Another lunatic believed that he had swallowed the devil, and had retained him in his stomach. He resisted the calls of nature during several days, lest he should set the foul fiend at liberty. I overcame his resolution, however, by administering an emetic in his food.

In Mather's Wonders of the invisible World, containing the trials of the American witches, in 1692, a work which may be regarded as official, it appears that the visions of several persons who thought themselves bewitched, were occasioned by the night-mare.

On the trial of Bridget Bishop, at Salem, for example; "John Cook testi"fied, that about five or six years ago, "one morning about sun-rise, he was "in his chamber assaulted by the shape "of this prisoner, which looked on him, grinned at him, and very much hurt "him with a blow on the side of the

"head.'

"Richard Ceman testi

“fied, that eight years ago, as he lay "awake in his bed, with a light burning "in the room, he was annoyed with "the apparition of this Bishop and of "two more that were strangers to him, "who came and oppressed him so, that "he could neither stir himself, nor wake any one else," &c.

Again, on the trial of Susannah Martin, -"Bernard Peache testified, that being in "bed, on the Lord's day night, he heard "a scrabbling at the window, whereat "he then saw Susannah Martin come in "and jump down upon the floor. She "took hold of this deponent's feet, and

drawing his body up into one heap, "she lay upon him near two hours; in all which time he could neither speak "nor hear."

In the introduction to his history of the trials, which were conducted on such evidence, Mather gravely says;

"Tis, as I remember, the learned "Scribonius, who reports, that one of his acquaintance, devoutly making his

prayers on the behalf of a person "molested by evil spirits, received from "those evil spirits an horrible blow over "the face and I may myself expect "not few or small buffetings from evil spirits, for the endeavours wherewith "I am now going to encounter them. "I am far from insensible, that at this extraordinary time of the Devil's com"ing down in great wrath upon us, there “are too many tongues and hearts there

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by set on fire of hell, that the various

opinions about the witchcrafts which "of later time have troubled us, are

maintained by some with so much "loud fury, as if they could never be

sufficiently stated, unless written in "the liquor wherewith witches use tò "write their covenants; and that he "who becomes an author at such a

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time, had need be fenced with iron, "and the staff of a spear."

Stoughton, the Lieutenant-Governor of New England, affixed his approbation to this book, vouching for the truth of the statements, and declaring that all good men would “ greatly rejoice, that "the spirit of the Lord had thus enabled "him (Mather) to lift up a standard

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against the infernal enemy, that hath "been coming in like a flood upon us." Such was the force of this memorable fit of national insanity, during which torrents of innocent blood were shed, by the misguided judges and juries, under the impression that they were actually invaded by a legion of devils; the part of which was really performed by themselves.

Nothing, indeed, can be added to the diligence of Remy, or Remigius, with respect to the forms of demons. He was a commissioner for the trial of witches, in Lorrain, and as he informs us, in the

C

course of fifteen years, he condemned nine hundred criminals to the stake. His book is one of the most remarkable productions of credulity; for the monstrous absurdities which it contains are supported by juridical proofs, most of which evidently proceeded from spectral impressions, when they were not extorted by torture.

My edition of this work, which is become very rare, was printed by Vincenti, at Lyons, in 1595. It is entitled, DÆMONOLATREIA. The trials appear to have begun in 1583. Mr. Remy seems to have felt great anxiety to ascertain the exact features and dress of the demons, with whom many of the persons supposed themselves to be familiar. nothing transpired, in his examinations, which varied from the usual figures exhibited by the gross sculptures and paintings of the middle age. They are

Yet