An Examen of Witches/Chapter 48
Chapter XLVIII.
That Witches generally Consecrate their Children to Satan; and of the Pain Suffered by Groz-Jacques and Certain Other Sorcerers.
Groz-Jacques confessed also that Satan had demanded one of his daughters from him, but that he had been unwilling to surrender her. Psal. 106.
II Kings 23.But I am of a contrary opinion; for it is the custom of witches to dedicate their children to Satan, as is proved by many examples.
Pierre Vuillermoz, the son of Guillaume Vuillermoz, said that his father had twice taken him to the Sabbat near the village of Coirieres when he was only ten years old, and that he continually urged him to give himself to Satan. The brothers Claude, Charloz and Perrenette Mollard likewise said that Clauda Gindre, their maternal grandmother, had taken them to the Sabbat when they were of very tender age. It is probable that Guillaume Vuillermoz and Clauda Gindre had vowed their children to Satan: yet these children had only to be frightened at the sight and hearing of the Devil to cause them not to give themselves to him. I surmise that this was owing to the fact that they had not yet reached the age of puberty. For Satan pursues only those who have passed the age of twelve or fourteen; since in his cunning and guile he knows full well that an agreement made with those who are younger than this cannot be binding, seeing that such have no judgement or discretion.
Clauda Gindre was the mother of Guillaume Vuillermoz, so that it is probable that she had also debauched her son. Pierre Gandillon debauched his children George and Antoine Gandillon, and took them to the Sabbat.
From this it is apparent that the common saying is true, namely, that it needs but one witch to pollute a whole family. And so it happened that there were formerly whole families in Africa and Italy which could kill people by looking at them or complimenting them, and that the race of Antæus in Arcadia used to turn into wolves, and afterwards resume their human shape.
But an even stranger matter is that there are fathers who, to please the Devil, have murdered their own children, as Manasses, King of Judah, who sacrificed his children to Satan, who in return promised to make him powerful. Medea also sacrificed two of her own children in order to cause the death of Glauce, daughter of King Creon. This has apparently happened in many other instances; so that David in one place complains, saying:Psal. 106. “They sacrificed their sons and their daughters unto devils.” And again: “And shed innocent blood, even the blood of their sons and of their daughters, whom they sacrificed unto the idols of Canaan.”
There are even those who have not spared them even in their mother’s womb, as the Baron de Rays.
Therefore I am not much surprised that strangers should have done the like, as did Stadlin, who confessed that he had killed seven children in their mother’s womb; and the Emperor Maxentius, who used to have mothers ripped open all alive and their offspring taken away to be sacrificed to Satan and to form the material for the making of his virgin parchments.
He opened up the wombs of wretched mothers.
To have their fruits to sacrifice to devils.
It is not without cause then, to return to my argument, that it is taken as a great presumption of guilt against the accused if his father and mother, or one of them, are witches. Bodin, Demonom. IV. 4.Some have maintained that this is an infallible rule; and there seems much to be said for such a view, considering the great number of instances of parents who have destroyed their children in this way, and the fact that Satan’s one object is the ruin of the whole human race in order that he may thus increase his kingdom. And therefore he urges those witches who have no children to debauch their neighbours and bring them into his net, as we have seen in the cases of Groz-Jacques, Grosse Françoise, the husband of la Micholette and several others.
Groz-Jacques was in the end burned alive, and died contrite and penitent. Clauda Jamguillaume, Thievenne Paget and Clauda Gaillard accompanied him in death; but the last of these would never confess anything, and proved so obstinate that it was with difficulty that she was persuaded to call upon God for mercy. We have spoken of her already, and shall later treat of the reasons for her condemnation.
I must not forget the methods used to draw the truth from Thievenne Paget. After she had remained in prison for about three months without confessing at all, she was lodged in a cell next to that of Groz-Jacques, who was one of her accusers. But they spoke to Groz-Jacques first, and he promised to do his utmost to induce her to confess. And he fulfilled his promise; for after Thievenne had been but one night next to him she confessed, and stood so well to her confession that, by order of the Judge, a man was sent in to her the next day, and told her that he had been to the Sabbat with her, and told her particulars of it which he took from the confession of Groz-Jacques and that of the other witches who had accused her. This is a practice which I recommend Judges to follow sometimes, but not always for reasons which I have hinted elsewhere.
As for Clauda Jamprost, she was executed some time before the others, being burned alive. She repented, and died very bravely.