THE
MALLEUS MALEFICARUM
PART II., QUESTION I.
CHAPTER V
Witches commonly perform their Spells through the Sacraments of the
Church. And how they Impair the Powers of Generation, and how they may
Cause other Ills to happen to God's Creatures of all kinds. But herein
we except the Question of the Influence of the Stars.
But now there are several things to be noted concerning their methods of
bringing injury upon other creatures of both sexes, and upon the fruits of
the earth: first with regard to men, then with regard to beasts, and thirdly
with regard to the fruits of the earth. And as to men, first, how they can
cast an obstructive spell on the procreant forces, and even on the venereal
act, so that a woman cannot conceive, or a man cannot perform the act.
Secondly, how that act is obstructed sometimes with regard to one woman but
not another. Thirdly, how they take away the virile member as though it were
altogether torn away from the body. Fourthly, if it is possible to
distinguish whether any of the above injuries have been caused by a devil
on his own account, or if it has been through the agency of a witch. Fifthly,
how witches change men and women into beasts by some prestige or glamour.
Sixthly, how witch midwives in various ways kill that which has been
conceived in the mother's womb; and when they do not do this, offer the
children to devils. And lest these things should seem incredible, they have
been proved in the First Part of this work by questions and answers to
arguments; to which, if necessary, the doubtful reader may turn back for the
purpose of investigating the truth.
For the present our object is only to adduce actual facts and examples which
have been found by us, or have been written by others in detestation of so
great a crime, to substantiate those former arguments in case they should be
difficult for anyone to understand; and, by those things that are related
in this Second Part, to bring back to the Faith and away from their error
those who think there are no witches, and that no witchcraft can be done in
the world.
And with regard to the first class of injuries with which they afflict the
human race, it is to be noted that, apart from the methods by which they
injure other creatures, they have six ways of injuring humanity. And one is,
to induce an evil love in a man for a woman, or in a woman for a man. The
second is to plant hatred or jealousy in anyone. The third is to bewitch
them so that a man cannot perform the genital act with a woman, or conversely
a woman with a man; or by various means to procure an abortion, as has been
said before. The fourth is to cause some disease in any of the human organs.
The fifth, to take away life. The sixth, to deprive them of reason.
In this connexion it should be said that, saving the influence of the stars,
the devils can by their natural power in every way cause real defects and
infirmities, and this by their natural spiritual power, which is superior to
any bodily power. For no one infirmity is quite like another, and this is
equally true of natural defects in which there is no physical infirmity.
Therefore they proceed by different methods to cause each different infirmity
or defect. And of those we shall give instances in the body of this work as
the necessity arises.
But first, lest the reader's mind should be kept in any doubt as to why they
have no power to alter the influence of the stars, we shall say that there
is a threefold reason. First, the stars are above them even in the region of
punishment, which is the region of the lower mists; and this by reason of
the duty which is assigned to them. See the First Part, Question II, where
we dealt with Incubus and Succubus devils.
The second reason is that the stars are governed by the good Angels. See
many places concerning the Powers which move the stars, and especially S.
Thomas, part I, quest. 90. And in this matter the Philosophers agree with
the Theologians.
Thirdly, it is on account of the general order and common good of the
Universe. which would suffer general detriment if evil spirits were allowed
to cause any alteration in the influence of the stars. Wherefore those
changes which were miraculously caused in the Old or New Testament were done
by God through the good Angels; as, for example, when the sun stood still
for Joshua, or when it went backward for Hezekiah, or when it was
supernaturally darkened at the Passion of Christ. But in all other matters,
with God's permission, they can work their spells, either the devils
themselves, or devils through the agency of witches; and, in fact, it is
evident that they do so.
Secondly, it is to be noted that in all their methods of working injury
they nearly always instruct witches to make their instruments of witchcraft
by means of the Sacraments or sacramental things of the Church, or some holy
thing consecrated to God: as when they sometimes place a waxen image under
the Altar-cloth, or draw a thread through the Holy Chrism, or use some other
consecrated thing in such a way. And there are three reasons for this.
For a similar reason they are wont to practise their witchcraft at the more
sacred time of the year, especially at the Advent of Our Lord, and at
Christmas. First, that by such means they may make men guilty of not only
perfidy, but also sacrilege, by contaminating whatever is divine in them;
and that so they may the more deeply offend God their Creator, damn their
own souls, and cause many more to rush into sin.
Secondly, that God, being so heavily offended by men, may grant the devil
greater power of tormenting them. For so says S. Gregory, that in His anger
He sometimes grants the wicked their prayers and petitions, which He
mercifully denies to others. And the third reason is that, by the seeming
appearance of good, he may more easily deceive certain simple men, who think
that they have performed some pious act and obtained the grace from God,
whereas they have only sinned the more heavily.
A fourth reason also can be added touching the more sacred seasons and the
New Year. For, according to S. Augustine, there are other mortal sins
besides adultery by which the observance of the Festivals may be infringed.
Superstition, moreover, and witchcraft arising from the most servile
operations of the devil are contrary to the reverence that is due to God.
Therefore, as has been said, he causes a man to fall more deeply, and the
Creator is the more offended.
And of the New Year we may say, according to S. Isidore, Etym. VIII.
2, that Janus, from whom the month of January is named, which also begins
on the Day of Circumcision, was an idol with two faces, as if one were the
end of the old year and the other the beginning of the new, and, as it were,
the protector and auspicious author of the coming year. And in honour of him,
or rather of the devil in the form of that idol, the Pagans made much
boisterous revelry, and were very merry among themselves, holding various
dances and feasts. And concerning these Blessed Augustine makes mention in
many places, and gives a very ample description of them in his Twenty-sixth
Book.
And now bad Christians imitate these corruptions, turning them to
lasciviousness when the run about at the time of
Carnival with masks and jests and other
superstitions. Similarly witches use these revelries of the devil for their
own advantage, and work their spells about the time of the New Year in
respect of the Divine Offices and Worship; as on S. Andrew's Day and at
Christmas.
And now, as to how they work their witchcraft, first by means of the Sacraments,
and then by means of sacramental objects, we will refer to a few known
facts, discovered by us in the Inquisition.
In a town which it is better not to names, for the sake of charity and
expediency, when a certain witch received the Body of Our Lord, she suddenly
lowered her head, as is the detestable habit of women, placed her garment
near her mouth, and taking the Body of the Lord out of her mouth, wrapped it
in a handkerchief; and afterwards, at the suggestion of the devil, placed it
in a pot in which there was a toad, and hid it in the ground near her house
by the storehouse, together with several other things, by means of which she
had to work her witchcraft. But with the help
of God's mercy this great crime was detected and brought to light. For on
the following day a workman was going on his business near that house, and
heard a sound like a child crying; and when he had come near to the stone
under which the pot had been hidden, he heard it much more clearly, and
thinking that some child have been buried there by the woman, went to the
Mayor or chief magistrate, and told him what had been done, as he thought,
by the infanticide. And the Mayor quickly send his servants and found it to
be as he had said. But they were unwilling to exhume the child, thinking it
wiser to place a watch and wait to see if any woman came near the place; for
they did not know that it was the Lord's Body that was hidden there. And so
it happened that the same witch came to the place, and secretly hid to pot
under her garment before their eyes. And when she was taken and questioned,
she discovered her crime, saying that the Lord's Body had been hidden in the
pot with a toad, so that by means of their dust she might be able to cause
injuries at her will to men and other creatures.
It is also to be noted that when witches communicate they observe this
custom, that, when they can do so without being noticed, they receive the
Lord's Body under their tongue instead of on the top. And as far as can be
seen, the reason is that they never wish to receive any remedy that might
counteract their abjuration of the Faith, either by Confession or by
receiving the Sacrament of the Eucharist; and secondly, because in this way
it is easier for them to take the Lord's Body out of their mouths so that
they can apply it, as has been said, to their own uses, to the greater
offence of the Creator.
For this reason all rectors of the Church and those who communicate the
people are enjoined to take the utmost care when they communicate women that
the mouth shall be well open and the tongue thrust well out, and their
garments be kept quite clear. And the more care is taken in this respect,
the more witches become known by this means.
Numberless other superstitions they practise by means of sacramental objects.
Sometimes they place a waxen image or some aromatic substance under the
altar cloth, as we said before, and then hide
it under the threshold of a house, so that the person for whom it is placed
there may be bewitched on crossing over it. Countless instances could be
brought forward, but these minor sorts of spells are proved by the greater.
Page 1 of 1
Question I, Chapter VI
This chapter was transcribed by Wicasta Lovelace.
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