An Examen of Witches

by Henry Boguet

An Examen
of Witches

[Discours
D
E
S Sorciers]

An Examen
of Witches

Drawn from various trials of many of this sect in the district of Saint Oyan de Joux commonly known as Saint Claude in the county of Burgundy including the procedure necessary to a judge in trials for witchcraftby

Henry Boguet

chief Judge in the said county • translated by E. Allen Ashwin • edited by the Rev. Montague Summers

 

John Rodker • 1929

Edition Limited to 1275 copies.
This copy is number  560 

 

Printed in Great Britain by
Richard Clay & Sons, Ltd.
Bungay
Suffolk

Introductory matter 

• Editor's Preface
• To Monseigneur
• To Monsieur
• Author's Preface

The Various Chapters

Comprising the Present
Examen

 

Loyse Maillat, eight years old, is possessed of five devils and later delivered of them, and Françoise Secretain made prisoner for casting the spell.Chap. I

the means by which the truth was drawn from Françoise SecretainII

the principal points in the confession of Françoise SecretainIII

the reasons for imprisoning Françoise SecretainIV

Whether it be possible for one to send demons into the body of anotherV

Whether one witch can harm anotherVI

Of the bodies of spirits and devilsVII

The means whereby Satan wins us to himVIII

Of the witch’s renunciation of God, baptism and chrismIX

Of the voice of demonsX

Of the copulation of the Devil with male and female witchesXI

Whether such copulation exists in the imagination onlyXII

Whether the copulation of Satan with a witch can bring to birth a living beingXIII

Of the transvection of witches to the SabbatXIV

How and in what fashion witches are conveyed to the SabbatXV

Witches sometimes go on foot to the SabbatXVI

Whether witches go in spirit to the SabbatXVII

The Sabbat is generally held at nightXVIII

Of the day of the SabbatXIX

Of the place of the SabbatXX

Of what happens at the Sabbat, and of the burning of candles, the kiss, the dances, the copulation of the Devil with witches, the feasts, the accounts rendered by them to him, the beating of water to produce hail, the Mass which is said by them, and how Satan consumes himself in flames and burns to ashesXXI

Whether witches can produce hailXXII

Of the powder used by witchesXXIII

Of the unguents and ointments used by witchesXXIV

Whether witches kill by their blowings and their breathsXXV

Whether witches afflict with wordsXXVI

Whether witches afflict with lookingXXVII

How witches afflict with the handXXVIII

How witches afflict with a wandXXIX

Of the images used by witchesXXX

How midwives, if they are witches, kill the children they deliverXXXI

By what ills witches particularly afflict peopleXXXII

How witches afflict the herdsXXXIII

How witches do hurt to the fruits of the earthXXXIV

Whether witches are able to healXXXV

that for the cure of maladies Satan and his demons must on no account be appealed to, but God onlyXXXVI

Whether it is permitted to menace a witch in order to heal or ward off harmXXXVII

That he who is bewitched can avail himself of physiciansXXXVIII

the rosaries used by witches generally lack the Cross, but in any case the Cross is always imperfect in some particularXXXIX

Witches are unable to shed tears in the presence of the judgeXL

The eyes of witches are continually bent upon the ground when in the presence of the judgeXLI

Witches when they renounce the Devil spit three times upon the groundXLII

Witches must be shaved and their clothes changedXLIII

The marks borne by witchesXLIV

Satan often kills witches when they are in prison, or else he inspires them to kill themselves. sometimes he reveals what will happen to them at their deathsXLV

that Satan companies with his witches when they are in prison and even assists them in the presence of the judgeXLVI

Of the metamorphosis of men into beasts, and especially of lycanthropes or loups-garouxXLVII

that witches generally consecrate their children to Satan; and of the pain suffered by Groz-Jacques and certain other sorcerersXLVIII

of Guillaume Vuillermoz known as le Baillu, of his confrontation with Pierre his son, and the causes of his condemnationXLIX

Whether one accused of witchcraft and dying in prison may be buried in consecrated soilL

the causes and reasons of the sentence condemning Clauda GaillardLI

of Pierre Vuillermoz and of Christofle of the village of Aranthon, and how they were treated leniently on account of their youth and for certain other reasonsLII

of Rollande du Vernois and how she was possessed of demons in prison, and of her deliveranceLIII

Against those who mock at the exorcisms and conjurations of our priestsLIV

Of the power and virtue of the Cross against demons and their subjectsLV

Of the might and virtue of holy water against demonsLVI

Of the perfumes used by priests in their conjurationsLVII

against those who assert that Satan pretends merely to fear the cross, holy water and exorcism; and that in reality he cares notLVIII

continuation of the replies of Rollande du Vernois; and of her condemnationLIX

whether the Eucharist may be administered to one accused of witchcraftLX

if one accused of witchcraft be but found guilty of assisting at the Sabbat, even though he has done no other ill, the secular judge may pass sentence of death upon himLXI

Manner of procedure of a judge in a case of witchcraftLXII