66 Padua to tell him, that fuch a Latin Expreffion is "ufed in a good Senfe. My Friend told me feve"ral other Things of that Nature, which I have "forgot.

ARTICLE IX.

A LETTER concerning Witchcraft, taken from the Second Volume of the BIBLIOTHEQUE CRITIQUE.

SIR,

HE late Decree of the King's Council, in Favour of feveral Perfons condemned to Death by your Parliament t, appears to me very extraordinary. 'Tis no ufual Thing to reverse a Sentence pronounced by a Supreme Court. M. Du Tot Ferrare Counsellor in this Parliament, being informed that thofe Perfons had been condemned, defired the firft Prefident Pelot to put off their Execution for fome Days. That wife Magiftrate refused it at first; but having thought of it, he propofed the Thing, and his Request was granted. Immediately he acquainted my Lord Chancellor † with that Affair, which appeared to him very Important. The Chancellor writ a Letter to the Parliament of Normandy, whereby he defired them to fend him an Account of their Procedings in a Trial about Witchcraft;

which

The Parliamens of Normandy.

+ Chancellor Daligre..

which they did. An Advocate of that Parliament fent me their Account, being defirous to know what I thought of it. I could not forbear writing to him, that those Gentlemen are too hafty in point of Witchcraft; and that a certain Lieutenant Criminal of the Country of Caux, whom you know, hanged and burned People Twelve at a Time, tho' they were not convicted of Poisoning, or any impious Practice; which are the two chief Things to be examined by a Judge in thofe forts of Trials. For what is commonly faid of the Devil's Meeting, ought to be looked upon as an idle Story.

That pretended Meeting, about which those who believe they have been at it, relate fo many extravagant Things, is only in their Imagination. I own that fome Country People, especially Shepherds, do now, and then rub their Skin with fome Narcotick Grease or Ointments, which caft them into a found Sleep, and fill their Imagination with a Thousand Vifions. When they are thus afleep, they fancy they fee every Thing, that was told them concerning the Devil's Meeting by their Fathers, who were also Shepherds or Wizards, if you will have me call them fo. Whereupon I will inform you of what I have been told by a Country-Friend of mine, who pretended to have a mind to go to the Devil's Meet ing with his own Shepherd, who had the Reputation of being a great Sorcerer. Having frequently urged that Shepherd to carry him thither, at last he obtained his Defire. He went to him in the Night at the appointed Time: The Shepherd immediately gave him fomething to greafe himself withal. He took that Greafe, as if he had a mind to rub his Skin with it. But he defired that the Shepherd's Son, who was to go to the Devil's Meeting with his Father, fhould anoint himself first. Which being done, that Gentleman told the Shepherd, that he fhould be glad to know what would become of that young Man. Not long after the young Man fell faft asleep; and when he waked, tho' he had not ftirred from that Place, he gave an Account of every D 3

thing he thought he had feen at the Devil's Meeting, and even named feveral Perfons whom he pretended to have feen there. My Friend perceived then, that what is commonly faid of the Devil's Meeting, was a mere Fancy. I have told you this. Story, that you may impart it to your Brethren, who being prepoffeft with popular Errors about Witchcraft, do frequently hang and burn poor Wretches, whofe Crime does only confift in the Weakness of their Imagination.

In the Account which the Parliament of Normandy have fent to my Lord Chancellor, inftead of fhewing how they proceed againft People accused of Witchcraft, they undertake to prove that wicked Spirits continually move Men to do evil; Whereupon they mention the renouncing of the Devil at Baptifm. In the next Place, They quote the Holy Scripture to prove that there are Wizards and Con jurers. Befides the Scripture, they alledge the Laws of feveral Nations, whereby fuch Perfons are condemned to Death. This was altogether foreign to the Purpofe; for the only Thing that my Lord Chancellor defired to know, was this, viz. How they proceeded against Perfons accufed of Witchcraft: But they are wholly filent about it.

The most plaufible Argument alledged by them to condemn thofe Perfons to Death, is this: Men, fay they, who confefs that they have given up theme felves to the Devil, muft needs have done a great deal of Mischief. Thofe Gentlemen fuppofe, that Sorcerers make a Pact with the Devil, and fometimes in Writing. But if the Judges did narrowly enquire into the Matter, they would frequently find that thofe Pacts are no lefs imaginary than the Devil's Meeting. They fhould examine, whether the impious Practices which attend thofe Pacts, deferve that a Man fhould be put so Death: Or whether they are fuch as belong to Confeffion. have had the Curiofity to read fome Trials about Witchcraft, and found a Thousand Contradictions

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in inoft of them. In a Word, the Indictments are full of Extravagancies. Which fhould be fufficient to open the Eyes of credulous Judges, and to prevent their being too hafty in condemning Men, who frequently confefs through a weak Imagination, that they have done feveral Things, which they never did.

I remember, that when I was a Youth, I faw a Man of a great Age, who called himself the eldest Wizard of that Part of the Country where he lived, He named a prodigious Number of People, whom he pretended to have feen at the Devil's Meeting: Nay, he mention'd the Days on which they met, and told every Body how they danced with the Goat, and worshipped him. What is commonly faid of a Goat, that prefides in the Devil's Meeting, is not new: Thofe Animals are mention'd in the moft Ancient Magical Books, as if the Dæmons loved to appear under that Form.

The Old Sorcerer, whom I have juft now mentioned, fancied he had gone Twelve Hundred Leagues over the Sea in a Wooden Pail, to destroy with a certain Powder all the Tobacco that grows at St. Chriftophers. 'Tis certain there was then no Tobacco in that Ifland, where it grows now fo plentifully. Immediately there went a Report, that Tobacco had been bewitch'd: Which being noised about in fome Sea-Port-Towns, where they drove a great Trade in Tobacco; that pretended Sorcerer came to believe that he had croffed the Sea in a Wooden Pail. Some Men, and among others the Lieutenant-Criminal abovementioned, gave Credit to that Foolery.

'Tis certain that Country-People, especially in thofe Parts which afford a fat Soil and good Paftures, are very envious, and cannot bear the Profperity of their Neighbours. Many of them are skilled in the Art of poisoning Cattle. Thofe who have the Reputation of doing it, are commonly called Sorcerers. There are many of thofe pretended Sorcerers in the Province of Brie, because that Country is full

1

of Paftures, and abounds with Cattle. Nay, fome Peasants are glad to be accounted Sorcerers, that they may be dreaded by their Neighbours, and lefs taxed than others. The great Credulity of many Judges in that Country, does rather increase than leffen the Number of Sorcerers. The Indictments drawn up by thofe Judges, are full of abfurd and ridiculous things, wholly inconfiftent one with another. They call thofe Men Sorcerers, who are only Poifoners, and fhould be feverely punished as fuch.

I am fully perfuaded that the Sentence of the Parliament of Rouen, lately reverfed by the Council, was grounded upon those popular Errors, with which a great many Judges are prepoffeffed, efpecially in the Country. Which is the Reason why the Council have more narrowly enquired into the Matter : And because they did not find the Prifoners guilty of poisoning or any impious Thing, they have wifely commuted the Punishment of Death into Banishment. For, it wou'd have been a dangerous Thing to acquit and fend them back into their Country, where their Life had not been fafe, because the People are ftrangely prepoffeffed in Point of Witchcraft.

3. Whilft I am upon this Subject, which has been horribly confounded: by Bodin, Delrio, and other fuch Writers, I will freely tell you what I think of it, having had Occafion to enquire into the Matter, in order to undeceive fome of my Friends, who were too fond of Magical and Cabbalistical Books. Being skilled in the Hebrew Tongue, which is the Language in which the Books concerning practical Cabbala were written by fome Jewish Impoitors, I have read as many of thofe Books as I could get. I had fome from M. Hardi, Counsellor of the Chatelet at Paris, a Gentleman who is very free from popular Errors; and found nothing in them but ridiculous Things and idle Stories. Mr. Th.... a Gentleman of your Town, whom you know, defired me to examine several French and Latin Books

relating