all his wealth, although he was the richest man in the East.
Exod. 8.It will not be inappropriate to quote here in confirmation of our contention the frogs and serpents of Pharaoh’s magicians; for there is no doubt that those animals were created by an apt application of active to passive principles; Vair, de Incant. II. 12.this being the opinion of St. Thomas, which is based on logical argument, since it is a fact that frogs are generated by corruption, and there is no reason why a rotten rod or wand should not be turned into a serpent; for certain naturalists have observed that the same result comes from a woman’s hair hidden in a dung-heap.
There need be no difficulty in the fact that these matters of which we have spoken were done in an instant, for Satan and the demons perform all their actions with such speed that they seem miraculous. And when it is considered that Nature can be assisted and helped forward by Art, it will not seem strange that Satan can accomplish in a moment that which naturally involves the passage of a considerable time; for it must be remembered that the Alchemists also, if we may believe them, can by a turn of the hand create gold, although in the process of Nature this takes a thousand years.
Again, it is easy to understand that the hail falls just where the witches wish; for Satan’s power in the air is so great that he can dispose the cloud just where he wishes. Nevertheless, God does not always permit this to happen, as I know from the testimony of Rollande du Vernois, Françoise Secretain and other witches, who said that they had often wished it to hall upon the fruits of certain villages, but that the hail had fallen upon