Of Three Ways in
which Men and Women may be Discovered to be Addicted to
Witchcraft: Divided into Three Heads: and First of the
Witchcraft of Archers.
For
our present purpose the last class of witchcraft is that
which is practised in three forms by men; and first we
must consider the seven deadly and horrible crimes which
are committed by wizards who are archers. For first, on
the Sacred Day of the Passion of Our Lord, that is to
say, on Good Friday, as it is called, during the
solemnization of the Mass of the Presanctified they
shoot with arrows, as at a target, at the most sacred
image of the Crucifix. Oh, the cruelty and injury to the
Saviour! Secondly, though there is some doubt whether
they have to utter a verbal form of apostasy to the
devil in addition to that apostasy of deed, yet whether
it be so or not, no greater injury to the Faith can be
done by a Christian. For it is certain that, if such
things were done by an infidel, they would be of no
efficacy; for no such easy method of gratifying their
hostility to the Faith is granted to them. Therefore
these wretches ought to consider the truth and power of
the Catholic Faith, for the confirmation of which God
justly permits such crimes.
Thirdly, such
an archer has to shoot three or four arrows in this way,
and as a consequence he is able to kill on any day just
the same number of men. Fourthly, they have the
following assurance from the devil; that though they
must first actually set eyes on the man they wish to
kill, and must bend their whole will on killing him, yet
it matter not where the man may shut himself up, for he
cannot be protected, but the arrows which have been shot
will be carried and struck into him by the devil.
Fifthly, they
can shoot an arrow with such precision as to shoot a
penny from a person's head without hurting his head, and
they can continue to do this indefinitely. Sixthly, in
order to gain this power they have to offer homage of
body and soul to the devil. We shall give some instances
of this sort of practice.
For a certain
prince of the Rhineland, named Eberhard Longbeard
because he let his beard grow, had, before he was sixty
years old, acquired for himself some of the Imperial
territory, and was besieging a certain castle named
Lendenbrunnen because of the raids which were made by
the men of the castle. And he had in his company a
wizard of this sort, named Puncker, who so molested the
men of the castle that he killed them all in succession
with his arrows, except one. And this is how he
proceeded. Whenever he had looked at a man, it did not
matter where that man went to or hid himself, he had
only to loose an arrow and that man was mortally wounded
and killed; and he was able to shoot three such arrows
every day because he had shot three arrows at the image
of the Saviour. It is probable that the devil favours
the number three more than any other, because it
represents an effective denial of the Holy Trinity. But
after he had shot those three arrows, he could only
shoot with the same uncertainty as other men. At last
one of the men of the castle called out to him
mockingly, “Puncker, will you not at least spare the
ring which hangs in the gate?” And he answered from
outside in the night, “No; I shall take it away on the
day that the castle is captured.” And he fulfilled his
promise: for when, as has been said, all were killed
except one, and the castle had been taken, he took that
ring and hung it in his own house at Rorbach in the
diocese of Worms, where it can be seen hanging to this
day. But afterwards he was one night killed with their
spades by some peasants whom he had injured, and he
perished in his sins.
It is told
also of this man, that a very eminent person wished to
have proof of his skill, and for a test placed his
little son before the target with a penny on his cap,
and ordered him to shoot the penny away without removing
the cap. The wizard said that he would do it, but with
reluctance, not being sure whether the devil was
seducing him to his death. But, yielding to the
persuasions of the prince, he placed one arrow in
readiness in the cord which was slung over his should,
fitted another to his bow, and shot the penny from the
cap without hurting the boy. Seeing this, the prince
asked him why he had placed the arrow in that cord; and
he answered: “If I had been deceived by the devil and
had killed my son, since I should have had to die I
would quickly have shot you with the other arrow to
avenge my death.”
And though
such wickedness is permitted by God for the proving and
chastisement of the faithful, nevertheless more powerful
miracles are performed by the Saviour's mercy for the
strengthening and glory of the Faith.
For in the
diocese of Constance, near the castle of Hohenzorn and a
convent of nuns, there is a newly-built church where may
be seen an image of Our Saviour pierced with an arrow
and bleeding. And the truth of this miracle is shown as
follows. A miserable wretch who wished to be assured by
the devil of having three or four arrows with which he
could, in the manner we have told, kill whom he pleased,
shot and pierced with an arrow (just as it is still
seen) a certain Crucifix at a crossroad; and when it
miraculously began to bleed, the wretch was stuck
motionless in his steps by Divine power. And when he was
asked by a passer-by why he stood fixed there, he shook
his head, and trembling in his arms and his hands, in
which he held the bow, and all over his body, could
answer nothing. So the other looked about him, and saw
the Crucifix with the arrow and the blood, and said:
“You villain, you have pierced the image of Our
Lord!” And calling some others, he told them to see
that he did not escape (although, as has been said, he
could not move), and ran to the castle and told what had
happened. And they came down and found the wretched man
in the same place; and when they had questioned him, and
he had confessed his crime, he was removed from that
district by public justice, and suffered a miserable
death in merited expiation of his deeds.
But, alas!
how horrible it is to think that human perversity is not
afraid to countenance such crimes. For it is said that
in the halls of the great such men are maintained to
glory in their crimes in open contempt of the Faith, to
the heavy offence of the Divine Majesty, and in scorn of
Our Redeemer; and are permitted to boast of their deeds.
Wherefore
such protectors, defenders and patrons are to be judged
not only heretics, but even apostates from the Faith,
and are to be punished in the manner that will be told.
And this is the seventh deadly sin of these wizards. For
first they are by very law excommunicated; and if the
patrons are clerics they are degraded and deprived of
all office and benefit, nor can they be restored except
by a special indulgence from the Apostolic See. Also, if
after their proscription such protectors remain
obstinate in their excommunication for the period of a
year, they are to be condemned as heretics.
This is in
accordance with the Canon Law; for, in Book VI, it
touches on the question of direct or indirect
interference with the proceedings of Diocesans and
Inquisitors in the cause of the Faith, and mentions the
aforesaid punishment to be inflicted after a year. For
it say: We forbid any interference from Potentates,
temporal Lords and Rulers, and their Officials, etc.
Anyone may refer to the chapter.
And further,
that witches and their protectors are by very law to be
excommunicated is shown in the Canon of the suppressing
of the heresy of witchcraft; especially where it says:
We excommunicate and anathematize all heretics,
Catharists, Sectaries . . . and others, by whatever
names they are known, etc. And with these it includes
all their sympathizers and protectors, and others;
saying later on: Also we excommunicate all followers,
protectors, defenders and patrons of such heretics.
The Canon Law
prescribes various penalties which are incurred within
the space of a year by such heretics, whether laymen or
clerics, where it says: We place under the ban of
excommunication all their protectors, patrons and
defenders, so that when any such has been so sentenced
and has scorned to recant his heresy, within a year from
that time he shall be considered an outlaw, and shall
not be admitted to any office or council, nor be able to
vote in the election of such officers, nor be allowed
free opportunity of giving evidence; he shall not
succeed to any inheritance, and no one shall be held
responsible for any business transaction with him. If he
be a judge, his judgement shall not stand, nor shall any
case be brought to his hearing. If he be an advocate, he
shall not be allowed to plead. If he be a notary, no
instrument drawn up by him shall have any weight, but is
to be condemned together with its condemned author; and
similar penalties are decreed for the holders of other
offices. But if he be a cleric, he is to be degraded
from all office and benefice; for, his guilt being the
greater, it is more heavily avenged. And if any such,
after they have been marked down by the Church,
contemptuously try to ignore their punishment, the
sentence of excommunication is to be rigorously applied
to them to the extreme limits of vengeance. And the
clergy shall not administer the Sacraments of the Church
to such heretics, nor presume to give them Christian
burial, nor accept their alms and oblations, on pain of
being deprived of their office, to which they can in no
way be restored without a special indulgence from the
Apostolic See.
There are,
finally, many other penalties incurred by such heretics
even when they do not persist in their obstinacy for a
year, and also by their children and grandchildren: for
they can be degraded by a Bishop or by an Inquisitor,
declared deprived of all titles, possessions, honours
and ecclesiastical benefits, in fine of all public
offices whatsoever. But this is only when they are
persistently and obstinately impenitent. Also their sons
to the second generation may be disqualified and unable
to obtain either ecclesiastical preferment or public
office; but this is to be understood only of the
descendants on the father's side, and not on the
mother's, and only of those who are impenitent. Also all
their followers, protectors, fautors and patrons shall
be denied all right of petition or appeal; and this is
explained as meaning that, after a verdict has been
returned that they are such heretics, then can they make
no appeal before their sentence, however much they may
have been in any respect ill-used or treated with undue
severity. Much more could be adduced in support of our
standpoint, but this is sufficient.
Now for the
better understanding of what has been said, some few
points are to be discussed. And first, if a prince or
secular potentate employ such a wizard as we have
described for the destruction of some castle in a just
war, and with his help crushes the tyranny of wicked
men; is his whole army to be considered as protectors
and patrons of that wizard, and to be subjected to the
penalties we have mentioned? The answer seems to be that
the rigour of justice must be tempered on account of
their numbers. For the leader, with his counsellors and
advisers, must be considered to have aided and abetted
such witchcraft, and they are by law implicated in the
aforesaid penalties when, after being warned by their
spiritual advisers, they have persisted in their bad
course; and then they are to be judged protectors and
patrons, and are to be punished. But the rest of the
army, since they have no part in their leaders' council,
but are simply prepared to risk their lives in defence
of their country, although they may view with approval
the feats of the wizard, nevertheless escape the
sentence of excommunication; but they must in their
confession acknowledge the guilt of the wizard, and in
their absolution by the confessor must receive a solemn
warning to hold all such practices for ever in
detestation, and as far as they are able drive from
their land all such wizards.
It may be
asked by whom such princes are to be absolved when they
come to their senses, whether by their own spiritual
advisers or by the Inquisitors? We answer that, if they
repent, they may be absolved either by their spiritual
advisers, or by the Inquisitors. This is provided in the
Canon Law concerning the proceedings to be taken, in the
fear of God and as a warning to men, against heretics,
their followers, protectors, patrons and fautors, as
also against those who are accused or suspected of
heresy. But if any of the above, forswearing his former
lapse into heresy, wish to return to the unity of the
Church, he may receive the benefit of absolution
provided by Holy Church.
A prince, or
any other, may be said to have returned to his senses
when he has delivered up the wizard to be punished for
his offences against the Creator; when he has banished
from his dominions all who have been found guilty of
witchcraft or heresy; when he is truly penitent for the
past; and when, as becomes a Catholic prince, he is
firmly determined in his mind not to show any favour to
any other such wizard.
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