Chapter XXVIII.
How Witches Afflict with the Hand.
Sixthly, witches cause hurt and injury by a touch of the hand. I have seen a witch cast an evil spell upon a man by pulling him three times by his coat. Another time, on passing a herd of cattle, she struck a calf on the flank with her hand and the calf died a few days later; and when they came to skin it they had great difficulty in separating the hide from the flesh at the place where it had been touched, and also they found the imprint of a hand marked upon the same place.
Jeanne Platet confessed that, in order to cause the death of persons or cattle, she used to rub her hands with an ointment given her by the Devil. Similarly Michel Udon and Pierre Burgot confessed that they rubbed their left arms and hands with a certain powdered ash, and that when they then touched an animal they caused it to die. Moreover, the Inquisitors have written that if a Judge lets himself be touched on the bare arm and hand by the witch, he thereby becomes her advocate.
But whatever may be said, I do not believe that the witch can cause injury simply by her hand; but that if he who has been touched becomes ill, it is undoubtedly Satan who strikes the blow. And when a witch anoints his hand, it may still be that Satan plays his part in the work: or else
