from the Bishop's own Mouth, almoft Thirty Years before it was inferted here.

"

I hope the Readers will not be difpleafed to find here an Account of the following Book

A DISCOURSE concerning Sorcery and Witchcraft, taken from the Trials of many Sorcerers and Witches, who have been condemned within these Two Tears in the District of St Oyan" de Joux, otherwife called St. Claude in Franche Comte. Rouen, &c, 1603, in 12mo. Pagg. 306.

HEN

ENRY Boguet, Grand Judge of the Town and Diftrict of St. Claude in Franche Comte, is the Author of this Book. It appears from the feveral Approbations prefixed to it, and dated in 1691, that it was firft printed in that Year. The Author dedicated this Difcourfe to the Archbishop of Bezançon, and compares the noble Exploits of that Prelate in the Profecution of Sorcerers and Witches, with the Warlike Actions of his Three Brothers against the Enemies

Enemies of the State. He declares in his Preface, That he defires every body should know that he is a fworn Enemy to Sorcerers and Witches, and that he will never fpare them, both on account of their execrable Abominations, and because their Number increafes eve

Day. This Judge was a very credulous Man: The leaft Depofition, tho' never fo doubtful and inconfiderable, appeared to him an undeniable Proof of Witchcraft. He informs us, how he proceeded against several Men and Women accused of that Crime; and therefore his Difcourfe is one of the moft Authentick Pieces that can be had, to know, all the Particulars relating to Sorcerers and Witches.

On the 15th of June 1598, Louife Maillat of a Village called Coirieres, a Girl of Eight Years of Age, loft the Ufe of her Limbs to fuch a Degree, that fhe crawled and went upon Four: Befides, the wrefted her Mouth in a very ftrange manner. She con tinued in that Condition till the 19th of the next Month, when her Parents believing the was poffeffed with the Devil, caufed her to be exorcized in a Church. It appeared then that fhe had five Devils, whofe Names were Wolf, Cat, Dog, Folly and Griffin. The Prieft ask'd the Girl, How The came to have fo many Devils in her Body. She answered, That Frances Secretain, (pointing at her among thofe that were prefent at the Exorcifm,) had fent thofe Devils into her Body. That Woman lived in the fame Village, and was about Fifty-eight Years old. Notwithstanding the Exorcifm, the Devils did not come out. When the Girl came home, fhe defired her Father and Mother to pray for her, being per fuaded that he would be quickly difpoffeffed by that Means. This fhe faid as the Night was coming on. Soon after fhe told her Parents, that two De vils were dead, and if they went on with their Pray ers, thofe that remained would fare no better. Her Parents spent the whole Night in praying. The next Morning, at break of Day, the Girl happened to be worse than the used to be, and belched con

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tinstallyAt laft, as he was tooping, the Devils TonAtlast, £as 3 came our through her Mouth in the fhape of feveral Balls as big as one's Fift, and as red as Fire; but the Devil, whofe Name was Cat, appeared very BlackAH thofe Devils bounced three or four times about the Fire, and then vanifhed away. The Girl began to be on the mending hand." exowls ed

which he took to be a Pre Remark,

h

Frances Secretain, being committed to Goal, was three Days without confeffing any thing, and prote fted that he was innocent. She feemed to be a ve ry devout Woman, and had, always Beads in her Hands. But our Author obferves, That there ere was no Crofs in her Beads, or at leaft none that was entire; against her. Judge Boguet makes another Remark, It was, ob ferved (fays he) that whilft fhe was examined, the fhed no Tears, tho fhe often endeavoured to do it: For which Reafon fhe was more clofely confined, and they began to threaten hér. It was thought expedient to fee whether the Devil had imprinted any Mark upon her Body Accordingly he was ftrip'd ftark naked; but no Satanical Mark was found about her. Then, they fhaved her Head; But the Hair was no fooner off, than fhe began to quake all over her Body, and to confefs. feveral Things on that Day, and the following Days. YOU NOW ME jeg ofw pudori!! The moft confiderable Articles of her Confeffion, were, 1. That he had fent five Devils into the Bo dy of Louife Maillat. 2. That long before The had given up herself to the Devil, who looked like a tall black Man. 3. That the Devil had known her four or five times, in the Shape of a Dog, or in the Shape of a Cat, and fometimes in the Shape of a Hen, and that his Sperm was very cold. 4. That fhe had been very often the Devil's Meeting near Corrieres (the Village above-mentioned) in a Place called Les Combes, and that he went thither riding upon a white Stick. 5. That the danced in that Place, and beat the Water to raise a Storm of Hail. 6. That

6. That he and James Bocquet had occafioned the Death of Lewis Monneret, by giving him a fmall Piece of Bread with fome of the Devil's Powder upon it. 7. That he had killed many Cows by ftriking them with her Hand, or with a Wand, and muttering certain Words over them. James Bacques accufed her of changing herself into a Wolf; but The always denied it.

This Woman would have been burnt alive, had The not died in her Confinement. Henry Boguet tells ús, he does not doubt in the leaft but that the was ftrangled by the Devil. I leave it to the Readers to make their Réflexions upon this Narrative.

We have feen that Frances Secretain, confefs'd that the Devil knew, her: Our Author names feveral

other Witches who made the fame Confeffion. He

believes it is the conftant Practice of the Devil, be caufe that wicked Spirit (fays he), knows that Women are very fond of that Sport. He affures us, that Sorcerers turn themfelves into. Women, to fatisfy the Luft of the Devil and his Minifters, He adds, Thas he is none of thofe, who look upon fuch a Copula tion as an imaginary thing; for all the Wizards and Witches tried before him, acknowledged that they had lain with Devils. Nay, he names two or three Witches, who gave him the true Dimenfions of the fecret Parts of the Devil. Moft Witches (fays he) declare that this Copulation is unpleasant and painful to them: Which does not well agree with, what he faid before, that the Devil endeavours to gain their Affection by his amorous Embraces. The Devil's Uglinefs (continues the Author), proceeds from the fe veral Shapes he puts on; viz. of a black Man, a Dog, a Cat, a Goat, and a Ram This is fufficient to con vince Judge Boguet, that what we read in the Ancients concerning the Fauni, the Satyrs, &c. is far from being a mere Fiction. He fancies that Frances Secret tain was mistaken, when the faid the Devil knew her in the Shape of a Hen. He thinks he meant

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in the Shape of a Goofe, becaufe that wicked Spirit does frequently transform himself into a Goofe, which has occafioned this French Proverb, Le Diable à des pieds d'Oye. He does not think it improbable that fome living Creatures may proceed from fuch a Copulation; " For, (fays he) not to mention

the famous Paffage in Genefis, Merlin was born of a Devil and a Woman. The Huns and the Inha"bitants of Cyprus had the fame Original; and tis faid that Luther was born by the Copulation "of the Devil with his Mother Margaret."

I hope the Readers will not blame me for giving feveral Inftances of the prodigious Ignorance and Credulity of this Judge. It cannot be denied, that if Judges had been more knowing and lefs credulous in former Times, we fhould not have heard of fo many Trials abour Witchcraft.

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The Author proceeds to give an Account of fome other Witches. Rolande du Vernois being upon her Trial, declared, That the went to the Devil's Meeting on a large black Sheep, which carried her through thr Air with a wonderful Swiftnefs. Thiebenne Pager faid, That the Devil appeared to her the firft time at Noon, in the Shape of a tall black Man, that he gave herfelf up to him; that he carried her into a Houfe near the Meadow of Long chamois, where he knew her, and then brought her back again to the fame Place where he took her. We are told that the Devil kept his Meeting in that Meadow. Our Author names five Children, the, old eft whereof was not above ten Years of Age, who declared they had been carried to one of the Devil's Meetings. Two Women told him, That as they were going along the Meadow of Longchamois, they perceived there was a Devil's Meeting there, and went to it. Some Witches go to that Meeting riding on a Goat, others on Horfeback, and fometimes on a Broom; and moft times they go out of their Houses through the Chimney,

Our