As I mentioned in my previous post, I visited Innerpeffray Library again yesterday, and spent several hours typing furiously to get as much transcribed as possible! I'm particularly interested in the Treatise of Specters, also called the History of Specters (it seems to vary between the cover and the frontispiece!) because it does not seem to be available on the net anywhere. Unless the text is stashed away in some digital archive I haven't stumbled across yet, it's not up there...so copying excerpts out whenever I'm at Innerpeffray has rather the appeal of stuffing your pockets with as many gems as possible before leaving Aladdin's Cave! The following passages go together quite well - they are all from the section entitled An History of
Strange Apparitions, and cunning delusions of Devils and are all about witches and magicians. With the exception of the first one, which I included because I liked the witch's unusual name, they are all about shape-shifting. As ever, I have transcribed them leaving the archaic grammar, spelling and punctuation just as I found them.
394. Cazereis was
a Witch at Tholossa, who having brought the blessed bread to the Altar, went
away to drown her self, and when she was brought home again; she confessed that
she infected the blessed bread with poyson; the bread was cast before Dogs,
they dye. She being in bonds, was in a trance more than six hours, void of all
feeling; afterwards rising up, cryed out she was wonderfull weary, and sent
back the Messengers from many places with certain synes and marks. When she was
near her sentence of condemnation, and Judgement was ready to be past upon her,
she called upon the Devill, saying, That he promised that there should come
such vehement storms and showers that she might not be burned. But for all that
she was not defended from the violence of the fire. Bodinus Daemonoman.lib.3.cap.3
395. Nothing
(saith the same Bodinus in lib.2.cap.5)
is so wonderfull and admirable as the Metamorphosing of men into beasts, and to
be turned out of the shape of a man into that of a beast. Yet the truth is,
that this is practised among Magitians; and both divine and prophane Histories
do prove it certainly. In the book of Inquisitions against Magitians, which I
have often mentioned; we read of one Statius
a certain Magitian that he suddenly and oftentimes flew, and escaped out of the
Bernates field, out of the midst of
his enemies (for he had very many) and he could never be slain; but when he was
asleep, he left two of his Disciples Hippo
and Stadlinus which were the chief
Magitians in all Germany, who raised
tempests, caused lightning and great storms.
396. There did
arise a controversy in the Parliament of Dolensi,
and the sentence was published the 18th day of January in the year, 1573, about Aegidius Garnerius, Lugdenensis. Which Judgement is not fit to be
inserted here at the present, when Aurelius
at Eligium Giberium at Paris with Peter Hayanum, commended to the French
Presses; only we will set down the chief heads of those Articles that he was
accused and convicted of. And first, That this Garnerius at Michaelmas
time at the wood, in the Chastenoyanian Vines,
which are a quarter of a mile from Dolensis
Town, took a young wench of ten or twelve years old, with his hands, which
seemed like to Wolves feet, and tore her to pieces with his teeth, and so
devoured the flesh of her thighs and arms, and brought part of her to his Wife.
And about a Moneth after, he got another girl in the same manner, and killed
her; and being about to eat her, unlesse three men (as he himself confessed)
had hindered him. And about fifteen dayes after he strangled a boy of ten years
old, in the Vines of Gredisaniorum,
and did eat the flesh of his legs, thighs and belly. And lastly, He slew a boy
thirteen years of age (being then in the shape of a man, and not of a Wolf) in
a grove of the Perusan; and being
very hungry (as he of his own accord confessed) if he had not been hindered,
would have eaten him also: Therefore for these reasons he was condemned to the
flames; The Sentence was put in execution.
397. There was
another Case agitated at Vesontion,
made known to, or discovered by John
Boinus the Inquisitor, in the year of our Lord, 1521, in the Moneth of December, the cause was sent into France, Itally, and Germany,
which Vierius,lib.6.of Witchcraft,
chap.13. relates at large, but I will run over a few heads of it; Peter Burgottus, and Michael Verdunus, was found guilty, and
confessed that they had renounced God and their Faith, and had given themselves
to the Devill; Therefore Michael
brought Burgot in that street of the Carlonian Castle, where each of them had
a Candle of green wax burning, with a dull obscure flame; and so they danced
and sacrificed to the Devill. Afterwards they confessed, that anointing
themselves, they were transformed into Wolves, running with great celerity and
swiftnesse; then again being turned into men, and a while after into Wolves,
and in that shape had copulation with the she-Wolves, and had the same pleasure
with them as they were wont to have with Women; Furthermore it was confessed,
that Burgottus with seven Wolves feet
and teeth, did tear to pieces and cruelly macerate a boy, and had quite
devoured him had not some Countreymen driven him away. And that Verdunus slew a young maid gathering
pease in the Garden, and was driven away by the Lords of Cunea. And in the last place, that there were four young lasses
devoured by them at a certain place and time, whose age they did relate, and
that they could destroy men by casting a certain kind of dust or powder.
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