"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

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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

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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 coming down in great wrath upon us, there "are too many tongues and hearts thereby set on fire of hell, that the various

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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 to "write their covenants; and that he "who becomes an author at such a time, had need be fenced with iron, " and the staff of a spear."

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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

said to be black-faced,* with sunk, but fiery eyes, their mouths wide, and smelling of sulphur; their hands hairy, with claws their feet horny and cloven.

Nam aut in vultu fœditas

* Lib. i. p. 76, 77. est, ac turpitudo, aut uncis, hamisque, quales obscænis vulturibus insunt manus pedesve depravatos habent, aut denique insolita, atque insigni aliqua nota quæ naturæ immanitatem prodant, conspicuos se ostendunt. Joannes Piscator, Henaezel; Salome, Catharina Balandræa, Nicolæa Ganatia, Sennel Armentaria, et Joanna Gerardina, retulerunt se & sæpe, et otiosé, atque attenté considerasse suos Magistellos, cum præsentes colloquerentur; observasseque semper illis obscuras atrasque fuisse facies: ac (quod Jormandes dicit de Hunnis, quos Demonibus incubis satos ferunt) offæ similes: lumina penitus abdita, flammæ tamen instar micantia: Oris rictus sparsos, profundos, ac perpetuó olidi, sulphureique aliquid æstuantes: manus strigosas, et villis atque hamis deformes: pedes corneos bifidosque: staturam nunquam justam, sed aut brevitate aut vastitate semper aliqua insolentem, totamque adeo Seriem extra modum.

Addit Alexia Belhoria, illum se aliquando vidisse capite, vel pede altero truncum, mutilumque, cum forté saltationes nocturnas uná cum suis agitaret. Quæ res me in memoriam inducit ejus rumoris, qui me puero circumferebatur de Empusis, quarum frequentes