Question VII: On the spells of witches

The name of magic, belonging to natural science, has been transferred to the wicked art of Witches, whose inventor was Zoroaster, King of the Persians, as they commonly report with D. Bonaventure.

But a far greater number of women than men, from innate levity, follow it, and they are called Lamiae from their cruelty: for the Lamia is a monstrous animal with a human face, carrying the cruelty of a wild beast in its trunk, especially in slaughtering children, that it may pour out and suck their blood, as D. Bonavent. teaches in 3. Threnorum, and with him Fagundez in primum praeceptum, lib. 1. cap. 41. to whom alludes that text of the Threni, sed et Lamiae nudaverunt mammas.

They are called Sagae from sagacity: Maleficae from maleficia: Veneficae from veneficia.

They are called Striges from certain night birds that emit a screech in flight.

It is customary here to dispute: Whether striges are truly brought to the places of dances: but I have treated these in my Tract. de Angelis, d. 11. where I also reported the unspeakable copulations with the demon.

These however are apostates from the faith, for they deny Baptism, the most holy Cross, the Trinity, as some of this refuse have expressed to me. Whence they rightly say, with Prosper Farinac. Tract. de haeresi, parte 8. operum crim. quaest. 181. §. 1. num. 46. Delrius lib. 5. disq. sect. 5. that Lamiae are heretics. There is added the cult of demons; for they adore the devil, either under the figure of a He-goat, or seated on a throne; they adore however with the shoulder bent sideways, as they have told me,

Blasphemies are belched forth against God, against Christ, and against the B. Virgin, as I reported d. 11. de Angelis.

There are added sacrileges of every kind in the abuse of the Sacraments, the Relics of Saints, and of the Most Holy Eucharist itself.

There follow the unspeakable copulations with the Demon, both according to nature and against it.

There are added the gravest damages in the goods of orchard, of floods, and of fires, and even to life itself. And so a witch, whom I accompanied to execution, confessed that she had killed ten men. These things they report: Binsfeld, commentar. ad l. Nemo, C. de maleficiis and Delrius disq. lib. 5. sect. 16. Serlogus Anselis. in cant.

Add that this crime is contagious, so that it creeps like a cancer. For these men and women have from the Demon a precept of drawing others to the same apostasy, which is first celebrated by the trampling of the Cross, and the denial of the faith, and the adoration of the goat, and the serpent, as is established for me all too truly by the experiment of those whom I examined; for so pestilential a virus did some Youths spread, that they would hand over to me some of their parents to be converted, otherwise, they protested, they wished to kill them, because they were also corrupting other brothers, even little boys. And I saw some of these even as infants, who would perform these diabolical ceremonies, and with turbulent mouth and horrible face they terrified.

These things they learn in solitudes, while they guard flocks and herds, or in the night time, where they are not recognized. They have confessed also that they bring masters to the sacrilegious places, and except for these, others are not recognized, because all appear masked. But what they do there is so detestable that even inks and pages would blush to describe it: Moreover they bring innumerable calamities, they cast Demons into bodies, as I have learned from the possessed, they stir up tempests so savage that once in the Valley of Rhaetia I saw all the crops cut down by hailstones, the fields laid waste by waters flooding from the ridges, buildings buried, and within one hour damage of forty thousand gold pieces inflicted by two young striges.

Truly for the restitution of these things the striges are held, and those who cooperate with them; but especially those who induce them, as Suarez Tom. 1. lib. 1. de superstit. cap. 14. Toletus lib. 4. summae, cap. 16. Less. Tom. 1. lib. 2. cap. 8. d. 2. Navar. cap. 15. num. 19. Fagundez loc. cit. cap. 41. n. 19. note.

Wherefore, as the Doctors commonly teach, this obligation of restitution is not extinguished by their killing; for through those punishments they satisfy legal justice, not the injured party. Therefore the heirs are held to restitution according to cap. in litteris, de raptoribus, and cap. ult. de sepult. But if the goods have come to the fisc, it is held first to restore the damages inflicted according to leg. Non possunt, and leg. In summa, ff. de iure fisci, where the best account of this matter is given, because things liable to a debt owed are not computed among the goods of the deceased. Which is common to all other debts. So teach Suarez num. 12. Navar. num. 25. Binsfeld. tract. de confess. malefic. praelud. 13. Fagundez num. 20. and others.

I confess that those whom I knew were for the most part destitute, and each of them had a single daughter educated, to whom they might leave the inheritance of so great iniquity; but the other offspring the cruelest Lamiae killed. About the aforesaid the confessor ought to question them, as Bass. num. 7. notes.

I know that sometimes fantasy alone carries some to the execrable places, as I said disp. 11. de Angelis cit. In which category there occurred a charming spectacle; for one of the striges under inquisition, who, since she was very old, had not been fastened to the rack, but with fire applied to her feet was called forth to confession and questioning, and had always denied; when she had been condemned to exile and was to go into the lands of Brescia, I approached her, and besought her to inflict no more evils: But she blasphemed that she was innocent as an Angel, and as the most holy Virgin; (for this is their ordinary justification) The young daughter was also present; But having exhorted both with gentle words, I recognized from their own confession that both were striges. Therefore I commended to God my Brescian fatherland, to which one of them was to come. After some days, departing from her sickbed (with her feet burnt — for indeed the fire had been extinguished by the force of a great sum of money) she lay dying for many hours. Her husband, weary of the disgrace, called the Priests, and had her buried as dead; she was let down into a deep dug grave, and covered with much earth; but on the following night a pack of huge Cats of black color led dances around her sepulcher. Thus perished the wretch.

Moreover their philters and love potions are not naturally efficacious for kindling lascivious loves toward a particular individual, although they can excite the humors, as Azor. cap. 26. quaestio 1. Medina lib. de recta in Deum fide, cap. 7. teach.

It is also wont to be asked: Whether men can compel Demons with regard to rings, mirrors, etc. It is answered with Azorius quaestio 2. Fagundez num. 23. negatively; since they are of lower nature and power, but they are compelled by a superior Demon, whom the magus consults.

You will object. The liver of the fish drove away Demons, Tobiae 6. et 8. The holy Doctor answers, de sex alis Seraphim, cap. 8. et part. 3. de Eccl. Hier. cap. 2. et part. 2. cap. 2. that this was done by the power of the Angel Raphael, who took the liver of the roasted fish to signify salvation by the power of the passion of Christ. So also Fagundez num. 25. and Azorius in the place cited.