Of the fit Time and
of the Method of the Second Examination. And it is the
Eleventh Action, concerning the Final Precautions to be
Observed by the Judge
THERE are one or two points to be noted with regard to
what we have just written. First, that witches should be
questioned on the more Holy Days and during the
solemnization of the Mass, and that the people should be
exhorted to pray for Divine help, not in any specific
manner, but that they should invoke the prayers of the
Saints against all the plagues of the devil.
Secondly, as
we have said before, the Judge should wear round his
neck Consecrated Salt and other matters, with the Seven
Words which Christ uttered on the Cross written in a
schedule, and all bound together. And he should, if he
conveniently can, wear these made into the length of
Christ's stature against his naked body, and bind other
Holy things about him. For it is shown by experience
that witches are greatly troubled by these things, and
can hardly refrain from confessing the truth. The Relics
of the Saints, too, are of especial virtue.
Having taken
these precautions, and after giving her Holy Water to
drink, let him again begin to question her, all the time
exhorting her as before. And while she is raised from
the ground, if she is being tortured in this way, let
the Judge read or cause to be read to her the
depositions of the witnesses with their names, saying:
“See! You are convicted by the witnesses.” Also, if
the witnesses are willing to confront her face to face,
the Judge shall ask her if she will confess if the
witnesses are brought before her. And if she consents,
let the witnesses be brought in and stand before her, so
that she may be contrained or shamed into confessing
some of her crimes.
Finally, if
he sees that she will not admit her crimes, he shall ask
her whether, to prove her innocence, she is ready to
undergo the ordeal by red-hot iron. And they all desire
this, knowing that the devil will prevent them from
being hurt; therefore a true witch is exposed in this
manner. The Judge shall ask her how she can be so rash
as to run so great a risk, and all shall be written
down; but it will be shown later that they are never to
be allowed to undergo this ordeal by red-hot iron.
Let the Judge
also not that when witches are questioned on a Friday,
while the people are gathered together at Holy Mass to
await our Saviour, they very often confess.
But we must
proceed to the extreme case, when after every expedient
has been tried the witch still maintains silence. The
Judge shall then loose her and, using the precautions
which follow, shall take her from the place of
punishment to another place under a strong guard; but
let him take particular care not to release her on any
sort of security; for when that is done, they never
confess the truth, but always become worse.
But in the
first place let him cause her to be well treated in the
manner of food and drink, and meanwhile let honest
persons who are under no suspicion enter to her and talk
often with her on indifferent subjects, and finally
advise her in confidence to confess the truth, promising
that the Judge will be merciful to her and that they
will intercede for her. And finally let the Judge come
in and promise that he will be merciful with the mental
reservation that he means he will be merciful to himself
or the State; for whatever is done for the safety of the
State is merciful.
But if he
promises her her life, as we showed in Question XIV that
he can do in three ways, let it all be written down by
the Notary in what words and with what intention mercy
was promised. And if the accused begs for mercy in this
way, and discovers her crime, let her be promised in a
vague and general way that she will receive even more
than she has petitioned for, so that she may speak with
the greater confidence.
As a second
precaution in this case, when she refuses altogether to
reveal the truth, the Judge should, as we have said
before, examine her friends and associates without her
knowledge; and if these have deposed anything which
might lead to her conviction, this must be diligently
investigated. Also, if any instruments or unguents or
boxes have been found in her house, they should be shown
to her, and she should be asked for what purposes they
have been used.
A third
precaution can be taken when she still persists in her
obstinancy after her associates have been examined and
borne witness against her, and not for her. If she has
no friends, let some other trustworthy man who is known
to be congenial to the accused and to some extent a
patron of hers, enter to the witch one evening and
engage her in a protracted conversation. And then, if he
is not an accomplice, let him pretend that it is too
late for him to return, and stay in the prison with her,
and continue talking during the night. And if he is an
accomplice, let them eat and drink together, and talk to
each other about the things they have done. And then let
it be arranged that spies should stand outside in a
convenient place, and listen to them and take note of
their words, and if necessary let the have a scribe with
them.
As a fourth
precaution, if she then begins to tell the truth, let
the Judge on no account postpone hearing her confession,
even in the middle of the night, buy proceed with it to
the best of his ability. And if it is in the day-time,
let him not care if he delays his luncheon or dinner,
but persist until she has told the truth, at least in
the main. For it is generally found that, after
postponements and interruptions, they return to their
vomit and will not reveal the truth which they began to
confess, having thought worse of it.
And let the
Judge take note that, after she has confessed the
injuries done to men and animals, he shall ask her for
how many years she has had an Incubus devil, and how
long it is since she abjured the faith. For they never
confess to these matters unless they have first
confessed to these matters unless they have first
confessed their other deeds; therefore they must be
asked concerning these last of all.
As a fifth
precaution, when all the above have failed, let her, if
possible, be led to some castle; and after she has been
kept there under custody for some days, let the
castellan pretend that he is going on a long journey.
And then let some of his household, or even some honest
women, visit her and promise that they will set her
entirely at liberty if she will teach them how to
conduct certain practices. And let the Judge take note
that by this means they have very often confessed and
been convicted.
Quite lately
a witch was detained in the Castle of Königsheim near
the town of Schlettstadt in the Diocese of Strasburg,
and could not be induced by any tortures or questions to
confess her crimes. But at last the castellan used the
method we have just described. Although he was himself
present in the castle, the witch thought he was away,
and three of his household came in to her and promised
they would set her free if she would teach them how to
do certain things. At first she refused, saying that
they were trying to entrap her; but at last she asked
what it was that they wanted to know. And one asked how
to raise a hailstorm, and another asked about carnal
matters. When at length she agreed to show him how to
raise a hailstorm, and a bowl of water had been brought
in, the witch told him to stir the water with his
finger, and herself uttered certain words, and suddenly
the place which he had named, a wood near the castle,
was visited by such a tempest and storm of hail as had
not been seen for many years.
It yet
remains to show how the Judge is to proceed in
pronouncing sentence in a case where all these means
have failed, or what is further to be done even when she
has confessed her crimes, that the whole process may be
brought to an end; and we shall complete this Last Part
of this work with a consideration of these matters.
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