incense1 cakes1 honey1 and wine1     
c4--but not bloody sacrifices4#hb  ,the 
,platonicians taught that carnal and    
voluptuous men could not see their      
genii1 because their mind was not       
sufficiently pure1 nor enough disengaged
 from sensual things2 but that men who  
were wise1 moderate1 and temperate1 and 
who applied themselves to serious and   
sublime subjects1 could see them2 as    
,socrates1 for instance1 who had his    
familiar genius1 whom he consulted1 to  
whose advice he listened1 and whom he   
beheld1 at least with the eyes of the   
mind4  ,if the oracles of ,greece and   
other countries are reckoned in the     
number of apparitions of bad spirits1 we
 may also recollect the good spirits who
 have announced things to come1 and have
 assisted the prophets and inspired     
persons1 whether in the ,old ,testament 
or the ,new4 ,the angel ,gabriel was    

sent to ,daniel#hc to instruct him      
concerning the vision of the four great 
monarchies1 and the accomplishment of   
the seventy weeks1 which were to put an 
end to the captivity4 ,the prophet      
,zechariah says expressly that the angel
 who appeared unto him#hd revealed to   
him what he must say--he repeats it in  
five or six places2 ,st4 ,john1 in the  
,apocalypse1#he says the same thing1    
that ,god had sent his angel to inspire 
him with what he was to say to the      
,churches4 ,elsewhere#hf he again makes 
mention of the angel who talked with    
him1 and who took in his presence the   
dimensions of the heavenly ,jerusalem4  
,and again1 ,st4 ,paul in his ,epistle  
to the ,hebrews1#hg ,if what has been   
predicted by the angels may pass for    
certain4  ,from all we have just said1  
it results that the apparitions of good 
angels are not only possible1 but also  
very real2 that they have often         
appeared1 and under diverse forms2 that 
the ,hebrews1 ,christians1 ,mahometans1 

,greeks1 and ,romans have believed in   
them2 that when they have not sensibly  
appeared1 they have given proofs of     
their presence in several different     
ways4 ,we shall examine elsewhere how we
 can explain the kind of apparition1    
whether of good or bad angels1 or souls 
separated from the body4   ,footnotes3  
#fi ,jamblic4 lib4 ii4 cap4 #c  #e4  #gj
   ,quod te per ,genium1 dextramque     
,deosque ,penates1   ,obsecro et        
obtestor4--,horat4 lib4 i4 ,epist4 #g4  
#id4    ----,dum cunctis supplex        
advolveris aris1   ,ei mitem ,genium    
,domini prsentis adoras4                
,stac4 lib4 v4 ,syl4 ,i4 #gc4   #ga     
,antiquite explique1 tom4 i4  #gb       
,perseus1 ,satire ii4  #gc ,senec4      
,epist4 #ab4  #gd ,tertull4 ,apol4 c4   
#bc4  #ge   ,troja vale1 rapimur1       
clamant2 dant oscula terr               
,troades4--,ovid4 ,metam41 lib4 xiii4   
#dba4  #gf   ,quamquam cur ,genium ,rom1
 mihi fingitis unum8   ,cm portis1      
domibus2 thermis1 stabulis soleatis1    

,assignare suos ,genios8--,prudent4     
contra ,symmach4  #gg ,odyss4 ,,xi4 sub4
 fin4 ,vid4 ,horat4 lib4 i4 ,satire #g1 
c4  #gh ,virgil4 neid4 ,i4 #f4 ,august4 
,serm4 #ae4 de ,,ss4 et ,qust4 #e4 in   
,deut4 i4 #e c4 #dc4 ,vide ,spencer1 de 
,leg4 ,hebror4 ,ritual4  #gi ,dan4 x4   
#ac4  #hj ,acts xvi4 #i4  #ha ,josh4 v4 
#ac4 ,dan4 x4 #ac1 #ba2 xii4 #a4 ,judg4 
v4 #f4 ,rev4 xii4 #g  #hb ,forsitan quis
 qurat1 quid caus sit1 ut merum         
fundendum sit genio1 non hostiam        
faciendam putaverint4444 ,scilicet ut   
die natali munus annale genio solverent1
 manum  coede ac sanguine               
abstinerent4--,censorin4 de ,die        
,natali1 c4 #b4 ,vide ,taffin de ,anno  
,scul4  #hc ,dan4 viii4 #af2 ix4 #ba4   
#hd ,zech4 i4 #aj1 #ac1 #ad1 #ai2 ii4   
#c1 #d2 iv4 #a1 #d1 #e2 v4 #e1 #aj4  #he
 ,rev4 i4 #a4  #hf ,rev4 x4 #h1 #i1 c42 
xi4 #a1 #b1 #c1 c4  #hg ,heb4 ii4 #b4   
,,chapter ,,vi4  ,,the ,,apparition ,,of
 ,,bad ,,angels ,,proved ,,by ,,the     
,,holy ,,scriptures--,,under ,,what     

,,form ,,they ,,have ,,appeared4   ,the 
books of the ,old and ,new ,testament1  
together with sacred and profane        
history1 are full of relations of the   
apparition of bad spirits4 ,the first1  
the most famous1 and the most fatal     
apparition of ,satan1 is that of the    
appearance of this evil spirit to ,eve1 
the first woman1#hh in the form of a    
serpent1 which animal served as the     
instrument of that seducing demon in    
order to deceive her and induce her to  
sin4 ,since that time he has always     
chosen to appear under that form rather 
than any other2 so in ,scripture he is  
often termed the ,old ,serpent2#hi and  
it is said that the infernal dragon     
fought against the woman who figured or 
represented the church2 that the        
archangel ,st4 ,michael vanquished him  
and cast him down from heaven4 ,he has  
often appeared to the servants of ,god  
in the form of a dragon1 and he has     
caused himself to be adored by          
unbelievers in this form1 in a great    

number of places3 at ,babylon1 for      
instance1 they worshiped a living       
dragon1#ij which ,daniel killed by      
making it swallow a ball or bolus1      
composed of ingredients of a mortally   
poisonous nature4 ,the serpent was      
consecrated to ,apollo1 the god of      
physic and of oracles2 and the pagans   
had a sort of divination by means of    
serpents1 which they called             
,ophiomantia4  ,the ,egyptians1 ,greeks1
 and ,romans worshiped serpents1 and    
regarded them as divine4#ia ,they       
brought to ,rome the serpent of         
,epidaurus1 to which they paid divine   
honors4 ,the ,egyptians considered      
vipers as divinities4#ib ,the           
,israelites adored the brazen serpent   
elevated by ,moses in the desert1#ic and
 which was in after times broken in     
pieces by the holy king ,hezekiah4#id   
,st4 ,augustine#ie assures us that the  
,manichans regarded the serpent as the  
,christ1 and said that this animal had  
opened the eyes of ,adam and ,eve by the

 bad counsel which he gave them4 ,we    
almost always see the form of the       
serpent in the magical figures#if       
,akraxas and ,abrachadabra1 which were  
held in veneration among the ,basilidian
 heretics1 who1 like the ,manichans1    
acknowledge two principles in all       
things--the one good1 the other bad2    
,abraxas in ,hebrew signifies that bad  
principle1 or the father of evil2       
ab-ra-achad-ab-ra1 the father of evil1  
the sole father of evil1 or the only bad
 principle4  ,st4 ,augustine#ig remarks 
that no animal has been more subject to 
the effects of enchantment and magic    
than the serpent1 as if to punish him   
for having seduced the first woman by   
his imposture4  ,however1 the demon has 
usually assumed the human form when he  
would tempt mankind2 it was thus that he
 appeared to ,jesus ,christ in the      
desert2#ih that he tempted him and told 
him to change the stones into bread that
 he might satisfy his hunger2 that he   
transported him1 the ,saviour1 to the   

highest pinnacle of the temple1 and     
showed him all the kingdoms of the      
world1 and offered him the enjoyment of 
them4  ,the angel who wrestled with     
,jacob at ,peniel1#ii on his return from
 his journey into ,mesopotamia1 was a   
bad angel1 according to some ancient    
writers2 others1 as ,severus            
,sulpicius#ajj and some ,rabbis1 have   
thought that it was the angel of ,esau1 
who had come to combat with ,jacob2 but 
the greater number believe that it was a
 good angel4 ,and would ,jacob have     
asked him for his blessing had he deemed
 him a bad angel8 ,but however that fact
 may be taken1 it is not doubtful that  
the demon has appeared in a human form4 
,several stories1 both ancient and      
modern1 are related which inform us that
 the demon has appeared to those whom he
 wished to seduce1 or who have been so  
unhappy as to invoke his aid1 or make a 
compact with him1 as a man taller than  
the common stature1 dressed in black1   
and with a rough ungracious manner2     

making a thousand fine promises to those
 to whom he appeared1 but which promises
 were always deceitful1 and never       
followed by a real effect4 ,i can even  
believe that they beheld what existed   
only in their own confused and deranged 
ideas4  ,at ,molsheim1#aja in the chapel
 of ,st4 ,ignatius in the ,jesuits'     
church1 may be seen a celebrated        
inscription1 which contains the history 
of a young ,german gentleman1 named     
,michael ,louis1 of the house of        
,boubenhoren1 who1 having been sent by  
his parents when very young to the court
 of the ,duke of ,lorraine1 to learn the
 ,french language1 lost all his money at
 cards3 reduced to despair1 he resolved 
to give himself to the demon1 if that   
bad spirit would or could give him some 
good money2 for he doubted that he would
 only furnish him with counterfeit and  
bad coin4 ,as he was meditating on this 
idea1 suddenly he beheld before him a   
youth of his own age1 well made1 well   
dressed1 who1 having asked him the cause

 of his uneasiness1 presented him with a
 handful of money1 and told him to try  
if it was good4 ,he desired him to meet 
him at that place the next day4         
,michael returned to his companions1 who
 were still at play1 and not only       
regained all the money he had lost1 but 
won all that of his companions4 ,then he
 went in search of his demon1 who asked 
as his reward three drops of his blood1 
which he received in an acorn-cup2 after
 which1 presenting a pen to ,michael1 he
 desired him to write what he should    
dictate4 ,he then dictated some unknown 
words1 which he made him write on two   
different bits of paper1#ajb one of     
which remained in the possession of the 
demon1 the other was inserted in        
,michael's arm1 at the same place whence
 the demon had drawn the blood4 ,and the
 demon said to him1 ,i engage myself to 
serve you during seven years1 after     
which you will unreservedly belong to   
me4  ,the young man consented to this1  
though with a feeling of horror2 and the

 demon never failed to appear to him day
 and night under various forms1 and     
taught him many unknown and curious     
things1 but which always tended to evil4
 ,the fatal termination of the seven    
years was approaching1 and the young man
 was then about twenty years old4 ,he   
returned to his father's house1 when the
 demon to whom he had given himself     
inspired him with the idea of poisoning 
his father and mother1 of setting fire  
to their chteau1 and then killing       
himself4 ,he tried to commit all these  
crimes1 but ,god did not allow him to   
succeed in these attempts4 ,the gun with
 which he wished to kill himself missed 
fire twice1 and the poison did not take 
effect on his father and mother4  ,more 
and more uneasy1 he revealed to some of 
his father's domestics the miserable    
state in which he found himself1 and    
entreated them to procure him some      
succor4 ,at the same time the demon     
seized him1 and bent his body back1 so  
that he was near breaking his bones4    

,his mother1 who had adopted the heresy 
of ,suenfeld1 and had induced her son to
 follow it also1 not finding in her sect
 any help against the demon that        
possessed or obseded him1 was           
constrained to place him in the hands of
 some monks4 ,but he soon withdrew from 
them and retired to ,islade1 from whence
 he was brought back to ,molsheim by his
 brother1 a canon of ,wurzburg1 who put 
him again into the hands of fathers of  
the society4 ,then it was that the demon
 made still more violent efforts against
 him1 appearing to him in the form of   
ferocious animals4 ,one day1 amongst    
others1 the demon1 wearing the form of a
 hairy savage1 threw on the ground a    
schedule1 or compact1 different from the
 true one which he had extorted from the
 young man1 to try by means of this     
false appearance to withdraw him from   
the hands of those who kept him1 and    
prevent his making his general          
confession4 ,at last they fixed on the  
#bjth of ,october1 #afjc1 as the day for

 being in the ,chapel of ,st4 ,ignatius1
 and to cause to be brought the true    
schedule containing the compact made    
with the demon4 ,the young man there    
made profession of the ,catholic and    
orthodox faith1 renounced the demon1 and
 received the holy sacrament4 ,then1    
uttering horrible cries1 he said he saw 
as it were two he-goats of immeasurable 
size1 which1 holding up their forefeet  
7standing on their hindlegs71 held      
between their claws1 each one           
separately1 one of the schedules or     
agreements4 ,but as soon as the         
exorcisms were begun1 and the priests   
invoked the name of ,st4 ,ignatius1 the 
two he-goats fled away1 and there came  
from the left arm or hand of the young  
man1 almost without pain1 and without   
leaving any scar1 the compact1 which    
fell at the feet of the exorcist4       
,there now wanted only the second       
compact1 which had remained in the power
 of the demon4 ,they recommenced their  
exorcisms1 and invoked ,st4 ,ignatius1  

and promised to say a mass in honor of  
the saint2 at the same moment there     
appeared a tall stork1 deformed and     
badly made1 who let fall the second     
schedule from his beak1 and they found  
it on the altar4  ,the pope1 ,paul ,v41 
caused information of the truth of these
 facts to be taken by the               
commissionary-deputies1 ,m4 ,adam1      
,suffragan of ,strasburg1 and ,george1  
,abbot of ,altorf1 who were juridically 
interrogated1 and who affirmed that the 
deliverance of this young man was       
principally due1 after ,god1 to the     
intercession of ,st4 ,ignatius4  ,the   
same story is related rather more at    
length in ,bartoli's ,life of ,st4      
,ignatius ,loyola4  ,melancthon owns#ajc
 that he has seen several spectres1 and 
conversed with them several times2 and  
,jerome ,cardan affirms that his father1
 ,fassius ,cardanus1 saw demons whenever
 he pleased1 apparently in a human form4
 ,bad spirits sometimes appear also     
under the figure of a lion1 a dog1 or a 

cat1 or some other animal--as a bull1 a 
horse1 or a raven2 for the pretended    
sorcerers and sorceresses relate that at
 the 7witches'7 ,sabbath he is seen     
under several different forms of men1   
animals1 and birds2 whether he takes the
 shape of these animals1 or whether he  
makes use of the animals themselves as  
instruments to deceive or harm1 or      
whether he simply affects the senses and
 imagination of those whom he has       
fascinated and who give themselves to   
him2 for in all the appearances of the  
demon we must always be on our guard1   
and mistrust his stratagems and malice4 
,st4 ,peter#ajd tells us that ,satan is 
always roaming round about us1 like a   
roaring lion1 seeking whom he may       
devour4 ,and ,st4 ,paul1 in more places 
than one1#aje warns us to mistrust the  
snares of the devil1 and to hold        
ourselves on our guard against him4     
,sulpicius ,severus1#ajf in the life of 
,st4 ,martin1 relates a few examples of 
persons who were deceived by apparitions

 of the demon1 who transformed himself  
into an angel of light4 ,a young man of 
very high rank1 and who was afterwards  
elevated to the priesthood1 having      
devoted himself to ,god in a monastery1 
imagined that he held converse with     
angels2 and as they would not believe   
him1 he said that the following night   
,god would give him a white robe1 with  
which he would appear amongst them4 ,in 
fact1 at midnight the monastery was     
shaken as with an earthquake1 the cell  
of the young man was all brilliant with 
light1 and they heard a noise like that 
of many persons going to and fro1 and   
speaking4  ,after that1 coming forth    
from his cell1 he showed to the brothers
 7of the convent7 the tunic with which  
he was clothed3 it was made of a stuff  
of admirable whiteness1 shining as      
purple1 and so extraordinarily fine in  
texture that they had never seen        
anything like it1 and could not tell    
from what substance it was woven4  ,they
 passed the rest of the night in singing

 psalms of thanksgiving1 and in the     
morning they wished to conduct him to   
,st4 ,martin4 ,he resisted as much as he
 could1 saying that he had been         
expressly forbidden to appear in his    
presence4 ,as they were pressing him to 
come1 the tunic vanished1 which led     
every one present to suppose that the   
whole thing was an illusion of the      
demon4  ,another solitary suffered      
himself to be persuaded that he was     
,eli2 another that he was ,st4 ,john the
 ,evangelist4 ,one day1 the demon wished
 to mislead ,st4 ,martin himself1       
appearing to him1 having on a royal     
robe1 wearing on his head a rich diadem1
 ornamented with gold and precious      
stones1 golden sandals1 and all the     
apparel of a great prince4 ,addressing  
himself to ,martin1 he said to him1     
,acknowledge me1 ,martin2 ,i am ,jesus  
,christ1 who1 wishing to descend to     
earth1 have resolved to manifest myself 
to thee first of all4 ,st4 ,martin      
remained silent at first1 fearing some  

snare2 and the phantom having repeated  
to him that he was the ,christ1 ,martin 
replied3 ,my ,lord ,jesus ,christ did   
not say that he should come clothed in  
purple and decked with diamonds4 ,i     
shall not acknowledge him unless he     
appears in that same form in which he   
suffered death1 and unless ,i see the   
marks of his cross and passion4  ,at    
these words the demon disappeared2 and  
,sulpicius ,severus affirms that he     
relates this as he heard it from the    
mouth of ,st4 ,martin himself4 ,a little
 before this1 he says that ,satan showed
 himself to him sometimes under the form
 of ,jupiter1 or ,mercury1 or ,venus1 or
 ,minerva2 and sometimes he was to      
reproach ,martin greatly because1 by    
baptism1 he had converted and           
regenerated so many great sinners4 ,but 
the saint despised him1 drove him away  
by the sign of the cross1 and answered  
him that baptism and repentance effaced 
all sins in those who were sincere      
converts4  ,all this proves the malice1 

envy1 and fraud of the devil against the
 saints1 on the one side2 and on the    
other1 the weakness and uselessness of  
his efforts against the true servants of
 ,god1 and that it is but too true he   
often appears in a visible form4  ,in   
the histories of the saints we sometimes
 see that he hides himself under the    
form of a woman1 to tempt pious hermits 
and lead them into evil2 sometimes in   
the form of a traveler1 a priest1 a     
monk1 or an angel of light1#ajg to      
mislead simple minded people1 and cause 
them to err2 for everything suits his   
purpose1 provided he can exercise his   
malice and hatred against men4  ,when   
,satan appeared before the ,lord in the 
midst of his holy angels1 and asked     
permission of ,god to tempt ,job1#ajh   
and try his patience through everything 
that was dearest to that holy man1 he   
doubtless presented himself in his      
natural state1 simply as a spirit1 but  
full of rage against the saints1 and in 
all the deformity of his sin and        

rebellion4  ,but when he says1 in the   
,books of ,kings1 that he will be a     
lying spirit in the mouth of false      
prophets1#aji and that ,god allows him  
to put in force his ill-will1 we must   
not imagine that he shows himself       
corporeally to the eyes of the false    
prophets of ,king ,ahab2 he only        
inspired the falsehood in their         
minds--they believed it1 and persuaded  
the king of the same4 ,amongst the      
visible appearances of ,satan may be    
placed mortalities1 wars1 tempests1     
public and private calamities1 which    
,god sends upon nations1 provinces1     
cities1 and families1 whom the ,almighty
 causes to feel the terrible effects of 
his wrath and just vengeance4 ,thus the 
exterminating angel kills the first-born
 of the ,egyptians4#aaj ,the same angel 
strikes with death the inhabitants of   
the guilty cities of ,sodom and         
,gomorrah4#aaa ,he does the same with   
,onan1 who committed an abominable      
action4#aab ,the wicked man seeks only  

division and quarrels1 says the sage2   
and the cruel angel shall be sent       
against him4#aac ,and the ,psalmist1    
speaking of the plagues which the ,lord 
inflicted upon ,egypt1 says that he sent
 evil angels among them4  ,when ,david1 
in a spirit of vanity1 caused his people
 to be numbered1 ,god showed him an     
angel hovering over ,jerusalem1 ready to
 smite and destroy it4 ,i do not say    
decidedly whether it was a good or a bad
 angel1 since it is certain that        
sometimes the ,lord employs good angels 
to execute his vengeance against the    
wicked4 ,but it is thought that it was  
the devil who slew eighty-five thousand 
men of the army of ,sennacherib4 ,and in
 the ,apocalypse1 those are also evil   
angels who pour out on the earth the    
phials of wrath1 and caused all the     
scourges set down in that holy book4    
,we shall also place amongst the        
appearances and works of ,satan false   
,christs1 false prophets1 ,pagan        
oracles1 magicians1 sorcerers1 and      

sorceresses1 those who are inspired by  
the spirit of ,python1 the obsession and
 possession of demons1 those who pretend
 to predict the future1 and whose       
predictions are sometimes fulfilled2    
those who make compacts with the devil  
to discover treasures and enrich        
themselves2 those who make use of       
charms2 evocations by means of magic2   
enchantment2 the being devoted to death 
by a vow2 the deceptions of idolatrous  
priests1 who feigned that their gods ate
 and drank and had commerce with        
women--all these can only be the work of
 ,satan1 and must be ranked with what   
the ,scripture calls the depths of      
,satan4#aad ,we shall say something on  
this subject in the course of the       
treatise4   ,footnotes3  #hh ,gen4 iii4 
#a1 #bc4  #hi ,rev4 xii4 #i4  #ij ,bel  
and the ,dragon4  #ia ,wisd4 xi4 #af4   
#ib ,elian4 ,hist4 ,animal4  #ic ,numb4 
xxi4 #b ,kings xviii4 #d4  #id ,on this 
subject1 see a work of profound         
learning1 and as interesting as         

profound1 on ,the ,worship of the       
,serpent1 by the ,rev4 ,john ,bathurst  
,deane1 ,m4 ,a4 ,f4 ,s4 ,a4  #ie ,aug4  
tom4 viii4 pp4 #bh1 #bhd4  #if          
,ab-racha1 pater mali1 or pater malus4  
#ig ,august4 de ,gen4 ad ,lit4 #a4 ii4  
c4 #ah4  #ih ,matt4 iv4 #i1 #aj1 c4  #ii
 ,gen4 xxxii4 #bd1 #be4  #ajj ,sever4   
,sulpit4 ,hist4 ,sac4  #aja ,a small    
city or town of the ,electorate of      
,cologne1 situated on a river of the    
same name4  #ajb ,there were in all ten 
letters1 the greater part of them       
,greek1 but which formed no 7apparent7  
sense4 ,they were to be seen at         
,molsheim1 in the tablet which bore a   
representation of this miracle4  #ajc   
,lib4 de ,anima4  #ajd #a ,pet4 iii4 #h4
  #aje ,eph4 vi4 #aa4 #a ,tim4 iii4 #g4 
#ajf ,sulpit4 ,sever4 ,vit4 ,st4        
,martin1 b4 xv4  #ajg #b ,cor4 xi4 #ad4 
#ajh ,job i4 #f-h4  #aji #a ,kings xxii4
 #ba4  #aaj ,exod4 ix4 #f4  #aaa ,gen4  
xviii4 #ac1 #ad4  #aab ,gen4 xxxviii4   
#aac ,prov4 xvii4 #aa4  #aad ,rev4 ii4  

#bd4     ,,chapter ,,vii4  ,,of ,,magic4
   ,many persons regard magic1          
magicians1 witchcraft1 and charms as    
fables and illusions1 the effects of    
imagination in weak minds1 who1         
foolishly persuaded of the excessive    
power possessed by the devil1 attribute 
to him a thousand things which are      
purely natural1 but the physical reasons
 for which are unknown to them1 or which
 are the effects of the art of certain  
charlatans1 who make a trade of imposing
 on the simple and ignorant4 ,these     
opinions are supported by the authority 
of the principal parliaments of the     
kingdom1 who acknowledge neither        
magicians nor sorcerers1 and who never  
punish those accused of magic1 or       
sorcery1 unless they are convicted also 
of some other crimes4 ,as1 in short1 the
 more they punish and seek out magicians
 and sorcerers1 the more they abound in 
a country2 and1 on the contrary1        
experience proves that in places where  
nobody believes in them1 none are to be 

found1 the most efficacious means of    
uprooting this fancy is to despise and  
neglect it4  ,it is said that magicians 
and sorcerers themselves1 when they fall
 into the hands of judges and           
inquisitors1 are often the first to     
maintain that magic and sorcery are     
merely imaginary1 and the effect of     
popular prejudices and errors4 ,upon    
that footing1 ,satan would destroy      
himself1 and overthrow his own empire1  
if he were thus to decry magic1 of which
 he is himself the author and support4  
,if the magicians really1 and of their  
own good will1 independently of the     
demon1 make this declaration1 they      
betray themselves most lightly1 and do  
not make their cause better2 since the  
judges1 notwithstanding their disavowal1
 prosecute them1 and always punish them 
without mercy1 being well persuaded that
 it is only the fear of execution and   
the hope of remaining unpunished which  
makes them say so4  ,but would it not   
rather be a stratagem of the evil       

spirit1#aae who endeavors to render the 
reality of magic doubtful1 to save from 
punishment those who are accused of it1 
and to impose on the judges1 and make   
them believe that magicians are only    
madmen and hypochondriacs1 worthy rather
 of compassion than chastisement8 ,we   
must then return to the deep examination
 of the question1 and prove that magic  
is not a chimera1 neither has it aught  
to do with reason4 ,we can neither rest 
on a sure foundation1 nor derive any    
certain argument for or against the     
reality of magic1 either from the       
opinion of pretended esprits forts1 who 
deny because they think proper to do so1
 and because the proofs of the contrary 
do not appear to them sufficiently clear
 or demonstrative2 nor from the         
declaration of the demon1 of magicians  
and sorcerers1 who maintain that magic  
and sorcery are only the effects of a   
disturbed imagination2 nor from minds   
foolishly and vainly prejudiced on the  
subject1 that these declarations are    

produced simply by the fear of          
punishment2 nor by the subtilty of the  
malignant spirit1 who wishes to mask his
 play1 and cast dust in the eyes of the 
judges and witnesses1 by making them    
believe that what they regard with so   
much horror1 and what they so vigorously
 prosecute1 is anything but a punishable
 crime1 or at least a crime deserving of
 punishment4  ,we must then prove the   
reality of magic by the ,holy           
,scriptures1 by the authority of the    
,church1 and by the testimony of the    
most grave and sensible writers2 and1   
lastly1 show that it is not true that   
the most famous parliaments acknowledge 
neither sorcerers nor magicians4  ,the  
teraphim which ,rachael1 the wife of    
,jacob1 brought away secretly from the  
house of ,laban1 her father1#aaf were   
doubtless superstitious figures1 to     
which ,laban's family paid a worship1   
very like that which the ,romans        
rendered to their household gods1       
,penates and ,lares1 and whom they      

consulted on future events4 ,joshua#aag 
says very distinctly that ,terah1 the   
father of ,abraham1 adored strange gods 
in ,mesopotamia4 ,and in the prophets   
,hosea and ,zechariah1#aah the ,seventy 
translate teraphim by the word oracles4 
,zechariah and ,ezekiel#aai show that   
the ,chaldeans and the ,hebrews         
consulted these teraphim to learn future
 events4  ,others believe that they were
 talismans or preservatives2 everybody  
agrees as to their being superstitious  
figures 7or idols7 which were consulted 
in order to find out things unknown1 or 
that were to come to pass4  ,the        
patriarch ,joseph1 speaking to his own  
brethren according to the idea which    
they had of him in ,egypt1 says to      
them3#abj ,know ye not that in all the  
land there is not a man who equals me in
 the art of divining and predicting     
things to come8 ,and the officer of the 
same ,joseph1 having found in           
,benjamin's sack ,joseph's cup which he 
had purposely hidden in it1 says to     

them3#aba ,it is the cup of which my    
master makes use to discover hidden     
things4  ,by the secret of their art1   
the magicians of ,pharaoh imitated the  
true miracles of ,moses2 but not being  
able like him to produce gnats 7,english
 version lice71 they were constrained to
 own that the finger of ,god was in what
 ,moses had hitherto achieved4#abb      
,after the departure of the ,hebrews    
from ,egypt1 ,god expressly forbids his 
people to practice any sort of magic or 
divination4#abc ,he condemns to death   
magicians1 and those who make use of    
charms4  ,balaam1 the diviner1 being    
invited by ,balak1 the king1 to come and
 devote the ,israelites to destruction1 
,god put blessings into his mouth       
instead of curses2#abd and this bad     
prophet1 amongst the blessings which he 
bestows on ,israel1 says there is among 
them neither augury1 nor divination1 nor
 magic4  ,in the time of the ,judges1   
the ,idol of ,micah was consulted as a  
kind of oracle4#abe ,gideon made1 in his

 house and his city1 an ,ephod1         
accompanied by a superstitious image1   
which was for his family1 and to all the
 people1 the occasion of scandal and    
ruin4#abf  ,the ,israelites went        
sometimes to consult ,beelzebub1 god of 
,ekron1#abg to know if they should      
recover from their sickness4 ,the       
history of the evocation of ,samuel by  
the witch of ,endor#abh is well known4  
,i am aware that some difficulties are  
raised concerning this history4 ,i shall
 deduce nothing from it here1 except    
that this woman passed for a witch1 that
 ,saul esteemed her such1 and that this 
prince had exterminated the magicians in
 his own states1 or1 at least1 that he  
did not permit them to exercise their   
art4  ,manasses1 king of ,judah1#abi is 
blamed for having introduced idolatry   
into his kingdom1 and particularly for  
having allowed there diviners1          
aruspices1 and those who predicted      
things to come4 ,king ,josiah1 on the   
contrary1 destroyed all these           

superstitions4#acj  ,the prophet        
,isaiah1 who lived at the same time1    
says that they wished to persuade the   
,jews then in captivity at ,babylon to  
address themselves1 as did other        
nations1 to diviners and magicians2 but 
they ought to reject these pernicious   
counsels1 and leave those abominations  
to the ,gentiles1 who knew not the      
,lord4 ,daniel#aca speaks of the        
magicians1 or workers of magic among the
 ,chaldeans1 and of those amongst them  
who interpreted dreams1 and predicted   
things to come4  ,in the ,new           
,testament1 the ,jews accused ,jesus    
,christ of casting out devils in the    
name of ,beelzebub1 the prince of the   
devils2#acb but he refutes them by      
saying1 that being come to destroy the  
empire of ,beelzebub1 it was not to be  
believed that ,beelzebub would work     
miracles to destroy his own power or    
kingdom4#acc ,st4 ,luke speaks of ,simon
 the sorcerer1 who had for a long time  
bewitched the inhabitants of ,samaria   

with his sorceries2 and also of a       
certain ,bar-,jesus of ,paphos1 who     
professed sorcery1 and boasted he could 
predict future events4#acd ,st4 ,paul1  
when at ,ephesus1 caused a number of    
books of magic to be burned4#ace        
,lastly1 the ,psalmist1#acf and the     
author of the ,book of                  
,ecclesiasticus1#acg speak of charms    
with which they enchanted serpents4  ,in
 the ,acts of the ,apostles1#ach the    
young girl of the town of ,philippi1 who
 was a ,pythoness1 for several          
successive days rendered testimony to   
,paul and ,silas1 saying that they were 
the servants of the ,most ,high1 and    
that they announced to men the way of   
salvation4 ,was it the devil who        
inspired her with these words1 to       
destroy the fruit of the preaching of   
the ,apostles1 by making the people     
believe that they acted in concert with 
the spirit of evil8 ,or was it the      
,spirit of ,god which put these words   
into the mouth of this young girl1 as he

 put into the mouth of ,balaam          
prophecies concerning the ,messiah8     
,there is reason to believe that she    
spoke through the inspiration of the    
evil spirit1 since ,st4 ,paul imposed   
silence on her1 and expelled the spirit 
of ,python1 by which she had been       
possessed1 and which had inspired the   
predictions she uttered1 and the        
knowledge of hidden things4 ,in what way
 soever we may explain it1 it will      
always follow that magic is not a       
chimera1 that this maiden was possessed 
by an evil spirit1 and that she         
predicted and revealed things hidden and
 to come1 and brought her masters       
considerable gain by soothsaying2 for   
those who consulted her would1          
doubtless1 not have been so foolish as  
to pay for these predictions1 had they  
not experienced the truth of them by    
their success and by the event4  ,from  
all this united testimony1 it results   
that magic1 enchantments1 sorcery1      
divination1 the interpretation of       

dreams1 auguries1 oracles1 and the      
magical figures which announced things  
to come1 are very real1 since they are  
so severely condemned by ,god1 and that 
,he wills that those who practice them  
should be punished with death4          
,footnotes3  #aae ,vide ,bodin ,preface4
  #aaf ,gen4 xxxi4 #ai4  #aag ,josh4    
xxiv4 #b-d4  #aah ,hosea ii4 #d1 c4     
,zech4 v4 #b4  #aai ,zech4 x4 #b4 ,ezek4
 xxi4 #ba4  #abj ,gen4 xliv4 #ae4  #aba 
,gen4 xliv4 #e4  #abb ,exod4 vii4       
#aj-ab4 ,exod4 viii4 #ai4  #abc ,exod4  
xxii4 #ah4  #abd ,numb4 xxii41 xxiii4   
#abe ,judg4 xvii4 #a1 #b4  #abf ,judg4  
viii4 #bg4  #abg #b ,kings i4 #b1 #b4   
#abh #a ,sam4 xxviii4 #g1 et seq4  #abi 
#b ,kings xxi4 #af4  #acj #b ,kings     
xxii4 #bd4  #aca ,dan4 iv4 #f1 #g4  #acb
 ,matt4 x4 #be2 xii4 #bd1 #be4  #acc    
,luke xi4 #ae1 #ah1 #ai4  #acd ,acts    
viii4 #aa2 xiii4 #f4  #ace ,acts xix4   
#ai4  #acf ,psalm lvii4  #acg ,ecclus4  
xii4 #ac4  #ach ,acts xvi4 #af1 #ag4    
,,chapter ,,viii4  ,,objections ,,to    

,,the ,,reality ,,of ,,magic4   ,i shall
 not fail to be told that all these     
testimonies from ,scripture do not prove
 the reality of magic1 sorcery1         
divination1 and the rest2 but only that 
the ,hebrews and ,egyptians--,i mean the
 common people among them--believe that 
there were people who had intercourse   
with the ,divinity1 or with good and bad
 angels1 to predict the future1 explain 
dreams1 devote their enemies to the     
direst misfortunes1 cause maladies1     
raise storms1 and call forth the souls  
of the dead2 if there was any reality in
 all this1 it was not in the things     
themselves1 but in their imaginations   
and prepossessions4  ,moses and ,joseph 
were regarded by the ,egyptians as great
 magicians4 ,rachel1 it appears1        
believed that the teraphim of her father
 ,laban were capable of giving her      
information concerning things hidden and
 to come4 ,the ,israelites might consult
 the idol of ,micha1 and ,beelzebub the 
god of ,ekron2 but the sensible and     

enlightened people of those days1 like  
similar persons in our own1 considered  
all this as the sport and knavery of    
pretended magicians1 who derived much   
emolument from maintaining these        
prejudices among the people4  ,moses    
most wisely ordained the penalty of     
death against those persons who abused  
the simplicity of the ignorant to enrich
 themselves at their expense1 and turned
 away the people from the worship of the
 true ,god1 in order to keep up among   
them such practices as were             
superstitious and contrary to true      
religion4  ,besides1 it was necessary to
 good order1 the interests of the       
commonwealth and of true piety1 to      
repress those abuses which are in       
opposition to them1 and to punish with  
extreme severity those who draw away the
 people from the true and legitimate    
worship due to ,god1 lead them to       
worship the devil1 and place their      
confidence in the creature1 in prejudice
 to the right of the ,creator2 inspiring

 them with vain terrors where there is  
nothing to fear1 and maintaining their  
minds in the most dangerous errors4 ,if1
 amongst an infinite number of false    
predictions1 or vain interpretations of 
dreams1 some of them are fulfilled1     
either this is occasioned by chance or  
it is the work of the devil1 who is     
often permitted by ,god to deceive those
 whose foolishness and impiety lead them
 to address themselves to him and place 
their confidence in him1 all which the  
wise lawgiver1 animated by the ,divine  
,spirit1 justly repressed by the most   
rigorous punishment4  ,all histories and
 experience on this subject demonstrate 
that those who make use of the art of   
magic1 charms1 and spells1 only employ  
their art1 their secret1 and their power
 to corrupt and mislead2 for crime and  
vice2 thus they cannot be too carefully 
sought out1 or too severely punished4   
,we may add that what is often taken for
 black or diabolical magic is nothing   
but natural magic1 or art and cleverness

 on the part of those who perform things
 which appear above the force of nature4
 ,how many marvelous effects are related
 of the divining rod1 sympathetic       
powder1 phosphoric lights1 and          
mathematical secrets6 ,how much knavery 
is now well known in the priests of     
idols1 and in those of ,babylon1 who    
made the people believe that the god    
,bel drank and ate2 that a large living 
dragon was a divinity2 that the god     
,anubis desired to have certain women1  
who were thus deceived by the priests2  
that the ox ,apis gave out oracles1 and 
that the serpent of ,alexander of       
,abonotiche knew the sickness1 and gave 
remedies to the patient without opening 
the billet which contained a description
 of the illness6 ,we may possibly speak 
more fully on this subject hereafter4   
,in short1 the most judicious and most  
celebrated ,parliaments have recognized 
neither magicians nor sorcerers2 at     
least1 they have not condemned them to  
death unless they were convicted of     

other crimes1 such as theft1 bad        
practices1 poisoning1 or criminal       
seduction--for instance1 in the affair  
of ,gofredi1 a priest of ,marseilles1   
who was condemned by the ,parliament of 
,aix to be torn with hot pincers1 and   
burnt alive4 ,the heads of that company1
 in the account which they render to the
 chancellor of this their sentence1     
testify that this cur was in truth      
accused of sorcery1 but that he had been
 condemned to the flames as guilty1 and 
convicted of spiritual incest with his  
penitent1 ,madelaine de la ,palu4 ,from 
all this it is concluded that there is  
no reality in what is called magic4     
,,chapter ,,ix4  ,,reply ,,to ,,the     
,,objections4   ,in answer to these1 ,i 
allow that there is indeed very often a 
great deal of illusion1 prepossession1  
and imagination in all that is termed   
magic and sorcery2 and sometimes the    
devil by false appearances combines with
 them to deceive the simple2 but        
oftener1 without the evil spirit being  

any otherwise a party to it1 wicked1    
corrupt1 and interested men1 artful and 
deceptive1 abuse the simplicity both of 
men and women1 so far as to persuade    
them that they possess supernatural     
secrets for interpreting dreams and     
foretelling things to come1 for curing  
maladies1 and discovering secrets       
unknown to any one4 ,i can easily agree 
to all that4 ,all kinds of histories are
 full of facts which demonstrate what ,i
 have just said4 ,the devil has a       
thousand things imputed to him in which 
he has no share2 they give him the honor
 of predictions1 revelations1 secrets1  
and discoveries1 which are by no means  
the effect of his power1 or penetration2
 as in the same manner he is accused of 
having caused all sorts of evils1       
tempests1 and maladies1 which are purely
 the effect of natural but unknown      
causes4  ,it is very true that there are
 really many persons who are persuaded  
of the power of the devil1 of his       
influence over an infinite number of    

things1 and of the effects which they   
attribute to him2 that they have        
consulted him to learn future events1 or
 to discover hidden things2 that they   
have addressed themselves to him for    
success in their projects1 for money1 or
 favor1 or to enjoy their criminal      
pleasures4 ,all this is very real4      
,magic1 then1 is not a simple chimera1  
since so many persons are infatuated    
with the power of charms and convicted  
of holding commerce with the devil1 to  
procure a number of effects which pass  
for supernatural4 ,now it is the folly1 
the vain credulity1 the prepossession of
 such people that the law of ,god       
interdicts1 that ,moses condemns to     
death1 and that the ,christian ,church  
punishes by its censures1 and which the 
secular judges repress with the greatest
 rigor4 ,if in all these things there   
was nothing but a diseased imagination1 
weakness of the brain1 or popular       
prejudices1 would they be treated with  
so much severity8 ,do we put to death   

hypochondriacs1 maniacs1 or those who   
imagine themselves ill8 ,no2 they are   
treated with compassion1 and every      
effort is made to cure them4 ,but in the
 other case it is impiety1 or           
superstition1 or vice in those who      
consult1 or believe they consult1 the   
devil1 and place their confidence in    
him1 against which the laws are put in  
force and ordain chastisement4  ,even if
 we could deny and contest the reality  
of augurs1 diviners1 and magicians1 and 
look on all these kind of persons as    
seducers1 who abuse the simplicity of   
those who betake themselves to them1    
could we deny the reality of the        
magicians of ,pharaoh1 that of ,simon1  
of ,bar-,jesus1 of the ,pythoness of the
 ,acts of the ,apostles8 ,did not the   
first-mentioned perform many wonders    
before ,pharaoh8 ,did not ,simon the    
magician rise into the air by means of  
the devil8 ,did not ,st4 ,paul impose   
silence on the ,pythoness of the city of
 ,philippi in ,macedonia8#aci ,will it  

be said that there was any collusion    
between ,st4 ,paul and the ,pythoness8  
,nothing of the kind can be maintained  
by any reasonable argument4  ,a small   
volume was published at ,paris1 in      
#agcb1 by a new author1 who conceals    
himself under the two initials ,m4 ,d42 
it is entitled1 ,treatise on ,magic1    
,witchcraft1 ,possessions1 ,obsessions  
and ,charms2 in which their truth and   
reality are demonstrated4 ,he shows that
 he believes there are magicians2 he    
shows by ,scripture1 both in the ,old   
and ,new ,testament1 and by the         
authority of the ancient fathers1 some  
passages from whose works are cited in  
that of ,father ,debrio1 entitled       
,disquisitiones ,magic4 ,he proves it by
 the rituals of all the dioceses1 and by
 the examinations which are found in the
 printed ,hours1 wherein they suppose   
the existence of sorcerers and          
magicians4  ,the civil laws of the      
emperors1 whether pagan or ,christian1  
those of the kings of ,france1 both     

ancient and modern1 jurisconsult1       
physicians1 historians both sacred and  
profane1 concur in maintaining this     
truth4 ,in all kinds of writers we may  
remark an infinity of stories of magic1 
spells and sorcery4 ,the ,parliaments of
 ,france1 and the tribunals of justice  
in other nations1 have recognized       
magicians1 the pernicious effects of    
their art1 and condemned them personally
 to the most rigorous punishments4  ,he 
relates at full length#adj the          
remonstrances made to ,king ,louis      
,,xiv41 in #afgj1 by the ,parliament at 
,rouen1 to prove to that monarch that it
 was not only the ,parliament of ,rouen1
 but also all the other ,parliaments of 
the kingdom1 which followed the same    
rules of jurisprudence in what concerns 
magic and sorcery2 that they            
acknowledged the existence of such      
things and condemn them4 ,this author   
cites several facts1 and several        
sentences given on this matter in the   
,parliaments of ,paris1 ,aix1 ,toulouse1

 ,rennes1 ,dijon1 c4 c42 and it was upon
 these remonstrances that the same king1
 in #afhb1 made his declaration         
concerning the punishment of various    
crimes1 and in particular of sorcery1   
diviners or soothsayers1 magicians1 and 
similar crimes4  ,he also cites the     
treaty of ,m4 de la ,marre1 commissary  
at the chtelet of ,paris1 who speaks    
largely of magic1 and proves its        
reality1 origin1 progress1 and effects4 
,would it be possible that the sacred   
authors1 laws divine and human1 the     
greatest men of antiquity1              
jurisconsults1 the most enlightened     
historians1 bishops in their councils1  
the ,church in her decisions1 her       
practices and prayers1 should have      
conspired to deceive us1 and to condemn 
those who practice magic1 sorcery1      
spells1 and crimes of the same nature1  
to death1 and the most rigorous         
punishments1 if they were merely        
illusive1 and the effect only of a      
diseased and prejudiced imagination8    

,father le ,brun1 of the ,oratoire1 who 
has written so well upon the subject of 
superstitions1 substantiates the fact   
that the ,parliament of ,paris          
recognizes that there are sorcerers1 and
 that it punishes them severely when    
they are convicted4 ,he proves it by a  
decree issued in #afja against some     
inhabitants of ,campagne accused of     
witchcraft4 ,the decree wills that they 
shall be sent to the ,conciergerie by   
the subaltern judges on pain of being   
deprived of their charge4 ,it supposes  
that they must be rigorously punished1  
but it desires that the proceedings     
against them for their discovery and    
punishment may be exact and regular4    
,m4 ,servin1 advocate-general and       
councillor of state1 fully proves from  
the ,old and ,new ,testament1 from      
tradition1 laws and history1 that there 
are diviners1 enchanters1 and sorcerers1
 and refutes those who would maintain   
the contrary4 ,he shows that magicians  
and those who make use of charms1 ought 

to be punished and held in execration2  
but he adds that no punishment must be  
inflicted till after certain and evident
 proofs have been obtained2 and this is 
what must be strictly attended to by the
 ,parliament of ,paris1 for fear of     
punishing madmen for guilty persons1 and
 taking illusions for realities4  ,the  
,parliament leaves it to the ,church to 
inflict excommunication1 both on men and
 women who have recourse to charms1 and 
who believe they go in the night to     
nocturnal assemblies1 there to pay      
homage to the devil4 ,the ,capitularies 
of the kings#ada recommend the pastors  
to instruct the faithful on the subject 
of what is termed the ,sabbath2 at any  
rate they do not command that these     
persons should receive corporeal        
punishment1 but only that they should be
 undeceived and prevented from          
misleading others in the same manner4   
,and there the ,parliament stops1 so    
long as the case goes no farther than   
simply misleading2 but when it goes so  

far as to injure others1 the kings have 
often commanded the judges to punish    
these persons with fines and banishment4
 ,the ,ordonnances of ,charles ,,viii4  
in #adij1 and of ,charles ,,ix4 in the  
,states of ,orleans in #aefj1 express   
themselves formally on this point1 and  
they were renewed by ,king ,louis ,,xiv4
 in #afhb4 ,the third article of these  
,ordonnances bears1 that if it should   
happen there were persons to be found   
wicked enough to add impiety and        
sacrilege to superstition1 those who    
shall be convicted of these crimes shall
 be punished with death4  ,when1        
therefore1 it is evident that some      
person has inflicted injury on his      
neighbor by malpractices1 the           
,parliament punishes them rigorously1   
even to the pain of death1 conformably  
to the ancient ,capitularies of the     
kingdom1#adb and the royal ,ordonnances4
 ,bodin1 who wrote in #afhj1 has        
collected a great number of decrees1 to 
which may be added those which the      

reverend ,father le ,brun reports1 given
 since that time4  ,he afterwards       
relates a remarkable instance of a man  
named ,hocque1 who was condemned to the 
galleys1 the #b;d of ,september1 #afhg1 
by sentence of the ,high ,court of      
,justice at ,passy1 for having made use 
of malpractices towards animals1 and    
having thus killed a great number in    
,champagne4 ,hocque died suddenly1      
miserably1 and in despair1 after having 
discovered1 when drunken with wine1 to a
 person named ,beatrice1 the secret     
which he made use of to kill the cattle2
 he was not ignorant that the demon     
would cause his death to revenge the    
discovery which he had made of this     
spell4  ,some of the accomplices of this
 wretched man were condemned to the     
galleys by divers decrees2 others were  
condemned to be hanged and burnt1 by    
order of the ,baill of ,passy1 the #bfth
 of ,october1 #afia1 which sentence was 
confirmed by decree of the ,parliament  
of ,paris1 the #ahth of ,december1      

#afia4 ,from all which we deduce that   
the ,parliament of ,paris acknowledges  
that the spells by which people do      
injury to their neighbors ought to be   
rigorously punished2 that the devil has 
very extensive power1 which he too often
 exercises over men and animals1 and    
that he would exercise it oftener1 and  
with greater extension and fury1 if he  
were not limited and hindered by the    
power of ,god1 and that of good angels1 
who set bounds to his malice4 ,st ,paul 
warns us#adc to put on the armor of     
,god1 to be able to resist the snares of
 the devil3 for1 adds he1 we have not to
 war against flesh and blood3 but       
against princes and powers1 against the 
bad spirits who govern this dark world1 
against the spirits of malice who reign 
in the air4   ,footnotes3  #aci ,acts   
xvi4 #aj4  #adj ,page #ca1 et seq4  #ada
 ,capitular4 ,r4 xiii de ,sortilegiis et
 ,sorciariis1 #b col4 #cf4  #adb        
,capitular4 in #hgb1 x4 #b4 col4 #bcj4  
#adc ,eph4 vi4 #ab4     ,,chapter ,x4   

,,examination ,,of ,,the ,,affair ,,of  
,,hocque1 ,,magician4   ,monsieur de    
,st4 ,andr1 consulting physician in     
ordinary to the king1 in his sixth      
letter#add against magic1 maintains that
 in the affair of ,hocque which has been
 mentioned1 there was neither magic1 nor
 sorcery1 nor any operation of the      
demon2 that the venomous drug which     
,hocque placed in the stables1 and by   
means of which he caused the death of   
the cattle stalled therein1 was nothing 
but a poisonous compound1 which1 by its 
smell and the diffusion of its          
particles1 poisoned the animals and     
caused their death2 it required only for
 these drugs to be taken away for the   
cattle to be safe1 or else to keep the  
cattle from the stable in which the     
poison was placed4 ,the difficulty laid 
in discovering where these poisonous    
drugs were hidden2 the shepherds1 who   
were the authors of the mischief1 taking
 all sorts of precautions to conceal    
them1 knowing that their lives were in  

danger if they should be discovered4    
,he further remarks that these gogues or
 poisoned drugs lose their effects after
 a certain time1 unless they are renewed
 or watered with something to revive    
them and make them ferment again4 ,if   
the devil had any share in this         
mischief1 the drug would always possess 
the same virtue1 and it would not be    
necessary to renew it and refresh it to 
restore it to its pristine power4  ,in  
all this1 ,m4 de ,st4 ,andr supposes    
that if the demon had any power to      
deprive animals of their lives1 or to   
cause them fatal maladies1 he could do  
so independently of secondary causes2   
which will not be easily granted him by 
those who hold that ,god alone can give 
life and death by an absolute power1    
independently of all secondary causes   
and of any natural agent4 ,the demon    
might have revealed to ,hocque the      
composition of this fatal and poisonous 
drug--he might have taught him its      
dangerous effects1 after which the venom

 acts in a natural way2 it recovers and 
resumes its pristine strength when it is
 watered2 it acts only at a certain     
distance1 and according to the reach of 
the corpuscles which exhale from it4    
,all these effects have nothing         
supernatural in them1 nor which ought to
 be attributed to the demon2 but it is  
credible enough that he inspired ,hocque
 with the pernicious design to make use 
of a dangerous drug1 which the wretched 
man knew how to make up1 or the         
composition of which was revealed to him
 by the evil spirit4  ,m4 de ,st4 ,andr 
continues1 and says that there is       
nothing in the death of ,hocque which   
ought to be attributed to the demon2 it 
is1 says he1 a purely natural effect1   
which can proceed from no other cause   
than the venomous effluvia which came   
from the poisonous drug when it was     
taken up1 and which were carried towards
 the malefactor by those which proceeded
 from his own body while he was         
preparing it1 and placing it in the     

ground1 which remained there and were   
preserved in that spot1 so that none of 
them had been dissipated4  ,these       
effluvia proceeding from the person of  
,hocque1 then finding themselves        
liberated1 returned to whence they      
originated1 and drew with them the most 
malignant and corrosive particles of the
 charge or drug1 which acted on the body
 of this shepherd as they did on those  
of the animals who smelled them4 ,he    
confirms what he has just said1 by the  
example of sympathetic powder which acts
 upon the body of a wounded person1 by  
the immersion of small particles of the 
blood1 or the pus of the wounded man    
upon whom it is applied1 which particles
 draw with them the spirit of the drugs 
of which it 7the powder7 is composed1   
and carry them to the wound4  ,but the  
more ,i reflect on this pretended       
evaporation of the venomous effluvia    
emanating from the poisoned drug1 hidden
 at ,passy en ,brie1 six leagues from   
,paris1 which are supposed to come      

straight to ,hocque1 shut up at la      
,tournelle1 borne by the animal effluvia
 proceeding from this malefactor's body 
at the time he made up the poisonous    
drug and put it in the ground1 so long  
before the dangerous composition was    
discovered2 the more ,i reflect on the  
possibility of these evaporations the   
less ,i am persuaded of them4 ,i could  
wish to have proofs of this system1 and 
not instances of the very doubtful and  
very uncertain effects of sympathetic   
powder1 which can have no place in the  
case in question4 ,it is proving the    
obscure by the obscure1 and the         
uncertain by the uncertain2 and even    
were we to admit generally some effects 
of the sympathetic powder1 they could   
not be applicable here2 the distance    
between the places is too great1 and the
 time too long2 and what sympathy can be
 found between this shepherd's poisonous
 drug and his person for it to be able  
to return to him who is imprisoned at   
,paris1 when the gogue is discovered at 

,passy8  ,the account composed and      
printed on this event bears1 that the   
fumes of the wine which ,hocque had     
drank having evaporated1 and he         
reflecting on what ,beatrice had made   
him do1 began to agitate himself1       
howled1 and complained most strangely1  
saying that ,beatrice had taken him by  
surprise1 that it would occasion his    
death1 and that he must die the instant 
that ,bras-de-fer--another shepherd1 to 
whom ,beatrice had persuaded ,hocque to 
write word to take off the poisoned drug
 which he had scattered on the ground at
 ,passy--should take away the dose4 ,he 
attacked ,beatrice1 whom he wanted to   
strangle2 and even excited the other    
felons who were with him in prison and  
condemned to the galleys1 to maltreat   
her1 through the pity they felt for the 
despair of ,hocque1 who1 at the time the
 dose was taken off the land1 had died  
in a moment1 in strange convulsions1 and
 agitating himself like one possessed4  
,m4 de ,st4 ,andr would again explain   

all this by supposing ,hocque's         
imagination being struck with the idea  
of his dying1 which he was persuaded    
would happen at the time they carried   
away the poison1 had a great deal to do 
with his sufferings and death4 ,how many
 people have been known to die at the   
time they had fancied they should1 when 
struck with the idea of their           
approaching death4 ,the despair and     
agitation of ,hocque had disturbed the  
mass of his blood1 altered the humors1  
deranged the motion of the effluvia1 and
 rendered them much susceptible of the  
actions of the vapors proceeding from   
the poisonous composition4  ,m4 de ,st4 
,andr adds that1 if the devil had any   
share in this kind of mischievous spell1
 it could only be in consequence of some
 compact1 either expressed or tacit1    
that as soon as the poison should be    
taken up1 he who had put it there should
 die immediately4 ,now1 what likelihood 
is there that the person who should make
 this compact with the devil should have

 made use of such a stipulation1 which  
would expose him to a cruel and         
inevitable death8  #a4 ,we may reply    
that fright can cause death2 but that it
 is not possible for it to produce it at
 a given time1 nor can he who falls into
 a paroxysm of grief say that he shall  
die at such a moment2 the moment of     
death is not in the power of man in     
similar circumstances4  #b4 ,that so    
corrupt a character as ,hocque1 a man   
who1 without provocation1 and to gratify
 his ill-will1 kills an infinite number 
of animals1 and causes great damage to  
innocent persons1 is capable of the     
greatest excess1 may give himself up to 
the evil spirit1 by implicated or       
explicit compacts1 and engage1 on pain  
of losing his life1 never to take off   
the charge he had thrown upon a village4
 ,he believed he should risk nothing by 
this stipulation1 since he was free to  
take it away or to leave it1 and it was 
not probable that he should ever lightly
 thus expose himself to certain death4  

,that the demon had some share in this  
virtue of the poisonous composition is  
very likely1 when we consider the       
circumstances of its operations1 and    
those of the death and despair of       
,hocque4 ,this death is the just penalty
 of his crimes1 and of his confidence in
 the exterminating angel to whom he had 
yielded himself4  ,it is true that      
impostors1 weak minds1 heated           
imaginations1 ignorant and superstitious
 persons have been found who have taken 
for black magic1 and operations of the  
demon1 what was quite natural1 and the  
effect of some subtilty of philosophy or
 mathematics1 or even an illusion of the
 senses1 or a secret which deceives the 
eye and the senses4 ,but to conclude    
from thence that there is no magic at   
all1 and that all that is said about it 
is pure prejudice1 ignorance1 and       
superstition1 is to conclude what is    
general from what is particular1 and to 
deny what is true and certain1 because  
it is not easy to distinguish what is   

true from what is false1 and because men
 will not take the trouble to examine   
into causes4 ,it is far easier to deny  
everything than to enter upon a serious 
examination of facts and circumstances4 
,footnotes3  #add ,m4 de ,st4 ,andr1    
,letter ,,vi4 on the subject of ,magic1 
c4     ,,chapter ,,xi4  ,,magic ,,of    
,,the ,,egyptians ,,and ,,chaldeans4    
,all pagan antiquity speaks of magic and
 magicians1 of magical operations1 and  
of superstitious1 curious1 and          
diabolical books4 ,historians1 poets1   
and orators are full of things which    
relate to this matter3 some believe in  
it1 others deny it2 some laugh at it1   
others remain in uncertainty and doubt4 
,are they bad spirits1 or deceitful men1
 impostors and charlatans1 who1 by the  
subtilties of their art1 make the       
ignorant believe that certain natural   
effects are produced by supernatural    
causes8 ,that is the point on which men 
differ4 ,but in general the name of     
magic and magician is now taken in these

 days in an odious sense1 for an art    
which produces marvelous effects1 that  
appear above the common course of       
nature1 and that by the operation of the
 bad spirit4  ,the author of the        
celebrated book of ,enoch1 which had so 
great a vogue1 and has been cited by    
some ancient writers#ade as inspired    
,scripture1 says that the eleventh of   
the watchers1 or of those angels who    
were in love with women1 was called     
,pharmacius1 or ,pharmachus2 that he    
taught men1 before the flood1           
enchantments1 spells1 magic arts1 and   
remedies against enchantments4 ,st4     
,clement1 of ,alexandria1 in his        
recognitions1 says that ,ham1 the son of
 ,noah1 received that art from heaven1  
and taught it to ,misraim1 his son1 the 
father of the ,egyptians4  ,in the      
,scripture1 the name of ,mage or ,magus 
is never used in a good sense as        
signifying philosophers who studied     
astronomy1 and were versed in divine and
 supernatural things1 except in speaking

 of the ,magi who came to adore ,jesus  
,christ at ,bethlehem4#adf ,everywhere  
else the ,scriptures condemn and abhor  
magic and magicians4#adg ,they severely 
forbid the ,hebrews to consult such     
persons and things4 ,they speak with    
abhorrence of ,simon and of ,elymas1    
well-known magicians1 in the ,acts of   
the ,apostles2#adh and of the magicians 
of ,pharaoh1 who counterfeited by their 
illusions the true miracles of ,moses4  
,it seems likely that the ,israelites   
had taken the habit in ,egypt1 where    
they then were1 of consulting such      
persons1 since ,moses forbids them in so
 many different places1 and so severely1
 either to listen to them or to place   
confidence in their predictions4  ,the  
,chevalier ,marsham shows very clearly  
that the school for magic among the     
,egyptians is the most ancient ever     
known in the world2 that from thence it 
spread amongst the ,chaldeans1 the      
,babylonians1 the ,greeks and ,persians4
 ,st4 ,paul informs us that ,janns and  

,jambrs1 famous magicians of the time of
 ,pharaoh1 resisted ,moses4 ,pliny      
remarks1 that anciently1 there was no   
science more renowned1 or more in honor1
 than that of magic3 ,summam litterarum 
claritatem gloriamque ex ea scientia    
antiquits et pen semper petitam4        
,porphyry#adi says that ,king ,darius1  
son of ,hystaspes1 had so high an idea  
of the art of magic that he caused to be
 engraved on the mausoleum of his father
 ,hystaspes1 ,that he had been the chief
 and the master of the ,magi of ,persia4
  ,the embassy that ,balak1 ,king of the
 ,moabites1 sent to ,balaam the son of  
,beor1 who dwelt in the mountains of the
 ,east1 towards ,persia and             
,chaldea1#aej to entreat him to come and
 curse and devote to death the          
,israelites who threatened to invade his
 country1 shows the antiquity of magic1 
and of the magical superstitions of that
 country4 ,for will it be said that     
these maledictions and inflictions were 
the effect of the inspiration of the    

good ,spirit1 or the work of good       
angels8 ,i acknowledge that ,balaam was 
inspired by ,god in the blessings which 
he gave to the people of the ,lord1 and 
in the prediction which he made of the  
coming of the ,messiah2 but we must     
acknowledge1 also1 the extreme          
corruption of his heart1 his avarice1   
and all that he would have been capable 
of doing1 if ,god had permitted him to  
follow his bad inclination and the      
inspiration of the evil spirit4         
,diodorus of ,sicily1#aea on the        
tradition of the ,egyptians1 says that  
the ,chaldeans who dwelt at ,babylon and
 in ,babylonia were a kind of colony of 
the ,egyptians1 and that it was from    
these last that the sages1 or ,magi of  
,babylon1 learned the astronomy which   
gave such celebrity4  ,we see1 in       
,ezekiel1#aeb the ,king of ,babylon1    
marching against his enemies at the head
 of his army1 stop short where two roads
 meet1 and mingle the darts1 to know by 
magic art1 and the flight of these      

arrows1 which road he must take4 ,in the
 ancients1 this manner of consulting the
 demon by divining wands is known--the  
,greeks call it ,rhabdomanteia4  ,the   
prophet ,daniel speaks more than once of
 the magicians of ,babylon4 ,king       
,nebuchadnezzar1 having been frightened 
in a dream1 sent for the ,magi1 or      
magicians1 diviners1 aruspices1 and     
,chaldeans1 to interpret the dream he   
had had4  ,king ,belshazzar in the same 
manner convoked the magicians1          
,chaldeans1 and aruspices of the        
country1 to explain to him the meaning  
of these words which he saw written on  
the wall3 ,mene1 ,tekel1 ,perez4 ,all   
this indicates the habit of the         
,babylonians to exercise magic art1 and 
consult magicians1 and that this        
pernicious art was held in high repute  
among them4 ,we read in the same prophet
 of the trickery made use of by the     
priests to deceive the people1 and make 
them believe that their gods lived1 ate1
 drank1 spoke1 and revealed to them     

hidden things4  ,i have already         
mentioned the ,magi who came to adore   
,jesus ,christ2 there is no doubt that  
they came from ,chaldea or the          
neighboring country1 but differing from 
those of whom we have just spoken1 by   
their piety1 and having studied the true
 religion4  ,we read in books of travels
 that superstition1 magic1 and          
fascinations are still very common in   
the ,east1 both among the               
fire-worshipers descended from the      
ancient ,chaldeans1 and among the       
,persians1 sectaries of ,mohammed4 ,st4 
,chrysostom had sent into ,persia a holy
 bishop1 named ,maruthas1 to have the   
care of the ,christians who were in that
 country2 the ,king ,isdegerde having   
discovered him1 treated him with much   
consideration4 ,the ,magi1 who adore and
 keep up the perpetual fire1 which is   
regarded by the ,persians as their      
principal divinity1 were jealous at     
this1 and concealed underground an      
apostate1 who1 knowing that the king was

 to come and pay his adoration to the   
7sacred7 fire1 was to cry out from the  
depth of his cavern that the king must  
be deprived of his throne because he    
esteemed the ,christian priest as a     
friend of the gods4 ,the king was       
alarmed at this1 and wished to send     
,maruthas away2 but the latter          
discovered to him the imposture of the  
priests2 he caused the ground to be     
turned up where the man's voice had been
 heard1 and there they found him from   
whom it proceeded4  ,this example1 and  
those of the ,babylonish priests spoken 
of by ,daniel1 and that of some others1 
who1 to satisfy their irregular         
passions1 pretended that their ,god     
required the company of certain women1  
proved that what is usually taken for   
the effect of the black art is only     
produced by the knavishness of priests1 
magicians1 diviners1 and all kinds of   
persons who impose on the simplicity and
 credulity of the people2 ,i do not deny
 that the devil sometimes takes part in 

it1 but more rarely than is imagined4   
,footnotes3  #ade ,apud ,syncell4  #adf 
,matt4 iii4 #a1 #g1 #cf4  #adg ,lev4    
xix4 #ca2 xx4  #adh ,acts viii4 #i2     
xiii4 #h4  #adi ,porph4 de ,abstinent4  
lib4 iv4  #af4 ,vid4 et ,ammian4        
,marcell4 lib4 xxiii4  #aej ,numb4      
xxiii4 #a-c4  #aea ,diodor4 ,sicul4 lib4
 i4 p4 #e4  #aeb ,ezek4 xxi4 #ba4       
,,chapter ,,xii4  ,,magic ,,among ,,the 
,,greeks ,,and ,,romans4   ,the ,greeks 
have always boasted that they received  
the art of magic from the ,persians1 or 
the ,bactrians4 ,they affirm that       
,zoroaster communicated it to them2 but 
when we wish to know the exact time at  
which ,zoroaster lived1 and when he     
taught them these pernicious secrets1   
they wander widely from the truth1 and  
even from probability2 some placing     
,zoroaster #fjj years before the        
expedition of ,xerxes into ,greece1     
which happened in the year of the world 
#cebc1 and before ,jesus ,christ #dgg2  
others #ejj years before the ,trojan    

war2 others #ejjj years before that     
famous war2 others #fjjj years before   
that great event4 ,some believe that    
,zoroaster is the same as ,ham1 the son 
of ,noah4 ,lastly1 others maintain that 
there were several ,zoroasters4 ,what   
appears indubitably true is1 that the   
worship of a plurality of gods1 as also 
magic1 superstition1 and oracles1 came  
from the ,egyptians and ,chaldeans1 or  
,persians1 to the ,greeks1 and from the 
,greeks to the ,latins4  ,from the time 
of ,homer1#aec magic was quite common   
among the ,greeks4 ,that poet speaks of 
the cure of wounds1 and of blood        
staunched by the secrets of magic1 and  
by enchantment4 ,st4 ,paul1 when at     
,ephesus1 caused to be burned there     
books of magic and curious secrets1 the 
value of which amounted to the sum of   
#ej1jjj pieces of silver4#aed ,we have  
before said a few words concerning      
,simon the magician1 and the magician   
,elymas1 known in the ,acts of the      
,apostles4#aee ,pindar says#aef that the

 centaur ,chiron cured several          
enchantments4 ,when they say that       
,orpheus rescued from hell his wife     
,eurydice1 who had died from the bite of
 a serpent1 they simply mean that he    
cured her by the power of charms4#aeg   
,the poets have employed magic verses to
 make themselves beloved1 and they have 
taught them to others for the same      
purpose2 they may be seen in            
,theocritus1 ,catullus1 and ,virgil4    
,theophrastus affirms that there are    
magical verses which cure sciatica4     
,cato mentions 7or repeats7 some against
 luxations4#aeh ,varro admits that there
 are some powerful against the gout4    
,the sacred books testify that          
enchanters have the secret of putting   
serpents to sleep1 and of charming them1
 so that they can never either bite     
again or cause any more harm4#aei ,the  
crocodile1 that terrible animal1 fears  
even the smell and voice of the         
,tentyriens4#afj ,job1 speaking of the  
leviathan1 which we believe to be the   

crocodile1 says1 ,shall the enchanter   
destroy it8#afa ,and in ,ecclesiasticus1
 ,who will pity the enchanter that has  
been bitten by the serpent8#afb         
,everybody knows what is related of the 
,marsi1 people of ,italy1 and of the    
,psyll1 who possessed the secret of     
charming serpents4 ,one would say1 says 
,st4 ,augustine1#afc that these animals 
understand the languages of the ,marsi1 
so obedient are they to their orders2 we
 see them come out of their caverns as  
soon as the ,marsian has spoken4 ,all   
this can only be done1 says the same    
father1 by the power of the malignant   
spirit1 whom ,god permits to exercise   
this empire over venomous reptiles1     
above all1 the serpent1 as if to punish 
him for what he did to the first woman4 
,in fact1 it may be remarked that no    
animal is more exposed to charms1 and   
the effects of magic art1 than the      
serpent4  ,the laws of the ,twelve      
,tables forbid the charming of a        
neighbor's crops1 qui fruges excantsset4

 ,valerius ,flaccus quotes authors who  
affirm that when the ,romans were about 
to besiege a town1 they employed their  
priests to evoke the divinity who       
presided over it1 promising him a temple
 in ,rome1 either like the one dedicated
 to him in the besieged place1 or on a  
rather larger scale1 and that the proper
 worship should be paid to him4 ,pliny  
says that the memory of these evocations
 is preserved among the priests4  ,if   
that which we have just related1 and    
what we read in ancient and modern      
writers1 is at all real1 and produces   
the effects attributed to it1 it cannot 
be doubted that there is something      
supernatural in it1 and that the devil  
has a great share in the matter4  ,the  
,abbot ,trithemius speaks of a sorceress
 who1 by means of certain beverages1    
changed a young ,burgundian into a      
beast4  ,everybody knows the fable of   
,circ1 who changed the soldiers or      
companions of ,ulysses into swine4 ,we  
know also the fable of the ,golden ,ass1

 by ,apuleius1 which contains the       
account of a man metamorphosed into an  
ass4 ,i bring forward these things      
merely as what they are1 that is to say1
 simply poetic fictions4  ,but it is    
very credible that these fictions are   
not destitute of some foundation1 like  
many other fables1 which contain not    
only a hidden and moral sense1 but which
 have also some relation to an event    
really historical3 for instance1 what is
 said of the ,golden ,fleece carried    
away by ,jason2 of the ,wooden ,horse1  
made use of to surprise the city of     
,troy2 the ,twelve ,labors of ,hercules2
 the metamorphoses related by ,ovid4    
,all fabulous as those things appear in 
the poets1 they have1 nevertheless1     
their historical truth4 ,and thus the   
pagan poets and historians have         
travestied and disguised the stories of 
the ,old ,testament1 and have attributed
 to ,bacchus1 ,jupiter1 ,saturn1        
,apollo1 and ,hercules1 what is related 
of ,noah1 ,moses1 ,aaron1 ,samson1 and  

,jonah1 c4  ,origen1 writing against    
,celsus1 supposes the reality of magic1 
and says that the ,magi who came to     
adore ,jesus ,christ at ,bethlehem1     
wishing to perform their accustomed     
operations1 not being able to succeed1 a
 superior power preventing the effect   
and imposing silence on the demon1 they 
sought out the cause1 and beheld at the 
same time a divine sign in the heavens1 
whence they concluded that it was the   
,being spoken of by ,balaam1 and that   
the new ,king whose birth he had        
predicted1 was born in ,judea1 and      
immediately they resolved to go and seek
 him4 ,origen believes that magicians1  
according to the rules of their art1    
often foretell the future1 and that     
their predictions are followed by the   
event1 unless the power of ,god1 or that
 of the angels1 prevents the effect of  
their conjurations1 and puts them to    
silence4#afd   ,footnotes3  #aec ,homer1
 ,iliad1 ,,iv4  #aed ,acts xix4 #ai4    
#aee ,acts viii4 #i2 xiii4 #h4  #aef    

,pind4 ,od4 iv4  #aeg ,plin4 ,i4 #bh4   
#aeh ,cato de ,rerustic4 c4 #afj4  #aei 
,psalm lvii4 ,jer4 vii4 #ag4 ,eccles4 x4
 #aa4  #afj ,plin4 lib4 viii4 c4 #ej4   
#afa ,job xl4 #be4  #afb ,ecclus4 xii4  
#ac4    ,frigidus in pratis cantando    
rumpitur anguis4--,virgil1 ,ecl4 viii4  
,vipereas rumpo verbis et carmine       
fauces4--,ovid4  #afc ,plin4 lib4       
xxviii4  #afd ,the fables of ,jason and 
many others of the same class are said  
by ,fortuitus ,comes to have a reference
 to alchemy4     ,,chapter ,,xiii4      
,,examples ,,which ,,prove ,,the        
,,reality ,,of ,,magic4   ,st4          
,augustine#afe remarks that not only the
 poets1 but the historians even1 relate 
that ,diomede1 of whom the ,greeks have 
made a divinity1 had not the happiness  
to return to his country with the other 
princes who had been at the siege of    
,troy2 that his companions were changed 
into birds1 and that these birds have   
their dwelling in the environs of the   
,temple of ,diomede1 which is situated  

near ,mount ,garganos2 that these birds 
caress the ,greeks who come to visit    
this temple1 but fly at and peck the    
strangers who arrive there4  ,varro1 the
 most learned of ,romans1 to render this
 more credible1 relates what everybody  
knows about ,circ1 who changed the      
companions of ,ulysses into beasts2 and 
what is said of the ,arcadians1 who1    
after having drawn lots1 swam over a    
certain lake1 after which they were     
metamorphosed into wolves1 and ran about
 in the forests like other wolves4 ,if  
during the time of their transmutation  
they did not eat human flesh1 at the end
 of nine years they repassed the same   
lake1 and resumed their former shape4   
,the same ,varro relates of a certain   
,demenotas that1 having tasted the flesh
 of a child which the ,arcadians had    
immolated to their god ,lyca1 he had    
also been changed into a wolf1 and ten  
years after he had resumed his natural  
form1 had appeared at the ,olympic      
games1 and won the prize for pugilism4  

,st4 ,augustine testifies that in his   
time many believed that these           
transformations still took place1 and   
some persons even affirmed that they had
 experienced them in their own persons4 
,he adds that1 when in ,italy1 he was   
told that certain women gave cheese to  
strangers who lodged at their houses1   
when these strangers were immediately   
changed into beasts of burden1 without  
losing their reason1 and carried the    
loads which were placed upon them2 after
 which they returned to their former    
state4 ,he says1 moreover1 that a       
certain man1 named ,prstantius1 related 
that his father1 having eaten of this   
magic cheese1 remained lying in bed1    
without any one being able to awaken him
 for several days1 when he awoke1 and   
said that he had been changed into a    
horse1 and had carried victuals to the  
army2 and the thing was found to be     
true1 although it appeared to him to be 
only a dream4  ,st4 ,augustine1         
reasoning on all this1 says that either 

these things are false1 or else so      
extraordinary that we cannot give faith 
to them4 ,it is not to be doubted that  
,god1 by his almighty power1 can do     
anything that he thinks proper1 but that
 the devil1 who is of a spiritual       
nature1 can do nothing without the      
permission of ,god1 whose decrees are   
always just2 that the demon can neither 
change the nature of the spirit1 or the 
body of a man1 to transform him into a  
beast2 but that he can only act upon the
 fancy or imagination of a man1 and     
persuade him that he is what he is not1 
or that he appears to others different  
from what he is2 or that he remains in a
 deep sleep1 and believes during that   
slumber that he is bearing loads which  
the devil carries for him2 or that he   
7the devil7 fascinates the eyes of those
 who believe they see them borne by     
animals1 or by men metamorphosed into   
animals4  ,if we consider it only a     
change arising from fancy or            
imagination1 as it happens in the       

disorder called lycanthropy1 in which a 
man believes himself changed into a     
wolf1 or into any other animal1 as      
,nebuchadnezzar1 who believed himself   
changed into an ox1 and acted for seven 
years as if he had really been          
metamorphosed into that animal1 there   
would be nothing in that more marvelous 
than what we see in hypochondriacs1 who 
persuade themselves that they are kings1
 generals1 popes1 and cardinals2 that   
they are snow1 glass1 pottery1 c4 ,like 
him who1 being alone at the theatre1    
believed that he beheld there actors and
 admirable representations2 or the man  
who imagined that all the vessels which 
arrived at the port of ,pireus1 near    
,athens1 belonged to him2 or1 in short1 
what we see every day in dreams1 and    
which appear to us very real during our 
sleep4 ,in all this1 it is needless to  
have recourse to the devil1 or to magic1
 fascination1 or illusion2 there is     
nothing above the natural order of      
things4 ,but that1 by means of certain  

beverages1 certain herbs1 and certain   
kinds of food1 a person may disturb the 
imagination1 and persuade another that  
he is a wolf1 a horse1 or an ass1       
appears more difficult of explanation1  
although we are aware that plants1      
herbs1 and medicaments possess great    
power over the bodies of men1 and are   
capable of deranging the brain1         
constitution1 and imagination4 ,we have 
but too many examples of such things4   
,another circumstance which1 if true1   
deserves much reflection1 is that of    
,apollonius of ,tyana1 who1 being at    
,ephesus during a great plague which    
desolated the city1 promised the        
,ephesians to cause the pest to cease   
the very day on which he was speaking to
 them1 and which was that of his second 
arrival in their town4 ,he assembled    
them at the theatre1 and ordered them to
 stone to death a poor old man1 covered 
with rags1 who asked alms4 ,strike1     
cried he1 that enemy of the gods6 heap  
stones upon him4 ,they could not make up

 their minds to do so1 for he excited   
their pity1 and asked mercy in the most 
touching manner4 ,but ,apollonius       
pressed it so much1 that at last they   
slew him1 and amassed over him an       
immense heap of stones4 ,a little while 
after he told them to take away these   
stones1 and they would see what sort of 
an animal they had killed4 ,they found  
only a great dog1 and were convinced    
that this old man was only a phantom who
 had fascinated their eyes1 and caused  
the pestilence in their town4  ,we here 
see five remarkable things3--#ast4 ,the 
demon who causes the plague in ,ephesus2
 #b;d4 ,this same demon1 who1 instead of
 a dog1 causes the appearance of a man2 
#c;d4 ,the fascination of the senses of 
the ,ephesians1 who believe that they   
behold a man instead of a dog2 #dth4    
,the proof of the magic of ,apollonius1 
who discovers the cause of this         
pestilence2 #eth4 ,and who makes it     
cease at the given time4  neas ,sylvius 
,picolomini1 who was afterwards ,pope by

 the name of ,pius ,,ii41 writes1 in his
 ,history of ,bohemia1 that a woman     
predicted to a soldier of ,king         
,wratislaus1 that the army of that      
prince would be cut in pieces by the    
,duke of ,bohemia1 and that1 if this    
soldier wished to avoid death1 he must  
kill the first person he should meet on 
the road1 cut off their ears1 and put   
them in his pocket2 that with the sword 
he had used to pierce them he must trace
 on the ground a cross between his      
horse's legs2 that he must kiss it1 and 
then take flight4 ,all this the young   
soldier performed4 ,wratislaus gave     
battle1 lost it1 and was killed4 ,the   
young soldier escaped2 but on entering  
his house1 he found that it was his wife
 whom he had killed and run his sword   
through1 and whose ears he had cut off4 
,this woman was1 then1 strangely        
disguised and metamorphosed1 since her  
husband could not recognize her1 and she
 did not make herself known to him in   
such perilous circumstances1 when her   

life was in danger4 ,these two were1    
then1 apparently magicians2 both she who
 made the prediction1 and the other on  
whom it was exercised4 ,god permits1 on 
this occasion1 three great evils4 ,the  
first magician counsels the murder of an
 innocent person2 the young man commits 
it on his own wife without knowing her2 
and the latter dies in a state of       
condemnation1 since by the secrets of   
magic she had rendered it impossible to 
recognize her4  ,a butcher's wife of the
 town of ,jena1 in the duchy of ,wiemar 
in ,thuringia1#aff having refused to let
 an old woman have a calf's head for    
which she offered very little1 the old  
woman went away grumbling and muttering4
 ,a little time after this the butcher's
 wife felt violent pains in her head4   
,as the cause of this malady was unknown
 to the cleverest physicians1 they could
 find no remedy for it2 from time to    
time a substance like brains came from  
this woman's left ear1 and at first it  
was supposed to be her own brain4 ,but  

as she suspected that old woman of      
having cast a spell upon her on account 
of the calf's head1 they examined the   
thing more minutely1 and they saw that  
these were calf's brains2 and what      
strengthened this opinion was that      
splinters of calf's-head bones came out 
with the brains4 ,this disorder         
continued some time2 at last the        
butcher's wife was perfectly cured4     
,this happened in #afhe4 ,m4 ,hoffman1  
who relates this story in his           
dissertation on the ,power of the ,demon
 over ,bodies1 printed in #agcf1 says   
that the woman was perhaps still alive4 
,one day they brought to ,st4 ,macarius 
the ,egyptian1 a virtuous woman who had 
been transformed into a mare by the     
pernicious arts of a magician4 ,her     
husband1 and all those who saw her1     
thought that she really was changed into
 a mare4 ,this woman remained three days
 and three nights without tasting any   
food1 proper either for man or horse4   
,they showed her to the priests of the  

place1 who could apply no remedy4  ,then
 they led her to the cell of ,st4       
,macarius1 to whom ,god had revealed    
that she was to come2 his disciples     
wanted to send her back1 thinking that  
it was a mare4 ,they informed the saint 
of her arrival1 and the subject of her  
journey4 ,he said to them1 ,you are     
downright animals yourselves1 thinking  
you see what is not2 that woman is not  
changed1 but your eyes are fascinated4  
,at the same time he sprinkled holy     
water on the woman's head1 and all      
present beheld her in her former state4 
,he gave her something to eat1 and sent 
her away safe and sound with her        
husband4 ,as he sent her away the saint 
said to her1 ,do not keep from church1  
for this has happened to you for having 
been five weeks without taking the      
sacrament of our ,lord1 or attending    
divine service4  ,st4 ,hilarion1 much in
 the same manner1 cured by virtue of    
holy water a young girl1 whom a magician
 had rendered most violently amorous of 

a young man4 ,the demon who possessed   
her cried aloud to ,st4 ,hilarion1 ,you 
make me endure the most cruel torments1 
for ,i cannot come out till the young   
man who caused me to enter shall unloose
 me1 for ,i am enchained under the      
threshold of the door by a band of      
copper covered with magical characters1 
and by the tow which envelops it4 ,then 
,st4 ,hilarion said to him1 ,truly your 
power is very great1 to suffer yourself 
to be bound by a bit of copper and a    
little thread2 at the same time1 without
 permitting these things to be taken    
from under the threshold of the door1 he
 chased away the demon and cured the    
girl4  ,in the same place1 ,st4 ,jerome 
relates that one ,italicus1 a citizen of
 ,gaza and a ,christian1 who brought up 
horses for the games in the circus1 had 
a pagan antagonist who hindered and held
 back the horses of ,italicus in their  
course1 and gave most extraordinary     
celerity to his own4 ,italicus came to  
,st4 ,hilarion1 and told him the subject

 he had for uneasiness4 ,the saint      
laughed and said to him1 ,would it not  
be better to give the value of your     
horses to the poor rather than employ   
them in such exercises8 ,i cannot do as 
,i please1 said ,italicus2 it is a      
public employment which ,i fill1 because
 ,i cannot help it1 and as a ,christian 
,i cannot employ malpractices against   
those used against me4 ,the brothers1   
who were present1 interceded for him2   
and ,st4 ,hilarion gave him the earthen 
vessel out of which he drank1 filled it 
with water1 and told him to sprinkle his
 horses with it4 ,italicus not only     
sprinkled his horses with this water1   
but likewise his stable and chariot all 
over2 and the next day the horses and   
chariot of this rival were left far     
behind his own2 which caused the people 
to shout in the theatre1 ,marnas is     
vanished--,jesus ,christ is victorious6 
,and this victory of ,italicus produced 
the conversion of several persons at    
,gaza4  ,will it be said that this is   

only the effect of imagination1         
prepossession1 or the trickery of a     
clever charlatan8 ,how can you persuade 
fifty people that a woman who is present
 before their eyes can be changed into a
 mare1 supposing that she has retained  
her own natural shape8 ,how was it that 
the soldier mentioned by neas ,sylvius  
did not recognize his wife1 whom he     
pierced with his sword1 and whose ears  
he cut off8 ,how did ,apollonius of     
,tyana persuade the ,ephesians to kill a
 man1 who really was only a dog8 ,how   
did he know that this dog1 or this man1 
was the cause of the pestilence which   
afflicted ,ephesus8 ,it is then very    
credible that the evil spirit often acts
 on bodies1 on the air1 the earth1 and  
on animals1 and produces effects which  
appear above the power of man4  ,it is  
said that in ,lapland they have a school
 for magic1 and that fathers send their 
children to it1 being persuaded that    
magic is necessary to them1 that they   
may avoid falling into the snares of    

their enemies1 who are themselves great 
magicians4 ,they make the familiar      
demons1 whose services they command1    
pass as an inheritance to their         
children1 that they may make use of them
 to overcome the demons of other        
families who are adverse to their own4  
,they often make use of a certain kind  
of drum for their magical operations2   
for instance1 if they wish to know what 
is passing in a foreign country1 one    
amongst them beats this drum1 placing   
upon it at the part where the image of  
the sun is represented1 a quantity of   
pewter rings attached together with a   
chain of the same metal2 then they      
strike the drum with a forked hammer    
made of bone1 so that these rings move2 
at the same time they sing distinctly a 
song1 called by the ,laplanders ,jonk2  
and all those of their nation who are   
present1 men and women1 add their own   
songs1 expressing from time to time the 
name of the place whence they desire to 
have news4  ,the ,laplander having      

beaten the drum for some time1 places it
 on his head in a certain manner1 and   
falls down directly motionless on the   
ground1 and without any sign of life4   
,all the men and all the women continue 
singing1 till he revives2 if they cease 
to sing1 the man dies1 which happens    
also if any one tries to awaken him by  
touching his hand or his foot4 ,they    
even keep the flies from him1 which by  
their humming might awaken him and bring
 him back to life4  ,when he is         
recovered he replies to the questions   
they ask him concerning the place he has
 been at4 ,sometimes he does not awake  
for four-and-twenty hours1 sometimes    
more1 sometimes less1 according to the  
distance he has gone2 and in            
confirmation of what he says1 and of the
 distance he has been1 he brings back   
from the place he has been sent to the  
token demanded of him1 a knife1 a ring1 
shoes1 or some other object4#afg  ,these
 same ,laplanders make use also of this 
drum to learn the cause of any malady1  

or to deprive their enemies of their    
life or their strength4 ,moreover1      
amongst them are certain magicians1 who 
keep in a kind of leathern game-bag     
magic flies1 which they let loose from  
time to time against their enemies or   
against their cattle1 or simply to raise
 tempests and hurricanes4 ,they have    
also a sort of dart which they hurl into
 the air1 and which causes the death of 
any one it falls upon4 ,they have also a
 sort of little ball called tyre1 almost
 round1 which they send in the same way 
against their enemies to destroy them2  
and if by ill luck this ball should hit 
on its way some other person1 or some   
animal1 it will inevitably cause its    
death4  ,who can be persuaded that the  
,laplanders who sell fair winds1 raise  
storms1 relate what passes in distant   
places1 where they go1 as they say1 in  
the spirit1 and bring back things which 
they have found there--who can persuade 
themselves that all this is done without
 the aid of magic8 ,it has been said    

that in the circumstance of ,apollonius 
of ,tyana1 they contrived to send away  
the man all squalid and deformed1 and   
put in his place a dog which was stoned1
 or else they substituted a dead dog4   
,all which would require a vast deal of 
preparation1 and would be very difficult
 to execute in sight of all the people3 
it would1 perhaps1 be better to deny the
 fact altogether1 which certainly does  
appear very fabulous1 than to have      
recourse to such explanations4          
,footnotes3  #afe ,aug4 de ,civit4 ,dei1
 lib4 xviii4 c4 #af-ah4  #aff ,frederici
 ,hoffman1 de ,diaboli ,potentia in     
,corpora1 p4 #chb4  #afg ,see ,john     
,schesser1 ,laponia1 printed at         
,frankfort in #dto4 an4 #afgc1 chap4 xi4
 entitled1 ,de sacris ,magicis et ,magia
 ,laponia1 p4 #aai1 and following4      
,,chapter ,,xiv4  ,,effects ,,of ,,magic
 ,,according ,,to ,,the ,,poets4   ,were
 we to believe what is said by the poets
 concerning the effects of magic1 and   
what the magicians boast of being able  

to perform by their spells1 nothing     
would be more marvelous than their art1 
and we should be obliged to acknowledge 
that the power of the demon was greatly 
shown thereby4 ,pliny#afh relates that  
,appian evoked the spirit of ,homer1 to 
learn from him which was his country1   
and who were his parents4 ,philostratus 
says#afi that ,apollonius of ,tyana went
 to the tomb of ,achilles1 evoked his   
manes1 and implored them to cause the   
figure of that hero to appear to him2   
the tomb trembled1 and afterwards he    
beheld a young man1 who at first        
appeared about five cubits1 or seven    
feet and a half high--after which1 the  
phantom dilated to twelve cubits1 and   
appeared of a singular beauty4          
,apollonius asked him some frivolous    
questions1 and as the young man jested  
indecently with him1 he comprehended    
that he was possessed by a demon2 this  
demon he expelled1 and cured the young  
man4 ,but all this is fabulous4         
,lactantius1#agj refuting the           

philosophers ,democritus1 ,epicurus1 and
 ,dicearchus1 who denied the immortality
 of the soul1 says they would not dare  
to maintain their opinion before a      
magician1 who1 by the power of his art1 
and by his spells1 possessed the secret 
of bringing souls from ,hades1 of making
 them appear1 speak1 and foretell the   
future1 and give certain signs of their 
presence4  ,st4 ,augustine1#aga always  
circumspect in his decisions1 dare not  
pronounce whether magicians possess the 
power of evoking the spirits of saints  
by the might of their enchantments4 ,but
 ,tertullian#agb is bolder1 and         
maintains that no magical art has power 
to bring the souls of the saints from   
their rest2 but that all the            
necromancers can do is to call forth    
some phantoms with a borrowed shape1    
which fascinate the eyes1 and make those
 who are present believe that to be a   
reality which is only appearance4 ,in   
the same place he quotes ,heraclius1 who
 says that the ,nasamones1 people of    

,africa1 pass the night by the tombs of 
their near relations to receive oracles 
from the latter2 and that the ,celts1 or
 ,gauls1 do the same thing in the       
mausoleums of great men1 as related by  
,nicander4  ,lucan says#agc that the    
magicians1 by their spells1 cause       
thunder in the skies unknown to         
,jupiter2 that they tear the moon from  
her sphere1 and precipitate her to      
earth2 that they disturb the course of  
nature1 prolong the nights1 and shorten 
the days2 that the universe is obedient 
to their voice1 and that the world is   
chilled as it were when they speak and  
command4#agd ,they were so well         
persuaded that the magicians possessed  
power to make the moon come down from   
the sky1 and they so truly believed that
 she was evoked by magic art whenever   
she was eclipsed1 that they made a great
 noise by striking on copper vessels1 to
 prevent the voice which pronounced     
enchantments from reaching her4#age     
,these popular opinions and poetical    

fictions deserve no credit1 but they    
show the force of prejudice4#agf ,it is 
affirmed that1 even at this day1 the    
,persians think they are assisting the  
moon when eclipsed by striking violently
 on brazen vessels1 and making a great  
uproar4  ,ovid#agg attributes to the    
enchantments of magic the evocation of  
the infernal powers1 and their dismissal
 back to hell2 storms1 tempests1 and the
 return of fine weather4 ,they          
attributed to it the power of changing  
men into beasts by means of certain     
herbs1 the virtues of which are known to
 them4#agh  ,virgil#agi speaks of       
serpents put to sleep and enchanted by  
the magicians4 ,and ,tibullus says that 
he has seen the enchantress bring down  
the stars from heaven1 and turn aside   
the thunderbolt ready to fall upon the  
earth--and that she has opened the      
ground and made the dead come forth from
 their tombs4  ,as this matter allows of
 poetical ornaments1 the poets have vied
 with each other in endeavoring to adorn

 their pages with them1 not that they   
were convinced there was any truth in   
what they said2 they were the first to  
laugh at it when an opportunity         
presented itself1 as well as the gravest
 and wisest men of antiquity4 ,but      
neither princes nor priests took much   
pains to undeceive the people1 or to    
destroy their prejudices on those       
subjects4 ,the ,pagan religion allowed  
them1 nay1 authorized them1 and part of 
its practices were founded on similar   
superstitions4   ,footnotes3  #afh      
,plin4 lib4 iii4 c4 #b4  #afi ,philost4 
,vit4 ,apollon4  #agj ,lactant4 lib4 vi4
 ,divin4 ,instit4 c4 #ac4  #aga ,aug4 ad
 ,simplic4  #agb ,tertull4 de ,anim1 c4 
#eg4  #agc ,lucan4 ,pharsal4 lib4 vi4   
#dej1 et seq4  #agd   ,cessavere vices  
rerum1 dilataque longa1   ,hsit nocte   
dies2 legi non paruit ther2   ,torpuit  
et prceps audito carmine mundus2   ,et  
tonat ignaro coelum ,jove4  #age        
,cantat et e curro tentat deducere      
,lunam   ,et faceret1 si non ra repulsa 

sonent4                                 
,tibull4 lib4 i4 ,eleg4 ix4 #ba4  #agf  
,pietro della ,valle1 ,voyage4  #agg    
4444 ,obscurum verborum ambage nervorum 
,ter novies carmen magico demurmurat    
ore4   ,jam ciet infernas magico        
stridore catervas1   ,jam jubet aspersum
 lacte referre pedem4   ,cm libet1 hc   
tristi depellit nubila coelo2   ,cm     
libet1 stivo provocat orbe nives4       
,ovid4 ,metamorph4 #ad4  #agh   ,nas nam
 ut cantu1 nimiumque potentibus herbis  
,verterit in tacitos juvenilia corpora  
pisces4  #agi   ,vipereo generi et      
graviter spirantibus hydris   ,spargere 
qui somnos cantuque manque solebat1     
,,chapter ,,xv4  ,,of ,,the ,,pagan     
,,oracles4   ,if it were well proved    
that the oracles of pagan antiquity were
 the work of the evil spirit1 we could  
give more real and palpable proofs of   
the apparition of the demon among men   
than these boasted oracles1 which were  
given in almost every country in the    
world1 among the nations which passed   

for the wisest and most enlightened1 as 
the ,egyptians1 ,chaldeans1 ,persians1  
,syrians1 even the ,hebrews1 ,greeks1   
and ,romans4 ,even the most barbarous   
people were not without their oracles4  
,in the pagan religion there was nothing
 esteemed more honorable1 or more       
complacently boasted of4  ,in all their 
great undertakings they had recourse to 
the oracle2 by that was decided the most
 important affairs between town and     
town1 or province and province4 ,the    
manner in which the oracles were        
rendered was not everywhere the same4   
,it is said#ahj the bull ,apis1 whose   
worship was anciently established in    
,egypt1 gave out his oracles on his     
receiving food from the hand of him who 
consulted4 ,if he received it1 say they1
 it was considered a good omen2 if he   
refused it1 this was a bad augury4 ,when
 this animal appeared in public1 he was 
accompanied by a troop of children1 who 
sang hymns in his honor2 after which    
these boys were filled with sacred      

enthusiasm1 and began to predict future 
events4 ,if the bull went quietly into  
his lodge1 it was a happy sign2#aha if  
he came out1 it was the contrary4 ,such 
was the blindness of the ,egyptians4    
,there were other oracles also in       
,egypt3#ahb as those of ,mercury1       
,apollo1 ,hercules1 ,diana1 ,minerva1   
,jupiter ,ammon1 c41 which last was     
consulted by ,alexander the ,great4 ,but
 ,herodotus remarks that in his time    
there were neither priests nor          
priestesses who uttered oracles4 ,they  
were derived from certain presages1     
which they drew by chance1 or from the  
movements of the statues of the gods1 or
 from the first voice which they heard  
after having consulted4 ,pausanias      
says#ahc that he who consults whispers  
in the ear of ,mercury what he requires 
to know1 then he stops his ears1 goes   
out of the temple1 and the first words  
which he hears from the first person he 
meets are held as the answer of the god4
  ,the ,greeks acknowledge that they    

received from the ,egyptians both the   
names of their gods and their most      
ancient oracles2 amongst others that of 
,dodona1 which was already much resorted
 to in the time of ,homer1#ahd and which
 came from the oracle of ,jupiter of    
,thebes3 for the ,egyptian priests      
related that two priestesses of that god
 had been carried off by ,phoenician    
merchants1 who had sold them1 one into  
,libya and the other into ,greece4#ahe  
,those of ,dodona related that two black
 doves had flown from ,thebes of        
,egypt--that the one which had stopped  
at ,dodona had perched upon a           
beech-tree1 and had declared in an      
articulate voice that the gods willed   
that an oracle of ,jupiter should be    
established in this place2 and that the 
other1 having flown into ,lybia1 had    
there formed or founded the oracle of   
,jupiter ,ammon4 ,these origins are     
certainly very frivolous and very       
fabulous4 ,the ,oracle of ,delphi is    
more recent and more celebrated4        

,phemono was the first priestess of     
,delphi1 and began in the time of       
,acrisius1 twenty-seven years before    
,orpheus1 ,musus1 and ,linus4 ,she is   
said to have been the inventress of     
hexameters4  ,but ,i think ,i can remark
 vestiges of oracles in ,egypt1 from the
 time of the patriarch ,joseph1 and from
 the time of ,moses4 ,the ,hebrews had  
dwelt for #bae years in ,egypt1 and     
having multiplied there exceedingly1 had
 begun to form a separate people and a  
sort of republic4 ,they had imbibed a   
taste for the ceremonies1 the           
superstitions1 the customs1 and the     
idolatry of the ,egyptians4  ,joseph was
 considered the cleverest diviner and   
the greatest expounder of dreams in     
,egypt4 ,they believed that he derived  
his oracles from the inspection of the  
liquor which he poured into his cup4    
,moses1 to cure the ,hebrews of their   
leaning to the idolatry and             
superstitions of ,egypt1 prescribed to  
them laws and ceremonies which favored  

his design2 the first1 diametrically    
opposite to those of the ,egyptians2 the
 second1 bearing some resemblance to    
theirs in appearance1 but differing both
 in their aim and circumstances4  ,for  
instance1 the ,egyptians were accustomed
 to consult diviners1 magicians1        
interpreters of dreams1 and augurs2 all 
which things are forbidden to the       
,hebrews by ,moses1 on pain of rigorous 
punishment2 but in order that they might
 have no room to complain that their    
religion did not furnish them with the  
means of discovering future events and  
hidden things1 ,god1 with condescension 
worthy of reverential admiration1       
granted them the ,urim and ,thummim1 or 
the ,doctrine and the ,truth1 with which
 the high-priest was invested according 
to the ritual in the principal          
ceremonies of religion1 and by means of 
which he rendered oracles1 and          
discovered the will of the ,most ,high4 
,when the ark of the covenant and the   
tabernacle were constructed1 the ,lord1 

consulted by ,moses1#ahf gave out his   
replies from between the two cherubim   
which were placed upon the mercy-seat   
above the ark4 ,all which seems to      
insinuate that1 from the time of the    
patriarch ,joseph1 there had been       
oracles and diviners in ,egypt1 and that
 the ,hebrews consulted them4  ,god     
promised his people to raise up a       
prophet#ahg among them1 who should      
declare to them his will3 in fact1 we   
see in almost all ages among them1      
prophets inspired by ,god2 and the true 
prophets reproached them vehemently for 
their impiety1 when instead of coming to
 the prophets of the ,lord1 they went to
 consult strange oracles1#ahh and       
divinities equally powerless and unreal4
  ,we have spoken before of the teraphim
 of ,laban1 of the idols or pretended   
oracles of ,micah and ,gideon4 ,king    
,saul1 who1 apparently by the advice of 
,samuel1 had exterminated diviners and  
magicians from the land of ,israel1     
desired in the last war to consult the  

,lord1 who would not reply to him4 ,he  
then afterwards addressed himself to a  
witch1 who promised him she would evoke 
,samuel for him4 ,she did1 or feigned to
 do so1 for the thing offers many       
difficulties1 into which we shall not   
enter here4  ,the same ,saul having     
consulted the ,lord on another occasion1
 to know whether he must pursue the     
,philistines whom he had just defeated1 
,god refused also to reply to him1#ahi  
because his son ,jonathan had tasted    
some honey1 not knowing that the king   
had forbidden his army to taste anything
 whatever before his enemies were       
entirely overthrown4  ,the silence of   
the ,lord on certain occasions1 and his 
refusal to answer sometimes when ,he was
 consulted1 are an evident proof that   
,he usually replied1 and that they were 
certain of receiving instructions from  
,him1 unless they raised an obstacle to 
it by some action which was displeasing 
to ,him4   ,footnotes3  #ahj ,plin4 lib4
 viii4 c4 #dh4  #aha ,herodot4 lib4 ix4 

#ahb ,vide ,joan4 ,marsham1 ,sc4 iv4 pp4
 #fb1 #fc4  #ahc ,pausan4 lib4 vii4 p4  
#ada4  #ahd ,homer1 ,iliad1 xii4 #b1    
#bce4  #ahe ,herodot4 lib4 ii4 c4 #eb1  
#ee4  #ahf ,exod4 xxv4 #bb4  #ahg ,deut4
 xviii4 #ac4  #ahh #b ,kings i4 #b1 #c1 
#af1 c4  #ahi #a ,sam4 xiv4 #bd4        
,,chapter ,,xvi4  ,,the ,,certainty ,,of
 ,,the ,,event ,,predicted ,,is ,,not   
,,always ,a ,,proof ,,that ,,the        
,,prediction ,,comes ,,from ,,god4      
,moses had foreseen that so untractable 
and superstitious a people as the       
,israelites would not rest satisfied    
with the reasonable1 pious1 and         
supernatural means which he had procured
 them for discovering future events1 by 
giving them prophets and the oracle of  
the high-priest4 ,he knew that there    
would arise among them false prophets   
and seducers1 who would endeavor by     
their illusions and magical secrets to  
mislead them into error2 whence it was  
that he said to them3#aij ,if there     
should arise among you a prophet1 or any

 one who boasts of having had a dream1  
and he foretells a wonder1 or anything  
which surpasses the ordinary power of   
man1 and what he predicts shall happen2 
and after that he shall say unto you1   
,come1 let us go and serve the strange  
gods1 which you have not known2 you     
shall not hearken unto him1 because the 
,lord your ,god will prove you1 to see  
whether you love ,him with all your     
heart and with all your soul4           
,certainly1 nothing is more likely to   
mislead us than to see what has been    
foretold by any one come to pass4  ,show
 the things that are to come1 says      
,isaiah1#aia that we may know that ye   
are gods4 ,let them come1 let them      
foretell what is to happen1 and what has
 been done of old1 and we will believe  
in them1 c4 ,idoneum testimonium        
divinationis1 says ,turtullian1#aib     
veritas divinationis4 ,and ,st4         
,jerome1#aic ,confitentur magi1         
confitentur arioli1 et omnis scientia   
scularis litteratur1 prescientiam       

futurorum non esse hominum1 sed ,dei4   
,nevertheless1 we have just seen that   
,moses acknowledges that false prophets 
can predict things which will happen4   
,and the ,saviour warns us in the       
,gospel that at the end of the world    
several false prophets will arise1 who  
will seduce many#aid--,they shall shew  
great signs and wonders1 insomuch that1 
if it were possible1 they shall deceive 
even the elect4 ,it is not1 then1       
precisely either the successful issue of
 the event which decides in favor of the
 false prophet--nor the default of the  
predictions made by true prophets which 
proves that they are not sent by ,god4  
,jonah was sent to foretell the         
destruction of ,nineveh1#aie which did  
not come to pass2 and many other threats
 of the prophets were not put into      
execution1 because ,god1 moved by the   
repentance of the sinful1 revoked or    
commuted his former sentence4 ,the      
repentance of the ,ninevites guarantied 
them against the last misfortune4       

,isaiah had distinctly foretold to ,king
 ,hezekiah#aif that he would not recover
 from his illness3 ,set thine house in  
order1 for thou shalt die1 and not live4
 ,nevertheless1 ,god1 moved with the    
prayer of this prince1 revoked the      
sentence of death2 and before the       
prophet had left the court of the king's
 house1 ,god commanded him to return and
 tell the king that ,god would add yet  
fifteen years to his life4  ,moses      
assigns the mark of a true prophet to   
be1 when he leads us to ,god and his    
worship--and the mark of a false prophet
 is1 when he withdraws us from the      
,lord1 and inclines us to superstition  
and idolatry4 ,balaam was a true        
prophet1 inspired by ,god1 who foretold 
things which were followed up by the    
event2 but his morals were very corrupt1
 and he was extremely self-interested4  
,he did everything he could to deserve  
the recompense promised him by the king 
of ,moab1 and to curse and immolate     
,israel4#aig ,god did not permit him to 

do so2 he put into his mouth blessings  
instead of curses2 he did not induce the
 ,israelites to forsake the ,lord2 but  
he advised the ,moabites to seduce the  
people of ,god1 and cause them to commit
 fornication1 and to worship the idols  
of the country1 and by that means to    
irritate ,god against them1 and draw    
upon them the effects of his vengeance4 
,moses caused the chiefs among the      
people1 who had consented to this crime1
 to be hung2 and caused to perish the   
,midianites who had led the ,hebrews    
into it4 ,and lastly1 ,balaam1 who was  
the first cause of this evil1 was also  
punished with death4#aih  ,in all the   
predictions of diviners or oracles1 when
 they are followed by fulfilment1 we can
 hardly disavow that the evil spirit    
intervenes1 and discovers the future to 
those who consult him4 ,st4 ,augustine1 
in his book de ,divinatione ,dmonum1#aii
 or of predictions made by the evil     
spirit1 when they are fulfilled1        
supposes that the demons are of an arial

 nature1 and much more subtile than     
bodies in general2 insomuch that they   
surpass beyond comparison the lightness 
both of men and the swiftest animals1   
and even the flight of birds1 which     
enables them to announce things that are
 passing in very distant places1 and    
beyond the common reach of men4         
,moreover1 as they are not subject to   
death as we are1 they have acquired     
infinitely more experience than even    
those who possess the most among        
mankind1 and are the most attentive to  
what happens in the world4 ,by that     
means they can sometimes predict things 
to come1 announce several things at a   
distance1 and do some wonderful things2 
which has often led mortals to pay them 
divine honors1 believing them to be of a
 nature much more excellent than their  
own4  ,but when we reflect seriously on 
what the demons predict1 we may remark  
that often they announce nothing but    
what they are to do themselves4#bjj ,for
 ,god permits them1 sometimes1 to cause 

maladies1 corrupt the air1 and produce  
in it qualities of an infectious nature1
 and to incline the wicked to persecute 
the worthy4 ,they perform these         
operations in a hidden manner1 by       
resources unknown to mortals1 and       
proportionate to the subtilty of their  
own nature4 ,they can announce what they
 have foreseen must happen by certain   
natural tokens unknown to men1 like as a
 physician foresees by the secret of his
 art the symptoms and the consequences  
of a malady which no one else can4      
,thus1 the demon1 who knows our         
constitution and the secret tendency of 
our humors1 can foretell the maladies   
which are the consequences of them4 ,he 
can also discover our thoughts and our  
secret wishes by certain external       
motions1 and by certain expressions we  
let fall by chance1 whence he infers    
that men would do or undertake certain  
things consequent upon these thoughts or
 inclinations4  ,but his predictions are
 far from being comparable with those   

revealed to us by ,god1 through his     
angels1 or the prophets2 these are      
always certain and infallible1 because  
they have for their principle ,god1 who 
is truth2 while the predictions of the  
demons are often deceitful1 because the 
arrangements on which they are founded  
can be changed and deranged1 when they  
least expect it1 by unforeseen and      
unexpected circumstances1 or by the     
authority of superior powers            
overthrowing the first plans1 or by a   
peculiar disposition of ,providence1 who
 sets bounds to the power of the prince 
of darkness4 ,sometimes1 also1 demons   
purposely deceive those who have the    
weakness to place confidence in them4   
,but1 usually1 they throw the fault upon
 those who have taken on themselves to  
interpret their discourses and          
predictions4  ,so says ,st4             
,augustine2#bja and although we do not  
quite agree with him1 but hold the      
opinion that souls1 angels and demons   
are disengaged from all matter or       

substance1 still we can apply his       
reasoning to evil spirits1 even upon the
 supposition that they are              
immaterial--and own that sometimes they 
can predict the future1 and that their  
predictions may be fulfilled2 but that  
is not a proof of their being sent by   
,god1 or inspired by his ,spirit4 ,even 
were they to work miracles1 we must     
anathematize them as soon as they turn  
us from the worship of the true ,god1 or
 incline us to irregular lives4         
,footnotes3  #aij ,deut4 xiii4 #a1 #b4  
#aia ,isaiah xli4 #bb1 #bc4  #aib       
,tertull4 ,apolog4 c4 #bj4  #aic        
,hieronym4 in ,dan4  #aid ,matt4 xxiv4  
#aa1 #bd4  #aie ,jonah i4 #b4  #aif     
,kings xx4 #a4 ,isai4 xxxviii4 #a4  #aig
 ,numb4 xxii4 xxiii4 xxiv4  #aih ,numb4 
xxxi4 #h4  #aii ,aug4 de ,divinat4      
,dmon4 c4 #c1 pp4 #ejg1 #ejh1 et seq4   
#bjj ,idem4 c4 #e4  #bja ,s4 ,august4 in
 his ,retract4 lib4 ii4 c4 #cj1 owns    
that he advanced this too lightly4      
,,chapter ,,xvii4  ,,reasons ,,which    

,,lead ,,us ,,to ,,believe ,,that ,,the 
,,greater ,,part ,,of ,,the ,,ancient   
,,oracles ,,were ,,only ,,impositions   
,,of ,,the ,,priests ,,and              
,,priestesses1 ,,who ,,feigned ,,that   
,,they ,,were ,,inspired ,,by ,,god4    
,if it is true1 as has been thought by  
many1 both among the ancients and the   
moderns1 that the oracles of pagan      
antiquity were only illusions and       
deceptions on the part of the priests   
and priestesses1 who said that they were
 possessed by the spirit of ,python1 and
 filled with the inspiration of ,apollo1
 who discovered to them internally      
things hidden and past1 or present and  
future1 ,i must not place them here in  
the rank of evil spirits4 ,the devil has
 no other share in the matter than he   
has always in the crimes of men1 and in 
that multitude of sins which cupidity1  
ambition1 interest1 and self-love       
produce in the world2 the demon being   
always ready to seize an occasion to    
mislead us1 and draw us into            

irregularity and error1 employing all   
our passions to lead us into these      
snares4 ,if what he has foretold is     
followed by fulfilment1 either by       
chance1 or because he has foreseen      
certain circumstances unknown to men1 he
 takes to himself all the credit of it1 
and makes use of it to gain our         
confidence and conciliate credit for his
 predictions2 if the thing is doubtful1 
and he knows not what the issue of it   
will be1 the demon1 the priest1 or      
priestess will pronounce an equivocal   
oracle1 in order that at all events they
 may appear to have spoken true4  ,the  
ancient legislators of ,greece1 the most
 skillful politicians1 and generals of  
armies1 dexterously made use of the     
prepossession of the people in favor of 
oracles1 to persuade them what they had 
concerted was approved of by the gods1  
and announced by the oracle4 ,these     
things and these oracles were often     
followed by success1 not because the    
oracle had predicted or ordained it1 but

 because the enterprise being well      
concerted and well conducted1 and the   
soldiers also perfectly persuaded that  
,god was on their side1 fought with more
 than ordinary valor4 ,sometimes they   
gained over the priestess by the aid of 
presents1 and thus disposed her to give 
favorable replies4 ,demosthenes         
haranguing at ,athens against ,philip1  
,king of ,macedon1 said that the        
priestess of ,delphi ,philipized1 and   
only pronounced oracles conformable to  
the inclinations1 advantage1 and        
interest of that prince4  ,porphyry1 the
 greatest enemy of the ,christian       
name1#bjb makes no difficulty of owning 
that these oracles were dictated by the 
spirit of falsehood1 and that the demons
 are the true authors of enchantments1  
philtres1 and spells2 that they         
fascinate or deceive the eyes by the    
spectres and phantoms which they cause  
to appear2 that they ambitiously desire 
to pass for gods2 that their arial and  
spiritual bodies are nourished by the   

smell and smoke of the blood and fat of 
the animals which are immolated to them2
 and that the office of uttering oracles
 replete with falsehood1 equivocation1  
and deceit has devolved upon them4 ,at  
the head of these demons he places      
,hecate and ,serapis4 ,jamblichus1      
another pagan author1 speaks of them in 
the same manner1 and with as much       
contempt4  ,the ancient fathers who     
lived so near the times when these      
oracles existed1 several of whom had    
forsaken paganism and embraced          
,christianity1 and who consequently knew
 more about the oracles than we can1    
speak of them as things invented1       
governed1 and maintained by the demons4 
,the most sensible among the heathens do
 not speak of them otherwise1 but also  
they confess that often the malice1     
imposition1 servility and interest of   
the priests had great share in the      
matter1 and that they abused the        
simplicity1 credulity and prepossessions
 of the people4  ,plutarch says1#bjc    

that a governor of ,cilicia having sent 
to consult the oracle of ,mopsus1 as he 
was going to ,malle in the same country1
 the man who carried the billet fell    
asleep in the temple1 where he saw in a 
dream a handsome looking man1 who said  
to him the single word black4 ,he       
carried this reply to the governor1     
whose mysterious question he knew       
nothing about4 ,those who heard this    
answer laughed at it1 not knowing what  
was in the billet3 but the governor     
having opened it showed them these words
 written in it2 shall ,i immolate to    
thee a black ox or a white one8 and that
 the oracle had thus answered his       
question without opening the note4 ,but 
who can answer for their not having     
deceived the bearer of the billet in    
this case1 as did ,alexander of         
,abonotiche1 a town of ,paphlagonia1 in 
,asia ,minor4 ,this man had the art to  
persuade the people of his country that 
he had with him the god ,esculapius1 in 
the shape of a tame serpent1 who        

pronounced oracles1 and replied to the  
consultations addressed to him on divers
 diseases without opening the billets   
they placed on the altar of the temple  
of this pretended divinity2 after which1
 without opening them1 they found the   
next morning the reply written below4   
,all the trick consisted in the seal    
being raised artfully by a heated       
needle1 and then replaced after having  
written the reply at the bottom of the  
note1 in an obscure and enigmatical     
style1 after the manner of other        
oracles4 ,at other times he used mastic1
 which being yet soft1 took the         
impression of the seal1 then when that  
was hardened he put on another seal with
 the same impression4 ,he received about
 ten sols 7five pence7 per billet1 and  
this game lasted all his life1 which was
 a long one2 for he died at the age of  
seventy1 being struck by lightning1 near
 the end of the second century of the   
,christian era3 all which may be found  
more at length in the book of ,lucian1  

entitled ,pseudo ,manes1 or the false   
,diviner4 ,the priest of the oracle of  
,mopsus could by the same secret open   
the billet of the governor who consulted
 him1 and showing himself during the    
night to the messenger1 declared to him 
the above-mentioned reply4              
,macrobius#bjd relates that the ,emperor
 ,trajan1 to prove the oracle of        
,heliopolis in ,phoenicia1 sent him a   
well-sealed letter in which nothing was 
written2 the oracle commanded that a    
blank letter should also be sent to the 
emperor4 ,the priests of the oracle were
 much surprised at this1 not knowing the
 reason of it4 ,another time the same   
emperor sent to consult this same oracle
 to know whether he should return safe  
from his expedition against the         
,parthians4 ,the oracle commanded that  
they should send him some branches of a 
knotted vine1 which was sacred in his   
temple4 ,neither the emperor nor any one
 else could guess what that meant2 but  
his body1 or rather his bones1 having   

been brought to ,rome after his death1  
which happened during his journey1 it   
was supposed that the oracle had        
intended to predict his death1 and      
designate his fleshless bones1 which    
somewhat resemble the branches of a     
vine4  ,it is easy to explain this quite
 otherwise4 ,if he had returned         
victorious1 the vine being the source of
 wine which rejoices the heart of man1  
and is agreeable to both gods and men1  
would have typified his victory--and if 
the expedition had proved fruitless1 the
 wood of the vine1 which is useless for 
any kind of work1 and only good for     
burning as firewood1 might in that case 
signify the inutility of this           
expedition4 ,it is allowed that the     
artifice1 malice1 and inventions of the 
heathen priests had much to do with the 
oracles2 but are we to infer from this  
that the demon had no part in the       
matter8  ,we must allow that as by      
degrees the light of the ,gospel was    
spread in the world1 the reign of the   

demon1 ignorance1 corruption of morals1 
and crime1 diminished4 ,the priests who 
pretended to predict1 by the inspiration
 of the evil spirit1 things concealed   
from mortal knowledge1 or who misled the
 people by their illusions and          
impostures1 were obliged to confess that
 the ,christians imposed silence on     
them1 either by the empire they         
exercised over the devil1 or else by    
discovering the malice and knavishness  
of the priests1 which the people had not
 dared to sound1 from a blind respect   
which they had for this mystery of      
iniquity4  ,if in our days any one would
 deny that in former times there were   
oracles which were rendered by the      
inspiration of the demon1 we might      
convince him of it by what is still     
practiced in ,lapland1 and by what      
missionaries#bje relate1 that in ,india 
the demon reveals things hidden and to  
come1 not by the mouth of idols1 but by 
that of the priests1 who are present    
when they interrogate either the statues

 or the demon4 ,and they remark that    
there the demon becomes mute and        
powerless1 in proportion as the light of
 the ,gospel is spread among these      
nations4 ,thus then the silence of the  
oracles may be attributed--#a4 ,to a    
superhuman cause1 which is the power of 
,jesus ,christ1 and the publication of  
the ,gospel4 #b4 ,mankind are become    
less superstitious1 and bolder in       
searching out the cause of these        
pretended revelations4 #c4 ,to their    
having become less credulous1 as ,cicero
 says4#bjf #d4 ,because princes have    
imposed silence on the oracles1 fearing 
that they might inspire the nation with 
rebellious principles4 ,for which       
reason1 ,lucan says1 that princes feared
 to discover the future4#bjg            
,strabo#bjh conjectures that the ,romans
 neglected them because they had the    
,sibylline books1 and their auspices    
7aruspices1 or haruspices71 which stood 
them instead of oracles4 ,m4 ,vandale   
demonstrates that some remains of the   

oracles might yet be seen under the     
,christian emperors4 ,it was then only  
in process of time that oracles were    
entirely abolished2 and it may be boldly
 asserted that sometimes the evil spirit
 revealed the future1 and inspired the  
ministers of false gods1 by permission  
of the ,almighty1 who wished to punish  
the confidence of the infidels in their 
idols4 ,it would be going too far1 if we
 affirmed that all that was said of the 
oracles was only the effect of the      
artifices or the malice of the priests1 
who always imposed on the credulity of  
mankind4 ,read on this subject the      
learned reply of ,father ,balthus to the
 treatises of ,,mm4 ,vandale and        
,fontenelle4   ,footnotes3  #bjb        
,porphr4 apud ,euseb4 de ,prpar4 ,evang4
 lib1 iv4 c4 #e1 #f4  #bjc ,plutarch1 de
 ,defectu ,oracul4 p4 #dcd4  #bjd       
,macrob4 ,saturnal4 lib4 i4 c4 #bc4     
#bje ,lettres difiantes1 tom4 x4  #bjf  
,cicero1 de ,divinat4 lib4 ii4 c4 #eg4  
#bjg   ,reges timent futura   ,et       

superos vetant loqui4                   
,lucan1 ,pharsal4 lib4 v4 p4 #aab4  #bjh
 ,strabo1 lib4 xvii4     ,,chapter      
,,xviii4  ,,on ,,sorcerers ,,and        
,,sorceresses1 ,,or ,,witches4   ,the   
empire of the devil nowhere shines forth
 with more lustre than in what is       
related of the ,sabbath 7witches'       
sabbath or assembly71 where he receives 
the homage of those of both sexes who   
have abandoned themselves to him4 ,it is
 there1 the wizards and witches say1    
that he exercises the greatest          
authority1 and appears in a visible     
form1 but always hideous1 misshapen1 and
 terrible2 always during the night in   
out-of-the-way places1 and arrayed in a 
manner more gloomy than gay1 rather sad 
and dull1 than majestic and brilliant4  
,if they pay their adoration in that    
place to the prince of darkness1 he     
shows himself there in a despicable     
posture1 and in a base1 contemptible and
 hideous form2 if people eat there1 the 
viands of the feast are dirty1 insipid1 

and destitute of solidity and           
substance--they neither satisfy the     
appetite1 nor please the palate2 if they
 dance there1 it is without order1      
without skill1 without propriety4  ,to  
endeavor to give a description of the   
infernal sabbath1 is to aim at          
describing what has no existence and    
never has existed1 except in the craving
 and deluded imagination of sorcerers   
and sorceresses3 the paintings we have  
of it are conceived after the reveries  
of those who fancy they have been       
transported through the air to the      
sabbath1 both in body and soul4  ,people
 are carried thither1 say they1 sitting 
on a broom-stick1 sometimes on the      
clouds or on a he-goat4 ,neither the    
place1 the time1 nor the day when they  
assemble is fixed4 ,it is sometimes in a
 lonely forest1 sometimes in a desert1  
usually on the ,wednesday or the        
,thursday night2 the most solemn of all 
is that of the eve of ,st4 ,john the    
,baptist3 they there distribute to every

 sorcerer the ointment with which he    
must anoint himself when he desires to  
go to the sabbath1 and the spell-powder 
he must make use of in his magic        
operations4 ,they must all appear       
together in this general assembly1 and  
he who is absent is severely ill-used   
both in word and deed4 ,as to the       
private meetings1 the demon is more     
indulgent to those who are absent for   
some particular reason4  ,as to the     
ointment with which they anoint         
themselves1 some authors1 amongst       
others1 ,john ,baptista ,porta1 and     
,john ,wierius1#bji boast that they know
 the composition4 ,amongst other        
ingredients there are many narcotic     
drugs1 which cause those who make use of
 it to fall into a profound slumber1    
during which they imagine that they are 
carried to the sabbath up the chimney1  
at the top of which they find a tall    
black man1#baj with horns1 who          
transports them where they wish to go1  
and afterwards brings them back again by

 the same chimney4 ,the accounts given  
by these people1 and the description    
which they give of their assemblies1 are
 wanting in unity and uniformity4  ,the 
demon1 their chief1 appears there1      
either in the shape of a he-goat1 or as 
a great black dog1 or as an immense     
raven2 he is seated on an elevated      
throne1 and receives there the homage of
 those present in a way which decency   
does not allow us to describe4 ,in this 
nocturnal assembly they sing1 they      
dance1 they abandon themselves to the   
most shameful disorder2 they sit down to
 table1 and indulge in good cheer2 while
 at the same time they see on the table 
neither knife nor fork1 salt nor oil2   
they find the viands devoid of savor1   
and quit the table without their hunger 
being satisfied4  ,one would imagine    
that the attraction of a better fortune1
 and a wish to enrich themselves1 drew  
thither men and women4 ,the devil never 
fails to make them magnificent promises1
 at least the sorcerers say so1 and     

believe it1 deceived1 without doubt1 by 
their imagination2 but experience shows 
us that these people are always ragged1 
despised1 and wretched1 and usually end 
their lives in a violent and            
dishonorable manner4  ,when they are    
admitted for the first time to the      
sabbath1 the demon inscribes their name 
and surname on his register1 which he   
makes them sign2 then he makes them     
forswear cream and baptism1 makes them  
renounce ,jesus ,christ and his church2 
and1 to give them a distinctive         
character and make them known for his   
own1 he imprints on their bodies a      
certain mark with the nail of the little
 finger of one of his hands2 this mark1 
or character1 thus impressed1 renders   
the part insensible to pain4 ,they even 
pretend that he impresses this character
 in three different parts of the body1  
and at three different times4 ,the demon
 does not impress these characters1 say 
they1 before the person has attained the
 age of twenty-five4  ,but none of these

 things deserve the least attention4    
,there may happen to be in the body of a
 man1 or a woman1 some benumbed part1   
either from illness1 or the effect of   
remedies1 or drugs1 or even naturally2  
but that is no proof that the devil has 
anything to do with it4 ,there are even 
persons accused of magic and sorcery1 on
 whom no part thus characterized has    
been found1 nor yet insensible to the   
touch1 however exact the search4 ,others
 have declared that the devil has never 
made any such marks upon them4 ,consult 
on this matter the second letter of ,m4 
de ,st4 ,andr1 ,physician to the ,king1 
in which he well develops what has been 
said about these characters of          
sorcerers4  ,the word sabbath1 taken in 
the above sense1 is not to be found in  
ancient writers2 neither the ,hebrews   
nor the ,egyptians1 the ,greeks nor the 
,latins have known it4  ,the thing      
itself1 ,i mean the sabbath taken in the
 sense of a nocturnal assembly of       
persons devoted to the devil1 is not    

remarked in antiquity1 although         
magicians1 sorcerers1 and witches are   
spoken of often enough--that is to say1 
people who boasted that they exercised a
 kind of power over the devil1 and by   
his means1 over animals1 the air1 the   
stars1 and the lives and fortunes of    
men4  ,horace#baa makes use of the word 
coticia to indicate the nocturnal       
meetings of the magicians--,tu riseris  
coticia2 which he derives from ,cotys1  
or ,cotto1 ,goddess of ,vice1 who       
presided in the assemblies which were   
held at night1 and where the ,bacchantes
 gave themselves up to all sorts of     
dissolute pleasures2 but this is very   
different from the witches' sabbath4    
,others derive this term from           
,sabbatius1 which is an epithet given to
 the god ,bacchus1 whose nocturnal      
festivals were celebrated in debauchery4
 ,arnobius and ,julius ,firmicus        
,maternus inform us that in these       
festivals they slipped a golden serpent 
into the bosoms of the initiated1 and   

drew it downwards2 but this etymology is
 too far-fetched3 the people who gave   
the name of sabbath to the assemblies of
 the sorcerers wished apparently to     
compare them in derision to those of the
 ,jews1 and to what they practiced in   
their synagogues on sabbath days4  ,the 
most ancient monument in which ,i have  
been able to remark any express mention 
of the nocturnal assemblies of the      
sorcerers is in the ,capitularies1#bab  
wherein it is said that women led away  
by the illusions of the demons1 say that
 they go in the night with the goddess  
,diana and an infinite number of other  
women1 borne through the air on         
different animals1 that they go in a few
 hours a great distance1 and obey ,diana
 as their queen4 ,it was1 therefore1 to 
the goddess ,diana1 or the ,moon1 and   
not to ,lucifer1 that they paid homage4 
,the ,germans call witches' dances what 
we call the sabbath4 ,they say that     
these people assemble on ,mount         
,bructere4  ,the famous ,agobard1#bac   

,archbishop of ,lyons1 who lived under  
the ,emperor ,louis the ,debonair1 wrote
 a treatise against certain             
superstitious persons in his time1 who  
believed that storms1 hail1 and thunder 
were caused by certain sorcerers whom   
they called tempesters 7tempestarios1 or
 storm-brewers71 who raised the rain in 
the air1 caused storms and thunder1 and 
brought sterility upon the earth4 ,they 
called these extraordinary rains aura   
lavatitia1 as if to indicate that they  
were raised by magic power4 ,in this    
place the people still call these       
violent rains alvace4 ,there were even  
persons sufficiently prejudiced to boast
 that they knew of temptiers1 who had to
 conduct the tempests where they choose1
 and to turn them aside when they       
pleased4 ,agobard interrogated some of  
them1 but they were obliged to own that 
they had not been present at the things 
they related4  ,agobard maintains that  
this is the work of ,god alone2 that in 
truth1 the saints1 with the help of     

,god1 have often performed similar      
prodigies2 but that neither the devil   
nor sorcerers can do anything like it4  
,he remarks that there were among his   
people superstitious persons who would  
pay very punctually what they called    
canonicum1 which was a sort of tribute  
which they offered to these             
tempest-brewers 7temptiers71 that they  
might not hurt them1 while they refused 
the tithe to the priest and alms to the 
widow1 orphan1 and other indigent       
persons4  ,he adds that he had of late  
found people sufficiently foolish enough
 to spread a report that ,grimaldus1    
,duke of ,benevento1 had sent persons   
into ,france1 carrying certain powders  
which they had scattered over the       
fields1 mountains1 meadows1 and springs1
 and had thus caused the death of an    
immense number of animals4 ,several of  
these persons were taken up1 and they   
owned that they carried such powders    
about with them and though they made    
them suffer various tortures1 they could

 not force them to retract what they had
 said4  ,others affirmed that there was 
a certain country named ,mangonia1 where
 there were vessels which were borne    
through the air and took away the       
productions2 that certain wizards had   
cut down trees to carry them to their   
country4 ,he says1 moreover1 that one   
day three men and a woman were presented
 to him1 who1 they said1 had fallen from
 these ships which floated in the air4  
,they were kept some days in            
confinement1 and at last having been    
confronted with their accusers1 the     
latter were obliged1 after contesting   
the matter1 and making several          
depositions1 to avow that they knew     
nothing certain concerning their being  
carried away1 or of their pretended fall
 from the ship in the sky4              
,charlemagne#bad in his ,capitularies1  
and the authors of his time1 speak also 
of these wizard tempest-brewers1        
enchanters1 c41 and commanded that they 
should be reprimanded and severely      

chastised4  ,pope ,gregory ,,ix4#bae in 
a letter addressed to the ,archbishop of
 ,mayence1 the ,bishop of ,hildesheim1  
and ,doctor ,conrad1 in #abcd1 thus     
relates the abominations of which they  
accused the heretic ,stadingians4 ,when 
they receive1 says he1 a novice1 and    
when he enters their assemblies for the 
first time1 he sees an enormous toad1 as
 big as a goose1 or bigger4 ,some kiss  
it on the mouth1 some kiss it behind4   
,then the novice meets a pale man with  
very black eyes1 and so thin that he is 
only skin and bones4 ,he kisses him1 and
 feels that he is cold as ice4 ,after   
this kiss1 the novice easily forgets the
 ,catholic faith2 afterwards they hold a
 feast together1 after which a black cat
 comes down behind a statue1 which      
usually stands in the room where they   
assemble4  ,the novice first of all     
kisses the cat on the back1 then he who 
presides over the assembly1 and the     
others who are worthy of it4 ,the       
imperfect receive only a kiss from the  

master2 they promise obedience2 after   
which they extinguish the lights1 and   
commit all sorts of disorders4 ,they    
receive every year1 at ,easter1 the     
,lord's ,body1 and carry it in their    
mouth to their own houses1 when they    
cast it away4 ,they believe in ,lucifer1
 and say that the ,master of ,heaven has
 unjustly and fraudulently thrown him   
into hell4 ,they believe also that      
,lucifer is the creator of celestial    
things1 that will re-enter into glory   
after having thrown down his adversary1 
and that through him they will gain     
eternal bliss4 ,this letter bears date  
the #acth of ,june1 #abcc4   ,footnotes3
  #bji ,joan4 ,vier4 lib4 ii4 c4 #g4    
#baj ,a remarkably fine print on this   
subject was published at ,paris some    
years ago2 if we remember right1 it was 
suppressed4  #baa ,horat4 ,epodon4      
xviii4 #d4  #bab ,qudam scelerat        
mulieres dmonum illusionibus et         
phantasmatibus seduct1 credunt se et    
profitentur nocturnis horis cum ,dian   

,paganorum de et innumer multitudine    
mulierum equitare super quasdam bestias 
et multa terrarum spalia intempest      
noctis silentio pertransire ejusque     
jussionibus veluti domin                
obedire4--,baluz4 ,capitular4 fragment4 
c4 #ac4 ,vide et ,capitul4 ,herardi1    
,episc4 ,turon4  #bac ,agobard de       
,grandine4  #bad ,vide ,baluzii in      
,agobard4 pp4 #fh1 #fi4  #bae ,fleury1  
,hist4 ,eccles4 tom4 xvii4 p4 #ec1 ann4 
#abcd4     ,,chapter ,,xix4  ,,instances
 ,,of ,,sorcerers ,,and ,,witches       
,,being1 ,,as ,,they ,,said1            
,,transported ,,to ,,the ,,sabbath4     
,all that is said about witches going to
 the sabbath is treated as a fable1 and 
we have several examples which prove    
that they do not stir from their bed or 
their chamber4 ,it is true that some of 
them anoint themselves with a certain   
grease or unguent1 which makes them     
sleepy1 and renders them insensible2 and
 during this swoon they fancy that they 
go to the sabbath1 and there see and    

hear what every one says is there seen  
and heard4  ,we read1 in the book       
entitled ,malleus ,maleficorum1 or the  
,hammer of the ,sorcerers1 that a woman 
who was in the hands of the ,inquisitors
 assured them that she repaired really  
and bodily whither she would1 and that  
even were she shut up in prison and     
strictly guarded1 and let the place be  
ever so far off4  ,the ,inquisitors     
ordered her to go to a certain place1 to
 speak to certain persons1 and bring    
back news of them2 she promised to obey1
 and was directly locked up in a        
chamber1 where she lay down1 extended as
 if dead2 they went into the room1 and  
moved her2 but she remained motionless1 
and without the least sensation1 so that
 when they put a lighted candle to her  
foot and burnt it she did not feel it4  
,a little after1 she came to herself1   
and gave an account of the commission   
they had given her1 saying she had had a
 great deal of trouble to go that road4 
,they asked her what was the matter with

 her foot2 she said it hurt her very    
much since her return1 and knew not     
whence it came4  ,then the ,inquisitors 
declared to her what had happened2 that 
she had not stirred from her place1 and 
that the pain in her foot was caused by 
the application of a lighted candle     
during her pretended absence4 ,the thing
 having been verified1 she acknowledged 
her folly1 asked pardon1 and promised   
never to fall into it again4  ,other    
historians relate#baf that1 by means of 
certain drugs with which both wizards   
and witches anoint themselves1 they are 
really and corporally transported to the
 sabbath4 ,torquemada relates1 on the   
authority of ,paul ,grilland1 that a    
husband suspecting his wife of being a  
witch1 desired to know if she went to   
the sabbath1 and how she managed to     
transport herself thither4 ,he watched  
her so narrowly1 that he saw her one day
 anoint herself with a certain unguent1 
and then take the form of a bird and fly
 away1 and he saw her no more till the  

next morning1 when he found her by his  
side4 ,he questioned her very much1     
without making her own anything2 at last
 he told her what he had himself seen1  
and by dint of beating her with a stick1
 he constrained her to tell him her     
secret1 and to take him with her to the 
sabbath4  ,arrived at this place1 he sat
 down to table with the others2 but as  
all the viands which were on the table  
were very insipid1 he asked for some    
salt2 they were some time before they   
brought any2 at last1 seeing a          
salt-cellar1 he said--,god be praised1  
there is some salt at last6 ,at the same
 instant1 he heard a very great noise1  
all the company disappeared1 and he     
found himself alone and naked in a field
 among the mountains4 ,he went forward  
and found some shepherds2 he learned    
that he was more than three leagues from
 his dwelling4 ,he returned thither as  
he could1 and1 having related the       
circumstance to the ,inquisitors1 they  
caused the woman and several others1 her

 accomplices1 to be taken up and        
chastised as they deserved4  ,the same  
author relates that a woman1 returning  
from the sabbath and being carried      
through the air by the evil spirit1     
heard in the morning the bell for the   
,angelus4 ,the devil let her go         
immediately1 and she fell into a        
quickset hedge on the bank of a river2  
her hair fell disheveled over her neck  
and shoulders4 ,she perceived a young   
lad who after much entreaty came and    
took her out and conducted her to the   
next village1 where her house was       
situated2 it required most pressing and 
repeated questions on the part of the   
lad1 before she would tell him truly    
what had happened to her2 she made him  
presents1 and begged him to say nothing 
about it1 nevertheless the circumstance 
got spread abroad4  ,if we could depend 
on the truth of these stories1 and an   
infinite number of similar ones1 which  
books are full of1 we might believe that
 sometimes sorcerers are carried bodily 

to the sabbath2 but on comparing these  
stories with others which prove that    
they go thither only in mind and        
imagination1 we may say boldly1 that    
what is related of wizards and witches  
who go or think they go to the sabbath1 
is usually only illusion on the part of 
the devil1 and seduction on the part of 
those of both sexes who fancy they fly  
and travel1 while they in reality do not
 stir from their places4 ,the spirit of 
malice and falsehood being mixed up in  
this foolish prepossession1 they confirm
 themselves in their follies and engage 
others in the same impiety2 for ,satan  
has a thousand ways of deceiving mankind
 and of retaining them in error4 ,magic1
 impiety1 enchantments1 are often the   
effects of a diseased imagination4 ,it  
rarely happens that these kind of people
 do not fall into every excess of       
licentiousness1 irreligion1 and theft1  
and into the most outrageous            
consequences of hatred to their         
neighbors4  ,some have believed that    

demons took the form of the sorcerers   
and sorceresses who were supposed to be 
at the sabbath1 and that they maintained
 the simple creatures in their foolish  
belief1 by appearing to them sometimes  
in the shape of those persons who were  
reputed witches1 while they themselves  
were quietly asleep in their beds4 ,but 
this belief contains difficulties as    
great1 or perhaps greater1 than the     
opinion we would combat4 ,it is far from
 easy to understand that the demon takes
 the form of pretended sorcerers and    
witches1 that he appears under this     
shape1 that he eats1 drinks1 and        
travels1 and does other actions to make 
simpletons believe that sorcerers go to 
the sabbath4 ,what advantage does the   
devil derive from making idiots believe 
these things1 or maintaining them in    
such an error8 ,nevertheless it is      
related#bag that ,st4 ,germain1 ,bishop 
of ,auxerre1 traveling one day1 and     
passing through a village in his        
diocese1 after having taken some        

refreshment there1 remarked that they   
were preparing a great supper1 and      
laying out the table anew2 he asked if  
they expected company1 and they told him
 it was for those good women who go by  
night4 ,st4 ,germain well understood    
what was meant1 and resolved to watch to
 see the end of this adventure4  ,some  
time after he beheld a multitude of     
demons who came in the form of men and  
women1 and sat down to table in his     
presence4 ,st4 ,germain forbade them to 
withdraw1 and calling the people of the 
house1 he asked them if they knew those 
persons3 they replied1 that they were   
such and such among their neighbors3    
,go1 said he1 and see if they are in    
their houses3 they went1 and found them 
asleep in their beds4 ,the saint        
conjured the demons1 and obliged them to
 declare that it is thus they mislead   
mortals1 and make them believe that     
there are sorcerers and witches who go  
by night to the sabbath2 they obeyed1   
and disappeared1 greatly confused4      

,this history may be read in old        
manuscripts1 and is to be found in      
,jacques de ,varasse1 ,pierre de ,nols1 
in ,st4 ,antonine1 and in old           
,breviaries of ,auxerre1 as well        
printed1 as manuscript4 ,i by no means  
guarantee the truth of this story2 ,i   
think it is absolutely apocryphal2 but  
it proves that those who wrote and      
copied it believed that these nocturnal 
journeys of sorcerers and witches to the
 sabbath1 were mere illusions of the    
demon4 ,in fact1 it is hardly possible  
to explain all that is said of sorcerers
 and witches going to the sabbath1      
without having recourse to the ministry 
of the demon2 to which we must add a    
disturbed imagination1 with a mind      
misled1 and foolishly prepossessed1 and1
 if you will1 a few drugs which affect  
the brain1 excite the humors1 and       
produce dreams relative to impressions  
already in their minds4  ,in ,john      
,baptist ,porta ,cardan1 and elsewhere1 
may be found the composition of those   

ointments with which witches are said to
 anoint themselves1 to be able to       
transport themselves to the sabbath2 but
 the only real effect they produce is to
 send them to sleep1 disturb their      
imagination1 and make them believe they 
are going long journeys1 while they     
remain profoundly sleeping in their     
beds4  ,the fathers of the council of   
,paris1 of the year #hbi1 confess that  
magicians1 wizards1 and people of that  
kind1 are the ministers and instruments 
of the demon in the exercise of their   
diabolical art2 that they trouble the   
minds of certain persons by beverages   
calculated to inspire impure love2 that 
they are persuaded they can disturb the 
sky1 excite tempests1 send hail1 predict
 the future1 ruin and destroy the fruit1
 and take away the milk of cattle       
belonging to one person1 in order to    
give it to cattle the property of       
another4  ,the bishops conclude that all
 the rigor of the laws enacted by       
princes against such persons ought to be

 put in force against them1 and so much 
the more justly1 that it is evident they
 yield themselves up to the service of  
the devil4  ,spranger1 in the ,malleus  
,maleficorum1 relates1 that in ,suabia1 
a peasant who was walking in his fields 
with his little girl1 a child about     
eight years of age1 complained of the   
drought1 saying1 ,alas6 when will ,god  
give us some rain8 ,immediately the     
little girl told him that she could     
bring him some down whenever he wished  
it4 ,he answered1--,and who has taught  
you that secret8 ,my mother1 said she1  
who has strictly forbidden me to tell   
any body of it4  ,and what did she do to
 give you this power8  ,she took me to a
 master1 who comes to me as many times  
as ,i call him4  ,and have you seen this
 master8  ,yes1 said she1 ,i have often 
seen men come to my mother's house2 she 
has devoted me to one of them4  ,after  
this dialogue1 the father asked her how 
she could do to make it rain upon his   
field only4 ,she asked but for a little 

water2 he led her to a neighboring      
brook1 and the girl having called the   
water in the name of him to whom she had
 been devoted by her mother1 they beheld
 directly abundance of rain falling on  
the peasant's field4  ,the father1      
convinced that his wife was a sorceress1
 accused her before the judges1 who     
condemned her to be burnt4 ,the daughter
 was baptized and vowed to ,god1 but she
 then lost the power of making it rain  
at her will4   ,footnotes3  #baf        
,alphons4  ,castro ex ,petro ,grilland4 
,tract4 de ,hresib4  #bag ,bolland1 #e  
,jul4 p4 #bhg4     ,,chapter ,,xx4      
,,story ,,of ,,louis ,,gaufredi ,,and   
,,magdalen ,,de ,,la ,,palud1 ,,owned   
,,by ,,themselves ,,to ,,be ,a          
,,sorcerer ,,and ,,sorceress4   ,this is
 an unheard-of example2 a man and woman 
who declared themselves to be a sorcerer
 and sorceress4 ,louis ,gaufredi1 ,cur  
of the parish of ,accouls1 at           
,marseilles1#bah was accused of magic1  
and arrested at the beginning of the    

year #afaa4 ,christopher ,gaufredi1 his 
uncle1 of ,pourrieres1 in the           
neighborhood of ,beauversas1 sent him1  
six months before he 7,christopher7     
died1 a little paper book1 in #afmo41   
with six leaves written upon2 at the    
bottom of every leaf were two verses in 
,french1 and in the other parts were    
characters or ciphers1 which contained  
magical mysteries4 ,louis ,gaufredi at  
first thought very little of this book1 
and kept it for five years4  ,at the end
 of that time1 having read the ,french  
verses1 the devil presented himself     
under a human shape1 and by no means    
deformed1 and told him that he was come 
to fulfil all his wishes1 if he would   
give him credit for all his good works4 
,gaufredi agreed to the condition4 ,he  
asked of the demon that he might enjoy a
 great reputation for wisdom and virtue 
among persons of probity1 and that he   
might inspire with love all the women   
and young girls he pleased1 by simply   
breathing upon them4  ,lucifer promised 

him all this in writing1 and ,gaufredi  
very soon saw the perfect accomplishment
 of his designs4 ,he inspired with love 
a young lady named ,magdalen1 the       
daughter of a gentleman whose name was  
,mandole de la ,palud4 ,this girl was   
only nine years old1 when ,gaufredi1 on 
pretence of devotion and spirituality1  
gave her to understand that1 as her     
spiritual father1 he had a right to     
dispose of her1 and persuaded her to    
give herself to the devil2 and some     
years afterwards1 he obliged her to give
 a schedule1 signed with her own blood1 
to the devil1 to deliver herself up to  
him still more4 ,it is even said that he
 made her give from that time seven or  
eight other schedules4  ,after that1 he 
breathed upon her1 inspired her with a  
violent passion for himself1 and took   
advantage of her2 he gave her a familiar
 demon1 who served her and followed her 
everywhere4 ,one day he transported her 
to the witches' sabbath1 held on a high 
mountain near ,marseilles2 she saw there

 people of all nations1 and in          
particular ,gaufredi1 who held there a  
distinguished rank1 and who caused      
characters to be impressed or stamped on
 her head and in several other parts of 
her body4 ,this girl afterwards became a
 nun of the order of ,st4 ,ursula1 and  
passed for being possessed by the devil4
  ,gaufredi also inspired several other 
women with an irregular passion1 by     
breathing on them2 and this diabolical  
power lasted for six years4 ,for at last
 they found out that he was a sorcerer  
and magician2 and ,mademoiselle de      
,mandole having been arrested by the    
,inquisition1 and interrogated by father
 ,michael ,jacobin1 owned a great part  
of what we have just told1 and during   
the exorcisms discovered several other  
things4 ,she was then nineteen years of 
age4  ,all this made ,gaufredi known to 
the ,parliament of ,provence4 ,they     
arrested him2 and proceedings against   
him commenced ,february1 #afaa4 ,they   
heard in particular the deposition of   

,magdalen de la ,palud1 who gave a      
complete history of the magic of        
,gaufredi1 and the abominations he had  
committed with her4 ,that for the last  
fourteen years he had been a magician1  
and head of the magicians2 and if he had
 been taken by the justiciary power1 the
 devil would have carried him body and  
soul to hell4  ,gaufredi had voluntarily
 gone to prison2 and from the first     
examination which he underwent1 he      
denied everything and represented       
himself as an upright man4 ,but from the
 depositions made against him1 it was   
shown that his heart was very corrupted1
 and that he had seduced ,mademoiselle  
de ,mandole1 and other women whom he    
confessed4 ,this young lady was heard   
juridically the #bast of ,february1 and 
gave the history of her seduction1 of   
,gaufredi's magic1 and of the sabbath   
whither he had caused her to be         
transported several times4  ,some time  
after this1 being confronted with       
,gaufredi1 she owned that he was a      

worthy man1 and that all which had been 
reported against him was imaginary1 and 
retracted all she herself had avowed4   
,gaufredi on his part acknowledged his  
illicit connection with her1 denied all 
the rest1 and maintained that it was the
 devil1 by whom she was possessed1 that 
had suggested to her all she had said4  
,he owned that1 having resolved to      
reform his life1 ,lucifer had appeared  
to him1 and threatened him with many    
misfortunes2 that in fact he had        
experienced several2 that he had burnt  
the magic book in which he had placed   
the schedules of ,mademoiselle de la    
,palud and his own1 which he had made   
with the devil2 but that when he        
afterwards looked for them1 he was much 
astonished not to find them4 ,he spoke  
at length concerning the sabbath1 and   
said there was1 near the town of ,nice1 
a magician1 who had all sorts of        
garments ready for the use of the       
sorcerers2 that on the day of the       
sabbath1 there is a bell weighing a     

hundred pounds1 four ells in width1 and 
with a clapper of wood1 which made the  
sound dull and lugubrious4 ,he related  
several horrors1 impieties1 and         
abominations which were committed at the
 sabbath4 ,he repeated the schedule     
which ,lucifer had given him1 by which  
he bound himself to cast a spell on     
those women who should be to his taste4 
,after this exposition of the things    
related above1 the attorney-general drew
 his conclusions3 ,as the said ,gaufredi
 had been convicted of having divers    
marks in several parts of his body1     
where if pricked he has felt no pain1   
neither has any blood come2 that he has 
been illicitly connected with ,magdalen 
de la ,palud1 both at church and in her 
own house1 both by day and by night1 by 
letters in which were amorous or love   
characters1 invisible to any other but  
herself2 that he had induced her to     
renounce her ,god and her ,church--and  
that she had received on her body       
several diabolical characters2 that he  

has owned himself to be a sorcerer and a
 magician2 that he had kept by him a    
book of magic1 and had made use of it to
 conjure and invoke the evil spirit2    
that he has been with the said ,magdalen
 to the sabbath1 where he had committed 
an infinite number of scandalous1       
impious and abominable actions1 such as 
having worshiped ,lucifer3--for these   
causes1 the said attorney-general       
requires that the said ,gaufredi be     
declared attainted and convicted of the 
circumstances imputed to him1 and as    
reparation of them1 that he be          
previously degraded from sacred orders  
by the ,lord ,bishop of ,marseilles1 his
 diocesan1 and afterwards condemned to  
make honorable amends one audience day1 
having his head and feet bare1 a cord   
about his neck1 and holding a lighted   
taper in his hands--to ask pardon of    
,god1 the king1 and the court of        
justice--then1 to be delivered into the 
hands of the executioner of the high    
court of law1 to be taken to all the    

chief places and cross-roads of this    
city of ,aix1 and torn with red-hot     
pincers in all parts of his body2 and   
after that1 in the ,place des ,jacobins1
 burned alive1 and his ashes scattered  
to the wind2 and before being executed1 
let the question be applied to him1 and 
let him be tormented as grievously as   
can be devised1 in order to extract from
 him the names of his other accomplices4
 ,deliberated the #ahth of ,april1      
#afaa1 and the decree in conformity     
given the #bith of ,april1 #afaa4  ,the 
same ,gaufredi having undergone the     
question ordinary and extraordinary1    
declared that he had seen at the sabbath
 no person of his acquaintance except   
,mademoiselle de ,mandole2 that he had  
seen there also certain monks of certain
 orders1 which he did not name1 neither 
did he know the names of the monks4     
,that the devil anointed the heads of   
the sorcerers with certain unguents1    
which quite effaced every thing from    
their memory4  ,notwithstanding this    

decree of the ,parliament of ,provence1 
many people believed that ,gaufredi was 
a sorcerer only in imagination2 and the 
author from whom we derive this history 
says1 that there are some parliaments1  
amongst others the ,parliament of       
,paris1 which do not punish sorcerers   
when no other crimes are combined with  
magic2 and that experience has proved   
that1 in not punishing sorcerers1 but   
simply treating them as madmen1 it has  
been seen in time that they were no     
longer sorcerers1 because they no longer
 fed their imagination with these ideas2
 while in those places where sorcerers  
were burnt1 they saw nothing else1      
because everybody was strengthened in   
this prejudice4 ,that is what this      
writer says4  ,but we cannot conclude   
from thence that ,god does not sometimes
 permit the demon to exercise his power 
over men1 and lead them to the excess of
 malice and impiety1 and shed darkness  
over their minds and corruption in their
 hearts1 which hurry them into an abyss 

of disorder and misfortune4 ,the demon  
tempted ,job#bai by the permission of   
,god4 ,the messenger of ,satan and the  
thorn in the flesh wearied ,st4         
,paul2#bbj he asked to be delivered from
 them2 but he was told that the grace of
 ,god would enable him to resist his    
enemies1 and that virtue was            
strengthened by infirmities and trials4 
,satan took possession of the heart of  
,judas1 and led him to betray ,jesus    
,christ his ,master to the ,jews his    
enemies4#bba ,the ,lord wishing to warn 
his disciples against the impostors who 
would appear after his ascension1 says  
that1 by ,god's permission1 these       
impostors would work such miracles as   
might mislead the very elect            
themselves1#bbb were it possible4 ,he   
tells them elsewhere1#bbc that ,satan   
has asked permission of ,god to sift    
them as wheat1 but that ,he has prayed  
for them that their faith may be        
steadfast4  ,thus then with permission  
from ,god1 the devil can lead men to    

commit such excesses as we have just    
seen in ,mademoiselle de la ,palud and  
in the priest ,louis ,gaufredi1 perhaps 
even so far as really to take them      
through the air to unknown spots1 and to
 what is called the witches' sabbath2   
or1 without really conducting them      
thither1 so strike their imagination and
 mislead their senses1 that they think  
they move1 see1 and hear1 when they do  
not stir from their places1 see no      
object and hear no sound4  ,observe1    
also1 that the ,parliament of ,aix did  
not pass any sentence against even that 
young girl1 it being their custom to    
inflict no other punishment on those who
 suffered themselves to be seduced and  
dishonored than the shame with which    
they were loaded ever after4 ,in regard 
to the cur ,gaufredi1 in the account    
which they render to the chancellor of  
the sentence given by them1 they say    
that this cur was in truth accused of   
sorcery2 but that he had been condemned 
to the flames1 as being arraigned and   

convicted of spiritual incest with      
,magdalen de la ,palud1 his             
penitent4#bbd   ,footnotes3  #bah       
,causes ,clbres1 tom4 vi4 p4 #aib4  #bai
 ,job i4 #ab1 #ac1 #bb4  #bbj #b ,cor4  
xii4 #g1 #h4  #bba ,john xiii4 #b4  #bbb
 ,matt4 xxiv4 #e4  #bbc ,luke xxi4  #bbd
 ,the attentive reader of this horrible 
narrative will hardly fail to conclude  
that ,gaufredi's fault was chiefly his  
seduction of ,mademoiselle de la ,palud1
 and that the rest was the effect of a  
heated imagination4 ,the absurd         
proportions of the ,sabbath bell will be
 sufficient to show this4 ,if the bell  
were metallic1 it would have weighed    
many tons1 and a wooden bell of such    
dimensions1 even were it capable of     
sounding1 would weigh many hundred      
weight4     ,,chapter ,,xxi4  ,,reasons 
,,which ,,prove ,,the ,,possibility ,,of
 ,,sorcerers ,,and ,,witches ,,being    
,,transported ,,to ,,the ,,sabbath4     
,all that has just been said is more    
fitted to prove that the going of       

sorcerers and witches to the sabbath is 
only an illusion and a deranged         
imagination on the part of these        
persons1 and malice and deceit on that  
of the devil1 who misleads them1 and    
persuades them to yield themselves to   
him1 and renounce true religion1 by the 
lure of vain promises that he will      
enrich them1 load them with honors1     
pleasures1 and prosperity1 rather than  
to convince us of the reality of the    
corporeal transportation of these       
persons to what they call the sabbath4  
,here are some arguments and examples   
which seem to prove1 at least1 that the 
transportation of sorcerers to the      
sabbath is not impossible2 for the      
impossibility of this transportation is 
one of the strongest objections which is
 made to the opinion that supposes it4  
,there is no difficulty in believing    
that ,god may allow the demon to mislead
 men1 and carry them on to every excess 
of irregularity1 error1 and impiety2 and
 that he may also permit him to perform 

some things which to us appear          
astonishing1 and even miraculous2       
whether the devil achieves them by      
natural power1 or by the supernatural   
concurrence of ,god1 who employs the    
evil spirit to punish his creature1 who 
has willingly forsaken ,him to yield    
himself up to his enemy4 ,the prophet   
,ezekiel was transported through the air
 from ,chaldea1 where he was a captive1 
to ,judea1 and into the temple of the   
,lord1 where he saw the abominations    
which the ,israelites committed in that 
holy place2 and thence he was brought   
back again to ,chaldea by the           
ministration of angels1 as we shall     
relate in another chapter4  ,we know by 
the ,gospel that the devil carried our  
,saviour to the highest point of the    
temple at ,jerusalem4#bbe ,we know also 
that the prophet ,habakkuk#bbf was      
transported from ,judea to ,babylon1 to 
carry food to ,daniel in the lion's den4
 ,st4 ,paul informs us that he was      
carried up to the third heaven1 and that

 he heard ineffable things2 but he owns 
that he does not know whether it was in 
the body or only in the spirit4 ,he     
therefore doubted not the possibility of
 a man's being transported in body and  
soul through the air4 ,the deacon ,st4  
,philip was transported from the road   
from ,gaza to ,azotus in a very little  
time by the ,spirit of ,god4#bbg ,we    
learn by ecclesiastical history1 that   
,simon the magician was carried by the  
demon up into the air1 whence he was    
precipitated1 through the prayers of    
,st4 ,peter4 ,john the ,deacon1#bbh     
author of the life of ,st4 ,gregory the 
,great1 relates that one ,farold having 
introduced into the monastery of ,st4   
,andrew1 at ,rome1 some women who led   
disorderly lives1 in order to divert    
himself there with them1 and offer      
insult to the monks1 that same night    
,farold having occasion to go out1 was  
suddenly seized and carried up into the 
air by demons1 who held him there       
suspended by his hair1 without his being

 able to open his mouth to utter a cry1 
till the hour of matins1 when ,pope ,st4
 ,gregory1 the founder and protector of 
that monastery1 appeared to him1        
reproached him for his profanation of   
that holy place1 and foretold that he   
would die within the year--which did    
happen4  ,i have been told by a         
magistrate1 as incapable of being       
deceived by illusions as of imposing any
 such on other people1#bbi that on the  
#afth of ,october1 #agaf1 a carpenter1  
who inhabited a village near ,bar1 in   
,alsace1 called ,heiligenstein1 was     
found at five o'clock in the morning in 
the garret of a cooper at ,bar4 ,this   
cooper having gone up to fetch the wood 
for his trade that he might want to use 
during the day1 and having opened the   
door1 which was fastened with a bolt on 
the outside1 perceived a man lying at   
full length upon his stomach1 and fast  
asleep4 ,he recognized him1 and having  
asked him what he did there1 the        
carpenter in the greatest surprise told 

him he knew neither by what means1 nor  
by whom1 he had been taken to that      
place4  ,the cooper not believing this1 
told him that assuredly he was come     
thither to rob him1 and had him taken   
before the magistrate of ,bar1 who      
having interrogated him concerning the  
circumstance just spoken of1 he related 
to him with great simplicity1 that1     
having set off about four o'clock in the
 morning to come from ,heiligenstein to 
,bar--there being but a quarter of an   
hour's distance between those two       
places--he saw on a sudden1 in a place  
covered with verdure and grass1 a       
magnificent feast1 brightly illuminated1
 where a number of persons were highly  
enjoying themselves with a sumptuous    
repast and by dancing2 that two women of
 his acquaintance1 inhabitants of ,bar1 
having asked him to join the company1 he
 sat down to table and partook of the   
good cheer1 for a quarter of an hour at 
the most2 after that1 one of the guests 
having cried out ,cit1 ,cit1 he found   

himself carried away gently to the      
cooper's garret1 without knowing how he 
had been transported there4  ,this is   
what he declared in presence of the     
magistrate4 ,the most singular          
circumstance of this history is1 that   
hardly had the carpenter deposed what we
 read1 than those two women of ,bar who 
had invited him to join their feast hung
 themselves1 each in her own house4     
,the superior magistrates1 fearing to   
carry things so far as to compromise    
perhaps half the inhabitants of ,bar1   
judged prudently that they had better   
not inquire further2 they treated the   
carpenter as a visionary1 and the two   
women who hung themselves were          
considered as lunatics2 thus the thing  
was hushed up1 and the matter ended4    
,if this is what they call the witches' 
sabbath1 neither the carpenter1 nor the 
two women1 nor apparently the other     
guests at the festival1 had need to come
 mounted on a demon2 they were too near 
their own dwellings to have recourse to 

superhuman means in order to have       
themselves transported to the place of  
meeting4 ,we are not informed how these 
guests repaired to this feast1 nor how  
they returned each one to their home2   
the spot was so near the town1 that they
 could easily go and return without any 
extraneous assistance4  ,but if secrecy 
was necessary1 and they feared          
discovery1 it is very probable that the 
demon transported them to their homes   
through the air before it was day1 as he
 had transported the carpenter to the   
cooper's garret4 ,whatever turn may be  
given to this event1 it is certainly    
difficult not to recognize a manifest   
work of the evil spirit in the          
transportation of the carpenter through 
the air1 who finds himself1 without     
being aware of it1 in a well-fastened   
garret4 ,the women who hung themselves1 
showed clearly that they feared         
something still worse from the law1 had 
they been convicted of magic and        
witchcraft4 ,and had not their          

accomplices also1 whose names must have 
been declared1 as much to fear8         
,william de ,neubridge relates another  
story1 which bears some resemblance to  
the preceding4 ,a peasant having heard1 
one night as he was passing near a tomb1
 a melodious concert of different       
voices1 drew near1 and finding the door 
open1 put in his head1 and saw in the   
middle a grand feast1 well lighted1 and 
a well-covered table1 round which were  
men and women making merry4 ,one of the 
attendants having perceived him1        
presented him with a cup filled with    
liquor2 he took it1 and having spilled  
the liquor1 he fled with the cup to the 
first village1 where he stopped4 ,if our
 carpenter had done the same1 instead of
 amusing himself at the feast of the    
witches of ,bar1 he would have spared   
himself much uneasiness4  ,we have in   
history several instances of persons    
full of religion and piety1 who1 in the 
fervor of their orisons1 have been taken
 up into the air1 and remained there for

 some time4 ,we have known a good monk1 
who rises sometimes from the ground1 and
 remains suspended without wishing it1  
without seeking to do so1 especially on 
seeing some devotional image1 or on     
hearing some devout prayer1 such as     
,gloria in excelsis ,deo4 ,i know a nun 
to whom it has often happened in spite  
of herself to see herself thus raised up
 in the air to a certain distance from  
the earth2 it was neither from choice1  
nor from any wish to distinguish        
herself1 since she was truly confused at
 it4 ,was it by the ministration of     
angels1 or by the artifice of the       
seducing spirit1 who wished to inspire  
her with sentiments of vanity and pride8
 ,or was it the natural effect of       
,divine love1 or fervor of devotion in  
these persons8  ,i do not observe that  
the ancient fathers of the desert1 who  
were so spiritual1 so fervent1 and so   
great in prayer1 experienced similar    
ecstasies4 ,these risings up in the air 
are more common among our new saints1 as

 we may see in the ,life#bcj of ,st4    
,philip of ,neri1 where they relate his 
ecstasies and his elevations from earth 
into the air1 sometimes to the height of
 several yards1 and almost to the       
ceiling of his room1 and this quite     
involuntarily4 ,he tried in vain to hide
 it from the knowledge of those present1
 for fear of attracting their           
admiration1 and feeling in it some vain 
complacency4 ,the writers who give us   
these particulars do not say what was   
the cause1 whether these ecstatic       
elevations from the ground were produced
 by the fervor of the ,holy ,spirit1 or 
by the ministry of good angels1 or by a 
miraculous favor of ,god1 who desired   
thus to do honor to his servants in the 
eyes of men4 ,god had moreover favored  
the same ,st4 ,philip de ,neri1 by      
permitting him to see the celestial     
spirits and even the demons1 and to     
discover the state of holy spirits1 by  
supernatural knowledge4  ,st4 ,john     
,columbino1 teacher of the ,jesuits1    

made use of ,st4 ,catherine             
,columbine1#bca a maiden of             
extraordinary virtue1 for the           
establishment of nuns of his order4 ,it 
is related of her1 that sometimes she   
remained in a trance1 and raised up two 
yards from the ground1 motionless1      
speechless1 and insensible4  ,the same  
thing is said of ,st4 ,ignatius de      
,loyola1#bcb who remained entranced by  
,god1 and raised up from the ground to  
the height of two feet1 while his body  
shone like light4 ,he has been seen to  
remain in a trance insensible1 and      
almost without respiration1 for eight   
days together4  ,st4 ,robert de         
,palentin#bcc rose also from the ground1
 sometimes to the height of a foot and a
 half1 to the great astonishment of his 
disciples and assistants4 ,we see       
similar trances and elevations in the   
,life of ,st4 ,bernard ,ptolomei1       
teacher of the congregation of ,notre   
,dame of ,mount ,olivet2#bcd of ,st4    
,philip ,benitas1 of the order of       

,servites2 of ,st4 ,cajetanus1 founder  
of the ,thatins2#bce of ,st4 ,albert of 
,sicily1 confessor1 who1 during his     
prayers1 rose three cubits from the     
ground2 and lastly of ,st4 ,dominic1 the
 founder of the order of ,preaching     
,brothers4#bcf  ,it is related of ,st4  
,christina1#bcg ,virgin at ,s4 ,tron1   
that being considered dead1 and carried 
into the church in her coffin1 as they  
were performing for her the usual       
service1 she arose suddenly1 and went as
 high as the beams of the church1 as    
lightly as a bird4 ,being returned into 
the house with her sisters1 she related 
to them that she had been led first to  
purgatory1 and thence to hell1 and      
lastly to paradise1 where ,god had given
 her the choice of remaining there1 or  
of returning to this world and doing    
penance for the souls she had seen in   
purgatory4 ,she chose the latter1 and   
was brought back to her body by the holy
 angels4 ,from that time she could not  
bear the effluvia of the human body1 and

 rose up into trees and on the highest  
towers with incredible lightness1 there 
to watch and pray4 ,she was so light in 
running that she outran the swiftest    
dogs4 ,her parents tried in vain all    
they could do to stop her1 even to      
loading her with chains1 but she always 
escaped from them4 ,so many other almost
 incredible things are related of this  
saint1 that ,i dare not repeat them     
here4  ,m4 ,nicole1 in his letters1     
speaks of a nun named ,seraphina1 who1  
in her ecstasies1 rose from the ground  
with so much impetuosity that five or   
six of the sisters could hardly hold her
 down4  ,this doctor1 reasoning on the  
fact1#bch says1 that it proves nothing  
at all for ,sister ,seraphina2 but the  
thing well verified proves ,god and the 
devil--that is to say1 the whole of     
religion2 that the circumstance being   
proved1 is of very great consequence to 
religion2 that the world is full of     
certain persons who believe only what   
cannot be doubted2 that the great heresy

 of the world is no longer ,calvinism   
and ,lutheranism1 but atheism4 ,there   
are all sorts of atheists--some real1   
others pretended2 some determined1      
others vacillating1 and others tempted  
to be so4 ,we ought not to neglect this 
kind of people2 the grace of ,god is    
all-powerful2 we must not despair of    
bringing them back by good arguments1   
and by solid and convincing proofs4     
,now1 if these facts are certain1 we    
must conclude that there is a ,god1 or  
bad angels who imitate the works of     
,god1 and perform by themselves or their
 subordinates works capable of deceiving
 even the elect4  ,one of the oldest    
instances ,i remark of persons thus     
raised from the ground without any one  
touching them1 is that of ,st4 ,dunstan1
 ,archbishop of ,canterbury1 who died in
 #ihh1 and who1 a little time before his
 death1 as he was going up stairs to his
 apartment1 accompanied by several      
persons1 was observed to rise from the  
ground2 and as all present were         

astonished at the circumstance1 he took 
occasion to speak of his approaching    
death4#bci  ,trithemius1 speaking of    
,st4 ,elizabeth1 ,abbess of ,schonau1 in
 the diocese of ,treves1 says that      
sometimes she was in an ecstatic trance1
 so that she would remain motionless and
 breathless during a long time4 ,in     
these intervals1 she learned1 by        
revelation and by the intercourse she   
had with blessed spirits1 admirable     
things2 and when she revived1 she would 
discourse divinely1 sometimes in        
,german1 her native language1 sometimes 
in ,latin1 though she had no knowledge  
of that language4 ,trithemius did not   
doubt her sincerity and the truth of her
 discourse4 ,she died in #aafe4  ,st4   
,richard1 ,abbot of ,s4 ,vanne de       
,verdun1 appeared in #ajcf elevated from
 the ground while he was saying mass in 
presence of the ,duke ,galizon1 his     
sons1 and a great number of lords and   
soldiers4  ,in the last century1 the    
reverend ,father ,dominic ,carme        

,dchaux1 was raised from the ground     
before the ,king of ,spain1 the queen1  
and all the court1 so that they had only
 to blow upon his body to move it about 
like a soap-bubble4#bdj   ,footnotes3   
#bbe ,matt4 iv4 #e4  #bbf ,dan4 xiv4    
#cc1 #cd4 ,douay ,version4  #bbg ,acts  
viii4 #dj4  #bbh ,joan4 ,diacon4 ,vit4  
,gregor4 ,mag4  #bbi ,lettre de ,m4 ,g4 
,p4 ,r41 #eth ,october1 #agdf4  #bcj ,on
 the #bfth of ,may1 of the ,bollandists1
 c4 xx4 n4 #cef1 #ceg4  #bca ,acta ,s4  
,j4 ,bolland4 #c ,jul4 p4 #ie4  #bcb    
,ibid4 #ca ,jul4 pp4 #dcb1 #ffc4  #bcc  
,acta ,s4 ,j4 ,bolland1 #ba ,aug4 pp4   
#dfi1 #dha4  #bcd ,ibid4 #ah ,aug4 p4   
#ejc4  #bce ,ibid4 #ag ,aug4 p4 #bee4   
#bcf ,ibid4 #d ,aug4 p4 #dje4  #bcg     
,vita ,s4 ,christina4 #bd ,jul4         
,bolland4 pp4 #feb1 #fec4  #bch ,nicole1
 tom4 i4 ,letters1 pp4 #bjc1 #bje4      
,letter xlv4  #bci ,vita ,sancti        
,dunstani1 xi4 #db4  #bdj ,it is worthy 
of remark1 that in the cases which      
,calmet refers to of persons in his own 

time1 and of his own acquaintance1 being
 thus raised from the ground1 he in no  
instance states himself to have been a  
witness of the wonder4     ,,chapter    
,,xxii4  ,,continuation ,,of ,,the      
,,same ,,subject4   ,we cannot          
reasonably dispute the truth of these   
ecstatic trances1 the elevations of the 
body of some saints to a certain        
distance from the ground1 since these   
circumstances are supported by so many  
witnesses4 ,to apply this to the matter 
we here treat of1 might it not be said  
that sorcerers and witches1 by the      
operation of the demon1 and with ,god's 
permission1 by the help of a lively and 
subtile temperament1 are rendered light 
and rise into the air1 where their      
heated imagination and prepossessed mind
 lead them to believe that they have    
done1 seen1 and heard1 what has no      
reality except in their own brain8  ,i  
shall be told that the parallel ,i make 
between the actions of saints1 which can
 only be attributed to angels and the   

operation of the ,holy ,spirit1 or to   
the fervor of their charity and         
devotion1 with what happens to wizards  
and witches1 is injurious and odious4 ,i
 know how to make a proper distinction  
between them3 do not the books of the   
,old and ,new ,testament place in       
parallel lines the true miracles of     
,moses with those of the magicians of   
,pharaoh2 those of antichrist and his   
subordinates with those of the saints   
and apostles2 and does not ,st4 ,paul   
inform us that the angel of darkness    
often transforms himself into an angel  
of light8  ,in the first edition of this
 work1 we spoke very fully of certain   
persons1 who boast of having what they  
call the garter1 and by that means are  
able to perform with extraordinary      
quickness1 in a very few hours1 what    
would naturally take them several days  
journeying4 ,almost incredible things   
are related on that subject2            
nevertheless1 the details are so        
circumstantial1 that it is hardly       

possible there should not be some       
foundation for them2 and the demon may  
transport these people in a forced and  
violent manner which causes them a      
fatigue similar to what they would have 
suffered1 had they really performed the 
journey with more than ordinary         
rapidity4  ,for instance1 the two       
circumstances related by ,torquemada3   
the first of a poor scholar of his      
acquaintance1 a clever man1 who at last 
rose to be physician to ,charles ,v42   
when studying at ,guadaloupe1 was       
invited by a traveler who wore the garb 
of a monk1 and to whom he had rendered  
some little service1 to mount up behind 
him on his horse1 which seemed a sorry  
animal and much tired2 he got up and    
rode all night1 without perceiving that 
he went at an extraordinary pace1 but in
 the morning he found himself near the  
city of ,granada2 the young man went    
into the town1 but the conductor passed 
onwards4  ,another time1 the father of a
 young man1 known to the same           

,torquemada1 and the young man himself1 
were going together to ,granada1 and    
passing through the village of ,almeda1 
met a man on horseback like themselves  
and going the same way2 after having    
traveled two or three leagues together1 
they halted1 and the cavalier spread his
 cloak on the grass1 so that there was  
no crease in the mantle2 they all placed
 what provisions they had with them on  
this extended cloak1 and let their      
horses graze4 ,they drank and ate very  
leisurely1 and having told their        
servants to bring their horses1 the     
cavalier said to them1 ,gentlemen1 do   
not hurry1 you will reach the town      
early--at the same time he showed them  
,granada1 at not a quarter of an hour's 
distance from thence4  ,something       
equally marvelous is said of a canon of 
the cathedral of ,beauvais4 ,the chapter
 of that church had been charged for a  
long time to acquit itself of a certain 
personal duty to the ,church of ,rome2  
the canons having chosen one of their   

brethren to repair to ,rome for this    
purpose1 the canon deferred his         
departure from day to day1 and set off  
after matins on ,christmas day--arrived 
that same day at ,rome1 acquitted       
himself there of his commission1 and    
came back from thence with the same     
dispatch1 bringing with him the original
 of the bond1 which obliged the canons  
to send one of their body to make this  
offering in person4 ,however fabulous   
and incredible this story may appear1 it
 is asserted that there are authentic   
proofs of it in the archives of the     
cathedral2 and that upon the tomb of the
 canon in question may still be seen the
 figures of demons engraved at the four 
corners in memory of this event4 ,they  
even affirm that the celebrated ,father 
,mabillon saw the authentic voucher4    
,now1 if this circumstance and the      
others like it are not absolutely       
fabulous1 we cannot deny that they are  
the effects of magic1 and the work of   
the evil spirit4  ,peter1 the venerable 

,abbot of ,cluny1#bda relates so        
extraordinary a thing which happened in 
his time1 that ,i should not repeat it  
here1 had it not been seen by the whole 
town of ,mcon4 ,the count of that town1 
a very violent man1 exercised a kind of 
tyranny over the ecclesiastics1 and     
against whatever belonged to them1      
without troubling himself either to     
conceal his violence1 or to find a      
pretext for it2 he carried it on with a 
high hand and gloried in it4 ,one day1  
when he was sitting in his palace in    
company with several nobles and others1 
they beheld an unknown person enter on  
horseback1 who advanced to the count and
 desired him to follow him4 ,the count  
rose and followed him1 and having       
reached the door1 he found there a horse
 ready caparisoned2 he mounts it1 and is
 immediately carried up into the air1   
crying out1 in a terrible tone to those 
who were present1 ,here1 help me6 ,all  
the town ran out at the noise1 but they 
soon lost sight of him2 and no doubt was

 entertained that the devil had flown   
away with him to be the companion of his
 tortures1 and to bear the pain of his  
excesses and his violence4  ,it is1     
then1 not absolutely impossible that a  
person may be raised into the air and   
transported to some very high and       
distant place1 by order or by permission
 of ,god1 by good or evil spirits2 but  
we must own that the thing is of rare   
occurrence1 and that in all that is     
related of sorcerers and witches1 and   
their assemblings at the witches'       
sabbath1 there is an infinity of        
stories1 which are false1 absurd1       
ridiculous1 and even destitute of       
probability4 ,m4 ,remi1 attorney-general
 of ,lorraine1 author of a celebrated   
work entitled ,demonology1 who tried a  
great number of sorcerers and           
sorceresses1 with which ,lorraine was   
then infested1 produces hardly any proof
 whence we can infer the truth and      
reality of witchcraft1 and of wizards   
and witches being transported to the    

sabbath4   ,footnotes3  #bda ,petrus    
,venerab4 lib4 ii4 de ,miraculis1 c4 #a1
 p4 #abii4     ,,chapter ,,xxiii4       
,,obsession ,,and ,,possession ,,of     
,,the ,,devil4   ,it is with reason that
 obsessions and possessions of the devil
 are placed in the rank of apparitions  
of the evil spirit among men4 ,we call  
it obsession when the demon acts        
externally against the person whom he   
besets1 and possession when he acts     
internally1 agitates them1 excites their
 ill humor1 makes them utter blasphemy1 
speak tongues they have never learnt1   
discovers to them unknown secrets1 and  
inspires them with the knowledge of the 
obscurest things in philosophy or       
theology4 ,saul was agitated and        
possessed by the evil spirit1#bdb who at
 intervals excited his melancholy humor1
 and awakened his animosity and jealousy
 against ,david1 or who1 on occasion of 
the natural movement or impulsion of    
these dark moods1 seized him1 agitated  
him1 and disturbed from his usual tenor 

of mind4 ,those whom the ,gospel speaks 
of as being possessed1#bdc and who cried
 aloud that ,jesus was the ,christ1 and 
that he was come to torment them before 
the time1 that he was the ,son of ,god1 
are instances of possession4 ,but the   
demon ,asmodeus1 who beset ,sara1 the   
daughter of ,raguel1#bdd and who killed 
her first seven husbands2 those spoken  
of in the ,gospel1 who were simply      
struck with maladies or incommodities   
which were thought to be incurable2     
those whom the ,scripture sometimes     
calls lunatics1 who foamed at the mouth1
 who were convulsed1 who fled the       
presence of mankind1 who were violent   
and dangerous1 so that they were obliged
 to be chained to prevent them from     
striking and maltreating other people2  
these kinds of persons were simply      
beset1 or obseded by the devil4         
,opinions are much divided on the matter
 of obsessions and possessions of the   
devil4 ,the hardened ,jews1 and the     
ancient enemies of the ,christian       

religion1 convinced by the evidence of  
the miracles which they saw worked by   
,jesus ,christ1 by his apostles1 and by 
,christians1 dared neither dispute their
 truth nor their reality2 but they      
attributed them to magic1 to the prince 
of the devils1 or to the virtue of      
certain herbs1 or of certain natural    
secrets4  ,st4 ,justin1#bde ,tertullian1
 ,lactantius1 ,st4 ,cyprian1 ,minutius1 
and the other fathers of the first ages 
of the church1 speak of the power which 
the ,christian exorcists exercised over 
the possessed1 so confidently and so    
freely1 that we can doubt neither the   
certainty nor the evidence of the thing4
 ,they call upon their adversaries to   
bear witness1 and pique themselves on   
making the experiment in their presence1
 and of forcing to come out of the      
bodies of the possessed1 to declare     
their names1 and acknowledge that those 
they adore in the pagan temples are but 
devils4  ,some opposed to the true      
miracles of the ,saviour those of their 

false gods1 their magicians1 and their  
heroes of paganism1 such as those of    
,esculapius1 and the famous ,apollonius 
of ,tyana4 ,the pretended freethinkers  
dispute them in our days upon           
philosophical principles2 they attribute
 them to a diseased imagination1 the    
prejudices of education1 and hidden     
springs of the constitution2 they reduce
 the expressions of ,scripture to       
hyperbole2 they maintain that ,jesus    
,christ condescended to the             
understanding of the people1 and their  
prepossessions or prejudices2 that      
demons being purely spiritual substances
 could not by themselves act immediately
 upon bodies2 and that it is not at all 
probable ,god should work miracles to   
allow of their doing so4  ,if we examine
 closely those who have passed for being
 possessed1 we shall not perhaps find   
one amongst them1 whose mind had not    
been deranged by some accident1 or whose
 body was not attacked by some infirmity
 either known or hidden1 which had      

caused some ferment in the blood or the 
brain1 and which1 joined to prejudice1  
or fear1 had given rise to what was     
termed in their case obsession or       
possession4  ,the possession of ,king   
,saul is easily explained by supposing  
that he was naturally an atrabilarian1  
and that in his fits of melancholy he   
appeared mad1 or furious2 therefore they
 sought no other remedy for his illness 
than music1 and the sound of instruments
 proper to enliven or calm him4 ,several
 of the obsessions and possessions noted
 in the ,new ,testament were simple     
maladies1 or fantastic fancies1 which   
made it believed that such persons were 
possessed by the devil4 ,the ignorance  
of the people maintained this prejudice1
 and their being totally unacquainted   
with physics and medicine served to     
strengthen such ideas4  ,in one it was a
 sombre and melancholy temper1 in       
another the blood was too fevered and   
heated2 here the bowels were burnt up   
with heat1 there a concentration of     

diseased humor1 which suffocated the    
patient1 as it happens with those       
subject to epilepsy and hypochondria1   
who fancy themselves gods1 kings1 cats1 
dogs1 and oxen4 ,there were others1 who1
 disturbed at the remembrance of their  
crimes1 fell into a kind of despair1 and
 into fits of remorse1 which irritated  
their mind and constitution1 and made   
them believe that the devil pursued and 
beset them4 ,such1 apparently1 were     
those women who followed ,jesus ,christ1
 and who had been delivered by him from 
the unclean spirits that possessed them1
 and partly so ,mary ,magdalen1 from    
whom he expelled seven devils4 ,the     
,scripture often speaks of the spirit of
 impurity1 of the spirit of falsehood1  
of the spirit of jealousy2 it is not    
necessary to have recourse to a         
particular demon to excite these        
passions in us2 ,st4 ,james#bdf tells us
 that we are enough tempted by our own  
concupiscence1 which leads us to evil1  
without seeking after external causes4  

,the ,jews attributed the greater part  
of their maladies to the demon3 they    
were persuaded that they were a         
punishment for some crime either known  
or unrevealed4 ,jesus ,christ and his   
apostles wisely supposed these          
prejudices1 without wishing to attack   
them openly and reform the old opinions 
of the ,jews2 they cured the diseases1  
and chased away the evil spirits who    
caused them1 or who were said to cause  
them4 ,the real and essential effect was
 the cure of the patient2 no other thing
 was required to confirm the mission of 
,jesus ,christ1 his divinity1 and the   
truth of the doctrine which he preached4
 ,whether he expelled the demon1 or not1
 is not essentially necessary to his    
first design2 it is certain that he     
cured the patient either by expelling   
the devil1 if it be true that this evil 
spirit caused the malady1 or by         
replacing the inward springs and humors 
in their regular and natural state1     
which is always miraculous1 and proves  

the ,divinity of the ,saviour4          
,although the ,jews were sufficiently   
credulous concerning the operations of  
the evil spirit1 they at the same time  
believed that in general the demons who 
tormented certain persons were nothing  
else than the souls of some wretches1   
who1 fearing to repair to the place     
destined for them1 took possession of   
the body of some mortal whom they       
tormented and endeavored to deprive of  
life4#bdg  ,josephus the historian#bdh  
relates that ,solomon composed some     
charms against maladies1 and some formul
 of exorcism to expel evil spirits4 ,he 
says1 besides1 that a ,jew named        
,eleazar cured in the presence of       
,vespasian some possessed persons by    
applying under their nose a ring1 in    
which was enchased a root1 pointed out  
by that prince4 ,they pronounced the    
name of ,solomon with a certain prayer1 
and an exorcism2 directly1 the person   
possessed fell on the ground1 and the   
devil left him4 ,the generality of      

common people among the ,jews had not   
the least doubt that ,beelzebub1 prince 
of the devils1 had the power to expel   
other demons1 for they said that ,jesus 
,christ only expelled them in the name  
of ,beelzebub4#bdi ,we read in history  
that sometimes the pagans expelled      
demons2 and the physicians boast of     
being able to cure some possessed       
persons1 as they cure hypochondriacs1   
and imaginary disorders4  ,these are the
 most plausible things that are said    
against the reality of the possessions  
and obsessions of the devil4            
,footnotes3  #bdb #a ,sam4 xvi4 #bc4    
#bdc ,matt4 viii4 #af2 x4 #aa2 xviii4   
#bh4  #bdd ,tob4 iii4 #h4  #bde ,justin4
 ,dialog4 cum supplem4 ,tertull4 de     
,corona ,militis1 c4 #aa2 and ,apolog4  
c4 #bc2 ,cyp4 ad ,demetriam1 c42        
,minutius1 in ,octavio1 c4  #bdf ,james 
i4 #ad4  #bdg ,joseph4 ,antiq4 lib4 vii4
 c4 #be4  #bdh ,ibid4 lib4 viii4 c4 #b4 
#bdi ,matt4 xii4 #bd4     ,,chapter     
,,xxiv4  ,,the ,,truth ,,and ,,reality  

,,of ,,possession ,,and ,,obsession ,,by
 ,,the ,,devil ,,proved ,,from          
,,scripture4   ,but the possibility1 the
 verity and reality of the obsessions   
and possessions of the devil are        
indubitable1 and proved by the          
,scripture and by the authority of the  
,church1 the ,fathers1 the ,jews1 and   
the pagans4 ,jesus ,christ and the      
apostles believed this truth1 and taught
 it publicly4 ,the ,saviour gives us a  
proof of his mission that he cures the  
possessed2 he refutes the ,pharisees1   
who asserted that he expelled the demons
 only in the name of ,beelzebub2 and    
maintains that he expels them by the    
virtue of ,god4#bej ,he speaks to the   
demons2 he threatens them1 and puts them
 to silence4 ,are these equivocal marks 
of the reality of obsessions8 ,the      
apostles do the same1 as did the early  
,christians their disciples4 ,all this  
was done before the eyes of the heathen1
 who could not deny it1 but who eluded  
the force and evidence of these things1 

by attributing this power to other      
demons1 or to certain divinities1 more  
powerful than ordinary demons2 as if the
 kingdom of ,satan were divided1 and the
 evil spirit could act against himself1 
or as if there were any collusion       
between ,jesus ,christ and the demons   
whose empire he had just destroyed4     
,the seventy disciples on their return  
from their mission came to ,jesus       
,christ#bea to give him an account of   
it1 and tell him that the demons        
themselves are obedient to them4 ,after 
his resurrection1#beb the ,saviour      
promises to his apostles that they shall
 work miracles in his name1 that they   
shall cast out devils1 and receive the  
gift of tongues4 ,all which was         
literally fulfilled4  ,the exorcisms    
used at all times in the ,church against
 the demons are another proof of the    
reality of possessions2 they show that  
at all times the ,church and her        
ministers have believed them to be true 
and real1 since they have always        

practiced these exorcisms4 ,the ancient 
fathers defied the heathen to produce a 
demoniac before the ,christians2 they   
pride themselves on curing them1 and    
expelling the demon4 ,the ,jewish       
exorcists employed even the name of     
,jesus ,christ to cure demoniacs2#bec   
they found it efficacious in producing  
this effect2 it is true that sometimes  
they employed the name of ,solomon1 and 
some charms said to have been invented  
by that prince1 or roots and herbs to   
which they attributed the same virtues1 
like as a clever physician by the secret
 of his art can cure a hypochondriac or 
a maniac1 or a man strongly persuaded   
that he is possessed by the devil1 or as
 a wise confessor will restore the mind 
of a person disturbed by remorse1 and   
agitated by the reflection of his sins1 
or the fear of hell4 ,but we are        
speaking now of real possessions and    
obsessions which are cured only by the  
power of ,god1 by the name of ,jesus    
,christ1 and by exorcisms4 ,the son of  

,sceva1 the ,jewish priest1#bed having  
undertaken to expel a devil in the name 
of ,jesus ,christ1 whom ,paul preached1 
the demoniac threw himself upon him1 and
 would have strangled him1 saying that  
he knew ,jesus ,christ1 and ,paul1 but  
that for him1 he feared him not4 ,we    
must then distinguish well between      
possessions and possessions1 exorcists  
and exorcists4 ,there may be found      
demoniacs who counterfeit the possessed1
 to excite compassion and obtain alms4  
,there may even be exorcists who abuse  
the name and power of ,jesus ,christ to 
deceive the ignorant2 and how do ,i know
 that there are not even impostors to be
 found1 who would place pretended       
possessed persons in the way1 in order  
to pretend to cure them1 and thus gain a
 reputation8  ,i do not enter into      
longer details on this matter2 ,i have  
treated it formerly in a particular     
dissertation on the subject1 printed    
apart with other dissertations on       
,scripture1 and ,i have therein replied 

to the objections which were raised on  
this subject4   ,footnotes3  #bej ,luke 
viii4 #ba4  #bea ,luke x4 #ag4  #beb    
,mark xvi4 #bg4  #bec ,mark ix4 #cf-ch4 
,acts xi4 #ad4  #bed ,acts xix4 #ad4    
,,chapter ,,xxv4  ,,examples ,,of ,,real
 ,,possessions ,,caused ,,by ,,the      
,,devil4   ,we must now report some of  
the most famous instances of the        
possession and obsession of the demon4  
,every body is talking at this time of  
the possession 7by the devil7 of the    
nuns of ,loudun1 on which such different
 opinions were given1 both at the time  
and since4 ,martha ,broissier1 daughter 
of a weaver of ,romorantin1#bee made as 
much noise in her time2 but ,charles    
,miron1 ,bishop of ,orleans1 discovered 
the fraud1 by making her drink holy     
water as common water2 by making them   
present to her a key wrapped up in red  
silk1 which was said to be a piece of   
the true cross2 and in reciting some    
lines from ,virgil1 which ,martha       
,broissier's demon took for exorcisms1  

agitating her very much at the approach 
of the hidden key1 and at the recital of
 the verses from ,virgil4 ,henri de     
,gondi1 ,cardinal ,bishop of ,paris1 had
 her examined by five of the faculty2   
three were of opinion that there was a  
great deal of imposture and a little    
disease4 ,the parliament took notice of 
the affair1 and nominated eleven        
physicians1 who reported unanimously    
that there was nothing demoniacal in    
this matter4  ,in the reign of ,charles 
,,ix4#bef or a little before1 a young   
woman of the town of ,vervins1 fifteen  
or sixteen years of age1 named ,nicola  
,aubry1 had different apparitions of a  
spectre1 who called itself her          
grandfather1 and asked her for masses   
and prayers for the repose of his       
soul4#beg ,very soon after1 she was     
transported to different places by this 
spectre1 and sometimes even was carried 
out of sight1 and from the midst of     
those who watched over her4  ,then1 they
 had no longer any doubt that it was the

 devil1 which they had a great deal of  
trouble to make her believe4 ,the       
,bishop of ,laon gave his power 7of     
attorney7 for conjuring the spirit1 and 
commanded them to see that the          
proces-verbaux were exactly drawn up by 
the notaries nominated for that purpose4
 ,the exorcisms lasted more than three  
months1 and only serve to prove more and
 more the fact of the possession4 ,the  
poor sufferer was torn from the hands of
 nine or ten men1 who could hardly      
retain their hold of her2 and on the    
last day of the exorcisms sixteen could 
not succeed in so doing4 ,she had been  
lying on the ground1 when she stood     
upright and stiff as a statue1 without  
those who held her being able to prevent
 it4 ,she spoke divers languages1       
revealed the most secret things1        
announced others at the moment they were
 being done1 although at a great        
distance2 she discovered to many the    
secret of their conscience1 uttered at  
once three different voices1 or tones1  

and spoke with her tongue hanging half a
 foot out of her mouth4 ,after some     
exorcisms had been made at ,vervins1    
they took her to ,laon1 where the bishop
 undertook her4 ,he had a scaffolding   
erected for this purpose in the         
cathedral4 ,such immense numbers of     
people went there1 that they saw in the 
church ten or twelve thousand persons at
 a time2 some even came from foreign    
countries4 ,consequently1 ,france could 
not be less curious2 so the princes and 
great people1 and those who could not   
come there themselves1 sent persons who 
might inform them of what passed4 ,the  
,pope's nuncios1 the parliamentary      
deputies1 and those of the university   
were present4  ,the devil1 forced by the
 exorcisms1 rendered such testimony to  
the truth of the ,catholic religion1    
and1 above all1 to the reality of the   
holy eucharist1 and at the same time to 
the falsity of ,calvinism1 that the     
irritated ,calvinists no longer kept    
within bounds4 ,from the time the       

exorcisms were made at ,vervins1 they   
wanted to kill the possessed1 with the  
priest who exorcised her1 in a journey  
they made her take to ,ntre ,dame de    
,liesse4 ,at ,laon1 it was still worse2 
as they were the strongest in numbers   
there1 a revolt was more than once      
apprehended4 ,they so intimidated the   
bishop and the magistrates1 that they   
took down the scaffold1 and did not have
 the general procession usually made    
before exorcisms4 ,the devil became     
prouder thereupon1 insulted the bishop1 
and laughed at him4 ,on the other hand1 
the ,calvinists having obtained the     
suppression of the procession1 and that 
she should be put in prison to be more  
nearly examined1 ,carlier1 a ,calvinist 
doctor1 suddenly drew from his pocket   
something which was averred to be a most
 violent poison1 which he threw into her
 mouth1 and she kept it on her stomach  
whilst the convulsion lasted1 but she   
threw it up of herself when she came to 
her senses4  ,all these experiments     

decided them on recommencing the        
processions1 and the scaffold was       
replaced4 ,then the outraged ,calvinists
 conceived the idea of a writing from   
,m4 de ,montmorency1 forbidding the     
continuation of the exorcisms1 and      
enjoining the king's officers to be     
vigilant4 ,thus they abstained a second 
time from the procession1 and again the 
devil triumphed at it4 ,nevertheless1 he
 discovered to the bishop the trick of  
this suppositious writing1 named those  
who had taken part in it1 and declared  
that he had again gained time by this   
obedience of the bishop to the will of  
man rather than that of ,god4 ,besides  
that1 the devil had already protested   
publicly that it was against his own    
will that he remained in the body of    
this woman2 that he had entered there by
 the order of ,god2 that it was to      
convert the ,calvinists or to harden    
them1 and that he was very unfortunate  
in being obliged to act and speak       
against himself4  ,the chapter then     

represented to the bishop that it would 
be proper to make the processions and   
the conjurations twice a-day1 to excite 
still more the devotion of the people4  
,the prelate acquiesced in it1 and      
everything was done with the greatest   
clt1 and in the most orthodox manner4   
,the devil declared again more than once
 that he had gained time2 once because  
the bishop had not confessed himself2   
another time because he was not fasting2
 and lastly1 because it was requisite   
that the chapter and all the dignitaries
 should be present1 as well as the court
 of justice and the king's officers1 in 
order that there might be sufficient    
testimony2 that he was forced to warn   
the bishop thus of his duty1 and that   
accursed was the hour when he entered   
into the body of this person2 at the    
same time1 he uttered a thousand        
imprecations against the church1 the    
bishop1 and the clergy4  ,thus1 at the  
last day of possession1 everybody being 
assembled in the afternoon1 the bishop  

began the last conjurations1 when many  
extraordinary things took place2 amongst
 others1 the bishop desiring to put the 
holy eucharist near the lips of this    
poor woman1 the devil in some way seized
 hold of his arm1 and at the same moment
 raised this woman up1 as it were1 out  
of the hands of sixteen men who were    
holding her4 ,but at last1 after much   
resistance1 he came out1 and left her   
perfectly cured1 and thoroughly sensible
 of the goodness of ,god4 ,the ,te ,deum
 was sung to the sound of all the bells 
in the town2 nothing was heard among the
 ,catholics but acclamations of joy1 and
 many of the ,calvinists were converted1
 whose descendants still dwell in the   
town4 ,florimond de ,raimond1 counselor 
of the parliament of ,bordeaux1 had the 
happiness to be of the number1 and has  
written the history of it4 ,for nine    
days they made the procession1 to return
 thanks to ,god2 and they founded a     
perpetual mass1 which is celebrated     
every year on the #hth of ,february1 and

 they represented this story in         
bas-relief round the choir1 where it may
 be seen at this day4  ,in short1 ,god1 
as if to put the finishing stroke to so 
important a work1 permitted that the    
,prince of ,cond1 who had just left the 
,catholic religion1 should be misled on 
this subject by those of his new        
communion4 ,he sent for the poor woman1 
and also the ,canon d',espinois1 who had
 never forsaken her during all the time 
of the exorcisms4 ,he interrogated them 
separately1 and at several different    
times1 and made every effort1 not to    
discover if they had practiced any      
artifice1 but to find out if there was  
any in the whole affair4 ,he went so far
 as to offer the canon very high        
situations if he would change his       
religion4 ,but what can you obtain in   
favor of heresy from sensible and       
upright people1 to whom ,god has thus   
manifested the power of his church8 ,all
 the efforts of the prince were useless2
 the firmness of the canon1 and the     

simplicity of the poor woman1 only      
served to prove to him still more the   
certainty of the event which displeased 
him1 and he sent them both home4  ,yet a
 return of ill-will caused him to have  
this woman again arrested1 and he kept  
her in one of his prisons until her     
father and mother having entreated an   
inquiry into this injustice to ,king    
,charles ,,ix41 she was set at liberty  
by order of his majesty4#beh  ,an event 
of such importance1 and so carefully    
attested1 both on the part of the bishop
 and the chapter1 and on that of the    
magistrates1 and even by the violence of
 the ,calvinistic party1 ought not to be
 buried in silence4 ,king ,charles      
,,ix41 on making his entry into ,laon   
some time after1 desired to be informed 
about it by the dean of the cathedral1  
who had been an ocular witness of the   
affair4 ,his majesty commanded him to   
give publicity to the story1 and it was 
then printed1 first in ,french1 then in 
,latin1 ,spanish1 ,italian1 and ,german1

 with the approbation of the ,sorbonne1 
supported by the rescripts of ,pope     
,pius ,v4 and ,gregory ,,xiii4 his      
successor4 ,and they made after that a  
pretty exact abridgment of it1 by order 
of the ,bishop of ,laon1 printed under  
the title of ,le ,triomphe du ,s4       
,sacrament sur le ,diable4  ,these are  
facts which have all the authenticity   
that can be desired1 and such as a man  
of honor cannot with any good-breeding  
affect to doubt1 since he could not     
after that consider any facts as certain
 without being in shameful contradiction
 with himself4#bei   ,footnotes3  #bee  
,jean de ,lorres1 sur l'an #aeii4       
,thuan4 ,hist4 l4 xii4  #bef ,charles   
,,ix4 died in #aegd4  #beg ,this story  
is taken from a book entitled ,examen et
 ,discussion ,critique de l',histoire   
des ,diables de ,loudun1 c41 par ,m4 de 
la ,mnardaye4 ,a ,paris1 chez de ,bure  
l',ain1 #agdi4  #beh ,trsor et entire   
,histoire de la ,victime du ,corps de   
,dieu1 presente au ,pape1 au ,roi1 au   

,chancelier de ,france1 au ,premier     
,prsident4 ,a ,paris1 #dto4 chez        
,chesnau4 #aegh4  #bei ,this account is 
one of the many in which the theory of  
possession was made use of to impugn the
 ,protestant faith4 ,the simplicity and 
credulity of ,calmet are very           
remarkable4--,,editor4     ,,chapter    
,,xxvi4  ,,continuation ,,of ,,the      
,,same ,,subject4   ,there was in       
,lorraine1 about the year #afbj1 a      
woman1 possessed 7by the devil71 who    
made a great noise in the country1 but  
whose case is much less known among     
foreigners4 ,i mean ,mademoiselle       
,elizabeth de ,ranfaing1 the story of   
whose possession was written and printed
 at ,nancy1 in #afbb1 by ,m4 ,pichard1 a
 doctor of medicine1 and physician in   
ordinary to their highnesses of         
,lorraine4 ,mademoiselle de ,ranfaing   
was a very virtuous person1 through     
whose agency ,god established a kind of 
order of nuns of the ,refuge1 the       
principal object of which is to withdraw

 from profligacy the girls or women who 
have fallen into libertinism4 ,m4       
,pichard's work was approved by doctors 
of theology1 and authorized by ,m4 de   
,porcelets1 ,bishop of ,toul1 and in an 
assembly of learned men whom he sent for
 to examine the case1 and the reality of
 the possession4 ,it was ardently       
attacked and loudly denied by a monk of 
the ,minimite order1 named ,claude      
,pithoy1 who had the temerity to say    
that he would pray to ,god to send the  
devil into himself1 in case the woman   
whom they were exorcising at ,nancy was 
possessed2 and again1 that ,god was not 
,god if he did not command the devil to 
seize his body1 if the woman they       
exorcised at ,nancy was really          
possessed4  ,m4 ,pichard refutes him    
fully2 but he remarks that persons who  
are weak minded1 or of a dull and       
melancholy character1 heavy1 taciturn1  
stupid1 and who are naturally disposed  
to frighten and disturb themselves1 are 
apt to fancy that they see the devil1   

that they speak to him1 and even that   
they are possessed by him2 above all1 if
 they are in places where others are    
possessed1 whom they see1 and with whom 
they converse4 ,he adds that1 thirteen  
or fourteen years ago1 he remarked at   
,nancy a great number of this kind1 and 
with the help of ,god he cured them4 ,he
 says the same thing of atrabilarians1  
and women who suffer from furor uterine1
 who sometimes do such things and utter 
such cries1 that any one would believe  
they were possessed4  ,mademoiselle     
,ranfaing having become a widow in      
#afag1 was sought in marriage by a      
physician named ,poviot4 ,as she would  
not listen to his addresses1 he first of
 all gave her philtres to make her love 
him1 which occasioned strange           
derangements in her health4 ,at last he 
gave her some magical medicaments 7for  
he was afterwards known to be a         
magician1 and burnt as such by a        
judicial sentence74 ,the physicians     
could not relieve her1 and were quite at

 fault with her extraordinary maladies4 
,after having tried all sorts of        
remedies1 they were obliged to have     
recourse to exorcisms4  ,now these are  
the principal symptoms which made it    
believed that ,mademoiselle ,ranfaing   
was really possessed4 ,they began to    
exorcise her the #b;d ,september1 #afai1
 in the town of ,remirmont1 whence she  
was transferred to ,nancy2 there she was
 visited and interrogated by several    
clever physicians1 who1 after having    
minutely examined the symptoms of what  
happened to her1 declared that the      
casualties they had remarked in her had 
no relation at all with the ordinary    
course of known maladies1 and could only
 be the result of diabolical possession4
  ,after which1 by order of ,m4 de      
,porcelets1 ,bishop of ,toul1 they      
nominated for the exorcists ,m4         
,viardin1 a doctor of divinity1         
counselor of state of the ,duke of      
,lorraine1 a ,jesuit and ,capuchin4     
,almost all the monks in ,nancy1 the    

said lord bishop1 the ,bishop of        
,tripoli1 suffragan of ,strasburg1 ,m4  
de ,sancy1 formerly ambassador from the 
most ,christian king at ,constantinople1
 and then priest of the ,oratoire1      
,charles de ,lorraine1 ,bishop of       
,verdun2 two doctors of the ,sorbonne   
sent on purpose to be present at the    
exorcisms1 often exorcised her in       
,hebrew1 ,greek1 and ,latin1 and she    
always replied pertinently to them1 she 
who could hardly read ,latin4  ,they    
report the certificate given by ,m4     
,nicolas de ,harley1 very well skilled  
in the ,hebrew tongue1 who avowed that  
,mademoiselle ,ranfaing was really      
possessed1 and had answered him from the
 movement of his lips alone1 without his
 having pronounced any words1 and had   
given several proofs of her possession4 
,the ,sieur ,garnier1 a doctor of the   
,sorbonne1 having also given her several
 commands in ,hebrew1 she replied       
pertinently1 but in ,french1 saying that
 the compact was made that he should    

speak only in the usual tongue4 ,the    
demon added1 ,is it not enough that ,i  
show thee that ,i understand what thou  
sayest8 ,the same ,m4 ,garnier1 speaking
 to him in ,greek1 inadvertently put one
 case for another2 the possessed1 or    
rather the devil1 said to him1 ,thou    
hast committed an error4 ,the doctor    
said to him in ,greek1 ,point out my    
fault2 the devil replied1 ,let it       
suffice thee that ,i point out an error2
 ,i shall tell thee no more concerning  
it4 ,the doctor telling him in ,greek to
 hold his tongue1 he answered1 ,thou    
commandest me to hold my tongue1 and ,i 
will not do so4  ,m4 ,midot ,ecoltre de 
,toul said to him in the same language1 
,sit down2 he replied1 ,i will not sit  
down4 ,m4 ,midot said to him moreover in
 ,greek1 ,sit down on the ground and    
obey2 but as the demon was going to     
throw the possessed by force on the     
ground1 he said to him in the same      
tongue1 ,do it gently2 he did so4 ,he   
said in ,greek1 ,put out the right foot2

 he extended it2 he said also in the    
same language1 ,cause her knees to be   
cold1 the woman replied that she felt   
them very cold4  ,the ,sieur ,mince1 a  
doctor of the ,sorbonne1 holding a cross
 in his hand1 the devil whispered to him
 in ,greek1 ,give me the cross1 which   
was heard by some persons who were near 
him4 ,m4 ,mince desired to make the     
devil repeat the same sentence2 he      
answered1 ,i will not repeat it all in  
,greek2 but he simply said in ,french1  
,give me1 and in ,greek1 the cross4     
,the ,reverend ,father ,albert1         
,capuchin1 having ordered him in ,greek 
to make the sign of the cross seven     
times with his tongue1 in honor of the  
seven joys of the ,virgin1 he made the  
sign of the cross three times with his  
tongue1 and then twice with his nose2   
but the holy man told him anew to make  
the sign of the cross seven times with  
his tongue2 he did so2 and having been  
commanded in the same language to kiss  
the feet of the ,lord ,bishop of ,toul1 

he prostrated himself and kissed his    
feet4  ,the same father having observed 
that the demon wished to overturn the   
,bnitier1 or basin of holy water which  
was there1 he ordered him to take the   
holy water and not spill it1 and he     
obeyed4 ,the ,father commanded him to   
give marks of the possession2 he        
answered1 ,the possession is            
sufficiently known2 he added in ,greek1 
,i command thee to carry some holy water
 to the governor of the town4 ,the demon
 replied1 ,it is not customary to       
exorcise in that tongue4 ,the father    
answered in ,latin1 ,it is not for thee 
to impose laws on us2 but the church has
 power to command thee in whatever      
language she may think proper4  ,then   
the demon took the basin of holy water  
and carried it to the keeper of the     
,capuchins1 to the ,duke ,eric of       
,lorraine1 to the ,counts of ,brionne1  
,remonville1 la ,vaux1 and other lords4 
,the physician1 ,m4 ,pichard1 having    
told him in a sentence1 partly ,hebrew1 

and partly ,greek1 to cure the head and 
eyes of the possessed woman2 hardly had 
he finished speaking the last words1    
when the demon replied3 ,faith1 we are  
not the cause of it2 her brain is       
naturally moist3 that proceeds from her 
natural constitution2 then ,m4 ,pichard 
said to the assembly1 ,take notice1     
gentlemen1 that he replies to ,greek and
 ,hebrew at the same time4 ,yes1 replied
 the demon1 you discover the pot of     
roses1 and the secret2 ,i will answer   
you no more4 ,there were several        
questions and replies in foreign        
languages1 which showed that he         
understood them very well4  ,m4 ,viardin
 having asked him in ,latin1 ,ubi       
censebaris quand mane oriebaris8 ,he    
replied1 ,between the seraphim4 ,they   
said to him1 ,pro signo exhibe nobis    
patibulum fratris ,ceph2 the devil      
extended his arms in the form of a ,st4 
,andrew's cross4 ,they said to him1     
,applica carpum carpo2 he did so1       
placing the wrist of one hand over the  

other2 then1 ,admove tarsum tarso et    
metatarsum metatarso2 he crossed his    
feet and raised them one upon the other4
 ,then afterwards he said1 ,excita in   
calcaneo qualitatem congregantem        
heterogenea2 the possessed said she felt
 her heel cold2 after which1 ,reprsenta 
nobis labarum ,venetorum2 he made the   
figure of the cross4 ,afterwards they   
said1 ,exhibe nobis videntum ,deum ben  
precantem nepotibus ex salvatore        
,egypti2 he crossed his arms as did     
,jacob on giving his blessing to the    
sons of ,joseph2 and then1 ,exhibe      
crucem conterebrantem stipiti1 he       
represented the cross of ,st4 ,peter4   
,the exorcist having by mistake said1   
,per eum qui adversus te prliavit1 the  
demon did not give him time to correct  
himself2 he said to him1 ,o the ass6    
instead of prliatus est4 ,he was spoken 
to in ,italian and ,german1 and he      
always answered accordingly4  ,they said
 to him one day1 ,sume encolpium ejus   
qui hodi functus est officio illius de  

quo cecinit ,psaltes3 pro patribus tuis 
nati sunt tibi filii2 he went directly  
and took the cross hanging round the    
neck and resting on the breast of the   
,prince ,eric de ,lorraine1 who that    
same day had filled the office of bishop
 in giving orders1 because the ,bishop  
of ,toul was indisposed4 ,he discovered 
secret thoughts1 and heard words that   
were said in the ear of some persons    
which he was not possibly near enough to
 overhear1 and declared that he had     
known the mental prayer that a good     
priest had made before the holy         
sacrament4  ,here is a trait still more 
extraordinary4 ,they said to the demon1 
speaking ,latin and ,italian in the same
 sentence3 ,adi scholastrum seniorem et 
osculare ejus pedes1 la cui scarpa ha pi
 di sugaro2 that very moment he went and
 kissed the foot of the ,sieur ,juillet1
 ecoltre of ,st4 ,george1 the ,elder of 
,m4 ,viardin1 ecoltre of the            
,primitiale4 ,m4 ,juillet's right foot  
was shorter than the left1 which obliged

 him to wear a shoe with a cork heel 7or
 raised by a piece of cork1 called in   
,italian sugaro74  ,they proposed to him
 very difficult questions concerning the
 ,trinity1 the ,incarnation1 the holy   
sacrament of the altar1 the grace of    
,god1 free will1 the manner in which    
angels and demons know the thoughts of  
men1 c41 and he replied with much       
clearness and precision4 ,she discovered
 things unknown to everybody1 and       
revealed to certain persons1 but        
secretly and in private1 some sins of   
which they had been guilty4  ,the demon 
did not obey the voice only of the      
exorcists2 he obeyed even when they     
simply moved their lips1 or held their  
hand1 or a handkerchief1 or a book upon 
the mouth4 ,a ,calvinist having one day 
mingled secretly in the crowd1 the      
exorcist1 who was warned of it1         
commanded the demon to go and kiss his  
feet2 he went immediately1 rushing      
through the crowd4  ,an ,englishman     
having come from curiosity to the       

exorcist1 the devil told him several    
particulars relating to his country and 
religion4 ,he was a ,puritan2 and the   
,englishman owned that everything he had
 said was true4 ,the same ,englishman   
said to him in his language1 ,as a proof
 of thy possession1 tell me the name of 
my master who formerly taught me        
embroidery2 he replied1 ,william4 ,they 
commanded him to recite the ,ave ,maria2
 he said to a ,huguenot gentleman who   
was present1 ,do you say it1 if you know
 it2 for they don't say it amongst your 
people4 ,m4 ,pichard relates several    
unknown and hidden things which the     
demon revealed1 and that he performed   
several feats which it is not possible  
for any person1 however agile and supple
 he may be1 to achieve by natural       
strength or power2 such as crawling on  
the ground without making use of hands  
or feet1 appearing to have the hair     
standing erect like serpents4  ,after   
all the details concerning the          
exorcisms1 marks of possession1         

questions and answers of the possessed1 
,m4 ,pichard reports the authentic      
testimony of the theologians1           
physicians1 of the bishops ,eric of     
,lorraine1 and ,charles of ,lorraine1   
,bishop of ,verdun1 of several monks of 
every order1 who attest the said        
possession to be real and veritable2 and
 lastly1 a letter from the ,rev4 ,father
 ,cotton1 a ,jesuit1 who certifies the  
same thing4 ,the said letter bears date 
the #eth of ,june1 #afba1 and is in     
reply to the one which the ,prince ,eric
 of ,lorraine had written to him4  ,i   
have omitted a great many particulars   
related in the recital of the exorcisms1
 and the proofs of the possession of    
,mademoiselle de ,ranfaing4 ,i think ,i 
have said enough to convince any persons
 who are sincere and unprejudiced that  
her possession is as certain as these   
things can be4 ,the affair occurred at  
,nancy1 the capital of ,lorraine1 in the
 presence of a great number of          
enlightened persons1 two of whom were of

 the house of ,lorraine1 both bishops1  
and well informed2 in presence and by   
the orders of my ,lord de ,porcelets1   
,bishop of ,toul1 a most enlightened    
man1 and of distinguished merit2 of two 
doctors of the ,sorbonne1 called thither
 expressly to judge of the reality of   
the possession2 in presence of people of
 the so-called ,reformed religion1 and  
much on their guard against things of   
this kind4 ,it has been seen how far    
,father ,pithoy carried his temerity    
against the possession in question2 he  
has been reprimanded by his diocesan and
 his superiors1 who have imposed silence
 on him4  ,mademoiselle de ,ranfaing is 
known to be personally a woman of       
extraordinary virtue1 prudence1 and     
merit4 ,no reason can be imagined for   
her feigning a possession which has     
pained her in a thousand ways4 ,the     
consequence of this terrible trial has  
been the establishment of a kind of     
religious order1 from which the church  
has received much edification1 and from 

which ,god has providentially derived   
glory4  ,m4 ,nicolas de ,harlay ,sancy  
and ,m4 ,viardin are persons highly to  
be respected both for their personal    
merit1 their talent1 and the high       
offices they have filled2 the first     
having been ,french ambassador at       
,constantinople1 and the other resident 
of the good ,duke ,henry at the ,court  
of ,rome2 so that ,i do not think ,i    
could have given an instance more fit to
 convince you of there being real and   
veritable possessions than this of      
,mademoiselle de ,ranfaing4  ,i do not  
relate that of the nuns of ,loudun1 on  
which such various opinions have been   
given1 the reality of which was doubted 
at the very time1 and is very           
problematical to this day4 ,those who   
are curious to know the history of that 
affair will find it very well detailed  
in a book ,i have already cited1        
entitled1 ,examen et ,discussion        
,critique de l',histoire des ,diables de
 ,loudun1 c41 par ,m4 de la ,mnardaye1  

,paris1 chez de ,bure ,ain1 #agdi4      
,,chapter ,,xxvii4  ,,objections        
,,against ,,the ,,obsessions ,,and      
,,possessions ,,of ,,the                
,,demon--,,reply ,,to ,,the             
,,objections4   ,several objections may 
be raised against the obsessions and    
possessions of demons2 nothing is       
subject to greater difficulties than    
this matter1 but ,providence constantly 
and uniformly permits the clearest and  
most certain truths of religion to      
remain enveloped in some degree of      
obscurity2 that facts the best averred  
and the most indubitable should be      
subject to doubts and contradictions2   
that the most evident miracles should be
 disputed by some incredulous persons on
 account of circumstances which appear  
to them doubtful and disputable4  ,all  
religion has its lights and shadows2    
,god has permitted it to be so in order 
that the just may have somewhat to      
exercise their faith in believing1 and  
the impious and incredulous persist in  

their wilful impiety and incredulity4   
,the greatest mysteries of ,christianity
 are to the one subjects of scandal1 and
 to the others means of salvation2 the  
one regarding the mystery of the cross  
as folly1 and the others as the work of 
sublimest wisdom1 and of the most       
admirable power of ,god4 ,pharaoh       
hardened his heart when he saw the      
wonders wrought by ,moses2 but the      
magicians of ,egypt were at last obliged
 to recognize in them the hand of ,god4 
,the ,hebrews on sight of these wonders 
take confidence in ,moses and ,aaron1   
and yield themselves to their guidance1 
without fearing the dangers to which    
they may be exposed4  ,we have already  
remarked that the demon often seems to  
act against his own interest1 and       
destroy his own empire1 by saying that  
everything which is related of the      
return of spirits1 the obsessions and   
possessions of the demon1 of spells1    
magic1 and sorcery1 are only tales      
wherewith to frighten children2 that    

they all have no existence except in    
weak and prejudiced minds4 ,how can it  
serve the demon to maintain this1 and   
destroy the general opinion of nations  
on all these things8 ,if in all there is
 only falsehood and illusion1 what does 
he gain by undeceiving people8 and if   
there is any truth in them1 why decry   
his own work1 and take away the credit  
of his subordinates and his own         
operations8  ,jesus ,christ in the      
,gospel refutes those who said that he  
expelled devils in the name of          
,beelzebub2#bfj he maintains that the   
accusation is unfounded1 because it was 
incredible that ,satan should destroy   
his own work and his own empire4 ,the   
reasoning is doubtless solid and        
conclusive1 above all to the ,jews1 who 
thought that ,jesus ,christ did not     
differ from other exorcists who expelled
 demons1 unless it was that he commanded
 the prince of devils1 while the others 
commanded only the subaltern demons4    
,now1 on this supposition1 the prince of

 the demons could not expel his         
subalterns without destroying his own   
empire1 without decrying himself1 and   
without ruining the reputation of those 
who only acted by his orders4  ,it may  
be objected to this argument1 that      
,jesus ,christ supposed1 as did the     
,jews1 that the demons whom he expelled 
really possessed those whom he cured1 in
 whatever manner he might cure them2 and
 consequently that the empire of the    
demons subsisted1 both in ,beelzebub1   
the prince of the demons1 and in the    
other demons who were subordinate to    
him1 and who obeyed his orders2 thus1   
his empire was not entirely destroyed1  
supposing that ,jesus ,christ expelled  
them in the name of ,beelzebub2 that    
subordination1 on the contrary1 supposed
 that power or empire of the prince of  
the demons1 and strengthened it4  ,but  
,jesus ,christ not only expelled demons 
by his own authority1 without ever      
making mention of ,beelzebub2 he        
expelled them in spite of themselves1   

and sometimes they loudly complained    
that he was come to torment them before 
the time4#bfa ,there was neither        
collusion between him and them1 nor     
subordination similar to that which     
might be supposed to exist between      
,beelzebub and the other demons4  ,the  
,lord pursued them1 not only in         
expelling them from bodies1 but also in 
overthrowing their bad maxims1 by       
establishing doctrines and maxims quite 
contrary to their own2 he made war upon 
every vice1 error1 and falsehood2 he    
attacked the demon face to face1        
everywhere1 unflinchingly2 thus1 it     
cannot be said that he spared him1 or   
was in collusion with him4 ,if the devil
 will sometimes pass off as chimeras and
 illusions all that is said of          
apparitions1 obsessions and possessions1
 magic and sorcery2 and if he appears so
 absolutely to overthrow his reign1 even
 so far as to deny the most marked and  
palpable effects of his own power and   
presence1 and impute them to the        

weakness of mind of men and their       
foolish prejudices2 in all this he can  
only gain advantage for himself3 for1 if
 he can persuade people of the truth of 
what he advances1 his power will only be
 more solidly confirmed by it1 since it 
will no longer be attacked1 and he will 
be left to enjoy his conquests in peace1
 and the ecclesiastical and secular     
powers interested in repressing the     
effects of his malice and cruelty will  
no longer take the trouble to make war  
upon him1 and caution or put the nations
 on their guard against his stratagems  
and ambuscades4 ,it will close the mouth
 of parliaments1 and stay the hand of   
judges and powers2 and the simple people
 will become the sport of the demon1 who
 will not cease continuing to tempt1    
persecute1 corrupt1 deceive1 and cause  
the perdition of those who shall no     
longer mistrust his snares and his      
malice4 ,the world will relapse into the
 same state as when under paganism1     
given up to error1 to the most shameful 

passions1 and will even deny or doubt   
those truths which shall be the best    
attested1 and the most necessary to our 
salvation4  ,moses in the ,old          
,testament well foresaw that the evil   
spirit would set every spring to work1  
to lead the ,israelites into error and  
unruly conduct2 he foresaw that in the  
midst of the chosen people he would     
instigate seducers1 who would predict to
 them the hidden future1 which          
predictions would come true and be      
followed up4 ,he always forbids their   
listening to any prophet or diviners who
 wished to mislead them to impiety or   
idolatry4  ,tertullian1 speaking of the 
delusions performed by demons1 and the  
foresight they have of certain events1  
says1#bfb that being spiritual in their 
nature1 they find themselves in a moment
 in any place they may wish1 and        
announce at a distance what they have   
seen and heard4 ,all this is attributed 
to the ,divinity1 because neither the   
cause nor the manner is known2 often1   

also1 they boast of causing events1     
which they do but announce2 and it is   
true that often they are themselves the 
authors of the evils they predict1 but  
never of any good4 ,sometimes they make 
use of the knowledge they have derived  
from the predictions of the prophets    
respecting the designs of ,god1 and they
 utter them as coming from themselves4  
,as they are spread abroad in the air1  
they see in the clouds what must happen1
 and thus foretell the rain which they  
were aware of before it had been felt   
upon earth4 ,as to maladies1 if they    
cure them1 it is because they have      
occasioned them2 they prescribe remedies
 which produce effect1 and it is        
believed that they have cured maladies  
simply because they have not continued  
them4 ,quia desinunt ldere1 curasse     
credentur4  ,the demon can then foresee 
the future and what is hidden1 and      
discover them by means of his votaries2 
he can also doubtlessly do wonderful    
things which surpass the usual and known

 powers of nature2 but it is never done 
except to deceive us1 and lead us into  
disorder and impiety4 ,and even should  
he wear the semblance of leading to     
virtue and practising those things which
 are praiseworthy and useful to         
salvation1 it would only be to win the  
confidence of such as would listen to   
his suggestions1 to make them afterward 
fall into misfortune1 and engage them in
 some sin of presumption or vanity3 for 
as he is a spirit of malice and lies1 it
 little imports to him by what means he 
surprises us1 and establishes his reign 
among us4  ,but he is very far from     
always foreseeing the future1 or        
succeeding always in misleading us2 ,god
 has set bounds to his malice4 ,he often
 deceives himself1 and often makes use  
of disguise and perversion1 that he may 
not appear to be ignorant of what he is 
ignorant of1 or he will appear unwilling
 to do what ,god will not allow him to  
do2 his power is always bounded1 and his
 knowledge limited4 ,often1 also1 he    

will mislead and deceive through malice1
 because he is the father of falsehood4 
,he deceives men1 and rejoices when he  
sees them doing wrong2 but not to lose  
his credit amongst those who consult him
 directly or indirectly1 he lays the    
fault on those who undertake to         
interpret his words1 or the equivocal   
signs which he has given4 ,for instance1
 if he is consulted whether to begin an 
enterprise1 or give battle1 or set off  
on a journey1 if the thing succeeds1 he 
takes all the glory and merit to        
himself2 if it does not succeed1 he     
imputes it to the men who have not well 
understood the sense of his oracle1 or  
to the aruspices1 who have made mistakes
 in consulting the entrails of the      
immolated animals1 or the flight of     
birds1 c4  ,we must not1 then1 be       
surprised to find so many               
contradictions1 doubts1 and             
difficulties1 in the matter of          
apparitions1 angels1 demons1 and        
spirits4 ,man naturally loves to        

distinguish himself from the common     
herd1 and rise above the opinions of the
 people2 it is a sort of fashion not to 
suffer one's self to be drawn along by  
the torrent1 and to desire to sound and 
examine everything4 ,we know that there 
is an infinity of prejudices1 errors1   
vulgar opinions1 false miracles1        
illusions1 and seductions in the world2 
we know that many things are attributed 
to the devil which are purely natural1  
or that a thousand apocryphal stories   
are related4 ,it is then right to hold  
one's self on one's guard1 in order not 
to be deceived4 ,it is very important   
for religion to distinguish between true
 and false miracles1 certain or         
uncertain events1 and works wrought by  
the hand of ,god1 from those which are  
the work of the seducing spirit4  ,in   
all that he does1 the demon mixes up a  
great many illusions amid some truths1  
in order that the difficulty of         
discerning the true from the false may  
make mankind take the side which pleases

 them most1 and that the incredulous may
 always have some points to maintain    
them in their incredulity4 ,although the
 apparitions of spirits1 angels1 and    
demons1 and their operations1 may not1  
perhaps1 always be miraculous1          
nevertheless1 as the greater part appear
 above the common course of nature1 many
 of the persons of whom we have just    
spoken1 without giving themselves the   
trouble to examine the things1 and seek 
for the causes of them1 the authors1 and
 the circumstances1 boldly take upon    
themselves to deny them all4 ,it is the 
shortest way1 but neither the most      
sensible nor the most rational2 for in  
what is said on this subject1 there are 
effects which can be reasonably         
attributed to the ,almighty power of    
,god alone1 who acts immediately1 or    
makes secondary causes act to his glory1
 for the advancement of religion1 and   
the manifestation of the truth2 and     
other effects there are1 which bear     
visibly the character of illusion1      

impiety1 and seduction1 and in which it 
would seem that1 instead of the finger  
of ,god1 we can observe only the marks  
of the spirit of deceit and falsehood4  
,footnotes3  #bfj ,matt4 xii4 #bd-bg4   
,luke xi4 #ae-ah4  #bfa ,matt4 viii4    
#bi4  #bfb ,tertullian does not say so  
much in the passage cited2 on the       
contrary1 he affirms that we are        
ignorant of their nature3 substantia    
ignoratur4     ,,chapter ,,xxviii4      
,,continuation ,,of ,,objections        
,,against ,,possessions1 ,,and ,,some   
,,replies ,,to ,,those ,,objections4    
,we read in works1 published and        
printed1 composed by ,catholic authors  
of our days1#bfc that it is proved by   
reason1 that possessions of the demon   
are naturally impossible1 and that it is
 not true1 in regard to ourselves and   
our ideas1 that the demon can have any  
natural power over the corporeal world2 
that as soon as we admit in the created 
wills a power to act upon bodies1 and to
 move them1 it is impossible to set     

bounds to it1 and that this power is    
truly infinite4  ,they maintain that the
 demon can act upon our souls simply by 
means of suggestion2 that it is         
impossible the demon should be the      
physical cause of the least external    
effect2 that all the ,scripture tells us
 of the snares and stratagems of ,satan 
signifies nothing more than the         
temptations of the flesh and            
concupiscence2 and that to seduce us1   
the demon requires only mental          
suggestions4 ,his is a moral1 not a     
physical power2 in a word1 that the     
demon can do neither good nor harm2 that
 his might is nought2 that we do not    
know if ,god has given to any other     
spirit than the soul of man the power to
 move the body2 that1 on the contrary1  
we ought to presume that the wisdom of  
,god has willed that pure spirits should
 have no commerce with the body2 they   
maintain moreover that the pagans never 
knew what we call bad angels and demons4
  ,all these propositions are certainly 

contrary to ,scripture1 to the opinions 
of the ,fathers1 and to the tradition of
 the ,catholic ,church4 ,but these      
gentlemen do not trouble themselves     
about that2 they affirm that the sacred 
writers have often expressed themselves 
according to the opinions of their time1
 whether because the necessity of making
 themselves understood forced them to   
conform to it1 or that they themselves  
had adopted those opinions4 ,there is1  
say they1 more likelihood that several  
infirmities which the ,scripture has    
ascribed to the demon had simply a      
natural cause2 that in these places the 
sacred authors have spoken according to 
vulgar opinions2 the error of this      
language is of no importance4  ,the     
prophets of ,saul1 and ,saul himself1   
were never what are properly termed     
,prophets2 they might be attacked with  
those 7fits7 which the pagans call      
sacred4 ,you must be asleep when you    
read1 not to see that the temptation of 
,eve is only an allegory4 ,it is the    

same with the permission given by ,god  
to ,satan to tempt ,job4 ,why wish to   
explain the whole book of ,job          
literally1 and as a true history1 since 
its beginning is only a fiction8 ,it is 
anything but certain that ,jesus ,christ
 was transported by the demon to the    
highest pinnacle of the temple4  ,the   
,fathers were prepossessed on one side  
by the reigning ideas of the philosophy 
of ,pythagoras and ,plato on the        
influences of mean intelligences1 and on
 the other hand by the language of the  
holy books1 which to conform to popular 
opinions often ascribed to the demon    
effects which were purely natural4 ,we  
must then return to the doctrine of     
reason to decide on the submission which
 we ought to pay to the authority of the
 ,scriptures and the ,fathers concerning
 the power of the demons4  ,the uniform 
method of the ,holy ,fathers in the     
interpretations of the ,old ,testament  
is human opinion1 whence one can appeal 
to the tribunal of reason4 ,they go so  

far as to say that the sacred authors   
were informed of the ,metempsychosis1 as
 the author of the ,book of ,wisdom1    
chap4 viii4 #ai1 #bj3 ,i was an innocent
 child1 and ,i received a good spirit2  
and as ,i was already good1 ,i entered  
into an uncorrupted body4  ,persons of  
this temper will certainly not read this
 work of ours1 or1 if they do read it1  
it will be with contempt or pity4 ,i do 
not think it necessary to refute those  
paradoxes here2 the ,bishop of ,senez   
has done it with his usual erudition and
 zeal1 in a long letter printed at      
,utrecht in #agcf4 ,i do not deny that  
the sacred writers may sometimes have   
spoken in a popular manner1 and in      
accordance with the prejudice of the    
people4 ,but it is carrying things too  
far to reduce the power of the demon to 
being able to act upon us only by means 
of suggestion2 and it is a presumption  
unworthy of a philosopher to decide on  
the power of spirits over bodies1 having
 no knowledge1 either by revelation or  

by reason1 of the extent of the power of
 angels and demons over matter and human
 bodies4 ,we may exceed due measure by  
granting them excessive power1 as well  
as in not according them enough4 ,but it
 is of infinite importance to ,religion 
to discern justly between what is       
natural1 or supernatural1 in the        
operations of angels and demons1 that   
the simple may not be left in error1 nor
 the wicked triumph over the truth1 and 
make a bad use of their own wit and     
knowledge1 to render doubtful what is   
certain1 and deceiving both themselves  
and others by ascribing to chance or    
illusion of the senses1 or a vain       
prepossession of the mind1 what is said 
of the apparitions of angels1 demons1   
and deceased persons2 since it is       
certain that several of these           
apparitions are quite true1 although    
there may be a great number of others   
that are very uncertain1 and even       
manifestly false4  ,i shall therefore   
make no difficulty in owning that even  

miracles1 at least things that appear   
such1 the prediction of future events1  
movements of the body which appear      
beyond the usual powers of nature1 to   
speak and understand foreign languages  
unknown before1 to penetrate the        
thoughts1 discover concealed things1 to 
be raised up1 and transported in a      
moment from one place to another1 to    
announce truths1 lead a good life       
externally1 preach ,jesus ,christ1 decry
 magic and sorcery1 make an outward     
profession of virtue2 ,i readily own    
that all these things may not prove     
invincibly that all who perform them are
 sent by ,god1 or that these operations 
are real miracles2 yet we cannot        
reasonably suppose the demon to be mixed
 up in them by ,god's permission1 or    
that the demons or the angels do not act
 upon those persons who perform         
prodigies1 and foretell things to come1 
or who can penetrate the thoughts of the
 heart1 or that ,god himself does not   
produce these effects by the immediate  

action of his justice or his might4     
,the examples which have been cited1 or 
which may be cited hereafter1 will never
 prove that man can of himself penetrate
 the sentiments of another1 or discover 
his secret thoughts4 ,the wonders worked
 by the magicians of ,pharaoh were only 
illusion2 they appeared1 however1 to be 
true miracles1 and passed for such in   
the eyes of the ,king of ,egypt and all 
his court4 ,balaam1 the son of ,beor1   
was a true ,prophet1 although a man     
whose morals were very corrupt4         
,pomponatius writes that the wife of    
,francis ,maigret1 savetier of ,mantua1 
spoke divers languages1 and was cured by
 ,calderon1 a physician1 famous in his  
time1 who gave her a potion of          
,hellebore4 ,erasmus says also#bfd that 
he had seen an ,italian1 a native of    
,spoletta1 who spoke ,german very well1 
although he had never been in ,germany2 
they gave him a medicine which caused   
him to eject a quantity of worms1 and he
 was cured so as not to speak ,german   

any more4  ,le ,loyer1 in his ,book of  
,spectres1#bfe avows that all those     
things appear to him much to be doubted4
 ,he rather believes ,fernel1 one of the
 gravest physicians of his age1 who     
maintains#bff that there is not such    
power in medicine1 and brings forward as
 an instance the history of a young     
gentleman1 the son of a ,knight of the  
,order1 who being seized upon by the    
demon1 could be cured neither by        
potions1 by medicines1 nor by diet 7i4  
e4 fasting71 but who was cured by the   
conjurations and exorcisms of the       
church4  ,as to the reality of the      
return of souls1 or spirits1 and their  
apparitions1 the ,sorbonne1 the most    
celebrated school of theology in        
,france1 has always believed that the   
spirits of the defunct returned         
sometimes1 either by the order and power
 of ,god1 or by his permission4 ,the    
,sorbonne confessed this in its         
decisions of the year #aeah1 and still  
more positively the #bc;d of ,january1  

#agbd4 ,nos respondemus vestr petitioni 
animas defunctorum divinitus1 seu divin 
virtute1 ordinatione aut permissione    
interdum ad vivas redire exploratum     
esse4 ,several jurisconsults and several
 sovereign companies have decreed that  
the apparition of a deceased person in a
 house could suffice to break up the    
lease4 ,we may count it for much1 to    
have proved to certain persons that     
there is a ,god whose providence extends
 over all things past1 present1 and to  
come2 that there is another life1 that  
there are good and bad spirits1 rewards 
for good works1 and punishments after   
this life for sins2 that ,jesus ,christ 
has ruined the power of ,satan2 that he 
exercised in himself1 in his apostles1  
and continues to exercise in the        
ministers of his church1 an absolute    
empire over the infernal powers2 that   
the devil is now chained2 he may bark   
and threaten1 but he can bite only those
 who approach him1 and voluntarily give 
themselves up to him4  ,we have seen in 

these parts a woman who followed a band 
of mountebanks and jugglers1 who        
stretched out her legs in such an       
extraordinary manner1 and raised up her 
feet to her head1 before and behind1    
with as much suppleness as if she had   
neither nerves nor joints4 ,there was   
nothing supernatural in all that2 she   
had exercised herself from extreme youth
 in these movements1 and had contracted 
the habit of performing them4  ,st4     
,augustine#bfg speaks of a soothsayer   
whom he had known at ,carthage1 an      
illiterate man1 who could discover the  
secrets of the heart1 and replied to    
those who consulted him on secret and   
unknown affairs4 ,he had himself made an
 experiment on him1 and took to witness 
,st4 ,alypius1 ,licentius1 and          
,trygnius1 his interlocutors1 in his    
dialogue against the ,academicians4     
,they1 like him1 had consulted          
,albicerius1 and had admired the        
certainty of his replies4 ,he gives us  
an instance--a spoon which had been     

lost4 ,they told him that some one had  
lost something2 and he instantly1       
without hesitation1 replied that such a 
thing was lost1 that such a one had     
taken it1 and had hid it in such a      
place1 which was found to be quite true4
  ,they sent him a certain quantity of  
pieces of silver2 he who was charged to 
carry them had taken away some of them4 
,he made the person return them1 and    
perceived the theft before the money had
 been shown to him4 ,st4 ,augustine was 
present4 ,a learned and distinguished   
man1 named ,flaccianus1 wishing to buy a
 field1 consulted the soothsayer1 who   
declared to him the name of the land1   
which was very extraordinary1 and gave  
him all the details of the affair in    
question4 ,a young student1 wishing to  
prove ,albicerius1 begged of him to     
declare to him what he was thinking of2 
he told him he was thinking of a verse  
of ,virgil2 and1 as he then asked him   
which verse it was1 the diviner repeated
 it instantly1 though he had never      

studied the ,latin language4  ,this     
,albicerius was a scoundrel1 as ,st4    
,augustine says1 who calls him          
flagitiosum hominem4 ,the knowledge     
which he had of hidden things was not1  
doubtless1 a gift of heaven1 any more   
than the ,pythonic spirit which animated
 that maid in the ,acts of the ,apostles
 whom ,st4 ,paul obliged to keep        
silence4#bfh ,it was then the work of   
the evil spirit4  ,the gift of tongues1 
the knowledge of the future1 and power  
to divine the thoughts of others1 are   
always adduced1 and with reason1 as     
solid proofs of the presence and        
inspiration of the ,holy ,spirit2 but if
 the demon can sometimes perform the    
same things1 he does it to mislead and  
induce sin1 or simply to render true    
prophecies doubtful2 but never to lead  
to truth1 the fear and love of ,god1 and
 the edification of those around4 ,god  
may allow such corrupt men as ,balaam1  
and such rascals as ,albicerius1 to have
 some knowledge of the future1 and      

secret things1 and even of the hidden   
thoughts of men2 but he never permits   
their criminality to remain unrevealed  
to the end1 and so become a             
stumbling-block for simple or worthy    
people4 ,the malice of these            
hypocritical and corrupt men will be    
made manifest sooner or later by some   
means2 their malice and depravity will  
be found out1 by which it will be       
judged1 either that they are inspired   
only by the evil spirit1 or that the    
,holy ,spirit makes use of their agency 
to foretell some truth1 as he prophesied
 by ,balaam1 and by ,caphas4 ,their     
morals and their conduct will throw     
discredit on them1 and oblige us to be  
careful in discerning between their true
 predictions and their bad example4 ,we 
have seen hypocrites who died with the  
reputation of being worthy people1 and  
who at bottom were scoundrels--as for   
instance1 that cur1 the director of the 
nuns of ,louviers1 whose possession was 
so much talked of4  ,jesus ,christ1 in  

the ,gospel1 tells us to be on our guard
 against wolves in sheep's clothing2    
and1 elsewhere1 he tells us that there  
will be false ,christs and false        
prophets1 who will prophesy in his name1
 and perform wonders capable of         
deceiving the very elect themselves1    
were it possible4 ,but he refers us to  
their works to distinguish them4  ,to   
apply all these things to the possessed 
nuns of ,loudun1 and to ,mademoiselle de
 ,ranfaing1 even to that girl whose     
hypocrisy was unmasked by ,mademoiselle 
,acarie1 ,i appeal to their works1 and  
their conduct both before and after4    
99       99       99       99       99  
,god will not allow those who sincerely 
seek the truth to be deceived4  ,a      
juggler will guess which card you have  
touched1 or even simply thought of2 but 
it is known that there is nothing       
supernatural in that1 and that it is    
done by the combination of the cards    
according to mathematical rules4 ,we    
have seen a deaf man who understood what

 they wished to say to him by simply    
observing the motion of the lips of     
those who spoke4 ,there is nothing more 
miraculous in this than in two persons  
conversing together by signs upon which 
they have agreed4   ,footnotes3  #bfc   
,see the letter of the ,bishop of       
,senez1 printed at ,utrecht1 in #agcf1  
and the works that he therein cites and 
refutes4  #bfd ,erasm4 ,orat4 de        
laudibus ,medicin4  #bfe ,le ,loyer1    
lib4 de ,spec4 cap4 ii4 p4 #bhh4  #bff  
,fernel1 de abditis ,rerum ,causis1 lib4
 ii4 c4 #bf4  #bfg ,august4 contra      
,academic4 lib4 ii4 art4 #ag1 #ah4  #bfh
 ,acts xvi4 #af4     ,,chapter ,,xxix4  
,,of ,,familiar ,,spirits4   ,if all    
that is related of spirits which are    
perceived in houses1 in the cavities of 
mountains1 and in mines1 is certain1 we 
cannot disavow that they also must be   
placed in the rank of apparitions of the
 evil spirit2 for1 although they usually
 do neither wrong nor violence to any   
one1 unless they are irritated or       

receive abusive words2 nevertheless we  
do not read that they lead to the love  
or fear of ,god1 to prayer1 piety1 or   
acts of devotion2 it is known1 on the   
contrary1 that they show a distaste to  
those things1 so that we shall place    
them in earnest among the spirits of    
darkness4  ,i do not find that the      
ancient ,hebrews knew anything of what  
we call esprits follets1 or familiar    
spirits1 which infest houses1 or attach 
themselves to certain persons1 to serve 
them1 watch over and warn them1 and     
guard them from danger2 such as the     
demon of ,socrates1 who warned him to   
avoid certain misfortunes4 ,some other  
examples are also related of persons who
 said they had similar genii attached to
 their persons4  ,the ,jews and         
,christians confess that every one of us
 has his good angel1 who guides him from
 his early youth4#bfi ,several of the   
ancients have thought that we have also 
our evil angel1 who leads us into error4
 ,the ,psalmist#bgj says distinctly that

 ,god has commanded his angels to guide 
us in all our ways4 ,but this is not    
what we understand here under the name  
of esprits follets4  ,the prophets in   
some places speak of fauns1 or hairy    
men1 or satyrs1 who have some           
resemblance to our elves4  ,isaiah1#bga 
speaking of the state to which ,babylon 
shall be reduced after her destruction1 
says that the ostriches shall make it   
their dwelling1 and that the hairy men1 
pilosi1 the satyrs1 and goats1 shall    
dance there4 ,and elsewhere the same    
prophet says1#bgb ,occurrent dmonia     
onocentauris et pilosus clamabit alter  
ad alterum1 by which clever interpreters
 understand spectres which appear in the
 shape of goats4 ,jeremiah calls them   
fauns--the dragons with the fauns1 which
 feed upon figs4 ,but this is not the   
place for us to go more fully into the  
signification of the terms of the       
original2 it suffices for us to show    
that in the ,scripture1 at least in the 
,vulgate1 are found the names of lami1  

fauns1 and satyrs1 which have some      
resemblance to esprits follets4         
,cassian1#bgc who had studied deeply the
 lives of the fathers of the desert1 and
 who had been much with the hermits or  
anchorites of ,egypt1 speaking of divers
 sorts of demons1 mentions some which   
they commonly called fauns or satyrs1   
which the pagans regard as kinds of     
divinities of the fields or groves1 who 
delighted1 not so much in tormenting or 
doing harm to mankind1 as in deceiving  
and fatiguing them1 diverting themselves
 at their expense1 and sporting with    
their simplicity4#bgd  ,pliny#bge the   
younger had a freed-man named ,marcus1 a
 man of letters1 who slept in the same  
bed with his brother1 who was younger   
than himself4 ,it seemed to him that he 
saw a person sitting on the same bed1   
who was cutting off his hair from the   
crown of his head4 ,when he awoke1 he   
found his head shorn of hair1 and his   
hair thrown on the ground in the middle 
of the chamber4 ,a little time after1   

the same thing happened to a youth who  
slept with several others at a school4  
,this one saw two men dressed in white  
come in at the window1 who cut off his  
hair as he slept1 and then went out by  
the same window3 on awaking1 he found   
his hair scattered about on the floor4  
,to what can these things be attributed1
 if not to an elf8  ,plotinus1#bgf a    
,platonic philosopher1 had1 it is said1 
a familiar demon1 who obeyed him from   
the moment he called him1 and was       
superior in his nature to the common    
genii2 he was of the order of gods1 and 
,plotinus paid continual attention to   
this divine guardian4 ,this it was which
 led him to undertake a work on the     
demon which belongs to each of us in    
particular4 ,he endeavors to explain the
 difference between the genii which     
watch over men4  ,trithemius1 in his    
,chronicon ,hirsauginse1#bgg under the  
year #aacj1 relates that in the diocese 
of ,hildesheim1 in ,saxony1 they saw for
 some time a spirit which they called in

 ,german heidekind1 as if they would say
 rural genius1 heide signifying vast    
country1 kind1 child 7or boy74 ,he      
appeared sometimes in one form1         
sometimes in another2 and sometimes1    
without appearing at all1 he did several
 things by which he proved both his     
presence and his power4 ,he chose       
sometimes to give very important advice 
to those in power2 and often he has been
 seen in the bishop's kitchen1 helping  
the cooks and doing sundry jobs4  ,a    
young scullion1 who had grown familiar  
with him1 having offered him some       
insults1 he warned the head cook of it1 
who made light of it1 or thought nothing
 about it2 but the spirit avenged       
himself cruelly4 ,this youth having     
fallen asleep in the kitchen1 the spirit
 stifled him1 tore him to pieces1 and   
roasted him4 ,he carried his fury still 
further against the officers of the     
kitchen1 and the other officers of the  
prince4 ,the thing went on to such a    
point that they were obliged to proceed 

against him by 7ecclesiastical7         
censures1 and to constrain him by       
exorcisms to go out of the country4  ,i 
think ,i may put amongst the number of  
elves the spirits which are seen1 they  
say1 in mines and mountain caves4 ,they 
appear clad like the miners1 run here   
and there1 appear in haste as if to work
 and seek the veins of mineral ore1 lay 
it in heaps1 draw it out1 turning the   
wheel of the crane2 they seem to be very
 busy helping the workmen1 and at the   
same time they do nothing at all4       
,these spirits are not mischievous1     
unless they are insulted and laughed at2
 for then they fall into an ill humor1  
and throw things at those who offend    
them4 ,one of these genii1 who had been 
addressed in injurious terms by a miner1
 twisted his neck and placed his head   
the hind part before4 ,the miner did not
 die1 but remained all his life with his
 neck twisted and awry4  ,george        
,agricola1#bgh who has treated very     
learnedly on mines1 metals1 and the     

manner of extracting them from the      
bowels of the earth1 mentions two or    
three sorts of spirits which appear in  
mines4 ,some are very small1 and        
resemble dwarfs or pygmies2 the others  
are like old men dressed like miners1   
having their shirts tucked up1 and a    
leathern apron round their loins2 others
 perform1 or seem to perform1 what they 
see others do1 are very gay1 do no harm 
to any one1 but from all their labors   
nothing real results4  ,in other mines  
are seen dangerous spirits1 who ill-use 
the workmen1 hunt them away1 and        
sometimes kill them1 and thus constrain 
them to forsake mines which are very    
rich and abundant4 ,for instance1 at    
,anneberg1 in a mine called ,crown of   
,rose1 a spirit in the shape of a       
spirited1 snorting horse1 killed twelve 
miners1 and obliged those who worked the
 mine to abandon the undertaking1 though
 it brought them in a great deal4 ,in   
another mine1 called ,st4 ,gregory1 in  
,siveberg1 there appeared a spirit whose

 head was covered with a black hood1 and
 he seized a miner1 raised him up to a  
considerable height1 then let him fall1 
and hurt him extremely4  ,olaus         
,magnus#bgi says that1 in ,sweden and   
other northern countries1 they saw      
formerly familiar spirits1 which1 under 
the form of men or women1 waited on     
certain persons4 ,he speaks of certain  
nymphs dwelling in caverns and in the   
depths of the forest1 who announce      
things to come2 some are good1 others   
bad2 they appear and speak to those who 
consult them4 ,travelers and shepherds  
also often see during the night divers  
phantoms which burn the spot where they 
appear1 so that henceforward neither    
grass nor verdure are seen there4  ,he  
says that the people of ,finland1 before
 their conversion to ,christianity1 sold
 the winds to sailors1 giving them a    
string with three knots1 and warning    
them that by untying the first knot they
 would have a gentle and favorable wind1
 at the second knot a stronger wind1 and

 at the third knot a violent and        
dangerous gale4 ,he says1 moreover1 that
 the ,bothnians1 striking on an anvil   
hard blows with a hammer1 upon a frog or
 a serpent of brass1 fall down in a     
swoon1 and during this swoon they learn 
what passes in very distant places4     
,but all those things have more relation
 to magic than to familiar spirits2 and 
if what is said about them be true1 it  
must be ascribed to the evil spirit4    
,the same ,olaus ,magnus#bhj says that  
in mines1 above all in silver mines1    
from which great profit may be expected1
 six sorts of demons may be seen1 who   
under divers forms labor at breaking the
 rocks1 drawing the buckets1 and turning
 the wheels2 who sometimes burst into   
laughter1 and play different tricks2 all
 of which are merely to deceive the     
miners1 whom they crush under the rocks1
 or expose to the most imminent dangers1
 to make them utter blasphemy1 and swear
 and curse4 ,several very rich mines    
have been obliged to be disused through 

fear of these dangerous spirits4        
,notwithstanding all that we have just  
related1 ,i doubt very much if there are
 any spirits in mountain caves or in    
mines4 ,i have interrogated on the      
subject people of the trade and miners  
by profession1 of whom there is a great 
number in our mountains1 the ,vosges1   
who have assured me that all which is   
related on that point is fabulous2 that 
if sometimes they see these elves or    
grotesque figures1 it must be attributed
 to a heated and prepossessed           
imagination2 or else that the           
circumstance is so rare that it ought   
not to be repeated as something usual or
 common4  ,a new ,traveler in the       
,northern ,countries1 printed at        
,amsterdam1 in #agjh1 says that the     
people of ,iceland are almost all       
conjurers or sorcerers2 that they have  
familiar demons1 whom they call troles1 
who wait upon them as servants1 and warn
 them of the accidents or illnesses     
which are to happen to them2 they awake 

them to go a-fishing when the season is 
favorable1 and if they go for that      
purpose without the advice of these     
genii1 they do not succeed4 ,there are  
some persons among these people who     
evoke the dead1 and make them appear to 
those who wish to consult them3 they    
also conjure up the appearance of the   
absent far from the spot where they     
dwell4  ,father ,vadingue relates1 after
 an old manuscript legend1 that a lady  
named ,lupa had had during thirteen     
years a familiar demon1 who served her  
as a waiting-woman1 and led her into    
many secret irregularities1 and induced 
her to treat her servants with          
inhumanity4 ,god gave her grace to see  
her fault1 and to do penance for it1 by 
the intercession of ,st4 ,franois       
d',assise and ,st4 ,anthony of ,padua1  
to whom she had always felt particular  
devotion4  ,cardan speaks of a bearded  
demon of ,niphus1 who gave him lessons  
of philosophy4  ,agrippa had a demon who
 waited upon him in the shape of a dog4 

,this dog1 says ,paulus ,jovius1 seeing 
his master about to expire1 threw       
himself into the ,rhone4  ,much is said 
of certain spirits#bha which are kept   
confined in rings1 that are bought1     
sold1 or exchanged4 ,they speak also of 
a crystal ring1 in which the demon      
represented the objects desired to be   
seen4  ,some also speak highly of those 
enchanted mirrors1#bhb in which children
 see the face of a robber who is sought 
for2 others will see it in their nails2 
all which can only be diabolical        
illusions4  ,le ,loyer relates#bhc that 
when he was studying the law at         
,thoulouse1 he was lodged near a house  
where an elf never ceased all the night 
to draw water from the well1 making the 
pulley creak all the while2 at other    
times1 he seemed to drag something heavy
 up the stairs2 but he very rarely      
entered the rooms1 and then he made but 
little noise4   ,footnotes3  #bfi ,matt4
 xviii4 #aj4  #bgj ,psalm xc4 #aa4  #bga
 ,isai4 xiii4 #bb4 ,pilosi saltabunt    

ibi4  #bgb ,isai4 xxxiv4 #ae4  #bgc     
,cassian1 ,collat4 vii4 c4 #bc4  #bgd   
,quos seductores et joculatores esse    
manifestum est1 cm nequaquam tormentis  
eorum1 quos prtereuntes potuerint       
decipere1 oblectentur1 sed de risu      
tantum mod et illusione contenti1       
fatigare potis1 studeant1 qum nocere4   
#bge ,plin4 i4 #g4 ,epist4 #bg1 suiv4   
#bgf ,life of ,plotin4 art4 x4  #bgg    
,chron4 ,hirsaug4 ad ann4 #aacj4  #bgh  
,geo4 ,agricola1 de ,mineral4           
,subterran4 p4 #ejd4  #bgi ,olaus ,mag4 
lib4 iii4 ,hist4 #e1 #i-ad4  #bhj ,olaus
 ,mag4 lib4 vi4 c4 #i4  #bha ,le ,loyer1
 p4 #dgd4  #bhb ,ibid4 liv4 ii4 p4 #beh4
  #bhc ,ibid1 p4 #eej4     ,,chapter    
,,xxx4  ,,some ,,other ,,examples ,,of  
,,elves4   ,on the #beth of ,august1    
#agdf1 ,i received a letter from a very 
worthy man1 the cur of the parish of    
,walsche1 a village situated in the     
mountains of ,vosges1 in the county of  
,dabo1 or ,dasburg1 in ,lower ,alsatia1 
,diocese of ,metz4 ,in this letter1 he  

tells me that the #ajth of ,june1 #agdj1
 at eight o'clock in the morning1 he    
being in his kitchen1 with his niece and
 the servant1 he saw on a sudden an iron
 pot that was placed on the ground turn 
round three or four times1 without its  
being set in motion by any one4 ,a      
moment after1 a stone1 weighing about a 
pound1 was thrown from the next room    
into the same kitchen1 in presence of   
the same persons1 without their seeing  
the hand which threw it4 ,the next day1 
at nine o'clock in the morning1 some    
panes of glass were broken1 and through 
these panes were thrown some stones1    
with what appeared to them supernatural 
dexterity4 ,the spirit never hurt       
anybody1 and never did anything in the  
night time1 but always during the day4  
,the cur employed the prayers marked out
 in the ritual to bless his house1 and  
thenceforth the genius broke no more    
panes of glass2 but he continued to     
throw stones at the cur's people1       
without hurting them1 however4 ,if they 

fetched water from the fountain1 he     
threw stones into the bucket2 and       
afterwards he began to serve in the     
kitchen4 ,one day1 as the servant was   
planting some cabbages in the garden1 he
 pulled them up as fast as she planted  
them1 and laid them in a heap4 ,it was  
in vain that she stormed1 threatened1   
and swore in the ,german style2 the     
genius continued to play his tricks4    
,one day1 when a bed in the garden had  
been dug and prepared1 the spade was    
found thrust two feet deep into the     
ground1 without any trace being seen of 
him who had thus stuck it in2 but they  
observed that on the spade was a riband1
 and by the spade were two pieces of two
 soles1 which the girl had locked up the
 evening before in a little box4        
,sometimes he took pleasure in          
displacing the earthenware and pewter1  
and putting it either all round the     
kitchen1 or in the porch1 or even in the
 cemetery1 and always in broad daylight4
 ,one day he filled an iron pot with    

wild herbs1 bran1 and leaves of trees1  
and1 having put some water in it1       
carried it to the ally or walk in the   
garden2 another time he suspended it to 
the pot-hook over the fire4 ,the servant
 having broken two eggs into a little   
dish for the cur's supper1 the genius   
broke two more into it in his presence1 
the maid having merely turned to get    
some salt4 ,the cur having gone to say  
mass1 on his return found all his       
earthenware1 furniture1 linen1 bread1   
milk1 and other things scattered about  
over the house4  ,sometimes the spirit  
would form circles on the paved floor1  
at one time with stones1 at another with
 corn or leaves1 and in a moment1 before
 the eyes of all present1 all was       
overturned and deranged4 ,tired with    
these games1 the cur sent for the mayor 
of the place1 and told him he was       
resolved to quit the parsonage house4   
,whilst this was passing1 the cur's     
niece came in1 and told them that the   
genius had torn up the cabbages in the  

garden1 and had put some money in a hole
 in the ground4 ,they went there1 and   
found things exactly as she had said4   
,they picked up the money1 which what   
the cur had put away in a place not     
locked up2 and in a moment after they   
found it anew1 with some liards1 two by 
two1 scattered about the kitchen4  ,the 
agents of the ,count de ,linange being  
arrived at ,walsche1 went to the cur's  
house1 and persuaded him that it was all
 the effect of a spell2 they told him to
 take two pistols1 and fire them off at 
the place where he might observe there  
were any movements4 ,the genius at the  
same moment threw out of the pocket of  
one of these officers two pieces of     
silver2 and from that time he was no    
longer perceived in the house4  ,the    
circumstances of two pistols terminating
 the scenes with which the elf had      
disturbed the good cur1 made him believe
 that this tormenting imp was no other  
than a certain bad parishioner1 whom the
 cur had been obliged to send away from 

his parish1 and who to revenge himself  
had done all that we have related4 ,if  
that be the case1 he had rendered       
himself invisible1 or he had had credit 
enough to send in his stead a familiar  
genius who puzzled the cur for some     
weeks2 for1 if he were not bodily in    
this house1 what had he to fear from any
 pistol shot which might have been fired
 at him8 ,and if he was there bodily1   
how could he render himself invisible8  
,i have been told several times that a  
monk of the ,cistercian order had a     
familiar genius who attended upon him1  
arranged his chamber1 and prepared      
everything ready for him when he was    
coming back from the country4 ,they were
 so accustomed to this1 that they       
expected him home by these signs1 and he
 always arrived4 ,it is affirmed of     
another monk of the same order that he  
had a familiar spirit1 who warned him1  
not only of what passed in the house1   
but also of what happened out of it2 and
 one day he was awakened three times1   

and warned that some monks were         
quarreling1 and were ready to come to   
blows2 he ran to the spot1 and put an   
end to the dispute4  ,st4 ,sulpicius    
,severus#bhd relates that ,st4 ,martin  
often had conversations with the ,holy  
,virgin1 and other saints1 and even with
 the demons and false gods of paganism2 
he talked with them1 and learned from   
them many secret things4 ,one day1 when 
a council was being held at ,nmes1 where
 he had not thought proper to be        
present1 but the decisions of which he  
desired to know1 being in a boat with   
,st4 ,sulpicius1 but apart from others1 
as usual with him1 an angel appeared1   
and informed him what had passed in this
 assembly of bishops4 ,inquiry was made 
as to the day and hour when the council 
was held1 and it was found to be at the 
same hour at which the angel had        
appeared to ,martin4  ,we have been told
 several times that a young             
ecclesiastic1 in a seminary at ,paris1  
had a genius who waited upon him1 and   

arranged his room and his clothes4 ,one 
day1 when the superior was passing by   
the chamber of the seminarist1 he heard 
him talking with some one2 he entered1  
and asked who he was conversing with4   
,the youth affirmed that there was no   
one in his room1 and1 in fact1 the      
superior could neither see nor discover 
any one there4 ,nevertheless1 as he had 
heard their conversation1 the young man 
owned that for some years he had been   
attended by a familiar genius1 who      
rendered him every service that a       
domestic could have done1 and had       
promised him great advantages in the    
ecclesiastical profession4 ,the superior
 pressed him to give some proofs of what
 he said4 ,he ordered the genius to set 
a chair for the superior2 the genius    
obeyed4 ,information of this was sent to
 the archbishop1 who did not think      
proper to give it publicity4 ,the young 
clerk was sent away1 and this singular  
adventure was buried in silence4        
,bodin#bhe speaks of a person of his    

acquaintance who was still living at the
 time he wrote1 which was in #aehh4     
,this person had a familiar who from the
 age of thirty-seven had given him good 
advice respecting his conduct1 sometimes
 to correct his faults1 sometimes to    
make him practice virtue1 or to assist  
him2 resolving the difficulties which he
 might find in reading holy books1 or   
giving him good counsel upon his own    
affairs4 ,he usually rapped at his door 
at three or four o'clock in the morning 
to awaken him2 and as that person       
mistrusted all these things1 fearing    
that it might be an evil angel1 the     
spirit showed himself in broad day1     
striking gently on a glass bowl1 and    
then upon a bench4 ,when he desired to  
do anything good and useful1 the spirit 
touched his right ear2 but if it was    
anything wrong and dangerous1 he touched
 his left ear2 so that from that time   
nothing occurred to him of which he was 
not warned beforehand4 ,sometimes he    
heard his voice2 and one day1 when he   

found his life in imminent danger1 he   
saw his genius1 under the form of a     
child of extraordinary beauty1 who saved
 him from it4  ,william1 ,bishop of     
,paris1#bhf says that he knew a         
rope-dancer who had a familiar spirit   
which played and joked with him1 and    
prevented him from sleeping1 throwing   
something against the wall1 dragging off
 the bed-clothes1 or pulling him about  
when he was in bed4 ,we know by the     
account of a very sensible person that  
it has happened to him in the open      
country1 and in the day time1 to feel   
his cloak and boots pulled at1 and his  
hat thrown down2 then he heard the      
bursts of laughter and the voice of a   
person deceased and well known to him1  
who seemed to rejoice at it4  ,the      
discovery of things hidden or unknown1  
which is made in dreams1 or otherwise1  
can hardly be ascribed to anything but  
to familiar spirits4 ,a man who did not 
know a word of ,greek came to ,m4 de    
,saumaise1 senior1 a counselor of the   

,parliament of ,dijon1 and showed him   
these words1 which he had heard in the  
night1 as he slept1 and which he wrote  
down in ,french characters on awaking3  
,apithi ouc osphraine tn sn apsychian4  
,he asked him what that meant4 ,m4 de   
,saumaise told him it meant1 ,save      
yourself2 do you not perceive the death 
with which you are threatened8 ,upon    
this hint1 the man removed1 and left his
 house1 which fell down the following   
night4#bhg  ,the same story is related1 
with a little difference1 by another    
author1 who says that the circumstance  
happened at ,paris2#bhh that the genius 
spoke in ,syriac1 and that ,m4 de       
,saumaise being consulted1 replied1 ,go 
out of your house1 for it will fall in  
ruins to-day1 at nine o'clock in the    
evening4 ,it is but too much the custom 
in reciting stories of this kind to add 
a few circumstances by way of           
embellishment4  ,gassendi1 in the ,life 
of ,m4 ,peiresch1 relates that ,m4      
,peiresch1 going one day to ,nismes1    

with one of his friends1 named ,m4      
,rainier1 the latter1 having heard      
,peiresch talking in his sleep in the   
night1 waked him1 and asked him what he 
said4 ,peiresch answered him1 ,i dreamed
 that1 being at ,nismes1 a jeweler had  
offered me a medal of ,julius ,csar1 for
 which he asked four crowns1 and as ,i  
was going to count him down his money1  
you waked me1 to my great regret4 ,they 
arrived at ,nismes1 and going about the 
town1 ,peiresch recognized the goldsmith
 whom he had seen in his dream2 and on  
his asking him if he had nothing        
curious1 the goldsmith told him he had a
 gold medal1 or coin1 of ,julius ,csar4 
,peiresch asked him how much he esteemed
 it worth2 he replied1 four crowns4     
,peiresch paid them1 and was delighted  
to see his dream so happily             
accomplished4  ,here is a dream much    
more singular than the preceding1       
although a little in the same style4#bhi
 ,a learned man of ,dijon1 after having 
wearied himself all day with an         

important passage in a ,greek poet1     
without being able to comprehend it at  
all1 went to bed thinking of this       
difficulty4 ,during his sleep1 his      
genius transported him in spirit to     
,stockholm1 introduced him into the     
palace of ,queen ,christina1 conducted  
him into the library1 and showed him a  
small volume1 which was precisely what  
he sought4 ,he opened it1 read in it ten
 or twelve ,greek verses1 which         
absolutely cleared up the difficulty    
which had so long beset him2 he awoke1  
and wrote down the verses he had seen at
 ,stockholm4 ,on the morrow1 he wrote to
 ,m4 ,descartes1 who was then in        
,sweden1 and begged of him to look in   
such a place1 and in such a division of 
the library1 if the book1 of which he   
sent him the description1 were there1   
and if the ,greek verses which he sent  
him were to be read in it4  ,m4         
,descartes replied that he had found the
 book in question2 and also the verses  
he had sent were in the place he pointed

 out2 that one of his friends had       
promised him a copy of that work1 and he
 would send it him by the first         
opportunity4  ,we have already said     
something of the spirit1 or familiar    
genius of ,socrates1 which prevented him
 from doing certain things1 but did not 
lead him to do others4 ,it is           
asserted#bij that1 after the defeat of  
the ,athenian army1 commanded by        
,laches1 ,socrates1 flying like the     
others1 with this ,athenian general1 and
 being arrived at a spot where several  
roads met1 ,socrates would not follow   
the road taken by the other fugitives2  
and when they asked him the reason1 he  
replied1 because his genius drew him    
away from it4 ,the event justified his  
foresight4 ,all those who had taken the 
other road were either killed or made   
prisoners by the enemy's cavalry4  ,it  
is doubtful whether the elves1 of which 
so many things are related1 are good or 
bad spirits2 for the faith of the church
 admits nothing between these two kinds 

of genii4 ,every genius is either good  
or bad2 but as there are in heaven many 
mansions1 as the ,gospel says1#bia and  
as there are among the blessed1 various 
degrees of glory1 differing from each   
other1 so we may believe that there are 
in hell various degrees of pain and     
punishment for the damned and the       
demons4  ,but are they not rather       
magicians1 who render themselves        
invisible1 and divert themselves in     
disquieting the living8 ,why do they    
attach themselves to certain spots1 and 
certain persons1 rather than to others8 
,why do they make themselves perceptible
 only during a certain time1 and that   
sometimes a short space8  ,i could      
willingly conclude that what is said of 
them is mere fancy and prejudice2 but   
their reality has been so often         
experienced by the discourse they have  
held1 and the actions they have         
performed in the presence of many wise  
and enlightened persons1 that ,i cannot 
persuade myself that among the great    

number of stories related of them there 
are not at least some of them true4  ,it
 may be remarked that these elves never 
lead one to anything good1 to prayer1 or
 piety1 to the love of ,god1 or to godly
 and serious actions4 ,if they do no    
other harm1 they leave hurtful doubts   
about the punishments of the damned1 on 
the efficacy of prayer and exorcisms2 if
 they hurt not those men or animals     
which are found on the spot where they  
may be perceived1 it is because ,god    
sets bounds to their malice and power4  
,the demon has a thousand ways of       
deceiving us4 ,all those to whom these  
genii attach themselves have a horror of
 them1 mistrust and fear them2 and it   
rarely happens that these familiar      
demons do not lead them to a dangerous  
end1 unless they deliver themselves from
 them by grave acts of religion and     
penance4  ,there is the story of a      
spirit1 which1 says he who wrote it to  
me1 ,i no more doubt the truth of than  
if ,i had been a witness of it4 ,count  

,despilliers1 the father1 being a young 
man1 and captain of cuirassiers1 was in 
winter quarters in ,flanders4 ,one of   
his men came to him one day to beg that 
he would change his landlord1 saying    
that every night there came into his    
bed-room a spirit1 which would not allow
 him to sleep4 ,the ,count ,despilliers 
sent him away1 and laughed at his       
simplicity4 ,some days after1 the same  
horseman came back and made the same    
request to him2 the only reply of the   
captain would have been a volley of     
blows with a stick1 had not the soldier 
avoided them by a prompt flight4 ,at    
last1 he returned a third time to the   
charge1 and protested to his captain    
that he could bear it no longer1 and    
should be obliged to desert if his      
lodgings were not changed4 ,despilliers1
 who knew the soldier to be brave and   
reasonable1 said to him1 with an oath1  
,i will go this night and sleep with    
you1 and see what is the matter4  ,at   
ten o'clock in the evening1 the captain 

repaired to his soldier's lodging1 and  
having laid his pistols ready primed    
upon the table1 he lay down in his      
clothes1 his sword by his side1 with his
 soldier1 in a bed without curtains4    
,about midnight he heard something which
 came into the room1 and in a moment    
turned the bed upside down1 covering the
 captain and the soldier with the       
mattress and paillasse4 ,despilliers had
 great trouble to disengage himself and 
find again his sword and pistols1 and he
 returned home much confounded4 ,the    
horse-soldier had a new lodging the very
 next day1 and slept quietly in the     
house of his new host4  ,m4 ,despilliers
 related this adventure to any one who  
would listen to it4 ,he was an intrepid 
man1 who had never known what it was to 
fall back before danger4 ,he died       
field-marshal of the armies of the      
,emperor ,charles ,,vi4 and governor of 
the fortress of ,sgedin4 ,his son has   
confirmed this adventure to me within a 
short time1 as having heard it from his 

father4  ,the person who writes to me   
adds3 ,i doubt not that spirits         
sometimes return2 but ,i have found     
myself in a great many places which it  
was said they haunted4 ,i have even     
tried several times to see them1 but ,i 
have never seen any4 ,i found myself    
once with more than four thousand       
persons1 who all said they saw the      
spirit2 ,i was the only one in the      
assembly who saw nothing4 ,so writes me 
a very worthy officer1 this year1 #agde1
 in the same letter wherein he relates  
the affair of ,m4 ,despilliers4         
,footnotes3  #bhd ,st4 ,sulpit4 ,sever4 
,dialog4 ii4 c4 #ad1 #ae4  #bhe ,bodin  
,demonomania1 lib4 ii4 c4 #b4  #bhf     
,guillelm4 ,paris1 #b ,part4 qust4 #b1  
c4 #h4  #bhg ,grot4 ,epist4 ,part4 ii4  
,ep4 #dje4  #bhh ,they affirm that it   
happened at ,dijon1 in the family of the
 ,,mm4 ,surmin1 in which a constant     
tradition has perpetuated the memory of 
the circumstance4  #bhi ,continuation of
 the ,count de ,gabalis1 at the ,hague1 

#agjh1 p4 #ee4  #bij ,cicero1 de        
,divinat4 lib4 i4  #bia ,john xiv4 #b4  
,,chapter ,,xxxi4  ,,spirits ,,that     
,,keep ,,watch ,,over ,,treasure4       
,everybody acknowledges that there is an
 infinity of riches buried in the earth1
 or lost under the waters by shipwrecks2
 they fancy that the demon1 whom they   
look upon as the god of riches1 the god 
,mammon1 the ,pluto of the pagans1 is   
the depositary1 or at least the         
guardian1 of these treasures4 ,he said  
to ,jesus ,christ1#bib when he tempted  
him in the wilderness1 showing to him   
all the kingdoms of the earth1 and their
 glory3 ,all these things will ,i give  
thee1 if thou wilt fall down and worship
 me4 ,we know also that the ancients    
very often interred vast treasures in   
the tombs of the dead2 either that the  
dead might make use of them in the other
 world1 or that their souls might keep  
guard over them in those gloomy places4 
,job seems to make allusion to this     
ancient custom1 when he says1#bic ,would

 to ,god ,i had never been born3 ,i     
should now sleep with the kings and     
great ones of the earth1 who built      
themselves solitary places2 like unto   
those who seek for treasure1 and are    
rejoiced when they find a tomb2         
doubtless because they hope to find     
great riches therein4  ,there were very 
precious things in the tomb of ,cyrus4  
,semiramis caused to be engraved on her 
own mausoleum that it contained great   
riches4 ,josephus#bid relates that      
,solomon placed great treasures in the  
tomb of ,david his father2 and that the 
,high-,priest ,hyrcanus1 being besieged 
in ,jerusalem by ,king ,antiochus1 took 
thence three thousand talents4 ,he says1
 moreover1 that years after1 ,herod the 
,great having caused this tomb to be    
searched1 took from it large sums4 ,we  
see several laws against those who      
violate sepulchres to take out of them  
the precious things they contain4 ,the  
,emperor ,marcianus#bie forbade that    
riches should be hidden in tombs4 ,if   

such things have been placed in the     
mausoleums of worthy and holy persons1  
and if they have been discovered through
 the revelation of the good spirits of  
persons who died in the faith and grace 
of ,god1 we cannot conclude from those  
things that all hidden treasures are in 
the power of the demon1 and that he     
alone knows anything of them2 the good  
angels know of them2 and the saints may 
be much more faithful guardians of them 
than the demons1 who usually have no    
power to enrich1 or to deliver from the 
horrors of poverty1 from punishment and 
death itself1 those who yield themselves
 to them in order to receive some reward
 from them4  ,melancthon relates#bif    
that the demon informed a priest where a
 treasure was hid2 the priest1          
accompanied by one of his friends1 went 
to the spot indicated2 they saw there a 
black dog lying on a chest4 ,the priest1
 having entered to take out the         
treasure1 was crushed and smothered     
under the ruins of the cavern4  ,m4     

,remy#big1 in his ,demonology1 speaks of
 several persons whose causes he had    
heard in his quality of                 
,lieutenant-,general of ,lorraine1 at   
the time when that country swarmed with 
wizards and witches2 those amongst them 
who believed they had received money    
from the demon1 found nothing in their  
purses but bits of broken pots1 coals1  
or leaves of trees1 or other things     
equally vile and contemptible4  ,the    
,reverend ,father ,abram1 a ,jesuit1 in 
his manuscript ,history of the          
,university of ,pont  ,mousson1 reports 
that a youth of good family1 but small  
fortune1 placed himself at first to     
serve in the army among the valets and  
serving men3 from thence his parents    
sent him to school1 but not liking the  
subjection which study requires1 he     
quitted the school and returned to his  
former kind of life4 ,on his way he met 
a man dressed in a silk coat1 but       
ill-looking1 dark1 and hideous1 who     
asked him where he was going to1 and why

 he looked so sad3 ,i am able to set you
 at your ease1 said this man to him1 if 
you will give yourself to me4  ,the     
young man1 believing that he wished to  
engage him as a servant1 asked for time 
to reflect upon it2 but beginning to    
mistrust the magnificent promises which 
he made him1 he looked at him more      
narrowly1 and having remarked that his  
left foot was divided like that of an   
ox1 he was seized with affright1 made   
the sign of the cross1 and called on the
 name of ,jesus1 when the spectre       
directly disappeared4  ,three days      
after1 the same figure appeared to him  
again1 and asked him if he had made up  
his mind2 the young man replied that he 
did not want a master4 ,the spectre said
 to him1 ,where are you going8 ,i am    
going to such a town1 replied he4 ,at   
that moment the demon threw at his feet 
a purse which chinked1 and which he     
found filled with thirty or forty       
,flemish crowns1 amongst which were     
about twelve which appeared to be gold1 

newly coined1 and as if from the stamps 
of the coiner4 ,in the same purse was a 
powder1 which the spectre said was of a 
very subtile quality4  ,at the same     
time1 he gave him abominable counsels to
 satisfy the most shameful passions2 and
 exhorted him to renounce the use of    
holy water1 and the adoration of the    
host--which he called in derision that  
little cake4 ,the boy was horrified at  
these proposals1 and made the sign of   
the cross on his heart2 and at the same 
time he felt himself thrown roughly down
 on the ground1 where he remained for   
half an hour1 half dead4 ,having got up 
again1 he returned home to his mother1  
did penance1 and changed his conduct4   
,the pieces of money which looked like  
gold and newly coined1 having been put  
in the fire1 were found to be only of   
copper4  ,i relate this instance to show
 that the demon seeks only to deceive   
and corrupt even those to whom he makes 
the most specious promises1 and to whom 
he seems to give great riches4  ,some   

years ago1 two monks1 both of them well 
informed and prudent men1 consulted me  
upon a circumstance which occurred at   
,orb1 a village of ,alsatia1 near the   
,abbey of ,pairis4 ,two men of that     
place told them that they had seen come 
out of the ground a small box or casket1
 which they supposed was full of money1 
and having a wish to lay hold of it1 it 
had retreated from them and hidden      
itself again under ground4 ,this        
happened to them more than once4        
,theophanes1 a celebrated and grave     
,greek historiographer1 under the year  
of our era #djh1 relates that ,cabades1 
,king of ,persia1 being informed that   
between the ,indian country and ,persia 
there was a castle called ,zubdadeyer1  
which contained a great quantity of     
gold1 silver1 and precious stones1      
resolved to make himself master of it2  
but these treasures were guarded by     
demons1 who would not permit any one to 
approach it4 ,he employed some of the   
magi and some ,jews who were with him to

 conjure and exorcise them2 but their   
efforts were useless4 ,the king         
bethought himself of the ,god of the    
,christians--prayed to him1 and sent for
 the bishop who was at the head of the  
,christian church in ,persia1 and begged
 of him to use his efforts to obtain for
 him these treasures1 and to expel the  
demons by whom they were guarded4 ,the  
prelate offered the holy sacrifice1     
participated in it1 and going to the    
spot1 drove away the demons who were    
guardians of these riches1 and put the  
king in peaceable possession of the     
castle4  ,relating this story to a man  
of some rank1#bih he told me1 that in   
the ,isle of ,malta1 two knights having 
hired a slave1 who boasted that he      
possessed the secret of evoking demons1 
and forcing them to discover the most   
hidden secrets1 they led him into an old
 castle1 where it was thought that      
treasures were concealed4 ,the slave    
performed his evocations1 and at last   
the demon opened a rock whence issued a 

coffer4 ,the slave would have taken hold
 of it1 but the coffer went back into   
the rock4 ,this occurred more than once2
 and the slave1 after vain efforts1 came
 and told the knights what had happened 
to him2 but he was so much exhausted    
that he had need of some restorative2   
they gave him refreshment1 and when he  
had returned they after a while heard a 
noise4 ,they went into the cave with a  
light1 to see what had happened1 and    
they found the slave lying dead1 and all
 his flesh full of cuts as of a         
penknife1 in form of a cross2 he was so 
covered with them that there was not    
room to place a finger where he was not 
thus marked4 ,the knights carried him to
 the shore1 and threw him into the sea  
with a great stone hung round his neck4 
,we could name these persons and note   
the dates1 were it necessary4  ,the same
 person related to us1 at that same     
time1 that about ninety years before1 an
 old woman of ,malta was warned by a    
genius that there was a great deal of   

treasure in her cellar1 belonging to a  
knight of high consideration1 and       
desired her to give him information of  
it2 she went to his abode1 but could not
 obtain an audience4 ,the following     
night the same genius returned1 and gave
 her the same command2 and as she       
refused to obey1 he abused her1 and     
again sent her on the same errand4 ,the 
next day she returned to seek this lord1
 and told the domestics that she would  
not go away until she had spoken to the 
master4 ,she related what had happened  
to her2 and the knight resolved to go to
 her dwelling1 accompanied by people    
with the proper instruments for digging2
 they dug1 and very shortly there sprung
 up such a quantity of water from the   
spot where they inserted their pickaxes 
that they were obliged to give up the   
undertaking4  ,the knight confessed to  
the ,inquisitor what he had done1 and   
received absolution for it2 but he was  
obliged to inscribe the fact we have    
recounted in the ,registers of the      

,inquisition4  ,about sixty years after1
 the canons of the ,cathedral of ,malta1
 wishing for a wider space before their 
church1 bought some houses which it was 
necessary to pull down1 and amongst     
others that which had belonged to that  
old woman4 ,as they were digging there1 
they found the treasure1 consisting of a
 good many gold pieces of the value of a
 ducat1 bearing the effigy of the       
,emperor ,justinian the ,first4 ,the    
,grand ,master of the ,order of ,malta  
affirmed that the treasure belonged to  
him as sovereign of the isle2 the canons
 contested the point4 ,the affair was   
carried to ,rome2 the grand master      
gained his suit1 and the gold was       
brought to him1 amounting in value to   
about sixty thousand ducats2 but he gave
 them up to the cathedral4  ,some time  
afterwards1 the knight of whom we have  
spoken1 who was then very aged1         
remembered what had happened to himself1
 and asserted that the treasure ought to
 belong to him2 he made them lead him to

 the spot1 recognized the cellar where  
he had formerly been1 and pointed out in
 the ,register of the ,inquisition what 
had been written therein sixty years    
before4 ,they did not permit him to     
recover the treasure2 but it was a proof
 that the demon knew of and kept watch  
over this money4 ,the person who told me
 this story has in his possession three 
or four of these gold pieces1 having    
bought them of the canons4   ,footnotes3
  #bib ,matt4 iv4 #h4  #bic ,job iii4   
#ac1 #ad1 #bb4  #bid ,joseph4 ,ant4 lib4
 xiii4  #bie ,martian4 lib4 iv4  #bif   
,le ,loyer1 liv4 ii4 p4 #die4  #big     
,remy1 ,demonol4 c4 iv4 ,ann4 #afje4    
#bih ,m4 le ,chevalier ,guiot de ,marre4
     ,,chapter ,,xxxii4  ,,other        
,,instances ,,of ,,hidden ,,treasures   
,,which ,,were ,,guarded ,,by ,,good    
,,or ,,bad ,,spirits4   ,we read in a   
new work that a man1 ,honor ,mirable1   
having found in a garden near           
,marseilles a treasure consisting of    
several ,portuguese pieces of gold1 from

 the indication given him by a spectre1 
which appeared to him at eleven o'clock 
at night1 near the ,bastide1 or country 
house called du ,paret1 he made the     
discovery of it in presence of the woman
 who farmed the land of this ,bastide1  
and the farm-servant named ,bernard4    
,when he first perceived the treasure   
buried in the earth1 and wrapt up in a  
bundle of old linen1 he was afraid to   
touch it1 for fear it should be poisoned
 and cause his death4 ,he raised it by  
means of a hook made of a branch of the 
almond tree1 and carried it into his    
room1 where he undid it without any     
witness1 and found in it a great deal of
 gold2 to satisfy the wishes of the     
spirit who had appeared to him1 he      
caused some masses to be said for him4  
,he revealed his good fortune to a      
countryman of his1 named ,anquier1 who  
lent him forty livres1 and gave him a   
note by which he acknowledged he owed   
him twenty thousand livres and receipted
 the payment of the forty livres lent2  

this note bore date the #bgth           
,september1 #agbf4  ,some time after1   
,mirable asked ,anquier to pay the note4
 ,anquier denied everything4 ,a great   
lawsuit ensued2 informations were taken 
and perquisitions held in ,anquier's    
house2 sentence was given on the #ajth  
of ,september1 #agbg1 importing that    
,anquier should be arrested1 and have   
the question applied to him4 ,an appeal 
was made to the ,parliament of ,aix4    
,anquier's note was declared a forgery4 
,bernard1 who was said to have been     
present at the discovery of the         
treasure1 was not cited at all2 the     
other witnesses only deposed from       
hearsay2 ,magdalen ,caillot alone1 who  
was present1 acknowledged having seen   
the packet wrapped round with linen1 and
 had heard a ringing as of pieces of    
gold or silver1 and had seen one of     
them1 a piece about as large as a piece 
of two liards4  ,the ,parliament of ,aix
 issued its decree the #agth of         
,february1 #agbh1 by which it ordained  

that ,bernard1 farming servant at the   
,bastide du ,paret1 should be heard2 he 
was heard on different days1 and deposed
 that he had seen neither treasure1 nor 
rags1 nor gold pieces4 ,then came       
another decree of the #b;d of ,june1    
#agbh1 which ordered that the           
attorney-general should proceed by way  
of ecclesiastical censures on the facts 
resulting from these proceedings4  ,the 
indictment was published1 fifty-three   
witnesses were heard2 another sentence  
of the #ahth of ,february1 #agbi1       
discharged ,anquier from the courts and 
the lawsuit2 condemned ,mirable to the  
galleys to perpetuity after having      
previously undergone the question2 and  
,caillot was to pay a fine of ten       
francs4 ,such was the end of this grand 
lawsuit4 ,if we examine narrowly these  
stories of spectres who watch over      
treasures1 we shall doubtless find1 as  
here1 a great deal of superstition1     
deception1 and fancy4  ,delrio relates  
some instances of people who have been  

put to death1 or who have perished      
miserably as they searched for hidden   
treasures4 ,in all this we may perceive 
the spirit of lying and seduction on the
 part of the demon1 bounds set to his   
power1 and his malice arrested by the   
will of ,god2 the impiety of man1 his   
avarice1 his idle curiosity1 the        
confidence which he places in the angel 
of darkness1 by the loss of his wealth1 
his life1 and his soul4  ,john ,wierus1 
in his work entitled ,de ,prstigiis     
,dmonum1 printed at ,basle in #aegg1    
relates that in his time1 #adcj1 the    
demon revealed to a certain priest at   
,nuremberg some treasures hidden in a   
cavern near the town1 and enclosed in a 
crystal vase4 ,the priest took one of   
his friends with him as a companion2    
they began to dig up the ground in the  
spot designated1 and they discovered in 
a subterranean cavern a kind of chest1  
near which a black dog was lying2 the   
priest eagerly advanced to seize the    
treasure1 but hardly had he entered the 

cavern1 than it fell in1 crushed the    
priest1 and was filled up with earth as 
before4  ,the following is extracted    
from a letter1 written from ,kirchheim1 
,january #ast1 #agdg1 to ,m4            
,schopfflein1 ,professor of ,history and
 ,eloquence at ,strasburg4 ,it is now   
more than a year ago that ,m4           
,cavallari1 first musician of my serene 
master1 and by birth a ,venetian1       
desired to have the ground dug up at    
,rothenkirchen1 a league from hence1 and
 which was formerly a renowned abbey1   
and was destroyed in the time of the    
,reformation4 ,the opportunity was      
afforded him by an apparition1 which    
showed itself more than once at noonday 
to the wife of the ,censier of          
,rothenkirchen1 and above all1 on the   
#gth of ,may for two succeeding years4  
,she swears1 and can make oath1 that she
 has seen a venerable priest in         
pontifical garments embroidered with    
gold1 who threw before her a great heap 
of stones2 and although she is a        

,lutheran1 and consequently not very    
credulous in things of that kind1 she   
thinks nevertheless that if she had had 
the presence of mind to put down a      
handkerchief or an apron1 all the stones
 would have become money4  ,m4          
,cavallari then asked leave to dig      
there1 which was the more readily       
granted1 because the tithe or tenth part
 of the treasure is due to the          
sovereign4 ,he was treated as a         
visionary1 and the matter of treasure   
was regarded as an unheard-of thing4 ,in
 the mean time1 he laughed at the       
anticipated ridicule1 and asked me if ,i
 would go halves with him4 ,i did not   
hesitate a moment to accept this offer2 
but ,i was much surprised to find there 
were some little earthen pots full of   
gold pieces1 all these pieces finer than
 the ducats of the fourteenth and       
fifteenth century generally are4 ,i have
 had for my share #fff1 found at three  
different times4 ,there are some of the 
,archbishops of ,mayence1 ,treves1 and  

,cologne1 of the towns of ,oppenheim1   
,baccarat1 ,bingen1 and ,coblentz2 there
 are some also of the ,palatine ,rupert1
 of ,frederic1 ,burgrave of ,nuremberg1 
some few of ,wenceslaus1 and one of the 
,emperor ,charles ,,iv41 c4  ,this shows
 that not only the demons1 but also the 
saints1 are sometimes guardians of      
treasure2 unless you will say that the  
devil had taken the shape of the        
prelate4 ,but what could it avail the   
demon to give the treasure to these     
gentlemen1 who did not ask him for it1  
and scarcely troubled themselves about  
him8 ,i have seen two of these pieces in
 the hands of ,m4 ,schopfflein4  ,the   
story we have just related is repeated1 
with a little difference1 in a printed  
paper1 announcing a lottery of pieces   
found at ,rothenkirchen1 in the province
 of ,nassau1 not far from ,donnersberg4 
,they say in this1 that the value of    
these pieces is twelve livres ten sols1 
,french money4 ,the lottery was to be   
publicly drawn the first of ,february1  

#agej4 ,every ticket cost six livres of 
,french money4 ,i repeat these details  
only to prove the truth of the          
circumstance4  ,we may add to the       
preceding what is related by            
,bartholinus in his book on the cause of
 the contempt of death shown by the     
ancient ,danes1 7lib4 ii4 c4 #b47 ,he   
relates that the riches concealed in the
 tombs of the great men of that country 
were guarded by the shades of those to  
whom they belonged1 and that these      
shades or these demons spread terror in 
the souls of those who wished to take   
away those treasures1 either by pouring 
forth a deluge of water1 or by flames   
which they caused to appear around the  
monuments which enclosed those bodies   
and those treasures4     ,,chapter      
,,xxxiii4  ,,spectres ,,which ,,appear1 
,,and ,,predict ,,things ,,unknown ,,and
 ,,to ,,come4   ,both in ancient and    
modern writers1 we find an infinite     
number of stories of spectres4 ,we have 
not the least doubt that their          

apparitions are the work of the demon1  
if they are real4 ,now1 it cannot be    
denied that there is a great deal of    
illusion and falsehood in all that is   
related by them4 ,we shall distinguish  
two sorts of spectres3 those which      
appear to mankind to hurt or deceive    
them1 or to announce things to come1    
fortunate or unfortunate as             
circumstances may occur2 the other      
spectres infest certain houses1 of which
 they have made themselves masters1 and 
where they are seen and heard4 ,we shall
 treat of the latter in another chapter2
 and show that the greater number of    
these spectres and apparitions may be   
suspected of falsehood4  ,pliny the     
younger1 writing to his friend ,sura on 
the subject of apparitions1 testifies   
that he is much inclined to believe them
 true2 and the reason he gives1 is what 
happened to ,quintus ,curtius ,rufus1   
who1 having gone into ,africa in the    
train of the qustor or treasurer for the
 ,romans1 walking one day towards       

evening under a portico1 saw a woman of 
uncommon height and beauty1 who told him
 that she was ,africa1 and assured him  
that he would one day return into that  
same country as proconsul4 ,this promise
 inspired him with high hopes2 and by   
his intrigues1 and help of friends1 whom
 he had bribed1 he obtained the         
qustorship1 and afterwards was prtor1   
through the favor of the ,emperor       
,tiberius4  ,this dignity having veiled 
the obscurity and baseness of his birth1
 he was sent proconsul to ,africa1 where
 he died1 after having obtained the     
honors of the triumph4 ,it is said that1
 on his return to ,africa1 the same     
person who had predicted his future     
grandeur appeared to him again at the   
moment of his landing at ,carthage4     
,these predictions1 so precise1 and so  
exactly followed up1 made ,pliny the    
younger believe that predictions of this
 kind are never made in vain4 ,the story
 of ,curtius ,rufus was written by      
,tacitus1 long enough before ,pliny's   

time1 and he might have taken it from   
,tacitus4  ,after the fatal death of    
,caligula1 who was massacred in his     
palace1 he was buried half burnt in his 
own gardens4 ,the princesses1 his       
sisters1 on their return from exile1 had
 his remains burnt with ceremony1 and   
honorably inhumed2 but it was averred   
that before this was done1 those who had
 to watch over the gardens and the      
palace had every night been disturbed by
 phantoms and frightful noises4  ,the   
following instance is so extraordinary  
that ,i should not repeat it if the     
account were not attested by more than  
one writer1 and also preserved in the   
public monuments of a considerable town 
of ,upper ,saxony3 this town is         
,hamelin1 in the principality of        
,kalenberg1 at the confluence of the    
rivers ,hamel and ,weser4  ,in the year 
#achd1 this town was infested by such a 
prodigious multitude of rats that they  
ravaged all the corn which was laid up  
in the granaries2 everything was        

employed that art and experience could  
invent to chase them away1 and whatever 
is usually employed against this kind of
 animals4 ,at that time there came to   
the town an unknown person1 of taller   
stature than ordinary1 dressed in a robe
 of divers colors1 who engaged to       
deliver them from that scourge for a    
certain recompense1 which was agreed    
upon4  ,then he drew from his sleeve a  
flute1 at the sound of which all the    
rats came out of their holes and        
followed him2 he led them straight to   
the river1 into which they ran and were 
drowned4 ,on his return he asked for the
 promised reward1 which was refused him1
 apparently on account of the facility  
with which he had exterminated the rats4
 ,the next day1 which was a fte day1 he 
chose the moment when the elder         
inhabitants of the burgh were at church1
 and by means of another flute which he 
began to play1 all the boys in the town 
above the age of fourteen1 to the number
 of a hundred and thirty1 assembled     

around him3 he led them to the          
neighboring mountain1 named ,kopfelberg1
 under which is a sewer for the town1   
and where criminals are executed2 these 
boys disappeared and were never seen    
afterwards4  ,a young girl1 who had     
followed at a distance1 was witness of  
the matter1 and brought the news of it  
to the town4  ,they still show a hollow 
in this mountain1 where they say that he
 made the boys go in4 ,at the corner of 
this opening is an inscription1 which is
 so old that it cannot now be           
deciphered2 but the story is represented
 on the panes of the church windows2 and
 it is said1 that in the public deeds of
 this town it is still the custom to put
 the dates in this manner--,done in the 
year ----1 after the disappearance of   
our children4#bii  ,if this recital is  
not wholly fabulous1 as it seems to be1 
we can only regard this man as a spectre
 and an evil genius1 who1 by ,god's     
permission1 punished the bad faith of   
the burghers in the persons of their    

children1 although innocent of their    
parents' fault4 ,it might be1 that a man
 could have some natural secret to draw 
the rats together and precipitate them  
into the river2 but only diabolical     
malice would cause so many innocent     
children to perish1 out of revenge on   
their fathers4  ,julius ,csar#cjj having
 entered ,italy1 and wishing to pass the
 ,rubicon1 perceived a man of more than 
ordinary stature1 who began to whistle4 
,several soldiers having run to listen  
to him1 this spectre seized the trumpet 
of one of them1 and began to sound the  
alarm1 and to pass the river4 ,csar at  
that moment1 without further            
deliberation1 said1 ,let us go where the
 presages of the gods and the injustice 
of our enemies call upon us to advance4 
,the ,emperor ,trajan#cja was extricated
 from the town of ,antioch by a phantom1
 which made him go out at a widow1 in   
the midst of that terrible earthquake   
which overthrew almost all the town4    
,the philosopher ,simonides#cjb was     

warned by a spectre that his house was  
about to fall2 he went out of it        
directly1 and soon after it fell down4  
,the ,emperor ,julian1 the apostate1    
told his friends that at the time when  
his troops were pressing him to accept  
the empire1 being at ,paris1 he saw     
during the night a spectre in the form  
of a woman1 as the genius of an empire  
is depicted1 who presented herself to   
remain with him2 but she gave him notice
 that it would be only for a short time4
 ,the same emperor related1 moreover1   
that writing in his tent a little before
 his death1 his familiar genius appeared
 to him1 leaving the tent with a sad and
 afflicted air4 ,shortly before the     
death of the ,emperor ,constans1 the    
same ,julian had a vision in the night1 
of a luminous phantom1 who pronounced   
and repeated to him1 more than once1    
four ,greek verses1 importing that when 
,jupiter should be in the sign of the   
water-pot1 or ,aquarius1 and ,saturn in 
the #beth degree of the ,virgin1        

,constans would end his life in ,asia in
 a shocking manner4  ,the same ,emperor 
,julian takes ,jupiter#cjc to witness   
that he has often seen ,esculapius1 who 
cured him of his sicknesses4            
,footnotes3  #bii ,see ,vagenseil ,opera
 liborum ,juvenil4 tom4 ii4 p4 #bie1 the
 ,geography of ,hubner1 and the         
,geographical ,dictionary of la         
,martinire1 under the name ,hamelen4    
#cjj ,sueton4 in ,jul4 ,csar4  #cja     
,dio4 ,cassius4 lib4 lxviii4  #cjb      
,diogen4 ,laert4 in ,simon4 ,valer4     
,maxim4 lib4 xxiii4  #cjc ,julian1 apud 
,cyrill4 ,alex4     ,,chapter ,,xxxiv4  
,,other ,,apparitions ,,of ,,spectres4  
,plutarch1 whose gravity and wisdom are 
well known1 often speaks of spectres and
 apparitions4 ,he says1 for instance1   
that at the famous battle of ,marathon  
against the ,persians1 several soldiers 
saw the phantom of ,thesus1 who fought  
for the ,greeks against the enemy4  ,the
 same ,plutarch1 in the life of ,sylla1 
says that that general saw in his sleep 

the goddess whom the ,romans worshiped  
according to the rites of the           
,cappadocians 7who were                 
fire-worshipers71 whether it might be   
,bellona or ,minerva1 or the moon4 ,this
 divinity presented herself before      
,sylla1 and put into his hand a kind of 
thunderbolt1 telling him to launch it   
against his enemies1 whom she named to  
him one after the other2 at the same    
time that he struck them1 he saw them   
fall and expire at his feet4 ,there is  
reason to believe that this same goddess
 was ,minerva1 to whom1 as to ,jupiter  
,paganism attributes the right to hurl  
the thunderbolt2 or rather that it was a
 demon4  ,pausanias1 general of the     
,lacedemonians1#cjd having inadvertently
 killed ,cleonice1 a daughter of one of 
the first families of ,byzantium1 was   
tormented night and day by the ghost of 
that maiden1 who left him no repose1    
repeating to him angrily a heroic verse1
 the sense of which was1 ,go before the 
tribunal of justice1 which punishes     

crime and awaits thee4 ,insolence is in 
the end fatal to mortals4  ,pausanias1  
always disturbed by this image1 which   
followed him everywhere1 retired to     
,heraclea in ,elis1 where there was a   
temple served by priests who were       
magicians1 called ,psychagogues1 that is
 to say1 who profess to evoke the souls 
of the dead4 ,there ,pausanias1 after   
having offered the customary libations  
and funeral effusions1 called upon the  
spirit of ,cleonice1 and conjured her to
 renounce her anger against him4        
,cleonice at last appeared1 and told him
 that very soon1 when he should be      
arrived at ,sparta1 he would be freed   
from his woes1 wishing apparently by    
these mysterious words to indicate that 
death which awaited him there4  ,we see 
there the custom of evocations of the   
dead distinctly pointed out1 and        
solemnly practiced in a temple          
consecrated to these ceremonies2 that   
demonstrates at least the belief and    
custom of the ,greeks4 ,and if ,cleonice

 really appeared to ,pausanias and      
announced his approaching death1 can we 
deny that the evil spirit1 or the spirit
 of ,cleonice1 is the author of this    
prediction1 unless indeed it were a     
trick of the priests1 which is likely   
enough1 and as the ambiguous reply given
 to ,pausanias seems to insinuate4      
,pausanias the historian#cje writes     
that1 #djj years after the battle of    
,marathon1 every night a noise was heard
 there of the neighing of horses1 and   
cries like those of soldiers exciting   
themselves to combat4 ,plutarch speaks  
also of spectres which were seen1 and   
frightful howlings that were heard in   
some public baths1 where they had put to
 death several citizens of ,chronea1 his
 native place2 they had even been       
obliged to shut up these baths1 which   
did not prevent those who lived near    
from continuing to hear great noises1   
and seeing from time to time spectres4  
,dion the philosopher1 the disciple of  
,plato1 and general of the ,syracusans1 

being one day seated1 towards the       
evening1 very full of thought1 in the   
portico of his house1 heard a great     
noise1 then perceived a terrible spectre
 of a woman of monstrous height1 who    
resembled one of the furies1 as they are
 depicted in tragedies2 there was still 
daylight1 and she began to sweep the    
house4 ,dion1 quite alarmed1 sent to beg
 his friends to come and see him1 and   
stay with him all night2 but this woman 
appeared no more4 ,a short time         
afterwards1 his son threw himself down  
from the top of the house1 and he       
himself was assassinated by             
conspirators4  ,marcus ,brutus1 one of  
the murderers of ,julius ,csar1 being in
 his tent during a night which was not  
very dark1 towards the third hour of the
 night1 beheld a monstrous and terrific 
figure enter4 ,who art thou8 a man or a 
,god8 and why comest thou here8 ,the    
spectre answered1 ,i am thine evil      
genius4 ,thou shalt see me at ,philippi6
 ,brutus replied undauntedly1 ,i will   

meet thee there4 ,and on going out1 he  
went and related the circumstance to    
,cassius1 who being of the sect of      
,epicurus1 and a disbeliever in that    
kind of apparition1 told him that it was
 mere imagination2 that there were no   
genii or other kind of spirits which    
could appear unto men1 and that even did
 they appear1 they would have neither   
the human form nor the human voice1 and 
could do nothing to harm us4 ,although  
,brutus was a little reassured by this  
reasoning1 still it did not remove all  
his uneasiness4  ,but the same ,cassius1
 in the campaign of ,philippi1 and in   
the midst of the combat1 saw ,julius    
,csar1 whom he had assassinated1 who    
came up to him at full gallop3 which    
frightened him so much that at last he  
threw himself upon his own sword4       
,cassius of ,parma1 a different person  
from him of whom we have spoken above1  
saw an evil genius1 who came into his   
tent1 and declared to him his           
approaching death4  ,drusus1 when making

 war on the ,germans 7,allemani7 during 
the time of ,augustus1 desiring to cross
 the ,elbe1 in order to penetrate       
farther into the country1 was prevented 
from so doing by a woman of taller      
stature than common1 who appeared to him
 and said1 ,drusus1 whither wilt thou   
go8 wilt thou never be satisfied8 ,thy  
end is near--go back from hence4 ,he    
retraced his steps1 and died before he  
reached the ,rhine1 which he desired to 
recross4  ,st4 ,gregory of ,nicea1 in   
the ,life of ,st4 ,gregory              
,thaumaturgus1 says that1 during a great
 plague which ravaged the city of       
,neocesarea1 spectres were seen in open 
day1 who entered houses1 into which they
 carried certain death4  ,after the     
famous sedition which happened at       
,antioch1 in the time of the ,emperor   
,theodosius1 they beheld a kind of fury 
running about the town1 with a whip1    
which she lashed about like a coachman  
who hastens on his horses4  ,st4        
,martin1 ,bishop of ,tours1 being at    

,trves1 entered a house1 where he found 
a spectre which frightened him at first4
 ,martin commanded him to leave the body
 which he possessed3 instead of going   
out 7of the place71 he entered the body 
of another man who was in the same      
dwelling2 and throwing himself upon     
those who were there1 began to attack   
and bite them4 ,martin threw himself    
across his way1 put his fingers in his  
mouth1 and defied him to bite him4 ,the 
demoniac retreated1 as if a bar of      
red-hot iron had been placed in his     
mouth1 and at last the demon went out of
 the body of the possessed1 not by the  
mouth but behind4  ,john1 ,bishop of    
,atria1 who lived in the sixth century1 
in speaking of the great plague which   
happened under the ,emperor ,justinian1 
and which is mentioned by almost all the
 historians of that time1 says that they
 saw boats of brass1 containing black   
men without heads1 which sailed upon the
 sea1 and went towards the places where 
the plague was beginning its ravages2   

that this infection having depopulated a
 town of ,egypt1 so that there remained 
only seven men and a boy ten years of   
age1 these persons1 wishing to get away 
from the town with a great deal of      
money1 fell down dead suddenly4  ,the   
boy fled without carrying anything with 
him1 but at the gate of the town he was 
stopped by a spectre1 who dragged him1  
in spite of his resistance1 into the    
house where the seven dead men were4    
,some time after1 the steward of a rich 
man having entered therein1 to take away
 some furniture belonging to his master1
 who had gone to reside in the country1 
was warned by the same boy to go        
away--but he died suddenly4 ,the        
servants who had accompanied the steward
 ran away1 and carried the news of all  
this to their master4  ,the same ,bishop
 ,john relates that he was at           
,constantinople during a very great     
plague1 which carried off ten1 twelve1  
fifteen1 and sixteen thousand persons   
a-day1 so that they reckon that two     

hundred thousand persons died of this   
malady--he says1 that during this time  
demons were seen running from house to  
house1 wearing the habits of            
ecclesiastics or monks1 and who caused  
the death of those whom they met        
therein4  ,the death of ,carlostadt was 
accompanied by frightful circumstances1 
according to the ministers of ,basle1   
his colleagues1 who bore witness to it  
at the time4 ,they#cjf relate1 that at  
the last sermon which ,carlostadt       
preached in the temple of ,basle1 a tall
 black man came and seated himself near 
the consul4 ,the preacher perceived him1
 and appeared disconcerted at it4 ,when 
he left the pulpit1 he asked who that   
stranger was who had taken his seat next
 to the chief magistrate2 no one had    
seen him but himself4 ,when he went     
home1 he heard more news of the spectre4
 ,the black man had been there1 and had 
caught up by the hair the youngest and  
most tenderly loved of his children4    
,after he had thus raised the child from

 the ground1 he appeared disposed to    
throw him down so as to break his head2 
but he contented himself with ordering  
the boy to warn his father that in three
 days he should return1 and he must hold
 himself in readiness4 ,the child having
 repeated to his father what had been   
said to him1 ,carlostadt was terrified4 
,he went to bed in alarm1 and in three  
days he expired4 ,these apparitions of  
the demon's1 by ,luther's own avowal1   
were pretty frequent1 in the case of the
 first reformers4  ,these instances of  
the apparitions of spectres might be    
multiplied to infinity2 but if we       
undertook to criticise them1 there is   
hardly one of them very certain1 or     
proof against a serious and profound    
examination4 ,here follows one1 which ,i
 relate on purpose because it has some  
singular features1 and its falsehood has
 at last been acknowledged4#cjg         
,footnotes3  #cjd ,plutarch in ,cimone4 
#cje ,pausanias1 lib4 i4 c4 #cbd4  #cjf 
,moshovius1 p4 #bb4  #cjg ,see the      

following chapter4     ,,chapter ,,xxxv4
  ,,examination ,,of ,,the ,,apparition 
,,of ,a ,,pretended ,,spectre4          
,business#cjh having led the ,count     
d',alais#cji to ,marseilles1 a most     
extraordinary adventure happened to him 
there3 he desired ,neur to write to our 
philosopher 7,gassendi7 to know what he 
thought of it2 which he did in these    
words3 the count and countess being come
 to ,marseilles1 saw1 as they were lying
 in bed1 a luminous spectre2 they were  
both wide awake4 ,in order to be sure   
that it was not some illusion1 they     
called their valets de chambre2 but no  
sooner had these appeared with their    
flambeaux1 than the spectre disappeared4
 ,they had all the openings and cracks  
which they found in the chamber stopped 
up1 and then went to bed again2 but     
hardly had the valets de chambre retired
 than it appeared again4  ,its light was
 less shining than that of the sun2 but 
it was brighter than that of the moon4  
,sometimes this spectre was of an       

angular form1 sometimes a circle1 and   
sometimes an oval4 ,it was easy to read 
a letter by the light it gave2 it often 
changed its place1 and sometimes        
appeared on the count's bed4 ,it had1 as
 it were1 a kind of little bucklers1    
above which were characters imprinted4  
,nevertheless1 nothing could be more    
agreeable to the sight2 so that instead 
of alarming1 it gave pleasure4 ,it      
appeared every night whilst the count   
stayed at ,marseilles4 ,this prince1    
having once cast his hands upon it1 to  
see if it was not something attached to 
the bed curtain1 the spectre disappeared
 that night1 and reappeared the next4   
,gassendi being consulted upon this     
circumstance1 replied on the #acth of   
the same month4 ,he says1 in the first  
place1 that he knows not what to think  
of this vision4 ,he does not deny that  
this spectre might be sent from ,god to 
tell them something4 ,what renders this 
idea probable is the great piety of them
 both1 and that this spectre had nothing

 frightful in it1 but quite the         
contrary4 ,what deserves our attention  
still more is this1 that if ,god had    
sent it1 he would have made known why he
 sent it4 ,god does not jest2 and since 
it cannot be understood what is to be   
hoped or feared1 followed up or avoided1
 it is clear that this spectre cannot   
come from him2 otherwise his conduct    
would be less praiseworthy than that of 
a father1 or a prince1 or a worthy1 or  
even a prudent man1 who1 being informed 
of somewhat which greatly concerned     
those in subjection to them1 would not  
content themselves with warning them    
enigmatically4  ,if this spectre is     
anything natural1 nothing is more       
difficult than to discover it1 or even  
to find any conjecture which may explain
 it4 ,although ,i am well persuaded of  
my ignorance1 ,i will venture to give my
 idea4 ,might it not be advanced that   
this light has appeared because the eye 
of the count was internally affected1 or
 because it was so externally8 ,the eye 

may be so internally in two ways4       
,first1 if the eye was affected in the  
same manner as that of the ,emperor     
,tiberius always was when he awoke in   
the night and opened his eyes2 a light  
proceeded from them1 by means of which  
he could discern objects in the dark by 
looking fixedly at them4 ,i have known  
the same thing happen to a lady of rank4
 ,secondly1 if his eyes were disposed in
 a certain manner1 as it happens to     
myself when ,i awake3 if ,i open my     
eyes1 they perceive rays of light though
 there has been none4 ,no one can deny  
that some flash may dart from our eyes  
which represents objects to us--which   
objects are reflected in our eyes1 and  
leave their traces there4 ,it is known  
that animals which prowl by night have a
 piercing sight1 to enable them to      
discern their prey and carry it off2    
that the animal spirit which is in the  
eye1 and which may be shed from it1 is  
of the nature of fire1 and consequently 
lucid4 ,it may happen that the eyes     

being closed during sleep1 this spirit  
heated by the eyelids becomes inflamed1 
and sets some faculty in motion1 as the 
imagination4 ,for1 does it not happen   
that wood of different kinds1 and fish  
bones1 produce some light when their    
heat is excited by putrefaction8 ,why   
then may not the heat excited in this   
confined spirit produce some light8 ,he 
proves afterwards that imagination alone
 may do it4  ,the ,count d',alais having
 returned to ,marseilles1 and being     
lodged in the same apartment1 the same  
spectre appeared to him again4 ,neur    
wrote to ,gassendi that they had        
observed that this spectre penetrated   
into the chamber by the wainscot2 which 
obliged ,gassendi to write to the count 
to examine the thing more attentively2  
and notwithstanding this discovery1 he  
dare not yet decide upon it4 ,he        
contents himself with encouraging the   
count1 and telling him that if this     
apparition is from ,god1 he will not    
allow him to remain long in expectation1

 and will soon make known his will to   
him2 and also1 if this vision does not  
come from him1 he will not permit it to 
continue1 and will soon discover that it
 proceeds from a natural cause4 ,nothing
 more is said of this spectre any where4
  ,three years afterwards1 the ,countess
 d',alais avowed ingenuously to the     
count that she herself had caused this  
farce to be played by one of her women1 
because she did not like to reside at   
,marseilles2 that her woman was under   
the bed1 and that she from time to time 
caused a phosphoric light to appear4    
,the ,count d',alais related this       
himself to ,m4 ,puger of ,lyons1 who    
told it1 about thirty-five years ago1 to
 ,m4 ,falconet1 a medical doctor of the 
,royal ,academy of ,belle-,lettres1 from
 whom ,i learnt it4 ,gassendi1 when     
consulted seriously by the count1       
answered like a man who had no doubt of 
the truth of this apparition2 so true it
 is that the greater number of these    
extraordinary facts require to be very  

carefully examined before any opinion   
can be passed upon them4   ,footnotes3  
#cjh ,vie de ,gassendi1 tom4 i4 p4 #beh4
  #cji ,alais is a town in ,lower       
,languedoc1 the lords of which bear the 
title of prince1 since this town has    
passed into the ,house of ,angoulme and 
,de ,conty4     ,,chapter ,,xxxvi4  ,,of
 ,,spectres ,,which ,,haunt ,,houses4   
,there are several kinds of spectres or 
ghosts which haunt certain houses1 make 
noises1 appear there1 and disturb those 
who live in them3 some are sprites1 or  
elves1 which divert themselves by       
troubling the quiet of those who dwell  
there2 others are spectres or ghosts of 
the dead1 who molest the living until   
they have received sepulture3 some of   
them1 as it is said1 make the place     
their purgatory2 others show themselves 
or make themselves heard1 because they  
have been put to death in that place1   
and ask that their death may be avenged1
 or that their bodies may be buried4 ,so
 many stories are related concerning    

those things that now they are not cared
 for1 and nobody will believe any of    
them4 ,in fact1 when these pretended    
apparitions are thoroughly examined     
into1 it is easy to discover their      
falsehood and illusion4  ,now1 it is a  
tenant who wishes to decry the house in 
which he resides1 to hinder others from 
coming who would like to take his place2
 then a band of coiners have taken      
possession of a dwelling1 whose interest
 it is to keep their secret from being  
found out2 or a farmer who desires to   
retain his farm1 and wishes to prevent  
others from coming to offer more for it2
 in this place it will be cats or owls1 
or even rats1 which by making a noise   
frighten the master and domestics1 as it
 happened some years ago at ,mosheim1   
where large rats amused themselves in   
the night by moving and setting in      
motion the machines with which the women
 bruise hemp and flax4 ,an honest man   
who related it to me1 desiring to behold
 the thing nearer1 mounted up to the    

garret armed with two pistols1 with his 
servant armed in the same manner4 ,after
 a moment of silence1 they saw the rats 
begin their game2 they let fire upon    
them1 killed two1 and dispersed the     
rest4 ,the circumstance was reported in 
the country and served as an excellent  
joke4  ,i am about to relate some of    
these spectral apparitions upon which   
the reader will pronounce judgment for  
himself4 ,pliny#caj the younger says    
that there was a very handsome mansion  
at ,athens which was forsaken on account
 of a spectre which haunted it4 ,the    
philosopher ,athenodorus1 having arrived
 in the city1 and seeing a board which  
informed the public that this house was 
to be sold at a very low price1 bought  
it and went to sleep there with his     
people4 ,as he was busy reading and     
writing during the night1 he heard on a 
sudden a great noise1 as if of chains   
being dragged along1 and perceived at   
the same time something like a frightful
 old man loaded with iron chains1 who   

drew near to him4 ,athenodorus          
continuing to write1 the spectre made   
him a sign to follow him2 the           
philosopher in his turn made signs to   
him to wait1 and continued to write2 at 
last he took his light and followed the 
spectre1 who conducted him into the     
court of the house1 then sank into the  
ground and disappeared4  ,athenodorus1  
without being frightened1 tore up some  
of the grass to mark the spot1 and on   
leaving it1 went to rest in his room4   
,the next day he informed the           
magistrates of what had happened2 they  
came to the house and searched the spot 
he designated1 and there found the bones
 of a human body loaded with chains4    
,they caused him to be properly buried1 
and the dwelling house remained quiet4  
,lucian#caa relates a very similar      
story4 ,there was1 says he1 a house at  
,corinth which had belonged to one      
,eubatides1 in the quarter named        
,cranas3 a man named ,arignotes         
undertook to pass the night there1      

without troubling himself about a       
spectre which was said to haunt it4 ,he 
furnished himself with certain magic    
books of the ,egyptians to conjure the  
spectre4 ,having gone into the house at 
night with a light1 he began to read    
quietly in the court4 ,the spectre      
appeared in a little while1 taking      
sometimes the shape of a dog1 then that 
of a bull1 and then that of a lion4     
,arignotes very composedly began to     
pronounce certain magical invocations1  
which he read in his books1 and by their
 power forced the spectre into a corner 
of the court1 where he sank into the    
earth and disappeared4  ,the next day   
,arignotes sent for ,eubatides1 the     
master of the house1 and having had the 
ground dug up where the phantom had     
disappeared1 they found a skeleton1     
which they had properly interred1 and   
from that time nothing more was seen or 
heard4  ,it is ,lucian1 that is to say1 
the man in the world the least credulous
 concerning things of this kind1 who    

makes ,arignotes relate this event4 ,in 
the same passage he says that           
,democritus1 who believed in neither    
angels1 nor demons1 nor spirits1 having 
shut himself up in a tomb without the   
city of ,athens1 where he was writing   
and studying1 a party of young men1 who 
wanted to frighten him1 covered         
themselves with black garments1 as the  
dead are represented1 and having taken  
hideous disguises1 came in the night1   
shrieking and jumping around the place  
where he was2 he let them do what they  
liked1 and without at all disturbing    
himself1 coolly told them to have done  
with their jesting4  ,i know not if the 
historian who wrote the life of ,st4    
,germain l',auxerrois#cab had in his eye
 the stories we have just related1 and  
if he did not wish to ornament the life 
of the saint by a recital very much like
 them4 ,the saint traveling one day     
through his diocese1 was obliged to pass
 the night with his clerks in a house   
forsaken long before on account of the  

spirits which haunted it4 ,the clerk who
 read to him during the night saw on a  
sudden a spectre1 which alarmed him at  
first2 but having awakened the holy     
bishop1 the latter commanded the spectre
 in the name of ,jesus ,christ to       
declare to him who he was1 and what he  
wanted4 ,the phantom told him that he   
and his companion had been guilty of    
several crimes2 that having died and    
been interred in that house1 they       
disturbed those who lodged there until  
the burial rites should have been       
accorded them4 ,st4 ,germain commanded  
him to point out where their bodies were
 buried1 and the spectre led him        
thither4 ,the next day he assembled the 
people in the neighborhood2 they sought 
amongst the ruins of the building where 
the brambles had been disturbed1 and    
they found the bones of two men thrown  
in a heap together1 and also loaded with
 chains2 they were buried1 prayers were 
said for them1 and they returned no     
more4  ,if these men were wretches dead 

in crime and impenitence1 all this can  
be attributed only to the artifice of   
the devil1 to show the living that the  
reprobate take pains to procure rest for
 their bodies by getting them interred1 
and to their souls by getting them      
prayed for4 ,but if these two men were  
,christians who had expiated their      
crimes by repentance1 and who died in   
communion with the church1 ,god might   
permit them to appear1 to ask for       
clerical sepulture and those prayers    
which the church is accustomed to say   
for the repose of defunct persons who   
die while yet some slight fault remains 
to be expiated4  ,here is a fact of the 
same kind as those which precede1 but   
which is attended by circumstances which
 may render it more credible4 ,it is    
related by ,antonio ,torquemada1 in his 
work entitled ,flores ,curiosas1 printed
 at ,salamanca in #aegj4 ,he says that a
 little before his own time1 a young man
 named ,vasquez de ,ayola1 being gone to
 ,bologna with two of his companions to 

study the law there1 and not having     
found such a lodging in the town as they
 wished to have1 lodged themselves in a 
large and handsome house1 which was     
abandoned by everybody1 because it was  
haunted by a spectre which frightened   
away all those who wished to live in it2
 they laughed at such discourse1 and    
took up their abode there4  ,at the end 
of a month1 as ,ayola was sitting up    
alone in his chamber1 and his companions
 sleeping quietly in their beds1 he     
heard at a distance a noise as of       
several chains dragged along upon the   
ground1 and the noise advanced towards  
him by the great staircase2 he          
recommended himself to ,god1 made the   
sign of the cross1 took a shield and    
sword1 and having his taper in his hand1
 he saw the door opened by a terrific   
spectre that was nothing but bones1 but 
loaded with chains4 ,ayola conjured him1
 and asked him what he wished for2 the  
phantom signed to him to follow1 and he 
did so2 but as he went down the stairs1 

his light blew out2 he went back to     
light it1 and then followed the spirit1 
which led him along a court where there 
was a well4 ,ayola feared that he might 
throw him into it1 and stopped short4   
,the spectre beckoned to him to continue
 to follow him2 they entered the garden1
 where the phantom disappeared4 ,ayola  
tore up some handfuls of grass upon the 
spot1 and returning to the house1       
related to his companions what had      
happened4 ,in the morning he gave notice
 of this circumstance to the ,principals
 of ,bologna4  ,they came to reconnoitre
 the spot1 and had it dug up2 they found
 there a fleshless body1 but loaded with
 chains4 ,they inquired who it could be1
 but nothing certain could be           
discovered1 and the bones were interred 
with suitable obsequies1 and from that  
time the house was never disquieted by  
such visits4 ,torquemada asserts that in
 his time there were still living at    
,bologna and in ,spain some who had been
 witnesses of the fact2 and that on his 

return to his own country1 ,ayola was   
invested with a high office1 and that   
his son1 before this narration was      
written1 was ,president in a good city  
of the kingdom 7of ,spain74  ,plautus1  
still more ancient than either ,lucian  
or ,pliny1 composed a comedy entitled   
,mostellaria1 or ,monstellaria1 a name  
derived from ,monstrum1 or ,monstellum1 
from a monster1 a spectre1 which was    
said to appear in a certain house1 and  
which on that account had been deserted4
 ,we agree that the foundation of this  
comedy is only a fable1 but we may      
deduce from it the antiquity of this    
idea among the ,greeks and ,romans4     
,the poet#cac makes this pretended      
spirit say that1 having been            
assassinated about sixty years before by
 a perfidious comrade who had taken his 
money1 he had been secretly interred in 
that house2 that the god of ,hades would
 not receive him on the other side of   
,acheron1 as he had died prematurely2   
for which reason he was obliged to      

remain in that house of which he had    
taken possession4    ,hc mihi dedita    
habitatio2   ,nam me ,acherontem        
recipere noluit1   ,quia prmatur vit    
careo4   ,the pagans1 who had the       
simplicity to believe that the ,lami and
 evil spirits disquieted those who dwelt
 in certain houses and certain rooms1   
and who slept in certain beds1 conjured 
them by magic verses1 and pretended to  
drive them away by fumigations composed 
of sulphur and other stinking drugs1 and
 certain herbs mixed with sea water4    
,ovid1 speaking of ,medea1 that         
celebrated magician1 says#cad--         
,terque senem flamm1 ter aqu1 ter       
sulphure lustrat4  ,and elsewhere he    
adds eggs3--    ,adveniat qu lustret    
anus lectumque locumque1   ,deferat et  
tremul sulphur et ova manu4   ,in       
addition to this they adduce the        
instance of the archangel ,raphael1#cae 
who drove away the devil ,asmodeus from 
the chamber of ,sarah by the smell of   
the liver of a fish which he burnt upon 

the fire4 ,but the instance of ,raphael 
ought not to be placed along with the   
superstitious ceremonies of magicians1  
which were laughed at by the pagans     
themselves2 if they had any power1 it   
could only be by the operation of the   
demon with the permission of ,god2      
whilst what is told of the archangel    
,raphael is certainly the work of a good
 spirit1 sent by ,god to cure ,sarah the
 daughter of ,raguel1 who was as much   
distinguished by her piety as the       
magicians are degraded by their malice  
and superstition4   ,footnotes3  #caj   
,plin4 junior1 ,epist4 ad ,suram4 lib4  
vii4 cap4 #bg4  #caa ,in ,philo pseud4  
p4 #hdj4  #cab ,bolland1 #ca ,jul4 p4   
#baa4  #cac ,plaut4 ,mostell4 act4 ii4  
v4 #fg4  #cad ,vide ,joan4 ,vier4 de    
,curat4 ,malific4 c4 #bae4  #cae ,tob4  
viii4     ,,chapter ,,xxxvii4  ,,other  
,,instances ,,of ,,spectres ,,which     
,,haunt ,,certain ,,houses4   ,father   
,pierre ,thyree1#caf a ,jesuit1 relates 
an infinite number of anecdotes of      

houses haunted by ghosts1 spirits1 and  
demons2 for instance1 that of a tribune1
 named ,hesperius1 whose house was      
infested by a demon who tormented the   
domestics and animals1 and who was      
driven away1 says ,st4 ,augustin1#cag by
 a good priest of ,hippo1 who offered   
therein the divine sacrifice of the body
 of our ,lord4  ,st4 ,germain1#cah      
,bishop of ,capua1 taking a bath in one 
particular quarter of the town1 found   
there ,paschaus1 a deacon of the ,roman 
,church1 who had been dead some time1   
and who began to wait upon him1 telling 
him that he underwent his purgatory in  
that place for having favored the party 
of ,laurentius the anti-pope1 against   
,pope ,symachus4  ,st4 ,gregory of      
,nicea1 in the life of ,st4 ,gregory of 
,neocsarea1 says that a deacon of this  
holy bishop1 having gone into a bath    
where no one dared go after a certain   
hour in the evening1 because all those  
who had entered there had been put to   
death1 beheld spectres of all kinds1    

which threatened him in a thousand ways1
 but he got rid of them by crossing     
himself and invoking the name of ,jesus4
  ,alexander ab ,alexandro1#cai a       
learned ,neapolitan lawyer of the       
fifteenth century1 says that all the    
world knows that there are a number of  
houses at ,rome so much out of repute on
 account of the ghosts which appear in  
them every night that nobody dares to   
inhabit them4 ,nicholas ,tuba1 his      
friend1 a man well known for his probity
 and veracity1 who came once with some  
of his comrades to try if all that was  
said of those houses was true1 would    
pass the night in one of them with      
,alexander4 ,as they were together1 wide
 awake1 and with plenty of light1 they  
beheld a horrible spectre1 which        
frightened them so much by its terrific 
voice and the great noise which it made1
 that they hardly knew what they did1   
nor what they said2 and by degrees1 as  
we approached1 says he1 with the light1 
the phantom retreated2 at last1 after   

having thrown all the house into        
confusion1 it disappeared entirely4  ,i 
might also relate here the spectre      
noticed by ,father ,sinson the ,jesuit1 
which he saw1 and to which he spoke at  
,pont--,mousson1 in the cloister        
belonging to those fathers2 but ,i shall
 content myself with the instance which 
is reported in the ,causes ,clbres1#cbj 
and which may serve to undeceive those  
who too lightly give credit to stories  
of this kind4  ,at the ,chteau d'       
,arsillier1 in ,picardy1 on certain days
 of the year1 towards ,november1 they   
saw flames and a horrible smoke         
proceeding thence4 ,cries and frightful 
howlings were heard4 ,the bailiff1 or   
farmer of the chteau1 had got accustomed
 to this uproar1 because he himself     
caused it4 ,all the village talked of   
it1 and everybody told his own story    
thereupon4 ,the gentleman to whom the   
chteau belonged1 mistrusting some       
contrivance1 came there near            
,all-saints' day with two gentlemen his 

friends1 resolved to pursue the spirit1 
and fire upon it with a brace of good   
pistols4 ,a few days after they arrived1
 they heard a great noise above the room
 where the owner of the chteau slept2   
his two friends went up thither1 holding
 a pistol in one hand and a candle in   
the other2 and a sort of black phantom  
with horns and a tail presented itself1 
and began to gambol about before them4  
,one of them fired off his pistol2 the  
spectre1 instead of falling1 turns and  
skips before him3 the gentleman tries to
 seize it1 but the spirit escapes by the
 back staircase2 the gentleman follows  
it1 but loses sight of it1 and after    
several turnings1 the spectre throws    
itself into a granary1 and disappears at
 the moment its pursuer reckoned on     
seizing and stopping it4 ,a light was   
brought1 and it was remarked that where 
the spectre had disappeared there was a 
trapdoor1 which had been bolted after it
 entered2 they forced open the trap1 and
 found the pretended spirit4 ,he owned  

all his artifices1 and that what had    
rendered him proof against the pistol   
shot was buffalo's hide tightly fitted  
to his body4  ,cardinal de ,retz1#cba in
 his ,memoirs1 relates very agreeably   
the alarm which seized himself and those
 with him on meeting a company of black 
,augustine friars1 who came to bathe in 
the river by night1 and whom they took  
for a troop of quite another            
description4  ,a physician1 in a        
dissertation which he has given on      
spirits or ghosts1 says that a maid     
servant in the ,rue ,st4 ,victor1 who   
had gone down into the cellar1 came back
 very much frightened1 saying she had   
seen a spectre standing upright between 
two barrels4 ,some persons who were     
bolder went down1 and saw the same      
thing4 ,it was a dead body1 which had   
fallen from a cart coming from the      
,htel-,dieu4 ,it had slid down by the   
cellar window 7or grating71 and had     
remained standing between two casks4    
,all these collective facts1 instead of 

confirming one another1 and establishing
 the reality of those ghosts which      
appear in certain houses1 and keep away 
those who would willingly dwell in them1
 are only calculated1 on the contrary1  
to render such stories in general very  
doubtful2 for on what account should    
those people who have been buried and   
turned to dust for a long time find     
themselves able to walk about with their
 chains8 ,how do they drag them8 ,how do
 they speak8 ,what do they want8 ,is it 
sepulture8 ,are they not interred8 ,if  
they are heathens and reprobates1 they  
have nothing to do with prayers4 ,if    
they are good people1 who died in a     
state of grace1 they may require prayers
 to take them out of purgatory2 but can 
that be said of the spectres spoken of  
by ,pliny and ,lucian8 ,it is the devil1
 who sports with the simplicity of men8 
,is it not ascribing to him most        
excessive power1 by making him the      
author of all these apparitions1 which  
we conceive he cannot cause without the 

permission of ,god8 ,and we can still   
less imagine that ,god will concur in   
the deceptions and illusions of the     
demon4 ,there is then reason to believe 
that all the apparitions of this kind1  
and all these stories1 are false1 and   
must be absolutely rejected1 as more fit
 to keep up the superstition and idle   
credulity of the people than to edify   
and instruct them4   ,footnotes3  #caf  
,thyri ,demoniaci cum locis infestis4   
#cag ,s4 ,aug4 de ,civ4 lib4 xxii4 #h4  
#cah ,s4 ,greg4 ,mag4 ,dial4 cap4 #ci4  
#cai ,alexander ab ,alexandro1 lib4 v4  
#bc4  #cbj ,causes ,clbres1 tom4 xi4 p4 
#cgd4  #cba ,mm4 de ,cardinal de ,retz1 
tom4 i4 pp4 #dc1 #dd     ,,chapter      
,,xxxviii4  ,,prodigious ,,effects ,,of 
,,imagination ,,in ,,those ,,men ,,or   
,,women ,,who ,,believe ,,they ,,hold   
,,intercourse ,,with ,,the ,,demon4     
,as soon as we admit it as a principle  
that angels and demons are purely       
spiritual substances1 we must consider1 
not only as chimerical but also as      

impossible1 all personal intercourse    
between a demon and a man1 or a woman1  
and consequently regard as the effect of
 a depraved or deranged imagination all 
that is related of demons1 whether      
incubi or succubi1 and of the ephialtes 
of which such strange tales are told4   
,the author of the ,book of ,enoch1     
which is cited by the fathers1 and      
regarded as canonical ,scripture by some
 ancient writers1 has taken occasion1   
from these words of ,moses1#cbb ,the    
children of ,god1 seeing the daughters  
of men1 who were of extraordinary       
beauty1 took them for wives1 and begat  
the giants of them1 of setting forth    
that the angels1 smitten with love for  
the daughters of men1 wedded them1 and  
had by them children1 which are those   
giants so famous in antiquity4#cbc ,some
 of the ancient fathers have thought    
that this irregular love of the angels  
was the cause of their fall1 and that   
till then they had remained in the just 
and due subordination which they owed to

 their ,creator4  ,it appears from      
,josephus that the ,jews of his day     
seriously believed#cbd that the angels  
were subject to these weaknesses like   
men4 ,st4 ,justin ,martyr#cbe thought   
that the demons were the fruit of this  
commerce of the angels with the         
daughters of men4  ,but these ideas are 
now almost entirely given up1 especially
 since the belief in the spirituality of
 angels and demons has been adopted4    
,commentators and the fathers have      
generally explained the passage in      
,genesis which we have quoted as        
relating to the children of ,seth1 to   
whom the ,scripture gives the name of   
children of ,god1 to distinguish them   
from the sons of ,cain1 who were the    
fathers of those here called the        
daughters of men4 ,the race of ,seth    
having then formed alliances with the   
race of ,cain1 by means of those        
marriages before alluded to1 there      
proceeded from these unions powerful1   
violent1 and impious men1 who drew down 

upon the earth the terrible effects of  
,god's wrath1 which burst forth at the  
universal deluge4  ,thus1 then1 these   
marriages between the children of ,god  
and the daughters of men have no        
relation to the question we are here    
treating2 what we have to examine is--if
 the demon can have personal commerce   
with man or woman1 and if what is said  
on that subject can be connected with   
the apparitions of evil spirits amongst 
mankind1 which is the principal object  
of this dissertation4  ,i will give some
 instances of those persons who have    
believed that they held such intercourse
 with the demon4 ,torquemada relates1 in
 a detailed manner1 what happened in his
 time1 and to his knowledge1 in the town
 of ,cagliari1 in ,sardinia1 to a young 
lady1 who suffered herself to be        
corrupted by the demon2 and having been 
arrested by the ,inquisition1 she       
suffered the penalty of the flames1 in  
the mad hope that her pretended lover   
would come and deliver her4  ,in the    

same place he speaks of a young girl who
 was sought in marriage by a gentleman  
of good family2 when the devil assumed  
the form of this young man1 associated  
with the young lady for several months1 
made her promises of marriage1 and took 
advantage of her4 ,she was only         
undeceived when the young lord who      
sought her in marriage informed her that
 he was absent from town1 and more than 
fifty leagues off1 the day that the     
promise in question had been given1 and 
that he never had the slightest         
knowledge of it4 ,the young girl1 thus  
disabused1 retired into a convent1 and  
did penance for her double crime4  ,we  
read in the life of ,st4 ,bernard1      
,abbot of ,clairvaux1#cbf that a woman  
of ,nantes1 in ,brittany1 saw1 or       
thought she saw the demon every night1  
even when lying by her husband4 ,she    
remained six years in this state2 at the
 end of that period1 having her         
disorderly life in horror1 she confessed
 herself to a priest1 and by his advice 

began to perform several acts of piety1 
as much to obtain pardon for her crime  
as to deliver herself from her          
abominable lover4 ,but when the husband 
of this woman was informed of the       
circumstance1 he left her1 and would    
never see her again4  ,this unhappy     
woman was informed by the devil himself 
that ,st4 ,bernard would soon come to   
,nantes1 but she must mind not to speak 
to him1 for this abbot could by no means
 assist her2 and if she did speak to    
him1 it would be a great misfortune to  
her2 and that from being her lover1 he  
who warned her of it would become her   
most ardent persecutor4  ,the saint     
reassured this woman1 and desired her to
 make the sign of the cross on herself  
on going to bed1 and to place next her  
in the bed the staff which he gave her4 
,if the demon comes1 said he1 let him do
 what he can4 ,the demon came2 but1     
without daring to approach the bed1 he  
threatened the woman greatly1 and told  
her that after the departure of ,st4    

,bernard he would come again to torment 
her4  ,on the following ,sunday1 ,st4   
,bernard repaired to the ,cathedral     
church1 with the ,bishop of ,nantes and 
the ,bishop of ,chartres1 and having    
caused lighted tapers to be given to all
 the people1 who had assembled in a     
great crowd1 the saint1 after having    
publicly related the abominable action  
of the demon1 exorcised and             
anathematized the evil spirit1 and      
forbade him1 by the authority of ,jesus 
,christ1 ever again to approach that    
woman1 or any other4 ,everybody         
extinguished their tapers1 and the power
 of the demon was annihilated4  ,this   
example and the two preceding ones1     
related in so circumstantial a manner1  
might make us believe that there is some
 reality in what is said of demons      
incubi and succubi2 but if we deeply    
examine the facts1 we shall find that an
 imagination strongly possessed1 and    
violent prejudice1 may produce all that 
we have just repeated4  ,st4 ,bernard   

begins by curing the woman's mind1 by   
giving her a stick1 which she was to    
place by her side in the bed4 ,this     
staff sufficed for the first impression2
 but to dispose her for a complete cure1
 he exorcises the demon1 and then       
anathematizes him1 with all the clat he 
possibly could3 the bishops are         
assembled in the cathedral1 the people  
repair thither in crowds2 the           
circumstance is recounted in pompous    
terms2 the evil spirit is threatened2   
the tapers are extinguished--all of them
 striking ceremonies3 the woman is moved
 by them1 and her imagination is        
restored to a healthy tone4  ,jerome    
,cardan#cbg relates two singular        
examples of the power of imagination in 
this way2 he had them from ,francis     
,pico de ,mirandola4 ,i know1 says the  
latter1 a priest1 seventy-five years of 
age1 who lived with a pretended woman1  
whom he called ,hermeline1 with whom he 
slept1 conversed1 and conducted in the  
streets as if she had been his wife4 ,he

 alone saw her1 or thought he saw her1  
so that he was looked upon as a man who 
had lost his senses4 ,this priest was   
named ,benedict ,bena4 ,he had been     
arrested by the ,inquisition1 and       
punished for his crimes2 for he owned   
that in the sacrifice of the mass he did
 not pronounce the sacramental words1   
that he had given the consecrated wafer 
to women to make use of in sorcery1 and 
that he had sucked the blood of         
children4 ,he avowed all this while     
undergoing the question4  ,another1     
named ,pineto1 held converse with a     
demon1 whom he kept as his wife1 and    
with whom he had intercourse for more   
than forty years4 ,this man was still   
living in the time of ,pico de          
,mirandola4  ,devotion and spirituality1
 when too contracted and carried to     
excess1 have also their derangements of 
imagination4 ,persons so affected often 
believe they see1 hear1 and feel1 what  
passes only in their brain1 and which   
takes all its reality from their        

prejudices and self-love4 ,this is less 
mistrusted1 because the object of it is 
holy and pious2 but error and excess1   
even in matters of devotion1 are subject
 to very great inconveniences1 and it is
 very important to undeceive all those  
who give way to this kind of mental     
derangement4  ,for instance1 we have    
seen persons eminent for their devotion1
 who believed they saw the ,holy        
,virgin1 ,st4 ,joseph1 the ,saviour1 and
 their guardian angel1 who spoke to     
them1 conversed with them1 touched the  
wounds of the ,lord1 and tasted the     
blood which flowed from his side and his
 wounds4 ,others thought they were in   
company with the ,holy ,virgin and the  
,infant ,jesus1 who spoke to them and   
conversed with them2 in idea1 however1  
and without reality4  ,in order to cure 
the two ecclesiastics of whom we have   
spoken1 gentler and perhaps more        
efficacious means might have been made  
use of than those employed by the       
tribunal of the ,inquisition4 ,every day

 hypochondriacs1 or maniacs1 with       
fevered imaginations1 diseased brains1  
or with the viscera too much heated1 are
 cured by simple and natural remedies1  
either by cooling the blood1 and        
creating a diversion in the humors      
thereof1 or by striking the imagination 
through some new device1 or by giving so
 much exercise of body and mind to those
 who are afflicted with such maladies of
 the brain that they may have something 
else to do or to think of1 than to      
nourish such fancies1 and strengthen    
them by reflections daily recurring1 and
 having always the same end and object4 
,footnotes3  #cbb ,gen4 vi4 #a1 #b4     
#cbc ,athenagorus and ,clem4 ,alex4 lib4
 iii4  v4 ,strom4  lib4 ii4 ,pedagog4   
#cbd ,joseph4 ,antiq4 lib4 i4 c4 #d4    
#cbe ,justin4 ,apolog4 utroque4  #cbf   
,vita ,st4 ,bernard1 tom4 i4 lib4 #bj4  
#cbg ,cardan1 de ,variet4 lib4 xv4 c4   
lxxx4 p4 #bij4     ,,chapter ,,xxxix4   
,,return ,,and ,,apparitions ,,of       
,,souls ,,after ,,the ,,death ,,of ,,the

 ,,body1 ,,proved ,,from ,,scripture4   
,the dogma of the immortality of the    
soul1 and of its existence after its    
separation from the body which it once  
animated1 being taken for indubitable1  
and ,jesus ,christ having invincibly    
established it against the ,sadducees1  
the return of souls and their apparition
 to the living1 by the command or       
permission of ,god1 can no longer appear
 so incredible1 nor even so difficult4  
,it was a known and received truth among
 the ,jews in the time of our ,saviour2 
he assumed it as certain1 and never     
pronounced a word which could give any  
one reason to think that he disapproved 
of1 or condemned it2 he only warned us  
that in common apparitions spirits have 
neither flesh nor bones1 as he had      
himself after his resurrection4 ,if ,st4
 ,thomas doubted of the reality of the  
resurrection of his ,master1 and the    
truth of his appearance1 it was because 
he was aware that those who suppose they
 see apparitions of spirits are subject 

to illusion2 and that one strongly      
prepossessed will often believe he      
beholds what he does not see1 and hear  
that which he hears not2 and even had   
,jesus ,christ appeared to his apostles1
 that would not prove that he was       
resuscitated1 since a spirit can appear1
 while its body is in the tomb and even 
corrupted or reduced to dust and ashes4 
,the apostles doubted not of the        
possibility of the apparition of        
spirits3 when they saw the ,saviour     
coming towards them1 walking upon the   
waves of the ,lake of ,gennesareth1#cbh 
they at first believed that it was a    
phantom4  ,after ,st4 ,peter had left   
the prison by the aid of an angel1 and  
came and knocked at the door of the     
house where the brethren were assembled1
 the servant whom they sent to open it1 
hearing ,peter's voice1 thought it was  
his spirit1 or an angel#cbi who had     
assumed his form and voice4 ,the wicked 
rich man1 being in the flames of hell1  
begged of ,abraham to send ,lazarus to  

earth1 to warn his brothers#ccj not to  
expose themselves to the danger of      
falling like him in the extreme of      
misery3 he believed1 without doubt1 that
 souls could return to earth1 make      
themselves visible1 and speak to the    
living4  ,in the transfiguration of     
,jesus ,christ1 ,moses1 who had been    
dead for ages1 appeared on ,mount ,tabor
 with ,elias1 conversing with ,jesus    
,christ then transfigured4#cca ,after   
the resurrection of the ,saviour1       
several persons1 who had long been dead1
 arose from their graves1 went into     
,jerusalem and appeared unto many4#ccb  
,in the ,old ,testament1 ,king ,saul    
addresses himself to the witch of       
,endor1 to beg of her to evoke for him  
the soul of ,samuel2#ccc that prophet   
appeared and spoke to ,saul4 ,i know    
that considerable difficulties and      
objections have been formed as to this  
evocation and this apparition of        
,samuel4 ,but whether he appeared or    
not--whether the ,pythoness did really  

evoke him1 or only deluded ,saul with a 
false appearance--,i deduce from it that
 ,saul and those with him were persuaded
 that the spirits of the dead could     
appear to the living1 and reveal to them
 things unknown to men4  ,st4           
,augustine1 in reply to ,simplicius1 who
 had proposed to him his difficulties   
respecting the truth of this apparition1
 says at first1#ccd that it is no more  
difficult to understand that the demon  
could evoke ,samuel by the help of a    
witch than it is to comprehend how that 
,satan could speak to ,god1 and tempt   
the holy man ,job1 and ask permission to
 tempt the apostles2 or that he could   
transport ,jesus ,christ himself to the 
highest pinnacle of the ,temple of      
,jerusalem4  ,we may believe also that  
,god1 by a particular dispensation of   
his will1 may have permitted the demon  
to evoke ,samuel1 and make him appear   
before ,saul1 to announce to him what   
was to happen to him1 not by virtue of  
magic1 not by the power of the demon    

alone1 but solely because ,god willed   
it1 and ordained it thus to be4  ,he    
adds that it may be advanced that it is 
not ,samuel who appears to ,saul1 but a 
phantom1 formed by the illusive power of
 the demon1 and by the force of magic2  
and that the ,scripture1 in giving the  
name of ,samuel to this phantom1 has    
made use of ordinary language1 which    
gives the name of things themselves to  
that which is but their image or        
representation in painting or in        
sculpture4  ,if it should be asked how  
this phantom could discover the future1 
and predict to ,saul his approaching    
death1 we may likewise ask how the demon
 could know ,jesus ,christ for ,god     
alone1 while the ,jews knew him not1 and
 the girl possessed with a spirit of    
divination1 spoken of in the ,acts of   
the ,apostles1#cce could bear witness to
 the apostles1 and undertake to become  
their advocate in rendering good        
testimony to their mission4  ,lastly1   
,st4 ,augustine concludes by saying that

 he does not think himself sufficiently 
enlightened to decide whether the demon 
can1 or cannot1 by means of magical     
enchantments1 evoke a soul after the    
death of the body1 so that it may appear
 and become visible in a corporeal form1
 which may be recognized1 and capable of
 speaking and revealing the hidden      
future4 ,and if this potency be not     
accorded to magic and the demon1 we must
 conclude that all which is related of  
this apparition of ,samuel to ,saul is  
an illusion and a false apparition made 
by the demon to deceive men4  ,in the   
books of the ,maccabees1#ccf the        
,high-,priest ,onias1 who had been dead 
several years before that time1 appeared
 to ,judas ,maccabus1 in the attitude of
 a man whose hands were outspread1 and  
who was praying for the people of the   
,lord3 at the same time the ,prophet    
,jeremiah1 long since dead1 appeared to 
the same ,maccabus2 and ,onias said to  
him1 ,behold that holy man1 who is the  
protector and friend of his brethren2 it

 is he who prays continually for the    
,lord's people1 and for the holy city of
 ,jerusalem4 ,so saying1 he put into the
 hands of ,judas a golden sword1 saying 
to him1 ,receive this sword as a gift   
from heaven1 by means of which you shall
 destroy the enemies of my people       
,israel4  ,in the same second book of   
the ,maccabees1#ccg it is related that  
in the thickest of the battle fought by 
,timotheus1 general of the armies of    
,syria1 against ,judas ,maccabus1 they  
saw five men as if descended from       
heaven1 mounted on horses with golden   
bridles1 who were at the head of the    
army of the ,jews1 two of them on each  
side of ,judas ,maccabus1 the chief     
captain of the army of the ,lord2 they  
shielded him with their arms1 and       
launched against the enemy such fiery   
darts and thunderbolts that they were   
blinded and mortally afraid and         
terrified4  ,these five armed horsemen1 
these combatants for ,israel1 are       
apparently no other than ,mattathias1   

the father of ,judas ,maccabus1#cch and 
four of his sons1 who were already dead2
 there yet remained of his seven sons   
but ,judas ,maccabus1 ,jonathan1 and    
,simon4 ,we may also understand it as   
five angels1 who were sent by ,god to   
the assistance of the ,maccabees4 ,in   
whatever way we regard it1 these are not
 doubtful apparitions1 both on account  
of the certainty of the book in which   
they are related1 and the testimony of a
 whole army by which they were seen4    
,whence ,i conclude1 that the ,hebrews  
had no doubt that the spirits of the    
dead could return to earth1 that they   
did return in fact1 and that they       
discovered to the living things beyond  
our natural knowledge4 ,moses expressly 
forbids the ,israelites to consult the  
dead4#cci ,but these apparitions did not
 show themselves in solid and material  
bodies2 the ,saviour assures us of it   
when he says1 ,spirits have neither     
flesh nor bones4 ,it was often only an  
arial figure which struck the senses and

 the imagination1 like the images which 
we see in sleep1 or that we firmly      
believe we hear and see4 ,the           
inhabitants of ,sodom were struck with a
 species of blindness1#cdj which        
prevented them from seeing the door of  
,lot's house1 into which the angels had 
entered4 ,the soldiers who sought for   
,elisha were in the same way blinded in 
some sort1#cda although they spoke to   
him they were seeking for1 who led them 
into ,samaria without their perceiving  
him4 ,the two disciples who went on     
,easter-day to ,emmaus1 in company with 
,jesus ,christ their ,master1 did not   
recognize him till the breaking of the  
bread4#cdb  ,thus1 the apparitions of   
spirits to mankind are not always in a  
corporeal form1 palpable and real2 but  
,god1 who ordains or permits them1 often
 causes the persons to whom these       
apparitions appear1 to behold1 in a     
dream or otherwise1 those spirits which 
speak to1 warn1 or threaten them2 who   
makes them see things as if present1    

which in reality are not before their   
eyes1 but only in their imagination2    
which does not prove these visions and  
warnings not to be sent from ,god1 who1 
by himself1 or by the ministration of   
his angels1 or by souls disengaged from 
the body1 inspired the minds of men with
 what he judges proper for them to know1
 whether in a dream1 or by external     
signs1 or by words1 or else by certain  
impressions made on their senses1 or in 
their imagination1 in the absence of    
every external object4  ,if the         
apparitions of the souls of the dead    
were things in nature and of their own  
choice1 there would be few persons who  
would not come back to visit the things 
or the persons which have been dear to  
them during this life4 ,st4 ,augustine  
says it of his mother1 ,st4 ,monica1#cdc
 who had so tender and constant an      
affection for him1 and who1 while she   
lived1 followed him and sought him by   
sea and land4 ,the bad rich man would   
not have failed1 either1 to come in     

person to his brethren and relations to 
inform them of the wretched condition in
 which he found himself in hell4 ,it is 
a pure favor of the mercy or the power  
of ,god1 and which he grants to very few
 persons1 to make their appearance after
 death2 for which reason we should be   
very much on our guard against all that 
is said1 and all that we find written on
 the subject in books4   ,footnotes3    
#cbh ,matt4 vi4 #af4 ,mark vi4 #dc4     
#cbi ,acts xii4 #ac1 #ad4  #ccj ,luke   
xxi4 #ad1 #ae4  #cca ,luke ix4 #cb4     
#ccb ,matt4 xxvii4 #cd4  #ccc #a ,sam4  
xxviii4 #g1 ad finem4  #ccd ,augustin de
 ,diversis ,qust4 ad ,simplicium1 ,qust4
 cxi4  #cce ,acts xxvi4 #ag4  #ccf      
,macc4 x4 #bi4  #ccg #b ,macc4 x4 #bi4  
#cch #a ,macc4 xi4 #a4  #cci ,deut4     
xviii4 #aa4  #cdj ,gen4 xix4 #aa4  #cda 
#b ,kings vi4 #ai4  #cdb ,luke xxvi4    
#af4  #cdc ,aug4 de ,cur gerend pro     
,mortuis1 c4 xiii4     ,,chapter ,,xl4  
,,apparitions ,,of ,,spirits ,,proved   
,,from ,,history4   ,st4 ,augustine#cdd 

acknowledges that the dead have often   
appeared to the living1 have revealed to
 them the spot where their body remained
 unburied1 and have shown them that     
where they wished to be interred4 ,he   
says1 moreover1 that a noise was often  
heard in churches where the dead were   
inhumed1 and that dead persons have been
 seen often to enter the houses wherein 
they dwelt before their decease4  ,we   
read that in the ,council of            
,elvira1#cde which was held about the   
year #cjj1 it was forbidden to light    
tapers in the cemeteries1 that the souls
 of the saints might not be disturbed4  
,the night after the death of ,julian   
the ,apostate1 ,st4 ,basil#cdf had a    
vision in which he fancied he saw the   
martyr1 ,st4 ,mercurius1 who received an
 order from ,god to go and kill ,julian4
 ,a little time afterwards the same     
saint ,mercurius returned and cried out1
 ,lord1 ,julian is pierced and wounded  
to death1 as thou commandedst me4 ,in   
the morning ,st4 ,basil announced this  

news to the people4  ,st4 ,ignatius1    
,bishop of ,antioch1 who suffered       
martyrdom in #ajg1cdg appeared to his   
disciples1 embracing them1 and standing 
near them2 and as they persevered in    
praying with still greater fervor1 they 
saw him crowned with glory1 as if in    
perspiration1 coming from a great       
combat1 environed with light4  ,after   
the death of ,st4 ,ambrose1 which       
happened on ,easter ,eve1 the same night
 in which they baptized neophytes1      
several newly baptized children saw the 
holy bishop1#cdh and pointed him out to 
their parents1 who could not see him    
because their eyes were not purified--at
 least says ,st4 ,paulinus1 a disciple  
of the saint1 and who wrote his life4   
,he adds that on the day of his death   
the saint appeared to several holy      
persons dwelling in the ,east1 praying  
with them and giving them the imposition
 of hands2 they wrote to ,milan1 and it 
was found1 on comparing the dates1 that 
this occurred on the very day he died4  

,these letters were still preserved in  
the time of ,paulinus1 who wrote all    
these things4 ,this holy bishop was also
 seen several times after his death     
praying in the ,ambrosian church at     
,milan1 which he promised during his    
life that he would often visit4 ,during 
the siege of ,milan1 ,st4 ,ambrose      
appeared to a man of that same city1 and
 promised that the next day succor would
 arrive1 which happened accordingly4 ,a 
blind man having learnt in a vision that
 the bodies of the holy martyrs         
,sicineus and ,alexander would come by  
sea to ,milan1 and that ,bishop ,ambrose
 was going to meet them1 he prayed the  
same bishop to restore him to sight1 in 
a dream4 ,ambrose replied2 ,go to       
,milan2 come and meet my brethren2 they 
will arrive on such a day1 and they will
 restore you to sight4 ,the blind man   
went to ,milan1 where he had never been 
before1 touched the shrine of the holy  
martyrs1 and recovered his eyesight4 ,he
 himself related the circumstance to    

,paulinus4  ,the lives of the saints are
 full of apparitions of deceased        
persons2 and if they were collected1    
large volumes might be filled4 ,st4     
,ambrose1 of whom we have just spoken1  
discovered after a miraculous fashion   
the bodies of ,st4 ,gervasius and ,st4  
,protasius1#cdi and those of ,st4       
,nazairius and ,st4 ,celsus4  ,evodius1 
,bishop of ,upsal in ,africa1#cej a     
great friend of ,st4 ,augustine1 was    
well persuaded of the reality of        
apparitions of the dead1 from his own   
experience1 and he relates several      
instances of such things which happened 
in his own time2 as that of a good widow
 to whom a deacon appeared who had been 
dead for four years4 ,he was accompanied
 by several of the servants of ,god1 of 
both sexes1 who were preparing a palace 
of extraordinary beauty4 ,this widow    
asked him for whom they were making     
these preparations2 he replied that it  
was for the youth who died the preceding
 day4 ,at the same time1 a venerable old

 man1 who was in the same palace1       
commanded two young men1 arrayed in     
white1 to take the deceased young man   
out of his grave and conduct him to this
 place4 ,as soon as he had left the     
grave1 fresh roses and rose-beds sprang 
up2 and the young man appeared to a     
monk1 and told him that ,god had        
received him into the number of his     
elect1 and had sent him to fetch his    
father1 who in fact died four days after
 of slow fever4  ,evodius asks himself  
diverse questions on this recital3 ,if  
the soul on quitting its 7mortal7 body  
does not retain a certain subtile body1 
with which it appears1 and by means of  
which it is transported from one spot to
 another8 ,if the angels even have not a
 certain kind of body8--for if they are 
incorporeal1 how can they be counted8   
,and if ,samuel appeared to ,saul1 how  
could it take place if ,samuel had no   
members8 ,he adds1 ,i remember well that
 ,profuturus1 ,privatus and ,servitus1  
whom ,i had known in the monastery here1

 appeared to me1 and talked with me     
after their decease2 and what they told 
me1 happened4 ,was it their soul which  
appeared to me1 or was it some other    
spirit which assumed their form8 ,he    
concludes from this that the soul is not
 absolutely bodiless1 since ,god alone  
is incorporeal4#cea  ,st4 ,augustine1   
who was consulted on this matter by     
,evodius1 does not think that the soul1 
after the death of the body1 is clothed 
with any material substantial form2 but 
he confesses that it is very difficult  
to explain how an infinite number of    
things are done1 which pass in our      
minds1 as well in our sleep as when we  
are awake1 in which we seem to see1     
feel1 and discourse1 and do things which
 it would appear could be done only by  
the body1 although it is certain that   
nothing bodily occurs4 ,and how can we  
explain things so unknown1 and so far   
beyond anything that we experience every
 day1 since we cannot explain even what 
daily experience shows us4#ceb ,evodius 

adds that several persons after their   
decease have been going and coming in   
their houses as before1 both day and    
night2 and that in churches where the   
dead were buried1 they often heard a    
noise in the night as of persons praying
 aloud4  ,st4 ,augustine1 to whom       
,evodius writes all this1 acknowledges  
that there is a great distinction to be 
made between true and false visions1 and
 that he could wish he had some sure    
means of discerning them correctly4 ,the
 same saint relates on this occasion a  
remarkable story1 which has much        
connection with the matter we are       
treating upon4 ,a physician named       
,gennadius1 a great friend of ,st4      
,augustine's1 and well known at         
,carthage for his great talent and his  
kindness to the poor1 doubted whether   
there was another life4 ,one day he saw1
 in a dream1 a young man who said to    
him1 ,follow me2 he followed him in     
spirit1 and found himself in a city1    
where1 on his right hand1 he heard most 

admirable melody2 he did not remember   
what he heard on his left4  ,another    
time he saw the same young man1 who said
 to him1 ,do you know me8 ,very well1   
answered he4 ,and whence comes it that  
you know me8 ,he related to him what he 
had showed him in the city whither he   
had led him4 ,the young man added1 ,was 
it in a dream1 or awake1 that you saw   
all that8 ,in a dream8 he replied4 ,the 
young man then asked1 ,where is your    
body now8 ,in my bed1 said he4 ,do you  
know that now you see nothing with the  
eyes of your body8 ,i know it1 answered 
he4 ,well1 then1 with what eyes do you  
behold me8 ,as he hesitated1 and knew   
not what to reply1 the young man said to
 him1 ,in the same way that you see and 
hear me now that your eyes are shut1 and
 your senses asleep2 thus after death   
you will live1 you will see1 you will   
hear1 but with eyes of the spirit2 so   
doubt not that there is another life    
after the present one4  ,the great ,st4 
,anthony1 one day when he was wide      

awake1 saw the soul of the hermit ,st4  
,ammon being carried into heaven in the 
midst of choirs of angels4 ,now1 ,st4   
,ammon died that same day1 at five days'
 journey from thence1 in the desert of  
,nitria4 ,the same ,st4 ,anthony saw    
also the soul of ,st4 ,paul ,hermitus   
ascending to heaven surrounded by choirs
 of angels and prophets4 ,st4 ,benedict 
beheld the spirit of ,st4 ,germain1     
,bishop of ,capua1 at the moment of his 
decease1 who was carried into heaven by 
angels4 ,the same saint saw the soul of 
his sister1 ,st4 ,scholastica1 rising to
 heaven in the form of a dove4 ,we might
 multiply such instances without end4   
,they are true apparitions of souls     
separated from their bodies4  ,st4      
,sulpicius ,severus1 being at some      
distance from the city of ,tours1 and   
ignorant of what was passing there1 fell
 one morning into a light slumber2 as he
 slept he beheld ,st4 ,martin1 who      
appeared to him in a white garment1 his 
countenance shining1 his eyes sparkling1

 his hair of a purple color2 it was1    
nevertheless1 very easy to recognise him
 by his air and his face4 ,st4 ,martin  
showed himself to him with a smiling    
countenance1 and holding in his hand the
 book which ,st4 ,sulpicius ,severus had
 composed upon his life4 ,sulpicius     
threw himself at his feet1 embraced his 
knees1 and implored his benediction1    
which the saint bestowed upon him4 ,all 
this passed in a vision2 and as ,st4    
,martin rose into the air1 ,sulpicius   
,severus saw still in the spirit the    
priest ,clarus1 a disciple of the saint1
 who went the same way and rose towards 
heaven4 ,at that moment ,sulpicius      
awoke1 and a lad who served him1 on     
entering1 told him that two monks who   
were just arrived from ,tours1 had      
brought word that ,st4 ,martin was dead4
  ,the ,baron de ,coussey1 an old and   
respectable magistrate1 has related to  
me more than once that1 being at more   
than sixty leagues from the town where  
his mother died the night she breathed  

her last1 he was awakened by the barking
 of a dog which laid at the foot of his 
bed2 and at the same moment he perceived
 the head of his mother environed by a  
great light1 who1 entering by the window
 into his chamber1 spoke to him         
distinctly1 and announced to him various
 things concerning the state of his     
affairs4  ,st4 ,chrysostom1 in his      
exile1#cec and the night preceding his  
death1 saw the martyr ,st4 ,basilicus1  
who said to him--,courage1 brother      
,john2 to-morrow we shall be together4  
,the same thing was foretold to a priest
 who lived in the same place4 ,st4      
,basilicus said to him1 ,prepare a place
 for my brother ,john2 for1 behold1 he  
is coming4  ,the discovery of the body  
of ,st4 ,stephen1 the first martyr1 is  
very celebrated in the ,church2 this    
occurred in the year #dae4 ,st4         
,gamaliel1 who had been the master of   
,st4 ,paul before his conversion1       
appeared to a priest named ,lucius1 who 
slept in the baptistery of the ,church  

at ,jerusalem to guard the sacred vases1
 and told him that his own body and that
 of ,st4 ,stephen the proto-martyr were 
interred at ,caphargamala1 in the suburb
 named ,dilagabis2 that the body of his 
son named ,abibas1 and that of          
,nicodemus1 reposed in the same spot4   
,lucius had the same vision three times 
following1 with an interval of a few    
days between4 ,john1 the ,patriarch of  
,jerusalem1 who was then at the ,council
 of ,dioscopolis1 repaired to the spot1 
made the discovery and translation of   
the relics1 which were transported to   
,jerusalem1 and a great number of       
miracles were performed there4          
,licinius1 being in his tent1#ced       
thinking of the battle he was to fight  
on the morrow1 saw an angel1 who        
dictated to him a form of prayer which  
he made his soldiers learn by heart1 and
 by means of which he gained the victory
 over the ,emperor ,maximian4           
,mascezel1 general of the ,roman troops 
which ,stilicho sent into ,africa       

against ,gildas1 prepared himself for   
this war1 in imitation of ,theodosius   
the ,great1 by prayer and the           
intervention of the servants of ,god4   
,he took with him in his vessel some    
monks1 whose only occupation during the 
voyage was to pray1 fast1 and sing      
psalms4 ,gildas had an army of seventy  
thousand men2 ,mascezel had but five    
thousand1 and did not think he could    
without rashness attempt to compete with
 an enemy so powerful and so far        
superior in the number of his forces4   
,as he was pondering uneasily on these  
things1 ,st4 ,ambrose1 who died the year
 before1 appeared to him by night1      
holding a staff in his hand1 and struck 
the ground three times1 crying1 ,here1  
here1 here6 ,mascezel understood that   
the saint promised him the victory in   
that same spot three days after4 ,in    
fact1 the third day he marched upon the 
enemy1 offering peace to the first whom 
he met2 but an ensign having replied to 
him very arrogantly1 he gave him a      

severe blow with his sword upon his arm1
 which made his standard swerve2 those  
who were afar off thought that he was   
yielding1 and that he lowered his       
standard in sign of submission1 and they
 hastened to do the same4 ,paulinus1 who
 wrote the life of ,st4 ,ambrose1       
assures us that he had these particulars
 from the lips of ,mascezel himself2 and
 ,orosius heard them from those who had 
been eye-witnesses of the fact4  ,the   
persecutors having inflicted martyrdom  
on seven ,christian virgins1#cee one of 
them appeared the following night to    
,st4 ,theodosius of ,ancyra1 and        
revealed to him the spot where herself  
and her companions had been thrown into 
the lake1 each one with a stone tied    
around her neck4 ,as ,theodosius and his
 people were occupied in searching for  
their bodies1 a voice from heaven warned
 ,theodosius to be on his guard against 
the traitor1 meaning to indicate        
,polycronius1 who betrayed ,theodosius1 
and was the occasion of his being       

arrested and martyred4  ,st4            
,potamienna1#cef a ,christian virgin who
 suffered martyrdom at ,alexandria1     
appeared after her death to several     
persons1 and was the cause of their     
conversion to ,christianity4 ,she       
appeared in particular to a soldier     
named ,basilidus1 who1 as he was        
conducting her to the place of          
execution1 had protected her from the   
insults of the populace4 ,this soldier1 
encouraged by ,potamienna1 who in a     
vision placed a garland upon his head1  
was baptized1 and received the crown of 
martyrdom4  ,st4 ,gregory ,thaumaturgus1
 ,bishop of ,neocsarea in ,pontus1 being
 greatly occupied with certain          
theological difficulties1 raised by     
heretics concerning the mysteries of    
religion1 and having passed great part  
of the night in studying those matters1 
saw a venerable old man enter his room1 
having by his side a lady of august and 
divine form2 he comprehended that these 
were the ,holy ,virgin and ,st4 ,john   

the ,evangelist4 ,the ,virgin exhorted  
,st4 ,john to instruct the bishop1 and  
dissipate his embarrassment1 by         
explaining clearly to him the mystery of
 the ,trinity and the ,divinity of the  
,verb or ,word4 ,he did so1 and ,st4    
,gregory wrote it down instantly4 ,it is
 the doctrine which he left to his      
church1 and which they have to this very
 day4   ,footnotes3  #cdd ,aug4 de ,cur 
gerend4 pro ,mortuis1 c4 x4  #cde       
,concil4 ,eliber1 auno circiter #cjj4   
#cdf ,amplilo4 vita ,s4 ,basil4 and     
,chronic4 ,alex4 p4 #fib4  #cdg ,acta   
sincera ,mart4 pp4 #aa1 #bb4 ,edit4     
#agac4  #cdh ,paulin4 vit4 ,s4 ,ambros4 
n4 #dg1 #dh4  #cdi ,ambros4 ,epist4 #bb1
 p4 #hgd2 vid4 notes1 ibid4  #cej ,evod4
 ,upsal4 apud ,aug4 ,epist4 clviii4     
,idem1 ,aug4 ,epist4 clix4  #cea ,animan
 igitur omni corpore carere omnino non  
posse1 illud1 ut puto1 ostendit quia    
,deus solus omni corpore semper caret4  
#ceb ,quid se prcipitat de rarissimis   
aut inexpertis quasi definitam ferre    

sententiam1 cum quotidiana et continua  
non solvat8  #cec ,palladius1 ,dialog1  
de ,vita ,chrysost4 c4 xi4  #ced        
,lactant4 de ,mort4 ,persec4 c4 #df4    
#cee ,acta sincera ,martyr4 passion4 ,s4
 ,theodos4 ,m4 pp4 #cdc1 #cdd4  #cef    
,euseb4 ,hist4 ,eccles4 lib4 vi4 c4 #h4 
,,chapter ,,xli4  ,,more ,,instances    
,,of ,,apparitions4   ,peter the        
,venerable1 ,abbot of ,cluny1 relates   
that a good priest named ,stephen1      
having received the confession of a lord
 named ,guy1 who was mortally wounded in
 a combat1 this lord appeared to him    
completely armed some time after his    
death1 and begged of him to tell his    
brother ,anselm to restore an ox which  
he ,guy had taken from a peasant1 whom  
he named1 and repair the damage which he
 had done to a village which did not    
belong to him1 and which he had taxed   
with undue charges2 that he had         
forgotten to declare these two sins in  
his last confession1 and that he was    
cruelly tormented for it4 ,and as       

assurance of the truth of what ,i tell  
you1 added he1 when you return home1 you
 will find that you have been robbed of 
the money you intended for your expenses
 in going to ,st4 ,jacques4 ,the cur1 on
 his return to his house1 found his     
money gone1 but could not acquit himself
 of his commission1 because ,anselm was 
absent4 ,a few days after1 ,guy appeared
 to him again1 and reproached him for   
having neglected to perform what he had 
asked of him4 ,the cur excused himself  
on account of the absence of ,anselm2   
and at length went to him and told him  
what he was charged to do4 ,anselm      
answered him harshly that he was not    
obliged to do penance for his brother's 
sins4  ,the dead man appeared a third   
time1 and implored the cur to assist him
 in this extremity2 he did so1 and      
restored the value of the ox2 but as the
 rest exceeded his power1 he gave alms1 
and recommended ,guy to the worthy      
people of his acquaintance2 and he      
appeared no more4  ,richer1 a monk of   

,senones1#ceg speaks of a spirit which  
returned in his time1 in the town of    
,epinal1 about the year #abab1 in the   
house of a burgess named ,hugh de la    
,cour1 and who1 from ,christmas to      
,midsummer1 did a variety of things in  
that same house1 in sight of everybody4 
,they could hear him speak1 they could  
see all he did1 but nobody could see    
him4 ,he said he belonged to            
,clxenteine1 a village seven leagues    
from ,epinal2 and what is also          
remarkable is that1 during the six      
months he was heard about the house1 he 
did no harm to any one4 ,one day1 ,hugh 
having ordered his domestic to saddle   
his horse1 and the valet being busy     
about something else1 deferred doing it1
 when the spirit did his work1 to the   
great astonishment of all the household4
 ,another time1 when ,hugh was absent1  
the spirit asked ,stephen1 the          
son-in-law of ,hugh1 for a penny1 to    
make an offering of it to ,st4 ,goric1  
the patron saint of ,epinal4 ,stephen   

presented him with an old denier of     
,provence2 but the spirit refused it1   
saying he would have a good denier of   
,thoulouse4 ,stephen placed on the      
threshold of the door a ,thoulousian    
denier1 which disappeared immediately2  
and the following night1 a noise1 as of 
a man who was walking therein1 was heard
 in the church of ,st4 ,goric4  ,another
 time1 ,hugh having bought some fish to 
make his family a repast1 the spirit    
transported the fish to the garden which
 was behind the house1 put half of it on
 a tile 7scandula71 and the rest in a   
mortar1 where it was found again4       
,another time1 ,hugh desiring to be     
bled1 told his daughter to get ready    
some bandages4 ,immediately the spirit  
went into another room1 and fetched a   
new shirt1 which he tore up into several
 bandages1 presented them to the master 
of the house1 and told him to choose the
 best4 ,another day1 the servant having 
spread out some linen in the garden to  
dry1 the spirit carried it all up       

stairs1 and folded them more neatly than
 the cleverest laundress could have     
done4  ,a man named ,guy de la          
,torre1#ceh who died at ,verona in      
#acjf1 at the end of eight days spoke to
 his wife and the neighbors of both     
sexes1 to the prior of the ,dominicians1
 and to the professor of theology1 who  
asked him several questions in theology1
 to which he replied very pertinently4  
,he declared that he was in purgatory   
for certain unexpatiated sins4 ,they    
asked him how he possibly could speak1  
not having the organs of the voice2 he  
replied that souls separated from the   
body have the faculty of forming for    
themselves instruments of the air       
capable of pronouncing words2 he added  
that the fire of hell acted upon        
spirits1 not by its natural virtue1 but 
by the power of ,god1 of which that fire
 is the instrument4  ,here follows      
another remarkable instance of an       
apparition1 related by ,m4 d',aubign4 ,i
 affirm upon the word of the king#cei   

the second prodigy1 as being one of the 
three stories which he reiterated to us1
 his hair standing on end at the time1  
as we could perceive4 ,this one is1 that
 the queen having gone to bed at an     
earlier hour than usual1 and there being
 present at her coucher1 amongst other  
persons of note1 the king of            
,navarre1#cfj the ,archbishop of ,lyons1
 the ,ladies de ,retz1 de ,lignerolles1 
and de ,sauve1 two of whom have since   
confirmed this conversation4 ,as she was
 hastening to bid them good night1 she  
threw herself with a start upon her     
bolster1 put her hands before her face1 
and crying out violently1 she called to 
her assistance those who were present1  
wishing to show them1 at the foot of the
 bed1 the ,cardinal 7de ,lorraine71 who 
extended his hand towards her2 she cried
 out several times1 ',m4 the ,cardinal1 
,i have nothing to do with you4' ,the   
,king of ,navarre at the same time sent 
out one of his gentlemen1 who brought   
back word that he had expired at that   

same moment4  ,i take from ,sully's     
,memoirs1#cfa which have just been      
reprinted in better order than they were
 before1 another singular fact1 which   
may be related with these4 ,we still    
endeavor to find out what can be the    
nature of that illusion1 seen so often  
and by the eyes of so many persons in   
the ,forest of ,fontainebleau2 it was a 
phantom surrounded by a pack of hounds1 
whose cries were heard1 while they might
 be seen at a distance1 but all         
disappeared if any one approached4  ,the
 note of ,m4 d',ecluse1 editor of these 
,memoirs1 enters into longer details4   
,he observes that ,m4 de ,perfixe makes 
mention of this phantom2 and he makes   
him say1 with a hoarse voice1 one of    
these three sentences3 ,do you expect   
me8 or1 ,do you hear me8 or1 ,amend     
yourself4 ,and they believe1 says he1   
that these were sports of sorcerers1 or 
of the malignant spirit4 ,the ,journal  
of ,henry ,,iv41 and the ,septenary     
,chronicle1 speak of them also1 and even

 assert that this phenomenon alarmed    
,henry ,,iv4 and his courtiers very     
much4 ,and ,peter ,matthew says         
something of it in his ,history of      
,france1 tom4 ii4 p4 #fh4 ,bongars      
speaks of it as others do1#cfb and      
asserts that it was a hunter who had    
been killed in this forest in the time  
of ,francis ,i4 ,but now we hear no more
 of this spectre1 though there is still 
a road in this forest which retains the 
name of the ,grand ,veneur1 in memory1  
it is said1 of this visionary scene4  ,a
 ,chronicle of ,metz1#cfc under the date
 of the year #accj1 relates the         
apparition of a spirit at ,lagni sur    
,marne1 six leagues from ,paris4 ,it was
 a good lady1 who after her death spoke 
to more than twenty people--her father1 
sister1 daughter1 and son-in-law1 and to
 her other friends--asking them to have 
said for her particular masses1 as being
 more efficacious than the common mass4 
,as they feared it might be an evil     
spirit1 they read to it the beginning of

 the ,gospel of ,st4 ,john2 and they    
made it say the ,pater1 credo1 and      
confiteor4 ,she said she had beside her 
two angels1 one bad and one good2 and   
that the good angel revealed to her what
 she ought to say4 ,they asked her if   
they should go and fetch the ,holy      
,sacrament from the altar4 ,she replied 
it was with them1 for her father1 who   
was present1 and several others among   
them1 had received it on ,christmas day1
 which was the ,tuesday before4  ,father
 ,taillepied1 a ,cordelier1 and         
professor of theology at ,rouen1#cfd who
 composed a book expressly on the       
subject of apparitions1 which was       
printed at ,rouen in #afjj1 says that   
one of his fraternity with whom he was  
acquainted1 named ,brother ,gabriel1    
appeared to several monks of the convent
 at ,nice1 and begged of them to satisfy
 the demand of a shopkeeper at          
,marseilles1 of whom he had taken a coat
 he had not paid for4 ,on being asked   
why he made so much noise1 he replied   

that it was not himself1 but a bad      
spirit who wished to appear instead of  
him1 and prevent him from declaring the 
cause of his torment4  ,i have been told
 by two canons of ,st4 ,diez1 in our    
neighborhood1 that three months after   
the death of ,m4 ,henri1 canon of ,st4  
,diez1 of their brotherhood1 the canon  
to whom the house devolved1 going with  
one of his brethren1 at two o'clock in  
the afternoon1 to look at the said      
house1 and see what alterations it might
 suit him to make in it1 they went into 
the kitchen1 and both of them saw in the
 next room1 which was large and very    
light1 a tall ecclesiastic of the same  
height and figure as the defunct canon1 
who1 turning towards them1 looked them  
in the face for two minutes1 then       
crossed the said room1 and went up a    
little dark staircase which led to the  
garret4  ,these two gentlemen1 being    
much frightened1 left the house         
instantly1 and related the adventure to 
some of the brotherhood1 who were of    

opinion that they ought to return and   
see if there was not some one hidden in 
the house2 they went1 they sought1 they 
looked everywhere1 without finding any  
one4  ,we read in the ,history of the   
,bishops of ,mans1#cfe that in the time 
of ,bishop ,hugh1 who lived in #aace1   
they heard1 in the house of ,provost    
,nicholas1 a spirit who alarmed the     
neighbors and those who lived in the    
house1 by uproar and frightful noises1  
as if he had thrown enormous stones     
against the walls1 with a force which   
shook the roof1 walls1 and ceilings2 he 
transported the dishes and the plates   
from one place to another1 without their
 seeing the hand which moved them4 ,this
 genius lighted a candle1 though very   
far from the fire4 ,sometimes1 when the 
meat was placed on the table1 he would  
scatter bran1 ashes1 or soot1 to prevent
 them from touching any of it4 ,amica1  
the wife of the ,provost ,nicholas1     
having prepared some thread to be made  
into cloth1 the spirit twisted and      

raveled it in such a way that all who   
saw it could not sufficiently admire the
 manner in which it was done4  ,priests 
were called in1 who sprinkled holy water
 everywhere1 and desired all those who  
were there to make the sign of the      
cross4 ,towards the first and second    
night1 they heard as it were the voice  
of a young girl1 who1 with sighs that   
seemed drawn from the bottom of her     
heart1 said1 in a lamentable and sobbing
 voice1 that her name was ,garnier2 and 
addressing itself to the provost1 said1 
,alas6 whence do ,i come8 from what     
distant country1 through how many       
storms1 dangers1 through snow1 cold1    
fire1 and bad weather1 have ,i arrived  
at this place6 ,i have not received     
power to harm any one--but prepare      
yourselves with the sign of the cross   
against a band of evil spirits1 who are 
here only to do you harm2 have a mass of
 the ,holy ,ghost said for me1 and a    
mass for those defunct2 and you1 my dear
 sister-in-law1 give some clothes to the

 poor1 for me4  ,they asked this spirit 
several questions on things past and to 
come1 to which it replied very          
pertinently2 it explained even the      
salvation and damnation of several      
persons2 but it would not enter into any
 argument1 nor yet into conference with 
learned men1 who were sent by the       
,bishop of ,mans2 this last circumstance
 is very remarkable1 and casts some     
suspicion on this apparition4           
,footnotes3  #ceg ,richer ,senon4 in    
,chronic4 m4 7,hoc non exstat in        
impresso74  #ceh ,herman ,contraet4     
,chronic4 p4 #ajjf4  #cei ,d',aubign1   
,hist4 ,univ4 lib4 ii4 c4 #ab4 ,ap4     
#aegd4  #cfj ,henry ,,iv4  #cfa ,mm4 de 
,sully1 in #dto4 tom4 i4 liv4 x4 p4     
#efb1 note #bf4 ,or ,edit4 in #abmo4    
tom4 iii4 p4 #cba1 note #bf4  #cfb      
,bongars1 ,epist4 ad ,camerarium4  #cfc 
,chronic4 ,metens4 ,anno1 #accj4  #cfd  
,taillepied1 ,trait de l',apparition des
 ,esprits1 c4 xv4 p4 #agc4  #cfe        
,anecdote ,mabill1 p4 #cbj4 ,edition in 

fol4     ,,chapter ,,xlii4  ,,on ,,the  
,,apparitions ,,of ,,spirits ,,who      
,,imprint ,,their ,,hands ,,on ,,clothes
 ,,or ,,on ,,wood4   ,within a short    
time1 a work composed by a ,father      
,prmontr1 of the ,abbey of ,toussaints1 
in the ,black ,forest1 has been         
communicated to me4 ,his work is in     
manuscript1 and entitled1 ,umbra        
,humberti1 hoc est historia memorabilis 
,d4 ,humberti ,birkii1 mir post mortem  
apparitione1 per ,a4 ,g4 ,n4  ,this     
,humbert ,birck was a burgess of note1  
in the town of ,oppenheim1 and master of
 a country house called ,berenbach2 he  
died in the month of ,november1 #afbj1 a
 few days before the feast of ,st4      
,martin4 ,on the ,saturday which        
followed his funeral1 they began to hear
 certain noises in the house where he   
had lived with his first wife2 for at   
the time of his death he had married    
again4  ,the master of this house1      
suspecting that it was his              
brother-in-law who haunted it1 said to  

him1 ,if you are ,humbert1 my           
brother-in-law1 strike three times      
against the wall4 ,at the same time1    
they heard three strokes only1 for      
ordinarily he struck several times4     
,sometimes1 also1 he was heard at the   
fountain where they went for water1 and 
he frightened all the neighborhood2 he  
did not always utter articulate sounds1 
but he would knock repeatedly1 make a   
noise1 or a groan1 or a shrill whistle1 
or sounds as a person in lamentation2   
all this lasted for six months1 and then
 it suddenly ceased4 ,at the end of a   
year he made himself heard more loudly  
than ever4 ,the master of the house1 and
 his domestics1 the boldest amongst     
them1 at last asked him what he wished  
for1 and in what they could help him8   
,he replied1 but in a hoarse1 low tone1 
,let the cur come here next ,saturday   
with my children4 ,the cur being        
indisposed1 could not go thither on the 
appointed day2 but he went on the       
,monday following1 accompanied by a good

 many people4  ,humbert received notice 
of this1 and he answered in a very      
intelligible manner4 ,they asked him if 
he required any masses to be said8 ,he  
asked for three4 ,then they wished to   
know if alms should be given in his     
name8 ,he said1 ,i wish them to give    
eight measures of corn to the poor1 and 
that my widow may give something to all 
my children4 ,he afterwards ordered that
 what had been badly distributed in his 
succession1 which amounted to about     
twenty florins1 should be set aside4    
,they asked why he infested that house  
rather than another8 ,he answered that  
he was forced to it by conjuration and  
maledictions4 ,had he received the      
sacraments of the ,church8 ,i received  
them from the cur1 your predecessor4 ,he
 was made to say the ,pater and the     
,ave2 he recited them with difficulty1  
saying that he was prevented by an evil 
spirit1 who would not let him tell the  
cur many other things4  ,the cur1 who   
was named ,prmontr1 of the abbey of     

,toussaints1 came to the monastery on   
,tuesday the #abth of ,january1 #afba1  
in order to take the opinion of the     
,superior on this singular affair2 they 
let him have three monks to help him    
with their counsels4 ,they all repaired 
to the house wherein ,humbert continued 
his importunity2 for nothing that he had
 requested had as yet been executed4 ,a 
great number of those who lived near    
were assembled in the house4 ,the master
 of it told ,humbert to rap against the 
wall2 he knocked very gently3 then the  
master desired him to go and fetch a    
stone and knock louder2 he deferred a   
little1 as if he had been to pick up a  
stone1 and gave a stronger blow upon the
 wall3 the master whispered in his      
neighbor's ear as softly as he could    
that he should rap seven times1 and     
directly he rapped seven times4 ,he     
always showed great respect to the      
priests1 and did not reply to them so   
boldly as to the laity2 and when he was 
asked why--,it is1 said he1 because they

 have with them the ,holy ,sacrament4   
,however1 they had it no otherwise than 
because they had said mass that day4    
,the next day the three masses which he 
had required were said1 and all was     
disposed for a pilgrimage1 which he had 
specified in the last conversation they 
had with him2 and they promised to give 
alms for him the first day possible4    
,from that time ,humbert haunted them no
 more4  ,the same monk1 ,prmontr1       
relates that on the #ith of ,september1 
#afbe1 a man named ,john ,steinlin died 
at a place called ,altheim1 in the      
diocese of ,constance4 ,steinlin was a  
man in easy circumstances1 and a        
common-councilman of his town4 ,some    
days after his death he appeared during 
the night to a tailor1 named ,simon     
,bauh1 in the form of a man surrounded  
by a sombre flame1 like that of lighted 
sulphur1 going and coming in his own    
house1 but without speaking4 ,bauh1 who 
was disquieted by this sight1 resolved  
to ask him what he could do to serve    

him4 ,he found an opportunity to do so  
the #agth of ,november in the same year1
 #afbe2 for1 as he was reposing at night
 near his stove1 a little after eleven  
o'clock1 he beheld this spectre         
environed by fire like sulphur1 who came
 into his room1 going and coming1       
shutting and opening the windows4 ,the  
tailor asked him what he desired4 ,he   
replied1 in a hoarse1 interrupted voice1
 that he could help very much1 if he    
would2 but1 added he1 do not promise me 
to do so1 if you are not resolved to    
execute your promises4 ,i will execute  
them1 if they are not beyond my power1  
replied he4  ,i wish1 then1 replied the 
spirit1 that you would cause a mass to  
be said in the chapel of the ,virgin at 
,rotembourg2 ,i made a vow to that      
intent during my life1 and ,i have not  
acquitted myself of it4 ,moreover1 you  
must have two masses said at ,altheim1  
the one of the ,defunct and the other of
 the ,virgin2 and as ,i did not always  
pay my servants exactly1 ,i wish that a 

quarter of corn should be distributed to
 the poor4 ,simon promised to satisfy   
him on all these points4 ,the spectre   
held out his hand1 as if to ensure his  
promise2 but ,simon1 fearing that some  
harm might happen to himself1 tendered  
him the board which come to hand1 and   
the spectre having touched it1 left the 
print of his hand with the four fingers 
and thumb1 as if fire had been there1   
and had left a pretty deep impression4  
,after that1 he vanished with so much   
noise that it was heard three houses    
off4  ,i related in the first edition of
 this dissertation on the return of     
spirits1 an adventure which happened at 
,fontenoy on the ,moselle1 where it was 
affirmed that a spirit had in the same  
manner made the impression of its hand  
on a handkerchief1 and had left the     
impress of the hand and of the palm well
 marked4 ,the handkerchief is in the    
hands of one ,casmar1 a constable living
 at ,toul1 who received it from his     
uncle1 the cur of ,fontenoy2 but1 on a  

careful investigation of the thing1 it  
was found that a young blacksmith1 who  
courted a young girl to whom the        
handkerchief belonged1 had forged an    
iron hand to print it on the            
handkerchief1 and persuade people of the
 reality of the apparition4  ,at ,st4   
,avold1 a town of ,german ,lorraine1 in 
the house of the cur1 named ,m4 ,royer  
de ,monelos1 there was something very   
similar which appears to have been      
performed by a servant girl1 sixteen    
years of age1 who heard and saw1 as she 
said1 a woman who made a great noise in 
the house2 but she was the only person  
who saw and heard her1 although others  
heard also the noise which was made in  
the house4 ,they saw also the young     
servant1 as it were1 pushed1 dragged1   
and struck by the spirit1 but never saw 
it1 nor yet heard his voice4 ,this      
contrivance began on the night of the   
#cast of ,january1 #afid1 and finished  
about the end of ,february the same     
year4 ,the cur conjured the spirit in   

,german and ,french4 ,he made no reply  
to the exorcisms in ,french but sighs2  
and as they terminated the ,german      
exorcism1 saying1 ,let every spirit     
praise the ,lord1 the girl said that the
 spirit had said1 ,and me also2 but she 
alone heard it4  ,some monks of the     
abbey were requested to come also and   
exorcise the spirit4 ,they came1 and    
with them some burgesses of note of ,st4
 ,avold2 and neither before nor after   
the exorcisms did they see or hear      
anything1 except that the servant girl  
seemed to be pushed violently1 and the  
doors were roughly knocked at4 ,by dint 
of exorcisms they forced the spirit1 or 
rather the servant who alone heard and  
saw it1 to declare that she was neither 
maid nor wife2 that she was called      
,claire ,margaret ,henri2 that a hundred
 and fifty years ago she had died at the
 age of twenty1 after having lived      
servant at the cur of ,st4 ,avold's     
first of all for eight years1 and that  
she had died at ,guenviller of grief and

 regret for having killed her own child4
 ,at last1 the servant maintaining that 
she was not a good spirit1 she said to  
her1 ,give me hold of your petticoat 7or
 skirt74 ,she would do no such thing2 at
 the same time the spirit said to her1  
,look at your petticoat2 my mark is upon
 it4 ,she looked and saw upon her skirt 
the five fingers of the hand so         
distinctly that it did not appear       
possible for any living creature to have
 marked them better4 ,this affair lasted
 about two months2 and at this day1 at  
,st4 ,avold1 as in all the country1 they
 talk of the spirit of ,st4 ,avold as of
 a game played by that girl1 in concert1
 doubtless1 with some persons who wished
 to divert themselves by puzzling the   
good cur with his sisters1 and all those
 who fell into the trap4 ,they printed  
at ,cusson's1 at ,nancy1 in #agah1 a    
relation of this event1 which at first  
gained credence with a number of people1
 but who were quite undeceived in the   
end4  ,i shall add to this story that   

which is related by ,philip             
,melancthon1#cff whose testimony in this
 matter ought not to be doubted4 ,he    
says that his aunt having lost her      
husband when she was enceinte and near  
her time1 she saw one day1 towards      
evening1 two persons come into her      
house2 one of them wore the form of her 
deceased husband1 the other that of a   
tall ,franciscan4 ,at first she was     
frightened1 but her husband reassured   
her1 and told her that he had important 
things to communicate to her2 at the    
same time he begged the ,franciscan to  
pass into the next room1 whilst he      
imparted his wishes to his wife4 ,then  
he begged of her to have some masses    
said for the relief of his soul1 and    
tried to persuade her to give her hand  
without fear2 as she was unwilling to   
give it1 he assured her she would feel  
no pain4 ,she gave him her hand1 and her
 hand felt no pain when she withdrew it1
 but was so blackened that it remained  
discolored all her life4 ,after that1   

the husband called in the ,franciscan2  
they went out1 and disappeared4         
,melancthon believes that these were two
 spectres2 he adds that he knows several
 similar instances related by persons   
worthy of credit4  ,if these two men    
were only spectres1 having neither flesh
 nor bones1 how could one of them       
imprint a black color on the hand of    
this widow8 ,how could he who appeared  
to the tailor ,bauh imprint his hand on 
the board which he presented to him8 ,if
 they were evil genii1 why did they ask 
for masses and order restitution8 ,does 
,satan destroy his own empire1 and does 
he inspire the living with the idea of  
doing good actions and of fearing the   
pains which the sins of the wicked are  
punished by ,god8  ,but on looking at   
the affair in another light1 may not the
 demon in this kind of apparitions1 by  
which he asks for masses and prayers1   
intend to foment superstition1 by making
 the living believe that masses and     
prayers made for them after their death 

would free them from the pains of hell1 
even if they died in habitual crime and 
impenitence8 ,several instances are     
cited of rascals who have appeared after
 their death1 asking for prayers like   
the bad rich man1 and to whom prayers   
and masses can be of no avail from the  
unhappy state in which they died4 ,thus1
 in all this1 ,satan seeks to establish 
his kingdom1 and not to destroy it or   
diminish it4  ,we shall speak hereafter1
 in the ,dissertation on ,vampires1 of  
apparitions of dead persons who have    
been seen1 and acted like living ones in
 their own bodies4  ,the same           
,melancthon relates that a monk came one
 day and rapped loudly at the door of   
,luther's dwelling1 asking to speak to  
him2 he entered and said1 ,i entertained
 some popish errors upon which ,i shall 
be very glad to confer with you4 ,speak1
 said ,luther4 ,he at first proposed to 
him several syllogisms1 to which he     
easily replied2 he then proposed others1
 that were more difficult4 ,luther1     

being annoyed1 answered him hastily1    
,go1 you embarrass me2 ,i have something
 else to do just now besides answering  
you4 ,however1 he rose and replied to   
his arguments4 ,at the same time1 having
 remarked that the pretended monk had   
hands like the claws of a bird1 he said 
to him1 ,art not thou he of whom it is  
said1 in ,genesis1 ',he who shall be    
born of woman shall break the head of   
the serpent8' ,the demon added1 ,but    
thou shalt engulf them all4 ,at these   
words the confused demon retired angrily
 and with much fracas2 he left the room 
infested with a very bad smell1 which   
was perceptible for some days4  ,luther1
 who assumes so much the esprit fort1   
and inveighs with so much warmth against
 private masses wherein they pray for   
the souls of the defunct1#cfg maintains 
boldly that all the apparitions of      
spirits which we read in the lives of   
the saints1 and who ask for masses for  
the repose of their souls1 are only     
illusions of ,satan1 who appears to     

deceive the simple1 and inspire them    
with useless confidence in the sacrifice
 of the mass4 ,whence he concludes that 
it is better at once to deny absolutely 
that there is any purgatory4  ,he1 then1
 did not deny either apparitions or the 
operations of the devil2 and he         
maintained that ,ecolampadius died under
 the blows of the devil1#cfh whose      
efforts he could not rebut2 and1        
speaking of himself1 he affirms that    
awaking once with a start in the middle 
of the night1 the devil appeared1 to    
argue against him1 when he was seized   
with moral terror4 ,the arguments of the
 demon were so pressing that they left  
him no repose of mind2 the sound of his 
powerful voice1 his overwhelming manner 
of disputing when the question and the  
reply were perceived at once1 left him  
no breathing time4 ,he says again that  
the devil can kill and strangle1 and    
without doing all that1 press a man so  
home by his arguments that it is enough 
to kill one2 as ,i1 says he1 have       

experienced several times4 ,after such  
avowals1 what can we think of the       
doctrine of this chief of the           
innovators8   ,footnotes3  #cff         
,philipp4 ,melancth4 ,theolog4 c4 i4    
,oper4 fol4 #cbf1 #cbg4  #cfg ,martin   
,luther1 de ,abroganda ,missa ,privata1 
part4 ii4  #cfh ,ibid4 tom4 vii4 #bbf4  
,,chapter ,,xliii4  ,,opinions ,,of     
,,the ,,jews1 ,,greeks1 ,,and ,,latins  
,,concerning ,,the ,,dead ,,who ,,are   
,,left ,,unburied4   ,the ancient       
,hebrews1 as well as the greater number 
of other nations1 were very careful in  
burying their dead4 ,that appears from  
all history2 we see in the ,scripture   
how much attention the patriarchs paid  
in that respect to themselves and those 
belonging to them2 we know what praises 
are bestowed on the holy man ,tobit1    
whose principal devotion consisted in   
giving sepulture to the dead4  ,josephus
 the historian#cfi says that the ,jews  
refused burial only to those who        
committed suicide4 ,moses commanded     

them#cgj to give sepulture the same day 
and before sunset to any who were       
executed and hanged on a tree2 because1 
says he1 he who is hung upon the tree is
 accursed of ,god2 you will take care   
not to pollute the land which the ,lord 
your ,god has given you4 ,that was      
practiced in regard to our ,saviour1 who
 was taken down from the cross the same 
day that he had been crucified1 and a   
few hours after his death4  ,homer1#cga 
speaking of the inhumanity of ,achilles1
 who dragged the body of ,hector after  
his car1 says that he dishonored and    
outraged the earth by this barbarous    
conduct4 ,the ,rabbis write that the    
soul is not received into heaven until  
the gross body is interred1 and entirely
 consumed4 ,they believe1 moreover1 that
 after death the souls of the wicked are
 clothed with a kind of covering with   
which they accustom themselves to suffer
 the torments which are their due2 and  
that the souls of the just are invested 
with a resplendent body and a luminous  

garment1 with which they accustom       
themselves to the glory which awaits    
them4  ,origen#cgb acknowledges that    
,plato1 in his ,dialogue of the ,soul1  
advances that the images and shades of  
the dead appeared sometimes near their  
tombs4 ,origen concludes from that1 that
 those shades and those images must be  
produced by some cause2 and that cause1 
according to him1 can only be that the  
soul of the dead is invested with a     
subtile body like that of light1 on     
which they are borne as in a car1 where 
they appear to the living4 ,celsus      
maintained that the apparitions of      
,jesus ,christ after his resurrection   
were only the effects of an imagination 
smitten and prepossessed1 which formed  
to itself the object of its illusions   
according to its wishes4 ,origen refutes
 this solidly by the recital of the     
evangelists1 of the appearance of our   
,saviour to ,thomas1 who would not      
believe it was truly our ,saviour until 
he had seen and touched his wounds2 it  

was not1 then1 purely the effect of his 
imagination4  ,the same ,origen1#cgc and
 ,theophylact after him1 assert that the
 ,jews and pagans believe that the soul 
remained for some time near the body it 
had formerly animated2 and that it is to
 destroy that futile opinion that ,jesus
 ,christ1 when he would resuscitate     
,lazarus1 cries with a loud voice1      
,lazarus1 come forth2 as if he would    
call from a distance the soul of this   
man who had been dead three days4       
,tertullian places the angels in the    
category of extension1#cgd in which he  
places ,god himself1 and maintains that 
the soul is corporeal4 ,origen believes 
also that the soul is material1 and has 
a form2#cge an opinion which he may have
 taken from ,plato4 ,arnobius1          
,lactantius1 ,st4 ,hilary1 several of   
the ancient fathers1 and some           
theologians1 have been of the same      
opinion2 and ,grotius is displeased with
 those who have absolutely spiritualized
 the angels1 demons and souls separated 

from the body4  ,the ,jews of our       
days#cgf believe that after the body of 
a man is interred1 his spirit goes and  
comes1 and departs from the spot where  
it is destined to visit his body1 and to
 know what passes around him2 that it is
 wandering during a whole year after the
 death of the body1 and that it was     
during that year of delay that the      
,pythoness of ,endor evoked the soul of 
,samuel1 after which time the evocation 
would have had no power over his spirit4
  ,the pagans thought much in the same  
manner upon it4 ,lucan introduces       
,pompey1 who consults a witch1 and      
commands her to evoke the soul of a dead
 man to reveal to him what success he   
would meet with in his war against      
,csar2 the poet makes this woman say1   
,shade1 obey my spells1 for ,i evoke not
 a soul from gloomy ,tartarus1 but one  
which hath gone down thither a little   
while since1 and which is still at the  
gate of hell4#cgg  ,the ,egyptians#cgh  
believed that when the spirit of an     

animal is separated from its body by    
violence1 it does not go to a distance1 
but remains near it4 ,it is the same    
with the soul of a man who has died a   
violent death2 it remains near the      
body--nothing can make it go away2 it is
 retained there by sympathy2 several    
have been seen sighing near their bodies
 which were interred4 ,the magicians    
abuse their power over such in their    
incantations2 they force them to obey1  
when they are masters of the dead body1 
or even part of it4 ,frequent experience
 taught them that there is a secret     
virtue in the body1 which draws towards 
it the spirit which has once inhabited  
it2 wherefore those who wish to receive 
or become the receptacles of the spirits
 of such animals as know the future1 eat
 the principle parts of them1 as the    
hearts of crows1 moles1 or hawks4 ,the  
spirit of these creatures enters into   
them at the moment they eat this food1  
and makes them give out oracles like    
divinities4  ,the ,egyptians            

believed#cgi that when the spirit of a  
beast is delivered from its body1 it is 
rational and predicts the future1 gives 
oracles1 and is capable of all that the 
soul of man can do when disengaged from 
the body--for which reason they         
abstained from eating the flesh of      
animals1 and worshiped the gods in the  
form of beasts4  ,at ,rome and at ,metz 
there were colleges of priests          
consecrated to the service of the       
manes1#chj lares1 images1 shades1       
spectres1 ,erebus1 ,avernus or hell1    
under the protection of the god         
,sylvanus2 which demonstrates that the  
,latins and the ,gauls recognized the   
return of souls and their apparition1   
and considered them as divinities to    
whom sacrifices should be offered to    
appease them and prevent them from doing
 harm4 ,nicander confirms the same      
thing1 when he says that the ,celts or  
the ,gauls watched near the tombs of    
their great men to derive from them     
knowledge concerning the future4  ,the  

ancient northern nations were fully     
persuaded that the spectres which       
sometimes appear are no other than the  
souls of persons lately deceased1 and in
 their country they knew no remedy so   
proper to put a stop to this kind of    
apparition as to cut off the head of the
 dead person1 or to impale him1 or      
pierce him through the body with a      
stake1 or to burn it1 as is now         
practiced at this day in ,hungary and   
,moravia with regard to vampires4  ,the 
,greeks1 who had derived their religion 
and theology from the ,egyptians and    
,orientals1 and the ,latins1 who took it
 from the ,greeks1 believed that the    
souls of the dead sometimes appeared to 
the living2 that the necromancers evoked
 them1 and thus obtained answers        
concerning the future1 and instructions 
relating to the time present4 ,homer1   
the greatest theologian1 and perhaps the
 most curious of the ,grecian writers1  
relates several apparitions1 both of    
gods and heroes1 and of men after their 

death4  ,in the ,odyssey1#cha ,ulysses  
goes to consult the diviner ,tyresias2  
and this sorcerer having prepared a     
grave full of blood to evoke the manes1 
,ulysses draws his sword1 and prevents  
them from coming to drink this blood1   
for which they appear to thirst1 and of 
which they would not permit them to     
taste before they had replied to what   
was asked of them2 they 7the ,greeks and
 ,latins7 believed also that souls were 
not at rest1 and that they wandered     
around the corpses1 so long as they     
remained uninhumed4#chb ,when they gave 
burial to a body1 they called that      
animam condere1#chc to cover the soul1  
put it under the earth and shelter it4  
,they called it with a loud voice1 and  
offered it libations of milk and blood4 
,they also called that ceremony1 hiding 
the shades1#chd sending them with their 
body under ground4  ,the sybil1 speaking
 to neas1 shows him the manes or shades 
wandering on the banks of the ,acheron2 
and tells him that they are souls of    

persons who have not received sepulture1
 and who wander about for a hundred     
years4#che  ,the philosopher            
,sallust#chf speaks of the apparitions  
of the dead around their tombs in dark  
bodies2 he tries to prove thereby the   
dogma of the metempsychosis4  ,here is a
 singular instance of a dead man1 who   
refuses the rite of burial1             
acknowledging himself unworthy of it4   
,agathias relates#chg that some pagan   
philosophers1 not being able to relish  
the dogma of the unity of a ,god1       
resolved to go from ,constantinople to  
the court of ,chosroes1 ,king of        
,persia1 who was spoken of as a humane  
prince1 and one who loved learning4     
,simplicius of ,silicia1 ,eulamius the  
,phrygian1 ,protanus the ,lydian1       
,hermenes and ,philogenes of ,phoenicia1
 and ,isidorus of ,gaza1 repaired then  
to the court of ,chosroes1 and were well
 received there2 but they soon perceived
 that that country was much more corrupt
 than ,greece1 and they resolved to     

return to ,constantinople1 where        
,justinian then reigned4  ,as they were 
on their way1 they found an unburied    
corpse1 took pity on it1 and had it put 
in the ground by their own servants4    
,the following night this man appeared  
to one of them1 and told him not to     
inter him1 who was not worthy of        
receiving sepulture2 for the earth      
abhorred one who had defiled his own    
mother4 ,the next day they found the    
same corpse cast out of the ground1 and 
they comprehended that it was defiled by
 incest1 which rendered it unworthy of  
the honor of receiving burial1 although 
such crimes were known in ,persia1 and  
did not excite the same horror there as 
in other countries4  ,the ,greeks and   
,latins believed that the souls of the  
dead came and tasted what was presented 
on their tombs1 especially honey and    
wine2 that the demons loved the smoke   
and odor of sacrifices1 melody1 the     
blood of victims1 commerce with women2  
that they were attached for a time to   

certain spots or to certain edifices1   
which they haunted1 and where they      
appeared2 that souls separated from     
their terrestrial body1 retained after  
death a subtile one1 flexible1 arial1   
which preserved the form of that they   
once had animated during their life2    
that they haunted those who had done    
them wrong and whom they hated4 ,thus   
,virgil describes ,dido1 in a rage1     
threatening to haunt the perfidious     
neas4#chh  ,when the spirit of          
,patroclus appeared to ,achilles1#chi it
 had his voice1 his shape1 his eyes1 his
 garments1 but not his palpable body4   
,when ,ulysses went down to the infernal
 regions1 he saw there the divine       
,hercules1#cij that is to say1 says     
,homer1 his likeness2 for he himself is 
with the immortal gods1 seated at their 
feast4 neas recognized his wife ,cresa1 
who appeared to him in her usual form1  
only taller and more majestic4#cia  ,we 
might cite a quantity of passages from  
the ancient poets1 even from the fathers

 of the church1 who believed that       
spirits often appeared to the living4   
,tertullian#cib believes that the soul  
is corporeal1 and that it has a certain 
figure4 ,he appeals to the experience of
 those to whom the ghosts of dead       
persons have appeared1 and who have seen
 them sensibly1 corporeally1 and        
palpably1 although of an arial color and
 consistency4 ,he defines the soul#cic a
 breath sent from ,god1 immortal1 and   
having body and form4 ,speaking of the  
fictions of the poets1 who have asserted
 that souls were not at rest while their
 bodies remain uninterred1 he says all  
this is invented only to inspire the    
living with that care which they ought  
to take for the burial of the dead1 and 
to take away from the relations of the  
dead the sight of an object which would 
only uselessly augment their grief1 if  
they kept it too long in their houses2  
ut instanti funeris et honor corporum   
servetur et moeror affectuum temperetur4
  ,st4 ,irenus#cid teaches1 as a        

doctrine received from the ,lord1 that  
souls not only subsist after the death  
of the body--without however passing    
from one body into another1 as those    
will have it who admit the              
metempsychosis--but that they retain the
 form and remain near this body1 as     
faithful guardians of it1 and remember  
naught of what they have done or not    
done in this life4 ,these fathers       
believed1 then1 in the return of souls1 
their apparition1 and their attachment  
to their body2 but we do not adopt their
 opinion on the corporeality of souls2  
we are persuaded that they can appear   
with ,god's permission1 independently of
 all matter and of any corporeal        
substance which may belong to them4  ,as
 to the opinion of the soul being in a  
state of unrest while its body is not   
interred1 that it remains for some time 
near the tomb of the body1 and appears  
there in a bodily form2 those are       
opinions which have no solid foundation1
 either in ,scripture or in the         

traditions of the ,church1 which teach  
us that directly after death the soul is
 presented before the judgment-seat of  
,god1 and is there destined to the place
 that its good or bad actions have      
deserved4   ,footnotes3  #cfi ,joseph   
,bell4 ,jud4 lib4 iii c4 #be4  #cgj     
,deut4 xxi4 #bc4  #cga ,homer1 ,iliad1  
,,xxiv4  #cgb ,origenes contra ,celsum1 
p4 #ig4  #cgc ,origenes in ,joan4 ix4 c4
 ,theophylac4 ibid4  #cgd ,tertull4 lib4
 de ,anima4  #cge ,origenes contra      
,cels4 lib4 ii4  #cgf ,bereseith ,rabb4 
c4 #bb4 ,vide ,menasse de ,resurrect4   
,mort4  #cgg                            
,parete precanti   ,non in ,tartareo    
latitantem poscimus antro1              
,assuetamque di tenebris2 mod luce fugat
   ,descendentem animam primo pallentis 
hiatu   ,hret adhuc orci4               
,lucan1 ,pharsal4 #af4  #cgh ,porphyr4  
de ,abstin4 lib4 ii4 art4 #dg4  #cgi    
,demet4 lib4 iv4 art4 #aj4  #chj        
,gruter1 p4 lxiii4 ,mauric4 ,hist4 de   
,metz1 preface1 p4 #ae4  #cha ,homer1   

,odyss4 sub finem4 ,horat4 lib4 i4      
satyr4 #h4 ,aug4 de ,civit4 ,dei1 lib4  
vii4 c4 #ce4 ,clem4 ,alex4 ,pdag4 lib4  
ii4 c4 #a4 ,prudent4 lib4 iv4 contra    
,symmach4 ,tertull4 de ,anim4           
,lactantius1 lib4 iii4  #chb ,virgil1 n4
 iii4 #aej1 et seq4    ,proptere jacet  
exanimum tibi corpus amici1   ,heu      
nescis6 totamque incestat funere        
classem4   ,sedibus hunc refer ante suis
 et conde sepulcre4  #chc               
,animamque sepulchro   ,condimus1 et    
magn supremum voce ciemus4  #chd        
,romulus ut tumulo fraternas condidit   
umbras1   ,et mal veloci justa soluta   
,remo4  #che   ,hc omnis1 quam cernis1  
inops inhumataque turba est4   ,centum  
errant annos1 volitantque hc littora    
circum4  #chf ,sallust4 ,philos4 c4 #ai1
 #bj4  #chg ,stolust4 lib4 ii4 de ,bella
 ,persico1 sub fin4  #chh               
,sequar atris ignibus absens2   ,et cum 
frigida mors anim subduxerit artus1     
,omnibus umbra lecis adero3 dubis1      
improbe1 poenas4  #chi ,homer1 ,iliad1  

,,xxiii4  #cij ,ibid4 ,odyss4 ,v4  #cia 
,infelix simulacrum etque ipsius umbra  
,cres   ,visa mihi ante oculos1 et not  
major imago4 ,virgil1 neid ,i4  #cib    
,tertull4 de ,anim4  #cic ,ibid4  #cid  
,iren4 lib4 ii4 c4 #cd4     ,,chapter   
,,xliv4  ,,examination ,,of ,,what ,,is 
,,required ,,or ,,revealed ,,to ,,the   
,,living ,,by ,,the ,,dead ,,who        
,,return ,,to ,,earth4   ,the           
apparitions which are seen are those of 
good angels1 or of demons1 or the       
spirits of the dead1 or of living       
persons to others still living4  ,good  
angels usually bring only good news1 and
 announce nothing but what is fortunate2
 or if they do announce any future      
misfortunes1 it is to persuade men to   
prevent them1 or turn them aside by     
repentance1 or to profit by the evils   
which ,god sends them by exercising     
their patience1 and showing submission  
to his orders4  ,bad angels generally   
foretell only misfortune2 wars1 the     
effect of the wrath of ,god on nations2 

and often even they execute the evils1  
and direct the wars and public          
calamities which desolate kingdoms1     
provinces1 cities1 and families4 ,the   
spectres whose appearance to ,brutus1   
,cassius1 and ,julian the ,apostate we  
have related1 are only bearers of the   
fatal orders of the wrath of ,god4 ,if  
they sometimes promise any prosperity to
 those to whom they appear1 it is only  
for the present time1 never for         
eternity1 nor for the glory of ,god1 nor
 for the eternal salvation of those to  
whom they speak4 ,it only extends to a  
temporal fortune1 always of short       
duration1 and very often deceitful4     
,the souls of the defunct1 if these be  
,christians1 ask very often that the    
sacrifice of the body and blood of      
,christ should be offered1 according to 
the observation of ,st4 ,gregory the    
,great2#cie and1 as experience shows1   
there is hardly any apparition of a     
,christian that does not ask for masses1
 pilgrimages1 restitutions1 or that alms

 should be distributed1 or that they    
would satisfy those to whom the deceased
 died indebted4 ,they also often give   
salutary advice for the salvation or    
correction of the morals1 or good       
regulation of families4 ,they reveal the
 state in which certain persons find    
themselves in the other world1 in order 
to relieve their pain1 or to put the    
living on their guard1 that the like    
misfortune may not befall them4 ,they   
talk of hell1 paradise1 purgatory1      
angels1 demons1 of the ,supreme ,judge1 
of the rigor of his judgments1 of the   
goodness he exercises towards the just1 
and the rewards with which he crowns    
their good works4  ,but we must greatly 
mistrust those apparitions which ask for
 masses1 pilgrimages and restitution4   
,st4 ,paul warns us that the demon often
 transforms himself into an angel of    
light2#cif and ,st4 ,john#cig warns us  
to distrust the depths of ,satan1 his   
illusions1 and deceitful appearances2   
that spirit of malice and falsehood is  

found among the true prophets to put    
into the mouth of the false prophets    
falsehood and error4 ,he makes a wrong  
use of the text of the ,scriptures1 of  
the most sacred ceremonies1 even of the 
sacraments and prayers of the church1 to
 seduce the simple1 and win their       
confidence1 to share as much as in him  
lies the glory which is due to the      
,almighty alone1 and to appropriate it  
to himself4 ,how many false miracles has
 he not wrought8 ,how many times has he 
foretold future events8 ,what cures has 
he not operated8 ,how many holy actions 
has he not counseled8 ,how many         
enterprises1 praiseworthy in appearance1
 has he not inspired1 in order to draw  
the faithful into his snare8  ,boden1 in
 his ,demonology1#cih cites more than   
one instance of demons who have         
requested prayers1 and have even placed 
themselves in the posture of persons    
praying over a grave1 to point out that 
the dead persons wanted prayers4        
,sometimes it will be the demon in the  

shape of a wretch dead in crime1 who    
will come and ask for masses1 to show   
that his soul is in purgatory1 and has  
need of prayers1 although it may be     
certain that he finally died impenitent1
 and that prayers are useless for his   
salvation4 ,all this is only a stratagem
 of a demon1 who seeks to inspire the   
wicked with foolish and dangerous       
confidence in their being saved1        
notwithstanding their criminal life and 
their impenitence2 and that they can    
obtain salvation by means of a few      
prayers1 and a few alms1 which shall be 
made after their death2 not regarding   
that these good works can be useful only
 to those who died in a state of grace1 
although stained by some venial fault1  
since the ,scripture informs us#cii that
 nothing impure will enter the kingdom  
of heaven4  ,it is believed that the    
reprobate can sometimes return to earth 
by permission1 as persons dead in       
idolatry1 and consequently in sin1 and  
excluded from the kingdom of ,god1 have 

been seen to come to life again1 be     
converted1 and receive baptism4 ,st4    
,martin was as yet only the simple abbot
 of his monastery of ,ligug1#djj when1  
in his absence1 a catechumen who had    
placed himself under his discipline to  
be instructed in the truths of the      
,christian religion died without having 
been baptized4 ,he had been three days  
deceased when the saint arrived4 ,he    
sent everybody away1 prayed over the    
dead man1 resuscitated him1 and         
administered to him the baptismal rite4 
,this catechumen related that he had    
been led before the tribunal of the     
,supreme ,judge1 who had condemned him  
to descend into the darkness with an    
infinity of other persons condemned like
 himself2 but that two angels having    
represented to the ,judge that it was   
this man for whom ,st4 ,martin          
interceded1 ,god commanded the two      
angels to bring him back to earth1 and  
restore him to ,martin4 ,this is an     
instance which proves what ,i have just 

said1 that the reprobate can return to  
life1 do penance1 and receive baptism4  
,but as to what some have affirmed of   
the salvation of ,falconila1 procured by
 ,st4 ,thecla1 of that of ,trajan1 saved
 by the prayers of ,st4 ,gregory1 pope1 
and of some others who died heathens1   
this is all entirely contrary to the    
faith of the church and to the holy     
,scripture1 which teach us that without 
faith it is impossible to please ,god1  
and that he who believes not and has not
 received baptism is already judged and 
condemned4 ,thus the opinions of those  
who accord salvation to ,plato1         
,aristotle1 ,seneca1 c41 because it may 
appear to them that they lived in a     
praiseworthy manner1 according to the   
rules of a merely human and             
philosophical morality1 must be         
considered as rash1 erroneous1 false1   
and dangerous4  ,philip1 ,chancellor of 
the ,church of ,paris1 maintained that  
it was permitted to one man to hold a   
plurality of benefices4 ,being on his   

death-bed1 he was visited by ,william1  
,bishop of ,paris1 who died in #abdh4   
,this prelate urged the chancellor to   
give up all his benefices save one only2
 he refused1 saying that he wished to   
try if the holding a plurality of       
livings was so wrong as it was said to  
be2 and in this disposition of mind he  
died in #abcg4  ,some days after his    
decease1 ,bishop ,william1 or           
,guillaume1 praying by night1 after     
matins1 in his cathedral1 beheld before 
him the hideous and frightful figure of 
a man4 ,he made the sign of the cross1  
and said to him1 ,if you are sent by    
,god1 speak4 ,he spoke1 and said3 ,i am 
that wretched chancellor1 and have been 
condemned to eternal punishment4 ,the   
bishop having asked him the cause1 he   
replied1 ,i am condemned1 first1 for not
 having distributed the superfluity of  
my benefices2 secondly1 for having      
maintained that it was allowable to hold
 several at once2 thirdly1 for having   
remained for several days in the guilt  

of incontinence4  ,the story was often  
preached by ,bishop ,william to his     
clerks4 ,it is related by the ,bishop   
,albertus ,magnus1 who was a            
cotemporary1 in his book on the         
sacraments2 by ,william ,durand1 ,bishop
 of ,mande1 in his book ,de ,modo       
celebrandi ,concilia2 and in ,thomas de 
,cantimpr1 in his work ,des ,abeilles4  
,he believed1 then1 that ,god sometimes 
permitted the reprobate to appear to the
 living4  ,here is an instance of the   
apparition of a man and woman who were  
in a state of reprobation4 ,the ,prince 
of ,ratzivil1#dja in his ,journey to    
,jerusalem1 relates that when in ,egypt 
he bought two mummies1 had them packed  
up1 and secretly as possible conveyed on
 board his vessel1 so that only himself 
and his two servants were aware of it2  
the ,turks making a great difficulty of 
allowing mummies to be carried away1    
because they fancy that the ,christians 
make use of them for magical operations4
 ,when they were at sea1 there arose at 

sundry times such a violent tempest that
 the pilot despaired of saving the      
vessel4 ,a good ,polish priest1 of the  
suite of the ,prince de ,ratzivil1      
recited the prayers suitable to the     
circumstance2 but he was tormented1 he  
said1 by two hideous black spectres1 a  
man and a woman1 who were on each side  
of him1 and threatened to take away his 
life4 ,it was thought at first that     
terror disturbed his mind4  ,a calm     
coming on1 he appeared tranquil2 but    
very soon1 the storm beginning again1 he
 was more tormented than before1 and was
 only delivered from these haunting     
spectres when the two mummies1 which he 
had not seen1 were thrown into the sea1 
and neither himself nor the pilot knew  
of their being in the ship4 ,i will not 
deny the fact1 which is related by a    
prince incapable of desiring to impose  
on any one4 ,but how many reflections   
may we make on this event6 ,were they   
the souls of these two pagans1 or two   
demons who assumed their form8 ,what    

interest could the demon have in not    
permitting these bodies to come under   
the power of the ,christians8           
,footnotes3  #cie ,greg4 ,mag4 lib4 iv4 
,dialog4 c4 #ee4  #cif ,cor4 xi4 #ad4   
#cig ,rev4 xxi4 #ad4  #cih ,bodin1      
,dmon4 tom4 iii4 c4 #f4  #cii ,rev4 xxi4
 #bg4  #djj ,sulpit4 ,sever4 ,vita ,st4 
,martin4 c4 #e4  #dja ,ratzivil1        
,peregrin1 ,jerosol4 p4 #bah4           
,,chapter ,,xlv4  ,,apparitions ,,of    
,,men ,,still ,,alive1 ,,to ,,other     
,,living ,,men1 ,,absent1 ,,and ,,very  
,,distant ,,from ,,each ,,other4   ,we  
find in all history1 both sacred and    
profane1 ancient and modern1 an infinite
 number of examples of the apparition of
 persons alive to other living persons4 
,the prophet ,ezekiel says of           
himself1#djb ,i was seated in my house1 
in the midst of the elders of my people1
 when on a sudden a hand1 which came    
from a figure shining like fire1 seized 
me by the hair2 and the spirit          
transported me between heaven and earth1

 and took me to ,jerusalem1 where he    
placed me near the inner gate1 which    
looks towards the north1 where ,i saw   
the idol of jealousy 7apparently        
,adonis71 and ,i there remarked the     
majesty of the ,lord1 as ,i had seen it 
in the field2 he showed me the idol of  
jealousy1 to which the ,israelites      
burned incense2 and the angel of the    
,lord said to me3 ,thou seest the       
abominations which the children of      
,israel commit1 in turning away from my 
sanctuary2 thou shalt see still greater4
  ,and having pierced the wall of the   
temple1 ,i saw figures of reptiles and  
animals1 the abominations and idols of  
the house of ,israel1 and seventy men of
 the elders of ,israel1 who were        
standing before these figures1 each one 
bearing a censer in his hand2 after that
 the angel said to me1 ,thou shalt see  
yet something yet more abominable2 and  
he showed me women who were mourning for
 ,adonis4 ,lastly1 having introduced me 
into the inner court of the temple1 ,i  

saw twenty men between the vestibule and
 the altar1 who turned their back upon  
the temple of the ,lord1 and stood with 
their faces to the east1 and paid       
adoration to the rising sun4  ,here we  
may remark two things2 first1 that      
,ezekiel is transported from ,chalda to 
,jerusalem1 through the air between     
heaven and earth by the hand of an      
angel2 which proves the possibility of  
transporting a living man through the   
air to a very great distance from the   
place where he was4  ,the second is1 the
 vision or apparition of those          
prevaricators who commit even within the
 temple the greatest abominations1 the  
most contrary to the majesty of ,god1   
the sanctity of the spot1 and the law of
 the ,lord4 ,after all these things1 the
 same angel brings back ,ezekiel into   
,chalda2 but it was not until after ,god
 had showed him the vengeance he        
intended to exercise upon the           
,israelites4  ,it will1 perhaps1 be said
 that all this passed only in a vision2 

that ,ezekiel thought that he was       
transported to ,jerusalem and afterwards
 brought back again to ,babylon2 and    
that what he saw in the temple he saw   
only by revelation4 ,i reply1 that the  
text of this prophet indicates a real   
removal1 and that he was transported by 
the hair of his head between heaven and 
earth4 ,he was brought back from        
,jerusalem in the same way4  ,i do not  
deny that the thing might have passed in
 a vision1 and that ,ezekiel might have 
seen in spirit what was passing in the  
temple of ,jerusalem4 ,but ,i shall     
still deduce from it a consequence which
 is favorable to my design1 that is1 the
 possibility of a living man being      
carried through the air to a very great 
distance from the place he was in1 or at
 least that a living man can imagine    
strongly that he is being carried from  
one place to another1 although this     
transportation may be only imaginary and
 in a dream or vision1 as they pretend  
it happens in the transportation of     

sorcerers to the witches' sabbath4  ,in 
short1 there are true appearances of the
 living to others who are also alive4   
,how is this done8 ,the thing is not    
difficult to explain in following the   
recital of the prophet1 who is          
transferred from ,chalda into ,judea in 
his own body by the ministration of     
angels2 but the apparitions related in  
,st4 ,augustine and in other authors are
 not of the same kind3 the two persons  
who see and converse with each other go 
not from their places2 and the one who  
appears knows nothing of what is passing
 in regard to him to whom he appears1   
and to whom he explains several things  
of which he did not even think at that  
moment4  ,in the third book of ,kings1  
,obadiah1 steward of king ,ahab1 having 
met the prophet ,elijah1 who had for    
some time kept himself concealed1 tells 
him that king ,ahab had him sought for  
everywhere1 and that not having been    
able to discover him anywhere1 had gone 
himself to seek him out4 ,elijah desired

 him to go and tell the king that       
,elijah had appeared2 but ,obadiah      
replied1 ,see to what you expose me2 for
 if ,i go and announce to ,ahab that ,i 
have spoken to you1 the spirit of ,god  
will transport you into some unknown    
place1 and the king1 not finding you1   
will put me to death4  ,there again is  
an instance which proves the possibility
 of the transportation of a living man  
to a very distant spot4 ,the same       
prophet1 being on ,mount ,carmel1 was   
seized by the ,spirit of ,god1 which    
transported him thence to ,jezreel in   
very little time1 not through the air1  
but by making him walk and run with a   
promptitude that was quite              
extraordinary4  ,in the ,gospel1        
,elias#djc appeared with ,moses on      
,mount ,tabor1 at the transfiguration of
 the ,saviour4 ,moses had long been     
dead2 but the ,church believes that     
,elijah 7or ,elias7 is still living4 ,in
 the ,acts of the ,apostles1#djd        
,annanias appeared to ,st4 ,paul1 and   

put his hands on him in a vision before 
he arrived at his house in ,damascus4   
,two men of the court of the ,emperor   
,valens1 wishing to discover by the aid 
of magical secrets who would succeed    
that emperor1#dje caused a table of     
laurel-wood to be made into a tripod1 on
 which they placed a basin made of      
divers metals4 ,on the border of this   
basin were engraved1 at some distance   
from each other1 the twenty-four letters
 of the ,greek alphabet4 ,a magician    
with certain ceremonies approached the  
basin1 and holding in his hand a ring   
suspended by a thread1 suffered it at   
intervals to fall upon the letters of   
the alphabet whilst they were rapidly   
turning the table2 the ring falling on  
the different letters formed obscure and
 enigmatical verses like those          
pronounced by the oracle of ,delphi4    
,at last they asked what was the name of
 him who should succeed to the ,emperor 
,valens8 ,the ring touched the four     
letters ,greek3 ,,theod1 which they     

interpreted of ,theodosius1 the second  
secretary of the ,emperor ,valens4      
,theodosius was arrested1 interrogated1 
convicted1 and put to death2 and with   
him all the culprits or accomplices in  
this operation2 search was made for all 
the books of magic1 and a great number  
were burnt4 ,the great ,theodosius1 of  
whom they thought not at all1 and who   
was at a great distance from the court1 
was the person designated by these      
letters4 ,in #cgi1 he was declared      
,augustus by the ,emperor ,gratian1 and 
in coming to ,constantinople in #chj1 he
 had a dream1 in which it seemed to him 
that ,melitus1 ,bishop of ,antioch1 whom
 he had never seen1 and knew only by    
reputation1 invested him with the       
imperial mantle and placed the diadem on
 his head4  ,they were then assembling  
the ,eastern bishops to hold the        
,council of ,constantinople4 ,theodosius
 begged that ,melitus might not be      
pointed out to him1 saying that he      
should recognize him by the signs he had

 seen in his dream4 ,in fact1 he        
distinguished him amongst all the other 
bishops1 embraced him1 kissed his hands1
 and looked upon him ever after as his  
father4 ,this was a distinct apparition 
of a living man4#djf  ,st4 ,augustine   
relates#djg that a certain man saw1 in  
the night before he slept1 a            
philosopher1 who was known to him1 enter
 his house1 and who explained to him    
some of ,plato's opinions which he would
 not explain to him before4 ,this       
apparition of the ,platonician was      
merely fantastic2 for the person to whom
 he had appeared having asked him why he
 would not explain to him at his house  
what he had come to explain to him when 
at home1 the philosopher replied1 ,i did
 not do so1 but ,i dreamt ,i did so4    
,here1 then1 are two persons both alive1
 one of whom1 in his sleep and dreaming1
 speaks to another who is wide awake1   
and sees him only in imagination4  ,the 
same ,st4 ,augustine#djh acknowledges in
 the presence of his people that he had 

appeared to two persons who had never   
seen him1 and knew him only by          
reputation1 and that he advised them to 
come to ,hippo1 to be there cured by the
 merit of the martyr ,st4               
,stephen3--they came there1 and         
recovered their health4  ,evodius1      
teaching rhetoric at ,carthage1#dji and 
finding himself puzzled concerning the  
sense of a passage in the books of the  
,rhetoric of ,cicero1 which he was to   
explain the next day to his scholars1   
was much disquieted when he went to bed1
 and could hardly get to sleep4 ,during 
his sleep he fancied he saw ,st4        
,augustine1 who was then at ,milan1 a   
great way from ,carthage1 who was not   
thinking of him at all1 and was         
apparently sleeping very quietly in his 
bed at ,milan1 who came to him and      
explained the passage in question4 ,st4 
,augustine avows that he does not know  
how it happens2 but in whatever way it  
may occur1 it is very possible for us to
 see in a dream a dead person as we see 

a living one1 without either one or the 
other knowing how1 when1 or where1 these
 images are formed in our mind4 ,it is  
also possible that a dead man may appear
 to the living without being aware of   
it1 and discover to them secrets and    
hidden things1 the result of which      
reveals their truth and reality4 ,when a
 living man appears in a dream to       
another man1 we do not say that his body
 or his spirit have appeared1 but simply
 that such a one has appeared to him4   
,why can we not say that the dead appear
 without body and without soul1 but     
simply that their form presents itself  
to the mind and imagination of the      
living person8  ,st4 ,augustine1 in the 
book which he has composed on the care  
which we ought to take of the dead1#daj 
says that a holy monk1 named ,john1     
appeared to a pious woman1 who ardently 
desired to see him4 ,the saintly doctor 
reasons a great deal on this            
apparition2--whether this solitary      
foresaw what would happen to him2 if he 

went in spirit to this woman2 if it is  
his angel or his spirit in his bodily   
form which appeared to her in her sleep1
 as we behold in our dreams absent      
persons who are known to us4 ,we should 
be able to speak to the monk himself1 to
 know from himself how that occurred1 if
 by the power of ,god1 or by his        
permission2 for there is little         
appearance that he did it by any natural
 power4  ,it is said that ,st4 ,simeon  
,stylites#daa appeared to his disciple  
,st4 ,daniel1 who had undertaken the    
journey to ,jerusalem1 where he would   
have to suffer much for ,jesus ,christ's
 sake4 ,st4 ,benedict#dab had promised  
to comply with the request of some      
architects1 who had begged him to come  
and show them how he wished them to     
build a certain monastery2 the saint did
 not go to them bodily1 but he went     
thither in spirit1 and gave them the    
plan and design of the house which they 
were to construct4 ,these men did not   
comprehend that it was what he had      

promised them1 and came to him again to 
ask what were his intentions relative to
 this edifice3 he said to them1 ,i have 
explained it to you in a dream2 you can 
follow the plan which you have seen4    
,the ,csar ,bardas1 who had so mightily 
contributed to the deposition of ,st4   
,ignatius1 patriarch of ,constantinople1
 had a vision1 which he thus related to 
,philothes his friend4 ,i thought ,i was
 that night going in procession to the  
high church with the ,emperor ,michael4 
,when we had entered and were near the  
ambe1 there appeared two eunuchs of the 
chamber1 with a cruel and ferocious     
mien1 one of whom1 having bound the     
emperor1 dragged him out of the choir on
 the right side2 the other dragged me in
 the same manner to the left4 ,then ,i  
saw on a sudden an old man seated on the
 throne of the sanctuary4 ,he resembled 
the image of ,st4 ,peter1 and two       
terrific men were standing near him1 who
 looked like provosts4 ,i beheld1 at the
 knees of ,st4 ,peter1 ,st4 ,ignatius   

weeping1 and crying aloud1 ',you have   
the keys of the kingdom of heaven2 if   
you know the injustice which has been   
done me1 console my afflicted old age4' 
,st4 ,peter replied1 ',point out the man
 who has used you ill4' ,ignatius1      
turning round1 pointed to me1 saying1   
',that is he who has done me most       
wrong4' ,st4 ,peter made a sign to the  
one at his right1 and placing in his    
hand a short sword1 he said to him      
aloud1 ',take ,bardas1 the enemy of     
,god1 and cut him in pieces before the  
vestibule4' ,as they were leading me to 
death1 ,i saw that he said to the       
emperor1 holding up his hand in a       
threatening manner1 ',wait1 unnatural   
son6' after which ,i saw them cut me    
absolutely in pieces4  ,this took place 
in #hff4 ,the year following1 in the    
month of ,april1 the emperor having set 
out to attack the ,isle of ,crete1 was  
made so suspicious of ,bardas1 that he  
resolved to get rid of him4 ,he         
accompanied the ,emperor ,michael in    

this expedition4 ,bardas1 seeing the    
murderers enter the emperor's tent1     
sword in hand1 threw himself at his feet
 to ask his pardon2 but they dragged him
 out1 cut him in pieces1 and in derision
 carried some of his members about at   
the end of a pike4 ,this happened the   
#bith of ,april1 #hfg4  ,roger1 ,count  
of ,calabria and ,sicily1 besieging the 
town of ,capua1 one named ,sergius1 a   
,greek by birth1 to whom he had given   
the command of #bjj men1 having suffered
 himself to be bribed1 formed the design
 of betraying him1 and of delivering the
 army of the count to the ,prince of    
,capua1 during the night4 ,it was on the
 #ast of ,march that he was to execute  
his intention4 ,st4 ,bruno1 who then    
dwelt in the ,desert of ,squilantia1    
appeared to ,count ,roger1 and told him 
to fly to arms promptly1 if he would not
 be oppressed by his enemies4 ,the count
 starts from his sleep1 commands his    
people to mount their horses and see    
what is going on in the camp4 ,they met 

the men belonging to ,sergius1 with the 
,prince of ,capua1 who having perceived 
them retired promptly into the town2    
those of ,count ,roger took #afb of     
them1 from whom they learned all the    
secret of the treason4 ,roger went1 on  
the #bith of ,july following1 to        
,squilantia1 and having related to      
,bruno what had happened to him1 the    
saint said to him1 ,it was not ,i who   
warned you2 it was the angel of ,god1   
who is near princes in time of war4     
,thus ,count ,roger relates the affair  
himself1 in a privilege granted to ,st4 
,bruno4  ,a monk#dac named ,fidus1 a    
disciple of ,st4 ,euthymius1 a          
celebrated abbot in ,palestine1 having  
been sent by ,martyrius1 the patriarch  
of ,jerusalem1 on an important mission  
concerning the affairs of the church1   
embarked at ,joppa1 and was shipwrecked 
the following night2 he supported       
himself above water for some time by    
clinging to a piece of wood1 which he   
found by chance4 ,then he invoked the   

help of ,st4 ,euthymius1 who appeared to
 him walking on the sea1 and who said to
 him1 ,know that this voyage is not     
pleasing to ,god1 and will be of no     
utility to the mother of the ,churches1 
that is to say1 to ,jerusalem4 ,return  
to him who sent you1 and tell him from  
me not to be uneasy at the separation of
 the schismatics--union will take place 
ere long2 for you1 you must go to my    
laurel grove1 and you must build there a
 monastery4  ,having said this1 he      
enveloped ,fidus in his mantle1 and     
,fidus found himself immediately at     
,jerusalem1 and in his house1 without   
knowing how he came there2 he related it
 all to the ,patriarch ,martyrius1 who  
remembered the prediction of ,st4       
,euthymius concerning the building in   
the laurel grove a monastery4  ,queen   
,margaret1 in her memoirs1 asserts that 
,god protects the great in a particular 
manner1 and that he lets them know1     
either in dreams or otherwise1 what is  
to happen to them4 ,as ,queen ,catherine

 de ,medicis1 my mother1 says she1 who  
the night before that unhappy day dreamt
 she saw the king1 ,henry ,,ii41 my     
father1 wounded in the eye1 as it really
 happened2 when she awoke she several   
times implored the king not to tilt that
 day4  ,the same queen being dangerously
 ill at ,metz1 and having around her bed
 the king 7,charles ,,ix471 my sister1  
and brother of ,lorraine1 and many      
ladies and princesses1 she cried out as 
if she had seen the battle of ,jarnac   
fought3 ',see how they fly6 my son has  
the victory6 ,do you see the ,prince of 
,cond dead in that hedge8' ,all those   
who were present fancied she was        
dreaming2 but the night after1 ,m4 de   
,losse brought her the news4 ',i knew it
 well1' said she2 'did ,i not behold it 
the day before yesterday8'  ,the        
,duchess ,philippa1 of ,gueldres1 wife  
of the ,duke of ,lorraine1 ,ren ,,ii41  
being a nun at ,st4 ,claire du          
,pont--,mousson1 saw during her orisons 
the unfortunate battle of ,pavia4 ,she  

cried out suddenly1 ,ah6 my sisters1 my 
dear sisters1 for the love of ,god1 say 
your prayers2 my son ,de ,lambesc is    
dead1 and the king 7,francis ,i47 my    
cousin is made prisoner4 ,some days     
after1 news of this famous event1 which 
happened the day on which the duchess   
had seen it1 was received at ,nancy4    
,certainly1 neither the young ,prince de
 ,lambesc nor the king ,francis ,i4 had 
any knowledge of this revelation1 and   
they took no part in it4 ,it was1 then1 
neither their spirit nor their phantoms 
which appeared to the princess2 it was  
apparently their angel1 or ,god himself1
 who by his power struck her            
imagination1 and represented to her what
 was passing at that moment4  ,mezeray  
affirms that he had often heard people  
of quality relate that the duke         
7,charles the ,third7 of ,lorraine1 who 
was at ,paris when ,king ,henry ,,ii4   
was wounded with the splinter of a      
lance1 of which he died1 told the       
circumstance often of a lady who lodged 

in his hotel having seen in a dream1    
very distinctly1 that the king had been 
struck and brought to the ground by a   
blow from a lance4  ,to these instances 
of the apparition of living persons to  
other living persons in their sleep1 we 
may add an infinite number of other     
instances of apparitions of angels and  
holy personages1 or even of dead        
persons1 to the living when asleep1 to  
give them instructions1 warn them of    
dangers which menace them1 inspire them 
with salutary counsel relative to their 
salvation1 or to give them aid2 thick   
volumes might be composed on such       
matters4 ,i shall content myself with   
relating here some examples of those    
apparitions drawn from profane authors4 
,xerxes1 king of ,persia1 when          
deliberating in council whether he      
should carry the war into ,greece1 was  
strongly dissuaded from it by           
,artabanes1 his paternal uncle4 ,xerxes 
took offence at this liberty1 and       
uttered some very disobliging words to  

him4 ,the following night he reflected  
seriously on the arguments of           
,artabanes1 and changed his resolution4 
,when he was asleep1 he saw in a dream a
 man of extraordinary size and beauty1  
who said to him1 ,you have then         
renounced your intention of making war  
on the ,greeks1 although you have       
already given orders to the ,persian    
chiefs to assemble your army4 ,you have 
not done well to change your resolve1   
even should no one be of your opinion4  
,go forward2 believe me4 ,follow your   
first design4 ,having said this1 the    
vision disappeared4 ,the next day he    
again assembled his council1 and without
 speaking of his dream1 he testified his
 regret for what he said in his rage the
 preceding day to his uncle ,artabanes1 
and declared that he had renounced his  
design of making war upon the ,greeks4  
,those who composed the council1        
transported with joy1 prostrated        
themselves before him1 and congratulated
 him upon it4  ,the following night he  

had a second time the same vision1 and  
the same phantom said to him1 ,son of   
,darius1 thou hast then abandoned thy   
design of declaring war against the     
,greeks1 regardless of what ,i said to  
thee4 ,know that if thou dost not       
instantly undertake this expedition1    
thou wilt soon be reduced to a situation
 as low as that in which thou now       
findest thyself elevated4 ,the king     
directly rose from his bed1 and sent in 
all haste for ,artabanes1 to whom he    
related the two dreams which he had had 
two nights consecutively4 ,he added1 ,i 
pray you to put on my royal ornaments1  
sit down on my throne1 and then lie down
 in my bed4 ,if the phantom which       
appeared to me appears to you also1 ,i  
shall believe that the thing is ordained
 by the decrees of the gods1 and ,i     
shall yield to their commands4          
,artabanes would in vain have excused   
himself from putting on the royal       
ornaments1 sitting on the king's throne1
 and lying down in his bed1 alleging    

that all those things would be useless  
if the gods had resolved to let him know
 their will2 that it would even be more 
likely to exasperate the gods1 as if he 
desired to deceive them by external     
appearances4 ,as for the rest1 dreams in
 themselves deserve no attention1 and   
usually they are only the consequences  
and representations of what is most     
strongly in the mind when awake4        
,xerxes did not yield to his arguments1 
and ,artabanes did what the king        
desired1 persuaded that if the same     
thing should occur more than once1 it   
would be a proof of the will of the     
gods1 of the reality of the vision1 and 
the truth of the dream4 ,he then laid   
down in the king's bed1 and the same    
phantom appeared to him1 and said1 ,it  
is you1 then1 who prevent ,xerxes from  
executing his resolve and accomplishing 
what is decreed by fate4 ,i have already
 declared to the king what he has to    
fear if he disobeys my orders4 ,at the  
same time it appeared to ,artabanes that

 the spectre would burn his eyes with a 
red-hot iron4 ,he directly sprang from  
the couch1 and related to ,xerxes what  
had appeared to him and what had been   
said to him1 adding1 ,i now absolutely  
change my opinion1 since it pleases the 
gods that we should make war1 and that  
the ,greeks be threatened with great    
misfortunes2 give your orders and       
dispose everything for this war3--which 
was executed immediately4  ,the terrible
 consequences of this war1 which was so 
fatal to ,persia1 and at last caused the
 overthrow of that famous monarchy1     
leads us to judge that this apparition1 
if a true one1 was announced by an evil 
spirit1 hostile to that monarchy1 sent  
by ,god to dispose things for events    
predicted by the prophets1 and the      
succession of great empires predestined 
by the decrees of the ,almighty4        
,cicero remarks that two ,arcadians1 who
 were traveling together1 arrived at    
,megara1 a city of ,greece1 situated    
between ,athens and ,corinth4 ,one of   

them1 who could claim hospitality in the
 town1 was lodged at a friend's1 and the
 other at an inn4 ,after supper1 he who 
was at a friend's house retired to rest4
 ,in his sleep1 it seemed to him that   
the man whom he had left at the inn     
appeared to him1 and implored his help1 
because the innkeeper wanted to kill    
him4 ,he arose directly1 much alarmed at
 this dream1 but having reassured       
himself1 and fallen asleep again1 the   
other again appeared to him1 and told   
him that since he had not had the       
kindness to aid him1 at least he must   
not leave his death unpunished2 that the
 innkeeper1 after having killed him1 had
 hidden his body in a wagon1 and covered
 it over with dung1 and that he must not
 fail to be the next morning at the     
opening of the city gate1 before the    
wagon went forth4 ,struck with this new 
dream1 he went early in the morning to  
the city gate1 saw the wagon1 and asked 
the driver what he had got under the    
manure4 ,the carter took flight         

directly1 the body was extricated from  
the wagon1 and the innkeeper arrested   
and punished4  ,cicero relates also some
 other instances of similar apparitions 
which occurred in sleep2 one is of      
,sophocles1 the other of ,simonides4    
,the former saw ,hercules in a dream1   
who told him the name of a robber who   
had taken a golden patera from his      
temple4 ,sophocles neglected this       
notice1 as an effect of disturbed sleep2
 but ,hercules appeared to him a second 
time1 and repeated to him the same      
thing1 which induced ,sophocles to      
denounce the robber1 who was convicted  
by the ,areopagus1 and from that time   
the temple was dedicated to ,hercules   
the ,revealer4  ,the dream or apparition
 of ,simonides was more useful to       
himself personally4 ,he was on the point
 of embarking1 when he found on the     
shore the corpse of an unknown person1  
as yet without sepulture4 ,simonides had
 him interred1 from humanity4 ,the next 
night the dead man appeared to          

,simonides1 and1 through gratitude1     
counseled him not to embark in the      
vessel then riding in the harbor1       
because he would be shipwrecked if he   
did4 ,simonides believed him1 and a few 
days after1 he heard of the wreck of the
 vessel in which he was to have         
embarked4  ,john ,pico de la ,mirandola 
assures us in his treatise1 ,de ,auro1  
that a man1 who was not rich1 finding   
himself reduced to the last extremity1  
and without any resources either to pay 
his debts or procure nourishment for a  
numerous family in a time of scarcity1  
overcome with grief and uneasiness1 fell
 asleep4 ,at the same time1 one of the  
blessed appeared to him in a dream1     
taught him by some enigmatical words the
 means of making gold1 and pointed out  
to him at the same moment the water he  
must make use of to succeed in it4 ,on  
his awaking1 he took some of that water1
 and made gold of it1 in small quantity1
 indeed1 but enough to maintain his     
family4 ,he made some twice with iron1  

and three times with orpiment4 ,he has  
convinced me by my own eyes1 says ,pico 
de la ,mirandola1 that the means of     
making gold artificially is not a       
falsehood1 but a true art4  ,here is    
another sort of apparition of one living
 man to another1 which is so much the   
more singular1 because it proves at once
 the might of spells1 and that a        
magician can render himself invisible to
 several persons1 while he discovers    
himself to one man alone4 ,the fact is  
taken from the ,treatise on             
,superstitions1 of the reverend father  
,le ,brun1#dad and is characterized by  
all which can render it incontestible4  
,on ,friday1 the first day of ,may1     
#agje1 about five o'clock in the        
evening1 ,denis ,misanger de la         
,richardire1 eighteen years of age1 was 
attacked with an extraordinary malady1  
which began by a sort of lethargy4 ,they
 gave him every assistance that medicine
 and surgery could afford4 ,he fell     
afterwards into a kind of furor or      

convulsion1 and they were obliged to    
hold him1 and have five or six persons  
to keep watch over him1 for fear that he
 should throw himself out of the        
windows1 or break his head against the  
wall4 ,the emetic which they gave him   
made him throw up a quantity of bile1   
and for four or five days he remained   
pretty quiet4  ,at the end of the month 
of ,may1 they sent him into the country 
to take the air2 and some other         
circumstances occurred1 so unusual1 that
 they judged he must be bewitched4 ,and 
what confirmed this conjecture was that 
he never had any fever1 and retained all
 his strength1 notwithstanding all the  
pains and violent remedies which he had 
been made to take4 ,they asked him if he
 had not had some dispute with a        
shepherd1 or some other person suspected
 of sorcery or malpractices4  ,he       
declared that on the #ahth of ,april    
preceding1 when he was going through the
 village of ,noysi on horseback for a   
ride1 his horse stopped short in the    

midst of the ,rue ,feret1 opposite the  
chapel1 and he could not make him go    
forward1 though he touched him several  
times with the spur4 ,there was a       
shepherd standing leaning against the   
chapel1 with his crook in his hand1 and 
two black dogs at his side4 ,this man   
said to him1 ,sir1 ,i advise you to     
return home1 for your horse will not go 
forward4 ,the young ,la ,richardire1    
continuing to spur his horse1 said to   
the shepherd1 ,i do not understand what 
you say4 ,the shepherd replied1 in a low
 tone1 ,i will make you understand4 ,in 
effect1 the young man was obliged to get
 down from his horse1 and lead it back  
by the bridle to his father's dwelling  
in the same village4 ,then the shepherd 
cast a spell upon him1 which was to take
 effect on the #ast of ,may1 as was     
afterwards known4  ,during this malady1 
they caused several masses to be said in
 different places1 especially at ,st4   
,maur des ,fosss1 at ,st4 ,amable1 and  
at ,st4 ,esprit4 ,young ,la ,richardire 

was present at some of these masses     
which were said at ,st4 ,maur2 but he   
declared that he should not be cured    
till ,friday1 the #bfth of ,june1 on his
 return from ,st4 ,maur4 ,on entering   
his chamber1 the key of which he had in 
his pocket1 he found there that         
shepherd1 seated in his arm-chair1 with 
his crook1 and his two black dogs4 ,he  
was the only person who saw him2 none   
other in the house could perceive him4  
,he said even that this man was called  
,damis1 although he did not remember    
that any one had before this revealed   
his name to him4 ,he beheld him all that
 day1 and all the succeeding night4     
,towards six o'clock in the evening1 as 
he felt his usual sufferings1 he fell on
 the ground1 exclaiming that the        
shepherd was upon him1 and crushing him2
 at the same time he drew his knife1 and
 aimed five blows at the shepherd's     
face1 of which he retained the marks4   
,the invalid told those who were        
watching over him that he was going to  

be very faint at five different times1  
and begged of them to help him1 and move
 him violently4 ,the thing happened as  
he had predicted4  ,on ,friday1 the     
#bfth of ,june1 ,m4 de la ,richardire1  
having gone to the mass at ,st4 ,maur1  
asserted that he should be cured on that
 day4 ,after mass1 the priest put the   
stole upon his head and recited the     
,gospel of ,st4 ,john1 during which     
prayer the young man saw ,st4 ,maur     
standing1 and the unhappy shepherd at   
his left1 with his face bleeding from   
the five knife-wounds which he had given
 him4 ,at that moment1 the youth cried  
out1 unintentionally1 ,a miracle6 a     
miracle6 and asserted that he was cured1
 as in fact he was4  ,on the #bith of   
,june1 the same ,m4 de la ,richardire   
returned to ,noysi1 and amused himself  
with shooting4 ,as he was shooting in   
the vineyards1 the shepherd presented   
himself before him2 he hit him on the   
head with the butt-end of his gun4 ,the 
shepherd cried out1 ,sir1 you are       

killing me6 and fled4 ,the next day1    
this man presented himself again before 
him1 and asked his pardon1 saying1 ,i am
 called ,damis2 it was ,i who cast a    
spell over you which was to have lasted 
a year4 ,by the aid of masses and       
prayers which have been said for you1   
you have been cured at the end of eight 
weeks4 ,but the charm has fallen back   
upon myself1 and ,i can be cured of it  
only by a miracle4 ,i implore you then  
to pray for me4  ,during all these      
reports1 the mar chause had set off in  
pursuit of the shepherd2 but he escaped 
them1 having killed his two dogs and    
thrown away his crook4 ,on ,sunday1 the 
#acth of ,september1 he came to ,m4 de  
la ,richardire1 and related to him his  
adventure2 that after having passed     
twenty years without approaching the    
sacraments1 ,god had given him grace to 
confess himself at ,troyes2 and that    
after divers delays he had been admitted
 to the holy communion4 ,eight days     
after1 ,m4 de la ,richardire received a 

letter from a woman who said she was a  
relation of the shepherd's1 informing   
him of his death1 and begging him to    
cause a requiem mass to be said for him1
 which was done4  ,how many difficulties
 may we make about this story6 ,how     
could this wretched shepherd cast the   
spell without touching the person8 ,how 
could he introduce himself into young   
,m4 de la ,richardire's chamber without 
either opening or forcing the door8 ,how
 could he render himself visible to him 
alone1 whilst none other beheld him8    
,can one doubt of his corporeal         
presence1 since he received five cuts   
from a knife in his face1 of which he   
afterwards bore the marks1 when1 by the 
merit of the holy mass and the          
intercession of the saints1 the spell   
was taken off8 ,how could ,st4 ,maur    
appear to him in his ,benedictine habit1
 having the wizard on his left hand8 ,if
 the circumstance is certain1 as it     
appears1 who shall explain the manner in
 which all passed or took place8        

,footnotes3  #djb ,ezek4 viii4 #a1 #b1  
c4  #djc ,matt4 xvii4 #c4  #djd ,acts   
ix4 #aj4  #dje ,acts ix4 #b4  #djf      
,ammian4 ,marcell4 lib4 xix4 ,sozomen4  
lib4 vi4 c4 #ce4  #djg ,aug4 lib4 viii4 
de ,civit4 c4 #ah4  #djh ,aug4 ,serm4   
cxxiii4 pp4 #abgg1 #abgh4  #dji ,aug4 de
 cur gerend pro ,mortuis1 c4 #aa1 #ab4  
#daj ,aug4 de cur gerend4 pro ,mort4 c4 
xxvii4 p4 #ebi4  #daa ,vita ,daniel     
,stylit4 xi4 ,decemb4  #dab ,gregor4    
lib4 ii4 ,dialog4 c4 xxii4  #dac ,vita  
,sancti ,euthym4 pp4 #hf1 #hg4  #dad ,le
 ,brun1 ,trait des ,superstit4 tom4 i4  
pp4 #bha1 #bhb1 et seq4     ,,chapter   
,,xlvi4  ,,arguments ,,concerning       
,,apparitions4   ,after having spoken at
 some length upon apparitions1 and after
 having established the truth of them1  
as far as it has been possible for us to
 do so1 from the authority of the       
,scripture1 from examples1 and by       
arguments1 we must now exercise our     
judgment on the causes1 means1 and      
reasons for these apparitions1 and reply

 to the objections which may be made to 
destroy the reality of them1 or at least
 to raise doubts on the subject4  ,we   
have supposed that apparitions were the 
work of angels1 demons1 or souls of the 
defunct2 we do not talk of the          
appearance of ,god himself2 his will1   
his operations1 his power1 are above our
 reach2 we acknowledge that he can do   
all that he wills to do1 that his will  
is all-powerful1 and that he places     
himself1 when he chooses1 above the laws
 which he has made4 ,as to the          
apparitions of the living to others also
 living1 they are of a different nature 
from what we propose to examine in this 
place2 we shall not fail to speak of    
them hereafter4  ,whatever system we may
 follow on the nature of angels1 or     
demons1 or souls separated from the     
body2 whether we consider them as purely
 spiritual substances1 as the ,christian
 church at this day holds2 whether we   
give them an arial body1 subtile1 and   
invisible1 as many have taught2 it      

appears almost as difficult to render   
palpable1 perceptible1 and thick a      
subtile and arial body1 as it is to     
condense the air1 and make it seem like 
a solid and perceptible body2 as1 when  
the angels appeared to ,abraham and     
,lot1 the angel ,raphael to ,tobias1    
whom he conducted into ,mesopotamia2 or 
when the demon appeared to ,jesus       
,christ1 and led him to a high mountain1
 and on the pinnacle of the ,temple at  
,jerusalem2 or when ,moses appeared with
 ,elias on ,mount ,tabor3 for those     
apparitions are certain from ,scripture4
  ,if you will say that these           
apparitions were seen only in the       
imagination and mind of those who saw1  
or believed they saw angels1 demons1 or 
souls separated from the body1 as it    
happens every day in our sleep1 and     
sometimes when awake1 if we are strongly
 occupied with certain objects1 or      
struck with certain things which we     
desire ardently or fear exceedingly--as 
when ,ajax1 thinking he saw ,ulysses and

 ,agamemnon1 or ,menelas1 threw himself 
upon some animals1 which he killed1     
thinking he was killing those two men   
his enemies1 and whom he was dying with 
the desire to wreak his vengeance       
upon--on this supposition1 the          
apparition will not be less difficult to
 explain4 ,there was neither            
prepossession nor disturbed imagination1
 nor any preceding emotion1 which led   
,abraham to figure to himself that he   
saw three persons1 to whom he gave      
hospitality1 to whom he spoke1 who      
promised him the birth of a son1 of     
which he was scarcely thinking at that  
time4 ,the three apostles who saw ,moses
 conversing with ,jesus ,christ on      
,mount ,tabor were not prepared for that
 appearance2 there was no emotion of    
fear1 love1 revenge1 ambition1 or any   
other passion which struck their        
imagination1 to dispose them to see     
,moses2 as neither was there in         
,abraham1 when he perceived the three   
angels who appeared to him4  ,often in  

our sleep we see1 or we believe we see1 
what has struck our attention very much 
when awake2 sometimes we represent to   
ourselves in sleep things of which we   
have never thought1 which even are      
repugnant to us1 and which present      
themselves to our mind in spite of      
ourselves4 ,none bethink themselves of  
seeking the causes of these kinds of    
representations2 they are attributed to 
chance1 or to some disposition of the   
humors of the blood or of the brain1 or 
even of the way in which the body is    
placed in bed2 but nothing like that is 
applicable to the apparitions of angels1
 demons1 or spirits1 when these         
apparitions are accompanied and followed
 by converse1 predictions and real      
effects preceded and predicted by those 
which appear4  ,if we have recourse to a
 pretended fascination of the eyes or   
the other senses1 which sometimes make  
us believe that we see and hear what we 
do not1 or that we neither see nor hear 
what is passing before our eyes1 or     

which strikes our ears2 as when the     
soldiers sent to arrest ,elisha spoke to
 him and saw him before they recognized 
him1 or when the inhabitants of ,sodom  
could not discover ,lot's door1 although
 it was before their eyes1 or when the  
disciples of ,emmaus knew not that it   
was ,jesus ,christ who accompanied them 
and expounded the ,scriptures2 they     
opened their eyes and knew him only by  
the breaking of bread4  ,that           
fascination of the senses which makes us
 believe that we see what we do not see1
 or that suspension of the exercise and 
natural functions of our senses which   
prevents us from seeing and recognizing 
what is passing before our eyes1 is all 
of it hardly less miraculous than to    
condense the air1 or rarefy it1 or give 
solidity and consistence to what is     
purely spiritual and disengaged from    
matter4  ,from all this1 it follows that
 no apparition can take place without a 
sort of miracle1 and without a          
concurrence1 both extraordinary and     

supernatural1 of the power of ,god who  
commands1 or causes1 or permits an      
angel1 or a demon1 or a disembodied soul
 to appear1 act1 speak1 walk1 and       
perform other functions which belong    
only to an organized body4  ,i shall be 
told that it is useless to recur to the 
miraculous and the supernatural1 if we  
have acknowledged in spiritual          
substances a natural power of showing   
themselves1 whether by condensing the   
air1 or by producing a massive and      
palpable body1 or in raising up some    
dead body1 to which these spirits give  
life and motion for a certain time4  ,i 
own it all2 but ,i dare maintain that   
that is not possible either to angel or 
demon1 nor to any spiritual substance   
whatsoever4 ,the soul can produce in    
herself thoughts1 will1 and wishes2 she 
can give her impulsion to the movements 
of her body1 and repress its sallies and
 agitations2 but how does she do that8  
,philosophy can hardly explain it1 but  
by saying that by virtue of the union   

between herself and the body1 ,god1 by  
an effect of his wisdom1 has given her  
power to act upon the humors1 its       
organs1 and impress them with certain   
movements2 but there is reason to       
believe that the soul performs all that 
only as an occasional cause1 and that it
 is ,god as the first1 necessary1       
immediate1 and essential cause1 which   
produces all the movements of the body  
that are made in a natural way4         
,neither angel nor demon has more       
privilege in this respect over matter   
than the soul of man has over its own   
body4 ,they can neither modify matter1  
change it1 nor impress it with action   
and motion1 save by the power of ,god1  
and with his concurrence both necessary 
and immediate2 our knowledge does not   
permit us to judge otherwise2 there is  
no physical proportion between the      
spirit and the body2 those two          
substances cannot act mutually and      
immediately one upon the other2 they can
 act only occasionally1 by determining  

the first cause1 in virtue of the laws  
which wisdom has judged it proper to    
prescribe to herself for the reciprocal 
action of the creatures upon each other1
 to give them being1 to preserve it1 and
 perpetuate movement in the mass of     
matter which composes the universe1 in  
himself giving life to spiritual        
substances1 and permitting them with his
 concurrence1 as the ,first ,cause1 to  
act1 the body on the soul1 and the soul 
on the body1 one on the other1 as       
secondary causes4  ,porphyry1 when      
consulted by ,anebo1 an ,egyptian       
priest1 if those who foretell the future
 and perform prodigies have more        
powerful souls1 or whether they receive 
power from some strange spirit1 replies 
that1 according to appearance1 all these
 things are done by means of certain    
evil spirits that are naturally knavish1
 and take all sorts of shapes1 and do   
everything that one sees happen1 whether
 good or evil2 but that in the end they 
never lead men to what is truly good4   

,st4 ,augustine1#dae who cites this     
passage of ,porphyry1 lays much stress  
on his testimony1 and says that every   
extraordinary thing which is done by    
certain tones of the voice1 by figures  
or phantoms1 is usually the work of the 
demon1 who sports with the credulity and
 blindness of men2 that everything      
marvellous which is transacted in       
nature1 and has no relation to the      
worship of the true ,god1 ought to pass 
for an illusion of the devil4 ,the most 
ancient ,fathers of the ,church1        
,minutius ,felix1 ,arnobius1 ,st4       
,cyprian1 attribute equally all these   
kinds of extraordinary effects to the   
evil spirit4  ,tertullian#daf had no    
doubt that the apparitions which are    
produced by magic1 and by the evocation 
of souls1 which1 forced by enchantments1
 come out1 say they1 from the depth of  
hell 7or ,hades71 are but pure illusions
 of the demon1 who causes to appear to  
those present a fantastical form1 which 
fascinates the eyes of those who think  

they see what they see not2 which is not
 more difficult for the demon1 says he1 
than to seduce and blind the souls which
 he leads into sin4 ,pharaoh thought he 
saw real serpents produced by his       
magicians3 it was mere illusion4 ,the   
truth of ,moses devoured the falsehood  
of these impostors4  ,is it more easy to
 cause the fascination of the eyes of   
,pharaoh and his servants than to       
produce serpents1 and can it be done    
without ,god's concurring thereto8 ,and 
how can we reconcile this concurrence   
with the wisdom1 independence1 and truth
 of ,god8 ,has the devil in this respect
 a greater power than an angel and a    
disembodied soul8 ,and if once we open  
the door to this fascination1 everything
 which appears supernatural and         
miraculous will become uncertain and    
doubtful4 ,it will be said that the     
wonders related in the ,old and ,new    
,testament are in this respect1 in      
regard both to those who are witnesses  
of them1 and those to whom they         

happened1 only illusions and            
fascinations3 and whither may not these 
premises lead8 ,it leads us to doubt    
everything1 to deny everything2 to      
believe that ,god in concert with the   
devil leads us into error1 and          
fascinates our eyes and other senses1 to
 make us believe that we see1 hear1 and 
know what is neither present to our     
eyes1 nor known to our mind1 nor        
supported by our reasoning power1 since 
by that the principles of reasoning are 
overthrown4  ,we must1 then1 have       
recourse to the solid and unshaken      
principles of religion1 which teach us--
  #a4 ,that angels1 demons1 and souls   
disembodied are pure spirit1 free from  
all matter4  #b4 ,that it is only by the
 order or permission of ,god that       
spiritual substances can appear to men1 
and seem to them to be true and tangible
 bodies1 in which and by which they     
perform what they are seen to do4  #c4  
,that to make these bodies appear1 and  
make them act1 speak1 walk1 eat1 c1 they

 must produce tangible bodies1 either by
 condensing the air or substituting     
other terrestrial1 solid bodies1 capable
 of performing the functions we speak   
of4  #d4 ,that the way in which this    
production and apparition of a          
perceptible body is achieved is         
absolutely unknown to us2 that we have  
no proof that spiritual substances have 
a natural power of producing this kind  
of change when it pleases them1 and that
 they cannot produce them independently 
of ,god4  #e4 ,that although there may  
be often a great deal of illusion1      
prepossession1 and imagination in what  
is related of the operations and        
apparitions of angels1 demons1 and      
disembodied souls1 there is still some  
reality in many of these things2 and we 
cannot reasonably doubt of them all1 and
 still less deny them all4  #f4 ,that   
there are apparitions which bear about  
them the character and proof of truth1  
from the quality of him who relates     
them2 from the circumstances which      

accompany them2 from the events         
following those apparitions that        
announce things to come2 which perform  
things impossible to the natural        
strength of man1 and too much in        
opposition to the interest of the demon1
 and his malicious and deceitful        
character1 for us to be able to suspect 
him to be the author or contriver of    
them4 ,in short1 these apparitions are  
certified by the belief1 the prayers1   
and the practice of the church1 which   
recognizes them1 and supposes their     
reality4  #g4 ,that although what       
appears miraculous is not so always1 we 
must at least usually perceive in it    
some illusion and operation of the      
demon2 consequently1 that the demon can1
 with the permission of ,god1 do many   
things which surpass our knowledge1 and 
the natural power which we suppose him  
to have4  #h4 ,that those who wish to   
explain them by fascination of the eyes 
and other senses1 do not resolve the    
difficulty1 and throw themselves into   

still greater embarrassment than those  
who admit simply that apparitions appear
 by the order or the permission of ,god4
   ,footnotes3  #dae ,aug4 de ,civit4   
,dei1 lib4 x4 c4 #aa1 #ab4  #daf        
,tertull4 de ,anim1 c4 #eg4             
,,chapter ,,xlvii4  ,,objections        
,,against ,,apparitions1 ,,and ,,replies
 ,,to ,,those ,,objections4   ,the      
greatest objection that can be raised   
against the apparitions of angels1      
demons1 and disembodied souls1 takes its
 rise in the nature of these substances1
 which being purely spiritual1 cannot   
appear with evident1 solid1 and palpable
 bodies1 nor perform those functions    
which belong only to matter1 and living 
or animated bodies4  ,for1 either       
spiritual substances are united to the  
bodies which appear or not4 ,if they are
 not united to them1 how can they move  
them1 and cause them to act1 walk1      
speak1 reason1 and eat8 ,if they are    
united to them1 then they form but one  
individual2 and how can they separate   

themselves from them1 after being united
 to them8 ,do they take them and leave  
them at will1 as we lay aside a habit or
 a mask8 ,that would be to suppose that 
they are at liberty to appear or        
disappear1 which is not the case1 since 
all apparitions are solely by the order 
or permission of ,god4 ,are those bodies
 which appear only instruments which the
 angels1 demons1 or souls make use of to
 affright1 warn1 chastise1 or instruct  
the person or persons to whom they      
appear8 ,this is1 in fact1 the most     
rational thing that can be said         
concerning these apparitions2 the       
exorcisms of the church fall directly on
 the agent and cause of these           
apparitions1 and not on the phantom     
which appears1 nor on the first author1 
which is ,god1 who orders and permits   
it4  ,another objection1 both very      
common and very striking1 is that which 
is drawn from the multitude of false    
stories and ridiculous reports which are
 spread amongst the people1 of the      

apparitions of spirits1 demons1 and     
elves1 of possessions and obsessions4   
,it must be owned that1 out of a hundred
 of these pretended appearances1 hardly 
two will be found to be true4 ,the      
ancients are not more to be credited on 
that point than the moderns1 since they 
were1 at least1 equally as credulous as 
people are in our own age1 or rather    
they were more credulous than we are at 
this day4  ,i grant that the foolish    
credulity of the people1 and the love of
 everything that seems marvelous and    
extraordinary1 have produced an infinite
 number of false histories on the       
subject we are now treating of4 ,there  
are here two dangers to avoid3 a too    
great credulity1 and an excessive       
difficulty in believing what is above   
the ordinary course of nature2 as       
likewise1 we must not conclude what is  
general from what is particular1 or make
 a general case of a particular one1 nor
 say that all is false because some     
stories are so2 also1 we must not assert

 that such a particular history is a    
mere invention1 because there are many  
stories of this latter kind4 ,it is     
allowable to examine1 prove1 and select2
 we must never form our judgment but    
with knowledge of the case2 a story may 
be false in many of its circumstances   
7as related71 but true in its           
foundation4  ,the history of the deluge1
 and that of the passage across the ,red
 ,sea1 are certain in themselves1 and in
 the simple and natural recital given of
 them by ,moses4 ,the profane           
historians1 and some ,hebrew writers1   
and even ,christians1 have added some   
embellishment which must militate       
against the story in itself4 ,josephus  
the historian has much embellished the  
history of ,moses2 ,christian authors   
have added much to that of ,josephus2   
the ,mahometans have altered several    
points of the sacred history of the ,old
 and ,new ,testament4 ,must we1 on this 
account1 consider these histories as    
problematical8 ,the life of ,st4        

,gregory ,thaumaturgus is full of       
miracles1 as are also those of ,st4     
,martin and ,st4 ,bernard4 ,st4         
,augustine relates several miraculous   
cures worked by the relics of ,st4      
,stephen4 ,many extraordinary things are
 related in the life of ,st4 ,ambrose4  
,why not give faith to them after the   
testimony of these great men1 and that  
of their disciples1 who had lived with  
them1 and had been witnesses of a good  
part of what they relate8  ,it is not   
permitted us to dispute the truth of the
 apparitions noted in the ,old and ,new 
,testament2 but we may be permitted to  
explain them4 ,for instance1 it is said 
that the ,lord appeared to ,abraham in  
the valley of ,mamre2#dag that he       
entered ,abraham's tent1 and that he    
promised him the birth of a son2 also1  
it is allowed that he received three    
angels1 who went from thence to ,sodom4 
,st4 ,paul#dah notices it expressly in  
his ,epistle to the ,hebrews2 angelis   
hospitio receptis4 ,it is also said that

 the ,lord appeared unto ,moses1 and    
gave him the law2 and ,st4 ,stephen1 in 
the ,acts1#dai informs us that it was an
 angel who spoke to him from the burning
 bush1 and on ,mount ,horeb2 and ,st4   
,paul1 writing to the ,galatians1 says1 
that the law was given by angels4#dbj   
,sometimes1 the name of angel of the    
,lord is taken for a prophet1 a man     
filled with his ,spirit1 and deputed by 
him4 ,it is certain that the ,hebrew    
malae and the ,greek angelos bear the   
same signification as our envoy4 ,for   
instance1 at the beginning of the ,book 
of ,judges1#dba it is said that there   
came an angel of the ,lord from ,gilgal 
to the place of tears 7or ,bochim71 and 
that he there reproved the ,israelites  
for their infidelity and ingratitude4   
,the ablest commentators#dbb think that 
this angel of the ,lord is no other than
 ,phineas1 or the then high priest1 or  
rather a prophet1 sent expressly to the 
people assembled at ,gilgal4  ,in the   
,scripture1 the prophets are sometimes  

styled angels of the ,lord4#dbc ,here is
 what saith the envoy of the ,lord1     
amongst the envoys of the ,lord1 says   
,haggai1 speaking of himself4  ,the     
prophet ,malachi1 the last of the lesser
 prophets1 says that the ,lord will send
 his angel1 who will prepare the way    
before his face4#dbd ,this angel is ,st4
 ,john the ,baptist1 who prepares the   
way for ,jesus ,christ1 who is himself  
styled the ,angel of the ,lord--,and    
soon the ,lord whom ye demand1 and the  
so much desired ,angel of the ,lord1    
will come into his temple4 ,this same   
,saviour is designated by ,moses under  
the name of a prophet3#dbe ,the ,lord   
will raise up in the midst of your      
nation1 a prophet like myself4 ,the name
 of angel is given to the prophet       
,nathan1 who reproved ,david for his    
sin4 ,i do not pretend1 by these        
testimonies1 to deny that the angels    
have often appeared to men2 but ,i infer
 from them that sometimes these angels  
were only prophets or other persons1    

raised up and sent by ,god to his       
people4  ,as to apparitions of the      
demon1 it is well to observe that in    
,scripture the greater part of public   
calamities and maladies are attributed  
to evil spirits2 for example1 it is said
 that ,satan inspired ,david#dbf with   
the idea of numbering his people2 but in
 another place it is simply said that   
the anger of the ,lord was inflamed#dbg 
against ,israel1 and led ,david to cause
 his subjects to be numbered4 ,there are
 several other passages in the ,holy    
,books1 where they relate what the demon
 said and what he did1 in a popular     
manner1 by the figure termed            
prosopopoeia2 for instance1 the         
conversation between ,satan and the     
first woman1#dbh and the discourse which
 the demon holds in company with the    
good angels before the ,lord1 when he   
talks to him of ,job1#dbi and obtains   
permission to tempt and afflict him4 ,in
 the ,new ,testament1 it appears that   
the ,jews attributed to the malice of   

the demon and to his possession almost  
all the maladies with which they were   
afflicted4 ,in ,st4 ,luke1#dcj the woman
 who was bent and could not raise       
herself up1 and had suffered this for   
eighteen years1 had1 says the           
evangelist1 a spirit of infirmity2 and  
,jesus ,christ1 after having healed her1
 says that ,satan held her bound for    
eighteen years2 and in another place1 it
 is said that a lunatic or epileptic    
person was possessed by the demon4 ,it  
is clear1 from what is said by ,st4     
,matthew and ,st4 ,luke1#dca that he was
 attacked by epilepsy4 ,the ,saviour    
cured him of this evil malady1 and by   
that means took from the demon the      
opportunity of tormenting him still     
more2 as ,david1 by dissipating with the
 sound of his harp the sombre melancholy
 of ,saul1 delivered him from the evil  
spirit1 who abused the power of those   
inclinations which he found in him1 to  
awaken his jealousy against ,david4 ,all
 this means1 that we often ascribed to  

the demon things of which he is not     
guilty1 and that we must not lightly    
adopt all the prejudices of the people1 
nor take literally all that is related  
of the works of ,satan4   ,footnotes3   
#dag ,gen4 xviii4 #aj4  #dah ,heb4 xiii4
 #b4  #dai ,acts vii4 #cj1 #cc4  #dbj   
,gal4 iii4  #dba ,judges ii4 #a4  #dbb  
,vide commentar4 in ,judic4 ii4  #dbc   
,hagg4 i4 #ac4  #dbd ,malac4 iii4 #a4   
#dbe ,deut4 xviii4 #ah4  #dbf ,chron4   
xxi4 #a4  #dbg #b ,sam4 xxiv4 #a4  #dbh 
,gen4 iii4 #b1 #c4  #dbi ,job i4 #g-i4  
#dcj ,luke xiii4 #af4  #dca ,matt4 xvii4
 #ad4 ,luke ix4 #cg4     ,,chapter      
,,xlviii4  ,,some ,,other ,,objections  
,,and ,,replies4   ,in order to combat  
the apparitions of angels1 demons1 and  
disembodied souls1 we still bring       
forward the effects of a prepossessed   
fancy1 struck with an idea1 and of a    
weak and timid mind1 which imagine they 
see and hear what subsists only in idea2
 we advert to the inventions of the     
malignant spirits1 who like to make     

sport of and to delude us2 we call to   
our assistance the artifices of the     
charlatans1 who do so many things which 
pass for supernatural in the eyes of the
 ignorant4 ,philosophers1 by means of   
certain glasses1 and what are called    
magic lanterns1 by optical secrets1     
sympathetic powders1 by their           
phosphorus1 and lately by means of the  
electrical machine1 show us an infinite 
number of things which the simpletons   
take for magic1 because they know not   
how they are produced4  ,eyes that are  
diseased do not see things as others see
 them1 or else behold them differently4 
,a drunken man will see objects double2 
to one who has the jaundice1 they will  
appear yellow2 in the obscurity1 people 
fancy they see a spectre1 when they see 
only the trunk of a tree4  ,a mountebank
 will appear to eat a sword2 another    
will vomit coals or pebbles2 one will   
drink wine and send it out again at his 
forehead2 another will cut off his      
companion's head1 and put it on again4  

,you will think you see a chicken       
dragging a beam4 ,the mountebank will   
swallow fire and vomit it forth1 he will
 draw blood from fruit1 he will send    
from his mouth strings of iron nails1 he
 will put a sword on his stomach and    
press it strongly1 and instead of       
running into him1 it will bend back to  
the hilt2 another will run a sword      
through his body without wounding       
himself2 you will sometimes see a child 
without a head1 then a head without a   
child1 and all of them alive4 ,that     
appears very wonderful2 nevertheless1 if
 it were known how all those things are 
done1 people would only laugh1 and be   
surprised that they could wonder at and 
admire such things4  ,what has not been 
said for and against the divining-rod of
 ,jacques ,aimar8 ,scripture proves to  
us the antiquity of divination by the   
divining-rod1 in the instance of        
,nebuchadnezzar1#dcb and in what is said
 of the prophet ,hosea4#dcc ,fable      
speaks of the wonders wrought by the    

golden rod of ,mercury4 ,the ,gauls and 
,germans also used the rod for          
divination2 and there is reason to      
believe that often ,god permitted that  
the rods should make known by their     
movements what was to happen2 for that  
reason they were consulted4 ,every body 
knows the secret of ,circ's wand1 which 
changed men into beasts4 ,i do not      
compare it with the rod of ,moses1 by   
means of which ,god worked so many      
miracles in ,egypt2 but we may compare  
it with those of the magicians of       
,pharaoh1 which produced so many        
marvelous effects4  ,albertus ,magnus   
relates that there had been seen in     
,germany two brothers1 one of whom      
passing near a door securely locked1 and
 presenting his left side1 would cause  
it to open of itself2 the other brother 
had the same virtue in the right side4  
,st4 ,augustine says that there are     
men#dcd who move their two ears one     
after another1 or both together1 without
 moving their heads2 others1 without    

moving it also1 make all the skin of    
their head with the hair thereon come   
down over their forehead1 and put it    
back as it was before2 some imitate so  
perfectly the voices of animals1 that it
 is almost impossible not to mistake    
them4 ,we have seen men speak from the  
hollow of the stomach1 and make         
themselves heard as if speaking from a  
distance1 although they were close by4  
,others swallow an incredible quantity  
of different things1 and by tightening  
their stomachs ever so little1 throw up 
whole1 as from a bag1 whatever they     
please4 ,last year1 in ,alsatia1 there  
was seen and heard a ,german who played 
on two ,french horns at once1 and gave  
airs in two parts1 the first and the    
second1 at the same time4 ,who can      
explain to us the secret of intermitting
 fevers1 of the flux and reflux of the  
sea1 and the cause of many effects which
 are certainly all natural8  ,galen     
relates#dce that a physician named      
,theophilus1 having fallen ill1 fancied 

that he saw near his bed a great number 
of musicians1 whose noise split his head
 and augmented his illness4 ,he cried   
out incessantly for them to send those  
people away4 ,having recovered his      
health and good sense1 he perfectly well
 remembered all that had been said to   
him2 but he could not get those players 
on musical instruments out of his head1 
and he affirmed that they tired him to  
death4  ,in #afbi1 ,desbordes1          
valet-de-chambre of ,charles ,,iv41     
,duke of ,lorraine1 was accused of      
having hastened the death of the        
,princess ,christina of ,salms1 wife of 
,duke ,francis ,,ii41 and mother of the 
,duke ,charles ,,iv41 and of having     
inflicted maladies on different persons1
 which maladies the doctors attribute to
 evil spells4 ,charles ,,iv4 had        
conceived violent suspicions against    
,desbordes1 since one day when in a     
hunting-party this valet-de-chambre had 
served a grand dinner to the duke and   
his company1 without any other          

preparation than having to open a box   
with three shelves2 and to wind up the  
wonders1 he had ordered three robbers1  
who were dead and hung to a gibbet1 to  
come down from it1 and come and make    
their bow to the duke1 and then to go   
back and resume their place at the      
gallows4 ,it was said1 moreover1 that on
 another occasion he had commanded the  
personages in a piece of tapestry to    
detach themselves from it1 and to come  
and present themselves in the middle of 
the room4  ,charles ,,iv4 was not very  
credulous2 nevertheless1 he allowed     
,desbordes to be tried4 ,he was1 it is  
said1 convicted of magic1 and condemned 
to the flames2 but ,i have since been   
assured#dcf that he made his escape2 and
 some years after1 on presenting himself
 before the duke1 and clearing himself1 
he demanded the restitution of his      
property1 which had been confiscated2   
but he recovered only a very small part 
of it4 ,since the adventure of          
,desbordes1 the partisans of ,charles   

,,iv4 wished to cast a doubt on the     
validity of the baptism of the ,duchess 
,nichola1 his wife1 because she had been
 baptized by ,lavalle1 ,chantre de ,st4 
,george1 a friend of ,desbordes1 and    
like him convicted of several crimes1   
which drew upon him similar             
condemnation4 ,from a doubt of the      
baptism of the duchess1 they wished to  
infer the invalidity of her marriage    
with ,charles1 which was then the grand 
business of ,charles ,,iv4  ,father     
,delrio1 a ,jesuit1 says that the       
magician called ,trois-,echelles1 by his
 enchantments1 detached in the presence 
of ,king ,charles ,,ix4 the rings or    
links of a collar of the ,order of the  
,king1 worn by some knights who were at 
a great distance from him2 he made them 
come into his hand1 and after that      
replaced them1 without the collar       
appearing deranged4  ,john ,faust       
,cudlingen1 a ,german1 was requested1 in
 a company of gay people1 to perform in 
their presence some tricks of his trade2

 he promised to show them a vine loaded 
with grapes1 ripe and ready to gather4  
,they thought1 as it was then the month 
of ,december1 he could not execute his  
promise4 ,he strongly recommended them  
not to stir from their places1 and not  
to lift up their hands to cut the       
grapes1 unless by his express order4    
,the vine appeared directly1 covered    
with leaves and loaded with grapes1 to  
the great astonishment of all present2  
every one took up his knife1 awaiting   
the order of ,cudlingen to cut some     
grapes2 but after having kept them for  
some time in that expectation1 he       
suddenly caused the vine and the grapes 
to disappear3 then every one found      
himself armed with his knife and holding
 his neighbor's nose with one hand1 so  
that if they had cut off a bunch without
 the order of ,cudlingen1 they would    
have cut off one another's noses4  ,we  
have seen in these parts a horse which  
appeared gifted with wit and            
discernment1 and to understand what his 

master said4 ,all the secret consisted  
in the horse's having been taught to    
observe certain motions of his master2  
and from these motions he was led to do 
certain things to which he was          
accustomed1 and to go to certain        
persons1 which he would never have done 
but for the sign or motion which he saw 
his master make4  ,a hundred other      
similar facts might be cited1 which     
might pass for magical operations1 if we
 did not know that they are simple      
contrivances and tricks of art1         
performed by persons well exercised in  
such things4 ,it may be that sometimes  
people have ascribed to magic and the   
evil spirit operations like those we    
have just related1 and that what have   
been taken for the spirits of deceased  
persons were often arranged on purpose  
by young people to frighten passers-by4 
,they will cover themselves with white  
or black1 and show themselves in a      
cemetery in the posture of persons      
requesting prayers2 after that they will

 be the first to exclaim that they have 
seen a spirit3 at other times it will be
 pick-pockets1 or young men1 who will   
hide their amorous intrigues1 or their  
thefts and knavish tricks1 under this   
disguise4  ,sometimes a widow1 or heirs1
 from interested motives1 will publicly 
declare that the deceased husband       
appears in his house1 and is in torment2
 that he has asked or commanded such and
 such things1 or such and such          
restitutions4 ,i own that this may      
happen1 and does happen sometimes2 but  
it does not follow that spirits never   
return4 ,the return of souls is         
infinitely more rare than the common    
people believe2 ,i say the same of      
pretended magical operations and        
apparitions of the demon4  ,it is       
remarked that the greater the ignorance 
which prevails in a country1 the more   
superstition reigns there2 and that the 
spirit of darkness there exercises      
greater power1 in proportion as the     
nations we plunged in irregularity1 and 

into deeper moral darkness4 ,louis      
,vivez#dcg testifies that1 in the       
newly-discovered countries in ,america1 
nothing is more common than to see      
spirits which appear at noonday1 not    
only in the country1 but in towns and   
villages1 speaking1 commanding1         
sometimes even striking men4 ,olas      
,magnus1 ,archbishop of ,upsal1 who has 
written on the antiquities of the       
northern nations1 observes that in      
,sweden1 ,norway1 ,finland1 ,finmark1   
and ,lapland1 they frequently see       
spectres or spirits1 which do many      
wonderful things2 that there are even   
some amongst them who serve as domestics
 to men1 and take the horses and other  
cattle to pasture4  ,the ,laplanders1   
even at this day1 as well those who have
 remained in idolatry as those who have 
embraced ,christianity1 believe the     
apparition of the manes or ghosts1 and  
offer them a kind of sacrifice4 ,i      
believe that prepossession1 and the     
prejudices of childhood1 have much more 

to do with this belief than reason and  
experience4 ,in effect1 among the       
,tartars1 where barbarism and ignorance 
reign as much as in any country in the  
world1 they talk neither of spirits nor 
of apparitions1 no more than among the  
,mahometans1 although they admit the    
apparitions of angels made to ,abraham  
and the patriarchs1 and that of the     
,archangel ,gabriel to ,mahomet himself4
  ,the ,abyssinians1 a very rude and    
ignorant people1 believe neither in     
sorcerers1 nor spells1 nor magicians2   
they say that it is giving too much     
power to the demon1 and by that they    
fall into the error of the ,manichans1  
who admit two principles1 the one of    
good1 which is ,god1 and the other of   
evil1 which is the devil4 ,the ,minister
 ,becker1 in his work entitled ,the     
,enchanted ,world1 7,le ,monde          
,enchant17 laughs at apparitions of     
spirits and evil angels1 and ridicules  
all that is said of the effects of      
magic3 he maintains that to believe in  

magic is contrary to ,scripture and     
religion4  ,but whence comes it1 then1  
that the ,scriptures forbid us to       
consult magicians1 and that they make   
mention of ,simon the magician1 of      
,elymas1 another magician1 and of the   
works of ,satan8 ,what will become of   
the apparitions of angels1 so well noted
 in the ,old and ,new ,testaments8 ,what
 will become of the apparitions of      
,onias to ,judas ,maccabeus1 and of the 
devil to ,jesus ,christ himself1 after  
his fast of forty days8 ,what will be   
said of the apparition of ,moses at the 
transfiguration of the ,saviour2 and an 
infinity of other appearances made to   
all kinds of persons1 and related by    
wise1 grave1 and enlightened authors8   
,are the apparitions of devils and      
spirits more difficult to explain and   
conceive than those of angels1 which we 
cannot rationally dispute without       
overthrowing the entire ,scriptures1 and
 practices and belief of the churches8  
,does not the apostle tell us that the  

angel of darkness transforms himself    
into an angel of light8 ,is not the     
absolute renunciation of all belief in  
apparitions assaulting ,christianity in 
its most sacred authority1 in the belief
 of another life1 of a church still     
subsisting in another world1 of rewards 
for good actions1 and of punishments for
 bad ones2 the utility of prayers for   
the dead1 and the efficacy of exorcisms8
 ,we must then in these matters keep the
 medium between excessive credulity and 
extreme incredulity2 we must be prudent1
 moderate1 and enlightened2 we must1    
according to the advice of ,st4 ,paul1  
test everything1 examine everything1    
yield only to evidence and known truth4 
,footnotes3  #dcb ,ezek4 xxi4 #ba4  #dcc
 ,hosea iv4 #ab4  #dcd ,aug4 lib4 xiv4  
de ,civit4 ,dei1 c4 #bd4  #dce ,galen4  
de ,differ4 ,sympt4  #dcf ,by ,m4       
,fransquin ,chanoine de ,taul4  #dcg    
,ludov4 ,vives1 lib4 i4 de ,veritate    
,fidei1 p4 #edj4     ,,chapter ,,xlix4  
,,the ,,secrets ,,of ,,physics ,,and    

,,chemistry ,,taken ,,for ,,supernatural
 ,,things4   ,it is possible to allege  
against my reasoning the secrets of     
physics and chemistry1 which produce an 
infinity of wonderful effects1 and      
appear beyond the power of natural      
agency4 ,we have the composition of a   
phosphorus1 with which they write2 the  
characters do not appear by daylight1   
but in the dark we see them shine2 with 
this phosphorus1 figures can be traced  
which would surprise and even alarm     
during the night1 as has been done more 
than once1 apparently to cause          
maliciously useless fright4 ,la poudre  
ardente is another phosphorus1 which1   
provided it is exposed to the air1 sheds
 a light both by night and by day4 ,how 
many people have been frightened by     
those little worms which are found in   
certain kinds of rotten wood1 and which 
give a brilliant flame by night4  ,we   
have the daily experience of an infinite
 number of things1 all of them natural1 
which appear above the ordinary course  

of nature1#dch but which have nothing   
miraculous in them1 and ought not to be 
attributed to angels or demons2 for     
instance1 teeth and noses taken from    
other persons1 and applied to those who 
have lost similar parts2 of this we find
 many instances in authors4 ,these teeth
 and noses fall off directly when the   
person from whom they were taken dies1  
however great the distance between these
 two persons may be4  ,the presentiments
 experienced by certain persons of what 
happens to their relations and friends1 
and even of their own death1 are not at 
all miraculous4 ,there are many         
instances of persons who are in the     
habit of feeling these presentiments1   
and who in the night1 even when asleep1 
will say that such a thing has happened1
 or is about to happen2 that such       
messengers are coming1 and will announce
 to them such and such things4  ,there  
are dogs that have the sense of smelling
 so keen that they scent from a good    
distance the approach of any person who 

has done them good or harm4 ,this has   
been proved many times1 and can only    
proceed from the diversity of organs in 
those animals1 some of which have the   
scent much keener than others1 and upon 
which the spirits which exhale from     
other bodies act more quickly and at a  
greater distance than in others4        
,certain persons have such an acute     
sense of hearing that they can hear what
 is whispered even in another chamber1  
of which the door is well closed4 ,they 
cite as an example of this1 a certain   
,marie ,bucaille1 to whom it was thought
 that her guardian angel discovered what
 was said at a great distance from her4 
,others have the smell so keen that they
 distinguish by the odor all the men and
 animals they have ever seen1 and scent 
their approach a long way off4 ,blind   
persons pretty often possess this       
faculty1 as well as that of discerning  
the color of different stuffs by the    
touch1 from horse-hair to playing-cards4
  ,others discern by the taste          

everything that composes a ragot1 better
 than the most expert cook could do4    
,others possess so piercing a sight that
 at the first glance they can           
distinguish the most confused and       
distant objects1 and remark the least   
change which takes place in them4       
,there are both men and women who1      
without intending to hurt1 do a great   
deal of harm to children1 and all the   
tender and delicate animals which they  
look at attentively1 or which they      
touch4 ,this happens particularly in hot
 countries2 and many examples might be  
cited of it2 from which arises what both
 ancients and moderns call fascination  
7or the evil eye72 hence the precautions
 which were taken against these effects 
by amulets and preservatives1 which were
 suspended to children's necks4  ,there 
have been known to be men from whose    
eyes there proceeded such venomous      
spirits that they did harm to everybody 
or thing they looked at1 even to the    
breast of nurses1 which they caused to  

dry up--to plants1 flowers1 the leaves  
of trees1 which were seen to wither and 
fall off4 ,they dare not enter any place
 till they had warned the people        
beforehand to send away the children and
 nurses1 new-born animals1 and1         
generally speaking1 everything which    
they could infect by their breath or    
their looks4  ,we should laugh1 and with
 reason1 at those who1 to explain all   
these singular effects1 should have     
recourse to charms1 spells1 to the      
operations of demons1 or of good angels4
 ,the evaporation of corpuscles1 or     
atoms1 or the insensible perspiration of
 the bodies which produce all these     
effects1 suffice to account for it4 ,we 
have recourse neither to miracles1 nor  
to superior causes1 above all when these
 effects are produced near1 and at a    
short distance2 but when the distance is
 great1 the exhalation of the spirits1  
or essence1 and of insensible           
corpuscles1 does not equally satisfy us1
 no more than when we meet with things  

and effects which go beyond the known   
force of nature1 such as foretelling    
future events1 speaking unknown         
languages1 i4 e41 languages unknown to  
the speaker1 to be in such ecstasy that 
the person is beyond earthly feeling1 to
 rise up from the ground1 and remain so 
a long time4  ,the chemists demonstrate 
that the  or a sort of restoration or   
resurrection of animals1 insects1 and   
plants1 is possible and natural4 ,when  
the ashes of a plant are placed in a    
phial1 these ashes rise1 and arrange    
themselves as much as they can in the   
form which was first impressed on them  
by the ,author of ,nature4  ,father     
,schol1 a ,jesuit1 affirms that he has  
often seen a rose which was made to     
arise from its ashes every time they    
wished to see it done1 by means of a    
little heat4  ,the secret of a mineral  
water has been found by means of which a
 dead plant which has its root can be   
made green again1 and brought to the    
same state as if it were growing in the 

ground4 ,digby asserts that he has drawn
 from dead animals1 which were beaten   
and bruised in a mortar1 the            
representation of these animals1 or     
other animals of the same species4      
,duchesne1 a famous chemist1 relates    
that a physician of ,cracow preserved in
 phials the ashes of almost every kind  
of plant1 so that when any one from     
curiosity desired to see1 for instance1 
a rose in these phials1 he took that in 
which the ashes of the rose-bush were   
preserved1 and placing it over a lighted
 candle1 as soon as it felt a little    
warmth1 they saw the ashes stir and rise
 like a little dark cloud1 and1 after   
some movements1 they represented a rose 
as beautiful and fresh as if newly      
gathered from the rose-tree4  ,gaffard  
assures us that ,m4 de ,cleves1 a       
celebrated chemist1 showed every day    
plants drawn from their own ashes4      
,david ,vanderbroch affirms that the    
blood of animals contains the idea of   
their species as well as their seed2 he 

relates on this subject the experiment  
of ,m4 ,borelli1 who asserts that the   
human blood1 when warm1 is still full of
 its spirits or sulphurs1 acid and      
volatile1 and that1 being excited in    
cemeteries and in places where great    
battles are fought by some heat in the  
ground1 the phantoms or ideas of the    
persons who are there interred are seen 
to rise2 that we should see them as well
 by day as by night1 were it not for the
 excess of light which prevents us even 
from seeing the stars4 ,he adds that by 
this means we might behold the idea1 and
 represent by a lawful and natural      
necromancy the figure or phantom of all 
the great men of antiquity1 our friends 
and our ancestors1 provided we possess  
their ashes4  ,these are the most       
plausible objections intended to destroy
 or obviate all that is said of the     
apparitions of spirits4 ,whence some    
conclude that these are either very     
natural phenomena and exhalations       
produced by the heat of the earth imbued

 with blood and the volatile spirit of  
the dead1 above all1 those dead by      
violence2 or that they are the          
consequences of a stricken and          
prepossessed fancy1 or simply illusions 
of the mind1 or sports of persons who   
like to divert themselves by the panics 
into which they terrify others2 or1     
lastly1 movements produced naturally by 
men1 rats1 monkeys1 and other animals2  
for it is true that the oftener we      
examine into what have been taken for   
apparitions1 nothing is found that is   
real1 extraordinary1 or supernatural2   
but to conclude from thence that all the
 apparitions and operations attributed  
to angels1 spirits or souls1 and demons 
are chimerical1 is carrying things to   
excess2 it is to conclude that we       
mistake always1 because we mistake      
often4   ,footnotes3  #dch ,m4 de ,s4   
,andr1 ,lett4 iii4 sur les ,malfices4   
,,chapter ,l4  ,,conclusion ,,of ,,the  
,,treatise ,,on ,,apparitions4   ,after 
having made this exposition of my       

opinion concerning the apparitions of   
angels1 demons1 souls of the dead1 and  
even of one living person to another1   
and having spoken of magic1 of oracles1 
of obsessions and possessions of the    
demon2 of sprites and familiar spirits2 
of sorcerers and witches2 of spectres   
which predict the future2 of those which
 haunt houses--after having stated the  
objections which are made against       
apparitions1 and having replied to them 
in as weighty a manner as ,i possibly   
could1 ,i think ,i may conclude that    
although this matter labors still under 
very great difficulties1 as much        
respecting the foundation of the        
thing--,i mean as regards the truth and 
reality of apparitions in general--as   
for the way in which they are made1     
still we cannot reasonably disallow that
 there may be true apparitions of all   
the kinds of which we have spoken1 and  
that there may be also a great number   
very disputable1 and some others which  
are manifestly the work of knavery1 of  

maliciousness1 of the art of charlatans1
 and flexibility of those who play      
sleight of hand tricks4  ,i acknowledge1
 moreover1 that imagination1            
prepossession1 simplicity1 superstition1
 excess of credulity1 and weakness of   
mind have given rise to several stories 
which are related2 that ignorance of    
pure philosophy has caused to be taken  
for miraculous effects1 and black magic1
 what is the simple effect of white     
magic1 and the secrets of a philosophy  
hidden from the ignorant and common herd
 of men4 ,moreover1 ,i confess that ,i  
see insurmountable difficulties in      
explaining the manner or properties of  
apparitions1 whether we admit with      
several ancients that angels1 demons1   
and disembodied souls have a sort of    
subtile transparent body of the nature  
of air1 whether we believe them purely  
spiritual and disengaged from all       
matter1 visible1 gross1 or subtile4  ,i 
lay down as a principle that to explain 
the affair of apparitions1 and to give  

on this subject any certain rules1 we   
should--  #ast4 ,know perfectly the     
nature of spirits1 angels and souls1 and
 demons4 ,we should know whether souls  
by nature are so spiritualized that they
 have no longer any relation to matter2 
or if they have1 again1 any alliance    
with an arial1 subtile1 invisible body1 
which they still govern after death2 or 
whether they exert any power over the   
body they once animated1 to impel it to 
certain movements1 as the soul which    
animates us gives to our bodies such    
impulsions as she thinks proper2 or     
whether the soul determines simply by   
its will1 as occasional or secondary    
cause1 the first cause1 which is ,god1  
to put in motion the machine which it   
once animated4  #b;d4 ,if after death   
the soul still retains that power over  
its own body1 or over others2 for       
instance1 over the air and other        
elements4  #c;d4 ,if angels and demons  
have respectively the same power over   
sublunary bodies--for instance1 to      

thicken air1 inflame it1 produce in it  
clouds and storms2 to make phantoms     
appear in it2 to spoil or preserve      
fruits and crops2 to cause animals to   
perish1 produce maladies1 excite        
tempests and shipwrecks at sea2 or even 
to fascinate the eyes and deceive the   
other senses4  #dth4 ,if they can do all
 these things naturally1 and by their   
own virtue1 as often as they think      
proper2 or if there must be a particular
 order1 or at least permission from     
,god1 for them to do what we have just  
said4  #eth4 ,lastly1 we should know    
exactly what power is possessed by these
 substances which we suppose to be      
purely spiritual1 and how far the power 
of the angels1 demons1 and souls        
separated from their gross bodies1      
extends1 in regard to the apparitions1  
operations and movements attributed to  
them4 ,for whilst we are ignorant of the
 power which the ,creator has given or  
left to disembodied souls1 or to demons1
 we can in no way define what is        

miraculous1 or prescribe the just bound 
to which may extend1 or within which may
 be limited1 the natural operations of  
spirits1 angels1 and demons4  ,if we    
accord the demon the faculty of         
fascinating our eyes when it pleases    
him1 or of disposing the air so as to   
form the appearance of a phantom1 or    
phenomenon2 or of restoring movement to 
a body which is dead but not entirely   
corrupted2 or of disturbing the living  
by ill dreams1 or terrific              
representations1 we should no longer    
admire many things which we admire at   
present1 nor regard as miracles certain 
cures and certain apparitions1 if they  
are only the natural effects of the     
power of souls1 angels and demons4  ,if 
a man invested with his body produced   
such effects of himself1 we should say  
with reason that they are supernatural  
operations1 because they exceed the     
known ordinary and natural power of the 
living man2 but if a man held commerce  
with a spirit1 an angel1 or a demon1    

whom by virtue of some compact1 explicit
 or implicit1 he commanded to perform   
certain things which would be above his 
natural powers1 but not beyond the      
powers of the spirit whom he commanded1 
would the effect resulting from it be   
miraculous or supernatural8 ,no1 without
 doubt1 supposing that the spirit which 
produced the result did nothing that was
 above his natural powers and faculties4
  ,but would it be a miracle if a man   
had anything to do with an angel or a   
demon1 and that he should make an       
explicit and implicit compact with them1
 to oblige them on certain conditions1  
and with certain ceremonies1 to produce 
effects which would appear externally1  
and in our minds1 to be beyond the power
 of man8 ,for instance1 in the          
operations of certain magicians who     
boast of having an explicit compact with
 the devil1 and who by this means raise 
tempests1 or go with extraordinary haste
 when they walk1 or cause the death of  
animals1 and to men incurable maladies2 

or who enchant arms2 or in other        
operations1 as in the use of the        
divining rod1 and in certain remedies   
against the maladies of men and horses1 
which having no natural proportion to   
these maladies do not fail to cure them1
 although those who use these remedies  
protest that they have never thought of 
contracting any alliance with the devil4
  ,to reply to this question1 the       
difficulty always recurs to know if     
there is between living and mortal man a
 proportion or natural relation1 which  
renders him capable of contracting an   
alliance with the angel or the demon1 by
 virtue of which these spirits obey him 
and exert1 under his empire over them1  
by virtue of the preceding compact1 a   
power which is natural to them2 for if  
in all that there is nothing beyond the 
ordinary force of nature1 either on the 
side of man1 or on that of angels and   
demons1 there is nothing miraculous in  
one or the other2 neither is there      
either in ,god's permitting secondary   

causes to act according to their natural
 faculties1 of which he is nevertheless 
always the principle1 and the absolute  
master1 to limit1 stop1 suspend1 extend1
 or augment them1 according to his good 
pleasure4  ,but as we know not1 and it  
seems even impossible that we should    
know by the light of reason1 the nature 
and natural extent of the power of      
angels1 demons1 and disembodied souls1  
it seems that it would be rash to decide
 in this matter1 as deriving            
consequences of causes by their effects1
 or effects by causes4 ,for instance1 to
 say that souls1 demons1 and angels have
 sometimes appeared to men--then they   
have naturally the faculty of returning 
and appearing1 is a bold and rash       
proposition4 ,for it is very possible   
that angels and demons appear only by   
the particular will of ,god1 and not in 
consequence of his general will1 and by 
virtue of his natural and physical      
concurrence with his creatures4  ,in the
 first case1 these apparitions are      

miraculous1 as being above the natural  
power of the agents in question2 in the 
second case1 there is nothing           
supernatural in them except the         
permission which ,god rarely grants to  
souls to return1 to angels and demons to
 appear1 and to produce the effects of  
which we have spoken4  ,according to    
these principles we may advance without 
temerity--  #ast4 ,that angels and      
demons have often appeared unto men1    
that souls separated from the body have 
often returned1 and that both the one   
and the other may do the same thing     
again4  #b;d4 ,that the manner of these 
apparitions1 and of these returns to    
earth1 is perfectly unknown1 and given  
up by ,god to the discussions and       
researches of mankind4  #c;d4 ,that     
there is some likelihood that these     
kinds of apparitions are not absolutely 
miraculous on the part of the good and  
evil angels1 but that ,god allows them  
sometimes to take place1 for reasons the
 knowledge of which is reserved to      

himself alone4  #dth4 ,that no certain  
rule on this point can be given1 nor any
 demonstrative argument formed1 for want
 of knowing perfectly the nature and    
extent of the power of the spiritual    
beings in question4  #eth4 ,that we     
should reason upon those apparitions    
which appear in dreams otherwise than   
upon those which appear when we are     
awake2 differently also upon apparitions
 wearing solid bodies1 speaking1        
walking1 eating and drinking1 and those 
which seem like a shade1 or a nebulous  
and arial body4  #fth4 ,thus it would be
 rash to lay down principles1 and raise 
uniform arguments1 and all these things 
in common1 every species of apparition  
demanding its own particular            
explanation4     ,,chapter ,,li4  ,,way 
,,of ,,explaining ,,apparitions4        
,apparitions in dreams1 for instance1   
that of the angel#dci who told ,st4     
,joseph to carry the infant ,jesus into 
,egypt because ,king ,herod wished to   
put him to death2 there are two things  

appertaining to this apparition--the    
first is1 the impression made on the    
mind of ,st4 ,joseph that an angel      
appeared to him2 the second is1 the     
prediction or revelation of the ill-will
 of ,herod4 ,both these are above the   
ordinary powers of our nature1 but we   
know not if they be above the power of  
angels2 it is certain that it could not 
have been done except by the will and   
command of ,god4  ,the apparitions of a 
spirit1 or of an angel and a demon1     
which show themselves clothed in an     
apparent body1 and only as a shadow or a
 phantom1 as that of the angel who      
showed himself to ,manoah the father of 
,samson1 and vanished with the smoke of 
the sacrifice1 and of him who extricated
 ,st4 ,peter from prison1 and           
disappeared in the same way after having
 conducted him the length of a street2  
the bodies which these angels assumed1  
and which we suppose to have been only  
apparent and arial1 present great       
difficulties2 for either those bodies   

were their own1 or they were assumed or 
borrowed4  ,if those forms were their   
own1 and we suppose with several ancient
 and some new writers that angels1      
demons1 and even human souls have a kind
 of subtile1 transparent1 and arial     
body1 the difficulty lies in knowing how
 they can condense the transparent body1
 and render it visible when it was      
before invisible2 for if it was always  
and naturally evident to the senses and 
visible1 there would be another kind of 
continual miracle to render it          
invisible1 and hide it from our sight2  
and if of its nature it is invisible1   
what might can render it visible8 ,on   
whatever side we regard this object it  
seems equally miraculous1 whether to    
make evident to the senses that which is
 purely spiritual1 or to render         
invisible that which in its nature is   
palpable and corporeal4  ,the ancient   
fathers of the church1 who gave to      
angels subtile bodies of an airy nature1
 explained1 according to their          

principles1 more easily the predictions 
made by the demons1 and the wonderful   
operations which they cause in the air1 
in the elements1 in our bodies1 and     
which are far beyond what the cleverest 
and the most learned men can know1      
predict1 and perform4 ,they likewise    
conceived more easily that evil angels  
can cause maladies1 render the air      
impure and contagious1 that they inspire
 the wicked with wrong thoughts and     
unjust desires1 that they can penetrate 
our thoughts and wishes1 that they      
foresee tempests and changes in the air1
 and derangements in the seasons2 all   
that can be explained with much more    
facility on the hypothesis that demons  
have bodies composed of very fine and   
subtile air4  ,st4 ,augustine#ddj had   
written that they could also discover   
what is passing in our mind1 and at the 
bottom of our heart1 not only by our    
words1 but also by certain signs and    
movements1 which escape from the most   
circumspect2 but reflecting on what he  

had advanced in this passage1 he        
retracted1 and owned that he had spoken 
too affirmatively upon a subject but    
little known1 and that the manner in    
which the evil angels penetrate our     
thoughts is a very hidden thing1 and    
very difficult for men to discover and  
explain2 thus he preferred suspending   
his judgment upon it1 and remaining in  
doubt4   ,footnotes3  #dci ,matt4 ii4   
#ac1ad4  #ddj ,s4 ,aug4 lib4 ii4        
retract4 c4 #cj4     ,,chapter ,,lii4   
,,the ,,difficulty ,,of ,,explaining    
,,the ,,manner ,,in ,,which             
,,apparitions ,,make ,,their            
,,appearance1 ,,whatever ,,system ,,may 
,,be ,,proposed ,,on ,,the ,,subject4   
,the difficulty is much greater1 if we  
suppose that these spirits are          
absolutely disengaged from any kind of  
matter2 for how can they assemble about 
them a certain quantity of matter1      
clothe themselves with it1 give it a    
human form1 which can be discerned2 is  
capable of acting1 speaking1 conversing1

 eating and drinking1 as did the angels 
who appeared to ,abraham1#dda and the   
one who appeared to the young           
,tobias1#ddb and conducted him to ,rags6
 ,is all that accomplished by the       
natural power of these spirits8 ,has    
,god bestowed on them this power in     
creating them1 and has he engaged       
himself by virtue of his natural laws1  
and by a consequence of his acting      
intimately and essentially on the       
creature1 in his quality of ,creator1 to
 impress on occasion at the will of     
these spirits certain motions in the    
air1 and in the bodies which they would 
move1 condense1 and cause to act1 in the
 same manner proportionally that he has 
willed by virtue of the union of the    
soul with a living body1 that that soul 
should impress on that body motions     
proportioned to its own will1 although1 
naturally1 there is no natural          
proportion between matter and spirit1   
and1 according to the laws of physics1  
the one cannot act upon the other1      

unless the first cause1 the ,creator1   
has chosen to subject himself to create 
this movement1 and to produce these     
effects at the will of man1 movements   
which without that would pass for       
superhuman 7supernatural74  ,or shall we
 say1 with some new philosophers1#ddc   
that although we may have ideas of      
matter and thought1 perhaps we shall    
never be capable of knowing whether a   
being purely material thinks or not1    
because it is impossible for us to      
discover by the contemplative powers of 
our own minds without revelation1 if    
,god has not given to some collections  
of matter1 disposed as he thinks proper1
 the power to perceive and to think1 or 
whether he has joined and united to the 
matter thus arranged1 an immaterial     
substance which thinks8 ,now in relation
 to our notions1 it is not less easy for
 us to conceive that ,god can add to our
 idea of matter the faculty of thinking1
 since we know not in what thought      
consists1 and to what species of        

substance that ,almighty being has      
judged proper to grant this faculty1    
which could exist in no created being   
except by virtue of the goodness and the
 will of the ,creator4  ,this system    
certainly embraces great absurdities1   
and greater to my mind than those it    
would fain avoid4 ,we conceive clearly  
that matter is divisible1 and capable of
 motion2 but we do not conceive that it 
is capable of thought1 nor that thought 
can consist of a certain configuration  
or a certain motion of matter4 ,and even
 could thought depend on an arrangement1
 or on a certain subtility1 or on a     
certain motion of matter1 as soon as    
that arrangement should be disturbed1 or
 the motion interrupted1 or this heap of
 subtile matter dispersed1 thought would
 cease to be produced1 and consequently 
that which constitutes man1 or the      
reasoning animal1 would no longer       
subsist2 thus all the economy of our    
religion1 all our hopes of a future     
life1 all our fears of eternal          

punishment would vanish2 even the       
principles of our philosophy would be   
overthrown4  ,god forbid that we should 
wish to set bounds to the almighty power
 of ,god2 but that all-powerful ,being  
having given us as a rule of our        
knowledge the clearness of the ideas    
which we form of everything1 and not    
being permitted to affirm that which we 
know but indistinctly1 it follows that  
we ought not to assert that thought can 
be attributed to matter4 ,if the thing  
were known to us through revelation1 and
 taught by the authority of the         
,scriptures1 then we might impose       
silence on human reason1 and make       
captive our judgment in obedience to    
faith2 but it is owned that the thing is
 not at all revealed2 neither is it     
demonstrated1 either by its cause1 or by
 its effects4 ,it must1 then1 be        
considered as a simple system1 invented 
to do away certain difficulties which   
result from the opinion opposed to it4  
,if the difficulty of explaining how the

 soul acts upon our bodies appears so   
great1 how can we comprehend that the   
soul itself should be material and      
extended8 ,in the latter case will it   
act upon itself1 and give itself the    
impulsion to think1 or will this        
movement or impulsion be thought itself1
 or will it produce thought8 ,will this 
thinking matter think on always1 or only
 at times2 and when it has ceased to    
think1 who will make it think anew8     
,will it be ,god1 will it be itself8    
,can so simple an agent as the soul act 
upon itself1 and reproduce it in some   
sort by thinking1 after it has ceased to
 think8  ,my reader will say that ,i    
leave him here embarrassed1 and that    
instead of giving him any light on the  
subject of the apparition of spirits1 ,i
 cast doubt and uncertainty on the      
subject4 ,i own it2 but ,i better like  
to doubt prudently1 than to affirm that 
which ,i know not4 ,and if ,i hold by   
what my religion teaches me concerning  
the nature of souls1 angels1 and demons1

 ,i shall say that being purely         
spiritual1 it is impossible that they   
should appear clothed with a body except
 through a miracle2 always in the       
supposition that ,god has not created   
them naturally capable of these         
operations1 with subordination to his   
sovereignly powerful will1 which but    
rarely allows them to use this faculty  
of showing themselves corporeally to    
mortals4  ,if sometimes angels have     
eaten1 spoken1 acted1 walked1 like men1 
it was not from any need they had to    
drink or eat to sustain themselves and  
to be able to live1 but to execute the  
designs of ,god1 whose will it was that 
they should appear to men acting1       
drinking1 and eating1 as the angel      
,raphael observes1#ddd--,when ,i was    
staying with you1 ,i was there by the   
will of ,god2 ,i seemed to you to eat   
and drink1 but for my part ,i make use  
of an invisible nourishment which is    
unknown to men4  ,it is true that we    
know not what may be the food of angels 

who are substances which are purely     
spiritual1 nor what became of that food 
which ,raphael and the angels that      
,abraham entertained in his tent1 took1 
or seemed to take1 in the company of    
men4 ,but there are so many other things
 in nature which are unknown and        
incomprehensible to us1 that we may very
 well console ourselves for not knowing 
how it is that the apparitions of       
angels1 demons1 and disembodied souls   
are made to appear4   ,footnotes3  #dda 
,gen4 xviii4  #ddb ,tob4 xii4 #ai4  #ddc
 ,m4 ,lock4 de ,intellectu ,human4 lib4 
iv4 c4 #c4  #ddd ,tob4 xii4 #ah1 #ai4   
,,dissertation  ,,on ,,the ,,ghosts     
,,who ,,return ,,to ,,earth ,,bodily1   
,,the ,,excommunicated1 ,,the ,,oupires 
,,or ,,vampires1 ,,vroucolacas1 ,,etc4  
,,preface4   ,every age1 every nation1  
every country has its prejudices1 its   
maladies1 its customs1 its inclinations1
 which characterize them1 and which pass
 away1 and succeed to one another2 often
 that which has appeared admirable at   

one time1 becomes pitiful and ridiculous
 at another4 ,we have seen that in some 
ages all was turned towards a certain   
kind of devotion1 of studies and of     
exercises4 ,it is known that1 for more  
than one century1 the prevailing taste  
of ,europe was the journey to           
,jerusalem4 ,kings1 princes1 nobles1    
bishops1 ecclesiastics1 monks1 all      
pressed thither in crowds4 ,the         
pilgrimages to ,rome were formerly very 
frequent and very famous4 ,all that is  
fallen away4 ,we have seen provinces    
over-run with flagellants1 and now none 
of them remain except in the            
brotherhoods of penitents which are     
still found in several parts4  ,we have 
seen in these countries jumpers and     
dancers1 who every moment jumped and    
danced in the streets1 squares or       
market-places1 and even in the churches4
 ,the convulsionaries of our own days   
seem to have revived them2 posterity    
will be surprised at them1 as we laugh  
at them now4 ,towards the end of the    

sixteenth and at the beginning of the   
seventeenth century1 nothing was talked 
of in ,lorraine but wizards and witches4
 ,for a long time we have heard nothing 
of them4 ,when the philosophy of ,m4    
,descartes appeared1 what a vogue it    
had6 ,the ancient philosophy was        
despised2 nothing was talked of but     
experiments in physics1 new systems1 new
 discoveries4 ,m4 ,newton appears2 all  
minds turn to him4 ,the system of ,m4   
,law1 bank notes1 the rage of the ,rue  
,quinquampoix1 what movements did they  
not cause in the kingdom8 ,a sort of    
convulsion had seized on the ,french4   
,in this age1 a new scene presents      
itself to our eyes1 and has done for    
about sixty years in ,hungary1 ,moravia1
 ,silesia1 and ,poland3 they see1 it is 
said1 men who have been dead for several
 months1 come back to earth1 talk1 walk1
 infest villages1 ill use both men and  
beasts1 suck the blood of their near    
relations1 make them ill1 and finally   
cause their death2 so that people can   

only save themselves from their         
dangerous visits and their hauntings by 
exhuming them1 impaling them1 cutting   
off their heads1 tearing out the heart1 
or burning them4 ,these revenans are    
called by the name of oupires or        
vampires1 that is to say1 leeches2 and  
such particulars are related of them1 so
 singular1 so detailed1 and invested    
with such probable circumstances and    
such judicial information1 that one can 
hardly refuse to credit the belief which
 is held in those countries1 that these 
revenans come out of their tombs and    
produce those effects which are         
proclaimed of them4  ,antiquity         
certainly neither saw nor knew anything 
like it4 ,let us read through the       
histories of the ,hebrews1 the          
,egyptians1 the ,greeks1 and the        
,latins2 nothing approaching to it will 
be met with4  ,it is true that we remark
 in history1 though rarely1 that certain
 persons after having been some time in 
their tombs and considered as dead1 have

 returned to life4 ,we shall see even   
that the ancients believed that magic   
could cause death and evoke the souls of
 the dead4 ,several passages are cited1 
which prove that at certain times they  
fancied that sorcerers sucked the blood 
of men and children1 and caused their   
death4 ,they saw also in the twelfth    
century in ,england and ,denmark1 some  
revenans similar to those of ,hungary4  
,but in no history do we read anything  
so usual or so pronounced1 as what is   
related to us of the vampires of        
,poland1 ,hungary1 and ,moravia4        
,christian antiquity furnishes some     
instances of excommunicated persons who 
have visibly come out of their tombs and
 left the churches1 when the deacon     
commanded the excommunicated1 and those 
who did not partake of the communion1 to
 retire4 ,for several centuries nothing 
like this has been seen1 although it is 
known that the bodies of several        
excommunicated persons who died while   
under sentence of excommunication and   

censure of the ,church are buried in    
churches4  ,the belief of the modern    
,greeks1 who will have it that the      
bodies of the excommunicated do not     
decay in their tombs or graves1 is an   
opinion which has no foundation1 either 
in antiquity1 in good theology1 or even 
in history4 ,this idea seems to have    
been invented by the modern ,greek      
schismatics1 only to authorize and      
confirm them in their separation from   
the church of ,rome4 ,christian         
antiquity believed1 on the contrary1    
that the incorruptibility of a body was 
rather a probable mark of the sanctity  
of the person and a proof of the        
particular protection of ,god1 extended 
to a body which during its lifetime had 
been the temple of the ,holy ,spirit1   
and of one who had retained in justice  
and innocence the mark of ,christianity4
  ,the vroucolacas of ,greece and the   
,archipelago are again revenans of a new
 kind4 ,we can hardly persuade ourselves
 that a nation so witty as the ,greeks  

could fall into so extraordinary an     
opinion4 ,ignorance or prejudice1 must  
be extreme among them since neither an  
ecclesiastic nor any other writer has   
undertaken to undeceive them4  ,the     
imagination of those who believe that   
the dead chew in their graves1 with a   
noise similar to that made by hogs when 
they eat1 is so ridiculous that it does 
not deserve to be seriously refuted4 ,i 
undertake to treat here on the matter of
 the revenans or vampires of ,hungary1  
,moravia1 ,silesia1 and ,poland1 at the 
risk of being criticised however ,i may 
discuss it2 those who believe them to be
 true1 will accuse me of rashness and   
presumption1 for having raised a doubt  
on the subject1 or even of having denied
 their existence and reality2 others    
will blame me for having employed my    
time in discussing this matter which is 
considered as frivolous and useless by  
many sensible people4 ,whatever may be  
thought of it1 ,i shall be pleased with 
myself for having sounded a question    

which appeared to me important in a     
religious point of view4 ,for if the    
return of vampires is real1 it is of    
import to defend it1 and prove it2 and  
if it is illusory1 it is of consequence 
to the interests of religion to         
undeceive those who believe in its      
truth1 and destroy an error which may   
produce dangerous effects4              
,,dissertation    ,,on ,,the ,,ghosts   
,,who ,,return ,,to ,,earth ,,bodily1   
,,the ,,excommunicated1   ,,the         
,,oupires ,,or ,,vampires1              
,,vroucolacas1 ,,etc4     ,,chapter ,i4 
,,the ,,resurrection ,,of ,a ,,dead     
,,person ,,is ,,the ,,work ,,of ,,god   
,,only4   ,after having treated in a    
separate dissertation on the matter of  
the apparitions of angels1 demons1 and  
disembodied souls1 the connection of the
 subject invites me to speak also of the
 ghosts and excommunicated persons1     
whom1 it is said1 the earth rejects from
 her bosom2 of the vampires of ,hungary1
 ,silesia1 ,bohemia1 ,moravia1 and      

,poland2 and of the vroucolacas of      
,greece4 ,i shall report first of all1  
what has been said and written of them2 
then ,i shall deduce some consequences1 
and bring forward the reasons or        
arguments that may be adduced for1 and  
against1 their existence and reality4   
,the revenans of ,hungary1 or vampires1 
which form the principal object of this 
dissertation1 are men who have been dead
 a considerable time1 sometimes more1   
sometimes less2 who leave their tombs1  
and come and disturb the living1 sucking
 their blood1 appearing to them1 making 
a racket at their doors1 and in their   
houses1 and lastly1 often causing their 
death4 ,they are named vampires1 or     
oupires1 which signifies1 they say1 in  
,sclavonic1 a leech4 ,the only way to be
 delivered from their haunting1 is to   
disinter them1 cut off their head1      
impale them1 burn them1 or pierce their 
heart4  ,several systems have been      
propounded to explain the return1 and   
these apparitions of the vampires4 ,some

 persons have denied and rejected them  
as chimerical1 and as an effect of the  
prepossession and ignorance of the      
people of those countries1 where they   
are said to come back or return4        
,others have thought that these people  
were not really dead1 but that they had 
been interred alive1 and returned       
naturally to themselves1 and came out of
 their tombs4  ,others believe that     
these people are very truly dead1 but   
that ,god1 by a particular permission1  
or command1 permits or commands them to 
come back to earth1 and resume for a    
time their own body2 for when they are  
exhumed1 their bodies are found entire1 
their blood vermilion and fluid1 and    
their limbs supple and pliable4  ,others
 maintain that it is the demon who      
causes these revenans to appear1 and by 
their means does all the harm he        
occasions both men and animals4  ,in the
 supposition that vampires veritably    
resuscitate1 we may raise an infinity of
 difficulties on the subject4 ,how is   

this resurrection accomplished8 ,it is  
by the strength of the revenant1 by the 
return of his soul into his body8 ,is it
 an angel1 is it a demon who reanimates 
it8 ,is it by the order1 or by the      
permission of ,god that he resuscitates8
 ,is this resurrection voluntary on his 
part1 and by his own choice8 ,is it for 
a long time1 like that of the persons   
who were restored to life by ,jesus     
,christ8 or that of persons resuscitated
 by the ,prophets and ,apostles8 ,or is 
it only momentary1 and for a few days   
and a few hours1 like the resurrection  
operated by ,st4 ,stanislaus upon the   
lord who had sold him a field2 or that  
spoken of in the life of ,st4 ,macarius 
of ,egypt1 and of ,st4 ,spiridion1 who  
made the dead to speak1 simply to bear  
testimony to the truth1 and then left   
them to sleep in peace1 awaiting the    
last1 the judgment day4  ,first of all1 
,i lay it down as an undoubted          
principle1 that the resurrection of a   
person really dead is effected by the   

power of ,god alone4 ,no man can either 
resuscitate himself1 or restore another 
man to life1 without a visible miracle4 
,jesus ,christ resuscitated himself1 as 
he had promised he would2 he did it by  
his own power2 he did it with           
circumstances which were all miraculous4
 ,if he had returned to life as soon as 
he was taken down from the cross1 it    
might have been thought that he was not 
quite dead1 that there remained yet in  
him some remains of life1 that they     
might have been revived by warming him1 
or by giving him cordials and something 
capable of bringing him back to his     
senses4  ,but he revives only on the    
third day4 ,he had1 as it were1 been    
killed after his death1 by the opening  
made in his side with a lance1 which    
pierced him to the heart1 and would have
 put him to death1 if he had not then   
been beyond receiving it4  ,when he     
resuscitated ,lazarus1#dde he waited    
until he had been four days in the tomb1
 and began to show corruption2 which is 

the most certain mark that a man is     
really deceased1 without a hope of      
returning to life1 except by            
supernatural means4  ,the resurrection  
which ,job so firmly expected1#ddf and  
that of the man who came to life1 on    
touching the body of the prophet ,elisha
 in his tomb2#ddg and the child of the  
widow of ,shunem1 whom the same ,elisha 
restored to life2#ddh that army of      
skeletons1 whose resurrection was       
predicted by ,ezekiel1#ddi and which in 
spirit he saw executed before his eyes1 
as a type and pledge as the return of   
the ,hebrews from their captivity at    
,babylon2--in short1 all the            
resurrections related in the sacred     
books of the ,old and ,new ,testament1  
are manifestly miraculous effects1 and  
attributed solely to the ,almighty power
 of ,god4 ,neither angels1 nor demons1  
nor men1 the holiest and most favored of
 ,god1 could by their own power restore 
to life a person really dead4 ,they can 
do it by the power of ,god alone1 who   

when he thinks proper so to do1 is free 
to grant this favor to their prayers and
 intercession4   ,footnotes3  #dde ,john
 xi4 #ci4  #ddf ,job xxi4 #be4  #ddg #a 
,kings xiii4 #ba1 #bb4  #ddh #b ,kings  
iv4  #ddi ,ezek4 xxxvii4 #a1 #b1 #c4    
,,chapter ,,ii4  ,,on ,,the ,,revival   
,,of ,,persons ,,who ,,were ,,not       
,,really ,,dead4   ,the resuscitation of
 some persons who were believed to be   
dead1 and who were not so1 but simply   
asleep1 or in a lethargy2 and of those  
who were supposed to be dead1 having    
been drowned1 and who came to life again
 through the care taken of them1 or by  
medical skill4 ,such persons must not   
pass for being really resuscitated2 they
 were not dead1 or were so only in      
appearance4  ,we intend to speak in this
 place of another order of resuscitated 
persons1 who had been buried sometimes  
for several months1 or even several     
years2 who ought to have been suffocated
 in their graves1 had they been interred
 alive1 and in whom are still found     

signs of life3 the blood in a liquid    
state1 the flesh entire1 the complexion 
fine and florid1 the limbs flexible and 
pliable4 ,those persons who return      
either by night or by day1 disturb the  
living1 suck their blood1 kill them1    
appear in their clothes1 in their       
families1 sit down to table1 and do a   
thousand other things2 then return to   
their graves without any one seeing how 
they re-enter them4 ,this is a kind of  
momentary resurrection1 or revival2 for 
whereas the other dead persons spoken of
 in ,scripture have lived1 drank1 eaten 
and conversed with other men after their
 return to life1 as ,lazarus1 the       
brother of ,mary and ,martha1#dej and   
the son of the widow of ,shunem1        
resuscitated by ,elisha4#dea ,these     
appeared during a certain time1 in      
certain places1 in certain              
circumstances2 and appear no more as    
soon as they have been impaled1 or      
burned1 or have had their heads cut off4
  ,if this last order of resuscitated   

persons were not really dead1 there is  
nothing wonderful in their revisiting   
the world1 except the manner in which it
 is done1 and the circumstances by which
 that return is accompanied4 ,do these  
revenans simply awaken from their sleep1
 or do they recover themselves like     
those who fall down in syncope1 in      
fainting fits1 or in swoons1 and who at 
the end of a certain time come naturally
 to themselves when the blood and animal
 spirits have resumed their natural     
course and motion4  ,but how can they   
come out of their graves without opening
 the earth1 and how re-enter them again 
without its appearing8 ,have we ever    
seen lethargies1 or swoons1 or syncopes 
last whole years together8 ,if people   
insist on these resurrections being real
 ones1 did we ever see dead persons     
resuscitate themselves1 and by their own
 power8  ,if they are not resuscitated  
by themselves1 is it by the power of    
,god that they have left their graves8  
,what proof is there that ,god has      

anything to do with it8 ,what is the    
object of these resurrections8 ,is it to
 show forth the works of ,god in these  
vampires8 ,what glory does the ,divinity
 derive from them8 ,if it is not ,god   
who drags them from their graves1 is it 
an angel8 is it a demon8 is it their own
 spirit8 ,can the soul when separated   
from the body re-enter it when it will1 
and give it new life1 were it but for a 
quarter of an hour8 ,can an angel or a  
demon restore a dead man to life8       
,undoubtedly not1 without the order1 or 
at least the permission of ,god4 ,this  
question of the natural power of angels 
and demons over human bodies has been   
examined in another place1 and we have  
shown that neither revelation nor reason
 throws any certain light on the        
subject4   ,footnotes3  #dej #a ,john   
xii4 #b4  #dea #b ,kings viii4 #e4      
,,chapter ,,iii4  ,,revival ,,of ,a     
,,man ,,who ,,had ,,been ,,interred     
,,for ,,three ,,years1 ,,and ,,was      
,,resuscitated ,,by ,,st4 ,,stanislaus4 

,all the lives of the saints are full of
 resurrections of the dead2 thick       
volumes might be composed on the        
subject4  ,these resurrections have a   
manifest relation to the matter which we
 are here treating of1 since it relates 
to persons who are dead1 or held to be  
so1 who appear bodily and animated to   
the living1 and who live after their    
return to life4 ,i shall content myself 
with relating the history of ,st4       
,stanislaus1 ,bishop of ,cracow1 who    
restored to life a man that had been    
dead for three years1 attended by such  
singular circumstances1 and in so public
 a manner1 that the thing is beyond the 
severest criticism4 ,if it is really    
true1 it must be regarded as one of the 
most unheard of miracles which are read 
of in history4 ,they assert that the    
life of this saint was written either at
 the time of martyrdom1#deb or a short  
time afterwards1 by different           
well-informed authors2 for the martyrdom
 of the saint1 and1 above all1 the      

restoration to life of the dead man of  
whom we are about to speak1 were seen   
and known by an infinite number of      
persons1 by all the court of king       
,boleslaus4 ,and this event having taken
 place in ,poland1 where vampires are   
frequently met with even in our days1 it
 concerns1 for that reason1 more        
particularly the subject we are         
treating4  ,the bishop1 ,st4            
,stanislaus1 having bought of a         
gentleman1 named ,pierre1 an estate     
situated on the banks of the ,vistula1  
in the territory of ,lublin1 for the    
profit of his church at ,cracow1 gave   
the price of it to the seller1 in the   
presence of witnesses1 and with the     
solemnities requisite in that country1  
but without written deeds1 for they then
 wrote but seldom in ,poland on the     
occasion of sales of this kind2 they    
contented themselves with having        
witnesses4 ,stanislaus took possession  
of this estate by the king's authority1 
and his church enjoyed it peaceably for 

about three years4  ,in the interim1    
,pierre1 who had sold it1 happened to   
die4 ,the king of ,poland1 ,boleslaus1  
who had conceived an implacable hatred  
against the holy bishop1 because he had 
freely reproved him for his excesses1   
seeking occasion to cause him trouble1  
excited against him the three sons of   
,pierre1 and his heirs1 and told them to
 claim the estate which their father had
 sold1 on pretence of its not having    
been paid for4 ,he promised to support  
their demand1 and to cause it to be     
restored to them4 ,thus these three     
gentlemen had the bishop cited to appear
 before the king1 who was then at       
,solech1 occupied in rendering justice  
under some tents in the country1        
according to the ancient custom of the  
land1 in the general assembly of the    
nation4 ,the bishop was cited before the
 king1 and maintained that he had bought
 and paid for the estate in question4   
,the day was beginning to close1 and the
 bishop ran great risk of being         

condemned by the king and his           
counselors4 ,suddenly1 as if inspired by
 the ,divine ,spirit1 he promised the   
king to bring him in three days ,pierre1
 of whom he had bought it1 and the      
condition was accepted mockingly1 as a  
thing impossible to be executed4  ,the  
holy bishop repairs to ,pictravin1      
remains in prayer1 and keeps fast with  
his household for three days2 on the    
third day he goes in his pontifical     
robes1 accompanied by his clergy and a  
multitude of people1 causes the         
grave-stone to be raised1 and makes them
 dig until they found the corpse of the 
defunct all fleshless and corrupted4    
,the saint commands him to come forth   
and bear witness to the truth before the
 king's tribunal4 ,he rises2 they cover 
him with a cloak2 the saint takes him by
 the hand1 and leads him alive to the   
feet of the king4 ,no one had the       
boldness to interrogate him2 but he took
 the word1 and declared that he had in  
good faith sold the estate to the       

prelate1 and that he had received the   
value of it2 after which he severely    
reprimanded his sons1 who had so        
maliciously accused the holy bishop4    
,stanislaus asked ,pierre if he wished  
to remain alive to do penance4 ,he      
thanked him1 and said he would not anew 
expose himself to the danger of sinning4
 ,stanislaus reconducted him to his     
tomb1 and being arrived there1 he again 
fell asleep in the ,lord4 ,it may be    
supposed that such a scene had an       
infinite number of witnesses1 and that  
all ,poland was quickly informed of it4 
,the king was only the more irritated   
against the saint4 ,he some time after  
killed him with his own hand1 as he was 
coming from the altar1 and had his body 
cut into seventy-two parts1 in order    
that they might never more be collected 
together in order to pay them the       
worship which was due to them as the    
body of a martyr for the truth and for  
pastoral liberty4  ,now then let us come
 to that which is the principal subject 

of these researches1 the vampires1 or   
revenans1 of ,hungary1 ,moravia1 and    
similar ones1 which appear only for a   
little time in their natural bodies4    
,footnotes3  #deb ,the reverend fathers 
the ,bollandists1 believed that the life
 of ,st4 ,stanislaus1 which they had    
printed1 was very old1 and nearly of the
 time of the martyrdom of the saint2 or 
at least that it was taken from a life  
by an author almost his cotemporary1 and
 original4 ,but since the first edition 
of this dissertation it has been        
observed to me that the thing was by no 
means certain2 that ,m4 ,baillet1 on the
 #gth of ,may1 in the critical table of 
authors1 asserts that the life of ,st4  
,stanislaus was only written #djj years 
after his death1 from uncertain and     
mutilated memoirs4 ,and in the life of  
the saint he owns that it is only the   
tradition of the writers of the country 
which can render credible the account of
 the resurrection of ,pierre4 ,the ,abb 
,fleuri1 tom4 xiii4 of the              

,ecclesiastical ,history1 l4 #fb1 year  
#ajgi1 does not agree either to what is 
written in that life or to what has     
followed it4 ,at any rate1 the miracle  
of the resurrection of ,pierre is       
related as certain in a discourse of    
,john de ,polemac1 delivered at the     
,council of ,constance1 #adcc2 tom4 xii4
 ,councils1 p4 #acig4     ,,chapter     
,,iv4  ,,can ,a ,,man ,,who ,,is        
,,really ,,dead ,,appear ,,in ,,his     
,,own ,,body8   ,if what is related of  
vampires were certainly true1 the       
question here proposed would be         
frivolous and useless2 they would reply 
to us directly--,in ,hungary1 ,moravia1 
and ,poland1 persons who were dead and  
interred a long time1 have been seen to 
return1 to appear1 and torment men and  
animals1 suck their blood1 and cause    
their death4  ,these persons come back  
to earth in their own bodies2 people see
 them1 know them1 exhume them1 try them1
 impale them1 cut off their heads1 burn 
them4 ,it is then not only possible1 but

 very true and very real1 that they     
appear in their own bodies4  ,it might  
be added in support of this belief1 that
 the ,scriptures themselves give        
instances of these apparitions3 for     
example1 at the ,transfiguration of our 
,saviour1 ,elias and ,moses appeared on 
,mount ,tabor1#dec there conversing with
 ,jesus ,christ4 ,we know that ,elias is
 still alive4 ,i do not cite him as an  
instance2 but in regard to ,moses1 his  
death is not doubtful2 and yet he       
appeared bodily talking with ,jesus     
,christ4 ,the dead who came out of their
 graves at the resurrection of the      
,saviour1#ded and who appeared to many  
persons in ,jerusalem1 had been in their
 sepulchres for several years2 there was
 no doubt of their being dead2 and      
nevertheless they appeared and bore     
testimony to the resurrection of the    
,saviour4  ,when ,jeremiah appeared to  
,judas ,maccabus1#dee and placed in his 
hand a golden sword1 saying to him1     
,receive this sword as a gift from ,god1

 with which you will vanquish the       
enemies of my people of ,israel2 it was 
apparently this prophet in his own      
person who appeared to him and made him 
that present1 since by his mien he was  
recognized as the prophet ,jeremiah4  ,i
 do not speak of those persons who were 
really restored to life by a miracle1 as
 the son of the widow of ,shunem        
resuscitated by ,elijah2 nor of the dead
 man who1 on touching the coffin of the 
same prophet1 rose upon his feet and    
revived2 nor of ,lazarus1 to whom ,jesus
 ,christ restored life in a way so      
miraculous and striking4 ,those persons 
lived1 drank1 ate1 and conversed with   
mankind1 after1 as before their death   
and resurrection4  ,it is not of such   
persons that we now speak4 ,i speak1 for
 instance1 of ,pierre resuscitated by   
,stanislaus for a few hours2 of those   
persons of whom ,i made mention in the  
treatise on the ,apparitions of         
,spirits1 who appeared1 spoke1 and      
revealed hidden things1 and whose       

resurrection was but momentary1 and only
 to manifest the power of ,god1 in order
 to bear witness to truth and innocence1
 or to maintain the credit of the church
 against obstinate heretics1 as we read 
in various instances4  ,st4 ,martin1    
being newly made ,archbishop of ,tours1 
conceived some suspicions against an    
altar which the bishops his predecessors
 had erected to a pretended martyr1 of  
whom they knew neither the name nor the 
history1 and of whom none of the priests
 or ministers of the chapel could give  
any certain account4 ,he abstained for  
some time from going to this spot1 which
 was not far from the city2 but one day 
he repaired thither accompanied by a few
 monks1 and having prayed1 he besought  
,god to let him know who it was that was
 interred there4 ,he then perceived on  
his left a hideous and dirty-looking    
apparition2 and having commanded it to  
tell him who he was1 the spectre        
declared his name1 and confessed to him 
that he was a robber1 who had been put  

to death for his crimes and acts of     
violence1 and that he had nothing in    
common with the martyrs4 ,those who were
 present heard distinctly what he said1 
but saw no one4 ,st4 ,martin had the    
tomb overthrown1 and cured the ignorant 
people of their superstitions4  ,the    
philosopher ,celsus1 writing against the
 ,christians1 maintained that the       
apparitions of ,jesus ,christ to his    
apostles were not real1 but that they   
were simply shadowy forms which         
appeared4 ,origen1 retorting his        
reasoning1 tells him#def that the pagans
 give an account of various apparitions 
of sculapius and ,apollo1 to which they 
attribute the power of predicting future
 events4 ,if these appearances are      
admitted to be real1 because they are   
attested by some1 why not receive as    
true those of ,jesus ,christ1 which are 
related by ocular witnesses1 and        
believed by millions of persons8  ,he   
afterwards relates this history4        
,aristeus1 who belonged to one of the   

first families of ,proconnesus1 having  
one day entered a foulon shop1 died     
there suddenly4 ,the  having locked the 
door1 ran directly to inform the        
relations of the deceased2 but as the   
report was instantly spread in the town1
 a man of ,cyzica1 who came from        
,astacia1 affirmed that it could not be1
 because he had met ,aristeus on the    
road from ,cyzica1 and had spoken to    
him1 which he loudly maintained before  
all the people of ,proconnesus4         
,thereupon the relations arrive at the  
foulon's1 with all the necessary        
apparatus for carrying away the body2   
but when they entered the house1 they   
could not find ,aristeus there1 either  
dead or alive4 ,seven years after1 he   
showed himself in the very town of      
,proconnesus2 made there those verses   
which are termed ,arimaspean1 and then  
disappeared for the second time4 ,such  
is the story related of him in those    
places4  ,three hundred and forty years 
after that event1 the same ,aristeus    

showed himself in ,metapontus1 in       
,italy1 and commanded the ,metapontines 
to build an altar to ,apollo1 and       
afterwards to erect a statue in honor of
 ,aristeus of ,proconnesus1 adding that 
they were the only people of ,italy whom
 ,apollo had honored with his presence2 
as for himself who spoke to them1 he had
 accompanied that god in the form of a  
crow2 and having thus spoken he         
disappeared4  ,the ,metapontines sent to
 consult the oracle of ,delphi          
concerning this apparition2 the ,delphic
 oracle told them to follow the counsel 
which ,aristeus had given them1 and it  
would be well for them2 in fact1 they   
did erect a statue to ,apollo1 which was
 still to be seen there in the time of  
,herodotus2#deg and at the same time1   
another statue to ,aristeus1 which stood
 in a small plantation of laurels1 in   
the midst of the public square of       
,metapontus4 ,celsus made no difficulty 
of believing all that on the word of    
,herodotus1 though ,pindar and he       

refused credence to what the ,christians
 taught of the miracles wrought by      
,jesus ,christ1 related in the ,gospel  
and sealed with the blood of martyrs4   
,origen adds1 ,what could ,providence   
have designed in performing for this    
,proconnesian the miracles we have just 
mentioned8 ,what benefit could mankind  
derive from them8 ,whereas1 what the    
,christians relate of ,jesus ,christ    
serves to confirm a doctrine which is   
beneficial to the human race4 ,we must1 
then1 either reject this story of       
,aristeus as fabulous1 or ascribe all   
that is told of it as the work of the   
evil spirit4   ,footnotes3  #dec ,matt4 
ix4 #cd4  #ded ,matt4 xxvii4 #ec4  #dee 
,macc4 xiv4 #ad1 #ae4  #def ,origen4    
contra ,celsum1 lib4 i4 pp4 #abc1 #abd4 
#deg ,herodot4 lib4 iv4     ,,chapter   
,v4  ,,revival ,,or ,,apparition ,,of ,a
 ,,girl ,,who ,,had ,,been ,,dead ,,some
 ,,months4   ,phlegonus1 freed-man of   
the ,emperor ,adrian1#deh in the        
fragment of the book which he wrote on  

wonderful things1 says that at ,tralla1 
in ,asia1 a certain man named ,machates1
 an innkeeper1 was connected with a girl
 named ,philinium1 the daughter of      
,demostrates and ,chariton4 ,this girl  
being dead1 and placed in her grave1    
continued to come every night for six   
months to see her gallant1 to drink1    
eat1 and sleep with him4 ,one day this  
girl was recognized by her nurse1 when  
she was sitting by ,machates4 ,the nurse
 ran to give notice of this to          
,chariton1 the girl's mother1 who1 after
 making many difficulties1 came at last 
to the inn2 but as it was very late1 and
 everybody gone to bed1 she could not   
satisfy her curiosity4 ,however1 she    
recognized her daughter's clothes1 and  
thought she recognized the girl herself 
in bed with ,machates4 ,she returned the
 next morning1 but having missed her    
way1 she no longer found her daughter1  
who had already withdrawn4 ,machates    
related everything to her2 how1 since a 
certain time1 she had come to him every 

night2 and in proof of what he said1 he 
opened his casket and showed her the    
gold ring which ,philinium had given    
him1 and the band with which she covered
 her bosom1 and which she had left with 
him the preceding night4  ,chariton1 who
 could no longer doubt the truth of the 
circumstance1 now gave way to cries and 
tears2 but as they promised to inform   
her the following night1 when ,philinium
 should return1 she went away home4 ,in 
the evening the girl came back as usual1
 and ,machates sent directly to let her 
father and mother know1 for he began to 
fear that some other girl might have    
taken ,philinium's clothes from the     
sepulchre1 in order to deceive him by   
the illusion4  ,demostrates and         
,chariton1 on arriving1 recognized their
 daughter and ran to embrace her2 but   
she cried out1 ,oh1 father and mother1  
why have you grudged me my happiness1 by
 preventing me from remaining three days
 longer with this innkeeper without     
injury to any one8 for ,i did not come  

here without permission from the gods1  
that is to say1 from the demon1 since we
 cannot attribute to ,god1 or to a good 
spirit1 a thing like that4 ,your        
curiosity will cost you dear4 ,at the   
same time1 she fell down stiff and dead1
 and extended on the bed4  ,phlegon1 who
 had some command in the town1 stayed   
the crowd and prevented a tumult4 ,the  
next day1 the people being assembled at 
the theatre1 they agreed to go and      
inspect the vault in which ,philinium1  
who had died six months before1 had been
 laid4 ,they found there the corpses of 
her family arranged in their places1 but
 they found not the body of ,philinium4 
,there was only an iron ring1 which     
,machates had given her1 with a gilded  
cup1 which she had also received from   
him4 ,afterwards they went back to the  
dwelling of ,machates1 where the body of
 the girl remained lying on the ground4 
,they consulted a diviner1 who said that
 she must be interred beyond the limits 
of the town2 they must appease the      

furies and terrestrial ,mercury1 make   
solemn funeral ceremonies to the god    
,manes1 and sacrifice to ,jupiter       
,hospitaller1 to ,mercury1 and ,mars4   
,phlegon adds1 speaking to him to whom  
he was writing3 ,if you think proper to 
inform the emperor of it1 write to me1  
that ,i may send you some of those      
persons who were eye-witnesses of all   
these things4  ,here is the fact        
circumstantially related1 and invested  
with all the marks which can make it    
pass for true4 ,nevertheless1 how       
numerous are the difficulties it        
presents6 ,was this young girl really   
dead1 or only sleeping8 ,was her        
resurrection effected by her own        
strength and will1 or was it a demon who
 restored her to life8 ,it appears that 
it cannot be doubted that it was her own
 body2 all the circumstances noted in   
the recital of ,phlegon persuade us of  
it4 ,if she was not dead1 and all she   
did was merely a game and a play which  
she performed to satisfy her passion for

 ,machates1 there is nothing in all this
 recital very incredible4 ,we know what 
illicit love is capable of1 and how far 
it may lead any one who is devoured by a
 violent passion4 ,the same ,phlegon    
says that a ,syrian soldier of the army 
of ,antiochus1 after having been killed 
at ,thermopyl1 appeared in open day in  
the ,roman camp1 where he spoke to      
several persons4  ,haralde1 or ,harappe1
 a ,dane1 who caused himself to be      
buried at the entrance of his kitchen1  
appeared after his death1 and was       
wounded by one ,olas ,pa1 who left the  
iron of his lance in the wound4 ,this   
,dane1 then1 appeared bodily4 ,was it   
his soul which moved his body1 or a     
demon which made use of this corpse to  
disturb and frighten the living8 ,did he
 do this by his own strength1 or by the 
permission of ,god8 ,and what glory to  
,god1 what advantage to men1 could      
accrue from these apparitions8 ,shall we
 deny all these facts1 related in so    
circumstantial a manner by enlightened  

authors1 who have no interest in        
deceiving us1 nor any wish to do so8    
,st4 ,augustine relates that1 during his
 abode at ,milan1#dei a young man had a 
suit instituted against him by a person 
who repeated his demand for a debt      
already paid the young man's father1 but
 the receipt for which could not be     
found4 ,the ghost of the father appeared
 to the son1 and informed him where the 
receipt was which occasioned him so much
 trouble4  ,st4 ,macarius1 the          
,egyptian1 made a dead man#dfj speak who
 had been interred some time1 in order  
to discover a deposit which he had      
received and hidden unknown to his wife4
 ,the dead man declared that the money  
was slipt down at the foot of his bed4  
,the same ,st4 ,macarius1 not being able
 to refute in any other way a heretic   
,eunomian1 according to some1 or        
,hieracitus1 according to others1 said  
to him1 ,let us go to the grave of a    
dead man1 and ask him to inform us of   
the truth which you will not agree to4  

,the heretic dared not present himself  
at the grave2 but ,st4 ,macarius went   
thither1 accompanied by a multitude of  
persons4 ,he interrogated the dead1 who 
replied from the depth of the tomb1 that
 if the heretic had appeared in the     
crowd he should have arisen to convince 
him1 and to bear testimony to the truth4
 ,st4 ,macarius commanded him to fall   
asleep again in the ,lord1 till the time
 when ,jesus ,christ should awaken him  
in his place at the end of the world4   
,the ancients1 who have related the same
 fact1 vary in some of the              
circumstances1 as is usual enough when  
those things are related only from      
memory4  ,st4 ,spiridion1 ,bishop of    
,trinitontis1 in ,egypt1#dfa had a      
daughter named ,irene1 who lived in     
virginity till her death4 ,after her    
decease1 a person came to ,spiridion and
 asked him for a deposit which he had   
confided to ,irene unknown to her       
father4 ,they sought in every part of   
the house1 but could find nothing4 ,at  

last ,spiridion went to his daughter's  
tomb1 and calling her by her name1 asked
 her where the deposit was4 ,she        
declared the same1 and ,spiridion       
restored it4  ,a holy abbot named       
,erricles resuscitated for a moment a   
man who had been killed1#dfb and of     
whose death they accused a monk who was 
perfectly innocent4 ,the dead man did   
justice to the accused1 and the ,abbot  
,erricles said to him1 ,sleep in peace1 
till the ,lord shall come at the last   
day to resuscitate you to all eternity4 
,all these momentary resurrections may  
serve to explain how the revenans of    
,hungary come out of their graves1 then 
return to them1 after having caused     
themselves to be seen and felt for some 
time4 ,but the difficulty will always be
 to know1 #ast1 ,if the thing be true2  
#b;d1 ,if they can resuscitate          
themselves2 and1 #c;d1 ,if they are     
really dead1 or only asleep4 ,in what   
way soever we regard this circumstance1 
it always appears equally impossible and

 incredible4   ,footnotes3  #deh        
,phlegon4 de ,mirabilib4 #ah4 ,gronov4  
,antiq4 ,grc4 p4 #bfid4  #dei ,aug4 de  
,cur pro ,mortuis4  #dfj ,rosweid4 vit4 
,p4 ,p4 lib4 ii4 p4 #dhj4  #dfa         
,sozomen1 ,hist4 ,eccl4 lib4 i4 c4 #aa4 
#dfb ,vit4 ,p4 ,p4 lib4 ii4 p4 #fej4    
,,chapter ,,vi4  ,a ,,woman ,,taken     
,,alive ,,from ,,her ,,grave4   ,we read
 in a new work1 a story which has some  
connection with this subject4 ,a        
shopkeeper of the ,rue ,st4 ,honor1 at  
,paris1 had promised his daughter to one
 of his friends1 a shopkeeper like      
himself1 residing also in the same      
street4 ,a financier having presented   
himself as a husband for this young     
girl1 was accepted instead of the young 
man to whom she had been promised4 ,the 
marriage was accomplished1 and the young
 bride falling ill1 was looked upon as  
dead1 enshrouded and interred4 ,the     
first lover having an idea that she had 
fallen into a lethargy or a trance1 had 
her taken out of the ground during the  

night2 they brought her to herself and  
he espoused her4 ,they crossed the      
channel1 and lived quietly in ,england  
for some years4 ,at the end of ten      
years1 they returned to ,paris1 where   
the first husband having recognized his 
wife in a public walk1 claimed her in a 
court of justice2 and this was the      
subject of a great law suit4  ,the wife 
and her 7second7 husband defended       
themselves on the ground that death had 
broken the bonds of the first marriage4 
,the first husband was even accused of  
having caused his wife to be too        
precipitately interred4 ,the lovers     
foreseeing that they might be           
non-suited1 again withdrew to a foreign 
land1 where they ended their days4 ,this
 circumstance is so singular that our   
readers will have some difficulty in    
giving credence to it4 ,i only give it  
as it is told4 ,it is for those who     
advance the fact to guarantee and prove 
it4  ,who can say that1 in the story of 
,phlegon1 the young ,philinium was not  

thus placed in the vault without being  
dead1 and that every night she came to  
see her lover ,machates8 ,that was much 
easier for her than would have been the 
return of the ,parisian woman1 who had  
been enshrouded1 buried1 and remained   
covered with earth1 and enveloped in    
linen1 during a pretty long time4  ,the 
other example related in the same work1 
is of a girl who fell into a trance and 
was regarded as dead1 and became        
enceinte during this interval1 without  
knowing the author of her pregnancy4 ,it
 was a monk1 who1 having made himself   
known1 asserted that his vows should be 
annulled1 he having been forced into the
 sacred profession4 ,a great lawsuit    
ensued upon it1 of which the documents  
are preserved to this day4 ,the monk    
obtained a dispensation from his vows1  
and married the young girl4  ,this      
instance may be adduced with that of    
,philinium1 and the young woman of the  
,rue ,st4 ,honor4 ,it is possible that  
these persons might not be dead1 and    

consequently not restored to life4      
,,chapter ,,vii4  ,,let ,,us ,,now      
,,examine ,,the ,,fact ,,of ,,the       
,,revenans ,,or ,,vampires ,,of         
,,moravia4   ,i have been told by the   
late ,monsieur de ,vassimont1 counsellor
 of the ,chamber of the ,counts of ,bar1
 that having been sent into ,moravia by 
his late ,royal ,highness ,leopold1     
first ,duke of ,lorraine1 for the       
affairs of my ,lord the ,prince ,charles
 his brother1 ,bishop of ,olmutz and    
,osnaburgh1 he was informed by public   
report that it was common enough in that
 country to see men who had died some   
time before1 present themselves in a    
party1 and sit down to table with       
persons of their acquaintance without   
saying anything2 but that nodding to one
 of the party1 he would infallibly die  
some days afterwards4 ,this fact was    
confirmed by several persons1 and       
amongst others by an old cur1 who said  
he had seen more than one instance of   
it4  ,the bishops and priests of the    

country consulted ,rome on so           
extraordinary a fact2 but they received 
no answer1 because1 apparently1 all     
those things were regarded there as     
simple visions1 or popular fancies4     
,they afterwards bethought themselves of
 taking up the corpses of those who came
 back in that way1 of burning them1 or  
of destroying them in some other manner4
 ,thus they delivered themselves from   
the importunity of these spectres1 which
 are now much less frequently seen than 
before4 ,so said that good priest4      
,these apparitions have given rise to a 
little work1 entitled ,magia ,posthuma1 
printed at ,olmutz1 in #agjf1 composed  
by ,charles ,ferdinand de ,schertz1     
dedicated to ,prince ,charles1 of       
,lorraine1 ,bishop of ,olmutz and       
,osnaburgh4 ,the author relates that1 in
 a certain village1 a woman being just  
dead1 who had taken all her sacraments1 
she was buried in the usual way in the  
cemetery4 ,four days after her decease1 
the inhabitants of this village heard a 

great noise and extraordinary uproar1   
and saw a spectre1 which appeared       
sometimes in the shape of a dog1        
sometimes in the form of a man1 not to  
one person only1 but to several1 and    
caused them great pain1 grasping their  
throats1 and compressing their stomachs1
 so as to suffocate them4 ,it bruised   
almost the whole body1 and reduced them 
to extreme weakness1 so that they became
 pale1 lean and attenuated4  ,the       
spectre attacked even the animals1 and  
some cows were found debilitated and    
half dead4 ,sometimes it tied them      
together by their tails4 ,these animals 
gave sufficient evidence by their       
bellowing of the pain they suffered4    
,the horses seemed overcome with        
fatigue1 all in a perspiration1         
principally on the back2 heated1 out of 
breath1 covered with foam1 as they are  
after a long and rough journey4 ,these  
calamities lasted several months4  ,the 
author whom ,i have mentioned examines  
the affair in a lawyer-like way1 and    

reasons much on the fact and the law4   
,he asks if1 supposing that those       
disturbances1 those noises and vexations
 proceeded from that person who is      
suspected of causing them1 they can burn
 her1 as is done to other ghosts who do 
harm to the living4 ,he relates several 
instances of similar apparitions1 and of
 the evils which ensued2 as of a        
shepherd of the village of ,blow1 near  
the town of ,kadam1 in ,bohemia1 who    
appeared during some time1 and called   
certain persons1 who never failed to die
 within eight days after4 ,the peasants 
of ,blow took up the body of this       
shepherd1 and fixed it in the ground    
with a stake which they drove through   
it4  ,this man1 when in that condition1 
derided them for what they made him     
suffer1 and told them they were very    
good to give him thus a stick to defend 
himself from the dogs4 ,the same night  
he got up again1 and by his presence    
alarmed several persons1 and strangled  
more amongst them than he had hitherto  

done4 ,afterwards1 they delivered him   
into the hands of the executioner1 who  
put him in a cart to carry him beyond   
the village and there burn him4 ,this   
corpse howled like a madman1 and moved  
his feet and hands as if alive4 ,and    
when they again pierced him through with
 stakes he uttered very loud cries1 and 
a great quantity of bright vermilion    
blood flowed from him4 ,at last he was  
consumed1 and this execution put an end 
to the appearance and hauntings of this 
spectre4  ,the same has been practiced  
in other places1 where similar ghosts   
have been seen2 and when they have been 
taken out of the ground they have       
appeared red1 with their limbs supple   
and pliable1 without worms or decay2 but
 not without a great stink4 ,the author 
cites divers other writers1 who attest  
what he says of these spectres1 which   
still appear1 he says1 pretty often in  
the mountains of ,silesia and ,moravia4 
,they are seen by night and by day2 the 
things which once belonged to them are  

seen to move themselves and change their
 place without being touched by any one4
 ,the only remedy for these apparitions 
is to cut off the heads and burn the    
bodies of those who come back to haunt  
people4  ,at any rate1 they do not      
proceed to this without a form of       
justicial law4 ,they call for and hear  
the witnesses2 they examine the         
arguments2 they look at the exhumed     
bodies1 to see if they can find any of  
the usual marks which lead them to      
conjecture that they are the parties who
 molest the living1 as the mobility and 
suppleness of the limbs1 the fluidity of
 the blood1 and the flesh remaining     
uncorrupted4 ,if all these marks are    
found1 then these bodies are given up to
 the executioner1 who burns them4 ,it   
sometimes happens that the spectres     
appear again for three or four days     
after the execution4 ,sometimes the     
interment of the bodies of suspicious   
persons is deferred for six or seven    
weeks4 ,when they do not decay1 and     

their limbs remain as supple and pliable
 as when they were alive1 then they burn
 them4 ,it is affirmed as certain that  
the clothes of these persons move       
without any one living touching them2   
and within a short time1 continues our  
author1 a spectre was seen at ,olmutz1  
which threw stones1 and gave great      
trouble to the inhabitants4             
,,chapter ,,viii4  ,,dead ,,persons ,,in
 ,,hungary ,,who ,,suck ,,the ,,blood   
,,of ,,the ,,living4   ,about fifteen   
years ago1 a soldier who was billeted at
 the house of a ,haidamagne peasant1 on 
the frontiers of ,hungary1 as he was one
 day sitting at table near his host1 the
 master of the house saw a person he did
 not know come in and sit down to table 
also with them4 ,the master of the house
 was strangely frightened at this1 as   
were the rest of the company4 ,the      
soldier knew not what to think of it1   
being ignorant of the matter in         
question4 ,but the master of the house  
being dead the very next day1 the       

soldier inquired what it meant4 ,they   
told him that it was the body of the    
father of his host1 who had been dead   
and buried for ten years1 which had thus
 come to sit down next to him1 and had  
announced and caused his death4  ,the   
soldier informed the regiment of it in  
the first place1 and the regiment gave  
notice of it to the general officers1   
who commissioned the ,count de          
,cabreras1 captain of the regiment of   
,alandetti infantry1 to make information
 concerning this circumstance4 ,having  
gone to the place1 with some other      
officers1 a surgeon and an auditor1 they
 heard the depositions of all the people
 belonging to the house1 who attested   
unanimously that the ghost was the      
father of the master of the house1 and  
that all the soldier had said and       
reported was the exact truth1 which was 
confirmed by all the inhabitants of the 
village4  ,in consequence of this1 the  
corpse of this spectre was exhumed1 and 
found to be like that of a man who has  

just expired1 and his blood like that of
 a living man4 ,the ,count de ,cabreras 
had his head cut off1 and caused him to 
be laid again in his tomb4 ,he also took
 information concerning other similar   
ghosts1 amongst others1 of a man dead   
more than thirty years1 who had come    
back three times to his house at meal   
time4 ,the first time he had sucked the 
blood from the neck of his own brother1 
the second time from one of his sons1   
and the third from one of the servants  
in the house2 and all three died of it  
instantly and on the spot4 ,upon this   
deposition the commissary had this man  
taken out of his grave1 and finding     
that1 like the first1 his blood was in a
 fluid state1 like that of a living     
person1 he ordered them to run a large  
nail into his temple1 and then to lay   
him again in the grave4  ,he caused a   
third to be burnt1 who had been buried  
more than sixteen years1 and had sucked 
the blood and caused the death of two of
 his sons4 ,the commissary having made  

his report to the general officers1 was 
deputed to the court of the emperor1 who
 commanded that some officers1 both of  
war and justice1 some physicians and    
surgeons1 and some learned men1 should  
be sent to examine the causes of these  
extraordinary events4 ,the person who   
related these particulars to us had     
heard them from ,monsieur the ,count de 
,cabreras1 at ,fribourg en ,brigau1 in  
#agcj4     ,,chapter ,,ix4  ,,account   
,,of ,a ,,vampire1 ,,taken ,,from ,,the 
,,jewish ,,letters 7,,lettres ,,juives72
 ,,letter #acg4   ,this is what we read 
in the ,lettres ,juives1 new edition1   
#agch1 ,letter #acg4  ,we have just had 
in this part of ,hungary a scene of     
vampirism1 which is duly attested by two
 officers of the tribunal of ,belgrade1 
who went down to the places specified2  
and by an officer of the emperor's      
troops at ,graditz1 who was an ocular   
witness of the proceedings4  ,in the    
beginning of ,september there died in   
the village of ,kivsiloa1 three leagues 

from ,graditz1 an old man who was       
sixty-two years of age4 ,three days     
after he had been buried1 he appeared in
 the night to his son1 and asked him for
 something to eat2 the son having given 
him something1 he ate and disappeared4  
,the next day the son recounted to his  
neighbors what had happened4 ,that night
 the father did not appear2 but the     
following night he showed himself1 and  
asked for something to eat4 ,they know  
not whether the son gave him anything or
 not2 but the next day he was found dead
 in his bed4 ,on the same day1 five or  
six persons fell suddenly ill in the    
village1 and died one after the other in
 a few days4  ,the officer or bailiff of
 the place1 when informed of what had   
happened1 sent an account of it to the  
tribunal of ,belgrade1 which dispatched 
to the village two of these officers and
 an executioner to examine into this    
affair4 ,the imperial officer from whom 
we have this account repaired thither   
from ,graditz1 to be witness of a       

circumstance which he had so often heard
 spoken of4  ,they opened the graves of 
those who had been dead six weeks4 ,when
 they came to that of the old man1 they 
found him with his eyes open1 having a  
fine color1 with natural respiration1   
nevertheless motionless as the dead2    
whence they concluded that he was most  
evidently a vampire4 ,the executioner   
drove a stake into his heart2 they then 
raised a pile and reduced the corpse to 
ashes4 ,no mark of vampirism was found  
either on the corpse of the son or on   
the others4  ,thanks be to ,god1 we are 
by no means credulous4 ,we avow that all
 the light which physics can throw on   
this fact discovers none of the causes  
of it4 ,nevertheless1 we cannot refuse  
to believe that to be true which is     
juridically attested1 and by persons of 
probity4 ,we will here give a copy of   
what happened in #agcb1 and which we    
inserted in the ,gleaner 7,glaneur71    
,no4 ,,xviii4     ,,chapter ,x4  ,,other
 ,,instances ,,of                       

,,ghosts--,,continuation ,,of ,,the     
,,gleaner4   ,in a certain canton of    
,hungary1 named in ,latin ,oppida       
,heidanum1 beyond the ,tibisk1 vulgo    
,teiss1 that is to say1 between that    
river which waters the fortunate        
territory of ,tokay and ,transylvania1  
the people known by the name of         
,heyducqs#dfc believe that certain dead 
persons1 whom they call vampires1 suck  
all the blood from the living1 so that  
these become visibly attenuated1 whilst 
the corpses1 like leeches1 fill         
themselves with blood in such abundance 
that it is seen to come from them by the
 conduits1 and even oozing through the  
pores4 ,this opinion has just been      
confirmed by several facts which cannot 
be doubted1 from the rank of the        
witnesses who have certified them4 ,we  
will here relate some of the most       
remarkable4  ,about five years ago1 a   
certain ,heyducq1 inhabitant of         
,madreiga1 named ,arnald ,paul1 was     
crushed to death by the fall of a       

wagonload of hay4 ,thirty days after his
 death four persons died suddenly1 and  
in the same manner in which according to
 the tradition of the country1 those die
 who are molested by vampires4 ,they    
then remembered that this ,arnald ,paul 
had often related that in the environs  
of ,cassovia1 and on the frontiers of   
,turkish ,servia1 he had often been     
tormented by a ,turkish vampire2 for    
they believe also that those who have   
been passive vampires during life become
 active ones after their death1 that is 
to say1 that those who have been sucked 
suck also in their turn2 but that he had
 found means to cure himself by eating  
earth from the grave of the vampire1 and
 smearing himself with his blood2 a     
precaution which1 however1 did not      
prevent him from becoming so after his  
death1 since1 on being exhumed forty    
days after his interment1 they found on 
his corpse all the indications of an    
arch-vampire4 ,his body was red1 his    
hair1 nails1 and beard had all grown    

again1 and his veins were replete with  
fluid blood1 which flowed from all parts
 of his body upon the winding-sheet     
which encompassed him4 ,the hadnagi1 or 
bailli of the village1 in whose presence
 the exhumation took place1 and who was 
skilled in vampirism1 had1 according to 
custom1 a very sharp stake driven into  
the heart of the defunct ,arnald ,paul1 
and which pierced his body through and  
through1 which made him1 as they say1   
utter a frightful shriek1 as if he had  
been alive3 that done1 they cut off his 
head1 and burnt the whole body4 ,after  
that they performed the same on the     
corpses of the four other persons who   
died of vampirism1 fearing that they in 
their turn might cause the death of     
others4  ,all these performances1       
however1 could not prevent the          
recommencement of these fatal prodigies 
towards the end of last year1 that is to
 say1 five years after1 when several    
inhabitants of the same village perished
 miserably4 ,in the space of three      

months1 seventeen persons of different  
sexes and different ages died of        
vampirism2 some without being ill1 and  
others after languishing two or three   
days4 ,it is reported1 amongst other    
things1 that a girl named ,stanoska1    
daughter of the ,heyducq ,jotitzo1 who  
went to bed in perfect health1 awoke in 
the middle of the night all in a        
tremble1 uttering terrible shrieks1 and 
saying that the son of the ,heyducq     
,millo who had been dead nine weeks1 had
 nearly strangled her in her sleep4 ,she
 fell into a languid state from that    
moment1 and at the end of three days she
 died4 ,what this girl had said of      
,millo's son made him known at once for 
a vampire3 he was exhumed1 and found to 
be such4 ,the principal people of the   
place1 with the doctors and surgeons1   
examined how vampirism could have sprung
 up again after the precautions they had
 taken some years before4  ,they        
discovered at last1 after much search1  
that the defunct ,arnald ,paul had      

killed not only the four persons of whom
 we have spoken1 but also several oxen1 
of which the new vampires had eaten1 and
 amongst others the son of ,millo4 ,upon
 these indications they resolved to     
disinter all those who had died within a
 certain time1 c4 ,amongst forty1       
seventeen were found with all the most  
evident signs of vampirism2 so they     
transfixed their hearts and cut off     
their heads also1 and then cast their   
ashes into the river4  ,all the         
informations and executions we have just
 mentioned were made juridically1 in    
proper form1 and attested by several    
officers who were garrisoned in the     
country1 by the chief surgeons of the   
regiments1 and by the principal         
inhabitants of the place4 ,the verbal   
process of it was sent towards the end  
of last ,january to the ,imperial       
,counsel of ,war at ,vienna1 which had  
established a military commission to    
examine into the truth of all these     
circumstances4  ,such was the           

declaration of the ,hadnagi ,barriarar  
and the ancient ,heyducqs2 and it was   
signed by ,battuer1 first lieutenant of 
the regiment of ,alexander of           
,wurtemburg1 ,clickstenger1             
surgeon-in-chief of the regiment of     
,frustemburch1 three other surgeons of  
the company1 and ,guoichitz1 captain at 
,stallach4   ,footnotes3  #dfc ,this    
story is apparently the same which we   
related before under the name of        
,haidamaque1 and which happened in #agbi
 or #agcj4     ,,chapter ,,xi4          
,,arguments ,,of ,,the ,,author ,,of    
,,the ,,lettres ,,juives1 ,,on ,,the    
,,subject ,,of ,,these ,,pretended      
,,ghosts4   ,there are two different    
ways of effacing the opinion concerning 
these pretended ghosts1 and showing the 
impossibility of the effects which are  
made to be produced by corpses entirely 
deprived of sensation4 ,the first is1 to
 explain by physical causes all the     
prodigies of vampirism2 the second is1  
to deny totally the truth of these      

stories2 and the latter means1 without  
doubt1 is the surest and the wisest4    
,but as there are persons to whom the   
authority of a certificate given by     
people in a certain place appears a     
plain demonstration of the reality of   
the most absurd story1 before ,i show   
how little they ought to rely on the    
formalities of the law in matters which 
relate solely to philosophy1 ,i will for
 a moment suppose that several persons  
do really die of the disease which they 
term vampirism4  ,i lay down at first   
this principle1 that it may be that     
there are corpses which1 although       
interred some days1 shed fluid blood    
through the conduits of their body4 ,i  
add1 moreover1 that it is very easy for 
certain people to fancy themselves      
sucked by vampires1 and that the fear   
caused by that fancy should make a      
revolution in their frame sufficiently  
violent to deprive them of life4 ,being 
occupied all day with the terror        
inspired by these pretended ghosts or   

revenans1 is it very extraordinary1 that
 during their sleep the idea of these   
phantoms should present itself to their 
imagination and cause them such violent 
terror8 that some of them die of it     
instantaneously1 and others a short time
 afterwards8 ,how many instances have we
 not seen of people who expired with    
fright in a moment8 and has not joy     
itself sometimes produced an equally    
fatal effect8  ,i have seen in the      
,leipsic journals#dfd an account of a   
little work entitled1 ,philosophic et   
,christian ,cogitationes de ,vampiriis1 
,joanne ,christophoro ,herenbergio2     
,philosophical and ,christian ,thoughts 
upon ,vampires1 by ,john ,christopher   
,herenberg1 at ,gerolferliste1 in #agcc1
 in #hvo4 ,the author names a pretty    
large number of writers who have already
 discussed this matter2 he speaks1 en   
passant1 of a spectre which appeared to 
him at noonday4 ,he maintains that the  
vampires do not cause the death of the  
living1 and that all that is said about 

them ought to be attributed only to the 
troubled fancy of the invalids2 he      
proves by divers experiments that the   
imagination is capable of causing very  
great derangements in the body1 and the 
humors of the body2 he shows that in    
,sclavonia they impaled murderers1 and  
drove a stake through the heart of the  
culprit2 that they used the same        
chastisement for vampires1 supposing    
them to be the authors of the death of  
those whose blood they were said to     
suck4 ,he gives some examples of this   
punishment exercised upon them1 the one 
in the year #accg1 and the other in     
#acdg4 ,he speaks of the opinion of     
those who believe that the dead eat in  
their tombs2 a sentiment of which he    
endeavors to prove the antiquity by the 
authority of ,tertullian1 at the        
beginning of his book on the            
,resurrection1 and by that of ,st4      
,augustine1 b4 viii4 c4 #bg1 on the     
,city of ,god1 and in ,sermon xv4 on the
 ,saints4  ,such are nearly the contents

 of the work of ,m4 ,herenberg on       
vampires4 ,the passage of               
,tertullian#dfe which he cites1 proves  
very well that the pagans offered food  
to their dead1 even to those whose      
bodies had been burned1 believing that  
their spirits regaled themselves with   
it3 ,defunctis parentant1 et quidem     
impensissimo studio1 pro moribus eorum  
pro temporibus esculentorum1 ut quos    
sentire quicquam negant escam desiderare
 proesumant4 ,this concerns only the    
pagans4  ,but ,st4 ,augustine1 in       
several places1 speaks of the custom of 
the ,christians1 above all those of     
,africa1 of carrying to the tombs meats 
and wine1 which they placed upon them as
 a repast of devotion1 and to which the 
poor were invited1 in whose favor these 
offerings were principally instituted4  
,this practice is founded on the passage
 of the book of ,tobit2--,place your    
bread and wine on the sepulchre of the  
just1 and be careful not to eat or drink
 of it with sinners4 ,st4 ,monico1 the  

mother of ,st4 ,augustine1#dff having   
desired to do at ,milan what she had    
been accustomed to do in ,africa1 ,st4  
,ambrose1 bishop of ,milan1 testified   
that he did not approve of this         
practice1 which was unknown in his      
church4 ,the holy woman restrained      
herself to carrying thither a basket    
full of fruits and wine1 of which she   
partook very soberly with the women who 
accompanied her1 leaving the rest for   
the poor4 ,st4 ,augustine remarks1 in   
the same passage1 that some intemperate 
,christians abused these offerings by   
drinking wine to excess3 ,ne ulla       
occasio se ingurgitandi daretur         
ebriosis4  ,st4 ,augustine1#dfg however1
 by his preaching and remonstrances1 did
 so much good1 that he entirely uprooted
 this custom1 which was common          
throughout the ,african ,church1 and the
 abuse of which was too general4 ,in his
 books on the ,city of ,god1#dfh he     
avows that this usage is neither general
 nor approved in the ,church1 and that  

those who practice it content themselves
 with offering this food upon the tombs 
of the martyrs1 in order that through   
their merits these offerings should be  
sanctified2 after which they carry them 
away1 and make use of them for their own
 nourishment and that of the poor3      
,quicumque suas epulas e deferant1 quad 
quidem  melioribus ,christianis non fit1
 et in plerisque terrarum nulla talis   
est consuetudo2 tamen quicumque id      
faciunt1 quas cm appossuerint1 orant1 et
 auferunt1 ut vescantur vel ex eis etiam
 indigentibus largiantur4 ,it appears1  
from two sermons which have been        
attributed to ,st4 ,augustine1#dfi that 
in former times this custom had crept in
 at ,rome1 but did not subsist there any
 time1 and was blamed and condemned4    
,now1 if it were true that the dead     
could eat in their tombs1 and that they 
had a wish or occasion to eat1 as is    
believed by those of whom ,tertullian   
speaks1 and as it appears may be        
inferred from the custom of carrying    

fruit and wine to be placed on the      
graves of martyrs and other ,christians1
 ,i think even that ,i have good proof  
that in certain places they placed near 
the bodies of the dead1 whether buried  
in the cemeteries or the churches1 meat1
 wine1 and other liquors4 ,i have in our
 study several vases of clay and glass1 
and even plates1 where may be seen small
 bones of pig and fowls1 all found deep 
underground in the church of the ,abbey 
of ,st4 ,mansuy1 near the town of ,toul4
  ,it has been remarked to me that these
 vestiges found in the ground were      
plunged in virgin earth which had never 
been disturbed1 and near certain vases  
or urns filled with ashes1 and          
containing some small bones which the   
flames could not consume2 and as it is  
known that the ,christians did not burn 
their dead1 and that these vases we are 
speaking of are placed beneath the      
disturbed earth1 in which the graves of 
,christians are found1 it has been      
inferred1 with much semblance of        

probability1 that these vases with the  
food and beverage buried near them1 were
 intended not for ,christians but for   
heathens4 ,the latter1 then1 at least1  
believed that the dead ate in the other 
life4 ,there is no doubt that the       
ancient ,gauls#dgj were persuaded of    
this2 they are often represented on     
their tombs with bottles in their hands1
 and baskets and other comestibles1 or  
drinking vessels and goblets2#dga they  
carried with them even the contracts and
 bonds for what was due to them1 to have
 it paid to them in ,hades4 ,negotiorum 
ratio1 etiam exactio crediti deferebatur
 ad inferos4  ,now1 if they believed    
that the dead ate in their tombs1 that  
they could return to earth1 visit1      
console1 instruct1 or disturb the       
living1 and predict to them their       
approaching death1 the return of        
vampires is neither impossible nor      
incredible in the opinion of these      
ancients4  ,but as all that is said of  
dead men who eat in their graves and out

 of their graves is chimerical and      
beyond all likelihood1 and the thing is 
even impossible and incredible1 whatever
 may be the number and quality of those 
who have believed it1 or appeared to    
believe it1 ,i shall always say that the
 return 7to earth7 of the vampires is   
unmaintainable and impracticable4       
,footnotes3  #dfd ,supplem4 ad visu     
,erudit4 ,lips4 an4 #agch1 tom4 ii4     
#dfe ,tertull4 de ,resurrect4 initio4   
#dff ,aug4 ,confess4 lib4 vi4 c4 #b4    
#dfg ,aug4 ,epist4 #bb1 ad ,aurel4      
,carthag4 et ,epist4 #bi1 ad ,alipi4    
,item de ,moribus ,eccl4 c4 #cd4  #dfh  
,aug4 lib4 viii4 de ,civit4 ,dei1 c4    
#bg4  #dfi ,aug4 ,serm4 #ce1 de         
,sanctis1 nunc in ,appendice1 c4 #e4    
,serm4 cxc4 cxci4 p4 #cbh4  #dgj        
,antiquit explique1 tom4 iv4 p4 #hj4    
#dga ,mela4 lib4 ii4 c4 #d4             
,,chapter ,,xii4  ,,continuation ,,of   
,,the ,,argument ,,of ,,the ,,dutch     
,,gleaners1 ,,or ,,glaneur ,,hollandais4
   ,on examining the narrative of the   

death of the pretended martyrs of       
vampirism1 ,i discover the symptoms of  
an epidemical fanaticism2 and ,i see    
clearly that the impression made upon   
them by fear is the true cause of their 
being lost4 ,a girl named ,stanoska1 say
 they1 daughter of the ,heyducq         
,sovitzo1 who went to bed in perfect    
health1 awoke in the middle of the night
 all in a tremble1 and shrieking        
dreadfully1 saying that the son of the  
,heyducq ,millo1 who had been dead for  
nine weeks1 had nearly strangled her in 
her sleep4 ,from that moment she fell   
into a languishing state1 and at the end
 of three days died4  ,for any one who  
has eyes1 however little philosophical  
they may be1 must not this recital alone
 clearly show him that this pretended   
vampirism is merely the result of a     
stricken imagination8 ,there is a girl  
who awakes and says that some one wanted
 to strangle her1 and who nevertheless  
has not been sucked1 since her cries    
have prevented the vampire from making  

his repast4 ,she apparently was not so  
served afterwards either1 since1        
doubtlessly1 they did not leave her by  
herself during the other nights2 and if 
the vampire had wished to molest her1   
her moans would have warned those of it 
who were present4 ,nevertheless1 she    
dies three days afterwards4 ,her fright 
and lowness1 her sadness and languor1   
evidently show how strongly her         
imagination had been affected4  ,those  
persons who find themselves in cities   
afflicted with the plague1 know by      
experience how many people lose their   
lives through fear4 ,as soon as a man   
finds himself attacked with the least   
illness1 he fancies that he is seized   
with the epidemical disease1 which idea 
occasions him so great a sensation1 that
 it is almost impossible for the system 
to resist such a revolution4 ,the       
,chevalier de ,maifin assured me1 when  
,i was at ,paris1 that being at         
,marseilles during the contagion which  
prevailed in that city1 he had seen a   

woman die of the fear she felt at a     
slight illness of her servant1 whom she 
believed attacked with the pestilence4  
,this woman's daughter was sick and near
 dying4  ,other persons who were in the 
same house went to bed1 sent for a      
doctor1 and assured him they had the    
plague4 ,the doctor1 on arriving1       
visited the servant1 and the other      
patients1 and none of them had the      
epidemical disorder4 ,he tried to calm  
their minds1 and ordered them to rise1  
and live in their usual way2 but his    
care was useless as regarded the        
mistress of the family1 who died in two 
days of the fright alone4  ,reflect upon
 the second narrative of the death of a 
passive vampire1 and you will see most  
evident proofs of the terrible effects  
of fear and prejudice4 7,see the        
preceding chapter47 ,this man1 three    
days after he was buried1 appears in the
 night to his son1 asks for something to
 eat1 eats1 and disappears4 ,on the     
morrow1 the son relates to his neighbors

 what had happened to him4 ,that night  
the father does not appear2 but the     
following night they find the son dead  
in his bed4 ,who cannot perceive in     
these words the surest marks of         
prepossession and fear8 ,the first time 
these act upon the imagination of the   
pretended victim of vampirism they do   
not produce their entire effect1 and not
 only dispose his mind to be more       
vividly struck by them2 that also does  
not fail to happen1 and to produce the  
effect which would naturally follow4    
,notice well that the dead man did not  
return on the night of the day that his 
son communicated his dream to his       
friends1 because1 according to all      
appearances1 these sat up with him1 and 
prevented him from yielding to his fear4
  ,i now come to those corpses full of  
fluid blood1 and whose beard1 hair and  
nails had grown again4 ,one may dispute 
three parts of these prodigies1 and be  
very complaisant if we admit the truth  
of a few of them4 ,all philosophers know

 well enough how much the people1 and   
even certain historians1 enlarge upon   
things which appear but a little        
extraordinary4 ,nevertheless1 it is not 
impossible to explain their cause       
physically4  ,experience teaches us that
 there are certain kinds of earth which 
will preserve dead bodies perfectly     
fresh4 ,the reasons of this have been   
often explained1 without my giving      
myself the trouble to make a particular 
recital of them4 ,there is at ,thoulouse
 a vault in a church belonging to some  
monks1 where the bodies remain so       
entirely perfect that there are some    
which have been there nearly two        
centuries1 and appear still living4     
,they have been ranged in an upright    
posture against the wall1 and are       
clothed in the dress they usually wore4 
,what is very remarkable is1 that the   
bodies which are placed on the other    
side of this same vault become in two or
 three days the food of worms4  ,as to  
the growth of the nails1 the hair and   

the beard1 it is often perceived in many
 corpses4 ,while there yet remains a    
great deal of moisture in the body1 it  
is not surprising that during some time 
we see some augmentation in those parts 
which do not demand a vital spirit4     
,the fluid blood flowing through the    
canals of the body seems to form a      
greater difficulty2 but physical reasons
 may be given for this4 ,it might very  
well happen that the heat of the sun    
warming the nitrous and sulphureous     
particles which are found in those      
earths that are proper for preserving   
the body1 those particles having        
incorporated themselves in the newly    
interred corpses1 ferment1 decoagulate1 
and melt the curdled blood1 render it   
liquid1 and give it the power of flowing
 by degrees through all the channels4   
,this opinion appears so much the more  
probable from its being confirmed by an 
experiment4 ,if you boil in a glass or  
earthen vessel one part of chyle1 or    
milk1 mixed with two parts of cream of  

tartar1 the liquor will turn from white 
to red1 because the tartaric salt will  
have rarified and entirely dissolved the
 most oily part of the milk1 and        
converted it into a kind of blood4 ,that
 which is formed in the vessels of the  
body is a little redder1 but it is not  
thicker2 it is1 then1 not impossible    
that the heat may cause a fermentation  
which produces nearly the same effects  
as this experiment4 ,and this will be   
found easier1 if we consider that the   
juices of the flesh and bones resemble  
chyle very much1 and that the fat and   
marrow are the most oily parts of the   
chyle4 ,now all these particles in      
fermenting must1 by the rule of the     
experiment1 be changed into a kind of   
blood4 ,thus1 besides that which has    
been discoagulated and melted1 the      
pretended vampires shed also that blood 
which must be formed from the melting of
 the fat and marrow4     ,,chapter      
,,xiii4  ,,narration ,,extracted ,,from 
,,the ,,mercure ,,galent ,,of #afic     

,,and #afid1 ,,concerning ,,ghosts4     
,the public memorials of the years #afic
 and #afid speak of oupires1 vampires or
 ghosts1 which are seen in ,poland1 and 
above all in ,russia4 ,they make their  
appearance from noon to midnight1 and   
come and suck the blood of living men or
 animals in such abundance that         
sometimes it flows from them at the     
nose1 and principally at the ears1 and  
sometimes the corpse swims in its own   
blood oozed out in its coffin4#dgb ,it  
is said that the vampire has a sort of  
hunger1 which makes him eat the linen   
which envelops him4 ,this reviving      
being1 or oupire1 comes out of his      
grave1 or a demon in his likeness1 goes 
by night to embrace and hug violently   
his near relations or his friends1 and  
sucks their blood so much as to weaken  
and attenuate them1 and at last cause   
their death4 ,this persecution does not 
stop at one single person2 it extends to
 the last person of the family1 if the  
course be not interrupted by cutting off

 the head or opening the heart of the   
ghost1 whose corpse is found in his     
coffin1 yielding1 flexible1 swollen1 and
 rubicund1 although he may have been    
dead some time4 ,there proceeds from his
 body a great quantity of blood1 which  
some mix up with flour to make bread of2
 and that bread eaten in ordinary       
protects them from being tormented by   
the spirit1 which returns no more4      
,footnotes3  #dgb ,v4 ,morri on the word
 stryges4     ,,chapter ,,xiv4          
,,conjectures ,,of ,,the ,,glaneur ,,de 
,,hollande1 ,,dutch ,,gleaner1 ,,in     
#agcc4--,,no4 ,,ix4   ,the ,dutch       
,gleaner1 who is by no means credulous1 
supposes the truth of these facts as    
certain1 having no good reason for      
disputing them1 and reasons upon them in
 a way which shows he thinks lightly of 
the matter2 he asserts that the people1 
amongst whom vampires are seen1 are very
 ignorant and very credulous1 so that   
the apparitions we are speaking of are  
only the effects of a prejudiced fancy4 

,the whole is occasioned and augmented  
by the bad nourishment of these people1 
who1 the greater part of their time1 eat
 only bread made of oats1 roots1 and the
 bark of trees--aliments which can only 
engender gross blood1 which is          
consequently much disposed to           
corruption1 and produces dark and bad   
ideas in the imagination4  ,he compares 
this disease to the bite of a mad dog1  
which communicates its venom to the     
person who is bitten2 thus1 those who   
are infected by vampirism communicate   
this dangerous poison to those with whom
 they associate4 ,thence the            
wakefulness1 dreams1 and pretended      
apparitions of vampires4  ,he           
conjectures that this poison is nothing 
else than a worm1 which feeds upon the  
purest substance of man1 constantly     
gnaws his heart1 makes the body die     
away1 and does not forsake it even in   
the depth of the grave4 ,it is certain  
that the bodies of those who have been  
poisoned1 or who die of contagion1 do   

not become stiff after their death1     
because the blood does not congeal in   
the veins2 on the contrary1 it rarifies 
and bubbles much the same as in         
vampires1 whose beard1 hair1 and nails  
grow1 whose skin is rosy1 who appear to 
have grown fat1 on account of the blood 
which swells and abounds in them        
everywhere4  ,as to the cry uttered by  
the vampires when the stake is driven   
through their heart1 nothing is more    
natural2 the air which is there         
confined1 and thus expelled with        
violence1 necessarily produces that     
noise in passing through the throat4    
,dead bodies often do as much without   
being touched4 ,he concludes that it is 
only an imagination that is deranged by 
melancholy or superstition1 which can   
fancy that the malady we have just      
spoken of can be produced by vampire    
corpses1 which come and suck away1 even 
to the last drop1 all the blood in the  
body4  ,a little before1 he says that in
 #agcb they discovered again some       

vampires in ,hungary1 ,moravia1 and     
,turkish ,servia2 that this phenomenon  
is too well averred for it to be        
doubted2 that several ,german physicians
 have composed pretty thick volumes in  
,latin and ,german on this matter2 that 
the ,germanic ,academies and            
,universities still resound with the    
names of ,arnald ,paul1 of ,stanoska1   
daughter of ,sovitzo1 and of the        
,heyducq ,millo1 all famous vampires of 
the quarter of ,mdreiga1 in ,hungary4   
,here is a letter which has been written
 to one of my friends1 to be            
communicated to me2 it is on the subject
 of the ghosts of ,hungary2#dgc the     
writer thinks very differently from the 
,gleaner on the subject of vampires4    
,in reply to the questions of the ,abb  
dom ,calmet concerning vampires1 the    
undersigned has the honor to assure him 
that nothing is more true or more       
certain than what he will doubtless have
 read about it in the deeds or          
attestations which have been made       

public1 and printed in all the ,gazettes
 in ,europe4 ,but amongst all these     
public attestations which have appeared1
 the ,abb must fix his attention as a   
true and notorious fact on that of the  
deputation from ,belgrade1 ordered by   
his late ,majesty ,charles ,,vi41 of    
glorious memory1 and executed by his    
,serene ,highness the late ,duke        
,charles ,alexander of ,wirtemberg1 then
 ,viceroy or ,governor of the kingdom of
 ,servia2 but ,i cannot at present cite 
the year or the day1 for want of papers 
which ,i have not now by me4  ,that     
prince sent off a deputation from       
,belgrade1 half consisting of military  
officers and half of civil1 with the    
auditor-general of the kingdom1 to go to
 a village where a famous vampire1      
several years deceased1 was making great
 havoc amongst his kin2 for note well1  
that it is only in their family and     
amongst their own relations that these  
blood-suckers delight in destroying our 
species4 ,this deputation was composed  

of men and persons well known for their 
morality and even their information1 of 
irreproachable character2 and there were
 even some learned men amongst the two  
orders3 they were put to the oath1 and  
accompanied by a lieutenant of the      
grenadiers of the regiment of ,prince   
,alexander of ,wirtemberg1 and by       
twenty-four grenadiers of the said      
regiment4  ,all that were most          
respectable1 and the duke himself1 who  
was then at ,belgrade1 joined this      
deputation in order to be ocular        
spectators of the veracious proof about 
to be made4  ,when they arrived at the  
place1 they found that in the space of a
 fortnight the vampire1 uncle of five   
persons1 nephews and nieces1 had already
 dispatched three of them and one of his
 own brothers4 ,he had begun with his   
fifth victim1 the beautiful young       
daughter of his niece1 and had already  
sucked her twice1 when a stop was put to
 this sad tragedy by the following      
operations4  ,they repaired with the    

deputed commissaries to a village not   
far from ,belgrade1 and that publicly1  
at night-fall1 and went to the vampire's
 grave4 ,the gentleman could not tell me
 the time when those who had died had   
been sucked1 nor the particulars of the 
subject4 ,the persons whose blood had   
been sucked found themselves in a       
pitiable state of languor1 weakness1 and
 lassitude1 so violent is the torment4  
,he had been interred three years1 and  
they saw on this grave a light          
resembling that of a lamp1 but not so   
bright4  ,they opened the grave1 and    
found there a man as whole and          
apparently as sound as any of us who    
were present2 his hair1 and the hairs on
 his body1 the nails1 teeth1 and eyes as
 firmly fast as they now are in         
ourselves who exist1 and his heart      
palpitating4  ,next they proceeded to   
draw him out of his grave1 the body in  
truth not being flexible1 but wanting   
neither flesh nor bone2 then they       
pierced his heart with a sort of round1 

pointed1 iron lance2 there came out a   
whitish and fluid matter mixed with     
blood1 but the blood prevailing more    
than the matter1 and all without any bad
 smell4 ,after that they cut off his    
head with a hatchet1 like what is used  
in ,england at executions2 there came   
out also a matter and blood like what ,i
 have just described1 but more          
abundantly in proportion to what had    
flowed from the heart4  ,and after all  
this they threw him back again into his 
grave1 with quicklime to consume him    
promptly2 and thenceforth his niece1 who
 had been twice sucked1 grew better4 ,at
 the place where these persons are      
sucked a very blue spot is formed2 the  
part whence the blood is drawn is not   
determinate1 sometimes it is in one     
place and sometimes in another4 ,it is a
 notorious fact1 attested by the most   
authentic documents1 and passed or      
executed in sight of more than #a1cjj   
persons1 all worthy of belief4  ,but ,i 
reserve1 to satisfy more fully the      

curiosity of the learned ,abb dom       
,calmet1 the pleasure of detailing to   
him more at length what ,i have seen    
with my own eyes on this subject1 and   
will give it to the ,chevalier de ,st4  
,urbain to send to him2 too glad in     
that1 as in everything else1 to find an 
occasion of proving to him that no one  
is with such perfect veneration and     
respect as his very humble1 and very    
obedient servant1 ,l4 de ,beloz1        
ci-devant ,captain in the regiment of   
his ,serene ,highness the late ,prince  
,alexander of ,wirtemberg1 and his      
,aid-de-,camp1 and at this time first   
,captain of grenadiers in the regiment  
of ,monsieur the ,baron ,trenck4        
,footnotes3  #dgc ,there is reason to   
believe that this is only a repetition  
of what has already been said in        
,chapter ,x4     ,,chapter ,,xv4        
,,another ,,letter ,,on ,,ghosts4   ,in 
order to omit nothing which can throw   
light on this matter1 ,i shall insert   
here the letter of a very honest man1   

who is well informed respecting ghosts4 
,this letter was written to a relation4 
,you wish1 my dear cousin1 to be exactly
 informed of what takes place in        
,hungary concerning ghosts who cause the
 death of many people in that country4  
,i can write to you learnedly upon it1  
for ,i have been several years in those 
quarters1 and ,i am naturally curious4  
,i have heard in my lifetime an infinite
 number of stories1 true1 or pretended  
to be such1 concerning spirits and      
sorceries1 but out of a thousand ,i have
 hardly believed a single one4 ,we      
cannot be too circumspect on this point 
without running the risk of being duped4
 ,nevertheless1 there are certain facts 
so well attested that one cannot help   
believing them4 ,as to the ghosts of    
,hungary1 the thing takes place in this 
manner3 ,a person finds himself attacked
 with languor1 loses his appetite1 grows
 visibly thinner1 and1 at the end of    
eight or ten days1 sometimes a          
fortnight1 dies1 without fever1 or any  

other symptom than thinness and drying  
up of the blood4  ,they say in that     
country that it is a ghost which        
attaches itself to such a person and    
sucks his blood4 ,of those who are      
attacked by this malady the greater part
 think they see a white spectre which   
follows them everywhere as the shadow   
follows the body4 ,when we were         
quartered among the ,wallachians1 in the
 ban of ,temeswar1 two horsemen of the  
company in which ,i was cornet1 died of 
this malady1 and several others1 who    
also were attacked by it1 would have    
died in the same manner1 if a corporal  
of our company had not put a stop to the
 disorder by employing the remedy used  
by the people of the country in such    
case4 ,it is very remarkable1 and       
although infallible1 ,i never read it in
 any ritual4 ,this is it3--  ,they      
choose a boy young enough to be certain 
that he is innocent of any impurity2    
they place him on an unmutilated horse1 
which has never stumbled1 and is        

absolutely black4 ,they make him ride   
about the cemetery and pass over all the
 graves2 that over which the animal     
refuses to pass1 in spite of repeated   
blows from a switch that is delivered to
 his rider1 is reputed to be filled by a
 vampire4 ,they open this grave1 and    
find therein a corpse as fat and        
handsome as if he were a man happily and
 quietly sleeping4 ,they cut the throat 
of this corpse with the stroke of a     
spade1 and there flows forth the finest 
vermilion blood in a great quantity4    
,one might swear that it was a healthy  
living man whose throat they were       
cutting4 ,that done1 they fill up the   
grave1 and we may reckon that the malady
 will cease1 and that all those who had 
been attacked by it will recover their  
strength by degrees1 like people        
recovering from a long illness1 and who 
have been greatly extenuated4 ,that     
happened precisely to our horsemen who  
had been seized with it4 ,i was then    
commandant of the company1 my captain   

and my lieutenant being absent4 ,i was  
piqued at that corporal's having made   
the experiment without me1 and ,i had   
all the trouble in the world to resist  
the inclination ,i felt to give him a   
severe caning--a merchandize which is   
very cheap in the emperor's troops4 ,i  
would have given the world to be present
 at this operation2 but ,i was obliged  
to make myself contented as it was4  ,a 
relation of this same officer has       
written me word1 the #agth of ,october1 
#agdf1 that his brother1 who has served 
during twenty years in ,hungary1 and has
 very curiously examined into everything
 which is said there concerning ghosts1 
acknowledges that the people of that    
country are more credulous and          
superstitious than other nations1 and   
they attribute the maladies which happen
 to them to spells4 ,that as soon as    
they suspect a dead person of having    
sent them this illness1 they inform the 
magistrate of it1 who1 on the deposition
 of some witnesses1 causes the dead body

 to be exhumed4 ,they cut off the head  
with a spade1 and if a drop of blood    
comes from it1 they conclude that it is 
the blood which he has sucked from the  
sick person4 ,but the person who writes 
appears to me very far from believing   
what is thought of these things in that 
country4  ,at ,warsaw1 a priest having  
ordered a saddler to make him a bridle  
for his horse1 died before the bridle   
was made1 and as he was one of those    
whom they call vampires in ,poland1 he  
came out of his grave dressed as the    
ecclesiastics usually are when inhumed1 
took his horse from the stable1 mounted 
it1 and went in the sight of all ,warsaw
 to the saddler's shop1 where at first  
he found only the saddler's wife1 who   
was frightened1 and called her husband2 
he came1 and the priest having asked for
 his bridle1 he replied1 ,but you are   
dead1 ,mr4 ,cur4 ,to which he answered1 
,i am going to show you ,i am not1 and  
at the same time struck him so hard that
 the poor saddler died a few days after1

 and the priest returned to his grave4  
,the steward of ,count ,simon           
,labienski1 starost of ,posnania1 being 
dead1 the ,countess ,dowager de         
,labienski wished1 from gratitude for   
his services1 to have him inhumed in the
 vault of the lords of that family4     
,this was done2 and some time after1 the
 sexton1 who had the care of the vault1 
perceived that there was some           
derangement in the place1 and gave      
notice of it to the 1 who desired1      
according to the received custom in     
,poland1 that the steward's head might  
be cut off1 which was done in the       
presence of several persons1 and amongst
 others of the ,sieur ,jouvinski1 a     
,polish officer1 and governor of the    
young ,count ,simon ,labienski1 who saw 
that when the sexton took this corpse   
out of his tomb to cut off his head1 he 
ground his teeth1 and the blood came    
from him as fluidly as that of a person 
who died a violent death1 which caused  
the hair of all those who were present  

to stand on end2 and they dipped a white
 pocket-handkerchief in the blood of    
this corpse1 and made all the family    
drink some of the blood1 that they might
 not be tormented4     ,,chapter ,,xvi4 
,,pretended ,,vestiges ,,of ,,vampirism 
,,in ,,antiquity4   ,some learned men   
have thought they discovered some       
vestiges of vampirism in the remotest   
antiquity2 but all that they say of it  
does not come near what is related of   
the vampires4 ,the lami1 the strig1 the 
sorcerers whom they accused of sucking  
the blood of living persons1 and of thus
 causing their death1 the magicians who 
were said to cause the death of new-born
 children by charms and malignant       
spells1 are nothing less than what we   
understand by the name of vampires2 even
 were it to be owned that these lami and
 strig have really existed1 which we do 
not believe can ever be well proved4  ,i
 own that these terms are found in the  
versions of ,holy ,scripture4 ,for      
instance1 ,isaiah1 describing the       

condition to which ,babylon was to be   
reduced after her ruin1 says that she   
shall become the abode of satyrs1 lami1 
and strig 7in ,hebrew1 lilith74 ,this   
last term1 according to the ,hebrews1   
signifies the same thing1 as the ,greeks
 express by strix and lami1 which are   
sorceresses or magicians1 who seek to   
put to death new-born children4 ,whence 
it comes that the ,jews are accustomed  
to write in the four corners of the     
chamber of a woman just delivered1      
,adam1 ,eve1 begone from hence lilith4  
,the ancient ,greeks knew these         
dangerous sorceresses by the name of    
lami1 and they believed that they       
devoured children1 or sucked away all   
their blood till they died4#dgd  ,the   
,seventy1 in ,isaiah1 translate the     
,hebrew lilith by lamia4 ,euripides and 
the ,scholiast of ,aristophanes also    
make mention of it as a fatal monster1  
the enemy of mortals4 ,ovid1 speaking of
 the strig1 describes them as dangerous 
birds1 which fly by night1 and seek for 

infants to devour them and nourish      
themselves with their blood4#dge  ,these
 prejudices had taken such deep root in 
the minds of the barbarous people that  
they put to death persons suspected of  
being strig1 or sorceresses1 and of     
eating people alive4 ,charlemagne1 in   
his ,capitularies1 which he composed for
 his new subjects1#dgf the ,saxons1     
condemns to death those who shall       
believe that a man or a woman are       
sorcerers 7striges esse7 and eat living 
men4 ,he condemns in the same manner    
those who shall have them burnt1 or give
 their flesh to be eaten1 or shall eat  
of it themselves4  ,wherein it may be   
remarked1 first of all1 that they       
believed there were people who ate men  
alive2 that they killed and burnt them2 
that sometimes their flesh was eaten1 as
 we have seen that in ,russia they eat  
bread kneaded with the blood of         
vampires2 and that formerly their       
corpses were exposed to wild beasts1 as 
is still done in countries where these  

ghosts are found1 after having impaled  
them1 or cut off their head4  ,the laws 
of the ,lombards1 in the same way1      
forbid that the servant of another      
person should be put to death as a      
witch1 strix1 or masca4 ,this last word1
 masca1 whence mask1 has the same       
signification as the ,latin larva1 a    
spirit1 a phantom1 a spectre4  ,we may  
class in the number of ghosts the one   
spoken of in the ,chronicle of          
,sigibert1 in the year #heh4  ,theodore 
de ,gaza#dgg had a little farm in       
,campania1 which he had cultivated by a 
laborer4 ,as he was busy digging up the 
ground1 he discovered a round vase1 in  
which were the ashes of a dead man2     
directly1 a spectre appeared to him1 who
 commanded him to put this vase back    
again in the ground1 with what it       
contained1 or if he did not do so he    
would kill his eldest son4 ,the laborer 
gave no heed to these threats1 and in a 
few days his eldest son was found dead  
in his bed4 ,a little time after1 the   

same spectre appeared to him again1     
reiterating the same order1 and         
threatening to kill his second son4 ,the
 laborer gave notice of all this to his 
master1 ,theodore de ,gaza1 who came    
himself to his farm1 and had everything 
put back into its place4 ,this spectre  
was apparently a demon1 or the spirit of
 a pagan interred in that spot4         
,michael ,glycas#dgh relates that the   
emperor ,basilius1 having lost his      
beloved son1 obtained by means of a     
black monk of ,santabaren1 power to     
behold his said son1 who had died a     
little while before2 he saw him1 and    
held him embraced a pretty long time1   
until he vanished away in his arms4 ,it 
was1 then1 only a phantom which appeared
 in his son's form4  ,in the diocese of 
,mayence1 there was a spirit that year  
which made itself manifest first of all 
by throwing stones1 striking against the
 walls of a house1 as if with strong    
blows of a mallet2 then talking1 and    
revealing unknown things2 the authors of

 certain thefts1 and other things fit to
 spread the spirit of discord among the 
neighbors4 ,at last he directed his fury
 against one person in particular1 whom 
he liked to persecute and render odious 
to all the neighborhood1 proclaiming    
that he it was who excited the wrath of 
,god against all the village4 ,he       
pursued him in every place1 without     
giving him the least moment of          
relaxation4 ,he burnt all his harvest   
collected in his house1 and set fire to 
all the places he entered4  ,the priests
 exorcised1 said their prayers1 dashed  
holy water about4 ,the spirit threw     
stones at them1 and wounded several     
persons4 ,after the priests had         
withdrawn1 they heard him bemoaning     
himself1 and saying that he had hidden  
himself under the hood of a priest1 whom
 he named1 and accused of having seduced
 the daughter of a lawyer of the place4 
,he continued these troublesome         
hauntings for three years1 and did not  
leave off till he had burnt all the     

houses in the village4  ,here follows an
 instance which bears connection with   
what is related of the ghosts of        
,hungary1 who come to announce the death
 of their near relations4 ,evodius1     
,bishop of ,upsala1 in ,africa1 writes  
to ,st4 ,augustine1 in #dae1dgi that a  
young man whom he had with him1 as a    
writer1 or secretary1 and who led a life
 of rare innocence and purity1 having   
just died at the age of twenty-two1 a   
virtuous widow saw in a dream a certain 
deacon who1 with other servants of ,god1
 of both sexes1 ornamented a palace     
which seemed to shine as if it were of  
silver4 ,she asked who they were        
preparing it for1 and they told her it  
was for a young man who died the day    
before4 ,she afterwards beheld in the   
same palace an old man1 clad in white1  
who commanded two persons to take this  
young man out of his tomb and lead him  
to heaven4  ,in the same house where    
this young man died1 an aged man1 half  
asleep1 saw a man with a branch of      

laurel in his hand1 upon which something
 was written4  ,three days after the    
death of the young man1 his father1 who 
was a priest named ,armenius1 having    
retired to a monastery to console       
himself with the saintly old man1       
,theasus1 ,bishop of ,manblosa1 the     
deceased son appeared to a monk of this 
monastery1 and told him that ,god had   
received him among the blessed1 and that
 he had sent him to fetch his father4   
,in effect1 four days after1 his father 
had a slight degree of fever1 but it was
 so slight that the physician assured   
him there was nothing to fear4 ,he      
nevertheless took to his bed1 and at the
 same time1 as he was yet speaking1 he  
expired4  ,it was not of fright that he 
died1 for it does not appear that he    
knew anything of what the monk had seen 
in his dream4  ,the same bishop1        
,evodius1 relates that several persons  
had been seen after their death to go   
and come in their houses as during their
 lifetime1 either in the night1 or even 

in open day4 ,they say also1 adds       
,evodius1 that in the places where      
bodies are interred1 and especially in  
the churches1 they often hear a noise at
 a certain hour of the night like       
persons praying aloud4 ,i remember1     
continues ,evodius1 having heard it said
 by several1 and1 amongst others1 by a  
holy priest1 who was witness to these   
apparitions1 that they had seen coming  
out of the baptistry a great number of  
these spirits1 with shining bodies of   
light1 and had afterwards heard them    
pray in the middle of the church4 ,the  
same ,evodius says1 moreover1 that      
,profuturus1 ,privus1 and ,servilius1   
who had lived very piously in the       
monastery1 had talked with himself since
 their death1 and what they had told him
 had come to pass4  ,st4 ,augustine1    
after having related what ,evodius said1
 acknowledges that a great distinction  
is to be made between true and false    
visions1 and testifies that he could    
wish to have some sure means of justly  

discerning between them4  ,but who shall
 give us the knowledge necessary for    
such discerning1 so difficult and yet so
 requisite1 since we have not even any  
certain and demonstrative marks by which
 to discern infallibly between true and 
false miracles1 or to distinguish the   
works of the ,almighty from the         
illusions of the angel of darkness4     
,footnotes3  #dgd   ,neu prans lami     
vivum puerum ex trahat alvo4            
,horat4 ,art4 ,poet4 #cdj4  #dge        
,carpere dicuntur lactentia viscera     
rostris1            ,et plenum poco     
sanguine guttur habent1            ,est 
illis strigibus nomen4  #dgf ,capitul4  
,caroli ,magni pro partibus ,saxoni1 i4 
#f3--,si quis  ,diabolo deceptus        
crediderit secundm morem ,paganorum1    
virum aliquem aut foeminam strigem esse1
 et homines comedere2 et propter hoc    
ipsum incenderit1 vel carnem ejus ad    
comedendum dederit1 vel ipsam comederit 
capitis sententi puniatur4  #dgg ,le    
,loyer1 des ,spectres1 lib4 ii4 p4 #dbg4

  #dgh ,mich4 ,glycas1 part iv4 ,annal4 
#dgi ,aug4 ,epist4 #feh1 and ,epist4    
#beh1 p4 #cfa4     ,,chapter ,,xvii4    
,,of ,,ghosts ,,in ,,the ,,northern     
,,countries4   ,thomas ,bartholin1 the  
son1 in his treatise entitled ,of the   
,causes of the contempt of ,death felt  
by the ,ancient ,danes while yet        
,gentiles1 remarks#dhj that a certain   
,hordus1 an ,icelander1 saw spectres    
with his bodily eyes1 fought against    
them and resisted them4 ,these          
thoroughly believed that the spirits of 
the dead came back with their bodies1   
which they afterwards forsook and       
returned to their graves4 ,bartholinus  
relates in particular that a man named  
,asmond1 son of ,alfus1 having had      
himself buried alive in the same        
sepulchre with his friend ,asvitus1 and 
having had victuals brought there1 was  
taken out from thence some time after   
covered with blood1 in consequence of a 
combat he had been obliged to maintain  
against ,asvitus1 who had haunted him   

and cruelly assaulted him4  ,he reports 
after that what the poets teach         
concerning the vocation of spirits by   
the power of magic1 and of their return 
into bodies which are not decayed       
although a long time dead4 ,he shows    
that the ,jews have believed the        
same--that the souls came back from time
 to time to revisit their dead bodies   
during the first year after their       
decease4 ,he demonstrates that the      
ancient northern nations were persuaded 
that persons recently deceased often    
made their bodily appearance2 and he    
relates some examples of it3 he adds    
that they attacked these dangerous      
spectres1 which haunted and maltreated  
all who had any fields in the           
neighborhood of their tombs2 that they  
cut off the head of a man named         
,gretter1 who also returned to earth4   
,at other times they thrust a stake     
through the body and thus fixed them to 
the ground4    ,nam ferro secui mox     
caput ejus1   ,perfodique nocens stipite

 corpus4  ,formerly1 they took the      
corpse from the tomb and reduced it to  
ashes2 they did thus towards a spectre  
named ,gardus1 which they believed the  
author of all the fatal apparitions that
 had appeared during the winter4        
,footnotes3  #dhj ,thomas ,bartolin1 de 
,causis ,contempts ,mortis  ,danis1 lib4
 ii4 c4 #b4     ,,chapter ,,xviii4      
,,ghosts ,,in ,,england4   ,william of  
,malmsbury says#dha that in ,england    
they believed that the wicked came back 
to earth after their death1 and were    
brought back in their own bodies by the 
devil1 who governed them and caused them
 to act2 ,nequam hominis cadaver post   
mortem dmone agente discurrere4         
,william of ,newbridge1 who flourished  
after the middle of the twelfth century1
 relates that in his time was seen in   
,england1 in the county of ,buckingham1 
a man who appeared bodily1 as when      
alive1 three succeeding nights to his   
wife1 and after that to his nearest     
relatives4 ,they only defended          

themselves from his frightful visits by 
watching and making a noise when they   
perceived him coming4 ,he even showed   
himself to a few persons in the day     
time4 ,upon that1 the ,bishop of        
,lincoln assembled his council1 who told
 him that similar things had often      
happened in ,england1 and that the only 
known remedy against this evil was to   
burn the body of the ghost4 ,the bishop 
was averse to this opinion1 which       
appeared cruel to him3 he first of all  
wrote a schedule of absolution1 which   
was placed on the body of the defunct1  
which was found in the same state as if 
he had been buried that very day2 and   
from that time they heard no more of    
him4  ,the author of this narrative     
adds1 that this sort of apparitions     
would appear incredible1 if several     
instances had not occurred in his time1 
and if they did not know several persons
 who believed in them4  ,the same       
,newbridge says1 in the following       
chapter1 that a man who had been        

interred at ,berwick1 came out of his   
grave every night and caused great      
confusion in all the neighborhood4 ,it  
was even said that he had boasted that  
he should not cease to disturb the      
living till they had reduced him to     
ashes4 ,then they selected ten bold and 
vigorous young men1 who took him up out 
of the ground1 cut his body to pieces1  
and placed it on a pile1 whereon it was 
burned to ashes2 but beforehand1 some   
one amongst them having said that he    
could not be consumed by fire until they
 had torn out his heart1 his side was   
pierced with a stake1 and when they had 
taken out his heart through the opening1
 they set fire to the pile2 he was      
consumed by the flames and appeared no  
more4  ,the pagans also believed that   
the bodies of the dead rested not1      
neither were they safe from magical     
evocations1 so long as they remained    
unconsumed by fire1 or undecayed        
underground4    ,tali tua membra        
sepulchro1   ,talibus exuram ,stygio cum

 carmine ,sylvis1   ,ut nullos cantata  
,magos exaudiat umbra1  said an         
enchantress1 in ,lucan1 to a spirit she 
evoked4   ,footnotes3  #dha ,william of 
,malms4 lib4 ii4 c4 #d4     ,,chapter   
,,xix4  ,,ghosts ,,in ,,peru4   ,the    
instance we are about to relate occurred
 in ,peru1 in the country of the        
,ititans4 ,a girl named ,catharine died 
at the age of sixteen an unhappy death1 
and she had been guilty of several      
sacrilegious actions4 ,her body         
immediately after her decease was so    
putrid that they were obliged to put it 
out of the dwelling in the open air1 to 
escape from the bad smell which exhaled 
from it4 ,at the same time they heard as
 it were dogs howling2 and a horse which
 before then was very gentle began to   
rear1 to prance1 strike the ground with 
its feet1 and break its bonds2 a young  
man who was in bed was pulled out of bed
 violently by the arm2 a servant maid   
received a kick on the shoulder1 of     
which she bore the marks for several    

days4 ,all that happened before the body
 of ,catharine was inhumed4 ,some time  
afterwards1 several inhabitants of the  
place saw a great quantity of tiles and 
bricks thrown down with a great noise in
 the house where she died4 ,the servant 
of the house was dragged about by the   
foot1 without any one appearing to touch
 her1 and that in the presence of her   
mistress and ten or twelve other women4 
,the same servant1 on entering a room to
 fetch some clothes1 perceived          
,catharine1 who rose up to seize hold of
 an earthen pot2 the girl ran away      
directly1 but the spectre took the vase1
 dashed it against the wall1 and broke  
it into a thousand pieces4 ,the         
mistress1 who ran thither on hearing the
 noise1 saw that a quantity of bricks   
were thrown against the wall4 ,the next 
day an image of the crucifix fixed      
against the wall was all on a sudden    
torn from its place in the presence of  
them all1 and broken into three pieces4 
,,chapter ,,xx4  ,,ghosts ,,in          

,,lapland4   ,vestiges of these ghosts  
are still found in ,lapland1 where it is
 said they see a great number of        
spectres1 who appear among those people1
 speak to them1 and eat with them1      
without their being able to get rid of  
them2 and as they are persuaded that    
these are the manes or shades of their  
relations who thus disturb them1 they   
have no means of guarding against their 
intrusions more efficacious than to     
inter the bodies of their nearest       
relatives under the hearthstone1 in     
order1 apparently1 that there they may  
be sooner consumed4 ,in general1 they   
believe that the manes1 or spirits1     
which come out of bodies1 or corpses1   
are usually malevolent till they have   
re-entered other bodies4 ,they pay some 
respect to the spectres1 or demons1     
which they believe roam about rocks1    
mountains1 lakes1 and rivers1 much as in
 former times the ,romans paid honor to 
the fauns1 the gods of the woods1 the   
nymphs1 and the tritons4  ,andrew       

,alciat#dhb says that he was consulted  
concerning certain women whom the       
,inquisition had caused to be burnt as  
witches for having occasioned the death 
of some children by their spells1 and   
for having threatened the mothers of    
other children to kill these also2 and  
in fact they did die the following night
 of disorders unknown to the physicians4
 ,here we again see those strig1 or     
witches1 who delight in destroying      
children4  ,but all this relates to our 
subject very indirectly4 ,the vampires  
of which we are discoursing are very    
different from all those just mentioned4
   ,footnotes3  #dhb ,andr4 ,alciat4    
,parergon ,juris1 viii4 c4 #bb4         
,,chapter ,,xxi4  ,,reappearance ,,of ,a
 ,,man ,,who ,,had ,,been ,,dead ,,for  
,,some ,,months4   ,peter1 the          
venerable#dhc abbot of ,clugni1 relates 
the conversation which he had in the    
presence of the bishops of ,oleron and  
of ,osma1 in ,spain1 together with      
several monks1 with an old monk named   

,pierre d',engelbert1 who1 after living 
a long time in his day in high          
reputation for valor and honor1 had     
withdrawn from the world after the death
 of his wife1 and entered the order of  
,clugni4 ,peter the ,venerable having   
come to see him1 ,pierre d',engelbert   
related to him that one day when in his 
bed and wide awake1 he saw in his       
chamber1 whilst the moon shone very     
brightly1 a man named ,sancho1 whom he  
had several years before sent at his own
 expense to the assistance of ,alphonso1
 king of ,arragon1 who was making war on
 ,castile4 ,sancho had returned safe and
 sound from this expedition1 but some   
time after he fell sick and died in his 
house4  ,four months after his death1   
,sancho showed himself to ,pierre       
d',engelbert1 as we have said4 ,sancho  
was naked1 with the exception of a rag  
for mere decency round him4 ,he began to
 uncover the burning wood1 as if to warm
 himself1 or that he might be more      
distinguishable4 ,peter asked him who he

 was4 ,i am1 replied he1 in a broken and
 hoarse voice1 ,sancho1 your servant4   
,and what do you come here for8 ,i am   
going1 said he1 into ,castile1 with a   
number of others1 in order to expiate   
the harm we did during the last war1 on 
the same spot where it was committed3   
for my own part1 ,i pillaged the        
ornaments of a church1 and for that ,i  
am condemned to take this journey4 ,you 
can assist me very much by your good    
works2 and madame1 your spouse1 who owes
 me yet eight sols for the remainder of 
my salary1 will oblige me infinitely if 
she will bestow them on the poor in my  
name4 ,peter then asked him news of one 
,pierre de ,fais1 his friend1 who had   
been dead a short time4 ,sancho told him
 that he was saved4  ,and ,bernier1 our 
fellow-citizen1 what is become of him8  
,he is damned1 said he1 for having badly
 performed his office of judge1 and for 
having troubled and plundered the widow 
and the innocent4  ,peter added1 ,could 
you tell me any news of ,alphonso1 king 

of ,arragon1 who died a few years ago8  
,then another spectre1 that ,peter had  
not before seen1 and which he now       
observed distinctly by the light of the 
moon1 seated in the recess of the       
window1 said to him--,do not ask him for
 news of ,king ,alphonso2 he has not    
been with us long enough to know        
anything about him4 ,i1 who have been   
dead five years1 can give you news of   
him4 ,alphonso was with us for some     
time1 but the monks of ,clugni          
extricated him from thence4 ,i know not 
where he is now4 ,then1 addressing      
himself to his companion1 ,sancho1      
,come1 said he1 let us follow our       
companions2 it is time to set off4      
,sancho reiterated his entreaties to    
,peter1 his lord1 and went out of the   
house4  ,peter waked his wife who was   
lying by him1 and who had neither seen  
nor heard anything of all this dialogue1
 and asked her the question1 ,do not you
 owe something to ,sancho1 that domestic
 who was in our service1 and died a     

little while ago8 ,she answered1 ,i owe 
him still eight sols4 ,from this1 ,peter
 had no more doubt of the truth of what 
,sancho had said to him1 gave these     
eight sols to the poor1 adding a large  
sum of his own1 and caused masses and   
prayers to be said for the soul of the  
defunct4 ,peter was then in the world   
and married2 but when he related this to
 ,peter the ,venerable1 he was a monk of
 ,clugni4  ,st4 ,augustine relates that 
,sylla1#dhd on arriving at ,tarentum1   
offered there sacrifices to the gods1   
that is to say1 to the demons2 and      
having observed on the upper part of the
 liver of the victim a sort of crown of 
gold1 the aruspice assured him that this
 crown was the presage of a certain     
victory1 and told him to eat alone that 
liver whereon he had seen the crown4    
,almost at the same moment1 a servitor  
of ,lucius ,pontius came to him and     
said1 ,sylla1 ,i am come from the       
goddess ,bellona4 ,the victory is yours2
 and as a proof of my prediction1 ,i    

announce to you that1 ere long1 the     
capitol will be reduced to ashes4 ,at   
the same time1 this man left the camp in
 great haste1 and on the morrow he      
returned with still more eagerness1 and 
affirmed that the capitol had been      
burnt1 which was found to be true4  ,st4
 ,augustine had no doubt but that the   
demon who had caused the crown of gold  
to appear on the liver of the victim had
 inspired this diviner1 and that the    
same bad spirit having foreseen the     
conflagration of the capitol had        
announced it after the event by that    
same man4  ,the same holy doctor        
relates1#dhe after ,julius ,obsequens1  
in his ,book of ,prodigies1 that in the 
open country of ,campania1 where some   
time after the ,roman armies fought with
 such animosity during the civil war1   
they heard at first loud noises like    
soldiers fighting2 and afterwards       
several persons affirmed that they had  
seen for some days two armies1 who      
joined battle2 after which they remarked

 in the same part as it were vestiges of
 the combatants1 and the marks of       
horses' feet1 as if the combat had      
really taken place there4 ,st4          
,augustine doubts not that all this was 
the work of the devil1 who wished to    
reassure mankind against the horrors of 
civil warfare1 by making them believe   
that their gods being at war amongst    
themselves1 mankind need not be more    
moderate1 nor more touched by the evils 
which war brings with it4  ,the abbot of
 ,ursperg1 in his ,chronicle1 year      
#aabc1 says that in the territory of    
,worms they saw during many days a      
multitude of armed men1 on foot and on  
horseback1 going and coming with great  
noise1 like people who are going to a   
solemn assembly4 ,every day they        
marched1 towards the hour of noon1 to a 
mountain1 which appeared to be their    
place of rendezvous4 ,some one in the   
neighborhood bolder than the rest1      
having guarded himself with the sign of 
the cross1 approached one of these armed

 men1 conjuring him in the name of ,god 
to declare the meaning of this army1 and
 their design4 ,the soldier or phantom  
replied1 ,we are not what you imagine2  
we are neither vain phantoms1 nor true  
soldiers2 we are the spirits of those   
who were killed on this spot a long time
 ago4 ,the arms and horses which you    
behold are the instruments of our       
punishment1 as they were of our sins4   
,we are all on fire1 though you can see 
nothing about us which appears inflamed4
 ,it is said that they remarked in this 
company the ,count ,emico1 who had been 
killed a few years before1 and who      
declared that he might be extricated    
from that state by alms and prayers4    
,trithemius1 in his ,annales            
,hirsauginses1 year #ajac1dhf asserts   
that there was seen in broad day1 on a  
certain day in the year1 an army of     
cavalry and infantry1 which came down   
from a mountain and ranged themselves on
 a neighboring plain4 ,they were spoken 
to and conjured to speak1 and they      

declared themselves to be the spirits of
 those who a few years before had been  
killed1 with arms in their hands1 in    
that same spot4  ,the same ,trithemius  
relates elsewhere#dhg the apparition of 
the ,count of ,spanheim1 deceased a     
little while before1 who appeared in the
 fields with his pack of hounds4 ,this  
count spoke to his cur1 and asked his   
prayers4  ,vipert1 ,archdeacon of the   
,church of ,toul1 cotemporary author of 
the ,life of the holy ,pope ,leo ,,ix41 
who died #ajei1 relates#dhh that1 some  
years before the death of this holy     
pope1 an infinite multitude of persons1 
habited in white1 was seen to pass by   
the town of ,narni1 advancing from the  
eastern side4 ,this troop defiled from  
the morning until three in the          
afternoon1 but towards evening it       
notably diminished4 ,at this sight all  
the population of the town of ,narni    
mounted upon the walls1 fearing they    
might be hostile troops1 and saw them   
defile with extreme surprise4  ,one     

burgher1 more resolute than the others1 
went out of the town1 and having        
observed in the crowd a man of his      
acquaintance1 called to him by name1 and
 asked him the meaning of this multitude
 of travelers3 he replied1 ,we are      
spirits which not having yet expiated   
all our sins1 and not being as yet      
sufficiently pure to enter the kingdom  
of heaven1 we are going into holy places
 in a spirit of repentance2 we are now  
coming from visiting the tomb of ,st4   
,martin1 and we are going straight to   
,notre-,dame de ,farse4 ,the man was so 
frightened at this vision that he was   
ill for a twelvemonth--it was he who    
recounted the circumstance to ,pope ,leo
 ,,ix4 ,all the town of ,narni was      
witness to this procession1 which took  
place in broad day4  ,the night         
preceding the battle which was fought in
 ,egypt between ,mark ,antony and       
,csar1#dhi whilst all the city of       
,alexandria was in extreme uneasiness in
 expectation of this action1 they saw in

 the city what appeared a multitude of  
people1 who shouted and howled like     
bacchanals1 and they heard a confused   
sound of instruments in honor of        
,bacchus1 as ,mark ,antony was          
accustomed to celebrate this kind of    
festivals4 ,this troop1 after having run
 through the greater part of the town1  
went out of it by the door leading to   
the enemy1 and disappeared4  ,that is   
all which has come to my knowledge      
concerning the vampires and ghosts of   
,hungary1 ,moravia1 ,silesia1 and       
,poland1 and of the other ghosts of     
,france and ,germany4 ,we will explain  
our opinion after this on the reality1  
and other circumstances of these sorts  
of revived and resuscitated beings4     
,here follows another species1 which is 
not less marvelous--,i mean the         
excommunicated1 who leave the church and
 their graves with their bodies1 and do 
not re-enter till after the sacrifice is
 completed4   ,footnotes3  #dhc ,betrus 
,venerab4 ,abb4 ,cluniac4 de miracul4   

lib4 i4 c4 #bh4 p4 #abic4  #dhd ,lib4   
ii4 de ,civ4 ,dei1 cap4 #bd4  #dhe ,aug4
 lib4 ii4 de ,civ4 ,dei1 c4 #be4  #dhf  
,trith4 ,chron4 ,hirs4 p4 #aee1 ad an4  
#ajac4  #dhg ,idem1 tom4 ii4 ,chron4    
,hirs4 p4 #bbg4  #dhh ,vita ,s4 ,leonis 
,pap4  #dhi ,plutarch1 in ,anton4       
,,chapter ,,xxii4  ,,excommunicated     
,,persons ,,who ,,go ,,out ,,of ,,the   
,,churches4   ,st4 ,gregory the ,great  
relates#dij that ,st4 ,benedict having  
threatened to excommunicate two nuns1   
these nuns died in that state4 ,some    
time after1 their nurse saw them go out 
of the church1 as soon as the deacon had
 cried out1 ,let all those who do not   
receive the communion withdraw4 ,the    
nurse having informed ,st4 ,benedict of 
the circumstance1 that saint sent an    
oblation1 or a loaf1 in order that it   
might be offered for them in token of   
reconciliation2 and from that time the  
two nuns remained in quiet in their     
sepulchres4  ,st4 ,augustine says#dia   
that the names of martyrs were recited  

in the diptychs not to pray for them1   
and the names of the virgin nuns        
deceased to pray for them4 ,perhibet    
prclarissimum testimonium ecclesiastica 
auctoritas1 in qu fidelibus notum est   
quo loco martyres et que defunct        
sanctimoniales ad altaris sacramenta    
recitantur4 ,it was then1 perhaps1 when 
they were named at the altar1 that they 
left the church4 ,but ,st4 ,gregory says
 expressly1 that it was when the deacon 
cried aloud1 ,let those who do not      
receive the communion retire4  ,the same
 ,st4 ,gregory relates that a young     
priest of the same ,st4 ,benedict1#dib  
having gone out of his monastery without
 leave and without receiving the        
benediction of the abbot1 died in his   
disobedience1 and was interred in       
consecrated ground4 ,the next day they  
found his body out of the grave3 the    
relations gave notice of it to ,st4     
,benedict1 who gave them a consecrated  
wafer1 and told them to place it with   
proper respect on the breast of the     

young priest2 it was placed there1 and  
the earth no more rejected him from her 
bosom4  ,this usage1 or rather this     
abuse1 of placing the holy wafer in the 
grave with the dead1 is very singular2  
but it was not unknown to antiquity4    
,the author of the ,life of ,st4        
,basil#dic the ,great1 given under the  
name of ,st4 ,amphilochus1 says that    
that saint reserved the third part of a 
consecrated wafer to be interred with   
him2 he received it and expired while it
 was yet in his mouth2 but some councils
 had already condemned this practice1   
and others have since then proscribed   
it1 as contrary to the institutions of  
,jesus ,christ4#did  ,still1 they did   
not omit in a few places putting holy   
wafers in the tombs or graves of some   
persons who were remarkable for their   
sanctity1 as in the tomb of ,st4        
,othmar1 abbot of ,st4 ,gal1#die wherein
 were found under his head several round
 leaves1 which were indubitably believed
 to be the ,host4  ,in the ,life of ,st4

 ,cuthbert1 ,bishop of ,lindisfarn1#dif 
we read that a quantity of consecrated  
wafers were found on his breast4        
,amalarius cites of the ,venerable      
,bede1 that a holy wafer was placed on  
the breast of this saint before he was  
inhumed2 oblata super sanctum pectus    
posit4#dig ,this particularity is not   
noted in ,bede's ,history1 but in the   
second ,life of ,st4 ,cuthbert4         
,amalarius remarks that this custom     
proceeds doubtless from the ,church of  
,rome1 which had communicated it to the 
,english2 and the ,reverend ,father     
,menard#dih maintains that it is not    
this practice which is condemned by the 
above-mentioned ,councils1 but that of  
giving the communion to the dead by     
insinuating the holy wafer into their   
mouths4 ,however it may be regarding    
this practice1 we know that ,cardinal   
,humbert1#dii in his reply to the  of   
the patriarch ,michael ,cerularius1     
reproves the ,greeks for burying the    
,host1 when there remained any of it    

after the communion of the faithful4    
,footnotes3  #dij ,greg4 ,magn4 lib4 ii4
 ,dialog4 c4 #bc4  #dia ,aug4 de ,st4   
,virgin4 c4 xlv4 #cfd4  #dib ,greg4 lib4
 ii4 ,dialog4 c4 #cd4  #dic ,amphil4 in 
,vit4 ,s4 ,basilii4  #did ,vide         
,balsamon4 ad ,canon4 #hc4 ,concil4 in  
,trullo1 et ,concil4 ,carthagin4 ,,iii4 
c4 #f4 ,hippon4 c4 #e4 ,antissiod4 c4   
#ab4  #die ,vit4 ,s4 ,othmari1 c4 #c4   
#dif ,vit4 ,s4 ,cuthberti1 lib4 iv4 c4  
#b4 apud ,bolland4 #bf ,martii4  #dig   
,amalar4 de ,offic4 ,eccles4 lib4 iv4 c4
 #da4  #dih ,menard4 not4 in ,sacrament4
 ,s4 ,greg4 ,magn4 pp4 #dhd1 #dhe4  #dii
 ,humbert4 ,card4 ,bibliot4 ,p4 ,p4 lib4
 xviii4 et tom4 iv4 ,concil4            
,,chapter ,,xxiii4  ,,some ,,other      
,,instances ,,of ,,excommunicated       
,,persons ,,being ,,cast ,,out ,,of     
,,consecrated ,,ground4   ,we see again 
in history1 several other examples of   
the dead bodies of excommunicated       
persons being cast out of consecrated   
earth2 for instance1 in the life of ,st4

 ,gothard1 ,bishop of ,hildesheim1#ejj  
it is related that this saint having    
excommunicated certain persons for their
 rebellion and their sins1 they did not 
cease1 in spite of his excommunications1
 to enter the church1 and remain there  
though forbidden by the saint1 whilst   
even the dead1 who had been interred    
there years since1 and had been placed  
there without their sentence of         
excommunication being removed1 obeyed   
him1 arose from their tombs1 and left   
the church4 ,after mass1 the saint1     
addressing himself to these rebels1     
reproached them for their hardness of   
heart1 and told them those dead people  
would rise against them in the day of   
judgment4 ,at the same time1 going out  
of the church1 he gave absolution to the
 excommunicated dead1 and allowed them  
to re-enter it1 and repose in their     
graves as before4 ,the ,life of ,st4    
,gothard was written by one of his      
disciples1 a canon of his cathedral2 and
 this saint died on the #dth of ,may1   

#ich4  ,in the second ,council1 held at 
,limoges1#eja in #ajca1 at which a great
 many bishops1 abbots1 priests and      
deacons were present1 they reported the 
instances which we had just cited from  
,st4 ,benedict1 to show the respect in  
which sentences of excommunication1     
pronounced by ecclesiastical superiors1 
were held4 ,then the ,bishop of ,cahors1
 who was present1 related a circumstance
 which had happened to him a short time 
before4 ,a cavalier of my diocese1      
having been killed in excommunication1  
,i would not accede to the prayers of   
his friends1 who implored to grant him  
absolution2 ,i desired to make an       
example of him1 in order to inspire     
others with fear4 ,but he was interred  
by soldiers or gentlemen 7milites7      
without my permission1 without the      
presence of the priests1 in a church    
dedicated to ,st4 ,peter4 ,the next     
morning his body was found out of the   
ground1 and thrown naked far from the   
spot2 his grave remaining entire1 and   

without any sign of having been touched4
 ,the soldiers or gentlemen 7milites7   
who had interred him1 having opened the 
grave1 found in it only the linen in    
which he had been wrapped2 they buried  
him again1 and covered him with an      
enormous quantity of earth and stones4  
,the next day they found the corpse     
outside the tomb1 without its appearing 
that any one had worked at it4 ,the same
 thing happened five times2 at last they
 buried him as they could1 at a distance
 from the cemetery1 in unconsecrated    
ground2 which filled the neighboring    
seigneurs with so much terror that they 
all came to me to make their peace4     
,that is a fact1 invested with          
everything which can render it          
incontestable4   ,footnotes3  #ejj ,vit4
 ,s4 ,gothardi1 ,scul4 vi4 ,bened4 parte
 c4 p4 #dcd4  #eja ,tom4 ix4 ,concil4 an
 #ajca1 p4 #gjb4     ,,chapter ,,xxiv4  
,,an ,,instance ,,of ,,an               
,,excommunicated ,,martyr ,,being ,,cast
 ,,out ,,of ,,the ,,earth4   ,we read in

 the menes of the ,greeks1 on the #aeth 
of ,october1 that a monk of the ,desert 
of ,sheti1 having been excommunicated by
 him who had the care of his conduct1   
for some act of disobedience1 he left   
the desert1 and came to ,alexandria1    
where he was arrested by the governor of
 the city1 despoiled of his conventual  
habit1 and ardently solicited to        
sacrifice to false gods4 ,the solitary  
resisted nobly1 and was tormented in    
various ways1 until at last they cut off
 his head1 and threw his body outside of
 the city1 to be devoured by dogs4 ,the 
,christians took it away in the night1  
and having embalmed it and enveloped it 
in fine linen1 they interred it in the  
church as a martyr1 in an honorable     
place2 but during the holy sacrifice1   
the deacon having cried aloud1 as usual1
 that the catechumens and those who did 
not take the communion were to withdraw1
 they suddenly beheld the martyr's tomb 
open of itself1 and his body retire into
 the vestibule of the church2 after the 

mass1 it returned to its sepulchre4  ,a 
pious person having prayed for three    
days1 learnt by the voice of an angel   
that this monk had incurred             
excommunication for having disobeyed his
 superior1 and that he would remain     
bound until that same superior had given
 him absolution4 ,then they went to the 
desert directly1 and brought the saintly
 old man1 who caused the coffin of the  
martyr to be opened1 and absolved him1  
after which he remained in peace in his 
tomb4  ,this instance appears to me     
rather suspicious4 #a4 ,in the time that
 the ,desert of ,sheti was peopled with 
solitary monks1 there were no longer any
 persecutors at ,alexandria4 ,they      
troubled no one there1 either concerning
 the profession of ,christianity1 or on 
the religious profession--they would    
sooner have persecuted these idolators  
and pagans4 ,the ,christian religion was
 then dominant and respected throughout 
all ,egypt1 above all1 in ,alexandria4  
#b4 ,the monks of ,sheti were rather    

hermits than cenobites1 and a monk had  
no authority there to excommunicate his 
brother4 #c4 ,it does not appear that   
the monk in question had deserved       
excommunication1 at least major         
excommunication1 which deprives the     
faithful of the entry of the church1 and
 the participation of the holy          
mysteries4 ,the bearing of the ,greek   
text is simply1 that he remained        
obedient for some time to his spiritual 
father1 but that having afterwards      
fallen into disobedience1 he withdrew   
from the hands of the old man without   
any legitimate cause1 and went away to  
,alexandria4 ,all that deserves         
doubtlessly even major excommunication1 
if this monk had quitted his profession 
and retired from the monastery to lead a
 secular life2 but at that time the     
monks were not1 as now1 bound by vows of
 stability and obedience to their       
regular superiors1 who had not a right  
to excommunicate them with grand        
excommunication4 ,we will speak of this 

again by-and-by4     ,,chapter ,,xxv4   
,a ,,man ,,rejected ,,from ,,the        
,,church ,,for ,,having ,,refused ,,to  
,,pay ,,tithes4   ,john ,brompton1      
,abbot of ,sornat in ,england1#ejb says 
that we may read in very old histories  
that ,st4 ,augustin1 the ,apostle of    
,england1 wishing to persuade a         
gentleman to pay the tithes1 ,god       
permitted that this saint having said   
before all the people1 before the       
commencement of the mass1 that no       
excommunicated person should assist at  
the holy sacrifice1 they saw a man who  
had been interred for #aej years leave  
the church4  ,after mass1 ,st4          
,augustin1 preceded by the cross1 went  
to ask this dead man why he went out8   
,the dead man replied that it was       
because he had died in a state of       
excommunication4 ,the saint asked him1  
where was the sepulchre of the priest   
who had pronounced against him the      
sentence of excommunication8 ,they went 
thither2 ,st4 ,augustin commanded him to

 rise2 he came to life1 and avowed that 
he had excommunicated the man for his   
crimes1 and particularly for his        
obstinacy in refusing to pay tithes2    
then1 by order of ,st4 ,augustin1 he    
gave him absolution1 and the dead man   
returned to his tomb4 ,the priest       
entreated the saint to permit him also  
to return to his sepulchre1 which was   
granted him4 ,this story appears to me  
still more suspicious than the preceding
 one4 ,in the time of ,st4 ,augustin1   
the ,apostle of ,england1 there was no  
obligation as yet to pay tithes on pain 
of excommunication1 and much less a     
hundred and fifty years before that     
time--above all in ,england4            
,footnotes3  #ejb ,john ,brompton1      
,chronic4 vide ex ,bolland4 #bf ,maii1  
p4 #cif4     ,,chapter ,,xxvi4          
,,instances ,,of ,,persons ,,who ,,have 
,,shown ,,signs ,,of ,,life ,,after     
,,their ,,death1 ,,and ,,who ,,have     
,,drawn ,,back ,,from ,,respect1 ,,to   
,,make ,,room ,,or ,,give ,,place ,,to  

,,some ,,who ,,were ,,more ,,worthy     
,,than ,,themselves4   ,tertullian      
relates#ejc an instance to which he had 
been witness--de meo didici4 ,a woman   
who belonged to the church1 to which she
 had been given as a slave1 died in the 
prime of life1 after being once married 
only1 and that for a short time1 was    
brought to the church4 ,before putting  
her in the ground1 the priest offering  
the sacrifice and raising his hands in  
prayer1 this woman1 who had her hands   
extended at her side1 raised them at the
 same time1 and put them together as a  
supplicant2 then1 when the peace was    
given1 she replaced herself in her      
former position4  ,tertullian adds that 
another body1 dead1 and buried in a     
cemetery1 withdrew on one side to give  
place to another corpse which they were 
about to inter near it4 ,he relates     
these instances as a suite to what was  
said by ,plato and ,democritus1 that    
souls remained some time near the dead  
bodies they had inhabited1 which they   

preserved sometimes from corruption1 and
 often caused their hair1 beard1 and    
nails to grow in their graves4          
,tertullian does not approve of the     
opinion of these2 he even refutes them  
pretty well2 but he owns that the       
instances ,i have just spoken of are    
favorable enough to that opinion1 which 
is also that of the ,hebrews1 as we have
 before seen4  ,it is said that after   
the death of the celebrated             
,abelard1#ejd who was interred at the   
,monastery of the ,paraclete1 the       
,abbess ,heloisa1 his spouse1 being also
 deceased1 and having requested to be   
buried in the same grave1 at her        
approach ,abelard extended his arms and 
received her into his bosom3 elevatis   
brachiis illam recepit1 et ita eam      
amplexatus brachia sua strinxit4 ,this  
circumstance is certainly neither proved
 nor probable2 the ,chronicle whence it 
is extracted had probably taken it from 
some popular rumor4  ,the author of the 
,life of ,st4 ,john the ,almoner1#eje   

which was written immediately after his 
death by ,leontius1 ,bishop of ,naples1 
a town in the ,isle of ,cyprus1 relates 
that ,st4 ,john the ,almoner being dead 
at ,amatunta1 in the same island1 his   
body was placed between that of two     
bishops1 who drew back on each side     
respectfully to make room for him in    
sight of all present2 non unus1 neque   
decem1 neque centum viderunt1 sed omnis 
turba1 qu convenit ad ejus sepulturam1  
says the author cited4 ,metaphrastes1   
who had read the life of the saint in   
,greek1 repeats the same fact4          
,evagrius de ,pont#ejf says1 that a holy
 hermit named ,thomas1 and surnamed     
,salus1 because he counterfeited        
madness1 dying in the hospital of       
,daphn1 near the city of ,antioch1 was  
buried in the strangers' cemetery1 but  
every day he was found out of the ground
 at a distance from the other dead      
bodies1 which he avoided4 ,the          
inhabitants of the place informed       
,ephraim1 ,bishop of ,antioch1 of this1 

and he had him solemnly carried into the
 city and honorably buried in the       
cemetery1 and from that time the people 
of ,antioch keep the feast of his       
translation4  ,john ,mosch#ejg reports  
the same story1 only he says that it was
 some women who were buried near ,thomas
 ,salus1 who left their graves through  
respect for the saint4  ,the ,hebrews   
ridiculously believe that the ,jews who 
are buried without ,judea will roll     
underground at the last day1 to repair  
to the ,promised ,land1 as they cannot  
come to life again elsewhere than in    
,judea4  ,the ,persians recognize also a
 transporting angel1 whose care it is to
 assign to dead bodies the place and    
rank due to their merits3 if a worthy   
man is buried in an infidel country1 the
 transporting angel leads him           
underground to a spot near one of the   
faithful1 while he casts into the sewer 
the body of any infidel interred in holy
 ground4 ,other ,mahometans have the    
same notion2 they believe that the      

transporting angel placed the body of   
,noah1 and afterwards that of ,ali1 in  
the grave of ,adam4 ,i relate these     
fantastical ideas only to show their    
absurdity4 ,as to the other stories     
related in this same chapter1 they must 
not be accepted without examination1 for
 they require confirmation4             
,footnotes3  #ejc ,tertull4 de ,animo1  
c4 #e4 p4 #eig4 ,edit4 ,pamelii4  #ejd  
,chronic4 ,turon4 inter opera ,ablardi1 
p4 #aaie4  #eje ,bolland4 tom4 ii4 p4   
#cae1 #ac ,januar4  #ejf ,evagrius      
,pont4 lib4 iv4 c4 #ec4  #ejg ,jean     
,mosch4 pras4 spirit4 c4 #hh4           
,,chapter ,,xxvii4  ,,of ,,persons ,,who
 ,,perform ,a ,,pilgrimage ,,after      
,,their ,,death4   ,a scholar of the    
town of ,saint ,pons1 near              
,narbonne1#ejh having died in a state of
 excommunication1 appeared to one of his
 friends1 and begged of him to go to the
 city of ,rhodes1 and ask the bishop to 
grant him absolution4 ,he set off in    
snowy weather2 the spirit1 who          

accompanied him without being seen by   
him showed him the road and cleared away
 the snow4 ,on arriving at ,rhodes1 he  
asked and obtained for his friend the   
required absolution1 when the spirit    
reconducted him to ,saint ,pons1 gave   
him thanks for this service1 and took   
leave1 promising to testify to him his  
gratitude4  ,here follows a letter      
written to me on the #eth of ,april1    
#agde1 and which somewhat relates to    
what we have just seen4 ,something has  
occurred here within the last few days1 
relatively to your ,dissertation upon   
,ghosts1 which ,i think ,i ought to     
inform you of4 ,a man of ,letrage1 a    
village a few miles from ,remiremont1   
lost his wife at the beginning of       
,february last1 and married again the   
week before ,lent4 ,at eleven o'clock in
 the evening of his wedding-day1 his    
wife appeared and spoke to his new      
spouse2 the result of the conversation  
was to oblige the bride to perform seven
 pilgrimages for the defunct4 ,from that

 day1 and always at the same hour1 the  
defunct appeared1 and spoke in presence 
of the cur of the place and several     
other persons2 on the #aeth of ,march1  
at the moment that the bride was        
preparing to repair to ,st4 ,nicholas1  
she had a visit from the defunct1 who   
told her to make haste1 and not to be   
alarmed at any pain or trouble which she
 might undergo on her journey4  ,this   
woman with her husband and her brother  
and sister-in-law1 set off on their way1
 not expecting that the dead wife would 
be of the party2 but she never left them
 until they were at the door of the     
,church of ,st4 ,nicholas4 ,these good  
people1 when they were arrived at two   
leagues' distance from ,st4 ,nicholas1  
were obliged to put up at a little inn  
called the ,barracks4 ,there the wife   
found herself so ill1 that the two men  
were obliged to carry her to the burgh  
of ,st4 ,nicholas4 ,directly she was    
under the church porch1 she walked      
easily1 and felt no more pain4 ,this    

fact has been reported to me by the     
sacristan and the four persons4 ,the    
last thing that the defunct said to the 
bride was1 that she should neither speak
 to nor appear to her again until half  
the pilgrimages should be accomplished4 
,the simple and natural manner in which 
these good people related this fact to  
us makes me believe that it is certain4 
,it is not said that this young woman   
had incurred excommunication1 but       
apparently she was bound by a vow or    
promise which she had made1 to          
accomplish these pilgrimages1 which she 
imposed upon the other young wife who   
succeeded her4 ,also1 we see that she   
did not enter the ,church of ,st4       
,nicholas2 she only accompanied the     
pilgrims to the church door4  ,we may   
here add the instance of that crowd of  
pilgrims who1 in the time of ,pope ,leo 
,,ix41 passed at the foot of the wall of
 ,narne1 as ,i have before related1 and 
who performed their purgatory by going  
from pilgrimage to pilgrimage4          

,footnotes3  #ejh ,melchior4 lib4 de    
,statu ,mortuorum4     ,,chapter        
,,xxviii4  ,,argument ,,concerning ,,the
 ,,excommunicated ,,who ,,quit          
,,churches4   ,all that we have just    
reported concerning the bodies of       
persons who had been excommunicated     
leaving their tombs during mass1 and    
returning into them after the service1  
deserves particular attention4  ,it     
seems that a thing which passed before  
the eyes of a whole population in broad 
day1 and in the midst of the most       
redoubtable mysteries1 can be neither   
denied nor disputed4 ,nevertheless1 it  
may be asked1 ,how these bodies came    
out8 ,were they whole1 or in a state of 
decay8 naked1 or clad in their own      
dress1 or in the linen and bandages     
which had enveloped them in the tomb8   
,where1 also1 did they go8  ,the cause  
of their forthcoming is well noted2 it  
was the major excommunication4 ,this    
penalty is decreed only to mortal       
sin4#eji ,those persons had1 then1 died 

in the career of deadly sin1 and were   
consequently condemned and in hell2 for 
if there is naught in question but a    
minor excommunication1 why should they  
go out of the church after death with   
such terrible and extraordinary         
circumstances1 since that ecclesiastical
 excommunication does not deprive one   
absolutely of communion with the        
faithful1 or of entrance to church8  ,if
 it be said that the crime was remitted1
 but not the penalty of excommunication1
 and that these persons remained        
excluded from church communion until    
after their absolution1 given by the    
ecclesiastical judge1 we ask if a dead  
man can be absolved and be restored to  
communion with the church1 unless there 
are unequivocal proofs of his repentance
 and conversion preceding his death4    
,moreover1 the persons just cited as    
instances do not appear to have been    
released from crime or guilt1 as might  
be supposed4 ,the texts which we have   
cited sufficiently note that they died  

in their guilt and sins2 and what ,st4  
,gregory the ,great says in the part of 
his ,dialogues there quoted1 replying to
 his interlocutor1 ,peter1 supposes that
 these nuns had died without doing      
penance4  ,besides1 it is a constant    
rule of the church that we cannot       
communicate or have communion with a    
dead man1 whom we have not had any      
communication with during his lifetime4 
,quibus viventibus non communicavimus1  
mortuis1 communicare non possumus1 says 
,pope ,st4 ,leo4#eaj ,at any rate1 it is
 allowed that an excommunicated person  
who has given signs of sincere          
repentance1 although there may not have 
been time for him to confess himself1   
can be reconciled to the church#eaa and 
receive ecclesiastical sepulture after  
his death4 ,but1 in general1 before     
receiving absolution from sin1 they must
 have been absolved from the censures   
and excommunication1 if such have been  
incurred3 ,absolutio ab excommunicatione
 debet prcedere absolutionem  peccatis2 

quia quandiu aliquis est excommunicatus1
 non potest recipere aliquod ,ecclesi   
,sacramentum1 says ,st4 ,thomas4#eab    
,following this decision1 it would have 
been necessary to absolve these persons 
from their excommunication1 before they 
could receive absolution from the guilt 
of their sins4 ,here1 on the contrary1  
they are supposed to be absolved from   
their sins as to their criminality1 in  
order to be able to receive absolution  
from the censures of the church4  ,i do 
not see how these difficulties can be   
resolved4  #a4 ,how can you absolve the 
dead8 #b4 ,how can you absolve him from 
excommunication before he has received  
absolution from sin8 #c4 ,how can he be 
absolved without asking for absolution1 
or its appearing that he hath requested 
it8 #d4 ,how can people be absolved who 
died in mortal sin1 and without doing   
penance8 #e4 ,why do these              
excommunicated persons return to their  
tombs after mass8 #f4 ,if they dared not
 stay in the church during the mass1    

when were they8  ,it appears certain    
that the nuns and the young monk spoken 
of by ,st4 ,gregory died in their sins1 
and without having received absolution  
from them4 ,st4 ,benedict1 probably1 was
 not a priest1 and had not absolved them
 as regards their guilt4  ,it may be    
said that the excommunication spoken of 
by ,st4 ,gregory was not major1 and in  
that case the holy abbot could absolve  
them2 but would this minor and regular  
excommunication deserve that they should
 quit the church in so miraculous and   
public a manner8 ,the persons           
excommunicated by ,st4 ,gothard1 and the
 gentleman mentioned at the ,council of 
,limoges1 in #ajca1 had died            
unrepentant1 and under sentence of      
excommunication2 consequently in mortal 
sin2 and yet they are granted peace and 
absolution after their death1 at the    
simple entreaty of their friends4  ,the 
young solitary spoken of in the acta    
sanctorum of the ,greeks1 who after     
having quitted his cell through         

incontinency and disobedience1 had      
incurred excommunication1 could he      
receive the crown of martyrdom in that  
state8 ,and if he had received it1 was  
he not at the same time reconciled to   
the church8 ,did he not wash away his   
fault with his blood8 ,and if his       
excommunication was only regular and    
minor1 would he deserve after his       
martyrdom to be excluded from the       
presence of the holy mysteries8  ,i see 
no other way of explaining these facts1 
if they are as they are related1 than by
 saying that the story has not preserved
 the circumstances which might have     
deserved the absolution of these        
persons1 and we must presume that the   
saints--above all1 the bishops who      
absolved them--knew the rules of the    
church1 and did nothing in the matter   
but what was right and conformable to   
the canons4  ,but it results from all   
that we have just said1 that as the     
bodies of the wicked withdraw from the  
company of the holy through a principle 

of veneration and a feeling of their own
 unworthiness1 so also the bodies of the
 holy separate themselves from the      
wicked1 from opposite motives1 that they
 may not appear to have any connection  
with them1 even after death1 or to      
approve of their bad life4 ,in short1 if
 what is just related be true1 the      
righteous and the saints feel deference 
for one another1 and honor each other   
ever in the other world2 which is       
probable enough4  ,we are about to see  
some instances which seem to render     
equivocal and uncertain1 as a proof of  
sanctity1 the uncorrupted state of the  
body of a just man1 since it is         
maintained that the bodies of the       
excommunicated do not rot in the earth  
until the sentence of excommunication   
pronounced against them be taken off4   
,footnotes3  #eji ,concil4 ,meli4 in    
,can4 ,nemo4 #da1 n4 #dc4 ,d4 ,thom4 iv4
 distinct4 #ah1 #i4 #b1 art4 #a4        
qustiuncula in corpore1 c4  #eaj ,s4    
,leo canone ,commun4 #a4 a4 #d4 #i4 #b4 

,see also ,clemens ,,iii4 in ,capit4    
,sacris1 #ab4 de ,sepult4 ,eccl4  #eaa  
,eveillon1 trait des ,excommunicat4 et  
,manitoires4  #eab ,d4 ,thom4 in iv4    
,sentent4 dist4 #a4 qu4 #a4 art4 #c4    
qustiunc4 #b4 ad4 #b4     ,,chapter     
,,xxix4  ,,do ,,the ,,excommunicated    
,,rot ,,in ,,the ,,ground8   ,it is a   
very ancient opinion that the bodies of 
the excommunicated do not decompose2 it 
appears in the ,life of ,st ,libentius1 
,archbishop of ,bremen1 who died on the 
#dth of ,january1 #ajac4 ,that holy     
prelate having excommunicated some      
pirates1 one of them died1 and was      
buried in ,norway2 at the end of seventy
 years they found his body entire and   
without decay1 nor did it fall to dust  
until after absolution received from    
,archbishop ,alvaridius4  ,the modern   
,greeks1 to authorize their schism1 and 
to prove that the gift of miracles1 and 
the power of binding and unbinding1     
subsist in their church even more       
visibly and more certainly than in the  

,latin and ,roman church1 maintain that 
amongst themselves the bodies of those  
who are excommunicated do not decay1 but
 become swollen extraordinarily1 like   
drums1 and can neither be corrupted nor 
reduced to ashes till after they have   
received absolution from their bishops  
or their priests4 ,they relate divers   
instances of this kind of dead bodies1  
found uncorrupted in their graves1 and  
which are afterwards reduced to ashes as
 soon as the excommunication is taken   
off4 ,they do not deny1 however1 that   
the uncorrupted state of a body is      
sometimes a mark of sanctity1#eac but   
they require that a body thus preserved 
should exhale a good smell1 be white or 
reddish1 and not black1 offensive and   
swollen4  ,it is affirmed that persons  
who have been struck dead by lightning  
do not decay1 and for that reason the   
ancients neither burnt them nor buried  
them4 ,that is the opinion of the       
physician ,zachias2 but ,par1 after     
,comines1 thinks that the reason they   

are not subject to corruption is because
 they are1 as it were1 embalmed by the  
sulphur of the thunderbolt1 which serves
 them instead of salt4  ,in #agbg1 they 
discovered in the vault of an hospital  
near ,quebec the unimpaired corpses of  
five nuns1 who had been dead for more   
than twenty years2 and these corpses1   
though covered with quicklime1 still    
contained blood4   ,footnotes3  #eac    
,goar1 not4 in ,eucholog4 p4 #fhh4      
,,chapter ,,xxx4  ,,instances ,,to      
,,demonstrate ,,that ,,the              
,,excommunicated ,,do ,,not ,,decay1    
,,and ,,that ,,they ,,appear ,,to ,,the 
,,living4   ,the ,greeks relate#ead that
 under the ,patriarch of ,constantinople
 ,manuel1 or ,maximus1 who lived in the 
fifteenth century1 the ,turkish ,emperor
 of ,constantinople wished to know the  
truth of what the ,greeks asserted      
concerning the uncorrupted state of     
those who died under sentence of        
excommunication4 ,the patriarch caused  
the tomb of a woman to be opened2 she   

had had a criminal connection with an   
archbishop of ,constantinople2 her body 
was whole1 black1 and much swollen4 ,the
 ,turks shut it up in a coffin1 sealed  
with the emperor's seal2 the patriarch  
said his prayer1 gave absolution to the 
dead woman1 and at the end of three days
 the coffin or box being opened they    
found the body fallen to dust4  ,i see  
no miracle in this3 everybody knows that
 bodies which are sometimes found quite 
whole in their tombs fall to dust as    
soon as they are exposed to the air4 ,i 
except those which have been well       
embalmed1 as the mummies of ,egypt1 and 
bodies which are buried in extremely dry
 spots1 or in an earth replete with     
nitre and salt1 which dissipate in a    
short time all the moisture there may be
 in the dead bodies1 either of men or   
animals2 but ,i do not understand that  
the ,archbishop of ,constantinople could
 validly absolve after death a person   
who died in deadly sin and bound by     
excommunication4 ,they believe also that

 the bodies of these excommunicated     
persons often appear to the living1     
whether by day or by night1 speaking to 
them1 calling them1 and molesting them4 
,leon ,allatius enters into long details
 on this subject2 he says that in the   
,isle of ,chio the inhabitants do not   
answer to the first voice that calls    
them1 for fear that it should be a      
spirit or ghost2 but if they are called 
twice1 it is not a vroucolaca1#eae which
 is the name they give those spectres4  
,if any one answers to them at the first
 sound1 the spectre disappears2 but he  
who has spoken to it infallibly dies4   
,there is no other way of guarding      
against these bad genii than by taking  
up the corpse of the person who has     
appeared1 and burning it after certain  
prayers have been recited over it2 then 
the body is reduced to ashes1 and       
appears no more4 ,they have then no     
doubt that these are the bodies of      
criminal and malevolent men1 which come 
out of their graves and cause the death 

of those who see and reply to them2 or  
that it is the demon1 who makes use of  
their bodies to frighten mortals1 and   
cause their death4  ,they know of no    
means more certain to deliver themselves
 from being infested by these dangerous 
apparitions than to burn and hack to    
pieces these bodies1 which served as    
instruments of malice1 or to tear out   
their hearts1 or to let them putrefy    
before they are buried1 or to cut off   
their heads1 or to pierce their temples 
with a large nail4   ,footnotes3  #ead  
,vide ,malva4 lib4 i4 ,turco-grcia1 pp4 
#bf1 #bg4  #eae ,vide ,bolland4 mense   
,augusto1 tom4 ii4 pp4 #bja-bjc1 et     
,allat4 ,epist4 ad ,zachiam1 p4 #ab4    
,,chapter ,,xxxi4  ,,instance ,,of ,,the
 ,,reappearances ,,of ,,the             
,,excommunicated4   ,ricaut1 in the     
history he has given us of the present  
state of the ,greek church1 acknowledges
 that this opinion1 that the bodies of  
excommunicated persons do not decay1 is 
general1 not only among the ,greeks of  

the present day1 but also among the     
,turks4 ,he relates a fact which he     
heard from a ,candiote caloyer1 who had 
affirmed the thing to him on oath2 his  
name was ,sophronius1 and he was well   
known and highly respected at ,smyrna4  
,a man who died in the ,isle of ,milo1  
had been excommunicated for some fault  
which he had committed in the ,morea1   
and he was interred without any funeral 
ceremony in a spot apart1 and not in    
consecrated ground4 ,his relations and  
friends were deeply moved to see him in 
this plight2 and the inhabitants of the 
isle were every night alarmed by baneful
 apparitions1 which they attributed to  
this unfortunate man4  ,they opened his 
grave1 and found his body quite entire1 
with the veins swollen with blood4      
,after having deliberated upon it1 the  
caloyers were of opinion that they      
should dismember the body1 hack it to   
pieces1 and boil it in wine2 for it is  
thus they treat the bodies of revenans4 
,but the relations of the dead man1 by  

dint of entreaties1 succeeded in        
deferring this execution1 and in the    
mean time sent in all haste to          
,constantinople1 to obtain the          
absolution of the young man from the    
patriarch4 ,meanwhile1 the body was     
placed in the church1 and every day     
prayers were offered up for the repose  
of his soul4 ,one day when the caloyer  
,sophronius1 above mentioned1 was       
performing divine service1 all on a     
sudden a great noise was heard in the   
coffin2 they opened it1 and found his   
body decayed as if he had been dead     
seven years4 ,they observed the moment  
when the noise was heard1 and it was    
found to be precisely at that hour that 
his absolution had been signed by the   
patriarch4  ,m4 le ,chevalier ,ricaut1  
from whom we have this narrative1 was   
neither a ,greek1 nor a ,roman          
,catholic1 but a staunch ,anglican2 he  
remarks on this occasion that the       
,greeks believe that an evil spirit     
enters the bodies of the excommunicated1

 and preserves them from putrefaction1  
by animating them1 and causing them to  
act1 nearly as the soul animates and    
inspires the body4  ,they imagine1      
moreover1 that these corpses eat during 
the night1 walk about1 digest what they 
have eaten1 and really nourish          
themselves--that some have been found   
who were of a rosy hue1 and had their   
veins still fully replete with the      
quantity of blood2 and although they had
 been dead forty days1 have ejected1    
when opened1 a stream of blood as       
bubbling and fresh as that of a young   
man of sanguine temperament would be2   
and this belief so generally prevails   
that every one relates facts            
circumstantially concerning it4  ,father
 ,theophilus ,reynard1 who has written a
 particular treatise on this subject1   
maintains that this return of the dead  
is an indubitable fact1 and that there  
are very certain proofs and experience  
of the same2 but that to pretend that   
those ghosts who come to disturb the    

living are always those of              
excommunicated persons1 and that it is a
 privilege of the schismatic ,greek     
church to preserve from decay those who 
incurred excommunication1 and have died 
under censure of their church1 is an    
untenable assumption2 since it is       
certain that the bodies of the          
excommunicated decay like others1 and   
there are some which have died in       
communion with the church1 whether the  
,greek or the ,latin1 who remain        
uncorrupted4 ,such are found even among 
the ,pagans1 and amongst animals1 of    
which the dead bodies are sometimes     
found in an uncorrupted state1 both in  
the ground1 and in the ruins of old     
buildings4#eaf   ,footnotes3  #eaf ,see1
 concerning the bodies of the           
excommunicated which are affirmed to be 
exempt from decay1 ,father ,goar1       
,ritual of the ,greeks1 pp4 #fhg1 #fhh2 
,matthew ,paris1 ,history of ,england1  
tom4 ii4 p4 #fhg2 ,adam de ,brme1 c4    
lxxv42 ,albert de ,stade1 on the year   

#ajej1 and ,monsieur du ,cange1         
,glossar4 ,latinit4 at the word         
imblocatus4     ,,chapter ,,xxxii4      
,,vroucolaca ,,exhumed ,,in ,,presence  
,,of ,,monsieur ,,de ,,tournefort4      
,monsieur ,pitton de ,tournefort relates
 the manner in which they exhumed a     
pretended vroucolaca1 in the ,isle of   
,micon1 where he was on the #ast of     
,january1 #agja4 ,these are his own     
words3 ,we saw a very different scene1  
7in the same ,isle of ,micon17 on the   
occasion of one of those dead people1   
whom they believe to return to earth    
after their interment4 ,this one1 whose 
history we shall relate1 was a peasant  
of ,micon1 naturally sullen and         
quarrelsome2 which is a circumstance to 
be remarked relatively to such subjects2
 he was killed in the country1 no one   
knows when1 or by whom4 ,two days after 
he had been inhumed in a chapel in the  
town1 it was rumored that he was seen by
 night walking very fast2 that he came  
into the house1 overturning the         

furniture1 extinguishing the lamps1     
throwing his arms around persons from   
behind1 and playing a thousand sly      
tricks4  ,at first people only laughed  
at it2 but the affair began to be       
serious1 when the most respectable      
people in the place began to complain3  
the priests even owned the fact1 and    
doubtless they had their reasons4       
,people did not fail to have masses     
said2 nevertheless the peasant continued
 to lead the same life without          
correcting himself4 ,after several      
assemblies of the principal men of the  
city1 with priests and monks1 it was    
concluded that they must1 according to  
some ancient ceremonial1 await the      
expiration of nine days after burial4   
,on the tenth day a mass was said in the
 chapel where the corpse lay1 in order  
to expel the demon which they believed  
to have inclosed himself therein4 ,this 
body was taken up after mass1 and they  
began to set about tearing out his      
heart2 the butcher of the town1 who was 

old1 and very awkward1 began by opening 
the belly instead of the breast2 he felt
 for a long time in the entrails without
 finding what he sought4 ,at last some  
one told him that he must pierce the    
diaphragm2 then the heart was torn out1 
to the admiration of all present4 ,the  
corpse1 however1 gave out such a bad    
smell1 that they were obliged to burn   
incense2 but the vapor1 mixed with the  
exhalations of the carrion1 only        
augmented the stink1 and began to heat  
the brain of these poor people4  ,their 
imagination1 struck with the spectacle1 
was full of visions2 some one thought   
proper to say that a thick smoke came   
from this body4 ,we dared not say that  
it was the vapor of the incense4 ,they  
only exclaimed ,vroucolacas1 in the     
chapel1 and in the square before it4    
7,this is the name which they give to   
these pretended ,revenans47 ,the rumor  
spread and was bellowed in the street1  
and the noise seemed likely to shake the
 vaulted roof of the chapel4 ,several   

present affirmed that the blood of this 
wretched man was quite vermilion2 the   
butcher swore that the body was still   
quite warm2 whence it was concluded that
 the dead man was very wrong not to be  
quite dead1 or1 to express myself       
better1 to suffer himself to be         
reanimated by the devil4 ,this is       
precisely the idea of a vroucolaca2 and 
they made this name resound in an       
astonishing manner4 ,at this time there 
entered a crowd of people1 who protested
 aloud that they clearly perceived this 
body was not stiff when they brought it 
from the country to the church to bury  
it1 and that consequently it was a true 
vroucolaca2 this was the chorus4  ,i    
have no doubt that they would have      
maintained it did not stink1 if we had  
not been present2 so stupefied were     
these poor people with the circumstance1
 and infatuated with the idea of the    
return of the dead4 ,for ourselves1 who 
got next to the corpse in order to make 
our observations exactly1 we were ready 

to die from the offensive odor which    
proceeded from it4 ,when they asked us  
what we thought of this dead man1 we    
replied that we believed him thoroughly 
dead2 but as we wished to cure1 or at   
least not to irritate their stricken    
fancy1 we represented to them that it   
was not surprising if the butcher had   
perceived some heat in searching amidst 
entrails which were decaying2 neither   
was it extraordinary that some vapor had
 proceeded from them2 since such will   
issue from a dunghill that is stirred   
up2 as for this pretended red blood1 it 
still might be seen on the butcher's    
hands that it was only a very foetid    
mud4  ,after all these arguments1 they  
bethought themselves of going to the    
marine1 and burning the heart of the    
dead man1 who in spite of this execution
 was less docile1 and made more noise   
than before4 ,they accused him of       
beating people by night1 of breaking    
open the doors and even terraces1 of    
breaking windows1 tearing clothes1 and  

emptying jugs and bottles4 ,he was a    
very thirsty dead man2 ,i believe he    
only spared the consul's house1 where ,i
 was lodged4 ,in the mean time ,i never 
saw anything so pitiable as the state of
 this island4  ,everybody seemed to have
 lost their senses4 ,the most sensible  
people appeared as phrenzied as the     
others2 it was a veritable brain fever1 
as dangerous as any mania or madness4   
,whole families were seen to forsake    
their houses1 and coming from the ends  
of the town1 bring their flock beds to  
the market-place to pass the night      
there4 ,every one complained of some new
 insult2 you heard nothing but          
lamentations at night-fall2 and the most
 sensible people went into the country4 
,amidst such a general prepossession we 
made up our minds to say nothing2 we    
should not only have been considered as 
absurd1 but as infidels4 ,how can you   
convince a whole people of error8 ,those
 who believed in their own minds that we
 had our doubts of the truth of the     

fact1 came and reproached us for our    
incredulity1 and pretended to prove that
 there were such things as vroucolacas1 
by some authority which they derived    
from ,father ,richard1 a ,jesuit        
missionary4 ,it is ,latin1 said they1   
and consequently you ought to believe   
it4 ,we should have done no good by     
denying this consequence4 ,they every   
morning entertained us with the comedy  
of a faithful recital of all the new    
follies which had been committed by this
 bird of night2 he was even accused of  
having committed the most abominable    
sins4  ,the citizens who were most      
zealous for the public good believed    
that they had missed the most essential 
point of the ceremony4 ,they said that  
the mass ought not to be celebrated     
until after the heart of this wretched  
man had been torn out2 they affirmed    
that with that precaution they could not
 have failed to surprise the devil1 and 
doubtless he would have taken care not  
to come back again2 instead of which had

 they begun by saying mass1 he would    
have had1 said they1 plenty of time to  
take flight1 and to return afterwards at
 his leisure4  ,after all these         
arguments they found themselves in the  
same embarrassment as the first day it  
began2 they assembled night and morning2
 they reasoned upon it1 made processions
 which lasted three days and three      
nights2 they obliged the priests to     
fast2 they were seen running about in   
the houses with the asperser or         
sprinkling brush in their hands1        
sprinkling holy water and washing the   
doors with it2 they even filled the     
mouth of that poor vroucolaca with holy 
water4 ,we so often told the            
administration of the town that in all  
,christendom people would not fail in   
such a case to watch by night1 to       
observe all that was going forward in   
the town1 that at last they arrested    
some vagabonds1 who assuredly had a     
share in all these disturbances4        
,apparently they were not the principal 

authors of them1 or they were too soon  
set at liberty2 for two days after1 to  
make themselves amends for the fast they
 had kept in prison1 they began again to
 empty the stone bottles of wine        
belonging to those persons who were     
silly enough to forsake their houses at 
night4 ,thus1 then1 they were again     
obliged to have recourse to prayers4    
,one day as certain orisons were being  
recited1 after having stuck ,i know not 
how many naked swords upon the grave of 
this corpse1 which was disinterred three
 or four times a day1 according to the  
caprice of the first comer1 an          
,albanian1 who chanced to be at ,mico   
accidentally1 bethought himself of      
saying in a sententious tone1 that it   
was very ridiculous to make use of the  
swords of ,christians in such a case4   
,do you not see1 blind as ye are1 said  
he1 that the hilt of these swords1      
forming a cross with the handle1        
prevents the devil from coming out of   
that body8 why do you not rather make   

use of the sabres of the ,turks8 ,the   
advice of this clever man was of no use2
 the vroucolaca did not appear more     
tractable1 and everybody was in a       
strange consternation2 they no longer   
knew to which saint to pay their vows2  
when1 with one voice1 as if the signal  
word had been given1 they began to shout
 in all parts of the town that they had 
waited too long3 that the vroucolaca    
ought to be burnt altogether2 that after
 that1 they would defy the devil to     
return and ensconce himself there2 that 
it would be better to have recourse to  
that extremity than to let the island be
 deserted4 ,in fact1 there were whole   
families who were packing up in the     
intention of retiring to ,sira or ,tina4
  ,so they carried the vroucolaca1 by   
order of the administration1 to the     
point of the ,island of ,st4 ,george1   
where they had prepared a great pile    
made up with a mixture of tow1 for fear 
that wood1 however dry it might be1     
would not burn quickly enough by itself4

 ,the remains of this unfortunate corpse
 were thrown upon it and consumed in a  
very little time2 it was on the first   
day of ,january1 #agja4 ,we saw this    
fire as we returned from ,delos3 it     
might be called a real feu de joie2     
since then1 there have been no more     
complaints against the vroucolaca4 ,they
 contented themselves with saying that  
the devil had been properly caught that 
time1 and they made up a song to turn   
him into ridicule4  ,throughout the     
,archipelago1 the people are persuaded  
that it is only the ,greeks of the      
,greek church whose corpses are         
reanimated by the devil4 ,the           
inhabitants of the ,isle of ,santorin   
have great apprehensions of these       
bugbears2 those of ,maco1 after their   
visions were dissipated1 felt an equal  
fear of being punished by the ,turks and
 by the ,bishop of ,tina4 ,none of the  
papas would be present at ,st4 ,george  
when this body was burned1 lest the     
bishop should exact a sum of money for  

having disinterred and burned the dead  
body without his permission4 ,as for the
 ,turks1 it is certain that at their    
first visit they did not fail to make   
the community of ,maco pay the price of 
the blood of this poor devil1 who in    
every way became the abomination and    
horror of his country4 ,after this1 must
 we not own that the ,greeks of to-day  
are not great ,greeks1 and that there is
 only ignorance and superstition among  
them8#eag  ,so says ,monsieur de        
,tournefort4   ,footnotes3  #eag ,this  
took place nearly a hundred and fifty   
years ago4     ,,chapter ,,xxxiii4      
,,has ,,the ,,demon ,,power ,,to ,,cause
 ,,any ,,one ,,to ,,die ,,and ,,then    
,,to ,,restore ,,the ,,dead ,,to ,,life8
   ,supposing the principle which we    
established as indubitable at the       
commencement of this dissertation--that 
,god alone is the sovereign arbitrator  
of life and death2 that he alone can    
give life to men1 and restore it to them
 after he has taken it from them--the   

question that we here propose appears   
unseasonable and absolutely frivolous1  
since it concerns a supposition         
notoriously impossible4  ,nevertheless1 
as some learned men have believed that  
the demon has power to restore life1 and
 to preserve from corruption1 for a     
time1 certain bodies which he makes use 
of to delude mankind and frighten them1 
as it happens with the ghosts of        
,hungary1 we shall treat of it in this  
place1 and relate a remarkable instance 
furnished by ,monsieur ,nicholas ,remy1 
procureur-general of ,lorraine1 and     
which occurred in his own time2#eah that
 is to say1 in #aeha1 at ,dalhem1 a     
village situated between the ,moselle   
and the ,sare4 ,a goatherd of this      
village1 named ,pierron1 a married man  
and father of a boy1 conceived a violent
 passion for a girl of the village4 ,one
 day1 when his thoughts were occupied   
with this young girl1 she appeared to   
him in the fields1 or the demon in her  
likeness4 ,pierron declared his love to 

her2 she promised to reply to it on     
condition that he would give himself up 
to her1 and obey her in all things4     
,pierron consented to this1 and         
consummated his abominable passion with 
this spectre4 ,some time afterwards1    
,abrahel1 which was the name assumed by 
the demon1 asked of him as a pledge of  
his love1 that he would sacrifice to her
 his only son1 and gave him an apple for
 this boy to eat1 who1 on tasting it1   
fell down dead4 ,the father and mother1 
in despair at this fatal and to both    
unexpected accident1 uttered            
lamentations1 and were inconsolable4    
,abrahel appeared again to the goatherd1
 and promised to restore the child to   
life if the father would ask this favor 
of him by paying him the kind of        
adoration due only to ,god4 ,the peasant
 knelt down1 worshiped ,abrahel1 and    
immediately the boy began to revive4 ,he
 opened his eyes2 they warmed him1      
chafed his limbs1 and at last he began  
to walk and to speak4 ,he was the same  

as before1 only thinner1 paler1 and more
 languid2 his eyes heavy and sunken1 his
 movements slower and less free1 his    
mind duller and more stupid4 ,at the end
 of a year1 the demon that had animated 
him quitted him with a great noise2 the 
youth fell backwards1 and his body1     
which was foetid and stunk              
insupportably1 was dragged with a hook  
out of his father's house1 and buried in
 a field without any ceremony4  ,this   
event was reported at ,nancy1 and       
examined into by the magistrates1 who   
informed themselves exactly of the      
circumstance1 heard the witnesses1 and  
found that the thing was such as has    
been related4 ,for the rest1 the story  
does not say how the peasant was        
punished1 nor whether he was so at all4 
,perhaps his crime with the demon could 
not be proved2 to that there was        
probably no witness4 ,in regard to the  
death of his son1 it was difficult to   
prove that he was the cause of it4      
,procopius1 in his secret history of the

 ,emperor ,justinian1 seriously asserts 
that he is persuaded1 as well as several
 other persons1 that that emperor was a 
demon incarnate4 ,he says the same thing
 of the ,empress ,theodora his wife4    
,josephus1 the ,jewish historian1 says  
that the souls of the wicked enter the  
bodies of the possessed1 whom they      
torment1 and cause to act and speak4    
,we see by ,st4 ,chrysostom that in his 
time many ,christians believed that the 
spirits of persons who died a violent   
death were changed into demons1 and that
 the magicians made use of the spirit of
 a child they had killed for their      
magical operations1 and to discover the 
future4 ,st4 ,philastrius places among  
heretics those persons who believed that
 the souls of worthless men were changed
 into demons4  ,according to the system 
of these authors1 the demon might have  
entered into the body of the child of   
the shepherd ,pierron1 moved it and     
maintained it in a kind of life whilst  
his body was uncorrupted and the organs 

underanged2 it was not the soul of the  
boy which animated it1 but the demon    
which replaced his spirit4  ,philo      
believed that as there are good and bad 
angels1 there are also good and bad     
souls or spirits1 and that the souls    
which descend into the bodies bring to  
them their own good or bad qualities4   
,we see by the ,gospel that the ,jews of
 the time of our ,saviour believed that 
one man could be animated by several    
souls4 ,herod imagined that the spirit  
of ,john the ,baptist1 whom he had      
beheaded1 had entered into ,jesus       
,christ1#eai and worked miracles in him4
 ,others fancied that ,jesus ,christ was
 animated by the spirit of ,elias1#ebj  
or of ,jeremiah1 or some other of the   
ancient prophets4   ,footnotes3  #eah   
,art4 ii4 p4 #ad4  #eai ,mark vi4 #af1  
#ag4  #ebj ,matt4 xvi4 #ad4             
,,chapter ,,xxxiv4  ,,examination ,,of  
,,the ,,opinion ,,which ,,concludes     
,,that ,,the ,,demon ,,can ,,restore    
,,motion ,,to ,a ,,dead ,,body4   ,we   

cannot approve these opinions of ,jews  
which we have just shown4 ,they are     
contrary to our holy religion1 and to   
the dogmas of our schools4 ,but we      
believe that the spirit which once      
inspired ,elijah1 for instance1 rested  
on ,elisha1 his disciple2 and that the  
,holy ,spirit which inspired the first  
animated the second also1 and even ,st4 
,john the ,baptist1 who1 according to   
the words of ,jesus ,christ1 came in the
 power of ,elijah to prepare a highway  
for the ,messiah4 ,thus1 in the prayers 
of the ,church1 we pray to ,god to fill 
his faithful servants with the spirit of
 the saints1 and to inspire them with a 
love for that which they loved1 and a   
detestation of that which they hated4   
,that the demon1 and even a good angel  
by the permission or commission of ,god1
 can take away the life of a man appears
 indubitable4 ,the angel which appeared 
to ,zipporah1#eba as ,moses was         
returning from ,midian to ,egypt1 and   
threatened to slay his two sons because 

they were not circumcised2 as well as   
the one who slew the first-born of the  
,egyptians1#ebb and the one who is      
termed in ,scripture the ,destroying    
,angel1 and who slew the ,hebrew        
murmurers in the wilderness2#ebc and the
 angel who was near slaying ,balaam and 
his ass2#ebd the angel who killed the   
soldiers of ,sennacherib1 he who smote  
the first seven husbands of ,sara1 the  
daughter of ,raguel2#ebe and1 finally1  
the one with whom the ,psalmist menaces 
his enemies1 all are instances in proof 
of this4#ebf  ,does not ,st4 ,paul1     
speaking to the ,corinthians of those   
who took the ,communion unworthily1#ebg 
say that the demon occasioned them      
dangerous maladies1 of which many died8 
,will it be believed that those whom the
 same ,apostle delivered over to        
,satan#ebh suffered nothing bodily2 and 
that ,judas1 having received from the   
,son of ,god a bit of bread dipped in   
the dish1#ebi and ,satan having entered 
into him1 that bad spirit did not       

disturb his reason1 his imagination1 and
 his heart1 until at last he led him to 
destroy himself1 and to hang himself in 
despair8  ,we may believe that all these
 angels were evil angels1 although it   
cannot be denied that ,god employs      
sometimes the good angels also to       
exercise his vengeance against the      
wicked1 as well as to chastise1 correct1
 and punish those to whom ,god desires  
to be merciful2 as he sends his         
,prophets to announce good and bad      
tidings1 to threaten punishment1 and    
excite to repentance4  ,but nowhere do  
we read that either the good or the evil
 angels have of their own authority     
alone either given life to any person or
 restored it4 ,this power is reserved to
 ,god alone4#ecj ,the demon1 according  
to the ,gospel1#eca in the last days1   
and before the last ,judgment1 will     
perform1 either by his own power or that
 of ,antichrist and his subordinates1   
such wonders as would1 were it possible1
 lead the elect themselves into error4  

,from the time of ,jesus ,christ and his
 ,apostles1 ,satan raised up false      
,christs and false ,apostles1 who       
performed many seeming miracles1 and    
even resuscitated the dead4 ,at least1  
it was maintained that they had         
resuscitated some3 ,st4 ,clement of     
,alexandria and ,hegesippus make mention
 of a few resurrections operated by     
,simon the magician2#ecb it is also said
 that ,apollonius of ,thyana brought to 
life a girl they were carrying to be    
buried4 ,if we may believe              
,apuleius1#ecc ,asclepiades1 meeting a  
funeral convoy1 resuscitated the body   
they were carrying to the pile4 ,it is  
asserted that sculapius restored to life
 ,hippolytus1 the son of ,theseus2 also 
,glaucus1 the son of ,minos1 and        
,campanes1 killed at the assault of     
,thebes1 and ,admetus1 ,king of ,phera  
in ,thessaly4 ,elian#ecd attests that   
the same sculapius joined on again the  
head of a woman to her corpse1 and      
restored her to life4  ,but if we       

possessed the certainty of all these    
events which we have just cited--,i mean
 to say1 were they attested by ocular   
witnesses1 well-informed and            
disinterested1 which is not the case--we
 ought to know the circumstances        
attending these events1 and then we     
should be better able to dispute or     
assent to them4 ,for there is every     
appearance that the dead people         
resuscitated by sculapius were only     
persons who were dangerously ill1 and   
restored to health by that skillful     
physician4 ,the girl revived by         
,apollonius of ,thyana was not really   
dead2 even those who were carrying her  
to the funeral pile had their doubts if 
she were deceased4 ,what is said of     
,simon the magician is anything but     
certain2 and even if that impostor by   
his magical secrets could have performed
 some wonders on dead persons1 it should
 be imputed to his delusions and to some
 artifice1 which may have substituted   
living bodies or phantoms for the dead  

bodies which he boasted of having       
recalled to life4 ,in a word1 we hold it
 as indubitable that it is ,god only who
 can impart life to a person really     
dead1 either by power proceeding        
immediately from himself1 or by means of
 angels or of demons1 who perform his   
behests4  ,i own that the instance of   
that boy of ,dalhem is perplexing4      
,whether it was the spirit of the child 
that returned into his body to animate  
it anew1 or the demon who replaced his  
soul1 the puzzle appears to me the same2
 in all this circumstance we behold only
 the work of the evil spirit4 ,god does 
not seem to have had any share in it4   
,now1 if the demon can take the place of
 a spirit in a body newly dead1 or if he
 can make the soul by which it was      
animated before death return into it1 we
 can no longer dispute his power to     
restore a kind of life to a dead person2
 which would be a terrible temptation   
for us1 who might be led to believe that
 the demon has a power which religion   

does not permit us to think that ,god   
shares with any created being4  ,i would
 then say1 supposing the truth of the   
fact1 of which ,i see no room to doubt1 
that ,god1 to punish the abominable     
crime of the father1 and to give an     
example of his just vengeance to        
mankind1 permitted the demon to do on   
this occasion what he perhaps had never 
done1 nor ever will again--to possess a 
body1 and serve it in some sort as a    
soul1 and give it action and motion     
whilst he could retain the body without 
its being too much corrupted4  ,and this
 example applies admirably to the ghosts
 of ,hungary and ,moravia1 whom the     
demon will move and animate--will cause 
to appear and disturb the living1 so far
 as to occasion their death4 ,i say all 
this under the supposition that what is 
said of the vampires is true2 for if it 
all be false and fabulous1 it is losing 
time to seek the means of explaining it4
  ,for the rest1 several of the         
ancients1 as ,tertullian#ece and        

,lactantius1 believed that the demons   
were the only authors of all the        
magicians do when they evoke the souls  
of the dead4 ,they cause borrowed bodies
 or phantoms to appear1 say they1 and   
fascinate the eyes of those present1 to 
make them believe that to be real which 
is only seeming4   ,footnotes3  #eba    
,exod4 iv4 #bd1 #be4  #ebb ,exod4 xii4  
#ab4  #ebc #a ,cor4 x4 #aj2 ,judith     
viii4 #be4  #ebd ,numb4 xxii4  #ebe     
,tob4 iii4 #g4  #ebf ,psa4 xxxiv4 #g4   
#ebg #a ,cor4 xi4 #cj4  #ebh #a ,tim4 i4
 #bj4  #ebi ,john xiii4  #ecj #a ,sam4  
ii4 #f4  #eca ,matt4 xxiv4 #bd4  #ecb   
,clem4 ,alex4 ,itinerario2 ,hegesippus  
de ,excidio ,jerusalem1 c4 #b4  #ecc    
,apulei ,flondo4 lib4 ii4  #ecd lian1 de
 ,animalib4 lib4 ix4 c4 #gg4  #ece      
,tertull4 de ,anim4 c4 #bb4             
,,chapter ,,xxxv4  ,,instances ,,of     
,,phantoms ,,which ,,have ,,appeared    
,,to ,,be ,,alive1 ,,and ,,have ,,give  
,,many ,,signs ,,of ,,life4   ,le       
,loyer1 in his book upon spectres1      

maintains#ecf that the demon can cause  
the possessed to make extraordinary and 
involuntary movements4 ,he can then1 if 
allowed by ,god1 give motion to a dead  
and insensible man4  ,he relates the    
instance of ,polycrites1 a magistrate of
 tolia1 who appeared to the people of   
,locria nine or ten months after his    
death1 and told them to show him his    
child1 which being born monstrous1 they 
wished to burn with its mother4 ,the    
,locrians1 in spite of the remonstrance 
of the spectre of ,polycrites1          
persisting in their determination1      
,polycrites took his child1 tore it to  
pieces and devoured it1 leaving only the
 head1 while the people could neither   
send him away nor prevent him2 after    
that1 he disappeared4 ,the tolians were 
desirous of sending to consult the      
,delphian oracle1 but the head of the   
child began to speak1 and foretold the  
misfortunes which were to happen to     
their country and to his own mother4    
,after the battle between ,king         

,antiochus and the ,romans1 an officer  
named ,buptages1 left dead on the field 
of battle1 with twelve mortal wounds1   
rose up suddenly1 and began to threaten 
the ,romans with the evils which were to
 happen to them through the foreign     
nations who were to destroy the ,roman  
empire4 ,he pointed out in particular1  
that armies would come from ,asia1 and  
desolate ,europe1 which may designate   
the irruption of the ,turks upon the    
domains of the ,roman empire4  ,after   
that1 ,buptages climbed up an oak tree1 
and foretold that he was about to be    
devoured by a wolf1 which happened4     
,after the wolf had devoured the body1  
the head again spoke to the ,romans1 and
 forbade them to bury him4 ,all that    
appears very incredible1 and was not    
accomplished in fact4 ,it was not the   
people of ,asia1 but those of the north1
 who overthrew the ,roman empire4  ,in  
the war of ,augustus against ,sextus    
,pompey1 son of the great ,pompey1#ecg a
 soldier of ,augustus1 named ,gabinius1 

had his head cut off by order of young  
,pompey1 so that it only held on to the 
neck by a narrow strip of flesh4        
,towards evening they heard ,gabinius   
lamenting2 they ran to him1 and he said 
that he had returned from hell to reveal
 very important things to ,pompey4      
,pompey did not think proper to go to   
him1 but he sent one of his men1 to whom
 ,gabinius declared that the gods on    
high had decreed the happy destiny of   
,pompey1 and that he would succeed in   
all his designs4 ,directly ,gabinius had
 thus spoken1 he fell down dead and     
stiff4 ,this pretended prediction was   
falsified by the facts4 ,pompey was     
vanquished1 and ,csar gained all the    
advantage in this war4  ,a certain      
female juggler had died1 but a magician 
of the band put a charm under her       
armpits1 which gave her power to move2  
but another wizard having looked at her1
 cried out that it was only vile        
carrion1 and immediately she fell down  
dead1 and appeared what she was in fact4

  ,nicole ,aubri1 a native of ,vervius1 
being possessed by several devils1 one  
of these devils1 named ,baltazo1 took   
from the gibbet the body of a man who   
had been hanged near the plain of       
,arlon1 and in this body went to the    
husband of ,nicole ,aubri1 promising to 
deliver his wife from her possession if 
he would let him pass the night with    
her4 ,the husband consulted the         
schoolmaster1 who practiced exorcising1 
and who told him on no account to grant 
what was asked of him4 ,the husband and 
,baltazo having entered the church1 the 
woman who was possessed called him by   
his name1 and immediately this ,baltazo 
disappeared4 ,the schoolmaster conjuring
 the possessed1 ,beelzebub1 one of the  
demons1 revealed what ,baltazo had done1
 and that if the husband had granted    
what he asked1 he would have flown away 
with ,nicole ,aubri1 both body and soul4
  ,le ,loyer again relates#ech four     
other instances of persons whom the     
demon had seemed to restore to life1 to 

satisfy the brutal passion of two       
lovers4   ,footnotes3  #ecf ,le ,loyer1 
des ,spectres1 lib4 ii4 pp4 #cgf1 #cib1 
#cic4  #ecg ,pliny1 lib4 vii4 c4 #eb4   
#ech ,le ,loyer1 pp4 #dab-dad4          
,,chapter ,,xxxvi4  ,,devoting ,,to     
,,death1 ,a ,,practice ,,among ,,the    
,,pagans4   ,the ancient heathens1 both 
,greeks and ,romans1 attributed to magic
 and to the demon the power of          
occasioning the destruction of any      
person by a manner of devoting them to  
death1 which consisted in forming a     
waxen image as much as possible like the
 person whose life they wished to take4 
,they devoted him or her to death by    
their magical secrets3 then they burned 
the waxen statue1 and as that by degrees
 was consumed1 so the doomed person     
became languid and at last died4        
,theocritus#eci makes a woman           
transported with love speak thus3 she   
invokes the image of the shepherd1 and  
prays that the heart of ,daphnis1 her   
beloved1 may melt like the image of wax 

which represents him4  ,horace#edj      
brings forward two enchantresses1 who   
evoke the shades to make them announce  
the future4 ,first of all1 the witches  
tear a sheep with their teeth1 shedding 
the blood into a grave1 in order to     
bring those spirits from whom they      
expect an answer2 then they place next  
to themselves two statues1 one of wax1  
the other of wool2 the latter is the    
largest1 and mistress of the other4 ,the
 waxen image is at its feet1 as a       
suppliant1 and awaiting only death4     
,after divers magical ceremonies1 the   
waxen image was inflamed and consumed4  
,he speaks of this again elsewhere2 and 
after having with a mocking laugh made  
his complaints to the enchantress       
,canidia1 saying that he is ready to    
make her honorable reparation1 he owns  
that he feels all the effects of her    
too-powerful art1 as he himself has     
experienced it to give motion to waxen  
figures1 and bring down the moon from   
the sky4#eda  ,virgil also speaks#edb of

 these diabolical operations1 and these 
waxen images1 devoted by magic art4     
,there is reason to believe that these  
poets only repeat these things to show  
the absurdity of the pretended secrets  
of magic1 and the vain and impotent     
ceremonies of sorcerers4  ,but it cannot
 be denied that1 idle as all these      
practices may be1 they have been used in
 ancient times2 that many have put faith
 in them1 and foolishly dreaded those   
attempts4  ,lucian relates the          
effects#edc of the magic of a certain   
,hyperborean1 who1 having formed a      
,cupid with clay1 infused life into it1 
and sent it to fetch a girl named       
,chryses1 with whom a young man had     
fallen in love4 ,the little ,cupid      
brought her1 and on the morrow1 at dawn 
of day1 the moon1 which the magician had
 brought down from the sky1 returned    
thither4 ,hecate1 whom he had evoked    
from the bottom of hell1 fled away1 and 
all the rest of the scene disappeared4  
,lucian1 with great reason1 ridicules   

all this1 and observes that these       
magicians1 who boast of having so much  
power1 ordinarily exercise it only upon 
contemptible people1 and are such       
themselves4  ,the oldest instances of   
this dooming are those which are set    
down in ,scripture1 in the ,old         
,testament4 ,god commands ,moses to     
devote to anathema the ,canaanites of   
the kingdom of ,arad4#edd ,he devotes   
also to anathema all the nations of the 
land of ,canaan4#ede ,balac1 ,king of   
,moab1#edf sends to the diviner ,balaam 
to engage him to curse and devote the   
people of ,israel4 ,come1 says he to    
him1 by his messenger1 and curse me     
,israel2 for ,i know that those whom you
 have cursed and doomed to destruction  
shall be cursed1 and he whom you have   
blessed shall be crowned with blessings4
  ,we have in history instances of these
 devotings and maledictions1 and        
evocations of the tutelary gods of      
cities by magic art4 ,the ancients kept 
very secret the proper names of         

towns1#edg for fear that if they came to
 the knowledge of the enemy1 they might 
make use of them in their invocations1  
which to their mind had no might unless 
the proper name of the town was         
expressed4 ,the usual names of ,rome1   
,tyre1 and ,carthage1 were not their    
true and secret names4 ,rome1 for       
instance1 was called ,valentia1 a name  
known to very few persons1 and ,valerius
 ,soranus was severely punished for     
having revealed it4  ,macrobius#edh has 
preserved for us the formula of a solemn
 devoting or dooming of a city1 and of  
imprecations against her1 by devoting   
her to some hurtful and dangerous demon4
 ,we find in the heathen poets a great  
number of these invocations and magical 
doomings1 to inspire a dangerous        
passion1 or to occasion maladies4 ,it is
 surprising that these superstitious and
 abominable practices should have gained
 entrance among ,christians1 and have   
been dreaded by persons who ought to    
have known their vanity and impotency4  

,tacitus relates#edi that at the death  
of ,germanicus1 who was said to have    
been poisoned by ,piso and ,plautina1   
there were found in the ground and in   
the walls bones of human bodies1        
doomings1 and charms1 or magic verses1  
with the name of ,germanicus engraved   
upon thin plates of lead steeped in     
corrupted blood1 half-burnt ashes1 and  
other charms1 by virtue of which it was 
believed that spirits could be evoked4  
,footnotes3  #eci ,theocrit ,idyl4 ii4  
#edj   ,lanea et effigies erat1 altera  
cerea major   ,lanea1 que poenis        
compesceret inferiorem4   ,cerea        
suppliciter stabat1 servilibus ut qu    
,jam peritura modis4444   ,et imagine   
cere   ,largior arserit ignis4  #eda    
,an qu movere cereas imagines1   ,ut    
ipse curiosus1 et polo   ,deripere      
lunam4  #edb   ,limus ut hic durescit1  
et hc ut cera liquescit4   ,uno eodemque
 igni2 sic nostro ,daphnis              
amore4--,virgil1 ,eclog4  #edc ,lucian  
in ,philops4  #edd ,numb4 xxi4 #c4  #ede

 ,deut4 vii4 #b1 #c2 xii4 #a-c1 c4  #edf
 ,numb4 xxii4 #e1 c4  #edg ,peir4 lib4  
iii4 c4 #e2 xxviii4 c4 #b4  #edh        
,macrobius1 lib4 iii4 c4 #i4  #edi      
,tacit4 ,ann4 lib4 ii4 art4 #fi4        
,,chapter ,,xxxvii4  ,,instances ,,of   
,,devoting ,,or ,,dooming ,,amongst     
,,christians4   ,hector ,bothius1#eej in
 his ,history of ,scotland1 relates that
 ,duffus1 king of that country1 falling 
ill of a disorder unknown to the        
physicians1 was consumed by a slow      
fever1 passed his nights without sleep1 
and insensibly wasted away2 his body    
melted in perspiration every night2 he  
became weak1 languid1 and in a dying    
state1 without1 however1 his pulse      
undergoing any alteration4 ,everything  
was done to relieve him1 but uselessly4 
,his life was despaired of1 and those   
about him began to suspect some evil    
spell4 ,in the mean time1 the people of 
,moray1 a county of ,scotland1 mutinied1
 supposing that the king must soon sink 
under his malady4  ,it was whispered    

abroad that the king had been bewitched 
by some witches who lived at ,forres1 a 
little town in the north of ,scotland4  
,people were sent there to arrest them1 
and they were surprised in their        
dwellings1 where one of them was basting
 an image of ,king ,duffus1 made of wax1
 turning on a wooden spit before a large
 fire1 before which she was reciting    
certain magical prayers2 and she        
affirmed that as the figure melted the  
king would lose his strength1 and at    
last he would die when the figure should
 be entirely melted4 ,these women       
declared that they had been hired to    
perform these evil spells by the        
principal men of the county of ,moray1  
who only awaited the king's decease to  
burst into open revolt4  ,these witches 
were immediately arrested and burnt at  
the stake4 ,the king was much better1   
and in a few days he perfectly recovered
 his health4 ,this account is found also
 in the ,history of ,scotland by        
,buchanan1 who says he heard it from his

 elders4  ,he makes the ,king ,duffus   
live in #ifj1 and he who has added notes
 to the text of these historians1 says  
that this custom of melting waxen images
 by magic art1 to occasion the death of 
certain persons1 was not unknown to the 
,romans1 as appears from ,virgil and    
,ovid2 and of this we have related a    
sufficient number of instances4 ,but it 
must be owned that all which is related 
concerning it is very doubtful2 not that
 wizards and witches have not been found
 who have attempted to cause the death  
of persons of high rank by these means1 
and who attributed the effect to the    
demon1 but there is little appearance   
that they ever succeeded in it4 ,if     
magicians possessed the secret of thus  
occasioning the death of any one they   
pleased1 where is the prince1 prelate1  
or lord who would be safe8 ,if they     
could thus roast them slowly to death1  
why not kill them at once1 by throwing  
the waxen image in the fire8 ,who can   
have given such power to the devil8 ,is 

it the ,almighty1 to satisfy the revenge
 of an insignificant woman1 or the      
jealousy of lovers of either sex8  ,m4  
de ,st4 ,andr1 physician to the king1 in
 his ,letters on ,witchcraft1 would     
explain the effects of these devotings1 
supposing them to be true1 by the       
evaporation of animal spirits1 which1   
proceeding from the bodies of the       
wizards or witches1 and uniting with the
 atoms which fall from the wax1 and the 
atoms of the fire1 which render them    
still more pungent1 should fly towards  
the person they desire to bewitch1 and  
cause in him or her sensations of heat  
or pain1 more or less violent according 
to the action of the fire4 ,but ,i do   
not think that this clever man finds    
many to approve of his idea4 ,the       
shortest way1 in my opinion1 would be1  
to deny the effects of these charms2 for
 if these effects are real1 they are    
inexplicable by physics1 and can only be
 attributed to the devil4  ,we read in  
the ,history of the ,archbishops of     

,treves that ,eberard1 archbishop of    
that church1 who died in #ajfg1 having  
threatened to send away the ,jews from  
his city1 if they did not embrace       
,christianity1 these unhappy people1    
being reduced to despair1 suborned an   
ecclesiastic1 who for money baptized for
 them1 by the name of the bishop1 a     
waxen image1 to which they tied wicks or
 wax tapers1 and lighted them on ,holy  
,saturday 7,easter ,eve71 as the prelate
 was going solemnly to administer the   
baptismal rite4  ,whilst he was occupied
 in this holy function1 the statue being
 half consumed1 ,eberard felt himself   
extremely ill2 he was led into the      
vestry1 where he soon after expired4    
,the ,pope ,john ,,xxii41 in #acag1     
complained1 in public letters1 that some
 scoundrels had attempted his life by   
similar operations2 and he appeared     
persuaded of their power1 and that he   
had been preserved from death only by   
the particular protection of ,god4 ,we  
inform you1 says he1 that some traitors 

have conspired against us1 and against  
some of our brothers the cardinals1 and 
have prepared beverages and images to   
take away our life1 which they have     
sought to do on every occasion2 but ,god
 has always preserved us4 ,the letter is
 dated the #bgth of ,july4  ,from the   
#bgth of ,february1 the pope had issued 
a commission to inform against these    
poisoners2 his letter is addressed to   
,bartholomew1 ,bishop of ,frjus1 who had
 succeeded the pope in that see1 and to 
,peter ,tessier1 doctor en decret1      
afterwards cardinal4 ,the pope says     
therein1 in substance--,we have heard   
that ,john de ,limoges1 ,jacques de     
,crabanon1 ,jean d',arrant1 physician1  
and some others1 have applied           
themselves1 through a damnable          
curiosity1 to necromancy and other      
magical arts1 on which they have books2 
that they have often made use of        
mirrors1 and images consecrated in their
 manner2 that1 placing themselves within
 circles1 they have often invoked the   

evil spirits to occasion the death of   
men by the might of their enchantments1 
or by sending maladies which abridge    
their days4 ,sometimes they have        
enclosed demons in mirrors1 or circles1 
or rings1 to interrogate them1 not only 
on the past1 but on the future1 and made
 predictions4 ,they pretend to have made
 many experiments in these matters1 and 
fearlessly assert1 that they can not    
only by means of certain beverages1 or  
certain meats1 but by simple words1     
abridge or prolong life1 and cure all   
sorts of diseases4  ,the pope gave a    
similar commission1 ,april #bb;d1 #acag1
 to the ,bishop of ,ris1 to the same    
,pierre ,tessier1 to ,pierre ,desprs1   
and two others1 to inquire into the     
conspiracy formed against him and       
against the cardinals2 and in this      
commission he says3--,they have prepared
 beverages to poison us1 and not having 
been able conveniently to make us take  
them1 they have had waxen images1 made  
with our names1 to attack our lives1 by 

pricking these images with magical      
enchantments1 and innovations of demons2
 but ,god has preserved us1 and caused  
three of these images to fall into our  
hands4  ,we see a description of similar
 charms in a letter1 written three years
 after1 to the ,inquisitor of           
,carcassone1 by ,william de ,godin1     
,cardinal-,bishop of ,sabina1 in which  
he says3--,the pope commands you to     
inquire and proceed against those who   
sacrifice to demons1 worship them1 or   
pay them homage1 by giving them for a   
token a written paper1 or something     
else1 to bind the demon1 or to work some
 charm by invoking him2 who1 abusing the
 sacrament of baptism1 baptize images of
 wax1 or of other matters with          
invocation of demons2 who abuse the     
eucharist1 or consecrated wafer1 or     
other sacraments1 by exercising their   
evil spells4 ,you will proceed against  
them with the prelates1 as you do in    
matters of heresy2 for the pope gives   
you the power to do so4 ,the letter is  

dated from ,avignon1 the #bb;d of       
,august1 #acbj4  ,at the trial of       
,enguerrand de ,marigni1 they brought   
forward a wizard whom they had surprised
 making waxen images1 representing ,king
 ,louis le ,hutin and ,charles de       
,valois1 and meaning to kill them by    
pricking or melting these images4  ,it  
is related also that ,cosmo ,rugieri1 a 
,florentine1 a great atheist and        
pretended magician1 had a secret        
chamber1 where he shut himself up alone1
 and pricked with a needle a wax image  
representing the king1 after having     
loaded it with maledictions and devoted 
it to destruction by horrible           
enchantments1 hoping thus to cause the  
prince to languish away and die4        
,whether these conjurations1 these waxen
 images1 these magical words1 may have  
produced their effects or not1 it proves
 at any rate the opinion that was       
entertained on the subject--the ill will
 of the wizards1 and the fear in which  
they were held4 ,although their         

enchantments and imprecations might not 
be followed by any effect1 it is        
apparently thought that experience on   
that point made them dreaded1 whether   
with reason or not4  ,the general       
ignorance of physics made people at that
 time take many things to be            
supernatural which were simply the      
effects of natural causes2 and as it is 
certain1 as our faith teaches us1 that  
,god has often permitted demons to      
deceive mankind by prodigies1 and do    
them injury by extraordinary means1 it  
was supposed without examining into the 
matter that there was an art of magic   
and sure rules for discovering certain  
secrets1 or causing certain evils by    
means of demons2 as if ,god had not     
always been the ,supreme ,master1 to    
permit or to hinder them2 or as if ,he  
would have ratified the compacts made   
with evil spirits4  ,but on examining   
closely this pretended magic1 we have   
found nothing but poisonings1 attended  
by superstition and imposture4 ,all that

 we have just related of the effects of 
magic1 enchantments1 and witchcraft1    
which were pretended to cause such      
terrible effects on the bodies and the  
possessions of mankind1 and all that is 
recounted of doomings1 evocations1 and  
magic figures1 which1 being consumed by 
fire1 occasioned the death of those who 
were destined or enchanted1 relate but  
very imperfectly to the affair of       
vampires1 which we are treating of in   
this volume2 unless it may be said that 
those ghosts are raised and evoked by   
magic art1 and that the persons who     
fancy themselves strangled and finally  
stricken with death by vampires1 only   
suffer these miseries through the malice
 of the demon1 who makes their deceased 
parents or relations appear to them1 and
 produces all these effects upon them2  
or simply strikes the imagination of the
 persons to whom it happens1 and makes  
them believe that it is their deceased  
relations1 who come to torment and kill 
them2 although in all this it is only an

 imagination strongly affected which    
acts upon them4  ,we may also connect   
with the history of ghosts what is      
related of certain persons who have     
promised each other to return after     
their death1 and to reveal what passes  
in the other world1 and the state in    
which they find themselves4             
,footnotes3  #eej ,hector ,bothius1     
,hist4 ,scot4 lib4 xi4 c4 #baf1 #bai4   
,,chapter ,,xxxviii4  ,,instances ,,of  
,,persons ,,who ,,have ,,promised ,,to  
,,give ,,each ,,other ,,news ,,of ,,the 
,,other ,,world ,,after ,,their ,,death4
   ,the story of the ,marquis de        
,rambouillet1 who appeared after his    
death to the ,marquis de ,prcy1 is very 
celebrated4 ,these two lords1 conversing
 on the subject of the other world1 like
 people who were not very strongly      
persuaded of the truth of all that is   
said upon it1 promised each other that  
the first of the two who died should    
bring the news of it to the other4 ,the 
,marquis de ,rambouillet set off for    

,flanders1 where the war was then       
carried on2 and the ,marquis de ,prcy   
remained at ,paris1 detained by a low   
fever4 ,six weeks after1 in broad day1  
he heard some one undraw his            
bed-curtains1 and turning to see who it 
was1 he perceived the ,marquis de       
,rambouillet1 in buff-leather jacket and
 boots4 ,he sprang from his bed to      
embrace his friend2 but ,rambouillet1   
stepping back a few paces1 told him that
 he was come to keep his word as he had 
promised--that all that was said of the 
next life was very certain--that he must
 change his conduct1 and in the first   
action wherein he was engaged he would  
lose his life4  ,prcy again attempted to
 embrace his friend1 but he embraced    
only empty air4 ,then ,rambouillet1     
seeing that his friend was incredulous  
as to what he said1 showed him where he 
had received the wound in his side1     
whence the blood still seemed to flow4  
,prcy soon after received1 by the post1 
confirmation of the death of the        

,marquis de ,rambouillet2 and being     
himself some time after1 during the     
civil wars1 at the battle of the        
,faubourg of ,st4 ,antoine1 he was there
 killed4  ,peter the ,venerable1 ,abbot 
of ,clugni1#eea relates a very similar  
story4 ,a gentleman named ,humbert1 son 
of a lord named ,guichard de ,belioc1 in
 the diocese of ,macon1 having declared 
war against the other principal men in  
his neighborhood1 a gentleman named     
,geoffrey d',iden received in the mle a 
wound of which he died immediately4     
,about two months afterwards1 this same 
,geoffrey appeared to a gentleman named 
,milo d',ansa1 and begged him to tell   
,humbert de ,belioc1 in whose service he
 had lost his life1 that he was         
tormented for having assisted him in an 
unjust war1 and for not having expiated 
his sins by penance before he died2 that
 he begged him to have compassion on    
him1 and on his own father1 ,guichard1  
who had left him great wealth1 of which 
he made a bad use1 and of which a part  

had been badly acquired4 ,that in truth 
,guichard1 the father of ,humbert1 had  
embraced a religious life at ,clugni2   
but that he had not time to satisfy the 
justice of ,god for the sins of his past
 life2 that he conjured him to have mass
 performed for him and for his father1  
to give alms1 and to employ the prayers 
of good people1 to procure them both a  
prompt deliverance from the pains they  
endured4 ,he added1 ,tell him1 that if  
he will not mind what you say1 ,i shall 
be obliged to go to him myself1 and     
announce to him what ,i have just told  
you4  ,milo d',ansa acquitted himself   
faithfully of his commission2 ,humbert  
was frightened at it1 but it did not    
make him better4 ,still1 fearing that   
,guichard1 his father1 or ,geoffrey     
d',iden might come and disturb him1     
above all during the night1 he dare not 
remain alone1 and would always have one 
of his people by him4  ,one morning1    
then1 as he was lying awake in his bed1 
he beheld in his presence ,geoffrey1    

armed as in a day of battle1 who showed 
him the mortal wound he had received1   
and which appeared yet quite fresh4 ,he 
reproached him keenly for his want of   
pity towards his own father1 who was    
groaning in torment4 ,take care1 added  
he1 that ,god does not treat you        
rigorously1 and refuse to you that mercy
 which you refuse to us2 and1 above all1
 take care not to execute your intention
 of going to the wars with ,count       
,amedeus4 ,if you go1 you will there    
lose both life and property4  ,he said1 
and ,humbert was about to reply1 when   
the ,squire ,vichard de ,maracy1        
,humbert's counselor1 arrived from mass1
 and immediately the dead man           
disappeared4 ,from that moment1 ,humbert
 endeavored seriously to relieve his    
father ,geoffrey1 and resolved to take a
 journey to ,jerusalem to expiate his   
sins4 ,peter the ,venerable had been    
well informed of all the details of this
 story1 which occurred in the year he   
went into ,spain1 and made a great noise

 in the country4 ,the ,cardinal         
,baronius1#eeb a very grave and         
respectable man1 says that he had heard 
from several very sensible people1 and  
who have often heard it preached to the 
people1 and in particular from ,michael 
,mercati1 ,prothonotary of the ,holy    
,see1 a man of acknowledged probity and 
well informed1 above all in the platonic
 philosophy1 to which he applied himself
 unweariedly with ,marsilius ,ficin1 his
 friend1 as zealous as himself for the  
doctrine of ,plato4  ,one day1 these two
 great philosophers were conversing on  
the immortality of the soul1 and if it  
remained and existed after the death of 
the body4 ,after having had much        
discourse on this matter1 they promised 
each other1 and shook hands upon it1    
that the first of them who quitted this 
world should come and tell the other    
somewhat of the state of the other life4
  ,having thus separated1 it happened   
some time afterwards that the same      
,michael ,mercati1 being wide awake and 

studying1 one morning very early1 the   
same philosophical matters1 heard on a  
sudden a noise like a horseman who was  
coming hastily to his door1 and at the  
same he heard the voice of his friend   
,marsilius ,ficin1 who cried out to him1
 ,michael1 ,michael1 nothing is more    
true than what is said of the other     
life4 ,at the same1 ,michael opened his 
window1 and saw ,marsilius mounted on a 
white horse1 who was galloping away4    
,michael cried out to him to stop1 but  
he continued his course till ,michael   
could no longer see him4  ,marsilius    
,ficin was at that time dwelling at     
,florence1 and died there at the same   
hour that he had appeared and spoken to 
his friend4 ,the latter wrote directly  
to ,florence1 to inquire into the truth 
of the circumstance2 and they replied to
 him that ,marsilius had died at the    
same moment that ,michael had heard his 
voice and the noise of his horse at his 
door4 ,ever after that adventure1       
,michael ,mercati1 although very regular

 in his conduct before then1 became     
quite an altered man1 and lived in so   
exemplary a manner that he became a     
perfect model of ,christian life4 ,we   
find a great many such instances in     
,henri ,morus1 and in ,joshua           
,grandville1 in his work entitled       
,sadduceeism ,combated4  ,here is one   
taken from the life of ,b4 ,joseph de   
,lionisse1 a missionary capuchin4#eec   
,one day1 when he was conversing with   
his companion on the duties of religion1
 and the fidelity which ,god requires of
 those who have consecrated themselves  
to them1 of the reward reserved for     
those who are perfectly religious1 and  
the severe justice which he exercises   
against unfaithful servants1 ,brother   
,joseph said to him1 ,let us promise    
each other mutually that the one who    
dies the first will appear to the other1
 if ,god allows him so to do1 to inform 
him of what passes in the other world1  
and the condition in which he finds     
himself4 ,i am willing1 replied the holy

 companion2 ,i give you my word upon it4
 ,and ,i pledge you mine1 replied       
,brother ,joseph4  ,some days after     
this1 the pious companion was attacked  
by a malady which brought him to the    
tomb4 ,brother ,joseph felt this the    
more sensibly1 because he knew better   
than the others all the virtues of this 
holy monk4 ,he had no doubt of the      
fulfilment of their agreement1 or that  
the deceased would appear to him1 when  
he least thought of it1 to acquit       
himself of his promise4  ,in effect1 one
 day when ,brother ,joseph had retired  
to his room1 in the afternoon1 he saw a 
young capuchin enter horribly haggard1  
with a pale thin face1 who saluted him  
with a feeble1 trembling voice4 ,as1 at 
the sight of this spectre1 ,joseph      
appeared a little disturbed1 ,don't be  
alarmed1 it said to him2 ,i am come here
 as permitted by ,god1 to fulfill my    
promise1 and to tell you that ,i have   
the happiness to be amongst the elect   
through the mercy of the ,lord4 ,but    

learn that it is even more difficult to 
be saved than is thought in this world2 
that ,god1 whose wisdom can penetrate   
the most secret folds of the heart1     
weighs exactly the actions which we have
 done during life1 the thoughts1 wishes1
 and motives1 which we propose to       
ourselves in acting2 and as much as he  
is inexorable in regard to sinners1 so  
much is he good1 indulgent1 and rich in 
mercy1 towards those just souls who have
 served him in this life4 ,at these     
words1 the phantom dissappeared4  ,here 
follows an instance of a spirit which   
comes after death to visit his friend   
without having made an agreement with   
him to do so4#eed ,peter ,garmate1      
,bishop of ,cracow1 was translated to   
the archbishopric of ,gnesnes1 in #aedh1
 and obtained a dispensation from ,paul 
,,iii4 to retain still his bishopric of 
,cracow4 ,this prelate1 after having led
 a very irregular life during his youth1
 began towards the end of his life1 to  
perform many charitable actions1 feeding

 every day a hundred poor1 to whom he   
sent food from his own table4 ,and when 
he traveled1 he was followed by two     
wagons1 loaded with coats and shirts1   
which he distributed amongst the poor   
according as they needed them4  ,one    
day1 when he was preparing to go to     
church1 towards evening1 7it being the  
eve of a festival17 and he was alone in 
his closet1 he suddenly beheld before   
him a gentleman named ,curosius1 who had
 been dead some time1 with whom he had  
formerly been too intimately associated 
in evil doing4  ,the ,archbishop        
,gamrate was at first affrighted1 but   
the defunct reassured him and told him  
that he was of the number of the        
blessed4 ,what6 said the prelate to him2
 after such a life as you led6 ,for you 
know the excesses which both you and    
myself committed in our youth4 ,i know  
it1 replied the defunct2 but this is    
what saved me4 ,one day1 when in        
,germany1 ,i found myself with a man who
 uttered blasphemous discourse1 most    

injurious to the ,holy ,virgin4 ,i was  
irritated at it1 and gave him a blow2 we
 drew our swords2 ,i killed him2 and for
 fear of being arrested and punished as 
a homicide1 ,i took flight without      
reflecting much on the action ,i had    
committed4 ,but at the hour of death1 ,i
 found myself most terribly disturbed by
 remorse on my past life1 and ,i only   
expected certain destruction2 when the  
,holy ,virgin came to my aid1 and made  
such powerful intercession for me with  
her ,son1 that she obtained for me the  
pardon of my sins2 and ,i have the      
happiness to enjoy beatitude4 ,for      
yourself1 who have only six months to   
live1 ,i am sent to warn you1 that in   
consideration of your alms1 and your    
charity to the poor1 ,god will show you 
mercy1 and expects you to do penance4   
,profit while it is time1 and expiate   
your past sins4 ,after having said this1
 he disappeared2 and the archbishop1    
bursting into tears1 began to live in so
 ,christianly a manner that he was the  

edification of all who knew him4 ,he    
related the circumstance to his most    
intimate friends1 and died in #aede1    
after having directed the ,church of    
,gnesnes for about five years4  ,the    
daughter of ,dumoulin1 a celebrated     
lawyer1 having been inhumanly massacred 
in her dwelling1#eee appeared by night  
to her husband1 who was wide awake1 and 
declared to him the names of those who  
had killed herself and her children1    
conjuring him to revenge her death4     
,footnotes3  #eea ,biblioth4 ,cluni4 de 
,miraculis1 lib4 i4 c4 #g1 p4 #abij4    
#eeb ,baronius ad an4 ,christi #dja4    
,annal4 tom4 v4  #eec ,tom4 i4 p4 #fd1  
et seq4  #eed ,stephni ,damalevini      
,historia1 p4 #bia4 apud ,ranald        
continuat ,baronii1 ad4 an4 #aede4 tom4 
xxi art4 #fb4  #eee ,le ,loyer1 lib4    
iii4 pp4 #df1 #dg4     ,,chapter        
,,xxxix4  ,,extract ,,from ,,the        
,,political ,,works ,,of ,m4 ,l',,abbe  
,,de ,,st4 ,,pierre4#eef   ,i was told  
lately at ,valogne1 that a good priest  

of the town who teaches the children to 
read1 had had an apparition in broad day
 ten or twelve years ago4 ,as that had  
made a great deal of noise at first on  
account of his reputation for probity   
and sincerity1 ,i had the curiosity to  
hear him relate his adventure himself4  
,a lady1 one of my relations1 who was   
acquainted with him1 sent to invite him 
to dine with her yesterday1 the #gth of 
,january1 #agjh1 and as on the one hand 
,i showed a desire to learn the thing   
from himself1 and on the other it was a 
kind of honorable distinction to have   
had by daylight an apparition of one of 
his comrades1 he related it before      
dinner without requiring to be pressed1 
and in a very nave manner4              
,,circumstance4  ,in #afie1 said ,m4    
,bezuel to us1 being a schoolboy of     
about fifteen years of age1 ,i became   
acquainted with the two children of ,m4 
,abaquene1 attorney1 schoolboys like    
myself4 ,the eldest was of my own age1  
the second was eighteen months younger2 

he was named ,desfontaines2 we took all 
our walks and all our parties of        
pleasure together1 and whether it was   
that ,desfontaines had more affection   
for me1 or that he was more gay1        
obliging1 and clever than his brother1  
,i loved him the best4  ,in #afif1 we   
were walking both of us in the cloister 
of the ,capuchins4 ,he told me that he  
had lately read a story of two friends  
who had promised each other that the    
first of them who died should come and  
bring news of his condition to the one  
still living2 that the one who died came
 back to earth1 and told his friend     
surprising things4 ,upon that1          
,desfontaines told me that he had a     
favor to ask of me2 that he begged me to
 grant it instantly3 it was to make him 
a similar promise1 and on his part he   
would do the same4 ,i told him that ,i  
would not4 ,for several months he talked
 to me of it1 often and seriously2 ,i   
always resisted his wish4 ,at last1     
towards the month of ,august1 #afif1 as 

he was to leave to go and study at      
,caen1 he pressed me so much with tears 
in his eyes1 that ,i consented to it4   
,he drew out at that moment two little  
papers which he had ready written3 one  
was signed with his blood1 in which he  
promised me that in case of his death he
 would come and bring me news of his    
condition2 in the other ,i promised him 
the same thing4 ,i pricked my finger2 a 
drop of blood came1 with which ,i signed
 my name4 ,he was delighted to have my  
billet1 and embracing me1 he thanked me 
a thousand times4  ,some time after1 he 
set off with his brother4 ,our          
separation caused us much grief1 but we 
wrote to each other now and then1 and it
 was but six weeks since ,i had had a   
letter from him1 when what ,i am going  
to relate to you happened to me4  ,the  
#cast of ,july1 #afig1 one ,thursday--,i
 shall remember it all my life--the late
 ,m4 ,sortoville1 with whom ,i lodged1  
and who had been very kind to me1 begged
 of me to go to a meadow near the       

,cordeliers1 and help his people1 who   
were making hay1 to make haste4 ,i had  
not been there a quarter of an hour1    
when about half-past-two1 ,i all of a   
sudden felt giddy and weak4 ,in vain ,i 
leant upon my hay-fork2 ,i was obliged  
to place myself on a little hay1 where  
,i was nearly half an hour recovering my
 senses4 ,that passed off2 but as       
nothing of the kind had ever occurred to
 me before1 ,i was surprised at it and  
feared it might be the commencement of  
an illness4 ,nevertheless it did not    
make much impression upon me during the 
remainder of the day4 ,it is true ,i did
 not sleep that night so well as usual4 
,the next day1 at the same hour1 as ,i  
was conducting to the meadow ,m4 de ,st4
 ,simon1 the grandson of ,m4 de         
,sortoville1 who was then ten years old1
 ,i felt myself seized on the way with a
 similar faintness1 and ,i sat down on a
 stone in the shade4 ,that passed off1  
and we continued our way2 nothing more  
happened to me that day1 and at night ,i

 had hardly any sleep4  ,at last1 on the
 morrow1 the second day of ,august1     
being in the loft where they laid up the
 hay they brought from the meadow1 ,i   
was taken with a similar giddiness and a
 similar faintness1 but still more      
violent than the other4 ,i fainted away 
completely2 one of the men perceived it4
 ,i have been told that ,i was asked    
what was the matter with me1 and that ,i
 replied1 ',i have seen what ,i should  
never have believed2' but ,i have no    
recollection of either the question or  
the answer4 ,that1 however1 accords with
 what ,i do remember to have seen just  
then2 as it were some one naked to the  
middle1 but whom1 however1 ,i did not   
recognize4 ,they helped me down from the
 ladder4 ,the faintness seized me again1
 my head swam as ,i was between two     
rounds of the ladder1 and again ,i      
fainted4 ,they took me down and placed  
me on a large beam which served for a   
seat in the large square of the         
capuchins4 ,i sat down on it and then ,i

 no longer saw ,m4 de ,sortoville nor   
his domestics1 although present2 but    
perceiving ,desfontaines near the foot  
of the ladder1 who made me a sign to    
come to him1 ,i moved on my seat as if  
to make room for him2 and those who saw 
me and whom ,i did not see1 although my 
eyes were open1 remarked this movement4 
,as he did not come1 ,i rose to go to   
him4 ,he advanced towards me1 took my   
left arm with his right arm1 and led me 
about thirty paces from thence into a   
retired street1 holding me still under  
the arm4 ,the domestics1 supposing that 
my giddiness had passed off1 and that ,i
 had purposely retired1 went every one  
to their work1 except a little servant1 
who went and told ,m4 de ,sortoville    
that ,i was talking all alone4 ,m4 de   
,sortoville thought ,i was tipsy2 he    
drew near1 and heard me ask some        
questions1 and make some answers1 which 
he has told me since4  ,i was there     
nearly three-quarters of an hour1       
conversing with ,desfontaines4 ',i      

promised you1' said he to me1 'that if  
,i died before you ,i would come and    
tell you of it4 ,i was drowned the day  
before yesterday in the river of ,caen1 
at nearly this same hour4 ,i was out    
walking with such and such a one4 ,it   
was very warm1 and we had a wish to     
bathe2 a faintness seized me in the     
water1 and ,i fell to the bottom4 ,the  
,abb de ,menil-,jean1 my comrade1 dived 
to bring me up4 ,i seized hold of his   
foot2 but whether he was afraid it might
 be a salmon1 because ,i held him so    
fast1 or that he wished to remount      
promptly to the surface of the water1 he
 shook his leg so roughly1 that he gave 
me a violent kick on the breast1 which  
sent me to the bottom of the river1     
which is there very deep4  ,desmoulins  
related to me afterwards all that had   
occurred to them in their walk1 and the 
subjects they had conversed upon4 ,it   
was in vain for me to ask him           
questions--whether he was saved1 whether
 he was damned1 if he was in purgatory1 

if ,i was in a state of grace1 and if ,i
 should soon follow him2 he continued to
 discourse as if he had not heard me1   
and as if he would not hear me4  ,i     
approached him several times to embrace 
him1 but it seemed to me that ,i        
embraced nothing1 and yet ,i felt very  
sensibly that he held me tightly by the 
arm1 and that when ,i tried to turn away
 my head that ,i might not see him1     
because ,i could not look at him without
 feeling afflicted1 he shook my arm as  
if to oblige me to look at and listen to
 him4  ,he always appeared to me taller 
than ,i had seen him1 and taller even   
than he was at the time of his death1   
although he had grown during the        
eighteen months in which we had not met4
 ,i beheld him always naked to the      
middle of his body1 his head uncovered1 
with his fine fair hair1 and a white    
scroll twisted in his hair over his     
forehead1 on which there was some       
writing1 but ,i could only make out the 
word in1 c4  ,it was his same tone of   

voice4 ,he appeared to me neither gay   
nor sad1 but in a calm and tranquil     
state4 ,he begged of me when his brother
 returned1 to tell him certain things to
 say to his father and mother4 ,he      
begged me to say the ,seven ,psalms     
which had been given him as a penance   
the preceding ,sunday1 which he had not 
yet recited2 again he recommended me to 
speak to his brother1 and then he bade  
me adieu1 saying1 as he left me1        
,jusques1 jusques1 7till1 till17 which  
was the usual term he made use of when  
at the end of our walk we bade each     
other good-bye1 to go home4  ,he told me
 that at the time he was drowned1 his   
brother1 who was writing a translation1 
regretted having let him go without     
accompanying him1 fearing some accident4
 ,he described to me so well where he   
was drowned1 and the tree in the avenue 
of ,louvigni on which he had written a  
few words1 that two years afterwards1   
being there with the late ,chevalier de 
,gotol1 one of those who were with him  

at the time he was drowned1 ,i pointed  
out to him the very spot2 and by        
counting the trees in a particular      
direction which ,desfontaines had       
specified to me1 ,i went straight up to 
the tree1 and ,i found his writing4 ,he 
7the ,chevalier7 told me also that the  
article of the ,seven ,psalms was true1 
and that on coming from confession they 
had told each other their penance2 and  
since then his brother has told me that 
it was quite true that at that hour he  
was writing his exercise1 and he        
reproached himself for not having       
accompanied his brother4 ,as nearly a   
month passed by without my being able to
 do what ,desfontaines had told me in   
regard to his brother1 he appeared to me
 again twice before dinner at a country 
house whither ,i had gone to dine a     
league from hence4 ,i was very faint4 ,i
 told them not to mind me1 that it was  
nothing1 and that ,i should soon recover
 myself2 and ,i went to a corner of the 
garden4 ,desfontaines having appeared to

 me1 reproached me for not having yet   
spoken to his brother1 and again        
conversed with me for a quarter of an   
hour without answering any of my        
questions4  ,as ,i was going in the     
morning to ,notre-,dame de la ,victoire1
 he appeared to me again1 but for a     
shorter time1 and pressed me always to  
speak to his brother1 and left me1      
saying still1 ,jusques1 ,jusques1 and   
without choosing to reply to my         
questions4  ,it is a remarkable thing   
that ,i always felt a pain in that part 
of my arm which he had held me by the   
first time1 until ,i had spoken to his  
brother4 ,i was three days without being
 able to sleep1 from the astonishment   
and agitation ,i felt4 ,at the end of   
the first conversation1 ,i told ,m4 de  
,varonville1 my neighbor and            
schoolfellow1 that ,desfontaines had    
been drowned2 that he himself had just  
appeared to me and told me so4 ,he went 
away and ran to the parents' house to   
know if it was true2 they had just      

received the news1 but by a mistake he  
understood that it was the eldest4 ,he  
assured me that he had read the letter  
of ,desfontaines1 and he believed it2   
but ,i maintained always that it could  
not be1 and that ,desfontaines himself  
had appeared to me4 ,he returned1 came  
back1 and told me in tears that it was  
but too true4  ,nothing has occurred to 
me since1 and there is my adventure just
 as it happened4 ,it has been related in
 various ways2 but ,i have recounted it 
only as ,i have just told it to you4    
,the ,chevalier de ,gotol told me that  
,desfontaines had appeared also to ,m4  
de ,menil-,jean2 but ,i am not          
acquainted with him2 he lives twenty    
leagues from hence near ,argentan1 and  
,i can say no more about it4  ,this is a
 very singular and circumstantial       
narrative1 related by ,m4 l',abb de ,st4
 ,pierre1 who is by no means credulous1 
and sets his whole mind and all his     
philosophy to explain the most          
extraordinary events by physical        

reasonings1 by the concurrence of atoms1
 corpuscles1 insensible evaporation of  
spirit1 and perspiration4 ,but all that 
is so far-fetched1 and does such        
palpable violence to the subjects and   
the attending circumstances1 that the   
most credulous would not yield to such  
arguments4 ,it is surprising that these 
gentlemen1 who pique themselves on      
strength of mind1 and so haughtily      
reject everything that appears          
supernatural1 can so easily admit       
philosophical systems much more         
incredible than even the facts they     
oppose4 ,they raise doubts which are    
often very ill-founded1 and attack them 
upon principles still more uncertain4   
,that may be called refuting one        
difficulty by another1 and resolving a  
doubt by principles still more doubtful4
  ,but1 it will be said1 whence comes it
 that so many other persons who had     
engaged themselves to come and bring    
news of the immortality of the soul1    
after their death1 have not come back4  

,seneca speaks of a ,stoic philosopher  
named ,julius ,canus1 who1 having been  
condemned to death by ,julius ,csar1    
said aloud that he was about to learn   
the truth of that question on which they
 were divided2 to wit1 whether the soul 
was immortal or not4 ,and we do not read
 that he revisited this world4 ,la      
,motte de ,vayer had agreed with his    
friend ,baranzan ,barnabite that the    
first of the two who died should warn   
the other of the state in which he found
 himself4 ,baranzan died1 and returned  
not4  ,because the dead sometimes return
 to earth1 it would be imprudent to     
conclude that they always do so4 ,and it
 would be equally wrong reasoning to say
 that they never do return1 because     
having promised to revisit this world   
they have not done so4 ,for that1 we    
should imagine that it is in the power  
of spirits to return and make their     
appearance when they will1 and if they  
will2 but it seems indubitable1 that on 
the contrary1 it is not in their power1 

and that it is only by the express      
permission of ,god that disembodied     
spirits sometimes appear to the living4 
,we see1 in the history of the bad rich 
man1 that ,god would not grant him the  
favor which he asked1 to send to earth  
some of those who were with him in hell4
 ,similar reasons1 derived from the     
hardness of heart or the incredulity of 
mortals1 may have prevented1 in the same
 manner1 the return of ,julius ,canus or
 of ,baranzan4 ,the return of spirits   
and their apparition is neither a       
natural thing nor dependent on the      
choice of those who are dead4 ,it is a  
supernatural effect1 and allied to the  
miraculous4  ,st4 ,augustine says on    
this subject#eeg that if the dead       
interest themselves in what concerns the
 living1 ,st4 ,monica1 his mother1 who  
loved him so tenderly1 and went with him
 by sea and land everywhere during her  
life1 would not have failed to visit him
 every night1 and come to console him in
 his troubles2 for we must not suppose  

that she was become less compassionate  
since she became one of the blest3 absit
 ut facta sit vit feliciore crudelis4   
,the return of spirits1 their           
apparition1 the execution of the        
promises which certain persons have made
 each other1 to come and tell their     
friends what passes in the other world1 
is not in their own power4 ,all that is 
in the hands of ,god4   ,footnotes3     
#eef ,vol4 iv4 p4 #eg4  #eeg ,aug4 de   
,cura gerend4 pro ,mortuis1 c4 xiii4 p4 
#ebf4     ,,chapter ,,xl4  ,,divers     
,,systems ,,for ,,explaining ,,the      
,,return ,,of ,,spirits4   ,the affair  
of ghosts having made so much noise in  
the world as it has done1 it is not     
surprising that a diversity of systems  
should have been formed upon it1 and    
that so many manners should have been   
proposed to explain their return to     
earth and their operations4  ,some have 
thought that it was a momentary         
resurrection caused by the soul of the  
defunct1 which re-entered his body1 or  

by the demon1 who reanimated him1 and   
caused him to act for a while1 whilst   
his blood retained its consistency and  
fluidity1 and his organic functions were
 not entirely corrupted and deranged4   
,others1 struck with the consequence of 
such principles1 and the arguments which
 might be deduced from them1 have liked 
better to suppose that these vampires   
were not really dead2 that they still   
retained certain seeds of life1 and that
 their spirits could from time to time  
reanimate and bring them out of their   
tombs1 to make their appearance amongst 
men1 take refreshment1 and renew the    
nourishing juices and animal spirits by 
sucking the blood of their near kindred4
  ,there has lately been printed a      
dissertation on the uncertainty of the  
signs of death1 and the abuse of hasty  
interments1 by ,m4 ,jacques ,benigne    
,vinslow1 ,doctor1 ,regent of the       
,faculty at ,paris1 translated1 with a  
commentary1 by ,jacques ,jean ,bruhier1 
physician1 at ,paris1 #agdb1 in #hvo4   

,this work may serve to explain how     
persons who have been believed to be    
dead1 and have been buried as such1 have
 nevertheless been found alive a pretty 
long time after their funeral obsequies 
had been performed4 ,that will perhaps  
render vampirism less incredible4  ,m4  
,vinslow1 ,doctor1 and ,regent of the   
,medical ,faculty at ,paris1 maintained1
 in the month of ,april1 #agdj1 a       
thesis1 in which he asks if the         
experiments of surgery are fitter than  
all others to discover some less        
uncertain signs of doubtful death4 ,he  
therein maintained that there are       
several occurrences in which the signs  
of death are very doubtful2 and he      
adduces several instances of persons    
believed to be dead1 and interred as    
such1 who nevertheless were afterwards  
found to be alive4  ,m4 ,bruhier1       
,m4,d41 has translated this thesis into 
,french1 and has made some learned      
additions to it1 which serve to         
strengthen the opinion of ,m4 ,vinslow4 

,the work is very interesting1 from the 
matter it treats upon1 and very         
agreeable to read1 from the manner in   
which it is written4 ,i am about to make
 some extracts from it1 which may be    
useful to my subject4 ,i shall adhere   
principally to the most certain and     
singular facts2 for to relate them all1 
we must transcribe the whole work4  ,it 
is known that ,john ,duns1 surnamed     
,scot1#eeh or the ,subtile ,doctor1 had 
the misfortune to be interred alive at  
,cologne1 and that when his tomb was    
opened some time afterwards1 it was     
found that he had gnawn his arm4#eei    
,the same thing is related of the       
,emperor ,zeno1 who made himself heard  
from the depth of his tomb by repeated  
cries to those who were watching over   
him4 ,lancisi1 a celebrated physician of
 the ,pope ,clement ,,xi41 relates that 
at ,rome he was witness to a person of  
distinction being still alive when he   
wrote1 who resumed sense and motion     
whilst they were chanting his funeral   

service at church4  ,pierre ,zacchias1  
another celebrated physician of ,rome1  
says1 that in the hospital of the ,saint
 ,esprit1 a young man1 who was attacked 
with the plague1 fell into so complete a
 state of syncope1 that he was believed 
to be really dead4 ,whilst they were    
carrying his corpse1 along with a great 
many others1 on the other side of the   
,tiber1 the young man gave signs of     
life4 ,he was brought back to the       
hospital and cured4 ,two days after1 he 
fell into a similar syncope1 and that   
time he was reputed to be dead beyond   
recovery4 ,he was placed amongst others 
intended for burial1 came to himself a  
second time1 and was yet living when    
,zacchias wrote4  ,it is related1 that a
 man named ,william ,foxley1 when forty 
years of age1#efj falling asleep on the 
#bgth of ,april1 #aedf1 remained plunged
 in sleep for fourteen days and fourteen
 nights1 without any preceding malady4  
,he could not persuade himself that he  
had slept more than one night1 and was  

convinced of his long sleep only by     
being shown a building begun some days  
before this drowsy attack1 and which he 
beheld completed on his awaking4 ,it is 
said that in the time of ,pope ,gregory 
,,ii4 a scholar of ,lubec slept for     
seven years consecutively4 ,lilius      
,giraldus#efa relates that a peasant    
slept through the whole autumn and      
winter4   ,footnotes3  #eeh ,duns       
,scotus4  #eei ,this fact is more than  
doubtful4 ,bzovius1 for having advanced 
it upon the authority of some others1   
was called ,bovius1 that is1 ,great ,ox4
 ,it is1 therefore1 better to stand by  
what ,moreri thought of it4 ,the enemies
 of ,scotus have proclaimed1 says he1   
that1 having died of apoplexy1 he was at
 first interred1 and1 some time after   
this accident having elapsed1 he died in
 despair1 gnawing his hands4 ,but this  
calumny1 which was authorized by ,paulus
 ,jovius1 ,latomias1 and ,bzovius1 has  
been so well refuted that no one now    
will give credit to it4  #efj ,larrey1  

in ,henri ,,viii4 ,roi d',angleterre4   
#efa ,lilius ,giraldus1 ,hist4 ,pot4    
,dialog4     ,,chapter ,,xli4  ,,various
 ,,instances ,,of ,,persons ,,being     
,,buried ,,alive4   ,plutarch relates   
that a man who fell from a great height1
 having pitched upon his neck1 was      
believed to be dead1 without there being
 the appearance of any hurt4 ,as they   
were carrying him to be buried1 the day 
after1 he all at once recovered his     
strength and his senses4                
,asclepiades#efb meeting a great funeral
 train of a person they were taking to  
be interred1 obtained permission to look
 at and to touch the dead man2 he found 
some signs of life in him1 and by means 
of proper remedies1 he immediately      
recalled him to life1 and restored him  
in sound health to his parents and      
relations4  ,there are several instances
 of persons who after being interred    
came to themselves1 and lived a long    
time in perfect health4 ,they relate in 
particular1#efc that a woman of ,orleans

 was buried in a cemetery1 with a ring  
on her finger1 which they had not been  
able to draw off her finger when she was
 placed in her coffin4 ,the following   
night1 a domestic1 attracted by the hope
 of gain1 broke open the coffin1 and as 
he could not tear the ring off her      
finger1 was about to cut her finger off1
 when she uttered a loud shriek4 ,the   
servant fled4 ,the woman disengaged     
herself as she could from her winding   
sheet1 returned home1 and survived her  
husband4  ,m4 ,bernard1 a principal     
surgeon at ,paris1 attests that1 being  
with his father at the parish of ,ral1  
they took from the tombs1 living and    
breathing1 a monk of the order of ,st4  
,francis1 who had been shut up in it    
three or four days1 and who had gnawed  
his hands around the bands which        
confined them4 ,but he died almost the  
moment that he was in the air4  ,several
 persons have made mention of that wife 
of a counselor of ,cologne1#efd who     
having been interred with a valuable    

ring on her finger1 in #aega1 the       
grave-digger opened the grave the       
succeeding night to steal the ring4 ,but
 the good lady caught hold of him1 and  
forced him to take her out of the       
coffin4 ,he1 however1 disengaged himself
 from her hands1 and fled4 ,the         
resuscitated lady went and rapped at the
 door of her house4 ,at first they      
thought it was a phantom1 and left her a
 long time at the door1 waiting         
anxiously to be let in2 but at last they
 opened it for her4 ,they warmed her1   
and she recovered her health perfectly1 
and had after that three sons1 who all  
belonged to the church4 ,this event is  
represented on her sepulchre in a       
picture1 or painting1 in which the story
 is represented1 and moreover1 written1 
in ,german verses4  ,it is added that   
the lady1 in order to convince those of 
the house that it was herself1 told the 
footman who came to the door that the   
horses had gone up to the hay-loft1     
which was true2 and there are still to  

be seen at the windows of the grenier of
 that house1 horses' heads1 carved in   
wood1 as a sign of the truth of the     
matter4  ,franois de ,civile1 a ,norman 
gentleman1#efe was the captain of a     
hundred men in the city of ,rouen1 when 
it was besieged by ,charles ,,ix41 and  
he was then six-and-twenty4 ,he was     
wounded to death at the end of an       
assault2 and having fallen into the     
moat1 some pioneers placed him in a     
grave with some other bodies1 and       
covered them over with a little earth4  
,he remained there from eleven in the   
morning till half-past six in the       
evening1 when his servant went to       
disinter him4 ,this domestic1 having    
remarked some signs of life1 put him in 
a bed1 where he remained for five days  
and nights1 without speaking1 or giving 
any other sign of feeling1 but as       
burning hot with fever as he had been   
cold in the grave4 ,the city having been
 taken by storm1 the servants of an     
officer of the victorious army1 who was 

to lodge in the house wherein was       
,civile1 threw the latter upon a        
paillasse in a back room1 whence his    
brother's enemies tossed him out of the 
window upon a dunghill1 where he        
remained for more than seventy-two hours
 in his shirt4 ,at the end of that time1
 one of his relations1 surprised to find
 him still alive1 sent him to a league's
 distance from ,rouen1#eff where he was 
attended to1 and at last was perfectly  
cured4  ,during a great plague1 which   
attacked the city of ,dijon in #aeeh1 a 
lady1 named ,nicole ,lentillet1 being   
reputed dead of the epidemic1 was thrown
 into a great pit1 wherein they buried  
the dead4 ,the day after her interment1 
in the morning1 she came to herself     
again1 and made vain efforts to get out1
 but her weakness1 and the weight of the
 other bodies with which she was        
covered1 prevented her doing so4 ,she   
remained in this horrible situation for 
four days1 when the burial men drew her 
out1 and carried her back to her house1 

where she perfectly recovered her       
health4  ,a young lady of ,augsburg1#efg
 having fallen into a swoon1 or trance1 
her body was placed under a deep vault1 
without being covered with earth2 but   
the entrance to this subterranean vault 
was closely walled up4 ,some years after
 that time1 some one of the same family 
died4 ,the vault was opened1 and the    
body of the young lady was found at the 
very entrance1 without any fingers to   
her right hand1 which she had devoured  
in despair4  ,on the #beth of ,july1    
#afhh1 there died at ,metz a            
hair-dresser's boy1 of an apoplectic    
fit1 in the evening1 after supper4  ,on 
the #bhth of the same month1 he was     
heard to moan again several times4 ,they
 took him out of his grave1 and he was  
attended by doctors and surgeons4 ,the  
physician maintained1 after he had been 
opened1 that the young man had not been 
dead two hours4 ,this is extracted from 
the manuscript of a bourgeois of ,metz1 
who was cotemporary with him4           

,footnotes3  #efb ,cels4 lib4 ii4 c4 #f4
  #efc ,le ,p4 ,le ,clerc1 ci devant    
attorney of the boarders of the college 
of ,louis le ,grand4  #efd ,msson1      
,voyage d',italie1 tom4 i4 ,lettre #e4  
,goulart1 des ,histoires admirables2 et 
mmorables printed at ,geneva1 in #afgh4 
#efe ,msson1 ,voyage1 tom4 iii4  #eff   
,goulart1 loca cetata4  #efg ,m4        
,graffe1 ,epit4  ,guil4 ,frabi1         
,centurie #b1 observ chirurg4 #eaf4     
,,chapter ,,xlii4  ,,instances ,,of     
,,drowned ,,persons ,,recovering ,,their
 ,,health4   ,here follow some instances
 of drowned persons#efh who came to     
themselves several days after they were 
believed to be dead4 ,peclin relates the
 story of a gardener of ,troninghalm1 in
 ,sweden1 who was still alive1 and      
sixty-five years of age1 when the author
 wrote4 ,this man being on the ice to   
assist another man who had fallen into  
the water1 the ice broke under him1 and 
he sunk under water to the depth of     
eight ells1 his feet sticking in the    

mud3 he remained sixteen hours before   
they drew him out of the water4 ,in this
 condition1 he lost all sense1 except   
that he thought he heard the bells      
ringing at ,stockholm4 ,he felt the     
water1 which entered his body1 not by   
his mouth1 but his ears4 ,after having  
sought for him during sixteen hours1    
they caught hold of his head with a     
hook1 and drew him out of the water2    
they placed him between sheets1 put him 
near the fire1 rubbed him1 shook him1   
and at last brought him to himself4 ,the
 king and court would see him and hear  
his story1 and gave him a pension4  ,a  
woman of the same country1 after having 
been three days in the water1 was also  
revived by the same means as the        
gardener4 ,another person named ,janas1 
having drowned himself at seventeen     
years of age1 was taken out of the water
 seven weeks after2 they warmed him1 and
 brought him back to life4  ,m4         
,d',egly1 of the ,royal ,academy of     
,inscriptions and ,belles ,lettres1 at  

,paris1 relates1 that a ,swiss1 an      
expert diver1 having plunged down into  
one of the hollows in the bed of the    
river1 where he hoped to find fine fish1
 remained there about nine hours2 they  
drew him out of the water after having  
hurt him in several places with their   
hooks4 ,m4 ,d',egly1 seeing that the    
water bubbled strongly from his mouth1  
maintained that he was not dead4 ,they  
made him throw up as much water as he   
could for three quarters of an hour1    
wrapped him up in hot linen1 put him to 
bed1 bled him1 and saved him4  ,some    
have been recovered after being seven   
weeks in the water1 others after a less 
time2 for instance1 ,gocellin1 a nephew 
of the ,archbishop of ,cologne1 having  
fallen into the ,rhine1 remained under  
water for fifteen hours before they     
could find him again2 at the end of that
 time1 they carried him to the tomb of  
,st4 ,suitbert1 and he recovered his    
health4#efi  ,the same ,st4 ,suitbert   
resuscitated also another young man who 

had been drowned several hours4 ,but the
 author who relates these miracles is of
 no great authority4  ,several instances
 are related of drowned persons who have
 remained under water for several days1 
and at last recovered and enjoyed good  
health4 ,in the second part of the      
dissertation on the uncertainty of the  
signs of death1 by ,m4 ,bruhier1        
physician1 printed at ,paris in #agdd1  
pp4 #ajb1 #ajc1 c41 it is shown that    
they have seen some who have been under 
water forty-eight hours1 others during  
three days1 and during eight days4 ,he  
adds to this the example of the insect  
chrysalis1 which passes all the winter  
without giving any signs of life1 and   
the aquatic insects which remain all the
 winter motionless in the mud2 which    
also happens to the frogs and toads2    
ants even1 against the common opinion1  
are during the winter in a death-like   
state1 which ceases only on the return  
of spring4 ,swallows1 in the northern   
countries1 bury themselves in heaps1 in 

the lakes and ponds1 in rivers even1 in 
the sea1 in the sand1 in the holes of   
walls1 and the hollows of trees1 or at  
the bottom of caverns2 whilst other     
kinds of swallows cross the sea to find 
warmer and more temperate climes4  ,what
 has just been said of swallows being   
found at the bottom of lakes1 ponds1 and
 rivers1 is commonly remarked in        
,silesia1 ,poland1 ,bohemia1 and        
,moravia4 ,sometimes even storks are    
fished up as if dead1 having their beaks
 fixed in the anus of one another2 many 
of these have been seen in the environs 
of ,geneva1 and even in the environs of 
,metz1 in the year #adfg4  ,to these may
 be added quails and herons4 ,sparrows  
and cuckoos have been found during the  
winter in hollow trees1 torpid and      
without the least appearance of life1   
which being warmed recovered themselves 
and took flight4 ,we know that          
hedgehogs1 marmots1 sloths1 and         
serpents1 live underground without      
breathing1 and the circulation of the   

blood is very feeble in them during all 
the winter4 ,it is even said that bears 
sleep during almost all that period4    
,footnotes3  #efh ,guill4 ,derham1      
,extrait4 ,peclin1 c4 x4 de are et alim4
 def4  #efi ,vita ,s4 ,suitberti1 apud  
,surium1 ,i4 ,martii4     ,,chapter     
,,xliii4  ,,instances ,,of ,,women ,,who
 ,,have ,,been ,,believed ,,to ,,be     
,,dead1 ,,and ,,who ,,have ,,come ,,to  
,,life ,,again4   ,very clever          
physicians assert#egj that in cases of  
the suffocation of the womb1 a woman may
 live thirty days without breathing4 ,i 
know that a very excellent woman was    
six-and-thirty hours without giving any 
sign of life4 ,everybody thought she was
 dead1 and they wanted to enshroud her1 
but her husband always opposed it4 ,at  
the end of thirty-six hours she came to 
herself1 and has lived a long time since
 then4 ,she told them that she heard    
very well all that was said about her1  
and knew that they wanted to lay her    
out2 but her torpor was such that she   

could not surmount it1 and she should   
have let them do whatever they pleased  
without the least resistance4  ,this    
applies to what ,st4 ,augustine says of 
the priest ,pretextas1 who in his       
trances and swoons heard1 as if from    
afar off1 what was said1 and            
nevertheless would have let himself be  
burned1 and his flesh cut1 without      
opposing it or feeling it4  ,corneille  
le ,bruyn1#ega in his ,voyages1 relates 
that he saw at ,damietta1 in ,egypt1 a  
,turk whom they called the ,dead ,child1
 because when his mother was with child 
with him1 she fell ill1 and as they     
believed she was dead1 they buried her  
pretty quickly1 according to the custom 
of the country1 where they let the dead 
remain but a very short time unburied1  
above all during the plague4 ,she was   
put into a vault which this ,turk had   
for the sepulture of his family4        
,towards evening1 some hours after the  
interment of this woman1 it entered the 
mind of the ,turk her husband1 that the 

child she bore might still be alive2 he 
then had the vault opened1 and found    
that his wife had delivered herself1 and
 that his child was alive1 but the      
mother was dead4 ,some people said that 
the child had been heard to cry1 and    
that it was on receiving intimation of  
this that the father had the tomb       
opened4 ,this man1 surnamed the ,dead   
,child1 was still living in #afgg4 ,le  
,bruyn thinks that the woman was dead   
when her child was born2 but being dead1
 it would not have been possible for her
 to bring him into the world4 ,it must  
be remembered1 that in ,egypt1 where    
this happened1 the women have an        
extraordinary facility of delivery1 as  
both ancients and moderns bear witness1 
and that this woman was simply shut up  
in a vault1 without being covered with  
earth4  ,a woman at ,strasburg1 who was 
with child1 being reputed to be dead1   
was buried in a subterranean vault2#egb 
at the end of some time1 this vault     
having been opened for another body to  

be placed in it1 the woman was found out
 of the coffin lying on the ground1 and 
having between her hands a child1 of    
which she had delivered herself1 and    
whose arm she held in her mouth1 as if  
she would fain eat it4  ,another woman1 
a ,spaniard1#egc the wife of ,francisco 
,aravallos1 of ,suasso1 being dead1 or  
believed to be so1 in the last months of
 her pregnancy1 was put in the ground2  
her husband1 whom they had sent for from
 the country1 whither he had gone on    
business1 would see his wife at the     
church1 and had her exhumed3 hardly had 
they opened the coffin1 when they heard 
the cry of a child1 who was making      
efforts to leave the bosom of its       
mother4  ,he was taken away alive and   
lived a long time1 being known by the   
name of the ,child of the ,earth2 and   
since then he was lieutenant-general of 
the town of ,hrz1 on the frontier of    
,spain4 ,these instances might be       
multiplied to infinity1 of persons      
buried alive1 and of others who have    

recovered as they were being carried to 
the grave1 and others who have been     
taken out of it by fortuitous           
circumstances4 ,upon this subject you   
may consult the new work of ,messrs4    
,vinslow and ,bruyer1 and those authors 
who have expressly treated on this      
subject4#egd ,these gentlemen1 the      
doctors1 derive from thence a very wise 
and very judicious conclusion1 which is1
 that people should never be buried     
without the absolute certainty of their 
being dead1 above all in times of       
pestilence1 and in certain maladies in  
which those who are suffering under them
 lose on a sudden both sense and motion4
   ,footnotes3  #egj ,le ,clerc1 ,hist4 
de la ,mdecine4  #ega ,corneille le     
,bruyn1 tom4 i4 p4 #egi4  #egb          
,cronstand1 ,philos4 veter4 restit4     
#egc ,gaspard ,rees1 ,campus ,elysias   
jucund4  #egd ,page #afg1 des additions 
de ,m4 ,bruhier4     ,,chapter ,,xliv4  
,,can ,,these ,,instances ,,be ,,applied
 ,,to ,,the ,,hungarian ,,ghosts8       

,some advantage of these instances and  
these arguments may be derived in favor 
of vampirism1 by saying that the ghosts 
of ,hungary1 ,moravia1 and ,poland are  
not really dead1 that they continue to  
live in their graves1 although without  
motion and without respiration2 the     
blood which is found in them being fine 
and red1 the flexibility of their limbs1
 the cries which they utter when their  
heart is pierced or their head being cut
 off1 all prove that they still exist4  
,that is not the principal difficulty   
which arrests my judgment2 it is to know
 how they come out of their graves      
without any appearance of the earth     
having been removed1 and how they have  
replaced it as it was2 how they appear  
dressed in their clothes1 go and come1  
and eat4 ,if it is so1 why do they      
return to their graves8 why do they not 
remain amongst the living8 why do they  
suck the blood of their relations8 ,why 
do they haunt and fatigue persons who   
ought to be dear to them1 and who have  

done nothing to offend them8 ,if all    
that is only imagination on the part of 
those who are molested1 whence comes it 
that these vampires are found in their  
graves in an uncorrupted state1 full of 
blood1 supple1 and pliable2 that their  
feet are found to be in a muddy         
condition the day after they have run   
about and frightened the neighbors1 and 
that nothing similar is remarked in the 
other corpses interred at the same time 
and in the same cemetery4 ,whence does  
it happen that they neither come back   
nor infest the place any more when they 
are burned or impaled8 ,would it be     
again the imagination of the living and 
their prejudices which reassure them    
after these executions8 ,whence comes it
 that these scenes recur so frequently  
in those countries1 that the people are 
not cured of their prejudices1 and daily
 experience1 instead of destroying1 only
 augments and strengthens them8         
,,chapter ,,xlv4  ,,dead ,,persons ,,who
 ,,chew ,,in ,,their ,,graves ,,like    

,,hogs1 ,,and ,,devour ,,their ,,own    
,,flesh4   ,it is an opinion widely     
spread in ,germany1 that certain dead   
persons chew in their graves1 and devour
 whatever may be close to them2 that    
they are even heard to eat like pigs1   
with a certain low cry1 and as if       
growling and grunting4  ,a ,german      
author1#ege named ,michael ,rauff1 has  
composed a work1 entitled ,de           
,masticatione ,mortuorum in             
,tumulis--,of the ,dead who ,masticate  
in their ,graves4 ,he sets it down as a 
proved and sure thing1 that there are   
certain dead persons who have devoured  
the linen and everything that was within
 reach of their mouth1 and even their   
own flesh1 in their graves4 ,he         
remarks1#egf that in some parts of      
,germany1 to prevent the dead from      
masticating1 they place a motte of earth
 under their chin in the coffin2        
elsewhere they place a little piece of  
money and a stone in their mouth2       
elsewhere they tie a handkerchief       

tightly round their throat4 ,the author 
cites some ,german writers who make     
mention of this ridiculous custom2 he   
quotes several others who speak of dead 
people that have devoured their own     
flesh in their sepulchre4 ,this work was
 printed at ,leipsic in #agbh4 ,it      
speaks of an author named ,philip       
,rehrius1 who printed in #afgi a        
treatise with the same title--,de       
,masticatione ,mortuorum4  ,he might    
have added to it the circumstance of    
,henry ,count of ,salm1#egg who1 being  
supposed to be dead1 was interred alive2
 they heard during the night1 in the    
church of the ,abbey of ,haute-,seille1 
where he was buried1 loud cries2 and the
 next day1 on his tomb being opened1    
they found him turned upon his face1    
whilst in fact he had been buried lying 
upon his back4  ,some years ago1 at     
,bar-le-,duc1 a man was buried in the   
cemetery1 and a noise was heard in his  
grave2 the next day they disinterred    
him1 and found that he had gnawed the   

flesh of his arms2 and this we learned  
from ocular witnesses4 ,this man had    
drunk brandy1 and had been buried as    
dead4 ,rauff speaks of a woman of       
,bohemia1#egh who1 in #acee1 had eaten  
in her grave half her shroud4 ,in the   
time of ,luther1 a man who was dead and 
buried1 and a woman the same1 gnawed    
their own entrails4 ,another dead man in
 ,moravia ate the linen clothes of a    
woman who was buried next to him4  ,all 
that is very possible1 but that those   
who are really dead move their jaws1 and
 amuse themselves with masticating      
whatever may be near them1 is a childish
 fancy--like what the ancient ,romans   
said of their ,manducus1 which was a    
grotesque figure of a man with an       
enormous mouth1 and teeth proportioned  
thereto1 which they caused to move by   
springs1 and grind his teeth together1  
as if this figure had wanted to eat4    
,they frightened children with them1 and
 threatened them with the ,manducus4#egi
  ,some remains of this old custom may  

be seen in certain processions1 where   
they carry a sort of serpent1 which at  
intervals opens and shuts a vast jaw1   
armed with teeth1 into which they throw 
cakes1 as if to gorge it1 or satisfy its
 appetite4   ,footnotes3  #ege ,mich4   
,rauff1 alter ,dissert4 ,art4 lvii4 pp4 
#ih1 #ii1 et ,art4 lix4 p4 #ajj4  #egf  
,de ,nummis in ,ore ,defunctorum        
repertis1 ,art4 ix4  ,beyermuller1 c4   
#egg ,richer1 ,senon1 tom4 iii4         
,spicileg4 ,ducherii1 p4 #cib4  #egh    
,rauff1 ,art4 xlii4 p4 #dc4  #egi       
,tandemque venit ad pulpita nostrum     
,exodium1 cum person pallentis hiatum   
,in gremio matris fastidit rusticus     
infans4                      ,juvenal1  
,sat4 iii4 #agd4     ,,chapter ,,xlvi4  
,,singular ,,instance ,,of ,a           
,,hungarian ,,ghost4   ,the most        
remarkable instance cited by ,rauff#ehj 
is that of one ,peter ,plogojovitz1 who 
had been buried ten weeks in a village  
of ,hungary1 called ,kisolova4 ,this man
 appeared by night to some of the       

inhabitants of the village while they   
were asleep1 and grasped their throat so
 tightly that in four-and-twenty hours  
it caused their death4 ,nine persons1   
young and old1 perished thus in the     
course of eight days4  ,the widow of the
 same ,plogojovitz declared that her    
husband since his death had come and    
asked her for his shoes1 which          
frightened her so much that she left    
,kisolova to retire to some other spot4 
,from these circumstances the           
inhabitants of the village determined   
upon disinterring the body of           
,plogojovitz and burning it1 to deliver 
themselves from these visitations4 ,they
 applied to the emperor's officer1 who  
commanded in the territory of ,gradiska1
 in ,hungary1 and even to the cur of the
 same place1 for permission to exhume   
the body of ,peter ,plogojovitz4 ,the   
officer and the cur made much demur in  
granting this permission1 but the       
peasants declared that if they were     
refused permission to disinter the body 

of this man1 whom they had no doubt was 
a true vampire 7for so they called these
 revived corpses71 they should be       
obliged to forsake the village1 and go  
where they could4  ,the emperor's       
officer1 who wrote this account1 seeing 
he could hinder them neither by threats 
nor promises1 went with the cur of      
,gradiska to the village of ,kisolova1  
and having caused ,peter ,plogojovitz to
 be exhumed1 they found that his body   
exhaled no bad smell2 that he looked as 
when alive1 except the tip of the nose2 
that his hair and beard had grown1 and  
instead of his nails1 which had fallen  
off1 new ones had come2 that under his  
upper skin1 which appeared whitish1     
there appeared a new one1 which looked  
healthy1 and of a natural color2 his    
feet and hands were as whole as could be
 desired in a living man4 ,they remarked
 also in his mouth some fresh blood1    
which these people believed that this   
vampire had sucked from the men whose   
death he had occasioned4  ,the emperor's

 officer and the cur having diligently  
examined all these things1 and the      
people who were present feeling their   
indignation awakened anew1 and being    
more fully persuaded that he was the    
true cause of the death of their        
compatriots1 ran directly for a         
sharp-pointed stake1 which they thrust  
into his breast1 whence there issued a  
quantity of fresh and crimson blood1 and
 also from the nose and mouth2 something
 also proceeded from that part of his   
body which decency does not allow us to 
mention4 ,after this the peasants placed
 the body on a pile of wood and saw it  
reduced to ashes4  ,m4 ,rauff1#eha from 
whom we have these particulars1 cites   
several authors who have written on the 
same subject1 and have related instances
 of dead people who have eaten in their 
tombs4 ,he cites particularly ,gabril   
,rzaczincki in his history of the       
,natural ,curiosities of the ,kingdom of
 ,poland1 printed at ,sandomic in #agba4
   ,footnotes3  #ehj ,rauff1 ,art4 xii4 

p4 #ae4  #eha ,rauff1 ,art4 xxi4 p4 #ad4
     ,,chapter ,,xlvii4  ,,reasonings   
,,on ,,this ,,matter4   ,those authors  
have reasoned a great deal on these     
events4 #a4 ,some have believed them to 
be miraculous4 #b4 ,others have looked  
upon them simply as the effect of a     
heated imagination1 or a sort of        
prepossession4 #c4 ,others again have   
believed that there was nothing in all  
that but what was very simple and very  
natural1 these persons not being dead1  
and acting naturally upon other bodies4 
#d4 ,others have asserted#ehb that it   
was the work of the devil himself2      
amongst these1 some have advanced the   
opinion that there were certain benign  
demons1 differing from those who are    
malevolent and hostile to mankind1 to   
which 7benign demons7 they have         
attributed playful and harmless         
operations1 in contradistinction to     
those bad demons who inspire the minds  
of men with crime and sin1 ill use them1
 kill them1 and occasion them an        

infinity of evils4 ,but what greater    
evils can one have to fear from         
veritable demons and the most malignant 
spirits1 than those which the ghouls of 
,hungary cause the persons whose blood  
they suck1 and thus cause to die8 #e4   
,others will have it that it is not the 
dead who eat their own flesh or clothes1
 but serpents1 rats1 moles1 ferrets1 or 
other voracious animals1 or even what   
the peasants call striges1#ehc which are
 birds that devour animals and men1 and 
suck their blood4 ,some have said that  
these instances are principally remarked
 in women1 and1 above all1 in a time of 
pestilence2 but there are instances of  
ghouls of both sexes1 and principally of
 men2 although those who die of plague1 
poison1 hydrophobia1 drunkenness1 and   
any epidemical malady1 are more apt to  
return1 apparently because their blood  
coagulates with more difficulty2 and    
sometimes some are buried who are not   
quite dead1 on account of the danger    
there is in leaving them long without   

sepulture1 from fear of the infection   
they would cause4  ,it is added that    
these vampires are known only to certain
 countries1 as ,hungary1 ,moravia1 and  
,silesia1 where those maladies are more 
common1 and where the people1 being     
badly fed1 are subject to certain       
disorders caused or occasioned by the   
climate and the food1 and augmented by  
prejudice1 fancy1 and fright1 capable of
 producing or of increasing the most    
dangerous maladies1 as daily experience 
proves too well4 ,as to what some have  
asserted that the dead have been heard  
to eat and chew like pigs in their      
graves1 it is manifestly fabulous1 and  
such an idea can have its foundation    
only in ridiculous prepossessions of the
 mind4   ,footnotes3  #ehb ,rudiga1     
,physio4 ,dur4 lib4 i4 c4 #d4           
,theophrast4 ,paracels4 ,georg4         
,agricola1 de ,anim4 ,subterran4 p4 #gf4
  #ehc ,ovid1 lib4 vi4 ,vide ,debrio1   
,disquisit4 ,magic4 lib4 i4 p4 #f1 and  
lib4 iii4 p4 #cee4     ,,chapter        

,,xlviii4  ,,are ,,the ,,vampires ,,or  
,,revenans ,,really ,,dead8   ,the      
opinion of those who hold that all that 
is related of vampires is the effect of 
imagination1 fascination1 or of that    
disorder which the ,greeks term         
phrenesis or coribantism1 and who       
pretend by that means to explain all the
 phenomena of vampirism1 will never     
persuade us that these maladies of the  
brain can produce such real effects as  
those we have just recounted4 ,it is    
impossible that on a sudden1 several    
persons should believe they see a thing 
which is not there1 and that they should
 die in so short a time of a disorder   
purely imaginary4 ,and who has revealed 
to them that such a vampire is undecayed
 in his grave1 that he is full of blood1
 that he in some measure lives there    
after his death8 ,is there not to be    
found in the nation one sensible man who
 is exempt from this fancy1 or who has  
soared above the effects of this        
fascination1 these sympathies and       

antipathies--this natural magic8 ,and   
besides1 who can explain to us clearly  
and distinctly what these grand terms   
signify1 and the manner of these        
operations so occult and so mysterious8 
,it is trying to explain a thing which  
is obscure and doubtful1 by another     
still more uncertain and                
incomprehensible4  ,if these persons    
believe nothing of all that is related  
of the apparition1 the return1 and the  
actions of vampires1 they lose their    
time very uselessly in proposing systems
 and forming arguments to explain what  
exists only in the imagination of       
certain prejudiced persons struck with  
an idea2 but1 if all that is related1 or
 at least a part1 is true1 these systems
 and these arguments will not easily    
satisfy those minds which desire proofs 
far more weighty than those4  ,let us   
see1 then1 if the system which asserts  
that these vampires are not really dead 
is well founded4 ,it is certain that    
death consists in the separation of the 

soul from the body1 and that neither the
 one nor the other perishes1 nor is     
annihilated by death2 that the soul is  
immortal1 and that the body destitute of
 its soul1 still remains entire1 and    
becomes only in part corrupt1 sometimes 
in a few days1 and sometimes in a longer
 space of time2 sometimes even it       
remains uncorrupted during many years or
 even ages1 either by reason of a good  
constitution1 as in ,hector#ehd and     
,alexander the ,great1 whose bodies     
remained several days undecayed2#ehe or 
by means of the art of embalming2 or    
lastly1 owing to the nature of the earth
 in which they are interred1 which has  
the power of drying up the radical      
humidity and the principles of          
corruption4 ,i do not stop to prove all 
these things1 which besides are very    
well known4  ,sometimes the body1       
without being dead and forsaken by its  
reasonable soul1 remains as if dead and 
motionless1 or at least with so slow a  
motion and such feeble respiration1 that

 it is almost imperceptible1 as it      
happens in faintings1 swoons1 in certain
 disorders very common amongst women1 in
 trances--as we remarked in the case of 
,pretextat1 priest of ,calame2 we have  
also reported more than one instance1   
considered dead and buried as such2 ,i  
may add that of the ,abb ,salin1 prior  
of ,st4 ,christopher1#ehf who being in  
his coffin1 and about to be interred1   
was resuscitated by some of his friends1
 who made him swallow a glass of        
champagne4  ,several instances of the   
same kind are related4#ehg ,in the      
,causes ,clbres1 they make mention of a 
girl who became enceinte during a long  
swoon2 we have already noticed this4    
,pliny cites#ehh a great number of      
instances of persons who have been      
thought dead1 and who have come to life 
again1 and lived for a long time4 ,he   
mentions a young man1 who having fallen 
asleep in a cavern1 remained there forty
 years without waking4 ,our             
historians#ehi speak of the seven       

sleepers1 who slept for #aej years1 from
 the year of ,christ #bec to #djc4 ,it  
is said that the philosopher ,epimenides
 slept in a cavern during fifty-seven   
years1 or according to others1          
forty-seven1 or only forty years2 for   
the ancients do not agree concerning the
 number of years2 they even affirm1 that
 this philosopher had the power to      
detach his soul from his body1 and      
recall it when he pleased4 ,the same    
thing is related of ,aristus of         
,proconnesus4 ,i am willing to allow    
that that is fabulous2 but we cannot    
gainsay the truth of several other      
stories of persons who have come to life
 again1 after having appeared dead for  
three1 four1 five1 six1 and seven days4 
,pliny acknowledges that there are      
several instances of dead people who    
have appeared after they were interred2 
but he will not mention them more       
particularly1 because1 he says1 he      
relates only natural things and not     
prodigies--,post sepulturam quoque      

visorum exempla sunt1 nisi quod natur   
opera non prodigia sectamur4 ,we believe
 that ,enoch and ,elijah are still      
living4 ,several have thought that ,st4 
,john the ,evangelist was not dead1#eij 
but that he is still alive in his tomb4 
,plato and ,st4 ,clement of             
,alexandria#eia relate1 that the son of 
,zoroaster was resuscitated twelve days 
after his 7supposed7 death1 and when his
 body had been laid upon the funeral    
pyre4 ,phlegon says1#eib that a ,syrian 
soldier in the army of ,antiochus1 after
 having been killed at ,thermopyl1      
appeared in open day in the ,roman camp1
 and spoke to several4 ,and ,plutarch   
relates1#eic that a man named           
,thespesius1 who had fallen from the    
roof of a house1 came to himself the    
third day after he died 7or seemed to   
die7 of his fall4  ,st4 ,paul1 writing  
to the ,corinthians1#eid seems to       
suppose that sometimes the soul         
transported itself without the body1 to 
repair to the spot where it is in mind  

or thought2 for instance1 he says1 that 
he has been transported to the third    
heaven2 but he adds that he knows not   
whether in the body1 or only in         
spirit--,sive in corpora1 sive extra    
corpus1 nescio1 ,deus scit4 ,we have    
already cited ,st4 ,augustine1#eie who  
mentions a priest of ,calamus1 named    
,pretextat1 who1 at the sound of the    
voices of some persons who lamented     
their sins1 fell into such an ecstasy of
 delight1 that he no longer breathed or 
felt anything2 and they might have cut  
and burnt his flesh without his         
perceiving it2 his soul was absent1 or  
really so occupied with these           
lamentations1 that he was insensible to 
pain4 ,in swoons and syncope1 the soul  
no longer performs her ordinary         
functions4 ,she is nevertheless in the  
body1 and continues to animate it1 but  
she perceives not her own action4  ,a   
cur of the ,diocese of ,constance1 named
 ,bayer1 writes me word that in #agbh1  
having been appointed to the cur of     

,rutheim1 he was disturbed a month      
afterwards by a spectre1 or an evil     
genius1 in the form of a peasant1 badly 
made1 and ill-dressed1 very ill-looking1
 and stinking insupportably1 who came   
and knocked at the door in an insolent  
manner1 and having entered his study    
told him that he had been sent by an    
official of the ,prince of ,constance1  
his bishop1 upon a certain commission   
which was found to be absolutely false4 
,he then asked for something to eat1 and
 they placed before him meat1 bread1 and
 wine4 ,he took up the meat with both   
hands1 and devoured it bones and all1   
saying1 ,see how ,i eat both flesh and  
bone--do the same4 ,then he took up the 
wine-cup1 and swallowed it at a draught1
 asking for another1 which he drank off 
in the same fashion4 ,after that he     
withdrew1 without bidding the cur       
good-bye2 and the servant who showed him
 to the door having asked his name1 he  
replied1 ,i was born at ,rutsingen1 and 
my name is ,george ,raulin1 which was   

false4 ,as he was going down stairs he  
said to the cur in ,german1 in a        
menacing tone1 ,i will show you who ,i  
am4  ,he passed all the rest of the day 
in the village1 showing himself to      
everybody4 ,towards midnight he returned
 to the cur's door1 crying out three    
times in a terrible voice1 ,monsieur    
,bayer6 and adding1 ,i will let you know
 who ,i am4 ,in fact1 during three years
 he returned every day towards four     
o'clock in the afternoon1 and every     
night till dawn of day4 ,he appeared in 
different forms1 sometimes like a       
water-dog1 sometimes as a lion1 or some 
other terrible animal2 sometimes in the 
shape of a man1 or a girl1 when the cur 
was at table1 or in bed1 enticing him to
 lasciviousness4 ,sometimes he made an  
uproar in the house1 like a cooper      
putting hoops on his casks2 then again  
you might have thought he wanted to     
throw the house down by the noise he    
made in it4 ,to have witnesses to all   
this1 the cur often sent for the beadle 

and other personages of the village to  
bear testimony to it4 ,the spectre      
emitted1 wherever he showed himself1 an 
insupportable stench4  ,at last the cur 
had recourse to exorcisms1 but they     
produced no effect4 ,and as they        
despaired almost of being delivered from
 these vexations1 he was advised1 at the
 end of the third year1 to provide      
himself with a holy branch on ,palm     
,sunday1 and also with a sword sprinkled
 with holy water1 and to make use of it 
against the spectre4 ,he did so once or 
twice1 and from that time he was no more
 molested4 ,this is attested by a       
,capuchin monk1 witness of the greater  
part of these things1 the #bith of      
,august1 #agdi4  ,i will not guarantee  
the truth of all these circumstances2   
the judicious reader will make what     
induction he pleases from them4 ,if they
 are true1 here is a real ghost1 who    
eats1 drinks1 and speaks1 and gives     
tokens of his presence for three whole  
years1 without any appearance of        

religion4 ,here follows another instance
 of a ghost who manifested himself by   
actions alone4  ,they write me word from
 ,constance1 the #hth of ,august1 #agdh1
 that towards the end of the year #agdf 
sighs were heard1 which seemed to       
proceed from the corner of the          
printing-office of the ,sieur ,lahart1  
one of the common council men of the    
city of ,constance4 ,the printers only  
laughed at it at first1 but in the      
following year1 #agdg1 in the beginning 
of ,january1 they heard more noise than 
before4 ,there was a hard knocking near 
the same corner whence they had at first
 heard some sighs2 things went so far   
that the printers received slaps1 and   
their hats were thrown on the ground4   
,they had recourse to the ,capuchins1   
who came with the books proper for      
exorcising the spirit4 ,the exorcism    
completed they returned home1 and the   
noise ceased for three days4  ,at the   
end of that time the noise recommenced  
more violently than before2 the spirit  

threw the characters for printing1      
whether letters or figures1 against the 
windows4 ,they sent out of the city for 
a famous exorcist1 who exorcised the    
spirit for a week4 ,one day the spirit  
boxed the ears of a lad2 and again the  
letters1 c41 were thrown against the    
window-panes4 ,the foreign exorcist1 not
 having been able to effect anything by 
his exorcisms1 returned to his own home4
  ,the spirit went on as usual1 giving  
slaps in the face to one1 and throwing  
stones and other things at another1 so  
that the compositors were obliged to    
leave that corner of the printing-office
 and place themselves in the middle of  
the room1 but they were not the quieter 
for that4  ,they then sent for other    
exorcists1 one of whom had a particle of
 the true cross1 which he placed upon   
the table4 ,the spirit did not1 however1
 cease disturbing as usual the workmen  
belonging to the printing-office2 and   
the ,capuchin brother who accompanied   
the exorcist received such buffets that 

they were both obliged to withdraw to   
their convent4 ,then came others1 who1  
having mixed a quantity of sand and     
ashes in a bucket of water1 blessed the 
water1 and sprinkled with it every part 
of the printing-office4 ,they also      
scattered the sand and ashes all over   
the room upon the paved floor2 and being
 provided with swords1 the whole party  
began to strike at random right and left
 in every part of the room1 to see if   
they could hit the ghost1 and to observe
 if he left any foot-marks upon the sand
 or ashes which covered the floor4 ,they
 perceived at last that he had perched  
himself on the top of the stove or      
furnace1 and they remarked on the angles
 of it marks of his feet and hands      
impressed on the sand and ashes they had
 blessed4  ,they succeeded in ousting   
him from there1 and they very soon      
perceived that he had slid under the    
table1 and left marks of his hands and  
feet on the pavement4 ,the dust raised  
by all this movement in the office      

caused them to disperse1 and they       
discontinued the pursuit4 ,but the      
principal exorcist having taken out a   
screw from the angle where they had     
first heard the noise1 found in a hole  
in the wall some feathers1 three bones  
wrapped up in a dirty piece of linen1   
some bits of glass1 and a hair-pin1 or  
bodkin4 ,he blessed a fire which they   
lighted1 and had all that thrown into   
it4 ,but this monk had hardly reached   
his convent when one of the printers    
came to tell him that the bodkin had    
come out of the flames three times of   
itself1 and that a boy who was holding a
 pair of tongs1 and who put this bodkin 
in the fire again1 had been violently   
struck in the face4 ,the rest of the    
things which had been found having been 
brought to the ,capuchin convent1 they  
were burnt without further resistance2  
but the lad who had carried them there  
saw a naked woman in the public         
market-place1 and that and the following
 days groans were heard in the          

market-place of ,constance4  ,some days 
after this the printer's house was again
 infested in this manner1 the ghost     
giving slaps1 throwing stones1 and      
molesting the domestics in divers ways4 
,the ,sieur ,lahart1 the master of the  
house1 received a great wound in his    
head1 two boys who slept in the same bed
 were thrown on the ground1 so that the 
house was entirely forsaken during the  
night4 ,one ,sunday a servant girl      
carrying away some linen from the house 
had stones thrown at her1 and another   
time two boys were thrown down from a   
ladder4  ,there was in the city of      
,constance an executioner who passed for
 a sorcerer4 ,the monk who writes to me 
suspected him of having some part in    
this game2 he began to exhort those who 
sat up with him in the house1 to put    
their confidence in ,god1 and to be     
strong in faith4 ,he gave them to       
understand that the executioner was     
likely to be of the party4 ,they passed 
the night thus in the house1 and about  

ten o'clock in the evening1 one of the  
companions of the exorcist threw himself
 at his feet in tears1 and revealed to  
him1 that that same night he and one of 
his companions had been sent to consult 
the executioner in ,turgau1 and that by 
order of the ,sieur ,lahart1 printer1 in
 whose house all this took place4 ,this 
avowal strangely surprised the good     
father1 and he declared that he would   
not continue to exorcise1 if they did   
not assure him that they had not spoken 
to the executioners to put an end to the
 haunting4 ,they protested that they had
 not spoken to them at all4 ,the        
,capuchin father had everything picked  
up that was found about the house1      
wrapped up in packets1 and had them     
carried to his convent4  ,the following 
night1 two domestics tried to pass the  
night in the house1 but they were thrown
 out of their beds1 and constrained to  
go and sleep elsewhere4 ,after this1    
they sent for a peasant of the village  
of ,annanstorf1 who was considered a    

good exorcist4 ,he passed the night in  
the haunted house1 drinking1 singing1   
and shouting4 ,he received slaps and    
blows from a stick1 and was obliged to  
own that he could not prevail against   
the spirit4  ,the widow of an           
executioner presented herself then to   
perform the exorcisms2 she began by     
using fumigations in all parts of the   
dwelling1 to drive away the evil        
spirits4 ,but before she had finished   
these fumigations1 seeing that the      
master was struck in the face and on his
 body by the spirit1 she ran away from  
the house1 without asking for her pay4  
,they next called in the ,cur of        
,valburg1 who passed for a clever       
exorcist4 ,he came with four other      
secular curs1 and continued the         
exorcisms for three days1 without any   
success4 ,he withdrew to his parish1    
imputing the inutility of his prayers to
 the want of faith of those who were    
present4  ,during this time1 one of the 
four priests was struck with a knife1   

then with a fork1 but he was not hurt4  
,the son of ,sieur ,lahart1 master of   
the dwelling1 received upon his jaw a   
blow from a pascal taper1 which did him 
no harm4 ,all that being of no service1 
they sent for the executioners of the   
neighborhood4 ,two of the persons who   
went to fetch them were well thrashed   
and pelted with stones4 ,another had his
 thigh so tightly pressed that he felt  
the pain for a long time4 ,the          
executioners carefully collected all the
 packets they found wrapped up about the
 house1 and put others in their room2   
but the spirit took them up and threw   
them into the market-place4 ,after this1
 the executioners persuaded the ,sieur  
,lahart that he might boldly return with
 his people to the house2 he did so1 but
 the first night1 when they were at     
supper1 one of his workmen named        
,solomon was wounded on the foot1 and   
then followed a great effusion of blood4
 ,they then sent again for the          
executioner1 who appeared much surprised

 that the house was not yet entirely    
freed1 but at that moment he was himself
 attacked by a shower of stones1 boxes  
on the ears1 and other blows1 which     
constrained him to run away quickly4    
,some heretics in the neighborhood1     
being informed of all these things1 came
 one day to the bookseller's shop1 and  
upon attempting to read in a ,catholic  
,bible which was there1 were well boxed 
and beaten2 but having taken up a       
,calvinist ,bible1 they received no     
harm4 ,two men of ,constance having     
entered the bookseller's shop from sheer
 curiosity1 one of them was immediately 
thrown down upon the ground1 and the    
other ran away as fast as he could4     
,another person1 who had come in the    
same way from curiosity1 was punished   
for his presumption1 by having a        
quantity of water thrown upon him4 ,a   
young girl of ,ausburg1 a relation of   
the ,sieur ,lahart1 printer1 was chased 
away with violent blows1 and pursued    
even to the neighboring house1 where she

 entered4  ,at last the hauntings       
ceased1 on the #hth of ,february4 ,on   
that day the spectre opened the shop    
door1 went in1 deranged a few articles1 
went out1 shut the door1 and from that  
time nothing more was seen or heard of  
it4   ,footnotes3  #ehd ,homer de       
,hectore1 ,iliad ,,xxiv4 #daa4  #ehe    
,plutarch de ,alexandro in ejus ,vita4  
#ehf ,about the year #afhj2 he died     
after the year #afid4  #ehg ,causes     
,clbres1 tom4 viii4 p4 #ehe4  #ehh      
,plin4 ,hist4 ,natur4 lib4 vii4 c4 #eb4 
#ehi ,st4 ,gregor4 ,turon4 de ,gloria   
,martyr4 c4 #ie4  #eij ,i have touched  
upon this matter in a particular        
,dissertation at the ,head of the       
,gospel of ,st4 ,john4  #eia ,plato1 de 
,republ4 lib4 x42 ,clemens ,alexandr4   
lib4 v4 ,stromat4  #eib ,phleg4 de      
,mirabilis1 c4 #c4  #eic ,plutarch1 de  
,ser ,numinis ,vindicta4  #eid #a ,cor4 
xiii4 #b4  #eie ,aug4 lib4 xiv4 de      
,civit4 ,dei1 c4 #bd4     ,,chapter     
,,xlix4  ,,instance ,,of ,a ,,man       

,,named ,,curma ,,who ,,was ,,sent      
,,back ,,into ,,the ,,world4   ,st4     
,augustine relates on this subject1#eif 
that a countryman named ,curma1 who held
 a small place in the village of        
,tullia1 near ,hippoma1 having fallen   
sick1 remained for some days senseless  
and speechless1 having just respiration 
enough left to prevent their burying    
him4 ,at the end of several days he     
began to open his eyes1 and sent to ask 
what they were about in the house of    
another peasant of the same place1 and  
like himself named ,curma4 ,they brought
 him back word1 that he had just expired
 at the very moment that he himself had 
recovered and was resuscitated from his 
deep slumber4  ,then he began to talk1  
and related what he had seen and heard2 
that it was not ,curma the curial1#eig  
but ,curma the blacksmith1 who ought to 
have been brought2 he added1 that among 
those whom he had seen treated in       
different ways1 he had recognized some  
of his deceased acquaintance1 and other 

ecclesiastics1 who were still alive1 who
 had advised him to come to ,hippoma1   
and be baptized by the ,bishop          
,augustine2 that according to their     
advice he had received baptism in his   
vision2 that afterwards he had been     
introduced into ,paradise1 but that he  
had not remained there long1 and that   
they had told him that if he wished to  
dwell there1 he must be baptized4 ,he   
replied1 ,i am so2 but they told him1   
that he had been so only in a vision1   
and that he must go to ,hippoma to      
receive that sacrament in reality4 ,he  
came there as soon as he was cured1 and 
received the rite of baptism with the   
other catechumens4  ,st4 ,augustine was 
not informed of this adventure till     
about two years afterwards4 ,he sent for
 ,curma1 and learnt from his own lips   
what ,i have just related4 ,now it is   
certain that ,curma saw nothing with his
 bodily eyes of all that had been       
represented to him in his vision2       
neither the town of ,hippoma1 nor       

,bishop ,augustine1 nor the             
ecclesiastics who counseled him to be   
baptized1 nor the persons living and    
deceased whom he saw and recognized4 ,we
 may believe1 then1 that these things   
are effects of the power of ,god1 who   
makes use of the ministry of angels to  
warn1 console1 or alarm mortals1        
according as his judgment sees best4    
,st4 ,augustine inquires afterwards if  
the dead have any knowledge of what is  
passing in this world8 ,he doubts the   
fact1 and shows that at least they have 
no knowledge of it by ordinary and      
natural means4 ,he remarks1 that it is  
said ,god took ,josiah1 for instance1   
from this world1#eih that he might now  
witness the evil which was to befall his
 nation2 and we say every day1          
,such-a-one is happy to have left the   
world1 and so escaped feeling the       
miseries which have happened to his     
family or his country4 ,but if the dead 
know not what is passing in this world1 
how can they be troubled about their    

bodies being interred or not8 ,how do   
the saints hear our prayers8 and why do 
we ask them for their intercession8  ,it
 is then true that the dead can learn   
what is passing on the earth1 either by 
the agency of angels1 or by that of the 
dead who arrive in the other world1 or  
by the revelation of the ,spirit of     
,god1 who discovers to them what he     
judges proper1 and what it is expedient 
that they should learn4 ,god may also   
sometimes send men who have long been   
dead to living men1 as he permitted     
,moses and ,elias to appear at the      
,transfiguration of the ,lord1 and as an
 infinite number of the saints have     
appeared to the living4 ,the invocation 
of saints has always been taught and    
practised in the ,church2 whence we may 
infer that they hear our prayers1 are   
moved by our wants1 and can help us by  
their intercession4 ,but the way in     
which all that is done is not distinctly
 known2 neither reason nor revelation   
furnishes us with anything certain1 as  

to the means it pleases ,god to make use
 of to reveal our wants to them4        
,lucian1 in his dialogue entitled       
,philopseudes1 or the ,lover of         
,falsehood1 relates#eii something       
similar4 ,a man named ,eucrats1 having  
been taken down to hell1 was presented  
to ,pluto1 who was angry with him who   
presented him1 saying--,that man has not
 yet completed his course2 his turn has 
not yet come4 ,bring hither ,demilius1  
for the thread of his life is finished4 
,then they sent ,eucrats back to this   
world1 where he announced that ,demilius
 would die soon4 ,demilius lived near   
him1 and was already a little ill4  ,but
 a moment after they heard the noise of 
those who were bewailing his death4     
,lucian makes a jest of all that was    
said on this subject1 but he owns that  
it was the common opinion in his time4  
,he says in the same part of his work1  
that a man has been seen to come to life
 again after having been looked upon as 
dead during twenty days4  ,the story of 

,curma which we have just told1 reminds 
me of another very like it1 related by  
,plutarch in his ,book on the ,soul1 of 
a certain man named ,enarchus1#fjj who1 
being dead1 came to life again soon     
after1 and related that the demons who  
had taken away his soul were severely   
reprimanded by their chief1 who told    
them that they had made a mistake1 and  
that it was ,nicander1 and not ,enarchus
 whom they ought to bring4 ,he sent them
 for ,nicander1 who was directly seized 
with a fever1 and died during the day4  
,plutarch heard this from ,enarchus     
himself1 who to confirm what he had     
asserted said to him--,you will get well
 certainly1 and that very soon1 of the  
illness which has attacked you4  ,st4   
,gregory the ,great relates#fja         
something very similar to what we have  
just mentioned4 ,an illustrious man of  
rank named ,stephen well known to ,st4  
,gregory and ,peter his interlocutor1   
was accustomed to relate to him1 that   
going to ,constantinople on business he 

died there2 and as the doctor who was to
 embalm him was not in town that day1   
they were obliged to leave the body     
unburied that night4 ,during this       
interval ,stephen was led before the    
judge who presided in hell1 where he saw
 many things which he had heard of1 but 
did not believe4 ,when they brought him 
to the judge1 the latter refused to     
receive him1 saying1 ,it is not that man
 whom ,i commanded you to bring here1   
but ,stephen the blacksmith4 ,in        
consequence of this order the soul of   
the dead man was directly brought back  
to his body1 and at the same instant    
,stephen the blacksmith expired2 which  
confirmed all that the former had said  
of the other life4  ,the plague ravaging
 the city of ,rome in the time that     
,narses was governor of ,italy1 a young 
,livonian1 a shepherd by profession1 and
 of a good and quiet disposition1 was   
taken ill with the plague in the house  
of the advocate ,valerian1 his master4  
,just when they thought him all but     

dead1 he suddenly came to himself1 and  
related to them that he had been        
transported to heaven1 where he had     
learnt the names of those who were to   
die of the plague in his master's house2
 having named them to him1 he predicted 
to ,valerian that he should survive him2
 and to convince him that he was saying 
the truth1 he let him see that he had   
acquired by infusion the knowledge of   
several different languages2 in effect  
he who had never known how to speak any 
but the ,italian tongue1 spoke ,greek to
 his master1 and other languages to     
those who knew them4  ,after having     
lived in this state for two days1 he had
 fits of madness1 and having laid hold  
of his hands with his teeth1 he died a  
second time1 and was followed by those  
whom he had named4 ,his master1 who     
survived1 fully justified his           
prediction4 ,men and women who fall into
 trances remain sometimes for several   
days without food1 respiration1 or      
pulsation of the heart1 as if they were 

dead4 ,thauler1 a famous contemplative  
7philosopher7 maintains that a man may  
remain entranced during a week1 a month1
 or even a year4 ,we have seen an       
abbess1 who when in a trance1 into which
 she often fell1 lost the use of her    
natural functions1 and passed thirty    
days in that state without taking any   
nourishment1 and without sensation4     
,instances of these trances are not rare
 in the lives of the saints1 though they
 are not all of the same kind1 or       
duration4  ,women in hysterical fits    
remain likewise many days as if dead1   
speechless1 inert1 pulseless4 ,galen    
mentions a woman who was six days in    
this state4#fjb ,some of them pass ten  
whole days motionless1 senseless1       
without respiration and without food4   
,some persons who have seemed dead and  
motionless1 had however the sense of    
hearing very strong1 heard all that was 
said about themselves1 made efforts to  
speak and show that they were not dead1 
but who could neither speak1 nor give   

any signs of life4#fjc  ,i might here   
add an infinity of trances of saintly   
personages of both sexes1 who in their  
delight in ,god1 in prayer remained     
motionless1 without sensation1 almost   
breathless1 and who felt nothing of what
 was done to them1 or around them4      
,footnotes3  #eif ,august4 lib4 de ,cur 
pro ,mortuis1 c4 xii4 p4 #ebd4  #eig    
,curialis--this word signifies a small  
employment in a village4  #eih ,,iv4    
,reg4 #ah1 et4 seq4  #eii ,lucian1 in   
,phliopseud4 p4 #hcj4  #fjj ,plutarch1  
de ,anim1 apud ,eusebius de ,prp4       
,evang4 lib4 ii4 c4 #ah4  #fja ,gregor4 
,dial4 lib4 iv4 c4 #cf4  #fjb ,see the  
treatise on the ,uncertainty of the     
,signs of ,death1 tom4 ii4 pp4 #djd1    
#djg1 et seq4  #fjc ,ibid4 lib4 ii4 pp4 
#ejd1 #eje1 #ejf1 #ead4     ,,chapter   
,l4  ,,instances ,,of ,,persons ,,who   
,,could ,,fall ,,into ,a ,,trance ,,when
 ,,they ,,pleased1 ,,and ,,remained     
,,perfectly ,,senseless4   ,jerome      
,cardan says#fjd that he fell into a    

trance when he liked2 he owns that he   
does not know if1 like the priest       
,pretextat1 he should not feel great    
wounds or hurts1 but he did not feel the
 pain of the gout1 or the pulling him   
about4 ,he adds1 the priest of ,calama  
heard the voices of those who spoke     
aloud near him1 but as if from a        
distance4 ,for my part1 says ,cardan1 ,i
 hear the voice1 though slightly1 and   
without understanding what is said4 ,and
 when ,i wish to entrance myself1 ,i    
feel about my heart as it were a        
separation of the soul from the rest of 
my body1 and that communicates as if by 
a little door with all the machine1     
principally by the head and brain4 ,then
 ,i have no sensation except that of    
being beside myself4  ,we may report    
here what is related of the             
,laplanders1#fje who when they wish to  
learn something that is passing at a    
distance from the spot where they are1  
send their demon1 or their souls1 by    
means of certain magic ceremonies1 and  

by the sound of a drum which they beat1 
or upon a shield painted in a certain   
manner2 then on a sudden the ,laplander 
falls into a trance1 and remains as if  
lifeless and motionless sometimes during
 four-and-twenty hours4 ,but all this   
time some one must remain near him to   
prevent him from being touched1 or      
called2 even the movement of a fly would
 wake him1 and they say he would die    
directly or be carried away by the      
demon4 ,we have already mentioned this  
subject in the ,dissertation on         
,apparitions4  ,we have also remarked   
that serpents1 worms1 flies1 snails1    
marmots1 sloths1 c41 remain asleep      
during the winter1 and in blocks of     
stone have been found toads1 snakes1 and
 oysters alive1 which had been enclosed 
there for many years1 and perhaps for   
more than a century4 ,cardinal de ,retz 
relates in his ,memoirs1#fjf that being 
at ,minorca1 the governor of the island 
caused to be drawn up from the bottom of
 the sea by main force with cables1     

whole rocks1 which on being broken with 
maces1 enclosed living oysters1 that    
were served up to him at table1 and were
 found very good4  ,on the coasts of    
,malta1 ,sardinia1 ,italy1 c41 they find
 a fish called the ,dactylus1 or ,date1 
or ,dale1 because it resembles the      
palm-date in form2 this first insinuates
 itself into the stone by a hole not    
bigger than the hole made by a needle4  
,when he has got in he feeds upon the   
stone1 and grows so big that he cannot  
get out again1 unless the stone is      
broken and he is extricated4 ,then they 
wash it1 clean it1 and dress it for the 
table4 ,it has the shape of a date1 or  
of a finger2 whence its name of         
,dactylus1 which in ,greek signifies a  
finger4  ,again1 ,i imagine that in many
 persons death is caused by the         
coagulation of the blood1 which freezes 
and hardens in their veins1 as it       
happens with those who have eaten       
hemlock1 or who have been bitten by     
certain serpents2 but there are others  

whose death is caused by too great an   
ebullition of blood1 as in painful      
maladies1 and in certain poisons1 and   
even1 they say1 in certain kinds of     
plague1 and when people die a violent   
death1 or have been drowned4  ,the first
 mentioned cannot return to life without
 an evident miracle2 for that purpose   
the fluidity of the blood must be       
re-established1 and the peristaltic     
motion must be restored to the heart4   
,but in the second kind of death1 people
 can sometimes be restored without a    
miracle1 by taking away the obstacle    
which retards or suspends the           
palpitation of the heart1 as we see in  
time-pieces1 the action of which is     
restored by taking away anything foreign
 to the mechanism1 as a hair1 a bit of  
thread1 an atom1 some almost            
imperceptible body which stops them4    
,footnotes3  #fjd ,hieron4 ,cardanus1   
lib4 viii4 de ,varietate ,verum1 c4 #cd4
  #fje ,olaus ,magnus1 lib4 iii4        
,epitom4 ,hist4 ,septent4 ,perecer de   

,variis ,divinat4 ,generib4 p4 #bhb4    
#fjf ,memoirs of ,cardinal de ,retz1    
tom4 iii4 lib4 iv4 p4 #big4             
,,chapter ,,li4  ,,application ,,of     
,,the ,,preceding ,,instances ,,to      
,,vampires4   ,supposing these facts1   
which ,i believe to be incontestably    
true1 may we not imagine that the       
vampires of ,hungary1 ,silesia1 and     
,moldavia1 are some of those men who    
have died of maladies which heat the    
blood1 and who have retained some       
remains of life in their graves1 much   
like those animals which we have        
mentioned1 and those birds which plunge 
themselves during the winter in the     
lakes and marshes of ,poland1 and in the
 northern countries8 ,they are without  
respiration or motion1 but still not    
destitute of vitality4 ,they resume     
their motion and activity when1 on the  
return of spring1 the sun warms the     
waters1 or when they are brought near a 
moderate fire1 or laid in a room of     
temperate heat2 then they are seen to   

revive1 and perform their ordinary      
functions1 which had been suspended by  
the cold4  ,thus1 vampires in their     
graves returned to life after a certain 
time1 and their soul does not forsake   
them absolutely until after the entire  
dissolution of their body1 and when the 
organs of life1 being absolutely broken1
 corrupted1 and deranged1 they can no   
longer by their agency perform any vital
 functions4 ,whence it happens1 that the
 people of those countries impale them1 
cut off their heads1 burn them1 to      
deprive their spirit of all hope of     
animating them again1 and of making use 
of them to molest the living4           
,pliny1#fjg mentioning the soul of      
,hermotimes1 of ,lazomene1 which        
absented itself from his body1 and      
recounted various things that had been  
done afar off1 which the spirit said it 
had seen1 and which1 in fact1 could only
 be known to a person who had been      
present at them1 says that the enemies  
of ,hermotimes1 named ,cantandes1 burned

 that body1 which gave hardly any sign  
of life1 and thus deprived the soul of  
the means of returning to lodge in its  
envelop2 donec cremato corpore interim  
semianimi1 remeanti anim vetut vaginam  
ademerint4  ,origen had doubtless       
derived from the ancients what he       
teaches1#fjh that the souls which are of
 a spiritual nature take1 on leaving    
their earthly body1 another1 more       
subtile1 of a similar form to the       
grosser one they have just quitted1     
which serves them as a kind of sheath1  
or case1 and that it is invested with   
this subtile body that they sometimes   
appear about their graves4 ,he founds   
this opinion on what is said of ,lazarus
 and the rich man in the ,gospel1#fji   
who both of them have bodies1 since they
 speak and see1 and the wicked rich man 
asks for a drop of water to cool his    
tongue4  ,i do not defend this reasoning
 of ,origen2 but what he says of a      
subtile body1 which has the form of the 
earthly one which clothed the soul      

before death1 quite resembles the       
opinion of which we spoke in ,chapter   
,,iv4  ,that bodies which have died of  
violent maladies1 or which have been    
executed when full of health1 or have   
simply swooned1 should vegetate         
underground in their graves2 that their 
beards1 hair1 and nails should grow2    
that they should emit blood1 be supple  
and pliant2 that they should have no bad
 smell1 c4--all these things do not     
embarrass us3 the vegetation of the     
human body may produce all these        
effects4 ,that they should even eat and 
devour what is about them1 the madness  
with which a man interred alive must be 
transported when he awakes from his     
torpor1 or his swoon1 must naturally    
lead him to these violent excesses4 ,but
 the grand difficulty is to explain how 
the vampires come out of their graves to
 haunt the living1 and how they return  
to them again4 ,for all the accounts    
that we see suppose the thing as        
certain1 without informing us either of 

the way or the circumstances1 which     
would1 however1 be the most interesting 
part of the narrative4  ,how a body     
covered with four or five feet of earth1
 having no room to move about and       
disengage itself1 wrapped up in linen1  
covered with pitch1 can make its way    
out1 and come back upon the earth1 and  
there occasion such effects as are      
related of it2 and how after that it    
returns to its former state1 and        
re-enters underground1 where it is found
 sound1 whole1 and full of blood1 and in
 the same condition as a living body8   
,will it be said that these bodies      
evaporate through the ground without    
opening it1 like the water and vapors   
which enter into the earth1 or proceed  
from it1 without sensibly deranging its 
particles8 ,it were to be wished that   
the accounts which have been given us   
concerning the return of the vampires   
had been more minute in their           
explanations of this subject4           
,supposing that their bodies do not stir

 from their graves1 that it is only     
their phantoms which appear to the      
living1 what cause produces and animates
 these phantoms8 ,can it be the spirit  
of the defunct1 which has not yet       
forsaken them1 or some demon1 which     
makes their apparition in a fantastic   
and borrowed body8 ,and if these bodies 
are merely phantomic1 how can they suck 
the blood of living people8 ,we always  
find ourselves in a difficulty to know  
if these appearances are natural or     
miraculous4  ,a sensible priest related 
to me1 a little while ago1 that1        
traveling in ,moravia1 he was invited by
 ,m4 ,jeanin1 a canon of the cathedral  
at ,olmutz1 to accompany him to their   
village1 called ,liebava1 where he had  
been appointed commissioner by the      
consistory of the bishopric1 to take    
information concerning the fact of a    
certain famous vampire1 which had caused
 much confusion in this village of      
,liebava some years before4  ,the case  
proceeded4 ,they heard the witnesses1   

they observed the usual forms of the    
law4 ,the witnesses deposed that a      
certain notable inhabitant of ,liebava  
had often disturbed the living in their 
beds at night1 that he had come out of  
the cemetery1 and had appeared in       
several houses three or four years ago2 
that his troublesome visits had ceased  
because a ,hungarian stranger1 passing  
through the village at the time of these
 reports1 had boasted that he could put 
an end to them1 and make the vampire    
disappear4 ,to perform his promise1 he  
mounted on the church steeple1 and      
observed the moment when the vampire    
came out of his grave1 leaving near it  
the linen clothes in which he had been  
enveloped1 and then went to disturb the 
inhabitants of the village4  ,the       
,hungarian1 having seen him come out of 
his grave1 went down quickly from the   
steeple1 took up the linen envelops of  
the vampire1 and carried them with him  
up the tower4 ,the vampire having       
returned from his prowlings1 cried      

loudly against the ,hungarian1 who made 
him a sign from the top of the tower    
that if he wished to have his clothes   
again he must fetch them2 the vampire   
began to ascend the steeple1 but the    
,hungarian threw him down backwards from
 the ladder1 and cut his head off with a
 spade4 ,such was the end of this       
tragedy4  ,the person who related this  
story to me saw nothing1 neither did the
 noble who had been sent as             
commissioner2 they only heard the report
 of the peasants of the place1 people   
extremely ignorant1 superstitious and   
credulous1 and most exceedingly         
prejudiced on the subject of vampirism4 
,but supposing that there be any reality
 in the fact of these apparitions of    
vampires1 shall they be attributed to   
,god1 to angels1 to the spirits of these
 ghosts1 or to the devil8 ,in this last 
case1 will it be said that the devil    
will subtilize these bodies1 and give   
them power to penetrate through the     
ground without disturbing1 to glide     

through the cracks and joints of a door1
 to pass through a keyhole1 to lengthen 
or shorten themselves1 to reduce        
themselves to the nature of air1 or     
water1 to evaporate through the         
ground--in short1 to put them in the    
same state in which we believe the      
bodies of the blessed will be after the 
resurrection1 and in which was that of  
our ,saviour after his resurrection1 who
 showed himself only to those whom he   
thought proper1 and who without opening 
the doors1#faj appeared suddenly in the 
midst of his disciples4  ,but should it 
be allowed that the demon could         
reanimate these bodies1 and give them   
the power of motion for a time1 could he
 also lengthen1 diminish1 rarefy1       
subtilize the bodies of these ghosts1   
and give them the faculty of penetrating
 through the ground1 the doors and      
windows8 ,there is no appearance of his 
having received this power from ,god1   
and we cannot even conceive that an     
earthly body1 material and gross1 can be

 reduced to that state of subtility and 
spiritualization without destroying the 
configuration of its parts and spoiling 
the economy of its structure2 which     
would be contrary to the intention of   
the demon1 and render this body         
incapable of appearing1 showing itself1 
acting and speaking1 and1 in short1 of  
being cut to pieces and burned1 as is   
commonly seen and practiced in ,moravia1
 ,poland1 and ,silesia4 ,these          
difficulties exist in regard to those   
persons of whom we have made mention1   
who1 being excommunicated1 rose from    
their tombs1 and left the church in     
sight of everybody4  ,we must then keep 
silence on this article1 since it has   
not pleased ,god to reveal to us either 
the extent of the demon's power1 or the 
way in which these things can be done4  
,there is even much appearance of       
illusion2 and even if some reality were 
mixed up with it1 we may easily console 
ourselves for our ignorance in that     
respect1 since there are so many natural

 things which take place within us and  
around us1 of which the cause and manner
 are unknown to us4   ,footnotes3  #fjg 
,plin4 ,hist4 ,natur4 lib4 vii4 c4 #eb4 
#fjh ,orig4 de ,resurrect4 ,fragment4   
lib4 i4 p4 #ce4 ,nov4 edit4 ,et contra  
,celsum1 lib4 vii4 p4 #fgi4  #fji ,luke 
xvi4 #bb1 #bc4  #faj ,john xx4 #bf4     
,,chapter ,,lii4  ,,examination ,,of    
,,the ,,opinion ,,that ,,the ,,demon    
,,fascinates ,,the ,,eyes ,,of ,,those  
,,to ,,whom ,,vampires ,,appear4        
,those who have recourse to the         
fascination of the senses to explain    
what is related concerning the          
apparition of vampires1 throw themselves
 into as great a perplexity as those who
 acknowledge sincerely the reality of   
these events2 for fascination consists  
either in the suspension of the senses1 
which cannot see what is passing before 
their sight1 like that with which the   
men of ,sodom were struck#faa when they 
could not discover the door of ,lot's   
house1 though it was before their eyes2 

or that of the disciples at ,emmaus1 of 
whom it is said that their eyes were    
holden1 so that they might not recognize
 ,jesus ,christ1 who was talking with   
them on the way1 and whom they knew not 
again until the breaking of the bread   
revealed him to them2#fab--or else it   
consists in an object being represented 
to the senses in a different form from  
that it wears in reality1 as that of the
 ,moabites1#fac who believed they saw   
the waters tinged with the blood of the 
,israelites1 although nothing was there 
but the simple waters1 on which the rays
 of the sun being reflected1 gave them a
 reddish hue2 or that of the ,syrian    
soldiers sent to take ,elisha1#fad who  
were led by this prophet into ,samaria1 
without their recognising either the    
prophet or the city4  ,this fascination1
 in what way soever it may be conceived1
 is certainly above the usual power     
known unto man1 consequently man cannot 
naturally produce it2 but is it above   
the natural powers of an angel or a     

demon8 ,that is what is unknown to us1  
and obliges us to suspend our judgment  
on this question4  ,there is another    
kind of fascination1 which consists in  
this1 that the sight of a person or a   
thing1 the praise bestowed upon them1   
the envy felt towards them1 produce in  
the object certain bad effects1 against 
which the ancients took great care to   
guard themselves and their children1 by 
making them wear round their necks      
preservatives1 or amulets1 or charms4   
,a great number of passages on this     
subject might be cited from the ,greek  
and ,latin authors2 and ,i find that at 
this day1 in various parts of           
,christendom1 people are persuaded of   
the efficacy of these fascinations4 ,but
 we must own three things2 first1 that  
the effect of these pretended           
fascinations 7or spells7 is very        
doubtful2 the second1 that if it were   
certain1 it is very difficult1 not to   
say impossible1 to explain it2 and      
lastly1 that it cannot be rationally    

applied to the matter of apparitions or 
of vampires4  ,if the vampires or ghosts
 are not really resuscitated nor their  
bodies spiritualized and subtilized1 as 
we believe we have proved1 and if our   
senses are not deceived by fascination1 
as we have just seen it1 ,i doubt if    
there be any other way to act on this   
question than to absolutely deny the    
return of these vampires1 or to believe 
that they are only asleep or torpid2 for
 if they truly are resuscitated1 and if 
what is told of their return be true--if
 they speak1 act1 reason1 if they suck  
the blood of the living1 they must know 
what passes in the other world1 and they
 ought to inform their relations and    
friends of it1 and that is what they do 
not4 ,on the contrary1 they treat them  
as enemies2 torment them1 take away     
their life1 suck their blood1 cause them
 to die with lassitude4  ,if they are   
predestinated and blessed1 whence       
happens it that they disturb and torment
 the living1 their nearest relations1   

their children1 and all that for        
nothing1 and simply for the sake of     
doing harm8 ,if these are persons who   
have still something to expiate in      
purgatory1 and who require the prayers  
of the living1 why do they not explain  
their condition8 ,if they are reprobate 
and condemned1 what have they to do on  
this earth8 ,can we conceive that ,god  
allows them thus to come without reason 
or necessity and molest their families1 
and even cause their death8  ,if these  
revenans are really dead1 whatever state
 they may be in in the other world1 they
 play a very bad part here1 and keep it 
up still worse4   ,footnotes3  #faa     
,gen4 xix4 #b4  #fab ,luke xxiv4 #af4   
#fac #b ,kings iii4 #bc4  #fad #b ,kings
 iv4 #ai1 #bj4     ,,chapter ,,liii4    
,,instances ,,of ,,persons              
,,resuscitated1 ,,who ,,relate ,,what   
,,they ,,have ,,seen ,,in ,,the ,,other 
,,world4   ,we have just seen that the  
vampires never speak of the other world1
 nor ask for either masses or prayers1  

nor give any warning to the living to   
lead them to correct their morals1 or   
bring them to a better life4 ,it is     
surely very prejudicial to the reality  
of their return from the other world2   
but their silence on that head may favor
 the opinion which supposes that they   
are not really dead4  ,it is true that  
we do not read either that ,lazarus1    
resuscitated by ,jesus ,christ1#fae nor 
the son of the widow of ,nain1#faf nor  
that of the woman of ,shunam1 brought to
 life by ,elisha1#fag nor that          
,israelite who came to life by simply   
touching the body of the same prophet   
,elisha1#fah after their resurrection   
revealed anything to mankind of the     
state of souls in the other world4  ,but
 we see in the ,gospel#fai that the bad 
rich man1 having begged of ,abraham to  
permit him to send some one to this     
world to warn his brethren to lead a    
better life1 and take care not to fall  
into the unhappy condition in which he  
found himself1 was answered1 ,they have 

the law and the prophets1 they can      
listen to them and follow their         
instructions4 ,and as the rich man      
persisted1 saying--,if some one went to 
them from the other world1 they would be
 more impressed1 ,abraham replied1 ,if  
they will not hear ,moses and the       
prophets1 neither will they attend the  
more though one should go to them from  
the dead4 ,the dead man resuscitated by 
,st4 ,stanislaus replied in the same    
manner to those who asked him to give   
them news of the other world--,you have 
the law1 the prophets1 and the          
,gospel--hear them6  ,the deceased      
,pagans who have returned to life1 and  
some ,christians who have likewise      
returned to the world by a kind of      
resurrection1 and who have seen what    
passed beyond the bounds of this world1 
have not kept silence on the subject4   
,they have related at length what they  
saw and heard on leaving their bodies4  
,we have already touched upon the story 
of a man named ,eros1 of the country of 

,pamphilia1#fbj who1 having been wounded
 in battle1 was found ten days after    
amongst the dead4 ,they carried him     
senseless and motionless into the house4
 ,two days afterwards1 when they were   
about to place him on the funeral pile  
to burn his body1 he revived1 began to  
speak1 and to relate in what manner     
people were lodged after their death1   
and how the good were rewarded and the  
wicked punished and tormented4  ,he said
 that his soul1 being separated from his
 body1 went with a large company to a   
very agreeable place1 where they saw as 
it were two great openings1 which gave  
entrance to those who came from earth1  
and two others to go to heaven4 ,he saw 
at this same place judges who examined  
those arrived from this world1 and sent 
up to the right those who had lived     
well1 and sent down to the left those   
who had been guilty of crimes4 ,each of 
them bore upon his back a label on which
 was written what he had done well or   
ill1 the reason of his condemnation or  

his absolution4  ,when it came to the   
turn of ,eros1 the judges told him that 
he must return to earth1 to announce to 
men what passed in the other world1 and 
that he must well observe everything1 in
 order to be able to render a faithful  
account to the living4 ,thus he         
witnessed the miserable state of the    
wicked1 which was to last a thousand    
years1 and the delights enjoyed by the  
just2 that both the good and the bad    
received the reward or the punishment of
 their good or bad deeds1 ten times     
greater than the measure of their crimes
 or of all their virtues4  ,he remarked 
amongst other things1 that the judges   
inquired where was a certain man named  
,andus1 celebrated in all ,pamphylia for
 his crimes and tyranny4 ,they were     
answered that he was not yet come1 and  
that he would not be there2 in fact1    
having presented himself with much      
trouble1 and by making great efforts1 at
 the grand opening before mentioned1 he 
was repulsed and sent back to go below  

with other scoundrels like himself1 whom
 they tortured in a thousand different  
ways1 and who were always violently     
repulsed1 whenever they tried to        
reascend4  ,he saw1 moreover1 the three 
,fates1 daughters of ,necessity or      
,destiny4 ,these are1 ,lachesis1        
,clotho1 and ,atropos4 ,lachesis        
announced the past1 ,clotho the present1
 and ,atropos the future4 ,the souls    
were obliged to appear before these     
three goddesses4 ,lachesis cast the lots
 upwards1 and every soul laid hold of   
the one which it could reach2 which1    
however1 did not prevent them still from
 sometimes missing the kind of life     
which was most conformable to justice   
and reason4  ,eros added that he had    
remarked some of the souls who sought to
 enter into animals2 for instance1      
,orpheus1 from hatred to the female sex1
 who had killed him 7by tearing him to  
pieces71 entered into a swan1 and       
,thamaris into a nightingale4 ,ajax1 the
 son of ,telamon1 chose the body of a   

lion1 from detestation of the injustice 
of the ,greeks1 who had refused to let  
him have the arms of ,hector1 which he  
asserted were his due4 ,agamemnon1      
grieved at the crosses he had endured in
 this life1 chose the form of the eagle4
 ,atalanta chose the life of the        
athletics1 delighted with the honors    
heaped upon them4 ,thersites1 the       
ugliest of mortals1 chose the form of an
 ape4 ,ulysses1 weary of the miseries he
 had suffered upon earth1 asked to live 
quietly as a private man4 ,he had some  
trouble to find a lot for that kind of  
life2 but he found it at last thrown    
down on the ground and neglected1 and he
 joyfully snatched it up4  ,eros        
affirmed also that the souls of some    
animals entered into the bodies of men2 
and by the contrary rule1 the souls of  
the wicked took possession of savage and
 cruel beasts1 and the souls of just men
 of those animals which are gentle1     
tame1 and domestic4  ,after these       
various metempsychoses1 ,lachesis gave  

to each his guardian or defender1 who   
guided and guarded him during the course
 of his life4 ,eros was then led to the 
river of oblivion 7,lethe71 which takes 
away all memory of the past1 but he was 
prevented from drinking of its water4   
,lastly1 he said he could not tell how  
he came back to life4  ,plato1 after    
having related this fable1 as he terms  
it1 or this apologue1 concludes from it 
that the soul is immortal1 and that to  
gain a blessed life we must live        
uprightly1 which will lead us to heaven1
 where we shall enjoy that beatitude of 
a thousand years which is promised us4  
,we see by this1 #a4 ,that a man may    
live a good while without eating or     
breathing1 or giving any sign or life4  
#b4 ,that the ,greeks believed in the   
metempsychosis1 in a state of beatitude 
for the just1 and pains of a thousand   
years duration for the wicked4 #c4 ,that
 destiny does not hinder a man from     
doing either good or evil4 #d4 ,that he 
had a genius1 or an angel1 who guided   

and protected him4 ,they believed in    
judgment after death1 and that the souls
 of the just were received into what    
they called the ,elysian ,fields4       
,footnotes3  #fae ,john xi4 #ad4  #faf  
,luke vii4 #aa1 #ab4  #fag #b ,kings iv4
 #be4  #fah #b ,kings xiii4 #ba4  #fai  
,luke xvi4 #bd4  #fbj ,plato1 lib4 x4 de
 ,rep4 p4 #fad4     ,,chapter ,,liv4    
,,the ,,traditions ,,of ,,the ,,pagans  
,,concerning ,,the ,,future ,,life ,,are
 ,,derived ,,from ,,the ,,hebrews ,,and 
,,egyptians4   ,all these traditions are
 clearly to be found in ,homer1 ,virgil1
 and other ,greek and ,latin authors2   
they were doubtless originally derived  
from the ,hebrews1 or rather the        
,egyptians1 from whom the ,greeks took  
their religion1 which they arranged to  
their own taste4 ,the ,hebrews speak of 
the ,rephaims1#fba of the impious giants
 who groan under the waters4 ,solomon   
says#fbb that the wicked shall go down  
to the abyss1 or hell1 with the         
,rephaims4 ,isaiah1 describing the      

arrival of the ,king of ,babylon in     
hell1 says#fbc that the giants have     
raised themselves up to meet him with   
honor1 and have said unto him1 thou has 
been pierced with wounds even as we are2
 thy pride has been precipitated into   
hell4 ,thy bed shall be of rottenness1  
and thy covering of worms4 ,ezekiel     
describes#fbd in the same manner the    
descent of the ,king of ,assyria into   
hell--,in the day that ,ahasuerus went  
down into hell1 ,i commanded a general  
mourning2 for him ,i closed up the      
abyss1 and arrested the course of the   
waters4 ,you are at last brought down to
 the bottom of the earth with the trees 
of ,eden2 you will rest there with all  
those who have been killed by the sword2
 there is ,pharaoh with all his host1 c4
 ,in the ,gospel1#fbe there is a great  
gulf between the bosom of ,abraham and  
the abode of the bad rich man1 and of   
those who resemble him4  ,the ,egyptians
 called ,amenths1 that is to say1 he who
 receives and gives1 what the ,greeks   

named ,hades1 or hell1 or the kingdom of
 ,hades1 or ,pluto4 ,they believed that 
,amenths received the souls of men when 
they died1 and restored them to them    
when they returned to the world2 that   
when a man died1 his soul passed into   
the body of some other animal by        
metempsychosis2 first of all into a     
terrestrial animal1 then into one that  
was aquatic1 afterwards into the body of
 a bird1 and lastly1 after having       
animated all sorts of animals1 he       
returned at the end of three thousand   
years to the body of a man4  ,it is from
 the ,egyptians that ,orpheus1 ,homer1  
and the other ,greeks derived the idea  
of the immortality of the soul1 as well 
as the cave of the ,nymphs described by 
,homer1 who says there are two gates1   
the one to the north1 through which the 
soul enters the cavern1 and the other to
 the south1 by which they leave the     
nymphic abode4  ,a certain ,thespisius1 
a native of ,soloe in ,cilicia1 well    
known to ,plutarch1#fbf having passed a 

great part of his life in debauchery1   
and ruined himself entirely1 in order to
 gain a livelihood lent himself to      
everything that was bad1 and contrived  
to amass money4 ,having sent to consult 
the oracle of ,amphilochus1 he received 
for answer1 that his affairs would go on
 better after his death4 ,a short time  
after1 he fell from the top of his      
house1 broke his neck1 and died4 ,three 
days after1 when they were about to     
perform the funeral obsequies1 he came  
to life again1 and changed his way of   
life so greatly that there was not in   
,cilicia a worthier or more pious man   
than himself4  ,as they asked him the   
reason of such a change1 he said that at
 the moment of his fall he felt the same
 as a pilot who is thrown back from the 
top of the helm into the sea2 after     
which1 his soul was sensible of being   
raised as high as the stars1 of which he
 admired the immense size and admirable 
lustre2 that the souls once out of the  
body rise into the air1 and are enclosed

 in a kind of globe1 or inflamed vortex1
 whence having escaped1 some rise on    
high with incredible rapidity1 while    
others whirl about the air1 and are     
thrown in divers directions1 sometimes  
up and sometimes down4  ,the greater    
part appeared to him very much          
perplexed1 and uttered groans and       
frightful wailings2 others1 but in a    
less number1 rose and rejoiced with     
their fellows4 ,at last he learnt that  
,adrastia1 the daughter of ,jupiter and 
,necessity1 left nothing unpunished1 and
 that she treated every one according to
 their merit4 ,he then details all he   
saw at full length1 and relates the     
various punishments with which the bad  
are tormented in the next world4  ,he   
adds that a man of his acquaintance said
 to him1 ,you are not dead1 but by      
,god's permission your soul is come into
 this place1 and has left your body with
 all its faculties4 ,at last he was sent
 back into his body as through a        
channel1 and urged on by an impetuous   

breeze4  ,we may make two reflections on
 this recital2 the first on this soul1  
which quits its body for three days and 
then comes back to reanimate it2 the    
second1 on the certainty of the oracle1 
which promised ,thespisius a happier    
life when he should be dead4  ,in the   
,sicilian war#fbg between ,csar and     
,pompey1 ,gabienus1 commander of ,csar's
 fleet1 having been taken1 was beheaded 
by order of ,pompey4 ,he remained all   
day on the sea-shore1 his head only held
 on to his body by a fillet4 ,towards   
evening he begged that ,pompey or some  
of his people might come to him1 because
 he came from the shades1 and he had    
things of consequence to impart to him4 
,pompey sent to him several of his      
friends1 to whom ,gabienus declared that
 the gods of the infernal regions       
favored the cause and the party of      
,pompey1 and that he would succeed      
according to his wishes2 that he was    
ordered to announce this1 and as a proof
 of the truth of what ,i say1 ,i must   

die directly1 which happened4 ,but we do
 not see that ,pompey's party succeeded2
 we know1 on the contrary1 that it fell1
 and ,csar was victorious4 ,but the ,god
 of the infernal regions1 that is to    
say1 the devil1 found it very good for  
him1 since it sent him so many unhappy  
victims of revenge and ambition4#fbh    
,footnotes3  #fba ,job xxvi4 #e4  #fbb  
,prov4 ix4 #ah4  #fbc ,isa4 xix4 #i1 et 
seq4  #fbd ,ezek4 xxxi4 #ae4  #fbe ,luke
 xvi4 #bf4  #fbf ,plutarch1 de his qui  
misero  ,numine puniuntur4  #fbg ,plin4 
,hist4 ,natur4 lib4 vii4 c4 #eb4  #fbh  
,this story is related before1 and is   
here related on account of the bearing  
it has on the subject of this chapter4  
,,chapter ,,lv4  ,,instances ,,of       
,,christians ,,who ,,have ,,been        
,,resuscitated ,,and ,,sent ,,back ,,to 
,,the ,,world--,,vision ,,of ,,vetinus1 
,a ,,monk ,,of ,,augia4   ,we read in an
 old work1 written in the time of ,st4  
,augustine1#fbi that a man having been  
crushed by a wall which fell upon him1  

his wife ran to the church to invoke    
,st4 ,stephen whilst they were preparing
 to bury the man who was supposed to be 
dead4 ,suddenly they saw him open his   
eyes1 and move his body2 and after a    
time he sat up1 and related that his    
soul1 having quitted his body1 had met a
 crowd of other souls of dead persons1  
some of whom he knew1 and others he did 
not2 that a young man1 in a deacon's    
habit1 having entered the room where he 
was1 put aside all those souls1 and said
 to them three times1 ,return what you  
have received4 ,he understood at last   
that he meant the creed1 which he       
recited instantly2 and also the ,lord's 
,prayer2 then the deacon 7,st4 ,stephen7
 made the sign of the cross upon his    
heart1 and told him to rise in perfect  
health4 ,a young man1#fcj a catechumen1 
who had been dead for three days1 and   
was brought back to life by the prayers 
of ,st4 ,martin1 related that after his 
death he had been presented before the  
tribunal of the ,sovereign ,judge1 who  

had condemned him1 and sent him with a  
crowd of others into a dark place2 and  
then two angels1 having represented to  
the ,judge that he was a man for whom   
,st4 ,martin had interceded1 the ,judge 
commanded the angels to send him back to
 earth1 and restore him to ,st4 ,martin1
 which was done4 ,he was baptized1 and  
lived a long time afterwards4  ,st4     
,salvius1 ,bishop of ,albi1#fca having  
been seized with a violent fever1 was   
thought to be dead4 ,they washed him1   
clothed him1 laid him on a bier1 and    
passed the night in prayer by him3 the  
next morning he was seen to move2 he    
appeared to awake from a deep sleep1    
opened his eyes1 and raising his hand   
towards heaven said1 ,ah6 ,lord1 why    
hast thou sent me back to this gloomy   
abode8 ,he rose completely cured1 but   
would then reveal nothing4  ,some days  
after1 he related how two angels had    
carried him to heaven1 where he had seen
 the glory of ,paradise1 and had been   
sent back against his will to live some 

time longer on earth4 ,st4 ,gregory of  
,tours takes ,god to witness that he    
heard this history from the mouth of    
,st4 ,salvius himself4  ,a monk of      
,augia1 named ,vetinus1 or ,guetinus1   
who was living in #hbd1 was ill1 and    
lying upon his couch with his eyes shut2
 but not being quite asleep1 he saw a   
demon in the shape of a priest1 most    
horribly deformed1 who1 showing him some
 instruments of torture which he held in
 his hand1 threatened to make him soon  
feel the rigorous effects of them4 ,at  
the same time he saw a multitude of evil
 spirits enter his chamber1 carrying    
tools1 as if to build him a tomb or a   
coffin1 and enclose him in it4          
,immediately he saw appear some serious 
and grave-looking personages1 wearing   
religious habits1 who chased these      
demons away2 and then ,vetinus saw an   
angel1 surrounded with a blaze of light1
 who came to the foot of the bed1 and   
conducted him by a path between         
mountains of an extraordinary height1 at

 the foot of which flowed a large river1
 in which he beheld a multitude of the  
damned1 who were suffering diverse      
torments1 according to the kind and     
enormity of their crimes4 ,he saw       
amongst them many of his acquaintance2  
amongst others1 some prelates and       
priests1 guilty of incontinence1 who    
were tied with their backs to stakes1   
and burned by a fire lighted under them2
 the women1 their companions in crime1  
suffering the same torment opposite to  
them4  ,he beheld there also1 a monk who
 had given himself up to avarice1 and   
possessed money of his own1 who was to  
expiate his crime in a leaden coffin    
till the day of judgment4 ,he remarked  
there abbots and bishops1 and even the  
,emperor ,charlemagne1 who were         
expiating their faults by fire1 but were
 to be released from it after a certain 
time4 ,he remarked there also the abode 
of the blessed in heaven1 each one in   
his place1 and according to his merits4 
,the ,angel of the ,lord after this     

revealed to him the crimes which were   
the most common1 and the most odious in 
the eyes of ,god4 ,he mentioned sodomy  
in particular1 as the most abominable   
crime4  ,after the service for the      
night1 the abbot came to visit the sick 
man1 who related this vision to him in  
full1 and the abbot had it written down 
directly4 ,vetinus lived two days       
longer1 and having predicted that he had
 only the third day to live1 he         
recommended himself to the prayers of   
the monks1 received the holy viaticum1  
and died in peace1 the #cast of         
,october1 #hbd4   ,footnotes3  #fbi     
,lib4 i4 de ,miracul4 ,sancti ,stephani1
 cap4 #d4 p4 #bh4 ,lib4 vii4 ,oper4 ,st4
 ,aug4 in ,appendice4  #fcj ,sulpit4    
,sever4 in ,vit ,s4 ,martini1 cap4 #c4  
#fca ,gregor4 ,turon4 lib4 vii4 c4 #a4  
,,chapter ,,lvi4  ,,the ,,vision ,,of   
,,bertholdus1 ,,as ,,related ,,by       
,,hincmar1 ,,archbishop ,,of ,,rheims4  
,the famous ,hincmar1#fcb ,archbishop of
 ,rheims1 in a circular letter which he 

wrote to the bishops1 his suffragans1   
and the faithful of his diocese1        
relates1 that a man named ,bertholdus1  
with whom he was acquainted1 having     
fallen ill1 and received all the        
sacraments1 remained during four days   
without taking any food4 ,on the fourth 
day he was so weak that there was hardly
 a feeble palpitation and respiration   
found in him4 ,about midnight he called 
to his wife1 and told her to send       
quickly for his confessor4  ,the priest 
was as yet only in the court before the 
house1 when ,bertholdus said1 ,place a  
seat here1 for the priest is coming4 ,he
 entered the room and said some prayers1
 to which ,bertholdus uttered the       
responses1 and then related to him the  
vision he had had4 ,on leaving this     
world1 said he1 ,i saw forty-one        
bishops1 amongst whom were ,ebonius1    
,leopardellus1 ,eneas1 who were clothed 
in coarse black garments1 dirty1 and    
singed by the flames4 ,as for           
themselves1 they were sometimes burned  

by the flames1 and at others frozen with
 insupportable cold4 ,ebonius said to   
him1 ,go to my clergy and my friends1   
and tell them to offer for us the holy  
sacrifice4 ,bertholdus obeyed1 and      
returning to the place where he had seen
 the bishops1 he found them well        
clothed1 shaved1 bathed1 and rejoicing4 
,a little farther on1 he met ,king      
,charles1#fcc who was as if eaten by    
worms4 ,this prince begged him to go and
 tell ,hincmar to relieve his misery4   
,hincmar said mass for him1 and ,king   
,charles found relief4 ,after that he   
saw ,bishop ,jess1 of ,orleans1 who was 
over a well1 and four demons plunged him
 into boiling pitch1 and then threw him 
into icy water4 ,they prayed for him1   
and he was relieved4 ,he then saw the   
,count ,othaire1 who was likewise in    
torment4 ,bertholdus begged the wife of 
,othaire1 with his vassals and friends1 
to pray for him1 and give alms1 and he  
was delivered from his torments4        
,bertholdus after that received the holy

 communion1 and began to find himself   
better1 with the hope of living fourteen
 years longer1 as he had been promised  
by his guide1 who had shown him all that
 we have just related4   ,footnotes3    
#fcb ,hincmar1 lib4 ii4 p4 #hje4  #fcc  
,apparently ,charles the ,bald1 who died
 in #hge4     ,,chapter ,,lvii4  ,,the  
,,vision ,,of ,,saint ,,fursius4   ,the 
,life of ,st4 ,fursius1#fcd written a   
short time after his death1 which       
happened about the year #fec1 reports   
several visions seen by this holy man4  
,being grievously ill1 and unable to    
stir1 he saw himself in the midst of the
 darkness raised up1 as it were1 by the 
hands of three angels1 who carried him  
out of the world1 then brought him back 
to it1 and made his soul re-enter his   
body1 to complete the destination       
assigned him by ,god4 ,then he found    
himself in the midst of several people1 
who wept for him as if he were dead1 and
 told him how1 the day before1 he had   
fallen down in a swoon1 so that they    

believed him to be dead4 ,he could have 
wished to have some intelligent persons 
about him to relate to them what he had 
seen2 but having no one near him but    
rustics1 he asked for and received the  
communion of the body and blood of the  
,saviour1 and continued three days      
longer awake4  ,the following ,tuesday1 
he fell into a similar swoon1 in the    
middle of the night2 his feet became    
cold1 and raising his hands to pray1 he 
received death with joy4 ,then he saw   
the same three angels descend who had   
already guided him4 ,they raised him as 
the first time1 but instead of the      
agreeable and melodious songs which he  
had then heard1 he could now hear only  
the frightful howlings of the demons1   
who began to fight against him1 and     
shoot inflamed darts at him4 ,the ,angel
 of the ,lord received them on his      
buckler1 and extinguished them4 ,the    
devil reproached ,fursius with some bad 
thoughts1 and some human weaknesses1 but
 the angels defended him1 saying1 ,if he

 has not committed any capital sins1 he 
shall not perish4  ,as the devil could  
not reproach him with anything that was 
worthy of eternal death1 he saw two     
saints from his own country--,st4 ,ban  
and ,st4 ,medan1 who comforted him and  
announced to him the evils with which   
,god would punish mankind1 principally  
because of the sins of the doctors or   
learned men of the church1 and the      
princes who governed the people2--the   
doctors for neglecting to declare the   
word of ,god1 and the princes for the   
bad examples they gave their people4    
,after which1 they sent him back into   
his body again4 ,he returned into it    
with repugnance1 and began to relate all
 that he had seen2 they poured spring   
water upon his body1 and he felt a great
 warmth between his shoulders4 ,after   
this1 he began to preach throughout     
,hibernia2 and the ,venerable ,bede#fce 
says that there was in his monastery an 
aged monk who said that he had learned  
from a grave personage well worthy of   

belief1 that he had heard these visions 
described by ,st4 ,fursius himself4     
,this saint had not the least doubt that
 his soul was really separated from his 
body1 when he was carried away in his   
trance4   ,footnotes3  #fcd ,vita ,sti4 
,fursci1 apud ,bolland4 #af ,januarii1  
pp4 #cg1 #ch4 ,item1 pp4 #dg1 #dh4      
,scul4 xi4 ,bened4 p4 #bii4  #fce ,bede1
 lib4 iii4 ,hist4 c4 #ai4     ,,chapter 
,,lviii4  ,,vision ,,of ,a ,,protestant 
,,of ,,york1 ,,and ,,others4   ,here is 
another instance1 which happened in     
#afih to one of the so-called reformed  
religion4#fcf ,a minister of the county 
of ,york1 at a place called ,hipley1 and
 whose name was ,henry ,vatz 7,watts71  
being struck with apoplexy the #aeth of 
,august1 was on the #agth placed in a   
coffin to be buried4 ,but as they were  
about to put him in the grave1 he       
uttered a loud cry1 which frightened all
 the persons who had attended him to the
 grave2 they took him quickly out of the
 coffin1 and as soon as he had come to  

himself1 he related several surprising  
things which he said had been revealed  
to him during his trance1 which had     
lasted eight-and-forty hours4 ,the #bdth
 of the same month1 he preached a very  
moving discourse to those who had       
accompanied him the day they were       
carrying him to the tomb4  ,people may1 
if they please1 treat all that we have  
related as dreams and tales1 but it     
cannot be denied that we recognize in   
these resurrections1 and in these       
narrations of men who have come to life 
again after their real or seeming death1
 the belief of the church concerning    
hell1 paradise1 purgatory1 the efficacy 
of prayers for the dead1 and the        
apparitions of angels and demons who    
torment the damned1 and of the souls who
 have yet something to expiate in the   
other world4  ,we see also1 that which  
has a visible connection with the matter
 we are treating upon--persons really   
dead1 and others regarded as such1 who  
return to life in health and live a long

 time afterwards4 ,lastly1 we may       
observe therein opinions on the state of
 souls after this life1 which are nearly
 the same as among the ,hebrews1        
,egyptians1 ,greeks1 ,romans1 barbarous 
nations1 and ,christians4 ,if the       
,hungarian ghosts do not speak of what  
they have seen in the other world1 it is
 either that they are not really dead1  
or more likely that all which is related
 of these revenans is fabulous and      
chimerical4 ,i will add some more       
instances which will serve to confirm   
the belief of the primitive church on   
the subject of apparitions4  ,st4       
,perpetua1 who suffered martyrdom in    
,africa in #bjb or #bjc1 being in prison
 for the faith1 saw a brother named     
,dinocrates1 who had died at the age of 
seven years of a cancer in the cheek2   
she saw him as if in a very large       
dungeon1 so that they could not approach
 each other4 ,he seemed to be placed in 
a reservoir of water1 the sides of which
 were higher than himself1 so that he   

could not reach the water1 for which he 
appeared to thirst very much4 ,perpetua 
was much moved at this1 and prayed to   
,god with tears and groans for his      
relief4 ,some days after1 she saw in    
spirit the same ,dinocrates1 well       
clothed1 washed1 and refreshed1 and the 
water of the reservoir in which he was1 
only came up to his middle1 and on the  
edge a cup1 from which he drank1 without
 the water diminishing1 and the skin of 
the cancer in his cheek well healed1 so 
that nothing now remained of the cancer 
but the scar4 ,by these things she      
understood that ,dinocrates was no      
longer in pain4  ,dinocrates was there  
apparently#fcg to expiate some faults   
which he had committed since his        
baptism1 for ,perpetua says a little    
before this that only her father had    
remained in infidelity4  ,the same ,st4 
,perpetua1 being in prison some days    
before she suffered martyrdom#fch had a 
vision of the deacon ,pomponius1 who had
 suffered martyrdom some days before1   

and who said to her1 ,come1 we are      
waiting for you4 ,he led her through a  
rugged and winding path into the arena  
of the amphitheatre1 where she had to   
combat with a very ugly ,egyptian1      
accompanied by some other men like him4 
,perpetua found herself changed into a  
man1 and began to fight naked1 assisted 
by some well-made youths who came to her
 service and assistance4  ,then she     
beheld a man of extraordinary size1 who 
cried aloud1 ,if the ,egyptian gains the
 victory over her1 he will kill her with
 his sword2 but if she conquers1 she    
shall have this branch ornamented with  
golden apples for her reward4 ,perpetua 
began the combat1 and having overthrown 
the ,egyptian1 trampled his head under  
her feet4 ,the people shouted victory1  
and ,perpetua approaching him who held  
the branch above mentioned1 he put it in
 her hands1 and said to her1 ,peace be  
with you4 ,then she awoke1 and          
understood that she would have to       
combat1 not against wild beasts1 but    

against the devil4  ,saturus1 one of the
 companions of the martyrdom of ,st4    
,perpetua1 had also a vision1 which he  
relates thus3 ,we had suffered          
martyrdom1 and were disengaged from this
 mortal body4 ,four angels carried us   
towards the ,east without touching us4  
,we arrived at a place shining with     
intense lustre2 ,perpetua was at my     
side1 and ,i said unto her1 ',behold    
what the ,lord promised us4'  ,we       
entered a large garden full of trees and
 flowers2 the four angels who had borne 
us thither placed us in the hands of    
other angels1 who conducted us by a wide
 road to a place where we found         
,jocondus1 ,saturninus1 and ,artazes1   
who had suffered with us1 and invited us
 to come and salute the ,lord4 ,we      
followed them1 and beheld in the midst  
of this place the ,almighty1 crowned    
with dazzling light1 and we heard       
repeated incessantly by those around    
him1 ,holy6 holy6 holy6 ,they raised us 
towards him1 and we stopped before his  

throne4 ,we gave him the kiss of peace1 
and he stroked our faces with his hand4 
,we came out1 and we saw before the door
 the bishop ,optatus and the priest     
,aspasius1 who threw themselves at our  
feet4 ,we raised and embraced them4 ,we 
recognized in this place several of our 
brethren and some martyrs4 ,such was the
 vision of ,saturus4  ,there are visions
 of all sorts2 of holy martyrs1 and of  
holy angels4 ,it is related of ,st4     
,exuperus1 bishop of ,thoulouse1#fci    
that having conceived the design of     
transporting the relics of ,st4         
,saturnus1 a former bishop of that      
church1 to place them in a new church   
built in his honor1 he could with       
difficulty resolve to take this holy    
body from the tomb1 fearing to displease
 the saint1 or to diminish the honor    
which was due to him4 ,but while in this
 doubt1 he had a vision which gave him  
to understand that this translation     
would neither lessen the respect which  
was due to the ashes of the martyr1 nor 

be prejudicial to his honor2 but that on
 the contrary it would contribute to the
 salvation of the faithful1 and to the  
greater glorification of ,god4  ,some   
days before#fdj ,st4 ,cyprian1 ,bishop  
of ,carthage1 suffered martyrdom1 in    
#beh1 he had a vision1 not being as yet 
quite asleep1 in which a young man whose
 height was extraordinary1 seemed to    
lead him to the ,prtorium before the    
,proconsul1 who was seated on his       
tribunal4 ,this magistrate1 having      
caught sight of ,cyprian1 began to write
 his sentence before he had interrogated
 him as was usual4 ,cyprian knew not    
what the sentence condemned him to2 but 
the young man above mentioned1 and who  
was behind the judge1 made a sign by    
opening his hand and spreading in form  
of a sword1 that he was condemned to    
have his head cut off4  ,cyprian easily 
understood what was meant by this sign1 
and having earnestly requested to be    
allowed a day's delay to put his affairs
 in order1 the judge1 having granted his

 request1 again wrote upon his tablets1 
and the young man by a sign of his hand 
let him know that the delay was granted4
 ,these predictions were exactly        
fulfilled1 and we see many similar ones 
in the works of ,st4 ,cyprian4  ,st4    
,fructueux1 ,bishop of ,tarragona1#fda  
who suffered martyrdom in #bei1 was seen
 after his death ascending to heaven    
with the deacons who had suffered with  
him2 they appeared as if they were still
 attached to the stakes near which they 
had been burnt4 ,they were seen by two  
,christians1 who showed them to the wife
 and daughter of ,emilian1 who had      
condemned them4 ,the saint appeared to  
,emilian himself and to the ,christians1
 who had taken away their ashes1 and    
desired that they might be all collected
 in one spot4 ,we see similar           
apparitions#fdb in the acts of ,st4     
,james1 of ,st4 ,marienus1 martyrs1 and 
some others who suffered in ,numidia in 
#bei4 ,we may observe the like#fdc in   
the acts of ,st4 ,montanus1 ,st4        

,lucius1 and other ,african martyrs in  
#bei or #bfj1 and in those of ,st4      
,vincent1 a martyr in ,spain1 in #cjd1  
and in the life of ,st4 ,theodore1      
martyr1 in #cjf1 of whose sufferings    
,st4 ,gregory of ,nicea has written an  
account4 ,everybody knows what happened 
at ,sebastus1 in ,armenia1 in the       
martyrdom of the famous forty martyrs1  
of whom ,st4 ,basil the ,great has      
written the eulogium4 ,one of the forty1
 overcome by the excess of cold1 which  
was extreme1 threw himself into a hot   
bath that was prepared just by4 ,then he
 who guarded them having perceived some 
angels who brought crowns to the        
thirty-nine who had persevered in their 
sufferings1 despoiled himself of his    
garments1 joined himself to the martyrs1
 and declared himself a ,christian4     
,all these instances invincibly prove   
that1 at least in the first ages of the 
church1 the greatest and most learned   
bishops1 the holy martyrs1 and the      
generality of the faithful1 were well   

persuaded of the possibility and reality
 of apparitions4   ,footnotes3  #fcf    
,larrey1 ,hist4 de ,louis ,,xiv4 year   
#afih1 p4 #fh4  #fcg ,aug4 lib4 i4 de   
,origine ,anim4  #fch ,ibid4 p4 #ig4    
#fci ,aug4 lib4 i4 de ,origine ,anim1 p4
 #acb4  #fdj ,acta ,martyr4 ,sincera1 p4
 #bab4 ,vita et ,passio ,s4 ,cypriani1  
p4 #bfh4  #fda ,acta ,martyr4 ,sincera1 
pp4 #bai1 #bba4  #fdb ,acta ,martyr4    
,sincera1 p4 #bbf4  #fdc ,ibid4 pp4     
#bca-bcc1 #bcg4     ,,chapter ,,lix4    
,,conclusions ,,of ,,this               
,,dissertation4   ,to resume1 in a few  
words1 all that we have related in this 
dissertation3 we have therein shown that
 a resurrection1 properly so called1 of 
a person who has been dead for a        
considerable time1 and whose body was   
either corrupted1 or stinking1 or ready 
to putrefy1 like that of ,pierre1 who   
had been three years buried1 and was    
resuscitated by ,st4 ,stanislaus1 or    
that of ,lazarus1 who had been four days
 in the tomb1 and already possessing a  

corpse-like smell--such a resurrection  
can be the work of the almighty power of
 ,god alone4  ,that persons who have    
been drowned1 fallen into syncope1 into 
a lethargy or trance1 or looked upon as 
dead1 in any manner whatever1 can be    
cured and brought back to life1 even to 
their former state of life1 without any 
miracle1 but by the power of medicine   
alone1 or by natural efforts1 or by dint
 of patience2 so that nature            
re-establishes herself in her former    
state1 that the heart resumes its       
pulsation1 and the blood circulates     
freely again in the arteries1 and the   
vital and animal spirits in the nerves4 
,that the oupires1 or vampires1 or      
revenans of ,moravia1 ,hungary1 ,poland1
 c41 of which such extraordinary things 
are related1 so detailed1 so            
circumstantial1 invested with all the   
necessary formalities to make them      
believed1 and to prove them even        
judicially before judges1 and at the    
most exact and severe tribunals2 that   

all which is said of their return to    
life2 of their apparition1 and the      
confusion which they cause in the towns 
and country places2 of their killing    
people by sucking their blood1 or in    
making a sign to them to follow them2   
that all those things are mere          
illusions1 and the consequence of a     
heated and prejudiced imagination4 ,they
 cannot cite any witness who is         
sensible1 grave and unprejudiced1 who   
can testify that he has seen1 touched1  
interrogated these ghosts1 who can      
affirm the reality of their return1 and 
of the effects which are attributed to  
them4  ,i shall not deny that some      
persons may have died of fright1        
imagining that their near relatives     
called them to the tomb2 that others    
have thought they heard some one rap at 
their doors1 worry them1 disturb them1  
in a word1 occasion them mortal         
maladies2 and that these persons        
judicially interrogated1 have replied   
that they had seen and heard what their 

panic-struck imagination had represented
 to them4 ,but ,i require unprejudiced  
witnesses1 free from terror and         
disinterested1 quite calm1 who can      
affirm upon serious reflection1 that    
they have seen1 heard1 and interrogated 
these vampires1 and who have been the   
witnesses of their operations2 and ,i am
 persuaded that no such witness will be 
found4  ,i have by me a letter1 which   
has been sent me from ,warsaw1 the #c;d 
of ,february1 #agde1 by ,m4 ,slivisk1   
visitor of the province of priests of   
the mission of ,poland4 ,he sends me    
word1 that having studied with great    
care this matter1 and having proposed to
 compose on this subject a theological  
and physical dissertation1 he had       
collected some memoirs with that view2  
but that the occupations of visitor and 
superior in the house of his            
congregation of ,warsaw1 had not allowed
 of his putting his project in          
execution2 that he has since sought in  
vain for these memoirs or notes1 which  

have probably remained in the hands of  
some of those to whom he had            
communicated them2 that amongst these   
notes were two resolutions of the       
,sorbonne1 which both forbade cutting   
off the head and maiming the body of any
 of these pretended oupires or vampires4
 ,he adds1 that these decisions may be  
found in the registers of the ,sorbonne1
 from the year #agjj to #agaj4 ,i shall 
report by and by1 a decision of the     
,sorbonne on this subject1 dated in the 
year #afia4  ,he says1 moreover1 that in
 ,poland they are so persuaded of the   
existence of these oupires1 that any one
 who thought otherwise would be regarded
 almost as a heretic4 ,there are several
 facts concerning this matter1 which are
 looked upon as incontestable1 and many 
persons are named as witnesses of them4 
,i gave myself the trouble1 says he1 to 
go to the fountain-head1 and examine    
those who are cited as ocular witnesses4
 ,he found that no one dared to affirm  
that they had really seen the           

circumstances in question1 and that it  
was all merely reveries and fancies1    
caused by fear and unfounded discourse4 
,so writes to me this wise and judicious
 priest4  ,i have also received since1  
another letter from ,vienna in ,austria1
 written the #c;d of ,august1 #agdf1 by 
a ,lorraine baron1#fdd who has always   
followed his prince4 ,he tells me1 that 
in #agdb1 his imperial majesty1 then his
 royal highness of ,lorraine1 had       
several verbal acts drawn up concerning 
these cases1 which happened in ,moravia4
 ,i have them by me still2 ,i have read 
them over and over again2 and to be     
frank1 ,i have not found in them the    
shadow of truth1 nor even of            
probability1 in what is advanced4 ,they 
are1 nevertheless1 documents which in   
that country are looked upon as true as 
the ,gospel4   ,footnotes3  #fdd ,m4 le 
,baron ,toussaint4     ,,chapter ,,lx4  
,,the ,,moral ,,impossibility ,,of ,,the
 ,,revenans ,,coming ,,out ,,of ,,their 
,,graves4   ,i have already proposed the

 objection formed upon the impossibility
 of these vampires coming out of their  
graves1 and returning to them again1    
without its appearing that they have    
disturbed the earth1 either in coming   
out or going in again4 ,no one has ever 
replied to this difficulty1 and never   
will4 ,to say that the demon subtilizes 
and spiritualizes the bodies of         
vampires1 is a thing asserted without   
proof or likelihood4  ,the fluidity of  
the blood1 the ruddiness1 the suppleness
 of these vampires1 ought not to        
surprise any one1 any more than the     
growth of the nails and hair1 and their 
bodies remaining undecayed4 ,we see     
every day1 bodies which remain          
uncorrupted1 and retain a ruddy color   
after death4 ,this ought not to appear  
strange in those who die without malady 
and a sudden death2 or of certain       
maladies1 known to our physicians1 which
 do not deprive the blood of its        
fluidity1 or the limbs of their         
suppleness4  ,with regard to the growth 

of the hair and nails in bodies which   
are not yet decayed1 the thing is quite 
natural4 ,there remains in those bodies 
a certain slow and imperceptible        
circulation of the humors1 which causes 
this growth of the nails and hair1 in   
the same way that we every day see      
common bulbs grow and shoot1 although   
without any nourishment derived from the
 earth4  ,the same may be said of       
flowers1 and in general of all that     
depends on vegetation in animals and    
plants4  ,the belief of the common      
people of ,greece in the return to earth
 of the vroucolacas1 is not much better 
founded than that of vampires and       
ghosts4 ,it is only the ignorance1 the  
prejudice1 the terror of the ,greeks1   
which have given rise to this vain and  
ridiculous belief1 and which they keep  
up even to this very day4 ,the narrative
 which we have reported after ,m4       
,tournefort1 an ocular witness and a    
good philosopher1 may suffice to        
undeceive those who would maintain the  

contrary4  ,the incorruption of the     
bodies of those who died in a state of  
excommunication1 has still less         
foundation than the return of the       
vampires1 and the vexations of the      
living caused by the vroucolacas2       
antiquity has had no similar belief4    
,the schismatic ,greeks1 and the        
heretics separated from the ,church of  
,rome1 who certainly died               
excommunicated1 ought1 upon this        
principle1 to remain uncorrupted2 which 
is contrary to experience1 and repugnant
 to good sense4 ,and if the ,greeks     
pretend to be the true ,church1 all the 
,roman ,catholics1 who have a separate  
communion from them1 ought then also to 
remain undecayed4 ,the instances cited  
by the ,greeks either prove nothing1 or 
prove too much4 ,those bodies which have
 not decayed1 were really               
excommunicated1 or not4 ,if they were   
canonically and really excommunicated1  
then the question falls to the ground4  
,if they were not really and canonically

 excommunicated1 then it must be proved 
that there was no other cause of        
incorruption--which can never be proved4
  ,moreover1 anything so equivocal as   
incorruption1 cannot be adduced as a    
proof in so serious a matter as this4   
,it is owned1 that often the bodies of  
saints are preserved from decay2 that is
 looked upon as certain1 among the      
,greeks as among the ,latins--therefore1
 we cannot thence conclude that this    
same incorruption is a proof that a     
person is excommunicated4  ,in short1   
this proof is universal and general1 or 
only particular4 ,i mean to say1 either 
all excommunicated persons remain       
undecayed1 or only a few of them4 ,we   
cannot maintain that all those who die  
in a state of excommunication1 are      
incorruptible4 ,for then all the ,greeks
 towards the ,latins1 and the ,latins   
towards the ,greeks1 would be undecayed1
 which is not the case4 ,that proof then
 is very frivolous1 and nothing can be  
concluded from it4 ,i mistrust1 a great 

deal1 all those stories which are       
related to prove this pretended         
incorruptibility of excommunicated      
persons4 ,if well examined1 many of them
 would doubtless be found to be false4  
,,chapter ,,lxi4  ,,what ,,is ,,related 
,,concerning ,,the ,,bodies ,,of ,,the  
,,excommunicated ,,leaving ,,the        
,,church1 ,,is ,,subject ,,to ,,very    
,,great ,,difficulties4   ,whatever     
respect ,i may feel for ,st4 ,gregory   
the ,great1 who relates some instances  
of deceased persons who died in a state 
of excommunication going out of the     
church before the eyes of every one     
present2 and whatever consideration may 
be due to other authors whom ,i have    
cited1 and who relate other             
circumstances of a similar nature1 and  
even still more incredible1 ,i cannot   
believe that we have these legends with 
all the circumstances belonging to them2
 and after the reasons for doubt which  
,i have recorded at the end of these    
stories1 ,i believe ,i may again say1   

that ,god1 to inspire the people with   
still greater fear of excommunication1  
and a greater regard for the sentences  
and censures of the church1 has willed  
on these occasions1 for reasons unknown 
to us1 to show forth his power1 and work
 a miracle in the sight of the faithful2
 for how can we explain all these things
 without having recourse to the         
miraculous8 ,all that is said of persons
 who being dead chew under ground in    
their graves1 is so pitiful1 so puerile1
 that it is not worthy of being         
seriously refuted4 ,everybody owns that 
too often people are buried who are not 
quite dead4 ,there are but too many     
instances of this in ancient and modern 
histories4 ,the thesis of ,m4 ,vinslow1 
and the notes added thereto by ,m4      
,bruhier1 serve to prove that there are 
few certain signs of real death except  
the putridity of a body being at least  
begun4 ,we have an infinite number of   
instances of persons supposed to be     
dead1 who have come to life again1 even 

after they have been put in the ground4 
,there are ,i know not how many maladies
 in which the patient remains for a long
 time speechless1 motionless1 and       
without sensible respiration4 ,some     
drowned persons who have been thought   
dead1 have been revived by care and     
attention4  ,all this is well known and 
may serve to explain how some vampires  
have been taken out of their graves1 and
 have spoken1 cried1 howled1 vomited    
blood1 and all that because they were   
not yet dead4 ,they have been killed by 
beheading them1 piercing their heart1   
and burning them2 in all which people   
were very wrong1 for the pretext on     
which they acted1 of their pretended    
reappearance to disturb the living1     
causing their death1 and maltreating    
them1 is not a sufficient reason for    
treating them thus4 ,besides1 their     
pretended return has never been proved  
or attested in such a way as to         
authorize any one to show such          
inhumanity1 nor to dishonor and put     

rigorously to death on vague1 frivolous1
 unproved accusations1 persons who were 
certainly innocent of the thing laid to 
their charge4  ,for nothing is more     
ill-founded than what is said of the    
apparitions1 vexations1 and confusion   
caused by the pretended vampires and the
 vroucolacas4 ,i am not surprised that  
the ,sorbonne should have condemned the 
bloody and violent executions which are 
exercised on these kinds of dead bodies4
 ,but it is astonishing that the secular
 powers and the magistrates do not      
employ their authority and the severity 
of the laws to repress them4  ,the magic
 devotions1 the fascinations1 the       
evocations of which we have spoken1 are 
works of darkness1 operations of ,satan1
 if they have any reality1 which ,i can 
with difficulty believe1 especially in  
regard to magical devotions1 and the    
evocations of the manes or souls of dead
 persons2 for1 as to fascinations of the
 sight1 or illusions of the senses1 it  
is foolish not to admit some of these1  

as when we think we see what is not1 or 
do not behold what is present before our
 eyes2 or when we think we hear a sound 
which in reality does not strike our    
ears1 or the contrary4 ,but to say that 
the demon can cause a person's death1   
because they have made a wax image of   
him1 or given his name with some        
superstitious ceremonies1 and have      
devoted him or her1 so that the persons 
feel themselves dying as their image    
melts away1 is ascribing to the demon   
too much power1 and to magic too much   
might4 ,god can1 when he wills it1      
loosen the reign of the enemy of        
mankind1 and permit him to do us the    
harm which he and his agents may seek to
 do us2 but it would be ridiculous to   
believe that the ,sovereign ,master of  
nature can be determined by magical     
incantations to allow the demon to hurt 
us2 or to imagine that the magician has 
the power to excite the demon against   
us1 independently of ,god4  ,the        
instance of that peasant who gave his   

child to the devil1 and whose life the  
devil first took away and then restored1
 is one of those extraordinary and      
almost incredible circumstances which   
are sometimes to be met with in history1
 and which neither theology nor         
philosophy knows how to explain4 ,was it
 a demon who animated the body of the   
boy1 or did his soul re-enter his body  
by the permission of ,god8 ,by what     
authority did the demon take away this  
boy's life1 and then restore it to him8 
,god may have permitted it to punish the
 impiety of the wretched father1 who had
 given himself to the devil to satisfy a
 shameful and criminal passion4 ,and    
again1 how could he satisfy it with a   
demon1 who appeared to him in the form  
of a girl he loved8 ,in all that ,i see 
only darkness and difficulties1 which ,i
 leave to be resolved by those who are  
more learned or bolder than myself4     
,,chapter ,,lxii4  ,,remarks ,,on ,,the 
,,dissertation ,,concerning ,,the       
,,spirit ,,which ,,reappeared ,,at ,,st4

 ,,maur ,,des ,,fosses4   ,the following
 ,dissertation on the apparition which  
happened at ,st4 ,maur1 near ,paris1 in 
#agjf1 was entirely unknown to me4 ,a   
friend who took some part in my work on 
apparitions1 had asked me by letter if  
,i should have any objection to its     
being printed at the end of my work4 ,i 
readily consented1 on his testifying    
that it was from a worthy hand1 and     
deserved to be saved from the oblivion  
into which it was fallen4 ,i have since 
found that it was printed in the fourth 
volume of the ,treatise on              
,superstitions1 by the ,reverend ,father
 le ,brun1 of the ,oratoire4  ,after the
 impression1 a learned monk#fde wrote to
 me from ,amiens1 in ,picardy1 that he  
had remarked in this dissertation five  
or six propositions which appeared to   
him to be false4  #ast4 ,that the author
 says1 all the holy doctors agree that  
no means of deceiving us is left to the 
demons except suggestion1 which has been
 left them by ,god to try our virtue4   

#b;d4 ,in respect to all those prodigies
 and spells which the common people     
attribute to sorcery and intercourse    
with the demon1 it is proved that they  
can only be done by means of natural    
magic2 this is the opinion of the       
greater number of the fathers of the    
church4  #c;d4 ,all that demons have to 
do with the criminal practices of those 
who are commonly called sorcerers is    
suggestion1 by which he invites them to 
the abominable research of all those    
natural causes which can hurt our       
neighbor4  #dth4 ,although those who    
have desired to maintain the popular    
error of the return to earth of souls   
from purgatory1 may have endeavored to  
support their opinion by different      
passages1 taken from ,st4 ,augustine1   
,st4 ,jerome1 ,st4 ,thomas1 c41 it is   
attested that all these fathers speak   
only of the return of the blessed to    
manifest the glory of ,god4  #eth4 ,of  
what may we not believe the imagination 
capable after so strong a proof of its  

power8 ,can it be doubted that among all
 the pretended apparitions of which     
stories are related1 the fancy alone    
works for all those which do not proceed
 from angels and the spirits of the     
blessed1 and that the rest are the      
invention of men8  #fth4 ,after having  
sufficiently established the fact1 that 
all apparitions which cannot be         
attributed to angels1 or the spirits of 
the blessed1 are produced only by one of
 these causes3 the writer names         
them--first1 the power of imagination2  
secondly1 the extreme subtility of the  
senses2 and thirdly1 the derangement of 
the organs1 as in madness and high      
fevers4  ,the monk who writes to me     
maintains that the first proposition is 
false2 that the ancient fathers of the  
church ascribe to the demon the greater 
number of those extraordinary effects   
produced by certain sounds of the voice1
 by figures1 and by phantoms2 that the  
exorcists in the primitive church       
expelled devils1 even by the avowal of  

the heathen2 that angels and demons have
 often appeared to men2 that no one has 
spoken more strongly of apparitions1 of 
hauntings1 and the power of the demon1  
than the ancient fathers2 that the      
church has always employed exorcism on  
children presented for baptism1 and     
against those who were haunted and      
possessed by the demon4 ,add to which1  
the author of the dissertation cites not
 one of the fathers to support his      
general proposition4#fdf  ,the second   
proposition1 again1 is false2 for if we 
must attribute to natural magic all that
 is ascribed to sorcerers1 there are    
then no sorcerers1 properly so called1  
and the church is mistaken in offering  
up prayers against their power4  ,the   
third proposition is false for the same 
reason4  ,the fourth is falser still1   
and absolutely contrary to ,st4 ,thomas1
 who1 speaking of the dead in general   
who appear1 says that this occurs either
 by a miracle1 or by the particular     
permission of ,god1 or by the operation 

of good or evil angels4#fdg  ,the fifth 
proposition1 again1 is false1 and       
contrary to the fathers1 to the opinion 
commonly received among the faithful1   
and to the customs of the church4 ,if   
all the apparitions which do not proceed
 from the angels or the blessed1 or the 
inventive malice of mankind1 proceed    
only from fancy1 what becomes of all the
 apparitions of demons related by the   
saints1 and which occurred to the       
saints8 ,what becomes1 in particular1 of
 all the stories of the holy solitaries1
 of ,st4 ,anthony1 ,st4 ,hilarion1      
c48#fdh ,what becomes of the prayers and
 ceremonies of the church against       
demons1 who infest1 possess1 and haunt1 
and appear often in these disturbances1 
possessions1 and hauntings8  ,the sixth 
proposition is false for the same       
reasons1 and many others which might be 
added4  ,these1 adds the reverend father
 who writes to me1 are the causes of my 
doubting if the third dissertation was  
added to the two others with your       

knowledge4 ,i suspected that the        
printer1 of his own accord1 or persuaded
 by evil intentioned persons1 might have
 added it himself1 and without your     
participation1 although under your name4
 ,for ,i said to myself1 either the     
reverend father approves this           
dissertation1 or he does not approve of 
it4 ,it appears that he approves of it1 
since he says that it is from a clever  
writer1 and he would wish to preserve it
 from oblivion4  ,now1 how can he       
approve a dissertation false in itself  
and contrary to himself8 ,if he approves
 it not1 is it not too much to unite to 
his work a foolish composition full of  
falsehoods1 disguises1 false and weak   
arguments1 opposed to the common belief1
 the customs1 and prayers of the church2
 consequently dangerous1 and quite      
favorable to the free and incredulous   
thinkers which this age is so full of8  
,ought he not rather to combat this     
writing1 and show its weakness1         
falsehood1 and dangerous tendency8      

,there1 my reverend father1 lies all my 
difficulty4  ,others have sent me word  
that they could have wished that ,i had 
treated the subject of apparitions in   
the same way as the author of this      
dissertation1 that is to say1 simply as 
a philosopher1 with the aim of          
destroying the credence and reality1    
rather than with any design of          
supporting the belief in apparitions    
which is so observable in the           
,scriptures of the ,old and ,new        
,testament1 in the fathers1 and in the  
customs and prayers of the church4 ,the 
author of whom we speak has cited the   
fathers1 but in a general manner1 and   
without marking the testimonies1 and the
 express and formal passages4 ,i do not 
know if he thinks much of them1 and if  
he is well versed in them1 but it would 
hardly appear so from his work4  ,the   
grand principle on which this third     
dissertation turns is1 that since the   
advent and the death of ,jesus ,christ1 
all the power of the devil is limited to

 enticing1 inspiring1 and persuading to 
evil2 but for the rest1 he is tied up   
like a lion or a dog in his prison4 ,he 
may bark1 he may menace1 but he cannot  
bite unless he is too nearly approached 
and yielded to1 as ,st4 ,augustine truly
 says3#fdi ,mordere omnino non potest   
nisi volentem4  ,but to pretend that    
,satan can do no harm1 either to the    
health of mankind1 or to the fruits of  
the earth2 can neither attack us by his 
stratagems1 his malice1 and his fury    
against us1 nor torment those whom he   
pursues or possesses2 that magicians and
 wizards can make use of no spells and  
charms to cause both men and animals    
dreadful maladies1 and even death1 is a 
direct attack on the faith of the       
church1 the ,holy ,scriptures1 the most 
sacred practices1 and the opinions of   
not only the holy fathers and the best  
theologians1 but also on the laws and   
ordinances of princes1 and the decrees  
of the most respectable parliaments4  ,i
 will not here cite the instances taken 

from the ,old ,testament1 the author    
having limited himself to what has      
passed since the death and resurrection 
of our ,saviour2 because1 he says1      
,jesus ,christ has destroyed the kingdom
 of ,satan1 and the prince of this world
 is already judged4#fej  ,st4 ,peter1   
,st4 ,paul1 ,st4 ,john1 and the         
,evangelists1 who were well informed of 
the words of the ,son of ,god1 and the  
sense given to them1 teach us that      
,satan asked to have power over the     
apostles of ,jesus ,christ1 to sift them
 like wheat2#fea that is to say1 to try 
them by persecutions and make them      
renounce the faith4 ,does not ,st4 ,paul
 complain of the angel of ,satan who    
buffeted him8#feb ,did those whom he    
gave up to ,satan for their crimes1#fec 
suffer nothing bodily8 ,those who took  
the communion unworthily1 and were      
struck with sickness1 or even with      
death1 did they not undergo these       
chastisements by the operation of the   
demon8#fed ,the apostle warns the       

,corinthians not to suffer themselves to
 be surprised by ,satan1 who sometimes  
transforms himself into an angel of     
light4#fee ,the same apostle1 speaking  
to the ,thessalonians1 says to them1    
that before the last day antichrist will
 appear1#fef according to the working of
 ,satan1 with extraordinary power1 with 
wonders and deceitful signs4 ,in the    
,apocalypse the demon is the instrument 
made use of by ,god1 to punish mortals  
and make them drink of the cup of his   
wrath4 ,does not ,st4 ,peter#feg tell us
 that the devil prowls about us like a  
roaring lion1 always ready to devour us8
 ,and ,st4 ,paul to the ,ephesians1#feh 
that we have to fight not against men of
 flesh and blood1 but against           
principalities and powers1 against the  
princes of this world1 that is to say1  
of this age of darkness1 against the    
spirits of malice spread about in the   
air8  ,the fathers of the first ages    
speak often of the power that the       
,christians exercised against the       

demons1 against those who called        
themselves diviners1 against magicians  
and other subalterns of the devil2      
principally against those who were      
possessed1 who were then frequently     
seen1 and are so still from time to     
time1 both in the church and out of the 
church4 ,exorcisms and other prayers of 
the church have always been employed    
against these1 and with success4        
,emperors and kings have employed their 
authority and the rigor of the laws     
against those who have devoted          
themselves to the service of the demon1 
and used spells1 charms1 and other      
methods which the demon employs1 to     
entice and destroy both men and animals1
 or the fruits of the country4  ,we     
might add to the remarks of the reverend
 ,dominican father divers other         
propositions drawn from the same work2  
for instance1 when the author says that 
the angels know everything here below2  
for if it is by means of specialties1   
which ,god communicates to them every   

day1 as ,st4 ,augustine thinks1 there is
 no reason to believe that they do not  
know all the wants of mankind1 and that 
they cannot console and strengthen them1
 render themselves visible to them by   
the permission of ,god1 without always  
receiving from him an express order so  
to do4  ,this proposition is rather     
rash3 it is not certain that the angels 
know everything that passes here below4 
,jesus ,christ1 in ,st4 ,matthew xxiv4  
#cf1 says that the angels do not know   
the day of his coming4 ,it is still more
 doubtful that the angels can appear    
without an express command from ,god1   
and that ,st4 ,augustine has so taught4 
,he says1 a little while after--,that   
demons often appeared before ,jesus     
,christ in fantastic forms1 which they  
assumed as the angels do1 that is to    
say1 in arial bodies which they         
organized2 whilst at present1 and since 
the coming of ,jesus ,christ1 those     
wonders and spells have been so common  
that the people attributed them to      

sorcery and commerce with the devil1    
whereas it is attested that they can be 
operated only by natural magic1 which is
 the knowledge of secret effects from   
natural causes1 and many of them by the 
subtilty of the air alone4 ,this is the 
opinion of the greater number of the    
fathers who have spoken of them4  ,this 
proposition is false1 and contrary to   
the doctrine and practice of the church2
 and it is not true that it is the      
opinion of the greater number of the    
fathers2 he should have cited some of   
them4#fei  ,he says that the ,book of   
,job and the song of ,hezekiah are full 
of testimonies that the ,holy ,spirit   
seems to have taught us1 that our souls 
cannot return to earth after our death1 
until ,god has made angels of them4  ,it
 is true that the ,holy ,scriptures     
speak of the resurrection and return of 
souls into their bodies as of a thing   
that is impossible in the natural       
course4 ,man cannot raise up himself    
from the dead1 neither can he raise up  

his fellow-man without an effort of the 
supreme might of ,god4 ,neither can the 
spirits of the deceased appear to the   
living without the command or permission
 of ,god4 ,but it is false to say1 that 
,god makes angels of our souls1 and that
 then they can appear to the living4    
,our souls will never become angels2 but
 ,jesus ,christ tells us that after our 
death our souls will be as the angels of
 ,god1 7,matt4 xxii4 #cj72 that is to   
say1 spiritual1 incorporeal1 immortal1  
and exempt from all the wants and       
weaknesses of this present life2 but he 
does not say that our souls must become 
angels4  ,he affirms that what ,jesus   
,christ said1 'that spirits have neither
 flesh nor bones1' far from leading us  
to believe that spirits can return to   
earth1 proves1 on the contrary1         
evidently that they cannot without a    
miracle render themselves visible to    
mankind2 since it requires absolutely a 
corporeal substance and organs of speech
 to make ourselves heard1 which does not

 agree with the spirits1 who naturally  
cannot be subject to our senses4  ,this 
is no more impossible than what he said 
beforehand of the apparitions of angels1
 since our souls1 after the death of the
 body1 are like unto the angels1        
according to the ,gospel4 ,he           
acknowledges himself1 with ,st4 ,jerome 
against ,vigilantius1 that the saints   
who are in heaven appear sometimes      
visibly to men4 ,whence comes it that   
animals have1 as well as ourselves1 the 
faculty of memory1 but not the          
reflection which accompanies it1 which  
proceeds only from the soul1 which they 
have not8  ,is not memory itself the    
reflection of what we have seen1 done1  
or heard2 and in animals is not memory  
followed by reflection1#ffj since they  
avenge themselves on those who hurt     
them1 avoid that which has incommoded   
them1 foreseeing what might happen to   
themselves from it if they fell again   
into the same mistake8  ,after having   
spoken of natural palingenesis1 he      

concludes--,and thus we see how little  
cause there is to attribute these       
appearances to the return of souls to   
earth1 or to demons1 as do some ignorant
 persons4  ,if those who work the       
wonders of natural palingenesis1 and    
admit the natural return of phantoms in 
the cemeteries1 and fields of battle1   
which ,i do not think happens naturally1
 could show that these phantoms speak1  
act1 move1 foretell the future1 and do  
what is related of returned souls or    
other apparitions1 whether good angels  
or bad ones1 we might conclude that     
there is no reason to attribute them to 
souls1 angels1 and demons2 but1 #a1 they
 have never been able to cause the      
appearance of the phantom of a dead man1
 by any secret of art4 #b4 ,if it had   
been possible to raise his shade1 they  
could never have inspired it with       
thought or reasoning powers1 as we see  
in the angels and demons1 who appear1   
reason1 and act1 as intelligent beings1 
and gifted with the knowledge of the    

past1 the present1 and sometimes of the 
future4  ,he denies that the souls in   
purgatory return to earth2 for if they  
could come back1 everybody would receive
 similar visits from their relations and
 friends1 since all the souls would feel
 disposed to do the same4 ,apparently1  
says he1 ,god would grant them this     
permission1 and if they had this        
permission1 every person of good sense  
would be at a loss to comprehend why    
they should accompany all their         
appearances with all the follies so     
circumstantially related4  ,we may      
reply1 that the return of souls to earth
 may depend neither on their inclination
 nor their will1 but on the will of     
,god1 who grants this permission to whom
 he pleases1 when he will1 and as he    
will4  ,the wicked rich man asked that  
,lazarus#ffa might be sent to this world
 to warn his brothers not to fall into  
the same misfortune as himself1 but he  
could not obtain it4 ,there are an      
infinity of souls in the same case and  

disposition1 who cannot obtain leave to 
return themselves or to send others in  
their place4  ,if certain narratives of 
the return of spirits to earth have been
 accompanied by circumstances somewhat  
comic1 it does not militate against the 
truth of the thing2 since for one       
recital imprudently embellished by      
uncertain circumstances1 there are a    
thousand written sensibly and seriously1
 and in a manner very conformable to    
truth4  ,he maintains that all the      
apparitions which cannot be attributed  
to angels or to blessed spirits1 are    
produced only by one of these three     
causes3--the power of imagination2 the  
extreme subtility of the senses2 and the
 derangement of the organs1 as in cases 
of madness and in high fevers4  ,this   
proposition is rash1 and has before been
 refuted by the ,reverend ,father       
,richard4  ,the author recounts all that
 he has said of the spirit of ,st4      
,maur1 in causing the motion of the bed 
in the presence of three persons who    

were wide awake1 the repeated shrieks of
 a person whom they did not see1 of a   
door well-bolted1 of repeated blows upon
 the walls1 of panes of glass struck    
with violence in the presence of three  
persons1 without their being able to see
 the author of all this movement2--he   
reduces all this to a derangement of the
 imagination1 the subtilty of the air1  
or the vapors casually arising in the   
brain of an invalid4 ,why did he not    
deny all these facts8 ,why did he give  
himself the trouble to compose so       
carefully a dissertation to explain a   
phenomenon1 which1 according to him1 can
 boast neither truth nor reality8 ,for  
my part1 ,i am very glad to give the    
public notice that ,i neither adopt nor 
approve this anonymous dissertation1    
which ,i never saw before it was        
printed2 that ,i know nothing of the    
author1 take no part in it1 and have no 
interest in defending him4 ,if the      
subject of apparitions be purely        
philosophical1 and it can without injury

 to religion be reduced to a problem1 ,i
 should have taken a different method to
 destroy it1 and ,i should have suffered
 my reasoning and my imagination to act 
more freely4   ,footnotes3  #fde ,letter
 of the ,reverend ,father ,richard1 a   
,dominican of ,amiens1 of the #bith of  
,july1 #agdf4  #fdf ,see on this subject
 the letter of the ,marquis ,maffei1    
which follows4  #fdg ,st4 ,thomas1 i4   
part #i1 #hi1 art4 #h1 ad4 #b4  #fdh    
,the author had foreseen this objection 
from the beginning of his dissertation4 
#fdi ,aug4 ,serm4 de ,semp4 #aig4  #fej 
,john xvi4 #aa4  #fea ,luke xxii4 #ca4  
#feb #b ,cor4 xi4 #g4  #fec #a ,tim4 i4 
#b4  #fed #a ,cor4 xi4 #cj4  #fee #b    
,cor4 ii4 #aa1 and xi4 #ad4  #fef #b    
,thess4 ii4  #feg #a ,pet4 v4 #h4  #feh 
,ephes4 vi4 #ab4  #fei ,they are cited  
in the letter of the ,marquis ,maffei4  
#ffj ,the author1 as we may see1 is not 
a ,cartesian1 since he assigns          
reflection even to animals4 ,but if they
 reflect1 they choose2 whence it        

consequently follows that they are free4
  #ffa ,luke xiii4 #ad4     ,,chapter   
,,lxiii4  ,,dissertation ,,by ,,an      
,,anonymous ,,writer4  ,answer to a     
,letter on the subject of the           
,apparition of ,st4 ,maur4   ,you have  
been before me1 sir1 respecting the     
spirit of ,st4 ,maur1 which causes so   
much conversation at ,paris2 for ,i had 
resolved to send you a short detail of  
that event1 in order that you might     
impart to me your reflections on a      
matter so delicate and so interesting to
 all ,paris4 ,but since you have read an
 account of it1 ,i cannot understand why
 you have hesitated a moment to decide  
what you ought to think of it4 ,what you
 do me the honor to tell me1 that you   
have suspended your judgment of the case
 until ,i have informed you of mine1    
does me too much honor for me to be     
persuaded of it2 and ,i think there is  
more probability in believing that it is
 a trick you are playing me1 to see how 
,i shall extricate myself from such     

slippery ground4 ,nevertheless1 ,i      
cannot resist the entreaties1 or rather 
the orders1 with which your letter is   
filled2 and ,i prefer to expose myself  
to the pleasantry of the free thinkers1 
or the reproaches of the credulous1 than
 the anger of those with which ,i am    
threatened by yourself4  ,you ask if ,i 
believe that spirits come back1 and if  
the circumstance which occurred at ,st4 
,maur can be attributed to one of those 
incorporeal substances8  ,to answer your
 two questions in the same order that   
you propose them to me1 ,i must first   
tell you1 that the ancient heathens     
acknowledge various kinds of spirits1   
which they called lares1 larv1 lemures1 
genii1 manes4  ,for ourselves1 without  
pausing at the folly of our cabalistic  
philosophers1 who fancy spirits in every
 element1 calling those sylphs which    
they pretend to inhabit the air2 gnomes1
 those which they feign to be under the 
earth2 ondines1 those which dwell in the
 water2 and salamanders1 those of fire2 

we acknowledge but three sorts of       
created spirits1 namely1 angels1 demons1
 and the souls which ,god has united to 
our bodies1 and which are separated from
 them by death4  ,the ,holy ,scriptures 
speak in too many places of the         
apparitions of the angels to ,abraham1  
,jacob1 ,tobit1 and several other holy  
patriarchs and prophets1 for us to doubt
 of it4 ,besides1 as their name         
signifies their ministry1 being created 
by ,god to be his messengers1 and to    
execute his commands1 it is easy to     
believe that they have often appeared   
visibly to men1 to announce to them the 
will of the ,almighty4 ,almost all the  
theologians agree that the angels appear
 in the arial bodies with which they    
clothe themselves4  ,to make you        
understand in what manner they take and 
invest themselves with these bodies1 in 
order to render themselves visible to   
men1 and to make themselves heard by    
them1 we must first of all explain what 
is vision1 which is only the bringing of

 the species within the compass of the  
organ of sight4 ,this species is the ray
 of light broken and modified upon a    
body1 on which1 forming different       
angles1 this light is converted into    
colors4 ,for an angle of a certain kind 
makes red1 another green1 blue or       
yellow1 and so on of all the colors1 as 
we perceive in the prism1 on which the  
reflected rays of the sun forms the     
different colors of the rainbow2 the    
species visible is then nothing else    
than the ray of light which returns from
 the object on which it breaks to the   
eyes4  ,now1 light falls only on three  
kinds of objects or bodies1 of which    
some are diaphanous1 others opake1 and  
the others participate in these two     
qualities1 being partly diaphanous and  
partly opake4 ,when the light falls on a
 diaphanous body which is full of an    
infinity of little pores1 as the air1 it
 passes through without causing any     
reflection4 ,when the light falls on a  
body entirely opake1 as a flower1 for   

instance1 not being able to penetrate   
it1 its ray is reflected from it1 and   
returns from the flower to the eye1 to  
which it carries the species1 and       
renders the colors distinguishable1     
according to the angles formed by       
reflection4 ,if the body on which the   
light falls is in part opake and in part
 diaphanous1 like glass1 it passes      
through the diaphanous part1 that is to 
say1 through the pores of the glass     
which it penetrates1 and reflects itself
 on the opake particles1 that is to say1
 which are not porous4 ,thus the air is 
invisible1 because it is absolutely     
penetrated with light3 the flower sends 
back a color to the eye1 because1 being 
impenetrable to the light1 it obliges it
 to reflect itself2 and the glass is    
visible only because it contains some   
opake particles1 which1 according to the
 diversity of angles formed upon it by  
the ray of light1 reflect different     
colors4  ,that is the manner in which   
vision is formed1 so that air being     

invisible1 on account of its extreme    
transparency1 an angel could not clothe 
himself with it and render himself      
visible1 but by thickening the air so   
much1 that from diaphanous it became    
opake1 and capable of reflecting the ray
 of light to the eye of him who         
perceived him4 ,now1 as the angels      
possess knowledge and power far beyond  
anything we can imagine1 we need not be 
astonished if they can form arial       
bodies1 which are rendered visible by   
the opacity they impart to them4 ,in    
respect to the organs necessary to these
 arial bodies1 to form sounds and make  
themselves heard1 without having any    
recourse to the disposition of matter1  
we must attribute them entirely to a    
miracle4  ,it is thus that angels have  
appeared to the holy patriarchs4 ,it is 
thus that the glorious souls that       
participate the angelic nature can      
assume an arial body to render          
themselves visible1 and that even       
demons1 by thickening and condensing the

 air1 can make to themselves a body of  
it1 so as to become visible to men1 by  
the particular permission of ,god1 to   
accomplish the secrets of his           
providence1 as they are said to have    
appeared to ,st4 ,anthony the ,hermit1  
and to other saints1 in order to tempt  
them4  ,excuse1 sir1 this little        
physical digression1 with which ,i could
 not dispense1 in order to make you     
understand the manner in which angels1  
who are purely spiritual substances1 can
 be perceived by our fleshly senses4    
,the only point on which the holy       
doctors do not agree on this subject is1
 to know if angels appear to men of     
their own accord1 or whether they can do
 it only by an express command from     
,god4 ,it seems to me that nothing can  
better contribute to the decision of    
this difficulty1 than to determine the  
way in which the angels know all things 
here below2 for if it is by means of    
species which ,god communicates to them 
every day1 as ,st4 ,augustine believes1 

there is no reason to doubt of their    
knowing all the wants of mankind1 or    
that they can1 in order to console and  
strengthen them1 render their presence  
sensible to them1 by ,god's permission1 
without receiving an express command    
from him on the subject2 which may be   
concluded from what ,st4 ,ambrose says  
on the subject of the apparition of     
angels1 who are by nature invisible to  
us1 and whom their will renders visible4
 ,hujus natur est non videri1           
voluntatis1 videri4#ffb  ,on the subject
 of demons1 it is certain that their    
power was very great before the coming  
of ,jesus ,christ1 since he calls them  
himself1 the powers of darkness1 and the
 princes of this world4 ,it cannot be   
doubted that they had for a long time   
deceived mankind1 by the wonders which  
they caused to be performed by those who
 devoted themselves more particularly to
 their service2 that several oracles    
have been the effect of their power and 
knowledge1 although part of them must be

 ascribed to the subtlety of men2 and   
that they may have appeared under       
fantastic forms1 which they assumed in  
the same way as the angels1 that is to  
say1 in arial bodies1 which they        
organized4 ,the ,holy ,scriptures assure
 us even1 that they took possession of  
the bodies of living persons4 ,but      
,jesus ,christ says too precisely1 that 
he has destroyed the kingdom of the     
demons1 and delivered us from their     
tyranny1 for us possibly to think       
rationally that they still possess that 
power over us which they had formerly1  
so far as to work wonderful things which
 appeared miraculous2 such as they      
relate of the vestal virgin1 who1 to    
prove her virginity1 carried water in a 
sieve2 and of her who by means of her   
sash alone1 towed up the ,tiber a boat1 
which had been so completely stranded   
that no human power could move it4      
,almost all the holy doctors agree1 that
 the only means they now have of        
deceiving us is by suggestion1 which    

,god has left in their power to try our 
virtue4  ,i shall not amuse myself by   
combating all the impositions which have
 been published concerning demons1      
incubi1 and succubi1 with which some    
authors have disfigured their works1 any
 more than ,i shall reply to the        
pretended possession of the nuns of     
,loudun1 and of ,martha ,brossier1#ffc  
which made so much noise at ,paris at   
the commencement of the last century2   
because several learned men who have    
favored us with their reflections on    
these adventures1 have sufficiently     
shown that the demons had nothing to do 
with them2 and the last1 above all1 is  
perfectly quashed by the report of      
,marescot1 a celebrated physician1 who  
was deputed by the ,faculty of ,theology
 to examine this girl who performed so  
many wonders4 ,here are his own words1  
which may serve as a general reply to   
all these kind of adventures3--,a natur 
multa plura ficta1  ,dmone nulla4 ,that 
is to say1 that the constitution of     

,martha ,brossier1 who was apparently   
very melancholy and hypochondriacal1    
contributed greatly to her fits of      
enthusiasm2 that she feigned still more1
 and that the devil had nothing to do   
with it4  ,if some of the fathers1 as   
,st4 ,thomas1 believe that the demons   
sometimes produce sensible effects1 they
 always add1 that it can be only by the 
particular permission of ,god1 for his  
glory and the salvation of mankind4  ,in
 regard to all those prodigies and those
 common spells1 which the people ascribe
 to sorcery or commerce with the demon1 
it is proved that they can be performed 
only by natural magic1 which is the     
knowledge of secret effects of natural  
causes1 and several by the subtlety of  
art4 ,it is the opinion of the greater  
number of the fathers of the church who 
have spoken of it2 and without seeking  
testimony of it in ,pagan authors1 such 
as ,xenophon1 ,athenus1 and ,pliny1     
whose works are full of an infinity of  
wonders which are all natural1 we see in

 our own time the surprising effects of 
nature1 as those of the magnet1 of      
steel1 and mercury1 which we should     
attribute to sorcery as did the         
ancients1 had we not seen sensible      
demonstrations of their powers4 ,we also
 see jugglers do such extraordinary     
things1 which seem so contrary to       
nature1 that we should look upon these  
charlatans as magicians1 if we did not  
know by experience1 that their address  
alone1 joined to constant practice1     
makes them able to perform so many      
things which seem marvelous to us4  ,all
 the share that the demons have in the  
criminal practices of those who are     
commonly called sorcerers1 is           
suggestion2 by which means they invite  
them to the abominable research of every
 natural cause which can do injury to   
others4  ,i am now1 sir1 at the most    
delicate point of your question1 which  
is1 to know if our souls can return to  
earth after they are separated from our 
bodies4  ,as the ancient philosophers   

erred so strongly on the nature of the  
soul--some believing that it was but a  
fire which animated us1 and others a    
subtile air1 and others affirming that  
it was nothing else but the proper      
arrangement of all the machine of the   
body1 a doctrine which could not be     
admitted any more as the cause of in men
 than in beasts2 we cannot therefore be 
surprised that they had such gross ideas
 concerning their state after death4    
,the error of the ,greeks1 which they   
communicated to the ,romans1 and the    
latter to our ancestors was1 that the   
souls whose bodies were not solemnly    
interred by the ministry of the priests 
of religion1 wandered out of ,hades     
without finding any repose1 until their 
bodies had been burned and their ashes  
collected4 ,homer makes ,patroclus1 who 
was killed by ,hector1 appear to his    
friend ,achilles in the night to ask him
 for burial1 without which1 he is       
deprived1 he says1 of the privilege of  
passing the river ,acheron4 ,there were 

only the souls of those who had been    
drowned1 whom they believed unable to   
return to earth after death2 for which  
we find a curious reason in ,servius1   
the interpreter of ,virgil1 who says1   
the greater number of the learned in    
,virgil's time1 and ,virgil himself1    
believing that the soul was nothing but 
a fire1 which animated and moved the    
body1 were persuaded that the fire was  
entirely extinguished by the water--as  
if the material could act upon the      
spiritual4 ,virgil explains his opinions
 on the subject of souls very clearly in
 these verses3--    ',igneus est ollis  
vigor1 et celestis origo4'  ,and a      
little after1                    'totos 
infusa per artus   ,mens agitat molem1  
et toto se corpore miscet2'  to mark the
 universal soul of the world1 which he  
believed with the greater part of the   
philosophers of his time4  ,again1 it   
was a common error amongst the pagans1  
to believe that the souls of those who  
died before they were of their proper   

age1 which they placed at the end of    
their growth1 wandered about until the  
time came when they ought naturally to  
be separated from their bodies4 ,plato1 
more penetrating and better informed    
than the others1 although like them     
mistaken1 said1 that the souls of the   
just who had obeyed virtue ascended to  
the sky2 and that those who had been    
guilty of impiety1 retaining still the  
contagion of the earthly matter of the  
body1 wandered incessantly around the   
tombs1 appearing like shadows and       
phantoms4  ,for us1 whom religion       
teaches that our souls are spiritual    
substances created by ,god1 and united  
for a time to bodies1 we know that there
 are three different states after death4
  ,those who enjoy eternal beatitude1   
absorbed1 as the holy doctors say1 in   
the contemplation of the glory of ,god1 
cease not to interest themselves in all 
that concerns mankind1 whose miseries   
they have undergone2 and as they have   
attained the happiness of angels1 all   

the sacred writers ascribe to them the  
same privilege of possessing the power1 
as arial bodies1 of rendering themselves
 visible to their brethren who are still
 upon earth1 to console them1 and inform
 them of the ,divine will2 and they     
relate several apparitions1 which always
 happened by the particular permission  
of ,god4  ,the souls whose abominable   
crimes have plunged them into that gulf 
of torment1 which the ,scripture terms  
hell1 being condemned to be detained    
there forever1 without being able to    
hope for any relief1 care not to have   
permission to come and speak to mankind 
in fantastic forms4 ,the ,scripture     
clearly set forth the impossibility of  
this return1 by the discourse which is  
put into the mouth of the wicked rich   
man in hell1 introduced speaking to     
,abraham2 he does not ask leave to go   
himself1 to warn his brethren on earth  
to avoid the torments which he suffers1 
because he knows that it is not         
possible2 but he implores ,abraham to   

send thither ,lazarus1 who was in glory4
 ,and to observe en passant how very    
rare are the apparitions of the blessed 
and of angels1 ,abraham replies to him1 
that it would be useless1 since those   
who are upon earth have the ,law and the
 ,prophets1 which they have but to      
follow4  ,the story of the canon of     
,rheims1 in the eleventh century1 who1  
in the midst of the solemn service which
 was being performed for the repose of  
his soul1 spoke aloud and said1 ,that he
 was sentenced and condemned1#ffd has   
been refuted by so many of the learned1 
who have shown that this circumstance is
 clearly supposititious1 since it is not
 found in any contemporaneous author2   
that ,i think no enlightened person can 
object it against me4 ,but even were    
this story as incontestable as it is    
apocryphal1 it would be easy for me to  
say in reply1 that the conversion of    
,st4 ,bruno1 who has won so many souls  
to ,god1 was motive enough for the      
,divine ,providence to perform so       

striking a miracle4  ,it now remains for
 me to examine if the souls which are in
 purgatory1 where they expiate the rest 
of their crimes before they pass to the 
abode of the blessed1 can come and      
converse with men1 and ask them to pray 
for their relief4  ,although those who  
have desired to maintain this popular   
error1 have done their endeavors to     
support it by different passages from   
,st4 ,augustine1 ,st4 ,jerome1 and ,st4 
,thomas1 it is certain that all these   
fathers speak only of the return of the 
blessed to manifest the glory of ,god2  
and of ,st4 ,augustine says precisely1  
that if it were possible for the souls  
of the dead to appear to men1 not a day 
would pass without his receiving a visit
 from ,monica his mother4  ,tertullian1 
in his ,treatise on the ,soul1 laughs at
 those who in his time believed in      
apparitions4 ,st4 ,john ,chrysostom1    
speaking on the subject of ,lazarus1    
formally denies them2 as well as the law
 glossographer1 ,canon ,john ,andreas1  

who calls them phantoms of a sickly     
imagination1 and all that is reported   
about spirits which people think they   
hear or see1 vain apparitions4 ,the #gth
 chapter of ,job1 and the song of ,king 
,hezekiah1 reported in the #chth chapter
 of ,isaiah1 are all full of the        
witnesses which the ,holy ,spirit seems 
to have desired to give us of this      
truth1 that our souls cannot return to  
earth after our death until ,god has    
made them angels4  ,but in order to     
establish this still better1 we must    
reply to the strongest objections of    
those who combat it4 ,they adduce the   
opinion of the ,jews1 which they pretend
 to prove by the testimony of ,josephus 
and the rabbis2 the words of ,jesus     
,christ to his apostles1 when he        
appeared to them after his resurrection2
 the authority of the council of        
,elvira2#ffe some passages from ,st4    
,jerome1 in his ,treatise against       
,vigilantius2 of decrees issued by      
different ,parliaments1 by which the    

leases of several houses had been broken
 on account of the spirits which haunted
 them daily1 and tormented the lodgers  
or tenants2 in short an infinite number 
of instances1 which are scattered in    
every story4  ,to destroy all these     
authorities in a few words1 ,i say first
 of all1 that it cannot be concluded    
that the ,jews believed in the return of
 spirits after death1 because ,josephus 
assures us that the spirit which the    
,pythoness caused to appear to ,saul was
 the true spirit of ,samuel2 for1       
besides that the holiness of this       
prophet had placed him in the number of 
the blessed1 there are circumstances    
attending this apparition which have    
caused most of the holy fathers#fff to  
doubt whether it really was the ghost of
 ,samuel1 believing that it might be an 
illusion with which the ,pythoness      
deceived ,saul1 and made him believe    
that he saw that which he desired to    
see4  ,what several rabbis relate of    
patriarchs1 prophets1 and kings whom    

they saw on the mountain of ,gerizim1   
does not prove either that the ,jews    
believed that the spirits of the dead   
could come back1 since it was only a    
vision proceeding from the spirit in    
ecstasy1 which believed it saw what it  
saw not truly2 all those who compose    
this appearance were persons of whose   
holiness the ,jews were persuaded4 ,what
 ,jesus ,christ says to his apostles1   
that the spirits have 'neither flesh nor
 bones1' far from making us believe that
 spirits can come back again1 proves on 
the contrary evidently1 that they cannot
 without a miracle make us sensible of  
their presence1 since it requires       
absolutely a corporeal substance and    
bodily organs to utter sounds2 the      
description does agree with souls1 they 
being pure substances1 exempt from      
matter1 invisibles1 and therefore cannot
 naturally be subject to our senses4    
,the ,provincial ,council held in ,spain
 during the pontificate of ,sylvester   
,i41 which forbids us to light a taper  

by day in the cemeteries of martyrs1    
adding1 as a reason1 that we must not   
disturb the spirits of the saints1 is of
 no consideration2 because besides that 
these words are liable to different     
interpretations1 and may even have been 
inserted by some copyist1 as some       
learned men believe1 they only relate to
 the martyrs1 of whom we cannot doubt   
that their spirits are blessed4  ,i make
 the same reply to a passage of ,st4    
,jerome1 because arguing against the    
heresiarch ,vigilantius1 who treated as 
illusions all the miracles which were   
worked at the tombs of the martyrs2 he  
endeavors to prove to him that the      
saints who are in heaven always take    
part in the miseries of mankind1 and    
sometimes even appear to them visibly to
 strengthen and console them4  ,as for  
the decrees which have annulled the     
leases of several houses on account of  
the inconvenience caused by ghosts to   
those who lodged therein1 it suffices to
 examine the means and the reasons upon 

which they were obtained1 to comprehend 
that either the judges were led into    
error by the prejudices of their        
childhood1 or that they were obliged to 
yield to the proofs produced1 often even
 against their own superior knowledge1  
or they have been deceived by imposture1
 or by the simplicity of the witnesses4 
,with respect to the apparitions1 with  
which all such stories are filled1 one  
of the strongest which can be objected  
against my argument1 and to which ,i    
think myself the more obliged to reply1 
is that which is affirmed to have       
occurred at ,paris in the last century1 
and of which five hundred witnesses are 
cited1 who have examined into the truth 
of the matter with particular attention4
 ,here is the adventure1 as related by  
those who wrote at the time it took     
place4#ffg  ,the ,marquis de            
,rambouillet1 eldest brother of the     
,duchess of ,montauzier1 and the        
,marquis de ,prcy1 eldest son of the    
family of ,nantouillet1 both of them    

between twenty and thirty1 were intimate
 friends1 and went to the wars1 as in   
,france do all men of quality4 ,as they 
were conversing one day together on the 
subject of the other world1 after       
several speeches which sufficiently     
showed that they were not too well      
persuaded of the truth of all that is   
said concerning it1 they promised each  
other that the first who died should    
come and bring the news to his          
companion4 ,at the end of three months  
the ,marquis de ,rambouillet set off for
 ,flanders1 where the war was then being
 carried on2 and de ,prcy1 detained by a
 high fever1 remained at ,paris4 ,six   
weeks afterwards de ,prcy1 at six in the
 morning1 heard the curtains of his bed 
drawn1 and turning to see who it was1 he
 perceived the ,marquis de ,rambouillet 
in his buff vest and boots2 he sprung   
out of bed to embrace him to show his   
joy at his return1 but ,rambouillet1    
retreating a few steps1 told him that   
these caresses were no longer           

seasonable1 for he only came to keep his
 word with him2 that he had been killed 
the day before on such an occasion2 that
 all that was said of the other world   
was certainly true2 that he must think  
of leading a different life2 and that he
 had no time to lose1 as he would be    
killed the first action he was engaged  
in4  ,it is impossible to express the   
surprise of the ,marquis de ,prcy at    
this discourse2 as he could not believe 
what he heard1 he made several efforts  
to embrace his friend1 whom he thought  
desirous of deceiving him1 but he       
embraced only air2 and ,rambouillet1    
seeing that he was incredulous1 showed  
the wound he had received1 which was in 
the side1 whence the blood still        
appeared to flow4 ,after that the       
phantom disappeared1 and left de ,prcy  
in a state of alarm more easy to        
comprehend than describe2 he called at  
the same time his valet-de-chambre1 and 
awakened all the family with his cries4 
,several persons ran to his room1 and he

 related to them what he had just seen4 
,every one attributed this vision to the
 violence of the fever1 which might have
 deranged his imagination2 they begged  
him to go to bed again1 assuring him    
that he must have dreamed what he told  
them4  ,the ,marquis in despair1 on     
seeing that they took him for a         
visionary1 related all the circumstances
 ,i have just recounted2 but it was in  
vain for him to protest that he had seen
 and heard his friend1 being wide awake2
 they persisted in the same idea until  
the arrival of the post from ,flanders1 
which brought the news of the death of  
the ,marquis de ,rambouillet4  ,this    
first circumstance being found true1 and
 in the same manner as de ,prcy had     
said1 those to whom he had related the  
adventure began to think that there     
might be something in it1 because       
,rambouillet having been killed         
precisely the eve of the day he had said
 it1 it was impossible de ,prcy should  
have known of it in a natural way4 ,this

 event having spread in ,paris1 they    
thought it was the effect of a disturbed
 imagination1 or a made up story2 and   
whatever might be said by the persons   
who examined the thing seriously1 there 
remained in people's minds a suspicion1 
which time alone could disperse3 this   
depended on what might happen to the    
,marquis de ,prcy1 who was threatened   
that he should be slain in the first    
engagement2 thus every one regarded his 
fate as the dnouement of the piece2 but 
he soon confirmed everything they had   
doubted the truth of1 for as soon as he 
recovered from his illness he would go  
to the combat of ,st4 ,antoine1 although
 his father and mother1 who were afraid 
of the prophecy1 said all they could to 
prevent him2 he was killed there1 to the
 great regret of all his family4        
,supposing all these circumstances to be
 true1 this is what ,i should say to    
counteract the deductions that some wish
 to derive from them4  ,it is not       
difficult to understand that the        

imagination of the ,marquis de ,prcy1   
heated by fever1 and troubled by the    
recollection of the promise that the    
,marquis de ,rambouillet and himself had
 exchanged1 may have represented to     
itself the phantom of his friend1 whom  
he knew to be fighting1 and in danger   
every moment of being killed4 ,the      
circumstances of the wound of the       
,marquis de ,rambouillet1 and the       
prediction of the death of de ,prcy1    
which was fulfilled1 appears more       
serious3 nevertheless1 those who have   
experienced the power of presentiments1 
the effects of which are so common every
 day1 will easily conceive that the     
,marquis de ,prcy1 whose mind1 agitated 
by a burning fever1 followed his friend 
in all the chances of war1 and expected 
continually to see announced to himself 
by the phantom of his friend what was to
 happen1 may have imagined that the     
,marquis de ,rambouillet had been killed
 by a musket-shot in the side1 and that 
the ardor which he himself felt for war 

might prove fatal to him in the first   
action4 ,we shall see by the words of   
,st4 ,augustine1 which ,i shall cite    
by-and-by1 how fully that ,doctor of the
 ,church was persuaded of the power of  
imagination1 to which he attributes the 
knowledge of things to come4 ,i shall   
again establish the authority of        
presentiments by a most singular        
instance4  ,a lady of talent1 whom ,i   
knew particularly well1 being at        
,chartres1 where she was residing1      
dreamt in the night that in her sleep   
she saw ,paradise1 which she fancied to 
herself was a magnificent hall1 around  
which were in different ranks the angels
 and spirits of the blessed1 and ,god1  
who presided in the midst1 on a shining 
throne4 ,she heard some one knock at the
 door of this delightful place2 and ,st4
 ,peter having opened it1 she saw two   
pretty children1 one of them clothed in 
a white robe1 and the other quite naked4
 ,st4 ,peter took the first by the hand 
and led him to the foot of the throne1  

and left the other crying bitterly at   
the door4 ,she awoke at that moment1 and
 related her dream to several persons1  
who thought it very remarkable4 ,a      
letter which she received from ,paris in
 the afternoon informed her that one of 
her daughters was brought to bed with   
two children1 who were dead1 and only   
one of them had been baptized4  ,of what
 may we not believe the imagination     
capable1 after so strong a proof of its 
power8 ,can we doubt that amongst all   
the pretended apparitions that are      
related1 imagination alone produces all 
those which do not proceed from angels  
and blessed spirits1 or which are not   
the effect of fraudulent contrivance8   
,to explain more fully what has given   
rise to those phantoms1 the apparition  
of which has been published in all ages1
 without availing myself of the         
ridiculous opinion of the skeptics1 who 
doubt of everything1 and assert that our
 senses1 however sound they may be1 can 
only imagine everything falsely1 ,i     

shall remark that the wisest amongst the
 philosophers maintain that deep        
melancholy1 anger1 frenzy1 fever1       
depraved or debilitated senses1 whether 
naturally1 or by accident1 can make us  
see and hear many things which have no  
foundation4  ,aristotle says#ffh that in
 sleep the interior senses act by the   
local movement of the humors and the    
blood1 and that this action descends    
sometimes to the sensitive organs1 so   
that on awaking1 the wisest persons     
think they see the images they have     
dreamt of4  ,plutarch1 in the ,life of  
,brutus1 relates that ,cassius persuaded
 ,brutus that a spectre which the latter
 declared he had seen on waking1 was an 
effect of his imagination2 and this is  
the argument which he puts in his       
mouth3--  ',the spirit of man being     
extremely active in its nature1 and in  
continual motion1 which produces always 
some fantasy2 above all1 melancholy     
persons1 like you1 ,brutus1 are more apt
 to form to themselves in the           

imagination ideal images1 which         
sometimes pass to their external        
senses4'  ,galen1 so skilled in the     
knowledge of all the springs of the     
human body1 attributes spectres to the  
extreme subtility of sight and hearing4 
,what ,i have read in ,cardan seems to  
establish the opinion of ,galen4 ,he    
says that1 being in the city of ,milan1 
it was reported that there was an angel 
in the air1 who appeared visibly1 and   
having ran to the market-place1 he1 with
 two thousand others1 saw the same4 ,as 
even the most learned were in admiration
 at this wonder1 a clever lawyer1 who   
came to the spot1 having observed the   
thing attentively1 sensibly made them   
remark that what they saw was not an    
angel1 but the figure of an angel1 in   
stone1 placed on the top of the belfry  
of ,st4 ,gothard1 which being imprinted 
in a thick cloud by means of a sunbeam  
which fell upon it1 was reflected to the
 eyes of those who possessed the most   
piercing vision4 ,if this fact had not  

been cleared up on the spot by a man    
exempt from all prejudice1 it would have
 passed for certain that it was a real  
angel1 since it had been seen by the    
most enlightened persons in the town to 
the number of two thousand4  ,the       
celebrated du ,laurent1 in his treatise 
on ,melancholy1 attributes to it the    
most surprising effects2 of which he    
gives an infinite number of instances1  
which seem to surpass the power of      
nature4  ,st4 ,augustine1 when consulted
 by ,evodius1 ,bishop of ,upsal1 on the 
subject ,i am treating of1 answers him  
in these terms3 ',in regard to visions1 
even of those by which we learn         
something of the future1 it is not      
possible to explain how they are formed1
 unless we could first of all know how  
everything arises which passes through  
our minds when we think2 for we see     
clearly that a number of images are     
excited in our minds1 which images      
represent to us what has struck either  
our eyes or our other senses4 ,we       

experience it every day and every hour4'
 ,and a little after1 he adds3 ',at the 
moment ,i dictate this letter1 ,i see   
you with the eyes of my mind1 without   
your being present1 or your knowing     
anything about it2 and ,i represent to  
myself1 through my knowledge of your    
character1 the impression that my words 
will make on your mind1 without         
nevertheless knowing or being able to   
understand how all this passes within   
me4'  ,i think1 sir1 you will require   
nothing more precise than these words of
 ,st4 ,augustine to persuade you that we
 must attribute to the power of         
imagination the greater number of       
apparitions1 even of those through which
 we learn things which it would seem    
could not be known naturally2 and you   
will easily excuse my undertaking to    
explain to you how the imagination works
 all these wonders1 since this holy     
doctor owns that he cannot himself      
comprehend it1 though quite convinced of
 the fact4  ,i can tell you only that   

the blood which circulates incessantly  
in our arteries and veins1 being        
purified and warmed in the heart1 throws
 out thin vapors1 which are its most    
subtile parts1 and are called animal    
spirits2 which1 being carried into the  
cavities of the brain1 set in motion the
 small gland which is1 they say1 the    
seat of the soul1 and by this means     
awaken and resuscitate the species of   
the things that they have heard or seen 
formerly1 which are1 as it were1        
enveloped within it1 and form the       
internal reasoning which we call        
thought4 ,whence comes it that beasts   
have memory as well as ourselves1 but   
not the reflections which accompany it1 
which proceed from the soul1 and that   
they have not4  ,if what ,mr4 ,digby1 a 
learned ,englishman1 and chancellor of  
,henrietta1 ,queen of ,england1 ,father 
,kircher1 a celebrated ,jesuit1 ,father 
,schort1 of the same society1           
,gaffarelli and ,vallemont1 publish of  
the admirable secret of the             

palingenesis1 or resurrection of plants1
 has any foundation1 we might account   
for the shades and phantoms which many  
persons declare to have seen in         
cemeteries4  ,this is the way in which  
these curious researchers arrive at the 
marvelous operation of the              
palingenesis3--  ,they take a flower1   
burn it1 and collect all the ashes of   
it1 from which they extract the salts by
 calcination4 ,they put these salts into
 a glass phial1 wherein having mixed    
certain compositions capable of setting 
them in motion when heated1 all this    
matter forms a dust of a bluish hue2 of 
this dust1 excited by a gentle warmth1  
arises a stem1 leaves1 and a flower2 in 
a word1 they perceive the apparition of 
a plant springing from its ashes4 ,as   
soon as the warmth ceases1 all the      
spectacle vanishes1 the matter deranges 
itself and falls to the bottom of the   
vessel1 to form there a new chaos4 ,the 
return of heat resuscitates this        
vegetable phoenix1 hidden in its ashes4 

,and as the presence of warmth gives it 
life1 its absence causes its death4     
,father ,kircher1 who tries to give a   
reason for this admirable phenomenon1   
says that the seminal virtue of every   
mixture is concentrated in the salts1   
and that as soon as warmth sets them in 
motion they rise directly and circulate 
like a whirlwind in this glass vessel4  
,these salts1 in this suspension1 which 
gives them liberty to arrange           
themselves1 take the same situation and 
form the same figure as nature had      
primitively bestowed on them2 retaining 
the inclination to become what they had 
been1 they return to their first        
destination1 and form themselves into   
the same lines as they occupied in the  
living plant2 each corpuscle of salt    
re-entering its original arrangement    
which it received from nature2 those    
which were at the foot of the plant     
place themselves there2 in the same     
manner1 those which compose the top of  
the stem1 the branches1 the leaves1 and 

the flowers1 resume their former place1 
and thus form a perfect apparition of   
the whole plant4  ,it is affirmed that  
this operation has been performed upon a
 sparrow2#ffi and the gentlemen of the  
,royal ,society of ,england1 who are    
making their experiments on this matter1
 hope to succeed in making them on human
 beings also4#fgj  ,now1 according to   
the principle of ,father ,kircher and   
the most learned chemists1 who assert   
that the substantial form of bodies     
resides in the salts1 and that these    
salts1 set in motion by warmth1 form the
 same figure as that which had been     
given to them by nature1 it is not      
difficult to comprehend that dead bodies
 being consumed away in the earth1 the  
salts which exhale from them with the   
vapors1 by means of the fermentations   
which so often occur in this element1   
may very well1 in arranging themselves  
above ground1 form those shadows and    
phantoms which have frightened so many  
people4 ,thus we may perceive how little

 reason there is to ascribe them to the 
return of spirits1 or to demons1 as some
 ignorant people have done4  ,to all the
 authorities by means of which ,i have  
combated the apparitions of spirits     
which are in purgatory1 ,i shall still  
add some very natural reflections4 ,if  
the souls which are in purgatory could  
return hither to ask for prayers to pass
 into the abode of glory1 there would be
 no one who would not receive similar   
entreaties from his relations and       
friends1 since all the spirits being    
disposed to do the same thing1          
apparently1 ,god would grant them all   
the same permission4 ,besides1 if they  
possessed this liberty1 no sensible     
person could understand why they should 
accompany their appearance with all the 
follies so circumstantially related in  
those stories1 as rolling up a bed1     
opening the curtains1 pulling off a     
blanket1 overturning the furniture1 and 
making a frightful noise4 ,in short1 if 
there were any reality in these         

apparitions1 it is morally impossible   
that in so many ages one would not have 
been found so well authenticated that it
 could not be doubted4  ,after having   
sufficiently proved that all the        
apparitions which cannot be ascribed to 
angels or to the souls of the blessed   
are produced only by one of the three   
following causes--the extreme subtility 
of the senses2 the derangement of the   
organs1 as in madness and high fever2   
and the power of imagination--let us see
 what we must think of the circumstance 
which occurred at ,st4 ,maur4  ,although
 you have already seen the account that 
has been given of it1 ,i believe1 sir1  
that you will not be displeased if ,i   
here give you the detail of the more    
particular circumstances4 ,i shall      
endeavor to omit nothing that has been  
done to confirm the truth of the        
circumstance1 and ,i shall even make use
 of the exact words of the author1 as   
much as ,i can1 that ,i may not be      
accused of detracting from the          

adventure4  ,monsieur de ,s----1 to whom
 it happened1 is a young man1 short in  
stature1 well made for his height1      
between four and five-and-twenty years  
of age4 ,being in bed1 he heard several 
loud knocks at his door without the maid
 servant1 who ran thither directly1     
finding any one2 and then the curtains  
of his bed were drawn1 although there   
was only himself in the room4 ,the #bb;d
 of last ,march1 being1 about eleven    
o'clock at night1 busy looking over some
 lists of works in his study1 with three
 lads who are his domestics1 they all   
heard distinctly a rustling of the      
papers on the table2 the cat was        
suspected of this performance1 but ,m4  
de ,s4 having taken a light and looked  
diligently about1 found nothing4  ,a    
little after this he went to bed1 and   
sent to bed also those who had been with
 him in his kitchen1 which is next to   
his sleeping-room2 he again heard the   
same noise in his study or closet2 he   
rose to see what it was1 and not having 

found anything more than he did the     
first time1 he was going to shut the    
door1 but he felt some resistance to his
 doing so2 he then went in to see what  
this obstacle might be1 and at the same 
time heard a noise above his head       
towards the corner of the room1 like a  
great blow on the wall2 at this he cried
 out1 and his people ran to him2 he     
tried to reassure them1 though alarmed  
himself2 and having found naught he went
 to bed again and fell asleep4 ,hardly  
had these lads extinguished the light1  
than ,m4 de ,s4 was suddenly awakened by
 a shake1 like that of a boat striking  
against the arch of a bridge2 he was so 
much alarmed at it that he called his   
domestics2 and when they had brought the
 light1 he was strangely surprised to   
find his bed at least four feet out of  
its place1 and he was then aware that   
the shock he had felt was when his      
bedstead ran against the wall4 ,his     
people having replaced the bed1 saw1    
with as much astonishment as alarm1 all 

the bed-curtains open at the same       
moment1 and the bedstead set off running
 towards the fire-place4 ,m4 de ,s4     
immediately got up1 and sat up the rest 
of the night by the fire-side4 ,about   
six in the morning1 having made another 
attempt to sleep1 he was no sooner in   
bed than the bedstead made the same     
movement again1 twice1 in the presence  
of his servants1 who held the bed-posts 
to prevent it from displacing itself4   
,at last1 being obliged to give up the  
game1 he went out to walk till dinner   
time2 after which1 having tried to take 
some rest1 and his bed having twice     
changed its place1 he sent for a man who
 lodged in the same house1 as much to   
reassure himself in his company1 as to  
render him a witness of so surprising a 
circumstance4 ,but the shock which took 
place before this man was so violent1   
that the left foot at the upper part of 
the bedstead was broken2 which had such 
an effect upon him1 that in reply to the
 offers that were made to him to stay   

and see a second1 he replied that what  
he had seen1 with the frightful noise he
 had heard all night1 were quite        
sufficient to convince him of the fact4 
,it was thus that the affair1 which till
 then had remained between ,m4 de ,s4   
and his domestics1 became public2 and   
the report of it being immediately      
spread1 and reaching the ears of a great
 prince who had just arrived at ,st4    
,maur1 his highness was desirous of     
enlightening himself upon the matter1   
and took the trouble to examine         
carefully into the circumstances which  
were related to him4 ,as this adventure 
became the subject of every             
conversation1 very soon nothing was     
heard but stories of ghosts1 related by 
the credulous1 and laughed at and joked 
upon by the freethinkers4 ,however1 ,m4 
de ,s4 tried to reassure himself1 and go
 the following night into his bed1 and  
become worthy of conversing with the    
spirit1 which he doubted not had        
something to disclose to him4 ,he slept 

till nine o'clock the next morning1     
without having felt anything but slight 
shakes1 as the mattresses were raised   
up1 which had only served to rock him   
and promote sleep4 ,the next day passed 
off pretty quietly2 but on the #bfth1   
the spirit1 who seemed to have become   
well-behaved1 resumed its fantastic     
humor1 and began the morning by making a
 great noise in the kitchen2 they would 
have forgiven it for this sport if it   
had stopped there1 but it was much worse
 in the afternoon4 ,m4 de ,s41 who owns 
that he felt himself particularly       
attracted towards his study1 though he  
felt a repugnance to enter it1 having   
gone into it about six o'clock1 went to 
the end of the room1 and returning      
towards the door to go into his bed-room
 again1 was much surprised to see it    
shut of itself and barricade itself with
 the two bolts4 ,at the same time1 the  
two doors of a large press opened behind
 him1 and rather darkened his study1    
because the window1 which was open1 was 

behind these doors4  ,at this sight1 the
 fright of ,m4 de ,s4 is more easy to   
imagine than to describe2 however1 he   
had sufficient calmness left1 to hear at
 his left ear a distinct voice1 which   
came from a corner of the closet1 and   
seemed to him to be about a foot above  
his head4 ,this voice spoke to him in   
very good terms during the space of half
 a miserere2 and ordered him1 theeing   
and thouing him to do some one          
particular thing1 which he was          
recommended to keep secret4 ,what he has
 made public is that the voice allowed  
him a fortnight to accomplish it in2 and
 ordered him to go to a place1 where he 
would find some persons who would inform
 him what he had to do2 and that it     
would come back and torment him if he   
failed to obey4 ,the conversation ended 
by an adieu4  ,after that1 ,m4 de ,s4   
remembers that he fainted and fell down 
on the edge of a box1 which caused him a
 pain in his side4 ,the loud noise and  
the cries which he afterwards uttered   

brought several people in haste to the  
door1 and after useless efforts to open 
it1 they were going to force it open    
with a hatchet1 when they heard ,m4 de  
,s4 dragging himself towards the door1  
which he with much difficulty opened4   
,disordered as he was1 and unable to    
speak1 they first of all carried him to 
the fire1 and then they laid him on his 
bed1 where he received all the          
compassion of the great prince1 of whom 
,i have already spoken1 who hastened to 
the house the moment this event was     
noised abroad4 ,his highness having     
caused all the recesses and corners of  
the house to be inspected1 and no one   
being found therein1 wished that ,m4 de 
,s4 should be bled2 but his surgeon     
finding he had a very feeble pulsation1 
thought he could not do so without      
danger4  ,when he recovered from his    
swoon1 his highness1 who wished to      
discover the truth1 questioned him      
concerning his adventure2 but he only   
heard the circumstances ,i have         

mentioned--,m4 de ,s4 having protested  
to him that he could not1 without risk  
to his life1 tell him more4  ,the spirit
 was heard of no more for a fortnight2  
but when that term was expired--whether 
his orders had not been faithfully      
executed1 or that he was glad to come   
and thank ,m4 de ,s4 for being so       
exact--as he was1 during the night1     
lying in a little bed near the window of
 his bed-room1 his mother in the great  
bed1 and one of his friends in an       
arm-chair near the fire1 they all three 
heard some one rap several times against
 the wall1 and such a blow against the  
window1 that they thought all the panes 
were broken4 ,m4 de ,s4 got up that     
moment1 and went into his closet to see 
if this troublesome spirit had something
 else to say to him2 but when there1 he 
could neither find nor hear anything4   
,and thus ended this adventure1 which   
has made so much noise and drawn so many
 inquisitive persons to ,st4 ,maur4     
,now let us make some reflections on    

those circumstances which are the most  
striking1 and most likely to make any   
impression4  ,the noise which was heard 
several times during the night by the   
master1 the female servant1 and the     
neighbors1 is quite equivocal2 and the  
most prejudiced persons cannot deny that
 it may have been produced by different 
causes which are all quite natural4     
,the same reply may be given as to the  
papers which were heard to rustle1 since
 a breath of air or a mouse might have  
moved them4  ,the moving of the bed is  
something more serious1 because it is   
reported to have been witnessed by      
several persons2 but ,i hope that a     
little reflection will dispense us from 
having recourse to fantastic hands in   
order to explain it4  ,let us imagine a 
bedstead upon castors2 a person whose   
imagination is impressed1 or who wishes 
to enliven himself by frightening his   
domestics1 is lying upon it1 and rolls  
about very much1 complaining that he is 
tormented4 ,is it surprising that the   

bedstead should be seen to move1        
especially when the floor of the room is
 waxed and rubbed8 ,but1 you will say1  
some of the witnesses even made useless 
efforts to prevent this movement4 ,who  
are these witnesses8 ,two are youths in 
the service of the patient1 who trembled
 all over with fright1 and were not     
capable of examining the secret causes  
of this movement2 and the other has     
since told several people that he would 
give ten pistoles not to have affirmed  
that he saw this bedstead remove itself 
without help4  ,in regard to the voice1 
whose secret has been so carefully kept1
 as there is no witness of it1 we can   
only judge of it by the state in which  
he who had been favored with this       
pretended revelation was found4         
,repeated cries from the man who1       
hearing his closet door beaten in1 draws
 back the bolts which he had apparently 
drawn himself1 his eyes quite wild1 and 
his whole person in extraordinary       
disorder1 would have caused the ancient 

heathens to take him for a sibyl full of
 enthusiasm1 and must appear to us      
rather the consequence of some          
convulsion than of a conversation with a
 spiritual being4  ,lastly1 the violent 
blows given upon the walls and panes of 
glass1 in the night1 in the presence of 
two witnesses1 might make some          
impression1 if we were sure that the    
patient1 who was lying directly under   
the window in a small bed1 had no part  
in the matter2 for of the two witnesses 
who heard this noise1 one was his       
mother1 and the other an intimate       
friend1 who1 even reflecting on what he 
saw and heard1 declares that it can only
 be the effect of a spell4  ,how much   
good soever you may wish for this place1
 ,i do not believe1 sir1 that what ,i   
have just remarked on the circumstances 
of the adventure1 will lead you to      
believe that it has been honored with an
 angelic apparition2 ,i should rather   
fear that1 attributing it to a          
disordered imagination1 you may accuse  

the subtility of the air which there    
predominates as having caused it4 ,as ,i
 am somewhat interested in not doing the
 climate of ,st4 ,maur such an injury1  
,i am compelled to add something else to
 what ,i have said of the person in     
question1 in order that you may know his
 character4  ,you need not be very      
clever in the art of physiognomy to     
remark in his countenance the melancholy
 which prevails in his temperament4     
,this sad disposition1 joined to the    
fever which has tormented him for some  
time1 carried some vapors to his brain1 
which might easily lead him to believe  
that he heard all he has publicly       
declared2 besides which1 the desire to  
divert himself by alarming his domestics
 may have induced him to feign several  
things1 when he saw that the adventure  
had come to the ears of a prince who    
might not approve of such a joke1 and be
 severe upon it4 ,thus then1 sir1 you   
will think as ,i do1 that the report of 
the celebrated ,marescot on the subject 

of the famous ,margaret ,brossier agrees
 perfectly with our melancholy man1 and 
well explains his adventure3  natur     
multa1 plura ficta1  dmone nulla4 ,his  
temperament has made him fancy he saw   
and heard many things2 he feigned still 
more in support of what his wanderings  
or his sport had induced him to assert2 
and no kind of spirit has had any share 
in his adventure4 ,without stopping to  
relate several effects of his           
melancholy1 ,i shall simply remark that 
an embarkation which he made on one of  
the last jours gras1 setting off at ten 
o'clock at night to make the tour of the
 peninsula of ,st4 ,maur1 in a boat     
where he covered himself up with straw  
on account of the cold1 appeared so     
singular to the great prince before     
mentioned1 that he took the trouble to  
question him as to his motives for      
making such a voyage at so late an hour4
  ,i shall add that the discernment of  
his highness made him easily judge      
whence this adventure proceeded1 and his

 behavior on this occasion has shown    
that he is not easily deceived4 ,i do   
not think it is allowable for me to omit
 the opinion of his father1 a man of    
distinguished merit1 on this adventure  
of his son1 when he learned all the     
circumstances by a letter from his wife1
 who was at ,st4 ,maur4 ,he told several
 persons that he was certain that the   
spirit which acted on this occasion was 
that of his wife and son4 ,the author of
 the relation was right in endeavoring  
to weaken such testimony2 but ,i do not 
know if he flatters himself that he has 
succeeded1 in saying that he who gave   
this opinion is an esprit fort1 or      
freethinker who makes it a point of     
honor to be of the fashionable opinion  
concerning spirits4  ,lastly1 to fix    
your judgment and terminate agreeably   
this little dissertation in which you   
have engaged me1 ,i know of nothing     
better than to repeat the words of a    
princess1#fga who is not less           
distinguished at court by the delicacy  

of her wit than by her high rank and    
personal charms4 ,as they were          
conversing in her presence of the       
singularity of the adventure which here 
happened at ,st4 ,maur1 ',why are you so
 much astonished8' said she1 with that  
gracious air which is so natural to her2
 ',is it surprising that the son should 
have to do with spirits1 since the      
mother sees the eternal ,father three   
times every week8 ,this woman is very   
happy1' added the witty princess2 'for  
my part1 ,i should ask no other favor   
than to see him once in my life4'       
,laugh with your friends at this        
agreeable reflection2 but1 above all1   
take care1 sir1 not to make my letter   
public3 it is the only reward that ,i   
ask for the exactitude with which ,i    
have obeyed you on so delicate an       
occasion4             ,i am1 sir1       
,your very humble1 c4  ,st4 ,maur1 ,may 
#h1 #agjf4     ,,approbation4   ,by     
order of the ,lord ,chancellor1 this    
dissertation on what we must think of   

spirits in general1 and of that of ,st4 
,maur in particular1 has been read by   
me1 and ,i have found nothing therein   
which ought to hinder its being printed4
  ,done at ,paris1 the #agth of         
,october1 #agjf4               7,signed7
   ,,la ,,marque ,,tilladet4  ,the      
king's permission bears date the #bast  
,november1 #agjf4   ,footnotes3  #ffb   
,st4 ,ambrose1 ,com4 on ,st4 ,luke1 i4  
c4 #a4  #ffc ,martha ,brossier1 daughter
 of a weaver at ,romorantin1 was shown  
as a demoniac1 in #aegh4 ,see ,de ,thou 
on this subject1 book cxxiii4 and tom4  
v4 of the ,journal of ,henry ,,iii41    
edition of #agdd1 p4 #bjf1 c4 ,the      
affair of ,loudun took place in the     
reign of ,louis ,,xiii42 and ,cardinal  
,richelieu is accused of having caused  
this tragedy to be enacted1 in order to 
ruin ,urban ,grandier1 the cur of       
,loudun1 for having written a cutting   
satire against him4  #ffd ,m4 de ,lannoy
 has made a particular dissertation ,de 
,caus ,secessionis ,s4 ,brunonis3 he    

solidly refutes this fable4             
,nevertheless1 this event is to be found
 painted in the fine pictures of the    
little monastery of the ,chartreux at   
,paris4  #ffe ,eliberitan ,council1 an4 
#cje or #cac1 in the kingdom of         
,grenada4 ,others have thought1 but     
mistakenly1 that it was ,collioure in   
,roussillon4  #fff ,jesus1 the son of   
,sirach1 author of ,ecclesiasticus1     
believes this apparition to be true4    
,ecclus4 xlvi4 #bc4  #ffg ,this story   
has been related in the former part of  
the work1 but more succinctly4  #ffh    
,arist4 ,treatise on ,dreams and        
,vigils4  #ffi ,the ,abb de ,vallemont1 
in his work on the ,singularities of    
,vegetation4 ,paris1 #a vol4 #abmo4     
#fgj ,this was a century and a half ago2
 but the ,philosophical ,transactions   
record no account of any successful     
result to such experiments4  #fga       
,madame the ,duchess-mother1 daughter of
 the late king1 ,louis ,,xiv41 and      
mother of the duke lately dead1 of ,m4  

the ,count de ,charolois1 and of ,m4 the
 ,count de ,clermont4       ,,letter    
,,of ,m4 ,,the ,,marquis ,,maffei   ,,on
 ,,magic2   ,,addressed ,,to   ,,the    
,,reverend   ,,father ,,innocent        
,,ansaldi1   ,,of ,,the ,,order ,,of    
,,st4 ,,dominic2   ,,translated ,,from  
,,the ,,italian ,,of ,,the ,,author4    
,,letter ,,of ,m4 ,,the ,,marquis       
,,maffei ,,on ,,magic4   ,,my ,,reverend
 ,,father1  ,it is to the goodness of   
your reverence1 in regard to myself1    
that ,i must attribute the curiosity you
 appear to feel to know what ,i think   
concerning the book which the ,sieur    
,jerome ,tartarotti has just published  
on the ,nocturnal ,assemblies of the    
,sorcerers4 ,i reply to you with the    
greatest pleasure2 and ,i am going to   
tell my opinion fully and unreservedly1 
on condition that you will examine what 
,i write to you with your usual         
acuteness1 and that you will tell me    
frankly whatever you remark in it1      
whether good or bad1 and that may appear

 to deserve either your approbation or  
your censure4 ,i had already read this  
book1 and passed an eulogium on it1 both
 for the great erudition displayed      
therein by the author1 as because he    
refutes1 in a very sensible manner1 some
 ridiculous opinions with which people  
are infatuated concerning sorcerers1 and
 some other equally dangerous abuses4   
,but1 to tell the truth1 with that      
exception1 ,i am little disposed to     
approve it2 if ,m4 ,muratori has done so
 in his letter1 which has been seen by  
several persons1 either he has not read 
the work through1 or he and ,i on that  
point entertain very different          
sentiments4 ,in regard to my opinion1   
your reverence will see1 by what ,i     
shall say1 that it is the same as your  
own on this subject1 as you have done me
 the favor to show by your letter4  ,i4 
,in this work there is laid down1 in the
 first place1 as a certain and          
indubitable principle1 the existence and
 reality of magic1 and the truth of the 

effects produced by it--superior1 they  
say1 to all natural powers2 he gives it 
the name of diabolical magic1 and       
defines it1 ,the knowledge of certain   
superstitious practices1 such as words1 
verses1 characters1 images1 signs 7qy4  
moles71 c41 by means of which magicians 
succeed in their designs4 ,for my part1 
,i am much inclined to believe that all 
the science of the pretended magicians  
had no other design than to deceive     
others1 and ended sometimes in deceiving
 themselves2 and that this magic1 now so
 much vaunted1 is only a chimera4       
,perhaps even it would be giving one's  
self superfluous trouble to undertake to
 show that everything related of those  
nocturnal hypogryphes1#fgb of those     
pretended journeys through the air1 of  
those assemblies and feasts of          
sorcerers1 is only idle and imaginary2  
because those fables being done away    
with would not prevent that an infinite 
number of others would still remain1    
which have been repeated and spread on  

the same subject1 and which1 although   
more foolish and ridiculous than all the
 extravagances we read in romances1 are 
so much the more dangerous1 because they
 are more easily believed4 ,it would1 in
 the opinion of many1 be doing these    
tales too much honor to attempt to      
refute them seriously1 as there is no   
one at this day1 in ,italy1 at least1   
even amongst the people1 who has common 
sense1 that does not laugh at all that  
is said of the witches' sabbath1 and of 
those troops or bands of sorcerers who  
go through the air during the night to  
assemble in retired spots and dance4 ,it
 is true1 that notwithstanding1 that if 
a man of any credit1 whether amongst the
 learned or persons of high dignity1    
maintains an opinion1 he will           
immediately find partisans2 it will be  
useless to write or speak to the        
contrary1 it will not be the less       
followed2 and it is hardly possible that
 it can be otherwise1 so many minds as  
there are1 and so many different ways of

 thinking4 ,but here the only question  
is1 what is the common opinion1 and what
 is most universally believed4 ,it is   
not my intention to compose a work      
expressly on magic1 nor to enter very   
lengthily on this matter2 ,i shall only 
exhibit1 in a few words1 the reasons    
which oblige me to laugh at it1 and     
which induce me to incline to the       
opinion of those who look upon it as a  
pure illusion1 and a real chimera4 ,i   
must1 first of all1 give notice that you
 must not be dazzled by the truth of the
 magical operations in the ,old         
,testament1 as if from thence we could  
derive a conclusive argument to prove   
the reality of the pretended magic of   
our own times4 ,i shall demonstrate this
 clearly at the end of this discourse1  
in which ,i hope to show that my opinion
 on this subject is conformable to the  
,scripture1 and founded on the tradition
 of the fathers4 ,now1 then1 let us     
speak of modern magicians4  ,,ii4 ,if   
there is any reality in this art1 to    

which so many wonders are ascribed1 it  
must be the effect of a knowledge       
acquired by study1 or of the impiety of 
some one who renounces what he owes to  
,god to give himself up to the demon1   
and invokes him4 ,it seems1 in fact1    
that they would sometimes attribute it  
to acquired knowledge1 since in the book
 ,i am combating the author often speaks
 of the true mysteries of the magic art2
 and he asserts that few are perfectly  
instructed in the secret and difficult  
principles of this science2 which is not
 surprising1 he says1 since the life of 
man would hardly suffice to read all the
 works which have treated of it4 ,he    
calls it sometimes the magical science1 
or magical philosophy2 he carries back  
the origin of it to the philosopher     
,pythagoras2 he regards ignorance of the
 magic art as one of the reasons why we 
see so few magicians in our days4 ,he   
speaks only of the mysterious scale     
enclosed by ,orpheus in unity1 in the   
numbers of two and twelve2 of the       

harmony of nature1 composed of          
proportionable parts1 which are the     
octave1 or the double1 and the fifth1 or
 one and a half2 of strange and         
barbarous names which mean nothing1 and 
to which he attributes supernatural     
virtues2 of the concert or the agreement
 of the inferior and superior parts of  
this universe1 when understood2 makes   
us1 by means of certain words or certain
 stones1 hold intercourse with invisible
 substances2 of numbers and signs1 which
 answer to the spirits which preside    
over different days1 or different parts 
of the body2 of circles1 triangles1 and 
pentagons1 which have power to bind     
spirits2 and of several other secrets of
 the same kind1 very ridiculous1 to tell
 the truth1 but very fit to impose on   
those who admire everything which they  
do not understand4  ,,iii4 ,but however 
thick may be the darkness with which    
nature is hidden from us1 and although  
we may know but very imperfectly the    
essential principles and properties of  

things1 who does not see1 nevertheless1 
that there can be no proportion1 no     
connection1 between circles and         
triangles which we trace1 or the long   
words which signify nothing1 and        
immaterial spirits8 ,can people not     
conceive that it is a folly to believe  
that by means of a few herbs1 certain   
stones1 and certain signs or characters1
 we can make ourselves obeyed by        
invisible substances which are unknown  
to us8 ,let a man study as much as he   
will the pretended soul of the world1   
the harmony of nature1 the agreement of 
the influence of all the parts it is    
composed of--is it not evident that all 
he will gain by his labor will be terms 
and words1 and never any effects which  
are above the natural power of man8 ,to 
be convinced of this truth1 it suffices 
to observe that the pretended magicians 
are1 and ever have been1 anything but   
learned2 on the contrary1 they are very 
ignorant and illiterate men4 ,is it     
credible that so many celebrated        

persons1 so many famous men1 versed in  
all kinds of literature1 should never   
have been able or willing to sound and  
penetrate the mysterious secrets of this
 art2 and that of so many philosophers  
spoken of by ,diogenes ,lartius1 neither
 ,plato1 nor ,aristotle1 nor any other1 
should have left us some treatise8 ,it  
would be useless to attack the opinions 
of the world at that time on this       
subject4 ,do we not know with how many  
errors it has been infatuated in all    
ages1 and which1 though shared in       
common1 were not the less mistakes8 ,was
 it not generally believed in former    
times1 that there were no antipodes8    
that according to whether the sacred    
fowls had eaten or not1 it was permitted
 or forbidden to fight8 that the statues
 of the gods had spoken or changed their
 place8 ,add to those things all the    
knavery and artifice which the          
charlatans put in practice to deceive   
and delude the people1 and then can we  
be surprised that they succeeded in     

imposing on them and gaining their      
belief8 ,but let it not be imagined1    
nevertheless1 that everyone was their   
dupe1 and that amongst so many blind and
 credulous people there were not always 
to be found some men sensible and       
clear-sighted enough to perceive the    
truth4  ,,iv4 ,to be convinced of this1 
let us only consider what was thought of
 it by one of the most learned amongst  
the ancients1 and we may say1 one of the
 most curious and attentive observers of
 the wonders of nature--,i speak of     
,pliny1 who thus expresses himself at   
the beginning of his ,thirtieth         
,book2#fgc ,hitherto ,i have shown in   
this work1 every time that it was       
necessary and the occasion presented    
itself1 how very little reality there is
 in all that is said of magic2 and ,i   
shall continue to do so as it goes on4  
,but because during several centuries   
this art1 the most deceptive of all1 has
 enjoyed great credit among several     
nations1 ,i think it is proper to speak 

of it more fully4 ,no men are more      
clever in hiding their knaveries than   
magicians2 and in seven or eight other  
places he endeavors to expose their     
falsehoods1 their deceptions1 the       
uselessness of their art1 and laughs at 
it4 ,but one thing to which we should   
pay attention above all1 is an          
invincible argument which he brings     
forward against this pretended art4 ,for
 after having enumerated the diverse    
sorts of magic1 which were employed with
 different kinds of instruments1 and in 
several different ways1 and from which  
they promised themselves effects that   
were quite divine2 that is to say1      
superior to all the force of nature1    
even of the power to converse with the  
shades and souls of the dead2 he adds1  
,but in our days the ,emperor ,nero has 
discovered that in all these things     
there is nothing but deceit and vanity4 
,never prince1 says he1 a little lower  
down1 sought with more eagerness to     
render himself clever in any other art2 

and as he was the master of the world1  
it is certain that he wanted neither    
riches1 nor power1 nor wit1 nor any     
other aid necessary to succeed therein4 
,what stronger proof of the falsity of  
this art can we have than to see that   
,nero renounced it8 ,suetonius informs  
us also1 ,that this prince uselessly    
employed magic sacrifices to evoke the  
shade of his mother1 and speak to her4  
,again1 ,pliny says that ,tirdates the  
,mage 7for it is thus it should be read1
 and not ,tiridates the ,great1 as it is
 in the edition of ,p4 ,hardouin71      
having repaired to the court of ,nero1  
and having brought several magi with    
him1 initiated this prince in all the   
mysteries of magic4 ,nevertheless1 he   
adds1 it was in vain for ,nero to make  
him a present of a kingdom--he could not
 obtain from him the knowledge of this  
art2 which ought to convince us that    
this detestable science is only vanity1 
or1 if some shadow of truth is to be met
 within it1 its real effects have less  

to do with the art of magic than the art
 of poisoning4 ,seneca1 who also was    
very clever1 after having repeated a law
 of the ,twelve ,tables1 which forbade  
the use of enchantments to destroy the  
fruits of the earth1 makes this         
commentary upon it3 ,when our fathers   
were yet rude and ignorant1 they        
imagined that by means of enchantments  
rain could be brought down upon the     
ground1 or could be prevented from      
falling2 but at this day it is so clear 
that both one and the other is          
impossible1 that to be convinced of it  
it does not require to be a philosopher4
 ,it would be useless to collect in this
 place an infinity of passages from the 
ancients1 which all prove the same      
thing2 we can only  the book written by 
,hippocrates on ,caducity1 which usually
 passed for the effect of the vengeance 
of the gods1 and which for that reason  
was called the sacred malady4 ,we shall 
there see how he laughs at magicians and
 charlatans1 who boasted of being able  

to cure it by their enchantments and    
expiations4 ,he shows there that by the 
profession which they made of being able
 to darken the sun1 bring down the moon 
to the earth1 give fine or bad weather1 
procure abundance or sterility1 they    
seemed to wish to attribute to man more 
power than to the ,divinity itself1     
showing therein much less religion than 
impiety1 and proving that they did not  
believe in the gods4 ,i do not speak of 
the fables and tales invented by        
,philostrates on the subject of         
,apollonius of ,thyana1 they have been  
sufficiently refuted by the best pens3  
but ,i must not omit to warn you that   
the name of magic has been used in a    
good sense for any uncommon science1 and
 a sublimer sort of philosophy4 ,it is  
in this sense that it must be understood
 where ,pliny says1#fgd although rather 
obscurely1 that ,pythagoras1            
,empedocles1 ,democritus1 and ,plato1   
traveled a great deal to acquire        
instruction in it4 ,for the rest1 people

 are naturally led to attribute to      
sorcery everything that appears new and 
marvelous4 ,have not we ourselves1 with 
,m4 ,leguier1 passed for magicians in   
the minds of some persons1 because in   
our experiments on electricity they have
 seen us easily extinguish lights by    
putting them near cold water1 which then
 appeared an unheard-of thing1 and which
 many still firmly maintain even now    
cannot be done without a tacit compact8 
,it is true that in the effects of      
electricity there is something so       
extraordinary and so wonderful1 that we 
should be more disposed to excuse those 
persons who could not easily believe    
them to be natural than those who have  
fancied tacit compacts for things which 
it would be much more easy to explain   
naturally4  ,v4 ,from what has just been
 said1 it evidently results that it is  
folly to believe that by means of study 
and knowledge one can ever attain any of
 those marvelous effects attributed to  
magic2 and it is profaning the name of  

science to give it an imposture so      
grossly imagined2 it remains then that  
these effects might be produced by a    
diabolical power4 ,in fact1 we read in  
the work in question that all the       
effects of magic must be attributed to  
the operation of the demon2 that it is  
in virtue of the compact1 express or    
tacit1 that he has made with him that   
the magician works all these pretended  
prodigies2 and that it is in regard to  
the different effects of this art1 and  
the different ways in which they are    
produced1 that authors have since       
divided it into several classes4 ,but ,i
 beg1 at first1 that the reader will    
reflect seriously1 if it is credible1   
that as soon as some miserable woman or 
unlucky knave have a fancy for it1 ,god1
 whose wisdom and goodness are infinite1
 will ever permit the demon to appear to
 them1 instruct them1 obey them1 and    
that they should make a compact with    
him4 ,is it credible that to please a   
scoundrel he would grant the demon power

 to raise storms1 ravage all the country
 by hail1 inflict the greatest pain on  
little innocent children1 and even      
sometimes to cause the death of a man by
 magic8 ,does any one imagine that such 
things can be believed without offending
 ,god1 and without showing a very       
injurious mistrust of his almighty      
power8 ,it has several times happened to
 me1 especially when ,i was in the army1
 to hear that some wretched creatures   
had given themselves to the devil1 and  
had called upon him to appear to them   
with the most horrible blasphemies1     
without his appearing to them for all   
that1 or their attempts being followed  
by any success4 ,and1 certainly1 if to  
obtain what is promised by the art of   
magic it sufficed to renounce ,god and  
invoke the devil1 how many people would 
soon perform the dreadful act8 ,how many
 impious men do we see every day who for
 money1 or to revenge themselves on some
 one1 or to satisfy a criminal desire1  
rush without remorse into the greatest  

excesses6 ,how many wretches who are    
suffering in prison1 at the galleys1 or 
otherwise1 would have recourse to the   
demon to extricate them from their      
troubles6 ,it would be very easy for me 
to relate here a great number of curious
 stories of persons generally believed  
to be bewitched1 of haunted houses1 or  
horses rubbed down by will-o'-the-wisp1 
which ,i have myself seen at different  
times and places1 at last reduced to    
nothing4 ,this ,i can affirm1 that two  
monks1 very sensible men1 who had       
exercised the office of inquisitors1 one
 for twenty-four years1 and the other   
during twenty-eight1 have assured me    
that of different accusations of sorcery
 which had been laid before them1 and   
which appeared to be well proved1 after 
having examined them carefully and      
maturely1 they had not found one which  
was not mere knavery4 ,how can any one  
imagine that the devil1 who is the      
father of lies1 should teach the        
magician the true secret of this art2   

and that this spirit1 full of pride1 of 
which he is the source1 should teach an 
enchanter the means of forcing him to   
obey him8 ,as soon as we rise above some
 old prejudices1 which make us excuse   
those who in past ages gave credence to 
such follies1 can we put faith in       
certain extravagant opinions1 as what is
 related of demons1 incubes1 and        
seccubes1 from a commerce with whom it  
is pretended children are born4 ,who    
will believe in our days that ,ezzelin  
was the son of a will-o'-the-wisp8 ,but 
can anything more strange be thought of 
than what is said of tacit compacts8    
,they will have it1 that when any one1  
of whatever country he may be1 and      
however far he may be from wishing to   
make any compact with the devil1 every  
time he shall say certain words1 or make
 certain signs1 a certain effect will   
follow2 if ,i1 who am perfectly ignorant
 of this convention1 should happen to   
pronounce these same words1 or make the 
same signs1 the same effect ought to    

follow4 ,they say that whoever makes a  
compact with the devil has a right to   
oblige him to produce a certain effect1 
not only when he shall make himself1 for
 instance1 certain figures1 but also    
every time that they shall be made by   
any other person you please1 at any     
time1 or in any place whatever1 and     
although the intention may be quite     
different4 ,certainly nothing is more   
proper to humble us than such ideas1 and
 to show how very little man can count  
on the feeble light of his mind4 ,of all
 the extraordinary things said to have  
been performed by tacit compacts1 many  
are absolutely false1 and others have   
occurred quite differently than as they 
are related2 some are true1 and such as 
require no need of the demon's          
intervention to explain them4  ,,vi4    
,the evidence of these reasons seems to 
suffice to prove that all which is said 
of magic in our days is merely          
chimerical2 but because1 in reply to the
 substantial difficulties which were    

proposed to him by the ,count ,rinaldi  
,carli1 the author of the book pretends 
that to deny is a heretical opinion     
condemned by the laws1 it is proper to  
examine this article again4 ,for the    
first proof of its reality1 is advanced 
the general consent of all mankind2 the 
tradition of all nations2 stories and   
witnesses ad infinitum of theologians1  
philosophers1 and jurisconsults2 whence 
he concludes that its existence cannot  
be denied1 or even a doubt cast upon it1
 without sapping the foundations of what
 is called human belief4 ,but the little
 ,i have said in ,no4 ,,iv4 alone       
suffices to prove how false is this     
assertion concerning this pretended     
general consent4 ,horace1 who passes for
 one of the wisest and most enlightened 
men amongst the ancients1 reckons1 on   
the contrary1 among the virtues         
necessary to an honest man1 the not     
putting faith in what is said concerning
 magic1 and to laugh at it4 ,his friend1
 believing himself very virtuous because

 he was not avaricious--,that is not    
sufficient1 said he3 are you exempt from
 every other vice and every other fault2
 not ambitious1 not passionate1 fearless
 of death8 ,do you laugh at all that is 
told of dreams1 magical operations1     
miracles1 sorcerers1 ghosts1 and        
,thessalian wonders8#fge--that is to    
say1 in one word1 of all kinds of magic4
 ,what is the aim of ,lucian1 in his    
,dialogue entitled ,philopseudis1 but to
 turn into ridicule the magic art8 and  
also is it not what he proposed to      
himself in the other1 entitled ,the     
,ass1 whence ,apuleius derived his      
,golden ,ass8 ,it is easy to perceive   
that in all this work1 wherein he speaks
 so often1 the power ascribed to magic  
of making rivers return to their source1
 staying the course of the sun1         
darkening the stars1 and constraining   
the gods themselves to obey it1 he had  
no other intention than to laugh at it1 
which he certainly would not have done  
if he had believed it able to produce1  

as they pretend1 effects beyond those of
 nature4 ,it is1 then1 jokingly and     
ironically that he says they see wonders
 worked by the invincible power of      
magic1#fgf and by the blind necessity   
which imposes upon the gods themselves  
to be obedient to it4 ,the poor man     
thinking he was to be changed into a    
bird1 had had the grief to see himself  
metamorphosed into an ass1 through the  
mistake of a woman who in a hurry had   
mistaken the box1 and giving him one    
ointment for another4 ,the most usual   
terms made use of by the ancients1 in   
speaking of magic1 were play and        
badinage1 which plainly shows that they 
saw nothing real in it4 ,st4 ,cyprian1  
speaking of the mysteries of the        
magicians1 calls them hurtful and       
juggling operations4 ,if by their       
delusions and their jugglery1 says      
,tertullian1 the charlatans seem to     
perform many wonders4 ,and in his       
treatise on the soul1 he exclaims1 ,what
 shall we say of magic8 what almost all 

the world says of it--that it is mere   
knavery4 ,arnobius calls it1 the sports 
of the magic art2 and on these words of 
,minutius ,felix1 all the marvels which 
they seem to work by their jugglery1 his
 commentator remarks that the word      
badinage is in this place the proper    
term4 ,this manner of expressing himself
 shows what was then the common opinion 
of all wise persons4 ,let the farmer1   
says ,columella1 frequent with neither  
soothsayers nor witches1 because by     
their foolish superstitions they all    
cause the ignorant to spend much money1 
and thence they lead them to be         
criminal4 ,we learn from ,suidas1 that  
those were called magicians who filled  
their heads with vain imaginations4     
,thus1 when speaking of one of these    
imposters1 ,dante was right when he     
said#fgg he knew all the trickery and   
knavery of the magic art4 ,thus1 then1  
it is not true that a general belief in 
the art of magic has ever prevailed2 and
 if1 in our days1 any one would gather  

the voice and opinion of men of letters1
 and the most celebrated academies1 ,i  
am persuaded that hardly would one or   
two in ten be found who were convinced  
of its existence4 ,it would not be1 at  
least1 one of the learned friends of the
 author of the book in question1 who    
having been consulted by the latter on  
this matter1 answers him in these       
terms--,magic is a ridiculous art1 which
 has no reality but in the head of a    
madman1 who fancies that he is able to  
lead the devil to satisfy all his       
wishes4 ,i have read in some catalogues 
which come from ,germany1 that they are 
preparing to give the public a ,magic   
,library3 oder grundliche nagrichen1 c4 
,it is a vast collection of different   
writings1 all tending to prove the      
uselessness and insufficiency of magic4 
,i must remark that the poets have      
greatly contributed to set all these    
imaginations in vogue4 ,without this    
fruitful source1 what becomes of the    
most ingenious fictions of ,homer8 ,we  

may say as much of ,ariosto and of our  
modern poets4 ,for the rest1 what ,i    
have before remarked concerning ,pliny  
must not be forgotten--that in the      
ancient authors1 the word magic is often
 equivocal4 ,for in certain countries1  
they gave the name of magi1 or          
magicians1 to those who applied as a    
particular profession to the study of   
astronomy1 philosophy1 or medicine2 in  
others1 philosophers of a certain sect  
were thus called3 for this1 the preface 
of ,diogenes ,lartius can be consulted4 
,plato writes that in ,persia1 by the   
name of magic was understood the worship
 of the gods4 ,according to a great     
number of authors1 says ,apuleius1 in   
his ,apology1 the ,persians called those
 magi to whom we give the name of       
priests4 ,st4 ,jerome1 writing against  
,jovinian1 thus expresses               
himself--,eubulus1 who wrote the history
 of ,mithras1 in several volumes1       
relates that among the ,persians they   
distinguish three kinds of magi1 of whom

 the first are most learned and the most
 eloquent1 c4 ,notwithstanding that1    
there are still people to be found1 who 
confound the chimera of pretended       
diabolical magic with philosophical     
magic1 as ,corneillus ,agrippa has done 
in his books on ,secret ,philosophy4    
,,vii4 ,another reason which is brought 
forward to prove the reality and the    
power of the magic art1 is that the laws
 decree the penalty of death against    
enchanters4 ,what idea1 says he1 could  
we have of the ancient legislators1 if  
we believe them capable of having       
recourse to such rigorous penalties to  
repress a chimera1 an art which produced
 no effect8 ,upon which it is proper to 
observe that1 supposing this error to be
 universally spread1 it would not be    
impossible that even those who made the 
laws might suffer themselves to be      
prejudiced by them2 in which case1 we   
might make the same commentary on       
,seneca1 applied1 as we have seen1 to   
the ,twelve ,tables4 ,but ,i go further 

still4 ,this is not the place to speak  
of the punishments decreed in the       
,scripture against the impiety of the   
,canaanites1 who joined to idolatry the 
most extravagant magic4 ,in regard to   
the ,greek laws1 of which authors have  
preserved for us so great a number1 ,i  
do not remember that they anywhere make 
mention of this crime1 or that they     
subject it to any penalty4 ,i can say   
the same of the ,roman laws1 contained  
in the ,digest4 ,it is true that in the 
,code of ,theodosius1 and in that of    
,justinian1 there is an entire title    
concerning malefactors1 in which we find
 many laws which condemn to the most    
cruel death magicians of all kinds2 but 
are we not forced to confess that this  
condemnation was very just8 ,those      
wretches boasted that they were able to 
occasion when they pleased public       
calamities and mortalities2 with this   
aim1 they kept their charms and dark    
plots as secret as it was possible1     
which led the ,emperor ,constans to say1

 ,let all the magicians1 in whatever    
part of the empire they may be found1 be
 looked upon as the public enemies of   
mankind4 ,what does it matter1 in fact1 
that they made false boastings1 and that
 their attempts were useless8 ,in evil  
doings1 says the law1 it is the will1   
and not the event1 which makes the      
crime4 ,also1 ,constantine wills that   
those amongst them should be pardoned   
who professed to cure people by such    
means1 and to preserve the products of  
the earth4 ,but in general these kind of
 persons aimed only at doing harm2 for  
which reason the laws ordain that they  
should be regarded as public enemies4   
,the least harm they could be accused of
 was deluding the people1 misleading the
 simple1 and causing by that means an   
infinity of trouble and disorder4       
,besides that1 of how many crimes were  
they not guilty in the use of their     
spells8 ,it was that which led the      
,emperor ,valentinian to decree the pain
 of death against whomsoever should work

 at night1 by impious prayers and       
detestable sacrifices1 at magic         
operations4 ,sometimes even they        
adroitly made use of some other way to  
procure the evil which they desired to  
cause2 after which1 they gave out that  
it must be attributed to the power of   
their art4 ,but what is the use of so   
many arguments8 ,is it not certain that 
the first step taken by those who had   
recourse to magic was to renounce ,god  
and ,jesus ,christ1 and to invoke the   
demon8 ,was not magic looked upon as a  
species of idolatry2 and was not that   
sufficient to render this crime capital1
 should the punishment have depended on 
the result8 ,honorius commanded that    
these kind of people should be treated  
with all the rigor of the laws1 unless  
they would promise to conform for the   
future to what was required by the      
,catholic religion1 after having        
themselves1 in presence of the bishops1 
burned the pernicious writings which    
served to maintain their error4  ,,viii4

 ,what is remarkable is1 that if ever   
any one laughed at magic1 it must       
certainly be the author in              
question--since all his book only tends 
to prove that there are no witches1 and 
that all that is said of them is merely 
foolish and chimerical4 ,but what       
appears surprising is1 that at the same 
time he maintains that while in truth   
there are no witches1 but that there are
 enchantresses or female magicians2 that
 witchcraft is only a chimera1 but that 
diabolical magic is very real4 ,is not  
that1 as it appears to some1 denying and
 affirming at the same time the same    
thing under different names8 ,tibullus  
took care not to make nothing of these  
distinctions1 when he said3 ,as ,i was  
promised by a witch1 whose magical      
operations never fail4 ,while treating  
in this book of witchcraft and magic1 it
 is affirmed that the demon intervenes  
on both1 and that both work wonders4    
,but if that is true1 it is impossible  
to find any difference between them4 ,if

 both perform wonders1 and that by the  
intervention of the demon1 they are then
 essentially the same4 ,after that1 is  
it not a contradiction to say that the  
magician acts and the witch has no      
power--that the former commands the     
devil and the latter obeys him--that    
magic is founded on compacts1 expressed 
or tacit1 while in witchcraft there is  
nothing but what is imaginary and       
chimerical8 ,what reason is given for   
this8 ,if the demon is always ready to  
appear to any one who invokes him1 and  
is ready to enter into compact with him1
 why does he not show himself as        
directly to her whom the author terms a 
witch as to her to whom he is pleased to
 give the more respectable title of     
enchantress8 ,if he is disposed to      
appear and take to himself the worship  
and adoration which are due to ,god     
alone1 what matters it to him whether   
they proceed from a vile or a           
distinguished person1 from an ignoramus 
or a learned man8 ,the principal        

difference which the author admits      
between witchcraft and magic1 is1 that  
the latter belongs properly to priests1 
doctors1 and other persons who cultivate
 learning2 whilst witchcraft is purely  
fanaticism1 which only suits the vulgar 
and poor wretched women2 also1 it does  
not1 says he1 derive its origin from    
philosophy or any other science1 and has
 no foundation but in popular stories4  
,for my part1 ,i think it is very wrong 
that so much honor should here be paid  
to magic4 ,i have proved above in a few 
words1 by the authority of several      
ancient authors1 that the most sensible 
men have always made a jest of it2 that 
they have regarded it only as a play and
 a game2 and that after having spared   
neither application nor expense1 a      
,roman emperor could never succeed in   
beholding any effect4 ,i have even      
remarked the equivocation of the name1  
which has often caused these popular    
opinions with philosophy and the        
sublimest sciences4 ,but ,i think ,i can

 find in the book itself of the author1 
enough to prove that one cannot in fact 
make this distinction1 since he says    
therein that superstitious practices1   
such as figures1 characters1            
conjurations1 and enchantments1 passing 
from one to the other1 and coming to the
 knowledge of these unhappy women1      
operate in virtue of the tacit consent  
which they give to the operation of the 
demon4 ,there then all distinction is   
taken away4 ,he says again that1        
according to some1 nails1 pins1 bones1  
coals1 packets of hair1 or rags1 found  
by the head1 of children's beds1 are    
indications of a compact express or     
tacit1 because of the resemblance to the
 symbols made use of by true magicians4 
,thus1 then1 witches and those who are  
here styled true magicians employ       
equally the same follies2 they equally  
place confidence in imaginary           
compacts--and consequently they should  
both be classed in the same category4   
,,ix4 ,it is proper to notice here that 

it is not so great a novelty as is      
generally believed1 to make a           
distinction between witches and         
magicians4 ,nearly two hundred years ago
 ,james ,wier1 a doctor by profession1  
had already said the same thing4 ,never 
did an author write more at length upon 
this matter2 you may consult the sixth  
edition of his book1 ,de ,prstigiis     
,dmonum et ,incantationibus1 published  
at ,basle4 ,he there proves that witches
 ought not to be condemned to death1    
because they are women whose brain is   
disturbed2 because all the crimes that  
are imputed to them are imaginary1      
having no reality but in their ill will1
 and none at all in the execution2      
lastly1 because1 according to the rules 
of the soundest jurisprudence1 the      
confession of having done impossible    
things is of no weight1 and cannot serve
 as the foundation of condemnation4 ,he 
shows how these foolish old women come  
to believe that they have held          
intercourse with some evil spirit1 or   

been carried through the air2 so far    
nothing can be better2 but otherwise1   
being persuaded that there are really   
magic wonders1#fgh and thinking that he 
has himself experienced something of the
 kind1 he will have magicians severely  
punished4 ,he says1#fgi that very often 
they are learned men1 who1 to acquire   
this diabolical art1 have traveled a    
great deal2 and who1 learned#fhj in     
,gosy and ,theurgy1#fha whether through 
the demon or through study1#fhb make use
 of strange terms1 characters1          
exorcisms1 and imprecations2 employ     
sacred words and divine names1 and      
neglect nothing which can render them   
skillful in the black art2#fhc which    
makes them deserving of the punishment  
of death4#fhd ,but1 according to him1   
there is a great difference between     
magicians and witches1 inasmuch as these
 latter#fhe make use neither of books1  
nor exorcisms1 nor characters1 but have 
only their mind and imagination         
corrupted by the demon4 ,he calls       

witches those women who pass for doing a
 great deal of harm1 either by          
virtue#fhf of some imaginary compact1 or
 by their own will1 or some diabolical  
instinct2 and who1 having their brain   
deranged1 confess they have done many   
things1 which they never have nor could 
have performed4 ,magicians1#fhg he says1
 are led of themselves1 and by their own
 inclination1 to learn this forbidden   
art1 and seek masters who can instruct  
them in it2 wizards1 on the contrary1   
seek neither masters nor instructions2  
but the devil takes possession of those 
women1 whom he thinks the most likely to
 be deceived1 on account of their old   
age1 of their melancholy temperament1 or
 their poverty and misery4 ,everybody   
must see1 and ,i have sufficiently shown
 it already1 to how many difficulties   
and contradictions all this doctrine is 
subject2 what we must conclude from it  
is1 that wizards as well as magicians   
have equally recourse to the demon1 and 
place their hope in him1 without either 

of them ever obtaining what they wish4  
,the author sometimes believes he       
renders what he says of the power of    
magic1 and in short reduces it to       
nothing1 by saying1 that all the        
wonderful effects attributed to it have 
no reality1 and are but illusions and   
vain phantoms2 but he does not remark   
that it is even miraculous to cause to  
appear that which is not4 ,whether the  
wands of ,pharaoh's magicians were      
really metamorphosed into serpents1 or  
that they appeared to be thus changed to
 the eyes of the beholders1 would either
 of them equally surpass all the power  
and industry of men4 ,i shall not amuse 
myself with discussing largely many     
inutilities which may be found in this  
work2 for instance1 he does not fail to 
relate the impertinent story of the     
pretended magic of ,sylvester ,,ii41    
which1 as ,panvinius has shown1 had no  
other foundation than this pope's being 
much given to the study of mathematics  
and philosophy4  ,x4 ,it is owned in the

 new book1 that it is very likely some  
woman may be found who1 with the help of
 the demon1 may be capable of performing
 a great many things even hurtful to    
mankind1 and that by virtue of a        
compact1 express or tacit2 and it is    
added1 that it cannot be denied that it 
may be1 without absolutely denying the  
reality of magic4 ,but when1 so far from
 denying it1 every effort on the        
contrary is made to establish it2 when  
it is loudly maintained that persons may
 be found who1 with the assistance of   
the demon1 are able to produce real     
effects1 even of doing harm to people2  
how1 after that1 can it be denied that  
there are witches1 since1 according to  
the common opinion1 witchcraft is       
nothing else8 ,let them1 if they will1  
regard as a fable what is said of their 
journeys through the air to repair to   
their nocturnal meetings2 what will he  
gain by that1 if1 notwithstanding that1 
he believes that they possess the power 
to kill children by their spells1 to    

send the devil into the body of the     
first person who presents himself1 and a
 hundred other things of the same kind8 
,he says1 that to render the presents   
which he makes more precious and        
estimable1 and the more to be desired1  
the demon sells them very dear1 as if he
 could not be excited to act otherwise  
than by employing powerful means1 and   
making use of a most mysterious and very
 hidden art1 which1 doubtless1 he would 
have witches ignorant of1 and known only
 to magicians4 ,but then they pretend   
that this art can be learned only from  
the devil1 and to obtain it from him    
they say that he must be invoked and    
worshiped4 ,now1 as there is hardly an  
impious character1 who1 having taken it 
into his head to operate something      
important by his charms or spells1 would
 not be disposed to go to that shocking 
extreme1 we cannot see why one should   
succeed in what he wishes1 whilst the   
other does not succeed2 nor what        
distinction can be made between rascals 

and madmen1 who are precisely of a kind4
 ,i hold even1 that if the reality and  
power of magic are granted1 we could not
 without great difficulty refuse to     
those who profess it the power of       
entering places shut up1 and of going   
through the air to their nocturnal      
assemblies4 ,it will1 doubtless1 be said
 that that is impossible1 and surpasses 
the power of man2 but who can affirm it1
 since we know not how far the power of 
the rebel angels extends8  ,i remember  
to have formerly heard some persons at  
,rome reason very sensibly on the       
difficulty there is sometimes of        
deciding upon the truth of a miracle1   
which difficulty is founded on our      
ignorance of the extent of the powers of
 nature4  #fhh ,it is true that it would
 be dangerous to carry this principle   
too far2 doubtless1 we are not to deduce
 from it that nothing ever happens but  
what is natural1 as if the ,sovereign   
,author of all had in some measure bound
 his hands1 and had not reserved unto   

himself the liberty to comply with the  
wishes and prayers of his servants--of  
sometimes according favors which        
manifestly surpass the powers he has    
granted to nature4 ,it may often happen 
that we doubt whether an effect is      
natural or supernatural2 but also how   
many effects do we see on which no      
sensible and rational person can form a 
doubt1 good sense concurring with the   
soundest philosophy to teach us that    
certain wonders can only happen by a    
secret and divine virtue8 ,one of the   
most certain proofs which can be had of 
this is the sudden and durable cure of  
certain long and cruel maladies4 ,i know
 that simple and pious persons have     
sometimes attributed to a miracle cures 
which might very well be looked upon as 
purely natural2 but what can be opposed 
to certain extraordinary facts which    
have sometimes happened to very wise and
 wide-awake persons1 in the presence of 
sensible and judicious witnesses who    
have attested them1 and confirmed by the

 report of the cleverest physicians1 who
 have shown their astonishment at them8 
,in this city of ,verona1 where ,i live1
 an event of this kind happened very    
recently1 and it has excited the wonder 
of every one2 but as the truth of it is 
not yet juridically attested ,i abstain 
from relating it4 ,but such is not the  
case with a similar fact1 verified1 ten 
years ago1 after the strictest          
examination4 ,i speak of the miraculous 
cure of ,dame ,victoire ,buri1 of the   
monastery of ,st4 ,daniel1 who after a  
chronic ague of nearly five years'      
duration1 after having been tortured for
 several days with a stitch in her side1
 or acute pain1 and with violent        
colics--having1 in short1 lost her      
voice1 and fallen into a languid state1 
received the holy viaticum on the day of
 the fte of ,st4 ,louis de ,gonzaga4 ,in
 this condition1 having fervently       
recommended herself to the intercession 
of the saint1 she in one moment felt her
 strength return1 her pains ceased1 and 

she began to cry out that she was cured4
 ,at these cries the abbess and the nuns
 ran to her2 she dressed herself1 went  
up the stairs alone and without         
assistance1 and repaired to the choir   
with the others to render thanks to ,god
 for her recovery4 ,i had the curiosity 
to wish to inform myself personally of  
the fact and of these circumstances1 and
 after having interrogated the lady     
herself1 those who had witnessed her    
cure1 and the physicians who had        
attended her1 ,i remained fully         
convinced of the truth of the fact4 ,i1 
,i repeat1 whose defect is not that of  
being too credulous1 as it sufficiently 
appears by what ,i write here4  ,again1 
,i may say1 that finding myself fourteen
 years ago at ,florence1 ,i was in that 
city acquainted with a young girl1 named
 ,sister ,catherine ,biondi1 of the     
third order of ,st4 ,francis2 through   
her prayers a lady was cured in a moment
 and for ever of a very painful         
dislocation4 ,this circumstance was     

known by everybody1 and ,i have no doubt
 that it will one day be juridically    
attested4 ,for myself1 ,i believe ,i    
obtained several singular favors of ,god
 through the intercession of this holy  
maiden1 to whose intercession ,i have   
recommended myself several times since  
her death4 ,the wise and learned father 
,pellicioni1 abbot of the order of ,st4 
,benedict1 her confessor1 said that if  
we knew the life and family arrangements
 of this inferior sister1 we should soon
 be delivered from all sorts of         
temptations against faith4  ,in effect1 
what things we are taught by these      
facts1 which remain as if buried in     
oblivion6 ,what subtile questions are   
cleared up by them in a very short time6
 ,why do not the learned1 who shine in  
other communions1 give themselves the   
trouble to assure themselves of only one
 of these facts1 as it would be very    
easy for them to do8 ,one alone suffices
 to render evident the truth of the     
catholic dogmas4 ,there is not one      

article of controversy for the defence  
of which it would not be necessary to   
compose a folio2 whereas1 only one of   
these facts decides them all instantly4 
,we advance but little by disputation1  
because each one seeks only to show     
forth his own wit and erudition1 and no 
one will give up a point2 while by this 
method all becomes so evident that no   
reply remains in answer to it4 ,and who 
could imagine that among so many        
miracles verified on the spot1 in       
different places1 and reported in the   
strictest examinations made for the     
canonization of saints1 there would not 
be one which was true8 ,to do so1 we    
must refuse to believe anything at all1 
and to make use of one's reason4 ,but   
when one of these facts becomes so      
notorious that there is no longer room  
to doubt it1 if after that some         
difficulty presents itself to our feeble
 mind1 which1 so far from grasping the  
infinite1 has only most confused        
knowledge of material bodies1 will not  

any one who wishes to reason upon them  
be obliged to decide them suddenly by   
saying1 ,i do not understand it at all1 
but ,i believe the whole8 ,those also1  
who1 through the high opinion they have 
of their own knowledge1 laugh at all    
which is above them2 what can these men 
oppose to facts1 in which ,divine       
,providence shines forth in a manner so 
evident not only to the mind but to the 
eyes8 ,in regard to those who1 from the 
bad education which they have received1 
or from the idle and voluptuous life    
which they lead1 stagnate in gross      
ignorance2 with what facility would not 
one of these well-proved facts instruct 
them in what they most require to know1 
and enlighten them in a moment on every 
subject8  ,to return to my subject4 ,if 
it is sometimes difficult to decide on  
the truth of a miracle1 how much more   
difficulty would there be in observing  
all the qualities which suit the        
superior and spiritual nature1 and      
prescribing limits to it4 ,in regard to 

the penalties which the author would    
have them inflict on magicians and      
witches1 pretending that the former are 
to be treated with rigor1 while1 on the 
contrary1 we must be indulgent to the   
latter1 ,i do not see any foundation for
 it4 ,charity would certainly have us   
begin by instructing an old fool1 who1  
having her fancy distorted1 or her heart
 perverted1 from having read1 or heard  
related1 certain things1 will condemn   
herself1 by avowing crimes which she has
 not committed4 ,but if we are told1 for
 instance1 that1 after having made a    
little image1 an ignoramus has pierced  
it several times1 muttering some        
ridiculous words1 how can we distinguish
 whether this charm is to be attributed 
to sorcery or magic8 and consequently1  
how can we know whether it ought to be  
punished leniently or rigorously8       
,however it may be done1 no effect will 
follow it1 as has often been proved2 and
 whether the spell is the work of a     
magician or a wizard1 the person aimed  

at by it will not be in worse health4   
,we must only remark1 that although     
ineffectual1 the attempt of such wizards
 is not less a crime1 since to arrive at
 that point1 they must have renounced   
all their duty to ,god1 and have made   
themselves the slaves of the demon3 also
 do they avow that to cast their spells 
they must give up ,jesus ,christ1 and   
renounce the baptismal rite4 ,it is     
commonly held that the demons appear to 
them1 and cause themselves to be        
worshiped by them4 ,this is certainly   
not the case2 but if it were so1 why    
should witches have less power than     
magicians8 and on what foundation can it
 be asserted that they are less         
criminal8  ,,xi4 ,now1 then1 let us come
 to the point1 which has deceived many1 
and which still deludes some4 ,because  
in the ,scripture1 in the ,old          
,testament1 magic is often spoken of as 
it then was1 they conclude that it still
 exists1 and is on the same footing at  
this day4 ,to that a reply is easy4     

,before the advent of the ,saviour1 the 
demon had that power2 but he no longer  
possesses it1 since ,jesus ,christ by   
his death consummated the great work of 
our redemption4 ,it is what ,st4 ,john  
clearly teaches in the ,apocalypse1 when
 he says#fhi--;,i saw an angel descend  
from heaven1 holding in his hand the key
 of the well of the abyss1 and a long   
chain with which he enchained the       
dragon1 the old serpent1 who is the     
devil and ,satan1 and he bound him for a
 thousand years4 ,the ,evangelist here  
makes use of the term a thousand years  
to designate a period both very long and
 indeterminate1 since we read1 a little 
lower down1 that the demon shall be     
unbound at the coming of ,antichrist4#b 
,and after a thousand years1 says ,st4  
,john1 ,satan shall be unbound1 and     
shall come out of his prison4 ,whence it
 happens1 that in the time of           
,antichrist all the wonders of magic    
shall be renewed1 as the apostle tells  
us1 when he says#fia that his arrival   

shall be marked with the greatest       
wonders that ,satan is capable of       
working1 and by all sorts of signs and  
lying prodigies4 ,but till then1 the    
prince of this world1 that is to say1   
the demon1 will be cast out4 ,which made
 ,st4 ,peter say1 that in ascending to  
heaven1 ,jesus ,christ has subjugated   
the angels1 the powers1 and the virtues2
 and ,st4 ,paul says1 that he has       
enriched himself with the spoils of     
principalities and powers2 and that when
 he shall give up the kingdom to ,god   
even the ,father1 and destroyed all     
principalities1 and powers1 and rule4   
,these various names indicate the       
different orders of reprobate spirits1  
as we learn from different parts of the 
,new ,testament4 ,now1 to understand    
that the might and power which the demon
 has been deprived of by the ,saviour1  
is precisely that which he had enjoyed  
until then of deceiving the world by    
magical practices1 it is proper to      
observe1 that until the coming of ,jesus

 ,christ there were three ways or means 
by which the reprobate spirits exercised
 their power and malice upon men3--#a4  
,by tempting them and leading them to do
 evil4 #b4 ,by entering into their      
bodies and possessing them4 #c4 ,by     
seconding magical operations1 and       
sometimes working wonders1 to wrest the 
worship which was due to ,him4 ,at this 
day1 of these three kinds of power1 the 
demon has certainly not lost the first  
by the coming of the ,saviour1 since we 
know with what determination he has     
continued since then1 and daily does    
continue1 to tempt us4 ,neither has he  
been deprived of the second1 since we   
still find persons who are possessed2   
and it cannot be denied1 that even since
 ,jesus ,christ1 ,god has often         
permitted this kind of possession to    
chastise mankind1 and serve as a        
warning4 ,thence it remains1 that the   
demon has only been absolutely despoiled
 of the third2 and that it is in this   
sense we must understand what ,st4 ,paul

 says1 that ,satan has been enchained4  
,thence it comes1 that since the death  
of our ,saviour all these diabolical    
having no longer the same success as    
before1 those who until then had made a 
profession of them1 brought their books 
to the apostles' feet1 and burned them  
in their presence4 ,for that these books
 treated principally of magic1 we learn 
from ,st4 ,athanasius1 who alludes to   
this part of the ,scripture1 when he    
says1 that those who had been celebrated
 for this art burned their books4 ,it is
 not that1 even in the most distant     
time1 braggarts and impostors have been 
wanting who falsely boasted of what they
 could not perform4 ,thus we read in    
,ecclesiasticus--,who will pity the     
enchanter that is bitten by the serpent8
 ,in the time of ,st4 ,paul1 some       
exorcists1 who were ,jews1 ran about the
 country1 vainly endeavoring to expel   
demons2 this was the case with seven    
sons of one of the chief priests at     
,ephesus4 ,it is this prejudice which   

made ,josephus believe#fib that in the  
presence of ,vespasian and all his court
 attendants1 a ,jew had expelled demons 
from the bodies of the possessed by     
piercing their nose with a ring1 in     
which had been encased a root pointed   
out by ,solomon4 ,in his narrative of   
this event1 we may see1 in truth1 that  
the demons were obliged to give some    
sign of their exit2 but who does not    
perceive that what he relates can       
proceed only from one who has suffered  
himself to be deceived1 or who seeks to 
deceive others8  ,,xii4 ,from what ,i   
have said1 it is obvious1 that if in the
 ,old ,testament the magic power1 and   
the prodigies worked by magic1 are often
 spoken of1 there is in return no       
mention made of it in the ,new4 ,it is  
true1 that as the world was never       
wanting in impostors1 who sought to     
appropriate to themselves the name and  
reputation of magician1 we find two of  
these seducers named in the ,acts of the
 ,apostles4 ,the one is ,elymas1#fic    

who1 in the isle of ,cyprus1 wished to  
turn the attention of the ,roman        
proconsul from listening to the         
preaching of the apostles1 and for that 
was punished with blindness4 ,the other 
is ,simon1 who for a long time preaching
 in ,samaria that he was something      
great1 had misled all the people of that
 city1 so that he was generally regarded
 there as a sort of divine man1 because 
through the effect of his magic he had  
for a long time turned the heads of all 
the inhabitants2 that is to say1 he had 
seduced and dazzled them by his         
knaveries1 as has often happened in many
 other places4 ,for it is evidently     
shown that he could never succeed in    
working any wonder1 not only by the     
silence of the ,scripture on that point1
 but also on seeing the miracles of ,st4
 ,philip he was so surprised at them1   
and so filled with admiration1 that he  
directly asked to be baptized1 and never
 after quitted this apostle4 ,but having
 offered some money to ,st4 ,peter1 in  

order to obtain from him the apostolical
 gift1 he was severely reprimanded by   
him1 and threatened with the most       
terrible punishments1 to which he made  
no other reply than to entreat the      
apostles to intercede for him themselves
 with ,jesus ,christ1 that nothing of   
the kind might happen to him4 ,this is  
all we have that is certain and         
authentic on the subject of ,simon the  
magician4 ,but in times nearer to the   
apostles1 the authors of apocryphal     
books and stories invented at pleasure1 
profited well by the profession of      
magic1 which ,simon had for a long time 
skillfully practiced2 and because the   
magic art is fruitful in wonders1 which 
certainly render a narrative agreeable  
and amusing1 they attributed endless    
prodigies to him2 amongst others they   
imagined that1 in a sort of public      
discussion between him and ,st4 ,peter1 
he raised himself into the air1 and was 
precipitated from thence to the ground  
at the prayers of that apostle4         

,sigebert mentions this1 and1 if ,i     
mistake not1 it has appeared in print at
 ,florence4 ,the most ancient apocryphal
 works which remain to us1 are the      
,recognitions of ,st4 ,clement1 and the 
,apostolical ,constitutions4 ,in the    
first1 they make ,simon say that he can 
render himself invisible1 traverse the  
most frightful precipices1 fall from a  
great height without hurting himself1   
bind with his own bonds those who       
enchained him1 open fastened doors1     
animate statues1 pass through fire      
without burning himself1 change his     
form1 metamorphose himself into a goat  
or a sheep1 fly in the air1 c4 ,in the  
second they make ,st4 ,peter say1 that  
,simon being at ,rome1 and gone to the  
theatre about noon1 he ordered the      
people to go back and make room for him1
 promising them that he would rise up   
into the air4 ,it is added1 that he did 
in effect rise up into the air1 carried 
by the demons1 saying he was ascending  
to heaven1 at which all the people      

applauded2 but at that moment ,st4      
,peter's prayers were successful1 and   
,simon was hurled down1 after he had    
spoken beforehand to him1 as if they had
 been close to each other4 ,you can read
 the whole story1 which is evidently    
false and ill-imagined4 ,it is true that
 these old writings1 and a few others of
 the same kind1 have served to deceive  
some of the fathers and ecclesiastical  
authors1 who1 without examining into the
 truth1 have permitted themselves to go 
with the stream1 and have followed the  
public opinion1 upon which many things  
might be said did time allow4 ,how1 for 
instance1 can any one unhesitatingly    
believe that ,st4 ,jerome could ever    
have written that ,st4 ,peter went to   
,rome1 not to plant the faith in that   
capital1 and establish therein the first
 seat of ,christianity1 but to expel    
from thence ,simon the magician8 ,is    
there not1 on the contrary1 reason to   
suspect that these few words have passed
 in ancient times1 from a note          

inadvertently placed in the margin1 into
 the text itself8 ,but to confine myself
 within the limits of my subject1 ,i say
 that it suffices to pay attention to   
the impure source of so many doubtful   
books1 published under feigned names1 by
 the diversity and contradiction which  
predominate amongst them relatively to  
the circumstance in question1 by the    
silence1 in short1 of the sovereign     
pontiffs and other writers upon the     
same1 even of the profane authors who   
ought principally to speak of it1 to    
remain convinced that all that is said  
of it1 as well as all the other         
prodigies ascribed to the magic power of
 ,simon1 is but a fable founded solely  
on public report4 ,is there not even an 
ancient inscription1 which is thought to
 be still in existence1 and which1      
according to the copy that ,i formerly  
took of it at ,rome1 bears3 ,sanco      
,sancto ,semoni ,deo ,filio1 which upon 
the equivoque of the name1 has been     
applied to ,simon the magician by ,st4  

,justin1 and upon his authority by some 
other writers1 which occasioned ,p4     
,pagi to say on the year #db1 ,that ,st4
 ,justin was deceived either by a       
resemblance of name1 or by some         
unfaithful relation2 but that which must
 above all decide this matter is the    
testimony of ,origen1 who says that     
indeed ,simon could deceive some persons
 in his time by magic1 but that soon    
after he lost his credit so much1 that  
there were not in all the world thirty  
persons of his sect to be found1 and    
that only in ,palestine1 his name never 
having been known elsewhere2 so far was 
it from true that he had been to ,rome1 
worked miracles there1 and had statues  
raised to him in that capital of the    
world6 ,origen concludes by saying1 that
 where the name of ,simon was known1 it 
was so only by the ,acts of the         
,apostles1 and that the truth of the    
circumstances evidently shows that there
 was nothing divine in this man1 that is
 to say1 nothing miraculous or          

extraordinary4 ,in a word1 the ,acts of 
the ,apostles relate no wonder of him1  
because the ,saviour had destroyed all  
the power of magic4  ,,xiii4 ,to render 
this principle more solid still1 after  
having based it upon the ,scripture1 ,i 
am going to establish again with my     
usual frankness1 upon tradition1 and    
show that it is truly in this sense the 
passages in the fathers1 and ancient    
ecclesiastical writers1 must be         
understood4 ,i begin with ,st4 ,ignatius
 the ,martyr1 bishop1 and successor of  
the apostles in the pulpit of ,antioch4 
,this father1 in the first of the       
,epistles which are really his1 speaking
 of the birth of the ,saviour1 and of   
the star which then appeared1 adds1     
,because all the power of magic         
vanished1 all the bonds of malice were  
broken1 ignorance was abolished1 and the
 old kingdom of ,satan destroyed2 on    
which the learned ,cotelerius makes this
 remark3 ,it was also at that time that 
all the illusions of magic ceased1 as is

 attested by so many celebrated authors4
 ,tertullian1 in the book which he has  
written on ,idolatry1 says1 ,we know the
 strict union there is between magic and
 astrology4 ,god permitted that science 
to reign on the earth till the time of  
the ,gospel1 in order that after the    
birth of ,jesus ,christ no one might be 
found who should undertake to read in   
the heavens the happiness or misfortunes
 of any person whomsoever4 ,a little    
after1 he adds3 ,it is thus that1 till  
the time of the ,gospel1 ,god tolerated 
on the earth that other kind of magic   
which performs wonders1 and dared even  
to enter into rivalry with ,moses4      
,origen1 in his books against ,celsus1  
speaking of the three magi1 and the star
 which appeared to them1 says that then 
the power of magic extended so far1 that
 there was no art more powerful and more
 divine2 but at the birth of the        
,saviour hell was disconcerted1 the     
demons lost their power1 all their      
spells were destroyed1 and their might  

passed away4 ,the magi wishing them to  
perform their enchantments and their    
usual works1 and not being able to      
succeed1 sought the reason2 and having  
seen that new star appear in the        
heavens1 they conjectured that ,he who  
was to command all spirits was born1    
which decided them to go and adore him4 
,st4 ,athanasius1 in his treatise on the
 ,incarnation1 teaches that the ,saviour
 has delivered all creatures from the   
deceits and illusions of ,satan1 and    
that he has enriched himself1 as ,st4   
,paul says1 with the spoils of          
principalities and powers4 ,when is it1 
he says afterwards1 that the oracles    
have ceased to reply throughout all     
,greece1 but since the advent of the    
,saviour on earth8 ,when did they begin 
to despise the magic art8 ,is it not    
since mankind began to enjoy the divine 
presence of the ,word8 ,formerly1 he    
continues1 the demons deluded men by    
divers phantoms1 and attaching          
themselves to rivers and fountains1     

stones and wood1 they drew by their     
allusions the admiration of weak        
mortals2 but since the advent of the    
,divine ,word1 all their stratagems have
 passed away4 ,a little while after1 he 
adds1 ,but what shall we say of that    
magic they held in such admiration8     
,before the incarnation of the ,word1 it
 was in honor among the ,egyptians1 the 
,chaldeans1 the ,indians1 and won the   
admiration of those nations by          
prodigies2 but since the ,truth has come
 down to earth1 and the ,word has shown 
himself amongst men1 this power has been
 destroyed1 and is itself fallen into   
oblivion4 ,in another place1 refuting   
the ,gentiles1 who ascribed the miracles
 of the ,saviour to magic1 ,they call   
him a magician1 says he1 but can they   
say that a magician would destroy all   
sorts of magic1 instead of working to   
establish it8  ,in his ,commentary on   
,isaiah1 ,st4 ,jerome joins this        
interpretation to several passages in   
the prophet--,since the advent of the   

,saviour1 all that must be understood in
 an allegorical sense2 for all the error
 of the waters of ,egypt1 and all the   
pernicious arts which deluded the       
nations who suffered themselves to be   
infatuated by them1 have been destroyed 
by the coming of ,jesus ,christ4 ,a     
little after1 he adds--,that ,memphis   
was also strongly addicted to magic1 the
 vestiges which subsist at this day of  
her ancient superstitions allow us not  
to doubt4 ,now this informs us in a few 
words1 or in the approach of the        
desolation of ,babylon1 that all the    
projects of the magicians1 and of those 
who promise to unveil the future1 are a 
pure folly1 and dissolve like smoke at  
the presence of ,jesus ,christ4 ,again1 
he says elsewhere1 that ,jesus ,christ  
being come into the world1 all kinds of 
divination1 and all the deceits of      
idolatry1 lost their efficacy2 so that  
the ,eastern magi understanding that a  
,son of ,god was born who had destroyed 
all the power of their art1 came to     

,bethlehem4  ,theophilus of ,alexandria1
 in his ,paschal ,letter addressed to   
the bishops of ,egypt1 and after him    
,st4 ,jerome1 who has given us a ,latin 
translation of this letter1 says that   
,jesus ,christ by his coming has        
destroyed all the illusions of magic4   
,they add1 ,jesus ,christ by his        
presence having destroyed idolatry1 it  
follows that magic1 which is its mother1
 has been destroyed likewise4 ,they call
 magic the mother of idolatry1 because  
it transfers to another the confidence  
and submission which are due to ,god    
alone4 ,st4 ,ambrose says1 ,the magician
 perceives the inutility of his art1 and
 you do not yet understand that the     
promised ,redeemer is come4 ,i could    
bring forward here many other passages  
from the fathers if ,i had the books at 
hand1 or if time allowed me to select   
them4  ,,xiv4 ,but why amuse ourselves  
with fruitless researches8 ,what ,i have
 said will suffice to show that this    
opinion has been that of not only one or

 two of the fathers1 which would prove  
nothing1 but of the greater number of   
those among them who have discoursed of 
this matter1 which constitutes the      
greater number4 ,after that it is of    
little import if in after and darker    
ages a thousand stories were spread on  
the subject of witchcraft and           
enchantments1 and that those tales may  
have gained credit with the people in   
proportion to their rudeness and        
ignorance4 ,you may read1 if you have   
any curiosity on the subject1 a hundred 
stories of that kind1 related by ,saxo  
,grammaticus and ,olaus ,magnus4 ,you   
will find also in ,lucian and in        
,apuleius1 how1 even in their time1     
those who wished to be carried through  
the air1 or to be metamorphosed into    
beasts1 began by stripping themselves1  
and then anointing themselves with      
certain oils from head to foot2 there   
were then found impostors1 who promised 
as of old to perform by means of magic  
all kinds of prodigies1 and still       

continued the same extravagances as     
ever4  ,a great many persons feel a     
certain repugnance to refusing belief in
 all that is said of the prodigies of   
magic1 as if it was denying the truth of
 miracles1 and the existence of the     
devil2 and on this subject they fail not
 to allege1 that amongst the orders in  
the church is found that of exorcists1  
and that the rituals are full of prayers
 and blessings against the malice and   
the snares of ,satan4 ,but we must not  
here confound two very different things4
 ,so far from the miracles and wonders  
performed by ,divine power leading us to
 believe the truth of those which are   
ascribed to the demon1 they teach us on 
the contrary that ,god has reserved this
 power to himself alone4 ,we experience 
but too often that there are truly evil 
spirits1 who do not cease to tempt us4  
,in respect to the order of ,exorcists1 
we know that it was established in the  
church in the first ages of             
,christianity2 the most ancient fathers 

make mention of them2 but from none of  
them do we learn that their order was   
instituted against witchcraft and other 
knaveries of the same kind1 but only as 
at this day1 to deliver those possessed2
 to expel demons from the bodies of the 
possessed2 says the ,manual of the      
,ordination4 ,it is not1 then1 denied1  
that for reasons which it belongs not to
 us to examine1 ,god sometimes allows   
the demon to take hold of some one and  
to torment him2 we only deny that the   
spirit of darkness can ever arrive at   
that to please a wretched woman of the  
dregs of the people4 ,we do not deny    
that to punish the sins of mankind1 the 
,almighty may not sometimes make use in 
different ways of the ministry of evil  
spirits2 for1 as ,st4 ,jerome says1#fid 
,god makes men feel his anger and fury  
by the ministry of rebel angels2 but we 
do deny that it ever happens by virtue  
of certain figures1 certain words1 and  
certain signs1 made by ignoramuses or   
scoundrels1 or some wretched females1 or

 old mad women1 or by any authority they
 have over the demon4 ,the sovereign    
pontiff who at this day governs the     
church with so much glory1 discourses   
very fully#fie in his excellent works on
 the wonders worked by the demon and    
related in the ,old ,testament1 but he  
nowhere speaks of any effect produced by
 magic or by sorcery since the coming of
 ,jesus ,christ4 ,in the ,roman ritual  
we have prayers and orisons for all     
occasions2 we find there conjurations   
and exorcisms against demons2 but       
nowhere1 if the text is not corrupted1  
is there mention made either of persons 
or things bewitched1 and if they are    
mentioned therein1 it is only in after  
additions made by private individuals4  
,we know1 on the contrary1 that many    
books treating of this subject1 and     
containing prayers newly composed by    
some individuals1 have been prohibited4 
,thus they have forbidden the book      
entitled ,circulus ,aureus1 in which are
 set down the conjurations necessary for

 invoking demons of all kinds1 of the   
sky1 of hell1 the earth1 fire1 air1 and 
water1 to destroy all sorts of          
enchantments1 charms1 spells1 and       
snares1 in whatever place they may be   
hidden1 and of whatever matter they may 
be composed1 whether male or female1    
magician or witch1 who may have made or 
given them1 and notwithstanding all     
compacts and all conventions made       
between them4 ,ought not the fact that  
the church forbids any one to read or to
 keep these kind of books1 to be        
sufficient to convince us of the        
falsehood of what they imagine1 and to  
teach us how contrary they are to true  
religion and sound devotion4 ,three     
years ago they printed in this town a   
little book1 of which the author1       
however1 was not of ,verona1 in which   
they promised to teach the way to       
deliver the possessed1 and to break all 
kinds of spells4 ,we read in it that    
those over whom a malignant spell has   
been cast1 lead such a wretched life    

that it ought rather to be called a long
 death1 like the corpse of a man who had
 just died1 c4 ,that is not all1 for    
almost all die of it1 and if they are   
children1 they hardly ever live4 ,see   
now the power which simple people       
ascribe1 not only to the devil1 but to  
the vilest of men1 whom they really     
believe to be connected with1 and to    
hold commerce with him4 ,they say       
afterwards in this same book#fif that   
the signs which denote a malignant spell
 are parings1 herbs1 feathers1 bones1   
nails1 and hairs2 but they give notice  
that the feathers prove that there is   
witchcraft only when they are           
intermingled in the form of a circle or 
nearly so4 ,and1 again1 you must take   
care that some woman has not given you  
something to eat1 some flowers to smell1
 or if she has touched the shoulder of  
the person on whom the spell is cast4   
,we have an excellent preservative      
against these simplicities in the vast  
selection of ,dom ,martenus1 entitled   

,de ,antiquis ,ecclesi ,ritibus1 in     
which we see that amidst an infinity of 
prayers1 orisons and exorcisms used at  
all times throughout ,christendom1 there
 is not a passage in which mention is   
made of spells1 sorcery1 or magic1 or   
magical operations4 ,they therein       
command the demon in the name of ,jesus 
,christ to come out and go away--they   
therein implore the divine protection1  
to be delivered from his power1 to which
 we are all born subject by the stain of
 original sin2 they therein teach that  
holy water1 salt1 and incense sanctified
 by the prayers of the church may drive 
away the enemy2 that we may not fall    
into his toils1 and that we may have    
nothing to dread from the attacks of    
evil spirits2 but in no part does it say
 that spells have power over them1      
neither do they anywhere pray ,god to   
deliver us from them1 or to heal us4 ,it
 is so far from being true that we ought
 to believe the fables spread abroad on 
this subject1 that ,i perfectly well    

remember having read a long time ago in 
the old casuists1 that we ought to class
 in the number of grievous sins the     
believing that magic can really work the
 wonders related of it4 ,i shall remark1
 on this occasion1 that ,i know not how 
the author of the book in question can  
have committed the oversight of twice   
citing a certain manuscript as to be    
found in any other cabinet than mine1   
when it is a well known fact that ,i    
formerly purchased it very dear1 not    
knowing that the most important and     
curious part was wanting4 ,what ,i have 
said of it may be seen in the ,opuscules
 which ,i have joined to the ,history of
 ,theology4#fig ,for the present1 it    
suffices to remember that in the famous 
canon ,episcopi1 related first by       
,rginon1#fih we read these remarkable   
words--,an infinite number of people1   
deceived by this false prejudice1       
believe all that to be true1 and in     
believing it stray from the true faith  
into the superstition of the heathen1   

imagining that they can find elsewhere  
than in ,god any divinity1 or any       
supernatural power4  ,,xv4 ,from all ,i 
have hitherto said1 it appears how far  
from truth is all that is commonly said 
of this pretended magic2 how contrary to
 all the maxims of the church1 and in   
opposition to the most venerated        
authority1 and what harm might be done  
to sound doctrine and true piety by     
entertaining and favoring such          
extravagant opinions4 ,we read1 in the  
author ,i am combating1 ,what shall we  
say of the fairies1 a prodigy so        
notorious and so common8 ,it is         
marvelous that it should be a prodigy   
and at the same time common4 ,he adds1  
,there is not a town1 not to say a      
village1 which cannot furnish several   
instances concerning them4 ,for my part1
 ,i have seen a great many places2 ,i am
 seventy-four years of age1 and ,i have 
perhaps been only too curious on this   
head2 and ,i own that ,i have never     
happened to meet with any prodigy of    

that kind4 ,i may even add that several 
inquisitors1 very sensible men1 after   
having exercised that duty a long time1 
have assured me that they also never    
knew such a thing4 ,it is not often that
 fairies of all kinds of shapes and     
different faces have passed through my  
hands1 but ,i have always discovered and
 shown that this was nothing but fancy  
and reverie4 ,on one side1 it is        
affirmed that there is a malicious      
species among them1 who were amorous of 
beautiful girls2 and on the other1 they 
will have it1 on the contrary1 that all 
witches are old and ugly4 ,how desirable
 it would be1 if the people could be    
once undeceived in respect to all these 
follies1 which accord so little with    
sound doctrine and true piety6 ,are they
 not still1 in our days1 infatuated with
 what is said of charms which render    
invulnerable rings in which fairies are 
enclosed1 billets which cure the quartan
 ague1 words which lead you to guess the
 number to which the lot will fall2 of  

the pas key1 which is made to turn to   
find out a thief2 of the cabala1 which  
by means of certain verses and certain  
answers1 which are falsely supposed to  
contain a certain number of words1      
unveils the most secret things8 ,are    
there not still to be found people who  
are so simple1 or who have so little    
religion1 as to buy these trifles very  
dear8 ,for the world at this day is not 
wanting in those prophets spoken of by  
,micah1#fii whom money inspired and     
rendered learned4 ,have we not again    
calendars in which are marked the lucky 
and unlucky days1 as has been done      
during a time1 under the name of        
,egyptians8 ,do they not prevent people 
from inhabiting certain houses1 under   
pretence of their being haunted8 that is
 to say1 that in the night spectres are 
seen in them1 and a great noise of      
chains is heard1 some saying that it is 
devils who cause all this1 and others   
the spirits of the dead who make all    
this clang2 which is surprising enough  

that it should be spirits or devils1 and
 that they should only have the power to
 make themselves perceived in the night4
 ,and how many times have we seen the   
most fatal quarrels occur1 principally  
amongst the peasants1 because one       
amongst them has accused others of      
sorcery8 ,but what shall we say of      
spirits incube and succube1 of which1   
notwithstanding the impossibility of the
 thing1 the existence and reality is    
maintained8 ,m4 ,muratori1 in that part 
where he treats of imagination1 places  
the tales on this subject in the same   
line with what is said of the witches'  
sabbath2 and he says#gjj that these     
extravagant opinions are at this day so 
discredited1 that it is only the rudest 
and most ignorant who suffer themselves 
to be amused by them4 ,one of my friends
 made me laugh the other day1 when1     
speaking of the pretended incubuses1 he 
said that those who believed in them    
were not wise to marry4 ,again1 what    
shall we say of those tacit compacts so 

often mentioned by the author1 and which
 he supposes to be real8 ,can we not see
 that such an opinion is making a god of
 the devil8 ,for that any one1 for      
example1 living three or four hundred   
leagues off1 may have made a compact    
with the devil1 that every time a       
pendulum shall be suspended above a     
glass it shall mark the hour as         
regularly as the most exact clock4      
,according to this idea1 that same      
marvel will happen equally1 and at the  
same moment1 not only in this town where
 we are1 but all over the earth1 and    
will be repeated as often as they may   
wish to make the experiment4 ,now this  
is quite another thing from carrying a  
witch to the sabbath through the air1   
which the author asserts is beyond the  
power of the demon2 it is attributing to
 this malicious spirit a kind of        
almightiness and immensity4 ,but what   
would happen if some one1 having made a 
compact with a demon for fine weather1  
another on his part shall have made a   

compact with the demon for bad weather8 
,good ,father ,le ,brun wishes us to    
ascribe to tacit compacts all those     
effects which we cannot explain by      
natural causes4 ,if it be so1 what a    
number of tacit compacts there must be  
in the world6 ,he believes in the       
stories about the divining rod1 and the 
virtue ascribed to it of finding out    
robbers and murderers2 although all     
,france has since acknowledged that the 
first author of this fable was a knave1 
who having been summoned to ,paris1     
could never show there any of those     
effects he had boasted of4 ,let any one 
have the least idea of the invisible    
atoms scattered abroad throughout the   
world1 of their continually issuing from
 natural bodies1 and the hidden and     
wonderful effects which they produce1   
one can never be astonished that at a   
moderate distance water and metals      
should operate on certain kinds of wood4
 ,the same author sincerely believes    
what was said1 that the contagion and   

mortality spread amongst the cattle     
proceeded from a spell2 like the man who
 affirmed that his father and mother    
remained impotent for seven years1 and  
this ceased only when an old woman had  
broken the spell4 ,on this subject1 he  
cites a ritual of which ,father         
,martenus does not speak at all1 whence 
it follows that he did not recognize it 
for authentic4 ,to give an idea of the  
credulity of this writer1 it will       
suffice to read the story he relates of 
one ,damis4 ,but we find1 above all1 an 
incomparable abridgment of those        
extravagant wonders in a little book    
dedicated to the ,cardinal ,horace      
,maffei1 entitled1 ,compendium          
,melificarum1 or the ,abridgment of     
,witches1 printed at ,milan in #afjh4   
,,xvi4 ,in a word1 it is of no little   
importance to destroy the popular errors
 which attack the unalterable attributes
 of the ,supreme ,being1 as if he had   
laid it down as a law to himself that he
 would condescend to all the impious and

 fantastic wishes of malignant spirits1 
and of the madman who had recourse to   
them1 by seconding them1 and permitting 
the wonderful effects that they desire  
to produce4 ,do reason and good sense   
allow us to imagine that the ,sovereign 
,master of all things1 who for reasons  
which we are not permitted to examine1  
refuses so often to grant our most      
ardent prayers for what we need1 whether
 it be public or private1 can be so     
prompt to lend an ear to the requests of
 the vilest and most wicked1 by allowing
 that which they desire to happen8 ,so  
long as they believe in the reality of  
magic1 that it is able to work wonders1 
and that by means of it man can force   
the demon to obey1 it will be in vain to
 preach against the superstition1       
impiety1 and folly of wizards4 ,there   
will always be found too many people who
 will try to succeed in it1 and will    
even fancy they have succeeded in it in 
fact4 ,to uproot this pest we must begin
 by making men clearly understand that  

it is useless in them to be guilty of   
this horrible crime2 that in this way   
they never obtain anything they wish    
for1 and that all that is said on this  
subject is fabulous and chimerical4 ,it 
will not be difficult to persuade any   
sensible person of this truth1 by only  
leading him to pay attention1 and mark  
if it be possible that all these        
pretended miracles can be true1 whilst  
it is proved that magic has never       
possessed the power to enrich those who 
professed it1 which would be much more  
easy4 ,how could this wonderful art send
 maladies to those who were in good     
health1 render a married couple         
impotent1 or make any one invisible or  
invulnerable1 whilst it has never been  
able to bring a hundred crowns1 which   
another would keep locked up in his     
strong box8 ,and why do we not make any 
use of so wonderful an art in armies8   
,why is it so little sought after by    
princes and their ministers8 ,the most  
efficacious means for dissipating all   

these vain fancies would be never to    
speak of them1 and to bury them in      
silence and oblivion4 ,in any place     
where for time immemorial no one has    
ever been suspected of witchcraft1 let  
them only hear that a monk is arrived to
 take cognizance of this crime and      
punish it1 and directly you will see    
troops of green-sick girls1 and         
hypochondriacal men2 crowds of children 
will be brought to him ill with unknown 
maladies2 and it will not fail to be    
affirmed that these things are caused by
 spells cast over them1 and even when   
and how the thing happened4 ,it is      
certainly a wrong way of proceeding1    
whether in sermons1 or in the works     
published against witches1 to amuse     
themselves with giving the history of   
all these mad-headed people boast of1 of
 the circumstances in which they have   
taken a part1 and the way in which they 
happened4 ,it is in vain then to declaim
 against them1 for you may be assured   
that people are not wanting who suffer  

themselves to be dazzled by these       
pretended miracles1 who become smitten  
with these effects1 so extraordinary and
 so wonderful1 and try by every means to
 succeed in them by the very method     
which has just been taught them1 and    
forget nothing which can place them in  
the number of this imaginary society4   
,it is then with reason that the author 
says in his book1 that punishment even  
sometimes serves to render crime more   
common1 and that there are never more   
witches than in those places where they 
are most persecuted4 ,i am delighted to 
be able to finish with this eulogium1 in
 order that it may be the more clearly  
seen that if ,i have herein attacked    
magic1 it is only with upright          
intentions4  ,,xvii4 ,the eagerness with
 which ,i have written this letter has  
made me forget several things which     
might very well have a place in it4 ,the
 greatest difficulty which can be       
opposed to my argument is that we       
sometimes find1 even amongst people who 

possess a certain degree of knowledge   
and good sense1 some persons who will   
say to you1 ,but ,i have seen this1 or  
that2 such and such things have happened
 to myself4 ,upon which it is proper1   
first of all1 to pay attention to the   
wonderful tricks of certain jugglers1   
who1 by practice and address1 succeed in
 deceiving even the most clear-sighted  
and sensible persons4 ,it must next be  
considered that the most natural effects
 may sometimes appear beyond the power  
of nature1 when cleverly presented in   
the most favorable point of view4 ,i    
formerly saw a charlatan who1 having    
driven a nail or a large pin into the   
head of a chicken1 with that nailed it  
to a table1 so that it appeared dead1   
and was believed to be so by all        
present2 after that1 the charlatan      
having taken out the nail and played    
some apish tricks1 the chicken came to  
life again and walked about the room4   
,the secret of all this is that these   
birds have in the forepart of the head  

two bones1 joined in such a way that if 
anything is driven through with address1
 though it causes them pain1 yet they do
 not die of it4 ,you may run large pins 
into a man's leg without wounding or    
hurting him1 or but very slightly1 just 
like a prick which is felt when the pin 
first enters2 which has sometimes served
 as a pastime for jokers4 ,in my garden1
 which1 thanks to the care of ,m4       
,seguier1 is become quite a botanic     
garden1 ,i have a plant called the      
onagra1#gja which rises to the height of
 a man1 and bears very beautiful        
flowers2 but they remain closed all day1
 and only open towards sunset1 and that 
not by degrees1 as with all other night 
plants1 but in budding all at once1 and 
showing themselves in a moment in all   
their beauty4 ,a little before their    
chalice bursts open1 it swells and      
becomes a little inflated4 ,now1 if any 
one1 profiting by the last-named        
peculiarity1 which is but little known1 
wished to persuade any simple persons   

that by the help of some magical words  
he could1 when he would1 cause a        
beautiful flower to bloom1 is it not    
certain that he would find plenty of    
people disposed to believe him8 ,the    
common people in our days leave nothing 
undone to find out the secret of making 
themselves invulnerable2 by which they  
show that they ascribe to magic more    
power than was granted to it by the     
ancients1 who believed it very capable  
of doing harm1 but not of doing good4   
,so1 when the greater number of the     
,jews attributed the miracles wrought by
 the ,saviour to the devil1 some of the 
more sensible and reasonable among them 
asked1 ,can the devil restore sight to  
the blind8#gjb ,at this day1 there are  
more ways than ever of making simple and
 ignorant persons believe in magic4 ,for
 instance1 would it be very difficult   
for a man to pass himself off as a      
magician1 if he said to those who were  
present1 ,i can1 at my will1 either send
 the bullet in this pistol through this 

board1 or make it simply touch it and   
fall down at our feet without piercing  
it8 ,nevertheless1 nothing is easier2 it
 only requires when the pistol is       
loaded1 that instead of pressing the    
wadding immediately upon the bullet as  
is customary1 to put it1 on the         
contrary1 at the mouth of the barrel4   
,that being done1 when they fire1 if the
 end of the pistol is raised1 the ball1 
which is not displaced1 will produce the
 usual effect2 but if1 on the contrary1 
the pistol is lowered1 so that the ball 
runs into the barrel and joins the      
wadding1 it will fall on the ground from
 the board without having penetrated it4
 ,it seems to me that something like    
this may be found in the ,natural       
,experiments of ,redi1 which ,i have not
 at hand just now4 ,but on this subject1
 you can consult ,jean ,baptista1       
,porta1 and others4 ,we must not1       
however1 place amongst the effects of   
this kind of magic1 what a friend       
jokingly observed to me in a very polite

 letter which he wrote to me two months 
ago3--,a noisy exhalation having ignited
 in a house1 and not having been        
perceived by him who was in the spot    
adjoining1 nor in any other place1 he   
writes me word that those who1 according
 to the vulgar prejudice1 persisted in  
believing that these kinds of fire came 
from the sky and the clouds1 were       
necessarily forced to attribute this    
effect to real magic4 ,i shall again    
add1 on the subject of electrical       
phenomena1 that those who think to      
explain them by means of two electrical 
fluids1 the one hidden in bodies1 and   
the other circulating around them1 would
 perhaps say something less strange and 
surprising1 if they ascribed them to    
magic4 ,i have endeavored1 in the last  
letter which is joined to that ,i wrote 
upon the subject of exhalations1 to give
 some explanation of these wonders2 and 
,i have done so1 at least1 without being
 obliged to invent from my own head1 and
 without any foundation1 to universal   

electrical matters which circulate      
within bodies and without them4         
,certainly1 the ancient philosophers1   
who reasoned so much on the magnet1     
would have spared themselves a great    
deal of trouble1 if they had believed it
 possible to attribute its admirable    
properties to a magnetic spirit which   
proceeded from it4 ,but the pleasure ,i 
should find in arguing with them1 might 
perhaps engage me in other matters2 for 
which reason ,i now end my letter4      
,footnotes3  #fgb ,the author here      
alludes to the hypogryphe1 a winged     
horse1 invented by ,ariosto1 that       
carried the ,paladins through the air4  
#fgc ,magicus ,vanitates4  #fgd ,plin4  
lib4 xxx4 c4 #a4  #fge   ,somnia1       
terrores magicos1 miracula1 sagas1      
,nocturnos lemures1 portentaque         
,thessala rides8                        
,,horat4 lib4 ii4 ,ep4 #b4  #fgf        
,inexpugnabili magic disciplin          
potestate1 c4--,lib4 iii4  #fgg ,delle  
magiche frodi seppe il ,givoco4--,dante1

 ,inf4 c4 #bj4  #fgh ,pp4 #aci and #ade4
  #fgi ,p4 #i4  #fhj ,p4 #add4  #fha    
,gosy1 or ,gosia1 is said to be a kind  
of magic4 ,it is asserted that those who
 profess it repair at night to the      
tombs1 where they invoke the demon and  
evil genii by lamentations and          
complaints4  ,in regard to ,theurgy1 the
 ancients gave this name to that part of
 magic which is called white magic4 ,the
 word ,theurgy signifies the art of     
doing divine things1 or such as ,god    
only can perform--the power of producing
 wonderful and supernatural effects by  
licit means1 in invoking the aid of ,god
 and angels4 ,theurgy differs from      
natural magic1 which is performed by the
 powers of nature2 and from necromancy1 
which is operated only by the invocation
 of the demons4  #fhb ,p4 #agj4  #fhc   
,p4 #fed4  #fhd ,p4 #gdi4  #fhe ,p4 #i4 
#fhf ,p4 #cj1 de ,lam4  #fhg ,p4 #id4   
#fhh ,what is enclosed between the      
brackets is a long addition sent by the 
author to the printer whilst they were  

working at a second edition of his      
letter4  #fhi ,et vidi angelum          
descendentem de coelo habentem clavem   
abyssi et catenam magnam in manu su2 et 
appehendit draconem1 serpentem1         
antiquum1 qui est ,diabolus et ,satanas1
 et ligavit eum per annos mille4--,apoc4
 xx4 #a4  #fij ,et cum consummati       
fuerint mille anni1 solvetur ,satanas de
 carcere suo4--,apoc4 v4 #g4  #fia      
,cujus est adventus secundm operationem 
,satan in omni virtute et signis et     
prodigiis mendacibus4--#b ,thess4 ii4   
#i4  #fib ,joseph4 ,antiq4 lib4 viii4 c4
 #b4  #fic ,acts viii4 #f4  #fid ,mittet
 siquidem ,dominus in iram et furorem   
suum per angelos pessimos4 ,hier4 ad    
,eph4 i4 #g4 p4 #egd4  #fie ,vid4 de    
,beatif4 lib4 iv4 p4 i4 c4 #c4  #fif    
,pp4 #fg1 #ge4  #fig ,p4 #bdc4  #fih    
,lib4 ii4 p4 #cfd4  #fii ,in pecunia    
divinabunt4--,mich4 iii4 #aa4  #gjj ,p4 
#abg4  #gja ,now well known as the      
evening primrose4  #gjb ,numquid dmonium
 potest coecorum oculos asperire8 ,joan4

 ix1 #ba4     ,,letter  ,from the       
,,reverend ,,father ,,dom4 ,,augustine  
,,calmet1 ,abbot of ,snones1 to ,m4 ,,de
 ,,bure ,,senior1 ,librarian at ,paris4 
,,sir--,i have received ,the ,historical
 and ,dogmatical ,treatise on           
,apparitions1 ,visions1 and particular  
,revelations1 with ,observations on the 
,dissertations of the ,reverend ,father 
,dom4 ,calmet1 ,abbot of ,snones1 on    
,apparitions and ,ghosts4 ,at ,avignon1 
#agea4 ,by the ,abb ,lenglet du ,frenoy4
  ,i have looked over this work with    
pleasure4 ,m4 du ,frenoy wished to turn 
to account therein what he wrote        
fifty-five years ago1 as he says        
himself1 on the subject of visions1 and 
the life of ,maria d',agreda1 of whom   
they spoke then1 and of whom they still 
speak even now in so undecided a manner4
 ,m4 du ,frenoy had undertaken at that  
time to examine the affair thoroughly   
and to show the illusions of it2 there  
is yet time for him to give his opinion 
upon it1 since the ,church has not      

declared herself upon the work1 on the  
life and visions of that famous ,spanish
 abbess4  ,it is only accidentally that 
he composed his remarks on my           
,dissertations on ,apparitions and      
,vampires4 ,i have no reason to complain
 of him2 he has observed towards me the 
rules of politeness and good breeding1  
and ,i shall try to imitate him in what 
,i say in my own defence4 ,but if he had
 read the second edition of my work1    
printed at ,einsidlen in ,switzerland1  
in #agdi2 the third1 printed in ,germany
 at ,augsburg1 in #agej2 and the fourth1
 on which you are now actually engaged2 
he might have spared himself the trouble
 of censuring several passages which ,i 
have corrected1 reformed1 suppressed1 or
 explained myself4  ,if ,i had wished to
 swell my work1 ,i could have added to  
it some rules1 remarks1 and reflections1
 with a vast number of circumstances4   
,but by that means ,i should have fallen
 into the same error which he seems to  
have acknowledged himself1 when he says 

that he has perhaps placed in his works 
too many such rules and remarks3 and ,i 
am persuaded that it is1 in fact1 the   
part that will be least read and least  
used4#gjc  ,people will be much more    
struck with stories squeamishly         
extracted from ,thomas de ,cantimpr and 
,cesarius1 whose works are everywhere   
decried1 and that one dare no longer    
cite openly without exposing them to    
mockery4 ,they will read1 with only too 
much pleasure1 what he relates of the   
apparitions of ,jesus ,christ to ,st4   
,francis d',assis1 on the ,indulgence of
 the ,partionculus1 and the             
particularities of the establishment of 
the ,carmelite ,fathers1 and of the     
,brotherhood of the ,scapulary1 by      
,simon ,stock1 to whom the ,holy ,virgin
 herself gave the ,scapulary of the     
order4 ,it will be seen in his work that
 there are few religious establishments 
or societies which are not founded on   
some vision or revelation4 ,it seemed   
even as if it was necessary for the     

propagation of certain orders and       
certain congregations2 so that these    
kind of revelations were1 as it were1   
taken by storm2 and there seems to have 
been a competition as to who should     
produce the greatest number of them1 and
 the most extraordinary1 to have them   
believed4 ,i could not persuade myself  
that he related seriously the pretended 
apparition of ,st4 ,francis to ,erasmus4
 ,it is easy to comprehend that it was a
 joke of ,erasmus1 who wished to divert 
himself at the expense of the           
,cordeliers4 ,but one cannot help being 
pained at the way in which he treats    
several fathers of the church1 as ,st4  
,gregory the ,great1 ,st4 ,gregory of   
,tours1 ,st4 ,sulpicius ,severus1 ,peter
 the ,venerable1 ,abbot of ,clugny1 ,st4
 ,anselm1 ,cardinal ,pierre ,damien1    
,st4 ,athanasius even1 and ,st4         
,ambrose1#gjd in regard to their        
credulity1 and the account they have    
given us of several apparitions and     
visions1 which are little thought of at 

this day4 ,i say the same of what he    
relates of the visions of ,st4          
,elizabeth of ,schonau1 of ,st4         
,hildegrade1 of ,st4 ,gertrude1 of ,st4 
,mecthelda1 of ,st4 ,bridget1 of ,st4   
,catherine of ,sienna1 and hardly does  
he show any favor to those of ,st4      
,theresa4  ,would it not have been      
better to leave the world in this       
respect as it is1#gje rather than       
disturb the ashes of so many holy       
personages and saintly nuns1 whose lives
 are held blessed by the church1 and    
whose writings and revelations have so  
little influence over the salvation and 
the morals of the faithful in general4  
,what service does it render the church 
to speak disparagingly of the works of  
the contemplatives1 of the ,thaulers1   
the ,rushbrooks1 the ,bartholomews of   
,pisa1 of ,st4 ,vincent ,ferrier1 of    
,st4 ,bernardine of ,sienna1 of ,henry  
,harphius1 of ,pierre de ,natalibus1 of 
,bernardine de ,bustis1 of ,ludolf the  
,chartreux1 and other authors of that   

kind1 whose writings are so little read 
and so little known1 whose sectaries are
 so few in number1 and have so little   
weight in the world1 and even in the    
church8  ,the ,abb du ,frenoy           
acknowledges the visions and revelations
 which are clearly marked in ,scripture2
 but is there not reason to fear that   
certain persons may apply the rules of  
criticism which he employs against the  
visions of the male and female saints of
 whom he speaks in his work1 and that   
they may say1 for instance1 that        
,jeremiah yielded to his melancholy     
humor1 and ,ezekiel to his caustic      
disposition1 to predict sad and         
disagreeable things to the ,jewish      
people8#gjf  ,we know how many vexations
 the prophets endured from the ,jews1   
and that in particular#gjg those of     
,anathoth had resolved to put their     
countryman ,jeremiah to death1 to       
prevent him from prophesying in the name
 of the ,lord4 ,to what persecutions    
were not himself and ,baruch his        

disciple exposed for having spoken in   
the name of the ,lord8 ,did not ,king   
,jehoiakim1 son of ,josiah1 throw the   
book of ,baruch into the fire1#gjh after
 having hacked it with a penknife1 in   
hatred of the truths which it announced 
to him8  ,the ,jews sometimes went so   
far as to insult them in their          
dwellings1 and even to say to them1#gji 
,ubi est verbum ,domini8 veniat2 and    
elsewhere1 ,let us plot against         
,jeremiah2 for the priests will not fail
 to cite the law1 and the prophets will 
not fail to allege the words of the     
,lord3 come1 let us attack him with     
derision1 and pay no regard to his      
discourse4  ,isaiah did not endure less 
vexation and insult1 the libertine ,jews
 having gone even into his house1 and   
said to him insolently#gaj--,manda1     
remanda2 expecta1 re-expecta2 modicum   
ibi1 et modicum ibi1 as if to mock at   
his threats4  ,but all that has not     
prevailed1 nor ever will prevail1       
against the truth and word of ,god2 the 

faithful and exact execution of the     
threats of the ,lord has justified1 and 
ever will justify1 the predictions and  
visions of the prophets4 ,the gates of  
hell will not prevail against the       
,christian church1 and the word of ,god 
will triumph over the malice of hell1   
the artifice of corrupt men1 of         
libertines1 and over all the subtlety of
 pretended freethinkers4 ,true and real 
visions1 revelations1 and apparitions   
will always bear in themselves a        
character of truth1 and will serve to   
destroy those which are false1 and      
proceed from the spirit of error and    
delusion4 ,and coming now to what       
regards myself in particular1 ,m4 du    
,frenoy says1 that the public have been 
surprised that instead of placing my    
proofs before the circumstances of my   
apparitions1 ,i have given them         
afterwards1 and that ,i have not entered
 fully enough into the subject of these 
proofs4  ,i am going to give the public 
an account of my method and design4     

,having proposed to myself to prove the 
truth1 the reality1 and consequently the
 possibility of apparitions1 ,i have    
related a great many authentic          
instances1 derived from the ,old and    
,new ,testament1 which forms a complete 
proof of my opinion1 for the certainty  
of the facts carries with it here the   
certainty of the dogma4  ,after that ,i 
have related instances and opinions     
taken from the ,hebrews1 ,mahometans1   
,greeks1 and ,latins1 to assure the same
 truth4 ,i have been careful not to draw
 any parallel between these testimonies 
and the scriptural ones which preceded4 
,my object in this was to demonstrate   
that in every age1 and in all civilized 
nations1 the idea of the immortality of 
the soul1 of its existence after death1 
of its return and appearance1 is one of 
those truths which the length of ages   
has never been able to efface from the  
mind of nations4  ,i draw the same      
inference from the instances which ,i   
have related1 and of which ,i do not    

pretend to guarantee either the truth or
 the certainty4 ,i willingly yield all  
the circumstances that are not revealed 
to censure and criticism2 ,i only esteem
 as true that which is so in fact4  ,m4 
du ,frenoy finds that the proof of the  
immortality of the soul which ,i infer  
from the apparition of the spirit after 
death1 is not sufficiently solid2 but it
 is certainly one of the most palpable  
and most easy of comprehension to the   
generality of mankind2 it would make    
more impression upon them than arguments
 drawn from philosophy and metaphysics4 
,i do not intend for that reason to     
attack any other proofs of the same     
truth1 or to weaken a dogma so essential
 to religion4  ,he endeavors to prove1  
at great length1#gaa that the salvation 
of the ,emperor ,trajan is not a thing  
which the ,christian religion can       
confirm4 ,i agree with him2 and it was  
useless to take any trouble to          
demonstrate it4#gab  ,he speaks of the  
young man of ,delme1#gac who having     

fallen into a swoon remained in it some 
days2 they brought him back to life1 and
 a languor remained upon him which at   
last led to his death at the end of the 
year4 ,it is thus he arranges that      
story4  ,m4 du ,frenoy disguises the    
affair a little2 and although ,i do not 
believe that the devil could restore the
 youth to life1 nevertheless the        
original and cotemporaneous authors whom
 ,i have quoted maintain that the demon 
had much to do with this event4#gad     
,what has principally prevented me from 
giving rules and prescribing a method   
for discerning true and false           
apparitions is1 that ,i am quite        
persuaded that the way in which they    
occur is absolutely unknown to us2 that 
it contains insurmountable difficulties2
 and that consulting only the rules of  
philosophy1 ,i should be more disposed  
to believe them impossible than to      
affirm their truth and possibility4 ,but
 ,i am restrained by respect for the    
,holy ,scriptures1 by the testimony of  

all antiquity and by the tradition of   
the ,church4              ,i am1 sir1   
,your very humble                       
and very obedient servant1              
,d4 ,a4 ,,calmet1 ,abbot of ,snones4    
,footnotes3  #gjc ,dom4 ,calmet has a   
very bad opinion of the public1 to      
believe that it values so little what   
is1 perhaps1 the best and most sensible 
part of the book4 ,wise people think    
quite differently from himself4  #gjd   
,neither ,gregory of ,tours1 nor        
,sulpicius ,severus1 nor ,peter the     
,venerable1 nor ,pierre ,damien1 have   
ever been placed in a parallel line with
 the fathers of the ,church4 ,in regard 
to the latter1 it has always been       
allowable1 without failing in the       
respect which is due to them1 to remark 
certain weaknesses in their works1      
sometimes even errors1 as the ,church   
has done in condemning the ,millenaries1
 c4  #gje ,an excellent maxim for       
fomenting credulity and nourishing      
superstition4  #gjf ,what a parallel6   

how could any one make it without       
renouncing common sense8  #gjg ,jeremiah
 xxi4 #ba4  #gjh ,jerem4 xxxvi4  #gji   
,jerem4 xvii4 #ae4  #gaj ,isai4 xxviii4 
#aj4  #gaa ,tom4 ii4 p4 #ib et seq4     
#gab ,it is true that what ,dom4 ,calmet
 had said of this in his first edition1 
the only one ,m4 ,lenglet has seen1 has 
been corrected in the following ones4   
#gac ,p4 #aee4  #gad ,a bad foundation2 
credulous or interested authors4        
,,the ,,end4    ,transcriber's ,notes3  
,passages in italics indicated by       
underscore italics4    ,the original    
text includes ,greek characters4 ,for   
this text version these   letters have  
been replaced with transliterations set 
off by ,greek3    tags4    ,the original
 text includes several blank spaces4    
,these are represented by      in this  
text version4    ,footnote punctuation  
has been standardized for consistency4  
,misprints corrected3     ,corpernican  
corrected to ,copernican 7page vii7     
destitue corrected to destitute 7page   

xvii7     superstit on corrected to     
superstition 7page xx7     ,apocalapse  
corrected to ,apocalypse 7page #dj7     
for corrected to fro 7page #ee7         
thousands corrected to thousand 7page   
#eg7     predjudices corrected to       
prejudices 7page #fa7     repentence    
corrected to repentance 7page #hg7      
sorcerors corrected to sorcerers 7page  
#ajj7     subtil corrected to subtile   
7page #aab7     ,loudon corrected to    
,loudun 7page #abh7     ,gassendy       
corrected to ,gassendi 7page #adf7      
statue corrected to stature 7page #afa7 
testiomony corrected to testimony 7page 
#agi7     ,ratzival corrected to        
,ratzivil 7page #bjd7     embarrasment  
corrected to embarrassment 7page #bbj7  
,mohometans corrected to ,mahometans    
7page #bbb7     ancesters corrected to  
ancestors 7page #bca7     cf corrected  
to of 7page #bch7     ,other corrected  
to ,others 7page #bdh7     treaties     
corrected to treatise 7page #bed7       
,spiridon corrected to ,spiridion 7page 

#beh7     not not corrected to not 7page
 #bfb7     drangement corrected to      
derangement 7page #bgh7     neigborhood 
corrected to neighborhood 7page #bhb7   
d',englebert corrected to d',engelbert  
7page #bhf7     obervations corrected to
 observations 7page #cje7     of        
corrected to off 7page #cbf7            
corpuscules corrected to corpuscles     
7page #cbi7     or corrected to for     
7page #cdb7     our corrected to out    
7page #cdi7     childen corrected to    
children 7page #cfj7     her her        
corrected to her 7page #cgb7     abe    
corrected to able 7page #chf7     or    
corrected to on 7page #cij7     ,missing
 text ,,iii4 added 7page #daa7          
permittted corrected to permitted 7page 
#dab7     ,one corrected to ,on 7page   
#dcd7      ,some quotes are opened with 
marks but are not closed4 ,obvious      
errors     have been silently closed1   
while those requiring interpretation    
have     been left open4                
,additional spacing after some of the   

quotes is intentional to indicate       
both the end of a quotation and the     
beginning of a new paragraph as         
presented in the original text4         
,all other spelling and punctuation is  
presented as in the original4