,transcriber's ,note3 ,footnotes have   
been numbered sequentially and moved to 
the end of the text4     ,,lives ,,of   
,,the ,,necromancers3  ,,or  ,,an       
,,account ,,of ,,the ,,most ,,eminent   
,,persons ,,in ,,successive ,,ages1     
,,who ,,have ,,claimed ,,for            
,,themselves1 ,,or ,,to ,,whom ,,has    
,,been ,,imputed ,,by ,,others1  ,,the  
,,exercise ,,of ,,magical ,,power4      
,,by  ,,william  ,,godwin4   ,,london   
,frederick ,j ,mason1 #ddd1 ,west       
,strand  #ahcd      ,,preface4   ,the   
main purpose of this book is to exhibit 
a fair delineation of the credulity of  
the human mind4 ,such an exhibition     
cannot fail to be productive of the most
 salutary lessons4  ,one view of the    
subject will teach us a useful pride in 
the abundance of our faculties4 ,without
 pride man is in reality of little      
value4 ,it is pride that stimulates us  
to all our great undertakings4 ,without 
pride1 and the secret persuasion of     
extraordinary talents1 what man would   

take up the pen with a view to produce  
an important work1 whether of           
imagination and poetry1 or of profound  
science1 or of acute and subtle         
reasoning and intellectual anatomy8 ,it 
is pride in this sense that makes the   
great general and the consummate        
legislator1 that animates us to tasks   
the most laborious1 and causes us to    
shrink from no difficulty1 and to be    
confounded and overwhelmed with no      
obstacle that can be interposed in our  
path4  ,nothing can be more striking    
than the contrast between man and the   
inferior animals4 ,the latter live only 
for the day1 and see for the most part  
only what is immediately before them4   
,but man lives in the past and the      
future4 ,he reasons upon and improves by
 the past2 he records the acts of a long
 series of generations3 and he looks    
into future time1 lays down plans which 
he shall be months and years in bringing
 to maturity1 and contrives machines and
 delineates systems of education and    

government1 which may gradually add to  
the accommodations of all1 and raise the
 species generally into a nobler and    
more honourable character than our      
ancestors were capable of sustaining4   
,man looks through nature1 and is able  
to reduce its parts into a great whole4 
,he classes the beings which are found  
in it1 both animate and inanimate1      
delineates and describes them1          
investigates their properties1 and      
records their capacities1 their good and
 evil qualities1 their dangers and their
 uses4  ,nor does he only see all that  
is2 but he also images all that is not4 
,he takes to pieces the substances that 
are1 and combines their parts into new  
arrangements4 ,he peoples all the       
elements from the world of his          
imagination4 ,it is here that he is most
 extraordinary and wonderful4 ,the      
record of what actually is1 and has     
happened in the series of human events1 
is perhaps the smallest part of human   
history4 ,if we would know man in all   

his subtleties1 we must deviate into the
 world of miracles and sorcery4 ,to know
 the things that are not1 and cannot be1
 but have been imagined and believed1 is
 the most curious chapter in the annals 
of man4 ,to observe the actual results  
of these imaginary phenomena1 and the   
crimes and cruelties they have caused us
 to commit1 is one of the most          
instructive studies in which we can     
possibly be engaged4 ,it is here that   
man is most astonishing1 and that we    
contemplate with most admiration the    
discursive and unbounded nature of his  
faculties4  ,but1 if a recollection of  
the examples of the credulity of the    
human mind may in one view supply       
nourishment to our pride1 it still more 
obviously tends to teach us sobriety and
 humiliation4 ,man in his genuine and   
direct sphere is the disciple of reason2
 it is by this faculty that he draws    
inferences1 exerts his prudence1 and    
displays the ingenuity of machinery1 and
 the subtlety of system both in natural 

and moral philosophy4 ,yet what so      
irrational as man8 ,not contented with  
making use of the powers we possess1 for
 the purpose of conducing to our        
accommodation and well being1 we with a 
daring spirit inquire into the invisible
 causes of what we see1 and people all  
nature with ,gods of every shape and    
size and angels1 with principalities and
 powers1 with beneficent beings who take
 charge concerning us lest at any time  
we dash our foot against a stone1 and   
with devils who are perpetually on the  
watch to perplex us and do us injury4   
,and1 having familiarised our minds with
 the conceptions of these beings1 we    
immediately aspire to hold communion    
with them4 ,we represent to ourselves   
,god1 as walking in the garden with us  
in the cool of the day1 and teach       
ourselves not to forget to entertain    
strangers1 lest by so doing we should   
repel angels unawares4  ,no sooner are  
we1 even in a slight degree1 acquainted 
with the laws of nature1 than we frame  

to ourselves the idea1 by the aid of    
some invisible ally1 of suspending their
 operation1 of calling out meteors in   
the sky1 of commanding storms and       
tempests1 of arresting the motion of the
 heavenly bodies1 of producing          
miraculous cures upon the bodies of our 
fellow-men1 or afflicting them with     
disease and death1 of calling up the    
deceased from the silence of the grave1 
and compelling them to disclose the     
secrets of the world unknown4  ,but1    
what is most deplorable1 we are not     
contented to endeavour to secure the aid
 of ,god and good angels1 but we also   
aspire to enter into alliance with      
devils1 and beings destined for their   
rebellion to suffer eternally the pains 
of hell4 ,as they are supposed to be of 
a character perverted and depraved1 we  
of course apply to them principally for 
purposes of wantonness1 or of malice and
 revenge4 ,and1 in the instances which  
have occurred only a few centuries back1
 the most common idea has been of a     

compact entered into by an unprincipled 
and impious human being with the sworn  
enemy of ,god and man1 in the result of 
which the devil engages to serve the    
capricious will and perform the behests 
of his blasphemous votary for a certain 
number of years1 while the deluded      
wretch in return engages to renounce his
 ,god and ,saviour1 and surrender       
himself body and soul to the pains of   
hell from the end of that term to all   
eternity4 ,no sooner do we imagine human
 beings invested with these wonderful   
powers1 and conceive them as called into
 action for the most malignant purposes1
 than we become the passive and         
terrified slaves of the creatures of our
 own imaginations1 and fear to be       
assailed at every moment by beings to   
whose power we can set no limit1 and    
whose modes of hostility no human       
sagacity can anticipate and provide     
against4 ,but1 what is still more       
extraordinary1 the human creatures that 
pretend to these powers have often been 

found as completely the dupes of this   
supernatural machinery1 as the most     
timid wretch that stands in terror at   
its expected operation2 and no          
phenomenon has been more common than the
 confession of these allies of hell1    
that they have verily and indeed held   
commerce and formed plots and           
conspiracies with ,satan4  ,the         
consequence of this state of things has 
been1 that criminal jurisprudence and   
the last severities of the law have been
 called forth to an amazing extent to   
exterminate witches and witchcraft4     
,more especially in the sixteenth       
century hundreds and thousands were     
burned alive within the compass of a    
small territory2 and judges1 the        
directors of the scene1 a ,nicholas     
,remi1 a ,de ,lancre1 and many others1  
have published copious volumes1 entering
 into a minute detail of the system and 
fashion of the witchcraft of the        
professors1 whom they sent in multitudes
 to expiate their depravity at the      

gallows and the stake4  ,one useful     
lesson which we may derive from the     
detail of these particulars1 is the     
folly in most cases of imputing pure and
 unmingled hypocrisy to man4 ,the human 
mind is of so ductile a character that1 
like what is affirmed of charity by the 
apostle1 it believeth all things1 and   
endureth all things4 ,we are not at     
liberty to trifle with the sacredness of
 truth4 ,while we persuade others1 we   
begin to deceive ourselves4 ,human life 
is a drama of that sort1 that1 while we 
act our part1 and endeavour to do       
justice to the sentiments which are put 
down for us1 we begin to believe we are 
the thing we would represent4  ,to shew 
however the modes in which the delusion 
acts upon the person through whom it    
operates1 is not properly the scope of  
this book4 ,here and there ,i have      
suggested hints to this purpose1 which  
the curious reader may follow to their  
furthest extent1 and discover how with  
perfect good faith the artist may bring 

himself to swallow the grossest         
impossibilities4 ,but the work ,i have  
written is not a treatise of natural    
magic4 ,it rather proposes to display   
the immense wealth of the faculty of    
imagination1 and to shew the            
extravagances of which the man may be   
guilty who surrenders himself to its    
guidance4  ,it is fit however that the  
reader should bear in mind1 that what is
 put down in this book is but a small   
part and scantling of the acts of       
sorcery and witchcraft which have       
existed in human society4 ,they have    
been found in all ages and countries4   
,the torrid zone and the frozen north   
have neither of them escaped from a     
fruitful harvest of this sort of        
offspring4 ,in ages of ignorance they   
have been especially at home2 and the   
races of men that have left no records  
behind them to tell almost that they    
existed1 have been most of all rife in  
deeds of darkness1 and those marvellous 
incidents which especially astonish the 

spectator1 and throw back the infant    
reason of man into those shades and that
 obscurity from which it had so recently
 endeavoured to escape4  ,i wind up for 
the present my literary labours with the
 production of this book4 ,nor let any  
reader imagine that ,i here put into his
 hands a mere work of idle recreation4  
,it will be found pregnant with deeper  
uses4 ,the wildest extravagances of     
human fancy1 the most deplorable        
perversion of human faculties1 and the  
most horrible distortions of            
jurisprudence1 may occasionally afford  
us a salutary lesson4 ,i love in the    
foremost place to contemplate man in all
 his honours and in all the exaltation  
of wisdom and virtue2 but it will also  
be occasionally of service to us to look
 into his obliquities1 and distinctly to
 remark how great and portentous have   
been his absurdities and his follies4   
,may #bi1 #ahcd4     ,,contents         
,,introduction  ,,ambitious ,,nature    
,,of ,,man   ,,his ,,desire ,,to        

,,penetrate ,,into ,,futurity           
,,divination   ,,augury   ,,chiromancy  
,,physiognomy   ,,interpretation ,,of   
,,dreams   ,,casting ,,of ,,lots        
,,astrology   ,,oracles   ,,delphi      
,,the ,,desire ,,to  ,,command ,,and    
,,control ,,future ,,events   ,,commerce
 ,,with ,,the ,,invisible ,,world       
,,sorcery ,,and ,,enchantment           
,,witchcraft   ,,compacts ,,with ,,the  
,,devil   ,,imps   ,,talismans ,,and    
,,amulets   ,,necromancy   ,,alchemy    
,,fairies   ,,rosicrucians   ,,sylphs   
,,and ,,gnomes1 ,,salamanders ,,and     
,,undines  ,,examples ,,of ,,necromancy 
,,and ,,witchcraft ,,from ,,the ,,bible 
,,the ,,magi1 ,,or ,,wise ,,men ,,of    
,,the ,,east   ,,egypt   ,,statue ,,of  
,,memnon   ,,temple ,,of ,,jupiter      
,,ammon3 ,,its ,,oracles   ,,chaldea    
,,and ,,babylon   ,,zoroaster  ,,greece 
,,deities ,,of ,,greece   ,,demigods    
,,daedalus   ,,the ,,argonauts   ,,medea
   ,,circe   ,,orpheus   ,,amphion      
,,tiresias   ,,abaris   ,,pythagoras    

,,epimenides   ,,empedocles   ,,aristeas
   ,,hermotimus   ,,the ,,mother ,,of   
,,demaratus1 ,,king ,,of ,,sparta       
,,oracles   ,,invasion ,,of ,,xerxes    
,,into ,,greece   ,,democritus          
,,socrates  ,,rome   ,,virgil           
,,polydorus   ,,dido   ,,romulus        
,,numa   ,,tullus ,,hostilius   ,,accius
 ,,navius   ,,servius ,,tullius   ,,the 
,,sorceress ,,of ,,virgil   ,,canidia   
,,erichtho   ,,sertorius   ,,casting    
,,out ,,devils   ,,simon ,,magus        
,,elymas1 ,,the ,,sorcerer   ,,nero     
,,vespasian   ,,apollonius ,,of ,,tyana 
,,apuleius   ,,alexander ,,the          
,,paphlagonian  ,,revolution ,,produced 
,,in ,,the ,,history ,,of ,,necromancy  
,,and ,,witchcraft ,,upon ,,the         
,,establishment ,,of ,,christianity     
,,magical ,,consultations ,,respecting  
,,the ,,life ,,of ,,the ,,emperor       
,,history ,,of ,,necromancy ,,in ,,the  
,,east   ,,general ,,silence ,,of ,,the 
,,east ,,respecting ,,individual        
,,necromancers   ,,rocail   ,,hakem1    

,,otherwise ,,macanna   ,,arabian       
,,nights' ,,entertainments   ,,persian  
,,tales   ,,story ,,of ,a ,,goule       
,,arabian ,,nights   ,,resemblance ,,of 
,,the ,,tales ,,of ,,the ,,east ,,and   
,,of ,,europe   ,,causes ,,of ,,human   
,,credulity  ,,dark ,,ages ,,of ,,europe
   ,,merlin   ,,st4 ,,dunstan           
,,communication ,,of ,,europe ,,and     
,,the ,,saracens   ,,gerbert1 ,,pope    
,,silvester ,,ii   ,,benedict ,,the     
,,ninth   ,,gregory ,,the ,,seventh     
,,duff1 ,,king ,,of ,,scotland          
,,macbeth   ,,virgil   ,,robert ,,of    
,,lincoln   ,,michael ,,scot   ,,the    
,,dean ,,of ,,badajoz   ,,miracle ,,of  
,,the ,,tub ,,of ,,water   ,,institution
 ,,of ,,friars   ,,albertus ,,magnus    
,,roger ,,bacon   ,,thomas ,,aquinas    
,,peter ,,of ,,apono   ,,english ,,law  
,,of ,,high ,,treason   ,,ziito         
,,transmutation ,,of ,,metals           
,,artephius   ,,raymond ,,lulli         
,,arnold ,,of ,,villeneuve   ,,english  
,,laws ,,respecting ,,transmutation     

,,revival ,,of ,,letters   ,,joan ,,of  
,,arc   ,,eleanor ,,cobham1 ,,duchess   
,,of ,,gloucester   ,,richard ,,iii     
,,sanguinary  ,,proceedings ,,against   
,,witchcraft   ,,savonarola             
,,trithemius   ,,luther   ,,cornelius   
,,agrippa   ,,faustus   ,,sabellicus    
,,paracelsus   ,,cardan   ,,quacks1     
,,who ,,in ,,cool ,,blood ,,undertook   
,,to ,,overreach ,,mankind   ,,benvenuto
 ,,cellini   ,,nostradamus   ,,doctor   
,,dee   ,,earl ,,of ,,derby   ,,king    
,,james',s ,,voyage ,,to ,,norway       
,,john ,,fian   ,,king ,,james',s       
,,demonology   ,,statute1 #a ,,james ,i 
,,forman ,,and ,,others   ,,latest      
,,ideas ,,of ,,james ,,on ,,the         
,,subject   ,,lancashire ,,witches      
,,lady ,,davies   ,,edward ,,fairfax    
,,doctor ,,lamb   ,,urbain ,,grandier   
,,astrology   ,,william ,,lilly         
,,matthew ,,hopkins   ,,cromwel         
,,dorothy ,,mateley   ,,witches ,,hanged
 ,,by ,,sir ,,matthew ,,hale            
,,witchcraft ,,in ,,sweden              

,,witchcraft ,,in ,,new ,,england       
,,conclusion     ,,lives ,,of ,,the     
,,necromancers   ,the improvements that 
have been effected in natural philosophy
 have by degrees convinced the          
enlightened part of mankind that the    
material universe is every where subject
 to laws1 fixed in their weight1 measure
 and duration1 capable of the most exact
 calculation1 and which in no case admit
 of variation and exception4 ,whatever  
is not thus to be accounted for is of   
mind1 and springs from the volition of  
some being1 of which the material form  
is subjected to our senses1 and the     
action of which is in like manner       
regulated by the laws of matter4 ,beside
 this1 mind1 as well as matter1 is      
subject to fixed laws2 and thus every   
phenomenon and occurrence around us is  
rendered a topic for the speculations of
 sagacity and foresight4 ,such is the   
creed which science has universally     
prescribed to the judicious and         
reflecting among us4  ,it was otherwise 

in the infancy and less mature state of 
human knowledge4 ,the chain of causes   
and consequences was yet unrecognized2  
and events perpetually occurred1 for    
which no sagacity that was then in being
 was able to assign an original4 ,hence 
men felt themselves habitually disposed 
to refer many of the appearances with   
which they were conversant to the agency
 of invisible intelligences2 sometimes  
under the influence of a benignant      
disposition1 sometimes of malice1 and   
sometimes perhaps from an inclination to
 make themselves sport of the wonder and
 astonishment of ignorant mortals4      
,omens and portents told these men of   
some piece of good or ill fortune       
speedily to befal them4 ,the flight of  
birds was watched by them1 as           
foretokening somewhat important4        
,thunder excited in them a feeling of   
supernatural terror4 ,eclipses with fear
 of change perplexed the nations4 ,the  
phenomena of the heavens1 regular and   
irregular1 were anxiously remarked from 

the same principle4 ,during the hours of
 darkness men were apt to see a         
supernatural being in every bush2 and   
they could not cross a receptacle for   
the dead1 without expecting to encounter
 some one of the departed uneasily      
wandering among graves1 or commissioned 
to reveal somewhat momentous and deeply 
affecting to the survivors4 ,fairies    
danced in the moonlight glade2 and      
something preternatural perpetually     
occurred to fill the living with        
admiration and awe4  ,all this gradually
 reduced itself into a system4 ,mankind1
 particularly in the dark and ignorant  
ages1 were divided into the strong and  
the weak2 the strong and weak of animal 
frame1 when corporeal strength more     
decidedly bore sway than in a period of 
greater cultivation2 and the strong and 
weak in reference to intellect2 those   
who were bold1 audacious and            
enterprising in acquiring an ascendancy 
over their fellow-men1 and those who    
truckled1 submitted1 and were acted     

upon1 from an innate consciousness of   
inferiority1 and a superstitious looking
 up to such as were of greater natural  
or acquired endowments than themselves4 
,the strong in intellect were eager to  
avail themselves of their superiority1  
by means that escaped the penetration of
 the multitude1 and had recourse to     
various artifices to effect their ends4 
,beside this1 they became the dupes of  
their own practices4 ,they set out at   
first in their conception of things from
 the level of the vulgar4 ,they applied 
themselves diligently to the unravelling
 of what was unknown2 wonder mingled    
with their contemplation2 they          
abstracted their minds from things of   
ordinary occurrence1 and1 as we may     
denominate it1 of real life1 till at    
length they lost their true balance     
amidst the astonishment they sought to  
produce in their inferiors4 ,they felt a
 vocation to things extraordinary2 and  
they willingly gave scope and line      
without limit to that which engendered  

in themselves the most gratifying       
sensations1 at the same time that it    
answered the purposes of their ambition4
  ,as these principles in the two       
parties1 the more refined and the       
vulgar1 are universal1 and derive their 
origin from the nature of man1 it has   
necessarily happened that this faith in 
extraordinary events1 and superstitious 
fear of what is supernatural1 has       
diffused itself through every climate of
 the world1 in a certain stage of human 
intellect1 and while refinement had not 
yet got the better of barbarism4 ,the   
,celts of antiquity had their ,druids1 a
 branch of whose special profession was 
the exercise of magic4 ,the ,chaldeans  
and ,egyptians had their wise men1 their
 magicians and their sorcerers4 ,the    
negroes have their foretellers of       
events1 their amulets1 and their        
reporters and believers of miraculous   
occurrences4 ,a similar race of men was 
found by ,columbus and the other        
discoverers of the ,new ,world in       

,america2 and facts of a parallel nature
 are attested to us in the islands of   
the ,south ,seas4 ,and1 as phenomena of 
this sort were universal in their       
nature1 without distinction of climate1 
whether torrid or frozen1 and           
independently of the discordant manners 
and customs of different countries1 so  
have they been very slow and recent in  
their disappearing4 ,queen ,elizabeth   
sent to consult ,dr4 ,john ,dee1 the    
astrologer1 respecting a lucky day for  
her coronation2 ,king ,james the ,first 
employed much of his learned leisure    
upon questions of witchcraft and        
demonology1 in which he fully believed  
and sir ,matthew ,hale in the year #affd
 caused two old women to be hanged upon 
a charge of unlawful communion with     
infernal agents4  ,the history of       
mankind therefore will be very          
imperfect1 and our knowledge of the     
operations and eccentricities of the    
mind lamentably deficient1 unless we    
take into our view what has occurred    

under this head4 ,the supernatural      
appearances with which our ancestors    
conceived themselves perpetually        
surrounded must have had a strong       
tendency to cherish and keep alive the  
powers of the imagination1 and to       
penetrate those who witnessed or        
expected such things with an            
extraordinary sensitiveness4 ,as the    
course of events appears to us at       
present1 there is much1 though          
abstractedly within the compass of human
 sagacity to foresee1 which yet the     
actors on the scene do not foresee3 but 
the blindness and perplexity of         
short-sighted mortals must have been    
wonderfully increased1 when ghosts and  
extraordinary appearances were conceived
 liable to cross the steps and confound 
the projects of men at every turn1 and a
 malicious wizard or a powerful         
enchanter might involve his unfortunate 
victim in a chain of calamities1 which  
no prudence could disarm1 and no virtue 
could deliver him from4 ,they were the  

slaves of an uncontrolable destiny1 and 
must therefore have been eminently      
deficient in the perseverance and moral 
courage1 which may justly be required of
 us in a more enlightened age4 ,and the 
men 7but these were few compared with   
the great majority of mankind71 who     
believed themselves gifted with         
supernatural endowments1 must have felt 
exempt and privileged from common rules1
 somewhat in the same way as the persons
 whom fiction has delighted to pourtray 
as endowed with immeasurable wealth1 or 
with the power of rendering themselves  
impassive or invisible4 ,but1 whatever  
were their advantages or disadvantages1 
at any rate it is good for us to call up
 in review things1 which are now passed 
away1 but which once occupied so large a
 share of the thoughts and attention of 
mankind1 and in a great degree tended to
 modify their characters and dictate    
their resolutions4  ,as has already been
 said1 numbers of those who were endowed
 with the highest powers of human       

intellect1 such as1 if they had lived in
 these times1 would have aspired to     
eminence in the exact sciences1 to the  
loftiest flights of imagination1 or to  
the discovery of means by which the     
institutions of men in society might be 
rendered more beneficial and faultless1 
at that time wasted the midnight oil in 
endeavouring to trace the occult        
qualities and virtues of things1 to     
render invisible spirits subject to     
their command1 and to effect those      
wonders1 of which they deemed themselves
 to have a dim conception1 but which    
more rational views of nature have      
taught us to regard as beyond our power 
to effect4 ,these sublime wanderings of 
the mind are well entitled to our labour
 to trace and investigate4 ,the errors  
of man are worthy to be recorded1 not   
only as beacons to warn us from the     
shelves where our ancestors have made   
shipwreck1 but even as something        
honourable to our nature1 to show how   
high a generous ambition could sour1    

though in forbidden paths1 and in things
 too wonderful for us4  ,nor only is    
this subject inexpressibly interesting1 
as setting before us how the loftiest   
and most enterprising minds of ancient  
days formerly busied themselves4 ,it is 
also of the highest importance to an    
ingenuous curiosity1 inasmuch as it     
vitally affected the fortunes of so     
considerable a portion of the mass of   
mankind4 ,the legislatures of remote    
ages bent all their severity at         
different periods against what they     
deemed the unhallowed arts of the sons  
and daughters of reprobation4           
,multitudes of human creatures have been
 sacrificed in different ages and       
countries1 upon the accusation of having
 exercised arts of the most immoral and 
sacrilegious character4 ,they were      
supposed to have formed a contract with 
a mighty and invisible spirit1 the great
 enemy of man1 and to have sold         
themselves1 body and soul1 to           
everlasting perdition1 for the sake of  

gratifying1 for a short term of years1  
their malignant passions against those  
who had been so unfortunate as to give  
them cause of offence4 ,if there were   
any persons who imagined they had       
entered into such a contract1 however   
erroneous was their belief1 they must of
 necessity have been greatly depraved4  
,and it was but natural that such as    
believed in this crime1 must have       
considered it as atrocious beyond all   
others1 and have regarded those who were
 supposed guilty of it with             
inexpressible abhorrence4 ,there are    
many instances on record1 where the     
persons accused of it1 either from the  
depth of their delusion1 or1 which is   
more probable1 harassed by persecution1 
by the hatred of their fellow-creatures 
directed against them1 or by torture1   
actually confessed themselves guilty4   
,these instances are too numerous1 not  
to constitute an important chapter in   
the legislation of past ages4 ,and1 now 
that the illusion has in a manner passed

 away from the face of the earth1 we are
 on that account the better qualified to
 investigate this error in its causes   
and consequences1 and to look back on   
the tempest and hurricane from which we 
have escaped1 with chastened feelings1  
and a sounder estimate of its nature1   
its reign1 and its effects4             
,,ambitious ,,nature ,,of ,,man   ,man  
is a creature of boundless ambition4    
,it is probably our natural wants that  
first awaken us from that lethargy and  
indifference in which man may be        
supposed to be plunged previously to the
 impulse of any motive1 or the accession
 of any uneasiness4 ,one of our earliest
 wants may be conceived to be hunger1 or
 the desire of food4  ,from this simple 
beginning the history of man in all its 
complex varieties may be regarded as    
proceeding4  ,man in a state of society1
 more especially where there is an      
inequality of condition and rank1 is    
very often the creature of leisure4 ,he 
finds in himself1 either from internal  

or external impulse1 a certain activity4
 ,he finds himself at one time engaged  
in the accomplishment of his obvious and
 immediate desires1 and at another in a 
state in which these desires have for   
the present been fulfilled1 and he has  
no present occasion to repeat those     
exertions which led to their fulfilment4
 ,this is the period of contemplation4  
,this is the state which most eminently 
distinguishes us from the brutes4 ,here 
it is that the history of man1 in its   
exclusive sense1 may be considered as   
taking its beginning4  ,here it is that 
he specially recognises in himself the  
sense of power4 ,power in its simplest  
acceptation1 may be exerted in either of
 two ways1 either in his procuring for  
himself an ample field for more refined 
accommodations1 or in the exercise of   
compulsion and authority over other     
living creatures4 ,in the pursuit of    
either of these1 and especially the     
first1 he is led to the attainment of   
skill and superior adroitness in the use

 of his faculties4  ,no sooner has man  
reached to this degree of improvement1  
than now1 if not indeed earlier1 he is  
induced to remark the extreme           
limitedness of his faculties in respect 
to the future2 and he is led1 first     
earnestly to desire a clearer insight   
into the future1 and next a power of    
commanding those external causes upon   
which the events of the future depend4  
,the first of these desires is the      
parent of divination1 augury1           
chiromancy1 astrology1 and the          
consultation of oracles2 and the second 
has been the prolific source of         
enchantment1 witchcraft1 sorcery1 magic1
 necromancy1 and alchemy1 in its two    
branches1 the unlimited prolongation of 
human life1 and the art of converting   
less precious metals into gold4   ,,his 
,,desire ,,to ,,penetrate ,,into        
,,futurity4  ,nothing can suggest to us 
a more striking and stupendous idea of  
the faculties of the human mind1 than   
the consideration of the various arts by

 which men have endeavoured to penetrate
 into the future1 and to command the    
events of the future1 in ways that in   
sobriety and truth are entirely out of  
our competence4 ,we spurn impatiently   
against the narrow limits which the     
constitution of things has fixed to our 
aspirings1 and endeavour by a           
multiplicity of ways to accomplish that 
which it is totally beyond the power of 
man to effect4   ,,divination4          
,divination has been principally        
employed in inspecting the entrails of  
beasts offered for sacrifice1 and from  
their appearance drawing omens of the   
good or ill success of the enterprises  
in which we are about to engage4  ,what 
the divination by the cup was which     
,joseph practised1 or pretended to      
practise1 we do not perhaps exactly     
understand4 ,we all of us know somewhat 
of the predictions1 to this day resorted
 to by maid-servants and others1 from   
the appearance of the sediment to be    
found at the bottom of a tea-cup4       

,predictions of a similar sort are      
formed from the unpremeditated way in   
which we get out of bed in a morning1 or
 put on our garments1 from the persons  
or things we shall encounter when we    
first leave our chamber or go forth in  
the air1 or any of the indifferent      
accidents of life4   ,,augury4  ,augury 
has its foundation in observing the     
flight of birds1 the sounds they utter1 
their motions whether sluggish or       
animated1 and the avidity or otherwise  
with which they appear to take their    
food4 ,the college of augurs was one of 
the most solemn institutions of ancient 
,rome4   ,,chiromancy4  ,chiromancy1 or 
the art of predicting the various       
fortunes of the individual1 from an     
inspection of the minuter variations of 
the lines to be found in the palm of the
 human hand1 has been used perhaps at   
one time or other in all the nations of 
the world4   ,,physiognomy4             
,physiognomy is not so properly a       
prediction of future events1 as an      

attempt to explain the present and      
inherent qualities of a man4 ,by        
unfolding his propensities however1 it  
virtually gave the world to understand  
the sort of proceedings in which he was 
most likely to engage4 ,the story of    
,socrates and the physiognomist is      
sufficiently known4 ,the physiognomist  
having inspected the countenance of the 
philosopher1 pronounced that he was     
given to intemperance1 sensuality1 and  
violent bursts of passion1 all of which 
was so contrary to his character as     
universally known1 that his disciples   
derided the physiognomist as a          
vain-glorious pretender4 ,socrates      
however presently put them to silence1  
by declaring that he had had an original
 propensity to all the vices imputed to 
him1 and had only conquered the         
propensity by dint of a severe and      
unremitted self-discipline4             
,,interpretation ,,of ,,dreams4         
,oneirocriticism1 or the art of         
interpreting dreams1 seems of all the   

modes of prediction the most inseparable
 from the nature of man4 ,a considerable
 portion of every twenty-four hours of  
our lives is spent in sleep2 and in     
sleep nothing is at least more usual1   
than for the mind to be occupied in a   
thousand imaginary scenes1 which for the
 time are as realities1 and often excite
 the passions of the mind of the sleeper
 in no ordinary degree4 ,many of them   
are wild and rambling2 but many also    
have a portentous sobriety4 ,many seem  
to have a strict connection with the    
incidents of our actual lives2 and some 
appear as if they came for the very     
purpose to warn us of danger1 or prepare
 us for coming events4 ,it is therefore 
no wonder that these occasionally fill  
our waking thoughts with a deep         
interest1 and impress upon us an anxiety
 of which we feel it difficult to rid   
ourselves4 ,accordingly1 in ages when   
men were more prone to superstition1    
than at present1 they sometimes         
constituted a subject of earnest anxiety

 and inquisitiveness2 and we find among 
the earliest exercises of the art of    
prediction1 the interpretation of dreams
 to have occupied a principal place1 and
 to have been as it were reduced into a 
science4   ,,casting ,,of ,,lots4  ,the 
casting of lots seems scarcely to come  
within the enumeration here given4 ,it  
was intended as an appeal to heaven upon
 a question involved in uncertainty1    
with the idea that the supreme ,ruler of
 the skies1 thus appealed to1 would from
 his omniscience supply the defect of   
human knowledge4 ,two examples1 among   
others sufficiently remarkable1 occur in
 the ,bible4 ,one of ,achan1 who        
secreted part of the spoil taken in     
,jericho1 which was consecrated to the  
service of ,god1 and who1 being taken by
 lot1 confessed1 and was stoned to      
death4 #a ,the other of ,jonah1 upon    
whom the lot fell in a mighty tempest1  
the crew of the ship enquiring by this  
means what was the cause of the calamity
 that had overtaken them1 and ,jonah    

being in consequence cast into the sea4 
,,astrology4  ,astrology was one of the 
modes most anciently and universally    
resorted to for discovering the fortunes
 of men and nations4 ,astronomy and     
astrology went hand in hand1            
particularly among the people of the    
,east4 ,the idea of fate was most       
especially bound up in this branch of   
prophecy4 ,if the fortune of a man was  
intimately connected with the position  
of the heavenly bodies1 it became       
evident that little was left to the     
province of his free will4 ,the stars   
overruled him in all his determinations2
 and it was in vain for him to resist   
them4 ,there was something flattering to
 the human imagination in conceiving    
that the planets and the orbs on high   
were concerned in the conduct we should 
pursue1 and the events that should befal
 us4 ,man resigned himself to his fate  
with a solemn1 yet a lofty feeling1 that
 the remotest portions of the universe  
were concerned in the catastrophe that  

awaited him4 ,beside which1 there was   
something peculiarly seducing in the    
apparently profound investigation of the
 professors of astrology4 ,they busied  
themselves with the actual position of  
the heavenly bodies1 their conjunctions 
and oppositions2 and of consequence     
there was a great apparatus of diagrams 
and calculation to which they were      
prompted to apply themselves1 and which 
addressed itself to the eyes and        
imaginations of those who consulted     
them4   ,,oracles4  ,but that which     
seems to have had the greatest vogue in 
times of antiquity1 relative to the     
prediction of future events1 is what is 
recorded of oracles4 ,finding the       
insatiable curiosity of mankind as to   
what was to happen hereafter1 and the   
general desire they felt to be guided in
 their conduct by an anticipation of    
things to come1 the priests pretty      
generally took advantage of this        
passion1 to increase their emoluments   
and offerings1 and the more effectually 

to inspire the rest of their species    
with veneration and a willing submission
 to their authority4 ,the oracle was    
delivered in a temple1 or some sacred   
place2 and in this particular we plainly
 discover that mixture of nature and    
art1 of genuine enthusiasm and          
contriving craft1 which is so frequently
 exemplified in the character of man4   
,,delphi4  ,the oracle of ,apollo at    
,delphi is the most remarkable2 and     
respecting it we are furnished with the 
greatest body of particulars4 ,the      
locality of this oracle is said to have 
been occasioned by the following        
circumstance4 ,a goat-herd fed his      
flocks on the acclivity of mount        
,parnassus4 ,as the animals wandered    
here and there in pursuit of food1 they 
happened to approach a deep and long    
chasm which appeared in the rock4 ,from 
this chasm a vapour issued2 and the     
goats had no sooner inhaled a portion of
 the vapour1 than they began to play and
 frisk about with singular agility4 ,the

 goat-herd1 observing this1 and curious 
to discover the cause1 held his head    
over the chasm2 when1 in a short time1  
the fumes having ascended to his brain1 
he threw himself into a variety of      
strange attitudes1 and uttered words1   
which probably he did not understand    
himself1 but which were supposed to     
convey a prophetic meaning4  ,this      
phenomenon was taken advantage of1 and a
 temple to ,apollo was erected on the   
spot4 ,the credulous many believed that 
here was obviously a centre and focus of
 divine inspiration4 ,on this mountain  
,apollo was said to have slain the      
serpent ,python4 ,the apartment of the  
oracle was immediately over the chasm   
from which the vapour issued4 ,a        
priestess delivered the responses1 who  
was called ,pythia1 probably in         
commemoration of the exploit which had  
been performed by ,apollo4 ,she sat upon
 a tripod1 or three-legged stool1       
perforated with holes1 over the seat of 
the vapours4 ,after a time1 her figure  

enlarged itself1 her hair stood on end1 
her complexion and features became      
altered1 her heart panted and her bosom 
swelled1 and her voice grew more than   
human4 ,in this condition she uttered a 
number of wild and incoherent phrases1  
which were supposed to be dictated by   
the ,god4 ,the questions which were     
offered by those who came to consult the
 oracle were then proposed to her1 and  
her answers taken down by the priest1   
whose office was to arrange and         
methodize them1 and put them into       
hexameter verse1 after which they were  
delivered to the votaries4 ,the         
priestess could only be consulted on one
 day in every month4  ,great ingenuity  
and contrivance were no doubt required  
to uphold the credit of the oracle2 and 
no less boldness and self-collectedness 
on the part of those by whom the        
machinery was conducted4 ,like the      
conjurors of modern times1 they took    
care to be extensively informed as to   
all such matters respecting which the   

oracle was likely to be consulted4 ,they
 listened probably to the ,pythia with a
 superstitious reverence for the        
incoherent sentences she uttered4 ,she1 
like them1 spent her life in being      
trained for the office to which she was 
devoted4 ,all that was rambling and     
inapplicable in her wild declamation    
they consigned to oblivion4 ,whatever   
seemed to bear on the question proposed 
they preserved4 ,the persons by whom the
 responses were digested into hexameter 
verse1 had of course a commission       
attended with great discretionary power4
 ,they1 as ,horace remarks on another   
occasion1 #b divided what it was        
judicious to say1 from what it was      
prudent to omit1 dwelt upon one thing1  
and slurred over and accommodated       
another1 just as would best suit the    
purpose they had in hand4 ,beside this1 
for the most part they clothed the      
apparent meaning of the oracle in       
obscurity1 and often devised sentences  
of ambiguous interpretation1 that might 

suit with opposite issues1 whichever    
might happen to fall out4 ,this was     
perfectly consistent with a high degree 
of enthusiasm on the part of the priest4
 ,however confident he might be in some 
things1 he could not but of necessity   
feel that his prognostics were          
surrounded with uncertainty4 ,whatever  
decisions of the oracle were frustrated 
by the event1 and we know that there    
were many of this sort1 were speedily   
forgotten2 while those which succeeded1 
were conveyed from shore to shore1 and  
repeated by every echo4 ,nor is it      
surprising that the transmitters of the 
sentences of the ,god should in time    
arrive at an extraordinary degree of    
sagacity and skill4 ,the oracles        
accordingly reached to so high a degree 
of reputation1 that1 as ,cicero         
observes1 no expedition for a long time 
was undertaken1 no colony sent out1 and 
often no affair of any distinguished    
family or individual entered on1 without
 the previously obtaining their judgment

 and sanction4 ,their authority in a    
word was so high1 that the first fathers
 of the ,christian church could no      
otherwise account for a reputation thus 
universally received1 than by supposing 
that the devils were permitted by ,god  
,almighty to inform the oracles with a  
more than human prescience1 that all the
 world might be concluded in idolatry   
and unbelief1 #c and the necessity of a 
,saviour be made more apparent4 ,the    
gullibility of man is one of the most   
prominent features of our nature4       
,various periods and times1 when whole  
nations have as it were with one consent
 run into the most incredible and the   
grossest absurdities1 perpetually offer 
themselves in the page of history2 and  
in the records of remote antiquity it   
plainly appears that such delusions     
continued through successive centuries4 
,,the ,,desire ,,to ,,command ,,and     
,,control ,,future ,,events4  ,next to  
the consideration of those measures by  
which men have sought to dive into the  

secrets of future time1 the question    
presents itself of those more daring    
undertakings1 the object of which has   
been by some supernatural power to      
control the future1 and place it in     
subjection to the will of the unlicensed
 adventurer4 ,men have always1          
especially in ages of ignorance1 and    
when they most felt their individual    
weakness1 figured to themselves an      
invisible strength greater than their   
own2 and1 in proportion to their        
impatience1 and the fervour of their    
desires1 have sought to enter into a    
league with those beings whose mightier 
force might supply that in which their  
weakness failed4   ,,commerce ,,with    
,,the ,,invisible ,,world4  ,it is an   
essential feature of different ages and 
countries to vary exceedingly in the    
good or ill construction1 the fame or   
dishonour1 which shall attend upon the  
same conduct or mode of behaviour4 ,in  
,egypt and throughout the ,east1        
especially in the early periods of      

history1 the supposed commerce with     
invisible powers was openly professed1  
which1 under other circumstances1 and   
during the reign of different           
prejudices1 was afterwards carefully    
concealed1 and barbarously hunted out of
 the pale of allowed and authorised     
practice4 ,the ,magi of old1 who claimed
 a power of producing miraculous        
appearances1 and boasted a familiar     
intercourse with the world of spirits1  
were regarded by  their countrymen with 
peculiar reverence1 and considered as   
the first and chiefest men in the state4
 ,for this mitigated view of such dark  
and mysterious proceedings the ancients 
were in a great degree indebted to their
 polytheism4 ,the ,romans are computed  
to have acknowledged thirty thousand    
divinities1 to all of whom was rendered 
a legitimate homage2 and other countries
 in a similar proportion4   ,,sorcery   
,,and ,,enchantment4  ,in ,asia1        
however1 the ,gods were divided into two
 parties1 under ,oromasdes1 the         

principle of good1 and ,arimanius1 the  
principle of evil4 ,these powers were in
 perpetual contention with each other1  
sometimes the one1 and sometimes the    
other gaining the superiority4          
,arimanius and his legions were         
therefore scarcely considered as        
entitled to the homage of mankind4      
,those who were actuated by benevolence1
 and who desired to draw down blessings 
upon their fellow-creatures1 addressed  
themselves to the principle of good2    
while such unhappy beings1 with whom    
spite and ill-will had the predominance1
 may be supposed often to have invoked  
in preference the principle of evil4    
,hence seems to have originated the idea
 of sorcery1 or an appeal by            
incantations and wicked arts to the     
demons who delighted in mischief4       
,these beings rejoiced in the           
opportunity of inflicting calamity and  
misery on mankind4 ,but by what we read 
of them we might be induced to suppose  
that they were in some way restrained   

from gratifying their malignant         
intentions1 and waited in eager hope1   
till some mortal reprobate should call  
out their dormant activity1 and demand  
their aid4  ,various enchantments were  
therefore employed by those unhappy     
mortals whose special desire was to     
bring down calamity and plagues upon the
 individuals or tribes of men against   
whom their animosity was directed4      
,unlawful and detested words and        
mysteries were called into action to    
conjure up demons who should yield their
 powerful and tremendous assistance4    
,songs of a wild and maniacal character 
were chaunted4 ,noisome scents and the  
burning of all unhallowed and odious    
things were resorted to4 ,in later times
 books and formulas of a terrific       
character were commonly employed1 upon  
the reading or recital of which the     
prodigies resorted to began to display  
themselves4 ,the heavens were darkened2 
the thunder rolled2 and fierce and      
blinding lightnings flashed from one    

corner of the heavens to the other4 ,the
 earth quaked and rocked from side to   
side4 ,all monstrous and deformed things
 shewed themselves1 ,gorgons1 and       
,hydras1 and ,chimeras dire1 enough to  
cause the stoutest heart to quail4      
,lastly1 devils1 whose name was legion1 
and to whose forms and distorted and    
menacing countenances superstition had  
annexed the most frightful ideas1       
crowded in countless multitudes upon the
 spectator1 whose breath was flame1     
whose dances were full of terror1 and   
whose strength infinitely exceeded every
 thing human4 ,such were the appalling  
conceptions which ages of bigotry and   
ignorance annexed to the notion of      
sorcery1 and with these they scared the 
unhappy beings over whom this notion had
 usurped an ascendancy into lunacy1 and 
prepared them for the perpetrating      
flagitious and unheard-of deeds4  ,the  
result of these horrible incantations   
was not less tremendous1 than the       
preparations might have led us to       

expect4 ,the demons possessed all the   
powers of the air1 and produced tempests
 and shipwrecks at their pleasure4      
,castles toppled on their warder's      
heads1 and palaces and pyramids sloped  
their summits to their foundations2     
forests and mountains were torn from    
their roots1 and cast into the sea4     
,they inflamed the passions of men1 and 
caused them to commit the most          
unheard-of excesses4 ,they laid their   
ban on those who enjoyed the most       
prosperous health1 condemned them to    
peak and pine1 wasted them into a       
melancholy atrophy1 and finally         
consigned them to a premature grave4    
,they breathed a new and unblest life   
into beings in whom existence had long  
been extinct1 and by their hateful and  
resistless power caused the sepulchres  
to give up their dead4   ,,witchcraft4  
,next to sorcery we may recollect the   
case of witchcraft1 which occurs        
oftener1 particularly in modern times1  
than any other alleged mode of changing 

by supernatural means the future course 
of events4 ,the sorcerer1 as we shall   
see hereafter1 was frequently a man of  
learning and intellectual abilities1    
sometimes of comparative opulence and   
respectable situation in society4 ,but  
the witch or wizard was almost uniformly
 old1 decrepid1 and nearly or altogether
 in a state of penury4 ,the functions   
however of the witch and the sorcerer   
were in a great degree the same4 ,the   
earliest account of a witch1 attended   
with any degree of detail1 is that of   
the witch of ,endor in the ,bible1 who  
among other things1 professed the power 
of calling up the dead upon occasion    
from the peace of the sepulchre4        
,witches also claimed the faculty of    
raising storms1 and in various ways     
disturbing the course of nature4 ,they  
appear in most cases to have been       
brought into action by the impulse of   
private malice4 ,they occasioned        
mortality of greater or less extent in  
man and beast4 ,they blighted the       

opening prospect of a plentiful harvest4
 ,they covered the heavens with clouds1 
and sent abroad withering and malignant 
blasts4 ,they undermined the health of  
those who were so unfortunate as to     
incur their animosity1 and caused them  
to waste away gradually with incurable  
disease4 ,they were notorious two or    
three centuries ago for the power of the
 evil eye4 ,the vulgar1 both great and  
small1 dreaded their displeasure1 and   
sought1 by small gifts1 and fair        
speeches1 but insincere1 and the        
offspring of terror only1 to avert the  
pernicious consequences of their malice4
 ,they were famed for fabricating small 
images of wax1 to represent the object  
of their persecution2 and1 as these by  
gradual and often studiously protracted 
degrees wasted before the fire1 so the  
unfortunate butts of their resentment   
perished with a lingering1 but          
inevitable death4   ,,compacts ,,with   
,,the ,,devil4  ,the power of these     
witches1 as we find in their earliest   

records1 originated in their intercourse
 with familiar spirits1 invisible beings
 who must be supposed to be enlisted in 
the armies of the prince of darkness4   
,we do not read in these ancient        
memorials of any league of mutual       
benefit entered into between the merely 
human party1 and his or her supernatural
 assistant4 ,but modern times have amply
 supplied this defect4 ,the witch or    
sorcerer could not secure the assistance
 of the demon but by a sure and faithful
 compact1 by which the human party      
obtained the industrious and vigilant   
service of his familiar for a certain   
term of years1 only on condition that1  
when the term was expired1 the demon of 
undoubted right was to obtain possession
 of the indentured party1 and to convey 
him irremissibly and for ever to the    
regions of the damned4 ,the contract was
 drawn out in authentic form1 signed by 
the sorcerer1 and attested with his     
blood1 and was then carried away by the 
demon1 to be produced again at the      

appointed time4   ,,imps4  ,these       
familiar spirits often assumed the form 
of animals1 and a black dog or cat was  
considered as a figure in which the     
attendant devil was secretly hidden4    
,these subordinate devils were called   
,imps4 ,impure and carnal ideas were    
mingled with these theories4 ,the       
witches were said to have preternatural 
teats from which their familiars sucked 
their blood4 ,the devil also engaged in 
sexual intercourse with the witch or    
wizard1 being denominated incubus1 if   
his favourite were a woman1 and         
succubus1 if a man4 ,in short1 every    
frightful and loathsome idea was        
carefully heaped up together1 to render 
the unfortunate beings to whom the crime
 of witchcraft was imputed the horror   
and execration of their species4        
,,talismans ,,and ,,amulets4  ,as       
according to the doctrine of witchcraft1
 there were certain compounds1 and      
matters prepared by rules of art1 that  
proved baleful and deadly to the persons

 against whom their activity was        
directed1 so there were also            
preservatives1 talismans1 amulets and   
charms1 for the most ,errata3 read for  
the most part to be worn about the      
person1 which rendered him superior to  
injury1 not only from the operations of 
witchcraft1 but in some cases from the  
sword or any other mortal weapon4 ,as   
the poet says1 he that had this1        
,might trace huge forests and unhallowed
 heaths1--   ,yea there1 where very     
desolation dwells1   ,by grots and      
caverns shagged with horrid shades1     
nay1 in the midst of every tremendous   
assailant1 might pass on with unblenched
 majesty1 uninjured and invulnerable4   
,,necromancy4  ,last of all we may speak
 of necromancy1 which has something in  
it that so strongly takes hold of the   
imagination1 that1 though it is one only
 of the various modes which have been   
enumerated for the exorcise of magical  
power1 we have selected it to give a    
title to the present volume4  ,there is 

something sacred to common apprehension 
in the repose of the dead4 ,they seem   
placed beyond our power to disturb4     
,there is no work1 nor device1 nor      
knowledge1 nor wisdom in the grave4     
,after life's fitful fever they sleep   
well3   ,nor steel1 nor poison1         
,malice domestic1 foreign levy1 nothing1
   ,can touch them further4  ,their     
remains moulder in the earth4 ,neither  
form nor feature is long continued to   
them4 ,we shrink from their touch1 and  
their sight4 ,to violate the sepulchre  
therefore for the purpose of unholy     
spells and operations1 as we read of in 
the annals of witchcraft1 cannot fail to
 be exceedingly shocking4 ,to call up   
the spirits of the departed1 after they 
have fulfilled the task of life1 and are
 consigned to their final sleep1 is     
sacrilegious4 ,well may they exclaim1   
like the ghost of ,samuel in the sacred 
story1 ,why hast thou disquieted me8    
,there is a further circumstance in the 
case1 which causes us additionally to   

revolt from the very idea of necromancy1
 strictly so called4 ,man is a mortal1  
or an immortal being4 ,his frame either 
wholly returns to the earth as it was1  
or his spirit1 the thinking principle   
within him1 to ,god who gave it4 ,the   
latter is the prevailing sentiment of   
mankind in modern times4 ,man is placed 
upon earth in a state of probation1 to  
be dealt with hereafter according to the
 deeds done in the flesh4 ,some shall go
 away into everlasting punishment2 and  
others into life eternal4 ,in this case 
there is something blasphemous in the   
idea of intermedding with the state of  
the dead4 ,we must leave them in the    
hands of ,god4 ,even on the idea of an  
interval1 the sleep of the soul from    
death to the general resurrection1 which
 is the creed of no contemptible sect of
 ,christians1 it is surely a terrific   
notion that we should disturb the pause1
 which upon that hypothesis1 the laws of
 nature have assigned to the departed   
soul1 and come to awake1 or to torment  

him before the time4   ,,alchemy4  ,to  
make our catalogue of supernatural      
doings1 and the lawless imaginations of 
man1 the more complete1 it may be       
further necessary to refer to the craft1
 so eagerly cultivated in successive    
ages of the world of converting the     
inferior metals into gold1 to which was 
usually joined the elixir vitae1 or     
universal medicine1 having the quality  
of renewing the youth of man1 and       
causing him to live for ever4 ,the first
 authentic record on this subject is an 
edict of ,dioclesian about three hundred
 years after ,christ1 ordering a        
diligent search to be made in ,egypt for
 all the ancient books which treated of 
the art of making gold and silver1 that 
they might without distinction be       
consigned to the flames4 ,this edict    
however necessarily presumes a certain  
antiquity to the pursuit2 and fabulous  
history has recorded ,solomon1          
,pythagoras and ,hermes among its       
distinguished votaries4 ,from this      

period the study seems to have slept1   
till it was revived among the ,arabians 
after a lapse of five or six hundred    
years4  ,it is well known however how   
eagerly it was cultivated in various    
countries of the world for many         
centuries after it was divulged by      
,geber4 ,men of the most wonderful      
talents devoted their lives to the      
investigation2 and in multiplied        
instances the discovery was said to have
 been completed4 ,vast sums of money    
were consumed in the fruitless          
endeavour2 and in a later period it     
seems to have furnished an excellent    
handle to vain and specious projectors1 
to extort money from those more amply   
provided with the goods of fortune than 
themselves4  ,the art no doubt is in    
itself sufficiently mystical1 having    
been pursued by multitudes1 who seemed  
to themselves ever on the eve of        
consummation1 but as constantly baffled 
when to their own apprehension most on  
the verge of success4 ,the discovery    

indeed appears upon the face of it to be
 of the most delicate nature1 as the    
benefit must wholly depend upon its     
being reserved to one or a very few1 the
 object being unbounded wealth1 which is
 nothing unless confined4 ,if the power 
of creating gold is diffused1 wealth by 
such diffusion becomes poverty1 and     
every thing after a short time would but
 return to what it had been4 ,add to    
which1 that the nature of discovery has 
ordinarily been1 that1 when once the    
clue has been found1 it reveals itself  
to several about the same period of     
time4  ,the art1 as we have said1 is in 
its own nature sufficiently mystical1   
depending on nice combinations and      
proportions of ingredients1 and upon the
 addition of each ingredient being made 
exactly in the critical moment1 and in  
the precise degree of heat1 indicated by
 the colour of the vapour arising from  
the crucible or retort4 ,this was       
watched by the operator with            
inexhaustible patience2 and it was often

 found or supposed1 that the minutest   
error in this respect caused the most   
promising appearances to fail of the    
expected success4 ,this circumstance no 
doubt occasionally gave an opportunity  
to an artful impostor to account for his
 miscarriage1 and thus to prevail upon  
his credulous dupe to enable him to     
begin his tedious experiment again4     
,but1 beside this1 it appears that those
 whose object was the transmutation of  
metals1 very frequently joined to this  
pursuit the study of astrology1 and even
 the practice of sorcery4 ,so much      
delicacy and nicety were supposed to be 
required in the process for the         
transmutation of metals1 that it could  
not hope to succeed but under a         
favourable conjunction of the planets2  
and the most flourishing pretenders to  
the art boasted that they had also a    
familiar intercourse with certain       
spirits of supernatural power1 which    
assisted them in their undertakings1 and
 enabled them to penetrate into things  

undiscoverable to mere human sagacity1  
and to predict future events4           
,,fairies4  ,another mode in which the  
wild and erratic imagination of our     
ancestors manifested itself1 was in the 
creation of a world of visionary beings 
of a less terrific character1 but which 
did not fail to annoy their thoughts1   
and perplex their determinations1 known 
by the name of ,fairies4  ,there are few
 things more worthy of contemplation1   
and that at the same time tend to place 
the dispositions of our ancestors in a  
more amiable point of view1 than the    
creation of this airy and fantastic     
race4 ,they were so diminutive as almost
 to elude the organs of human sight4    
,they were at large1 even though        
confined to the smallest dimensions4    
,they could be bounded in a nutshell1   
and count themselves kings of infinite  
space4    ,their midnight revels1 by a  
forest-side   ,or fountain1 the belated 
peasant saw1   ,or dreamed he saw1 while
 overhead the moon   ,sat arbitress1 and

 nearer to the earth   ,wheeled her pale
 course--they1 on their mirth and dance 
,intent1 with jocund music charmed his  
ear2   ,at once with joy and fear his   
heart rebounds4  ,small circles marked  
the grass in solitary places1 the trace 
of their little feet1 which1 though     
narrow1 were ample enough to afford     
every accommodation to their pastime4   
,the fairy tribes appear to have been   
every where distinguished for their     
patronage of truth1 simplicity and      
industry1 and their abhorrence of       
sensuality and prevarication4 ,they left
 little rewards in secret1 as tokens of 
their approbation of the virtues they   
loved1 and by their supernatural power  
afforded a supplement to pure and       
excellent intentions1 when the corporeal
 powers of the virtuous sank under the  
pressure of human infirmity4 ,where they
 conceived displeasure1 the punishments 
they inflicted were for the most part   
such as served moderately to vex and    
harass the offending party1 rather than 

to inflict upon him permanent and       
irremediable evils4    ,their airy      
tongues would syllable men's names   ,on
 sands1 and shores1 and desert          
wildernesses4  ,they were supposed to   
guide the wandering lights1 that in the 
obscurity of the night beguiled the     
weary traveller through bog1 through    
bush1 through brake1 through briar4 ,but
 their power of evil only extended1 or  
was only employed1 to vex those who by a
 certain obliquity of conduct gave      
occasion for their reproofs4 ,they      
besides pinched and otherwise tormented 
the objects of their displeasure2 and1  
though the mischiefs they executed were 
not of the most vital kind1 yet1 coming 
from a supernatural enemy1 and being    
inflicted by invisible hands1 they could
 not fail greatly to disturb and        
disorder those who suffered from them4  
,there is at first sight a great        
inconsistency in the representations of 
these imaginary people4 ,for the most   
part they are described to us as of a   

stature and appearance1 almost too      
slight to be marked by our grosser human
 organs4 ,at other times however1 and   
especially in the extremely popular     
tales digested by ,m4 ,perrault1 they   
shew themselves in indiscriminate       
assemblies1 brought together for some   
solemn festivity or otherwise1 and join 
the human frequenters of the scene1     
without occasioning enquiry or surprise4
 ,they are particularly concerned in the
 business of summarily and without      
appeal bestowing miraculous gifts1      
sometimes as a mark of special          
friendship and favour1 and sometimes    
with a malicious and hostile            
intention4--,but we are to consider that
 spirits    ,can every form assume2 so  
soft   ,and uncompounded is their       
essence pure2   ,not tied or manacled   
with joint or limb1   ,like cumbrous    
flesh2 but1 in what shape they choose1  
,dilated or condensed1 bright or        
obscure1   ,can execute their airy      
purposes1   ,and works of love or enmity

 fulfil4  ,and then again1 as their     
bounties were shadowy1 so were they     
specially apt to disappear in a moment1 
the most splendid palaces and           
magnificent exhibitions vanishing away1 
and leaving their disconcerted dupe with
 his robes converted into the poorest   
rags1 and1 instead of glittering state1 
finding himself suddenly in the midst of
 desolation1 and removed no man knew    
whither4  ,one of the mischiefs that    
were most frequently imputed to them1   
was the changing the beautiful child of 
some doating parents1 for a babe marked 
with ugliness and deformity4 ,but this  
idea seems fraught with inconsistency4  
,the natural stature of the fairy is of 
the smallest dimensions2 and1 though    
they could occasionally dilate their    
figure so as to imitate humanity1 yet it
 is to be presumed that this was only   
for a special purpose1 and1 that purpose
 obtained1 that they shrank again       
habitually into their characteristic    
littleness4 ,the change therefore can   

only be supposed to have been of one    
human child for another4                
,,rosicrucians4  ,nothing very distinct 
has been ascertained respecting a sect1 
calling itself ,rosicrucians4 ,it is    
said to have originated in the ,east    
from one of the crusaders in the        
fourteenth century2 but it attracted at 
least no public notice till the         
beginning of the seventeenth century4   
,its adherents appear to have imbibed   
their notions from the ,arabians1 and   
claimed the possession of the           
philosopher's stone1 the art of         
transmuting metals1 and the elixir      
vitae4   ,,sylphs ,,and ,,gnomes1       
,,salamanders ,,and ,,undines4  ,but    
that for which they principally excited 
public attention1 was their creed       
respecting certain elementary beings1   
which to grosser eyes are invisible1 but
 were familiarly known to the initiated4
 ,to be admitted to their acquaintance  
it was previously necessary that the    
organs of human sight should be purged  

by the universal medicine1 and that     
certain glass globes should be          
chemically prepared with one or other of
 the four elements1 and for one month   
exposed to the beams of the sun4 ,these 
preliminary steps being taken1 the      
initiated immediately had a sight of    
innumerable beings of a luminous        
substance1 but of thin and evanescent   
structure1 that people the elements on  
all sides of us4 ,those who inhabited   
the air were called ,sylphs2 and those  
who dwelt in the earth bore the name of 
,gnomes2 such as peopled the fire were  
,salamanders2 and those who made their  
home in the waters were ,undines4 ,each 
class appears to have had an extensive  
power in the elements to which they     
belonged4 ,they could raise tempests in 
the air1 and storms at sea1 shake the   
earth1 and alarm the inhabitants of the 
globe with the sight of devouring       
flames4 ,these appear however to have   
been more formidable in appearance than 
in reality4 ,and the whole race was     

subordinate to man1 and particularly    
subject to the initiated4 ,the gnomes1  
inhabitants of the earth and the mines1 
liberally supplied to the human beings  
with whom they conversed1 the hidden    
treasures over which they presided4 ,the
 four classes were some of them male1   
and some female2 but the female sex     
seems to have preponderated in all4     
,these elementary beings1 we are told1  
were by their constitution more         
long-lived than man1 but with this      
essential disadvantage1 that at death   
they wholly ceased to exist4 ,in the    
mean time they were inspired with an    
earnest desire for immortality2 and     
there was one way left for them1 by     
which this desire might be gratified4   
,if they were so happy as to awaken in  
any of the initiated a passion the end  
of which was marriage1 then the sylph   
who became the bride of a virtuous man1 
followed his nature1 and became         
immortal2 while on the other hand1 if   
she united herself to an immoral being  

and a profligate1 the husband followed  
the law of the wife1 and was rendered   
entirely mortal4 ,the initiated however 
were required1 as a condition to their  
being admitted into the secrets of the  
order1 to engage themselves in a vow of 
perpetual chastity as to women4 ,and    
they were abundantly rewarded by the    
probability of being united to a sylph1 
a gnome1 a salamander1 or an undine1 any
 one of whom was inexpressibly more     
enchanting than the most beautiful      
woman1 in addition to which her charms  
were in a manner perpetual1 while a wife
 of our own nature is in a short time   
destined to wrinkles1 and all the other 
disadvantages of old age4 ,the initiated
 of course enjoyed a beatitude          
infinitely greater than that which falls
 to the lot of ordinary mortals1 being  
conscious of a perpetual commerce with  
these wonderful beings from whose       
society the vulgar are debarred1 and    
having such associates unintermittedly  
anxious to perform their behests1 and   

anticipate their desires4 #d  ,we should
 have taken but an imperfect survey of  
the lawless extravagancies of human     
imagination1 if we had not included a   
survey of this sect4 ,there is something
 particularly soothing to the fancy of  
an erratic mind1 in the conception of   
being conversant with a race of beings  
the very existence of which is          
unperceived by ordinary mortals1 and    
thus entering into an infinitely        
numerous and variegated society1 even   
when we are apparently swallowed up in  
entire solitude4  ,the ,rosicrucians are
 further entitled to our special notice1
 as their tenets have had the good      
fortune to furnish ,pope with the       
beautiful machinery with which he has   
adorned the ,rape of the ,lock4 ,there  
is also1 of much later date1 a wild and 
poetical fiction for which we are       
indebted to the same source1 called     
,undine1 from the pen of ,lamotte       
,fouquet4     ,,examples ,,of           
,,necromancy ,,and ,,witchcraft ,,from  

,,the ,,bible4   ,the oldest and most   
authentic record from which we can      
derive our ideas on the subject of      
necromancy and witchcraft1              
unquestionably is the ,bible4 ,the      
,egyptians and ,chaldeans were early    
distinguished for their supposed        
proficiency in magic1 in the production 
of supernatural phenomena1 and in       
penetrating into the secrets of future  
time4 ,the first appearance of men thus 
extraordinarily gifted1 or advancing    
pretensions of this sort1 recorded in   
,scripture1 is on occasion of ,pharoah's
 dream of the seven years of plenty1 and
 seven years of famine4 ,at that period 
the king sent and called for all the    
magicians of ,egypt and all the wise    
men2 but they could not interpret the   
dream1 #e which ,joseph afterwards      
expounded4  ,their second appearance was
 upon a most memorable occasion1 when   
,moses and ,aaron1 armed with miraculous
 powers1 came to a subsequent king of   
,egypt1 to demand from him that their   

countrymen might be permitted to depart 
to another tract of the world4 ,they    
produced a miracle as the evidence of   
their divine mission3 and the king1 who 
was also named ,pharoah1 called before  
him the wise men and the sorcerers of   
,egypt1 who with their enchantments did 
in like manner as ,moses had done2 till1
 after some experiments in which they   
were apparently successful1 they at     
length were compelled to allow          
themselves overcome1 and fairly to      
confess to their master1 ,this is the   
finger of ,god6 #f  ,the spirit of the  
,jewish history loudly affirms1 that the
 ,creator of heaven and earth had       
adopted this nation for his chosen      
people1 and therefore demanded their    
exclusive homage1 and that they should  
acknowledge no other ,god4 ,it is on    
this principle that it is made one of   
his early commands to them1 ,thou shalt 
not suffer a witch to live4 #g ,and     
elsewhere the meaning of this           
prohibition is more fully explained3    

,there shall not be found among you any 
one that useth divination1 or an        
observer of times1 or an enchanter1 or a
 witch1 or a charmer1 or a consulter    
with familiar spirits1 or a wizard1 or a
 necromancer3 #h these shall surely be  
put to death2 they shall stone them with
 stones4 #i  ,the character of an       
enchanter is elsewhere more fully       
illustrated in the case of ,balaam1 the 
soothsayer1 who was sent for by ,balak1 
the king of ,moab1 that he might curse  
the people of ,israel4 ,the messengers  
of the king came to ,balaam with the    
rewards of divination in their hand2 #aj
 but the soothsayer was restrained from 
his purpose by the ,god of the ,jews1   
and1 where he came to curse1 was        
compelled to bless4 ,he therefore did   
not go1 as at other times1 to seek for  
enchantments1 #aa but took up his       
discourse1 and began1 saying1 ,surely   
there is no enchantment against ,jacob1 
neither is there any divination against 
,israel6 #ab  ,another example of       

necromantic power or pretension is to be
 found in the story of ,saul and the    
witch of ,endor4 ,saul1 the first king  
of the ,jews1 being rejected by ,god1   
and obtaining no answer to his          
enquiries1 either by dreams1 or by      
prophets1 said to his servants1 seek me 
a woman that has a familiar spirit4 ,and
 his servants1 said1 ,lo1 there is a    
woman that has a familiar spirit at     
,endor4 ,saul accordingly had recourse  
to her4 ,but1 previously to this time1  
in conformity to the law of ,god1 he had
 cut off those that had familiar        
spirits1 and the wizards out of the     
land2 and the woman therefore was       
terrified at his present application4   
,saul re-assured her2 and in consequence
 the woman consented to call up the     
person he should name4 ,saul demanded of
 her to bring up the ghost of ,samuel4  
,the ghost1 whether by her enchantments 
or through divine interposition we are  
not told1 appeared1 and prophesied to   
,saul1 that he and his son should fall  

in battle on the succeeding day1 #ac    
which accordingly came to pass4         
,manasseh1 a subsequent king in         
,jerusalem1 observed times1 and used    
enchantments1 and dealt with familiar   
spirits and wizards1 and so provoked    
,god to anger4 #ad  ,it appears plainly 
from the same authority1 that there were
 good spirits and evil spirits1 ,the    
,lord said1 ,who shall persuade ,ahab1  
that he may go up1 and fall before      
,ramoth ,gilead8 ,and there came a      
spirit1 and stood before the ,lord1 and 
said1 ,i will persuade him3 ,i will go  
forth1 and be a lying spirit in the     
mouth of all his prophets4 ,and the     
,lord said1 ,thou shall persuade him4   
#ae  ,in like manner1 we are told1      
,satan stood up against ,israel1 and    
provoked ,david to number the people2   
and ,god was displeased with the thing1 
and smote ,israel1 so that there fell of
 the people seventy thousand men4 #af   
,satan also1 in the ,book of ,job1      
presented himself before the ,lord among

 the ,sons of ,god1 and asked and       
obtained leave to try the faithfulness  
of ,job by putting forth his hand1 and  
despoiling the patriarch of all that he 
had4  ,taking these things into         
consideration1 there can be no          
reasonable doubt1 though the devil and  
,satan are not mentioned in the story1  
that the serpent who in so crafty a way 
beguiled ,eve1 was in reality no other  
than the malevolent enemy of mankind    
under that disguise4  ,we are in the    
same manner informed of the oracles of  
the false ,gods2 and an example occurs  
of a king of ,samaria1 who fell sick1   
and who sent messengers1 and said to    
them1 ,go1 and enquire of ,baalzebub1   
the ,god of ,ekron1 whether ,i shall    
recover of this disease4 ,at which      
proceeding the ,god of the ,jews was    
displeased1 and sent ,elijah to the     
messengers to say1 ,is it because there 
is not a ,god in ,israel1 that you go to
 enquire of ,baalzebub1 the ,god of     
,ekron8 ,because the king has done this1

 he shall not recover2 he shall surely  
die4 #ag  ,the appearance of the ,wise  
,men of the ,east again occurs in       
considerable detail in the ,prophecy of 
,daniel1 though they are only brought   
forward there1 as discoverers of hidden 
things1 and interpreters of dreams4     
,twice1 on occasion of dreams that      
troubled him1 ,nebuchadnezzar1 king of  
,babylon1 commanded to be called to him 
the magicians1 and the astrologers1 and 
the sorcerers1 and the ,chaldeans of his
 kingdom1 and each time with similar    
success4 ,they confessed their          
incapacity2 and ,daniel1 the prophet of 
the ,jews1 expounded to the king that in
 which they had failed4 ,nebuchadnezzar 
in consequence promoted ,daniel to be   
master of the magicians4 ,a similar     
scene occurred in the court of          
,belshazzar1 the son of ,nebuchadnezzar1
 in the case of the hand-writing on the 
wall4  ,it is probable that the ,jews   
considered the ,gods of the nations     
around them as so many of the fallen    

angels1 or spirits of hell1 since1 among
 other arguments1 the coincidence of the
 name of ,beelzebub1 the prince of      
devils1 #ah with ,baalzebub1 the ,god of
 ,ekron1 could scarcely have fallen out 
by chance4  ,it seemed necessary to     
enter into these particulars1 as they   
occur in the oldest and most authentic  
records from which we can derive our    
ideas on the subject of necromancy1     
witchcraft1 and the claims that were set
 up in ancient times to the exercise of 
magcial power4 ,among these examples    
there is only one1 that of the          
contention for superiority between      
,moses and the ,wise ,men of ,egypt in  
which we are presented with their       
pretensions to a visible exhibition of  
supernatural effects4   ,,the ,,magi1   
,,or ,,wise ,,men ,,of ,,the ,,east4    
,the ,magi1 or ,wise ,men of the ,east1 
extended their ramifications over       
,egypt1 ,babylonia1 ,persia1 ,india1 and
 probably1 though with a different name1
 over ,china1 and indeed the whole known

 world4 ,their profession was of a      
mysterious nature4 ,they laid claim to a
 familiar intercourse with the ,gods4   
,they placed themselves as mediators    
between heaven and earth1 assumed the   
prerogative of revealing the will of    
beings of a nature superior to man1 and 
pretended to show wonders and prodigies 
that surpassed any power which was      
merely human4  ,to understand this1 we  
must bear in mind the state of knowledge
 in ancient times1 where for the most   
part the cultivation of the mind1 and an
 acquaintance with either science or    
art1 were confined to a very small part 
of the population4 ,in each of the      
nations we have mentioned1 there was a  
particular caste or tribe of men1 who1  
by the prerogative of their birth1 were 
entitled to the advantages of science   
and a superior education1 while the rest
 of their countrymen were destined to   
subsist by manual labour4 ,this of      
necessity gave birth in the privileged  
few to an overweening sense of their own

 importance4 ,they scarcely regarded the
 rest of their countrymen as beings of  
the same species with themselves2 and1  
finding a strong line of distinction    
cutting them off from the herd1 they had
 recourse to every practicable method   
for making that distinction still       
stronger4 ,wonder is one of the most    
obvious means of generating deference2  
and1 by keeping to themselves the       
grounds and process of their skill1 and 
presenting the results only1 they were  
sure to excite the admiration and       
reverence of their contemporaries4 ,this
 mode of proceeding further produced a  
re-action upon themselves4 ,that which  
supplied and promised to supply to them 
so large a harvest of honour and fame1  
unavoidably became precious in their    
eyes4 ,they pursued their discoveries   
with avidity1 because few had access to 
their opportunities in that respect1 and
 because1 the profounder were their     
researches1 the more sure they were of  
being looked up to by the public as     

having that in them which was sacred and
 inviolable4 ,they spent their days and 
nights in these investigations4 ,they   
shrank from no privation and labour4 ,at
 the same time that in these labours    
they had at all times an eye to their   
darling object1 an ascendancy over the  
minds of their countrymen at large1 and 
the extorting from them a blind and     
implicit deference to their oracular    
decrees4 ,they however loved their      
pursuits for the pursuits themselves4   
,they felt their abstraction and their  
unlimited nature1 and on that account   
contemplated them with admiration4 ,they
 valued them 7for such is the           
indestructible character of the human   
mind7 for the pains they had bestowed on
 them4 ,the sweat of their brow grew    
into a part as it were of the intrinsic 
merit of the articles2 and that which   
had with so much pains been attained by 
them1 they could not but regard as of   
inestimable worth4   ,,egypt4  ,the     
,egyptians took the lead in early       

antiquity1 with respect to civilisation 
and the stupendous productions of human 
labour and art1 of all other known      
nations of the world4 ,the pyramids     
stand by themselves as a monument of the
 industry of mankind4 ,thebes1 with her 
hundred gates1 at each of which we are  
told she could send out at once two     
hundred chariots and ten thousand       
warriors completely accoutred1 was one  
of the noblest cities on record4 ,the   
whole country of ,lower ,egypt was      
intersected with canals giving a        
beneficent direction to the periodical  
inundations of the ,nile2 and the       
artificial lake ,moeris was dug of a    
vast extent1 that it might draw off the 
occasional excesses of the overflowings 
of the river4 ,the ,egyptians had an    
extraordinary custom of preserving their
 dead1 so that the country was peopled  
almost as numerously with mummies       
prepared by extreme assiduity and skill1
 as with the living4  ,and1 in          
proportion to their edifices and labours

 of this durable sort1 was their        
unwearied application to all the        
learning that was then known4 ,geometry 
is said to have owed its existence to   
the necessity under which they were     
placed of every man recognising his own 
property in land1 as soon as the        
overflowings of the ,nile had ceased4   
,they were not less assiduous in their  
application to astronomy4 ,the          
hieroglyphics of ,egypt are of universal
 notoriety4 ,their mythology was of the 
most complicated nature4 ,their ,gods   
were infinitely varied in their kind2   
and the modes of their worship not less 
endlessly diversified4 ,all these       
particulars still contributed to the    
abstraction of their studies1 and the   
loftiness of their pretensions to       
knowledge4 ,they perpetually conversed  
with the invisible world1 and laid claim
 to the faculty of revealing things     
hidden1 of foretelling future events1   
and displaying wonders that exceeded    
human power to produce4  ,a striking    

illustration of the state of ,egypt in  
that respect in early times1 occurs     
incidentally in the history of ,joseph  
in the ,bible4 ,jacob had twelve sons1  
among whom his partiality for ,joseph   
was so notorious1 that his brethren out 
of envy sold him as a slave to the      
wandering ,midianites4 ,thus it was his 
fortune to be placed in ,egypt1 where in
 the process of events he became the    
second man in the country1 and chief    
minister of the king4 ,a severe famine  
having visited these climates1 ,jacob   
sent his sons into ,egypt to buy corn1  
where only it was to be found4 ,as soon 
as ,joseph saw them1 he knew them1      
though they knew not him in his exalted 
situation2 and he set himself to devise 
expedients to settle them permanently in
 the country in which he ruled4 ,among  
the rest he caused a precious cup from  
his stores to be privily conveyed into  
the corn-sack of ,benjamin1 his only    
brother by the same mother4 ,the        
brothers were no sooner departed1 than  

,joseph sent in pursuit of them2 and the
 messengers accosted them with the      
words1 ,is not this the cup in which my 
lord drinketh1 and whereby also he      
divineth8 ,ye have done evil in taking  
it away4 #ai ,they brought the strangers
 again into the presence of ,joseph1 who
 addressed them with severity1 saying1  
,what is this deed that ye have done8   
,wot ye not that such a man as ,i could 
certainly divine8 #bj  ,from this story 
it plainly appears1 that the art of     
divination was extensively exercised in 
,egypt1 that the practice was held in   
honour1 and that such was the state of  
the country1 that it was to be presumed 
as a thing of course1 that a man of the 
high rank and distinction of ,joseph    
should professedly be an adept in it4   
,in the great contention for            
supernatural power between ,moses and   
the magicians of ,egypt1 it is plain    
that they came forward with confidence1 
and did not shrink from the debate4     
,moses's rod was turned into a serpent2 

so were their rods3 ,moses changed the  
waters of ,egypt into blood2 and the    
magicians did the like with their       
enchantments3 ,moses caused frogs to    
come up1 and cover the land of ,egypt2  
and the magicians also brought frogs    
upon the country4 ,without its being in 
any way necessary to enquire how they   
effected these wonders1 it is evident   
from the whole train of the narrative1  
that they must have been much in the    
practice of astonishing their countrymen
 with their feats in such a kind1 and1  
whether it were delusion1 or to whatever
 else we may attribute their success1   
that they were universally looked up to 
for the extraordinariness of their      
performances4  ,while we are on this    
subject of illustrations from the       
,bible1 it may be worth while to revert 
more particularly to the story of       
,balaam4 ,balak the king of ,moab1 sent 
for ,balaam that he might come and curse
 the invaders of his country2 and in the
 sequel we are told1 when the prophet   

changed his curses into a blessing1 that
 he did not go forth1 as at other times1
 to seek for enchantments4 ,it is plain 
therefore that ,balak did not rely      
singly upon the eloquence and fervour of
 ,balaam to pour out vituperations upon 
the people of ,israel1 but that it was  
expected that the prophet should use    
incantations and certain mystical rites1
 upon which the efficacy of his         
foretelling disaster to the enemy       
principally depended4   ,,statue ,,of   
,,memnon4  ,the ,magi of ,egypt looked  
round in every quarter for phenomena    
that might produce astonishment among   
their countrymen1 and induce them to    
believe that they dwelt in a land which 
overflowed with the testimonies and     
presence of a divine power4 ,among      
others the statue of ,memnon1 erected   
over his tomb near ,thebes1 is recorded 
by many authors4 ,memnon is said to have
 been the son of ,aurora1 the ,goddess  
of the morning2 and his statue is       
related to have had the peculiar faculty

 of uttering a melodious sound every    
morning when touched by the first beams 
of day1 as if to salute his mother2 and 
every night at sunset to have imparted  
another sound1 low and mournful1 as     
lamenting the departure of the day4     
,this prodigy is spoken of by ,tacitus1 
,strabo1 ,juvenal and ,philostratus4    
,the statue uttered these sounds1 while 
perfect2 and1 when it was mutilated by  
human violence1 or by a convulsion of   
nature1 it still retained the property  
with which it had been originally       
endowed4 ,modern travellers1 for the    
same phenomenon has still been observed1
 have asserted that it does not owe its 
existence to any prodigy1 but to a      
property of the granite1 of which the   
statue or its pedestal is formed1 which1
 being hollow1 is found in various parts
 of the world to exhibit this quality4  
,it has therefore been suggested1 that  
the priests1 having ascertained its     
peculiarity1 expressly formed the statue
 of that material1 for the purpose of   

impressing on it a supernatural         
character1 and thus being enabled to    
extend their influence with a credulous 
people4 #ba   ,,temple ,,of ,,jupiter   
,,ammon3 ,,its ,,oracles4  ,another of  
what may be considered as the wonders of
 ,egypt1 is the temple of ,jupiter      
,ammon in the midst of the ,great       
,desert4 ,this temple was situated at a 
distance of no less than twelve days'   
journey from ,memphis1 the capital of   
the ,lower ,egypt4 ,the principal part  
of this space consisted of one immense  
tract of moving sand1 so hot as to be   
intolerable to the sole of the foot1    
while the air was pregnant with fire1 so
 that it was almost impossible to       
breathe in it4 ,not a drop of water1 not
 a tree1 not a blade of grass1 was to be
 found through this vast surface4 ,it   
was here that ,cambyses1 engaged in an  
impious expedition to demolish the      
temple1 is said to have lost an army of 
fifty thousand men1 buried in the sands4
 ,when you arrived however1 you were    

presented with a wood of great          
circumference1 the foliage of which was 
so thick that the beams of the sun could
 not pierce it4 ,the atmosphere of the  
place was of a delicious temperature2   
the scene was every where interspersed  
with fountains2 and all the fruits of   
the earth were found in the highest     
perfection4 ,in the midst was the temple
 and oracle of the ,god1 who was        
worshipped in the likeness of a ram4    
,the ,egyptian priests chose this site  
as furnishing a test of the zeal of     
their votaries2 the journey being like  
the pilgrimage to ,jerusalem or ,mecca1 
if not from so great a distance1 yet    
attended in many respects with perils   
more formidable4 ,it was not safe to    
attempt the passage but with moderate   
numbers1 and those expressly equipped   
for expedition4  ,bacchus is said to    
have visited this spot in his great     
expedition to the ,east1 when ,jupiter  
appeared to him in the form of a ram1   
having struck his foot upon the soil1   

and for the first time occasioned that  
supply of water1 with which the place   
was ever after plentifully supplied4    
,alexander the ,great in a subsequent   
age undertook the same journey with his 
army1 that he might cause himself to be 
acknowledged for the son of the ,god1   
under which character he was in all due 
form recognised4 ,the priests no doubt  
had heard of the successful battles of  
the ,granicus and of ,issus1 of the     
capture of ,tyre after a seven months'  
siege1 and of the march of the great    
conqueror in ,egypt1 where he carried   
every thing before him4  ,here we are   
presented with a striking specimen of   
the mode and spirit in which the oracles
 of old were accustomed to be conducted4
 ,it may be said that the priests were  
corrupted by the rich presents which    
,alexander bestowed on them with a      
liberal hand4 ,but this was not the     
prime impulse in the business4 ,they    
were astonished at the daring with which
 ,alexander with a comparative handful  

of men set out from ,greece1 having     
meditated the overthrow of the great    
,persian empire4 ,they were astonished  
with his perpetual success1 and his     
victorious progress from the ,hellespont
 to mount ,taurus1 from mount ,taurus to
 ,pelusium1 and from ,pelusium quite    
across the ancient kingdom of ,egypt to 
the ,palus ,mareotis4 ,accustomed to the
 practice of adulation1 and to the      
belief that mortal power and true       
intellectual greatness were the same1   
they with a genuine enthusiastic fervour
 regarded ,alexander as the son of their
 ,god1 and acknowledged him as          
such4--,nothing can be more memorable   
than the way in which belief and        
unbelief hold a divided empire over the 
human mind1 our passions hurrying us    
into belief1 at the same time that our  
intervals of sobriety suggest to us that
 it is all pure imposition4   ,,chaldea 
,,and ,,babylon4  ,the history of the   
,babylonish monarchy not having been    
handed down to us1 except incidentally  

as it is touched upon by the historians 
of other countries1 we know little of   
those anecdotes respecting it which are 
best calculated to illustrate the habits
 and manners of a people4 ,we know that 
they in probability preceded all other  
nations in the accuracy of their        
observations on the phenomena of the    
heavenly bodies4 ,we know that the ,magi
 were highly respected among them as an 
order in the state2 and that1 when      
questions occurred exciting great alarm 
in the rulers1 the magicians1 the       
astrologers1 the sorcerers1 and the     
,chaldeans1 were called together1 to see
 whether by their arts they could throw 
light upon questions so mysterious and  
perplexing1 and we find sufficient      
reason1 both from analogy1 and from the 
very circumstance that sorcerers are    
specifically named among the classes of 
which their ,wise ,men consisted1 to    
believe that the ,babylonian ,magi      
advanced no dubious pretensions to the  
exercise of magical power4              

,,zoroaster4  ,among the ,chaldeans the 
most famous name is that of ,zoroaster1 
who is held to have been the author of  
their religion1 their civil policy1     
their sciences1 and their magic4 ,he    
taught the doctrine of two great        
principles1 the one the author of good1 
the other of evil4 ,he prohibited the   
use of images in the ceremonies of      
religion1 and pronounced that nothing   
deserved homage but fire1 and the sun1  
the centre and the source of fire1 and  
these perhaps to be venerated not for   
themselves1 but as emblematical of the  
principle of all good things4 ,he taught
 astronomy and astrology4 ,we may with  
sufficient probability infer his        
doctrines from those of the ,magi1 who  
were his followers4 ,he practised       
enchantments1 by means of which he would
 send a panic among the forces that were
 brought to make war against him1       
rendering the conflict by force of arms 
unnecessary4 ,he prescribed the use of  
certain herbs as all-powerful for the   

production of supernatural effects4 ,he 
pretended to the faculty of working     
miracles1 and of superseding and        
altering the ordinary course of         
nature4--,there was1 beside the         
,chaldean ,zoroaster1 a ,persian known  
by the same name1 who is said to have   
been a contemporary of ,darius          
,hystaspes4     ,,greece4   ,thus       
obscure and general is our information  
respecting the ,babylonians4 ,but it was
 far otherwise with the ,greeks4 ,long  
before the period1 when1 by their       
successful resistance to the ,persian   
invasion1 they had rendered themselves  
of paramount importance in the history  
of the civilised world1 they had their  
poets and annalists1 who preserved to   
future time the memory of their tastes1 
their manners and superstitions1 their  
strength1 and their weakness4 ,homer in 
particular had already composed his two 
great poems1 rendering the peculiarities
 of his countrymen familiar to the      
latest posterity4 ,the consequence of   

this is1 that the wonderful things of   
early ,greece are even more frequent    
than the record of its sober facts4 ,as 
men advance in observation and          
experience1 they are compelled more and 
more to perceive that all the phenomena 
of nature are one vast chain of         
uninterrupted causes and consequences3  
but to the eye of uninstructed ignorance
 every thing is astonishing1 every thing
 is unexpected4 ,the remote generations 
of mankind are in all cases full of     
prodigies3 but it is the fortune of     
,greece to have preserved its early     
adventures1 so as to render the         
beginning pages of its history one mass 
of impossible falsehoods4   ,,deities   
,,of ,,greece4  ,the ,gods of the       
,greeks appear all of them once to have 
been men4 ,their real or supposed       
adventures therefore make a part of what
 is recorded respecting them4 ,jupiter  
was born in ,crete1 and being secreted  
by his mother in a cave1 was suckled by 
a goat4 ,being come to man's estate1 he 

warred with the giants1 one of whom had 
an hundred hands1 and two others        
brethren1 grew nine inches every month1 
and1 when nine years old1 were fully    
qualified to engage in all exploits of  
corporeal strength4 ,the war was        
finished1 by the giants being           
overwhelmed with the thunderbolts of    
heaven1 and buried under mountains4     
,minerva was born from the head of her  
father1 without a mother2 and ,bacchus1 
coming into the world after the death of
 his female parent1 was inclosed in the 
thigh of ,jupiter1 and was thus produced
 at the proper time in full vigour and  
strength4 ,minerva had a shield1 in     
which was preserved the real head of    
,medusa1 that had the property of       
turning every one that looked on it into
 stone4 ,bacchus1 when a child1 was     
seized on by pirates with the intention 
to sell him for a slave3 but he waved a 
spear1 and the oars of the sailors were 
turned into vines1 which climbed the    
masts1 and spread their clusters over   

the sails2 and tigers1 lynxes and       
panthers1 appeared to swim round the    
ship1 so terrifying the crew that they  
leaped overboard1 and were changed into 
dolphins4 ,bacchus1 in his maturity1 is 
described as having been the conqueror  
of ,india4 ,he did not set out on this  
expedition like other conquerors1 at the
 head of an army4 ,he rode in an open   
chariot1 which was drawn by tame lions4 
,his attendants were men and women in   
great multitudes1 eminently accomplished
 in the arts of rural industry4         
,wherever he came1 he taught men the    
science of husbandry1 and the           
cultivation of the vine4 ,wherever he   
came1 he was received1 not with         
hostility1 but with festivity and       
welcome4 ,on his return however1        
,lycurgus1 king of ,thrace1 and         
,pentheus1 king of ,thebes1 set         
themselves in opposition to the         
improvements which the ,east had        
received with the most lively gratitude2
 and ,bacchus1 to punish them1 caused   

,lycurgus to be torn to pieces by wild  
horses1 and spread a delusion among the 
family of ,pentheus1 so that they       
mistook him for a wild boar which had   
broken into their vineyards1 and of     
consequence fell upon him1 and he       
expired amidst a thousand wounds4       
,apollo was the author of plagues and   
contagious diseases2 at the same time   
that1 when he pleased1 he could restore 
salubrity to a climate1 and health and  
vigour to the sons of men4 ,he was the  
father of poetry1 and possessed in an   
eminent degree the gift of foretelling  
future events4 ,hecate1 which was one of
 the names of ,diana1 was distinguished 
as the ,goddess of magic and            
enchantments4 ,venus was the ,goddess of
 love1 the most  irresistible and       
omnipotent impulse of which the heart of
 man is susceptible4 ,the wand of       
,mercury was endowed with such virtues1 
that whoever it touched1 if asleep1     
would start up into life and alacrity1  
and1 if awake1 would immediately fall   

into a profound sleep4 ,when it touched 
the dying1 their souls gently parted    
from their mortal frame2 and1 when it   
was applied to the dead1 the dead       
returned to life4 ,neptune had the      
attribute of raising and appeasing      
tempests3 and ,vulcan1 the artificer of 
heaven and earth1 not only produced the 
most exquisite specimens of skill1 but  
also constructed furniture that was     
endowed with a self-moving principle1   
and would present itself for use or     
recede at the will of its proprietor4   
,pluto1 in perpetrating the rape of     
,proserpine1 started up in his chariot  
through a cleft of the earth in the vale
 of ,enna in ,sicily1 and1 having seized
 his prize1 disappeared again by the way
 that he came4  ,ceres1 the mother of   
,proserpine1 in her search after her    
lost daughter1 was received with        
peculiar hospitality by ,celeus1 king of
 ,eleusis4 ,she became desirous of      
remunerating his liberality by some     
special favour4 ,she saw his only child 

laid in a cradle1 and labouring under a 
fatal distemper4 ,she took him under her
 protection4 ,she fed him with milk from
 her own breast1 and at night covered   
him with coals of fire4 ,under this     
treatment he not only recovered his     
strength1 but shot up miraculously into 
manhood1 so that what in other men is   
the effect of years1 was accomplished in
 ,triptolemus in as many hours4 ,she    
gave him for a gift the art of          
agriculture1 so that he is said to have 
been the first to teach mankind to sow  
and to reap corn1 and to make bread of  
the produce4  ,prometheus1 one of the   
race of the giants1 was peculiarly      
distinguished for his proficiency in the
 arts4 ,among other extraordinary       
productions he formed a man of clay1 of 
such exquisite workmanship1 as to have  
wanted nothing but a living soul to     
cause him to be acknowledged as the     
paragon of the world4 ,minerva beheld   
the performance of ,prometheus with     
approbation1 and offered him her        

assistance4 ,she conducted him to       
heaven1 where he watched his opportunity
 to carry off on the tip of his wand a  
portion of celestial fire from the      
chariot of the sun4 ,with this he       
animated his image2 and the man of      
,prometheus moved1 and thought1 and     
spoke1 and became every thing that the  
fondest wishes of his creator could ask4
 ,jupiter ordered ,vulcan to make a     
woman1 that should surpass this man4    
,all the ,gods gave her each one a      
several gift3 ,venus gave her the power 
to charm2 the ,graces bestowed on her   
symmetry of limb1 and elegance of       
motion2 ,apollo the accomplishments of  
vocal and instrumental music2 ,mercury  
the art of persuasive speech2 ,juno a   
multitude of rich and gorgeous          
ornaments2 and ,minerva the management  
of the loom and the needle4 ,last of    
all1 ,jupiter presented her with a      
sealed box1 of which the lid was no     
sooner unclosed1 than a multitude of    
calamities and evils of all imaginable  

sorts flew out1 only ,hope remaining at 
the bottom4  ,deucalion was the son of  
,prometheus and ,pyrrha1 his niece4     
,they married4 ,in their time a flood   
occurred1 which as they imagined        
destroyed the whole human race2 they    
were the only survivors4 ,by the        
direction of an oracle they cast stones 
over their shoulders2 when1 by the      
divine interposition1 the stones cast by
 ,deucalion became men1 and those cast  
by ,pyrrha women4 ,thus the earth was   
re-peopled4  ,i have put down a few of  
these particulars1 as containing in     
several instances the qualities of what 
is called magic1 and thus furnishing    
examples of some of the earliest        
occasions upon which supernatural powers
 have been alleged to mix with human    
affairs4   ,,demigods4  ,the early      
history of mortals in ,greece is        
scarcely separated from that of the     
,gods4 ,the first adventurer that it is 
perhaps proper to notice1 as his        
exploits have ,i know not what of magic 

in them1 is ,perseus1 the founder of the
 metropolis and kingdom of ,mycenae4 ,by
 way of rendering his birth illustrious1
 he is said to have been the son of     
,jupiter1 by ,danae1 the daughter of    
,acrisius1 king of ,argos4 ,the king1   
being forewarned by an oracle that his  
daughter should bear a son1 by whose    
hand her father should be deprived of   
life1 thought proper to shut her up in a
 tower of brass4 ,jupiter1 having       
metamorphosed himself into a shower of  
gold1 found his way into her place of   
confinement1 and became the father of   
,perseus4 ,on the discovery of this     
circumstance1 ,acrisius caused both     
mother and child to be inclosed in a    
chest1 and committed to the waves4 ,the 
chest however drifted upon the lands of 
a person of royal descent in the island 
of ,seriphos1 who extended his care and 
hospitality to both4 ,when ,perseus grew
 to man's estate1 he was commissioned by
 the king of ,seriphos to bring him the 
head of ,medusa1 one of the ,gorgons4   

,medusa had the wonderful faculty1 that 
whoever met her eyes was immediately    
turned into stone2 and the king1 who had
 conceived a passion for ,danae1 sent   
her son on this enterprise1 with the    
hope that he would never come back      
alive4 ,he was however favoured by the  
,gods2 ,mercury gave him wings to fly1  
,pluto an invisible helmet1 and ,minerva
 a mirror-shield1 by looking in which he
 could discover how his enemy was       
disposed1 without the danger of meeting 
her eyes4 ,thus equipped1 he            
accomplished his undertaking1 cut off   
the head of the ,gorgon1 and pursed it  
in a bag4 ,from this exploit he         
proceeded to visit ,atlas1 king of      
,mauritania1 who refused him            
hospitality1 and in revenge ,perseus    
turned him into stone4 ,he next rescued 
,andromeda1 daughter of the king of     
,ethiopia1 from a monster sent by       
,neptune to devour her4 ,and1 lastly1   
returning to his mother1 and finding the
 king of ,seriphos still incredulous and

 obstinate1 he turned him likewise into 
a stone4  ,the labours of ,hercules1 the
 most celebrated of the ,greeks of the  
heroic age1 appear to have had little of
 magic in them1 but to have been        
indebted for their success to a corporal
 strength1 superior to that of all other
 mortals1 united with an invincible     
energy of mind1 which disdained to yield
 to any obstacle that could be opposed  
to him4 ,his achievements are           
characteristic of the rude and barbarous
 age in which he lived3 he strangled    
serpents1 and killed the ,erymanthian   
boar1 the ,nemaean lion1 and the ,hydra4
   ,,daedalus4  ,nearly contemporary    
with the labours of ,hercules is the    
history of ,pasiphae and the ,minotaur2 
and this brings us again within the     
sphere of magic4 ,pasiphae was the wife 
of ,minos1 king of ,crete1 who conceived
 an unnatural passion for a beautiful   
white bull1 which ,neptune had presented
 to the king4 ,having found the means of
 gratifying her passion1 she became the 

mother of a monster1 half-man and       
half-bull1 called the ,minotaur4 ,minos 
was desirous of hiding this monster from
 the observation of mankind1 and for    
this purpose applied to ,daedalus1 an   
,athenian1 the most skilful artist of   
his time1 who is said to have invented  
the axe1 the wedge1 and the plummet1 and
 to have found out the use of glue4 ,he 
first contrived masts and sails for     
ships1 and carved statues so admirably1 
that they not only looked as if they    
were alive1 but had actually the power  
of self-motion1 and would have escaped  
from the custody of their possessor1 if 
they had not been chained to the wall4  
,daedalus contrived for ,minos a        
labyrinth1 a wonderful structure1 that  
covered many acres of ground4 ,the      
passages in this edifice met and crossed
 each other with such intricacy1 that a 
stranger who had once entered the       
building1 would have been starved to    
death before he could find his way out4 
,in this labyrinth ,minos shut up the   

,minotaur4 ,having conceived a deep     
resentment against the people of        
,athens1 where his only son had been    
killed in a riot1 he imposed upon them  
an annual tribute of seven noble youths1
 and as many virgins to be devoured by  
the ,minotaur4 ,theseus1 son of the king
 of ,athens1 put an end to this         
disgrace4 ,he was taught by ,ariadne1   
the daughter of ,minos1 how to destroy  
the monster1 and furnished with a clue  
by which afterwards to find his way out 
of the labyrinth4  ,daedalus for some   
reason having incurred the displeasure  
of ,minos1 was made a prisoner by him in
 his own labyrinth4 ,but the artist     
being never at an end of his inventions1
 contrived with feathers and wax to make
 a pair of wings for himself1 and       
escaped4 ,icarus1 his son1 who was      
prisoner along with him1 was provided by
 his father with a similar equipment4   
,but the son1 who was inexperienced and 
heedless1 approached too near to the sun
 in his flight2 and1 the wax of his     

wings being melted with the heat1 he    
fell into the sea and was drowned4      
,,the ,,argonauts4  ,contemporary with  
the reign of ,minos occurred the        
expedition of the ,argonauts4 ,jason1   
the son of the king of ,iolchos in      
,thessaly1 was at the head of this      
expedition4 ,its object was to fetch the
 golden fleece1 which was hung up in a  
grove sacred to ,mars1 in the kingdom of
 ,colchis1 at the eastern extremity of  
the ,euxine sea4 ,he enlisted in this   
enterprise all the most gallant spirits 
existing in the country1 and among the  
rest ,hercules1 ,theseus1 ,orpheus and  
,amphion4 ,after having passed through a
 multitude of perils1 one of which was  
occasioned by the ,cyanean rocks at the 
entrance of the ,euxine1 that had the   
quality of closing upon every vessel    
which attempted to make its way between 
them and crushing it to pieces1 a danger
 that could only be avoided by sending a
 dove before as their harbinger1 they at
 length arrived4   ,,medea4  ,the golden

 fleece was defended by bulls1 whose    
hoofs were brass1 and whose breath was  
fire1 and by a never-sleeping dragon    
that planted itself at the foot of the  
tree upon which the fleece was          
suspended4 ,jason was prepared for his  
undertaking by ,medea1 the daughter of  
the king of the country1 herself an     
accomplished magician1 and furnished    
with philtres1 drugs and enchantments4  
,thus equipped1 he tamed the bulls1 put 
a yoke on their necks1 and caused them  
to plough two acres of the stiffest     
land4 ,he killed the dragon1 and1 to    
complete the adventure1 drew the        
monster's teeth1 sowed them in the      
ground1 and saw an army of soldiers     
spring from the seed4 ,the army hastened
 forward to attack him2 but he threw a  
large stone into the midst of their     
ranks1 when they immediately turned from
 him1 and1 falling on each other1 were  
all killed with their mutual weapons4   
,the adventure being accomplished1      
,medea set out with ,jason on his return

 to ,thessaly4 ,on their arrival1 they  
found ,aeson1 the father of ,jason1 and 
,pelias1 his uncle1 who had usurped the 
throne1 both old and decrepid4 ,jason   
applied to ,medea1 and asked her whether
 among her charms she had none to make  
an old man young again4 ,she replied she
 had3 she drew the impoverished and     
watery blood from the body of ,aeson2   
she infused the juice of certain potent 
herbs into his veins2 and he rose from  
the operation as fresh and vigorous a   
man as his son4  ,the daughters of      
,pelias professed a perfect willingness 
to abdicate the throne of ,iolchos2 but1
 before they retired1 they requested    
,medea to do the same kindness for their
 father which she had already done for  
,aeson4 ,she said she would4 ,she told  
them the method was to cut the old man  
in pieces1 and boil him in a kettle with
 an infusion of certain herbs1 and he   
would come out as smooth and active as a
 child4  ,the daughters of ,pelias a    
little scrupled the operation4 ,medea1  

seeing this1 begged they would not think
 she was deceiving them4 ,if however    
they doubted1 she desired they would    
bring her the oldest ram from their     
flocks1 and they should see the         
experiment4 ,medea cut up the ram1 cast 
in certain herbs1 and the old           
bell-wether came out as beautiful and   
innocent a he-lamb as was ever beheld4  
,the daughters of ,pelias were          
satisfied4 ,they divided their father in
 pieces2 but he was never restored      
either to health or life4  ,from        
,iolchos1 upon some insurrection of the 
people1 ,medea and ,jason fled to       
,corinth4 ,here they lived ten years in 
much harmony4 ,at the end of that time  
,jason grew tired of his wife1 and fell 
in love with ,glauce1 daughter of the   
king of ,corinth4 ,medea was greatly    
exasperated with his infidelity1 and1   
among other enormities1 slew with her   
own hand the two children she had borne 
him before his face1 ,jason hastened to 
punish her barbarity2 but ,medea mounted

 a chariot drawn by fiery dragons1 fled 
through the air to ,athens1 and escaped4
  ,at ,athens she married ,aegeus1 king 
of that city4 ,aegeus by a former wife  
had a son1 named ,theseus1 who for some 
reason had been brought up obscure1     
unknown and in exile4 ,at a suitable    
time he returned home to his father with
 the intention to avow his parentage4   
,but ,medea was beforehand with him4    
,she put a poisoned goblet into the     
hands of ,aegeus at an entertainment he 
gave to ,theseus1 with the intent that  
he should deliver it to his son4 ,at the
 critical moment ,aegeus cast his eyes  
on the sword of ,theseus1 which he      
recognised as that which he had         
delivered with his son1 when a child1   
and had directed that it should be      
brought by him1 when a man1 as a token  
of the mystery of his birth4 ,the goblet
 was cast away2 the father and son      
rushed into each other's arms2 and      
,medea fled from ,athens in her chariot 
drawn by dragons through the air1 as she

 had years before fled from ,corinth4   
,,circe4  ,circe was the sister of      
,aeetes and ,pasiphae1 and was1 like    
,medea1 her niece1 skilful in sorcery4  
,she had besides the gift of            
immortality4 ,she was exquisitely       
beautiful2 but she employed the charms  
of her person1 and the seducing grace of
 her manners to a bad purpose4 ,she     
presented to every stranger who landed  
in her territory an enchanted cup1 of   
which she intreated him to drink4 ,he no
 sooner tasted it1 than he was turned   
into a hog1 and was driven by the       
magician to her sty4 ,the unfortunate   
stranger retained under this loathsome  
appearance the consciousness of what he 
had been1 and mourned for ever the      
criminal compliance by which  he was    
brought to so melancholy a pass4        
,,orpheus4  ,cicero #bb quotes          
,aristotle as affirming that there was  
no such man as ,orpheus4 ,but ,aristotle
 is at least single in that opinion4    
,and there are too many circumstances   

known respecting ,orpheus1 and which    
have obtained the consenting voice of   
all antiquity1 to allow us to call in   
question his existence4 ,he was a native
 of ,thrace1 and from that country      
migrated into ,greece4 ,he travelled    
into ,egypt for the purpose of          
collecting there the information        
necessary to the accomplishment of his  
ends4 ,he died a violent death2 and1 as 
is almost universally affirmed1 fell a  
sacrifice to the resentment and fury of 
the women of his native soil4 #bc       
,orpheus was doubtless a poet2 though it
 is not probable that any of his genuine
 productions have been handed down to   
us4 ,he was1 as all the poets of so     
remote a period were1 extremely         
accomplished in all the arts of vocal   
and instrumental music4 ,he civilised   
the rude inhabitants of ,greece1 and    
subjected them to order and law4 ,he    
formed them into communities4 ,he is    
said by ,aristophanes #bd and ,horace   
#be to have reclaimed the savage man1   

from slaughter1 and an indulgence in    
food that was loathsome and foul4 ,and  
this has with sufficient probability    
been interpreted to mean1 that he found 
the race of men among whom he lived     
cannibals1 and that1 to cure them the   
more completely of this horrible        
practice1 he taught them to be contented
 to subsist upon the fruits of the      
earth4 #bf ,music and poetry are        
understood to have been made specially  
instrumental by him to the effecting    
this purpose4 ,he is said to have made  
the hungry lion and the famished tiger  
obedient to his bidding1 and to put off 
their wild and furious natures4  ,this  
is interpreted by ,horace #bg and other 
recent expositors to mean no more than  
that he reduced the race of savages as  
he found them1 to order and             
civilisation4 ,but it was at first      
perhaps understood more literally4 ,we  
shall not do justice to the traditions  
of these remote times1 if we do not in  
imagination transport ourselves among   

them1 and teach ourselves to feel their 
feelings1 and conceive their            
conceptions4 ,orpheus lived in a time   
when all was enchantment and prodigy4   
,gifted and extraordinary persons in    
those ages believed that they were      
endowed with marvellous prerogatives1   
and acted upon that belief4 ,we may     
occasionally observe1 even in these days
 of the dull and the literal1 how great 
is the ascendancy of the man over the   
beast1 when he feels a full and entire  
confidence in that ascendancy4 ,the eye 
and the gesture of man cannot fail to   
produce effects1 incredible till they   
are seen4 ,magic was the order of the   
day2 and the enthusiasm of its heroes   
was raised to the highest pitch1 and    
attended with no secret misgivings4 ,we 
are also to consider that1 in all       
operations of a magical nature1 there is
 a wonderful mixture of frankness and   
bonhommie with a strong vein of cunning 
and craft4 ,man in every age is full of 
incongruous and incompatible principles2

 and1 when we shall cease to be         
inconsistent1 we shall cease to be men4 
,it is difficult fully to explain what  
is meant by the story of ,orpheus and   
,eurydice2 but in its circumstances it  
bears a striking resemblance to what has
 been a thousand times recorded         
respecting the calling up of the ghosts 
of the dead by means of sorcery4 ,the   
disconsolate husband has in the first   
place recourse to the resistless aid of 
music4 #bh ,after many preparatives he  
appears to have effected his purpose1   
and prevailed upon the powers of        
darkness to allow him the presence of   
his beloved4 ,she appears in the sequel 
however to have been a thin and a       
fleeting shadow4 ,he is forbidden to    
cast his eyes on her2 and1 if he had    
obeyed this injunction1 it is uncertain 
how the experiment would have ended4 ,he
 proceeds however1 as he is commanded1  
towards the light of day4 ,he is led to 
believe that his consort is following   
his steps4 ,he is beset with a multitude

 of unearthly phenomena4 ,he advances   
for some time with confidence4 ,at      
length he is assailed with doubts4 ,he  
has recourse to the auricular sense1 to 
know if she is following him4 ,he can   
hear nothing4 ,finally he can endure    
this uncertainty no longer2 and1 in     
defiance of the prohibition he has      
received1 cannot refrain from turning   
his head to ascertain whether he is     
baffled1 and has spent all his labour in
 vain4 ,he sees her2 but no sooner he   
sees her1 than she becomes evanescent   
and impalpable2 farther and farther she 
retreats before him2 she utters a shrill
 cry1 and endeavours to articulate2 but 
she grows more and more imperceptible2  
and in the conclusion he is left with   
the scene around him in all respects the
 same as it had been before his         
incantations4 ,the result of the whole  
that is known of ,orpheus1 is1 that he  
was an eminently great and virtuous man1
 but was the victim of singular         
calamity4  ,we have not yet done with   

the history of ,orpheus4 ,as has been   
said1 he fell a sacrifice to the        
resentment and fury of the women of his 
native soil4 ,they are affirmed to have 
torn him limb from limb4 ,his head1     
divided from his body1 floated down the 
waters of the ,hebrus1 and miraculously1
 as it passed along to the sea1 it was  
still heard to exclaim in mournful      
accents1 ,eurydice1 ,eurydice6 #bi ,at  
length it was carried ashore on the     
island of ,lesbos4 #cj ,here1 by some   
extraordinary concurrence of            
circumstances1 it found a resting-place 
in a fissure of a rock over-arched by a 
cave1 and1 thus domiciliated1 is said to
 have retained the power of speech1 and 
to have uttered oracles4 ,not only the  
people of ,lesbos resorted to it for    
guidance in difficult questions1 but    
also the ,asiatic ,greeks from ,ionia   
and ,aetolia2 and its fame and character
 for predicting future events even      
extended to ,babylon4 #ca   ,,amphion4  
,the story of ,amphion is more          

perplexing than that of the living      
,orpheus4 ,both of them turn in a great 
degree upon the miraculous effects of   
music4 ,amphion was of the royal family 
of ,thebes1 and ultimately became ruler 
of the territory4 ,he is said1 by the   
potency of his lyre1 or his skill in the
 magic art1 to have caused the stones to
 follow him1 to arrange themselves in   
the way he proposed1 and without the    
intervention of a human hand to have    
raised a wall about his metropolis4 #cb 
,it is certainly less difficult to      
conceive the savage man to be rendered  
placable1 and to conform to the dictates
 of civilisation1 or even wild beasts to
 be made tame1 than to imagine stones to
 obey the voice and the will of a human 
being4 ,the example however is not      
singular2 and hereafter we shall find   
related that ,merlin1 the ,british      
enchanter1 by the power of magic caused 
the rocks of ,stonehenge1 though of such
 vast dimensions1 to be carried through 
the air from ,ireland to the place where

 we at present find them4--,homer       
mentions that ,amphion1 and his brother 
,zethus built the walls of ,thebes1 but 
does not describe it as having been done
 by miracle4 #cc   ,,tiresias4          
,tiresias was one of the most celebrated
 soothsayers of the early ages of       
,greece4 ,he lived in the times of      
,oedipus1 and the war of the seven      
chiefs against ,thebes4 ,he was         
afflicted by the ,gods with blindness1  
in consequence of some displeasure they 
conceived against him2 but in           
compensation they endowed him beyond all
 other mortals with the gift of         
prophecy4 ,he is said to have understood
 the language of birds4 ,he possessed   
the art of divining future events from  
the various indications that manifest   
themselves in fire1 in smoke1 and in    
other ways1 #cd but to have set the     
highest value upon the communications of
 the dead1 whom by spells and           
incantations he constrained to appear   
and answer his enquiries2 #ce and he is 

represented as pouring out tremendous   
menaces against them1 when they shewed  
themselves tardy to attend upon his     
commands4 #cf   ,,abaris4  ,abaris1 the 
,scythian1 known to us for his visit to 
,greece1 was by all accounts a great    
magician4 ,herodotus says #cg that he is
 reported to have travelled over the    
world with an arrow1 eating nothing     
during his journey4 ,other authors      
relate that this arrow was given to him 
by ,apollo1 and that he rode upon it    
through the air1 over lands1 and seas1  
and all inaccessible places4 #ch ,the   
time in which he flourished is very     
uncertain1 some having represented him  
as having constructed the ,palladium1   
which1 as long as it was preserved1 kept
 ,troy from being taken by an enemy1 #ci
 and others affirming that he was       
familiar with ,pythagoras1 who lived six
 hundred years later1 and that he was   
admitted into his special confidence4   
#dj ,he is said to have possessed the   
faculty of foretelling earthquakes1     

allaying storms1 and driving away       
pestilence2 he gave out predictions     
wherever he went2 and is described as an
 enchanter1 professing to cure diseases 
by virtue of certain words which he     
pronounced over those who were afflicted
 with them4 #da   ,,pythagoras4  ,the   
name of ,pythagoras is one of the most  
memorable in the records of the human   
species2 and his character is well      
worthy of the minutest investigation4   
,by this name we are brought at once    
within the limits of history properly so
 called4 ,he lived in the time of ,cyrus
 and ,darius ,hystaspes1 of ,croesus1 of
 ,pisistratus1 of ,polycrates1 tyrant of
 ,samos1 and ,amasis1 king of ,egypt4   
,many hypotheses have been laid down    
respecting the precise period of his    
birth and death2 but1 as it is not to   
our purpose to enter into any lengthened
 discussions of that sort1 we will adopt
 at once the statement that appears to  
be the most probable1 which is that of  
,lloyd1 #db who fixes his birth about   

the year before ,christ #ehf1 and his   
death about the year #ejf4  ,pythagoras 
was a man of the most various           
accomplishments1 and appears to have    
penetrated in different directions into 
the depths of human knowledge4 ,he      
sought wisdom in its retreats of fairest
 promise1 in ,egypt and other distant   
countries4 #dc ,in this investigation he
 employed the earlier period of his     
life1 probably till he was forty1 and   
devoted the remainder to such modes of  
proceeding1 as appeared to him the most 
likely to secure the advantage of what  
he had acquired to a late posterity4 #dd
  ,he founded a school1 and delivered   
his acquisitions by oral communication  
to a numerous body of followers4 ,he    
divided his pupils into two classes1 the
 one neophytes1 to whom was explained   
only the most obvious and general       
truths1 the other who were admitted into
 the entire confidence of the master4   
,these last he caused to throw their    
property into a common stock1 and to    

live together in the same place of      
resort4 #de ,he appears to have spent   
the latter half of his life in that part
 of ,italy1 called ,magna ,graecia1 so  
denominated in some degree from the     
numerous colonies of ,grecians by whom  
it was planted1 and partly perhaps from 
the memory of the illustrious things    
which ,pythagoras achieved there4 #df   
,he is said to have spread the seeds of 
political liberty in ,crotona1 ,sybaris1
 ,metapontum1 and ,rhegium1 and from    
thence in ,sicily to ,tauromenium1      
,catana1 ,agrigentum and ,himera4 #dg   
,charondas and ,zaleucus1 themselves    
famous legislators1 derived the         
rudiments of their political wisdom from
 the instructions of ,pythagoras4 #dh   
,but this marvellous man in some way1   
whether from the knowlege he received1  
or from his own proper discoveries1 has 
secured to his species benefits of a    
more permanent nature1 and which shall  
outlive the revolutions of ages1 and the
 instability of political institutions4 

,he was a profound geometrician4 ,the   
two theorems1 that the internal angles  
of every right-line triangle are equal  
to two right angles1 #di and that the   
square of the hypothenuse of every right
 angled triangle is equal to the sum of 
the squares of the other two sides1 #ej 
are ascribed to him4 ,in memory of the  
latter of these discoveries he is said  
to have offered a public sacrifice to   
the ,gods2 and the theorem is still     
known by the name of the ,pythagorean   
theorem4 ,he ascertained from the length
 of the ,olympic course1 which was      
understood to have measured six hundred 
of ,hercules's feet1 the precise stature
 of that hero4 #ea ,lastly1 ,pythagoras 
is the first person1 who is known to    
have taught the spherical figure of the 
earth1 and that we have antipodes2 #eb  
and he propagated the doctrine that the 
earth is a planet1 and that the sun is  
the centre round which the earth and the
 other planets move1 now known by the   
name of the ,copernican system4 #ec  ,to

 inculcate a pure and a simple mode of  
subsistence was also an express object  
of pursuit to ,pythagoras4 ,he taught a 
total abstinence from every thing having
 had the property of animal life4 ,it   
has been affirmed1 as we have seen1 #ed 
that ,orpheus before him taught the same
 thing4 ,but the claim of ,orpheus to   
this distinction is ambiguous2 while the
 theories and dogmas of the ,samian     
sage1 as he has frequently been styled1 
were more methodically digested1 and    
produced more lasting and unequivocal   
effects4 ,he taught temperance in all   
its branches1 and a resolute subjection 
of the appetites of the body to         
contemplation and the exercises of the  
mind2 and1 by the unremitted discipline 
and authority he exerted over his       
followers1 he caused his lessons to be  
constantly observed4 ,there was         
therefore an edifying and an exemplary  
simplicity that prevailed as far as the 
influence of ,pythagoras extended1 that 
won golden opinions to his adherents at 

all times that they appeared1 and in all
 places4 #ee  ,one revolution that      
,pythagoras worked1 was that1 whereas1  
immediately before1 those who were most 
conspicuous among the ,greeks as        
instructors of mankind in understanding 
and virtue1 styled themselves sophists1 
professors of wisdom1 this illustrious  
man desired to be known only by the     
appellation of a philosopher1 a lover of
 wisdom4 #ef ,the sophists had          
previously brought their denomination   
into discredit and reproach1 by the     
arrogance of their pretensions1 and the 
imperious way in which they attempted to
 lay down the law to the world4  ,the   
modesty of this appellation however did 
not altogether suit with the deep       
designs of ,pythagoras1 the ascendancy  
he resolved to acquire1 and the oracular
 subjection in which he deemed it       
necessary to hold those who placed      
themselves under his instruction4 ,this 
wonderful man set out with making       
himself a model of the passive and      

unscrupulous docility which he          
afterwards required from others4 ,he did
 not begin to teach till he was forty   
years of age1 and from eighteen to that 
period he studied in foreign countries1 
with the resolution to submit to all his
 teachers enjoined1 and to make himself 
master of their least communicated and  
most secret wisdom4 ,in ,egypt in       
particular1 we are told that1 though he 
brought a letter of recommendation from 
,polycrates1 his native sovereign1 to   
,amasis1 king of that country1 who fully
 concurred with the views of the writer1
 the priests1 jealous of admitting a    
foreigner into their secrets1 baffled   
him as long as they could1 referring him
 from one college to another1 and       
prescribing to him the most rigorous    
preparatives1 not excluding the rite of 
circumcision4 #eg ,but ,pythagoras      
endured and underwent every thing1 till 
at length their unwillingness was       
conquered1 and his perseverance received
 its suitable reward4  ,when in the end 

,pythagoras thought himself fully       
qualified for the task he had all along 
had in view1 he was no less strict in   
prescribing ample preliminaries to his  
own scholars4 ,at the time that a pupil 
was proposed to him1 the master1 we are 
told1 examined him with multiplied      
questions as to his principles1 his     
habits and intentions1 observed minutely
 his voice and manner of speaking1 his  
walk and his gestures1 the lines of his 
countenance1 and the expression and     
management of his eye1 and1 when he was 
satisfied with these1 then and not till 
then admitted him as a probationer4 #eh 
,it is to be supposed that all this must
 have been personal4 ,as soon however as
 this was over1 the master was withdrawn
 from the sight of the pupil2 and a     
noviciate of three and five1 in all     
eight years1 #ei was prescribed to the  
scholar1 during which time he was only  
to hear his instructor from behind a    
curtain1 and the strictest silence was  
enjoined him through the whole period4  

,as the instructions ,pythagoras        
received in ,egypt and the ,east        
admitted of no dispute1 so in his turn  
he required an unreserved submission    
from those who heard him3 autos iphae   
the master has said it1 was deemed a    
sufficient solution to all doubt and    
uncertainty4 #fj  ,to give the greater  
authority and effect to his             
communications ,pythagoras hid himself  
during the day at least from the great  
body of his pupils1 and was only seen by
 them at night4 ,indeed there is no     
reason to suppose that any one was      
admitted into his entire familiarity4   
,when he came forth1 he appeared in a   
long garment of the purest white1 with a
 flowing beard1 and a garland upon his  
head4 ,he is said to have been of the   
finest symmetrical form1 with a majestic
 carriage1 and a grave and awful        
countenance4 #fa ,he suffered his       
followers to believe that he was one of 
the ,gods1 the ,hyperborean ,apollo1 #fb
 and is said to have told ,abaris that  

he assumed the human form1 that he might
 the better invite men to an easiness of
 approach and to confidence in him4 #fc 
,what however seems to be agreed in by  
all his biographers1 is that he         
professed to have already in different  
ages appeared in the likeness of man3   
first as ,aethalides1 the son of        
,mercury2 and1 when his father expressed
 himself ready to invest him with any   
gift short of immortality1 he prayed    
that1 as the human soul is destined     
successively to dwell in various forms1 
he might have the privilege in each to  
remember his former state of being1     
which was granted him4 ,from1           
,aethalides he became ,euphorbus1 who   
slew ,patroclus at the siege of ,troy4  
,he then appeared as ,hermotimus1 then  
,pyrrhus1 a fisherman of ,delos1 and    
finally ,pythagoras4 ,he said that a    
period of time was interposed between   
each transmigration1 during which he    
visited the seat of departed souls2 and 
he professed to relate a part of the    

wonders he had seen4 #fd ,he is said to 
have eaten sparingly and in secret1 and 
in all respects to have given himself   
out for a being not subject to the      
ordinary laws of nature4 #fe            
,pythagoras therefore pretended to      
miraculous endowments4 ,happening to be 
on the sea-shore when certain fishermen 
drew to land an enormous multitude of   
fishes1 he desired them to allow him to 
dispose of the capture1 which they      
consented to1 provided he would name the
 precise number they had caught4 ,he did
 so1 and required that they should throw
 their prize into the sea again1 at the 
same time paying them the value of the  
fish4 #ff ,he tamed a ,daunian bear by  
whispering in his ear1 and prevailed on 
him henceforth to refrain from the flesh
 of animals1 and to feed on vegetables4 
,by the same means he induced an ox not 
to eat beans1 which was a diet specially
 prohibited by ,pythagoras2 and he      
called down an eagle from his flight1   
causing him to sit on his hand1 and     

submit to be stroked down by the        
philosopher4 #fg ,in ,greece1 when he   
passed the river ,nessus in ,macedon1   
the stream was heard to salute him with 
the words ,hail1 ,pythagoras6 #fh ,when 
,abaris addressed him as one of the     
heavenly host1 he took the stranger     
aside1 and convinced him that he was    
under no mistake1 by exhibiting to him  
his thigh of gold3 or1 according to     
another account1 he used the same sort  
of evidence at a certain time1 to       
satisfy his pupils of his celestial     
descent4 #fi ,he is said to have been   
seen on the same day at ,metapontum in  
,italy1 and at ,taurominium in ,sicily1 
though these places are divided by the  
sea1 so that it was conceived that it   
would cost several days to pass from one
 to the other4 #gj ,in one instance he  
absented himself from his associates in 
,italy for a whole year2 and when he    
appeared again1 related that he had     
passed that time in the infernal        
regions1 describing likewise the        

marvellous things he had seen4 #ga      
,diogenes ,laertius1 speaking of this   
circumstance affirms however that he    
remained during this period in a cave1  
where his mother conveyed to him        
intelligence and necessaries1 and that1 
when he came once more into light and   
air1 he appeared so emaciated and       
colourless1 that he might well be       
believed to have come out of ,hades4    
,the close of the life of ,pythagoras   
was1 according to every statement1 in   
the midst of misfortune and violence4   
,some particulars are related by        
,iamblichus1 #gb which1 though he is not
 an authority beyond all exception1 are 
so characteristic as seem to entitle    
them to the being transcribed4 ,this    
author is more circumstantial than any  
other in stating the elaborate steps by 
which the pupils of ,pythagoras came to 
be finally admitted into the full       
confidence of the master4 ,he says1 that
 they passed three years in the first   
place in a state of probation1 carefully

 watched by their seniors1 and exposed  
to their occasional taunts and ironies1 
by way of experiment to ascertain       
whether they were of a temper           
sufficiently philosophical and firm4 ,at
 the expiration of that period they were
 admitted to a noviciate1 in which they 
were bound to uninterrupted silence1 and
 heard the lectures of the master1 while
 he was himself concealed from their    
view by a curtain4 ,they were then      
received to initiation1 and required to 
deliver over their property to the      
common stock4 ,they were admitted to    
intercourse with the master4 ,they were 
invited to a participation of the most  
obscure theories1 and the abstrusest    
problems4 ,if however in this stage of  
their progress they were discovered to  
be too weak of intellectual penetration1
 or any other fundamental objection were
 established against them1 they were    
expelled the community2 the double of   
the property they had contributed to the
 common stock was paid down to them2 a  

head-stone and a monument inscribed with
 their names were set up in the place of
 meeting of the community2 they were    
considered as dead2 and1 if afterwards  
they met by chance any of those who were
 of the privileged few1 they were       
treated by them as entirely strangers4  
,cylon1 the richest man1 or1 as he is in
 one place styled1 the prince1 of       
,crotona1 had manifested the greatest   
partiality to ,pythagoras4 ,he was at   
the same time a man of rude1 impatient  
and boisterous character4 ,he1 together 
with ,perialus of ,thurium1 submitted to
 all the severities of the ,pythagorean 
school4 ,they passed the three years of 
probation1 and the five years of        
silence4 ,they were received into the   
familiarity of the master4 ,they were   
then initiated1 and delivered all their 
wealth into the common stock4 ,they were
 however ultimately pronounced deficient
 in intellectual power1 or for some     
other reason were not judged worthy to  
continue among the confidential pupils  

of ,pythagoras4 ,they were expelled4    
,the double of the property they had    
contributed was paid back to them4 ,a   
monument was set up in memory of what   
they had been2 and they were pronounced 
dead to the school4  ,it will easily be 
conceived in what temper ,cylon         
sustained this degradation4 ,of         
,perialus we hear nothing further4 ,but 
,cylon1 from feelings of the deepest    
reverence and awe for ,pythagoras1 which
 he had cherished for years1 was filled 
even to bursting with inextinguishable  
hatred and revenge4 ,the unparalleled   
merits1 the venerable age of the master 
whom he had so long followed1 had no    
power to control his violence4 ,his     
paramount influence in the city insured 
him the command of a great body of      
followers4 ,he excited them to a frame  
of turbulence and riot4 ,he represented 
to them how intolerable was the         
despotism of this pretended philosopher4
 ,they surrounded the school in which   
the pupils were accustomed to assemble1 

and set it on fire4 ,forty persons      
perished in the flames4 #gc ,according  
to some accounts ,pythagoras was absent 
at the time4 ,according to others he and
 two of his pupils escaped4 ,he retired 
from ,crotona to ,metapontum4 ,but the  
hostility which had broken out in the   
former city1 followed him there4 ,he    
took refuge in the ,temple of the       
,muses4 ,but he was held so closely     
besieged that no provisions could be    
conveyed to him2 and he finally perished
 with hunger1 after1 according to       
,laertius1 forty days' abstinence4 #gd  
,it is difficult to imagine any thing   
more instructive1 and more pregnant with
 matter for salutary reflection1 than   
the contrast presented to us by the     
character and system of action of       
,pythagoras on the one hand1 and those  
of the great enquirers of the last two  
centuries1 for example1 ,bacon1 ,newton 
and ,locke1 on the other4 ,pythagoras   
probably does not yield to any one of   
these in the evidences of true          

intellectual greatness4 ,in his school1 
in the followers he trained resembling  
himself1 and in the salutary effects he 
produced on the institutions of the     
various republics of ,magna ,graecia and
 ,sicily1 he must be allowed greatly to 
have excelled them4 ,his discoveries of 
various propositions in geometry1 of the
 earth as a planet1 and of the solar    
system as now universally recognised1   
clearly stamp him a genius of the       
highest order4  ,yet this man1 thus     
enlightened and philanthropical1        
established his system of proceeding    
upon narrow and exclusive principles1   
and conducted it by methods of artifice1
 quackery and delusion4 ,one of his     
leading maxims was1 that the great and  
fundamental truths to the establishment 
of which he devoted himself1 were       
studiously to be concealed from the     
vulgar1 and only to be imparted to a    
select few1 and after years of the      
severest noviciate and trial4 ,he       
learned his earliest lessons of wisdom  

in ,egypt after this method1 and he     
conformed through life to the example   
which had thus been delivered to him4   
,the severe examination that he made of 
the candidates previously to their being
 admitted into his school1 and the years
 of silence that were then prescribed to
 them1 testify this4 ,he instructed them
 by symbols1 obscure and enigmatical    
propositions1 which they were first to  
exercise their ingenuity to expound4    
,the authority and dogmatical assertions
 of the master were to remain           
unquestioned2 and the pupils were to    
fashion themselves to obsequious and    
implicit submission1 and were the       
furthest in the world from being        
encouraged to the independent exercise  
of their own understandings4 ,there was 
nothing that ,pythagoras was more fixed 
to discountenance1 than the             
communication of the truths upon which  
he placed the highest value1 to the     
uninitiated4 ,it is not probable        
therefore that he wrote any thing3 all  

was communicated orally1 by such        
gradations1 and with such discretion1 as
 he might think fit to adopt and to     
exercise4  ,delusion and falsehood were 
main features of his instruction4 ,with 
what respect therefore can we consider1 
and what manliness worthy of his high   
character and endowments can we impute  
to1 his discourses delivered from behind
 a curtain1 his hiding himself during   
the day1 and only appearing by night in 
a garb assumed for the purpose of       
exciting awe and veneration8 ,what shall
 we say to the story of his various     
transmigrations8 ,at first sight it     
appears in the light of the most        
audacious and unblushing imposition4    
,and1 if we were to yield so far as to  
admit that by a high-wrought enthusiasm1
 by a long train of maceration and      
visionary reveries1 he succeeded in     
imposing on himself1 this1 though in a  
different way1 would scarcely less      
detract from the high stage of eminence 
upon which the nobler parts of his      

character would induce us to place him4 
,such were some of the main causes that 
have made his efforts perishable1 and   
the lustre which should have attended   
his genius in a great degree transitory 
and fugitive4 ,he was probably much     
under the influence of a contemptible   
jealousy1 and must be considered as     
desirous that none of his contemporaries
 or followers should eclipse their      
master4 ,all was oracular and dogmatic  
in the school of ,pythagoras4 ,he prized
 and justly prized the greatness of his 
attainments and discoveries1 and had no 
conception that any thing could go      
beyond them4 ,he did not encourage1 nay1
 he resolutely opposed1 all true        
independence of mind1 and that undaunted
 spirit of enterprise which is the      
atmosphere in which the sublimest       
thoughts are most naturally generated4  
,he therefore did not throw open the    
gates of science and wisdom1 and invite 
every comer2 but on the contrary        
narrowed the entrance1 and carefully    

reduced the number of aspirants4 ,he    
thought not of the most likely methods  
to give strength and permanence and an  
extensive sphere to the progress of the 
human mind4 ,for these reasons he wrote 
nothing2 but consigned all to the frail 
and uncertain custody of tradition4 ,and
 distant posterity has amply avenged    
itself upon the narrowness of his       
policy2 and the name of ,pythagoras1    
which would otherwise have been ranked  
with the first luminaries of mankind1   
and consigned to everlasting gratitude1 
has in consequence of a few radical and 
fatal mistakes1 been often loaded with  
obloquy1 and the hero who bore it been  
indiscriminately classed among the      
votaries of imposture and artifice4     
,,epimenides4  ,epimenides has been     
mentioned among the disciples of        
,pythagoras2 but he probably lived at an
 earlier period4 ,he was a native of    
,crete4 ,the first extraordinary        
circumstance that is recorded of him is1
 that1 being very young1 he was sent by 

his father in search of a stray sheep1  
when1 being overcome by the heat of the 
weather1 he retired into a cave1 and    
slept fifty-seven years4 ,supposing that
 he had slept only a few hours1 he      
repaired first to his father's          
country-house1 which he found in        
possession of a new tenant1 and then to 
the city1 where he encountered his      
younger brother1 now grown an old man1  
who with difficulty was brought to      
acknowledge him4 #ge ,it was probably   
this circumstance that originally       
brought ,epimenides into repute as a    
prophet1 and a favourite of the ,gods4  
,epimenides appears to have been one of 
those persons1 who make it their whole  
study to delude their fellow-men1 and to
 obtain for themselves the reputation of
 possessing supernatural gifts4 ,such   
persons1 almost universally1 and        
particularly in ages of ignorance and   
wonder1 become themselves the dupes of  
their own pretensions4 ,he gave out that
 he was secretly subsisted by food      

brought to him by the nymphs2 and he is 
said to have taken nourishment in so    
small quantities1 as to be exempted from
 the ordinary necessities of nature4 #gf
 ,he boasted that he could send his soul
 out of his body1 and recal it1 when he 
pleased2 and alternately appeared an    
inanimate corpse1 and then again his    
life would return to him1 and he appear 
capable of every human function as      
before4 #gg ,he is said to have         
practised the ceremony of exorcising    
houses and fields1 and thus rendering   
them fruitful and blessed4 #gh ,he      
frequently uttered prophecies of events 
with such forms of ceremony and such    
sagacious judgment1 that they seemed to 
come to pass as he predicted4  ,one of  
the most memorable acts of his life     
happened in this manner4 ,cylon1 the    
head of one of the principal families in
 ,athens1 set on foot a rebellion       
against the government1 and surprised   
the citadel4 ,his power however was of  
short duration4 ,siege was laid to the  

place1 and ,cylon found his safety in   
flight4 ,his partisans forsook their    
arms1 and took refuge at the altars4    
,seduced from this security by          
fallacious promises1 they were brought  
to judgment and all of them put to      
death4 ,the ,gods were said to be       
offended with this violation of the     
sanctions of religion1 and sent a plague
 upon the city4 ,all things were in     
confusion1 and sadness possessed the    
whole community4 ,prodigies were        
perpetually seen2 the spectres of the   
dead walked the streets2 and terror     
universally prevailed4 ,the sacrifices  
offered to the gods exhibited the most  
unfavourable symptoms4 #gi ,in this     
emergency the ,athenian senate resolved 
to send for ,epimenides to come to their
 relief4 ,his reputation was great4 ,he 
was held for a holy and devout man1 and 
wise in celestial things by inspiration 
from above4 ,a vessel was fitted out    
under the command of one of the first   
citizens of the state to fetch          

,epimenides from ,crete4 ,he performed  
various rites and purifications4 ,he    
took a certain number of sheep1 black   
and white1 and led them to the          
,areopagus1 where he caused them to be  
let loose to go wherever they would4 ,he
 directed certain persons to follow     
them1 and mark the place where they lay 
down4 ,he enquired to what particular   
deity the spot was consecrated1 and     
sacrificed the sheep to that deity2 and 
in the result of these ceremonies the   
plague was stayed4 ,according to others 
he put an end to the plague by the      
sacrifice of two human victims4 ,the    
,athenian senate1 full of gratitude to  
their benefactor1 tendered him the gift 
of a talent4 ,but ,epimenides refused   
all compensation1 and only required1 as 
an acknowledgment of what he had done1  
that there should be perpetual peace    
between the ,athenians and the people of
 ,gnossus1 his native city4 #hj ,he is  
said to have died shortly after his     
return to his country1 being of the age 

of one hundred and fifty-seven years4   
#ha   ,,empedocles4  ,empedocles has    
also been mentioned as a disciple of    
,pythagoras4 ,but he probably lived too 
late for that to have been the case4    
,his principles were in a great degree  
similar to those of that illustrious    
personage2 and he might have studied    
under one of the immediate successors of
 ,pythagoras4 ,he was a citizen of      
,agrigentum in ,sicily2 and1 having     
inherited considerable wealth1 exercised
 great authority in his native place4   
#hb ,he was a distinguished orator and  
poet4 ,he was greatly conversant in the 
study of nature1 and was eminent for his
 skill in medicine4 #hc ,in addition to 
these accomplishments1 he appears to    
have been a devoted adherent to the     
principles of liberty4 ,he effected the 
dissolution of the ruling council of    
,agrigentum1 and substituted in their   
room a triennial magistracy1 by means of
 which the public authority became not  
solely in the hands of the rich as      

before1 but was shared by them with     
expert and intelligent men of an        
inferior class4 #hd ,he opposed all     
arbitrary exercises of rule4 ,he gave   
dowries from his own stores to many     
young maidens of impoverished families1 
and settled them in eligible marriages4 
#he ,he performed many cures upon his   
fellow-citizens2 and is especially      
celebrated for having restored a woman  
to life1 who had been apparently dead1  
according to one account for seven days1
 but according to others for thirty4 #hf
  ,but the most memorable things known  
of ,empedocles1 are contained in the    
fragments of his verses that have been  
preserved to us4 ,in one of them he says
 of himself1 ,i well remember the time  
before ,i was ,empedocles1 that ,i once 
was a boy1 then a girl1 a plant1 a      
glittering fish1 a bird that cut the    
air4 #hg ,addressing those who resorted 
to him for improvement and wisdom1 he   
says1 ,by my instructions you shall     
learn medicines that are powerful to    

cure disease1 and re-animate old age2   
you shall be able to calm the savage    
winds which lay waste the labours of the
 husbandman1 and1 when you will1 shall  
send forth the tempest again2 you shall 
cause the skies to be fair and serene1  
or once more shall draw down refreshing 
showers1 re-animating the fruits of the 
earth2 nay1 you shall recal the strength
 of the dead man1 when he has already   
become the victim of ,pluto4 #hh        
,further1 speaking of himself1          
,empedocles exclaims3 ,friends1 who     
inhabit the great city laved by the     
yellow ,acragas1 all hail6 ,i mix with  
you a ,god1 no longer a mortal1 and am  
every where honoured by you1 as is just2
 crowned with fillets1 and fragrant     
garlands1 adorned with which when ,i    
visit populous cities1 ,i am revered by 
both men and women1 who follow me by ten
 thousands1 enquiring the road to       
boundless wealth1 seeking the gift of   
prophecy1 and who would learn the       
marvellous skill to cure all kinds of   

diseases4 #hi  ,the best known account  
of the death of ,empedocles may         
reasonably be considered as fabulous4   
,from what has been said it sufficiently
 appears1 that he was a man of          
extraordinary intellectual endowments1  
and the most philanthropical            
dispositions2 at the same time that he  
was immoderately vain1 aspiring by every
 means in his power to acquire to       
himself a deathless remembrance4        
,working on these hints1 a story has    
been invented that he aspired to a      
miraculous way of disappearing from     
among men2 and for this purpose         
repaired1 when alone1 to the top of     
,mount ,aetna1 then in a state of       
eruption1 and threw himself down the    
burning crater3 but it is added1 that in
 the result of this perverse ambition he
 was baffled1 the volcano having thrown 
up one of his brazen sandals1 by means  
of which the mode of his death became   
known4 #ij   ,,aristeas4  ,herodotus    
tells a marvellous story of one         

,aristeas1 a poet of ,proconnesus1 an   
island of the ,propontis4 ,this man1    
coming by chance into a fuller's        
workshop in his native place1 suddenly  
fell down dead4 ,as the man was of      
considerable rank1 the fuller           
immediately1 quitting and locking up his
 shop1 proceeded to inform his family of
 what had happened4 ,the relations went 
accordingly1 having procured what was   
requisite to give the deceased the rites
 of sepulture1 to the shop2 but1 when it
 was opened1 they could discover no     
vestige of ,aristeas1 either dead or    
alive4 ,a traveller however from the    
neighbouring town of ,cyzicus on the    
continent1 protested that he had just   
left that place1 and1 as he set foot in 
the wherry which had brought him over1  
had met ,aristeas1 and held a particular
 conversation with him4 ,seven years    
after1 ,aristeas reappeared at          
,proconnesus1 resided there a           
considerable time1 and during this abode
 wrote his poem of the wars of the      

one-eyed ,arimaspians and the ,gryphons4
 ,he then again disappeared in an       
unaccountable manner4 ,but1 what is more
 than all extraordinary1 three hundred  
and forty years after this              
disappearance1 he shewed himself again  
at ,metapontum1 in ,magna ,graecia1 and 
commanded the citizens to erect a statue
 in his honour near the temple of       
,apollo in the forum2 which being done1 
he raised himself in the air2 and flew  
away in the form of a crow4 #ia         
,,hermotimus4  ,hermotimus1 or1 as      
,plutarch names him1 ,hermodorus of     
,clazomene1 is said to have possessed1  
like ,epimenides1 the marvellous power  
of quitting his body1 and returning to  
it again1 as often1 and for as long a   
time as he pleased4 ,in these absences  
his unembodied spirit would visit what  
places he thought proper1 observe every 
thing that was going on1 and1 when he   
returned to his fleshy tabernacle1 make 
a minute relation of what he had seen4  
,hermotimus had enemies1 who1 one time  

when his body had lain unanimated       
unusually long1 beguiled his wife1 made 
her believe that he was certainly dead1 
and that it was disrespectful and       
indecent to keep him so long in that    
state4 ,the woman therefore placed her  
husband on the funeral pyre1 and        
consumed him to ashes2 so that1         
continues the philosopher1 when the soul
 of ,hermotimus came back again1 it no  
longer found its customary receptacle to
 retire into4 #ib ,certainly this kind  
of treatment appeared to furnish an     
infallible criterion1 whether the       
seeming absences of the soul of this    
miraculous man were pretended or real4  
,,the ,,mother ,,of ,,demaratus1 ,,king 
,,of ,,sparta4  ,herodotus #ic tells a  
story of the mother of ,demaratus1 king 
of ,sparta1 which bears a striking      
resemblance to the fairy tales of modern
 times4 ,this lady1 afterward queen of  
,sparta1 was sprung from opulent        
parents1 but1 when she was born1 was so 
extravagantly ugly1 that her parents hid

 her from all human observation4        
,according to the mode of the times     
however1 they sent the babe daily in its
 nurse's arms to the shrine of ,helen1  
now metamorphosed into a ,goddess1 to   
pray that the child might be delivered  
from its present preternatural          
deformity4 ,on these occasions the child
 was shrouded in many coverings1 that it
 might escape being seen4 ,one day as   
the nurse came out of the temple1 a     
strange woman met her1 and asked her    
what she carried so carefully concealed4
 ,the nurse said it was a female child1 
but of opulent parents1 and she was     
strictly enjoined that it should be seen
 by no one4 ,the stranger was           
importunate1 and by dint of perseverance
 overcame the nurse's reluctance4 ,the  
woman took the babe in her arms1 stroked
 down its hair1 kissed it1 and then     
returning it to the nurse1 said that it 
should grow up the most perfect beauty  
in ,sparta4 ,so accordingly it proved3  
and the king of the country1 having seen

 her1 became so enamoured of her1 that1 
though he already had a wife1 and she a 
husband1 he overcame all obstacles1 and 
made her his queen4   ,,oracles4  ,one  
of the most extraordinary things to be  
met with in the history of ancient times
 is the oracles4 ,they maintained their 
reputation for many successive          
centuries4 ,the most famous perhaps were
 that of ,delphi in ,greece1 and that of
 ,jupiter ,ammon in the deserts of      
,lybia4 ,but they were scattered through
 many cities1 many plains1 and many     
islands4 ,they were consulted by the    
foolish and the wise2 and scarcely      
anything considerable was undertaken1   
especially about the time of the        
,persian invasion into ,greece1 without 
the parties having first had recourse to
 these2 and they in most cases modified 
the conduct of princes and armies       
accordingly4 ,to render the delusion    
more successful1 every kind of artifice 
was put in practice4 ,the oracle could  
only be consulted on fixed days2 and the

 persons who resorted to it1 prefaced   
their application with costly offerings 
to the presiding ,god4 ,their questions 
passed through the hands of certain     
priests1 residing in and about the      
temple4 ,these priests received the     
embassy with all due solemnity1 and     
retired4 ,a priestess1 or ,pythia1 who  
was seldom or never seen by any of the  
profane vulgar1 was the immediate       
vehicle of communication with the ,god4 
,she was cut off from all intercourse   
with the world1 and was carefully       
trained by the attendant priests4       
,spending almost the whole of her time  
in solitude1 and taught to consider her 
office as ineffably sacred1 she saw     
visions1 and was for the most part in a 
state of great excitement4 ,the ,pythia1
 at least of the ,delphian ,god1 was led
 on with much ceremony to the           
performance of her office1 and placed   
upon the sacred tripod4 ,the tripod1 we 
are told1 stood over a chasm in the     
rock1 from which issued fumes of an     

inebriating quality4 ,the ,pythia became
 gradually penetrated through every limb
 with these fumes1 till her bosom       
swelled1 her features enlarged1 her     
mouth foamed1 her voice seemed          
supernatural1 and she uttered words that
 could sometimes scarcely be called     
articulate4 ,she could with difficulty  
contain herself1 and seemed to be       
possessed1 and wholly overpowered1 with 
the ,god4 ,after a prelude of many      
unintelligible sounds1 uttered with     
fervour and a sort of frenzy1 she became
 by degrees more distinct4 ,she uttered 
incoherent sentences1 with breaks and   
pauses1 that were filled up with        
preternatural efforts and distorted     
gestures2 while the priests stood by1   
carefully recording her words1 and then 
reducing them into a sort of obscure    
signification4 ,they finally digested   
them for the most part into a species of
 hexameter verse4 ,we may suppose the   
supplicants during this ceremony placed 
at a proper distance1 so as to observe  

these things imperfectly1 while the less
 they understood1 they were ordinarily  
the more impressed with religious awe1  
and prepared implicitly to receive what 
was communicated to them4 ,sometimes the
 priestess found herself in a frame1 not
 entirely equal to her function1 and    
refused for the present to proceed with 
the ceremony4  ,the priests of the      
oracle doubtless conducted them in a    
certain degree like the gipsies and     
fortune-tellers of modern times1        
cunningly procuring to themselves       
intelligence in whatever way they could1
 and ingeniously worming out the secrets
 of their suitors1 at the same time     
contriving that their drift should least
 of all be suspected4 ,but their main   
resource probably was in the obscurity1 
almost amounting to unintelligibleness1 
of their responses4 ,their prophecies in
 most cases required the comment of the 
event to make them understood2 and it   
not seldom happened1 that the meaning in
 the sequel was found to be the         

diametrically opposite of that which the
 pious votaries had originally          
conceived4  ,in the mean time the       
obscurity of the oracles was of         
inexpressible service to the cause of   
superstition4 ,if the event turned out  
to be such as could in no way be twisted
 to come within the scope of the        
response1 the pious suitor only         
concluded that the failure was owing to 
the grossness and carnality of his own  
apprehension1 and not to any deficiency 
in the institution4 ,thus the oracle by 
no means lost credit1 even when its     
meaning remained for ever in its        
original obscurity4 ,but1 when1 by any  
fortunate chance1 its predictions seemed
 to be verified1 then the unerringness  
of the oracle was lauded from nation to 
nation2 and the omniscience of the ,god 
was admitted with astonishment and      
adoration4  ,it would be a vulgar and   
absurd mistake however1 to suppose that 
all this was merely the affair of craft1
 the multitude only being the dupes1    

while the priests in cold blood carried 
on the deception1 and secretly laughed  
at the juggle they were palming on the  
world4 ,they felt their own importance2 
and they cherished it4 ,they felt that  
they were regarded by their countrymen  
as something more than human2 and the   
opinion entertained of them by the world
 around them1 did not fail to excite a  
responsive sentiment in their own       
bosoms4 ,if their contemporaries        
willingly ascribed to them an exclusive 
sacredness1 by how much stronger an     
impulse were they led fully to receive  
so flattering a suggestion6 ,their minds
 were in a perpetual state of           
exaltation2 and they believed themselves
 specially favoured by the ,god whose   
temple constituted their residence4 ,a  
small matter is found sufficient to     
place a creed which flatters all the    
passions of its votaries1 on the most   
indubitable basis4 ,modern philosophers 
think that by their doctrine of gases   
they can explain all the appearances of 

the ,pythia2 but the ancients1 to whom  
this doctrine was unknown1 admitted     
these appearances as the undoubted      
evidence of an interposition from       
heaven4  ,it is certainly a matter of   
the extremest difficulty1 for us in     
imagination to place ourselves in the   
situation of those who believed in the  
ancient polytheistical creed4 ,and yet  
these believers nearly constituted the  
whole of the population of the kingdoms 
of antiquity4 ,even those who professed 
to have shaken off the prejudices of    
their education1 and to rise above the  
absurdities of paganism1 had still some 
of the old leaven adhering to them4 ,one
 of the last acts of the life of        
,socrates1 was to order the sacrifice of
 a cock to be made to ,aesculapius4     
,now the creed of paganism is said to   
have made up to the number of thirty    
thousand deities4 ,every kingdom1 every 
city1 every street1 nay1 in a manner    
every house1 had its protecting ,god4   
,these ,gods were rivals to each other2 

and were each jealous of his own        
particular province1 and watchful       
against the intrusion of any neighbour  
deity upon ground where he had a        
superior right4 ,the province of each of
 these deities was of small extent2 and 
therefore their watchfulness and        
jealousy of their appropriate honours do
 not enter into the slightest comparison
 with the ,providence of the ,god who   
directs the concerns of the universe4   
,they had ample leisure to employ in    
vindicating their prerogatives4         
,prophecy was of all means the plainest 
and most obvious for each deity to      
assert his existence1 and to inforce the
 reverence and submission of his        
votaries4 ,prophecy was that species of 
interference which was least liable to  
the being confuted and exposed4 ,the    
oracles1 as we have said1 were delivered
 in terms and phrases that were nearly  
unintelligible4 ,if therefore they met  
with no intelligible fulfilment1 this   
lost them nothing2 and1 if it gained    

them no additional credit1 neither did  
it expose them to any disgrace4 ,whereas
 every example1 where the obscure       
prediction seemed to tally with1 and be 
illustrated by any subsequent event1 was
 hailed with wonder and applause1       
confirmed the faith of the true         
believers1 and was held forth as a      
victorious confutation of the doubts of 
the infidel4   ,,invasion ,,of ,,xerxes 
,,into ,,greece4  ,it is particularly   
suitable in this place to notice the    
events which took place at ,delphi upon 
occasion of the memorable invasion of   
,xerxes into ,greece4 ,this was indeed a
 critical moment for the heathen        
mythology4 ,the ,persians were pointed  
and express in their hostility against  
the altars and the temples of the       
,greeks4 ,it was no sooner known that   
the straits of ,thermopylae had been    
forced1 than the priests consulted the  
,god1 as to whether they should bury the
 treasures of the temple1 so to secure  
them against the sacrilege of the       

invader4 ,the answer of the oracle was3 
,let nothing be moved2 the ,god is      
sufficient for the protection of his    
rights4 ,the inhabitants therefore of   
the neighbourhood withdrew3 only sixty  
men and the priest remained4 ,the       
,persians in the mean time approached4  
,previously to this however1 the sacred 
arms which were placed in the temple1   
were seen to be moved by invisible      
hands1 and deposited on the declivity   
which was on the outside of the         
building4 ,the invaders no sooner shewed
 themselves1 than a miraculous storm of 
thunder and lightning rebounded and     
flashed among the multiplied hills which
 surrounded the sacred area1 and struck 
terror into all hearts4 ,two vast       
fragments were detached from the top of 
mount ,parnassus1 and crushed hundreds  
in their fall4 ,a voice of warlike      
acclamation issued from within the      
walls4 ,dismay seized the ,persian      
troops4 ,the ,delphians then1 rushing   
from their caverns1 and descending from 

the summits1 attacked them with great   
slaughter4 ,two persons1 exceeding all  
human stature1 and that were said to be 
the demigods whose fanes were erected   
near the temple of ,apollo1 joined in   
the pursuit1 and extended the slaughter4
 #id ,it has been said that the         
situation of the place was particularly 
adapted to this mode of defence4        
,surrounded and almost overhung with    
lofty mountain-summits1 the area of the 
city was inclosed within crags and      
precipices4 ,no way led to it but       
through defiles1 narrow and steep1      
shadowed with wood1 and commanded at    
every step by fastnesses from above4 ,in
 such a position artificial fires and   
explosion might imitate a thunder storm4
 ,great pains had been taken1 to        
represent the place as altogether       
abandoned2 and therefore the detachment 
of rocks from the top of mount          
,parnassus1 though effected by human    
hands1 might appear altogether          
supernatural4  ,nothing can more        

forcibly illustrate the strength of the 
religious feeling among the ,greeks1    
than the language of the ,athenian      
government at the time of the second    
descent of the ,persian armament upon   
their territory1 when they were again   
compelled to abandon their houses and   
land to the invader4 ,mardonius said to 
them3 ,i am thus commissioned by the    
king of ,persia1 he will release and    
give back to you your country2 he       
invites you to choose a further         
territory1 whatever you may think       
desirable1 which he will guarantee to   
you to govern as you shall judge fit4   
,he will rebuild for you1 without its   
costing you either money or labour1 the 
temples which in his former incursion he
 destroyed with fire4 ,it is in vain for
 you to oppose him by force1 for his    
armies are innumerable4 ,to which the   
,athenians replied1 ,as long as the sun 
pursues his course in the heavens1 so   
long will we resist the ,persian        
invader4 ,then turning to the ,spartan  

ambassadors who were sent to encourage  
and animate them to persist1 they added1
 ,it is but natural that your employers 
should apprehend that we might give way 
and be discouraged4 ,but there is no sum
 of money so vast1 and no region so     
inviting and fertile1 that could buy us 
to concur in the enslaving of ,greece4  
,many and resistless are the causes     
which induce us to this resolve4 ,first 
and chiefest1 the temples and images of 
the ,gods1 which ,xerxes has burned and 
laid in ruins1 and which we are called  
upon to avenge to the utmost1 instead of
 forming a league with him who made this
 devastation4 ,secondly1 the            
consideration of the ,grecian race1 the 
same with us in blood and in speech1 the
 same in religion and manners1 and whose
 cause we will never betray4 ,know      
therefore now1 if you knew not before1  
that1 as long as a single ,athenian     
survives1 we will never swerve from the 
hostility to ,persia to which we have   
devoted ourselves4  ,contemplating this 

magnanimous resolution1 it is in vain   
for us to reflect on the absurdity1     
incongruity and frivolousness1 as we    
apprehend it1 of the pagan worship1     
inasmuch as we find1 whatever we may    
think of its demerits1 that the most    
heroic people that ever existed on      
earth1 in the hour of their direst      
calamity1 regarded a zealous and fervent
 adherence to that religion as the most 
sacred of all duties4 #ie               
,,democritus4  ,the fame of ,democritus 
has sustained a singular fortune4 ,he is
 represented by ,pliny as one of the    
most superstitious of mortals4 ,this    
character is founded on certain books   
which appeared in his name4 ,in these   
books he is made to say1 that1 if the   
blood of certain birds be mingled       
together1 the combination will produce a
 serpent1 of which whoever eats will    
become endowed with the gift of         
understanding the language of birds4 #if
 ,he attributes a multitude of virtues  
to the limbs of a dead camelion3 among  

others that1 if the left foot of this   
animal be grilled1 and there be added   
certain herbs1 and a particular unctuous
 preparation1 it will have the quality  
to render the person who carries it     
about him invisible4 #ig ,but all this  
is wholly irreconcileable with the known
 character of ,democritus1 who          
distinguished himself by the hypothesis 
that the world was framed from the      
fortuitous concourse of atoms1 and that 
the soul died with the body4 ,and       
accordingly ,lucian1 #ih a more         
judicious author than ,pliny1 expressly 
cites ,democritus as the strenuous      
opposer of all the pretenders to        
miracles4 ,such juggling tricks1 he     
says1 call for a ,democritus1 an        
,epicurus1 a ,metrodorus1 or some one of
 that temper1 who should endeavour to   
detect the illusion1 and would hold it  
for certain1 even if he could not fully 
lay open the deceit1 that the whole was 
a lying pretence1 and had not a spark of
 reality in it4  ,democritus was in     

reality one of the most disinterested   
characters on record in the pursuit of  
truth4 ,he has been styled the father of
 experimental philosophy4 ,when his     
father died1 and the estate came to be  
divided between him and two brothers1 he
 chose the part which was in money1     
though the smallest1 that he might      
indulge him ,errata3 read himself in    
travelling in pursuit of knowledge4 ,he 
visited ,egypt and ,persia1 and turned  
aside into ,ethiopia and ,india4 ,he is 
reported to have said1 that he had      
rather be the possessor of one of the   
cardinal secrets of nature1 than of the 
diadem of ,persia4   ,,socrates4        
,socrates is the most eminent of the    
ancient philosophers4 ,he lived in the  
most enlightened age of ,greece1 and in 
,athens1 the most illustrious of her    
cities4 ,he was born in the middle ranks
 of life1 the son of a sculptor4 ,he was
 of a mean countenance1 with a snub     
nose1 projecting eyes1 and otherwise of 
an appearance so unpromising1 that a    

physiognomist1 his contemporary1        
pronounced him to be given to the       
grossest vices4 ,but he was of a        
penetrating understanding1 the simplest 
manners1 and a mind wholly bent on the  
study of moral excellence4 ,he at once  
abjured all the lofty pretensions1 and  
the dark and recondite pursuits of the  
most applauded teachers of his time1 and
 led those to whom he addressed his     
instructions from obvious and           
irresistible data to the most unexpected
 and useful conclusions4 ,there was     
something in his manner of teaching that
 drew to him the noblest youth of       
,athens4 ,plato and ,xenophon1 two of   
the most admirable of the ,greek        
writers1 were among his pupils4 ,he     
reconciled in his own person in a       
surprising degree poverty with the      
loftiest principles of independence4 ,he
 taught an unreserved submission to the 
laws of our country4 ,he several times  
unequivocally displayed his valour in   
the field of battle1 while at the same  

time he kept aloof from public offices  
and trusts4 ,the serenity of his mind   
never forsook him4 ,he was at all times 
ready to teach1 and never found it      
difficult to detach himself from his own
 concerns1 to attend to the wants and   
wishes of others4 ,he was uniformly     
courteous and unpretending2 and1 if at  
any time he indulged in a vein of       
playful ridicule1 it was only against   
the presumptuously ignorant1 and those  
who were without foundation wise in     
their own conceit4  ,yet1 with all these
 advantages and perfections1 the name of
 ,socrates would not have been handed   
down with such lustre to posterity but  
for the manner of his death4 ,he made   
himself many enemies4 ,the plainness of 
his manner and the simplicity of his    
instructions were inexpressibly wounding
 to those 7and they were many71 who1    
setting up for professors1 had hitherto 
endeavoured to dazzle their hearers by  
the loftiness of their claims1 and to   
command from them implicit submission by

 the arrogance with which they dictated4
 ,it must be surprising to us1 that a   
man like ,socrates should be arraigned  
in a country like ,athens upon a capital
 accusation4 ,he was charged with       
instilling into the youth a disobedience
 to their duties1 and propagating       
impiety to the ,gods1 faults of which he
 was notoriously innocent4 ,but the plot
 against him was deeply laid1 and is    
said to have been twenty years in the   
concoction4 ,and he greatly assisted the
 machinations of his adversaries1 by the
 wonderful firmness of his conduct upon 
his trial1 and his spirited resolution  
not to submit to any thing indirect and 
pusillanimous4 ,he defended himself with
 a serene countenance and the most      
cogent arguments1 but would not stoop to
 deprecation and intreaty4 ,when        
sentence was pronounced against him1    
this did not induce the least alteration
 of his conduct4 ,he did not think that 
a life which he had passed for seventy  
years with a clear conscience1 was worth

 preserving by the sacrifice of honour4 
,he refused to escape from prison1 when 
one of his rich friends had already     
purchased of the jailor the means of his
 freedom4 ,and1 during the last days of 
his life1 and when he was waiting the   
signal of death1 which was to be the    
return of a ship that had been sent with
 sacrifices to ,delos1 he uttered those 
admirable discourses1 which have been   
recorded by ,xenophon and ,plato to the 
latest posterity4  ,but the question    
which introduces his name into this     
volume1 is that of what is called the   
demon of ,socrates4 ,he said that he    
repeatedly received a divine premonition
 of dangers impending over himself and  
others2 and considerable pains have been
 taken to ascertain the cause and author
 of these premonitions4 ,several        
persons1 among whom we may include      
,plato1 have conceived that ,socrates   
regarded himself as attended by a       
supernatural guardian who at all times  
watched over his welfare and concerns4  

,but the solution is probably of a      
simpler nature4 ,socrates1 with all his 
incomparable excellencies and           
perfections1 was not exempt from the    
superstitions of his age and country4   
,he had been bred up among the          
absurdities of polytheism4 ,in them were
 included1 as we have seen1 a profound  
deference for the responses of oracles1 
and a vigilant attention to portents and
 omens4 ,socrates appears to have been  
exceedingly regardful of omens4 ,plato  
tells us that this intimation1 which he 
spoke of as his demon1 never prompted   
him to any act1 but occasionally        
interfered to prevent him or his friends
 from proceeding in any thing that would
 have been attended with injurious      
consequences4 #ii ,sometimes he         
described it as a voice1 which no one   
however heard but himself2 and sometimes
 it shewed itself in the act of         
sneezing4 ,if the sneezing came1 when he
 was in doubt to do a thing or not to do
 it1 it confirmed him2 but if1 being    

already engaged in any act1 he sneezed1 
this he considered as a warning to      
desist4 ,if any of his friends sneezed  
on his right hand1 he interpreted this  
as a favourable omen2 but1 if on his    
left1 he immediately relinquished his   
purpose4 #ajj ,socrates vindicated his  
mode of expressing himself on the       
subject1 by saying that others1 when    
they spoke of omens1 for example1 by the
 voice of a bird1 said the bird told me 
this1 but that he1 knowing that the omen
 was purely instrumental to a higher    
power1 deemed it more religious and     
respectful to have regard only to the   
higher power1 and to say that ,god had  
graciously warned him4 #aja ,one of the 
examples of this presage was1 that1     
going along a narrow street with several
 companions in earnest discourse1 he    
suddenly stopped1 and turned another    
way1 warning his friends to do the same4
 ,some yielded to him1 and others went  
on1 who were encountered by the rushing 
forward of a multitude of hogs1 and did 

not escape without considerable         
inconvenience and injury4 #ajb ,in      
another instance one of a company among 
whom was ,socrates1 had confederated to 
commit an act of assassination4         
,accordingly he rose to quit the place1 
saying to ,socrates1 ,i will be back    
presently4 ,socrates1 unaware of his    
purpose1 but having received the        
intimation of his demon1 said to him    
earnestly1 ,go not4 ,the conspirator sat
 down4 ,again however he rose1 and again
 ,socrates stopped him4 ,at length he   
escaped1 without the observation of the 
philosopher1 and committed the act1 for 
which he was afterwards brought to      
trial4 ,when led to execution1 he       
exclaimed1 ,this would never have       
happened to me1 if ,i had yielded to the
 intimation of ,socrates4 #ajc ,in the  
same manner1 and by a similar           
suggestion1 the philosopher predicted   
the miscarriage of the ,athenian        
expedition to ,sicily under ,nicias1    
which terminated with such signal       

disaster4 #ajd ,this feature in the     
character of ,socrates is remarkable1   
and may shew the prevalence of          
superstitious observances1 even in      
persons whom we might think the most    
likely to be exempt from this weakness4 
,,rome4   ,,virgil4  ,from the ,greeks  
let us turn to the ,romans4 ,the        
earliest examples to our purpose occur  
in the ,aeneid4 ,and1 though ,virgil is 
a poet1 yet is he so correct a writer1  
that we may well take for granted1 that 
he either records facts which had been  
handed down by tradition1 or that1 when 
he feigns1 he feigns things strikingly  
in accord with the manners and belief of
 the age of which he speaks4            
,,polydorus4  ,one of the first passages
 that occur1 is of the ghost of the     
deceased ,polydorus on the coast of     
,thrace4 ,polydorus1 the son of ,priam1 
was murdered by the king of that        
country1 his host1 for the sake of the  
treasures he had brought with him from  
,troy4 ,he was struck through with darts

 made of the wood of the myrtle4 ,the   
body was cast into a pit1 and earth     
thrown upon it4 ,the stems of myrtle    
grew and flourished4 ,aeneas1 after the 
burning of ,troy1 first attempted a     
settlement in this place4 ,near the spot
 where he landed he found a hillock     
thickly set with myrtle4 ,he attempted  
to gather some1 thinking it might form a
 suitable screen to an altar which he   
had just raised4 ,to his astonishment   
and horror he found the branches he had 
plucked1 dropping with blood4 ,he tried 
the experiment again and again4 ,at     
length a voice from the mound was heard1
 exclaiming1 ,spare me6 ,i am           
,polydorus2 and warning him to fly the  
blood-stained and treacherous shore4    
,,dido4  ,we have a more detailed tale  
of necromancy1 when ,dido1 deserted by  
,aeneas1 resolves on self-destruction4  
,to delude her sister as to her secret  
purpose1 she sends for a priestess from 
the gardens of the ,hesperides1         
pretending that her object is by magical

 incantations again to relumine the     
passion of love in the breast of        
,aeneas4 ,this priestess is endowed with
 the power1 by potent verse to free the 
oppressed soul from care1 and by similar
 means to agitate the bosom with passion
 which is free from its empire4 ,she can
 arrest the headlong stream1 and cause  
the stars to return back in their       
orbits4 ,she can call up the ghosts of  
the dead4 ,she is able to compel the    
solid earth to rock1 and the trees of   
the forest to descend from their        
mountains4 ,to give effect to the       
infernal spell1 ,dido commands that a   
funeral pyre shall be set up in the     
interior court of her palace1 and that  
the arms of ,aeneas1 what remained of   
his attire1 and the marriage bed in     
which ,dido had received him1 shall be  
heaped upon it4 ,the pyre is hung round 
with garlands1 and adorned with branches
 of cypress4 ,the sword of ,aeneas and  
his picture are added4 ,altars are      
placed round the pyre2 and the          

priestess1 with dishevelled hair1 calls 
with terrific charms upon her three     
hundred ,gods1 upon ,erebus1 chaos1 and 
the three-faced ,hecate4 ,she sprinkles 
around the waters of ,avernus1 and adds 
certain herbs that had been cropped by  
moonlight with a sickle of brass4 ,she  
brings with her the excrescence which is
 found upon the forehead of a new-cast  
foal1 of the size of a dried fig1 and   
which unless first eaten by the mare1   
the mother never admits her young to the
 nourishment of her milk4 ,after these  
preparations1 ,dido1 with garments      
tucked up1 and with one foot bare1      
approached the altars1 breaking over    
them a consecrated cake1 and embracing  
them successively in her arms4 ,the pyre
 was then to be set on fire2 and1 as the
 different objects placed upon it were  
gradually consumed1 the charm became    
complete1 and the ends proposed to the  
ceremony were expected to follow4 ,dido 
assures her sister1 that she well knew  
the unlawfulness of her proceeding1 and 

protests that nothing but irresistible  
necessity should have compelled her to  
have recourse to these unhallowed arts4 
,she finally stabs herself1 and expires4
   ,,romulus4  ,the early history of    
,rome is1 as might be expected1         
interspersed with prodigies4 ,romulus   
himself1 the founder1 after a prosperous
 reign of many years1 disappeared at    
last by a miracle4 ,the king assembled  
his army to a general review1 when      
suddenly1 in the midst of the ceremony1 
a tempest arose1 with vivid lightnings  
and tremendous crashes of thunder4      
,romulus became enveloped in a cloud1   
and1 when1 shortly after1 a clear sky   
and serene heavens succeeded1 the king  
was no more seen1 and the throne upon   
which he had sat appeared vacant4 ,the  
people were somewhat dissatisfied with  
the event1 and appear to have suspected 
foul play4 ,but the next day ,julius    
,proculus1 a senator of the highest     
character1 shewed himself in the general
 assembly1 and assured them1 that1 with 

the first dawn of the morning1 ,romulus 
had stood before him1 and certified to  
him that the ,gods had taken him up to  
their celestial abodes1 authorising him 
withal to declare to his citizens1 that 
their arms should be for ever successful
 against all their enemies4 #aje        
,,numa4  ,numa was the second king of   
,rome3 and1 the object of ,romulus      
having been to render his people        
soldiers and invincible in war1 ,numa1  
an old man and a philosopher1 made it   
his purpose to civilise them1 and deeply
 to imbue them with sentiments of       
religion4 ,he appears to have imagined  
the thing best calculated to accomplish 
this purpose1 was to lead them by       
prodigies and the persuasion of an      
intercourse with the invisible world4 ,a
 shield fell from heaven in his time1   
which he caused to be carefully kept and
 consecrated to the ,gods2 and he       
conceived no means so likely to be      
effectual to this end1 as to make eleven
 other shields exactly like the one     

which had descended by miracle1 so that1
 if an accident happened to any one1 the
 ,romans might believe that the one     
given to them by the divinity was still 
in their possession4#ajf  ,numa gave to 
his people civil statutes1 and a code of
 observances in matters of religion2 and
 these also were inforced with a divine 
sanction4 ,numa met the goddess ,egeria 
from time to time in a cave2 and by her 
was instructed in the institutions he   
should give to the ,romans3 and this    
barbarous people1 awed by the venerable 
appearance of their king1 by the        
sanctity of his manners1 and still more 
by the divine favour which was so       
signally imparted to him1 received his  
mandates with exemplary reverence1 and  
ever after implicitly conformed         
themselves to all that he had suggested4
 #ajg   ,,tullus ,,hostilius4  ,tullus  
,hostilius1 the third king of ,rome1    
restored again the policy of ,romulus4  
,in his time1 ,alba1 the parent state1  
was subdued and united to its more      

flourishing colony4 ,in the mean time   
,tullus1 who during the greater part of 
his reign had been distinguished by     
martial achievements1 in the latter part
 became the victim of superstitions4 ,a 
shower of stones fell from heaven1 in   
the manner1 as ,livy tells us1 of a     
hail-storm4 ,a plague speedily succeeded
 to this prodigy4 #ajh ,tullus1 awed by 
these events1 gave his whole attention  
to the rites of religion4 ,among other  
things he found in the sacred books of  
,numa an account of a certain ceremony1 
by which1 if rightly performed1 the     
appearance of a ,god1 named ,jupiter    
,elicius1 would be conjured up4 ,but    
,tullus1 who had spent his best days in 
the ensanguined field1 proved inadequate
 to this new undertaking4 ,some defects 
having occurred in his performance of   
the magical ceremony1 not only no ,god  
appeared at his bidding1 but1 the anger 
of heaven being awakened1 a thunderbolt 
fell on the palace1 and the king1 and   
the place of his abode were consumed    

together4 #aji   ,,accius ,,navius4  ,in
 the reign of ,tarquinius ,priscus1 the 
fifth king of ,rome1 another famous     
prodigy is recorded4 ,the king had      
resolved to increase the number of the  
,roman cavalry4 ,romulus had raised the 
first body with the customary ceremony  
of augury4 ,tarquinius proposed to      
proceed in the present case1 omitting   
this ceremony4 ,accius ,navius1 the     
chief augur1 protested against the      
innovation4 ,tarquin1 in contempt of his
 interference1 addressed ,accius1       
saying1 ,come1 augur1 consult your      
birds1 and tell me1 whether the thing ,i
 have now in my mind can be done1 or    
cannot be done4 ,accius proceeded       
according to the rules of his art1 and  
told the king it could be done4 ,what ,i
 was thinking of1 replied ,tarquinius1  
was whether you could cut this whetstone
 in two with this razor4 ,accius        
immediately took the one instrument and 
the other1 and performed the prodigy in 
the face of the assembled people4 #aaj  

,,servius ,,tullius4  ,servius ,tullius1
 the sixth king of ,rome1 was the model 
of a disinterested and liberal          
politician1 and gave to his subjects    
those institutions to which1 more than  
to any other cause1 they were indebted  
for their subsequent greatness4         
,tarquinius subjected nearly the whole  
people of ,latium to his rule1 capturing
 one town of this district after        
another4 ,in ,corniculum1 one of these  
places1 ,servius ,tullius1 being in     
extreme youth1 was made a prisoner of   
war1 and subsequently dwelt as a slave  
in the king's palace4 ,one day as he lay
 asleep in the sight of many1 his head  
was observed to be on fire4 ,the        
bystanders1 terrified at the spectacle1 
hastened to bring water that they might 
extinguish the flames4 ,the queen       
forbade their assiduity1 regarding the  
event as a token from the ,gods4 ,by and
 by the boy awoke of his own accord1 and
 the flames at the same instant         
disappeared4 ,the queen1 impressed with 

the prodigy1 became persuaded that the  
youth was reserved for high fortunes1   
and directed that he should be          
instructed accordingly in all liberal   
knowledge4 ,in due time he was married  
to the daughter of ,tarquinius1 and was 
destined in all men's minds to succeed  
in the throne1 which took place in the  
sequel4 #aaa  ,in the year of ,rome two 
hundred and ninety one1 forty-seven     
years after the expulsion of ,tarquin1 a
 dreadful plague broke out in the city1 
and carried off both the consuls1 the   
augurs1 and a vast multitude of the     
people4 ,the following year was         
distinguished by numerous prodigies2    
fires were seen in the heavens1 and the 
earth shook1 spectres appeared1 and     
supernatural voices were heard1 an ox   
spoke1 and a shower of raw flesh fell in
 the fields4 ,most of these prodigies   
were not preternatural2 the speaking ox 
was probably received on the report of a
 single hearer2 and the whole was       
invested with exaggerated terror by     

means of the desolation of the preceding
 year4 #aab   ,,the ,,sorceress ,,of    
,,virgil4  ,prodigies are plentifully   
distributed through the earlier parts of
 the ,roman history2 but it is not our  
purpose to enter into a chronological   
detail on the subject4 ,and in reality  
those already given1 except in the      
instance of ,tullus ,hostilius1 do not  
entirely fall within the scope of the   
present volume4 ,the ,roman poets1      
,virgil1 ,horace1 ,ovid and ,lucan1 give
 a fuller insight than the ,latin       
prose-writers1 into the conceptions of  
their countrymen upon the subject of    
incantations and magic4  ,the eighth    
eclogue of ,virgil1 entitled            
,pharmaceutria1 is particularly to our  
purpose in this point4 ,there is an     
,idyll of ,theocritus under the same    
name2 but it is of an obscurer          
character2 and the enchantress is not1  
like that of ,virgil1 triumphant in the 
success of her arts4  ,the sorceress is 
introduced by ,virgil1 giving direction 

to her female attendant as to the due   
administration of her charms4 ,her      
object is to recal ,daphnis1 whom she   
styles her husband1 to his former love  
for her4 ,at the same time1 she says1   
she will endeavour by magic to turn him 
away from his wholesome sense4 ,she     
directs her attendant to burn vervain   
and frankincense2 and she ascribes the  
highest efficacy to the solemn chant1   
which1 she says1 can call down the moon 
from its sphere1 can make the           
cold-blooded snake burst in the field1  
and was the means by which ,circe turned
 the companions of ,ulysses into beasts4
 ,she orders his image to be thrice     
bound round with fillets of three       
colours1 and then that it be paraded    
about a prepared altar1 while in binding
 the knots the attendant shall still    
say1 ,thus do ,i bind the fillets of    
,venus4 ,one image of clay and one of   
wax are placed before the same fire2 and
 as the image of clay hardens1 so does  
the heart of ,daphnis harden towards his

 new mistress2 and as the image of wax  
softens1 so is the heart of ,daphnis    
made tender towards the sorceress4 ,she 
commands a consecrated cake to be broken
 over the image1 and crackling laurels  
to be burned before it1 that as ,daphnis
 had tormented her by his infidelity1 so
 he in his turn may be agitated with a  
returning constancy4 ,she prays that as 
the wanton heifer pursues the steer     
through woods and glens1 till at length1
 worn out with fatigue1 she lies down on
 the oozy reeds by the banks of the     
stream1 and the night-dew is unable to  
induce her to withdraw1 so ,daphnis may 
be led on after her for ever with       
inextinguishable love4 ,she buries the  
relics of what had belonged to ,daphnis 
beneath her threshold4 ,she bruises     
poisonous herbs of resistless virtue    
which had been gathered in the kingdom  
of ,pontus1 herbs1 which enabled him who
 gave them to turn himself into a hungry
 wolf prowling amidst the forests1 to   
call up ghosts from the grave1 and to   

translate the ripened harvest from the  
field where it grew to the lands of     
another4 ,she orders her attendant to   
bring out to the face of heaven the     
ashes of these herbs1 and ,errata3 dele 
and to cast them over her head into the 
running stream1 and at the same time    
taking care not to look behind her4     
,after all her efforts the sorceress    
begins to despair4 ,she says1 ,daphnis  
heeds not my incantations1 heeds not the
 ,gods4 ,she looks again2 she perceives 
the ashes on the altar emit sparkles of 
fire2 she hears her faithful house-dog  
bark before the door2 she says1 ,can    
these things be2 or do lovers dream what
 they desire8 ,it is not so6 ,the real  
,daphnis comes2 ,i hear his steps2 he   
has left the deluding town2 he hastens  
to my longing arms6   ,,canidia4  ,in   
the works of ,horace occurs a frightful 
and repulsive1 but a curious detail of a
 scene of incantation4 #aac ,four       
sorceresses are represented as          
assembled1 ,canidia1 the principal1 to  

perform1 the other three to assist in1  
the concoction of a charm1 by means of  
which a certain youth1 named ,varus1 for
 whom ,canidia had conceived a passion1 
but who regards the hag with the utmost 
contempt1 may be made obsequious to her 
desires4 ,canidia appears first1 the    
locks of her dishevelled hair twined    
round with venomous and deadly serpents1
 ordering the wild fig-tree and the     
funereal cypress to be rooted up from   
the sepulchres on which they grew1 and  
these1 together with the egg of a toad  
smeared with blood1 the plumage of the  
screech-owl1 various herbs brought from 
,thessaly and ,georgia1 and bones torn  
from the jaws of a famished dog1 to be  
burned in flames fed with perfumes from 
,colchis4 ,of the assistant witches1 one
 traces with hurried steps the edifice1 
sprinkling it1 as she goes1 with drops  
from the ,avernus1 her hair on her head 
stiff and erect1 like the quills of the 
sea-hedge-hog1 or the bristles of a     
hunted boar2 and another1 who is        

believed by all the neighbourhood to    
have the faculty of conjuring the stars 
and the moon down from heaven1          
contributes her aid4  ,but1 which is    
most horrible1 the last of the assistant
 witches is seen1 armed with a spade1   
and1 with earnest and incessant labour1 
throwing up earth1 that she may dig a   
trench1 in which is to be plunged up to 
his chin a beardless youth1 stripped of 
his purple robe1 the emblem of his noble
 descent1 and naked1 that1 from his     
marrow already dry and his liver 7when  
at length his eye-balls1 long fixed on  
the still renovated food which is       
withheld from his famished jaws1 have no
 more the power to discern71 may be     
concocted the love-potion1 from which   
these hags promise themselves the most  
marvellous results4  ,horace presents   
before us the helpless victim of their  
malice1 already inclosed in the fatal   
trench1 first viewing their orgies with 
affright1 asking1 by the ,gods who rule 
the earth and all the race of mortals1  

what means the tumult around him8 ,he   
then intreats ,canidia1 by her children 
if ever she had offspring1 by the       
visible evidences of his high rank1 and 
by the never-failing vengeance of       
,jupiter upon such misdeeds1 to say why 
she casts on him glances1 befitting the 
fury of a stepmother1 or suited to a    
beast already made desperate by the     
wounds of the hunter4  ,at length1 no   
longer exhausting himself in fruitless  
intreaties1 the victim has recourse in  
his agonies to curses on his            
executioners4 ,he says1 his ghost shall 
haunt them for ever1 for no vengeance   
can expiate such cruelty4 ,he will tear 
their cheeks with his fangs1 for that   
power is given to the shades below4 ,he 
will sit1 a night-mare1 on their bosoms1
 driving away sleep from their eyes2    
while the enraged populace shall pursue 
them with stones1 and the wolves shall  
gnaw and howl over their unburied       
members4 ,the unhappy youth winds up all
 with the remark1 that his parents who  

will survive him1 shall themselves      
witness this requital of the            
sorceresses' infernal deeds4  ,canidia1 
unmoved by these menaces and            
execrations1 complains of the slow      
progress of her charms4 ,she gnaws her  
fingers with rage4 ,she invokes the     
night and the moon1 beneath whose rays  
these preparations are carried on1 now1 
while the wild beasts lie asleep in the 
forests1 and while the dogs alone bay   
the superanuated letcher1 who relies    
singly on the rich scents with which he 
is perfumed for success1 to speed her   
incantations1 and signalise their power 
beneath the roof of him whose love she  
seeks4 ,she impatiently demands why her 
drugs should be of less avail than those
 of ,medea1 with which she poisoned a   
garment1 that1 once put on1 caused      
,creusa1 daughter of the king of        
,corinth1 to expire in intolerable      
torments8 ,she discovers that ,varus had
 hitherto baffled her power by means of 
some magical antidote2 and she resolves 

to prepare a mightier charm1 that       
nothing from earth or hell shall resist4
 ,sooner1 she says1 shall the sky be    
swallowed up in the sea1 and the earth  
be stretched a covering over both1 than 
thou1 my enemy1 shalt not be wrapped in 
the flames of love1 as subtle and       
tenacious as those of burning pitch4    
,it is not a little curious to remark   
the operation of the antagonist         
principles of superstition and          
scepticism among the ,romans in this    
enlightened period1 as it comes         
illustrated to us in the compositions of
 ,horace on this subject4 ,in the piece1
 the contents of which have just been   
given1 things are painted in all the    
solemnity and terror which is           
characteristic of the darkest ages4     
,but1 a few pages further on1 we find   
the poet in a mock ,palinodia           
deprecating the vengeance of the        
sorceress1 who1 he says1 has already    
sufficiently punished him by turning    
through her charms his flaxen hair to   

hoary white1 and overwhelming him by day
 and night with ceaseless anxieties4 ,he
 feels himself through her powerful     
magic tortured1 like ,hercules in the   
envenomed shirt of ,nessus1 or as if he 
were cast down into the flames of       
,aetna2 nor does he hope that she will  
cease compounding a thousand deadly     
ingredients against him1 till his very  
ashes shall have been scattered by the  
resistless winds4 ,he offers therefore  
to expiate his offence at her pleasure  
either by a sacrifice of an hundred     
oxen1 or by a lying ode1 in which her   
chastity and spotless manners shall be  
applauded to the skies4  ,what ,ovid    
gives is only a new version of the      
charms and philtres of ,medea4 #aad     
,,erichtho4  ,lucan1 in his ,pharsalia1 
#aae takes occasion1 immediately before 
the battle which was to decide the fate 
of the ,roman world1 to introduce       
,sextus1 the younger son of ,pompey1 as 
impatient to enquire1 even by the most  
sacrilegious means1 into the important  

events which are immediately impending4 
,he is encouraged in the attempt by the 
reflection1 that the soil upon which    
they are now standing1 ,thessaly1 had   
been notorious for ages as the noxious  
and unwholesome seat of sorcery and     
witchcraft4 ,the poet therefore embraces
 this occasion to expatiate on the      
various modes in which this detested art
 was considered as displaying itself4   
,and1 however he may have been ambitious
 to seize this opportunity to display   
the wealth of his imagination1 the whole
 does not fail to be curious1 as an     
exhibition of the system of magical     
power so far as the matter in hand is   
concerned4  ,the soil of ,thessaly1 says
 the poet1 is in the utmost degree      
fertile in poisonous herbs1 and her     
rocks confess the power of the          
sepulchral song of the magician4 ,there 
a vegetation springs up of virtue to    
compel the ,gods2 and ,colchis itself   
imports from ,thessaly treasures of this
 sort which she cannot boast as her own4

 ,the chaunt of the ,thessalian witch   
penetrates the furthest seat of the     
,gods1 and contains words so powerful1  
that not the care of the skies1 or of   
the revolving spheres1 can avail as an  
excuse to the deities to decline its    
force4 ,babylon and ,memphis yield to   
the superior might2 and the ,gods of    
foreign climes fly to fulfil the dread  
behests of the magician4  ,prompted by  
,thessalian song1 love glides into the  
hardest hearts2 and even the severity of
 age is taught to burn with youthful    
fires4 ,the ingredients of the poisoned 
cup1 nor the excrescence found on the   
forehead of the new-cast foal1 can rival
 in efficacy the witching incantation4  
,the soul is melted by its single force4
 ,the heart which not all the           
attractions of the genial bed could     
fire1 nor the influence of the most     
beautiful form1 the wheel of the        
sorceress shall force from its bent4    
,but the effects are perhaps still more 
marvellous that are produced on         

inanimate and unintellectual nature4    
,the eternal succession of the world is 
suspended2 day delays to rise on the    
earth2 the skies no longer obey their   
ruler4 ,nature becomes still at the     
incantation3 and ,jove1 accustomed to   
guide the machine1 is astonished to find
 the poles disobedient to his impulse4  
,now the sorceress deluges the plains   
with rain1 hides the face of heaven with
 murky clouds1 and the thunders roll1   
unbidden by the thunderer4 ,anon she    
shakes her hair1 and the darkness is    
dispersed1 and the whole horizon is     
cleared4 ,at one time the sea rages1    
urged by no storm2 and at another is    
smooth as glass1 in defiance of the     
tempestuous ,north4 ,the breath of the  
enchanter carries along the bark in the 
teeth of the wind2 the headlong torrent 
is suspended1 and rivers run back to    
their source4 ,the ,nile overflows not  
in the summer2 the crooked ,meander     
shapes to itself a direct course2 the   
sluggish ,arar gives new swiftness to   

the rapid ,rhone2 and the mountains bow 
their heads to their foundations4       
,clouds shroud the peaks of the         
cloudless ,olympus2 and the ,scythian   
snows dissolve1 unurged by the sun4 ,the
 sea1 though impelled by the tempestuous
 constellations1 is counteracted by     
witchcraft1 and no longer beats along   
the shore4 ,earthquakes shake the solid 
globe2 and the affrighted inhabitants   
behold both hemispheres at once4 ,the   
animals most dreaded for their fury1 and
 whose rage is mortal1 become tame2 the 
hungry tiger and the lordly lion fawn at
 the sorceress's feet2 the snake        
untwines all her folds amidst the snow2 
the viper1 divided by wounds1 unites    
again its severed parts2 and the        
envenomed serpent pines and dies under  
the power of a breath more fatal than   
his own4  ,what1 exclaims the poet1 is  
the nature of the compulsion thus       
exercised on the ,gods1 this obedience  
to song and to potent herbs1 this fear  
to disobey and scorn the enchanter8 ,do 

they yield from necessity1 or is it a   
voluntary subjection8 ,is it the piety  
of these hags that obtains the reward1  
or by menaces do they secure their      
purpose8 ,are all the ,gods subject to  
this control1 or1 is there one ,god upon
 whom it has power1 who1 himself        
compelled1 compels the elements8 ,the   
stars fall from heaven at their command4
 ,the silver moon yields to their       
execrations1 and burns with a           
smouldering flame1 even as when the     
earth comes between her and the sun1 and
 by its shadow intercepts its rays2 thus
 is the moon brought lower and more low1
 till she covers with her froth the     
herbs destined to receive her malignant 
influence4  ,but ,erichtho1 the witch of
 the poet1 flouts all these arts1 as too
 poor and timid for her purposes4 ,she  
never allows a roof to cover her horrid 
head1 or confesses the influence of the 
,houshold ,gods4 ,she inhabits the      
deserted tomb1 and dwells in a grave    
from which the ghost of the dead has    

been previously expelled4 ,she knows the
 ,stygian abodes1 and the counsels of   
the infernals4 ,her countenance is lean2
 and her complexion overspread with     
deadly paleness4 ,her hair is neglected 
and matted4 ,but when clouds and        
tempests obscure the stars1 then she    
comes forth1 and defies the midnight    
lightning4 ,wherever she treads1 the    
fruits of the earth become withered1 and
 the wholesome air is poisoned with her 
breath4 ,she offers no prayers1 and     
pours forth no supplications2 she has   
recourse to no divination4 ,she delights
 to profane the sacred altar with a     
funereal flame1 and pollutes the incense
 with a torch from the pyre4 ,the ,gods 
yield at once to her voice1 nor dare to 
provoke her to a second mandate4 ,she   
incloses the living man within the      
confines of the grave2 she subjects to  
sudden death those who were destined to 
a protracted age2 and she brings back to
 life the corses of the dead4 ,she      
snatches the smoaking cinders1 and the  

bones whitened with flame1 from the     
midst of the pile1 and wrests the torch 
from the hand of the mourning parent4   
,she seizes the fragments of the burning
 shroud1 and the embers yet moistened   
with blood4 ,but1 where the sad remains 
are already hearsed in marble1 it is    
there that she most delights to exercise
 her sacrilegious power4 ,she tears the 
limbs of the dead1 and digs out their   
eyes4 ,she gnaws their fingers4 ,she    
separates with her teeth the rope on the
 gibbet1 and tears away the murderer    
from the cross on which he hung         
suspended4 ,she applies to her purposes 
the entrails withered with the wind1 and
 the marrow that had been dried by the  
sun4 ,she bears away the nails which had
 pierced the hands and feet of the      
criminal1 the clotted blood which had   
distilled from his wounds1 and the      
sinews that had held him suspended4 ,she
 pounces upon the body of the dead in   
the battle-field1 anticipating the      
vulture and the beast of prey2 but she  

does not divide the limbs with a knife1 
nor tear them asunder with her hands3   
she watches the approach of the wolf1   
that she may wrench the morsels from his
 hungry jaws4 ,nor does the thought of  
murder deter her1 if her rites require  
the living blood1 first spurting from   
the lacerated throat4 ,she drags forth  
the foetus from its pregnant mother1 by 
a passage which violence has opened4    
,wherever there is occasion for a bolder
 and more remorseless ghost1 with her   
own hand she dismisses him from life2   
man at every period of existence        
furnishes her with materials4 ,she drags
 away the first down from the cheek of  
the stripling1 and with her left hand   
cuts the favourite lock from the head of
 the young man4 ,often she watches with 
seemingly pious care the dying hours of 
a relative1 and seizes the occasion to  
bite his lips1 to compress his windpipe1
 and whisper in his expiring organ some 
message to the infernal shades4         
,sextus1 guided by the general fame of  

this woman1 sought her in her haunts4   
,he chose his time1 in the depth of the 
night1 when the sun is at its lowermost 
distance from the upper sky4 ,he took   
his way through the desert fields4 ,he  
took for companions the associates1 the 
accustomed ministers of his crimes4     
,wandering among broken graves and      
crumbling sepulchres1 they discovered   
her1 sitting sublime on a ragged rock1  
where mount ,haemus stretches its roots 
to the ,pharsalic field4 ,she was       
mumbling charms of the ,magi and the    
magical ,gods4 ,for she feared that the 
war might yet be transferred to other   
than the ,emathian fields4 ,the         
sorceress was busy therefore enchanting 
the soil of ,philippi1 and scattering on
 its surface the juice of potent herbs1 
that it might be heaped with carcasses  
of the dead1 and saturated with their   
blood1 that ,macedon1 and not ,italy1   
might receive the bodies of departed    
kings and the bones of the noble1 and   
might be amply peopled with the shades  

of men4 ,her choicest labour was as to  
the earth where should be deposited the 
prostrate ,pompey1 or the limbs of the  
mighty ,caesar4  ,sextus approached1 and
 bespoke her thus3 ,oh1 glory of        
,haemonia1 that hast the power to       
divulge the fates of men1 or canst turn 
aside fate itself from its prescribed   
course1 ,i pray thee to exercise thy    
gift in disclosing events to come4 ,not 
the meanest of the ,roman race am ,i1   
the offspring of an illustrious         
chieftain1 lord of the world in the one 
case1 or in the other the destined heir 
to my father's calamity4 ,i stand on a  
tremendous and giddy height3 snatch me  
from this posture of doubt2 let me not  
blindly rush on1 and blindly fall2      
extort this secret from the ,gods1 or   
force the dead to confess what they     
know4  ,to whom the ,thessalian crone   
replied3 ,if you asked to change the    
fate of an individual1 though it were to
 restore an old man1 decrepid with age1 
to vigorous youth1 ,i could comply2 but 

to break the eternal chain of causes and
 consequences exceeds even our power4   
,you seek however only a foreknowledge  
of events to come1 and you shall be     
gratified4 ,meanwhile it were best1     
where slaughter has afforded so ample a 
field1 to select the body of one newly  
deceased1 and whose flexible organs     
shall be yet capable of speech1 not with
 lineaments already hardened in the sun4
  ,saying thus1 ,erichtho proceeded     
7having first with her art made the     
night itself more dark1 and involved her
 head in a pitchy cloud71 to explore the
 field1 and examine one by one the      
bodies of the unburied dead4 ,as she    
approached1 the wolves fled before her1 
and the birds of prey1 unwillingly      
sheathing their talons1 abandoned their 
repast1 while the ,thessalian witch1    
searching into the vital parts of the   
frames before her1 at length fixed on   
one whose lungs were uninjured1 and     
whose organs of speech had sustained no 
wound4 ,the fate of many hung in doubt1 

till she had made her selection4 ,had   
the revival of whole armies been her    
will1 armies would have stood up        
obedient to her bidding4 ,she passed a  
hook beneath the jaw of the selected    
one1 and1 fastening it to a cord1       
dragged him along over rocks and stones1
 till she reached a cave1 overhung by a 
projecting ridge4 ,a gloomy fissure in  
the ground was there1 of a depth almost 
reaching to the ,infernal ,gods1 where  
the yew-tree spread thick its horizontal
 branches1 at all times excluding the   
light of the sun4 ,fearful and withering
 shade was there1 and noisome slime     
cherished by the livelong night4 ,the   
air was heavy and flagging as that of   
the ,taenarian promontory2 and hither   
the ,god of hell permits his ghosts to  
extend their wanderings4 ,it is doubtful
 whether the sorceress called up the    
dead to attend her here1 or herself     
descended to the abodes of ,pluto4 ,she 
put on a fearful and variegated robe2   
she covered her face with her           

dishevelled hair1 and bound her brow    
with a wreath of vipers4  ,meanwhile she
 observed ,sextus afraid1 with his eyes 
fixed on the ground1 and his companions 
trembling2 and thus she reproached them4
 ,lay aside1 she said1 your             
vainly-conceived terrors6 ,you shall    
behold only a living and a human figure1
 whose accents you may listen to with   
perfect security4 ,if this alarms you1  
what would you say1 if you should have  
seen the ,stygian lakes1 and the shores 
burning with sulphur unconsumed1 if the 
furies stood before you1 and ,cerberus  
with his mane of vipers1 and the giants 
chained in eternal adamant8 ,yet all    
these you might have witnessed unharmed2
 for all these would quail at the terror
 of my brow4  ,she spoke1 and next plied
 the dead body with her arts4 ,she      
supples his wounds1 and infuses fresh   
blood into his veins3 she frees his     
scars from the clotted gore1 and        
penetrates them with froth from the     
moon4 ,she mixes whatever nature has    

engendered in its most fearful caprices1
 foam from the jaws of a mad dog1 the   
entrails of the lynx1 the backbone of   
the hyena1 and the marrow of a stag that
 had dieted on serpents1 the sinews of  
the remora1 and the eyes of a dragon1   
the eggs of the eagle1 the flying       
serpent of ,arabia1 the viper that      
guards the pearl in the ,red ,sea1 the  
slough of the hooded snake1 and the     
ashes that remain when the phoenix has  
been consumed4 ,to these she adds all   
venom that has a name1 the foliage of   
herbs over which she has sung her       
charms1 and on which she had voided her 
rheum as they grew4  ,at length she     
chaunts her incantation to the ,stygian 
,gods1 in a voice compounded of all     
discords1 and altogether alien to human 
organs4 ,it resembles at once the       
barking of a dog1 and the howl of a     
wolf2 it consists of the hooting of the 
screech-owl1 the yelling of a ravenous  
wild beast1 and the fearful hiss of a   
serpent4 ,it borrows somewhat from the  

roar of tempestuous waves1 the hollow   
rushing of the winds among the branches 
of the forest1 and the tremendous crash 
of deafening thunder4  ,ye furies1 she  
cries1 and dreadful ,styx1 ye sufferings
 of the damned1 and ,chaos1 for ever    
eager to destroy the fair harmony of    
worlds1 and thou1 ,pluto1 condemned to  
an eternity of ungrateful existence1    
,hell1 and ,elysium1 of which no        
,thessalian witch shall partake1        
,proserpine1 for ever cut off from thy  
health-giving mother1 and horrid        
,hecate1 ,cerebrus ,errata3 read        
,cerberus curst with incessant hunger1  
ye ,destinies1 and ,charon endlessly    
murmuring at the task ,i impose of      
bringing back the dead again to the land
 of the living1 hear me6--if ,i call on 
you with a voice sufficiently impious   
and abominable1 if ,i have never sung   
this chaunt1 unsated with human gore1 if
 ,i have frequently laid on your altars 
the fruit of the pregnant mother1       
bathing its contents with the reeking   

brain1 if ,i have placed on a dish      
before you the head and entrails of an  
infant on the point to be born--  ,i ask
 not of you a ghost1 already a tenant of
 the ,tartarean abodes1 and long        
familiarised to the shades below1 but   
one who has recently quitted the light  
of day1 and who yet hovers over the     
mouth of hell3 let him hear these       
incantations1 and immediately after     
descend to his destined place6 ,let him 
articulate suitable omens to the son of 
his general1 having so late been himself
 a soldier of the great ,pompey6 ,do    
this1 as you love the very sound and    
rumour of a civil war6  ,saying this1   
behold1 the ghost of the dead man stood 
erect before her1 trembling at the view 
of his own unanimated limbs1 and loth to
 enter again the confines of his wonted 
prison4 ,he shrinks to invest himself   
with the gored bosom1 and the fibres    
from which death had separated him4     
,unhappy wretch1 to whom death had not  
given the privilege to die6 ,erichtho1  

impatient at the unlooked for delay1    
lashes the unmoving corpse with one of  
her serpents4 ,she calls anew on the    
powers of hell1 and threatens to        
pronounce the dreadful name1 which      
cannot be articulated without           
consequences never to be thought of1 nor
 without the direst necessity to be     
ventured upon4  ,at length the congealed
 blood becomes liquid and warm2 it oozes
 from the wounds1 and creeps steadily   
along the veins and the members2 the    
fibres are called into action beneath   
the gelid breast1 and the nerves once   
more become instinct with life4 ,life   
and death are there at once4 ,the       
arteries beat2 the muscles are braced2  
the body raises itself1 not by degrees1 
but at a single impulse1 and stands     
erect4 ,the eyelids unclose4 ,the       
countenance is not that of a living     
subject1 but of the dead4 ,the paleness 
of the complexion1 the rigidity of the  
lines1 remain2 and he looks about with  
an unmeaning stare1 but utters no sound4

 ,he waits on the potent enchantress4   
,speak6 said she2 and ample shall be    
your reward4 ,you shall not again be    
subject to the art of the magician4 ,i  
will commit your members to such a      
sepulchre2 ,i will burn your form with  
such wood1 and will chaunt such a charm 
over your funeral pyre1 that all        
incantations shall thereafter assail you
 in vain4 ,be it enough1 that you have  
once been brought back to life6         
,tripods1 and the voice of oracles deal 
in ambiguous responses2 but the voice of
 the dead is perspicuous and certain to 
him who receives it with an unshrinking 
spirit4 ,spare not6 ,give names to      
things2 give places a clear designation2
 speak with a full and articulate voice4
  ,saying this1 she added a further     
spell1 qualified to give to him who was 
to answer1 a distinct knowledge of that 
respecting which he was about to be     
consulted4 ,he accordingly delivers the 
responses demanded of him2 and1 that    
done1 earnestly requires of the witch to

 be dismissed4 ,herbs and magic rites   
are necessary1 that the corpse may be   
again unanimated1 and the spirit never  
more be liable to be recalled to the    
realms of day4 ,the sorceress constructs
 the funeral pile2 the dead man places  
himself thereon2 ,erichtho applies the  
torch2 and the charm is for ever at an  
end4  ,lucan in this passage is         
infinitely too precise1 and exhausts his
 muse in a number of particulars1 where 
he had better have been more succinct   
and select4 ,he displays the prolific   
exuberance of a young poet1 who had not 
yet taught himself the multiplied       
advantages of compression4 ,he had not  
learned the principle1 ,relinquere quae 
desperat tractata nitescere posse4 #aaf 
,but1 as this is the fullest enumeration
 of the forms of witchcraft that occurs 
in the writers of antiquity1 it seemed  
proper to give it to the reader entire4 
,,sertorius4  ,the story of ,sertorius  
and his hind1 which occurred about      
thirty years before1 may not be         

improperly introduced here4 ,it is told 
by ,plutarch in the spirit of a         
philosopher1 and as a mere deception    
played by that general1 to render the   
barbarous people of ,spain more devoted 
to his service4 ,but we must suppose    
that it had1 at least for the time1 the 
full effect of something preternatural4 
,sertorius was one of the most highly   
gifted and well balanced characters that
 is to be found in ,roman story4 ,he    
considered with the soundest discernment
 the nature of the persons among whom he
 was to act1 and conducted himself      
accordingly4 ,the story in ,plutarch is 
this4  ,so soone as ,sertorius arriued  
from ,africa1 he straight leauied men of
 warre1 and with them subdued the people
 of ,spaine fronting upon his marches1  
of which the more part did willingly    
submit themselves1 upon the bruit that  
ran of him to be mercifull and          
courteous1 and a valiant man besides in 
present danger1 ,furthermore1 he lacked 
no fine deuises and subtilties to win   

their goodwils3 as among others1 the    
policy1 and deuise of the hind4 ,there  
was a poore man of the countrey called  
,spanus1 who meeting by chance one day  
with a hind in his way that had newly   
calved1 flying from the hunters1 he let 
the damme go1 not being able to take    
her2 and running after her calfe tooke  
it1 which was a young hind1 and of a    
strange haire1 for she was all          
milk-white4 ,it chanced so1 that        
,sertorius was at that time in those    
parts4 ,so1 this poore man presented    
,sertorius with his young hind1 which he
 gladly receiued1 and which with time he
 made so tame1 that she would come to   
him when he called her1 and follow him  
where-euer he went1 being nothing the   
wilder for the daily sight of such a    
number of armed souldiers together as   
they were1 nor yet afraid of the noise  
and tumult of the campe4 ,insomuch as   
,sertorius by little and little made it 
a miracle1 making the simple barbarous  
people beleeue that it was a gift that  

,diana had sent him1 by the which she   
made him understand of many and sundrie 
things to come3 knowing well inough of  
himselfe1 that the barbarous people were
 men easily deceiued1 and quickly caught
 by any subtill superstition1 besides   
that by art also he brought them to     
beleeue it as a thing verie true4 ,for  
when he had any secret intelligence     
giuen him1 that the enemies would inuade
 some part of the countries and         
prouinces subject vnto him1 or that they
 had taken any of his forts from him by 
any intelligence or sudden attempt1 he  
straight told them that his hind spake  
to him as he slept1 and had warned him  
both to arme his men1 and put himselfe  
in strength4 ,in like manner if he had  
heard any newes that one of his         
lieutenants had wonne a battell1 or that
 he had any aduantage of his enemies1 he
 would hide the messenger1 and bring his
 hind abroad with a garland and coller  
of nosegayes3 and then say1 it was a    
token of some good newes comming towards

 him1 perswading them withall to be of  
good cheare2 and so did sacrifice to the
 ,gods1 to giue them thankes for the    
good tidings he should heare before it  
were long4 ,thus by putting this        
superstition into their heades1 he made 
them the more tractable and obedient to 
his will1 in so much as they thought    
they were not now gouerned any more by a
 stranger wiser than themselues1 but    
were steadfastly perswaded that they    
were rather led by some certaine ,god4--
  ,now was ,sertorius very heauie1 that 
no man could tell him what was become of
 his white hind3 for thereby all his    
subtilltie and finenesse to keepe the   
barbarous people in obedience was taken 
away1 and then specially when they stood
 in need of most comfort4 ,but by good  
hap1 certaine of his souldiers that had 
lost themselves in the night1 met with  
the hind in their way1 and knowing her  
by her colour1 tooke her and brought her
 backe againe4 ,sertorius hearing of    
her1 promised them a good reward1 so    

that they would tell no liuing creature 
that they brought her againe1 and       
thereupon made her to be secretly kept4 
,then within a few dayes after1 he came 
abroad among them1 and with a pleasant  
countenance told the noble men and      
chiefe captaines of these barbarous     
people1 how the ,gods had reuealed it to
 him in his dreame1 that he should      
shortly have a maruellous good thing    
happen to him3 and with these words sate
 downe in his chaire to give audience4  
,whereupon they that kept the hind not  
farre from thence1 did secretly let her 
go4 ,the hind being loose1 when she had 
spied ,sertorius1 ranne straight to his 
chaire with great joy1 and put her head 
betwixt his legges1 and layed her mouth 
in his right hand1 as she before was    
wont to do4 ,sertorius also made very   
much of her1 and of purpose appeared    
maruellous glad1 shewing such tender    
affection to the hind1 as it seemed the 
water stood in his eyes for joy4 ,the   
barbarous people that stood there by and

 beheld the same1 at the first were much
 amazed therewith1 but afterwards when  
they had better bethought themselues1   
for ioy they clapped their hands        
together1 and waited upon ,sertorius to 
his lodging with great and ioyfull      
shouts1 saying1 and steadfastly         
beleeuing1 that he he was a heavenly    
creature1 and beloued of the ,gods4 #aag
   ,,casting ,,out ,,devils4  ,we are   
now brought down to the era of the      
,christian religion2 and there is       
repeated mention of sorcery in the books
 of the ,new ,testament4  ,one of the   
most frequent miracles recorded of      
,jesus ,christ is called the casting out
 devils4 ,the ,pharisees in the         
,evangelist1 for the purpose of         
depreciating this evidence of his divine
 mission1 are recorded to have said1    
this fellow doth not cast out devils1   
but by ,beelzebub1 the prince of devils4
 ,jesus1 among other remarks in         
refutation of this opprobrium1 rejoins  
upon them1 ,if ,i by ,beelzebub cast out

 devils1 by whom do your children cast  
them out8 #aah ,here then we have a     
plain insinuation of sorcery from the   
lips of ,christ himself1 at the same    
time that he appears to admit that his  
adversaries produced supernatural       
achievements similar to his own4        
,,simon ,,magus4  ,but the most         
remarkable passage in the ,new          
,testament on the subject of sorcery1 is
 one which describes the proceedings of 
,simon ,magus1 as follows4  ,then       
,philip went down to the city of        
,samaria1 and preached ,christ unto     
them4 ,but there was a certain man1     
called ,simon1 which before time in the 
same city used sorcery1 and bewitched   
the people of ,samaria1 giving out that 
himself was some great one4 ,to whom    
they all gave heed1 from the least to   
the greatest1 saying1 ,this man is the  
great power of ,god4 ,and to him they   
had regard1 because that of long time he
 had bewitched them with sorceries4     
,but1 when they believed ,philip1       

preaching the things concerning the     
kingdom of ,god and the name of ,jesus  
,christ1 they were baptized both men and
 women4 ,then ,simon himself believed   
also4 ,and1 when he was baptized1 he    
continued with ,philip1 and wondered1   
beholding the miracles and signs which  
were done4  ,now1 when the apostles     
which were at ,jerusalem heard that     
,samaria had received the word of ,god1 
they sent unto them ,peter and ,john4   
,who1 when they were come down1 prayed  
for them1 that they might receive the   
,holy ,ghost4 ,for as yet he was fallen 
upon none of them3 only they were       
baptized in the name of the ,lord       
,jesus4 ,then laid they their hands on  
them1 and they received the ,holy       
,ghost4  ,and1 when ,simon saw that1    
through the laying on of the apostles'  
hands1 the ,holy ,ghost was given1 he   
offered them money1 saying1 ,give me    
also this power1 that on whomsoever ,i  
lay hands he may receive the ,holy      
,ghost4 ,but ,peter said unto him1 ,thy 

money perish with thee6 because thou    
hast thought that the gift of ,god might
 be purchased with money4 ,thou hast    
neither part nor lot in this matter3 for
 thy heart is not right in the sight of 
,god4 ,repent therefore of this thy     
wickedness1 and pray ,god1 if perhaps   
the thought of thy heart may be forgiven
 thee3 for ,i perceive that thou art in 
the gall of bitterness1 and in the bond 
of iniquity4 ,then answered ,simon1 and 
said1 ,pray ye to the ,lord for me1 that
 none of these things which ye have     
spoken come upon me4 #aai  ,this passage
 of the ,new ,testament leaves us in    
considerable uncertainty as to the      
nature of the sorceries1 by which of a  
long time ,simon had bewitched the      
people of ,samaria4 ,but the fathers of 
the church1 ,clemens ,romanus and       
,anastasius ,sinaita1 have presented us 
with a detail of the wonders he actually
 performed4 ,when and to whom he pleased
 he made himself invisible2 he created a
 man out of air2 he passed through rocks

 and mountains without encountering an  
obstacle2 he threw himself from a       
precipice uninjured2 he flew along in   
the air2 he flung himself in the fire   
without being burned4 ,bolts and chains 
were impotent to detain him4 ,he        
animated statues1 so that they appeared 
to every beholder to be men and women2  
he made all the furniture of the house  
and the table to change places as       
required1 without a visible mover2 he   
metamorphosed his countenance and visage
 into that of another person2 he could  
make himself into a sheep1 or a goat1 or
 a serpent2 he walked through the       
streets attended with a multitude of    
strange figures1 which he affirmed to be
 the souls of the departed2 he made     
trees and branches of trees suddenly to 
spring up where he pleased2 he set up   
and deposed kings at will2 he caused a  
sickle to go into a field of corn1 which
 unassisted would mow twice as fast as  
the most industrious reaper4 #abj  ,thus
 endowed1 it is difficult to imagine    

what he thought he would have gained by 
purchasing from the apostles their gift 
of working miracles4 ,but ,clemens      
,romanus informs us that he complained  
that1 in his sorceries1 he was obliged  
to employ tedious ceremonies and        
incantations2 whereas the apostles      
appeared to effect their wonders without
 difficulty and effort1 by barely       
speaking a word4 #aba   ,,elymas1 ,,the 
,,sorcerer4  ,but ,simon ,magus is not  
the only magician spoken of in the ,new 
,testament4 ,when the apostle ,paul came
 to ,paphos in the isle of ,cyprus1 he  
found the ,roman governor divided in his
 preference between ,paul and ,elymas1  
the sorcerer1 who before the governor   
withstood ,paul to his face4 ,then      
,paul1 prompted by his indignation1     
said1 ,oh1 full of all subtlety and     
mischief1 child of the devil1 enemy of  
all righteousness1 wilt thou not cease  
to pervert the right ways of the ,lord8 
,and now1 behold1 the hand of the ,lord 
is upon thee1 and thou shalt be blind1  

not seeing the sun for a season4 ,what  
wonders ,elymas effected to deceive the 
,roman governor we are not told3 but    
immediately there fell on him a mist and
 a darkness2 and he went about1 seeking 
some to lead him by the hand4 #abb  ,in 
another instance we find certain        
vagabond ,jews1 exorcists1 who pretended
 to cast out devils from the possessed4 
,but they came to the apostle1 and      
confessed1 and shewed their deeds4 ,many
 of them also which used curious arts1  
brought their books together1 and burned
 them before all4 ,and they counted the 
price of them1 and found it fifty       
thousand pieces of silver4 #abc  ,it is 
easy to see however on which side the   
victory lay4 ,the apostles by their     
devotion and the integrity of their     
proceedings triumphed2 while those whose
 only motive was selfishness1 the       
applause of the vulgar1 or the          
admiration of the superficial1 gained   
the honours of a day1 and were then     
swept away into the gulf of general     

oblivion4   ,,nero4  ,the arts of the   
magician are said to have been called   
into action by ,nero upon occasion of   
the assassination of his mother1        
,agrippina4 ,he was visited with        
occasional fits of the deepest remorse  
in the recollection of his enormity4    
,notwithstanding all the ostentatious   
applauses and congratulations which he  
obtained from the senate1 the army and  
the people1 he complained that he was   
perpetually haunted with the ghost of   
his mother1 and pursued by the furies   
with flaming torches and whips4 ,he     
therefore caused himself to be attended 
by magicians1 who employed their arts to
 conjure up the shade of ,agrippina1 and
 to endeavour to obtain her forgiveness 
for the crime perpetrated by her son4   
#abd ,we are not informed of the success
 of their evocations4   ,,vespasian4    
,in the reign of ,vespasian we meet with
 a remarkable record of supernatural    
power1 though it does not strictly fall 
under the head of magic4 ,it is related 

by both ,tacitus and ,suetonius4        
,vespasian having taken up his abode for
 some months at ,alexandria1 a blind    
man1 of the common people1 came to him1 
earnestly intreating the emperor to     
assist in curing his infirmity1 alleging
 that he was prompted to apply by the   
admonition of the ,god ,serapis1 and    
importuning the prince to anoint his    
cheeks and the balls of his eyes with   
the royal spittle4 ,vespasian at first  
treated the supplication with disdain2  
but at length1 moved by the fervour of  
the petitioner1 inforced as it was by   
the flattery of his courtiers1 the      
emperor began to think that every thing 
would give way to his prosperous        
fortune1 and yielded to the poor man's  
desire4 ,with a confident carriage      
therefore1 the multitude of those who   
stood by being full of expectation1 he  
did as he was requested1 and the desired
 success immediately followed4 ,another 
supplicant appeared at the same time1   
who had lost the use of his hands1 and  

intreated ,vespasian to touch the       
diseased members with his foot2 and he  
also was cured4#abe  ,hume has remarked 
that many circumstances contribute to   
give authenticity to this miracle1 if1  
as he says1 any evidence could avail to 
establish so palpable a falsehood4 ,the 
gravity1 solidity1 age and probity of so
 great an emperor1 who1 through the     
whole course of his life1 conversed in a
 familiar manner with his friends and   
courtiers1 and never affected any airs  
of divinity3 the historian1 a           
contemporary writer1 noted for candour  
and veracity1 and perhaps the greatest  
and most penetrating genius of all      
antiquity3 and lastly1 the persons from 
whose authority he related the miracle1 
who we may presume to have been of      
established character for judgment and  
honour2 eye-witnesses of the fact1 and  
confirming their testimony1 as ,tacitus 
goes on to say1 after the ,flavian      
family ceased to be in power1 and could 
no longer give any reward as the price  

of a lie4 #abf   ,,apollonius ,,of      
,,tyana4  ,apollonius of ,tyana in ,asia
 ,minor was born nearly at the same time
 as ,jesus ,christ1 and acquired great  
reputation while he lived1 and for a    
considerable time after4 ,he was born of
 wealthy parents1 and seems early to    
have betrayed a passion for philosophy4 
,his father1 perceiving this1 placed him
 at fourteen years of age under         
,euthydemus1 a rhetorician of ,tarsus2  
but the youth speedily became           
dissatisfied with the indolence and     
luxury of the citizens1 and removed     
himself to ,aegas1 a neighbouring town1 
where was a temple of ,aesculapius1 and 
where the ,god was supposed sometimes to
 appear in person4 ,here he became      
professedly a disciple of the sect of   
,pythagoras4 ,he refrained from animal  
food1 and subsisted entirely on fruits  
and herbs4 ,he went barefoot1 and wore  
no article of clothing made from the    
skins of animals4 #abg ,he further      
imposed on himself a noviciate of five  

years silence4 ,at the death of his     
father1 he divided his patrimony equally
 with his brother2 and1 that brother    
having wasted his estate by prodigality1
 he again made an equal division with   
him of what remained4 #abh ,he travelled
 to ,babylon and ,susa in pursuit of    
knowledge1 and even among the ,brachmans
 of ,india1 and appears particularly to 
have addicted himself to the study of   
magic4 #abi ,he was of a beautiful      
countenance and a commanding figure1    
and1 by means of these things1 combined 
with great knowledge1 a composed and    
striking carriage1 and much natural     
eloquence1 appears to have won universal
 favour wherever he went4 ,he is said to
 have professed the understanding of all
 languages without learning them1 to    
read the thoughts of men1 and to be able
 to interpret the language of animals4  
,a power of working miracles attended   
him in all places4 #acj  ,on one        
occasion he announced to the people of  
,ephesus the approach of a terrible     

pestilence2 but the citizens paid no    
attention to his prophecy4 ,the calamity
 however having overtaken them1 they    
sent to ,apollonius who was then at     
,smyrna1 to implore his assistance4 ,he 
obeyed the summons4 ,having assembled   
the inhabitants1 there was seen among   
them a poor1 old and decrepid beggar1   
clothed in rags1 hideous of visage1 and 
with a peculiarly fearful and tremendous
 expression in his eyes4 ,apollonius    
called out to the ,ephesians1 ,this is  
an enemy to the ,gods2 turn all your    
animosity against him1 and stone him to 
death6 ,the old man in the most piteous 
tones besought their mercy4 ,the        
citizens were shocked with the          
inhumanity of the prophet4 ,some however
 of the more thoughtless flung a few    
stones1 without any determined purpose4 
,the old man1 who had stood hitherto    
crouching1 and with his eyes            
half-closed1 now erected his figure1 and
 cast on the crowd glances1 fearful1 and
 indeed diabolical4 ,the ,ephesians     

understood at once that this was the    
genius of the plague4 ,they showered    
upon him stones without mercy1 so as not
 only to cover him1 but to produce a    
considerable mound where he had stood4  
,after a time ,apollonius commanded them
 to take away the stones1 that they     
might discover what sort of an enemy    
they had destroyed4 ,instead of a man   
they now saw an enormous black dog1 of  
the size of a lion1 and whose mouth and 
jaws were covered with a thick envenomed
 froth4 #aca  ,another miracle was      
performed by ,apollonius in favour of a 
young man1 named ,menippus of ,corinth1 
five and twenty years of age1 for whom  
the prophet entertained a singular      
favour4 ,this man conceived himself to  
be beloved by a rich and beautiful      
woman1 who made advances to him1 and to 
whom he was on the point of being       
contracted in marriage4 ,apollonius     
warned his young friend against the     
match in an enigmatical way1 telling him
 that he nursed a serpent in his bosom4 

,this however did not deter ,menippus4  
,all things were prepared2 and the      
wedding table was spread4 ,apollonius   
meanwhile came among them1 and prevented
 the calamity4 ,he told the young man   
that the dishes before him1 the wine he 
was drinking1 the vessels of gold and   
silver that appeared around him1 and the
 very guests themselves were unreal and 
illusory2 and to prove his words1 he    
caused them immediately to vanish4 ,the 
bride alone was refractory4 ,she prayed 
the philosopher not to torment her1 and 
not to compel her to confess what she   
was4 ,he was however inexorable4 ,she at
 length owned that she was an empuse 7a 
sort of vampire71 and that she had      
determined to cherish and pamper        
,menippus1 that she might in the        
conclusion eat his flesh1 and lap up his
 blood4 #acb  ,one of the miracles of   
,apollonius consisted in raising the    
dead4 ,a young woman of beautiful person
 was laid out upon a bier1 and was in   
the act of being conveyed to the tomb4  

,she was followed by a multitude of     
friends1 weeping and lamenting1 and     
among others by a young man1 to whom she
 had been on the point to be married4   
,apollonius met the procession1 and     
commanded those who bore it1 to set down
 the bier4 ,he exhorted the proposed    
bridegroom to dry up his tears4 ,he     
enquired the name of the deceased1 and1 
saluting her accordingly1 took hold of  
her hand1 and murmured over her certain 
mystical words4 ,at this act the maiden 
raised herself on her seat1 and         
presently returned home1 whole and      
sound1 to the house of her father4 #acc 
,towards the end of his life ,apollonius
 was accused before ,domitian of having 
conspired with ,nerva to put an end to  
the reign of the tyrant4 ,he appears to 
have proved that he was at another      
place1 and therefore could not have     
engaged in the conspiracy that was      
charged upon him4 ,domitian publicly    
cleared him from the accusation1 but at 
the same time required him not to       

withdraw from ,rome1 till the emperor   
had first had a private conference with 
him4 ,to this requisition ,apollonius   
replied in the most spirited terms4 ,i  
thank your majesty1 said he1 for the    
justice you have rendered me4 ,but ,i   
cannot submit to what you require4 ,how 
can ,i be secure from the false         
accusations of the unprincipled         
informers who infest your court8 ,it is 
by their means that whole towns of your 
empire are unpeopled1 that provinces are
 involved in mourning and tears1 your   
armies are in mutiny1 your senate full  
of suspicion and alarms1 and the islands
 are crowded with exiles4 ,it is not for
 myself that ,i speak1 my soul is       
invulnerable to your enmity2 and it is  
not given to you by the ,gods to become 
master of my body4 ,and1 having thus    
given utterance to the virtuous anguish 
of his spirit1 he suddenly became       
invisible in the midst of a full        
assembly1 and was immediately after seen
 at ,puteoli in the neighbourhood of    

,mount ,vesuvius4 #acd  ,domitian       
pursued the prophet no further2 and he  
passed shortly after to ,greece1 to     
,ionia1 and finally to ,ephesus4 ,he    
every where delivered lectures as he    
went1 and was attended with crowds of   
the most distinguished auditors1 and    
with the utmost popularity4 ,at length  
at ,ephesus1 when he was in the midst of
 an eloquent harangue1 he suddenly      
became silent4 ,he seemed as if he saw a
 spectacle which engrossed all his      
attention4 ,his countenance expressed   
fervour and the most determined purpose4
 ,he exclaimed1 ,strike the tyrant2     
strike him6 and immediately after1      
raising himself1 and addressing the     
assembly1 he said1 ,domitian is no more2
 the world is delivered of its bitterest
 oppressor4--,the next post brought the 
news that the emperor was killed at     
,rome1 exactly on the day and at the    
hour when ,apollonius had thus made     
known the event at ,ephesus4 #ace       
,nerva succeeded ,domitian1 between whom

 and ,apollonius there subsisted the    
sincerest friendship4 ,the prophet      
however did not long survive this event4
 ,he was already nearly one hundred     
years old4 ,but what is most            
extraordinary1 no one could tell        
precisely when or where he died4 ,no    
tomb bore the record of his memory2 and 
his biographer inclines to the opinion  
that he was taken up into heaven4 #acf  
,divine honours were paid to this       
philosopher1 both during his life1 and  
after his death4 ,the inhabitants of    
,tyana built a temple to him1 and his   
image was to be found in many other     
temples4 #acg ,the emperor ,adrian      
collected his letters1 and treated them 
as an invaluable relic4 ,alexander      
,severus placed his statue in his       
oratory1 together with those of ,jesus  
,christ1 ,abraham and ,orpheus1 to whom 
he was accustomed daily to perform the  
ceremonies of religion4 #ach ,vopiscus1 
in his ,life of ,aurelian1 #aci relates 
that this emperor had determined to rase

 the city of ,tyana1 but that           
,apollonius1 whom he knew from his      
statues1 appeared to him1 and said1     
,aurelian1 if you would conquer1 do not 
think of the destruction of my citizens3
 ,aurelian1 if you would reign1 abstain 
from the blood of the innocent3         
,aurelian1 if you would conquer1        
distinguish yourself by acts of         
clemency4 ,it was at the desire of      
,julia1 the mother of ,severus1 that    
,philostratus composed the life of      
,apollonius1 to which he is now         
principally indebted for his fame4 #adj 
,the publicity of ,apollonius and his   
miracles has become considerably        
greater1 from the circumstance of the   
early enemies of the ,christian religion
 having instituted a comparison between 
the miracles of ,christ and of this     
celebrated philosopher1 for the obvious 
purpose of undermining one of the most  
considerable evidences of the truth of  
divine revelation4 ,it was probably with
 an indirect view of this sort that     

,philostratus was incited by the empress
 ,julia to compose his life of this     
philosopher2 and ,hierocles1 a writer of
 the time of ,dioclesian1 appears to    
have penned an express treatise in the  
way of a parallel between the two1      
attempting to shew a decisive           
superiority in the miracles of          
,apollonius4   ,,apuleius4  ,apuleius of
 ,madaura in ,africa1 who lived in the  
time of the ,antonines1 appears to have 
been more remarkable as an author1 than 
for any thing that occurs in the history
 of his life4 ,st4 ,augustine and       
,lactantius however have coupled him    
with ,apollonius of ,tyana1 as one of   
those who for their pretended miracles  
were brought into competition with the  
author of the ,christian religion4 ,but 
this seems to have arisen from their    
misapprehension respecting his principal
 work1 the ,golden ,ass1 which is a     
romance detailing certain wonderful     
transformations1 and which they appear  
to have thought was intended as an      

actual history of the life of the       
author4  ,the work however deserves to  
be cited in this place1 as giving a     
curious representation of the ideas     
which were then prevalent on the        
subjects of magic and witchcraft4 ,the  
author in the course of his narrative   
says3 ,when the day began to dawn1 ,i   
chanced to awake1 and became desirous to
 know and see some marvellous and       
strange things1 remembering that ,i was 
now in the midst of ,thessaly1 where1 by
 the common report of the world1        
sorceries and enchantments are most     
frequent4 ,i viewed the situation of the
 place in which ,i was2 nor was there   
any thing ,i saw1 that ,i believed to be
 the same thing which it appeared4      
,insomuch that the very stones in the   
street ,i thought were men bewitched and
 turned into that figure1 and the birds 
,i heard chirping1 the trees without the
 walls1 and the running waters1 were    
changed from human creatures into the   
appearances they wore4 ,i persuaded     

myself that the statues and buildings   
could move1 that the oxen and other     
brute beasts could speak and tell       
strange tidings1 and that ,i should see 
and hear oracles from heaven1 conveyed  
on the beams of the sun4   ,,alexander  
,,the ,,paphlagonian4  ,at the same time
 with ,apuleius lived ,alexander the    
,paphlagonian1 of whom so extraordinary 
an account is transmitted to us by      
,lucian4 ,he was the native of an       
obscure town1 called ,abonotica1 but was
 endowed with all that ingenuity and    
cunning which enables men most          
effectually to impose upon their        
fellow-creatures4 ,he was tall of       
stature1 of an impressive aspect1 a fair
 complexion1 eyes that sparkled with an 
awe-commanding fire as if informed by   
some divinity1 and a voice to the last  
degree powerful and melodious4 ,to these
 he added the graces of carriage and    
attire4 ,being born to none of the goods
 of fortune1 he considered with himself 
how to turn these advantages to the     

greatest account2 and the plan he fixed 
upon was that of instituting an oracle  
entirely under his own direction4 ,he   
began at ,chalcedon on the ,thracian    
,bosphorus2 but1 continuing but a short 
time there1 he used it principally as an
 opportunity for publishing that        
,aesculapius1 with ,apollo1 his father1 
would in no long time fix his residence 
at ,abonotica4 ,this rumour reached the 
fellow-citizens of the prophet1 who     
immediately began to lay the foundations
 of a temple for the reception of the   
,god4 ,in due time ,alexander made his  
appearance2 and he so well managed his  
scheme1 that1 by means of spies and     
emissaries whom he scattered in all     
directions1 he not only collected       
applications to his prophetic skill from
 the different towns of ,ionia1 ,cilicia
 and ,galatia1 but presently extended   
his fame to ,italy and ,rome4 ,for      
twenty years scarcely any oracle of the 
known world could vie with that of      
,abonotica2 and the emperor ,aurelius   

himself is said to have relied for the  
success of a military expedition upon   
the predictions of ,alexander the       
,paphlagonian4  ,lucian gives1 or       
pretends to give1 an account of the     
manner in which ,alexander gained so    
extraordinary a success4 ,he says1 that 
this young man in his preliminary       
travels1 coming to ,pella in ,macedon1  
found that the environs of this city    
were distinguished from perhaps all     
other parts of the world1 by a breed of 
serpents of extraordinary size and      
beauty4 ,our author adds that these     
serpents were so tame1 that they        
inhabited the houses of the province1   
and slept in bed with the children4 ,if 
you trod upon them1 they did not turn   
again1 or shew tokens of anger1 and they
 sucked the breasts of the women to whom
 it might be of service to draw off     
their milk4 ,lucian says1 it was        
probably one of these serpents1 that was
 found in the bed of ,olympias1 and gave
 occasion to the tale that ,alexander   

the ,great was begotten by ,jupiter     
under the form of a serpent4 ,the       
prophet bought the largest and finest   
serpent he could find1 and conveyed it  
secretly with him into ,asia4 ,when he  
came to ,abonotica1 he found the temple 
that was built surrounded with a moat2  
and he took an opportunity privately of 
sinking a goose-egg1 which he had first 
emptied of its contents1 inserting      
instead a young serpent just hatched1   
and closing it again with great care4   
,he then told his fellow-citizens that  
the ,god was arrived1 and hastening to  
the moat1 scooped up the egg in an      
egg-cup in presence of the whole        
assembly4 ,he next broke the shell1 and 
shewed the young serpent that twisted   
about his fingers in presence of the    
admiring multitude4 ,after this he      
suffered several days to elapse1 and    
then1 collecting crowds from every part 
of ,paphlagonia1 he exhibited himself1  
as he had previously announced he should
 do1 with the fine serpent he had       

brought from ,macedon twisted in coils  
about the prophet's neck1 and its head  
hid under his arm-pit1 while a head     
artfully formed with linen1 and bearing 
some resemblance to a human face1       
protruded itself1 and passed for the    
head of the reptile4 ,the spectators    
were beyond measure astonished to see a 
little embryo serpent1 grown in a few   
days to so magnificent a size1 and      
exhibiting the features of a human      
countenance4  ,having thus far          
succeeded1 ,alexander did not stop here4
 ,he contrived a pipe which passed      
seemingly into the mouth of the animal1 
while the other end terminated in an    
adjoining room1 where a man was placed  
unseen1 and delivered the replies which 
appeared to come from the mouth of the  
serpent4 ,this immediate communication  
with the ,god was reserved for a few    
favoured suitors1 who bought at a high  
price the envied distinction4  ,the     
method with ordinary enquirers was for  
them to communicate their requests in   

writing1 which they were enjoined to    
roll up and carefully seal2 and these   
scrolls were returned to them in a few  
days1 with the seals apparently         
unbroken1 but with an answer written    
within1 strikingly appropriate to the   
demand that was preferred4--,it is      
further to be observed1 that the mouth  
of the serpent was occasionally opened  
by means of a horsehair skilfully       
adjusted for the purpose1 at the same   
time that by similar means the animal   
darted out its biforked tongue to the   
terror of the amazed bystanders4        
,,revolution ,,produced ,,in ,,the      
,,history ,,of ,,necromancy ,,and       
,,witchcraft ,,upon ,,the               
,,establishment ,,of ,,christianity4    
,it is necessary here to take notice of 
the great revolution that took place    
under ,constantine1 nearly three hundred
 years after the death of ,christ1 when 
,christianity became the established    
religion of the ,roman empire4 ,this was
 a period which produced a new era in   

the history of necromancy and           
witchcraft4 ,under the reign of         
polytheism1 devotion was wholly         
unrestrained in every direction it might
 chance to assume4 ,gods known and      
unknown1 the spirits of departed heroes1
 the ,gods of heaven and hell1          
abstractions of virtue or vice1 might   
unblamed be made the objects of         
religious worship4 ,witchcraft          
therefore1 and the invocation of the    
spirits of the dead1 might be practised 
with toleration2 or at all events were  
not regarded otherwise than as venial   
deviations from the religion of the     
state4  ,it is true1 there must always  
have been a horror of secret arts1      
especially of such as were of a         
maleficent nature4 ,at all times men    
dreaded the mysterious power of spells  
and incantations1 of potent herbs and   
nameless rites1 which were able to      
control the eternal order of the        
planets1 and the voluntary operations of
 mind1 which could extinguish or recal  

life1 inflame the passions of the soul1 
blast the works of creation1 and extort 
from invisible beings and the dead the  
secrets of futurity4 ,but under the     
creed of the unity of the divine nature 
the case was exceedingly different4     
,idolatry1 and the worship of other     
,gods than one1 were held to be crimes  
worthy of the utmost abhorrence and the 
severest punishment4 ,there was no      
medium between the worship of heaven and
 hell4 ,all adoration was to be directed
 to ,god the ,creator through the       
mediation of his only begotten ,son2 or1
 if prayers were addressed to inferior  
beings1 and the glorified spirits of his
 saints1 at least they terminated in the
 ,most ,high1 were a deprecation of his 
wrath1 a soliciting his favour1 and a   
homage to his omnipotence4 ,on the other
 hand sorcery and witchcraft were sins  
of the blackest dye4 ,in opposition to  
the one only ,god1 the creator of heaven
 and earth1 was the prince of darkness1 
the prince of the power of the air1 who 

contended perpetually against the       
,almighty1 and sought to seduce his     
creatures and his subjects from their   
due allegiance4 ,sorcerers and witches  
were supposed to do homage and sell     
themselves to the devil1 than which it  
was not in the mind of man to conceive a
 greater enormity1 or a crime more      
worthy to cause its perpetrators to be  
exterminated from the face of the earth4
 ,the thought of it was of power to     
cause the flesh of man to creep and     
tingle with horror3 and such as were    
prone to indulge their imaginations to  
the utmost extent of the terrible1 found
 a perverse delight in conceiving this  
depravity1 and were but too much        
disposed to fasten it upon their        
fellow-creatures4   ,,magical           
,,consultations ,,respecting ,,the      
,,life ,,of ,,the ,,emperor4  ,it was   
not within the range of possibility1    
that such a change should take place in 
the established religion of the empire  
as that from ,paganism to ,christianity1

 without convulsions and vehement       
struggle4 ,the prejudices of mankind on 
a subject so nearly concerned with their
 dearest interests and affections must  
inevitably be powerful and obstinate2   
and the lucre of the priesthood1        
together with the strong hold they must 
necessarily have had on the weakness and
 superstition of their flocks1 would    
tend to give force and perpetuity to the
 contention4 ,julian1 a man of great    
ability and unquestionable patriotism1  
succeeded to the empire only twenty-four
 years after the death of ,constantine2 
and he employed the most vigorous       
measures for the restoration of the     
ancient religion4 ,but the reign of     
,julian was scarcely more than eighteen 
months in duration3 and that of ,jovian1
 his successor1 who again unfurled the  
standard of ,christianity1 lasted hardly
 more than half a year4 ,the state of   
things bore a striking similarity to    
that of ,england at the time of the     
,protestant ,reformation1 where the     

opposite faiths of ,edward the ,sixth   
and his sister ,mary1 and the shortness 
of their reigns1 gave preternatural     
keenness to the feelings of the parties1
 and instigated them to hang with the   
most restless anticipation upon the     
chances of the demise of the sovereign1 
and the consequences1 favourable or     
unfavourable1 that might arise from a   
new accession4  ,the joint reign of     
,valentinian and ,valens1 ,christian    
emperors1 had now lasted several years1 
when information was conveyed to these  
princes1 and particularly to the latter1
 who had the rule of ,asia1 that        
numerous private consultations were     
held1 as to the duration of their       
authority1 and the person of the        
individual who should come after them4  
,the succession of the ,roman empire was
 elective2 and consequently there was   
almost an unlimited scope for conjecture
 in this question4 ,among the various   
modes of enquiry that were employed we  
are told1 that the twenty-four letters  

of the alphabet were artificially       
disposed in a circle1 and that a magic  
ring1 being suspended over the centre1  
was conceived to point to the initial   
letters of the name of him who should be
 the future emperor4 ,theodorus1 a man  
of most eminent qualifications1 and high
 popularity1 was put to death by the    
jealousy of ,valens1 on the vague       
evidence that this kind of trial had    
indicated the early letters of his name4
 #ada ,it may easily be imagined1 that1 
where so restless and secret an         
investigation was employed as to the    
successor that fate might provide1      
conspiracy would not always be absent4  
,charges of this sort were perpetually  
multiplied2 informers were eager to     
obtain favour or rewards by the         
disclosures they pretended to           
communicate2 and the ,christians1 who   
swayed the sceptre of the state1 did not
 fail to aggravate the guilt of those   
who had recourse to these means for     
satisfying their curiosity1 by alleging 

that demons were called up from hell to 
aid in the magic solution4 ,the         
historians of these times no doubt      
greatly exaggerate the terror and the   
danger1 when they say1 that the persons 
apprehended on such charges in the great
 cities outnumbered the peaceable       
citizens who were left unsuspected1 and 
that the military who had charge of the 
prisoners1 complained that they were    
wholly without the power to restrain the
 flight of the captives1 or to control  
the multitude of partisans who insisted 
on their immediate release4 #adb ,the   
punishments were barbarous and          
indiscriminate2 to be accused was almost
 the same thing as to be convicted2 and 
those were obliged to hold themselves   
fortunate1 who escaped with a fine that 
in a manner swallowed up their estates4 
,,history ,,of ,,necromancy ,,in ,,the  
,,east4   ,from the countries best known
 in what is usually styled ancient      
history1 in other words from ,greece and
 ,rome1 and the regions into which the  

spirit of conquest led the people of    
,rome and ,greece1 it is time we should 
turn to the ,east1 and those remoter    
divisions of the world1 which to them   
were comparatively unknown4  ,with what 
has been called the religion of the     
,magi1 of ,egypt1 ,persia and ,chaldea1 
they were indeed superficially          
acquainted2 but for a more familiar and 
accurate knowledge of the ,east we are  
chiefly indebted to certain events of   
modern history2 to the conquests of the 
,saracens1 when they possessed          
themselves of the ,north of ,africa1    
made themselves masters of ,spain1 and  
threatened in their victorious career to
 subject ,france to their standard2 to  
the crusades2 to the spirit of nautical 
discovery which broke out in the close  
of the fifteenth century2 and more      
recently to the extensive conquests and 
mighty augmentation of territory which  
have been realised by the ,english ,east
 ,india ,company4  ,the religion of     
,persia was that of ,zoroaster and the  

,magi4 ,when ,ardshir1 or ,artaxerxes1  
the founder of the race of the          
,sassanides1 restored the throne of     
,persia in the year of ,christ #bbf1 he 
called together an assembly of the ,magi
 from all parts of his dominions1 and   
they are said to have met to the number 
of eighty thousand4 #adc ,these priests1
 from a remote antiquity1 had to a great
 degree preserved their popularity1 and 
had remarkably adhered to their ancient 
institutions4  ,they seem at all times  
to have laid claim to the power of      
suspending the course of nature1 and    
producing miraculous phenomena4 ,but in 
so numerous a body there must have been 
some whose pretensions were of a more   
moderate nature1 and others who         
displayed a loftier aspiration4 ,the    
more ambitious we find designated in    
their native language by the name of    
,jogees1 #add of the same signification 
as the ,latin juncti4  ,their notions of
 the ,supreme ,being are said to have   
been of the highest and abstrusest      

character1 as comprehending every       
possible perfection of power1 wisdom and
 goodness1 as purely spiritual in his   
essence1 and incapable of the smallest  
variation and change1 the same          
yesterday1 to-day1 and for ever4 ,such  
as they apprehended him to be1 such the 
most perfect of their priests aspired to
 make themselves4 ,they were to put off 
all human weakness and frailty2 and1 in 
proportion as they assimilated1 or      
rather became one with the ,deity1 they 
supposed themselves to partake of his   
attributes1 to become infinitely wise   
and powerful and good4 ,hence their     
claim to suspend the course of nature1  
and to produce miraculous phenomena4    
,for this purpose it was necessary that 
they should abstract themselves from    
every thing mortal1 have no human       
passions or partialities1 and divest    
themselves as much as possible of all   
the wants and demands of our material   
frame4 ,zoroaster appears indeed to have
 preferred morality to devotion1 to have

 condemned celibacy and fasting1 and to 
have pronounced1 that he who sows the   
ground with diligence and care1 acquires
 a greater stock of religious merit than
 he who should repeat ten thousand      
prayers4 ,but his followers at least did
 not abide by this decision4 ,they found
 it more practicable to secure to       
themselves an elevated reputation by    
severe observances1 rigid self-denial1  
and the practice of the most            
inconceivable mortifications4 ,this     
excited wonder and reverence and a sort 
of worship from the bystander1 which    
industry and benevolence do not so      
assuredly secure4 ,they therefore in    
frequent instances lacerated their      
flesh1 and submitted to incredible      
hardships4 ,they scourged themselves    
without mercy1 wounded their bodies with
 lancets and nails1 #ade and condemned  
themselves to remain for days and years 
unmoved in the most painful attitudes4  
,it was no unprecedented thing for them 
to take their station upon the top of a 

high pillar2 and some are said to have  
continued in this position1 without ever
 coming down from it1 for thirty years4 
,the more they trampled under foot the  
universal instincts of our nature1 and  
shewed themselves superior to its       
infirmities1 the nearer they approached 
to the divine essence1 and to the       
becoming one with the ,omnipresent4     
,they were of consequence the more      
sinless and perfect2 their will became  
the will of the ,deity1 and they were in
 a sense invested with1 and became the  
mediums of the acts of1 his power4 ,the 
result of all this is1 that they who    
exercised the art of magic in its       
genuine and unadulterated form1 at all  
times applied it to purposes of goodness
 and benevolence1 and that their        
interference was uniformly the signal of
 some unequivocal benefit1 either to    
mankind in general1 or to those         
individuals of mankind who were best    
entitled to their aid4 ,it was theirs to
 succour virtue in distress1 and to     

interpose the divine assistance in cases
 that most loudly and unquestionably    
called for it4  ,such1 we are told1 was 
the character of the pure and primitive 
magic1 as it was handed down from the   
founder of their religion4 ,it was      
called into action by the ,jogees1 men  
who1 by an extraordinary merit of       
whatever sort1 had in a certain sense   
rendered themselves one with the ,deity4
 ,but the exercise of magical power was 
too tempting an endowment1 not in some  
cases to be liable to abuse4 ,even as we
 read of the angels in heaven1 that not 
all of them stood1 and persevered in    
their original sinlessness and          
integrity1 so of the ,jogees some1      
partaking of the divine power1 were also
 under the direction of a will celestial
 and divine1 while others1 having       
derived1 we must suppose1 a mighty and  
miraculous power from the gift of ,god1 
afterwards abused it by applying it to  
capricious1 or1 as it should seem1 to   
malignant purposes4 ,this appears to    

have been every where essential to the  
history of magic4 ,if those who were    
supposed to possess it in its widest    
extent and most astonishing degree1 had 
uniformly employed it only in behalf of 
justice and virtue1 they would indeed   
have been regarded as benefactors1 and  
been entitled to the reverence and love 
of mankind4 ,but the human mind is      
always prone to delight in the terrible4
 ,no sooner did men entertain the idea  
of what was supernatural and            
uncontrolable1 than they began to fear  
it and to deprecate its hostility4 ,they
 apprehended they knew not what1 of the 
dead returning to life1 of invisible    
beings armed with the power and         
intention of executing mischief1 and of 
human creatures endowed with the        
prerogative of bringing down pestilence 
and slaughter1 of dispensing wealth and 
poverty1 prosperity and calamity at     
their pleasure1 of causing health and   
life to waste away by insensible1 but   
sure degrees1 of producing lingering    

torments1 and death in its most fearful 
form4 ,accordingly it appears that1 as  
there were certain magicians who were as
 ,gods dispensing benefits to those who 
best deserved it1 so there were others1 
whose only principle of action was      
caprice1 and against whose malice no    
innocence and no degree of virtue would 
prove a defence4 ,as the former sort of 
magicians were styled ,jogees1 and were 
held to be the deputies and instruments 
of infinite goodness1 so the other sort 
were named ,ku-,jogees1 that is1 persons
 who possessing the same species of     
ascendancy over the powers of nature1   
employed it only in deeds of malice and 
wickedness4  ,in the mean time these    
magicians appear to have produced the   
wonderful effects which drew to them the
 reverence of the vulgar1 very          
frequently by the intervention of       
certain beings of a nature superior to  
the human1 who should seem1 though      
ordinarily invisible1 to have had the   
faculty of rendering themselves visible 

when they thought proper1 and assuming  
what shape they pleased4 ,these are     
principally known by the names of       
,peris1 ,dives1 #adf and ,gins1 or      
,genii4 ,richardson1 in the preface to  
his ,persian ,dictionary1 from which our
 account will principally be taken1     
refers us to what he calls a romance1   
but from which he1 appears to derive the
 outline of his ,persian mythology4 ,in 
this romance ,kahraman1 a mortal1 is    
introduced in conversation with         
,simurgh1 a creature partaking of the   
nature of a bird and a griffon1 who     
reveals to him the secrets of the past  
history of the earth4 ,she tells him    
that she has lived to see the world     
seven times peopled with inhabitants of 
so many different natures1 and seven    
times depopulated1 the former           
inhabitants having been so often        
removed1 and giving place to their      
successors4 ,the beings who occupied the
 earth previously to man1 were          
distinguished into the ,peris and the   

,dives2 and1 when they no longer        
possessed the earth in chief1 they were1
 as it should seem1 still permitted1 in 
an airy and unsubstantial form1 and for 
the most part invisibly1 to interfere in
 the affairs of the human race4 ,these  
beings ruled the earth during           
seventy-two generations4 ,the last      
monarch1 named ,jan bin ,jan1 conducted 
himself so ill1 that ,god sent the angel
 ,haris to chastise him4 ,haris however 
became intoxicated with power1 and      
employed his prerogative in the most    
reprehensible manner4 ,god therefore at 
length created ,adam1 the first of men1 
crowning him with glory and honour1 and 
giving him dominion over all other      
earthly beings4 ,he commanded the angels
 to obey him2 but ,haris refused1 and   
the ,dives followed his example4 ,the   
rebels were for the most part sent to   
hell for their contumacy2 but a part of 
the ,dives1 whose disobedience had been 
less flagrant1 were reserved1 and       
allowed for a certain term to walk the  

earth1 and by their temptations to put  
the virtue and constancy of man to      
trial4 ,henceforth the human race was   
secretly surrounded by invisible beings 
of two species1 the ,peris1 who were    
friendly to man1 and the ,dives1 who    
exercised their ingenuity in involving  
them in error and guilt4 ,the ,peris    
were beautiful and benevolent1 but      
imperfect and offending beings2 they are
 supposed to have borne a considerable  
resemblance to the ,fairies of the      
western world4 ,the ,dives were hideous 
in form1 and of a malignant disposition4
 ,the ,peris subsist wholly on perfumes1
 which the ,dives1 being of a grosser   
nature1 hold in abhorrence4 ,this       
mythology is said to have been unknown  
in ,arabia till long after ,mahomet3 the
 only invisible beings we read of in    
their early traditions are the ,gins1   
which term1 though now used for the most
 part as synonimous with ,dives1        
originally signified nothing more than  
certain infernal fiends of stupendous   

power1 whose agency was hostile to man4 
,there was perpetual war between the    
,peris and the ,dives1 whose proper     
habitation was ,kaf1 or ,caucasus1 a    
line of mountains which was supposed to 
reach round the globe4 ,in these wars   
the ,peris generally came off with the  
worst2 and in that case they are        
represented in the traditional tales of 
the ,east1 as applying to some gallant  
and heroic mortal to reinforce their    
exertions4 ,the warriors who figure in  
these narratives appear all to have been
 ancient ,persian kings4 ,tahmuras1 one 
of the most celebrated of them1 is      
spoken of as mounting upon ,simurgh1    
surrounded with talismans and enchanted 
armour1 and furnished with a sword the  
dint of which nothing could resist4 ,he 
proceeds to ,kaf1 or ,ginnistan1 and    
defeats ,arzshank1 the chief of the     
,dives1 but is defeated in turn by a    
more formidable competitor4 ,the war    
appears to be carried on for successive 
ages with alternate advantage and       

disadvantage1 till after the lapse of   
centuries ,rustan kills ,arzshank1 and  
finally reduces the ,dives to a subject 
and tributary condition4 ,in all this   
there is a great resemblance to the     
fables of ,scandinavia2 and the         
,northern and the ,eastern world seem   
emulously to have contributed their     
quota of chivalry and romance1 of heroic
 achievements and miraculous events1 of 
monsters and dragons1 of amulets and    
enchantment1 and all those incidents    
which most rouse the imagination1 and   
are calculated to instil into generous  
and enterprising youth a courage the    
most undaunted and invincible4          
,,general ,,silence ,,of ,,the ,,east   
,,respecting ,,individual               
,,necromancers4  ,asia has been more    
notorious than perhaps any other        
division of the globe for the vast      
multiplicity and variety of its         
narratives of sorcery and magic4 ,i have
 however been much disappointed in the  
thing ,i looked for in the first place1 

and that is1 in the individual          
adventures of such persons as might be  
supposed to have gained a high degree of
 credit and reputation for their skill  
in exploits of magic4 ,where the        
professors are many 7and they have been 
perhaps no where so numerous as those of
 magic in the ,east71 it is unavoidable 
but that some should have been more     
dextrous than others1 more eminently    
gifted by nature1 more enthusiastic and 
persevering in the prosecution of their 
purpose1 and more fortunate in awakening
 popularity and admiration among their  
contemporaries4 ,in the instances of    
,apollonius ,tyanaeus and others among  
the ancients1 and of ,cornelius         
,agrippa1 ,roger ,bacon and ,faust among
 the moderns1 we are acquainted with    
many biographical particulars of their  
lives1 and can trace with some degree of
 accuracy1 their peculiarities of       
disposition1 and observe how they were  
led gradually from one study and one    
mode of action to another4 ,but the     

magicians of the ,east1 so to speak1 are
 mere abstractions1 not characterised by
 any of those habits which distinguish  
one individual of the human race from   
another1 and having those marking traits
 and petty lineaments which make the    
person1 as it were1 start up into life  
while he passes before our eyes4 ,they  
are merely reported to us as men prone  
to the producing great signs and        
wonders1 and nothing more4  ,two of the 
most remarkable exceptions that ,i have 
found to this rule1 occur in the        
examples of ,rocail1 and of ,hakem1     
otherwise called ,mocanna4   ,,rocail4  
,the first of these however is scarcely 
to be called an exception1 as lying     
beyond the limits of all credible       
history1 ,rocail is said to have been   
the younger brother of ,seth1 the son of
 ,adam4 ,a ,dive1 or giant of mount     
,caucasus1 being hard pressed by his    
enemies1 sought as usual among the sons 
of men for aid that might extricate him 
out of his difficulties4 ,he at length  

made an alliance with ,rocail1 by whose 
assistance he arrived at the            
tranquillity he desired1 and who in     
consequence became his grand vizier1 or 
prime minister4 ,he governed the        
dominions of his principal for many     
years with great honour and success2    
but1 ultimately perceiving the          
approaches of old age and death1 he     
conceived a desire to leave behind him a
 monument worthy of his achievements in 
policy and war4 ,he according erected1  
we are not told by what means1 a        
magnificent palace1 and a sepulchre     
equally worthy of admiration4 ,but what 
was most entitled to notice1 he peopled 
this palace with statues of so          
extraordinary a quality1 that they moved
 and performed all the functions and    
offices of living men1 so that every one
 who beheld them would have believed    
that they were actually informed with   
souls1 whereas in reality all they did  
was by the power of magic1 in           
consequence of which1 though they were  

in fact no more than inanimate matter1  
they were enabled to obey the behests1  
and perform the will1 of the persons by 
whom they were visited4 #adg   ,,hakem1 
,,otherwise ,,mocanna4  ,hakem was a    
leader in one of the different divisions
 of the followers of ,mahomet4 ,to      
inspire the greater awe into the minds  
of his supporters1 he pretended that he 
was the ,most ,high ,god1 the creator of
 heaven and earth1 under one of the     
different forms by which he has in      
successive ages become incarnate1 and   
made himself manifest to his creatures4 
,he distinguished himself by the        
peculiarity of always wearing a thick   
and impervious veil1 by which1 according
 to his followers1 he covered the       
dazzling splendour of his countenance1  
which was so great that no mortal could 
behold it and live1 but that1 according 
to his enemies1 only served to conceal  
the hideousness of his features1 too    
monstrously deformed to be contemplated 
without horror4 ,one of his miracles1   

which seems the most to have been       
insisted on1 was that he nightly1 for a 
considerable space of time1 caused an   
orb1 something like the moon1 to rise   
from a sacred well1 which gave a light  
scarcely less splendid than the day1    
that diffused its beams for many miles  
around4 ,his followers were             
enthusiastically devoted to his service1
 and he supported his authority         
unquestioned for a number of years4 ,at 
length a more formidable opponent       
appeared1 and after several battles he  
became obliged to shut himself up in a  
strong fortress4 ,here however he was so
 straitly besieged as to be driven to   
the last despair1 and1 having           
administered poison to his whole        
garrison1 he prepared a bath of the most
 powerful ingredients1 which1 when he   
threw himself into it1 dissolved his    
frame1 even to the very bones1 so that  
nothing remained of him but a lock of   
his hair4 ,he acted thus1 with the hope 
that it would be believed that he was   

miraculously taken up into heaven2 nor  
did this fail to be the effect on the   
great body of his adherents4 #adh       
,,arabian ,,nights' ,,entertainments4   
,the most copious record of stories of  
,asiatic enchantment that we possess1 is
 contained in the ,arabian ,nights'     
,entertainments2 to which we may add the
 ,persian ,tales1 and a few other       
repositories of ,oriental adventures4   
,it is true that these are delivered to 
us in a garb of fiction2 but they are   
known to present so exact a picture of  
,eastern manners and customs1 and so    
just a delineation of the follies1 the  
weaknesses and credulity of the races of
 men that figure in them1 that1 in the  
absence of materials of a strictly      
historical sort of which we have to     
complain1 they may not inadequately     
supply the place1 and may furnish us    
with a pretty full representation of the
 ideas of sorcery and magic which for   
centuries were entertained in this part 
of the world4 ,they have indeed one     

obvious defect1 which it is proper the  
reader should keep constantly in mind4  
,the mythology and groundwork of the    
whole is ,persian3 but the narrator is  
for the most part a ,mahometan4 ,of     
consequence the ancient                 
,fire-worshippers1 though they          
contribute the entire materials1 and are
 therefore solely entitled to our       
gratitude and deference for the abundant
 supply they have furnished to our      
curiosity1 are uniformly treated in     
these books with disdain and contumely  
as unworthy of toleration1 while the    
comparative upstart race of the         
believers in the ,koran are held out to 
us as the only enlightened and upright  
among the sons of men4  ,many of the    
matters most currently related among    
these supernatural phenomena1 are tales 
of transformation4 ,a lady has two      
sisters of the most profligate and      
unprincipled character4 ,they have      
originally the same share of the        
paternal inheritance as herself4 ,but   

they waste it in profusion and folly1   
while she improves her portion by good  
judgment and frugality4 ,driven to the  
extremity of distress1 they humble      
themselves1 and apply to her for        
assistance4 ,she generously imparts to  
them the same amount of wealth that they
 originally possessed1 and they are once
 more reduced to poverty4 ,this happens 
again and again4 ,at length1 finding    
them incapable of discretion1 she       
prevails on them to come and live with  
her4 ,by wearisome and ceaseless        
importunity they induce her to embark in
 a mercantile enterprise4 ,here she     
meets with a prince1 who had the        
misfortune to be born in a region of    
fire-worshippers1 but was providentially
 educated by a ,mahometan nurse4 ,hence1
 when his countrymen were by divine     
vengeance all turned into stones1 he    
alone was saved alive4 ,the lady finds  
him in this situation1 endowed with     
sense and motion amidst a petrified     
city1 and they immediately fall in love 

with each other4 ,she brings him away   
from this melancholy scene1 and together
 they go on board the vessel which had  
been freighted by herself and her       
sisters4 ,but the sisters become envious
 of her good fortune1 and conspire1     
while she and the prince are asleep1 to 
throw them overboard4 ,the prince is    
drowned2 but the lady with great        
difficulty escapes4 ,she finds herself  
in a desert island1 not far from the    
place where she had originally embarked 
on her adventure2 and1 having slept off 
the fatigues she had encountered1       
beholds on her awaking a black woman    
with an agreeable countenance1 a fairy1 
who leads in her hand two black bitches 
coupled together with a cord4 ,these    
black bitches are the lady's sisters1   
thus metamorphosed1 as a punishment for 
their ingratitude and cruelty4 ,the     
fairy conveys her through the air to her
 own house in ,bagdad1 which she finds  
well stored with all sorts of           
commodities1 and delivers to her the two

 animals1 with an injunction that she is
 to whip them every day at a certain    
hour as a further retribution for their 
crimes4 ,this was accordingly punctually
 performed2 and1 at the end of each     
day's penance1 the lady1 having before  
paid no regard to the animals' gestures 
and pitiable cries1 wept over them1 took
 them in her arms1 kissed them1 and     
carefully wiped the moisture from their 
eyes4 ,having persevered for a length of
 time in this discipline1 the offenders 
are finally1 by a counter-incantation1  
restored to their original forms1 being 
by the severities they had suffered     
entirely cured of the vices which had   
occasioned their calamitous condition4  
,another story is of a calender1 a sort 
of ,mahometan monk1 with one eye1 who   
had originally been a prince4 ,he had   
contracted a taste for navigation and   
naval discoveries2 and1 in one of his   
voyages1 having been driven by stress of
 weather into unknown seas1 he suddenly 
finds himself attracted towards a vast  

mountain of loadstone1 which first1 by  
virtue of the iron and nails in the     
ship1 draws the vessel towards itself1  
and then1 by its own intrinsic force1   
extracts the nails1 so that the ship    
tumbles to pieces1 and every one on     
board is drowned4 ,the mountain1 on the 
side towards the sea1 is all covered    
with nails1 which had been drawn from   
vessels that previously suffered the    
same calamity2 and these nails at once  
preserve and augment the fatal power of 
the mountain4 ,the prince only escapes2 
and he finds himself in a desolate      
island1 with a dome of brass1 supported 
by brazen pillars1 and on the top of it 
a horse of brass1 and a rider of the    
same metal4 ,this rider the prince is   
fated to throw down1 by means of an     
enchanted arrow1 and thus to dissolve   
the charm which had been fatal to       
thousands4 ,from the desolate island he 
embarked on board a boat1 with a single 
rower1 a man of metal1 and would have   
been safely conveyed to his native      

country1 had he not inadvertently       
pronounced the name of ,god1 that he had
 been warned not to do1 and which       
injunction he had observed many days4   
,on this the boat immediately sunk2 but 
the prince was preserved1 who comes into
 a desolate island1 where he finds but  
one inhabitant1 a youth of fifteen4     
,this youth is hid in a cavern1 it      
having been predicted of him that he    
should be killed after fifty days1 by   
the man that threw down the horse of    
brass and his rider4 ,a great friendship
 is struck up between the unsuspecting  
youth and the prince1 who nevertheless  
fulfils the prediction1 having by a pure
 accident killed the youth on the       
fiftieth day4 ,he next arrives at a     
province of the main land1 where he     
visits a castle1 inhabited by ten very  
agreeable young men1 each blind of the  
right eye4 ,he dwells with them for a   
month1 and finds1 after a day of        
pleasant entertainment1 that each       
evening they do penance in squalidness  

and ashes4 ,his curiosity is greatly    
excited to obtain an explanation of what
 he saw1 but this they refuse1 telling  
him at the same time1 that he may1 if he
 pleases1 pass through the same         
adventure as they have done1 and1 if he 
does1 wishing it may be attended with a 
more favourable issue4 ,he determines to
 make the experiment2 and by their      
direction1 after certain preparations1  
is flown away with through the air by a 
roc1 a stupendous bird1 that is capable 
in the same manner of carrying off an   
elephant4 ,by this means he is brought  
to a castle of the most extraordinary   
magnificence1 inhabited by forty ladies 
of exquisite beauty4 ,with these ladies 
he lives for eleven months in a         
perpetual succession of delights4 ,but  
in the twelfth month they tell him1 that
 they are obliged to leave him till the 
commencement of the new year4 ,in the   
mean time they give him for his         
amusement the keys of one hundred       
apartments1 all but one of which he is  

permitted to open4 ,he is delighted with
 the wonders of these apartments till   
the last day4 ,on that day he opens the 
forbidden room1 where the rarity that   
most strikes him is a black horse of    
admirable shape and appearance1 with a  
saddle and bridle of gold4 ,he leads    
this horse into the open air1 and is    
tempted to mount him4 ,the horse first  
stands still2 but at length1 being      
touched with a switch1 spreads a pair of
 wings which the prince had not before  
perceived1 and mounts to an amazing     
height in the air4 ,the horse finally   
descends on the terrace of a castle1    
where he throws his rider1 and leaves   
him1 having first dashed out his right  
eye with a sudden swing of his tail4    
,the prince goes down into the castle1  
and to his surprise finds himself in    
company with the ten young men1 blind of
 one eye1 who had passed through the    
same adventure as he had done1 and all  
been betrayed by means of the same      
infirmity4   ,,persian ,,tales4  ,these 

two stories are from the ,arabian       
,nights3 the two following are from the 
,persian ,tales4--,fadlallah1 king of   
,mousel1 contracted an intimacy with a  
young dervise1 a species of ,turkish    
friar1 who makes a vow of perpetual     
poverty4 ,the dervise1 to ingratiate    
himself the more with the prince1       
informed him of a secret he possessed1  
by means of a certain incantation1 of   
projecting his soul into the body of any
 dead animal he thought proper4  ,to    
convince the king that this power was no
 empty boast1 he offered to quit his own
 body1 and animate that of a doe1 which 
,fadlallah had just killed in hunting4  
,he accordingly executed what he        
proposed1 took possession of the body of
 the doe1 displayed the most surprising 
agility1 approached the king1 fawning on
 him with every expression of           
endearment1 and then1 after various     
bounds1 deserting the limbs of the      
animal1 and repossessing his own frame1 
which during the experiment had lain    

breathless on the ground4 ,fadlallah    
became earnest to possess the secret of 
the dervise2 and1 after some demurs1 it 
was communicated to him4 ,the king took 
possession of the body of the doe2 but  
his treacherous confident no sooner saw 
the limbs of ,fadlallah stretched       
senseless on the ground1 than he        
conveyed his own spirit into them1 and1 
bending his bow1 sought to destroy the  
life of his defenceless victim4 ,the    
king by his agility escaped2 and the    
dervise1 resorting to the palace1 took  
possession of the throne1 and of the bed
 of the queen1 ,zemroude1 with whom     
,fadlallah was desperately enamoured4   
,the first precaution of the usurper was
 to issue a decree that all the deer    
within his dominions should be killed1  
hoping by this means to destroy the     
rightful sovereign4 ,but the king1 aware
 of his danger1 had deserted the body of
 the doe1 and entered that of a dead    
nightingale that lay in his path4 ,in   
this disguise he hastened to the palace1

 and placed himself in a wide-spreading 
tree1 which grew immediately before the 
apartment of ,zemroude4 ,here he poured 
out his complaints and the grief that   
penetrated his soul in such melodious   
notes1 as did not fail to attract the   
attention of the queen4 ,she sent out   
her bird-catchers to make captive the   
little warbler2 and ,fadlallah1 who     
desired no better1 easily suffered      
himself to be made their prisoner4 ,in  
this new position he demonstrated by    
every gesture of fondness his partiality
 to the queen2 but if any of her women  
approached him1 he pecked at them in    
anger1 and1 when the impostor made his  
appearance1 could not contain the       
vehemence of his rage4 ,it happened one 
night that the queen's lap-dog died2 and
 the thought struck ,fadlallah that he  
would animate the corpse of this animal4
 ,the next morning ,zemroude found her  
favourite bird dead in his cage1 and    
immediately became inconsolable4 ,never1
 she said1 was so amiable a bird2 he    

distinguished her from all others2 he   
seemed even to entertain a passion for  
her2 and she felt as if she could not   
survive his loss4 ,the dervise in vain  
tried every expedient to console her4   
,at length he said1 that1 if she        
pleased1 he would cause her nightingale 
to revive every morning1 and entertain  
her with his tunes as long as she       
thought proper4 ,the dervise accordingly
 laid himself on a sopha1 and by means  
of certain cabalistic words1 transported
 his soul into the body of the          
nightingale1 and began to sing4         
,fadlallah watched his time2 he lay in a
 corner of the room unobserved2 but no  
sooner had the dervise deserted his     
body1 than the king proceeded to take   
possession of it4 ,the first thing he   
did was to hasten to the cage1 to open  
the door with uncontrolable impatience1 
and1 seizing the bird1 to twist off its 
head4 ,zemroude1 amazed1 asked him what 
he meant by so inhuman an action4       
,fadlallah in reply related to her all  

the circumstances that had befallen him2
 and the queen became so struck with    
agony and remorse that she had suffered 
her person1 however innocently1 to be   
polluted by so vile an impostor1 that   
she could not get over the recollection1
 but pined away and died from a sense of
 the degradation she had endured4  ,but 
a much more perplexing and astounding   
instance of transformation occurs in the
 history of the ,young ,king of ,thibet 
and the ,princess of the ,naimans4 ,the 
sorcerers in this case are represented  
as1 without any intermediate            
circumstance to facilitate their        
witchcraft1 having the ability to assume
 the form of any one they please1 and in
 consequence to take the shape of one   
actually present1 producing a           
duplication the most confounding that   
can be imagined4--,mocbel1 the son of an
 artificer of ,damascus1 but whose      
father had bequeathed him considerable  
wealth1 contrived to waste his patrimony
 and his youth together in profligate   

living with ,dilnouaze1 a woman of      
dissolute manners4 ,finding themselves  
at once poor and despised1 they had     
recourse to the sage ,bedra1 the most   
accomplished magician of the desert1 and
 found means to obtain her favour4 ,in  
consequence she presented them with two 
rings1 which had the power of enabling  
them to assume the likeness of any man  
or woman they please4 ,thus equipped1   
,mocbel heard of the death of           
,mouaffack1 prince of the ,naimans1 who 
was supposed to have been slain in a    
battle1 and whose body had never been   
found4 ,the niece of ,mouaffack now     
filled the throne2 and under these      
circumstances ,mocbel conceived the     
design of personating the absent        
,mouaffack1 exciting a rebellion among  
his countrymen1 and taking possession of
 the throne4 ,in this project he        
succeeded2 and the princess driven into 
exile1 took refuge in the capital of    
,thibet4 ,here the king saw her1 fell in
 love with her1 and espoused her4 ,being

 made acquainted with her history1 he   
resolved to re-conquer her dominions1   
and sent a defiance to the usurper4     
,mocbel1 terrified at the thought of so 
formidable an invader1 first pretended  
to die1 and then1 with ,dilnouaze1 who  
during his brief reign had under the    
form of a beautiful woman personated his
 queen1 proceeded in his original form  
to the capital of ,thibet4 ,here his    
purpose was to interrupt the happiness  
of those who had disturbed him in his   
deceitful career4 ,accordingly one      
night1 when the queen1 previously to    
proceeding to her repose1 had shut      
herself up in her closet to read certain
 passages of the ,alcoran1 ,dilnouaze1  
assuming her form with the minutest     
exactness1 hastened to place herself in 
the royal bed by the side of the king4  
,after a time1 the queen shut her book1 
and went along the gallery to the king's
 bedchamber1 ,mocbel watched his time1  
and placed himself1 under the form of a 
frightful apparition1 directly in the   

queen's path4 ,she started at the sight1
 and uttered a piercing shriek4 ,the    
king recognised her voice1 and hastened 
to see what had happened to her4 ,she   
explained2 but the king spoke of        
something much more extraordinary1 and  
asked her how it could possibly happen  
that she should be in the gallery1 at   
the same moment that he had left her1   
undressed and in bed4 ,they proceeded to
 the chamber to unravel the mystery4    
,here a contention occurred between the 
real and the seeming queen1 each        
charging the other with imposture4 ,the 
king turned from one to the other1 and  
was unable to decide between their      
pretensions4 ,the courtiers and the     
ladies of the bedchamber were called1   
and all were perplexed with uncertainty 
and doubt4 ,at length they determine in 
favour of the false queen1 ,it was then 
proposed that the other should be burned
 for a sorceress4 ,the king however     
forbade this4 ,he was not yet altogether
 decided2 and could not resolve to      

consign his true queen1 as it might     
possibly be1 to a cruel death4 ,he was  
therefore content to strip her of her   
royal robes1 to clothe her in rags1 and 
thrust her ignominiously from his       
palace4  ,treachery however was not     
destined to be ultimately triumphant4   
,the king one day rode out a hunting2   
and ,mocbel1 that he might the better   
deceive the guards of the palace1       
seizing the opportunity1 assumed his    
figure1 and went to bed to ,dilnouaze4  
,the king meanwhile recollected         
something of importance1 that he had    
forgotten before he went out to hunt1   
and returning upon his steps1 proceeded 
to the royal chamber4 ,here to his utter
 confusion he found a man in bed with   
his queen1 and that man to his greater  
astonishment the exact counterpart of   
himself4 ,furious at the sight1 he      
immediately drew his scymetar4 ,the man 
contrived to escape down the backstairs4
 ,the woman however remained in bed2    
and1 stretching out her hands to intreat

 for mercy1 the king struck off the hand
 which had the ring on it1 and she      
immediately appeared1 as she really was1
 a frightful hag4 ,she begged for life2 
and1 that she might mollify his rage1   
explained the mystery1 told him that it 
was by means of a ring that she effected
 the delusion1 and that by a similar    
enchantment her paramour had assumed the
 likeness of the king4 ,the king        
meanwhile was inexorable1 and struck off
 her head4 ,he next turned in pursuit of
 the adulterer4 ,mocbel however had had 
time to mount on horseback4 ,but the    
king mounted also2 and1 being the better
 horseman1 in a short time overtook his 
foe4 ,the impostor did not dare to cope 
with him1 but asked his life2 and the   
king1 considering him as the least      
offender of the two1 pardoned him upon  
condition of his surrendering the ring1 
in consequence of which he passed the   
remainder of his life in poverty and    
decrepitude4   ,,story ,,of ,a ,,goule4 
,a story in the ,arabian ,nights1 which 

merits notice for its singularity1 and  
as exhibiting a particular example of   
the credulity of the people of the      
,east1 is that of a man who married a   
sorceress1 without being in any way     
conscious of her character in that      
respect4 ,she was sufficiently agreeable
 in her person1 and he found for the    
most part no reason to be dissatisfied  
with her4 ,but he became uneasy at the  
strangeness of her behaviour1 whenever  
they sat together at meals4 ,the husband
 provided a sufficient variety of       
dishes1 and was anxious that his wife   
should eat and be refreshed4 ,but she   
took scarcely any nourishment4 ,he set  
before her a plate of rice4 ,from this  
plate she took somewhat1 grain by grain2
 but she would taste of no other dish4  
,the husband remonstrated with her upon 
her way of eating1 but to no purpose2   
she still went on the same4 ,he knew it 
was impossible for any one to subsist   
upon so little as she ate2 and his      
curiosity was roused4 ,one night1 as he 

lay quietly awake1 he perceived his wife
 rise very softly1 and put on her       
clothes4 ,he watched1 but made as if he 
saw nothing4 ,presently she opened the  
door1 and went out4 ,he followed her    
unperceived1 by moonlight1 and tracked  
her into a place of graves4 ,here to his
 astonishment he saw her joined by a    
,goule1 a sort of wandering demon1 which
 is known to infest ruinous buildings1  
and from time to time suddenly rushes   
out1 seizes children and other          
defenceless people1 strangles1 and      
devours them4 ,occasionally1 for want of
 other food1 this detested race will    
resort to churchyards1 and1 digging up  
the bodies of the newly-buried1 gorge   
their appetites upon the flesh of these4
 ,the husband followed his wife and her 
supernatural companion1 and watched     
their proceedings4 ,he saw them digging 
in a new-made grave4 ,they extracted the
 body of the deceased2 and1 the ,goule  
cutting it up joint by joint1 they      
feasted voraciously1 and1 having        

satisfied their appetites1 cast the     
remainder into the grave again1 and     
covered it up as before4 ,the husband   
now withdrew unobserved to his bed1 and 
the wife followed presently after4 ,he  
however conceived a horrible loathing of
 such a wife2 and she discovers that he 
is acquainted with her dreadful secret4 
,they can no longer live together2 and a
 metamorphosis followed4 ,she turned him
 into a dog1 which by ill usage she     
drove from her door2 and he1 aided by a 
benevolent sorceress1 first recovers his
 natural shape1 and then1 having changed
 her into a mare1 by perpetual hard     
usage and ill treatment vents his       
detestation of the character he had     
discovered in her4   ,,arabian ,,nights4
  ,a compilation of more vigorous       
imagination and more exhaustless variety
 than the ,arabian ,nights1 perhaps     
never existed4 ,almost every thing that 
can be conceived of marvellous and      
terrific is there to be found4 ,when we 
should apprehend the author or authors  

to have come to an end of the rich vein 
in which they expatiate1 still new      
wonders are presented to us in endless  
succession4 ,their power of comic       
exhibition is not less extraordinary    
than their power of surprising and      
terrifying4 ,the splendour of their     
painting is endless2 and the mind of the
 reader is roused and refreshed by      
shapes and colours for ever new4        
,,resemblance ,,of ,,the ,,tales ,,of   
,,the ,,east ,,and ,,of ,,europe4  ,it  
is characteristic of this work to       
exhibit a faithful and particular       
picture of ,eastern manners1 customs1   
and modes of thinking and acting4 ,and  
yet1 now and then1 it is curious to     
observe the coincidence of ,oriental    
imagination with that of antiquity and  
of the ,north of ,europe1 so that it is 
difficult to conceive the one not to be 
copied from the other4 ,perhaps it was  
so2 and perhaps not4 ,man is every where
 man1 possessed of the same faculties1  
stimulated by the same passions1        

deriving pain and pleasure from the same
 sources1 with similar hopes and fears1 
aspirations and alarms4  ,in the ,third 
,voyage of ,sinbad he arrives at an     
island were he finds one man1 a negro1  
as tall as a palm-tree1 and with a      
single eye in the middle of his         
forehead4 ,he takes up the crew1 one by 
one1 and selects the fattest as first to
 be devoured4 ,this is done a second    
time4 ,at length nine of the boldest    
seize on a spit1 while he lay on his    
back asleep1 and1 having heated it      
red-hot1 thrust it into his eye4--,this 
is precisely the story of ,ulysses and  
the ,cyclops4  ,the story of the ,little
 ,hunchback1 who is choaked with a      
fish-bone1 and1 after having brought    
successive individuals into trouble on  
the suspicion of murdering him1 is      
restored to life again1 is nearly the   
best known of the ,arabian ,tales4 ,the 
merry jest of ,dan ,hew1 ,monk of       
,leicester1 who once was hanged1 and    
four times slain1 bears a very striking 

resemblance to this4 #adi  ,a similar   
resemblance is to be found1 only        
changing the sex of the aggressor1      
between the well known tale of ,patient 
,grizzel1 and that of ,cheheristany in  
the ,persian ,tales4 ,this lady was a   
queen of the ,gins1 who fell in love    
with the emperor of ,china1 and agrees  
to marry him upon condition that she    
shall do what she pleases1 and he shall 
never doubt that what she does is right4
 ,she bears him a son1 beautiful as the 
day1 and throws him into the fire4 ,she 
bears him a daughter1 and gives her to a
 white bitch1 who runs away with her1   
and disappears4 ,the emperor goes to war
 with the ,moguls2 and the queen utterly
 destroys the provisions of his army4   
,but the fire was a salamander1 and the 
bitch a fairy1 who rear the children in 
the most admirable manner2 and the      
provisions of the army were poisoned by 
a traitor1 and are in a miraculous      
manner replaced by such as were         
wholesome and of the most invigorating  

qualities4   ,,causes ,,of ,,human      
,,credulity4  ,meanwhile1 though the    
stories above related are extracted from
 books purely and properly of fiction1  
they  exhibit so just a delineation of  
,eastern manners and habits of mind1    
that1 in the defect of materials        
strictly historical1 they may to a      
certain degree supply the place4 ,the   
principal feature they set before us is 
credulity and a love of the marvellous4 
,this is ever found characteristic of   
certain ages of the world2 but in ,asia 
it prevails in uninterrupted continuity4
 ,wherever learning and the exercise of 
the intellectual faculties first shew   
themselves1 there mystery and a         
knowledge not to be communicated but to 
the select few must be expected to      
appear4 ,wisdom in its natural and      
genuine form seeks to diffuse itself2   
but in the ,east on the contrary it is  
only valued in proportion to its rarity4
 ,those who devoted themselves to       
intellectual improvement1 looked for it 

rather in solitary abstraction1 than in 
free communication with the minds of    
others2 and1 when they condescended to  
the use of the organ of speech1 they    
spoke in enigmas and ambiguities1 and in
 phrases better adapted to produce      
wonder and perplexity1 than to enlighten
 and instruct4 ,when the more consummate
 instructed the novice1 it was by slow  
degrees only1 and through the medium of 
a long probation4 ,in consequence of    
this state of things the privileged few 
conceived of their own attainments with 
an over-weening pride1 and were puffed  
up with a sense of superiority2 while   
the mass of their fellow-creatures      
looked to them with astonishment2 and1  
agreeably to the ,oriental creed of two 
independent and contending principles of
 good and of evil1 regarded these select
 and supernaturally endowed beings anon 
as a source of the most enviable        
blessings1 and anon as objects of       
unmingled apprehension and terror1      
before whom their understandings became 

prostrate1 and every thing that was most
 appalling and dreadful was most easily 
believed4 ,in this state superstition   
unavoidably grew infectious2 and the    
more the seniors inculcated and         
believed1 the more the imagination of   
the juniors became a pliant and         
unresisting slave4  ,the ,mantra1 or    
charm1 consisting of a few              
unintelligible words repeated again and 
again1 always accompanied1 or rather    
preceded1 the supposed miraculous       
phenomenon that was imposed on the      
ignorant4 ,water was flung over1 or in  
the face of1 the thing or person upon   
whom the miraculous effect was to be    
produced4 ,incense was burned2 and such 
chemical substances were set on fire1   
the dazzling appearance of which might  
confound the senses of the spectators4  
,the whole consisted in the art of the  
juggler4 ,the first business was to act 
on the passions1 to excite awe and fear 
and curiosity in the parties2 and next  
by a sort of slight of hand1 and by     

changes too rapid to be followed by an  
unpractised eye1 to produce phenomena1  
wholly unanticipated1 and that could not
 be accounted for4 ,superstition was    
further an essential ingredient2 and    
this is never perfect1 but where the    
superior and more active party regards  
himself as something more than human1   
and the party acted upon beholds in the 
other an object of religious reverence1 
or tingles with apprehension of he knows
 not what of fearful and calamitous4    
,the state of the party acted on1 and   
indeed of either1 is never complete1    
till the senses are confounded1 what is 
imagined is so powerful as in a manner  
to exclude what is real1 in a word1     
till1 as the poet expresses it1 function
 is smothered in surmise1 and nothing   
is1 but what is not4  ,it is in such a  
state of the faculties that it is       
entirely natural and simple1 that one   
should mistake a mere dumb animal for   
one's relative or near connection in    
disguise4 ,and1 the delusion having once

 begun1 the deluded individual gives to 
every gesture and motion of limb and eye
 an explanation that forwards the       
deception4 ,it is in the same way that  
in ignorant ages the notion of          
changeling has been produced4 ,the weak 
and fascinated mother sees every feature
 with a turn of expression unknown      
before1 all the habits of the child     
appear different and strange1 till the  
parent herself denies her offspring1 and
 sees in the object so lately cherished 
and doated on1 a monster uncouth and    
horrible of aspect4    ,,dark ,,ages    
,,of ,,europe   ,in ,europe we are      
slenderly supplied with historians1 and 
with narratives exhibiting the manners  
and peculiarities of successive races of
 men1 from the time of ,theodosius in   
the close of the fourth century of the  
,christian era to the end of the tenth4 
,mankind during that period were in an  
uncommon degree wrapped up in ignorance 
and barbarism4 ,we may be morally sure  
that this was an interval beyond all    

others1 in which superstition and an    
implicit faith in supernatural phenomena
 predominated over this portion of the  
globe4 ,the laws of nature1 and the     
everlasting chain of antecedents and    
consequents1 were little recognised4 ,in
 proportion as illumination and science 
have risen on the world1 men have become
 aware that the succession of events is 
universally operating1 and that the     
frame of men and animals is every where 
the same1 modified only by causes not   
less unchangeable in their influence    
than the internal constitution of the   
frame itself4 ,we have learned to       
explain much2 we are able to predict and
 investigate the course of things2 and  
the contemplative and the wise are not  
less intimately and profoundly persuaded
 that the process of natural events is  
sure and simple and void of all just    
occasion for surprise and the lifting up
 of hands in astonishment1 where we are 
not yet familiarly acquainted with the  
developement of the elements of things1 

as where we are4 ,what we have not yet  
mastered1 we feel confidently persuaded 
that the investigators that come after  
us will reduce to rules not less        
obvious1 familiar and comprehensible1   
than is to us the rising of the sun1 or 
the progress of animal and vegetable    
life from the first bud and seed of     
existence to the last stage of          
decrepitude and decay4  ,but in these   
ages of ignorance1 when but few1 and    
those only the most obvious1 laws of    
nature were acknowledged1 every event   
that was not of almost daily occurrence1
 was contemplated with more or less of  
awe and alarm4 ,these men saw ,god in   
clouds1 and heard him in the wind4      
,instead of having regard only to that  
universal ,providence1 which acts not by
 partial impulses1 but by general laws1 
they beheld1 as they conceived1 the     
immediate hand of the ,creator1 or      
rather1 upon most occasions1 of some    
invisible intelligence1 sometimes       
beneficent1 but perhaps oftener         

malignant and capricious1 interfering1  
to baffle the foresight of the sage1 to 
humble the pride of the intelligent1 and
 to place the discernment of the most   
gifted upon a level with the drivellings
 of the idiot1 and the ravings of the   
insane4  ,and1 as in events men saw     
perpetually the supernatural and        
miraculous1 so in their fellow-creatures
 they continually sought1 and therefore 
frequently imagined that they found1 a  
gifted race1 that had command over the  
elements1 held commerce with the        
invisible world1 and could produce the  
most stupendous and terrific effects4   
,in man1 as we now behold him1 we can   
ascertain his nature1 the strength and  
pliability of his limbs1 the accuracy of
 his eye1 the extent of his intellectual
 acquisitions1 and the subtlety of his  
powers of thought1 and can therefore in 
a great measure anticipate what we have 
to hope or to fear from him4 ,every     
thing is regulated by what we call      
natural means4 ,but1 in the times ,i    

speak of1 all was mysterious3 the powers
 of men were subject to no recognised   
laws3 and therefore nothing that        
imagination could suggest1 exceeded the 
bounds of credibility4 ,some men were   
supposed to be so rarely endowed that a 
thousand liveried angels waited on them 
invisibly1 to execute their behests for 
the benefit of those they favoured2     
while1 much oftener1 the perverse and   
crookedly disposed1 who delighted in    
mischief1 would bring on those to whom1 
for whatever capricious reason1 they    
were hostile1 calamities1 which no      
sagacity could predict1 and no merely   
human power could baffle and resist4    
,after the tenth century enough of      
credulity remained1 to display in       
glaring colours the aberrations of the  
human mind1 and to furnish forth tales  
which will supply abundant matter for   
the remainder of this volume4 ,but      
previously to this period1 we may be    
morally sure1 reigned most eminently the
 sabbath of magic and sorcery1 when     

nothing was too wild1 and remote from   
the reality of things1 not to meet with 
an eager welcome1 when terror and       
astonishment united themselves with a   
nameless delight1 and the auditor was   
alarmed even to a sort of madness1 at   
the same time that he greedily demanded 
an ever-fresh supply of congenial       
aliment4 ,the more the known laws of the
 universe and the natural possibility of
 things were violated1 with the stronger
 marks of approbation was the tale      
received3 while the dextrous impostor1  
aware of the temper of his age1 and     
knowing how most completely to blindfold
 and lead astray his prepared dupes1    
made a rich harvest of the folly of his 
contemporaries4 ,but ,i am wrong to call
 him an impostor4 ,he imposed upon      
himself1 no less than on the gaping     
crowd4 ,his discourses1 even in the act 
of being pronounced1 won upon his own   
ear2 and the dexterity with which he    
baffled the observation of others1      
bewildered his ready sense1 and filled  

him with astonishment at the magnitude  
of his achievements4 ,the accomplished  
adventurer was always ready to regard   
himself rather as a sublime being       
endowed with great and stupendous       
attributes1 than as a pitiful trickster4
 ,he became the ,god of his own         
idolatry1 and stood astonished1 as the  
witch of ,endor in the ,english ,bible  
is represented to have done1 at the     
success of his incantations4  ,but all  
these things are passed away1 and are   
buried in the gulf of oblivion4 ,a      
thousand tales1 each more wonderful than
 the other1 marked the year as it glided
 away4 ,every valley had its fairies2   
and every hill its giants4 ,no solitary 
dwelling1 unpeopled with human          
inhabitants1 was without its ghosts2 and
 no church-yard in the absence of       
day-light could be crossed with         
impunity4 ,the gifted enchanter bedimmed
    ,the noon-tide sun1 willed forth the
 mutinous winds1   ,and 'twixt the green
 sea and the azured vault   ,set roaring

 war2 to the dread1 rattling thunder    
,he gave forth fire1 and rifted ,jove's 
stout oak   ,with his own bolt1 the     
strong-based promontory   ,he made to   
shake1 and by the spurs plucked up      
,the pine and cedar4  ,it is but a small
 remnant of these marvellous adventures 
that has been preserved4 ,the greater   
part of them are swallowed up in that   
gulf of oblivion1 to which are          
successively consigned after a brief    
interval all events as they occur1      
except so far as their memory is        
preserved through the medium of writing 
and records4 ,from the eleventh century 
commences a stream of historical        
relation1 which since that time never   
entirely eludes the search of the       
diligent enquirer4 ,before this period  
there occasionally appears an historian 
or miscellaneous writer3 but he seems to
 start up by chance2 the eddy presently 
closes over him1 and all is again       
impenetrable darkness4  ,when this      
succession of writers began1 they were  

unavoidably induced to look back upon   
the ages that had preceded them1 and to 
collect here and there from tradition   
any thing that appeared especially      
worthy of notice4 ,of course any        
information they could glean was wild   
and uncertain1 deeply stamped with the  
credulity and wonder of an ignorant     
period1 and still increasing in         
marvellousness and absurdity from every 
hand it passed through1 and from every  
tongue which repeated it4   ,,merlin4   
,one of the most extraordinary          
personages whose story is thus delivered
 to us1 is ,merlin4 ,he appears to have 
been contemporary with the period of the
 ,saxon invasion of ,britain in the     
latter part of the fifth century2 but   
probably the earliest mention of his    
name by any writer that has come down to
 us is not previous to the eleventh4 ,we
 may the less wonder therefore at the   
incredible things that are reported of  
him4 ,he is first mentioned in          
connection with the fortune of          

,vortigern1 who is represented by       
,geoffrey of ,monmouth as at that time  
king of ,england4 ,the ,romans having   
withdrawn their legions from this       
island1 the unwarlike ,britons found    
themselves incompetent to repel the     
invasions of the uncivilised ,scots and 
,picts1 and ,vortigern perceived no     
remedy but in inviting the ,saxons from 
the northern continent to his aid4 ,the 
,saxons successfully repelled the       
invader2 but1 having done this1 they    
refused to return home4 ,they determined
 to settle here1 and1 having taken      
various towns1 are represented as at    
length inviting ,vortigern and his      
principal nobility to a feast near      
,salisbury under pretence of a peace1   
where they treacherously slew three     
hundred of the chief men of the island1 
and threw ,vortigern into chains4 ,here1
 by way of purchasing the restoration of
 his liberty1 they induced him to order 
the surrender of ,london1 ,york1        
,winchester1 and other principal towns4 

,having lost all his strong holds1 he   
consulted his magicians as to how he was
 to secure himself from this terrible   
foe4 ,they advised him to build an      
impregnable tower1 and pointed out the  
situation where it was to be erected4   
,but so unfortunately did their advice  
succeed1 that all the work that his     
engineers did in the building one day1  
the earth swallowed1 so that no vestige 
was to be found on the next4 ,the       
magicians were consulted again on this  
fresh calamity2 and they told the king  
that that there was no remedying this   
disaster1 other than by cementing the   
walls of his edifice with the blood of a
 human being1 who was born of no human  
father4  ,vortigern sent out his        
emissaries in every direction in search 
of this victim2 and at length by strange
 good fortune they lighted on ,merlin   
near the town of ,caermarthen1 who told 
them that his mother was the daughter of
 a king1 but that she had been got with 
child of him by a being of an angelic   

nature1 and not a man4 ,no sooner had   
they received this information1 than    
they seized him1 and hurried him away to
 ,vortigern as the victim required4 ,but
 in presence of the king he baffled the 
magicians2 he told the king that the    
ground they had chosen for his tower1   
had underneath it a lake1 which being   
drained1 they would find at the bottom  
two dragons of inextinguishable         
hostility1 that under that form figured 
the ,britons and ,saxons1 all of which  
upon the experiment proved to be true4  
,vortigern died shortly after1 and was  
succeeded first by ,ambrosius1 and then 
by ,uther ,pendragon4 ,merlin was the   
confident of all these kings4 ,to ,uther
 he exhibited a very criminal sort of   
compliance4 ,uther became desperately   
enamoured of ,igerna1 wife of the duke  
of ,cornwal1 and tried every means to   
seduce her in vain4 ,having consulted   
,merlin1 the magician contrived by an   
extraordinary unguent to metamorphose   
,uther into the form of the duke4 ,the  

duke had shut up his wife for safety in 
a very strong tower2 but ,uther in his  
new form gained unsuspected entrance2   
and the virtuous ,igerna received him to
 her embraces1 by means of which he     
begot ,arthur1 afterwards the most      
renowned sovereign of this island4      
,uther now contrived that the duke1 her 
husband1 should be slain in battle1 and 
immediately married the fair ,igerna1   
and made her his queen4  ,the next      
exploit of ,merlin was with the intent  
to erect a monument that should last for
 ever1 to the memory of the three       
hundred ,british nobles that were       
massacred by the ,saxons4 ,this design  
produced the extraordinary edifice      
called ,stonehenge4 ,these mighty       
stones1 which by no human power could be
 placed in the position in which we     
behold them1 had originally been set up 
in ,africa1 and afterwards by means     
unknown were transported to ,ireland4   
,merlin commanded that they should be   
carried over the sea1 and placed where  

they now are1 on ,salisbury ,plain4 ,the
 workmen1 having received his           
directions1 exerted all their power and 
skill1 but could not move one of them4  
,merlin1 having for some time watched   
their exertions1 at length applied his  
magic2 and to the amazement of every    
one1 the stones spontaneously quitted   
the situation in which they had been    
placed1 rose to a great height in the   
air1 and then pursued the course which  
,merlin had prescribed1 finally settling
 themselves in ,wiltshire1 precisely in 
the position in which we now find them1 
and which they will for ever retain4    
,the last adventure recorded of ,merlin 
proceeded from a project he conceived   
for surrounding his native town of      
,caermarthen with a brazen wall4 ,he    
committed the execution of this project 
to a multitude of fiends1 who laboured  
upon the plan underground in a          
neighbouring cavern4 #aej ,in the mean  
while ,merlin had become enamoured of a 
supernatural being1 called the ,lady of 

the ,lake4 ,the lady had long resisted  
his importunities1 and in fact had no   
inclination to yield to his suit4 ,one  
day however she sent for him in great   
haste2 and ,merlin was of course eager  
to comply with her invitation4          
,nevertheless1 before he set out1 he    
gave it strictly in charge to the       
fiends1 that they should by no means    
suspend their labours till they saw him 
return4 ,the design of the lady was to  
make sport with him1 and elude his      
addresses4 ,merlin on the contrary1 with
 the hope to melt her severity1         
undertook to shew her the wonders of his
 art4 ,among the rest he exhibited to   
her observation a tomb1 formed to       
contain two bodies2 at the same time    
teaching her a charm1 by means of which 
the sepulchre would close1 and never    
again be opened4 ,the lady pretended not
 to believe that the tomb was wide      
enough for its purpose1 and inveigled   
the credulous ,merlin to enter it1 and  
place himself as one dead4 ,no sooner   

had she so far succeeded1 than she      
closed the lid of the sepulchre1 and    
pronouncing the charm1 rendered it      
impossible that it should ever be opened
 again till the day of judgment4 ,thus1 
according to the story1 ,merlin was shut
 in1 a corrupted and putrifying body    
with a living soul1 to which still      
inhered the faculty of returning in     
audible sounds a prophetic answer to    
such as resorted to it as an oracle4    
,meanwhile the fiends1 at work in the   
cavern near ,caermarthen1 mindful of the
 injunction of their taskmaster1 not to 
suspend their labours till his return1  
proceed for ever in their office2 and   
the traveller who passes that way1 if he
 lays his ear close to the mouth of the 
cavern1 may hear a ghastly noise of iron
 chains and brazen caldrons1 the loud   
strokes of the hammer1 and the ringing  
sound of the anvil1 intermixed with the 
pants and groans of the workmen1 enough 
to unsettle the brain and confound the  
faculties of him that for any time shall

 listen to the din4  ,as six hundred    
years elapsed between the time of       
,merlin and the earliest known records  
of his achievements1 it is impossible to
 pronounce what he really pretended to  
perform1 and how great were the         
additions which successive reporters    
have annexed to the wonders of his art1 
more than the prophet himself perhaps   
ever dreamed of4 ,in later times1 when  
the historians were the contemporaries  
of the persons by whom the supposed     
wonders were achieved1 or the persons   
who have for these causes been          
celebrated have bequeathed certain      
literary productions to posterity1 we   
may be able to form some conjecture as  
to the degree in which the heroes of the
 tale were deluding or deluded1 and may 
exercise our sagacity in the question by
 what strange peculiarity of mind       
adventures which we now hold to be      
impossible obtained so general belief4  
,but in a case like this of ,merlin1 who
 lived in a time so remote from that in 

which his history is first known to have
 been recorded1 it is impracticable to  
determine at what time the fiction which
 was afterwards generally received began
 to be reported1 or whether the person  
to whom the miracles were imputed ever  
heard or dreamed of the extraordinary   
things he is represented as having      
achieved4   ,,st4 ,,dunstan4  ,an       
individual scarcely less famous in the  
dark ages1 and who1 like ,merlin1 lived 
in confidence with successive kings1 was
 ,st4 ,dunstan4 ,he was born and died in
 the tenth century4 ,it is not a little 
instructive to employ our attention upon
 the recorded adventures1 and incidents 
occurring in the lives1 of such men1    
since1 though plentifully interspersed  
with impossible tales1 they serve to    
discover to us the tastes and           
prepossessions of the times in which    
these men lived1 and the sort of        
accomplishments which were necessary to 
their success4  ,st4 ,dunstan is said to
 have been a man of distinguished birth1

 and to have spent the early years of   
his life in much licentiousness4 ,he was
 however doubtless a person of the most 
extraordinary endowments of nature4     
,ambition early lighted its fire in his 
bosom2 and he displayed the greatest    
facility in acquiring any talent or art 
on which he fixed his attention4 ,his   
career of profligacy was speedily       
arrested by a dangerous illness1 in     
which he was given over by his          
physicians4 ,while he lay apparently at 
the point of death1 an angel was        
suddenly seen1 bringing a medicine to   
him which effected his instant cure4    
,the saint immediately rose from his    
bed1 and hastened to the nearest church 
to give ,god thanks for his recovery4   
,as he passed along1 the devil1         
surrounded with a pack of black dogs1   
interposed himself to obstruct his way4 
,dunstan however intrepidly brandished a
 rod that he held in his hand1 and his  
opposers took to flight4 ,when he came  
to the church1 he found the doors       

closed4 ,but the same angel1 who        
effected his cure1 was at hand1 and1    
taking him up softly by the hair of his 
head1 placed him before the high altar1 
where he performed his devotions with   
suitable fervour4  ,that he might       
expiate the irregularities of his past  
life1 ,st4 ,dunstan now secluded himself
 entirely from the world1 and           
constructed for his habitation a cell in
 the abbey of ,glastonbury1 so narrow   
that he could neither stand upright in  
it1 nor stretch out his limbs in repose4
 ,he took scarcely so much sustenance as
 would support life1 and mortified his  
flesh with frequent castigations4  ,he  
did not however pass his time during    
this seclusion in vacuity and indolence4
 ,he pursued his studies with the utmost
 ardour1 and made a great proficiency in
 philosophy1 divinity1 painting1        
sculpture and music4 ,above all1 he was 
an admirable chemist1 excelled in       
manufactures of gold and other metals1  
and was distinguished by a wonderful    

skill in the art of magic4  ,during all 
these mortifications and the severeness 
of his industry1 he appears to have     
become a prey to extraordinary visions  
and imaginations4 ,among the rest1 the  
devil visited him in his cell1 and1     
thrusting his head in at the window1    
disturbed the saint with obscene and    
blasphemous speeches1 and the most      
frightful contortions of the features of
 his countenance4 ,dunstan at length1   
wearied out with his perseverance1      
seized the red-hot tongs with which he  
was engaged in some chemical experiment1
 and1 catching the devil by the nose1   
held him with the utmost firmness1 while
 ,satan filled the whole neighbourhood  
for many miles round with his           
bellowings4 ,extraordinary as this may  
appear1 it constitutes one of the most  
prominent incidents in the life of the  
saint2 and the representations of it    
were for ever repeated in ancient       
carvings1 and in the illuminations of   
church-windows4  ,this was the precise  

period at which the pope and his        
adherents were gaining the greatest     
ascendancy in the ,christian world4 ,the
 doctrine of transubstantiation was now 
in the highest vogue2 and along with it 
a precept still more essential to the   
empire of the ,catholic church1 the     
celibacy of the clergy4 ,this was not at
 first established without vehement     
struggles4 ,the secular clergy1 who were
 required at once to cast off their     
wives as concubines1 and their children 
as bastards1 found every impulse of     
nature rising in arms against the       
mandate4 ,the regular clergy1 or monks1 
were in obvious rivalship with the      
seculars1 and engrossed to themselves1  
as much as possible1 all promotions and 
dignities1 as well ecclesiastical as    
civil4 ,st4 ,augustine1 who first       
planted ,christianity in this island1   
was a ,benedictine monk2 and the        
,benedictines were for a long time in   
the highest reputation in the ,catholic 
church4 ,st4 ,dunstan was also a        

,benedictine4 ,in his time the question 
of the celibacy of the clergy was most  
vehemently agitated2 and ,dunstan was   
the foremost of the champions of the new
 institution in ,england4 ,the contest  
was carried on with great vehemence4    
,many of the most powerful nobility1    
impelled either by pity for the         
sufferers1 or induced by family         
affinities1 supported the cause of the  
seculars4 ,three successive synods were 
held on the subject2 and the cause of   
nature it is said would have prevailed1 
had not ,dunstan and his confederates   
called in the influence of miracles to  
their aid4 ,in one instance1 a crucifix1
 fixed in a conspicuous part of the     
place of assembly1 uttered a voice at   
the critical moment1 saying1 ,be steady6
 you have once decreed right2 alter not 
your ordinances4 ,at another time the   
floor of the place of meeting partially 
gave way1 precipitating the ungodly     
opposers of celibacy into the place     
beneath1 while ,dunstan and his party1  

who were in another part of the         
assembly1 were miraculously preserved   
unhurt4  ,in these instances ,dunstan   
seemed to be engaged in the cause of    
religion1 and might be considered as a  
zealous1 though mistaken1 advocate of   
,christian simplicity and purity4 ,but  
he was not contented with figuring      
merely as a saint4 ,he insinuated       
himself into the favour of ,edred1 the  
grandson of ,alfred1 and who1 after two 
or three short reigns1 succeeded to the 
throne4 ,edred was an inactive prince1  
but greatly under the dominion of       
religious prejudices2 and ,dunstan1     
being introduced to him1 found him an   
apt subject for his machinations4 ,edred
 first made him abbot of ,glastonbury1  
one of the most powerful ecclesiastical 
dignities in ,england1 and then         
treasurer of the kingdom4 ,during the   
reign of this prince1 ,dunstan disposed 
of all ecclesiastical affairs1 and even 
of the treasures of the kingdom1 at his 
pleasure4  ,but ,edred filled the throne

 only nine years1 and was succeeded by  
,edwy at the early age of seventeen1 who
 is said to have been endowed with every
 grace of form1 and the utmost firmness 
and intrepidity of spirit4 ,dunstan     
immediately conceived a jealousy of     
these qualities1 and took an early      
opportunity to endeavour to disarm them4
 ,edwy entertained a passion for a      
princess of the royal house1 and even   
proceeded to marry her1 though within   
the degrees forbidden by the canon law4 
,the rest of the story exhibits a lively
 picture of the manners of these        
barbarous times4 ,odo1 archbishop of    
,canterbury1 the obedient tool of       
,dunstan1 on the day of the coronation  
obtruded himself with his abettor into  
the private apartment1 to which the king
 had retired with his queen1 only       
accompanied by her mother2 and here the 
ambitious abbot1 after loading ,edwy    
with the bitterest reproaches for his   
shameless sensuality1 thrust him back by
 main force into the hall1 where the    

nobles of the kingdom were still engaged
 at their banquet4  ,the spirited young 
prince conceived a deep resentment of   
this unworthy treatment1 and1 seizing an
 opportunity1 called ,dunstan to account
 for malversation in the treasury during
 the late king's life-time4 ,the priest 
refused to answer2 and the issue was    
that he was banished the realm4  ,but he
 left behind him a faithful and implicit
 coadjutor in archbishop ,odo4 ,this    
prelate is said actually to have forced 
his way with a party of soldiers into   
the palace1 and1 having seized the      
queen1 barbarously to have seared her   
cheeks with a red-hot iron1 and sent her
 off a prisoner to ,ireland4 ,he then   
proceeded to institute all the forms of 
a divorce1 to which the unhappy king was
 obliged to submit4 ,meanwhile the      
queen1 having recovered her beauty1     
found means to escape1 and1 crossing the
 ,channel1 hastened to join her husband4
 ,but here again the priests manifested 
the same activity as before4 ,they      

intercepted the queen in her journey1   
and by the most cruel means undertook to
 make her a cripple for life4 ,the      
princess however sunk under the         
experiment1 and ended her existence and 
her woes together4  ,a rebellion was now
 excited against the sacrilegious ,edwy2
 and the whole north of ,england1 having
 rebelled1 was placed under the dominion
 of his brother1 a boy of thirteen years
 of age4 ,in the midst of these         
adventures ,dunstan returned from the   
continent1 and fearlessly shewed himself
 in his native country4 ,his party was  
every where triumphant2 ,odo being dead1
 he was installed archbishop of         
,canterbury1 and ,edwy1 oppressed with  
calamity on every side1 sunk to an      
untimely grave4  ,the rest of the life  
of ,dunstan was passed in comparatively 
tranquillity4 ,he made and unmade kings 
as he pleased4 ,edgar1 the successor of 
,edwy1 discovered the happy medium of   
energy and authority as a sovereign1    
combined with a disposition to indulge  

the ambitious policy of the priesthood4 
,he was licentious in his amours1       
without losing a particle of his        
ascendancy as a sovereign4 ,he however  
reigned only a few years2 but ,dunstan  
at his death found means to place his   
eldest son on the throne under his      
special protection1 in defiance of the  
intrigues of the ambitious ,elfrida1 the
 king's second wife1 who moved heaven   
and earth to cause the crown to descend 
upon her own son1 as yet comparatively  
an infant4  ,in this narrative we are   
presented with a lively picture of the  
means by which ambition climbed to its  
purposes in the darkness of the tenth   
century4 ,dunstan was enriched with all 
those endowments which might seem in any
 age to lead to the highest distinction4
 ,yet it would appear to have been in   
vain that he was thus qualified1 if he  
had not stooped to arts that fell in    
with the gross prejudices of his        
contemporaries4 ,he had continual       
recourse to the aid of miracles4 ,he    

gave into practices of the most rigorous
 mortification4 ,he studied1 and        
excelled in1 all the learning and arts  
that were then known4 ,but his main     
dependence was on the art of magic4 ,the
 story of his taking the devil by the   
nose with a pair of red-hot tongs1 seems
 to have been of greater service to him 
than any other single adventure of his  
life4 ,in other times he might have     
succeeded in the schemes of his         
political ambition by seemly and        
specious means4 ,but it was necessary   
for him in the times in which he lived1 
to proceed with eclat1 and in a way that
 should confound all opposers4 ,the     
utmost resolution was required to       
overwhelm those who might otherwise have
 been prompted to contend against him4  
,hence it appears that he took a right  
measure of the understanding of his     
contemporaries1 when he dragged the     
young king from the scene of his        
retirement1 and brought him back by     
force into the assembly of the nobles4  

,and the inconceivable barbarity        
practised to the queen1 which would have
 rendered his name horrible in a more   
civilised age1 was exactly calculated to
 overwhelm the feelings and subject the 
understandings of the men among whom he 
lived4 ,the great quality by which he   
was distinguished was confidence1 a     
frame of behaviour which shewed that he 
acted from the fullest conviction1 and  
never doubted that his proceedings had  
the immediate approbation of heaven4    
,,communication ,,of ,,europe ,,and     
,,the ,,saracens   ,it appears to have  
been about the close of the tenth       
century that the more curious and       
inquisitive spirits of ,europe first had
 recourse to the ,east as a source of   
such information and art1 as they found 
most glaringly deficient among their    
countrymen4 ,we have seen that in       
,persia there was an uninterrupted      
succession of professors in the art of  
magic3 and1 when the followers of       
,mahomet by their prowess had gained the

 superiority over the greater part of   
,asia1 over all that was known of       
,africa1 and a considerable tract of    
,europe1 they gradually became awake to 
the desire of cultivating the sciences1 
and in particular of making themselves  
masters of whatever was most liberal and
 eminent among the disciples of         
,zoroaster4 ,to this they added a       
curiosity respecting ,greek learning1   
especially as it related to medicine and
 the investigation of the powers of     
physical nature4 ,bagdad became an      
eminent seat of learning2 and perhaps1  
next to ,bagdad1 ,spain under the       
,saracens1 or ,moors1 was a principal   
abode for the professors of ingenuity   
and literature4   ,,gerbert1 ,,pope     
,,silvester ,,ii4  ,as a consequence of 
this state of things the more curious   
men of ,europe by degrees adopted the   
practice of resorting to ,spain for the 
purpose of enlarging their sphere of    
observation and knowledge4 ,among others
 ,gerbert is reported to have been the  

first of the ,christian clergy1 who     
strung themselves up to the resolution  
of mixing with the followers of         
,mahomet1 that they might learn from    
thence things1 the knowledge of which it
 was impossible for them to obtain at   
home4 ,this generous adventurer1        
prompted by an insatiable thirst for    
information1 is said to have secretly   
withdrawn himself from his monastery of 
,fleury in ,burgundy1 and to have spent 
several years among the ,saracens of    
,cordova4 ,here he acquired a knowledge 
of the language and learning of the     
,arabians1 particularly of their        
astronomy1 geometry and arithmetic2 and 
he is understood to have been the first 
that imparted to the north and west of  
,europe a knowledge of the ,arabic      
numerals1 a science1 which at first     
sight might be despised for its         
simplicity1 but which in its            
consequences is no inconsiderable       
instrument in subtilising the powers of 
human intellect4 ,he likewise introduced

 the use of clocks4 ,he is also         
represented to have made an             
extraordinary proficiency in the art of 
magic2 and among other things is said to
 have constructed a brazen head1 which  
would answer when it was spoken to1 and 
oracularly resolve many difficult       
questions4 #aea ,the same historian     
assures us that ,gerbert by the art of  
necromancy made various discoveries of  
hidden treasures1 and relates in all its
 circumstances the spectacle of a magic 
palace he visited underground1 with the 
multiplied splendours of an ,arabian    
tale1 but distinguished by this feature1
 that1 though its magnificence was      
dazzling to the sight1 it would not     
abide the test of feeling1 but vanished 
into air1 the moment it was attempted to
 be touched4  ,it happened with         
,gerbert1 as with ,st4 ,dunstan1 that he
 united an aspiring mind and a boundless
 spirit of ambition1 with the           
intellectual curiosity which has already
 been described4 ,the first step that he

 made into public life and the career   
for which he panted1 consisted in his   
being named preceptor1 first to ,robert1
 king of ,france1 the son of ,hugh      
,capet1 and next to ,otho the ,third1   
emperor of ,germany4 ,hugh ,capet       
appointed him archbishop of ,rheims2    
but1 that dignity being disputed with   
him1 he retired into ,germany1 and1     
becoming eminently a favourite with     
,otho the ,third1 he was by the         
influence of that prince raised1 first  
to be archbishop of ,ravenna1 and       
afterwards to the papacy by the name of 
,silvester the ,second4 #aeb  ,cardinal 
,benno1 who was an adherent of the      
anti-popes1 and for that reason is      
supposed to have calumniated ,gerbert   
and several of his successors1 affirms  
that he was habitually waited on by     
demons1 that by their aid he obtained   
the papal crown1 and that the devil to  
whom he had sold himself1 faithfully    
promised him that he should live1 till  
he had celebrated high mass at          

,jerusalem4 ,this however was merely a  
juggle of the evil spirit2 and ,gerbert 
actually died1 shortly after having     
officially dispensed the sacrament at   
the church of the ,holy ,cross in       
,jerusalem1 which is one of the seven   
districts of the city of ,rome4 ,this   
event occurred in the year #ajjh4 #aec  
,,benedict ,,the ,,ninth4  ,according to
 the same authority sorcery was at this 
time extensively practised by some of   
the highest dignitaries of the church1  
and five or six popes in succession were
 notorious for these sacrilegious       
practices4 ,about the same period the   
papal chair was at its lowest state of  
degradation2 this dignity was repeatedly
 exposed for sale2 and the reign of     
,gerbert1 a man of consummate abilities 
and attainments1 is almost the only     
redeeming feature in the century in     
which he lived4 ,at length the tiara    
became the purchase of an ambitious     
family1 which had already furnished two 
popes1 in behalf of a boy of twelve     

years of age1 who reigned by the name of
 ,benedict the ,ninth4 ,this youth1 as  
he grew up1 contaminated his rule with  
every kind of profligacy and debauchery4
 ,but even he1 according to ,benno1 was 
a pupil in the school of ,silvester1 and
 became no mean proficient in the arts  
of sorcery4 ,among other things he      
caused the matrons of ,rome by his      
incantations to follow him in troops    
among woods and mountains1 being        
bewitched and their souls subdued by the
 irresistible charms of his magic4 #aed 
,,gregory ,,the ,,seventh4  ,benno      
presents us with a regular catalogue of 
the ecclesiastical sorcerers of this    
period3 ,benedict the ,ninth1 and       
,laurence1 archbishop of ,melfi1 7each  
of whom1 he says1 learned the art of    
,silvester71 ,john ,,xx and ,gregory    
,,vi4 ,but his most vehement accusations
 are directed against ,gregory ,,vii1   
who1 he affirms1 was in the early part  
of his career1 the constant companion   
and assistant of these dignitaries in   

unlawful practices of this sort4        
,gregory ,,vii1 whose original name was 
,hildebrand1 is one of the great        
champions of the ,romish church1 and did
 more than any other man to establish   
the law of the celibacy of the clergy1  
and to take the patronage of            
ecclesiastical dignities out of the     
hands of the laity4 ,he was eminently   
qualified for this undertaking by the   
severity of his manners1 and the        
inflexibility of his resolution to      
accomplish whatever he undertook4  ,his 
great adversary was ,henry the ,fourth1 
emperor of ,germany1 a young prince of  
high spirit1 and at that time 7#ajge7   
twenty-four years of age4 ,gregory sent 
to summon him to ,rome1 to answer an    
accusation1 that he1 as all his         
predecessors had done1 being a layman1  
had conferred ecclesiastical dignities4 
,henry refused submission1 and was      
immediately declared excommunicated4 ,in
 retaliation for this offence1 the      
emperor1 it is said1 gave his orders to 

a chief of brigands1 who1 watching his  
opportunity1 seized the pope in the act 
of saying mass in one of the churches of
 ,rome1 and carried him prisoner to a   
tower in the city which was in the      
possession of this adventurer4 ,but no  
sooner was this known1 than the citizens
 of ,rome1 rose en masse1 and rescued   
their spiritual father4 ,meanwhile      
,henry1 to follow up his blow1 assembled
 a synod at ,worms1 who pronounced on   
the pope1 that for manifold crimes he   
was fallen from his supreme dignity1 and
 accordingly fulminated a decree of     
deposition against him4 ,but ,henry had 
no forces to carry this decree into     
execution2 and ,gregory on his side     
emitted a sentence of degradation       
against the emperor1 commanding the     
,germans to elect a new emperor in his  
place4 ,it then became evident that1 in 
this age of ignorance and religious     
subjugation1 the spiritual arm1 at least
 in ,germany1 was more powerful than the
 temporal2 and ,henry1 having maturely  

considered the perils that surrounded   
him1 took the resolution to pass the    
,alps with a few domestics only1 and1   
repairing to the presence of the pope1  
submit himself to such penance as the   
pontiff should impose4 ,gregory was at  
this time at ,canosa1 a fortress beyond 
,naples1 which was surrounded with three
 walls4 ,henry1 without any attendant1  
was admitted within the first wall4     
,here he was required to cast off all   
the symbols of royalty1 to put on a     
hair-shirt1 and to wait barefoot his    
holiness's pleasure4 ,he stood          
accordingly1 fasting from morn to eve1  
without receiving the smallest notice   
from the pontiff4 ,it was in the month  
of ,january4 ,he passed through the same
 trial the second day1 and the third4   
,on the fourth day in the morning he was
 admitted to the presence of the holy   
father4 ,they parted however more       
irreconcileable in heart than ever1     
though each preserved the appearance of 
good will4 ,the pope insisted that      

,henry should abide the issue of the    
congress in ,germany1 of which he       
constituted himself president2 and the  
emperor1 exasperated at the treatment he
 had received1 resolved to keep no terms
 with ,gregory4 ,henry proceeded to the 
election of an anti-pope1 ,clement the  
,third1 and ,gregory patronised a new   
emperor1 ,rodolph1 duke of ,suabia4     
,henry had however generally been       
successful in his military enterprises2 
and he defeated ,rodolph in two battles1
 in the last of which his opponent was  
slain4 ,in the synod of ,brixen1 in     
which ,clement the ,third was elected1  
,gregory was sentenced as a magician and
 a necromancer4 ,the emperor1 puffed up 
with his victories1 marched against     
,rome1 and took it1 with the exception  
of the castle of ,st4 ,angelo1 in which 
the pope shut himself up2 and in the    
mean time ,henry caused the anti-pope1  
his creature1 to be solemnly inaugurated
 in the church of the ,lateran4 ,gregory
 however1 never dismayed1 and never at  

an end of his expedients1 called in the 
,normans1 who had recently distinguished
 themselves by their victories in       
,naples and ,sicily4 ,robert ,guiscard1 
a ,norman chieftain1 drove the ,germans 
out of ,rome2 but1 some altercations    
ensuing between the pontiff and his     
deliverer1 the city was given up to     
pillage1 and ,gregory was glad to take  
refuge in ,salerno1 the capital of his  
,norman ally1 where he shortly after    
expired1 an exile and a fugitive4       
,gregory was no doubt a man of          
extraordinary resources and invincible  
courage4 ,he did not live to witness the
 triumph of his policy2 but his projects
 for the exaltation of the church       
finally met with every success his most 
sanguine wishes could have aspired to4  
,in addition to all the rest it         
happened1 that the countess ,matilda1 a 
princess who in her own right possessed 
extensive sovereignties in ,italy1      
nearly commensurate with what has since 
been styled the ecclesiastical state1   

transferred to the pope in her          
life-time1 and confirmed by her         
testament1 all these territories1 thus  
mainly contributing to render him and   
his successors so considerable as       
temporal princes1 as since that time    
they have appeared4  ,it is1 however1 as
 a sorcerer1 that ,gregory ,,vii        
7,hildebrand7 finds a place in this     
volume4 ,benno relates that1 coming one 
day from his ,alban villa1 he found1    
just as he was entering the church of   
the ,lateran1 that he had left behind   
him his magical book1 which he was      
ascustomed to carry about his person4   
,he immediately sent two trusty servants
 to fetch it1 at the same time          
threatening them most fearfully if they 
should attempt to look into the volume4 
,curiosity however got the better of    
their fear4 ,they opened the book1 and  
began to read2 when presently a number  
of devils appeared1 saying1 ,we are come
 to obey your commands1 but1 if we find 
ourselves trifled with1 we shall        

certainly fall upon and destroy you4    
,the servants1 exceedingly terrified1   
replied1 ,our will is that you should   
immediately throw down so much of the   
wall of the city as is now before us4   
,the devils obeyed2 and the servants    
escaped the danger that hung over them4 
#aee ,it is further said1 that ,gregory 
was so expert in the arts of magic1 that
 he would throw out lightning by shaking
 his arm1 and dart thunder from his     
sleeve4 #aef  ,but the most conspicuous 
circumstance in the life of ,gregory    
that has been made the foundation of a  
charge of necromancy against him1 is    
that1 when ,rodolph marched against     
,henry ,,iv1 the pope was so confident  
of his success1 as to venture publicly  
to prophesy1 both in speech and in      
writing1 that his adversary should be   
conquered and perish in this campaign4  
,nay1 he added1 this prophecy shall be  
accomplished before ,st4 ,peter's day2  
nor do ,i desire any longer to be       
acknowledged for pope1 than on the      

condition that this comes to pass4 ,it  
is added1 that ,rodolph1 relying on the 
prediction1 six times renewed the       
battle1 in which finally he perished    
instead of his competitor4 ,but this    
does not go far enough to substantiate a
 charge of necromancy4 ,it is further   
remarked1 that ,gregory was deep in the 
pretended science of judicial astrology2
 and this1 without its being necessary  
to have recourse to the solution of     
diabolical aid1 may sufficiently account
 for the undoubting certainty with which
 he counted on the event4  ,in the mean 
time this statement is of great         
importance1 as illustrative of the      
spirit of the times in general1 and the 
character of ,gregory in particular4    
,rodolph1 the competitor for the empire1
 has his mind wrought up to such a pitch
 by this prophetic assurance1 that1 five
 times repulsed1 he yet led on his      
forces a sixth time1 and perished the   
victim of his faith4 ,nor were his      
followers less animated than he1 and    

from the same cause4 ,we see also from  
the same story1 that ,gregory was not an
 artful and crafty impostor1 but a man  
spurred on by a genuine enthusiasm4 ,and
 this indeed is necessary to account for
 the whole of his conduct4 ,the audacity
 with which he opposed the claims of    
,henry1 and the unheard-of severity with
 which he treated him at the fortress of
 ,canosa1 are to be referred to the same
 feature of character4 ,invincible      
perseverance1 when united with great    
resources of intellect and a lofty      
spirit1 will enable a man thoroughly to 
effect1 what a person of inferior       
endowments would not have dared so much 
as to dream of4 ,and ,gregory1 like ,st4
 ,dunstan1 achieved incredible things1  
by skilfully adapting himself to        
circumstances1 and taking advantage of  
the temper and weakness of his          
contemporaries4   ,,duff1 ,,king ,,of   
,,scotland4  ,it is not to be wondered  
at1 when such things occurred in ,italy1
 the principal seat of all the learning 

and refinement then existing in ,europe1
 that the extreme northerly and western 
districts should have been given up to  
the blindest superstition4 ,among other 
instances we have the following account 
in relation to ,duff1 king of ,scotland1
 who came to the crown about the year   
#ifh4 ,he found his kingdom in the      
greatest disorder from numerous bands of
 robbers1 many of whom were persons of  
high descent1 but of no competent means 
of subsistence4 ,duff resolved to put an
 end to their depredations1 and to      
secure those who sought a quiet support 
from cultivating the fruits of the earth
 from forcible invasion4 ,he executed   
the law against these disturbers without
 respect of persons1 and hence made     
himself many and powerful enemies4 ,in  
the midst of his activity however he    
suddenly fell sick1 and became confined 
to his bed4 ,his physicians could no way
 account for his distemper4 ,they found 
no excess of any humour in his body to  
which they could attribute his illness2 

his colour was fresh1 and his eyes      
lively2 and he had a moderate and       
healthful appetite4 ,but with all this  
he was a total stranger to sleep2 he    
burst out into immoderate perspirations2
 and there was scarcely any thing that  
remained of him1 but skin and bone4 ,in 
the meantime secret information was     
brought that all this evil was the      
result of witchcraft4 ,and1 the house   
being pointed out in which the sorcerers
 held their sabbath1 a band of soldiers 
was sent to surprise them4 ,the doors   
being burst open1 they found one woman  
roasting upon a spit by the fire a waxen
 image of the king1 so like in every    
feature1 that no doubt was entertained  
that it was modelled by the art of the  
devil1 while another sat by1 busily     
engaged in reciting certain verses of   
enchantment1 by which means1 as the wax 
melted1 the king was consumed with      
perspiration1 and1 as soon as it was    
utterly dissolved1 his death should     
immediately follow4 ,the witches were   

seized1 and from their own confession   
burned alive4 ,the image was broken to  
pieces1 and every fragment of it        
destroyed4 ,and no sooner was this      
effected1 than ,duff had all that night 
the most refreshing and healthful sleep1
 and the next day rose without any      
remains of his infirmity4 #aeg  ,this   
reprieve however availed him but for a  
short time4 ,he was no sooner recovered1
 than he occupied himself as before with
 pursuing the outlaws1 whom he brought  
indiscriminately to condign punishment4 
,among these there chanced to be two    
young men1 near relations of the        
governor of the castle of ,fores1 who   
had hitherto been the king's most       
faithful adherents4 ,these young men had
 been deluded by ill company3 and the   
governor most earnestly sued to ,duff   
for their pardon4 ,but the king was     
inexorable4 ,meanwhile1 as he had always
 placed the most entire trust in their  
father1 he continued to do so without   
the smallest suspicion4 ,the night after

 the execution1 the king slept in the   
castle of ,fores1 as he had often done  
before2 but the governor1 conceiving the
 utmost rancour at the repulse he had   
sustained1 and moreover instigated by   
his wife1 in the middle of the night    
murdered ,duff in his bed1 as he slept4 
,his reign lasted only four years4 #aeh 
,,macbeth4  ,the seventh king of        
,scotland after ,duff1 with an interval 
of sixty-eight years1 was ,macbeth4 ,the
 historian begins his tale of           
witchcraft1 towards the end of the reign
 of ,duncan1 his predecessor1 with      
observing1 ,shortly after happened a    
strange and uncouth wonder1 which       
afterward was the cause of much trouble 
in the realm of ,scotland4 ,it fortuned1
 as ,macbeth and ,banquo journeyed      
towards ,fores1 where the king as then  
lay1 they went sporting by the way      
together1 without other company save    
only themselves1 passing through the    
woods and fields1 when suddenly1 in the 
midst of a laund1 there met them three  

women in strange and ferly apparel1     
resembling creatures of an elder world1 
whom when they attentively beheld1      
wondering much at the sight1 the first  
of them spake and said1 ,all hail1      
,macbeth1 thane of ,glamis 7for he had  
lately entered into that dignity and    
office by the death of his father       
,synel74 ,the second of them said1      
,hail1 ,macbeth1 thane of ,cawdor4 ,but 
the third said1 ,all hail1 ,macbeth1    
that hereafter shall be king of         
,scotland4 ,then ,banquo1 ,what sort of 
women1 said he1 are you1 that seem so   
little favourable unto me1 whereas to my
 fellow here1 besides high offices1 ye  
assign also the kingdom1 appointing     
forth nothing for me at all8 ,yes1 saith
 the first of them1 we promise greater  
benefits unto thee than unto him1 for he
 shall reign indeed1 but with an unlucky
 end1 neither shall he leave any issue  
behind him to succeed in his place2     
where contrarily thou indeed shall not  
reign at all1 but of thee those shall be

 born1 which shall govern the ,scottish 
kingdom by long order of continual      
descent4 ,herewith the foresaid women   
vanished immediately out of their sight4
  ,this was reputed at the first but    
some vain fantastical illusion by       
,macbeth and ,banquo1 insomuch that     
,banquo would call ,macbeth in jest king
 of ,scotland1 and ,macbeth again would 
call him in sport likewise the father of
 many kings4 ,but afterwards the common 
opinion was1 that these women were      
either the weird sisters1 that is 7as   
you would say7 the goddesses of destiny1
 or else some nymphs or fairies1 endued 
with knowledge of prophecy by their     
necromantical science1 because every    
thing came to pass as they had spoken4  
,for shortly after1 the thane of        
,cawdor1 being condemned at ,fores of   
treason against the king committed1 his 
lands1 livings and offices were given of
 the king's liberality unto ,macbeth4   
#aei  ,malcolm1 the preceding king of   
,scotland1 had two daughters1 one of    

them the mother of ,duncan1 and the     
other of ,macbeth2 and in virtue of this
 descent ,duncan succeeded to the crown4
 ,the accession of ,macbeth therefore   
was not very remote1 if he survived the 
present king4 ,of consequence ,macbeth1 
though he thought much of the prediction
 of the weird sisters1 yet resolved to  
wait his time1 thinking that1 as had    
happened in his former preferment1 this 
might come to pass without his aid4 ,but
 ,duncan had two sons1 ,malcolm ,cammore
 and ,donald ,bane4 ,the law of         
succession in ,scotland was1 that1 if at
 the death of the reigning sovereign he 
that should succeed were not of         
sufficient age to take on him the       
government1 he that was next of blood to
 him should be admitted4 ,duncan however
 at this juncture created his eldest son
 ,malcolm prince of ,cumberland1 a title
 which was considered as designating him
 heir to the throne4 ,macbeth was       
greatly troubled at this1 as cutting off
 the expectation he thought he had a    

right to entertain3 and1 the words of   
the weird sisters still ringing in his  
ears1 and his wife with ambitious       
speeches urging him to the deed1 he1 in 
conjunction with some trusty friends1   
among whom was ,banquo1 came to a       
resolution to kill the king at          
,inverness4 ,the deed being perpetrated1
 ,malcolm1 the eldest son of ,duncan1   
fled for safety into ,cumberland1 and   
,donald1 the second1 into ,ireland4 #afj
  ,macbeth1 who became king of ,scotland
 in the year #ajaj1 reigned for ten     
years with great popularity and         
applause1 but at the end of that time   
changed his manner of government1 and   
became a tyrant4 ,his first action in   
this character was against ,banquo4 ,he 
remembered that the weird sisters had   
promised to ,banquo that he should be   
father to a line of kings4 ,haunted with
 this recollection1 ,macbeth invited    
,banquo and his son ,fleance to a       
supper1 and appointed assassins to      
murder them both on their return4       

,banquo was slain accordingly2 but      
,fleance1 under favour of the darkness  
of the night1 escaped4 #afa  ,this      
murder brought ,macbeth into great      
odium1 since every man began to doubt of
 the security of his life1 and ,macbeth 
at the same time to fear the ill will of
 his subjects4 ,he therefore proceeded  
to destroy all against whom he          
entertained any suspicion1 and every day
 more and more to steep his hands in    
blood4 ,further to secure himself1 he   
built a castle on the top of a high     
hill1 called ,dunsinnan1 which was      
placed on such an elevation1 that it    
seemed impossible to approach it in a   
hostile manner4 ,this work he carried on
 by means of requiring the thanes of the
 kingdom1 each one in turn1 to come with
 a set of workmen to help forward the   
edifice4 ,when it came to the turn of   
,macduff1 thane of ,fife1 he sent       
workmen1 but did not come himself1 as   
the others had done4 ,macbeth from that 
time regarded ,macduff with an eye of   

perpetual suspicion4 #afb  ,meanwhile   
,macbeth1 remembering that the origin of
 his present greatness consisted in the 
prophecy of the weird sisters1 addicted 
himself continually to the consulting of
 wizards4 ,those he consulted gave him a
 pointed warning to take heed of        
,macduff1 who in time to come would seek
 to destroy him4 ,this warning would    
unquestionably have proved fatal to     
,macduff2 had not on the other hand     
,macbeth been buoyed up in security1 by 
the prediction of a certain witch in    
whom he had great trust1 that he should 
never be vanquished till the wood of    
,bernane came to the castle of          
,dunsinnan1 and that he should not be   
slain by any man that was born of a     
woman2 both which he judged to be       
impossibilities4 #afc  ,this vain       
confidence however urged him to do many 
outrageous things2 at the same time that
 such was his perpetual uneasiness of   
mind1 that in every nobleman's house he 
had one servant or another in fee1 that 

he might be acquainted with every thing 
that was said or meditated against him4 
,about this time ,macduff fled to       
,malcolm1 who had now taken refuge in   
the court of ,edward the ,confessor2 and
 ,macbeth came with a strong party into 
,fife with the purpose of surprising    
him4 ,the master being safe1 those      
within ,macduff's castle threw open the 
gates1 thinking that no mischief would  
result from receiving the king4 ,but    
,macbeth1 irritated that he missed of   
his prey1 caused ,macduff's wife and    
children1 and all persons who were found
 within the castle1 to be slain4 #afd   
,shortly after1 ,malcolm and ,macduff1  
reinforced by ten thousand ,english     
under the command of ,seyward1 earl of  
,northumberland1 marched into ,scotland4
 ,the subjects of ,macbeth stole away   
daily from him to join the invaders2 but
 he had such confidence in the          
predictions that had been delivered to  
him1 that he still believed he should   
never be vanquished4 ,malcolm meanwhile1

 as he approached to the castle of      
,dunsinnan1 commanded his men to cut    
down1 each of them1 a bough from the    
wood of ,bernane1 as large as he could  
bear1 that they might take the tyrant   
the more by surprise4 ,macbeth saw1 and 
thought the wood approached him2 but he 
remembered the prophecy1 and led forth  
and marshalled his men4 ,when however   
the enemy threw down their boughs1 and  
their formidable numbers stood revealed1
 ,macbeth and his forces immediately    
betook themselves to flight4 ,macduff   
pursued him1 and was hard at his heels1 
when the tyrant turned his horse1 and   
exclaimed1 ,why dost thou follow me8    
,know1 that it is ordained that no      
creature born of a woman can ever       
overcome me4 ,macduff instantly         
retorted1 ,i am the man appointed to    
slay thee4 ,i was not born of a woman1  
but was untimely ripped from my mother's
 womb4 ,and1 saying this1 he killed him 
on the spot4 ,macbeth reigned in the    
whole seventeen years4 #afe   ,,virgil4 

,one of the most curious particulars1   
and which cannot be omitted in a history
 of sorcery1 is the various achievements
 in the art of magic which have been    
related of the poet ,virgil4 ,i bring   
them in here1 because they cannot be    
traced further back than the eleventh or
 twelfth century4 ,the burial-place of  
this illustrious man was at ,pausilippo1
 near ,naples2 the ,neapolitans had for 
many centuries cherished a peculiar     
reverence for his memory2 and it has    
been supposed that the old ballads1 and 
songs of the minstrels of the north of  
,italy1 first originated this idea      
respecting him4 #aff ,the vulgar of this
 city1 full of imagination and poetry1  
conceived the idea of treating him as   
the guardian genius of the place2 and1  
in bodying forth this conception1 they  
represented him in his life-time as     
gifted with supernatural powers1 which  
he employed in various ways for the     
advantage of a city that he so dearly   
loved4 ,be this as it will1 it appears  

that ,gervais of ,tilbury1 chancellor to
 ,otho the ,fourth1 emperor of ,germany1
 ,helinandus1 a ,cisterian monk1 and    
,alexander ,neckam1 all of whom lived   
about this time1 first recorded these   
particulars in their works4  ,they tell 
us1 that ,virgil placed a fly of brass  
over one of the gates of the city1      
which1 as long as it continued there1   
that is1 for a space of eight years1 had
 the virtue of keeping ,naples clear    
from moskitoes and all noxious insects3 
that he built a set of shambles1 the    
meat in which was at all times free from
 putrefaction3 that he placed two images
 over the gates of the city1 one of     
which was named ,joyful1 and the other  
,sad1 one of resplendent beauty1 and the
 other hideous and deformed1 and that   
whoever entered the town under the      
former image would succeed in all his   
undertakings1 and under the latter would
 as certainly miscarry3 that he caused a
 brazen statue to be erected on a       
mountain near ,naples1 with a trumpet in

 his mouth1 which when the north wind   
blew1 sounded so shrill as to drive to  
the sea the fire and smoke which issued 
from the neighbouring forges of ,vulcan3
 that he built different baths at       
,naples1 specifically prepared for the  
cure of every disease1 which were       
afterwards demolished by the malice of  
the physicians3 and that he lighted a   
perpetual fire for the refreshment of   
all travellers1 close to which he placed
 an archer of brass1 with his bow bent1 
and this inscription1 ,whoever strikes  
me1 ,i will let fly my arrow3 that a    
fool-hardy fellow notwithstanding struck
 the statue1 when the arrow was         
immediately shot into the fire1 and the 
fire was extinguished4 ,it is added1    
that1 ,naples being infested with a vast
 multitude of contagious leeches1       
,virgil made a leech of gold1 which he  
threw into a pit1 and so delivered the  
city from the infection3 that he        
surrounded his garden with a wall of    
air1 within which the rain never fell3  

that he built a bridge of brass that    
would transport him wherever he pleased3
 that he made a set of statues1 which   
were named the salvation of ,rome1 which
 had the property that1 if any one of   
the subject nations prepared to revolt1 
the statue1 which bore the name of1 and 
was adored by that nation1 rung a bell1 
and pointed with its finger in the      
direction of the danger3 that he made a 
head1 which had the virtue of predicting
 things future3 and lastly1 amidst a    
world of other wonders1 that he cut a   
subterranean passage through mount      
,pausilippo1 that travellers might pass 
with perfect safety1 the mountain having
 before been so infested with serpents  
and dragons1 that no one could venture  
to cross it4   ,,robert ,,of ,,lincoln4 
,the most eminent person next1 after    
popes ,silvester ,,ii and ,gregory      
,,vii1 who labours under the imputation 
of magic1 is ,robert ,grossette1 or     
,robert of ,lincoln1 appointed bishop of
 that see in the year #abce4 ,he was1   

like those that have previously been    
mentioned1 a man of the most            
transcendant powers of mind1 and        
extraordinary acquirements4 ,his parents
 are said to have been so poor1 that he 
was compelled1 when a boy1 to engage in 
the meanest offices for bread1 and even 
to beg on the highway4 ,at length the   
mayor of ,lincoln1 struck with his      
appearance1 and the quickness of his    
answers to such questions as were       
proposed to him1 took him into his      
family1 and put him to school4 ,here his
 ardent love of learning1 and admirable 
capacity for acquiring it1 soon procured
 him many patrons1 by whose assistance  
he was enabled to prosecute his studies1
 first at ,cambridge1 afterwards at     
,oxford1 and finally at ,paris4 ,he was 
master of the ,greek and ,hebrew        
languages1 then very rare               
accomplishments2 and is pronounced by   
,roger ,bacon1 a very competent judge1  
of whom we shall presently have occasion
 to speak1 to have spent much of his    

time1 for nearly forty years1 in the    
study of geometry1 astronomy1 optics1   
and other branches of mathematical      
learning1 in all of which he much       
excelled4 ,so that1 as we are informed  
from the same authority1 this same      
,robert of ,lincoln1 and his friend1    
,friar ,adam de ,marisco1 were the two  
most learned men in the world1 and      
excelled the rest of mankind in both    
human and divine knowledge4  ,this great
 man especially distinguished himself by
 his firm and undaunted opposition to   
the corruptions of the court of ,rome4  
,pope ,innocent ,,iv1 who filled the    
papal chair upwards of eleven years1    
from #abdc to #abed1 appears to have    
exceeded all his predecessors in the    
shamelessness of his abuses4 ,we are    
told1 that the hierarchy of the church  
of ,england was overwhelmed like a flood
 with an inundation of foreign          
dignitaries1 of whom not a few were mere
 boys1 for the most part without        
learning1 ignorant of the language of   

the island1 and incapable of benefiting 
the people nominally under their care1  
the more especially as they continued to
 dwell in their own countries1 and      
scarcely once in their lives visited the
 sees to which they had been appointed4 
#afg ,grossette lifted up his voice     
against these scandals4 ,he said that it
 was impossible the genuine apostolic   
see1 which received its authority from  
the ,lord ,jesus for edification1 and   
not for destruction1 could be guilty of 
such a crime1 for that would forfeit all
 its glory1 and plunge it into the pains
 of hell4 ,he did not scruple therefore 
among his most intimate friends to      
pronounce the reigning pope to be the   
true ,antichrist2 and he addressed the  
pontiff himself in scarcely more        
measured terms4  ,among the other       
accomplishments of bishop ,grossette he 
is said to have been profoundly skilled 
in the art of magic3 and the old poet   
,gower relates of him that he made a    
head of brass1 expressly constructed in 

such a manner as to be able to answer   
such questions as were propounded to it1
 and to foretel future events4          
,,michael ,,scot4  ,michael ,scot of    
,balwirie in the county of ,fife1 was   
nearly contemporary with bishop         
,grossette4 ,he was eminent for his     
knowledge of the ,greek and ,arabic     
languages4 ,he was patronised by the    
emperor ,frederic ,,ii1 who encouraged  
him to undertake a translation of the   
works of ,aristotle into ,latin4 ,he    
addicted himself to astrology1          
chemistry1 and the still more frivolous 
sciences of chiromancy and physiognomy4 
,it does not appear that he made any    
pretences to magic2 but the vulgar1 we  
are told1 generally regarded him as a   
sorcerer1 and are said to have carried  
their superstition so far as to have    
conceived a terror of so much as        
touching his works4   ,,the ,,dean ,,of 
,,badajoz4  ,there is a story related by
 this accomplished scholar1 in a        
collection of aphorisms and anecdotes   

entitled ,mensa ,philosophica1 which    
deserves to be cited as illustrating the
 ideas then current on the subject of   
sorcery4 ,a certain great necromancer1  
or nigromancer1 had once a pupil of     
considerable rank1 who professed himself
 extremely desirous for once to have the
 gratification of believing himself an  
emperor4 ,the necromancer1 tired with   
his importunities1 at length assented to
 his prayer4 ,he took measures          
accordingly1 and by his potent art      
caused his scholar to believe that one  
province and dignity fell to him after  
another1 till at length his utmost      
desires became satisfied4 ,the magician 
however appeared to be still at his     
elbow2 and one day1 when the scholar was
 in the highest exultation at his good  
fortune1 the master humbly requested him
 to bestow upon him some landed         
possession1 as a reward for the         
extraordinary benefit he had conferred4 
,the imaginary emperor cast upon the    
necromancer a glance of the utmost      

disdain and contempt4 ,who are you8 said
 he1 ,i really have not the smallest    
acquaintance with you4 ,i am he1 replied
 the magician1 with withering severity  
of countenance and tone1 that gave you  
all these things1 and will take them    
away4 ,and1 saying this1 the illusion   
with which the poor scholar had been    
inebriated1 immediately vanished2 and he
 became what he had before been1 and no 
more4  ,the story thus briefly told by  
,michael ,scot1 afterwards passed       
through many hands1 and was greatly     
dilated4 ,in its last form by the abb   
,blanchet1 it constituted the well known
 and agreeable tale of the dean of      
,badajoz4 ,this reverend divine comes to
 a sorcerer1 and intreats a specimen of 
his art4 ,the magician replies that he  
had met with so many specimens of       
ingratitude1 that he was resolved to be 
deluded no more4 ,the dean persists1 and
 at length overcomes the reluctance of  
the master4 ,he invites his guest into  
the parlour1 and orders his cook to put 

two partridges to the fire1 for that the
 dean of ,badajoz will sup with him4    
,presently he begins his incantations2  
and the dean becomes in imagination by  
turns a bishop1 a cardinal1 and a pope4 
,the magician then claims his reward4   
,meanwhile the dean1 inflated with his  
supposed elevation1 turns to his        
benefactor1 and says1 ,i have learned   
with grief that1 under pretence of      
secret science1 you correspond with the 
prince of darkness4 ,i command you to   
repent and abjure2 and in the mean time 
,i order you to quit the territory of   
the church in three days1 under pain of 
being delivered to the secular arm1 and 
the rigour of the flames4 ,the sorcerer1
 having been thus treated1 presently    
dissolves the incantation1 and calls    
aloud to his cook1 ,put down but one    
partridge1 the dean of ,badajoz does not
 sup with me to-night4   ,,miracle ,,of 
,,the ,,tub ,,of ,,water4  ,this story  
affords an additional example of the    
affinity between the ancient ,asiatic   

and ,european legends1 so as to convince
 us that it is nearly impossible that   
the one should not be in some way       
borrowed from the other4 ,there is1 in a
 compilation called the ,turkish ,tales1
 a story of an infidel sultan of ,egypt1
 who took the liberty before a learned  
,mahometan doctor1 of ridiculing some of
 the miracles ascribed to the prophet1  
as for example his transportation into  
the seventh heaven1 and having ninety   
thousand conferences with ,god1 while in
 the mean time a pitcher of water1 which
 had been thrown down in the first step 
of his ascent1 was found with the water 
not all spilled at his return4  ,the    
doctor1 who had the gift of working     
miracles1 told the sultan that1 with his
 consent1 he would give him a practical 
proof of the possibility of the         
circumstance related of ,mahomet4 ,the  
sultan agreed4 ,the doctor therefore    
directed that a huge tub of water should
 be brought in1 and1 while the prince   
stood before it with his courtiers      

around1 the holy man bade him plunge his
 head into the water1 and draw it out   
again4 ,the sultan immersed his head1   
and had no sooner done so1 than he found
 himself alone at the foot of a mountain
 on a desert shore4 ,the prince first   
began to rave against the doctor for    
this piece of treachery and witchcraft4 
,perceiving however that all his rage   
was vain1 and submitting himself to the 
imperiousness of his situation1 he began
 to seek for some habitable tract4 ,by  
and by he discovered people cutting down
 wood in a forest1 and1 having no       
remedy1 he was glad to have recourse to 
the same employment4 ,in process of time
 he was brought to a town2 and there by 
great good fortune1 after other         
adventures1 he married a woman of beauty
 and wealth1 and lived long enough with 
her1 for her to bear him seven sons and 
seven daughters4 ,he was afterwards     
reduced to want1 so as to be obliged to 
ply in the streets as a porter for his  
livelihood4 ,one day1 as he walked alone

 on the sea-shore1 ruminating on his    
hard fate1 he was seized with a fit of  
devotion1 and threw off his clothes1    
that he might wash himself1 agreeably to
 the ,mahometan custom1 previously to   
saying his prayers4 ,he had no sooner   
however plunged into the sea1 and raised
 his head again above water1 than he    
found himself standing by the side of   
the tub that had been brought in1 with  
all the great persons of his court round
 him1 and the holy man close at his     
side4 ,he found that the long series of 
imaginary adventures he had passed      
through1 had in reality occupied but one
 minute of time4   ,,institution ,,of   
,,friars4  ,about this time a great     
revolution took place in the state of   
literature in ,europe4 ,the monks1 who  
at one period considerably contributed  
to preserve the monuments of ancient    
learning1 memorably fell off in         
reputation and industry4 ,their         
communities by the donations of the     
pious grew wealthy2 and the monks       

themselves inhabited splendid palaces1  
and became luxurious1 dissipated and    
idle4 ,upon the ruins of their good fame
 rose a very extraordinary race of men1 
called ,friars4 ,the monks professed    
celibacy1 and to have no individual     
property2 but the friars abjured all    
property1 both private and in common4   
,they had no place where to lay their   
heads1 and subsisted as mendicants upon 
the alms of their contemporaries4 ,they 
did not hide themselves in refectories  
and dormitories1 but lived perpetually  
before the public4 ,in the sequel indeed
 they built ,friaries for their         
residence2 but these were no less       
distinguished for the simplicity and    
humbleness of their appearance1 than the
 monasteries were for their grandeur and
 almost regal magnificence4 ,the ,friars
 were incessant in preaching and        
praying1 voluntarily exposed themselves 
to the severest hardships1 and were     
distinguished by a fervour of devotion  
and charitable activity that knew no    

bounds4 ,we might figure them to        
ourselves as swallowed up in these      
duties4 ,but they added to their merits 
an incessant earnestness in learning and
 science4 ,a new era in intellect and   
subtlety of mind began with them2 and a 
set of the most wonderful men in depth  
of application1 logical acuteness1 and  
discoveries in science distinguished    
this period4 ,they were few indeed1 in  
comparison of the world of ignorance    
that every where surrounded them2 but   
they were for that reason only the more 
conspicuous4 ,they divided themselves   
principally into two orders1 the        
,dominicans and ,franciscans4 ,and all  
that was most illustrious in intellect  
at this period belonged either to the   
one or the other4   ,,albertus ,,magnus4
  ,albertus ,magnus1 a ,dominican1 was  
one of the most famous of these4 ,he was
 born according to some accounts in the 
year #aaic1 and according to others in  
#abje4 ,it is reported of him1 that he  
was naturally very dull1 and so         

incapable of instruction1 that he was on
 the point of quitting the cloister from
 despair of learning what his vocation  
required1 when the blessed virgin       
appeared to him in a vision1 and        
enquired of him in which he desired to  
excel1 philosophy or divinity4 ,he chose
 philosophy2 and the virgin assured him 
that he should become incomparable in   
that1 but1 as a punishment for not      
having chosen divinity1 he should sink1 
before he died1 into his former         
stupidity4 ,it is added that1 after this
 apparition1 he had an infinite deal of 
wit1 and advanced in science with so    
rapid a progress as utterly to astonish 
the masters4 ,he afterwards became      
bishop of ,ratisbon4  ,it is related of 
,albertus1 that he made an entire man of
 brass1 putting together its limbs under
 various constellations1 and occupying  
no less than thirty years in its        
formation4 ,this man would answer all   
sorts of questions1 and was even        
employed by its maker as a domestic4    

,but what is more extraordinary1 this   
machine is said to have become at length
 so garrulous1 that ,thomas ,aquinas1   
being a pupil of ,albertus1 and finding 
himself perpetually disturbed in his    
abstrusest speculations by its          
uncontrolable loquacity1 in a rage      
caught up a hammer1 and beat it to      
pieces4 ,according to other accounts the
 man of ,albertus ,magnus was composed1 
not of metal1 but of flesh and bones    
like other men2 but this being          
afterwards judged to be impossible1 and 
the virtue of images1 rings1 and        
planetary sigils being in great vogue1  
it was conceived that this figure was   
formed of brass1 and indebted for its   
virtue to certain conjunctions and      
aspects of the planets4 #afh  ,a further
 extraordinary story is told of         
,albertus ,magnus1 well calculated to   
exemplify the ideas of magic with which 
these ages abounded4 ,william1 earl of  
,holland1 and king of the ,romans1 was  
expected at a certain time to pass      

through ,cologne4 ,albertus had set his 
heart upon obtaining from this prince   
the cession of a certain tract of land  
upon which to erect a convent4 ,the     
better to succeed in his application he 
conceived the following scheme4 ,he     
invited the prince on his journey to    
partake of a magnificent entertainment4 
,to the surprise of every body1 when the
 prince arrived1 he found the           
preparations for the banquet spread in  
the open air4 ,it was in the depth of   
winter1 when the earth was bound up in  
frost1 and the whole face of things was 
covered with snow4 ,the attendants of   
the court were mortified1 and began to  
express their discontent in loud        
murmurs4 ,no sooner however was the king
 with ,albertus and his courtiers seated
 at table1 than the snow instantly      
disappeared1 the temperature of summer  
shewed itself1 and the sun burst forth  
with a dazzling splendour4 ,the ground  
became covered with the richest verdure2
 the trees were clothed at once with    

foliage1 flowers and fruits3 and a      
vintage of the richest grapes1          
accompanied with a ravishing odour1     
invited the spectators to partake4 ,a   
thousand birds sang on every branch4 ,a 
train of pages shewed themselves1 fresh 
and graceful in person and attire1 and  
were ready diligently to supply the     
wants of all1 while every one was struck
 with astonishment as to who they were  
and from whence they came4 ,the guests  
were obliged to throw off their upper   
garments the better to cool themselves4 
,the whole assembly was delighted with  
their entertainment1 and ,albertus      
easily gained his suit of the king4     
,presently after1 the banquet           
disappeared2 all was wintry and solitary
 as before2 the snow lay thick upon the 
ground2 and the guests in all haste     
snatched up the garments they had laid  
aside1 and hurried into the apartments1 
that by numerous fires on the blazing   
hearth they might counteract the        
dangerous chill which threatened to     

seize on their limbs4 #afi   ,,roger    
,,bacon4  ,roger ,bacon1 of whom        
extraordinary stories of magic have been
 told1 and who was about twenty years   
younger than ,albertus1 was one of the  
rarest geniuses that have existed on    
earth4 ,he was a ,franciscan friar4 ,he 
wrote grammars of the ,latin1 ,greek and
 ,hebrew languages4 ,he was profound in 
the science of optics4 ,he explained the
 nature of burning-glasses1 and of      
glasses which magnify and diminish1 the 
microscope and the telescope4 ,he       
discovered the composition of gunpowder4
 ,he ascertained the true length of the 
solar year2 and his theory was          
afterwards brought into general use1 but
 upon a narrow scale1 by ,pope ,gregory 
,,xiii1 nearly three hundred years after
 his death4 #agj  ,but for all these    
discoveries he underwent a series of the
 most bitter persecutions4 ,it was      
imputed to him by the superiors of his  
order that the improvements he suggested
 in natural philosophy were the effects 

of magic1 and were suggested to him     
through an intercourse with infernal    
spirits4 ,they forbade him to           
communicate any of his speculations4    
,they wasted his frame with rigorous    
fasting1 often restricting him to a diet
 of bread and water1 and prohibited all 
strangers to have access to him4 ,yet he
 went on indefatigably in pursuit of the
 secrets of nature4 #aga ,at length     
,clement ,,iv1 to whom he appealed1     
procured him a considerable degree of   
liberty4 ,but1 after the death of that  
pontiff1 he was again put under         
confinement1 and continued in that state
 for a further period of ten years4 ,he 
was liberated but a short time before   
his death4  ,freind says1 #agb that1    
among other ingenious contrivances1 he  
put statues in motion1 and drew         
articulate sounds from a brazen head1   
not however by magic1 but by an         
artificial application of the principles
 of natural philosophy4   ,this probably
 furnished a foundation for the tale of 

,friar ,bacon and ,friar ,bungy1 which  
was one of the earliest productions to  
which the art of printing was applied in
 ,england4 ,these two persons are said  
to have entertained the project of      
inclosing ,england with a wall1 so as to
 render it inaccessible to any invader4 
,they accordingly raised the devil1 as  
the person best able to inform them how 
this was to be done4 ,the devil advised 
them to make a brazen head1 with all the
 internal structure and organs of a     
human head4 ,the construction would cost
 them much time2 and they must then wait
 with patience till the faculty of      
speech descended upon it4 ,it would     
finally however become an oracle1 and1  
if the question were propounded to it1  
would teach them the solution of their  
problem4 ,the friars spent seven years  
in bringing the structure to perfection1
 and then waited day after day1 in      
expectation that it would utter         
articulate sounds4 ,at length nature    
became exhausted in them1 and they lay  

down to sleep1 having first given it    
strictly in charge to a servant of      
theirs1 clownish in nature1 but of      
strict fidelity1 that he should awaken  
them the moment the image began to      
speak4 ,that period arrived4 ,the head  
uttered sounds1 but such as the clown   
judged unworthy of notice4 ,time is6 it 
said4 ,no notice was taken2 and a long  
pause ensued4 ,time was6 ,a similar     
pause1 and no notice4 ,time is passed6  
,and the moment these words were        
uttered1 a tremendous storm ensued1 with
 thunder and lightning1 and the head was
 shivered into a thousand pieces4 ,thus 
the experiment of friar ,bacon and friar
 ,bungy came to nothing4   ,,thomas     
,,aquinas4  ,thomas ,aquinas1 who has   
likewise been brought under the         
imputation of magic1 was one of the     
profoundest scholars and subtlest       
logicians of his day4 ,he also furnishes
 a remarkable instance of the ascendant 
which the friars at that time obtained  
over the minds of ingenuous young men   

smitten with the thirst of knowledge4   
,he was a youth of illustrious birth1   
and received the rudiments of his       
education under the monks of ,monte     
,cassino1 and in the university of      
,naples4 ,but1 not contented with these 
advantages1 he secretly entered himself 
into the society of ,preaching ,friars1 
or ,dominicans1 at seventeen years of   
age4 ,his mother1 being indignant that  
he should thus take the vow of poverty1 
and sequester himself from the world for
 life1 employed every means in her power
 to induce him to alter his purpose1 but
 in vain4 ,the friars1 to deliver him   
from her importunities1 removed him from
 ,naples to ,terracina1 from ,terracina 
to ,anagnia1 and from ,anagnia to ,rome4
 ,his mother followed him in all these  
changes of residence1 but was not       
permitted so much as to see him4 ,at    
length she spirited up his two elder    
brothers to seize him by force4 ,they   
waylaid him in his road to ,paris1      
whither he was sent to complete his     

course of instruction1 and carried him  
off to the castle of ,aquino where he   
had been born4 ,here he was confined for
 two years2 but he found a way to       
correspond with the superiors of his    
order1 and finally escaped from a window
 in the castle4 ,st4 ,thomas ,aquinas   
7for he was canonised after his death7  
exceeded perhaps all men that ever      
existed in the severity and strictness  
of his metaphysical disquisitions1 and  
thus acquired the name of the ,seraphic 
,doctor4  ,it was to be expected that a 
man1 who thus immersed himself in the   
depths of thought1 should be an         
inexorable enemy to noise and           
interruption4 ,we have seen that he     
dashed to pieces the artificial man of  
brass1 that ,albertus ,magnus1 who was  
his tutor1 had spent thirty years in    
bringing to perfection1 being impelled  
to this violence by its perpetual and   
unceasing garrulity4 #agc ,it is further
 said1 that his study being placed in a 
great thoroughfare1 where the grooms    

were all day long exercising their      
horses1 he found it necessary to apply a
 remedy to this nuisance4 ,he made by   
the laws of magic a small horse of      
brass1 which he buried two or three feet
 under ground in the midst of this      
highway2 and1 having done so1 no horse  
would any longer pass along the road4   
,it was in vain that the grooms with    
whip and spur sought to conquer their   
repugnance4 ,they were finally compelled
 to give up the attempt1 and to choose  
another place for their daily exercise4 
#agd  ,it has further been sought to fix
 the imputation of magic upon ,thomas   
,aquinas by imputing to him certain     
books written on that science2 but these
 are now acknowledged to be spurious4   
#age   ,,peter ,,of ,,apono4  ,peter of 
,apono1 so called from a village of that
 name in the vicinity of ,padua1 where  
he was born in the year #abej1 was an   
eminent philosopher1 mathematician and  
astrologer1 but especially excelled in  
physic4 ,finding that science at a low  

ebb in his native country1 he resorted  
to ,paris1 where it especially          
flourished2 and after a time returning  
home1 exercised his art with            
extraordinary success1 and by this means
 accumulated great wealth4  ,but all his
 fame and attainments were poisoned to  
him by the accusation of magic4 ,among  
other things he was said to possess     
seven spirits1 each of them inclosed in 
a crystal vessel1 from whom he received 
every information he desired in the     
seven liberal arts4 ,he was further     
reported to have had the extraordinary  
faculty of causing the money he expended
 in his disbursements1 immediately to   
come back into his own purse4 ,he was   
besides of a hasty and revengeful       
temper4 ,in consequence of this it      
happened to him1 that1 having a         
neighbour1 who had an admirable spring  
of water in his garden1 and who was     
accustomed to suffer the physician to   
send for a daily supply1 but who for    
some displeasure or inconvenience       

withdrew his permission1 ,peter         
d',apono1 by the aid of the devil1      
removed the spring from the garden in   
which it had flowed1 and turned it to   
waste in the public street4 ,for some of
 these accusations he was called to     
account by the tribunal of the          
inquisition4 ,while he was upon his     
trial however1 the unfortunate man died4
 ,but so unfavourable was the judgment  
of the inquisitors respecting him1 that 
they decreed that his bones should be   
dug up1 and publicly burned4 ,some of   
his friends got intimation of this1 and 
saved him from the impending disgrace by
 removing his remains4 ,disappointed in 
this1 the inquisitors proceeded to burn 
him in effigy4   ,,english ,,law ,,of   
,,high ,,treason4  ,it may seem strange 
that in a treatise concerning necromancy
 we should have occasion to speak of the
 ,english law of high treason4 ,but on  
reflection perhaps it may appear not    
altogether alien to the subject4 ,this  
crime is ordinarily considered by our   

lawyers as limited and defined by the   
statute of #be ,edward ,,iii4 ,as       
,blackstone has observed1 ,by the       
ancient common law there was a great    
latitude left in the breast of the      
judges1 to determine what was treason1  
or not so3 whereby the creatures of     
tyrannical power had opportunity to     
create abundance of constructive        
treasons2 that is1 to raise1 by forced  
and arbitrary constructions1 offences   
into the crime and punishment of        
treason1 which were never suspected to  
be such4 ,to prevent these              
inconveniences1 the statute of #be      
,edward ,,iii was made4 #agf ,this      
statute divides treason into seven      
distinct branches2 and the first and    
chief of these is1 when a man doth      
compass or imagine the death of our lord
 the king4  ,now the first circumstance 
that strikes us in this affair is1 why  
the crime was not expressed in more     
perspicuous and appropriate language8   
,why1 for example1 was it not said1 that

 the first and chief branch of treason  
was to kill the king8 ,or1 if that      
limitation was not held to be           
sufficiently ample1 could it not have   
been added1 it is treason to attempt1   
intend1 or contrive to kill the king8   
,we are apt to make much too large an   
allowance for what is considered as the 
vague and obsolete language of our      
ancestors4 ,logic was the element in    
which the scholars of what are called   
the dark ages were especially at home4  
,it was at that period that the         
description of human geniuses1 called   
the ,schoolmen1 principally flourished4 
,the writers who preceded the ,christian
 era1 possessed in an extraordinary     
degree the gift of imagination and      
invention4 ,but they had little to boast
 on the score of arrangement1 and       
discovered little skill in the          
strictness of an accurate deduction4    
,meanwhile the ,schoolmen had a         
surprising subtlety in weaving the web  
of an argument1 and arriving by a close 

deduction1 through a multitude of steps1
 to a sound and irresistible conclusion4
 ,our lawyers to a certain degree formed
 themselves on the discipline of the    
,schoolmen4 ,nothing can be more        
forcibly contrasted1 than the mode of   
pleading among the ancients1 and that   
which has characterised the processes of
 the moderns4 ,the pleadings of the     
ancients were praxises of the art of    
oratorical persuasion2 the pleadings of 
the moderns sometimes1 though rarely1   
deviate into oratory1 but principally   
consist in dextrous subtleties upon     
words1 or a nice series of deductions1  
the whole contexture of which is        
endeavoured to be woven into one        
indissoluble substance4 ,several        
striking examples have been preserved of
 the mode of pleading in the reign of   
,edward ,,ii1 in which the exceptions   
taken for the defendant1 and the replies
 supporting the mode of proceeding on   
behalf of the plaintiff1 in no respect  
fall short of the most admired shifts1  

quirks and subtleties of the great      
lawyers of later times4 #agg  ,it would 
be certainly wrong therefore to consider
 the legal phrase1 to compass or imagine
 the death of the king1 as meaning the  
same thing as to kill1 or intend to kill
 him4 ,at all events we may take it for 
granted1 that to compass does not mean  
to accomplish2 but rather to take in    
hand1 to go about to effect4 ,there is  
therefore no form of words here         
forbidding to kill the king4 ,the       
phrase1 to imagine1 does not appear less
 startling4 ,what is1 to a proverb1 more
 lawless than imagination8    ,evil into
 the mind of ,god or man   ,may come and
 go1 so unapproved1 and leave   ,no spot
 or blame behind4  ,what can be more    
tyrannical1 than an inquisition into the
 sports and freaks of fancy8 ,what more 
unsusceptible of detection or evidence8 
,how many imperceptible shades of       
distinction between the guilt and       
innocence that characterise             
them6--,meanwhile the force and         

propriety of these terms will strikingly
 appear1 if we refer them to the popular
 ideas of witchcraft4 ,witches were     
understood to have the power of         
destroying life1 without the necessity  
of approaching the person whose life was
 to be destroyed1 or producing any      
consciousness in him of the crime about 
to be perpetrated4 ,one method was by   
exposing an image of wax to the action  
of fire2 while1 in proportion as the    
image wasted away1 the life of the      
individual who was the object contrived 
against1 was undermined and destroyed4  
,another was by incantations and spells4
 ,either of these might fitly be called 
the compassing or imagining the death4  
,imagination is1 beside this1 the       
peculiar province of witchcraft4 ,and in
 these pretended hags the faculty is no 
longer desultory and erratic4 ,conscious
 of their power1 they are supposed to   
have subjected it to system and         
discipline4 ,they apply its secret and  
trackless energy with an intentness and 

a vigour1 which ordinary mortals may in 
vain attempt to emulate in an           
application of the force of inert       
matter1 or of the different physical    
powers by means of which such stupendous
 effects have often been produced4--,how
 universal and familiar then must we    
consider the ideas of witchcraft to have
 been before language which properly    
describes the secret practices of such  
persons1 and is not appropriate to any  
other1 could have been found to         
insinuate itself into the structure of  
the most solemn act of our legislature1 
that act which beyond all others was    
intended to narrow or shut out the      
subtle and dangerous inroads of         
arbitrary power6   ,,ziito4  ,very      
extraordinary things are related of     
,ziito1 a sorcerer1 in the court of     
,wenceslaus1 king of ,bohemia and       
afterwards emperor of ,germany1 in the  
latter part of the fourteenth century4  
,this is perhaps1 all things considered1
 the most wonderful specimen of magical 

power any where to be found4 ,it is     
gravely recorded by ,dubravius1 bishop  
of ,olmutz1 in his ,history of ,bohemia4
 ,it was publicly exhibited on occasion 
of the marriage of ,wenceslaus with     
,sophia1 daughter of the elector        
,palatine of ,bavaria1 before a vast    
assembled multitude4  ,the father-in-law
 of the king1 well aware of the         
bridegroom's known predilection for     
theatrical exhibitions and magical      
illusions1 brought with him to ,prague1 
the capital of ,wenceslaus1 a whole     
waggon-load of morrice-dancers and      
jugglers1 who made their appearance     
among the royal retinue4 ,meanwhile     
,ziito1 the favourite magician of the   
king1 took his place obscurely among the
 ordinary spectators4 ,he however       
immediately arrested the attention of   
the strangers1 being remarked for his   
extraordinary deformity1 and a mouth    
that stretched completely from ear to   
ear4 ,ziito was for some time engaged in
 quietly observing the tricks and       

sleights that were exhibited4 ,at       
length1 while the chief magician of the 
elector ,palatine was still busily      
employed in shewing some of the most    
admired specimens of his art1 the       
,bohemian1 indignant at what appeared to
 him the bungling exhibitions of his    
brother-artist1 came forward1 and       
reproached him with the unskilfulness of
 his performances4 ,the two professors  
presently fell into warm debate4 ,ziito1
 provoked at the insolence of his rival1
 made no more ado but swallowed him     
whole before the multitude1 attired as  
he was1 all but his shoes1 which he     
objected to because they were dirty4 ,he
 then retired for a short while to a    
closet1 and presently returned1 leading 
the magician along with him4  ,having   
thus disposed of his rival1 ,ziito      
proceeded to exhibit the wonders of his 
art4 ,he shewed himself first in his    
proper shape1 and then in those of      
different persons successively1 with    
countenances and a stature totally      

dissimilar to his own2 at one time      
splendidly attired in robes of purple   
and silk1 and then in the twinkling of  
an eye in coarse linen and a clownish   
coat of frieze4 ,he would proceed along 
the field with a smooth and undulating  
motion without changing the posture of a
 limb1 for all the world as if he were  
carried along in a ship4 ,he would keep 
pace with the king's chariot1 in a car  
drawn by barn-door fowls4 ,he also      
amused the king's guests as they sat at 
table1 by causing1 when they stretched  
out their hands to the different dishes1
 sometimes their hands to turn into the 
cloven feet of an ox1 and at other times
 into the hoofs of a horse4 ,he would   
clap on them the antlers of a deer1 so  
that1 when they put their heads out at  
window to see some sight that was going 
by1 they could by no means draw them    
back again2 while he in the mean time   
feasted on the savoury cates that had   
been spread before them1 at his leisure4
  ,at one time he pretended to be in    

want of money1 and to task his wits to  
devise the means to procure it4 ,on such
 an occasion he took up a handful of    
grains of corn1 and presently gave them 
the form and appearance of thirty hogs  
well fatted for the market4 ,he drove   
these hogs to the residence of one      
,michael1 a rich dealer1 but who was    
remarked for being penurious and thrifty
 in his bargains4 ,he offered them to   
,michael for whatever price he should   
judge reasonable4 ,the bargain was      
presently struck1 ,ziito at the same    
time warning the purchaser1 that he     
should on no account drive them to the  
river to drink4 ,michael however paid no
 attention to this advice2 and the hogs 
no sooner arrived at the river1 than    
they turned into grains of corn as      
before4 ,the dealer1 greatly enraged at 
this trick1 sought high and low for the 
seller that he might be revenged on him4
 ,at length he found him in a vintner's 
shop seemingly in a gloomy and absent   
frame of mind1 reposing himself1 with   

his legs stretched out on a form4 ,the  
dealer called out to him1 but he seemed 
not to hear4 ,finally he seized ,ziito  
by one foot1 plucking at it with all his
 might4 ,the foot came away with the leg
 and thigh2 and ,ziito screamed out1    
apparently in great agony4 ,he seized   
,michael by the nape of the neck1 and   
dragged him before a judge4 ,here the   
two set up their separate complaints1   
,michael for the fraud that had been    
committed on him1 and ,ziito for the    
irreparable injury he had suffered in   
his person4 ,from this adventure came   
the proverb1 frequent in the days of the
 historian1 speaking of a person who had
 made an improvident bargain1 ,he has   
made just such a purchase as ,michael   
did with his hogs4   ,,transmutation    
,,of ,,metals4  ,among the different    
pursuits1 which engaged the curiosity of
 active minds in these unenlightened    
ages1 was that of the transmutation of  
the more ordinary metals into gold and  
silver4 ,this art1 though not properly  

of necromantic nature1 was however      
elevated by its professors1 by means of 
an imaginary connection between it and  
astrology1 and even between it and an   
intercourse with invisible spirits4     
,they believed1 that their              
investigations could not be successfully
 prosecuted but under favourable aspects
 of the planets1 and that it was even   
indispensible to them to obtain         
supernatural aid4  ,in proportion as the
 pursuit of transmutation1 and the      
search after the elixir of immortality  
grew into vogue1 the adepts became      
desirous of investing them with the     
venerable garb of antiquity4 ,they      
endeavoured to carry up the study to the
 time of ,solomon2 and there were not   
wanting some who imputed it to the first
 father of mankind4 ,they were desirous 
to track its footsteps in ,ancient      
,egypt2 and they found a mythological   
representation of it in the expedition  
of ,jason after the golden fleece1 and  
in the cauldron by which ,medea restored

 the father of ,jason to his original   
youth4 #agh ,but1 as has already been   
said1 the first unquestionable mention  
of the subject is to be referred to the 
time of ,dioclesian4 #agi ,from that    
period traces of the studies of the     
alchemists from time to time regularly  
discover themselves4  ,the study of     
chemistry and its supposed invaluable   
results was assiduously cultivated by   
,geber and the ,arabians4   ,,artephius4
  ,artephius is one of the earliest     
names that occur among the students who 
sought the philosopher's stone4 ,of him 
extraordinary things are told4 ,he lived
 about the year #aacj1 and wrote a book 
of the ,art of ,prolonging ,human ,life1
 in which he professes to have already  
attained the age of one thousand and    
twenty-five years4 #ahj ,he must by this
 account have been born about one       
hundred years after our ,saviour4 ,he   
professed to have visited the infernal  
regions1 and there to have seen         
,tantalus seated on a throne of gold4   

,he is also said by some to be the same 
person1 whose life has been written by  
,philostratus under the name of         
,apollonius of ,tyana4 #aha ,he wrote a 
book on the philosopher's stone1 which  
was published in ,latin and ,french at  
,paris in the year #afab4   ,,raymond   
,,lulli4  ,among the ,european students 
of these interesting secrets a foremost 
place is to be assigned to ,raymond     
,lulli and ,arnold of ,villeneuve4      
,lulli was undoubtedly a man endowed in 
a very eminent degree with the powers of
 intellect4 ,he was a native of the     
island of ,majorca1 and was born in the 
year #abcd4 ,he is said to have passed  
his early years in profligacy and       
dissipation1 but to have been reclaimed 
by the accident of falling in love with 
a young woman afflicted with a cancer4  
,this circumstance induced him to apply 
himself intently to the study of        
chemistry and medicine1 with a view to  
discover a cure for her complaint1 in   
which he succeeded4 ,he afterwards      

entered into the community of           
,franciscan friars4  ,edward the ,first 
was one of the most extraordinary       
princes that ever sat on a throne4 ,he  
revived the study of the ,roman civil   
law with such success as to have merited
 the title of the ,english ,justinian4  
,he was no less distinguished as the    
patron of arts and letters4 ,he invited 
to ,england ,guido dalla ,colonna1 the  
author of the ,troy ,book1 and ,raymond 
,lulli4 ,this latter was believed in his
 time to have prosecuted his studies    
with such success as to have discovered 
the elixir vitae1 by means of which he  
could keep off the assaults of old age1 
at least for centuries1 and the         
philosopher's stone4 ,he is affirmed by 
these means to have supplied to ,edward 
the ,first six millions of money1 to    
enable him to carry on war against the  
,turks4  ,but he was not only           
indefatigable in the pursuit of natural 
science4 ,he was also seized with an    
invincible desire to convert the        

,mahometans to the ,christian faith4    
,for this purpose he entered earnestly  
upon the study of the ,oriental         
languages4 ,he endeavoured to prevail on
 different princes of ,europe to concur 
in his plan1 and to erect colleges for  
the purpose1 but without success4 ,he at
 length set out alone upon his          
enterprise1 but met with small          
encouragement4 ,he penetrated into      
,africa and ,asia4 ,he made few         
converts1 and was with difficulty       
suffered to depart1 under a solemn      
injunction that he should not return4   
,but ,lulli chose to obey ,god rather   
than man1 and ventured a second time4   
,the ,mahometans became exasperated with
 his obstinacy1 and are said to have    
stoned him to death at the age of eighty
 years4 ,his body was however           
transported to his native place2 and    
miracles are reported to have been      
worked at his tomb4 #ahb  ,raymond      
,lulli is beside famous for what he was 
pleased to style his ,great ,art4 ,the  

ordinary accounts however that are given
 of this art assume a style of          
burlesque1 rather than of philosophy4   
,he is said to have boasted that by     
means of it he could enable any one to  
argue logically on any subject for a    
whole day together1 independently of any
 previous study of the subject in       
debate4 ,to the details of the process  
,swift seems to have been indebted for  
one of the humorous projects described  
by him in his voyage to ,laputa4 ,lulli 
recommended that certain general terms  
of logic1 metaphysics1 ethics or        
theology should first be collected4     
,these were to be inscribed separately  
upon square pieces of parchment4 ,they  
were then to be placed on a frame so    
constructed that by turning a handle    
they might revolve freely1 and form     
endless combinations4 ,one term would   
stand for a subject1 and another for a  
predicate4 ,the student was then        
diligently to inspect the different     
combinations that fortuitously arose1   

and exercising the subtlety of his      
faculties to select such as he should   
find best calculated for his purposes4  
,he would thus carry on the process of  
his debate2 and an extraordinary        
felicity would occasionally arise1      
suggesting the most ingenious hints1 and
 leading on to the most important       
discoveries4 #ahc--;,if a man with the  
eminent faculties which ,lulli otherwise
 appeared to have possessed really laid 
down the rules of such an art1 all he   
intended by it must have been to        
satirize the gravity with which the     
learned doctors of his time carried on  
their grave disputations in mood and    
figure1 having regard only to the       
severity of the rule by which they      
debated1 and holding themselves totally 
indifferent whether they made any real  
advances in the discovery of truth4     
,,arnold ,,of ,,villeneuve4  ,arnold of 
,villeneuve1 who lived about the same   
time1 was a man of eminent attainments4 
,he made a great proficiency in ,greek1 

,hebrew1 and ,arabic4 ,he devoted       
himself in a high degree to astrology1  
and was so confident in his art1 as to  
venture to predict that the end of the  
world would occur in a few years2 but he
 lived to witness the fallaciousness of 
his prophecy4 ,he had much reputation as
 a physician4 ,he appears to have been a
 bold thinker4 ,he maintained that deeds
 of charity were of more avail than the 
sacrifice of the mass1 and that no one  
would be damned hereafter1 but such as  
were proved to afford an example of     
immoral conduct4 ,like all the men of   
these times who were distinguished by   
the profoundness of their studies1 he   
was accused of magic4 ,for this1 or upon
 a charge of heresy1 he was brought     
under the prosecution of the            
inquisition4 ,but he was alarmed by the 
fate of ,peter of ,apono1 and by        
recantation or some other mode of       
prudent contrivance was fortunate enough
 to escape4 ,he is one of the persons to
 whom the writing of the book1 ,de      

,tribus ,impostoribus1 ,of the ,three   
,impostors 7,moses1 ,jesus ,christ and  
,mahomet7 was imputed6 #ahd   ,,english 
,,laws ,,respecting ,,transmutation4    
,so great an alarm was conceived about  
this time respecting the art of         
transmutation1 that an act of parliament
 was passed in the fifth year of ,henry 
,,iv1 #adjd1 which lord ,coke states as 
the shortest of our statutes1           
determining that the making of gold or  
silver shall be deemed felony4 ,this law
 is said to have resulted from the fear 
at that time entertained by the houses  
of lords and commons1 lest the executive
 power1 finding itself by these means   
enabled to increase the revenue of the  
crown to any degree it pleased1 should  
disdain to ask aid from the legislature2
 and in consequence should degenerate   
into tyranny and arbitrary power4 #ahe  
,george ,ripley1 of ,ripley in the      
county of ,york1 is mentioned1 towards  
the latter part of the fifteenth        
century1 as having discovered the       

philosopher's stone1 and by its means   
contributed one hundred thousand pounds 
to the knights of ,rhodes1 the better to
 enable them to carry on their war      
against the ,turks4 #ahf  ,about this   
time however the tide appears to have   
turned1 and the alarm respecting the    
multiplication of the precious metals so
 greatly to have abated1 that patents   
were issued in the thirty-fifth year of 
,henry ,,vi1 for the encouragement of   
such as were disposed to seek the       
universal medicine1 and to endeavour the
 transmutation of inferior metals into  
gold4 #ahg     ,,revival ,,of ,,letters4
   ,while these things were going on in 
,europe1 the period was gradually       
approaching1 when the energies of the   
human mind were to loosen its shackles1 
and its independence was ultimately to  
extinguish those delusions and that     
superstition which had so long enslaved 
it4 ,petrarch1 born in the year #acjd1  
was deeply impregnated with a passion   
for classical lore1 was smitten with the

 love of republican institutions1 and   
especially distinguished himself for an 
adoration of ,homer4 ,dante1 a more     
sublime and original genius than        
,petrarch1 was his contemporary4 ,about 
the same time ,boccaccio in his         
,decamerone gave at once to ,italian    
prose that purity and grace1 which none 
of his successors in the career of      
literature have ever been able to excel4
 ,and in our own island ,chaucer with a 
daring hand redeemed his native tongue  
from the disuse and ignominy into which 
it had fallen1 and poured out the       
immortal strains that the genuine lovers
 of the ,english tongue have ever since 
perused with delight1 while those who   
are discouraged by its apparent         
crabbedness1 have yet grown familiar    
with his thoughts in the smoother and   
more modern versification of ,dryden and
 ,pope4 ,from that time the principles  
of true taste have been more or less    
cultivated1 while with equal career     
independence of thought and an ardent   

spirit of discovery have continually    
proceeded1 and made a rapid advance     
towards the perfect day4  ,but the dawn 
of literature and intellectual freedom  
were still a long time ere they produced
 their full effect4 ,the remnant of the 
old woman clung to the heart with a     
tenacious embrace4 ,three or four       
centuries elapsed1 while yet the belief 
in sorcery and witchcraft was alive in  
certain classes of society4 ,and then1  
as is apt to occur in such cases1 the   
expiring folly occasionally gave tokens 
of its existence with a convulsive      
vehemence1 and became only the more     
picturesque and impressive through the  
strong contrast of lights and shadows   
that attended its manifestations4       
,,joan ,,of ,,arc4  ,one of the most    
memorable stories on record is that of  
,joan of ,arc1 commonly called the ,maid
 of ,orleans4 ,henry the ,fifth of      
,england won the decisive battle of     
,agincourt in the year #adae1 and some  
time after concluded a treaty with the  

reigning king of ,france1 by which he   
was recognised1 in case of that king's  
death1 as heir to the throne4 ,henry ,v 
died in the year #adbb1 and ,charles    
,,vi of ,france in less than two months 
after4 ,henry ,,vi was only nine months 
old at the time of his father's death2  
but such was the deplorable state of    
,france1 that he was in the same year   
proclaimed king in ,paris1 and for some 
years seemed to have every prospect of a
 fortunate reign4 ,john duke of         
,bedford1 the king's uncle1 was declared
 regent of ,france3 the son of ,charles 
,,vi was reduced to the last extremity2 
,orleans was the last strong town in the
 heart of the kingdom which held out in 
his favour2 and that place seemed on the
 point to surrender to the conqueror4   
,in this fearful crisis appeared ,joan  
of ,arc1 and in the most incredible     
manner turned the whole tide of affairs4
 ,she was a servant in a poor inn at    
,domremi1 and was accustomed to perform 
the coarsest offices1 and in particular 

to ride the horses to a neighbouring    
stream to water4 ,of course the         
situation of ,france and her hereditary 
king formed the universal subject of    
conversation2 and ,joan became deeply   
impressed with the lamentable state of  
her country and the misfortunes of her  
king4 ,by dint of perpetual meditation1 
and feeling in her breast the promptings
 of energy and enterprise1 she conceived
 the idea that she was destined by      
heaven to be the deliverer of ,france4  
,agreeably to the state of intellectual 
knowledge at that period1 she persuaded 
herself that she saw visions1 and held  
communication with the saints4 ,she had 
conversations with ,st4 ,margaret1 and  
,st4 ,catherine of ,fierbois4 ,they told
 her that she was commissioned by ,god  
to raise the siege of ,orleans1 and to  
conduct ,charles ,,vii to his coronation
 at ,rheims4 ,st4 ,catherine commanded  
her to demand a sword which was in her  
church at ,fierbois1 which the ,maid    
described by particular tokens1 though  

she had never seen it4 ,she then        
presented herself to ,baudricourt1      
governor of the neighbouring town of    
,vaucouleurs1 telling him her           
commission1 and requiring him to send   
her to the king at ,chinon4 ,baudricourt
 at first made light of her application2
 but her importunity and the ardour she 
expressed at length excited him4 ,he put
 on her a man's attire1 gave her arms1  
and sent her under an escort of two     
gentlemen and their attendants to       
,chinon4 ,here she immediately addressed
 the king in person1 who had purposely  
hid himself behind his courtiers that   
she might not know him4 ,she then       
delivered her message1 and offered in   
the name of the ,most ,high to raise the
 siege of ,orleans1 and conduct king    
,charles to ,rheims to be anointed4 ,as 
a further confirmation she is said to   
have revealed to the king before a few  
select friends1 a secret1 which nothing 
but divine inspiration could have       
discovered to her4  ,desperate as was   

then the state of affairs1 ,charles and 
his ministers immediately resolved to   
seize the occasion that offered1 and put
 forward ,joan as an instrument to      
revive the prostrate courage of his     
subjects4 ,he had no sooner determined  
on this1 than he pretended to submit the
 truth of her mission to the most       
rigorous trial4 ,he called together an  
assembly of theologians and doctors1 who
 rigorously examined ,joan1 and         
pronounced in her favour4 ,he referred  
the question to the parliament of       
,poitiers2 and they1 who met persuaded  
that she was an impostor1 became        
convinced of her inspiration4 ,she was  
mounted on a high-bred steed1 furnished 
with a consecrated banner1 and marched1 
escorted by a body of five thousand men1
 to the relief of ,orleans4 ,the        
,french1 strongly convinced by so plain 
an interposition of heaven1 resumed the 
courage to which they had long been     
strangers4 ,such a phenomenon was       
exactly suited to the superstition and  

credulity of the age4 ,the ,english were
 staggered with the rumours that every  
where went before her1 and struck with a
 degree of apprehension and terror that 
they could not shake off4 ,the garrison1
 informed of her approach1 made a sally 
on the other side of the town2 and ,joan
 and her convoy entered without         
opposition4 ,she displayed her standard 
in the market-place1 and was received as
 a celestial deliverer4  ,she appears to
 have been endowed with a prudence1 not 
inferior to her courage and spirit of   
enterprise4 ,with great docility she    
caught the hints of the commanders by   
whom she was surrounded2 and1 convinced 
of her own want of experience and skill1
 delivered them to the forces as the    
dictates of heaven4 ,thus the knowledge 
and discernment of the generals were    
brought into play1 at the same time that
 their suggestions acquired new weight1 
when falling from the lips of the       
heaven-instructed heroine4 ,a second    
convoy arrived2 the waggons and troops  

passed between the redoubts of the      
,english2 while a dead silence and      
astonishment reigned among the forces1  
so lately enterprising and resistless4  
,joan now called on the garrison no     
longer to stand upon the defensive1 but 
boldly to attack the army of the        
besiegers4 ,she took one redoubt and    
then another4 ,the ,english1 overwhelmed
 with amazement1 scarcely dared to lift 
a hand against her4 ,their veteran      
generals became spell-bound and         
powerless2 and their soldiers were      
driven before the prophetess like a     
flock of sheep4 ,the siege was raised4  
,joan followed the ,english garrison to 
a fortified town which they fixed on as 
their place of retreat4 ,the siege      
lasted ten days2 the place was taken2   
and all the ,english within it made     
prisoners4 ,the late victorious forces  
now concentred themselves at ,patay in  
the ,orleanois2 ,joan advanced to meet  
them4 ,the battle lasted not a moment2  
it was rather a flight than a combat2   

,fastolfe1 one of the bravest of our    
commanders1 threw down his arms1 and ran
 for his life2 ,talbot and ,scales1 the 
other generals1 were made prisoners4    
,the siege of ,orleans was raised on the
 eighth of ,may1 #adbi2 the battle of   
,patay was fought on the tenth of the   
following month4 ,joan was at this time 
twenty-two years of age4  ,this         
extraordinary turn having been given to 
the affairs of the kingdom1 ,joan next  
insisted that the king should march to  
,rheims1 in order to his being crowned4 
,rheims lay in a direction expressly    
through the midst of the enemies'       
garrisons4 ,but every thing yielded to  
the marvellous fortune that attended    
upon the heroine4 ,troyes opened its    
gates2 ,chalons followed the example2   
,rheims sent a deputation with the keys 
of the city1 which met ,charles on his  
march4 ,the proposed solemnity took     
place amidst the extacies and           
enthusiastic shouts of his people4 ,it  
was no sooner over1 than ,joan stept    

forward4 ,she said1 she had now         
performed the whole of what ,god had    
commissioned her to do2 she was         
satisfied2 she intreated the king to    
dismiss her to the obscurity from which 
she had sprung4  ,the ministers and     
generals of ,france however found ,joan 
too useful an instrument1 to be willing 
to part with her thus early2 and she    
yielded to their earnest expostulations4
 ,under her guidance they assailed      
,laon1 ,soissons1 ,chateau ,thierry1    
,provins1 and many other places1 and    
took them one after another4 ,she threw 
herself into ,compiegne1 which was      
besieged by the ,duke of ,burgundy in   
conjunction with certain ,english       
commanders4 ,the day after her arrival  
she headed a sally against the enemy2   
twice she repelled them2 but1 finding   
their numbers increase every moment with
 fresh reinforcements1 she directed a   
retreat4 ,twice she returned upon her   
pursuers1 and made them recoil1 the     
third time she was less fortunate4 ,she 

found herself alone1 surrounded with the
 enemy2 and after having enacted        
prodigies of valour1 she was compelled  
to surrender a prisoner4 ,this happened 
on the twenty-fifth of ,may1 #adcj4  ,it
 remained to be determined what should  
be the fate of this admirable woman4    
,both friends and enemies agreed that   
her career had been attended with a     
supernatural power4 ,the ,french1 who   
were so infinitely indebted to her      
achievements1 and who owed the sudden   
and glorious reverse of their affairs to
 her alone1 were convinced that she was 
immediately commissioned by ,god1 and   
vied with each other in reciting the    
miraculous phenomena which marked every 
step in her progress4 ,the ,english1 who
 saw all the victorious acquisitions of 
,henry ,v crumbling from their grasp1   
were equally impressed with the manifest
 miracle1 but imputed all her           
good-fortune to a league with the prince
 of darkness4 ,they said that her       
boasted visions were so many delusions  

of the devil4 ,they determined to bring 
her to trial for the tremendous crimes  
of sorcery and witchcraft4 ,they        
believed that1 if she were once         
convicted and led out to execution1 the 
prowess and valour which had hitherto   
marked their progress would return to   
them1 and that they should obtain the   
same superiority over their disheartened
 foes4 ,the devil1 who had hitherto been
 her constant ally1 terrified at the    
spectacle of the flames that consumed   
her1 would instantly return to the      
infernal regions1 and leave the field   
open to ,english enterprise and energy1 
and to the interposition of ,god and his
 saints4  ,an accusation was prepared   
against her1 and all the solemnities of 
a public trial were observed4 ,but the  
proofs were so weak and unsatisfactory1 
and ,joan1 though oppressed and treated 
with the utmost severity1 displayed so  
much acuteness and presence of mind1    
that the court1 not venturing to proceed
 to the last extremity1 contented       

themselves with sentencing her to       
perpetual imprisonment1 and to be       
allowed no other nourishment than bread 
and water for life4 ,before they yielded
 to this mitigation of punishment1 they 
caused her to sign with her mark a      
recantation of her offences4 ,she       
acknowledged that the enthusiasm that   
had guided her was an illusion1 and     
promised never more to listen to its    
suggestions4  ,the hatred of her enemies
 however was not yet appeased4 ,they    
determined in some way to entrap her4   
,they had clothed her in a female garb2 
they insidiously laid in her way the    
habiliments of a man4 ,the fire         
smothered in the bosom of the maid1     
revived at the sight2 she was alone2 she
 caught up the garments1 and one by one 
adjusted them to her person4 ,spies were
 set upon her to watch for this event2  
they burst into the apartment4 ,what she
 had done was construed into no less    
offence than that of a relapsed heretic2
 there was no more pardon for such      

confirmed delinquency2 she was brought  
out to be burned alive in the           
market-place of ,rouen1 and she died1   
embracing a crucifix1 and in her last   
moments calling upon the name of ,jesus4
 ,a few days more than twelve months1   
had elapsed between the period of her   
first captivity and her execution4      
,,eleanor ,,cobham1 ,,duchess ,,of      
,,gloucester4  ,this was a period in    
which the ideas of witchcraft had caught
 fast hold of the minds of mankind2 and 
those accusations1 which by the         
enlightened part of the species would   
now be regarded as worthy only of       
contempt1 were then considered as       
charges of the most flatigious ,errata3 
read flagitious nature4 ,while ,john1   
duke of ,bedford1 the eldest uncle of   
king ,henry ,,vi1 was regent of ,france1
 ,humphrey of ,gloucester1 next brother 
to ,bedford1 was lord protector of the  
realm of ,england4 ,though ,henry was   
now nineteen years of age1 yet1 as he   
was a prince of slender capacity1       

,humphrey still continued to discharge  
the functions of sovereignty4 ,he was   
eminently endowed with popular          
qualities1 and was a favourite with the 
majority of the nation4 ,he had however 
many enemies1 one of the chief of whom  
was ,henry ,beaufort1 great-uncle to the
 king1 and cardinal of ,winchester4 ,one
 of the means employed by this prelate  
to undermine the power of ,humphrey1    
consisted in a charge of witchcraft     
brought against ,eleanor ,cobham1 his   
wife4  ,this woman had probably yielded 
to the delusions1 which artful persons1 
who saw into the weakness of her        
character1 sought to practise upon her4 
,she was the second wife of ,humphrey1  
and he was suspected to have indulged in
 undue familiarity with her1 before he  
was a widower4 ,his present duchess was 
reported to have had recourse to        
witchcraft in the first instance1 by way
 of securing his wayward inclinations4  
,the duke of ,bedford had died in #adce2
 and ,humphrey now1 in addition to the  

actual exercise of the powers of        
sovereigny1 was next heir to the crown  
in case of the king's decease4 ,this    
weak and licentious woman1 being now    
duchess of ,gloucester1 and wife to the 
lord protector1 directed her ambition to
 the higher title and prerogatives of a 
queen1 and by way of feeding her evil   
passions1 called to her counsels        
,margery ,jourdain1 commonly called the 
witch of ,eye1 ,roger ,bolingbroke1 an  
astrologer and supposed magician1       
,thomas ,southwel1 canon of ,st4        
,stephen's1 and one ,john ,hume1 or     
,hun1 a priest4 ,these persons          
frequently met the duchess in secret    
cabal4 ,they were accused of calling up 
spirits from the infernal world2 and    
they made an image of wax1 which they   
slowly consumed before a fire1 expecting
 that1 as the image gradually wasted    
away1 so the constitution and life of   
the poor king would decay and finally   
perish4  ,hume1 or ,hun1 is supposed to 
have turned informer1 and upon his      

information several of these persons    
were taken into custody4 ,after previous
 examination1 on the twenty-fifth of    
,july1 #adda1 ,bolingbroke was placed   
upon a scaffold before the cross of ,st4
 ,paul's1 with a chair curiously        
painted1 which was supposed to be one of
 his implements of necromancy1 and      
dressed in mystical attire1 and there1  
before the archbishop of ,canterbury1   
the cardinal of ,winchester1 and several
 other bishops1 made abjuration of all  
his unlawful arts4  ,a short time after1
 the duchess of ,gloucester1 having fled
 to the sanctuary at ,westminster1 her  
case was referred to the same high      
persons1 and ,bolingbroke was brought   
forth to give evidence against her4 ,she
 was of consequence committed to custody
 in the castle of ,leeds near           
,maidstone1 to take her trial in the    
month of ,october4 ,a commission was    
directed to the lord treasurer1 several 
noblemen1 and certain judges of both    
benches1 to enquire into all manner of  

treasons1 sorceries1 and other things   
that might be hurtful to the king's     
person1 and ,bolingbroke and ,southwel  
as principals1 and the duchess of       
,gloucester as accessory1 were brought  
before them4 ,margery ,jourdain was     
arraigned at the same time2 and she1 as 
a witch and relapsed heretic1 was       
condemned to be burned in ,smithfield4  
,the duchess of ,gloucester was         
sentenced to do penance on three several
 days1 walking through the streets of   
,london1 with a lighted taper in her    
hand1 attended by the lord mayor1 the   
sheriffs1 and a select body of the      
livery1 and then to be banished for life
 to the isle of ,man4 ,thomas ,southwel 
died in prison2 and ,bolingbroke was    
hanged at ,tyburn on the eighteenth of  
,november4   ,,richard ,,iii4  ,an event
 occurred not very long after this1     
which deserves to be mentioned1 as being
 well calculated to shew how deep an    
impression ideas of witchcraft had made 
on the public mind even in the gravest  

affairs and the counsels of a nation4   
,richard duke of ,gloucester1 afterwards
 ,richard ,,iii1 shortly before his     
usurpation of the crown in #adhc1 had   
recourse to this expedient for disarming
 the power of his enemies1 which he     
feared as an obstacle to his project4   
,being lord protector1 he came abruptly 
into the assembly of the council that he
 had left but just before1 and suddenly 
asked1 what punishment they deserved who
 should be found to have plotted against
 his life1 being the person1 as nearest 
akin to the young king1 intrusted in    
chief with the affairs of the nation8   
,and1 a suitable answer being returned1 
he said the persons he accused were the 
queen-dowager1 and ,jane ,shore1 the    
favourite concubine of the late king1   
who by witchcraft and forbidden arts had
 sought to destroy him4 ,and1 while he  
spoke1 he laid bare his left arm up to  
the elbow1 which appeared shrivelled and
 wasted in a pitiable manner4 ,to this  
condition1 said he1 have these abandoned

 women reduced me4--,the historian adds1
 that it was well known that his arm had
 been thus wasted from his birth4  ,in  
,january #adhd1 the parliament met which
 recognised the title of ,richard1 and  
pronounced the marriage of ,edward ,,iv 
null1 and its issue illegitimate4 #ahh  
,the same parliament passed an act of   
attainder against ,henry earl of        
,richmond1 afterwards ,henry ,,vii1 the 
countess of ,richmond1 his mother1 and a
 great number of other persons1 many of 
them the most considerable adherents of 
the house of ,lancaster4 ,among these   
persons are enumerated ,thomas ,nandick 
and ,william ,knivet1 necromancers4 ,in 
the first parliament of ,henry ,,vii    
this attainder was reversed1 and ,thomas
 ,nandick of ,cambridge1 conjurer1 is   
specially nominated as an object of free
 pardon4 #ahi     ,,sanguinary          
,,proceedings ,,against ,,witchcraft4   
,i am now led to the most painful part  
of my subject1 but which does not the   
less constitute one of its integral     

members1 and which1 though painful1 is  
deeply instructive1 and constitutes a   
most essential branch in the science of 
human nature4 ,wherever ,i could1 ,i    
have endeavoured to render the topics   
which offered themselves to my          
examination1 entertaining4 ,when men    
pretended to invert the known laws of   
nature1 murdering impossibility2 to make
 what cannot be1 slight work2 ,i have   
been willing to consider the whole as an
 ingenious fiction1 and merely serving  
as an example how far credulity could go
 in setting aside the deductions of our 
reason1 and the evidence of sense4 ,the 
artists in these cases did not fail to  
excite admiration1 and gain some sort of
 applause from their contemporaries1    
though still with a tingling feeling    
that all was not exactly as it should   
be1 and with a confession that the      
professors were exercising unhallowed   
arts4 ,it was like what has been known  
of the art of acting2 those who employed
 it were caressed and made every where  

welcome1 but were not allowed the       
distinction of ,christian burial4  ,but1
 particularly in the fifteenth century1 
things took a new turn4 ,in the dawn of 
the day of good sense1 and when         
historical evidence at length began to  
be weighed in the scales of judgment1   
men became less careless of truth1 and  
regarded prodigies and miracles with a  
different temper4 ,and1 as it often     
happens1 the crisis1 the precise passage
 from ill to better1 shewed itself more 
calamitous1 and more full of enormities 
and atrocity1 than the period when the  
understanding was completely            
hood-winked1 and men digested           
absurdities and impossibility with as   
much ease as their every day food4 ,they
 would not now forgive the tampering    
with the axioms of eternal truth2 they  
regarded cheat and imposture with a very
 different eye2 and they had recourse to
 the stake and the faggot1 for the      
purpose of proving that they would no   
longer be trifled with4 ,they treated   

the offenders as the most atrocious of  
criminals1 and thus1 though by a very   
indirect and circuitous method1 led the 
way to the total dispersion of those    
clouds1 which hung1 with most uneasy    
operation1 on the human understanding4  
,the university of ,paris in the year   
#acih promulgated an edict1 in which    
they complained that the practice of    
witchcraft was become more frequent and 
general than at any former period4 #aij 
,a stratagem was at this time framed by 
the ecclesiastical persecutors1 of      
confounding together the crimes of      
heresy and witchcraft4 ,the first of    
these might seem to be enough in the    
days of bigotry and implicit faith1 to  
excite the horror of the vulgar2 but the
 advocates of religious uniformity held 
that they should be still more secure of
 their object1 if they could combine the
 sin of holding cheap the authority of  
the recognised heads of ,christian      
faith1 with that of men's enlisting     
under the banners of ,satan1 and        

becoming the avowed and sworn vassals of
 his infernal empire4 ,they accordingly 
seem to have invented the ideas of a    
sabbath of witches1 a numerous assembly 
of persons who had cast off all sense of
 shame1 and all regard for those things 
which the rest of the human species held
 most sacred1 where the devil appeared  
among them in his most forbidding form1 
and1 by rites equally ridiculous and    
obscene1 the persons present            
acknowledged themselves his subjects4   
,and1 having invented this scene1 these 
cunning and mischievous persecutors     
found means1 as we shall presently see1 
of compelling their unfortunate victims 
to confess that they had personally     
assisted at the ceremony1 and performed 
all the degrading offices which should  
consign them in the world to come to    
everlasting fire4  ,while ,i express    
myself thus1 ,i by no means intend to   
encourage the idea that the             
ecclesiastical authorities of these     
times were generally hypocrites4 ,they  

fully partook of the narrowness of      
thought of the period in which they     
lived4 ,they believed that the sin of   
heretical pravity was as the sin of     
witchcraft2 #aia they regarded them     
alike with horror1 and were persuaded   
that there was a natural consent and    
alliance between them4 ,fully impressed 
with this conception1 they employed     
means from which our genuine and        
undebauched nature revolts1 to extort   
from their deluded victims a confession 
of what their examiners apprehended to  
be true2 they asked them leading        
questions2 they suggested the answers   
they desired to receive2 and led the    
ignorant and friendless to imagine that1
 if these answers were adopted1 they    
might expect immediately to be relieved 
from insupportable tortures4 ,the       
delusion went round4 ,these unhappy     
wretches1 finding themselves the objects
 of universal abhorrence1 and the hatred
 of mankind1 at length many of them     
believed that they had entered into a   

league with the devil1 that they had    
been transported by him through the air 
to an assembly of souls consigned to    
everlasting reprobation1 that they had  
bound themselves in acts of fealty to   
their infernal taskmasters ,errata3 read
 taskmaster1 and had received from him  
in return the gift of performing        
superhuman and supernatural feats4 ,this
 is a tremendous state of degradation of
 what ,milton called the the faultless  
proprieties of nature1 #aib which cooler
 thinking and more enlightened times    
would lead us to regard as impossible1  
but to which the uncontradicted and     
authentic voice of history compels us to
 subscribe4  ,the ,albigenses and       
,waldenses were a set of men1 who1 in   
the flourishing provinces of ,languedoc1
 in the darkest ages1 and when the      
understandings of human creatures by a  
force not less memorable than that of   
,procrustes were reduced to an uniform  
stature1 shook off by some strange and  
unaccountable freak1 the chains that    

were universally imposed1 and arrived at
 a boldness of thinking similar to that 
which ,luther and ,calvin after a lapse 
of centuries advocated with happier     
auspices4 ,with these manly and generous
 sentiments however they combined a     
considerable portion of wild enthusiasm4
 ,they preached the necessity of a      
community of goods1 taught that it was  
necessary to wear sandals1 because      
sandals only had been worn by the       
apostles1 and devoted themselves to     
lives of rigorous abstinence and the    
most severe self-denial4  ,the ,catholic
 church knew no other way in those days 
of converting heretics1 but by fire and 
sword2 and accordingly pope ,innocent   
the ,third published a crusade against  
them4 ,the inquisition was expressly    
appointed in its origin to bring back   
these stray sheep into the flock of     
,christ2 and1 to support this           
institution in its operations1 ,simon   
,montfort marched a numerous army for   
the extermination of the offenders4 ,one

 hundred thousand are said to have      
perished4 ,they disappeared from the    
country which had witnessed their       
commencement1 and dispersed themselves  
in the vallies of ,piedmont1 in ,artois1
 and in various other places4 ,this     
crusade occurred in the commencement of 
the thirteenth century2 and they do not 
again attract the notice of history till
 the middle of the fifteenth4           
,monstrelet1 in his ,chronicle1 gives   
one of the earliest accounts of the     
proceedings at this time instituted     
against these unfortunate people1 under 
the date of the year #adei4 ,in this    
year1 says he1 in the town of ,arras1   
there occurred a miserable and inhuman  
scene1 to which1 ,i know not why1 was   
given the name of ,vaudoisie4 ,there    
were taken up and imprisoned a number of
 considerable persons inhabitants of    
this town1 and others of a very inferior
 class4 ,these latter were so cruelly   
put to the torture1 that they confessed1
 that they had been transported by      

supernatural means to a solitary place  
among woods1 where the devil appeared   
before them in the form of a man1 though
 they saw not his face4 ,he instructed  
them in the way in which they should do 
his bidding1 and exacted from them acts 
of homage and obedience4 ,he feasted    
them1 and after1 having put out the     
lights1 they proceeded to acts of the   
grossest licentiousness4 ,these         
accounts1 according to ,monstrelet1 were
 dictated to the victims by their       
tormentors2 and they then added1 under  
the same suggestion1 the names of divers
 lords1 prelates1 and governors of towns
 and bailliages1 whom they affirmed they
 had seen at these meetings1 and who    
joined in the same unholy ceremonies4   
,the historian adds1 that it cannot be  
concealed that these accusations were   
brought by certain malicious persons1   
either to gratify an ancient hatred1 or 
to extort from the rich sums of money1  
by means of which they might purchase   
their escape from further prosecution4  

,the persons apprehended were many of   
them put to the torture so severely1 and
 for so long a time1 and were tortured  
again and again1 that they were obliged 
to confess what was laid to their       
charge4 ,some however shewed so great   
constancy1 that they could by no means  
be induced to depart from the           
protestation of their innocence4 ,in    
fine1 many of the poorer victims were   
inhumanly burned2 while the richer with 
great sums of money procured their      
discharge1 but at the same time were    
compelled to banish themselves to       
distant places1 remote from the scene of
 this cruel outrage4--,balduinus of     
,artois gives a similar account1 and    
adds that the sentence of the judges was
 brought1 by appeal under the revision  
of the parliament of ,paris1 and was    
reversed by that judicature in the year 
#adia4 #aic  ,i have not succeeded in   
tracing to my satisfaction from the     
original authorities the dates of the   
following examples1 and therefore shall 

refer them to the periods assigned them 
in ,hutchinson on ,witchcraft4 ,the     
facts themselves rest for the most part 
on the most unquestionable authority4   
,innocent ,,viii published about the    
year #adhd a bull1 in which he affirms3 
,it has come to our ears1 that numbers  
of both sexes do not avoid to have      
intercourse with the infernal fiends1   
and that by their sorceries they afflict
 both man and beast2 they blight the    
marriage-bed1 destroy the births of     
women1 and the increase of cattle2 they 
blast the corn on the ground1 the grapes
 of the vineyard1 the fruits of the     
trees1 and the grass and herbs of the   
field4 ,for these reasons he arms the   
inquisitors with apostolic power to     
imprison1 convict and punish all such as
 may be charged with these              
offences4--,the consequences of this    
edict were dreadful all over the        
continent1 particularly in ,italy1      
,germany and ,france4  ,alciatus1 an    
eminent lawyer of this period1 relates1 

that a certain inquisitor came about    
this time into the vallies of the ,alps1
 being commissioned to enquire out and  
proceed against heretical women with    
whom those parts were infested4 ,he     
accordingly consigned more than one     
hundred to the flames1 every day1 like a
 new holocaust1 sacrificing such persons
 to ,vulcan1 as1 in the judgment of the 
historian1 were subjects demanding      
rather hellebore than fire2 till at     
length the peasantry of the vicinity    
rose in arms1 and drove the merciless   
judge out of the country4 ,the culprits 
were accused of having dishonoured the  
crucifix1 and denying ,christ for their 
,god4 ,they were asserted to have       
solemnised after a detestable way the   
devil's sabbath1 in which the fiend     
appeared personally among them1 and     
instructed them in the ceremonies of his
 worship4 ,meanwhile a question was     
raised whether they personally assisted 
on the occasion1 or only saw the        
solemnities in a vision1 credible       

witnesses having sworn that they were at
 home in their beds1 at the very time   
that they were accused of having taken  
part in these blasphemies4 #aid  ,in    
#aeae1 more than five hundred persons   
are said to have suffered capitally for 
the crime of witchcraft in the city of  
,geneva in the course of three months4  
#aie  ,in #aebd1 one thousand persons   
were burned on this accusation in the   
territory of ,como1 and one hundred per 
annum for several year after4 #aif      
,danaeus commences his ,dialogue of     
,witches with this observation4 ,within 
three months of the present time 7#aege7
 an almost infinite number of witches   
have been taken1 on whom the parliament 
of ,paris has passed judgment3 and the  
same tribunal fails not to sit daily1 as
 malefactors accused of this crime are  
continually brought before them out of  
all the provinces4  ,in the year #aeie  
,nicholas ,remi1 otherwise ,remigius1   
printed a very curious work1 entitled   
,demonolatreia1 in which he elaborately 

expounds the principles of the compact  
into which the devil enters with his    
mortal allies1 and the modes of conduct 
specially observed by both parties4 ,he 
boasts that his exposition is founded on
 an exact observation of the judicial   
proceedings which had taken place under 
his eye in the duchy of ,lorraine1 where
 for the preceding fifteen years nine   
hundred persons1 more or less1 had      
suffered the extreme penalty of the law 
for the crime of sorcery4 ,most of the  
persons tried seem to have been         
sufficiently communicative as to the    
different kinds of menace and compulsion
 by which the devil had brought them    
into his terms1 and the various         
appearances he had exhibited1 and feats 
he had performed3 but others1 says the  
author1 had1 by preserving an obstinate 
silence1 shewn themselves invincible to 
every species of torture that could be  
inflicted on them4  ,but the most       
memorable record that remains to us on  
the subject of witchcraft1 is contained 

in an ample quarto volume1 entitled ,a  
,representation 7,tableau7 of the ,ill  
,faith of ,evil ,spirits and ,demons1 by
 ,pierre ,de ,lancre1 ,royal ,counsellor
 in the ,parliament of ,bordeaux4 ,this 
man was appointed with one coadjutor1 to
 enquire into certain acts of sorcery1  
reported to have been committed in the  
district of ,labourt1 near the foot of  
the ,pyrenees2 and his commission bears 
date in ,may1 #afji1 and by consequence 
twelve months before the death of ,henry
 the ,fourth4  ,the book is dedicated to
 ,m4 de ,silleri1 chancellor of ,france2
 and in the dedication the author       
observes1 that formerly those who       
practised sorcery were well known for   
persons of obscure station and narrow   
intellect2 but that now the sorcerers   
who confess their misdemeanours1 depose1
 that there are seen in the customary   
meetings held by such persons a great   
number of individuals of quality1 whom  
,satan keeps veiled from ordinary gaze1 
and who are allowed to approach near to 

him1 while those of a poorer and more   
vulgar class are thrust back to the     
furthest part of the assembly4 ,the     
whole narrative assumes the form of a   
regular warfare between ,satan on the   
one side1 and the royal commissioners on
 the other4  ,at first the devil        
endeavoured to supply the accused with  
strength to support the tortures by     
which it was sought to extort confession
 from them1 insomuch that1 in an        
intermission of the torture1 the        
wretches declared that1 presently       
falling asleep1 they seemed to be in    
paradise1 and to enjoy the most         
beautiful visions4 ,the commissioners   
however1 observing this1 took care to   
grant them scarcely any remission1 till 
they had drawn from them1 if possible1  
an ample confession4 ,the devil next    
proceeded to stop the mouths of the     
accused that they might not confess4 ,he
 leaped on their throats1 and evidently 
caused an obstruction of the organs of  
speech1 so that in vain they endeavoured

 to relieve themselves by disclosing all
 that was demanded of them4  ,the       
historian proceeds to say that1 at these
 sacrilegious assemblings1 they now     
began to murmur against the devil1 as   
wanting power to relieve them in their  
extremity4 ,the children1 the daughters1
 and other relatives of the victims     
reproached him1 not scrupling to say1   
,out upon you6 you promised that our    
mothers who were prisoners should not   
die2 and look how you have kept your    
word with us6 ,they have been burned1   
and are a heap of ashes4 ,in answer to  
this charge the devil stoutly affirmed1 
that their parents1 who seemed to have  
suffered1 were not dead1 but were safe  
in a foreign country1 assuring the      
malcontents that1 if they called on     
them1 they would receive an answer4 ,the
 children called accordingly1 and by an 
infernal illusion an answer came1       
exactly in the several voices of the    
deceased1 declaring that they were in a 
state of happiness and security4        

,further to satisfy the complainers1 the
 devil produced illusory fires1 and     
encouraged the dissatisfied to walk     
through them1 assuring them that the    
fires lighted by a judicial decree were 
as harmless and inoffensive as these4   
,the demon further threatened that he   
would cause the prosecutors to be burned
 in their own fire1 and even proceeded  
to make them in semblance hover and     
alight on the branches of the           
neighbouring trees4 ,he further caused a
 swarm of toads to appear like a garland
 to crown the heads of the sufferers1 at
 which when in one instance the         
bystanders threw stones to drive them   
away1 one monstrous black toad remained 
to the last uninjured1 and finally      
mounted aloft1 and vanished from sight4 
,de ,lancre goes on to describe the     
ceremonies of the sabbath of the devil2 
and a plate is inserted1 presenting the 
assembly in the midst of their          
solemnities4 ,he describes in several   
chapters the sort of contract entered   

into between the devil and the          
sorcerers1 the marks by which they may  
be known1 the feast with which the demon
 regaled them1 their distorted and      
monstrous dance1 the copulation between 
the fiend and the witch1 and its        
issue4--,it is easy to imagine with what
 sort of fairness the trials were       
conducted1 when such is the description 
the judge affords us of what passed at  
these assemblies4 ,six hundred were     
burned under this prosecution4  ,the    
last chapter is devoted to an accurate  
account of what took place at an auto da
 fe in the month of ,november #afaj at  
,logrogno on the ,ebro in ,spain1 the   
victims being for the greater part the  
unhappy wretches1 who had escaped       
through the ,pyrenees from the merciless
 prosecution that had been exercised    
against them by the historian of the    
whole4   ,,savonarola4  ,jerome         
,savonarola was one of the most         
remarkable men of his time1 and his     
fortunes are well adapted to illustrate 

the peculiarities of that period4 ,he   
was born in the year #adeb at ,ferrara  
in ,italy4 ,he became a ,dominican      
,friar at ,bologna without the knowledge
 of his parents in the twenty-second    
year of his age4 ,he was first employed 
by his superiors in elucidating the     
principles of physics and metaphysics4  
,but1 after having occupied some years  
in this way1 he professed to take a     
lasting leave of these subtleties1 and  
to devote himself exclusively to the    
study of the ,scriptures4 ,in no long   
time he became an eminent preacher1 by  
the elegance and purity of his style    
acquiring the applause of hearers of    
taste1 and by the unequalled fervour of 
his eloquence securing the hearts of the
 many4 ,it was soon obvious1 that1 by   
his power gained in this mode1 he could 
do any thing he pleased with the people 
of ,florence among whom he resided4     
,possessed of such an ascendancy1 he was
 not contented to be the spiritual guide
 of the souls of men1 but further       

devoted himself to the temporal         
prosperity and grandeur of his country4 
,the house of ,medici was at this time  
masters of the state1 and the celebrated
 ,lorenzo de ,medici possessed the      
administration of affairs4 ,but the     
political maxims of ,lorenzo were in    
discord with those of our preacher4     
,lorenzo sought to concentre all        
authority in the opulent few2 but       
,savonarola1 proceeding on the model of 
the best times of ancient ,rome1        
endeavoured to vest the sovereign power 
in the hands of the people4  ,he had    
settled at ,florence in the             
thirty-fourth year of his age1 being    
invited to become prior of the convent  
of ,st4 ,mark in that city3 and such was
 his popularity1 that1 four years after1
 ,lorenzo on his death-bed sent for     
,savonarola to administer to him        
spiritual consolation4 ,meanwhile1 so   
stern did this republican shew himself1 
that he insisted on ,lorenzo's          
renunciation of his absolute power1     

before he would administer to him the   
sacrament and absolution3 and ,lorenzo  
complied with these terms4  ,the prince 
being dead1 ,savonarola stepped         
immediately into the highest authority4 
,he reconstituted the state upon pure   
republican principles1 and enjoined four
 things especially in all his public    
preachings1 the fear of ,god1 the love  
of the republic1 oblivion of all past   
injuries1 and equal rights to all for   
the future4  ,but ,savonarola was not   
contented with the delivery of          
,florence1 where he is said to have     
produced a total revolution of manners1 
from libertinism to the most exemplary  
purity and integrity2 he likewise       
aspired to produce an equal effect on   
the entire of ,italy4 ,alexander ,,vi1  
the most profligate of popes1 then      
filled the chair at ,rome2 and          
,savonarola thundered against him in the
 cathedral at ,florence the most fearful
 denunciations4 ,the pope did not       
hesitate a moment to proceed to         

extremities against the friar4 ,he cited
 him to ,rome1 under pain1 if disobeyed1
 of excommunication to the priest1 and  
an interdict to the republic that       
harboured him4 ,the ,florentines several
 times succeeded in causing the citation
 to be revoked1 and1 making terms with  
the sovereign pontiff1 ,jerome again and
 again suspending his preachings1 which 
were however continued by other friars1 
his colleagues and confederates4        
,savonarola meanwhile could not long be 
silent2 he resumed his philippics as    
fiercely as ever4  ,at this time faction
 raged strongly at ,florence4 ,jerome   
had many partisans2 all the ,dominicans1
 and the greater part of the populace4  
,but he had various enemies leagued     
against him2 the adherents of the house 
of ,medici1 those of the pope1 the      
libertines1 and all orders of monks and 
friars except the ,dominicans1 ,the     
violence proceeded so far1 that the     
preacher was not unfrequently insulted  
in his pulpit1 and the cathedral echoed 

with the dissentions of the parties4 ,at
 length a conspiracy was organized      
against ,savonarola2 and1 his adherents 
having got the better1 the friar did not
 dare to trust the punishment of his    
enemies to the general assembly1 where  
the question would have led to a scene  
of warfare1 but referred it to a more   
limited tribunal1 and finally proceeded 
to the infliction of death on its sole  
authority4  ,this extremity rendered his
 enemies more furious against him4 ,the 
pope directed absolution1 the communion1
 and the rites of sepulture1 to be      
refused to his followers4 ,he was now   
expelled from the cathedral at          
,florence1 and removed his preachings to
 the chapel of his convent1 which was   
enlarged in its accommodations to adapt 
itself to his numerous auditors4 ,in    
this interim a most extraordinary scene 
took place4 ,one ,francis de ,pouille   
offered himself to the trial of fire1 in
 favour of the validity of the          
excommunication of the pope against the 

pretended inspiration and miracles of   
the prophet4 ,he said he did not doubt  
to perish in the experiment1 but that he
 should have the satisfaction of seeing 
,savonarola perish along with him4      
,dominic de ,pescia however and another 
,dominican presented themselves to the  
flames instead of ,jerome1 alledging    
that he was reserved for higher things4 
,de ,pouille at first declined the      
substitution1 but was afterwards        
prevailed on to submit4 ,a vast fire was
 lighted in the marketplace for the     
trial2 and a low and narrow gallery of  
iron passed over the middle1 on which   
the challenger and the challenged were  
to attempt to effect their passage4 ,but
 a furious deluge of rain was said to   
have occurred at the instant every thing
 was ready2 the fire was extinguished2  
and the trial for the present was thus  
rendered impossible4  ,savonarola in the
 earnestness of his preachings pretended
 to turn prophet1 and confidently to    
predict future events4 ,he spoke of     

,charles ,,viii of ,france as the ,cyrus
 who should deliver ,italy1 and subdue  
the nations before him2 and even named  
the spring of the year #adih as the     
period that should see all these things 
performed4  ,but it was not in prophecy 
alone that ,savonarola laid claim to    
supernatural aid4 ,he described various 
contests that he had maintained against 
a multitude of devils at once in his    
convent4 ,they tormented in different   
ways the friars of ,st4 ,mark1 but ever 
shrank with awe from his personal       
interposition4 ,they attempted to call  
upon him by name2 but the spirit of ,god
 overruled them1 so that they could     
never pronounce his name aright1 but    
still misplaced syllables and letters in
 a ludicrous fashion4 ,they uttered     
terrific threatenings against him1 but  
immediately after shrank away with fear1
 awed by the holy words and warnings    
which he denounced against them4        
,savonarola besides undertook to expel  
them by night1 by sprinkling holy water1

 and the singing of hymns in a solemn   
chorus4 ,while however he was engaged in
 these sacred offices1 and pacing the   
cloister of his convent1 the devils     
would arrest his steps1 and suddenly    
render the air before him so thick1 that
 it was impossible for him to advance   
further4 ,on another occasion one of his
 colleagues assured ,francis ,picus of  
,mirandola1 the writer of his ,life1    
that he had himself seen the ,holy      
,ghost in the form of a dove more than  
once1 sitting on ,savonarola's shoulder1
 fluttering his feathers1 which were    
sprinkled with silver and gold1 and1    
putting his beak to his ear1 whispering 
to him his divine suggestions4 ,the     
prior besides relates in a book of his  
own composition at great length a       
dialogue that he held with the devil1   
appearing like1 and having been mistaken
 by the writer for1 a hermit4  ,the life
 of ,savonarola however came to a speedy
 and tragical close4 ,the multitude1 who
 are always fickle in their impulses1   

conceiving an unfavourable impression in
 consequence of his personally declining
 the trial by fire1 turned against him4 
,the same evening they besieged the     
convent where he resided1 and in which  
he had taken refuge4 ,the signory1      
seeing the urgency of the case1 sent to 
the brotherhood1 commanding them to     
surrender the prior1 and the two        
,dominicans who had presented themselves
 in his stead to the trial by fire4 ,the
 pope sent two judges to try them on the
 spot4 ,they were presently put to the  
torture4 ,savonarola1 who we are told   
was of a delicate habit of body1        
speedily confessed and expressed        
contrition for what he had done4 ,but no
 sooner was he delivered from the       
strappado1 than he retracted all that he
 had before confessed4 ,the experiment  
was repeated several times1 and always  
with the same success4  ,at length he   
and the other two were adjudged to      
perish in the flames4 ,this sentence was
 no sooner pronounced than ,savonarola  

resumed all the constancy of a martyr4  
,he advanced to the place of execution  
with a steady pace and a serene         
countenance1 and in the midst of the    
flames resignedly commended his soul    
into the hands of his maker4 ,his       
adherents regarded him as a witness to  
the truth1 and piously collected his    
relics2 but his judges1 to counteract   
this defiance of authority1 commanded   
his remains and his ashes to be cast    
into the river4 #aig   ,,trithemius4  ,a
 name that has in some way become famous
 in the annals of magic1 is that of     
,john ,trithemius1 abbot of ,spanheim1  
or ,sponheim1 in the circle of the      
,upper ,rhine4 ,he was born in the year 
#adfb4 ,he early distinguished himself  
by his devotion to literature2 insomuch 
that1 according to the common           
chronology1 he was chosen in the year   
#adhb1 being about twenty years of age1 
abbot of the ,benedictine monastery of  
,st4 ,martin at ,spanheim4 ,he has      
written a great number of works1 and has

 left some memorials of his life4       
,learning was at a low ebb when he was  
chosen to this dignity4 ,the library of 
the convent consisted of little more    
than forty volumes4 ,but1 shortly after1
 under his superintendence it amounted  
to many hundreds4 ,he insisted upon his 
monks diligently employing themselves in
 the multiplication of manuscripts4 ,the
 monks1 who had hitherto spent their    
days in luxurious idleness1 were greatly
 dissatisfied with this revolution1 and 
led their abbot a very uneasy life4 ,he 
was in consequence removed to preside   
over the abbey of ,st4 ,jacques in      
,wurtzburg in #aejf1 where he died in   
tranquillity and peace in #aeaf4        
,trithemius has been accused of         
necromancy and a commerce with demons4  
,the principal ground of this accusation
 lies in a story that has been told of  
his intercourse with the emperor        
,maximilian4 ,maximilian's first wife   
was ,mary of ,burgundy1 whom he lost in 
the prime of her life4 ,the emperor was 

inconsolable upon the occasion2 and     
,trithemius1 who was called in as       
singularly qualified to comfort him1    
having tried all other expedients in    
vain1 at length told ,maximilian that he
 would undertake to place his late      
consort before him precisely in the     
state in which she had lived4 ,after    
suitable preparations1 ,mary of         
,burgundy accordingly appeared4 ,the    
emperor was struck with astonishment4   
,he found the figure before him in all  
respects like the consort he had lost4  
,at length he exclaimed1 ,there is one  
mark by which ,i shall infallibly know  
whether this is the same person4 ,mary1 
my wife1 had a wart in the nape of her  
neck1 to the existence of which no one  
was privy but myself4 ,he examined1 and 
found the wart there1 in all respects as
 it had been during her life4 ,the story
 goes on to say1 that ,maximilian was so
 disgusted and shocked with what he saw1
 that he banished ,trithemius his       
presence for ever4  ,this tale has been 

discredited1 partly on the score of the 
period of the death of ,mary of         
,burgundy1 which happened in #adha1 when
 ,trithemius was only nineteen years of 
age4 ,he himself expressly disclaims all
 imputation of sorcery4 ,one ground of  
the charge has been placed upon the     
existence of a work of his1 entitled    
,steganographia1 or the art1 by means of
 a secret writing1 of communicating our 
thoughts to a person absent4 ,he says   
however1 that in this work he had merely
 used the language of magic1 without in 
any degree having had recourse to their 
modes of proceeding4 ,trithemius appears
 to have been the first writer who has  
made mention of the extraordinary feats 
of ,john ,faust of ,wittenburg1 and that
 in a way that shews he considered these
 enchantments as the work of a          
supernatural power4 #aih   ,,luther4    
,it is particularly proper to introduce 
some mention of ,luther in this place2  
not that he is in any way implicated in 
the question of necromancy1 but that    

there are passages in his writings in   
which he talks of the devil in what we  
should now think a very extraordinary   
way4 ,and it is curious1 and not a      
little instructive1 to see how a person 
of so masculine an intellect1 and who in
 many respects so far outran the        
illumination of his age1 was accustomed 
to judge respecting the intercourse of  
mortals with the inhabitants of the     
infernal world4 ,luther was born in the 
year #adhc4  ,it appears from his       
,treatise on the ,abuses attendant on   
,private ,masses1 that he had a         
conference with the devil on the        
subject4 ,he says1 that this            
supernatural personage caused him by his
 visits many bitter nights and much     
restless and wearisome repose4 ,once in 
particular he came to ,luther1 in the   
dead of the night1 when he was just     
awaked out of sleep4 ,the devil1 he goes
 on to say1 knows well how to construct 
his arguments1 and to urge them with the
 skill of a master4 ,he delivers himself

 with a grave1 and yet a shrill voice4  
,nor does he use circumlocutions1 and   
beat about the bush1 but excels in      
forcible statements and quick           
rejoinders4 ,i no longer wonder1 he     
adds1 that the persons whom he assails  
in this way1 are occasionally found dead
 in their beds4 ,he is able to compress 
and throttle1 and more than once he has 
so assaulted me and driven my soul into 
a corner1 that ,i felt as if the next   
moment it must leave my body4 ,i am of  
opinion that ,gesner and ,oecolampadius 
and others in that manner came by their 
deaths4 ,the devil's manner of opening a
 debate is pleasant enough2 but he urges
 things so peremptorily1 that the       
respondent in a short time knows not how
 to acquit himself4 #aii ,he elsewhere  
says1 ,the reasons why the              
sacramentarians understood so little of 
the ,scriptures1 is that they do not    
encounter the true opponent1 that is1   
the devil1 who presently drives one up  
in a corner1 and thus makes one perceive

 the just interpretation4 ,for my part  
,i am thoroughly acquainted with him1   
and have eaten a bushel of salt with    
him4 ,he sleeps with me more frequently1
 and lies nearer to me in bed1 than my  
own wife does4 #bjj   ,,cornelius       
,,agrippa4  ,henry ,cornelius ,agrippa  
was born in the year #adhf4 ,he was one 
of the most celebrated men of his time4 
,his talents were remarkably great2 and 
he had a surprising facility in the     
acquisition of languages4 ,he is spoken 
of with the highest commendations by    
,trithemius1 ,erasmus1 ,melancthon1 and 
others1 the greatest men of his times4  
,but he was a man of the most violent   
passions1 and of great instability of   
temper4 ,he was of consequence exposed  
to memorable vicissitudes4 ,he had great
 reputation as an astrologer1 and was   
assiduous in the cultivation of         
chemistry4 ,he had the reputation of    
possessing the philosopher's stone1 and 
was incessantly experiencing the        
privations of poverty4 ,he was subject  

to great persecutions1 and was          
repeatedly imprisoned4 ,he received     
invitations at the same time from ,henry
 ,,viii1 from the chancellor of the     
emperor1 from a distinguished ,italian  
marquis1 and from ,margaret of ,austria1
 governess of the ,low ,countries4 ,he  
made his election in favour of the last1
 and could find no way so obvious of    
showing his gratitude for her patronage1
 as composing an elaborate treatise on  
the ,superiority of the ,female ,sex1   
which he dedicated to her4 ,shortly     
after1 he produced a work not less      
remarkable1 to demonstrate the ,vanity  
and ,emptiness of ,scientifical         
,acquirements4 ,margaret of ,austria    
being dead1 he was subsequently         
appointed physician to ,louisa of       
,savoy1 mother to ,francis ,i4 ,this    
lady however having assigned him a task 
disagreeable to his inclination1 a      
calculation according to the rules of   
astrology1 he made no scruple of turning
 against her1 and affirming that he     

should henceforth hold her for a cruel  
and perfidious ,jezebel4 ,after a life  
of storms and perpetual vicissitude1 he 
died in #aecd1 aged #dh years4  ,he     
enters however into the work ,i am      
writing1 principally on account of the  
extraordinary stories that have been    
told of him on the subject of magic4 ,he
 says of himself1 in his ,treatise on   
the ,vanity of ,sciences1 ,being then a 
very young man1 ,i wrote in three books 
of a considerable size ,disquisitions   
concerning ,magic4  ,the first of the   
stories ,i am about to relate is chiefly
 interesting1 inasmuch as it is         
connected with the history of one of the
 most illustrious ornaments of our early
 ,english poetry1 ,henry ,howard earl of
 ,surrey1 who suffered death at the     
close of the reign of ,king ,henry      
,,viii4 ,the earl of ,surrey1 we are    
told1 became acquainted with ,cornelius 
,agrippa at the court of ,john ,george  
elector of ,saxony4 ,on this occasion   
were present1 beside the ,english       

nobleman1 ,erasmus1 and many other      
persons eminent in the republic of      
letters4 ,these persons shewed          
themselves enamoured of the reports that
 had been spread of ,agrippa1 and       
desired him before the elector to       
exhibit something memorable4 ,one       
intreated him to call up ,plautus1 and  
shew him as he appeared in garb and     
countenance1 when he ground corn in the 
mill4 ,another before all things desired
 to see ,ovid4 ,but ,erasmus earnestly  
requested to behold ,tully in the act of
 delivering his oration for ,roscius4   
,this proposal carried the most votes4  
,and1 after marshalling the concourse of
 spectators1 ,tully appeared1 at the    
command of ,agrippa1 and from the       
rostrum pronounced the oration1         
precisely in the words in which it has  
been handed down to us1 with such       
astonishing animation1 so fervent an    
exaltation of spirit1 and such          
soul-stirring gestures1 that all the    
persons present were ready1 like the    

,romans of old1 to pronounce his client 
innocent of every charge that had been  
brought against him4 ,the story adds1   
that1 when sir ,thomas ,more was at the 
same place1 ,agrippa shewed him the     
whole destruction of ,troy in a dream4  
,to ,thomas ,lord ,cromwel he exhibited 
in a perspective glass ,king ,henry     
,,viii and all his lords hunting in his 
forest at ,windsor4 ,to ,charles ,v he  
shewed ,david1 ,solomon1 ,gideon1 and   
the rest1 with the ,nine ,worthies1 in  
their habits and similitude as they had 
lived4  ,lord ,surrey1 in the mean time 
having gotten into familiarity with     
,agrippa1 requested him by the way side 
as they travelled1 to set before him his
 mistress1 the fair ,geraldine1 shewing 
at the same time what she did1 and with 
whom she talked4 ,agrippa accordingly   
exhibited his magic glass1 in which the 
noble poet saw this beautiful dame1     
sick1 weeping upon her bed1 and         
inconsolable for the absence of her     
admirer4--,it is now known1 that the    

sole authority for this tale is ,thomas 
,nash1 the dramatist1 in his ,adventures
 of ,jack ,wilton1 printed in the year  
#aeic4  ,paulus ,jovius relates that    
,agrippa always kept a devil attendant  
upon him1 who accompanied him in all his
 travels in the shape of a black dog4   
,when he lay on his death-bed1 he was   
earnestly exhorted to repent of his     
sins4 ,being in consequence struck with 
a deep contrition1 he took hold of the  
dog1 and removed from him a collar      
studded with nails1 which formed a      
necromantic inscription1 at the same    
time saying to him1 ,begone1 wretched   
animal1 which hast been the cause of my 
entire destruction6--,it is added1 that 
the dog immediately ran away1 and       
plunged itself in the river ,soane1     
after which it was seen no more4 #bja   
,it is further related of ,agrippa1 as  
of many other magicians1 that he was in 
the habit1 when he regaled himself at an
 inn1 of paying his bill in counterfeit 
money1 which at the time of payment     

appeared of sterling value1 but in a few
 days after became pieces of horn and   
worthless shells4 #bjb  ,but the most   
extraordinary story of ,agrippa is told 
by ,delrio1 and is as follows4 ,agrippa 
had occasion one time to be absent for a
 few days from his residence at         
,louvain4 ,during his absence he        
intrusted his wife with the key of his  
,museum1 but with an earnest injunction 
that no one on any account should be    
allowed to enter4 ,agrippa happened at  
that time to have a boarder in his      
house1 a young fellow of insatiable     
curiosity1 who would never give over    
importuning his hostess1 till at length 
he obtained from her the forbidden key4 
,the first thing in the ,museum that    
attracted his attention1 was a book of  
spells and incantations4 ,he spread this
 book upon a desk1 and1 thinking no     
harm1 began to read aloud4 ,he had not  
long continued this occupation1 when a  
knock was heard at the door of the      
chamber4 ,the youth took no notice1 but 

continued reading4 ,presently followed a
 second knock1 which somewhat alarmed   
the reader4 ,the space of a minute      
having elapsed1 and no answer made1 the 
door was opened1 and a demon entered4   
,for what purpose am ,i called8 said the
 stranger sternly4 ,what is it you      
demand to have done8 ,the youth was     
seized with the greatest alarm1 and     
struck speechless4 ,the demon advanced  
towards him1 seized him by the throat1  
and strangled him1 indignant that his   
presence should thus be invoked from    
pure thoughtlessness and presumption4   
,at the expected time ,agrippa came     
home1 and to his great surprise found a 
number of devils capering and playing   
strange antics about1 and on the roof of
 his house4 ,by his art he caused them  
to desist from their sport1 and with    
authority demanded what was the cause of
 this novel appearance4 ,the chief of   
them answered4 ,he told how they had    
been invoked1 and insulted1 and what    
revenge they had taken4 ,agrippa became 

exceedingly alarmed for the consequences
 to himself of this unfortunate         
adventure4 ,he ordered the demon without
 loss of time to reanimate the body of  
his victim1 then to go forth1 and to    
walk the boarder three or four times up 
and down the market-place in the sight  
of the people4 ,the infernal spirit did 
as he was ordered1 shewed the student   
publicly alive1 and having done this1   
suffered the body to fall down1 the     
marks of conscious existence being      
plainly no more4 ,for a time it was     
thought that the student had been killed
 by a sudden attack of disease4 ,but1   
presently after1 the marks of           
strangulation were plainly discerned1   
and the truth came out4 ,agrippa was    
then obliged suddenly to withdraw       
himself1 and to take up his residence in
 a distant province4 #bjc  ,wierus in   
his well known book1 ,de ,praestigiis   
,demonum1 informs us that he had lived  
for years in daily attendance on        
,cornelius ,agrippa1 and that the black 

dog respecting which such strange       
surmises had been circulated1 was a     
perfectly innocent animal that he had   
often led in a string4 ,he adds1 that   
the sole foundation for the story lay in
 the fact1 that ,agrippa had been much  
attached to the dog1 which he was       
accustomed to permit to eat off the     
table with its master1 and even to lie  
of nights in his bed4 ,he further       
remarks1 that ,agrippa was accustomed   
often not to go out of his room for a   
week together1 and that people          
accordingly wondered that he could have 
such accurate information of what was   
going on in all parts of the world1 and 
would have it that his intelligence was 
communicated to him by his dog4 ,he     
subjoins however1 that ,agrippa had in  
fact correspondents in every quarter of 
the globe1 and received letters from    
them daily1 and that this was the real  
source of his extraordinary             
intelligence4 #bjd  ,naud1 in his       
,apology for ,great ,men accused of     

,magic1 mentions1 that ,agrippa composed
 a book of the ,rules and ,precepts of  
the ,art of ,magic1 and that1 if such a 
work could entitle a man to the         
character of a magician1 ,agrippa indeed
 well deserved it4 ,but he gives it as  
his opinion that this was the only      
ground for fastening the imputation on  
this illustrious character4  ,without   
believing however any of the tales of   
the magic practices of ,cornelius       
,agrippa1 and even perhaps without      
supposing that he seriously pretended to
 such arts1 we are here presented with a
 striking picture of the temper and     
credulity of the times in which he      
lived4 ,we plainly see from the         
contemporary evidence of ,wierus1 that  
such things were believed of him by his 
neighbours2 and at that period it was   
sufficiently common for any man of deep 
study1 of recluse habits1 and a certain 
sententious and magisterial air to      
undergo these imputations4 ,it is more  
than probable that ,agrippa was willing 

by a general silence and mystery to give
 encouragement to the wonder of the     
vulgar mind4 ,he was flattered by the   
terror and awe which his appearance     
inspired4 ,he did not wish to come down 
to the ordinary level4 ,and if to this  
we add his pursuits of alchemy and      
astrology1 with the formidable and      
various apparatus supposed to be        
required in these pursuits1 we shall no 
longer wonder at the results which      
followed4 ,he loved to wander on the    
brink of danger1 and was contented to   
take his chance of being molested1      
rather than not possess that ascendancy 
over the ordinary race of mankind which 
was evidently gratifying to his vanity4 
,,faustus4  ,next in respect of time to 
,cornelius ,agrippa comes the celebrated
 ,dr4 ,faustus4 ,little in point of fact
 is known respecting this eminent       
personage in the annals of necromancy4  
,his pretended history does not seem to 
have been written till about the year   
#aehg1 perhaps half a century after his 

death4 ,this work is apparently in its  
principal features altogether           
fictitious4 ,we have no reason however  
to deny the early statements as to his  
life4 ,he is asserted by ,camerarius and
 ,wierus to have been born at ,cundling 
near ,cracow in the kingdom of ,poland1 
and is understood to have passed the    
principal part of his life at the       
university of ,wittenberg4 ,he was      
probably well known to ,cornelius       
,agrippa and ,paracelsus4 ,melancthon   
mentions him in his ,letters2 and       
,conrad ,gessner refers to him as a     
contemporary4 ,the author of his ,life  
cites the opinions entertained          
respecting him by ,luther4 ,philip      
,camerarius speaks of him in his ,horae 
,subsecivae as a celebrated name among  
magicians1 apparently without reference 
to the ,life that has come down to us2  
#bje and ,wierus does the same thing4   
#bjf ,he was probably nothing more than 
an accomplished juggler1 who appears to 
have practised his art with great       

success in several towns of ,germany4   
,he was also no doubt a pretender to    
necromancy4  ,on this basis the well    
known ,history of his ,life has been    
built4 ,the author has with great art   
expanded very slender materials1 and    
rendered his work in a striking degree a
 code and receptacle of all the most    
approved ideas respecting necromancy and
 a profane and sacrilegious dealing with
 the devil4 ,he has woven into it with  
much skill the pretended arts of the    
sorcerers1 and has transcribed or       
closely imitated the stories that have  
been handed down to us of many of the   
extraordinary feats they were said to   
have performed4 ,it is therefore        
suitable to our purpose to dwell at some
 length upon the successive features of 
this history4  ,the life has been said  
to have been originally written in      
,spain by ,franciscus ,schottus of      
,toledo1 in the ,latin language4 #bjg   
,but this biographical work is assigned 
to the date of #aeid1 previously to     

which the ,life is known to have existed
 in ,german4 ,it is improbable that a   
,spanish writer should have chosen a    
,german for the hero of his romance1    
whereas nothing can be more natural than
 for a ,german to have conceived the    
idea of giving fame and notoriety to his
 countryman4 ,the mistake seems to be   
the same1 though for an opposite reason1
 as that which appears to have been made
 in representing the ,gil ,blas of ,le  
,sage as a translation4  ,the           
biographical account professes to have  
been begun by ,faustus himself1 though  
written in the third person1 and to have
 been continued by ,wagner1 his         
confidential servant1 to whom the doctor
 is affirmed to have bequeathed his     
memoirs1 letters and manuscripts1       
together with his house and its         
furniture4  ,faustus then1 according to 
his history1 was the son of a peasant1  
residing on the banks of the ,roda in   
the duchy of ,weimar1 and was early     
adopted by an uncle1 dwelling in the    

city of ,wittenberg1 who had no         
children4 ,here he was sent to college1 
and was soon distinguished by the       
greatness of his talents1 and the rapid 
progress he made in every species of    
learning that was put before him4 ,he   
was destined by his relative to the     
profession of theology4 ,but singularly 
enough1 considering that he is          
represented as furnishing materials for 
his own ,memoirs1 he is said            
ungraciously to have set at nought his  
uncle's pious intentions by deriding    
,god's word1 and thus to have resembled 
,cain1 ,reuben and ,absalom1 who1 having
 sprung from godly parents1 afflicted   
their fathers' hearts by their apostasy4
 ,he went through his examinations with 
applause1 and carried off all the first 
prizes among sixteen competitors4 ,he   
therefore obtained the degree of doctor 
in divinity2 but his success only made  
him the more proud and headstrong4 ,he  
disdained his theological eminence1 and 
sighed for distinction as a man of the  

world4 ,he took his degree as a doctor  
of medicine1 and aspired to celebrity as
 a practitioner of physic4 ,about the   
same time he fell in with certain       
contemporaries1 of tastes similar to his
 own1 and associated with them in the   
study of ,chaldean1 ,greek and ,arabic  
science1 of strange incantations and    
supernatural influences1 in short1 of   
all the arts of a sorcerer4  ,having    
made such progress as he could by dint  
of study and intense application1 he at 
length resolved to prosecute his        
purposes still further by actually      
raising the devil4 ,he happened one     
evening to walk in a thick1 dark wood1  
within a short distance from            
,wittenberg1 when it occurred to him    
that that was a fit place for executing 
his design4 ,he stopped at a solitary   
spot where four roads met1 and made use 
of his wand to mark out a large circle1 
and then two small ones within the      
larger4 ,in one of these he fixed       
himself1 appropriating the other for the

 use of his expected visitor4 ,he went  
over the precise range of charms and    
incantations1 omitting nothing4 ,it was 
now dark night between the ninth and    
tenth hour4 ,the devil manifested       
himself by the usual signs of his       
appearance4 ,wherefore am ,i called8    
said he1 and what is it that you demand8
 ,i require1 rejoined ,faustus1 that you
 should sedulously attend upon me1      
answer my enquiries1 and fulfil my      
behests4  ,immediately upon ,faustus    
pronouncing these words1 there followed 
a tumult over head1 as if heaven and    
earth were coming together4 ,the trees  
in their topmost branches bended to     
their very roots4 ,it seemed as if the  
whole forest were peopled with devils1  
making a crash like a thousand waggons1 
hurrying to the right and the left1     
before and behind1 in every possible    
direction1 with thunder and lightning1  
and the continual discharge of great    
cannon4 ,hell appeared to have emptied  
itself1 to have furnished the din4      

,there succeeded the most charming music
 from all sorts of instruments1 and     
sounds of hilarity and dancing4 ,next   
came a report as of a tournament1 and   
the clashing of innumerable lances4     
,this lasted so long1 that ,faustus was 
many times about to rush out of the     
circle in which he had inclosed himself1
 and to abandon his preparations4 ,his  
courage and resolution however got the  
better2 and he remained immoveable4 ,he 
pursued his incantations without        
intermission4 ,then came to the very    
edge of the circle a griffin first1 and 
next a dragon1 which in the midst of his
 enchantments grinned at him horribly   
with his teeth1 but finally fell down at
 his feet1 and extended his length to   
many a rood4 ,faustus persisted4 ,then  
succeeded a sort of fireworks1 a pillar 
of fire1 and a man on fire at the top1  
who leaped down2 and there immediately  
appeared a number of globes here and    
there red-hot1 while the man on fire    
went and came to every part of the      

circle for a quarter of an hour4 ,at    
length the devil came forward in the    
shape of a grey monk1 and asked ,faustus
 what he wanted4 ,faustus adjourned     
their further conference1 and appointed 
the devil to come to him at his         
lodgings4  ,he in the mean time busied  
himself in the necessary preparations4  
,he entered his study at the appointed  
time1 and found the devil waiting for   
him4 ,faustus told him that he had      
prepared certain articles1 to which it  
was necessary that the demon should     
fully accord1--that he should attend him
 at all times1 when required1 for all   
the days of his life1 that he should    
bring him every thing he wanted1 that he
 should come to him in any shape that   
,faustus required1 or be invisible1 and 
,faustus should be invisible too1       
whenever he desired it1 that he should  
deny him nothing1 and answer him with   
perfect veracity to every thing he      
demanded4 ,to some of these requisitions
 the spirit could not consent1 without  

authority from his master1 the chief of 
devils4 ,at length all these concessions
 were adjusted4 ,the devil on his part  
also prescribed his conditions4 ,that   
,faustus should abjure the ,christian   
religion and all reverence for the      
supreme ,god2 that he should enjoy the  
entire command of his attendant demon   
for a certain term of years1 and that at
 the end of that period the devil should
 dispose of him body and soul at his    
pleasure the term was fixed for         
twenty-four years2 that he should at all
 times stedfastly refuse to listen to   
any one who should desire to convert    
him1 or convince him of the error of his
 ways1 and lead him to repentance2 that 
,faustus should draw up a writing       
containing these particulars1 and sign  
it with his blood1 that he should       
deliver this writing to the devil1 and  
keep a duplicate of it for himself1 that
 so there might be no misunderstanding4 
,it was further appointed by ,faustus   
that the devil should usually attend him

 in the habit of cordelier1 with a      
pleasing countenance and an insinuating 
demeanour4 ,faustus also asked the devil
 his name1 who answered that he was     
usually called ,mephostophiles 7perhaps 
more accurately ,nephostophiles1 a lover
 of clouds74  ,previously to this       
deplorable transaction1 in which        
,faustus sold himself1 soul and body1 to
 the devil1 he had consumed his         
inheritance1 and was reduced to great   
poverty4 ,but he was now no longer      
subjected to any straits4 ,the          
establishments of the prince of ,chutz1 
the duke of ,bavaria1 and the archbishop
 of ,saltzburgh were daily put under    
contribution for his more convenient    
supply4 ,by the diligence of            
,mephostophiles provisions of all kinds 
continually flew in at his windows2 and 
the choicest wines were perpetually     
found at his board to the annoyance and 
discredit of the cellarers and butlers  
of these eminent personages1 who were   
extremely blamed for defalcations in    

which they had no share4 ,he also       
brought him a monthly supply of money1  
sufficient for the support of his       
establishment4 ,besides1 he supplied him
 with a succession of mistresses1 such  
as his heart desired1 which were in     
truth nothing but devils disguised under
 the semblance of beautiful women4 ,he  
further gave to ,faustus a book1 in     
which were amply detailed the processes 
of sorcery and witchcraft1 by means of  
which the doctor could obtain whatever  
he desired4  ,one of the earliest       
indulgences which ,faustus proposed to  
himself from the command he possessed   
over his servant-demon1 was the         
gratification of his curiosity in       
surveying the various nations of the    
world4 ,accordingly ,mephostophiles     
converted himself into a horse1 with two
 hunches on his back like a dromedary1  
between which he conveyed ,faustus      
through the air where-ever he desired4  
,they consumed fifteen months in their  
travels4 ,among the countries they      

visited the history mentions ,pannonia1 
,austria1 ,germany1 ,bohemia1 ,silesia1 
,saxony1 ,misnia1 ,thuringia1           
,franconia1 ,suabia1 ,bavaria1          
,lithuania1 ,livonia1 ,prussia1         
,muscovy1 ,friseland1 ,holland1         
,westphalia1 ,zealand1 ,brabant1        
,flanders1 ,france1 ,spain1 ,italy1     
,poland1 and ,hungary2 and afterwards   
,turkey1 ,egypt1 ,england1 ,sweden1     
,denmark1 ,india1 ,africa and ,persia4  
,in most of these countries             
,mephostophiles points out to his       
fellow-traveller their principal        
curiosities and antiquities4 ,in ,rome  
they sojourned three days and three     
nights1 and1 being themselves invisible1
 visited the residence of the pope and  
the other principal palaces4  ,at       
,constantinople ,faustus visited the    
emperor of the ,turks1 assuming to      
himself the figure of the prophet       
,mahomet4 ,his approach was preceded by 
a splendid illumination1 not less than  
that of the sun in all his glory4 ,he   

said to the emperor1 ,happy art thou1 oh
 sultan1 who art found worthy to be     
visited by the great prophet4 ,and the  
emperor in return fell prostrate before 
him1 thanking ,mahomet for his          
condescension in this visit4 ,the doctor
 also entered the seraglio1 where he    
remained six days under the same figure1
 the building and its gardens being all 
the time environed with a thick         
darkness1 so that no one1 not the       
emperor himself1 dared to enter4 ,at the
 end of this time the doctor1 still     
under the figure of ,mahomet1 was       
publicly seen1 ascending1 as it seemed1 
to heaven4 ,the sultan afterwards       
enquired of the women of his seraglio   
what had occurred to them during the    
period of the darkness2 and they        
answered1 that the ,god ,mahomet had    
been with them1 that he had enjoyed them
 corporeally1 and had told them that    
from his seed should arise a great      
people1 capable of irresistible         
exploits4  ,faustus had conceived a plan

 of making his way into the terrestrial 
paradise1 without awakening suspicion in
 his demon-conductor4 ,for this purpose 
he ordered him to ascend the highest    
mountains of ,asia4 ,at length they came
 so near1 that they saw the angel with  
the flaming sword forbidding approach to
 the garden4 ,faustus1 perceiving this1 
asked ,mephostophiles what it meant4    
,his conductor told him1 but added that 
it was in vain for them1 or any one but 
the angels of the ,lord1 to think of    
entering within4  ,having gratified his 
curiosity in other ways1 ,faustus was   
seized with a vehement desire to visit  
the infernal regions4 ,he proposed the  
question to ,mephostophiles1 who told   
him that this was a matter out of his   
department1 and that on that journey he 
could have no other conductor than      
,beelzebub4 ,accordingly1 every thing   
being previously arranged1 one day at   
midnight ,beelzebub appeared1 being     
already equipped with a saddle made of  
dead men's bones4 ,faustus speedily     

mounted4 ,they in a short time came to  
an abyss1 and encountered a multitude of
 enormous serpents2 but a bear with     
wings came to their aid1 and drove the  
serpents away4 ,a flying bull next came 
with a hideous roar1 so fierce that     
,beelzebub appeared to give way1 and    
,faustus tumbled at once heels-over-head
 into the pit4 ,after having fallen to a
 considerable depth1 two dragons with a 
chariot came to his aid1 and an ape     
helped him to get into the vehicle4     
,presently however came on a storm with 
thunder and lightning1 so dreadful that 
the doctor was thrown out1 and sunk in a
 tempestuous sea to a vast depth4 ,he   
contrived however to lay hold of a rock1
 and here to secure himself a footing4  
,he looked down1 and perceived a great  
gulph1 in which lay floating many of the
 vulgar1 and not a few emperors1 kings1 
princes1 and such as had been mighty    
lords4 ,faustus with a sudden impulse   
cast himself into the midst of the      
flames with which they were surrounded1 

with the desire to snatch one of the    
damned souls from the pit4 ,but1 just as
 he thought he had caught him by the    
hand1 the miserable wretch slided from  
between his fingers1 and sank again4    
,at length the doctor became wholly     
exhausted with the fatigue he had       
undergone1 with the smoke and the fog1  
with the stifling1 sulphureous air1 with
 the tempestuous blasts1 with the       
alternate extremes of heat and cold1 and
 with the clamours1 the lamentations1   
the agonies1 and the howlings of the    
damned everywhere around him1--when1    
just in the nick of time1 ,beelzebub    
appeared to him again1 and invited him  
once more to ascend the saddle1 which he
 had occupied during his infernal       
journey4 ,here he fell asleep1 and1 when
 he awoke1 found himself in his own bed 
in his house4 ,he then set himself      
seriously to reflect on what had passed4
 ,at one time he believed that he had   
been really in hell1 and had witnessed  
all its secrets4 ,at another he became  

persuaded that he had been subject to an
 illusion only1 and that the devil had  
led him through an imaginary scene1     
which was truly the case2 for the devil 
had taken care not to shew him the real 
hell1 fearing that it might have caused 
too great a terror1 and have induced him
 to repent him of his misdeeds perhaps  
before it was too late4  ,it so happened
 that1 once upon a time1 the emperor    
,charles ,v was at ,inspruck1 at a time 
when ,faustus also resided there4 ,his  
courtiers informed the emperor that     
,faustus was in the town1 and ,charles  
expressed a desire to see him4 ,he was  
introduced4 ,charles asked him whether  
he could really perform such wondrous   
feats as were reported of him4 ,faustus 
modestly replied1 inviting the emperor  
to make trial of his skill4 ,then1 said 
,charles1 of all the eminent personages 
,i have ever read of1 ,alexander the    
,great is the man who most excites my   
curiosity1 and whom it would most       
gratify my wishes to see in the very    

form in which he lived4 ,faustus        
rejoined1 that it was out of his power  
truly to raise the dead1 but that he had
 spirits at his command who had often   
seen that great conqueror1 and that     
,faustus would willingly place him      
before the emperor as he required4 ,he  
conditioned that ,charles should not    
speak to him1 nor attempt to touch him4 
,the emperor promised compliance4 ,after
 a few ceremonies therefore1 ,faustus   
opened a door1 and brought in ,alexander
 exactly in the form in which he had    
lived1 with the same garments1 and every
 circumstance corresponding4 ,alexander 
made his obeisance to the emperor1 and  
walked several times round him4 ,the    
queen of ,alexander was then introduced 
in the same manner4 ,charles just then  
recollected1 he had read that ,alexander
 had a wart on the nape of his neck2 and
 with proper precautions ,faustus       
allowed the emperor to examine the      
apparition by this test4 ,alexander then
 vanished4  ,as doctor ,faustus waited  

in court1 he perceived a certain knight1
 who had fallen asleep in a bow-window1 
with his head out at window4 ,the whim  
took the doctor1 to fasten on his brow  
the antlers of a stag4 ,presently the   
knight was roused from his nap1 when    
with all his efforts he could not draw  
in his head on account of the antlers   
which grew upon it4 ,the courtiers      
laughed exceedingly at the distress of  
the knight1 and1 when they had          
sufficiently diverted themselves1       
,faustus took off his conjuration1 and  
set the knight at liberty4  ,soon after 
,faustus retired from ,inspruck4        
,meanwhile the knight1 having conceived 
a high resentment against the conjuror1 
waylaid him with seven horsemen on the  
road by which he had to pass4 ,faustus  
however perceived them1 and immediately 
made himself invisible4 ,meanwhile the  
knight spied on every side to discover  
the conjuror2 but1 as he was thus       
employed1 he heard a sudden noise of    
drums and trumpets and cymbals1 and saw 

a regiment of horse advancing against   
him4 ,he immediately turned off in      
another direction2 but was encountered  
by a second regiment of horse4 ,this    
occurred no less than six times2 and the
 knight and his companions were         
compelled to surrender at discretion4   
,these regiments were so many devils2   
and ,faustus now appeared in a new form 
as the general of this army4 ,he obliged
 the knight and his party to dismount1  
and give up their swords4 ,then with a  
seeming generosity he gave them new     
horses and new swords1 ,but this was all
 enchantment4 ,the swords presently     
turned into switches2 and the horses1   
plunging into a river on their road1    
vanished from beneath their riders1 who 
were thoroughly drenched in the stream1 
and scarcely escaped with their lives4  
,many of ,faustus's delusions are rather
 remarkable as tricks of merry vexation1
 than as partaking of those serious     
injuries which we might look for in an  
implement of hell4 ,in one instance he  

inquired of a countryman who was driving
 a load of hay1 what compensation he    
would judge reasonable for the doctor's 
eating as much of his hay as he should  
be inclined to4 ,the waggoner replied1  
that for half a stiver 7one farthing7 he
 should be welcome to eat as much as he 
pleased4 ,the doctor presently fell to1 
and ate at such a rate1 that the peasant
 was frightened lest his whole load     
should be consumed4 ,he therefore       
offered ,faustus a gold coin1 value     
twenty-seven shillings1 to be off his   
bargain4 ,the doctor took it2 and1 when 
the countryman came to his journey's    
end1 he found his cargo undiminished    
even by a single blade4  ,another time1 
as ,faustus was walking along the road  
near ,brunswick1 the whim took him of   
asking a waggoner who was driving by1 to
 treat him with a ride in his vehicle4  
,no1 ,i will not1 replied the boor2 my  
horses will have enough to do to drag   
their proper load4 ,you churl1 said the 
doctor1 since you will not let your     

wheels carry me1 you shall carry them   
yourself as far as from the gates of the
 city4 ,the wheels then detached        
themselves1 and flew through the air1 to
 the gates of the town from which they  
came4 ,at the same time the horses fell 
to the ground1 and were utterly unable  
to raise themselves up4 ,the countryman1
 frightened1 fell on his knees to the   
doctor1 and promised1 if he would       
forgive him1 never to offend in like    
manner again4 ,faustus now1 relenting a 
little1 bade the waggoner take a handful
 of sand from the road1 and scatter on  
his horses1 and they would be well4 ,at 
the same time he directed the man to go 
to the four gates of ,brunswick1 and he 
would find his wheels1 one at each gate4
  ,in another instance1 ,faustus went   
into a fair1 mounted on a noble beast1  
richly caparisoned1 the sight of which  
presently brought all the horse-fanciers
 about him4 ,after considerable         
haggling1 he at last disposed of his    
horse to a dealer for a handsome price1 

only cautioning him at parting1 how he  
rode the horse to water4 ,the dealer1   
despising the caution that had been     
given him1 turned his horse the first   
thing towards the river4 ,he had however
 no sooner plunged in1 than the horse   
vanished1 and the rider found himself   
seated on a saddle of straw1 in the     
middle of the stream4 ,with difficulty  
he waded to the shore1 and immediately1 
enquiring out the doctor's inn1 went to 
him to complain of the cheat4 ,he was   
directed to ,faustus's room1 and        
entering found the conjuror on his bed1 
apparently asleep4 ,he called to him    
lustily1 but the doctor took no notice4 
,worked up beyond his patience1 he next 
laid hold of ,faustus's foot1 that he   
might rouse him the more effectually4   
,what was his surprise1 to find the     
doctor's leg and foot come off in his   
hand6 ,faustus screamed1 apparently in  
agony of pain1 and the dealer ran out of
 the room as fast as he could1 thinking 
that he had the devil behind him4  ,in  

one instance three young noblemen       
applied to ,faustus1 having been very   
desirous to be present at the marriage  
of the son of the duke of ,bavaria at   
,mentz1 but having overstaid the time1  
in which it would have been possible by 
human means to accomplish the journey4  
,faustus1 to oblige them1 led them into 
his garden1 and1 spreading a large      
mantle upon a grass-plot1 desired them  
to step on it1 and placed himself in the
 midst4 ,he then recited a certain form 
of conjuration4 ,at the same time he    
conditioned with them1 that they should 
on no account speak to any one at the   
marriage1 and1 if spoken to1 should not 
answer again4 ,they were carried        
invisibly through the air1 and arrived  
in excellent time4 ,at a certain moment 
they became visible1 but were still     
bound to silence4 ,one of them however  
broke the injunction1 and amused himself
 with the courtiers4 ,the consequence   
was that1 when the other two were       
summoned by the doctor to return1 he was

 left behind4 ,there was something so   
extraordinary in their sudden           
appearance1 and the subsequent          
disappearance of the others1 that he who
 remained was put in prison1 and        
threatened with the torture the next    
day1 if he would not make a full        
disclosure4 ,faustus however returned   
before break of day1 opened the gates of
 the prison1 laid all the guards asleep1
 and carried off the delinquent in      
triumph4  ,on one occasion ,faustus1    
having resolved to pass a jovial        
evening1 took some of his old           
college-companions1 and invited them to 
make free with the archbishop of        
,saltzburgh's cellar4 ,they took a      
ladder1 and scaled the wall4 ,they      
seated themselves round1 and placed a   
three-legged stool1 with bottles and    
glasses in the middle4 ,they were in the
 heart of their mirth1 when the butler  
made his appearance1 and began to cry   
thieves with all his might4 ,the doctor 
at once conjured him1 so that he could  

neither speak nor move4 ,there he was   
obliged to sit1 while ,faustus and his  
companions tapped every vat in the      
cellar4 ,they then carried him along    
with them in triumph4 ,at length they   
came to a lofty tree1 where ,faustus    
ordered them to stop2 and the butler was
 in the greatest fright1 apprehending   
that they would do no less than hang    
him4 ,the doctor however was contented1 
by his art to place him on the topmost  
branch1 where he was obliged to remain  
trembling and almost dead with the cold1
 till certain peasants came out to their
 work1 whom he hailed1 and finally with 
great difficulty they rescued him from  
his painful eminence1 and placed him    
safely on the ground4  ,on another      
occasion ,faustus entertained several of
 the junior members of the university of
 ,wittenberg at his chambers4 ,one of   
them1 referring to the exhibition the   
doctor had made of ,alexander the ,great
 to the emperor ,charles ,v1 said it    
would gratify him above all things1 if  

he could once behold the famous ,helen  
of ,greece1 whose beauty was so great as
 to have roused all the princes of her  
country to arms1 and to have occasioned 
a ten years' war4 ,faustus consented to 
indulge his curiosity1 provided all the 
company would engage to be merely mute  
spectators of the scene4 ,this being    
promised1 he left the room1 and         
presently brought in ,helen4 ,she was   
precisely as ,homer has described her1  
when she stood by the side of ,priam on 
the walls of ,troy1 looking on the      
,grecian chiefs4 ,her features were     
irresistibly attractive2 and her full1  
moist lips were redder than the summer  
cherries4 ,faustus shortly after obliged
 his guests with her bust in marble1    
from which several copies were taken1 no
 one knowing the name of the original   
artist4  ,no long time elapsed after    
this1 when the doctor was engaged in    
delivering a course of lectures on      
,homer at ,erfurth1 one of the principal
 cities of ,germany4 ,it having been    

suggested to him that it would very much
 enhance the interest of his lectures1  
if he would exhibit to the company the  
heroes of ,greece exactly as they       
appeared to their contemporaries1       
,faustus obligingly yielded to the      
proposal4 ,the heroes of the ,trojan war
 walked in procession before the        
astonished auditors1 no less lively in  
the representation than ,helen had been 
shewn before1 and each of them with some
 characteristic attitude and striking   
expression of countenance4  ,when the   
doctor happened to be at ,frankfort1    
there came there four conjurors1 who    
obtained vast applause by the trick of  
cutting off one another's heads1 and    
fastening them on again4 ,faustus was   
exasperated at this proceeding1 and     
regarded them as laying claim to a skill
 superior to his own4 ,he went1 and was 
invisibly present at their exhibition4  
,they placed beside them a vessel with  
liquor which they pretended was the     
elixir of life1 into which at each time 

they threw a plant resembling the lily1 
which no sooner touched the liquor than 
its buds began to unfold1 and shortly it
 appeared in full blossom4 ,the chief   
conjuror watched his opportunity2 and1  
when the charm was complete1 made no    
more ado but struck off the head of his 
fellow that was next to him1 and dipping
 it in the liquor1 adjusted it to the   
shoulders1 where it became as securely  
fixed as before the operation4 ,this was
 repeated a second and a third time4 ,at
 length it came to the turn of the chief
 conjuror to have his head smitten off4 
,faustus stood by invisibly1 and at the 
proper time broke off the flower of the 
lily without any one being aware of it4 
,the head therefore of the principal    
conjuror was struck off2 but in vain was
 it steeped in the liquor4 ,the other   
conjurors were at a loss to account for 
the disappearance of the lily1 and      
fumbled for a long time with the old    
sorcerer's head1 which would not stick  
on in any position in which it could be 

placed4  ,faustus was in great favour   
with the ,prince of ,anhalt4 ,on one    
occasion1 after residing some days in   
his court1 he said to the prince1 ,will 
your highness do me the favour to       
partake of a small collation at a castle
 which belongs to me out at your        
city-gates8 ,the prince graciously      
consented4 ,the prince and princess     
accompanied the doctor1 and found a     
castle which ,faustus had erected by    
magic during the preceding night4 ,the  
castle1 with five lofty towers1 and two 
great gates1 inclosing a spacious court1
 stood in the midst of a beautiful lake1
 stocked with all kinds of fish1 and    
every variety of water-fowl4 ,the court 
exhibited all sorts of animals1 beside  
birds of every colour and song1 which   
flitted from tree to tree4 ,the doctor  
then ushered his guests into the hall1  
with an ample suite of apartments1      
branching off on each side4 ,in one of  
the largest they found a banquet        
prepared1 with the pope's plate of gold1

 which ,mephostophiles had borrowed for 
the day4 ,the viands were of the most   
delicious nature1 with the choicest     
wines in the world4 ,the banquet being  
over1 ,faustus conducted the prince and 
princess back to the palace4 ,but1      
before they had gone far1 happening to  
turn their heads1 they saw the whole    
castle blown up1 and all that had been  
prepared for the occasion vanish at once
 in a vast volume of fire4  ,one        
,christmas-time ,faustus gave a grand   
entertainment to certain distinguished  
persons of both sexes at ,wittenberg4   
,to render the scene more splendid1 he  
contrived to exhibit a memorable        
inversion of the seasons4 ,as the       
company approached the doctor's house1  
they were surprised to find1 though     
there was a heavy snow through the      
neighbouring fields1 that ,faustus's    
court and garden bore not the least     
marks of the season1 but on the contrary
 were green and blooming as in the      
height of summer4 ,there was an         

appearance of the freshest vegetation1  
together with a beautiful vineyard1     
abounding with grapes1 figs1            
raspberries1 and an exuberance of the   
finest fruits4 ,the large1 red ,provence
 roses1 were as sweet to the scent as   
the eye1 and looked perfectly fresh and 
sparkling with dew4  ,as ,faustus was   
now approaching the last year of his    
term1 he seemed to resolve to pamper his
 appetite with every species of luxury4 
,he carefully accumulated all the       
materials of voluptuousness and         
magnificence4 ,he was particularly      
anxious in the selection of women who   
should serve for his pleasures4 ,he had 
one ,englishwoman1 one ,hungarian1 one  
,french1 two of ,germany1 and two from  
different parts of ,italy1 all of them  
eminent for the perfections which       
characterised their different countries4
  ,as ,faustus's demeanour was          
particularly engaging1 there were many  
respectable persons in the city in which
 he lived1 that became interested in his

 welfare4 ,these applied to a certain   
monk of exemplary purity of life and    
devotion1 and urged him to do every     
thing he could to rescue the doctor from
 impending destruction4 ,the monk began 
with him with tender and pathetic       
remonstrances4 ,he then drew a fearful  
picture of the wrath of ,god1 and the   
eternal damnation which would certainly 
ensue4 ,he reminded the doctor of his   
extraordinary gifts and graces1 and told
 him how different an issue might       
reasonably have been expected from him4 
,faustus listened attentively to all the
 good monk said1 but replied mournfully 
that it was too late1 that he had       
despised and insulted the ,lord1 that he
 had deliberately sealed a solemn       
compact to the devil1 and that there was
 no possibility of going back4 ,the monk
 answered1 ,you are mistaken4 ,cry to   
the ,lord for grace2 and it shall still 
be given4 ,shew true remorse2 confess   
your sins2 abstain for the future from  
all acts of sorcery and diabolical      

interference2 and you may rely on final 
salvation4 ,the doctor however felt that
 all endeavours would be hopeless1 ,he  
found in himself an incapacity1 for true
 repentance4 ,and finally the devil came
 to him1 reproached him for breach of   
contract in listening to the pious      
expostulations of a saint1 threatened   
that in case of infidelity he would take
 him away to hell even before his time1 
and frightened the doctor into the act  
of signing a fresh contract in          
ratification of that which he had signed
 before4  ,at length ,faustus ultimately
 arrived at the end of the term for     
which he had contracted with the devil4 
,for two or three years before it       
expired1 his character gradually        
altered4 ,he became subject to fits of  
despondency1 was no longer susceptible  
of mirth and amusement1 and reflected   
with bitter agony on the close in which 
the whole must terminate4 ,during the   
last month of his period1 he no longer  
sought the services of his infernal     

ally1 but with the utmost unwillingness 
saw his arrival4 ,but ,mephostophiles   
now attended him unbidden1 and treated  
him with biting scoffs and reproaches4  
,you have well studied the ,scriptures1 
he said1 and ought to have known that   
your safety lay in worshipping ,god     
alone4 ,you sinned with your eyes open1 
and can by no means plead ignorance4    
,you thought that twenty-four years was 
a term that would have no end2 and you  
now see how rapidly it is flitting away4
 ,the term for which you sold yourself  
to the devil is a very different thing2 
and1 after the lapse of thousands of    
ages1 the prospect before you will be   
still as unbounded as ever4 ,you were   
warned2 you were earnestly pressed to   
repent2 but now it is too late4  ,after 
the demon1 ,mephostophiles1 had long    
tormented ,faustus in this manner1 he   
suddenly disappeared1 consigning him    
over to wretchedness1 vexation and      
despair4  ,the whole twenty-four years  
were now expired4 ,the day before1      

,mephostophiles again made his          
appearance1 holding in his hand the bond
 which the doctor had signed with his   
blood1 giving him notice that the next  
day1 the devil1 his master1 would come  
for him1 and advising him to hold       
himself in readiness4 ,faustus1 it      
seems1 had earned himself much good will
 among the younger members of the       
university by his agreeable manners1 by 
his willingness to oblige them1 and by  
the extraordinary spectacles with which 
he occasionally diverted them4 ,this day
 he resolved to pass in a friendly      
farewel4 ,he invited a number of them to
 meet him at a house of public          
reception1 in a hamlet adjoining to the 
city4 ,he bespoke a large room in the   
house for a banqueting room1 another    
apartment overhead for his guests to    
sleep in1 and a smaller chamber at a    
little distance for himself4 ,he        
furnished his table with abundance of   
delicacies and wines4 ,he endeavoured to
 appear among them in high spirits2 but 

his heart was inwardly sad4  ,when the  
entertainment was over1 ,faustus        
addressed them1 telling them that this  
was the last day of his life1 reminding 
them of the wonders with which he had   
frequently astonished them1 and         
informing them of the condition upon    
which he had held this power4 ,they1 one
 and all1 expressed the deepest sorrow  
at the intelligence4 ,they had had the  
idea of something unlawful in his       
proceedings2 but their notions had been 
very far from coming up to the truth4   
,they regretted exceedingly that he had 
not been unreserved in his              
communications at an earlier period4    
,they would have had recourse in his    
behalf to the means of religion1 and    
have applied to pious men1 desiring them
 to employ their power to intercede with
 heaven in his favour4 ,prayer and      
penitence might have done much for him2 
and the mercy of heaven was unbounded4  
,they advised him still to call upon    
,god1 and endeavour to secure an        

interest in the merits of the ,saviour4 
,faustus assured them that it was all in
 vain1 and that his tragical fate was   
inevitable4 ,he led them to their       
sleeping apartment1 and recommended to  
them to pass the night as they could1   
but by no means1 whatever they might    
happen to hear1 to come out of it2 as   
their interference could in no way be   
beneficial to him1 and might be attended
 with the most serious injury to        
themselves4 ,they lay still therefore1  
as he had enjoined them2 but not one of 
them could close his eyes4  ,between    
twelve and one in the night they heard  
first a furious storm of wind round all 
sides of the house1 as if it would have 
torn away the walls from their          
foundations4 ,this no sooner somewhat   
abated1 than a noise was heard of       
discordant and violent hissing1 as if   
the house was full of all sorts of      
venomous reptiles1 but which plainly    
proceeded from ,faustus's chamber4 ,next
 they heard the doctor's room-door      

vehemently burst open1 and cries for    
help uttered with dreadful agony1 but a 
half-suppressed voice1 which presently  
grew fainter and fainter4 ,then every   
thing became still1 as if the           
everlasting motion of the world was     
suspended4  ,when at length it became   
broad day1 the students went in a body  
into the doctor's apartment4 ,but he was
 no where to be seen4 ,only the walls   
were found smeared with his blood1 and  
marks as if his brains had been dashed  
out4 ,his body was finally discovered at
 some distance from the house1 his limbs
 dismembered1 and marks of great        
violence about the features of his face4
 ,the students gathered up the mutilated
 parts of his body1 and afforded them   
private burial at the temple of ,mars in
 the village where he died4  ,a         
ludicrous confusion of ideas has been   
produced by some persons from the       
similarity of names of ,faustus1 the    
supposed magician of ,wittenberg1 and   
,faust or ,fust of ,mentz1 the inventor1

 or first establisher of the art of     
printing4 ,it has been alleged that the 
exact resemblance of the copies of books
 published by the latter1 when no other 
mode of multiplying copies was known but
 by the act of transcribing1 was found  
to be such1 as could no way be accounted
 for by natural means1 and that         
therefore it was imputed to the person  
who presented these copies1 that he must
 necessarily be assisted by the devil4  
,it has further been stated1 that       
,faust1 the printer1 swore the craftsmen
 he employed at his press to inviolable 
secrecy1 that he might the more securely
 keep up the price of his books4 ,but   
this notion of the identity of the two  
persons is entirely groundless4         
,faustus1 the magician1 is described in 
the romance as having been born in      
#adia1 twenty-five years after the      
period at which the printer is          
understood to have died1 and there is no
 one coincidence between the histories  
of the two persons1 beyond the          

similarity of names1 and a certain      
mystery 7or magical appearance7 that    
inevitably adheres to the practice of an
 art hitherto unknown4 ,if any secret   
reference had been intended in the      
romance to the real character of the    
illustrious introducer of an art which  
has been productive of such incalculable
 benefits to mankind1 it would be       
impossible to account for such a        
marvellous inconsistence in the         
chronology4  ,others have carried their 
scepticism so far1 as to have started a 
doubt whether there was ever really such
 a person as ,faustus of ,wittenberg1   
the alleged magician4 ,but the testimony
 of ,wierus1 ,philip ,camerarius1       
,melancthon and others1 his             
contemporaries1 sufficiently refutes    
this supposition4 ,the fact is1 that    
there was undoubtedly such a man1 who1  
by sleights of dexterity1 made himself a
 reputation as if there was something   
supernatural in his performances1 and   
that he was probably also regarded with 

a degree of terror and abhorrence by the
 superstitious4 ,on this theme was      
constructed a romance1 which once       
possessed the highest popularity1 and   
furnished a subject to the dramatical   
genius of ,marlow1 ,leasing1 ,goethe1   
and others4--,it is sufficiently        
remarkable1 that the notoriety of this  
romance seems to have suggested to      
,shakespear the idea of sending the     
grand conception of his brain1 ,hamlet1 
prince of ,denmark1 to finish his       
education at the university of          
,wittenberg4  ,and here it may not be   
uninstructive to remark the different   
tone of the record of the acts of       
,ziito1 the ,bohemian1 and ,faustus of  
,wittenburg1 though little more than    
half a century elapsed between the      
periods at which they were written4     
,dubravius1 bishop of ,olmutz in        
,moravia1 to whose pen we are indebted  
for what we know of ,ziito1 died in the 
year #aeec4 ,he has deemed it not       
unbecoming to record in his national    

history of ,bohemia1 the achievements of
 this magician1 who1 he says1 exhibited 
them before ,wenceslaus1 king of the    
country1 at the celebration of his      
marriage4 ,a waggon-load of sorcerers   
arrived at ,prague on that occasion for 
the entertainment of the company4 ,but1 
at the close of that century1 the       
exploits of ,faustus were no longer     
deemed entitled to a place in national  
history1 but were more appropriately    
taken for the theme of a romance4       
,faustus and his performances were      
certainly contemplated with at least as 
much horror as the deeds of ,ziito4 ,but
 popular credulity was no longer wound  
to so high a pitch3 the marvels effected
 by ,faustus are not represented as     
challenging the observation of thousands
 at a public court1 and on the occasion 
of a royal festival4 ,they hid their    
diminished heads1 and were performed    
comparatively in a corner4              
,,sabellicus4  ,a pretended magician is 
recorded by ,naud1 as living about this 

time1 named ,georgius ,sabellicus1 who1 
he says1 if loftiness and arrogance of  
assumption were enough to establish a   
claim to the possession of supernatural 
gifts1 would beyond all controversy be  
recognised for a chief and consummate   
sorcerer4 ,it was his ambition by the   
most sounding appellations of this      
nature to advance his claim to immortal 
reputation4 ,he called himself1 ,the    
most accomplished ,georgius ,sabellicus1
 a second ,faustus1 the spring and      
centre of necromantic art1 an           
astrologer1 a magician1 consummate in   
chiromancy1 and in agromancy1 pyromancy 
and hydromancy inferior to none that    
ever lived4 ,i mention this the rather1 
as affording an additional proof how    
highly ,faustus was rated at the time in
 which he is said to have flourished4   
,it is specially worthy of notice1 that 
,naud1 whose book is a sort of register 
of all the most distinguished names in  
the annals of necromancy1 drawn up for  
the purpose of vindicating their honour1

 now here ,errata3 read no where        
mentions ,faustus1 except once in this  
slight and cursory way4   ,,paracelsus  
,paracelsus1 or1 as he styled himself1  
,philippus ,aureolus ,theophrastus      
,bombastus ,paracelsus de ,hohenheim1   
was a man of great notoriety and        
eminence1 about the same time as ,dr4   
,faustus4 ,he was born in the year      
#adic1 and died in #aeda4 ,his father is
 said to have lived in some repute2 but 
the son early became a wanderer in the  
world1 passing his youth in the         
occupation of foretelling future events 
by the stars and by chiromancy1 invoking
 the dead1 and performing various       
operations of alchemy and magic4 ,he    
states ,trithemius to have been his     
instructor in the science of metals4 ,he
 was superficial in literature1 and says
 of himself that at one time he did not 
open a book for ten years together4 ,he 
visited the mines of ,bohemia1 ,sweden  
and the ,east to perfect himself in     
metallic knowledge4 ,he travelled       

through ,prussia1 ,lithuania1 ,poland1  
,transylvania and ,illyria1 conversing  
indifferently with physicians and old   
women1 that he might extract from them  
the practical secrets of their art4 ,he 
visited ,egypt1 ,tartary and            
,constantinople1 at which last place1 as
 he says1 he learned the transmutation  
of metals and the philosopher's stone4  
,he boasts also of the elixir of life1  
by means of which he could prolong the  
life of man to the age of the           
antediluvians4 ,he certainly possessed  
considerable sagacity and a happy spirit
 of daring1 which induced him to have   
recourse to the application of mercury  
and opium in the cure of diseases1 when 
the regular physicians did not venture  
on the use of them4 ,he therefore was   
successfully employed by certain eminent
 persons in desperate cases1 and was    
consulted by ,erasmus4 ,he gradually    
increased in fame1 and in the year #aebf
 was chosen professor of natural        
philosophy and surgery in the university

 of ,bale4 ,here he delivered lectures  
in a very bold and presumptuous style4  
,he proclaimed himself the monarch of   
medicine1 and publicly burned the       
writings of ,galen and ,avicenna as     
pretenders and impostors4  ,this however
 was the acme of his prosperity4 ,his   
system was extremely popular for one    
year2 but then he lost himself by       
brutality and intemperance4 ,he had     
drunk water only for the first          
five-and-twenty years of his life2 but  
now indulged himself in beastly         
crapulence with the dregs of society1   
and scarcely ever took off his clothes  
by day or night4 ,after one year        
therefore spent at ,bale1 he resumed his
 former vagabond life1 and1 having      
passed through many vicissitudes1 some  
of them of the most abject poverty1 he  
died at the age of forty-eight4         
,paracelsus in fact exhibited in his    
person the union of a quack1 a boastful 
and impudent pretender1 with a          
considerable degree of natural sagacity 

and shrewdness4 ,such an union is not   
uncommon in the present day2 but it was 
more properly in its place1 when the    
cultivation of the faculties of the mind
 was more restricted than now1 and the  
law of criticism of facts and evidence  
was nearly unknown4 ,he took advantage  
of the credulity and love of wonder     
incident to the generality of our       
species2 and1 by dint of imposing on    
others1 succeeded in no small degree in 
imposing on himself4 ,his intemperance  
and arrogance of demeanour gave the     
suitable finish to his character4 ,he   
therefore carefully cherished in those  
about him the idea that there was in him
 a kind of supernatural virtue1 and that
 he had the agents of an invisible world
 at his command4 ,in particular he gave 
out that he held conferences with a     
familiar or demon1 whom for the         
convenience of consulting he was in the 
habit of carrying about with him in the 
hilt of his sword4   ,,cardan4  ,jerome 
,cardan1 who was only a few years       

younger than ,paracelsus1 was a man of a
 very different character4 ,he had      
considerable refinement and             
discrimination1 and ranked among the    
first scholars of his day4 ,he is       
however most of all distinguished for   
the ,memoirs he has left us of his life1
 which are characterised by a frankness 
and unreserve which are almost without a
 parallel4 ,he had undoubtedly a        
considerable spice of madness in his    
composition4 ,he says of himself1 that  
he was liable to extraordinary fits of  
abstraction and elevation of mind1 which
 by their intenseness became so         
intolerable1 that he gladly had recourse
 to very severe bodily pain by way of   
getting rid of them4 ,that in such cases
 he would bite his lips till they bled1 
twist his fingers almost to dislocation1
 and whip his legs with rods1 which he  
found a great relief to him4 ,that he   
would talk purposely of subjects which  
he knew were particularly offensive to  
the company he was in2 that he argued on

 any side of a subject1 without caring  
whether he was right or wrong2 and that 
he would spend whole nights in gaming1  
often venturing as the stake he played  
for1 the furniture of his house1 and his
 wife's jewels4  ,cardan describes three
 things of himself1 which he habitually 
experienced1 but respecting which he had
 never unbosomed himself to any of his  
friends4 ,the first was1 a capacity     
which he felt in himself of abandoning  
his body in a sort of extacy whenever he
 pleased4 ,he felt in these cases a sort
 of splitting of the heart1 as if his   
soul was about to withdraw1 the         
sensation spreading over his whole      
frame1 like the opening of a door for   
the dismissal of its guest4 ,his        
apprehension was1 that he was out of his
 body1 and that by an energetic exertion
 he still retained a small hold of his  
corporeal figure4 ,the second of his    
peculiarities was1 that he saw1 when he 
pleased1 whatever he desired to see1 not
 through the force of imagination1 but  

with his material organs3 he saw groves1
 animals1 orbs1 as he willed4 ,when he  
was a child1 he saw these things1 as    
they occurred1 without any previous     
volition or anticipation that such a    
thing was about to happen4 ,but1 after  
he had arrived at years of maturity1 he 
saw them only when he desired1 and such 
things as he desired4 ,these images were
 in perpetual succession1 one after     
another4 ,the thing incidental to him   
which he mentions in the third place    
was1 that he could not recollect any    
thing that ever happened to him1 whether
 good1 ill1 or indifferent1 of which he 
had not been admonished1 and that a very
 short time before1 in a dream4 ,these  
things serve to shew of what importance 
he was in his own eyes1 and also1 which 
is the matter he principally brings it  
to prove1 the subtlety and delicacy of  
his animal nature4  ,cardan speaks      
uncertainly and contradictorily as to   
his having a genius or demon perpetually
 attending him1 advising him of what was

 to happen1 and forewarning him of      
sinister events4 ,he concludes however  
that he had no such attendant1 but that 
it was the excellence of his nature1    
approaching to immortality4 ,he was much
 addicted to the study of astrology1 and
 laid claim to great skill as a         
physician4 ,he visited the court of     
,london1 and calculated the nativity of 
king ,edward ,,vi4 ,he was sent for as a
 physician by cardinal ,beaton1         
archbishop of ,st ,andrews1 whom1       
according to ,melvile1 #bjh he recovered
 to speech and health1 and the historian
 appears to attribute the cure to magic4
 ,he calculated the nativity of ,jesus  
,christ1 which was imputed to him as an 
impious undertaking1 inasmuch as it     
supposed the creator of the world to be 
subject to the influence of the stars4  
,he also predicted his own death1 and is
 supposed by some to have forwarded that
 event1 by abstinence from food at the  
age of seventy-five1 that he might not  
bely his prediction4   ,,quacks1 ,,who  

,,in ,,cool ,,blood ,,undertook ,,to    
,,overreach ,,mankind4  ,hitherto we    
have principally passed such persons in 
review1 as seem to have been in part at 
least the victims of their own          
delusions4 ,but beside these there has  
always been a numerous class of men1    
who1 with minds perfectly disengaged and
 free1 have applied themselves to       
concert the means of overreaching the   
simplicity1 or baffling the penetration1
 of those who were merely spectators1   
and uninitiated in the mystery of the   
arts that were practised upon them4     
,such was no doubt the case with the    
speaking heads and statues1 which were  
sometimes exhibited in the ancient      
oracles4 ,such was the case with certain
 optical delusions1 which were practised
 on the unsuspecting1 and were contrived
 to produce on them the effect of       
supernatural revelations4 ,such is the  
story of ,bel and the ,dragon in the    
book of ,apocrypha1 where the priests   
daily placed before the idol twelve     

measures of flour1 and forty sheep1 and 
six vessels of wine1 pretending that the
 idol consumed all these provisions1    
when in fact they entered the temple by 
night1 by a door under the altar1 and   
removed them4   ,,benvenuto ,,cellini4  
,we have a story minutely related by    
,benvenuto ,cellini in his ,life1 which 
it is now known was produced by optical 
delusion1 but which was imposed upon the
 artist and his companions as altogether
 supernatural4 ,it occurred a very short
 time before the death of pope ,clement 
the ,seventh in #aecd1 and is thus      
detailed4 ,it took place in the         
,coliseum at ,rome4  ,it came to pass   
through a variety of odd accidents1 that
 ,i made acquaintance with a ,sicilian  
priest1 who was a man of genius1 and    
well versed in the ,greek and ,latin    
languages4 ,happening one day to have   
some conversation with him1 where the   
subject turned upon the art of          
necromancy1 ,i1 who had a great desire  
to know something of the matter1 told   

him1 that ,i had all my life had a      
curiosity to be acquainted with the     
mysteries of this art4 ,the priest made 
answer1 that the man must be of a       
resolute and steady temper1 who entered 
on that study4 ,i replied1 that ,i had  
fortitude and resolution enough to      
desire to be initiated in it4 ,the      
priest subjoined1 ',if you think you    
have the heart to venture1 ,i will give 
you all the satisfaction you can        
desire4' ,thus we agreed to enter upon a
 scheme of necromancy4  ,the priest one 
evening prepared to satisfy me1 and     
desired me to look for a companion or   
two4 ,i invited one ,vincenzio ,romoli1 
who was my intimate acquaintance1 and he
 brought with him a native of ,pistoia  
who cultivated the art of necromancy    
himself4 ,we repaired to the ,coliseum2 
and the priest1 according to the custom 
of conjurors1 began to draw circles on  
the ground1 with the most impressive    
ceremonies imaginable4 ,he likewise     
brought with him all sorts of precious  

perfumes and fire1 with some            
compositions which diffused noisome and 
bad odours4 ,as soon as he was in       
readiness1 he made an opening to the    
circle1 and took us by the hand1 and    
ordered the other necromancer1 his      
partner1 to throw perfumes into the fire
 at a proper time1 intrusting the care  
of the fire and the perfumes to the     
rest2 and then he began his             
incantations4  ,this ceremony lasted    
above an hour and a half1 when there    
appeared several legions of devils1 so  
that the amphitheatre was quite filled  
with them4 ,i was busy about the        
perfumes1 when the priest1 who knew that
 there was a sufficient number of       
infernal spirits1 turned about to me1   
and said1 ',benvenuto1 ask them         
something4' ,i answered1 ',let them     
bring me into company with my ,sicilian 
mistress1 ,angelica4' ,that night we    
obtained no answer of any sort2 but ,i  
received great satisfaction in having my
 curiosity so far indulged4  ,the       

necromancer told me that it was         
requisite we should go a second time1   
assuring me that ,i should be satisfied 
in whatever ,i asked2 but that ,i must  
bring with me a boy that had never known
 woman4 ,i took with me my apprentice1  
who was about twelve years of age2 with 
the same ,vincenzio ,romoli1 who had    
been my companion the first time1 and   
one ,agnolino ,gaddi1 an intimate       
acquaintance1 whom ,i likewise prevailed
 on to assist at the ceremony4 ,when we 
came to the place appointed1 the priest1
 having made his preparations as before 
with the same and even more striking    
ceremonies1 placed us within the circle1
 which he had drawn with a more         
wonderful art and in a more solemn      
manner1 than at our former meeting4     
,thus having committed the care of the  
perfumes and the fire to my friend      
,vincenzio1 who was assisted by ,gaddi1 
he put into my hands a pintacolo1 or    
magical chart1 and bid me turn it       
towards the places to which he should   

direct me2 and under the pintacolo ,i   
held my apprentice4 ,the necromancer1   
having begun to make his most tremendous
 invocations1 called by their names a   
multitude of demons who were the leaders
 of the several legions1 and questioned 
them1 by the virtue and power of the    
eternal1 uncreated ,god1 who lives for  
ever1 in the ,hebrew language1 as also  
in ,latin and ,greek2 insomuch that the 
amphitheatre was filled1 almost in an   
instant1 with demons a hundred times    
more numerous than at the former        
conjuration4 ,vincenzio meanwhile was   
busied in making a fire with the        
assistance of ,gaddi1 and burning a     
great quantity of precious perfumes4 ,i1
 by the direction of the necromancer1   
again desired to be in company with my  
,angelica4 ,he then turning upon me     
said1 ',know1 they have declared that in
 the space of a month you shall be in   
her company4'  ,he then requested me to 
stand by him resolutely1 because the    
legions were now above a thousand more  

in number than he had designed2 and     
besides these were the most dangerous2  
so that1 after they had answered my     
question1 it behoved him to be civil to 
them1 and dismiss them quietly4 ,at the 
same time the boy under the pintacolo   
was in a terrible fright1 saying1 that  
there were in the place a million of    
fierce men who threatened to destroy us2
 and that1 besides1 there were four     
armed giants of enormous stature1 who   
endeavoured to break into our circle4   
,during this time1 while the            
necromancer1 trembling with fear1       
endeavoured by mild means to dismiss    
them in the best way he could1          
,vincenzio1 who quivered like an aspen  
leaf1 took care of the perfumes4 ,though
 ,i was as much afraid as any of them1  
,i did my utmost to conceal it2 so that 
,i greatly contributed to inspire the   
rest with resolution2 but the truth is1 
,i gave myself over for a dead man1     
seeing the horrid fright the necromancer
 was in4  ,the boy had placed his head  

between his knees2 and said1 ',in this  
attitude will ,i die2 for we shall all  
surely perish4' ,i told him that those  
demons were under us1 and what he saw   
was smoke and shadow2 so bid him hold up
 his head and take courage4 ,no sooner  
did he look up1 than he cried out1 ',the
 whole amphitheatre is burning1 and the 
fire is just falling on us4' ,so1       
covering his eyes with his hands1 he    
again exclaimed1 that destruction was   
inevitable1 and he desired to see no    
more4 ,the necromancer intreated me to  
have a good heart1 and to take care to  
burn proper perfumes2 upon which ,i     
turned to ,vincenzio1 and bade him burn 
all the most precious perfumes he had4  
,at the same time ,i cast my eyes upon  
,gaddi1 who was terrified to such a     
degree1 that he could scarcely          
distinguish objects1 and seemed to be   
half dead4 ,seeing him in this          
condition1 ,i said to him1 ',gaddi1 upon
 these occasions a man should not yield 
to fear1 but stir about to give some    

assistance2 so come directly1 and put on
 more of these perfumes4' ,gaddi        
accordingly attempted to move2 but the  
effect was annoying both to our sense of
 hearing and smell1 and overcame the    
perfumes4  ,the boy perceiving this1    
once more ventured to raise his head1   
and1 seeing me laugh1 began to take     
courage1 and said1 ',the devils are     
flying away with a vengeance4' ,in this 
condition we staid1 till the bell rang  
for morning prayers4 ,the boy again told
 us1 that there remained but few devils1
 and those were at a great distance4    
,when the magician had performed the    
rest of his ceremonies1 he stripped off 
his gown1 and took up a wallet full of  
books1 which he had brought with him4   
,we all went out of the circle together1
 keeping as close to each other as we   
possibly could1 especially the boy1 who 
placed himself in the middle1 holding   
the necromancer by the coat1 and me by  
the cloak4  ,as we were going to our    
houses in the quarter of ,banchi1 the   

boy told us1 that two of the demons whom
 we had seen at the amphitheatre1 went  
on before us leaping and skipping1      
sometimes running upon the roofs of the 
houses1 and sometimes on the ground4    
,the priest declared that1 as often as  
he had entered magic circles1 nothing so
 extraordinary had ever happened to him4
 ,as we went along1 he would fain have  
persuaded me to assist at the           
consecrating a book1 from which he said 
we should derive immense riches4 ,we    
should then ask the demons to discover  
to us the various treasures with which  
the earth abounds1 which would raise us 
to opulence and power2 but that those   
love-affairs were mere follies from     
which no good could be expected4 ,i made
 answer1 that ,i would readily have     
accepted his proposal if ,i had         
understood ,latin4 ,he assured me that  
the knowledge of ,latin was nowise      
material2 but that he could never meet  
with a partner of resolution and        
intrepidity equal to mine1 and that that

 would be to him an invaluable          
acquisition4 ,immediately subsequent to 
this scene1 ,cellini got into one of    
those scrapes1 in which he was so       
frequently involved by his own violence 
and ferocity2 and the connection was    
never again renewed4  ,the first remark 
that arises out of this narrative is1   
that nothing is actually done by the    
supernatural personages which are       
exhibited4 ,the magician reports certain
 answers as given by the demons2 but    
these answers do not appear to have been
 heard from any lips but those of him   
who was the creator or cause of the     
scene4 ,the whole of the demons         
therefore were merely figures1 produced 
by the magic lantern 7which is said to  
have been invented by ,roger ,bacon71 or
 by something of that nature4 ,the      
burning of the perfumes served to       
produce a dense atmosphere1 that was    
calculated to exaggerate1 and render    
more formidable and terrific1 the       
figures which were exhibited4 ,the magic

 lantern1 which is now the amusement    
only of servant-maids1 and boys at      
school in their holidays1 served at this
 remote period1 and when the power of   
optical delusions was unknown1 to       
terrify men of wisdom and penetration1  
and make them believe that legions of   
devils from the infernal regions were   
come among them1 to produce the most    
horrible effects1 and suspend and invert
 the laws of nature4 ,it is probable1   
that the magician1 who carried home with
 him a wallet full of books1 also       
carried at the same time the magic      
lantern or mirror1 with its lights1     
which had served him for his exhibition1
 and that this was the cause of the     
phenomenon1 that they observed two of   
the demons which they had seen at the   
amphitheatre1 going before them on their
 return1 leaping and skipping1 sometimes
 running on the roofs of the houses1 and
 sometimes on the ground4 #bji          
,,nostradamus4  ,michael ,nostradamus1 a
 celebrated astrologer1 was born at ,st4

 ,remi in ,provence in the year #aejc4  
,he published a ,century of ,prophecies 
in obscure and oracular terms and       
barbarous verse1 and other works4 ,in   
the period in which he lived the        
pretended art of astrological prediction
 was in the highest repute2 and its     
professors were sought for by emperors  
and kings1 and entertained with the     
greatest distinction and honour4 ,henry 
the ,second of ,france1 moved with his  
great renown1 sent for ,nostradamus to  
court1 received much gratification from 
his visit1 and afterward ordered him to 
,blois1 that he might see the princes1  
his sons1 calculate their horoscopes1   
and predict their future fortunes4 ,he  
was no less in favour afterwards with   
,charles the ,ninth4 ,he died in the    
year #aeff4   ,,doctor ,,dee4  ,dr4     
,john ,dee was a man who made a         
conspicuous figure in the sixteenth     
century4 ,he was born at ,london in the 
year #aebg4 ,he was an eminent          
mathematician1 and an indefatigable     

scholar4 ,he says of himself1 that1     
having been sent to ,cambridge when he  
was fifteen1 he persisted for several   
years in allowing himself only four     
hours for sleep in the twenty-four1 and 
two for food and refreshment1 and that  
he constantly occupied the remaining    
eighteen 7the time for divine service   
only excepted7 in study4 ,at ,cambridge 
he superintended the exhibition of a    
,greek play of ,aristophanes1 among the 
machinery of which he introduced an     
artificial scarabaeus1 or beetle1 which 
flew up to the palace of ,jupiter1 with 
a man on his back1 and a basket of      
provisions4 ,the ignorant and astonished
 spectators ascribed this feat to the   
arts of the magician2 and ,dee1 annoyed 
by these suspicions1 found it expedient 
to withdraw to the continent4 ,here he  
resided first at the university of      
,louvaine1 at which place1 his          
acquaintance was courted by the dukes of
 ,mantua and ,medina1 and from thence   
proceeded to ,paris1 where he gave      

lectures on ,euclid with singular       
applause4  ,in #aeea he returned to     
,england1 and was received with         
distinction by sir ,john ,check1 and    
introduced to secretary ,cecil1 and even
 to king ,edward1 from whom he received 
a pension of one hundred crowns per     
annum1 which he speedily after exchanged
 for a small living in the church4 ,in  
the reign of queen ,mary he was for some
 time kindly treated2 but afterwards    
came into great trouble1 and even into  
danger of his life4 ,he entered into    
correspondence with several of the      
servants of queen ,elizabeth at         
,woodstock1 and was charged with        
practising against ,mary's life by      
enchantments4 ,upon this accusation1 he 
was seized and confined2 and1 being     
after several examinations discharged of
 the indictment1 was turned over to     
bishop ,bonner to see if any heresy     
could be found in him4 ,after a tedious 
persecution he was set at liberty in    
#aeee1 and was so little subdued by what

 he had suffered1 that in the following 
year he presented a petition to the     
queen1 requesting her co-operation in a 
plan for preserving and recovering      
certain monuments of classical          
antiquity4  ,the principal study of ,dee
 however at this time lay in astrology2 
and accordingly1 upon the accession of  
,elizabeth1 ,robert ,dudley1 her chief  
favourite1 was sent to consult the      
doctor as to the aspect of the stars1   
that they might fix on an auspicious day
 for celebrating her coronation4 ,some  
years after we find him again on the    
continent2 and in #aega1 being taken ill
 at ,louvaine1 we are told the queen    
sent over two physicians to accomplish  
his cure4 ,elizabeth afterwards visited 
him at his house at ,mortlake1 that she 
might view his magazine of mathematical 
instruments and curiosities2 and about  
this time employed him to defend her    
title to countries discovered in        
different parts of the globe4 ,he says  
of himself1 that he received the most   

advantageous offers from ,charles ,v1   
,ferdinand1 ,maximilian ,,ii1 and       
,rodolph ,,ii1 emperors of ,germany1 and
 from the czar of ,muscovy an offer of  
,l4#bjjj sterling per annum1 upon       
condition that he would reside in his   
dominions4 ,all these circumstances were
 solemnly attested by ,dee in a         
,compendious ,rehearsal of his ,life and
 ,studies for half-a-century1 composed  
at a later period1 and read by him at   
his house at ,mortlake to two           
commissioners appointed by ,elizabeth to
 enquire into his circumstances1        
accompanied with evidences and documents
 to establish the particulars4 #baj     
,had ,dee gone no further than this1 he 
would undoubtedly have ranked among the 
profoundest scholars and most eminent   
geniuses that adorned the reign of the  
maiden queen4 ,but he was unfortunately 
cursed with an ambition that nothing    
could satisfy2 and1 having accustomed   
his mind to the wildest reveries1 and   
wrought himself up to an extravagant    

pitch of enthusiasm1 he pursued a course
 that involved him in much calamity1 and
 clouded all his latter days with misery
 and ruin4 ,he dreamed perpetually of   
the philosopher's stone1 and was haunted
 with the belief of intercourse of a    
supramundane character4 ,it is almost   
impossible to decide among these things1
 how much was illusion1 and how much was
 forgery4 ,both were inextricably mixed 
in his proceedings2 and this            
extraordinary victim probably could not 
in his most dispassionate moments       
precisely distinguish what belonged to  
the one1 and what to the other4  ,as    
,dee was an enthusiast1 so he           
perpetually interposed in his           
meditations prayers of the greatest     
emphasis and fervour4 ,as he was one day
 in ,november #aehb1 engaged in these   
devout exercises1 he says that there    
appeared to him the angel ,uriel at the 
west window of his ,museum1 who gave him
 a translucent stone1 or chrystal1 of a 
convex form1 that had the quality1 when 

intently surveyed1 of presenting        
apparitions1 and even emitting sounds1  
in consequence of which the observer    
could hold conversations1 ask questions 
and receive answers from the figures he 
saw in the mirror4 ,it was often        
necessary that the stone should be      
turned one way and another in different 
positions1 before the person who        
consulted it gained the right focus2 and
 then the objects to be observed would  
sometimes shew themselves on the surface
 of the stone1 and sometime in different
 parts of the room by virtue of the     
action of the stone4 ,it had also this  
peculiarity1 that only one person1      
having been named as seer1 could see the
 figures exhibited1 and hear the voices 
that spoke1 though there might be       
various persons in the room4 ,it appears
 that the person who discerned these    
visions must have his eyes and his ears 
uninterruptedly engaged in the affair1  
so that1 as ,dee experienced1 to render 
the communication effectual1 there must 

be two human beings concerned in the    
scene1 one of them to describe what he  
saw1 and to recite the dialogue that    
took place1 and the other immediately to
 commit to paper all that his partner   
dictated4 ,dee for some reason chose for
 himself the part of the amanuensis1 and
 had to seek for a companion1 who was to
 watch the stone1 and repeat to him     
whatever he saw and heard4  ,it happened
 opportunely that1 a short time before  
,dee received this gift from on high1 he
 contracted a familiar intercourse with 
one ,edward ,kelly of ,worcestershire1  
whom he found specially qualified to    
perform the part which it was necessary 
to ,dee to have adequately filled4      
,kelly was an extraordinary character1  
and in some respects exactly such a     
person as ,dee wanted4 ,he was just     
twenty-eight years younger than the     
memorable personage1 who now received   
him as an inmate1 and was engaged in his
 service at a stipulated salary of fifty
 pounds a year4  ,kelly entered upon    

life with a somewhat unfortunate        
adventure4 ,he was accused1 when a young
 man1 of forgery1 brought to trial1     
convicted1 and lost his ears in the     
pillory4 ,this misfortune however by no 
means daunted him4 ,he was assiduously  
engaged in the search for the           
philosopher's stone4 ,he had an active  
mind1 great enterprise1 and a very      
domineering temper4 ,another adventure  
in which he had been engaged previously 
to his knowledge of ,dee1 was in digging
 up the body of a man1 who had been     
buried only the day before1 that he     
might compel him by incantations1 to    
answer questions1 and discover future   
events4 ,there was this difference      
therefore between the two persons       
previously to their league4 ,dee was a  
man of regular manners and unspotted    
life1 honoured by the great1 and        
favourably noticed by crowned heads in  
different parts of the world2 while     
,kelly was a notorious profligate1      
accustomed to the most licentious       

actions1 and under no restraint from    
morals or principle4  ,one circumstance 
that occurred early in the acquaintance 
of ,kelly and ,dee it is necessary to   
mention4 ,it serves strikingly to       
illustrate the ascendancy of the junior 
and impetuous party over his more gifted
 senior4 ,kelly led ,dee1 we are not    
told under what pretence1 to visit the  
celebrated ruins of ,glastonbury ,abbey 
in ,somersetshire4 ,here1 as these      
curious travellers searched into every  
corner of the scene1 they met by some   
rare accident with a vase containing a  
certain portion of the actual elixir    
vitae1 that rare and precious liquid1 so
 much sought after1 which has the virtue
 of converting the baser metals into    
gold and silver4 ,it had remained here  
perhaps ever since the time of the      
highly-gifted ,st4 ,dunstan in the tenth
 century4 ,this they carried off in     
triumph3 but we are not told of any     
special use to which they applied it1   
till a few years after1 when they were  

both on the continent4  ,the first      
record of their consultations with the  
supramundane spirits1 was of the date of
 ,december #b1 #aeha1 at ,lexden ,heath 
in the county of ,essex2 and from this  
time they went on in a regular series of
 consultations with and enquiries from  
these miraculous visitors1 a great part 
of which will appear to the uninitiated 
extremely puerile and ludicrous1 but    
which were committed to writing with the
 most scrupulous exactness by ,dee1 the 
first part still existing in manuscript1
 but the greater portion from #bh ,may  
#aehc to #afjh1 with some interruptions1
 having been committed to the press by  
,dr4 ,meric ,casaubon in a well-sized   
folio in #afei1 under the title of ,a   
,true and ,faithful ,relation of what   
passed between ,dr4 ,john ,dee and some 
,spirits1 tending1 had it succeeded1 to 
a general alteration of most states and 
kingdoms of the world4  ,kelly and ,dee 
had not long been engaged in these      
supernatural colloquies1 before an event

 occurred which gave an entirely new    
turn to their proceedings4 ,albert      
,alaski1 a ,polish nobleman1 lord       
palatine of the principality of         
,siradia1 came over at this time into   
,england1 urged1 as he said1 by a desire
 personally to acquaint himself with the
 glories of the reign of ,elizabeth1 and
 the evidences of her unrivalled        
talents4 ,the queen and her favourite1  
the earl of ,leicester1 received him    
with every mark of courtesy and         
attention1 and1 having shewn him all the
 wonders of her court at ,westminster   
and ,greenwich1 sent him to ,oxford1    
with a command to the dignitaries and   
heads of colleges1 to pay him every     
attention1 and to lay open to his view  
all their rarest curiosities4 ,among    
other things worthy of notice1 ,alaski  
enquired for the celebrated ,dr4 ,dee1  
and expressed the greatest impatience to
 be acquainted with him4  ,just at this 
juncture the earl of ,leicester happened
 to spy ,dr4 ,dee among the crowd who   

attended at a royal levee4 ,the earl    
immediately advanced towards him2 and1  
in his frank manner1 having introduced  
him to ,alaski1 expressed his intention 
of bringing the ,pole to dine with the  
doctor at his house at ,mortlake4       
,embarrassed with this unexpected       
honour1 ,dee no sooner got home1 than he
 dispatched an express to the earl1     
honestly confessing that he should be   
unable to entertain such guests in a    
suitable manner1 without being reduced  
to the expedient of selling or pawning  
his plate1 to procure him the means of  
doing so4 ,leicester communicated the   
doctor's perplexity to ,elizabeth2 and  
the queen immediately dispatched a      
messenger with a present of forty       
angels1 or twenty pounds1 to enable him 
to receive his guests as became him4  ,a
 great intimacy immediately commenced   
between ,dee and the stranger4 ,alaski1 
though possessing an extensive          
territory1 was reduced by the           
prodigality of himself or his ancestors 

to much embarrassment2 and on the other 
hand this nobleman appeared to ,dee an  
instrument well qualified to accomplish 
his ambitious purposes4 ,alaski was     
extremely desirous to look into the womb
 of time2 and ,dee1 it is likely1       
suggested repeated hints of his         
extraordinary power from his possession 
of the philosopher's stone4 ,after two  
or three interviews1 and much seeming   
importunity on the part of the ,pole1   
,dee and ,kelly graciously condescended 
to admit ,alaski as a third party to    
their secret meetings with their        
supernatural visitors1 from which the   
rest of the world were carefully        
excluded4 ,here the two ,englishmen made
 use of the vulgar artifice1 of         
promising extraordinary good fortune to 
the person of whom they purposed to make
 use4 ,by the intervention of the       
miraculous stone they told the wondering
 traveller1 that he should shortly      
become king of ,poland1 with the        
accession of several other kingdoms1    

that he should overcome many armies of  
,saracens and ,paynims1 and prove a     
mighty conqueror4 ,dee at the same time 
complained of the disagreeable condition
 in which he was at home1 and that      
,burleigh and ,walsingham were his      
malicious enemies4 ,at length they      
concerted among themselves1 that they1  
,alaski1 and ,dee and ,kelly with their 
wives and families1 should clandestinely
 withdraw out of ,england1 and proceed  
with all practicable rapidity to        
,alaski's territory in the kingdom of   
,poland4 ,they embarked on this voyage  
#ba ,september1 and arrived at ,siradia 
the third of ,february following4  ,at  
this place however the strangers        
remained little more than a month4      
,alaski found his finances in such      
disorder1 that it was scarcely possible 
for him to feed the numerous guests he  
had brought along with him4 ,the        
promises of splendid conquests which    
,dee and ,kelly profusely heaped upon   
him1 were of no avail to supply the     

deficiency of his present income4 ,and  
the elixir they brought from            
,glastonbury was1 as they said1 so      
incredibly rich in virtue1 that they    
were compelled to lose much time in     
making projection by way of trial1      
before they could hope to arrive at the 
proper temperament for producing the    
effect they desired4  ,in the following 
month ,alaski with his visitors passed  
to ,cracow1 the residence of the kings  
of ,poland4 ,here they remained five    
months1 ,dee and ,kelly perpetually     
amusing the ,pole with the extraordinary
 virtue of the stone1 which had been    
brought from heaven by an angel1 and    
busied in a thousand experiments with   
the elixir1 and many tedious            
preparations which they pronounced to be
 necessary1 before the compound could   
have the proper effect4 ,the prophecies 
were uttered with extreme confidence2   
but no external indications were        
afforded1 to shew that in any way they  
were likely to be realised4 ,the        

experiments and exertions of the        
laboratory were incessant2 but no       
transmutation was produced4 ,at length  
,alaski found himself unable to sustain 
the train of followers he had brought   
out of ,england4 ,with mountains of     
wealth1 the treasures of the world      
promised1 they were reduced to the most 
grievous straits for the means of daily 
subsistence4 ,finally the zeal of       
,alaski diminished2 he had no longer the
 same faith in the projectors that had  
deluded him2 and he devised a way of    
sending them forward with letters of    
recommendation to ,rodolph ,,ii1 emperor
 of ,germany1 at his imperial seat of   
,prague1 where they arrived on the ninth
 of ,august4  ,rodolph was a man1 whose 
character and habits of life they judged
 excellently adapted to their purpose4  
,dee had a long conference with the     
emperor1 in which he explained to him   
what wonderful things the spirits       
promised to this prince1 in case he     
proved exemplary of life1 and obedient  

to their suggestions1 that he should be 
the greatest conqueror in the world1 and
 should take captive the ,turk in his   
city of ,constantinople4 ,rodolph was   
extremely courteous in his reception1   
and sent away ,dee with the highest     
hopes that he had at length found a     
personage with whom he should infallibly
 succeed to the extent of his wishes4   
,he sought however a second interview1  
and was baffled4 ,at one time the       
emperor was going to his country palace 
near ,prague1 and at another was engaged
 in the pleasures of the chace4  ,he    
also complained that he was not         
sufficiently familiar with the ,latin   
tongue1 to manage the conferences with  
,dee in a satisfactory manner in person4
 ,he therefore deputed ,curtzius1 a man 
high in his confidence1 to enter into   
the necessary details with his learned  
visitor4 ,dee also contrived to have    
,spinola1 the ambassador from ,madrid to
 the court of the emperor1 to urge his  
suit4 ,the final result was that        

,rodolph declined any further           
intercourse with ,dee4 ,he turned a deaf
 ear to his prophecies1 and professed to
 be altogether void of faith as to his  
promises respecting the philosopher's   
stone4 ,dee however was led on          
perpetually with hopes of better things 
from the emperor1 till the spring of the
 year #aehe4 ,at length he was obliged  
to fly from ,prague1 the bishop of      
,placentia1 the pope's nuncio1 having it
 in command from his holiness to        
represent to ,rodolph how discreditable 
it was for him to harbour ,english      
magicians1 heretics1 at his court4      
,from ,prague ,dee and his followers    
proceeded to ,cracow4 ,here he found    
means of introduction to ,stephen1 king 
of ,poland1 to whom immediately he      
insinuated as intelligence from heaven1 
that ,rodolph1 the emperor1 would       
speedily be assassinated1 and that      
,stephen would succeed him in the throne
 of ,germany4 ,stephen appears to have  
received ,dee with more condescension   

than ,rodolph had done1 and was once    
present at his incantation and interview
 with the invisible spirits4 ,dee also  
lured him on with promises respecting   
the philosopher's stone4 ,meanwhile the 
magician was himself reduced to the     
strangest expedients for subsistence4   
,he appears to have daily expected great
 riches from the transmutation of       
metals1 and was unwilling to confess    
that he and his family were in the mean 
time almost starving4  ,when king       
,stephen at length became wearied with  
fruitless expectation1 ,dee was         
fortunate enough to meet with another   
and more patient dupe in ,rosenburg1 a  
nobleman of considerable wealth at      
,trebona in the kingdom of ,bohemia4    
,here ,dee appears to have remained till
 #aehi1 when he was sent for home by    
,elizabeth4 ,in what manner he proceeded
 during this interval1 and from whence  
he drew his supplies1 we are only left  
to conjecture4 ,he lured on his victim  
with the usual temptation1 promising him

 that he should be king of ,poland4 ,in 
the mean time it is recorded by him1    
that1 on the ninth of ,december1 #aehf1 
he arrived at the point of projection1  
having cut a piece of metal out of a    
brass warming-pan2 and merely heating it
 by the fire1 and pouring on it a       
portion of the elixir1 it was presently 
converted into pure silver4 ,we are told
 that he sent the warming-pan and the   
piece of silver to queen ,elizabeth1    
that she might be convinced by her own  
eyes how exactly they tallied1 and that 
the one had unquestionably been a       
portion of the other4 ,about the same   
time it is said1 that ,dee and his      
associate became more free in their     
expenditure2 and in one instance it is  
stated as an example1 that ,kelly gave  
away to the value of four thousand      
pounds sterling in gold rings on        
occasion of the celebration of the      
marriage of one of his maid-servants4   
,on the twenty-seventh and thirtieth of 
,july1 #aehg1 ,dee has recorded in his  

journal his gratitude to ,god for his   
unspeakable mercies on those days       
imparted1 which has been interpreted to 
mean further acquisitions of wealth by  
means of the elixir4  ,meanwhile        
perpetual occasions of dissention       
occurred between the two great          
confederates1 ,kelly and ,dee4 ,they    
were in many respects unfitted for each 
other's society4 ,dee was a man1 who    
from his youth upward had been          
indefatigable in study and research1 had
 the consciousness of great talents and 
intellect1 and had been universally     
recognised as such1 and had possessed a 
high character for fervent piety and    
blameless morals4 ,kelly was an impudent
 adventurer1 a man of no principles and 
of blasted reputation2 yet fertile in   
resources1 full of self-confidence1 and 
of no small degree of ingenuity4 ,in    
their mutual intercourse the audacious  
adventurer often had the upper hand of  
the man who had lately possessed a      
well-earned reputation4 ,kelly          

frequently professed himself tired of   
enacting the character of interpreter of
 the ,gods under ,dee4 ,he found ,dee in
 all cases running away with the        
superior consideration2 while he in his 
own opinion best deserved to possess it4
 ,the straitness of their circumstances1
 and the misery they were occasionally  
called on to endure1 we may be sure did 
not improve their good understanding4   
,kelly once and again threatened to     
abandon his leader4 ,dee continually    
soothed him1 and prevailed on him to    
stay4  ,kelly at length started a very  
extraordinary proposition4 ,kelly1 as   
interpreter to the spirits1 and being   
the only person who heard and saw any   
thing1 we may presume made them say     
whatever he pleased4 ,kelly and ,dee had
 both of them wives4 ,kelly did not     
always live harmoniously with the       
partner of his bed4 ,he sometimes went  
so far as to say that he hated her4 ,dee
 was more fortunate4 ,his wife was a    
person of good family1 and had hitherto 

been irreproachable in her demeanour4   
,the spirits one day revealed to ,kelly1
 that they must henceforth have their   
wives in common4 ,the wife of ,kelly was
 barren1 and this curse could no        
otherwise be removed4 ,having started   
the proposition1 ,kelly played the      
reluctant party4 ,dee1 who was pious and
 enthusiastic1 inclined to submit4 ,he  
first indeed started the notion1 that it
 could only be meant that they should   
live in mutual harmony and good         
understanding4 ,the spirits protested   
against this1 and insisted upon the     
literal interpretation4 ,dee yielded1   
and compared his case to that of        
,abraham1 who at the divine command     
consented to sacrifice his son ,isaac4  
,kelly alleged that these spirits1 which
 ,dee had hitherto regarded as          
messengers from ,god1 could be no other 
than servants of ,satan4 ,he persisted  
in his disobedience2 and the spirits    
declared that he was no longer worthy to
 be their interpreter1 and that another 

mediator must be found4  ,they named    
,arthur ,dee1 the son of the possessor  
of the stone1 a promising and           
well-disposed boy of only eight years of
 age4 ,dee consecrated the youth        
accordingly to his high function by     
prayers and religious rites for several 
days together4 ,kelly took horse and    
rode away1 protesting that they should  
meet no more4 ,arthur entered upon his  
office1 ,april #ae1 #aehg4 ,the         
experiment proved abortive4 ,he saw     
something2 but not to the purpose4 ,he  
heard no voices4 ,at length ,kelly1 on  
the third day1 entered the room         
unexpectedly1 by miraculous fortune1 as 
,dee says1 or a divine fate1 sate down  
between them1 and immediately saw       
figures1 and heard voices1 which the    
little ,arthur was not enabled to       
perceive4 ,in particular he saw four    
heads inclosed in an obelisk1 which he  
perceived to represent the two magicians
 and their wives1 and interpreted to    
signify that unlimited communion in     

which they were destined to engage4 ,the
 matter however being still an occasion 
of scruple1 a spirit appeared1 who by   
the language he used was plainly no     
other than the ,saviour of the world1   
and took away from them the larger      
stone2 for now it appears there were two
 stones4 ,this miracle at length induced
 all parties to submit2 and the divine  
command was no sooner obeyed1 than the  
stone which had been abstracted1 was    
found again under the pillow of the wife
 of ,dee4  ,it is not easy to imagine a 
state of greater degradation than that  
into which this person had now fallen4  
,during all the prime and vigour of his 
intellect1 he had sustained an eminent  
part among the learned and the great1   
distinguished and honoured by ,elizabeth
 and her favourite4 ,but his unbounded  
arrogance and self-opinion could never  
be satisfied4 ,and seduced1 partly by   
his own weakness1 and partly by the     
insinuations of a crafty adventurer1 he 
became a mystic of the most             

dishonourable sort4 ,he was induced to  
believe in a series of miraculous       
communications without common sense1    
engaged in the pursuit of the           
philosopher's stone1 and no doubt       
imagined that he was possessed of the   
great secret4 ,stirred up by these      
conceptions1 he left his native country1
 and became a wanderer1 preying upon the
 credulity of one prince and eminent man
 after another1 and no sooner was he    
discarded by one victim of credulity1   
than he sought another1 a vagabond on   
the earth1 reduced from time to time to 
the greatest distress1 persecuted1      
dishonoured and despised by every party 
in their turn4 ,at length by incessant  
degrees he became dead to all moral     
distinctions1 and all sense of honour   
and self-respect4 ,professing himself to
 be wise he became a fool1 walked in the
 vanity of his imagination1 and had his 
understanding under total eclipse4 ,the 
immoral system of conduct in which he   
engaged1 and the strange and shocking   

blasphemy that he mixed with it1 render 
him at this time a sort of character    
that it is painful to contemplate4  ,led
 on as ,dee at this time was by the     
ascendancy and consummate art of ,kelly1
 there was far from existing any genuine
 harmony between them2 and1 after many  
squabbles and heart-burnings1 they      
appear finally to have parted in        
,january #aehi1 ,dee having1 according  
to his own account1 at that time        
delivered up to ,kelly1 the elixir and  
the different implements by which the   
transmutation of metals was to be       
effected4  ,various overtures appear to 
have passed now for some years between  
,dee and queen ,elizabeth1 intended to  
lead to his restoration to his native   
country4 ,dee had upon different        
occasions expressed a wish to that      
effect2 and ,elizabeth in the spring of 
#aehi sent him a message1 that removed  
from him all further thought of         
hesitation and delay4 ,he set out from  
,trebona with three coaches1 and a      

baggage train correspondent1 and had an 
audience of the queen at ,richmond      
towards the close of that year4 ,upon   
the whole it is impossible perhaps not  
to believe1 that ,elizabeth was         
influenced in this proceeding by the    
various reports that had reached her of 
his extraordinary success with the      
philosopher's stone1 and the boundless  
wealth he had it in his power to bestow4
 ,many princes at this time contended   
with each other1 as to who should be    
happy enough by fair means or by force  
to have under his control the fortunate 
possessor of the great secret1 and thus 
to have in his possession the means of  
inexhaustible wealth4 ,shortly after    
this time the emperor ,rodolph seized   
and committed to prison ,kelly1 the     
partner of ,dee in this inestimable     
faculty1 and1 having once enlarged him1 
placed him in custody a second time4    
,meanwhile ,elizabeth is said to have   
made him pressing overtures of so       
flattering a nature that he determined  

to escape and return to his native      
country4 ,for this purpose he is said to
 have torn the sheets of his bed1 and   
twisted them into a rope1 that by that  
means he might descend from the tower in
 which he was confined4 ,but1 being a   
corpulent man of considerable weight1   
the rope broke with him before he was   
half way down1 and1 having fractured one
 or both his legs1 and being otherwise  
considerably bruised1 he died shortly   
afterwards4 ,this happened in the year  
#aeie4  ,dee 7according to his own      
account1 delivered to commissioners     
appointed by queen ,elizabeth to enquire
 into his circumstances7 came from      
,trebona to ,england in a state little  
inferior to that of an ambassador4 ,he  
had three coaches1 with four horses     
harnessed to each coach1 two or three   
loaded waggons1 and a guard1 sometimes  
of six1 and sometimes of twenty-four    
soldiers1 to defend him from enemies1   
who were supposed to lie in wait to     
intercept his passage4 ,immediately on  

his arrival he had an audience of the   
queen at ,richmond1 by whom he was most 
graciously received4 ,she gave special  
orders1 that he should do what he would 
in chemistry and philosophy1 and that no
 one should on any account molest him4  
,but here end the prosperity and        
greatness of this extraordinary man4 ,if
 he possessed the power of turning all  
baser metals into gold1 he certainly    
acted unadvisedly in surrendering this  
power to his confederate1 immediately   
before his return to his native country4
 ,he parted at the same time with his   
gift of prophecy1 since1 though he      
brought away with him his miraculous    
stone1 and at one time appointed one    
,bartholomew1 and another one ,hickman1 
his interpreters to look into the stone1
 to see the marvellous sights it was    
expected to disclose1 and to hear the   
voices and report the words that issued 
from it1 the experiments proved in both 
instances abortive4 ,they wanted the    
finer sense1 or the unparalleled        

effrontery and inexhaustible invention1 
which ,kelly alone possessed4  ,the     
remainder of the voyage of the life of  
,dee was bound in shallows and in       
miseries4 ,queen ,elizabeth we may      
suppose soon found that her dreams of   
immense wealth to be obtained through   
his intervention were nugatory4 ,yet    
would she not desert the favourite of   
her former years4 ,he presently began to
 complain of poverty and difficulties4  
,he represented that the revenue of two 
livings he held in the church had been  
withheld from him from the time of his  
going abroad4 ,he stated that1 shortly  
after that period1 his house had been   
broken into and spoiled by a lawless    
mob1 instigated by his ill fame as a    
dealer in prohibited and unlawful arts4 
,they destroyed or dispersed his        
library1 consisting of four thousand    
volumes1 seven hundred of which were    
manuscripts1 and of inestimable rarity4 
,they ravaged his collection of curious 
implements and machines4 ,he enumerated 

the expences of his journey home by     
,elizabeth's command1 for which he      
seemed to consider the queen as his     
debtor4 ,elizabeth in consequence       
ordered him at several times two or     
three small sums4 ,but this being       
insufficient1 she was prevailed upon in 
#aeib to appoint two members of her     
privy council to repair to his house at 
,mortlake to enquire into particulars1  
to whom he made a ,compendious          
,rehearsal of half a hundred years of   
his life1 accompanied with documents and
 vouchers4  ,it is remarkable that in   
this ,rehearsal no mention occurs of the
 miraculous stone brought down to him by
 an angel1 or of his pretensions        
respecting the transmutation of metals4 
,he merely rests1 his claims to public  
support upon his literary labours1 and  
the acknowledged eminence of his        
intellectual faculties4 ,he passes over 
the years he had lately spent in foreign
 countries1 in entire silence1 unless we
 except his account of the particulars  

of his journey home4 ,his representation
 to ,elizabeth not being immediately    
productive of all the effects he        
expected1 he wrote a letter to          
archbishop ,whitgift two years after1   
lamenting the delay of the expected     
relief1 and complaining of the untrue   
reports1 opinions and fables1 which had 
for so many years been spread of his    
studies4 ,he represents these studies   
purely as literary1 frank1 and wholly   
divested of mystery4 ,if the ,true      
,relation of what passed for many years 
between ,dr4 ,dee and certain ,spirits  
had not been preserved1 and afterwards  
printed1 we might have been disposed to 
consider all that was said on this      
subject as a calumny4  ,the promotion   
which ,dee had set his heart on1 was to 
the office of master of ,st4 ,cross's   
,hospital near ,winchester1 which the   
queen had promised him when the present 
holder should be made a bishop4 ,but    
this never happened4 ,he obtained       
however in lieu of it the chancellorship

 of ,st4 ,paul's cathedral1 #h ,december
 #aeid1 which in the following year he  
exchanged for the wardenship of the     
college at ,manchester4 ,in this last   
office he continued till the year #afjb 
7according to other accounts #afjd71    
during which time he complained of great
 dissention and refractoriness on the   
part of the fellows2 though it may      
perhaps be doubted whether equal blame  
may not fairly be imputed to the        
arrogance and restlessness of the       
warden4 ,at length he receded altogether
 from public life1 and retired to his   
ancient domicile at ,mortlake4 ,he made 
one attempt to propitiate the favour of 
king ,james2 but it was ineffectual4    
,elizabeth had known him in the flower  
and vigour of his days2 he had boasted  
the uniform patronage of her chief      
favourite2 he had been recognised by the
 philosophical and the learned as       
inferior to none of their body1 and he  
had finally excited the regard of his   
ancient mistress by his pretence to     

revelations1 and the promises he held   
out of the philosopher's stone4 ,she    
could not shake off her ingrafted       
prejudice in his favour2 she could not  
find in her heart to cast him aside in  
his old age and decay4 ,but then came a 
king1 to whom in his prosperity and     
sunshine he had been a stranger4 ,he    
wasted his latter days in dotage1       
obscurity and universal neglect4 ,no one
 has told us how he contrived to        
subsist4 ,we may be sure that his       
constant companions were mortification  
and the most humiliating privations4 ,he
 lingered on till the year #afjh2 and   
the ancient people in the time of       
,antony ,wood1 nearly a century         
afterwards1 pointed to his grave in the 
chancel of the church at ,mortlake1 and 
professed to know the very spot where   
his remains were desposited4  ,the      
history of ,dee is exceedingly          
interesting1 not only on its own        
account2 not only for the eminence of   
his talents and attainments1 and the    

incredible sottishness and blindness of 
understanding which marked his maturer  
years2 but as strikingly illustrative of
 the credulity and superstitious faith  
of the time in which he lived4 ,at a    
later period his miraculous stone which 
displayed such wonders1 and was attended
 with so long a series of supernatural  
vocal communications would have deceived
 nobody3 it was scarcely more ingenious 
than the idle tricks of the most        
ordinary conjurer4 ,but at this period  
the crust of long ages of darkness had  
not yet been fully worn away4 ,men did  
not trust to the powers of human        
understanding1 and were not familiarised
 with the main canons of evidence and   
belief4 ,dee passed six years on the    
continent1 proceeding from the court of 
one prince or potent nobleman to        
another1 listened to for a time by each1
 each regarding his oracular            
communications with astonishment and    
alarm1 and at length irresolutely       
casting him off1 when he found little or

 no difficulty in running a like career 
with another4  ,it is not the least     
curious circumstance respecting the life
 of ,dee1 that in #afei1 half a century 
after his death1 there remained still   
such an interest respecting practices of
 this sort1 as to authorise the printing
 a folio volume1 in a complex and       
elaborate form1 of his communications   
with spirits4 ,the book was brought out 
by ,dr4 ,meric ,casaubon1 no            
contemptible name in the republic of    
letters4 ,the editor observes respecting
 the hero and his achievements in the   
,preface1 that1 though his carriage in  
certain respects seemed to lay in works 
of darkness1 yet all was tendered by him
 to kings and princes1 and by all       
7,england alone excepted7 was listened  
to for a good while with good respect1  
and by some for a long time embraced and
 entertained4 ,he goes on to say1 that  
the fame of it made the pope bestir     
himself1 and filled all1 both learned   
and unlearned1 with great wonder and    

astonishment4 ,he adds1 that1 as a whole
 it is undoubtedly not to be paralleled 
in its kind in any age or country4 ,in a
 word the editor1 though disavowing an  
entire belief in ,dee's pretensions1 yet
 plainly considers them with some degree
 of deference1 and insinuates to how    
much more regard such undue and         
exaggerated pretensions are entitled1   
than the impious incredulity of certain 
modern ,sadducees1 who say that there is
 no resurrection2 neither angel1 nor    
spirit4 ,the belief in witchcraft and   
sorcery has undoutedly met with some    
degree of favour from this              
consideration1 inasmuch as1 by          
recognising the correspondence of human 
beings with the invisible world1 it has 
one principle in common with the        
believers in revelation1 of which the   
more daring infidel is destitute4       
,,earl ,,of ,,derby4  ,the circumstances
 of the death of ,ferdinand1 fifth earl 
of ,derby1 in #aeid1 have particularly  
engaged the attention of the            

contemporary historians4 ,hesket1 an    
emissary of the ,jesuits and ,english   
,catholics abroad1 was importunate with 
this nobleman to press his title to the 
crown1 as the legal representative of   
his great-grandmother ,mary1 youngest   
daughter to king ,henry the ,seventh4   
,but the earl1 fearing1 as it is said1  
that this was only a trap to ensnare    
him1 gave information against ,hesket to
 the government1 in consequence of which
 he was apprehended1 tried and executed4
 ,hesket had threatened the earl that1  
if he did not comply with his           
suggestion1 he should live only a short 
time4 ,accordingly1 four months         
afterwards1 the earl was seized with a  
very uncommon disease4 ,a waxen image   
was at the same time found in his       
chamber with hairs in its belly exactly 
of the same colour as those of the earl4
 #baa ,the image was1 by some zealous   
friend of lord ,derby1 burned2 but the  
earl grew worse4 ,he was himself        
thoroughly persuaded that he was        

bewitched4 ,stow has inserted in his    
,annals a minute account of his disease 
from day to day1 with a description of  
all the symptoms4   ,,king ,,james',s   
,,voyage ,,to ,,norway4  ,while         
,elizabeth amused herself with the      
supernatural gifts to which ,dee        
advanced his claim1 and consoled the    
adversity and destitution to which the  
old man1 once so extensively honoured1  
was now reduced1 a scene of a very      
different complexion was played in the  
northern part of the island4 ,trials for
 sorcery were numerous in the reign of  
,mary queen of ,scots2 the comparative  
darkness and ignorance of the sister    
kingdom rendered it a soil still more   
favourable than ,england to the growth  
of these gloomy superstitions4 ,but the 
mind of ,james1 at once inquisitive1    
pedantic and self-sufficient1 peculiarly
 fitted him for the pursuit of these    
narrow-minded and obscure speculations4 
,one combination of circumstances       
wrought up this propensity within him to

 the greatest height4  ,james was born  
in the year #aeff4 ,he was the only     
direct heir to the crown of ,scotland2  
and he was in near prospect of          
succession to that of ,england4 ,the    
zeal of the ,protestant ,reformation had
 wrought up the anxiety of men's minds  
to a fever of anticipation and forecast4
 ,consequently1 towards the end of the  
reign of ,elizabeth1 a point which      
greatly arrested the general attention  
was the expected marriage of the king of
 ,scotland4 ,elizabeth1 with that petty 
jealousy which obscured the otherwise   
noble qualities of her spirit1 sought to
 countermine this marriage1 that her    
rival and expected successor might not  
be additionally graced with the honours 
of offspring4 ,james fixed his mind upon
 a daughter of the king of ,denmark4 ,by
 the successful cabals of ,elizabeth he 
was baffled in this suit2 and the lady  
was finally married to the duke of      
,bavaria4 ,the king of ,denmark had     
another daughter2 and ,james made       

proposals to this princess4 ,still he   
was counteracted2 till at length he sent
 a splendid embassy1 with ample powers  
and instructions1 and the treaty was    
concluded4 ,the princess embarked2 but1 
when she had now for some time been     
expected in ,scotland1 news was brought 
instead1 that she had been driven back  
by tempests on the coast of ,norway4    
,the young king felt keenly his         
disappointment1 and gallantly resolved  
to sail in person for the port1 where   
his intended consort was detained by the
 shattered condition of her fleet4      
,james arrived on the twenty-second of  
,october #aehi1 and having consummated  
his marriage1 was induced by the        
invitation of his father-in-law to pass 
the winter at ,copenhagen1 from whence  
he did not sail till the spring1 and1   
after having encountered a variety of   
contrary winds and some danger1 reached 
,edinburgh on the first of ,may in the  
following year4  ,it was to be expected 
that variable weather and storms should 

characterise the winter-season in these 
seas4 ,but the storms were of longer    
continuance and of more frequent        
succession1 than was usually known4 ,and
 at this period1 when the proposed      
consort of ,james first1 then the king  
himself1 and finally both of them1 and  
the hope of ,protestant succession1 were
 committed to the mercy of the waves1 it
 is not wonderful that the process of   
the seasons should be accurately marked1
 and that those varieties1 which are    
commonly ascribed to second causes1     
should have been imputed to             
extraordinary and supernatural          
interference4 ,it was affirmed that1 in 
the king's return from ,denmark1 his    
ship was impelled by a different wind   
from that which acted on the rest of his
 fleet4  ,it happened that1 soon after  
,james's return to ,scotland1 one       
,geillis ,duncan1 a servant-maid1 for   
the extraordinary circumstances that    
attended certain cures which she        
performed1 became suspected of          

witchcraft4 ,her master questioned her  
on the subject2 but she would own       
nothing4 ,perceiving her obstinacy1 the 
master took upon himself of his own     
authority1 to extort confession from her
 by torture4 ,in this he succeeded2 and1
 having related divers particulars of   
witchcraft of herself1 she proceeded to 
accuse others4 ,the persons she accused 
were cast into the public prison4  ,one 
of these1 ,agnes ,sampson by name1 at   
first stoutly resisted the torture4     
,but1 it being more strenuously applied1
 she by and by became extremely         
communicative4 ,it was at this period   
that ,james personally engaged in the   
examinations4 ,we are told that he took 
great delight in being present1 and     
putting the proper questions4 ,the      
unhappy victim was introduced into a    
room plentifully furnished with         
implements of torture1 while the king   
waited in an apartment at a convenient  
distance1 till the patient was found to 
be in a suitable frame of mind to make  

the desired communications4 ,no sooner  
did he or she signify that they were    
ready1 and should no longer refuse to   
answer1 than they were introduced1      
fainting1 sinking under recent          
sufferings which they had no longer     
strength to resist1 into the royal      
presence4 ,and here sat ,james1 in      
envied ease and conscious delight1      
wrapped up in the thought of his own    
sagacity1 framing the enquiries that    
might best extort the desired evidence1 
and calculating with a judgment by no   
means to be despised1 from the bearing1 
the turn of features1 and the complexion
 of the victim1 the probability whether 
he was making a frank and artless       
confession1 or had still the secret     
desire to impose on the royal examiner1 
or from a different motive was disposed 
to make use of the treacherous authority
 which the situation afforded1 to       
gratify his revenge upon some person    
towards whom he might be inspired with  
latent hatred and malice4  ,agnes       

,sampson related with what solicitude   
she had sought to possess some fragment 
of the linen belonging to the king4 ,if 
he had worn it1 and it had contracted   
any soil from his royal person1 this    
would be enough3 she would infallibly1  
by applying her incantations to this    
fragment1 have been able to undermine   
the life of the sovereign4 ,she told how
 she with two hundred other witches had 
sailed in sieves from ,leith to ,north  
,berwick church1 how they had there     
encountered the devil in person1 how    
they had feasted with him1 and what     
obscenities had been practised4 ,she    
related that in this voyage they had    
drowned a cat1 having first baptised    
him1 and that immediately a dreadful    
storm had arisen1 and in this very storm
 the king's ship had been separated from
 the rest of his fleet4 ,she took ,james
 aside1 and1 the better to convince him1
 undertook to repeat to him the         
conversation1 the dialogue which had    
passed from the one to the other1       

between the king and queen in their     
bedchamber on the wedding-night4 ,agnes 
,sampson was condemned to the flames4   
,,john ,,fian4  ,another of the         
miserable victims on this occasion was  
,john ,fian1 a schoolmaster at ,tranent 
near ,edinburgh1 a young man1 whom the  
ignorant populace had decorated with the
 style of doctor4 ,he was tortured by   
means of a rope strongly twisted about  
his head1 and by the boots4 ,he was at  
length brought to confession4 ,he told  
of a young girl1 the sister of one of   
his scholars1 with whom he had been     
deeply enamoured4 ,he had proposed to   
the boy to bring him three hairs from   
the most secret part of his sister's    
body1 possessing which he should be     
enabled by certain incantations to      
procure himself the love of the girl4   
,the boy at his mother's instigation    
brought to ,fian three hairs from a     
virgin heifer instead2 and1 applying his
 conjuration to them1 the consequence   
had been that the heifer forced her way 

into his school1 leaped upon him in     
amorous fashion1 and would not be       
restrained from following him about the 
neighbourhood4  ,this same ,fian acted  
an important part in the scene at ,north
 ,berwick church4 ,as being best fitted 
for the office1 he was appointed        
recorder or clerk to the devil1 to write
 down the names1 and administer the     
oaths to the witches4 ,he was actively  
concerned in the enchantment1 by means  
of which the king's ship had nearly been
 lost on his return from ,denmark4 ,this
 part of his proceeding however does not
 appear in his own confession1 but in   
that of the witches who were his        
fellow-conspirators4  ,he further said1 
that1 the night after he made his       
confession1 the devil appeared to him1  
and was in a furious rage against him   
for his disloyalty to his service1      
telling him that he should severely     
repent his infidelity4 ,according to his
 own account1 he stood firm1 and defied 
the devil to do his worst4 ,meanwhile   

the next night he escaped out of prison1
 and was with some difficulty retaken4  
,he however finally denied all his      
former confessions1 said that they were 
falshoods forced from him by mere dint  
of torture1 and1 though he was now once 
more subjected to the same treatment to 
such an excess as must necessarily have 
crippled him of his limbs for ever1 he  
proved inflexible to the last4 ,at      
length by the king's order he was       
strangled1 and his body cast into the   
flames4 ,multitudes of unhappy men and  
women perished in this cruel            
persecution4 #bab   ,,king ,,james',s   
,,demonology4  ,it was by a train of    
observations and experience like this1  
that ,james was prompted seven years    
after to compose and publish his        
,dialogues on ,demonology in ,three     
,books4 ,in the ,preface to this book he
 says1 ,the fearfull abounding at this  
time in this countrey1 of these         
detestable slaves of the ,diuel1 the    
,witches or enchaunters1 hath moved me  

7beloued ,reader7 to dispatch in post   
this following ,treatise of mine1 not in
 any wise 7as ,i protest7 to serue for a
 shew of my learning and ingine1 but    
onely 7moued of conscience7 to preasse  
thereby1 so farre as ,i can1 to resolue 
the doubting hearts of many1 both that  
such assaults of ,satan are most        
certainely practised1 and that the      
instruments thereof merits most seuerely
 to be punished4  ,in the course of the 
treatise he affirms1 that barnes1 or    
wiues1 or neuer so diffamed persons1 may
 serue for sufficient witnesses and     
proofes in such trialls2 for who but    
,witches can be prooves1 and so         
witnesses of the doings of ,witches8    
#bac ,but1 lest innocent persons should 
be accused1 and suffer falsely1 he tells
 us1 ,there are two other good helps    
that may be used for their trial3 the   
one is1 the finding of their marke a    
mark that the devil was supposed to     
impress upon some part of their persons1
 and the trying the insensibleness      

thereof3 the other is their fleeting on 
the water3 for1 as in a secret murther1 
if the dead carkasse be at any time     
thereafter handled by the murtherer1 it 
will gush out of bloud1 as if the bloud 
were crying to the heauen for revenge of
 the murtherer1 ,god hauing appointed   
that secret supernaturall signe1 for    
triall of that secret unnaturall crime1 
so it appears that ,god hath appointed  
7for a supernaturall signe of the       
monstrous impietie of ,witches7 that the
 water shall refuse to receive them in  
her bosome1 that haue shaken off them   
the sacred water of ,baptisme1 and      
wilfully refused the benefite thereof3  
,no1 not so much as their eyes are able 
to shed teares 7threaten and torture    
them as ye please7 while first they     
repent 7,god not permitting them to     
dissemble their obstinacie in so        
horrible a crime47 #bad   ,,statute1 #a 
,,james ,i4  ,in consequence of the     
strong conviction ,james entertained on 
the subject1 the ,english parliament was

 induced1 in the first year of his      
reign1 to supersede the milder          
proceedings of ,elizabeth1 and to enact 
that if any person shall use1 practice1 
or exercise any invocation or           
conjuration of any evil and wicked      
spirit1 or shall consult1 covenant with1
 entertain1 employ1 feed or reward any  
evil and wicked spirit1 to or for any   
intent and purpose2 or take up any dead 
man1 woman1 or child out of their grave1
 or the skin1 bone1 or any part of any  
dead person1 to be used in any manner of
 witchcraft1 sorcery or enchantment1 or 
shall use any witchcraft1 sorcery or    
enchantment1 whereby any person shall be
 killed1 destroyed1 wasted1 consumed1   
pined or lamed in his or her body1 or   
any part thereof2 that then every such  
offender1 their aiders1 abettors and    
counsellors shall suffer the pains of   
death4 ,and upon this statute great     
numbers were condemned and executed4    
,,forman ,,and ,,others4  ,there is a   
story of necromancy which unfortunately 

makes too prominent a figure in the     
history of the court and character of   
king ,james the ,first4 ,robert earl of 
,essex1 son of queen ,elizabeth's       
favourite1 and who afterwards became    
commander in chief of the parliamentary 
forces in the civil wars1 married lady  
,frances ,howard1 a younger daughter of 
the earl of ,suffolk1 the bride and     
bridegroom being the one thirteen1 the  
other fourteen years old at the time of 
the marriage4 ,the relatives of the     
countess however1 who had brought about 
the match1 thought it most decorous to  
separate them for some time1 and1 while 
she remained at home with her friends1  
the bridegroom travelled for three or   
four years on the continent4 ,the lady  
proved the greatest beauty of her time1 
but along with this had the most        
libertine and unprincipled dispositions4
  ,the very circumstance that she had   
vowed her faith at the altar when she   
was not properly capable of choice1     
inspired into the wayward mind of the   

countess a repugnance to her husband4   
,he came from the continent1 replete    
with accomplishments2 and we may        
conclude1 from the figure he afterwards 
made in the most perilous times1 not    
without a competent share of            
intellectual abilities4 ,but the        
countess shrank from all advances on his
 part4 ,he loved retirement1 and woed   
the lady to scenes most favourable to   
the development of the affections3 she  
had been bred in court1 and was         
melancholy and repined in any other     
scene4 ,so capricious was her temper1   
that she is said at the same time to    
have repelled the overtures of the      
accomplished and popular prince ,henry1 
the heir to the throne4  ,it happened   
about this period that a beautiful young
 man1 twenty years of age1 and full of  
all martial graces1 appeared on the     
stage4 ,king ,james was singularly      
partial to young men who were           
distinguished for personal attractions4 
,by an extraordinary accident this      

person1 ,robert ,carr by name1 in the   
midst of a court-spectacle1 just when it
 was his cue to present a buckler with a
 device to the king1 was thrown from his
 horse1 and broke his leg4 ,this was    
enough3 ,james naturally became         
interested in the misfortune1 attached  
himself to ,carr1 and even favoured him 
again and again with a royal visit      
during his cure4 ,presently the young   
man became an exclusive favourite2 and  
no honours and graces could be obtained 
of the sovereign but by his             
interference4  ,this circumstance fixed 
the wavering mind of the countess of    
,essex4 ,voluptuous and self-willed in  
her disposition1 she would hear of no   
one but ,carr4 ,but her opportunities of
 seeing him were both short and rare4   
,in this emergency she applied to ,mrs4 
,turner1 a woman whose profession it was
 to study and to accommodate the fancies
 of such persons as the countess4 ,mrs4 
,turner introduced her to ,dr4 ,forman1 
a noted astrologer and magician1 and he1

 by images made of wax1 and various     
uncouth figures and devices1 undertook  
to procure the love of ,carr to the     
lady4 ,at the same time he practised    
against the earl1 that he might become  
impotent1 at least towards his wife4    
,this however did not satisfy the lady2 
and having gone the utmost lengths      
towards her innamorato1 she insisted on 
a divorce in all the forms1 and a legal 
marriage with the youth she loved4 ,carr
 appears originally to have had good    
dispositions2 and1 while that was the   
case1 had assiduously cultivated the    
friendship of ,sir ,thomas ,overbury1   
one of the most promising young         
courtiers of the time4 ,sir ,thomas     
earnestly sought to break off the       
intimacy of ,carr with lady ,essex1 and 
told him how utterly ruinous to his     
reputation and prospects it would prove1
 if he married her4 ,but ,carr1 instead 
of feeling how much obliged he was to   
,overbury for this example of           
disinterested friendship1 went          

immediately and told the countess what  
the young man said4  ,from this time the
 destruction of ,overbury was resolved  
on between them4 ,he was first committed
 to the ,tower by an arbitrary mandate  
of ,james for refusing an embassage to  
,russia1 next sequestered from all      
visitors1 and finally attacked with     
poison1 which1 after several abortive   
attempts1 was at length brought to      
effect4 ,meanwhile a divorce was sued   
for by the countess upon an allegation  
of impotence2 and another female was    
said to have been substituted in her    
room1 to be subjected to the inspection 
of a jury of matrons in proof of her    
virginity4 ,after a lapse of two years  
the murder was brought to light1 the    
inferior criminals1 ,mrs4 ,turner and   
the rest1 convicted and executed1 and   
,carr1 now earl of ,somerset1 and his   
countess1 found guilty1 but received the
 royal pardon4--,it is proper to add1 in
 order to give a just idea of the state 
of human credulity at this period1 that1

 ,forman having died at the time that   
his services were deemed most necessary1
 one ,gresham first1 and then a third   
astrologer and enchanter were brought   
forward1 to consummate the atrocious    
projects of the infamous countess4 ,it  
is said that she and her second husband 
were ultimately so thoroughly alienated 
from each other1 that they resided for  
years under the same roof1 with the most
 careful precautions that they might not
 by any chance come into each other's   
presence4 #bae   ,,latest ,,ideas ,,of  
,,james ,,on ,,the ,,subject4  ,it is   
worthy of remark however that king      
,james lived to alter his mind extremely
 on the question of witchcraft4 ,he was 
active in his observations on the       
subject2 and we are told that the       
frequency of forged possessions which   
were detected by him wrought such an    
alteration in his judgment1 that he1    
receding from what he had written in his
 early life1 grew first diffident of1   
and then flatly to deny1 the working of 

witches and devils1 as but falshoods and
 delusions4 #baf   ,,lancashire         
,,witches4  ,a more melancholy tale does
 not occur in the annals of necromancy  
than that of the ,lancashire witches in 
#afab4 ,the scene of this story is in   
,pendlebury ,forest1 four or five miles 
from ,manchester1 remarkable for its    
picturesque and gloomy situation4 ,such 
places were not sought then as now1 that
 they might afford food for the         
imagination1 and gratify the refined    
taste of the traveller4 ,they were      
rather shunned as infamous for scenes of
 depredation and murder1 or as the      
consecrated haunts of diabolical        
intercourse4 ,pendlebury had been long  
of ill repute on this latter account1   
when a country magistrate1 ,roger ,nowel
 by name1 conceived about this time that
 he should do a public service1 by      
rooting out a nest of witches1 who      
rendered the place a terror to all the  
neighbouring vulgar4 ,the first persons 
he seized on were ,elizabeth ,demdike   

and ,ann ,chattox1 the former of whom   
was eighty years of age1 and had for    
some years been blind1 who subsisted    
principally by begging1 though she had a
 miserable hovel on the spot1 which she 
called her own4 ,ann ,chattox was of the
 same age1 and had for some time been   
threatened with the calamity of         
blindness4 ,demdike was held to be so   
hardened a witch1 that she had trained  
all her family to the mystery2 namely1  
,elizabeth ,device1 her daughter1 and   
,james and ,alison ,device1 her         
grandchildren4 ,in the accusation of    
,chattox was also involved ,ann         
,redferne1 her daughter4 ,these1        
together with ,john ,bulcock1 and ,jane 
his mother1 ,alice ,nutter1 ,catherine  
,hewit1 and ,isabel ,roby1 were         
successively apprehended by the         
diligence of ,nowel and one or two      
neighbouring magistrates1 and were all  
of them by some means induced1 some to  
make a more liberal1 and others a more  
restricted confession of their misdeeds 

in witchcraft1 and were afterwards      
hurried away to ,lancaster ,castle1     
fifty miles off1 to prison4 ,their      
crimes were said to have universally    
proceeded from malignity and resentment2
 and it was reported to have repeatedly 
happened for poor old ,demdike to be led
 by night from her habitation into the  
open air by some member of her family1  
when she was left alone for an hour to  
curse her victim1 and pursue her unholy 
incantations1 and was then sought1 and  
brought again to her hovel4 ,her curses 
never failed to produce the desired     
effect4  ,these poor wretches had been  
but a short time in prison1 when        
information was given1 that a meeting of
 witches was held on ,good ,friday1 at  
,malkin's ,tower1 the habitation of     
,elizabeth ,device1 to the number of    
twenty persons1 to consult how by       
infernal machinations to kill one       
,covel1 an officer1 to blow up          
,lancaster ,castle1 and deliver the     
prisoners1 and to kill another man of   

the name of ,lister4 ,the last was      
effected4 ,the other plans by some      
means1 we are not told how1 were        
prevented4  ,the prisoners were kept in 
jail till the summer assizes2 and in the
 mean time it fortunately happened that 
the poor blind ,demdike died in         
confinement1 and was never brought up to
 trial4  ,the other prisoners were      
severally indicted for killing by       
witchcraft certain persons who were     
named1 and were all found guilty4 ,the  
principal witnesses against ,elizabeth  
,device were ,james ,device and ,jennet 
,device1 her grandchildren1 the latter  
only nine years of age4 ,when this girl 
was put into the witness-box1 the       
grandmother1 on seeing her1 set up so   
dreadful a yell1 intermixed with bitter 
curses1 that the child declared that she
 could not go on with her evidence1     
unless the prisoner was removed4 ,this  
was agreed to2 and both brother and     
sister swore1 that they had been        
present1 when the devil came to their   

grandmother in the shape of a black dog1
 and asked her what she desired4 ,she   
said1 the death of ,john ,robinson2 when
 the dog told her to make an image of   
,robinson in clay1 and after crumble it 
into dust1 and as fast as the image     
perished1 the life of the victim should 
waste away1 and in conclusion the man   
should die4 ,this evidence was received2
 and upon such testimony1 and testimony 
like this1 ten persons were led to the  
gallows1 on the twentieth of ,august1   
,ann ,chattox of eighty years of age    
among the rest1 the day after the       
trials1 which lasted two days1 were     
finished4 ,the judges who presided on   
these trials were sir ,james ,altham and
 sir ,edward ,bromley1 barons of the    
exchequer4 #bag  ,from the whole of this
 story it is fair to infer1 that these  
old women had played at the game of     
commerce with the devil4 ,it had        
flattered their vanity1 to make their   
simpler neighbours afraid of them4 ,to  
observe the symptoms of their rustic    

terror1 even of their hatred and        
detestation1 had been gratifying to     
them4 ,they played the game so long1    
that in an imperfect degree they        
deceived themselves4 ,human passions are
 always to a certain degree infectious4 
,perceiving the hatred of their         
neighbours1 they began to think that    
they were worthy objects of detestation 
and terror1 that their imprecations had 
a real effect1 and their curses killed4 
,the brown horrors of the forest were   
favourable to visions2 and they         
sometimes almost believed1 that they met
 the foe of mankind in the night4--,but1
 when ,elizabeth ,device actually saw   
her grandchild of nine years old placed 
in the witness-box1 with the intention  
of consigning her to a public and an    
ignominious end1 then the reveries of   
the imagination vanished1 and she deeply
 felt the reality1 that1 where she had  
been somewhat imposing on the child in  
devilish sport1 she had been whetting   
the dagger that was to take her own     

life1 and digging her own grave4 ,it was
 then no wonder that she uttered a      
preternatural yell1 and poured curses   
from the bottom of her heart4 ,it must  
have been almost beyond human endurance1
 to hear the cry of her despair1 and to 
witness the curses and the agony in     
which it vented itself4  ,twenty-two    
years elapsed after this scene1 when a  
wretched man1 of the name of ,edmund    
,robinson1 conceived on the same spot   
the scheme of making himself a          
profitable speculation from a similar   
source4 ,he trained his son1 eleven     
years of age1 and furnished him with the
 necessary instructions4 ,he taught him 
to say that one day in the fields he had
 met with two dogs1 which he urged on to
 hunt a hare4 ,they would not budge2 and
 he in revenge tied them to a bush and  
whipped them2 when suddenly one of them 
was transformed into an old woman and   
the other into a child1 a witch and her 
imp4 ,this story succeeded so well1 that
 the father soon after gave out that his

 son had an eye that could distinguish a
 witch by sight1 and took him round to  
the neighbouring churches1 where he     
placed him standing on a bench after    
service1 and bade him look round and see
 what he could observe4 ,the device1    
however clumsy1 succeeded1 and no less  
than seventeen persons were apprehended 
at the boy's selection1 and conducted to
 ,lancaster ,castle4 ,these seventeen   
persons were tried at the assizes1 and  
found guilty2 but the judge1 whose name 
has unfortunately been lost1 unlike sir 
,james ,altham and sir ,edward ,bromley1
 saw something in the case that excited 
his suspicion1 and1 though the juries   
had not hesitated in any one instance1  
respited the convicts1 and sent up a    
report of the affair to the government4 
,twenty-two years on this occasion had  
not elapsed in vain4 ,four of the       
prisoners were by the judge's           
recommendation sent for to the          
metropolis1 and were examined first by  
the king's physicians1 and then by      

,charles the ,first in person4 ,the     
boy's story was strictly scrutinised4   
,in fine he confessed that it was all an
 imposture2 and the whole seventeen     
received the royal pardon4 #bah   ,,lady
 ,,davies4  ,eleanor ,tuchet1 daughter  
of ,george lord ,audley1 married sir    
,john ,davies1 an eminent lawyer in the 
time of ,james the ,first1 and author of
 a poem of considerable merit on the    
,immortality of the ,soul4 ,this lady   
was a person of no contemptible talents2
 but what she seems most to have valued 
herself upon1 was her gift of prophecy2 
and she accordingly printed a book of   
,strange and ,wonderful ,predictions4   
,she professed to receive her prophecies
 from a spirit1 who communicated to her 
audibly things about to come to pass1   
though the voice could be heard by no   
other person4 ,sir ,john ,davies was    
nominated lord chief justice of the     
king's bench in #afbf4 ,before he was   
inducted into the office1 lady ,eleanor1
 sitting with him on ,sunday at dinner1 

suddenly burst into a passion of tears4 
,sir ,john asked her what made her weep4
 ,to which she replied1 ,these are your 
funeral tears4 ,sir ,john turned off the
 prediction with a merry answer4 ,but in
 a very few days he was seized with an  
apoplexy1 of which he presently died4   
#bai--,she also predicted the death of  
the duke of ,buckingham in the same     
year4 ,for this assumption of the gift  
of prophecy1 she was cited before the   
high-commission-court and examined in   
#afcd4 #bbj   ,,edward ,,fairfax4  ,it  
is a painful task to record1 that       
,edward ,fairfax1 the harmonious and    
elegant translator of ,tasso1 prosecuted
 six of his neighbours at ,york assizes 
in the year #afbb1 for witchcraft on his
 children4 ,the common facts of imps1   
fits1 and the apparition of the witches1
 were deposed against the prisoners4    
,the grand jury found the bill1 and the 
accused were arraigned4 ,but1 we are    
told1 the judge1 having a certificate of
 the sober behaviour of the prisoners1  

directed the jury so well as to induce  
them to bring in a verdict of acquittal4
 #bba ,the poet afterwards drew up a    
bulky argument and narrative in         
vindication of his conduct4   ,,doctor  
,,lamb4  ,dr4 ,lamb was a noted sorcerer
 in the time of ,charles the ,first4    
,the famous ,richard ,baxter1 in his    
,certainty of the ,world of ,spirits1   
printed in #afia1 has recorded an       
appropriate instance of the miraculous  
performances of this man4 ,meeting two  
of his acquaintance in the street1 and  
they having intimated a desire to       
witness some example of his skill1 he   
invited them home with him4 ,he then    
conducted them into an inner room1 when 
presently1 to their no small surprise1  
they saw a tree spring up in the middle 
of the apartment4 ,they had scarcely    
ceased wondering at this phenomenon1    
when in a moment there appeared three   
diminutive men1 with little axes in     
their hands for the purpose of cutting  
down this tree4 ,the tree was felled2   

and the doctor dismissed his guests1    
fully satisfied of the solidity of his  
pretensions4 ,that very night however a 
tremendous hurricane arose1 causing the 
house of one of the guests to rock from 
side to side1 with every appearance that
 the building would come down1 and bury 
him and his wife in the ruins4 ,the wife
 in great terror asked1 ,were you not at
 ,dr4 ,lamb's to-day8 ,the husband      
confessed it was true4 ,and did you not 
bring away something from his house8    
,the husband owned that1 when the little
 men felled the tree1 he had been idle  
enough to pick up some of the chips1 and
 put them in his pocket4 ,nothing now   
remained to be done1 but to produce the 
chips1 and get rid of them as fast as   
they could4 ,this ceremony performed1   
the whirlwind immediately ceased1 and   
the remainder of the night became       
perfectly calm and serene4  ,dr4 ,lamb  
at length became so odious by his       
reputation for these infernal practices1
 that the populace rose upon him in     

#afdj1 and tore him to pieces in the    
streets4--,nor did the effects of his   
ill fame terminate here4 ,thirteen years
 after1 a woman1 who had been his       
servant-maid1 was apprehended on a      
charge of witchcraft1 was tried1 and in 
expiation of her crime was executed at  
,tyburn4   ,,urbain ,,grandier4  ,a few 
years previously to the catastrophe of  
,dr4 ,lamb1 there occurred a scene in   
,france which it is eminently to the    
purpose of this work to record4 ,urbain 
,grandier1 a canon of the church1 and a 
popular preacher of the town of ,loudun 
in the district of ,poitiers1 was in the
 year #afcd brought to trial upon the   
accusation of magic4 ,the first cause of
 his being thus called in question was  
the envy of his rival preachers1 whose  
fame was eclipsed by his superior       
talents4 ,the second cause was a libel  
falsely imputed to him upon cardinal    
,richelieu1 who with all his eminent    
qualities had the infirmity of being    
inexorable upon the question of any     

personal attack that was made upon him4 
,grandier1 beside his eloquence1 was    
distinguished for his courage and       
resolution1 for the gracefulness of his 
figure1 and the extraordinary attention 
he paid to the neatness of his dress and
 the decoration of his person1 which    
last circumstance brought upon him the  
imputation of being too much devoted to 
the service of the fair4  ,about this   
time certain nuns of the convent of     
,ursulines at ,loudun were attacked with
 a disease which manifested itself by   
very extraordinary symptoms1 suggesting 
to many the idea that they were         
possessed with devils4 ,a rumour was    
immediately spread that ,grandier1 urged
 by some offence he had conceived       
against these nuns1 was the author1 by  
the skill he had in the arts of sorcery1
 of these possessions4 ,it unfortunately
 happened1 that the same capuchin friar 
who assured cardinal ,richelieu that    
,grandier was the writer of the libel   
against him1 also communicated to him   

the story of the possessed nuns1 and the
 suspicion which had fallen on the      
priest on their account4 ,the cardinal  
seized with avidity on this occasion of 
private vengeance1 wrote to a counsellor
 of state at ,loudun1 one of his        
creatures1 to cause a strict            
investigation to be made into the       
charge1 and in such terms as plainly    
implied that what he aimed at was the   
destruction of ,grandier4  ,the trial   
took place in the month of ,august      
#afcd2 and1 according to the authorised 
copy of the trial1 ,grandier was        
convicted upon the evidence of          
,astaroth1 a devil of the order of      
,seraphims1 and chief of the possessing 
devils1 of ,easas1 of ,celsus1 of       
,acaos1 of ,cedon1 of ,asmodeus of the  
order of thrones1 of ,alex1 of ,zabulon1
 of ,naphthalim1 of ,cham1 of ,uriel1   
and of ,achas of the order of           
principalities1 and sentenced to be     
burned alive4 ,in other words1 he was   
convicted upon the evidence of twelve   

nuns1 who1 being asked who they were1   
gave in these names1 and professed to be
 devils1 that1 compelled by the order of
 the court1 delivered a constrained     
testimony4 ,the sentence was accordingly
 executed1 and ,grandier met his fate   
with heroic constancy4 ,at his death an 
enormous drone fly was seen buzzing     
about his head2 and a monk1 who was     
present at the execution1 attested that1
 whereas the devils are accustomed to   
present themselves in the article of    
death to tempt men to deny ,god their   
,saviour1 this was ,beelzebub1 which in 
,hebrew signifies the ,god of flies1    
come to carry away to hell the soul of  
the victim4 #bbb   ,,astrology4  ,the   
supposed science of astrology is of a   
nature less tremendous1 and less        
appalling to the imagination1 than the  
commerce with devils and evil spirits1  
or the raising of the dead from the     
peace of the tomb to effect certain     
magical operations1 or to instruct the  
living as to the events that are        

speedily to befal them4 ,yet it is well 
worthy of attention in a work of this   
sort1 if for no other reason1 because it
 has prevailed in almost all nations and
 ages of the world1 and has been        
assiduously cultivated by men1          
frequently of great talent1 and who were
 otherwise distinguished for the        
soundness of their reasoning powers1 and
 for the steadiness and perseverance of 
their application to the pursuits in    
which they engaged4  ,the whole of the  
question was built upon the supposed    
necessary connection of certain aspects 
and conjunctions or oppositions of the  
stars and heavenly bodies1 with the     
events of the world and the characters  
and actions of men4 ,the human mind has 
ever confessed an anxiety to pry into   
the future1 and to deal in omens and    
prophetic suggestions1 and1 certain     
coincidences having occurred however    
fortuitously1 to deduce from them rules 
and maxims upon which to build an       
anticipation of things to come4  ,add to

 which1 it is flattering to the pride of
 man1 to suppose all nature concerned   
with and interested in what is of       
importance to ourselves4 ,of this we    
have an early example in the song of    
,deborah in the ,old ,testament1 where1 
in a fit of pious fervour and           
exaltation1 the poet exclaims1 ,they    
fought from heaven2 the stars in their  
courses fought against ,sisera4 #bbc    
,the general belief in astrology had a  
memorable effect on the history of the  
human mind4 ,all men in the first       
instance have an intuitive feeling of   
freedom in the acts they perform1 and of
 consequence of praise or blame due to  
them in just proportion to the integrity
 or baseness of the motives by which    
they are actuated4 ,this is in reality  
the most precious endowment of man4     
,hence it comes that the good man feels 
a pride and self-complacency in acts of 
virtue1 takes credit to himself for the 
independence of his mind1 and is        
conscious of the worth and honour to    

which he feels that he has a rightful   
claim4 ,but1 if all our acts are        
predetermined by something out of       
ourselves1 if1 however virtuous and     
honourable are our dispositions1 we are 
overruled by our stars1 and compelled to
 the acts1 which1 left to ourselves1 we 
should most resolutely disapprove1 our  
condition becomes slavery1 and we are   
left in a state the most abject and     
hopeless4 ,and1 though our situation in 
this respect is merely imaginary1 it    
does not the less fail to have very     
pernicious results to our characters4   
,men1 so far as they are believers in   
astrology1 look to the stars1 and not to
 themselves1 for an account of what they
 shall do1 and resign themselves to the 
omnipotence of a fate which they feel it
 in vain to resist4 ,of consequence1 a  
belief in astrology has the most        
unfavourable tendency as to the morality
 of man2 and1 were it not that the sense
 of the liberty of our actions is so    
strong that all the reasonings in the   

world cannot subvert it1 there would be 
a fatal close to all human dignity and  
all human virtue4   ,,william ,,lilly4  
,one of the most striking examples of   
the ascendancy of astrological faith is 
in the instance of ,william ,lilly4     
,this man has fortunately left us a     
narrative of his own life2 and he comes 
sufficiently near to our time1 to give  
us a feeling of reality in the          
transactions in which he was engaged1   
and to bring the scenes home to our     
business and bosoms4  ,before he enters 
expressly upon the history of his life1 
he gives us incidentally an anecdote    
which merits our attention1 as tending  
strongly to illustrate the credulity of 
man at the periods of which we treat4   
,lilly was born in the year #afjb4 ,when
 certain circumstances led his yet      
undetermined thoughts to the study of   
astrology as his principal pursuit1 he  
put himself in the year #afcb under the 
tuition of one ,evans1 whom he describes
 as poor1 ignorant1 drunken1            

presumptuous and knavish1 but who had a 
character1 as the phrase was1 for       
erecting a figure1 predicting future    
events1 discovering secrets1 restoring  
stolen goods1 and even for raising a    
spirit when he pleased4 ,sir ,kenelm    
,digby was one of the most promising    
characters of these times1 extremely    
handsome and graceful in his person1    
accomplished in all military exercises1 
endowed with high intellectual powers1  
and indefatigably inquisitive after     
knowledge4 ,to render him the more      
remarkable1 he was the eldest son of    
,everard ,digby1 who was the most       
eminent sufferer for the conspiracy of  
the ,gunpowder ,treason4  ,it was1 as it
 seems1 some time before ,lilly became  
acquainted with ,evans1 that lord       
,bothwel and sir ,kenelm ,digby came to 
,evans at his lodgings in the ,minories1
 for the express purpose of desiring him
 to shew them a spirit4 ,sir ,kenelm was
 born in the year #afjc2 he must have   
been therefore at this time a young man1

 but sufficiently old to know what he   
sought1 and to choose the subjects of   
his enquiry with a certain discretion4  
,evans consented to gratify the         
curiosity of his illustrious visitors4  
,he drew a circle1 and placed himself   
and the two strangers within the circle4
 ,he began his invocations4 ,on a       
sudden1 ,evans was taken away from the  
others1 and found himself1 he knew not  
how1 in ,battersea ,fields near the     
,thames4 ,the next morning a countryman 
discovered him asleep1 and1 having      
awaked him1 in answer to his enquiries  
told him where he was4 ,evans in the    
afternoon sent a messenger to his wife1 
to inform her of his safety1 and to calm
 the apprehensions she might reasonably 
entertain4 ,just as the messenger       
arrived1 sir ,kenelm ,digby came to the 
house1 curious to enquire respecting the
 issue of the adventure of yesterday4   
,lilly received this story from ,evans2 
and1 having asked him how such an event 
came to attend on the experiment1 was   

answered that1 in practising the        
invocation1 he had heedlessly omitted   
the necessary suffumigation1 at which   
omission the spirit had taken offence4  
,lilly made some progress in astrology  
under ,evans1 and practised the art in  
minor matters with a certain success2   
but his ambition led him to aspire to   
the highest place in his profession4 ,he
 made an experiment to discover a hidden
 treasure in ,westminster ,abbey2 and1  
having obtained leave for that purpose  
from the bishop of ,lincoln1 dean of    
,westminster1 he resorted to the spot   
with about thirty persons more1 with    
divining rods4 ,he fixed on the place   
according to the rules1 and began to    
dig2 but he had not proceeded far1      
before a furious storm came on1 and he  
judged it advisable to dismiss the      
demons1 and desist4 ,these supernatural 
assistants1 he says1 had taken offence  
at the number and levity of the persons 
present2 and1 if he had not left off    
when he did1 he had no doubt that the   

storm would have grown more and more    
violent1 till the whole structure would 
have been laid level with the ground4   
,he purchased himself a house to which  
to retire in #afcf at ,hersham near     
,walton on ,thames1 having1 though      
originally bred in the lowest obscurity1
 twice enriched himself in some degree  
by marriage4 ,he came to ,london with a 
view to practise his favourite art in   
#afda2 but1 having received a secret    
monition warning him that he was not yet
 sufficiently an adept1 he retired again
 into the country for two years1 and did
 not finally commence his career till   
#afdd1 when he published a ,prophetical 
,almanac1 which he continued to do till 
about the time of his death4 ,he then   
immediately began to rise into          
considerable notice4 ,mrs4 ,lisle1 the  
wife of one of the commissioners of the 
great seal1 took to him the urine of    
,whitlocke1 one of the most eminent     
lawyers of the time1 to consult him     
respecting the health of the party1 when

 he informed the lady that the person   
would recover from his present disease1 
but about a month after would be very   
dangerously ill of a surfeit1 which     
accordingly happened4 ,he was protected 
by the great ,selden1 who interested    
himself in his favour2 and he tells us  
that ,lenthal1 speaker of the house of  
commons1 was at all times his friend4   
,he further says of himself that he was 
originally partial to king ,charles and 
to monarchy3 but1 when the parliament   
had apparently the upper hand1 he had   
the skill to play his cards accordingly1
 and secured his favour with the ruling 
powers4 ,whitlocke1 in his ,memorials of
 ,affairs in his ,own ,times1 takes     
repeated notice of him1 says that1      
meeting him in the street in the spring 
of #afde1 he enquired of ,lilly as to   
what was likely speedily to happen1 who 
predicted to him the battle of ,naseby1 
and notes in #afdh that some of his     
prognostications fell out very          
strangely1 particularly as to the king's

 fall from his horse about this time4   
,lilly applied to ,whitlocke in favour  
of his rival1 ,wharton1 the astrologer1 
and his prayer was granted1 and again in
 behalf of ,oughtred1 the celebrated    
mathematician4  ,lilly and ,booker1 a   
brother-astrologer1 were sent for in    
great form1 with a coach and four       
horses1 to the head-quarters of ,fairfax
 at ,windsor1 towards the end of the    
year #afdg1 when they told the general1 
that they were confident that ,god would
 go along with him and his army1 till   
the great work for which they were      
ordained was perfected1 which they hoped
 would be the conquering their and the  
parliament's enemies1 and a quiet       
settlement and firm peace over the whole
 nation4 ,the two astrologers were sent 
for in the same state in the following  
year to the siege of ,colchester1 which 
they predicted would soon fall into     
possession of the parliament4  ,lilly in
 the mean while retained in secret his  
partiality to ,charles the ,first4 ,mrs4

 ,whorwood1 a lady who was fully in the 
king's confidence1 came to consult him1 
as to the place to which ,charles should
 retire when he escaped from ,hampton   
,court4 ,lilly prescribed accordingly2  
but ,ashburnham disconcerted all his    
measures1 and the king made his         
inauspicious retreat to the isle of     
,wight4 ,afterwards he was consulted by 
the same lady1 as to the way in which   
,charles should proceed respecting the  
negociations with the parliamentary     
commissioners at ,newport1 when ,lilly  
advised that the king should sign all   
the propositions1 and come up           
immediately with the commissioners to   
,london1 in which case ,lilly did not   
doubt that the popular tide would turn  
in his favour1 and the royal cause prove
 triumphant4 ,finally1 he tells us that 
he furnished the saw and aqua fortis1   
with which the king had nearly removed  
the bars of the window of his prison in 
,carisbrook ,castle1 and escaped4 ,but  
,charles manifested the same            

irresolution at the critical moment in  
this case1 which had before proved fatal
 to his success4 ,in the year #afdi     
,lilly received a pension of one hundred
 pounds per annum from the council of   
state1 which1 after having been paid him
 for two years1 he declined to accept   
any longer4 ,in #afei he received a     
present of a gold chain and medal from  
,charles ,x king of ,sweden1 in         
acknowledgment of the respectful mention
 he had made of that monarch in his     
almanacs4  ,lilly lived to a            
considerable age1 not having died till  
the year #afha4 ,in the year #afff he   
was summoned before a committee of the  
house of commons1 on the frivolous      
ground that1 in his ,monarchy or ,no    
,monarchy published fifteen years       
before1 he had introduced sixteen       
plates1 among which was one1 the eighth1
 representing persons digging graves1   
with coffins1 and other emblems         
significative of mortality1 and1 in the 
thirteenth1 a city in flames4 ,he was   

asked whether these things referred to  
the late plague and fire of ,london4    
,lilly replied in a manner to intimate  
that they did2 but he ingenuously       
confessed that he had not known in what 
year they would happen4 ,he said1 that  
he had given these emblematical         
representations without any comment1    
that those who were competent might     
apprehend their meaning1 whilst the rest
 of the world remained in the ignorance 
which was their appointed portion4      
,,matthew ,,hopkins4  ,nothing can place
 the credulity of the ,english nation on
 the subject of witchcraft about this   
time1 in a more striking point of view1 
than the history of ,matthew ,hopkins1  
who1 in a pamphlet published in #afdg in
 his own vindication1 assumes to himself
 the surname of the ,witch-finder4 ,he  
fell by accident1 in his native county  
of ,suffolk1 into contact with one or   
two reputed witches1 and1 being a man of
 an observing turn and an ingenious     
invention1 struck out for himself a     

trade1 which brought him such moderate  
returns as sufficed to maintain him1 and
 at the same time gratified his ambition
 by making him a terror to many1 and the
 object of admiration and gratitude to  
more1 who felt themselves indebted to   
him for ridding them of secret and      
intestine enemies1 against whom1 as long
 as they proceeded in ways that left no 
footsteps behind1 they felt they had no 
possibility of guarding themselves4     
,hopkins's career was something like    
that of ,titus ,oates in the following  
reign1 but apparently much safer for the
 adventurer1 since ,oates armed against 
himself a very formidable party1 while  
,hopkins seemed to assail a few only    
here and there1 who were poor1          
debilitated1 impotent and helpless4     
,after two or three successful          
experiments1 ,hopkins engaged in a      
regular tour of the counties of         
,norfolk1 ,suffolk1 ,essex and          
,huntingdonshire4 ,he united to him two 
confederates1 a man named ,john ,stern1 

and a woman whose name has not been     
handed down to us4 ,they visited every  
town in their route that invited them1  
and secured to them the moderate        
remuneration of twenty shillings and    
their expences1 leaving what was more   
than this to the spontaneous gratitude  
of those who should deem themselves     
indebted to the exertions of ,hopkins   
and his party4 ,by this expedient they  
secured to themselves a favourable      
reception2 and a set of credulous       
persons who would listen to their       
dictates as so many oracles4 ,being     
three of them1 they were enabled to play
 the game into one another's hands1 and 
were sufficiently strong to overawe all 
timid and irresolute opposition4 ,in    
every town to which they came1 they     
enquired for reputed witches1 and having
 taken them into custody1 were secure   
for the most part of a certain number of
 zealous abettors1 who took care that   
they should have a clear stage for their
 experiments4 ,they overawed their      

helpless victims with a certain air of  
authority1 as if they had received a    
commission from heaven for the discovery
 of misdeeds4 ,they assailed the poor   
creatures with a multitude of questions 
constructed in the most artful manner4  
,they stripped them naked1 in search for
 the devil's marks in different parts of
 their bodies1 which were ascertained by
 running pins to the head into those    
parts1 that1 if they were genuine marks1
 would prove themselves such by their   
insensibility4 ,they swam their victims 
in rivers and ponds1 it being an        
undoubted fact1 that1 if the persons    
accused were true witches1 the water1   
which was the symbol of admission into  
the ,christian church1 would not receive
 them into its bosom4 ,if the persons   
examined continued obstinate1 they      
seated them in constrained and uneasy   
attitudes1 occasionally binding them    
with cords1 and compelling them to      
remain so without food or sleep for     
twenty-four hours4 ,they walked them up 

and down the room1 two taking them under
 each arm1 till they dropped down with  
fatigue4 ,they carefully swept the room 
in which the experiment was made1 that  
they might keep away spiders and flies1 
which were supposed to be devils or     
their imps in that disguise4  ,the most 
plentiful inquisition of ,hopkins and   
his confederates was in the years #afdd1
 #afde and #afdf4 ,at length there were 
so many persons committed to prison upon
 suspicion of witchcraft1 that the      
government was compelled to take in hand
 the affair4 ,the rural magistrates     
before whom ,hopkins and his            
confederates brought their victims1 were
 obliged1 willingly or unwillingly1 to  
commit them for trial4 ,a commission was
 granted to the earl of ,warwick and    
others to hold a sessions of            
jail-delivery against them for ,essex at
 ,chelmsford1 ,lord ,warwick was at this
 time the most popular nobleman in      
,england4 ,he was appointed by the      
parliament lord high admiral during the 

civil war4 ,he was much courted by the  
independent clergy1 was shrewd1         
penetrating and active1 and exhibited a 
singular mixture of pious demeanour with
 a vein of facetiousness and jocularity4
 ,with him was sent ,dr4 ,calamy1 the   
most eminent divine of the period of the
 ,commonwealth1 to see 7says ,baxter    
#bbd7 that no fraud was committed1 or   
wrong done to the parties accused4 ,it  
may well be doubted however whether the 
presence of this clergyman did not      
operate unfavourably to the persons     
suspected4 ,he preached before the      
judges4 ,it may readily be believed1    
considering the temper of the times1    
that he insisted much upon the horrible 
nature of the sin of witchcraft1 which  
could expect no pardon1 either in this  
world or the world to come4 ,he sat on  
the bench with the judges1 and          
participated in their deliberations4 ,in
 the result of this inquisition sixteen 
persons were hanged at ,yarmouth in     
,norfolk1 fifteen at ,chelmsford1 and   

sixty at various places in the county of
 ,suffolk4  ,whitlocke in his ,memorials
 of ,english ,affairs1 under the date of
 #afdi1 speaks of many witches being    
apprehended about ,newcastle1 upon the  
information of a person whom he calls   
the ,witch-finder1 who1 as his          
experiments were nearly the same1 though
 he is not named1 we may reasonably     
suppose to be ,hopkins2 and in the      
following year about ,boston in         
,lincolnshire4 ,in #afeb and #afec the  
same author speaks of women in          
,scotland1 who were put to incredible   
torture to extort from them a confession
 of what their adversaries imputed to   
them4  ,the fate of ,hopkins was such us
 might be expected in similar cases4    
,the multitude are at first impressed   
with horror at the monstrous charges    
that are advanced4 ,they are seized1 as 
by contagion1 with terror at the        
mischiefs which seem to impend over     
them1 and from which no innocence and no
 precaution appear to afford them       

sufficient protection4 ,they hasten1 as 
with an unanimous effort1 to avenge     
themselves upon these malignant enemies1
 whom ,god and man alike combine to     
expel from society4 ,but1 after a time1 
they begin to reflect1 and to apprehend 
that they have acted with too much      
precipitation1 that they have been led  
on with uncertain appearances4 ,they see
 one victim led to the gallows after    
another1 without stint or limitation4   
,they see one dying with the most solemn
 asseverations of innocence1 and another
 confessing apparently she knows not    
what1 what is put into her mouth by her 
relentless persecutors4 ,they see these 
victims1 old1 crazy and impotent1       
harassed beyond endurance by the        
ingenious cruelties that are practised  
against them4 ,they were first urged on 
by implacable hostility and fury1 to be 
satisfied with nothing but blood4 ,but  
humanity and remorse also have their    
turn4 ,dissatisfied with themselves1    
they are glad to point their resentment 

against another4 ,the man that at first 
they hailed as a public benefactor1 they
 presently come to regard with jealous  
eyes1 and begin to consider as a cunning
 impostor1 dealing in cool blood with   
the lives of his fellow-creatures for a 
paltry gain1 and1 still more horrible1  
for the lure of a perishable and        
short-lived fame4 ,the multitude1 we are
 told1 after a few seasons1 rose upon   
,hopkins1 and resolved to subject him to
 one of his own criterions4 ,they       
dragged him to a pond1 and threw him    
into the water for a witch4 ,it seems he
 floated on the surface1 as a witch     
ought to do4 ,they then pursued him with
 hootings and revilings1 and drove him  
for ever into that obscurity and        
ignominy which he had amply merited4    
,,cromwel4  ,there is a story of        
,cromwel recorded by ,echard1 the       
historian1 which well deserves to be    
mentioned1 as strikingly illustrative of
 the credulity which prevailed about    
this period4 ,it takes its date from the

 morning of the third of ,september1    
#afea1 when ,cromwel gained the battle  
of ,worcester against ,charles the      
,second1 which he was accustomed to call
 by a name sufficiently significant1 his
 crowning victory4 ,it is told on the   
authority of a colonel ,lindsey1 who is 
said to have been an intimate friend of 
the usurper1 and to have been commonly  
known by that name1 as being in reality 
the senior captain in ,cromwel's own    
regiment4 ,on this memorable morning the
 general1 it seems1 took this officer   
with him to a woodside not far from the 
army1 and bade him alight1 and follow   
him into that wood1 and to take         
particular notice of what he saw and    
heard4 ,after having alighted1 and      
secured their horses1 and walked some   
little way into the wood1 ,lindsey began
 to turn pale1 and to be seized with    
horror from some unknown cause4 ,upon   
which ,cromwel asked him how he did1 or 
how he felt himself4 ,he answered1 that 
he was in such a trembling and          

consternation1 that he had never felt   
the like in all the conflicts and       
battles he had ever been engaged in3 but
 whether it proceeded from the          
gloominess of the place1 or the         
temperature of his body1 he knew not4   
',how now8' said ,cromwel1 ',what1      
troubled with the vapours8 ,come        
forward1 man4' ,they had not gone above 
twenty yards further1 before ,lindsey on
 a sudden stood still1 and cried out1   
',by all that is good ,i am seized with 
such unaccountable terror and           
astonishment1 that it is impossible for 
me to stir one step further4' ,upon     
which ,cromwel called him1              
',fainthearted fool6' and bade him1     
'stand there1 and observe1 or be        
witness4' ,and then the general1        
advancing to some distance from him1 met
 a grave1 elderly man with a roll of    
parchment in his hand1 who delivered it 
to ,cromwel1 and he eagerly perused it1 
,lindsey1 a little recovered from his   
fear1 heard several loud words between  

them3 particularly ,cromwel said1 ',this
 is but for seven years2 ,i was to have 
had it for one-and-twenty2 and it must1 
and shall be so4' ,the other told him   
positively1 it could not be for more    
than seven4 ,upon which ,cromwel cried  
with great fierceness1 ',it shall       
however be for fourteen years4' ,but the
 other peremptorily declared1 ',it could
 not possibly be for any longer time2   
and1 if he would not take it so1 there  
were others that would4' ,upon which    
,cromwel at last took the parchment3    
and1 returning to ,lindsey with great   
joy in his countenance1 he cried1 ',now1
 ,lindsey1 the battle is our own6 ,i    
long to be engaged4' ,returning out of  
the wood1 they rode to the army1        
,cromwel with a resolution to engage as 
soon as possible1 and the other with a  
design to leave the army as soon4 ,after
 the first charge1 ,lindsey deserted his
 post1 and rode away with all possible  
speed day and night1 till he came into  
the county of ,norfolk1 to the house of 

an intimate friend1 one ,mr4            
,thoroughgood1 minister of the parish of
 ,grimstone4 ,cromwel1 as soon as he    
missed him1 sent all ways after him1    
with a promise of a great reward to any 
that should bring him alive or dead4    
,when ,mr4 ,thoroughgood saw his friend 
,lindsey come into his yard1 his horse  
and himself much tired1 in a sort of a  
maze1 he said1 ',how now1 colonel8 ,we  
hear there is likely to be a battle     
shortly3 what1 fled from your colours8' 
',a battle1' said the other2 'yes there 
has been a battle1 and ,i am sure the   
king is beaten4 ,but1 if ever ,i strike 
a stroke for ,cromwel again1 may ,i     
perish eternally6 ,for ,i am sure he has
 made a league with the devil1 and the  
devil will have him in due time4' ,then1
 desiring his protection from ,cromwel's
 inquisitors1 he went in1 and related to
 him the story in all its circumstances4
 ,it is scarcely necessary to remind the
 reader1 that ,cromwel died on that day 
seven years1 ,september the third1      

#afeh4  ,echard adds1 to prove his      
impartiality as an historian1 ,how far  
,lindsey is to be believed1 and how far 
the story is to be accounted incredible1
 is left to the reader's faith and      
judgment1 and not to any determination  
of our own4   ,,dorothy ,,mateley4  ,i  
find a story dated about this period1   
which1 though it does not strictly      
belong to the subject of necromancy or  
dealings with the devil1 seems well to  
deserve to be inserted in this work4    
,the topic of which ,i treat is properly
 of human credulity2 and this infirmity 
of our nature can scarcely be more      
forcibly illustrated than in the        
following example4 ,it is recorded by   
the well-known ,john ,bunyan1 in a      
fugitive tract of his1 entitled the     
,life and ,death of ,mr4 ,badman1 but   
which has since been inserted in the    
works of the author in two volumes      
folio4 ,in minuteness of particularity  
and detail it may vie with almost any   
story which human industry has          

collected1 and human simplicity has ever
 placed upon record4  ,there was1 says  
my author1 a poor woman1 by name        
,dorothy ,mateley1 who lived at a small 
village1 called ,ashover1 in the county 
of ,derby4 ,the way in which she earned 
her subsistence1 was by washing the     
rubbish that came from the lead-mines in
 that neighbourhood through a sieve1    
which labour she performed till the     
earth had passed the sieve1 and what    
remained was particles and small        
portions of genuine ore4 ,this woman was
 of exceedingly low and coarse habits1  
and was noted to be a profane swearer1  
curser1 liar and thief2 and her usual   
way of asserting things was with an     
imprecation1 as1 ',i would ,i might sink
 into the earth1 if it be not so1' or1  
',i would that ,god would make the earth
 open and swallow me up1 if ,i tell an  
untruth4'  ,now it happened on the #bcrd
 of ,march1 #affj1 according to our     
computation #affa1 that she was washing 
ore on the top of a steep hill about a  

quarter of a mile from ,ashover1 when a 
lad who was working on the spot missed  
two-pence out of his pocket1 and        
immediately bethought himself of        
charging ,dorothy with the theft4 ,he   
had thrown off his breeches1 and was    
working in his drawers4 ,dorothy with   
much seeming indignation denied the     
charge1 and added1 as was usual with    
her1 that she wished the ground might   
open and swallow her up1 if she had the 
boy's money4  ,one ,george ,hopkinson1 a
 man of good report in ,ashover1        
happened to pass at no great distance at
 the time4 ,he stood a while to talk to 
the woman4 ,there stood also near the   
tub a little child1 who was called to by
 her elder sister to come away4         
,hopkinson therefore took the little    
girl by the hand to lead her to her that
 called her4 ,but he had not gone ten   
yards from ,dorothy1 when he heard her  
crying out for help1 and turning back1  
to his great astonishment he saw the    
woman1 with her tub and her sieve1      

twirling round and round1 and sinking at
 the same time in the earth4 ,she sunk  
about three yards1 and then stopped1 at 
the same time calling lustily for       
assistance4 ,but at that very moment a  
great stone fell upon her head1 and     
broke her skull1 and the earth fell in  
and covered her4 ,she was afterwards    
digged up1 and found about four yards   
under ground1 and the boy's two pennies 
were discovered on her person1 but the  
tub and the sieve had altogether        
disappeared4   ,,witches ,,hanged ,,by  
,,sir ,,matthew ,,hale4  ,one of the    
most remarkable trials that occur in the
 history of criminal jurisprudence1 was 
that of ,amy ,duny and ,rose ,cullender 
at ,bury ,st4 ,edmund's in the year     
#affd4 ,not for the circumstances that  
occasioned it2 for they were of the     
coarsest and most vulgar materials4 ,the
 victims were two poor1 solitary women  
of the town of ,lowestoft in ,suffolk1  
who had by temper and demeanour rendered
 themselves particularly obnoxious to   

their whole neighbourhood4 ,whenever    
they were offended with any one1 and    
this frequently happened1 they vented   
their wrath in curses and ill language1 
muttered between their teeth1 and the   
sense of which could scarcely be        
collected2 and ever and anon they       
proceeded to utter dark predictions of  
evil1 which should happen in revenge for
 the ill treatment they received4 ,the  
fishermen would not sell them fish2 and 
the boys in the street were taught to   
fly from them with horror1 or to pursue 
them with hootings and scurrilous abuse4
 ,the principal charges against them    
were1 that the children of two families 
were many times seized with fits1 in    
which they exclaimed that they saw ,amy 
,duny and ,rose ,cullender coming to    
torment them4 ,they vomited1 and in     
their vomit were often found pins1 and  
once or twice a two-penny nail4 ,one or 
two of the children died2 for the       
accusations spread over a period of     
eight years1 from #afef to the time of  

the trial4 ,to back these allegations1 a
 waggoner appeared1 whose waggon had    
been twice overturned in one morning1 in
 consequence of the curses of one of the
 witches1 the waggon having first run   
against her hovel1 and materially       
injured it4 ,another time the waggon    
stuck fast in a gate-way1 though the    
posts on neither side came in contact   
with the wheels2 and1 one of the posts  
being cut down1 the waggon passed easily
 along4  ,this trial1 as ,i have said1  
was no way memorable for the            
circumstances that occasioned it1 but   
for the importance of the persons who   
were present1 and had a share in the    
conduct of it4 ,the judge who presided  
was sir ,matthew ,hale1 then chief baron
 of the exchequer1 and who had before   
rendered himself remarkable for his     
undaunted resistance to one of the      
arbitrary mandates of ,cromwel1 then in 
the height of his power1 which was      
addressed to ,hale in his capacity of   
judge4 ,hale was also an eminent author1

 who had treated upon the abstrusest    
subjects1 and was equally distinguished 
for his piety and inflexible integrity4 
,another person1 who was present1 and   
accidentally took part in the           
proceedings1 was sir ,thomas ,browne1   
the superlatively eloquent and able     
author of the ,religio ,medici4 7,he    
likewise took a part on the side of     
superstition in the trial of the        
,lancashire witches in #afcd47 ,a judge 
also who assisted at the trial was      
,keeling1 who afterwards occupied the   
seat of chief justice4  ,sir ,matthew   
,hale apparently paid deep attention to 
the trial1 and felt much perplexed by   
the evidence4 ,seeing sir ,thomas       
,browne in court1 and knowing him for a 
man of extensive information and vast   
powers of intellect1 ,hale appealed to  
him1 somewhat extrajudicially1 for his  
thoughts on what had transpired4 ,sir   
,thomas gave it as his opinion that the 
children were bewitched1 and inforced   
his position by something that had      

lately occured in ,denmark4 ,keeling    
dissented from this1 and inclined to the
 belief that it might all be practice1  
and that there was nothing supernatural 
in the affair4  ,the chief judge was    
cautious in his proceeding4 ,he even    
refused to sum up the evidence1 lest he 
might unawares put a gloss of his own   
upon any thing that had been sworn1 but 
left it all to the jury4 ,he told them  
that the ,scriptures left no doubt that 
there was such a thing as witchcraft1   
and instructed them that all they had to
 do was1 first1 to consider whether the 
children were really bewitched1 and     
secondly1 whether the witchcraft was    
sufficiently brought home to the        
prisoners at the bar4 ,the jury returned
 a verdict of guilty2 and the two women 
were hanged on the seventeenth of ,march
 #affd1 one week after their trial4 ,the
 women shewed very little activity      
during the trial1 and died protesting   
their innocence4 #bbe  ,this trial is   
particularly memorable for the          

circumstances that attended it4 ,it has 
none of the rust of ages3 no obscurity  
arises from a long vista of years       
interposed between4 ,sir ,matthew ,hale 
and sir ,thomas ,browne are eminent     
authors2 and there is something in such 
men1 that in a manner renders them the  
contemporaries of all times1 the living 
acquaintance of successive ages of the  
world4 ,names generally stand on the    
page of history as mere abstract        
idealities2 but in the case of these men
 we are familiar with their tempers and 
prejudices1 their virtues and vices1    
their strength and their weakness4      
,they proceed in the first place upon   
the assumption that there is such a     
thing as witchcraft1 and therefore have 
nothing to do but with the cogency or   
weakness of evidence as applied to this 
particular case4 ,now what are the      
premises on which they proceed in this  
question8 ,they believe in a ,god1      
omniscient1 all wise1 all powerful1 and 
whose tender mercies are over all his   

works4 ,they believe in a devil1 awful  
almost as ,god himself1 for he has power
 nearly unlimited1 and a will to work   
all evil1 with subtlety1 deep reach of  
thought1 vigilant1 walking about1       
seeking whom he may devour4 ,this they  
believe1 for they refer to the          
,scriptures1 as confirming beyond doubt 
that there is such a thing as           
witchcraft4 ,now what office do they    
assign to the devil1 the prince of the  
power of the air1 at whose mighty       
attributes1 combined with his insatiable
 malignity1 the wisest of us might well 
stand aghast8 ,it is the first law of   
sound sense and just judgment1          
--servetur ad imum1   ,qualis ab        
incoepto processerit1 et sibi constet2  
that every character which we place on  
the scene of things should demean       
himself as his beginning promises1 and  
preserve a consistency that1 to a mind  
sufficiently sagacious1 should almost   
serve us in lieu of the gift of         
prophecy4 ,and how is this devil        

employed according to sir ,matthew ,hale
 and sir ,thomas ,browne8 ,why in       
proffering himself as the willing tool  
of the malice of two doting old women4  
,in afflicting with fits1 in causing    
them to vomit pins and nails1 the       
children of the parents who had treated 
the old women with barbarity and        
cruelty4 ,in judgment upon these women  
sit two men1 in some respects the most  
enlightened of an age that produced     
,paradise ,lost1 and in confirmation of 
this blessed creed two women are        
executed in cool blood1 in a country    
which had just achieved its liberties   
under the guidance and the virtues of   
,hampden4  ,what right we have in any   
case to take away the life of a human   
being already in our power1 and under   
the forms of justice1 is a problem1 one 
of the hardest that can be proposed for 
the wit of man to solve4 ,but to see    
some of the wisest of men1 sitting in   
judgment upon the lives of two human    
creatures in consequence of the forgery 

and tricks of a set of malicious        
children1 as in this case undoubtedly it
 was1 is beyond conception deplorable4  
,let us think for a moment of the       
inexpressible evils which a man         
encounters when dragged from his        
peaceful home under a capital           
accusation1 of his arraignment in open  
court1 of the orderly course of the     
evidence1 and of the sentence awarded   
against him1 of the damned minutes and  
days he counts over from that time to   
his execution1 of his being finally     
brought forth before a multitude        
exasperated by his supposed crimes1 and 
his being cast out from off the earth as
 unworthy so much as to exist among men1
 and all this being wholly innocent4    
,the consciousness of innocence a       
hundred fold embitters the pang4 ,and1  
if these poor women were too obtuse of  
soul entirely to feel the pang1 did that
 give their superiors a right to        
overwhelm and to crush them8            
,,witchcraft ,,in ,,sweden4  ,the story 

of witchcraft1 as it is reported to have
 passed in ,sweden in the year #afgj1   
and has many times been reprinted in    
this country1 is on several accounts one
 of the most interesting and deplorable 
that has ever been recorded4 ,the scene 
lies in ,dalecarlia1 a country for ever 
memorable as having witnessed some of   
the earliest adventures of ,gustavus    
,vasa1 his deepest humiliation1 and the 
first commencement of his prosperous    
fortune4 ,the ,dalecarlians are         
represented to us as the simplest1 the  
most faithful1 and the bravest of the   
sons of men1 men undebauched and        
unsuspicious1 but who devoted themselves
 in the most disinterested manner for a 
cause that appeared to them worthy of   
support1 the cause of liberty and       
independence against the cruelest of    
tyrants4 ,at least such they were in    
#aebj1 one hundred and fifty years      
before the date of the story we are     
going to recount4--,the site of these   
events was at ,mohra and ,elfdale in the

 province that has just been mentioned4 
,the ,dalecarlians1 simple and ignorant1
 but of exemplary integrity and honesty1
 who dwelt amidst impracticable         
mountains and spacious mines of copper  
and iron1 were distinguished for        
superstition among the countries of the 
north1 where all were superstitious4    
,they were probably subject at intervals
 to the periodical visitation of alarms 
of witches1 when whole races of men     
became wild with the infection without  
any one's being well able to account for
 it4  ,in the year #afgj1 and one or two
 preceding years1 there was a great     
alarm of witches in the town of ,mohra4 
,there were always two or three witches 
existing in some of the obscure quarters
 of this place4 ,but now they increased 
in number1 and shewed their faces with  
the utmost audacity4 ,their mode on the 
present occasion was to make a journey  
through the air to ,blockula1 an        
imaginary scene of retirement1 which    
none but the witches and their dupes had

 ever seen4 ,here they met with feasts  
and various entertainments1 which it    
seems had particular charms for the     
persons who partook of them4 ,the       
witches used to go into a field in the  
environs of ,mohra1 and cry aloud to the
 devil in a peculiar sort of recitation1
 ,antecessor1 come and carry us to      
,blockula6 ,then appeared a multitude of
 strange beasts1 men1 spits1 posts1 and 
goats with spits run through their      
entrails and projecting behind that all 
might have room4 ,the witches mounted   
these beasts of burthen or vehicles1 and
 were conveyed through the air over high
 walls and mountains1 and through       
churches and chimneys1 without          
perceptible impediment1 till they       
arrived at the place of their           
destination4 ,here the devil feasted    
them with various compounds and         
confections1 and1 having eaten to their 
hearts' content1 they danced1 and then  
fought4 ,the devil made them ride on    
spits1 from which they were thrown2 and 

the devil beat them with the spits1 and 
laughed at them4 ,he then caused them to
 build a house to protect them against  
the day of judgment1 and presently      
overturned the walls of the house1 and  
derided them again4 ,all sorts of       
obscenities were reported to follow upon
 these scenes4 ,the devil begot on the  
witches sons and daughters3 this new    
generation intermarried again1 and the  
issue of this further conjunction       
appears to have been toads and serpents4
 ,how all this pedigree proceeded in the
 two or three years in which ,blockula  
had ever been heard of1 ,i know not that
 the witches were ever called on to     
explain4  ,but what was most of all to  
be deplored1 the devil was not content  
with seducing the witches to go and     
celebrate this infernal sabbath2 he     
further insisted that they should bring 
the children of ,mohra along with them4 
,at first he was satisfied1 if each     
witch brought one2 but now he demanded  
that each witch should bring six or     

seven for her quota4 ,how the witches   
managed with the minds of the children  
we are at a loss to guess4 ,these poor1 
harmless innocents1 steeped to the very 
lips in ignorance and superstition1 were
 by some means kept in continual alarm  
by the wicked1 or1 to speak more truly1 
the insane old women1 and said as their 
prompters said4 ,it does not appear that
 the children ever left their beds1 at  
the time they reported they had been to 
,blockula4 ,their parents watched them  
with fearful anxiety4 ,at a certain time
 of the night the children were seized  
with a strange shuddering1 their limbs  
were agitated1 and their skins covered  
with a profuse perspiration4 ,when they 
came to themselves1 they related that   
they had been to ,blockula1 and the     
strange things they had seen1 similar to
 what had already been described by the 
women4 ,three hundred children of       
various ages are said to have been      
seized with this epidemic4  ,the whole  
town of ,mohra became subject to the    

infection1 and were overcome with the   
deepest affliction4 ,they consulted     
together1 and drew up a petition to the 
royal council at ,stockholm1 intreating 
that they would discover some remedy1   
and that the government would interpose 
its authority to put an end to a        
calamity to which otherwise they could  
find no limit4 ,the king of ,sweden was 
at that time ,charles the ,eleventh1    
father of ,charles the ,twelfth1 and was
 only fourteen years of age4 ,his       
council in their wisdom deputed two     
commissioners to ,mohra1 and furnished  
them with powers to examine witnesses1  
and to take whatever proceedings they   
might judge necessary to put an end to  
so unspeakable a calamity4  ,they       
entered on the business of their        
commission on the thirteenth of ,august1
 the ceremony having been begun with two
 sermons in the great church of ,mohra1 
in which we may be sure the damnable sin
 of witchcraft was fully dilated on1 and
 concluding with prayers to ,almighty   

,god that in his mercy he would speedily
 bring to an end the tremendous         
misfortune1 with which for their sins he
 had seen fit to afflict the poor people
 of ,mohra4 ,the next day they opened   
their commission4 ,seventy witches were 
brought before them4 ,they were all at  
first stedfast in their denial1 alleging
 that the charges were wantonly brought 
against them1 solely from malice and ill
 will4 ,but the judges were earnest in  
pressing them1 till at length first one1
 and then another2 burst into tears1 and
 confessed all4 ,twenty-three were      
prevailed on thus to disburthen their   
consciences2 but nearly the whole1 as   
well those who owned the justice of     
their sentence1 as those who protested  
their innocence to the last1 were       
executed4 ,fifteen children confessed   
their guilt1 and were also executed4    
,thirty-six other children 7who we may  
infer did not confess71 between the ages
 of nine and sixteen1 were condemned to 
run the gauntlet1 and to be whipped on  

their hands at the church-door every    
,sunday for a year together4 ,twenty    
others were whipped on their hands for  
three ,sundays4 #bbf  ,this is certainly
 a very deplorable scene1 and is made   
the more so by the previous character   
which history has impressed on us1 of   
the simplicity1 integrity1 and generous 
love of liberty of the ,dalecarlians4   
,for the children and their parents we  
can feel nothing but unmingled pity4    
,the case of the witches is different4  
,that three hundred children should have
 been made the victims of this imaginary
 witchcraft is doubtless a grievous     
calamity4 ,and that a number of women   
should have been found so depraved and  
so barbarous1 as by their incessant     
suggestions to have practised on the    
minds of these children1 so as to have  
robbed them of sober sense1 to have     
frightened them into fits and disease1  
and made them believe the most odious   
impossibilities1 argued a most          
degenerate character1 and well merited  

severe reprobation1 but not death4 ,add 
to which1 many of these women may be    
believed innocent1 otherwise a great    
majority of those who were executed1    
would not have died protesting their    
entire freedom from what was imputed to 
them4 ,some of the parents no doubt1    
from folly and ill judgment1 aided the  
alienation of mind in their children    
which they afterwards so deeply         
deplored1 and gratified their senseless 
aversion to the old women1 when they    
were themselves in many cases more the  
real authors of the evil than those who 
suffered4   ,,witchcraft ,,in ,,new     
,,england4  ,as a story of witchcraft1  
without any poetry in it1 without any   
thing to amuse the imagination1 or      
interest the fancy1 but hard1 prosy1 and
 accompanied with all that is wretched1 
pitiful and withering1 perhaps the well 
known story of the ,new ,england        
witchcraft surpasses every thing else   
upon record4 ,the ,new ,englanders were 
at this time1 towards the close of the  

seventeenth century1 rigorous           
,calvinists1 with long sermons and      
tedious monotonous prayers1 with hell   
before them for ever on one side1 and a 
tyrannical1 sour and austere ,god on the
 other1 jealous of an arbitrary         
sovereignty1 who hath mercy on whom he  
will have mercy1 and whom he will he    
hardeneth4 ,these men1 with long and    
melancholy faces1 with a drawling and   
sanctified tone1 and a carriage that    
would at once make the most severely    
disposed merry1 and the most cheerful   
spectators sad1 constituted nearly the  
entire population of the province of    
,massachuset's ,bay4  ,the prosecutions 
for witchcraft continued with little    
intermission principally at ,salem1     
during the greater part of the year     
#afib4 ,the accusations were of the most
 vulgar and contemptible sort1 invisible
 pinchings and blows1 fits1 with the    
blastings and mortality of cattle1 and  
wains stuck fast in the ground1 or      
losing their wheels4 ,a conspicuous     

feature in nearly the whole of these    
stories was what they named the spectral
 sight2 in other words1 that the        
profligate accusers first feigned for   
the most part the injuries they         
received1 and next saw the figures and  
action of the persons who inflicted     
them1 when they were invisible to every 
one else4 ,hence the miserable          
prosecutors gained the power of         
gratifying the wantonness of their      
malice1 by pretending that they suffered
 by the hand of any one whose name first
 presented itself1 or against whom they 
bore an ill will4 ,the persons so       
charged1 though unseen by any but the   
accuser1 and who in their corporal      
presence were at a distance of miles1   
and were doubtless wholly unconscious of
 the mischief that was hatching against 
them1 were immediately taken up1 and    
cast into prison4 ,and what was more    
monstrous and incredible1 there stood at
 the bar the prisoner on trial for his  
life1 while the witnesses were permitted

 to swear that his spectre had haunted  
them1 and afflicted them with all manner
 of injuries4 ,that the poor prosecuted 
wretch stood astonished at what was     
alleged against him1 was utterly        
overwhelmed with the charges1 and knew  
not what to answer1 was all of it       
interpreted as so many presumptions of  
his guilt4 ,ignorant as they were1 they 
were unhappy and unskilful in their     
defence2 and1 if they spoke of the      
devil1 as was but natural1 it was       
instantly caught at as a proof how      
familiar they were with the fiend that  
had seduced them to their damnation4    
,the first specimen of this sort of     
accusation in the present instance was  
given by one ,paris1 minister of a      
church at ,salem1 in the end of the year
 #afia1 who had two daughters1 one nine 
years old1 the other eleven1 that were  
afflicted with fits and convulsions4    
,the first person fixed on as the       
mysterious author of what was seen1 was 
,tituba1 a female slave in the family1  

and she was harassed by her master into 
a confession of unlawful practices and  
spells4 ,the girls then fixed on ,sarah 
,good1 a female known to be the victim  
of a morbid melancholy1 and ,osborne1 a 
poor man that had for a considerable    
time been bed-rid1 as persons whose     
spectres had perpetually haunted and    
tormented them3 and ,good was twelve    
months after hanged on this accusation4 
,a person1 who was one of the first to  
fall under the imputation1 was one      
,george ,burroughs1 also a minister of  
,salem4 ,he had1 it seems1 buried two   
wives1 both of whom the busy gossips    
said he had used ill in their life-time1
 and consequently1 it was whispered1 had
 murdered them4 ,this man was accustomed
 foolishly to vaunt that he knew what   
people said of him in his absence2 and  
this was brought as a proof that he     
dealt with the devil4 ,two women1 who   
were witnesses against him1 interrupted 
their testimony with exclaiming that    
they saw the ghosts of the murdered     

wives present 7who had promised them    
they would come71 though no one else in 
the court saw them2 and this was taken  
in evidence4 ,burroughs conducted       
himself in a very injudicious way on his
 trial2 but1 when he came to be hanged1 
made so impressive a speech on the      
ladder1 with fervent protestations of   
innocence1 as melted many of the        
spectators into tears4  ,the nature of  
accusations of this sort is ever found  
to operate like an epidemic4 ,fits and  
convulsions are communicated from one   
subject to another4 ,the spectral sight1
 as it was called1 is obviously a theme 
for the vanity of ignorance4 ,love of   
fame1 as the poet teaches1 is an        
universal passion4 ,fame is placed      
indeed on a height beyond the hope of   
ordinary mortals4 ,but in occasional    
instances it is brought unexpectedly    
within the reach of persons of the      
coarsest mould2 and many times they will
 be apt to seize it with proportionable 
avidity4 ,when too such things are      

talked of1 when the devil and spirits of
 hell are made familiar conversation1   
when stories of this sort are among the 
daily news1 and one person and another1 
who had a little before nothing         
extraordinary about them1 become        
subjects of wonder1 these topics enter  
into the thoughts of many1 sleeping and 
waking3 their young men see visions1 and
 their old men dream dreams4  ,in such a
 town as ,salem1 the second in point of 
importance in the colony1 such          
accusations spread with wonderful       
rapidity4 ,many were seized with fits1  
exhibited frightful contortions of their
 limbs and features1 and became a       
fearful spectacle to the bystander4     
,they were asked to assign the cause of 
all this2 and they supposed1 or         
pretended to suppose1 some neighbour1   
already solitary and afflicted1 and on  
that account in ill odour with the      
townspeople1 scowling upon1 threatening1
 and tormenting them4 ,presently        
persons1 specially gifted with the      

spectral sight1 formed a class by       
themselves1 and were sent about at the  
public expence from place to place1 that
 they might see what no one else could  
see4 ,the prisons were filled with the  
persons accused4 ,the utmost horror was 
entertained1 as of a calamity which in  
such a degree had never visited that    
part of the world4 ,it happened1 most   
unfortunately1 that ,baxter's ,certainty
 of the ,world of ,spirits had been     
published but the year before1 and a    
number of copies had been sent out to   
,new ,england4 ,there seemed a strange  
coincidence and sympathy between vital  
,christianity in its most honourable    
sense1 and the fear of the devil1 who   
appeared to be come down unto them1 with
 great wrath4 ,mr4 ,increase ,mather1   
and ,mr4 ,cotton ,mather1 his son1 two  
clergymen of highest reputation in the  
neighbourhood1 by the solemnity and awe 
with which they treated the subject1 and
 the earnestness and zeal which they    
displayed1 gave a sanction to the lowest

 superstition and virulence of the      
ignorant4  ,all the forms of justice    
were brought forward on this occasion4  
,there was no lack of judges1 and grand 
juries1 and petty juries1 and           
executioners1 and still less of         
prosecutors and witnesses4 ,the first   
person that was hanged was on the tenth 
of ,june1 five more on the nineteenth of
 ,july1 five on the nineteenth of       
,august1 and eight on the twenty-second 
of ,september4 ,multitudes confessed    
that they were witches2 for this        
appeared the only way for the accused to
 save their lives4 ,husbands and        
children fell down on their knees1 and  
implored their wives and mothers to own 
their guilt4 ,many were tortured by     
being tied neck and heels together1 till
 they confessed whatever was suggested  
to them4 ,it is remarkable however that 
not one persisted in her confession at  
the place of execution4  ,the most      
interesting story that occurred in this 
affair was of ,giles ,cory1 and ,martha1

 his wife4 ,the woman was tried on the  
ninth of ,september1 and hanged on the  
twenty-second4 ,in the interval1 on the 
sixteenth1 the husband was brought up   
for trial4 ,he said1 he was not guilty2 
but1 being asked how he would be tried8 
he refused to go through the customary  
form1 and say1 ,by ,god and my country4 
,he observed that1 of all that had been 
tried1 not one had as yet been          
pronounced not guilty2 and he resolutely
 refused in that mode to undergo a      
trial4 ,the judge directed therefore    
that1 according to the barbarous mode   
prescribed in the mother-country1 he    
should be laid on his back1 and pressed 
to death with weights gradually         
accumulated on the upper surface of his 
body1 a proceeding which had never yet  
been resorted to by the ,english in     
,north ,america4 ,the man persisted in  
his resolution1 and remained mute till  
he expired4  ,the whole of this dreadful
 tragedy was kept together by a thread4 
,the spectre-seers for a considerable   

time prudently restricted their         
accusations to persons of ill repute1 or
 otherwise of no consequence in the     
community4 ,by and by however they lost 
sight of this caution1 and pretended    
they saw the figures of some persons    
well connected1 and of unquestioned     
honour and reputation1 engaged in acts  
of witchcraft4 ,immediately the whole   
fell through in a moment4 ,the leading  
inhabitants presently saw how unsafe it 
would be to trust their reputations and 
their lives to the mercy of these       
profligate accusers4 ,of fifty-six bills
 of indictment that were offered to the 
grand-jury on the third of ,january1    
#afic1 twenty-six only were found true  
bills1 and thirty thrown out4 ,on the   
twenty-six bills that were found1 three 
persons only were pronounced guilty by  
the petty jury1 and these three received
 their pardon from the government4 ,the 
prisons were thrown open2 fifty         
confessed witches1 together with two    
hundred persons imprisoned on suspicion1

 were set at liberty1 and no more       
accusations were heard of4 ,the         
afflicted1 as they were technically     
termed1 recovered their health2 the     
spectral sight was universally scouted2 
and men began to wonder how they could  
ever have been the victims of so        
horrible a delusion4 #bbg               
,,conclusion4   ,the volume of records  
of supposed necromancy and witchcraft is
 sufficiently copious1 without its being
 in any way necessary to trace it       
through its latest relics and fragments4
 ,superstition is so congenial to the   
mind of man1 that1 even in the early    
years of the author of the present      
volume1 scarcely a village was          
unfurnished with an old man or woman who
 laboured under an ill repute on this   
score2 and ,i doubt not many remain to  
this very day4 ,i remember1 when a      
child1 that ,i had an old woman pointed 
out to me by an ignorant servant-maid1  
as being unquestionably possessed of the
 ominous gift of the evil eye1 and that 

my impulse was to remove myself as      
quickly as might be from the range of   
her observation4  ,but witchcraft1 as it
 appears to me1 is by no means so       
desirable a subject as to make one      
unwilling to drop it4 ,it has its uses4 
,it is perhaps right that we should be  
somewhat acquainted with this repulsive 
chapter in the annals of human nature4  
,as the wise man says in the ,bible1 ,it
 is good for us to resort to the house  
of those that mourn2 for there is a     
melancholy which is attended with       
beneficial effects1 and by the sadness  
of the countenance the heart is made    
better4 ,but ,i feel no propensity to   
linger in these dreary abodes1 and would
 rather make a speedy exchange for the  
dwellings of healthfulness and a certain
 hilarity4 ,we will therefore with the  
reader's permission at length shut the  
book1 and say1 ,lo1 it is enough4       
,there is no time perhaps at which we   
can more fairly quit the subject1 than  
when the more enlightened governments of

 ,europe have called for the code of    
their laws1 and have obliterated the    
statute which annexed the penalty of    
death to this imaginary crime4  ,so     
early as the year #afgb1 ,louis ,,xiv   
promulgated an order of the council of  
state1 forbidding the tribunals from    
proceeding to judgment in cases where   
the accusation was of sorcery only4 #bbh
  ,in ,england we paid a much later     
tribute to the progress of illumination 
and knowledge2 and it was not till the  
year #agcf that a statute was passed1   
repealing the law made in the first year
 of ,james ,i1 and enacting that no     
capital prosecution should for the      
future take place for conjuration1      
sorcery and enchantment1 but restricting
 the punishment of persons pretending to
 tell fortunes and discover stolen goods
 by witchcraft1 to that appertaining to 
a misdemeanour4  ,as long as death could
 by law be awarded against those who    
were charged with a commerce with evil  
spirits1 and by their means inflicting  

mischief on their species1 it is a      
subject not unworthy of grave argument  
and true philanthropy1 to endeavour to  
detect the fallacy of such pretences1   
and expose the incalculable evils and   
the dreadful tragedies that have grown  
out of accusations and prosecutions for 
such imaginary crimes4 ,but the effect  
of perpetuating the silly and           
superstitious tales that have survived  
this mortal blow1 is exactly opposite4  
,it only serves to keep alive the       
lingering folly of imbecile minds1 and  
still to feed with pestiferous clouds   
the thoughts of the ignorant4 ,let us   
rather hail with heart-felt gladness the
 light which has1 though late1 broken in
 upon us1 and weep over the calamity of 
our forefathers1 who1 in addition to the
 inevitable ills of our sublunary state1
 were harassed with imaginary terrors1  
and haunted by suggestions1    ,whose   
horrid image did unfix their hair1      
,and make their seated hearts knock at  
their ribs1   ,against the use of       

nature4     ,,the ,,end4     ,,footnotes
   #a ,joshua1 vii4 #af1 et seq4  #b ,de
 ,arte ,poetica1 v4 #aej4  #c ,romans1  
xi4 #cb4  #d ,comte de ,gabalis4  #e    
,genesis xli1 #h1 #be1 c4  #f ,exodus1  
vii4 #aa2 viii4 #ai4  #g ,ibid1 xxii4   
#ah4  #h ,deuteronomy1 xviii4 #aj1aa4   
#i ,leviticus1 xx4 #bg4  #aj ,numbers1  
xxii4 #e1f1g4  #aa ,numbers1 xxiv1 #a4  
#ab ,ibid1 xxiii4 #bc4  #ac #a ,sam4    
xxviii4 #f1 et seq4  #ad #b ,kings1 xxi4
 #f4  #ae #a ,kings1 xxii4 #bj1 et seqq4
  #af #a ,chron4 xxi4 #a1g1ad4  #ag #b  
,kings1 i4 #b1c1d4  #ah ,matthew1 xii4  
#bd4  #ai ,genesis1 xliv4 #e4  #bj      
,genesis1 xliv4 #ae4  #ba ,brewster on  
,natural ,magic1 ,letter ,,ix4  #bb ,de 
,natura ,deorum1 ,lib4 ,i1 c4 #ch4  #bc 
,plato1 ,de ,republica1 ,lib4 ,x1 sub   
finem4  #bd ,batrachos1 v4 #ajcb4  #be  
,de ,arte ,poetica1 v4#cia4  #bf        
,memoires de l',academie des            
,inscriptions1 ,tom4 ,v1 p4 #aag4  #bg  
,de ,arte ,poetica1 v4 #cia1 #b1 #c4    
#bh ,virgil1 ,georgiea1 ,lib4 ,,iv4 v4  

#dfa1 et seqq4  #bi ,georgiea1 iv1 #ebe4
  #cj ,metamorphoses1 xi1 #ee4  #ca     
,philostratus1 ,heroica1 cap4 v4  #cb   
,horat1 de ,arte ,poetica1 v4 #cid4     
,pausanias4  #cc ,odyssey1 ,lib4 ,,xi1  
v4 #bfb4  #cd ,statius1 ,thebais1 ,lib4 
,x4 v4 #eii4  #ce ,ibid1 ,lib4 ,,iv1 v4 
#eii4  #cf ,ibid1 ,lib4 ,,iv1 v4 #dji1  
et seqq4  #cg ,lib4 ,,iv1 c4 #cf4  #ch  
,iamblichus4  #ci ,julius ,firmicus1    
apud ,scaliger1 in ,eusebium4  #dj      
,iamblichus1 ,vita ,pythagorae4  #da    
,pluto1 ,charmides4  #db ,chronological 
,account of ,pythagoras and his         
,contemporaries4  #dc ,laertius1 ,lib4  
,,viii1 c4 #c4  #dd ,lloyd1 ubi supra4  
#de ,iamblichus1 c4 #ag4  #df           
,iamblichus1 c4 #bi4  #dg ,ibid1 c4 #g4 
#dh ,laertius1 c4 #ae4  #di ,ibid1 c4   
#aa4  #ej ,plutarchus1 ,symposiaca1     
,lib4 ,,viii1 ,quaestio #b4  #ea ,aulus 
,gellius1 ,lib4 ,i1 c4 #a1 from         
,plutarch4  #eb ,laertius1 c4#ai4  #ec  
,bailly1 ,histoire de l',astronomie1    
,lib ,,viii1 ,s4#c4  #ed ,plutarchus1 de

 ,esu ,carnium4 ,ovidius1               
,metamorphoses1 ,lib4 ,,xv4 ,laertius1  
c4 #ab4  #ee ,iamblichus1 c4 #af4  #ef  
,laertius1 c4 #f4  #eg ,clemens         
,alexandrinus1 ,stromata1 ,lib4 ,i1 p4  
#cjb4  #eh ,iamblichus1 c4#ag4  #ei     
,laertius1 c4 #h4 ,iamblichus1 c4 #ag4  
#fj ,cicero de ,natura ,deorum1 ,lib4   
,i1 c4 #e4  #fa ,laertius1 c4 #i4  #fb  
,ibid4  #fc ,iamblichus1 c4 #ai4  #fd   
,laertius1 c4#a4  #fe ,ibid1 c4 #ah4    
#ff ,iamblichus1 c4 #h4  #fg ,ibid1 c4  
#ac4  #fh ,laertius1 c4 #i4 ,iamblichus1
 c4 #bh4  #fi ,laertius1 c4 #i4         
,iamblichus1 c4 #ah4  #gj ,ibid1 c4 #bh4
  #ga ,laertius1 c4#ba4  #gb            
,iamblichus1 c4#ag4  #gc ,iamblichus1 c4
 #ce4 ,laertius1 c4 #ba4  #gd ,laertius1
 c4 #ba4  #ge ,laertius1 ,lib4 ,i1 c4   
#aji4 ,plinius1 ,lib4 ,,vii1 c4 #eb4    
#gf ,laertius1 c4 #aac4  #gg ,ibid4  #gh
 ,ibid4 c4 #aaa4  #gi ,plutarch1 ,vita  
,solonis4 ,laertius1 ,lib4 ,i1 c4 #aji4 
#hj ,plutarch1 ,vita ,solonis4          
,laertius1 ,lib4 ,i1 c4 #aaj4  #ha      

,ibid4  #hb ,laertius1 ,lib4 ,,viii1 c4 
#ea1 #fd4  #hc ,ibid1 c4 #eg4  #hd      
,ibid1 c4 #ff4  #he ,ibid1 c4 #gc4  #hf 
,plinius1 ,lib4 ,,vii1 c4 #eb4          
,laertius1 c4 #fa4  #hg ,laertius1 c4   
#gg4  #hh ,ibid1 c4 #ei4  #hi ,ibid1 c4 
#fb4  #ij ,laertias1 c4 #fi4 ,horat1 ,de
 ,arte ,poetica1 v4 #dfc4  #ia          
,herodotus1 ,lib4 ,,iii1 c4 #ad1 #ae4   
,plinius1 ,lib4 ,,vii1 c4 #eb4  #ib     
,plutarch1 ,de ,genio ,socratis4        
,lucian1 ,muscae ,encomium4 ,plinius1   
,lib4 ,,vii1 c4 #eb4 ,errata3 dele      
,plinius  #ic ,plinius1 ,lib4 ,,iii1 c1 
#fa1 #fb4  #id ,herodotus1 ,lib4 ,,viii1
 c4 #cf1 #cg1 #ch1 #ci4  #ie ,herodotus1
 ,lib4 ,,viii1 c4 #adj1 et seqq4  #if   
,historia ,naturalis1 ,lib4 ,x1 c4 #dj4 
#ig ,plinius1 ,lib4 ,,xxviii4 c4 #h4    
#ih ,pseudomantis1 c4 #ag4 ,see also    
,philopseudes1 c4 #cb4  #ii ,theages4   
#ajj ,plutarch1 ,de ,genio ,socratis4   
#aja ,xenophon1 ,memorabilia1 ,lib4 ,i1 
c4 #a4  #ajb ,plutarch1 ubi supra4  #ajc
 ,plato1 ,theages4  #ajd ,ibid4  #aje   

,livius1 ,lib4 ,i1 c4 #af4  #ajf        
,dionysius ,halicarnassensis4  #ajg     
,livius1 ,lib4 ,i1 c4 #ai1 #ba4  #ajh   
,livius1 ,lib4 ,i1 c4 #ca4  #aji ,ibid4 
#aaj ,livius1 ,lib4 ,i1 c4 #cf4  #aaa   
,livius1 ,lib4 ,i1 c4 #ci4  #aab        
,livius1 ,lib4 ,,iii1 c4 #f1 et seqq4   
#aac ,epod4 ,v4  #aad ,metamorphoses1   
,lib4 ,,vii4  #aae ,lib4 ,,vi4  #aaf    
,horat41 de ,arte ,poetica1 v4 #aej4    
#aag ,plutarch1 ,north's ,translation4  
#aah ,matt4 c4 xii1 v4 #bd1 #bg4  #aai  
,acts1 c4 viii4  #abj ,clemens ,romanus1
 ,recognitiones1 ,lib4 ,,ii1 cap4 #i4   
,anastasius ,sinaita1 ,quaestiones2     
,quaestio #bj4  #aba ,clemens ,romanus1 
,constitutiones ,apostolici1 ,lib4 ,,vi1
 cap4 #g4  #abb ,acts1 c4 xiii4  #abc   
,ibid1 c4 xix4  #abd ,suetonius1 ,lib4  
,,vi1 cap4 #ad4  #abe ,tacitus1         
,historiae1 ,lib4 ,,iv1 cap4 #ha4       
,suetonius1 ,lib4 ,,viii1 cap4 #g4  #abf
 ,hume1 ,essays1 ,part ,,iii1 ,section  
,x4  #abg ,philostratus1 ,vita          
,apollonii1 ,lib4 ,i1 cap4 #e1 #f4  #abh

 ,philostratus1 ,vita ,apollonii1 ,lib4 
,i1 c4 #aj4  #abi ,ibid1 c4#ac4  #acj   
,ibid1 c4 #ac1 #ad4  #aca ,philostratus1
 ,lib4 ,,iv1 c4 #aj4  #acb              
,philostratus1 ,lib4 ,,iv1 c4 #be4  #acc
 ,philostratus1 ,lib4 ,,iv1 c4 #de4     
#acd ,philostratus1 ,lib4 ,,viii1 c4 #e4
  #ace ,ibid1 c4 #bf4  #acf             
,philostratus1 ,lib4 ,,viii1 c4 #bi1    
#cj4  #acg ,ibid1 c4 #bi4  #ach         
,lampridius1 in ,vita ,alex4 ,severi1 c4
 #bi4  #aci ,c4 #bd4  #adj              
,philostratus1 ,lib4 ,i1 c4 #c4  #ada   
,zosimus1 ,lib1 ,,iv1 cap4 #ac4 ,gibbon 
observes1 that the name of ,theodosius1 
who actually succeeded1 begins with the 
same letters which were indicated in    
this magic trial4  #adb ,zosimus1 ,lib4 
,,iv1 cap4  #ad4  #adc ,gibbon1 ,chap4  
,,viii4  #add ,this word is of ,sanscrit
 original4  #ade ,they cut themselves   
with knives and lancets1 till the blood 
gushed out upon them4 ,i ,kings1 xviii1 
#bh4  #adf ,otherwise1 ,deeves4  #adg   
,d',herbelot1 ,bibliothque ,orientale4  

#adh ,d',herbelot1 ,bibliothque         
,orientale4  #adi ,it is in ,selden's   
,collection of ,ballads in the ,bodleian
 ,library4 ,see ,letters from the       
,bodleian1 ,vol4 ,i1 p4 #abj to #abf4   
#aej ,spenser1 ,fairy ,queen1 ,book     
,,iii1 ,canto ,,iii1 stanza #i1 et seqq4
  #aea ,william of ,malmesbury1 ,lib4   
,,ii1 c4 #aj4  #aeb ,william of         
,malmesbury1 ,lib4 ,,ii1 c4 #aj4  #aec  
,naud1 ,apologie des ,grands ,hommes    
,accuss de ,magie4 ,malmesbury1 ubi     
supra4  #aed ,naud1 ,apologie des       
,grands ,hommes ,accuss de ,magie1 chap4
 #ai4  #aee ,mornay1 ,mysterium         
,iniquitalis1 p4 #beh4 ,coeffeteau1     
,reponse  ditto1 p4 #bgd4  #aef ,ibid4  
#aeg ,hollinshed1 ,history of ,scotland1
 p4 #bjf1 #bjg4  #aeh ,ibid4 p4 #bjg1   
#bjh4  #aei ,hollinshed1 ,history of    
,scotland1 p4 #bdc1 #bdd4  #afj         
,hollinshed1 ,history of ,scotland1 p4  
#bdd1 #bde4  #afa ,hollinshed1 ,history 
of ,scotland1 p4 #bdf4  #afb ,ibid1 p4  
#bdh1 #bdi4  #afc ,hollinshed1 ,history 

of ,scotland1 p4 #bdi4  #afd ,ibid4     
#afe ,hollinshed1 ,history of ,scotland1
 p4 #bea4  #aff ,naud4  #afg ,godwin1   
,praesulibus1 art4 ,gronthead4  #afh    
,naud c4 #ah4  #afi ,johannes de ,becka1
 apud ,trithemii ,chronica1 ann4 #abed4 
#agj ,freind1 ,history of ,physick1     
,vol4 ,,ii1 p4 #bcd to #bci4  #aga      
,bacon1 ,epist4 ad ,clement4 ,,iv4  #agb
 ,ubi supra4  #agc ,see page #bfa4  #agd
 ,naud1 ,cap4 #ag4  #age ,ibid4  #agf   
,commentaries1 ,book ,,iv4 chap4 vi4    
#agg ,life of ,chaucer1 c4 xviii4  #agh 
,wotton1 ,reflections on ,learning1     
,chap4 ,x4  #agi ,see above1 p4 #bi4    
#ahj ,biographic ,universelle4  #aha    
,naud4  #ahb ,moreri4  #ahc ,enfield1   
,history of ,philosophy1 ,book ,,viii1  
chapter i4  #ahd ,moreri4  #ahe ,watson1
 ,chemical ,essays1 ,vol4 ,i4  #ahf     
,fuller1 ,worthies of ,england4  #ahg   
,watson1 ubi supra4  #ahh ,sir ,thomas  
,more1 ,history of ,edward the ,fifth4  
#ahi ,buck1 ,life and ,reign of ,richard
 ,,iii4  #aij ,hutchinson on            

,witchcraft4  #aia ,i ,samuel1 xv1 #bc4 
#aib ,doctrine of ,divorce1 ,preface4   
#aic ,delrio1 ,disquisitiones ,magicae1 
p4 #gdf4  #aid ,alciatus1 ,parergon     
,juris1 ,l4 ,,viii1 cap4 #bb4  #aie     
,danaeus1 apud ,delrio1 ,proloquium4    
#aif ,bartholomaeus de ,spina1 ,de      
,strigibus1 c4 #ac4  #aig ,biographie   
,universelle4  #aih ,biographie         
,universelle4  #aii ,hospinian1         
,historia ,sacramentaria1 ,part ,,ii1   
fol4 #aca4  #bjj ,bayle4  #bja ,paulus  
,jovius1 ,elogia ,doctorum ,virorum1    
c4#aja4  #bjb ,delrio1 ,disquisitiones  
,magicae1 ,lib4 ,,ii1 ,quaestio xi1 ,s4 
#ah4  #bjc ,delrio1 ,lib4 ,,ii1         
,quaestio xxix4 ,s4 #g4  #bjd ,wierus1  
,lib4 ,,ii1 c4v4 ,s4 #aa1 #ab4  #bje    
,cent4 ,i1 cap4 #gj4  #bjf ,de          
,praestigiis ,demonum1 ,lib4 ,,ii1 cap4 
iv1 sect4 #h4  #bjg ,durrius1 apud      
,schelhorn1 ,amoenitates ,literariae1   
,tom4 ,v1 p4#ej1 et seqq4  #bjh         
,memoirs1 p4 #ad4  #bji ,brewster1      
,letters on ,natural ,magic1 ,letter    

,,iv4  #baj ,appendix to ,johannes      
,glastoniensis1 edited by ,hearne4  #baa
 ,camden1 anno #afic1 #afid4  #bab      
,pitcairn1 ,trials in ,scotland in ,five
 ,volumes1 #dto4  #bac ,king ,james's   
,works1 p4 #ace4  #bad ,king ,james's   
,works1 p4 #ace1 #acf4  #bae ,truth     
brought to ,light by ,time4 ,wilson1    
,history of ,james ,i4  #baf ,fuller1   
,church ,history of ,britain1 ,book ,x1 
p4 #gd4 ,see also ,osborn's ,works1     
,essay ,i3 where the author says1 he    
gave charge to his judges1 to be        
circumspect in condemning those1        
committed by ignorant justices for      
diabolical compacts4 ,nor had he        
concluded his advice in a narrower      
circle1 as ,i have heard1 than the      
denial of any such operations1 but out  
of reason of state1 and to gratify the  
church1 which hath in no age thought fit
 to explode out of the common people's  
minds an apprehension of witchcraft4    
,the author adds1 that he must confess  
,james to have been the promptest man   

living in his dexterity to discover an  
imposture1 and subjoins a remarkable    
story in confirmation of this assertion4
  #bag ,discovery of the ,witches1      
#afab1 printed by order of the ,court4  
#bah ,history of ,whalley1 by ,thomas   
,dunham ,whitaker1 p4 #bae4  #bai ,wood1
 ,athenae ,oxonienses1 ,vol4 ,,ii1 p4   
#ejg4  #bbj ,heylyn1 ,life of ,laud4    
#bba ,hutchinson on ,witchcraft4  #bbb  
,menagiana1 ,tom4 ,,ii1 p4 #beb1 et     
seqq4  #bbc ,judges1 v1 #bj4  #bbd      
,certainty of the ,world of ,spirits4   
#bbe ,trial of the ,witches executed at 
,bury ,st4 ,edmund's4  #bbf ,narrative  
translated by ,dr4 ,horneck1 apud       
,satan's ,invisible ,world by ,sinclair1
 and ,sadducismus ,triumphatus by       
,glanville4  #bbg ,cotton ,mather1      
,wonders of the ,invisible ,world2      
,calef1 ,more ,wonders of the ,invisible
 ,world2 ,neal1 ,history of ,new        
,england4  #bbh ,menagiana1 ,tom ,,ii1  
p4 #bfd4 ,voltaire1 ,sicle de ,louis    
,,xiv1 ,chap4 xxxi4